#and i always love to talk about hera. she's so dear to me.

[commsroom]

Hi, you’ve probably already addressed this at some point and I’ve simply missed it, but what’s your thoughts on Hera’s ending? (Particularly, how Pryce just removes the ‘I can’t do this, I’m not good enough’ line, and she stops glitching?) Personally it always felt rather… bad, honestly, given the whole “they could’ve made me better, they made me me” thing, if that makes sense?

hi! first: that absolutely makes sense, and i'm also very sensitive to anything that seems to "fix" disability or trauma, so i understand where you're coming from. that was not personally my takeaway about hera in the finale; i'll try to explain why:

pryce didn't remove that loop from hera's head. i don't think she could have - even if it's technically possible for her to do (and she is capable of a lot more than maxwell), she just had her mind wiped and wouldn't have access to that information, and even if she did retain it on an instinctual level, that would require allowing pryce access to the most vulnerable parts of hera's mind. and she would never allow that. there's a reason pryce is still a prisoner.

hera speaks to pryce not for reconciliation, but for reclamation. she's lived her whole life in fear of what pryce (and people like pryce) can do to her, with every aspect of who she is and what she does controlled and dictated by anyone with power over her. the finale opens with pryce telling her life's story from her perspective - at once self-mythologizing and self-victimizing - and, the final time we ever hear from or about pryce, hera is about to tell her own story. we never find out what was actually said, or how pryce reacted, because it doesn't matter. hera gets to take control of her own narrative. hera gets to confront her abuser, and feel in control and safe from harm.

it's worth keeping in mind that hera doesn't glitch consistently. that's one of the things i think also makes it a useful comparison to chronic illness. when, why, and how much hera glitches was an intentionally crafted part of the sound design. it happens more often, and more intensely, when she's stressed out, overwhelmed, or upset.

and, with that in mind... the ending leaves the characters on a generally positive note, because it's the end of the show and that's the feeling it wants to leave you with: that everything will be more or less okay, in the end. but it isn't the end of their lives. once they get back to earth, a lot of things are going to be very difficult for hera. even in the final scene, she says she's not ready to go back, but "when has that ever stopped us before?" when she's able to honestly say she's good, i don't think that means she's good forever. just, in that moment, that's a crucial step in her healing process, and i hope in the future she'll have a lot more moments that feel like that one.

#wolf 359 #w359 #hera wolf 359 #i haven't been tagging asks or. even a lot of posts. but i want to file this one. anyway. #hi! thank you for asking. it's a good question and a topic i care about. #and i always love to talk about hera. she's so dear to me. #i think hera will still glitch post-canon. the fact she doesn't for that period of time is just an indicator of her emotional state. #it makes sense to me that hera would be the most okay she's... maybe ever been. knowing pryce doesn't have the power to hurt her #and i hope that remains true. but ultimately i think that's also why i don't personally want pryce to have a post-canon narrative at all #it feels like it undermines it somehow. when that confrontation is about shifting narrative perspective and autonomy and control. #who gets to tell their story. who gets to be heard. #i don't really care what pryce does as long as she stays away from hera. i'm not interested in a story about anything else. #that's a little tangential but. related. #and i hope this answered your question!! #asks

[totaly-obsessed]

can you do a millie bright x reader where it’s their wedding day and the whole team are there and it’s just really fluffy and cute:). love your writing so much

Tears of Joy

Millie Bright x reader request

-> Marrying the Love of your Life

-> sorry for the delay - I hope you like it!

➳ Masterlist

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

After waiting and planning for months on end – maybe even your entire childhood, the day was finally here. You were getting married!

Sure many dreams from your childhood wedding plans came true, but you didn’t quite find a prince charming, more of a princess charming – your very own knight in shining armor, the one and only Millie Bright.

As soon as you hat met Millie all those years ago in a Social Media meeting for Chelsea, you knew that she was the one. But the gentle giant had been quite scared to come up and talk to you – so you had to take the first step.

While the blonde looked intimidating it only took speaking to her once to see that she really wasn’t – maybe more so on the pitch, but luckily you didn’t have to face her there.

Millie had blushed a deep red when you caught her arms as she frantically tried to leave the meeting room, something you had not expected.

“Hi Millie, would you like to go on a date with me?”

Of course, she knew who you were, the new head of media for the women’s branch of Chelsea and she had spent the last four meetings just staring at you.

While you had felt confident walking up to her, seeing her face contort into a frown and lines appear on her forehead changed your mind quickly and you removed your hand.

“Or not – sorry that was a stupid idea.”

She couldn’t pull you in a hug fast enough. Dear god. If she hugged you like this, you never want to hug another person.

“I wanted to act cool and act like I wasn’t sure… But I would love to!”

To this day Millie and you could laugh about how much more stressful it had been than it needed if she had just said yes immediately.

---

 ---

While you had taken the first step to dating, Millie had been the one to ask the big question. She had just come home, even though she had been at home the entire time, from winning the Euros – and emotions were at an all-time high. Your girlfriend was now officially the champion of Europe.

You had been the first person she had seen out of the stands, her parents pushing you forward when you wanted to let them go first, after all, she was their daughter. “Don’t be silly love!” Had been what her mother said once she saw the blonde making her way towards the barriers.

“I did it, Baby! I fucking did it!” She was in tears, face still hot from running on the pitch for such a long time as she pulled you into a passionate kiss, not caring the slightest about all the cameras.

“You did so well my love! I am so proud of you!”

She would never forget the look on your face – she had never seen you look so proud of anybody, and now you looked at her like this. Her heart? Melted into a puddle.

Your girlfriend didn’t wait for long, lifting you over the barrier and pulling you as close to her as she could.

“My god Mills, leave some for me!” It was Rachel who finally pulled her sweaty best friend off you, just to replace her, giving you a bone-crushing hug.

“Off Rach! That’s my girl! Get ya own!”

The ‘DalyBrightness’ duo had always playful banter between them, and you were no stranger to it either, often getting roped into it somehow by Rachel, determined to get Millie angry – but the taller one of the two could only laugh about it every time.

The whole evening and night was spent partying, first in the dressing rooms, then in a chosen location with friends and family. Trafalgar Square was the next destination, where the girls would meet the nation they had made so incredibly proud, just the evening before.

After all the meetings and interviews had finally calmed down, you got your girlfriend back. Millie had finally arrived at home, in your shared south London house and the first thing she saw was your dogs Hera and Zeus. But upon lifting her head, the defender saw that they flanked both of your sides, while you held a beautiful ‘Welcome Home’ cake in your hands.

She couldn’t kiss you fast enough after seeing your nice gesture and cute smile.

“I love you much my love, and I don’t think I tell you enough. But I really do.”

The first thing you did after not seeing each other for such a long time, was napping. In the big bed, ready to sleep the day away. What you didn’t know, was that Millie woke up way before you and found herself staring at a beautiful ring in a little box.

Today was the day.

After making dinner she had asked you. She didn’t go down on her knees, so she pulled out a box, opened it, and just sat there for a second until you finally turned and noticed the ring.

“Mills?”

“Marry me?”

Choked up on tears you couldn’t do anything but nod. “Yeah, baby. I’ll marry you.” The kiss that followed tasted like tears, tears of utter joy as Zeus and Hers ran through the room yapping as if they knew what had just happened.

---

 ---

The day was finally here. Yours and Millie's wedding day. In retrospect you could not have chosen a better day, even if you obviously had not known how the weather would be – it was perfect.

Getting ready was a long process, not even physically, but rather mentally. But there was not a single doubt in your mind, that you would marry the love of your life.

You were ready when a knock sounded at the door and your sister who at the same time was your maid of honor opened it. The door was only open a smidge so you couldn’t really see who was behind it, while you talked to your bridesmaids.

“It’s go-time people!”

Your heart fluttered. But you were not nervous or anxious, no. You were excited and nearly ran out of the room with the bridesmaids to get to the altar, but your sister stopped you in your tracks, insisting that you had to wait somewhere else until the rest of the wedding party walked down the aisle.

Now stood in a room you waited for your sign. Fuck. Now the nerves were coming up. In your head, you went through the plan again, when you heard someone clear their throat.

It was Millie. There she was, dressed in a gorgeous white jumpsuit – looking at you like you hung the moon. “Baby! “You cannot see me in my dress before the wedding!”

Tears brimmed in both your eyes as you stared at your fiancé who couldn’t keep standing there any longer, so with brisk steps the blonde rushed forward and engulfed you in one of your favorite hugs. Your hearts find each other and beat in unison.

“How are ya feelin?” She rested her forehead on yours while staring at you as long as she could. “Nervous. Excited. Incredibly happy.“

The music inside was slowly getting quieter and you knew that you didn’t have that much time left. “I thought we could change the plan a little.”

Turns out Millie's idea was brilliant. Instead of just you walking in, both of you walked in together, no one would give anyone away. This would be a union of love between you and her, but that didn’t mean that either of you had to say goodbye to your family.

You could hear the gasps as you walked down the aisle, arms hooked together, each of you a flower bouquet in hand, the biggest smiles anyone had ever seen on your faces. You looked magical.

---

 ---

In the end, you don’t even know how you got through the vows, all you remember were a lot of tears, and an incredibly passionate kiss that was met with screams of joy from the audience.

After all of your families had congratulated the both of you, your Club mates made their way towards you each of them with big smiles on their faces.

Niamh was the first at your side and was the first to pull you into a warm hug. “You look like a princess. But one of those badass ones, that doesn’t need a white knight to save them.”

“I will need a cheaper ring for daily use, this one belongs in a bank in a safe deposit box.” Millie's joke was met with a lot of laughter as Sam came over and after hugging you as well, took a closer look at your ring. “Maybe! That is a fucking rock Mills!”

„You’re one to talk.“ Hempo received a  slight nudge from her captain while everyone else laughed along.

One after the other Chelsea and Lioness teammates alike made their way through the masses, hugging you with congratulatory tones and singing praises. Most of them even brought presents which they gave your sister for safekeeping.

“I can finally call you my wife.” Millie had stolen you away from the open space for a second and pulled you close for a deep kiss.

“My wife, huh? That has a nice ring to it.”

Not only were you her wife now, but she was also yours. Married. Oh dear god, you were finally married to the girl of your dreams. “Best day of my life.”

“Then I am excited to give you better ones.”

“God. you disgust me.” Neither of you had seen Rachel invade the nice little space Millie and you had created for the two of you

“Rachel!”

#woso x reader #woso imagine #woso #woso imagines #engwnt x reader #lionesses x reader #millie bright x reader #millie bright #chelsea wfc x reader #chelsea wfc

[never-ending-fanfic]

For the WIP Ask Game anything to share on ‘Five things the Spectres found out about Kallus and one he told them himself’? I’m always obsessed with Kallus slowly opening up the Ghost crew

Oh thanks for asking! 🩷 And yes, I absolutely do have stuff to share about that! And I agree, Kallus slowly getting closer with the Ghost Crew is something so dear

With this one, it's a 5+1 fic and the main theme is- as the title says- things about Kallus that he keeps to himself and the Ghost Crew uncovers. I have a list of things abut Kallus attached to the crew members

Past- Ezra (it's mostly connected to his backstory as a Sewer Rat/Street Kid in the lower levels on Coruscant- my favourite trope ever)

Guilt- Sabine (I like to think about Sabine and Kallus Being Besties™- and there's such a huge potential too. Kallus and Sabine both being defectors and having similar pasts- at least about academy and the Empire- us just so much to work with! So here Sabine catches Kallus having a quiet panic attack ambecause he spiralled himself down to it with overthinking- she helps him calm down and they talk about defecting from the Empire and the guilt that comes with changing sides)

Overworking- Rex (the clone captain wanders around the base because he can't sleep, he figures he might take a calm, quiet walk at night- and then he sees Kallus sitting on the floor outside of the Intelligence HQ with a datapad and a few pages of reports on flimsi- he asks what he's doing there, since it's already around midnight and he looks like he needs sleep. Kallus says that he needs to work and that Draven literally pushed him out of the room when he was closing it for the night so Kallus just stayed and worked here- Rex rightfully calls it stupid and forces Kallus to have a walk with him- they take a break around the temple and as they sit and watch the base and the nature and the stars Kallus falls asleep on Rex's shoulder- this is also a friendship I cherish in fics, okay? 🩵)

Food- Kanan (when they eat in the mess or on the Ghost and Kallus is with them, Kanan notices something- he might be blind but he's the first one to realise that Kallus barely eats. And so he carries on with an idea already forming in his head and alongside that he realises Kallus never asks for medical help either or any help for that matter. Like he's trying to make himself as little liability as possible. He corners Kallus about that and after a lot of pushing, Kqllus finally breaks out a "I don't want you to waste resources on me". Oh believe me, they're gonna have a long talk)

Birthday- Hera (it's a foreign thing for Kallus to celebrate one's birthday- because the Empire sucks- and so after seeing how strange and out of place he looked when the crew threw a party for Sabine, Hera made a point to look through his file and throw him a party when it's his birthday 💚)

+1 Name- Kallus shares with Zeb (I just NEED Zeb to be the one to hear that, okay? A name is something so important about one's identity amd person and Zeb having shared his name of Bahryn with Kallus is just gonna make a full circle when Kallus shares his name with Zeb)

I love this wip dearly and I might work on it soon, since you already reminded me of its existence 🩷💕🩷

#star wars #star wars rebels #star wars fanfiction #alexsandr kallus #kallus #agent kallus #garazeb orrelios #zeb orrelios #sabine wren #hera syndulla #ezra bridger #kanan jarrus #captain rex

[nobodysdaydreams]

THE WOLF359 CAST IS INCREDIBLY TALENTED AND I LOVE THIS! (or my reaction to the Wolf359 Live Show)

"Another Wolf359 reaction already? But Bods, I thought you said you were busy?" Yes indeed I am my friends, if I wasn't busy, I would have finished the podcast by now. In my younger days, I did all of ATLA in a weekend. Sadly at this age, I can't be doing that kind of bingeing. I'm also tired, because I've been studying all day and figured why not take a little break and watch the Wolf359 Live Show?

I firstly wanted to give a shoutout to @commsroom for not only telling me about when to watch the live show (after episode 26), but also telling me that it is on youtube where you can watch it live so thank you so much!

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts. Especially in this one because it is late, and I am tired.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell

Wolf359 Live Show Reaction:

"First ever life show" - are there other live shows?

Oh okay this is very helpful. So it's in the middle of Episode 26, so right in the middle of what I just listened to, that makes a lot more sense.

I honestly don't care about the audio quality difference this is amazing.

Uh...pretty sure Cutter is not the forces of good... see Doug this is why you always read the fine print! It's like that ominous song...the one that was a tik tok audio? The one about an evil corporation in space? I think it might have been video game music? You guys know what I'm talking about please tell me I didn't imagine this.

YES THE ONE COPY OF HOME ALONE 2 COMES BACK!

PLEASE- the way Doug is telling the story is the way I tell stories "Hilbert strikes back: specifically Doug's circulatory system" 😂

"Palpatine MD" 😂

I love how they enter in as their characters are introduced.

I love Hera though it is weird to hear her voice clear without coming through the intercoms.

Zach is doing a fantastic job I love how he's moving around Minkowski to play both Hilbert and Doug 😂 and he's doing a great job switch characters.

Lovelace!

I love how he crosses over to whisper to Hera, I can just see Doug's character whispering into her intercom or in the general direction of the computer even though it doesn't make a difference to her.

I also like Hera's character position on stage away from the others, it's kind of symbolic.

"Team Eiffel's on the case" I have literally used the phrase "Detective Bods is on the case" multiple times on this blog, why do I relate so strongly to every ADHD character I come across sasjdkfjsl;kdfj;slk. Not the talking to himself too... NOT THEM LOOKING AT HIM IN THE BACKGROUND...oh no...

I love how Hera says "yeah we're all here" when she's always there.

17 months Doug? Oh dear...

"No one told me it was my job" Valid Doug, valid, what you're told when you're spaced out doesn't count. ADHD rule #1. Oh she told him multiple times? Well maybe they could have written it down for him. Would that have been too much trouble?

Hilbert shut up.

Poor Hera. The way she shuts them down 😂

SHUT UP HILBERT. THANK YOU.

Oh not the Pyrce and Carter thing again. Do we ever get to meet Pryce and Carter? Do they work for Goddard Futuristics? Is this a NASA textbook? At first I thought she said something about a price and then "Cutter", and I was like "PLOT TWIST" but never mind it's just the tips book.

Minkowski's Lovelace impression 😂 HIS HERA IMPRESSION IS JUST A HIGH PITCHED VOICE. Hahaha...his Hilbert is hilarious. Her Doug impression. 😂

"No no she's Eiffel, that's impossible" This is perfect, and then the switch back to Hilbert. Comedic perfection. I love it so so much.

"Hilbert you're fine try to be less fine" I love Hera.

"Can I ask you to act like an adult?" "That's not my thing" the comedic timing of this is excellent.

"What do you even do here?" Hold Hilbert's Decima virus of course.

Comms line? With who?

PLEASE 😂OH MY GOODNESS CUTTER. The way he stands up from the audience with his smug little smile...

You just know he's been waiting his entire life to play a role like that. Honestly me too, so good for him for getting to live the dream. DID HE JUST PAT THE HEAD OF A RANDOM PERSON IN THE AUDIENCE. HE DID. HE EVEN HAS A SUIT.

"We'll break bread, we'll dance, we'll kiss-" Cutter man, I'm pretty sure you can't say that. I know that you're an evil corporation that murders people on the regular and unethically experiments on people in space so the law can't get you, but you don't even have one HR rep?

Another call Cutter? What deployment?

"He remotely destroys station, then goes on lunch break" Yep sounds like Cutter.

The way Cutters reenters... it's so dramatic I love it.

They are really gonna have to make sure their stories match.

Huh. "Communication problem of our own." I wonder what that could be Cutter? A little issue at Command?

"Alone at last" That sounds creepy Cutter.

Oh so Cutter worships at the alter of the Pryce and Carter manual too. Maybe he forced them to write the book and killed them. Maybe he wrote it under two pen names to make it sound more legit. Either way I can't imagine him memorizing anyone's book but his own.

CUTTER'S ASKING ABOUT HER FAMILY? oh he's threatening her. IS HE THREATENING HER FAMILY?

They are very low on toothpaste.

"I want to help in every way I can, but I can only do that if I know what's going on" Cutter I hope you die. Painfully. Very slowly and very painfully, and if it doesn't happen in the show, I'll write it into a fic.

Oh he's speaking to Hera now because of what she said... that's interesting. Cutter didn't think of Hera as a person or member of the crew before he realized that Minkowski did.

Doug is me cramming for my exams. DOUG IF ITS NOT A VIDEO CALL YOU CAN WRITE STUFF DOWN.

Or fake an illness.

Oh dear poor Hera.

"Manufacturing errors." I hope that doesn't mean anything bad for those robots, otherwise that has to be sad for Hera to hear.

Okay...I love how Hera and some of the other actors look straight at the audience like they can't see Cutter, but Cutter looks directly at them as if he can see them. It adds so much to the creep factor.

Oh my gosh that manual again. Why is he obsessed with it?

"You'd be shocked at how much I know about the Hephaestus" Cutter knows everything.

AND DO NOT CALL HERA PATHETIC.

Oh my gosh Hera talked back to him for a second. I think she's the only one who ever does thus far, which is odd considering all her code that stops her from doing that.

"A real person" THAT CROSSES A LINE CUTTER.

"I don't know if someone like you can understand this. We're trying to change everyone's lives" CUTTER SHUT UP. YOU ARE THE ONE WITHOUT A SOUL YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO TALK.

YES HERA TALK BACK TO HIM.

Hera's memory files? Personality setting? oh never mind...this is awful that he can just go in like that. Maybe that's why he programmed her with the ability and personality that would talk back to him. So that he can get the truth from someone he can easily destroy.

"The people who made you decided you were a mistake, and you were so desperate to rise above who- what you are" Who made Hera? Are they important? Or did Cutter just scrape her up from a tech company that didn't want her? And Cutter "correcting" himself on that line I hope he's blown into space.

"Don't you dare" wow Hera's still talking back. "You have no idea." DID SHE JUST CONFESS THAT HILBERT IS STILL ALIVE. Oh Hera...

"To err is human" oh dear...

Doug looks terrified. Me too buddy.

It's okay Hera. You deserve better.

"I'm sick!" I love that.

Cutter's like wow, I should have started with him.

The way he puts his hand on Doug's shoulder as if they are in the room together, like he has a way to reach them even if they can't get back to earth, I love the choices the actor's are making.

He knows that Doug doesn't know Pryce and Carter. He's been listening in on him. For sure. Bro. Not everyone has read your manifesto that you by this point probably ghost wrote under two fake names and declared the best book of all time. It's like when a professor uses their own text book, I've heard this song and dance before.

Cutter. Doug should have memorized it but YOU HIRED HIM. He is CLEARLY in no way qualified for this line of work. YOU know that. YOU'RE using him as a science experiment. If I knew my professor was using me for lab science that could kill me at any second, do you think I'd waste time studying for their pop quiz on silly tips?

"How did Renee stop him?" Just say that it was all a blur Doug.

"Getting around security protocols, tricking a multiple PhD...stellar Doug" "Thank you?" Doug that's not a good thing. A target is on your back right now.

Not the arm on his shoulder again. Cutter for SURE killed their HR rep and their IRB rep, and ethics department.

"I would have had to skin you alive" There is no "had to" here Cutter.

3 seconds or incredibly painful things will start happening. WHAT THINGS?

DOUG HOW DID YOU FUMBLE THAT? YOU COULD HAVE JUST PRETENDED YOU WERE NERVOUS BECAUSE YOU FAILED. YOU HAD THE PERFECT OUT RIGHT THERE.

"I got the feeling that I would be the same convo you and I just had" I love the fourth wall break.

Oh dear. LOVELACE YOU BETTER BE QUIET. NO NOT ALL THE STUFF DOUG YOU AT LEAST KEPT LOVELACE QUIET. DON'T BLOW THAT TOO.

"Is there anything I can do for you? I want to help you?" Get. Them. Back. To. Earth.

Cutter's little schoolboy laugh. Oh yikes. He's mad now.

Good job Doug, take the fall. Good solider. No, what are you doing, just say you forgot, don't say you kept information from him intentionally. Faking incompetence is so much easier when you actually are incompetent.

The ultimate sacrifice. He will memorize Cutter's stupid textbook.

"If you keep anything from me again, holiday's over..." I don't like it.

"I want to know the second anything new happens with those transmissions".

Haha...well as a matter a fact, after that last episode...

Exactly. Shut up Hilbert.

Yeah the book is unusually dark. Pryce and Carter have clearly been through some stuff, or it's Cutter being ominous with his ghost written book. At this point, he either wrote it under fake names, or he's a Pryce and Carter fanboy. (Is it spelled Pryce or Price, I just realized I have no idea. I've heard of the last name Pryce, so I'd assume that's how it's spelled?).

"Did I mention that I'm sick"

Careful what you wish for.

Well that was amazing. I loved the way the cast used the space to make the characters come alive, the way they moved, the choices they made, it all fit really well. I really enjoyed watching this. It brought me back to when I used to do high school theater. I kinda of miss it. Hilbert, Cutter, and Doug are exactly the kind of overdramatic and unhinged roles I always loved playing (that is if I was lucky enough to have a director who went for gender bent casting, we as a society really need more comedic relief and unhinged women roles with crazy accents). Although I did once win a medal at state in middle school for a 10 minute monologue that was very much in the tone of Minkowski. I was playing a babysitter.

And ask the show said: back to work. Thanks everyone for listening, I hope you enjoyed my reaction. Only two more episodes left in season two so we should be done soon. Excited to see what comes next!

#bods wolf359 reactions #w359 liveshow #wolf359 live show #w359 #hera w359 #wolf359 #wolf 359 #isabel lovelace #hera wolf 359 #renee minkowski #doug eiffel #alexander hilbert #wolf359 reactions #w359 reaction #w359 reactions #wolf 359 reactions

[kalliyen]

Tipsy Confessions

Pairing: Son of Zeus!Jake Sim x Child of Demeter!Reader

Featuring: Son of Dionysus!Jay/Jongseong Park & Daughter of Aphrodite!Kim Ga Eul (of IVE), and others)

Genre: FanFiction, Fluff and kind of mature? Since it contains alcohol but not really….so idk. Tell me if I missed any tho!

Word Count: 627

Reader’s Pronouns: not specified

Picture Credits: Pinterest

Mentions of: Drinking alcohol, Maybe a smooch or two

Disclaimer: Only a work of FICTION! I mean no harm to (members) or the rest of Enhypen, or any other people involved in this fic. This is only for entertainment and to make people happy, I mean no harm to any of the members Thank You.

Author's note: I don't exactly know how Truth or Drink works because I've never had alcohol in my life, but let's just pretend it's played like this, okay? Okay, love ya

What happens when you play Truth or Drink with a son of Zeus? Will it go bad or well? Downhill or uphill? The world may never know. Until you read this of course!

*Line Break check! Enjoy the fic <3*

˃̶༒˂̶ Partaking at a party with a bunch of gods and goddesses probably wasn’t the best way to spend the night.

Dear gods, if your mother could see you know she would probably have a look of displeasure plastered on her usually calm features.

But hey, you aren’t a little godling anymore so you could do whatever you want!

Mostly.

All the gods and goddesses partied like they weren’t immortal already, holding goblets with wine in them, or some other type of alcohol gods fancied these days.

With Jay at the party, people were certainly going to leave pretty ditzy and drowsy, an effect of hanging out with a son of Dionysus I tell you.

Luckily, you were planning on staying sober that night, but your best friend Ga Eul, daughter of Aphrodite, dragged you to a circle of gods, who were seemingly playing Truth or Drink.

“Ga Eul. I told you I don’t want to get drunk tonight!” “Aw c’mon Y/N! Don’t be such a push over. It’s just for fun! Besides, what could go wrong?"

This could go wrong. This is exactly what you were talking about.

Between the circle of gods, the ones you could recognize, was Jay, of course. Yunjin, daughter of Hermes, Dongpyo, son of Apollo, Beomgyu, another son of Hermes, and Jake, son of Zeus.

Jake. You never liked him.

Well, you do like him but you'd never tell anyone that.

He was a flirty god, always making women, goddesses, gods and mortals alike, fall on their knees, but who wouldn't?

He was flirty yes, but never had he made someone a cow, unlike some other god, and he was pretty sweet, well, as 'sweet' as a god can get. Always looking out for mortals too, and quite helpful to his mother, Hera, even when she was a bit...unpredictable at times.

Really, you'd never know what that woman was feeling, it was always like a gamble.

We're getting of topic, so, the game of Truth or Drink began.

"Beomgyu, Truth or Drink, Did you or did you not turn one of your mortal lovers into a flower, because you were afraid of your mother catching you being with a mortal?"

"Yeah it's true, not gonna deny it!"

A bunch of 'ooohhs' were shared across the room, and Jay asked Yunjin, and she drank.

Then it was Jake's turn, "Jake, Will you either, go on a date with the prettiest god/goddess you know, or be turned into a sack of potatoes?"

"Dude, what kind of question is that? Of course the former!"

"Alright, but I wasn't done. Now, you have to ask that 'prettiest god/goddess you know, out on a date!"

"Bet."

You didn't want to sound egotistical or anything, but you kind of caught him looking at you, Ga Eul thought so too as she said "Oooohh!~"

After the party, when you were about to head home, a hand grabbed your wrist and dragged you into the nearest secluded area. It was none other than Jake.

"Jake? What are you doing?"

"Look, Y/N I'm sorry, but uhm, I- I just wanted to as-"

"Is this about the Truth or Drink game we had?"

"Yeah..."

"And you were going to ask me out?"

"Yes...Dang I didn't know you'd get it that fast"

"It's...whatever."

"Yeah, so...uhm..Would you like to..go out with me....sometime?"

He said it so bashfully you were about to laugh, 'He looks so cute. Asking shyly, well I guess I could say yes, I don't have anything to lose anyways..'

"Yeah sure!"

Before he could even register your words, you gave him a kiss on the cheek and went on your way.

Dang, Jake would have to thank Jay for basically landing him a date with the person of his dreams.

BYE I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE THE READER A CHILD OF ATHENA AND THEN I WENT 'oh wait Athena doesn't have kids shi-'

Yeah pretty disappointed with the ending, sorry about that..

I haven't written in so long I'm so sorry I'm rusty 😭

~gods and goddesses mentioned in this fic!~

Zeus-god of all gods, king of Olympus, god of lightning

Hera-goddess of Olympus, marriage, family, birth

Demeter-goddess of agriculture, health

Hermes-god of messengers, travelers, thieves, (some) medicine

Apollo-god of the sun, archery, medicine, prophecy, medicine

#enhypen x reader #enhypen #enhypen fluff #enhypen scenarios #enhypen imagines #enhypen crack #enhypen headcanons #enhypen oneshots #enhypen reactions #enhypen smau #enha #enhypen au #enhypen god au #jake sim #sim jake #sim jaeyun #jake x reader #sim jake x reader #sim jake x you #sim jaeyun x reader #enhypen jake #bye im so rusty with fics im so sorry if this sucks ass

[kanerallels]

All I Need Is The One I Love

For Kanera Week day two: "Celebration." Dedicated to @laughingphoenixleader because this happens to be set in an au she really likes! (which this does require a little context for, I talk about it more on AO3 but basically read "This Is The Story Of How I Died")

Rating/Warnings: G (mentions of kidnapping/slavery)

Taglist: @laughingphoenixleader @accidental-spice @heckin-music-dork @auroramagpie @firefoxtessa @day-to-day-thots @opalknight @kaneraweek

Read on AO3!!

After every couple missions, Hera always liked to run a system check on the Ghost, to make sure everything was running smoothly and see what needed fixing. And after a mission like their most recent one, she definitely needed to. They’d tangled with a group of slavers who’d been plaguing the planet Thabeska for months. When Kanan and Hera had finally found a way onto their main ship, they’d discovered hundreds of children, snatched from this planet and so many others. They’d taken out the slavers, stolen the ship, and brought the children to the local authorities on Thabeska before heading out again.

(Hera knew that, strictly speaking, the work she and the others did wasn’t always legal. Sometimes, laws were bent to keep people safe— which was kind of the trademark of her employer— and she was just fine with that.)

They’d wound up on an out of the way planet in the Outer Rim called Rejwan. It didn’t have much going for it, especially what with the canyons of lava carving across the planet’s surface— the place was a literal hotbed of volcanic activity. But it had fueling depots, and somewhere they could stock up on the basic necessities. So to Hera, it was heavenly.

She’d sent Kanan, Zeb and Ezra out shopping for the rest of the supplies they needed, while Chopper helped her finish up system checks and diagnostics and Sabine did the same with the Phantom. After an hour, they were almost done.

“Looks like it’s almost time to give the air filters a good cleaning again,” she remarked to Chopper. “It can probably wait until we get back to Coruscant, but not by much.”

“Count me out,” Chopper said immediately, and Hera gave him a stern look. 

“You’re helping whether you like it or not, Chopper.”

“I don’t even use the air! It’s for you meatsacks, not me”

“That’s not the point. Now, have you finished checking the coolant?”

Chopper grumbled something, returning to his work, and Hera shook her head in exasperation as the door to the cockpit hissed open.

“Sabine’s wondering if she can borrow you for a minute, Chopper.” Hera glanced up in surprise at the sound of Kanan’s voice, following it to where he stood in the doorway. “She needs some help with the Phantom.”

“I’ll handle the coolant check,” Hera said, waving to the droid. “Go ahead and help Sabine.”

“This ship would come to pieces without me here to help,” he declared loftily, rolling out of the cockpit. Hera rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Kanan.

“I didn’t know you’d already gotten back.”

“Well, Ezra and Zeb were getting on each other’s nerves,” Kanan said, crossing the cockpit to drop into his usual seat. “So we finished as quickly as we could. Got everything on your list, too.”

“Thank you, dear,” Hera said, sending him a grateful smile.

Kanan returned it as he rose from his chair, and Hera turned back to her work, expecting him to leave. Instead, he lingered, hands resting on the back of his seat. Glancing back at him, Hera raised an eyebrow. “Something up?”

“No— well, kind of, but not really. Um…” Kanan seemed to hesitate for a moment, then asked, “Are you busy tonight?”

“Always,” Hera said wryly. “I’ve still got to finish typing up the report for Fulcrum, and there are a few other chores around the ship that need doing. Why do you ask?”

Leaning his forearms against the back of the chair, Kanan said, “Any chance you can make some time?”

“Probably,” Hera said, frowning. “Why? Is something wrong?”

Kanan shook his head. “Not at all— the opposite, really. I want to take you out for dinner.”

Hera’s eyes went wide. “You— what?” This was far from what she’d expected.

“Dinner,” Kanan repeated. “Despite my best efforts, you still don’t take breaks as often as I’d like—”

“Well, some of us have work to get done, dear,” Hera pointed out, recovering her equilibrium and firmly pushing the questions about what he meant by asking her to dinner with him to the back of her head. 

“I know that, and I understand,” Kanan said. “But that doesn’t mean you should work yourself to death— and you deserve some time off from the kids every now and then. We both do.”

“Point taken,” Hera admitted. “But why tonight?”

The grin Kanan wore held a hint of his old cockiness, and anticipation. “Let’s just say it’s a special occasion. You’ll see. ”

“I’ll admit to being intrigued,” Hera said, feeling a matching grin crossing her face. “But you knew that would work, didn’t you?”

“What, using that curiosity of yours against you?” Kanan shrugged, his grin widening. “I had a feeling that it might. How does around six sound? It won’t be anything fancy, but it might be nice to have some time to ourselves.”

“Yes,” Hera agreed, her breath catching as she met Kanan’s gaze and saw that gentle warmth in his eyes. The look she’d seen so many times now, and was finally wondering what it meant, what he meant to her.

They’d been working together for almost a year now— after an incident on Ord Mantell, Kanan’s probation had been extended several months longer— and Hera would be lying if she said that she hadn’t loved it. Loved being around Kanan, working with him, fighting by his side. She’d never been a part of something that felt like this; like they understood the other’s move before it was even made, like he had her back no matter what.

It was an amazing friendship, she’d never deny that. But there was something more. Something that Hera would never have expected when they first met. The way her heart would speed up at the simplest touch, the way she would catch herself watching him. It was ridiculous, really— how much she wanted to be around him, and how she’d blush like a little girl at the slightest teasing.

But oh, she was enjoying it. Maybe for now, it was just dancing around their feelings, not taking that next step because there were still things to figure out— Kanan’s probation, pieces of their past, things they hadn’t talked about— but she was still around Kanan. And, silly though she felt admitting it, that was where she was happiest.

Maybe it was silly. But for the rest of the day, Hera felt a little more light-hearted.

The time until that evening slipped by faster than Hera had expected, and before she knew it she was following Kanan out of the Ghost. Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb had come to see them off. “Make sure you have her back before midnight,” the Lasat told Kanan with a smirk.

“She’s the one driving,” Kanan said with a grin. “So you’ll have to talk to her about that.”

“Have a good time,” Ezra chimed in, bouncing on his heels.

Hera shot a stern look at the three standing on the ramp. “Try not to cause too much trouble, or you’ll be scrubbing air filters until your fingers fall off. Understood?”

She was met by a chorus of “yes, Hera”. Satisfied, Hera turned to Kanan. “Ready to go?”

“Ready when you are, Captain Hera,” he replied.

They took a speeder bike down the side of the mountain their landing and refueling platform was on— to avoid lava flows, most fuel depots, cities, and space ports were on the higher peaks— and followed the main road for a while before Kanan directed her to take an exit. 

The exit led them into a heavily forested patch that, according to a sign they passed on the way in, was a national forest of some kind. As they zipped down the winding road, Hera admired the massive trees looming above them. “I wonder how trees could grow this big here, what with the volcanic season,” she called over her shoulder to Kanan, who had his arms around her waist as she drove. Which was only a little distracting.

“Life keeps going, I suppose,” Kanan said, his chin brushing her head as he turned to look around. “Nothing can really stop that. Nature will always find a way around it. Stop up here, please.”

Pulling to a stop, Hera turned and raised an eyebrow at Kanan. “Where exactly are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Kanan said, hopping off the bike.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“Of course,” Kanan said, offering her his hand. “Trust me, Hera.” He gave her a pleading look, and Hera felt herself relenting before she’d even fully decided to.

“Fine,” she said, putting her hand in his. “But there had better be food at the end of this.”

“I promised dinner, and I always deliver,” Kanan said as he helped her off the bike. He released her hand, striding towards a side path that had been tucked out of view from the road. Pushing aside a slight pang of disappointment, Hera followed him.

The path wound through the trees, leading them forward for a while then down a gentle slope. As they reached a sharp curve in the path, Kanan stopped. “Wait here a minute,” he told her, and hurried onwards, disappearing around the corner. 

Hera reluctantly remained where she was, drumming her fingers against her hip as she waited. She wouldn’t admit it out loud— not that she had to with Kanan— but she was getting more and more curious about where they were going. Where exactly was he planning to find dinner out in the middle of nowhere?

Seconds later, he reappeared, his grin wide. “Come on,” he called, waving to her.

“You’re testing my patience,” Hera warned him as she made her way down the path. “You should know better than to keep me in suspense for this long—”

Her voice trailed off, and she stared in shock at the view around the corner. The forest around them opened up to a lake, shining vibrant orange under the sinking sun. Hauled halfway onto the shore was a boat, its metal hull glinting proudly.

“I thought it would be nice to get away,” Kanan said from next to her. “Literally and figuratively. Not many places are more isolated than the middle of a lake, and it seemed… nicer than a mountain top. Is— is it okay?”

He sounded almost nervous, and Hera would have laughed if she hadn’t seen his face— so hopeful and just the littlest bit on edge. “It’s amazing, dear,” she said, giving him a warm smile. “I’m driving the boat.”

Kanan laughed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything else— we should probably get it into the water first.”

The two of them shed their boots and, working together, managed to get the boat out into deeper water. Hera hopped in first, with Kanan’s help, and he scrambled in after her, landing with a thump on the bottom of the boat. 

Hera, who’d already made her way to the front of the boat and was studying the controls, sent him an amused look. “You alright there?”

“Just fine,” Kanan said, pushing himself up and dropping onto one of the benches that lined the boat with a grunt. “That’s a lot easier when you’re at a dock, though.”

Hera frowned at him. “Where exactly did you get this boat? Tell me you didn’t—”

“Steal it? Give me some credit, Captain Hera.” Not looking offended in the slightest, Kanan made himself comfortable as he explained, “There’s a rental place near the market we were at, so I rented it for the day. Zeb helped me get it out here.”

“You were certainly committed to this,” Hera commented, frowning at the controls. It was similar enough to a speeder. Keying one button, she grinned at the sound of the motor coming to life. Glancing back at Kanan, she said, “You might want to hold on.”

Kanan immediately grabbed the side of the boat— just in time, as Hera gunned the engine and the boat shot forward, slicing through the water smoothly. It picked up speed faster than Hera had expected, and they zipped out towards the middle of the lake, water churning up behind them.  The wind whipped back Hera’s lekku, and spray splattered her face. She let out an exhilarated laugh, throwing her head back and taking in a deep breath. Flying was the best feeling she could imagine in the galaxy. But this… this was close.

She cut a corner, bringing the speed down a little bit as they swerved to avoid a patch of weeds.  For a few minutes longer, they cruised across the lake, enjoying the breeze and the view of the mountain to their north. Finally, Hera slowed down and cut the motor, leaving them to drift.

Looking back at where Kanan had settled back again, she said, “I assume you didn’t bring me out here to play with the boat.”

“As much fun as I have watching you, no. Well, mostly no,” Kanan said with a grin. Bending down, he reached under one of the benches and pulled out a preservation container. “I believe I promised you dinner,” he said, setting it on the bench between them. 

“Well played,” Hera said, dropping down across from him. “I’m starving.”

Dinner turned out to be deliciously seasoned chicken with chopped vegetables and a garlicky sauce, all stuffed inside a pita bread sandwich. The two of them attacked their sandwiches ravenously, chatting between bites. Kanan was so incredibly easy to talk to, or to just sit with in silence. He knew how to let a moment just be quiet, which was something Hera valued about him. 

There was no one she’d rather spend an evening like this with.

For dessert, Kanan produced slices of meiloorun and pieces of dark chocolate infused with dried orange peel. “You’re pretty good at this picnic planning thing,” Hera observed as she munched on her third piece of meiloorun. “You could have a career here if the whole Jedi thing doesn’t work out.”

Kanan laughed, and Hera couldn’t hold back her grin. There was something so incredibly satisfying about making Kanan, someone who always had a snarky quip, laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

Finishing off her meiloorun, Hera sat back against the side of the boat with a satisfied sigh. The two of them were sitting side by side, Hera’s shoulder brushing his as they ate and chatted and watched the sun disappear behind the trees. The first stars were appearing, and the air held the cool, crisp night time feeling.

“Cold?” Kanan asked, his deep voice sending a shiver down Hera’s spine. 

“A little,” she admitted. “Nothing I can’t handle though.”

“I might have something that can help.” Bending over, Kanan pulled a thermos out from under the bench and presented it to her. “Spiran caf, like we had on Rion two months ago. This should have kept it hot enough.”

Accepting the thermos, Hera gave him a smile. “Thank you, dear. I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed that you were this prepared.”

As she took a sip from the thermos, Kanan shrugged. “Well, I thought about bringing champagne, but I didn’t think that was your style.”

“Champagne? Are we celebrating something?” Hera asked, surprised.

A half smile crossed Kanan’s face. “Actually, yeah. I may have had a few motives other than convincing you to relax when I brought you out here.”

Hera’s heart skipped a beat. Fighting to keep her voice steady, she set down the thermos and quipped, “Well now I’m worried.”

“Nothing to be worried about,” Kanan assured her. “The first thing is— well, I might have the date wrong, considering we’ve been in hyperspace for a while, but I did the math and checked some calendars, and I’m about ninety-five percent certain that it’s our anniversary.”

“Our— our what?” Hera stared at him, now utterly confused.

“One year ago today, you signed some paperwork or something— I wasn’t there for that part— and offered me a job on your crew while I was on probation,” Kanan explained. “And as of this morning, my probation period has officially expired.”

“What— really?” Hera gasped, trying to remember. She knew that it had been coming closer, but the last week or two had been so hectic, she’d lost track of which day it was. How did I forget this? “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Kanan said. “I’m a free man. Free to follow… whatever path comes next.”

“Congratulations, Kanan,” Hera said, smiling at him. “I’m proud of you.” She paused, old fears flashing through her— and then, a hint of hope. Maybe, just maybe… “What are your plans, then? Now that you’re free to go wherever you want?”

A slow smile grew on Kanan’s face as he studied her, his gaze so intense that Hera could feel herself starting to blush. “I have a few plans,” he murmured, his voice teasing. “There’s this captain who offered me a job— something about a ship’s cook, maybe?”

“Really,” Hera said, feeling her heartbeat quickening. He was so close to her, those vivid blue-green eyes drawing her in and holding her. “I happen to think your talents would be wasted as a cook.”

“Hmm. Do you have any better ideas, then?”

“I might,” Hera managed, finding herself suddenly breathless as Kanan looked at her, and she looked back, and for a moment, she thought that maybe he was going to—

And then his gaze shifted to something over her shoulder, and the tension between them dissipated as a smile touched his face. “And there’s the other reason I brought you out here,” he said, sitting back a little. “Look.”

Squelching her disappointment firmly, Hera turned in her seat— and gasped, all other thoughts swept away. Coming from the mountain to the north were hundreds of small, golden lights, floating through the sky like a wave of tiny suns filling the night sky. It was captivating as they spilled down towards the lake, and as they drew closer, Hera realized they were lanterns.

“Once a year, they release all these lanterns in some of the cities to mark the beginning of the volcanic season,” Kanan explained from next to Hera. “It’s celebrating the end of a long year of planting and harvesting, and the beginning of renewal, and a long winter.”

“It’s beautiful,” Hera breathed, unable to tear her eyes away as the lanterns drifted downwards, filling the valley and the air around the lake. It was like flying, being up among the stars, but now they had come down to visit her. 

“Thank you, Kanan,” she said softly. “For showing me this.”

“There’s no one else I’d want to be here with,” Kanan replied, and his voice was so gentle and warm that Hera felt herself flush with pleasure. 

“I feel the same way,” she told him.

For a moment, they were both silent, watching the lanterns drift across the lake. Hera felt Kanan’s hand brush hers, then slip around it, his fingers lacing through hers. Her eyes snapped up to his, surprise flashing through her.

“Is this okay?” he asked quietly. “I don’t want to—”

“Yes,” Hera answered firmly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s just fine.”

He smiled, his gaze softening, and Hera took a quick breath, her heart rate speeding up again. The way he was looking at her… it was warmer than the glow from the lanterns. It felt like coming home and starting a new adventure all at once, and she wanted to stay in it forever.

“Hera,” he said softly. “I— you’re incredible. I never would have gotten this far without you. If you weren’t here, I would still be running from my problems, turning my back on who I am. You changed my life.”

“Kanan,” Hera said, flushing. “I—”

“I mean it,” Kanan said. Taking her other hand, he said, “I don’t want to leave you. Ever. You’re so brave and kind and determined—”

“Kanan,” Hera cut in. “Can I get a word in edgewise?”

“Well… yeah, if you must,” Kanan said wryly, looking slightly confused.

“I love you.”

The words slipped out before Hera could stop to think— but she didn’t regret it. Having Kanan with her had changed her life. He was an amazing person, and she didn’t care what society or her father or anyone thought. She loved him, and Hera knew that down to her very core.

And it was also pretty satisfying to shock Kanan for once. He gaped at her, clearly stunned, and Hera felt a flash of concern. Was I wrong? Does he not feel the same way? Oh, Force, did I just—

Leaning down, Kanan cupped her face in his hand and kissed her.

He was gentle, clearly leaving her the option to pull away, but Hera had no intentions of going anywhere. Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him back, pulling him close.

It felt far too soon when they broke apart, and when they did, it was slow and gradual, neither one willing to completely pull away from the other. Hera’s face felt like it was on fire— she’d never exactly been one for public displays of affection.

But they were out on a lake in the middle of nowhere, and she couldn’t honestly say she regretted it, anyways. The smile on Kanan’s face was radiant as he said, “I love you, too.”

“It’s about time,” Hera said, and she felt him chuckle.

“I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure you felt the same way. But you beat me to it.” Gently, he brushed a thumb along her cheekbone, his touch almost reverent. “Can I kiss you again?”

Hera responded by grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him into a kiss that took her breath away and sent her head spinning. When she finally pulled away, Hera leaned into his touch, and Kanan willingly pulled her closer. “Stay,” she whispered. “Stay with the crew, stay with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kanan promised. “I’m yours, Hera. For as long as you’ll have me.”

Hera felt a joyful smile crossing her face as Kanan settled next to her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. There, sitting with his arm around her while they watched the lanterns, she knew there was no place she’d rather be.

#kaneraweek2022 #kanan jarrus #hera syndulla #kanera #star wars rebels #swr #this is the story of how i died #tangled (2010) #(you would be shocked by how many fics i can get out of one movie) #celebration #fluff #tw slavery mention #writing stories is a kind of magic too

[algumaideia]

Hey, since your doing requests, could you do Meg and Lester/Apollo (extreme) hurt/comfort (basically heavy angst with some comforting)? Also I love your writings and you can take your time

Hi nonnie!!

Humm I've never written Meg, so I hope this is okay!! Thank you for the compliment and the comprehension!!!

Also I'm not really sure if I nailed the (extreme) hurt/comfort part.

(Apollo might be a little ooc too... sorry!)

...

"Were you also afraid?" Apollo stopped walking confused. He hated it when Meg brought up random topics out of nowhere. It was also very annoying and embarrassing the amount of situations she could be talking about. "Meg, what are you talking about?" "When you planned to defeat Zeus, It was because of that you ended up mortal for the first time. Were you also afraid?" Apollo opened his mouth without knowing what to say. He was still confused as to why Meg brought up this subject, and he was tired of embarrassing himself. He was about to ignore the question, when he had an epiphany. Also. Meg was afraid.

"I..." Apollo sighed "I always broke Zeus' rules. A lot of gods do that too, but for me it was always about annoying him. But it was a... a safe way to annoy him. I just knew I wouldn't get much trouble ignoring the rules."

"But it was different that time..."

Meg wasn't looking at him; her fits were clenched.

"Yeah. I was the god that was most difficult to convince to participate in the riot. I was terrified. To be part of it, while doing it, and after."

Apollo closed his eyes. He still could feel that fear; after all those ions, it still felt consuming.

"Really?"

Meg sounded like she was about to cry. Apollo hoped that he would be able to make her feel better when he finished his speech. He couldn't be the one to make her feel worse. Especially when they were so close to facing Nero.

"After it failed I was so angry, Meg. I was angry at Hera, Poseidon and Athena. Angry at that stupid riot. Angry at myself. Angry at Zeus. But," Apollo looked at Meg, wanting to see her reaction. "I didn't regret it, not at all. That was my chance, and I'm glad I was brave enough to try it."

"But you said you continued to be a chicken even after the riot. How can you say you were brave?"

"To be brave is not not to have any fears. You cannot be brave if you aren't afraid. To be brave is too act, to do something, even though you are afraid, terrified."

Apollo put his hands on Meg's shoulder. He wanted to comfort her. She was shaking. But he was afraid he could make her close to herself.

"Meg, my dear friend, you are one of the bravest people I've ever known. You got this. It is okay to be afraid. I understand how scary all of this is. But you are capable. I know it."

"How do you know? What if I'm not brave enough? What if I chicken out?"

Meg finally looked at Apollo and he felt like he was physically hurt. She was crying.

"I know you'll do great. But, if you don't, I'll be there at your side."

Meg stood quiet, tears falling from her eyes. Apollo didn't know what to say. Did he fail that hard? How could he help Meg? Before he could open his mouth to say something, Meg hugged him.

"Thank you."

Apollo heard the soft whisper that made his tensed body relax.

#ask #anonymous #toa #meg mccaffrey #lester papadopoulos #apollo pjo #so sorry for taking so much time to write it!!!

[holdyourwine]

Praise The Heavenly Goddess and Her Love.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ featuring Poseidon and Hades

YOUR FONDNESS, LORD POSEIDON ; masterlist

(.n) Divination is also the agent which brings about good relations between Gods, because it knows what aspects of love. With the words that helps the couple from Hades’ wise head, it is how their love started to appear.

“So, she just flew away to Demeter’s place as soon the news reached her ears?”

Silver strands of hair swayed following the direction of his head, glancing to the bored expression that etched upon his brother’s face. A small thud aired after Hades lets his frame fall atop of the cozy sofa, earning a frown from the sea God. Those ocean eyes of his move up from the pile of papers on his desk, gazing at his older brother’s strong presence. “Yes, so you may go.”

A deep chuckle grumbles under his breath, “Why so? I did come here to see my Little One, but I do have another Little One here, am I correct?”

His face scrunches in disgust as he notices what Hades referred to was he himself. Hours prior, the sea God was savoring the only time he secretly enjoys in his day ; being with that little Goddess who he demanded to stay in his manor longer than what the agreement with Morpheus and Hera said— with a reason that she still needs learning for she is still very mortal, though every souls who stands upon Olympus could say, how divine she already is and how wise she is as a half, within just 2 years.

Poseidon had to witness how the beam spreads in second within those cheeks of hers, gleaming orbs distracted from him upon the arrival of the Underworld couple in the Heaven, and the very courtesy she granted before those feet bring herself hastily to where the spring Goddess is ; she is very fond of these two, even in her early day of immortal, for her, Hades and Persephone are the closest deity she claims to have a human relationship with herself, since many Gods do not have much benevolence towards others— Poseidon, as in example.

“Out of curiosity, I may know her development, since Melinöe and Morpheus did talk about the work involved with her.” Says Hades, never grows tired of wasting his words for his dear brother.

“Ask her yourself. I did not remember anything.”

A squint in Hades’ eyes brings a slight discomfort to the sea God, as those piercing eyes of his glance to the opened luxurious box in an empty rack of his bookshelf, filled with hand-picked finest pearls of his ocean, messily rearranged in a gold thin chain as if someone tries to stringing it into a necklace. “Then, mind telling me about that feminine thing?”

Poseidon lets out a grunt, slamming a hand to the table as seconds prior he used it to let his face rest upon. It is clear that he does not want to answer, whilst he himself scolds his reckless act for not hiding the stuff, did not expect his brother to come in without any arrival announcement. “There is nothing.”

Hades nods to himself plenty of times, observing the room while his pointer finger taps upon the armrest. Though the words that left his brother’s lips are bold and stern, he himself can dive down to the look that Poseidon has each time Hades mentions the Goddess’ name. Not to bring only warmth to the sea God, the elder deity does have a peculiar sense of being affected by the way a love does change him.

For the ruler of the Underworld, the first 6 months after her ascension were not always filled with the tenderness of his fatherhood— instead what lies beneath is vigilance he showed in his mien before her. With his very brotherly instinct, and for eons he watches the God of the sea ; who has never lowered those eyes of his to any Goddesses, let alone a half-blooded one, it is plausible to aim that he is cautious with what awaits ahead. Does she serve to attract luster for herself? Does she desire the gold crown to be claimed as the one in his reign? What makes his little brother accept her?

O, darling Hades. With only 3 months of association, the very obviousness poured its wet realization to his own version of herself ; whilst his dearest wife— the spring Goddess, Persephone, does take the fascination upon her company around with twinkle within her eyes that speak, “Husband, if only I can wish to meet her before Lady Hera did and be the one who escorts her to this very stage.”

It is truly the power she has in her full consciousness ; what enchants any mortal to immortal lives to take a look with their adoration and astonishment. No one expected that her perfect facade managed to break down the most fearsome God alive— Poseidon himself.

“I found no mistake in being smitten, brother mine. Let alone denying what your heart already urges.”

He witnesses the growth of their chemistry, how the light shines brighter in her face when she encounters her loved one, how something equivalent with affection writes itself within his eyes each time he sees her, how the atmosphere goes dreamy and fluff with the two of them. There is no mistake, they are in love.

“What do you want, Hades?” The sea God seems to grow fatigued with his own brother’s fuss in his place ; while he puts down whatever engages him, he lets those cold blue eyes meet his other ones.

He shrugs his shoulders, “I see the stars shine within those cold blue of yours each time she is before.”

“What an ugly statement. Try again.” His sharp tongue throws a sarcasm which pulls a chuckle from Hades’ lips.

“My, for I certainly cannot say what greater blessing there can be for any man or God To have the right of heavenly Goddess and her love.” An amused glint is shown upon his eyes as Hades notices how his brother’s chiseled body grows tense with the mention of the sweet one who has dwelling inside his mind every day since the 2 years.

Those soft lips go in a thin-pursued line, eyelashes illuminating the softening look he tries to hide from Hades with his usual stern demeanor. “The love that belongs to the heavenly goddess is fair and fairer than any gold, hence those who are showered with the love revealed doing something graceful too.”

“I alone am already—“ “We all know it, Poseidon. You are becoming more humane around her, which is holding the grace in the art of living as a perfect God. Do take care of your own loneliness. Even the wisest king does have a caring hand of a woman who sincerely stays in a marriage.”

His jaw tightens as a form of response to his brother’s insolent sentences— but what holds him back? Is it because it came from the lips of the first one who gained his whole respect as his equal? Or is it also because what he said is true?

“What makes the heavenly love fair, since it compels the lover to take great care with regard to his own excellence and the beloved to do the same. All belong to that sweet goddess, when will you take it to be yours too?”

“You know nothing. I demand you to stop telling me what to do for I am the one who has the right to give myself an order.” Poseidon throws a menace in his gaze, yet the tone that wraps his voice is evident for anyone who hears it, that he just is protecting his pride.

“Said the little brother to his older brother who has been married for eons, having the greatest love with his only eternal flower that blooms in my dead atmosphere?” A frustrated sigh leaves his lips as he gets up from the cozy sofa, walking closer to where his brother sits

Hades puts a gentle smile upon his face, though Poseidon can not witness it for he is dismissing his sight from him, which brings the God of the Underworld a giddy feeling of seeing the sea God being his little brother. “Do not ever waste the time, Poseidon. never thinks of you procrastinating on claiming her heart before her light leaves your world. let it surge like your sea to your veins.”

Before Poseidon can slam whatever force he has within his fist or summon his trident, the elder God gives a soft pat upon his fluffy blond head before disappearing to wherever the God of the sea does not know, not even like he wants to think about it too.

He lets his body fall to the backrest of his chair, eyelids flutter close to conceal the sapphire eyes. It is only a half of the day, yet his brother’s visit did waste his energy. But what a shame, Poseidon finds himself recalling what Hades had said to him, connecting the dots by the end he meets her name echoes within his head. Indeed, she is a goddess. Each sway of her legs, the universe yields to her. Her wise wings which cradle the world, not even he realizes that she cradles him too.

If only Hades did not mention how he might lose her at any time, Poseidon would not let his head full of many things related to her. He remembers how the sun always beams upon her cheeks ever since they first met and until this very day, and how it grows sweeter and delicate with her loving touch, that speaks to him, speaks of her love. How silly, he himself declared God needs no companions as for he might not understand what is so great from being in love, since the matrimonies around him are filled with treason that brings only pain.

Or maybe, if it is as strong as her pleasurable love and with the high tenet I have for living without betrayal, it will not be a really sorrowful union. What did I think?

What a tiring coversation— no, he really wants her. And it does help to encourage him.

***

“Oh? You are finished with her?”

Pulling out one of his hands from his pocket, Hades waves his hand playfully in the air as soon as the sight of a gleaming Goddess enters his range. The satin fabric of her simple dress flows as her legs bring her hastily to him, with a smile full of blithesome she puts in her face to greet the God.

“Yes! I remembered I have not said anything to Lord Poseidon but ran away hours ago, and I feel bad.” A soft chuckle leaves her lips as she tiptoes her feet many times to cease the flooding feeling inside ulon seeing whom she respects after Poseidon, for a month did not meet him due to the business.

He bends his body down, close enough to make her shoves her head back with a funny expression ; a mix of embarrassment and disgust. “So you neglected my wife, hmm? What a bad kid.”

She hurriedly puts her hands atop of his shoulders, forgetting the small gap between them as the panic rushes her countenance. “It is not like that! We sure did spend a good amount of time with tea and sweets, though Lady Persephone wanted me to stay a little longer, but I do think I have to give Lady Demeter her time with her daughter.”

A laugh breaks under his breath as he lets his hand fall upon her head, giving it a soft stroke while he straightens himself. “Sure, sure. Papa knows what my ladies think. So, I will take my part now?”

Hades offers his arm to the younger deity, insisting her to come with him for a talk— which she gladly accepts since she knows the sea God will be fine with or without her presence around, oh, he may not care at all about her though. As she wraps her arm around his, her small giggle splits the air. “Yes, the special time for a special God.”

A sweet and full of joy coo comes from Hades whilst he dramatically lets his other hand clenched around his left chest. The walk is not so long, though it looks like the God who escorts her, it is her who actually points the direction to her private chamber ; not the bedroom, but another room for her to paint, to sculpt statues, and play instruments. It is specially made for the Goddess, under the demand of the owner of this manor himself— Poseidon, as he wants her to feel comfortable in working here.

The smell of hyacinth, and the mildness of vanilla ; the usual scent that trails her body wherever those feets wander shrouds his lungs, with the hint of jasmine essential oil on the table for stuff, acrylic paint fumes and clay— not so strong and intoxicating. The room is in a medium size, with many finished to half finished paintings of the sea under any skies and colours, the soft touches from any subtle silk that hugs the Divine's body, and the majestic within the sea that he notices to be the one God deserves her art ; Poseidon. In the middle, a fancy sofa stands still with a small table that is decorated with a vase of white roses, which she kindly welcomes him to sit above.

“Little one, is there something you want to tell me?”

With an usual amused grin, Hades watches the younger deity pour an exquisite teapot to two teacups, revealing a brown clear liquid that has a mild smell of jasmine. A confused mien showed within her face as she let her body rest upon the soft cushion of the sofa in front of him. “As in what?”

Sipping the sweet tea for a moment, he lets the taste explode on his tongue with its warmth. “Hmm, about my brother? Do you need any help?”

As for her, any emotions can be shown clearly upon her face ; and this time, the shock and embarrassment show. Not very dumb, she knows what the God meant with his brother, and where this conversation leads. “No … ? Why is it about Lord Poseidon?”

A deep chuckles grumbles in his chest as he finds it is enticing to see how the little Goddess tries so hard to conceal whatever she has inside from him, when in fact it is obvious how the butterflies break free from her lower tummy whenever their skins colliding in a small form of physical touch, or when those blue eyes find themselves in her eyes.

“Shan’t you keep your feelings to yourself?”

Teeth against her lower lip, she calms her breath before those orbs glance back to his other ones with wavering sparkles. “He is not someone worthy for me, it is what it is.”

Oh, Hades tries back a snort upon the funny statement— or at least for his ears. If only she knows what he can see through his little brother. “No one deserves to say such a thing, sweet. I am baffled now, why do you two keep denying it?”

“Because he will not want me, and I do not want to get hurt!”

The demi-Goddess seems to not recognize the words you two as she unconsciously cries out with the frustration she tries to suppress all these years with her pure devotion solely for him. “It is love who is concerned with the good and finds fulfillment in it in the company of temperance and justice, whether in the earth or here amongst the gods.”

With the guilt starts eating her up ; for the insolent act, she finds no harm within Hades’ face instead a care that speaks so much. “And with the fulfillment and what I have for him, which I am confident enough to say to be the fairest sense of adoration, it is enough to not desire his heart to be mine.”

As I thought, what comes is the greater blessing from heavenly Goddess and her love. “For if, instead of gratifying your love with only existing in the same divinity equal with Goddesses, as he does claim to be, why not honor both you and his heart?”

The silence pours a cold water all over her sense, for how the astonishment shines within her visage— Hades finds it as a sweet scene inside his head ; how he feels a sense of proud over his apathetic brother, who now has the greatest love and lets any warmth she can give surge into his marble heart, not to mention her true nature where the red that was running through her veins prior. To how such a Divine can hold a majestic loyalty for years, never lets the fatigue eat her, and shower The Poseidon with the given clarity in her love.

“Do speak your heart, little one. For what he has you shall know it if you’re willing to be open first.”

“What if it does not go the way we hoped it …”

The faint voice sounds holding a concealed despair within, as those small hands clench the fabric of her dress. She does not know, though with all the affection she has and the many days she spent with Poseidon— never did she be brave enough to say that the sea God returns her feelings. To even when Poseidon is well known to shove people away from his gate, putting thick and tall wall around, but how he was willing to sleep in her chamber, listening to her worries, or how he often offers his arm to escort her in a hall full of Divines, as if she is his consort. She only thinks it is a courtesy he shows to one who stays loyal to him.

Afterall, he is Poseidon. A hard God to approach and crack. No one is to blame if the Goddess thinks that way.

Hades gets up, doing the same thing he did to his brother ; patting her crown softly before he walks his feet around the room to appreciate the arts. “Trust me, as his brother.”

A puff of breath leaves her lips as she chooses to give up, accepting the advice he gave her as she follows his steps. The king of the Underworld has his fingers upon his chin as his eyes wander to a painting that does attract his attention ; somehow it speaks Poseidon, with the light blue sea water that glimmers under the sun, which is slightly disguised beneath dark clouds, and the rest of the sea seems dark for its unthinkable depth. “You do love him so much, too much, little one.”

She giggles in flattery as she stands beside him, ready to give him a guide to her small gallery. “And is it a bad thing for being too much?”

Hades tilts his head to her direction, a gentle smile is displayed upon his strong, handsome face. He feels proud of her to finally admit what her heart desires, to show it with confidence lies in it.

“Never in heavenly love.”

[] nesi’s note : AHHH IT FEELS NICE TO POST AGAIN!! i hope you all enjoy this hihi btw for references i read plato’s symposium lmaoo so yeah if you feel like reading his mind, yes you are <3

#record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie #poseidon x reader #poseidon ror #poseidon snv #record of ragnarok x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #snv poseidon x reader #his silent beatitude #anthology: your fondness #ror poseidon x reader #poseidon ror x reader #poseidon snv x reader #ror poseidon #snv poseidon

[mostthingskenobi]

IT’S HAPPENING!!!! A SITH OBI-WAN ENAMEL PIN BASED ON MY FICS IS GOING INTO PRODUCTION!!

I’m so excited about this, friends!!! Collectables U Want asked me a while back if they could turn one of the edits I did for The Dark Side of Obi-Wan Kenobi series into a collectors pin. And of course I said YES!!!

Pre sales are now open to the public. For those of you who do not know, pre sales help creators get projects into production. You are helping finance the project. It can take many months before you have the product in hand, but I will say that I’ve purchased pre sales from Collectables U Want many times and I have never regretted my decision.

If you’re interested in snagging a rare Sith Obi-Wan artifact, check out Collectables U Want’s bigcartel website: https://collectablesuwant.bigcartel.com/

I would also like to mention that the art for this piece was created by my dear friend @journen / @jurneeeeeee (who also happens to be incredibly talented). She did an amazing job (as always!!).

Now, I’d also like to draw your attention to some of Collectables U Want’s other designs (because they’ve been friends of mine and I love supporting small business...and better yet if those businesses happen to become friends!). There is probably something for almost any Star Wars fan, and I know for certain that they have some designs you will never see anywhere else.

Case and point, this AMAZING Obi-Wan and Bail Organa pin design (also done by @journen​ ):

Then there’s this glorious Kanan and Hera design that I’m drooling over (art by DesignByJoe on instagram):

And then these freaking AMAZING designs by Vic Bazaine (who is just phenomenal!!!):

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk about pin art.

If you have any questions about the Sith Obi-Wan pin, don’t hesitate to reach out :)

#obi wan kenobi #Obi-Wan Kenobi #obi wan #obi-wan #kenobi #obi-wan fan art #obi-wan art #obi wan fan art #obi wan art #obi-wan kenobi fan art #obi-wan kenobi art #obi wan kenobi fan art #obi wan kenobi art #boba fett #vader #Darth Vader #lord vader #kanan #kanan and hera #kanera #hera #hera syndulla #bail organa #Revenge of the Sith #sith obi wan #sith obi-wan #sith obi-wan kenobi #sith obi wan kenobi

[alluringjae]

until dawn - ljn

part I | part II

⤑ summary: basic number one rule of the museum is not to touch the art. but no one told jeno that falling for one of them isn’t allowed either.

⤑ pairing: jeno x female reader

⤑ word count: 14k

⤑ genre: fluff, humor, angst | broke architecture major!jeno, historical figure!reader, college!au

⤑ warnings: jaemin mentions onlyfans as a joke, references to actual historical figures (some try to flirt with jeno lol) and literature, explicit language

⤑ author’s note: wow, i’ve had this idea for almost two years! this one was inspired by one of my favorite childhood movies, night at the museum. it definitely required a lot of research and brainstorming, and finally i brought it to life! it was so fun to play around with the characters, and even if majority of them are real people, this is all still fiction.

i also wanna mention one of my moots, marge for enlightening me about her life as an architecture major.

⤑ taglist: @renjunniehome​ (dm me if you want to be added) 

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

Dormitory rent was another thing to worry about aside from the inflated university tuition per semester. Although he’s lucky to have his parents backing him up already on it, paying the monthly rent for his dorm was the remaining objective on Jeno’s list.

Plus, money for food. The man was a heavy eater, following the whole “gym is life” mantra.

Splitting it already with two of his dorm mates turned best friends, Renjun and Jaemin, his plate felt lighter. But the question still lies: where on earth was he going to get the money?

He’s practically checked out every available part-timing job in university and anywhere near campus. Barista at the same café Jaemin works at, teaching assistant for an art school for kids, convenience store cashier, library assistant, all taken in a heartbeat. The burden of his friends paying his debt these past months took a toll on him, almost to the point he almost considered making an Onlyfans.

“Yah, just find something else! Part-timers are in demand right now!” Renjun intensely closed his laptop before his older friend gets any suggestive thoughts.

“I mean, you didn’t work out your body to look the way it is for nothing.” Jaemin pitched otherwise, lifting the front back up. “When do you want to start filming? Loads of chicks would dig a piece of you!”

The contradicting opinions of his friends were like the devil and angel debating on his shoulders. Useless, he gave this worry a rest and returned to drawing new plates. A common thing when you’re an architecture major. Those deadlines were nearing. Looks like he’ll pull another all-nighter again.

Good thing most of his classes were late in the morning until 6 pm.

As if someone from above heard his petition, Jeno saw a help wanted sign posted on the bulletin board outside of the university museum. He initially went there to document some artwork and architecture models from Greek and Roman times, further analyzing how they’re still apparent in modern buildings.

The sign explained the need for one part-timer from any college to cover the night shift of the museum due to the current night guard’s full semester absence. He only had to come in 3x a week, choosing his days since he was still a student. Even the pay was above average, considering that most part-timers never go beyond midnight. Jeno would, on the other hand, always staying for his projects or gaming with the boys. Drinking sometimes during late-night Fridays with his entire college crew.

The pay would leave him a load of extra cash for himself, thus he sent an application to the museum office right before he left. A week later, while he was out with the boys, he got a text from the office that they wanted to meet him again for a final interview first thing on Monday.

Perhaps it was having architecture as his course and a healthy physique that landed him the part-timer position. Mainly, the latter because guards required strong endurance and fighting skills when worse comes to worst. It would start at 9 pm until 6 am the following day, and there was a designated uniform of it too. Blue blazer with matching trousers, white dress top, and loafers.

Aside from the typical museum etiquette the head director instructed him about, there was an unofficial list of tips written on paper given from the night guard on leave when the director handed you over his box of office-related things.

Only read at the night guard office once you’re the remaining staff left.

He did as he was told like an obedient son, flipping the succeeding page.

 To my temporary replacement,

This part-timing job is nothing regular than the other jobs. You’ll witness things as you’ve never imagined them to be, almost like witchcraft. You’ll be lost and maybe frightened, or that’s how I felt the first time because no one led me through it all those years ago. Lucky for you, I made this small guide on how to properly take care of the place that the other staff doesn’t know about.

Before you proceed, I request you take a 5-minute stroll around the lobby first to understand what I’m talking about. After such, go back to the office or somewhere quiet then browse through the guide as quickly as you could.

Art is timeless here, so they need to be taken care of.

Good luck!

 Park Sanghoon

Night Guard on Leave

 Nothing could’ve prepared Jeno for what’s to come once he unlocked the office door. They say that art brings so much color to our life, allowing us to feel all sorts of emotions in a glimpse. But no one ever interpreted art to be literally alive and walking in the halls.

Behold, random wax figures and marble sculptures that he’s seen in the past roamed the hallways, as well as the paintings were interacting with each other side by side. Even the standee of a puppy from the entrance played fetch with one of those sculptures. He swore he looked like Hermes the messenger god from his arrow headpiece and sandals.

It made more sense why the guard on leave explained his feelings during the first day because it resembled Jeno’s. But unlike that guard, Jeno sucked it up. No one ever does well on the first day, even if others say otherwise. The first day was a learning experience, so he collected his thoughts even though the goosebumps triggered his body during that one rotation.

There was an indoor garden, already locked by the day guard earlier. The only room without any art piece, where students lounge to study the plants or relax in nature.

The sculptures section ahead, showcasing various fictional figures specifically from Greek mythology, chattered away about family drama and beliefs. The sculptures of Hades and Zeus, according to their title plate, argued relentlessly about power while Athena always intervened by shouting or even throwing arrows or daggers to any of the lightbulbs there.

That was one rule in the guide, but Jeno didn’t know yet until he came inside the room and swerved the attention of the arguing duo.

“Well, what do we have here?” Zeus, in the center, straightened his posture on his throne to present himself in a more regal way. “Are you perhaps the temporary replacement of Sir Sanghoon?”

“Sir Sanghoon’s stand-in is rather good looking, don’t you think?” Hera mused, stepping down from her throne beside Zeus to take a closer look at the taller male. Her cold fingers trailed his jaw until his chest, where his heart was beating intensely. She even pinched his toned bicep, mouthing wow.

“Truly handsome you are, my dear. So full of life, please introduce yourself to us.”

While Jeno introduced himself to everyone in that room, he answered any sorts of questions they had for him too. From his age, educational background, hobbies, Aphrodite just had to ask him if he had a girlfriend because he was that handsome.

“Nope, I’m single. With my degree in architecture, the requirements are so heavy I can’t even try dating.”

Mentioning his degree excited the gods, telling him how their people created and designed all these temples to house them and perform rituals. They loved it so much. This was a copy-paste of what Jeno learned from his history classes, and for a first, he’s hearing the perspective of the Greek gods.

Mind-boggling that he hasn’t fully freaked out yet. That’s what Athena anticipated when Sanghoon told her about his short leave, putting her in charge of everyone for the meantime while the replacement settled down.

The college museum was built during the late 70s as a gift from one of the alumni. It was for the purpose to preserve history and educate college students outside the classroom. The Greek mythology exhibit was the oldest one, making Athena have more seniority. Over her stay, she’s seen every new guard lose their senses during the first night. Some not even returning for a second night. She got used to every outcome, and so far, only 8 people lasted after the first night. A couple of students in the 70s and 80s, Sanghoon in the 90s, and now Jeno was one of them.

“Jeno, aren’t you terrified by us? You just got a job in a museum that comes to life every night, and it’s not a normal thing.”

“Well, I’m still shaken up about it. But it’s my first night, and it’s when I learn everything about the place from head to toe. Plus, I really need the money.”

“Money for what? But you’re young, a student even!”

“Yes, I am. However, I do pay for the rent in my dorm. So, this job is like my first big responsibility, and I want to perform well.”

Athena commended his sense of authority, capable of leading himself. She noticed how well-spoken and poised he is, respecting and listening to everything the gods and goddesses said even if they were nonsense. She never liked to compromise with her power, taking a while to like Sanghoon back in the day. Though Jeno looked like a natural leader on his first night. If he could take care of himself well, he’s skilled to take care of the rest in the museum as well.

Plus she had full control on the nights he won’t be there, especially the weekend.

With his potential, Athena mentored him the entire night about the gist of the entire museum. Every upcoming leader needs an intelligent mentor, right? She was naturally gifted with worthy leadership skills, managing Jeno like her own child.

Athena explained how the museum came to life, which was through a royal golden plate from the Oriental room. It was a gift from a popular sorceress in China to an affluent family from the Han dynasty, who wished them a long life after she was saved from invaders due to them. The plate preserved over time, becoming an artifact. Its power remained immortal, mutating to bring life wherever it goes. In this case, the museum since its arrival in the late 70s as well.

“That’s why the Oriental room must be locked always so no one could touch or break the plate.”

After she ordered Jeno to lock the mentioned room, alongside the Foreign Art Exhibit Room which he checked out for his class, she led him to the best view of the entire museum. Center of the second floor, where stairs were on both sides. Jeno marveled at the vivacious atmosphere, witnessing actual art living, breathing, and enjoying themselves.

“Unreal, right?” She leaned in the railing, scanning through the chatty paintings.

Jeno also leaned down, deep in thought and wonder. “Absolutely, Athena. How come no one knows about this? Art coming to life? It’ll invite more students to the museum.”

“That goes against a golden rule as a night guard in this museum.” She replied bluntly. “The life that goes on inside this museum at night must remain a secret to the public.”

Jeno predicted this kind of response, having watched too many films where anything supernatural mustn’t be revealed. Although he liked the advantage of knowing something this powerful, he’d never abuse it.

Athena’s intellect was beyond the world, seamlessly reading Jeno’s expression and what he was thinking. He had good intentions even if he’s a bit mischievous. She needed to keep a keen eye on him, but for now, he needed to explore on his own.

“Anyways, Sanghoon still left out some other details. So if you have any questions, I’ll be at my exhibit trying to shut my father and my uncle up again.”

“Can you not use any weapons to do so?”

“Can’t make any promises, Jeno.” She slyly cracked her knuckles and neck as if she was fighting another battle.

Jeno was silently left with himself, finally browsing through Sanghoon’s guide while seated in one of the museum benches.

It consisted of 25 rules, wherein the first two rules consisted of locking up. One, for the doors and gates of the museum, so no art piece could escape. If they do, they will turn into dust when the sun is out according to Athena. Two, locking the Oriental and Foreign Art Rooms, which was already done.

Rule #5: Let Mochi the puppy from the lobby tag along with you; feed him treats if you have any.

On cue, the little guy barked from the corridor and raced to his side. Jeno carried him, babying him for a little and letting him lick his face a few times before putting him back down. He’s surely going to the pet store first thing in the morning with the museum allowance the director gave him.

Since he was on the second floor, he read and followed the rules that fit in before returning downstairs. On the other side of the floor were the wax figures exhibitions: one for prominent men in history while the other for prominent women. Well, more people to get acquainted with.

It’s the exchange of gasps and profanities he received when he chose the latter room. Seeing their faces, these were women he’s learned in school and online. Now in the (fake) flesh. Except for one girl he’s never heard of, unbothered in her corner sketching her life away in a sketchpad. But before he could check who she was, a suggestive touch on his arm distracted him.

“My, oh my, Hera wasn’t lying when she said that the new night guard was a fine specimen.” By her dark blue eyeshadow and eyeliner with the snake-like crown, Cleopatra studied him like he was one of the most renowned art pieces. Even patting his chest, abdomen, and arms with both her hand, Jeno caught a suggestive glint in her eyes and a smirk across her red lips.

Rule #13: Reject Cleopatra’s seductive advances at all costs.

“Goodness, Cleopatra. It’s only his first night, and you’re scaring him.” With her accent, round eyes, and a chic formal outfit, she carried a posh aura while unhesitatingly scolding the Queen of the Nile.

“Come on now, Diana. He’s stunning, who wouldn’t go after him?” If no one knew her, you’re not reading up on your world history. She’s said to have been a lovely and intelligent woman, gone so soon. Jeno definitely understood why after she detached Cleopatra’s raging hands off him.

Rule #14: Treat Princess Diana and Hera like your own parent.

“Your highness.” Jeno nodded at her out of respect, only making her chuckle uncontrollably.

“No need to address me like that, love. Now, come here.” She widened her arms for Jeno, hugging him amiably. He sensed her motherly warmth, accepting such a gesture. “You remind me so much of my youngest son, Harry. Welcome to the night shift of the museum, love.”

Similar to the Greek mythology exhibit, he introduced himself and responded to any questions that the women wax figures may have. Good for him, they weren’t crossing any borders and kept him at ease.

“A student like you working at night to pay rent?” Katherine Johnson, an African-American NASA mathematician whose calculations led to the success of a lot of famous spaceflights, cannot believe her ears. Students must only focus on school, nothing else. “What about your studies, boy?”

Rule #15: Engage in academic discussions with Katherine Johnson whenever you can.

“Most of my classes are in the afternoon, Miss Katherine. So I’ll sleep in the entire morning later and study during my breaks.”

“Mr. Jeno, what do you like to do outside of work?” Anne Frank, a German-Dutch teenager whose revolutionary diary that documented her life in hiding from the Nazis gained popularity worldwide after publication dreamily asked from her section of the exhibit. Her life was robbed of greatness merely because of her religion and war.

Rule #16: Bring delicious food or gifts to Anne Frank.

“Well, I like to bike with my friends, exercise, and draw whatever comes into mind!”

Everyone he’s met so far acquired pleasure in knowing about who he was and his passion for architecture, ridding the “freaking out” phase Athena assumed he had. Yet not everyone in this exhibit bothered to give him a shot.

Jeno’s attention from Anne talking about her crush towards Peter van Daan, a teenage boy who lived with her, switched to the section beside her, where an unacquainted figure was zealously sketching as if something was due to the following day. It reflected how he’d look when he’s cramming one of his plates due to first thing in the morning. While he properly excused himself, he quietly gazed at the way this woman scrunched her eyebrows when she erased something then drew it again. She was someone he’s never seen or heard before, reading the information plate in front of him about her.

 (Y/N) (Y/L/N), Explorer and Author. (1854-1900)

 Wealthy women in the Victorian Era only served one purpose in society: marry a man from a prestigious family, have his children and join whatever interests they have. However, for (Y/N), she wasn’t going to conform to those standards.

Born into the affluent house of (Y/L/N), she was the youngest of 8 children. She was said to be the kindest and sweetest sibling out of everyone, not capable of hurting anyone or anything. She said it herself that she can’t throw away a dying flower because it’s too painful. While 5 of her older brothers were sent to school, she stayed at home with her 2 older sisters Cecilia and Amelia where she learned how to play the piano and take voice lessons from impressive teachers. Due to the huge age gaps between them (12 and 8 respectively), she never felt close with them. She was only closest to the 6th and 7th siblings, her twin brothers Benjamin and Liam whom she only had a 2-year gap. She was also best friends with one of the scullery maids her age, Lily, because she found her amusing that than the boring rich girls her mother forced to interact with.

The moment it bothered her that she wanted to live a more meaningful life was when Amelia got married. She was 12 years old at the time, and it left her as the last unwed daughter in the family. Badly did she want to revolt, which she gradually did. Instead of practicing piano, she’d sneak in to read every book in her father’s office. She secretly studied the notes of her older brothers from school and even dressed as a boy numerously thanks to Benjamin and Liam to join their classes or field trips.

This was her routine up until the age of 18 when she stomped her foot down and expressed to her parents that she wasn’t going to let Victorian society dictate her. The night before her parents were bound to send her to her great aunt’s home down South to sort her out, she successfully snuck out her house thanks to Lily, Benjamin, and Liam. It’s another good thing that she saved a lot of money for that moment.

Off she went across Europe first, then sailed to America and even parts of Asia. Initially under the name Lilibe, coined from picking the first two letters of her brothers and best friend, she documented her days and nights through her journals and sketches. Over time, she sent them to her brothers for publication. It started the franchise, “The Adventures of the Young and Free Lilibe”. There are 10 books under it.

She learned French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean by herself as she made friends from those places. It was rare of someone like her to be fluent in Oriental languages, surprising locals every time she spoke to them. She was the only explorer to vividly describe life in different Asian lands in English, talking about their history and culture. With her accurate drawings of diverse citizens and their daily lives, it educated a lot of those living back home in Europe about them rather than speaking lowly of them.

In Seoul did she stayed the longest until her death from pneumonia at the young age of 46.

In her posthumous work, Finding Me, did she reveal her real identity, dedicating it to her parents whom she apologized and expressed her love for them despite everything that occurred between them. She talked about the last years of her life in Seoul, how locals were so nice and inviting to her, and how she adopted kids instead of having her own through the years.

“It’s not because I never found love in men. It’s more like I found love in doing things I’m passionate about. Traveling, learning new cultures, it outweighed the human need of romance.”

Due to her thrill in taking risks and embarking on wondrous adventures, it brought inspiration to a lot of young girls pressured to marry at that time to pursue what they really want.

 A remarkable background you had, Jeno contemplated. How come no one discussed her in his classes?

You kept brushing the bangs of your hair back as it fell repeatedly. But you got irritated instantly because it sabotaged your drive, you brought out a hairpin from her desk and attached it on both sides. But when you shifted your angle of focus, the corner of your eye locked with Jeno’s attentive gaze.

He didn’t flinch, even he should’ve. He wasn’t one to linger his look on anyone’s physical appearances, but your story and the passion on your face as you sketched mesmerized him. He was charmed, to say the least.

“Uhm, hello there?” You broke the silence due to your uneasiness about it. What’s his deal?

Jeno bowed, reintroducing himself to you. As soon as his presence settled in the room when Cleopatra attempted to hit on him, you could’ve cared less. Though this man was a first for you, a first in a long time as all guards would feel intimidated by you during the first night. Even your sharp tongue didn’t faze him. “Staring is rude, sir. Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

“She did,” He wandered through the exterior of your section, by the fence that separated you and him. Not breaking eye contact, his eyes turned into moon crescents as he smirked with trouble. “Though she also told me to appreciate the art too.”

Snorts noisily exhaled from Cleopatra, who took the center section of the exhibit, succeeded by Princess Diana’s whispered gasps and Katherine’s side-eyeing Anne beside her while she taught her math. That was an odd way a guard conversed with you, but Jeno was merely doing what the rules stated. Partly, he was impressed with his cheesy pick-up line, partly embarrassed because he’s never spoken like this to anyone.

Rule #17: Act playfully around (Y/N) (Y/L/N) to break the tension; she’s a harsh one.

There was irony between the information he read about your life versus the wax model. Even when you faced sexism and ran away according to your history, never were you impolite to anyone in your life. You couldn’t even kill a lurking fly when it roams around your food! It showed Jeno a possibility that as much as you’re just a wax version of someone famous in the past, maybe the external environment around you had a heavy influence too.

“You fool!” His confidence exasperated you, urging you to persistently throw balls of paper with your failed sketches at him. No one dared to talk to you like that, most especially a night guard. “Take that for your comment!”

If you thought he’d scram away and act repentant, you were proven wrong. His reflexes were parallel to a spider, capturing every single paper ball without fail. Up and down his body went, one arm held on to them and no more were left on your part. Never a single defeat during the first meeting in years, but that seemed to alter now.

“Give up already, Ms. (Y/L/N)?” Jeno remarked vibrantly as he discarded your mess in the trash bin behind him. If he managed to get everyone to like him tonight, he wanted to make sure to have you onboard too.

Whatever agenda he had, you weren’t up for it. You’d treat him the same way you usually treated Sanghoon for the past 20 something years: cold and ignorant. From your stool, you left your comfortable position to come face to face with this man. He better be grateful for that barrier in between you, or else you would’ve caused mayhem.

“Never in your wildest dreams, Mr. Lee.” Your mouth gave a half-smile, clenching on the bars to liberate your annoyance. Before you could fend back, that’s when Princess Diana intervened between your heated dialogue.

“Oh heavens, children!” She stood by the barrier, mostly to protect the newbie Jeno with her body. “(Y/N), he just wanted to know you. Must you be so cross?”

This Princess Diana embodied all the traits the real one had: soft-spoken, intelligent, and protective. She’s gotten so used to your gradual temper, staying on standby whenever anyone tried to mess with you. Even if it was harmless, you could get so mean!

“Diana, he was mocking me! Saying such a sleazy phrase as if to amuse me, ha! Not a chance, I hate people like that.”

“Not us women though; you just despise men in general.”

“And you’re absolutely right!” With a smug smile, you greedily rejoiced. “Anyways, escort this disgrace out. I’m not in the mood to get angry when I have a lot of inspiration on mind right now.”

While you resumed your sketching to let go of that extra steam, Jeno was left with Diana who apologized on your behalf. Your pride was too high to do that, and as the motherly figure among them, she always took care of things in your exhibit.

“I’m so sorry for that, Jeno. She’s not really like this, but I know how much you tried your best. It was quite a fresh spectacle honestly.”

Whatever was responsible for your abrasiveness, Jeno yearned to know. He couldn’t understand who you were yet even knowing your life story. All he wanted was to get along with everyone. It was the key to successfully maintain his job for the next 6 months.

“How can I make her come around then?”

A demanding question that no one had a solid answer to. Diana recalled how much Sanghoon didn’t let your dislike for him get to him, maintaining a respectful boundary in between each other after his past attempts. Though with Jeno, observing how he riled you up and your focus entirely on him, she hasn’t seen anything like it since the 80s.

There was something in Jeno that may just get you to warm up and return to your kind nature.

“Aside from acting playful, as Sanghoon recommended, I can think of two ways, love.” By the doors of her exhibit, where Jeno was already waltzing the corridor to visit other rooms, she suggested smartly. “One, argue back to her opinions. She hates whenever anyone tries to get her way, but boy, you’re just as wise as her. No one was brave enough to peeve on her until you came.”

“How about the second way?”

“Do your research, love. Aside from libraries, you have those small technology devices that allow you to search up anything.” She tousled Jeno’s brown locks as if it were her actual son’s. Some habits just don’t die when you do.

“Brush up on your history, Jeno. Not only will it help you with (Y/N), but it’ll serve purposefully with the other art pieces here.”

Boy, he was ready to crash in his bed for a few hours after all those interactions. His introverted nature required to be revitalized.

Towards the last hours of his shift, the art pieces who’ve strolled in the first floor lessened his plate by not leaving any major clutter behind. As if she listened to him, Athena didn’t break any lightbulbs too.

His main highlight would be meeting the men of the historical male section, who flaunted a more humorous ambiance. Freddie Mercury from Queen insisted he drink a glass of his wine and to bring more wine next time, which he denied since it would against Sanghoon’s rules. King Sejong the Great and Martin Luther King Jr. argued back and forth over the most random things (pineapple on pizza specifically), while Steve Jobs mediated whenever one crossed the line. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare was too preoccupied in his writing and speaking to himself about his books, wondering how to improve them.

During one of his breaks today, he multitasked drawing a new plate with his research on every art piece to know them better. He started with the exhibit of sculptures of the Greek gods and goddesses, which were Zeus, Hera, Hades, Athena, Hermes, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Artemis, Dionysus, and Circe. They weren’t the complete roster because the rest were in other museums across the globe, as said by Athena before sunrise. The majority of them he knew what they were in charge of, but the rest were foggy to his knowledge. Typing away and jotting notes down, he started downloading his favorite jazz songs too.

Rule # 4: Play jazz music to the paintings on the first floor so they can relax and dance within their frames.

Circe is a minor goddess, the daughter of the sun god Helios. She’s recognized for her versatility in incantations and herbs, capable of transforming people into animals. From Jeno’s perspective, she’s mostly within her space with her journals and magic wand, trying new spells or combinations of herbs. For the latter, he had to keep a closer eye on.

Rule #9: Don’t let Circe, god of potions, into the Oriental Room to get plants and herbs.

He discovered that Dionysus is the god of wine, happiness, and theatre. That’s why every god in the exhibit had full wine glasses during their gathering. It also added up why Freddie Mercury always comes to him when his bottles run empty, though he mustn’t go overboard.

Rule #18: Make sure Freddie Mercury doesn’t get too drunk from the wine of Dionysus; he might make numerous scenes if he does.

After his lone studying session, he took a short trip to the pet and convenience stores to buy food. He got a dumbfounded look from Jaemin back in the dorm room, who was studying for one of his quizzes in Biology in a couple of hours.

“Woah what’s with this stash? Is it for yourself or something?”

“The museum surprisingly has a lot of tasks needed to be done at night. And no, not from my wallet but the allowance they gave me before you get a heart attack.” Jeno plopped on his solo bed, covering his face with a pillow.

“Thank God.” A relaxed sigh escaped Jaemin’s lips, taking back his balled-up fists meant for his roommate. “I think I would’ve stormed that boring museum if they made your broke ass spend a cent.”

“Boring?” Jeno removed the cushion hastily, eyeing his busy and coffee-high roommate. The scent of black coffee from his mug spread in the room, assuming that this upcoming test was testing his roommate’s patience again.

Not even trying to look at Jeno while reviewing his handwritten notes, Jaemin continued giving his opinion. “Museum culture is dead, Jeno. Not everyone has the time to roam around one, plus people can always look up the artifacts online these days.”

People were entitled to their own opinions on numerous things, though Jeno begged to differ with his roommate’s. Especially after witnessing the magic of the night shift, you shouldn’t merely judge a book by its cover. In this case, you shouldn’t judge an artwork or art piece merely on its history and legacy.

Maybe because his roommate was in the science department, he thought this way. A lot of art students regularly visit the museum both for fun and for their classes, and Jeno was one of them. Though he was too sleepy to explain his side, he let it slide for now and snoozed throughout the late afternoon.

An hour before the start of his shift, Jeno promenaded the emptying museum to inspect anything else he might’ve missed out on from last night. There were two areas according to his rotation, both in the first floor.

One was the Diorama Room. Divided into 4 sections, highlighting some of the well-known ancient civilizations in world history. Ancient Egypt and Ancient China to your left, Ancient Rome and Ancient Maya to your right. They acted as if they were the actual people during those times, giving Jeno a laugh when they cracked jokes in between. Such tiny figures, yet the rule for them said otherwise.

Rule # 7: The small figurines in the Diorama Room are feisty, so make sure they don’t fight with one another again.

The remaining room left was the Theater Room. He’s never been here, though his art friends have for film festivals held by the university.

The interior of it was set to look like an actual cinema place you’d see in a mall. There was a mini lobby with a few posters of iconic films over the years. Singin’ in the Rain, Back to the Future, Titanic, those were some framed and hung on the wall. There were two other doors there: one leading to the chairs and the other where the movie projector was. The latter room was pretty riveting, wherein you can choose to watch old short films through an 88mm film projector or switch to a cd player for the newer releases.

Back to those posters, they weren’t an exception to the magic and a simple rule was left for Jeno to do.

Rule # 10: Chatter with the movie posters in the lobby of the Theater Room; they love meeting new faces.

Since there wasn’t anyone checking out the Art Rooms on the second floor, he closed them. Though as he was about to lock the Oriental Room, the ravishing plants around the royal plant appealed his interest. Said to hold magical properties from his research, Jeno was reminded of another rule to keep in mind for later.

Rule # 3: The fake flowers in the Oriental Room come to life too at night, so when no one is lurking, water it diligently.

Instead of lounging at Sanghoon’s office first, he brought his important items to the front desk of the lobby and continued sketching his plate. He wanted to watch the art come back alive with his two eyes. Usually, he’d have coffee when he does his work, but due to another crucial rule in the guide, he’d rather not take the risk.

Rule # 6: The lobby room can get rowdy, so keep any drinks away from important items.

On the dot, the cries and yawns from the art pieces around him reverberated. Closing his sketchpad, his night guard mode was on. Connecting his laptop on the aux cord of the museum speakers, he tapped play on his playlist of jazz music that’ll last for the entire shift duration. As the first notes flooded the entire vicinity, sounds of joy left the lips of each painting. Some were humming, dancing, and even singing along.

“You can never go wrong with Frank Sinatra!”

“This Jeno lad really did the heavens’ work quick!”

Having the sense of accomplishment on his sleeve, the small barks of his fluffy pal reached closer to him. As he kneeled to find him, he was only taken by surprise as Mochi excitedly jumped on him. Tumbling over, Jeno chuckled innocently as Mochi licked his face numerously. This puppy was friendly, easily liking everyone at first sight. He wasn’t as choosy like Daegal, the puppy of his friend Chenle studying Business Management.

Once he composed himself and cradling the dog like his own, he fed him a dog treat from the desk.

“Good boy, Mochi!” He rubbed his fur while the puppy happily munched on it, ready to fulfill more of his duties.

He skipped the Greek mythology exhibit since Athena was doing a good job not letting anyone go overboard with their powers, though he’ll check in again in a few hours. He met the posters of the theater room, who were celebrities he grew up watching on tv. Sanghoon was right; they were the kinder group in the entire museum because they were more laidback.

On to the second floor, all the female wax figures lounged by the male section due to another lecture from Shakespeare. Although the guide informed him that most of the time it could get boring, this lecture was more stimulating. On his platform, he elaborated with conviction the lines of one of his famous books, Romeo and Juliet. A must-read book back in his high school days, there’s no way Jeno could’ve missed that out.

From the looks of it, Jeno perceived that Shakespeare was performing spoken word poetry due to him reading only Romeo’s lines while Cleopatra read Juliet’s beside him. This kind of show was one of the sources of entertainment to these figures, so Jeno leaned by the side of the door to listen. After all, the famous author of it was a few feet away. Cleopatra channeled such a naïve character to her ability, absentmindedly saying as she clutched her chest.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose-”

The flow of an engaged Cleopatra was abrupted by the loud yell from Shakespeare in front, specifically to an amused Jeno. “Jeno, my boy! Welcome back!”

Such an announcement diverted everyone’s attention to the back, some running to Jeno to give their respective greetings. It’s rare for everyone to feel at ease with a new guard, taking them weeks to approach them due to the intimidation. Though Jeno’s bright presence felt welcoming, so they accepted it. Perhaps it’s because of his youth, it reminded them of theirs too.

Shakespeare highly requested (or forced) Jeno to take his part as Romeo, intrigued to watch someone younger read his lines. Since most of the male wax figures were aged, it never satisfied Shakespeare so he jumped on this opportunity as quickly as he could. With the roaring cheers from the other figures, Jeno might as well give it a try. It wasn’t like his friends were here to clown him like they usually would if he did something humiliating.

Jeno shockingly liked this activity as he wasn’t much of a performer on stage, but someone who does the behind-the-scenes of it. He realized as he read the lines from the book Shakespeare asked him to follow along with why people held university-wide spoken word shows a few times per semester. He was no actor, but it’s delightful to have tried it at least once in his life.

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” As if the edge of the platform was the balcony of Juliet (or Cleopatra rather), he knelt as he ardently spoke his lines. He’s emphasizing this rush of uncontrollable desire for her, rambling whatever he would do to get the girl.

“What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” Cleopatra questioned from her chair, inching closer to the young boy. Even outside character will she attempt to charm Jeno, but Jeno was quick to catch it and kept his distance.

“The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.”

“I gave thee mine before thou didst request it, and yet I would it were to give again.”

“Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?”

“But to be frank, and give it thee again. And yet I wish but for the thing I have. My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.”

Everyone was condensed by their top-notch acting, as if this was the actual play unfolding before them. Jeno wasn’t so sure how he got himself in character without preparation, yet he felt what his character felt. He comprehended the material a lot better now than when he was still in high school.

However, there was always that one killjoy to ruin the heartfelt mood.

“How dumb is it to say that you’re in love after the first glance?” You opposed, putting the spotlight on you. This book was said to be a classic in literature, but as you matured physically and mentally, you could no longer agree with it. “Isn’t love the same thing that killed Romeo and Juliet in the end?”

Remembering what Princess Diana told him, he wasn’t going to let this pass. He wanted to give a piece of his mind too, caring less if the show must be paused. “Love is an emotion we don’t ask to feel. It’ll come to us when we least expect it, even when the timing of it can be crucial.”

“Of all the people Juliet could’ve gone for, it just had to be the enemy.” In all the years you’ve been brought to life, no one dared to test your opinions because they were aware of your intelligence, from the streets to the books. When someone bark, you’d bite back. Hard. “With all due respect, I love your works, Shakespeare. Yet the fate you’ve given these two at a young age was grave, could’ve you given them a better outcome or another character to love instead?”

“Giving them extra characters to love won’t address the horrific life fact that love can be dangerous. Regardless of what status you’re in, you can’t stop the attraction towards someone. The heart wants what it wants.” Jeno pressed his hand to his chest, pumping it a bit. Unknown to you and him, the audience found more entertainment in your argument. Anne, who was munching on the popcorn Jeno gave her earlier, passed the snack to Katherine who just couldn’t stop watching.

If this man wanted a challenge, you’re all ears. Who was he to compete with you? Was he not intelligent to know who you are?

“So are you insinuating that we just go with the flow? Be a slave to our emotions too and let them dictate our next motives?”

“Slave is such a strong word to use, (Y/N). But it’s not like we can’t choose who want to love because we actually can. In this case, Romeo chose Juliet and vice versa.”

“But what happens if the person you choose doesn’t choose you in return?”

“At least you tried your best, right? It’ll hurt like hell though, but it won’t last forever.” From his kneeling position, Jeno strutted his way with confidence. Trying not to let it mess with you, your extreme stare at him as if they’ll shoot lasers. Inches away from you, Jeno declared. “Love always has risks, that’s a given. Romeo and Juliet still tried and followed their hearts despite the downfall. But it was a needed downfall to get the message across.”

“No one would be that foolish to risk their lives for love though, right? Life is so precious, why would they do such a thing?”

“Even if they knew what their lives were without each other, they still preferred living a life where they were both in the picture. Therefore, they tried all they could that time because the regret of not doing anything at all carries a heavier burden.”

Whenever anyone argued with you, their debating points they spat back would further piss you off because most of the time, it never made sense. Back when this rude man told you to go home and be a wife in your earlier years of exploring, you civilly told him to fuck off, kicking his balls because he cornered you in an alley. For the first time, a man who tried to challenge you actually made sense. Was it because he lived in a modern time, where minds were more open? Because of the amount of sexism you faced in the past, you’ve turned a blind eye to the current period.

But your high pride maintained, not submitting into anything he said. “I still think it’s stupid to risk your life for love. There’s no such thing as having only one true love anyways, and you have to be alive to see it.”

“Fair point, but again, the feeling of regret and carrying it your entire life doesn’t fade easily. It’ll make you reflect on the what-ifs, and it’s heart-wrenching.” Jeno digressed, walking around you in circles. He’s intentionally trying to drive you mad, but he could care less. He wanted someone to put you in your place and open your mindset. “The question stands: would you rather try and go for it even knowing its risks or regret not even trying for the rest of your existence? Quite ironic for me to ask you that, don’t you think?”

Past the information board, Jeno researched more of your life history online. Your whole life was grounded on risks, from breaking the standards of your society, leaving your family and home country, to fending yourself from disrespectful men. Rather than living the original life expected from you, you chose not to because it didn’t make you happy. Such a risktaker he knew you are, but with the topic of love, he wondered why you were on a fence with it. Though some records stated you’ve had rendezvouses with a few men in your journeys, love was never in the equation. The single life was what you chose and you were more than satisfied, plus your adopted kids filled that supposed void anyways.

This man may have studied your history, but so much he still doesn’t know. Information that never made the books because you chose not to write or tell anyone about it. Aside from the discomfort growing in your chest, everyone else felt the awkward tension when you were lost for words.

Never been defeated in an argument, until tonight. Your mind lost its drive and willpower.

“Touché, Lee Jeno.” Indeed, his name you’re acquainted with. Numerously passed around in your exhibit, mostly from the lips of Cleopatra, who’d fantasize all the graphic things she would do to him. Too much information, least of your interest. “Please excuse me. I’d like to work on my sketches to ease my mind.”

As you quietly exited the room, an all too familiar sculpture leaned against the railings overseeing one side of the museum. Just like you, she hated accepting defeat or compromises. She always rooted for you to win. With a faint chuckle, “Facing a loss for the first time, I see.”

“Don’t even lecture me about it, Athena. I’m still fired up, and I need to relax.”

“Jeno is a different breed, isn’t he?” She stuck to your side, strolling wherever your feet led you.

“Different as in he’s a man? Yes. What else is there to it?”

“Men these days aren’t as trashy as those back in the day though. Shouldn’t you give him a chance?”

“Last time I did, it destroyed my heart. I’m not allowing myself to let men in even as a friend, Athena.”

She knew exactly what you were referring to, not touching on it further. No way will you let heartbreak or disappointment from men bother you. Even Sanghoon’s sweet company took a while to tolerate. You really needed to sketch this out on your pad right now, excusing yourself from Athena’s presence. Isolation wasn’t new to you; it’s what’s protecting your entire being. Immortal as you are, you had to recover from the past pain so the next decades won’t feel as brash.

You hoped to return to your old self when you were a fresh new figure in the 70s. So naïve, only proud of your accomplishments, and purely happy.

While Jeno continued to finish his scene in respect to Shakespeare, he received a standing ovation for his mini-show. Cleopatra didn’t expect such talent from him, growing fonder of the younger male. Whether she seduces him or not, he was never afraid to try new things and she liked that about him.

“Bravo, love!” Princess Diana praised, clapping at him.

Although Jeno appreciated all this positive attention, his thoughts bounced back to your and your stance on love. The debate earlier was just out of being playful, interested to hear your opinions. Though, he’s worried that he might’ve offended you. It may have been time to finally witness something like that, but then again, he was sure he touched something personal to you. No matter how you tried to fight it off, your eyes can’t lie. Staring down at him, there was pain beneath it. Your eyebrows scrunched to the center, thinking deeply yet remained utterly speechless.

A win he didn’t feel good about.

“It’s time she encountered something new in the years she’s been here. Give her some space tonight, then try again to reach out to her. Kindly this time; I’m not in the mood for another brawl that could end up like the Greek gods’ past fights downstairs.”

These clever words shared by Katherine loitered his mind for the rest of the night, eventually going back to finishing his current plate since everyone was behaving well. As great it is to get the approval of the majority, he tried brainstorming ways to make you like him too.

He understood the whole “men are trash” concept in today’s modern society, but if he could prove it wrong to at least one person, it would be you. Whatever is holding you back, he only hoped that you’d let it go. Questionably unsure as to why he was so persevering, he concluded that it was so he could perform his job better as the night guard. Set higher standards than Sanghoon even.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Weeks passed, and his attempts continued to be unsuccessful.

The capability for you to ignore his efforts remained strong, whether he was pestering you over small things or debating with you again about anything. Life, books, morals, the two of you always head butt each other. Anything good he did, you searched for a flaw in it. Whatever acts he’s tried and continued trying, not one flinch from you ever.

Even if that’s his state with you, his job no longer felt stressful nor strenuous. He’d try to sleep more on days he was off-duty. Although the fatigue of staying beyond his usual sleeping time was inevitable, he compromised to take a nap lasting an hour or two when the art pieces weren’t acting frisky.

Plus, there have been multiple times they adapted to any alterations so his physical well-being wouldn’t fall sick. Per order of Princess Diana and Hera, who by instinct became his motherly figures here, only wanting what’s best for the kids.

He became accustomed to everything that went on at night, discovering things on his own without Sanghoon’s guide. Anne talked about how much she missed biking in her neighborhood, so one night, Jeno snuck his bike inside and let her use it around the first floor. With proper monitoring so none of the paintings would be unbothered or pieces wouldn’t tumble.

Hermes the messenger god was fluent in every language possible, so every so often, Jeno would freely speak to him in Korean because sometimes he felt he could explode by the amount of English he used every night. Bilingual things, you know. He knew you were multilingual too, but for obvious reasons, he couldn’t converse with you.

Because Jeno was heavily favored, that should’ve been enough to push through his night shifts before the end of the semester. In addition to that, the hourly rate was above the average of whatever Jaemin or Renjun was earning. For the past 2 months, Jeno paid upfront first, even paying back all his debts. It almost made Renjun want to switch jobs with him.

“Trust me, Renjun. You don’t want it, being the lowkey scaredy cat you are.”

Work no longer felt like work, and that’s what everyone aspired to feel. Nevertheless, he tended to worry over you mid-shift, glancing at you from his side view. Sketching, reading, and writing were your default actions. No matter how many times he said to himself not to let your dislike for him affect him, it’d always backfire.

Why were you so cold?

What made you lose your fire from all the research he did about your lively personality?

When morning arrived and he gathered his stuff, you’d be the last thing he’ll check on. Frozen in your standing pose, smiling as you held a book and a pencil, he detected how fake it was. Bystanders would only assume your happiness was from your achievements, though Jeno’s gut firmly pried that something grand overpowered that happiness. And definitely, not in a good way.

Out of all the art pieces, he investigated on you the most. Skimming through every material in the library, endless searching on the net, even asking professors from the History department thanks to Renjun, he did whatever he could. People may already think he was obsessed with who you are, but only little did they know.

Another plate was done and submitted, and he promised himself to look you up one last time before surrendering. For someone who’s rarely given up on a challenge, this one was really out of his control. Maybe he should follow Sanghoon’s footsteps now.

You lived centuries before him, and there’s limited material of you left. Rather than learning of your adventures again, he dug through what things you liked over your life. Maybe by giving one of them, it’ll lessen the tension from a 100 to 99. Maybe you preferred gifts over words, he’ll never know until he tried.

Boom.

According to one of your journal entries, there’s a fond liking you’ve acquired for lavender roses from Benjamin and Liam when they visited you in Paris in secret because of how much you missed them. It went both ways, praying your family ties could be recovered.

It’s a good thing he needed to refill his stock of items for the art pieces so he could pass by the flower store a few blocks away from his dorm. That night, without further words, he graciously offered you a fresh lavender rose in between your new sketching session.

“I may not know exactly why you’re spiritless around me, but with this rose, I hope we could work something out.”

Your frigid face of disdain, keeping your chin high and squinting your eyes with judgment, began to crumble down.  Of all things as a peace offering, he gave you that? Then again, it’s not like he knew that an item you liked so much became something you’ve grown to hate and why so. No history books could teach him that.

Vulnerability was a normal thing, yet feared by many. Once one uncovered your weak spot, they could harm you. You still couldn’t trust Jeno fully, not willing to show your helplessness nor were you ever going to tell him. Hidden from his knowledge, everyone else including Sanghoon were familiarized as to why this kind of flower tormented you.

You sprinted like thunder out the exhibit room to wherever it’s private to control your senses. You may not have a physical heart, but your emotions were just as actual as a human’s. You needed to regulate your panting breath. In the past decades, you’ve not shed a singular tear but the cycle broke when they streamed out your miserable eyes like a flowing river. Quiet sobs, an empty corner near the fire exit was where your wobbly legs faltered, the painful memories of the past replayed in your head. Once beautiful, but now an agonizing reminder of what could’ve been.

Katherine, Cleopatra, and Anne were swift on their feet to hunt you down, anxious of what you may do next. Seeing or the mention of these flowers still affected you despairingly. Sanghoon must’ve forgotten to write them down, or perhaps he didn’t know either about this fact during all the years he’s worked there.

It’s one of the biggest secrets of his museum. By the clueless face Jeno had with his eyebrows raised, mouth, and small eyes slightly open, he repeatedly asked what he did wrong and adding that he never meant to harm you. Indeed, they knew that yet what occurred involved a secret in the list of museum secrets. Confidential only between art pieces according to Athena, none of the male wax figures spoke a word, only pitying the boy.

“I wasn’t here yet that time, but they said that it was once beautiful, but now it’s a rough period.” With hesitation, Princess Diana chose to reveal it to rid Jeno’s misery. She didn’t mind having to argue about it with Athena later on, as this may further affect the two of you later on.

“A long time ago in the early ‘80s, there was a night guard around your age named Junmyeon. Also, a college student, trying to make ends meet. He did it for 3 years until he graduated. Though within his stay, not only was he such a delight to everyone, he broke a golden rule in the guide. I believe you do know the guide much more now, Jeno?”

“Yes, I do, Princess Diana. Memorized it even, but which one specifically?” Jeno’s desperate eyes pleaded, only hoping for the best and to fix what he messed up.

“You can form friendships with the art pieces, but nothing more.” Princess Diana replied bitterly. “Junmyeon was an aspiring painter, a different path from his business-oriented family. He was seen as the black sheep. She resonated with him, sharing the burden and lifting it by doing whatever fun they could in the museum. In time, they both fell in love with each other; they were each other’s first loves.”

“Why must something beautiful like love be broken? It’s not like you can control it. That golden rule makes no sense.”

“It does, unfortunately. Wax figures like me cannot age, while humans like you can. None of them could accept the reality, always pushing it away. Until Junmyeon’s last week in university, he broke it off with her unexpectedly. From there, (Y/N) was heartbroken for decades. With heartbreak, giving the cold shoulder and bitterness followed. Then with the lavender rose you gave that she used to love became a flower that she associated with Junmyeon too because he gave her one almost every night for those past 3 years.”

Things finally added up, and the guilt in Jeno’s gut expanded. His major lightbulb moment was a major failure.

“Has Junmyeon ever returned to try and win her back?”

“Well, there was one time he did come back for an art exhibition for his paintings in the 2000s. I was already here, then he had a woman around his shoulder with an adolescent boy holding his hand. He roamed around our exhibit and kept gawking at (Y/N). We may be asleep, but we remember the conversations exchanged in the room. So, his son then asked him if he knew who she was.”

“What did he respond?” Jeno attentively listened, on the edge of such a hurtful tale.

“He knew her name, praising her for historical achievements. However, nothing as a former friend or lover. From what I predict, he ingested one of Circe’s potions.”

“But I thought Circe isn’t allowed to make potions for actual consumption. She’s not even allowed to enter the Oriental Art Room.” Jeno pointed out, overwhelmed at the puzzling past. Princess Diana was mindful that she had to stop spreading too much information, so she had to end her discussion with the lost boy.

“There are a lot of secrets about this museum, Jeno. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you to protect our peace.”

With due respect, Jeno quit his follow-up questions and concerns. The only thing he wished to do was mend his relationship with you. As vague as to where you even stood in the first place, he unintentionally crossed a line due to his selfish intention to befriend you.

“What can I do now, Princess Diana? You know I’d never push her buttons like that, even if I’m a whimsical person.”

“Oh, my boy.” Princess Diana soothed, holding both her hand on his sweaty palm and cupping his cheek. “For the meantime, give her space. No taunting for a while, and just observe her from a distance. Though do not fret the slightest; I’m sure she’ll be okay again.”

During that interval, you were hunched on the wall, bawling and weeping like the wound was brand new again. While Katherine and Anne stood by your side, on the lookout for anyone who’d be spying on you, Cleopatra knelt in front of you as your infinite tears gushed down.

“My dear,” She tried to wipe some of them while holding your hand. “It’s been years, and Jeno didn’t know a single thing. He didn’t mean to do it.”

“I don’t care, Cleopatra! He should’ve stopped trying to socialize with me because I won’t ever live down my experience with Junmyeon.”

“As if crying like this will bring Junmyeon back to your life,” Cleopatra exclaimed, holding in her temper. Acquainted with heartbreak, it’s awful that it changed you entirely, but you should’ve found a way to heal. Throughout your attitude change, it’s mostly you in pain, not those you inflict it to. “My dear, I love you a lot. But this Jeno boy is different, and you know it.”

“He’s still a nightguard, for Christ’s sake, Cleopatra.”

“You shouldn’t generalize that all night guards are bad just because of one encounter that occurred at the wrong time.” Brushing some strands stuck by your wet visage, she professed to you bluntly. “You’re never going to know how good Jeno is unless you slowly open up again, (Y/N). Not forcing you the slightest, but healing started once you’ve acknowledged the past and move on from it.”

“But I’m scared, Cleopatra.” You restlessly admitted, hunching even more against the wall. Your poor, metaphorical heart could only take so much. You barely expressed sorrow towards others as you always held a strong exterior, only letting it out alone. Not holding back anymore, Cleopatra brought you in for a hug. The last time she did that was the first night after Junmyeon left, calming your intensified emotions so you wouldn’t do anything dumb that night. No violence, just pure sorrow.

“My dear, it’s alright.” She whispered while stroking your back upwards. “But you’re a risktaker; that’s how people remember you. Now, you must challenge yourself to move on from things that didn’t work out. Because once you do, it’ll put your heart and mind at ease.”

“Do you think I’ll be okay again?”

“Yes, you will be, my dear. You are not alone, and never will be.”

Acting like the dutiful son he always was, Jeno distanced from you.

He still cracked jokes, chatted with the art pieces, and followed the rules, yet never did he utter anything to you. You’ve proudly anticipated it since day one, not wanting him up in your business or teasing you ever. But this time, it felt odd.

On nights he didn’t report, you’ve unconsciously wondered what he may have been up to. A job like this at his age was just as Sanghoon once said: nothing in the regular.

Was he with his friends?

Was he resting well?

From the moment you chose to let go of your limitations and old thoughts, it included your grudge against past guards. Asking for forgiveness to Sanghoon when he returns was on the top of your list, however, that’ll take a while to happen. In the start, you’re baffled as to why he no longer picked on you like every night he’s been present. Somehow, it became a habit you’ve gotten used to, having so many comebacks planned to fend yourself. But you didn’t want to concede to it, maintaining what was left of your pride since that breakdown.

While on the subject, you suspected if anyone told him anything that night because that also indicated the last time he reached out to you. By anything, it would be your unwritten past with Junmyeon. A part of yourself in the museum that you didn’t want to disperse like rapid-fire again. It would be the last thing you wanted Jeno to know.

To your misfortune, Princess Diana came clean due to your growing concern over it. Although your attitude changed and people got used to it, you could only blame yourself that you were responsible for Jeno’s change.

“All he wanted was to understand and enlighten us with his likable presence. Then with you, you were his challenge because of your high walls. Out of everyone, he tried to learn everything about you. From my observation, whenever he has a goal, he’s determined to achieve it.”

“But I’m trying to be better now, Diana. Why did he stop?”

“He may have determination, but he knows where the boundaries lie.” Princess Diana patted the side of your arm, giving you a half-grin. “It hurt him when he hurt you, even if it was accidental. So he opted to give you space; that way, you could catch a breather and he wouldn’t harm you anymore. It was what you wanted from the start anyways, right?”

A hard pill to swallow, though it was a fact. It’s just that now, you’re slowly willing to release yourself from the dark. It’s been decades, and more to come. Nothing can move on unless you do.

“Where is he, Princess Diana?”

Just as she predicted right on the edge, Diana completed the grin on her face and led you to the entrance of your exhibit. She may be younger than you, but you’re reverted in your twenties while she remained in her mid-thirties. Gaping the wide museum from the railing, starting from the painting exhibit in the lobby to across the other side of the museum, Diana spotted the black hair of the boy in the Foreign Art Room.

“Over there.”

Observing where her eyes focused, you caught a glimpse of a recognizable side profile. The owner’s eyes were completely taken by whatever he was drawing on the fold-up desk he brought out from the storage room. By the tedious action of his right hand going up and down, you’ve gotten so used to his part-time identity as the night guard to entirely dismiss his current status as a university student.

Architecture specifically as he first introduced himself to you. The same path your oldest brother, Christopher, worked in. The look of tenacity Jeno presented as his eyebrows continuously scrunched, his crescent orbs hastily spied his work for any unnecessary details and his veiny hands brushed his already messy hair, you were profoundly reminded of Christopher when he was designing his possible future house. You were 8 years old, and he was 22, who just got married. He explained how many floors it’ll have, what rooms to put and what extra furniture he’ll place to make it feel more at home.

Seeing how exceptional his art skills were, you started to sketch like him. With flowers first, it turned into bedrooms and sceneries of your neighborhood. You felt your shoulders rise in accomplishment when you were able to accurately draw people. As much as you credited Benjamin and Liam the most in your works, it’ll only be within yourself to know that you also held a soft spot for Christopher.

Excusing yourself to Princess Diana, you bravely yet quietly ventured into the Foreign Art Room. Hiding first from one of the cement columns, you resumed watching him sketch. Instead of a pencil, he used a black pen with a tip as thin as a pencil. Your assumptions would be it was for a class, basing it on him informing everybody earlier that he’ll be inactive for the remaining hours of his shift to focus on his midterm requirements. That must be difficult to balance, yet he still does everything expected from him. Maybe the second cup of iced coffee beside him stimulated his bones and mind, letting his imagination free.

Through the limited space, you tiptoed whilst holding the side of the column to make up his work. There were 2 and a half rectangular shapes stacked on top of each other, the third one he was still tracing. A sign encrypted with tiny written words you couldn’t decipher, the beauty and modernity of Jeno’s plate cannot go unappreciated.

“That’s absolutely beautiful.”

Sweet words you didn’t think would bounce back in the room, Jeno’s pace ceased whilst you hid again. Art pieces capable of walking weren’t allowed here, he locked the door even beforehand! Or he thought as he was rushing to get his work done because one of his terror professors moved up the deadline to tomorrow morning. Not even 25% finished, he petitioned for everyone’s cooperation just for tonight.

He used up his 2 days of not having the night shift for other projects, and not wanting to ruin his perfect attendance, he proceeded to show up.

The voices from the foreign paintings around him hushed for him out of respect. So possibly someone snuck in, his head looking around for intruders. But only did he quit it when he saw your blurry reflection leaning against the column. The glass windows slightly mirror back what it sees, without you knowing that.

Not to mention, the small bit of your lilac dress was left out. Of all people, it was you?

“Do my eyes deceive me or is Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N) inside when she’s not allowed so?”

To break the killing tension, he tested the waves with an innocent taunt. Never did you reach out to him, so least to say he was entertained whilst keeping his distance.

Fixing your proud stance, you responded in a low baritone voice you used to persuade numerous men in her adventures. “Uhm no, I don’t know who she is.”

As intelligent as you were, Jeno was a few steps farther than you this time. Educated about the risky ways you’d get around and one of them was changing the pitch of your voice, he heartily laughed at your unsuccessful attempt.

“Okay don’t lie, (Y/N). I can see a trail of your dress and your cloak. Oh, your reflection too.”

Damn, you peeked a little to realize that he was correct. Hauling your dress back in to readjust your outfit, you pushed your hair back before appearing to him. Though when you did such, you didn’t suppose that he was practically beside you the entire time. Bumping into his towering stance of 5’10 while the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, your proud posture loosened up. He even discarded his blazer. A few more inches, he could’ve cornered you on the column if you didn’t take another step back.

Has he always been this tall or were you so used to your boots having high heels under? Oh wait, maybe because you wore flats this time because it’s making your toes sore. Your head bowed from struggling to maintain eye contact with him, your palms caressing your cheeks that suddenly heated up. Clearing your throat, you straightened your back again like nothing happened.

Jeno thought otherwise, shrugging his shoulders as he chuckled. He’s never seen you get shy, not that it was a bad thing either. The temptation to play around it more was there, but he was running out of time for his assignment.

“Come in. I’ll let you off the hook this time.” His arms opened up, allowing you access to such a wonderful exhibit. Paintings from different European periods, miniature versions of famous infrastructures inside glass containers, and replicas of Greek columns in the front entrance, no wonder it’s important to protect them all.

“Are you sure?” Watching him return to his spot, which was a bench in the center of the exhibit with a table in front, it didn’t process that you were gawking at his toned back. His broad shoulders and the evident muscles in his arms while he stretched, your eyes were speedy to look away when he tried to take a glance at you.

“I don’t think the paintings here and I mind.” Sitting down again, he tapped the vacant space beside him. “Feel free to watch me draw if you want to.”

Settling by his side, he recommenced where he left off. Now with a closer view of his piece, it did look like a building as you thought. He was sketching the remaining outline of the 3rd floor of this hypothetical place, continuously checking his ruler to monitor if the lines were consistent. Able to pick up on the words of the sign beside the building, you wowed with one hand on your lips.

“You’re redrawing Seoul National University Museum of Art?”

“One of my plate assignments was to visualize a renovation of a certain place, so I chose the museum.”

“Why so?”

“Well,” Jeno shook his pen so the ink could come out. “This entire place comes to life with the royal plate, so I think we should expand the space and bring in more art pieces to life if we add another extra floor. A rooftop area for visitors and events would be fun. And definitely, we should modernize the exterior and interior a bit because it looks outdated personally. That’s also what my friends think too.”

Noticing the minor details of his plate whilst removing any unnecessary pens so it wouldn’t smudge, “Huh, I quite agree with you.”

For the first time since his night shift, you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), came into an agreement with him. He became so accustomed to clashing opinions that now, you had no contrasting points to make at all. A good change perhaps was what he’s witnessing.

“Woah, who are you agreeing with me and where’s (Y/N)?” He creased his brows whilst locking eye contact with you. This time, you didn’t wince away and just nudged him on his shoulder to get back to work.

“Hush, Jeno. Isn’t that due later? Get to work, I’ll roam around here for the meantime.”

After decades in this museum, you’re enlightened with the foreign paintings in which some you’ve heard of in your younger years and some that were created beyond your time. The Birth of Venus, Liberty Leading the People, Girl with a Pearl Earring, there’s an advantage of learning about their stories that humans couldn’t interpret. Logical that this section must be off-limits because these pieces were extra special, yet there’s so much more than what meets the eye.

There’s peace in silence while you wandered around, though it doesn’t hinder only at the art. Jeno hasn’t uttered a word since he got back to drawing, and once you asked him what’s doing now, still no answer back. Odd, he’s constantly awa-

Oh, my. You must’ve jinxed it.

Your eyes laid on Jeno leaning forward on his desk with his arms serving as his pillow, resting his head sideways. Soft snores and minimal movement in his upper body to shake the growing cold temperature of the room, he was sleeping like a log.

Putting into perspective, he hasn’t acquired enough rest specifically this past 2 weeks. The endless number of plates due making him work extra during his shift rather than sleeping in the slightest, exhaustion must be an understatement. Coffee no longer pushed him to his maximum for this week even.

But this was the path he chose, and it’ll have its challenges. Still, if you could relieve the stress in any way, you would. This would be one of the ways to repay for all the rudeness you’ve passed on him. Scurrying to his side, placing the plate on the side with his other things. You returned the caps of his open pens so they don’t spill. They must be expensive, recalling how Jeno shared the cons of being an architecture major to Princess Diana. One was the pens needed for sketching, and any tiny damages to them meant buying them again.

With his watch on clear display, he only had 2 hours left until his shift was done. Then, 4 hours until his plate assignment was done, and his current plate was far from done.

The blunt impulse to wake him up slithered your mind, though his calm state deflected your duty. As if you were on board a ship again for your explorations, you paid attention to the view with a relaxed mindset.

Lee Jeno specifically was the view.

His coffee-stained lips were parted and his sharp nose breathing in and out at a relaxing pace, he must be dreaming a happy moment the way half his lips curved into a smile. If he’s resting well, then you too would be calm.

Because of your past disinterest in him, only at this moment did you observe how sharp his jawline was and the cuts on his arms he sought refuge in. No matter how many times you tried to deny Hera’s compliments of him on the side, you couldn’t.

Lee Jeno embodied attractive features; both physical and emotional.

Back to his plate, it’ll put him at a disadvantage if he submitted the way it looked before he passed out. But you remembered all those extra details he mentioned and wanted to add to this project. Being an explorer, you documented all your ventures through words or drawings. You’re fast to adjust to anything new too.

For all the good he’s done for everyone, he only deserved some help in return.

Your version of help was sketching the remaining details of this plate, using other pens for more emphasis. It’s a risk also, but no way could you turn a blind eye on Jeno this time.

Around 5:30 am, Jeno’s eyes blinked open due to a brightening light from the outside. Stretching his limbs, he finds a velvet cloak wrapped around him like a blanket. But before he could question it, he pulled his arm in to see the time on his watch.

“Fuck!” He cursed, realizing that his so-called 10-minute snooze break aborted.

“Oh my, you’re awake!” From his frazzled state, there you were. So put together yet active, some strands of your hair falling down your face even with your hair up in a ponytail. “How was your sleep?”

This whole time he could’ve been woken up, yet you chose not to. You’re aware of his deadline, yet you let him rest entirely. He could’ve burst out in stress, yet he didn’t. You and he may have started on the wrong foot, yet it’s impossible of you to do such an evil thing. He’ll just have to tolerate the outcome later today.

“Refreshing. I really needed it.” Packing his things in his bag and closing the table, you trailed along as he exited with you. Locking up, he has 30 minutes left to accomplish the cleaning. A long good morning indeed.

But his worry of that vanished when you admitted that you had it all covered.

“Everyone helped out in cleaning, plus there are no damages made either.” From your hand, you returned one of his keys that was on his guard blazer. “I double-checked the Oriental Room and locked the doors again.”

“Why are you suddenly so nice to me, (Y/N)?” He questioned with confusion, wearing his blazer again and patting away any creases. He placed your cloak over you again like a true gentleman.

Without a word, you simply invited him to walk you back to your exhibit as parts of the sun began to rise. As you returned to your section, your fellow figures readying themselves to pose again,

“It’s my way to apologize for my very rude first impression and the succeeding moments after. I was too cooped up in my past that I was too afraid to let humans in again, night guards in particular.” You admitted, removing your cloak and placing behind your chair like always. “I’m so sorry, Jeno. Everyone was right about you and your kind heart.”

“About time.” Cleopatra’s sultry voice cut in, laying on her day bed.

Before you had the chance to flip off, Jeno mediated swiftly. With a gentle smile, “No worries about it. I’m just happy you’re okay, after all you’ve been through.”

“Can we start over then?”

“Absolutely.” With his free hand, he brought it out. No matter what kind of introductions, shaking one’s hand was the best way to start a friendship. “Good evening. I’m Lee Jeno, the new museum night guard.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), explorer and author.” Sighing at his humor, you still replied by shaking his hand. “And I believe you’re mistaken, Lee Jeno. It’s a good morning.”

Seconds after, you imitated your typical pose and smile. Only now, the latter was more genuine. Finally, a fresh start to end your agony.

Once the sun fully revealed itself, every figure including yourself froze back to sleep. Something Jeno wished to catch up on if it weren’t for his damn plate. He was so screwed, already contemplating his next steps if he does fail this class. The possibility of getting delayed in all aspects, he dreaded it already.

Heading back to his dorm, where both his roommates completely passed out from soju on the couch, he sat by his work desk and turned on his night lamp for more light since the sun wasn’t strong enough yet.

With another cup of coffee, he cracked the joints of his knuckles and laid out his pens. He had 2 hours left to submit this plate, and at most he should accomplish 50% of his initial plan. However, he didn’t anticipate such a gorgeous outcome when he brought out his plate.

Picture perfect of every detail he desired, even adding a rooftop area with that he’d love to have if ever the museum does go under renovation one day. Rather than setting the plate during the day, it was at night as the skies were dark and bright specks of yellow inside the building symbolized light.

So much for wasting coffee, he’ll just give it to Jaemin when he wakes up later. Below the final product, a note written in cursive was stuck on it.

 I knew you wanted to get this specific plate done, but you mustn’t compromise your sleep for it. It’s your inhumane professor’s fault!

To make up for my faults, I wanted to help you out. I paid extra attention to the details you spoke highly about, so I only hoped that I interpreted it correctly. It’s risky, but as someone who researched so much about me, would you be surprised that I did such a thing?

PS: Get back to sleep. I’m quite sure your desk is laid out the same way in the Foreign Art Room.

Respectfully,

(Y/N)

 Turning off his lamp, Jeno jumped the covers of his bed to continue his lost sleep. Without an ounce of care that he hasn’t changed into cleaner clothes, he’s relieved that he won’t flunk his class.

Most of all, he’s relieved that you’ve melted the ice in you and allowed kindness to come in. Jeno may never understand how hard that must’ve been for you, yet he raved you for it.

“Oh, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). Surprise is an understatement when it comes to you.”

#nct #nct au #nct scenarios #nct x reader #nct fluff #nct angst #nct smut #nct imagines #nct dream #nct dream au #nct dream scenarios #nct dream x reader #nct dream fluff #nct dream angst #nct dream smut #nct dream imagines #lee jeno #lee jeno x reader #lee jeno au #lee jeno scenarios #lee jeno angst #lee jeno imagines #lee jeno fluff #lee jeno smut #jeno #jeno x reader #jeno au #jeno scenarios #jeno imagines #jeno fluff

[geekgirles]

Honestly, the agency guy's assessment on Minthe pretty much sums up her entire character: she's a pretty girl, but her attitude sucks.

I know I'm not saying anything new, but Minthe's problem isn't that she has issues, it's that she can't manage those issues.

She's stuck in a cycle of bitterness and self-pity she makes no effort whatsoever of getting out of. We all know recovery isn't linear, but Minthe's not even at the start line. She either berates herself, only worsening her already low self-esteem, or snaps and blames all her troubles on everyone else.

It's not Hades' fault she's miserable because he once made her feel like she deserved more; it's her own bad decision-making that's led her to where she is right now.

And the few times she does realise she's in the wrong, she doesn't do anything to make amends and change for the better (if my memory doesn't fail me, of course).

She's the one responsible for being in the situation she's in at the moment.

She's the one who let her insecurity and jealousy get to the better of her and mistreat Hades. She's the one who refuses to open her eyes and accept that Hades is working on his issues and learning to move on from them, while she's still stuck feeling sorry for herself. She's the one who pushed him away and into the arms of Persephone, who's the kind, gentle, and loving presence he's always needed. And she's stuck being lonely and friendless because she chose to listen to toxic advice instead of Thanatos, who truly cares about her.

I mean, Minthe herself witnessed Fish Bitch (not even gonna bother with the name) has no qualms getting rid of those that might inconvenience her. We're talking about a nymph who's a homewrecker in every sense of the word because she is 100% aware she's breaking a marriage and hurting Hera in the process (my queen deserves so much better, though). Minthe literally knows her "dear friend" is the most two-faced person she knows, and she still listens to her over Thanatos or any other reasonable figure in her life!

Even though I feel sorry for her, Minthe got what was coming for her.

#lore olympus #lore olympus spoilers #lore olympus analysis #minthe #lore olympus minthe #hades #lore olympus hades #Persephone #lore olympus persephone #Thanatos #lore olympus thanatos #hera #lore olympus hera

[laughingphoenixleader]

Here’s another full-fledged fic, friends!

Pairing: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla

Rating: G

A/N: This one’s set the night of Season 3, Episode 3: The Holocrons of Fate. This is my vision of how Kanera dealt with the whole K-disappearing-for-six-kriffing-months thing. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback if the Force calls you to!

@kanerallels <3

Hera Syndulla can’t wield the Force.

Not even a little bit.

But even so, she’s been told that she has a real talent for sensing other people’s emotions.

It started when she was a little girl—a knot in her stomach or some tension in her lekku would appear out of nowhere. She’d suddenly feel frustrated, sad, or afraid without understanding why. Except for times during puberty and her time of month—unfortunately, Hera wasn’t exempt from actual mood swings—those feelings that came out of the blue were never hers at all. When these unexplained emotions appeared within her, Hera would come to find out that someone close to her was struggling with something that had induced the exact feeling that Hera had experienced. So, she was often able to figure out what the people around her were feeling before they understood it themselves. It even, on occasion, happened with complete strangers.

Over time, she even became capable of knowing whose wave of emotions she was being hit by. Everyone’s felt slightly different. Emotional intensity varied from person to person, as did how they felt their emotions. Some beings felt their emotions pounding in their temples, others carried their stress in their shoulders, while others’ feelings made knots in their stomachs materialize. Hera became such an expert on discovering how each person was feeling that she’d often greet a friend or family member by asking why they were feeling so angry, sad, or afraid. The closer she was to a person, the more sensitive she was to their emotions, and the stronger they felt to her.

Hera has never been as in touch with anyone’s emotions as she is with those of Kanan Jarrus.

During the six months when he distanced himself from Hera and the rest of his family, she had always known when the nightmares had come. But he had never come to find her like he used to when the terrors struck. Hera could feel the pull to him—it was always present, no matter how she denied it—growing inside of her until it was almost unbearable, but she had steeled herself and remained where she was (usually the pilot’s seat). She spent plenty of nights staring off into the stars like she and Kanan used to do together, feeling the pain of doing nothing gnawing at her soul. But her respect for Kanan’s desires and needs outweighed it all. She knew him better than anyone else, so she could tell that he didn’t want her help right then. If he had, he would have come and found her. He had to come to her on his own time.

For six months, Kanan hadn’t wanted her help. He hadn’t wanted her.

Hera had to keep telling herself that this hadn’t broken her heart.

When she feels the sickening wrench of panic in her chest while sitting in the pilot’s chair on Atollon, though, she knows in her core that this time is different. This time, he needs her.

In an instant, she’s jumped to her feet, placed her datapad on the floor of the cockpit, and is slamming the button on the Ghost’s controls that opens the door to Kanan’s cabin. No one but her knows that any of the cabin door locks can be overridden from the cockpit, and she plans on keeping it that way.

She’s in his cabin in a flash, heart racing and Kanan’s fear coursing through her veins. She can hear him tossing and turning in the dark as she presses the button to turn on the lights. The dark-haired Jedi in the bottom bunk is drenched in sweat, the sheets twisted around his thrashing form. His scarred eyes are shut tightly. Hera realizes that, though he returned from his self-imposed exile several days ago and lost his sight six months ago, she hasn’t seen him without some sort of blindfold or mask covering his eyes since the incident. His face is twisted into an agonized expression.

Hera runs to his side. “Kanan,” she tries to call him from whatever world of horrors he’s trapped in. “Kanan, wake up!”

The Jedi’s whole body immediately responds to her voice, turning towards her and stilling slightly. Kanan’s always told her that he loves the sound of her voice. So she keeps talking.

“Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

Kanan’s face twists again, and he seems to look around searchingly, though his eyes are still closed. His body is shaking, his fear palpable.

“It’s me, Kanan, I’m right beside you; you’re safe.”

His eyes fly open.

Kanan’s eyes, eyes that Hera could have stared into forever (though she had usually done her best not to think about that), eyes full of beautiful, vibrant aquamarine, are now pale and colorless.

Hera scolds herself for the lump in her throat that forms. It doesn’t matter. This shouldn’t upset me. Am I really that shallow?

She shakes off the sudden wave of sorrow and focuses on Kanan.

“Hera?” he calls for her, still searching. His face fills with panic again. “Where are you?”

“Look at me—“

Hera stops short.

That was how she had always drawn him from his nightmares before. Look at me, she’d tell him. I’m here. She’d turned the light on for this exact purpose when she’d entered, forgetting for a moment that everything had changed.

She’ll have to get creative this time.

“I can’t!” Kanan cried. “I can’t anymore, Hera, it’s gone—“

“I know, I know—��

“You’re so far away,” his voice breaks as he speaks.

Hera moves closer. “No. I’m right here, Kanan.”

“No,” he says miserably. “You’re gone—you left me—everyone left me—I’m useless, I’m broken, no one needs me anymore—it’s too late—“

His voice, full of anguish, breaks again and his body shakes with tears that he is no longer able to shed. Hera forgets that he broke her heart, that he left them all, that the deepening relationship between them had suddenly become nonexistent. The man she loves is hurting, and she’s going to fix that. Or, at least, help him through it.

She goes back to the door, turning off the lights so she’s forced to see how he sees. Then she climbs into the bunk beside him.

His body is racked with sobs as she places a hand on his cheek. He gasps at her touch.

“Kanan,” she says in her most soothing, reassuring tone—the one that has never failed to calm him before—“do you feel me?”

“Hera,” he whispers, filled with relief, and sounding…awestruck, for some reason.

“It’s me,” she tells him comfortingly, emphasizing her next words. “I never left you, and I never will.”

Kanan begins to mumble her name, one of his hands finding its way on top of hers, the other holding onto her forearm for dear life. The way he says her name always makes her heart race, though she’s never really understood why. No one else pronounces it like that…the way he speaks out the two syllables somehow sounds and feels like a caress. He begins to speak hastily; desperately.

“I can still fight for the Rebellion—I have the Force, it’ll help me see—I’m not truly blind because I can see myself.”

“I believe you, Kanan,” Hera presses her forehead against his. “You’re not useless. We’re never giving up on you.”

Kanan feels her arm, touches her shoulders, his hands seeming to be on a mission to make sure she’s really there. When they near her lekku, Hera moves them away. He’s touched them before, with her permission. That first time he did was the best nights she’d ever had…and so was every other night he’d done it again. Now that he’s been gone for so long, and he clearly doesn’t want her…

Focus on your mission. He needs you—right here; right now.

Hera slips out of her thoughts and feels Kanan place his hand on the side of her face for a moment, then take her in his arms and hold her close. He presses his forehead to hers. Their closeness makes Hera’s heart attempt to catch up to Kanan’s pounding one.

Slowly, his body relaxes. His heavy breathing evens.

Hera relaxes, too. More than she has in six months.

She hasn’t let herself realize how much she’s missed the complete safety she always feels in his arms. She lets him hold her, tucking her head underneath his. Kanan makes a noise of discomfort, and she smiles softly, placing her forehead against his again. This has always been the position they’ve used when comforting each other. Kanan sighs contentedly.

Eventually, he stirs, and she knows he’s emerged from the nightmare.

“Hey,” Kanan greets her, the panic gone from his voice, gentleness and awkwardness taking its place.

There has never been awkwardness between them. Not like this.

Hera lifts her head from his. “Better now?” she asks him.

He shudders. “That’s an understatement.”

Hera strokes his cheek in reply. The last six months had seemed to fade into oblivion during the last few minutes, but now she feels the shards of pain return.

Will he ask me to leave?

“Hera…” he says her name for the thousandth time that night. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” she responds quietly.

They don’t move from their positions.

After a moment, he continues tentatively. “You don’t have to stay.”

Hera can still feel the remains of her anger towards him from several days before cutting into her, but the image of his tortured face and voice from earlier are seared into her mind.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asks gently.

His arms involuntarily tighten around her.

She laughs softly in spite of it all. Though her hurt and anger is returning, she’s delighted that he wants her beside him.

“I’m staying.”

Hera realizes that he’s been holding his breath when he resumes breathing again. His pulse speeds up, though it isn’t pounding frantically like it was earlier.

The night he’d come back, they’d had their worst fight to date. Once they were alone in his room, she’d tried—Kanan would chastise her for using that word—to hold her emotions back, to be understanding, but her hurt had led to anger, and it had burst out of her, as it often did. Words had spilled out of her, words she’d bottled up inside her for the last six months. She’d said things she knew she’d regret, things that she could see cutting through him. But her own pain had blinded her in that moment. She’d kept going for those six months, never stopping long enough to deal with her hurt, so it had only festered. Kanan had been defensive, stony-faced, his arms crossed, and that had only enraged her further.

Then, today, after several days of avoiding each other, Maul had attacked the Ghost. Throughout the experience, Hera’s lekku had burned with the knowledge that her last interaction with Kanan, besides a short phrase here and there, had been full of biting words and simmering hurt.

She’d spent the hours after Kanan had rescued her and the others contemplating out what to say and how to apologize. She’d been in the middle of doing so when the wrench of terror sent her straight to his room.

The fight had ended with her snapping, “Don’t pretend you still want me. You proved that that wasn’t true when you abandoned me—abandoned us for half a year.” Her voice had broken against her will. “You didn’t even say you were leaving. Or when you’d be back.” Then she’d slammed on the button to close her door in his face, blinking furiously to hide the scorching tears in her eyes. Hera had slid down the wall, then spent the rest of that night finally letting the tears she’d held back spill out of her.

“You…you want to stay?” Kanan now asks her uncertainly. “Everything you said several nights ago—it all makes sense, and I’m so sorry.” His earnestness and guilt rolls off of him as he continues. “I understand if you don’t forgive me; I know I hurt you—I was gone for so long—“

Hera interrupts softly. “I forgive you.”

He stops his uncomfortable, awkward squirming.

“You do?”

His tone is so full of uncertainty and hope that Hera’s heart melts.

“I do,” she tells him gently. “For everything.”

Kanan begins to protest, torture and regret emanating from his voice, even as Hera can feel some of the tension begin to drain out of him. “No, Hera, you shouldn’t forgive me so easily. I don’t deserve that. After all these years, I just left. The way I made you feel…” Kanan’s voice wavers before he continues. “I thought that the Force was telling me to spend time alone—that was my excuse. But I distanced myself from the Force, from you, from everyone—and I don’t even know why.” He shakes his head, incredulous at himself, then desperately starts to explain. “I couldn’t handle any responsibilities or obligations. My feelings took over—I thought I was useless, that I was a failure because of my blindness—my depression overwhelmed me. I was lost—lost again, like I was when you found me on Gorse.” Kanan’s still holding her, but his embrace feels almost fragile, like he’s afraid that she’ll rip herself away from him at any second. “I thought I had grown since then, that it would never happen again. It wasn’t just that I lost my vision—it was that Ahsoka is gone, that we lost against that Sith Lord—” Kanan heaves a sigh, one heavy with self-hatred. “And now I’m making it about me again.”

Hera listens intently. He’s clearly been carrying this within him for too long. “It’s all right,” she reassures him quietly. “Talk to me.”

“I never stopped wanting you,” he says in a rough voice, one filled with sincerity and raw emotion, and Hera’s broken heart skips a beat. “And I know that that doesn’t seem true, because I still stayed away.” He’s quiet for a moment. Hera can practically hear the gears in his mind turning as he works to verbalize and explain. “I couldn’t face you. Not when I felt so lacking, and you’re so…so capable, so impactful, so successful.“

Hera nearly protests at this, but she stays silent for his sake, knowing that her interruption won’t be helpful to him right now.

“I was ashamed. Ashamed of my weakness. Ashamed that I didn’t sense Maul coming, that I didn’t stop him somehow. And…I couldn’t face the pain of not being able to see you. I didn’t want to hold you back or burden you, or make you feel like you had to let me tag along on missions. I thought that you were better off without me in your way.”

Hera’s heart is reeling and rejoicing at the fact that she is still wanted, that he never really rejected her, but she also knows that he’ll only keep spiraling downward if she doesn’t interject at the right time—which is now.

“You don’t have to explain it all to me,” she tells him sincerely, though the still-angry side of her screams that that isn’t true.

“I’m just trying—I just want you to know that…that I still love you, Hera.”

The earnestness in his voice and the admission of “I love you” does it. Hera can feel her shattered, rejected heart begin to heal. What he says next only soothes it further.

“The depression drowned everything out—but sometimes I would hear your voice, or see your face in my mind, and that kept me from losing all hope. From giving up on everything.”

Hera’s heart swells, and tears spring up in her own fully whole eyes. She places her forehead against his again. His breath catches, but he finishes speaking. “I understand if you don’t feel the same way. I don’t know why you would, after how much I hurt you. I…I can tell you’re heartbroken, Hera.” His body starts shaking again, as if he’s living inside of another nightmare. “And knowing I did that to you—just because all I could think about was myself and what I needed, rather than what you and the rest of the crew needed—“ Hera can feel the unshed tears again as he begins to apologize, again and again, until he loses the ability to speak. She gently cradles his head, stroking his disheveled hair, her own healing heart throbbing at his anguish. She brushes her thumbs over where the tears would be, if everything were different.

“I’m too full of mistakes,” he sobs. “You deserve much better than someone like me.”

Hera decides that now she’s on a mission—a mission to stop her Jedi’s spiral of self-hatred.

“Listen to me, Kanan Jarrus,” she tells him in a firm but kind tone, as she continues to stroke his hair. “You’re no worse than anyone else. We all make mistakes. We’re all selfish at times. Even those of us who devote our lives to helping others sometimes hurt them instead. Caring about someone means helping them move on from their mistakes and make it right. What kind of people would we be if we never gave others a second chance?”

His dry shaking begins to stop, and Hera can feel him listening in rapt attention.

“You know I don’t give up—and I never gave up on you. I never will. Yes, you’ve hurt me, but I care enough about you to forgive you. Who you are right now is worth forgiving. You’re worthy of forgiveness, of my choosing you, even though you aren’t perfect.” Hera’s words seem to hit hard, since Kanan’s breath catches again. She continues genuinely and tenderly, “Even if I met the most perfect person in the galaxy, I’d still choose you instead. You’re truly good, Kanan.”

After a moment of silence, Kanan whispers, “You really mean that?”

Hera lifts his face and presses a kiss to his forehead. “Of course I do. And I really do forgive you. If you’ll forgive me for hurting you instead of listening to you over the last few days.” Now her own voice is colored with remorse. “I should have been there for you, helping you readjust.”

“But, Hera, I understand why you were angry. I deserved it.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Hera points out. “Will you forgive me?”

Immediately, he replies, “Yeah. I forgive you.”

Then his hands move for the first time since his nightmare. He places one on her cheek, while the other moves to the small of her back. Hera’s heart begins to pick up speed as his face nears hers. “Is it all right if I…?” he asks in a whisper, ever respectful of her boundaries. In answer, Hera moves her own face closer to his, and their lips meet.

Six months is a long time.

But the longer you’re deprived of something, the sweeter it is when you finally get to experience it again.

The first thing Hera feels is the warmth. It spreads throughout her whole body, especially her lekku, chasing away the emptiness and loneliness that became the new normal in Kanan’s absence. One of his hands caresses her cheek, while the other pulls her close, resting on the small of her back. She pulls the band from his now-destroyed ponytail, slipping it expertly onto her wrist (she’s had plenty of practice) and threading her fingers into his hair. She can feel him smile into her lips when she does so, which makes her smile in return. Kanan seems to get a burst of excitement, a delighted gasp escaping him. Hera pulls away just enough to ask, “what is it?”

He responds, his voice charged with enthusiasm and love,

“I got to feel you smile again.”

A wave of emotion sweeps over Hera, her heart squeezing at the overwhelming amount of sweetness infused into that small sentence. She presses her lips to his again, beaming just for him. Kanan laughs giddily, a sound of pure joy.

Hera hasn’t heard him laugh in so long.

So she can’t help but laugh with him. A moment later, his thumb begins stroking her cheek more urgently. She gently breaks the kiss to ask, “What is it, love?”She can feel his giddiness rise at the term of endearment, which makes her beam again. He murmurs in a voice filled to the brim with gratitude, “Thank you, Hera. For forgiving me. I thought that I’d lost this. I thought that I’d messed up too badly to ever earn your affection again.” Misery seems to overwhelm him at the thought.

“There’s no need to earn it,” she assures him, placing her other hand, the one not entwined in his hair, on his chest. “Honestly, I couldn’t take it from you if I tried,” she confesses.

“Are you saying that you’re hopeless, Hera Syndulla?” The cocky slyness, which had made up the Kanan Jarrus that she first met all those years ago on Gorse, fills his voice.

She rolls her eyes, then remembers that the lights are out, and that he can’t see her anyway. And yet—

“You just rolled your eyes, didn’t you?”

“You earned it,” she deadpans.

He laughs again and somehow pulls her closer, so that their foreheads are touching again.

“There’s the Hera I remember,” he declares, tenderness and the classic mischievousness returning.

She showcases her own mischievous streak in her reply. “Missed me, love?”

“Every second,” he answers tenderly.

“I missed you, too,” she tells him, warmth filling her tone and her soul.

That sly mischievousness again. “Especially my sense of humor, right?”

“Actually, that’s what I missed the least,” she switches back into deadpanning.

“Hey!” he protests, his tone a convincing one of feigned offense, but then it makes way for the trademark slyness. “But you did miss it.”

Hera groans. “That is not what I said.”

“You’re not denying it,” Kanan teases.

After a moment, he declares, “I’ve finally found the one benefit that comes with being blind.”

“What’s that?” she asks, resigning herself to whatever nonsense he’s about to spill.

She can hear the grin in his voice. “Now I can’t see it when you glare at me.”

Hera rolls her eyes, then says in a playful tone, “But you can feel my anger in the Force, right?”

Kanan’s silent for a moment. “It’s impossible not to.” He shudders, mortified at the thought of it.

“Kanan Jarrus, you’re a Jedi Knight and a veteran of the Clone Wars, and you’re afraid of me?”

He lets out a huff of laughter, like the answer is obvious. “You bet.”

Hera’s voice is devious. “You should be.”

“Everybody should be. You’re terrifying, Hera.”

She chuckles, shaking her head slightly, her forehead still pressed to his. “You’re exaggerating.”

“Come on, I never exaggerate.”

After a moment of silence on Hera’s part, he amends reluctantly, “okay, I usually don’t exaggerate. You’ve seen how the kids and I look at you when you’re furious with us.”

Hera considers this. She always knows that when she gives members of her crew that glare, they’ll do whatever she says. Usually. “Maybe I should use it on whoever’s trying to attack us sometime.”

“You should. Just to see what would happen.”

She laughs. “I don’t even need a blaster. No armor can protect those stormtroopers from my death glare.”

“You better believe it,” Kanan murmurs, stroking the small of her back.

“I sure am glad you’re not angry with me anymore,” he adds after a bit of comfortable silence.

“Me too, love.”

Chills ripple over him at the term of endearment, and she chuckles lightly, a bubble of joy rising inside of her at how much he treasures her little ways of showing him how much she loves him.

Hera has no clue how long they stay like this, stealing kisses, sharing little touches, slipping in and out of conversation (complete with plenty of smiles and eyerolls). What she does know is that the distance between her and Kanan has disappeared. The emptiness and feelings of being incomplete have been replaced by fullness and completeness. No, they aren’t as close as they were before Malachor, but Hera has faith that that will change over time. What matters most is that she knows that Kanan is happier than he’s been in a long time. Eventually, they drift off into sleep, still holding each other close. Their dreams are peaceful, for there’s no room for nightmares when nothing but long-awaited contentment fills them both to overflowing.

When morning comes, the members of the Ghost Crew don’t need to be able to sense each others’ emotions to know that things have finally changed for the better.

The family is whole again.

#star wars rebels #kanan jarrus #hera syndulla #swr #kanera #space parents #kanan x hera #ghost crew #space family #space married #ezra bridger #sabine wren #garazeb orrelios #star wars #fic #fanfic #my writing #if you want to see a fic about the first time Kanan touches Hera’s lekku…let me know #not that I don’t have plans to publish it regardless… #one of these days I’ll get on AO3 #but for now you get giant blocks of fic on Tumblr #yay

[marichat-verse]

Mist Memories

Leo Valdez x reader for his birthday ahhhh (even though it's angsty) with a platonic/developing jason x reader cameo at the end (lmao im sorry i couldn't help myself 😭)

Based on this picture I found in pinterest + also [kinda] based on traitor by olivia rodrigo and omg i really recommend u guys listen to this edit because it reminds me so much of this fic that's been stuck in my head for MONTHS also kind of a run away with me prologue lol

Your POV

I nervously made my way across the forest until I reached a limestone cliff. I knocked on the iron door, not really expecting to get an answer.

My boyfriend has been shutting himself in Bunker 9 for the past few weeks. I stood there counting up to seven before knocking again. I knocked again two more times, until he answered in the middle of my last knock.

He removed his goggles and winced as sunlight hit his eyes. He'd grown thinner and paler, making the dark circles in his eyes more pronounced.

"Oh, Leo..." I reached out to brush a few strands of hair away from his face, but he moved away.

"What are you doing here?" He said in a monotone voice.

I moved to walk inside the Bunker, brushing off his hesitation to let me in. "I'm your partner, remember? And I'm really concerned because you're shutting yourself out lately. You know everyone's starting to worry about you. Percy asked me to check on you because you missed pegasus riding with him. Oh, and I'm pretty sure Jason's coming back from Camp Jupiter soon. I was hoping you and Annabeth could be with Piper while Percy and I hung out with Jason because it's been a little awkward since their breakup. Plus Piper wanted to tell you something—"

"Please," he said forcefully causing me to stop and look at him. "Just... Get out."

Normally, he'd shut himself from the world for a few days to work on an important project or because he was feeling really sad and he needed space. But this was getting out of hand. He had never locked me out of his life when I offered to help him. He was never this mean when he asked for space. I was not having this attitude of his.

"Okay, Leo. I tried to play nice. What is so important that you blow off all your friends for nearly a month that you can't even tell your partner, or maybe say hi to your best friend who's coming back from the other side of the country?"

He didn't say anything. He pursed his lips and avoided eye contact. I scanned he room for any signs.

It was messier than usual with all the crumpled paper scattered on the floor, especially on his desk. He could have been drawing up new plans. Something in my gut told me that something wasn't right. There were no new unfinished projects, indicating that he wasn't starting a new invention. Harley's helicopter lay on his bench in the same state it was weeks ago. Huh, not even his siblings could enter the Bunker.

I turned and Leo was already changing Festus' oil. I took this moment of distraction to pick up a few pieces of crumpled paper on the floor and on his desk. I had to process the words a bit longer—too long that Leo took notice. Damn dyslexia.

I heard footsteps speed up behind me, but it was too late. I read enough and got the gist of what he had been trying to do these past few weeks.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled at me. Small embers started to erupt between his curls.

I laughed dryly. "So this is what you've been up to?"

His fists tightened, further crumpling the paper in his hands. His eyes flashed with anger, despair and confusion.

I sighed and focused my eyes on his desk, not daring to look at him any longer. Under some pieces of paper were old photographs of him and Piper from Wilderness School. Yup, those definitely were the mist memories she had with Jason. I read the latest draft he'd been writing:

Dear Piper,

Remember the mist memories from boarding school with Jason? They were real, but they were with me.

I miss you. I miss when it was just us. I miss the night on the roof.

Yours truly,

Leo Valdez

I tried to keep my voice from cracking. "How long?"

I heard him sigh. "Three weeks."

I balled my fists. Tears started to fall and smudge the ink. I wiped them away as fast as they came.

"How?"

"In a dream," his tone softened now. "Hera came to me in a dream and told me to check an old drawer in Bunker 9. I found the photos and the memories came rushing back."

"How long were you dating back then?"

"Two weeks."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

Silence; then a deep breath.

"No."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I knew you'd get upset like—"

"I meant why would you throw away months of our relationship for a couple of weeks of your relationship with her? And without even bothering to tell me? Gods damn it, Leo. We've been together since you've first arrived at camp. And what about those promises you made when we were sailing to Greece? You've been keeping these feelings away from me and you've been lying to me, making me believe that there's still something between us and—"

"Oh, calm down," he said with an annoyed expression and tone, which only infuriated me more, "it's not like I did anything were her yet! I didn't kiss her or tell her how I truly felt for her! She just got out of a relationship with Jason around the same time I had that dream. I had to figure out how to talk to her about it. I've been alone in this Bunker for three. Fucking. Weeks. I didn't cheat on you."

"Oh, and that makes everything better?" I countered. "Being in a relationship isn't about not cheating, Leo. It's about being honest and communicating with each other."

"Oh, like you've been communicating with me? After the war, you take go back to Manhattan for school, and you take a job. I haven't seen you much during the holidays because work has been keeping you in the city. And you won't tell me what you even do for a living!"

I took in a deep breath. "I told you I needed to have a life outside of camp! I needed to know first that I could handle myself in the mortal world as a normal human being. I needed this demigod part of my life to be separate as much as possible! I've been in two wars, Leo. I needed time to myself, too. And I was about to tell you guys in a few more days. But I guess now, I'm glad I've kept you out of that part of my life. At least I have an escape from all of this. And now, especially from you."

I took another deep breath and walked to the door, about to let myself out. I turned back again, both our tear-stained eyes meeting each other.

"If it makes you feel any better," I said softly, "I would've hated the idea of us breaking up. But if you really love her, if you really feel like you have this special connection to her and she makes you happy, then I won't get in your way. You could at least have had the decency to talk to me so we could have left on a good note."

He looked at me with wide eyes, clearly regretting his actions. I sighed and looked around the Bunker, possibly for the last time. Lots of memories were definitely created in this room; all just as grand and meaningful as the inventions they made here. But just like some of Hephaestus' contraptions, some of them were flawed and dumped in his scrapyard, no matter how much potential it could have had.

"Goodbye, Leo."

I sat on a rock on the beach that gave me a beautiful view of Long Island Sound. To my left, the sun started to set, casting an orange filter on everything. My heart broke, remembering how everything glowed orange in the Bunker. Leo always left the fires burning when he was working. The sunlight twinkling against the sea reminded me of how small bits of flame peaked through his hair earlier. I remembered how mad he was at me. Or maybe he was mostly mad at himself.

"Hey."

I jumped when someone sat—or rather, landed—beside me. I turned and smiled, seeing one of my good friends back at camp.

"Hey, you're back," I said weakly. "How long have you been here?"

He smiled at me, although he could maybe sense that something was wrong. "Half an hour, maybe? I saw Annabeth making plans to expand camp to have a city. She made me do an aerial inspection and I told her I'll get back to her tonight. That's when I saw you."

"Mhmm," I mumbled, not really knowing what to say. It was silent for a few minutes before I spoke up again, knowing he was just waiting for me to open up.

"I broke up with Leo."

His head quickly turned to me. I guess he wasn't expecting it to be that bad. "What?"

"Oh yeah," I laughed dryly. "Turns out the mist memories Piper had in Wilderness School with you? They were real. But not with you."

His eyes widened. "Oh... With Leo."

"He locked himself in the Bunker for weeks trying to write a letter. It was heartbreaking. Like, truly heartbreaking. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her and how much he missed them. Then he said how much he missed that night with her under the stars and... It hurt. Like hell."

"Oh," he said. "I guess Piper didn't tell me everything then."

"She knew all along?"

He shook his head. "Maybe not everything, but she told me she's been confused about her feelings lately and she'd been having visions or dreams of possible old memories that were messing with her head."

"I'm sorry about you and Piper," I said.

"Don't be," he said. "I understand her. It did hurt, though. But I think I can get over it some day. We're still awkward around each other, but at least we left on a good note."

I scoffed. "Leo couldn't even give me a good ending to our relationship."

"Hey," he said as he put a hand on my shoulder. "You're a great person, y/n. You've done so much, especially for him. It's his loss that he was stupid enough to let go of you."

"I know that."

"Do you really?"

"I do!" I said. "I'm a great person and I know that. But that doesn't mean what he did doesn't hurt me."

"I know," he said. "You'll find someone who'll treat you like the queen that you are. You're a great person, and I'm not just saying this to cheer you up. I truly think you're amazing."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Jason. And you'll find someone great, too. Maybe not as great as me but, then again, who is?"

We both let out a laugh. The conch sounded in the distance, signaling dinner. I moved to stand up before hearing Jason speak up again.

"Hey, do you maybe want to just grab a couple of plates and eat out here?"

I smiled. "Yeah. That sounds good. I don't really want everyone else hounding me about the breakup right now."

I don't know how long it was going to take me to get over Leo. We really did gave something special. It was cruel how the universe gave me something so good, to make me have hope that something was finally going right, then have it yanked away from my arms just as suddenly as it came.

He never cheated on me, but that didn't mean he didn't betray every promise we made to each other. I should have known it was too good to be true. Life has always played cruel jokes on me.

Then again, who's to say that things won't turn out for the better, right?

•••

Tagging: @drvrslcense @bubblybubbubs @dreamerball @quteez @aesthetxcimagines @chasingpj @beingleft @wadewilsonsgreatestfriend

#heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #trials of apollo #hoo #toa #pjo #x reader #jason grace x reader #demigod x reader #percy jackson x reader #leo valdez x reader #piper mclean x reader #annabeth chase x reader #frank zhang x reader #hazel levesque x reader #nico di angelo x reader #hoo preferences #pjo preferences #toa preferences #rick riordan #riordanverse #leo x reader #leo valdez #leo valdez x y/n #leo valdez imagines #leo valdez imagine #leo valdez preferences #angst #jason grace #jason x reader

[nobodysdaydreams]

I STARTED SEASON 3 OF WOLF359 AND GUESS WHAT FOLKS? YOUR SI-5 FAVS ARE HERE, AND I DON’T LIKE THEM CUTTER’S ERRAND BOYS HAVE GOT TO GO (or my reaction to Episodes 29-31 and Mini Episode 4 of Wolf359).

Sorry for the delay, but I did warn you my schedule would be very inconsistent. Thank you everyone for your patience.

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom

Episode 29: Pan-Pan

Minkowski doing the intro because Doug is gone 🥺

Our boy has been gone for 100 days?!?!?

If the others knew about WHAT? Minkowski? Hera?

Ngl, the arguing and bickering subplot is getting a little old. I understand tensions are high due to the Doug situation, but where is the main plot?

Over one hundred critical failures and y’all are still fighting?

“It should be habitable” “But not comfortable”.

I love how Hera and the crew will do things to try help each other feel comfortable even though Hera can’t feel human sensations and the humans can’t feel AI sensations.

Are they gonna have to cuddle for warmth? Snuggle time! 🥰🧸

“Distress calls? Who is gonna pick up?” Why the characters I saw my mutuals posting about before I blocked the wolf359 tags, of course! I can only assume that why they’ve been so excited for me to start season 3.

Hilbert. CUTTER IS NOT GONNA HELP YOU.

No, don’t go to a corner. You guys need to snuggle and feel better.

“Why do I have to go?” Hilbert you tried to kill everyone. So yeah. It does have to be you. It should always be you.

Lovelace that’s too far, Cutter probably put some malware in her.

“Whose fault is it?” CUTTER’S WHO DO YOU THINK.

Oh my gosh this is going WAY too far.

All the bad stuff you did was out of desperation or impaired thinking due to the stress of space, which is, again, BECAUSE OF CUTTER! So stop blaming each other.

Minkowski… oh she misses Doug. 💔

…cracks? The end of operational life? We can’t fix it?

Um. No. Not this hopelessness. I need them strong enough to punch Cutter in the face.

Call command? No. Don’t do that. I don’t trust them. Bad idea. BAD IDEA. The only idea, unfortunately, but that doesn’t make it good.

Episode 30: Mayday

Um. What’s with the weird noises?

DOUG! HE LIVES!

…I say as if there aren’t two seasons left with him as the main character.

Oh no that was a rewind. This is a flashback. So maybe Doug doesn’t live.

Yikes that scream. Me too Doug me too.

Minkowski’s voice in his head 🥺

Haha… mocking him about not reading the manual Cutter worships.

And she put it in there just for him. 💕

Reliant Robin? Interesting name. I like it.

“Ignorance makes death inevitable” well put our heroes sure are ignorant of a lot no thanks to Cutter & co.

It’s okay Eiffel. I like your action plans.

“That’s dead boy talk” 😂

“Find someone else” …interesting. There are others…

…I wonder what they’re like.

I’d hate being frozen like that. Yeah. This is gonna be rough Doug…

I love how he keeps renaming the ship.

Oh gosh. It’s killing him. Poor Doug. Oh dear. Oh Doug.

“USS Peace of Crap”

Oh he lost his hair? Well. At least he matches Hilbert now. Maybe they can bond over that if they ever see each other again.

“Please respond” Doug sounded so broken.

Oh but now there’s whistling 🎶🎶🎶

He doesn’t have nails?

6,000 years? “How do you know there will even be anything there?”

“Nevermind”. Oh that was dark. Doug have you been freezing yourself incorrectly?

What about Hera’s voice? Or the voices of that family he won’t talk about? 👀

You tried Doug. You tried your best. Wait, “never get to talk to who?”

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOODNIGHT DOUG. RAGE!

USS Horrible Unending Nightmare, what a name.

YES HERA.

DOUG THEY WANT TO HELP! Yes! Or maybe no… depends on who it is…

How does he know who he is?

“We’re here to take you home” why do I not fully trust you random man?

Episode 31: Sécurité

Urania? Who is this? 👀

“They’re there”. YES THEY ARE.

JACOBI! Before I blocked the tags, I remember seeing your name. A few other names too in fact.

Well, well, well my friends. I’ve paused the episode to announce that the moment is finally here. You see I wanted to go into this spoiler free, so I dutifully blocked the Wolf359 tags on tumblr. But before I blocked the Wolf359 tags, I saw a lot of angsty Wolf359 fan art from my mutuals heavily implying that the Hephaestus crew gets betrayed by someone they come across. Now I’m going to assume that this is true, maybe I’m off base, maybe I’m not, please don’t confirm or deny anything. But working off this assumption, incorrect or otherwise, is very exciting because I just remember the art, nothing about names or context other than what I stated previously, which means it’s time to play everyone’s favorite game show:

✨Who Is Gonna Betray Everyone? ✨

Welcome to the show ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be checking in later to review our options, but for now let’s see what we got. In one corner we got Jacobi. I recall my mutuals posting about him, but were they doing it affectionately or with anger… ooo… that detail escapes me. And as always we have the “Bods… no one is gonna betray anyone except Cutter and maybe Hilbert again. They’re the bad guys. You already know this. I don’t know what fan art you thought you saw but literally what are you talking about?” And if that is the case then… uh… just ignore this sorry guys.

Ohhhh… never mind! Option 3 has arrived: Wareen Kepler. Works for Goddard Futuristics which already puts him high on the traitor suspect list. But of course Kepler and Jacobi could be working together, come to think of it, I think I might have seen a ship tag of them before blocking the general Wolf359 tag. Is it because they’re a canon couple? Good space buddies? Or a pair of sneaky Judases united by the atrocities they’ve committed? Only time will tell.

SI-5? Okay I have FOR SURE seen that mentioned before.

Kepler knows Hilbert? Oh yeah… yeah Kepler is moving right up that suspect list. Red flags out the wazoo.

Okay Kepler. Respecting Hera’s name. That’s nice, but the red flags are still waving. What do you want to know about Hilbert’s work?

DOUG IS BACK!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳

“Maybe the fact that we brought Doug back is proof we don’t mean you any harm”

EXACTLY WHAT A TRAITOROUS SNAKE WOULD SAY. 🐍

Besides, Cutter still wants to know about the aliens. He’ll keep them alive. For now. But what happens when they run out their use?

They have alcohol on board? Quite a luxury. And the rescue mission is very… nice of Cutter. Creepily and very suspiciously nice. I wouldn’t drink anything he offers you.

Another one? That sounds ominous. And I don’t like that Hera can’t see inside. If this guys are making Hilbert of all people suspicious, clearly things about to go South.

SI-5 agents? Black operations work? Top men? Kepler… the most dangerous man you’ll ever met? Don’t like that.

Don’t like you either scary lady. Oh. She was addressing Hera. I like that, but Dr. Maxwell? So far we haven’t had good luck with science people working for Cutter. And if she’s an AI specialist, she could very well be Cutter’s version of Garrison (@ my TMBS mutuals). Looks like detective Bods has sniffed out another suspect.

Well. She seems very helpful. Suspiciously helpful. And… my AirPods are out of juice.

Thank goodness AirPods charge quickly. Now let’s see… Maxwell is an AI specialist. Oh Hera sounded a bit nervous when she realized Maxwell developed AI. Makes you wonder how AI developers treat their creations. And yeah, why would command send you?

“Who said anything about a rescue mission”?

I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. IT’S ALL THREE OF THEM ISN’T IT AND I’VE BUSTED THOSE LYING LIARS I’VE CRACKED THE CASE WIDE OPEN.

I knew it. They aren’t leaving.

“Your boss is an insane psychopath” THANK YOU DOUG. TELL THE TRUTH.

THEY DID KNOW DOUG. OF COURSE THEY KNEW. THEY’RE PART OF IT. THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN PART OF IT. THEY ARE EVIL. THEY VALUE PROGRESS AND THEIR OWN AMBITIONS MORE THAN HUMAN LIFE. THAT FALLS SQUARELY INTO THE “EVIL” CATEGORY.

“You’re whisky” Guess what Kepler? Guess what Jacobi? What happens when you’re whisky? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE EGGS THAT NEED TO BE CRACKED TO MAKE AN OMLETE?

Maxwell did that to Hera? Oh I might just hate her the most. She needs to keep her hands off of the AI. I know people like her, I recall seeing her name in posts, people have usernames with her in it, but look, right now, I really can’t stand SI-5. Cutter’s little errand boys have got to go.

I love how Hilbert is just back with them now 😂

Yeah, I don’t think knocking them out will work. Never thought I’d say this but Hilbert has a point. Wait, personal interest? I don’t want Cutter taking a personal interest in anything. And I don’t just mean anything involving the mission or space or AI, I mean literally anything. He can’t even take a personal interest in knitting or bowling or historical trivia. He doesn’t deserve hobbies.

Kepler was the one who lied about Lovelace. Well, well, well. Seems like someone has a motivate to kill. 👀

Oh no. They really got to Hera. But if you want to be subtle maybe DON’T change her language like that.

“you won’t see them coming” sure I will Hilbert I saw that fan art. I think they shoot one of you? Maybe I’m remembering it wrong. Well. At least a common enemy is bring the team together. Cheers for that at least. Mini Episode 4: Meanwhile

Mini Episode Time! 🥳

Who is talking? Why…why does that sound like female Cutter? Oh it’s Rachel. Wasn’t that the girl Cutter threatened to throw out a window? I feel less bad for her now.

Cutter please get past the BS.

“The Black Archives” well that doesn’t sound ominous at all. “Things that aren’t supposed to come back, they shouldn’t have a paper trail. They could get us into legal trouble”.

Oh I certainly hope they do Rachel. I hope you get your butts dragged to court: you, Cutter, Jacobi, Kepler, and Maxwell. I hope they throw you in cells without toothpaste and feed you nothing but the frozen mush you gave your astronauts. I hope, just like poor Doug, they force feed you enough cigarettes to get you addicted and then take them away to prevent your from dying faster, but still make you to feel the cravings Doug felt. And if you’re wondering why Hilbert isn’t on my jail list, his recent actions have struck a comical and benevolent chord in my soul. I sentence him to a lifetime of community service that involves surrendering his free will to his creation: the blessed eternal.

What does Blessie think about all this? No one has mentioned him. SI-5 either hasn’t noticed or doesn’t care. But Blessie is a very capable plant. A good ally to have in a time like this.

Omega contingency? “Last resort”. I don’t like that.

“something big is coming” Indeed it is Cutter, and I hope it involves your death. Pretty please it would make my Christmas.

Thanks for reading friends. Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoyed!

#bods wolf359 reactions #wolf 359 #wolf 395 #w359 #renee minkowski #isabel lovelace #alexander hilbert #hera wolf 359 #doug eiffel #daniel jacobi #warren kepler #alana maxwell #wolf359 reaction #wolf359 season 3 #w359 reactions #wolf359 reactions

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Fated Part 1

Ares x Nemesis!reader (as in the goddess)

Word Count: 1496

Summary: The Fates had a plan War and Revenge, here is their story.

Note: Gods age weird, don’t worry about it.

Like any soul that existed, you were born with your future written in metaphorical stone. Whether it would be Aphrodite herself or one of her kind that was going to you with Love’s arrow, you didn’t know, but what you and your entire family did know due to some poor secret-keeping was that you were destined to marry the God of War, Ares himself. It wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone once it was leaked, either, especially once your affinity for Revenge started showing itself. Wars with that particular motivation were a dime a dozen, after all.

Still, even knowing that you and he were destined, you found yourself frozen in place the first time you laid eyes on him. No amount of preparation could have braced you for his beauty, the unique beauty of an Olympian that was so vastly different from any of the Chthonic gods you called your family. Silvery hair was streaked through with blood as crimson as the eyes that scanned the battlefield for his next opponent.

“What’s the matter, dear sister?” Thanatos’ voice teased from next to you.

You didn’t bother to move your gaze to look at him; the smug look on Death’s face was something you were already very familiar with. “Not all of us were raised with our Fated, little brother. You and Zagreus were lucky.”

“That is true.” Fortunately, you and Lord Ares are still quite young, comparatively speaking. There will be plenty of time for you to grow close.”

“Be that as it may, we will not begin that today,” you announced. Your heart raced as those red eyes finally landed on you. A small upturning of his mouth pulled his fine face from a bloodthirsty scowl to an amused smirk. “I must take my leave.”

“Until next time, then.”

~

The next time you met Lord Ares was a much more private--but equally surprising--affair. You’d just finished blessing a woman who’d been praying for your aid at a small temple of yours far in the woods--her husband was a right piece of work that thoroughly deserved what was coming--when the quiet clanking of armor drew your attention to the door. And there he was, glancing around to take in the modest sight.

“Quaint place.”

You scoffed. “There aren’t many people that call upon my services, Lord Ares.”

“A shame. Perhaps we would be meeting before now if that weren’t the case.”

“You could have sought me out.”

“You could have done the same.”

“Ah, but I am a possessive creature,” you informed him. “I will have you to myself or I will not have you. Humans are one thing, but gods are another.”

“So you waited.”

“Until the Fates predictions about your godly children had passed, until all of them were born.” You didn’t bother to reveal how you knew the details about them. The answer was simple; your weaving sisters sometimes had poor ambrosia tolerance.

“A patience I can admire.”

“Impressive considering how impulsive your family claims you are.”

He chuckled. “And you should know that those that say such things have little grasp of the truth of war. Ones such as you and I know that the sweetest battles simmer for a time.”

“I couldn’t have phrased it better myself.”

He stepped closer. “Have you any pressing matters?”

“Not for a time. What are you scheming?”

“Come with me to my House. We have stalled our meeting for far too long. I have a fine vintage I’ve been saving for this occasion.”

“Ambrosia?” you let your tone slip into mock-surprise. “Suddenly I don’t think your intentions are as pure as getting to know one another.”

“Well,” his smile showed off unnaturally sharp canines, “perhaps those rumors of my impulsive ways aren’t as false as I’d like to believe.”

~

Perhaps it was rash, but the pair of you married the following day after having spent the entire night just talking--despite any promises to do much more physical things. It was a small, quick ceremony with the only outsiders being your mothers. Hera, being the Goddess of Marriage herself, officiated while Nyx simply observed with a fond smile. Then the pair of you promptly vanished from everyone’s awareness for a honeymoon of sorts, one spent in the House of War Ares called home, the one far away from Olympus and its prying population.

It was only once you resurfaced that you realized six human months had passed. Oh well. Let the mortals enjoy their peace. It was unlikely that the gods of Olympus noticed either of your absences anyway.

You parted from your husband with a lingering kiss after placing his black laurels on his head for the first time in all that time.

~

You could still smell the iron and ash scent of Ares on your clothes by the time you crossed paths with your favorite brother. Part of you hoped he noticed your absence--you longed to gush about your newfound love--but the rest of you prayed you got to keep the secret and your privacy just a bit longer.

“It’s been a while, sister,” Thanatos greeted after he reaped the man whose wife poisoned him under your influence.

“We all need a break from time to time, Than. Remind me, how long was your first vacation with Zag?”

His cheeks colored with a blush. “Fair enough.” He cleared his throat. “Was your break restful?”

You fought the urge to touch the small vial of Ares’ ichor he’d given to you as a symbol of his vow at your wedding, the one that hung under the silver collar you war that was so similar to Than’s, the one that Ares had the match to on a cord under his breastplate. “And then some.” Your heart longed for your lover already, but you both had a job to do and secrets to keep from enemies that might try to use your bond against each other.

“I am glad. Truly. You deserved to relax for a while.” With that, he nodded at you and vanished in his customary green flash.

~

Time, as demonstrated by the six month leave of absence, passed differently for gods than it did mortals. Years passed in the blink of an eye without you really noticing. Here and there your strange schedule aligned with his and allowed the two of you the time to thoroughly enjoy each other’s company once more. So it was no big surprise when you went a while without seeing him.

‘A while’ being roughly a human year.

In that year, you had noticed a few odd things. The wars you saw taking place held none of the ferocity that Ares brought with him like a perfume. The vial of ichor seemed cooler against your skin rather than brimming with the heat that always seemed to radiate off of him. You’d assumed it was due to Ares staying at House War to spend time with his sons, the twins Aphrodite didn’t lift a hand to help raise.

You only learned how wrong you were when Hermes suddenly skidded to a stop in front of you, blocking the temple door you’d been about to leave through. It was only after you snapped, “This had better be important, boy; I have things to attend to,” that you noticed the panic on his face and the alarming amount of golden ichor on his hands.

“Hera ordered me to fetch you,” he rushed out in that speedy way of talking he always had. “You must come to her at once!”

“What’s happened?” Your hand drifted to the silver colored dagger at your hip, another gift from Ares, this one from the last time you saw him. Worry lanced through your heart in the seconds before he answered. Still, you tried to reason with yourself that the fear was for naught. Ares was a god after all. The iron and ash smell wafting around you was your imagination, nothing more.

“It’s Ares.” Or not. “Hera told me to get you because he’s your Fated. I thought it was strange since the two of you hardly know each other, but with the shape he’s in there really wasn’t time to argue--”

“Hermes!” you cut him off. “What. Happened?”

“Giants caught him!” he yelped, fearing retribution from the goddess of the concept. “Kept him in chains for a year. She’s not sure he’ll pull through.”

Your blood chilled in a way it hadn’t since your little brother, Death, had been brought into the world. “Where is he, Hermes? Has she taken him to Olympus? Or is he home in Thrace?”

The fleet-footed god faltered. “I-I’m not sure. She mentioned something about moving him--”

“Find them, boy,” you snarled, vision clouding red around the edges with rage at the lack of information. “Go to Olympus and find out where my husband is!”

With wide eyes and another yelp, Hermes vanished. Only to reappear a breath later panting, “She’s moved him to Thrace!”

“Take me to him.”

#ares x reader #ares imagine #ares hades imagine #ares hades x reader #hades imagine #hades game imagine #hades supergiant imagine #reader insert #nemesis!au

[morizoras-cave]

Pick Me Up (Request)

Tom Holland x gn!teen!co-star!reader, Jake Gyllenhaal x gn!teen!co-star!reader

Genre: angst, fluff

Request Description: tom holland! x teen!costar!reader and jake gyllenhaal x teen!costar!reader where the reader occasionally attends school irl. one day after school, the reader doesn't show up on set and everyone starts worrying. tom and jake try to call her and when she finally answers, she's crying and asking them to pick her up. they meet her and find out that she's been attacked by hater/bullies and they both get super mad and protective. thank you!

Warnings: bullying, insecurity, depression, violence, physical assault, language

(A/N): there will be an a/n tomorrow. i will probably be taking a break from writing for a little bit (like a week or two i estimate). im starting at a boarding school, and i really want to adjust and not force myself to write right at the start. anyway more details will be released tomorrow

You were always picked on. Ever since you were very small, kids had always loved pushing you around and teasing you. Nothing changed as you got older. You’d think that perhaps being casted in a movie would change something. It just didn’t.

It wasn’t a great feeling, that you were destined to be a loser. It just seemed that no one liked you. Or at least no one liked you enough to stand up to your bullies. 

When you were cast in a Marvel movie, you thought that you would get a vacation from that endless tormenting. Of course, you knew you’d be doing homework and assignments a your hotel still, but not physically being there was the dream for you.

Even that didn’t pan out. Your school was strict. Thankfully, the personnel at Marvel negotiated with them, and a schedule was made. You had three real-life school days each month. It was better but your bullies still seemed determined to stay on your mind. 

They never lay a finger on you. Nothing beyond pushing and tripping ever happened. That’s why it was so shocking, when one day in the break, someone slapped you right across the face.

Then you felt a push, a kick, and a punch, and after that it all muddled into a painful rain of blows to your body. You were crouched in the grass behind the school, and seven kids were kicking and hitting you, some of them spitting on you.

“You little bitch!”

“Do you think just ‘cause you’re in a movie, you’re suddenly worth something?”

“This bitch thinks they’re better than us now.”

“Let’s show them how fucking pathetic they really are!” 

You didn’t know when you started crying. Probably immediately. It was hard to keep track of yourself and everyone around you, when you were so overwhelmed. It was hard to process the situation, so you rather just tried to live through it. At some point they left, and you didn’t. You kept lying there, sobbing, clutching your stomach and aching body. It felt like you were on fire. 

Meanwhile, that particular day you actually had to come to set and film after school, something that thankfully didn’t happen often (as it was kind of stressful to do both in one day). You were running late.

“Is Y/n here yet?” someone yelled throughout the set. The director was sitting in his chair, rubbing his head and tapping his foot impatiently. “No!” it came from the other side of set. 

While most of the set workers were pretty pissed that you weren’t there, your costars, the people who’d gotten to know you the best, were worried. You were punctual. One time, when you lost track of time doing homework, you ran to set, to get there on time. In other words, something was definitely wrong. 

“I’ve sent them, like, 70 messages,” Tom mumbled, scrolling through your conversation on messenger. Your costars were gathered together on set, sitting or standing in a circle and waiting. 

“This isn’t like them,” Zendaya shook her head worryingly. The other people in the circle mumbled in agreement. The set was unorganized, chaotic, people were dashing back and forth everywhere. Things could not go forward without you present. 

“I’m gonna call them,” Jake said finally, convinced after watching a set worker look at a clipboard, widen their eyes, and then massage their temples cartoonishly. 

He whipped out his phone and clicked on your number. Ringing ensued. The others actors watched him, aching to know what was wrong. 

“Hello?” 

Jake knew immediately that something was very wrong. His mind was already racing, wondering what could’ve gotten you so upset. Your voice was snotty and shaking. You sounded like you’d been crying. 

“Hi, N/n. How are you doing? You okay?” Jake’s voice was gentle, but he couldn’t stop the overflow of questions coming form his mouth. His chest rumbled with worry. 

“I’m- I- I’m not alright. Can you.. Can you pick me up?” your voice, thought gravelly and low, was somehow still the softest thing he’d ever heard. You sounded so vulnerable. 

“Of course. Of course I’ll come. Where are you?” Jake made eye contact with a couple of the actors, whose faces were now twisted into concerned frowns and furrowed brows.

“At school.” 

“Alright, I’ll come get you now, can you wait outside?” 

Jake ran to his car, Tom trailing right behind him. 

“What happened to her? Jake, wait up!” 

When they got to you, you looked so small, crying and shaking on the sidewalk. Your arms and legs and your face were red. 

“What happened to you?” Jake exclaimed, practically jumping out of the car, and crouching down beside you. You looked up at him, clenching your jaw. Your eyelashes were dripping. 

“These kids.. They.. They beat me up,” you sobbed, hiding your face in your arms again. Jake frowned, heart clenching. He gently placed a hand on your back, and then pulled you into a careful hug. 

Tom was shaking, watching you. His heart physically hurt seeing you like that, but mostly he just wanted to beat up those kids. He wanted to make them pay. 

“Tom, calm down,” Jake whispered to him, gesturing to you in his arms. Tom softened. He knew that beating them up would do nothing. They had to focus on you. For now.

Tom crouched down as well, so they were both hugging you and rubbing your back. You, aching and feeling worthless, unable to handle it by yourself, felt yourself eased at their presence. It felt almost like everything would be fixed with them there.

You pulled away, no longer crying. Now everything just hurt. 

“What are the names of the kids?” Tom’s voice was gravelly, as soon as you pulled back. It seemed like he had maintained some of the initial anger. 

“Tom, I-”

“I don’t want to fight about this, Y/n. Give me their names. I’m fucking serious,” Tom, although angry, was still holding onto your hand for dear life. His thumb brushed over the back of your hand invitingly. You looked to Jake, but he wasn’t going to help you protect those kids. 

You told them their names. At least the ones who usually bullied you and the ones whose voices you recognized. You could tell that ‘usually bullied’ angered Tom and Jake. 

“How long has this been going on?” Jake asked and his voice was much softer than Tom. You scoffed. 

“Way longer than I’ve known you guys!” you were actually getting annoyed at this point. What did they think you were going to beg them for help, so they could magically fix your life? 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Tom blurted out. His feelings were stronger than his head. He clenched your hand.

“I didn’t want to be unprofessional! I didn’t- I didn’t want to be a bother!” 

“Well, I think the friendship we all share is more than professional. We’re friends, Y/n. You should tell friends when you’re bothered by something! Because look at you now-” his voice broke. Tom choked up, eyes red as a single tear slid down his face. He wiped it away. Guilt coated your insides, bile rising in your throat. 

Every inch they could see was bruised. Your eyes were puffy, and you were sitting on the sidewalk helplessly. You were beaten down. No one wants to see their friend like that. 

“Alright,” Jake cleared his throat, “how about we go back to the hotel now? I’ll make a few calls with the set and your parents, and we’ll make sure those kids aren’t there the next time you go to school. And we’ll get some ice for those bruises.”

You didn’t answer for a moment. Then you nodded. 

Jake did exactly that, whilst you lay on your bed, holding ice to your arms, and wrapped in your duvet. Tom hugged you there silently, Jake talking in the other room. 

“Don’t hide that stuff,” Tom mumbled tiredly. You nodded, “Let’s go to sleep.”

“I agree,” and then you both fell asleep like it was nothing. When Jake had finished the dozens of phone calls, he came back into your room, only to see you and Tom asleep in an adorable hug. He smiled, because despite your awful experience that day, you looked so happy with your friend. Jake knew you would be okay before you even knew it yourself, but he was right. You would be okay. :)

___________________________

Tag List:

@hera-the-writer @marvel-madness @40srogcrs @whatthefuckimbisexual @snarky–starky @garbage-potato @lozzypoz321 @allthecreativeonesaretaken @missamericana713 @rororo06 @shady80smusicsingercolor @ireadfanficforfun @deephideoutmilkshake @rae-is-typing @sophs-library @herecomesthewriterwitch @alicedanganh @eviemarvel @idk123906

#tom holland x reader #jake gyllenhaal x reader #spiderman x reader #spiderman cast x reader #marvel cast x reader #mcu cast x reader #avengers cast x reader #avengers cast x teen!reader #marvel cast x teen!reader #mcu cast x teen!reader #spiderman cast x teen!reader