#He's one step away from changing identity and just disappearing somewhere

[ghostofskywalker]

Some Things Stay The Same

Echo/Fem!Reader

Fictober Day 19 of 31

Words: 2,349

Summary: While working as a medic on Ord Mantell after the war, you run into a familiar face, one that you never expected to see again. 

Clone Troopers Masterlist

Even in the relative safety of the clinic, you still worried that eventually your luck would run out. The lightsaber you kept hidden from the rest of the galaxy was currently strapped to your leg, the loose clothing you wore easily concealing the weapon from anyone who looked at you. The Empire was still on the hunt for Jedi, and you knew your name was probably near the top of that list. Maybe it would have been a better idea to hide your lightsaber somewhere in your home, but honestly, with the type of people living in your building, you felt that it was safer from prying eyes if it was on your person. You were lucky enough that Ord Mantell was far out of the way, and that there was little to no imperial presence here, but you still couldn’t exactly advertise your identity.

You worked as a medic now, mainly helping those in sensitive or dangerous situations. It felt right in a way that holding the rank of General in the war didn’t, because you always wanted to help people, not hurt them. Most of the injuries you saw and treated were crime based, either gang members or refugees with bounties on their heads, and they saw the value in getting medical treatment that came with a “no-questions-asked” policy, so you weren’t too worried about being given away, even if by chance someone did recognize you. You had changed your name and taken some steps to disguise your appearance, which so far seemed to be enough.

Most of the people here had no part in the war, and you weren’t even one of the more well known generals among the regular citizens of the galaxy. The holonet tended to favor the heroics of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and while you knew both of them and had worked with their battalions before (you didn’t have a battalion of your own, so you mostly just helped wherever you could), you were pretty far out of the public eye. Thankfully, you happened to be off-world on a solo mission when the order to kill all Jedi had been transmitted, so you were lucky enough that the people who had tried to kill you out there were not those that you had formed close bonds with, because you honestly didn’t know if you had the strength in you to fight back against men you called your friends.

“Flora!” the sound of your (false) name echoed through the room as you were working on sorting and taking inventory of supplies, and you turned to see the clinic’s receptionist Haddox step into the room. “A group of people just walked in, they mentioned one of the group being sick,” he said. “Can you take care of them? Everyone else is busy.”

You nodded. “Of course. Can you send them into my room? I’ll finish up counting this one stack and I’ll be there in a minute.”

Haddox nodded and disappeared, while you quickly finished counting the stack of bacta patches in front of you before getting up and heading to the small patient room that was considered “yours.” Instead of sharing spaces, it was easier for each medic to have a area of their own, and you liked not having to constantly run between rooms to help patients.

As you were rushing down the hall, you realized that you completely forgot to ask Haddox what you were going to be walking into, but it was too late for that now. You opened the door to see four men standing in one corner, while a small blonde girl sat on the cushioned table against the wall. They were definitely an odd bunch, you thought to yourself as you closed the door and greeted them. It took another moment for you to realize that they were likely clones, but each one looked different from any other trooper that you’d met. Fear quietly took hold in your body, but you tried to keep calm, reasoning that if they haven’t tried to kill you already, they probably weren’t going to, and they were probably just here to receive medical help. If not, you had your lightsaber and could defend yourself, but you definitely didn’t want things to come to that.

“What seems to be the problem?” you asked softly.

“She’s sick and we don’t know to make her better,” the largest man said, and you could clearly tell that he was worried. All of them were, and you took in their nervous expressions. Although you weren’t as in tune with the Force as you once were (partially because you didn’t want it to be used to track you down), you could feel their worry through that as well.

“Okay,” you said, turning to the girl. “What kind of symptoms have you had over the last few days?”

She looked hesitant to answer you, and turned to the man standing in the center of the group. He looked the most like the clones you had met, but he had long hair that was tied back with a red bandanna, and half his face was tattooed. “She’s had a slight fever for the last few days, along with the chills, nausea, and she threw up once or twice.” His voice sounded strikingly similar to many of the other clones you remembered working with, that and his appearance confirming your hypothesis about who these men were.

You turned back to the little girl, who just nodded. You placed your hand on her forehead, not surprised to feel it slightly warm. “Alright honey, when was the last time you threw up?” you asked.

“Last night,” she answered softly. “But it didn’t get better after that.”

You took her temperature, pondering what might be wrong, because these were pretty common symptoms. “Did you happen to eat something strange or new before you got sick?” you asked.

She nodded, before saying something about a new food she tried a few days ago. After she finished, you turned back to the group of men. “Her illness is likely a case of food poisoning, and even though your bodies may have been able to fight it off if you ate the same thing, she is much younger and her immune system is not as strong,” you said.

“What can we do?” another of the men asked. He had goggles on his face and spoke in higher pitch and slightly different tone than the others. You still hadn’t even gotten a chance to get a good look at the fourth man, who was much paler than his companions, because he was hidden behind the largest of the group. You were still grappling with the questions you had about these men being clones, why they didn’t seem to be part of the empire, and if they knew who you were or not.

“The best thing you can do is re-introduce some of the fluids that were lost when she threw up,” you said, trying not to let your worry take hold of you and start to show. “Start small though, because too much and her system won’t be able to handle it. Fresh food and nothing too heavy is also ideal, but I know Ord Mantell is not exactly the best place to find good produce. Relaxation is another way to help expedite the recovery process as well, and just taking it easy for a few days should help if that’s possible for you. Unfortunately this isn’t something a bacta patch can fix, as much as we’d all like it to be.”

The men all nodded as you helped the girl hop down from the table. “I promise to try and drink water and rest,” she said softly.

You smiled. “Okay, and I promise you’ll feel better soon honey.”

“What’s your name?” she asked suddenly. “I’m Omega.”

“You can call me Flora,” you responded. “It’s very nice to meet you Omega.”

Before she could say anything else, the man with the bandanna walked over and gently took her hand. “Alright kid, we have to go now.”

You laughed quietly as they started to head towards the door, the large man and the one with goggles following. It was then that you finally got a good look at the fourth man, who was much more gaunt than the others. He stared at you with an expression you couldn’t quite read, and it seemed that he was looking you up and down. In any other capacity you would have been worried, but it didn’t feel malicious.

It was only when you tapped a little more into the Force did you realize why you were seemingly so at ease around him. “Echo?” you asked softly, unable to keep your discovery to yourself. The last time you had seen him, it had been right before the Citadel mission, when you had laughed with him and Fives as you waved off the team. You were almost part of that mission, and learning that Echo had died there was heartbreaking for you, but apparently something had changed (or you had truly lost your mind). He now had a scomp link attached to one arm instead of a hand, and the metal implants in his head that made your heart break for what he must have been through.

All the other stopped in their tracks, and the room was completely silent. “General?” Echo said softly. “Is that you?”

You nodded. “I’m not a general anymore, and I know I look a little different now, but yeah.”

Omega’s voice cut into the conversation. “You know her?”

“I do,” Echo said quietly.

The man with the bandanna quickly ushered the rest of the group out of the room before anyone else could voice their questions, and you walked up to Echo as the door closed, wrapping your arms around him. He was shocked for a moment, but then relaxed and leaned into you as well. “How are you still alive?” you asked as you pulled away from him, small tears starting to gather in your eyes.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “And I think I should probably ask you the same question.”

“I would give the same answer,” you responded, a smile breaking across your face. “I’m guessing you’re not with the Empire, seeing as you haven’t tried to kill me yet.”

“No, we’re fugitives of the Empire right now.”

“Well, Ord Mantell is a good place to lay low for a while.”

“Can I ask you something?” He said suddenly, like whatever he was thinking about had been weighing on his mind since he realized who you were.

“Of course Echo, what is it?”

He looked down at the floor before speaking again. “How did you know it was me? And you can’t say I look the same, because I know for a fact I don’t.”

You smiled, reaching down to take his hand in yours before speaking. “You may appear a little different to the rest of the galaxy, but in the eyes of the Force, you look and feel the same as you always have, I just didn’t notice it right away because your brothers were standing in front of you.”

He looked like he was about to cry, and you quickly wrapped him in another hug. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “You must have other patients to see, I didn’t mean to take up your time.”

“Don’t apologize,” you responded. “Until the receptionist comes back through the door and tells me there’s someone here to see me, I have all the time in the world for you.”

He nodded before speaking again. “Do you like it here?”

You pulled away, cocking your head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Would you ever consider leaving Ord Mantell?”

“If the Empire were to collapse tomorrow, I’d want to go somewhere a little nicer if that’s what you mean. I’ve always wanted to live near a beach.”

He laughed, a sound you never realized how much you missed hearing. “No, I was trying to ask if you would want to come with us?”

“What would the others say about that?” you asked tentatively. “They don’t know anything about me.”

“After the way you helped with Omega, I think you’ve earned their trust,” he said. “And what’s one more fugitive to add to the crew? Especially one with medical training and a lightsaber.”

“I don’t know,” you said. “I don’t want to put you all in more danger than you already are. There are still people hunting down what’s left of the Jedi out there.”

“If it’s any consolation, I think you’d be safer with us.”

“That may be so, but I would be putting you in danger.”

He smiled before responding. “We already do that just fine for ourselves, you know. You don’t have to accept it, but I wanted to extend the offer anyway.”

“Can I think about it?” you asked softly. “Or are you leaving to go somewhere else now?”

“I think we’re scheduled to leave for a job in three days.”

“I’ll come and find you before then,” you said. “I just need some time to consider it.”

He nodded, telling you where you would be able to find his brothers and him before leaving the room, leaving you with a lot to think about.

***

The Havoc Marauder was easy enough to find, but you still felt nervous as you approached it. Thankfully, Echo seemed to sense your presence, and he appeared to meet you as you stepped closer. “Does your offer still stand about adding one more fugitive?” you asked hopefully, looking up at him from the bottom of the ramp. There was a bag on your shoulder that held everything you owned, and if he said yes you were prepared to walk onto the ship and start over once more.

“Of course,” he said. “Why, you want to take it?”

“Yeah, if that’s okay.”

Echo smiled. “Come on then. As much as I like the name Flora, I think some real introductions are in order.”

- the end -

#ghostofskywalker.fictober #echo x reader #clone trooper echo #clone trooper echo x reader #echo x you #clone trooper x reader #clone wars fanfiction #star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars x reader #tbb echo x reader #tbb echo #bad batch x reader

[rouecentric]

Heyy :)) How are you doing? I hope you are in a good condition. I really loves your manhwa fic, Can I request a yandere platonic Keira Parvis (or the whole Parvis family actually) with the long lost twin sister reader (reader and Keira is a twin) Like,maybe Keira had meet reader somewhere in the town like,she got a deja vu(?) But whenever she tries to get closer to reader, reader pushes her away and that's where Keira starts to become yandere over reader? And since Keira change a bit after a bit, Ludwig notices and he discovers about reader and decided to help Keira like kidnapping bring reader to the Parvis Duchy/Estate.

Hope you have a good day/night!!

Please take care and don't forget to take some rest and go outside to watch the natures and have some good meal and drink okay :))

Love you sm. Mwah

thank you for worrying about me, anon, i am in good condition as of now and are faring well, lyt 💕

fem!reader

-Although it was quick and random, you have never felt so uncomfortable and drained

-You were the adopted daughter of a baron, brought into the barony when you were a baby, being found on their doorstep, but that was a lie

-Your actual identity that you never knew of was that you were a legitimate daughter of duke Parvis, and twin sister of Kiera Parvis. you were actually forcefully taken from the Parvis dukedom, being planned to be used as a weapon against the Parvis family so you could take over the Parvis dukedom while the baron and baroness controlled you like a puppet

-When you grew up, you looked uncannily similiar to Kiera, but everyone brushed it off as probably being a distant cousin of hers, even if you acted similiarly to her

-Kiera's life was thrown into disarray when she first encountered you, as you accidentally bumped into her during a festival, pretending to be a commoner so you could enjoy it to the best of your abilites, profusely apologising to her

-of course, she accepted your apology, trying to befriend you, but you kindly refused, saying that a lowly baron's daughter shouldn't be friends with the Parvis dukedom's daughter

-From then on, Kiera always went to the balls you plan on going to, being hellbent on being at least acquaintances, but you were rather... stubborn and closed off..

-If anyone asked about you to Kiera, she'd say you were like a rose with thorns, although a beauty to behold and admire, if anyone came close to you, your thorns will prick them

-Some call it deja vu, but Kiera calls it fate. I mean, it has to be! You look uncanney similiar to Kiera and know everything Kiera is practically thinking about with one look! Even your name induces a memory she didn't want to remember, her bedridden mother, whispering out a name that Kiera memorised, and you, have the same name

-So she starts to find more about you at home, such as your past, your family, likes and dislikes, what food you eat, your allergies, your phobias, your darkest secre... oh, looks like she has already gotten attached to someone..

-Of course Kiera is sad because of you closing yourself off away from her, and her father notices it

-Ever since the start Ludwig was curious about what Kiera was doing after she came back home with such a happy expression and a little jump every step she took, so after he saw her be this sad, he asked her what was wrong, so she told him everything, to your first meeting, to her attempts, even going as far as explaining how you look and your personality, shocking the older man

-That's when he told Kiera something he wanted to tell her, about her missing older twin sister who disappeared when they were born

-That's when Kiera knew, you were her sister, and asked one thing from her father;

"Can you bring back (name) home?"

-And he did! He alongside his guards put the baron and baroness in prison after kidnapping you in your sleep, taking you to your own personal room, made just for you, in the Parvis dukedom

-When you woke up, your leg was chained to one of the legs to a bed, seemingly stopping right before the door, being unable to open it, of course, before you could go back, Kiera opened the door, smiling with glee when she saw you, saying three words that sealed the deal;

"Good morning, sister!"

#manhwa #headcannons #manhwaxreader #yandere #yandere manhwa x reader #yandere manhwa #manhwa x reader #actually i was the real one #kiera parvis #ludwig parvis #tw kidnapping #cw kidnapping #tw yandere #cw yandere #soleil.xreader #yandere male #male yandere #female yandere #yandere female

[beybaldes]

The Prying Hands Of Choice

detective abe x gn!reader

summary : "y/n and Abe reunite at Wilford's roller rink disco and fate does not seem to care."

Word count : 2.9k

~*~

Part 1 - The Prying Hands Of Choice

Part 2 - A Love Never Flourished

Part 3 - Somewhere, Somehow

~*~

Pushing past the pink haired man, despite his insistence that you shouldn't, you slipped through the rainbow of streamers and out into a dance floor. Not the most unusual place you had been dropped off at so far, but definitely the most fun: the bright, strobe lights and the funky 70s themed outfits all were a welcome change.

The broad shoulders entrenched in a suave leather jacket was an even more welcome one.

"Stop stalling! You're under arrest for the deaths of way too many people to even count." Abe. You hadn't heard that voice in what felt like eons - not since the manor, and however many years you had spent falling through wormhole after wormhole.

Your eyes filtered over to the other William, or Wilford as he had referred to himself as, that stood before him - near identical to the one who stood next to you now, bar the cocktail that he sipped from occasionally- boring down the barrel of his gun.

"Well that's just ridiculous I would never kill anybody." Wilford drawled, his speaking slurred as he tried to get the straw of his drink into his mouth; struggling severely besides the simplicity of the task.

Turning to ask the Wilford that stood beside you what was going on, you found him to have disappeared - like magic. Maybe there had only been one Will after all.

Were all those wormholes making you lose your mind?

Probably. You were seeing Abe after all. Abe who you'd watched die at the hands of the Colonel, shortly followed by yourself, after he'd spent so long, and tried so hard to solve Marks murder.

Although, if this is what losing your mind allowed you'd gladly embrace every twist of your imagination and echo of your past.

"Is that right?" Abe asked the pink haired man who stood in front of him, slowly lowering his gun with a twinge of anger in his voice. How long had he been so bitter?

Gently lifting your heavy helmet from your head, you lowered it to your side, holding it loosely between your fingers. You suddenly felt underdressed in your Captains coveralls - as though you'd have ever had time to change - that the outfit was too odd, too unlike the you Abe knew.

That wasn't you anymore.

The District Attorney who had worked hard in Damien's office, who tried to help solve their friends murder, who died trying to protect the people they loved, was long gone. Yet, was your new role of Captain much different from that?

How many times had you jumped into the wormhole? Jumped out of the airlock? Let yourself be consumed by the vastness of space? - to try and save your crew? To try and save Mark? Too many to count.

Perhaps Abe would love you, and your silly, little beret, all the same. Besides, you deserved to be a little selfish for once.

"Well..." Abe pulled a small, grey taser out of his holster, slowly stepping closer and closer to Wilford: who was still entirely focused on the straw in his Martini. "Whatever you say buddy."

The way Abe had spat out the words - as though they had soured on his tongue - did not befall you. Had he been through so much hurt since you saw him last? More than you knew.

Abe's heart ached for you; longed for you to still be by his side, be his partner (in every sense of the word). He kept himself awake at night in anguish, thinking and thinking about what he could've done to save you. After all, he had survived a bullet to the heart hadn't he? Yet, like always, he couldn't save the one who mattered most, his partner - you.

Was it his fault? Probably. Every partner he'd ever had at his side had left, been left behind, died - and he supposed by giving you the title, he had doomed you to such a fate.

He often wished he'd told you to run far away from that goddamn manor at the first sight of danger - but he hadn't, and he would have to live with that.

As Abe stalked towards Wilford, taser in hand, you let out a ghost of a sound - something between gasp and a whine - hoping to stop Abe before he took it too far, but not knowing the words to say, where to begin.

"Abe." You mustered out, hushed words coming out barely above a whisper, though it halted the detective in his tracks all the same.

Lowering the taser, Abe looked to the floor, tears welling in his eyes at the sound. Many times he had heard you calling his name, usually a whisper in the night - a comforting presence when he struggled to sleep - but this time felt too real. As though you were actually stood mere feet behind him and not 6ft below him.

He knew he shouldn't look - knew he would just be getting his hopes up over nothing. You were long, long gone. And a voice in his head is all you would be: yet like every other time he turned his head.

Though this time you were there. Standing, living, breathing mere feet away from him. At least he thought. He'd never seen the ghost of you before, only heard the echos of his past - but if this was him finally going crazy from your haunting presence, then crazy he would be.

"Abe." You chocked out, tears beginning to well in your eyes at the sight of the man before you. A hand came up to clamp over your mouth, to keep the pathetic whimpers in, letting your helmet clatter to the floor - the sound resounding around the near-empty roller rink.

Now Abe turned to fully face you, his eyebrows creasing together as he attempted to keep up his stoic appearance - this wasn't real, and he knew it. You were but a figment of his imagination; his own little secret only he had the joy of being privy too.

"You're not meant to be here!" Wilford slurred, his straw now loosely held between his lips and his martini almost gone. "I thought I told you to stay put y/n."

Will could see you too. Fuck.

Tears begin to rapidly fill Abes waterline as his eye raked up and down your figure - clad in a beige coverall, a little red beret resting disheveled atop your head and a discarded, cracked helmet on the floor. He doubted that it was in such condition minutes ago.

"I just couldn't help myself." You whisper breathlessly, your gaze never breaking away from Abes as you spoke. Finally getting to see him again, you doubted you'd ever be able to look away - not that you'd want to in the first place.

"Well, I guess I can it allow it for the mean time." William huffed folding his arms tightly across his chest, a sulk forming on his face. With a snap of his finger his martini began to refill. "But don't take too long, we've got to get back to our regularly scheduled programming soon."

You let out a teary laugh at Wilford's outlandish wording - ever the dramatic - a trait he and the him you knew seemed to share. Taking a few, small steps closer to Abe, you didn't speak, not wanting to get too close, or say the wrong thing, and startle him into disbelief.

This whole thing felt unreal enough to you, you couldn't imagine how it felt for him. Not only to see you now: but to wake up after being shot and finding you dead, and to spend years dedicating his life to finding your killer only to have you standing before him now.

"Partner?" Abe finally asked, his taser slowly being sheafed into his pocket as he finally took a step in your direction, not moving too fast as though that would make you disappear from his vision - gone like a wisp of smoke.

"Partner." You repeated, somewhat confirming his notion and somewhat using the term of endearment on him too. Talking larger and larger steps across the roller rinks wooden floor, you met each other in the middle, neither touching the other and both heaving in air.

"Are you- are you real?" Abe chocked out, his eyes flickering over every part of you he had been blessed with seeing again - free of blood and injury, filled with life and soul.

"I hope." Not the reply he has wanted, but it suited well enough. It was true, honest at the least - after falling through a myriad of wormholes you didn't quite know yourself, though you hoped now more then ever you were.

Taking another step forward, you were now chest to chest - close enough to feel the other breathe but far enough it could still be a dream.

A twisted dream at that.

Abe raised his hand to ghost above your cheek; almost too scared to touch you, to have you melt away under his finger tips. Though you didn't give him long to worry, leaning into the heat of his palm - skin meeting skin. Abe stilled at the contact, unnerved by the warmth that pooled in his fingertips and sent shivers up his arm and down his spine. You were once again in his arms - or were you?

Abe wasn't going to allow the prying hands of choice to drag you away from him again - in his arms, you would be safe this time. So, his hand swiftly moved to the back of your neck, pulling you against him and tucking your head into the crook of his neck; his free hand snaking around your waist and keeping you tight against him. Twisting his fingers into the fabric of your coveralls, he pressed you as tight against himself as he could.

You couldn't feel the beating of Abe's heart, but you hoped he could feel yours, assure himself you were real. He couldn't. Whatever resemblance of a heartbeat either of you had, had left you as you hit the floor of the manor many moons ago.

"Oh God, I missed you Partner." Abe's voice cracked as he spoke, the flood of emotion overtaking each of his senses. He pulled away slightly from you, enough that he could now clearly see your face - meet your eyes. Slowly, his hand moved from the back of your neck, coming to caress the side of your face. "But what's with the outfit?"

The two of you let out bittersweet, teary laughs, neither surprised by the capability to find such humour in the moment of upset and turmoil. It felt right to laugh in the others arms after all you'd been through.

You gently rested your forehead against Abe's, relishing in the moment and committing every detail of his face to memory - not knowing when you'd get to see it next. Though you hoped you'd see it today and tomorrow, and every day for the rest of your life - you couldn't exactly trust that would be the case.

Not when the crystal in your palm could start burning against you and whisk you away down another wormhole at any moment.

"I have so much I want to say." You spluttered, leaning into Abe's hand as you hiccuped out a sob. Abe's thumb brushed gently across your cheek, wiping away the escaped tears, hushing you soothingly. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Take your time gorgeous, we've got worlds of time." You didn't. Abe didn't know, you couldn't blame him for the way his words made you sob harder then before. Dropping your head into the crook of his neck, you grabbed fistfuls of his leather jacket, hoping a tight hold on him would keep him there with you.

"A captain doesn't leave their ship when it's sinking; now do they?" Wilford asked, his Martini once again empty and the straw still evading his tongue. "I believe our little y/n's time here is up. No?"

The warm-burning sensation in your palm only confirmed Williams words. Fate was not on your side; though when had it ever been?

"No." You commanded, though Will was right: you couldn't leave your crew to die by your lack of attention, because you were selfish enough to let the wormhole fester for your own peace of mind. "It's not fair."

"When is life ever fair?" William near spat - anger of a life he had once lived consuming him and leaving him just as quick. "When has life ever been fair to any of us? You're not special! You need to do what's right."

"Don't listen to him partner." Abe pleaded, his hands holding onto the fabric of the our coveralls tighter then he had previously; as though you'd slip through his fingers at the mention of going anywhere but with him. "I just got you back, I- I can't lose you again."

It was selfish of you, to want to heed to his words. To stay in his arms now you'd found them. And in all your lifetimes you'd never put yourself first, at least that you could remember. You'd given up your life, your body, your soul for the sake of your friends, for the sake of making things right - why couldn't you be selfish for once?

You had a job to do.

"He's right." You sombrely answered, removing yourself from Abe's hold with little struggle. His arms didn't chase after you, hold you close to him so you couldn't go - be taken away by things out of your control. He didn't fight this, didn't fight for you. "I have no choice in the matter."

"Life is ours to choose." Abe spat, the words bitter on his tongue. How many time a had you heard that phrase? In how many bodies? Tears welled in your eyes once more at the wave of grief that washed over you; grieving the life you'd never get to live with Abe, a life long taken from you. "Choose to stay."

Choose me.

"I would, if I could. I would over and over again." Your voice trembled as you spoke, leaning down to pick up your discarded helmet, not breaking eye contact as you did.

"Don't make them leave." Abe begged, turning towards Wilford - William, the colonel - pleading with the man he had spent the last decade, decades, chasing after. As though he had any control over the matter. "It's the least you could do."

Wilford didn't answer the man, instead he fiddled with the straw inside of his drink, idly sipping the liquid.

"Abe, it's okay." You soothed, taking a step closer to your lover, in some lifetime or other, though not daring to touch him. You'd already let go of him twice, and to do so again might kill you. "I'll find you. Somehow, somewhere."

"You promise?" You couldn't promise, that would be cruel. To have him lead his life in hope, in wait. You loved the detective far too much to subject him to such heartbreak.

"No. But I'll try my hardest." A bitter laugh left your sore and scratched throat, tired of the crying. "It's the best I can give you."

A hot white burn flooded your senses, the crystal that was buried deep into your palm glowing brightly.

"Ive seen so much more than you know, and it's means I know things. Like somewhere out there I've already found you; I can do it again. I will do it again." You reassured, wincing as the pain in your palm became unbearable, fighting against leaving becoming harder and harder. It was futile to resist.

"I hope you know I don't like this, not one bit." Abe seethed through his teeth, his eyes red and raw from both the tears he'd let flow and the ones he was trying to keep within.

Taking a step back from you, Abe stood closer to Wilford, giving you one last look over - relishing in the sight of you alive and breathing for what well could be the last time.

"Be safe, partner."

"I will, partner." A swirl of blue and white began to form behind you, the wind picking up inside the roller rink despite all the windows being closed. This was goodbye. Turning to face it, you had just about accepted your fate: but you knew you needed to be selfish for once. To have some peace of mind to get you through whatever mayhem was to come.

"Wait, Abe, I-" With a flash of bright light you were gone. Gone from Abe's grasp once again, slipped through his fingers like grains of sand.

"I know," Abe whispered, his glazed-over expression fixed on the spot where you had just stood. "I know."

"Well, better get back to our 'regularly scheduled programming.'" Abe sardonically spat, turning to Wilford and slipping the taser out of his pocket. "I have a job to do after all."

Abe would return to the roller rink before he knew, before he was ready to really. Though this time he wouldn't feel the heartbreak, dazed by the flashing lights and groovy music, he'd become entranced by the disco-loving Warfstache's antics and join in.

He'd dance to the upbeat music, moving in  slow circles with Wilford and his mask-covered friends; deluded by the knowledge that you couldn't survive a bullet to the heart.

And he'd constantly find himself looking over his shoulder, a whisper in the wind calling his name, and a strange feeling that one day, he'd turn around and a person would be waiting at the other end of the call.

a/n : There's not enough Abe content so I decided to make my own.

If one single person wants a part 2 I'll make one because I already have ideas lol.

I hope you enjoyed! <3

#abe x reader #iswm x reader #detective abe x reader #wkm x reader #captain yn #abe the detective #detective abe #wilford motherloving warfstache #district attorney x the detective #in space with markiplier x reader

[herearedragons]

Some Neilar thoughts that I have nowhere else to put, so I’m putting them here:

he’s very superstitious. It doesn’t come up for a surprisingly long time, until someone mentions Fen’Harel by name and Neil won’t calm down until they’ve clapped their hands twice “to scare the Dread Wolf away”. He also has a couple of luck/protection charms.

has definitely eaten bugs and worms before, including live ones. Found out the hard way that discussing edible bugs over dinner isn’t appropriate in Orlesian/Fereldan society.

until DA canon will give me any other information about what the heck happens to an Inquisitor who drinks from the Well of Sorrows, my official “ending” for him is that somewhere post-Trespasser, the Sorrows take full control of his body and he just disappears. A small group of former Inquisition members led by Leliana eventually zeroes in on a series of assassinations taking place in Tevinter and eventually it’s confirmed that those are being committed by the former Inquisitor. Between his assassin skills and some weird magic power-ups from the Sorrows, no one can match him in combat and he keeps escaping, until Dorian steps in and, after a proper “I know you’re in there somewhere” fight, he’s finally captured and imprisoned. The mages figure out a way to disrupt the Sorrows’ control to a degree, so, while he’s still not allowed to roam free, Neil can also contribute to the Solas hunt.

when I first made him years ago, I decided that Varric’s nickname for him is “Sparrow”. At the time it was just because sparrows are small, floofy and fast, and I was considering changing it to something more meaningful recently, until it hit me that Neilar is the only Inquisition member Varric nicknamed after a bird. A bird. Not a bird of prey like Hawke; something smaller, friendlier and… safer. So, yeah, now I like the nickname and it stays, and the new headcanon is that Varric (whether he realizes that or not) sees his relationship with Neil kind of as a second chance; maybe he can keep this one out of trouble. It makes a lot of sense if I go with Kane or Rina as the worldstate’s Champion, since they have similar motives to Neil (both are self-sacrificing; Kane sacrifices his identity and good name to keep his family out of trouble, Rina nearly sacrifices herself to a demon to do the same)

……but Neilar very much doesn’t stay out of trouble; he drinks from the Well and loses himself to the spirits in the name of what he believes. And I think it makes sense that, instead of being with the people who are hunting the possessed Neilar down, Varric goes to do whatever he does in the canon material for those ten years, and just… doesn’t talk about the Inquisitor. Sparrow ends up the exact same as Hawke, maybe even worse.

#oc: neilar lavellan #herearedragons meta #some context for the angsty posts I’ve reblogged

[jedimordsith]

From the Vader’s Kid AU

Luke had changed into sleepwear and was just finishing washing his face when he became aware of other presences in his apartment. One was his father. The other was clouded; unfamiliar and impossible to pin down. 

Tossing the towel on the counter, he headed for the sitting room. 

The red-haired woman from Karrde’s crew was standing in the center of the room. Anakin’s ghostly form floated behind her. 

“I brought you the information,” she said without preamble, holding up a data chip, then setting it on the low table and stepping back away from it. 

“He’s not going to bite you,” Anakin said, exasperated. 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she asked acidly, not looking at him. 

Anakin rolled his eyes and folded his etherial arms across his chest but then disappeared. 

Luke watched the exchange in fascination. 

“It’s not complete,” the woman continued, “but it’s all we have right now.” 

“Thank you.” Luke made no effort to retrieve the chip. “Karrinna, isn’t it?” 

She hesitated. “That’s what my ident-chip says.” She glanced around. “Is your astromech here? The blue-and-white one?” 

Luke blinked. Then he whistled, summoning Artoo out of his shut down cycle. A moment later, the little droid rolled into the room, servos whirring. 

“Artoo, this is Karrinna. She wanted to meet you.” 

Artoo whistled curiously. //How did you enter? The door codes were not entered.//

“I didn’t use the door.”

Luke watched as Karrinna dropped to one knee. 

“May I give you something?” She asked Artoo directly. “I’ll give your master something of value in exchange.” 

Artoo’s electronic eye gleamed greedily as she produced another data ship. He twittered a question at Luke. 

Feeling no danger and rising curiosity of his own, Luke said, “Sure. Go ahead.” 

Artoo rolled forward and opened a slot, allowing the woman to feed him the chip. His servos whirred for a moment before he rolled backward, rocking on his legs. 

“What is it?” Luke asked, startled. 

Artoo cooed. //You should trust Master Luke,// he coaxed. //He does not have any malfunctions like his source provider.//  

Luke watched Karrinna’s expression shift through a series of emotions he couldn’t identify. 

“So I’ve heard,” she said after a moment. “How about we go one step at a time, though, hmm?” 

Artoo twittered a reluctant agreement. The woman stood. 

“There are secret passages,” she told Luke bluntly. “That’s how I got in here. I don’t think there’s anyone else left who knows about them. If you keep that to yourself, I’ll disable the entry to your sister’s apartment. So you don’t have to worry about her kids’ safety.” 

“Will you use them to come see me again?”

“I’d like to.” She glanced at the front door. “Your father tells me I can trust you, but I’m afraid his faith doesn’t extend to your government. Neither does mine.”

“I understand.” At some point he was really going to have to talk to someone about how the anti-smuggler propaganda was costing them intel and allies. “Come back any time. Or can you stay now?” He asked hopefully. 

Karrinna’s eyes unfocused and he realized she was reaching out in the Force. Apparently satisfied with what she found, she nodded. “Yes, but not for too long.” 

#Luke Skywalker #Mara Jade #Artoo Detoo #Anakin Skywalker #WIP Wednesday

[lillykayewrites]

CHANGE ME CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

Letting out a small yawn, I had read yet another chapter waiting for William to get out of the bathroom.

"My poor water bill..." I said looking at the clock on my phone. "It's been and hour."

Sighing, I shrug off my slight annoyance. I mean, he hasn't showered it thirty five years, so I'll give him a break this time. But tomorrow... all bets are off.

Finally after what felt like an eternity, William opened the bathroom door with an ambiance of steam behind him.

"You wanna help me pay for that water bill?" I asked as I William stepped into the room with a towel around his waist.

"So what's my surprise?~" William asked impatiently completely ignoring my annoyance and giving me a wide, shit eating grin.

"First, put these on." I said handing a pair of  black sweat pants, underwear, and a white t-shirt to William.

"Is this not good enough for you Love?" William asked, feignedly hurt, gesturing to his shirtless and... well everything-less body.

Staring the man in the face, I simply answered, "No."

Even though inside my head, I couldn't help but slightly stare at the man's scarred torso and dangerously low and trusted towel. Fighting the rising heat that threatened to blush my cheeks as my increased heartbeat that felt so loud, it would give my me and my bluff away.

Responding to my not so concealed staring, William smirked wider than usual, as he took the clothes and walked back to the bathroom without another glance back. When the door was finally shut, I let out the subconscious breath I was holding.

"God damn..." I whispered to myself, feeling a childish pink arise on my cheeks.

Shaking my head, I scolded myself for letting my eyes trail like that. As I did, William sauntered out of the bathroom in his new clothes as if he were at a fashion show.

"What'dya think yeah?"

"Looks fantastic." I said calmly no longer looking at him as I once again picked up my book to read.

"I haven't looked this effortlessly sexy since ninety three!" He preened as he went to examine himself in the bathroom mirror.

Quietly scoffing, I rolled my eyes as I got out of bed pulling out a folded cot and sleeping bag from the side of my bed.

Coming out from gawking at himself, William continued to slick back his hair as he watched me set up his makeshift bed.

"This is one hell of a surprise..." William uttered sarcastically.

"Would you rather sleep on the floor?" I asked, irritation laced in my voice.

"No, no.... This is nice...Five stars even!" William said snidely.

"Doesn't get any better! Best place in town!"

"I can tell..." William's spoke scornfully.

"Alright. Now that your bed is ready," I gestured at the cot, "I'm heading to bed, and you should too. Tomorrow, we are waking up early to try and get you a job somewhere, and I think I know a place that is at least somewhat reliable..." I chimed. "Because you are going to need to start helping me pay the bills while you here. Because that hour long shower costs me big time here, and that water bill won't pay itself." I said sternly, sending a warning gaze to William, which he once again ignored.

"But most importantly, tomorrow we are going to get you a brand new identity.... starting over from scratch... because you can not just walk around town as William Afton, the former owner of the Freddy Fazbear enterprise, Afton Robotics, and who was under investigation for the murder of 5 children. Who just so happened to mysteriously disappear one day, only to come back, thirty five years into the future the exact same age."

Watching me closely, William's face slowly fell to a dead and expressionless look, that truthfully... unsettled me greatly.

"You don't think I was thinking the same thing?..." His gruff low tone, sending a shiver down my spine.

"You don't think I thought about how I'm am standing alive, the exact same, exact same way of how I looked in 1993?..."

Walking up to me, William glared down into my eyes, his dominating my gaze. His hot breath blew down on me as he intently asked,

"How in the fucking Hell do you know what I've done...?"

Still not breaking eye contact, I was now dominating his glare with a smug expression, "No comment."

An insistent beeping pulled me out of slumber.

I groaned slapping the alarm off on my phone.

Sitting up groggily, I gazed the the cot at the end of my bed where William slept soundly the night before.

But, it was empty.

Staring blankly at it for a couple sleepy brainless moments, I got up.

Tossing open my door, I was greeted with multifarious different scents with the sound of sizzling from my kitchen.

"Good morning Love~"  William chimed, dressed in his new clothes with a grin on his face.

"Good morning…." I furrowed my eyebrows, "Are those omelets?" I asked approaching William's side.

"Well yes they are. I don't want to brag, but I make the best omelets in town." William said confidently, handing me a plate with a beautifully made omelet.

"Oh! Thank you... you really didn't have to make me breakfast..." I hesitantly spoke as I  took the plate from William, grabbing a fork and a knife before sitting down.

"Obviously I know that, but... I thought since you were kind enough to let me stay, the least I can do is make breakfast, yeah?" I softly smiled up at him, as he asked somewhat eagerly, "How is it?"

Taken aback, hearing that he even thought about the hassle of him staying, surprised me.

But nonetheless, I nodded my head politely, as I put a hand to my mouth and smiled. "Itch amaonzong!" I mumbled with the omelet still in my mouth.

Chuckling, William turned back to the stove and finished making his omelets, "I told you they were good!" He said before tearing into his own.

As we finished our breakfast, William took our plates and began washing them off.

"Thank you again for breakfast... that was really good!" I told him genuinely.

"Like I said, it's the least I could do. Plus, I got to see if my cooking skills were still intact after all these years.

As William washed the dishes, I watched him carefully trying to figure him out.

"Why was it so difficult to read him?!" No matter how hard I tried to finally see who he truly was, he would change.

He would go from making flirtatious comments, to choking you to death, then making you omelets.

"He's a psychopath Y/N...a high functioning psychopath to be specific." I thought to myself.

Of course he goes to all sides of the extreme.

He can't help but to do it because it's what he's always done.

That is why he was mentally unstable enough to kill the kids...

Pulling me out of my thoughts, William leaned on the kitchen counter in front of me, "So when are we getting out of here?" He asked me.

"Oh, well I still need to get dressed...but on that note though, how do the clothes fit? Because they look nice..." I asked curiously, examining his outfit.

He was wearing the white button down I bought him, which he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, and a pair of khaki slacks. "Surprisingly well. You have an eye for sizing, because they fit perfectly."

"Just a little talent I have~" I chuckled as I got up from the table, "I'm going to go get ready if you need anything else, just nock." I said to him before heading back to my room.

Opening the door, the still dark and silent room, I shut the door with a light sigh. I was still trying to soak in everything that has happened in the past 48 hours. 

Trying to ignore the what felt like looming stress over my head and shoulders, I opened my closet to pick out my day's outfit.

I grabbed a black sweater that outlined my body nicely, and threw on a red leather blazer. Selecting one of my nice black skirts to pair, I also grabbed my pair of brown boots that came up to my knees.

Looking in the mirror, I felt elegant. I wanted to match the effort William put in to his outfit who already looked ten times more dressed up than me.

Starting on my makeup and hair, which took no longer than two minutes combined to do, I slipped on some of my jewelry and perfume before exiting my room.

Grabbing the handle of my door, a wave of nausea washed over me making my head spin to the point where I fell to my knees.

"Shit. No...Not now... no, no, no, no..."

I slouched against the chair as I waited for Y/N to finish getting ready. Rubbing my face I realized I would need to pick up a razor while we're out. As I thought over my prickly face, I heard Y/N's door creek open and out came a done up Y/N.

Her radiantly glowing hair lay kindly against her shoulders. The jacket, the sweater, the skirt... it all complimented her so well.

"Now look who's all dolled up!" I smiled widely as Y/N turned to me.

For as put together as she looked, something about her was strange.

Her eyes were distant and dark. They seemed even more deep set.

Her jaw clenched and her expression was glazed over. But even with all of that she still returned my smile and lightly chucked at my comment.

"Yep... and ready to go."

We left the apartment rather hastily, William tagging behind my rushed being in bewilderment.

Anxiety is a crippling thing.... But when you see the ghost of dead children on top of that is even more terrifying.

Jumping in the car, I quickly turned it on as William examined me curiously as he more leisurely got in.

My hands shook and I turned the key and reached for the gearshift. But as did, my arm was slammed down into William's grasp.

Looking at him with surprise and worry, William on the other hand, had his brows knitted in frustration and just the slightest hint of worry. His eyes were dark and calculated. Paying attention to every detail painted on my face.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” I raised my voice out of agitation and pain.

"Now you are going to tell me what is wrong, right now. Because if you think you are going to trick me, or turn me in once we leave here and-"

“Are you kidding me?! No William! This isn't about THAT!" I shrilled as the anxiety finally came through onto my face as a single tear rolled down my cheek.

Pulling my arm out of his grasp, William looked at me still surprised at my outburst. I gripped my wrist in slight pain as I looked up into his deep eyes.

"....there’s a glitch.... a glitched rabbit... the other part of you! He's is coming... and he is coming to kill us... and there is nothing we can do to stop it."

#spotify #william afton #fnaf #fnaf fandom #fnaf security breach #william afton x reader #william afton x you #Spotify

[venus-vermillion01]

Eternal Rest: Chapter 4: Konpira FuneFune: Ryomen x reader

Authors note: Hello everyone! I know I umm havent posted in a while but I had some writers block. But now I had an epiphany this morning on how to continue the plot and Im so excited on posting  the rest of the chapters to come soon. I was in a bit of a hurry to post this so its not well edited but I was like nnow or never. So enjoy!! :)

----------

Red wet sky flooded with hard white clouds. Some clouds clumped while others dispersed in singles. Then the largest of them all floated a few meters from you, with a pink soft cloud perched at the center. 

H/C hair seeped downward followed by black silks being weighed down. She only responded to his glances with her own strong stare. 

Drip, drop, Drip, Drop. The little pitter patter of Yn’s tears were miniscule hitting the blood lake, yet Ryomen grinded his teeth as he heard each cataclysmic drop make contact with the lake. Every hour Ryomen would glance upward to check on his invited guest, who at the moment has taken a liking to sitting one the ribs, that is upside down. At least his love’s hysteria has soothed into small  crying spells every now and then. Salty tears drying into fissures across her face, disturbing the intricate symbols. 

Night into day, day into night, and you still held on in your position. It wasn’t all that hard considering you were locked away for a thousand years before, this is nothing in comparison, just a change in scenery. BUT for the past three days have been dronning on for the longest it made you want to rip the hair out of your skull.Just another day in paradise, you thought. You took your own domain for granted and now you're wallowing in this rib cage one. Unintentionally you started to hum a melody from a long time ago. Feeling the little vibrations in your throat or anything in general to cause a distraction from a sprouting throb that radiated from the apex of your heart. 

You’ve never got this finicky feeling and it was cumbersome to think what it could possibly be. A fleeting image of Vn laughing crossed your mind. You rubbed your chest. Little girl is feeling pain. 

Poor girl is probably fretting and an anxious mess since your apparent disappearance. She shouldn’t worry as this is only temporary, you could assume. 

“Why don’t you sing for me?Like you used to,” Hearing Ryomen speak from above.  

You rolled your eyes, as you moved from the inferior side of the rib cage to standing on top properly. “ Why don’t I dance too?” Sarcastically bowing to accept his invitation. 

  The corner of his lip for a second curled upward. He held his hand up and a gilded blue fan appeared, tossing it to you lightly.. 

Your eyebrows scrunched together, the fan resembled one you owned if not identical. The embellishing and the smooth material glided over your fingertips. You were surprised. Not it’s a coincidence, would he truly have the energy to memorize a possession of yours. 

“I would sing for my children. You were apparently there whenever I did sing. And if you really wanted me to dance?” You said in a matter of fact tone, flinging the fan at Ryomen, catching it without trouble. 

 “You would have come down yourself. I’m not one of your mistresses you can order around ,” letting out another sigh. 

Fanning out the piece of parchment, Ryomen pondered for a moment. Still holding an unsettling smile.  He sauntered over right to you where you had to raise your chin slightly to make proper eye contact with his soulless orbs. You swallowed sharply not wanting to step back, even as your stomach twisted in anxiousness, you held your ground. 

The blue fan snapped shut in his hand, presenting it to you. He hummed. “So will you dance?”

Yns expression blanched. “I’ve forgotten how arrogant you can be.” 

“You are just as arrogant as I am my dear. Why don’t you loosen up already? It’s not like you have somewhere to be now.”

YN’s jaw clenched. Ryomen brazenly prowled closely to you, his white kimono gently brushing against you. He didn’t hear a response and he didn't expect to hear one . You were never submissive but it made it all that more enticing for him to coax you into your former self.

“Mistress is not something I would call you,”he paused, “How about my beloved queen?,”

If your eyes could roll behind your skull, they would be stuck.  

“Queen, ahh yes, now I remember correctly you had a real human queen,” sneering at even mentioning that pesky human. She was far more unworthy than any other of Ryomen’s harem to be within your presence. Yet she tolerated her out of respect and idiotic love she had for him. Those poor excuse women that would throw themselves at him and do anything to gain his favor, but in the end you may have just one of them. 

Ryomen leered at you, taking a step forward for each one you took back. “I'm getting tired of this little charade your putting,” he commented.

You furrowed your eyebrows in annoyance, anticipating the neering ledge behind you. “This isn't some charade. What did you expect from me?...

‘ Oh Ryomen san I knew it all along, after murdering me and ripping my heart out, you truly loved me. Let me fall into strong arms  and adore you with love and affection, my King. Let me be by your side like old times sake,” intentionally changing your tone to a sweetly high pitched one, mirroring that of his multiple concubines. You cringed at how you were able to mimic it perfectly. 

Ryomen continued to circle you, appearing to be amused with himself to heed your words. 

“Why don’t we play a game then?’ Offering  his palm,

Rolling your eyes, glancing behind you to see him standing a few inches away from you. you hesitated in response. On one side you wanted to ignore his pesky request but a gamble. Ryomen has always been sly and enjoyed getting what he wants through whatever means. Even as malignant as he was , Ryomen fulfilled the wishes of his many concubines albeit at their personal great loss.

Depending on the game if you can win then freedom might be a day away. Yn’s forehead creased thinking cautiously. This is no game, its a gamble. 

Shrugging her shoulders and wrapping her kimono tightly around herself before fully gazing into Ryomen’s eyes. 

“Is there a prize?” You lightly breathed.

 A spark of joy glinted in Ryomen’s eyes as he finally closed the distance between you .The scent of freshness startled you emitting from his body, expecting a putrid corpse. It was rather pleasant. 

“Anything that is within my limit,” 

“Even my freedom” “

His smile faltered into a thin line, seeing how the veins in his neck tightened.

“Like I said anything within my power,”faking a smile, “But only if you win. I get a prize as well my dearest.”

Deep down you knew that there would be some cost if you took the gamble. From binding your soul to his, to becoming his personal concubine, he could ask anything. Breathe. You chanted silently. “And what is your prize?” “ he held the fan to lips ,” well we're going to have to see who wins?” You shuttered slightly as he seemed more elated. Desire was too soft of a word to describe what you saw in that moment, but you are at his whim. 

“Tell me what game or else I won’t even think about falling into any of your traps.” 

“ No traps. Just a fair game of Konpira?” 

“ Konpira?” You sounded every syllable more in disbelief that he would suggest such a simple childish geisha game. No brute force nor jujutsu but all depending on timing and reflexes. ``2 out of three rounds. Now what is your answer?”

Yn nodded firmly. A gust of thick fog swallowed the pair, shrouding yn’s vision yet remained calm as her surroundings materialized. A well lit room by a handful of lamps illuminated the violet walls. The floors were covered in tatami, a shoji screen with a landscape of yn’s mountain painted seemed all the much more real. An aromatic sweet smell wafted throughout the air. Yn for once inhaled deeply, welcoming the familiar scent. Muscles that had been tense for the entire time of imprisonment seemed to melt away into relaxation. Ryomen notices her demeanor becoming lax, that is why he did choose this setting. 

Yn’s personal quarters he had built within his palace so she wouldn't have to travel to her dingy castle. 

 There in the center was a low wooden table with a heavy black puck lonely, two seating pillows across from one another. Unknowingly you cracked a smile when you saw three servants in the corner with their faces planted into the floor, sensing their fear and anxiety. One of the three held a biwa while the other two bowed empty handed. Like nothing has changed from her time spent here. 

The old man scoffed, taking his seat in one of the pillows. “Rules my dear. First to win two in a row wins automatically. The prize must be fulfilled no matter whatever the champion desires.”

Ryomen watched yn continue to gaze at the screen. “Hmmm” he cleared his throat, impatient. 

“If I lose, can I still ask for something?”you requested, seating yourself comfortably into the seat. 

Taking the puck into his hand, fiddling with its smooth surface. “Yes, but nothing too drastic.”

Yn hummed in agreement, knowing even if one lost there is a small prize to gain. Closing her eyes for a moment setting aside her built up frustrations and teething nerves. The sweet voices of the servants began to sing in chorus along with the biwa tuned in to begin the game. “I was once a great sorcerer Sukuna,” you said to finally open your lids. 

That is the look Ryomen urged to see, leering at your change. The sharpness in your e/c’s, and a smile that could only drive someone mad. Mania warmly embraced her consciousness, determined to win and break out of these chains. I still am.  

Yns heart drummed against her chest, matching the beat of the music, her hand grasping the puck just as quickly as Ryomen’s fist tapped the table. Biting the corner of her lip, she almost got him to skip the beat. “Cute my dear, but you're going to have to be faster than that,” Ryomen snickered, easily speaking simultaneously while staying on beat. 

“Oh honey, this is our last round. First two were only warm ups,” speaking coyly to him. He returned your answer by speeding his movement, momentarilyy faltering yet catching the movement without delay. “This is the round that…”Ryomen opened his mouth to make a comment when he felt a small tremor from the outside of his domain…Both paused  in their action, their game was put to a halt while everything around them dissolved just as before into the bony domain. “WIll have to continue this at another time my love,” he 

In the meantime Yuji was running into his own set of problems.

It would be an understatement to say you were grateful for the interruption. Your madness subsided and reality slapped you across the face. You bit the corner of your nail. “IF I LOST. RYOMEN COULD HAVE SLEPT WITH ME,” Flustering at the thought. “ How can i be so naive?” . After settling down, the redness that dotted your cheeks diminished, you focused on enjoying the entertainment playing outside of the Ryomen’s vessel. Overseeing the shadow user, a shrimp of a sorcerer and VN stuck within a poor excuse domain all from the pool of blood that made a makeshift window to the outside. No doubt that serpent like spirit must have consumed an object or a finger if you were unlucky. 

Things were quickly going out of control much to both Ryomen and your amusement. 

Poor boy. He was crying his little human heart out exclaiming he did not want to die.  

A howl pierced the air. “Seems like he’ll be having some company soon,” from the conversation with the shadow user , Yuji made it clear he’ll trade with Sukuna in order to defeat the curse. Confinement, he’ll be able to regain control over his body. 

Rolling your eyes. They're both so cocky. 

“ I’ll be back my dear. Don’t wander off too far,” you heard Ryomen say followed by a splashing. 

If he could see your scrunched face of annoyance. Where else would I go?!! 

----------

You debated whether you should take this opportunity to escape. 

“v/n?” Someone asked, very alarmed. 

Looking over to see the strawberry haired vessel point at you accusingly, awe and frantic written all over his face. Oh yeah you almost forgot that the brat traded places. 

Yuji was though he was occupied with trying to gain control of his body back he did not expect to see you or Vn. But something was very off the moment he saw Yn , a much more adult looking version of Vn. 

Pretty on one hand but why would Vn be here . Does that curse have some school girl fetish he didn’t know about?

Black signs, pale skin, e/c eyes and a black kimono with the left over right. It clicked. 

His face puckered, his mouth forming an oh. Yn tilted her head. “ Your Yn ln, queen of spirits.” 

“Unless you know someone else using my name then yes that would be me,” confirming his suspicion. 

“Wait why are you here? Does that mean Vn has?” It dawned on Yuji, his throat tightened and eyes stung. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. That would have meant he failed to protect someone he cared about. 

Geez what is up with this kid. Rolling your eyes to his dramatic conclusion.

“ I don’t want to die. Not yet,” he cried out having a panic attack right before y/n very eyes. Falling to his knees like a beggar. 

You could have easily ignored him, yet the boy was emitting something particularly satisfying. Fear. With certain fear there is a haze of madness and that was someone you leeched onto. 

Treading lightly to him, kneeling toward him. You had to decide your words carefully because one wrong phrase and you’ll suffer the consequences when He returns. Your saliva thickly passed your  dry esophagus. You did the first thing that came to your mind.. 

“ Vn is not dead, not that I’m aware but your friend will be if you don’t do something,” the softest vice came from your lips.

“But I’m dead. So dead,” Yuji sobbed.

“ Think like that and you’ll never get anywhere Yuji was it '' those words wouldn't be enough to push him , think of something YN. You were human once albeit a long time ago but raising little spirits did provide some nurturing skills. 

“ Now I remember you. My vessel spoke fondly of Ryomens vessel, you're the one who makes her laugh so easily and such an optimist.” you grimace at the last word, maybe not right now. “ She is like you, Yuji Itadori and you are much like her. But if you’re gone she will be alone in this hell of jujutsu sorcery. Are you going to hide in here and watch as Ryomen have his fun?,” 

He looked up to you offering him a consoling smile. 

“ You’re going to have to decide whether you’ll die here weeping like a fool or die out there and potentially saving your friends life,” avoiding sugar coating too many things for him. 

Yuji’s fretting slowly disappeared, his eyebrows still scrunched in anxiousness. Although he shouldn't be listening to the women before him, her words held much weight. His promise to his grandfather kept coming to his mind.

Yuji was caught off guard by a supposedly rumored queen of spirits. He expected you to be just as bitter as Ryomen, instead he only saw VN in his eyes. “ Why are you helping me? 

“ Because you’re going to do something for me. You’re going to see Vn” Faltering in your movement, your hand found its way to his face. Yuji didn’t flinch but leaned further into her cold touch, she pulled her sleeve to wipe away his tears, easing his anxiety. He’s only a child, Yn thought pitifully.  

A tremor within the cage caused a few skulls to fall into the lake. He’s distracted.

“there isn’t enough time to explain and your opportunity is closing. and I need you to give something to Vn and that’s if you make it out of here,” 

“Keep on hesitating and you’ll friends will die so what choose,” urging him, letting hims go so he can make his decision. 

“I can’t let Fushiguro die.” Yuji gulped and nodded. He fought his tears and gave one last firm nod in your direction. 

You pulled one of your hair ornaments and placed it into his hand. It was rather large in the hands of a human, gold bejeweled with lapis and jades meant to resemble a hydrangea. A prized possession of yours yet if your theory was right, it was a way of escape but only if it made it to her hands. 

Closing his palm firmly. “How am I suppose to take this back?” Yuji questioned as he quickly began to dissolve away.  

You gave rushed nod, his fingers still lingering onto yours.“ Don't worry about that it will come to when you wake up,”. Yuji was gone before you leaving you alone again with your king cries of glee. 

Evidently Yuji did not make it too VN much to your dismay. An unfinshed game between a king and queen.

Month later.......

What a sight to behold? The stitched curse couldn’t believe his very eyes. Mahito gave a warped smile in delight, his eyes trailing from the King sitting high on his throne  to traveling to your placement. Standing ever so still, he gawked at You. Your eyes narrowed at him and   Ryomen took this intruder's long gaze at you personally. “Since we both ridiculed that brat together I’ll let you off this once,” And with that , Mahito was indefinitely removed. 

While you melancholy picked at the skulls, another familiar tremor echoed through the rib cage. The same uninvited visitor appeared but this time even you knew that he had more harmful intentions. 

. The sleeve of your kimono covered your mouth as you forced back a few laughs trying your best to hold them back. From Ryomens malicious smile it was evident that death was certain for this poor spirit. BUT it occurred to you in an instant that this unfortunate turn of events can be your way of escape. 

“I warned you…That there wouldn’t be a second time,” Sukuna reprimanded. Snapping his fingers, you took action to escape this cage. Latching onto the stitched inhuman soul even if it meant you could suffer some damage from Sukuna’s slash, freedom outweighed the injury. 

Cackling as you were warped to the outside world along with Mahito who was profusely bleeding out. 

Your e/c eyes brightened in comparison to his clouding ones. 

“Even though you are a fool for trying to enter Ryomens soul, I have to thank you for being my ticket 🎟 to freedom

One moment you were right before his eyes and the next you vanished. Mahito was disoriented momentarily as he was being beaten by Sukunas vessel and the 7/3 sorcerer. It came to his mind that he may have lost his favor with Sukuna and if he guessed correctly, he may have helped his King lose his wife. He can already hear Jogo scolding him for being reckless. 

… 

Plummeting into the dark lake , you dove into the water fluidly. The comforts of your domain you missed so much. It was refreshing as the water washed over you, reeling into the liquid. 

I did it . You couldn’t believe it but you managed to pull it off and without harm. Technically speaking Ryomen would be coming for you but for now you just wanted to relish the moment. 

“Little girl, I'm back.!” You fanatically called out. Your call carried throughout the lake penetrating Vn soul as she felt chill run up her spine. 

“I'll see you in the morning Kugisaki,” Vn immediately sent her a wave to a questioning brown haired sorceress. Vn did her best to calmly walk to her room and without even fully making it into her bed she collapsed into a deep slumber . 

“ YN!!!” Vn cried out as she thrashed on the lake in front of you. 

Rolling your eyes as you slowly swam toward her. Within reach, Vn threw her arms around your waist. “ You're touching me,” bothered by the lack of personal space. “That doesn't matter right now. I missed you too,” Vn let out a soft exhale and despite your initial dismay, you didn’t push her away. 

“I was so worried about you. One second you were here and the next. Poof , gone. Its been three months you know,” VN spoke ecstacity, her eyes brightened as she chatted about how she was afraid for your safety and hasn't been in your domain until now. She told you in detail everything that had occurred, she was close to asking Sukuna’s vessel for help until he died.  

“Ever since Itadori died, Megumi thinks  that the higher ups did it on purpose sending them on that suicide mission so they can rule his death as an “accident,” she air quoted the last part. 

You simply nodded and listened. “Because of that Megumi and Gojo think  I'm next.  Kugisaki has been hanging out with me a lot more since the incident. Now we're going to have this big sister event coming soon and I'm not ready for that,”  she hastily said. 

“Big sister event?” you mumbled. It immediately sounded off to you. If they already successfully believe that they killed Sukuna’s vessel than more than likely they will try to use this event as a attempt of Vn life. Not good. 

“The two jujutsu schools are coming together to play a competition of sorts,” Vn went on and you finally tunned her out. No good, its likely that that blind sorcerer will bring Sukunas vessel back into this game for the event. I need to find more parts of my soul or else I'll always be vulnerable to Ryomen’s energy.

The aftermath of the boy's death only made things more complicated. You pondered in your mind for a moment.

 You’ll crush your vessels soul the moment you go berserk. 

“Is something wrong?” 

    “Hmm” 

Vn scrunched her eyebrows in concern. “You just look kind of out of it.”

You waved nonchalantly. “Im sure that this event is going to be used to try to cover your murder,”

“My murder?”Vn muttered.

“Yes and im am not keen on dying so soon. So be aware and air headed like you usually are?”

“Im not airheaded? And should I be really worried” Vn pinched the skin on her nail. Feeling that same feeling of stress at your core. Her stress. 

She did come to greet you and all you offer her was criticism and now being potentially killed. “No you shouldn't worry because those sorcerers wouldn't dare harm you if it meant angering Ryomen,” you lied. Who were you kidding? That is probably the exact reason why they want you dead. 

That fluttering ball dispersed away, Vn glanced at you with a reassured smile. 

“Ok, Im sure I can manage on my own if I end alone,” 

Alone. You made that flimsy encouragement to Itadori but I guess it worked. Not in the manner that you hoped, it still left you stuck for a month in that cage. “You’re never alone, VN” you mumbled.

“That's nice YN. I know you're always here with me, even when we got separated I know you didn't just disappear”

You weren't referring to yourself, but rather the many spirits : those that are naturally loyal to you and then the others with bad intentions are always watching .

#sukuna #ryomen sukuna #jujutsu kaisen ryomen #jjk x reader #ryomen sukuna x reader #ryomen x curse reader #historical au #yuji x reader #gojo sensei

[casimania]

Cain doesn't die in season 3 nightmare scenario: not only is he alive to see his mother come down from Heaven to fuck around with Lucifer, Maze and random humans all looking 10 years younger than him. But after his stint on Earth Abel somehow lets go of his guilt in Hell, is the first soul to come free of his loop ascend to Heaven, realizes time runs slower than on Earth and is mighty boring and discovers his mother thought the same and took a trip down to Earth so he does the same. So now there's Abel too alive and well and also doing nothing but party, fuck around and find himself.

#Talking Tag #Luciblogging #He tells them the precinct is off limits #The very next day he finds Abel there because he's a little shit #And then also Eve cause she's curious #The first person who call his mom hot or Abel funny and he's locked himself in his office #He's one step away from changing identity and just disappearing somewhere #Slightly terrified he'll wake up to his dad also on Earth or something

[leviathanspain]

dreams

erik lehnsherr x reader

a/n: i’ve had this in my drafts for a while. i’m not entirely happy with it but i just wanted to post something! also im working on a finnick odair request as well.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“are you sure?” bruce asked you as you stood up, volunteering to take the stones back.

you nodded, “it’s the least i can do.” fidgeting with the metal necklace you always wore, you looked at bruce determinedly.

“alright then.” bruce hit a button, and he and steve watched as you disappeared into the past.

“erik?” you called out for your lover, your face being blinded by the bright sun of the morning. erik shuffled over to you quietly, setting a cup of coffee on the nightstand before crawling back into bed with you.

he wrapped his hands around you and breathed your scent in, “what’s wrong, my dream?”

you shook your head, enjoying the peacefulness, “nothing. i just missed you.” you let your hands move up, brushing his hair back.

“you tell charles that if he keeps taking my husband on these mutant searching trips, i’m going to be digging into that head of his until it’s scrambled.” you threatened and erik laughed. you loved his laugh, there was something incredibly romantic about it that made him utterly irresistible.

“he shall get the message.” kissing your forehead, erik brought a hand up to your neck, the chain feeling cool under his palm as he kissed you again.

you had returned all the stones. your trip through time had ended in 1974, a year after erik had been broken out of jail by peter.

walking up the steps of the mansion, you looked out to see younger versions of the mutants you knew as adults. there was a sudden rush of wind beside you. you smiled upon hearing your name.

“y/n? whatttt-“ peter laughed nervously, and then turned serious, “you’re supposed to be dead. we all saw it-“

“peter.” you hugged him, his ramblings ceased as he felt your arms around him. he returned the hug, but he still couldn’t believe it:

“how?!” he pulled back, basically screaming in your face.

you laughed, and put a hand on his shoulder, “your questions will be answered soon, where’s erik?” your eyebrows knitted together in concern.

peter held his arm out, like always, and you smiled trying not to get emotional at the interaction, “he should be around here somewhere. also what’s with the funky suit? are you some goofy looking cop now?”

you laughed, looking at him once before you braced yourself.

peter dropped you off with a wave and sped away as charles and erik both turned to see you.

it was as if someone had smacked the life out of both of them. erik stepped forward warily, his face an ever changing picture of emotions, he stopped dead in his tracks, “charles? are you seeing this too?” he didn’t take his eyes off of you.

charles, who was stuck frozen, blinked. “i- i guess i am. y/n?” his voice shook when he said your name.

tears welled in your eyes, and you nodded, “yes, it’s me. erik,” you stepped forward, “it’s me.”

erik didn’t move, he still didn’t believe you. “no. i saw you die- we all did!” he was confused, hurt.

you moved to grab the necklace, pulling it out from your shirt, you showed it to him, “it’s me. i’ve never taken this necklace off. ever since i fell in love with you, i’ve worn it.”

erik stared at the necklace that looked identical to the one he had made you on your first date. if it was really you-

“there’s even a little chip in it from when you dropped it, trying to put it on me for the first time.” you knew that would make him believe you.

and you were right, his arms engulfed you in an embrace, his lips melting on yours.

“…. i’ve returned all the stones, but i knew i couldn’t go back.” your hand wrapped around erik’s and you smiled, “a world without you was my worst nightmare. im free.”

“my dream..” he brought your hand up to his lips, “time has treated you kindly.” as staunch as erik was with his beliefs, one of the things he found hard to believe was the fact that he fell in love with a human.

only your mutant abilities came in your time after erik, after the blast nearly killed you.

“so, erik and i are old in the future…, and you don’t age anymore?” charles explained the situation of the future and you had nodded, but he still found it incredible that you didn’t age like a regular human anymore.

“something like that.” you laughed and hugged erik again, unbelievably happy to be in his presence.

“where is she?!” bruce banged on the machinery as you didn’t return. there was a small rustle in the air as you started to walk towards bruce, a visitor behind you as you held his hand tightly.

“im right here, bruce.” you spoke to everyone’s surprise. bruce turned and looked at you with surprise that soon turned to sadness. you were holding hands with erik who was glaring at bucky and steve.

you looked the same, save for a small streak of grey in your hair that showed you aged in your time gone, but your youth still remained. erik looked the same as you found him, young and handsome, an affect of being around you for so long that his body just stopped aging.

“what happened?” steve spoke up, stepping forward as if to try to pull you away from erik.

you held a hand out to steve and gave him a warning gaze, “before the avengers, i was apart of an experimental trial team called the x-men. it was before i had powers so i worked behind the scenes with hank on developing suits, weapons, etc.”

you continued, “i had met erik and charles when they recruited me and i was completely smitten with erik,” erik smiled softly. “next thing you know, we were getting married in cabo-“ bucky raised his eyebrows and you laughed, “it was 1972, cut me some slack.” everyone gave a small chuckle.

“i ended up disappearing a year later after a blast that should’ve killed me. but i was captured by strucker, and brutally experimented on until my mutant genes took over. as everyone knows, i can create pocket dimensions, heal, and im actually developing a new power!”

bruce raised an eyebrow, “is that even possible?” the avengers didn’t seem to know too much about mutants, so you didn’t blame him.

you nodded, “as a mutant, your powers can grow with time. erik’s power grew as he aged and now he can kill anyone in a hundred mile radius with just a spoon.” erik looked down but you wrapped your hand tightly around his waist, offering comfort.

steve began to say something but you held a hand up, “i’d rather not discuss morality right now, captain. especially not when it pertains to my husband.”

“but anyway-“ you sighed, “to cut the story short, i just went back to 1974 and put the band back together.” you looked over at erik and he nodded, “pretty much.”

“are you happy?“ bucky asked, his question seemed abrupt, but you appreciated it.

“yes i am.”

#marvel imagine #marvel x reader #avengers imagine #erik lehnsherr x reader #avengers x fem!reader #x men x reader #x men imagine #x men oneshot #avengers one shot

[slasherhaven]

Bo Sinclair X Reader

Part 1 HERE

People wanted a part 2, so here you go!

Soulmate AU: shared pain and shared scars part 2:

What had started with you and some friends trying to get a fan belt for their car and maybe some mild flirting with the man who owned the garage, had all ended in hell breaking loose. Bo had been charming and helpful, you had felt an instant connection to him, the type of connection that soulmates so often talked about.

At first you had been disappointed that he didn't seem to recognise your scars, proving he wasn't your soulmate, but now you were thankful for it. At least you weren't cosmically tied to the man who had just turned and attacked your friends.

He had shot Wade and Carly had disappeared. You had been dragged to a basement beneath the garage and left there, him promising to deal with the rest of the group you came with before returning.

Out of the people you came on the road trip, you only really knew Carly. She was the only one you would truly have to mourn but seeing Wade shot like that and knowing the others were next was undeniably traumatic.

Left alone in the basement, you tried to find a way out but there was only a heavy locked door between you and your freedom. When trying to open it failed, you settled for banging on it and shouting for help. You hoped that some other of Carly's friends would come looking for the three of you when you were gone for so long, maybe they would hear you and you could get out of here.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed, hands becoming bloodied from repeatedly hitting the door, throat becoming sore from shouting. But you were finally interrupted by the sound of a car approaching. You stopped and stepped away from the door, looking up at the ceiling as the car came to a stop.

God, you hoped it was somebody from the camp...

You began to panic as you heard feet descending the stairs outside of the locked door, moving yourself further away from it. You heard the lock clicking before the door was pushed open, Bo stepping into the dimly lit basement.

"Stop banging on the fucking door" Bo snapped, clearly frustrated despite likely not having heard it if he was out in his truck...

You didn't respond but he moved closer and you noticed that he had left the door open. At this point, you had run out of options and had to take every opportunity that presented itself.

You suddenly darted towards the door, trying to pass him, but it was fruitless. Bo quickly caught you, grabbing you by the arms and standing in front of you to further block your path. You thrashed and fought against him but it was no use.

"The others?..." you asked, dread clear in your voice.

"My brother is dealing with them" Bo informed you, like it was nothing.

"...are you going to hurt me?" you were already sure of the answer, you just didn't know what he wanted from you. Why had he left you in the basement rather than just disposing of you like he had done the others.

"No. That would be, quite literally, self destructive" he chuckled darkly. He was too calm, you just knew what he had done to your friends...he had done before.

"What?" you didn't understand his comment.

Bo grabbed your wrist, his bloody hand wrapped completely around the scarring on your wrist, almost like it was instinctual. As he released your other arm, you tried to pull your hand away but his grip was too tight. With his free hand, he pulled up the sleeve his coveralls, revealing scarring that was identical to yours.

You stared at the twisted skin, processing what this meant. You had been right from the beginning when you first saw him, this was your soulmate.

"No...no" you shook your head, trying harder to pull your wrist out of his grasp. You just kept repeated the word 'no' as tears streamed from your eyes. How could you soulmate be somebody who did such awful things.

"Shhh, it's alright" Bo cooed, almost ironically. He continued to shush you as he pulled you against his chest, wrapping his arms around you.

Your brain told you that you should be a far away from him as possible, to kick and scream, but his embrace was strange comforting. Of course it was, you were fated to find comfort in his arms. Destined to meet him and love him. The universe wanted you both together, it was meant to be.

Maybe that was why your body began to relax as you cried into his chest, clutching at his coveralls. You hated him, you wanted to hate him, you needed to hate him. Yet, you were destined not too.

Bo kept you held against his chest and you couldn't even find it within yourself to pull away, finding comfort in the source of your pain.

Slowly, the sinking realisation settled. If you were Bo's soulmate, there was no way he was letting you leave. He had already made sure that there was nobody left to tell anyone where you were. If anyone eventually worried about your group going missing, they would assume you all ran off somewhere or eventually decide that you were the next mysterious case of missing people. It was unlikely anyone would track you down to a random, deserted, little town.

"You're home now" Bo whispered into your hair.

You sobbed at the realisation, and yet you clung tighter to him. He just held you tighter.

Bo smirked to himself as he ran a hand over your hair, only to have you shift closer to him. He knew that you hated him but he was confident that would change over time. Just from the way you were acting now, he knew he could win you over, and he knew you wouldn't be leaving him.

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up" you didn't respond as he pulled away, grasping your arm before guiding you out of the basement.

He kept hold of your arm as he walked you through Ambrose, towards the house he had taken you too earlier that day. As you were walking along the road, a familiar truck pulled up beside you both, bringing you to a halt.

Lester, the man who had brought you into Ambrose in the first place, hopped out of the truck.

"Everything's cleaned up" he informed Bo before looking at you and grinning. "they're your soulmate?" Bo just nodded, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into his side. "It must be your lucky day" Lester teased his brother, who only rolled his eyes. You frowned a little. Meeting your soulmate was meant to be a good, a lucky, day...unfortunately this had also been one of the worst days of your life.

"Go see how Vincent is doing, alright?" Bo asked, sending his younger brother away.

Lester just rolled his eyes before climbing back into his truck. He had wanted to stick around and get to know his brother's soulmate a bit more, but he understood that you were probably shaken.

Finally, you and Bo returned to his house and he led you into the kitchen, where he sat you down in a chair. You stayed silent, processing, as he washed his hands in the sink, washing the blood away.

Once his hands were clean, he wet a cloth and returned to you, pulling a chair out opposite you before sitting down.

He grasped your hands and you allowed him too, letting him pull them into his lap as he began to wipe away the blood.

"You're in shock and you're angry but you'll come around" Bo sounded sure about that but you supposed he had every right to be, you were his soulmate after all. You had to come around. "You know I can't hurt you, or let anyone else hurt you, right?" he asked and you just nodded. Of course he can't hurt you, it would only be hurting himself. Literally. At least you had that peace of mind.

You watched as he cleaned your hands, it was almost tender. A complete contrast to the cruelty he had treated the rest of your group with.

"Why did you do all this?" you asked quietly when it fell silent.

"I'll explain everything later" Bo promised, knowing he had a lot to explain and that he had to tell you everything. You would find out one way or another.

You just nodded, hanging your head. "Hey, c'mon now, the worst is over" he reassured you, lifting a hand to wipe a tear from under your eye with his thumb. "I know this probably ain't how you expected to meet your soulmate but you're gonna be just fine, darlin'" he did sound genuinely sympathetic, at least to some extent.

Removing his hand from your face, Bo stood from his chair, going to drop the now bloodied rag into the sink.

You weren't sure what came over you but you quickly grabbed his hand, stilling him. You just felt safer, the closer he was. A instinctual part of you wanted him to remain close, as if it didn't understand the nuance of the situation. He seemed a little surprised but turned to you expectantly.

"How did you get those scars?" you asked. Something you had wondered all your life.

"You still feel bad for me?" Bo asked, almost sarcastically, like he couldn't imagine you having any sympathy for him anymore.

"You were a child...I would never blame you for that" you shook your head.

"...I'll tell you later, okay? When you actually want to talk to me" Bo promised. You opened your mouth but quickly shut it again, knowing he was right. How could you talk to him about something like that after what he just did? You shouldn't have even asked.

You reluctantly released his hand, letting him dispose of the cloth.

You didn't want to admit it but you knew that eventually you would want to talk to him, that your fated connection would become much stronger than your determination to hate him for the horrible things he has done. There would come a day when you simply...didn't care anymore, and you would want him by your side despite it all.

#bo sinclair x reader #slasher x reader #slashers x reader #slashers #slasher #my writing

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 1 - Decoy [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Here we go my loves, the first chapter! ❤ I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

As always, I don’t own anything.

Word Count: 2200

Warnings: Mentions of blood, violence, death, manipulation, language.

Summary: Trouble has a way of following certain people.

Sometimes you wondered whether you would run away screaming when you were a child if you knew what kind of a person you would turn into.

It wasn’t exactly your fault though. For years and years, several people had put the blame on several different things. Eventually they would reach the same conclusion though; the psychiatrists, your superiors, the very few people you could call your family, they all agreed on one thing.

It wasn’t you, it was the abandonment.

The abandonment you went through when you were a teenager had somehow started this domino, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop this constant fall, not even you.

But as you would figure out soon, you were lucky. Instead of being consumed by your anger, you could direct it somewhere else. You were recruited and trained from a very young age, and somewhere along the way, you realized that if you wanted to survive you were going to have to sacrifice certain things.

Forgiveness was the first one to disappear. Guilt was another.

Then fear.

Then, love.

Ah well. Worse things happen in the world every day.

If anything it made your job easier.

You cracked your neck and opened the door to your apartment, the key sticking to your fingers because of the blood on your hands for a moment and you made a face as you shut the door, leaning back.

A very long shower and a bottle of wine sounded like a good idea.

You placed your gun on the table, took the dagger strapped to your thigh out of its holster and got the knives out of the heels of your shoes before flinging yourself onto your couch and turning the TV on.

“Also called Sokovia Accords 2.0 by the critics—“

“What the superheroes think about this remains a mystery—“

“The first time caused a huge rift between Captain America and Iron Man but nobody knows the new Captain America Sam Wilson’s comment on it—“

You didn’t get to change the channel again when your phone started vibrating in your pocket, making you sit up straight. You muted the TV, and checked the caller I.D before you answered.

“Hey there.”

“Hi, how’s Paris?” the cheerful voice of your best friend reached you, “Had enough croissants yet?”

A small smile pulled at your lips. After your only parental figure had left you to go God knew where, General had decided to adopt you and raise you like a daughter. His actual daughter Chloe had welcomed you with open arms, and you had been best friends since then.

Her being the top analyst of the division didn’t hurt either.

“Mm hm, because that’s all I’m doing. Eating croissants, visiting museums—”

“Killing and maiming targets...” she mused, finishing your sentence for you and you heaved a sigh.

“Somehow that last one isn’t included in the city guide,” you pointed out. “Chloe, you know this is a line for—“

“Official contact from General, yeah yeah,” she said, “In my defense, you didn’t pick up the phone an hour ago when I called you from my phone.”

“Do you know how hard it is to use touch screen when your hands are covered in blood?”

“What happened to your sniper rifle, did it fall into Seine?”

“It required close combat,” you said, “And the target swallowed the chip before I could get it, so I had to perform a spontaneous autopsy.”

“Just so you know, whenever you talk about your job I have to watch like a hundred cute videos after I hang up.”

“Happens.” you said, “How’s everything?”

“You missed us already?”

You grinned, “Maybe.”

“Good, because dad wants you back. He’ll contact you any day now.”

Your head snapped up and you stood up from the couch, “Really?”

“Duh. Have you seen how negotiations for these new Accords are going? It’s going to be a mess and we need you here.”

“The second one hasn’t passed officially.”

“Well no, but you know how my father thinks.” she said and you tilted your head.

“Are we sure it’s General who wants me there and not you?”

“Okay, that was one prank ages ago and I didn’t hear the end of it!” she protested, “Don’t you trust me at all?”

“Nope.”

“You know, I’m being the perfect friend and calling you to give you some good news but if you’re going to be like this, my news can wait until you get here.”

You pulled your brows together, “What news?”

“What do I get in return?”

“My endless gratitude,” you deadpanned, “Come on. What news?”

“You can’t tell anyone yet but I think you’re getting a promotion.”

Your breath got caught in your throat, “You’re joking.”

“Don’t forget about me when you become a handler, you hear me?” She let out a laugh, I need friends in high places.”

“Your dad runs the division Chloe. It doesn’t get any higher than that.”

“That doesn’t count!”  

You pressed a hand over your chest, “Just— what kind of a promotion are we talking about?”

“I mean I snooped around his files and casually committed treason.” she said, “But even I don’t know yet. They must be still making the adjustments.”

You opened your mouth to reply but then your phone vibrated again and you lowered it to check the message on the screen.

It was simple but again, all his texts were simple and to the point.

From: General

Time to come back. Jet leaves in 2 hours.

Here goes my shower and wine night.

“Chloe?” you said, walking to the sink to wash your hands so that you could start packing, “You want anything from here? I’m coming home.”

                                              ***

The best thing about being on the move all the time was that you could pack in minutes and the division would take care of the things you had left behind.

Apartments, belongings-

Not that you carried any belongings with you, or bought any more than necessary. It would’ve made you form a bond, which was less than ideal for any spy.

You suppressed the yawn splitting your face and made your way to General’s office. This jet-lag was going to make your life pretty difficult in the following 24 hours, and you were painfully aware of it, but it wasn’t like you could just ask for some time to rest.

That could wait. Your job was more important.

“General?” you knocked on the half open door and he raised his head to look at you before motioning you to enter the room.

“Y/N,” he said, “Close the door please. It’s good to have you back.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Take a seat,” he said and you cleared your throat, then perched on the edge of the chair.

“I’ve heard you eliminated the threat and got rid of our target quite fast,” he said, “And we have the chip now.”

You nodded silently, pushing your hair behind your ear.

“Well, that shows me you’re ready for the next step,” he said “No reason to beat around the bush, you’re getting a promotion.”

Pride burst through your system but you tried to control your expression to stop the grin threatening to pull at your lips.

“Thank you sir.”

“Here are the details for your next mission,” he said, handing you a file that was stamped as Top Secret and you flipped the page to find information about your next identity.

Alias: Shrike

“Shrike,” you murmured to yourself, turning the pages, “Like the bird?”

“Mm hm. I assume you’ve heard about the Accords issue?”

You looked up, “Only a little,” you said, “The first one was a disaster and the government had to drop it after The Blip due to the public’s reaction, resurrected people insisted that the superheroes were the ones who saved them, not the government. Then the government said they would go over the details and change it in a way that would benefit both the public and the superheroes, but I haven’t seen the new version.”

“There were some adjustments but to be honest with you, it’s the same deal. We can’t have superheroes running wild with no orders,” he said, “I need you on both fronts, one with terminating specific targets, and one with….well, you’ll see.”

You flipped the page and blinked a couple of times, your stomach dropping.

You were good, but you weren’t that good.

“You- you’re sending me after Captain America, sir?”

“Ah no,” he said, “Don’t worry. Wilson doesn’t have a past we can use against him, and trust me, we checked. The guy is an actual hero but we need a bad guy.”

You turned the page and shut your eyes for a moment.

Bucky Barnes.

Right. You should’ve known.

The government wanted and needed Captain America on their side, but Bucky Barnes could fall for all they cared.

“Sir I appreciate your trust in my abilities but not even an army could take down the Winter Soldier the last time—” you started but General shook his head.

“Y/N, you’re not going to kill him,” he said, “That’s the second front I was talking about. We need you to get close to him, to form a personal bond and gather intel we can use in the future.”

You gawked at him, “I’m sorry?”

“Barnes is the perfect candidate. He can help us with necessary information to prove to the public that superheroes need to answer to someone; us. Besides if it all goes bad, we can just say he was a threat. With that kind of past no one would think he was innocent to begin with.”

Your head was spinning. Scratch that, the whole room was spinning.

You were good at finding and terminating targets, not forming personal bonds or playing this

“When you say get close to him….” You trailed off, your voice way too weak and he smiled slightly.

“You’re an attractive woman, I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.”

That. That was your promotion.

Not an operations officer, not a handler, but a lover who also happened to kill people.

They were going to use you as a honey trap for him.

“Sir, I don’t think-“ you started, but he held up a hand.

“Before you say no,” he said, “Let me remind you that this will benefit your career greatly, and you will have your own team. Show us you can handle it, and the position you want will be within your reach, you have my word. You want to be a handler, don’t you?”

You dragged your fingernails on the file, deep in thought.

“Barnes is one of the many dangerous people we may need to stop one day, and the only way to do it is to keep him under control and learn everything he knows until we’re ready to take him in.”

“But if these new Accords don’t pass—“ you started but he shook his head.

“Even if they don’t, and that’s a big if,” he said, “He’s still a valuable asset to have. We all have to perform certain missions, Y/N. Even if we don’t particularly like them. You will thank me in the future, when your career flourishes.”

Your blinked a couple of times, a bitterness appearing in your mouth.

“Of course,” you managed to say, “You’re— you’re right sir. It’s a good plan. I accept the position.”

“Great!” he clapped his hands together, “We have a target for you for tomorrow night, there’s this gallery opening. He needs to be eliminated, I think you can handle that? Start planning how it will go with Barnes as well, we can’t lose any time.”

You pursed your lips together and closed the file, “Of course.”

“Congratulations.” he leaned in slightly, “Your dad would be so proud of you if he could see you now.”

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, but it felt like it was getting bigger and bigger.

“I don’t need his approval,” you rasped out and walked to the door, but stopped when you heard him speak.

“Shrike,” he used your alias for the first time and you looked over your shoulder.

“Yes?”

“I don’t have to remind you that this mission is top secret. If he figures out who you are, or what you’re up to…” he clicked his tongue, “Kill him.”

You paused for a moment, then tilted your head and smiled at him.

“As you wish, sir.” you managed to say, then walked out of his office as if someone was chasing you. You made your way straight to the bathroom and slammed the file on the marble counter, then pulled out the small picture sticking out from the corner. It was an old black and white picture of him with Steve Rogers, probably taken in the 40s, both of them smiling. 

When you lowered the picture to attach it back to the paper, your eyes caught the tiny print under his aliases.

Confirmed Kills: Exact number unknown (Credited with 100+ assassinations)

You were in way, way over your head now.

“Oh, fuck.”

                                  Chapter 2

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #the falcon and the winter soldier #falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #the winter soldier #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel imagines #the winter soldier x reader #the winter soldier imagine #burn the witch

[thealtoduck]

Your Lois Lane’s son and you become a Star Sapphire because you have crush on Kyle Rayner…

Kyle Rayner x Male Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: You have a crush on your bff Kyle, so the Star Sapphires decide to weaponize it to help get rid off their enemies.

(A/N 1: I’m gonna slightly base this of Superman the animated series, because then Kyle works at the daily planet and that makes everything easier for me.)

(A/N 2: Star Sapphire/Carol Ferris is also one of my underrated faves.)

——

You opened your eyes that morning expecting to follow your usual daily routine, eat breakfast, go to work, work, eat lunch, get back to work, go home, have dinner with the family and go to bed.

But little did you know that all that would be thrown out the window after the first step.

You went into the kitchen where your mother was cooking breakfast and she handed you a plate off eggs, toast and bacon. You thanked her and walked towards the table where your step-father Clark and your little brother Jon were sitting and eating.

You ruffled Jon’s hair as you walked past him and sat down next to him. You saw that he was eating his food as if he were wild animal. ”Jon, calm down you’re not a savage” you commented and Jon calmed his eating a little bit.

After you finished your breakfast you went into your room to get dressed for work. While you were there your mother, Clark and Jon left, since they needed to drive Jon to school before they went to work.

When you left your room you saw that your mom and Clark had forgotten their bagged lunch so you picked them up and decided to stop at the daily planet on your way to work.

You left the apartment building and got in to your car and started your drive towards the daily planet.

You stopped outside the tall building, got out of your car and walked inside. You found an elevator and stepped inside and you pushed the button that would take you to your mother’s floor.

But you heard someone yelling ”Hold the elevator”, so you pushed the button to open the door again and then Kyle Rayner aka your bff aka the man you were head over heels in love with, came running so fast that he hit the elevator wall.

”What did i tell you about running in to walls, Kyle?” You asked cheekily.

”Don’t do it” he answered while holding his forehead.

”But did you listen to me? No” you said.

”Whatever… By the way are you going to Jane’s party with anyone?” He asked.

”No, not really, are you?” You asked in return.

”Yeah, i’m going with you” Kyle joked making you roll your eyes. ”Who knows the night might end in some pAssIOnaTE making out?” Kyle continued.

He didn’t know but his joke made you die a little inside, since you wanted it to actually be like that, but you knew that Kyle wasn’t in to you romantically.

The elevator door then opened at your mother’s floor and you exited the elevator and said a quick goodby to Kyle as the doors once again closed.

You found your mother’s desk and gave her her’s and Clark’s lunch, she thanked you and you left once again.

While you were riding the elevator down but your mind couldn’t help but wander to thinking about Kyle, he was so kind and creative, he makes you feel safe and happy.

All of a sudden the elevator came to a halt and the lights shut down.

”Great, now i’m stuck in an elevator AND hopelessly in love with my best friend, just my luck” you thought to yourself, you were about to pick up your phone and call your boss to tell her you would probably be late.

But all of a sudden there was a glowing light in front of you, you covered your eyes from the sudden strong glow.

Then you looked at the source and saw a glowing violet six pointed star. All of a sudden a voice spoke up from no where.

”We know what you want Y/n Lane, you want the one you love and we the Star Sapphires can give you the power to take that love” a hypnotic voice said, from what Clark had taught you, you know you shouldn’t trust things like this.

Then all of a sudden a ring floated out from inside the six pointed star. ”All you have to do is do something for us, destroy the Green Lantern” the hypnotic voice said adding a bit more psychopath vibes.

You tried to back away from the ring but it was like you weren’t in control of your own body cause all off a sudden you arm started reaching out towards it.

The ring then floated on to your finger and the voice said ”Now repeat after me”. It started by saying one sentence and as if the words were being dragged out of your throat you said along with it ”For hearts long lost and full of fright, for those alone in blackest night, accept our ring and join our fight, love conquers all with violet light!”

Then all of a sudden you had no control at all and a violet light spread over your body.

Kyle was sitting and having a cup of coffee, he couldn’t get you out of his head, he hadn’t really been joking when he said he was taking you as his date for the party. He actually really wanted to ask you out but if you said no he didn’t want it to be weird between you, so he asked it in more of a joking manner to make it more lighthearted.

He was about to go and get back to work but then he heard chattering from the others, they were staring at something down on the street.

He went over to the window and saw a violet lantern down on the street which could only mean trouble, Kyle ran to find somewhere to change in to the Green Lantern.

Meanwhile you were down on the street causing mayhem. The ring had basically taken full control of your body and was now throwing one of the parked cars towards the people on the sidewalk who were trying to run away from you.

The people managed to get away but you were fine with that, you were trying to bait out the Green Lantern.

Then you heard a familiar whoosing sound and you turned around. Clark was flying towards you all suited up. He was inches away from punching you in the face but when he saw you he had a moment of realization and stopped himself.

”Y/n?” he asked confused and before he could do anything else you used the ring to trap him inside a giant violet crystal. You then continued your rampage.

Kyle now stood on top of the daily planet and watched the star sapphire blast a violet beam towards a car. He then flew down to get a closer look off his opponent.

Kyle then realised who the Star Sapphire was, ”Y/n” he asked himself, he was shocked at seeing you like this, not only because you were a destructive crazy person but also because the suit you were wearing made you look really fucking hot.

You picked up a car with people inside it and threw it out over the street but before it touched the ground it was caught by a green light.

Green Lantern had caught the car and put it down. As soon as you saw the man clad in green the ring told you to do one thing ”Kill him”.

You aimed your ring towards him and shot a violet beam towards him. He created a green bubble around himself that protected him.

Your battle continued to rage on, but it was noticable that Kyle was holding back slightly trying to avoid harming you. He was trying to think of a plan, he was also generally confused about the fact that you had turned into Star Sapphire.

After all the emotion of the violet lanterns were love, so maybe he had something to do with this. Well there was only one way to find out and it was the only plan he had.

He flew towards you dodging your different attacks and when he got to you he grabbed you around the waist and pushed his lips against yours.

He was glad that you didn’t pull back because that meant his plan worked. His hand slid down to your ringed finger and pulled the ring off.

Your suit the disappeared and it was replaced with your normal clothing. You then passed out.

Kyle kept a hold of you and brought you down to a rooftop. He then used his ring to free Superman from the violet crystal.

He walked back to you as you were starting to wake up. You looked at the Green Lantern and realised you were outside and on a rooftop.

”Green Lantern?” you asked ”Where am i? What happened?” you continued and Kyle made an impulsive decision. He made his super-suit disappeared and revealed his identity to you. After your initial shock about his identity he told you about what had happened and ensured you everyone were fine. Kyle then made another impulsive decision…

”Y/n, would you like to go on a date with me?”

”Of course” you answered happily.

Instead of your date being at the party you were suppose to go to you and Kyle decided to have a relaxing night at your place.

Clark had taken Lois and Jon out to some resturant so that you and Kyle could get some privacy.

You and Kyle were cuddling on the couch while watching the news about Green Lantern stopping a villain by kissing him.

#kyle rayner x male reader #kyle rayner x male!reader #green lantern x male reader #green lantern x male!reader #dc comics x male reader #dc x male reader #male reader #x male reader #male reader fluff #x male reader fluff #male reader headcanons #x male reader headcanons

[gyuluster]

the prince and the jackal | {f}

collab oneshot | fantasy! au | 11.8k words

“Because the prince of the earth can make you fall not only for nature, but the boy who rules over it.”

s u m m a r y : in the Kingdom of Terrae, you, a metalbender, believe in the deforestation to modernise the land. As a member of the Lumberjackals, you thrive on cutting down trees and stealing resources until you get caught by the Crown Prince, Choi Beomgyu, a lover and embodiment of the nature you wish to destroy. However, instead of imprisoning you for your crimes, Beomgyu decides to show you the beauty and wonders of nature, leaving you to doubt your beliefs, your identity, and your very feelings for the certain boy determined to change you for the better.

w a r n i n g s : prince! beomgyu, woodcutter! metalbender! reader, reader hates wildlife and all things nature, beomgyu is sunshine and flowers and everything good, shit ton of wildlife and fantasy stuff, bts kim line are part of the lumberjackals so are evil in this story i am so sorry y’all, beomgyu has a pet squirrel called jisung yes han jisung, kind of enemies to lovers not really but im pretending it is

p l a y l i s t : fairy of shampoo by txt | colours of the wind by judy kuhn | willow by taylor swift

a u t h o r ‘ s  n o t e : yes i am back from the dead to bring this fic hello!! this is a collab with @soobmint​ @juunnies​ @bffsoobin​ @honeyju​ pls do read their parts too they’re so sexc <3 do lemme know what you all think and thank you for reading!!

back to collab masterlist

back to my masterlist

“And this prayer I make,               Knowing that Nature never did betray The heart that loved her.”  — William Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey, 1798.

“ONE MORE BLOODY TREE, AND I’LL SCREAM THIS FOREST DOWN!”

You ignored the complaints of your comrades, trekking deeper into the forest. 

The sun was nearly drowned out by the towering shade of the surrounding trees, and there remained a constant buzz of the animals, either scurrying away or chirping in the skies. The cut up logs strapped on your back was a huge burden, and slowed your steps as you trudged onto the muddied pathways, staining your boots.

“_____, how much longer until we go to the markets?” one of the men asked, exhaustion clear in his voice. 

“Just a few more logs, Tae,” one of the woodcutters, Seokjin, answered, casting a side-ways glance at you. 

“But we’ve already got so many!” the former whined, pointing to the goods over their shoulders. “We can make decent money today!”

Unsheathing your sword, you cut away at the vines in your path, masking your sight ahead. It must be here somewhere, you thought, eyes darting sharply to every flower and bush. It has to be.

“Haven’t you fools understood already?” a snarl resonated from the group. Your horse trotted past you as Namjoon, sat on top, brought out his machete, brutally slicing the branches of the towering trees. “The wood we’ve got won’t last us all year!”

His eyes blazed with a certain greed as he looked over you all. “We must find the Tree of Life,” he declared, strolling past you, cutting down the path. “One strip of its bark could bring us a fortune.”

You listened to his statements with raised brows, following in his steps. In truth, none of you had ever seen the Tree of Life. No one in the kingdom had for centuries — it had become something of a myth, a legend passed down from every earthbender to child of its origins, and its significance. You didn’t know the great specifics, but the whole group knew that if they were to obtain even a twig from the great tree, it could grant them millions worth of gold. 

And that was something the Lumberjackals desired more than the wellbeing of an omnipotent tree.

Soon, the search progressed, your group cutting down a few Ebonies for its useful properties, but there was no heavenly legend welcoming you in all its finery. The sun was descending on the horizon, and although Spring was present, you were situated in the part of the forest where the gusts of the Ice Kingdom blew consistently in your direction. The cold was about to descend, and you were far from your home in the Metallum villages. 

Taehyung, the youngest of the Kim brothers, held onto a nearby oak, all strength leaving him. “I don’t know about you, but I am not travelling any further.” He glared daggers at Namjoon, who showed no signs of stopping. “I’m setting camp here, and you can do nothing to stop me.”

Seokjin joined his youngest sibling, collapsing on the patch of grass beside the gathering of flowers as he shrugged off his work of the logs. “I vote a little rest, even if Joon does not understand its meaning.”

The said-man let out a scoff at those words. “You both are just bloody lazy!” He turned to you, eyes pinning you where you stood. “You’ll keep searching with me, right?”

You agreed, but when you saw the fatigue in your leader’s gaze you grabbed the reins from his horse, stepping beside him. “You need sleep, Joon,” you said, concern in your eyes. “I’ll do another search. You three stay here.”

Namjoon held your stare for a moment before swiping his leg over the back of the horse, jumping off. He handed you the reins fully. “Come back after dawn. Us three will take over from you.”

You had a right mind to challenge the amount of time he was making you explore, but you kept your mouth shut, heaving onto the animal. Dumping your logs of wood upon the ground, you dipped your head in farewell to the Kim brothers. “I will see you in the morning, boys.”

Taehyung waving excitedly as he set up camp, Seokjin going straight to bed upon his blankets, and Namjoon’s stare cold yet understanding, you cracked the reins as the horse began to gallop away from the oaklands, and deeper into the forest.

The moon barely lit the way as you delved deeper into the trees, the sounds of nature turning sinister as the owls began to hauntingly hoot, and the wildcats began to purr. You kept your sword close, in your hand as the other steadied your horse. 

You let out a hard sigh as you commenced your searching. Sometimes, only when you were alone, you wished that Namjoon would snap out of his delusions. There was no Tree of Life, no invaluable source of fortune which would challenge the earthbenders and start their industrialisation. In truth, you only wished for a life more than just cutting down wood, but your leader’s promises could be much too enticing. 

Perhaps he was right. Maybe with the metalisation of Regna Terrae the metalbenders would be able to progress. It was not like the Kingdom cared for the likes of you, nor the nature which brought you to existence.

Stupid, damned forest. What good had it ever done you?

Suddenly, you heard the harsh snapping of the twigs which wasn’t from your horse. In an instant you halted, pulling the reins as your eyes darted to every corner of the dark forest. 

Silence.

You furrowed your brows.

The forest cannot be trusted. Even its silences were sinister and misleading.

Slowly, you got off your horse, tying the reins to a nearby tree. “Keep still, Aurum,” you whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

Patting the mane, you turned and followed in the direction of where the sound was heard, every step quiet and cautious. There was little light, you having to rely on your ears alone, and the hands which touched trunk from trunk. In moments like these, you wished you possessed a more useful power than mere metal manipulation — firebending would have been nice, but you supposed that luck had never been in your favour.

Seething, you held onto your sword tighter, sending a little rush of power from your fingers as it sharpened the steel. No one tailing you would survive in your hands.

You then heard a little sigh, and whipped your head to the direction. Gritting your teeth, you rushed to the place of the origins, anger rising. Swiping away the branches in your path, your boots were the only sound among the quiet hush of the forest, along with the slicing of your weapon. Whoever was toying with you will not leave your wrath.

Swiping away the plants, you finally found an opening of grass among the trees. Squinting, your anger surged to find a distant figure standing before you, all masked in shadows from the lack of light within your surroundings. It stood statue-still, matching your deathly quietness. 

But the figure did not seem like it offered death. Nor anything so dangerous as you promised.

“Come out!” you shouted, taking a step forward. “I know you were following me!”

No response. 

“Scared, are you?!” Another hesitant step. “As you should be!”

Still, only silence answered, and the soft crunch of the leaves underneath your boots. You took a deep breath, shining your sword from the moonlight. A scoff emitted from you, nerves disappearing. This should be easy. 

With an aggravated roar, swinging your weapon, you thundered towards the figure. 

You rushed into the moonlight pooling onto the grass, eyes intent with damage as you willed iron-like power from your veins, and into your hands, swirling around the fuller of your sword until it reached its tip, ready to burst onto the figure.

It was then the shadows moved. 

A flick of his hand. A soft glow within the darkness. 

And all of nature followed suit.

You were taken aback as the thousands of vines circulating the surrounding trees unwrapped themselves from their trunks, and snapped towards you in thundering speed. You had no time to take in their stems swirling around your feet, cutting off your run towards this certain figure. A gasp escaping, you were pulled back by the impact, and let out a further scream as you began to fall flat on your face. Then, even more shock reverberated through you as your feet were pulled upwards, shooting your body up until you were suspended from a tree branch, your one foot wrapped tightly in the vines.

Your world all upside down, you shook your head vigorously, feeling the strain of your one leg under complete control of the tree. The thrum of powerful magic of nature resonated through your body, ceasing you from moving your free leg and kicking any potential passerbys. 

Craning your head backwards, you saw with horror that your sword was clattered upon the ground, too far away to reach from the air. Straining your hand towards the grass, you willed your magnetic force, trying to lure your weapon into your hand.

The sword would have ended up in your grasp if another surge of the same natural magic did not break its path, sending it back on the earth.

Enraged, you looked out to the dark, sight distorted. “Gods, just come out already!” you screamed, swinging slightly by your sheer force. “Stop hiding in the damned shadows!”

There was a flutter of little animals coming out from the shadows. “Ha!” you spat, reaching for the dark. “Only sending a few creatures to scare me? You’re going to have to work harder than that!”

When there was another round of silence, you laughed harshly to yourself. “That’s what I thought.”

This time, however, you were not greeted by their usual, quiet answer.

More vines slithered down your frame, pushing your hands together. You gritted your teeth as the gnarly weeds tightened around your wrists, stopping yourself from using your hands.

Glaring daggers at the darkness ahead, you spat at the ground. “Show yourself!” you roared.

Your threats were answered.

Responded in an unimaginable way as the figure stepped into the moonlight.

You could not suppress your reaction.

The most enchanting boy you had ever seen revealed himself from the shadows. You could clearly see him from the light, the soft, child-like features amplified by his undoubted beauty — his mahogany locks curled around his face, cascading over his forehead. His gentle eyes promised great amusement, more so when they landed upon you, a ghost of a smile lingering on his lips. He was adorned in a fine green gown, few assortments strapped on his belt as leather boots, etched in ink, covered his feet. A crown of flowers and leaves settled in his curls, emitting its own, fantastical glow among the darkness.

The smile curved wider at your widened eyes. “Why so speechless now, my lady?” 

By all the gods. Even his voice sounded like the sweetest honey in all the hives. 

“I have come before you, now,” he continued, deeply amused by your bewilderment. “I have stopped hiding in those damned shadows, as you said.

“Where is your anger?”

Well, that seemed to bring your rage all back.

“It’s still here, you bastard!” you hissed, struggling in the rope-like vines as you tried to swipe your hand across his face. He merely took a step back, completely out of your range.

“Even without a weapon you are a force to be reckoned with,” the mysterious boy voiced out, raising his fingers as magic sparked from the tips. Instantly the vines encircled your arms, pinning them to your sides as the weeds wrapped around you completely. You were like a human-sized caterpillar, cocooned in vines except you would not turn into a butterfly and rush away into the forest. 

This nuisance before you would make sure of that.

A satisfied hum escaped him. “There we go,” he said. “Now you won’t be of any danger.”

“Who even are you?” you demanded, glaring daggers at the sight before you. Terrible shame that the sight was something you wouldn’t mind witnessing for the rest of your life. Even if it was upside down. 

A hint of surprise exposed upon his features. “Oh, this is amusing, indeed.”

He took a step towards you, you catching the faint scent of...flowers and trees and fruit and honey. You couldn’t really figure out a perfect essence — if nature had a scent, then this boy embodied it. “I am surprised you know not of me when you wish to destroy what I own.”

You raised a brow, at eye level with him, despite the loopy image. 

Then, the gears in your head turned, and you were struck hard with the realisation.

When you wish to destroy what I own.

“Oh gods,” you slipped out.

The boy smiled.

No, not just the boy.

The Prince of Regna Terrae — the heir to the Earth Kingdom. 

Choi Beomgyu.

Maybe this explained his otherworldly beauty. Crown princes of the earth kingdoms were known to be blessed by nature, so adorned the finest features known to man. Standing before you now, you cursed yourself for not seeing it before.

And cursed yourself again for cursing at him. Multiple times.

Beomgyu saw your eyes moving a mile a second and spluttered out a soft laugh, raising a finger so you focused on him. “I am glad you have figured out my identity. Now we both know what we are.”

His next words did not possess much hilarity. “I, a prince, and you, a Lumberjackal.”

The declaration had you gulping. There’s no escaping this.

He was not wrong in the slightest — you were a part of the Lumberjackals — a group dedicated to industrialising the Earth Kingdom, and giving it a head start from the other kingdoms who did not possess the natural resources that this land contained. You prided on deforestation, the cutting of wood and, even to a certain extent, the consumption of animals. Although you never participated in the last activity out of pure shame, you knew the Kim brothers certainly did, and enjoyed it to great extent. 

“Do you deny it?”

You tried to look away, but his gaze was a little too intense. Even if it was reversed. “I do not.”

“And what do you have to say for yourself?” he got out, and you could hear the pain in his voice. Could you even blame him? You destroyed what he held so dear.

Still. You were a metalbender. The desire for modernisation is in your very blood.

“I do what I must do, your Highness,” you grit out, struggling in your weedy cocoon. “It is the only way we survive. 

“And I will not stop.”

The boy’s eyes widened a fraction, in pure disbelief. He could not comprehend this — how could one be so against the idea of nature? How could anyone be so resolute in the decimation of what they survived on?

Prince Beomgyu cocked his head, pursing his lips. 

How could one hate a deity he considered so beautiful?

He said so himself. 

“How?”

You blinked. 

The boy continued. “How can you hate nature?”

His question took you by surprise — you did not really know the answer yourself. 

It was not like you despised the earth in all its natural form. Sure, it brought you the air you breathed, the food you ate, and the water you drank. But what else had nature given you?

You soured upon seeing the Prince’s face. You did not possess the powers other Terrae citizens were gifted with. Your branch of magic was hard, unforgiving. Simply a practicality, only useful for finding resources and making weapons.

Where were your subservient vines? Where was your natural greatness?

With this in mind, you mustered up the most brutal expression you could offer to the boy before you. 

“Because nature was not kind to the likes of me. So I shall not be kind to it either.”

This time, the Prince’s eyes widened even further, afraid they would pop right out of their sockets. 

Once again, his mind was in a twist — how had his dearest accomplice, his most cherished friend, been unforgiving to his subjects? He would never consider himself sheltered, but this was something quite unheard of in his kingdom.

“I know you do not believe me, but this is the only explanation I can offer.” You paused, accepting your fate. “Untie me already so you can send me to prison.”

You felt something swirl beneath the boy’s brown eyes, irises sparkling with wonderment. His voice was soft, if not lost within his own thoughts.

“I believe you, jackal,” he said. With a final step towards you, he left little distance between the two of you, eyes at level with yours as you hung from the tree. “But I cannot be satisfied with it.”

Another blink, taken aback by his declaration. “Well...well, what am I supposed to do about it?”

Shocking you further, he curled a little smile upon his lips. “Well,” he started, and as the smile began to widen further, he knew just what to do.

No, he was certainly not satisfied with her accepted hatred.

“We can start by changing that.”

It was your turn for your pupils to dilate. Gods above. This boy seems one chop away from a stump.

“What do you mean?” you demanded, but the boy was already turning on his heel, looking to the surroundings. He fell to his knees, feeling the ground beneath him with his hands. “Your Highness, what are you doing?!”

He did not deem to answer your question, only counter it with his own. “Do you have a horse nearby?”

You looked at him, surprised he figured it out by merely touching the grass. “Yes, but…”

It seemed that he did not need to hear any more, as he brought a hand out, fingers stretching. A tendril of green power burst from his palm, snaking through the dark air beyond your peripheral vision. The Prince was focused on his conjury, and you wondered what in Terrae he was trying to do.

Then, you heard a distant neighing, and found Aurum following the green trail of his magic, eyes glowing slightly.  

You tried to escape the tight cage of the vines. “Gods, what are you doing with my horse?!” you exclaimed. “She hates strangers!”

The magic disappeared, along with the glow in her eyes. You could tell she was confused at her surroundings, about to raise her hind legs at the boy who spelled her. “She’ll kill you!” you warned, bracing yourself to witness the death of a prince.

It was then Beomgyu stepped towards the horse, gaze sparkling with kindness. 

His hand touched Aurum’s face.

With no small amount of shock, you watched as the boy whispered to your horse, stroking her muzzle. You had never seen her be so friendly to any human she’s made contact with — by Terrae, she even deigned to show attitude to you, who had fed and groomed her since she was a mere pony. How was she sweetening up to someone she had just seen?

Maybe she’s still under a spell, you thought with malice, but then a more honest thought came to mind, and it only made you angrier. 

Or perhaps animals can be just as enchanted with him as humans can.

“What are you talking to her for?” you interrupted them, letting out an aggravated groan as the cocoon engulfed you tighter. “You’re sharing words with her as if she’d spread them!”

Beomgyu slid his eyes upward to you. “I was just asking Aurum if she’d like to have an apple.”

“No, I’ll give her one myself—” you tried to say, but then stopped short. “Wait. How do you know her name?”

He looked at you as if you had asked the most ridiculous question. “Because she just told me.”

You stopped struggling in the cocoon. “What did you just say? Aurum told you?”

Hands never ceasing his comforting upon the horse, he raised a quizzical brow. “Pardon me, jackal, but do you mean to tell me that you...you cannot talk to animals?”

Maybe you were not wrong to think the heir of the Earth Kingdom absolutely crazy. 

He gestured to the world around you both. “Can you not sense each and every creature nearby? Can you not hear their heartbeats, in sync to their purrs and murmurs?

“Can you not hear the very trees breathe around you?”

You did not know what to say. Perhaps you did not understand his words, what he really meant by a tree breathing. Was that even possible? You thought it unimaginable. 

So you offered him the only thing that remained in your mind.

“I have never felt these things.”

The hand upon Aurum’s nuzzle paused, unable to accept the statement which you offered him. 

His suspicions were confirmed. Your hatred of nature and all the beings which it birthed had rid you of your powers.

He had seen this before — lost souls who had done grave wrongdoings to the earth, and as a consequence, their very instincts were snatched, right down to the basics. There was no shortage of Lumberjackals in the palace dungeons, and upon closer inspection, he saw that these woodcutters felt no connection to their surroundings. It broke his heart seeing the lack of attachment, the lack of desire for exploration and yearning for their powers, but he knew it could not be helped. 

Whoever crosses nature would not be forgiven.

Still, when he inspected the confused, tired gaze of yours, searching him for any suspected lunacy, he just knew that he could not toss you in another old cell. This plan he had in mind could not occur through rotting in one place for the rest of your life. 

“Worry not then, jackal.” He raised his hand, magic blooming from his palm. “I am going to change that.”

Whispering to your horse, he listened for a soft neigh before heaving atop her back, hissing at the reins and other controls tying her down. You watched with slight fear. “W-wait a minute,” you started, trying to squeeze out of the vines, but with no luck. “You’re not going to just leave me here, are you?”

Patting Aurum’s mane, he voiced out calmly, “I wish with my whole heart, but then my plan will not work.” 

You pursed your lips, watching his eyes sparkle with mischief. “If you were not a prince, I would have cursed you.” 

With a flick of his hand, a rush of magic travelled to your cocoon; you felt yourself turning on your front, hovering you upright as the power gravitated you back on the ground, loosening the vines. 

“Not like that has stopped you before,” he merely countered as he observed you shrug off weeds in slight humiliation. “Now get on. We have somewhere to be.”

He waited a moment, sighing when you would not oblige. “Is something the matter?”

You wanted to say yes — gods, you wanted to scream at him to get off Aurum, leave you alone and let you cut trees in peace, but of course, that would be an impossible route to take. You still had no inkling of why the Prince of your kingdom was having mercy on you, and you would be quite the fool to exploit it foolishly.

With gritted teeth, you kept your complaints behind your tongue as you brought your foot on the stirrup, heaving upwards as you brought your leg to the other side, settling upon the horse. “Now,” Beomgyu began, looking over his shoulder. “There is no need to be shy. You may put your hands around me as the horse goes fast—”

“I shall be completely fine, thank you,” you interrupted him, brows furrowed. What was this prince even doing? You wondered whether he was a fraud. With that power you witnessed, though, you highly doubted it.

And his features. There is no way a commoner could possess such enchanting beauty.

Flustered, you soured even further. 

“Are you ready, jackal?”

You grunted out a yes, which was enough for the boy to command Aurum to start.

The horse, against your expectation, began galloping much faster, and with a yelp you were nearly sent flying out of the seat. Your hands, on instinct, wrapped around Beomgyu’s waist, and when you realised what you had done you cursed yourself for obliging him. 

You could almost hear his grin. “I told you!” he exclaimed over the noise of hooves clattering against the rocky mud. 

If only you could slap the heirs of kingdoms. “Just take me where you have in mind!” you barked back. “I need to be back to Metallum at dawn.”

“That will be just enough!” 

The horse swept past more trees, animals scurrying from your path as the moon lit the dim forest path. You held onto the prince for dear life, refusing to acknowledge the hard surface beneath his silk, his ethereal warmth radiating onto you. 

“Hey, jackal?”

A sigh. “Yes?” 

“Your horse’s name.” A pause. “Aurum.”

You looked to the trees whooshing past your vision. “What of it?”

Beomgyu whispered for the animal to slow down, scanning his surroundings for his destination. “’Gold’. A very ingenious name.” 

He glanced at your irritated face, and smiled. “My mare is called Argenti.”

Your mouth parted at the little revelation.

Argenti. Silver.

Before you could say more on the matter, the boy stopped the horse, cooing at her and praising her for helping him. Swinging his leg over, he jumped off the horse gracefully. He fixed his flower crown before turning to face you, falling rather awkwardly on the grass. 

A small laugh escaping him, you daggered him with your gaze as you stepped beside him, a hand on Aurum. Your stare lingered as he took a circle turn of the surroundings, moon almost winking at him as it journeyed in the blanket of night. After a while, Beomgyu pointed to the tree nearby you, stepping past you to palm its trunk. “Here we go.”

Fingers stretching, magic spluttered as it swirled into the thick expanse of the leaves, nearly covering the sky with their excess. The matter squeezed through, and brought out the hidden vines, tumbling down till they reached the roots. Grabbing onto the plants, the prince turned his head towards you, an offer in his eyes. 

You hated how you understood exactly what he meant. “I am not going up with you,” you retorted. 

“It’s my arms or the dungeon.”

Gulping, you swallowed down your irritation for him. Taking a step towards him, you maintained a safe distance as you made sure he was aware of your distaste. “Just get us up already.” Damn the gods for making him so aggravatingly beautiful, you thought shamelessly as you looked at him. “Your Highness.”

Perhaps he knew, for the little smile was back, wrapping his arm around your waist, and pulling you close. “That’s more like it,” he murmured out before willing his magic into motion. 

Your breathing hitched as you were pulled rapidly upward by the vines, breaking through the surface of the leaves. You closed your eyes, feeling the scraping of the branches against your clothes until you felt yourself still, listening only to the deep breaths of the prince beside you. His hand was still snaked at your side.

“Open your eyes, jackal.”

Somehow, on instinct, you obliged. 

And widened them further.

You were in another world entirely — the branches expanded beyond your vision, intertwining with the others from different trees, so intricately interlinked beneath your feet that they created a floor. Upon this branching surface there was a little room, decorated with every unusual object that one could identify. Beside the bed, interwoven by these branches, you saw an abundance of flowers and leaves, an lamp of glowing fireflies resting in the corner, and a thousand other items which needed further explanation.

Judging by the awe on your face, the boy answered you, heading to the small cabinet where everything was placed. “A collection of gadgets,” he began, using his magic to separate every object. “That I’ve bought or been gifted since my princedom.” He took out a few unrecognisable things and strolled to the wardrobe, made from the same intertwining branches, and opened the doors, rummaging through.

“What are you even looking for?” you asked, but were dutifully ignored as he kept searching. You admired the intricate scenery, the plush excess of leaves beneath your shoes, shielding you and the prince nearby.

You heard him let out a satisfied ah! as he closed the doors shut. He walked over to you, showing you the rather odd object — it was an unusually large ice cube, miniscule snowflakes etched onto its every side as it orbited slowly in Beomgyu’s hand.

Your curious gaze upon the gadget had him into explanation. “A present from the Ice Prince,” he said, admiring the cold gift in his palms. “It provides an infinite water supply, so is incredibly useful for long journeys.”

“Taehyun, is he not called?” You shivered at the thought. “I am shocked to think he is capable of such small kindnesses.”

Beomgyu slid his eyes to yours. “Taehyun is not the man that his subjects have painted him to be.” His irises swirled in an indecipherable emotion. “Sometimes, one cannot judge the character of another simply based on rumour alone. Only with having conversation can one truly have an honest opinion.”

A small part of you wondered if he truly meant that for Taehyun, or to you, another villain in the Earth Kingdom’s millennia-old tale. Whatever it may be, you looked away, wondering when you’d be able to leave the prince’s presence. 

“Right,” you heard him say, pocketing the other unknown object in his breast pocket of his gown. “Let us go on ground once more.”

The boy was about to tug on the vines again when he was interrupted by a most unusual sound. 

Well, not unusual, considering you were situated in a tree house, but the noise was so shrill you instantly looked down to its origin.

Before you was a little squirrel, cheeks puffed as its little hands perched on its sides. Its soft tail moved rapidly behind its body, indicating irritation. 

Its small, black eyes were fixated upon the boy beside you. Letting out yet another squeak, you saw Beomgyu sigh out in exasperation, as if he had just remembered an important matter.

“Oh gods, I do apologise!” He exclaimed, falling to his knees as he held his free hand out, the other holding the hovering ice cube still. “I’m afraid I cannot feed you now, but would you be able to wait?”

The squirrel let out another squeak, and this time the prince flinched. You gawked at the scene — so not only can he command the trees, but he could talk to animals?

What can this boy not do?

“Ji, I am sorry!” Fishing out an acorn from his breast pocket, he offered it before him. “I have one, if it helps! I promise to feed you properly after I am done with a certain task.”

Even so, the animal seemed much unimpressed. It then turned its little head to you, and you could have sworn that its eyes judged your very soul. 

It squeaked some more, and this time Beomgyu widened his eyes, cheeks flushing. “By Mother Nature, no!” He bellowed out, panicked eyes fleeting towards you. “No, I just met her today.”

“Are you talking about me?” You asked, raising a brow. The squirrel then made another sound, one you could not decipher but, judging from the boy’s reaction, could definitely take a wild guess. “By gods, is this creature mocking me?”

You were rewarded with further squeaking, but was instantly silenced by Beomgyu. “Ji, no! I cannot have you being sarcastic tonight. Save your grievances for tomorrow morning!”

And as the prince scooped the squirrel in his hand, he walked over to the bed, settling it on the sheets. “Stay here. I will be back.”

There was sure to be complaints, but the boy kept sending looks of apology as he stepped back to the edge of the exit, tugging on the vines. “Deeply sorry for Jisung’s behaviour,” he said, swirling the cube slowly. “He is grumpier tonight as I have not fed him this evening.”

“A pet squirrel, huh?” You interrogated, looking down to the grass below. “And one you can talk to? Is that how you could communicate with Aurum?”

Nodding, the prince held his arm out. “Are we ready?”

You hurrying my shook your head. “Not again!” You crossed your arms. “I’ll slide down myself. Without your help.”

Shrugging, the boy held on tighter to the vine. “Your wish, jackal,” he said, and jumped down. Perking up, you squatted down to see him descend smoothly down the tree, landing perfectly on the grass. 

Grabbing onto the plant, you looked back to the grumpy pet, stuffing the acorn in his mouth. 

He then stuck his tongue out, and you gasped at the audacity. “Rude!” You shouted, but we’re only answered with shrill squeaking. Ignoring the creature, you took the vine by both hands, and followed suit.

Your descent was much less graceful, landing instead on your backside. You were met with the huffed laughter of the prince, and you forced down the urge to beat him with his stupid flower crown. Or perhaps tie these vines around his neck and strangle him.

No, that would only result in him using his silly magic. Awful, attractive bastard.

“What are we doing now, Highness?” You wondered out loud, rubbing your sore backside. “Do tell me there is some use of your rather odd ice cube.”

Beomgyu, after strolling further into the woods, slowed himself for you to catch up. “There is some use, unfortunately for you.” He waved you over, stepping past the wild bushes in his path. “Follow me, jackal!” he called out to you. 

Grudgingly, you did as he asked, hugging yourself from the cold breeze of the midnight, wondering where in Terrae he was trying to take you. The trees towered over you like intimidating strangers — if the prince spoke true, then you wouldtuly be unwelcome. 

You were surrounded by this coercion until the forest opened up to an open grassland, encircled by the nature which looked down at you. Beomgyu turned to you, bringing out a few seeds from his trouser pockets and standing right in the middle of the circle. 

“There you are,” he said as you stepped beside him. He glanced at the moon, measuring the amount of time he had left. 

“What are you going to do?” you asked him, still clueless regarding the whole situation. Why has he not sent you to the dungeons already?

His eyes travelled to your face. With a half-soft scoff, he held out his hand, the seeds now in perfect view. “It is not what I’m going to do,” he began. “It is what you are going to do.”

The confusion grew within you. “What do you mean?” you tried to clarify. “What am I to do with these seeds?”

Beomgyu’s eyes promised answers. “Bring out your hand, jackal.”

You did as you were told, holding out your hand as he put the seeds in your palm, fingers barely brushing against your skin. He then descended, knees upon the grass as he patted to the space beside you. “Come, sit.”

Pursing your lips in thought, you knelt before the grass, seeds in your enclosed fist as your gaze never strayed from the boy. “Your Highness—”

Magic oozing from his fingers interrupted your demand, slipping into the earth. Slowly, but surely, a small hole was separated by the green matter, dirt being shovelled to create a dip in the grassland. 

Once he ceased his conjuring, he jerked his head towards the new opening. “Place the seeds in the hole,” he instructed. “Gently now! Treat them with the utmost care.”

Grumbling in response, you leaned forward as you gingerly put each seed at the corners of the muddy dip, noticing a small spark with each placement of the grain. It was a bizarre feeling, but assumed it normal in the ways of gardening as you inserted the dirt over them, covering them fully.

You peered at the prince then, who brought out the large ice cube. Turning it rapidly, treacle of water dripped down to the ground, moistening the earth and feeding the seeds of its necessities. Putting the gadget back in his storage belt, he then returned his hand upon the damp mound, closing his eyes in a fixated peace. More magic swirled from his hands, but this time it encircled not only the place where you had placed the seeds, but you, all of you, engulfing you in its otherworldly warmth. 

“Your Highness?” You whispered out, but he was murmuring, murmuring words you could not comprehend, words which felt like you were not meant to hear. His curls were being lifted slightly with the tendrils of his power, but he stayed rooted to his spot, carrying on with what you feared was a grotesque ritual. 

You, too, became still when you felt fingers curl around your hand. 

On instinct you looked at him, eyes widening — you should have expected his hand to radiate some form of heat, considering this boy had such an unusual glow about him, but this…

Despite the soft chaos around the two of you, the touch was oddly comforting. 

His hand, dragging you out of your thoughts, led yours to the place you sowed the little grains of life, and spread apart your fingers till they covered nearly the entire, dug up earth. More matter escaped from his fingers, shooting further warmth upon the back of your hand, and travelling up to your heart. 

“Close your eyes, jackal,” you heard him chant from his cocoon of magic. “I need you to see from within.”

“See what?!” You beseeched, but his fingers held onto you a little tighter, and, as if he commanded your very body, had your eyelids descend shut, cornering you into the chambers of your mind.

See from within.

What could you see?

Darkness. Eternal darkness, and rusted iron, spilled mercury, and all the grim faces of the people who wanted to decimate the very place you knelt in.

I cannot see! You screamed in your mind, because in the whirlwind of his power you felt alone, trapped in your own mind, trying to join in on a ritual which would cursed the likes of you.

But in reality, you were not alone.

No, not when you felt something foreign in your body.

You swore you stopped breathing. 

Your fingers felt squeezed by another, but was ignored because you could see a whole other heartbeat which was not your own.

A familiar voice entered your mind.

“Do you see it?”

The prince’s voice; the soft, almost desperate inquiry, which you could not help but answer. 

“Yes...yes, by Terrae, I do see it.”

And perhaps he said some more, but you were not listening to his words. His speech seemed a little insignificant to the little heartbeat — it was as faint as the scent of departure, delicate as a snowflake, and as real as yourself, the prince, and the neverending forest.

When you tried to lift your hand, Beomgyu’s fingers halted you still. You could not believe that you did not mind it. “Whose...whose is it, your Highness?”

You were positive that he did not hear you with the lack of volume you let slide from your tongue. However, he answered your question, almost feeling the joy radiating from his response.

“The seeds.” 

Shocked, you opened your eyes, and found the Prince of Earth staring at you with an elevated joy. He gestured to observe your creation, and when your eyes fell upon the sliver of a stem which broke through the earth, between the spaces of your fingers, you wondered whether this was all a dream.

You could not help the curse which escaped you. The boy beside you spluttered into laughter, and you turned to see his face radiating with elation. The heartbeat, the one which you thought was under your control, proved you wrong as it skipped its beat along to his laughs.

“Wh-what are you laughing at?” You demanded, but you were unable to execute it with the anger you wish you held for him. He offered you a honeypot of smiles.

“You’ve brought life to the forest, sweet jackal.”

The little plant shivered in response, along with your own hairs at the back of your neck, which stood at his announcement. Its faint heartbeat grew louder, as well as your own in your ears.

“Do you feel it now?” he whispered, leaning ever so close as he looked to the forest around you. “Do you feel the trees breathing in your presence?” 

Unfortunately, although you could sense your plant’s essence, the heartbeats of every tree in the forest were still unheard. You shook your head no, but that did not wipe the grin off his face.

“We have time,” he reassured you. “Just know that Mother Nature has hope for you still.”

He took your hand, putting another upon the back as he brought you a different kind of warmth. “I have hope for you.”

You parted your mouth, unaccustomed to the contact, the kindness...to all that he represented. 

His eyes locked with yours, and although he had spared you the wrath of his palace dungeons, you feared whether you could escape the imprisonment of his gaze. 

There was no doubt in your mind as you let yourself be arrested into his stare — the Prince of the Earth was not going to haunt just a single night.

FRATERNISING WITH THE HEIR OF REGNA TERRAE WOULD BE THE DEATH OF YOU.

Of course, that was not the last time you saw him — you had become something of a personal project to him, a sin which must be reversed. Almost every night after the fateful encounter, you snuck out from the fences of the Metallum villages, barely evading the suspicious eyes of the Kim brothers, and met with him under his treehouse.

You did not know why you endeavoured so ardently in seeing him. It was not like he had become any less irritable with his amused grins and unmatched power, but there was something about him which you could not fend off. 

In a way, he made you believe you were worth more than simple woodcutting, selling oaks in the market, the empty promises of revenge against the Natural Kingdom. 

Somehow, he made you realise that, maybe, you truly were deserving of a more memorable path.

These very thoughts accompanied you as the sun began to set, pulling your hood over your head as you swept past the familiar trees, reining in the urge to greet every woodland creature which scurried past you. The past few weeks, after many misunderstood arguments with the Prince’s pet squirrel, you learned the slight quirks which the animal possessed, his every movement and what it would signify. You had Beomgyu to thank once again, but each time you wished to do so, he would say the same, hair-rising reassurance.

“Fret not, sweet jackal. It is a pleasure to show you the wonders of nature.”

Sweet jackal. The endearment made you so flustered, and that aggravated you to the greatest extent. You had already shared your name with the boy, but he insisted on calling you this name, as if the two of you had already established an intimacy from decades before. 

The very thought had your actual heartbeat racing.

You made sure to completely dismiss this foolery as you found the special opening of the grassland in sight, the glowing figure waving you over. A small smile involuntarily curled at your lips, hurrying closer till you fully saw Prince Beomgyu’s face clearly in the setting sun.

“You have arrived much earlier this evening,” he said in a way of greeting, fixing his flower crown as his squirrel played with the petals. “I would not say I’m displeased.”

On your part, you certainly were not either — he bore more finery than usual, his normal green gown threaded with gold swirls at the hems, small vines tied around his ears as natural jewellery. His hair was sprinkled with petals, a trait Jisung adored as he settled in the nest of his locks. His hands, too, were intertwined with dark vines, swirls wrapped around his fingers like extended rings. 

By the gods, he truly was an exquisite being. 

He noticed your silence, raising a groomed brow. “Is something the matter?” he asked, but when he saw your eyes dart to anywhere but his own, he immediately understood. You just managed to catch a satisfied quirk of his lips before he turned his attention to your plant. 

Following his trail, you brightened up to see your creation in full bloom — bright red poppies, stark against the pool of grass, stood as they swayed to the evening breeze. You knelt down to observe them closer, and felt a peculiar sense of pride at sensing their clear heartbeat harmonising with yours.

“They’re my favourite flower,” the boy said behind you. “I have always adored how they stand out amongst all the others.”

Watching the poppies almost dance in the cool air, you stood upwards once again. “Then why do you not wear them?” you asked out of curiosity.

“Because my parents do not like me wearing them.” He gestured to the flower crown, at risk of being torn up by Jisung. “They say the colour is too harsh.”

He clicked his tongue in irritation. “At least they could have spared me on my birthday.”

You were about to comment on his parents when those words escaped his mouth. Your own mouth parted in surprise. “Your birthday is today?”

The prince mocked being stabbed in the chest, nearly sending the squirrel to the trees. Taking Jisung from his hair, he propped him on his shoulder. “You have truly wounded me, ____!” he whined. “All this time together, and you had no inkling?”

Although he was only jesting, it only embarrassed you further. “I truly am sorry, your Highness!” you apologised, clasping your hands together. “If I had known, I would have made you a present.”

“Oh?” He took a step towards you. His eyes danced in mirth. “And what would you have made me?”

That seemed to rob you of your speech. “Well, um…” you trailed off, searching your now useless mind of any decent idea for a gift, but he waved off your fluster, chuckling.

“It is no problem, dear jackal,” he said, looking at the red flowers once more. “Seeing your poppies in full growth is a gift to me anyway.”

You wished he had not said that; glancing at them now, you could only hear his fascination within the petals. 

There he was again — staining your every entity of his remnants. How much more till he stains your very soul?

Jisung’s irritated squeak brought you back to the forest. You tried not to murder the damned creature as you muttered out, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Beomgyu groaned out. “I shan’t have you calling me that hideous title all the time.” He put a hand to his chest. “Have we not reached first name basis?”

Despite your surprise, you offered him a scoff. “Jackal is not my first name,” you jeered. “And please. You’re the prince of our land. Anyone who catches me being informal with you will surely have my head.”

“I would never let them,” he merely said. “Not before I show you one last part of the forest.”

You quirked a quizzical brow. “I think you’ve shown me half your kingdom by now.”

“But this is...quite different.” 

The boy stepped closer to you, reaching out his hand. You found yourself warming up as he enveloped it with yours, a gesture so small yet so triggering to your nerves. 

“Follow me, ____.”

With the tug of his fingers, you were led out of the grasslands and back into the jungles of Regna Terrae, catching familiar sights of ancient mahoganies and birches, different variations of trees all grouped together.

As the moon began to ascend, your anxiety increased. His hand worked wonders for your skin, but at the back of your mind, you could not shake off the image of the Kim brothers wondering where you had gone so long.

Especially Namjoon. Seokjin and Taehyung may have been much simpler in the brain, but the leader of the trio bore his suspicions of your whereabouts. He always knew you were never enthusiastic of your occupation as a Lumberjackal, so your sudden interest to roam the woodlands for hours into the night certainly had his ears perking. Of course, you always made sure to know that you were going without being followed, but in the end, the three brothers were quite unpredictable. 

You just hoped that whatever the prince had to show you, it would be seen quick enough to leave.

The density of the forest began to increase, and you soon began to doubt whether you had been to this part of the Kingdom before. It was then Beomgyu’s hands flowed with magic, and completely changed the scenery. The ancient trees, trunks as wide and thick as horses began to move apart to make way for him and you, the squirrel holding onto his shoulder tightly as it too squeaked in surprise. Your own eyes widened as each element of nature bent to his will, creating an easier path for his boots to step onto.

It was clearly a sight for admiration. These few weeks you had begun to realise the power of the earth, and how rich and true its roots lay. You felt the faint hum of their essences as you rushed past them, hand still clasped with his, and you dipped your head in thanks to the trees, hoping that one day you would hear them sing welcomes to you.

Slowing down, the group was barred by the curtain of thick vines, hiding you from the world behind. “I have never seen this before,” you wondered out loud, but when Beomgyu let go of your hand, and stepped forward, hands stretched out, your curiosity reigned further.

Jisung quickly scurried from his shoulder, ending up on the muddied path as he watched with black eyes of the phenomenon about to occur. You made to make fun of the squirrel when the prince let out an aggravated moan, hurling your head to his direction.

His heavenly voice chanted in a millennia old language, huge power emitting from his finger tips and swirling to the tumbling vines of the entrance. You could see the sweat beading down his forehead at the sheer effort it took, but he stayed rooted, sending surges of green matter to the cold nature.

Slowly, the curtain began to withdraw. Blinding light cut through, and when the boy let out a roar, pushing the whole family of vines apart you hid your head from the white bursting through. 

There was a deathly silence for a singular moment. 

You heard his ragged breathing, lasting for ten seconds before it turned into relieved, panted chuckling. 

Bringing your hand away from your face, you looked to see beyond the curtain. 

Your very breath was snatched from your lungs. 

Before you was the most enchanting deity of nature you had ever seen in your existence — it was a glowing white tree, trunk as wide as the two of you twice over, etched with milky-coloured wrinkles that contained sparkles of ancient magic. The leaves, much like finely cut diamonds, protruded from every branch which stretched towards every corner the eye could see. The diamonds were infinite, shining from the gentle light of the moon.

Even though you had never seen it before, you knew exactly what it was. 

“The Tree of Life.”

Your gaze dared to break away to see the prince for a second, whose own breathing seemed to have halted. Sensing your stare, he looked back at you, his face half glowing from the deity’s light.

“I...I thought it did not—” you tried to say, but of course you could not when it was right there before you, as if it had been waiting to be found all its life.

“Exist?” He took a step forward. “Every myth is borne from truth after all.”

Indeed it was — you had learned of the Tree of Life when you were a mere girl, listening to fairy tales before being told to sleep. This Tree could not be seen by the common man, and legend foretold that there lived an otherworldly creature inside its trunk. Evidently, no one could prove this theory, but its mystery had what inspired so many people, metal and earthbenders alike, to find it, for opposing reasons.

You knew why Namjoon wanted to find it — for the amount of gold a singular leaf could bring him. Now, having accused him of believing in fantasies, you almost felt ashamed for having ridiculed his searches. 

“Come.”

You perked up at the Prince’s voice. 

“You must get a closer look.”

Picking up the pace of your feet, you fell into step beside him as the two of you started towards the legend come to life. The closer you approached the more enchanting it looked — the leaves glistened further, as if greeting you with their shine. 

Jisung scurried between you both, his little head never straying from the Tree. It let out an awed squeak, and Beomgyu hummed in agreement. 

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” 

You shook your head, transfixed. “Never,” you responded, feeling the very earth shift beneath your feet.

If nothing else convinced you of the power of nature, then the existence of this deity certainly did.

You stepped past the boy, the grass hushed beneath your feet as you stretched out your hand. When your fingers touched the milky bark your breath shuddered out of you. It was simply unreal. The touch was surprisingly soft, so unlike the normal trees, and with each crack of the bark there was ancient writing inscripted within. With further shock you felt a very distant heartbeat as the fingers ran along the words, faint yet powerful.

By the gods. 

“Where have you been hiding all this time?” you whispered to the Tree, tracing the aged trunk. “Your Highness, is everything about the legend true?”

There was no response — you figured he was still star-struck, and you continued to admire the most beautiful force you had ever seen.

It was not until you heard Jisung’s shrill squeak that you turned around.

You felt your soul leave your body.

Because there he was, the one man you dreaded to see. The one man who held Beomgyu’s unconscious body in his hands as he dropped him upon the grass. You noticed the little dart on the side of his neck, and all the blood in your body was drained. 

Kim Namjoon.

His answering smirk was more a flash of teeth. “Do you believe me now, ____?” 

You backed up against the Tree, eyes darting to the prince. “What did you do to him?” you asked instead, voice void of any emotion.

“That does not matter,” he dismissed. “But of course, it would matter to you now that you’ve attached yourself to him.”

He took a step forward, his ebony machete glinting in the light of the phenomenon behind you. “Stand aside, girl. It is time to make our fortunes.”

On instinct, you stretched a hand out. “I cannot.”

The man was taken aback by your hesitance. “Whatever the gods do you mean?”

Gulping, you tried to steel your will, inhaling slowly. “I cannot let you do it, Namjoon.” Your eyes glanced at the still prince before glaring at the perpetrator. “You won’t get a single branch of the Tree.”

A harsh laugh escaped him, taking a step forward. “Oh, and you’re going to stop me?”

You brought out your own sword — the one which you promised to use on Beomgyu — and raised it toward him. “Do not come any further,” you warned. 

It seemed the man was not not going to compromise.

Not when he swung his machete, well on his way to hack you to pieces. 

You quickly brought your weapon upon you to deflect his aim, sending him forward, and away from the Tree.

He can try and hurt the Tree of Life.

Easily gaining step, Namjoon mustered his power, ebony sharpening from his fingers as he clashed against you, lightening-fast strikes of his machete having you strained. You never doubted the bastard’s swordsmanship — he was skilled enough to be a general in the King’s royal army.

A shame he chose his fighting for a darker purpose. 

You tried to slice the free space of his abdomen, but the man was sharp, quickly dodging as he swerved to the side, another clash of weapons ringing around the forest. 

“You cannot beat me, ____!” He roared, one hit after the other, sending you further back. 

Taking every hit, you stumbled, gaining your step yet staggering once again with his sword. After all, you could not outsmart the master; he was the man who taught you to fight.

Even so, you refused to give up. “I can die trying!” You seethed as he brought his strength down. His weapon, screeching against your own, slowly descended, closer and closer to your neck. 

A harsh groan escaping, you mustered all your strength into sending his machete aside, barely a spare second in your name before you whirled to your left, missing the power blow.

“All this for a bloody tree!” He screeched, thundering towards you. “We would have been rich, you fool!”

Another mighty hit, and you were sent back, averting his strikes with your sword. Because you were so exhausted, your magic would not burst from your hands, adding more power to your weapon. It was your melee strength, nearly all gone, and your nimble feet.

“What is all this for?!” He demanded, slicing at your cloak, cutting through the fabric of your trousers. The clash of weapons continued, faster and faster. “What is worth more than all the riches of the Kingdom?!”

Amidst the brawl, your eyes slipped to the figure before you. Distant, yet instantly recognisable with his eyes closed, and mouth parted, flower crown scattered around his head. Jisung, too, laid injured beside him, watching your fight with fear in his little eyes. 

What is all this for?

You only had one person in mind.

But that was not enough.

No, not when that sliver of a second gave Namjoon enough time to strike you, sending his machete straight into your stomach. 

A shuddered gasp escaped you as the machete entered through — a burst of pain shot through your entire body, echoing the fatality of your situation. Tears stung your eyes as you dropped your sword, looking at your opponent in the eyes.

The Leader of the Lumberjackals showed no mercy as he yanked out his weapon. 

A moan rushed past your lips as you fell to your knees, gripping your blood-gushing stomach. Namjoon gazed down at you with no remorse at all. “Perhaps he was not enough,” he said, cold as metal.

He stepped past you, focusing on the glistening Tree of Life, its white treasures still exalted in the moonlight. Your body, completely spent, could not hold you upright, falling straight into the grass. Straining, you cried out as you stretched your hand out in vain efforts to stop him, but it was simply no use.

You had been defeated.

And now, after witnessing the most perfect element of nature you had ever seen, you were to watch it be decimated.

This is how it ended. You, fumbling for your last breath, your prince nearby and probably dead.

Namjoon raked his eyes over the Tree, grinning wildly. “Oh, you are going to make me the richest man in the Kingdom,” he declared, raising his machete till it hovered just before the bottom of the trunk.

He elevated his voice so you could hear. “Enjoy watching me destroy what you sacrificed yourself for!”

Closing your eyes, you were about to let oblivion take over. 

You awaited the sound of his weapon against the bark.

What you heard was something completely different. 

An explosion filled your ears as white light, even more blinding than the one before, had you squeezing your eyes further shut. You made out the screams of your once leader as it was drowned out by the eruption, and you tried to see what had so suddenly occurred, only to be greeted with more brazen lights. 

What...what was going on?

When the deafening noise quietened, you picked up on the soft crunch of grass, edging closer and closer to you. A compelling force was felt against your dying soul, and you wondered if the Reaper had finally come to take you.

When you felt air-light hands on your abdomen, you did not expect death to be so warm.

Slowly, dragging open your eyes, you prepared yourself to be taken to the afterlife. 

What you saw instead was something else entirely.

Something which made even the Tree of Life as a mediocre enchantment.

Looking over you was not human — not with the glowing, shimmering skin, sparkles and shine radiating off its golden, liquid body. Her eyes were white with the same light you had seen twice this evening, fluid locks of hair flowing all around her. Her lips offered a radiant smile, already bringing some life back into you, and her whole body, although similar to yours, was free of attire, exuding the light of a star. 

Perhaps you truly were dead. 

The being, however, proved you wrong with her words.

“Brave human,” she began, and her velvet voice had you clutching your stomach. “I saw what you did to defend me.”

You tried to open your mouth to tell her that you defended the Tree, but then your eyes dilated at the revelation. 

The legend foretold that there lived an otherworldly creature inside its trunk.

But this...this god-like creature was not just a mere girl.

“You sacrificed yourself for my Tree,” she stated, voice echoing across the woodlands. “For my forest, my every creation, despite being an enemy of mine in the past.

“You deserve a token of my gratitude.”

Her voice nearly put you to sleep with the way it lulled in the midnight air. You wondered in your tired mind what she could offer you now that you were breathing your last breath.

Then, you felt her hands upon your stomach.

A loud groan escaped your lips as the torn flesh began to stitch on its own accord, courtesy of the magic which poured from the sublime being. Your whole body worked to heal you, reversing the damage done by your once leader, whose whereabouts you had no inkling of. 

The pain, which once tore at every nerve within you, began to fade away, and you opened your eyes further after gaining the strength, fully taking in the earthly spirit which had restored you. 

You parted your mouth, voice parched as you rasped out, “I...Beomgyu…”

A heavenly smile curled at her lips. “The prince is fine, soldier. It would take more than a dart to eliminate the heir of the Earth.”

A relieved breath left your lips. You then looked to the being, putting your hands above hers. “I am not who I was,” you whispered.

Mother Nature smiled down at you, and you knew then and there that perhaps the world is not so cruel after all.

“I know, brave human.”

The luminous creature ascended to her feet, letting go of your hands. She dipped her head in acknowledgment, and turned on her heel. Struggling to your side, you watched as the otherworldly figure stepped up to the Tree of Life, looking at you one last time.

Raising a hand to her chin, she blew some magic towards your way, bathing you in sparkles. With a final beam, she slipped into the tree, enlivening the whole structure till it stood straight once again.

You truly could not believe what you saw.

Feeling the glimmer dancing on your skin, however, you knew this was not a figment of your imagination.

Mother Nature saved you from death.

Truly, utterly, ethereal. 

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard soft coughing nearby, and you heaved upward at the sound, your strength all present.

Beomgyu.

Upon your feet, you rushed to where he lay, stumbling from the hurrying as you fell to your knees, hands clinging onto his face. Jisung, his injuries healed from the celestial visit, scurried upon his owner’s chest, waiting for him to awaken.

“Beomgyu?” You murmured out, fingers stroking the soft planes of his cheeks. “Beomgyu, damn you, open your eyes!”

Tilting his face till it faced you, you watched as the prince’s eyes fluttered open, tired and wide and absolutely beautiful.

A trembling breath gasped out of you. “What…” he grated out, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. “What just...happened?”

You willed the tears in as you caressed his face. “The legend was true.”

His confused gaze had you continuing. “Beomgyu, I saw the celestial creature when I was dying, and she saved me. It was true, Beomgyu, she healed me with her hands and—”

Your rambling ceased when the boy brought his fingers to your face. Warmth flooded your cheeks, and not because of how hot his hands were.

His smile could have easily beaten Mother Nature’s. 

“You called me Beomgyu.”

He did not let you respond as he brought your face down to his, tilting it slightly as he pressed his lips against yours, enveloping you in a sweet kiss. 

His mouth was warm, just like him, soft and plush, rendering you helpless over him. Your shock was quite prevalent, but you let the affection take over as you kissed him back, hands carding in his curls. He moved against your lips as his fingers stroked down to your jaw, savouring every feathered touch.

When he broke away, his breathing was ragged, cheeks flushed. He saw your own dishevelled gaze and chuckled to himself. 

“I think this might be the best birthday present I have ever received.”

The Prince of Regna Terrae laughed some more when you refused to meet his eyes.

You were about to counter him when you heard another, completely new voice. 

“You both could have done that without me being here.”

Your stare dove to his chest, to the direction of the sound.

Jisung the squirrel glared at you with the entire irritation of the Kingdom. “Oh what? So now you can hear me?!”

A yelp resounded from you. “How are you talking?!” You screeched. “You’re a bloody animal!”

“Oh, thank you so very much for stating the blatantly obvious!” He drawled, and you could not comprehend the sarcasm that just came from a bloody woodland creature.

You peered at Beomgyu, who was just as surprised as you were, despite his entertained features. “____,” he started, sitting up straighter. “Does this mean—”

Getting to your feet, you looked around the forest, the Tree of Life standing proudly. 

It was then you sensed the heartbeat.

Not just your own, or the poppies — but of the entirety of the Kingdom.

Faraway, yet still present, it thumped against your chest like an echo of your own heart, a harmonisation of all the trees, bushes, flowers and animals. It was almost enchanting how it slowly thudded within you, and with such welcome. 

Like greeting a friend you had not seen for a long time. 

When you caught the Prince’s gaze, his entire face lit up. 

Before you could say anymore, you were swept into the boy’s arms, engulfing you with a hug of eternal warmth. His voice rang along your soul as he declared to the whole word.

“Nature has accepted you, ____!”

You heard the clicked tongue of Jisung beneath you, and Beomgyu brought you at arm’s length before sticking out his tongue at his pet. 

He looked to you once more, and saw the very emotions you dared not let yourself believe in.

“I knew you were capable of change, sweet jackal.”

The tears, this time, refused to be held back any longer. 

The boy melted as he swept away each tumbling drop with his fingers, clutching your face. 

As you leaned in this time, kissing him breathlessly, you tasted the smile which flourished upon his lips, drinking in your every essence. 

You wondered, thinking away as your heart beat faster, whether this was still a dream, a vision which would end the moment you woke up, back in the cold village you once called your home. 

When you felt the presence of the celestial being again, looking down from the branches of the Tree of Life, you knew that this was no delusion.

Pulling away, you turned Beomgyu to the glistening, living structure, both of you catching sight of her.

Mother Nature smiled at her heirs.

The both of you knew it in your hearts, simultaneously beating. 

The heirs of Regna Terrae would not let her down. 

#txt imagines #beomgyu imagines #beomgyu fluff #txt fluff #choi beomgyu imagines #choi beomgyu fluff #choi beomgyu #beomgyu oneshots #txt oneshots #choi beomgyu oneshots #beomgyu soft #choi beomgyu soft #beomgyu scenarios #choi beomgyu x reader #choi beomgyu x you #beomgyu x reader #beomgyu x you

[silverflame2724]

Happy Prompt (if you feel like it): WWX being the genius/ex first disciple of great scet that he is realizes they can't sustain the Burial Mounds. So he comes up with a Plan to make them all dissappear. Knowing how important lineage is so them, he asks them to give up the Wen name and take up Wei. (The wens are mostly common folk who just want to live so they agree). He the proceeds to hide them among other clans. People who have met and remember all the good young master Wie always did. He hides them among the Jiang and Nie. (I always head cannon that part of WWX'S flirty reputation comes from him helping women who are in bad situations/ NHS somehow finds out/knows and begins to help him. I figure theyhad to get several Lan women out. Mama Lans ghost helps?). JC knows but ignores it, they aren't WENS anymore, so his pride can leave it be. I'm not sure if A'yuan would still end up with Lan Zhan? But then WWX, WN, and WQ all fake thier deaths and go travel as rogue cultivators. But now WWX has all these living and dead people praying to/for him as the patron Saint of lost causes? And he accidentally becomes an immortal without realizing it? To the absolute fond disgust of WQ, of course. Anyway, I figure old Jin perv still pulls his bullshit at a discussion conference and between NHS, JYL, and LWJ? They somehow clear everyone's nsme. And then newly immortal WWX rocks up in there (to the horror of the Lan Elders who now have to face thier own bullshit/ hypocrisy) and lives happily ever after.

I think I read a prompt or a fic somewhere with the concept of the Wens hiding in plain sight.

________________________

The thought came to him out of nowhere. 

It had been a peaceful day with the Wens as he farmed, invented and tinkered with various incomplete contraptions when Wei Wuxian was struck with a thought: they could not continue like this.

Wei Wuxian wasn’t an idiot. He knew that they couldn’t sustain themselves in the Burial Mounds. Their crops hardly prospered, one by one the more elderly individuals of the Wens got sick and died, the resentful energy messed with everyone’s temperament, the cultivators never stopped trying to break his wards.....the list went on and on.

He had to come up with a plan. He thought they could live here for a time, but that was just wishful thinking. 

With this in mind, he takes the next few days to come up with a concrete plan.

...............................

The first task, and perhaps the most important one, is to ask the Wens to give up the Wen name. It would be easier from then on.

As he presented this suggestion, he was surprised by how readily they agreed. He knew how important lineage was to them, so the rapidness of them giving up their name was shocking. 

“Would you......take up my name?” Wei Wuxian asked quietly. 

The Wens were silent before cheering. Wei Wuxian didn’t know how to react to this. The Wens told him that they were more than happy to accept his name since they were his family. 

Wei Wuxian held back the tears and laughed happily instead as he went on to tell him the next plan of action: hiding them in plan sight.

Various people from various clans owed him favors and remembered the good in him, as they were more than happy to take on the refugees he hid away now that they were no longer Wens.

They had to do this quietly and slowly though. It would be suspicious if a large group of people suddenly left Yiling all at once. So Wei Wuxian took each of them to different places. Some of them went back to their original homes, some went to the Nie, some to the Yao, some to the Ouyang clan. 

He even sends some to the small village of women who he helped run away from their horrible home situations.

It was a little tricky with Nie, but Nie Huaisang pulls through and Nie Mingjue suspects nothing.

He sends some to the Jiang and Jiang Cheng grudgingly accepts them, knowing that they are no longer Wen. 

And for A’ Yuan.......He sends A’ Yuan to Lan Zhan, who is familiar with A’ Yuan. Wei Wuxian sends a letter to Lan Zhan asking him to meet and instead of appearing, A’ Yuan is there in his stead. The letter to Lan Zhan details what to do with A’ Yuan and to hide his identity.

Wei Wuxian trusts that Lan Zhan would take his suggestion and tell his brother and uncle that A’ Yuan was a child that Lan Zhan was asked to take care of by a dying mother.

Wei Wuxian watches from afar as Lan Zhan takes A’ Yuan away and takes the last step in ensuring that the cultivation world forgets him: He fakes his, Wen Qing’s and Wen Ning’s deaths. There’s enough corpses in the Burial Mounds and ones with their physique to replace the Wens and him. He gossips to the town that he’s going to destroy his weapon, the Seal, and subsequently fakes an explosion of resentment, quickly disappearing with the Wen siblings to a random direction. 

He always thought how nice it would be to be like his parents and be rogue cultivators. He guesses that he’ll find out now.

..................................

Years pass and Wei Wuxian makes decent salary by taking care of monsters in the area. Wen Qing is a doctor, of course, and Wen Ning becomes her assistant.  

They move to a little village near Dongying and settle down there. The people there a little more open to demonic cultivation and dark arts and don’t bat an eye at Wei Wuxian using such means. 

Wei Wuxian invents more contraptions, selling them under a false name in towns far away from Dongying.

One day, on a chance night hunt near Yunmeng, Wei Wuxian hears whispers and gossip about Nie Huaisang, Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli clearing his name and capturing the actual people responsible. 

He’s happy to hear this. Overjoyed. But that doesn’t mean he’ll gladly return to the cultivation world. He’s had enough of that life. 

He walks around town for a bit longer, catching bits of gossip here and there. As explores the town, wine jug in hand, he nearly chokes around a mouthful of wine as he sees a small shrine encasing a statue of his likeness. What.....the hell??

He quickly asks around and finds out that people are praying to him for protection. Wei Wuxian squirms a little at this, glad he’s wearing a weimao to cover his face. 

All of this...praying makes him uncomfortable. Not long ago, people were spitting on his name and now he’s suddenly become some sort of Patron for protection? The change is remarkable and cements Wei Wuxian’s decision to firmly stay out of the cultivation world. 

People’s opinions change like a tide and Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to stick around long enough for them to switch back. He sighs, disposing of his empty jug, and leaves the town.

.......

Surprisingly, that’s not the end of the changes. 

He got careless on a night hunt and ends up with the claw of a yaoguai piercing him all the way through his stomach. When the yaoguai pulled out its claw, though......Wei Wuxian healed quickly. Too quickly.

He recovers from the shock at this and finishes off the yao.

What just happened?

.

.

A quick trip to Wen Qing answered everything.

“Congratulations.” Wen Qing says dryly. “You’re an immortal.”

“........What.”

Wen Qing sighs, “From what you told me, you healed unnaturally quickly, right?”

Wei Wuxian nods. 

“There have only been records of immortals recovering that quickly. Even Wen Ruohan healed slower than you did.”

“But I don’t have a core???”

“You do. Sort of.” Wen Qing replies. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t you felt it.”

“.....” I mean, I did think it was odd that I didn’t freeze to death in the winter or die of hunger when money became tight over these years, but I thought those were side effects of demonic cultivation! Wei Wuxian quickly goes through the motions of feeling for his core, willing the surge of hope he felt down. 

And he......didn’t feel a core. He felt more of a large mass of energy congregated in his dantian.

Wei Wuxian is glad that he is sitting down right now because he feels very faint.  “But.....this......how?” 

“Hmm. Well, from what I’ve been hearing, you’ve become some sort of Patron Saint?” Wei Wuxian nods. “It’s rare, but cultivators can gain power from prayers. Take Wen Ruohan for example.”

“He became powerful through the same means?”

“Yes. Well, his people believed him to be all powerful, not so much as what people are praying to you. As the Sunshot alliance chipped down on his people, so too did they chip down on Wen Ruohan’s power.”

“So if people stop praying to me, I’ll stop being immortal.”

“Yes and no. Right now, there’s just a mass of energy concentrated there. It’s basically unrefined energy. All you have to do is refine that power into a core and cultivate normally. Otherwise, yes. You will lose this power as soon as people stop praying to you.”

“I see.......”

Wen Qing raises an eyebrow and brandishes her needles. “What are you doing just sitting here? Go and cultivate!”

“Aiya, Qing-jie! I’m in shock here, give me a moment to absorb this all!”

“I have patients to see! Get your ass to your room and cultivate!”

“Are you my mom or something?”

Wen Qing’s expression turns thunderous.

Wei Wuxian didn’t want to provoke her any further despite wanting to banter more and left to his room.

..................................

“You should visit your siblings.” Wen Qing says one day. “And Hanguang-Jun. I want to hear about how A’ Yuan is doing.”

“Where did this come from?”

“Wei Wuxian.” Wen Qing says patiently. “It’s been over a decade. Your name and our name has long since been cleared. People no longer hate you. And.....they miss you. Your siblings have commemorated the day you “died” and go into mourning for that day. Hanguang-Jun is a little subtler but he wears a mourning sash now.”

“They’ll be better off without me.”

“Says who?”

“The rest of the world.” Wei Wuxian says weakly.

“And why should you care for their opinion? You never seemed to mind it.”

“Ummm.....Lan Zhan hates me? Jiang Cheng might resent me? And Shij---Jiang-guniang---the Young Madam Jin has a life already.”

“First, if Hanguang-Jun hates you, why would he frequently glare at people who badmouthed you?”

“Because he’s a good person. How do you know this anyway?”

“I have friends. Try again. Hanguang-Jun is a famously reticent person. Would he do this for every person?”

“.........I don’t know.”

“The answer is no.”

Wei Wuxian pouts.

Wen Qing then begins to tell him how Jiang Cheng frequently takes demonic cultivators back with him in hopes that one of them would be Wei Wuxian and even added Wei Wuxian back to the Jiang sect register. Jiang Yanli smiles while ruthlessly talking people into apologizing every time she hears something bad said about Wei Wuxian.

She even lectures him on his feelings towards Lan Wangji, that he would entrust A’ Yuan to him.

Wen Qing closes off her speech with threats of her needles if Wei Wuxian doesn’t get his ass over there.

“There’s a Discussion Conference at Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian, wait till they’re done and go meet them.”

Wei Wuxian, sufficiently threatened, hightails it back to what was his home.

.......

Wei Wuxian also decidedly forgets that he was supposed to wait for the Conference to end. Well, he had assumed that they would be done considering the empty state of the area in front of the conference room and stupidly bursts through the door to a room full of people.

Wei Wuxian blinks, “Uhh......”

“Wei Wuxian?!”

“Wei Ying?!”

“A’ Xian?!”

Wei Wuxian tittered from side to side, “Hello, all! I bet you thought I was dead! Well, you guessed wrong! Hahaha......”

..............................

Lan Wangji did not know what this time’s discussion conference would be like. He expected Jin Guangshan to try and subtly slander Wei Ying. He expected Jiang Yanli, Jiang Wanyin and himself to stand up for Wei Ying, as he was unable to do before Wei Ying died.

But he certainly didn’t expect Wei Ying, who he thought was dead, burst into the room.

Everyone was silent as soon as they heard Wei Ying speak, but soon burst into a cacophony of noise.

Continuing the Discussion Conference was futile after that and it was quickly closed. Lan Wangji watched Wei Ying be surrounded by many people, some crying, some happily angry, some exasperated and he couldn’t help his reaction after seeing him once again.

He rushes forward and hugs him.

“Wha--Lan Zhan?”

“You’re alive.” Lan Wangji breathes, voice full of wonder. “You’re alive.”

Wei Ying’s arms come up around him and Lan Wangji feels the strong heart beat through their robes. His elders yell at him for his shamelessness and he comes back to himself, embarrassed at his lack of control.

“Aww, Lan Zhan! I’m so glad you missed me!”

“Mn. Missed Wei Ying a lot.”

A slight blush rose to Wei Ying’s cheeks and he laughed, a little shy. Lan Wangji couldn’t help his response to hearing his laugh again after so, so long. He kissed him.

The crowd gasped around them and Lan Wangji pulled back quickly, wanting the ground to swallow him up. But then......Wei Ying kissed him back.

“Aiya, Lan Zhan. How bold of you! To steal a kiss from me in public!” He giggles, not seeming mad at all and even pressing forward, tangling his fingers in his forehead ribbon.

Lan Wangji’s breath stutters at the gesture.

“You’d better take responsibility!”

Is Wei Ying asking what I think he’s asking? “Responsibility?”

“Yes! You took a kiss from me in public! It looks like I can’t marry anymore.”

“Will marry Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji replies, voice hoarse, ignoring the cries of outrage from his elders, the angry shouts from Jiang Wanyin, and the smirks from Jiang Yanli and his brother. “Will take responsibility.”

“I hope that isn’t the only reason.”

This is his chance to come clean. Lan Wangji already told himself that he wouldn’t hold himself back if he met Wei Ying again. “Like Wei Ying. Love Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying laughs brightly. “I like Lan Zhan too. Now, you’ll finally admit we’re close?”

Lan Wangji ignores everyone, eyes only on Wei Ying as they should have always been, “Mn. Let’s get married.”

___________________________

I feel like Lan Wangji may be a bit OOC......hmm. Well, whatever. I finally got this done and with that, I think I’ve cleared all the prompts I haven’t answered, so asks will open up again!

Hope you all enjoyed this!

#wei ying #wei wuxian #wen qing #wen ning #wen qionglin #lan zhan #lan wangji #wen remnants #lan yuan #canon divergent au #wei wuxian hides the wen remnants #immortal wei wuxian #fluff #confessions #JYL and NHS and LWJ clear WWX and the Wen remnants' names #this is only happy #I hope