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writemywaytoyourheart · 9 months

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Bedeviled | Chapter 12b: Apple (continued)

warnings for this part *contains SPOILERS*: suGgEsTive content, summoning demons (do not), pregnancy, miscarriage, severe depression, manipulation, major heart break I'm sorry, sickness, death, loss, mentions of torture.

this part can get heavy, pls read at your own discretion.

WC part 2: 13.2k

read 12a first...HERE

Just as you suspected, Jungkook spent every waking hour hunting down any and every little thing that might lead him closer to a way to stop the curse.

He spoke to people in the village, who led him to the towns over, who then led him to the towns just a few further down.

Yoongi stayed with you a lot upon Jungkook’s request. He didn’t want to leave you alone, but he refused to give up. There wasn’t any effort he didn’t go to trying to save you.

There were many tears.

Many nights full of enraged screaming when it was thought no one could hear the soul behind the desperate cries for help, when he was all on his own; looking at the stupid fire he made to keep himself warm on the nights he was away, looking for help.

He didn’t bother throwing those thoughts into the flames. They were what kept him going.

You already had your fill of rage and sorrow over the past year; although it still ate at you internally, turning your stomach to knots every waking moment.

Jungkook, on the other hand, continuously held out hope that perhaps he was trapped in a nightmare that he would soon wake from.

He would go to you, and you would not be worn down with the symptoms that continued to grow worse. The dark circles under your eyes would not be there, only the beautiful shining light in your irises that could chase away even the nastiest storm.

You would not be sitting on the floor and trying to figure out how to draw to pass the time, but instead, running through the sunlit forest and climbing the apple tree.

He would find you in the clearing and wait just for a moment.

A few seconds to admire the beauty in front of him, the sun shining on your fingers as they reached for the clouds.

You would smile at him.

And everything would be okay.

And he would love you.

The next year passed much like that, Jungkook never resting.

He would come back bearing ointments claiming to cure any ailment, prayers that would heal even the sickest. Nothing worked. You could see it wearing him down, the dark circles under his eyes growing each night he didn’t sleep.

“Jungkook, please stop this.”

He looked at you from where he was finishing putting together a satchel.

“What do you mean?” He asked, turning back to tighten the clasp before swinging it over his shoulder.

“You know what I mean,” You whispered, frustration building up inside you.

You were so tired, all you wanted was to be with him.

He had missed your seventeenth birthday, and if he left again, you were going to miss his nineteenth. The poor boy was in tears for days after not getting back until the day after your birthday. The guilt consumed him for weeks, he almost couldn’t handle it.

You really didn’t want to see him like that again.

“I found something, I know it’ll work this time.”

“What is it?” You gritted out between clenched teeth.

“Something that even the curse can’t fight,” He sounded more hopeful than he had in months, “It will work, Apple.”

You stared at him with furrowed brows, “What is it?”

“A flame,” He said quietly, not looking you in the eye.

“What kind of flame?”

He finally looked at you, “It doesn’t matter-”

“It does to me.”

Jungkook sighed, “It’s called the Flame of Immortality. If you just trust me-”

“What?” You were beyond confused and more than a little stressed out, “That sounds like trouble, Jungkook…how did you come to know about this?”

He looked at you steadily before whispering, “Desperation will lead you to many secrets.”

You swallowed, “Don’t. I don’t want you to-”

“Apple, you can’t just tell me not to-”

“I don’t want to be immortal!” You were getting frantic, “Not without you-”

“It might work on two people, I won’t know until I learn more.”

After a moment of tense silence, he said quietly, “I’m not going to give up.”

“I’m not asking you to,” You took a deep breath, “I just-...”

It was silent save for your heavy breathing. You put a hand to your head, the room suddenly feeling as if it was tilting.

“Apple?”

You didn’t answer him, focusing too hard on not toppling over. Despite your best efforts, you fell forward, quickly losing consciousness.

Jungkook caught you before you could tumble off the bed, holding you in his arms as he lowered to the ground.

You came to a minute later, curled up in his lap as he hugged you.

“I’ve got you,” He whispered tearfully, hand caressing your hair.

“Jungkook,” You spoke quietly.

“Mm?”

“I miss my best friend,” You gripped his clothes tightly in your fist, “Please, don’t leave me again.”

He closed his eyes, a few tears sliding down his cheeks as he put his chin on your head, holding you close.

“Okay.”

He sounded so defeated.

You hated to make him feel like that, but you were scared to be alone. You didn’t want him to leave anymore, especially because you really didn’t know how much longer you had.

“I love you,” You whispered, messing with the sash on his waist as you continued to rest in his hold.

“I love you too, Apple.”

You smiled and closed your eyes, breathing deeply.

“Can we climb the apple tree?”

He gulped, hating that he was unsure of granting your request. After a minute, he couldn’t bear the thought of denying you.

“Of course.”

He held your hand the whole way there.

“Want to swing first?” His voice was pitched higher, clearly trying to sound more positive. You smiled at the old swing, the rope handles fraying a little.

“Yes, please.”

You sat down, giggling as he pushed you gently, your hands gripping the rope tightly. You looked over to the bush where you always imagined the invisible person to be and smiled.

I’m okay.

They knew you would be.

Then you looked up towards the sky, seeing a few rain clouds floating.

Don’t cry for me, I’m okay.

The grass was soft against your feet.

Jungkook helped you climb up to your sitting spot, settling in across from you and smiling at the pure joy on your sweet face.

The wind was gentle on your sensitive skin.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked after watching you smile at the clouds for a few minutes. You looked at him, a light in your eyes that hadn’t been there for over two years.

“I want to get married.”

His heart clenched in his chest, “You do?” He whispered.

You nodded, practically glowing.

___________________

The wedding had taken place in Jungkook’s old home. Tradition was to do it in the bride’s home, but that wasn’t an option.

You saw her that day, before the ceremony. She passed by as you were walking through the village. There wasn’t a single sign that she cared you were there. She simply walked on, not even sparing you a glance.

That was the last time you ever saw your mother.

Jungkook was his sweet and gentle self the whole day. By the time you got back to the shed, you were practically vibrating with joy. The wedding ceremony was beautiful, all you could’ve ever wanted.

Your wedding night was even more so, and the next morning, he was right by your side.

“Happy birthday,” You whispered with a smile as he kissed your forehead.

“Thank you,” He scrunched his nose at you, then he leaned down and placed a sleepy kiss on your lips, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, Jungkook.”

He knew you were, but that didn’t calm his fears.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier,” You whispered, gaze never leaving his beautiful dark eyes. The way you looked at him like he was your whole world made his heart ache.

“I know I haven’t,” He whispered back playfully, making you laugh.

_________

It was only a few weeks after your wedding that Jungkook left again.

He hadn’t told you.

In fact, he had purposely made Yoongi go and distract you. You were almost hysterical when you figured out what happened, your cousin had to physically keep you from storming out of the shed.

It wasn’t a rundown abandoned shack anymore; Jungkook had worked on it since you left your mother’s and stayed there. He worked tirelessly with you helping where you could- mostly holding things for him and being his emotional support buddy- until it felt like a home; somewhere you two could live comfortably for many years.

It didn’t feel like home that day. You were so angry with him for leaving you alone again.

Yoongi tried to calm you, tried to explain how Jungkook must be feeling; his wife and best friend slowly dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“He said he wouldn’t leave!” You cried into your hands, “He lied to me!”

“____,” Yoongi held your shoulders, “If he thought you would die without him, he would not have gone. He has hope, you need to let him give some to you, too.”

You clenched your jaw, fighting the tears back.

You felt betrayed.

If you were in his place, you wouldn’t give up either. But you could feel yourself slipping away. You wouldn’t be able to fight it much longer.

Your body was tired, more than you let on. No matter how much you told it to woman up and be strong, it continued to fail.

At that point, it was normal for you to have fainting episodes daily.

You didn’t let your cousin know, but your legs had begun to swell a little in the past few weeks. Your husband never hesitated to rub them gently in the mornings to help with the swelling.

You wouldn’t have told him either, but of course he noticed. He was married to you.

Jungkook meant well by leaving, but he promised you he wouldn’t, and he broke that promise.

You would never forgive him if he left you to die alone.

Jungkook lit the fire, then stepped back, holding the herbs tightly in his sweaty fist.

Out of nowhere, there was a sudden whisper of warning somewhere to his right, making him flinch and look over. There was a slight breeze, rustling the leaves. When he saw no one, he turned back to the task at hand.

Closing his eyes, he gulped as he tossed the bundle into the fire, whispering the words he was told to say.

A moment passed, but nothing felt different.

He opened his eyes, anger seeping into his chest as the tears burned; threatening to spill.

That old man was just insane, he should never have listened-

“Well if it isn’t another desperate little human.”

Jungkook flinched and turned around, coming face to face with a tall dark-haired man; his beauty unnatural. There were large black feathered wings upon his back, resting while not in flight.

“Are you a demon?” Jungkook whispered, his eyes falling to the tattoo on the man’s bicep.

A white rose…dead, and being strangled by a serpent.

“I’m not just a demon,” He whispered with a smirk, “I’m the demon.”

Jungkook wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Lucifer,” He practically hissed as he observed the human in front of him, “And you are?”

“Jungkook.”

“Well, Jungkook,” The demon called Lucifer smiled menacingly.

There was a split second where Jungkook saw him glance over his shoulder as if seeing something behind him, then his smile grew, “What can I do for you?”

The young man swallowed, “I need the Flame of Immortality.”

“I see. And what use would that be to you?”

“There’s someone I need to save,” Jungkook whispered.

Lucifer chuckled darkly, “Typical. And you think the Flame will save them?”

“It has to,” Jungkook grit his teeth, “I don’t have any other choice.”

“Well,” The tall man leaned closer, “What if you did?”

“What?”

“What if you had another choice, human. Would you take it?”

Jungkook blinked, then nodded, “If it means I can save her, then yes.”

The demon smirked as he watched the despicable mortal become more and more helpless even as they just stood there. Tears formed in his eyes, then slid down his cheek.

“What on earth did the big man do to you and your poor girl?” Lucifer whispered, feigning pity.

“She was cursed,” Jungkook wiped his nose, “She’s dying. I- I can’t live without her-”

He burst into tears and fell to his knees, heart aching more than it ever had as reality came crashing down on him.

If this didn’t work, he was going to lose you.

The demon watched him with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his handsome face, “What if I told you that I can cure her, and you won’t even need the Flame.”

Jungkook looked at him with wide eyes, “Can you?”

“Most definitely.”

“Please,” Jungkook choked out, “Please break the curse.”

“Oh, it isn’t a curse, silly boy.”

He looked up at the demon in confusion, “But-”

“It’s something she was born with,” He waved a hand dismissively, “A mere disease.”

“Oh,” Jungkook wiped at his eyes again, “But you can take it away?”

“Of course.”

Jungkook felt his heart rate increase as he realized that he had finally done it. He found a way to save you.

He broke down into sobs, “Please help me-”

"And what will you give me?"

There was another warning in his ear, frantic and pleading. Just a faint breath in the wind.

“Don’t do it.”

Jungkook trembled, his hands clasped as he tried to contain his tears enough to speak.

"I- I'll give you anything, just please save her-"

"Anything?"

The young man nodded frantically, bowing his head, "Whatever you wa-"

"How about your soul? A life for a life."

Jungkook was startled at that, looking back up at the demon.

"M-my soul?"

A simple nod in reply, nothing else. No negotiations.

He gulped.

An image of you smiling at him, only four years old as you held the apple out, came to his mind.

“Jungkook, please-”

He nodded shakily, forcing himself to ignore the voice that whispered its last warning, "Ok."

A smirk spread on Lucifer’s face as he crossed his arms, the tattoo of the dead rose on his outer bicep stretching as he did, "Looks like we have a deal.”

You blinked your eyes open, taking in a deep breath.

Was it morning already?

Sitting up, you rubbed at your eyes before looking around your tiny little home. You slept better than you had been for a while; it must be the bed that Jungkook spent almost a week making. He said it was long overdue, humble and shy as always when you praised his hard work.

You took another deep breath in, blowing it out in a large puff.

Just before getting out of the bed, your eyes landed on a beetle crawling across the covers. At first, you almost jumped out of the bed screaming.

After a moment to calm yourself, you looked at the small thing, minding its own business as it walked along slowly. It really wasn’t very big, maybe half the size of your pinky nail. Leaning down to look closer, you saw pretty gold patterns along its back, a vibrant green peeking out here and there.

“Oh, you’re quite pretty,” You whispered. The beetle paid you no mind as it continued on its way.

“You’ll die in here,” You said softly, gathering your bravery and leaning over to brush it gently into your hand, “There’s no food for you.”

It sat still in your palm, not moving as you brought it closer to get a better look. You smiled, keeping it safely in your left hand as you pushed the covers from you with your right and swung your legs around to get off the bed.

Just as you were moving to hop down, something made you freeze.

Your brows furrowed as you leaned down to look at your legs. Had the swelling gone down overnight? They looked…normal.

The past week, they had kept getting more swollen each day, to the point it was painful to walk. You never told Yoongi, and it was easy enough to keep it hidden under your long skirts. There was no reason to worry him. You had a feeling he knew that your time was coming soon anyway. He just refused to believe it.

You looked back at the beetle in your hand, “What do you think?”

Lowering your hand so he could see your legs, you gave him a moment to consider, then you brought him back up, “Do they look swollen to you?” After a moment, you nodded, “That’s what I thought too…we better get you outside.”

Once your bare feet hit the floor, you almost flinched at the fact that pain didn’t shoot through your legs at the contact. You had been expecting it.

Your eyes widened as you looked down, seeing your toes against the wooden floor. The simple white night dress hung down to mid shin, showing how normal your calves looked.

Taking in a long breath, you felt your lungs expand.

It didn’t hurt to breathe.

Tears sprung to your eyes as you looked at your little friend. Excitement that you were going to have a good day filled you as you couldn’t help but laugh. Without another thought, you ran out of the shed and into the sunlight.

The moment you stepped onto the velvety grass, you stopped short, still holding the beetle.

Twenty feet in front of you, Jungkook was there.

He looked worn out, but there was a smile on his face at the sight of you first thing after walking all day and night to get home.

Carefully, you bent down and shooed the beetle onto a leaf, then you straightened up and stared at the person you had feared you might not get to see again.

A few moments of silence passed, the two of you just looking at each other.

“Hi, Apple.” He finally whispered.

You didn’t say anything, just broke into a run.

He caught you as you flung yourself into him, tears springing to his eyes as he wrapped his arms around you and lifted you from the ground. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you hugged him as tight as you could.

“I missed you,” He mumbled into your neck.

You couldn’t respond, all you could do was breathe shakily, never wanting to let go.

Jungkook adjusted so that his hands were under your bottom so he could better hold you. Once he felt you were secure, he carried you back inside your home and sat on the bed. Still, you said nothing, you just kept your head tucked into the space between his neck and shoulder, not moving yourself from his lap.

After a few more moments, you whispered, “I thought I was never going to see you again.”

Jungkook caressed your hair gently, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.”

“I know,” You sniffled.

His hands ran along your sides and down your legs, pushing the nightgown up so he could run his palms along your thighs. He had missed your warmth for weeks, it felt almost unreal finally being back in your arms.

As he was running his hands up and down along the length of your legs, he suddenly stopped. You pulled back to see a look of confusion on his face as he glanced down to where his hand rested on your ankle.

“What is it?” You asked.

“Lay down for me for a second.”

You weren’t sure what he was getting at, but you still crawled off his lap and onto the bed. As soon as you were off of him, he turned around and looked at your legs, holding your ankle and slightly pushing up your skirt to better see them.

Your cheeks warmed.

It had been weeks since you two had done anything.

“Apple,” His voice sounded weak with emotion as his eyes flitted back to yours, “Can you take a deep breath for me, love?”

He watched closely as you took in a big breath, your chest expanding and deflating as you did so. Not a single cough passed your lips.

As you took another breath, you saw tears in his eyes, a look of pure disbelief on his face.

“You’re okay?”

“Hm?”

“Your leh-...your legs aren’t swollen,” He whispered, warm hand caressing your calf once more, “And you took a breath and it…it didn’t hurt you?”

You shook your head with a small smile, “It didn’t hurt me.”

“It worked,” He breathed, looking back into your eyes.

Your eyes shifted back and forth between his.

“What do you mean?”

“The curse...it’s gone.”

“Jungkook, what are you saying-”

Your words got cut off when he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours.

Laying back on the bed, you sighed into his mouth as he climbed over you, hands back to pushing at your dress.

You didn’t understand what had gotten into him or why he was crying as he ran his thumb in circles on your bare waist, deepening the kiss as he did. Whatever was going on, you weren’t going to fight it.

Jungkook’s breath shuddered as he moved back to look at you, then he leaned down again, unable to get enough of the taste of your lips.

Whatever would happen to him, it didn’t matter.

You were going to live.

At first, you didn’t believe him when he explained that you were no longer cursed. But as the weeks passed by and you only felt more and more alive, it started to hit.

He never said what really happened in detail, only that he found a cure. He didn’t know it was going to work until he came home and saw you.

Jungkook never hesitated to do anything with you. He wasn’t going to take time for granted ever again. There wasn’t a day in the following months that you didn’t go outside and run around, climbing trees and making him take you out on the boat.

Each day you felt stronger, even more so than before the symptoms started. It was like life was surging through you at new levels and shining from within. He could see the light in your eyes, the glow in your sweet face.

You were going to live.

____________________________________

It was May; Jungkook’s favorite month.

It was the month of your birth, nothing could ever top it. The world seemed a little brighter, a little more colorful; just a bit more full of purpose. You turned eighteen in the middle of the month, but the start of that day wasn’t as fun as you thought it would be. That morning you didn’t feel well. The two weeks leading up to your birthday you weren’t feeling well either.

You had missed your monthly course, but didn’t mention it to Jungkook. It was probably just late.

Jungkook was worried sick when it seemed you were constantly feeling nauseous in the mornings. He was terrified that the disease had come back. You assured him that you were fine, that it didn’t feel like it did before. You just ate something bad and it would let up soon.

But on your birthday when you couldn’t even keep rice down during breakfast, saying that it smelt funny and you couldn’t eat it, he insisted something was wrong. He had been begging you to go to the village and be seen for a while, in case it was something serious, but you hadn’t wanted to.

“Apple, please. Even if it’s just for me, to put my mind at ease,” He pleaded with you that morning for the hundredth time.

“Okay,” You sighed, “If you’ll feel better, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” He kissed you on the forehead, “Can I take you there on my way?”

You nodded, letting him help you up from the floor.

You smiled at Jungkook’s mother when she opened the door.

“Why, ____! How wonderful to see you!” She pulled you into a hug, smiling at her son over your shoulder.

“It’s so good to see you,” You whispered, hugging her back.

“I need to go to the town for some supplies, today is the only time I can,” Jungkook said before looking at you pointedly, “Apple wants to speak with you, if that’s alright.”

His mother ushered you inside, “Anytime, my dear. We’ll see you later, Jungkook!” Then she shut the thin door, not sparing another word for him.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he went on his way.

“My, how long has it been?” Your mother-in-law poured some tea into a small cup for you, smiling as you thanked her.

“At least a few months,” You said sadly, “I’m sorry I haven’t visited you.”

“Oh nonsense, nonsense,” She waved off your apology, “You two are meant to be enjoying time with each other, not worrying about coming back to this place.”

You knew she was never a fan of the people around here either. But she did a lot of good in the village with her knowledge of medicine.

“What did you want to talk about?” She asked before sipping her tea.

You took a drink of yours before clearing your throat a little, “I’ve been feeling a little off these days. Jungkook insisted I come to you.”

She laughed, “Of course, he did.”

You laughed with her, both of you knowing how stubborn he could be.

“Tell me about what’s been going on, dear.”

“Hey, I was expecting you to be at mother’s still,” Jungkook said as he came in the door of your home, “It scared me when you weren’t there.”

“Sorry,” You whispered, eyes locked on your hands.

“What’s wrong?” He set his things down on the table and walked over to kneel in front of you, “She said it was nothing to worry about when I asked. But she wouldn’t tell me, she insisted I come back and hear it from you.”

“I-...” You bit your lip, excitement bubbling up in your tummy as you finally raised your eyes to his.

It was the best gift you could’ve gotten for your birthday.

He smiled gently.

You scanned his face, wondering if they would have his doe eyes, or his sweet pink lips.

“We’re going to have a baby,” You whispered, biting the tips of your fingers, a smile slipping out even as you tried to keep it contained.

The complete and utter shock on his face made you laugh.

“Really?” He finally whispered, his eyes staring into yours.

You nodded, eyes shining as you took his hand and placed it on your stomach.

“I told you I was okay,” You said quietly, scrunching your nose at him.

Jungkook’s gaze fell to where his hand rested on you, where your child was growing. You watched happily as he closed his eyes, a few tears spilling down his cheeks.

After a moment of silence, he leaned forward, placing both hands on your lower back and pressing a kiss to your stomach, making you giggle at the ticklish feeling.

“I love you,” He whispered as he looked up at you.

You pushed the hair out of his face, smile never dimming as you whispered the words back to him.

If Jungkook was over protective before, he was even more so after finding out that you were with child.

Instead of climbing the apple tree, he pushed you gently on the swing when you wanted to be outside. You would sit on the ground, leaning your back against the tree and messing with the silky grass with your bare feet, giggling at the feeling between your toes. He would sit with you, chuckling at your antics as he handed you an apple, watching as you munched on it happily.

“How are you feeling?”

You answered the question over a hundred times every single day, but you didn’t mind. You would just laugh and tell him you felt amazing. There was never a time in your life that you had been happier.

Only three years ago, you were told you would most likely be dead before you even reached your twentieth birthday.

You never thought you would be nearly four months pregnant with your first child at eighteen and married to your best friend. You didn’t know what happened to change things, but not a single day passed that you didn’t thank whoever was watching over you.

“How-”

“Am I feeling?” You laughed quietly at the young man who was getting ready for bed and worrying his pretty little head off about you as usual while he did so.

Jungkook gave you a look, which made you laugh harder.

“I’m just checking,” He whispered as he climbed into bed, nudging your nose with his, “Scoot over.”

You did as he asked, blushing when you saw him watching you with a smile as you struggled to make room. “What?”

“You’re just cute,” He laughed.

Covering your face with your hands, you turned away from him.

“Stop,” You whined as he fought with you to uncover your face.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying,” He pouted, then smiled again as he placed a hand on your small baby bump.

The way your belly had started to grow was so endearing to him, a physical reminder of the life inside of you. Even as you hid, he pushed your nightgown up and over your tummy so he could place kisses along the skin that stretched slightly to start to accommodate his baby girl.

“I love you, Aera,” He whispered to your belly before kissing it again as you took your hands from your face, smiling at his words.

“You really think it’s a girl, huh?”

“Only because it is,” Jungkook stuck his tongue out at you. You thought so too, so you didn’t argue. Jungkook had picked the name, saying it came to him in a dream.

You loved it and there was never another thought as to what she would be called. It was perfect.

He moved up until he could kiss your lips, whispering against them, “Love you, sweet girl.”

“I love you, too,” you ran your fingers through his hair, “Jungkook?”

“Mm?”

“Thank you.”

“For what, love?”

You swallowed, “For saving me.”

It was the thousandth time you had thanked him.

His smile was warm like honey, “You saved me first.”

It was August.

It was the eighteenth day of August.

The sun was bright, but it wasn’t too hot. There was a slight breeze, just enough to cool what heat the sun did provide.

You ate rice that morning, feeling better since the sickness in the mornings weren't present the past week.

You washed some garments early in the afternoon. Jungkook insisted he could do it, but you asked him if you could do at least a few things. You wanted to do something, you wanted to be helpful.

He couldn’t stop you from arranging the roses he brought for you from the bush on the small table, tucked into the vase that Taehyung had given to you after your wedding.

“I’m fine,” You brushed him away with a laugh as he hovered over you while you folded the clothes that were dry after hanging outside since the day before, “I’m sitting, Jungkook!”

“I know,” He sighed, shifting nervously on his feet as he watched you, “I just don’t want you to overdo it.”

“Jungkook,” You gave him an unimpressed look, “I have not felt this good in months. I have barely done anything. All I’m doing is sitting and folding, it takes barely any effort.”

“I know,” He said again, but finally sounded like he might be calming as a small smile appeared on his face. After a few minutes in comfortable silence as you folded and he worked on his most recent project, he spoke up.

“Are you hungry?”

You thought about it for a minute, then shook your head, “No, not really. You eat if you’re hungry though.”

He pouted, standing up and grabbing a pear from the small basket sitting atop the chest, “I don’t like eating when you’re not.”

You chuckled, shaking your head at his silliness.

“How are they coming along?” You asked, trying to distract him.

Jungkook immediately brightened and walked over to pick up his newest work, bringing them to you and setting them gently in your lap, “They’re finished.”

You gasped at the most adorable little booties you had ever seen. It was clear he had spent time and a great deal of love on them.

“Jungkook, these are so beautiful!”

He blushed, “Beautiful enough for our little girl?”

“Oh, certainly,” You smiled at him, holding the little shoes to your chest in a tiny hug, “She’s going to be so grateful to have a daddy that loves her so much.”

Jungkook breathed out an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck as he smiled at you.

It was August.

It was the eighteenth day of August.

The sun had set. It was cool, but not enough to be uncomfortable as you settled into bed, pulling the covers up to your chin.

Jungkook was outside speaking with Taehyung, but you were exhausted, so you went to bed early. The three of you had been sitting around the fire, chatting.

You had no worries. You didn’t toss any worries into the fire that night.

You went to bed early.

It was just over an hour later when you woke up, wincing at the foreign pain in your abdomen. Breathing deeply didn’t help. You sat up, a small grunt of pain leaving your lips as you did.

“Ah,” You tried to take another breath, but it only began to hurt more.

Looking over to the door, you could see the glow of the fire still burning through the cracks.

“Jungkook,” You called weakly, wincing.

Something was wrong.

There was a warm feeling between your legs. You lifted the covers but couldn’t see anything. So, you reached a hand down, brows creasing when your fingers came away wet.

“Jungkook,” You called out again, fear settling in your heart, “Jungkook!”

The door opened and you saw him walk in, concern clear on his face at your hollering.

“Apple, what’s wrong?”

“I- I don’t know,” You began to cry, “It hurts.”

It was the eighteenth day of August.

You remembered only fear and pain, the sound of Jungkook screaming for Taehyung to get his mother.

The feeling of strong arms lifting you from the bed and hurrying out of the front door.

The moon was bright on the eighteenth day of August.

You could see it shining through the leaves as they blurred past. He was whispering for you to hold on. You were terrified.

There were no clouds in the night sky, but the stars were shining.

The world felt cold.

There were no clouds, you couldn’t see them.

You wondered if they could see you.

You wondered if they wept for you.

“Apple?”

You looked up from the small blanket in your hands.

Jungkook wasn’t sure if you were looking at him or through him. He swallowed thickly, his heart bleeding as he walked over and sat on the floor in front of you. Slowly, he took the blanket from you, but you didn’t react.

“I’ve got some food for you, love.”

You said nothing. He took a steadying breath, then picked up the bowl of porridge and dipped your favorite wooden spoon into it, getting a good amount.

“Open.”

You did nothing but look at the dirt on his clothes.

“Apple, open your mouth.”

Finally, you listened, albeit slowly. He carefully placed the spoon past your lips, patient as ever while you swallowed. It was only a few spoonfuls that day. But it was more than the day before, where you hadn’t eaten a single thing.

“You did well,” He whispered as he set the still almost full bowl down next to him, “I’m proud of you.”

There was a faint smile on your face at his words, but your eyes were empty. Jungkook closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

It had been two months since that night, since you lost the baby. You weren’t the same since.

He hadn’t been well either, but he couldn’t let himself check out like he wanted to. Not if he wouldn’t be there to take care of you.

Every night, he cried more tears than he thought physically possible. His baby girl was gone, his best friend slipping away from him soon after.

He wasn’t sure how much he could handle before he followed suit.

It was not until six months after the loss, that you began to come out of it. All those months were nothing but a blur to you. You had no control over anything during it. All you could remember was the color gray. It was like you had forgotten everything; how to eat, how to sleep, how to breathe.

You certainly didn’t know how to live.

You weren’t supposed to live.

That plagued you every moment of those months. The guilt of giving Jungkook something so wonderful only to take it away again. You hated yourself. It felt like you had failed as a mother.

You hurt your best friend because your body couldn’t do what it was made to do.

By the time you came out of it, you were so ridden with guilt that you almost couldn’t handle it. Not only because of the miscarriage, but because you realized what you put him through for all that time. He didn’t even get to grieve.

“I’m sorry,” You whispered, eyes glued to the empty vase by the door.

Jungkook looked at you from where he kneeled by the chest, just finishing putting a few things away.

“Apple-”

“No,” You choked out, “You don’t have to comfort me. I should’ve been there for you. I shouldn't have let you suffer alone.”

He sighed and stood up, walking over to be in front of you, “I don’t blame you for that.”

“I do,” You wiped at your eyes, “And I’m so sorry. Please forgive me-”

“There is nothing to forgive,” He leaned down and kissed your forehead, “Do you really believe you chose to be trapped in that state of mind?”

After a moment, you shook your head.

It happened instantly. One moment you were going to sleep while your husband and friend talked outside, the next moment the world was gray and you couldn’t do anything.

You lost six months of time, it was not your choice.

But you still felt horrible.

A few nights later, you held him as he cried.

You dried his tears, finally able to be there for him when he needed you.

You opened your eyes to see the roof of the small shack right in front of you.

A smile broke out on your face as you sat up in bed and looked to the side to see the sun shining through the window in a golden stream dancing across the dirty floor.

The bed creaked when you climbed off of it, rubbing your sore limbs as you walked over to the tiny table that Jungkook placed in the corner, smiling at the vase of flowers sitting there, as pretty as always.

The roses must be blooming.

You sat in one of the two wooden chairs, rubbing your eyes before sniffing the air.

Something smells good.

You stood and walked over to the door to step outside, squinting as the bright sun wished you a good morning, shining its blinding light into your eyes.

“Hi, love.”

You grinned at the young man who was busy cooking something over the fire, his bunny smile directed at you the second you came out.

“Hi,” You croaked, morning voice betraying you.

“Are you hungry?”

“Very,” You laughed lightly.

Jungkook stood up, dusting off his clothes before walking over and placing a kiss on your cheek.

“Good, the food will be ready soon. Oh, and Taehyung is coming over.”

“Really?” Your eyes lit up at the news. You hadn’t seen him in far too long.

Jungkook nodded as he tucked a stray hair behind your ear, then he took your hand and pressed a kiss to your finger, right where your ring rested.

When Taehyung came, he was relieved to see the two of you in better spirits. It had been over a year since you lost the baby. He wished he could erase that night from his own memory, the thought of being one of you in that situation was unimaginable.

Jungkook was to be turning twenty-one in only a few days, and you were nineteen. Both of you had seen far too much grief in life already.

It was the first time he had seen you after coming out of the stupor you were in for half a year.

You were taken by surprise when Taehyung immediately went to you and pulled you into a hug. Putting your arms around him, you hugged him back.

“It’s good to see you again, little bird,” He whispered after pulling back. You weren’t aware that the last time he saw you, your gaze had been so vacant that he wasn’t sure you had even seen or heard him. You were sitting on the bed, looking at the vase he had gifted to you and never elsewhere.

Taehyung stayed with you two for a few days, spending Jungkook’s birthday there.

The day after he left, you were sitting in the swing, pushing yourself back and forth slowly. The leaves on the trees were beginning to change color.

You smiled sadly at the sight of a tiny leaf sitting right next to a larger one.

Even time could never heal some wounds.

“Your daddy’s birthday was fun,” You whispered, pushing the swing back again, “He would have loved to spend it with you.”

It was unclear exactly when you had started to speak with her while you were alone. You refused to believe she couldn’t hear you.

Maybe she was sitting with the invisible person or climbing the apple tree as you swung below it.

“We love you, a lot,” You looked over to the little bush that you had always felt was where they sat to talk with you. It felt different.

Standing up from the swing, you slowly walked over, holding out a hand. Ever so gently, you touched a little leaf hanging from one of the skinny branches. If you listened close enough, you thought maybe you could hear the sound of tiny laughter.

You turned around, looking at the forest around you, listening as hard as you could. Then there was the sound of a twig snapping, which made you turn again to see the newcomer.

“Jungkook. You startled me.”

“Sorry,” He smiled at you as he came closer, “I thought you might have been out here.”

You nodded, smiling at the swing.

Part of you wanted to tell him what you had been doing, for years even, back when it started with the invisible person. Perhaps it might bring him some comfort as well. You weren’t sure why you felt a bit self-conscious though. Nevertheless, you didn’t say anything.

“Did I interrupt something?” Jungkook asked, sensing that you were a little distracted.

You shook your head with a laugh, “Not at all.”

Taking his hand, you turned to walk back with him as he excitedly told you about the meal he had prepared.

There was no special occasion, he informed you, it was just because he wanted to do something for you. You had done so many things for him since you were little without needing a reason, always saying you just wanted to.

You laughed at his rambling as you walked, swinging your joined hands back and forth. Only once, you turned and looked over your shoulder at the swing that moved slightly in the breeze.

If you looked close enough, you thought you might see her.

Long black hair flowing down her back as she swung back and forth. Tiny hands were gripping the rope tightly. There were pale yellow wings, like that of a bird, on her back. Her little legs kicked under the swing.

You couldn’t see her face, only a small glimpse of her very small nose when she looked to the side and laughed at something. There was a child’s voice whispering on the wind, but you couldn’t hear what they were saying. A moment later, you realized what it was.

“I’m okay, mommy.”

You blinked, and she was gone.

“I wish you wouldn’t go.”

Jungkook bit his lip at your words, feeling terrible.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, “I promised her I’d accompany her to the Cho’s, she wants to be there by the end of the week at the earliest.”

You smiled, brushing it off, “I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad for wanting to help your mother. I just wish the Cho’s lived closer.”

“So do I.”

“It can’t be helped,” You laughed quietly, “Your mother is too talented for her own good, pretty soon people will insist she multiply herself and live in each of their towns to help.”

He laughed, “She would do it too, if she could.”

You walked with him to the village to bid her farewell. She was so kind, it always brightened your day to see her.

“I’ll try not to keep him too long,” She promised with a wink.

You laughed, “Oh, keep him as long as you like. Make him do all the work.” Jungkook shook his head with a smile as you and his mother tittered, as if sharing jokes he was no part of.

“You better go,” You gave her one last hug, “I don’t want you two traveling at night.”

His mother kissed you on the forehead sweetly, “Always so thoughtful. I will see you later, my dear.”

“Be safe,” You smiled warmly at her before turning to Jungkook. He leaned down and kissed the tip of your nose, pulling back with a smile.

“Is that all I get?” You whispered teasingly as his mother pretended to be busy with counting the things she was bringing.

He only smirked, giving you a little wink as he backed away, “See you soon, Apple.”

He was meant to be gone for nine days.

It wasn’t a quick journey to the town a few over; three days each way. And he was going to help his mother get settled for her two months stay.

The first few days were a little lonely, but on the fourth day, Yoongi came to see you. It felt like forever since you had seen him.

You sat and talked for hours on end, wanting to know every little thing that he had been doing. He told you all about the research he was doing on agriculture, and how he finally understood your love for nature. He also told you about the girl he was courting, much to his embarrassment at admitting how strongly he felt for her.

It was wonderful. You had been so close as kids, growing up always made people and things grow apart. You hated it.

Yoongi didn’t ask you how you were feeling, which you appreciated. You knew he cared, but he also knew and respected that you didn’t want to talk about it. The way you kept pushing the conversation onto what he was up to, made it clear enough even if he didn’t already know you well.

Jungkook was meant to be gone for nine days.

Word came five days into his absence, from a young teen boy, that he was going to be away for another week at most. You thanked the boy as he turned and ran off, laughing to yourself as you pulled the water bucket up from the well in the outskirts of the village.

The stream where you usually collected your water was oddly sparse that week, so you thought you might as well come into the village and see Yoongi before getting some water to bring back home.

The next day, you came back to see him again, getting more water on the way. As you were leaving, wooden bucket sloshing around with water as you held it in both your arms, you stopped when you saw someone standing in front of you.

“I thought it might be you!”

“Jisoo?” Your eyes widened when you saw the girl you hadn’t spoken to in at least three years. She looked a bit older, more mature than when you last saw her. There was a child in her arms, just over a year old at most.

Jisoo nodded, “I’ve seen you around a few times over the years, but wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk.”

You laughed, “Why shouldn’t I?”

She shrugged, the baby on her hip smiling at you. You smiled back, a horrible pain in your heart as you did.

“You were always off with that strange boy, what’s his name-”

“Jungkook,” You said, a bit shortly, “His name is Jungkook. And he’s my husband.”

“Ah yes,” She looked a little embarrassed, “Jungkook. I must admit, I never could see what you saw in him until the other week. He really has changed.”

You didn’t like the smirk on her face as she said that.

“No,” You adjusted the water in your arms to better hold it, then you looked her up and down, “Out of everyone in this village, it seems he’s the only one that hasn’t had to.”

Jisoo didn’t respond at first, only shifted uncomfortably as you stared at her.

“Yes, well,” A nasty smile curved on her lips, “Tell him if he ever wants a girl that can keep a baby, he can come to me anytime he’d like.”

She laughed at your silence before walking around you and leaving.

If there wasn’t a child in her arms, you would’ve dumped the water you were holding all over her. Only heaven knows what you would’ve done after that.

Instead, you stood there, unable to say a word or move a muscle, even after she left. There was a slight tremble in your knees as you stared at the dirt where she once stood. You blinked a few times, swallowing the pain from your heart that almost came crawling out of your throat in a horrible scream.

After a minute, you lifted your chin and kept walking.

You were strolling along the outskirts of the village, a few flowers in hand that you picked, small white ones. It was silent except for the rustle of leaves and the very quiet mumbling of you talking to the forest around you as you looked for more flowers.

“Pretty,” You muttered as you picked up a yellow one that you hadn’t ever seen before.

The sound of running and someone screaming broke you out of your trance and shattered the sacred silence. You turned to see a young girl around twelve hurrying up to you.

“You’re miss ____, right?”

Blinking in confusion, you nodded.

“Please help us,” She whimpered, and you finally noticed the tears on her face.

“What’s the matter?” You asked, fully alarmed.

“My cousin he’s- he’s fallen ill. No one knows what to do since the medicine lady is gone.”

Your stomach turned, “I- I don’t know medicine-”

“You married her son, didn’t you?”

You nodded again, throat dry.

“She must have taught you something! Please, he’ll die-”

“Take me to him.”

Your voice sounded much stronger than you felt.

The girl grabbed your hand and you ran after her, all the way through the village and to a relatively large home, one almost twice the size as everyone else’s. You went in, following the girl to a room where you could hear crying.

The second you stepped in, your heart stopped.

Jisoo was there, weeping. There was another woman, her mother, pacing the room. Lying on the floor on a few cushions, was a small boy, only three years of age. He was sweating, little whimpers leaving his mouth.

You snapped out of your shock and immediately jumped into action, “Get out,” You shoved Jisoo’s mother out of the room, gesturing for Jisoo to do the same.

“I’m not leaving, why are you here anyway?!” She shrieked.

You turned towards her and hissed quietly, “If you don’t want to leave your other child motherless, get out.”

The girl that had come to fetch you took the shocked young woman’s arm and led her out, explaining to her that you were there to help. That you knew the medicine lady and could help.

You shut your eyes, taking a deep breath.

Pull yourself together.

When you opened your eyes, your mind was no longer clouded with panic. You were not educated in medicine, but your mother-in-law did show you a few things over the years you’d known her that might be of some help.

You called out a few orders to the people outside of the room, telling them to hurry as fast as they could. Then you turned and went to the small child. He was looking at you, his eyes showing the terror he felt.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” You whispered, offering him a gentle smile as you knelt on the floor next to where he lay. He didn’t resist when you placed a hand on his forehead, then carefully ran your fingers across it, brushing the damp hairs away.

“You’re going to be alright, I promise,” You kept running your fingers along his cheeks, the action seeming to calm him, “I’m not going to leave you.”

He looked just like his mother.

Jisoo always had the prettiest eye shape, and he definitely inherited it.

There were frantic voices on the other side of the door, but you ignored them.

For hours you stayed in the room with the boy, cooling his skin with wet rags and feeding him the remedies that you could remember how to make. The people outside did everything you asked and would leave things at the door for you to grab and bring back inside with you.

When day turned into night, you still sat there with him, replacing the cold cloths on his skin with fresh ones. He eventually fell asleep.

You sighed with relief, knowing the worst had passed. If he could sleep, he was going to be fine.

You woke up on the floor of the room, blinking at the sun coming in through the window. Only a few feet away, the child still slept soundly.

Reaching out a hand, you felt his forehead, then mumbled a prayer of thanks to the invisible person you knew was there. They must have listened to your earnest requests the night before; his skin was cool to the touch, and he was breathing normally.

You stood up, groaning quietly at the soreness of your muscles from your sleeping position.

When you walked out and saw Jisoo sitting on a stump just outside the door, you approached her, “He’s going to be fine.”

She flinched at the sound of your voice, then turned and saw you standing there. It was silent for a minute, then she stood up and faced you, “If you think I’m going to thank you, then you’re just as crazy as they always said you were.”

You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but that certainly wasn’t it.

“How dare you barge into my home and order me around?” Jisoo stepped closer, “Of course he’s going to be fine. He was just feeling a little off, you did nothing, you are not a hero.”

You stared at her for another minute.

“Ok, Jisoo,” You finally whispered, moving to get around her. She grabbed your arm though, before you could leave, “Don’t ever step foot into my home again. We don’t want your curse spread to us, infertile witch.”

Shoving your arm away as if she would catch something from being around you too long, she walked back inside.

All you could do for a moment was bite your lip harshly and stare at a stick on the ground. You knew, deep down inside, that even if you had known that would be her response, you still would’ve done the same thing; that child didn’t deserve to be in pain.

You walked all the way back to the shed, for the first time saying nothing to the trees and flowers that you passed on the way.

Maybe they missed your voice.

Maybe they cried for you.

You woke up the next day feeling strange.

The night before, you had felt a little hot and didn’t pull the covers over your body like you always did. In fact, you had chosen to strip yourself of all your clothes in the middle of the night while half asleep, which would explain the confused state you were in upon waking up completely naked.

Your head was aching and the sun was too bright.

Why ever was the sun that bright anyway?

You didn’t realize that you had slept well into the afternoon after unknowingly tossing and turning for hours in the night.

Standing up from the bed after pulling on a simple dress, the room spun for a moment before righting itself. You were going to get some fruit from the basket, but decided against it when the thought made your stomach turn.

You drank water instead, then climbed back into the bed and removed your obnoxious clothing again, but this time pulled the covers up to your chin and promptly fell asleep.

Yoongi knocked on the door of the shed again, waiting with furrowed brows. You hadn’t come into the village since the day before last and he was worried. The stream was still too dry to gather water and he had been expecting you to be going back for more at the well and visiting him while you were at it.

You said you would.

He had heard about what happened with Jisoo and wanted to let you know that her son was feeling much better.

When the third time he knocked was still unanswered, he opened the door and walked into the small but comfortable living space. His eyes were instantly drawn to the bed, where there was a little lump in the covers.

“____?” He walked over and shook your shoulder gently, “Wake up, you daft girl. It’s mid-day already!”

When you didn’t respond, his frown deepened and he shook you harder, letting out a small gasp when you turned over and he saw how clammy your skin was.

“____, wake up!”

Finally, you peeled your eyes open, they looked glassy and unfocused.

“Hm?”

Your cousin turned your body more to get a better look at your face, noticing briefly that you were unclothed under the covers, “____, what’s happened? Why are you like this? Are you ill?”

Your brows creased as you looked at him in confusion, “Wha-...Yoongi, is that you?”

His stomach dropped at the state you were in.

Something was terribly wrong.

“I’m going to go get someone,” Yoongi spoke slowly and clearly, “I need you to do your best in waking up, alright?”

You didn’t really acknowledge him, only mumbled something incoherent, but he didn’t have time to figure it out. He rushed out of the shack and through the woods, unsure who he was going to get but knowing he needed help.

The next few days were horrific.

There were two other people in the shack alongside Yoongi that did more than they ever cared to when you were young.

They tried their best to feed you, to cool the burning heat of your skin, to keep you from thrashing about and hurting yourself when you were racked with suffering.

You didn’t understand what was happening. You didn’t recognize anyone there, not even your own cousin. All you knew was that you were in pain and scared.

Sometimes you saw your mother, standing over your bed and shaking her head at you in disappointment. She kept calling you the sick one, the sick one.

Sometimes you saw a man that you thought was your father. He did nothing but stare at you emotionlessly, standing in the corner of the room.

Most of the time you saw the strange people with cloths over their mouths. They would put painfully cold things on your head and try to pry your mouth open to shove things inside. You fought them the best you could, but you grew weaker by the hour and couldn’t fend them off for long.

The nights were the worst at first; the pain reaching levels you had never experienced, ripping broken screams from your throat. Soon, the nights blended into the days, the agony never ceasing.

You didn’t know why two of the strange people left one day and never came back.

You didn’t hear Yoongi urging them to leave after seeing the rash spreading on your skin, telling them to stay away from the others until they knew they hadn’t caught it, lest the entire village be consumed by typhoid.

_______________________________

Yoongi sat outside of the shack, staring at the lone flower that was growing a few feet in front of the door. Inside, you were screaming.

The only thing he could catch from what you were sobbing was Jungkook’s name.

Apparently you remembered him.

You had been sick for nine days, only growing worse each day.

Taehyung ran up, breathing heavily as he stopped in front of his older friend.

“Jungkook is on the way home, but he doesn’t know.”

“You know this, how?” Yoongi mumbled.

Everyone he had sent out over the past week said they couldn’t find him.

“Someone said they passed him on the road two days ago, he wasn’t in a hurry. He doesn’t know-”

The sound of agonized screaming reached his ears, his eyes widening in horror. He almost ran in, but Yoongi stopped him.

“Don’t.”

“But-”

“There’s nothing we can do now,” Yoongi whispered, grief clear in his eyes, “You cannot risk going in there and catching it. You shouldn’t even be here.”

Taehyung took a faltering step back, shaking as his hands came up to cover his ears at the next round of dreadful sobbing.

“Taehyung, look at me.”

His eyes darted to the older boy.

“You need to get Jungkook, before it’s too late.”

He hated that he understood what was meant by that.

He hated that he understood no one could save you.

Stumbling away, Tae turned and ran, disappearing into the forest.

Yoongi gulped and turned to look at the door, knowing what would meet him when he went back in. Miraculously, he had not caught anything yet.

That did not lessen his fear of entering.

Catching it was not what he feared.

Stepping back into the door, Yoongi’s gaze fell on you instantly.

You were crying quietly, dressed in nothing but a thin nightgown, too weak to rip it off of your otherwise naked body. There was no recognition in your eyes when they landed on him.

“Please,” You whispered hoarsely, throat torn to shreds from the only way you were able to manage the torment you were in, “I need him.”

“I know.”

“Why hasn’t he come for me?”

It was the most you had said in over a week, your exhausted gaze drifting around the room, as if searching once more.

“Why did he leave me?”

Yoongi saw the endless stream of tears on your cheeks, his heart breaking.

Your chest shook with each little breath you took, not enough to keep your lungs full.

“I’m scared.”

You didn’t know who this was in front of you, but there was no one else to talk to.

“I’m so sorry, ____.”

You blinked, a few more tears falling. Your body had been trembling for days, you couldn’t control it. Yoongi noticed that you no longer tried to, you just laid there, shivering.

“He said,” You swallowed, voice shaky, “He’d never leave me.”

“Jungkook is coming, ____. I promise. Just hold on a little longer.”

At his words, he saw a tiny smile on your chapped lips. The indescribable pain you were in was clear, but there was a tiny light in your eyes when you heard his name.

“He’ll come and hold me?” You whispered, eyes locked on the stranger standing next to your bed.

“Yes,” Yoongi choked out, “He will come and hold you until you fall asleep.”

“Oh,” Your eyes shifted, a small smile still on your face as you looked at the dead roses in the vase behind the stranger, “Okay.”

After a few minutes of silence apart from the ragged breaths that escaped you, Yoongi went and sat in a chair at the little table, his head falling into his hands.

“It hurts a bit,” You mumbled, staring at a tiny crack in the ceiling.

He swallowed, knowing that it hurt a lot more than that.

Taehyung ran until he couldn’t breathe, yet he didn’t stop.

He kept running.

Jungkook couldn’t be too far away, he couldn’t be.

It wasn’t too late.

Yoongi stood up and walked to the bed, a horrible pit in his stomach at how silent you had been the past few minutes.

When he got closer, he saw your chest rising and falling slightly. He let out the breath he had been holding, fingers digging into his eyes as he rubbed them.

You weren’t gone yet.

The smallest groan slipped from your lips. He watched you closely for another minute, then he heard the sound of running from outside.

Turning, he hurried out of the shack, but saw no one. He decided to go down the path a little way to see if he could see them approaching.

“Taehyung?” He called out, “Jungkook!”

But there was no answer.

“Jungkook!!”

Jungkook flinched in surprise when he saw Taehyung running towards him, screaming.

He smiled and waved, adjusting the sack on his shoulder that he had been carrying for a while. Maybe he could get Tae to carry it back for him.

But he was only a few minutes from the village, why was he meeting him here?

Taehyung stumbled, falling into the younger, who caught him.

“What’s gotten into-”

“It’s ____!” Tae choked out, coughing violently from not being able to breathe.

“What?” Jungkook’s heart stopped in his chest.

“She’s- she’s sick-”

Taehyung couldn’t even finish his sentence before Jungkook took off running, the things he previously carried lying in a heap on the ground.

Jungkook raced all the way to the village and through it, ignoring the silent stares as he passed.

His heart was in his throat, terror filling him as he ran as fast as he could.

The village was quiet that day.

The people watched as they always did.

But the village was quiet that day.

You opened your eyes slowly; the stranger wasn’t there.

They had left you.

Your bottom lip quivered before you bit it, the excruciating pain in your abdomen silencing your cries; it hurt too bad to scream.

A shaky breath went into your lungs, trickling back out seconds later.

He didn’t come back.

You blinked, a tear rolling down your cheek.

You were all alone.

“Apple. You love me, right?”

His voice echoed in your muddled brain as you stared at the wilted roses across the room.

“Yes,” You whispered weakly, the room turning cold, his presence that you thought was there fading away.

Please don’t leave. I’m scared to be alone.

Fear slowly started to consume you as your eyes drifted around the dark empty place you called home.

Then they closed gently.

________________________________________

When your eyes opened again, there was someone standing there.

You sat up, confused when it didn’t hurt.

It didn’t hurt anymore.

Nothing hurt, at all.

There was an overwhelming sense of calm around you. All of the worries that plagued your mind were gone. You couldn’t remember a single thing that once caused your heart to be so heavy with grief.

Your eyes lifted back to the person standing in the middle of the room. It was a small girl, only five years of age; long black hair falling past her shoulders and doe eyes watching you.

There were feathery yellow wings on her tiny back, and a bunny-like smile on her cute face.

She looked just like somebody you once knew.

You couldn’t remember who it was though.

The girl stretched her hand out towards you and you finally noticed there was another figure there as well, standing next to her.

You couldn’t see their face, only a bright glow shaped like a tall human. The two of them felt familiar somehow, like they had been waiting for you for a long time.

“Come on,” The little girl laughed, “You’re okay now.”

You moved your legs to the side of the bed and climbed out.

There was no hesitation as you walked forward and took her tiny hand, the smile on her face growing even more when you did.

___________________________________

Jungkook rushed through the forest, thin branches scratching his face and arms.

But he didn’t stop.

When he could see home, he pushed himself harder, fear gripping his heart when he saw Yoongi standing just outside of the door, staring at nothing. He pushed past the silent man and stumbled inside, freezing up at the sight that met him.

You were lying in the bed, seemingly asleep, but with face and lips drained of color. The dark lashes resting on your cheeks were a stark contrast.

He stood there, staring at your figure.

“Apple?” His voice sounded far away, not like his own.

Jungkook walked forward, bending down and cupping your cheek with his hand.

“Wake up, Apple,” He whispered, brushing the hair from your face and shaking you gently, “I’m bah-...I’m back.”

When you didn’t respond, he shook you a little harder, his whole body beginning to tremble, “Please,” His voice broke, “Please wake up…I-”

A quiet sob cut him off as his shaking hands cupped your cooling cheeks once more, “Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me-”

He carefully lifted your frail body, pulling you into his lap and cradling you in his arms.

Yoongi stepped inside the door.

Taehyung came in right behind him, his eyes closing slowly when he saw Jungkook sitting on the bed and holding you against him in a tight embrace.

“Apple, I’m sorry, pleas-” He whimpered as he held the back of your head with gentle hands, rocking you back and forth, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there to hold you.

You were cold and alone.

A sob tore itself from his throat as he held you tighter, praying that you could feel his warmth and hear him begging for you to come back.

You weren’t supposed to go without him.

“Jungkook.”

“Please don’t leave me alone,” He pleaded hoarsely.

Maybe, if he begged hard enough, you would listen to him and come back.

“Jungkook.”

“Please, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I broke my promise, Apple. I won’t leave you anymore,” Jungkook coughed, choking on his tears, “I won’t leave you ever again, ever.”

Yoongi gulped, unsure what to do. The guilt was eating him alive; he had stepped out only for a minute. Because of him, you died alone.

“I promise we can climb the apple tree whenever you want, you can eat all of the fruit before dinner, I won’t ever say no,” Tears ran down his face as he caressed your hair, just the way you always liked, “I won’t tell you that you should wait until after dinner, I promise. I promise.”

Taehyung put his face in his hands, his stomach turning. It didn’t feel real, you couldn’t be gone.

“You were faster than me.”

Tae looked up to see Jungkook was cradling you like a child, thumb brushing your cheek as he spoke softly, his eyes running over your face.

“You beat me to the swing, fair and square.”

Yoongi sucked in a breath and bit his lip.

Memories of that day floated through his mind; the way you shrieked with laughter as you climbed onto the swing, too small to get on easily.

“Push me! Push me!”

He could hear your tiny giggles clear as day.

Jungkook rested his forehead against yours, his breath warming your lips as his hot tears fell onto cold cheeks, “I love you,” he spoke under his breath, for only you to hear, “I loved you since the first moment I saw you. I can't live without you.”

Maybe, if he said it enough times, you would listen to him and come back.

“Jungkook,” Yoongi choked out, “We need to move her.”

There was no reply.

Taehyung swallowed the heavy lump in his throat, “Yoongi-”

“It’s still contagious,” The older boy whispered, “We can’t let him be with her for too long.”

“But-”

Yoongi turned on him, anger and sorrow lit up in his eyes, “Get him out of here.”

Taehyung clenched his jaw, then walked around him, over to where Jungkook was still whispering to you.

“Jungkook,” He took a shuddering breath, “I’m sorry.”

It was like he couldn’t hear a word the older boy was saying, tears falling endlessly as he held you close, continuing to sway you just a little.

Taehyung moved down to remove one of Jungkook’s hands from you, but the younger’s grip tightened.

“Jungkook-” Tae strengthened his own efforts, finally prying his hands from you and trying to pull him up.

“Let go of me!” Jungkook screamed, ripping his arm away and moving to hold you again. He kept you in his lap, arms around you protectively, refusing to let either of them close.

Yoongi stepped in, “Jungkook, you need to let go-”

“No!”

“Let her go,” Yoongi’s voice cracked as he struggled with pulling you out of his arms while Taehyung grabbed Jungkook.

“Stop it!” Jungkook was bawling his eyes out frantically as he reached for you, “Don’t take her! Please!! Yoongi, Yoongi, please!!”

Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s chest, not letting him get a chance to fight your cousin, who was gently laying your body on the bed again and covering you with the sheet.

“Please!!!” Jungkook was screaming at the top of his lungs, heart crushed far beyond repair, “Please don’t take her!!”

“Get him out!”

Taehyung dragged Jungkook kicking and screaming from the shack.

In the tussle, they knocked into the small table, the vase teetering for a moment before falling to the floor, a long crack running through it as the dead roses lay scattered about.

“I hate you! I hate you!”

He didn’t know who he was screaming at.

But maybe, if he screamed loud enough, you would hear him.

Maybe, you would come back.

_____________________________

It was the year 1523 when you left him.

You were nineteen years old.

Jungkook sat curled up in the corner of the shack, legs tucked up to his chest as he stared at the broken vase on the floor. It had been three days since you passed, he hadn’t slept. All he had done was sit in the corner and stare at nothing.

He shut them all out.

They had taken you away from him.

He never saw you again.

Except in his mind.

His days and nights were haunted by the last time he had spoken with you.

“Is that all I get?”

Your voice echoed in his mind, the smile on your face burned into his bruised and bleeding heart. He didn’t kiss you, he didn’t tell you he loved you.

All he did was leave.

Jungkook closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, a tear sliding down his cheek and dripping from his chin.

He would be found only hours later, still curled up in the corner.

It was a broken heart, they said.

It took three agonizing days after your death for him to follow.

For a human heart can only take so much pain, before it can’t.

__________________________________

“How utterly wretched.”

Jungkook opened his eyes to see a tall figure standing over him as he sat in the corner of the dark shed.

The only thing he felt while looking at the demon who was staring at him with mock pity, was an empty hatred.

He whispered hoarsely, “You said she would live.”

Lucifer leaned down, a sneer on his face, “I only said I would get rid of her disease. Typhoid fever is a nasty business, isn’t it? Strange that she was the only one in the village to catch it after miraculously helping the boy. A real tragedy.”

Jungkook just stared at him.

“A life for a life, that’s what you told me,” He finally spat, the anger beginning to spread through his body.

“Ah yes,” The Devil chuckled and rocked back on his heels, as if the whole ordeal was quite amusing to him, “See, we didn’t agree on a third life though. I was far too nice to let you get off so easily with conceiving the infant.”

Jungkook gulped.

“Oh,” The miserable creature’s face fell and he pouted, “That one didn’t make it either, did it?”

“She,” Jungkook hissed, “Her name is Aera-”

“Well, it was going to be,” Lucifer threw his head back and laughed, “Rest assured I had nothing to do with that unfortunate incident.”

It was silent for a moment, then Jungkook spoke up quietly, “You were never going to save her, were you?” His eyes were locked on the dead roses, “You lied.”

“And you,” Lucifer crouched and leaned close, “Fell for it.”

Jungkook’s eyes closed as he did his best to conjure up an image of you.

You were somewhere safe and warm, where the sun kissed your cheeks and danced upon your fingers.

Somewhere the apples were sweet and crisp, where the water was never too cold.

There was a sharp pain on the skin of his outer right bicep, making him grit his teeth as the demon laughed darkly.

“Look at how ruined you are,” The voice whispered with shameless glee, “All because of love.”

You were somewhere you could fly with the clouds, never alone.

Somewhere the roses would always bloom.

“Don’t bother.”

Jungkook opened his eyes and looked at the demon.

“She isn’t anywhere pleasant.”

His heart shattered into a million little pieces.

“She’s somewhere cold,” Lucifer stared at him, “Stuck alone in the dark, full of unbearable torment, just like her last moments..”

Jungkook’s breath caught in his throat.

“All because you left her. All because of Him.”

The young man’s eyes were filled with tears of anguish that slowly ebbed into a deep resentment with each word the Devil spoke.

“He did this to you, you know that right?” Lucifer smirked, “You were created by Him. He made you, so that you could suffer.”

The despair clung to his heart like a lead weight, another burning scratch going across his skin, right where the pounding muscle lay.

“He created you to love her and lose her. Tell me; was it worth it, Jungkook?”

The torment wouldn’t come to an end.

The deal was struck and the punishment would never lessen.

Even without understanding why, the agonizing torture of his heart ripping itself to shreds over and over again, would never ever stop.

For a human heart can only take so much pain, before it can’t.

But the heart of a demon can never die.

________________________________________

a/n: tysm for reading, your thoughts are always welcome

#jeon jungkook #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook demon au #jungkook smut #bts fluff #bts #bts reactions #bts angst #bts jungkook #bts fanfic #jungkook x reader #jungkook x y/n #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts demon au #bts smut #demon!jungkook

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torchickentacos · 2 years

Text

How I draw clouds since they’re my favorite thing to draw! Literally nobody asked for a tutorial but I’m making one anyways! Note, I am looking at a reference photo I took which is always recommended in my opinion, but once you get clouds down more you can pretty easily freestyle them. Want to go from a solid sheet of color on your canvas to having trees and shit? this is for you.

Step 1: put a solid sheet of color down. maybe an ombre, airbrush tool is probably the best here. Try to have a canvas size with at least 1k on either end, be it horizontal or vertical. We’re going to want it to look really smooth, not pilexated.

Step 2: I personally never start with white or the lightest color of the clouds. Clouds are pretty white usually, but there’s a lot of grey and blue generally-I like to start with the middle-leaning-darkest shade, like this. Use a waterfolor-y brush or something similar if you can! Just makes your life easier.

Step 3: SOFTEN THAT BAD BOY. Get a blending tool and just go at it. Don;t make it totally flat-you’ll want darker, heavier, defined areas to work off of later when we do more lighting- but make it a lot smoother.

Step 3: Next, decide what direction you want the light to be hitting from. This is arguably the most important part-choose a highlight color (sunsets are so varied that it doesn’t particularly matter as long as it’s fairly warm-toned), figure out where the light is coming from (where the sun is), and work off of that with some scribbles in a soft brush. A lot of times I would use a clipping mask for this but I’ve actually found not using one gives you a lot more control in this situation.

ok cool! So, take where the lighting is- the squiggles- and add to them in a circular motion. Then take that and blend it, becoming smoother towards where the light isn’t. This LOOKS like I skipped a lot but it’s simple- add a light color, blend it backwards. The color will be strongest where the light is hitting it.

Cool! Now choose a lighter color-your highlight- and define your highlights. This should overlap the lighter areas we just made!!!!! Don’t add the highlight to areas we haven’t already lightened! Or do, I’m not the boss of you, but it won’t look right.

Now, we’re going to do the same thing we did with the light earlier- smooth it out, bring it backwards, keep it sharper where the light hits it.

Cool! Except it doesn’t look right to me so I’m going to add a middle tone between the dark and the light. Our light is peach and our dark is a cool blue, so let’s add a cool red. I don’t know color theory, maybe that’s incorrect to do, but I’m doing it anyways. Much like music, I play art by ear- I don’t know technical stuff (I’m trying to learn), and I just kind of throw stuff at the canvas until it works. Slight red added.

Highlight once more.

Blend once more.

Last step, determine if you want to add depth. I don’t always add shadows, but you definitely can to make it more.... depthy.

YOU HAVE CLOUDS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Optionally, you can add some perspective, which I can do right now. I’ll be lazy and use a branch brush.

leaf it up in here!!!!

in a layer BELOW the dark red leaves let’s add orange, since the light would be coming DOWN. The dark red leaves that are shadowed would be closest to us.

Rinse and repeat with amber and yellow until you realize you like it better with just dark red or dark red and orange oops.

YOU HAVE TREES AND CLOUDS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOO! We started here and now we’re here! Great job on your new trees and clouds!!!!!

#taylor's tag #art

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imtryingmybeskar · 1 year

Text

Come Home Chapter Eight

Joel Miller x F! Reader.

Some soft moments with Joel and Ellie that are interrupted by ever-expanding memories of the past. Warning for description of a panic attack.

Word count: 4975

There is a slight spoiler for how Ellie chooses to cover her bite in the second game. Nothing major. I also want to re-iterate that this work is primarily based on the games. The outbreak here occurred in 2013, not 2003. Pop culture references are of that time.

Come Home

Chapter Eight - Hold On

The grumbling is helping you to feel slightly better about your arduous and slightly disgusting task. Rather than visit the laundries in the centre of Jackson, you had decided to stay in and wash your clothes free of the blood and gore that killing the infected had splattered upon you. The repetition of soap-scrub-rinse-repeat was helping to relax your mind, and every time a wave of grime was added to the water in the tub, it added to your sense of satisfaction.

“Goddamn…fucking…urgh. Fuckinnnng piece of shit…”

The body had been burned at the front of the outpost building, the room put back together as best could be, though the carpet had some stains that were probably permanent. After logging your visit and the fact that one infected had been killed, Joel had insisting on sweeping a wide circuit before heading back to Jackson to try to establish where the victim had been taken down.

“Look, see?” he had said as he raised the trouser leg of the corpse. You saw. The blistered bitemark was in the meat of the calf. “Woulda taken a day or so to turn. Let’s try to see where he came from.”

“Least he gave as good as he got,” Vanessa had murmured before beginning to collect up the more useful items that were lying around.

A forlorn little camp was discovered a little over an hour later half buried under the snow. When you uncovered the scene you discovered the tent partially burned, possessions scattered and a dead runner lying in the middle of it all.

The sky had been a deep lilac and swirled with grey cloud as you had re-entered Jackson, barely beating nightfall over the town. Luke had taken the horses to be stabled, Joel had gone to report to Maria, and Vanessa had briefly come to visit your house for a cup of tea before pleading tiredness and bidding you farewell. You had turned your lamps on again and built up the fire, bathing the living room in a comforting glow before deciding to do something productive and wash your clothes from the day. The gloves and jacket had borne the worst of it, and you’re just hanging them close to the fire to dry when a knock comes at the door.

When you open it you’re greeted by the welcome sight of Ellie, almost hidden behind a large cardboard box in her arms. You take it from her and bid her come in.

“Thanks,” she gasps gratefully. “That thing was kinda heavy.”

You place the box carefully on the couch, curious as to what’s inside.

“Go ahead. Look,” she says with a small smile.

Sparkles. Glitter. Frivolous beauty. You can’t help but mirror her smile as you draw out a long string of silver tinsel.

“Christmas decorations? Where did you get these?”

“They were in the garage when we moved in. I kept ‘em around. Wasn’t really sure why but I just liked ‘em. And when I saw you at the tree the other day I figured maaaybe you’d wanna decorate?”

Her voice is hopeful and her eyes more so as you look up at her.

“Well… you’re right. I used to love this stuff. But don’t you wanna decorate your place? Or Joel’s?”

She makes a dismissive huffing sound as she sits next to the box on the couch. “I already picked some stuff out to put around my place. And Joel’s a grumpy old man who doesn’t know how to have fun.”

“He did.”

“He said no?”

It is fun. You forget the dark corners, the bloodstains that won’t come out. You ignore the bad memories lurking out of sight upstairs. For a long while it’s just you and Ellie and warmth and laughter. She’s incredibly smart, with a sense of humour that spans from terrible puns to dry wit and everything in between, and before long the house is a glorious mess of mismatched decorations. She’s also eager for stories of how Christmas used to be, and you find that the memories aren’t so painful when she reflects their joy back to you.

“-and office parties. Oh Christ, they could be bad! Someone would always get too drunk or hook up with someone they shouldn’t or both and then they’d have to face the music come the next work day –“

Another knock at the door interrupts your reminiscing, and when you open it, Joel is on the other side.

“Hi,” he says, looking effortlessly handsome with one arm casually leaning on your doorframe. “You seen-“

“I’m here,” interrupts Ellie as she comes to the door too. “See. Someone appreciates the decorations!”

“I can see that,” he says, eyes twinkling as he steps inside and looks around with an amused expression. “Like a goddamn Christmas shop in here.”

“They had Christmas shops?”

“All year round in some places,” you smile.

“Well, I hate to break up this party,” Joel intercedes before Ellie can gush excitedly about this new piece of information. “But it’s time for dinner. And I think you’ve disturbed this poor woman’s evening enough.”

A rush of eagerness for them not to depart seizes you.

“Actually if you guys wanna stay for dinner here, I can offer…uhhh canned peaches. And also…canned…peaches?”

“Well now lemmie see if I can add to that fine selection of food.”

You can practically feel Ellie’s pleading gaze directed at Joel, silently begging him to accept your invitation, which he does with a low chuckle.

The fire is in its embers when Ellie begins to yawn hugely, and Joel insists it’s time to finally leave you in peace. After they depart you realise that the soft smile upon your face isn’t going anywhere soon, and rather than battle with your demons tonight you resign yourself to a bathtub sleep again, not wanting to disturb the peace and happiness that this evening has brought.

He brings some homemade leftover chicken noodle soup and a half loaf of bread back with him and with the absence of a dining table you instead sit cross-legged on cushions around your table near the fire. Conversation is light, frothy. You talk more about Yuletides past and discover that Joel firmly believes Die Hard to be a Christmas film whereas Tommy disagrees vehemently. The subject of the upcoming winter dance comes up when you mention that you’d seen it advertised on flyers around the town, and you learn both that it’s a staple of the calendar in Jackson and that Ellie is looking forward to going to her first one. At one point she retrieves a battered old book from an inside pocket of her jacket to much protestation from Joel, and he and you groan together at the terrible puns that emerge.

The next morning dawns steely cold and grey as flurries of fat snowflakes rain from the heavens and you debate what you want to do today. Staying in by the fire seems like the best idea, but you wonder if you would be imposing if you called on Ellie. Maybe to cook, or read, or just chat. You assume Joel will be busy, but their company had been so welcome, such a balm to a wound that had been open for so long you had near forgotten it was there, and you already missed the spark of warmth that had been ignited within you by their presence.

You bundle yourself up and open the door to traverse the brief distance between the houses only to startle back when you find Joel right outside, hand up as if to knock and with a look on his face like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t.

“Oh. Hey,” he says, bringing his raised hand around to rub the back of his neck instead.

“Hi,” you reply, the warm smile from last night returning easily to your lips. “Come to try some more of my gourmet cooking? My can opening abilities are second to none as you know.”

He returns your smile and snorts a small laugh. “Actually, I-er-I was wonderin’…”

He trails off and you get the impression that he’s anxious about something. Seeing him that way causes you to frown slightly with worry. He’s always so in control, so self assured. Something must be up. You wait patiently, wondering what could have got him worked up, but he seems to be struggling to articulate what he wants to say.

“You wanna come in?” you ask, thinking that might help.

“Naw, I gotta go down to see Tommy for a bit. But thank you.” Another pause, and then he draws himself up more fully and takes a breath. “Actually I need to see him about you.”

Your frown deepens as worry begins to sneak into your own stomach. “Nothin’ bad,” he hastens to add. “I was just wonderin’ if you wanted to go and scout that town we were talkin’ about yesterday. Since you’re so new I gotta clear it with Maria, but I think it will be okay. This particular place has been investigated twice already. Once before I got here and once at the end of summer, so we already have a fair understanding of the layout. But it might have some new “residents” by now, y’know? And there’s a clock tower in the centre where we’d need to drop off some supplies. But it would mean a coupla days away from Jackson instead of a coupla hours, so I understand-“

He's babbling. Much as you had when you first had a conversation with him, and while you didn’t really understand why given that he was usually so sparing with his words, you had an urge to save him from himself.

“I’ll go.”

He stops, looks up at you as if seeking assurance that you mean what you say. “You sure?”

You lean against the doorframe and steel yourself to answer. You don’t want to offend him, but you do want to nip this need for constant affirmation that you can actually do what you say you can in the bud.

“Joel, you keep asking me that. And I get that I didn’t make a great first impression with you here, but I promise you, I can take care of myself.” You look down and scuff the wooden planking of your porch with your foot before deciding to take the plunge and elaborate. “Its…easier out there, somehow. Mentally at least. You expect the shit. You know something’s gonna happen so when it does you just…deal with it. Here…I guess…I guess it’s a place I should feel safe but I don’t entirely. Yet. And the last actual house that I actually lived in…well…it was mine. Before.”

His brow furrows in mild confusion. “You never lived in a QZ?”

“Oh I did, but it was small. Very small. We all lived in tenements. Squats, almost. Lots of people all crowded in to each apartment. No real room of my own. I haven’t lived like this“ - you gesture behind you – “since I was in my twenties. Before I met-“ You break off abruptly and take a shuddering breath of freezing air. Too much. That was a step too far.

Comprehension dawns over his handsome features and he nods both his appreciation of what you’ve told him and acceptance that you can’t finish your sentence.

“Well…that makes some stuff a lot clearer. Gotta be weird to be alone after so long.”

“You can say that again.”

You smile sadly at him and he returns it, his handsome, whiskered face full of soft understanding.

“So,” you continue more briskly “Yeah, I’d like to go scouting. Well actually I’d like to go to Disneyworld but this will do. Christ,” you add, wrinkling your nose. “Can you imagine Disneyworld now?” A shudder creeps down your spine at the thought.

“Well, I like to imagine Mickey’s kicking ass somewhere. In full costume, you know, for protection. I bet those things are hard to bite through.“

Your shudder transmutes to a chuckle at the thought.

“Sometimes I like to guess which famous people survived,” you confess. “I bet Woody Harrelson made it.”

“Hell yeah, man’s a badass,” Joel agrees. “And that girl who played Arya in Game of Thrones. Man, I wish we’d got to see the end of that. It was gettin’ good.”

You chortle softly, and a slightly awkward silence falls between you. There’s a sense that Joel hasn’t quite said all he wants to, but before you can ask him about it he’s bidding you farewell.

“Well I’ll let you get on. And come back to you with what Maria and Tommy say about the trip out. See ya.”

And with that he walks down your porch steps and away. You suddenly remember your half-formed plans for the day and call after him.

“Wait, Joel?” He turns back, shielding his eyes from the falling snow. “Would you mind if I went over to see Ellie? Is she in?”

Even from this distance you see the warmth of his smile. “Man, you’re a glutton for punishment,” he jokes. “Sure, go right on through the backyard. Gates unlocked. She’s in there.”

He raises his hand in a final farewell and departs properly into the hazy, freezing grey landscape.

When Ellie flings open the door to the garage after you knock, she appears to be partway through a conversation.

“Jesus, Joel! I said-! Oh hi.”

“Hi,” you repeat. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Oh no, you’re not! Its just that Joel kept on about me coming out to Jackson with him today. “You ain’t been outside for a while, Ellie. You need some fresh air, Ellie!” Its fucking snowing for Chrissakes, who wouldn’t wanna be inside?”

Her mimicry of his gruff tone is entirely accurate, and you chuckle as you answer.

“Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to come over and hang out. But inside, for sure! And if you’re busy, I understand.

She beams at you and shakes her head. “No, no. I was just sketching. Let me get my stuff.”

She closes the door softly as you turn away to look up at Joel’s house. The snow is still falling softly from a dove-grey sky, a gentle blanket covering the backyard and the rooftop and the world beyond. The silence is peaceful rather than eerie. No cars running, no crunching of the snow underfoot, no children playing-

Your thoughts suddenly enter a new track and a sly smile curves your mouth as Ellie reappears behind you.

“Hey, what did you call Joel yesterday cause he wouldn’t let you decorate the house? A grumpy old man?”

“…Well he is!” she said, defensively.

You hold up your hands in mock surrender. “You know him better than me, I’m not arguing. But what if we made another kind of decoration? Although…it would mean being outside for a while.”

Ellie’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “What did you have in mind?”

A couple of hours later you’re standing proudly in front of your handiwork. Ellie’s cheeks are pink with cold and exertion, and she steps forward to adjust the scarf that had been retrieved from your upstairs closet and that now decorated the neck of one of the snowmen on Joel’s front lawn.

“Not bad for my first try,” she remarks as she steps back in line with you and scrutinises them.

“I think they look really good,” you reply. “If only we could make them look a bit more like you and Joel. Though I don’t think he’d appreciate us digging around to use his clothes on them.”

“Probably not. But maybe…”

She breaks off as she rips up tufts of grass from the exposed patches where you had rolled the snow together and pats them on to the chin of the larger of the pair.

“It’s got a beard. Now its definitely Joel.”

You relocate indoors to the welcome warmth of your fire, your fingers tingling even within their gloves. Ellie lights the lamps to combat winter’s gloom, and you take stock of what you could whip up to feed a hungry teenager and yourself. Some vegetables, some milk, some tins and not much else. You’d have to get some more supplies soon.

“Sorry to make you eat out of a can again, but I’ve not got a lot. Does stew sound good?”

“It does, actually,” she says as she comes through to your kitchen.

“I’ll make some mashed potato on the side to make it marginally more interesting. If only I had some cheese. Cheesy mash is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”

“I think Joel might have some.”

“Much as I’d love to treat Joel’s fridge as my own, I don’t think that’s okay given that I’ve only known him a few days. Let’s give it a week at least!”

Ellie helps you to peel and chop the potatoes, and while they’re boiling away and the stew is heating up you chatter about everything and nothing. You ask her about her artwork and she coyly mentions that she’s getting better and that she thinks she would like to design a tattoo for herself one day.

“There’s a tattooist here?!”

“Kinda,” she says, and to your surprise a blush surfaces on her face, tinging her cheeks and the tips of her ears pink. “Her name’s Cat. She’s an artist, but I know she’s tattooed a couple of people around town. And herself. And she’s given me some guidance on how to get better with my drawing. She’s…she’s pretty cool.”

A small smile surfaces on your lips at the obvious crush Ellie is harbouring on this person. “Well, I’d like to meet her at some point. Might be nice to add to some of mine if I can ever find a way to pay her.”

“Did they hurt?”

“Some of ‘em. Depends where you get ‘em. The one on my back is pretty big and it hurt going over my spine. Not so much over the muscle.”

“Do you have any on your arms?”

“Chosen your spot already, huh?” you ask with an indulgent smile. To your surprise she clams up, her body language closes inward, and you wonder what you’ve said wrong.

“Yeah, I…yeah,” she mutters non-commitally.

To cover her awkwardness, you pull back your sleeve to reveal cascading patterns of concentric circles and lines spiralling around your forearm and disappearing upward.

“Oh cool!” she exclaims. “…What is it?”

“There was a TV show I was very much a fan of about a time and space travelling alien. This was the written language of their species.”

“So…this was a quote?”

“Yes, but not from the show. This is by John Keats, one of my favourite poets. If I ever find a bookstore or a library that isn’t totally wrecked I’m gonna try to find a collection of his work.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s from a letter he wrote to his next door neighbour. He was very much in love with her. It says 'My love has made me selfish. I cannot exist without you. I am f-forgetful of everything but-' "

Your breath catches. No, you can do this.

“ 'But s-seeing you again. M-my life seems to stop there. I see no further.' ”

You clutch the kitchen counter top, grip it so tightly that your knuckles whiten. You hadn’t thought about these words for a long time. Such a long time. So many years, so much pain in between. They had hung in some dusty corner of your mind, covered with old cobwebs and half-forgotten until this moment. Deep breaths. Get through it.

“ 'You have absorb’d me.' ”

Your voice is a husky whisper and you realise you’re staring blankly at nothing. Those words. So much meaning then. So much more now. Your throat is tightening with tears and your heart is racing. Fuck. You let your guard down. Too fast. Too far. And now you’re falling.

Dimly you can hear Ellie calling your name and with an effort you swivel your head to look at her. Her mouth is forming words, but that buzzing is back in your head and you can’t make them out properly. “I’m sorry,” she seems to be saying. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s..not…you,” you rasp out. “I just…I can’t. I haven’t for…And I can’t. F-fuck.”

You dazedly push yourself away from the kitchen counter and stumble to the living room where you sit down heavily on a chair. In your peripheral vision you see Ellie pad over, soft and skittish as a feral cat and sit on the sofa opposite you. You put your head in your hands and try to regulate your breathing. From your left, you hear Ellie speaking again.

“Hey. Stupid question, but are you okay?”

The dark corridor

“Y-yes…no.” Yes and no. Not with this. Never with this.

Torchlight shadows cast upon a wall sprayed with blood and bullets

Oh fuck, no. Not now. You don’t want her to see you like this.

Poor kid. You can hear her panicked tones even through the rush of the blood through your ears. She sounds so very far from you – on a boat bobbing out to sea. Your breath is shallow again, an elastic band tightening its grip round your head.

Your eyes roll back in your head and you close them.

“I’ll be fine,” you gasp as you raise your head from your hands and try to focus your vision, desperately wanting to reassure her. “Panic…attack. Just let it…pass.”

The lanyard.

The lumpen, misshapen figure ahead.

The clicking...

The clicking.

Something is slammed with force upon the table in front of you and your eyes spring open to see a glass of water.

“Drink” demands Ellie, and you recognise the wisdom in her suggestion.

You reach for it with shaking hands, slopping some on the tabletop and down your clothes before the ice cold of it washes through your mouth, over your teeth and down your throat.

Again.

Breathe.

Settle.

Breathe.

Shaky, fragile, tenuous calm.

“I’m-I’m sorry,” you stammer out. “I didn’t want you to s-see…I h-hate when-“

She soothes you, her calm child-like voice finally breaking through your layers of panic and worry.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You think I’ve never freaked out? That Joel’s never had to wake me up from nightmares? You think I’ve never had to wake him?”

A weak smile touches your lips. “Never thought…he’d be one for them,” you joke feebly.

She doesn’t smile. “He mumbles in his sleep sometimes. About…well we’ve all been through a lot. Have to if you’ve made it this far.”

“True. Thanks.”

“Not a problem. Look, I’m gonna deal with those potatoes. Just…sit for a while, okay?”

She shouldn’t have to do this. She’s just a kid. She shouldn’t be taking care of you. As quickly as you’re able you stand and go back to the kitchen where Ellie is mashing the potatoes with some force. As you enter she turns and holds out the fork toward you in a mildly threatening way.

“Don’t apologise,” she commands, as if she somehow knew that would be your first response.

Nodding, you join her at the counter again. “Okay. Thank you. Again. And I just wanna say…” Be brave. Take the plunge. “Obviously that quote was very dear to me once upon a time. Me and my-my wife.” A half formed thought crosses your mind of a bloated, disgusting shape and you shove it away with as much force as you can muster to focus on Ellie, to try and put some distance between what has happened and where you are now.

Her head snaps up again from where she had resumed her task, a tiny crease between her brows. “Your wife? So you’re-“

“Bi. But…I understand what it’s like to navigate certain feelings. So. If you want to talk about anything, I’m happy to listen. I uh…I dated my first girlfriend when I was about your age.”

Ellie’s eyes widen in surprise and then narrow with guarded suspicion. Clearly she hadn’t thought you had picked up on her earlier behaviour.

“Hey, its okay. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Not even Joel?” You’re taken aback by the force at which she hurls the question, and make sure your voice is gentle when you respond.

“Of course not. I won’t say anything you don’t want me to. But…why don’t you want Joel to know?”

She drops her head to avoid your eyes, scuffs her shoe along the floor and you worry that you’ve pushed her too far, that she will close down completely.

“I dunno, I just…worry what he might think? I don’t know how he’d react.”

“You know he loves you right?”

“Shut up,” she huffs in an embarrassed way, a slight flush grazing her upper cheeks as she begins to shove the fork into the potatoes again.

“He does. And I don’t know how you two came to be here together, and I don’t know him as well as you do, but in this case that doesn’t matter. Love like he has for you is acceptance. I’m not saying you should tell him anything if you don’t want to. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t stress too hard over his reaction.”

“Any time.”

Ellie looks up and holds your gaze firmly for a moment, seemingly searching for any trace of falsehood, then visibly relaxes and looks back down at the countertop. “Well…thanks. I guess it’s kinda good to know there’s someone who understands.”

Dinner is served and conversation drifts back into the banal, the easy. You hope that you didn’t freak her out too much, but she seems to be more comfortable with the aftermath of your panic attack than discussion of her feelings toward Joel or Cat or anyone else and you can’t really blame her. In a small community like this, stakes were high in that regard. You couldn’t up and leave if a relationship went south. And while you held on to the belief that Joel would love and accept her no matter what, the same might not be said for everyone in town. Though you wouldn’t put it past Joel to kick someone’s ass if they were cruel to Ellie. You wouldn’t put it past Ellie to get there first either. There was steel at the core of the girl, you could see it in her eyes. The protection of Jackson’s walls (and presumably Joel himself) was allowing her to be a teenager as much as anyone could be in this world, but it was obvious too that she had seen some shit, been through the wringer just as much as anyone in her short life.

You sigh as you survey the sad bed in the bathtub and then climb in, too emotionally weary from keeping those memories at bay to wrestle with anything else. The bed could wait.

She departs a couple of hours later with a promise that she wouldn’t tell Joel about what had transpired and though you hadn’t asked for any such vow, hadn’t wanted to burden her with any kind of secret keeping, you were secretly glad. After having told him you could take care of yourself, hearing about this was NOT the way to cement that notion in his mind.

The house seems a little suffocating again the next day and you decide to go into town, to pick up some supplies, to take a walk, to partake in a small change of scenery. The snow has stopped again, but the sky is still grey and heavy with its promise. You visit the stables, check up on your horse and stroke over the velvet of his neck, bury your face into his comforting scent before brushing him down yourself. You visit the blacksmith, marvel at the rendering of metal that seems like such magic to your uneducated fingers. You stop off at the town’s library, peruse the small selection of DVDs and books and ancient magazines that tell of mindless frippery that is long dead. There is no Keats, but you do find a copy of the Hobbit that you gladly borrow. The person who had filled your bookcase had either really loved romance novels, or had been desperate to get shot of them. Either way, it wasn’t really your first choice of genre.

As you stroll along the main thoroughfare, clutching your precious book to your chest with your gloved hands, you see Maria coming the other way and stop to chat with her.

“Morning. I hear Joel’s planning to take you out once the weather permits,” she says without preamble, vaguely gesturing with her head in what you assume is the general direction of the town outside the walls. Her eyes rake you downward, assessing, calculating, though for what you cannot tell. Its slightly disconcerting and you stumble a little over your words.

“Uh yeah, he mentioned that supplies need to be delivered to the clock tower there.”

“Yup, and to check its not gotten overrun again. If it has, it will be a short trip for you. You’ll have to come back with a larger group.”

You feel the incomprehension clouding your face as you frown. “Well obviously if there’s a swarm we wont be taking them on, but even with a small team of us we can at least try to-“

Your eyes grow wide and she grins more widely as she departs, wishing you luck on your journey, and leaving you standing in the middle of the crowded street with excitement shrouded in apprehension in your heart as you watch her go.

A tiny, knowing smile graces her lips as she interrupts. “There won’t be any team. Joel said it should just be you and him.”

Next chapter

Taglist - @thisshipwillsail316 @prostitute-robot-from-the-future @elegantduckturtle @dihra-vesa @midwesternwitchery @just-here-for-the-moment @eri16 @readsalot73 @littlemisspascal @princessxkenobi @harriedandharassed @pagannightwitch @tentacruels @kirsteng42 @shirks-all-responsibilities @deadhumourist @pedrostories

#come home #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel tlou x reader #joel tlou x you #joel tlou x female reader #joel tlou x f! reader #joel tlou fanfiction #joel tlou fanfic #tlou fanfic #tlou fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fanfic

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wordsbymae · 1 year

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How would killer! OC be with a darling who has a soft spot for animals? Like whenever killer gifts them a skinned rabbit or a fox heart they just break down because they hate any and all violence towards animals

I'm so happy you sent this in! This is pretty much how I view the reader already but I never really put it in writing, so thank you for sending this through!!

TW: Violence towards animals, murder, crying (lots), vomiting, very sublte implied smut, that's it I think.

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He had been gone for hours. Leaving just as the sun breached the darkened sky, not yet returning despite it reaching its peak. You hoped he never returned. You could run, maybe, but the last time you did, he hunted you down like a bloodhound, ripping you from the arms of a helpful hiker. Making you watch as he threw them over the side of a cliff. You still cringed whenever you remember the sound of that poor man's skull cracking against the earth. So no more running.

You waited at the old dining table, it was small and uneven, but it was better than waiting on the bed. He often mistook that as an invitation. You were drawing today. Each day you tried a new hobby. Yesterday it was embroidery, tomorrow was still undecided. Could you perhaps try pottery? You knew an old salt flour recipe that might work.

Or maybe if you asked nicely enough he might let you bake. As long as you ignored the question of where did he get the supplies and from who, you could live with yourself. The heat was sickening, and sweat rolled down your back as you traced the same line over and over again. Then came the distant crack of thunder.

You looked up from your drawing of a lamb in a meadow, the sun was beginning to be covered by angry rolling clouds. The sound of the cicadas and the sweet melody of a magpie died in the sweeping winds that raced through the trees. A storm was coming. Big too, you only hoped he would catch a cold and die.

The rain began suddenly, without much warning and didn't stop. It pounded against the tin roof, slammed against the windows and thundered against the walls. It felt like the end of the world. Lightening flashed and thunder rolled. A part of you wanted it to tear the whole house down.

The door slammed open and a cloaked figure came rushing in. It was him. He shrugged the cloak off and placed it in its rightful place on a rusty hook by the door.

Water fell off the cloak in streams, leaving a muddy puddle underneath it. You took a glance at him and then returned back to your drawing, but then remembered the last time you ignored him and regretfully looked back at him.

His shirt was dry, somewhat, and so was his hair in places. It was only his trousers and boots that were drenched. His face was also covered in rainwater, only for it to be wiped off as he dried himself with a dirty rag. He was holding something in one of his hands, hidden partially by his large body. You could see it was dark maroon in colour, and it was leaking something red onto the floor.

He turned to you and a second later, a skinned rabbit was thrown in front of you, landing on top of your drawing. You gave a shriek and jumped from the table, nearly falling over the chair. It was bloody and fresh. Blood oozed out from it and soaked into the pages of your journal below. As you stood there trying to catch your breath, he grabbed something from the pocket of his cloak and began to walk towards you.

Tears filled your eyes, as your breath only become more shallow and rushed. You could see where he had slit the poor thing's throat. Blood was still pumping through the jagged vein.

He grabbed your hand forcefully and placed something soft and wet in it. You looked down to see the blood-seeped fur of the rabbit. You screamed and dropped it to the floor. Blood was still lingering on your hand.

You rushed over to the wash basin and turned on the tap, drowning your hand under the frigid water.

Lightening flashed and only a second later thunder cracked, leaving the house to shake. It made you jump and for more tears to race down your cheeks.

You didn't hear him walking towards you, too preoccupied with trying to remove the stain left on your hand.

"Bunny" he growled.

You stopped.

His rough hands made contact with your shoulder. He forcibly turned you around. You saw the anger in his eyes. He pulled you forward, then moved behind you. With a harsh push, you began walking.

You left the water running.

The rain only seemed to get louder, it rattled the windows and pushed against the front door. It sounded like a war was raging.

You made your way back to the table. You saw he had picked up the fur and left it next to the rabbit.

Standing just in front of the chair you were harshly pushed to sit down, and he dragged you and the chair forward until your stomach was tight against the table.

The rabbit lay still, except for the blood. That was still moving.

You felt something forced into your hand, and looking down you saw it. A small knife. You looked up to him. Begging him not to make you do this.

"Bunny, cut" he ordered. Face next to your left ear, hands on your shoulders.

A sob wracked through you. The knife in your hand trembled.

A hand slammed onto the table, tousling the rabbit, leaving blood to splatter onto your clothes and face.

"Bunny, now"

his hands gripped your shoulders painfully, and with a cry, you reached the knife to one of its legs. Just as you were about to cut, the animal suddenly twitched, blood flying from its mouth, leaving you startled in shock.

You jumped from the table and vomited next to the table, one hand gripping a chair, the other on your stomach.

When you were done, you broke down even further. Your breaths came out as chokes and your tears were more like a flood.

You yelped when you felt one of his large hands on your back. You tried to stop crying.

Instead of pain, you felt his hand softly run up and down your back. comforting you.

You were lightly gripped by your arms and moved towards the bed. , making you lie down.

you watched in confusion, as he covered you in the thin blanket, then left you to go sit back on the chair.

You could only see his back but you could hear the slicing of muscles and ligaments. You closed your eyes and chose to ignore the foul taste in your mouth.

You were going to need a new journal.

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Hoped you liked this!! Killer doesn't really speak at all so his actions are everything. So I wanted to showcase that he does actually care for the reader, in his own messed up way. He thought he was giving them a nice gift with the rabbit, you could cook it and make something nice with the fur. So for the reader to have such a nasty reaction, left him a bit mean. He was gonna make them butcher it as punishment for rejecting his gift but after the whole vomiting thing he decided to let it go.

In the future, I can see him still getting bloody animal gifts for the reader, but he will do all the hard work. He will bring home a dead stag, show it off and then butcher it in front of you. He'll bring home a wolf and give you its still warm and blood-covered fur to make a blanket. He for sure is gonna give you the heart of every single animal he kills. And will still leave it on your pillow, no matter how many times you cry. In all honestly, he doesn't care if you don't like his gifts, just don't reject them. He's showing you he can provide for you and be a good husband, so be a good homemaker and smile politely.

#killer oc #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x gn reader

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biscuitblinkeu · 1 year

Text

Best Solution [6]

Jennie Kim x Fem!reader

…………………………………………………………………………

You had days to think about it. It was the best solution. Well, maybe the best one you could come up with.

You would avoid going to The Willow to avoid suspicions from the Hunters. They're bound to check if they knew you went there.

It’s been almost a week since you’ve stopped going to the Willow. The last day you spent there you promised you would protect Mandu till Jennie found a man worthy. It seemed to be universal that you nor Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, or Roseanne thought the Hunters were.

You don’t know what you’d do if they followed you and captured Mandu. You're afraid, because they don’t seem to be trying to take only the key anymore, they want to hurt the cat. Well, they’re determined to get the key even if it means the cat gets hurt in the process, and you don’t blame them…it’s crazy that they’ve just resorted to this method when this has been going on for a year.

And knowing that this has been going on for a year already, you ask yourself how Jennie deals with this. You would go insane.

The Hunters began making their rounds in the day and night now. It’s like they don’t rest. They watch you like vultures, and you can’t help but think something was up. So you’ve been cautious.

You’ve been taking a different route home and eating your lunch in the shop. Every time you crossed the bridge you would think of the feline. You imagined her sitting under the tree getting some rest.You hope she found something else to snack on for the time being. It’s cold outside too, did she keep warm? Did she return home at all?

You blew out a breath and watched the cloud of mist fade. You were pulling the cart up the slope today. You happened to like doing it more in the fall because you wouldn’t sweat buckets like you did in the summer. It also makes you warmer in the chilly weather.

You parked the cart near the supply shed. Then you began loading it with herbs and medicines, and packaged ceramics. You learned that Jisoo and Lisa didn’t sell flowers in the fall or winter, obviously because it was too cold and dry. They switch to growing herbs in the inside garden and turn that into medicine.

After you loaded the cart you covered it (in case leaves fell inside) and left it there, ready for you to deliver when it was time.

You walked inside the shop, the bell ringing as you opened the door. Immediately sighing at the warmth, once again relieved Roseanne got the heater working. Jisoo walked up to you with two mugs.

“Hot tea or coffee?” You took the tea.

“Thanks, you're a lifesaver chicken.” You sat down next to Lisa, both of you laughing at the way Jisoo’s face contorted at the nickname.

You looked around, “where’s Roseanne?”

“She down at Jason’s bakery buying us lunch.” Lisa answered before continuing to sketch in her notebook.

“Ah, okay… What’s that supposed to be? A dog?” You asked, looking at the doodles filling the page. Lisa looked offended.

“No! It’s clearly a moose.” You snorted, unable to figure out how that could possibly be a moose.

“Let me see.” Jisoo leaned over the counter and took the sketchbook from Lisa, who pouted in her seat. Jisoo simply handed the notebook back before turning around, you could see her shoulders shake. Not long after she bursted out laughing, causing Lisa to splutter.

She clearly wasn’t an artist. “You guys are so mean..”

“I’m sorry, it just doesn’t look like a..” Lisa glared at Jisoo.

“I mean it’s not bad at all, Lili, it just needs some antlers, you know, that moose’s have.” Jisoo couldn’t hide the amusement from her voice but Lisa seemed to buy it. She elbowed you in the side before going back to drawing.

“So (Y/n), I noticed you don’t go to The Willow anymore?” Jisoo spoke.

“Yeah, what’s up with that? You’ve been staying in the shop to eat now.” Lisa was curious too.

“Well,” You started. “I’ve been feeling like I’m being watched by the Hunters. They’re never very far away either, it’s starting to creep me out. I can’t go to The Willow knowing that. What if they follow me and find Mandu? That’s her safe place.” You expressed your worries. Although you left out the part where they tried to make a deal with you.

“You have a good heart (Y/n).” You shrug.

It was quiet. Too quiet. You haven’t seen any Hunters since the morning. They weren’t on their patrols or hanging out in the Marketplace either. You had an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Especially since you hadn’t interacted with Mandu. Usually she would come and find you despite you shooing her away in case she’s spotted. But she hasn’t, not today.

You decided to walk around the village. Just to see what the Hunters are doing, maybe even find Mandu.

You saw other Hunters, but never did you see Kai and his groupies. It was only when you walked near the edge of the village boundaries , near the river that circled around the village you heard Mandu.

You scrambled down the path, and as you got closer you heard the sound of the river. Your heart pounded in your ears as you thought about the worst-case scenarios.

What if Mandu is drowning? Is she being attacked by wild animals?

You approached the river bed, freezing at the sound of voices. You hid behind a big rock and peeked over it.

Your heart falls to the bottom of your stomach at the sight. A group of Hunters surround the feline with nets and sharp tools. You spot their ringleader. Minho in all his glory stands in the middle, the ever so present smirk on his face.

You noticed Kai and Namjoon weren’t present, it was just Minho and some other men. They seemed to be working for Minho.

Mandu hissed at the men surrounding her. Minho holds a crossbow in his hand, as he laughs along with the men around him. He proceeds to reload the bow with another arrow. The arrow was coated with a thick dark colored liquid.

He aims, squaring his soldiers and lining up his feet. “I won’t miss again.” He whispers before firing, the arrow making a sharp whooshing sound.

Just like he said, he didn’t miss this time. The arrow hit Mandu right in the shoulder and she let out a pained yelp. You watch as Mandu stumbles back, the men surrounding her slowly closing in. They would grab her, she had nowhere left to go.

But no, having moved backward too far she eventually falls prey to the rushing current of the river behind her. It took everything in you not to reveal yourself and jump in to grab her. You dug your nails into your palms. You had to be patient. You couldn’t rush in like you normally do. You had to be level headed.

Mandu fought, her small legs kicked and thrashed against the current to keep herself afloat. She stayed strong for about fifteen seconds before she grew tired.

“Would you look at that boys! The poison’s already taking effect.” Minho whoops watching the cat's struggles get slower. He’ll have to compensate the man who sold him it.

Mandu’s head bobs under the water, returning to the surface slower each time. Her strangled mewls sound throughout the air as she fights the current.

They walk along the gravel trail next to the river for a while, following her. You sneak behind them.

“The poison has already spread. She’s just driftwood at this point, let’s catch her at the end of the river boys. It won’t be long.” Minho motions for them to follow and they leave.

You didn’t waste any time, as soon as they were out of sight you removed your sweater and dived in. Your feet didn’t even touch the bottom of the river.. The water temperature was a shock. Immediately after getting in you took in a strained breath. It was freezing. You couldn’t imagine what Mandu felt.

You swam with the current, which pushed you towards Mandu’s unmoving body faster. You could see the rivers drop making you kick faster.

Once you reached her you cradled her unmoving body in one arm, and began swimming with one arm. It was difficult, you swallowed water many times causing you to pause to cough it up. You were focused on keeping Mandu above the water.

Once you crawled out the water you quickly assessed the feline's situation. Her chest wasn’t rising at all and she was ice cold.

“No, no no! Wake up, wake up-” CPR- You can’t believe you're giving an animal out of all things CPR. You did twelve compressions on Mandu, and soon the water she swallowed was coughed up. Her eyes opened up a fraction and she let out a quiet meow before they closed again.

You didn’t know what to do.

So you ran as fast as you could to Chulichaeng’s shop.

Roseanne just watched her friends bicker. They surely were a match made in heaven.

“It’s cold! Put it on.” Lisa only shook her head, and if you ask Jisoo, or anyone really, Lisa was being childish.

“I can’t have you getting sick!” Jisoo fussed, trying to catch her around the table. All she wanted was for Lisa to wear warm clothing to protect her from the autumn chill. Although Lisa was very adamant her thin sweater and gloves kept her warm enough, Jisoo disagreed.

“You know that’s not possible.” Lisa doesn’t get sick. Well, she has a very low chance compared to other people.

“Still, I can’t have you die from hypothermia.”

“Shouldn’t you wait till winter to worry about that?” Lisa said, not understanding how a little chill in the air is going to “make her sick”, let alone kill her. It’d make more sense if it was winter, but it’s not. But then she remembered.

“Jisoo that was one time.”

“Lisa-” The door bursts open, effectively cutting Jisoo off and scaring the few shopping customers in the process.

“Help—” You stood there soaked and out of breath, a cat they soon realized was Mandu in your arms wrapped in your sweater.

Roseanne was quick to move, immediately telling customers to leave. After they did she shut the door. Lisa headed to the medicine cabinets.

You handed Mandu to Jisoo. “It’s all my fault- I knew something wasn’t right..” You cried. “They poisoned her.”

Roseanne came up to you, now with a blanket in her hands. “(Y/n)? Put this on please, you're shaking.” You shook your head, they should be worrying about Mandu.

What if…Mandu died because you took too long to save her? What if you hadn’t got there in time? You had to make sure she was okay.

“I’m fine-” you began, only to be cut off by Roseanne.

“You're not.” Roseanne's voice was hard, and stern. She sighed, "Come here.” She wrapped the cover around you. “We'll take care of her okay? Don't worry. You head home and change before you get sick."

“But-” You shut your mouth at the glare she gave you. Roseanne was scary when she was mad.

“Yes.” You agreed, albeit reluctantly. And while walking back home you couldn’t help but think if the best solution really was avoiding interaction with Mandu. After all, Roseanne has told you countless times everything happens for a reason.

Meanwhile, Minho was angry. He lashed out on his friends.

“Where is that damn cat!” He tugged at his hair, trying to think of how and when the cat could’ve gotten away. The poison definitely took it out for the time being. This was his chance. His chance to get his hands on the key without being stuck in Kai’s shadow.

But he fucked it up.

“Minho.” Minho immediately froze, he turned around with a smile on his face. Kai stood behind him. Kai stood there unimpressed, “What do you think you’re doing, going after the cat without informing me?”

“I just wanted to have a little fun, that's all.” Minho stuffed his hands in his pocket and shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

Would you like to continue? ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃ

#blackpink #fem reader #jennie x fem!reader #jennie x reader #blackpink x reader #jennie x femreader #biscuitblinkeu #IOTBS

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takearisk-xo · 1 year

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have you given a sneak peak of ch. 6 already gone yet? if not please!! i have strep throat and it’s the only thing that will cure it.

girl you have been sick for like three weeks are we sure these fics aren’t making you WORSE

Someone coughed from the other side of the pitch, bringing the barrage of emotions to a screeching halt, and Ginny sat up just enough to see Hermione appear between the trees. Her expression was wary, her shoulders tight and her steps measured. “Did you draw the short stick, then?” Ginny asked, resuming her horizontal position and staring up at the clouds. Hermione sat down next to her in the grass. “Actually, we flipped a coin.” Ginny laughed, but there was no humor in it. She could imagine it easily, her family gathered around in the kitchen arguing over who would be the first to try and talk to her. They probably debated for a ridiculous amount of time, going round in circles trying to figure out how they could explain in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm her. She was so tired of being tiptoed around. Sick to death of it. They settled into a strained silence broken only by the chirp of birds and the buzz of honeybees.

#already gone #already gone sneak peek #valfromcall #answered

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xwesley · 9 months

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closed starter for @trismp4 ❝if we get caught, i definitely think we should ruuuuun for it!❞ he informs tristan, backpack filled with different colored cans of spray paint, alcohol and drugs, both of them high and drunk of their asses, walking towards some abandoned billboard tristan claims to know all about, nearing one am, like a pair of damn degenerates. of course it would be tristan’s idea to vandalize a billboard by spray painting it at these ungodly hours, and of course, wesley is quick to agree, his dumb ass mind thinking it’s the best idea anyone could have ever thought of since the hangover movies ( he’s completely serious about those movies too, they're a work of art in his eyes ). they’re by some grass field filled with daises and random flowers, some very much dead, some very much alive, all to get to this said billboard. the moon hides behind the trees they encounter along the path, the most aesthetic passage way, while they’re about to do the most chaotic thing on such a peaceful landscape… figures. ❝this is the best idea you’ve ever had, you’re such a genius, hold on, stop!❞ he jumps in front of him, and it almost seems like he’s about to give the other some life changing, altering news. instead, he reaches for the bottle from his backpack and giggles, already clearly out of it, but willing to go even more far out. ❝my alcohol’s poppin', my alcohol’s cool, all the boys keep jocking, they chase me after schoooool!❞ his own remix of lip gloss by lil mama, followed by a mini dance and him taking a long swig, accidentally spilling some on his shirt in the process. ❝woops.❞ he wipes at the corner of his mouth, handing him the bottle. ❝okay, hurry up, why did you stop?!❞ as if he wasn’t the one to literally jump in front of him and start singing like a maniac. ❝i can’t wait to get up there so the wholeeee world can see my art,❞ more like the randos living in the shitty apartment buildings about two blocks away, but okay wesley, ❝i’ll draw a cloud, a string of emoji’s, no, no! a yin yang sign, because i’m the most peaceful man on the planet.❞ definitely not the meaning of a yin yang and he couldn’t be more far off, but it’s the drunken effort that counts. ❝what about you, what are you gonna spray paint? should i be worried?❞ realistically speaking, the last thing wesley should be worried about is what tristan is going to draw. he should be concerned over how risky this is,�� and what a terrible outcome this could bring them, but is he thinking about that? no. does he particularly care or is he even remotely afraid? also no.

#❝ ♡ 𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒖𝒓 ╱ conversations . ❞#c: tristan #alcohol tw #morons tw #idek #KNKJVNDFJKNV

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halothenthehorns · 2 years

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How Do You Say Gods;

Chapter 20: WE FIND OUT THE TRUTH, SORT OF

"Oh well that's a relief, because if you found out the whole truth things would go easy and we can't have that!" Jason groaned.

"The truth about what exactly though?" Alex smirked. "Who stole the bolt? Annabeth's imaginary friend? The president?"

"It probably means more half-truths and figuring it out for ourselves, so I'm not looking forward to it any more than you guys," Percy sighed, clenching and unclenching his hand with unease. It was unblemished like the rest of him, but he would swear there used to be a scar on his palm...

Will felt for the guy, truly, Percy had been drafted into this, accused of and lied to this entire time and now he had to face an impossible choice no one would envy. It was moments like these he truly understood Luke's cause, the gods that had done this to Percy couldn't have mercy for their kids, but they were all here. Getting Percy's memory restored because of Poseidon. Some good had to come of this, whatever the original plan had been on how they'd gotten here.

Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans.

Nico grimaced, sounded like his personal torture.

Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

It only then occurred to Nico, hearing it out loud like that, spending all of his time in this place might be why he'd grown to loathe being touched and in large crowds. He knew he was looking for someone he had no hope of finding and yet persistently kept at it with no other hope of a connection gone. The ghosts crowded him though, their whispers his ears could detect better than anyone's, impeding his progress all the more.

He'd never admitted it before, but Will put it so simply the parallel was impossible not to draw.

Nobody would bother him in Tartarus, he concluded.

If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp.

"Are we sure this isn't a form of punishment?" Alex demanded.

"Doing nothing will leave you with nothing," Thalia uneasily reminded. "It was their choice not to face the judges for something better, their average lives that lead them to, well an average eternal-ment."

Alex bared her teeth, not at Thalia, just the world in general. She'd never go down without a fight, not in the mortal world or any other realm. Hearth already got the sense she was going to be an einherjar no matter what became of her in the world above.

Black trees-Grover told me they were poplars-grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above us it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed. I tried not to imagine they'd fall on us at any moment, but dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass. I guess the dead didn't have to worry about little hazards like being speared by stalactites the size of booster rockets.

Annabeth, Grover, and I tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. I couldn't help looking for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead are hard to look at. Their faces shimmer. They all look slightly angry or confused. They will come up to you and speak, but their voices sound like chatter, like bats twittering. Once they realize you can't understand them, they frown and move away.

The dead aren't scary. They're just sad.

Nico watched Will say that, really seem to mean that, and it surprised him all the more Percy seemed to understand that too. What did it say that most of the campers thought he was creepy, yet a very important person around there didn't?

Thalia was looking a bit forlorn herself, that this was the best she could hope for Luke instead of receiving some punishment from Hades for his actions. She didn't even know if she should want this for him instead.

We crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top.

For a moment Thalia's eyes glazed over again, just a bit, just a hint of still wanting to go back and try again before she mentally smacked herself.

And I saw worse tortures, too, things I don't want to describe.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls-a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking. Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium. Immediately I knew that's where I wanted to go when I died.

"Don't we all," Will said graciously.

Thalia thought she was at least lucky in that regard. While it wasn't part of the guarantee of being a Huntress, you were most assuredly going to get Elysium for doing the goddess's work unless you'd done something outstandingly stupid to earn her wrath.

"Sounds sort of boring," Alex dismissed, this felt no better than eternal nothingness. "Getting a perfect afterlife, everything you could ever want just handed to you. Where's the, drive, where's the goal?! People need motivation to do something or they'll go nuts."

Magnus was watching her avidly, he was pretty sure he could spend eternity watching her do whatever she wanted and never grow bored of it.

"Who said the Isles of the Blest doesn't do that," Nico had an odd sort of smile on his face as he challenged back. "Nobodies ever been there and back to report of course, it's impossible to sneak in, you have to be escorted by Hades himself. Yet I find it hard to believe the ultimate goal of the dead could ever be called bad." He was thinking though, that if other gods existed, it was possible other forms of death did too. Maybe even his dad didn't know for sure what happened out there, but Hades spoke of the place with confidence while watching him...like he pictured him going there one day.*

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said, like she was reading my thoughts. "That's the place for heroes."

But I thought of how few people there were in Elysium, how tiny it was compared to the Fields of Asphodel or even the Fields of Punishment. So few people did good in their lives. It was depressing.

"Most people aren't good or bad, they just don't try," Alex said with an eerily calm look as she twined her garrote around her fingers. "Too wrapped up in their own worlds to make that effort. I suppose, in that way," she trailed off this did seem just.

"Doesn't mean we stop hoping they will," Will insisted, it never hurt to hope for the better, even when disappointment was all you got, the trying had to make it worth it on some level, even Hades's.

We left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colors faded from our clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark batlike creatures: the Furies.

"Darn, I was hoping it was gargoyles," Magnus said.

"They're a good resemblance," Percy agreed.

I got the feeling they were waiting for us.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.

"I'm sure you still have time to make it to Maine and back," Jason snorted.

"We'll be okay." I tried to sound confident.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover suggested. "Like, Elysium, for instance ..."

"Come on, goat boy." Annabeth grabbed his arm.

Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth.

"What the-"

Percy made a wild grab for the book before Thalia snatched the back of his shirt and yanked him back into his seat, but the other four all took the hint and knew not to ask what was going on as Percy narrowed his eyes with confusion, for now. Something was about to happen though, the air in here was starting to feel a little thin...

He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't-"

He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.

No, he didn't, Grover hadn't done this, but something evil was doing this to him. Percy had Riptide in hand and looked prepared to stab Thalia, Will, and whoever else he needed to find out what was being done to his friend.

"Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

I got over being stunned and made a grab for Grover's hand, but too late. He was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled.

We ran after him.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

It was a smart idea, but I guess it's not so easy when your shoes are pulling you along feet-first at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces.

Jason felt like his imagination was in active overdrive as he tried to keep up with the chaos being described, fingers twitching like he had the maddening desire to try it now and see if he could.

We kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he ripped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

I was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades's palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. Annabeth and I had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized we'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

Percy's breaths were coming in short, sharp pants as he wished he could do anything to stop this, the feeling was creeping around him more every moment of where his friend was being dragged to and he couldn't breathe-

"Percy," Thalia gave his shoulder a vigorous shake, "you're sucking all the water out of our air!" She was starting to get a nosebleed!

"Sorry," he gasped, literally, and so did the others as they exhaled in relief and some of them rubbed their throats. It was like he'd been trying to pull Grover to him any way he could, bend him back to his side no matter how ridiculous the thought. If he concentrated though, really hard, he just knew somewhere Grover was alive and okay, though he still had no clue what gave him such an assurance.

Thalia kept her nails dug into his shoulder all the same at the horror of what had almost happened.

"Grover!" I yelled, my voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down.

The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled evil down here. It made me think of things I shouldn't even know about-blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer.

Nico was taking calm, calculated breaths like he was preparing to take that lunge right now. Whatever Kronos had started by awakening had not stopped by his death. There had been zero hope of finding Percy in the Underworld, but he'd looked all the same until he heard the whispers from the dead, mother earth herself was stirring, and he would go down to the deepest parts on display right there to find out what.

"Nico, pay attention!" Will was nudging him persistently, speaking just a tad louder than was necessary. "I'm sorry if you're afraid of heights, but that's not helping!" The guy was turning gray and they would all swear the earth was starting to roll just a bit beneath their feet.

Having two such powerful demigods in such a state of distress was about to literally tear the roof down around them if they didn't hurry up and get away from this chasm!

Then I saw what was ahead of us, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight toward the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at my wrist.

"But that's-"

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him." She was right, of course. Grover's predicament got me moving again.

He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn't look like we could possibly get to him in time.

It took every ounce of self control Percy had not to throw himself forward again, hand extended towards no one here to stop this from happening. He could do this, he could stop this, if he just stabbed his sword into the ground and reached far enough, he wouldn't lose him.

What saved him were his hooves.

Percy laughed. He slumped back in his seat in relief and looked punch drunk like all this water was making him high. Thalia sighed in relief and smacked his shoulder calling him a turnip brain, before Will shushed them both so the rest of them could hear for themselves and get away from this creepy cavern Nico was still far to uneasy hearing about as far as he was concerned.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing on to the big rock and using it like an anchor.

He was ten feet from the edge of the pit when we caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.

"I have never been more afraid of shoes in my life," Jason looked a little faint.

"Did those Aphrodite kids curse them or something?" Alex demanded.

All at once it seemed to hit the five of them who had given Grover those shoes. Percy began looking at Thalia, Nico, and Will so intensely, they could practically feel the water boiling around them.

"The bolt Percy," Thalia forcefully reminded him, "focus on getting out of that place, not going farther in."

He struggled to swallow for a moment as his headache screamed in protest like he was going to split in half. He should let this go before he blacked out from pain, but he couldn't, he was right and they were going to admit it-

"Let it go Percy," Jason coolly stepped in. "We've got enough to deal with when we get to the surface to hash this out." A mole in their midst was certainly a priority of his, and he wasn't even sure he had any loyalties to this camp yet.

He was right though, Percy would have to admit as he backed down. His mom was the priority here, finding that bolt and getting back to Annabeth. The second he let go of the idea, he was already drawing up a blank on what he'd been demanding before anyways. He just knew he wanted out of that cavern.

We all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. Even my backpack seemed heavier, as if somebody had filled it with rocks.

Thalia had her lips pursed up so tight she looked like she was chewing on a lemon, and Nico and Will were fidgeting in the exact same way. Great, now he knew he was missing something! That stupid backpack had nothing to do with those shoes, right?

Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"That was freaking cool if it wasn't so awful for him," Alex muttered.

"I don't know how ..." he panted. "I didn't..."

"Wait," I said. "Listen."

I heard something-a deep whisper in the darkness.

Nico looked least surprised of all, Will felt a cold chill as he watched. There was something so wrong with the calm way he knew of this place, his head tipped slightly to the side as if he were listening for it now. Nico had never been Kronos's spy though, had helped Percy and them fight in the Titan's war, so what his familiarity with this place was greatly disturbed him if it was somehow even worse than that.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place-"

"Shh." I stood.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. "Wh-what's that noise?"

Annabeth heard it too, now. I could see it in her eyes. "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus." I uncapped Anaklusmos.

The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

I could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if ...

"Magic," I said.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

Together, we dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. My legs wouldn't move fast enough. My backpack weighed me down.

"Just drop the dang thing already!" Magnus blurted, he had no more need of it.

He watched all four Greek kids grimace at the suggestion and realized Jason had been right to question it.

They were lucky, or grateful Ares had enchanted him to not do any such thing, Will very much wanted to protest! If Krono had gotten that, he could have resurrected even sooner! Though, it might have saved Luke's life, maybe he would have made the right choice sooner...

Percy kept shifting his weight around like he was trying to readjust the straps, that stupid purple thing was lingering in his mind like it was full of Oreos again and he was being denied a treat, and no way was he crazy for thinking so with the way Thalia would no longer quite meet his eyes.

The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and we broke into a run.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, I lost ground, my feet slipping in the gravel. If we'd been any closer to the edge, we would've been sucked in.

All eight of them shivered at once. It had never left their mind just how close the thin layer of ocean floor could be separating them from this very fate if this was all somehow a trap.

We kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy we'd gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when we'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

Annabeth and I looked at each other. I could tell she was nursing an idea, probably the same one she'd gotten during the taxi ride to L.A., but she was too scared to share it. That was enough to terrify me.

I capped my sword, put the pen back in my pocket. "Let's keep going." I looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway."

"He managed to hit Medusa with a branch with them, it's almost worth the trade," Alex disagreed.

"Now I know what kind of footwear you prefer, the life and death kind," Magnus didn't seem all that surprised.

He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and I were. Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet. It was unspeakably old and powerful. Even Echidna hadn't given me that feeling. I was almost relieved to turn my back on that tunnel and head toward the palace of Hades.

"You guys didn't question this at all?" Magnus whispered in a tiny voice.

"We were focused on the deadline," Percy said with such dread in his stomach, he was beginning to wonder if he'd swallowed that backpack.

Almost.

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Up close, I saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death.

"Did we expect anything else at this point?" Alex said, but a very large part of her did want to see such twisted artwork in person.

Some were from modern times, an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls-but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago. I wondered if I was looking at prophecies that had come true.

"He actually has a bit of premonition power about death," Nico answered, "a sort of, gut feeling, like a ticking noise that steadily grows louder the nearer it draws, that all sound slightly different when something is about to strike and increase his workload," he finished sourly. Boy did he always hear about the paperwork of that.

"All gods have that to some degree," Will added with less cheer than usual. "It's not that they can see the future, except the Fates of course, that's their shtick, but they get this, feeling. A sense like they should grab a raincoat even though there's not a cloud in the sky and it works out for them later in the day when a bucket falls on them."

"This feeling that stretches over millennia, mind you," Thalia nodded.

Alex grimaced with distaste, she had plenty of experience with Loki's uncanny assurances about the future, but the others felt a bit small for the reminder of how the gods could easily view them as pawns in such a widespread cosmos.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden I'd ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues- petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs-all smiling grotesquely.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

I understood why she wanted to move on. The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. I had a sudden desire to eat them, but then I remembered the story of Persephone. One bite of Underworld food, and we would never be able to leave. I pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one.

Nico sighed with distaste, it was a particularly popular story for cabin four to hiss at him during meals. You'd think the guy who got regularly turned into a plant by their mother and his own stepmom would get some kind of pass from them!

We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades.

"And house is putting it mildly," Percy told them.

"Not an adventure I envy," Jason shuddered.

The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. I guess they never had to worry about rain down here.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered us, but their hollow eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"That sounds like the coolest haunted house in the universe though," Alex said with just a touch of longing.

"Only if you acknowledge there's no exit," Magnus swiftly reminded.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

"And here I thought the Bible Thumpers would be lining the block to get in there," Will snorted.

My backpack weighed a ton now. I couldn't figure out why. I wanted to open it, check to see if I had somehow picked up a stray bowling ball, but this wasn't the time.

"Well, guys," I said. "I suppose we should ... knock?"

"At that point it's just redundant," Thalia rolled her eyes, "you've already snuck into his kingdom, might as well barge into his home." She was mostly being sarcastic, but it didn't feel like there was a right answer to that either.

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.

The room inside looked just like in my dream, except this time the throne of Hades was occupied.

He was the third god I'd met, but the first who really struck me as godlike.

Nico straightened up in surprise, but he wasn't really going to get his hopes up Percy had anything decent to say about his dad, nobody had before.

He was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold.

His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

Will sounded as if he meant every one of those powerful words.

Apollo had come to visit him in his dreams sporadically and he'd only seen his dad in person twice as a happy go lucky teenager. The last time he'd been to camp he hadn't even popped in to say hi, though admittedly his sister had been missing at the time, they'd all quietly wondered to each other that summer why he'd never instigated a quest out of any of them, nor had he gone out of his way to ever show them around Olympus when they got the chance to visit there. He came across more as a 'cool' parent who just blessed them with amazing gifts when he remembered they existed.

He glanced curiously at Nico, and now actually felt a little jealous of how common place this environment was to him. How much time did Hades spend with him?

I immediately felt like he should be giving the orders. He knew more than I did. He should be my master.

"I think the wine dude is still my favorite," Alex said with a scrunched up face. "I'll take trailer-park cherub over any auras these other two give off."

"Please don't ever say that to him, I am begging you," Will said with even more fear than seconds ago, which appropriately made the reading sound even worse now.

Nico managed to laugh of all things, taking that in stride as he imagined Will eating this book before Dionysus could get his hands on it instead.

Then I told myself to snap out of it.

"Which I'm only semi-confident you can do at this rate," Jason frowned, considering how rude he'd been to Mars. Pluto at least was coming across exactly how he would have expected.

Hades's aura was affecting me, just as Ares's had. The Lord of the Dead resembled pictures I'd seen of Adolph Hitler, or Napoleon, or the terrorist leaders who direct suicide bombers. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

'It's amazing how thin that line is,' Hearth uneasily agreed. He'd never wanted to hear depictions of Hela, let alone her male Greek counterpart.

Numbness crept into my joints, tempting me to lie down and just take a little nap at Hades's feet. Curl up here and sleep forever.

I fought the feeling and stepped forward. I knew what I had to say. "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades's underwear?

And then the tension was broken by nearly hysterical laughter by them all. Thalia tried choking something together about child molesters and rapists but the answer wasn't very clear, while Alex said loud and proud, "you make me wish I had ADHD for these thoughts!"

"At least now you acknowledge I have them," Percy grinned indulgently, glad it was all fun and games for them when his voice had been squeaking like a mouse in front of someone who could wave his hand and turn him into one any second.

"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Nico bore a very striking resemblance of that unimpressed look now, Percy absently noticed, as he grumbled inaudibly he'd been going about making him laugh all wrong. Man that guy was weird.

I swallowed. This was going about as well as I'd feared.

I glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. I wished Queen Persephone were here. I recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the planet, create the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded me in the back.

"Lord Hades," I said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully.

"Grover the unsung hero of this quest," Magnus snorted.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," I said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

I glanced back at my friends. They looked as confused as I was.

"Um ... Uncle," I said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

"At this rate what haven't you done," Alex threw her hands up in exasperation this pantheon seemed no better than her own. "Shoot JFK? Started World War 2!"

"Can't say I'm looking forward to finding out," Percy groaned.

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization.

'That is a lot of dead bodies,' Hearth's mind boggled at the madness.

'And those were just the ones he summoned,' Magnus reminded, his mind on all the dead who had ever passed his domain, Genghis Khan's ruling alone must have been a mass import.

They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

I wanted to say, Well, these guys don't look like peace activists. But I thought that might be a dangerous answer.

"You get a gold star for that restraint alone," Thalia promised.

"You are the Lord of the Dead," I said carefully. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Oh, here we go," Nico couldn't stop the little sigh of defeat, but he did it quietly just for Will. He knew this speech so well he could have said it with him.

Will had to really concentrate all of a sudden on the book, and not the fact he shouldn't be able to feel the warmth of his breath down here.

"Well..."

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

Magnus opened his mouth with that curiosity of his again, but Nico gave him a small shake of the head silently hoping he wouldn't persist. He didn't, to Nico's relief, who for once would have felt guilty for not answering, and yet that kind of knowledge was really pushing the limits of what he should and shouldn't know of this place.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll now.

"More security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," I blurted,

"I take my gold star back!" Thalia whacked him hard enough to make him see stars.

Percy couldn't even be mad as he rubbed the spot, he already wished he hadn't let that one slip too.

just remembering the fact. As soon as I said it, I wished I could sew up my mouth.

"I will help," Alex promised.

"Maybe later," Percy sighed, though he hadn't ruled it out yet.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"That was fascinating," Jason looked like he regretted not having a pen and paper to jot all that down. "Did none of the other gods take that into consideration? It's like Zeus wanting more car factories to exist."

"We certainly didn't think of it that way," Will agreed regretfully, "and Hades has no, ah, ambassador to speak for him, nor is he welcomed on Mount Olympus to ask, so, yeah, sounds like a recipe for disaster in hindsight." He'd thought Nico would take up the role, but he'd have to be a camper longer than two weeks to manage it!

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"Great, can he explain it to me?" Percy sighed.

"How have we not all died yet from these three?" Alex looked plenty disturbed these idiots apparently thought their two brothers were out to deceive them at the drop of a hat.

Nobody answered her, which wasn't exactly encouraging.

"His plan?"

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, you took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

Hearth was starting to get a headache trying to keep in line all these different fabrics the gods were weaving over this one lie in the first place. How was it even possible to hide away a demigod child if monsters could so casually smell him, wouldn't the gods have known when he was born? The same deity who had foreknowledge of plagues and natural disasters couldn't pick up on the fact Percy had no idea about any of this? Immortal clearly didn't mean all-knowing like Odin.

"But ..." Annabeth spoke. I could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero, coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"Percy has literally not said a word about any of that," Jason said dubiously, "he's been weirdly polite to this god during his rude rant."

"You try telling him that," Percy waved at Jason with such agreement he blasted a current of water that splashed his face. He spat out the ocean from his mouth and asked himself how long he'd have to put up with these Greek kids nonsense.

"No!" I said. "Poseidon didn't-I didn't-"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But-"

Magnus was going back in his head and ticking up all of the interruptions, and only the first on the bus had most definitely been Hades. After that it was Medusa and Procrustes by accident, Zeus had sent Echidna, and Ares had helped them the rest of the way there. It did seem that if this guy had wanted to impede their progress, he might have been trying harder. Hell, they'd walked right through his front door!

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson, your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

"Was that a threat or a compliment for your brass?" Alex asked.

"I could not tell you, gods do I hope we don't find out," Percy groaned.

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

At that point, I probably should have been terrified. The strange thing was, I felt offended. Nothing gets me angrier than being accused of something I didn't do. I've had a lot of experience with that.

Percy's defiance in the face of the gods didn't surprise anyone this time. This quest had been nothing but infuriating from the start, everyone pointing the finger at everyone else and even this twelve year old made the gods seem like a bunch of children arguing over a toy.

"You're as bad as Zeus," I said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you, I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?"

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could you threaten me!"

"But I didn't!"

"Open your pack, then."

A horrible feeling struck me. The weight in my backpack, like a bowling ball. It couldn't be...

I slung it off my shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"I don't understand," Percy looked very much like he didn't understand his own words coming out of his mouth. "Did the pit put that in there! It wasn't there until, but-"

"I know Percy," Thalia sighed, "this is a really multilayered crap sandwich. It took Annabeth ages to explain it all to me, and with not nearly so much detail as this."

Will was glancing anxiously from Percy, to Nico, to the surface to get this over with already and kept reading loudly before he could ask anymore leading questions he wasn't ready for.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How-"

"I-I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish,

Nico felt his heart shrivel up, did his dad think that of him too? Hades only tolerated him most days, had a rare conversation on a good day, and ignored his presence the rest of the time while roving in the Underworld. He didn't consider himself a very prideful person, but he'd never been officially claimed either, so he didn't feel he had anything to be proud of.

thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now ... my helm. Where is it?"

I was speechless. I had no helm. I had no idea how the master bolt had gotten into my backpack. I wanted to think Hades was pulling some kind of trick. Hades was the bad guy. But suddenly the world turned sideways. I realized I'd been played with. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had been set at each other's throats by someone else. The master bolt had been in the backpack, and I'd gotten the backpack from ...

"There's that sort of truth," Alex narrowed her mismatched eyes with distaste, and the look seemed all the more striking for it.

"There's no way Ares was the one who orchestrated all this," yet Magnus would believe it at this point. Would the war god ever have a reason for not wanting to start one out of boredom? He'd admitted himself he'd put this idea in Poseidon's head, but, "he can't take their godly items."

"He's had help," Jason agreed, those shoes still bothering his mind greatly, but what motive would a child of Mercury have for helping him? Luke could be being framed for that bad gift just like Percy had been. None of this explained that grotesque pit's involvement either.

Thalia made a hissing noise and was slashing across her throat to shut them all up before Hearth could get his hands moving. It was heartening to see them piecing this together, but bad for her friend who had his eyes closed and fingers drilling into his forehead to alleviate the pain.

"Lord Hades, wait," I said. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at me eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come, I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me, and there was my mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

Percy reached his hand out again; he was twelve years old standing on the rain soaked hill of Camp-Half Blood where Thalia and his mother had made a sacrifice that had paid off, he was at the edge of that pit willing to throw himself over the edge to pull Grover back. He would burn Hades's palace to the ground jewel by jewel to get her back.

...and yet...

I couldn't speak. I reached out to touch her, but the light was as hot as a bonfire.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

I thought about the pearls in my pocket. Maybe they could get me out of this. If I could just get my mom free ...

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, and my blood froze. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

My hand moved against my will and brought out the pearls.

"Only three," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

I looked at Annabeth and Grover. Their faces were grim.

"We were tricked," I told them. "Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit-"

"I don't know yet," I said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy." Grover put his hand on my shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt-"

"I know that."

"Leave me here," he said. "Use the third pearl on your mom."

"No!"

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You two go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."

"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth said.

"Stop it, both of you!" I felt like my heart was being ripped in two. They had both been with me through so much. I remembered Grover dive-bombing Medusa in the statue garden, and Annabeth saving us from Cerberus; we'd survived Hephaestus's Waterland ride, the St. Louis Arch, the Lotus Casino. I had spent thousands of miles worried that I'd be betrayed by a friend, but these friends would never do that.

They had done nothing but save me, over and over, and now they wanted to sacrifice their lives for my mom.

"I know what to do," I said. "Take these."

I handed them each a pearl.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy ..."

I turned and faced my mother. I desperately wanted to sacrifice myself and use the last pearl on her, but I knew what she would say. She would never allow it. I had to get the bolt back to Olympus and tell Zeus the truth. I had to stop the war. She would never forgive me if I saved her instead. I thought about the prophecy made at Half-Blood Hill, what seemed like a million years ago. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.

Percy's breath shook loose with such sorrow, the powerful wave it sent through the realm probably had surfer's owing him a prayer of thanks. Thalia had promised him this was inevitable, the line that comforted and tormented him in equal measure all condensed into this one moment. He had done the right thing, his mother would be proud of him, even if he never got to see her again. It did not feel like a sacrifice he could ever make, and yet it had stopped the world from falling into doom.**

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

Magnus couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd come on this quest for her and nothing else, and now with the moment at his grasp, all he had to do was offer the bolt to have her back, or even throw the pearl for her and leave himself behind. He wasn't so sure he could have done the same in this moment what Percy had done.

The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, "Godling ... ?"

"I'll find your helm, Uncle," I told him. "I'll return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise."

"Do not defy me-"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Those are the best parting words I have heard in my life," Alex said in admiration. "You could write speeches."

"You are the only person who would give me that power," Percy said with a reluctant, halfhearted grin. The only thing stopping him from curling up in a ball and crying about never seeing her again was the confidence he would find that way. He would see her again.

"Percy Jackson, you will not-"

I shouted, "Now, guys!"

We smashed the pearls at our feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at my feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. I was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground.

Annabeth and Grover were right behind me. Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as we floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and I knew it was not going to be a peaceful night in L.A.

"Look up.'" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"

Sure enough, we were racing right toward the stalactites, which I figured would pop our bubbles and skewer us.

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" I shouted back.

We screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and ... Darkness.

Were we dead?

No, I could still feel the racing sensation. We were going up, right through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water. That was the power of the pearls, I realized; What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.

"Thank you father," Percy said instantly aloud this time. They all heard it, felt it as the cold depths of the ocean parted for a moment for the message to pass unimpeded. The Olympian Gods, in their narrow minded fields, still existed because of their toying, tangling relationship with humanity. Not always good, not always bad, it just existed same as the shark and the seal.

For a few moments, I couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of my sphere, then my pearl broke through on the ocean floor.

"A shame, some archeologist and geologist would kill to get a look at some of those layers in the earths crust," Alex smirked.

"I'll have Poseidon send them a Christmas card if I'm ever allowed back in LA," Percy chuckled.

"Now I'm just grateful they didn't catch sight of any buried bodies and any amount of things under the surface," Jason frowned at her.

The two other milky spheres, Annabeth and Grover, kept pace with me as we soared upward through the water. And- ker-blam!

We exploded on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

I grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a life buoy. I caught Annabeth and dragged her over too. A curious shark was circling us, a great white about eleven feet long.

I said, "Beat it."

The shark turned and raced away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from us as fast as he could.

"I think that's karma on some level, you might have saved his life," Thalia said saintly.

"Now who's giving out crappy PSA's," Percy rolled his eyes.

Somehow, I knew what time it was: early morning, June 21, the day of the summer solstice.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city.

There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades's fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after me right now.

Nico was staring at the floor with a touch of fascination, he'd never equated his gift to Percy's as shaking the very earth! The idea fumbled in his mind though, not quite flying high enough to make his mind race off and hope one day Percy would realize the same. It just stayed there, level, as an interesting comparison rather than being a good or bad one, which left him feeling more flummoxed than if he had just tried to shove his crush back down.

"That is the coolest thing I never wanted to imagine," Will smiled casually, and he had seen the end results of those hordes bursting out in New York.

"It's something alright," Nico casually agree, staring at his fingernails oddly.

But at the moment, the Underworld wasn't my biggest problem.

"You know it's a big thing when every supernatural thing under the earth isn't your biggest problem!" Jason nodded.

I had to get to shore. I had to get Zeus's thunderbolt back to Olympus.

'I will take a moment to pause and be grateful he didn't zap the whole ocean with that thing,' Hearth frowned.

'Magic!' Magnus mocked back with a laugh, which only made his friend smile in delight.

Most of all, I had to have a serious conversation with the god who'd tricked me.

Alex's eyes sparked with particular interest as Jason took the book. Ares was no Loki, but she could not wait to hear this godling give that jerk a piece of his mind!

Jason looked like he was being handed a live bomb and was tempted to let somebody else read the appalling idea this idiot was about to challenge a god!

PJOPJOPJO

*I do imagine all the worlds overlap in a sense, so Isles of the Blest is quite possibly Hotel Valhalla in some aspect. Regardless, I've seen The Good Place one to many times not to nitpick at this anymore, and being atheist means I simply think people just poof, vanish, and that's more comforting to me than eternal anything.

**Considering Percy's fatal flaw is told to be that he would sacrifice the world for his loved ones, I find it hard to believe he allowed it this first time without putting up more of a fight. Don't get me wrong, he made the right choice taking his mother's want into account, it's commendable, but still. It comes true in the third by what he does for Annabeth and all following books he risks the world for her, but it does rub me the wrong way his romantic love seems to outrank his familiar love in the definition here.

I personally think his fatal flaw is more clearly defined as impulsiveness like his half brother Theseus, he doesn't think far enough ahead and choses in the moment what's most important. Like all children of Poseidon, his erraticness would be his undoing; his short term solutions having long reaching problems due to their ever shifting ways. Adaptable, but problematic.

He chose this quest to go save his mother, not to stop the war, that's just what he correctly chose in the end, he over came his fatal flaw, but it's still what almost came to his death before he corrected thanks to his mother and friends willing to do the same for him in that moment.

This of course is in reverse of Jason, who's fatal flaw is most definitely to much deliberation, and I adore they balance each other out! I've yet gotten to it but they are going to be besties by the end!

Will, on the other hand, absolutely deserves the title of sacrificing the world for a passing stranger. He's too sweet for his own good and needs Nico's to balance him out, which we all know is holding a grudge too much.

Alex and Annabeth have the same in my mind, Pride, they're too confident they can do anything better than anyone else.

Magnus and Hearth's could arguably be the same, self-doubt.

I've yet picked a clear winner for Thalia, and it's good enough for me not everyone needs a fatal flaw, but I'm looking forward to exploring this and more as the series goes on.

#percy jackson #pjo #percabeth #Nico di Angelo #Will solace #solangleo #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #Magnus Chase #Alex Fierro #fierrochase #big three kids #reading the books #fanfiction #Hearthstone

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mikaharuka · 1 year

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Find the Word Tag Game!

So this tag game looped its way back to me, as I figured it would. It *is* just 2x form this time, as I was tagged by @alpaca-clouds and @oceangirl24 for this game a couple days ago.

You know how this goes - each of them gave me 5 words (10 total) to find. In turn, I pass on 5 words for the next set of players to find... but since I got tagged twice, I'll leave 10 words and you can choose 5 from them (or go for more, like some people love to do!). Like last time, I'm picking the 10 words to pass on from my Prithvi draft just because I feel like it and should be writing that now...

With that said... I'll tag @alpaca-clouds right back, along with @mrsmungus, and @tsunderewatermelon, since those three really like this game. I'll also leave an open tag for anyone else interested!

Words for me - Hard, Fall, Pain, Nail, Low, Fire, Boom, Explosion, Damp, Fizzle

Words for you - familiar, lantern, seize, impossible, forest, abandon, elegant, steam, sacrifice, trace

As usual, I'm pulling from Apricity and the Prithvi chapter draft. General warning for M-rated stuff, but that's nothing new.

Hard - [Prithvi - Mahabhuta Ch 1 draft]

He’d also tried pressing his fingertips against his palms again, as he had before, but his hands kept hitting hard surfaces. Recalling the effect he’d seen the first time he tried, he cleared his mind and thought only about how this was a dream - and only then, after at least ten or so attempts, did his finger pass through his palm.

Fall - [Cerise Blossom - Apricity Ch 6]

Sounding more confident than he felt, Beau turned around and was about to walk away when he slipped and suddenly he was falling - something he was all too familiar with even when he was healthy. Right when he thought he’d hit the floor, strong arms wrapped themselves around him and cool hands pressed him back against a hard, muscular chest.

Pain - [Azure Mystique - Apricity Ch 11]

Several moments passed like that until an unpleasant vertigo took over him. Though Beau wanted to remain where he was, beneath the simultaneously painful and pleasurable torrent, he mustered the last fragments of his willpower and turned his head away, just as the last of his breath was about to slip away from him.

Nail - [Midnight Freefall - Apricity Ch 14]

His complexion was pale, as expected, though the moonlight further accentuated that eerie tone. He had no visible injuries… but there were a couple of black marks peeking out from beneath his shirt - around his neck and his forearms alike. His fingernails were a bit sharp, and his fangs likely were too, though Mike couldn’t see them. Well, even if they weren’t visible at the moment, there were there and dangerous. And yet… the doctor made no move against him. He was an active threat - the phantom chill made that much clear, but if the chill only showed up when Mike was in acute danger, then why wasn’t he feeling that chill constantly, all over him? Did the doctor really not intend to attack him, unless Mike acted against the cold? If so, then what did the doctor even want? Why was he even there in the first place?

Low - [Prithvi - Mahabhuta Ch 1 draft]

The gentle winds, the hollow bark, the dried leaves. The waves in the distance, the low buzz of the glade. The observant, silent creatures, keeping their distance. The scarlet-tinted cedar tree, the six siblings in a circle. The azure-tinged moonlight, the man beneath the tree.

Fire - [Azure Mystique - Apricity Ch 11]

The mere idea only added more fuel into the fire already building deep within him, simmering beneath his skin despite the cooler night air. When a stronger breeze grazed roughly against his heated skin, Beau gasped at the sensation and the man immediately closed the gap, drawing him in and crushing their lips together. The older man surrounded him again, leaving Beau to close his eyes and sink into the embrace.

Boom** - [Midnight Freefall - Apricity Ch 14] **I couldn't find this one, so I opted for 'blast' instead.

But seriously, what on earth was Mike supposed to do? How the hell was he supposed to figure out what was going on, if he couldn’t even turn his head to… …look away. No wonder that glacial blast hit him! How the fuck could he be so careless? Of course looking away from the goddamn predator standing right in front of him was terrible idea. Hell, even the chill from earlier made perfect sense too! Mike had seen enough nature documentaries to know that predatorial animals had this instinct around prey that attempted to flee… which was exactly what he was. Wonderful.

Explosion** - [Sangria Totality - Apricity Ch 13] **I couldn't find this one either, so I opted for 'burst' instead.

Mike could barely keep up with Mina’s rapid movements, relying heavily on the random bursts and spikes of energy he sensed within the sapphire tint rather than the barely there blur before his eyes to track her location. He could also sense the creatures that slipped past the barrier to follow them. However, Mina apparently foresaw this, led them into another secluded alleyway, and secured their positions before leaping right into action.

Damp - [Prithvi - Mahabhuta Ch 1, draft]

Figuring it best to not get the sheer red fabric he’d eventually have to wear any more damp than it already was, he set it aside and looked over the boxes next to them. They were all on the smaller end and had the same cool-toned color scheme that was mirrored all over the shrine. Probably for accessories, but he decided to open a few to check. The first several boxes he opened contained jewelry - a circlet, hair clips, bracelets, and a necklace with a pendant - all in a similar style. They were all made of this metal… too warm toned to be silver or steel, but also too cool-toned to be gold. Perhaps it was made of both? Mirroring the color scheme all throughout the shrine, the pieces were interlaid in these intricate diamond-shaped patterns and pendants, with glittering gems and bold-toned minerals in varying shades of blue-green and indigo. The pieces were beautiful… but he was a stranger and whatever was going to happen clearly wasn’t a traditional wedding. So why? Why give him these accessories?

Fizzle** - [Midnight Freefall - Apricity Ch 14] **Three words now, that I couldn't find! I opted for 'collapse' instead.

Well, this was awkward. What the hell was Mike supposed to say next? He was barely keeping up with the sudden changes and was already looking forward to collapsing onto a comfy bed. However, it didn’t seem like the best idea to leave quite yet, despite the lack of phantom cold sensations. Hmm… maybe he should ask the doctor if- “How should I address you? Edward uses Mike, but Rosalie calls you Michael.” “Either is fine. Most people use Mike, but my parents and Rose call me Michael.” “Very well, Michael.” Figures the vampire would go for his full name.

#my excerpts #find the word tag #my tag games #tag game #mizuka's tag games #winter light excerpts #my writing

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powdermelonkeg · 3 years

Text

So, BO2W Breakdown

Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one.

Here we’ve got Ganon’s...energy taking over Link’s arm. Ordinarily, I’d call it Malice, but based on what it turns into, I’m just going to be calling it corruption. We don’t get much information from this scene besides this expression:

Link’s grabbing the corruption with his other hand, and wincing. It looks painful. I personally think it’s for cinematic effect that it was included, but it COULD be a gateway into a Phantom Hourglass sort of mechanic--Link has to function on a time limit, or using the corruption’s power could drain his life.

Next we’ve got a closeup of Ganondorf. F in chat to the rehydration theorists.

And the closeups of his jewelry. The only significant thing I can see is his necklace, which looks like a cross between the Gerudo symbol and a Fleur de Lis:

But what I’M most interested in is this tie on his belt:

For one, it’s WAY bigger than it needs to be, and that’s deliberate. Ganondorf’s got a jewelry aesthetic he’s already hit above; everything else is gold, why not this bit?

Most importantly, you can barely make it out, but the designs either look Sheikah or Zonai--they’ve got that same kind of swirly busy pattern to them. The red tint and tan-ish lines in it makes me think it’s possessed Sheikah tech.

Next, we’re shown Zelda falling. This looks like it happens right after these two caps from the first trailer:

So we reach for her as the ground collapses, and evidently, we fail to pull her back up. So my next question for that scene is going to be what the in-game reason is for us not diving in right after her. Maybe we won’t get one, since the appeal of the original BOTW was that you could fight Ganon whenever you wanted.

Up next, we’ve got a skydiving shot:

The first thing to notice is that Link’s pose while skydiving is just about identical to his pose in Skyward Sword:

Second is that, yes, he’s falling towards a floating island, and that in itself is noteworthy, but he’s FALLING. There’s something either above him that he jumped off of, or a force that carried him high enough TO fall, and I doubt Nintendo’s encouraging magnesis flying.

So, there’s a few options: Loftwings making a return (which is unlikely, but a hope I have), something like Revali’s Gale boosting Link up for a cinematic shot, indicating that the corruption arm has that kind of power, or islands higher than the one shown here.

Now the island itself:

In Skyward Sword, Skyloft looks like this:

And (spoiler alert) we loose this island here over the course of the game:

Now, it’s not a PERFECT 1:1 match, as most things between games aren’t, but a quick rotate and overlay shows it’s got the same kinds of shapes between the two. The same “W” shape along the eastern side, the same tiny island off the northeast point, the same relative edges.

Now, I don’t know what happened to the plaza at South Skyloft, or the Knight’s Academy isle, but it could very easily be drift away from the central island.

The presence of other islands through the clouds seems to support that theory. Now let’s look at Link here:

The outfit is new. We haven’t, to my knowledge, seen one of this design in other games. My gut reaction to this image was “oh, we go back in time and we’re the first hero now!” because it’s vaguely reminiscent of Tapestry Hero.

But upon closer inspection, that theory’s null and void. Under Link’s tunic in the image above, you can see that he’s still wearing the shorts he woke up in in the first game. So either Sheikah boxers haven’t changed in 10,000 years, or it’s taking place in present day. Jokes aside, I’m curious to know if the outfit he’s wearing is modeled after Tapestry Hero.

Next thing to point out is the obvious:

Link’s arm here looks less prosthetic and more...withered, I almost want to say. The corruption here’s made his hand look frailer, and armored them up with Zonai patterns before it fades out at his shoulder. Based on how the tattoos look, I think they’re an artifact of the corruption taking hold.

Also, the belt here:

Aesthetic purposes, or specific function? The presence of the second, smaller one on the side reminds me of Skyward Sword’s adventure pouch, which could be how the new game handles inventory size:

Next we’ve got another flying shot:

It seems like he’s flying towards Ruined Skyloft, and you can see the bottoms of islands above it, possibly meaning that the sky serves as more than just a hub world like it did in Skyward.

Now let’s look at the paraglider he’s using. It’s new.

This is how the paraglider looks in the original BOTW. It looks like we still have the Rito symbol in the center, but other than that, there’s a LOT of changes here.

First off is the color. We’re now blue and gold. The shade of blue makes me think of the Kochi Dye Shop’s navy blue:

So, possibly a dyeable paraglider?

The new pattern surrounding the Rito symbol makes me think that it’s combining the paraglider with Skyward Sword’s sailcloth:

Other than that, there isn’t much else to say about the paraglider besides the handles looking like they’re made of bone. Craftable paragliders? God, I hope not.

Back to Link:

Here we have him in different gear than the last shot. He’s wearing the snow boots, he has a shield with a stylized Eye of Truth looking upwards, and he looks like he’s carrying a traveler’s sword and an unknown bow. The presence of the bow makes me think that the shield here is a lower tier item, rather than this game’s Hylian Shield equivalent.

Now, let’s get a better look at the horizon:

The trees here look a lot like the smaller trees you can find in Akkala, but there’s a distinct lack of red among them.

Then it looks like we’ve got some ruins at the furthest isle.

Whatever the rock formations are over there, they don’t LOOK natural.

Another thing I noticed is the bottoms of the islands.

These look a little too geometric to be natural, too. Now, this one, I’m a little muddy on, because it COULD be a stylistic choice. But it also reminds me of the Shrines if you clip out of bounds:

And a little bit of the dormant Gate of Time from Skyward:

My money’s on the cube-like nature of the islands’ undersides being deliberate, rather than just a far-off render.

And then there’s this thing!

What is it? It doesn’t look broken at all; look how nicely the roof(?) is kept. The ribbing on the sides makes me think it might be a Zonai thing, but the shape makes it difficult to figure out. A giant temple? An airship? A sloped coliseum? This thing haunts and vexes me.

Our next shot is presumably from one of the islands, based on the color. Here we can see that there are definitely ruins all over the place. Link is in the same gear as before, so I won’t touch on him.

This, however, has my interest. The design here has more geometric patterns--Zonai ruins?

We’ve got another one off in the distance here. Sky checkpoints, like Sheikah towers?

Now this guy here. There’s a LOT to look at. First off is the eye design, it’s the same sort of upward looking one that Link has on his shield in the previous shots.

The energy that’s pulling this thing towards its base looks like the same green energy that surrounds the arm holding Gan in place in Trailer One:

This stuff. That, plus the fact that the robot has to be pulled into its base rather than just existing, implies that either A: Link activates it himself, like a trial thing, or B: that the green energy here functions in the same way Malice does in the original BOTW.

This pattern at its base is intriguing, too. I don’t recognize the gold symbol in the center, but the green around it reminds me of the portals from Twilight Princess.

Which, yes, everyone’s already said that the Twilight Princess patterns look like Zonai things. But another thing this weird dial thing reminds me of is from Lanayru Desert:

On top of that, the color palette of this guy looks like that of the Lanayru Robots from Skyward:

BO2W robot on the left, Lanayru robot on the right. Given that Skyward is a lot more vibrant than other non-Toon Zelda games, I think this is a fair enough comparison to draw similarities from.

And then we get a closer view of the sky ruins from the last shot. I don’t know if the geometric pattern in the corner is a deliberate carving, or wear from time, but since the pattern looks ALMOST mirrored around the corner, I’m going to go with the former.

A better shot a few frames later. The robot has HANDS, which I do not like in any way shape or form. However, we get a better look at the sky ruins.

We haven’t seen this style of stairs before, to my knowledge. The pedestal out front looks like a light source, and it has the same floral egg thing the robot above has on each shoulder; the eggs could easily be a power source for Zonai tech. And at the top of the stairs, we see a pedestal, backing up the theory that these ruins function as our new Sheikah towers.

This is our next shot. Which...

Unikoblins. Can we talk about that? UNIKOBLINS.

Anyways, Link is here again in his old clothes. This is a very early game shot, because his right arm isn’t corrupted yet; this means we get to explore Hyrule before we embark on the main quest. Which gives rise to a question: Where’s Zelda?

The hopeful side of me wants to say that she’s a tutorial companion, like Navi or Tatl, at least for the beginning here. The pessimistic side of me thinks that she’s waiting for us at a predetermined location, and this is just part of getting to her.

Now the unikoblin structure itself is built on a Talus, meaning that the dev team at least intends to have more inter-monster interactions. But if you kill the Talus, does that mean that the base falls apart, or does it just drop down as a separate entity?

Also, what are these background ruins? The one on the left looks like it’s a distinctly different style than the one on the right. It looks almost like a giant guardian arm.

Our next shot is Link’s arm getting corrupted. Which, first of all, the effects look beautiful.

Now, we can see a corner of Link’s hip here, and we know that this is his right arm. So Link’s lying down here. Unconscious? Knowing how Zelda games like to start with Link waking up, probably. Although it looks like at least part of his shorts got an update.

We can see what looks like circuits here. It looks a bit like the electricity puzzles you can find in the Divine Beasts and Shrines in the original.

Then we’ve got these strange symbols.

Whatever this circular stone he’s lying on is, it looks a lot like the Zonai puzzle from the “A Fragmented Monument” sidequest.

This one that everyone thought was the Mirror of Twilight for years.

Our next shot is Link using the corruption powers against enemies:

The spike ball itself looks solid; the question is, is this a duplication power, or a visualization of how the spike ball is set into motion?

We see it barreling over a poor Unikoblin or two, but I’d like to turn your attention to the Moblin and the background.

The moblins here have helmets, and the bases, while they carry the same design, look like they have more cause and effect in mind. The left base’s rock, for instance; that’s a lot bigger than the rocks we got to play with in the last game, and it looks like we can barrel anything in the screen over with it.

The helmet, though, concerns me a little bit. It looks natural rather than forged; like it’s the moblin’s horn, just very much deformed. Does it mean a harder enemy, or is it just for flavor?

Our next shot is this strange flower thing. Note that Link’s right arm is perfectly fine in this shot, meaning that it’s still early game.

This is what Link’s flamethrower looks like. And this:

Is Zonai art.

So the question is, what IS the flamethrower? My first thought was that it’s either a new item in its own, or it’s a Sheikah Slate upgrade. The latter might sound a little far fetched, but Link in this game is right-handed, and in BOTW, he always held the slate in his LEFT hand when using it.

We have more of the weird faded designs that we saw on the Sky ruins:

And we’ve got some kind of pedestal or stage behind the ground flower thing:

It looks like it’s either an altar or a grave, from what I can tell. The stairs aren’t the same design as the ones in the sky, and there aren’t any patterns on it.

More importantly, though, is that this place is underground. This could be a part of the game you’re required to go through, in order to get to Raisin Gan.

A few seconds later, though, we get our answer to what the flamethrower is!

It’s a shield!

Off to the left side, we can see pillars with more weird scribblings towards the top. These match the Sky ruins’ pillar shape, with a narrow base and a wider top.

Our next scene is...weird.

We see a puddle splash in reverse. It’s hard to tell if it’s actually water or not, but the design on the ground implies that it’s either been there for a long time, or that that’s a dedicated splash spot. And the quality and zoom makes me think that this is part of a cutscene. Return of the timeshift stones?

We then see Link...surfacing out of the island? I don’t know how else to describe it. However, his arm is changed again, and glowing, meaning that this is a corruption power. And the “water” he rises out of here looks a lot like the puddle in the last clip.

We get a good look at the Zonai Lights:

A Sky ruin that looks like it contains a room:

And a glimpse of other isles’ ruins in the far distance.

And then as the camera zooms out...

We can place a location!

We’re right over Thundra Plateau!

We also get a mildly better look at the back wall of the sky ruin, which looks to be some kind of table:

The next scene is Hyrule Castle:

The ground shakes and it starts to rise up. However, notice that the columns surrounding the castle are now missing.

We’ve also got red sparks in the air, like we would have in a blood moon. However, due to the sky color, we can assume that this is a conscious decision by Gan himself, and that he isn’t drawing power from his surroundings.

We then see that power bleeding out of the ground. It’s MUCH more red than Malice is, which has always been a kind of burnt pink-ish color.

However, even though Ganon lifts the castle up, he doesn’t lift it very high.

The castle’s about triple the height it was. But since we’re talking Skyloft levels of floating islands, this is still pretty ground-level. What’s interesting to me, though, is that in this shot, despite the game now being about sky islands that we should be able to see from ground level...there aren’t any here. This, to me, means that there’s going to be a sudden appearance of the isles in the sky, rather than them simply being accessible now.

And that’s the whole trailer! I have many questions.

My blog! If you have any opnions/questions/theories, feel free to drop an ask!

Part 2 is up! We missed a lot!

#botw #botw2 #bo2w #the breath just got wilder #breakdown #analysis #e3 #trailer #theory #zelda #loz #nintendo

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hwajin · 2 years

Note

spring + picnic date in a field on flowers + felix (but like it turns into more than just a innocent date 😳 ++ softdom!felix)

also a request from back in august bro LMAO but here ya go

𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐱 ; 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐧𝐢𝐜 ; 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 ; 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦

the only thing your ears could make out in the chilly noon were chirpings of birds, hiding in the trees and making their way through the air, painting tiny black dots onto the clouded blue sky. it was especially warm today, allowing you to wear a long spring dress that laid smooth against the skin of your thighs, and you took the freedom to take off your sandals before making yourself comfortable on the big picnic blanket felix and you have brought to the lake. the slightly moist grass tickled your toes, and the warm breeze felt refreshing against you. you dreamt of staying here forever.

yet a touch, which didn't seem quite to fit into the innocent ambience, disturbed you out of your calmness. your lover's hand was on your figure, his small fingertips dancing across the fabric of your dress - which he wasn't short on complimenting beforehand - and your eyes opened to lock with his own. you weren't slow on noticing his smug smile, some other would call it a smirk, and you chuckled at him, and the feeling of his wandering movements. the warm touch went from your tummy, where he originally placed his hand, towards your waist, all the way to your hips where they rested for a moment while squeezing at the softness, caressing your body. you closed your eyes again, smiling to yourself as you enjoyed the loving antics of your boyfriend, until his hand went farther south, and his breath, hot and close, touched your neck. your figure as of froze, the sudden tension - and in public - catching you more than off guard. though you weren't one to deny the heat that build up in your core either at felix's actions, and at just how much riskier his hands moved with every of his breaths. you did enjoy it, as much as you'd like to fight it.

"babe, we're in public.." your voice was hushed, breathy, as if scared it would break if it was louder. you felt felix's chuckle come out in puffy huffs against your jaw, only playing further into your needing state, into your want for him.

"is that a problem for you baby? i can stop if you want.", he only whispered, though the deep chords in his voice sent a vibration through you, with how close the boy was, and you nearly whined out at simply that. when you thought about it; was it really a problem for you? there weren't people around, even, the perks of having found a quiet, secluded place coming in handy as unexpected as you could imagine, and you took a grip of felix's arm when you felt him already detracting his finger from your form. it only took that, and a small headshake from you for another chuckle to leave his lips, deep and slightly raspy, until his touch finally moved the direction you needed, fingers connecting with your clit after a while of teasing touches here and there. you didn't dare to make a sound, bit down on your lips almost drawing blood, while the boy circled his way around your clothed heat, the dress too long to go beneath it. and it wasn't even slightly enough, the fabric frustratingly thick, and such a nuisance that you almost cried out. almost. instead your eyes squeezed shut, a plead leaving your lips for felix to do something, anything, against the layers of clothing, but the male seemed not to quite understand the struggle you were going through, his demeanor amused.

"oh you're begging for me now? just seconds ago you were worried about being in public, i guess that doesn't really matter anymore baby, am i right?"

#lee felix x reader #lee felix smut #lee felix imagines #lee felix scenarios #skz smut #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz x reader #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids smut #stray kids x reader

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lexosaurus · 3 years

Text

The Illusionist

Dannymay2021 prompt: Illusion

My Hero Academia x Danny Phantom crossover Word Count: 5262 Read on: [ao3]

---

“A kid?” Shouta asked.

The muffled sound of an explosion echoed from the other side of the phone line.

“He can’t be older than sixteen.” Kamui Woods' voice crackled through the receiver. “Eraserhead, this is going to sound crazy, but the kid has multiple quirks. We can’t get near him. He keeps...shit, he just flew through another wall!”

Shouta shifted his cell between his shoulder and ear, launching himself up a wall and onto the roof of a low building. He surveyed the distance and saw a bright green light flash from across the city.

That must have been them.

“We need you to nullify the quirks so we can contain him till the Illusionment wears off.”

“Alright,” Shouta said, jumping off the roof. “Send me your location. I’m on my way.”

It was a new villain, one that the public had dubbed ‘the Illusionist.’ His quirk was simple, yet effective. If he touched someone, he could make them hallucinate their worst fear.

So far, the heroes and detectives on the case hadn’t been able to figure out much about the Illusionist himself. He never struck the same victim twice, and he didn’t seem to stick around long enough for pro heroes to find him. Not to mention, the majority of his attacks happened in dark alleyways to the local homeless population, far from any cameras that would have been able to pick up his face.

And that fact made Aizawa’s blood boil. Because these weren’t attacks of revenge. No, they were attacks from someone who thought it was fun to mess with the disenfranchised. Someone who enjoyed exerting their powers over those they perceived to be less than, like some kid on a playground squishing ants beneath their sneakers.

The Illusionist’s influence was powerful, and each victim reacted differently. For some, they just froze up, lying motionless until they were found. For others, they lashed out at anyone who dared get close.

And in a society filled with countless unknown quirks, those of his targets who did lash out—though victims themselves—still needed to be dealt with.

The good news was, the quirk’s effects weren’t permanent, and he seemed to require a fairly long recharge time in between each attack. So the pro heroes never had to deal with more than one victim at a time.

So far, the heroes and police force had figured out two ways of dealing with the Illusionists’ victims. Either the victims were knocked out or put to sleep in some way, which seemed to instantly nullify the hallucination, or the victims were captured and taken to the police station to allow the quirk’s effects to naturally run their course.

Considering the heroes really wanted the victims brought in as peacefully as possible, it had been no surprise to Shouta when the other heroes started calling him in for assistance. Especially when the victims’ hallucinations caused them to fight back.

Such as, apparently, this one.

Shouta sprinted around a corner, panting. The cool night air brushed against his face, chilling his skin. He glanced down at his phone, only to see that Wood’s location had moved once again.

Which meant that the unstable, overpowered victim was on the move.

Wonderful.

Just then, his phone lit up.

Shouta didn’t wait to see who it was. “What is it?”

“Eraserhead,” Kamui Woods said. “We’re going to lead him to you. Meet us over by the abandoned antique warehouse. And keep your phone on you, he’s a flight risk. Literally.”

“Understood. Any injuries?”

“A few civilians, but medics are already on it. Nothing serious.”

“Good.”

Shouta hung up and changed his course. He weaved between buildings, kicking up water as puddles splashed at his feet.

If the heroes needed to lure the kid so far away from people, then things weren’t looking good.

Which meant that he needed to end this. Now.

But he didn’t make it to the warehouse. Not before a flying, glowing figure appeared through the wall, crashing into him first.

On instinct, Shouta activated his quirk and sent his capture weapon to the glowing figure, but his quirk had no effect. As soon as the scarf landed on the boy, he jerked away, phasing the scarf through his body.

Shouta blinked, deactivating and reactivating the quirk again. But just like the before, nothing happened. The figure—the boy—just continued to float in the air, his glowing green eyes staring wildly into the hero as if Shouta were the most terrifying human on Earth. He raised his hand, and a neon green swirling ball began to form around his fist.

“Watch out!” a voice behind him yelled.

Aizawa ducked just in time. The green blast hit the wall just above him, burning into the bricks like acid.

“Eraserhead, hurry!” Best Jeanist yelled.

Shouta tried again to activate his quirk, but it was no use.

The boy screamed, powering up an even bigger blast than last time.

“Eraserhead!”

Tree roots shot out in front of Shouta just in time. The blast hit Kamui Woods’ shield, splintering the roots and sending pieces flying through the air.

“Shit!” Shouta deactivated his quirk and jumped back, falling in line with the heros. “He’s resistant to my quirk!”

“We need to get him away from the residential area,” Best Jeanist said. “Force him to the industrial complex.”

“You’re not forcing me anywhere,” the teen roared back in a thick accent. His white glow ebbed and flowed around him as if he were drunk. “I won’t let you get me!”

“What is he seeing?” Shouta asked the three heroes behind him.

“A kidnapping of some sort,” Hound Dog replied.

“He keeps referring to us as ‘Operatives’. We’re unsure what that means.”

Apparently their talking only angered the glowing teen further. He raised a fist and his eyes brightened, changing from green to blue. “You’re not taking me!”

“Go!” Best Jeanist shouted.

The heroes jumped out of the alley just as the teen released the glowing blue energy ball, coating the pavement in a shockwave of jagged ice.

“How many quirks does this kid have?” Kumai Woods exclaimed.

Aizawa landed on the roof and released his capture weapon. “Doesn’t matter. Get him to the warehouse. I have a plan, but I have to make a call first.”

“Got it!”

The heroes jumped off the roof, chasing the kid out the alley and through another building.

“Don’t lose him!” Hound Dog yelled, running around the corner after him.

Shouta stayed back, pulling out his phone and pressing one of his emergency contacts. He watched as another blue beam glowed from a few blocks over, followed by a burst of green.

What the hell is that kid?

He couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed. The kid could talk, could communicate, and yet he had multiple quirks? In the ten seconds Shouta had seen him, he was witness to flight, phase-shifting, glowing, cryokinesis, a green energy beam, and immunity to Shouta’s quirk.

And yet, the kid wasn’t a nomu. He had intelligence. He seemed like he could have been a regular teen. A glowing one, sure, but a regular teen nonetheless.

So how did he end up with multiple quirks? And how did he become the Illusionist’s latest target? The Illusionist had only ever targeted homeless adults before. How did this teen get caught up in the mix?

Unless he was homeless himself.

The ringing stopped, and a tentative voice picked up from the other line. “Sensei?”

Shouta breathed a sigh of relief. “Shinso, I need you to come to the field. I’ll send you a location. We need your quirk.”

“My quirk?” Shinso asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

One day Shouta would crack through that massive layer of insecurity Shinso still clung onto about his quirk.

“Illusionist hit a kid with multiple quirks. We can’t get near him and he’s resistant to my quirk. We need you to subdue him. Put him to sleep.”

“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”

“Sending a location now.”

Shouta hung up and forwarded his location before darting over to the scene, using the sound of the kid’s frantic attacks as his GPS.

His feet pounded on the concrete. His quirk and capture weapon may have been useless against the kid, but that was fine. All he had to do was stall for time before Shinso could subdue him.

There was a loud bang, followed by a crash. Shouta skidded around the block and, using his weapon, launched himself onto a nearby roof.

There was a large hole in the side of a building that thankfully appeared to be empty. Dust clouded the air, but through it Shouta could see the kid backing into the building like a cornered animal, his arms raised and glowing a threatening acid green.

Kumai woods stepped forward slowly, his arms raised above his head. “We don’t want to hurt you!

“Don’t—don’t come another step!” The teen growled, stumbling to the side. His voice had an odd, echoing quality to it. “I’ve escaped your stupid compound once, and I’ll do it again!”

Shouta jumped down from the roof, landing in front of the heroes. He crouched down, trying to appear as non threatening as possible. “What compound?”

The kid let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t act stupid! You were gloating enough last time!”

“We’re not going to take you to a compound,” Kumai Woods tried.

But reasoning with someone under the Illusionist’s influence was futile. Heroes and police officers had attempted it before, and it never worked.

“I’m not an idiot! I know what you do to people like me!”

Shouta froze, alarm bells going off in his head. Something was just... wrong. On a fundamental level, something wrong had happened to this kid. And based on the way his eyes darted around the empty room, he looked about a second away from making an escape.

Okay, Shouta had to stall. If the kid thought that the heroes were kidnappers, then maybe he could draw this out.

He tilted his head questioningly. “Sorry, I’m new here.” He felt his coworkers’ eyes burning against the back of his skull. “I wasn’t here for the last time.”

The kid’s distorted eyes locked onto him. “I’m sure you’ve read the reports.”

“Haven’t had time, actually. This is my first day.”

“You’re still wearing the suit. You’re still with them.”

Shouta stared at him for a moment. The kid’s stark white hair floated as if defying gravity, and the glow around him had almost an ethereal presence. But what stood out the most to him was his clothing. He was dressed like something out of a laboratory. His suit was thin and rubbery, with rubber gloves and boots to match.

He was definitely the product of a science experiment. There was no doubt about it. Likely a trafficked kid taken from another country and transported here for human experimentation.

Aizawa felt sick.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“You know where.”

“I told you, this is my first day. I just moved here. I don’t know you yet.”

Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for the teen. “I’m not saying anything. You can ask Operative K over there.” He nodded towards Best Jeanist.

“What sorts of things did they do to you? Last time?”

“I—I don’t—” the teen stuttered, the green glow flickering out from his fists. He clamped his hands over his ears. “Shut up!”

“I don’t want to do those things,” Shouta continued. “I don’t want to...use you like that.”

“It doesn’t matter. If you’re with them, you’re here to take me. And I can’t, I can’t do that again. I’ll never let you take me. I’m smarter than your whole organization and you know it.” His eyes brightened with a frantic energy, warping until one eye was green and the other blue. “I’ve escaped from your stupid white compound once, and I’ll do it again.”

Aizawa rose slowly.

This wasn’t looking good.

Hurry up, Shinsho.

The kid raised his arms, and a swirling mass of green and blue encased his fist, traveling up his forearms and swallowing his elbows. It pulsated and grew, casting a shadow over the teen’s face.

“Eraserhead!” Hound Dog warned.

“I’m not going quietly.”

Shouta readied himself to dodge when a flash of purple caught his eye.

“Hey kid!” Shinso called out.

Glowing green and blue snapped over to the source of the new voice. “What?” he hissed.

Shouta could almost see the satisfied smirk under Shinso’s mask.

“Go to sleep.”

The effect was immediate. The mass of energy faded from the kid’s hands, leaving only his natural white glow. He lowered himself to the ground until his toes were touching the cement, then his knees, and finally his head. Then, just when his eyes fluttered close, a white ring appeared at his waist, traveling up his body replacing the glowing, ethereal teen with a small European looking boy.

“Whoa,” Shinso breathed.

Despite the protests behind him, Shouta slowly made his way over to the teen. His white hair had changed to black, and his skin had lost its glow completely. His laboratory clothes had been replaced with ripped jeans and a dirty white and red shirt.

He looked...plain. Boring and scrawny. If Shouta hadn’t witnessed the terrifying figure just moments ago, he could have passed the boy off as just a quirkless kid.

Whatever he was, he was asleep.

“Good job, Hitoshi,” he said, turning back around to face the heroes. Not to his surprise, his husband and other child were among the group. “Present Mic, Todoroki,” he greeted.

Hizashi—ever the optimist—gave Shouta a cheerful wave along with a chipper, “Hello!” while Shouto stood quietly behind the heroes.

“Who is he?” Shinso asked, eyeing the sleeping teen warily.

Best Jeanist made his way over to the group. “Some kid with multiple quirks. Likely from experimentation. With his amount of quirks, we have no idea what he’s like mentally. We need to get him to the police.”

“We sent them your location already. They should be here soon,” Hizashi said.

“Good.”

Shouta gave the kid one last glance.

What happened to him?

---

It didn’t take long before the police, led by Detective Tsukauchi, arrived at the scene. They were able to get the kid into quirk inhibitors, load him into the back of a car, and bring him into the station before he woke up.

Yamada brought the boys back home before meeting him at the station. Shouta made a mental note to grab Shinsho his favorite take-out meal tomorrow for his immaculate quirk usage.

When they arrived at the station, they brought a couch into one of the interrogation rooms, put the kid on it, and waited.

Shouta almost felt bad for him. It would have been scary for anyone to wake up after a traumatic hallucination wearing quirk inhibitors in a cold, unfeeling room. But unfortunately, nobody had known the extent of his quirks. Victim or not, he was still unstable.

Aside from sitting upright, the kid hadn’t moved an inch, and he couldn’t seem to be able to pass the inhibitors through his body like he had with Shouta’s capture weapon.

Which was good. That meant that the quirk inhibitors were doing their job.

Shouta stared at him through the one-way mirror. He’d been half expecting the same frantic energy from the teen boy as before, but the teen just sat there quietly. His slumped body language screamed resigned, while his eyes were slowly shifting around the room as if to memorize every speck of dust in the air.

“You would never suspect that kid would have multiple quirks,” Yamada said next to him. “He just looks so...tiny.”

Aizawa took a large gulp of his much-needed coffee. “And yet, he does.”

The door behind them opened, and a woman stepped through. She stopped in front of Detective Tsukauchi. “He’s not registered. We scanned the database and found no record of anyone with multiple quirks that fit his description. In addition, we ran the sample of the green substance from his projection quirk and couldn’t find any matches to any known compounds on record. We’ve sent the samples out for further testing.”

“No matches?” Shouta asked.

“Interesting.” Detective Tsukauchi said. He turned towards the interrogation room’s door. “I believe it’s time to talk to our victim. Suzuki, I want you to stay outside. I think having more than one adult in the room may scare him off. Use your quirk, though. I have a feeling our victim may be a bit wary.”

The woman nodded and stationed herself next to Shouta. She stared at the boy, blinked, and then her eyes began to glow.

“It’s showtime.”

The moment the doorknob moved, the black haired teen’s body language shifted to something more alert, more guarded. His blue eyes tracked Tsukauchi’s movements until the detective had sat down in his metal chair.

“Hello,” he said. “I’m Detective Tsukauchi. Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble today. Would you like some water?”

The teen didn’t respond.

“Do you remember what happened?”

Based on previous victims’ responses, they had always been able to remember the hallucinations, but they couldn’t recall their actions or where they were during those times.

“It’s okay if you don’t. Again, you’re not in trouble.”

But the kid wasn’t relaxing. If anything, he looked more guarded than before. “If I’m not in trouble, then why am I here?”

“You were hit by a quirk,” he explained. “Have you heard of the Illusionist?”

The teen shifted. “Maybe.”

“He’s a villain who makes people experience their worst fears.”

A spark of recognition hit the boy’s eyes, but it was quickly masked by the previous reserved expression. “So I got hit.”

“Yes. So far his targets have all been random attacks.” Tsukauchi opened his manila folder, pulling out photographs and handing them to the teen. “This was from earlier tonight. Do you remember any of this?”

He scanned the photographs, and Aizawa watched as the color drained from the teen’s face. He stared at the folder in silence for a moment before his shaky voice said, “If I’m not in trouble, I’d like to leave.”

“We just have a few questions we’d like to ask in order to help us catch him.”

“I want to leave.”

Detective Tsukauchi seemed unphased by the kid’s request. “Alright, can I get your name? We can call your parents to come pick you up.”

As expected, the teen didn’t like this. He shoved the photographs back into Tsukauchi’s hands, leaned back against the couch, and crossed his arms. “I’m eighteen. Can I go now?”

“He’s lying,” Detective Suzuki whispered next to them.

Recognition sparked in Shouta’s brain. He remembered her, she had a Lie Detection quirk. It was quite useful for police work.

“In that case, we were unable to obtain any record of any adult with your quirk combinations. Japanese law dictates that every citizen must be registered in our quirk database. So if you are unregistered, then we’d need to go through the registration process before we can release you.”

“I’m not a Japanese citizen.”

“You here on vacation?”

The kid glared to the wall. “Something like that.”

“American?”

“Yeah.”

“How long have you been visiting?”

The teen shrugged.

Tsukauchi jotted something down in his notebook. “Then I’d need to see your passport and visitor’s documentation for the official record, since you are now a victim in an ongoing investigation.”

The teen’s eyes narrowed, and he slumped down further into the cushion. “I don’t have any.”

“What happened to it?”

The teen shrugged.

Yamada leaned into Shouta’s ear. “He’s backed into a corner.”

“Yup,” Shouta took another swig at his coffee. “He can’t get out of this one.”

The teen huffed, frustration and a tint of fear strewn across his features. He ran a hand through his messy black hair. “Listen, can I just go? I don’t remember anything, okay? I was just sleeping and then all of the sudden I...I...he got me. But I swear I wasn’t doing anything, and I didn’t see his face.”

Detective Tsukauchi nodded compassionately. “I’m very sorry that this happened to you. It’s a very vivid and traumatic experience to go through. Unfortunately, we’re in a bit of a bind currently seeing as you are either an unregistered quirk user, or you have no proof that you’re in this country legally. Now if it’s true that you’re eighteen, we can’t let you leave without contacting the US embassy to get your identification.”

Any color left in the teen’s face vanished. “What if...what if they can’t identify me?”

“Can’t identify you? For what reason?”

The teen stood suddenly and walked over to the wall. His hands trembled, and he looked downright terrified.

Who was he scared of?

He picked at the ragged hem of his shirt. “I don’t—I’m not exactly…they—they just don’t know I exist.”

Shouta glanced at Suzuki, who seemed perplexed.

“Is he telling the truth?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Suzuki said. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but he at least believes that he doesn’t have citizenship in Japan or the United States.”

“Even though he’s American.”

“Exactly.”

Aizawa’s brows furrowed, and he looked back at the teen, who was pressed up against the wall wringing his wrists with his fingers.

“Can you give me your name?” Detective Tsukauchi asked.

The teen bit his lip. “Uh it’s—it’s…” His voice was strangled. “It’s Danny Fenton.”

“He’s telling the truth.”

Detective Tsukauchi gave him a comforting smile. “Okay, Danny. And do you know where you were born?”

“Uh…The United States.”

“But, and correct me if I’m wrong, you have no birth certificate? And no documentation to show legal entry to Japan?”

“I—yeah.”

“And you’re here in Japan now. Where have you been staying exactly?”

Danny’s eyes darted around the room. “I don’t know...around?”

“Okay,” Detective Tsukauchi shut his manila folder and stood. “Again, you’re not in trouble. You were a victim of a very serious crime, and we’re here to help you. I’m going to make a quick call, and I’ll be right back. The door’s unlocked if you need anything.”

If anything, that only made Danny look more anxious than before. He nodded, his face sheet white, and he tugged at the inhibitors on his wrists.

“What’s gonna happen to him?” Yamada asked quietly. He was dressed in his civilian clothes, and his hair was thrown up into a messy low bun. Without his uniform, his compassion towards the child shined out like a beacon.

It was one of the many qualities that Shouta loved about him. His strong sense to protect the innocent, his caring nature to kids and those who were vulnerable in society, and the kindness he radiating from his being were qualities that were rare even among heroes.

“We’ll contact the US embassy, but if the boy’s telling the truth and he doesn’t have a social security number or birth certificate, then he’ll get picked up by Musutafu’s social services and he’ll be put into the system.”

Yamada stared sadly at the child through the mirror. “He’ll just run away again.”

“He will,” Shouta agreed.

“I wish we could help him.”

Shouta sighed. “We can’t save everyone.”

“But you see it, don’t you?” Yamada asked. “There’s something going on that the kid’s not telling us. How else could he have gotten multiple quirks? Do you think it has anything to do with the League?”

Shouta glanced back at Danny, who was currently crouched against the wall with his head in his hands. He looked so small, so fragile. Aizawa could only wonder what events had led him here.

Just who was Danny Fenton?

“Shouta, we can’t let him out on his own. We just can’t.”

Shouta sighed, running his thumb along the side of his coffee cup. “I know,” he said.

And he meant it.

---

“So…” Shouta started.

Danny just looked tired.

It had been a long night. Detective Tsukauchi got a hold of the US embassy’s emergency line, but they didn’t have any records of a Danny Fenton that had left the United States, nor did they have a single missing children’s report of a Danny Fenton, nor could they supposedly dig up any information of a Danny Fenton based on the information that Danny himself supplied, specifically that he was born in Illinois in a city called Amity Park.

It was as if he didn’t exist.

Detective Suzuki’s quirk was powerful, and it didn’t seem like Danny was able to fool it. After he met her and she explained her quirk to him, he finally admitted he was only fifteen. So then who was this kid? If he was from Amity Park, why did the United States have no record of him?

The heroes knew he had parents, but apparently—and Suzuki confirmed this—they’d disowned him, giving him to some shady organization. Danny wouldn’t say to who ended up with custody of him, but from what they’d been able to piece together, it hadn’t been good.

And any further digging just resulted in Danny clamming up.

So Danny was a runaway, one that apparently didn’t exist in either country he had lived in. And there was something out there that had terrified him into escaping to Musutafu and hiding here.

But he wouldn’t say what.

Regardless, the Musutafu police department now had a case of a minor in Japan who didn’t have any parents, guardians, or any known relatives in the country, nor did he have any record of housing at any point.

It was as if this kid were a ghost or something.

“What’s gonna happen to me?” Danny asked, hugging himself in his chair.

He seemed smaller up close. Too small.

“Well, social services will take you and place you in foster care,” Shouta responded.

“Oh…” Danny looked down. “You know...you’ve seen my powers. I’ll just disappear the moment we leave this building.”

Shouta raised his brows.

Of course, they all knew it. But the kid certainly had guts for admitting it out loud.

“Who are you running from?” Shouta asked.

Danny blinked at his bluntness. “No one.”

Shouta leaned in. “Is it the League of Villains? Are you connected with them?”

Danny’s arms shot out from his sides, waving frantically in front of his face. “No! No, I swear! I’m not a villain!”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I…” Danny looked lost.

“You have multiple quirks. That’s something the league’s been experimenting with. And they’re not shy about using real people to do so.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never met them.”

“But you weren’t born with multiple quirks,” Shouta said. “Something happened that made you this way.”

He could see as all the pieces slowly crumbled inside Danny. The kid went from looking confused, to downright terrified.

Bingo.

Aizawa’s instincts never failed him.

“Please, just let me go,” Danny begged. “I promise I won’t do anything. Please don’t hurt me.”

Shouta’s eyes widened. “Kid, slow down. I’m not here to hurt you. Okay? I’m on your side.”

That didn’t seem to help Danny at all.

Shouta set his arms on the table where Danny could see them. “You know, one of my foster kids has multiple quirks.” It was a half lie, but he didn’t think that Shouto would mind.

Sure enough, that seemed to pique Danny’s interests. “Really?”

“Yeah. Great kid, about your age. His father was experimenting with creating children who could house multiple quirks to offset his own quirk’s disadvantages, and my foster son came out of it. Just like you, he spent a lot of his life hiding too. He was alone, and scared. He didn’t know what to do or who he could trust, so he just hid.”

“What changed?” Danny asked.

“He asked for help,” Shouta said. “And we were able to bring him into a stable home.”

Danny’s eyes clouded over, and his face transformed into one of longing. As if he were visiting a memory that had long since abandoned him.

“We can get you that help too if you ask for it.”

“I...I can’t…”

Shouta sighed. “How long are you going to keep hiding? Running? Are you really okay with spending the rest of your life out on the streets?”

Danny ducked his head down. “It’s not so bad,” he muttered.

“But kid, you deserve so much more than that.”

The teen’s shoulders shuddered. He sniffed, and his hand shot up to wipe his eye.

Shouta refused to look away from him. “I don’t know how you got here, I have no idea what you’ve been through, but I know that you didn’t deserve it, and that regardless of what you think, you deserve a safe place to go home to.”

“I...I…” he croaked, curling into himself. Tears splashed onto his cheeks.

“You’re strong, you’ve done so much alone. Now we can help you.”

“I can’t…”

“You can, Danny.”

At that, Danny broke. He squeezed his eyes shut, twisting his hoodie in his hands. Shouta watched as he tried to muffle his sobs, but he couldn’t. His body shook as his emotions poured into the open.

Shouta didn’t know how long this kid had been holding it all in. Just how many days, weeks, months had he been shoving everything down, too focused on surviving each day to be able to stop and feel?

Pain stabbed Shouta’s heart. He remembered that torment all too well, one of homelessness, of abuse, of not knowing where his next meal was coming from and fighting for the bare necessities. Although he wasn’t so much of a soft, touchy-feely guy himself, right now he wanted nothing more than to reach over and hug the crying teen.

When it seemed like Danny was finally able to pull himself together, Shouta leaned in and asked, “Will you let me help you, Danny?”

Danny scrubbed at his eyes and nodded.

“If you want,” he said, making sure to articulate each word clearly. “I can assist you in getting placed in a good home. There’s another option too.”

“Yeah?”

“The other option is you can stay with me.”

Danny stilled, his eyes shooting open and his lips dropping to form a small ‘o’.

“My husband and I have a city approved foster home, and we also happen to have an open bed at the moment. Given your unique situation, I have the option of housing you if you’ll let me.”

Danny didn’t respond. He just continued to stare at Shouta in shock.

“Of course,” Shouta said quickly. “If you are uncomfortable with that, and it’s okay if you are, there are other good foster homes out there that I personally know and can get you placed in. It’s whatever you prefer.”

The teen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally looked back at Shouta, he had that same longing expression as before. “If it’s alright...could I stay with you? At least for a little while?”

The corners of his lips tugged up. He remembered all too well when Yamada turned to him just before Shouta was about to age out of the foster system and asked him if he wanted to move in together. He remembered the shock, the surprise that anyone could possibly care that much about him, that anyone would want to live with him.

And now, he had a family. One that was about to become a little bigger.

“Of course. I’d love to have you.”

---

Thanks for reading!

[check out some of my other fics]

#danny phantom #dannymay2021 #bnha #my hero academia #my writing #aka danny has A Bad Time #but it's ok because dadzawa

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infamous-light · 3 years

Text

Chase The Night Away

Alcina Dimitrescu x Reader, Alcina's Daughters & Reader

Summary: Alcina had to be away for a single night but you didn't think it would affect you so negatively.

Suffering from a terrible nightmare, the daughters help comfort you throughout the night.

Word Count: 3.7K

AO3: Chase The Night Away

You curl up into a ball, bringing your knees closer to your chest as you nuzzle your face against the soft silken sheets held in your grip. It felt weird to sleep alone on such a large bed when Alcina wasn't here to rest beside you, holding you flush against her body. You always slept soundly in her strong arms. You felt safe and secure.

You realized that this is the first time you will be sleeping alone without her and quite frankly, you don't like it. You couldn't help but feel anxious. It reared its ugly head as small knots formed low in your stomach, twisting and churning about. You didn't think being alone in your shared bedchambers for a single night would cause you this much distress.

Yeah, this will be not be happening again. If Alcina has to ever leave for the night, you're going with her.

Earlier in the day, Alcina informed you that she would be away, just for the night, managing her wine business. You were surprised at first but you didn't think twice about it. You don't know the inner workings of it all but you have heard that a few of her business associates operate at odd hours of the day.

You stare out the window between the gap where the dark red colored drapes haven't entirely blocked the outside world from your view. Light rain patters against the cool glass, sliding down in rivulets, collecting on the window ledge. You're transfixed at the sight. You always liked watching the rain since it helped soothe your nerves.

Looking beyond the glass pane of the window, you could barely make out the few sparkling stars that attempt to shine their brightness through the dark clouds in the night sky. You wish you could see them more clearly. It would make for a beautiful night. Taking a deep breath, you slowly close your eyes as you listen to the continuous light tapping of the rain against the windowpane and the surrounding structure of the castle.

You pull the bed sheets further over yourself before you start to feel your mind slowly drifting away as you finally succumb to sleep, falling into a deep slumber.

***

You run as fast as your legs can take you. Long spindly branches from overreaching trees and large mangy bushes whip past you as you traverse the unknown territory. Your heart beats rapidly inside of your chest as you have no idea where you are going. You just needed to get somewhere safe.

And fast.

A cold chill suddenly shoots down your spine as you hear the loud growling surround you from all sides in the dense forest. Your breath comes out in short gasps, the muscles in your legs start to burn from how hard you have been pushing yourself. The hair on the back of your neck prickles, knowing that the monstrous creatures are quickly moving in on you.

A sharp snap from directly behind you causes you to cry out in terror. You don't look back, you just keep running forward. The vicious snarling moves ever closer, becoming more desperate and raring. Shadowy figures begin to emerge from their hiding spots, appearing from both sides of the forest and even up in the trees.

Their glowing yellow eyes shine brightly from within the darkness of the forest, drinking in your terrified state. You could see the hunger deep in their eyes as they continue to snap their jaws threateningly at you.

Tears start to well up in the corner of your eyes. You weren't sure if you were going to get out of this horrifying situation alive. It was just too dark. Everything was too damn dark!

You yelp as you trip over something. You slam roughly into the dirt, your breath quickly leaves your lungs. Without hesitating, you quickly scramble forward, trying to find something your hands can purchase on for protection.

The rustling of bushes and small twigs snapping sound deafening to your ears as thunderous stomps draw nearer to you. You swiftly glance up and your blood runs cold. You could see the silhouette of the monsters standing a few feet away from you now.

You flip yourself over onto your back and your eyes widen in fear as you realized that you were surrounded by lycans. They all howl in unison as they finally caught their prey. You lay there still as a statue, absolutely petrified.

One of them slowly creeps towards you, growling low in their throat, a blood-thirsty look in its eyes as it hovers over your prone form.

"N-no..." You whimpered, your body now trembling in fear.

It bares its long jagged teeth at you while raising its sharp claws, preparing to strike you. They all stand above you now and you begin to hyperventilate. It can't end like this.

They all lunge at you and you let out a blood-curdling scream.

***

You scream out in pure terror as you quickly shot up in bed, frantically scrambling to remove the bedcovers off of you, wanting to escape. You jump out of bed, running to the corner of the room, pressing your back against the wall while bracing your hand over your rapidly beating heart. You bunch the front of your shirt up in a tight grip as you try to get your breathing under control again. You blink a few times, slowly taking in your surroundings. You start to realize that you're not in a forest but back in the castle. You never left your shared bedchambers.

You could cry tears of happiness.

You almost jumped out of your skin from fear when the doors to your room suddenly slammed open, bouncing off of the wall quite loudly. Cassandra immediately entered while in her dark nightgown with her sickle in her right hand, ready to face any attacker.

She swiftly glanced over the room until her golden eyes landed on you. Her features morphed from fierce protectiveness to confusion.

"(Y/N)... are you ok?" Cassandra asked cautiously. She set her sickle aside gently, placing it on the drawer dresser, her gaze never once straying from you. You noticed how tense you still were. You must still look like a frightened little rabbit, cornered by a bunch of big hungry wolves.

You were about to answer until you heard the sound of loud buzzing quickly making its way over to you and Cassandra. You watch as Bela and Daniela appear out of the swarm, merging back into their whole form once more.

"What's going on?" Bela demanded as she entered the bedroom as well, looking over to Cassandra for answers.

"I'm not sure. I arrived shortly before you did." Cassandra shrugged, still staring at you intently.

Daniela peeked her head over Bela's shoulder, wanting to see what was going on. Once her eyes connected with yours, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Bela finally turned to look at you, her calculating golden eyes observing you from across the room.

She slowly made her way over to you, now standing a few feet away from you, her expression softening a little. "(Y/N), do you want to tell us what happened?" She asked gently, attempting to calm your nerves with her voice.

You didn't realize that your heart was still racing inside of your chest and that they all could probably hear it from a mile away. You finally release a long deep breath you weren't aware you've been holding in for this entire time.

You push yourself off of the wall, giving a slight nod as you answer Bela's question. "I-I just... I had a terrible nightmare. I never experienced anything so vivid before. I didn't even recognize where I was for a moment..." You trail off quietly, looking everywhere but at Bela.

Bela stared at you in silence for a moment before taking a step closer to you, resting her hand on your left shoulder, gently squeezing it. "Will you be ok?"

You nod feebly again. "I think so..."

"Let's get you back into bed." She placed her hand on your lower back, gently guiding you back over to your bed. You climbed back into bed as she slid the bedcovers over your body, tucking you in. "Are you sure you will be fine, little one?"

"Y-yeah..."

Bela doesn't look convinced but you know she won't push you for answers. "If you need anything, just call for any one of us, understood?" They were all prepared to leave but you felt an uncomfortable feeling wash over you.

"Wait!" You blurted out. They suddenly stopped in their tracks and they all turned to look at you, staring at you inquisitively. "I actually don't want to be alone right now..." You could feel yourself already blushing at what you were about to ask of them. "C-could you all stay with me for the night? Like, could we... um, all cuddle together in bed?"

Oh, this was embarrassing. Maybe you shouldn't have asked.

You couldn't help but cringe internally when all three sisters shared a silent look between each other.

"Oh... of course we can!" Bela sounded surprised, almost baffled. You could tell she was trying to act composed but she was failing to mask her shock. She turned back to face Cassandra and Daniela. Cassandra's eyebrows receded into her hairline, clearly surprised as well while Daniela tilted her head to the side in curiosity, but seemed excited at the prospect. "Right, sisters?"

Cassandra appeared to snap out of her stupor and smirked in response, her eyes shining in amusement as they landed on you once more. You awkwardly smile back at her and she snorted quietly to herself, finding you endearing in her own way. "We can absolutely cuddle with you."

Daniela squealed in delight. "Yes! We definitely can!" She immediately bounded over to your bedside, excitement rolling off of her in waves while her two sisters began to make their way over to you. You pulled back the bedcovers as they all climbed into your bed together.

You all attempt to huddle together, trying to find the most comfortable position to be in. Bela ends up in the center with you laying your head on her abdomen while your legs are entangled along with hers. Cassandra is on your right side, resting on the other side of Bela as her head is settled on the eldest sister's stomach as well, her face near yours. She grabbed one of your hands, intertwining your fingers with hers.

Daniela is pressed against your back, wrapping her arms around your waist, hugging you tightly in her embrace. They were cool to the touch but not unbearably so. You sigh contentedly as they all cuddle you, surrounding you from all sides. You let your mind drift off to a peaceful place with not a single worry in the world.

Your eyes slowly drift closed as Bela lightly combs her fingers through your hair.

Daniela hums, nuzzling her face in your neck. "So warm."

The redhead somehow managed to meld herself even closer to your body, subconsciously squeezing you around the waist even tighter until you let out a small squeak in protest.

"Daniela, you're holding them too tightly!" Bela lightly chastised.

"Sorry..." Daniela sheepishly said as she released her hold on you just enough where you could breathe in a little air again. You could hear Daniela mumbling to herself again, something about 'humans' and 'so warm'.

Cassandra rolled her eyes at her youngest sister before a mischievous smile spread across her face. She tightened her grip on your hand, purposefully tugging you closer to her. Daniela whined loudly in response.

"Stop pulling them away from me, Cassandra!"

Daniela swiftly pulled you away from Cassandra, huffing in exasperation while doing so. The brunette narrowed her eyes at Daniela, yanking you back closer to her. All you could do was let yourself be pulled back and forth between the two sisters, reminding you of your early childhood where you use to play tug-of-war with your friends. Except, you're the rope in this situation. You felt like a rag doll that was about to be torn to pieces between two children who didn't know how to share.

You could hear Bela mutter something under her breath before raising her voice. "Alright, you two! That's enough!"

"Cassandra started it." Daniela scoffed, pulling you back into her. You could feel her glowering stare pierce through you, landing onto Cassandra.

Cassandra cackled, amusement dancing vividly across her gold irises, clearly enjoying antagonizing her youngest sister. You stare off into the distance, left dumbfounded by the whole ordeal. You wondered if you should say something or not but decided not to, letting the girls maneuver you around until they found their comfortable position with you once more.

Bela returned back to running her fingers through your hair, chuckling lightly to herself. "Forgive my sisters' behavior, they can be a handful at times."

You tried not to laugh at that, thinking back on past experiences involving both Cassandra and Daniela. They definitely can be a handful.

Yeah, I'm all too aware of that...

"We're right here, Bela..." Cassandra glanced towards her eldest sister, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Uh... it's fine, really." You laughed awkwardly, unsure of what to say in response. It wasn't a big deal to you. You're just happy that you're not alone while Alcina had to be away for the night.

"Do you mind telling us what happened in your nightmare?" Daniela asked softly, changing the topic. You were pulled out of your thoughts at Daniela's question and you hesitated to answer, biting your lower lip in anxiety. You're worried that they may find your reaction to your nightmare stupid to begin with but you decided to answer.

"I-I was being chased by a bunch of lycans throughout a forest. I didn't make it in the end..." You swallowed thickly, quickly glancing downwards, prepared to hear them laugh at the brief retelling of your nightmare.

Cassandra scoffs. "Those foul disgusting creatures wouldn't stand a chance against us. They won't come close to you with us nearby." She gave your hand an extra squeeze, reassuring you that you are safe here.

You could feel Daniela's eager nod against the back of your head. "We'll keep you safe! We won't let any harm come to you!"

"I'm in agreement with my sisters. Those stench rotting beasts won't dare come near Mother's territory. You have nothing to fear, little one. We'll protect you." Bela stated as she continued to play with your hair.

A huge smile broke out across your face at each of the girls' responses. "Thank you so much for doing this for me." You said. They all spoke out at once, assuring you that they were happy to be of help and that they enjoyed cuddling you. You let yourself soak in their affections for you before silence filled the room again.

Bela stopped running her fingers through your hair to instead press your head firmly against her abdomen, letting her hand rest atop your head. Cassandra pulled your hand closer to her chest, enveloping it in both of her hands, relishing in the body heat that you give off.

Daniela managed to quiet down, her soft breathing brushing against the back of your neck.

To your surprise, Bela began to lightly hum a tune. You didn't recognize it but you liked it all the same. You let out a deep sigh. It felt soothing to be in each of their presence, being held securely in their grasp. Your anxiety and fears from earlier faded away into peacefulness.

You felt your hand being raised and you opened your eyes slightly to see that Cassandra has your hand nestled underneath her chin, a serene look on her face.

It was nice to see Cassandra's usually self-satisfied expression now replaced by a soft sleepy look and you secretly found it adorable. You wouldn't dare tell her though, knowing that she may decide to terrorize you- not in a harmful way- until the rest of your days.

Daniela was mumbling under her breath as she lightly dug her nails into your shirt. It seems that she already drifted off to sleep. You smiled to yourself, happy that Daniela already fell asleep by your side.

Bela continued humming her tune and you close your eyes once more, letting her slowly lull you to sleep.

***

Alcina returned early in the morning, shortly before the sun was to rise over the horizon. She released a long ragged sigh as she was finally happy to be back home after a long grueling night traveling to and fro between different business associates.

She slowly stretched the muscles in her neck, tilting her head side to side, attempting to ease the knots that formed across her shoulders from sitting in the carriage for too long.

After a minute of loosening all her muscles, she began to make her way to you, taking the staircase in the foyer, and walking down the many different hallways in the castle. She was looking forward to snuggling you now that she's back.

She stopped in front of the bedroom door, grabbed the handle, and slowly pushed the door open as to not wake you. She didn't have to bend and duck through the doorway as she usually does since she had the opening rebuilt for her height.

Her back thanked her for it. Eventually, she'll get the other doorways repurposed for the same exact reason.

She stepped into the room and paused at the sight before her. Her pleasant expression turned to shock.

She was in slight awe at seeing you cuddling her daughters in the bed you two shared with you laying partially on top of Bela as Cassandra and Daniela sandwiched you in on both sides. She never thought she would witness such a thing but her heart quickly warmed at the sight, a small smile appearing on her face as she quietly walked over to the bedside.

Though, that begs the question. Why were you and her daughters cuddling in the first place? What did she miss while she was away?

Daniela roused slightly in place, slowly blinking her eyes while sleepily mumbling. "Mother...?"

"Shh... go back to sleep, darling." She leaned over to brush her hand down Daniela's head, soothing her back to sleep. She lightly ran her hand down yours and each of her daughter's heads before soundlessly leaving the room to allow you all to get some further rest.

***

You awoke with a beaming smile on your face as the girls still surrounded you in bed. They haven't left your side for a single moment and you were grateful for that. Thankfully, the nightmare you had never returned during the night. They all started to slowly wake up at the same time you did.

"How did you sleep?" Bela asked you groggily, rubbing lazy circles on your shoulder.

"I slept great actually. Thank you all again for doing this for me." You slowly sat up, smiling shyly at each of them.

"I'd be happy to do it again!" Daniela hugged you tightly one last time before climbing out of bed, tidying up her nightgown. She was full of energy it seems.

Cassandra gave you a small smile as she brushed some hair strands out of your face. "You're very welcome, little one."

Bela hummed in agreement. "We're happy that we could be here for you."

After lazing about for a few more minutes, you all got yourselves ready to start the day.

***

You found yourself humming the same tune Bela did last night as you make your way to Alcina's study. You rapped your knuckles on the door a few times before hearing Alcina loudly say 'enter'. You pushed the door open and peeked your head inside, smiling once your eyes landed on Alcina sitting at her desk, sorting through a variety of documents.

She turned to look at you and she smiled brightly once you entered fully, closing the door behind you. You quickly ran over to her and hopped in her lap to wrap your arms around her neck, giving her a tight hug.

She chuckled at your overly excited state. "I take it you missed me?"

You pull back to look her in the face, rolling your eyes playfully. "No, I'm not. Why are you even here?" You laughed as she lightly smacked your arm.

"Watch that mouth of yours, dear." She playfully glared at you before smiling again and pulling you in for a much tighter hug.

"So, how was your night?" You ask.

"Oh, it was dull and uninteresting. Believe me, dear, the details would put you right back to sleep. Though, not much has changed logistics-wise." She trailed off as she stared out the window before looking at you once more, raising a single eyebrow in curiosity. "It appears you've had an eventful night. I wasn't expecting the girls to be asleep in our bed when I walked in this morning."

You quickly darted your eyes away from Alcina's face, furrowing your eyebrows when images of your nightmare flashed in your mind. You tried to formulate a response before Alcina responded again, her voice laced with concern.

"What wrong, darling?"

You shake your head slightly at yourself, realizing how silly this may sound to Alcina. You know the girls responded without judgment but you still felt nervous telling Alcina some things. "Ah... it was nothing serious. I just had a nightmare. That's all." You shyly glance down towards the floor, afraid to see how Alcina may respond to that.

You feel a cool gloved hand cup the side of your face, slowly dragging your gaze away from the floor, forcing you to look into her worried golden eyes. "It was not nothing if you required the presence of the girls to comfort you. You know that I would never dismiss anything you tell me. I do care about you, darling. Very much so."

"I care about you a lot too..."

Alcina found herself smiling softly at the thought of her daughters comforting you when you clearly needed it while, unfortunately, she wasn't there to provide that comfort directly herself. "I must say, it was an adorable sight to behold. They truly have come a long way when it comes to you. They warmed up to you greatly."

You tuck your head under her chin, closing your eyes as you nuzzle your face against her neck. "And I couldn't be any happier with that."

#lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu x reader #bela dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #resident evil village #gender neutral reader

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