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slashingdisneypasta · 3 years

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Inkubus x Vampire!Fem!Reader || Oneshot

Title: Always There

Notes:

I think outta all Englund's characters on this blog, I like writing for Inkubus the most. Which is criminal seeing as I write for him the least. I need to change that haha.

Plot: You meet up with a very old friend of yours and you spend some time catching up. And he's so clearly in love with you, its unbelievable and torturous to him that no matter what he does, you don't notice.

Warnings: A very unreliable narrator (In terms of particular other peoples clear feelings for her), BLOOD, DRINKING BLOOD, DRAINING SOMEONE OF BLOOD (But in a sort of polite way? Hah), MENTIONS OF AN ABUSIVE EX PARTNER, vampires and incubus'.

The smell of iron and petrichor fills your nostrils, disgusting and refreshing and also, just... relieving... in equal measure filling you up as you kneel by the victim - the man you'd chosen, - for tonight; A needle and tube attached to a blood bag between your fingers and digging into the poor mans neck.

You hate doing this, knowing this guy will be weak and sick feeling for the next day - maybe two depending on how much you take from him, - without understanding why. But, its for sure better then the alternative- which is just digging in right here and now with your teeth. That's messy, and the marks you leave behind aren't easy to explain away as 'animal attacks' anymore.

You need the blood, but you aren't a savage, jeez. You always catch any new vampire movies or shows together with your daughter and watch those actors with blood all over their chins, and think... How old are these vamps supposed to be?? 300 hundred years old!?

And they don't know how to eat without getting it all over their face?

Pfft! Rolling your eyes, you gently shake your head at the memories of bloody Edward Cullen and Lestat and Damon Salvetore swimming around in your head as watch the man's breathing. To be fair, you love them all - Twilight, Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Diaries, Nosferatu, Vampires Vs the Bronx, etc, - but that's just because its more fiction then truth- and that's coming from an honest to goodness bloodsucker.

Finally deciding you've taken enough without truly hurting the man, you put pressure on his neck and pull out the needle, carefully wipe away any mess with a cotton ball from your bag and put a band aid on him.

"Now," You talk firmly, softly, as you look into his eyes - which are dull, almost sleeping. A nice touch to the docile state you put your victims, in so they can at least not feel any pain or fear while you're collecting your feed, - , hands on his shoulders. "You're not going to remember this, or me. You're going to get a taxi home," You tuck some money in his shirt pocket, a thank you for his service; Its the least you could do. "Then get into bed and have a wonderful sleep with lots of lovely dreams. Thank you so much."

After you watch the man get up, still in a bit of daze but shaking it off - and not even noticing your presence, crouched down by where he's standing, - and leave the alleyway, you carefully pack away the blood bag and the tube and needle (In a separate plastic bag, for you to clean and sanitise when you get home) in your satchel and finally get back up, wrapping the strap over your head and resting it on your shoulder.

Brushing a hand through your hair, you turn to leave the alleyway and go home- when a familiar voice speaks up from the very back of the alley- and immediately your hopes rise.

"You look even more beautiful every time I see you."

You smile, peering into the darkness. "Oh, that's very sweet... but you and I both know I look like trash. I haven't eaten for a week!" When he just chuckles back, you tilt your head and waive him over. "Come out here so I can see you!; When did you get into town?"

Gracefully - more so then even you can manage, being a goddamn vampire, - Inkubus slips out of the darkness and you're happy to see he looks well. Its been forever since you say him last - 40 years? 70? - and you always have it in the back of your head for some reason that next time you see your friend, it'll be the last time. So its always lovely when he turns up and looks just as healthy as he always does.

"Oh I just got here; Thought I would come see you immediately. Otherwise you might nag at me." This time you chuckle, rolling your eyes. His eyes flicker to your satchel. "Collecting our dinner our we?"

"Yep! Smells like A Negative, my favourite. When was the last time you ate?"

"Ohh, a couple weeks ago. I'm due for my next fill soon, though... any suggestions?"

"No," Scrunch up your nose, you put a lot of emphasis on your response; See, you don't subscribe to the notion that monsters like the two of you have to act all blasé and cocky about the terrible things they must do. Apart from these night time trips to find breathers to bleed, you live a... mostly... normal life! So no- you definitely don't know anyone he can make his next victim.

And Inkubus knows this, which is why he laughs and you roll your eyes again at him, fixing the satchel on your shoulder. "So- " Again his eyes flicker to your bag, this time with meaning. A cheeky grin flits across his lips. "Want to get a drink?"

Smiling, you turn on your heel, you loop your arm through his and lead the way. "So have you been?"

___TIME SKIP___

4 hours later and the two of you are still stewing at a 24-Hour-Diner you frequent - seeing as you don't really sleep that much, - and are onto your 9th drinks at this point. You two may not see each other too often since the 1400's and went your separate ways in the world, but you never go longer then a hundred years - preferably 80 maximum, - without seeing each other and when you do- you have a lot to say. Filling each other in on what you've missed in each others lives is always a... disorientating experience, at times, but you must do it. You couldn't survive in a world where you didn't know what was happening in your best friends life. That would just be too lonely.

See, Inkubus is the only one you know - still, to this day, - who knew you when you were human, aside from the man referred to very nearly exclusively as 'Dick for brains' - being your daughters father, - and while having human friends who can make you feel normal again, is wonderful... so is feeling normal, in what you actually are currently. And that's not human. That's thousands and thousands of years old and a mystery to scientists. And, seeing as he's a literal demon... that's a very easy service for him to provide.

A waitress walks by to pick up you empty glasses and looks oddly at your personal tumbler. You clearly weren't meant to notice, but you do of course, and unassumingly shrug. "Bloody Mary... don't tell." You give her a conspiratorial wink, and she chuckles, walking off.

When you look back to Inkubus, he looks ready to make a joke so you give him a timid shrug. "Well, there is vodka and Tobasco sauce in it!... " He smirks, but lets it go- seeing as your words were funny enough.

"And how is Bethany? Has she seen her father lately...?" Your eyebrows arch, hearing Inkubus ask about him; Dick for Brains, Beth's father and the bane of your long, long existence. Obviously, seeing as the bastard impregnated you with his literal spawn of hell causing you to die during childbirth at age 26 so he could then turn you into a vampire, made you raise your daughter alone- and then returned 20 years later just to turn Beth into a vampire as well and claim that you can all be a 'proper family now'... you aren't a huge fan of the guy. And talking about him you don't do often, as it causes a horrible clenching feeling in your stomach and heart. Luckily, Inkubus is one of the few people who is allowed to make you feel that way. Him, and Beth.

You sigh, taking a slow sip of your drink through the matching metal straw and metal tumbler set Beth got your last mothers day (So as to hide the fact that its blood inside), you wonder what to say... "Beth's great, as always... she's fallen in love with a human, though. That can only end brilliantly." Shaking your head, you look to Inkubus to see his reaction and catch him rolling his eyes, smirking. Yep. "Um, and... yes. There has been contact with Dick for Brains... He recently, like... 20 years ago? turned up at her place in Egypt, and wouldn't leave till I had to fly down there and shoo him away." You grit your teeth. There is so much wrong with that man- you do honestly with you had never met him sometimes. That's horrible, you know, as if you hadn't met him you wouldn't have had Beth and she's the light of your life, but... at times like that instance? When he troubles her?

Its hard to not wish his existence away.

"Do you want me to speak with him?... Again... ?" Your gaze returns to Inkubus again, feeling at ease the moment your minds back in the diner with him and not in your head with Dick for Brains; Eyes softening. The idea is tempting, unbelievably tempting... And it would keep your friend around awhile longer. "That always seems to win you a couple hundred years of reprieve."

Taking a deep, needless breath - an anxious habit, - you set down your tumbler and shake your head. "No, that's okay... thank you for the offer, though. He seems to be giving up, slowly, finally. But damn, its taken him long enough to get the hint, huh?"

"Far too long." Inkubus' voice is bitter and dark, talking about your ex- and his eyes are reading much different. You know if you let him, he would kill Derek... but you cant do that. If anyone's going to kill him, it would be you or Beth, and neither of you are there yet. Inkubus takes a deep breath, relaxing again like a chameleon changing its colours. "Anyway, love; Onto prettier business. How did that thing go, that you had with that Djinn half a century ago. You seemed quite optimistic about that one."

A fluttering of laughter immediately comes out of you and Inkubus' truly cheers up at the sight of it, and you just look at him and shake your head; An awkward toothless smile on your lips. Ha! No.

His brows arch, laughter in his eyes. "Didn't end well?"

"That ended up being the shortest affair I've ever had and that's saying something." Brushing hair back from your face, you chew on your bottom lip. "You'd think after nearly 10 centuries, I'd learn... Oh- wait- make that 10 and nearly a half, centuries... Boy, am I clueless."

"Clueless about what, love?" You're just breathing in to respond, when a cheeky look crosses Inkubus' familiar face. "I mean, you are quiet clueless- about plenty of things. But specifically, this time."

You scrunch up your nose at him in response, grinning, before once again chewing on your bottom lip. "... I'm just not the woman that gets proposed to." You shrug, as if its no big deal; Even though your heart bleeds saying it out loud for the first time, to someone that matters and not just your ex-therapist, Julie. Setting your drink on the table in front of you, you idlily twist it. "Obsessed over and stalked, yes." You grin, a tinge of sadness to it. "Fucked, yes. Dated even, yes. But married?... Ha, no... "

His eyebrows climb up his forehead even more, before he softly smiles and pats your hand. "I asked you to marry me, all those years ago, sweetheart. Remember?" He reminds you gently, and you cant help giving a soft smile back at your well-meaning friend.

"Oh, yes of course I do. That was very sweet, but... I mean for love, you know? Not because I'm pregnant and alone."

Inkubus sighs, slightly frustrated, and leans back in his seat. "Mhmmm... " Rubbing a finger under his nose, he quickly clears his throat. Then he reaches his hand further up your arm to lay it on your forearm, running his thumb comfortingly across your skin. "Love, I'm sure that you'll find someone. Perhaps multiple someone's. Or, maybe, you don't need to find anyone new."

A little smile twitches at your lips as you pick up his hands and hold it on the table in both of yours. "... Maybe." For a split millisecond, your friend smiles. Sighing wistfully, you shrug. "Maybe I can learn to be happy alone. I mean, I like my life. I like my daughter, I like my job, I like my patterns... Maybe I don't need a man." Immediately his smile disappears and he rolls his eyes.

"You definitely don't need a man." He sighs, frowning. "But one can be good for a few things, no?"

"Hey." You set him with a stern look. "I thought we were making me feel better, about not having one?"

"Oh, you're right. I rescind my comment."

"You better." A cheeky grin crosses your face.

He looks back at it, the cheeky grin of yours, and the smile returns to his face.

The sun is warming up when you're on your way home, Inkubus beside you with his arms folded carefully behind his his back and your hands stuffed in your leather jacket pockets; One arm linked affectionately through his. You're an odd sight, you're sure, to any early morning commuters. You, and your barely-out-of-college looking self walking so close - and so domestically. A fact that is lost on you but not on the smug demon walking beside you, - to a man that currently looks to be in his 60's-70's age-wise.

Not that either of you care.

"Well, this is my place! Whatdaya think?" You ask, letting him go in order to unlock the door or the townhouse apartment and push open the door. He walks on in past you, looking around and you watch a soft smile grace his handsome features. "You like it?"

"Much better then the hole in the wall you thought was a good idea to show me in Transylvania- took everything in me not to sweep you away somewhere safer... with fewer mould spores... " He turns to look at you over his shoulder, a mischievous smirk on his mouth as you scrunch up your nose at him, before smiling.

"Well then, Mr Judgmental... I guess you don't want to know, that I chose this wallpaper cuz of you."

That definitely catches his attention, more then anything else you've said. He turns around in a full 360, assessing the wallpaper before looking curiously at you. "You... you chose this wallpaper because of... me? How so?"

You shrug, still leaning back against the open front door- sunlight filtering through the doorway. "The colour is very you. Its got 'Inkubus' vibes. You know," Raising your brows at him, you smirk. "Eccentric, full of itself." At that cheeky remark, he says 'Ha ha', sarcastically. "And, I guess, I missed you. Sooo... yeah... wallpaper."

"Hm... " Looking really far too pleased about this, looking a lot more engrossed by the home then before- but mostly the wallpaper. "This place is looking better, suddenly... "

"Like I said- Full of itself." You roll your eyes, laughing. Then you push off the door, push it closed with your foot and then go to pass by Inkubus to hit the livingroom. "Oh! The book! The one we were talking about at the diner- I'll find it for you! Come on- "

"Y/N." A hand curls gently around your arm, at the perfect moment so that you don't get yanked back with the force of your travelling and instead you just coat to a careful halt at Inkubus' side.

Blinking up at him curiously, wondering what he needed you for so suddenly, you tilt your head to the side. "Yes?"

For a good moment, he just looks at you whilst you become worried. What is happening? Every second that passes by, more and more ridiculous ideas cross your mind.

Finally, the man tilts his head slightly in sincerity.

"Sweetheart, are you ever going to see how ridiculously in love with you I am?"

And... for all of the disastrous and ridiculous possibilities that came to mind when he was saying nothing, you had a response. To this, you just stand their dumbly, your shoulders dropping and just looking at him in total shock. "... wel- uh- um... a few more hundred years?" You feel like a ton of bricks has just been dropped on top of you. "Maybe?" You squeak. You actually squeak.

And of course, you squeaked. You'd be surprised if you had managed to keep your composure after a confession like that. Here's this beautiful man, who against all foreseeable odds understands you, and cares about your kid, and whom you love... and somehow he's telling you that he loves you? That, for some reason, he wants you?

Is there something wrong with him?

There must be. Something terribly, horrible, irreversibly offensive that you aren't already aware of.

But you rack your brain and theirs nothing. Nothing, at all, that you can figure that would make you turn away from him right now.

He smiles a little bit at your awkward reaction, and lets go of your wrist in favour of tucking some hair back behind your ear. "Do you quite mind if I kiss you now?"

Your breath hitches, it actually hitches, like a tiny shy anime girl who's giant crush just got down on his knees in front of her for whatever reason, and you have to fight to pull yourself together; Rolling your shoulders back, hands on your hips. Totally, and translucently fake confident. "Um- you know? I don't?"

God, you are a centuries old vampire; Your vernacular should be yards better then this.

And then kisses you.

Oh god- And then he kisses you.

Because you're suddenly struck hard in the face with a million words and phrases, from current to boomer-speak to old fashioned to forgotten, to describe it but mostly you're just wondering why in the world you hadn't been doing this the whole damn time. Your hands find the sides of his coat in order to steady yourself, and pull him closer as you carefully tilt your head into the kiss. It comes so naturally, the kissing does. Between you and him. Its like, despite the bounds of your relationship never having reached this level before, you know exactly how to kiss each other. There's no awkwardness or searching. You just fit.

When finally, you slowly end the kiss, you fail to open your eyes for a good moment, before cracking them open slightly, half lidded and flickering up to his eyes.

And you take a deep, unnecessary breath and step away, torturously out of Inkubus' personal space. "... holy shit." You have so many questions... None of which touch on how exactly you're feeling because you get that much, at least.

But you cant help but wonder why- and for how long this has been brewing and how long exactly that you missed it- and how the hell this is going to work-

He follows you, thank god, a roguish yet soft look on his face. "Maybe we should take this to the livingroom, love. I promise, I can explain everything to you."

#Inkubus x Reader Oneshot #Inkubus x Reader #Fem Reader #Fem!Reader #Vampire Reader #Vampire!Reader #Inkubus x Vampire!Fem!Reader #Inkubus #Horror Villains #Horror Villains x Reader

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blitzturtles · 3 years

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Title: Tre

Rating: Mature, for implied adult activity (though it isn't detailed.)

Fandom: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

Pairing(s): BruAbba

Summary: “Is… Bucciarati avoiding anyone else?” Giorno asks, quiet. Unsure. By the look on his face, it’s something that’s been bothering him for a few days.

Abbacchio looks up with raised brows, “Don’t think so, why?”

Notes: Please note that Bruno experiences quite a bit of gender dysphoria here. It's reflected in his internal dialogue and could be triggering.

Also, missing doses of T doesn't necessarily guarantee the return of someone's period, but Bruno has a whole lotta bad luck, too much stress, and not enough time.

“Is… Bucciarati avoiding anyone else?” Giorno asks, quiet. Unsure. By the look on his face, it’s something that’s been bothering him for a few days.

Abbacchio looks up with raised brows, “Don’t think so, why?”

Giorno frowns. How does he explain that he feels like he’s seeing more glimpses of zippers and Sticky Fingers than the man they belong to? That he feels like every time he turns a corner, Bruno is already leaving? Maybe even fleeing?

“No, no, I think Giogio’s onto something,” Mista cuts in before Giorno can answer.

Abbacchio’s neutral expression shifts to something less sure. His frown reflects Giorno’s, and he seems to lose himself in his thoughts for a moment. He recalls the last several days and tries to replay the interactions in his head.

“I’ll check it out,” he decides, finally. He pushes himself up to his feet and heads out the door before the other two can think up an argument.

“Uh?” Mista looks to Giorno, then the door, and back again.

“I don’t know,” Giorno admits. Something in Abbacchio’s features had only validated his worries.

______ ______

“Bruno,” Abbacchio calls, rapping the back of one hand against their shared bedroom door. He hates to admit it, but the kid is right. Bruno’s been quieter. A bit more aloof, but he isn’t fully avoiding Abbacchio. He knows better than that, which is exactly the problem. The bastard knows just the way to adjust his behavior to avoid suspicion.

The room remains quiet on the other side. No one moves, and the door stays shut. Abbacchio isn’t buying it for a minute.

“Bruno, I’m coming in if you don’t let me in.”

He waits approximately ten more seconds-- no one has ever accused him of being a patient man-- before he digs out his key. The only reason he has it on him at all is because of Bruno’s borderline refusal to use doors. There’s been a time or two where Abbacchio has been locked out because Bruno used his zippers and forgot to flip the lock. It’s not a frequent occurrence, but it’s happened enough to make Abbacchio more diligent about having his copy on his person.

His chest aches with the burning need of oxygen, reminding him to take a breath. He has a vague idea of what might be happening, but he can’t be sure. Can’t know that Bruno isn’t half-dead somewhere beyond the threshold.

One blue eye pops out of a pile of blankets and disappears just as quickly. There’s a quiet groan and possibly a few words, but none of it is audible to Abbacchio.

“Cramps?”

The blankets shift like someone might have whacked them.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Abbacchio says with an undeniably fond tone. He doesn’t take offense to the attempt to shoo him off, but he does feel guilt for not recognizing the signs earlier. To his own credit, it’s been many months, possibly more than a year since last this happened. He’s gotten out of the habit of identifying the warnings. Bruno is a lot like a wounded animal. Unless it’s killing him, he won’t make his pain known (and even that’s up in the air, sometimes. It’s the blood trail that gives him away more often in those cases.)

He bypasses the mass on the bed to slide into the bathroom. He notes the painkillers on the counter and finds some relief in the fact that Bruno at least has those on board. Absently, he brushes his thumb against Bruno’s toothbrush and winces at the dampness of it. That’s one of those things he’s learned from being with Bruno for so long: when his cramps are particularly awful, his stomach crawls its way up his throat. Sometimes more than once, but Bruno being in bed is hopefully a sign that he’s finished with that for now.

With the painkillers taken and his stomach emptied, there’s only one thing that Abbacchio can offer. He crouches down in front of the sink and starts digging through their unholy collection of toiletries and makeup. A not insignificant amount of it is Abbacchio’s, but he finds a crushed box in the back after several frustrating minutes of digging and rearranging.

There’s one left, but it will do. He can bribe the kids to go get him more. Something tells him the reusable is missing in action. Probably tossed after one too many times of someone bleeding on it.

Bruno hasn’t moved since Abbacchio’s break in, and he doesn’t look like he intends to move when Abbacchio makes his way to the bed.

“C’mon. Stretch out for a second,” he holds up the packaging for Bruno to see and gives one of his rare, soft smiles when Bruno unhooks his arms from around himself and uncurls his body.

Abbacchio carefully peels the blankets away to find that Bruno has stolen one of his night shirts and a pair of his shorts.

“Sorry,” Bruno breathes.

The pain in his voice is heartbreaking, and the fact that Bruno thinks Abbacchio gives two shits about a pair of lost shorts (to blood of all things, as if they haven’t both bled on every other thing they’ve ever owned) only makes the ache worse.

“I really can’t emphasize enough how much I don’t care,” Abbacchio says and immediately wishes he had thought his words out, “About the shorts.” He sees the way Bruno tenses for a moment before he relaxes again. He’s on edge. Less sure of himself than he usually is, which means he’s second guessing everything. Even definite truths. And one of those is that Abbacchio would give him anything he asked for without question. A singular set of clothes-- that he knows Bruno will probably replace without his noticing-- mean nothing to him.

“I know,” Bruno admits. His fingers dance at the hem of the shirt. He’s buying time.

Abbacchio doesn’t push him. He waits patiently until Bruno slides the shirt up his belly enough for Abbacchio to place the heating pad. He’s mindful of the dark patch of hair that peeks out from above the shorts. Bruno usually prefers them to be placed higher up anyway, and his belly is relatively hairless.

“There. That’s the last of the peel and sticks, but we can get more,” he reaches to tug the shirt back down but hesitates a moment to press a kiss to Bruno’s hip. He knows that Bruno feels the most dysphoric when he’s bleeding. Sees himself in a way that Abbacchio doesn’t. Being in agony doesn’t exactly help his mental state any.

“I don’t want to be trouble.”

Abbacchio snorts-- if only because the idea of that is so preposterous. “If they knew it was for you, they’d kill each other to get to the store first,” they won’t know. He won’t tell them. They might guess that it’s Bruno that’s out of commission, given his absence, but Bruno isn’t full-time anymore. It’s easy to dismiss his lack of presence as his attention being elsewhere, but Giorno’s made it apparent that he’s noticed. Mista, too.

Bruno might have gotten away with it if he weren’t feeling so poorly. The pain clouds his mind and disrupts the smooth way that he and Sticky Fingers work together. It’s probably why Giorno kept catching glimpses. It’s all Bruno can do to stay upright when the cramps kick in at full swing.

Speaking of, Abbacchio reaches up to gently wipe the tears away from Bruno’s cheeks.

“You can roll back. I’m going to change, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Truthfully, he isn’t changing for his own comfort. Abbacchio has fallen asleep fully dressed more times than he can count, buckle included. He could care less about what he’s wearing, but he knows that Bruno’s nerves are already frayed.

In the time it takes him to switch to his softest night clothes, Bruno has curled back up, facing away from him. Abbacchio takes a moment to shoot off a text before he climbs in behind him. He carefully scoots his body as close to Bruno’s as he can without putting any pressure against him. Bruno uncurls enough to lean a fraction of his weight back into him, and Abbacchio counts that as a win.

Abbacchio reaches up to undo the clips in Bruno’s hair. The braid needs to come out, too, but he doesn’t have the angle he needs to work on it. He settles for petting along Bruno’s arm, a slow drag of his calloused fingers from wrist to shoulder. His nails drag lightly against tanned skin. It’s all about distracting without being overwhelming.

“I missed three,” Bruno says eventually.

“Three? Oh,” well, that explains it. Bruno’s had problems with his cycle coming through in the past. It’s the reason he switched to shots in the first place, and he’s suspected his dose has been too low for a while. The problem is that his own health and wellbeing always comes last. He doesn’t pursue the doctors the way he could; he’s always too busy taking care of everyone else at his own detriment. Sometimes Abbacchio thinks Bruno does it as self-flagellation, but he feels like a hypocrite if he points it out.

The dysphoria creates something of a feedback loop. It’s the one aspect of himself that Bruno struggles with the most. He can typically climb his way out of his cycles of grief. The flashbacks are generally ignored. It’s amazing, Abbacchio thinks, that he ever sleeps at all. There’s enough trauma and stress there to last several people their entire lives. Bruno ignores it all, but he can’t ignore this.

Abbacchio carefully drapes his arm around Bruno and presses his face against the back of his neck. “I love you,” he says, the words pressed against Bruno’s nape.

There’s a wounded sound from Bruno, and he curls up tighter.

Abbacchio moves with him. Careful, but without hesitation. “I love you no matter what, in any way that you’ll have me. I will follow you to the end, and I will give you all that I have.” He can’t refute the words playing in Bruno’s head, but he can make sure he knows that he’s loved. “None of us would have made it without you.”

“That’s not-”

“Shut up,” Abbacchio’s tone is far from harsh, but Bruno does as he’s told, “Fugo might have stayed out of legal trouble, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be dead from pissing off the wrong person. Narancia would have died of an infection. You said it yourself, Narancia was on death’s door when Fugo brought him to you. Mista wouldn’t have survived jail,” another one of Bruno’s assessments that was exactly on point, “Giorno would have probably gotten himself killed trying to take out the boss by himself, and Trish would be dead if you hadn’t killed yourself to save her.” Being revived after doesn’t change the fact that Bruno had died in the first place, “And I would be passed out drunk. Maybe dead.”

Silence settles over them for a long few minutes. Bruno only occasionally tensing and squirming from pain. The over-the-counter stuff barely touches the cramps, but he won’t take anything else. At least the heating pads seem to help some.

“Thank you,” Bruno says eventually.

“Sure,” Abbacchio presses a kiss to soft skin, “I’m always available to grind the truth into that thick skull of your’s.”

Bruno huffs in response, but his hands find Abbacchio’s arm. He curls his fingers around pale skin and finds himself admiring the muscle underneath. Neither of them are particularly built, but Abbacchio has the thicker, wider frame that Bruno had longed for for so many years. It’s odd to remember when they first met, when Abbacchio had a bit more muscle. Bruno’s own body had been a hated thing. Something he used to wish he could shed with curves he could see if he looked for them.

Sometimes he wonders which of their memories are distorted. Abbacchio’s, from the alcohol and the depression and not actually knowing better. Or Bruno’s, from the self-hatred and the dysphoria and the abuse inflicted on him.

He can still remember the first time they managed to lock themselves in the bathroom, all hands and teeth, and Leone-- god help him-- had been surprised.

It had been the first time they made it past making out like teenagers, and Leone had stared up at him from his spot on his knees with big, gold-violet eyes. Confused and at an obvious loss. Bruno can still remember the way his stomach turned as reality kicked in, and he had realized the significant misstep on his part. He had thought, with his waist and the scars on his chest and the width of his shoulders, that it had been obvious. Had thought himself lucky that Leone still wanted him.

”Tell me what to do,” Leone had demanded, all determination and enthusiasm.

Bruno almost laughs at the memory. It’s not funny, really, but he can remember the overwhelming endearment he had felt. Still feels. That’s the thing that Leone can’t accept. Can’t understand about himself: all that he does for Bruno. All the ways he makes Bruno a better man. He can’t imagine doing this on his own. He’ll have to find a way to better show his appreciation when his insides aren’t threatening to tear him apart.

“I love you,” he says, squeezing Leone’s arm.

“I love you, too.”

#bruabba #bruno buccellati #bruno bucciarati #leone abbacchio #golden wind #vento aureo #jjba part 5 #jojo's bizzare adventure #blitzwrites #blitz

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millenniumsilver · 3 years

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Title: A Dark Night

Main Character(s): Kwon Junseo. Cha Yejun.

Summary: There were a lot of things Yejun expected prior to moving into the dorms, as his group’s debut approached, but having his ex show up at his front door in the dead of night was the last thing that crossed his mind.

Warning(s): Discussions of mental health. Bad mental health/mental state. Cursing.

When Yejun was younger, he harbored a small fear of the dark, which equated to not being entirely too fond of the night. It originally stemmed from watching too many scary videos before bedtime, and it always ended up with him running to his parents’ room in absolute tears. It didn't take much for Yejun to realize that whenever he was scared shitless, it was dark, and whenever it was dark, it was nighttime. Thus, as a child, Yejun's aversion to the night began.

Even now, as a 23 year old, Yejun still wasn't fond of the night. He never truly understood the appeal it had to some people, where they genuinely preferred being awake when the sun set as opposed to when it rose, and how people simply were night owls, or how they started enjoying the day the moment it ended.

His dislike towards it intensified when he found himself standing side by side with his ex (and current group member), on the roof of his family’s house, only a few weeks prior to his big move into the dorms with the rest of his group.

Maybe Yejun was biased and was quick to blame the moon that followed him around whenever something bad happened in his life, as never once was the sun present when the tears began falling for him. The bad things in Yejun’s life were always accompanied by the taunting glow of the moon.

“Can you kiss me again?” the sound of the city filled the empty space that lingered between Yejun and Junseo, neither of the boys inching to close the gap between one another.

“Junseo-“

“Just one more time.” Junseo’s pleads bleed into the sound of the city being alive, allowing for himself to excuse the desperation in his tone that was barely audible.

“It’s not right, Jun-“

“We weren’t right when we started, why does it change anything now?” Yejun could tell from the way Junseo was speaking that he was both fighting to hold himself back from letting any tears slip, and he was fighting his own mind to be able to even speak his heart. “If we do something wrong one more time, what difference does it make?”

A siren blared in the background of the boys, allowing for yet another bit of noise to slip in between the cracks of silence between the boys, letting them both a second to try and collect their thoughts that had slowly been swept away with the wind.

“I miss your touch.”

There wasn’t a moment Junseo didn’t shock Yejun. From the moment they met, and let their hearts skip a beat in the form of an unspoken spark when their eyes landed on each other. Even now, in the cold night with both boys looking like strangers and almost feeling like strangers to one another. Junseo was a surprise in every sense of his being.

“I miss your lips.”

In the short while they first met, Junseo quickly became one of the best parts of Yejun’s life. It didn’t take more than a few times of the two hanging out for Yejun to like what he knew about Junseo, and count down the moments until he had the chance to learn even more about him.

“I miss the way you always treated me.”

He would never admit it, because even in his own mind it sounded like nothing more than a cliche from a romantic comedy, but Yejun finally discovered the meaning of falling fast and falling hard when Junseo walked into his life. Never once in his life did Yejun want to know every single thing he could about someone, while also wanting to keep things a secret so he could learn of them through memories he could always keep in his heart.

“I miss how you always spoke to me like I mattered.”

In his 23 years of life, it was the first time Yejun felt true love. He wasn’t shy of love, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t dated previously, but it was never like this. It never felt like his world had been lit aflame with a new purpose whenever he simply looked into Junseo’s eye; a glaze of hope always staring back at Yejun.

“I miss the way you held me.”

Yejun let himself give his heart to Junseo in between small kisses in empty rooms, and quick glances that only they knew of in crowded rooms.

“I miss the way you made me feel safe.”

Junseo gave his heart in between nights spent clinging onto Yejun in bed and moments where he could let himself fall, knowing Yejun would be right there to catch him.

“I miss your love.”

Both boys lost their hearts in one another, and even when the love for each other was only existent in memories, neither of them made a move to retrieve their hearts.

“I miss you.”

Their hearts belonged to one another, even if neither boy could cherish them the way they wanted. Their hearts were like puzzle pieces that finally found its rightful places, completing a puzzle that seemed to have broken away.

Yejun missed Junseo.

There was no way the young actor could deny that, or even interpret his feelings in a different way. He didn’t want to.

But he knew better.

The love the two boys had for one another was as brilliant and hot as a flame, and just like a flame, it was gone as quick as it came, leaving nothing but the cold darkness.

It didn’t take more than a quick glance for Yejun to know that while Junseo’s pleads were nothing but truthful, that Junseo hadn’t changed. Maybe he was worse than when they were together. Junseo always came off as someone who held appearances to a high degree, and it he made it a goal to make it clear with always dressing to the nines with what was in season, and simply having himself look like he was always coming back from a photo shoot.

However, in the nights where the older had slipped into Yejun’s home in order to find the warmth of his embrace, Yejun finally had a chance to see the real Junseo. Or at least, as much of the “real” Junseo, that he himself was willing to show.

Gone was the man who didn’t pay any mind to those around him, the man who walked the earth as if it was built for him, and the man who was far from comfortable with letting anyone see him as anything but his absolute best. Instead, there was the man who wordlessly found himself wrapped around Yejun’s body, wanting to receive the type of attention he never knew he needed. There was the man who stumbled in his thoughts and words, wanting to prove how much he cared for Yejun with every breath he took.

There was the Junseo who showed off how much the world was chipping away at him. Through bags underneath his eyes that seemed to become more and more prominent as time slipped by. Through nights where he couldn’t bring himself to speak and simply came for the affection he never felt before. Through confessions of how scared he was every time he opened his eyes in the morning.

Through it all, it became apparent to Yejun that he was far from the Junseo that everyone knew of. He was lost in himself, and he gave Yejun the chance to see him as his most vulnerable. He gave Yejun the chance to help find him.

But, if anything, the dim glow of the lights on the roof showed that while Yejun desperately tried to help Junseo, he had lost himself even more.

Before, he was wandering aimlessly in a maze built from everyone’s expectations for him. Now, he was drifting away into a typhoon of thoughts he had no intention of swimming away from.

“Have you gone to see someone like we talked about?” it was a cop out, a cheap one at that, and Yejun knew. But, if he told Junseo he missed him too, he knew what it would lead to, and he didn’t know if he could handle being the wave that swallows Junseo whole.

“My mom almost found out and that was enough to make me give up.” Junseo’s hands were quick to reach up and wipe at his eyes, his head ever so slightly tilting away from Yejun. “It’s a habit, I guess. Giving up on what helps.”

“You can always go back-“

“I gave up on you too, didn’t I? Can I go back to you?”

Gone was the soft tone embedded with the ghostly appearance of desperation in Junseo’s voice. Instead, there was a harsh anger in his words. Although, it didn’t take Yejun longer than a second to realize that the anger was directed at himself.

“You need to start looking after yourself, Junseo.” the younger finally made a move to eliminate the space between them as he put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re important, Junseo. For reasons I know you don’t understand just yet, you matter so much. You can’t let your life slip away from you, it’s yours. Not for someone else to own and control.”

“You make it sound so fucking easy.”

“And it’s not, I know.” Yejun put the slightest amount of force on Junseo’s shoulder, trying to squeeze it comfortingly. “It’s never easy to go against everything you’ve known in life, everything that's become a habit, even if it’s not a good one. But if you don’t start somewhere...if you don’t start soon, Jun, I’m scared you won’t be able to in the future.”

Yejun never thought that when the famed model showed interest in him, that he would fall in love with someone who had become so attuned to self-destruction that it was like second nature. To the point where he didn’t even know what he was doing would end up hurting himself.

The second he felt Junseo’s body lurch ever so slowly to the side, wanting to pull away, Yejun found his hands reaching up to cup his ex’s cheeks, allowing for him to finally glance into the eyes he had been so desperately avoiding the whole night.

The eyes that glittered with tears, and was nothing but a seemingly growing void of hurt. The same eyes that Yejun found himself smiling at the first time he saw them.

“I’m not promising anything.”

“I’m not the one you should be promising to, anyways.” the faintest of smiles began to linger on Yejun’s face, although it was void of the same warmth it always had. It hurt him that Junseo thought that he would be doing this for anyone but himself, but he knew it probably hurt Junseo even more.

Yejun didn’t know what was in the future for them, but it wasn’t what his mind was focused on. He wanted Junseo to get better for himself, so he can finally begin to live life the way he spoke of it in his sleepy rambles during the nights they were together.

If that future didn’t include Yejun, it would be ok. He just needed Junseo to be ok.

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delicatebluebirdruins · 3 years

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Shadow and Bone

This will contain spoilers (duh) some names being forgotten and its going to get long and some context less chaos

I hope i got the image ids right

Episode one (23rd April)

- ahh so the Fold= Dark Island form VoDT but with less summoning of monsters?

ID: Ben Barnes holding onto the wheel of a boat

- Many smol beans

Brief interlude with Nausicaa Valley of the Wind

Episode 1 cont. up to midway episode 7 (24th)

- magical brown trouser time my good sir

- buddies!!

- they’re not going to leave Alina alone to her existential crisis are they?

That tent looks like a circus tent to me and I have no idea why

- hmm hello completely innocent fallen branch

me: turns to sis and asks if we can we take brief intermission for this headbanger (which we did)

Turns out our brief intermission for the song was useless because after pressing play again it started buffering

we were talking about it and Dad misheard it as shaggy bone

Imagine the darkling but in pastels and black lace

- how the flipping heck can you fake bleeding light

- do you want to get lost Alina?

On Ben Barnes beard: 50% hot damn and 50% fight me (the way he tilts his head in this makes us want to hit him in the jugular)

Episode 3

- ooh look at the stag

- i love the bathroom

- damn Nina

- I wish Alina had time to get some magic tips but oh well

- replays Ben Barnes saying Moya Tsarieta twice

- how?! (Look I told you there was going to be bits where the context is tricky to pin point)

- i love the goat

- oh Jesper

- blue and gold is a great colour combination

- about the dinner scene: if this were me it would be the very rare time I stand up for myself

+ I want to add a small thing about the food taster... one is dream job/ i like him/ and imagine a taster eating something and it goes down the wrong way

- yes Jesper hug the goat- and

ID: a man with his thumb up gif from The Hunger Games; with him saying “nice shooting sweetheart” but I couldn’t find a gif of him saying it

- true north? I am never going to be free of bellarke am I?

- oh that hurts

Episode 4

- “our saint has arrived to late” 🤧

- ohh the stag is so pretty

- horses!!!

- time for a heist- i love this goat

- aww wishing fountain bonding

- the darking is growing on me

- i love Mikhail and Dubrov

- I love what we get to see of Nadia and Marie and Kaz and Inej and Jesper and basically everyone

- i love a heist (this isnwhat the hobbit should of been but you know with more dragons

- Mal is baby

- poor Nina

- ah ha a vicious cycle against the Grisha and Fjerdan

- I thought Arkens reaction was a bit odd

- oh Alina sweet heart- flashback time

- the map room is a aesthetic- using Aleksanders own words against him

That shot of the two of them is great

- poor Alina

- yas queen

- oh the stag!

- oh the machine gun; Mal poor buddy and of course flashback time

- i knew she was going to get the scar removed

Episode 5

- poor Mal

- Nadia is me

- Genya is amazing

- hi David and great minds think alike Alina (i had the same expression on my face when they were flirting)

- oh the creepy masks had a purpose

- “you’re not Ivan” you don’t say

- aand height difference... this first kiss is kind of weird to me

- oh Jesper you flirt

- I’m sorry firey people you’re going to be outshined

- Inej is so beautiful

- Dima?!?!

ID: two people from a scene in the Anastasia Musical the song My Petersburg

- what is the librarians dudes problem?

- Genya you badass... poor Marie (does Alina learn about this?? It would probably be forgotten just like her causing the death of her fellow mapmakers)

- I love the costumes

- Tofin (Idk his name) we don’t know you sorry you’re dead

- oh the kissing

ID: a gif showing two people kissing

- and him giving her the flowers is kind of cute but where did they come from?

- *pinched nose* I hate cryptic messages Baghra... holy shit... i mean I kinda knew he was immortal but still holy shit

- oh Kaz... Inej! Collect your bloody knives

- *snorting* The crows being sent to kidnap Alina and Jesper just watching her climb into the getaway carriage will always be hysterical (i personally would be laughing and thats why anything involving stealth is off the cards for me)

Episode 6

- rest in pieces Arken

- Alina broke Inej

- I love Ivan (remember the thing i said about forgetting names/ getting them mixed up? This is it.. I love Feydor a lot more than Ivan but they are both so cute together)

- my heart will go on starts playing?

- i like that horse statue in the background

- i love the beach... look at those waves... the wet look is great

- you done mess up Alina but also cool

- Mal is burly squid

- “burly squid” wheezing nosies

- now hug

- Kaz I love the cane

- “I see you now” aww

- I knew they were going to snuggle... those cute laughs

- the alarm clock though... i knew Inej should have taken the knife... i love Jesper... poor Inej... clever boy Kaz

- does it hurt? Mal? Does it hurt?

I have a habit at picking at things that hurt and well fictional characters aren’t safe from me wanting to poke something painful

- ride OR die bitches

- aand more height differences... getting very close there guys... Matthias please don’t let her fall.... they are kind of cute

- David through a book... 😂 they carriage jacked the Darkling

- David raising his hand is me... but damn it

- Alina is amazing... please remember you’re wearing the ring... Mal is best boy

- “adorable” snorting noises

Episode 7

- horsey!!!

- ahh the return of the VoDT hair (see first gif)

- Luda is familiar...

- yikes

- poor Aleksander being turned into a pincushion is not a great time

- poor Luda

- holy shit

- rock and hard place

- fuck off Baghra

- he wanted to help 😔

- ah so its like the hollow from Charmed

Image ID: gif from the og Charmed with text saying “ohhh she’s a demon!”

- this shot is beautiful... ah so I guess this could have been what happened if Caspian resurrected the White Witch... i guess

- hi stag.... oh okay 😔 poor Stag poor Mal

Flashbacks to Cinderella and Snow White (the one with Krisien Sterwart) natually it follows along with Snow White

- *squishie noises* poor Jesper... we love you Jesper but please stop talking to Inej just in case she sews her finger to the wound

- i love the crows and i love the chat about the crows

Buffers

The next day (25th) episode continued

- David looks so sad

- personally I would downsize the fold just as reminder of it

- that looks like that hurt

- I love Milo and Jesper 💖

- don’t look at it Alina... Genya is right that colour is horrible... tell her off Alina... poor Genya

- I think Jesper had fun playing a guard

- I knew the Darkling read the letters

Sister: why does he look like Tom Ellis right now?

- oh Mal

- blow dart... lol Kaz

- Milo!?! Oh the bullet you clever boy Mal

- i like the tent... he’s not wrong... we want to play with that dangly bit... oh the angst

- I thought you looked older (idk context)

- I love the outfit but couldn’t the necklace be anywhere else?

- “no mourners no funerals”

- I love the music

Episode 8

- I don’t trust that opening

- me too Crows, me to... how could you not know who Milo is

- I love Nina and Matthias so much... they are so pretty... I am not a fan of taxidermy... oh his name is Feydor sorry we kept getting you mixed up

- God damnit Kirigan.. a not so sneaky Mal... the honorary Crow... pick a side already darkling... Sun Queen?... did anybody notice her being tied down?... Good Mal and good Inej

- Jesper is amazing... so much death... bad bitch Zoya... I love Inej kissing the knife and nailing the Darkling with it... head shot... hello buddy??... this music though... badass Alina... fucking Ivan... holy shit and of course music is amazing

+ brave Kaz

- Inej and Alina bonding time... hugs? No hugs ☹️

- he offered her his hand 😞... Inej wants to hug... finally some hugs... Zoya has grown on me... i love Kanej (is that the ship name)

- Matthias oh no buddy... hill house flashbacks

- i love Jesper so much... Nina going “someone say heartrender??”

Image ID: someone turning around and raising eyebrows at camera

- Kaz saying “she’s a saint” made my heart happy

- I doubt the Darkling is dead...... i was right

- well shit/ coolness of making shadow monsters follow you (please let there be a flashback for this)

Bonus

+ imagine of Matthias and Nina decide to sleep rather than get food and were caught cuddling by the Grisha... I thought of this as I was getting into bed that night and i got up ran to my sister told her my thought she found the idea funny then went back to bed

+ people who own trains are evil?? Looks at snowpiercer

Bonus: the soundtrack is on spotify and itunes

Image id: someone bobbing along with headphones on

#shadow and bone netflix #ellie watches #spoilers #long post

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ive-got-ships-to-draw · 4 years

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Home

Legosi x Louis short fanfic

(Contains some angst, and some mild gore, but nothing too crazy.)

Just a few more blocks.

His apartment had to be close. Legosi had been walking for a while... He wished he hadn't landed on his leg weird, cuz now he had to limp home. It's very hard to hide a limp, too...

This thought brings him back to Louis's leg injury back at school. He performed on an injured leg, flawlessly. He still feels that admiration fill his chest every time he thinks back to those days. The brilliant light shining on both of them, that he could stand with someone so bright. And yet this deer held so much darkness... And this dumb wolf was going to have to worry him later with his wounds that are a little too much to completely hide.

Fights were becoming the norm. At least he was taking damage for those who didnt deserve it. What's a few more scars compared to being devoured? Nothing. It's just scratches. A little blood...

Alright, a lot of blood. Its honestly making his head spin at this point. But it's okay. He's almost home. He can wrap himself up, eat a quick meal and clean up in the morning. He's sure Louis and Haru are going to be mad, but that's the norm too... He'll have to promise to be more careful next time...

Made it. Just have to get up the steps...

God, why are there so many steps? Agh, now they're all slippery too... Just hold the railing tightly. Inch your way up...

...Almost there...

...As he rounds the corner clumsily, he notices a figure by his door. His face is illuminated by his phone screen. Legosi's heart drops as he realizes it's a very frustrated Louis. He's tapping his foot and glaring at the screen.

Crap. There's no way out of this. Legosi isn't exactly subtle with his loud panting and limping. Louis shivers, noticing a large, looming figure coming closer, but as he realizes it's a wolf limping, he freezes.

His face subtly shifts between surprise, horror, relief, and burning anger. He shines the phone's flashlight in Legosi's direction. Legosi winces, but slowly raises his hand in an awkward greeting.

".... Hey, Louis... Sorry, I'm kinda... In bad shape. But I'll be fine if I just-"

Louis tries to relax his face, but can only manage a stern glare. "Give me your keys, you dumb wolf."

"Huh?"

"YOUR KEYS. I'LL HELP YOU INSIDE."

Legosi awkwardly fumbles, searching his pants pockets and hands them over. They're warm and wet. Louis swallows back a shiver and unlocks the door, swinging it open. He then quickly drapes Legosi's arm over his shoulder and helps him inside.

Sitting him down on the floor, he flips the lights on and stares at the wall for a few seconds. He's too afraid to see what state Legosi is currently in. He knows he's bleeding and has an injured leg. His mind wanders and he fears the worst. After collecting himself, he turns to face him, trying his best to manage a calm expression. It doesn't last long, however...

Legosi is almost collapsed on the floor, both arms loosely holding him up. Chunks of his fur are missing, with blood seeping down from torn flesh. He's got bruises, deep scratches along his arms, other mysterious wounds, a twisted ankle, and blood is pooling on the floor.

"... Seriously, did you fight a shark or something?"

"It was a bird, actually. Three of 'em... Their beaks are sharp..."

"God..." Louis grips between his eyes for a moment, then rushes to the cabinets.

"You've been stockpiling medical supplies like we told you to, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Good."

Louis grabs the supplies and lays them out next to Legosi. He swiftly tends to his bleeding wounds, cleaning them with peroxide. Legosi flinches, stifling a growl at the burning pain. Louis grimaces a bit, knowing how painful it must be...

"Almost done..." he says this like a doting mother, relaxing his face slightly. Legosi relaxes a bit as well, focusing on Louis's face as he concentrates on wrapping up his arm tightly. Louis seems a bit disheveled, but it's not much of a surprise. This was a lot to throw at him all at once...

"... Quit gawking."

"Sorry... I must've made you worry..."

"You think? I've been texting you, waiting for any response, for 8 hours. When I don't hear from you, I just... can't help but assume the worst. I..."

His words get caught in his throat and he let's out a frustrated sigh. Finishing wrapping a cut on Legosi's arm, he bows his head a bit. His antlers rest at Legosi's shoulders. "... You have a habit of getting into the most dangerous situations. So it's very easy to assume that you're not safe when you're not... around me..."

He lifts his head, eyes distant. "... Every time... I meet someone... Who I come to respect... It doesn't last." A slow shake of his head, then he lifts it slowly, their eyes meeting. "I just want this to last... I can't let this keep happening. And you cant keep coming back like this.

Legosi looks away, shame forming a tight knot in his stomach. A gentle hand turns his head back. He swallows hard, prepared for any sort of punishment for his foolishness. "Please... Don't do this to me or Haru again, if at all possible. Or at least call us... We want to know you're okay."

Louis bows his head with a pained expression. He firmly holds Legosi's shoulders. "I'm tired of seeing my loved ones so beat up and bloody... But the last thing I want is for you to just die in an alley way somewhere. Alone..."

He lifts his head, their eyes meet once more. Legosi hunches down to meet his height out of habit.

"...I'm glad you came back. I'd appreciate it if you could learn to run away once in a while... But as long as you come back to me, I'll be here for you. You stubborn, reckless wolf..."

Legosi fights back his urge to hug Louis and get blood all over his clothes.

"... I'll clean this up. You need to rest. Also, I'll be borrowing you kitchen. If you don't pass out in the next hour or so, we can eat a quick meal before bed."

Legosi's tail thumps the ground lazily and his stomach growls. As crazy as this night has been, he feels a wave of relief and gratitude release all the tension in his muscles, and he smiles, watching Louis pick up garbage and clutter around the room and prepare the kitchen.

He's very glad he's home right now...

#beastars fanfic #legosi x louis #beastars legosi x louis #legosi x louis fanfic #angst #hurt/comfort #legosi #louis #fanfic #fanfiction #still not very good at writing this stuff yet #sorry if there are any spelling errors #i tried my best #louis x legosi #legousi #legousi fanfic #whump

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disconnected-from-reality · 4 years

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Fanfic Rec: 00Q Part 3

It’s been more than a year! I have totally been procrastinating in doing this if I’m truly honest. A lot of things happened in my life as well! There are good and bad things, but what matters most is that I still have a number of fics to recommend for you! I haven’t stopped reading, don’t worry.

Also I think it’s a good time to post my list. The next Bond movie has released its trailer and the 00Q crumbs we got from the trailer got a lot of shippers back on board. If you’re that person, you might want to check these fanfics out!

To see the other parts, click here for part 1 and for part 2.

Let Love In by dhampir72 [Words: 21,437 | Teens and Up Audiences] They're still learning that love is more of a journey and less of a destination. [A series of interconnected vignettes].

Ulysses by girlbookwrm [Words: 89,065 | Teens and Up Audiences] “Paperwork for the new head of Q-Branch,” Tanner said. “Of course.” The words were like glass in his throat. Smoke inhalation was a bitch. His brain felt slow and foggy, like it was full of smoke too. “Who shall I take them to?” M lifted one white brow. “They’re for you, Quartermaster.” Bond and Q are drawn together by names, work, and a certain Aston Martin. In which Q is kidnapped once, Bond is poisoned twice, and Eve is a badass on at least three occasions. AKA that time I tripped and wrote 80,000 words of 00Q. All titles unapologetically stolen from Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Espionage is a Family Affair by nagapdragon [Words: 78.403 | Mature] It's common knowledge that angels make good weapons and terrible soldiers. They're hard to kill, hard to catch, and leave a swathe of destruction wherever they go. That's why MI6 likes them. James Bond, Agent 007, is one of the most devastating weapons MI6 will admit to having. Explosions follow his every whim and he's nearly impossible to kill, despite the best efforts of terrorists worldwide. He's second only to the weapons MI6 pretends don't exist- archangels are only a theory, after all. Aren't they?

Bond to You by therunawaypen [Words: 5,749 | Mature] Bond isn't a name. It's a rare breed of people that have designated soulmates, to whom a Bond will be eternally faithful to. Every child dreams of being a Bond's Chosen soulmate. James uses his status as a Bond to seduce many a mark into thinking they're his Chosen, while deep down he resents his identity because he has been unable to find his Chosen. Then he meets Q that fateful day in front of that painting.

How Q Hacked Online Dating by JayPendragon [Words: 23,836 | Explicit] “How does that lead to…?” Eve waves her hand at the mess behind Q’s back. Q feels his expression morph into a sly grin. “I have a new plan. I’m going to stay on these dating platforms, but I’m going to treat them as databases. Rather than waiting for an algorithm to set me up, I'm going to try reverse-engineering this entire system.” In which Q works in the private sector, still winds up friends with Eve, and applies science to his love life. Obviously, Eve gets involved.

Leading Edge by Batsutousai [Words: 7,251 | Teens and Up Audiences] All fae-born were raised on stories of how cruel dragon-borns were, how they had no care for anyone outside themselves and their greed, that they would sell their own mother's soul to the devil before allowing themselves to be hurt. They were told that all dragon-borns were to be killed on sight, and taught spells that would do just that, if ever given the chance. It would be just Q's luck that one of his agents was dragon-born.

Pen and Paper by Salios [Words: 5,300 | Teens and Up Audiences] Q wrung his hands anxiously, teeth gnawing at his lower lip. It was a bad habit, biting his lip, but he couldn’t help it when he was nervous. And he really did have reason to be nervous. Well, excited to the point of nearly crippling nervousness, actually. Today he’d finally get to meet his boyfriend of three years. For the first time ever.

people can surprise you (or not) by pdameron [Words: 10,538 | Teens and Up Audiences] “I’m not you, Bond. I don’t exactly have a technique for getting rich strangers to like me.” “Just do your naive cute puppy thing, and they’ll be doting on you in no time,” Bond replies as he pulls up to the grand estate. “My what?” Q asks incredulously. Bond doesn’t answer, simply giving him an indulgent smile. The fucker. (or: 00q meets Gosford Park. Except not really.)

A Common Solution by SailorChibi [Words: 17,654 | Teens and Up Audiences] Bond has been ignoring his biological needs. Boothroyd is retiring and MI6 is in need of a new Quartermaster. What do these two things have in common? They both have an easy solution... if only M can get Bond to extract a certain hacker NOTE: This does not have the “James Bond/Q” tag, but I’ll add it in my list anyway.

Taken by Nana_41175 [Words: WIP | Explicit] Or, the cheating fic that *nearly* is! Q is engaged to be married, but not to Bond. Excerpt: Bond blinked. “Boyfriend? What do you mean, boyfriend?” “I mean exactly that,” said Moneypenny. “Honestly, what’s the matter with you? Q’s been seeing someone for over a year. And if I’m not mistaken, Daniel is going to pop the question on him this evening. Dan asked me for advice on the ring, after all.” NOTE: This is currently a WIP fanfic, but it’s almost done with 2 chapters left to be posted. Would be a bummer if I don’t add it, right?

His Keeper by Nana_41175 [Words: 45,482 | Explicit] Protecting the Quartermaster entails a special set of circumstances, and Q is the last one to know. Excerpt: “Your identity has been compromised,” M said as he leaned forward in his chair, his features grim even as his tone remained even and calm. “I am standing you down from all your duties in Q branch. Kindly hand in all personal computers and devices. I am placing you on administrative leave, effective immediately. You need to disappear for a while, Q, for your own safety. Think of this as the holiday you never had these past two years. We will get down to the bottom of this and repair the damage done; otherwise I shall have to ask you to step down. ”Q gaped at him, finally speechless. “At any rate, quartermasters are entitled to double-O agents as bodyguards, when the need arises, and he personally volunteered,” M continued as though he’d not just dropped the equivalent of a bomb and a death sentence through slow torture rolled into one, “and I do agree that under the circumstances, 007 would be the best choice as your bodyguard.”

Daddy and Uncle James by 1MissMolly [Words: 26,115 | Teens and Up Audiences] James Bond can remain cool and collected in the most trying of circumstances. He is an expert at hand to hand combat and marksman with numerous weapons. He can seduce any woman or man he chooses. He has the highest success rate at achieving his goals, and he has his sights on the young Quartermaster. The only thing standing in his way is the only thing that will surely defeat him. A six year old girl named Elizabeth Park. Bond's planned seduction of Q is interrupted by the arrival of Q's daughter, Lizzie.

Treason, Traitors, and Treachery by Kryptaria, zooeyscigar [Words: 63,230 | Mature] All James Bond wanted was a quiet holiday on his luxury motoryacht on the Costa del Sol. Time to recuperate and think about his future with MI6. But his plans get hijacked when a traitor to the crown returns, bringing news of an even greater threat to MI6. And the traitor isn't working alone.Thankfully, neither is James.

Playing the Part by ElektricAngel [Words: 23,116 | Teens and Up Audiences] James Bond comes into Q Branch after a mission with all of his equipment accounted for and in tact, and a complete mission report in Q's inbox. Q is pleasantly surprised and more than a little suspicious. Rightly so, as it happens, because Bond makes an unusual request of him. And yet, his license to kill is not the only thing that makes the man difficult to say no to...

Breathe With Me by Flantastic [Words: 7,575 | Explicit] When James Bond goes back to MI6 following his disastrous relationship with Dr Madeleine Swann, Q wants nothing to do with him. Then there's an accident in Q-Branch...

Bittersweet by dr_girlfriend [Words: 14,229 | Explicit] The first time Bond flirted with Q, it was purely out of self-defense. The second time Bond flirted with Q was largely manipulation. The third time Bond flirted with Q, he just wanted to feel something. The fourth time Bond flirted with Q was out of sheer boredom.Somehow, flirting with Q became something of a habit for Bond.And then, it became something else.

A Bond of Matrimony by enigma_kar [Words: 12,691 | Mature] The one where Bond’s next mission involves going undercover with Q. Includes: banter, fake marriage, espionage, car chases, life-or-death situations, and Moneypenny taking far too much delight in the whole affair.

as permanent as stone cathedrals by pdameron [Words: 6,002 | Teens and Up Audiences] Q has been in love for two years, six months, and twelve days when James Bond walks away, leaving him with a bleeding head and a broken heart on a dark and noisy London bridge.

just like old times (please don’t ever change) by Rosslyn [Words: 5,173 | Teens and Up Audiences] Sometimes when Q is alone in his workshop and there is an experiment that needs to be supervised and he can’t go home and he can’t sleep, he watches Bond’s vitals.

How Much Love Can the Weight of Water Carry? by 00QEros (Dassandre) [Words: 39,549 | Explicit] Though Bond returned to MI6 after his ill advised jaunt around the globe with Madeleine Swann, Q still struggles with his own feelings for the agent in spite of the fact that Bond is clearly not the same man as the one who walked away from their friendship on Westminster Bridge. James regrets having left London and MI6, but it is nothing in comparison to the remorse he feels for abandoning Q. However, James has made repairing their friendship his primary goal in the hope of gaining something he never realised he needed as badly as he does. But Bond really hasn’t had a good time of it lately. Breaking his leg in a freak accident, James camps out at Q’s flat when the white-washed, soulless walls of Medical become too much for him to tolerate. Unfortunately, his leg is only the beginning of Bond’s health problems, and Q is conscripted into being James’ caretaker. Confined to the close quarters of Q’s flat, the Quartermaster finds himself opening back up to the agent, but will the two men find their way to one another as they should have done years ago, or is time no longer on their side?

So I guess that’s it for now! I still have a couple in my belt, but most of them are still WIP so I’d keep them for now. I’ll be adding them once they are finished.

#00Q #James Bond #Q(James Bond)#fanfic rec #fic rec

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familiaanteomnia · 3 years

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warning: mental illness, dysphoria-body image mentions, ED type mentions, shark week ish, bottom growth/related stuff n.sfwish? depending on how you take it- also packers,etc mention (naturally it varies by verse,etc but i’m mostly sharing pretty consistent information- also dont be stupid about any of this like i stg) -his puberty got kind of messed up like he so badly despised it, plus his mental health issues and all that basically by sheer force of messed up will/chemical backfires,etc it had an reaction like how stress affects those things as in... in regards to shark week was so inconsistent, so very much to the point he has these meds he’s supposed to take that basically kick his body the rest of the way into doing the process/is supposed to make it quick, done way sooner with less pain due to effectiveness even (he obviously forgets genuinely/fights against the whole situation leading to major cramps and issues even if he isnt bleeding) will go like 3 months of risking major health damage over it. (going on t makes this all worst because doctors like ‘okay now you really need to cause now you’re having more issues’ and he just- doesn’t) -really knows way too much medical shit in general, naturally he’s very much an ‘why does life work like this why are people so ashamed of normal stuff’ etc but also dude will balk at stuff like ‘ugh im on my period’ xav just grimacing inwardly all like why must i be reminded that’s an thing.. ha ha not me lemme repress shit as such dude will carry extras,etc but is very much trying to be an punk dudebro about it/even if is basically screaming internally about it all, trying to never think about that stuff -k.t tape binds most the time, if not just doesn’t bother cause of his body shape/type and mood+ outfit+ plans for the day. however he does own an binder, sports bras work and are more often the case. as such most the dysphoria hits in different ways, elsewhere (but with his general puberty complications/fast metabolism,etc he also just forgets he’s trans an lot like he gets hit in the crotch and falls over in pain then 10 seconds later like ha ha wait what the hell i’m not even packing) -dude is pretty slender,etc from his fast metabolism, shit eating habits (because he can eat like 5 whole pizzas and not get slightly full or bloated but also he frequently lives off like candy, energy drinks,etc vices...) though it also can vary to kinda athletic and he doesn’t seem like mega unhealthy at least lol in that department plus with what he wears,etc usually unnoticeable (he is super easy to pick up especially if unconscious even that add of dead weight is pretty light but like not easy to tackle) -totally pumps his bottom growth not even entirely in that ahem sesual way but in an genuinely helps with pain/helps with dysphoria (not that his growth is bad at all but also, it kinda helps with that too) like i mean obviously splurged too so he can just like pull some pants on, play video games or whatever as it does its thing -likewise doesn’t skimp on things like packers, has an major collection/gets lower dysphoria? dude will drop like 1000 dollars on more options even if has plenty that are high grade, expensive not even sesually though of course many purposes and he’s only an person like anybody else/plus that t juice fueling an already high libido,etc but anyways yes he sometimes prefers to be like lol glow in the dark d.ick is my packer even though i have an 3 in 1 that cost so much money and is multifunctional (also he 100% for fun, aesthetic, and boredom sometimes pierces them) -general body image issues/disconnect problems due to his mental illness more than dysphoria, being trans surprisingly more stuff like ‘oh right this is what my body is? you mean to tell me for the last 48 hours was watching myself in 3rd person but didn’t notice- oops.’ but also damn is he pretty much like i know i’m aesthetically pleasing, hot and i will flaunt it even if not quite full of myself -likewise mirrors? he makes faces at himself, flips himself off and has totally shattered an large amount of them because he started thinking too much about if his freckles are visible,etc same with reflections though isnt always super mega serious can just be to make himself giggle/habitual

#headcanons #♥ drabbles 》 xavior carver #(i just did an warning at the top cause to tag would be lengthy af)#(anyways feels good to put this all out into something lol)#(i swore i posted this but then my brain died aaaa)#(trans content hours tonight)#(i might ramble about my trans nathan take)#(in another after replies)

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fantranslatorbychoice · 4 years

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Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Vol 1, Chapter 5 - Kakuriyo’s Capitol, Youto**

T/N: I mostly didn’t translate a lot of the names of the ayakashi/youkai, as well as the proper nouns because uhm... They’re basically nouns. It’s like how some translated manga are done. Plus it irks me sometimes when everything just gets transliterated, it kills off the vibe. But that’s just me. Links to references at the end of the post.

Also if you like this translation, you can share the link, reblog, but for pete’s sake DO NOT REPOST ELSEWHERE. I worked hard to finish this thing, it’s not like I just Google-translated this whole sh**..

If you need refreshers on what happened, @kakuriyo-translations already had the previous translations. I’m just contributing to this fandom.

OK, here’s the stuff now.

P143 I really don't like taking naps in Utsushiyo**. I always change my sleep time, yet I keep dreaming about a memory that I hate. For me, the memory I hated the most was being inside a dark room, all alone with an empty stomach waiting earnestly for my mother everyday. I never saw my father. Mother was always out and about, leaving me at home. It's what's so-called NEGLECT. I was rolling around on the cold flooring while thinking how hungry I was, while staring up at the ceiling. The very dark ceiling was my only joy and entertainment, because I couldn't find any hope, and I didn't even have enough energy to cry. Come to think of it, there was that day when my mother didn't come home for a week. That time, a mysterious Ayakashi's voice came, and my life was saved. An Ayakashi instantaneously appeared near me, its figure came up from behind, and in the darkness only a vague form of a white Noh mask”” floated above, which I watched closely. Talking with that Ayakashi relieved me of the loneliness that I felt.

T/N: Youto, literally “Fairy Capital” or “Enchanted Capitol”.

Noh mask, what most Ayakashi wear in Kakuriyo. Noh Drama is a traditional play where characters wear masks, contrasting with Kabuki where the characters paint their faces. Think Jiyaira from Naruto. Utsushiyo, literally “The world above/surface world”. Kakuriyo is literally “Hidden world.” Aoi obviously came from the world above.

P144 Not only did that Ayakashi talked to me, but also shared food with me every day. I cannot remember what I sensed because it was fuzzy, nor what the conversations were about, even what food was given to me. It's no surprise that because the Ayakashi was wearing a mask, I couldn't figure out what its shape is. The only thing I can remember until now was that the food it gave me was delicious. More than a week after my mother has not returned, a group of adults that I've never met before came and took me away from my house without letting me take anything else. My mother never came out to greet these people from social services, so when they came back to the house, they went inside immediately to check if she was there. Upon entering the house though, the social services people did not run into the Ayakashi who used to give me food. I thought at first that I really, really wanted to meet the Ayakashi, but eventually I forgot about the whole incident. Whenever I talked about the Ayakashi, people in the orphanage I was in got spooked, and I get teased and made fun at. It seemed that the teachers and everyone else did not understand why I strongly insist that Ayakashi do exist. It came to a point that because of the Ayakashi thing, I was harmed and bullied by the children around me. Which is why I eventually kept a distance from others. This lead me to feel lonely again, in the orphanage. That is why it feels even worse when I'm alone in a crowd. It was around this time that Grandpa came for me at the orphanage and took me home with him. If my memory serves me correct, it was around the second grade. P145 I woke up in a cold sweat, and I soon realized that the surroundings were already getting dark and night was starting to fall. The memories of that time I was rocking myself on the floor without any food all came back to me. "Are you awake?" A voice suddenly spoke. Somehow, I thought it was a voice that brought back memories I yearned for, but it was just Odanna-sama's voice. Amidst the dim and dark, he was sitting on the counters and smoking a pipe. He was holding the camellia kanzashi** and twirling it around his fingers.It seemed that his red eyes and the camellia bud's scarlet color where somewhat sparkling. "Have I been sleeping?

T/N: Kanzashi, imagine a single chopstick with some flowers or something in the end, which you can stick into your hairdo. If you’ve watched that episode in Kimetsu no Yaiba where Tanjirou fought the monster that can split itself and eats young girls and swims inside solids, that one collects kanzashi and stuff. P146 Oh, it's already evening." I woke up and stood without thinking. I felt so weak. It's horrid dream’s fault. Seeing the outside through the window, the sun has already set and I could see the lavender color of the sky. "It seems that you were having a nightmare." "What, really?" "Did you have a bad dream?" "No, I didn't." I felt like this because I saw a place that I hated. Odanna-sama, who was huffing and puffing on his pipe looked at me, immediately stood up and hid the camellia kanzashi, and went beside me, pulling my arm rather fast. Morover, I felt a sudden pain in my arm and pulled away. "Wait, let go. Odanna-sama, your long nails hurt my arm when you grabbed it." "Is that so?" I was absolutely unaware of that, Odanna-sama was really very suspicious. When he let go of my hand, I saw the nails on his hand. "I'm an Oni**, an ogre, that is the reason why they are long." Yet he still opened his hand. "Oh, so that's why. But still, what hurts hurt. Look, this part of my inner arm is delicate, that's why it still has your nail marks."

P147 As if looking at something weird, Odanna-sama started massaging the part of my inner arm that I showed to him, with his fingers. He spoke: "Humans have weak and frail bodies, with such soft flesh and skin." "Uhm, because humans aren't Ayakashi?" They probably aren't used to such things. "Aoi, what you did today deserves a reward." "What? That's... so unexpected." "About the whole affair with Matsuba-sama, the Tengu. Surely, I did not think Matsuba-sama could have liked your cooking. Come, let us go." He's telling me to go with him. My hair was still disheveled, and so is my one-piece dress from Utsushiyo, but Odanna-sama didn't mind and still invited me anyway. I wonder where we're going? It's complicated to think about it, so I thought we might be going somewhere sophisticated. "I think that it is a good idea to bring the Tengu's uchiwa fan." "Why?" "Why, she says. That uchiwa's power will protect you, would it not?" "It seems like I have no choice but to protect myself, don't I?" P148 It was disappointing. Odanna-sama started laughing and snickering, the meaning was deep within his narrowed eyes. "Because the kind Matsuba-sama gave it to you, I think it is a good habit to always bring it with you whenever you are out. For that is a special uchiwa, if you must know." "Hmph." "To tell you the truth, it is an item that can pay the entirety of Shiro's huge debt, if you sell it." "Well then.... Let's go to a pawnshop!" "Wait, wait.." Odanna-sama hurriedly followed me, and grabbed my collar. "Did you not declare that will pay for Shiro's debts all on your own? You even turned down Matsuba-sama's help. How I think of you.. has actually changed." "This uchiwa's mine, and however much I sell this to pay that debt, I still used my own power for that." I majestically cut him off with such words. I was thinking that I couldn't bear to sell the gift I received, but I will if I need to. I think if Grandpa was in the same place, he would do the same. Odanna-sama sensed it and got flustered. "Hey, wait, wait, wait, calm down for a moment." "I will definitely calm down after this." P149 "This is the Ayakashi's realm. Once you step out of Tenjin-ya, if you wander alone with no regard because you are a human girl, you will get kidnapped and eaten before you even get to the pawnshop. Please go behind me." I wondered how his attitude changed from yesterday, I was suspicious but I still looked at him. "What's that? Yesterday, in spite you saying that you're going to eat me, you extended your help with the Tengu matter. Yes, I may have a weak and fragile human body, but I couldn't just stay out of the quarrels between Ayakashi. Even though my arm can easily get wounded and just letting it be could kill me." Odanna-sama gently brushed off my bangs. After saying that, he placed his hand on my forehead. Yesterday, one of the Daruma's poocelain figurines hit my forehead and had me injured. I had some bandages attached, but that was a while ago. Embarrasingly, some of them were already starting to peel off. "Have your wounds not healed yet?" "I'm fine, the bleeding's stopped." "Ah, I see. That is good." His very different behavior from yesterday just bewildered me. And yet, I still meekly followed him from behind, holding my uchiwa. P150 We passed in front of a very large cauldron, and a splashing sound made me think of paranoid ideas, like "I'm going to get eaten". Just when I thought I wasn't going to snap out of it, ominously, we stopped. We were going to ride a ship. A flying airship. Its sails sails bear the crest of Tenjin-ya, and was decorated with paper lanterns. I could see that this magnificent ship sails a lot. I stared at the ship from its top to its lighted underside. We're going to ride this thing later? "Wow! It's high!" "We use airships as a means to travel in Kakuriyo. In Tenjin-ya, we use cruise ships and houseboats to hold banquets. This small model is called "Kaikakumaru. The small types are our latest cruise ships." "That's marvelous. I love high places, you know." "You are being childish." Odanna-sama butted in while I was staring at something unusual, in high spirits. The night wind feels wonderful, it would be fun to look down from a high place and see how vast the ground is. But what surprised me the most was that it was the first time that I saw Tenjin-ya as a whole. "Wow, Tenjin-ya is a really large inn, isn't it?" The inn was enclosed by a deep valley, thus the surroundings seem so dark wherever you look, but the facade and the main street were all lively and prosperous, and the hanging bridge over the shoreline seems passable. P151 Tenjin-ya's property was vast, and the main building's height and width are both tall and wide. Outside the main building, Tenjin-ya's land is dotted with countless buildings of various shapes and materials. From a distance, I could see that I was in the most central part. The intricate red tiles of the roofs were lighted up by the ogre fire. "Usually, the ogre fire is very flashy. But today, the inn is currently on a holiday break, so business is not as brisk." "That.. is not brisk?" Despite the inn currently on a break, there are so many Ayakashi piling up on the facade's hanging bridge towards the inn. There were those inside who were inquiring and receiving explanations. There were also a lot of Happi coat-wearing Tenjin-ya staff** as well. From above, it seems that Tenjin-ya was business as usual. The hustle and bustle makes the inn spectacularly dazzling and lovely. As Tenjin-ya goes further away from the distance, just as I was thinking of wandering around the ship's interior, the voices of three people suddenly popped up from inside. "Your bath has been prepared, Aoi-sama." "What the.. Nopperabou**?" It seems that the three faceless sisters also boarded the ship. It seems that they have happily taken me in their care.

T/N: Happi-coat - usually worn by staff of restaurants, shops, inns, dancers in festivals, etc. and has the company crest or team logo.

Nopperabou - faceless woman youkai. P152 Just as before, the sisters carried me and took me away. "Let's have you take a hot water bath." "Let's also put on some makeup." 'Let's fix up your hair." While the sisters chattered unanimously, they then stripped me of all of my clothes and took me to the farthest regions of the ship, after which they washed me up. Well, it did feel rather luxurious. I then noticed a lovely camellia-patterned kimono, and they helped me put it on. Amidst the indigo-colored background, the deep red camellias stood out. The red obi's designs were also very intricate and elaborate, and wearing what seems to be a very expensive kimono has me into a panic. "Wait, why, why this kimono? Is it OK to wear this?" O-matsu-san explained to me as she tightened my obi: "It's nothing, that kimono is Odanna-sama's gift to Aoi-sama." I blinked my eyes in surprise. Why would that Oni give me such an expensive kimono? I was thinking of asking, but wearing a very beautiful kimono and seeing the pattern in front of a large mirror, I was so entranced. The three sisters were so moved. "Ah, that looks good on you, Aoi-sama!" "O-danna-sama will be so pleased." "That pretentiously innocent Young Mistress will groan at how beautiful and different you look." P153 "Hey, Ume, don't spoil our true intentions!" O-ume-san got scolded by O-take-san again. That Young Mistress, the Yuki-onna, the snow lady, I wonder if her presence annoys the three Nopperabou sisters. My hair was done elegantly to the side, and my lips were redder than usual. I was casually looking at myself in front of the large mirror, I was thinking that I am satisfied with everything. Of course, I was wearing a cute kimono with a lovely design. I was happy. "Do you love wearing it?" "Oh, uhm, yeah, I guess." My glowing figure and my giddy self wearing a kimono reflected in the mirror made it how obvious it was, and the three sisters kept giggling and laughing. I loved it, it was clear as day. No. But, could this kimono also add up to the debt or something? "Oh, my choice was not wrong. I thought a deep red camellia suits you." "What.. Wai.. Wait, since when did you get here?" Odanna-sama came when I wasn't aware of it, and he was looking at me over my shoulder, in front of the large mirror. I wonder if he saw my obviously eager face wearing this kimono. "I am glad that you loved it, Aoi." P154 I broadly looked at the other side of the entrance. My face was flushed and I was biting my lower lip. Somehow, I felt remorse. He came closer to my side, and from his sleeves he pulled out the camellia kanzashi. "Well then, use this for the adornment as well. Despite looking so charming, you look a bit dreary without anything in your hair." That being said, he placed the kanzashi on the left side of my hairdo. All of a sudden his large and wide-spanning hands near my face made me feel very nervous, but I didn't want to give in to this nervousness, so after a while the strength went back to my cheeks. "Here, why don't we take a look in the mirror and see?" He held my shoulders tight and turned me around, and as I tried fighting it I saw my side reflected, and saw myself in the mirror again. "See?" Unexpectedly, I realized that with any hair adorned with a hairpin, it felt as if it was a different look. Somehow, did the flower bud seem to have grown bigger? In the beginning, it looked just like a normal camellia bud kanzashi. But now it looks like it has grown a bit, and the petals have opened up. "The petals seems to move a bit. It will grow into a large, round bloom." "Oh, Kakuriyo has such magical things?" "When it reaches the end, the petals will get scattered." His face peeked from behind me as he said those words, full of deep meaning. In spite of myself, I looked at him. P155 "No kidding. This kanzashi has a countdown timer? I might lose it..." In Utsushiyo, I would have gotten a bit shocked. My whole face was lighting up, and his back was turned while giggling. I wanted to ask "What's funny?" "It seems that you love it, and that is what is more important. But once the hairpin's petals fall off and scatter, your debt must be settled too. Well, best of luck." Well that was so sudden, bringing up the debt repayment. "What the.. Isn't this like Beauty and the Beast?" "What's that? What are you saying?" "That story from France called 'Beauty and the Beast'. It's about two very different people who got married." Odanna-sama looked bewildered. Well, I didn't think that the Ayakashi in Kakuriyo would know the story of Beauty and the Beast, but even I'm not that shameless to think of myself like I'm Beauty, to that extent. But really, under these circumstances, it just feels like 'Beauty and the Beast', right? For instance, a bumbling non-human guardian who somewhat gets married, considerably. "It is good to tuck in your uchiwa in your obi**. Always handle it with care." I was groaning as Odanna-sama, in his own terms tucked the uchiwa fan into the back part of my obi, the paperplant uchiwa fan that I received from Matsuba-sama. It was styled like I was going to a summer festival.

T/N: Obi- the belt or sash wrapped around a kimono.

P156 O-matsu-san made me wear a pair of red-strapped geta sandals, and my kimono-wearing Kakuriyo style was complete. "Ah, we're almost here." "Where?" "If you come up the deck you;ll see." When Odanna-sama went to the deck, Kaikakumaru was starting to descend, and the bustling land below, studded with warm-colored lights came to view. Compared to Tenjin-ya's busy pace, this place has it on a whole new level. The central part of the area was a lot bigger compared to Tenjin-ya, and the sky is cut by a very high building, which when viewed from above is surrounded by a row of smaller buildings. The metropolis' four corners had gigantic red Torii gates, and the crossroads was cut by the main road that seemed to shine like it has encrusted jewels, and I realized that the paper lanterns hanging from the buildings below made it look as such. "Wow, this place place is amazing! Where are we?" "This is the Capitol of Kakuriyo, Youto. The building at the center is where the Ayakashi King resides." "Kakuriyo is like a country or something, so there is also a king?" "Of course. The Ayakashi King is called You-ou. In Kakuriyo, the entire country is made up of eight lands guarded by those called the Hachiyo, and it is said that those Hachiyo are connected to and governed by the You-ou. At any rate, we're already at the center of the capitol. P157 Odanna-sama had the ship stop at the capitol's harbor. It seems like a harbor because of the dark valleys and cliffs that surrounds Youto's edge, and that is where the ship was docked. The southern part of Youto's harbor have numerous ships anchored and tied up. and the sky is filled with sailing airships everywhere. "It's Tenjin-ya's Master." "This is bad, this is bad. Those from the evening news are also here." Tenjin-ya's Kaikakumaru is not a large ship, but the large, round crest "Ten" drawn on the sails were sighted by the Ayakashi near the cliffs. When I saw the gathering of a large crowd of Ayakashi, my opinion on Tenjin-ya's Odanna-sama changed: I came to realize that this Ogre god was very famous indeed. I absent-mindedly looked at him. "It seems that Odanna-sama is very famous, isn't he?" "And as my soon-to-be-wife, you dislike it?" "You casually had to push that, I see." "Well then, Aoi. If you do not wear this mask, they will find out that you are a human." Odanna-sama pulled out an Oni mask from his kimono's breast pocket. He was also wearing an Oni mask when we first met in Utsushiyo. He placed the mask on my face. Apparently, being found out to be a human can bring up a lot of trouble. Kaikanmaru then descended to the Southern Torii gate, and entering the capital through here seemed inconspicuous. P158 I followed Odanna-sama from behind in quick steps, and all around I kept hearing murmurs of "Who's that? Who's that?" Wearing this kimono and having an Oni mask on, it's impossible to be found out that I'm a human. The night was busy, with so many Ayakashi walking on the main road, and we started walking here towards the large place in the heart of Youto. The main road was lined up with magnificent stores, geta sandal shops, drapery and curtains, but the theater was especially packed with so many people coming in and going out. A particular shop that seems to be rather famous was a large shop that had "Glass Shop" written on the shop curtains, and peeking inside the store seemed to have so many beautiful glasswares being sold. The many clients inside seem to be searching for dinnerware or whatnot. The outside of the glasswares had carvings that resemble ink scroll paintings, and the carvings had so many shapes. I've seen a lot of glasswares in Utsushiyo, in Japan, but these ones in Kakuriyo were somewhat different, they were all lined up, polished and state of the art. "Ah, this store Youto's cut glass store." "Cut glass... in Youto?" "Technology and techniques from Utsushiyo are transferred to Kakuriyo, as well as products. Recently, what you call 'glasswares' were started to be made here in Youto, and as such, dinnerware became fashionable." "Really..." Somehow, this capitol that is so Japanese had a store that gives off a Western feel, and the glasses were sparkly as well as giving off a sense of transparency, which made me feel nostalgic. P159 "I was thinking of cozying up our inn's meals with these glasswares, but the rowdy kitchen gang dreadfully detest anything new. But I spruced each room by decorating each one with a little bit of glass. I also had the long windows of the windbreakers made with glass." "Ah, if that's what you're saying, rooms such as the 'Big Camellia' do had round and large glass windows. Flying airships can be seen a lot passing by the windows. If I remember, they're changing those right now." Within the store premises, there weren't many customers and you can only see the lined up products on the storefront, but the craftsmanship of the glasswares are very noticeable.There was a fancy dish made with peach-colored glass that gives off a springtime vibe, covered with sakura patterns, which I picked up. From above the patterns resembled an intricate kaleidoscope, and the red lights of the paper lanterns made the transparent bowl shine so brightly. There were also delicately stacked green sake cups, decorated with hemp leaf designs. I took a long, hard look, I imagined that if I was going to use these glasswares, what meals would I make. Even with just that, I was already a bit pleased. If I could have my way, I would love the transparent, kaleidoscope-ish bowl. "Is there anything you like?" Odanna-sama peeped from behind me and patted my shoulder, seeing me looking eagerly at the glass bowl. My heart skipped a beat and I turned around. "I just think that they're lovely." P160 "Which one is nice? Would you like me to buy it for you?" "Wha-- Why would you do that?" This time I got startled, and I unconsciously looked at Odanna-sama and shrank a step back. I can't forget the stern Odanna-sama from yesterday, and I thought that with his dubious smile, it's now all outrageous and very suspicious. "Do not think of weird ideas. I owe you from helping Tenjin-ya yesterday, and I am only doing this as my way of saying thank you." "It's nothing, I'm good, it's not a big deal..." "You do not have to hesitate. You are guarding your heart too much." "It's because what you're saying is scary." I roughly turned away and headed for the store's entrance, and Odanna-sama was laughing behind my back. but what on earth's funny? "Wait, wait, please do not go ahead of me. Please stay by my side." As if his eyes were looking for me, Odanna-sama came up near me and I looked up at him. Despite being detached, I thought that calmly wandering aimlessly in a crowd made me stand out. P161 With his geta sandals echoing on the main road filled with bustling Ayakashi, Odanna-sama followed suit. Just as expected, everywhere I looked there were Ayakashi all over the place.I wonder what I'll do if I was found out to be a human? At the time I was thinking about it, I unexpectedly had a feeling. Everywhere I turned my head to look, the Ayakashi crossing the street seem to not care about me, and my true nature is not known. My feet stopped, and I got worried and flustered seeing Odanna-sama about to enter a dodgy shop. I wasn't used to wearing the geta, and I quickly fumbled over there. "Waii... Wait up." "Didn't I tell you a while ago that you must not leave my side? If you absent-mindedly do that, you; eventually get lost. If you're not with me by daybreak, they'll find out you're a human, and that's going to cause a huge ruckus. At worst, you will probably get eaten." As he was snickering, Odanna-sama beckoned me to come in. With its black, laquered and plastered walls, the storefront looks like a sophisticated warehouse”“. "Offal cuisine**... 'Iron Club for Oni**?'"

T/N: Warehouse - old Japanese warehouses ( 蔵 ) have mud walls to prevent fires from spreading, like a firewall, but the facades look stylish with white paint. Some of them are now remade into restaurants and shops or whatnot.

Offal is basically organ meats, like liver, kidneys, tripe, etc. It’s not specified in the book what part was used so I just used the generic version. But personally, I think it’s tripe.

Iron Club for Oni - the Untranslated version is 鬼に金棒 (Oni ni Kanabou), kanabou is an iron rod that night watchmen use, but I like puns so I decided to transliterate this lol

P162 "Ah, when Oni who love offal get their food served, those that do, know that this place is high-class." "Offal cuisine..." A real Oni’s words made a heavy impression on me. The large cauldron with blood inside, seemingly filled with fresh, boiling and burbling human viscera filled my head with so much horrifying images. Could it be that I, unfortunately will be cooked in there, deliciously? "Why did you bring me to this place? Don't tell me, when you told me that you were taking me to a place that serves offal, giblets and whatnot, you were going to have me cut up by the cooking staff? Don't tell me, that you'll be having me get cooked for dinner?" After hearing me say those words, Odanna-sama started laughing. "You're saying such funny things." "I'm warning you." I got embarassed after being laughed at and I felt my cheeks burn red. "I did say I was going to treat you to some delicious food. Well, if you're that worried, come here." We went inside the restaurant, and as we waited for a bit, all of the high-end restaurant's staff started lining up. They bowed their heads politely, and the ogre's horns started to grow. P163 So this is what a high-class Oni's place looks like. The inside was a bit dark, even the atmosphere, but I could see why it was indeed an expensive place. We were taken to the second floor's most secluded room. When the window panes were opened, sitting by the window, the capitol's hustle and bustle can be seen. It was a very special room. "You can take off your mask, it's fine. This is a place that I have strong connections with. I have ensured that things will go well in here." "Really? Well, the Ayakashi haven't discovered that I'm a human, but it feels weird that I'm actually like one." Even so, as Odanna-sama said, I took off my Oni mask. I looked at it for a while, and for a little bit I understand why I looked rather scary while I had it on. "That suited you fine. You started to look like a typical ogre's wife." "Saying that this suits a girl may make her happy, but no human would think otherwise." I started to go to my seat uneasily as I let Odanna-sama's suprising praise sink in. He did say that he was treating me to an offal-ful meal, and I wonder what kind of meal that would be. "What the... Isn't that offal hotpot?" In the middle of the table was a pot, simmering gently, with garlic chives and cabbages, some ox offal and other ingredients, all looking delicious, that in Utsushiyo would be what would be famously called offal hotpot. P164 "Even the giblets in here look the same." Odanna-sama's face suddenly popped up. "Well, there's no way to tell that it's offal. That, may be perhaps, but I was thinking that I was surely disgusted seeing so much blood in that food, and I couldn't help but imagine all of the stuff I hate. Ah, but it's offal hotpot. And it's been a long time..." "You like it?" "Whaaa- Grandpa took me to a lot of trips in Hakata, in Fukuoka, because I loved it. Those times, there were food like pork bone ramen, but we also ate offal hotpot." Back then, Grandpa took me to so many places across Japan. Particularly, we went a lot to Kyushu**, and Fukuoka Prefecture's Hakata was my favorite place. It's because Hakata was famous for their pork bone ramen and offal hotpot. "Hakata, you say? Hm.... When Shirou was a lot younger, we both went to Nakasu to visit." "Hmph. Well, I could see you and Grandpa definitely be going there, you two won't seem out of place." Nakasu is known for having so many fun spots. The riverside has so many outdoor stalls and I could remember that time during winter break, Grandpa took me there and we ate pork bone ramen on the stall's outdoor veranda. Well but.... In front of me is offal hotpot. The fragrance of the shoyu soup base just wafts in the air, and it made me decide to get the serving spoon. "So, I guess I'll serve myself. I'd stop hesitating. Because I'll eat. It's OK to eat, right?"

T/N: Spoiler alert: Yuuma-sensei is from Fukuoka, in Kyushu Island. Be prepared to read more about food lol P165 "I will make you eat, even though I told you I was going to take you to eat here." Odanna-sama's face looked dumbfounded, but I don't care. I served his portion, I got mine, I placed my hands together and said "Let's eat", with much excitement. After taking the first bite, I chewed the offal with gusto. It was beyond what I expected, and I was surprised by the taste and fragrance. "Wow, it's really good. The offal, was it roasted once?" It has already been roasted once, I could see it on the surface of the innards. It's slowly being cooked even more, in front of my eyes. “Yes, it has been scorched. It is cooked first that way, then the excess oils seem to have been added to the hotpot." "Reaally? Then let's start eating!" While reveling in the chewy texture, the melted fat in the soup dissolves in the mouth, and the mellow flavors come out. Also, the undertones of the red peppers had a very irresistable taste. "Does it taste delicious?" "Oh, yes! I was surprised. It is rather spicy, but the mild taste of the soy sauce soup base is something that Ayakashi fancy, don't they?" "Ah, yes, that is why, among Oni, and other Ayakashi, this kind of cooking is indeed a favorite." "So, as expected, ogres prefer food that have offal?" "Of course." "Then.. Is Odanna-sama's favorite food.. Offal hotpot?" P166 "Favorite?" I tried to casually ask. Before, I asked Ginji-san if he knows what Odanna-sama's favorite food was, but he said that he didn't know, and so I have no idea what Odanna-sama's food preferences were. He seemed to think for a bit. "Offal hotpot? I'm afraid to tell you... No. Concerning such things, I would strongly say that I prefer the fresh blood and viscera of young human girls." "Having to hear that from you, do you take me as a fool?" Did he said that in all honesty, or was that a whole-hearted and morbid joke? Even without laughing, he seemed to look pleased. "As for me, up to now I can only say that my most favorite thing is a lady, nothing else." "Is that.. Your lover?" "Are you interested?" "No, not really." Either I was dreaming or it's because of the hotpot. The offal with garlic and cabbages all boiling down was enjoyable. The garlic flavor was just appetizing, how much could I just eat? "Oh, so if I tell you what my most favorite is, will you make it for me?" "I have no intention to do that." "But was thinking of looking forward to that." P167 Odanna-sama seemed to have said those words with a pout. I wonder if he's saying those things in earnest. i just can't make out whatever he's saying, but I can speak harshly too. "Anyhow, for Odanna-sama, such a thing as my cooking isn't even somewhat of a great deal." "Well, isn't that harsh. But you've cooked so many kinds of food for Ginji, have you not? He kept praising your cooking." "What, really?" Him praising my cooking didn't felt like he had ill will. Moreover, hearing that Ginji-san saying that my cooking tasted good, I felt honored. Somehow, somewhat, Odanna-sama didn't seem pleased, and raised an eyebrow. "Because Ginji-san is a kind-hearted and gentle person, isn't he? Thanks to a certain someone during my wretched time in the past, someone kindly brought me food." "Food...?" "Oh, that's a secret I remembered." Hearing me inadvertently blurting out, Odanna-sama closed his mouth and seemed to have detached. He didn't ask for anything in particular. "Oh that, when I said that, what Ginji-san said about me, I already knew that about a while ago. Although, I wonder why." P168 "Have you forgotten?" "What?" "No, never mind." Odanna-sama seemed to dodge the whole thing, and just turned towards the sights of the windows, to the bustling crowds that passed by before his eyes. Might it have to do something with what I said about Ginji-san that I've already forgotten? "You haven't moved your chopsticks. It's fine to eat at your own pace, steadily." "Oh, OK." I wasn't thinking at all, I was just moving my food around. Aside from the offal hot pot, there were also other food such as sliced raw liver and some vinegared offal. The raw liver slices were very fresh, and it didn't smell that raw. I especially loved the vinegared offal, its sourness may be too strong in my mouth, but I appreciate how refreshing it tasted. I felt full from the offal. Because it was indeed delicious, I suppose that the ogre thinks that I'll do an awful job of cooking something like it. Way before Odanna-sama's time, Japanese people during the Heian Period alreay know of offal hotpot, and during this same time many prominent Oni traveled to Utsushiyo and probably brought it with them back to Kakuriyo. Whether it's true or not, I could now understand why Oni have a love for innards. "I apologize for disturbing you." While still inside that daze of eating offals, a voice came from outside the sliding doors. Odanna-sama replied "Come in" and a person came inside. In that case, it was a lovely lady wearing a beautifully styled sakura-patterned kimono. P169 The area around her eyes were colored with a red tinge, and the entire length of her eyes gave off a very strong impression. Even more so is that her wafty, scarlet hair was arranged into two buns on both sides of her head, along with some accessories. Who is this, I wonder? She is like a colorful little flower that blooms in the spring, which gives off a lovely vibe. "It has been a long time, Tenjin-ya's Master, Odanna-sama." "Ah, how are you doing, Suzuran?" "I am doing well, thank you. Suzuran has been working hard to improve her talents, althought not there yet, I am still doing my best to grow and be a better geisha." "You've grown even more lovelier. I heard that you're now famous here in the capitol." "That... I heard that Odanna-sama was visiting so I came all the way here, to see you. " "Well, I am glad to have you here." I just looked at the two, earnestly while eating some hotpot. Surely not, but could it be that Odanna-sama secretly has another lover, and that because he thinks I'm already aware of that, he's going to introduce her now? "Ah, this here is Youto's very famous geisha Suzuran. She is our head clerk, Akatsuki's younger sister." "What? So.. You're an earth spider, a tsuchigumo? No way." P170 "It is not a lie. What you said is true." I stopped eating, stared at the smiling Suzuran, and I blinked my eyes countless times. Her brother's eyes with small irises lack warmth, but here in front of me is the younger sister, all nice and lovely. "Suzuran, this is Tsubaki Aoi. He is Tsubaki Shirou's granddaughter," "Ah, Shirou-sama's..." As soon as Odanna-sama mentioned Grandpa's name, Suzuran's facial expression instantly brightened up, and her cheeks started blushing. She seemed so joyous, and yearning, yet her face seems to be in pain. "So, Shirou-sama is also here, in Kakuriyo? I.. I have to see him no matter what." "Uhm, Grandpa is..." "Shirou did not come here to Kakuriyo. It's just Aoi." Odanna-sama interrupted me talking, and Suzuran just oh-ed. My mouth just slacked. Somehow, it seemed better not to say anything about Granda passing away. "Oh, I see.. Though when I saw your face, even though he's not here, it's as if I already met him." Suzuran turned around, and fixed herself on the tatami mat, her lovely eyebrows beckoning. At that point, in my eyes, I could surmise that Suzuran is not Odanna-sama's lover. "So, in this case, Shiro-sama's daughter is, I should say, Odanna-sama's bride?" "Yes, she is." P171 "No, it isn't like that." Odanna-sama's laughing face confirmed Suzuran's question, while my grim face denied it. Suzuran titled her head on one side and looked as if in agreement. "Aoi here is a really stubborn girl. She said that she is not considering marrying me until she has paid Shirou's debt fully. Right now, she is currently unemployed." "Please saying that I'm unemployed. Also, somehow don't change the story. It isn't that I won't marry you until I paid the debt, it's because I don't want to marry that's why I am paying it on my own, that's the real reason." "What kind of condition is that? If I was offered to get married, in all honesty, I won't have to go through all that toiling and labor..." After refuting entirely the conditions I said, albeit in a childish tone, Odanna-sama sighed, and drank some wine poured for him by Suzuran. "A lady going to all that trouble under Odanna-sama, that seems to be a very unusual condition, isn't it?" "As expected of Shirou's granddaughter, she's like that." "Yes. Aoi-sama resembles Shirou somehow. This brings back memories." I stared at Suzuran who seemed to be longing for the days gone past. When our eyes met, she broke into a smile then a laugh, and I kept my laugh as much as I could. The Ayakashi who knew my grandfather all told me "You're just like Shirou." The Ayakashi that easily forgot him did, to some extent recalled him and would even attest that they knew him. P172 "Say, Suzuran, it has been a long time since you have played your Shamisen for me. Do you have the time right now?" "Yes, it is for that reason that I came here." Suzuran, with her Shamisen on her back went to a corner of the room. And then I was startled by the numerous, fluttery reflections of her obi's feathery decorations, which resembled and reminded me of spider legs. But it wasn't a frightful feeling. As the shamisen was being played, the atmosphere of a lady singing beautifully washes over us. Eating delicious food while hearing this girl play is just luxurious, and I think that at that time, the mood was uplifted. "Wah, that tasted really good. As expected, delicious food is the best, right?" "I had you accompany me here because you will finish up the delicious food prepared for you." We left the restaurant afterwards, and I was in really high spirits. So was Odanna-sama as he leisurely inhaled from his pipe just like before. I was in a situation that had me smiling. I was so glad to have been treated to delicious food. But his cold attitude yesterday reminded me to reconsider the calculations I had of him. "By the way, isn't Suzuran quite lovely? Cuold she possibly be your lover?" P173 After I asked him that question, Odanna-sama raised his eyebrows. "Lover? That's impossible. Suzuran is Akatsuki's younger sister. Besides, to me, there is a particular granddaughter's existence..." "What. You're saying that again.." "Actually, I have no other lovers." "You're lying. Wait, the young mistress, the Yuki-onna, there's a rumor that she's your lover." "Yuki-onna? O-ryo? That can't be." After saying that, Odanna-sama's facial expression delicately changed, pretending as if he was laughing at something. As expected, his attitude became suspicious, but I couldn't fathom his true intentions. "Would you like to go get some dessert?" "OK, let's go eat some." To an abrupt suggesting of eating some dessert, I whole-heartedly agreed. To avoid having to converse, I just agreed without a doubt, but inside I really didn't have any other ideas. I put on my mask and the geta that I'm still not used to, and followed Odanna-sama without any other choice. "Oh!" Again, beyond my line of sight, I had a strong feeling. I was walking a bit along the main road, and within a large crowd of Ayakashi crossing, P174 I got mixed into it. At any rate, my vision was sensitive to the Ayakashi in front of me. That sensitivity is thanks to the fact that they are alive, which is a good thing. I unconsciously stopped and looked back. At that moment, a giant fish-headed Ayakashi bumped into me, which made my Kanzashi fall into the ground. "Owww.. My hairpin..." As I crouched in a panic to pick up my hairpain, an Ayakashi child bumped forcefully on my back. Like an absolutely sudden gust of wind, the crowd parted to make way for a bunch of Ayakashi children running about. Their pretty pinwheels were whirling around making screeching noises, but I can't look at that for very long. "Oww.. They're gone now." I pushed on my hips and stood up. My Kanzashi was safe, but I was an inconvenience to have been crouching in a crowd. I looked around me carefully and started to go pale. It's because I had no idea where Odanna-sama headed to. Probably, that's exactly it, I suppose. No matter how dubious I think that guy is, when I'm alone with no other person that I know around, in an instant I feel hopeless. P175 Let alone this is Kakuriyo.This is the Ayakashi's realm. Right now I'm wearing a mask, and I could hide being a human, but other than that, in this world, I am still an outsider. "Hey, stop dilly-dallyin'!" I stood still, it was a loud yell from a red-faced bearded three-eyed man. He was holding a bottle of liquor while wavering, and was probably drunk. I fled the scene in a panic, going along the main road from side to side, until I ended in a smaller pathway with very few people. and walked on the side of the road. Within this wispy and dodgy atmosphere was a back alley. There were paper lanterns that slowly lighted the surroundings, and it was likely that because there aren't that many Ayakashi here, I won't be running into one. "This isn't good... This isn't good..." Murmuring and grumbling, with sweat dripping on my face, I was desperately breaking loose in this labyrinth-like back alley. Unfortunately, the more I walked and moved forward, the more I got lost. I was surrounded by houses that seem to have a dull, dense air around them. I stared nervously at the surroundings. Whenever a small sound pops up, it was as if there were a lot of nasty Ayakashi running around. Whether they were large or small, they were hidden by the darkness. It's good that I still had my mask on. However, along the way, I stumbled across an unexpected place. I slipped and fell on my backside, and it felt chilly. P176 "Ice?" Falling on the ground were spherical ice that seem to pile up and spread like water. I just noticed it because of that. It was a good thing that I still have the uchiwa fan still tucked on my back, so I pulled it out in a hurry. As it continued, a mysterious apparition appeared. Even though it was a spring evening, multitudes of snowballs started piling up in front of me, and I fell backwards. It was at that moment that the mask I was wearing slipped off. "It's a human..." "A human girl.. Looks delicious..." Once the mask has come off, it felt like the breaths of the Ayakashi drew nearer and nearer. Holy crap, I thought, and I stood up and started to run and flee, but because I was unaccustomed to the geta sandals I couldn't escape fast enough. Anyone who had an afterthought could have moved fast with their limbs, and I knew that I shouldn't have worn these clogs but I still did.This is bad. This is AWFUL.** "Gaaaah let go of me! You HOOLIGAN Youkai!" Spitting out those words, as if coming out of a daze, I swiped and swung the paperplant uchiwa fan thoughtlessly. Instantly after that, something unexpected happened. A strong whirlwind sprung up, and all of the Ayakashi surrounding me got blown upward. They were all yelling as they rose upwards, eventually looking like stars.

T/N: I was doing my best not to translate this part into ‘It was at this moment, I knew I was f****d.’ But that’s the feeling lol P177 In an instant, there was a strong whirlwind. Indeed, I just realized what had just happened, and I stared slowly at the leaf-looking uchiwa fan in my hand. I couldn't speak. OK, however I swing and move this fan, it seems that it creates a really strong gust of wind. "Thanks to this uchiwa, I was saved. I couldn't think of eating this now." I smiled a bit painfully as I wiped the sweat on my forehead. But, I sensed something again in my peripheral vision. It seems that no matter where I go, uneasiness follows me. I quickly turned my head when I saw a face, and hurriedly followed it through the dark back alleys, around every corner. Just as I was about to turn around a corner, I would stop and see if I'm about to head into walls. As soon as I could see who I was, I just cannot stop running and chasing. "Wah, Ahhh!" I peeked at the corner, and as soon as my face became visible, the person jumped backward. It seemed like I couldn't lose sight of that person anymore, and that person removed their straw hat. "Are you.. The Yuki-onna?" That person was Tenjin-ya's Young Mistress, the Snow lady O-ryo. Her white kimono was a bit disheveled as she collapsed into the ground. P178 "Whaa.. What're you doing? You may be a human, but you're so uncivilized!" "Hey, that's my line. You were the one who made the ice spread on where I was standing a while ago, wasn't it? But the snowballs flew off. When my mask tore off, the dangerous Ayakashi came to eat me there." "Miss. Humans here in Kakuriyo are just hoodlums, and it's a good thing that they'd get eaten. You and Odanna-sama may have gone out, but you're a thousand years too early." "So that's it..." I suddenly saw O-ryo's eyes in front of me. She was showing here true feelings in her face. She was probably jealous of me when Odanna-sama and I went out, and followed us here. "Could it possibly be that, you rode in the Kaikakumaru? By your own accord?" "How I got here is none of your business." "Don't feign ignorance. Could it be that you abandoned your post? Isn't a Young Mistress expected to be prim and proper?" My reply seemed to have shocked O-ryo. "But.. It's not like you're not doing anything!" "But I'm nothing like the inn's staff." "Don't pretend like you have no connections like that! This is why I hate human girls!" "Alright then, but I hate Ayakashi too, you know." P179 In that time, that place got filled with sounds of squawking. In the innermost part of the back alley that we were in, we started hearing hoarse yells of "Wait!" "Don't you dare run away!" O-ryo and I stopped our verbal fight. The dark alley only has one street, and on the other side, the sounds of someone wearing geta sandals can be heard in the darkness, and it seems like a geisha was running towards us. She was wrapped in a flowing sakura-patterned kimono, and I recognized her. "Suzuran-san?!" It was Suzuran-san, the geisha. She also noticed O-ryo and I. "O.. Odanna-sama.. Is he not here?" Looking pale, Suzuran went towards us and clang onto me. She seemed to have been chased, and her body was trembling. From the farthest part of the back alley, I saw Ayakashi pointing their fingers and yelling "She's here!" I had no idea what the situation was about, but I thought that we must escape, in a bit I pulled Suzuran's hand and as if in a daze we ran towards the other side of the road. We turned toward several corners, and we hid within the shady parts in-between the buildings, and for a while we concealed our breaths. The footsteps of Suzuran's pursuers eventually sounded as if they're already far away, and already dispersed. "Are you OK?" "Yes." Suzuran replied as she nodded her head. P180 "I'm sorry, Odanna-sama isn't here. I lost sight of him." "Oh... I see..." The geisha's kimono was beautiful, but probably very heavy, and yet no matter how heavy it was, the decorations attached on the feathery obi were still intact. Suzuran running fast wearing such garb must have been a very extra-ordinary sight. "What on earth Suzuran, who were you running away from?" She was just simply perplexed, and didn't say anything. "Wait up, I'm going there too." The Yuki-onna O-ryo was following us from behind. It seemed like she came down from the sky, and with her white kimono swinging in front of me, she looked like she was fluttering as she flew down with a thud. "The Ayakashi chasing Suzuran were the Ittan-momen from the large drapery seller, Yahata-ya. They say that Yahata-ya is from the Southwest Hachiyo, they have money and power, aren't they an influential and long-established store? Suzuran, I wonder, could you have angered Yahata-ya's master?" "O-ryo san..." It seems that O-ryo and Suzuran knew each other. Nevertheless, Suzuran was still shaking. In any case, I was thinking that it was inevitable that I send the girl home safely, but she just couldn't move. P181 "I was sold." "Really?!" With a grim expression, Suzuran began talking about her circumstances. "Lately, Yahata-ya's young master whom I receive patronage from, insistently keeps dropping by, and a while ago when I went back to the geisha house, the boss that I trust so much commanded me to marry into Yahata-ya. 'That is for your own happiness.' he said. I detested it, and they know it, but they can surely get paid a very large sum of money, so they sold me off." She braced her face, and clutched her fists to her chest. "What is that, it's not the worst. The Yahata-ya's young master who spoils and pampers, is a young man from a rich family. He is famously known to go crazy over any girl he fancies. Even in Tenjin-ya, there is someone who does whatever they please." O-ryo reminded me of something I hate, and I frowned. Suzuran just kept her head hung. "The geisha house is just in front of Yahata-ya's property. I pretended to pack up my belongings, and I jumped down from my room's window. I fled as if death was surrounding me." The girl's expression was grave. Somehow, I could relate to Suzuran's situation after hearing her circumstances with regards to being stalked by a rich guy. No, it's a more complicated story than that. It's because Suzuran could lose her livelihood because of this. P182 "Oh, I see..." Our shoulders shuddered when we heard a voice other than ours, from somewhere. I thought they found us, but I saw that black kimono and the black haori, it was no other than Odanna-sama. Suzuran called out "Odanna-sama!!" considerably, and felt very much relieved to be safe. As for me, I could only say a few words. "You, where have you been until now? You left me behind!" "You disappeared! These back alleys were dizzying, and you were sitting and hiding in the dark spaces in between these buildings. Anyone who tries to find you won't find you. Rather than they finding you, I found you instead. I want you to compliment me, at the least," Odanna-sama uninterestedly retorted. I wonder if he's angry. But for sure, I got here in this place despite myself. Could it be that, he was relentlessly searching for me? Oh well, whatever it was I don't care anymore. "Oh my.. uhmm.. Alright, I'm here." No, it's not alright, there's someone else here. It's the Yuki-onna, O-ryo. She was hiding her face behind her sleeve and was about to run away in haste. But Odanna-sama has sharp eyes and found her. P183 "O-ryo, why are you here?" "Oh, that, uhm..." "I was sure that you said you were attending your duties in Tenjin-ya." O-ryou lightly and furtively watched Odanna-sama's facial expressions, and shut her mouth completely. "I hope it's not what I am thinking, but could you have abandoned your duties and came here?" As soon as Odanna-sama spoke those words, the entire surroundings suddenly got cold. The Yuki-onna's eyebrows twitched, but while seemingly agreeing, her facial expressions became unreadable. Moreover, I realized that our hair and our clothes were starting to get covered in snow. This snow lady, who threw countless snowballs at me, in an instant, why am I just shaking things off. "Well, whatever. Suzuran is here. Suzuran, since you have already escaped from Yahata-ya's gang, for the time being, it is a good idea to go to Tenjin-ya. It is safer there, and you can tell me everything that happened." As soon as Odanna-sama spoke to Suzuran, she felt relieved. That was the extent of her dreadful thoughts. "Odanna-sama, I apologize deeply." Odanna-sama spoke again, to Suzuran in a gentle voice. P184 "What are you apologizing for? You are our head clerk's younger sister. To me, you two are like two adorable grandchildren. Even though you were forced into a marriage proposal, we cannot be silent about it. Come now, let us go back to Kaikakumaru." After that, I patted Suzuran's shoulders and hugged her, and we just exchanged looks. As I nodded in approval, a low voice from the Yuki-onna came from behind. "Alright then, I guess I'm going home too." O-ryo seemed exhausted.Odanna-sama's eyes may have darkened, but I think she needs to pay for her mistakes. I was exasperated. "Yuki-onna, before we were found by Odanna-sama, were you thinking of going back to Tenjin-ya?" "You.. You shut up! You have nothing to do with this!" "Well, that was expected of you." It was like a time when a parent goes out of a room and leaves the child unattended, and when the kid quietly leaves to play hooky and wander about gets caught in the act. A while ago, the Yuki-onna was up on her high horse, as if invincible, but now she's disheartened, and her shoulders dropped. I think she looked like melting ice cream. P185 As wispy clouds drifted past, daybreak has begun. The Ayakashi's activities have ended, and in a little while the shops started closing for the day. We, on the other hand will be returning over to the Southern Torii gate, to ride Tenjin-ya's ship. "Ah, she's there! She's boarding Tenjin-ya's Kaikakumaru!" In that moment, we were definitely found out by the Yahata-ya's henchmen. Those guys seemed to have searched the entire harbor relentlessly for Suzuran, and for a very long time. Everyone had white hair, and all of Yahata-ya's guys had a human form. Each of their faces were covered with a white cloth with "Han"** written on it, making their expressions unreadable, but their impatience can be easily seen through their movements. Odanna-sama left Suzuran in the care of the three Nopperabou sisters, who came out to take her inside the ship, as instructed. Odanna-sama and I stood leisurely in front of the ship while we casually looked at the Ittan-momen. "The Ittan-momen have a strong image of being a long, single piece of cloth, but these ones have a human form, don't they?" "Ayakashi usually change their forms. Whatever Ayakashi they are, they have a human shape." "So when you say that, the earth spiders, even Ginji-san, you all have a human form?"

T/N: Ittan-momen - they’re long pieces of cloth youkai, that strangle humans. The “Han” ( 反 ) on their faces also form the words for drapery, as ittan ( 一反 ) is a unit of measurement, mostly for cloths. P186 While we were casually chatting, a powerful voice boomed out. "Tenjin-ya's Master. Please hand over the geisha, Suzuran to us. We legally and formally received her!" In the middle of the Ittan-momen stands a young man, surely from a rich family. A young man wearing a very gaudy haori. With his long, white hair flapping like a flag, his face was strongly expressing a smile. Beside him was a terrible-looking red-faced man-servant, who seems to be surrounded by a lot of underlings. The other Ayakashi in the main road, and those who were returning to the harbor to board their boats who seem to be so elegant were all going "What's that? What's going on?" and started to look at the scene. On the roofs were some guys' camera shutters going off. Odanna-sama on the other hand faced the nervous Ittan-momen, and did his usual smile. "Hey there, aren't you the young master of Yahata-ya, whom we were always under the care of? What happened to you, your facial expression has changed? Suzuran is our head clerk's younger sister, and they always have been by themselves, so I'm bringing her back to Tenjin-ya so they could be together." "How shameless! Even though you say that you're always under our care, the truth is that Tenjin-ya has never used our fabrics!" Odanna-sama's retort insulted the short-statured man-servant. P187 From the side, Odanna-sama was stealthily asked. "Doesn't Tenjin-ya use Yahata-ya's products?" "Our yukata were provided to us by the owner of Shikiidou. Yahata-ya may be old and established, but aren't their products fairly expensive?" "Ah, about that..." This was different from that time with the Tengu. Especially when it comes to a point that there is no customer-client relationship, the rivalry just gets worse. Once again, with his usual smile Odanna-sama spoke to the young master. "Moreover, young lord, Suzuran awfully seems to not like you. A marriage obtained unreasonably, isn't that selfish on your part? Hmm... My opinion is there's nothing more useless than a loveless marriage, isn't it?" "Wha... What did you just say to me?!" The young master's face showed his anger, and went to his man-servant. Selfishly, he retorted, "You have insulted me. I am declaring a war! By any means!" But to me, seeing as there is no other choice, with a smug grin** Odanna-sama replied "Well, if you say so." That is no joke. With a nonchalant face, Odanna-sama commanded Kaikakumaru’s crew to get up and sail.

T/N: Shit-eating grin is a better translation but Odanna-sama’s too pretty for that lol. P188 What, we haven't gotten in, are they going to leave the harbor? "Hey, stop! Tenjin-ya's ship!" As Kaikakumaru slowly and steadily rose, from everywhere a flood of Ittan-momen started lining up, preparing their bows and arrows, and assumed their shooting stance. The tips of their arrows were covered with an oil-soaked cloth, with pyres filled with blazing yellow enchanted fire in front of them, and the dangerous army faced Kaikakumaru and started to shoot. I was dumbfounded. With a sudden and loud gasp, Odanna-started to defend us. Standing with an expressionless and unchanging face, the arrows flying towards me were received by him with one hand, and fiercely blew out the enchanted flames like trash that gets thrown away. I think it's a flawless defense. However, several arrows hit Kaikakumaru , and the sails started to catch fire. Not just Kaikakumaru, but the other surrounding boats were reached by the flaming arrows, and everwhere the flames started rising up. The screaming and panicking voices of the Ayakashi were audible. It was terrible. It was merciless. It was inhumane! That was what I was thinking, but those guys were Ayakashi. As for Odanna-sama, he was still blowing on his pipe with a composed face. Seeing that again, the Man-servant got excited and the Yahata-ya’s Ittan-momen squad once again started to aim, towards us and prepared for shooting their flaming arrows. P189 This time they were aiming towards Odanna-sama. If this continues, I'll be in danger. "Oww!" A small burning piece fell down and grazed my arm. Instantly, I remembered in that moment the Tengu's uchiwa fan. "Fire!" The Ittan-momen squad pulled back their bows and released their flaming arrows toward us again. Without any hesitation, I leaned forward in front of Odanna-sama and deliberately fanned the uchiwa fan upwards, and I put a lot of power in fanning it. A strong gust of wind blew wildly. The flaming arrows flying towards me were all extinguished, and flew towards and beyond the Southern Torii gate. After that, the numerous human-bodied Ittan-momen of Yahata-ya were halted and then like paper were blown away. Even the ox-cart that they were using also got turned over. Only the young lord and his man-servant were left, desperately clinging onto a pillar. "Ohhh.. You defended me, Aoi!" "No, I did that to save myself." Odanna-sama may have spoken in joy, but I was just stating the obvious. I was changed, and I understood the power of the uchiwa fan. I stared at it begrudgingly. P190 "Looking at this leaf, it's an awesome uchiwa fan! I was only going to use this for serving seafood dishes, but definitely not anymore." "Yes indeed, it's good that you don't. There's nothing as precious as that treasured fan." Odanna-sama's retort definitely hit. The Yahata-ya's Ittan-momen started to pull back. "Isn't that the Tengu's treasured uchiwa fan?" "What on earth is that little girl?" I heard so many whispered voices. So many Ayakashi were gawking. At least, the wind brought the Ittan-momen down. Their young master, with his long hair disheveled by the blowing wind, and his body equally in distress, pointed at me and yelled with anger, "What did you just do, little girl? Who are you? Are you a Tengu?" "No, I can't say who I am.." Right now I am a human girl. Incidentally, unemployed. I am not a Tengu. But Odanna-sama relaxed his lips. He pulled my waist and magnanimously started to proclaim, "This is Tsubaki Shirou's granddaughter, Tsubaki Aoi. I am Tenjin-ya's master, and she is my bride!" "Whaaaat?" My face spelled "What is this man talking about?" After his proclamation, he pulled me close and from where we were standing leaped up, and with a strong force flew up towards Kaikakumaru’s wooden deck. P191 It was like riding a jet coaster, I was mentally unprepared for it as we landed. At the back of my mind, the harbor was adrift with an eerie silence. But that silence was broken by a high-pitched scream, as I was looking down my voice just exploded. "Move to port side, steer to port side..." As my consciousness fled that place, there were other Ayakashi in their cruise ships. "Oh, hell, no, Kakuriyo is doomed!" Why were they expecting Kakuriyo's demise, my head couldn't wrap around it, that some Ayakashi were so serious. "That Tsubaki Shirou's granddaughter, she is the wife of Tenjin-ya's ogre-god?" "Isn't that a tragedy?" It seems that the sudden interest can't be suppresed, it was the topic of discussion among the lowly Ayakashi while having their booze and appetizers. "Go back! Go back! The news' evening edition must be replaced!" "There's no time! We'll just hurry it up for the afternoon edition tomorrow!" The news item about a celebrity scandal seems to be catching on, and from beyong the large Torii gate, Youto's crowd was broken up by Ayakashi that look like news reporters. Odanna-sama's proclamation was a shocking target, it seems. To the Ayakashi, Tenjin-ya's Master and Shirou Tsubaki's granddaughter "getting married" was obviously horrible, scary and revolting, and it created a huge ruckus. P192 "Say, Odanna-sama, why were those Ayakashi shocked? Are you a celebrity?" "I'm not a celebrity, I am Tenjin-ya's Master. But, well, I do hold the title of a Hachiyo. Being one gives fame and power. Each of Kakuriyo's remarkable Ayakashi, there are a lot of stories when it comes to sudden marriage proposals, whether with a daughter or a granddaughter." "Hmmmph. So up until today, you were single?" Even though it was a dodgy question, Odanna-sama confidently agreed. "Well, that's it. Which is why in Kakuriyo, it’s common gossip to ask who shall be my bride. Those are what people talk about me. A powerful person, particularly an Ayakashi who holds the position of Hachiyo, news about their marriage are always a subject of public interest by the populace in Kakuriyo." "Interest.. But, I don't think anyone would be happy about that." “Haha, it's not really a pleasant matter. Surely, it is a public announcement, and because Shirou's granddaughter was involved, everyone was absolutely caught off-guard. It's probably the worst." Odanna-sama's way of speaking sounded dubious. I titled my head. "That's.. because Aoi is Shirou's granddaughter." P193 Looking at my face, with a sneering smile, Odanna-sama's remarks about Grandpa seem to have a strong impact. To Kakuriyo, Grandpa is a very influential person. Even amongst Ayakashi, he is the scariest. From the soles of my feet, a cold chill crept up, and I looked below. Yahata-ya's Ittan-momen were creating a noisy argument. They stopped, and other than being unable to wave their hands to us in the boat, they could only stare at the slowing rising Kaikakumaru in vexation. Even as Kaikakumaru’s sails were ablaze, it was still rising up. Despite that grave 10 minutes, the ship's deck still standing, the commotion that happened below, no matter how much I think about it, I still can't understand it. Odanna-sama seems to have lost interest in what happened before, and started instructing the ship's crew, who were desperately extinguishing the fires on the sails here and there, and the blazing flames of Kaikakumaru’s sails were eventually extinguished. The beautiful sunrise from the east has come. Normally, this would be a silent time in Kakuriyo. But today, Kakuriyo's capitol had an early-morning disturbance. While thinking about the myriad of things that happened today, the day started brightly as before, and I rubbed my eyes. P194 A while later, I realized what happened, and the next day, Kakuriyo's Metropolitan Newspaper reads "Bride from Hell went Haywire", among other things, I was decorated with a very typical and one-sided title. From then on, without me knowing it, I was known as the rumored "Tenjin-ya's Wife from Hell."

End of Chapter 5, Volume 1.

Volume 1 Translations by Kakuriyo-translations

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

References:

Wonderful site for the youkai references

Other stuff I used to do this: Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (you can buy here, I’m not sponsored btw). I was about to buy the older edition but then the newer one came out 2013 so I bought that instead. Worth buying since I was able to find nearly all of the words I needed just by stroke pattern alone.

Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Dictionary (the red-covered 1996 version is apparently out of print right now). This is what I have been using for a very long time, I bought it when I was still a fetus (yes I am old so what lol), and after so many years, when compared to newer editions, I still prefer this one since its entirety is Japanese-English, the English to Japanese gloss are just 16 pages tops, so you get more Japanese words for your buck. But that’s just my opinion, maybe other people prefer the Jap-En x En-Jap IDEK.

Basic online dictionary, Jisho. Knowledge of verb conjugations and other words are necessary since not all have entries.

If you can read Japanese, you can buy the whole set in Amazon Japan, they’re shipping worldwide now, I think.

#kakuriyo no yadomeshi #kakuriyo no yadomeshi english fan translation #kakuriyo no yadomeshi fan translation #kakuriyo no yadomeshi light novel fan translation #kakuriyo no yadomeshi volume 1 chapter 5 #kakuriyo no yadomeshi volume 1 chapter 5 fan translation

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zuwritesstuff · 4 years

Text

When You Try to Write A Hurt/Comfort Candlenights Story

(Wow, posting? Crazy- Find this story on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22228207)

TW: Blood, injury, gun mention, weapon mention, some slightly suggestive jokes, cussing, its a hurt/comfort story if you can’t tell

Word Count: 3k

A/N- so i got really into TAZ and wrote this for my friend so, uh, enjoy ( @hiding-in-a-corner-reading i forgot to post this here whoops )

Kravtiz Ajal limped down a rusted, creaky fire escape, stumbling his way down the steps. His two compatriots, Barry and Lup Bluejeans-Enno looked at him with worry. Lup was holding him up with one arm, while Kravtiz stemmed the flow of his blood with his other hand, having just been stabbed. Barry, looking out and leading the way, holding his gun at the ready, knocked on the frosted-over window that stood before him as Lup leaned Kravtiz onto the nearby railing, exhausted.

Kravtiz saw as Takoda Enno, his boyfriend, looked out the window, paused, and rushed over with a concerned look that never passed his features.

“What the fuck did you do-” he asked, opening the window and pulling Kravtiz by hooking his arms under his and pulling with all his might. Kravtiz, having been stabbed, winced at the movement but said nothing of it.

“Hey, Taako, good to see you too my love, light of my life,” Kravtiz said, words slurring. “I might have gotten stabbed a little bit, but just a little, no need to panic or whatever, just gotta rest a bit.”

“What the actual, complete fuck.”

“We’re real sorry, Taako,” Barry said, taking one of Kravtiz’s arms and leading him to the bathroom in the hallway. “Mission went wrong, really wrong, and you were closer than the safe house, I didn’t know if he could make it further.” Barry helped Kravtiz into the bathroom, putting him down softly into the bathtub. Lup put a hand on Taako’s shoulder as he watched the scene unfold before him.

“He took the knife for me, bastard.” Lup said, shaking her head. “He didn’t have to do that.”

“If he didn’t, you’d be dead, babe,” Barry added, in the process of removing Kravtiz’s shirt to look at the wound better, covering it with Kravtiz’s balled up shirt. “I’m grateful, but this is bad. I’m no doctor, but…” He shrugged, looking at the two of them. “I think we should call Merle, like, now.”

“I got it.” Taako said, turning away quickly from the two of them. He went to his living room, taking a second to collect himself before calling their friend, Dr. Merle Highchurch.

“Yello, this is Dr. Merle Highchurch, how may I help you?” A cheery voice rang from the other side of the call.

“Cut the shit, Merle, I know you have me in your contacts as, ‘Taako or Lup’, I need some help.”

“Well, is this Taako or Lup?”

“Taako, but I know you don’t know how to change my contact name- whatever, come to my apartment, like now.”

“At this hour?”

“Yeah, uh,” Taako swallowed, biting his lip before taking a deep breath and saying, “Uh, you know that mission the Reapers went on tonight?” Merle hummed in assent. “It went wrong. Kravtiz is...uh, he’s hurt bad Merle.”

Taako waited for a beat before he heard Merle’s more serious voice say, “Of course. Lucretia and Magnus can run the ship for a while, give me ten minutes, alright kiddo?”

“Yeah, thanks, Merle.”

“Talk to you soon, keep pressure on the wound in the meantime, don’t let him lose too much blood.”

Taako clicked off the phone and walked back to the bathroom where Barry and Lup looked at him expectantly. He relayed the information and sighed, leaning on the wall. They, including Merle, Lucretia Austen, Magnus Burnsides, Dave N. Port, Angus McDonald, and several others served B.O.B., aka The Bureau of Benevolence, a secret organization dedicated to taking down organizations that harmed the public but that the federal government couldn’t take down legally. They had been organized into elite groups of three depending on their individual skills. There was Kravtiz, Lup and Barry, affectionately and formally known as the Reaper Squad for their terrifying efficiency and elite jobs, Merle, Magnus, and Taako, affectionately known as Tres Horny Boys, (it was Lup’s idea, after having walked in on literally every single one of them doing unsavory things at very different times), and Lucretia, Dave, and Angus known as the Nerds, (Merle came up with it and he was too excited for anyone to turn it down).

At the moment, however, the Reaper squad and ⅓ of Tres Horny Boys were crammed into Taako’s tiny apartment bathroom, unsure of what to say. Lup had taken over keeping pressure on the wound and Kravtiz was still in the bathtub, eyes locked onto the ceiling, breathing raggedly.

At last, Taako broke the silence. “W-what happened?”

“The mission was to get in, take out the boss, and get out. That was it.” Lup said, unable to look Taako in the eyes. “But we had bad information- someone told us something wrong and when we got in there were so many more guards, different security measures, doomed from the fucking start.” She scoffed and shook her head. “When I get my hands on that murderous traitor…” She rolled her shoulders and gritted her teeth, a nervous habit. “We just managed to get him out.”

“You guys should go get some sleep.” Taako said, seething quietly. “You can shower in my bedroom and sleep there, I can stay up for Merle.” Taako kneeled next to his sister, taking the balled up, stained cloth from her. Lup looked at Taako, a little nervous.

“T, I really am sorry.”

“Lulu, it wasn’t your fault.” Taako looked at his sister, a ghost of his usual smile reassuring her, kind of. “It’s part of the job, we all know that, and Merle’s on his way.” She sighed and nodded, standing up and walking out of the room with Barry, but not before casting one last, sad look at her friend, bleeding out in the bathtub.

Merle had come and gone, stitching up and bandaging the wound.

“Now, listen- he’s out cold right now, which is probably the best scenario since he lost a lot of blood.” He said as he washed his hands. “I can’t imagine him being 100% up to speed after he wakes up, but maybe move him from the bathtub as soon as possible.”

Taako nodded and looked over towards the bathroom. “I’ll wait until he gets up. Lup and Barry are also out cold right now, in a good way. Did they tell you about what happened?”

“Mhm- ran into Barry on his way out of the shower. And, apparently, Lup isn’t taking it very well. Don’t mean to dump that on you too, you’ve got enough to deal with but…” Merle looked away and shrugged. “When she wakes up, I can get Cretia and Barry to try to talk to some sense into her.” Taako looked at him quizzically and Merle sighed, looking up at him. “She’s going back in the morning to finish off the traitor and the boss, supposedly.”

“She can get in line,” Taako muttered, scowling at the floor. “Great minds think alike, I suppose.”

“Taako, kiddo, you can’t.”

“Why not?” Taako fired back. “They almost killed Kravtiz, Merle. Almost killed Lup. You think I can stand by while my boyfriend is bleeding out in my tub and my sister thinks it’s her fault? No, I won’t. I can’t just, ” He waved his hands around helplessly. “Can’t just sit around, you know?”

“I think you can sit long enough for your boyfriend to get better because if he isn’t getting the care he needs, he’s gonna get worse. You know that- I sure as hell know you do. I don’t need to get the finger puppets to explain this, do I?”

“Fuck off, that was one time.”

Merle chuckled and put a hand on Taako’s shoulder, stretching a bit. “I know you get it, son. Cool off a little, I know Barry’ll help. I’ll come back in the morning with the rest of the crew to visit. Kravtiz will be awake by then, promise.”

“Fine. I trust you Merle, but if we don’t have a plan to take those guys out in 48 hours, I’m doing it myself.” Taako said, smiling down at him a little, his expression not matching his words.

Merle nodded solemnly. “Better get on it then, huh? Maybe I’ll wake everyone up a little earlier than intended...”

Taako sat on his counter, fidgeting quietly. He sat with his head leaned back onto his mirror, kicking his legs, waiting for Kravtiz to wake. He was peacefully sleeping in Taako’s tub, still, but now with a pillow behind him and blanket wrapping him up. Taako blew a puff of air out, trying to move a stray piece of hair, escaped from his ponytail through all the ruckus. It didn’t move, and he sat there, trying to move this piece of hair for a while as Kravtiz, freshly awake, watched in amusement.

“Having a good time there, T?” Kravtiz asked, voice raspy from disuse.

“Having a wonderful time Kravtiz.” Taako said instinctively, then looking up in amazement, he said, “Wait- what the fuck?” He leaped from the counter, rushing over, kneeling to inspect him. Kravtiz struggled to get up, wincing at the wound.

“Morning- night? Afternoon?” He shook his head, closing his eyes. “Hiya, though.” Taako laughed gleefully, leaning over the tub to kiss Kravtiz, cupping his face. Kravtiz, however weak he was, kissed back, one hand in Taako’s hair, the other supporting him.

“H-how are you feeling? Let me look at the wound, I gotta rewrap the bandages I think?” Taako said, breaking away, looking around. Kravtiz nodded, sinking back into the tub.

“Maybe I can get out of the tub first?”

“After, if any blood gets on my couch I’ll stab you myself.”

“Topical.” Kravtiz said, smiling as he leaned his head back. Taako grabbed the blanket covering him, pulled it away gently, apologizing softly as Kravtiz swore because of the cold. Kravtiz inspected the wound, wincing again as Taako pulled the bandages away.

“Yuck.” Kravtiz said, biting his lip and looking away.

“Merle did his best at 2 am, with you bleeding out in my one good tub.” Kravtiz hummed in assent, keeping his eyes on the ceiling until Taako was done. He looked down again, before reaching for his shirt, then realizing it was on the floor, covered in his own blood.

“Super yuck. Was it really that bad?”

“Yeah…” Taako said, handing him one of his own oversized shirts. “It was pretty bad. Merle said something about,” he hunched over, lowering his voice, “‘narrowly missed a vital organ, could have been super duper bad, whatever will I do with you punks’” he straightened out, “So the usual.”

“Ah, obviously…” Kravtiz trailed off, arms poised to hoist himself out of the tub, looking at Taako. “A little help please, dear.”

Taako bit his lip, chewing nervously. “You sure? I can get more blankets so you don’t have to move, I don’t, uh…” He looked down, unable to meet Kravtiz’s eyes. “I don’t want you to get more hurt.”

“Oh, darling, come here- I’m gonna be okay, promise.” He added as Taako trudged over, still not meeting his eyes, sitting cross-legged near the tub. Kravtiz relaxed back into the tub, reaching a hand out towards Taako, who took it silently. They sat in silence a bit, Kravtiz squeezing Taako’s hand comfortingly.

“Krav, darling, I love you, but when I saw you bleeding out, I-I didn’t know if you were gonna...you know?” Taako said, breaking the silence of the bathroom. Kravtiz looked up at him, eyes soft.

“I just- I needed to protect Lup, you know? It would have killed her, I knew I was gonna be okay.”

“That’s the thing though, love, you didn’t. You didn’t know and if it had killed you, what-what could I have done?” Taako let the question linger in the air before saying, “I’m so, so grateful but god, Kravtiz, what would I have done?”

“You would have been okay, but,” he sighed, looking back up to the ceiling. “I know I would have been a bit disgruntled, that’s for sure.” Taako laughed, scratching the back of his neck and shrugging in assent. “I promise you, Taako, whenever I go on missions, my top priority? You. Coming back to you, that’s all I want, all I need. Someone I can come home to, someone who can be my home.”

Taako, clearly holding back a smile, looked off to the side. “You’re a huge fucking sap, you know that, right?” Kravtiz laughed loudly, wincing slightly as it disturbed his newly stitched skin. Taako was at his side in an instant, worried, hands hovering over the wound. Kravtiz held up a hand, closing his eyes and breathing deeply before nodding to Taako, who very, very carefully helped him up, draping his arm under Kravtiz’s, helping him out into the hallway where they bumped into Barry. Barry locked eyes with Kravtiz, shocked at his appearance so soon. A look of understanding and gratefulness passed between them, before Barry took his other side, helping Kravtiz to the couch, where he, and Taako, slept for the rest of the night.

“Kravtiz, you absolute dumbass,” Magnus announced after barging into Taako’s apartment, Lucretia, Merle, Angus, and Dave closely behind, who were all clearly trying to keep him from doing so. “I can’t believe you got yourself stabbed- your whole thing is stabbing other people.”

Kravtiz scrunched up his face, sitting up. The four staying at the apartment had all changed and cleaned up, and Taako and Lup were in the kitchen cooking a feast for everyone, Barry sitting with Kravtiz and entertaining him with card games, chess, and whatever else they could get their hands on. At the moment though, he pushed his hair back and rolled his eyes at Magnus.

“Haha, what is it you do again?” Kravtiz smirked up at Magnus who laughed.

“I’m a tank, clearly,” he said, flexing and winking at Kravtiz, who chuckled. Lucretia rolled her eyes and patted Magnus’s shoulder.

“Sure thing- how’re you feeling Krav?”

“Like I got stabbed, Cretia, how are you?”

‘Get stabbed once and become a comedian, huh?’ Dave signed, sitting next to Barry, looking over the chessboard where Kravtiz was getting thoroughly beaten.

“Hey! I was a comedian before I got stabbed, thank you very much.” He said to Dave, who was mute- he had been at the B.O.B. pretty much longer than almost everyone there, so they all had to pick up ASL pretty quickly to understand what he was saying. Dave raised an eyebrow pointedly at him.

“No love, you never were.” Taako said, emerging from the kitchen with an apron that said, “Kiss the Cook” in curly red letters. He greeted all the visitors, fist-bumping Magnus, an elaborate handshake for Angus, (who was very excited for it), a wave for Dave, (which he said out loud), and a hug for Lucretia and Merle, (who was surprised, but seeing as Taako’s hugs towards him were somewhat limited, he hugged back, no questions asked). “Can’t believe it took my boyfriend getting stabbed for everyone to actually come to my apartment.”

“Hey, sir, wait-” Angus started. He came over to the apartment once or twice a week since he was Taako’s apprentice in all the weaponry and sneakery. He was a new recruit at the B.O.B., and when he was first assigned there after trying to go after once of their assignments before they had even figured out who it was, everyone was a little apprehensive at having a literal child, (ish), on the team, but he had grown on them, especially Taako. While Lucretia taught him the more...subtle ways of being a spy and Magnus taught him hand-to-hand combat, Taako taught him how to handle weapons, and then invited him over for dinner, and now he was more like a father to Angus, though he’d never admit it.

“Not you Angus,” Taako said, waving away any thoughts to the contrary, “You’re an angel and I’m thrilled to have you here.”

“Why thank you.”

As this happened, Merle had walked over to Kravtiz, lifting his shirt up and examining the bandages. “Hmm…” he said, rubbing his chin. “Looks good, but I don’t want you moving around too much.” He glanced over at Taako. “Bed rest, alright?”

“Yes, sir,” Taako said, mock saluting. “I will keep him in my bed, thanks.”

Merle rolled his eyes, pulling down Kravtiz’s shirt. “Have you had anything to eat yet?”

“Some bread and water- I’m waiting for the famous Enno breakfast, hopefully, I can keep that down.”

“‘Scuse me, but I’m an Enno-Bluejeans, thank you very much,” Lup said, brushing her hands on her short black skirt, (it was actually Taako’s, borrowed this morning, so Taako looked very offended), untying another “Kiss the Cook” apron, this time with light blue cursive letters, as Barry beamed with pride at her words, straightening slightly and smiling widely. She blew him a kiss as Taako gagged at their PDA behind her back. She, without looking behind her, flipped him off over her shoulder and said, “Anyway, breakfast is ready, everyone help me bring it out here. Except you, Krav, Jesus-” she added, as Kravtiz made to get up.

“Damn, I wanted to get away from this game.” He muttered, looking over the board. Barry laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“I’m telling you, bud, I was president of the chess club back in high school.”

“Now I know this doesn’t mean much coming from me,” Lucretia said, putting a platter of cut fruit on the table in front of them, which was quickly getting filled with other food, “But you, Barold, are a nerd.”

“Lu, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever told me.”

‘You know, I don’t think that’s true’ Dave signed after bringing the last of the food over as Magnus held literally enough chairs for everyone, thinking. ‘Lucretia is a very nice person.’

Lucretia signed thank you to him and sat with the rest of them, digging into the feast the twins prepared. They talked about everything and anything- except last night’s mission of course. There was plenty of other things to talk about, like Angus’s training, gossip from the office, (Carey and Killian finally started dating, how Magnus’s wife, Julia, and her team was doing, the other department’s drama, etc.) and other stuff until there was a comfortable lull in the conversation, filled with the scraping of forks, and content sighs.

“Uh, sirs? And ma’ams?” Angus said timidly, putting his fork and knife down. Everyone looks up expectantly at him. He took a deep breath and said. “I’ve been thinking about what happened last night, and it has led me to believe that, um, something is up. In the Bureau itself.” They all looked shocked as he continued. “We know you got the information from an informer, who probably works for the Bureau- but what if it wasn’t the informer? What if someone in the Bureau wanted this to go wrong?”

“Listen, kiddo, I know mysterying it out is your thing but, uh, how do you know?” Merle asked, waving around a piece of waffle.

“Because this is the second time an agent has gotten hurt on an informers tip- but there’s no way the informers were related.” Everyone swiveled to look at Magnus who put his fork down with a clatter. They knew Angus was talking about a recent incident that had left his wife and her father in the hospital. Julia had managed to pull through, though with serious injuries, but her father hadn’t. Magnus looked down at his plate, processing. Then he looked up, jaw clenched, at Angus.

“You think it was the same person?”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry I didn’t detect foul play before.” He said, looking at Magnus and then Kravtiz, slightly guilty. Lucretia put her hand on Angus’s shoulder, reassuring him.

“Alright, kid,” Taako said, putting his fork down too. “Let’s get to work.”

To be continued

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pffbts · 5 years

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What if you tried rewriting a short scene from the music videos or Save Me? The plot's already there, just your beautiful words to fill in the gaps ;)

―genre: fluff; angst; crack; werewolf! au

―characters: min yoongi x female reader | ot7 x reader

―w.c: 2.4K

―author`s note: this was requested much long before the other ones but you see i had to think a lot (it turned into an au fic, i`m sorry) because it was such an interesting request (a challenging one too) nothing least expected from the said sender. thank you for such request. much love

―inspiration: save me (mv) – the dark gloominess of the mv and the way the boys looked.

[05:40 PM] [the dusty smell, the faraway smell of rain gave a trailer of the fire burning as seven figures enlighten the attempt to a bonfire]

― namjoon`s eyes could bleed if it was physically possible. the sight beside him roared up the complicated emotions that stores itself inside the darkest alley of his brain and doesn`t come out not until the eyes witness something out of this world adorable and warm. jimin`s face was pushed against your neck and he was spooning you from behind. being the bigger spoon in the embracement, your back was slumped against his front, your knees almost touching your chest. jimin`s arms circled the whole of your body and the tip of his nose nudged at the soft spot against the end of your hairline.

yoongi glanced over at namjoon and his wide eyes and the loosely hanging jaw of the younger one. he wanted to laugh at this site but controlled himself for the sake of the sleeping figure of both you and jimin. taehyung and jeongguk have retrieved back to the forest, searching for more woods to keep the bonfire glow until the night completely fall on them.

“they`re really something, isn`t it?” hoseok chirped in, a rough yet softness behind each word. yoongi just nodded laying back against the grass, a hand tucked behind his head like a pillow.

“the stars are going to come out soon.” giving a side glance to your sleeping figure, he continued, “it`s almost time.”

a rustle from the direction of the forest and out came under the dusk of the day, the younger ones – taehyung and jeongguk each of them carrying logs of woods especially the latter one.

―several months ago

the corridors of the schools always smell like chlorine and bad decisions. it`s like do you even want to walk through these corridors, do you even want to place yourself in those groups of girls and boys who flock the corners. flicking the topmost button of your school shirt, you leaned back against your desk chair. the sky just like the past couple of days has been gathering its clouds for a future downpour every dusk. you hate rain, especially when it happens during the monsoon season. somehow you`ve a different kind of opinion for the rain that comes down during the different season rather than its mother season.

collecting the books and stationeries you walked out of your class. the students next to you passing by giving a simple smile and a once-over. out of habit, you smiled back too. nothing`s wrong giving out some smiles, right?

soon you heard a number squeals and before you could look around anything, slow black dots started appearing and fading on the ground. it had started raining. you pulled out your transparent umbrella and without giving second attention to anyone walking out of the school ground.

the way it was raining, it was really convincing how you would definitely get half-drenched even before you reach half of your distance. the field which you passed by every afternoon after school was near to your sight and if you squint a little, you could see the faraway forest at the end of it. the daylights weren`t knocked out yet and you still had enough time to pass by the abandoned expanse of the field under the still dull daylight.

half way on passing by the field, you heard some guys laughing. it almost sounded childish – the way they were smiling. turning your head while slowing your pace, you saw seven guys standing there like a messed up circle and laughing. someone with a gummy smile caught your attention. it wasn`t until you continued staring at him that you realized he was looking at you too and his smile somehow passed onto you. this time your habit didn`t strike you instead you just looked away from them with the same look of shock.

all you could do that night was think what were the seven young boys doing when it was clearly raining harder than any day. the more you shifted on your bed, changing your position, the more their images started getting clearer inside your subconscious mind. next day, your mother suggested you to skip school but you wanted to go nevertheless not knowing what was in store for you that day.

it was raining that day too and just like any other day, you took shelter under the transparent umbrella of yours and just like last day, you found the seven guys standing there but this time they were scattered like Venn diagrams and they didn`t have the same kind of smile on their face. instead, they were frowning, their face more serious and your pace increased. but the more you walked fast, you felt a tension growing on your skin.

you did one mistake that day – turning back. the moment you looked back, all you could see was two greenish-golden eyes, everything black and large animalistic fangs coming at you from the closest distance ever.

―present day

namjoon`s eyes shifted to the mark on the side of your face, just passing by the folds underneath your left eye. the kind of mark only some unrealistic animal could do. something only werewolves could do. his inner wolf got the best of him and soon yoongi smelled the rage flowing from the younger one of the pack. being the leader alpha of three other alphas and sub-alphas, it has always been difficult for yoongi to control his boys but he has grown up with them. he knew them like no other being on this damned world.

“namjoon! let`s go for a stroll, eh?” yoongi jumped from his place, shaking his shoulder and offering a hand to the other alpha. “come on, let`s cool off before we stink more.”

it has been an inside joke for a long time now since you started hanging out with the pack. no, you weren`t some werewolf or anything. you were just as ordinary as the grass that you were lying on. it was just your maternal uncle who died one year ago from some mysterious disease was the teacher of these seven boys during their pre-wolf days. he wasn`t a wolf but he was an acquaintance with their world more than you. later you heard from the boys that it was one of the guys from some other pack who tried to attack him and not being able to stand the injuries, he had to sadly pass away.

that day it was another guy from that same pack. somehow this has been a regular thing, yoongi recalled one day to you, that every time any one of the human worlds compiles with the wolf world, this rival always had their way in hurting them. when you had asked why yoongi had jokingly said that maybe you guys are too tasty for their taste buds. a few seconds later, jimin who always had a soft side for you had tackled his leader and forced him to stay there grounded until he apologizes for the insensitive joke.

thankfully, the guys threw that enraged wolf and had somehow got rid of him. it was the first time you saw this much blood flowing out of you. when you touched your burning face, there was blood covered in both of your palm and half of it was flowing to your school shirt. the last scene you saw before passing out was those seven beautiful smiling boys turning into seven big black, brown and greyish-white wolves and lunging onto the out of pack one.

“hnnggh,” jimin groaned behind you. it has been almost five minutes and your arms felt numb. the warm breath from jimin and the wolfish hotness flowing out of him filled up your whole system. you realized that even after an hour-long shower tonight, you would still smell like werewolves. but that didn`t matter to you because you`re used to such acts. you knew jimin has a soft side for you but it wasn`t like that romantic. it was like having a very special bonding with someone irrespective of their gender identity, like meeting up an old friend and picking up the pieces of the past conversations. like someone who`s a constant in your life.

if there`s one person with whom who had a nerve –wrecking relationship, it was min yoongi. there`s always a different kind of sensation whenever yoongi smiles at you or your eyes meet with his. it`s like he`s calling for you and somehow the more you give him that attention, he draws himself closer to you. but losing patience is not in min yoongi`s agenda. he deals with people far more restless than you. also, humans aren`t capable of being a werewolf`s mate, yoongi convinced himself who had researched their world more than anyone. even if it happens it`s like one in a million chance. so chances are very rare, but people like you who pull him against gravity is rare too.

hoseok tried helping you by slowly and gently putting jimin`s hand off of your body and let it fall against the cold grass while you move from his embrace. letting out a sigh, you thanked hoseok without any words – just a little smile and nod. hoseok winked at you giving you a lazy thumb`s up.

looking around you, you realized it was only hoseok and jimin around you. the other five were missing. you say five because jin, a sub-alpha has got into med school a few months ago after your regular hangouts with the pack started. he never intended to stay in the pack and continue his life as his inner wolf would convey. he always as ever tried to diminish his inner wolf by putting up the human gene in the topmost priority.

last time when you met him, it wasn`t along with the pack. it was just him and you in a small, dimly lit café.

“i want to fall in love. i want to live just like any other normal person lives on this earth. i don`t care what my inner demons call out for. i`m going to fight them and find a solution for myself.”

when you asked about the boys, he had smiled sadly.

“i think it`s time you take the responsibility of turning them into more human. i know you`re only one who can do that because there`s something uncharacteristically ravishing inside you. it`s like you have a fire inside you which you`re trying to hide.”jin continued to stare at your changing expression and when you didn`t let you gaze falter, he nodded his head smiling with second-hand satisfaction, “anyway, take care of the boys and don`t let min yoongi manipulate that head of yours.”

when you said his goodbye, you thought he was just throwing stupid big words at you. everyone around you has high expectation of you and they think they know all about you. it was strange how you yourself didn`t know what you`re capable of. can you throw those big words at yourself? can you even be what jin thought you could be? looking back at it now, it felt like some unrealistic pretentious dream. you wondered if jin is doing well in the med school and not throwing rampage around the campus with his dad jokes.

“oh look! gguk and tae is here!”

“it`s getting dark,” lifting your eyes, you took in the orangish hue of the sun and the dark clouds that engulfs the other side of the sky. “i should probably get back home.”

“what about the bonfire?” your attention shifts to a panting namjoon jogging back at your direction from a small distance with yoongi strolling behind him. no, you shouldn`t be feeling like this. it`s just him walking with his soft pace completely overthrowing his wolfish instinct and be the stud one here. your gaze remained on him, his hands stuffed inside his pockets, his head down. look up, you said in your mind, look at me!

please!

everything after that faded against the background. the sounds of namjoon`s pants, the groans of jimin, the soft peal of giggles from taehyung and jeongguk and along with that hoseok`s conversation with namjoon. it was just you and him. his eyes on you, and yours returning the same deed. it was just the empty field of grass in-between both of you. his pace slowed more than before and you felt like something was putting you grounded to the place where you were sitting.

why? you asked yourself, why were you feeling like this? what is there in those sharp-edged eyes, those lips that part to shamelessly show off the gummy smile?

“we`ll return before it rains. stay with us.”yoongi broke the emptiness in-between both of you.

lunatic. he was a lunatic to give you such feelings. he wasn`t even trying and you weren`t even complaining. it was just like two magnets pulling at each other and losing battles but nevertheless going towards each other. coming at last in front of you, he plopped next to you and then without giving you any moment to process or ask about his whereabouts, he rested his head on your lap, turning towards your tummy, he wraps a hand around your waist to nuzzle his face into your stomach.

“finally.”

yoongi breathes in your essence. there was no doubt in his mind now. he could clearly hear you a few seconds ago, his inner wolf got tainted with your smell and your voice called for him to look up and meet your eyes. all he needed right at this moment when the clock strikes 05:40 PM was the feel of your hand running through his hair and he would finally sleep with the doubts being lifted.

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