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#{{ he is beauty; he is grace. he is mystery incarnate with a pretty face }}
frozenambiguity · 8 months
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And what if I tell you that this is precisely how I envision prince / king / leader of Khaenri'ah Kaeya... ( source )
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alj4890 · 3 years
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All Through The Night
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A Choices: The Royal Romance Dark AU fanfiction. 
A/N Other than my few Bloodbound shorts, I’ve never written anything with supernatural overtones before. After receiving requests to see Liam and Riley’s story if he was a vampire, this storyline was born. Since it is set in one of my favorite books from Pixelberry, I had to include as many of the main and supporting characters as I could. The following chapters will explain more where they and what our main characters are. Not going to lie, I am very anxious to step out of my comfort zone for this, but I’m also super excited to see how it goes. Along with The Royal Romance, I will be referencing and altering both The Crown and The Flame and The Royal Masquerade.
@gkittylove99​​ @krsnlove​ @kingliam2019​ @texaskitten30​ @yourmajesty09​ @mom2000aggie​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​ @twinkleallnight​ @lodberg​ @twinkleallnight​ @amandablink​ @neotericthemis​  @mm2305​ @sfb123​ @iufilms​​ ​ ​
Masterlist
Prologue
Once upon a time...
"Father!" Zenobia rushed down the stairwell. "Kenna is at the gates!"
King Luthor's frown deepened as he studied the places his troops had been destroyed. His hope to unite the five kingdoms and wipe off the abomination was for naught.
Kenna would not stop until he and his surviving offspring's heads were on pikes.
...until their blood filled the crystal goblets of the Dark Queen.
"What do we do?" His son, Diavolos, asked.
Luthor knew it was only himself Kenna wanted. After he had killed her mother, hoping to stop the monsters once and for all, Kenna would have her revenge.
If only he had known that she was a vampire...just like her mother.
"Listen carefully." His voice trembled at this possibly being the last time he was able to speak to his son and daughter. "A Nevarkis must always be ready to fight the creatures that prey on the weak and vulnerable."
"But..." Zenobia sniffed. "How? How can we possibly kill the unkillable?"
"She can be killed just like her mother before her." Luthor snapped. "Sunlight. A dagger to the heart. Cutting the head off." His features hardened with resolve. "Know that those are our true allies. Continue your training with daggers. Never stop being vigilant. Educate your children. And remember: where there's one vampire, many more lie in wait in the shadows."
Diavolos stepped forward and gripped his father's shoulder. "We will fight for you."
"No." Luthor corrected. "Fight for our people. The innocent. Fight for a chance to live without fear of monsters."
He cleared his throat. "If I should die--"
"Don't say that!" Zenobia screeched. "We'll be--"
"Kenna is coming for me." Luthor interrupted. "I know I must face the consequences of my actions."
"But--" Divalos lowered his head. "What are we to do?"
"Kill her." Luthor ordered. "Let your emotion be your strength." He took their hands. "And remember that a vampire is nature's evil incarnate. They will do whatever they want and kill anyone who they think is in their way." His voice turned to pleading. "Kill Kenna before she has a chance to kill you."
Zenobia nodded in a jerky manner. Diavolos swallowed with tears in his eyes.
"Good. Now prepare yourselves." Luthor pulled his sword from its sheath. "The devil herself is here."
*****************
Two years later...
Kenna cuddled her infant son, humming a lullaby.
Dom came in, a soft smile gracing his lips at the sight of his family.
"How are we this evening?" He asked, placing a kiss first on her lips then one on his son's forehead.
"A little fussy." Kenna explained. "But otherwise perfect."
"Good." Dom stretched then went to stoke the fire. "I will be going out later tonight."
Kenna's head jerked up. "Why? Are there more rumors?"
He nodded, a determined frown formed on his lips. "The Nevarkis brats refuse to let us live in peace." He moved to stand before the window that looked out toward the kingdom he had once lived in.
High in the mountains, the couple and those like them had found sanctuary. They built a kingdom, one of darkness and shadow that allowed them to live freely. He and Kenna were crowned the rulers, chosen by their people...those that were cursed as monsters.
"Si and I will be standing guard." He explained. "I will not risk you or our child."
"Dom..." Kenna pulled him close, capturing his lips in a long tender kiss. "This must end. I was foolish to let my need for revenge take over." Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Luthor might have left us alone if I had given him a chance."
Dom's face contorted into furious hatred. "A Nevarkis can never be trusted!" He gripped her waist, hands heating as he lost his temper. "He would have plunged a dagger into your heart the first chance he had."
"Dom." She said softly when he singed her clothes.
He wrenched his hands from her with a grimace. "I didn't burn you, did I?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine." She tried to lighten the mood. "Just a little overheated."
He took deep breaths to get himself under control. "Stay here where it is safe." His eyes searched hers. "Have you fed recently?"
"No, but I should be fine until you return." Kenna lifted a bottle with blood for their son. "I can call on one of the servants to help me if I need to."
"Promise me you won't go outside." He pleaded.
"Only if you promise to come back to me." She responded.
His lips quirked in that cocky smile she has always adored.
"Always, my queen." He kissed her once more, then slipped out the door to search out their enemies.
******************
Present Day New York...
"Cordonia...land of both beauty and mystery." Riley wrinkled her nose. "Boring."
"No, it isn't." Hana argued. "I think that is the perfect beginning."
"Look at the comments from our last video." Riley swiveled her laptop so her friend could see. "People love our walkthroughs and all but hate my narration."
"Well..." Hana's brow furrowed. "Maybe we should try to add more to it than just narration." She pulled out some sketches. "We could add some animation of the history before showing our footage of the country."
"That might work." Riley mumbled, tapping her pen against her notebook.
The two set to work planning their next project.
After years of trying, they had finally achieved their dream of traveling for a living. The two college friends had taken every class they could on how to make their hopes into a reality. With Riley's love of history and business and Hana's talent with art and fashion, the pair had created a successful travel channel that showcased rarely visited countries and cities around the world.
Hana took care of all the shopping and dining found at their chosen destinations. Her "day trips" were hailed as must see for anyone planning a vacation. Riley took over for what could be found at night. Myths and legends blended in with what could be discovered once the sun set. A place's nightlife was thoroughly researched and reached a wide variety of their audience, causing many to plan a vacation just on her recommendations alone.
"Did your mom suggest where we should go first?" Riley asked, after skimming the same few articles about the elusive country.
"Not really." Hana hedged.
Riley glanced up. "Is she giving you a hard time again?"
"Yes." Hana slumped in her chair. "She told me to call when I was done playing tour guide."
"Geez." Riley grumbled. "Does she not realize that we have created a legit business?"
"Ladies shouldn't be involved in anything that does not pertain to their husband and family." Hana quoted. "I was supposed to have my debut to Cordonian society last year." Angry tears filled her eyes. "She still hasn't forgiven me for missing out on the Masquerade Ball."
Riley wrapped her in a comforting hug. "I'm sorry."
Hana patted her back. "Don't be. I finally feel like I can accomplish anything."
"That's because you can." Riley sat back with a grin. "Especially with planning out what we should focus on first."
Hana giggled as she went to search out some of her old books she had inherited from her grandparents. "These might help you with your part."
Riley's eyebrows lifted over the titles. "The Crown, the Flame, and The Night Queen."
"That is the earliest recorded story of vampires and monsters in Cordonia." Hana explained. "Queen Kenna Rhys and King Luthor Nevarkis both fought over uniting the kingdoms that make up Cordonia." She shook her head in disbelief. "There is a legend that Queen Kenna was a vampire that married a man who could transform into a dragon."
"For real?" Riley eagerly opened the book. "What happened?"
"Luthor died." Hana reached for another history book. "Some say it was a sword fight while others say she ripped his throat out with her fangs."
"Whoa. Either way, she sounds pretty epic."
"His son got revenge though." Hana flipped to another chapter. "He sneaked in one day and supposedly dragged Kenna into the sunlight. Before her husband could save her, she burned to ash."
"Brutal." Riley shivered. "What did the dragon do?"
Hana shrugged. "Supposedly he left with their child to protect him." She pointed at some drawings rendered from the Dark Ages. "Kenna's son came back to extract revenge. He eliminated one entire side of the Nevarkis family tree."
"And let me guess," Riley picked up another book. "The remaining Nevarkis's struck back?"
"It's supposedly been a feud for centuries between the Nevarkis and the Rhys' families." Hana pulled up an image on her phone. "Though one is currently ruling Cordonia."
Riley studied the image. "Queen Olivia Nevarkis. Looks like the Rhys lost the throne."
Hana shrugged. "There's a myth that they still rule Cordonia from the shadows."
"Mythical royal vampires, huh?" Riley laughed at the thought. "I hope I bump into one just so I can figure out who's really in charge."
Hana giggled at the thought. "You would be the only person to ask a logical, government question instead of the usual, whoa you're a real live vampire!"
Riley threw a pillow at her. "Hey! I can be calm and collected when faced with the unknown."
Hana threw the pillow back. "Tell that to the supposed haunted house we visited on our last trip." She broke out into laughter with Riley's defense that squeaking doors were the true villains. "On that note, I'm going to start packing. Our flight leaves first thing in the morning."
"I'll be ready." Riley promised.
Once alone, she flipped to a more current timeline of the supposed Dark Kingdom.
King Constantine Rhys the Third rules over what is his rightful kingdom. Rumors swirl that he is simply biding his time until he can eliminate the usurper, Queen Olivia Nevarkis, First of Her Name. The people know that one day, a Rhys will sit upon the throne, uniting the Dark Kingdom and Cordonia once and for all.
****************
Cordonia's Royal Palace, 2 a.m.
"Heeeerah! Olivia threw her daggers as hard as she could while doing a roundhouse kick.
The blades struck into the chest, head, and groin of the makeshift dummy.
She brushed the few strands of red hair that had escaped her hair clip out of her eyes. With a great deal of scrutiny, she studied her dagger placement.
"The one to the head needs to go deeper."
She spun around with a start at that all too familiar voice.
"You're late." She folded her arms and tapped her foot.
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Had to stop off for a quick bite."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "That's not funny."
"Not that kind of bite." He teased, holding up a styrofoam box.
"Oh." She blinked in surprise. "I forget that you enjoy normal food too."
He chuckled at that. "There are certain foods that I don't think any man could ever give up."
Olivia decided to ignore that as she wiped the sweat from her face and neck. "Now that you're here, let's get the formalities over with."
"Very well." Liam gestured toward her. "You may go first."
She sat down on a bench lining one side of the palace gym. She motioned for him to join her.
"Not you!" She hissed when she saw his all too familiar guard.
Drake Walker bristled at her tone. His brown eyes clashed with her green.
"Give us a moment, please." Liam asked him.
"Don't let your guard down." Drake warned. "Remember, she's a Nevarkis."
Olivia tensed. "Perhaps you should remember what happened the last time you said something like that."
She quirked one eyebrow at the man and felt a sense of glee when he winced in memory.
His hand automatically drifted to his side where one of her daggers had once struck true.
With a quick bow to Liam, Drake stepped back out into the hallway.
Liam shook his head. "Are you two ever going to get along?"
"Stop talking stupid." Olivia snapped. "Now then, as you know...I must have my revenge."
"I know." Liam folded his arms and leaned casually against a column.
She eyed him for any sign of hatred.
It drove her crazy how unvampiric he could be.
He seemed almost human.
He seemed...kind.
A vampire is nature's evil incarnate. You can never trust a Rhys.
Those words had been drummed into her skull by her parents and then her aunt after their deaths by Constantine's hand.
And yet...Liam had done the unthinkable.
He had actually been a friend to Olivia.
*************
The night after her parents' funeral, five year old Olivia had been sitting alone before the fireplace, weeping over them.
Her aunt had left her to deal with her own grief and to plan the next attack upon Constantine.
As she searched for a tissue, Olivia jumped back with a shriek at the little blonde haired boy that held the Kleenex box.
His eyes were filled with unshed tears as he handed her a tissue.
"Who are you?" She asked, remembering that a Nevarkis must always be brave.
"I'm Liam." He explained. "I wanted to...I wanted to tell you I'm sorry about your parents." He sniffed and took a tissue for himself. "My mom died too."
Olivia blinked and took a cautious step forward. "Are you...are you a vampire?!"
He nodded.
She whipped out the dagger her mother had given her and rushed at him.
Liam moved faster than she could comprehend, gently keeping her hand above her head.
"Let go of me, monster!" She ordered. "You're why I'm all alone!"
"I didn't do anything." He told her, anguish taking over his handsome features. "I don't want to hurt you or anyone."
"Liar!" She snapped. "That's what you do. Lie and kill." Her tears ran faster down her cheeks. "And now you'll kill me."
"I won't." He promised. "I swear I won't hurt you." He ignored his own tears trickling down his cheeks. His blue eyes burned with resolve. "My mother made me promise never to hurt a human."
Olivia shook her head. It had to be lies. Isn't that what vampires and monsters do? Lull you into letting your guard down so that they could have an easy kill.
"Your father will pay for what he did." She said, hoping to see his true, evil nature. "He must die!"
"I know." Liam slowly released her and took a step back.
Olivia watched in surprise as he sat down before her fireplace and pulled out a silk blue ribbon from his pocket.
He motioned for her to join him.
She slowly lowered herself down, dagger poised in her little fist in case he made a move.
"May I have your hand, please?" He asked.
He patiently waited on her to decide whether or not to give it to him.
She tentatively placed her hand in his.
His lips turned up into a relieved smile as he wrapped the ribbon over their joined hands.
"What are you doing?" She asked, lowering her dagger.
"Making a bond." He explained. "I, Liam Rhys, Crown Prince of the Dark Kingdom, promise to never seek out revenge and to end all vendettas against the Nevarkis family." His blue eyes held her green. "Just as my mother, Queen Eleanor wanted me to."
Oliva's lips parted. "You mean it?"
"I do." Liam's voice held a great deal of sincerity. "I would rather walk into the sun than not do as she asked."
"Oh." Olivia sniffed. She could understand that kind of devotion.
"Do you," Liam's cheeks colored. "Do you think we can be allies?"
"A Nevarkis will never be friends with a monster." She repeated the rhetoric that she knew by heart.
"But," Liam's shoulders slumped. "We're not all bad."
"All monsters are bad at heart."
"I'm not." He pouted. "I don't want to be."
"You're so weird." She muttered.
"Am not." Liam grumbled. "I hope I'm not."
Olivia looked down at their hands still bound together. "I guess since you promised something, I should too."
He didn't bother to hide his surprise.
She stuck her tongue out at him. "I, Olivia Nevarkis, The Crown Princess of Cordonia, swear that after I kill Constantine Rhys, I will lay down my weapons." Her brow furrowed. "I'll pick them back up though if you or any other monster tries anything."
Liam's smile grew. Before she could react, he tugged her into a quick hug.
"Now we can be friends!" He cheered.
"Friends?" She shook her head. "I'm a Nevarkis and you're a Rhys. We can't be friends."
"We will be." He vowed, jumping to his feet. "I have to go before Father finds out I've sneaked out. I'll try to come back in a few nights."
Olivia didn't have a chance to tell him whether or not she wanted him to. In the blink of an eye, he had jumped from her balcony and was already out the palace gates.
*****************
That had been the beginning of Liam's visits. Through the years, he had remained true to his promise. He did all he could to befriend her and never tried to sway her from seeking vengeance.
Olivia had once asked him how he could take her threat against his father so easily.
He had merely shrugged, explaining that he knew it was the way of things. His father had killed both her parents, while he had only lost one. He hoped she didn't since he did not wish to see his father or her dead.
Olivia had then told him again how weird he was, bringing another smile to his lips.
And now here he was again, calmly taking her promised vengeance well.
"So what business brings you here tonight?" She asked.
"Father thinks it is time I chose a wife." Liam responded. "I thought you should know that I will be spending more time in your kingdom to find one."
Olivia shot up off the bench. "What? But you promised to never hurt a human!"
"And I will keep true to that." He explained.
"But..." Olivia's brow furrowed. "You'll turn her into a vampire."
"Only if she wishes it." Liam explained. "I won't force her to make such a decision."
"I see." She began to pace while thinking. "You'll have vampire children."
"Only if she's a vampire." He reminded her. "Remember my brother."
Olivia paused. She had forgotten about Leo Rhys, The Great Disappointment of the Dark Kingdom. His mother had begged Constantine not to turn her. It had never been asked before, and in his mercy he had agreed. That was when they all discovered that a monster and a human could only produce a human child. In order for the heir to the Dark Kingdom to be a vampire, both parents had to be the same being.
"And you'll be fine having human children?" She asked. "If you're chosen bride refuses the Vampire's Kiss?"
"Of course." He responded.
"Lord, you're so weird." She muttered.
His smirk flashed. "Let's hope the woman I choose doesn't think so."
"Are there no women in your kingdom you can choose from?" She asked.
"I've looked." He shook his head. "It's hard to explain, but if one doesn't have an arranged marriage, then we must search until we see the one meant for us."
"And you somehow got weirder." She brushed her hands down her pants and held one out to him. "Good luck, I suppose."
"Thank you." He grasped her hand and lifted it to his lips. "I'll keep you updated on my progress."
"There's no need."
"Of course there is." He winked at her on his way out. "We're friends."
Her lips parted to once again remind him that they couldn't be. For some reason, she decided not to say it.
Liam had somehow wormed his way into her life and had become the closest friend she had ever had.
********************
The Lee Residence, Shanghai, China...
Lorelei paled as she reread the report. 
It can’t be. Not Now!
Of all the times for this to happen, it would be when her stubborn, foolish daughter decided to visit. 
Given the nature of her relationship with Hana, she knew that there was no way she could convince her to postpone her trip to Cordonia. 
There was only one course of action left to take. She would have to call the one man who was capable of protecting her daughter. She would promise hiim anything as long as he kept Hana out of Liam’s clutches. As much as wanted her to give up this ridiculous hobby she called a job and settled down with the right sort of man, she would never put her in the path of becoming the next vampire queen. 
Setting down the packet of information from one of her informants, she checked to make certain no servant was out in the hallway and then searched for the needed phone number.
Taking a deep breath, she placed the call.
Her trepidation grew when he didn’t immediately answer.
"Hello."
"Lord Beaumont?" 
"Yes." She could hear a door closing in the background. "Who is this?"
"Lorelei Lee." She replied.
"Lady Lorelei." He responded with a recognition. "How can I help you?"
"My daughter and her friend have got it in their heads to come visit Cordonia." She began. "I'm not certain how long they intend to stay, but I was hoping that I could retain your services."
"For what exactly?" Lord Beaumont asked.
"Protection." She replied. "I have heard through certain channels that the dark prince is beginning to search for a bride." She took a deep breath. "We do NOT want our daughter anywhere near that vile creature."
"I understand." He replied. "I usually don't do personal security. With my brother, Bertrand, retired," he hesitated, "it is left up to me to help protect Cordonia's borders."
"My husband and I would be in your debt if you could watch over her in the evenings." Lorelei cajoled. "I've heard that your brother is planning on extending his vineyards. We would be more than happy to invest in the production and distribution of his sparkling wine. Perhaps even let it be the only sparkling wine we serve in our hotels."
"Send me her information and picture. Call her and tell her that since our family is an old friend of yours, that I've volunteered to show them around. Find out where she's staying and when she plans on arriving."
"Oh thank you, my lord. We--"
"I'll also need a contract prepared and signed for all that you offered." He added.
"Yes of course. I'll get everything to you at once." She promised.
Once he ended the call, she sank back down onto her chair. 
She bowed her head and began to pray that her daughter came to no harm these next few weeks. To lose Hana to one of the many creatures that roamed the night in Cordonia was too horrible to even contemplate.
If anyone could keep her daughter safe then it was none other than Lord Maxwell Beaumont.
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darkkidplaidopera · 4 years
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“For eternity” Khunbam
as always sorry for any errors, and there’s smut under the cut so you’ve been warned lol
<- ->
Khun Aguero Agnis has never been prone to believe in the supernatural. As he said himself, this world has already contained enough madness itself. The first rule of living there everyone learned as a child – if you want to avoid making the same mistakes, you have to know your past. What's more, each human being was born with a mark on their body which symbolized the way one died in their last incarnation. The mark belonging to Khun didn't look particularly large. Some people thought he's lucky because of it. Yet two dark dots staining his pale neck looked as if he got bitten by a venomous snake. Even though they seemed way too huge for simply a wild animal, Aguero tried not to think about it. Was there a big chance that he'll die this way again? No, of course not. He didn't have any possible way of meeting such a creature during his usual life. And that's enough of a reason to don't care about his mark. After all, Khun Aguero Agnis was a busy man, he had no time for this kind of nuisances. Always dressed properly – a tailored suit, shiny shoes, black tie, and an expensive watch. If you ever tried to imagine what a stereotypical businessman looked like, he'd be the first thing popping into your mind. Khun's life, just as his straightened blue hair, was lacking any kind of mess. He couldn't understand people who treated their marks as a significant part of themselves. There was no such a word like “destiny” in his dictionary, because believing in it had no logical value. After all, he lived in a world with much bigger issues – economy, politics, and even an upcoming climate catastrophe! Caring about something as trivial as body marks in current situation seemed egoistical. Or at least that's what he thought.
Fall was such a pretty season, but it had a major flaw. Too short days. Aguero spent most of his time in his office, which resulted in the fact that both when he entered, and left the building there was already dark outside. Maybe Khun didn't like to admit it, but coming back to his house was the least favorite part of the day for him. The office was his sanctuary. Full of life, people, important matters. And his house? Empty, filled with loneliness, and apathy. Aguero had everything, but he felt like he still lacked something. Or someone, to be more precise. Khun could reject those thoughts, try to disagree with them, he could even find them totally idiotic. But for what reason when deep down he knew himself what was the truth? Self awareness was both a blessing, and a curse. Yet the awareness itself couldn't possibly affect his daily routine in any way. Aguero packed his documents, and checked for the last time if everything was on its place. It was a few minutes past 8 P.M. If not for the streetlamps, there would be an unbreakable darkness surrounding every inch of the world outside. Khun lived near his office, so he could easily go back to his place on foot. On his way he passed different parks, streets, and houses. Aguero swore to himself that there was no other place in this world with so many imbeciles behind the wheel who treated speed limits like suggestions instead of restrictions. Khun considered himself to be a tolerant person. Yet there was one thing he absolutely couldn't stand – irresponsibility. Suddenly, he heard a weird noise behind his back. It couldn't possibly be wind. The noise sounded more like a rustle of some leaves being stomped at. Aguero turned around immediately, but the only thing he saw was an empty road dressed in a dark shroud of the night. Maybe he imagined things? No, impossible. Maybe it was some kind of animal. Yes, that's the only rational option. Khun tried to believe that. Yet, during the whole walk to his house, he felt like he wasn't alone. As soon as Aguero reached his destination, he closed the door quickly while throwing his cloak at an armchair.
“Alone once again,” Khun murmured.
Talking to himself was one of those habits that he didn't create completely deliberately. Khun didn't like spending time in an absolute silence. Being left alone with his thoughts was too overwhelming. Silence was the only thing that could scream the truth so loudly. Khun Aguero Agnis was a successful man. And he was really fucking lonely.
“You seem really confident for someone who's wrong.”
Aguero froze. That voice definitely didn't belong to him. It didn't even sound fully humane. A husky, low timbre made Khun shiver.  He felt like an animal that's slowly getting closer to getting trapped in a cage. The velvet voice seemed to cling to Aguero's heart, and surround it with golden threads. The ones that spread their warmth, making others unable to take their eyes away from the beauty. Those that one day will stop Aguero's circulation to own the last beat of his heart.
“Who are you?” Khun asked while trying to get out of his narcotic trance.
“Does it matter? I can introduce myself with every name, and every past. But it won't change anything,” a man answered.
Khun took this moment as an opportunity to see the source of the voice. A man standing next to his window seemed completely indifferent to what was happening, as if the situation's nothing new for him. Because of a black cloak he was wearing, his posture lightly blurred with the night sky. Long, dark hair covering a part of his face made the stranger slightly more mysterious. It looked as if his clothing was chosen on purpose so the slim body didn't look so fragile. Because of his tallness, and rather delicate face structure the stranger reminded Aguero more of a statue than a real human being. His marble skin, and body seemed like an embodiment of the slenderness of Gothic architecture that somehow got trapped in a Greek sculpture.
“I don't think any different. But since you've already broken into my home, you could already make some effort, and provide me a believable reason why,” Aguero snorted.
“Does everything need to have a reason, though? If something has to happen, then it will, no matter if there's a legitimate cause of it,” the man replied.
Nonsense. Nothing happens without a reason. Khun Aguero Agnis would never allow something as irrational as fate to make a difference in his life without a permission.
“And, Aguero,” the stranger continued. “Don't you want to know what was the real cause of your mark?”
“How do you know my name?”
With each passing second Khun found it harder to stay calm. There was a stranger in his house who had probably followed him before, and somehow even knew his name. Aguero didn't know if the man meant any harm, but he also wasn't too thrilled to check. Khun knew there's a chance he's in danger, and even worse – he didn't know how to escape from his own house to call the police.
“I've been watching you for quite a time.”
Yikes. Isn't that stalking? Suddenly, a wind blow came through the room, and left a slight impact on the man's hair. The dark cascades made a contact with golden light coming from his big eyes. They seemed familiar. Too familiar for Khun's liking. A quiet voice in Aguero's head was getting louder, and louder. And its screams were repetitively filling his mind with one word.
“Your name is Viole, right?”
The man nodded.
Jue Viole Grace has never considered himself to be an extraordinary human being. Well, maybe let's start with the fact that he never considered himself a human. As one of the creatures that most people thought existed only in fairytales, he tried to fit in really hard. And it wasn't an easy task. With his extremely pale skin, dark hair, and fangs that were a little too long Viole was rather easy to find in a crowd. Viole considered the twenty-first century as a nice change, though. In the previous ages, his appearance usually made people either scared or nervous. Not to mention when he had to run away from villages while being chased with pitchforks, and torches. And now? Now if people react to his looks at all, they usually just wonder if there was a new collection with vampire accessories in Hot Topic. Viole liked it. No one would believe he's a vampire anyway. The society apparently thought of reincarnation, and weird body marks as completely normal. But vampires? No, that's not possible. Yet what else could he expect, when after all these years some people still believed that the Earth is flat? Viole didn't complain, though. Conspiracy theories were way better than wasting his time on priests trying to exorcise him to get some demons out. Viole didn't mind waiting. He didn't remember his past lives fully, but there was one repetitive thing in all of them. Eyes made of cobalt. But not some ordinary blue eyes. Only the ones that belonged to his Aguero had this exact color. Dark, but not overbearing hue that looked almost mauve in daylight was irreplaceable. Every time Aguero was amused, his eyes shined with him, and Viole could swear on his life that they looked like a sky full of stars. He'd wait for Khun as long as it's necessary. But he hoped that the right time will come soon.
The fact that his Aguero remembered him made Viole feel relieved. Even if a detail or two of their relationship escaped from  his head. The last time they met his Aguero was gone too soon. Even though Viole would give up his own eternity for Khun, there was nothing that could remain immortal when facing this world's cruelty. The marks weren't necessarily equal with death. They meant that the soul has already perished, but brought no meaning when it came to talking about the state of one's body.
“How much do you remember, my Aguero?”
Khun blushed madly. Most people didn't dare to act informal around him, let alone call him Aguero. It didn't bother him, though.
“Not a lot, unfortunately. I don't get why everyone's in some kind of tower,” he replied.
“It's a long story, my Aguero. Too long for just one night.”
Said story wasn't the most pleasant one to tell, too. Even though the godless tower was supposed to bring them happiness, the true joy came with the disappearance of it. Viole couldn't possibly be happy knowing how many people died because of him.
“There's quite a few interesting things that I remember, though,” Khun smirked with a dangerously amused look on his face.
Viole almost didn't notice how quickly Aguero closed the distance between them.
“How loudly you were moaning my name, for example,” he whispered into Viole's ear.
Viole felt his cheeks turning crimson. Beacause of the long time he spent without his Aguero, he almost didn't remember what a tease he was. But Khun forgot one thing.
“Then you should also remember how much you liked choking on my cock, and begging for more.”
Aguero frowned. He didn't recall Viole being that bold, and it really turned him on. Their lips connected in a hungry kiss which was a beginning of a sinful act. At some point, Aguero's legs wrapped themselves around Viole's waist, and Khun wasn't sure if he had any control over them anymore.
“I think a need a reminder,” Khun said, and licked his lips. “Preferably in the bedroom, third door on the left.”
“I'll make sure that you'll never forget again.”
Quiet moans started to fill the spacious room. Tangled, blue hair partly covered Aguero's rose-red cheeks. His plump lips, now lightly swollen, were wrapped around Viole's member, and made honey-eyed man lose his mind. A stream of saliva on Aguero's pale chin, his half-closed eyes, and needy moans were enough of a reason for Viole to forget about anything else. His Aguero looked exceptionally pretty when he was so obedient. When defenseless, he seemed almost pure, and full of innocence. Or at least what was left of it. Viole felt that he's about to cum, but it was too early for
that. The fun has just started.
“Mm... Aguero,” he said with a hoarse voice. “Be a good boy, and lay on your stomach for me.”
Khun tried to stood up, but his shaky legs were a major inconvenience. Viole has already made a mess of him, and he didn't even properly touch him. When Aguero's throbbing cock touched the sheets, an obscene noise left his mouth. He wanted Viole's touch. No, not just wanted. He needed it. Now. He felt Viole's arms slowly roaming around his body. And then, a silky fabric of his own tie made contact with Khun's wrists, tying them up.
“Is it too tight?” Viole asked, and the only answer he got was an incoherent mumbling, supposedly meaning 'no'.
Viole's lips started leaving trails of kisses on Aguero's body, making their way to his inner thighs.
“Stop t-teasing me, Viole,” Khun gasped, not even entirely sure himself if the words made a proper sentence.
“I thought that good boys are more patient,” Viole replied. “You know that being disobedient results in a punishment.”
He didn't wait for any reply this time. He liked seeing Aguero like this. So vulnerable, and willing to do what Viole wanted. But he wasn't sadistic. He could pamper his Aguero a little, and skip the punishment part. Viole reached for the lube that laid on the nightstand, and let the cold substance cover Aguero's needy, twitching hole. Khun moaned loudly when Viole's member entered him.
“Harder, please!” Aguero yelled with no care that someone might hear him.
Hoarse incoherent sounds left Khun's mouth, when Viole increased the speed of his thrusts. The erotic act between them brought another deadly sin to their lives, and made it take full control of the lovers. A throbbing release of their passion ended with an intense orgasm, leaving two men in a chaos of their own bodies.
“Viole?” gasped Khun exhausted, craving for air. “I want to be yours only.”
“You're already mine, Aguero,” replied Viole. “You've always been.”
Gold eyes roamed around Khun's body once more, while pale hands untied him.
“Not in that way, Viole” Khun said. “I want to be yours forever.”
The man looked into cobalt eyes once more, as if he was looking for reassurance. Aguero was confident with what he wanted. Viole's lips left a few delicate kisses on his neck, and then bit it.
“For eternity, Aguero?”
“And even longer, Viole.”
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cinnaminsvga · 4 years
Text
💋 | tlhc!yoongi
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the sleep deprived series (n.): drabbles that i write when i’m sad and tired
→ tlhc!yoongi ft. jungkook | 3.5K words → a/n: this was written after an anon sent me a REALLY angsty idea for tlhc and i haven’t stopped thinking about it since. also, this takes place after namjin’s wedding but before yoongi and y/n get together (in this drabble, they’re “dating” but i say that loosely because... well. they’re fucking yoongi and y/n so OFC they’re stupidly, emotionally constipated). anyway... here’s This!! rip!!
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Yoongi knows he’s being childish when he leaves your shared apartment with a large pout on his face. He knows that if he just tried a little harder, he could’ve convinced you to let him stay at home instead of going to some godforsaken bachelor party. He hasn’t been to a party involving body shots and strippers since he graduated from university, and he isn’t exactly keen on returning to that particular scene either. He has always been a more wine and dine type of guy, and everyone is aware of this.
It’s a well-known fact amongst his circle of friends that Min Yoongi isn’t keen on attending most types of social gatherings. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, casual get-togethers… It didn’t matter what the occasion is because Yoongi is certainly going to hate every second of it. It didn’t even matter if the party was being hosted by a long-time friend; after all, sitting in a room filled with half-strangers and estranged friends isn’t exactly what Yoongi would consider a “fun time.”
It doesn’t stop people from inviting him out of courtesy, though.
Most of the time, Yoongi is able to grit through the pain of human interaction as long as you tagged along with him. You’re kind of like Yoongi’s walking meat shield when it comes to parties, though you aren’t exactly fond of his analogy when he had explained himself to you. Nevertheless, you always did understand him better than anyone else, always being his savior from awkward small talk by redirecting the conversation away from him. Or, you would quietly tug him outside to the backyard so that the two of you could pet the party owner’s dog or something.
Truly, what would he have done without you?
“I still don’t understand why you expect me to go to this party alone. You’re practically feeding me to the sharks,” Yoongi whines, not at all immaturely. He can hear your exasperated sigh through his phone speakers, though he imagines that you hadn’t been aiming to conceal your ire in the first place.
“Yoonie, it’s Jungkook’s bachelor party. You heard what that dweeb said: ‘No girls allowed’ or some shit. Like some sort of toddler. I’m surprised he even asked you to attend.”
“Are you implying that I should be barred entry because of my feminine hips?” Yoongi asks, hopeful. “Cause honestly, I was only kinda offended when Jungkook said I had twink-sized proportions, so I mean…”
You scoff, though Yoongi can imagine you shaking your head with tired fondness. AKA, your default mood towards him on most days. Yoongi doubts that fondness is going to help him convince you to let him get the fuck out of this party, though. “Save it. You’re going to that party or else.”
Yoongi sniffs, offended. “Honestly, you should be the one going instead of me. I’m not as close to that pussyboi as you are.”
“Hey, only I’m allowed to call him that,” you chide. “Besides, you already left the house. I don’t understand why you’re calling me in the first place. It’s almost 8PM and you should be at the restaurant by now.”
It’s true. Yoongi is literally already in front of the restaurant where they all agreed to meet before heading out to the “main event,” or whatever the hell that means. It could only end badly; after all, Park Jimin had been the one to organize this shitshow of a bachelor party. Things will not go in Yoongi’s favor tonight if Jimin can help it.
“I’m only here because you threatened to disfigure Kobe Bryant-sunbaenim! That bobblehead is limited edition!” Yoongi has the strongest urge to stomp his feet, though he restrains himself only so that the hostess by the entrance of the restaurant won’t call the manager on him (again.) He is nearing his 30’s for fuck’s sake! Then again, Seokjin is a year older than him and if Yoongi’s future is anything like his, he shudders to think what might become of him.
“Yoonie,” you say, voice steely and quiet. Uh oh. You’re getting genuinely angry by now, and Yoongi knows he’s pushing your buttons to their limits. However, he wouldn’t be doing it otherwise if he really didn’t want to go to this party. He hates disappointing you, but nothing on this planet could ever make him want to go through those mahogany doors and face that bucktoothed loser with stars in his googly eyes.
Yoongi sighs, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. “I know, I know. I’m being childish. It’s just a party and I should just endure it. Although, I’m not promising that I’ll even try to pretend that I’m enjoying it. That’s beyond my paygrade, I’m afraid,” Yoongi says, picking his hangnails as he gazes at the entrance of the restaurant. The hostess’ left eyebrow twitches slightly, a forced customer service smile on her lips. Yoongi feels a sudden sense of strong camaraderie with this stranger.
“I was just gonna say that if you really can’t stand the party, then I’m allowing you an out. If you can stay there for at least two hours, then you can leave once you’ve––“
You hardly get to finish your sentence when Yoongi cuts you off, a strangled sob of relief escaping his throat. “Oh, thank you, my goddess! You are truly the apple of my eye; I shalt never speak ill of you no longer! You are heaven incarnate, my fair and beautiful mistress, the sun who has chased away the darkness––“
“Shut the fuck up, court jester,” you say, endearment dripping like honey off of your words. But Yoongi is already smiling ear to ear, hopelessly warm for some reason. If Hoseok had been around, he would have gagged at the sight of the two of you.
We’re so whipped, Yoongi thinks idly to himself.
“Now go say hello to Jungkook for me, will you? And please, if either he or Jimin do anything stupid or illegal, try to hold them back a little, okay?”
“Nope, I don’t think so,” Yoongi says, before promptly hanging up. Before he pockets his phone, he texts a short “ily” just in case he actually might have pissed you off. Either way, that will be a problem for future Yoongi to figure out.
Just as he ended the calls, a muffled crash and what sounds like a hyena being forced down a trash compactor from inside the restaurant echoes ominously through the open streets. Yoongi and the hostess hardly flinch at the cacophany, both of them staring glassily at the smoggy South Korean sky with quiet acquiescence.
“Fuck me,” Yoongi says. “Fuck me, indeed.”
*.*.*.*.*
The party is as terrible as Yoongi had imagined. Scratch that––Yoongi doesn’t think his imagination is capable of conjuring such a nightmarish scene. He’s pretty sure at least 99% of the inhabitants of this strip club were doing something slightly to moderately illegal. Case in point:
“Jeon Jungkook, I don’t think you should be doing that,” Yoongi yells over the discordant noise that the DJ is trying to pass off as “music.” Jungkook pauses in his ministrations to turn to face Yoongi, which is a feat in itself, as it appears that Jungkook’s eyes were facing opposite directions. Yoongi chooses to maintain eye contact with his left one.
“Whaaa? Why not, coconut?” Jungkook giggles at his little rhyme at the end, but his laughter sounds garbled, probably hindered by the amount of saliva pooling inside his mouth.
Yoongi points at his hands. “Jungkook. I’m pretty sure that is not salt that you are pouring over your fries.”
It takes a few moments for Jungkook to register anything that Yoongi had said. In fact, Yoongi doesn’t think he registers them at all; Yoongi has to forcefully take away the soiled plate of “mystery powder fries” away from him before Jungkook even realizes anything is going on.
“Heeeey, getchur own food, boomer!” Jungkook whines, making grabby hands at the plate before flopping pathetically onto Yoongi’s lap. Yoongi, ever the gentleman, pushes the younger off until he tumbles off the side of the booth and into a mysterious puddle spilled by one of the scantily clad “mechanics.” Jungkook, to his credit, gets up back onto his seat with some semblance of grace (which is to say, he managed to get his ass onto the couch without any additional injury.)
“I can’t believe I’m literally at a glorified children’s party. And I thought babysitting Namjoon’s little demon was bad enough,” Yoongi groans, grimacing in disgust at the mystery liquid from the floor oozes gently down the side of Jungkook’s face. “Dude. Wipe your fucking face.”
Jungkook, known laundry-fanatic and clean freak extraordinaire, promptly takes off his pristine white shirt and uses it to dab his face away. After which, he throws it somewhere behind him, right into a circle of twinks who proceed to fight over who gets to keep it. “Better,” he mutters, same dopey smile on his face.
“Just 1 hour, 18 minutes and 34 seconds left, Yoongi… I can do this,” Yoongi says through clenched teeth. He takes a deep breath, counts to ten, tries to remember what his therapist told him to do when he’s slowly losing his grip on reality. Then, Jungkook throws up all over his new leather shoes.
“Hyung,” Jungkook mutters sleepily, head lolling like he’s about to drop dead in a second. He grins dopily at Yoongi, a string of saliva dripping down the side of his cheek. “I think I’m sick.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” And so, like the kind person that he is, he drags Jungkook by the armpits, dodging sweaty strippers and drunken guests alike as he tows the younger to the nearby restroom. Yoongi contemplates bringing Jungkook to Jimin to take care of him instead, but that idea is completely dashed the moment he sees the latter drinking shots as if it were water. The risk of having two people vomit on his shoes in one night would have been extremely high, and Yoongi isn’t an idiot. So he takes the idiot draped across his back to the toilet himself.
The restroom is empty when they arrive. When Yoongi slams the door shut, it becomes shockingly quiet as the noise from outside gets dulled to a soft throb. Yoongi immediately dumps Jungkook against one of the chipped porcelain sinks, grimacing slightly when the younger causes the sink to groan precariously from his weight.
“Hyungie,” Jungkook warbles. The sweat on his brow has made his bangs stick to his forehead in strange patterns, and Yoongi imagines he could rearrange his hair to spell out “SHITHEAD” if he so desired.
“What.” Yoongi grabs a handful of paper towels and proceeds to try (and fail) to clean the carnage on his shoes. Meanwhile, Jungkook just stands there quietly, spit long since dried on his face, adding to the sheen already there. The quietness of the restroom is both jarring and awkward compared to the insanity just behind the door, and Yoongi finds himself preferring to look at his black-turned-brown shoes instead of the boy standing just to his right.
“I think I overdid it,” Jungkook admits after a while. Yoongi chances a glance upwards before looking back down at the floor, uncomfortable when he sees the surprisingly sober face of a man who had just finished drinking ten tequila shots. 
“You think?” Yoongi snorts, rolling his eyes. He inches forward towards the sink, gently nudging Jungkook out of the way to wash his hands. Jungkook has still yet made a move towards the faucet himself, but Yoongi isn’t about to offer to clean him up either. He’s already a Samaritan for bringing him to the restroom; he’s used up all his empathy points for today.
“Y/N and Tae always say that I have severely low impulse control.”
True to form, Yoongi’s traitorous ears perk up at the mention of your name, and he finally makes full eye contact with Jungkook through the mirror. “It took two people and ten tequila shots to figure it out? Geez. No wonder you almost didn’t graduate kindergarten.”
“Hey, I told you that in confidence,” Jungkook pouts.
“Not my problem,” Yoongi retorts, indifferent. Yoongi stares at him for a moment. “Jesus. You look like a fucking mess. You sure you’re getting married next week?”
“I’m pretty sure, unless Taehyung changes his mind,” Jungkook shrugs. Well, that was certainly not quite the answer Yoongi was expecting. Yoongi must not have been quick enough to hide his surprise because Jungkook laughs coldly, the sound mirthless and paper-thin––not at all like the ridiculously mirthful manchild he’s always known him to be.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet?” Yoongi had meant to say it like a joke, but his harsh tone doesn’t escape his own ears. God, he wishes he was better at this, but sue him for lacking practice at consoling other human beings.
Luckily, Jungkook takes it in stride, shrugging his shoulders. “Not really. More like… I’m in disbelief? That he’d actually… after all this time…”
Yoongi doesn’t reply at first. For as long as Yoongi has known him, the elder has never quite connected with Jungkook, for whatever reason. Hearing him speak so candidly about his feelings like this is new territory for Yoongi, and it’s strangely making him nervous. He feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention as he is faced with a side of Jungkook that Yoongi didn’t think he was capable of having. Sure, you’ve told him vaguely about the problems that Jungkook has asked advice about, but never has Yoongi ever thought that he’d be doing the same. The two of them just weren’t… like that.
“I’m sure Taehyung likes––no, loves you. A lot. Anyone with eyes can see that he absolutely adores you,” Yoongi says after a while, coughing awkwardly into his fist. God, he sucks at this. Where are you when he needs you? You always knew what to say in moments like this.
Jungkook laughs again, and it’s just as discordant as the first. He shakes his head, empty smile on his lips. “It’s not that. I don’t doubt him in the slightest. It’s more like… I’m doubting myself.”
Now that catches Yoongi’s attention. Self-doubt, loneliness, fear: if Yoongi had to be an expert on anything, it would be for those three. He… he gets it. “Jungkook, if this is about feeling like you don’t deserve him, then you’re dead wrong. You’re allowed to be loved, Jungkook. Believe me, I know more than anyone what denial feels like. The two of you aren’t going to crash and burn, okay? You’ll be fine.”
Jungkook smiles wryly at that. “Thanks. But it’s not… it’s not that.” Jungkook pauses, and it looks like the words get caught in his throat. He opens his mouth, closes it. Grimaces like he’s swallowed something bitter. He takes a deep breath, looking as uncomfortable as Yoongi feels. “Yoongi-hyung, I have a confession to make.”
Now Yoongi’s confused. “What?”
“I haven’t been… candid. With you. About…” Jungkook takes another shaky breath. “About me and Y/N.”
Yoongi’s blood runs cold. He feels the sweat start to form across his palms, and he clenches them into fists to stop them from shaking. He can almost sense the disaster before it even hits, feels the floor swimming underneath his feet, waiting to devour him whole.
“What?” Yoongi repeats.
“I’ve been thinking about it, recently. It’s been years since I last even remembered it, but then it started plaguing my dreams, and it’s… It’s ruining me. I need––I need to come clean or else I might die with regret,” Jungkook says. Yoongi still doesn’t understand what he means; Jungkook is just saying words without saying anything at all, and it’s making the wait even more terrible.
“Kook, just spit it out already.”
“Hyung, I beg of you. Please don’t think badly of me but…” Jungkook slumps to the floor just then, both the sink and his legs unable to keep him up any longer. Against his will, Yoongi tumbles with him, compelled to follow him down.
“What? What? What?”
“I kissed her,” Jungkook murmurs, voice low. Whispered like a secret. Because it is a secret, even though it isn’t any longer. Not when the words have crawled out his mouth and into Yoongi’s ears, making its way to his brain where it refuses to be understood, to be processed.
“What?” Yoongi can’t seem to remember how to breathe, much less how to speak. He can’t say anything else except, “What?”
“N-not recently. A long time ago,” Jungkook hurries, fear crossing his face when he realizes how he must have sounded. “I would never cheat on––Y/N would never cheat on you––“
His words do nothing to quell the thunderous beating in Yoongi’s chest. He can only stare as the younger jumbles over his words, fat tears starting to dribble out of his eyes like waterfalls. Why is he crying? This is so wrong.
“We––when you broke her heart, all those years ago. Before she ran away to Daegu––“
Yoongi remembers. Of course he does. He doesn’t think he can ever forget.
“––she was so so sad, and it fucking hurt. It hurt seeing her like that, you know? I… I hated you for it. So much, hyung,” Jungkook sobs, hiding behind his hands. He wipes at his face, smearing his sweat, tears, and vomit with shaky movements. “And then she kissed me but it was a mistake because she was heartbroken and she just wanted to feel––to feel something? I don’t know… And then I pushed her away––“
“You pushed her away?” Yoongi interrupts, uncharacteristically calm. He thinks like he should be screaming, maybe. Or feel jealous, even. But then again, this had happened years ago, when you and he hadn’t even been… anything, at the time. Hell, he has no right to be hurt by this. He shouldn’t even be allowed to resent Jungkook for it. Shouldn’t have to feel like he won’t be able to forgive Jungkook. So then why is he..?
Jungkook nods. “I-I did, but that’s not… the whole thing. For a while, I thought that maybe…” He curls into himself, bowing his head in shame. Yoongi doesn’t need to hear the rest to know what he was about to say.
“You used to love her, didn’t you?”  
Jungkook nods again, ashamed. Disgusted with himself. “Pathetic, right?” 
But the thing is, Yoongi already knew this. You’ve told him about Jungkook’s misplaced affections for you; it had happened during a stressful time for the both of you, and you had assured Jungkook that his feelings were just a figment of his imagination. You believed that Jungkook had just been lonely, desperate for someone to cling onto especially after all that drama between Taehyung and Hoseok at the time.
“She kept telling me that I wasn’t in love with her. And for a while, I believed her. But then, when she was about to leave for America, we… we kissed again. Just to… I wanted to make sure,” Jungkook slams his fist onto the dirty restroom floor, clawing at the tiles like an animal in pain. It’s getting harder for Yoongi to understand Jungkook through his sobs, but he is afraid of even moving lest Jungkook stops speaking. It’s like watching a car crash––no matter how much Yoongi is afraid, he can’t look away.
“When we kissed the second time... She laughed. I laughed. ‘No spark,’ was what she said. I agreed because I had no other choice but to,” Jungkook admits. He exhales like his chest has been ripped open, like he’s drowning. Yoongi feels the same way.
“It would be unfair if I said anything. To her, to you, to Taehyung… but most of all, to myself. Because it would never work. It’s not… I’m not...” Jungkook coughs, trailing off. He hacks his lungs out, forehead banging against his knees from the force. He heaves for air once, twice. Then, silence.
“Jungkook?” Yoongi whispers, momentarily stunned. When the younger doesn’t reply, he nudges his shoulder. No movement. Yoongi tilts his head upwards, only to find Jungkook’s eyelids already closed and breathing steadily through his nose. The bastard had finally passed out.
“Jesus,” Yoongi sighs, letting go of the younger and letting him crumple to the floor. Yoongi contemplates passing out as well. “Jesus,” Yoongi repeats.
He sits there in silence for a while, accompanied only by his thoughts and the muffled sounds of the party outside. He doesn’t know how long he sits there for, only thinks to leave the restroom when a young couple (Jungkook’s college friends) burst in while making out, both incognizant of the odd pair slumped on the floor.
Yoongi leaves Jungkook there, but not before sending a short text to Jimin to go check on Jungkook, and sending another one to Taehyung for good measure. Yoongi rushes out of the club without looking back, feeling slightly more empty than he had before the night started.
You don’t comment when Yoongi comes back home earlier than expected. You don’t even scold him for breaking his side in the agreement. Wrapped up in blankets in front of the TV, you wordlessly open up your cocoon to let him slither in beside you, allowing him to wrap his cold feet against your legs. You don’t even complain when he falls asleep without another word, just gently caressing his hair as he descends into fitful dreams. He doesn’t bring up the party the next day, and neither do you.
The following week, the two of you attend Taehyung and Jungkook’s wedding.
214 notes · View notes
eternityunicorn · 5 years
Text
Demons in the Dark
Author: eternityunicorn
Word Count: 1,113
Author’s Note: Just a little snippet story that has no real purpose. Loki the god of Norse Mythology is featured, but he’s not the Marvel incarnation; he’s a main character of my novel series - my own interpretation of the mythological figure. Also featured is my lead character, but I leave her identity in mystery...and pretty much everything else too...lol. Let me know what you think.
——————————————————————————————————————
There was a flash in the darkness; the sound of a camera. They blinked rapidly from the light that had exposed them, illuminating them in the dark or the woods. A human male had run away, after dropping the camera. They could hear him go, his footsteps in the autumn foliage, his heart beat racing. They could hear and smell him even as he got miles away from them.
The grotesque figures loomed at the entrance of a cave, a hidden portal from their realm to the human one. They all found themselves blinded by the unsuspected camera flash, each irritatedky growling and whimpering in misery.
“Blast that human and his infernal contraption,” groaned one, rubbing his yellow eyes with the back of his green, leathery hand, growing in annoyance. “I don’t think I’ll see right for days now.”
“You’ll be fine,” replied their leader calmly; a beautiful male with partially braided red hair and emerald green eyes. He was aristocratic in features and his thin frame was dressed in fine black leathers and blue silks. “It’s not the first encounter of the human kind you’ve had,” he reminded his comrade, with a bit of annoyance in his accented voice. “Now, come. We must move before she stumbles upon us. She is closing in. I can feel it.” He hissed and closed his eyes as if in pleasure, before snapping himself out of it and shouted, “Let’s move!”
“Lord Loki, where are we to go?” The same creature asked, nervously.
“Fret not, General,” the red headed Loki responded smoothly, “I know a guy. You’ll be safe. You have my word.”
The creature sat on his haunches, gazing up at the Trickster skeptically. He knew just how much Loki’s word was to be trusted. He was more intelligent than he looked if he doubted him and his promise to keep the General’s demon clan safe. Hell, he was more likely to throw them to the mercy of the woman who pursued them, if only to save his own skin. Not to say that he wouldn’t do the same, if push came to shove, but they had a bargain, he and Loki. A deal struck is binding, no matter whom has made it.
The General may have been a demon, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what honor was. At least, when it suited him to be honorable. It was bad luck that he had been tricked into serving the infamously dangerous Trickster in his war against Asgard’s King, the All-Father Odin.
“The White Goddess comes,” called a scout in a panicked voice.
The demons began to push each other out of the way, falling over each other as they tried to get out of the cave, fearing the retribution that came for them all. A swift and just execution awaited for the crimes they had committed in Loki’s service, if they remained at the cave a moment longer.
“She’s already here,” shouted Loki. “Go! Hide yourselves! I will mask your energy signatures, so she’ll not find you!”
They didn’t need to be told twice. They dashed away, hiding in the darkness of the night.
Loki cast his masking spell swiftly, just as he heard a shrill whinnying cry echoing out of the cave. He turned to see the ethereal glow of her form, shining a light in darkness. If he wasn’t use to seeing her, he would have crumbled to his knees weeping at the very sight of her, as most do in the face of the most powerful and the most beautiful of the immortal races; the unicorn.
Despite the dirtiness around them, especially inside the cave, her snow white form remained unmarred by anything; not even dirt dared to touch her perfection. He watched her deer-like face, as she stared back through large sapphire colored eyes that were aged by three thousand years worth of wisdom. Her lion’s tail swished behind her agitatedly as her mane rippled like the waves of the ocean down her back. The unicorn’s long spiral horn, dull gray in color, had its deadly point downward toward him in a threatening fashion. She moved one twiggy leg as she pawed a cloven hoof upon the earth in anger, the tuft of hair at her ankle waving like a flag with her movement.
“Hello darling,” Loki said easily with a grin, unafraid of her.
In a quick flash, the unicorn disappeared and was replaced by a woman; a very pissed off woman. He would have been lying if he wasn’t incredibly turned on by the sight of her. Gods, she was beautiful, the most sought after woman in existence; for both her beauty and her powerful position. He felt blessed to know her as he did.
Damn! How sentimental, he chastised himself. Now wasn’t the time. They were enemies now, on two different sides. Nothing would be as it was. Still, he couldn’t help himself, but be smitten.
Like the unicorn, she was ethereal in beauty, carrying the same shining grace of her true self in her humanoid form. Long white hair flowed about her, whipping about her ankles where it rested and brushing over the pale skin of her oval face, briefly showing only that almond shaped sapphire gaze. A small smirk graced her lush pink lips. She was a small, snowy colored woman, not even reaching Loki shoulders. Yet he knew well that she was mighty; a force to be respected and reckoned with, if provoked. He had just experienced it on the battle field.
Speaking of battle, she was dressed for it, more or less. Never did she wear armor in a fight, just a silk corset top and leather everything else. It all hugged her small frame deliciously. A katana was in her hand, unsheathed, and a yumi bow with half used quiver of arrow was strapped to her back.
“You tried to cause Ragnarok,” she accused him. “You will be brought back to Asgard, Loki. You will pay for your crimes against your sovereign homeland.”
“I think not, dear,” he responded with that same shit-eating grin, just to irritate her. “I would have succeeded, if you would have just stood aside. Alas, you always have to butt in!”
Loki didn’t attack. He wasn’t stupid. He knew he wasn’t a match for her, his goddess. Instead, he pulled out an old trick and pretended to attack with a magically induced double. Then he slipped away with his demon hoard. A plan that had worked, surprisingly.
Normally, she would have anticipated his trickery and retaliate with a faster counterattack, but she didn’t. For some reason. Instead, his goddess let him escape, at least for the time being.
He knew it wasn’t over. It never was.
They would meet again....
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bbtwords · 3 years
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My seven-year-old grandson sleeps just down the hall from me, and he wakes up a lot of mornings and he says, "You know, this could be the best day ever." And other times, in the middle of the night, he calls out in a tremulous voice, "Nana, will you ever get sick and die?" I think this pretty much says it for me and most of the people I know, that we're a mixed grill of happy anticipation and dread. So I sat down a few days before my 61st birthday, and I decided to compile a list of everything I know for sure. There's so little truth in the popular culture, and it's good to be sure of a few things. For instance, I am no longer 47, although this is the age I feel, and the age I like to think of myself as being. My friend Paul used to say in his late 70s that he felt like a young man with something really wrong with him. Our true person is outside of time and space, but looking at the paperwork, I can, in fact, see that I was born in 1954. My inside self is outside of time and space. It doesn't have an age. I'm every age I've ever been, and so are you, although I can't help mentioning as an aside that it might have been helpful if I hadn't followed the skin care rules of the '60s, which involved getting as much sun as possible while slathered in baby oil and basking in the glow of a tinfoil reflector shield. It was so liberating, though, to face the truth that I was no longer in the last throes of middle age, that I decided to write down every single true thing I know. People feel really doomed and overwhelmed these days, and they keep asking me what's true. So I hope that my list of things I'm almost positive about might offer some basic operating instructions to anyone who is feeling really overwhelmed or beleaguered. Number one: the first and truest thing is that all truth is a paradox. Life is both a precious, unfathomably beautiful gift, and it's impossible here, on the incarnational side of things. It's been a very bad match for those of us who were born extremely sensitive. It's so hard and weird that we sometimes wonder if we're being punked. It's filled simultaneously with heartbreaking sweetness and beauty, desperate poverty, floods and babies and acne and Mozart, all swirled together. I don't think it's an ideal system. Number two: almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes – including you. Three: there is almost nothing outside of you that will help in any kind of lasting way, unless you're waiting for an organ. You can't buy, achieve or date serenity and peace of mind. This is the most horrible truth, and I so resent it. But it's an inside job, and we can't arrange peace or lasting improvement for the people we love most in the world. They have to find their own ways, their own answers. You can't run alongside your grown children with sunscreen and ChapStick on their hero's journey. You have to release them. It's disrespectful not to. And if it's someone else's problem, you probably don't have the answer, anyway. Our help is usually not very helpful. Our help is often toxic. And help is the sunny side of control. Stop helping so much. Don't get your help and goodness all over everybody. This brings us to number four: everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy and scared, even the people who seem to have it most together. They are much more like you than you would believe, so try not to compare your insides to other people's outsides. It will only make you worse than you already are. Also, you can't save, fix or rescue any of them or get anyone sober. What helped me get clean and sober 30 years ago was the catastrophe of my behavior and thinking. So I asked some sober friends for help, and I turned to a higher power. One acronym for God is the "gift of desperation," G-O-D, or as a sober friend put it, by the end I was deteriorating faster than I could lower my standards. So God might mean, in this case, "me running out of any more good ideas." While fixing and saving and trying to rescue is futile, radical self-care is quantum, and it radiates out from you into the atmosphere like a little fresh air. It's a huge gift to the world. When people respond by saying, "Well, isn't she full of herself," just smile obliquely like Mona Lisa and make both of you a nice cup of tea. Being full of affection for one's goofy, self-centered, cranky, annoying self is home. It's where world peace begins. Number five: chocolate with 75 percent cacao is not actually a food. Its best use is as a bait in snake traps or to balance the legs of wobbly chairs. It was never meant to be considered an edible. Number six – writing. Every writer you know writes really terrible first drafts, but they keep their butt in the chair. That's the secret of life. That's probably the main difference between you and them. They just do it. They do it by prearrangement with themselves. They do it as a debt of honor. They tell stories that come through them one day at a time, little by little. When my older brother was in fourth grade, he had a term paper on birds due the next day, and he hadn't started. So my dad sat down with him with an Audubon book, paper, pencils and brads – for those of you who have gotten a little less young and remember brads – and he said to my brother, "Just take it bird by bird, buddy. Just read about pelicans and then write about pelicans in your own voice. And then find out about chickadees, and tell us about them in your own voice. And then geese." So the two most important things about writing are: bird by bird and really god-awful first drafts. If you don't know where to start, remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours, and you get to tell it. If people wanted you to write more warmly about them, they should've behaved better. You're going to feel like hell if you wake up someday and you never wrote the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart: your stories, memories, visions and songs – your truth, your version of things – in your own voice. That's really all you have to offer us, and that's also why you were born. Seven: publication and temporary creative successes are something you have to recover from. They kill as many people as not. They will hurt, damage and change you in ways you cannot imagine. The most degraded and evil people I've ever known are male writers who've had huge best sellers. And yet, returning to number one, that all truth is paradox, it's also a miracle to get your work published, to get your stories read and heard. Just try to bust yourself gently of the fantasy that publication will heal you, that it will fill the Swiss-cheesy holes inside of you. It can't. It won't. But writing can. So can singing in a choir or a bluegrass band. So can painting community murals or birding or fostering old dogs that no one else will. Number eight: families. Families are hard, hard, hard, no matter how cherished and astonishing they may also be. Again, see number one. At family gatherings where you suddenly feel homicidal or suicidal – remember that in all cases, it's a miracle that any of us, specifically, were conceived and born. Earth is forgiveness school. It begins with forgiving yourself, and then you might as well start at the dinner table. That way, you can do this work in comfortable pants. When William Blake said that we are here to learn to endure the beams of love, he knew that your family would be an intimate part of this, even as you want to run screaming for your cute little life. But I promise you are up to it. You can do it, Cinderella, you can do it, and you will be amazed. Nine: food. Try to do a little better. I think you know what I mean. Number 10 – grace. Grace is spiritual WD-40, or water wings. The mystery of grace is that God loves Henry Kissinger and Vladimir Putin and me exactly as much as He or She loves your new grandchild. Go figure. The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us and heals our world. To summon grace, say, "Help," and then buckle up. Grace finds you exactly where you are, but it doesn't leave you where it found you. And grace won't look like Casper the Friendly Ghost, regrettably. But the phone will ring or the mail will come and then against all odds, you'll get your sense of humor about yourself back. Laughter really is carbonated holiness. It helps us breathe again and again and gives us back to ourselves, and this gives us faith in life and each other. And remember – grace always bats last. Eleven: God just means goodness. It's really not all that scary. It means the divine or a loving, animating intelligence, or, as we learned from the great "Deteriorata," "the cosmic muffin." A good name for God is: "Not me." Emerson said that the happiest person on Earth is the one who learns from nature the lessons of worship. So go outside a lot and look up. My pastor said you can trap bees on the bottom of mason jars without lids because they don't look up, so they just walk around bitterly bumping into the glass walls. Go outside. Look up. Secret of life. And finally: death. Number 12. Wow and yikes. It's so hard to bear when the few people you cannot live without die. You'll never get over these losses, and no matter what the culture says, you're not supposed to. We Christians like to think of death as a major change of address, but in any case, the person will live again fully in your heart if you don't seal it off. Like Leonard Cohen said, "There are cracks in everything, and that's how the light gets in." And that's how we feel our people again fully alive. Also, the people will make you laugh out loud at the most inconvenient times, and that's the great good news. But their absence will also be a lifelong nightmare of homesickness for you. Grief and friends, time and tears will heal you to some extent. Tears will bathe and baptize and hydrate and moisturize you and the ground on which you walk. Do you know the first thing that God says to Moses? He says, "Take off your shoes." Because this is holy ground, all evidence to the contrary. It's hard to believe, but it's the truest thing I know. When you're a little bit older, like my tiny personal self, you realize that death is as sacred as birth. And don't worry – get on with your life. Almost every single death is easy and gentle with the very best people surrounding you for as long as you need. You won't be alone. They'll help you cross over to whatever awaits us. As Ram Dass said, "When all is said and done, we're really just all walking each other home." I think that's it, but if I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Thank you.
12 Truths I Learned from Life and Writing TED2017 Anne Lamott https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_lamott_12_truths_i_learned_from_life_and_writing
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the-end-of-art · 7 years
Text
A mixed grill of happy anticipation and dread
Anne Lamott: 12 Truths I Learned from Life and Writing TED talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_lamott_12_truths_i_learned_from_life_and_writing/transcript)
My seven-year-old grandson sleeps just down the hall from me, and he wakes up a lot of mornings and he says,"You know, this could be the best day ever." And other times, in the middle of the night, he calls out in a tremulous voice, "Nana, will you ever get sick and die?"
00:31
I think this pretty much says it for me and most of the people I know, that we're a mixed grill of happy anticipation and dread. So I sat down a few days before my 61st birthday, and I decided to compile a list of everything I know for sure. There's so little truth in the popular culture, and it's good to be sure of a few things.
00:57
For instance, I am no longer 47, although this is the age I feel, and the age I like to think of myself as being. My friend Paul used to say in his late 70s that he felt like a young man with something really wrong with him.
01:13
(Laughter)
01:17
Our true person is outside of time and space, but looking at the paperwork, I can, in fact, see that I was born in 1954.My inside self is outside of time and space. It doesn't have an age. I'm every age I've ever been, and so are you,although I can't help mentioning as an aside that it might have been helpful if I hadn't followed the skin care rules of the '60s, which involved getting as much sun as possible while slathered in baby oil and basking in the glow of a tinfoil reflector shield.
01:51
(Laughter)
01:53
It was so liberating, though, to face the truth that I was no longer in the last throes of middle age, that I decided to write down every single true thing I know. People feel really doomed and overwhelmed these days, and they keep asking me what's true. So I hope that my list of things I'm almost positive about might offer some basic operating instructions to anyone who is feeling really overwhelmed or beleaguered.
02:24
Number one: the first and truest thing is that all truth is a paradox. Life is both a precious, unfathomably beautiful gift,and it's impossible here, on the incarnational side of things. It's been a very bad match for those of us who were born extremely sensitive. It's so hard and weird that we sometimes wonder if we're being punked. It's filled simultaneously with heartbreaking sweetness and beauty, desperate poverty, floods and babies and acne and Mozart, all swirled together. I don't think it's an ideal system.
03:04
(Laughter)
03:07
Number two: almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes --
03:13
(Laughter)
03:15
(Applause)
03:19
including you.
03:22
Three: there is almost nothing outside of you that will help in any kind of lasting way, unless you're waiting for an organ. You can't buy, achieve or date serenity and peace of mind. This is the most horrible truth, and I so resent it.But it's an inside job, and we can't arrange peace or lasting improvement for the people we love most in the world.They have to find their own ways, their own answers. You can't run alongside your grown children with sunscreen and ChapStick on their hero's journey. You have to release them. It's disrespectful not to. And if it's someone else's problem, you probably don't have the answer, anyway.
04:11
(Laughter)
04:12
Our help is usually not very helpful. Our help is often toxic. And help is the sunny side of control. Stop helping so much. Don't get your help and goodness all over everybody.
04:28
(Laughter)
04:31
(Applause)
04:33
This brings us to number four: everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy and scared, even the people who seem to have it most together. They are much more like you than you would believe, so try not to compare your insides to other people's outsides. It will only make you worse than you already are.
04:51
(Laughter)
04:56
Also, you can't save, fix or rescue any of them or get anyone sober. What helped me get clean and sober 30 years ago was the catastrophe of my behavior and thinking. So I asked some sober friends for help, and I turned to a higher power. One acronym for God is the "gift of desperation," G-O-D, or as a sober friend put it, by the end I was deteriorating faster than I could lower my standards.
05:24
(Laughter)
05:31
So God might mean, in this case, "me running out of any more good ideas."
05:37
While fixing and saving and trying to rescue is futile, radical self-care is quantum, and it radiates out from you into the atmosphere like a little fresh air. It's a huge gift to the world. When people respond by saying, "Well, isn't she full of herself," just smile obliquely like Mona Lisa and make both of you a nice cup of tea. Being full of affection for one's goofy, self-centered, cranky, annoying self is home. It's where world peace begins.
06:17
Number five: chocolate with 75 percent cacao is not actually a food.
06:23
(Laughter)
06:27
Its best use is as a bait in snake traps or to balance the legs of wobbly chairs. It was never meant to be considered an edible.
06:41
Number six --
06:43
(Laughter)
06:46
writing. Every writer you know writes really terrible first drafts, but they keep their butt in the chair. That's the secret of life. That's probably the main difference between you and them. They just do it. They do it by prearrangement with themselves. They do it as a debt of honor. They tell stories that come through them one day at a time, little by little.When my older brother was in fourth grade, he had a term paper on birds due the next day, and he hadn't started. So my dad sat down with him with an Audubon book, paper, pencils and brads -- for those of you who have gotten a little less young and remember brads -- and he said to my brother, "Just take it bird by bird, buddy. Just read about pelicans and then write about pelicans in your own voice. And then find out about chickadees, and tell us about them in your own voice. And then geese."
07:52
So the two most important things about writing are: bird by bird and really god-awful first drafts. If you don't know where to start, remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours, and you get to tell it. If people wanted you to write more warmly about them, they should've behaved better.
08:11
(Laughter)
08:14
(Applause)
08:19
You're going to feel like hell if you wake up someday and you never wrote the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart: your stories, memories, visions and songs -- your truth, your version of things -- in your own voice. That's really all you have to offer us, and that's also why you were born.
08:42
Seven: publication and temporary creative successes are something you have to recover from. They kill as many people as not. They will hurt, damage and change you in ways you cannot imagine. The most degraded and evil people I've ever known are male writers who've had huge best sellers. And yet, returning to number one, that all truth is paradox, it's also a miracle to get your work published, to get your stories read and heard. Just try to bust yourself gently of the fantasy that publication will heal you, that it will fill the Swiss-cheesy holes inside of you. It can't. It won't. But writing can. So can singing in a choir or a bluegrass band. So can painting community murals or birding or fostering old dogs that no one else will.
09:40
Number eight: families. Families are hard, hard, hard, no matter how cherished and astonishing they may also be.Again, see number one.
09:53
(Laughter)
09:54
At family gatherings where you suddenly feel homicidal or suicidal --
09:58
(Laughter)
10:00
remember that in all cases, it's a miracle that any of us, specifically, were conceived and born. Earth is forgiveness school. It begins with forgiving yourself, and then you might as well start at the dinner table. That way, you can do this work in comfortable pants.
10:20
(Laughter)
10:23
When William Blake said that we are here to learn to endure the beams of love, he knew that your family would be an intimate part of this, even as you want to run screaming for your cute little life. But I promise you are up to it. You can do it, Cinderella, you can do it, and you will be amazed.
10:45
Nine: food. Try to do a little better. I think you know what I mean.
10:53
(Laughter)
11:03
Number 10 --
11:04
(Laughter)
11:06
grace. Grace is spiritual WD-40, or water wings. The mystery of grace is that God loves Henry Kissinger and Vladimir Putin and me exactly as much as He or She loves your new grandchild. Go figure.
11:26
(Laughter)
11:28
The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us and heals our world. To summon grace, say, "Help," and then buckle up. Grace finds you exactly where you are, but it doesn't leave you where it found you. And grace won't look like Casper the Friendly Ghost, regrettably. But the phone will ring or the mail will come and then against all odds,you'll get your sense of humor about yourself back. Laughter really is carbonated holiness. It helps us breathe again and again and gives us back to ourselves, and this gives us faith in life and each other. And remember -- grace always bats last.
12:13
Eleven: God just means goodness. It's really not all that scary. It means the divine or a loving, animating intelligence,or, as we learned from the great "Deteriorata," "the cosmic muffin." A good name for God is: "Not me." Emerson said that the happiest person on Earth is the one who learns from nature the lessons of worship. So go outside a lot and look up. My pastor said you can trap bees on the bottom of mason jars without lids because they don't look up, so they just walk around bitterly bumping into the glass walls. Go outside. Look up. Secret of life.
12:59
And finally: death. Number 12. Wow and yikes. It's so hard to bear when the few people you cannot live without die.You'll never get over these losses, and no matter what the culture says, you're not supposed to. We Christians like to think of death as a major change of address, but in any case, the person will live again fully in your heart if you don't seal it off. Like Leonard Cohen said, "There are cracks in everything, and that's how the light gets in." And that's how we feel our people again fully alive.
13:39
Also, the people will make you laugh out loud at the most inconvenient times, and that's the great good news. But their absence will also be a lifelong nightmare of homesickness for you. Grief and friends, time and tears will heal you to some extent. Tears will bathe and baptize and hydrate and moisturize you and the ground on which you walk.
14:04
Do you know the first thing that God says to Moses? He says, "Take off your shoes." Because this is holy ground, all evidence to the contrary. It's hard to believe, but it's the truest thing I know. When you're a little bit older, like my tiny personal self, you realize that death is as sacred as birth. And don't worry -- get on with your life. Almost every single death is easy and gentle with the very best people surrounding you for as long as you need. You won't be alone.They'll help you cross over to whatever awaits us. As Ram Dass said, "When all is said and done, we're really just all walking each other home."
14:55
I think that's it, but if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.
15:00
Thank you.
15:01
(Applause)
15:03
Thank you.
15:04
(Applause)
15:06
I was very surprised to be asked to come, because it is not my realm, technology or design or entertainment. I mean, my realm is sort of faith and writing and kind of lurching along together. And I was surprised, but they said I could give a talk, and I said I'd love to.
15:25
(Video) If you don't know where to start, remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours and you get to tell it.
15:32
Anne Lamott: People are very frightened and feel really doomed in America these days, and I just wanted to help people get their sense of humor about it and to realize how much isn't a problem. If you take an action, take a really healthy or loving or friendly action, you'll have loving and friendly feelings.
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