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dat-town · 9 months

Text

the things we lose in fire

Characters: Sunwoo & female reader

Setting & genre: fantasy, Alchemy of Souls au, not your typical enemies to lovers au

Summary: About a girl who slowly lowers her guards around a boy who is destined to be her enemy.

Warnings: canon-typical violence, folklore monsters, blood, burn marks, arson (the bermuda triangle is pretty much the mean girls of jeongjinrak and i may have enjoyed that too much)

Words: 13.6k

Author’s note: there are lots of references to the original kdrama but i think it can be read without seeing the show. there are spoilers about the season 2 ending though because the main characters are the next generation, relatives of the original characters

happy name day @lily-blue, i'm glad we can still fangirl over any piece of media just like we used to <3

the photo for the header is by sunset lover

Even with your eyes closed, you could feel the shift of energy behind you.

Blinking, you turned around just in time to raise your sword in front of your body in defense, to fend off the huge blow coming your way. You snickered as your feet slid backwards on the wooden floor from the strength of it and looked at your opponent with furrowed eyebrows.

Jaehyun looked awfully pleased with himself that he managed to surprise you. As if his ego wasn’t big enough already, he had mastered Chisu recently, an ability only a few of your age owned, and he liked to show it off. Too bad for him, you had your own tricks up your sleeves. So you just smirked back at him and before he could have started his next attack on you with his double swords slicing the air, you lunged forward with precise and sharp movements, forcing him to switch to defense and back away. You could hear the hollers around you but you paid them no mind as you tried to make a hit that could have been lethal if you used your real weapons instead of the practice ones Jeongjinrak let you.

You could tell that the boy started to get annoyed and him losing focus on his movements as he let his emotions take over played right into your hands. You felt the exact moment when he wanted to break out of the defense mode and you managed to swirl out of his sword's way easily then making your way behind him, you held your sword at the side of his neck threateningly.

“I win,” you exclaimed watching with a triumphant smile as the boy lowered his weapons.

The other students around you whooped and clapped, gathering around you, patting you on the back, congratulating, while Jaehyun had his own share of friends who consoled him after his defeat, telling him not to take it to his heart, to not care about her, you know how she is. But of course, the infamous Seo Yul’s nephew couldn’t let it go just like that.

“It’s not fair, you know. You have an advantage with those priestess abilities of yours,” he pointed out, panting, bitter, and you scoffed. It wasn’t the first time you heard that. Others liked to say that if it hadn’t been for your parents they would have beat you in a fair fight. You found their reasoning ridiculous. Nothing out there in the real world with its dangers was about fairness. Would they have whined like this when they faced an enemy stronger than them too? It wasn’t like you just sat around and you were this good. You had to learn how to control your family’s power just as much as you had to master Ryusu to unsheathe your sword like any other pupils of this institute for mages. Your mother had stayed up with you when your fever kept you up after the first signs of your power and your father had taken you to the mountains to practice every summer. Both of them had faced their own hardships and struggles with their powers, they both understood the envy you had gotten for the abilities you had been born with. Not that it helped when you were in a room full of boys with raging testosterone, wanting nothing more than to prove their manliness by defeating you. A girl on top of everything.

“Excuses. Tell that to yourself if it helps you sleep at night,” you rolled your eyes at Jaehyun and shrugged after you slid your sword back into its scabbard. “It’s not like I can switch it off.”

He was just hurt that his pride was wounded with another lost sparring against you. He took great pride in being from the big Seo family, associated with the royal family after all and being the nephew of Jeongjinrak’s leader he had all hopes laid out there for him. But even with his Chisu, he wasn’t as good as you. You didn’t even have to extinguish all the lights in the chamber like you had done with Juyeon last time.

“That last move was so good! You have to teach me that sometime,” Changmin threw an arm over your shoulder and you flashed him a grateful smile. Having a friend like him surely had its perks.

You asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch, eager to fill your stomach after the exercise but before the boy could tell you all about the honey biscuits he craved, the ones your mom always sent you, there was a commotion by the door that attracted everybody’s attention. Hyungseo basically fell through the door when it opened.

“You won’t believe what just happened! Haknyeon just saw the new mage pupil with Master Seo,” he said in a too serious tone for such a simple statement.

“And?” Chanhee asked with disinterest lacing his words, clearly above caring about such boring matters. The bearer of news looked around, waiting a long beat before blurting out what was followed by a stunned silence:

“It’s Kim Sunwoo.”

Everybody had heard of Kim Sunwoo.

He had almost as many gossips about his birth as you did. Why? Because your fates were connected. It was written in the stars.

Everybody had a plaque of constellations from the time they were born, it was kept in the royal observatory, Cheonbugwan. Your maternal grandfather had worked there and even though he had been long gone before you were born, you had always thought of him when you entered the place, imagining him hovering above the black plaques splattered with white spots.

You were six when your mother had first taken you there. She wasn't supposed to but King Gowon had a soft spot towards your parents – saying he shared a turtle with them had been an ongoing joke that you never understood –, so he allowed the exception. Your parents had suffered a lot due to your father's constellation after all.

You had heard their story over and over: Jang Uk, only son of the Jang family, had been born under the King's Star in the sky, destined for majestic things. Almost everybody who knew about it had been killed just to keep it as a secret, to not let anybody know that Jang Uk was actually the son of the belated king who practiced the dark magic called alchemy of souls to switch bodies with Jang Gang gwanju. Your mother's father, Cho Chung was a constellation recorder mage at the time, one of the unfortunate ones who had to die, taking your entire maternal family with him, so the king at the time could rule. Your mother had been taken in by a man who had trained her into a deadly assassin. Naksu had spread fear while she wanted to get revenge but she ended up switching souls – or more like sharing souls – with a girl who was unbeknownst to her the lost daughter of the Jin family, a powerful priestess. Your father had fallen in love with her as an assassin and as a priestess too and that's how you had been born as the daughter of the two most powerful people of Daeho who had gone against every odd to be together.

Of course, it was only the version you and the family knew. Everybody else could only see that Jang Uk, the most powerful mage they had seen, the always rebel, had gone against Jinyowon’s strict leader and married her confined eldest daughter with whom they had saved Daeho.

With parents like that, you were expected of a lot. Especially after being born under the Morningstar which, as your mother explained, was a sign that you were destined to bring light into darkness. There were whispers about your fate all around Daeho.

Just as much as about Kim Sunwoo’s.

His life was irrevocably intertwined with yours since he was said to have been born with the energy of the Firebird that your parents had killed.

You and Changmin were out to visit the iron master of the town for the new throwing stars Jeongjinrak ordered. Some, like that prick Jaehyun, would have thought that it was beneath you to do such things but you actually liked to do errands like this. Things might not have been as strict as they had been in your parents' time, not even allowing for family visits unless it was an urgent situation, but the training center of Songrim still felt stuffy sometimes. You liked to visit the lively market or play stone skipping with your friends whenever you had had enough of the constant sword and mind practice. Master Seo was your parents' friend – as well as Songrim's leader, Park Danggu –, so he made sure to often remind you that you didn't have to push yourself too much, that you should not break under the pressure of expectations but it was hard. Both of your parents had defeated death at least once, how could you just live a normal mage's or priestess' life? You were ought to do grand things.

One day.

Today your biggest problem was how to steal some time to visit Kim ahjussi's chicken soup stall before you had to go back to Jeongjinrak. That was, until a bright voice called your name. You let out a groan. Just what you missed from your day.

"Y/N! Changmin! So nice to see you. Running an errand I see," the boy dressed in silk stated cheerfully.

"Your Highness," your friend greeted the Crown Prince politely when he slipped into your view, successfully halting your steps. Sometimes you truly wondered how his eunuch kept up with him but the loyal servant was behind him like a shadow.

"Youngjae," you sighed, calling him by his first name, a privilege you had because you had played with him since you two had been kids. Your mother had helped the king find a suitable queen after all. However, with the boy following you around like a hyperactive puppy, some people thought he was pursuing you with serious intentions because you marrying into the royal family would have meant adjoining multiple influential families of Daeho. But it was as unlikely as the Sun suddenly rising from the West. Youngjae was like your little brother at most, you couldn’t look at him any other way.

"Any plans on visiting the palace any time soon? It gets boring without company."

"I'm sure you have more than enough people around you," you eyed the poor eunuch who always followed the boy around.

"But that's not the same, they are court servants, they don't have a choice," the prince whined and tried to use his puppy eyes on you.

Before you started your official training, you indeed spent a lot of time on palace grounds with him, especially when your parents were out hunting down whatever creature terrorized the people. They either took you to Jinyowon to stay with your cousins or the palace during those times. That's where you learned sparring from palace guards, ate the most delicious food in seven provinces and decided that you were never ever going to marry into the royal family. You could not stand the hypocrisy and conspiracies. You might have gotten used to the whispers behind your back but the palace was a whole nother level. You would have felt sorry for Youngjae if he experienced the same but he seemed blissfully unaware of his surroundings like the spoiled brat he was.

"We could have a sparring battle! Winner gets to make a wish!" The prince threw in as if it was such a novel idea but you only had to exchange a glance with Changmin to know that he had already had enough of this, too.

"You have lost every single time before. Didn't you have enough?" You sighed but Youngjae just grinned, ever so optimistic.

"It's called determination. Just watch and see, one day I will beat you."

"Good luck with that," you said a bit bitterly, internally adding but that day won't be today as you turned the corner the next time you saw a chance for it. There were many people at the market and many stalls with colorful goods put on display, so you slipped underneath a table, crawling behind the stall and slipped through a crack between two wooden houses, moving farther from the busy streets of the market.

It might not have been nice, slipping away like that but your family was already obligated to attend the equinox ceremony at the palace over the next weekend and you had more important things to care about than chit-chatting with a bored prince.

You looked behind you, checking the crowd just in case Youngjae could keep up with you but you saw no sign of him or Changmin. You hoped your friend could get away too without being dragged into an unnecessary fight with His Highness to save his pride. You were still busy looking over the mass of people when you stumbled as your shoulder hit something firm.

"Sorry," you mumbled on instinct since you were brought up to be polite but a moment later you froze, confused. Sure, you didn't look ahead where you were going while you were watching your back, so anybody could have thought it was natural to bump into somebody on your way but you usually didn't make mistakes like that. With your inherited power to sense energy, you could usually tell if you were near somebody. But this time, something was off. You couldn't have named what was different but something was unique about this person's energy and it didn't feel right. You turned your gaze up at the stranger but half of his face was covered with a scarf and he wore a hood over his head. You could only catch a glimpse of his dark eyes, crimson locks and sharp gaze before he continued his way, his long sword draped across his back like a warning.

You looked after him with furrowed brows, confused but snapped out of your trance when somebody called your name. You straightened your back and looked at Changmin who waved to you from the other side of the road, alone. You smiled back at him mischievously because it seemed so that His Highness had lost another game of his.

Jeongjinrak had already been buzzing with anticipation and rumors about the new arrival but it wasn't until the next afternoon sword practice that Kim Sunwoo arrived.

The lively chatter of the hall died down as soon as Master Seo walked in carrying an authoritative aura around him despite his youthful features. Then the whispering started because the man was followed by a boy wearing the mage trainees' silver-blue uniform, his burgundy locks kept out of his face with a similar headband. He didn't look scary or vengeful like the rumors suggested but there was some kind of searing coldness around him, something unusual about his magic, you could tell, so you didn't take your eyes off him.

"Everyone, this is Kim Sunwoo, the institution's newest student," Seo Yul introduced the newbie calmly, not reprimanding the murmuring crowd for once.

"Can he even wield a sword?"

"Does he really do dark magic?"

"Is he going to practice with us?"

Hushed questions and curious gazes were sent in the boy's direction but he seemed unbothered by it all. He just stood there and stared ahead, hands behind his back. His presence was a bit… underwhelming. The rumors about him claimed he was dangerous and deadly, that he was about to bring destruction like the Firebird whose energy he had been apparently born with. But he looked like just a boy and really, you should have known better than to believe gossip after the telltales about you as well.

"He's going to join the training from now. Welcome him nicely," Master Seo finished his speech and clapped his hands, encouraging the pupils to get into position around the practice dolls. The place wasn't big enough for everybody to have their own, so you usually took turns in groups of 2 or 3 to practice different attacking techniques.

Everybody seemed wary of letting the new boy join their group and he didn't seem keen to ask about it either. You exchanged a glance with Changmin as a silent question and he shrugged with no objection. He was friends with you too despite the rumors about you, so you knew he wasn't judgemental when it came to prophecies. Having a High Priestess as your mother you did believe in fate but you also thought that it was not unchangeable and often these prophecies were vague enough to not know their true meaning until much later.

So you were about to call over for the new boy, telling him to join your group, so you could show him how these kinds of practices worked but before you could have done so, Jaehyun stepped in the way of Kim Sunwoo. With his pride you knew that it was bad news, especially when Juyeon and Younghoon, his equally popular and self-assured friends, followed.

"Is it true that your parents are dead?" Jaehyun asked and you sucked in a breath. Of course, he had to pick bones with the new kid on his first day. He just couldn't sit on his spoiled ass in peace. Typical.

"Why does it matter to you?" Sunwoo spoke up for the first time since he had arrived and his voice was deeper than you expected but just as cold as his appearance. And even though he was talking quietly, in the tense silence of the practice room where barely anybody pretended to not pay attention his words could be heard clearly.

"Did you kill them?" Jaehyun pressed on, such an asshole move.

"Why, wanna die too?" The redhead spat back at him but Jaehyun just laughed as if it was funny.

You looked around but saw no supervisors which, in retrospect, was no surprise, Jaehyun usually only put on his big boy pants when his uncle or his men weren't around.

"I was just curious. How can somebody walk around with the blood of their parents on their hands," he said and that was when you felt a sudden shift in the energy, something hot and surging like lava boiling up, then a moment later Sunwoo unsheathed his sword, the point of its blade stopping right under Jaehyun's chin. The metal didn't glow blue like usually when a mage's energy shifted into ot, rather it looked like it was smoldering as if it burned scorching hot. You had never seen something like this.

"One more word about my parents and I will walk out of here with your blood on my hands," Sunwoo hissed and based on the arrogant grin on the other's face, he just couldn't get the seriousness of the situation. He was so sure that nobody would dare to hurt him as a relative of the King. But he couldn't feel the darkening energy that started to envelope the room, the building up anger and the weight of such power that was ready to burst.

"Just shut up, Jaehyun," you snapped at the boy harshly and tugged on Kim Sunwoo's arm that held the weapon to pull him away. He barely nudged and his skin felt feverish even over the layers of his uniform. You yanked your hand back because it almost burned, what the hell.

Sunwoo's dark eyes focused on you for a moment and it was when you realized where you had already sensed his energy. At the market a few days ago. You couldn't feel the unusualness of his energy this time when he walked into the hall but now, it was sharp and clear like the smell of rain after a storm.

The boy glared at you as if he had any reason to be mad at you and before anybody could have stopped him, he pushed past Jaehyun's gang, out of the main hall.

Him storming out of the place wasn't left uncommented, of course. Master Seo's nephew claimed that the newbie overreacted while others muttered about his bad temper and how the situation could have gotten worse if you didn't interfere. Not that Jaehyun was grateful, he clearly thought that he was handling the situation perfectly. And Kim Sunwoo… he might not have needed your help to protect himself but his actions clearly showed that he had no idea what kind of people were at Jeongjinrak. If he had seriously injured Jaehyun, his father wouldn't have left him unpunished and as an orphan Sunwoo probably didn't have anybody powerful enough who would have stood up for him. It was better if he didn't stir trouble with the Seo–Lee family.

You didn't know what to expect from Kim Sunwoo after his first day bravado but he showed up the next day at the practice room earlier than anybody and he sat in the back at the history lesson held by Park Danggu. His swordsmanship wasn't elegant at all, it looked like he either self-studied it or picked it up from a very shabby master but even like that, he had clearly reached Jipsu and Ryusu because he could gather energy of water flow and direct it to his opponent during a fight. He had a very street-like technique if it could even be named one but he still managed to land the three blows needed to win in your practice fights against Younghoon who was left speechless on the ground after the last energy burst pushed him to his butt. It made you wonder whether he had come to your training center to learn how to master his skills to their full potential or he had another reason. Most people don't join Jeongjinrak at his level or as late as his age.

Sunwoo seemed to have become an expert in ignoring Jaehyun's remarks which (to your greatest delight) annoyed the hell out of the noble guy. However, sometimes you could tell that the accusations hit too close to home. You could sense the shift in energy or get a whiff of smoke and when you walked by Sunwoo's seat, you saw that he had left a burnt handprint on the wooden desk. Even though Sunwoo didn't hurt anybody, he wasn't particularly nice to the other pupils, which didn't help the rumors. Some said he would snap one day and burn the whole place down and judging by the dark look in his eyes, you wouldn't have been too surprised either. Though unlike others you doubted he had come to Jeongjinrak with that purpose.

"I heard there's some uproar at the academy these days," your father brought up casually one dinner when you were allowed to be outside of the establishment. "Not gonna lie, it has been strangely calm ever since Yul took over."

"He's working hard, come on," your mother tsked, amused as always whenever it was about their friends and their bickering.

"I'm not saying he doesn't, but he might get bored there at this rate," your father mused out loud, picking out a honey biscuit from the bowl on the table and you knew he was just joking because he had done a lot so that Daeho could be as peaceful as it was.

"It's not really an uproar. Just a new guy," you shrugged. You didn't want to give too much meaning to the prophecies and predicaments about his and your future, you didn't want that to influence anything. Not after how unfairly mage masters had treated your father in the past because of such things.

"Just a guy with the Firebird's energy," your father pointed out mimicking the casual way you talked and your gazes met when you looked up to glare at him sulkily. You didn't want to worry your mother, so it would have been better if she didn't even know it. Wishful thinking, your father never kept secrets from your mother. Who was now looking at you, bewildered.

"Is it true?"

"Yeah. But he isn't that bad. Like, yes, his energy feels a bit wrong and wild but he keeps it under control," you said because the last thing you wanted was to be withdrawn from training just because your mother was worried. You were often told that you were a lot like her actually: reckless when it was about your own safety but fiercely protective when it came to your loved ones.

"Well, not every unknown or powerful is evil. There better not be another witch hunt out of fear," your mother concluded with a hand over yours, lightly squeezing. "It's actually better that he is here, supervised than being out there, doing god knows what. If he becomes dangerous, we can protect you here."

You sighed, having had enough of being treated like a baby.

"Mom! I can protect myself."

"Sure you can, our brave daughter," your father joined with a fond smile and ruffled your hair. He stuffed honey biscuits into your mouth to suppress your big girl complaints.

You could be the best mage pupil at Jeongjinrak but you would always be the beloved daughter of Cho Yeong and Jang Uk.

You weren't looking for trouble, really. It was a mere precaution. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer or whatever. If you were indeed destined nemesis with Kim Sunwoo, you should have known what he was up to. Did he really only come to Jeongjinrak to be a better mage? Did he even want to be an integrated part of society? Where did he learn how to fight like that? What else was there to his story?

You had a dozen questions which could only be answered by the guy himself but even after weeks of attending the academy, he still wasn't befriending anybody. Not even Haknyeon with whom he had been doing sparring practice lately. So you did the next best thing you could do instead of talking to him: you followed him when you caught sight of him slipping away under the dark of night after the curfew started.

It wasn't the first time you broke this rule of Jeongjinrak but it was the first time when it was because of a boy.

Sunwoo didn't go far, just over the walls, to a small abandoned house with an extinguished pit of fire in its garden. He stopped there, circling around the charred black ground then sat down with his legs crossed. You watched him from over the top of the walls, not wanting to make any further noise by jumping down on the other end and risking getting caught. You wanted to see what he was doing without him knowing after all. So then you waited.

After a few moments passed and nothing happened, Sunwoo looked like he was in the middle of a deep meditation, so you kind of regretted the awkwardly uncomfortable position you chose. You had good stamina but pulling yourself up onto a wall with only half your weight supported by a tree branch… it wasn't ideal. But then, after more minutes of just waiting, something happened, something that shouldn't have been possible: the dry leaves and branches in front of the sitting boy suddenly burst into flames as if he had stroked stones against each other to spark a fire. However, Sunwoo did no such thing, in fact he did not move at all. While he was with his back to you, so you couldn't tell for sure but you would have bet that he had his eyes closed. He just shifted energy to fire and if it wasn't enough proof, you saw him raise a hand and form a little ball of fire in his palm. It was the same thing you were taught to do with water but you had never seen, never even heard of anybody being able to do that with fire.

Your magic was based on the energy of the sky that ruled the wind, the clouds and rain. It was the first thing kids learned. It was a definite truth like the Sun rising in the East. It was taught at the first class you took at Jeongjinrak: that the energy from above crashed into the water basin next to Daeho, Lake Gyeongcheondo, and it brought powerful magic to the ground. The same lake that became the burial place of the Firebird twenty or so years ago. Right when Sunwoo was born.

You should have gone back to the dormitory then, finally knowing what he was doing but questions kept stirring up in you and you couldn't just leave. As you straightened yourself from the cramping position, the branch creaked beneath your weight and you could see Sunwoo perk his ears at the sound. It was time to quit hiding.

"So this is why you sneak out? Honestly, I expected something more exciting," you spoke up casually as you swang one leg after the other over the wall and hopped down elegantly on the other side. You dusted your hands down in your overskirt and stepped closer to the small fire.

"Like what? Hiding bodies?" The boy asked stiffly.

He was watching you as if he couldn't tell your motives and he was probably right to do so. But you didn't spy on him just so you could tell on him or blackmail him, it was merely to satisfy your own curiosity.

"Pranking Jaehyun's gang or something," you said with a nonchalant shrug which made Sunwoo scoff. Unlike his usual neutral expression, he almost looked amused then, so you decided it was safe to ask more.

"You know who I am, right?" You started off as you sat down across him, watching as he was drawing patterns into the ash. It might have sounded like a self-flattery question but you knew your reputation and most people didn't act around you like he did. Considering that you were even said to be each others' nemesis.

"Who doesn't?" Sunwoo rolled his eyes but it didn't quite answer your question. Or well, not the underlying one you were actually curious about. Of course, he knew you, you were in one class but it didn't mean he knew about your family, your power.

"And the prophecy about us?"

"I don't believe in such things," he said coldly, looking up at you. He looked serious and you didn't know how to feel about it. Obviously you were glad that he wasn't outright antagonistic against you but you did believe in fate and him not caring about it was off putting. "Why? Did you expect me to attack you the moment we met?"

So he did know about it.

"No," you mumbled, feeling a bit confused because whenever you did imagine meeting him, you thought it would be under much more disturbing circumstances. With Daeho in danger for example. Or that he would be evil. He didn't seem like that but one could never know for real.

So you changed the topic. There was no use sticking to one about destiny when he didn't believe in it.

"Why are you out here practicing alone?" You looked around the abandoned neighborhood. Sure, people might have looked at him weirdly if they saw he was practicing a kind of skill that was unlike any other you had encountered before but that was because people were always wary of unfamiliar things.

"It's not something others can teach me. My old mentor said that it's unprecedented, so…" Sunwoo just shrugged, resigned. "I get it. It's unnatural. Most people fear me."

You knew that feeling, being looked at with fear just because you could do something others couldn't. Being the daughter of a powerful priestess and a mage with a dark past without others knowing that your mother's soul had also been an assassin could have either made you an outcast or popular. You weren't a fan of either but the mage students at Jeongjinrak would have never dared to treat you the way they did Sunwoo.

“And your parents?” You blurted out, wondering if they could accept him the way he was or they were afraid too. Because you were lucky in that sense because your parents understood your feeling of oddness among your peers. Sunwoo however took your question in a different direction and it rendered you speechless for a moment.

“They died. In fire.”

Oh. So Jaehyun was right about one thing but it still didn't mean that it was Sunwoo's fault. But the way he cast his eyes down, the ember warming up under his stare, you could feel his regret and guilt consuming his energy, so you didn't dare to ask about details.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, not in pity but sympathy.

Sunwoo hummed but didn't react otherwise. He didn't seem angry or bothered. It made you wonder when was the last time he felt understood, listened to. It made you want to pat his back and tell him that it was going to be okay.

You were quiet for a while, listening to the crickets chirp and you were sure Sunwoo stalled his practice because of you, so you wanted to reassure him that you weren't afraid of him, that he could keep trying but what came out of your mouth was more like a curious inquiry.

"Don't take it in a negative way but why did you come to Jeonjinrak? If you still need to learn by yourself."

The boy sighed but still answered patiently as if he believed you would leave him alone once you ran out of your questions. Or maybe he didn’t want to be left alone. He seemed a bit lonely.

"My mentor was old, he told me to come here if he couldn't teach me anymore. He once saw me trying with a sword and the way I lost control over fire. He tried his best to teach me the basics of energy control but I had nobody to actually practice fighting with. I'm still not very good."

That he said but he never lashed out and burned anything down no matter how much Jaehyun pushed him. You thought he didn't give enough credit to himself.

“Let’s train together. Not to brag but I’m the best among Master Seo’s pupils,” you exclaimed with your chin raised high proudly, a bit playful and you pretended to feel offended when Sunwoo looked at you doubtfully. “Hah, don’t look at me like that! You don’t believe me?”

You stood up, dusting off your skirt, and drew your sword out, poking the guy’s chest with the blade’s pointy end gently to nudge him too. He laughed, genuinely, for the first time since you had known him but complied. He pushed himself to his feet too and faced you with his drawn sword.

You striked first, just testing the ground, his level, but he blocked easily, so your little sparring practice turned heated soon. Heated in a literal sense because while your sword was glowing blue from the floating water energy in the air but after a while, Sunwoo’s started to look like it was burning, with a reddish glow to it. You could feel his energy too, just like anybody’s else, but this was new because unlike most people’s energy state, his felt unpredictable. He almost scorched you with one fireball sent your way but you managed to get out of its way at the last minute before using the boy’s apologetic self to your advantage to attack back. After a while, he stopped holding back and fearing that his power would hurt you or get out of control. It felt freeing, you could tell, and watching his smile lightened by the sunrise’s glow, you felt lighter too.

There was no prophecy worth dedicating your life to just to despise somebody who didn’t deserve it and really, maybe you could write your own history.

Once he let his guards down and let people get closer, Sunwoo made friends easily at Jeongjinrak. Changmin was excited that he finally had somebody to annoy you with and Haknyeon now had a study buddy in the mage library because Sunwoo had a lot to catch up on when it came to theoretical and history knowledge of your kind. When it came to practical classes, he usually joined your group and you could tell that it annoyed the hell out of Jaehyun’s circle that he wasn’t a lonely wolf anymore.

He wasn’t the only one watching you warily though. You could see Master Seo eyeing your duo worriedly whenever he passed by the practice room but didn’t interfere. You were sure he knew what was said about your future and that he meant well but you hoped he wouldn’t tell on you to your parents. Based on how protective they were of you, you knew they wouldn’t have been too happy about your sudden friendship with the boy with the Firebird’s energy.

And then there was Youngjae, of course. He had no idea about the prophecy and yet, he just had to be nosy.

“I don’t like that you hang out with him so much,” he said when you were in his royal quarters, feeding the turtles in the garden pond.

You just rolled your eyes, didn’t even spare time to answer as you crouched down, holding out a fresh leaf to one of the animals. Times like this always remind you of your childhood. When you were too young and too naive and your parents sent you and the Crown Prince to the garden to play while they talked about politics and dangers. They still treated you like kids but you knew better now.

“Are you listening? He’s said to be dangerous,” Youngjae whined and you weren’t sure he was more worried or jealous. Not the romantic kind of jealousy though. There might have been rumors but you didn’t think that the prince had interest in you like that. Sure, he might have been more comfortable being close to you than any foreigner princess he hadn’t known, but he was more jealous of Sunwoo getting to spend time with you while he couldn’t. He had been surrounded by people all the time and yet, he was so, so lonely. The fate of a ruler.

You acted nonchalant whenever he whined but secretly you hoped that his future bride would be able to fill this void in him.

“Who said that?” You asked, disinterest coloring your voice pale.

“Everybody!”

You sighed and after leaving the last piece of leaf on the ground, among the moss, you stood up to face Youngjae.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” you lectured him with a disapproving tsk before curling your lips into a confident smile. “And even if he was dangerous, you shouldn’t underestimate me.”

You bowed towards the boy lightly, polite within the walls of the palace, and when he tried to follow you, you scolded him that it wouldn’t be proper of him to go after you into the outhouse which made him flustered down the core and gave you the chance to slip away without him or any of the servants following closely.

However, you passed by the outhouse without stopping by and wandered towards the king’s quarters. He had summoned your parents over an important issue and you wanted to know what it was because your always recklessly brave mother looked worried when she read the summoning letter. And if anybody caught you snooping around, you could just tell them that you didn’t feel well and were looking for your parents to ask for a leave. Not that they would have believed you ‒ they knew you too well ‒ but others might have.

“But… how did it get out? I thought, only Jin priestesses can open the door to Jinyowon,” King Gowon’s deep voice was hushed. He clearly didn’t want others to know about whatever caused disturbance. It must have been important if he needed your parents, both of them, to help him out.

“That is true but there might be other hidden entrances we don’t know of like the ones from the mirror world or Gwido,” your mother enlightened him and you furrowed your brows. You had no idea that the dangerous relic storage of your maternal home had other entrances other than the one overgrown with ivy creeper, the one that couldn’t have been forced open. It only opened for those of the Jin blood. You had been there a few times, always a short visit and you were never allowed to touch anything but you had heard stories of the time of Great Chaos. Jinyowon was on the verge of collapse and many things, monsters, escaped. They started causing hunger, drought and deaths, so it was your parents’ task to put them back to their lawful places.

“You should capture it as soon as possible. The last thing we need is disturbance before the the Moon Festival,” the king said and hearing your father’s promise and steps, you quickly pulled away from the wall to get away.

Their conversation didn’t leave you be though. What exactly had got out of Jinyowon and how?

You and Sunwoo kept practicing both in daylight and after the Sun went down.

He had improved a lot in his control and precision over the weeks but you were still better. There was one thing in which he was excellent at though, with much more experience that you had: archery. He had said it was because he was used to living close to the woods and hunting for his own food but you thought there was more to it. So while you were teaching him energy control, he taught you archery, it was only fair.

“You’re getting better but your stance is still too unstable,” he noted after you two checked where your arrows managed to hit the target. They weren’t as scattered as they used to be and you hit the board with each arrow at least, but it was nowhere near as concentrated around the center as Sunwoo’s. Your aim still needed some work.

“I’m trying but I’m not used to standing still for this kind of thing,” you admitted irritatedly because the fighting technique you learned involved a lot of movements and agility and logically speaking you knew that even if you needed to use your archery skills in real life it would be on the go but to improve your aim, first you needed to learn how to keep steady.

“I know. Get into position again,” Sunwoo instructed you and with a huff of sigh, you walked farther from the target with your arrows back into your quiver and faced the tree from a distance, ready to draw your weapon when the boy stood behind you.

“Close your eyes,” he said quietly, his breath fanning over your neck. Fighting a shiver and a snicker about his weird teaching technique, you did as he told you. The world went dark around you as you closed your eyelids and you were especially aware of the roughness of wood against your calloused fingertips, the heat of another body beside yours and the sound of your own breathing.

Sunwoo put a hand over your shoulder and pulled it backwards until you straightened your back, getting into the correct position. He then fixed your fingers around your bow leaving little tingles in their wake behind. You took a deep breath when his touch brushed against the ribbon in your hair.

“What do you feel?” Sunwoo asked quietly, his voice fighting the breeze of air, swimming through the ocean of your thoughts.

“Calm,” you surprised yourself with your honesty as you realized that the feelings that washed over you was serenity. Ever since you overheard your parents talking with the king and you learned from Lady Kim that your family home was empty for days, your thoughts had been running wild and you jumped into training after training to suppress the turbulence of your mind. Sunwoo didn’t ask what was up with you, but he readily practiced with you until you were exhausted enough to fall asleep.

“Good. Then try to concentrate on other senses of yours except sight. Take a sniff of the smell of spring, feel the wind lead your arrow, hear the birds, feel the tenseness of your bow… then when you took in your entire surroundings, open your eyes and shoot,” the boy said and you didn’t needed to see or have special priestess powers to be able to tell he stepped farther away but you didn’t open your eyes.

You followed his lead and let your senses strengthen as you focused from flower to flower, tree to tree. As a priestess you had a very sensitive power to be able to tell where and what kind of energy was and even though it was the strongest in mages and other magical creatures, it was everywhere around you: under the ground, up in the sky, in every blade of grass and blossom that fell from the trees. The more you let yourself get immersed in nature, the clearer you saw what was around you without having to open your eyes. Then you finally understood what Sunwoo had said that the key was to be aware of your surroundings.

You slowly pried your eyes open, your sole focus on the target in front of you, clearer than ever. You drew the bow string tight and sent the arrow flying and it hit the target, bull’s eye.

“Oh my, did you see that?” You turned to face Sunwoo in disbelief, excitement bubbling in your veins from the achievement while a proud smile spread over the boy’s face. He probably took pride in your improvement similarly as when you saw him land a Chisu blow the other day.

“See? I told you that you can do it,” he said, the wind brushing his burgundy hair into his face which made you want to reach there and rake your fingers through his locks. But you just stood there, staring, the energy flowing around you and you couldn’t help but blurt out your fresh observation.

“Your heart is beating fast.”

Sunwoo’s smile didn’t fade. He didn’t protest. He knew it would have been in vain or maybe he didn’t even want to.

“Because you are deadly,” he said and you let out a scoff at the teasing, ready with a retort that died on your tongue when you heard the terrified scream.

Your eyes widened and you exchanged a brief look with Sunwoo before without any spoken word, both of you started running towards the source of the noise. The closer you got to the town, the more screams were heard and people came running from the opposite direction which only slowed you down. You could tell by the unmistakable smell of smoke that something was burning, yet the heat from the flames when you got there still felt haunting. You could already see Songrim officials handle the situation by directing water to the fire to put it out but you wanted to help. You crouched down next to an old lady who must have fallen and offered her a helping hand, hoping that she wasn't too shaken up. You didn't expect her to mumble about the sudden attack, the fire ball bursting in front of the gates and the chaos. Much less the frightened look on her face as she looked up.

“It’s him!” A woman pointed to your left and muscles pulled taut, ready to face the enemy, you turned, pointing your sword at the said direction only to see Sunwoo there.

You furrowed your brows, confused, but the woman didn’t take back her accusation and others around you backed her up too, claiming that it was him setting a fire to the noble’s house. What? Who were they confusing him with?

“That’s impossible. He was with me the whole time,” you shouted over the chaos, lowering your sword but the murmurs barely subdued and people still looked at him in fear. It left a bitter taste in your mouth as you watched Sunwoo's shocked, saddened face. With his reputation, it was almost too easy to blame him.

So close to the biggest festival in the capital, Songrim didn't want to risk being accused of having bias when it came to Jeongjinrak's students, so as the publicly appointed suspect was Sunwoo, he had to go through a not too pleasant interrogation.

Since you were his alibi, you were questioned as well and since both of you were outside of the training center when it happened, you knew that you would face Master Seo’s punishment for sneaking out and breaking the rules anyways.

“And are you absolutely sure that he was with you the entire time?” Your uncle, Songrim’s leader, looked at you expectantly and without hesitation, you nodded.

“I told you: we were practicing archery then we heard the scream at the same time and went to see what happened. We found the building already burning though by the time we got there. No sign of who did it,” you recited for the third time at least when the same question was asked differently.

However, this was the only occasion when uncertainty hit you as you thought back on events. Could you really be sure? Was Sunwoo really with you from the beginning to the end? You had your eyes closed for minutes. Could he… Nah, that was crazy. Why would he have done that anyways? He had no motive and it was unrealistic that he could have left and come back without you noticing.

“Alright. I believe you but please, try to stay out of trouble. At least until your parents are not out of town,” Park Danggu pleaded with a fatherly tone and you knew that your parents would know about your little rebellious act by his next letter to them. Even if he wasn’t friends with your father, his wife was your mother’s little sister, so there were really no secrets between them. You didn't make any promises though.

“Do you know anything about them? Or how is their search going?” You grabbed onto the chance to ask because you haven't heard much of them since they had left. They had sent you honey biscuits every three days and it was their sign that they were alright but you didn't know anything about the mission itself.

“Don’t worry about them. They know what they are doing. I’m sure they will be back soon. They are honor guests at the festival after all,” Songrim's leader tried to reassure you with a smile. Since you were done there, you bowed out of respect, thanking when he invited you over to dinner sometime, claiming that the twins, your oldest cousins, were missing you.

Things were quiet for a while. The rules got stricter around Jeongjinrak and the other mage pupils blamed you and Sunwoo as if they didn’t sneak out from time to time. Though it was true that you were the only one who got caught, what should you have done? Ignore the screams and sneak back to the comfort of your bed without trying to help at least? Cowards.

So you thought it was a one time thing, a misunderstanding but one night when the moon was at its brightest you woke to a heavy weight over your chest. It was like waking up from a nightmare without remembering any details. You put a hand over your heart and tried to concentrate, to identify this bad feeling.

Your mother could not only feel energy better than any mage but she could tell exactly what kind of energy it was. That was why she and your father were the perfect team to hunt down creatures of ill-intent. You didn't have her expertise but you could tell that the energy that was floating around you then had something malicious and wrong about it. You got out of bed, peaking out of your room but there was only eerie silence.

Then, the next moment you heard the watchbell's loud sound. You grabbed an overcoat to cover your nightgown and your sword. On the corridor, you met other sleepy students in similar attire as you all ran towards the gathering place.

"Changmin!" You called over to the boy when you saw him and he caught up with you quickly.

"Hey, do you know what's happening?"

"No idea. Something just feels off," you said and glanced around, looking for other familiar faces.

You had gone a bit further away already when you eventually noticed the smoke. You weren't the only one, others pointed it out too and you could hear the gasp.

"The library is burning!" Somebody yelled and a simple sentence like that was enough to cause havoc because instead of stopping and waiting at the gathering place, most people continued the run to the building on fire. You exchanged a glance with Changmin, then you both headed towards that direction too.

The closer you got, the stronger the strange feeling was. You tried to ignore it and see if you could help but Master Seo and his men were already handling the fire while some were chasing down the arsonist. You could hear people yelling about him escaping towards Jeongjinrak's Eastern walls. You didn't hesitate: you climbed up the nearest building and ran in the same direction from rooftop to rooftop. Without the crowd and distractions on the ground, you were much faster like this. Fast enough to see the hooded black figure swing over the wall, jumping right after him.

"Stop!" You shouted but, of course, it was only in vain, a way to tire your throat out, not the troublemaker. But since he wasn't listening, you had no choice but to attack, sending a wave of energy his way to knock him off his feet. He stumbled but carried on, determined until the end you had to give it to him.

Your second blow was stronger, the assailant fell and it gave you enough momentum to catch up with him. You pushed his body more to the ground by his shoulders and hovered over him even when you forcefully turned him around and tore the hood part of the cape off his head.

Then, the world tilted around its axis and you froze under the watch of that familiar face.

“Sunwoo?” You asked shakily, confused, but the boy stared back at you with disdain and it was a strike constant to his playful smile he had said goodbye with a few hours prior.

It was Sunwoo but at the same time it wasn’t: he looked exactly the same as the last time you saw him except his eyes. They were coal black and emotionless. They were scaring you. Just like the darkness of the energy swirling inside him.

"What happened to you?" You asked in a shaky voice, not sure if he could hear or understand you because he stared so emptily as if he was nothing but a shell. "Sunwoo…"

You tried gentler but to no avail, the guy's eyes turned sharper the moment he heard approaching steps and the next moment you flinched away because of the burning feeling running up your arm. Only when you stumbled farther did the pain subside and looking down at your overcoat, you saw the burnt mark of a hand over your upper arm.

In disbelief, you stared at the wound and took a tentative step backwards when Sunwoo, this possessed Sunwoo, came closer. You pointed your sword at him.

"Don't come near me," you warmed him, the 'or else' clear in your tone, yet the real reason for your warning was that you didn't want to hurt him but if he didn't stop, you would have to. "Sunwoo, please…"

The swish of an arrow was the first thing you saw next, then Sunwoo, grabbing onto his arm in pain and while you searched for the attacker he ran away, more arrows flying after him.

"Stop!" You yelled at the stranger over the walls, angry and desperate, not knowing what to do to bring back the boy, the Sunwoo you knew. The guy with the bow jumped off next to you and the red strands of his hair made you wonder whether you were hallucinating.

"Sunwoo?" You asked, unsure, the witchcraft making you doubtful.

"It's me," the boy said, quiet and warm, just the way you knew him.

"Sunwoo," you called his name in relief and hugged him close, closing your eyes as you let his body’s warmth embrace you. It was like a soothing balm unlike the cold roughness the other emitted. The world was finally alright again. "What happened? Do you know who he was or…"

You couldn't even finish the sentence. You were roughly yanked away from Sunwoo who was held down by two officers, ties and eye cover on him like criminals. Songrim's leader and his men were all around you as well as students from Jeongjinrak who pointed their fingers at the kneeling boy accusatory. They had all seen him flee apparently. They had seen him attack soldiers. They had seen him create fire on the top of his palm. It was his doing, they claimed and if you hadn't seen the real one, you might have believed them.

You elbowed your way through the crowd and grabbed your uncle's arm, tugging.

“I know it sounds crazy but it wasn’t him. It looks exactly like him but it’s not him!” You protested but this time Park Danggu didn't seem convinced. "Please. You have to believe me!"

“Sorry. It will be the safest if we lock him up,” the man said firmly, with an apologetic sigh, and signaled his guards to capture the boy.

"It's alright," Sunwoo reassured you when he passed by you before you could have made a scene over the injustice. It was not alright but you knew that he meant well. If you were confined too for disobedience then who would have proved the truth?

You watched him being taken away and wondered if you took any missteps, if you were accused of using your priestess powers they couldn't understand to evil deeds, would they have turned against you so quickly too? Or would you have been privileged because of your parents? Sunwoo had nobody, so if you didn't help him, he would have been all alone in this. The thought clenched your heart uncomfortably.

But of course, being one of the spectators, Jaehyun couldn't shut up, not even when it was about things he didn't know, so unaware of your internal turmoil, he just had to brag to his friends that he had told them so, that he was right about Sunwoo all along.

“Good, that freak is finally at his deserved place,” he snickered purposefully loud enough for you to hear and you didn’t know what got into you but in that moment you saw red and didn’t even think. You stormed up to Jaehyun and punched him. Hard. It might have earned you suspension and red knuckles but at least it felt good.

Proving Sunwoo's innocence wasn't an easy feat. First of all, because only Changmin and Haknyeon dared to openly take your side and believe your story. Second of all, because there had been weeks between the two fire incidents you knew of and you couldn't just wait for another to happen, so it would prove that Sunwoo couldn't do something like that from captivity.

With the library half burnt down, it was hard to look for options in written history too and you wouldn't have known if Sunwoo had an evil twin because the prophecy would have surely pointed that out. Soul shifting was also not an option because you literally saw the two of them together, looking alike and all that. You were so out of options that you were about to visit a shaman and ask if they knew about black magic that could cause something like this but then your parents arrived home.

Clearly they had heard of what you had gotten yourself into from your uncle and didn't like it one bit. So of course, you got your fair share of scolding but it wasn't like they had been any better at your age and they knew.

"So you repeatedly sneaked out of Jeongjinrak after curfew to what… practice with that boy?"

"His name is Sunwoo."

Your father rolled his eyes as if he couldn't care less.

"At least you should have sneaked out for something more… important," he crossed his arms and it was funny, really, because your parents had always taught you to be honest and only follow rules that made sense. They probably knew you would hear enough stories about them being rebels from Park Jin and Lady Kim at least.

"Like when you sneaked out to meet mother?" You crossed your arms too and Jang Uk narrowed his eyes at you.

"Are you sure you only practiced sword fighting and archery?" He raised a brow and the implication only made sense to you a few seconds later.

"Oh my lord, yes! Not everybody is like you and mother! We have nothing like that going on. He's my friend," you clarified, louder and more defensive than intended. You tried not to think of the way Sunwoo’s hug had made you feel.

"Well, we were never quite friends, that's for sure," your mother piped in, amused, and took your father's hand before looking back at you, more serious this time. "Danggu told us you're convinced it wasn't the boy's doing despite multiple people giving his descriptions to the investigators. He said you were also with him both times the fires happened and he was found."

"Yes and that's why I'm sure it wasn't him," you quickly jumped on the chance to explain, grateful that your parents were willing to listen. At least it looked like it. "The second time I chased down the hooded figure running off the scene and when I caught up with him, I also thought it was Sunwoo. He looked just like him but his eyes and expressions… It was like a lifeless ghost's. It wasn't like him. And his energy felt different too, unnatural."

Your parents exchanged a knowing glance. Their secret little thing which used to annoy you because sometimes they communicated with only looks over the dinner table but in a way, you thought it was sweet, that they knew each other so well, like their souls were so intertwined.

"You know that something escaped from Jinyowon, right?" Your mother asked once they seemed to decide with your father to tell you that and you gave a short nod. It would have been a useless lie to deny that and you knew that they wouldn't have held the truth over your head, not as much as a lie. "Have you ever heard about the nail-eating mouse?"

"No, but I don't understand how it connects to Sunwoo's case," you admitted a bit confused. A mouse didn't sound too scary.

"This mouse eats nail clippings at night and literally turns into the person whose nails they were," they explained and oh, now that made sense.

"How long can it stay as that person?" You asked tentatively and you could tell that your mother was careful with her words as she answered.

"Usually a few days for each nail. Unless their victim dies while they are in their form, then forever."

You could feel your throat tighten at the possibility and there was this urge to go to wherever Sunwoo was kept and make sure he was well-guarded before anything like that could happen. But of course, your parents told you this on purpose and they didn't want you to go on a secret mission alone.

"It is our case, leave it to us. We will find the doppelganger and clear your friend's name, don't worry," they reassured you and you nodded, thankful but not quite convinced.

No matter how much you trusted your parents and their skills, you couldn't just sit still. You were their daughter after all and it wasn't in your blood.

You told Changmin and Hakyeon what you knew and you tried to figure out what was common about the fires so far. You didn't know anything about the noble whose house was the first incident while in the school there could be many targets. Not in the library though. In both cases the chaos and anger following was bigger than the number of casualties, so maybe that was one of the goals: attention.

"And let's not forget that both happened when Sunwoo was nearby. It's kind of smart if this copycat wants him to take the blame," Changmin added and you had to agree. Even though you were there both times too, it was unlikely that it was about you. After all, by now you were convinced that your supposed-to-be first encounter with Sunwoo, the one at the market where you felt something off about him, wasn't Sunwoo at all either and no fire broke out that day.

“Wait. Where is Sunwoo kept?” you asked frantically because if the doppelganger indeed attacked places near Sunwoo, it would make it easier to locate them.

Hakyeon, whose father worked at Songrim, seemed confused though.

“As far as I know in the palace’s holding cells, why?”

Sure, they must have thought that with so many guards around, he wouldn't cause further troubles and maybe that also meant he was safe but not if something burnt down and he was blamed. Nobody knew the extent of his skills with fire after all, not even him. And if the monster wanted attention…

“The Moon Festival!” You stood up at the realization because suddenly it was all too clear. If you were in their shoes, you would have surely let others do the dirty work. What better way to do it than causing havoc during one of the biggest events of the royal court? To save face, the king would have had to set an example. If they couldn't stop the fire otherwise, they would have to kill Sunwoo in hopes to stop it for sure.

But it wasn't enough that you were convinced. Your parents thought that the idea was too far-stretched. All this trouble to get Sunwoo's body? But it made sense to you and you couldn't help but wonder whether that prophecy was about this too. Not actually Sunwoo, but the monster wearing his face and stealing his powers.

Your parents also thought that the monster wouldn't have dared to attack the palace because it was too well-guarded, so they kept on with their usual 'searching for negative energy concentration over town' but that didn't work that effective so far, did it? So you had no choice, really. The festival was happening in two days and you had to plan how to sneak away from the celebration itself to the holding cells to warn Sunwoo. You knew only one person who could help you with that…

"No," the Crown Prince shook his head. "I told you not to trust him and now you want me to help you visit him in prison? No way."

You crossed your arms in front of your chest and glared at Youngjae.

"I will come and keep you company whenever you want for a month," you offered in exchange and you saw the surprised glint in the prince's eyes.

"Three months. If my father discovered us, I would be grounded for a month at least," he rebutted and even though you gritted your teeth, you could see the logic in his way of thinking.

"Two months because we won't get caught," you negotiated, your final offer before you tried to sneak in without his help. Youngjae might have been reluctant, but he wouldn't have let you do something like that on your own. Also, he was starving for some company these days, so you could pretty much predict him giving in.

"Alright, fine. But you have to promise not to help him escape once you are there!"

You made no such promises but not because you wanted to cause an even bigger trouble. Helping Sunwoo run away when he was a captured criminal wouldn't have helped his case, if anything it would have made him even more suspicious. So you really just wanted to warn him and give him a dagger he could have protected himself with since he didn't have his sword with him. However, you also didn't expect the Moon Festival to be so grandiose this year and the monster not being subtle either. Setting the table of offerings on fire in front of the entire royal court and the biggest noble families of Daeho? Crazy. But if he wanted attention he surely received enough. Other than angering the deities and the elders, doing such a thing wouldn't have affected anything else after all. It was a question of pride at this point. Or proving a point. He must have had a lot of fun playing this cat and mouse chase with them, not getting caught either times.

"We need to get to Sunwoo. Now," you said urgently as you saw Songrim's people scattering around probably to find the culprit because when they didn't, they would have surely ended up at Sunwoo's holding cell to question him.

"Hey," Youngjae grabbed your arm and turned you towards him, more serious than you had ever seen him. "Are you sure that it's not his doing?"

You scoffed as you shrugged his hand off you.

"Have you ever seen anybody who could do something like this while not being present? He may have unusual powers but not like this," you claimed, sure in your words, and the prince sighed sheepishly. He tilted his head towards the narrow street between two buildings and led you away from the crowd. You and Changmin followed him while Hakyeon stayed to keep an eye on the happenings. The holding cells were away from the center of the palace and you had to hurry. You were a bit out of breath by the time you made it to the sturdy building.

"I will call the guards away, then you will have a chance to sneak in. Your boy should be among the newest prisoners, so close to the entrance, right side," Youngjae turned to you one corner from the cells and you nodded, grateful, but when he moved to go closer, Changmin held him back.

"There are no guards," he said warily. You furrowed your eyebrows and peek out from your hiding spot to check. He was right. There were no guards in front of the holding cells. Instead there were unmistakable burnt marks, charred ground and wood.

You didn't hesitate. You ran inside the building only to find the bodies of the guards on the floor and your throat closed. What if you were late? What if the monster got here faster? Or worse, what if it was indeed Sunwoo's doing? What if you didn’t know him as well as you believed?

With your heart beating rapidly, you approached the right-hand side cells. Prisoners were either passively sleeping or cursing at you, seemingly unaware of what happened by the entrance. But when you reached a few cells down, you saw the metal lock melted to the ground, the door open, the insides empty and you felt your heart drop.

You cursed under your breath unlady-like and ran back out, following the lingering Firebird energy around you. Your mother said you only needed to concentrate to be able to distinguish such things so clearly, but you never really had the patience to do so. You always felt like you were more of your father's daughter, liking the feel of a sword in your hand and the spirit of fighting. Your Jin priestess skills didn't come that naturally. But then you remembered that day when you and Sunwoo were practicing archery and he taught you how to concentrate on nothing but the target. You closed your eyes, remembering his words, his touch. You forced yourself to relax, to calm down your heart, to forget about everything else. When you opened your eyes you felt a rush of power surge through you as you had never been more certain where to go.

"They are heading towards the western gates," you said and nobody doubted your words. This time it was you who led the way but you weren't sure what you would find when you got there. If you even caught up with Sunwoo in time. Would you help him or would you have to stop him?

You had no idea but you sure did not expect Jaehyun actually being helpful for once by holding them back. Even if unbeknownst to him.

Later you were told, he picked a petty fight with Sunwoo, or whom he thought to be Sunwoo, when he passed by him in the gardens, only to be confused when the actual Sunwoo showed up, chasing after the first. He then joked, asking which twin was the nicer one, and almost got himself sliced in half when the doppelganger attacked him. If Sunwoo was half as good of a swordsman as he was, Jaehyun would have been dead. Instead he was just shocked and enraged by the time you got there, watching as the two Sunwoos fought.

It was a sight indeed, two identical guys with burning swords at each other's throat. If it was anybody else, they wouldn't have known who was the real one and who was the doppelganger but you could feel it in the way energy surrounded them. The Firebird's energy surrounded them both, heat and destruction in their aura but only one of them felt like a deep abyss.

Sunwoo fell at one point, obviously injured and you wondered whether he had been chasing the monster since that thing had tried to make it look like he forced his way out of prison, leaving but behind.

"Sunwoo, down! Quickly!" you yelled at him, gathering enough water energy in the air to form a droplet of water before slicing it through with your sword sending a blow of multiplied energy towards the doppelganger. When your mother had told you that she had also taught your father to do this and it had helped him beat the now king, you didn't think that you would use the ability of Tansu for anything more than showing off. But your mother taught you well and the monster definitely seemed surprised.

When it sent a ball of fire towards you in exchange, you raised your arms protectively in front of you to lift a layer of blue glow. The fire didn't reach it though because Sunwoo stepped in its way, angry fire hitting his shoulder, sending him to the ground.

You cried out his name, lowering the protective layer as you ran to him, to check on his wound but the burn under his now holey shirt faded into nothing within seconds. A relieved sigh left you as you helped him stand and pride swelled your chest as you saw all your friends – and even not friends like Jaehyun – attacking the creature of the night. When you and the real Sunwoo joined them, the monster probably realized that his chances were low because the next moment he disappeared. Not really, but he turned back into a small white mouse, disappearing quickly between the cracks of the buildings. The Queen's favorite garden looked like a mess though. Now, how would you have explained that to the King? Would he believe you if you told the truth about the doppelganger, even without captured evidence? Would…

"I thought we told you to leave it to us," your father's firm voice yanked you out of your worried thoughts and your eyes widened when you saw your parents carry an enchanted bird cage with a white mouse in it.

"Sorry," you mumbled more out of instinct than sincerity. You would have done it again, without a second thought. You were their daughter after all, but you were sorry that you got them worried.

"Are you alright?" Your mother asked, touching your face where you felt a bruise forming. You grimaced at the slight pain you were suddenly reminded of but nodded.

Probably due to the sound of the commotion people kept showing up, soldiers and mages alike, the fire was still going on at the festival's altar and you all were requested to help contain it. It wasn't easy but with enough mages and Sunwoo's ability to somewhat control the fire's way, you eventually managed to save the palace from burning down.

While you were helping with the injured, you could see your father pat Sunwoo on the shoulder, probably complimenting him but you could also see his gaze harden and his grip squeezing a bit tighter than comfortable but the boy didn't flinch. He bowed respectfully and waited until your father started talking with Songrim's leader before making his way towards you.

His smile was sheepish and you wondered whether he got the typical protective father talk. You wouldn't have been surprised. Changmin had gotten it as well when you first befriended him and you both laughed goodheartedly at it. You weren't laughing now.

"Thank you," Sunwoo stopped in front of you, looking earnest. You shook your head.

"Don't mention it. The others helped too," you vaguely waved your hand towards the guys from Jeongjinrak and Prince Youngjae.

"No, but really," Sunwoo insisted and oh, he was serious. The intensity in his eyes made you gulp. "When you mentioned the prophecy that one time I thought you believed that it's written in stone and that at the first potential sign of it turning true, you would be against me. So… thank you for believing in me."

His words hit a cord in your heart. It seemed that while you were afraid that he would betray your trust, he was afraid that you would stop trusting him.

"Sometimes prophecies shouldn't be interpreted word by word," you shrugged as if it was nothing even though you did feel a bit guilty for having second thoughts about him. You stopped feeling like the possibility that it would turn true was hovering over you like the sword of Damocles but that day you wavered and you didn't like it one bit. You wanted to be the maker of your own destiny.

"Good," Sunwoo nodded as he let out a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing. Then he pointed in the direction of the main palace. "Do you think there are any mooncakes left intact at any of the stalls?"

Your parents took care of the monster and indeed helped clear Sunwoo's name. Every case of destructive fire could have been traced back to his doppelganger who probably felt the boy's raw, special energy and wanted it for himself.

As it turned out one of your cousins was the one who accidentally opened Jinyowon's cave but was too afraid to tell anybody about it. He didn't see the mouse sneak out, otherwise he would have admitted his mistake sooner. Park Danggu apologized personally to Sunwoo that his son had caused such troubles for him and that he was wrongfully accused.

On the other hand, Jaehyun did not apologize but wasn't as insufferable as before. He definitely didn't try to pick on Sunwoo or you just for the sake of feeling superior or something. He and his friend let Sunwoo be, which made Jeongjinrak's training a lot less stressful and more useful. Duels were more for motivation and actual practice than power plays.

Another good thing that came out of the whole ordeal was that Sunwoo and you could finally practice his fire skills against your water ones in broad daylight because Master Seo believed it was the perfect opportunity to examine the broadness and variety of a different kind of mage's repertoire.

Ever since then you often had sparring battles with the boy after class, making bets with 'the loser pays for the honey biscuits' kind of punishments. Once Youngjae came by and joked why it wasn't 'the loser gives the other a kiss' and you chased him down until he took it back.

"Last one to give up gets to make a wish?" Sunwoo suggested this time and you liked the sound of it. You were already thinking of what you could have asked of him when he would finally give up.

“Bring it on,” you smiled at the redhead challengingly and unsheathed your sword, getting ready for yet another sparring that felt like dancing with danger.

Would you regret it? Would he betray you one day and use the skills you taught him against you? Would you? Would the two of you turn the prophecy into reality eventually?

Maybe but you wouldn't let maybes poison your present. For now, he was just a boy and you were just a girl and your skin burned when he came too close. Swords pulled out, breathing heavy, when he smiled, your chest tightened and it felt like your heart was on fire. It consumed you slowly and sweetly and you burned willingly.

("So what's your wish?" You asked, panting, as you laid down on the ground in the middle of the field, looking up at the sky. Next to you, Sunwoo did the same.

You, his heart thump, thump, thrumped and you could feel your own jump as he slowly laced your fingers together. His hand was rough but warm.

"This. Just this," he whispered and you squeezed his hand with a smile.

The stars never looked prettier.)

#the boyz x reader #sunwoo x reader #tbz x reader #the boyz scenarios #sunwoo imagines #stories

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tumbleweedbee · 1 year

Note

I'm honestly so glad I found you 😭 I was getting so tired of only reading only fem readers 😭😭 could I get a trans!reader (ftm) x Georgie cooper. Georgie stands up for the reader when he goes into the bathroom, but the boys in there are pushing the reader around and they're about to hurt the reader when Georgie comes in 😍 and saves the day (clique I know, I'm sorry)

If you're uncomfortable, or just don't want to do it, feel free to delete this or ignore it!! Don't do anything you don't want to do!

Have a nice day!

Ofc I’ll do this!sorry I’m usually busy with work but if anyone (masc or male or whatever-)wants to send in any inbox ideas then go for it!!send as many as you want!!

(And I think the word you are looking for is cliché, but don’t worry as nothing is too cringey on this page :)

Just a slight warning for slurs and mention of violence,along with transphobia and homophobia :)

______Reader pov_______

I awkwardly push through the crowded school halls, it’s that awkward time if the day where I need to fix my binder without it looking like I’m going to fix it.

I finally see the famous push doors that read the dreaded words..male..or female..it feels like everyone in the hall is staring at me though I know they aren’t..I finally decide to go with what I know I want-the male bathrooms…

As I enter the room I see multiple boys in there, I suddenly begin to feel my feet go numb, as the feeling travels up my leg and eventually to my throat, as the boys stare at me I’m unsure of what to do-but they seem to know instead..

“What’re you doing in the boys bathroom lesbo, it’s called the boys bathroom for a reason.” one of the boys remarked.

“Yea.Go to the girls bathroom tr@nny!!” another sneered, as they all began to laugh, I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach as I felt like I was going to throw up.

“You’re a mistake to g-” just then, a familiar, curly haired boy walks in-whistling in ignorant bliss until he witnesses the chaotic scene happening.

“What’s happening in ‘ere???” he asked, confusion visible on his face.Oh no..it’s georgie..he’s my school crush but he’s gonna make fun of my too now.."We we’re just telling this GIRL how god made a mistake making her.”

“Well if you’d went to bible study this week JACOB.You’d learn that god doesn’t make mistakes and that this guy is not a mistake to god.”

Georgie pushes him back and rolls his eyes “come on…y/n, sorry I’m not good at names,yer in my maths class right?” I nod my head as he flares as the guys and walks out of the bathroom,arm around my shoulders, as I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and tingle..

Maybe he isn’t as bad as I first thought..

A/N:I’m so sorry about joe poorly written this was, I haven’t make something in ages and I’m very rusty, also not sure if I exactly followed the prompt but-🫡

#tumbleweedbee #ask box #ask me anything #george cooper #georgiecooperx male #georgie cooper x male yn #Georgie cooper x male reader #bully #fanfic #ama #tumble #mlm

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thewritetofreespeech · 11 months

Note

Could I request Kazuki, Rei, and Kyutarou with a super sweet s/o losing it when she hears someone badmouthing or hurting them?

Buddy Daddy Boys + Protective S/O

Kazuki

He was too good natured for his own good sometimes.

Sure he’s a contract killer, but he wants to see the good in people too. Give them the benefit of the doubt. When someone is being rude or mean to him, he just tries to brush it off and keep going.

Which is a little hard to do when someone has his collar in their fist.

“Come on man. Relax. It’s just a game.”

“You owe me money!” The hulk of a man yelled in his face, as he demanded the money back from the bet he just lost. And for some reason blamed Kazuki for.

“I can’t really give you any money if you’re holding me here. Plus, I just lost all my cash too. Why don’t we use my last buck to grab a beer and drown our sorrows.”

“I don’t want a beer!” The blonde’s natural charms not working on him. “I want my money! Either you give it to me or I’m gonna take it out on your face.”

‘Aw geez….’ He really didn’t want to resort to violence in his favorite casino. He’d like to come back some day.

“Hey!” The two men look over the hulk’s shoulder at s/o standing there. “Put him down now.”

The man growled. “Or what?!”

“Or you’re about to feel what 800 volts feels like on your asshole.” An ominous chatter from their pocket taser, poised just at the brute’s backside, sounded. Letting him know that he might get one hit, but he wasn’t going to get another.

The man grit his teeth, realizing he’d rather not get intimate with their taser, and roughly let Kazuki down before stalking off. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes I did.” S/O argued. “You refuse to stand up for yourself. So I have to do it for you.”

“By threatening a man with a taser?”

“When the situation allows.” Kazuki smirked at their reply as they put the taser away. “Let’s go. I think your luck has run dry.”

“Yeah sure.” He agreed. And for once, left before he was completely penniless this time.

Rei

Unlike Kazuki, Rei never sees the good in people.

He always assumes that people are selfish, horrible, mean bastards who are only out for themselves. His childhood taught him that.

Because of this he’s never surprised when people act bad or cruelly to him. He just takes it and keeps it in before letting it go. His childhood taught him that too.

“Excuse me.” Rei glanced to his left when he realized [Y/N] was standing there. Her face scrunch in a fussy brow as they confronted the laughing group of teens that just cut in front of him. “The line is back that way.”

“Oh come on.” One of the teens replied, shrugging them off. “It’s not a big deal. We’ll all get to the front of the line eventually. No reason to make a scene.”

“But….controller…..” Rei muttered under his breath. There were two things that would willingly get him out of the house for the day: work and the release of the new Morio Kart: Race Across the Universe game. To promote it, the store was also giving away a commemorative controller with each new game purchaser for the first 100 buyers. Rei had gotten up early and been standing in line all day for the sale to start. Only to have these kids jump the line and mess up his precise count.

“There won’t be a scene if you just go to the back of the line.” [Y/N] told them.

“Ugh. God. Chill out ok. I’m just getting this stupid new game for my brother. We were just late because we were studying for finals. Our education is important.” The one and only girl in the pack whined.

“And yet you haven’t learned anything.”

The girl, with way too much makeup on in Rei’s opinion, frowned; making the creases in her makeup worse. “Listen, lady. I need to get this game for my kid brother or my parents will be pissed. Besides, aren’t you a little old to be interested in games like this?”

“Are you a little old to not know how lines work? Or color matching for that matter?”

The girl looked ready to boil, but then stormed off in a huff instead. The boys, who apparently were as dumb as they looked, didn’t know what to do so they just took off after her. Getting out of the line and letting Rei resume his properly counted place. “Thank you.”

“For what? I just can’t stand rude people.” Still, Rei smiled just a little at her and the line continued.

They each bought a copy of the game. Rei promised to pay her back, but he really wanted two controllers for him and Miri. Of course, [Y/N] couldn’t say no. “Next time someone cuts in front of you in line, why don’t you hip check them into the bushes.”

“My hips aren’t big enough for that.”

Kyutarou

Owning a bar was a lot of work. People often stayed away, since it was more off the beaten path, but every now and then he’d get a crowd looking for that and be packed. Kyutaro tried his best to maintain, as the only bartender, and was very grateful he had a supportive significant other willing to pitch in and play waitress when need be.

“Hey! Barkeep! More beer!”

Kyutaro sighed as he settled up the tab of one of the customers, before going over to the drunk patron at the end of the bar. “I think you’ve had enough sir. Why don’t I get you a complimentary coffee while I settle your bill.”

“Coffee?? Who the hell wants coffee? I drink enough of that crap at work.” The drunk pounded down what was left in his glass and slammed it down on the bar. “If off the clock. I want beer!”

“I’m not giving you anymore.”

The bar fly glared at him (or as much as they could with how drunk they were). “Listen four-eyes!” Kyutaro was taken aback. Not only was it rude, but no one had called him ‘four eyes’ since grade 3. “I said I want more beer and you’re gonna give it to me! I got money. You got beer. What’s the problem?!”

“Besides you’re completely sauced?”

The men look up at [Y/N]. Tray of empty glassware in one hand and the other on her hip. “Come on man. Time to call it a night before this gets any uglier. You’re not gonna talk to the owner like that.”

“Oh yeah?!” The man tried to get up off his bar stool. He did, but with legs about as shaky as a new born deer. “I’ll…talk to whoever I want however I want. You’re not gonna stop me!”

[Y/N] huffed and sat their tray down. “Look,” she told him, “either you can leave on your feet or leave on your ass. Pay your bill like a man and go. Otherwise, I’m gonna throw you out of here like a cartoon character. Ever literally been thrown out of a bar? There’s no coming back from that.”

Despite his brain being pickled, the man seemed to realize that this wasn’t a good idea and surrendered. Although loudly as he continued to grumble as he pulled out some cash, threw it on the bar, and wobbled his way out. “Think he’ll be ok?”

“Who cares?” [Y/N] replied as they counted out the bills. “After that four-eyes crack he can getbuddy his by a cab for all I know.”

“That’s rather cruel.” Despite this, Kyutaro still chuckled at the remark.

“So,” [Y/N] said as they looked up at him through their lashes. “I like your glasses. He shouldn’t have made fun of them.”

Kyutaro smirked and started cleaning the glasses she’d just brought over. “Well, thank you. And thank you for your help.”

#;ask and ye shall receive (request answers)#rei suwa #rei suwa x reader #kazuki kurusu x reader #kurusu kazuki #kyutaro kugi #buddy daddies kyutaro #kyutaro kugi x reader #buddy daddies scenarios #buddy daddies imagine #scenarios #imagine #buddy daddies

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samblackblog · 11 months

Text

9. Decision

⎔ MASTERLIST ⎔ REQUESTS ⎔ TWILIGHT ⎔ BOUNDARIES ⎔

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: mentions of violence, fluff, angst, depression, smut (not heavily laden)

A/N: took me a while to get this finished. I wasn't sure which direction to go, towards Sarah or Paul? Then again its a Paul fic so...

Message if you want adding to the tag or you want a one shot written.

← Chapter 8 ▪️ Chapter 10→

-----

There is nothing to do in all the spare time you now have, jobless and miserable, but think of the friend you lost. Everywhere subtle reminders of her, from the photos of you together on your phone, to the mentions of her from your Mother and Frank. You slipped into an endless cycle of depression that scared them enough to not bother you with endless questions, but you overheard the augments late at night when they thought you were asleep. Truth is, you can’t sleep these days. You miss Sarah and desperately want to fix things and in the process you’ve cut yourself of from him. Even thinking of him, or naming him, makes the pain worse, yet it’s you doing it to yourself.

You groan and turn over in bed, hugging the duvet to your body. It’s been three days since he dropped you home, the ride had been in silence as you refused to speak. You watched his white knuckle grip on the wheel and how tightly he clenched his jaw. Obviously he wanted to say something, angry at the situation, but thankfully he hadn’t voiced it there and then. Before leaving, he’d made you promise to meet him in a few days after having time to yourself, time he knew you needed even if he didn’t want the space.

You stare at the ticking clock on the bedside table, counting down the minutes. You should have met him ten minutes ago. Despite the longing to see him, feel him, breathe him, you can’t bring yourself to get up. Instead you open your phone and stare at Sarah’s number, finger hovering over it. Even if she picks up, what do you say? There’s still no explanation, the only one you had she laughed at you for it.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The clock becomes too loud, as it reminds you that you’re now twenty minutes late. Thoughts of him sitting alone in the current downpour makes you feel increasingly guilty.

He wouldn’t still be there. You tell yourself. He’d have gone by now. Anything to make yourself feel better.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

In frustration you swipe the clock off the side, it clattering to the floor with a metallic clunking. Something skitters across the floor, probably the battery. It’s only now, in the quiet of your room, you start to tune in to sounds in other parts of the house. The sounds of an argument starting in the kitchen drifting up to you. Quietly you leave the bed and creep along the floorboards to your door. The voices have grown louder and drown out any possibility of them hearing you coming down stairs.

“Somethings wrong with my baby girl Frank, and you don’t seem to care” your mothers hysterical shriek makes you jump as you hover outside the kitchen, eavesdropping.

“I just think that perhaps we’ve been too harsh on her recently. She’s a young adult now and she’ll experiment; that’s how they learn, from mistakes!” Frank sounds calmer, you put that down to his experience as a police officer. “She’ll speak to us when she’s ready-“

“Maybe we should send her to a psychologist-“

“She doesn’t need a shrink” He laughs, rolling his eyes at the idea he finds preposterous.

“She’s depressed, Frank!” Your Mother is at boiling point, her tone squeaky and you know that soon the tears will come.

“She’s a young woman, she’s probably got boy troubles, she’s not depressed.” He tries to rationalise and for once you’re glad someone’s on your side.

“If there’s something you’d like to know, just ask.” your voice interjects quietly from the doorway, “I’d prefer that to the talking behind my back “ you accuse. They stand, looking shocked at your sudden appearance. Despite catching them talking about you, guilt swells inside for letting it get to this point. You should have talked to them and not caused further stress. “Listen,” it comes out authoritative and stops either of them jumping in. “I…” you stare at your feet as you prop your body against the door frame. “I don’t wanna tell you what you want to hear for the sake of pleasing you, saying this, I don’t need counselling-”

“Oh thank god!” your mother interrupts, her hand coming to her chest in relief. You give her the side eye, annoyed at her rudeness.

“As I was saying, I don’t need counselling. I might seem a bit down but I have reasons, one’s which Frank’s not far off.”

“So there is a boy?” your mother asks, a mixture of intrigue and confusement. Frank smiles to himself, knowing he was right. “Don’t you think we should have known there’s a boy in your life?”

“Mum!” you whine, “No, there’s no boy.” You lie, not able to deal with her current questions. Tackle one issue at a time. “It’s just friendship problems.” Neither of them say anything but Frank gives you a wink, knowing you’re not telling the whole truth. “Anyway, I’m heading out, trying to fix the problem.” Your mother’s eyes travel your body, judging the state your appearance is currently in. She gets an eye roll from you before you walk to the front door. While slipping a pair of boots on you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the hallway mirror.

Jesus, maybe she was right to judge.

You still wear his sweater, having not taken it off, but had replaced the borrowed boxers with black leggings. Your hair, still unwashed, was scraggly and held enough grease to deep fry something in. You grab fistfuls of it and pile it high on top of your head, securing it in pace with the band from your wrist before heading to the car. Once sat inside the car, you get your phone out, finally having plucked up the nerve to call. The dial tone rings endlessly before the answer phone kicks in. In frustration you hang up and redial, the need to reach Sarah gnawing at you.

“Please pick up. Please pick up” you say through gritted teeth, hoping that it would work some magic. Once again the answer phone kicks in. Her voice sounds clear and cheery. You wait for her to stop speaking and the familiar beep to ensue, indicating for you to leave a message. “Hi Sarah,” you pause, realising how unprepared you are for this “I um… I couldn’t reach you, well you know that, but um I just wanted to check in, see how you are, even apologise. I’d rather apologise to your face and not over some dumb message…” you sigh loudly “Please just call me back, this whole thing is just so stupid, I really-”

Beep.

The time runs out for your message, cutting your words short.

“-miss you” you finish. Disappointed and annoyed you fling your phone into the seat next to you before banging your head against the steering wheel. In frustration your hands grip tightly onto the cool plastic as you release a suppressed groan. After regaining composure, you use your fingers to wipe away the wetness that stains your cheeks. Deciding you need to confront the issues in your life, you start the car and pull out of the driveway. Nervously your fingers tap against the steering wheel as thoughts race through your mind. Who to go to? Your brain, always the voice of reason, argues that Sarah should be the priority.

Mates before dates.

Despite this, every fibre of your being yearns to go somewhere else. A deep breath fills your nose with the woody scent that wafts off the sweater and sends your heart hammering. You let out a shuddery breath as you glance at the clock. Nearly fifty minutes had passed since you should have met him, why on earth would he still be there? Some small flicker of hope rages through you as you take a left turn at some crossroads, a turn that takes you further from her. The heavy rain turns to a gentle shower, as you head down the track that is becoming increasingly familiar. Under the tree canopy the rain seemed almost nonexistent but as you emerged into the clearing you noticed the occasional droplet hit the windscreen. You leave the car parked on the edge of the mud track and make your way over to the cabin, hoping that you were right in assuming he’d be here.

Gingerly you head up the porch stairs, trying not to make much sound in fear of an audience. There's voices drifting from the cracked open window, hushed in tone, not the usual energetic craziness you’ve come to associate with the gabble of boys.

“She might come around with some space” Emily’s soothing voice sounds, attempting to calm the male that answers her.

“She stood me up, I don’t think she needs time. She needs answers-”

“No.” Sam’s stern tone silences the other two. “I forbid it. She’s not one of us.”

“She’ll understand-”

“I said no Paul.”

“The other’s will be here soon, finish this before they arrive.” Emily advises. The oven door opens and then closes.

Feeling rude for eavesdropping, you try to backtrack and head to the car. Obviously now wasn’t the right time to interrupt. You make it down the stairs without so much as a creak and head back across the dirt clearing.

The low hanging tree branches to the left of the clearing start rustling as something comes running through the undergrowth. For a minute, panic floods your body. Half expecting the monster from your dreams to charge at you. You’re relieved when you hear the laughing joking voices of the boys. Emily had said they’d be returning soon.

In a hurry, you fish the car keys from your pocket but drop them in the mud. Before you can pick them up, feet thud into the clearing. In a flurry of snapping branches and bare skin something slams into you, knocking you clean off your feet. You land in the mud, something heavy on top of you.

Opening your eyes you see the smiling face of Jared, a flirtatious look twinkling in his eyes. He pushes up on his elbows as a flush creeps onto your cheeks. You’d never been this close to a man.

“Sorry about this, didn’t see you there!” He winks before another naked form runs past you both.

“Looks like I beat yo ass!” Embry calls.

Jared pushes off from the floor and offers a hand to you. The flush on your face reddens as you look away from Jared’s fully naked body.

Jared laughs. “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen Paul-”

“What the hell.” Paul’s voice erupts across from the cabin’s porch, stopping Jared’s comment in its tracks.

Your head whips around to where Paul is running down the stairs. He ignores the two naked men and heads straight to your side, looking you up and down once, then twice, noticing the mud on your clothing. His eyes then travel to the mud on Jared’s forearms and knees. His eyes turn animalistic, rage barely concealed.

“What did you do?” He spits at his friend. The words are thick with accusation.

“Calm down, it was an accident.” Jared’s eyes turn as lethally animalistic as he squares up to Paul.

“You’ve been provoking me for days.”

“You’re just too easy to wind up, man. Try not being so uptight.” He shoves Paul away from him.

“Paul?” Your voice calls to him soft and calming, perhaps the only thing that can pull him away from this. “Can we talk, please?”

He turns away from Jared, leaving the conflict before it’s too late. You take a shaky breath and try to calm your nerves but before you can say something Jared lets out a chuckle.

“It was about time she saw a real man.” His comment makes Paul’s jaw clench.

“Ignore him.” You shoot a glare at Jared, all embarrassment gone as you speak to Paul. “He doesn’t know what he’s on about.”

Taking a step towards Paul, you close the distance and place a hand on his chin, directing his gaze towards you. His jaw relaxes before he recoils from your touch. Your hand drops to your side as disappointment rushes through your being. Up until now you’d been the one rejecting and only now realise how being rejected hurts. Paul has to fight the desire to comfort you as he walks away from you and into the trees that you’d previously followed him into.

Sam, who’s been watching from the porch of the cabin, order’s Jared and embry inside. Once the two of them vanish inside the cabin, he gives you a nod of thanks.

Without overthinking, you enter the forest and retrace the footsteps you took once before and pray he’s there waiting for you. The walk to the clearing doesn't take as long as before, recognising stages of the journey which makes it memorable. Your foot clumsily catches on a tree root bulging from the earth. Smiling down at it, you can’t help but find it funny that it’s the same one that tripped you last time.

You enter the clearing and see Paul hunched over in the middle. All fours on the moss covered ground. His chest rises and falls as he breathes deeply as if meditating. You don’t say anything but let your actions speak. Silently you make your way over to him, stopping only to briefly consider what you should do.

Gingerly you place a hand on his back and make contact with his hot skin. The palm of your hand is cool compared to his scorching flesh, he flinches at the temperature change. The muscle beneath your touch contracts and relaxes as his head raises off the floor. Sliding your hand towards his shoulder blades, he brings himself into a kneeling position, his back flush against your legs as he sits on his haunches. Your arms wrap instinctively around his neck, dangling across his chest, as his head comes back to rest on your abdomen. He’s hurting and every fibre of your being screams to comfort him.

Without even thinking, you place a kiss on the crown of his head. Before withdrawing, his hands grab yours to keep you from leaving. You breathe in his scent. It's deep and woody and makes your heart flutter.

I’m sorry. I’m here now.

Without having spoken the words aloud, his body language changes as he reacts to your thoughts. The tension leaves his muscles as he relaxes further into you, his eyes shutting in content.

Cupping his chin, you tilt his face back gently. For a second you stare at his beautiful angular face before leaning down to kiss his lips. For the briefest of moments, he’s surprised, but it vanishes quickly as you become one.

A smile breaks across your features, halting the kiss. There’s a bob beneath your hand as he swallows. You draw back and watch as his eyes open, dark and filled with lust. The predatory look should scare you but doesn’t. Suddenly your mouth feels dry as nerves coarse through you.

“Hi,” you whisper.

He blinks up at you. Once, twice, three times before making a move to stand. He towers above you, head resting in the crook of your neck. Occasionally his body shakes followed by deep breaths. Trying to comfort him, you rub your hand against his back.

“What’s going on?” you work up the nerve to ask.

He sighs against you before pulling away. His eyes show deep sadness, flecks of anger swim through the irises. You take a step towards him, but he just moves further away.

“They shouldn’t have- you shouldn’t have”

“I’m not one of you.” Sam’s words from the cabin tumble from you.

Paul looks shocked for a fraction of a second before regaining control of his emotions.

“You heard that.”

“I may not be one of your goofy group of friends, but I’m here aren’t I?” Your brows pinch together. “I’m sorry I stood you up earlier, but you have to understand how confused I am at the situation, at my feelings. I’ve never felt like this and it scares the crap out of me… But, I’m here now and that’s what matters.”

“You don’t think I’m confused?” His words catch you off guard, not expecting him to argue. “One moment you can’t keep your hands off me and then you disappear for days. What am I supposed to think?”

“You said you would be anything I want you to be…” you shrug, lost for words.

“I don’t know how to be around you.” he avoids eye contact as his hands run through his thick hair, “You kiss me like you want me, like you care-”

“I do care.”

“You act one way and then completely change the next time I see you. It’s screwing with my brain!” He yells out of frustration.

“Paul…” Tears well in your eyes. You swallow to keep them at bay.

“Jared jokes about whatever this is and it drives me insane.”

“I didn’t want to see… that,” you clarify.

Your cheeks flush in embarrassment as you think about it, not that you really saw anything, having diverted your eyes. You notice Paul taking in your flushed appearance and shrink away from you again.

“Are you jealous?”

“I was worried he might have hurt you.” He shoots you a warning glare, to not delve further into this topic.

“Jared is quite funny, if I’m being honest.” You twirl a piece of hair between your fingers. “After today… Well maybe he’s got more than just humour-”

Paul walks towards the trees, no words of goodbye.

“Don’t walk away. Please.” Your voice completely changes, the joking tone erased by desperation. Inside your chest, the beat of your heart thunders, scared that he’ll go for good. “I need you.”

He stops in his tracks, back tense.

“I need you.” It’s an echo of a whisper as you repeat it.

He turns and looks you in the eye.

“I can’t stay away from you, I tried and it made me want you more. I can’t sleep without thinking of you.” The truth starts spilling from you in waves. “I can’t breathe, It feels like death. I… I. Need. You.”

He closes the distance between you in a few strides. His proximity gives you goosebumps as he leans his forehead against yours. All you can think about is how close his lips are to yours and yet still not close enough. And then they’re on yours, warm and soft. He starts with slow gentle pecks, before they become lengthier. Your lungs burn so he moves down your neck. You moan what sounds like his name as your arms wrap around his neck, fingers digging into his shoulders. The hair at his nape is long enough to grab in your hand as he gently applies suction to your skin, bringing forth another moan, barely audible to the human ear. Tendrils of pleasure run down your spine as your nipples harden. You flush when you remember you didn’t put a bra on; the way your body is pressed to his, he’ll feel them through the sweater you borrowed.

His mouth finds its way back to yours as you drink him in, savouring every touch and sound. He pulls away for a second, panting as he draws in air, before admiring his work on your neck.

You stare up at him with big doe eyes, lips parted and swollen, waiting for more. Removing your hand from his neck, you bring them down to his chest where they linger for a few seconds before going to the hem of his tank top. He stops what he’s doing, eyes watching yours as they stare up at him. His breath catches as you graze a finger delicately over the skin of his abdomen. You pull on the material, as you lean up to kiss him, bunching it in your fists. Lightly, your teeth brush over his lower lip before breaking apart.

With his chest heaving, Paul allows you to remove his top. He stays utterly still, letting you take the lead. He watches as your eyes follow your fingers, watching them trace patterns across his flesh. You place a warm kiss on his shoulder as your arms slide around his neck once more.

“I need you.” The whisper tickles his ear.

You pull away a little so you can look at his face. Neither one of you speaks and yet never has your communication been better. It’s over both of your features, anyone could read it. He dips a little as his hands rest on the back of your thighs, his eye contact not once breaking from you. In one swift motion he picks you up, bringing you eye level with him. You make a yelp of surprise and wrap your legs around his wait for stability. Before you can adjust, he’s moving again.

The moss feels soft as he lays you down, his lips trailing kisses down your throat. He works lower and lower until he finds where the sweater ends. He attacks the skin beneath, his hands gripping your hips fiercely, and works his way up, stopping just beneath your breasts. The cool air hits your skin and sends shivers over you, adding to the pleasure.

You make a sound of disappointment as he leaves your breasts and comes back up to kiss you. He plants one last peck on your pink lips before pushing up on his forearms.

“We need to stop.”

You pull him down by his neck and kiss him again.

“We really need to stop.” He says between your assault of kisses.

Catching him off guard you push him over and straddle his waist. Your mouth trails across his chest before he sits up, forcing your mouth upwards to his once more. You can’t ignore his hands that ride up your back, feeling the soft skin beneath the sweater. He certainly knows that you’re not wearing a bra now. If only he’d slide his hands round and touch you. You ache for him.

A whimper escapes your lips as you think about what you need, earning a growl from deep within Paul, that responds to you.

“We have to stop.” he’s breathless so he loses all sense of command.

“But-” You start to whine. The temptress within wanting full control.

“The forest isn’t appropriate, who knows who can hear.”

You’re far enough from the cabin that they surely can’t hear you. Yet some part of you wonders if they could.

“So we talk then.” You suggest, still trying to catch your breath and calm down.

“Sure.”

You make no effort to move off his lap, liking his embrace. You both take a few minutes to regain some normal sense of thought.

“You said before about soulmates.” He nods, urging you on “Well, maybe I believe you.”

He bursts into laughter, his whole body shaking underneath yours. You admire the way his eyes crinkle with happiness and the smile lines that appear in this moment of joy.

“There are things I don’t understand though.”

Paul leans back on his arms, taking in the view before him. His eyes rove up and down and a sense of accomplishment fills him at the sight of your flushed, dishevelled appearance.

“You’re distracted, I can see. Maybe now isn’t the appropriate time to talk about this.” You suggest, slighting annoyed he can’t compose himself. He grabs your hands, stopping you from getting up.

“I’m listening.”

“Is this a cult?” You blurt out.

Again he starts laughing. Big belly aching laughs that thunder across the clearing. You hit him playfully on the arm, hoping he can cut the crap.

“I’m serious!”

“Oh you are, are you?” he chuckles. “No, my friends and I aren’t in a cult.” The laughter remains in his eyes and sparkles.

“That’s it?”

“There are some things that I can’t tell you.” he watches your face screw up in confusion. “Don’t look at me like that,” he sits back up and brushes his thumb across your pout. “Do you trust me?” He kisses you.

It sounds ridiculous but you do. You trust him with your life. Deep in your heart you know he’ll keep you safe and love you, even if it is in this weird way.

“Just know that it’s nothing bad”

“Hmmm, at least tell me what’s up with the nakedness.” He pulls away from kissing you, “Don’t think about lying. You ran off in the storm while your clothes stayed on the porch… You’re always walking around half dressed and somehow don’t freeze. What’s up with that?”

“There’s no way I’m gonna come off as anything but crazy.”

“I’m fully prepared.” You smile in reassurance.

“We’re at one with nature. There’s nothing more freeing or grounding than being a naturist.”

“Weirdos,” you joke. A blush creeps up your neck as you imagine Paul as Jared had been today.

“Don’t be naughty.” Paul chides.

“I don’t know what you’re on about.” You stick your tongue out.

He makes a humming sound, not believing a word you say before planting kisses to your neck again.

“I’m sure you weren’t thinking inappropriate things in the slightest.” He teases. “My turn to ask a question.”

“Go on”

“Talked to Sarah yet?”

In one simple question, your mood completely shifts. The warm fuzzy haze you had been in swept away by the blistering cold glooming melancholia of the Sarah situation. You roll your eyes before sighing.

“She’s ignoring me.” You pull your lips into a tight line. “I probably need to just turn up at her house.”

“Something tells me Sarah’s not the kind that enjoys being bombarded.”

Something clicks with what he’s said. The amount of times Sarah’s warned you.

“Do you two know each other?” His eyes shift colour, the playfulness dashed by something cold.

“I knew her Sister.”

“She never said, she only warned me-”

“To stay away from me, right?” You nod a reply. “Figures.” He sighs loudly “I had a lot of anger issues growing up and got in trouble once… or twice.” He must have seen the look on your face because he added “I never hurt her though, if that’s what that look suggests.”

“No, no, I um… How well did you know her? The sister I mean…” You stare down at your hands that lay on your lap.

“Now who’s jealous.” He strokes a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“So there’s a reason to be jealous?”

“It’s in the past, well in the past. And it meant more to her than me.” He stares at you for minutes as silence settles, unable to take it anymore he breaks it.

“You ever hurt anyone?” You hated asking, but felt the need to.

There's a dead silence that emanates from him.

“Yes.”

“Would you have hurt Jared today?”

He looks up at you, eyes full of sorrow.

“We’re a physical bunch. He’d have put up a good fight.”

“You’re bigger than him.” You point out, surprised at the honestly coming from him.

“We’re brothers. I’d only have whooped his ass a little, teach him to hit on my girl.”

“Too much testosterone in the group,” You joke.

He doesn’t laugh, doesn’t even try to acknowledge the humour you used to try to lighten the subject. He only sighs deeply, his whole body deflating as his eyes drain of light.

“What’s wrong?” Your hands rest on his shoulders before they cup his face, giving it a playful squeeze. “Talk to me.”

Before he even answers you know his sadness; feel it echoed in your own heart. You’d never felt abandonment before but recognised the fear as quickly as it arrived. Your hands slide down his arms, stroking soothing circles before wrapping his big hands in your delicate ones.

Gently you place a kiss on both his hands and then rest your forehead against his. Looking deep into his eyes you feel a bridge, tiny and invisible, that connects the two of you. Electricity surges back and forth along the sinew of this soul bridge and for a moment you breathe as one.

-----

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tw-episodereactions · 8 months

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Teen Wolf 1x12

Ah, yes, Chris honking at Scott instead of aiming a weapon at him is totally in character. We shall honk to warn this creature off, despite the fact that we’ve been stalking him for eleven episodes.

Lol, Peter just walks off like Stiles will do exactly as he’s told. Please don’t have Stiles do exactly as he’s told. Have him text Jackson and Danny to track down Scott’s cell and then tell Scott about it.

See? The woods are like two steps away from the school and it would have been a lot harder for the police and Argent’s to track Derek in the woods than on the streets in that one episode.

Allison’s reaction after Scott runs is approximately forty seconds long, some slow motion, mostly in close up with one long shot.

Scott’s reaction is approximately forty seconds long, some slow motion, mostly in long shot with one close up that almost immediately dollies back to a long shot.

And the one close up is on the scream instead of the sobbing.

Why do they keep making these choices to de-emphasize Scott’s pain/anguish/trauma? Like, it’s weird, right? It’s not just me?

Like, from the beginning they’ve been telling this story about how being treated like a monster doesn’t make you one. Pretty much every character, with the exceptions of Allison, Melissa, and Deaton have treated Scott like a monster, a pawn, a tool, a thing to be used. Some to more extent than others, but even Stiles has treated Scott like that on several occasions.

And the story seems to be trying to show us at every turn how Scott refuses to be used. Refuses at every turn to cast aside his humanity and descend into a mindless, angry thing that the Hales want him to be and the Argents expect him to be. The storyline, the dialogue, the acting all support this. But half the time the shots don’t, and it’s driving me nuts, honestly.

Does Jackson actually care about Lydia now too? My headcanon where he got empathic bleed from Scott is holding up, I see.

Oh. Menstruation jokes about a teenage girl from a grown man is definitely not gross and creepy and demeaning. I guess that’s one characterization they haven’t screwed up yet.

Okay, so, 1) it’s interesting that Chris recognized what Kate was doing but didn’t stop it, 2) it’s interesting that Kate was the one to volunteer to come instead of Chris bringing her in like I thought, and 3) Chris, buddy. You fucking chose to try to run Scott over and have him turn in front of your daughter, Kate wasn’t even there. Take ownership of your own fucking actions, my dude.

Lol, Kate, you’re usually a better liar than that. ALSO, I still haven’t heard how the school janitor was connected so until we do he’s an innocent victim.

And now we also know that Kate’s actions with the fire either weren’t sanctioned by Chris - most likely - or weren’t sanctioned within the hunting community at all. I’m still trying to figure out the hierarchy of the hunters, and how big the family/network is.

Now that Allison is in the know maybe we’ll learn more, but even with two born werewolves we’ve learned shit about that culture so I’m not holding my breath.

It makes no sense that he’s sending Kate with Allison unless he just wants Kate out of the way. Mrs. Argent would seem like a better choice in several respects, not the least of which she hasn’t been going behind Chris’ back with Allison already. Also, bro, Kate ain’t exactly the comforting type and your kid needs comfort right now.

Okay, so her mother clearly isn’t the comforting type either. Are we saying that Allison get her compassion from Chris? Oh boy.

They keep mentioning the ‘moral code’ they have, but not giving us details. I mean, it’s apparent that Kate doesn’t follow it, and clearly others are willing to bend it. But even the “good” ones like Chris still try to rile up werewolves into going past a specific line in the sand.

Hunters are just a bunch of cops, huh? No accountability, protect their own over anyone else, instigate werewolves to violence so that they can feel justified in killing them.

So I guess he did steal Jennifer’s car. Still doesn’t make sense how he and Derek got to the school before Stiles when they presumably left at least ten minutes after him, but whatever. Also, did Derek kill the nurse when he hit her in the face? There was definitely a lot of blood. And this now makes (at least) two people not associated with the fire that got murdered.

Scott going to the vet is a good fucking call and he should have done it sooner. He should, perhaps, actually call Deaton though because he’s like the only one who’s been both compassionate enough and capable enough to help you.

So, like, Allison doesn’t know who to believe, and I get that. Her family says they love her, but they’ve been lying to her. Scott says he loves her but he’s been lying to her. It’s hard to figure out who to trust.

Out of curiosity, though. How is Scott able to get past the Mountain Ash? Is it just because he’s got a key to the back, and never goes out the front? Did it only get added after Deaton was kidnapped by Derek or maybe it only works on Alphas? So many questions!

Hey, look, we actually got close up on Scott’s grief that actually lasted about the same amount of time as someone else’s! It can be done!

Well, I see the family resemblance between Derek and Peter now.

Oh. Hey. A cop being shitty? Weird. Like, fuck, dude, Jackson’s a goddamn asshole, but a) you don’t know anything about that, b) he’s a fucking minor, and c) you have no idea what the fuck happened or how traumatized he might have been. And, like, none of the other cops with him are pulling him back? Jesus Christ.

Aside from how it makes sense cause cops are just generally shitty, why the fuck would he act like that about two kids we’ve never really seen him interact with? Either he’s got something against Jackson or he’s weirdly protective over Lydia and both of those options creep me out a little.

No, no, don’t bother apologizing to the kid you manhandled for no reason.

“Only the responsible ones,” Peter says, ignoring the dead body literally underneath where Stiles is typing. And the janitor. Can’t forget that guy.

Stiles trying to protect Scott is nice, if futile.

Scott gets his terrible security protocols from his mother. But at least his was passively bad, while hers was actively bad. I still can’t believe she just let Jackson use her computer like that.

Also, his is not, you know, illegal criminally or civilly with criminal consequences that could include termination, up to $50,000 in fines, and a prison sentence.

I’m sorry, but did this fucking show give us a guy who not only knows about werewolves but feels totally secure standing up to one and subsequently getting the werewolf to stand down, which our main character witnessed, and then not have the main character, like, go to him for help? Just have him go there for refuge?

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, GIVE ME DEATON.

Oh, hey. Scott howling again. I hope this time works better than last time. I can kind of understand why this was not his first choice of things to try given his previous experience.

But, uh, are you telling me Peter didn’t hear that and won’t also come running? Or that Peter didn’t think to try that instead of the whole phone thing? Or, like, now that apparently Derek is his beta, Peter can’t track him that way like he’s basically done to Scott during this whole show?

I feel like the phone thing was put in there specifically as a way to make Stiles useful. Especially since we haven’t seen this skill set from him before.

FYI, that longitude/latitude puts you in Antarctica.

Lol, so we specifically made a comment about how the service might not work in a parking garage and popped out the mifi, but we’re totally able to bypass that same issue to get the gps coordinates from a phone that’s underground. Sure, Jan.

Okay, so at least Peter did hear the howl. And you know what? I’ll accept that Scott outsmarted him because he’s done it several times already. The weird part is that you’d think Peter would be the one more in touch with the werewolf instinct and Scott would be the one more apt to use technology, but we’re getting the reverse.

If I had any faith in these folks, I’d have to wonder if that was on purpose. Like, has modern werewolf culture lost itself to the violence and lost all connection to its proto culture? Not all werewolf myths cast them as monstrous and bad, particularly Irish and Scottish folklore have them as helpful protectors. Scott McCall.

Ummm, why is Allison at the hospital? Did she hear Jackson’s voicemail and insist on coming? Did Kate just dump her somewhere and then she heard what happened to Lydia?

I actually really like the super quick flashes of the bloody room and Lydia writhing. That was very effective.

Okay, so Kate’s using this to manipulate Allison some more. Gotcha. Chris, you’re dumb for letting her be under Kate’s influence some more.

Stiles, why would you even ask that?

Oh. Okay. So we’re good with biting people of color and women and turning them without asking, but you’re gonna ask the white kid if he wants it. Why do I, once again, feel like that’s social commentary that they didn’t actually intend to make, but is so spot on it’s painful?

Also, is this the first episode where they’ve explained that the bite doesn’t always take, and that it’s not due to the intent of the one biting, but the biology (?) of the one being bitten?

That still doesn’t explain why Peter didn’t bite more people when Scott balked. Peter clearly doesn’t mind sacrificing people when convenient.

Peter is really much better at manipulation than Derek was. He and Kate are cut from the same cloth.

Part of me thinks that Stiles was lying because we’ve seen him be envious of Scott. The other part of me knows that Peter’s a lying liar who lies and no one should ever trust him.

The stark fucking difference between how the Sheriff treated Jackson versus how he’s treating Stiles.

I feel like that phone battery would have died by now. I have zero memory of how good phone batteries were 13 years ago though.

Wait, did this fucking bozo not hear Derek roaring? Dumbass.

Why does the lighting on the walls of this place always look like the light is reflecting off water but there’s no sound of water when they walk. I noticed it in the last episode too. Very distracting.

Why the fuck did Stiles bring up Derek? First of all, he knows his dad knows that because he got his dad drunk and his dad told him he knows that. Second, unless he’s planning on confessing everything and getting the police to roll up to Derek’s place, then saying that right now is incredibly dumb.

Holy shit! They did it to someone other than Scott this time! Made him look dumb so that someone else could have a snappy comeback! Why is this thing that these writers do? I mean, other than them being bad at their jobs.

I honestly can’t remember, does Stiles know that Allison got the necklace from her aunt? Also, like, he doesn’t even describe it, but Stiles somehow puts it together, lol.

“You really want to talk about this right now?” Says the guy who has, of course, been super forthcoming with Scott about werewolves this whole time. Who literally didn’t just switch sides to help Peter in a way that left Scott traumatized and writhing half naked on a locker room floor. This guy who has totally never made Scott’s life actively worse or hurt him almost every single time they met.

Yeah, Fuckface, he wants to talk about this now and with good reason.

Derek’s practically his own movie theater with how much he’s projecting on all these kids.

Btw, I am taking this as confirmation that Derek had, in fact, switched sides and was not actually playing along to still try to stop Peter. Which means that he’s a trash fire of a human being who has currently done only two good things. Possibly ever.

Weren’t there just police all over the hospital? I feel like someone should maybe notice a group of armed men terrorizing two high school kids after what happened to Lydia.

Scott’s sad little, “Just say you’ll help and I’ll unlock your other…” is so funny because, like, even if Derek said it Scott was resigned to the fact that he wouldn’t be telling the truth, but would unlock him anyway.

Chris’ friend tried to kill him, huh? Was it because he was surrounded by people he knew wanted to kill him? Was it because he was hurt and in pain and just needed to learn how to control it? Like, I feel like there were other ways you could have handled that, Chris. If all you’ve got is a gun, every problem looks like a target, I guess.

I don’t buy that Kate and Allison got there before Peter. He’s there somewhere.

Why didn’t they shoot the flashbulb one first? It’s unnecessarily cruel, which is Kate’s M.O. but it still feels weird that Allison would go along with it.

Thank you, I guess for at least saying that Allison wasn’t willing to go along with killing. But, like, she knows Derek was being tortured. What did she think was going to happen if they did just capture Scott?

Lol. Okay, sure. Kate and Allison and Chris all got there before Peter.

“I did what I was told to do.”

Huh. I’m going to be real with you, I assumed that Kate would bust out with her warped views on why they need to die and that’s it’s a good thing and they’re just animals. I wasn’t expecting someone pulling her strings. I mean, I guess she could be lying, but why?

It makes way more sense that Chris is a naive idiot, honestly, than to think there wasn’t corruption in the hunters, they’re cops.

Lol, Chris, you fucking shot that same kid three months ago with no proof he’d spilled human blood. Bud, leg to stand on? You ain’t really got one.

Although good to know at least part of their code.

Wait, are these bullets even wolfsbane? Will normal bullets even kill werewolves? Derek was basically fisted through his chest and survived, so I guess I assumed they were more lethal than regular bullets.

We hunt those who hunt us. Well that’s definitely not the truth. Not if they were there the when Laura Hale died because she was the first victim and clearly a werewolf.

Peter did you have to succumb to the drama of the creaking door? Really? You couldn’t have just quietly launched yourself at Kate and dragged her off before anyone could get off a shot?

Also, where the fuck are Chris’ men who were at the hospital with them? Why did Chris not call for backup en route since apparently Stiles gave him the location. Sloppy work.

I understand that you’ve loved her your whole life Allison, but you just found out that she killed a bunch of innocent people including children and she almost killed the boy you said you loved right in front of you. I feel like running after her is the wrong choice.

Perhaps checking on your father or grabbing back the weapon you lost are better first choices.

You know what? I’m fine with that. Kate dying in that house by Peter’s hand works for me.

I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here.

The shaky cam, the low light, and the fact that all three of them are wearing black leather jackets is not helping me figure out what’s happening in this fight.

Like, I don’t want to be reductionist and go for the simple metaphors, but for symmetry Scott should be in the red hoodie, Derek should only be wearing his light gray/dirty white shirt to show how he’s nominally fighting the good fight here even if he’s still not a good guy, and Peter should be in dark or colors indistinguishable from black.

Or they could have just used some more damn lighting, that’s an option too, I guess.

Well, I guess the cgi werewolf will theoretically make it a little easier to tell who’s who.

Hey, Stiles and Jackson. Good of you guys to show up. What kept you?

Wow, the practical effects for the Alpha are jarringly better than the cgi. Should’ve gone with as many practical effects as possible. Which is honestly so true for most things.

Oh. I guess they stopped by the chemistry room first. Lol.

Well. This is actually a very good strategy, Stiles. I can’t imagine anyone would react well to being lit on fire, but Peter’s going to react worse than most. Out of idle curiosity, why did you only make two?

I feel like, keep shooting is also an option here?

Look, Allison, girl. I get that you understandably believe Scott was telling the truth now, but, uh. If I were Scott I’d push you away until we could talk shit over because you totally let your aunt almost kill me in cold blood.

I get it’s a teen show, which means kissing instead of talking, but still. Not really appropriate after you watched your aunt get murdered and all y’all tried to burn a man to death.

“Because I love you,” is a bad answer.

How about because both you and my family lied to me and I didn’t know who to trust, so I trusted them because they’re my family and I’ve only known you for three months. But Kate showed that my trust in her was misplaced, and you showed that my trust in you wasn’t, and I’m sorry I almost got you killed.

Oh. Hey, Peter wasn’t all the way dead. We were all just letting him suffer and possibly heal up then? That’s a choice, I guess.

Now, big question time. Is Derek going to let Scott try to kill Peter to see if it will actually reverse the change or is he going to take his revenge for Peter killing Laura and screw Scott over forever? Hmmm, based on almost all of Derek’s previous behavior, I’m stumped.

I wonder if the Argent’s knew about that possible cure. I wonder if a hunter getting turned and killing their Alpha is how they found out that it was a possibility in the first place. Or maybe a hunter started it as a rumor to try to get betas to kill their Alphas.

This just in, Derek Hale remains a garbage fire of a human being. This is my shocked face.

The Sheriff just out here touching evidence with his bare hands.

I love how in the episode where they specifically say that you either turn or die from the bite that immediately gets disproven. Hey, quick question: does anyone actually know anything about werewolves? Maybe that’s why we’re not getting any details. None of the writers fucking know anything either.

Ugh, Jackson’s back again. If Derek turns him, he’ll be the stupidest goddamn man alive. Which means he’s going to.

Any bets that Jackson being turned will somehow make him more scared than less?

Aaaand we’ve got more hunters coming. Is it like a tribunal because the Argent’s fucked up? Is it the person pulling Kate’s strings, who knows!

Okay, so, here’s the thing. The story structure is killing me here. Too much is happening after the climax. We didn’t need the Sheriff finding Kate, that should’ve been cut. It gave us no knew information and that storyline was wrapped up again with the newspaper article like 30 seconds later.

We didn’t actually need to find out about Lydia not being a werewolf and possibly being something else. There was already a cliffhanger about her, we didn’t need to resolve that cliffhanger only to immediately have a new one but with less tension.

This should have ended with just the Jackson & Derek scene to theoretically wrap up that storyline, and the Argent scene - which gave us new information - transitioning to Scott and Allison cuddling under the moon - which is the resolution.

Season One Thoughts

This is a story about not becoming a monster. Kate was monstrous because she was ‘just following orders.’ Peter and Derek and even Jackson to an extent were monstrous because they let their pain selfishly consume them and then took it out on everyone else. Chris is perhaps the least monstrous because while he clearly refused to see what was in front of him for years, when there was nothing else to see but the truth, he did step up. Scott is, of course, the monster who refused to be monstrous.

I think Scott is a refreshing character. He’s a lead of color in a teen show, which is incredibly rare. He’s a teenager who does dumb teenager things and makes mistakes, but tries so hard to do the right thing. He’s stubborn and kind, and those are shown as both strengths and weaknesses, which I like. He clearly takes after his mother a whole bunch, and they have a sweet relationship.

I thought Allison and Stiles were good, complex characters, but there were certainly some iffy fucking characterizations choices for Stiles at the beginning of the season and some iffy fucking mischaracterizations with Allison at the end.

And finally, with my whole chest, DEATON IS MY FAVORITE. I want to know literally everything about him and I hope so very much that he gets a chance to be the mentor that Scott deserves.

#teen wolf #scott mccall #allison argent #derek hale #episode reaction #stiles stilinski #jackson whittemore #lydia martin #chris argent #alan deaton #peter hale #1x12 #kate argent

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tinyluminaryzombie · 16 days

Text

Graceless

@jilymicrofics | May Prompt #7 - Seething | 686 words tw: mentions of violence and blood (not gorry/extreme) Read on AO3

Lily kept replaying the scene. Time was fuzzy but she remembered every detail of when Severus's pack of wannabe death eaters cornered her.

It was stupid, walking all alone in deserted hallways. She had just finished her head girl duties and she had convinced James to leave early after he was about to chug another black tea just to stay awake. Quidditch schedules weren’t for the weak.

Lily thought she’d be fine. Ultimately, she supposed she was fine. At least, she was alive. Minutes ago, she arrived in the common room seething, tears from her eyes and blood from her hands mixing on her face.

Stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying! echoed in Lily’s head. Crying would be her admission of weakness, her final surrender. She didn’t know what made her weaker: being paralyzed by Severus’s violent betrayal or disgusted by her acts of self-defense.

It had started with a gasp. A portrait clutched her chest, looking ill. As Lily opened her mouth, ready to whip her head around, the portrait fearfully shook her head in warning. She kept walking, relying on the portraits’s reactions and the frames’ reflections. It quickly became clear. Four masked figures were following her. Lily was outnumbered. She kept walking as long as she could, whispering protective charms. There was no way to attack all four at once without putting the whole castle in danger. She was trapped.

“Lily! Lily!” a voice called out.

She blinked twice, reminding herself she was back in the common room, sitting on the gold rug, feeling the cold stone on her back, smelling honey and lemon. She was safe, for now. James came into focus.

“Lily,” he said again. This time, it felt more like a deep whine. She hummed hallowly. “Oh my god. Where are you bleeding? Shit, shit, shit. Lily, we need to get you help, right now.”

“It’s not my blood,” Lily said, looking at golden threads instead of warm eyes. She held her hands up. “It’s not mine.” She crumpled into James’s arms, her head in his chest. She balled her hands up tight fists behind his back.

“I’m here. I’m here. I love you. I love you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” James whispered through her hair.

“He hesitated. I didn’t.” Lily said.

“What do you mean?”

Lily let out a shaky laugh. “Severus, he hesitated. Three of his death eater friends pushed him to the front and ripped his mask off. Told him to do his worst. Sev–Severus grabbed my arm and then froze. I yelled one of the blood curses that we were banned from learning in class. As soon as it hit, I yanked my arm away and ran.”

She heard James sniffle.

“So it’s Severus’s?”

She nodded. “James?” He needed to understand.

“Yeah?"

“I just used one of the vindictive and painful curses on someone who I used to call my best friend.”

“I know. I’m so sorry, Lil.” He head, holding her tighter.

“But– but how can you still hold me? How can you still love me? You’re the most loyal person I know. You would never purposely hurt a friend. You’d never use a spell half as bad on them. And your girlfriend just–,” she paused, not wanting to say it again. “I just did that! ” Lily started sobbing again.

James tried to brush her tears away, his thumb damp from his own.

“Lily, I have never been more grateful that you’re the top student. I have never been more grateful for vindictive and painful curses. I have never been more grateful that you’re alive .” She feels his lips on her head. “The boys would never hurt me—or you—like that. But he doesn’t understand loyalty, doesn’t warrant loyalty. Just because he hesitated doesn’t mean he deserves your mercy. That goddamn graceless asshole doesn’t deserve your grace.”

James kissed her temple. “I love you, I love you.” Lily continued to cry as he whispered to her. She reached over to squeeze his hand. I love you. I love you , she thought.

Maybe together, they could get through this.

#jily #jily microfic #jilymicrofic #my jily fic #my fic #lily evans #james potter #jily angst #tw blood #tw violence #hp #hp fandom #harry potter fandom

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haikyuuwaifu · 1 year

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Ch.23

Genre: Drama, Angst

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Parental Neglect, Attempted Gaslighting, Violence

MASTERLIST

SURPRISE GUESTS

Y/n had never really had the best relationship with her parents. She’d learned early on, that they were never going to be the kind of parents she was supposed to have. The kind of parents Tsumu had. Her earliest memory, was Y/n sitting at the counter in her Nana’s kitchen, learning how to cook. As she grew, Y/n found herself spending more than what was considered a “normal” amount of time with her grandparents instead of her actual parents. As a child, she didn’t understand, she assumed they were working to take care of her, and needed nana and papa to help keep an eye on her. When she was a preteen, she’d learned that her parents simply forgot to use protection and had a child at a young age.

Both of them were still in college at the time, goofing off, and unfortunately, not taking their lives seriously. Her father was assured a job in the family business, and her mother knew she’d be a rich man’s wife. Unfortunately for the two of them, Papa made her uncle his right hand man, and forced her father to work his way up from the bottom. That forced Y/n’s mother to look for work, which resulted in Y/n spending her younger years with her nana.

Looking at the sight of her parents now, standing at the entrance of Osamu’s shop, made Y/n’s insides churn with building fury. The sight of Himiko’s parents behind them didn’t make her feel any better. They were just as shitty as her parents had been. “Aren’t you going to greet us.” Y/n’s mother sniffed, turning her nose down at her daughter. Y/n chose to ignore her, in favor of moving toward the counter. She needed to stand as far away from them as possibly, for their safety of course. “Your mother is speaking to you, useless girl.” He father sneered, as Atsumu let out a shout. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that.” He hissed, moving to step toward them. Kuroo held his arm, pulling his boyfriend back and away from the two couples. “This is the place you’re going to buy out Uncle.” Himiko declared, giving Osamu a cruel look. Y/n’s father looked around, nothing but distain on his face as he took the place in. Himiko’s father patted his daughters hand, giving Osamu a sinister grin. “Himi’s told us you’ve been having some trouble staying in the black.” He grunted, as Osamu’s hands shook with rage. “We figured we’d do you a favor and give you an off.” The man declared, pulling a stack of papers from his briefcase. “This place is a hovel, so we’ll probably level it and turn it into an office building.” Y/ns father supplied, as she watched her mother sneer at the paintings on the walls.

“I’ve been trying to tell you for months Samu, owning a shop like this isn’t good for your image. Even if it was your dream, you’re going to be poor for the rest of your life.” Himiko sniffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve spoken to daddy, and when you apologize, he’ll help you get started in our company!” “My daughter deserves to be with the best, and this,” Himiko’s mother sniffed, “is not it.” Osamu remained silent, his eyes on the floor as he listened to the older couples make their comments. Behind the counter, Y/n could feel her shoulders shaking, as the rage continued to build. After a few minutes, Y/n’s father nudged Osamu, grunting loudly. “Sign the papers boy. We’re going to buy you out whether you want to or not, and this place is a shithole.” “Fuck you.” Y/n sneered, grabbing a plate, and smashing it against the counter. Her mother gasped dramatically, clutching her necklace as her daughter glared at them. “That is no way to talk to your father.” Y/n only sneered, stomping toward the two of them. Pulling her fist back, she grunted, as she pushed it forward hitting her father in the face. The man clutched his cheek, hissing as he bent over. “You two are disgusting.” She hissed, glaring at her mother. “And the two of you,” She snarled, waving her hands at Himiko’s parents. “You should be fucking ashamed of yourselves! Raising a fucking cunt for a daughter.” She screamed, reaching out to grab Himiko. Himiko screamed, covering her face. She had thought Y/n was going to hit her, but all the woman did was push her over the table she was standing in front of.

“I am so sick, and so tired, of you all ruining my fucking life.” She screamed, picking up a chair. Atsumu moved, gripping her tight as Kuroo took the chair out of her hands. “Why cant you all just fuck off and leave me alone.” she screeched, her cheeks stained with tears. “I’m going to call the police!” Himiko’s mother yelled, attempting to reach for her phone in her bag. “Go ahead and do that darling, I’d like to have a chat with them anyway.” A gravely voice called, bringing everyone’s attention to the doorway. Standing next to Osamu’s mother, was a woman he’d only seen pictures of. Himiko had always made it known that he would never meet her grandmother. Looking at the intimidating woman, he could see why. The older adults in the restaurant knew, if she was here...they were fucked.

Prev/Next

#still into you #haikyuu smau #smau #osamu imagine #osamu x reader #osamu x female reader #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x female reader #osamu miya #osamu miya x reader #osamu miya x female reader

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libraryofgage · 9 months

Text

I know it's not the WIP Wednesday yet, but it is my birthday, so I'm gonna share the complete first chapter of Modern Steve in 80s Hawkins for your reading pleasure lmao:

"Now, Steve, you know we support you. Your father and I didn't bat an eye when you came out, and we look forward to meeting whichever nice young boy or girl you bring home. But, dear, violence is never the answer."

The words go in one ear and right out the other as Steve watches buildings rush by outside the window. He’d slip on the headphones around his neck, but Steve knows he at least owes his parents the courtesy of naked ears after they bailed him out. Really, he just wants to take a shower and change into clean clothes after spending a night in jail surrounded by equally sweaty and beat up parade-goers. Don’t get him wrong; the people were great, but the smell was atrocious. He lets his head fall against the window, eyes shutting as he breathes through a bruised rib, split lip, and swollen eye.

"Steve, are you listening to your mother?"

"Yeah, violence bad," he mumbles, just loud enough to be heard in the otherwise silent car. At this point, he’d even prefer the stadium country that usually plays when his dad drives.

He wishes he were back in the jail cell, swapping stories with the others who got arrested for fighting homophobic protestors, who started it, by the way. He knows his parents are disappointed in him for fighting (and, even worse, getting caught and potentially causing An Incident for them), but he felt genuinely happy sitting on the concerningly sticky floor in that cell. Even if he could go back to yesterday, he wouldn't change a damn thing after seeing three poor kids surrounded by people shouting the most vile things.

They had looked terrified, tears crowding in their eyes as they clutched at each other, and Steve had seen red. It was a fucking pride parade, a place where kids should feel comfortable being themselves and seeing themselves in the smiling, laughing faces of strangers whose mere existence proves they’re not alone and they’ll survive. But they were being harassed by people with nothing better to do than let hate shrivel their hearts.

Steve, thankfully, hadn’t been the only one who’d seen red. He’d locked eyes with someone who had top surgery scars and a sash across their chest that read “Queer” in sparkling, rainbow letters. Next to them was a shorter woman with close-cropped hair and a flannel shirt (how she wasn’t dying in the heat, Steve will never know) with a white t-shirt underneath that had “Resting Butch Face" emblazoned across the front. The three of them had shared a nod and marched over to the kids.

He later learned that the person wearing the sash was named Daze (“They/them pronouns, unless it’s comedically appropriate to use something else,” they’d said in the jail cell, winking playfully at Steve). The butch went by Mar; she’d excitedly told Steve in the jail cell how her girlfriend would bust her out only to laugh her ass off when said girlfriend was shoved in by two cops not a second later.

What had followed the nod was Mar and Steve standing in front of the kids, creating an unmoving shield while Daze quickly gathered them close. They smiled at the three, quietly complimenting one’s rainbow hair ribbon while Steve tried to be the voice of reason (he shouldn’t have bothered, but he’s still got a little optimism inside).

The first punch was thrown by the ringleader of the protestors after Mar not-so-subtly implied that maybe he’d rather be partying with them and getting his tongue down some cute twink’s throat instead of holding signs and shouting. She’d taken the punch like a champ, and Steve’s grin mirrored hers when the wonderful, incredible term “self-defense” suddenly became applicable.

Daze had gotten the kids out of there, keeping them calm even as more people joined in the fight, turning the little skirmish into an all out brawl. It had lasted five glorious minutes before cops finally broke it up, forcing protestors and pride-goers into cars together in zip ties. They had realized that was a bad idea when a drag queen headbutted a protestor for what he called her.

After a night in jail, bonding with his cellmates and writing down numbers with some femme’s spare lipstick on the back of a flier from an AT&T booth, his parents had arrived to bail him out. Steve had taken one look at them, at their business clothes and designer watches and worried, beyond confused expressions, and almost said he’d rather just stay behind bars for now.

Instead, he convinced his parents to post bail for a few of his new friends, waved off their gratitude (they’d been through battle together, after all), and followed his parents out to the car after a few hugs and promises to make a group chat so they could hang out later.

“You’re just lucky no charges were filed,” his father says, pulling Steve from his thoughts.

He sighs, slumping down in his seat. A few seconds pass before Steve admits, “I’d do it again.” It’s the truth; he wouldn’t fucking hesitate to throw himself into the fray again. He doesn’t even know those kids’ names, but he knows they deserve more than being afraid of who they are and the monsters that masquerade in human skin around them.

His parents glance at each other, a thousand words spoken in the brief moment of eye contact. “Steve, are you…okay?” his mother asks, her words hesitant. “I mean, you can tell us anything, dear, and we’ll do anything to make you feel better.”

Steve bites his tongue, refusing to ask how they’d manage that when they’re barely fucking home in the first place. They have a whole multi-million dollar company to run, so he gets it. They have to travel a lot, and they used to bring him along until just dropping him in Indianapolis sophomore year of high school (right after coming out to them, which he understood but was still hurt by) to have a “more grounded high school experience." Somehow worst of all, they try to make up for it with extravagant gifts and awkward conversations about whether he’s still gay or if he’s decided to be straight for the day.

They’ve yet to fully understand the concept of bisexuality, but this is far better than being kicked out of his home.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Steve says. Because he is. He’s just…tired.

He’s tired of feeling alone in Indianapolis despite being surrounded by people. He had tried making friends, but everyone is so fucking awkward in 10th grade anyway, and the best Steve could do was embrace the “new rich kid” persona people created for him. He’d soon gained the nickname King Steve, which had only worked to make him feel like he’d somehow done something wrong in living up to their expectations. The closest he’s gotten to feeling like himself, to feeling accepted and embraced, was in that fucking jail cell.

Even worse, Steve is tired of this ache that tugs at the base of his spine and the pit of his heart like he’d find something that’s missing if only he’d just follow the pull.

He doesn’t know how to explain any of that, though, so Steve just sighs again and says, “Maybe…maybe I could do with some down time. Like, a gap year before college or something. I think I just need some time to figure myself out a little more and decide what I want to do with my life before jumping right back into school. Does…does that make sense?”

“Yeah, Steve, it makes a lot of sense,” his father says, flashing him a tiny smile through the rearview mirror. “So, where do you want to go? Hawaii? Miami? Venice is nice this time of year.”

Steve can’t help a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Nah, nothing like that. I think small town vibes are more what I’m going for here.”

His father just hums quietly, sharing another one of those looks with Steve’s mom. He misses this one, but he’d probably be suspicious of them if he hadn’t. He would have known immediately that they were about to do something absolutely ridiculous but well-meaning but so clearly telling of their ignorance when it comes to how people who aren’t wealthy approach problems.

But he doesn’t see, so he doesn’t know.

And when he looks back on this moment a few months later, after the absolute ride of his fucking life, Steve will think it’s a good thing he didn’t notice. If he had, he’d have said something, and then he’d have missed out on all the fun.

#Modern Steve in 80s Hawkins #Stranger Things #Steve Harrington #Steddie fic #my writing #the doc for this is over 40 pages now and like 21k but we're barely halfway through #it's like baby's first slowburn cuz Steddie met at 13k or so LOL

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peachymilkandcream · 5 months

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Hi, I really liked the trapped au can you do a part 2 please :)

Levi x Evelyn AU -> Trapped Part 2

(A/N: I'm so glad you guys liked the little AU oneshot I came up with! Watching Christmas movies while writing this might be a bit too cheerful but here we are XD This will probably be a tad short but here's part 2!)

WARNINGS: implied noncon/dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm sysndrome, violence, mind breaking, heavy on the misogyny, etc.

===========================================

Marriage to this man was hell and that was putting it mildly, Levi was a cruel man who only cared about his own whims and desires. Anything and everything that crossed his path were little more than possessions, to bend to his will or break. This was all that she was, an object of his obsession, love and affection were words outside of his vocabulary, replaced by lust and aggression.

Evelyn quickly learned that Levi really meant it when he said women were meant to be seen and not heard. The first time she had done so by asking him if he minded if she went to bed was met with a belt beating. Her back still had the stinging welts from the many blows he covered her pale skin with. He had told her that she wouldn't dare disturb him again if he taught her a proper lesson.

She also came to learn that intimacy was not to be denied for any reason. Even though the one time she had a high fever he had dominated her, saying it was her own fault for getting sick. Denials of his affection were met with missing her next meal and a beating. Levi was not meant to be questioned or denied anything, what he wanted he got. Even periods were vile and disgusting, a personal insult since he hadn't gotten her pregnant. Each one caused cruelty and anger, he became irritable and even more entitled.

Evelyn confessed all this and more to her mother, taking silent notice of her brand new dress and jewelry, Levi had kept his promise of taking good care of her, she had more money than she knew what to do with.

"You shut your whining mouth Evelyn." She replied to her daughters worries. "If Levi found out you were complaining about your marriage he could find some reason to divorce you and then we would be disgraced and destitute!"

"But what about the beatings- the-"

"All part of marriage." She interjected. "Your place is to satisfy him and give him children, that's all you're good for. If he beats you then you're not being a good enough wife for him, that's your fault."

Talking to someone else was useless, her mother had all but threatened her blatantly to tell Levi. That was a death sentence, he might get so upset she ended up dead and buried in the basement. She had to bury things down, always bury things down.

Everyone commented how lucky she was, a fine match, a fine man. Girls her age eyed with her envy as they saw her on his arm, wishing it was them. She wished it was them instead, those girls being the one wearing layers of makeup to hide unseemly bruises, those girls being the ones who walked around dripping of him. What a perfect life she had.

==========================================

It wasn't so bad, her whole life reduced to watching his children and seeing to his needs. Evelyn watched as her two sons played in the yard, barely five years old and they looked so much like their father. Beautiful boys with jet black hair and the same grey eyes, aggressive and demanding, wanting their mother's attention but knowing father came first. They were just like him.

She rubbed her pregnant stomach lovingly, she had a feeling this one would be a girl. The thought made a small smile come to her face, Levi wouldn't be like most other fathers, this she knew, their daughter wouldn't be a bargaining chip for more, he would mold her into everything Evelyn was not, strong. All of them would be in awe of their father and be an extra set of eyes against their mother, seeing if she ever betrayed his trust.

Her mind came out of it's daydream when the two children ran towards their approaching father, he was home already from work, patting both of their heads affectionately as he stepped on the porch. There was a hidden lust in his eyes as he looked over her pregnant form again, she knew he loved seeing her with child, when she was so round she could barely move. This, fetish, made him treat her with more affection, like now when he kissed her head.

"Hello my dear."

She kissed his cheek obediently. "Welcome home husband."

What a perfect life she had.

#attack on titan #break me slowly #levi ackerman #levi aot #levi x oc #levi x reader #shingeki no kyojin #yandere levi #yandere levi ackerman #yandere levi x reader #oneshot requests

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lesboscarymarlowe · 10 months

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pretty boy

part one (2016)

I wanna be a pretty boy with long, soft hair that I can put up in a bun and when people see me they'll say "look at that asshole with the manbun" and I'll laugh because yeah I am that asshole pretty boy with the manbun and it’ll be so wonderful that someone saw me and thought of me as enough of a man to add "man" to a previously gender neutral word, so that it’d be obviously acceptable for a man to have his hair up in a bun.

And I wanna be a pretty boy with a flat chest, a real cock and not this fake one made up of socks that no one would wanna suck on except maybe a fetishist but that's not what I want. Ibwanna be a real pretty boy with real pretty boy parts and not these parts that my mother and doctors and society insist are only for girls even though some boys can have these parts and some girls never have these parts and that's okay.

And I wanna be a pretty boy so all the other pretty boys see me and think "wow I wanna kiss that boy" and it won't just be straight boys who look at me when I walk past in fact straight boys will wanna avoid me because I'll be so pretty they won't be able to stand it they'll have to look away from me and my long, soft hair that's up in a manbun and my soft smile and the glitter that's on my cheeks and my ripped jeans and high heels and red lipstick because I'll be so pretty they'll realize that they aren't straight and that's terrifying for them.

And I wanna be a pretty boy who can take his shirt off at the pool without getting arrested and I wanna feel the water on my bare chest and feel how flat it is while I’m sitting on a reclining chair and covering my chest with sunscreen so I won’t burn and I'll ask my pretty gay boyfriend to put sunscreen on my pretty gay back because I don't want that to get burnt either and he'll laugh and mock me for being so pasty that i need 100 SPF sunscreen and I'll laugh at him and slap his leg and he'll grin and kiss me and the summer sun will shine down on both of our pretty gay bodies as we both can finally have our chests free to the world.

And I wanna be a pretty boy so when I look in the mirror I don't see a silly little girl in instead see a pretty, queer boy with pretty, queer eyes and pretty, queer lips and pretty, queer hair and a pretty, queer body and I want the world to see me as a queer boy and not a slutty girl or a boyish girl or a lesbian or a freakish girl or a quiet girl or whatever it is people see me as I don’t want that all I want is to be the slutty, freakish, quiet, queer, fabulous, nerdy, cute, lovely, ugly, annoying, hot, sparkly, handsome, obsessive, stupid, innocent, scary, pretty boy that I really truly am.

part two (2023)

I love to be a pretty boy, with curly pink hair and a deep voice. I love putting my hairy, DDD tits on display. I love what testosterone has done for my self esteem. I love my slutty outfits, I love my bimbo personality. I love the confusion when people hear my voice. They want oh so desperately to ask if I have a cock— Of course, polite society won’t say it in those words. I won’t tell them that I’ve grown a fat tdick in the past years, of course.

“Are you a transvestite or a real woman?” asked to me on the street. Fear in my heart as I don’t know what the “correct” answer is. I’m afraid of the violence being a pretty boy might bring upon me. Even so, I refuse to let the fear stop me from being who I’ve always meant to be. I might wear mini skirts, but I also wear steel-toed boots. Men will only learn that the hard way if they wanna push their luck.

“I want to be a pretty boy with long, soft hair…” You will, my love, you will be that boy. You will also be a girl, a woman, a man, a tranny, a faggot, a dyke. You will embrace all these parts of yourself and you will love each and every one, no matter what the world thinks of it. You will stop starving yourself and you’ll stop drinking and smoking and, okay, maybe you’ll become a bit of a stoner but that’s okay. You will be okay. You are okay.

And your pretty gay boyfriend is now your pretty gay fiancé and soon he will be your pretty gay husband. You’ll be his pretty boy wife and you’ll love every moment of it. He’ll still make fun of you for how easy you burn, but he’ll also find it hot how much you sweat in the sun (he’s a freak like that).

I am a pretty boy, a pretty girl, a slutty woman, an incorrect man. I am a queer, a tranny, a dyke, a faggot, a lesbian a transexual a homosexual a domme a bimbo a feral a butch a femme a cripple a retard a queer a queer a queer. I am a Jew and I am an atheist (agnostic?) and I love g-d and I hate her. I am everything and I am nothing.

I want to be an elderly dyke, living a long life with my gay little husband. I want to be a cantor, an art historian, a writer and a poet. I want to pursue knowledge until my dying breath. I want to be the queer who helps guide those younger than I, like all the elders who came before me. Who helped guide me, helped me embrace my true self.

I am so much more than I ever thought I could be. I am so, so young but I am excited to grow old. I finally want to die of old age.

When I look in the mirror, I no longer see that same broken reflection that haunted me in my childhood. I see the pretty queer boy with pretty queer eyes and pretty queer lips and pretty queer hair and a pretty queer body that I always knew I could be. I am the slutty, freakish, quiet, queer, nerdy, cute, lovely, ugly, annoying, hot, sparkly, handsome, obsessive, stupid, scary, pretty boygirl that I was always meant to be.

P.S. straight boys still like you, unfortunately:/

#poetry #queer poetry #trans poetry #queer poets on tumblr #trans poets on tumblr #writers on tumblr #alternate title: i have been a flamboyant lil f*g since i was a queer fetus

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padfootagain · 11 months

Text

Because We Are Made of Dreams (III)

Chapter 3 : Confessions

Hi everyone! Here I come with a new chapter for this fic! Still setting up stuff, we learn a few new things about my OC, Sirius is growing increasingly fond of her…

I hope you like this chapter! Tell me what you think!

****

Pairings: Sirius Black x Original Female Character + Jily

Warnings for this chapter: None! Just cute and… nothing particular, really, just setting things into motion.

Warnings for the series: graphic depictions of violence and torture, graphic depiction and mentions of child abuse, mature themes.

Summary: The Marauders come back to Hogwarts to begin their sixth year there, and many things will change for them during these coming months. Outside the safety of their school, the world is growing darker. Inside the Castle, they'll find both new friends and enemies.

Word Count: 5896

Clara was about to commit a murder.

Never before had she thought about ending someone else’s life, but the more time ticked by, the more appealing this idea became.

She checked the time once more, and took her final decision: Lily was a dead woman.

Her and Liam had been together for a mere week, and Clara already wanted to commit manslaughter. But maybe, instead of killing her friend she could kill the boyfriend instead. Yes, that sounded much better to cut his tanned throat… how could she get away with it though?

She heaved a sigh, and rested her forehead on the table. The library was quiet, despite the early hour of the afternoon. There were quite many students around her, studying hard, even if the year was merely beginning. Any other day, Clara would have found the atmosphere soothing, surrounded by books and quiet whispers. But she was too annoyed for that.

In over five years of friendship, Clara had never seen Lily being late. Never. But all of a sudden, she had a boyfriend, and then Clara was forgotten. She closed her eyes, letting out another annoyed sigh.

How typical…

"Usually, libraries are for reading or studying, not napping. You know that, don't you?"

Clara jumped at the sound of a voice right by her table. She looked up to discover Sirius, a smile full of mischief painted on his handsome features.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was waiting," she answered, smiling back, although she couldn’t hide her irritation.

"Waiting? For what?"

"For whom. Lily."

Sirius nodded, clearly amused by now.

"Ah, I see! Now that she’s in a happy relationship with Super-Tan, she leaves you behind, right?"

Clara struggled to laugh discreetly.

"I'm definitely stealing this nickname from you. It fits Liam quite well.”

"Feel free to use it. This guy’s most definitely using some kind of spell to get that tan all year-round.”

“I’m suspecting he’s using some Muggle beauty products, actually.”

“Really? Even better!”

They both laughed, although they remained quiet. In the shy whispers that shook the library, even a breathy laughter was too loud.

“Why did the two of you had to meet here?” Sirius asked her, still standing by her table, pushing a strand of his long hair behind his ear.

"Work on the Transfiguration essay,” she answered with a wince.

"Maybe I can help you with that," Sirius offered with a happy smile, and Clara was quite surprised that he would make her such an offer. He even looked excited about it, that was definitely unexpected…

"Don't worry about me, she'll come, eventually," the girl reassured him. “I don’t want to bother you.”

Sirius merely shrugged.

"It's okay. I'm quite good at Transfiguration. And it wouldn’t bother me at all."

Before she could answer, he was taking the sit opposite her, opening his bag and taking out a quill, a piece of parchment and his Transfiguration textbook.

"It's really nice of you," she thanked him.

He shrugged again, starting to write.

"I'll have to do it sooner or later anyway," he answered nonchalantly.

"Where are the boys?" she asked him as she opened her own book and searched for the right chapter. “Aren’t you expected somewhere?”

"Peter is snoring in the dorms. James is with Remus."

"Is Remus okay?"

He took a careful glance at her before focusing on his book again. But she seemed genuinely worried now. Still, he was cautious with his choice of words when he spoke again.

"Sure. Why wouldn't he be?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Merlin! We all already know, Black!"

He stared intensely at her, and she felt like his grey eyes could pierce right through her.

"What do you think you know exactly?"

"I can read a moon chart. We figured it out almost two years ago."

He propped up an eyebrow, but in a flash his expression had changed and he looked preoccupied, his brow furrowed.

"And you didn't tell anyone?"

"Of course not. I'm not stupid."

"Who else knows?"

"Only the five of us."

"Merlin! And you're okay with it?"

Clara narrowed her eyes at him, looking almost offended.

"Remus is probably the sweetest guy in this school, Black. Of course, I don't care. None of us cares. As long as he doesn't try to devour us in our sleep, all is fine."

Sirius looked very surprised, but not that worried anymore.

"So, is he okay? The full moon was yesterday, wasn't it?" Clara asked again.

Sirius nodded, heaving a sigh, and he seemed much more worried now, tired as well, as if he had stopped hiding a burden he had to carry.

"It was a rough one, that's why he missed class this morning."

"Poor Remus. Of all people, why did it have to be him? He's so kind."

She heavily sighed, before shaking herself. Sirius kept staring at her, thinking hard, studying her and weighing the risks that her knowing his friend’s secret involved. But then again, if she had known for two years and said nothing, he reckoned that she wasn’t that dangerous, after all.

There was a ray of sunshine coming in from the nearby window falling right onto their table. It shone upon Sirius’s features, photons caught in his dark hair. He had dark bags under his eyes though, a five-hour shadow on his jaw and his eyes were reddened by his lack of sleep. Clara seemed to finally notice how tired he looked.

"You don't seem to have slept a lot yourself," she pointed out.

He smiled mischievously again.

"You don't want to hear about that, Clearwater."

She couldn't refrain a disgusted look, before hiding her reaction behind her book, and Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"What did I say?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she lied.

"Come on. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

Sirius stayed silent for a while, still staring at her, looking for a reason behind her strange behaviour. He rolled his eyes when he guessed.

"I didn't spend my night shagging anyone if that’s what you've understood."

She looked at him over her book.

"Really?"

"Really."

"It's not like I care, really," she justified herself, clearly embarrassed, her cheeks on fire, "it's just that I find the idea of you shagging someone in the Castle, where I could actually go, really disgusting. One thing is for sure, I could never enter a classroom again if I knew you were spending your nights there with some girl or boy..."

Sirius laughed hard, drawing scowls towards them from several tables. She shushed him, giggling herself.

"Well, you can go to McGonagall's class tomorrow safely," he teased.

"If I finish this essay that is."

"Of course," he chuckled again.

"So, how do you do this spell?"

She showed him a complicated incantation used to turn a howl into a galleon. The sun was hitting the old page, the stained glass on the upper part of the window colouring the parchment in blue and pink.

"This one is not the best to make this transfiguration actually," Sirius answered with a slight frown as he read through the page.

He took her book and looked for the right page, focused and thus paying no attention to his surroundings. Meanwhile, Clara was patiently waiting, but got distracted by the sound of giggles coming from the other side of the shelves set behind her.

"So, are you going to come see the try-outs?" asked one of the girls.

"Of course! The Gryffindor boys are so gorgeous!"

Clara rolled her eyes, now fully focused on the conversation while Sirius struggled with the pages.

"Their captain is so hot!" said another.

"Well, I'll go for Black personally, he's perfect..."

Clara rolled her eyes again, annoyed, and Sirius chose this very moment to look up at her, having finally managed to find the right spell. He frowned hard. She seemed… annoyed…

"Sorry if I'm so boring," he said, quite hurt.

"Sorry, what?" Clara asked, focusing on him again.

"I said: sorry if I'm so boring. You can tell me if you don't want me to stay."

"What?! That's..."

She finally understood.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry. You're not annoying at all. It's the group of girls behind us. They're talking about the Quidditch try-outs. Listen."

They both focused on the girls' conversation.

"Dearborn is handsome too."

"You can't compare him to Black, I mean... This man, is so bloody gorgeous!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh and biting on his lower lip in the process.

"You're right, I'll go for Black, one hundred percent."

"Yeah, but you know how he is with girls..."

"Who cares, really! If I could be thrown in a cupboard with him, sign me up, at any cost."

"She's right, you're mad!"

"I think I still prefer Dearborn."

"Bullshit," Sirius suddenly let out.

He and Clara looked at each other, before bursting into laughter, choking as they struggled to remain quiet.

"Do you think they know you're here?" Clara asked him as she was finally able to breathe again.

He shook his head.

"I don't think so. Are they annoying you?"

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not one of your groupies. And I think they're kind of idiots, really."

He grinned at her, his eyes full of mischief.

"All right then, give me a sec!"

Before she could say anything, Sirius had stood up and was heading towards the girls behind Clara. Her eyes wide, the Gryffindor turned on her chair and managed to glimpse at two of the girls, visible between the rows of books. One was from Ravenclaw, the other from Gryffindor, they seemed to be in their fifth year. Sirius approached their table and the girls went completely still as they recognised him. Wearing his most seductive smile, the boy leaned casually against the shelf.

"Hey, girls! Sorry to interrupt, but I'm trying to study right on the other side of this shelf with a friend, and you're talking too loudly for her, she can't focus. Could you lower the volume a bit, please?"

His voice was low and sweet, and the girls literally melted upon their chairs.

"Of course, we're sorry," answered the Gryffindor, barely breathing, her eyes wide.

"No problem, bye!"

"Bye!"

Clara was biting her fist hard to stop herself from laughing too loudly. The second Sirius sat down and caught her amused eyes, he was gone for. They were laughing so much for a while that they couldn't look at each other, or they would burst into laughter again. It lasted long minutes, and several students looked at them with disapproving smiles as they passed by their table.

"You're crazy!" Clara admonished him, wiping the tears from her face.

"That was so funny!" he replied, drying his cheeks with his sleeves too. "Have you seen their faces?!"

They were gone laughing again for a while, holding their painful sides, choking as they tried to be as silent as possible.

Clara’s stomach was so painful… she reckoned she hadn’t laughed that much in months…

"The Transfiguration essay," she finally managed to articulate, clearing her throat, but averting her eyes far away from Sirius, knowing that the mere sight of him would make her explode again.

"Right."

Sirius cleared his throat too, and finally helped her with the spell.

They worked quite quickly together, and less than an hour later, they had both finished their essay. It was still sunny outside when they closed their books and put away their homework, although the sky was turning from bright blue to pale gold.

"Do you have anything else to work on?" Sirius asked her.

"I'm done for tonight,” she answered with a shake of her head. “Thank you for your help! You really are quite good at Transfiguration."

Sirius smirked, and there was something mischievous in his eyes too when he held her stare, but she didn’t get what it meant, and he didn’t say a word.

"You're welcome. It was quite fun!"

They walked out of the library together, joking and laughing and smiling. And it felt nice, exciting.

The more time he spent with her, the more Sirius enjoyed Clara’s company.

"Where are you going now?" she asked once they were in the corridor, leaving whispering behind and speaking with her usual tone again. “To get yourself in trouble, I bet!”

"No, not today,” he chuckled. “I’ll go check on Remus, he must be back in the dorm by now. You?"

"I'll take a walk, I think. It’s not that late, and the weather is nice. Better enjoy it while it lasts. Autumn in Scotland is always a mess!"

Sirius seemed to think for a moment, eyes set onto hers. He tilted his head to the side a little, weighing options, before he would offer her a bright smile.

"Would you mind if I came with you? You’re right, it’s nice outside, I’d love to take a walk too."

She grinned at him.

"No, of course not! Come on! I know just the place!"

They headed towards the grounds, remaining silent until they reached the shores of the lake. Indeed, the sun was still warm enough to make their walk pleasant, and only a shy breeze disturbed the dark waters before them. In the distance, Hagrid’s hut was puffing a white smoke by its chimney. It was slow, leisurely, soothing… With no more sounds than the regular movement of water and wind passing through tall branches.

They sat against a tall oak and enjoyed the sight of the sinking sun setting the sky on fire and lighting up the water with golden shades. Clara took out a notebook and some pencils from her bag, and she started to draw, humming softly to herself.

"I didn't know you liked drawing," Sirius finally said, a small smile playing on his lips that was, perhaps, a little too fond.

"I love drawing, I spend much of my free time surrounded with pencils and paper,” she answered with a chuckle. “Does that bother you if I…”

“No, no! On the contrary, that’s nice! I have no talent whatsoever for it.”

“What about you, then? Any hobby? Besides preparing pranks, I mean…”

He smiled mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows to make her laugh, and he easily succeeded. He was more serious when he answered her question, though.

"Quidditch."

She shook her head, amused.

"I should have known."

"You don't like Quidditch yourself?"

"I do like Quidditch actually. I think I'll come to the try-outs this year."

Sirius propped up an eyebrow.

"Really? Which position?"

"Beater."

Sirius choked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"I can fly, you know?" she replied, failing to hide the hurt expression that came to her face.

"I don’t doubt that but… Are you sure you've got enough strength to be a Beater? You should rather try for Chaser. I bet you're fast."

But Clara shook her head.

"No, I want to play Beater."

"Sure?"

"Yep."

"Well then, we'll see how you do on Saturday, I guess."

"Get ready to be surprised."

"Something tells me that I will be!"

They smiled at each other, and Clara focused on her drawing again. Silence settled around them, but it was comfortable and warm, and none of them minded. They merely enjoyed each other’s company while the sun made the sky redden.

After a while, Clara finally spoke again, her voice quite shy.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I... I know it's probably none of my business, but... Why was your brother so cold with you the other day?"

Sirius shifted, clearly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business," she added quickly as she was noticing his reaction. "Never mind."

He looked at her for a while, trying to decide if he should answer or not. A part of him was choosing the safest option, as always, and ordering him to keep his mouth shut. But another seemed willing to talk, and it was strange, unfamiliar. They didn’t know each other that much, even if they got along. And yet, there was this feeling in his chest, this aura about her… And Sirius wanted to tell her. For once, he did want to open his mouth, and let it all out.

Would she give him that look of pity he often received when he opened up, though? He would hate that. He would hate it if she gave him this look…

But then again, she was blushing now, clearly looking for something to say that would make him feel more comfortable again, and that was incredibly nice of her. He wasn’t used to that. To people being delicate with him and his feelings. It was nice though, it made him answer without really being willing to do so.

"It's quite complicated, with my family."

"Why?" she asked, looking up at him again.

"Many reasons."

She took just a quick glimpse at his expression, at the sudden clenching of his jaw, and the sadness that dulled the grey in his eyes. She nodded, offering him a kind smile.

"You don't have to answer, if you don't want to talk about it,” she reassured him. “I didn't know it was complicated for you to talk about your family. I shouldn't have asked in the first place. It’s none of my business."

He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head, resting his forearms on his knees and holding his left wrist with his right hand. He lost his gaze on the lake, alit with burning lights.

Damn, that was exactly the right thing to say. And now, he wanted to say it all out loud…

He took a deep breath before diving though. The words were as heavy as lead on his tongue, but it felt good to let them out all the same. He hadn’t talked about all this to anyone but the boys.

"The thing is, I'm not part of the family anymore."

"What do you mean?" Clara asked with a frown, putting down her paper and pencils on the grass, right next to her bag, giving Sirius her full attention.

"I ran away last summer."

She stared at him, her eyes wide.

"You ran away? But... Why? Where did you go?"

"I went to the Potters'. They've always treated me like a son. They took me in without a hesitation, gave me a home..."

"Why did you run away?"

His throat tightened; he chose his words carefully. Because he didn’t want her to run away. Because it was painful, still, to talk about all this.

"I don't share my family's point of view upon many subjects and… one night I had enough. So, I took my things, and walked out."

"You ran away because you disagreed with your family? It must have been about quite important subjects..."

He shifted again. The conversation was heading in a direction he clearly didn't like, but it was too late to go back now. She patiently waited for him to speak again, and he was thankfully for it.

"They're all in the pure-blood mania, you know?” he answered in a breathy tone, looking at her once more. “And I'm not. I don't care that people are muggleborns or half-bloods, or muggles even. They're still people, end of story. I didn't fit in the familial mantra, evidently."

"I see," she answered.

He looked at the lake once more, but Clara guessed that he wasn't seeing it anymore. It was too hard to look into her green eyes though. They were too warm, too welcoming, too reassuring… he wasn’t used to that. It was still a struggle to him, to accept to be looked upon with kindness.

He cleared his throat before speaking once more. And maybe his confession went too far, but he didn’t really mind. That ought to mean something, right?

"I don't want the life they have designed for me," he continued, his gaze still lost upon the burning lake. "I don't want to get married with a cousin to have a pure-blood marriage. I don't want to marry someone because a bunch of pure-blood maniacs have decided that I should, even if I will never love her. I don't believe in the pure-blood supremacy in any way, and I have never accepted to keep my mouth shut about it in front of them all. I've never been the perfect soldier, quite the contrary actually. I'm a stranger to them, really… and my brother is the perfect son next to me. He entered Slytherin like everyone has done in my family since the school opened, and I was sorted into Gryffindor. He bends to all their manners and masks, and I always blow up sooner or later. He has accepted his arranged marriage, and shares the family idea that pure-bloods are worth more than other people; and I rejected the girl they had chosen for me and I'm friends with muggleborns, half-bloods and pure-bloods alike. We're quite different my brother and I, and I think he took the fact that I ran away personally, as if I was leaving him, and not my parents. And then again… I’ve spent many years protecting him from our parents. Now that I’m gone, it must be harder for him. So, you can see why it is quite tensed between us."

He smiled sadly, a pain badly hidden on his features. Meanwhile, Clara was speechless. What could she answer? She had always thought he was a prat and an idiot. She knew he was a pure-blood, and though she had never cared about it, she had always thought he must have been something of a spoiled child, really, with too much money and gifts and worship from his parents to be a good person in the end. But she had been wrong all along. He had evidently suffered a lot, and she could guess, even if he didn’t say it out loud, that he hadn’t been truly loved in his family. She didn’t know to which extent though. She couldn’t have imagined what he had gone through. Still, tears formed on the corners of her eyes.

"I didn't know..."

Her words stayed stuck in her throat. He shook himself, finally setting his eyes away from the burning water, to focus on her again.

"Oh, never mind that, I'm fine,” he offered her a reassuring smile. “Let's change the subject, okay? How is your drawing going on?"

She chuckled, shaking her head, and picked up her notebook once more. She had hardly drawn anything.

"I'm not very productive, actually."

He let out a laugh, that sounded much like a bark, while she picked up a pencil again and drew a colourful line across the white paper.

"I'm talking too much clearly, you can't focus!"

"It's okay, I like talking with you."

He kept on looking at her as she was drawing again.

"You're not as stupid and horrible as I thought you were," she added, narrowing her eyes as she was focusing on her page. "Or maybe you grew up a bit, which helped."

He laughed again.

"I may have grown up, that's true. If it means anything to you, you're not as boring and uptight as I thought you were."

She laughed too.

"Thanks, that's quite nice. But I've always been kind of the reckless one of the girls, you don't have the excuse of any changes on my part for not having noticed it before."

"But I was stupid and horrible before, remember?"

"True!"

She laughed again, and he found her laugh quite beautiful indeed... infectious… it was enough to make him smile.

"I'd better go check on Remus,” he finally added with a sigh. “I was supposed to replace James more than an hour ago, he's going to kill me."

He got up, and threw his bag upon his shoulder.

"I'd love to see this drawing of yours when you're finished, if you don't mind," Sirius added before he would leave.

She looked up at him and grinned.

"Sure, I'll show you."

"Great. See you later, Clearwater."

He started to walk away, but she called him back.

"What if we ate together tonight, Sirius?”

He smiled at the use of his first name. He liked it, the way she said it, it sounded softer when she was the one speaking it out loud.

He turned back towards her, shooting her a wink and a crooked smile, while still walking backwards towards the Castle.

“Sure, that would be nice! See you tonight, Clara!”

He turned towards the Castle again, grinning, heading for the dormitory where James was undoubtedly waiting for him with a death sentence.

Meanwhile, Clara was smiling as she kept on drawing. She quite enjoyed the way he said her name…

"Padfoot, you were supposed to come back more than an hour ago! A bloody, fucking hour ago!"

And here was the expected death sentence. Merlin...

Sirius rolled his eyes, throwing his bag by his bed.

"Where were you?" asked Peter, looking up from the magazine he was reading.

"With Clara," Sirius answered casually. "We were working on the Transfiguration essay.”

Sirius sat on his bed and took off his shoes, ignoring Remus’s raised eyebrow and James’s glare. He untied his tie too and threw it in his trunk.

“You were studying? With Clara? Nothing in this makes any sense…” Remus mumbled, letting his head fall back onto his pillow, exhausted.

“Very funny,” Sirius answered wryly. “Next time you need help in Charms, go fuck yourself.”

“How come you were with Clara?” Peter asked, disregarding his magazine completely now.

“I bumped into her while she was waiting for Lily in the Library. But Lily didn’t show, so I helped her instead. And I also completed my own essay!”

“I’ve been waiting for you for an hour,” James replied through gritted teeth, throwing his pillow at his friend, still mad. “Next time, I’ll turn you into a slug and leave you outside to be eaten by some bird…”

“Thanks, Prongs. I love you too.”

Sirius let himself fall back on his bed before turning towards Remus again.

"By the way, I now have some information that will interest you, Moony. So, you'd better be nice to me if you want me to tell you what I've just learned."

Remus was lying on his bed, his blanket up to his chin, still shaking with fever. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, annoyed.

"Padfoot, I'm really not in the mood for any kind of joke or gossips right now. I'm still terribly sick from last night, in case you hadn't noticed."

But Sirius merely smiled.

"Did you know that they know?"

Remus slowly averted his eyes on Sirius’s, and they grew round as he read in his friend’s grey stare that he had perfectly understood what he meant… He suddenly was even paler than before.

"What do you mean?" the boy asked slowly, needing confirmation anyway.

Meanwhile, James and Peter exchanged a worried glance, standing up from their own beds to get closer to their friends. James leaned against Sirius’s bedframe while Peter took a seat on the edge of Remus’s mattress.

"The girls know you're a werewolf, Clara asked me how you were feeling,” Sirius answered matter-of-factly. “They guessed over two years ago, apparently."

"Shit!"

Remus tightly closed his eyes, while the two other Marauders seemed more than worried now.

"But they’ve never talked about it!" said James, his brow furrowed.

"Nope, clearly they don't care,” Sirius reassured them, lifting his arms to rest his hands behind his head, before he would turn to Remus again. “When I asked Clara what they thought about it, she answered that you, my friend, were the sweetest guy in this school, and that as long as you were not attacking them at night, they didn't give a damn."

The boys looked at each other, before bursting into laughter, although not all traces of worry were gone from their features just yet.

"Merlin! I had no idea they knew," said Remus, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well, they do."

The four friends kept on chatting for a while, until it was time for dinner, as Peter’s loud stomach reminded the group.

Sirius sighed, exhausted, and put on his shoes again. James helped Remus to get out of bed.

"Are you sure you don't want us to get you something?" asked Peter.

"No, I'm fine," answered Remus, standing straighter despite his fatigue and painful muscles. "And I reckon I should have a conversation with the girls."

They headed together for the Great Hall, although they took their time to walk there, unwilling to let Remus hurry in his tired state. Many students were already eating, but they did find some empty spots around the Gryffindor table next to Lily, Marlene, Dorcas and Alice. The Hall was busy and loud, the magical sky above their hands matching the starry night outside.

The girls were discussing Lily's date with Liam that had occurred earlier that evening when the Marauders joined them.

"He's such a sweetheart," sighed Marlene dreamily.

"He is," confirmed Lily.

James wisely stopped listening, but the conversation was over anyway, and so he didn't have to suffer more descriptions of Lily's perfect date with Super-Tan.

"Where is Clara?" asked Remus.

He barely touched any of his food, and the mere sight of meat was making him feel nauseous, but he needed to make sure the girls would not say anything to anyone about his secret.

"No idea," answered Alice with a shrug, taking a bite of her potato.

"She must still be at the Lake," answered Sirius, his mouth full with roasted chicken.

Lily furrowed her brow.

"How would you know?"

"I saw her in the library, where she was waiting for you to make her Transfiguration essay."

Lily's eyes grew wide.

"It was tonight?"

"I'm afraid it was," Sirius nodded with an amused smile.

"Oh, no! I totally forgot, I was sure it was tomorrow!"

She buried her head in her hands and closed her eyes.

"I suck as a friend."

"You just have a boyfriend, Lils, it's normal."

The girl jumped while Clara was laughing at her, standing right behind her friend. She smiled at Lily, taking the seat next to her, facing Sirius.

"Oh God, Clara, I'm so sorry!" the redhead apologized again.

"Don't be, it's okay. I got help anyway."

She pointed at Sirius, whom answered with a smile, trying to swallow his mouthful of bread. Lily didn’t seem fully convinced, but she smiled anyway and was about to resume her dinner when Remus cleared his throat. All turned to him. He seemed… uncomfortable, all of a sudden. Nervous, even.

"Girls, Sirius told me you... knew. About me... and… my secret."

The four girls looked at each other at first, but they quickly aimed accusatory glares towards Clara.

"What?" the girl asked innocently.

"You told him we knew?" asked Marlene in disbelief.

"I… not exactly… I told Sirius. Who apparently told Remus…"

"Why?" asked Lily.

"Why not?"

"Shit, Clara," replied Alice, shaking her head.

"What?! We don't even care."

"He shouldn't have learned we knew that way," explained Dorcas.

"Oh, come on, you're making a scene out of nothing right now, really."

"No, we're not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Clara, we should have told him directly!"

"Lils, it doesn't matter really."

Clara turned her attention back to Remus, who’s wide eyes revealed how lost he was. He wasn’t sure if he ought to laugh or be terrified by the whole thing…

"We guessed two years ago,” Clara explained. “We don't care, and won't say anything to anyone. You don't have to worry about that."

"You're sure it's okay?" asked Remus, surprised.

"Of course, it's fine Remus," Lily reassured him, smiling kindly. "We don't care."

Remus sighed heavily, clearly relieved, his tensed shoulders visibly relaxing.

"Right then, I guess it's alright as long as you don't say anything to anyone."

"We won't, don't worry," Alice reassured him too.

"But why didn't you tell me anything?"

"We figured out that it was best if it came from you," explained Lily. "But as Clara can't keep her mouth shut..."

"I'm the one who should be angry tonight, not you Lils," Clara reminded her friend, adding some dramatic tone to her voice that made the Marauders chuckle. "I'm the one who was left abandoned in the library, when her best friend was snogging a boy in a dark corner."

Lily blushed hard and bent her head above her plate.

"We didn't snog."

Clara rolled her eyes, but didn't add anything. Facing her, Sirius was fighting his urge to let out a proper laugh. He felt like it was time to change the subject, so he cleared his throat and turned towards James.

"By the way, Clara wants to go to the try-outs on Saturday."

"Really?" asked James, suddenly terribly interested in the conversation.

"Yep! I'm finally coming this year. Marlene too, by the way."

"No, I'm not," replied Marlene, sending a look full of warning to Clara.

"Yes, you are," Lily fought back. "You love Quidditch, Marls! And as Clara is doing it, you should do it too."

“Marls, that would be awesome!” Dorcas nodded, overexcited. “We would play together! That would be amazing! I would finally stop being the only girl on the team… you’ve got to come to the try-outs!”

"Of course, you should!" James encouraged her.

Sirius nodded enthusiastically too.

"Which position will you try? Chaser I guess," added James.

"Marlene yes. I'm trying for Beater," answered Clara.

James propped up an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're strong enough to be a Beater?" asked Peter.

Clara rolled her eyes.

"I'm not that fragile, I can fly and hit a Bludger with a bat. Yes, I'm strong enough, and yes, I'm sure I want to try for the position of Beater."

James shrugged.

"We'll see how you do on Saturday then."

"We'll see indeed."

It was a little strange still to chat like this with the Marauders, to laugh together and have full conversations with the whole group; strange, but nice all the same. That evening, once again, neither James nor Lily got upset, they even laughed together a couple of times.

After their dinner, they walked back to the Tower together, still chatting. As they entered the Common Room, about to break their large group and head for their dorms, Clara held Sirius back for a second.

"You said you wanted to see my drawing when it was done. Here you go!"

She took a piece of paper out of her bag and handed it to him. He unfolded it, and his mouth fell open as he was looking at a moving drawing of the Lake. A gentle breeze was making the trees sway, the lake and the sky were on fire and burning clouds were drifting slowly across the bright sky. It was beautiful.

"Merlin, Clara! You're really good at this!"

"You think so?" she asked shyly.

"Of course! It's amazing!"

She grinned, and shook her head as he was handing it back to her.

"You can keep it."

"You're sure?"

"Of course, I have hundreds of drawings of the Lake. Keep this one."

"Thank you. Good night, Clara."

"Good night, Sirius!"

They both headed to their dormitories, and Sirius put safely her drawing in his Transfiguration textbook. He was exhausted, and closed his curtains to sleep early, a grin on his face as he peacefully drifted away.

*****************

Taglist: @reg-arcturus-black @hells-escapees

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