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yannowhatigiveup · 3 years

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T.W.A.A: The Eccedentesiast

This is a one shot I started last night and I finished it at around 2 am because I’m an insomniac. Sadly this isn’t the 10k+ word one shot I was talking about (I’m still writing it aaa) but this one is around 4-5k words long so I hope you enjoy. This is rushed, badly written, badly plotted and badly named.

TW: Dark topics such as sexual assault and suicide is mentioned in this piece of writing.

Paris, the City of Love, what a big misconception that was. If anything, Paris should've been labeled as the City of Misery considering the fact it was haunted by a villain who preyed on negative emotions. No one outside of Paris knew though, they were oblivious to the fact hundreds, thousands even millions had died in the city home to the Eiffel Tower, only to be resurrected and tormented with the memories of their death. It was worse for Marinette though, she had watched all the citizens, her beloved citizens, die before her eyes and she was powerless to help them. Their screams of anguish and cries of pain forever ghosted her nightmares. It wasn't just their blood that she drowned in, she was bullied, abused and betrayed in her civilian form by those she trusted the most.

Her classmates. She thought she could trust them but they left her for someone shinier and newer. They all hurt her, destroyed her hard work, verbally and physically bullied her. Nino and Kim, her childhood friends had turned their backs on her too, even joining the others in causing her physical and emotional pain. Alya, her best friend, had become her main abuser. The reporter stabbed the poor bluenette in the back, figuratively. Lila was the one who did it literally. Lila, the sound of the name itself made Marinette sick, after all, the brunette was the one who did this to her. She made her friends turn their backs on her, she made them abuse her and she only watched with fake crocodile tears and a smug smile when no one was looking. And Adrien, he was the worst of all. When Marinette was younger, Adrien was the embodiment of perfection. But now? All she could see was a spineless coward and a predator.

As Chat Noir, he wouldn't participate in the battles, only flirting with her hero persona. He would whine like a toddler when she rejected his advancements. Even when he did join in the battles, he was useless, ignoring anything that Ladybug would tell him and go straight for the kill which never worked. Chat Noir was incompetent and a sexual harasser. As Adrien, however, he was much more. Just two days ago, he had tried to sexually assault the young bluenette. The blonde had underestimated the girl and she managed to get away but nothing could erase her memory of the event.

The ultimatum Lila had delivered to Marinette when she thirteen seemed over-dramatic and seemingly impossible at the time. Yet three years later, she was at the point of no return. Her classmates, her friends, her teachers, the boy she once loved, her partner, her parents. They all left her. Mayor Bourgeois, fearing for his daughter's safety, had sent Chloe to New York with her mother. Luka was on tour with his father so they could build a better relationship. Kagami had a family affair back in Japan that would last for at least a month. She was truly alone. Her parents had fallen victim to Lila's lies and Marinette overheard them discussing about kicking her out. The only one by her side throughout the whole ordeal was Tikki, her beloved kwami. Even Master Fu had to leave her.

Marinette felt shut out by the rest of the world. Sure, Paris adored Ladybug but it felt different. She was fighting battles alone, she stood as the last survivor, the last protector of Paris. She took that title in stride, or that's what the Parisians thought. In reality, she was hiding behind a mask.

The bluenette had suffered endlessly for years, she was ready to break that cycle of torture. Yesterday, she came to the solid conclusion of who Hawkmoth was, who is accomplices were and what his motive was. Gabriel Agreste was the man behind Paris' torment, Nathalie Sancœr was one of his accomplices and so was Lila Rossi. For his motive, he wanted to bring his wife back. Marinette understood the pain he was in but she wouldn't go to such extreme lengths as he did. Many years ago, Marinette made a friend, one of her very best friends who she fell for. But she never told anyone who he was, where he came from or even the fact that she met someone. The reason behind this was the fact she witnessed his murder. That death, of all she witnessed, was the most heartbreaking. Even when all these years have passed, she never truly got over his death. His green eyes always lingered her mind.

The bluenette let out an anguished sigh, she was on the Eiffel Tower, admiring the city's skyline despite all its obvious flaws under close inspection. Though Marinette had drastically mentally changed, she would always put on the same mask, she would always portray herself as a regular school girl. This was the one time she felt a little peace in her chaotic excuse for a life. Her blue eyes stared off into the distance, focusing on nothing in particular when she heard footsteps coming from behind. In her peripheral vision, Marinette could see the figure of Gabriel Agreste slowly approaching. Not wanting anything to happen, she made her knowledge of her appearance known.

"I never expected to see you somewhere so public, Monsieur Agreste" Her voice remained neutral. Gabriel didn't flinch meaning that he had expected her to sense his arrival, it made the young girl slightly unnerved but she refused to show it.

"The Eiffel Tower holds the greatest inspiration, as a designer yourself I'm sure you are aware" Marinette was used to his cold voice by now, she kept her guard up reminding herself that this was Hawkmoth was standing a few feet away.

She hummed, putting the two miraculous users in a deathly silence, until she decided to break it. "You know, you could've just asked" The older man raised an eyebrow in confusion but Marinette never looked in his direction, "It would've saved a lot of bloodshed"

Gabriel managed to catch up with what she was saying. "Are you implying that I am Hawkmoth?" He didn't sound offended or defensive, merely curious.

"I'm not implying anything" She replied curtly, then turning to face him. "I am merely stating a fact"

The miraculous user turned away from her, focusing his gaze on the city's skyline once more. "What are you going to do with this knowledge?"

The question confused Marinette, surely he would've attacked her or try to get her to remain silent?

He must've noticed her confusion. "Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't say anything"

Marinette turned her full body towards the taller man, she was going to end Hawkmoth's reign as quickly as she could. "I can heal her"

"What?"

"I can heal her" The bluenette repeated. "Emilie"

Gabriel also turned to face her, his usual cold scowl was replaced with a staggered expression. "Y-you can? Even after all I've done as Hawkmoth?"

Her head twisted back to portrait that was Paris. "To end it all, yes I will"

"Then please, follow me and I promise I will give you my miraculous as well as Mayura's. Just, heal my wife please" His tone changed from intrigued to pleading, Marinette could see that he meant every word.

"Oh don't worry... I will"

~~~

"I did it!" Tim's voice echoed in the Batcave.

"Did what replacement?"

"I found Hawkmoth's identity!"

Around three months ago, Wonder Woman had noticed Green Lantern trying to delete a video. She stopped him before he successfully did the task and watched the video herself, calling a meeting to express her anger about the situation. Most were shaken since they had never seen the Amazonian this livid before. She briefly explained how her mother was once a miraculous user and how powerful these magical jewelry could be. Aqua Man also shared his concerns, revealing that the fall of Atlantis was due to the miraculous. They knew the logical decision was to work on this from outside of Paris, the villain preyed on negative emotions and they had been ignoring the Parisians' calls for help for four years. Their sudden appearance would definitely trigger the heroes. So in the last month, they had gathered files of nearly every person in Paris as well as all the necessary information about every akuma attack. It was tiring for the Bats but they trudged through it anyway.

Damian had taken a special interest in the spotted-heroine specifically, without the knowledge of any of his family members. She appeared similar to a female friend he had made quite some time ago, the one who had witnessed an assassination attempt on him. He saddened him to no end knowing that the friend he loved thought he was dead. The green-eyed boy became one hundred percent convinced that this hero was his friend.

One day, Dick had caught him in the Batcave observing a recently taken image of the Ladybug heroine. His older brother thought that Damian was crushing on the lady and began to tease him as others entered the cave.

"Tt, that's not true" the green-eyed boy retaliated.

"If you don't have a crush on Ladybug then why are you staring at an image of her?" Dick added more information necessary so that his younger brothers could join in on teasing his youngest brother.

The Robin vigilante sighed and brought everyone's attention to the screen. "See that?"

"All I see is this little lady Demon Spawn" Jason's smirk was quickly gone when he noticed Damian's serious expression.

"She's alone" he stated simply and before anyone could get a word in, her explained further. "There is usually a team with her"

Everyone seemed to lean closer to the screen.

"She's fighting alone. Her 'partner' doesn't participate in the battles anymore, he stays on the sidelines, observing" He let the others catch up to what he was saying. "The attacks have been lasting a lot longer than usual, Ladybug leads a super hero team correct? Then why is she fighting alone this time."

"They could have all been killed... We have to go to Paris to help the poor girl" Dick turned to Bruce. "Who knows how much longer she'll last alone fighting a psycho butterfly man!"

Bruce's fatherly instincts were screaming at him from merely looking at the photo. "I'll announce to the League that we'll be joining the fight in Paris"

~~~

Gabriel lead Marinette to his office, Nathalie wearily watching. Just as he was about to open the double doors, his assistant collapsed in uncontrollable coughing. Marinette was much faster than the older man so she got to the woman first. The bluenette carefully put Nathalie down on one of the chairs available while putting her hand on where she thought the assistant would where the peacock brooch. The blue-eyed girl could sense the broken miraculous' energy trapped in the woman so she did the only reasonable thing she could at that moment, she extracted the corrupted magic, healing Nathalie almost instantly. Marinette ignored Gabriel's relieved expression and gestured for him to lead her to Emilie.

"When this is over, I wish to have a restraining order against your son"

"May I ask why?"

"..."

"...I understand, I'll make sure to tell Nathalie"

The older man stopped before a painting of his wife, his fingers reached for the painted shapes and pressed on them, revealing an elevator to which he went down in. Following his motion, Marinette placed her hand on the painting and allowed herself to descend down the mansion. It lead her to a repository with a catwalk which lead to a circular platform covered in luscious greenery. In the middle on the platform was a class-covered cryogenic pod which the sleeping body of Emilie Agreste lay. The bluenette carefully made her way to the glass casket, placing her hand on the transparent material when she finally reached her destination. Focusing all her energy, a red light erupted from her finger tips and it soaked into Emilie's skin. Gabriel opened the pod, carefully watching his wife as Marinette took a step back. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open.

"G-Gabriel, what happened?"

The man didn't reply, he simply hugged the woman of his dreams before turning the the young girl.

"I... Thank you Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, I can give you the miraculous now if-"

"Ladybug will be at the Eiffel Tower soon, I suggest you give the miraculous to her then"

Gabriel nodded and thanked the girl once more as she left. Before she reached the lift that would lead her back up to Gabriel's office, Marinette turned to face the newly reunited couple.

"Enjoy the happiness in your life, Monsieur Agreste, you never know when it may end"

She then turned to leave, not wanting to here what her former idol had to say. When she reached the main floor of the Agreste Mansion, Marinette was greeted by Nathalie. The bluenette acknowledged the assistant with a nod, meaning that Emilie was awake. The assistant let out a sigh of relief and rushed to Adrien's room, not wanting to be around the blonde boy, Marinette promptly left. Once out of the premises of the mansion, she transformed and waited for Gabriel to return the miraculous. What she didn't realise was that the Justice League would also be coming to pay her a visit.

It felt like an eternity, waiting for the miraculous to be handed back to her but the bluenette was patient. She waited four years for this moment, but she had to share the moment alone. It was bittersweet. Soon enough Gabriel arivied, hastily giving Ladybug both the brooches with apologetic eyes and leaving without a word. The spotted heroine presumed that he wanted to get back to his wife and son, she couldn't blame him. Ladybug reached for her yo-yo teary-eyed, she was going to put both miraculous in her weapon before returning them in the miracle box but she stopped when she heard multiple figures approaching where she was standing.

~~~

Batman and his sons were the ones to go to Paris and alert Ladybug of their findings. The five men found themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower, Tim found out that was were the heroes would return to after their patrol.

"We must tell Ladybug right away" Batman pulled out his grappling hook and flung himself to one of the higher levels, all but Robin followed suit.

The vigilante had a feeling to remain on a lower level. He wanted to be reunited with his long lost friend but he couldn't find the words. Simply, he used his grappling hook to bring him onto one of the beams, low enough so he couldn't be seen but high enough to hear any conversation.

"Greetings, Ladybug" His father's voice echoed through the quiet building.

"Monsieur Batman? Wh-what are you doing here?" Her voice sounded almost exactly as he remembered, of course it sounded deeper and more matured but it had a more desolated edge to it.

~~~

"We apologize for not intervening earlier but we didn't know how well we needed to control our emotions" Red Hood watched as Nightwing brushed a hand through his hair nervously.

"But we can help now!" Red Robin's excited voice came out of nowhere, Ladybug looked at the vigilante in surprise. "We found out Hawkmoth's identity so we can finish this once and-"

Ladybug put a single hand up, a small smile on her face, silencing Red Robin's rambling. "That's very considerate of you, all of you" Her gaze landed on each vigilante one at a time. "But I... have things sorted" She pulled out two brooches from behind her back to show the men before putting the miraculous in her yo-yo. "I appreciate all you've done, truly I do. But can I ask one for one more favor?"

"Of course, what is it?" Nightwing asked, clearly wanting the spotted heroine to be gleeful once more.

"Could you... help the other heroes to help the Parisians to heal?"

"It's the least we can do" Batman replied. "Will you be there too?"

"I'm afraid not" Ladybug turned around and leaned forward on the banister. "You know how Hawkmoth prays on negative emotions, so I've had to deal with my emotions in an unhealthy manor but now... Hawkmoth is no more. I can be free"

"Wh-"

"Thank you, truly" Ladybug jumped up on to railing, facing the group of vigilantes. Her sad smile faded as she stared at the floor.

They didn't even get a chance to process what was happening before it did. A bright light surrounded the young hero and they were forced to close their eyes. As the light died down, Red Hood saw a small bluenette. She looked so weak, so pretty, so... fragile. It hurt the vigilante's heart seeing someone like this being the sole protector of Paris with no one by her side.

"Hey little lady-"

"I'm sorry Tikki"

The girl looked at all the vigilantes slowly, mouthing a 'thank you' before letting herself lean backwards.

Gravity took the Parisian heroine and she fell.

A small creature holding something shiny stared in horror as its owner fell."MARINETTE!" The small creature's anguished scream seemed to bring the vigilantes back to reality.

~~~

"MARINETTE!"

Robin's head shot up, that name was all too familiar. Suddenly, he took note of a figure falling fast from above, her raven hair flowing in the wind. Without giving a second thought, he bounded down the ledge he was on, landing on one of the platforms and had his arms out ready to catch the fallen angel. The bluenette was close enough for Robin to grab her and he pulled her in so that her feet landed on the platform, her body still looming over the edge of the building. His brother and father landed not far from him, bounding over to help the bluenette but Robin took no notice of their presence.

"Why didn't you just let me f...all" The girl's voice trailed off as her eyes widened in recognition, the air in her lungs escaped from her lips. "...d-Damian?"

The two friends took no notice at how the vigilantes behind Robin stiffened. Her eyes developed a watery sheen as the situation began to really hit her. Tears threatened to spill as her lip quivered. Robin pulled her away from the ledge and she jumped into his arms, she was heavily touch-starved. Much to his family's surprise, he didn't push her away. In fact, he hugged her back. They heard what she said next.

"I... I thought you were dead, Dami"

"...why? What made you do this, Malaki?"

They didn't hear what she said next as her mumbling was muffled in Robin's chest. Nightwing walked up to the two first, kneeling down to be eye level with the girl.

"Hey Sunshine... we don't know what you've been through but we're willing to help you though it okay?" The girl looked at his sincere gaze, her eyes were so round with innocence, Nightwing thought he would melt.

"I... thank you, I'm sorry for worrying you when I... jumped" No one failed to notice when Robin ran his fingers through the bluenette's hair.

"Don't apologize Little Lady" Red Hood walked over to where Nightwing was kneeling, sitting next to his older brother. "Hawkbitch forced you to bottle up your emotions, you were just strong for too long."

Marinette looked between the two men, a grateful smile on her face while she wiped the tears of pure happiness running down her cheeks. "Thank you, I- this... this is the nicest I've been treated recently"

"If you don't mind me asking," Batman walked over and Marinette felt slightly intimidated you his presence as well as his tone. The dark knight must have noticed this since he cleared his throat and began talking in a softer manner. "What happened to cause you to go to such extremes? You're obligated to not having to talk about it right away if the subject makes you uncomfortable"

"Well I guess I do have to talk about it eventually..."

Recognising the bluenette's discomfort, Red Robin stepped in. In his palm was the shaken kwami who flew straight for Marinette once the vigilante got close enough. "Since you know Robin's identity, and we already sorta know yours, it's only fair if we tell you who we are, right?" He looked at his two older brothers and then at his adoptive father. "My name's Tim Drake nice to meet you"

Marinette was about to take his offered hand when the vigilante she presumed was Red Hood took it instead, "Jason Todd, Robin's most charming and handsome brother" She giggled at Damian's obvious annoyance.

"Well I'm Richard Grayson, Robin's favourite brother, but you can call me Dick" The vigilante in the suit who comforted her first, introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet all of you"

Batman soon came over as well to aquatint with the young heroine, offering out his hand for a handshake. "Bruce Wayne"

She returned the hand shake and brightly smiled, it blinded nearly all those near. "Thank you, Mr Wayne. Wait..." she turned to face Damian, one of her eyebrows raised. "Wayne?"

"I may have failed to mention that part" To Robin's surprise, Marinette started giggling so he huffed in taken offense.

"Sorry it's just- a girl in my class as been boasting about dating you and about the Wayne Family seeing her as their 'honorary member'. I knew she was lying I just didn't know that I would bump into the people she was lying about"

Bruce hummed. "We'll have to do something about this girl you're talking about. In the meantime, why don't you come back to the hotel with us? You and Damian can catch up" The older man saw the hesitation in her eyes but he also saw the willingness that shine through the most. "If you're living in a bad environment then you do have to escape" His sons nodded along.

"I'll come, can I bring some overnight clothes? It's been a long day..."

"Of course, you go get your belongings and you can meet us at the Grand Paris Hotel"

"I... thank you again" She transformed and headed in the direction of her house, leaving Robin at the mercy of his brothers.

"You like her, Brat" Red Robin spoke up first.

Nightwing pretended to wipe his tears. "Baby Bird's all grown up now"

"That means you can't adopt the little Pixie, don't think I haven't seen the adoption papers"

~~~

When Marinette destransformed on her balcony rooftop, she quickly went inside, packed some clothes as well as some essentials. When she was satisfied with her belongings, she gave a macaron to Tikki before heading downstairs where she was met with two disappointed looking parents.

"Is something wrong?"

"We've decided," Tom began. "We're kicking you out for what you've done to your lovely classmate, Lila"

"We don't recognise the person you've become, Marinette. You are not the daughter we raised" Sabine added

"May I pack my things in the morning?" Marinette inquired, her eyes void of emotion. When her parents nodded, she left the bakery and down to the hotel where Damian was waiting in the lobby. As she approached, he took her bag and intertwined their hands together. She blushed at the contact but leaned into his embrace.

When she entered the hotel room she was greeted by the vigilantes who were now changed and unmasked. The bluenette was welcomed with open arms, she felt the warmth in her heart for the first time since Lila's Tyranny. She briefly explained Lila's lies, what she had done to Marinette and how the bluenette was able to protect Paris. She would've carried on longer if it weren't for the hotel phone ringing. It was the receptionist, saying that someone had asked to see Marinette. Confused, she went down with Damian, Jason followed closely behind since he had grown quite attached to the little fairy. Waiting at the front desk as a woman, Damian and Jason recognised her instantly as Mayura. Damian tried to step in front of his friend but she completely ignored their futile attempts to keep her in reach.

"Ah, Hello Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng"

"Hello Nathalie, we're you the one who asked for me?"

"Yes, I just need to clarify a few things"

"Go ahead"

"You're request for the restraining order has been fulfilled" the bluenette nodded, waiting for Gabriel's assistant to continue. "May I ask what did he do to make you request for it?"

The two notices how Marinette stiffened. She contemplated before sighing. "Attempted sexual assault. If you look at the camera footage outside of the Louvre from two days ago, seven pm onwards, you'll see your evidence." Marinette turned away from Nathalie and walked back to Damian who, once in range, pulled her in for a hug.

"I'll never let him near you again, Angel"

~~~

The next day, Bruce had shown up with Marinette at her parents' bakery. Upon hearing about the young bluenette being kicked out, he had asked for her permission for him to be her Guardian until she was old enough to live in her own. Marinette accepted his offer. When they had entered the building, her parents had greeted their customers kindly before recognising Marinette. Bruce turned to the young girl next to him and smiled.

"You go pack your things I'll deal with this" She smiled and bounded upstairs, leaving Bruce to talk with the bakery's owners.

"Hello Sir, how may we help you?" Sabine began, wanting to know who this man was.

"I've come to gain guardianship of your daughter, Marinette Dupain-Cheng"

"Why should we give you guardianship?" Tom asked.

"I'm sure you know the liability for child neglect, Mr Dupain" With his words, both adults seemed to turn white. "I will file the necessary and submit it with the court, I'm sure you'll be willing to give your approval"

Both Marinette and the mystery man left, true they were glad that their mistake of a daughter had gone but they wondered who she had gone with.

~~~

Later that afternoon was a charity event which the Waynes were supposed to attend as they were invited by the mayor himself, the plus side was that the Akuma class would also be attending and they had no clue the Wayne Family would be there.

"...And finally I'd like to thank the Wayne Family for joining us this evening" Mayor Bourgeois finished his speech and all heads turned to the table the Waynes and Marinette were sitting on. As his speech was over, a teenage girl with glass and a very pale brunette came over to the table.

"Hello Mr Wayne, My name's Alya and I'm your honorary daughter's best friend and I was hoping-"

"Marinette" Bruce began, cutting off the aspiring reporter. The Alya girl only then seemed to notice that the bluenette was sitting at the table. "Is this girl you're friend?"

The bluenette took one hard look at Alya before shaking her head, "No"

"Marislut what th-"

"It would be appreciated if you did not talk about my honorary daughter and future daughter-in-law on that manner" Both Damian and Marinette turned red, one much more than the other. "In fact we should be leaving" Bruce and the rest of the family got up. "Miss Rossi, I will not tolerate your lies. You will receive a lawsuit for defamation and slander. Have a good evening" They left, leaving a reporter, a liar and a class speechless.

When they reached the hotel room they finished packing up, they would be leaving that night. Marinette made a few phone calls, telling her friends that she would be moving to Gotham. They had their belongs taken to the limo downstairs and had a few snacks before making their way down. In the lobby were many different people around the bluenette's age, she recognised them as her classmates and continued walking beside Damian until Alex came over.

"Marinette... we're sorry. We understand that you probably won't forgive apps but we wrote you letters anyway" the skater girl gave Marinette a pile of enveloped letters, ones she put in her bag straight away.

"Thank you for your apologies but I don't think I can forgive you just yet, goodbye Alix" the bluenette got in the limo and let out a breath she knew she was holding.

Her eyes glanced out the tinted window, she smiled knowing that she was leaving Paris for a better life. A better life with a friends, a better life with a new family. A better life with Damian.

~Bonus~

The harsh blizzard outside was definitely being felt from inside the manor, leaving a cold and tired Marinette on the couch. Damian, noticing his girlfriend's state, went to grab a blanket to cover both Marinette and himself. She snuggled into the green-eyed boy, taking all the warmth she could get, and slowly she drifted off to sleep. Damian too felt drowsy so soon followed his girlfriend into dreamland.

Jason came in a few moments later to find the sleeping couple, he was then reminded by how tired he was so he went on the couch and leaned his back against his youngest brother, himself too falling victim to slumber.

The next person to walk in was Dick, he had just finished training so he was exhausted. But he couldn't help to coo when he came across the scene in front of him. The eldest son then got on the sofa and carefully leaned against Marinette, similar to what Jason had done with Damian. It didn't take long for him to join them in dozing off.

Tim arrived with a big cup of freshly made coffee, one which he was about to drink until he noticed his siblings all curled up on the couch sleeping. The co-CEO went back to the kitchen, left his cup of coffee then went to grab a blanket to join his family. Wrapping himself in a blanket burrito, Tim placed himself on the floor pressed up against sofa.

When Bruce returned home safely, he went to the main living room to see his children, and his future in-law who was basically his own by now, sleeping soundly with the TV still running. Reaching for the remote, he turned the television off and grabbed his phone to take a picture. He planned on printing it out and having it framed in his study. Bruce sat on one of the armchairs, taking a book to read. If there was peace in the house, he might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

#daminette #maribat #maridami #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #damianette #mlb x dc #ml x dc #This is so bad I hate it and it started out good as well aaaaaaaa

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missdawnandherdusk · 3 years

Text

once upon a flight

Draco X Reader (post war)

Summary: The Wizarding World earnestly searched for the newly discovered Heir of Gryffindor. After many failed attempts at the claim, McGonagall almost gives up hope, but sends off one final letter. Draco looking for a reason to clear his name has an ulterior motive to find you... that is until he meets you.

A/n: So, as promised, an Anastasia AU that is frankly one of my favorite things in a while. For all intents and purposes Snape isn’t dead because this is my blog and my word is law. Also, this is about 10k words... so you’re welcome.

Long ago, Hogwarts was founded by four great wizards: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. The Slytherin heir was found centuries later in one Tom Riddle who became the greatest Dark Wizard of all time, only to be defeated by the great Harry Potter. Yet, the story of the heirs does not end there. The unfortunate demise of Helena Ravenclaw ended the lineage of the Ravenclaw house for she had no children. The Hufflepuff heir, Cedric Diggory was killed in the war by Voldemort. Only one heir remains, and their whereabouts are unknown to all, but sought after by most. Minerva McGonagall is keen on the discovery of this witch or wizard, the last true heir of Hogwarts, and perhaps the most powerful of them all. Only in the hands of the true heir, will Godric’s mighty sword come alive with magic once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s a girl, raised muggle, in America,” Snape threw down the Daily Prophet. “This could be your chance,”

“My chance to what?” Draco huffed, running a hand through his hair before examining the paper. “Like a Slytherins could ever find this Gryffindor heir, let alone in muggle America,”

“But if you do,” Snape hinted, a smile curling on his lips. “It might clear your names,”

“Would you give that a rest?” Draco muttered, throwing the newspaper down of a very scared looking American girl. “Even if I do find this girl, why in the world would she trust me?”

“Because, she might have questions, and who is going to be there with the answers for her?” Snape raised an eyebrow.

Draco pondered the idea, then glanced at your photo in the paper in front of him. And he thought there perhaps might be a chance.

____________________________

“London?” I eyed the passport dubiously. “What long lost aunt wants me in London? And why did she show up now?” My fingers ran over the long letter explaining everything and nothing.

“Do you want to go or not?” Mrs. Greenwood asked. “Because I’ve got a lot of girl like you who’d kill for a chance at a family again.” Her snappy condescending voice wouldn’t be missed.

“Alright, alright. I’m going.”

I zipped my bag closed, folding the letter, and placing it in my bag with the plane ticket and passport. It was a long drive to the airport that was filled with people who all went about their business. I had never felt more lost. I read the letter again as I waited for my plane to arrive. Something proved magical about the parchment and inked letters. A style never used in a modern day. It gave me hope. Or an unsettling sense of dread.

“Excuse me,” His voice was polite and broke through the music of my headphones. It was his accent that caught me off guard. He was a brit.

“Yes?” I asked, taking out an earbud.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a Ms. McGonagall, would you? I’m supposed to be aiding her niece back to London,” I eyed him skeptically.

“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow. “Alright pretty boy, tell me, what absolute stranger is going to trust a random brit who comes up to her claiming to know the name of someone that he could easily have read off the girl’s letter?” He seemed amused at my skepticism.

“I suppose you’re right,” The stranger didn’t seem cornered, however. His caviler didn’t waver. “What if I told this stranger that hypothetically I knew that her aunt wasn’t really her aunt but someone looking for her to be claimed as the heir to a school of magic?”

“Well, hypothetically, I’d probably laugh and call security,” I eyed the cop, whose gaze caught mine before flashing to the beautiful stranger before me.

“And if I proved to her that magic was real? Would this stranger believe me?” Danger lurked in his eyes.

I snorted. “If you can prove that magic is real, I’ll follow you anywhere buddy,”

“Careful there stranger, you’re promising something you might not want to,” He warned.

“I think I know what I can handle pretty boy,”

Without another word, he took my hand, clasping it in his. Glancing around he slowly raised his hand away from my palm, where a flower began to bud and bloom from nothing, sparking in the fluorescent lighting. I wasn’t impressed.

“Nice trick, but I’m not convinced.”

The stranger laughed. “I should have known it would take more to convince you,” He ran a hand through his silvery blond hair, looking around, before his gaze settled back on me. “What if I told you that you could do magic?”

“I’d say you’re crazy and were back to calling security,” I went to walk away, I had enough time before my flight that a quick walk wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“But you must have felt it,” His hand reached for mine. “When you were younger, and things happened around you that you couldn’t explain. A sense that you didn’t belong. That you were different. That you could see and feel and do things that others couldn’t.” His words were earnest and urgent. I paused.

“And if I did?” I didn’t face him.

“That you hear stories of magic and fairytales, and you thought maybe you belonged in them because there was no one quite like you,” My eyes met his, baffled, curious. “And you felt it just now, not on the surface of your skin, but in your hand, in your blood, a feeling in your heart that felt right. That felt powerful,”

“Okay, pretty boy, you seem to know a lot about who you think I am, so what’s your deal?’ I folded my arms, still not completely convinced but more than curious.

“I told you, I’m here to help you get to London in one piece and how to be an heir of magic.” The light in his eyes glinted as if he had won.

“Alright, let’s say hypothetically I believe you, then what?”

“I’d buy you a cup of coffee and we’d try this again?” He raised an eyebrow, nodding to a chain Starbucks that was near dead in the early hours of the morning.

I stared at the chai tea latte that was warming my hands. He didn’t say a word. Draco. The beautiful stranger who promised answers. Who looked a bit too good to be true.

“From here, I get a letter for an aunt I didn’t know that I had, and a plane ticket to London. Then I met you, claiming that you know her and that you’re here to help me. Then you tell me that my aunt really isn’t my aunt, and that magic is real and I’m the heir to some sort of magic school in London? This is a really good way to get kidnapped and never heard from again,” My skepticism grew. He could see that.

“You’re not wrong,” He leaned onto the table, closer to me. “And you wouldn’t believe me unless you knew that magic was real.”

“Every lonely girl dreams of fairytales and magic,” I countered. “Is it so far-fetched to really believe it?”

“Believing sure,” He gave an easy smile. “But you can do magic and you know it,”

“How do you know what I know?” I snapped back.

“I know you’re in denial,” He chuckled. “And easy, you’re doing it now, but no one could tell you that you were because it’s subtle and hard to pick up on,”

“In what way?” I demanded.

“Defense spell,” His smirk started the urge in me to deck him. He was so self-assured, and it drove me insane. What was worse, was that he might be right about everything.

“Sure, why not,” My tone fell flat. “Okay pretty boy, how exactly am I using a defense spell?” I leaned back in my chair, unamused.

“No one in this airport gave you any trouble. A strange man comes up to you and you show signs of distress, and yet no one helps you. You’re hiding yourself from their point of view. It’s very self-assured of you to think you can handle yourself,” His explanation made to much sense... again.

“I’m the self-assured one?” I muttered. “And sorry to burst your bubble English, but this is America and we all pretty much keep our heads down.”

“And yet the second you decided to trust me, the security guard walked the other way—away from his post I might add,” His confident smile didn’t leave.

“He... what?” Now I backtracked.

“You like to be left alone, I can admire that, but you have so much potential and you could do so much more,”

“And if I don’t want to?” I offered a bit hopeless.

“Sure, go be a faceless nobody in the sea of Americans, work a nine to five, and never see adventure or magic again in your life,” He leaned back in his chair, casual. As if what he offered was the option a rational person would choose.

“And I should trust you? To take me to London and bring me to this magic school to be an heir or whatever it is you Brits do?”

“You seem quite offset that I’m not American,” His amused smile returned.

“Force of habit,” I shrugged, giving a carefree smile that caused indignation to flicker into his eyes.

“Well, you have approximately thirty seconds to decide if you trust me before you’re called to board,” His devious smirk had me reeling to look at the gate and the flight attendant who was ruffling through papers and getting ready to signal boarding groups.

“God, I hate you,” I muttered, resigned. “Fine. Whatever. Life of adventure and magic, sure.”

We boarded and Draco took the seat akin to mine in first class without the bat an of eyelash. My anxiety began to flare again thinking of how easy it was for him to find a place next to me on a full flight to London in the early hours of the morning.

Then there was the matter of flying altogether. I had never been on a plane ride before. And I was about to be on a nine-hour flight with a supposed magician and a promise of adventure. What had I gotten myself into?

“I can hear you worrying.” Draco muttered as the plane left the runway and began to ascend.

“I’ve never flown in a plane before in my life. All things considered, I think I’m allowed to worry,” I snapped.

Draco reached into his bag and held out a small vial filled with an amber liquid.

“Here, take this,” He offered it to me.

“Oh, you’ve got to be joking,” I snorted. “There is no way in hell that I’m taking that.”

“Y/n, please,” It was the first time that he had ever used my name. A name I hadn’t told him. A name he knew. A name that got my attention and reminded me of the situation that I was in.

“What is it?” I took the vail from his nimble fingers.

“Anxiety potion,” He explained calmly. “It will calm your stress levels and allow you to think clearly,”

“Magic?” I eyed him dubiously.

“A form of it. Your people call it chemistry, but we have access to more ingredients than the causal muggle,”

“Muggle?” I raised an eyebrow, still examining the contents of the small vial.

“People who can’t do magic nor live with other wizards,”

“Wizards,” I mused softly to myself.

The pilot informed the cabin that we had reached cruising altitude and my anxiety came back, overshadowing the tales of wizards and magic and the perfect stranger beside me. Draco could sense that. He let out an aggravated huff and rolled his eyes.

“Use your senses Y/n, you don’t know how to control it yet, but you have magic in your blood. It’s kept you alive and ahead this long. What are they telling you? Not your fears and anxiety, but your heart and head.” His voice was low and urgent, and I had to concentrate to catch all of his words.

“This isn’t another one of your—”

“Y/n,” He pressed, not having it with my second thoughts and doubts. “Concentrate.”

Deciding to trust him, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The air around me was artificial and frigid. It made my senses stand keen on edge. It was unnatural to me. I could feel the people as they settled down for the long flight. The pilot shifting and the attendants flitting about. They were all overly ordinary. Like most people I had been surrounded with my entire life.

Then there was Draco beside me. I could feel his warmth, his presence... his aura. Unlike anything I had encountered before. A halo of power and... magic that embraced and clung to the edges of him. It matched the silvery blue of his eyes trailing off into green. I could trust him. But there was a darkness underneath that I couldn’t trust. The one that I feared.

Then the vial clasped between my fingers. It held no ill will toward me as I thought of it. It promised to help in words that didn’t belong to Draco beside me. Something all of it’s own. All of my own.

Another deep breath out.

“Okay,”

“What did you gather?” He didn’t taunt me, but rather it was genuine curiosity that colored his tone.

“You’re... different. From the rest of the people on this plane. You... there’s like... an aura? A feeling but with color? I don’t know...” My eyebrows furrowed. “It told me I can trust you... but there’s something darker underneath... and I’m not sure... I’m not sure I trust that darkness.”

He stared at me, baffled. Not that I had said what I said, but instead what I had said.

“The... the darkness.” He muttered. “I thought...”

“That you could hide it?” I raised an eyebrow, only half teasing. We all had darkness. I wouldn’t hold his against him.

“That there would be more... the things I’ve done,” He was a burning man before me. I looked down to the vial in my hands. I toyed with it.

“Here’s to new beginnings?” I offered a bit hopeless, breaking the wax seal and downing the contents like a parched man in a desert who comes upon an oasis.

And I understood what he meant. A pack of stress and the ability to think clearly. All of the fogginess that the anxiety induced was gone. I looked at the world around me with new eyes.

“Woah,” I whispered, looking at Draco clearly for the first time.

A smile played at his lips.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

I nodded and looked out at the grey and blue beneath the plane. Closing the shade, I turned to Draco as much as the first-class seat would allow.

“So magic?”

“Where do you want me to start?” He was expecting my question.

“The beginning is a good place,”

“We’d be here forever,” Draco chuckled. “I’ll start at the beginning of what would be your story though”

I marveled at his words. Two worlds divided but always existing beside each other. Sometimes they would intertwine sometimes they would be forgotten. He spoke of being raised in such a negative perspective of muggles and the life I led, putting me on edge until he gave a placid smile and an apology. His tale turned darker with the war that was fought and a hope that was lost and found again.

“Potter,” Draco’s tone snarled around the name.

“Harry Potter,” I mused. “So why can’t he be the heir of this Gryffindor whoever?”

“Like that would help his ego any,” Draco muttered flatly. “And he can’t because he’s a half blood. The heirs are pure blood wizards, not a drop of Muggle blood in them,”

“Okay...” my brows knit together. “But how does that explain me? They told me my mother was... and my father walked out on her. She died giving birth to me,”

“Back in the early days of the first war, I can only assume your parents were against the Dark Lord which gave them their death sentence. Especially if he knew you were the heir of Gryffindor,”

“But I’m not dead,” I pointed out.

“Seems that way,” Draco gave me an amused smirk. “They must not have known you existed. And seeing as you were raised in America, I came see why they—no one knew. Not until recently anyway.”

“But how did they find me? How did you find me? How did this letter even find me?”

“Would you accept magic as an answer to those three questions?” Draco tried.

“Sure, but I’m still creeped out,” I folded my arms. “Heir to a school of Magic...” I pondered the words aloud for the first time. “What does that even mean? What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Whatever you want,” Draco shrugged.

Our conversation pulled after that into almost nothing. I closed my eyes once more and began to feel the world around me through my newfound sixth sense. It became overwhelming after a few moments but when homing in on Draco’s presence quelled some of that overstimulation. His aura was calming, as if it were a foreign lullaby to my heart. A lullaby that lulled me to sleep before long.

But a darkness lingered still in my dreams. It was alien. Not what I had seen in Draco and not what I knew was within me. Something else. An evil presence that yearned to be free. To take control. To have power. It wanted me. It was suffocating. It dragged me down. Down. Down. Draco felt further away. The plane, it’s passengers, nothing but specks. The darkness dragged me forward. Red eyes stared me down and a smile full of knifes taunted me.

I struggled back, away from the evilness, trying to break free of the darkness but I was trapped. By back was against a wall. There was no escape.

A flicker of silver caught my attention. Bright and beautiful. A ray of hope. My eyes dared to leave the shadow figure to follow that ray. When I saw it again it because more clear. The wisps of a dragon made of pure light. It did not come for me, rather it showed me the way out.

There was a way out.

I gasped, my eyes fluttering open to see the glow of fluorescent lighting and worried grey eyes.

“What—that—who—” I sputtered, my heart racing.

“Are you okay?” His genuine concern called to me. I nodded, tears stinging my eyes.

“What was that Draco?”

“I don’t know,” From his tone I knew that he did not like not knowing. “But you’re safe now,” The comfort of his arms around me made me believe his words more than I thought I would. “We’ll land in a couple hours, just try to relax,” His tone was soft, something new.

The grey dim of London didn’t impress me. I squinted up at the misting rain. Draco took my hand and led me through the maze of the airport, gathering our bags and ushering me toward an empty alley way.

“Draco,” I warned, not enjoying the situation.

“Just hold tight to me and don’t touch the edges,” He instructed. “Don’t let go of your bag either,”

“What? Why?” I broke away from him, to his annoyance.

“Can’t you just do what you’re told? No questions asked?” He seemed to be asking the sky more than he was asking me. I gave him a flat look. “It’s magic. It’s called apperating. It’s going to feel weird, but you should be fine.” He offered his hand to me again.

“Should be?”

“We don’t have time for this Y/n,” He stressed.

“Like hell we do,” I snapped.

“Fine, if you’re not fine then you have total permission to hit me, that make you feel better?” He demanded, insisting that I take his hand.

“No,” I mumbled, placing my hand in his.

That feeling of power was back when he took out a wand—his wand—and twirling it, before I could make fun of him, we were whisked away, and I had to remember to hold on. The distorted reality around me was so enticing to touch, as if it were an impressionist painting that replaced with the dingy grey around me. Then it stopped.

“Where are we?” The scenery changed, still a duller grey, but now in front of a large mansion that I had only seen in movies.

“Malfoy Manor,” Draco said curtly. “Come along,”

Taking a second to recover from the beauty that was all around me, I grabbed my bag and followed him inside where I gasped again. The house looked like something of those fairytales I had always dreamed about.

“Are you coming?” Draco asked promptly.

“I... do you live here!?” I scrambled after him up the stairs with my bag.

“Yes,” He didn’t understand my amazement. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve never been something this... beautiful before,” I turned back to look over the banister at the grand foyer. “You just... live here?”

“Yes,” Now there was a smile playing at his lips. “Come on, we’ve still got much to do,”

“There’s more!?” I followed him up the stairs.

“You haven’t used magic in your entire life, and you think I’m gonna let you waltz in there scared and unprepared?” Draco snorted opening up a random door. “This will be your room. We have a couple days—it won’t be enough time but perhaps I can make you somewhat believable...”

“No one said anything about having to prove I was the heir!” I argued, again taken back by the lavish room but ultimately was overridden by my anger and fear. “Show up, sure! Maybe take a DNA test! But act like some wizard protégée!?”

“Witch,” He mended softly. “And we’ve got this under control,”

“We?” I did not have this under control.

“Snape and I. He will be helping me help you. There’s a lot you need to learn. But for now, rest. Dinner is in an hour,” Closing the door he left me to my thoughts.

Sitting on the bed I looked around the room. Anxiety began to creep in my chest again, but not for the reason it had... this morning. Could it still be the same day? Could I have only met Draco a dozen or so hours ago? My thoughts were reeling.

“A witch, an heir,” I scoffed. “Magic,” it was more of a whisper.

I lifted my hand and remembering the power and golden feeling that had come when Draco created a flower in my palm, I surged for the magic within me. To my surprise, golden flames licked at my fingertips, shimmering in the evening light. A giddy laugh left my lips as I intensified the flame to consume my entire hand.

“He said you were a quick learner,” A stern and nasally voice drew me from my stupor.

My hand dropped and my flame fizzled out as I stood.

“I—uh,”

“I am Severus Snape. I am here to help you. It is in your best interest to do exactly as I say without any questions. Understood?”

“Uh... okay?”

“Dinner will be downstairs soon. Draco would like you to join us. There are clothes in the wardrobe. Change into something more suitable and come down.” His instructions left no room for argument, but my stubbornness flared, yet he left before I could snark a reply.

Mourning my sweater jeans and converse I headed to the elaborate wardrobe and opened the great oak doors to reveal an array of gowns, cloaks, and dresses. Together they were worth more than any amount of money I had come into contact with. And of much higher taste than I’d dare to ever wear.

Riffling through them there was a semi bearable dress that looked as if it were from the 1950s and held a navy-blue color. It would have to do, and it could have been worse. I eyed a heavy shimmering gown with pearls and lace, shuddering at the thought.

��——————————————

Draco’s day could have been a lot worse than it ended up being. After finally giving in at Snape’s insistence that he fly back to England and not apparate he thought his day was a lost cause. But then he met you and Merlin were you a handful.

He could easily see the magic you were doing and the power you were giving off. It took a lot of his willpower to not submit and leave you alone, as your defense ordered. But as soon as your eyes met his and a smile played at your lips, he didn’t have to fight any longer. You allowed him to stay close to you, assured that he meant you no harm. No one had trusted him like that in years.

For the heir of Hogwarts, you were quite remarkable. An easy sorting into Gryffindor with or without the hat. He had to play his cards right however, to maneuver you into a world of magic from the mundane of America. But he accomplished the feat, easier than he would have thought done. Perhaps you were more than ready to leave your Muggle world and join his magic one. And not like he could blame you. If he never had to ride in a plane again, he’d do anything.

But just as he thought you were safe, your eyes closed in a peaceful slumber, something dark came back to hurt you. Red eyes that he knew well. How... how he didn’t know. But he could feel the cold evil presence seep into your skin and consume your aura. It terrified him. Draco knew you were defenseless. No amount of unintentional magic could keep the Dark Lord at bay, dead or alive.

So, he did something he never had before in a desperate attempt to protect you and him from that evil. He called his Patronus, touching his wand to your temple, willing it to go and pull you out.

Your eyes flashing open, fear written on your usual confident features, your hands digging into his arms, Draco’s heart churned in his chest. You looked to him for safety. Him—who you’d met barely five hours prior when you were sure he was there to kidnap you. And now you held to him like a prayer. He didn’t expect that. There was nothing else he could do but hold you close and assure you that it was going to be okay.

If you two could ever get off this godforsaken plane.

With touchdown, Draco wasted no time in dragging you by the hand through the throng of the Muggle airport before he lost his temper. In a secluded alley he was finally ready to apparate home. Of course, you had thoughts of your own and he really wasn’t about to fight with you on this. He just wanted to go home. So, he gave in. Just this once.

And Merlin he was thankful that he did. He had never been so happy to see the Manor. You had never seen a Manor before. He almost laughed at the childlike wonder on your face. But instead, he was enamored by it, the same way you were enamored by a house that had lost its shine to him over the years. Draco longed to see the mansion through your eyes even for a moment.

“Your mother wrote,” Snape offered a letter. “She’ll be here within a day,” Draco sighed and skimmed the letter. “Do you still think this is a good idea?” “It’s the best one we’ve got,”

Before Draco could argue, the clearing of your throat softly drew his attention. You had changed into one of his mother’s old dresses that he hadn’t seen in years and you looked quite sheepish about it. Draco stood, out of respect or perhaps startlement. Snape gave him a look which he promptly ignored, going over to you.

“I... I hope it’s alright,” You fiddled with the skirt. “He... he said I could—that I should...”

“You look wonderful,” Draco encouraged softly. “Come, dinner is ready.”

He took your hand and led you through the large house, tuning out Snape’s instruction to you about how to hold yourself as you walked. Draco smiled at the annoyance in your eyes.

Dinner was... more or less a disaster. Your stubbornness met Snape’s instruction, getting you both nowhere.

“If you want to become the Heir of Hogwarts you will listen to me,” Snape almost snarled.

“I don’t want to become the heir!” You stood abruptly, throwing your cloth napkin onto the table. “I just want to know who I am!” Storming out of the dining room, Draco watched you, before sharing a look with Snape.

“She’s hopeless,” Snape muttered.

“You’re dealing with an American Gryffindor; did you think she was just going to sit still and look pretty?” Draco chuckled, standing.

It took him a while to find you. Draco could only fathom that you had gotten lost in the house yourself and winded up on a balcony somewhere on the third floor. You had a blanket draped around your shoulders as you stared up at the stars. The night had cleared, giving clarity to its pathfinders.

“I know what you’re going to say,” You spoke softly, sensing him nearby. “I... I can’t do this Draco. I’m not some lady, some long lost princess in some sort of fairytale. Magic or not...” You took a sharp breath in. “Fairytales are just stories. I’m still a girl with no parents, no family, no past... and no future.”

Draco studied you, wondering how you had changed so much from the confident self-assured girl he’d met this morning. He also had little clue what to say to cheer you up. So, he did what normally comforted him, he spoke fondly of his mother.

“My mother wore that dress,” He began softly, leaning against the door frame. “When I was young, before Hogwarts. Father would always be away on business. She’d take me to the garden, and we’d have a picnic. I remember her in that dress on those warm summer days,” Draco let his eyes slipped closed, lost in the memory. “She used to tell me that I’d never be alone. That as long as I could do magic, I’d always have a place to belong. That there would always be someone out there like me.” He paused. “Hogwarts was my home for quite some time. Slytherins were my family.”

“Who am I to come and claim it as mine then?” The words barely left your lips.

“You’ve been alone and away from your family for so long now. Don’t you think you deserve to go home? To a place that you belong?” You turned to face him, hope flickering in your eyes.

“But I—” You ran a hand through your hair nervously. “I’m never going to be good enough. Dinner was a disaster and I’m never going to please someone like Snape, let alone any other wizard!”

Draco couldn’t do anything but laugh. “No one can please Snape, darling. Don’t take that personally.” He sobered a bit. “You’ve never going to please everyone. Believe me I know. But... it’s more about becoming someone you’re proud of,”

“I don’t know who that is,” You turned back to the stars.

“If you run away, you’ll never know,” Draco mused, standing next to you, leaning on the railing. “But... if you truly can’t stand it in the next three days... I’ll take you back myself,”

You looked over to him, a swirl of emotions unidentifiable on your face. Before he could start to decipher even one of them, your gaze turned downward. He let out a soft sigh.

“If it’s any consolation,” Draco began. “I believe in you. I think you belong,” He turned to leave.

“Draco, wait,” You called out, “Thank you... I know... I know I’m a handful,”

A smile played at his lips. “That’s one way to describe you,”

You rolled your eyes, but you still didn’t smile and that worried him more than he cared to admit.

“I’ll take you back to your room,” He offered.

“I’m quite capable—” You cut yourself off and sighed. “Thanks, again,”

Staring at your closed door, Draco found himself wanting you back before him, so that he could continue to talk to you. He enjoyed it more than he thought. You didn’t fawn over him, nor did you fear him. Instead, you treated him as an equal. As a person.

“Oh, she looks like a kicked puppy!” His mother fawned the next morning. “Draco Lucius Malfoy I’ve taught you better!”

“It wasn’t me!” Draco argued back. “It was Snape!”

“Don’t you talk back to me young man!” She scolded. “Poor thing,” She turned to you, tucking a strand of hair out of your face. “There, there, I apologize for my son’s behavior,”

There was a look of bewilderment on your face at your gaze met his. He didn’t know what to do but shrug and shake his head.

“It... it really was Snape, Mrs. Malfoy,” you stammered out. “Draco’s been...” He met your eyes again and the words you were about to say died on your lips. Not this his mother noticed.

“Oh, don’t you worry about him!” She consoled, standing. “Severus Snape what have I told you about manners!” His mother shouted. Draco was grateful he was no longer the one being shouted at as his mother left to go and reprimand Snape some more.

“Your mother is...” you started a smile finding your lips. It was the first time you smiled since dinner last night.

“I should have warned you a bit more, that was my mistake,”

“No, she’s lovely,” You insisted.

“You don’t have to lie on my behalf,” Draco mused, earning a laugh from you.

“She really is wonderful,” Your laugh faded to a smile.

“You say that now, but if you thought Snape was a lot,” Draco laughed at the dread in your eyes.

His mother insisted they go to Paris to shop for you. A way to take your mind off yesterday, as well as find you the basics of wizardry. Which started with a wand.

“This is stupid,” You muttered as the shop keeper flitted about the hundreds of wand boxes, tittering in French to his mother.

“You need a wand,” Draco whispered back. “Every wand is unique, so there’s one for you,”

It took a few tries, and a few shattered light fixtures—and repairing spells—before you had a loyal wand in hand. Draco made sure that you could use the wand comfortably and surprised him by calling a lighting charm without the incantation... or him telling you to. He caught his mother’s eye who was clearly impressed with you. A new set of robes, what seemed like a new wardrobe entirely and a few books later, you seemed satisfied.

“I really can’t ask anything more of you,” You argued. “This is all more than enough,”

“Nonsense, darling,” His mother laughed. “Think nothing of it. Every great witch needs the tools to help her be successful,”

You blushed, looking down. “I mean it,” You tried again. “Even a trip to Paris would have been more than enough,”

“You’ve never been to Paris!?” His mother was aghast. You had really done it now. “Draco! Why didn’t you tell me the poor girl has never been to our city?” She turned to you. “You really must forgive his rudeness, I blame his father,”

“He—I—” You stammered.

“But I won’t have you here and not show you the wonders of the greatest city in the world. Come! Come!” She ushered you off and Draco had no choice but to trail behind and make sure you didn’t get into too much trouble.

After what seemed like days—though it was only hours filled with shows, attractions, museums, antique shops and more—his mother finally found a resting place, and by the look on your face and your slumped shoulders, you needed it. It was a rooftop restaurant that overlooked the city scape of Paris, off to the Eiffel Tower that lit up the night sky. You had that look of wonder and enchantment in your eyes again as you took in the city scape. Again. Draco wished he could see it through your eyes... for the first time all over again.

“She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” His mother whispered in his ear, far from your earshot. “I’m surprised at you Draco. I’ve never seen you this way around another girl before,”

“She not just another girl mother,” Draco retorted, trying not to blush. “She’s the heir of Hogwarts. The Gryffindor crown princess.” He sighed softly. “She doesn’t have time for...”

“A handsome young man who’s been on his own for too long?” His mother mused.

“A Slytherin,” He finished. “A Death Eater,”

“You’re no more a Death Eater than she is a muggle,” Narcissa said sternly. “I see the way she looks at you Draco,”

“Enough, mother,” Draco shook his head, pursing his lips. “Enough,”

“Fine, fine,” His mother scoffed. “Y/n, darling!” She called.

This dinner was a bit more successful. You were animated with conversation and excitement from the day. There was a way that you spoke about his city that had his heart. Dinner lulled to wine and dessert as couples began to take the dance floor, gliding along to the live band.

“Do you dance darling?” His mother asked, noticing your interested.

“Uh, no, not really,” You stammered, looking sheepish as you blushed.

“Oh, that won’t do! Draco, go on, teach her!” Narcissa gave him a pointed look.

“No really it’s okay!” You refuted before he could.

“Nonsense, every girl must know how to dance, magic or no,” You could both sense that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

So, he ended up with you in his arms on the dance floor as he tried to lead you through a simple waltz.

“You have to trust me,” He instructed, as your eyes met his. “I’m not going to let you fall,” His tone softened.

Your eyes didn’t leave his as you began to find your rhythm in the dance, letting him lead you through it all. Soon you were laughing with joy as he twirled you around the dance floor. He heart skipped a beat or two. The music ended before he wanted it to and a round of applause went up.

And Draco had to let you go.

______________________________

I laid in bed that night, staring at the stars I had created with a simple spell. With the use of my wand, magic was... easy. If I thought and felt what I wanted, it occurred. Though it seemed like a natural process to me, Draco, and Narcissa—and even Snape—were impressed.

Staring regardless, I replayed the night over and over. Dancing with Draco... in Paris... on a rooftop like some sort of stupid fairytale. Whose ending didn’t belong to me. It was the one question I didn’t ask through Narcissa’s lessons. What happened to Draco and I after I had claimed my ‘throne’?

It left me sleepless.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered to him the next day, in front of the grand gates of Hogwarts.

My anxiety was through the roof. Clad in new formal robes, and hair and makeup perfected courtesy of Narcissa, all I had to do was walk in.

“We can still turn back,” Draco gave.

“I can’t do that either,” I muttered, causing him to laugh.

“I believe in you, Y/n,” His earnest words caught my attention and out gazes lingered a bit too long, leaving us both blushing.

“Just... don’t leave me,”

“I remember you telling me that if I could prove magic to you, you’d follow me anywhere. I don’t think I have to worry about you ever leaving me,” He joked softly as we walked into the castle grounds.

“I suppose not,” I smiled at the ground.

“Y/n,” Draco paused, the mood shifting to something more serious and downcast. “You’re... you’re gonna hear somethings about me and... they’re not going to be good,” I pondered his words for a moment.

“You flew halfway around the world to find me, and you helped me get back on my feet, that’s good enough for me,” I smiled softly.

Draco pursed his lips and took a deep breath, still looking despondent about the situation.

“Draco,” I called softly. His grey eyes met mine. “I’d never have followed you onto that plane if I didn’t trust you,”

Deciding that he didn’t have an argument to that that he deemed should be voiced, he led me deeper into the grand castle and it took everything in me not to stop and stare at just about everything.

“You went to school here?” I squeaked. A smile parted his lips.

“Yes... you should have too,” He seemed to realize the injustice.

“We can’t change that now,” I comforted.

Magnificent doors parted the two of us from the entire school and quite a few wizard officials according to Draco. I stared at the intricate detailed work of the doors. If I wasn’t so nervous, I could have spent the entire day staring at these doors alone.

But there was something to be done.

The doors opened and the entire hall fell into a pin drop silence. I grabbed Draco’s hand without thinking for the comfort and support. He squeezed mine reassuringly as we began out steps forward to the front, where older, authoritative looking wizards stood.

“Death Eater,” A student hissed.

“Traitor,”

“Scum,”

“You don’t belong here,”

“Slytherin,”

My eyes glanced up to Draco, who had a mask of no emotion, but I could see the stress in the clenching of his jaw and tightening of his eyes. It was subtle but it was still there. This time I gave his hand a squeeze of reassurance and glared down the crowd, who immediately went quiet. There was not a menacing whisper to be heard.

At the front of the Great Hall there were three wizards who stood out among the rest. They were younger, but still assured of themselves as they stepped forward towards us. A boy with fiery red hair holding hands with a girl who had a glare that I was proud of and beside them a boy with a mess of black hair and piercing green eyes.

“Potter,” Draco’s eyes narrowed as he stood a bit taller.

“Malfoy,” There was the same distain in the supposed savior of the wizarding world’s tone.

I snorted, drawing both of their attention.

“What are you? Five?” I crossed my arms. “Y/n, nice to meet you,” I held my hand out for Harry to shake.

“I still can’t leave you two alone for five minutes,” A new voice sighed, stepping forward. “I hope they haven’t caused you too much trouble, child. I’m Professor McGonagall, headmaster of Hogwarts,”

“Y/n,” I gave again. “Supposed heiress to Gryffindor,”

“Yes,” She smiled. “I can see it in your eyes,”

Harry scoffed, sulking mildly. I looked over to him, then to Draco, confused and amused.

“I must apologize for the deceit in my letter.” McGonagall continued paying no mind to the interaction between Harry and me. “I feared that it was the only way to get you to come,” Her kind blue eyes held mine.

“I understand,” My smile was light. “In fact, if it wasn’t for Draco, I’m not sure I would have found my way here,”

“He used you!” Harry argued. “He wanted to clear his name so of course he helped you! You think he’d be a decent person if there wasn’t something in it for him!”

“That’s enough of that Mr. Potter!” McGonagall scolded. “Mr. Malfoy aided the heir of your house here from America unprovoked and I will not have you accuse him of such things,”

“If she trusted Malfoy there’s no way that she could ever be a Gryffindor. She doesn’t belong here,” Harry’s words were as cold as ice.

The malice and hatred in his voice and eyes was a fatal blow to my heart and confidence. Harry was right. I didn’t belong here. I looked around to the lavish hall and all of the students and wizard officials who had years of training and practice and grew up knowing who they were... this wasn’t where I belonged.

“How dare you,” Draco snarled, taking a step forward to shield me from Harry’s further words, but they had already hit their mark.

Their bickering silenced, but the tensions were high. Not that I noticed, I was too wrapped up in my negative thoughts.

“Come child,” McGonagall beckoned.

“Give me a minute,” I requested softly.

“We really need—”

“I said in a minute!” My raised voice shocked Draco and McGonagall. There was almost fear in their eyes. Harry still held the same hatred for me in his stare, now smug as if I proved his point.

It was enough to cause me to run.

Never being in a castle before in my life let alone a magic one, I was lost before I took my third turn. Tears streaming down my face, I never felt more alone. I found myself in a small courtyard with a lone old oak tree.

As I did when I was younger, I began to climb high into the branches, looking for an escape from the world below me. But there weren’t branches high enough this time. Resting on a high branch I leaned against the trunk, I let myself cry. The passage of time was hard to tell as the sun sank and the stars came out to play. It might have been an hour or two. I didn’t know and I was too miserable to care.

I didn’t belong here, and I wasn’t wanted here. Moments before I was only thinking that I didn’t care what they thought about Draco. I never imagined that there would be doubt and uncertainty about me.

I heard footsteps coming into the courtyard.

“Go away Draco,” I warned, pausing when I saw that it wasn’t Draco, but instead McGonagall. “I’m sorry, I thought—”

“I know who you thought I was,” She peered up at me through the branches. “Merlin’s sake what are you doing in a tree?” I heard the sternness in her voice, but I couldn’t help but here the amusement underneath.

“Hiding,” I offered sheepishly.

“Well come down from there,” She ordered.

I made my way down with ease. Dropping to the ground from a higher branch than I could have, I knew that I startled the headmaster. I gave a polite hesitant smile.

“What do they teach you in America,” McGonagall pursed her lips, an undeniable hint of mischief in her eye.

“I’m... really sorry professor,” I sighed. “I know I’m not what anyone thought. And I know I don’t belong here. I’m sorry I ever...”

“Never mind all that,” She cut me off. “Who are you, child?”

“I... I was hoping that you could tell me,” I glanced down, fidgeting, and straightening my robe.

“My dear, I’m old, and I’m tired of being conned and tricked.” She began.

“I don’t want to trick anyone,” I said earnestly.

“And I’m sure owning this castle means nothing to you either?” A silence passed between us.

“I just want to know who I am,” I finally spoke. “Whether or not I belong to a family, if I’m someone like you,” I sat on the stone bench that was to the side. “Draco said that Hogwarts was like home to him... a family,” Tears stung my eyes. “I never had a home, a family...”

McGonagall sat beside me, placing her hand over mine.

“Heir or not, you will always have a home here at Hogwarts. It is a safe haven to all witches and wizards who wish to remain,” She assured me. “And I am the one that must apologize. Mr. Potter is very hotheaded, a negative attribute to Gryffindors I’m afraid,” A smile played at her lips. “But... if Draco followed you to America and brought you here, I have no doubt that you are the heir.” I smiled down at my hands. “I see the way he looks at you,”

“I’ve never met anyone like him before,” I confessed.

“Then you are very special,” She stood. “Now come, you have a title to claim and a sword that belongs to you,”

“I get a sword?” My excitement grew as I followed her. McGonagall merely laughed and led me back through the castle.

Draco, who was anxiously pacing outside of the Great Hall, caught sight of us. He rushed over to me, looking me over before pulling me into a hug, before remembering himself.

“I’m so sorry,” He insisted. “This is my fault. Harry and I never got along, and as soon as I walked in there with you, I pinned you as a rival to him,” He cupped my face softly. “I’m so sorry,” He repeated.

Nodding, I gave him a smile.

“You destiny awaits inside my dear,” McGonagall motioned toward the entrance to the hall.

The second time I walked down the aisle of students, I no longer had the confidence I had before. Except, Draco’s hand in mine gave me the courage to keep going. Except this time, Harry’s malice was not the force holding me back.

As Draco and I were halfway across the room, a great darkness flooded the hall. Disquieted whispers of fear were exchanged among the students and official wizards.

“No other heir will take the throne,” A cruel voice hissed, that I had only heard once before, in a dream. I grabbed Draco’s hand. “No heir but Slytherin,”

I looked to Draco, trying to find what to do next in his eyes. He was just as uncertain as I was. Then something sparked in his eyes.

“The sword Y/n!” Draco urged. “Take the sword and claim your throne!”

“But how is that—”

“Just go!” He ordered drawing his wand and leaving little room for argument.

The darkness hung heavier in the room. Shedding my stuffy robes, I was free to run in nothing more than jeans and a sweater to the podium where the sword lay.

“Don’t touch that sword!” The voice hissed. “Or your lover here dies!”

I turned to see Draco almost entirely consumed by a thick black smoke, struggling for air.

“Don’t hurt him!” I screeched, pausing on my ascent toward the sword.

Hundreds of wizards and witches watched us with bated breath, warned by McGonagall to stay back. I could see the fear and fury in their gazes.

“Don’t hurt him,” I begged, taking a step away from the podium.

“Y/n, don’t—don’t worry about me,” Draco gasped out.

“You’ll die,” I argued weakly. “You can’t leave me! You promised!”

“I know,” He choked out. “Just trust me. It’s magic,” The sparkle of mischief in his eyes gave me the courage I needed to ignore the threatening evil voice and walked up to the sword for the third time since I arrived.

“No past... no parents...no home...” I muttered, looking at the sword. “But you won’t take my future!”

I gripped the sword handle and held it high above my head, watching as the Great Hall was bathed in golden light. Every person in the room stared at me, before bowing. I didn’t care. My eyes held onto one person.

The dark cloud has nowhere to run, it was vaporized. Draco fell to the ground gasping for air. I dropped the sword to the ground, hearing it clatter somewhere behind me as I rushed to Draco’s side.

“My god, Draco!” I worried over him, holding him close. “Don’t you ever do that again!” He coughed out a laugh and his arms weakly embraced me.

“Y/n, sweetheart, I don’t think now is the right time. You can yell at me later,” He nodded to the faces in awe that stared at me.

I scrambled to my feet, helping Draco up.

“All hail the Gryffindor Heiress and the Slytherin Prince!” McGonagall proclaimed with a clear voice. A loud cheer went up in the Hall that had me blushing and nearly clinging to Draco.

McGonagall came over to me, offering me the sword that laid in her outstretched hands. “I do believe this belongs to you,” She smiled.

I took the sword, and though the light wasn’t as great as it had been moments before, there was a golden shine to the silver metal. I held it up, examining it. A word burned into the metal, in a golden script.

Virtus

I smiled at the word. Glancing up at Draco, and the adoration in his grey eyes, the sword was soon forgotten from my attention.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hello,” He smiled.

“So... I’m the Heir,” I offered, nervous for a new reason.

“I see that,”

“Draco?”

“Yes?”

“I... I, uh,”

“I know.” Draco smiled, “I fancy you too,”

I laughed despite myself at his British vernacular. Of which I had to quickly explain because of the hurt look on his face. Rolling his eyes, he pulled me close, causing me to look up at him. I met curious warm grey eyes that held the secrets of a world. I smiled.

Draco leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, cradling my face with the utmost care as he kissed me. Another cheer went up causing me to laugh and forcing me away from his kiss.

“I love you,” He mended, whispering for just us to hear.

“I love you too,”

Then he pressed his lips to mine once more not caring if the world was burning or celebrating around us.

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firstofficerwiggles · 3 years

Text

Chapter 9: Not Without My Cyar’ika

Link to Chpt. 8, Link to Masterlist

Pairing: The Mandalorian x female reader

Rating: M/E, 18+ only

Warnings: Canonical violence, death, SMUT, explicit description of unprotected sex (be safe in the real world please), mentions of the possibility of sexual assault (but NO sexual assault takes place in this fic)

Word count: ~10K

Author’s Note: I’m sorry this took such a long time to write, but I was at the end of my academic year and it was a tough one. You’ll see in this chapter there is a mention of cloaking technology, which I completely stole from Star Trek. As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“And so he has her now… I- I feel like I failed her, but I’m going to get her back,” Din has been conveying the unfortunate events of the last few hours to the Armorer over a holocall.

“You should return home to the tribe,” she replies, her voice even and calm, “You need the assistance of your aliit.” The soft blue glow of her image in the holo is somehow comforting to him. He knows she is correct; he needs the support.

“You’re right, I do,” Din acquiesces. He says goodbye to the Armorer with a promise to see her in a few hours. Even if it puts the Covert in danger again, he can’t rescue you alone, not against the forces that Kerrick has at his disposal. A soft coo sounds from the co-pilot’s seat and he looks over at his foundling. The little guy is looking at him with an almost hopeful smile, and Din reaches over to let the child sit in his lap cuddling him close. He tells himself that it’s for the child’s benefit, but deep down he knows he needs the comfort too.

As he makes his way back to the Covert, Din is greeted at the mouth of the cave by Paz and another warrior. Both nod to him gravely, clearly having been briefed by the Armorer of the situation.

“We will stand with you, vod,” Paz states, and the other Mandalorian punctuates this with more nodding, “We should have insisted on mounting an attack on this Commander Hoven from the start.” Paz says Kerrick’s name as though the taste of it is foul in his mouth.

“I appreciate your willingness, and I’m ready to accept your help,” Din admits. His reluctance to take advantage of his tribe’s assistance and his feelings of guilt over Nevarro have evaporated in the face of his need to save you.

“The Armorer said your woman willingly sacrificed her freedom to save you and the child; that shows real bravery,” the other Mandalorian speaks about you with respect. He has black armor and Din recalls that he is called Throm. He continues on to say, “My riduur, Mirmim, became close to her while she was here and it would be my honor to help you with the rescue. Also, Mirmim has offered to care for your foundling while we carry out the mission.”

“Thank you,” Din says appreciatively, “That means a lot.”

Din follows Paz and Throm into the main area of the cavern where almost all of the other tribe members are gathered. Everyone grows quiet as they enter.

“Din Djarin, we are sorry to see you again under these circumstances. We have discussed the need to rescue your woman, and we have decided to send our best warriors with you,” the Armorer greets him in her calming yet authoritative voice, “I will also be accompanying you.”

“Thank you all, I am honored and humbled by your support,” Din replies sincerely.

“The warriors will meet now to formulate our best plan of attack,” the Armorer states.

A woman in pink armor comes up to Din first, before he can join the others. He recognizes her as your friend and as she greets Throm too, it’s clear that she is his riduur. “I can take care of your foundling while you attend the meeting,” she says with her arms outstretched for the little guy.

“You must be Mirmim; Throm said you were willing to care for him while we’re away… while we get her back,” Din says, his voice catching a little. His emotions are so close to the surface right now as he tries not to think about what could be happening to you. He hands Mirmim the child and gives the little one a small pat on the head as he settles into her arms.

“You must have faith. You will rescue her and your tribe, our tribe, will help you succeed. This is the way,” Mirmim reassures him.

“This is the way,” Din tries to sound confident but still he knows that Kerrick has a powerful and well-protected ship and many troopers. They’re going to need a very solid plan.

This is the first point he raises in the warriors’ discussion, “Hoven has a light cruiser with turret-mounted twin light turbolasers, port and starboard quad laser cannons, missile launchers and likely concussion missiles. Not to mention he has at least a squadron of 30 storm troopers aboard, possibly more, not to mention other officers who are likely under his command.”

“We have 16 warriors, and we all know that storm troopers can’t aim for shit, so I’m sure we can take ‘em,” a man in orange armor says confidently. He’s a younger man from the other tribe and Din knows he means well, but he needs more than cocky bravado right now.

“Din Djarin, has an excellent point though that we do not know the total number of fighters,” the Armorer says, quieting the boastfulness of the warrior, “We would be better to find additional warriors.”

“I have an idea about that,” Din says, “I want to ask the Mistresses from Angel One. I’ve seen their warriors in action and I believe they would be willing to help, although their old leader was in league with Hoven, the others were not. Plus I know we made quite the impression there… she made quite the impression there.”

“You should contact them at once,” the Armorer nods her approval.

“I also have another person I need to contact; someone who I think can get us into Hoven’s ship undetected.”

“You don’t think we can take them on in a true battle?” Someone asks.

“No, I don’t. We don’t have enough ships to take on that kind of firepower in a ship-to-ship fight,” Din explains, “I believe our best option is a sneak attack. If we can be aboard another ship that docks with Hoven’s cruiser, we can do maximum damage from inside the ship.”

“Yes, but how do we convince Hoven to let this other ship dock with him?” Paz raises an important question.

“We need to offer him something he wants, something that could make him more powerful,” Din answers, “Hence, why I need to reach out to my other contact.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking out into space from the comfort of your bed on Kerrick’s cruiser, you sigh and wipe at your teary eyes. It’s only been a day since you were forced to part from Din and the child, but you feel like you’ve spent an eternity crying wretchedly into your blankets. Fortunately so far you’ve managed to put Kerrick off from wanting to be with you and mostly you’ve been left to your own miserable devices. You think back to yesterday and give yourself a small pat on the back for accomplishing this small victory.

As Kerrick dragged you onto his ship, you felt yourself becoming increasingly worried for Din and the child, as you knew they wouldn’t have been able to get away without a fight. You repeated to yourself that Din was more than capable of getting out of a jam, but it didn’t stop you from worrying. You were feeling positively nauseated at the negative ideas running through your head. Not to mention, every time Kerrick leered at you over his shoulder, you felt your stomach flip in an unpleasant manner. It worked out to your favor, however, because once you were at the entrance to Kerrick’s personal quarters, you managed to vomit spectacularly all over his floor and boots. He was instantly repulsed and it put a stop to any romantic notions he had cooked up for your reunion. With a look of disgust, he had a storm trooper haul you away to your own quarters for the night. Since then you’ve been left almost completely alone, except when another trooper came by to bring you some soup. You’re grateful to have had the time to think, as well as cry, because at least now you’ve come up with a plan to keep Kerrick at arm’s length at least for a little while.

A crisp knock sounds at your door, but apparently it was only perfunctory as the door swishes open to reveal Kerrick, who clearly doesn’t think he needs to be invited in to your space.

“So, my doll, I hope you’re feeling better today,” Kerrick looks you over as you sit up on the bed. He takes in your disheveled appearance and tear-stained face. You’ve done absolutely nothing to make yourself look pulled together in any way and you can see by his expression that you must look rather awful. He grimaces at you before saying condescendingly, “I see that you must still be sick, or else living with that Mandalorian has caused you to forget all about personal grooming?”

“I’m still not feeling well,” you sigh and clutch your stomach dramatically, “I’ve started my period and the cramps hurt so bad. It’s making me feel so bloated and nauseous.” This is a lie, but you remember that Kerrick is one of those asshole men who thinks everything about menstrual cycles is disgusting. He never wanted to touch you at that time of the month back when you were dating and you’re praying the same is true now.

“Ick, did you have to tell me that?” He recoils from you in horror and you almost laugh out loud at his reaction. “You know I don’t need to hear details about any of that. Ever.” He backs up towards your door looking as though he can’t wait to be gone from your presence.

“I’ll have someone send in some new clothes for you at least,” he says with a frown, “I guess I’ll see you in a few days.”

“It might be as long as a week,” you say trying to sound as pathetic as possible, but any extra time you can gain will be helpful so you can figure out an escape plan. Or maybe it will give Din time to rescue me? Your thoughts are hopeful that Din will come after you but at the same time you try not to get too excited about the possibility because how in the galaxy is he supposed to find you? And how will he fight his way on to this heavily protected ship? No, it’s best that he doesn’t put himself in danger like that; you will just need to keep working on a plan to get yourself out of this mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Din waits as the holocall works to connect to Eira on Angel One. He’s hoping the friendship you were able to build with her will be strong enough to garner her assistance in his mission to rescue you. When Eira’s blueish image appears, he’s bolstered by the smile and warm greeting she gives him.

“Mistress Eira, I wish I were contacting you under better circumstances,” Din explains, “Your warning was helpful, but ultimately we were unlucky. Hoven has her, he caught us in a trap.” He has to pause here to collect his thoughts because his anger and shame at begin tricked by Kerrick is still so raw. Before he can continue though, Eira is speaking.

“We will help you rescue the princess,” Eira pledges solemnly. “That man would never have known how to find her if it weren’t for the treachery of Mistress Sigrid. You must allow us to send warriors to assist you so that we can repay our debt to her and to you.”

“I’m so grateful to hear you say that, Mistress,” Din responds, “It’s why I was contacting you, I was hopeful you’d be willing to help me… to help us.”

“I know you were only here for a few days, but the princess left a lasting impression on many of us,” Eira tells him, “Both of you have helped us see that perhaps our society could be more open to outsiders.”

“Mistress Eira, I do need to tell you one thing, she… she isn’t really a princess, we only said that to make us seem more important so we would be welcome on Angel One,” Din feels sheepish admitting the lie and hopes she won’t rescind her offer. He continues to explain, “It’s just… we were trying to protect our foundling; he’s very special and we needed a safe place to stay for a few days.”

“You lied to protect the child?” Eira clarifies.

“Yes, and I’m sorry we had to deceive you like that,” Din apologizes.

“It was for a noble cause, I understand your reasons,” Eira sounds satisfied, “Now let’s discuss how we’re going to help you get your princess back.”

“She isn’t a princess,” Din repeats.

“She always will be to me,” Eira says with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re quietly making your way through the corridors of Kerrick’s cruiser trying to find your way to Engineering. Your plan has been working wonderfully and Kerrick has stayed far away from you. The first few times you ventured out of your room, no one said anything to you and they seemed to pretty much think it was normal to see you walking around. As you seemed to be granted free access to the ship, it occurred to you that perhaps you could find small ways to weaken the ship as a way to assist you in a possible escape. The first thing you did was check to see if your old access codes would still work at one of the workstations. Fortunately, they did. Same old lazy Empire, they never thought to delete anyone from their system because it would be too much work to keep those types of records. You knew you couldn’t make your sabotage too obvious or you’d be caught right away, but if you could do small things that could be brushed off as typical problems you would be able to create a whole host of annoyances.

You started with changing the lighting cycles in the barracks. The lights were designed to automatically turn off and on at certain hours for sleeping, but you managed to get in and change it up so that lights would randomly turn off and on at all hours of the day and night ensuring that none of the storm troopers could get more than a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep. Of course you locked your new lighting program with an extremely secure password so you knew it would be hard to fix.

Next you made your way to the officers’ mess hall, and while no one was around, you dismantled the caf machine and dumped several of the parts into the trash compactor. You remembered how strong the caffeine additions always were amongst the officers and now they’d need to go to the troopers’ mess if they wanted caf. In many cases this would mean they’d have to be far from their posts and stations would be left unmanned, opening up more opportunities for your little acts of defiance.

The destruction of the caf machine was why you were headed to Engineering right now. You had overheard the head Engineer and his assistant talking about working on the caf machine today because they were sick of having to go to the troopers’ mess. So you figured there was a chance you could do a little bit of damage in Engineering while they were away from their posts. You’ve just poked your head into the Engineering bay to have a look around when a lieutenant commander spots you. Damn!

“Hello, what are you doing down here? I thought you’d be in your room resting,” He speaks to you pleasantly and you realize you know him; he’s a former student of yours from the Sy Bisti class.

“Lieutenant Commander Roth, I didn’t know you were here. It’s so nice to see you again,” you force a polite smile onto your face.

He chuckles warmly, “Please, call me Sergio, and I’m sure it isn’t all that great to see me, but I’m enjoying seeing your pretty face again.”

“No, it really is good to see you, Sergio,” you tell him, sounding a bit more truthful this time. Honestly, he was one student you didn’t mind so much. You remembered him as a cheerful and handsome scoundrel, who was always kind to you. He never seemed too overly indoctrinated like the rest of the officers and although he had morally ambiguous air about him, he didn’t seem as truly evil as the rest of the officers you had known. Although he’s a little older now, he still has that attractive rascal look about him.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Sergio smirks at you, “What are you doing down here?”

“I’m lost,” you say trying to think of where you could say you intended to go.

“No, you’re not,” Sergio smiles as he sees right through your lie, “I think you’re right where you want to be.”

“Why would you think that?” You give him your best wide-eyed innocent look and blink up at him.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he laughs, “I know you’re much too smart to be anywhere but where you planned to be. That idiot Kerrick doesn’t give you enough credit.” There’s no malice in his laughter and he seems genuinely amused by your lie.

“Maybe I was looking for you?” You venture.

“Ha, that’s rich, you didn’t know I was here,” Sergio is very amused, “It’s ok, I think what you’re doing is brilliant and maybe I’d like to help you.”

“What do you mean?” You don’t know what to think, so playing dumb seems like the best option.

“There’s only one person I know who could have locked that lighting pattern with such a great password that no one else can figure it out.” Sergio looks at you pointedly, “After all, isn’t a password just a mini code?”

“Oh” You look down at your shoes, not sure what to say to that.

“Don’t look so disappointed! I’m not going to say anything,” he tells you sincerely, “I’d rather help you.”

“Are you serious, Sergio?” Could it be that you have a friend here somehow?

“Look, I know I’ve made shitty decisions with my life. I should have left the Empire years ago, it was a mistake to get involved in the first place,” Sergio sighs, “But I just sort of fell into this and the next thing I knew I had a little bit of power and I liked it. It’s a terrible excuse and I should have turned myself in to the New Republic years ago. But I’ve never been good at handling the consequences. I’m way too pretty for jail.” He says this last part with a small wink and a self-depreciating chuckle.

“You really won’t say anything to Kerrick?” You ask him.

“No, that weirdo doesn’t deserve you,” he says, “And I don’t know, maybe if I help you, I can redeem a part of myself in some small way.”

“Do you think you could help me escape? Could you fly one of the Tie Fighters?” You know it’s a lot to ask but you have to try.

“I’m sorry, but I think we’d just get caught right away, it’s too risky,” he responds, but there’s a sincerity to his voice so you feel that he’s being honest with you.

“Ok, so maybe we could mess up something here? I was thinking maybe the tractor beam?” If Din does manage to mount a rescue you’ll still be able to get away if the tractor beam is out of service.

“Sounds like fun.” He gives you a cocky little smirk and leads you over to the right workstation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Din leads a group of his fellow Mandalorians into an office building on Canto Bight with a shining plaque that reads “DeWitt Systems”. A receptionist stands up immediately when she sees the intimidating group enter the foyer and with a shaky smile she greets them.

“Welcome, Mr. Mando and um, guests,” she tries to be as polite as possible but doesn’t seem to know how to address anyone. Paz snickers a little at Mr. Mando but Din quickly shushes him. He thinks to himself that it’s a good thing half the group decided to stay behind on the Crest. She attempts to smile at everyone, as she gestures down a hallway, “Mr. DeWitt is waiting for you in the conference room; let me show you the way.”

“Mando, I’d say it’s good to see you again, but that isn’t the case under these circumstances,” Eugene is there looking sharp in a new suit. He moves forward to shake Din’s hand.

“Eugene,” Din returns the handshake and gives him a nod in greeting, “Thank you again for agreeing to be part of this rescue.”

“I’m happy to help in any way that I can, Mando,” Eugene says earnestly, “After my evening with your charming companion and you my business has skyrocketed, so I’ll do anything I can do to help her.”

Din nods again. When he spoke to Eugene earlier, he was worried that the man might not want to get involved in this type of risky undertaking, but blessedly you had made quite a lasting impression on him and he agreed to lend a hand almost at once.

“Have you finalized the idea to entice Hoven and get us aboard his ship?” Din asks.

“I think I’ve got something brilliant, not to brag, but I think it will definitely get us a meeting with Hoven,” Eugene is confident and he brings up a holoscreen. “I’ve come up with a mock-up of a cloaking device for a starship. The idea is that it can make a ship become virtually undetectable to scanners of all types.” Eugene shows a brief demonstration on the holoscreen of this technology. It shows a complicated series of mathematical symbols and equations and a diagram of a ship that vanishes when Eugene clicks a few buttons.

“That’s incredible, does it really work?” Paz wants to know.

“Not really, I can make it look like it works for about 5 minutes, but that’s all,” Eugene says, “However, it sounds really realistic and my tech mock-up is convincing enough that I think Hoven’ll be interested. If we get an invitation to meet his ship, I’ll be able to make us look ‘cloaked’ for just long enough for him to think the tech is real, but it’ll just be a ruse.”

“We’re getting that invite; Hoven won’t be able to resist tech like this,” Din states, “This is really great work, Eugene.”

“I have even more great news for you,” Eugene smiles looking rather proud of himself, “Do you remember the casino owner, Mr. Belvers? He’s going to lend us a ship. He was so impressed with the two of you from the party, you especially, Mando, and I happened to see him right after our call. When I told him about the trouble you were in, he was eager to be able to help out too.”

“Eugene, you’re more resourceful than I realized, thank you again,” Din is humbled and very grateful for the assistance. He remembers how jealous he felt over Eugene back when you all first met and he thinks about how much it bugged him that Eugene was so enthralled by you. Now that jealousy seems rather ridiculous and petty, and Din’s thankful that Eugene isn’t holding any of that against him.

After some additional discussion, they decide to leave the Razor Crest on Canto Bight and take Belvers’ ship which turns out to be a luxury cruiser. It’s smaller than Kerrick’s but large enough that it can easily transport the Mandalorians and the Angel One warriors. It’s flashy enough to be impressive but it’s not going to be seen as a threat in any fashion by Kerrick. Plus, without the Razor Crest, there’s no way for Kerrick to have any inkling that Din is coming for you.

“Alright, we’re ready for you to make the call to Hoven,” Din instructs Eugene.

“Let’s try and sell a cloaking device,” Eugene says enthusiastically.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’ve managed to keep Kerrick away from you for three days, but when a new dress showed up at your door with your breakfast this morning, you figured your reprieve from him was about to end. Reluctantly you pull on the dress, and try to prepare yourself for a difficult day. Sure enough, shortly after you’ve given yourself a little pep talk to psych yourself up for having to deal with Kerrick, you hear your door swish open. Not even bothering to knock anymore.

“Baby doll? Did you get the new dress?” Kerrick’s head pops into the fresher where you are fixing your hair.

“I did, thank you, Kerrick,” you give him a bland smile.

“Excellent! I know you’re still, ahem, untouchable, for a few days,” Kerrick says with a slight look of disgust, “But you can keep me company on the bridge for at least a few hours, surely?” He gives you a creepy smile that turns your stomach, but you know you need to do this to keep him calm.

“Of course, Kerrick, that sounds nice. I’d like to see you while you work.” You do your best to bat your lashes at him and then say, “I always thought you were a natural leader.” To make it through this, you figure your best option is to just compliment him as much as possible.

“Oh, yes, I think you’ll see I was born to be in charge,” Kerrick replies smugly and holds out his arm pointedly for you. You gently loop your own arm through his and let him lead you out into the corridor. When he reaches over to pat your hand you try not to flinch away, but he notices your discomfort.

“Don’t worry, my doll, you don’t need to be nervous, everyone will like you,” he lets out a small laugh as he says, “And if they don’t, well, they’re all expendable.”

You let out a nervous laugh at that comment, and hope to Maker that he is making a joke, but something tells you that he might actually mean it and you pray that you can stay as inconspicuous as possible. Even though these people have given their allegiance to a terrible organization, you don’t want anyone to get hurt, or worse, because of you.

Kerrick leads you to the bridge and then proceeds to give you an extended tour of the area, being sure to tell you how crucial and important he is at every opportunity. He’s such a braggart, you don’t know how his crew put up with it, frankly, and you’re surprised no one has attempted a mutiny yet. Then Kerrick begins telling you of some of his greatest accomplishments with the Empire. Each story is horrific and you feel sickened again by what he has become. He’s finishing up a tale of how he used his superior language skills to successfully trick a village chieftain on the planet Morak into giving up a major portion of his tribe’s land to the Empire so they could mine rhydonium and you can’t hold your tongue any longer.

“Kerrick, weren’t you ever worried that your actions could have serious consequences? I mean, look at what you just told me. Rhydonium is incredibly unstable and I’m sure that mining it must have put all of those people at serious risk.” You want to say so much more, but you try to reign yourself in so that you don’t anger him.

“Why do you care about a bunch of smelly villagers on Morak? They’re so beneath us, baby doll.” Kerrick sneers and then laughs, “You have such a soft heart, but that’s ok, you can use it to worry about me. I’m the only one you should care about. Why don’t you give me a little kiss? Show me how much you care.”

He grips your chin and you know you can’t avoid it, so you lean in and kiss him, but thankfully you’re spared from too much because the sound of a holocall is dinging loudly. Kerrick lets out an exasperated sigh, before answering with a slightly disgruntled greeting.

“Good morning, Commander Hoven, I am Eugene DeWitt of DeWitt Systems. Please excuse my directness in calling you without an introduction, but I believe I have an excellent opportunity for you. One of my other clients, a Commander Pershing, recommended I speak with you.” You hold in a gasp when you see the blue glow of Eugene’s face displayed and you know that this can’t be a coincidence. You carefully move closer to Kerrick so that the holo will be able to pick up your image too.

“Oh? What is this opportunity, Mr. DeWitt?” Kerrick seems rather bored but the mention of Commander Pershing is enough to have him a little curious.

“Oh, I’m certain you will be interested in ship cloaking technology,” Eugene says with a small flourish, “You see I run a technology firm that specializes in cutting-edge innovations. With my program, your ship can become undetectable to scanners of all kinds, especially those used by the New Republic.” Eugene gives a small nod and then seems to make eye contact with you for just a moment. Your heart fills with hope that Din must be involved in this call. Your attention snaps back to Kerrick though as he answers Eugene.

“Well, now I am intrigued, Mr. DeWitt,” Kerrick’s eyes grow wide at the prospect of this new technology and you can almost see the evil gears grinding in his head thinking of how useful a tool it would be. “But how do I know if it really works? Are you willing to offer a display of some type?”

“Yes, absolutely, Commander Hoven, I am prepared to come to you as soon as possible to demonstrate the immense capability of this unique technology.” Eugene gives Kerrick his best salesman smile as he launches into a description of the tech and displays several fancy charts and equations. Before you know it, Kerrick is sharing his ship’s coordinates with Kerrick and setting a time for a meeting tomorrow. You keep a placid look on your face but inside you are bursting with excitement. This has to be Din, he must be coming for you. If Din has gone back to enlist Eugene’s help, he must have formulated a rescue plan. Now it’s up to you to figure out what you can do here to make the rescue successful.

Kerrick finishes making plans to meet with Eugene and then he turns to you and grabs your hand pulling you in closer to him as he says, “You see my doll, I’m an important man now, one that other men respect. While all those fools think the Empire is dead, I’m here in the heart of it all making us stronger than ever. Just think, we’ll be able to traverse this galaxy virtually invisible to the New Republic scum!” Kerrick’s eyes light up as he gives you this speech and you can see that no shred of the man you once knew remains. The young man who shared your love of languages and the world of academia, the man who was once funny and charming, the man to whom you once gave your heart freely is completely gone as surely as if he died or rather was killed by this new Commander Hoven. You can’t help but let this sad realization show on your face.

“Oh, don’t be sad, I won’t forget about you, my beautiful doll. You’ll be right there with me, supporting me,” Kerrick says with an indulgent grin, “A strong, powerful man needs to have a pretty woman behind him, or rather, underneath him.” He laughs at his own bawdy joke and you manage a weak giggle that seems to placate him. It’s about all you can manage as his misogyny is making you want to punch him, but that won’t help your situation.

“I’m afraid all this excitement of being with you has me feeling a bit lightheaded,” you tell Kerrick, “I think perhaps I should return to my room to rest for a bit.” You’re not sure if he’ll buy this, but he sees you as weak anyway and you clutch your brow dramatically for effect.

“So soon? But we’re having such a nice time, and I prefer to have you here with me,” Kerrick says pouting.

“Commander, we need your approval over here,” another officer is requesting Kerrick’s presence.

“You have so much important work to do,” you simper at him, “I wouldn’t want to get in your way.”

“Hmm, I suppose that’s true,” Kerrick says considering you, “I’ll see you in a few hours and we can have lunch together.” You nod to him and move to pull your hand out of his grasp, but instead he yanks you back to him hard and forces you into a kiss. You remind yourself not to struggle and just hope it will be over soon. “There you go, have a nice nap, baby doll.”

You hurry out of the bridge area as soon as he releases you and when you’re certain you’re alone you wipe your mouth in disgust. Oh, Din, please be with Eugene when he comes tomorrow. You’re not sure how much longer you’ll be able to hold off Kerrick and his amorous advances. In hopes that tomorrow really will bring a rescue, you wonder if you can rearrange the storm trooper work shifts somehow. Since you heard all the details of the meeting, you know precisely when Eugene’s ship is scheduled to arrive and wouldn’t it be convenient if somehow there were a lot fewer troopers on duty then?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Din looks out at hyperspace from the pilot’s seat of the luxury cruiser. After a quick stop on Angel One, the rescue party is now complete and the atmosphere aboard the ship is rather jovial despite the danger of the upcoming mission. The Mandalorians and Angel One warriors have bonded quickly as they speak about the chance at a good fight with each group eager to show off their skills. Eugene is also in high spirits having perfected the way to temporarily mask their ship from Kerrick’s scanners when they arrive at the designated coordinates. It will only last for a few minutes, but it will give off the impression that the cloaking technology really works. If all goes well, Din plans to see if Eugene can rig up something similar in the Crest since it could come in handy at times. Who knows, maybe Eugene really will invent starship cloaking someday.

Din tries not to look at the time and count the minutes until he reaches you. Once the first phase of the plan was complete, he’s been impatient to get to this next step. When Eugene told him that he saw you in the holocall, and that you looked safe, he was filled with relief but also worry knowing that it meant that Kerrick was keeping you close to him. Din knows that you are smart and will do whatever you can to keep yourself safe, but at the same time he knows what Kerrick wants from you. He can’t let himself think about that right now though or the anger will consume him.

As if sensing that Din needs someone to speak to, the Armorer joins Din in the cockpit. “You have amassed a good team; I believe we will be formidable against the enemy,” she tells him sagely.

“Thank you for agreeing to be part of it,” Din replies; he’s still honored that she has chosen to accompany him on this rescue.

“You are right to be worried for her, she is surrounded by dangerous men,” the Armorer says, “But, remember, she was amongst such dangerous men before and she survived.”

“I know she did, but this time she may have to… he might force her…” Din can’t bring himself to say it aloud, and just the thoughts that swirl in his head are enough to fill his stomach with a deep, burning ire.

“You must not let your thoughts dwell on what might happen,” the Armorer advises him, “Your woman is intelligent and resourceful, and we do not know what she will or will not need to do.”

“I know you are right, but in my head I keep replaying the moment I saw him force her into a kiss and then I think the worst,” Din’s voice is dark and angry now.

“I understand, but you must channel your anger into your strength, focus it as a weapon to use against this man,” the Armorer instructs him, “Do not let it overwhelm you and cause you to be foolhardy in your attack.”

Din nods in agreement, “You are correct, as always.”

The Armorer pats his pauldron in response. It’s a small gesture but one that is full of meaning. He thinks again about how grateful he is to have her support and the support of everyone on board. He also knows that she is right, he must maintain his focus.

An alarm dings from the ship’s console alerting Din and the Armorer that they are closing in on Kerrick’s ship. Eugene hurries in to activate his tech virtually hiding them for the few minutes before they reach the meeting spot.

“Tell everyone this is it,” Din tells the Armorer, “We’re getting her back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re certain the shift changes worked?” you whisper your question to Sergio as you’re standing on the docking platform. Kerrick has arranged a welcome party to greet his guest and you’ve been able to have a few minutes to speak to Sergio while there. There are still several storm troopers here and you’re concerned that Din won’t be able to handle so many.

“Yes, I went by the barracks just before arriving here and there are way more troopers off duty than there should be,” he tells you in a low voice.

“Good.” Yesterday while you were supposed to be napping, Sergio helped you mess up the storm troopers’ shifts so that only a skeleton crew would be at work now.

“I also decided that neither the main guns nor any of the missiles needed to be online today,” Sergio shrugs like this is no big deal while you look at him with surprise.

“Thank you,” you say, grateful for his help.

“Just remember this if I ever need you to testify at my trial,” he chuckles.

“What are you laughing about, Roth?” Kerrick has taken notice of you both and he looks annoyed.

“Lieutenant Commander Roth was reminding me about my language lessons and some of the funny pronunciation exercises I made the class do,” you lie smoothly.

“Yes, she had us doing these silly sound drills that made us all sound like a bunch of hissing serpents,” Sergio laughs again.

“Well, if you’re done with your trip down memory lane, perhaps you could tell me if you see Mr. DeWitt’s ship on our scanners?” Kerrick gives the command with a frown.

“There is nothing reading on our scanners,” Sergio responds promptly.

“Well, either his tech really does work, or he’s late,” Kerrick states.

“Commander Hoven, sir, there is a holocall for you,” an ensign brings over a holopad with Eugene’s image.

“Mr. DeWitt,” Kerrick says in greeting.

“Do your sensors detect us, Commander Hoven?” Eugene asks with a smile.

“No, are you sure you are in range?” Kerrick asks.

“How about now?” Eugene smirks.

“Sir, there is a ship just off our port side, it appeared out of nowhere,” Sergio sounds surprised and bit impressed.

“Well done, Mr. DeWitt,” Kerrick seems pleased, “Let’s proceed with docking and then you can come aboard to show me more about this incredible new tech you’ve created.”

You’re watching the docking mechanism intently, looking for any sign that this is more than just a strange coincidence. Suddenly a plasma bolt fires down the docking tunnel taking out a storm trooper. For a moment there is merely stunned silence around you until more bolts come hurtling in the direction of the troopers.

“What the fuck!” Kerrick exclaims as a total melee ensues.

You dive for cover while silently cheering inside. You take a peek and see the gleam of beskar helmets. Din is here and he’s brought plenty of help with him! Another quick glance shows you Mandalorian and Angel One warriors working together, fighting against the Imps. Although your first instinct is to run straight for Din, you don’t want to get caught in the crossfire, so you force yourself to stay where you are. Your hiding place isn’t very secure though and abruptly Kerrick is there grabbing at you and forcing you to your feet.

“Get up, you bitch,” he snaps at you, “This is all your fault.”

“Let go of me!” you yell back, but he’s too strong for you and he yanks you after him. You scream as loud as you can and try to kick and break free of his hold.

Din hears you scream and it immediately draws his attention across the fighting in time to see Kerrick drag you out of the area and down a corridor. He quickly moves to pursue you, kicking a trooper in the stomach and shooting another in the neck as he follows after you. Both Eira and the Armorer hear your scream too and quickly trail after Din, shooting a path to do so.

Neither you nor Kerrick are anywhere to be seen in the corridor, but this is no problem for Din as he brings up a tracking program on his vambrace.

“What’s that?” Eira asks

“I put tracking devices in her shoes,” Din responds, leading the three of them forward as he follows the signal.

“A smart idea,” the Armorer replies as Eira looks mildly shocked.

They continue down the corridor, weapons at the ready. As they encounter a few troopers, the trio easily dispatches them. They pass a sign indicating the location of escape pods and Din breaks out into a sprint; there’s no way he’s letting Kerrick get you off this ship.

Kerrick is pulling on your arm so hard you’re afraid he’s going to dislocate your shoulder. He’s got you at the escape pods now in a desperate attempt to get away with you. As soon as he starts to force you into one, you start fighting harder. You remember the fighting techniques from Din’s training and you manage to land a sharp kick to Kerrick’s shin.

“What the kriffing hell is the matter with you?” He yells at you in pain. You try to kick him again, but he slaps you hard across the face. The shock and the sting of the blow makes you stumble. But then you’re struggling against him again, hitting him in the side with your free fist and then whacking him hard in the face.

“Oof! Fuck! Stop it!” He slaps you again, harder this time and you feel your face throbbing.

“That is enough! Don’t you ever do something stupid like that again or you’ll regret it,” Kerrick threatens you and then brandishes a blaster in your face. The fact that he might actually shoot you makes you stop struggling.

“Please, Kerrick, please, you don’t have to do that,” you say your voice trembling.

“I won’t have to hurt you unless you keep acting so fucking stupid,” he snaps back. He still has the blaster pointed at your face and you’re afraid to even move now.

“I’ll do what you want, you can lower the blaster,” you try to make your voice soft and sweet in an attempt to calm him. His eyes are wild and he looks unhinged.

“That’s right you’re going to do what I want,” Kerrick says menacingly, “Because you’re mine, he doesn’t get to have you, and you’re going to keep doing what I want for the rest--”

But Kerrick never gets to finish that threat. Instead you watch as a bolt hits him square in the temple and he collapses dead at your feet. You jump back in horror and shock as it happens, but then you turn and see Din with his blaster still aimed from where he shot Kerrick. You feel nothing but utter relief and before you can think, you are running at him and launching yourself into his arms.

Din catches you and embraces you tightly, never wanting to let you go again. He feels like his heart is going to burst from the joy of holding you again.

“You came for me, I knew you would, I knew when Eugene called it had to be you, I just knew it,” You’re babbling you’re so happy that he’s here, that he’s really here holding you. “Oh, but I’m so sorry for the awful things I had to say, I didn’t mean any of them, you have to know that, I didn’t mean it at all, I love you, only you, Din.”

“I love you too and I’m so sorry, cyar’ika, so sorry that I couldn’t protect you better, I can’t believe I fell for his trap, I won’t ever let that happen again,” Din is babbling too in his elation at rescuing you. He pulls back a little to look at you and raises a hand to cup your injured face. “I’m so sorry he hurt you, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to stop it.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Din,” you tell him, “You protected me now, and you rescued me.”

“Well, technically we’re still in the middle of rescuing you, so maybe you two lovebirds can save the happy reunion until we’re out of here,” Eira pipes up.

“Oh, right,” you reply sheepishly.

“Come, we should return to the ship before more Imperials arrive,” the Armorer motions to you both.

Your group hurries back in the direction of the docking platform and you meet up with more of Din’s group. It’s a mix of Mandalorians that you met from the Covert and warrior women from Angel One. You’re so humbled that they came to fight for you.

“I can’t believe we haven’t seen more troopers than this,” Paz speaks up.

“I made sure a lot of them would be off duty now,” you say with a grin.

“You did?” Din sounds impressed.

“Yeah, I tried to do a little sabotage here and there where I could,” you tell him, “By the way, the tractor beam, main guns, and missiles are disengaged right now too.”

“You’re so smart.” You can hear the admiration in his voice as he praises you.

“I was lucky to have some help,” you demure wondering what has happened to Sergio.

When you are back at the docking platform you can see the resounding defeat of Kerrick’s troops. You glance around looking for Sergio; despite his allegiance to the Empire, you hope he isn’t hurt or worse. You don’t see him and so you hope he got away. You don’t have time to dwell on his fate however and you quickly head for the docking tunnel with Din and the others. When you reach the other ship, you see Eugene’s relieved face and you cheerfully hug him in greeting.

“Eugene! Thank you, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence when you called,” you tell him excitedly.

“I had to help, as soon as Mando told me you were in trouble,” he replies.

You feel the ship jolt and know that someone has put you into hyperspace and you breathe a huge sigh of relief and joy. Then suddenly you are surrounded by well-wishers as everyone tries to hug you or shake your hand in celebration of a successful rescue. Eira even picks you up as she hugs you tight. Someone brings you some bacta cream for your face and you wonder if you need it more to help relieve the bruises left by Kerrick or to soothe your aching muscles from all the smiling. Finally, when it seems as if you have been congratulated by everyone, Din is there taking your hand and leading you away from the celebrating crowd. He takes you into some sleeping quarters on the ship. It’s a beautiful room, but you don’t spend time looking around because all you want to see is him.

“Cyar’ika, I’m so sorry,” Din apologizes again, still feeling guilty over not being able to protect you from Kerrick.

“Oh Din, no, you don’t have to apologize,” you tell him, “I’m the one who needs to apologize to you. I said those hateful things--”

Din interrupts, “No, cyar’ika, I know you didn’t mean them, you- you just did what you had to do.”

“Yes, I only said those awful things to save you and the child. Oh my goodness, the child! Is he alright? Where is he?” You realize that you didn’t see him with everyone.

“He’s safe, he’s at the Covert being looked after by your friend with the pink armor,” Din reassures you.

“Thank the Maker! I was so worried for you both when I was forced to leave with Kerrick,” you say.

Din looks away for a moment when you say that, when he looks back at you, he says your name softly, almost like he’s trying to ask you a question but can’t find the words.

“Din?” You say his name prompting him to speak to you, to tell you his thoughts.

“Did he force you to… did he force himself on you?” Din asks and you can hear the horror in his voice at this possibility.

“No, no Din, he didn’t,” you assure him, “I was forced to kiss him a few times, but that was it. I lied and told him I was having my period and that was enough to keep him away from me. He always was disgusted by menstrual cycles.”

Din lets out a huge sigh of relief and pulls you close to him, as he tells you, “I’m so thankful to hear that, the thoughts I’ve had about what he wanted from you, about what he might have made you do… it was making me sick and I just, I--”

“I understand, my darling, but you don’t have to worry any more, I’m fine and we never have to worry about him again. You made sure of that for me.” Your voice cracks as you speak and you reach up to pull his helmet down to you to meet your forehead in a Keldabe kiss. Tears stream down your cheeks as you hold him to you. Din pulls off his gloves so he can reach up with his bare hands to cradle your face. You listen to his breathing and you can’t be fully certain, but you think he may be crying a little too.

“I love you so much, cyar’ika, I never want to let you go,” Din’s voice is thick with emotion.

“I love you too, Din, and I want to be with you, I want to go wherever you go,” you tell him.

“That’s all I want too, my love,” Din responds, “And I want to show you how much I want that.” He brings his hands up to cup yours, holding them to his helmet, and then he lifts his head away from yours. Gently he starts to lift your hands up, tugging his helmet with them. You gasp and try to let go of his helmet, but his hands are keeping yours in place.

“Din, wait, what are you doing?” you ask breathlessly. His hands stop moving at your question.

“Please, cyar’ika, please, I want you to see me, all of me,” he implores you.

“But your creed?” You’re so worried he might regret this that it’s overshadowing your desire to see his face.

“I believe it will still be intact, I trust you,” Din says steadily and although you don’t entirely understand what he means by that, his calm and certain tone make you trust him. You nod to him and he begins lifting his hands once again, and this time you help him.

Slowly you see his face being revealed to you starting with a dark stubbly beard, then full lips and a mustache followed by a stately nose and high cheekbones, next, warm brown eyes slightly wet with tears and framed by thick eyebrows, and then finally, a forehead somewhat obscured by wayward dark brown curls. Din is the most handsome and beautiful man you have ever seen. You’re afraid to blink or breathe because it feels as if a spell may be broken and he’ll disappear if you dare to move. It isn’t until you hear him saying your name, repeating it in fact, that you remember how to speak again.

“You have the most wonderful face, my love,” you tell him, your voice filled with awe.

Din smiles at you, a little upturn of the corners of his mouth before he tells you, “That’s impossible; I’m looking at the most wonderful face right now.”

And then he can’t wait any longer, he leans forward to kiss you. Din kisses you like you’ve been apart for decades, putting everything that he is, everything that he feels for you into his kisses. His arms wrap around you and hold you against his chest so firmly that he swears he can feel your heart beating against him. He feels a wetness on his cheeks and he thinks for a moment that you must be crying and then he realizes the tears he feels are his own. He breaks the kiss only because he knows he needs to tell you again that he loves you. As you repeat his words back to him, you reach up to kiss away the tears on his cheeks and Din thinks he’s never felt anything so tender and so pure in his entire life.

“Cyar’ika, before we get carried away, there’s something else I want to say to you,” Din says, stilling your actions.

“You can tell me anything, Din,” you reply, smiling softly at him.

“What you said earlier about wanting to go wherever I go, that is exactly what I want, for you to be by my side for the rest of my life, to share that life with me… cyar’ika, will you be my wife?” Din’s voice is emotional as he asks you to marry him and the look of love on his face is the most beautiful vision you’ve ever seen.

“Yes, Din, yes, I will,” you reply and you pull him close so you can kiss him again. He holds you as if you are the most precious creature in the entire galaxy, and when he breaks your kiss, it’s only so he can tell you how much he loves you.

“Also, that means you can have this,” he tells you as he places a soft pouch in your hands. It’s like the pouch that held your heart pendant and when you open it you see a new beskar pendant, in the shape of a mudhorn, the symbol of Din’s clan.

You unhook your necklace so that you can add this new pendant to it. Din helps you as both of your hands are shaking with emotion and excitement. When the mudhorn is resting right next to the heart pendant it looks so exactly right, a perfect combination. Din rehooks the clasp of the chain around your neck and you can see his eyes shining as he takes in the sight of the symbols of his love, his clan, and his creed on you. Before you know it, he’s kissing you again, and you can feel the power of his love in each kiss. You return his heated kisses passionately, wanting to show him how much you love him and how eager you are to be his wife.

“I love you, Din, with all my heart, and I can’t wait to become your wife,” you tell him as he moves from your lips to kiss your neck, “And for you to be my husband.”

Din nips at your neck when you say the word husband. He tells you, “Mmmm, yes, say that again.”

“I’m going to be your wife, and you’ll be my husband, my riduur,” you repeat in a husky voice.

“Yes, yes, fuck yes,” Din says before he sucks a mark onto your neck and then returns to your lips to kiss you hard, making you throb between your legs. When he pulls away finally, you feel almost lightheaded from the force of his kisses.

Din continues to trail kisses down your neck and chest as he tugs at the fastenings of the dress you’re wearing, eventually pulling it open so he can shove it down your shoulders. He barely gets the top of the dress down around your waist before he’s yanking your bra out of the way so he can kiss and caress your breasts. His hands grope down your body as he buries his head into your chest and when he shoves his hand under your skirt and works his fingers into your panties, he’s relieved to feel how hot and wet you already are for him. He tries to slow his movements, but he feels frantic for you, overwhelmed with need. His fingers circle your clit quickly causing you to moan out his name.

“Din, I can’t take too much teasing, please, I need you too much… I need you now,” you plead with him sounding desperate. You mewl as he pumps two fingers deep into you, pitching your desire into overdrive. It’s been too long since you’ve been together and your yearning for him is staggering. You manage to kick off your shoes and start yanking at your dress in an attempt to get it off your body.

“I need you too, cyare, so badly,” Din sounds equally as desperate.

He quickly helps you finish removing your clothing before opening his trousers and pulling out his weeping cock. You can see how much he wants you as his cock is rock hard and his tip is flushed dark. He’s still wearing the rest of his clothing and armor, but neither of you can bear to wait for him to take the time to remove it. He sits on the bed and pulls you to sit on his lap, straddling him. You start to sink down on his steely length but Din is too eager to wait and he meets your downward motion with a swift and powerful thrust upward, pushing into you all at once.

“DIN! Yes!” You cry out at the exquisite sensation of instantly being filled by him. You grapple at the hard, unforgiving beskar of his cuirass as you rise and fall against him. One of Din’s large hands is at your back, supporting you and holding you to him as he fucks up into you, while the other toys with your clit roughly. You are both moving fast, too caught up in each other to take your time.

“Din, you feel… so good… I missed you… soooo much,” you tell him, panting with the effort.

“My cyar’ika… I missed you too… missed being inside you… like this,” Din gasps out between thrusts.

For the first time, you look into his eyes as you feel him moving inside you, and you feel more connected to him than ever before. You watch every small expression that he makes, simply delighted as you see his desire and love for you play over his face. Wanting to see more, to have the chance to keep looking at his face causes you to draw out your movements, slowing your pace slightly.

Din also loves being able to see your entire face uncovered with his own eyes. The look of absolute love in your eyes is incredible to him and he feels a sense of belonging that he has never felt before. It is not the same feeling of possessiveness that he’s had in the past, instead it is the feeling that he belongs with you, that you belong together.

“Please, cyar’ika, please say you’ll stay with me, always,” Din begs you, despite knowing that you will, he needs the reassurance now.

“I will, I promise, I will, Din, always,” you vow to him, but then you need your own guarantee, “Promise me you’ll never leave me, Din.”

“Oh mesh’la, my love, ner kar’ta,” terms of endearment spill from Din’s lips as he tries to tell you how he’s feeling, “I’ll always stay with you, I’ll never leave you, never.”

“Din, my love, my Din, I love you,” you manage to respond and you feel your inner muscles squeeze him tight as the sensations of love and pleasure swirl around you. Between the feel of him shredding up against pure bliss inside you at a relentless pace and the sheer ecstasy of his fingers on your clit, your climax is rushing towards you.

“Look at me, cyar’ika,” Din commands as your eyes had been fluttering shut. You snap them back open and look deep into his eyes. “Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum.”

You cry out as you hear Din tell you he loves you in Mando’a and you careen over the edge, falling into his body as you are overcome with pleasure. He wraps his arms around you tightly as he manages to thrust up into you a few more times before exploding within you and shouting your name.

“I love you, Din, I promise I’ll love you forever,” you tell him as you pepper his face with kisses.

“I love you too, forever,” Din repeats back to you before he kisses you soundly. His arms encircle you as he holds you close. His heart swells with joy and Din knows he has found true happiness with you.

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

Thank you for reading!! Again, I appreciate your patience with me in getting this chapter out. I have decided there will be just one more chapter for this series, Chapter 10: The Mando Who Loved Me.

Mando’a definitions:

aliit = family

vod = brother

riduur = spouse

mesh’la = beautiful

ner kar’ta = my heart

ni kar’tayl gar darasuum = I love you

Tag list: @niiight-dreamerrrr @grogusmum @idreamofboobear @theamuz @fangirlalexia @callmekane @im-the-nerdiest-of-them-a11 @theravenreads @nicotinebirds @boomtownboy @nova646 @wandering-storm-lost-shadow @becks-things @rexsjaigeyes @mackycat11 @som3thingcr3ative @punkdalek @pinkninja200 @s-unflowxr @beskarprincessjenny @peppywitch @haley7242 @the-bottom-of-the-abyss @hotsauceonabiscuit @asta-lily @onabouteverything

#din djarin x female reader #the mandalorian x female reader #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin fanfic #the mandalorian fanfic

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the-darklings · 3 years

Text

coa one year later & self-reflection

(*drags out a creaky metal chair and plops down on it heavily*)

Hi. It’s me, ya boi skinny--

Wait, wrong one. Do over.

Hi, it’s me, Kat, and I’m not dead. Clearly. Today being one year anniversary of COA has kinda put me in a reflective mood, so I guess I decided to sit down and just...talk about some things, thoughts and feelings I’ve been bottling inside for a hot sec. Especially given how radio silent I have gone on here and people deserve a bit of perspective.

And before anyone starts worrying, it’s all good, and I’m still around and currently in good health for the most part.

So, let’s take it back to the start. Regardless of how dramatic it may sound, we need to go back a year for that.

By technicality alone, COA actually turned one year old on October 12th. That’s when the first part was posted. However, the reason I’m treating today as the aforementioned birthday is simple: I had no intention of this story ever being more than a short two-parter. I told this to the discord gang already but COA was only going to have two parts. V was going to die in Tokyo and the rest of the story follows glimpses of John throughout the movies and it’s her ghost that haunts him. Skipping ahead, it was going to have a bittersweet ending of John eventually dying, having completed his task, only to be greeted by V, Daisy and Helen in the afterlife. A peace of sorts. Then, I realised that, well, no. I have more to say on this world and intrigue about this placeholder character V kept growing.

November 1st happened and I made a very last minute call to continue COA but with the added pressure of doing it during NaNoWriMo 2019. And boy did I. Most of the story was figured out during that very intense month. I posted Part 2 on this day a year ago because I was so eager to share it. Perhaps, in retrospect, a bit too eager.

For those of you who may not know this, I work as a writer full time for my actual every day job. I’m the main writer for an original webcomic called In the Bleak Midwinter on Webtoon.com and have been for almost two years now. Getting what is essentially your dream job is amazing. I’m very lucky on that front but it also taught me stark realities of having your job and only hobby overlap. It’s a dangerous creative mix. Especially because I was not used to being constraint in what I create or the feeling like I have to please anyone else. Writing as a job is a whole other avenue of creative exhaustion. I love my job a lot and am very, very lucky to have it but it doesn’t change the fact that those initial stages made me fall back on COA a lot for creative freedom that I craved so desperately. To an unhealthy degree looking back on it now.

But going back to November last year. NaNo time. I did it. Finished on the 24/25th I believe. A juicy final count of 52k+. All while maintaining a weekly update schedule for a fic that usually hit around 10k per update, if not more, even during those early days. Add writing an original story on top of that. Writing every day for hours on end (we are talking 10-12hr days) without any time for other hobbies or time for myself in general. I kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Losing weight and sleep in the process. I think the thing that convinced me that I should continue doing so is the fact that the outpour of support for COA ended up surpassing anything I ever expected or even dared to hope for. I’m not a huge numbers person but the outpour of love and just sheer investment in the story and characters blew me away. John Wick fandom is on the smaller side and has been going through downtime when I posted COA so my expectations were...well, small tbh. I like keeping expectations low to avoid any disappointments in general. But I’ve also always had an issue of being a massive 0 or 100 kind of person. If I love something, it consumes me. In this case, it brought me as much joy and freedom as much as it was steadily pushing me towards the ultimate crash.

That being said, I can’t thank you all enough for every comment, like, reblog and message and fanart. You’re the reason I got this far. With your support. It brightened some really dark days for me.

But.

To be frank, it’s never been about you guys. I never wrote or pushed because I felt like I had to appease anyone. That creative mindset is pure poison and I long since learned to let go of it. I kept pushing and kept working myself to the bone because I liked it. I liked how reading peoples’ responses made me feel. I liked the addictive nature of reading all the comments and theories after an update. I loved the idea of brightening peoples’ days and giving them something to cheer them up after what might have been a shitty day. Even if that was at expense of my own time/well being. But for a long time, it wasn’t. I love writing a lot but facts remain facts.

It was beyond unhealthy and burnout wasn’t a question of if but when and that when was approaching at neck-breaking speed.

So we come to the end of November. Part 4 has just come out. People were invested and I was invested alongside them. I was just finishing up Part 5 which (back then) was the biggest single chapter I’ve ever written and god I still recall my sheer dread because that was the beginning of Santino being established as a LI. Looking back on that now, it’s downright hilarious how worried I was about the reception of him and V together after John.

So honestly, I hit burnout at around Part 8. Because that’s the first time I recall struggling with writing a chapter. Part 8 came out on December 28th. I had a brief break for holidays. But my mistake was not taking longer back then. Because I continued writing with a barely healed burnout. Followed by almost a year of struggling and continuously creating through that state. It wasn’t like I eased off the pressure, either. Oh, no. The chapters grew in size, the world and the characters with it. AUs amassed quickly and while I adore every single one - again, I didn’t know how to pace myself well enough.

I’m spiteful though. The more the chapters struggled the more I pushed against the burnout. By the time Chicago arrived, however, I knew I was in trouble. I ended up writing 43k+ in a span of 2 months, I believe. And while to some it may not seem like a lot given the time frame, it’s a lot when you’re burnout to a crisp & writing an original story for work + deadlines. Which I was burned out and then some. Chicago was something I was looking forward to writing for months. I have built it up since Part 4. It was a long time coming. So while I’m still proud of it, I would be lying if I said that some scenes were not sacrificed for the sake of keeping to my invisible schedule that no one but me actually cared about. You guys have always been patient. I never felt pushed into anything. It’s always only ever been me doing the harm.

Chicago was the downwards spiral for me mentally. I felt like I was failing to live up to my own expectations. That people were drifting away from it. I was plagued by the thought that the story I poured so much into was falling apart and growing weaker. Which this has always been an issue with me: I am my own harshest critic. Always have been. In fact, I’m a downright mean little fucker when it comes to just tearing at myself. I know writing is for fun - and it is - but I still like the idea of being proud of my work which only made everything worse despite the love each update received.

This takes us to the beginning of June. Specifically, June the 2nd. Or, as I like to call it: Kat Makes Another Impulsive Decision but This One Actually Works Out For the Better. On this day, I created the COA Discord server. And damn, I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting when I did ngl. I did it for fun and as an escape more so than anything. But somehow it ended up being the best decision I made in a long while. I know some of you are reading this. So love you lots, dorks. It’s such a privilege to be able to call so many of you my friends even outside of COA now. That little community has given me some of the best memories from this year and helped me to crawl out of my own metaphorical pit I was stuck in. Mentally, I’m doing much better than I did beginning of this summer. Which could be summed up as a constant self-hatred cycle and a feeling of inadequacy.

That, however, does not mean my burnout magically disappeared. If anything Chapter 17 just put a nail in the coffin so to speak. 2020 has been a shitty year just across the board for obvious reasons I don’t need to go into here but that can only partially be attributed to my mental state. Chapter 17 was...exhaustive. To say the least. But I was determined to stick with my vision and not split it up. I was also starting to be a bit more forgiving towards myself in terms of how long I may take to write it thanks to guys on discord though the feeling of failure and worry never quite faded fully. I’m proud of Part 17. Truly. But that was also when I hit rock bottom creatively on COA. It drained me completely.

I tried writing Part 18 for weeks after, day in and day out, not getting past the first scene and hating every word I wrote. So I took a deep breath and stopped. Figured I let it marinate and wait instead of trying to piece one of the most crucial chapters in this story like some Frankenstein monster two sentences at the time.

So my solution was simple: give myself some distance from it and write other things. Get my spark back. Of course that’s always a good idea. Having multiple creative escapes is the best thing you can do for yourself creatively. There was just one tiny little problem.

I was still burned out. Still am. The problem went deeper than just being burned out over COA. I was burned out over writing itself.

Which is an issue for a person who only has writing as a creative outlet.

I don’t have any other way to express myself. So I was stuck in a runt, trying to write because it’s the only thing that makes me genuinely happy even when I really shouldn’t have. And let me tell you. It’s a shitty fucking feeling. My burnout worsened. I had a thousand ideas but every time I tried to get them down it felt forced, fragmented, and weak. Repetitive and dry. Now, this is also in part because English isn’t my native language, so my vocab is limited as a result, but I hit that sweet rock bottom in that regard, too.

So, I worked on V (but in her OC form Clara), Lucien and The Elites. All those characters have grown so much since you last read about them. I have multiple original projects planned down the line that will feature all of them existing in their own world, with their own stories and no longer constrained by JW canon.

Which, finally, takes us to the end of October and beginning of November 2020.

I was convinced that the best course of action was to do NaNo again but with an original story this time (involving V). Suffice to say, it took a grand total of maybe 5-6 days and hating every second of writing it while also feeling like this project I’m so passionate and excited to write (still am) is just...going down the toilet to be blunt, to realise I may have made the wrong call.

Still, the stubborn ass that I am, I pushed through. Convinced I can get into it if I just keep going. The realizations that I am sharing with you right now won’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for a rather curious turn of events about a week and a half ago.

I recently bought a gaming laptop, all in preparation for Cyberpunk 2077 dropping ofc. But, in the meantime, I kept recommending a game to a friend on the COA server. That game? Far Cry 5. (It’s a blast to play btw, just a side note.) And playing it brought back all the feelings of nostalgia from the days when I used to write for that fandom. So I revisited some old work. Checked the stuff I never published and that has been sitting ducks in my docs for months and hoo boy. Let me tell you it was a vibe check of the worst kind.

The stark difference in the prose and the ease with which it flowed was...startling. It made me remember why I love writing so much and how proud I used to be of what I wrote back in the day. Which is not to say I’m not proud now, but it was just such a sharp dip in quality it was impossible to ignore.

So I didn’t.

I paused NaNo, moving it to another month. I paused writing for everything but work, which with our season coming to an end I will also get a rest from soon, too. I kinda paused in general. For the first time in a while, I finally forced myself to switch off. Rest.

The reason why I haven’t been on here is simple: guilt and not having energy to be on here. I like making my blog a safe space for everyone. Similar to escape it has become for me. I couldn’t pretend I was fine when I wasn’t. I felt obliged to perform and being here became exhausting. I haven’t been checking my inbox. Haven’t done much of anything except occasionally dropping by and reblogging a random post so people know I’m alive.

And that’s that, folks. That’s where I am currently. Resting. Completely exhausted mentally but resting. Getting my energy back.

So where does that leave us, huh? If you read this far, dunno what to tell you. Thanks, I suppose. It’s still odd to think people actually care about my existence sometimes.

I know what you’re likely thinking, too. So does this mean COA is never gonna be finished? What is gonna happen to it? Are you abandoning it?

The answer: no. 17 out of 25 chapters and 250k+ in, I’m too far in not to give it a proper conclusion. Not because I owe it to anyone other than myself. I want this story to be a stepping stone for my future as a writer. I want to prove to myself that I can get this done and finish it. As of right now (as you can no doubt tell with how long it’s been since last update) it’s on a soft hiatus while I rest. This rest? Not sure how long it may last. Right now, my plan is till mid December at which point I will reevaluate. Ideally, I finish the year with an update. But my New Year’s resolution is to finish COA. That timeline has become a little more murky now but, again, ideally it’s within the first quarter of 2021. Will that happen? I don’t know. And I don’t want to make false promises, either.

All I’m saying is that it will be done. I’m just no longer sure how long, exactly, it may take me to reach that Epilogue. I don’t expect many people to stick around for however long it may take me, but if you do, thank you. Truly. I really and deeply mean that.

So what’s on the cards for this blog in the meantime? Well, CP77 is coming out in under a month (if it doesn’t get moved again lmao rip) and I expect that to be my soft return to posting my writing on here again. We will see where the muse takes me, if at all. Regardless though, I’m excited.

One doctorate thesis later, here we are at the end of this really long rambling session. I hope that this has given you some perspective on things going on behind the scenes. I spared you some of the gorier details but I think this post has been long overdue. I suppose I, myself, was just too unwilling to face these things despite knowing about them deep down for a while now. I’m too self-critical not to notice but acting on correcting this behavior has been a whole other matter clearly.

Thank you for reading this post, my writing in general, and supporting me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m still around. More is on the way in the future. I’ll be seeing you all real soon. And all my love to all of you.

Love,

- Kat.

#kat speaks #blog psa #i suppose

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sugarsugarmoon · 4 years

Text

Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust

Summary: Things are not always as they seem at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Genre: Smut, some fluff, some romance

Warnings: Oral sex (m. and f. receiving), creampie, cumplay, threesome, dirty talk, dom!Taehyung, dom switch!reader, sub switch!Jungkook, mirror sex, ice play, unprotected sex, Jungkook has a weird spell to clean up cum?

A/N: This large boi is half unedited. Sorry. I just couldn’t read it anymore. Thanks to my friend Katie for beta-ing the first 10K that I wrote. I don’t know if she wants to be tagged, so I won’t tag her. I hope that the requester enjoys this. I hope you all enjoy this. My work is protected under copyright law, so please don’t steal it.

Word Count: 18K+

The only sound you hear at your table hidden away in a back corner of the library is the scratch of your quill on parchment. You love that sound. It makes you feel accomplished and proud. Even if you were just writing a list of things to do, you would still love the sound. You know that you could enchant the quill to do the writing for you, but there is something so satisfying about scribbling out your own thoughts into writing. You hold the quill in your hand and continue pouring your thoughts out on the page in flowing, looping letters.

At your table next to the Restricted Section, hidden among the stacks, you finish the last of your Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. Even though you are only a week into the school year, your professor has assigned reading and an essay. You can’t say you mind, as DADA has always been your best subject. Now that you’re in your 7th year and in all of your NEWT classes, you are working toward your future career instead of just grades. The rest of your Slytherin classmates didn’t see loving DADA as an acceptable option, which is why you chose to hide away in the library to enthusiastically finish your homework.

If you were completely honest, which you only ever were with one person, you had wanted to be an Auror with the Ministry of Magic since you were a little girl. You could never, ever show that side of yourself to the rest of the Slytherins, or you’d be marked as a blood traitor. There was still animosity left over from the Second Wizarding War, and you didn’t want to cross any of your housemates whose parents were still Death Eaters.

You are so engrossed in your parchment that you don’t hear the man who sneaks up behind you. When you feel a hand on your back, you jump, making a thick, black ink mark across your paper. You turn around ready to smack the person who disturbed your peace and marred your assignment. Instead of being able to hit the person who did the transgression, you are met with two hands on either side of your face, and the offender captures your lips in a tender kiss. Even though you didn’t see him, there is no doubt in your mind that the lips pressed against yours belong to none other than Jeon Jungkook.

When your boyfriend pulls away, you slap him on the arm. “Look what you did to my paper!” you exclaim.

“Don’t act like you can’t do one swish of your wand and make that disappear,” he retorts, giggling and stroking the back of your hand with his thumb.

He was right, but you didn’t like to admit it.

“Still you can’t just go sneaking up on people and kissing them. I could have hit you with Petrificus Totalus, and then where would we be? Huh?”

He continues to giggle. “Well, I’m already stiff enough, if you know what I mean,” he winks at you, “plus, you weren’t near quick enough for that to even be a possibility.”

You snatch your wand off the table, turn to stand in front of him, and hold it against his throat, trying to look intimidating. He continues giggling. “You are incorrigible,” you scold as you roll your eyes.

You turn back to the table, passing your wand over the parchment, and mutter “Scourgify.” The ink from your flinch begins to lift off the paper and sink back into the inkwell, ready to be used again.

“You know that you’re the only person doing homework, right? I bet that isn’t even due for weeks,” Jungkook taunts as he looks down at your paper.

“Well, I like to be ahead. You know that,” you reply. “Plus, now that I’m in the NEWT class without you, I don’t have to worry about making sure you do your homework. I’m still adjusting to how much time I need. It will probably take me a third of the time now that I don’t have to convince you to do it without cheating.”

“If you would have just let me copy you, it would have saved you a lot of time,” he states, putting his hand on his hip. “But really, I’m proud of you for following your dreams, babe. I really am.” He swoops down and places his mouth against yours. Against your lips he mutters, “I know it isn’t easy with Slytherins being the way they are. Even since You-Know-Who got defeated, they still think that we all have to be evil.”

“I mean...the way you look in those pants is pretty evil,” you offer, smirk across your lips. You look him up and down, and he steps back to give you a full view. He had filled out a lot in the last year and even more over the summer, becoming a man. He’s wearing the same clothes he always wore, but they fit snugger than they used to. His tight black pants hug his thick thighs, his white button up is unbuttoned at his throat, his tie hangs loosely from his neck, and his gray sweater sits taut across his broad shoulders and firm chest. You feel an ache between your thighs as you stare at him.

“Okay, I think you’ve checked me out enough for today,” he goads. He wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer to him. You nestle into his chest and breathe in his scent. For as long as you can remember, Jungkook is the one who has comforted you and taken care of you. He is the only person who you ever felt accepted you as you are, and he didn’t mind that you struggled a little bit to express your emotions. He had helped you learn to show your love for him. He gives you a squeeze and lets you go.

“All right,” he remarks, “I have practice, so I’ll let you get back to your homework that isn’t even due yet, nerd.”

He places one more kiss on your lips then begins to walk away. You watch him, and he stops halfway down the row. He smiles and says, “I love you, y/n.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you say, picking up your quill.

“I’m not leaving until you say it back,” he chides.

“I love you too,” you mumble back, and he bounces off and turns down the main aisle, disappearing from sight.

You turn your attention back to your paper, but, before you can even start working again, you hear, “Wow, that was pretty gross.”

You are startled by the voice and find yourself wondering why, all of a sudden, everyone feels the need to come to your spot in the library. You have only ever been bugged here by Jungkook and even that was rare because he knows this is your spot to really focus.

You turn your head to where the voice came from, and standing in the stacks is a tall man with black hair that falls in his eyes, Gryffindor tie hanging loosely around his neck. His arms are crossed, and he is leaning casually against the bookcase.

“What do you want, Taehyung?” you ask, slightly exasperated.

“I was just coming to check out the restricted section, but then I had to witness that little love fest. I must admit...I’m a little jealous, but mostly I’m disgusted,” he offers with an ornery grin on his face.

“Well, the restricted section is right there,” you gesture toward the locked area, “have fun trying to get in. I’m going back to my common room now.”

“Oh come on, y/n. When are you going to banter with me? You can’t avoid it forever.” He is still grinning that same grin while watching you pack up your bag.

“I believe in my ability to avoid it forever, so I will. Goodnight, Taehyung.”

You sling your bag over your shoulder and trudge off, away from him and the former solitude of your favorite spot.

*******

A few weeks later, when the semester is in full swing, you slink down the hallway, trying to avoid eye contact with any of the passing students and slip into the Defense Against the Dark Arts Room. You were early to class because you liked to avoid the rush of students in the hall and pick your seat carefully. You lift your eyes from the floor, and you see that your professor, Bill Weasley, is standing at the front of the room, arranging the items on the desk and fussing with books.

He looks up when he hears the door shut and flashes a smile at you. The shock of hair on top of his head is wild and curly, streaked with silver amongst the red-orange. He’s used to you coming early to class, so he doesn’t seem surprised and keeps on fiddling with things at the front of the room. You slide into your preferred seat in the second row all the way at the end. You pull out your book, quill, ink, and wand and arrange them on the table in front of you. Opening your book to the reading from the night before, you skim through the pages.

“You know,” Bill says, seemingly to himself, “you could give any working Auror a run for their money with your use of Impedimenta, even Potter.”

You feel your face heat, and you know that you’ve turned a deep scarlet. “Thank you so much, Professor Weasley,” you mumble, “but there’s no way that’s true. I mean...he’s Harry Potter. I’m just some stupid wannabe”

He chuckles, shaking his head, “I’ve known Harry for a long time. He was a stupid wannabe once too. Probably more than you. You’re not so unlike him, you know?”

You smile up at him, but, before you can respond, the door opens, and students start to fill in the room. You are grateful that you have Professor Weasley because, even though he can be detached at times, he is still one of the only supportive adults that you have in your life, since your parents died during the Second Wizarding War.

You flinch when someone plops down in the seat next to you. People usually leave you alone because you are the only Slytherin in Year 7 Defense Against the Dark Arts, but, today, someone has chosen to invade your space. When you look up from your book, you see it’s Kim Taehyung, smiling in all his Gryffindor glory.

From what you know of Taehyung from the seven years you’ve spent at school together, you know that he is cocky and weird and aggressively friendly.

“Good morning!” he exclaims a little too loudly for how close he is to you.

You give him a confused look and try to convey your distaste for the situation through your facial expression.

He just smiles back at you and starts to unpack his bag.

“Taehyung, there are like 20 other perfectly good seats in this room,” you snap.

“Yes, I know, but I want this seat,” he says with a spark in his eyes that you can’t quite name. “Besides, I have made it my goal to befriend you this year.”

You sigh a heavy sigh and turn your attention back to your book until Professor Weasley starts lecturing. You find it hard to focus though because, next to you, Taehyung is making icicles and snowflakes with his wand. They hover just above the palm of his hand, spinning slowly, then he flicks his wand and they disappear. You can’t help but be mesmerized by the intricacy of each of the snowflakes, dainty and precise. Each time you catch yourself staring at his palm, you snap your eyes back up to the front of the room and try to focus on the ginger man.

“Just give in,” Taehyung whispers to you halfway through class.

“Excuse me,” you retort in a loud whisper that draws the attention of the students in front of you.

“You want to look, so just look.”

“No. Don’t talk to me during a lecture,” you say with finality, gripping your quill tighter. You force your eyes to stay trained on Professor Weasley for the time remaining while scribbling little notes on your parchment.

At the end of the period, you pack away your things quickly, making a point not to look at Taehyung, and you move out of the classroom as quickly as possible.

*****************

When you skulk into the common room a few hours later, you are met with a crowd of Slytherins of all ages. At the center of all the commotion is, of course, Jungkook. He has a big smile across his face, and he is chatting spiritedly with a 4th year named Camilla Astaroth. She is the Keeper on the Quidditch team, and, even though Jungkook denies it, she is clearly smitten with him. You make your way past the crowd, intending on simply talking with Jungkook later or even tomorrow.

As you pass, you hear a 6th year exclaim, “we’re going to beat Gryffindor this year for sure! Jungkook is unstoppable!”

You can’t help but smile about how talented your boyfriend is. He rarely tries something that he isn’t immediately the best at, and he has a knack for all things athletic. He tried muggle sports once with some of the 7th year Hufflepuffs when he was a 5th year, and he dominated them in basketball so much that they made him sit out.

As you reach the base of the stairs, you hear Jungkook shout your name. You turn around, and his huge grin is directed at you. The girl standing next to him does not seem pleased that you’ve taken his attention away from her.

He waves you over, and you shuffle awkwardly through the crowd. When you get to his side, he drapes his arm over your shoulders, and you sink into his side.

“What’s going on?” you ask quietly to him.

“We scrimmaged Hufflepuff today, remember?” You had completely forgotten, and you felt guilt immediately build in your chest. You had been so preoccupied with Taehyung and studying that it had slipped your mind. You mutter an apology to him while looking away.

“Hey, no. It’s okay. We won though! We completely destroyed them actually. 300 to 0. They never even stood a chance,” he declares, grinning widely.

“Jungkook was so amazing. The other team didn’t have any hope of keeping up with him,” Camilla pipes up. She’s looking at him like he hung the moon, and, in her defense, he does look super hot with his hair freshly washed and mussed a little with his shirt clinging to his frame. Camilla reaches out and runs her fingers along Jungkook’s forearm, staring directly into his face as she does it.

As a knee jerk reaction, you want to punch her, lunge at her, tackle her, and pull her hair, but you refrain. Jungkook pulls his arm away tactfully and slides it around your waist, pulling you closer. He is subtly telling her to fuck off while also bringing you in closer, and you are loving it.

You lean up to his ear and whisper, “I want to get out of here.”

He presses a kiss to your temple. “Go to my room. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”

You say goodbye to Camilla who gives you a half-hearted wave, and you head off up the stairs. You drop your stuff in the girls dorm then make your way to Jungkook’s room. His roommates are clearly out, either with the crowd in the common room or off causing trouble. You use the opportunity to pull out a large brown t-shirt from Jungkook’s chest of drawers. You undo the knot in your tie and unbutton the top two buttons of your white oxford shirt. You wrap your fingers under the hem of your shirt and sweater and pull it over your head. You fold each article neatly and set them on top of the chest. You slide your skirt down your hips and place it on top of the pile. Deciding to take off your bra as well, you unclasp it and toss it more haphazardly than the other items. Jungkook’s shirt slides easily over your head and the cotton caresses your skin. The shirt smells like him, and you breathe it in deeply.

You plop down on his bed, smelling his pillows as well. You two were still making time for each other, but, with NEWT level classes and Quidditch practices, it was getting harder and harder to find time to just be together without doing homework or planning plays.

The heavy wooden door creaks open, and your eyes flit to the door. Jungkook shuts the door behind him and latches the bolt so no one can get in. His roommates have seen you in his bed in the mornings before, but, since they aren’t here, the two of you have free reign to do whatever you want.

He runs his hand through his hair as he makes his way over to you. Sliding into the bed next to you, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you close to him. You tilt your head up to steal a kiss against his lips. He hums in approval.

“You know...I’m not tired at all. I’m too hyped up from the scrimmage.” He places a kiss on the corner of your mouth. He follows that by kissing along your jaw and down your throat.

“Oh, is that so?” You kiss the top of his head as he sinks further down your neck. “I guess I could think of a few things to tire you out. That is if you ask nicely.”

Jungkook is biting down on the tender skin of your neck, down the slope of it to your shoulder. “Please.” He states it more than asks, but you are satisfied.

You pull him up to your face, and you press your mouth to his. Hungry and frantic. You take his bottom lip between your teeth and pull it out slightly before letting it go.

He runs his hand up your side. “I love seeing you in my shirt and nothing else.”

“I love being in your shirt, but I think I’d love being in nothing more right now.”

“I can arrange that.” He smirks and wraps his fingers around the bottom of the shirt. He pulls it over your head and throws it carelessly aside.

He takes a moment to just stare at your bare body in front of him, only your thin lace panties covering you. He passes his hands over your breasts, massaging them before leaning in to kiss your mouth again.

“Your turn.” You pull at the hem of his shirt. He stands up to take off all of his clothes. Every time you see his body, you feel taken aback. His waist is narrow, but his muscles are prominent in his stomach, arms, and thighs. The outline of his dick is visible through his underwear, and he is truly statuesque standing in front of you for a moment in just his boxer briefs.

“Those too,” you mutter.

“If I take these off, are you going to get on your knees for me tonight?” He puts his hand on his hip. You love when Jungkook takes control. You often are dominant, making him prove he’s a good boy for you, and you love to see him beg you. But sometimes it is thrilling to see him command you around. Often Quidditch wins bring out the dom in Jungkook.

“Yes, I’ll get on my knees for you, JK. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

He blushes a little and runs his hand through his hair again. You climb off of the bed and kneel in front of him. When he pulls down his underwear, you see that his cock is already hard. He strokes it while looking down at you.

“Are you going to suck my cock like a good girl?” he asks, never breaking eye contact.

You nod and wrap your hand around his shaft. He removes his own hand, and you begin the same rhythm, pumping. You lick from his balls to the head of his dick on the underside then swirl your tongue around the head. You wrap your lips around it and slowly take the whole thing into your mouth. You slide your lips up and down the shaft of his cock, and you feel his dick twitch in your mouth. You moan around him, feeling the heat pooling in your underwear.

“You like that don’t you?” He’s breathing heavily, but his words are still steady.

He thrusts his hips slightly, causing his dick to hit the back of your throat. You gag around him, and he moans a deep, heady moan. “Good girl,” he whispers. You loosen your throat and take him in deep again. You pull back and run your tongue over the slit on the head of his dick. Repeating this over and over, you begin to feel spit running down your chin and taste the saltiness of Jungkook’s precum.

“Y/n, you have to stop. It’s been too long. I can’t last, wanna fuck you.” He wraps his fingers around your chin and pulls your head gently away from his length. You bring your hand up and pump two more times around his hard member before you stand to meet him. You kiss him hard and almost immediately sneak your tongue into his mouth, hoping he can taste himself on you.

He pulls you against his body and lets his hands explore your skin. You can feel his cock pressing against you, and you are needy for it. You moan into his mouth and press your skin against his. His chest is smooth and supple, and your nipples grow harder at the contact. You love the way that his skin feels against yours, and you are dripping in your underwear just from the sensation.

“Baby, do you want me?” Jungkook says into your neck, his breath causing the small hairs on the back of your neck to stand up.

“Yes, I want you so bad.” You tangle your fingers into his hair and tug gently while rubbing your thighs together.

“Then beg.” He pushes your legs apart with his muscular thigh, but, instead of slotting it against your clothed core, he keeps it just far enough away that you can’t get any relief. Jungkook rarely asks you to beg, and you do it even more rarely. You run through the scenario in your head of what will happen if you refuse to beg. He’s already commanded you to get on your knees, so you know he’s feeling particularly demanding tonight. You can feel how wet your underwear are, sticking against your sensitive skin.

You are weighing your options when Jungkook repeats, “Beg for it, or I’m not letting you get any relief. I’ll tease you all night if I have to.” He takes your nipple into his mouth and sucks, causing your hips to buck into him. He lets it fall from his mouth and moves to the other one, biting gently.

You sigh deeply. “Jungkook, please fuck me.” You can hear the attitude in your voice.

“Not like that, baby. I want you to mean it.”

He slides his hand between the two of you and lines his cock up with your clothed folds. He pushes the head of his cock against your clit, and you moan deeply. Fuck fuck. Am I really going to beg for it? The sensation has you desperate for him to be against your bare skin. You roll your eyes to yourself, then you drop back to your knees. The sudden movement seems to surprise Jungkook, but he also groans and takes his cock in hand as you do it.

“Jungkook, I need you more than I’ve never needed anything. I need you more than water. Please fuck me.”

He whispers an incoherent stream of curse words then asks, “baby, do you wanna ride me?”

You can see the excitement in his eyes, so you nod your head as you look up at him. He pulls you up off the floor and strides to the bed. He turns back to you and, in one smooth motion, drops your panties to the floor, then climbs onto the bed. He lies on his back, and you climb on top of him.

You hover over him for a moment, watching the impatience grow in his expression. He puts his hands on your hips and shifts his hips up. The head of his dick presses against your entrance then slides up your folds to your clit, slick with your own arousal. He does it once more before you acquiesce.

You wrap your hand around the base of his cock and line him up with your entrance. You sink down on to him slowly. Once you slide all the way down, you take a moment to adjust to the size of his cock. You think to yourself that it’s not fair that Jungkook is good at everything and also has a big dick. Once you’ve adjusted to him, you roll your hips, his pubic bone creating friction on your clit. You continue your motions, and Jungkook digs his thumbs into your hips. You can see on his face he’s trying to keep his hips still.

“I want you to cum before I do, baby. Wanna make you cum.” His eyes are wide, pupils huge. His hair is pushed off his forehead, and his chest is moving quickly with his heavy breathing. He shoves his hand between your bodies, and his thumb finds your clit. The pressure and motion from his thumb is unforgiving, and you start to lose the rhythm on his cock. Jungkook takes over the motions, and he is fucking you slowly but hard from underneath. You can feel his cock against the sensitive walls of your pussy, and as he continues stroking your clit, you feel yourself clenching, stomach tightening.

You mean to give him a warning, but you close your eyes, clench around him, and your body fills with warmth. It seeps into your brain, and everything disappears for a moment. You feel like your belly and chest are full of warm liquid as your muscles contract. You moan his name loudly as you cum, and, as you’re coming back down, he whispers, “say my name again. I’m gonna cum.”

In a breathy voice, right next to his ear, you moan out, “Jungkook, you fuck me so good.”

Then he’s coming, hips thrashing hard underneath you, fingers white from pressing against your skin so hard. You lean against his chest as you feel shot after shot of his cum fill you, and his dick twitches inside of you.

Soon the motion of his hips stops, and the two of you lie there, his dick softening inside you, for a long time. You start to drift off against his shoulder, but he shakes you gently.

“Hey, I know you want to sleep, but we should probably clean up and unlock the door.”

You groan and lift yourself off of him, wincing at the feeling of his dick and some of his cum sliding out of you. Jungkook leans over to the bedside table, grabs his wand, and positions himself between your legs.

“You know you could just lick it off,” you suggest to him.

“As much as I would love to do that, it’s still not going to get it all.” He dips his head down and licks from your entrance to your clit and then shows you his tongue with the white substance on it. “See, this won’t do.”

He waves his wand over your pussy, and you think that you’ll never get used to the cooling, tingling sensation of the spell that Jungkook learned to clean up after sex. He’s learned it so well that he doesn’t even have to do the incantation anymore. You suspect that he perfected it alone long before the two of you started having sex two years ago.

Once he has cleaned you and himself, he leans down and picks up his shirt that you were wearing. He opens his chest of drawers and pulls out two pairs of underwear, one yours and one his. He throws your underwear over to you.

“I’m sorry...you’re keeping my underwear in here?”

“You’re the one who left it in here,” he scoffs. “Plus...I like to hold them when you aren’t around.”

You giggle, wildly amused at the idea of your boyfriend cuddling your underwear to go to sleep. “Wait...do you masturbate with them?” you ask with a serious expression. You can’t believe you’re getting turned on thinking about it.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. My roommates are probably waiting to get in.” He pulls the underwear up to his hips, walks to the door, and flips the latch that was keeping it closed. “You better put those on. They’re gonna be here soon.”

You reluctantly pull the underwear up, the shirt over your head and then snuggle under his covers. He crawls into bed next to you and pulls you against him. He presses a gentle kiss against your neck and your shoulder.

“Thank you for doing that, baby. I love you so much. You have been so special to me, even since we were 8 years old.”

“I love you too, Jungkook. You are special to me. No one will ever be special like you are.” You turn and kiss his mouth. He mutters, “Nox,” and the lights in the room go out. You drift off to sleep fairly quickly with Jungkook’s frame draped around yours.

***********

Jungkook is walking alone through the courtyard when thwack something cold and solid hits him the back of the head. He stands dumbfounded for a moment, unsure if he is having a stroke or what was happening. He brings his hand up to his neck and feels the cold, wet substance. He hears giggling behind him, so he turns to try to find the source of the laughter and, probably, the snowball. There, laughing to himself, stands Kim Taehyung, hand on his knee, eyes narrowed, mouth agape. No one else seems to have seen the exchange.

Jungkook has had enough. Taehyung has been bothering him for months: putting ice in his backpack, putting snowballs in his chair, making his hot soup cold. It really was a complete nuisance, not to mention confusing, and Jungkook was fed up.

He unsheathes his wand from his front pocket and turns quickly, robes billowing behind him. Feet slapping hard on the stone and earth, he marches over to Kim Taehyung, who is still giggling gleefully.

Jungkook grabs Taehyung by the shirt and shoves him back against the wall, placing his wand against his throat. Taehyung’s giggles die down a little bit, but the amusement remains in his eyes. He straightens himself out a bit and stares back into Jungkook’s eyes. Something about the joy in his eyes causes Jungkook to soften the slightest bit, and, when he realizes, he feels confused and annoyed by this.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?!” Jungkook roars. “What did I ever do to you?!”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Then why are you bothering me?” Jungkook almost pleads back.

Taehyung drops his eyes. “Maybe I want you to do something to me.”

He raises his eyebrows suggestively at Jungkook, whose mouth falls open. While Jungkook stands flabbergasted, Taehyung wiggles out of his slackened grip, reaches out and straightens the younger man’s robes, and leans into his ear.

“I am interested in you, baby,” he drags out the last word, his deep voice seductive and suggestive.

And he floats away, across the courtyard and into the Great Hall. Jungkook looks around, and it appears no one heard what Taehyung just said. For a moment, he has the overwhelming urge to do anything for Taehyung, anything at all to get his affection. To have his hands against his skin. To have his mouth on his own. He shakes his head when he realizes the thoughts he’s having.

Jungkook clears his throat and adjusts his pants that are now slightly tighter. He collects himself and walks across the courtyard with the same confidence he typically carries himself.

***********************

Many nights, because you’ve struggled with sleep as long as you can remember, you sneak around the castle. You had been doing it long enough that you knew which portraits to avoid and which ones wouldn’t rat you out. You’d actually made friends with some of the paintings on the third floor across from the Room of Requirement.

You often find yourself in the Room of Requirement, practicing spells, studying, or just spending time alone several days each week. There are some days where it won’t open, and, though you’ve tried to do research, you haven’t ever found an answer as to why you can’t get in sometimes.

One night, you are wandering listlessly through a corridor on the second floor, where you know the paintings won’t bother you. You are examining one of the paintings because where there is usually one man who sleeps at night, there are now four men have a lively debate about codpieces. You are smiling to yourself when you hit something solid. At first you think you’ve walked into a wall, even though you know your way around without looking, but then you hear a voice say, “are you never aware of your surroundings?”

“Taehyung?” You hold out your wand and utter, “Lumos.” The light spills across the face in front of you, as he pinches his eyes shut and brings his hand up to cover his face.

“Oh shit, do you have to do that?”

“Nox. Sorry. What are you doing here? Just sneaking around in the dark trying to scare people?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

It’s hard to see him now with the light out, little spots twinkling in your eyes from the sudden light of your wand.

“I asked you first.”

“If you must know, I don’t sleep well, so I wander around the castle at night. What are you doing?”

You furrow your brow, though you doubt he can see it in the dark. “The exact same thing actually…”

“Oh okay. Well, if it’s all the same to you, we could wander together?” Tae proposes.

You know he can’t see you, but you still want the effect. So you roll your eyes at him. “It’s not all the same to me. Goodnight Taehyung.” You stalk away from him, trying to put as much distance between him and yourself as possible.

A few nights later, you are on the seventh floor, leisurely strolling toward the Room of Requirement with your book bag slung over your shoulder. When you see the edge of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, you feel a lightness in your chest that is immediately overshadowed by dread. You see a tall figure on the other end of the hall, and you groan at the sight of him.

“Seriously, Taehyung, can I do anything without you showing up?” you sigh in exasperation.

“Or is it you who’s following me because you’re actually secretly in love with me!?” he gasps then giggles.

“Seriously, Taehyung, this is my time to do work, and I don’t want you here for it. Get lost.”

“First, you can just call me Tae. We’re friends. Second, I come here several times a week. What gives you the right to say it’s yours?” he now looks serious and concerned.

So that’s the reason I can’t get in sometimes you think to yourself.

“We’re not friends, and I’m not going anywhere.” You fold your arms.

“Me neither. So I guess we have to share the space.” He folds his arms too and cocks an eyebrow at you.

You sigh and then move toward the entrance. “Fine.”

The door appears, and you pull it open, not holding it open for him. In the Room, where there is usually one desk with a lamp and several bookshelves, there are now two desks next to each other. The walls are still lined with books, but the selection seems to be slightly different.

You each settle into your own desk and work on your own. You are surprised by how quiet and diligent Taehyung is when he’s working on his own. The two of you work for several hours in silence. You start to feel your eyes closing and your head nodding, so you decide it’s time to go climb into Jungkook’s bed if his roommates left the door open. You start to shuffle your papers on the desk. Taehyung startles at the sound and blinks several times in your direction.

“Are you leaving? I think I was sleeping with my eyes open”

“Yeah, I got enough work done, so I’m going to get some sleep. You should too or whatever.”

He nods and starts packing up his things. You don’t deliberately slow your movements, but you do slow down. You and Taehyung leave at the same time. After you walk out the door, you make eye contact without saying anything.

“Well...same time tomorrow?” Taehyung asks.

“We’ll see,” you utter, and the two of you take off toward your respective common rooms.

The next night and several after that, you meet Taehyung in the corridor, entering the Room of Requirement together. You work silently for a few hours, then you leave together, parting ways in the spot you met.

A few weeks into your arrangement, Taehyung is sitting at his desk muttering to himself. It is distracting you, so you look over at him and sigh. He is waving his wand and, when nothing happens, huffing to himself.

“Oh my god, Taehyung. What is the matter with you?” you finally blurt out.

“I’m sorry. I was probably being loud, huh? I just can’t nail any of these stupid defensive spells. Counterspells? Sure. I got that down. Defensive spells? I couldn’t do one to save my life...and some day I might need to do one TO SAVE MY LIFE.” He is half-yelling and breathing heavily, and his eyes look like he’s about to cry.

“Okay...well, could you like...meltdown more quietly? Or somewhere else?” You know you’re being cold, but you’ve made a point to keep distance between yourself and most other people.

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”

He loudly flips the pages in his book. He keeps sighing to himself and groaning. Even though he’s not talking, he’s being just as loud as he was before.

“All right, fine. If you shut up, I will help you with defensive spells. Just please stop sighing.” You stand up from your chair and walk towards him, wand in hand. “Get up.”

He stands and follows you into the center of the room. You hold out your arm and show him the bend in your elbow, the looseness of your wrist. You show him your stance.

“Okay now clear your head. All you want to think about is stopping any impending danger. Anything that can harm you will be stopped. Good. Okay, one deep breath in…”

You have yourself in position, and you cry, “Impedimenta!”

Light shoots from the tip of your wand and shifts into a hazy cloud in front of you. It slowly dissipates into the air. You love the way that the jinx looks on its own, but it’s even more exciting with something is coming at you.

You look at the man next to you, “all right, Taehyung, your turn.”

“First, I told you, just call me Tae. Second, I don’t think I can do that.”

You scoff at him and walk to the other side of the room. You pull about ten books off of the shelf. You turn on the spot and hurl one of the books right at Tae’s head. You laugh as he dodges and stares at you in disbelief.

“What the fuck, y/n?!”

“Now, you better figure out how to use it, or I’m going to hit you in your pretty little face with a book.”

He gets himself into position, and you whip a particularly thick book at him. He steps out of the way and repositions himself.

“In a life or death situation, you don’t have time like that Taehyung. Do it. You got this.”

You cock your arm to throw another book, and, as it slips from your fingers, you hear Tae exclaim “Impedimenta!”

Light shoots from his wand in an unsteady stream, and the fog is much thicker than yours. However, the book hits the fog, hangs in midair for a moment, and thuds on the floor.

When the fog clears, you see Tae beaming on the other side. He runs to you and throws his arms around you, picking you up and spinning you around.

“All right, buddy. It’s just a jinx. That’s enough,” you grumble.

He apologizes and sets you back on the floor, clearing his throat and straightening himself out.

“I’ve been trying to get that for years, and I’ve just never been able to make it work before! I’m so happy that you’re here helping me! I’ll help you with anything you need help with too. It’s only fair.”

“Thanks, Taehyung. I do actually need help with counterspells but not tonight.”

You walk over to the desk and start to pack up your things. Taehyung follows your lead. When you walk out the door, you make the same eye contact that you make every night before you head your separate directions. This time, Tae, once again, flings his arms around you and mutters “Thanks” before he bounds off toward the Gryffindor tower.

Several weeks pass in which you have been tolerating Tae as your partner in DADA because he’s actually very skilled at counterspells. He has helped you perfect Finite after you had struggled with it for 3 years.

Professor Weasley seems to be thrilled by the progress that you’ve made. One day, he asks you to stay after class. Taehyung hesitates in the doorway, and you nod to him to let him know it’s okay to leave you here alone.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, y/n, but it’s absolutely working. You have never been more focused or accurate in the time I’ve known you. Your mental incantations are nearly flawless. Whatever...or whoever...is helping you is working.”

The way he paused on “whoever” leads you to believe he knows exactly why you’ve improved.

While Taehyung has helped you with counterspells, you have helped him with other defensive spells. The two of you have practiced together in the empty room after class is over and at night in the Room of Requirement, and you feel like you have grown as a witch because of it. That does not mean you like him though. You tolerate him. You tell yourself that over and over. You don’t like him.

****************

Tae climbs the spiral staircase to the astronomy tower, taking the steps two at a time. He has kind of started to dread Astronomy because it means that he doesn’t get to spend the time with you. He’s been smitten with you since Fourth Year, and he thought that you had to know it by now. He knows that you’re dating Jungkook, but he’d been pining after Jungkook since they were eleven anyway.

As he ascends into the astronomy tower, he sees that a few students who are usually there early are not there tonight. He breathes a sigh of relief. Being in Astronomy with Slytherin has proven to be challenging for the outspoken Gryffindor. He luckily has assigned himself the telescope next to Jungkook, and they have been talking more and more since the incident in the courtyard.

Taehyung had never really completely trusted men, but something about the way Jungkook talked to him made he feel like he wasn’t just looking for one thing. When Jungkook enters the room, Tae feels butterflies in his stomach. He wants to grab him and kiss him, but he knows that would destroy all the groundwork that he’s been laying for months. Instead, he just smiles and waves Jungkook over. Jungkook smiles back and makes his way to the corner where their telescopes stand.

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all week,” Taehyung laughs out then winks at Jungkook.

Jungkook shifts awkwardly, says, “yeah,” and forces a laugh.

Professor Sinistra enters the room and the side conversations die down. She explains that tonight, students are going to be identifying celestial bodies and mapping them. Taehyung feels elated when he hears her say that all students will be working with a partner. He knows there’s a 50% chance that Jungkook will turn him down, but they actually work pretty well together.

Jungkook turns to Taehyung and says, “hey, you’re pretty good at this stuff. Be my partner.”

He isn’t asking, and Taehyung simply nods in response. They scoot their chairs closer together and unroll the parchment on which they need to be charting constellations.

About an hour later, the two are laughing, drawing on their parchment, and taking turns looking into the telescope. Taehyung turns to Jungkook, and the two of them make eye contact. They both hold perfectly still just in that moment, and Taehyung can feel his heart pounding against his sternum. He can’t stop his eyes from darting to Jungkook’s mouth then back to his eyes. His eyes are wide when Tae meets them again, but he doesn’t look away. Taehyung wants nothing more than to press his mouth to Jungkook’s, to express all the things he’d been feeling for years. Taehyung sees Jungkook look at his lips for a moment, and then, face flushed, turns his attention back to the paper, clearing his throat.

The silence is broken when Jungkook pipes up. “Can I ask you something?”

Tae nods and waits for the question. “Why are you always messing with me? You said it’s because you’re interested in me, but, if that was the case, you could just talk to me.”

Tae sighs and brings his fingers to the bridge of his nose, squeezing gently. “It’s kind of hard to explain. Do you remember in 2nd year, you got a valentine from your secret admirer?”

“Yeah...I thought it was the other Slytherins making fun of me because I would scream and run away from girls. How do you know that?”

“It wasn’t the other Slytherins,” he exhales heavily. “It was me.”

He sees the realization dawn on Jungkook who opens his mouth as if to say something but then shuts it again.

“I gave you that valentine, and you rejected me. I was so hurt that I wanted to get revenge on you. So I started doing what I knew how to do.”

“Are you still mad at me for that? We were kids, and I didn’t know it was from you anyway.” Jungkook is exasperated. His face is flushed, and his chest is heaving. It’s clear to Tae that isn’t processing all this new information well.

“No, I’m not still mad. I stopped being mad pretty quickly. To be honest...it was the only time you talked to me, so I kept doing it. Plus, you’re really cute when you’re upset.” Tae blushes and rubs his hand on the back of his neck. Part of him is so bold and has no problem telling Jungkook how he feels, and part of him is so embarrassed that he wants to fling himself off of the astronomy tower.

They sit in silence for a second, both men with a deep flush in their cheeks. Jungkook picks up his quill and continues to write on the parchment. He stops suddenly and turns to Tae.

“Why the ice?”

Tae can’t help but laugh. No one has ever actually asked him about why he is so skilled with magic to create snow, ice, and all things cold. He is overwhelmed by the warmth that starts to fill his chest from Jungkook being the one to ask him.

“Well, you see, my family is originally from the mountains of Bulgaria. We moved when I was pretty young, and the climate was so different. We all didn’t know how to cope without the constant snow and cold, so one day, I decided to learn. I was able to make snow for my family. Single snowflakes at first then, slowly, more and more. Sometimes it would be a full blizzard in our yard, and the next yard over would be completely bare. It’s always something that meant a lot to me and my family. My parents loved it before they…” he trails off.

Tae turns his face away from Jungkook and stares out one of the many windows. He feels a warm hand on his arm, and it pulls him back to face Jungkook.

“It’s okay to be honest with me. To feel things with me. Emotions aren’t right or wrong; they just are.” Jungkook has a wisdom and sincerity in his eyes and in his voice that makes Tae’s chest clench. He feels like he’s going to cry.

“My parents died in the war. They were Aurors. They were in the battle here.” He takes a deep shaky breath. “Sometimes I go visit the place where they died, but, mostly, I avoid it.”

“I’m so sorry that you have to experience that,” Jungkook breathes out. He still has his hand on Tae’s arm, and he begins rubbing little circles on the skin with his thumb.

“Honestly, it’s okay. I don’t get too emotional about it anymore. I know they were doing what they loved and protecting me. They wanted me to have a better life.” Tae runs his hand through his hair. “Plus, they’re the reason I want to be an Auror. Keep the legacy alive.”

Taehyung gives Jungkook a faint smile, and, once again, the two men sit in silence, this time with Jungkook’s digits tracing patterns on Tae’s skin. They stay like that for what seems like an hour until Professor Sinistra announces that class is over. Jungkook drops his hand from Tae’s arm and packs up his things.

They descend the spiral staircase together, and, when they reach the corridor, they wave goodbye.

“Hey Taehyung,” Jungkook calls out.

“Just call me Tae. What’s up?”

“If you need to talk or anything…” he trails off for a second, bringing his hand through his hair, “I’m here for you.” They both nod and head toward their respective common rooms.

**********

Christmas hadn’t been your favorite holiday since before your parents died, and you could hardly remember the Christmases that you had spent together any more. Since your third year, you had been staying at the castle over the winter holiday. You used the time to explore the castle even further, read, and enjoy the common room alone. Plus, the house elves made the best food during the holidays, which was better than the frozen meals your grandma made for Christmas.

You wrote her a letter telling her that you missed her and loved her and wished her a Happy Christmas. Overall, you didn’t feel too bad because she had her sisters with whom she could spend the holiday.

The day that everyone is leaving for the holiday, Jungkook asks you again if you’re sure that you don’t want to go to his parents’ with him. You assure him that you are used to your Christmas tradition at the castle, and you would rather take the time to be alone. He kisses you deeply before he leaves to catch the train.

You enter the Great Hall to get lunch after you say goodbye to Jungkook, and there is only one table in the Great Hall. There are about 15 students at the table, so you find a seat away from everyone near the Professors’ table. You grab a sandwich off the table and begin to munch away, pondering to yourself what books you are going to read over the holiday.

You hear a familiar laugh across the hall, and you are jerked from your thoughts. Glancing down the table, trying not to noticeably look, you see Kim Taehyung spiritedly chatting with a 5th year Ravenclaw. You didn’t know that he would be staying at the castle over the winter holiday, and you don’t remember ever having seen him here during the break before. The way that your heart flutters and your stomach flips at the sight of him does not go unnoticed, but you force yourself to ignore it. You shake your head and guide your mind to thoughts of what Christmas must be like at Jungkook’s house.

His parents always loved the holiday season. They would decorate the house with white icicle lights, and they would fill the house with small decorations and enchanted candles floating in midair. You remember seeing it from across the street when you were younger and being filled with wonder. Your grandmother had a small artificial tree that sat atop a side table next to the sofa, but she was not full of cheer and Christmas spirit like Jungkook’s parents. You had seen their Christmas tree once as a child, when your grandmother took you to their Christmas party. You remember seeing the fake snow and beautiful ornaments adorning the tree. You had delicately taken one between your fingers to look at it. Jungkook snuck up behind you and shouted, causing you to wince and drop the ornament.

He had apologized profusely to you when you started to cry. You ran away from him and hid behind your grandmother. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she finally agreed to leave after you begged her for ten minutes. That was the last time that you saw the Jeon’s Christmas tree in person, but they took a photo each year. You loved looking at the pictures of Jungkook growing taller and fuller each year, grinning widely, with his parents and his brother beside him. It made him seem so domestic, which was not something that you felt from him often. You couldn’t help but picture what it would be like there with them on Christmas.

But you were too attached to your tradition of spending the holiday at Hogwarts to let anything pull you away. You finish your sandwich and wipe your hands on your pants. You decide to start your holiday alone in the Slytherin common room and head that direction.

“Hey! Y/n!” you hear as you are reaching the grand double doors of the Great Hall. You turn to see Taehyung bounding toward you.

“Hi! I didn’t know that you stayed here for the holidays!” he exclaims with the enthusiasm he usually has at the beginning of every conversation.

“Yeah, I have stayed since 3rd year. What about you? You’re not usually here for the holidays, right?”

“No, I’m not. This year, my grandma went back to Bulgaria, and I decided I didn’t want to go because...well because I didn’t want to go.” He is holding something back from you, but you let it go because you are not in the mood to invite conversation.

“Well, I better get going. I’ll see you around, Taehyung.” you turn on your heel and set a path for the Slytherin common room.

“I told you to just call me Tae!” he shouts after you, voice echoing off the stone walls.

You spend the afternoon lounging around the Slytherin common room, enjoying the plush couch with your feet up over one of the arms. You sit in front of the fire and read while curled up in a large arm chair. You never feel at home in the common room when it is full of your housemates, but when you get to enjoy its coziness alone, you are always reminded of the homey feel that it does have.

You only leave the common room to go have dinner, and then you return to the common room. You spread out all of your homework across the floor and take your time deciding in what order you are going to complete it. After a few hours of scribbling on parchment, reading textbooks, and reciting incantations, your eyelids start to feel heavy. You slip into your room, comfortable to be alone there. For the first time in a while, you fall asleep easily.

The next day you decide to head to the library to work at your table near the Restricted Section. Your feet guide you to the table amongst the stacks while your mind wanders to thoughts of Jungkook and the future. When you drag yourself out of your thoughts, you notice a figure sitting at your table. Of course he’s there.

“Why, y/n, it’s lovely to see you this morning,” Taehyung chimes, standing to pull out a chair for you.

“Taehyung, seriously, what are you doing here?”

“In the library? With all of my textbooks open? And my homework parchments unrolled? I’m not sure what I could possibly be doing, y/n.”

“I mean, why are you at my table?”

“Is this your table? Huh. I hadn’t noticed. It’s just a table a like.” He smirks, and you know that he knows exactly what he’s doing. “I guess you’ll have to sit and work with me this morning.”

You roll your eyes and drop your book bag on the table. The chair that Taehyung pulled out for you sits, waiting for you, so you plop down in it with a sigh. You pull out your books and begin to work. Taehyung proves to be a good person to be around while studying in the library as well. He is focused on his work, and it forces you to be focused too, though you steal glances at him every few minutes. He looks good like this, hair curly and hanging in his eyes, expression focused and intent. Your mind wonders if this is what he would look like on top of you, inside you.

Your breath catches in your throat at the thought, and you shake your head. When Taehyung looks up at you, you choke on the air you’re trying to inhale and start coughing uncontrollably. Taehyung bolts around the table to your side to try to help, but you push him away. You finally stop coughing, but your eyes continue to water.

“Y/n, are you okay? What just happened?” Taehyung is concerned and his brow is furrowed.

You hastily collect your parchments and books from the table, stuffing them into your book bag.

“Nothing. I have to go.” You dart out of the library and away from the sinful thoughts that your mind had about Taehyung.

What the fuck was THAT!? I have Jungkook. I can’t be thinking about other men like that. And Taehyung of all people?

You descend into the Slytherin dungeon and spend the rest of your day hiding in your dormitory.

You feel Taehyung’s fingers against your skin, and an icy chill runs down your spine. He caresses your arms, your collarbone, your neck. He wraps his fingers in your hair and leans into you. “Just give in,” he whispers, and goosebumps rise all over your skin. He takes the tender skin of your neck into his mouth, sucking and biting at the skin. You can feel the skin of his chest on your bare tits, and you arch your back up into him. “You want to fuck me, so just fuck me.”

You shoot straight up in bed, breath heaving in your chest. You have a thin layer of sweat coating your skin, and you can feel the sticky wetness that has settled into your underwear. You chant, “it was just a dream” over and over to yourself while trying to steady your breath. You are overwhelmed by the images burned in your brain, playing on repeat.

You decide that there is no use in just sitting in bed dwelling on the dream, so you get up, dress, and traipse out of the common room. The Room of Requirement seems like the best option for where to sneak off to in the middle of the night. You figure Taehyung can’t possibly be there because he had been working so long in the library earlier today.

When the entrance appears, you tentatively enter the room. You find that it looks much the same as it usually does, except there is an overstuffed sofa sitting in front of a low-burning fireplace in the corner. You think that it must be there because you need a place to be comfortable, and it was just taking care of your needs

However, as you get closer to the couch, you see the ends of two feet hanging off the side. You roll your eyes and decide to try to leave before he notices you. You make it to the door, but when you pull it open, the hinge creaks a loud, low groan.

Taehyung shoots up off the couch and and calls out, “Y/n!?” before he even sees you. His voice sounds a little panicked, but you figure it might be because he has just woken up.

“Oh, hey, Taehyung. I didn’t realize you were here. I’ll just leave you be…”

“No!” He looks slightly embarrassed by his sudden outburst of protest. “I mean...I would like it if you stayed.”

You sigh and realize that you’re having a hard time saying no to his puppy dog eyes. You sigh once more and make your way over to the couch. “Fine.”

He sits up and scoots over to one side, leaving room for you to sit. You ensure that you are as far from him as possible. The two of your sit in silence staring at the fire for a while before Taehyung’s voice cuts through the room.

“What are you thinking about so hard?”

“Nothing. It’s stupid.” You shake your head and your hand trying to indicate to Taehyung that it isn’t a big deal.

“No, it isn’t stupid. The way that you feel isn’t stupid. What is it, y/n?”

You feel the weight of what you’ve been thinking in your chest. It can’t hurt to talk it out with Taehyung, especially if you are vague.

“Okay. I-I had a dream about someone other than Jungkook. Like an...intimate dream.” You cast your eyes away from the man next to you because you feel like if he looks into your eyes, he’ll see that it was him.

“So?”

“So I shouldn’t be thinking like that about someone that isn’t my boyfriend. I know it’s just a dream, but I think about this person sometimes when I’m awake. Sometimes when I’m with him I just want to kiss him until my lips hurt, and I don’t know what to do with that because I love Jungkook so much, and I don’t ever want to hurt him.” You’re breathing heavy, and you feel the hot tears starting to well in your eyes. You are so angry with yourself for having these feelings toward Taehyung that you just want to cry until you can’t see.

“Well, if you’re feeling this way, have you thought about talking to Jungkook?”

“And saying what? I don’t want to break up with him. I want to be with him for the rest of my life.” The hot tears are spilling down your cheeks now, and Taehyung scoots a little closer to you on the couch. He rests his hand on your leg, and his palm feels like it’s burning your skin through your pants.

“I’m not saying you have to break up. Is it not possible to love more than one soul?” His tone is so earnest and genuine that you start crying harder. You slide closer to him and rest your head on his shoulder.

You don’t have anything else that you can say to him, and you let the words that he just said ruminate in your mind. Is it possible?

Once you’ve calmed yourself down, you pull away from Taehyung a little bit. You lean back and look at him, and he peers at you through his lashes.

“Why are you here tonight? Couldn’t sleep?” you ask.

“Yeah. I’m just having a hard time this holiday, and sometimes I forget that men can make things complicated for me.”

You raise your eyebrows. You aren’t sure what he means, but you know that something has happened to him.

“I just don’t ever feel like I can trust them, you know? My mother was half veela, and so often times men just want things from me because of that. I can’t help that there is a mystical power to the way that I look, but I just wish sometimes that people wanted to know me for who I am.”

You had no idea that Tae was part veela, but you can see it now in his features. He is gorgeous, and you have noticed men falling over themselves to talk to him before. Besides his looks though, Taehyung has so many brilliant qualities, and you are sad that more people are not willing to get to know him more to see them.

“I want to know you for you, Tae.” Now you rest your hand on his leg. You are very aware of the several points of contact between the two of you. His hand on your leg, your hand on his leg, your thighs touching on the couch, shoulders pressed together.

He turns his head slightly toward you, and you realize that the two of you are just inches from each other’s faces. “Yeah?” he breathes.

You notice his eyes dart to your mouth and then back to your eyes. You can’t help but follow his lead. His lips are plump and pink and inviting, and you want to let your mouth rest on the pillows of his lips. Before you can think about it, he is leaning toward you. He presses his forehead and against yours, and his hot breath makes your lips tingle.

A log in the fireplace crackles loudly, sending sparks into the air of the fireplace. You are dragged out of your trance, and you realize what you are about to do. “We shouldn’t do this,” you whisper. You stand up from your place on the couch and stare at Tae for a moment.

“I’m sorry. I have to go,” you apologize and slink out of the room without another word from Tae.

You avoid leaving the Slytherin common room except for meals over the next few days. Christmas dinner is delightful as always. You walk into the great hall and see the large table in the middle filled with dishes and platters and lots and lots of food. You are thrilled by the feast before you. The one large table stretches across the Great Hall covered in treacle tarts, roast turkeys, mountains of roasted potatoes, tureens of buttered peas, and silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce. Your stomach growls, telling you that you have plenty of room for all of the delicacies in front of you.

Tae sits further down the table and keeps glancing your direction. You try to ignore him while you stuff yourself full of food. You aren’t sure what to say to him, so you decide that after the feast you’ll just make your way make the Slytherin common room. Before you can make it out of the Great Hall, Tae steps in your way.

“y/n, I really think we should talk about this,” he says, sounding vulnerable and desperate.

“I really think we shouldn’t, Tae. Nothing happened.” You turn to walk away but are met with resistance. Tae’s fingers are wrapped around your arm, and his eyes are wild.

“Please y/n. I can’t lose you.” Tears begin to pool in the corners of his eyes, and the delicate honey skin on his face is turning pink.

“You aren’t going to lose me, Tae. I just need time, okay?” He finally nods and lets go of your arm. You can’t bear to look back at him, so you scurry off toward the dungeons.

You avoid Tae for the rest of the holiday, and, when Jungkook returns, you throw your arms around his neck, jump into his arms, and kiss him deeply. He wraps his arms around you, grabbing firmly onto your ass, and presses you against him.

“I missed you so much,” you utter into his hair.

“I can tell,” he laughs. “I missed you too. Anything exciting happen while I was gone?”

“Nothing special,” you lie. “Just wishing I had more time to spend with you.”

Jungkook regales you about his holiday, and the two of you cuddle up together in his bed that night. You are so grateful to have him back with you, but you feel a peculiar tugging in your heart.

***********************

Fortunately, you still had 7th Year Potions with Jungkook, so you got to see him then. Your schedules were quite different this year, and you were finding less and less time to spend together. You were taking Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and History of Magic. You had loaded your schedule, and, while at times you regretted it, you knew what you needed to do it to become an Auror. Jungkook, however, had already been scouted by several professional Quidditch teams for his skills as both a Seeker and a Chaser. In the last two years, he had decided he wanted to be in the midst of the action instead of just looking for the snitch, so he had made the switch to Chaser. You had to admit he was amazing. Since he didn’t really need his NEWT level classes, he decided to have a fairly easy year. He is taking Astronomy, Potions, Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, and Apparition (the only thing at which Jungkook had ever failed, so he had to retake it).

You are grateful for the time with Jungkook and, honestly, the time without Taehyung. He was in all your other NEWT level courses because there were so few seventh years in all of them. Not only that, but you were tutoring each other after classes and spending nights together in the Room of Requirement. Luckily, Potions was popular among members of your house and needed for most wizarding careers, so you got to take Potions with Sytherin and Ravenclaw.

In class today, Professor Slughorn is having you brew Amortentia. He says that even though he had you try it in 6th year to see who could get the closest, now he expects you to be able to brew it flawlessly. You are partnered with Jungkook, and the two of you have always worked well together.

You open your book to the ingredients list: Ashwinder eggs, rose thorns, peppermint, powdered moonstone, pearl dust, and a pinch of rose petals. Easy enough ingredients, but the directions are complicated and precise. You find yourself wondering how one does three-quarters of a stir. But you embark on the journey to make a love potion with Jungkook at your side.

The two of you work diligently, taking turns delegating, gathering ingredients, and stirring. Slughorn checks in over your shoulder and makes some vaguely positive sounds in his throat before moving on.

You feel your shoulders drawing up and your jaw clenching, with a thin layer of sweat on your face. Jungkook grabs your shoulders and stares into your eyes. He takes a deep breath, expression encouraging you to do the same. You inhale deeply and let yours go at the same time as him. He runs his hand up and down your arm twice, and then he turns back to the cauldron.

Jungkook has loved making potions since he was a little boy, long before Hogwarts. You had lived across the street from him growing up, and you often went to his house where his parents were making potions or participating in other magical practices. This was where you learned everything you knew about magic before you came to Hogwarts. It was more of a home than your grandma’s home in which you grew up. She was a muggle and did not understand the appeal of magic. She had four sisters who were also single, old women, and they all got together and gossiped most days. You usually just felt ignored and unwanted, but she had taken care of you, clothed, and given a home after your parents died.

You drag your attention back to the cauldron in front of you, realizing you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve stirred. You glance at Jungkook, and he holds up 7 fingers. You finish your last motions with the large spoon then pull it out of the mixture.

“You’re better with the incantations. You should do it,” Jungkook decides.

You wave your wand over the cauldron and mutter the latin phrases spelled out in the textbook. The cauldron bubbles profusely then immediately quiets, surface completely still. It has a pink hue with a pearlescent sheen. The smell wafts out of the cauldron, dancing in your nose. You smell fresh quills, Jungkook, and...you sniff again more deeply. That can’t be right. You must have done it wrong.

“Jungkook-ah, what do you smell?”

He leans closer to the cauldron. He a smile cuts across his face as he takes in the aroma. “I smell a Quidditch pitch early in the morning, fresh baked bread, and you.”

When he says “you,” he turns and looks at you, hoping you’ll be as pleased as he is.

“I smell you too, Jungkookie,” you say and leave it at that.

He grabs your hand and gives you a huge smile, showing all of his teeth. You feign a smile, wracking your brain for any other explanation for the third smell, clear as if he were hugging you in his big arms: Kim Taehyung.

**************

It is a Saturday morning in early February, and the sun is already beating down on the grass. You make your way into the Slytherin section of the bleachers, ready to watch the biggest match of the year. Slytherin and Gryffindor had been rivals for as long as anyone can remember. Now that Slytherin had Jungkook, the rivalry became even more fierce. Everyone wanted the chance to destroy Jeon Jungkook, the Seeker-turned-Chaser who was already scouted by national teams. No one had between Slytherin yet this year, but you know that if they did, he would never hear the end of it.

The stands are filled with students from all four houses, and everyone piles into their seats shoulder-to-shoulder. You have a space between you and the person next to you because every still avoids the Slytherin Ice Queen who is also the Slytherin Outcast. You shrug and turn your attention back to the pitch.

The players have mounted their brooms, standing on the ground. Madam Hooch walks onto the field, talks with the players and releases the Bludgers and the Snitch. She takes the Quaffle and throws it in the air, and the game begins.

Jungkook is effortless on his broom, throwing and catching the Quaffle. He takes the first shot within two minutes of the game starting and the crowd goes wild when he scores. He scores four more goals before everyone sees the Seekers see the Snitch.

You look across the stands and see Tae staring directly at you. He motions toward the narrow hallways that connect the stands together. He points to you and himself and motions again. You roll your eyes, but you get up from your seat and make your way down. You watch Jungkook score one more goal and cheer his name loudly before you descend into the area in which you cannot see the match.

You walk toward the Gryffindor section, passing a couple of Hufflepuffs on the way. They give you a dirty look as you pass by them. Finally, you see Tae walking toward you, huge, boxy grin on his face.

“I love watching you watching him,” Tae exclaims. “I can see how special he is to you.”

“He is really special. He’s also super hot.” You shrug.

“Oh trust me, I have eyes.” Tae giggles and moves closer to you. You back away slightly. When he takes two more steps toward you, and you back away again, your back hits the wood behind you.

Tae puts his arm up on the wall next to you and leans closer to your face. His eyes are fixed on your mouth, and you feel yourself swallow. He giggles again.

“Do you think I’m special too?” Tae asks you, and you can feel his breath on your face.

“Yeah, sure, Tae. You’re special in your own way,” you breathe, trying to break the tension.

“I want to be special for you. I want to be special for both of you.” He leans down and presses his lips against yours gently. You freeze because you are not sure what just came over Taehyung. You don’t stop him, but you don’t kiss him back at first. He then snakes his hand around your waist and pulls you closer to him. He tilts his head and deepens the kiss. You can’t help the moan that creeps out of your throat as your body presses against his. You can’t think, so you just kiss him back, mouth working against his. You can hear the cheering in the stands, and an announcement of “Slytherin catches the Snitch!” drags you back out of the moment with Tae.

You pull away from him and gently push his chest away from you. He lets you go, immediately dropping his hands to his sides. You run off down the corridor, hand pressing gently against your lip, trying to figure out what the fuck actually just happened. Your heart is fluttering, and your stomach is doing back flips. It is unlike anything you’ve ever felt for Jungkook. Not better, just different.

You run back toward your place in the stands, but it’s too late. They have already announced that Slytherin has won, and most of the fans are trying to leave. You figure that you will catch Jungkook in the common room after he makes his way back. You decide that you are going to tell him right away what happened with Tae, but you haven’t decided yet if you’re going to tell him what it means to you.

Sound erupts from the Slytherin common room as soon as you say the password and the door swings open. Slytherins from each year are celebrating cheerfully. There is butterbeer and firewhiskey that they definitely aren’t allowed to have flowing, and the Quidditch team is in the middle of the room receiving high fives and pats on the back from your housemates. Jungkook is at the center of it all, and he is surrounded by first, second, and third year girls. He is smiling politely at them and making his way toward the edge of the room. His eyes catch yours, and he shoots you a huge smile, eyes scrunching at the sides.

You wave to him and try to fight your way through the crowd to him. You hear him say, “excuse me, ladies” to the crowd of girls around him, and he pushes his way toward you. When you finally meet, he snakes his arms around your waist and lifts you off the floor. He spins you around then kisses your mouth before he puts you back on the floor.

“Great job out there today, baby. I’m so proud of you,” you say into his ear. You trace your fingers down his arm and grab his hand. You squeeze it then say, “Can I talk to you about something later?”

His expression changes. His smile drops, and his eyes fill with concern. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I just want to have a conversation with you about something I’ve been thinking about.”

“Now, I’m worried. Let’s just talk now.” He turns you around and guides you by the small of your back up the stairs to the boys dormitory. He brings you into his room and locks the door. “What’s going on?”

You take a deep breath and try to organize your thoughts as well as you can. You look into Jungkook’s eyes to try to steady yourself, but the desperateness in them makes your heart ache.

“You know I was doing some reading,” you pause for a moment, trying to stop your voice from shaking, “there are some relationships, especially wizards, where - uh - well instead of just two partners they might have three or even more. What - uh - what do you think about that?” you stutter a little over your words, but you get them out.

“I don’t have a problem with that. What does this have to do with us?”

“Well, you know, I’ve just been thinking that maybe there is someone that could potentially make both of us happy.” You peer up at his face from the floor, and there is pain in his eyes.

“Are you saying you aren’t happy with me? Y/n, I love you, but if you’re unhappy...I can let you go.” He’s crying now. Big, globular tears roll down his face, and he brings his hand to his chest.

You bring your hand to his cheek and run it through his hair. “No, no. That’s not what I’m saying at all. You make me so happy, but I’ve noticed both of us growing closer to another person who seems to give us each something that the other doesn’t, you know? And if you don’t want to bring him into this, I’ll shut down this idea right now. I would rather be honest with you right now than hold it in and things continue to be weird.”

He lifts his eyes from the floor and meekly asks, “Is the specialness gone?”

“No! Baby, of course not! Everything with you is still special. It is so special to me. I just think that Tae could be special too in a different way.”

His eyes glisten, maybe just from the tears, at the mention of Taehyung. “I just need time to think about this, okay?”

“Of course, baby, take the time that you need. Like I said, if you don’t want it, we don’t do it.” You bring your hand through his hair again and stand on your tiptoes to kiss his forehead. He unlocks the door, and you leave to your room. You feel a sinking in your chest. You don’t want Tae if it means that you can’t have Jungkook.

A few hours later, the party has died down in the common room, and you hear people dispersing to their beds or to the Great Hall for dinner. Then you hear your name. Someone is shouting your name. You fling the covers off of you and clamber down the hall to find Jungkook standing at the top of the steps to the girls’ dormitory shouting your name.

“Jungkook, what’s wrong!?” you blurt out.

“I can’t come in the girls’ dorm, and I’m ready to talk.” He smiles weakly at you, and you run up the stairs. You wrap your arms around him and pull him against you. He leans into your embrace and rests his cheek on top of your head. He holds you there for a few minutes then pulls away.

“If you want to try this with Taehyung, then I am willing to give it a shot,” he whispers, kissing your hair. “I think he could make both of us even happier.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you do anything that you don’t want to do.”

He nods. “I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything except maybe that I’m madly in love with you.”

“Baby, I love you so much! Should we go talk to him?”

He nods again, and the two of you go, hand-in-hand, towards the Great Hall, hoping Tae will be at dinner.

************

After you and Jungkook talked to Tae, things moved pretty quickly. The three of you start hanging out in the courtyard together, holding hands, stealing kisses in the sunshine. With Taehyung, it just feels easy. He fits in with the two of you, and, though there are some growing pains, the adjustment has been fairly easy.

You continue to work in the Room of Requirement late at night with Taehyung, and he and Jungkook have started eating most of their meals together. You all spend time in the library, silently working on homework. You feel so comfortable and happy with the two of them that sometimes you forget that it wasn’t always this way.

***********

One night, you and Jungkook go together to meet Taehyung in the Room of Requirement. When the door opens, the room looks different than usual. The low-burning fireplace is in the corner again, light reflected in a full length mirror in the corner across from it, and there are hundreds of enchanted candles lining the walls. In the center of the room is a large bed, and the two of you look at each other, slightly confused.

The loud creak of the door causes the two of you to turn to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, mouth open. “Holy shit, did you do this for me?”

“No! It was just like this when we got here!” Jungkook sounds a little defensive. You realize that you two have only ever had sex with each other, and he might be nervous about the implication of the atmosphere of the room. You squeeze his hand.

“So, you don’t want let me love you?”

Jungkook clears his throat and stares wide-eyed at Taehyung who beckons him over with his finger. Jungkook obeys and walks to the other man, leaving you standing, dumbfounded and turned on already. Taehyung kisses Jungkook passionately, grabbing him by the back of the neck. Jungkook’s body seems to respond to Tae’s forcefulness, and he kisses Tae back with bruising force. Their hands are all over each other, and they press into each other like they are needy for the other’s touch. Taehyung peels Jungkook’s shirt over his head and settles himself behind Jungkook, kissing the skin of his shoulder and collarbone.

Jungkook leans his head back, resting it on Tae’s shoulder, exposing his neck to the man behind him. Tae runs his hand up Jungkook’s chest, making sure to caress his nipples as he takes a painfully slow route up his torso. He drapes fingers around Jungkook’s throat and gives one gentle squeeze.

With his other hand, he grabs Jungkook’s belt loop and pulls him closer, so his ass is pressed up against Tae’s groin. Tae slides his hand up to Jungkook’s hip and pushes him against him, grinding his hard cock into his backside. He lets out a long groan against Jungkook’s neck, nipping the skin between his teeth, then running his tongue along the red mark he just left.

His eyes drift up from Jungkook’s neck and meet yours. They are full of hunger, and he licks his lips without breaking eye contact.

“Come over here,” he growls.

You walk over, unsure what he’s going to want you to do. You find yourself standing in front of JK, unable to focus on anything except the wetness between your thighs and how good Taehyung’s long fingers look resting on the skin of Jungkook’s throat. Taehyung leans in and bites Jungkook’s skin again, right at the crook of his neck and shoulder, causing him to whimper and press his body back into Tae’s. Jungkook looks so pliant, and you want to watch him submit to Tae. You want to watch him do everything you say. Unable to control yourself any longer, you press your mouth against the other side of his neck, biting and sucking the skin, leaving your marks to mirror the one’s Taehyung is leaving on the other side.

Tae pulls away from Jungkook, watching you marking the other man.

“Get on your knees, y/n,” Tae says in his deep, sultry voice, causing your pussy to clench, “show our Jungkookie how much you love him.”

You nod and sink to the floor in front of Jungkook. You look up at him through your lashes, and he looks like lust. His eyes are blown wide, and his hair is mussed up from Taehyung. His neck is covered in so many blossoms from you and Taehyung, it’s practically an entire bouquet. You reach up and undo his belt and his pants. His hips involuntarily jerk toward you as you pull his pants down.

“Shhh,” Taehyung scolds against his neck, tightening his grip again, “Let her take care of you.” He pulls Jungkook closer to him and grinds against his ass once more.

You reach your hand into his underwear and free Jungkook’s cock from the cotton confines. The skin is so smooth in your hand, and you slowly stroke his length, letting your fingers remember every inch of him. You position him directly in front of your mouth, stick your tongue out without touching him, and look up into his eyes again.

“Please,” he whines in a barely audible whisper.

You shift your eyes to Taehyung, who is rolling Jungkook’s nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He gives you a devilish smirk, and you know that he isn’t even remotely close to done with you.

You lick a stripe up the underside of Jungkook’s cock, and a deep throaty groan escapes him, filling the room. You roll your tongue around his head and along the slit, over and over, making more moans and whimpers escape him. Finally, you take him into your mouth, barely parting your lips and only allowing the tip in. You suck just on his head, and, once again, he whimpers and pants out “please.” It’s only then that you slide all the way down his cock, allowing him to hit the back of your throat.

While you work his dick, Taehyung continues leaving marks along Jungkook’s neck and shoulders. He leans in to his ear and whispers, loud enough for both of you to hear, “Isn’t it delicious to be loved?”

A bolt of heat shoots through you, and you moan around Jungkook’s dick. Jungkook’s hips jerk again, causing you to gag around him. He moans again, and his breathing is getting frantic and erratic. You can feel the signs of him getting close, so you let his dick fall from your mouth, and he whines at the loss of contact.

“You can’t cum yet, Jungkookie. You need to show us that you’re a good boy,” you admonish him and stand to catch his lips with yours.

“Are you a good boy or are you just a little slut because you want to cum?” Tae asks, and you feel another rush of heat to your core. Jungkook shakes his head no, and you rub your thighs together to try to get some relief.

“Stop that, y/n.” You stop. “I think that Jungkook needs to show us he can follow orders. JK, lie down on the bed.”

He steps out of his pants and underwear that are around his ankles and goes to the bed. He lies on his back, hard cock resting on his belly. You stare at how beautiful he is, naked and submissive, hands trembling trying not to reach up and stroke himself.

“Baby, why don’t you show me you’re a good boy and lick my pussy?” You command as you saunter over to him. He nods in reply.

Taehyung moves in closer and runs his hand through Jungkook’s hair. “If at any point it’s too much, you just need to say ‘hinkypunk,’ okay?” Jungkook nods again. “Baby, you’re going to have to use words with us. Try again.”

“Yes. I will say it if it’s too much,” Jungkook pants. “Please let me eat your pussy.”

Immediately, you push your skirt and underwear down your thighs and step out of them. You climb onto the bed and straddle his face, slowly lowering yourself over his mouth. He brings hands up to grip your hips, and as soon as you are close enough, he licks from your entrance to your clit, flicking his tongue several times over the sensitive bud. You moan and toss your head back. He keeps licking steady circles on your clit, coaxing shudders and moans from you. He drops his arm from your thighs and brings his fingers to your core. He slips one finger inside you with ease because you are so wet. Your hips start to rock against Jungkook’s face as he continues pushing two fingers inside of you, curling them up slightly.

Facing out from the headboard, you see Taehyung palming his erection through his pants. He sinks between Jungkook’s legs and takes the head of his cock in his mouth. Jungkook moans against you, and you feel your pussy clench.

“Baby, you have to stop me before you cum,” Taehyung commands. “You can’t cum until I tell you, so you better not cum on my tongue. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Jungkook mutters against you, causing you to roll your hips against him again. He flattens his tongue and lets you ride his face, intermittently moaning from Taehyung rolling his tongue around the head of Jungkook’s cock. He drops his nose all the way to Jungkook’s pubic bone. You see him swallow around Jungkook, and JK cries out, “fuck fuck. I’m gonna cum. Fuck!”

Taehyung removes his mouth from Jungkook’s cock with a pop and runs his hands up JK’s torso. “Good boy,” he utters as he presses gentle kisses to his hips and his belly. Jungkook writhes under him, whimpering.

“Make y/n cum,” Tae demands. “She deserves to cum.”

Jungkook focuses his attention back on your cunt. Picking up the pace of his fingers pumping in and out of you, he flicks his tongue in steady, slow circles on your clit. You feel the warmth pooling in your belly. With one more slow lick, you feel yourself tumbling over the edge, and you press yourself down a little harder against Jungkook’s mouth.

When you come down from your orgasm, you lift yourself off Jungkook’s mouth. “You really want to be a good boy, don’t you?”

“I am a good boy. I’m so good for you. I’ll be so good.”

Taehyung wraps his lips around Jungkook’s dick again. You respond, “Then beg me for it.”

“Please. Please, let me fuck you. I want you both more than I’ve ever wanted anything before. I’d give up my magic for you to fuck me right now. Please.”

You dismount his face and run your hand through his hair as you stand next to the bed. Taehyung crawls up the bed on top of Jungkook and presses his mouth to Jungkook’s glistening one. He moans into JK’s mouth. “I love tasting her on you.” He pushes his tongue into Jungkook’s mouth and grinds against him a little. Jungkook slides his hands up Taehyung’s shirt and presses his fingers against his firm skin. Taehyung pulls his shirt over his head and throws it aside.

“I want you to watch yourself fuck her. Babygirl, I want you to watch him fuck you.” He pulls his wand from his pocket and waves it in the air. The mirror from the corner moves closer. Taehyung whispers something in Jungkook’s ear that you can’t hear. He pushes himself off of Jungkook and moves toward you. He catches your chin between his thumb and pointer finger and angles your face to kiss him. You can taste yourself on him from Jungkook, and you feel your pussy clench at the thought. You continue moving your mouth against Tae’s, and you slide your hands down his torso and catch his belt. You undo it and the button to his pants.

You whine when Tae pulls your hands away. “Patience,” he whispers and guides you to the bed. You position yourself in front of Jungkook on your hands and knees, spreading your legs a little so he can see how wet you are for him and because of him.

Jungkook grabs your hips and lines himself up with your entrance, but he does not enter you. You turn to him and say, “you’ve been a good boy. You may fuck me now.” He sighs in relief and pushes himself inside of you. You whimper at the stretch of his dick on your walls, but the sensation is already overwhelming to your sensitive cunt. Jungkook lets you adjust, and when you are ready, you push your ass back against him gently. He moans then starts to roll his hips into you.

You look to the side, and the mirror is positioned perfectly that you can see how Jungkook looks fucking you. He’s so perfect. He has his hands on your hips, digging in so hard that his finger tips are white. He toned thighs and torso look delectable naked and behind you. His hair falls in his eyes, and he keeps licking his lips. The thing you focus on the most is the way that his dick looks sliding in and out of you, shiny with your arousal. You watch it going in and out you and bring a hand in between your legs to rub your clit.

In the mirror, you see Taehyung position himself in front of you, his dick in his hand. How did he and Jungkook end up being so hot and still having big dicks? You turn your head to it, and you look up at Taehyung. “Use your mouth,” he orders.

You take his length in your hand pumping a few times, rolling your tongue around the head. Jungkook’s thrusts get faster behind you, and you look in the mirror again. The image of Jungkook snapping his hips behind you and Taehyung’s dick in your hand makes you moan loud. You lick all the way around Taehyung’s dick and then take the whole thing in your mouth. You moan around it a few times, taking it all the way into your throat and back out. Taehyung grips your hair firmly and lets out a few small groans. His sounds of pleasure make you feel accomplished and pride swells in your chest.

“Hyung, can I cum?” Jungkook huffs out.

Taehyung thrusts his hips involuntarily at the request, giving away his arousal for the man behind you.

“Yes, you’ve been good. Cum inside. Fill our y/n up.”

Jungkook snaps his hips erratically a few more times before he is coming inside of you. You can feel shot after shot filling your pussy up. You moan as you feel him painting your insides with his ropes of cum. Jungkook collapses on your back and holds you against his chest.

He finally pulls out of you, and you lie on your back on the bed. Jungkook lies down next to you, spent. You still have your t-shirt on, and it is sticking to your skin. Taehyung slides his fingers under the hem and pulls it over your head. He has his wand in his hand again. He produces an ice cube that he holds gently between his fingers. He brings it to his mouth and presses it against his lips, and the heat between your legs intensifies, goosebumps breaking out across your skin.

Taehyung takes the cube and brings it to your breast, tracing slow circles until he’s at your nipple. You cry out in surprise and pleasure. The cold sensation causes your back to arch off the bed. He removes the ice from your nipple and runs it over Jungkook’s, causing him to writhe against the mattress and grab your hand. Taehyung goes back and forth between your skin and Jungkook’s until the ice cube has fully melted. He licks the water off your skin then off Jungkook’s skin.

“Open your legs for me,” he says to you as he waves his wand over his hand again. This time the ice cube in his hand has a rounded shape. He rubs it on each of your nipples then traces it down your chest and belly, across your mound and down your outer lips. He takes the ice and rolls it gingerly over your clit. A guttural moan escapes from your chest at the frigid contact against your skin that feels like it’s on fire. He continues to pass the ice cube between your folds, specifically over your clit.

He presses his mouth against your center and sucks, collecting the water, your arousal, and Jungkook’s cum on his tongue. Then he rolls the ice over you again. Jungkook leans over and kisses your mouth while Tae focuses on your cunt. Jungkook takes your already sensitive nipples between his fingers and moves in the motions he knows drive you crazy. You can’t hold still against the mattress. You need relief.

“Tae, I need you to fuck me now. Fuck JK’s cum into me. I want you both inside of me.”

Tae removes his hands from you. He stands up straight and takes his cock in hand. “I’ve waited so long to fuck both you. I don’t want it to end.” His dominating demeanor disappears for a second.

“Oh, Tae, the best part about being in a relationship with both of us is that you get to fuck us all the time now. You don’t have to worry. We will do it more. Hopefully a lot more.”

His confidence returns. He takes his cock and runs it up and down your folds, collecting your arousal, heating the skin that was cold from the ice. He pushes into you and moans. “I can feel how wet you are. I can feel all of Jungkook inside you. Wanna fill you up too.”

“Then fill me up, Tae. I want you to cum inside of me.”

“Jungkook, kiss me.” Tae continues pressing in and out of you slowly while Jungkook sits up to meet Taehyung’s demands. He captures Tae’s lips and they kiss each other, all teeth and tongue. Tae keeps one hand on your hip and brings one hand to tangle in Jungkook’s hair. While they kiss, Jungkook brings his hand to your clit. His thumb starts rubbing rough, unforgiving circles. You wiggle under the overstimulation, but Tae’s hand holds you firmly against the mattress. You feel the edges of your vision blurring, and you feel the tightness in your stomach.

As you pinch your eyes shut, you focus on the feeling of the two men fucking you. Your mind goes dark with small sparkles of light dancing behind your eyelids as you cum harder than you’ve ever cum before. You feel your pussy clenching around Tae over and over. You feel a rush like water washing over you, and then you start to come back into the present. You open your eyes and both men are looking down at you with smiles on their faces. Tae picks up the pace of his hips and thrusts several more times, with a shout he cums inside of you.

You feel it fill you and start to drip down you as he continues to fuck his and Jungkook’s cum into you. You moan at the idea. Once he comes down from his high, Jungkook gets on his knees. Tae pulls his dick out of you, and Jungkook uses his mouth to clean him off, then he turns to you and licks your folds. He swallows all the cum that he can reach and looks up at Taehyung with a smile.

Tae lifts him off the floor and lowers him onto the bed with you. He goes and collects both of your underwear and brings them to you. He then makes sure that the blanket on the bed is covering both of you. Once the two of you are covered and warm, he climbs in between you and lies down. You both turn to him and rest your heads on his chest. You listen to his heartbeat and his breathing. He rubs patterns on your bare back with his fingertips.

“Do you need or want anything other than cuddles? How can I take care of you?” Tae asks both of you.

“Just hold me,” you say.

“Tell me how you feel,” Jungkook mumbles, seemingly in his sleep.

“I know it’s early for me to say this, but I love you both so much,” Tae whispers as you are starting to drift off.

“I love you too Tae. I love you Jungkook,” you say, voice heavy with sleep.

“Love you both,” Jungkook says without opening his eyes. He curls deeper into Taehyung’s side and grasps your hand. The three of you fall asleep there like that, and it’s the best night sleep you have had in years.

***********

The rest of the year flies by. All three of you are preparing for your NEWTs, so you don’t have as much time to spend together. You all still make time, one night a week, to spend together in the Room of Requirement. Cuddling up with Jungkook and Taehyung makes you feel safe and loved like you never have before.

You find yourself ignoring the glares and scoffs that you get from people who see you walking with your fingers laced in Tae’s, Jungkook’s arm slung around your shoulders. You don’t care as long as you have the two of them.

During the week of NEWTs, Jungkook makes you tea with honey every night to help you get good sleep, and he rubs Tae’s back for him. To Jungkook the exams are less important, but he realizes that both of you need to do well to achieve your dreams.

By the last day of school, Jungkook has four offers from different national Quidditch teams to choose from, and you and Tae are eagerly awaiting your results to see if you were accepted into Auror training.

The three of you spend a lot of time at Jungkook’s house that May, trying to help Jungkook decide where he wants to play, deciding what you all will do if Jungkook has to move. One mid-May day, you receive a letter from the Ministry of Magic. Your heart pounds against your sternum, and you feel lightheaded. You run across the street to JK’s parents’ house and hold it out to him when he answers the door.

“Do you want me to open it?” he asks. You nod slowly.

He opens the letter and takes his time reading each word. His expression is unreadable when he lifts his eyes. Your mind starts running through all the possibilities. Maybe you failed the Herbology NEWT, and now you can’t be an Auror.

“You’re going to be an Auror, baby!!” Jungkook exclaims, holding the letter out to you.

You immediately begin crying. “Shut up. No, I’m not. Don’t look at me.” You read the letter to yourself, and you see that it’s true. You’ve been accepted into the Ministry’s Auror Training Program. You are going to get to train with HARRY FREAKING POTTER. You hear the phone ringing, and Jungkook’s mom tells him that the call is for him. He comes back a few minutes later.

“How lucky am I?” he says, beaming. “Both of my amazing, intelligent, fucking hot partners are going to be Aurors!”

You are elated that Taehyung is going to be joining you. There is no other witch or wizard that you would rather have by your side, even Potter.

Ultimately, Jungkook decides to stay in London to play Quidditch because, as he says, “he just can’t be that far away from his loves.” The three of you find a flat together in the city and begin your lives together.

On the first day of Auror training, Jungkook walks you and Taehyung to the entrance and kisses you both on the forehead.

“You’re going to do amazing. I love you both. You are both so special to me.”

You and Tae exchange the sentiment and then head into your respective bathrooms. When you come out of the fireplace inside the Ministry of Magic, you clasp one another’s hands, walking in to the rest of your life.

#jungkook x reader #taehyung x reader #jungkook x taehyung x reader #jungkook smut #taehyung smut #bts hogwarts au #bts smut #btswritingcafe #taehyung x y/n #jungkook imagine #dom!taehyung #smutcentralnet

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justapayneaway · 4 years

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It took me a while to compile all these Ziam fics, but here we are with a long list of beautiful stories for everybody that is interested in reading Liam & Zayn fall in love or be in love a lot of times!

A big shout out to every single fic writer out there in the world... You’re amazing and I thank you every single day for the amazing stories y’all write!

Enjoy and have a good read ❤️

0k - 20k

There's so Much that We Need to Share by Lovelyziam (1k) The sight of snow didn’t make the cold worth it to Zayn, no. It was this: Liam’s body snug and soft in front of him, pressed tightly to Zayn’s chest while he sat between Zayn’s thighs. It was his arms wrapped around Liam’s waist and their fingers interwoven beneath their pile of blankets. It was the warmth radiating from Liam’s back and slowly seeping into Zayn, making him sleepy and languid despite the freezing press of Liam’s toes against his own.

Sunshine through my window by sunnysideup (2k) Fic idea about Liam being a happy puppy in the sun and Zayn hears him through his window, sees him for the first time and poof, he's in love.

Drive Safe, I Love You by JoMouse (3k) Liam surprises his son with a day at a Motorcycle Bike Show. While there, he finds out about Mini Moto and meets the man who runs a team.

I Know The Sound Of Your Heart by LibbyWrites (7k) Liam always adored the peace and quiet of his neighborhood. Until a new neighbor shows up and turns his world upside down with much more than just loud music.

Most Poetic Ride or Die Death Wish by LetTheMusicMoveYou (10k) Or the one where Niall convinces Liam to join Tinder and a slight miscommunication might make it the best mistake he's ever made.

Get a little bit nervous by louistomlinsons (14k) Ziam farmer's market au where liam, louis, and niall work at the produce stand, harry and zayn work at the bakery stand, and nobody's straight.

Favourite Entertainer by eternallyunleashed (15k) Zayn is a popular YouTuber well known for uploading song covers and original music on his channel and doing podcasts on murder mysteries. He’s amassed a couple million followers and dedicated fanbase. After endless requests from fans, he introduces them to his boyfriend Liam and does the ‘boyfriend does my makeup challenge.'

Just the two of us and a cute little cup of cyanide by orphan_account (17k) An I-accidentally-married-my-best-mate-in-Vegas fic, where Liam's completely oblivious, Zayn's completely in love, Harry's had enough, Louis plays mediator and Niall just wants his best friends to be with each other.

Only Place I Call Home by scottmcniceass (17k) Liam works at a coffee shop; Zayn is a homeless street performer who plays just outside the shop. Sometimes Liam brings Zayn coffee and donuts and in exchange Zayn sings for him.

20k - 40k

We are the quiet ones by englandziam (22k) University AU where Zayn is an English student and Liam is the football captain.

Until you believe it by lizee (23k) Where Zayn and Liam meet at a sixth form party and Zayn offers to tutor him. He doesn't expect himself to fall in love with the kid while he's at it.

Ridiculous by scottmcniceass (24k) They are every cliched high school story. The jock and the rebel. The popular boy and the outsider. They shouldn't fit, and they definitely shouldn't work, but they sort of do anyways.

Wake up the part of me that has fallen asleep by nooelgallagher & yoursongonmyheart (24k) The one where Liam discloses something incredibly personal about his sex life and Louis hatches a plan to help him - which may or may not include Zayn.

Can I Keep You by scottmcniceass (26k) Liam is always trying to do what's best for himself and his daughter, but raising a kid on his own at twenty-two, on top of juggling school work and a full-time job, isn't easy. Zayn just wants a chance to show Liam that he's not going to walk out on them. And Liam's daughter, Emma? She just wants to keep Zayn.

I just can't keep you too far from my thoughts by halleluzayn (28k) The YouTuber AU fic where Zayn is not a beauty vlogger, Liam types like an over excited teenage girl, Louis is a Harry Styles fanboy, Harry is basically Ed Sheeran, and Niall is Liam's video editor that really needs to get laid already.

Down the vista of years by ohthathurt (cloisterrific_221B) (30k) Zayn whispered, “So where do we go from here?”Liam shrugged, seemingly lost in thought. Then he smiled down at his boyfriend, “Forward?”Zayn smiled serenely, eyes twinkling like gold in the sun seeping through the open windows. He nodded, “Forward.”

I'll Be Strong For You by scottmcniceass (30k) When Zayn breaks his leg attempting to skateboard over Harry's car, he ends up stuck in the hospital for two weeks. The only thing he doesn't hate about the hospital is the gorgeous volunteer, Liam, who is almost annoyingly sunny and happy. But Liam's got a secret a secret hidden behind his impossibly bright smile.

It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn by historyziam (30k) At a time in his life when Zayn thinks he has forgotten what genuine happiness feels like, Liam comes into the picture and changes everything.

Somehow I Still Carry On, Burdened By Fears by slashter (31k) Liam's been kidnapped but doesn't remember Zayn and Zayn struggles with loss and love and heartbreak all over again.

You Never Give Up On Me by sunshinexbomb (31k) In which Zayn is an English teacher tempted to write awful poetry about the warm coffee color of Liam's eyes, Liam is a primary ed teacher and single parent who thinks he's too busy to be in a relationship, Niall and Harry are the sickeningly cute newlywed teachers in the school, and Louis is a drama teacher who is not-so-patiently waiting for the day of his own wedding.

The Truth Will Set You Free by loveandbeloved (34k) Zayn wakes up the next day to the news that Liam has taken on the case of the kid, to oppose Zayn and prove that he isn’t a killer.To say he’s pissed beyond belief goes without saying, but somehow he thinks that he should’ve seen this coming.

So let's say, I'll come another day by sophieisgod (36k) Zayn meets Liam in 1999, swinging on the gate in his back yard. Liam meets Zayn in 2010, killing time in McDonald’s on the most important day of his life. They have adventures, conquer the world, and fall in love. A story about fate, timing, free will, wonky genetics, parallel universes, significant tattoos, emotional haircuts, sudden nudity, sex crying, and a Batman t-shirt from HMV.

Be cruel to me ('cause I'm a fool for you) by frenchkiss (37k) The one where Zayn is a stressed out single dad, Liam might just be what he needs, Louis and Niall are always happy to babysit and Harry's a loud snorer.

I’ll never stop choosing you babe, i’ll never get used to you by redsweater (37k) Zayn and Liam are happily married until they're not.

Twisting to the sun and the moon by orphan_account (37k) (2nd part is also amazing!) Liam has three simple, non-negotiable rules when it comes to one-offs. And he doesn't ever fall for someone he associates with hotel sheets and lust. But this kid, Zayn, twists things inside of him he's not expecting. Suddenly, the rules don't make any sense at all.

My Reflection; All I See Is You by taecheeks (38k) (There is a 2nd part too!) This life, it's forever. That's what being immortal means, but Zayn didn't realize it would take him this long to realize it. What good is forever if nothing else is?

40k - 60k

Every Step by taecheeks (40k) Every step Liam takes, it's for her, Lily. And every path he's journeyed has somehow led him to Zayn.

Here I Stand by StormDancer (40k) Zayn lifts his chin, turns so that he’s facing Harry. He doesn’t look at Liam, because he can’t bear to look, and because he’s really not trying to be mean or pointed. Liam can do what he wants. But Zayn drew a line in the sand a long time ago, and it matters. “I’m not hiding, Haz. This is who I am. They can deal with it.”

You're The Shining Distraction That Makes Me Fly by Romancemesomeziam (40k) Zayn is a recently new single father, falling into his role without ease until Liam, his son's first grade teacher, helps him a little to adapt to the new lifestyle.

Lover Dearest by scottmcniceass (43k) "First rule, babe," Zayn says, leaning down. His lips slide over Liam's jaw, barely there, just a soft pressure, fleeting and gone as soon as it came. "Never trust a vampire."He's grinning as he climbs off Liam, heading for the door. Liam watches him go, thinking that he's wrong. The first rule should be to not fall in love with one.

Some moments are rare by orphan_account (46k) Zayn is spending a summer studying aboard; thirty days across Europe, with his best mate by his side. It's always been like this ― Zayn and Liam. And he's always been a bit daft about love, or the fact that Liam's always been in love with him. It's all a bit of a mess, actually.

Until two and two is three by orphan_account (47k) They're perfect for her, Lily, even if she's their best mates' daughter -- except they hate each other. But life plays out a little comically and a lot tragically sometimes. And Liam will never get over how much he loves Lily or how much he hates Zayn, but they're all she has left now.

Like Peter Pan (Or Superman) by orphan_account (48k) Zayn has spent most of his life up until now in a cloud of smoke, hiding from his past, being different. When a firefighter named Liam rescues him from a fire, Zayn starts to realize maybe Liam's saved his life in another way... and he's not quite sure he's ready to be that guy he should've been all along. But maybe, just for Liam, he can?

Good Thing At a Bad Time by scottmcniceass (49k) Zayn prefers to be on his own. It's easier to survive when you don't have to worry about anyone else. Liam leads a large group of people that have taken residence in an abandoned prison. When Zayn wakes up in a prison cell, all he can think about is finding a way out. Liam makes him want to stay.

It keeps my veins hot (the fire's found a home in me) by loveontherocks (51k) The one where zayn survives a fire and falls in love with the firefighter that saved him.

Not Happening by scottmcniceass (53k) Zayn and Liam are roommates. They hate each other. (Most of the time.)

And you take me the way I am by orphan_account (54k) Liam needs a date to a wedding. His family loves to match him up with blind dates. He doesn't want that. He needs a date... and, well, why not Zayn. Pretending to be boyfriends for a weekend isn't the worst idea he supposes. Liam is horribly wrong.

It's You by happily_missy (56k) Liam is a PA for a famous fashion designer and Zayn is their gorgeous new model. Or the one where Liam is in control of everything except for the fact that he keeps getting hard around Zayn and Zayn refuses to admit that Liam might be everything he's been looking for all along.

Your Lips On Mine by zipplekink (56k) The one where Zayn is a camboy, who likes to think about the fit mechanic with a liking for leather jackets and scruffy beards from uni during his shows. And Liam, the mechanic, who realizes his new roommate is Bradford, the man with the smooth skin covered in tattoos that Liam watches late at night with a hand wrapped around himself.

Face to Face by JoMouse (57k) Liam's fiance lost her ring. Zayn found it in his girlfriend's rucksack. What happens when the ring brings them face to face?

Floating On The Water by scottmcniceass (58k) Liam just wants to get through his last summer working at Malik Resort before University without incident. Of course, life is never that easy, and he ends up getting roped into giving the bosses son, Zayn, swimming lessons. That wouldn't be so bad, if Zayn didn't happen to hate him so much.

Hold on When You Get Love (and Let Go When You Give It) by orphan_account (59k) Where Zayn's studying Lit at Uni and Liam is a construction worker who catches Zayn's eye every day he passes by.

Let Me Drown Slowly by fruityoatey_bahhh (59k) The one where Liam's a prostitute, and Zayn just wants to be kept warm at night.

60k - 80k

These Faded Stars Along Our Horizons by ch3stpaynes (60k) Zayn isn't used to this; the buzzing feeling that comes along with pinched grins, cherry red lips and eyes like Sunday morning coffee. He's used to smogged out cities, not enough oxygen between each breath and perhaps a few spliffs with the boys when the weather isn't absolutely dreadful. And Liam Payne may just flip all of his priorities upside down.

Habits Of The Heart by taecheeks (61k) “I’ll be really good to you,” Liam whispers, sliding an arm under Zayn’s shoulder like he is a pillow. Zayn closes his eyes, remembering when Liam had said those same words to him while laying on his chest before they started dating. The same feeling rattles in his chest, the same uncertainty, the same need for his words to remain true.“I know,” Zayn whispers, massaging his fingers through Liam’s hair. “You always have.”Liam pushes up, brows furrowing together as he stares down at him, the humor in his face turning far more serious. “And I always will, Zayn.”

I See You Babe, But We Are Both Blind by SoftlyandSwiftly (61k) One Direction returns to London for a break from their Take Me Home Tour in August 2013, and after an unfortunate run-in at a coffee shop, Liam and Zayn find themselves in a fake relationship. Except, it ends up not feeling fake at all.

Run For the Woods Now by jmcats (62k) (there are other 3 parts to this one so read them all because they are amazing!) Zayn knows some of the best and worst moments start with one of Louis' ideas. Still, it's almost as if everyone knew where this, his life, was going when Harry and Liam moved into Wagner’s old flat, with that stupid plant sitting in the doorway, and too many cigarettes and Justin Timberlake for any of this to have been one of those classically clichéd love stories.And Zayn doesn't do clichés. Not until Liam, that is.

Some Love Wait Till Its Time by wasp (63k) University!AU where heart-in-the-right place but always-trying-to-save-people Liam Payne meets slightly pretentious hipster Zayn and tries to mend his broken heart.

Keep this love (in a photograph) by carissima (64k) The one where Liam's a fireman, Zayn's a photographer and yeah, there's a calendar shoot or two involved.

The bittersweet between my teeth by gaysubtexts (64k) Liam and Zayn grow up together, louis, niall, and harry tagging along later on.

According to your heart (my place is not deliberate) by orphan_account (65k) A university-volleyball au in which Zayn hates the game but he does it for a scholarship. And for Louis. And possibly for the new freshman setter who keeps teaching Zayn new things.

The beauty of this mess by orphan_account (67k) Zayn loves this city, loves his boys, loves the salty taste of the surf on his tongue even though he hates the ocean... but he's not expecting to fall in love with Liam and all of his little secrets, too. Not enough to stick around in this sandy city of teenage dreams.

Let's pretend it's love by wafflehood (68k) Pretend!boyfriends fic in which Liam and Zayn get papped while hamming it up for Louis and Eleanor, and management decides the easiest way to deal with the resulting hysteria is to let it run its course.

Simple truths of belonging by soofyahn (68k) Liam spends ten years building the career for himself that he’s always wanted, and spends the same span of time falling out of communication with the one person he can’t reason why he misses. They find each other, again, stumbling around each other for a moment until they fall together in new, unpredictable ways.

Until the End of Time by theyinlove (68k) Zayn Malik lives a pretty decent life. He’s got an incredible family, a nice little place for him and his three sweethearted dogs, an amazing group of friends, and a good, stable job. Aside from the bouts of depression he may occasionally fall into and the intense anxiety he battles, he feels good about where he is in his life. But what do you get when a hunky fireman, who also happens to be a piece of sunshine on earth, walks into a bar? You get a cautious of love man realizing that, shit, maybe some people might be worth the risk of heart break.

The Prince King by ziamhaze (69k) At twenty, Zayn finds himself a widower and single father of one. It takes everything in his power to raise the three month old alone while also keeping up with his budding career as an artist. Five years later and Zayn’s more dedicated than ever to do whatever it takes for the little boy to have a better life than the one he had at his age. When that includes hiring a professional carpenter to build him a treehouse, Zayn finds himself having to figure out how to win the man’s game of cat and mouse before the structure’s complete, or risk missing out on someone who makes him want to spend the rest of his life mixing oil paints together in order to find the exact shade of warmth that the contractor exudes.

These amber words on our fingertips by orphan_account (69k) Zayn's life in London is about one thing — making life perfect for his son. He's still finding himself in this city, with all of the noise and left behind dreams. He needs to focus and Liam is, well, distracting. He's different. Zayn's always liked that word.

These fading scars by lovely_ziam (69k) Vampire!AU in which Liam falls in love with a human.

But the sun comes up instead by blackwayfarers (71k) Zayn Malik, charming and confident fraternity vice-president, meets shy but achingly endearing high schooler Liam Payne at a kegger and everything just goes straight to hell.

The Only One Who Takes You Home by loveandbeloved (71k) The fluffiest stripper AU in which businessman!Zayn and stripper!Liam have a lot of feelings and they both get more than they expected.

Just let me know by SoftlyandSwiftly (72k - this one has two more parts so read them all!) Zayn wakes up in a hospital, eyes blurry and head pounding, only for a doctor to tell him he's lost two years of his life. And if that's not awful enough, something's different with Liam, off like something has changed, and Zayn doesn't understand. Until he does. And then it's somehow worse.

Money Moves by mmaree (74k) A Fake Engagement AU with Boss!Liam and Secretary!Zayn.

Give love a try, one more time by iwasnthere (75k) Zayn groans, "Liam, do you ever get tired of annoying me?""Nope" Liam replies, popping a chip into his mouth. "Because it's cute watching you lie to yourself""Excuse me?" Zayn looks at Liam bemusedly."You're lying to yourself when you say that ‘I annoy you’.” Liam does the quote unquote thing with his fingers, smiling. “Admit it, you like me.""You've been asking me out for the past year and a half,” Zayn states, “the answer you always get is no, and I'm pretending?" he asks incredulously."Yep." Liam grins, "I'll get that yes one day, Zayn." “Keep trying.” Zayn gets out, trying for snappy but it ends up sounding amused. Damn it.

Through the summertime, winter, spring, and fall by taecheeks (77k) They change with the seasons, burning bright during the summer and biting cold during the winter, but that feeling of being in love Zayn found in the summer clings to him through it all.

What We Become by scottmcniceass (78k) “Nervous?”“No.”“It’s okay if you are,” Harry says seriously. “I mean, I know I would be. Like, if there was ever a date that was destined to go bad, it’s probably this one. Werewolf goes on date with the son of a werewolf hunter, who’s also training to be a werewolf hunter when he’s older, while another pack of werewolves are practically massacring the town, and no one has no idea how to stop them. It's not a question of what could go wrong. It's a question of what could possibly go right, and I'm willing to bet the answer to that is nothing."

80k - 100k

Kick, Push by ziamhaze (85k) World champion street skateboarder Zayn Malik has been on top of the sport’s rankings since he turned pro at 15. So when the Olympic Committee announces that skateboarding will be included for the first time at the 2020 Games, he’s thrilled to take on the challenge while representing Great Britain. There’s just one thing standing in between him and adding another title to the record books: his crippling performance anxiety. But when Team GB Skateboarding’s awarded a physiotherapist with an affinity for experimental therapy methods and a crinkly eyed smile, Zayn thinks he might just have found his ticket to bringing home gold.

Pride by iwanttowriteyouafic (86k) The one where Zayn and Liam strike a deal to help each other through their dirtiest nights, but Zayn's perception of alphas may be preventing him from something purer.

Compartment 451 by ziamhaze (88k) Zayn’s a muggleborn wizard whose parents leave him to fend for himself once he’s made aware of his magical abilities. The Payne’s are an open minded wizarding family, who take him in and provide the boy with a loving home before he and their overly excited son Liam, go off to Hogwarts for the first time.

Tunnel Vision by scottmcniceass (90k) In which Zayn is an award-winning popstar with a knack for getting himself in trouble, and Liam is the bodyguard he didn’t want to hire who has a few problems with staying professional.

Z.A.Y.N. by ziamhaze (92k) For six years, international R&B star Liam Payne has topped the charts with his unique, upbeat songs. Even though he’s proud of where he’s gotten himself, he knows he can’t take all the credit; there’s one particular songwriter that goes by the name ‘Icarus Kalim’ that’s played a huge part in his success. Because of the writer’s ability to craft thought provoking tracks that touch Liam in a way he didn’t even know was possible from afar, the celebrity makes a musical exception for ‘Icarus’, buying the man’s songs for himself, even though he swore he would never put his name on something he had no help in creating. But what happens when Liam finally tricks the soulful poet into meeting him after years of not even knowing what the man looks like? Is ‘Icarus’ really all Liam’s made him out to be in his head or will he be unlike anything the singer could’ve ever dreamt up...

Colour my senses cherry red by thilia (96k) Zayn Malik, closeted gay pornstar.

+ 100k

Lost for Words by AGreatPerhaps12 (102k) The one where Liam has a stutter and zero self confidence, and Zayn has a carefully controlled temper (also starring Louis and Harry as that disgustingly-in-love couple and Niall as the only straight guy around, apparently).

Slow and High Tempo by taecheeks (103k) "I just want you, Liam," Zayn whispers, skating his lips across his. "Can I?"Liam's lips part more as Zayn's do, exhaling slightly as Zayn's words sink in. He doesn't understand what they mean, but he knows he meant it when he said Zayn could have anything he wants. His eyes flicker open to stare up at Zayn's dark ones, filled with a warmth that seems to consume Liam as he waits for him to respond. "Yeah, babe."

Deadpool by rorz94 (111k) Zayn Malik, a multi-millionaire good doer/artist, is targeted by a lunatic serial killer for no reason. Enter hot charismatic detective Liam Payne in the investigation of his case. Payne is assigned to protect Mr.Malik as a punishment from his supervisor but Liam does not think it's such a bad punishment to stay close to the attractive young man.

Permanent by scottmcniceass (114k) At twenty-six, Liam has made a name for himself as one of the best football players of his generation. He's in the prime of his game when a car accident threatens to end his career permanently. Depressed and hating the world, Liam heads back to his home town to take some time off and find himself again. He doesn't expect to find life pretty much the way he'd left it eight years ago, and he definitely doesn't expect to find something that might make him want to stay permanently, but that's what he gets.

Hello kisses sweet as wine by xxcaribbean (123k) Zayn doesn’t expect mr. payne to have all the answers, and he certainly hadn’t meant to leave an impression. So, this isn’t really a love story. Well, it shouldn’t be.

Intoxicate Me, Mesmerize Me, Obliterate Me by eternallyunleashed (280k) There was a certain heat obtained from rebellion that even the actual throes of heat never sparked. Keeping up an image of perfection; being the good kid, the perfect son to the Mayor and Chief of Police, the city of Lincoln’s sweetheart omega, it was all taxing to Zayn. Walking the thin line of danger was exhilarating. Was it coincidental that this danger happened to be an attraction to a certain alpha who was none other than the leader of the South Side Vipers gang, who seemed to despise him and the part of town he came from? Probably not. But when had anything ever stopped Zayn?

Can't Help Falling in Love with You by eternallyunleashed (518k) Zayn is an 18 year old just out of high school who is going to start pre-med in NYU in September. Liam is a 26 year old CEO of a major company and also an ex-football player. Their paths cross when Zayn lands an internship at Liam's company thanks to Harry and their lives are completely thrown off balance.

#ziam #fic rec #liam payne #zayn malik #I really hope you enjoy this #it took me a whole afternoon to do this #help lmao

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lululawrence · 4 years

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lululawrence’s Fics Posted in 2019

Master Fic Masterpost / Buy me a Coffee?

2019 was a bit crazy, but I’m so proud of the fics that I’ve been able to write and publish this year! There were quite a few of them, so here they are in order of when they were published. I hope you enjoy!

Hey Look, Ma (9k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“I’m so sorry,” a deep voice said.

Louis made sure he’d only dropped his hat, reached down to pick it up, and was dusting it off when he finally looked up.

“It’s alright...mate…” Louis had seen this man before. He was gorgeous. He lived somewhere in the area, because Louis would often pass him on the street heading home from the tube or the nearest bus stop.

And now, here he was. Standing in all his fluffy, curly haired glory in front of Louis, apologising for nearly bowling him over.

“I really am sorry, though. Let me get you a coffee to make up for it?”

Or the one where Louis is a hybrid who agrees to go on a blind date with his neighbour's colleague's son the same night he literally runs into his dream man. Surely this isn't going to end well... or is it?

Charisma (5k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry was smiling, and maybe blushing a little as well, as he accepted the phone back. “Thank you,” he glanced down at his phone and then said, “Louis.”

Smiling happily at the way Harry had said his name, Louis watched him leave the room. The further away he got, the more confused Louis was. Yes, Harry was gorgeous, but how the hell had he forgotten that Harry was also the man who had caused him to almost have a major accident earlier because of his haphazard driving? How had he allowed Harry to distract him with his charm to the extent that instead of giving the man a lecture, Louis accepted the offer of a date?

Well. Whatever the reason was, Louis wouldn’t forget when Harry called. Louis would give him a piece of his mind then and see if Harry still wanted to go out with him at that point. Because yeah, Louis was not mad enough about his overreaction to Harry, both on the road and at the event tonight, to turn that opportunity for a date down. He wasn’t stupid.

Or the one where Harry feeds on awesomeness (possibly literally). Louis is awesome and also angry. They’re probably going to fall in love.

Drabbles for Harry's Birthday Drive 2019 (25k) - Various Pairings

Each chapter is a different drabble dedicated to a person who donated to Harry's birthday drive! The prompt requested as well as the pairing are in the author’s note for each chapter as well. There are multiple pairings due to various pairings being requested by the donors, so please pay attention to that information in each chapter! Pairings include Harry/Louis, Zayn/Liam,, Grimmy/Louis, Greg/Louis, Zayn/Louis, and Niall/Shawn.

It’s the Climb (25k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis stretched out his back and turned around, startled to see the most beautiful man he’d ever encountered in his life riding towards him on a horse.

He had to still be asleep. This was one of those super weird dreams people had where the knight in shining armor (or in this case, red sleeveless flannel) literally rode up to them calling their name.

The Hannah Montana AU where Louis is a world famous punk rock singer with a stage name of William and Jay drags him back to Tennessee for the summer. In her attempt for Louis to get back to his roots, he just so happens to reconnect with Harry, and things never go quite as Louis expects them to.

It Was Only a Kiss (16k) - Various Pairings

I participated in a kiss prompt drabble challenge on Tumblr, and ended up writing thirty-three drabbles! Because of the amount all for one challenge, I decided to post them on AO3 to save them. Each prompt exists on its own without relation to others, so pick and choose as you like.

If You Want To Be Loved (0.5k) - Greg James/Louis Tomlinson

Greg can't sleep. For once, he doesn't really mind.

(Something’s Been) Hiding In My Heart (26k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“My eyes must be deceiving me,” Harry said in his slow drawl. His voice was deeper than Louis remembered. Maybe some things had changed after all.

“They aren’t deceiving you. I’m here because I need you to finally sign these papers,” Louis said before he dropped the stack of paper on the hood of the car and held out a pen to Harry. “Just do it, Harry. Get it over with and then I’ll be out of your life forever, alright?”

Face blank of all emotion outside of a sneer Harry said, “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

“God,” Louis groaned. Harry just couldn’t let this be easy. His pride wouldn’t allow it. “You know, I never really understood that phrase, but no. I am not ‘shitting’ you. Just sign the damn papers.”

“Ya know, I don’t think I will,” Harry said before turning back to the front door.

When the screen door slammed behind him, Louis realized Harry didn’t have anything else to say.

Or a Sweet Home Alabama AU where Louis comes home to finally get his divorce from Harry finalized so he can move on with his life. Alderford holds its own set of challenges when he returns, but by facing his past maybe he can find the healing he so desperately needs.

You Try To Be Everything (I Need) (36k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Wars, and rumours of wars, were nothing new for the world in the twenty-fourth century. The fighting had evolved over the years, and rarely did it involve traditional weapons. A group most widely known as the Southern Powers gained strength amongst portions of the western European continent and spread quickly.

There was a fight the Southern Powers didn’t expect coming from the north of England, though. Resistance came in the form of an organised underground; a group comprised of people with the Touch that did the best they could to enforce a line that would not be crossed. Slowly, that line was moved from the Channel to boundaries further and further north. It seemed only a matter of time before the Southern Powers took over everywhere.

Until that time, people did the best they could to live their lives in some semblance of normality. For Louis Tomlinson, that sense of normality was about to change when his best friend, Harry Styles, goes missing.

Louis embarks on the journey of a lifetime where he uses his newly developed abilities to search for his friend, even when it takes him to places he never thought he would see while surmounting trials he never could have imagined.

You Turned Up (Like a Friend of Mine) (10k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis padded downstairs, feeling incredibly thirsty. He filled up a glass of water and was about to take a drink when a loud knock sounded at the door accompanied by some yelling and ringing of the doorbell.

“What the hell?” Louis muttered, setting his glass on the counter and rushing towards the door.

As he got closer to the door, though, his mind stopped whirling because the voice was one that was etched forever in his mind, but one that he never thought he would ever hear again.

“Why’s the door locked? Did you seriously go without me? And who’s car is in the driveway? Lou, I knew you’d be late to get me. We’re going to miss-”

Louis whipped the door open, sure that he was just imagining things. There was no way…

Except there was. Standing on the front step was the curly haired, boy-faced Harry Louis had last seen ten years ago today.

Or the one where Harry disappears on graduation day only to show up on Louis' door looking exactly the same ten years later. Through a series of strange events, maybe they can finally figure out that they're destined to be together, no matter what.

Stealing Flowers (4k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

When Louis finally arrived, he walked in and grabbed an apron. Without even saying hello, he immediately approached Jesy and said, “Sexy Stranger steals flowers.”

She kept pouring the Tanqueray shots she had lined up in front of her, but her face screwed up in confusion. “I’m sorry, he what? Did you finally talk to him and that was what you learned?”

He nodded to another couple of tourists and welcomed them to the Way Station as they eagerly made their way to the Tardis restroom.

“No, I didn’t actually talk to him, but—”

“Then how do you know he steals flowers?”

She was wiping down the bar and stacking the empty glasses to take back to the dishwasher when Louis realized maybe he should help too. After all, he was there to work, not just talk to her about his maybe crush.

“I saw a poster.”

Or the one where Louis pines after the Sexy Stranger on the Subway and almost asks him out. That's when the strange posters start showing up around Brooklyn.

Yellow, Is It Me You’re Looking For? (3k) - Greg James/Louis Tomlinson

Standing in the mess Greg’s shift had left behind, Louis decided he would start small. He’d organise the paint colour cards that displayed the names and then get started on the sample tins. It wasn’t until he started opening the boxes of colour cards that Louis started to wonder whether Nick had been the one to name the paint after all.

Yellow, Is It Me You’re Looking For? was along the top left corner of a mustard yellow card. Nick was as big a fan of puns and music as anyone, so while it was unorthodox, Louis didn’t think too much of it. Part of the appeal of Annie’s Hardware was that they didn’t take things too seriously while always maintaining professionalism.

The names that followed did leave Louis to wonder if Annie knew exactly what the chosen paint names were, though. The Colour Of My Tears When ‘FRIENDS’ Ended for a soft white, Barneys Blood for a pale purple, and Blond. James Blond. for a sand tone had Louis convinced that it was a different co-worker who had renamed the colours.

Or the one where Louis has pined after Greg for what seems like ages, but when Greg renames the company's paint colors, something might finally be ready to give.

Like a Lighthouse On The Coast (I Need You) (19k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis placed his order with the server and was about to type up some possible lyrics when he heard the music being piped in go silent and a throat was cleared into a mic.

Oh God no. If Louis had known there was going to be live music, he would have chosen somewhere else. Why did they have to ruin what was truly the perfect ambiance for Louis with some sub-par wannabe singer-songwriter?

“Hello, I’m going to sing some songs for you tonight. I hope you like them.”

The voice was deep and smooth, slower than Louis had expected. It made him want to look up at the singer rather than cower into the corner of his booth.

So he did. The man didn’t look nervous at all, but he didn’t look like the cocky asshole Louis had been expecting either. Louis continued to brace himself as he took in the simple Ramones shirt and jeans the man was wearing, when something Louis hadn’t been expecting happened.

The man began to play his guitar, and he was good.

And then, the man began to sing.

Or the one where Louis has all the pressure of his sophomore album and none of the inspiration, but maybe all he needs is someone like Harry Styles to turn all that around.

Oh Honey, Honey (4k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis hated honey. He didn’t like the flavour, he didn’t understand why some liked it in their tea, he hated when it was put on sandwiches or cake or anything really. But, standing stock still in front of a rather large display of honey in that 24-hour Tesco, Louis found himself grabbing the largest jar of “100% pure London-local honey” and adding it to his trolley, simply because he knew it would make Harry smile.

Louis always wanted to make Harry smile.

Or the one where Louis pines after Harry, Harry is passionate about helping save the bees, and a late night shopping trip gone wrong doesn't end quite as horribly as Louis imagines.

You Don’t Care About Me (One More Night) (60k) - Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

“Nick. You’re into guys. What should I do?”

Nick snorted. “You think just ‘cause I’m gay, I know what you should do?”

Louis blinked at him and Nick admired his eyelashes against his will. “Well. Kind of, yeah.”

“That is not how this works,” Nick said. “Besides, it’s not like you can just go and suck someone’s dick to be sure you like it the way I did. You’re too famous to try it my way.”

Louis’ expression changed to one of awe. “That’s how you figured it out? You sucked some random’s dick?”

Nick shrugged. “Yeah. Basically. I mean, I knew for pretty damn sure before that, mind you, but that did solidify the matter for me.”

“I need to suck a dick,” Louis said, turning to look at the wall of Nick’s room.

“You could suck mine, if it would help,” Nick offered before he could stop himself.

Or the one where Louis pines for Harry and Nick helps ease his way into figuring himself out through a friends with benefits sort of arrangement. Things quickly turn complicated.

A Taste of Honey (3k) - Greg James/Louis Tomlinson

Louis opened the door expecting someone with Deliveroo. Instead his gaze lifted so he could look at a very frazzled, incredibly fluffy haired Greg James who was inexplicably holding out a very large jar of honey.

“Hello, Gregory,” Louis said slowly.

Shifting around, Greg stepped forward and held the honey out towards Louis again. “This is for you.”

“Erm, alright,” Louis said before carefully taking the heavy jar from him. “Thank you?”

Greg flashed a wide grin, nodded, and then without another word walked back out the front door of the building.

Or the one where Louis has been pining after Greg ever since he started his job. Greg randomly showing up at his flat with a jar of honey might be just the push Louis needs to finally talk to the man.

Just Like Honey (3k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis opened the door and he looked so soft and beautiful. He was in a ratty pair of grey joggers and that was it. Harry had never seen him look so good.

When Harry finally raised his eyes from Louis’ chest, he realised Louis had likely said something.

“Uh,” Harry said, clearing his throat. “Sorry, what did you say?”

Smirking a little, Louis crossed his arms and popped his hip. “I said, ‘Hello, Harry. What brings you here so late on a Saturday?’”

Then his brain kicked in.

“Right, fuck. Hi, Louis. I just wanted to give you this.”

Louis’ brows creased as Harry held the honey out to him. Taking the jar from Harry, he said, “Honey?”

Nodding, Harry said, “Yep. Hope you have a great night!”

Fisting his hands at his sides in frustration, Harry left the building as quickly as he could.

Honey, Honey, How You Thrill Me (3k) - Greg James/Harry Styles

Harry knocked once more before coming to the conclusion that knocking for longer than that was rude.

He’d just decided to leave when the door opened.

“Fuck, you were asleep, weren’t you?”

“Well, it’s past 8, so yeah, basically,” Greg said with a yawn.

God, he’d been asleep for over an hour. Harry was the worst.

“I’m so sorry. Here. Take this and get back to sleep. I’m so incredibly sorry for waking you up,” Harry babbled, shoving the jar of honey into Greg’s hands.

Greg looked at the jar then back up at Harry, still not saying anything. Probably because his brain was still asleep just like his body would’ve been if Harry hadn’t been a fucking idiot.

“Sorry again!” Harry said before giving a lame wave and rushing off to the nearest tube station.

Or the one where Harry pines after fellow Radio 1 DJ Greg James but doesn't know how to start a conversation with him...until he gets the needed inspiration.

Our Love is Timeless (6k) - Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes

He rinsed out his shampoo and began to scrub at his body. Turning around to rinse his back and wash his front, Shawn was not prepared to be met with a cursing blond Irishman.

Letting out a rather loud, high pitched scream and covering himself as best he could, Shawn backed up into the wall behind him, which also turned off the shower.

“Thanks, mate. Was hoping not to get my clothes entirely soaked,” the man said as he began stepping out of the shower stall. “Say, what year is it?”

“I...what?” Shawn sputtered. “You just show up, fully clothed, in a stranger’s shower and your first question is what year it is? How the fuck did you get in here? Why my shower? Who are you?”

“Well, yeah. I guess so. I’ve not quite got a handle of the whole time traveling thing yet.”

Or the one where Shawn falls for Niall, who just happens to be a time traveler. The course of true love never did run smooth.

Like Honey to the Bee (3k) - Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

Nick didn’t even remember knocking, but suddenly the door he also didn’t realise he was leaning on opened and he started falling inside Louis and Harry’s flat.

“Fuck,” Nick blurted as he tried to right himself. He was caught by Louis, which was great because he was exactly who he wanted to see and he didn’t really fancy dropping a massive jar of honey on his doorstep.

“Nicholas?” Louis asked.

Nick couldn’t help it. Hearing Louis call him by his full name made him shiver. He usually hated it, but there was something magical about Louis Tomlinson that made the usual negative association suddenly become an incredibly positive one.

“I brought you honey,” Nick blurted as he handed Louis the jar.

“I can see that,” Louis said, sounding confused. “Thanks?”

“Of course! It’s what friends do, yeah?”

Or the one where Nick has been trying to find a way to get past the banter stage with Louis for ages, and honey might be just what he needs to finally do so.

Rings and Things (2k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Niall: I know you’re a lesbian and all, but this is fast even for you

Or the one where Harry wakes up after a night of drinking to find her bed isn't empty and there's a ring she's never seen before on a very important finger.

The Only Thing That Keeps Me Grounded (28k) - Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“Shit, I definitely missed the last train.”

“Oh no,” Louis lamented. “I’d offer a ride, but I’m part of a carpool and we’re full already. I’m so sorry.”

“Really, it’s fine.” Then, what Louis said sank in. “Wait, I thought you were here alone?”

“Oh, I am. I’m the only one dancing here tonight. The others were working. In fact, here’s Nick now.”

It felt like slow motion as a tall, lanky man with incredible hair came walking over towards Louis. He smiled before pulling Louis into him and giving him a quick kiss.

“Nick, this is my new friend Harry. He just moved to the area and he’s amazing at swing. Harry, this is my husband, Nick.”

Fuck.

Or the one where Harry moves to Washington DC to be a nanny and never expects that his past struggles with love will be brought to a head. He definitely never expects the solution to it all will be the man of his dreams that just so happens to be married to the other man of his dreams.

A Halloween M(ass)hap (1k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry was never going to forgive Niall. He’d been so distracted by his roommate’s cleaning and fussing while he had been looking for the perfect trousers for Liam’s annual Halloween fancy dress party that he’d not realised the black leather trousers he’d chosen to complete his vampire look were arseless.

Of course there was a no return policy, so he’d done the only thing he could do in order to not waste the money he’d already forked out online for the damn things: he added a cape.

Surely, nothing could go wrong.

I Wanna Love (Like You Made Me Feel) (28k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

By the time Harry and Louis are eighteen years old, they've known each other all four years of high school. Through those years, they never have a real chance to spend time together just the two of them. The summer after graduation gives them that chance, and it changes just about everything.

Ten years later, Louis returns home feeling like a failure after losing his job and not knowing where to go next. He never expects to run into Harry again, much less rekindle their friendship. Could this finally be their chance to finish what they started all those years ago, or did they really miss their chance at love?

Swipe Right for a Clean Flat (3k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry was done. He was over this shit. He literally only asked his flatmate to do one chore, and that was the washing up. He couldn’t even handle a few plates and cups. Harry obviously overestimated him.

Louis wasn’t that bad. It was just that he only did the washing if he was going out to pull and wanted to bring someone home. If the dishes were put away, that was how Harry knew to vacate the premises. There was no way he was going to listen to yet another girl moan Louis’ name while Harry laid in bed and wondered what it might be like if only Louis liked men.

Glaring at the full sink and debating washing up himself - again - Harry finally turned and stalked to his room.

“Dire circumstances,” Harry muttered as he picked up his phone and unlocked it.

Or the one where Harry and Louis are flatmates and Harry is tired of Louis not doing the washing up. He figures signing up on Tinder as a hot girl might be just the fix for this issue.

You’re a Nightmare, I’m a Disaster (7k) - Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

As Nick scanned the shelves, his eyes caught on a bright blue binding. Snooki, it read, A Shore Thing.

“Oh my God,” Nick mumbled, trying not to laugh as he picked it up. He’d watched bits and pieces of Jersey Shore way back in the day.

Without bothering to look any further around the store, he headed up to the counter where Blue eyes was watching him. Nick cleared his throat nervously and set the book on the counter and the man immediately flashed him a look of disdain.

“Seriously? Out of everything we have available, you chose the book we special ordered for a customer?”

“Well, it can’t be that bad if someone specifically requested it, right?” Nick said, trying to keep a teasing tone.

“Why do you think we still have it if it was a special order?” the man asked with a scoff. “They returned it after reading something like three pages.”

Nick frowned at the book. “Well that doesn’t seem very fair.”

Or the one where Nick is a writer, Louis works in a bookshop, and things don't exactly start off on the right foot, but they might just end on it.

The Goat Guy of Bethlehem (26k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“What a pretty little thing!” a voice cried, catching Harry's attention.

Harry looked up, assuming it was a merchant talking to Gemma or some other “citizen” of Bethlehem, but when he did, he found a woman with bright eyes and long dark hair walking over to him.

“Me?” He wasn’t sure what to expect from any of this since she wasn’t a merchant he had met before.

“Yes, you! I think you’d make a very good husband for my son. Are these your parents?”

“Uh, yes?” Harry said, almost like a question. Robin and his mom just watched on with amusement, much to his chagrin.

Turning to Anne and Robin, the merchant woman said, “I’ll give you six goats for the marriage of your son to mine.”

Or every year, Harry and his family attend a church festival called Bethlehem. Harry's freshman year of high school Bethlehem expands, bringing in new vendors, including one that just might change everything for Harry. But first, he has to see if Anne and Robin are willing to part with him for the price of a few goats.

#mine #my fic masterpost #yearly masterpost #2019 masterpost #my fic #my fic rec #fic rec

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pernatius · 4 years

Text

Lost in Space Part 3: Ch 3

Ch 2

Summary: Sending the Earth to its doom, an unnamed Space Explorer must now try to prevent the demise of millions of humans by risking her life.

Five chapters, 10k works, and in one week.

Part 1: ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5

Part 2: ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5

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

Getting out of the ship, we stepped onto a floating island. Hundreds of intertwining branches stood in front of us. Below us, roots masked the dirt. Further down below, underneath the island, stood a deep, massive crater that must’ve stretched for miles.

A shiver ran up his spine, causing him to rub either arm. “I don’t like the look of this place. Why are we even here anyway?”

“Whoever this client of hers is must know something, but if it’s not much at least it’ll be better than nothing.”

“Then, let’s find this guy before it gets dark. This place is giving me the creeps” So, we all headed inside without another word. Although, as soon as we enter the little forest, not only are we met with a dense fog but screams as well. “You two keep your guns at the ready.”

Heading deeper, the fog became denser and the screams became louder. It had me clutch Saamuki’s gun tighter but caused my hand to shake as well. If something or someone were to attack I wouldn’t be ready to defend. I’d miss, giving our attacker the time to slaughter them before my eyes.

I imagine a beast made out of shadow lunging towards us. It’s much smaller and slimmer than Mikrovos. However, it’s because of those features it’s so quick. It stabs him with his claws, cutting right through his ribs and ripping out his heart. It then squeezes it, forcing him to cry and gasp. Once it explodes he falls to the floor in his pool of blood. Next comes Ashley. While she doesn’t suffer the same treatment it’s painful nonetheless. It grabs and lifts her by her head. With her, I’m at least able to finally aim the gun, but it’s too late. All I can do is touch the trigger before it squeezes her head. It lets go of her. As I try to keep my cool, as I try to avenge their deaths, it slowly trudges towards me. I finally shoot, but the blast goes right through it. Stepping back as I cry, I trip. Before my head can hit the floor, it grabs me by my collar. My eyes then meet with its soulless expression.

Ashley waves her hand in front of me. I blink. “Hey. I’ve been calling you for the last minute. I think we found their place,” she explained worriedly.

“Oh. Really?” Looking past her, I see a little hut with smoke coming out of its chimney. “Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s see what this person's about.”

I take the lead. I feel both their eyes looking at me, judging me. They quickly follow soon after.

I don’t get to knock at their door because right when my fist is about to hit, it swings open. We’re greeted to an empty, but warm room as inside its fireplace flames cough out of it. Seeing this, that there’s seemingly no one in sight, we all looked at each other fully confused and especially creeped out, but we don’t plan to leave empty-handed. So, Mikrovos takes a step inside. He takes the lead, but he doesn’t get too far because both me and Ashley are pushed inside by the slamming of the door.

Guns at the ready and Mikrovos readying himself as well, a gust of wind flies past us. It kills the fire. Pitch blackness fills the room, but with a snap of some disembodied fingers, the fire relighted. With it, a man stands before us. He looks human, but he looks more apelike. He’s mostly covered in fur. So, his skin is barely visible. Both of his arms have been replaced with robotic arms as well.

“It appears things have changed.” His eyes focus on both me and Ashley.

We sat in a circle with cups of tea in front of us. The three of us hesitate to drink it. Ashley has it swirl inside her cup and Mikrovos sniffs it. I just hold it up as our mysterious companion takes a sip of his.

“What did you mean about how things have changed,” I asked.

Setting his cup down and swallowing down the sip he just took, “While it is true me, you, and your friend over there may not be alike, and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking so, we are more alike than you think.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“During humanity’s cultural revival, it split into two different groups. Two different histories began that day. One side had a gift and wanted to share it with the stars and the other wanted to remain on Earth to continue their petty wars.”

“Then,” I set the cup down with such force that a droplet of the tea goes up then goes back down into the now rippling liquid, “you’re human too.”

After finally trying it, Mikrovos spits out the tea. He accidentally aims it at the man showing us hospitality, but it thankfully doesn’t come close to touching him. It’s blocked by a force field that was quickly manifested by his mechanical hand. It then falls to the floor. Steam rises from the now marked piece of floor. We look at him as he explains, “It was a little too hot.”

As Mikrovos fans his tongue, he continues, “Technically, yes. However, we’re more like cousins rather than siblings.”

Ashley pitches into the main conversation, “Let’s say we believe you. Where are the others like you?”

“I abandoned my people a long time ago to pursue something more. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to contact any of them ever since.”

Speaking with his burned tongue out, “As much as I’d like to hear the rest of this history lesson, this isn’t what we came here for.”

“You’re right. We came here to ask if you know anything that can help us with Saamuki.”

“Saamuki? I haven’t seen her in a while. Did something happen?”

“She’s fine, but we need to know if you have anything that can help us sneak her past her boss. Look, it’s a long story, but we don’t have time to explain,” I clarified.

“Cabelo,” he strokes his chin, “I’ve always had a bad feeling about him. So, it doesn’t surprise me he did something or is planning to do something to her. Well, let’s see, Saamuki did tell me the fifth time I asked for her services that Cabelo goes underneath the hotel for an hour. He does it around midnight, but I’d be wary about sneaking around that late. That’s when the hotel is the most guarded.”

“Really? Then, it’ll be easy. We just get in and get out during that time.” While his words sounded like he was accepting this information his tone said otherwise.

However, Ashley doesn’t catch it. “Easier said than done, Mikrovos. How are getting inside in the first place?”

“Well, if Cabelo can go underneath the hotel then there must be hidden passageways there.”

“So, we risk getting caught by Cabelo no less?”

While Ashley and Mikrovos argue I get a burning pain on the back of my neck that causes me to twitch. It’s much more painful than the many electric shocks it injected into me before. So, I grab the site and tear up. They notice, which gets them to move towards me, but I don’t get to see what they do next because my vision faded out from the hut and faded into the infamous spaceship.

Syco stands before me. Darkness surrounded us as a single light shined above. “Hello again, human.”

“S-Syco? Where am I? How did I-”

“Now. Now. Your body is still where it was previously. All that I have moved is your mind.” I lift my hands to my face. I’m able to see through them. “I too was baffled about how advanced Earthling technology has become. However, it still is primitive.”

“Why am I here? Where is even here anyway?”

“Don’t tell me you have forgotten already. I’m here to tell you about the update upon your signup to the tournament.” My heart dropped. I had completely forgotten about it. “Ah, now you remember. Anyways, and unsurprisingly, my convincing was a success. It will take place within our spaceship, which will be above your homeworld. As based on your coordinates, it starts when that planet turns completely dark. So, I bid you a good rest of your day.”

The last thing I see is him bowing, but the next thing I see is Ashley crying into my chest. I move her away from me and wipe away her tears. “Ashley?”

“You fell. We tried waking you up. You stopped breathing. I thought I lost you,” she whimpered.

“What happened,” Mikrovos questioned.

“It was Syco. He told me that it’s going to take place above Earth later tonight.”

“Syco? That sounds familiar, but I’m not so sure why,” our new ally said as he stroked his chin again.

“But, Saamuki…”

“Sorry, but she’s going to have to wait a bit longer.” It hurt to say that. It might not have hurt as much as how he had to swallow that down, but my throat tightened after it came out of my mouth. Between the branches that made up the hut, I saw the light of the planet’s sun cut through them. Because of this, I saw their shadows creep closer and closer to us. “We need to leave. Now.”

Before I get up I help her up. Upon me standing up my friend does as well. I then thank our recently made ally for his information, but we don’t part from each other so soon. “Please, I would like to come with you. I would like to help with your plan with Saamuki, but I also need to know why that name you spoke of earlier sounds so familiar.”

The three of us look at one another, but because of how limited our time is, “Fine. Okay. Just show us a faster way out of this forest.”

He places his hand in front of me. I take it. “My name is Skeema and I’ll help you any way I can for the time being.”

We left the island much faster than when we entered. Once we get into the ship I order the AI to fly us to Earth. It does. As it flies us, I see Skeema’s hand brush against the walls of the ship.

“I don’t like this,” my fur-covered friend whispered to me.

“He just gave us the information we wanted. Besides, we don’t have time to drop him off.”

“I know, but you heard it. He knows Syco. What if he double-crosses us?”

“Skeema said he might know him, but you can just pierce your horns into him if he does.”

“I don’t think with those hi-tech arms I’ll be able to do anything to him anytime soon.”

“If you keep a close eye on him I’m sure he won’t try to do anything.”

“You don’t need to tell me.” He squints at Skeema and huffs.

I head towards Ashley. She’s sitting, so I take a seat right next to her. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just that I don’t want to lose you again. For weeks I wondered if I was ever going to see you again. For a while, I believed that kiss was our last.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“No, I’m sorry, Ashley. I’m so sorry I got us into this situation.”

“I know this is probably a terrible thing to ask, but,” she hugs herself, “How are you going to make it out? How are you going to fight against hundreds of Tauvoxes? You know how strong Mikrovos is. How are you going to fight his people?”

“I-I don’t know. I don’t need all my memories to know I’m not a fighter. I survived out in space because I’ve always had people to protect me.”

I look away from her, but this doesn’t stop her from placing her hand onto my cheek. Her thumb caresses it. I didn’t know it, but I was crying. “I’m sorry. We’ll find a way. We’ll find a way to save you and Earth.”

I stopped crying, but I didn’t stop thinking. No matter how much I would like to get out of this I know I have to do this. If I could push them away, so that they’re not able to see what’s to come I would. So, that it could just be me like it should’ve been right from the beginning.

#191 #lost in space #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writers #creative writing #spilled ink #wlw #fiction #space

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talnunes · 4 years

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Depths of the Game

“He’s my brother, Jenny. Take what you need and go, that’s all you need to do.”

There are a lot of things I was feeling at that moment. Anger. Misplaced anger that should have targeted my unrelenting naiveté and blissful ignorance that everyone around me tried time and time again to uproot --- but instead, my brother held that burden. He didn’t understand what laid outside of his tunnel vision; deeply seeded creeds placed trust in only what was orthodox. It wasn’t his fault, being brought up the way he was. Then again, I was reared by the same community. Fostered within the same traditions.

If I hadn’t done what I did, we would all still be one big happy family, woven into the life of a one-sided brotherhood with a bone to pick. Living amongst insurrectionists thinking in black or white.

Maybe my brother was right. Leaving will cause just as much pain as staying.

And maybe I would have been okay with that; in another life, I’d have grown into the body they carved, filled the shoes they had tailored.

“He’s a defector, Grant. All of the sacrifices we have made, the people we’ve killed and the people we’ve lost, has to be for a reason. You believe that, or else you wouldn’t be here.” If Grant wanted to say something, he gave no indication, but he knew as well as I did that she was right. We wouldn’t be here if he had any sort of doubt.“ If everyone just up and left like him, our whole lives would be spent in vain. We can’t just let this go.”

Grant stayed silent but I knew her words weren’t falling on deaf ears. He was listening.

“What are you saying, Jenny?”

I felt nauseous as I began to follow every diverging path that led me to this stalemate. A lie here and a lie there, a protest to spite every single person who expected me to follow them in darkness, a blindfold wrapped tightly around my head with a single hole poked into it. So small that I would become tunnel visioned, having no other option but to stumble close behind, or else I would lose myself to the night.

All this time, I have been racking up my karmic debt without dwelling on the score I would later find myself knee-deep in. I was so angry and afraid that I lashed out at the slightest provocation.

I don’t regret anything now that my bill has come due.

But I never wanted Grant to pay as well. He was just a pawn.

“What I am saying is we have to make an example, as convincing as possible without leaking any… ‘sensitive information’.” Jenny said, with venomous sympathy seeping through every syllable.

I felt his stomach churn, his heart stop, waiting for what inevitably came out of her mouth next. The tension was cutting deep, releasing that rotten tightness in your chest when the anticipation became too much to handle. When your brain runs its 10k, anxiously kicking up all the worst-case-scenarios it can come up with, and you think - stop being so pessimistic, it’ll never happen.

And every single one of them happens.

“ You’re a loose end, Grant. I don’t like loose ends.”

The sound of metal sliding on metal bore goosebumps across my body and sent a cold shiver down my spine. There was a shift in the air, a change in atmosphere, as my brother's fear became heat spilling from a radiator, digging itself into every inch of my body.

The steel snapped sliding back into place, producing a final click as I imagined the small little ball of metal alloy shift into place. Ready to extinguish the only spark left in my life. The only family I have left.

My buried screams, submerged underneath a thick layer of cloth wrapped tightly around my mouth, kept distracting the running time bomb in my head--- it’s all my fault, it's all my fault, it’s all my fault.

Even though a bag had been placed over my head, I still knew the positions of every piece on the board; Jenny lied straight ahead, one move away from taking my brother out of the picture. Grant stood across from her, a pawn in both of our plays, blind to the fact that we both used him to further our own agendas. To advance our other pieces.

And then there was me, the rook, trapped between the queen and a hard place.

Ironically, I was cut off from the game, because once again, when I screamed, they couldn’t hear.

But that didn’t stop me from screeching my throat raw, trying to keep distracted that pestering mind of mine, the time bomb inside my own head --- it’s all my fault, it's all my fault, it’s all my fault, it’s all my f-

“But I’d rather not lose the only tie I have left to mom.”

Grant let a sigh of relief escape his lips as Jenny assumably lowered the gun. My brother laughed nervously, probably scratching the back of his neck like he usually does when he's nervous. I did the same, but it was nothing more than a mumble. An echo from six feet under. Even though his bounty was cleared, I still had mine to pay off.

And it was all I had.

“I do, however, need to know you’ll keep your lips sealed. So consider this a test.” She was pacing now, circling my brother like prey. The gun in her hand clicked and clacked as she moved it from one hand to another, deciding on what to do next. Apparently, she decided.

The sound of her elbow joint cracking as she extended her hand registered in my head at the same time as the gun switching handlers gripped my heart like an iron fist.

No, that can’t be right. There were a million other possibilities. Maybe Jenny put the gun down, realizing that she can’t kill me. Maybe she was simply stretching, getting ready for what inevitably came next. Maybe...maybe she doesn’t even have a gun. Maybe every machination my brain has constructed is false. Yes, yes, that has to be right. She’s just here to reprimand us, nothing more. It’s not my fault, it’s-not-my-

“Fuck!”

The bag over my head flew off, scratching my neck and ears as it left my eyes at the mercy of the sunlight. My arms involuntarily flew upwards to shield them, but were stopped abruptly by a zip tie tied around my wrists.

“If you do as I say, I’ll let you live. It’s as simple as that Grant.” My eyes were starting to recover, but not enough to piece together what was in front of me. The scene was blurry, but I was able to make out a figure in front of me --- whether it was Jenny or Grant, I had no idea. Other than that, I couldn’t figure out where we were and if I had any chance of getting away. I had a feeling though that my sudden nausea was a clue.

“It-it’s not and you of all people you should know that, Jenny.” Grant’s voice cracked, a flaw exposed by the sudden loss of composure. Control was slipping from his grasp like time on a clock. And he didn’t have much of that left.

“And you of all people should understand why I’m doing this!” Patience. It was never one of Jenny’s virtues. Quite frankly, she doesn’t have many at all.

She was blessed with justice, if you asked her.

If you ask me, she's a self-righteous bitch with a god-complex.

It makes her good at her job.

“He’s my brother.” Grant mumbled.

“There's no other way.”

“There's always another way! Jenny we can still go back-”

“Stop with this shit.” She screamed.

“I can’t!”

Silence. With both of their voices stopped dead in their tracks, I could finally hear myself breath. I could hear my own heartbeat trying to escape my chest. I could hear...waves. Punching the side of a boat. Rising and falling, ready to catch me if I fall. When I fall.

She brought me to the middle of the ocean to die.

This was my burial ground.

No one would hear my screams. No one would see life leave my body except my brother and Jenny. No one would even know, except for the lies they would be fed.

And just like that, I would be forgotten.

“What are you doing Grant? I’m giving you a chance!” Jenny was breathing heavily, taken aback by his refusal to listen to orders. “I don’t want to kill you.”

Grant stayed silent.

My vision was clearing and I could just about make out who was in front of me --- who my executioner was. Jenny or Grant. Grant or Jenny. Jenny or Grant. Grant or Jenny.

“I don’t want to kill you.” She repeated, this time barely a whisper.

Even if I could see, it wouldn’t matter.

Both figures were now standing in front of me, one guiding the others hands upwards, holding on to their shoulder.

They stopped rising until they were pointing right at my head.

And finally I could see.

“It’s easy,” Jenny whispered into my brother's ear, “All you need to do is pull.”

Tears were streaming down his face, and it hurt knowing I did this to him. But I knew he wouldn’t pull the trigger. I was his brother. He came all this way to protect me, only to be the one to kill me? No. No matter how much shit I’ve pulled in my life, he still loved me. And now that the gun was in his hands, I can bypass my karma. I can live. All he needs to do is do the right things. I should trust him, shouldn’t I?

Our eyes met, blue on gray, to create a stormy sky. He was scared, nervous, torn, sympathetic. He was everything I knew he would be, but there was something else in there.

“Every second you waste, Grant, the more pain he is in.” Jenny coaxed my brother forward, each step bringing the reality that I suddenly didn’t know what my brother would do closer.

Before I knew it, I was staring down the barrel of a gun.

There were a lot of things I was feeling at this moment. Anger. Anger that I let myself believe I would get away with this without punishment.

Anger that I let my brother tell me I have to stay.

And anger that I ever had an ounce of sympathy for Grant.

Because he was going to be the one to put the bullet in my head.

Jenny backed off of my brother.

I shook my head violently, pleading with him, but I had no influence over him anymore. He was her pawn now, and she knows his virtue is loyalty.

I was alone.

“Sorry Koda, this game was only ever gonna end one way.”

I closed my eyes.

“And I never lose.”

#writing #creative writing #original story #science fiction #novel in progress #betrayal #emotions

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sugamoonv · 5 years

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Origins Pt.1

At Last

Summary: You learn how BTS came to be and what specifically they are.

Word Count: 4,485

Pairings: Jungkook x Jimin/ Jin x Yoongi/ Taehyung x Jimin/ Future Hoseok x Namjoon/ Future Jungkook x Jimin x Taehyung

A.N: This chapter is a flashback and does not include you/reader so it’s way different from the other chapters so far. Hopefully, this doesn't make my fic seem all over the place bc I promise it makes sense in my head but if it is confusing, let me know and I can go back and edit/organize things. I also split this because right now the chapter altogether is nearing 10k and I’ve already made you guys wait a while for this. But the second half of this chapter should be up in one to two days depending. Also also, I believe the tags got messed up in the last chapter so if I forgot to tag you or you want to be added, just let me know

Masterlist / Origins- Part 2

“Hyun-ah!”

The woman glanced away from the sparring trainees to the witch making her way to the training field. With a single command, the young women had all dropped their wooden weapons and stood in a line, backs straight behind Hyuna. As the witch was is proximate distance, they followed their admiral deeply bowing. With a nod of the witch’s head, Hyuna bounded off after her and the young women went back to their training.

The white colonial house was off limits to Mistress Jennilee’s army. Years of training and willpower aided Hyuna in resisting the temptation to look into the open windows to get a glance of the interior. They rounded the dirt path to the front of the house where a horse-drawn carriage was awaiting them. Hyuna stepped forward and opened the door for Jennilee to step into the carriage then moved back to the small bench attached to the back outside. The carriage jolted and off they were.

This house was built similarly to Jennilee’s but had a masculine touch to it. Hyuna had opened her mistress’s door before the servant made his way down the porch steps to the overshadowed driveway. The man gave a deep bow and turned to hold open the door for them.

The inside was light despite the dark wood that built the walls, floor, and staircase. The familiar aroma of herbs and spices filled Hyuna’s nose. It was similar to those that her mistress used and grew in her greenhouse for spells and potions. Hyuna kept her composure as an older man and his admiral came into view in their guest dining room.

Hyuna made sure to keep the way her heart skipped at Hyo-Jong’s appearance hidden. Jennilee had been working close to her father’s companion Byung-Wook which meant that she had been spending ample amounts of time with the admiral of the man’s army. Keeping their affair secret was proving to become more and more difficult as the time went on but they were determined to build a life together someday.

The same servant that had greeted Jennilee and Hyuna entered the room with a tray. He carefully set each small cup and poured the steaming tea in each for them then stepped to the side of the room, waiting like a statue if any of them may need him to fulfill a request.

“Thank you, Namjoon,” the older man muttered. He had his nose buried in the concoction of herbs, eyes closed. With a deep breath, he straightened in his seat, “Make sure to go help Hoseok bring the horses to the barn.”

The man shot off without a question and the occupants of the room were finally allowed to discuss recent events.

“There have been more invasions as of late. I have lost some of my men and Hyo-Jong is unable to train the new men quick enough to survive the next attack,” a deep frown marks Byung-Wook’s face.

“Do we know who keeps orchestrating these attacks?” Jennilee leaned in.

“That is what I have been trying to figure out, my dear girl. In the meantime, I am asking for your assistance. The attacks are more frequent and so I fear my servant’s well-being. As you can see, Namjoon and Hoseok have been very loyal to me and it would be an injustice for me to lose such good workers.”

Jennilee knitted her eyebrows but stayed silent.

“I have granted them the blessing of long life. So that if they were to be targeted, they may yet live. Already I had to have someone bury the body of some simpleton kitchen girl who had wandered too far out and was killed by this army.”

Jennilee nodded her head in understanding. “What is it you wish for me to do?”

Byung-Wook sighed and with a flick, the smoke stopped rising from the stone bowl. “Until I am able to end this warmongering traitor, I ask that we combine our soldiers and magic until this person is no longer a threat.”

Hyuna and Hyo-Jong glanced at each other, happiness glittered in their eyes despite the threat at the prospect of having a guise to spend more time with each other. They kept their backs straight and eyes forward as Jennilee and Byung-Wook pricked their fingers and closed the deal with blood magic. The walk to the sleeping bunker on the training grounds may have been a little fast paced and Hyo-Jong may have forced some of his men that night to remain silent with threats to their lives.

A piece of meat was thrust into the man’s face as he sat in the dirt. He looked up to another man with the plumpest lips he’s ever seen and warm brown eyes that gave his a run for their money. The man gave a kind smile and nudged the food further into the sitting man’s face. They both ignored the mist dampening their hair, warning of later rain, and the man took the piece of meat from the other’s hand cautiously. Once the man went back inside, the man sitting greedily ate the meat; it was cold and had some burn marks but it was better than an empty stomach.

Rain was pouring down in buckets, the loud thumps of rain against the inn’s roof and the mud drowned out any other noise. The man was still sitting in the same spot from before, only now he was shivering under some poor attempt at a shelter and was covered in the mud underneath him. Too weak to move, he had resigned to his fate.

The man from the inn rushed out the door, a leather jacket he had traded for earlier in the week acting as an umbrella. He stopped himself a few paces from the door; he wasn’t sure what he had seen in his peripheral vision. But turning, he confirmed his thoughts as he looked down on the poor man that had taken food from him earlier. Sympathy quickly flooded his chest and guided his actions.

The man put on the leather jacket, ignoring how his hair became soaking wet, and moved over to the slumped man. He inserted his hands under the man’s arms and dragged him to the door, working extra hard to avoid his feet sinking into the slick mud. He dropped the man onto the rough wooden floors and stirred the fire to re-add heat to the room. He ran up to one of the rooms of the inn he knew would be unoccupied and yanked a blanket from the bed. Some customers at the bar gave the owner’s son strange looks as he ran to the back, arms full.

He carefully removed the soiled clothes from the unconscious man’s body and immediately covered him with the blanket. He hung the clothes near the fire so that they may dry and then started preparing food to replenish the man. Once the plate was full, he kneeled down and shook the man awake.

“What is your name?”. The man had moved into a sitting position and was shoveling the second plate of food into his mouth. The blanket on him had fallen to his waist which exposed the man’s pale skin and slim figure. Luckily he had stopped shaking and his hair had dried somewhat.

“Mn Ygi”

“What?”

The man swallowed the mouthful, “Min Yoongi.”

“Oh,” his mouth formed a perfect ‘o’. “I am Kim SeokJin. My father owns this inn.” Jin admired Yoongi’s thinner lips, squinted eyes, and squishy nose, “If you want, I can convince my father to let you stay here so long as you work.”

“Jimin, you’re going to get us in trouble,” the man weakly protested as Jimin worked kisses up his neck. They had snuck from their training session in order to take advantage of the quiet bunker, something that rarely occurred with the all-male army.

“Jungkook! Jimin!”

They shot to opposite sides of Jungkook’s cot as their lieutenant walked in.

“Of course I would find you two in here.”

“Sorry, Taehyung,” Jimin sheepishly looked down. Jungkook was not used to Jimin being so informal with someone of a higher rank and was afraid to refer to the man the same as his lover, but it seemed the man didn’t mind so much as he broke into a wide grin.

“Get back outside before Jin-ki sees that you’re gone. Then you’ll really be in trouble.”

Taehyung brought his hand up as if he were about to brush it against Jungkook’s cheek, but quickly dropped it and turned and lead the men out of the room. The two forces had joined a few weeks ago but Jungkook and Jimin still had yet to get used to the sudden presence of women amongst their ranks. The women joining them meant they also had more eyes to watch out for even though they slept in different bunks. Some years of sneaking had taught the two men the signs of secrecy but they decided that not exposing the admirals would be for the best, considering that tensions were also high between the two armies.

Most of the men and them themselves refused to spar with the women, spreading the belief that they were weaker than them. Disputes over how to train the younger men and women also rose during their weeks together. Surprisingly, the women were harsher during their training which either took the men off guard or spurred them to act more aggressive. This change in behavior, unfortunately, trickled down to Jungkook and Jimin.

Jimin could hold his own during a fight. He had proven that many times with his training and the small battles defending his master’s land. He was more flexible than the average soldier and so he was graceful during his sessions, and quick. But this opponent was being noticeably aggressive towards Jimin. Jungkook flinched with every hit that landed upon Jimin’s body. He would have to make sure to be extra careful with the man later in the night.

Jimin cut through the air and he had landed a few severe blows on his opponent. But where his opponent lacked in agility, he made up in brute strength. Jimin had poorly timed a kick to the man’s torso and was subsequently dragged to the ground when the man caught his foot. He used the position to his advantage and quickly moved over Jimin and grabbed him by the neck. Jimin wrapped his body around the man’s abnormally large arm in an attempt to free himself from the stone cold grip. The man foiled Jimin’s counter maneuver by lifting his arm and slamming it, and Jimin, to the ground beneath. A sickening crack was heard as Jimin’s grip went slack with breathlessness, yet the man didn’t cease.

As the man brought a fist into the air, Jungkook rushed the man and tackled him off of Jimin. They rolled on the ground, trying to gain the upper hand and as the man did, Jungkook quickly hit the man in the throat and turned them so that he was straddling the man. His fists quickly made time marring the man’s face til soon blood was mixing in with the dirt. The man had landed a few blows against Jungkook’s ribs but was futile as Jungkook saw red.

Arms were pulling Jungkook from the now badly beaten man. His first instinct was to rush to Jimin but the disproving looks from his admiral, captain, and lieutenant halted him. Jimin was now standing with the help of another woman and was giving Jungkook a look of sadness and gratitude. The man was slowly getting to his feet behind Jungkook with the help of a few others that banded with him.

“You best sleep with one eye open. May you suffer the harshest punishment for your transgressions against the natural order.”

The man sneers and spits blood at Jungkook’s feet, who is too frozen to the spot.

“Take care of this.” Hyo-Jong gruffly ordered.

“If I may, Admiral. It may be best for me to administer the punishment as you and Captain Jin-ki are preoccupied,” Taehyung quickly interjected with a bow. Hyo-Jong and Jin-ki regarded their inferior before Hyo-Jong nodded and walked away. Taehyung silently breathed out a sigh of relief. Taehyung excused the three men to clean themselves, promising publicly that he would deal with them once the day’s events had come to an end.

Seokjin nervously stood to the side as his father eyed Yoongi up and down. Yoongi had tried to look as impassive as possible during the inspection from the older man, but he could occasionally feel his lip twitch and the urge to rub his ears. Yoongi’s dry clothes were stiff and no doubtedly smelled. Their declaration of his status was something he feared would ruin this opportunity at a warm bed and sustainable food.

“What is it you are able to do, boy?”

Yoongi heard Seokjin lowly slip out his name, to submissive to actually call out his father but refusing for Yoongi to be referred to as ‘boy’.

“Anything you require,” Yoongi kept his voice low. “But I am especially gifted at writing poetry.”

Interest lights in the man’s eyes, “Music and poetry are very similar to one another, yes, boy?” Yoongi unsurely nods in agreement. “Do you have any skill with instruments?”

“I play the piano.”

“Excellent,” Seokjin’s father loudly clapped his hands, startling Yoongi, “You shall work in the kitchen as payment to board and during your spare time you will teach my son how to play the piano.”

“Father, that’s not nece-”

“Deal.”

“All I am saying is that she needs to mind her own.”

Namjoon watched Hoseok move about the barn with angry gestures. Since being Byung-Wook’s favored servants, they had intuitively turned to each other as confidants. With the recent changes over the weeks, they sought each other out more and more.

“This witch takes far too many trips for my horses to properly rest. And she doesn’t tell Master Byung-Wook where she is leaving, so for all we know, she could be conspiring with this traitor.”

“Taehyung tells me that since Hyun-ah has joined them there are fewer attacks, Hyo-Jong hasn’t lost as many men,” Namjoon informed while focused on his nails.

“As if Taehyung has much to tell. He’s too infatuated with those two soldiers,” Hoseok muttered. “His stupidity will only end in banishment and loneliness. He’s hopeless.”

“Well, I hope he’s certainly not as hopeless as you hold him to be because he is the only person in Byung-Wook’s ranks that we can trust so far.” Namjoon frowned at Hoseok.

“I don’t even understand why you went to him. I could do the same as him with less suspicion.” Jealousy coated Hoseok’s voice.

“This was before Byung-Wook granted us abilities. And if you were to do anything with your ability, you know Byung-Wook would know.” Namjoon stepped close to Hoseok’s face, “I have managed to hide that from him this long and I’m not about to risk it now because you have some petty quarrel with a man you don’t even know. Remember, you came to me. If you want the freedom you say you so crave then listen to me and don’t do anything until you have my permission. Understood?”

Hoseok stared past Namjoon with his jaw clenched.

Namjoon patted the man’s shoulder, “Good.”

“Lieutenant Kim,”

Taehyung was supervising Jungkook and Jimin as they cleaned the bunk and turned to see Byung-Wook’s servant at the doorway. Jimin watched with curious eyes as they bowed to each other and walked outside together.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Jimin whispered.

Jungkook grunted and sat back on his thighs, “I don’t know. The Master probably sent him to talk to Lieutenant Kim.”

“Yeah, but they’ve been speaking to each other a lot,” Jimin drew his shoulders in. The insecurity in his voice left an unsettling feeling in Jungkook’s stomach.

“Why does it matter?” Jimin sheepishly looked away from Jungkook to focus on making one of the beds. Jungkook stood and made his way behind Jimin. “Jimin. Why do you care?”

“Something just feels off. There’s something going on with Taehyung. I know you’ve noticed it too.”

“It’s none of our business. It most likely has to do with The Master. It’s not our place to question what they do.”

Before Jimin could get another word out, Taehyung re-entered the bunk. Upon seeing the men’s inactivity, he gave a dissatisfied frown but said nothing. The faraway look in his eyes worried Jimin though he did nothing as Jungkook nudged him to begin cleaning again.

The sun had long set and Jungkook and Jimin were both sore, jointly from the multiple bruises and their punishment. Sweaty men began filling into the bunk, plenty happy with full stomachs that their spaces had been organized and cleaned. Their beds seemed extra soft with the pressed blankets, tucked corners, and fluffed pillows. Jungkook doled out dirty looks as he watched the men ungratefully enjoy the fruits of his labor, even if it had been a punishment.

Hyuna looked down at the beaten man, sweat dripping down the sides of her face and hair sticking to the back of her neck. Hyo-Jong’s footsteps sounded upon the soft earth as he jogged to the two. Chips of armor and the man’s weapons laid a few feet away from him. Hyuna saw the way he glanced at the weapon and hit him once more, completely knocking him to the ground. Hyo-Jong sent a wary glance at Hyuna and the man then signaled for the few soldiers patrolling with him to retrieve the man. They lifted the struggling man from beneath his arms and disappeared past the forest line to the training field.

“Are you hurt?”

Hyuna shook her head as she relaxed into Hyo-Jong’s concerned hold. He brushed a few strands that stuck to her forehead back and pressed his nose onto the top of her head. They quickly separated as some of Hyuna’s soldiers ran to them, nearly as worn as their admiral.

“Han-Bi, tell that Master Byung-Wook that we have captured one of the traitor’s men.”

“You want to spread your fingers more.”

Yoongi guided Jin’s hand to properly rest upon the piano keys. The bench assigned to the piano was small, so the two men had been forced to squeeze together. Yoongi had tried to teach Jin standing, but Jin felt paranoid with Yoongi peering over his shoulder and Yoongi grew annoyed at the mistakes he wasn’t able to adequately correct with the distance.

A broken melody composed of hesitant notes filled the room. Yoongi would flinch every time a harsh note reverberated in his ears and would replay the song for Jin. Luckily, Jin was talented with music and so he had picked up the skill fairly easily. Though Jin still had much to learn.

After spending half the day practicing the one song, Jin picked up the tempo and was soon playing to the correct pace. Yoongi closed his eyes and focused on the music coming from the piano and the soft, concentrated breathing coming from the man close beside him. It took him a few seconds to realize that Jin had stopped playing and opened his eyes to come face to face with the man. Yoongi’s eyes searched the chocolate brown eyes melting in the sun’s light, wanting to experience the sweetness.

He cleared his throat and slid an inch off the bench, “Why did you stop playing?”

Jin playfully shrugged his shoulders. His eyes flickered to Yoongi and the corners of his lips lifted and he tilted his head, “Maybe I want to hear you play.”

The tips of Yoongi’s ears turned a bright red and his hand darted towards them before he awkwardly laughed. Jin held in a laugh as he watched Yoongi slide another inch off the bench.

“You should continue playing, you’re getting a lot better.”

“I’ve been practicing for too long. I want to do something different.” Yoongi tongued the corner of his lips, torn between following Jin’s father’s orders and making Jin practice more or pleasing the man and allowing him to practice free will. Jin decided for him and sprung up, dragging Yoongi with him.

The kitchen was busy with orders as men bustled in and out of the keep of the motel. Yoongi got a large whiff of stew as a waiter passed by him. By now, Yoongi had become familiar with the layout of the kitchen in which he was saved in. The beaten wooden floors, the stone fire, and the large wash bin and the stack of dishes that remained no matter how many hours he spent laboring over them.

“My father doesn’t know but I enjoy cooking. He believes that as his son, I have no need to learn to cook. He only let me learn piano after seeing a nobleman’s son play.”

Jin smiled but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Is piano something you enjoy?”

Jin shakes his head, “I once saw a man in the street playing guitar. I would have much preferred to learn that but my father saw the piano as more elegant.”

Yoongi listened intently and watched as Jin stole a bowl of stew from a tray passing by and sat at the table meant for the cooks to take their meals. He spared a glance at the man that angrily huffed at Jin and yelled for a new dish. As Yoongi on the opposite side of the table, Jin pushed the bowl forward and held out a spoon. Yoongi took Jin up on his offer and began eating with him.

“Mmmm,” Jin closed his eyes in contentment, “I could make better.”

“I trust you,” Yoongi eyes squinted in adoration. Jin responded with an affectionate gaze and reached over to rub Yoongi’s hand, letting his fingers linger a second too long for it to be considered a gesture of simple thanks.

Yoongi kept his hood up as he slinked through the town market. The smell of fried foods and sight of fruit stands made his stomach growl, but he was here for one thing and refused to be distracted. He finally found the stand he was looking for. A crowd of people concealed the actual stand but the music that drifted through the air indicated he was in the right place.

He elbowed past some people to the front of the crowd. In the center a man sat on the ground, guitar situated in his lap. Yoongi wasn’t sure if it was the same man that Jin had told him about. He had a feeling that it was as the man had gray running through his hair. The man’s fingers moved swiftly upon the strings, almost becoming a blur. The melody produced matched the man’s fingers, quick and smooth.

Yoongi waited until the man stopped playing and the people dispersed to other stands. The man didn’t notice Yoongi. He had his back turned towards him as he put away the guitar. Yoongi cleared his throat, demanding the man’s attention.

“I’m here to trade for a guitar.”

The man quirked an eyebrow at Yoongi. “And what would you trade? From the looks of it, you would be better off trading the little you probably have for a good size meal.”

Yoongi sucked in his lips in annoyance, “I can offer a few nights stay at the Ossu Sieromushi.”

The man considered Yoongi’s words for a few moments before shaking his head. “Good food but I have no need.”

Yoongi took a few steps closer to the man. “Please. This is important. I just want a guitar, I’ll even take one that’s broken.”

“Listen, boy, you have nothing to offer me. Get lost.”

Yoongi backed into the street and disparagingly watched as the man finished packing his stand and left. He rubbed his hair beneath his hood and began the trek back to the inn when suddenly a hand grabbed onto his shoulder. He whipped around to a man much taller than him with a powerful aura.

“May I help you?”

“I overheard that you were looking for a guitar.” Yoongi squinted at the man. “My name is Kim Namjoon and I am a servant for Lord Byung-Wook. I believe he has an old guitar that I could acquire for you. All I ask is for a few minutes of your time to speak.”

Yoongi’s eyes lit up at the mention of the guitar. Namjoon shifted his hand to the space between Yoongi’s shoulder blades and together they walked into a shaded alleyway. Yoongi looked behind him, scared that people would be judging them and scared for himself. He had no idea what this man was capable of or if he was being honest about his identity in the first place.

Namjoon used the brick wall of the building behind him as support and looked Yoongi up and down. The energy that Namjoon had sensed from the man greatly mismatched his stature. The power he felt, he assumed that he would have found a larger man.

“Do you know of the Amarbhagat?” Namjoon guesses from the confused look Yoongi gives that he does not. “Not many commoners do. Hundreds of years before us, as magic users became more commonplace. After a few began feuding, they started investing in protection for themselves. Spells worked but they were tiresome and when they grew more powerful in society, it was more practical to have others do it for you. The thing is, is that humans are disposable and no amount of manpower, weapons, and preparation can take on a powerful witch. So witch’s developed a spell that allowed them to grant immortality to others. The catch is that anyone that is granted immortality can pass it on to others as they have access to that magic. Once servants and soldiers started passing on this immortality to their loved ones and friends, it threatened the witch’s standing and they grew strict.”

Namjoon paused to allow Yoongi some time to retain the information just told. Yoongi hummed to indicate for Namjoon to continue.

“Nowadays, immortality is usually only granted to those that make up the army of the Lord or Lady they are serving. Together, they make up the Amarbhagat.”

“What does this information have to do with anything?” Yoongi glared at the man, sure he was just wasting his time

“Why is this guitar so important to you?”

Yoongi blushed but quickly hid it with an even sharper glare. “Don’t change the subject. Why tell me about the Amarbhat?” Namjoon smirked, not surprised by Yoongi’s cleverness.

“Amarbhagat. And I am telling you because I am one,” Yoongi’s face transforms into one of shock, “The main thing I wished to do is offer you a deal. One that we would both benefit from.”

Tagged: @detectivebourbon @eshika0102 @xsmilebitesx @perfectlyfangirling @eilowyneleyne @itsapurrfectstorm @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers @suck-my-bts @rosymccheese @craftypersoncheesecake @ficcion-escrita @twilight-loveer @perfectlyfangirling @respectfully-yours-emily @delightfulyoongi @disfoqia @deathsasshole @mint-myg-yoongi @vljvanessa @young-yellkie @jungkookssistan @sincemalik @milady-mira @stardustjjk @recoveringflowerchild @xandraray22 @shelley-hennig14 @justapotatonow @riyahrocks @notalentforsubservience

#bts x reader #jin x suga #yoongi x jin #jungkook x jimin #jikook #taehyung x jimin #vmin #taehyung x jimin x jungkook #vminkook #namjoon x hoseok #poly bts x reader #soulmate au #history au #flashback #immortal bts #bts au #poly bts #at last #bts fic

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bigskydreaming · 5 years

Text

So it took interest rates that were like WE OWN UR SOUL NOW U FOOL HAHA TWILL BE OURS FOREVER, but joke’s on them lol like I never use that thing anyway. But I got the personal loan for $10K in the end after like a month of searching but who knew that obsessively raising my credit score for a year by like....occasionally chilling all night in an IHOP rather than use a credit card too much on a room would like....pay off with a credit score that actually is useful to me in a way that means I don’t even care right now that hahaha credit scores are just pointless imaginary numbers that really only exist because capitalism’s a dick?

Look I’m allowed to be a hypocrite for three weeks let me have this, I promise I’ll go back to ranting about people selling their souls for the sake of strings of binary code on a computer screen, like just cuz I wasn’t using mine doesn’t mean other ppl don’t want theirs.

Because oh yeah so I was like gimme the loan plz and they were like ugh fine and I somehow got my credit card companies to raise my limits because I’ve had them for over a year now and I honestly couldn’t even tell you how I convinced them to do that like did I haggle did I beg did I put out, who knows, it’s been a very long and strange and sleep deprived month and that’s on top of a long, strange, sleep-deprives two years. Point is between raising my limits on those two, the loan of DOOM and getting a CareCredit card with the remaining credit left to me or before the latter realized I’d just massively dinged my credit cuz the raised limits and loan hadn’t been reported yet, I came up with the $12400. Like again most of that is in the form of imaginary money that I’ll probably spend years paying out of future paychecks so if anyone wants to go ahead and put The Revolution on the books for like, say October, that would actually really work for me. I’d even be all pumped and full of rest and vigor and extra fightey and like, you know how fightey I usually am to begin with I’m just saying....

So now I am literally just waiting for my loan check to clear in my bank account cuz my doctor doesn’t accept checks. Second it does, probably Monday, I’ll go down to my doctors office, pay the $6200 upfront and finish the insurance paperwork for them to submit the claim for the insurance company’s part of it, and they can officially schedule my surgery, possibly in as little as three weeks??!!

Which is absolutely surreal to me, like after literal years of treading water and setbacks and everything dragging out endlessly and he’ll even just yesterday, it’s utterly bizarre finishing my stuff at my bank and doctor’s this morning and hearing how matter of fact they all are about how quickly things could happen now and like. Finally be over. Or like, start lol in the sense of holy shit I could actually maybe have an actual life again.

They can’t confirm a date until my first payment is processed, only then does she officially put me on the books at Cedar Sinai when they can get me into an open OR, but it hopefully could be the 20th. She’s already got another surgery scheduled for that day and an OR booked for it with potential slots before and after it but I can’t count on the 20th as a given just yet. Could still be one, two or even three weeks after that before they actually fit me in, so I’m trying not to set my thoughts and hopes too much on that three weeks from now appointment but that’s easier said than done. LOL.

But whenever it’s actually set for, I go in the day of, pay the second half of the payment, and the surgery takes a few hours but they send me home the same day. My high school friend from San Diego hopefully is going to be able to take enough time off to look out for me while I recover, we’ve been tentatively planning for that for most of a year but couldn’t guarantee anything with her work until we had actual dates which I mean we still don’t technically have. But my jaw will be wired shut for ten days so there’s no way I can manage on my own, esp the way I’ve been getting by day-to-day, and I’ll be on a liquid diet and having to drink everything through a special straw and stuff and completely unable to talk the whole time and oh yeah also apparently in agonizing pain that I’ve been extensively warned could put anything I’ve experienced thus far to shame, so I’m really REALLY looking forward to that part lol. Currently pondering the viability of just knocking myself unconscious every day. We’ll see how it goes.

But after that I go back in ten days later and they unwire my jaw, check that everything looks okay and I’m healing the way I’m supposed to, and I have two weeks of physical therapy and....that’s it. It’s over. I’m just. I’m just leaving that right there for now because I honestly don’t even know what to do with that thought after all this time, it’s. Like I can’t quite wrap my head around it and even really picture how that works. Idk my brain just fizzes out and it’s like wait, are you sure, that doesn’t sound right.

But like I made them go over it multiple times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything or understanding it wrong or whatever, like my doctor was this combination of kinda amused but also exasperated when I finally stopped asking to go over it all again. LOL look I just really really really needed to be sure there wasn’t something else involved that like I was supposed to already know or have been told by someone else, I don’t know okay? Anyone who’s been following me the last couple years knows that this isn’t how this sort of things go, they’re supposed to get my hopes up and then tell me they have no clue what’s wrong or send me off to someone else or tell me oh yeah you also need another thirty thousand and an MRI and some headgear that’s like made of platinum, but we just thought you already knew that. LOL.

But. I mean. Yeah. That’s it. I checked. A lot. Theoretically though unless there’s some new bizarre development in which case I will most likely detach my spirit from my body and evolve into my ultimate great rage power Digimon form, AreYouFreakingKiddingMeMon, and go like, fight god or the physical embodiment of the universe or whatever like I keep threatening....like, that really is what��s left. And then it’s all over. My jaw should by all accounts be restored to its full functionality from before all this. No more pain, no more eternal headache, no vertigo, blind-outs, no problems eating any particular food or swallowing or 45 degree slope to my lower jaw, none of the shit that’s been my day to day existence for well. Years. LOL.

Yeah. Really don’t know what to do with that yet. I just. Can’t. Haha.

Anyway, as I’ve said before, I literally couldn’t have made it to this point without the support of people here, both emotionally and financially. I hate to ask it because you’ve helped so much already, but I’m definitely going to have to ask for your help a little longer, there’s just no way around it. I am completely wiped and tbh overwhelmed so I’m probably going to try and sleep the rest of the day - I was pretty much up all night, unable to sleep while I waited to hear back on all this.

Then when my head’s fully processing things again and not friztzing our because I’ve forgotten how to process good news, lol, I’ll probably be putting together a post asking for your help paying my insurance premiums one last time, and on Monday or once I get the official set in stone date for my surgery I’ll be doing another, basically begging you guys to help keep me afloat the hopefully no more than three weeks til then.

I really really hate having to do that when I know you all have helped and given so much already, and it’ll literally be nothing more than my basic expenses of motel room and food, I don’t need anything beyond that, but I truly don’t see anyway around it. I exhausted every possible avenue available for me to try with my credit in order to get this loan and raise my limits enough, and I milked every cent I could out of those. There’s just no more money to be pulled out of any of that, it took everything I had to get what I needed for the surgery. And I’m afraid of the very real possibility that if I don’t ask for this help because of pride or because of how much I’ve asked for already, I’ll end up using one of my credit cards to pay for my room and such and end up stuck without enough money at hand to cover the second half payment on my day of surgery and I truly literally can not afford that. I have no idea what will happen with my insurance if I have to reschedule, how long it would take to reschedule, etc.

And the other side of this is there’s really not a whole lot left I can do for work at the moment. I’ve finished off all my existing projects except for one last cover and they already paid for it in advance. I honestly don’t know that I could take on new jobs if it ends up with my surgery on the 20th in just three weeks. Searching for more jobs and clients has become more and more time consuming these past months as is, and the simple truth is I couldn’t in good conscience or in honesty guarantee any new clients that I could finish their job in that time frame. Not with my present state physically and mentally and the uncertainty of my day to day expenses and stress about potential complications hanging over my head and not, truthfully, mixing all that well with my pre-existing mental health conditions lol. And yeah, if I can’t guarantee getting any new projects done in three weeks, I can’t afford to take them on for any potential client’s sake, not to mention the sake of my professional reputation, which I will really need to be, y’know, intact, in order to rebuild my life basically from the ground up, once my previous physicality and quality of life comes back after my surgery and recovery (knock on wood). With at least two or three weeks of recovery after the surgery even assuming it goes well and has no other complications, that’s way too much time to leave clients hanging and not be available to address any needs, concerns, revisions, etc. Especially if they’re not returning clients but brand new ones.

So yeah, as much as I would love to not have to ask for any more help than I already have and have been given, I sincerely just don’t see any alternatives that don’t jeopardize or risk wasting all the help I’ve already been given. You know I am fully aware of just how much that is and what its cost some of you, and I already could never repay you for this, not even in terms of just the money itself, but the fact that I know some of you have given at your own very real expense, sending me money that you really could have used yourself, that wasn’t any kind of surplus. I am already beyond grateful and humbled and overwhelmed how many of you have stepped forward to help me in ways that even though I’m older than many of you, I honestly have no precedent for, in ways and to an extent I’ve never received help or support from family. So I just needed to say that again, because I have not asked for any of this lightly, and I don’t now either. Really, really thank you. I’m not exaggerating or being dramatic or hyperbolic or silly for a change, when I say you guys most likely saved my life. Its simple fact. Hell, I was genuinely hours away from sleeping outside freezing my ass off in December, that first time I posted asking for help and you guys came through for me. So, yeah. I will never ever forget this, and never ever be able to give back as much as I’ve been given these past few months, though I will always do my best to pay it forward.

I’m going to go ahead and leave my paypal link here anyway, though I’ll be making those two additional posts tomorrow and next week, as I said. Aiming to keep them shorter than this, well, shorter than any of my posts, really, as shorter posts really just get more traction and I’ll need that. I can always link to the longer explanations of my situation for those wanting to know more.

Again, thank you all more than I can figure out how to put into words. I’m finally. Fuck. LOL. Sorry, I’m being very umm, sentimental over here but like its your fault I’m overwhelmed lol, like omg you guys, you can’t just throw love and affection and support at a guy with so much childhood traaaaaaaaauma, his brain doesn’t know how to handle it, look, you broke him. Are you happy? You broke his brain machine.

Okay cool, we’re back to inanity and obnoxious humor as an overcompensating self-defense mechanism, whew, everything’s normal, everyone can relax. LOL. Anyway, I’m gonna shut up now and go try and get some rest. Just know that I’m doing so feeling way more....hopeful? Optimistic? Faith-in-humanity-and-goodwill-and-community-ey? Than I have in years.

....the fact that I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now is called probably tells you all you need to know about me, huh? LMFAO God I’m so messed up lol. But whatever. Still alive and kicking. So. Y’know. There’s always that.

https://paypal.me/bigskydreaming?locale.x=en_US

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doinurmommy · 5 years

Text

Process of Elimination

Rating: E

Words: Just under 4k

Pairing: Murphy/10k, takes place as of season 5

Warnings: Sex, Swearing, non-con elements (Both parties consent throughout tho), BDSM elements, under negotiated kink, older man/ younger man, MurphyK

10k goes to Murphy for help figuring out who, and more importantly what he is after losing his hand.

10k absentmindedly pushed a toothpick around his mouth, staring at his hand trapped behind thick layers of glass and fluid. He wondered if Red thought about the fact he was more than likely immune when she tried to justify cutting his hand off. Probably not, but then again she didn’t know what it was like for him, not having his hand on top of everything that’s happened to him these past few years. The one thing that really made him, himself was his ability to shoot. His whole identity was based on the amount of zombies he's killed and the vast majority of those had been with his rifle. If he wasn’t a sniper then who was he? Just some dumb 20 something with a bum arm? A blend? He shivered thinking of the last one. He felt like he was losing his mind. No. He wasn’t a blend. Definitely not a talker. He wasn’t exactly a human either, but he wasn’t sure what exactly that made him. He had to figure it out for himself what he is and who he wants to be.

He couldn’t stand being around Red. It just made him feel worse every time she tried to justify it and gloss over his pain. Deep down he understood and didn’t hold it against her, but that didn’t make it any easier. He couldn’t talk to Warren about it, she’d just adamantly insist that he is a human or that it really doesn’t matter anyways. He supposed it didn’t in the grand scheme of things, but it mattered to him. Sarge isn’t exactly an option anymore; not that she’d really understand anyways. Sun-mei would just try to diagnose his “condition” medically.

He had to talk to Murphy. As much as he hated to admit it, if anyone understood his situation it was Murphy. Now just to find the bastard.

>>>>>

10k walked into the red tinted room, stalking past the hordes of talkers and blends. He wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference if it weren’t for the side glances Murphy’s blends gave him. He looked around getting glimpses of strippers and strange games as he passed by. And of course behind the bar sat, Murphy. “Thomas. So glad to see you,” He flung his arms open palms facing the sky, like he was serving a grand meal. “Welcome to Limbo,” was cackled into his ear as an arm wrapped its self around 10k’s shoulder.

10k shuddered as he felt Murphy’s hand on his shoulder and his breathe on his cheek. He hadn’t been this close to Murphy since Warren had choked him to death. A shot of fear ran through his veins; maybe this was the wrong idea. “Well, this is a surprise Thomas. I never thought you’d come to visit Big Red in Limbo. Maybe you’ll get lucky and still be here tomorrow. Tomorrow’s a Tuesday,” Laughing low, Murphy pulled away from him, summoning some talker with holes in her torso to pour two drinks. He set one in front of 10k, swirling his finger along the rim of the glass. “Drink up Ten Thousand, you’d be rude to turn down a free drink.”

10k looked down into the amber liquid, swallowing nervously. He raised the drink to his mouth taking a large sip, maintaining eye contact with Murphy. Whatever games he was trying to play 10k would win.

“So tell me, Why have you come to see The Big Red One today? You’ve been awfully quiet so far,” Murphy said in a mocking tone, lower lip pouting. He leaned over the bar, speaking directly to 10k, forcing his way into 10k’s space, and forcing the young man to avert his gaze down to the counter.

“I...” 10k thought of an excuse of the top off his head, “Needed a drink. Been through a lot.”

“Your hand?” They shared an awkward glance, 10k nodding slowly in response.

“And something else.”

“Lady problems? We’ve got plenty here for ya’,” There was something humorous in his voice, like he knew the answers to his questions and was just playing.

“Well Sarge is dead, and Red...” 10k shrugged, “Well... she cut off my hand.”

“Oh,” Murphy looked taken aback at the news of Sarge’s death, “Well atleast that should help uncomplicate the lady situation.”

“Yeah.” 10k felt hot anger rising in his torso and hands at the nonchalant mention of Sarge’s death.

“So have you come here in search of a little papa Murphy? Of my guiding hand?”

“No-I”

“Follow me, Thomas. These talkers are rather nosey,” 10k rose from his bar stool to follow Murphy into a dimly lit room, a single lamp glowed warm yellow on the edge of a desk. Other than the desk, the lamp, and a few papers the room was bare. 10k turned to

“What-” Murphy cut him off with a tutting sound, what a prick.

“You’re here because you wanna figure out what you are. Physically, you aren’t a human, you aren’t a talker either. Are you a blend? Are you something else?” He asked the questions with the same air of humor, almost mocking the young man in front of him. He continued more matter-of-fact than anything, “Personally you’re not sure who you are or who you want to be. Your relationships are on the rocks, and that was before Sarge died. And you came here for some kind of -answers? Am I wrong?”

Murphy circled around Thomas after shutting and locking the door. 10k looked up at him, shaking his head; his tongue nervously darted across his bottom lip. He hadn’t been sure what kind of answers he would get when he came here, but he thought back on when he and Murphy had been taken by the collector. At the time he had been afraid but now looking back the memory felt hazy, like trying to remember all the details of a book. This felt the same, like he was watching this happen frame by frame, trapped in his own body.

“Well maybe I could try to give you those answers,” Murphy ducked his head, backing 10k into the desk, kissing and sucking on his neck. “Tell me you don’t want this Thomas.”

“I-” 10k stumbled over his words, “I don’t know.” He breathed out heavily. He had never felt like this, nervous, afraid, and excited all in one, confusing, package. Every time he had sex it had been with women, with enthusiasm, he had been the instigator in those cases. But now? He was the prey. and it was....

Exhilarating.

His arms shook against the desk as he gripped the edge. His knuckles turning white with the effort it took to hold him up with one hand. His other arm supported some of his weight, the pain in it long forgotten. He locked eyes with Murphy, testing the waters.

“Why don’t we help you find out what you do want 10k,” Murphy pressed down with his hips, feeling 10k already half hard beneath him. 10k sighed, face going deep red.

10k yelped out a surprised gasp as Murphy’s hand came up to choke him, feeling the lack of oxygen brought him back to that moment Murphy had both helped give him life and helped take it away. Thick tears began to roll down his cheeks as Murphy kissed them into his skin.

“Oh did that hurt you princess?” Murphy sneered as he released 10k’s throat, hearing him gasp for air.

He thought about it for a moment before roughly responding “Kind of.”

“Well we’ve ruled out dead, zombie, and most likely talker. Let’s keep going, shall we?” Murphy waited for the small nod 10k gave before placing his knee in-between 10k’s thighs and grinding upwards.

Judging by the small noises 10k made it was clear he could feel what Murphy was doing to him, “Unhh Murphy,” 10k dug his nails into Murphy’s arms as he continued letting out small needy breathes. He was shocked when Murphy landed a hard slap on his cheek, the hot sting lingering.

“And that? What about that?” Murphy gripped 10k’s chin forcing him to look at the older man.

“Stings,” 10k responded shortly.

“Well I think we’ve ruled out talker, but I think we should keep experimenting. Do you agree Thomas? He came around to 10k’s side moving to rub his hand lightly over 10k’s good one. 10k grimaced as Murphy went to place his other hand on the stump of 10k’s right wrist. He pulled back quickly. Murphy was an asshole, but not that cruel.

10k finally responded to the question, nodding enthusiastically. “Well then. I think you should disrobe in that case.” Murphy more so ordered than suggested.

10k followed instructions immediately, red blush spreading down his shoulders and chest. What was he doing? What was he thinking? He wasn’t. Following Murphy’s orders like that. He has a girlfriend. Sarge just died. Murphy kept him as a slave for what felt like years. He hates him. And yet here he is. Letting Murphy treat him however he likes, pushed up against a desk in his boxers. Just. For. Murphy. And he loved it. He felt a rush of adrenaline as a cool breeze brushed across his hot, bare skin. “M-” 10k managed to start before being cut off.

“Uh-Uh Thomas, Something tells me we could put that mouth to better use.”

10k shivered at the use of his real name, being push down to rest on his knees by a firm red hand on his shoulder. Murphy’s hands felt enourmous, the calouses that dressed those hands felt rough across his bare skin, making his nerve endings tingle and buzz. “How do you feel 10k?” The taller man asked from his positon looming over him.

“Good. I feel... alive.”

Murphy chuckled, “Interesting choice of words, but you haven’t convinced me you’re human yet, Thomas. We’ll have to keep going.” He brushed 10k’s hair out of his eyes, one hand on his belt, sliding it out of the loops. He tossed the belt aside, making a metallic clink as the belt hit the concrete floor. 10k’s attention followed Murphy’s hand to his belt line, where he was freeing his dick from its confines. He jerked himself to full hardness, gently thumbing open 10k’s mouth and feeding him his cock. the kid dropped his jaw, letting a large majority of Murhpy’s length into his mouth.

And it was large. Thomas choked lightly around it. He briefly wondered if this was how his other partners felt when they’d slept together. Vunerable, a little embarassed, but so so, painfully aroused. Beginning to bob his head gently, he groaned around Alvin, who smiled coyly down at him. He tried to emulate what Red and Sarge had done to him, but he was messy and sloppy at first, spit running down his chin and onto his shirt.

Murphy groaned none the less. The kid was nothing, if enthusiastic. “You’re getting the hang of it,” he said encouragingly, causing 10k to double his efforts, gagging every time he took Murphy in. Tommy braced himself against Murphy’s thighs, choking himself on his cock. He grabbed one of Murphy’s hands, which had previously been resting on the desk behind them, and placed it on the back of his head. Murphy twisted his hand into his hair, yanking harshly. The kid’s puppy dog eyes and red puffy lips wrapped around a cock were enough to make any man cum on sight.

Murphy gripped a fistful of hair tighter, pistoning his hips roughly into the young man’s wet mouth, an obscene squelching sound filled the office as he fucked into 10k’s face. A single fat wet tear rolled down the kid’s face, which was scrunched up in displeasure. Murphy blew his load at the visual, dick kicking and releasing hot spurts of cum down 10k’s throat. “Lucky for you my zombie messiah powers make me recovery time short,” he snorted, pulling out of 10k’s mouth.

10k spit on the ground at Murphy’s feet until the awful salty taste in his mouth was gone, shooting a disgusted look to the man above him. Murphy frowned, pulling him up to a standing position with a harsh hand under his chin.

“You’re an ungrateful shit,” Murphy spat out at 10k, rubbing a thumb through the drool and cum that glazed the boy’s chin. “Taste,” He demanded, his thumb forcing it’s way past the swollen pink lips. “What does it taste like princess?” he said, tone mocking how disgruntled Thomas looked.

“Awful.”

“Well clearly you can taste. That helps your case that you’re human.” 10k found himself both afraid and aroused at the look Murphy gave him, determined almost. “Turn around. Hands on the desk,” He shook as he followed the order, bending over the desk in nothing but his underwear, erection bumping up against the hard wood under him.

“Please,” He didn’t have any idea what he was pleading for.

“Begging won’t get you anywhere Thomas. Although... I do hope you continue because it sounds so so,” he grinned as he spoke intentions evident in his voice, “pretty.” He grabbed his belt off the floor, ordering 10k to keep his eyes on the desk. He walked slowly to the desk, emphazing his footsteps. Pulling the belt back, he let it fall down with a harsh slap on 10k’s ass, the thin fabric of his boxers doing nothing to protect the skin beneath. “You like counting so much, why don’t you count the lashes.”

He brought the whip down on 10k’s ass, again, and again, and again. No answer. Whap, Whap Whap.

“Count.” He demanded

He brought the belt down twice more, the leather making a whistling sound as it sliced through the air.

“Maybe you need incentive. My bad.” He yanked down the underwear separating the bare flesh from the harsh slap of the leather.

His ass was already red by the time he felt leather hit hot bare skin for the first time, he yelped as he felt the second blow to his bare skin hit in the same spot the first had. “One,” he said breathing fast and harsh through his nose, nostrils flaring at every hit. Each number, all the way up to ten, got louder and closer to a whine.

At ten Murphy moved to sit on the edge of the desk, guiding 10k instead, across his lap. massaging over the red marks that littered 10k’s white skin. “Maybe you are a blend, being so obedient for me.” In response to 10k’s glare he gave another harsh slap, this time with his hand. “Or maybe not.” He said sarcasticly, spanking 10k with his bare hand a few more times for good measure. Each time reveling in the feeling of the younger man’s rock hard dick bouncing against his leg.

“Just get on with it already,” 10k said, face growing hot with embarrasment.

“Get on with what, Tommy?” Murphy said innocently teasing the man in his lap.

“Fuck me. Please,” he pleaded.

“You want me to fuck you?” 10k nodded staring at the ground out of shame. “Well if you say so.” Murphy responded by pulling something out of one of the desk drawers. The kid heard a muffled click, cold lube coating his ass. He felt himself gasp against his will as Murphy pushed a finger inside him. He had only fingered himself once, and that was pre apocalypse. It had felt as weird as it did now, an uncomfortable stretch that surprisingly became pleasant. Lucky for him Murphy was much more experienced. He involuntarily bucked back onto the long digit in his ass, silently signalling that it was okay for the older man to add another.

After a few minutes 10k heard someone gasping out small “oh, oh, oh”s, he felt far away and floaty as he grinded down on murphy’s thigh, Murphy curling his finger to hit that sweet spot in 10k. He pleaded with Murphy to just fuck him already; that’s, kind of, what he came here for after all.

Murphy chuckled darkly, removing his fingers and lifting 10k and laying him with his back down on the desk. He picked the bottle of lube back up off the desk, coating himself thoroughly and giving a few tugs until he was fully hard again. He used his free hand to caress the face of the young man laid out beneath him.

“Just. Get. On. With. It,” 10k said softly, but as might have well have spat venom at Murphy.

“As you wish,” Murphy smirked lining himself up. “Princess bride?” He explained seeing the look on 10k’s face at the reference. “No? Ok.”He continued pushing in slowly, feeling 10k’s wrists lock together behind his neck. He inched in slowly allowing time for his partner to adjust.”Doing okay down there princess?” Murphy smiled sweetly, meeting 10k’s eyes.

10k nodded letting Murphy pull his legs up, to rest on his waist. He felt Murphy bottom out in him. He felt so incredibly uncomfortably full. He started to panic, everything was too much, the rub of his bare legs on Murphy’s clothes, the trapped feeling of having Murphy’s hands on either side of his head. The feeling of too full driving him over the edge. “M-Murphy-,” He managed to get out dropping a hand to grasp onto the sleeve of the older man bending over him.

“Hey, hey. Relax there buttercup,” Alvin tried to console him, placing a grounding touch on the side of his neck, brushing little strands of hair from his sweaty neck. His breathing slowed, the feeling of too much faded, and he found himself asking, no begging, Murphy to touch him. “Where?” Murphy replied, exasperated.

“I’ll do it myself then,” 10k snarled. He took his dick in hand and pumped himself back to full hardness. He kept furious eye contact with Murphy as he stared. “You gonna do something or is this a fucking museum?” He snapped, lip curling up into an ugly snarl.

Murphy snapped his hips forward, driving himself deeper and punch a gasp out of 10k He was careful to make it pleasurable, yet he went punishingly deep into 10k. He made sure to brush the kid’s prostate each time he slammed in. Moments later 10k was gasping, scrabbling for purchase with his hand while what remained of the other slid around frantically unable to aid in grounding him.

“Oh my god Murphy,” 10k grunted out, breath leaving him in short pants. He let his head roll back, looking at the ceiling, dazed. He couldn’t focus on anything, the feeling of being fucked bordering on too much but never crossing that line. He barely noticed Murphy asking him a question. “Huh?” He raised his head slightly.

Murphy didn’t repeat his question, but instead laughed lightheartedly adding a remark along the lines of, “That’s what I thought, Princess.” Thomas couldn’t have cared less what was being said to him, he was too busy focusing on centering himself. Worried he would pass out if he didn’t cum soon, he reached down to grab his penis again only to have his hand swatted away and replaced with a calloused red one instead. Every muscle in his body tensed, his soft grunts fading to silence, his face and chest going nearly as red as Murphy as he built up to his climax. The feeling of large rough hands on him sent him over the edge, white fluid running over Murphy’s hand and spurting lightly onto his stomach. His thighs shook around Murphy’s waist, the feeling in his ass becoming more painful as he came down from his high.

The older man pulled out slowly, his partner’s breathing returned to steady elongated breathes. He carefully tucked himself back into his pants before scratching large red marks into the side of 10k’s thigh. “Well we’ve certainly ruled out Z and talker,” He gave Tommy a shit eating grin, dragging a finger down the side of his neck. “You’re certainly not one of my blends with all the nasty looks you were giving me, but I think we’ll definitely need to do more experiments.”

10k rolled his eyes, wiping the cum off of his stomach and smearing it on the desk. He knew he would be paying for that but he couldn’t pass up the chance to spite Murphy. He picked his pants back up, yanking them on quickly and shuffling out of the office.

Murphy hid his smile behind one large hand as he watched 10k limp out of limbo. Definitely not a talker.

#Lemon #slash #murphyk #murphy/10k #z nation fanfiction

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notskam · 6 years

Text

So I’d made a fic rec master post before where I included my fave fics from the Evakteket Best of 2017 nominated fics, and then June came with some incredible fics and I was like, I have read so many fics that are so good, especially in June alone, which was like this magical thing to me as I got to read them in pride month. Some of these fics are not written in June but I included it in here anyway. So, the intention here is to be able to share this with others who, maybe, are coming across any of these fics for the first time and I will feel so lucky and honored to be able be that person who made you check it out and give it a chance. All of these fics are incredible and I promise you that. Also, if you are a reader/fan of fics, please try and spread the word about it. The writers put their heart and soul in the work they put out in the world, and if you liked it, and if you stumbled across a rec post from the author of the fic you liked, please try and reblog it. It’s the least you can do for free stuff that moves you and makes you feel.

four movements on a first wedding by chevythunder / @icelandcurry

Tags: Accidental Marriage

Summary: Sonja catches sight of the crumpled marriage certificate that’s fallen out of his bag. The crooked smile on her face is enough for Isak’s eyes to burn.

“I’m still hoping that’s fake,” Isak says, going for a laugh. It bounces back to him, the faux joy making him nauseous. She stares at it for a few seconds longer, zoning in on the signatures, running a thumb over Even’s. “I- God, that’s... Seeing his name on one of these.”

Isak looks down, keeps looking down. Tries to block out the hurt he’s causing, the hurt he’s feeling. He hugs her tightly before letting her out the door. Her answering embrace feels like going through the motions.

Isak's spent years keeping his distance to Even, worried that any kind of closeness could trigger feelings he won't be able to suppress. Waking up married to Even after a blurry night in Las Vegas throws a slight wrench in those plans.

(--bla bla: this fic, i have re-read it an embarrassing amount of times. at first, i was skeptical about it because i don’t like the vegas accidental marriage cliche but i love the author’s style and the way they portray isak and even with utmost care, i am so glad i read and i can’t wait for someone to find it from my recs. this fic will give you all the feels, i promise--)

if you must live, darling one, just live by grinsekaetzchen / @hotchocolatenthusiast

Tags: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse

Summary: The world has ended and Even is still alive. He steps into the street, takes in the way the sun is shining onto the ruins. The silence of the town is at odds with the way the sun feels on Even’s skin. A distant warmth. The beginning of a movie. A sunrise, the hero turning his back on a ghost town, leaving.

Cut. Darkness. Fast forward to the light again.

Even starts walking.

(--bla bla: this is an amazing fic, it’s like you are watching a movie, you know? and you would want to read multi chapters of this verse because it’s such an addictive thing. i have recently discovered that i kind of have a post-break and post-apocalypse kink, oh well, if you do too, check it out. and check their other fics as well, they are really talented and i just discovered them last month--)

Cathedrals of Light, Salt and Snow by shoulderbone (lavenderforluck) / @odeto-psyche

Tags: Canon Compliant, But also canon divergence

Summary: What he wants to say, and cannot bring himself to admit: Before you there was no real me. Only a person pretending to be. Or, alternatively: Isak comes back to face death, and in the meantime, finds rebirth.

(--bla bla: i discovered this from @evakteket recs, bless immy and kit for maintaining such a cool rec blog, my rec post would look like a joke to the work they and @evaksbinder does, but i’m trying my best to show my gratitude here, i think it’s cute,, ok? so this fic, i have a high threshold for angst, as long it’s not there for angst sake and it’s realistic in the scenario, i love angst. and this fic is angsty. it’s isak who lives in germany and is not in a good place emotionally and comes back to oslo because his mother has died, and it’s his journey through grief and self acceptance. i love how isak and even come together in this fic (it’s hardly a spoiler, psst), it’s epic in all it’s glory and i love post break up getting together fic sooooo much. There’s an Even’s POV WIP sequel to this fic which is not as angsty but is equally wonderful. oh, i forgot to mention they include really cool art recs and song recs within the fic, which just.... enriches your fic reading experience ten fold. someone who puts that much effort deserves all the love in the world. i love you! --)

All the climbing, all the falling by Alene / @tristealven

Tags: Future Fic, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Summary: Isak and Even never saw each other after that night at the Plaza. Five years later Isak studies molecular biology in Bergen and keeps running into someone tall and blond.

It rains a lot, there are mountains to climb, and some things start to fall into place.

(--bla bla: this fic. this beautiful, beautiful fic. i can’t rec this enough. elina’s writing just transports you to that gloomy, cloudy aesthetic, especially this is a great read in this awful summer. elina and i bonded over our great love for ‘all stories are echoes’ and i didn’t even know she wrote too? and i was like mad at myself and others for not reccing me soon enough. since then i have read it three times and there’s a wonderful sequel too, so makes sure you read that as well. definitely in my top 5! --)

let's not waste it feeling wrong by @prettyisak

Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks

Summary: Isak has always been skeptical of the soul mark.

Instead of your soulmate's first words to you written on your skin, it's the last words you ever hear them say, so you don't know who your soulmate is until you lose them.

(--bla bla: this fic is a gem, the introspection and the characterization within the plot is just so refreshing and i love their writing. i love the pacing of this fic too --)

On call by MinilocIsland / @irazor

Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers

Summary: Isak knows what he's meant to do in life - surgery. And he can't wait to show everyone that he's good at it.

That is, if he'll ever get a goddamn chance. Not getting hindered by ridiculous, charming guys whose main advantage in the operating room simply is the length of their legs.

Or - a hospital AU, with both Isak and Even as intern physicians

(--bla bla: never thought i’d like a fic were even is a physician? this was so great, i loved it! look out for a delightful magnus here --)

i always knew by GayaIsANerd / @greathalesonfire

Tags: Alternate Universe – Soulmates

Summary: The dreams start on his 19th birthday. A woman screaming, a basement, a man slamming the door behind him, a dark bar, a kind voice telling him he’ll be okay, a blurry shot of another boy. Those are the most clear but there are other images, emotions and sensations lingering even after he wakes. There’s no clear timeline, no names or addresses or anything that could give more definite information.

The information Even doesn’t have, tells him his soulmate is younger than him, not yet 19.

The information he does have, tells him his soulmate is suffering and Even’s heart aches for him.

(--bla bla: gaya is a legend around here, and rightfully so. READ THIS. --)

dancing past the point of no return by @fxckxxp

Tags: Alternate Universe - Afterlife

Summary: Even has 24 hours to test drive the afterlife, where at the end he can either decide to 1. live for eternity or 2. let his existence dissolve into nothingness. Isak has 21 of those 24 hours to convince him to stay.

(--bla bla: afterlif au? yes, please. i love how isak is portrayed here. it could have easily been a whiny!isak which i don’t enjoy. it’s not. isak is wonderful here. --)

Far From Heaven 2.0 by grallonsphere

Tags: Future Fic, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Summary: When Even chooses to go study film-making in America, without first being upfront about it with Isak, he sets in motion a chain of events that will leave them both lost and damaged...

(bla bla: i found this fic from a commissioned art that popped up, and i was travelling and i wanted to read something long in one go. i forgot to check the tags, if i would’ve have, i wouldn’t have read this fic. and it would’ve been a shame because i loved it. it was really well written and if someone told me the outline of this story, i wouldn’t even give it a chance. it’s one of those fics which you have to read to get why someone liked it. useful tip: read this like an original story instead of a fanfic, it might help? i don’t know if this makes sense?? i bullied @art-vandeley into reading it and she did like it, though, so.. it’s not just me!

Phosphorescence by unsungyellowraincoat / @isaksbestpillow

Tags: Canon Compliant

Summary: Maybe they will all get there one dayTo a place of no fear. They go to Latvia.

(--bla bla: a year ago all i read was canon compliant fics, because my stupid brain could not imagine them in other scenarios, now i do love an au that doesn’t butcher their characterization, but a good canon compliant will always be my top priority and this is one of the best! the line in the summary is something you won’t forget. and it’s isak,even, eskild and linn! a combo you never saw before. it’s delightful and this feeling of ‘i wanna read 10k worth of isak and even just being themselves and bantering’ stayed with me after reading it. --)

daffodils, daisies, snowdrops & roses by puddingandpie / @annecuthbertshirley

Tags: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism

Summary: Even is a Spring. He’s new life. Renewal. Hope. Good things. It follows him everywhere he goes, seeping out of him like he has no idea how to control it.

Isak can’t take his eyes off of him. It’s intoxicating, the way he exudes happiness and warmth in a way that should be typical of a Summer, but somehow seems to suit him just right. But just watching him makes Isak’s own body run colder, the icicles that have taken up a permanent home on his hands weaving more intricate designs than usual. It’s the same response as he once had with Jonas, but this time, Even does not have the heat to break the pattern. Isak knows that if he even dares get closer to Even he will ruin him, just as is the natural order of things. Winter kills plants. Winter kills Spring.

tldr; in a world where u are assigned a Season at birth which defines your magic, isak is a Winter, even is a Spring. they shouldn't work. somehow they do.

(--bla bla: someone who just read canon compliant stuff for a while, all of these AUs just blows my mind and how well isak and even fits in those universes and are still their soft, dorky self. *enter the audio where jvn says ‘love’* --)

waxing, waning by @vesperthine

Tags: Post-Canon

Summary: They’re in a car, heading towards the E6. Streetlights become blurred dots in the watery dark, and the shadows pass over Isak’s face ( – waves of lights, waxing and waning like the moon, the tide, the moods – ) as they’re navigating through the currents of traffic.

(--bla bla: vesper is so good with real emotions. it annoys me when people dismiss fics because it’s “angst”, i’ve come to associate angst as a negative word now. i wouldn’t call the stuff she writes as angst. raw / real / emotional / introspective - all this, maybe? what do you think? --)

Naturlig seleksjon by Allieverwas, Artemis2121, Kikki1

Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, PrisonAU

Summary: Livet i fengsel er tøft. Her gjelder den sterkestes rett både for innsatte og ansatte. Even jobber hardt for sin plass på rangstigen. Bare synd at han må holde kortene tett til brystet på så mange områder i livet sitt.

(--bla bla: @vildenooras recommended me this and it was a roller coaster. i wouldn’t deliberately read a prison au and i’m so glad you did it babe, it was feel train for me and thank you for literally holding my hand when i freaked out at twists in this fic. we hate larson in this house, don’t we? --)

tender (is the night) by kittpurrson / @towonderland72

Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates

Summary: His whole body aches, like he’s regrown his limbs overnight, stretched out muscles he never knew he had.

Isak knows, in that moment, that his life has just been turned upside down.

“You bonded,” Even’s girlfriend confirms, and the pity in her eyes doesn’t go unnoticed. “Try not to move.”

(--bla bla: this fic, god this fic.my first soul-bond fic, can you believe that my first time was that good? at first when it everyone was talking about i dismissed it because the concept of soul-bond was meh to me. now i can’t get enough. i can only imagine the thought process that went in to writing this epic, oh my god. i read it one go and at one point i didn’t have internet for a few days and i was grumpy af and my friends abandoned me. apparently, i was “hard to be around with”. whatever. anyway, this is definitely in my top 5 and i’m pretty sure everyone has read it already! check out this fanart by ayesha, OMG?!!! --)

you and me from the night before by colazitron / @fille-lioncelle

Tags: Travel AU

Summary: There are only two reasons to wake up before eight in the morning: emergencies or romance. When Isak wakes Even on this particular February Friday, it's the latter.

(--bla bla: oh. cola! sweet, sweet cola. one of my fave writers in this fandom who is so consistently great with their writing, I CAN’T. SOO GOOD. exactly why i have you on subscription😎. remember SKAM Fic Week 2018 ? 7 days of awesome content. i remember telling them about wanting multi chapters of all of the fics they wrote that week. i hope you don’t hate me for that! in this fic, isak an even are just being their sweet, soft, ridiculous self. it’s nothing really. also, it’s everything and just the kinda thing i. can’t. get. enough. of! --)

A Beginner's Guide to Living with Isak Valtersen by riyku

Tags: Canon Compliant

Summary: Or, how to live with the love of your life, in five easy to follow steps.

(--bla bla: i discovered this author when @art-vandeley recommended bassline to me. of course, i read it one go. and i’m waiting for it’s update like i haven’t waited for anything else, ever. and then i went ahead and read all of their one shots. they write isak and even so well, the introspection is just so well done and it’s like poetry, like, seriously, read them. it’s breathtaking. i desperately want you to check it out so here’s a little snippet -

Rule 4: Never allow him to wake up alone. Isak hates it, and you hate the idea of him finding a you-shaped hole beside him. You will lay in bed and watch the sunrise color in his face with broad strokes. Study the way his curls lick the skin behind his ear and the perfect fit of your palm on his hipbone. You will create patterns in the moles on his back until they become constellations in your mind, complete with their own mythologies. The stories change and you will never write any of them down. Isak will reach for you before he opens his eyes, gasp like the simple act of waking up is a shock to him every single time, then he'll bury his pillow-creased face in your neck. Sometimes you'll fuck around. Sometimes you'll make him breakfast.It will be two months before you realize that on the very rare occasions where Isak wakes up first, he's doing it too.>> see?? --)

Eventyr by imminentinertia / @skamskada

Tags: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale

Summary: Once upon a time, humans knew about and feared the wights in the forest. Now the wights are all forgotten, and perhaps they have left their hills and trees and ponds.

Perhaps some are still there.

(--bla bla: enchanting is the word. this fic is enchanting. so gorgeous and i really want more, more, more... --)

to love you every day by @skamz

Tags: Canon Compliant, Advent Calender

Summary: Advent calendars are nice, but the ones you buy at the store are not really what Even wants to offer Isak. And so he decides to make one for him instead.

(--bla bla:Cristine got me for secret santa (poor girl) and wrote this incredible fic, for me?? I just re - read it recently and can’t believe my luck. also, read all of their works. they are incredible.--)

you’ll always wait for me to come home by iriswests / @juilawicker

Tags: Science Fiction

Summary: In a world where time may be arbitrary, but perhaps not linear, Even looks for Isak.

(--bla bla: i believe this is ceecee’s best work yet. it is so well written and it had me in the edge of my seat through and through. just gorgeous and i love isak and even in a sci fi setting! even and sana teams up in a refreshing way and this fic just is like watching a movie, i love it when a fic can do that. like in an all encompassing way you shut your internet off and just want to immerse in this verse. --)

All this and heaven too by @champagneleftie and @nofeartina

Summary: The first time, it’s just a hookup, a quick blowjob in a club bathroom.

The next time Isak pretends he’s never seen him before. But maybe that’s because they’re at church. And the pastor is Isak’s dad.

Even shouldn’t want the closeted pastor’s son like this, but it’s impossible not to. Especially when he’s already had a taste.

(--bla bla: this was a fantastic read. spoiler alert: look out for the romeo and juliet parallel. i swooned . you will too. --)

Dear Friend by bri_ness / @brionbroadway

Tags: Enemies to Lovers

Summary: Isak and Even work together in a failing video store, and they cannot stand each other.

Isak and Even both signed up for the Love Letters dating service, and they’re both falling for their anonymous pen pal.

Or, a She Loves Me AU (kind of, sort of).

(--bla bla: god, isak and even in this fic is so eloquent, i can’t with them. and it’’s pacing is wonderful. it’s not rushed or slow, just perfect. high-key wants a follow up to my fave bri fic. please read this fic ok. it’s very soft. --)

I even made a not so good edit for this fic, that’s how much I loved it. Bri liked it, that will do ;) check out her fics and drabble, all of them are wonderful.

Must read short fics:

you don’t have to carry the weight of your sin, we didn’t rise to cave in by @evenbechneiheim

@thefancyspin drabbles: seriously, read em all, it will be time well spent, trust me.

Also, this amazing fic/drabble by @greathalesonfire about sex is something I go back to and re-read, because, why the hell not? It’s so breath taking.

This drabble by @fxckxxp which sort of is like a missing scene thing between isak and even’s first kiss in the pool and the cuddle marathon the next day. It’s incredibly well written and easy to imagine that this is exactly what happened.

WIPS that rocks my world

Shaky målinger av livet (uten deg) by Frieda Echte (Plommesill), Peer

Tags: Canon Divergence

Summary: this is a little bit tricky. but hear me out, I have their consent to read this fic using google translate (desperate to a whole new level, eh?), they even said to ask them if i have any doubts (how kind??) and I get help from @vildenooras, amalie and sofie. SO, in this fic, Isak is in Germany due to his studies and Even is in Oslo, and they do the long distant relationship thing, it’s hard but they make it work, but life throws them few curve balls and this fic is basically about how they deal with it.

It’s so realistic and wonderful. Freida writes Isak’s POV and Peer writes Even’s, which is like, so cool, right? So, if you can read Norwegian, please, please, please read this.

Bassline by riyku

Tags: Alternate Universe - Rock Band

Summary: Isak opens up the email from his editor, skims through it for the tenth time, snagging to a stop on phrases like serial piece and North American tour coverage, boots on the ground and big opportunity. His response is quick and vague, that he'll let her know tomorrow morning, although he's known the answer from the jump.

(Or, Isak is a Norwegian ex-pat, fresh out of NYU with a journalism internship, who bags an assignment covering a band from his former hometown of Oslo on their first North American tour. It takes him about three seconds to realize he kinda has a thing for the bass player).

(--bla bla: first of all, i do not enjoy Americanized fics,, but this is not that, and it is GLORIOUS. this is the sexiest even i’ve ever read and isak is not a helpless pining dork here, he is just so grounded and in tune for his desire not being realistic to be with even, but they do get together and it’s hardly a spoiler, i wanna mention the pacing here too. wow. it wasn’t stretched to keep the will-they-won’t-they thing going the last update is at such a delicious point I AM STARVING FOR AN UPDATE LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE. also nooreva is a thing, which is like, yayy! --)

lover of my impossible soul by shoulderbone (lavenderforluck) / @odeto-psyche

Tags: Canon Compliant

Summary: We don't often reveal ourselves, when we don't actually know what there is to reveal yet. Or, alternatively: Isak returns to Oslo, and most importantly, to Even.

(--bla bla: this the Even’s POV sequel to Cathedrals and one of those fic that just makes you feel like you’ve been transported to Oslo and is invisibly stalking isak and even, which exactly how i feel when i watch s3. the music rec, the art rec, i can’t thank you enough and just reminds me of the time I read ‘all stories are echoes’ (am i plugging it too much, why wouldn’t i? it’s my #1 fave after all) it’s got that movie like feeling to it, which i’m addicted to and cannot get enough of. also, isak is so smooth here. master of wooing and even melts. and swoons. i can’t with these two. and this fic. this is also the fic where me and ayesha messages each other right after there’s an update and we gush and gush, gdkjngk --)

ok, so after the not so pretty rambling about great fics that deserves to be recced in an elegant way, i just wanna say i had this thought, that, the places the writers in this fandom has taken isak and even, all the parallel universes and all the brilliant characterization and introspection, julie could only dream of. not a diss, i will never diss the queen. forever grateful. and grateful to all the writers for your generosity and brilliance.

god sommer. vi chattes 💖

#fic rec 1 #userskamedits #skam fic #evak fic #skam fwn #fic rec #fic rec masterpost #my fic rec #this is not edited #and done in a rush #but i had short listed the fics from a03 history #thanks to ayesha for letting me know that you can't see the fics you visited in the history tab #which i never realized i could #me = dumdum #anyway i hope you enjoy all of these wonderful works #also check the previous rec post #these are fpretty much the fics i have loved a lot #also there are fics i have forgotten to bookmark and haven't found in my history #and a lot of great one shots which i loved which are not here #but this is almost all of it i'd say #and now some ramblings about the graphics i made #isak and even is this SOFT in each and every fic on this list some poin #*on this list at some point or the other #and it's my fave screen-cap ever #also: i like it very much #they are sparkling #they are in a content bubble #bye

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thedefinitionofbts · 6 years

Text

Kingdom of Crystal Snow

↳ Christmas Special ❄️

Pairings: Kim Taehyung x Reader ft. Park Jimin

Genre: Comedy, Light Angst, Fluff, Royal Au (?)

Words: 10K

Description: A prince from a far off land is sent to earth to discover the meaning of crystal snow, and you are somehow just what he needs.

Jimin has always told you that you should change your awful habit of putting off studying for a test last minute. He calls it a bad case of procrastination. You call it “living on the edge”. And it’s not that you don’t want to change per se, it’s just hard when you’ve always relied on that rush of adrenaline from imminent doom to give you a push to take action. If it were easy to alter such an innate mindset, you’d actually be prepared to ace your final tomorrow.

“I’m going faaaaiiiil!” You groan, banging your head against the textbook laid opened in front of you.

“What did I say about trying to cram a semester’s worth of information in one night?” Jimin says, not even bothering to glance up from his own book.

You tsk in annoyance. “Can’t you just be a little more supportive?”

“Okay, okay” He gently closes his book and takes off his glasses to look at you. “You are not going to fail.” You can tell he’s not trying very hard to sound convincing. You’ve known him long enough to distinguish authentic support and just going through the motions to make you feel better.

“But I am!” You insist, more for the purpose of complaining out loud rather than actually getting another half-assed response from your friend of five years. “I barely understand the first chapter, how the hell am I going to learn the entire book by tomorrow morning!?”

You were right and wrong, more or less. You were right in thinking there was no way you were going to understand the entirety of your textbook by sunrise the next day, but you were wrong in believing you would fail the entire class.

Thank Jesus Lord.

Jimin would actually, maybe, perhaps be proud to know that you were a measly 2 points away from failing, but pulled through. 2 points away from having to repeat the course and having to graduate a year later (aka having to walk with Jungkook at graduation, which god knows will go down in the unofficial history books among your group of friends for the rest of eternity). It actually feels pretty good, knowing you were blisteringly close to being depressed over winter break only to be saved from said hellish nightmare by such a blessed margin.

2 points. Jimin would call it getting lucky, but you refer to it as “having talent”.

At the moment you are running through all the ways you can break the good news to him, debating whether you should pretend that you failed and psych him by telling him you didn’t whilst he was consoling you. But just as you were playing house with all of these hypothetical scenarios in your mind, you spot someone just appearing out of thin air on your way to the coffee shop near campus. Appearing out of thin air. Like poof, there’s your living, breathing human being delivered right under your nose. You could’ve sworn the public park wasn’t this tripped up the last time you were here, and last time you checked, you were awake and not dreaming.

Must be post-finals stress disorder.

“Ok, how the fuck did you do that?” You point at the man sprawled on the ground as if he had just flown through a time portal.

He groans in pain, rubbing the back of his head. “W-who are you?” He looks up at you, squinting due to the blinding rays of the sun that your head is conveniently just two inches away from blocking.

“I think I should be the one asking that question.” You observe suspiciously as he stands up. He’s much taller than you had expected, and slightly intimidating now that he’s towering over you.

“I am Kim Taehyung, crown prince of the Winter Kingdom.”

There are mainly two things that cross your mind as you casually register his words. 1.) It’s a shame this guy is high on drugs right now because he’s actually really attractive, and 2.) Did he actually just say what I thought he said?

It takes every last ounce of strength you had to not erupt into laughter.

“Uhhhh, is this supposed to be some cosplay thing for the holidays, cause I’m really not into that stuff, and I’d rather not deal with drunk strangers.” You start to walk away, eyebrow still raised even as you switch your attention onward and try to erase the thought of how realistic his costume actually looked. The dude must’ve spent hours putting something like that together, so you can’t blame him for trying so convincingly to stay in character.

“Please, you must help me.” He begs, following closely behind like a lost puppy. “I can’t return until I have discovered the meaning of crystal snow.”

You stop walking abruptly, causing him to almost crash into you head on. “Crystal snow?” You turn to him, raising your other eyebrow dubiously. “You mean like snowflakes and shit?”

He looks at you confused. “It’s not that simple. It’s something that has been at the core of our kingdom for centuries. Every ruler brings a different kind of snow to the wintry realm. I must find the meaning of mine. ”

“Don’t you guys have encyclopedias or some ratchet form of Google for things like that? I mean, how the hell are you going to find answers here, on earth, a place where crystal snow literally just means snowflakes?”

He sighs. “We do, but they do not contain the information I seek, and the sorceress has never been wrong.”

“The sorceress?” You furrow your brows even harder as you begin to grasp how ridiculous this conversation was getting. “Ok, listen buddy. I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but I need to go.”

Taehyung opens his mouth to protest, but shuts it before the next words can escape his lips.

You flash him a weird look one last time before quickly running off. Finals were over, winter break is beginning, and you have a coffee date with Jimin to get to. There was no time to mess around with a random stranger who claims he’s from another world. What was the guy smoking anyways? He had to be high or something…right?

“You’re late.” Jimin’s familiar voice cuts through your reverie.

“Only by like five minutes.” You counter, setting your peppermint latte down on the table.

The café was festively ornamented the same way it is every year, with a large Christmas tree crammed in the corner and wall decorations hanging on a space that is clearly too small for so many objects to be juxtaposed. Despite looking cramped and messy, the atmosphere was earnest and cozy, reminiscent of nostalgic childhoods and charmingly intimate conversations with those you are closest to.

Jimin’s face breaks into a smile. “I’ll let you off the hook seeing as though you just went through a week of hell.”

“Ugh, story of my life.” You roll your eyes. “I’m surprised I managed to survive.”

You decide to not make a big deal about passing the exam. Whether it was because the events from this morning had shaken you up or because it seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things, you figure you’d rather talk about winter break and Christmas plans.

“Namjoon and Yoongi are going back home, Hoseok has this dance camp he’s doing for the next three weeks, so it’s just me, Seokjin, and Jungkook.”

“Oh boy, that’s going to be interesting.”

“Tell me about it.” Jimin sighs.

…

You spent the rest of the day chatting with Jimin at the café, something you had grown accustomed to doing over the years. It was a good way to pass time, or waste time, depending on how you chose to view it. By the time the two of you leave, it’s already late afternoon, and since it’s winter, the prematurely setting sun gives off the impression that it’s a lot later than it really is.

However, it’s not completely dark yet; the sky is just reaching that magical twilight hour where it’s painted with baby blues and pastel pinks. The temperature is beginning to drop, but the crisp winter air is still and almost therapeutic. You don’t notice anything peculiar at first, not until you squint your eyes and spot the one person that you wished your mind could just allow you to ignore, and maybe you would’ve if you and Jimin had not carelessly walked so close to where he was sitting.

“Oh god, why is he still there?” You quickly attempt to hide behind Jimin, the latter being somewhat taken aback by your sudden change in demeanor.

“Who?” He looks around obliviously before his eyes land on the very person you were referring to. “Oh, him?”

Said “him” just happens to be Kim Taehyung, and he was quietly sitting on the bench by the same park you had saw him suddenly appear at this morning. He was just staring at the ground absentmindedly, not even noticing you and Jimin standing a mere ten feet away from him.

“Shhhh” You quickly reach up to cover Jimin’s mouth as if it would prevent Taehyung from spotting you, which seems downright futile in hindsight because honestly if Taehyung actually cared about your presence, he would’ve gotten up by now.

“You know him?” Jimin mumbles, speech muffled by your hands.

“He’s just some crazy guy I ran into this morning.” You explain, releasing your hold on his mouth. “The reason I was late in the first place was because I couldn’t get him off my back.”

“Was he insistent on getting your number?”

“No, no” You shake your head. “He kept asking for my help because he claimed to be a crown prince of this snow kingdom and was sent to earth to find something.”

There’s a fleeting pause before you hear Jimin laugh out loud, throwing his head back and everything.

“I’ll give him props for being creative.” Jimin says in between fading giggles.

You roll your eyes, slumping your shoulders in defeat. You hadn’t noticed until now, and you blame Jimin for laughing so loudly, but Taehyung had looked up from the ground and was now staring at you and Jimin.

“Hey, he’s looking at us” Jimin comments as you continue to make eye contact with Taehyung. “Should we, uh, go before he comes over?”

You can hear Jimin’s question loud and clear, but your eyes remain glued to the boy sitting on the bench. It’s strange that you’re just now noticing how odd and unearthly his appearance was. His sculpted, almost otherworldly, facial structure and flawlessly transparent skin was clearly not a result of makeup, and the way that his silver speckled irises expressed a sort of disorientation that made your heart clench ever so slightly should’ve been enough to convince you that he was maybe telling the truth. As absurd as his whole story was, you somehow begin to think he maybe wasn’t lying about being from another world, but it wasn’t his strikingly non-human features that made you want to help him, it was the way he dropped his gaze, not even making a motion to stand up, the pure hopelessness engulfing his entire being that compelled you to walk over to him, even though Jimin was baffled as fuck by now.

“Y/N” You vaguely hear Jimin call from behind you, but you don’t stop until you’re standing right in front of the male sitting on the bench, who by now is looking as confused as Jimin.

“Prince Taehyung, right?” You voice, crossing your arms as his head tilts up to look at you.

You watch Taehyung’s Adam’s apple bobble up and down as he swallows nervously while he nods.

“You’re very far from home and you can’t get back until you’ve discovered the meaning of crystal snow, correct?”

He nods again.

You let out a long sigh. “I’ll help you.” At this point, you don’t even know what possessed you to act so boldly. It was like you were in some role-playing mode where you had this urge to act all cool and pretend that the situation wasn’t completely ludicrous. But he did appear out of nowhere, so he was either telling the truth or just a really talented magician. You hope it's the former.

“You will??!!”

Both Jimin and Taehyung speak at the same time, almost making you jump out of your furry down jacket. It was almost amusing how similar their reactions were, but it evidently wasn’t the time to laugh.

You clear your throat and looked back and forth between the two of them. “Yeah.” You finally manage to say with poise before beginning to walk as they both scrambled to follow you.

“Will you take me to find crystal snow?” Taehyung’s deep voice is a clear contrast to Jimin’s slightly high-pitched tone.

“I would if I knew where that could be found.” You reply.

“Does it not snow on earth?”

“It does, but it’s just…snow.” You pause to think. This was going to be a lot harder than you had originally planned. You had completely forgotten the reason Taehyung had even asked for your aid, and truthfully, you didn’t really think this whole “offer help” thing through before just jumping into it. “There are places around the world where it snows more than others. Like the north and south pole…” You trail off.

“Can you take me there!?” Taehyung sounds too hopeful, and you almost want to tell him that people don’t actually go to those places and there was no way in hell you were going to accompany him in the event he decides to go.

“Whoa there, she’s not going anywhere with you.” Jimin interrupts, making you wonder why he was getting so protective all of a sudden. It’s not that he ever acted like he didn’t care or put on an absentminded façade when it came to you, in fact he had been your best friend for years and always looked out for you, but his particular reaction at that moment would have any outsider wondering if he was-

“Are you her suiter?” Taehyung’s direct question makes both you and Jimin fall silent. You’re cheeks begin to heat up, and judging by the way he was sinking deeper into his scarf to hide his face, Jimin was feeling quite embarrassed to.

An awkward silence falls over the three of you.

“We’re just friends.” You finally manage to voice, avoiding direct eye contact with either of them.

The rest of the walk to your apartment is strangely less dramatic, other than Taehyung explaining everything about the place he came from, and why he needed to find this mysterious crystal snow that you’re starting to think is going to be impossible now.

“Each ruler brings a different kind of snow to the kingdom. My father’s snow is opaque and white. The flecks of precipitate are large and float for long periods, dancing in midair before slowly drifting to the ground, which is why our nation is called the Kingdom of Ivory Petals while it is under his rule. The prophecy states mine will be crystal.” Taehyung’s explanation almost sounds like a fairytale, something too distant to grasp or even fully comprehend.

“So when you take the throne it will be called Crystal Snow?” You inquire, switching the lamp next to the couch in the living room on and allowing light to fill the previously dark room.

“Yes, the Kingdom of Crystal Snow.” Taehyung gazes wistfully out the window at the sparkling cityscape that is now twinkling in the distance.

Jimin nods slowly. “That sounds really cool, but we don’t really categorize our snow like that, or more accurately, it doesn’t hold as deep of a meaning here on earth.

“Are you sure it’s actual snow and not some sort of gemstone we have to dig up from the ground?” At this point, you’re just throwing out random ideas because you have this hunch that it’ll increase the chances of hitting a plausible target.

Taehyung shakes his head dismally. “I wish the sorceress told me more.”

You continue to run through anything and everything you can think of, but none of it sounded likely. By the time you were finished, it was already verging on midnight.

“Why don’t you spend a few days in the city, see if you can find anything here and then decide what to do next. I mean, you were sent here for a reason, right? Maybe what you’re looking for is closer than we think.” The tone of your voice sounds more encouraging than you actually feel, but it was the best decision you could come up with for now.

“Yeah, and it’s the holidays, maybe something magical will happen.” Jimin agrees and Taehyung doesn’t argue.

…

So it’s not that Jimin wanted to leave you with a stranger in your house, knowing him, he’d want anything but that. But the truth of the matter was, he lived with 5 other guys and there was just no way their tiny apartment could fit an extra person, not when Jungkook was already exiled to the couch.

And Taehyung seemed harmless enough, because by the next morning you wake up to him lying face flat on your couch, snoozing away like any other 20-something year old college student who had just pulled consecutive all-nighters right after finals.

You’d be doubting the validity of his royal claims if it weren’t for-

“We need to get you some new clothes.” You eye his princely wardrobe up and down. “This isn’t going to cut it if you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.” You tug on Taehyung’s blue and silver robe and scrunch your nose at how distasteful it looks. Don’t get you wrong, like it was gorgeous for a Halloween costume and all, but completely unfit to roam a modern city in.

“This” Taehyung holds his sleeve in front of your face. “is made from the finest silks harvested in the everlasting ice caves. Its fibers are crystalized for decades before they are deemed fit for our most skilled tailors to transform into fabric for the royal families.”

You can tell he’s mildly offended, but what else could you do? You couldn’t just let him walk around like that. “And it’s gorgeous, so wouldn’t it be better if it doesn’t get ruined on Earth?” You’re fairly proud of yourself for coming up with such a convincing argument, one that to your relief works because fortunately for you, Taehyung is relatively cooperative for a prince set to be king.

But you’ve spoken a bit too soon.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that finding clothes on earth that Taehyung would actually be willing to wear is a challenge in and of itself. You sort of expected that a prince would have expensive tastes, but you had no idea he’d have such an affinity for luxury brands. In retrospect, maybe you shouldn’t have taken him down the street where only the wealthiest of city dwellers even dare to tread (or the poor who go to window shop in prospects of experiencing that sensation of being surrounded by gold).

It was supposed to be out of sight out of mind, but by the time you recognized your mistake, it was too late because his eyes literally lit up as you passed the likes of Saint Laurent, Valentino, Givenchy, and most notably…Gucci. And you most certainly can’t believe you are dropping 4K for an outfit you are buying for someone you just met yesterday, but at least you can return it as soon as he leaves earth…right?

“So how do you like it?” You watch as Taehyung examines his reflection in the mirror of the shop, turning and doing all of these model like poses that you swear he must have practiced, because how?!?

“It’s quite nice” Taehyung responds, fixing the collar of the floral button up and performing one last pose in the mirror. He then turns to you with a faint smile that makes your heart skip a beat. “Thank you.”

Fuck. Why does he look like he just walked off the cover of Vogue?

“Uh, yeah, n-no problem” You reply rather nervously, questioning why the room was getting so hot all of a sudden.

So maybe Taehyung didn’t force you to buy anything for him, you wanted to ok? You just couldn’t bring yourself to denying him of something he clearly wanted, clearly as in nonverbally spoke to you through his sultry eyes. Fuck.

People on the streets start doing double takes, even going as far as to ask what agency he models for. Taehyung doesn’t understand why everyone passing by is staring at him like he’s some circus freak, only blinking in a dumbfounded way when he flashes them an innocently shy smile that puts your maternal instincts on overdrive. Some girl runs up and asked for a picture with him, in which you have to kindly turn down through partly gritted teeth. You were beginning to wonder why you even bothered to buy him “normal” clothes when he’s drawing just as much attention as he would’ve had he been wearing his royal attire.

“So the weatherman said there’s an 80% chance of snow tomorrow.” You look up from your phone app.

“The weatherman?” Taehyung tilts his head as he looks at you like you had just spoken in a language he didn’t understand. “Is he the ruler of snow on this planet?”

You have to hold back a laugh at his childish statement that sounded downright silly yet came off endearing because he genuinely didn’t know. “No Tae, he’s uh, just some guy that makes predictions about the upcoming weather based on atmospheric readings and stuff.” You pause, realizing Taehyung is probably not going to understand any of what you just said.

“So like a wizard?”

“Uh, yeah sure” You lie, not wanting to go into an entire lesson on something that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

“Will it be the first snow of the winter?”

“Huh?”

Whether it was because Taehyung’s question had caught you off guard or the way he was gently staring at you, crystal clear pupils with cerulean hues searching into yours like he waiting for a sign of recognition or anticipating something magical to happen. You find yourself with a blank mind, mouth waiting to relay a response but getting no signal from your brain. “I-I guess it will be.” You murmur, averting your eyes and clearing your throat before your body loses any more of its functionality.

“I really hope I make it back before the first snow hits the kingdom.” He’s not looking at you anymore, but instead staring at the clear sky.

“Does something happen if you don’t?” Your eyes follow his to some fictional place above.

He turns back to you. “I will lose my right to the throne.”

You swallow heavily. “Dang…that sounds pretty serious.”

“My father is prophesized to pass this winter.”

You don’t really know how to respond to such a revelation, not that you were ever good at consoling people to begin with. You literally tried to crack a joke when Jimin’s cat died two years ago and thought it would cheer him up, which ended up doing more harm than good.

“So basically the first snow will be your coronation.” You attempt to use reasoning this time around.

Taehyung nods. “If the flakes are not crystal, the people will not accept me as the new king.”

…

So as expected, the weatherman was wrong about the snow. You weren’t excessively disappointed because you had never put much faith into the accuracy of weather predictions, if anything you just felt kind of bad for Taehyung because you found him eagerly sitting by the window the next morning, waiting for white snowflakes to fall from the sky. Which they never do because weather readings are shitty, and nothing on earth is ever 100% guaranteed, even if it claims to be.

You don’t think you’ve ever hated the weatherman this much for being wrong.

“It’s bound to snow eventually.” You pat Taehyung on the shoulder, a weak form of comfort, but within the same category nonetheless. “We’ve always had a white Christmas, and even if the weather says it’s not going to snow, there are a lot of miracles around this time of year.” You personally don’t believe in miracles, but the words had flown out of your mouth before you had a chance to stop them.

Taehyung just nods, not fully understanding what Christmas miracles were since it’s probably not a cultural thing where he’s from, but he does understand what you’re trying to do, and you’re relieved you’ve managed to restore some of his optimism.

“So what’s the Winter Kingdom like?” You query, thinking that perhaps knowing more about him and where he’s from will reveal some clues as to why his snow is destined to be crystal…not that you understood the differences between the various types of snow or anything. But small talk, right?

“Cold.” He grins, mouth forming a rectangular shape and you wonder why you never noticed how distinct his smile is, but then you come to realize that this was the first time you’ve seen him smile in such a way, like really beam so brightly that his lips are stretching from ear to ear. “The land is blanketed in sheets of snow, and all of our infrastructure is made of diamond-like ice.”

“Do you miss it?”

Taehyung sighs. “In all honesty, I don’t.”

Your ears perk up, eyelids fluttering open wider. “So you don’t actually want to go back?”

“Not if I had a choice.” He looks at the floor and smiles less enthusiastically. “It’s not very fun tending to royal matters every day, but my people need me, and it is my duty to take the place of my father.”

“Oh, right…”

…

Jimin doesn’t think any of this is actually going to work out. He doesn’t have faith, and you don’t blame him. Heck, you more than fully agree with his doubt, but you were really being unlike yourself for not giving up despite the odds. You had spent the last weekend scouring the city for clues, nonexistent ones at that, but a little voice inside was threatening you with the belief that if you didn’t at least look like you were trying, Taehyung would leave and look for someone more “qualified”. He would finally come to terms with how useless you were, and leave you…not that you wanted him to stay…but you more than obviously do.

“I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but Y/N, do you seriously think he’s going to find his ticket to the throne here on earth?”

“Well what am I supposed to do, Jimin?” You burry your head in his couch cushion that smells oddly like Jungkook, and you know exactly why. You scrunch your nose and toss it off to the side. “He’s all alone, and I barely had the guts to come over here today and just leave him by himself at my place.”

“You left him in you’re apartment…alone?” Jimin’s jaw hangs slightly.

You narrow your eyes suspiciously. “You’re point?”

“I dunno. Like what if he burns the whole place down or something?”

“Why are you acting like he’s a pyromaniac? He’s a winter prince.” You cross your arms protectively, frowning at how ridiculous you thought Jimin was being.

“You didn’t even trust me to be alone with your laptop until we had known each other for months, and now you’re just letting strangers stay at your place alone?” Jimin looks to be a mix of disbelief and a tinge of jealousy.

“Jimin, I’ve been sleeping with the guy for the past week, if he wanted to kidnap me or steal my stuff, he would’ve done it by now.”

“You’ve already slept with him?!” He probably didn’t intend for his voice to get so loud or for it to sound so alarmed, but it does and it makes you jump a little in your seat.

“Not like sleep, sleep…but just sleep, you know?” You quickly defend.

A look of relief washes over Jimin’s face, not that he really cared who you actually slept with…it’s just surprising to him that you would trust someone so easily, when he literally had to work his butt off to even get you to go out to eat with him and his buddies for the first few months you had met.

“But still…what does he have that I don’t?” He mutters.

“Height” Jungkook’s voice startles the both of you, but he was clearly unaware of what you two were actually talking about by the way he nonchalantly plops down on the couch and turns on the TV.

Jimin looks like he’s about to run up and kick the younger male’s ass, but refrains from doing so seeing as though you were still in the room.

“How did you know he was tall?” You inquire, astonished that Jimin would tell Jungkook about Taehyung without your permission.

Jungkook casually turns to look at you. “Who?”

“Taehyung”

“Who’s Taehyung?”

“The guy-” You stop yourself before continuing. “Wait, so who were you referring to when you said he had height over Jimin.”

“Well, I mean, isn’t every one taller than Jimin?” Jungkook cackles obnoxiously, leaning back against the couch.

“Do you want me to kick you in the balls?” Jimin’s voice is strained as he tries to hold back his annoyance.

“Can you guys not do this now?” You roll your eyes at their childishness.

“So who’s this Taehyung guy?” Jungkook cocks a brow. “New boyfriend?”

“He’s a prince.” Jimin mutters.

“A prince?” Jungkook huffs dubiously.

“He’s not from around here.” You explain.

It takes a good half an hour for you and Jimin to convince Jungkook that the two of you weren’t pulling some lame prank on him. Jungkook isn’t exactly the type to cast aside something just because it sounds outlandish, but he’s also not going to readily believe in whatever his friends tell him, especially something as unbelievable as this.

“Crystal Snow huh?” Jungkook’s eyes are wide as he stares into oblivion, nodding his head as he pokes his tongue in his cheek. “Like snowflakes?”

You shake your head. “That’s what I thought at first too, but apparently there’s a deeper meaning.”

“Of course there’s a deeper meaning. If it was just snow, I doubt he’d be sent to earth to find something his entire kingdom is covered in, literally.” Jimin tosses a couch cushion to the side and leans forward against his knees. “It has to be something he can only find here…like love or something.”

“As expected from the romantic one…” Jungkook mutters.

“Last time I checked, you wanted to meet your soulmate by hearing a bell in your head.” You comment, knowing fully well that it’s something your group of friends still make fun of him for, playfully of course. Jungkook’s face heats up, but you decide to not see how red it can get.

You turn to Jimin instead. “So you’re saying love doesn’t exist back in his kingdom?”

Jimin furrows his brows. “I’m just saying it’s probably not something tangible and snow is always portrayed as romantic or at least somewhat along those lines, right?”

“Wow, you two are really determined.” Jungkook comments before getting up and heading to the kitchen to grab something to eat. The room feels a lot dimmer now that the television screen is back to black.

“Maybe make him watch some romantic winter movies?” Jimin suggests. “And if that doesn’t work-“

“If that doesn’t work, I guess I’ll just have to hope he’ll have an ‘ah-ha’ moment when it actually snows.” You sigh, finishing the sentence for him.

…

So maybe Jimin was right about leaving strangers alone in your apartment, or maybe you should’ve told Taehyung how to turn on the lights because by the time you make it back, the entire place was pitch black. But that couldn’t be it because you could’ve sworn he had seen you turn on the light switch before and he was definitely intelligent enough to put one and one together.

Then you realize the power must’ve gone out because the entire complex was void of light and freezing cold because the heating had ceased as well.

“Taehyung?” You call out, feeling against the walls with your outstretched arms.

“I’m in the bedroom” You hear a familiar baritone voice drift over, and sure enough there he is, overgrown bangs covering his glossy eyes.

“What are you doing in here?” You question, barely able to make out the silhouette of the man standing by the window where the smallest amount of moonlight was filtering in through the blinds.

“Sorry, I was just looking through some of your old pictures.” He murmurs. “And then the lights went out and I thought I had angered the gods, but they won’t seem to listen to my apology.”

He genuinely sounded scared, and you have to try and not run up to give him a hug. “It’s just a power outage. The lights will be back in no time.” You reassure him, despite knowing that the electricity won’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.

“So it wasn’t me?”

You shake your head. “Of course not!”

“Oh, ok, that’s good.” He slowly puts the photo he was still nervously holding in his hands back in to the bedside drawer. “Well, I’ll just let you rest…”

He starts to walk out the room, but something about being left alone in a cold dark room makes you-

“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” Your question hangs in midair, long enough to notice, but not long enough to make you retract your offer before Taehyung could accept it.

And you didn’t know why you were expecting him to be icy cold, but he was actually inexplicably warm. Warmer than the rays of sun hitting your skin on a chilly winter day, warmer than the wisps of heat from a crackling fireplace in the middle of a snowstorm, and certainly warmer than you imagined a winter prince would be.

“Is this ok?” Taehyung’s voice is low and creamy, and it makes you wonder if you are dreaming as you nuzzle closer to his chest. You don’t really know how it happened, but somehow you ended up in a position where you were enveloped in Taehyung’s arms, but you have a hunch it’s because you were shivering so hard he felt obligated to offer you some warmth. Or maybe there was more to it than that.

“Are you uncomfortable?” You murmur lazily, pulling back a little out of courtesy.

“No, no” Taehyung replies quickly. “It’s just…I-I’ve never shared a bed with a woman.” His statement is so soft you almost couldn’t make out the last part.

“Oh right, royal marriages are arranged” If you weren’t already half asleep your heart would be racing by now and you’d be tripping over your words like there’s no tomorrow. “Don’t over think it. Just do whatever feels right.”

You’re lucky Taehyung’s a gentleman, or more accurately a noble prince because two practical strangers doing whatever feels right in bed usually doesn’t end up being right.

Taehyung shifts into a more comfortable position, one in which your face is buried into the crook of his neck and his chin is resting gently on top of your head. The world was still moving at its regular pace, and the room was icy cold, but the heat of his body is lulling you into the realm of slumber.

…

“It’s called science”

You didn’t really know what you were doing with a glass cup and silver spoon, mixing a whole bunch of salt in not enough water, an attempt to create an oversaturated solution.

“Science?” He says it in that same confused tone he always does, and it makes you flash him an assertive look that is not fitting of your randomly conjured idea.

“If it’s not going to snow, we’re going to make crystals some other way.” You reason in an attempt to sound like you know what you are doing.

Confidence is key.

You even had a rock candy jar set up in the kitchen this morning, and you were planning on going window shopping in some of the jewelry stores downtown right after you set up the evaporation apparatus.

Maybe you were just insane and maybe all of your efforts are useless, but you didn’t want to give up. And despite never being the type to clutch onto unrealistic expectations or endure through things that you knew you’d never succeed in, you were somehow persuading yourself that as long as you kept trying, something was bound to come out of it. As pathetic as it sounds, you were also secretly enjoying all of this just, success or failure, because it meant spending more time with Taehyung. Seriously, what was wrong with you?

Impractical logic aside, thank goodness the jewelry shops downtown are not on the same street as the luxury fashion brands, because your wallet still hasn’t recovered from being sucked dry at Gucci, and you know for a fact that another look of longing from Taehyung’s glittery eyes will weaken your already crumbling resolve to not put yourself deeper in financial debt.

Strolling along the shop lined streets; you gradually forget why you were looking at jewelry to begin with because Taehyung starts humming this beautiful melody that you are sure isn’t from Earth, and it urges you to allow yourself to enjoy his soothing company, freed from all the concerns that had subconsciously plagued your mind, even if it’s just for a little while.

There was virtually no one in the area, sans the occasional car and dog walker. You presume it’s because everyone had already finished doing all of their Christmas shopping by now and were probably all waiting to exchange gifts in 2 days. It’s serene and relieving to know you don’t find the need to fill in the silence, because just walking alongside Taehyung was comfortable enough to feel at home, something you don’t think you’ve ever experienced before, because even with Jimin, things get a bit awkward if neither of you talk for longer than 10 minutes.

Hours pass by and you start to wonder if the salt water from this morning has already evaporated from the shallow dish you had poured it in, or if sugar crystals have latched onto the string inside the Mason jar. Just as you were pondering over these things, Taehyung stops in front of one of the jewelry shops, staring at a stunning gemstone through the freshly cleaned glass window.

“It’s a diamond wedding ring.” You explain casually, glancing over at the piece he was observing. “Cause diamonds are supposed to be a symbol of forever and stuff.” You shrug, not really interested in these kind of things since marriage was leagues away from your current very, solo, single life.

“A diamond wedding ring?” Taehyung’s curiosity surprises you.

“Yeah, in our world we used those for marriage.”

“Ah, the union of two lovers.” Taehyung nods in understanding. “We have something similar back in the kingdom, but it’s made of a kind of ice that never melts.”

This time it’s your turn to nod, and although you are trying to avoid eye contact for reasons you claim you aren’t aware of, you can feel his attention settle on you once more. “So ummm, have you-uh…do you know who…” You bite your lip, regretting even bringing the topic up. How the hell did that question slip out?

Taehyung shakes his head. “There was another part to the prophecy…” He inhales deeply before proceeding. “I will rule without a queen.”

Your eyes widen at his statement. “Wait, what? Why?” You don’t know why you’re getting so worked up over something that doesn’t even really affect you, or at least, isn’t supposed to. But it isn’t even just you; because who wouldn’t find a prophecy like that beyond unbelievable? Not only was it was unfair, but it also made no sense whatsoever because doesn’t every ruler have to procreate? What King rules without a Queen? How else are they supposed to continue the royal bloodline?

Taehyung huffs a weak laugh, one that gives off a powerless sort of acceptance. “When I first heard about this, I thought I was surely cursed. But the sorceress told me that I end up living a happy life, so maybe it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Geez” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “This prophecy sounds more and more like some evil doctrine written by the angry gods.”

Taehyung turns to you with a playful glint in his eyes, and you’re caught between a storm of pity and endearment. “Because I looked through your old photographs without your permission, right?” You know he’s trying to lighten the mood, and you’re more than grateful you don’t have to use you nonexistent comforting skills.

You laugh lightheartedly. “Eh, it’s fine. I don’t have any dark secrets that need to remain buried. Although I would prefer that one photo of me with birthday cake all over my face to remain anonymous.”

“You were very cute as a child,” He unexpectedly says before pausing and adding- “Still are.”

“W-what?” Your heart skips a beat and you can sense the heat rapidly flooding your cheeks. “I-I, uh…thanks?” You mentally face palm at your own awkward response, but what were you supposed to say when he just blurts stuff out like it was the most normal compliment he could’ve given you in that not-so-suitable moment?

You almost feel attacked (in a good way, you guess…). It’s definitely not how you ever imagined being complimented, but it makes a kind of giddy warmth spread throughout your chest, and you almost forget about the bitter cold wind that is blowing towards your face.

…

You were originally planning on going home for Christmas, but you didn’t think introducing Taehyung to your family and extended family would be a very good idea. Not that you wouldn’t love to see the jealous look on all of you female cousins’ faces if they assumed you had found a new boyfriend who was hot as hell, with visuals that were literally unreal if you had to describe it in not-so-poetic words.

“Can we go there?” Taehyung points at the scene in the television where one of your favorite Christmas movies was flashing across the screen.

So yeah, the Grinch isn’t exactly a romantic winter movie, but you really wanted to watch something festive and traditional, especially since Christmas films were something you looked forward to watching every year.

“It’s just a movie. Whoville isn’t real.” Your eyes remained glued to the screen where the people of Whoville were waking up and realizing all of their presents and Christmas decorations were stolen.

“Oh…it’s not?”

There’s a certain amount of disappointment tangled in his voice, tearing your attention away from the movie. You never felt bad about being direct with Taehyung, and he never took your blatant honesty offensively (minus that time with his silk robe), but it’s been an entire two weeks and the two of you had not come any closer to finding crystal snow, or any snow at all for that matter. You could tell he was starting to lose hope, and you can’t help but feel regretful about how limited your aid to him was.

“Listen Tae, I’m sorry I’ve been the shittiest form of help you had the misfortune of finding on this planet-” You’re not allowed to finish what you were going to say because the hand that reaches up and caresses your cheek makes you stop mid-sentence, mouth still hanging agape.

Lifting your gaze you are met with a pair of eyes so tender that you swear your breathing has stopped all together. There is a stillness that falls over your living room, and even the subtle flashing of the TV in your peripheral is not enough to convince you that time has not stopped as well.

“Your kindness was more than I could’ve asked for.” His eyes are now tracing along the contours of your face as he continues to cup your jaw in his graceful hands, skin smooth and soft. You vaguely see his tongue poke out and wet his lips from the corner of your eye, but your attention was too focused on his glistening pupils in that moment to notice him leaning closer and closer, until the distance between the two of you was nonexistent.

His lips envelope yours in slow and steady strides. Taking his time to taste you like the most opulent fruit in the forbidden garden, and allowing you to subside from initial shock and fall into the realm of relishing in the sweetness of his enchanting touch. You lose track of the seconds that pass by, and you don’t notice the movie ending and the screen fading to black. Fuzzy clouds that are too nebulous to make out are gradually beginning to cover the moon, and that’s when the magic happens.

“It’s snowing!” You gasp as he breaks away from the kiss.

Taehyung’s gaze trails after the finger you had lifted to point out the window.

…

Once upon a time, a winter prince fell in love and crystals fell from the sky.

You don’t remember what happened after it started snowing last night. You do, however, recall running out the door without your coat and forgetting about how easy it was to catch a cold because you were too excited over nothing as you soon came to discover the next day.

“You should be glad I called Seokjin right away.” Jimin says as he feeds you a spoonful of hot soup, courtesy of the resident chef.

“I could’ve just called him myself.” You defend, voice hindered by your stuffy nose.

“But then I still would’ve had to bring it over.” Jimin counters. “Am I right or am I right?”

You mildly roll your eyes. “Yes, Jimin, thank you for the kindness you have shown me.”

“Well, at least I know you’d do the same for me.” His eyes transform into half moons as he beams, choosing to ignore your sarcastic tone.

“Would I though?”

Jimin’s crescents narrow into slits, and he stops feeding you.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Of course I would!”

His smile makes a return. “By the way, where’s Taehyung?”

You nod your head towards the bedroom window, facing the area where Taehyung was still outside watching the snowfall.

“I’m still banking on that ‘ah-ha’ moment, because after this, I’m all out of ideas.”

“Did you make him watch romantic winter movies?”

“Umm, not exactly…” Your mind has a flashback of scenes from the Grinch, and subsequently the kiss that happened less than 12 hours ago. You inform Jimin of what had happened, skipping the unnecessary details for obvious reasons.

“You kissed?!” He shouts so loudly you swear Taehyung could hear him from outside.

“Yeah… about that… I don’t know how it happened, but I didn’t pull away and it was actually…quite nice….” You scratch the back of your neck awkwardly.

“Oh my fucking god.”

“Why are you acting like I did something illegal?”

“It’s not that…” Jimin sighs. “It’s just…you’ve really fallen hard.”

You cross your arms defensively, pursing your lips and scrunching your nose in distaste. “And you would know because…?”

“Y/N, you’re friends with six of the hottest guys in the country, and we’ve all tried to get in your pants at one point or another. Minus Jungkook who couldn’t talk to girls until a year ago.” He lays out the facts on the table.

Your face twists in mild disgust. “Stop stroking your ego. And ewww, can you not put it so vulgarly?”

Jimin lets out a prolonged sigh. “The point is, you don’t fall for people easily, and the fact that you were soft for him from the start really says something.”

You ponder over what Jimin had said- the conclusion that he, as your friend of many years, had come to- and deem it not incorrect, yes, double negative. But you also weren’t so keen on readily accepting the indisputable fact that you had fallen for someone who was not even of your world, and a prince of all unearthly beings you could’ve had the chance of stumbling upon.

Completely absurd, right?

Taehyung comes back inside shortly after Jimin leaves in the evening. He had been outside all day and yet his body temperature is still as warm as it always is. He slips into bed quietly, assuming that you were asleep but you stir a little to signal to him that you were still awake. For once you are glad that your fever can act as an excuse for how flushed your cheeks are looking, not that it would’ve been obvious in the dark room anyways.

“So did you find it?” You inquire meekly, face still half covered by your blanket.

He hums delicately, eyes still concentrated on the wintry scenery outside.

“I think I’m leaving soon.”

You poke your head above the covers in minor shock. You obviously hadn’t expected this moment to come so quickly, but then again, you had been hoping the snow would provide him the answers he was searching for, and it was supposed to be a relief that it did. It’s just you had anticipated to have more time to at least say goodbye, but it seems that you will not be granted that kind of closing fulfillment.

“I can sense her approach.” Taehyung says, voice not giving away any sort of emotion from what you could tell.

“Holy shit, the sorceress?”

He nods and you can hear the friction of his head against the pillow.

“Am I going to like, meet her? Is she scary?”

“No and no” He chuckles lightly. “She will not appear in her physical form when she comes to take me, but she is very beautiful.”

“So the Winter Kingdom is just full of ethereal creatures.”

“That’s one way to put it.” The both of you laugh, but it doesn’t wash away the subtle stinging that lodges itself in your throat.

A long silent passes, and neither of you make a move to address the unknown fate that is drifting in the space between you.

At one point you almost do it, just ask the question that is burning on the tip of your tongue, but you’re afraid to hear the answer you fear he’s going to give you. Maybe it’s best that you don’t know, so that you can continue to believe in happy endings.

…

When Taehyung does leave, he does so soundlessly. Early the next morning in those seconds before dawn where the sky is the darkest but the sun is just around the corner.

To him the feeling is foreign even though he is being taken home, and there is a certain amount of uncertainty and hesitation even though the sorceress reassures him the prophecy has, indeed, been fulfilled.

“You understand now, don’t you?” The elderly woman’s voice echoes under the ethereal light raining down from above, colors splitting into their respective wavelengths and casting rainbows in the space around him.

Taehyung only nods at her words, not entirely paying attention to how he was being transported back to the Winter Kingdom. But it didn’t really matter because he’s preparing to re-enter the palace, to be welcomed by his family, and to fall back into his old life.

The palace has not changed one bit, walls still as smooth and icy as they were when he left, albeit he has not been gone for all that long. His mother is ecstatic to have him back, and his father only nods in acceptance knowing his reign will soon come to an end.

“Welcome back, my son.” The King is perched on his throne, looking down at the prince who will soon be inheriting his kingdom.

“Thank you father” Taehyung bows ceremoniously.

“I assume you have learned what you needed?” The King’s voice is not harsh, but laced with a hue of sympathy that is unlike his usual demanding self, like he knew the destiny that was to befall his son and was feeling rather apologetic.

“Yes, father.”

“Very well then.” He exhales before calling for one of the royal servants to bring Taehyung up to his bedroom, a magnificent chamber located on the second floor of the Winter Palace.

Taehyung bows one last time before taking his leave back to his room where he can have time to think over all that has happened. Never had his legs felt this heavy walking up the grand staircase, and never has he felt this reluctant to walk into his room as if he had never left, as if the past few weeks was nothing more than a distant dream.

“Your majesty, would you like change out of those… rags?” The servant lady’s comment was not intended to be offensive, but the way she referred to his earthly garments sparked a flame of anger in Taehyung, one that he would’ve acted upon had his mother not walked in before he could contest.

“He most certainly would.” Her voice is commanding but not forceful enough to come off as aggressive.

“Mother” Taehyung gasps.

“My son, I’m so glad you are back.” She walks over and embraced Taehyung warmly, a hug he eagerly returns. “How was it? How do you feel? Were the people on Earth kind to you?” The questions come quicker than he can answer.

“It was amazing, mother. I was so happy.” He rests his head against her shoulder, staying in that position for just a tad bit longer.

“You met her, didn’t you?” She murmurs.

Taehyung nods tenderly, trying to come to terms with the muted aching that has settled in his chest, making a home at the center of his heart.

The layers of contiguous white expanse covering the land are waiting to welcome the snow his heartfelt yearning will bring as the frozen trees and icy cottages display the timelessly enthralling scenery he has known since he was born.

The people of his kingdom will never know the true meaning behind the snow he is destined to gift the wintry world, but he knows, and despite the hidden sadness that lies at the root of its beauty, he’s holding onto the conviction that it will become less painful one day.

You had defied every expectation he had for the meaning of his snow; every possible explanation the world could have given him an answer for, as well as everything he ever knew about himself and what his heart is capable of creating. His snow that is breathtakingly beautiful and different from that of all of his predecessors is a precious fairytale that will remain engraved in history books for several millennia.

The yearning of star-crossed lovers who have not given up on the hope that they will one day meet again, like crystals that have yet to melt into tears.

“Someday…” Taehyung whispers, gazing at the crystal flowers that are now starting to gently fall from the sky.

On particularly cold winter days you still think about him.

You don’t draw upon those memories on purpose, and they aren’t called forth as often as they used to be, but there are times when you are walking on untouched white expanses or when you experience the first snowfall of the season, that you are reminded of the enchanting circumstances in which you met him.

Sometimes you wonder if any of it actually happened. If he was real and still exists somewhere…out there, in the prisms of crystallized snowflakes that hold entire stories within their multidimensional crevices, and if he is perhaps thinking of you.

“Someday…” You voice into the wind.

You close your eyes, basking amidst the warm sunlight cascading from the clear, cloudless firmament, but you can’t seem to be left in peace because-

“Are you just talking to yourself?”

Your eyes flutter open, whipping your head around to see Jimin trudging up the path that is now covered in 6 inches of freshly fallen snow.

“I-uh, umm” You’re at loss for words because you swear you were alone, and no one has ever caught you in your most private moments. “I was just clearing my head.”

“You’re thinking about him aren’t you?” His question was so direct you find yourself at loss for words for the second time in a row.

“Does it matter? He’s gone.”

“Have you tried calling him back?”

You scoff. “Are you indirectly making fun of me right now?”

Jimin shakes his head violently. “No! Why would I do that?”

“Jimin, he’s from another world. It’s not like I have any way of reaching him now.”

“But still, you can’t give up hope that easily.”

As pathetic as it sounds, truthfully, you really haven’t given up hope. Because if you did, you wouldn’t still be thinking about him in your loneliest moments, and as much as you want to wave off thoughts of him returning, you can’t help but clutch onto that thread of possibility still shining brilliantly like diamonds under the sun.

And it is on a particularly chilly day, characteristic of all winters, that Jimin’s words prove themselves right, although you refuse to give him credit for anything.

“Y/N!”

The all too familiar baritone voice startles you to the point where you find yourself stumbling backwards, slipping on a small patch of ice, and landing flat on your butt. Normally you’d be cursing in pain, but you’re too busy staring in awe of the man standing before you that you completely forget about the excruciatingly embarrassing fall you had just taken part in.

“T-Taehyung?”

“Are you ok?” He furrows his eyebrows in concern, causing you to realize you were still sprawled on the ground.

“I-uh, yeah I’m fine. B-but how-?” You cautiously stand up, dusting the snow off your pants, eyes never leaving the face of the impossibly ethereal person positioned before you.

“I decided to come back.” The boxy smile that causes warmth to spread throughout your entire being makes an appearance and lights up his face. You have to blink several times to make sure you are not seeing things, and that he is indeed not a figment of your imagination in that split second.

You can barely digest the situation you were in. “But what about you’re family? Your people! The Kingdom!?”

He chuckles. “I left it in good hands.” He voices proudly. “And it’s still snowing crystals.”

“But, but, but…” There was so much you wanted to ask. So much you didn’t understand, and it didn’t help that you were both now standing the middle of the park that has now transformed into a winter wonderland.

Taehyung reaches up to cups your cheeks in his hands, melting your frost bitten skin. “I missed you.” He whispers. “And I finally found the meaning of my snow.”

Snowflakes that freeze slowly into the clearest form of ice, pure and gentle, the way tender emotions develop into deep, everlasting love.

You aren’t able to hear the rest of what he says, or maybe he doesn’t even bother to finish because he obviously can’t kiss you and speak at the same time. All you can remember is him momentarily breaking away to ask-

“Can I be your one?”

-and you nodding before feeling the gentle touch of his lips connected to yours once again.

So yeah, you were right about believing in happy endings.

...

#bts fanfic #bts scenarios #bangtan bookclub #sfwbangtan #btswriters #taehyung scenarios #taehyung fanfic #kim taehyung #kim taehyung x reader #bts crystal snow #prince!taehyung #royal au #this was supposed to be super angsty #but i made the ending happy for the holidays #please enjoy!

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