#but then this sailor moon au popped into my head | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pocketramblr · 7 months

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another week, another sailor moon au episode:

Weeks passed, and En fell into his new routine.

Midnight would wake him earlier so he could train before class, and it almost worked at making sure he was only late about half the amount he used to be. It also almost worked in that Midnight was a cat, and so it wasn't like she could really show En how to fight.

Mostly he ran, watched free running videos and tried to emulate them, and practiced throwing his tiara at Midnight as she dodged.

He complained often. Midnight ignored it better than Nana did.

Every now and then, while they trained in the morning or after dinner, someone's cry for help would echo from his earrings. They'd find a monster there, sucking out people's energy and leaving them limp on the ground. Or, sometimes, the monster would claim to have stolen the humans' individualities instead and send them after En like a hoard of zombies.

Midnight gave him a pen once as well that let him transform and disguise himself, which was good because that attack had been at his university. The monster was hiding behind a pop-up store that sold textbooks for so cheap no student could resist the offer. More than one of En's classmates could have recognized him if it weren't for his paramedic disguise.

"You know, between the smokescreen of your shroud and my disguise pen, I'm really starting to feel like I'm supposed to mostly be running and hiding instead of fighting on the front line." He said one day, picking the tiara back up from the top of the parking lot where they'd picked to train.

"You do all three, what makes you think like that?" Midnight asked, tilting her head.

"I'm not sure I do." He admitted. "But Tuxedo Mask sure seems to think it's not enough..."

The man had appeared several other times, stepping in to protect En when needed in a fight. Sometimes his compliments made En wish his gakuran had a higher collar to hide his warm face in, like his red coat did. And sometimes his comments made En want to Moon Tiara Action at him.

"Oooh, and you want to impress him, do you?" Midnight cooed. En glared at her, and she just laughed. "I can see why you would, but remember... he talks a lot for someone who's never fought a monster directly."

It was true, and he also never seemed to rescue other people while En fought. But still, the Moon Scout didn't think it was all talk. Not with how sharp those roses seemed to be.

"Do you think he's all hot air?" He asked.

"Only a little. But you seem to forget air and breathing at all when you see him~"

En threw the tiara at her again. She jumped out of the way, flipping as she did. "Oh, nice one! But I'm just teasing, En."

"Where does he even come from?" He asked. "How does he know about every fight?

Midnight turned a little slower. "I'm not sure. He must have some way of sensing yours or the monsters' energy, but it's like I can't sense his at all."

"So he's not one of the other Scouts we're looking for." En stared at the tiara on the cement. "Do you know what they will be like?"

"I know they're tied to the planets, and that Stellaris found the Venus Scout. I know the scouts are supposed to be looking for the lost royalty of the moon, and I know how to activate the scouts' powers when we find them... But not what they look like. My memories are fuzzy, I told you."

She had. Midnight said whoever had sent her from the kingdom on the moon had messed with her memories, and while she had seen other scouts before that, she wasn't sure exactly how many there were. Maybe four, maybe nine. Maybe more.

Definitely more than two, though.

"And where is the Venus Scout?" He asked, picking up the tiara again. "Why aren't they helping us look, or fight monsters, or anything?"

"They are. There was a monster in Otheon last week they took down."

"In Europe?"

"The scouts could be anywhere, and so could the monsters, it's better to divide and conquer." Midnight couldn't exactly shrug, but he got the gist.

"Yeah..." he didn't throw the tiara, instead sliding it back onto his head and pulling his hair back over it. "Speaking of, I think I know where one might be."

"Oh?" All hint of Midnight's teasing sass vanished as she looked at him now, waiting.

"Mhm. The game center in town has gotten a bunch of new games based on the Deku Scout, and people are apparently obsessed with them. I heard some classmates complaining about how crowded it was and how long to wait for it."

At mention of the game, some of the tension in Midnight's legs and tail fell. "Why do you think that's a monster?"

En stared at her.

"It's like this every time. The monster shows up with something new to draw people in, like the student bookstore, or that crystal cram school, or the free pets from the store, or the jewelry sale, or that flashy fortune telling place, or that fancy radio station-" he waved his hand. "A ton of people get drawn in, the monster feeds off them and then shows itself. So, let's find the monster before it can attack anyone else."

Midnight hummed, tail flicking. "Well, it's good to see you taking initiative."

"Hey."

"You don't get out of bed unless I jump on your face, En. Don't 'hey' me. But I suppose we should investigate it or keep an ear out for anything else with that pattern."

"Cool, we can go to the game center tonight to scope it out." He decided. "which means I should try to grab a nap first. C'mon, let's go home."

But it seemed fate- and his sister- had other plans.

"Enkun, Toshinori-kun and I are going to the game center today since the dojo is closed, you should come with us! I’m buying lunch on the way.”

“Uh,” He glanced down at Midnight, who nodded. “Sure. I was thinking about going over there anyway. When are you leaving?”

“In about fifteen minutes, I’m hungry.”

En changed quickly- training made him hungry too- and snuck Midnight into a bag so Nana didn’t question taking the pet cat with them.

He’d heard a bit about Yagi Toshinori, a high schooler who worked as an assistant at the dojo Nana taught at. Apparently she was impressed with the boy’s spirit and strength, and she’d taken him under her wing a bit the last couple of years.

He had not been expecting a familiar looking kid, taller than him and nearly as broad as Sorahiko, with bright yellow hair and an even brighter voice when he saw them. “Shishou!”

“Toshinori-kun.” Nana smiled, while En blinked. ‘Master’, really? He elbowed his sister, who shrugged. “That’s all him, not my idea.”

“Is this your brother, then?” Yagi asked as he drew closer like an eager golden retriever.

“Yep, En, this is Yagi Toshinori, Toshi-kun, this is En.”

“I recognize you, we’re in the same math class with Kazoe-sensei.” Yagi said, then at the blank look on En’s face, continued. “But you usually come in late and sit in the back, so we haven’t officially met. Nice to meet you, Hirochika-san, please take care of me.”

En felt a little like he should be saying that with the side look Nana was giving him now, but unfortunately Yagi looked too sincere to have meant anything by saying that.

“Nice to meet you. But I thought you said he was in high school.” En said, looking to his older sister.

“Oh, I am.” Yagi rubbed the back of his neck. “I take a couple of college classes too though- when I graduate in March I’ll have a year of credit done already.”

“Nice.” En said. “So you’re studying even more than other high school seniors. And working at the dojo?”

“Yep!” Yagi was happy enough to explain that’s why he suggested the fun afternoon today when they couldn’t work, as he’d heard good things about the Deku Scout arcade game but hadn’t had any time to go. En slowly edged back to be behind him and Nana, following them to the restaurants opposite the game center.

En felt a nudge to his side, and looked to see Midnight peaking out of the bag.

“What is it?” He asked.

Midnight looked at Yagi. “Have you met him before?”

“No. Why, what’s up?”

“I don’t trust him. Something about his energy, it’s wrong. Not standard human, more like yours or a monster.”

“A monster?” He paused, looking at the kid beaming up at his sister as she messed up his hair. En remembered when she’d do that to him, and how he’d get annoyed and push her away. Yagi didn’t push her away, just laughed harder. Ok, weird, and definitely an only child. But a monster?

“Nana’s known him a long time, though. I don’t think she’d put up with him if he were acting monstrous.” En looked back at Midnight. “What does his energy feel like?”

“Wrong, like it shouldn’t be on this planet.” Midnight sounded sure of it.

“Well, I guess we were keeping an eye out anyway… let’s just see.”

Nana told him to hurry up, opening a door to a restaurant, and En quickly shifted the bag to hide the cat and walked inside without another word.

The game center was not as crowded as En had expected, honestly, though there was a line around the Deku Scout game.

He followed Nana and Toshi, watching the girl at the game control a little doll with a cute green uniform and bunny mask as it hopped around a level, avoiding bad guys or hitting them on the head. She took the Deku Scout up to a hidden block, which unlocked… a gun.

With that, she began to mow down bad guys with ease. It honestly looked a little silly on the screen, but there were level puzzles and fun enemy designs so En got it’s popularity, if not it’s subject matter.

“You guys can wait to play this one if you want, I’m going to the dancing games.” Nana waved, and then En left with an excuse about going to the bathroom in order to scope out the whole place.

No one seemed particularly tired around the Deku Scout game, but sometimes it would take hours or days for the effects- and the monsters- to reveal themselves.

He kept looking around.

The only one who seemed off was a game center manager, who was staring at the door and frowning.

“Um, hey,” En asked, not sure how to ask if the guy was a monster trying to feed on the energy of more customers. “Is everything alright, sir?”

The man looked him over, and shrugged. “Just that entertainment center that opened across the block. It’s been stealing my customers with every flashy thing. Heard some kids say they got a roller coaster inside, which can’t be right.” He sighed. “Only thing I’ve got they don’t is the new Deku Scout games. I’d have prepared more if I knew competition was opening, but they just popped up out of nowhere. Not right, but everyone I ask says they’re legitimate…”

“There’s another entertainment center?” En asked.

“Ha, you didn’t see the line outside? The big flashy new signs?”

“I have a one-track mind?” En tried to justify, but the man was already shaking his head with a smile and turning away to take a kid’s tickets.

It was really empty, for an afternoon like today…

“You think we should check out this other one?” He opened the bag again.

“Sounds like a monster, like what you were saying.” Midnight agreed, and En closed the bag, turning to the exit- he should be able to be back before Yagi and Nana noticed. As he left, he saw the manager watching him with a pinched look.

“Of course you’re going over there too now.” He grumbled, and En walked faster.

He tried to look nonchalant as he entered, and- oh yeah wow, it was crowded in here.

Flashing lights threatened to give him an immediate headache, games roared all around as people rushed between them, and there was actually a coaster ride, and a water fountain, and two full restaurants, and-

“Welcome to EletriCity!” an employee said, wearing a bright vest. “Would you like a token bracelet for our opening week? Free games all night long, and half off at the restaurant!”

En wanted to know where monsters got all the money from to throw down the drain in ploys like this, and how he could get a part of it.

He shook his head.

“Sorry, I’m waiting for a couple of friends. We’ll grab some when they get here though!”

“Oh, awesome! Well, you can just take these and give them to your friends when they get here.” they dropped three in his hand. “Let me know if you need more, and invite as many friends as you want!”

Then they left as another customer entered, chatting and smiling and lopping a token bracelet around their wrist in seconds.

En quickly moved away, holding the bracelets down to the bag.

“Monster?” He asked.

Midnight stuck out her head, and sniffed.

“Monster, energy draining. Throw those away.”

He nodded, moving to a fake, glowing tree and dumping the bracelets in its pot.

“We’ll definitely be back here tonight then. I guess I should do a loop, check for entrances… or exits.”

“See if you could spot the monster, or any hint of what they’re like too.” Midnight advised.

He did, wandering the isles to see where windows and doors were, restrooms, places to hide or to watch for an ambush from. It was difficult to focus or see clearly with the lights, but he felt confident. They were ahead of the monsters for the first time, he was figuring this Moon Scout thing out.

And then a girl passed out on a dance game.

He turned to see her shoved off for the next person to take her spot.

“Hey!” En was hardly audible above the noise. He moved towards them, but an employee got to her first.

“Poor thing must have had too much fun!” they said, lifting her up. “Don’t worry, we’ll bring her to the powder room until she wakes or her party can collect her.”

Then they rushed her away.

En stared, and looked around.

Did anyone else really not…

“Guess we weren’t that much ahead of the monsters.” He told Midnight, lifting her out of the bag.

No one noticed.

He hid the bag behind an arcade game, and then transformed.

“Moon Prism Power, One for All!”

No one noticed until he lifted his disguise pen, and then jammed it into the screen of a game four kids were around.

“Everyone out!” He shouted. “It’s a monster attack!”

The kids stared at him.

“Wait, where?”

“Really? I saw those on the TV, where is this one?”

“Can we watch it here?”

“Wait, are you the Moon Scout?”

“Deku Scout is cooler.”

“Will we get to see Deku Scout fight the monster?”

En stared at the kids.

The kids stared back at him.

En looked over to Midnight, who was focused on everyone else, eyes narrowed for sign of a monster. Wouldn’t take long, now, and he needed to get as many people away from the fight as he could.

So, he nodded. “Yep! You guys can watch the fight on the TVs from the other game center, and they’ve got the Deku Scout game over there to play while you watch.” He lied. “Go on, go!”

They ran to left, and a few others did, though a couple turned back to their own games.

At the end of the row, another player fell to the ground by a crane game, though remained upright enough to slump by the game, not fully passed out.

An employee turned the corner to pick them up, then stopped at the sight of En.

“Moon Scout!” He shouted, and suddenly the lights all shut off.

“Damn, I didn’t even get to use Midnight Shroud.” He muttered.

“Moon Scout, duck!” Midnight yelled, and he did, feeling something whiz over his head and crash into a game a moment later.

The lights came back up, and the employee was no longer a technicolor vest wearing fashion victim. The vest turned into armor, the energy draining bracelets into scales along their arms and down their back into a metallic tail.

Their eyes glowed.

Finally, other people started to run, screaming.

The lights fell, and En rolled out of the way, then climbed over a game into the next row with less grace than a shaken chicken.

More crashing sounds, before the lights returned.

“Running and hiding already, little Moon Scout?”

“I really prefer the monsters that just say their name over and over again.” En muttered to Midnight as she slipped between games, looking him over. “They feel less personal.”

“You complained that radio station monster only said “Fear-Me-Mix” and made the fight boring.” Midnight stepped around him as he stood and grabbed a water bottle sitting forgotten on a racing game.

“And you shouldn’t take my complaints seriously. Hey monster!” He threw the bottle at it over the games, then threw himself forward and low to avoid the hits as the lights fell again and something smashed the racing game.

Midnight hummed something and En ignored her, focusing on the fight.

The lights came back up, and he shouted, “Midnight Shroud!” before running towards the fake tree to grab the bracelets.

He nailed the monster in the head with one bracelet before the darkness of the shroud began to dissipate, not helped by the open center doors.

Which someone was running into, not out, the wrong way.

“En? Are you in here?”

Nana’s voice.

The second bracelet he threw missed his target.

“Is everyone ok? Hirochika-san?”

Yagi’s.

En threw himself back into the aisles of games to avoid both their eyes and the monster’s tail.

He ignored the jeers of ‘coward’ and ‘fool’ and demands to give his energy up to the League of Darkness.

“What is that thing?” Nana asked.

“I’ll distract it, you look for your brother and get these people out of here!”

What?

“What- Toshinori-kun, no!”

En dragged two fallen people out of the way to where a game could give them a bit of cover, and turned down the next aisle, running back up to the monster.

Before he could toss the last draining bracelet at it, Yagi appeared behind it, swinging a metal plate taken from the side of an arcade game.

What the hell was he doing?

“What the hell are you doing?” En couldn’t keep from asking, and the monster turned to him just as Yagi swung the metal at its shoulders.

It stumbled a little, and the metal bent plate bent from the force of it, which didn’t stop Yagi from swinging it again.

The monster grabbing him by the throat did, though.

It held him up as he kicked in futile effort.

“Oh, aren’t you full of such energy, and so strong too! You’ll be an excellent source of power for our great leader.” With that, the power bracelets along the monster’s arms began to glow. Yagi squirmed more, prying at the monster’s hands but only managing to move one finger.

A mark lit up on Yagi’s forehead, like a number 4.

Midnight gasped.

The light from the brackets faded, and so did the mark.

“What? Why can’t I take your energy? What are you doing?” the monster dropped Yagi, and raised a clawed arm.

En threw the third bracelet.

“Hey, monsters fight me, not random kids. Picking on them in a place like this, where they’re supposed to have fun? Just makes you worse.”

The monster tilted its head at him. “Aren’t you even younger than him?”

“No.” En said like he wasn’t embarrassed to still be mistaken for a high schooler. “I am not. But I am going to punish you, in the name of the moon. Moon Tia-“

The monster lashed its tail at him, and while En had practiced aiming and throwing at a target that moved, he hadn’t practiced while he himself was the one moving and dodging. He got out of the way without more than a bruised leg, but without managing the attack either.

Midnight ran past, something golden in her mouth. It looked a little like his disguise pen. He’d stopped asking her where she got these things from, or kept them on her bare body.

“Is that another weapon for me you won’t say where you got?” he asked, panting.

He needed to end this soon. But Yagi was closer to the monster than any other civilian had been when he’d dared to throw his tiara any other time. And where was Nana?

Midnight ignored him, and dropped the pen near Yagi’s face.

“Quick! Take this and say ‘Jupiter Power, One For All!’”

Wait, what?

“Wait, what?”

“Jupiter Power, One For All!”

In a flash of light, Yagi was in a different outfit. It looked like a school uniform too, with a white shirt with a yellow and red sailor bandana collar, and blue pants tucked into red and yellow boots. On his head, a tiara like En’s, except something sticking straight up between his long bangs, like an alien antenna.

“Woah!” Yagi said, jaw dropped and eyes wide, much like En’s must be.

“Another Scout?” the monster laughed. “Earth can only send children to protect it, ha.”

With that, it swiped with its tail and knocked Yagi and Midnight aside.

“No!” En threw himself forward as the monster turned towards him, claws raised.

A rose landed between them.

“Hardly the best place for a fight, is it, Moon Scout?” Tuxedo Mask asked, standing by a window.

“Well, I didn’t get to pick it.” En said.

“True, but that means all the more reason to pay attention. Is that a second Planetary Scout?”

Yagi stepped back from the arcade games, holding Midnight in his arms.

“I think he’s the third one, technically.” En shrugged. “But yeah, what happened to you, Yagi-kun?”

“How do you know my name?” he asked, setting Midnight down carefully.

Oh, right.

“Oh, right. Talking magic cat. Anyway… Jupiter Scout?”

“Yep!”

“Enough yammering! A third scout you say, Moon Brat? Then there will soon be four dead fools.” The monster roared, but Yagi started yelling louder.

“Jupiter Thunder Clash!”

Gold lightning flickered around him and up to his tiara, then shot from the antenna in a fury, crashing directly into the monster’s chest.

It toppled onto a dance game, smoking slightly.

En didn’t let it get back up.

“Moon Tiara Action!”

The monster shuddered at the burst of light, and fell to nothingness.

So did the arcade around them, games and lights vanishing as the entertainment center reverted to a blank grey space. Cement floors, whitewashed walls. The people slumped on the floor began to blink, stirring, though some seemed in better shape than others.

In the now empty rental space, everything echoed.

“Not bad, remember to use that tiara sooner, Moon Scout.” Tuxedo Mask nodded. “And Jupiter Scout, that lightning could be just as dangerous to allies as it is enemies.”

“Who are you?” Yagi asked, looking between Tuxedo Mask and En. “Who is he?”

“Tuxedo Mask.” En shrugged, then lifted a hand to the other man, who nodded.

“My work here is done.”

“But you didn’t do anything.” Yagi said, even more confused.

Tuxedo Mask turned and left.

En elbowed Yagi.

“What?”

“Don’t say that, ‘you didn’t do anything’.”

“But he didn’t!”

“Yeah, but we don’t say it.”

“So he really just, shows up, does that, leaves?”

En nodded. “Usually with commentary, yeah.”

Yagi’s brows furrowed. “So, is his work to… push us, in some way? Critique, advice?”

En hoped not.

“I hope not, no. Why?”

Yagi actually took a step back.

“What do you mean, why- is it, like- would it be better if he wasn’t doing anything, than if that was on purpose?”

“Yes.” En said, and then caught sight of Nana, walking someone who leaned on her shoulder closer to them. “Ah, shit. Ya- Jupiter Scout, your six.”

“My- oh,” Yagi turned, and jumped at seeing Nana.

“Moon Scout!” Nana said as she caught their eyes, “and, um, who are you?”

Yagi stared at her.

“He’s Jupiter Scout.” En said quickly. Was she unable to recognize them? That was great, why hadn’t Midnight told him that was a feature?

Well, she didn’t know everything, blamed memory holes sometimes. Bitten En when he’d looked up signs of alzheimer's in cats.

“Great, have you seen my brother? My student? We heard my brother had come here when people started screaming about the monster attack, and my student ran at the thing and I don’t see either of them at all.” Her eyes darted around to the people still on the ground.

“Um,” Yagi said, eloquently.

“They’re fine.” En said quickly. “But I know the monster was keeping some people in what they called a ‘powder room’, and the basic facilities of this place, restrooms, seem to still be set up over there, you can look if you’d like. We’re going to get everyone else out of here, we’ll call you over if we see either of them.”

With that, he grabbed Yagi and tugged him away.

“Um, shouldn’t we be helping them over-“ He started to point to a couple helping each other to stand, shakily.

“No, we need to leave out this way so no one sees you transform back, and you can go reassure her that her student did not die stupidly charging a literal monster with a bit of scrap metal.”

“Ah.”

Yagi let himself be tugged to the side exit without further complaint, though he did ask more questions.

“How do I transform back?”

“I’ll show you.” En said, then realized what that meant. Well, if the kid was a Planetary Scout he was probably trustworthy anyway. Could keep a secret.

That didn’t stop him from being so surprised at seeing En after the change that he honestly felt a little offended, though.

“Woah, I never would have guessed.”

En blinked.

“I mean, Shishou complains about how you never train with her, she was worried you’d be crushed in that monster attack, but turns out you’ve just been keeping your skill secret! But why?”

“What, are you going to shout to the world that you’re Jupiter Scout now?” En asked.

“No…”

“Yep.”

“But not telling your family?”

“She’d be more worried, not less, and it wouldn’t matter anyway because I’d still have a job to do fighting these monsters and watching Tuxedo Mask spin around with his cape.” En shrugged.

“How thoughtful of you.” Nana said, and her voice froze En’s spine.

Yagi stiffened too, eyes wide.

Slowly, the both looked to the side, where Nana was standing, En’s bag over one shoulder and arms crossed.

“How long have you been standing there?” En asked.

“Long enough.” Nana strode closer. “Hirochika Engetsu, what were you-“

“Don’t full name me, you aren’t our mother,” En held up his arm, “And-“

“I’m not your mother when it comes to being late to class or what you eat, but you could have died-“

“And that doesn’t change that, plus, look me in the eye and say you’d do differently in my place.”

“I would-“

“Liar, I saw the police had to hold you back from the jewelry store,”

“I would have done more even if I couldn’t have told you, En, and I’m older anyway-“

“Like that matters when I’m an adult now-“

“You can’t even drink-“

“Um, Shishou?” Yagi broke in, hesitantly. “In my defense, I didn’t know I could turn into a magical lightning rod, so I wasn’t keeping that secret from you on purpose?”

Nana whirled on him in a moment. “You didn’t know you had that power, so when you charged in you could have died-“ But her hand was shaking now, her voice not as harsh.

“It’s ok. We’re all alright now.” Yagi slowly took her hand in his. “See? We’re all here.”

Tears began to leak from her eyes, and she tugged her hand away to wipe at them. “You both could have died, that day Shimura-kun could have died, and-“

“Oh, does she know now?” Midnight asked, stepping between the humans and looking up at them.

Nana stopped, then looked down.

“Holy shit, our cat Midnight talks.” She said, voice still shaken but tears gone.

En whacked her shoulder. “Watch your fucking language in front of the kid.” He gestured to Yagi. “I thought you were all ‘the responsible adult’ or whatever.”

Nana started to laugh, and soon enough, they all were.

Wiping happier tears from her face, Nana took a breath. “Speaking of responsible adults, though. Toshinori-kun… Your uncle needs to know. I mean, I can’t take you to another dojo for a tournament without his permission, let alone you fighting magical monsters.”

Several very different kinds of panic flashed across the kid’s face, before it settled on general fear, and he nodded slowly. “I know, yeah, I will- just let me tell him, Shishou, not you, it needs to come from me.”

Nana nodded. “Alright, thank you Toshinori-kun.”

“Well, Midnight, that arcade monster is gone, and at least twelve hours before I expected to get to it.” En said, taking his bag and stepping away from the group. “So I think that means you can’t say I don’t take initiative.”

Midnight was not impressed.

“You were wrong about the Deku Scout game and lucked into another arcade monster.”

“And you were wrong about Yagi-kun being an evil monster too, so at least my guess was closer.”

“Um, what?” Yagi asked, as Nana did the same.

“Don’t worry about it, let’s go home before we have to give a statement to the cops or something about getting knocked out and totally not being magical space people.”

“Well at least I wouldn’t have to lie.” Nana sighed, but nodded and tugged on Yagi’s shoulder. “Let’s get going.”

En let them take the lead and trailed behind them with Midnight.

Yeah, not a bad day, all things considered.

On the way home, the train station was having a special sale on train bentos, each sold with a Deku Scout sticker. En squinted at the sign.

“You don’t think that’s a monster plot too, do you?” Yagi asked.

“That depends. Midnight, do you smell anything?”

“Just get four of them, let’s go.”

“Ok, only a thirty percent chance of monster involvement. Let’s get four.”

#en... nana... toshi!!!!!#planetary scout au #my writing #my fic

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saiilorstars · 1 year

Photo

Ch.8: Pop!

Story Masterlist

Fandom: Sailor Moon (Crystal)

Rewrite of season 2, AU-ish in that there’s new OCs and the fusion of plots from the manga, crystal and the og series

Pairings: Eventual OFC x OMC, Usagi x Mamoru

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @foxesandmagic

{If you’d like to be added to this OC’s taglist, let me know!

Azula plonked down on a park bench and purposely released a little sigh between her lips. Silence hung with magnitude. She scrunched her face and glanced at Mamoru sitting next to her, him silent and pensive as usual.

She lightly bopped his side. "Thanks for saving me," she said quietly as a couple walked past them. "I was gone and back in a day so no one even realize what happened."

"I'd imagine it would be difficult to explain what happened," Mamoru agreed.

Azula bit her lip and looked down at her lap. "Are you mad at me?"

It had been only yesterday when he rescued her from becoming Sailor Hemera's shish kabob, and throughout the next day at school Mamoru had not directed a word to Azula, not even to demand an explanation.

"I don't understand what happened…" he confessed and rubbed his face with one hand. "Why...why did I forget again?"

"Because Usagi wanted everyone to be normal," Azula said sadly. She could feel his frustration radiating from him and yet she couldn't sympathize because she herself never forgot - she'd been unable to without a reason why. "In retrospect she probably should have asked if everyone else agreed...but she did it with the best of intentions."

"She chose to forget me…"

"No, I think she just had confidence you guys would meet again...and you did! And good news is she likes you...again!"

Mamoru shook his head. It was a lot to take in, again. "I don't understand. How did you not forget?"

Azula leaned back on the bench and shrugged her shoulders. She crossed her tight-cladded legs. "We've no idea. Scientifically speaking, it is probable that one person had to remember. I think maybe it's because I was on the Moon base when Luna and Artemis did the memory wipe and something in that room protected me."

"And you took it upon yourself to look after us?"

"Well-" Azula chuckled, "-of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"We were 'normal' so there was no need. You didn't have to work for nothing, you know."

"You guys were my friends-"

"-you blackmailed me to become friends-"

"It wasn't one of my finest moments," Azula articulated purposely slow. "But Sailor Moon taught me to be better. Everyone did. So, when it came time for me to finally be able to pay you guys back...I made it my mission to make sure that each of you got to live a perfectly normal life."

"You didn't have to do that," Mamoru said with a significant look in his eyes. He knew (remembered now) that it was difficult for Azula to make friends on her own, so taking this mission probably made it impossible for her to live her own life with new friends.

Azula smiled. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, you can stop doing that for me because you and I are the ones who are gonna be running things around here," Mamoru paused for a second then added, "Well, you, me and maybe Rei." Azula made a noise at that. "She's beginning to remember things."

"It's my fault, I should have never visited her at the shrine," Azula shook her head.

"Rei was a special Sailor Scout. She could sense things that we couldn't. Sooner or later she was gonna start to remember something."

"Yeah well maybe if you hadn't used your freaky psychometric powers we wouldn't be in this mess," Azula huffed sarcastically.

A slight smirk etched across Mamoru's lips. "Oh, now it's my fault?"

"Isn't it always?"

Mamoru glanced at her with eyebrows raised, waiting for her to take it back. Of course, she never did.

Azula's lips soon stretched into a smile. "It's nice having you back, you know. I missed teasing you."

"Out of everything that's what you missed?" And yet Mamoru was not surprised.

"But teasing you about Usagi was my favorite sport," Azula shrugged. "And I'm a bit rusty so I should start practicing again-"

"No!"

"So when are you asking her out twinkle toes?"

"I'm not doing this-"

"Oh c'mon, it's so easy. You've done this before - oh wait, did they do 'dating' back in your other lives?"

"Azula, please," Mamoru finally managed to get a word in. He was dead serious and yet plainly sad that Azula did indeed pause for a second. "Usagi wished to be normal and I'm... I'm having trouble with that."

"Well, if you want-" but Azula never got to finish her offer because Meroko walked up to the two.

"Don't tell me I interrupted something?" a clean smirk drew over her lips.

"One more word and this entire park knows you're the lovely - crazy - Hemera," Azula warned and now crossed her arms.

Meroko Ikeda was Sailor Hemera, and yet Azula was not surprised by the turn of events. She thought she should have seen it coming. It was of course going to happen.

"You remember anything?" Meroko nodded towards Mamoru, expecting to hear good news.

"Between last night and now, no," Mamoru answered with clear irritation.

"You're a shame," Meroko sighed and rubbed her face. "How can you be Prince Endymion and not remember anything?"

"Hey give him a break, he's got like a thousand years between that life and now," Azula rose from the bench.

"Why are you still here?" Meroko asked her with a condescending look in her face.

"Because she's my friend and the one who's been looking after me," Mamoru got up from the bench and put a hand on Azula's shoulder. With a glance at her Azula received her answer of her question- he wasn't mad at her. He straightened himself up and directed a serious gaze to Meroko. "And if you want my help then you're going to have to lose the attitude and come off your high pedestal."

Meroko snorted. "Fine, whatever."

"Let's go somewhere else to talk…" Azula looked around the park with mild concern. Anyone could listen in on something they ought not to.

And because of that, there was no other place than the base underneath the arcade. Luna and Artemis weren't happy with the recent happenings and much less to have an intruder in their sacred base but there was no time for feelings like that.

"I still don't understand how you can hide an entire kingdom on Earth and not know about it," Azula commented distractedly while she watched Luna and Artemis do their work on the computers.

"Queen Nyx cast an enchantment that concealed our new Kingdom of Shadow from Earthen eyes," Meroko explained from a short distance.

"And you didn't know about it?" Azula made a motion to Mamoru who shook his head.

"I think I found out much, much later…"

"You did," Meroko agreed, nodding her head. "You re-established our agreement but you demanded one additional clause."

"That Princess Reign had to live in my Kingdom," Mamoru nodded, remembering perfectly how he had ordered that to the Sailor Scouts of Shadow.

"And you do realize that Queen Nyx ultimately agreed only because her power was already diminishing and she couldn't afford to flee again?"

"It doesn't take scientists to figure it out…"

"Queen Nyx had been ill for a long while now and she already kept one of my Sailor comrades at her side and between my sister and I guarding the barrier...there was only one Shadow Guardian remaining which wasn't enough. The Queen realized Princess Reign would be safer with the Prince and his Generals," Meroko said, a hint of sadness lacing her words.

"But Reign said her deepest secret was a danger from even her own people," and that was troubled Mamoru the most. How could a leader not trust her own people to feel safe around? Whatever Reign guarded, it had to be tremendously big and important.

Meroko seemed to know exactly what he was talking about because her entire face paled.

"What did Reign guard that was so dangerous even her own people would turn against her to get it?" Mamoru asked and waited a decent minute for her to answer.

But she didn't.

"Meroko-" Mamoru went up to her, "-what did Reign guard?" Meroko's eyes flickered to Azula then to the cats who had stopped working just to hear. "I can't help you unless I remember what happened and since those memories aren't coming fast enough you have to tell me. You have to trust us."

Meroko pursed her lips together and took in a small breath in before she finally spoke. "Princess Reign was the kindest person I knew but she was gifted with the darkest crystal known to the world." Her gaze slowly lowered as she continued to explain. "Her Shadow Crystal leads the way to the Shadow Dominion, a whole other universe. You understand that there are multiple universes right?"

"The theory of the multiverse," nodded Azula. "I love that theory. It basically says there are other worlds parallel to ours. There can be another world where there are no Sailor Scouts."

"Exactly," Meroko nodded and continued on with her own explanation. "The Shadow Dominion is a dark world parallel to ours. Behind its gates are the souls of everyone who lives and everyone who has died, as well as those who will one day be born. The Gates keeping that world sealed is sacred. Nothing should ever happen to that gate or else the world we know would be plunged into darkness."

"So, Reign guarded this dark world on her own," Mamoru didn't even want to think about the incredible burden Reign must have felt knowing she was in charge of keeping a dark world a secret from their own world.

"Yes, she would hear the voices of those trapped in that world, sometimes even talk to them," Meroko said. "Queen Nyx said that if Reign were able to harness her powers, Reign could be a true powerful figure. But Reign was discouraged from practicing her powers because it could tempt even her own people to try to take the Shadow Crystal."

"An unawakened princess who knows the way to some godforsaken world?" Azula released a big breath. "Well, that spells for definite trouble."

"We must find Princess Reign before Senka does," Meroko said with true urgency. "She holds the Shadow Crystal and if Senka gets to her first she can use the Crystal to open the Gates to the Shadow Dominion."

Knowing what was at stake now made the urgency ever more real. Luna cleared her throat to gather their attention to the screens. She and Artemis had pulled up several tabs of banks of information on Shadow.

Shadow was portrayed as a purplish planet glowing with a black shade surrounding it. There were patches of silver in no particular pattern.

"That's Shadow?" asked Azula who breathed in awe. In comparison to Earth and the Moon, Shadow looked...menacing, for a lack of a better word.

"Yes," Meroko stepped up beside her. Her eyes were big and glossy but she never let one tear escape. "It was once our world...many eons ago, before it was destroyed."

"What destroyed it?" Mamoru was quick to ask. He suspected Reign would have told him about it.

"Chaos," Meroko shivered with the mere word. Even Luna and Artemis had turned on their stools towards the girl. "The Sailor Wars took out many planets, including our sister planet. We and our sister planet fled after Chaos consumed our planets."

"What's 'the Sailor Wars'?" Azula asked the winning question of the hour. She glanced at the cats for the answer.

"I nearly forgot about that," Luna breathed in. Artemis hummed behind her.

"What is it?" Azula insisted.

"It was a legendary war between Chaos and all of the Sailor Scouts in the galaxy. It only ended because of one powerful Sailor Scout."

"But while that happened Chaos would search for anything to aid its cause," Meroko said bitterly. "And what could be better than a whole world of souls?"

"And so you hid Reign," Mamoru began to understand a little more. "Even when Chaos was gone…"

"There were many people who had lost others in the Sailor Wars and knowing that Princess Reign held the one way to see them again…"

"She would have been slaughtered," Azula frowned.

Meroko curtly nodded her head. "And even though she died anyways," she threw an accusing look to Mamoru in his chair.

"Which, you know, begs the question of why you were all reincarnated," Azula's remark made everyone pause and look at her. "I just meant, we know how Usagi, Mamoru and the rest of the girls were re-incaranted - Queen Serenity made it possible but...why did that include the Shadow Princess and her Guardians?"

"That is a good question," Artemis exchanged glances with Luna who seemed to agree.

"Don't look at me, I don't know anything," Meroko shook her head. "I guess Queen Nyx may have interfered."

"So then we have to find Reign, the Sailor Scouts of Shadow, and the Shadow Crystal," Mamoru listed off her fingers. "Also while stopping an evil Shadow soul. Yeah…"

"The task is not easy but if I can find my sister and my comrades then we can find Princess Reign and leave this planet," Meroko stated with a head held high.

"You want to...leave Earth?" Mamoru rose from his chair. "After everything you're asking us to do...you're going to leave?"

Meroko raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, Earth certainly won't hold what she requires here, will it? With its lack of knowledge of space and what goes on in it?"

"But where will you go?" Azula asked curiously.

"Maybe to find some descendants of our sister civilization-"

"-but you have no guarantee that they survived-" Azula began when Mamoru cut her off.

"If that's what you want, fine. But we're all looking for Reign and therefore we're on the same team. From now on, you don't keep secrets from us and we won't keep secrets from you, got that?"

Meroko regarded him with a level of respect in that moment. He was sounding a lot more like Endymion and that was who she needed to help her. "I accept." She then looked past him to Luna and Artemis. "And I also expect to be told of what the Moon Kingdom descendants are doing here too."

Both cats meowed in high pitches. Meroko smirked.

"Tell me, such elaborate base and for who? Azula, I think not," Meroko sent the girl a new smirk. "Am I to expect Silver Millennium's descendants to pop out any moment? Perhaps the Princess herself who owes my Princess a great deal?"

Azula's eyes lowered to Mamoru's hands which were balling into fists. He could handle anything just nothing that was shot at Serenity.

Meroko also saw him and smirked even wider. "That's okay, you won't have to tell me today. I have to keep searching for my sister. I feel like she's awakening first. That chill in the air you've been feeling? It's not climate change, it's Asteria. Goodbye," she gave a twinkle of her fingers and headed out.

~ 0 ~

Azula and Mamoru left the base and remained close to the arcade while they talked. There was certainly a lot left to talk about, after all.

"Are you going to tell her about Usagi and the rest of the Scouts?" Azula asked him after a moment.

"Well, Rei definitely is going to remember and if she does, she'll want to help…" Mamoru said as if he was thinking it in the process.

"Rei is one thing, and she'll make her choice, but the others? Minako, Makoto and Ami don't have a clue. Usagi definitely is no where near remembering either. Look, you're technically in command now," Azula smiled at him, "So, you make the call."

"I don't know," Mamoru said again, frustrated. "I want Usagi to remember me, but...she didn't want to be Sailor Moon. She wanted to be normal and I...I can't take that away from her."

"Okay, so then...we won't tell Meroko anything about Usagi and the rest of the girls, except for Rei," Azula nodded. "But I hope you know that doesn't mean you have to stay away from Usagi. She can be normal and still date you."

Mamoru briefly smiled. "I don't…"

"Hey!" they suddenly heard Rei's angry call. She was coming towards them in quick strides. She was irritated for how ignored she'd been since Mamoru rudely left her the previous day to help Azula and even Azula herself had yet to speak with her.

Azula's eyes went over Rei for a moment when she spotted a blonde stepping into the arcade. "Mamoru, I think I'm the one that has to explain things to Rei. You go into the arcade and follow my advice."

"But-"

"Just go and make the decision already," Azula gently pushed him forwards. "I'll wait for you at the park in an hour."

"You have some explaining to do!" Rei pointed a finger at the two but Azula pushed Mamoru one more time to take the furious Rei on her own.

"Yes, we do, and we're going to do that right now…" Azula motioned Rei to walk with her.

Suspiciously, Rei followed but she kept demanding to know what was going on. Azula did not hold back with Rei because she knew that one lie would only further angry Rei and really, who wanted that?

"I'm a Sailor Scout too?" Rei put a hand over her chest, blinking rapidly while she processed the thought.

"Sailor Mars and fiery one too," Azula confirmed. "You were a special scout, Rei, because you had like a sixth sense that no one else had."

"So why did I forget things?" Rei asked.

"Because your Princess thought it was for the best."

"But I'm supposed to protect my Princess...so how am I meant to do that?"

"Look, Princess Serenity wanted to be normal and she wanted you to be normal too. It's your decision if you want to remain being Hino Rei or also be Sailor Mars. But I can't tell you who your princess is nor your comrades."

"It'd be going against her wishes," Rei understood, albeit was a little annoyed by it. "But if it's my decision then I choose to be Sailor Mars again and help protect this planet from the evilness threatening it again."

"Are you sure about that?" Azula asked, her eyes boring into Rei waiting for her to truly decide.

Rei gave a firm nod. "Yes, I understand the implications. I want to help."

"Okay," Azula didn't persist longer. "I'll bring you to Luna and Artemis tomorrow so they can help you become Sailor Mars again."

"Who are they?"

"Um...I think I'll just show you tomorrow." Azula exchanged addresses and phone numbers all over again with Rei before parting ways.

She kept her word to wait for Mamoru at the park just to see what he ended up doing with his decision. She had to admit a level of stress was relieved from her shoulders knowing that she no longer had to make decisions for others. It didn't mean she was going to be completely out but at least...she wasn't the Prince of Earth or a Princess.

"I'm a better tech girl," she told herself confidently and waited by the fountain.

Eventually, the teen in question arrived with his usual straight face. His hands were stuffed in his pants pockets.

Azula kept facing the fountain. "So, did you tell Usagi?"

"No," he answered after a minute then sighed. "I can't take away her happiness. She's got a light in her eyes that...I can't. I just can't."

"Okay," Azula nodded, respecting the choice he made.

"But…" he scrunched his face, "...I asked her to dinner later."

Azula involuntarily released an incoherent noise but for his sake she swallowed most of it down. "That's...that's...really good."

"I applaud you for restraining yourself."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy…" Azula's eyes drifted to him and she bopped his side. "But you did it! And I'm so happy! Really!"

"I figured you were right, on a level, that it could still work," Mamoru nodded. "She can be normal and I'll be at her side, protecting her."

Azula laughed lightly. "Spoken like a true Prince. I hope I can find someone like that one day."

"They'd have to go through me first," Mamoru jokingly warned and yet not so much joking.

Azula swayed her head. "If you promise not scare them off. Remember that boy last year? Junji? He was so cute…"

"And a complete idiot," Mamoru reminded. "Believe me, if I hadn't ran him off, your father would have. Plus, Usagi agreed."

Azula rolled her eyes but laughed anyways. She was going to advocate for a small snack before heading home (because she was sure he was itching to get home and get ready for that date) when a strange noise from above caught their attention.

It was like a popping noise, really, and a heavy one.

From the corner of his eye, Mamoru saw a small figure literally drop out of thin air, from above, and crash onto Azula who, consequently, collapsed onto the ground. The red-haired girl shrieked as the hard cement greeted her back. When she opened her eyes she faced a little girl who couldn't look more than five years old staring right back at her with big, green eyes.

#ocappreciation #fd: sailor moon #sailor moon #sailor moon fics #sailor moon imagines #sailor moon crystal #sailor moon oc #sm fics #sm imagines #oc: azula keena #oc: sailor reign #fic: reign from the shadows

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epickiya722 · 11 months

Note

For your ask game!

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

L: What’s the weirdest AU you’ve ever come up with?

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

I hope you have a lovely day! ୧꒰*´꒳`*꒱૭✧

Thank you so much!! 💜 I needed that!

B. Yes! Not specifically, but it's how I write characters interacting. Example, when I write siblings or sibling-like relationships, it comes easy to me because I'm an older sister (the eldest).

L. I'm laughing right now. Two, popped in my head. Of course, one AU I have in mind is the "AFO is Miruko's grandfather" AU. I say that one is weird because I wrote it just because. I just looked at their hair and eye colors and went "Let's write a fic". The fic is called "Surprise! You're Related!"

Another answer I have is, the AU itself is kinda common, the "Miruko is Midoriya’s mentor" AU. It's not that part is weird, but I took a more comical route with it and it's one of the chapters that makes it funny to me. It's chapter 8 of "Beware of the Bunnies". Spoiler alert of those that haven't read it!

In that chapter, long story short, both Miruko and Midoriya are hit with a magical girl quirk and the whole chapter just plays homage to the genre, especially to Sailor Moon. I grew up on watching magical girls and I still love the genre. Of course, I had to write it!

R. Hm... not really? Well, seeing everyone I follow and are mutuals will often encourage me to work on my own fics. I see someone update their fic and go "Ooh, let me go work on mine". EVERYONE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!

Fanfic Ask Meme

#kiya answers #kiya answers questions #kiya writes #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #miruko #mirko #midoriya izuku #deku #all for one #afo #granddad for one #beware of the bunnies

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rachelsophielesch · 2 years

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I’m commissioning this fanfic from anyone who is willing to write it because I have too many other projects I’m already working on but this one too good for someone not to use.

Zutara Incredibly Cliched Manga/Anime au:

Zuko and Katara are your standard academic-rivals-to-lovers. They’re from rival classes and are in a cut throat competition to be the top student in school (because high school in Animes always seems like a mixture of the hunger games and west side story). On top of that, their families are the heads of enemy Zakuza syndicates.

They engage some magical girl shenanigans à la Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask to take down a threat to their respective families and the “loves my alter ego” comes into play. All of the Blue Lady stans will be happy. And a Spider-Man 2003 esque mask kiss is non negotiable.

To make things even more complicated, the two syndicates decide to join forces against the mutual threat and cement their alliance with an arranged marriage between Zuko and Katara.

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are a trio of famous j-pop idols.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #fanfic #please steal #fanfic ideas #zutara #Zuko #katara #cliche #anime #animecliches #comission

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blazingstar24 · 3 years

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Summary: Caleb read all about magic, but he could never have expected to be granted magical powers by a talking cat.

Notes: Decided to stop dancing around it and just write the first chapter of my Sailor Moon Shadowgast AU. (One day I will get an actual AO3 account when I get a better computer that can handle shit) Oh here’s the notes on this AU in general incase u r seeing this for the first time: part 1, part 2

******************************************************

Caleb sat down on the benches outside of the Cobalt Soul library. He did a quick glance around to see if anyone was watching. The brown leather backpack in his hands started shaking on it’s on accord.

“Ja, ja. Hold on.”

He undid the flap and out popped an orange bengal cat head. The cat tipped the bag over and sat in his lap.

“You know for a supposed magical cat, you act just like a real one, Frumpkin.”

“Technically I am not a cat, but this is the form you loved the most.”

Caleb smiled. “Ah, so being a cat lover is something that carries over to your next life.”

Frumpkin looked up at his former wizard companion. As a fey creature, he was not privy to the inner workings of reincarnation. Nor was he an expert on what exactly the Luxon wanted him to do. But looking at his beloved master, he could tell the differences between him now and his past self. Less weight on his shoulders. Less pain in his eyes. But still. His master still had that kind, patient smile. Bright curiosity. Frumpkin couldn’t help Caleb in the past, but he could help him now.

“Frumpkin? Can everyone else hear you or is it just me?”

Caleb watched as the bengal’s tail swished back and forth. He wasn’t afraid of being seen talking to a cat. However, a talking cat would bring a lot of unneeded attention to him.

“Just you. And the rest of the Nein when we find them.”

Caleb sighed. “Right. The Mighty Nein.”

He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, calling forward the flashes of memories the Luxon had gifted him just a few days ago.

A tall green half-orc sailing a ship. 3 blasts of green energy.

A purple tiefling tail wrapping around his waist. A colorful coat which truly matched with nothing.

A blue hand drawing a dick in his book. A sapphire.

A large pale woman holding a giant sword very close to his face, yet with no malice in her eyes. Wings of shadow and wings of feather.

A woman doing cool backflips off cliffsides. The feeling of the most awkward hug in the world.

A pink haired firbolg offering him tea. A gentle smile paired with a soft breeze.

A small goblin woman guarding him from gnolls. A hand holding up a jar proudly in the air.

These fuzzy faint memories were supposed to lead him to the other members of the Mighty Nein. He wished the Luxon had given him more distinct memories. He was left with the impressions of feelings, rather than clear cut images of them.

Now more than ever, Caleb felt there was something missing from his life. He had always felt a strange emptiness now and then. Like there was something or someone who was meant to be by his side. Now that he knew he wasn’t crazy, it just made this feeling stronger. Hopeful too. The feelings he was left with were a mixture of joy, sorrow, frustration, and love. All he had to do now was find them.

He opened his eyes to see Frumpkin staring right at him, noses almost touching. Frumpkin leaned forward and booped Caleb on the nose.

“You’ll find them. I will help you find them.”

Caleb booped Frumpkin back. “Thank you, my friend.”

“In fact, I can sense that one of them is nearby.”

Caleb perked up and started scanning the area. He tried to look for the defining traits of his friends in the people walking in and out of the library. Although those memories were fuzzy, he felt like he would know them when he saw them.

Frumpkin was tipping his head back and forth. His ears twitched in different directions. His tail bent forward like a dowsing rod. The cat jumped off Caleb’s lap and pointed his tail towards the library.

“This way!”

******************************************************

Caleb had to put Frumpkin back in his bag when they entered the library. Something about not letting animals freely wander around the books. He was walking up and down several aisles, trying to not look like a stalker.

“Go left.”

“Are you sure you know where they are, Frumpkin?”

“Yes, I’m sure. There’s just this weird other presence messing with my senses.”

“Weird as in ‘Time to transform’ or weird magic bullshit stuff?”

“It’s not malevolent, but I can’t place it either. It’s like a barrier is blocking me from sensing something but I’m aware of the barrier.”

Caleb hummed in acknowledgement. He too could sense that someone important was here. Yet, his feeling seemed to be pulling the opposite direction of where Frumpkin was leading them. He hadn’t told Frumpkin yet, but he had this odd feeling that someone was still missing from his memories. When the Luxon give him those little bits of the Nein back, he felt a rush of relief at finally being able to understand why his life had felt so incomplete. Yet still. He can’t wrap his head around this odd longing for someone. Someone who he can’t even describe or name. There’s just someone missing. It’s maddening. Missing someone you don’t even know.

The cat in his backpack huffed. He wasn’t aware cats could even make that sound.

“Ugh, well they’re gone now. I’ve lost the trail.”

“It’s alright my friend. In any case, we can see what books we can find on the Luxon.”

Caleb knew the library like the back of his hand. He could walk in blindfolded and still find his way around. He was never a religious sort of person, but he had read books here and there on the Gods of Exandria. The Luxon, however, was a Dynasty based deity. Not too many books on the Dynasty made it’s way over to this side of the continent. But the Cobalt Soul Library was dedicated to pursuing and preserving all sorts of knowledge, so Caleb hoped they would have at least some information on the deity.

He trailed through the sections on the Calamity and the Divine Gate. Gently running his fingers across the spines of the books packed onto the shelves, Caleb quietly muttered the titles aloud to himself. He pulled out several books that touched on the subject of the Gods, but none contained any true mention of the Luxon beyond what he already knew.

“Perhaps we should ask one of the librarians, Caleb.”

“Ja, maybe they’ll know something or someone who can tell us more.”

He made his way over to the circulation desk, shifting his backpack so they wouldn’t see Frumpkin inside. A half elven man sat at the counter stamping cards. Caleb lightly tapped the bell sitting on the desk.

“Read through all your latest books, I see. What can I do for you, Mr. Widogast.”

“I was wondering if the Cobalt Soul had any books pertaining to the Luxon?”

The half elven man paused. “That’s more of a Dynasty related subject.”

Caleb fidgeted, his hands playing with his scarf. “Ja…I’m…uh doing research on other cultures.”

“Hmmm…well I’m sorry to say that we don’t have much on the Dynasty. Quite hard to get real first hand accounts that weren’t tainted by the war, you know.”

Caleb sighed. The half elven man pursed his lips and wrote something on a slip of paper.

“Alright, Mr. Widogast. I’ll make an exception just this once for you. Since I know how good of a student you are, I’m allowing you to look at some papers we found that we haven’t put on our shelves.”

Caleb’s eyes sparked with curiosity. “Thank you! May I ask why these papers weren’t made public?”

The half elven man stood and motioned for Caleb to follow him through the employees only door.

“As far as I know, the papers were experimental research on the relics that the Dynasty called the Luxon Beacons. Despite it seeming throughly researched and well written, we had no way of confirming who the author was or if this was even factual. The expositors are still debating on what to do with them.”

“Ah, so these are just theories then?”

“Yes. Actually it seemed surprisingly heretical if you know Dynasty culture.”

Caleb nodded. He wasn’t sure if this was what he was looking for, but any new information was welcome. Even if it was all theoretical. The half elven man handed him the slip of paper and pointed to the rows of shelves. The shelves were packed tightly with all sorts of different books. Some held boxes most likely filled with papers. And others had strange artifacts like a threshold crest sitting on top.

“The row number and book number are on the paper. Try not to touch the artifacts. Some of them still have their curses lingering and without magic, no one would be able to help break it.”

Caleb nodded, not even looking at the man. His eyes trying to take in the wonderful sight of shelves filled with unlearned knowledge.

“Oh! I forgot to mention. I did let in another student before you. He was a grad student, so maybe you can talk to him about all this.”

******************************************************

Frumpkin jumped out of the bag and circled Caleb’s feet. Caleb breathed deeply, drinking in the scent of fresh parchment and ink.

“Let’s hope these papers give us some answers.”

Frumpkin’s tail twitched. “Be careful around those artifacts. Your magic is coming back, but it’s not strong enough to deal with those.”

Caleb made sure not to touch anything on the shelves this time. This back room was dimly lit so it was a bit hard to navigate. When he finally found the row he needed, he turned towards Frumpkin.

“Do I need to transform to cast a spell or can I do it without needing to?”

“Depends on the spell. What do you have in mind?”

“I wanted to create some kind of light source.”

Frumpkin rubbed his head against Caleb’s leg. “Ah, dancing lights, one of your favorites. It’s a cantrip, so I believe you could have casted it even before I met you. Low level magic like that still remains.”

Caleb started to concentrate, trying to bring back memories of him casting the spell. He paused as the memory came flooding back.

“Wait, I remember needing phosphorus to do it.”

“Yes, before you did, but right now your magic is coming from the boon of the Luxon. It’s allowing you to break some rules. Just concentrate.”

Caleb closed his eyes, letting the memory of the spell casting wash over him. The words he spoke and the hand movements he made felt so natural. He let out a small gasp as tiny amber colored globules of light started floating around him.

“Let’s go, Frumpkin!”

The pair quietly walked down the row. Caleb, counting the book numbers aloud. Finally, his eyes fell upon the number he was looking for.

“C257! We did it, Frumpkin.”

Caleb reached out to grab the book off the shelf. As he tugged the book out of it’s place, he paused as he realized another hand had also grabbed the book. He turned to see who was trying to claim the book as well.

Standing before him was a gently floating, handsome male drow.

*******************************************************

END OF CHAPTER ONE

#shadowgast #caleb widogast #essek thelyss #critical role au #can you spot the easter eggs i put in here lol #talking frumpkin has basically become morgana from P5 rather than Luna lmao #cr fanfic

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marshmallowprotection · 3 years

Note

Unknown's assistant au, but they keep accidentally just playing matchmaker for the RFA and each MC ends up not working out for their plans until all of the RFA are dating an MC of their own lol

Things would be a bit different than in the routes because there's some things that happen that just wouldn't work together in one timeline, but this just popped into my head and sounds interesting...I'm tempted to actually try to write this as a fic lol

Also, for some reason it's making me think of Unknown and MC with behind the scenes bad guys vibes similar to Sailor Moon villains 🤣

Anon. I need you to know that I would read Unknown and MC getting foiled by romance every single time because they think that they got the right idea by trying to use someone that would trick the RFA on a large scale. They think picking someone perfect for that member will help them, but it just never does. They just keep dating and there's no way to trick any of them.

FOILED AGAIN.

I'd read this. If you write this, I'll read this.

#anon #unknown #ask #mod kait #mystic messenger #saeran choi #choi saeran

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drnogender · 2 years

Note

Oh don't even get me fucking STARTED on how many Crossovers I have for Sailor Moon and JJBA. I like to cover allll my bases ok?

Not sure how Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency would work, but time travel/displacement aus and timeline changes exist, so I'll come up with something eventually.

I have one that's Usagi and Josuke as Siblings. One with Makoto as Jotaro's sister and the school just fucked up her name (from "Kujo" to "Kino") with how many times she's changed schools. Jolyne and Usagi being best fucking friends.

And of course, Jotaro and Usagi Childhood Friends AU.

They meet as kids, both of them are about 7 years old, and they get along like a house on fire. Practically inseparable. Usagi is a born Stand User, like Kakyoin, but that doesn't stop her from making friends. She and Jotaro are friends mostly because they're both half Japanese. Having blond hair or being incredibly tall isn't exactly normal in Japan and the Japanese are known for some pretty bad xenophobia. Because of this, they're both bullied for their differences.

Usagi takes it in stride and tries to not let it get to her, but after an incident after getting the rest of the scouts together (unrelated), she decides "no, fuck it, I'm not letting this shit slide anymore," and decides to do something about it. She stops wearing the full girls uniform and wears the boys trousers instead, wears her sweater around her waist, and pops the collar of her blouse. She changes so drastically that it kinda scares the other students, but she's still the same bubbly and sweet person and she owns it.

The only thing that really changes is that before if you mess with her, you would have a crybaby pushover on your hands and having to deal with both pissed off scouts and a livid Jotaro. Now if you mess with her, the scouts and Jotaro are the last of your worries. Needless to say, it's become an unspoken rule that if you fuck with this Usagi, it's on your head. Outside of school, she still likes wearing dresses and skirts, but her style is more preppy Gyaru or Yankee now. A precursor to what Jotaro will eventually become, though his transformation is admittedly more drastic.

Usagi was always preppy and lively with a loud, emotional, and bombastic personality, so her transformation from student to delinquent isn't really as jarring because her personality is still the same. Jotaro's transformation from model student to delinquent is much more jarring because he was this sweet, quiet, and mild mannered kid that's soft-spoken, kind, and has a soft spot for animals that suddenly turns into a crude, rude punk that beats the shit out of anyone that even looks at him funny. It's like two completely different people. Where as you can still recognize Usagi as Usagi even as a delinquent, Jotaro becomes completely unrecognizable outside of physical appearance.

(Also I can't help but ship these two so Mamoru has become Naru's boyfriend instead. Naru deserves nice things, ok?)

Thing is, Usagi has Jotaro wrapped around her little finger and can see right through his delinquent act. She is the only woman that can make him cave. Anyone else and he'd be a complete jackass. Usagi? Lovesick Puppy-dog. Goes right back to a well behaved gentleman, and Usagi eats that right shit up. I'm sorry Top!Jotaro fans, but I love the "big strong character is topped by their smaller partner" trope, ok??

So once the Crusade starts, Jotaro is pretty much the same except when Usagi is involved. With anyone else he still act the same as canon, but will flip on a dime when directly interacting with Usagi. It can be a little funny to watch during a fight, him cussing out an enemy one minute then being soft and loving with Usagi the next. I can just imagine Usagi walking in with a skip in her step and the other Crusaders commenting on how she must have slept well then Jotaro trailing in behind her blissed the fuck out and limping. Or, he's in an argument with someone or just being himself (the whole "don't FUCKING touch me" thing like a moody cat) then the moment Usagi walks in, he's a big cuddle bug demanding attention.

He really is just a big cat. He doesn't like other people and will try to scratch them if they get too close except for Usagi, but if you manage to win his trust, he's gonna be softer and gentler with you. Maybe even go out of his way to seek you out, like being smoking buddies with Polnareff or hanging out with Kakyoin. Usagi doesn't just have one cat here, she's got two. Luna and Jotaro.

FUCK that got long. Sorry for the info dump, I don't get to talk about my crossovers often.

OH I LOVE ALL OF THIS!! I would love to hear more from you omg, my messages on here are open for you or hell discord if you felt like it! I love crossovers and the fact you have so many ideas for one of my favs and one I'm getting into, I have died and gone to whatever paradise there is in death. Amazing, immaculate, show stopping ideas coming from you my friend!

#sailor moon #jjba #jojos bizarre adventure

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barnesbabee · 4 years

Text

Jolly sailor bold || K.H

Summary: What if the unbelievable beauty of a man caught an ettention of a mythical species?

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong x Siren

Words: I’ll let you know ( 2958 )

Genre: Miscellaneous, Fluff

⚠ mythical creature!au ⚠

A/N: This is something different, I hope you enjoy 💖

ᴄʀ: ʙᴀʀɴᴇꜱʙᴀʙᴇᴇ

'my jolly sailor bold’

Hongjoong’s heard perked up as he looked around for the exquisite song. He stopped for a second and became more attentive to all the sounds surrounding him, trying to listen once more to the beautiful voice, but all he could discern was the sound of the leaves hitting against each other.

“Hongjoong what are you doing?”

The aforementioned male snapped back to reality and his gaze locked on his friend, who stared at him with a confused expression.

“You didn’t hear that?”

Seonghwa cocked his head to the side, as if asking ‘hear what?’. Hongjoong sighed and looked down at the ground, as he resumed his walk.

“Nevermind, let’s just head back…”

Seonghwa gave him a judging look but walked alongside him anyway.

The younger male couldn’t take the melody off of his head as they headed back to camp. It was so… perfect. It was a lullaby-like song that anyone would be enticed and hypnotized by. There was no reason for the man to feel like this, he had heard beautiful voices countless times during his career, so why did he want to hear that particular one, over, and over and over again?

As the night went on and the sky became painted with stars, he slowly became more addicted to the song.

“Hongjoong what the fuck are you singing? You’ve been singing that one line for hours now.” Yeosang asked as he threw more fire in the wood.

The short male was brought back to reality, and he pouted as he realized his marshmallow was way past burnt. He sighed and threw the soft snack into the fire.

“I don’t know, I heard someone sing it…” He explained, as he placed another marshmallow on his stick and approached it to the firepit.

The rest of the members didn’t quite appreciate the ominosity of Hongjoong’s statement.

“You heard someone sing it? Like, here? In the middle of the woods? Should we be scared?” Wooyoung asked, moving his hands in circles, gesturing to all of the area surrounding them.

Yunho reassuringly placed his palm on Wooyoung’s thigh, and squeezed it.

“Don’t worry, we’re fine. This lake is famous for being big, a lot of people come by.”

Wooyoung looked at the older male and pursed his lips together, as he nodded slowly. His eyes focused back on the fire.

“I guess you’re right.”

There were a couple of seconds of silence, before Seonghwa spoke up, remembering the scene from before.

“Was it that what you heard when we were coming back here from the van?”

“Yeah, it’s weird but it sounded like it came from the lake…” Hongjoong replied, recollecting all of the details from the afternoon.

Jongho furrowed his eyebrows.

“The lake? It’s October, who would go for a dip in the middle of Autumn?”

“You know as much as me, but it was a girl’s voice and-”

“Oh, that’s what this is about, a girl.” San joked, poking his older friend’s side.

Surely enough, San earned a slap to the back of the head for mocking him like that. Hongjoong, on the other hand, sighed and stood up.

“I think I’m going to sleep, I’m tired of having this song in my head playing on repeat, good night.” He said, finally, as he popped one last marshmallow in his mouth, then licking all of the remainings off of his fingers.

He went into the tent he shared with Seonghwa and Mingi (he had lost rock, paper, scissors and to his dismay, that would mean they would have to sleep alongside the messy, fidgety giant) and laid on the not-so-comfortable thin mattress they had brought for the sake of Mingi’s back.

Hongjoong groaned as he laid on his side and pulled the sleeping bag over his body.

“Ok now, sleep.” The male mumbled to himself.

And after a long day of cooking, setting up camp, and carrying things back and forward from the van, the tiredness got the best of him and he fell asleep in no time. The deep slumber lasted no longer than three hours, however.

He woke up suddenly and sat up straight in the mattress. It was completely dark. The light from the fire outside was no more and he was met with two sleeping bodies beside him. Hongjoong was wide awake, and the voice that had relentlessly haunted his thoughts now called for him with the continuation of the beautiful song he yearned to hear again. There was no explaining what got over him, but Hongjoong just… followed the voice. And, as if it was controlling him, the male quietly exited the tent and walked through the thick wooded area.

All that could be heard were the gusts of wind whistling in the air, some night-birds chirping, and the sound of Hongjoong’s heavy footsteps stepping on dry leaves and sticks. He unknowingly headed to the shore of the lake, and just then, the song got louder and louder, as if it was approaching him.

Hongjoong stared at the sparkling moonlit water, and he could swear he saw an enormous fish dive into it, the moonlight reflecting off of its tail. He closed his eyes and breathed in the cold air that hit his face.

“My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold…”

This… sound. It wasn’t a song anymore, it was and addicting sound that pulled Hongjoong closer and closer. He stepped forward slowly until he fell.

His foot slipped on the muddy edge of the land and he fell into the icy water, and just then, it was as if he had woken up from a trance. Hongjoong’s previous calm demeanor was long gone and he was now choking on the sweet water, flailing his arms around in stress and despair. He had difficulty to breathe and it was as if he had forgotten how to swim. Soon enough, he lost all strength in his body, and his vision became blurry. His body started sinking, and he saw less and less. Before everything went dark, however, he felt himself being pulled farther down, but there was nothing he could do.

“There he is!”

Hongjoong woke up, shivering and in pain, covered in dirt and leaves. He rolled his body so he’d be facing up, but he couldn’t move. Three boys circled around him, and Hongjoong weakly opened his eyes, just to close them again after the extreme sunlight hit his puffy, red eyes.

“Hongjoong are you okay!? What happened!?” Seonghwa asked, carefully observing his body, afraid that if he touched him, he’d be hurting his leader.

The older male only got a couple of coughs in response, as Hongjoong couldn’t bring himself to reply. Seonghwa and Jongho exchanged worried glances, before the latter delicately picked up the older, bridal style, and walked back to camp slowly. Once they arrived all eyes turned to them, relieved that they had found Hongjoong, but concerned about his state.

Yeosang looked at Yunho, who had also gone with the duo, with a questioning look. The taller shrugged, as none of them knew what had happened.

Jongho laid his leader back onto his mattress, and he immediately clung onto the warm sleeping bag.

They were all worried sick for Hongjoong, but they didn’t want to bother him then. They left the boy and went to sit around the extinguished fire pit. All seven of them were silent. No one could guess what happened. Why did he leave in the middle of the night, why was he by the river, why were his clothes damp, and why couldn’t he move?

A couple of hours passed until Hongjoong gave another sign of life.

The boys were chatting when they were cut off by a loud groan, and some shuffling inside the tent. Seonghwa immediately stood up and walked towards Hongjoong, but when he got near the tent the younger male walked out, limping slightly.

“Hey, hey, calm down, I’ll help you out…”

Seonghwa put Hongjoong’s arm around his own shoulders and his arm around the smaller’s waist, as he helped him walk to the nearest chair.

“Hongjoong what happened!?” Mingi questioned as soon as Hongjoong was comfortable.

The latter threw his head back and sighed.

“I… I don’t know. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and walking towards the lake for some reason, I slipped and fell… After that, it’s all blank.” Hongjoong told them, as he recalled the previous night’s events.

“Why would you go to the lake at night?” Wooyoung asked.

“I said I don’t fucking know!” He replied bluntly, becoming frustrated at himself, for not knowing what had happened after desperately trying to remeber the details of his near death experience.

It was silent for a while. None of them felt like talking and the small camping trip had kind of been ruined.

Hongjoong moved his legs and immediately winced in pain, as his ankles started aching. He found this weird… He could have sprained an ankle, but both?

He bent over and pulled his joggers up until his calves. His eyes widened, as he noticed a continuous purple mark on his legs, almost as if something had been tightly wrapped around them. The male instantly became afraid, what the fuck had happened!?

Hongjoong hid it as quickly as he unraveled it. He really didn’t feel like getting bombarded with questions he didn’t know the answer to.

His leg wouldn’t stay still. Even though it hurt, he kept bouncing it up and down, biting his lip and staring at the floor, desperately searching for an explanation.

A fish.

It could have been a fish.

No, it couldn’t… Whatever fish was big enough to do that to his legs, certainly wouldn’t leave him alive. And how would a fish drag him to the shore?

A person?

A person around the sea would explain the singing he had heard!

But how would they see him? He remembers going down in the lake, how could someone spot him, in the dead of the night, with no light but the moon’s to help them drag Hongjoong out of the lake?

The situation was slowly driving Hongjoong insane…

He stood up and started limping towards the infamouslake, however, he was stopped by Yeosang who wouldn’t let him walk another step.

“Woah woah, where are you going?”

Hongjoong sighed and hung his head low.

“I need to be alone…”

The boy noticed how Yeosang looked towards the rest of the members, as if asking for permission to let him pass.

“Come on I’m not a kid… What happened was an accident, I can take care of myself!”

Much against their will, the boys let him go for his walk.

Hongjoong walked for a couple of minutes until he reached his destination. He looked at the shiny water, that had a mix of green and blue colours.

He clenched his fists beside his body.

“Who are you!? What did you do to me!? What the fuck is happening!? Why can no one hear you, why did I come out here, what even are you!?” He yelled out, in pure despair.

He was left there, with tears in his eyes and breathing heavily..

As if on cue, a fishtail popped out of the water. A beautiful, pearly white tail with hues of blue. Hongjoong’s eyes widened.

It was huge.

The water started moving, and there was a trail rapidly heading towards him. Hongjoong stepped back quickly. He tripped on his feet, as he wasn’t in the best of conditions, and winced as he fell on his butt, but it didn’t stop him from backing up against a nearby tree.

From the water, a woman-like creature shyly emerged.

Hongjoong’s eyes were fixated on her.

She was of an unbelievable beauty. Big, shiny eyes, completely white, sandy blonde, wavy hair that fell down to her elbows, small lips that always seemed to be puckering, and a sharp chin and jawline. There were small pearls and algae in her entangled hair, and Hongjoong noticed shiny scales coming up her neck.

She tilted her head slightly, as if waiting for Hongjoong to do something, but he didn’t budge.

“My jolly sailor boat…”

Although she didn’t sing it, she simply said those words, he perfectly recognized them, as they had been playing over and over on his head.

“Is it… It is! It’s you! B-but what are you!?”

There was no correct way to react. He was panicking, he was nervous, yet he was mesmerized and fascinated.

She smiled, flaunting her sharp teeth, and showed her enormous tail.

“A mermaid…” Hongjoong concluded.

The woman laughed, and somehow even her laugh sounded melodic.

“A Siren.” She corrected.

Hongjoong wondered what the difference was, but he didn’t dare ask. He really didn’t want to see what the sharp teeth were for.

He pulled up his pants once more.

“D-did you do this?” He asked.

She nodded, although she looked apologetic.

“I don’t get it. Were you… going to eat me? Were you going to kill me? Why did you do this?”

The Siren was silent. She obviously wasn’t of many words… Hongjoong didn’t push it, but he also didn’t say anything else.

“I was going to…” The gills on her neck flexed as she swallowed.

“Well, why didn’t you?”

The questioned amused her. The woman figured that he would run the second he found out about her past intentions, but he remained where he was…

“Your face.”

Hongjoong cocked an eyebrow, not quite understand what she meant. He brought his fingers up to his own face, caressing it confusedly.

“You’re… beautiful. Out of all the men I’ve lured, out of all the men I’ve tricked, I’ve never seen one quite like you. Your features resemble ones of a siren, if I’m being honest. Puckered lips, perfectly shaped nope, sharp jawline… I fell in love with your face, I couldn’t kill you as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to see you ever again.”

He was clearly taken aback by the whole situation, but very, very flattered.

The two exchanged fiery glances, not sure of what to do next.

“My heart is pierced by Cupid…” She began, making Hongjoong close his eyes and lean in, as if that would make him hear better “... I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold.”

Yes, that was it, that was definitely it. That was the hypnotizing melody he yearned to listen to once more. When he opened his eyes, the Siren was holding herself up, with her torso fully out of the water. Hongjoong could see the membranes between her fingers, the long, threatening fingernails, and the white and blue-ish fins perking out of her arms, moving up and down.

“Does my body interest you?” She asked.

Hongjoong smirked and carefully approached the Siren.

“It amazes me…”

He was a little hesitant as he came closer, but the Siren reassured him.

“I won’t hurt you, if I wanted to I would have done so.”

She was right. Hongjoong crawled in her direction, until they were close enough so he could smell the sea in her hair. He knelt in front of the creature, admiring her delicate features up close. Her body and features were all lengthy and scary, but her face, the important element to lure in her prey, that was unbearably alluring.

“What’s your name, sailor?” The Siren asked as she inched closer.

Hongjoong mimicked her actions, and he could soon feel her breathing hitting against his skin.

“I’m Hongjoong.”

The Siren ran her fingers up Hongjoong’s half-exposed arm. He expected for it to feel… wet and fishy. But it felt just like another human.

“I have never kissed a human before…”

“Well, I’ve never kissed a Siren before…”

The woman smiled slightly at the joke. When their lips brushed past each other, they pulled away slightly. It was as if there was a spark as they touched… They approached once more, this time fully connecting their lips in what could only be described as the ghastliest, most beautiful kiss.

It was as if they belonged like that, astray from their own species, in each other’s embrace. But they knew it wasn’t true.

Somehow Hongjoong wasn’t scared when he pulled away and stared into those white eyes. He actually found an odd beauty in them.

The romantic escapade was cut off by a yelling voice in the distance.

“Hongjoong!”

The male looked behind him. His friend couldn’t be seen, but the sound of leaves and sticks cracking and breaking became louder by the second.

“Don’t go!” Hongjoong begged.

“I mustn’t be seen… Please don’t speak of me!”

Hongjoong didn’t want to let her go… He had just found her!

“Will… Will we see each other again?”

The woman smiled fondly and she backed away in the water.

“Come visit me, and call for Aglaope once you reach the lake.”

Hongjoong only nodded as he watched her sink in the clear blue water.

“I’ll be thinking of you, my sailor…”

She completely disappeared, just as Yunho got to his friend.

“We started getting worried Joong… Let’s head back, this place doesn’t bring great memories.”

Yunho helped Hongjoong up, who just let himself be maneuvered by the older man, as he was too fixated in the lake.

They both started walking away, with a casual chatter.

Before they left, however, Hongjoong glanced over his shoulder, and he saw the beautiful coloured tail, illuminated by the rays of the sun, wave in the distance. Not a goodbye, but a ‘until some day’.

And Hongjoong smiled, restlessly awaiting the day when he could come back.

ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ: @succulentpk

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imaginationofacrazyfangirl · 4 years

Text

A Helping Hand- Chapter One

◇ Jungkook x reader ◇ Neighbor AU ◇ 5K {1/?}

Summary: The minute the word ‘fuck’ slipped from your daughter’s lips Jungkook saw his life flash before his eyes. He’d been in love with you for a while and the last way he wanted you to find out was by your daughter telling you two to fuck. Seriously he was going to kill Jimin for ever telling her that.

Warnings: Fluff alert

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ha-eun, I swear if you unlock that front door, I’ll put you straight in time out.” You warned upon hearing the familiar click of the deadbolt unlocking.

A second later the sound of it relocking was heard followed by your daughter huffing impatiently. At six years-old Ha-eun already acted like a teenager stifled by their parents’ babying, and while she tested as smarter than those her age, Ha-eun would always remain your little girl. She was the light of your life. One of the few good things to ever happen to you, but that didn’t stop Ha-eun from driving you crazy sometimes.

“Hurry up, we’re going to be late, mommy!” Ha-eun ordered with a stomp of her foot.

“You did not just stomp your foot at me, young lady.” You called out, putting the finishing touches of your makeup on. Taking one last glance at the mirror to make sure you look as professional as possible, you grabbed your purse and headed to the living room where your daughter waited expectantly.

Ha-eun glared at you arms folded over her chest. Her lips pursed together in away that would make the Karen’s of the world jealous. When she finally did grow up, Ha-eun undoubtedly would be a force to be reckoned with. For now though, you couldn’t take her seriously with her sailor moon backpack and light up shoes. “You took forever getting ready.” Ha-eun bemoaned, “Now Kookie is going to think I’m the reason we’re late.”

You rolled your eyes. “Well excuse me your majesty. I only woke up, cooked breakfast, cleaned, and put your hair in bear buns before getting ready for work-which may I remind you pays so we can live here.”

Ha-eun’s dark eyes narrowed. “I hate it when you use mom-scuses.”

“So do I, but unfortunately I’m a mom and I kinda like my kid for some reason.”

An exasperated sigh escaped her along with an eye roll. Yup, she definitely was six going on sixteen. “Can we go now? I want to see Kookie.”

“Wow, I see how loved I am.” You teased unlocking the door. You bit back whatever comment you had about her seeing the young man only yesterday. In all honesty, you couldn’t blame Ha-eun for liking him so much. The boy next door was wonderful in ways that drove you crazy. He personified prince charming, and the girl who won his heart would undoubtedly be the luckiest thing on the planet.

The thought brought a bitter taste to your mouth, but you pushed it back. As handsome and amazing Jeon Jungkook was, he remained four years your junior. You highly doubted he saw you as anything more than the Noona next door. Moreover Jungkook had unlimited potential to go far in life. Something you gave up when you dropped out of college to raise Ha-eun. “Stop it. There’s no point in thinking about such things.” You murmured slapping your cheeks.

Ha-eun gave you a curious look. “Thinking about what, mommy?”

You give her a cheesy grin. “Nothing baby, mommy’s being silly.”

“Oh, okay.” Ha-eun said, sounding not entirely convinced. Thankfully she turned her attention to the front door leading to your neighbor’s apartment. “Can I knock now?”

“Of course, I’m surprised you haven’t yet.” That earned you another eye roll. You swore one day your daughter would get her eyes stuck from rolling them so hard.

Standing as prim as possible Ha-eun knocked on the door. On the third knock the door swung open to reveal your neighbor dressed in a white shirt and torn jeans. His dark brown hair a messy mop that suggested he had yet to brush it. Your mouth dried at the sight as arousal pooled between your legs. Subsciously you closed them embarrassed by how easily turned on you were.

“Ha-eun! (Y/N)! Good to see you this morning.”” he cheered, eyes lighting up. His plush lips split into a wide bunny like smile. It only made your situation worse. Seriously it should be illegal to be this attractive so early in the morning.

“Jungkook.” You nodded, swallowing back your desire. “Thanks again for helping watch Ha-eun on such short notice. I swear I’ll pay you when I pick her up tonight-”

He raised a hand silencing you. “Nuh-uh, you know I don’t accept your money. I enjoy hanging out with Ha-eun, she’s the best teammate a guy could ask for.”

“Yeah, Mom. I’m the best. Last time I helped used my blue shell in Mario Kart to help Kookie defeat Hobi-oppa.” Ha-eun smiled smugly.

“That’s wonderful, Ha-eun.” You said, attention still focused on the boy. “Seriously though, let me pay you. I mean you are giving up your weekend to play with a six year-old. It can’t be how you wanted to spend your Saturday.”

Jungkook shrugged, “I’m not really one for socializing. If it weren’t for my old fraternity brothers, work and home would be the only places I’d go to.”

You smiled, trying to picture Jungkook as a hermit. As much as he claimed not to like people, he certainly had a lot of friends. Ha-eun always mentioned some new person she met while hanging out with her favorite babysitter. “Still...let me do something to repay you. You do so much for us, I feel like I am taking advantage of your kindness.”

“You’re not, I promise.” He reassured. “But if you really want to repay me...a home-cooked meal would be nice.”

Your smile widened. Jeon Jungkook really was a saint. “Deal. How does dinner with Ha-eun and I, Monday night sound?”

“Sounds like my type of evening. I’ll bring dessert-”

You held up your hand, grinning as he blinked surprised. “Don’t you dare. I promised you dinner. Dinner includes desserts, drinks, and anything else edible you can think of.”

“Alright. I got it. I’ll leave it to you.” He chuckled, causing your heart to skip a beat. Yeah, you really needed to get laid. Too bad being a single mom puts a damper on that sort of thing.

“You two are weird.” Ha-eun interrupted. “You should just fuck and get it over with.”

Words can’t describe the embarrassment that washes over you, as well as the shock of hearing your six year-old say something so vulgar. Not only were you sure your face matched the lipstick you wore, but you no longer knew how to speak. Jungkook’s mouth hung open his tongue running across his bottom lip as if he wanted to say something. He didn’t appear embarrassed like you rather at a loss of what to do.

‘He probably doesn’t know how to respond without being rude.’ You lamented to yourself.

Sparing both of you even more embarrassment you turned to your troublemaking daughter. “Ha-eun (L/N), where did you learn such a thing?”

She shrugged. “Jimin-oppa tells Kookie that all the time. By the way what does fuck mean?”

“It means you’ll get a mouth full of soap if I ever hear you say that again.” You replied, not in the mood to explain the constructs of sex to your six year-old so soon. “Sorry about that Jungkook-”

“No, I’m the one who should be apologizing! Jimin-hyung likes to joke around a lot, sometimes he says things without thinking.” Jungkook sputtered. “I promise I’ll have a word with him about it.”

Ouch...well that hurt. “Please do. I mean I’m sure it’s all guy talk, and Ha-eun is probably supposed to be asleep when you guys talk, but please be more weary.” You lectured in your best mom voice.

You weren’t too worried about it honestly. You met Jimin before, and knew he wasn’t a bad guy. Moreover you knew Jungkook wouldn’t expose Ha-eun to any bad influences, the young man acted rather protective of your daughter. Just one of the many things that attracted you to him.

“Of course.” He promised.

“Thank you…” An awkward silence filled the air cueing you to leave. Bending down you kissed the crown of Ha-eun’s head. “I guess I should be off. As always behave. Don’t cause any trouble for Jungkook, you understand? And don’t ever say that word again.”

Ha-eun gave her signature eye roll. “It would help if I knew what it meant.”

“Ask me when your fifteen.” You deadpanned. Turning back to Jungkook you offered a small smile. “Thanks again. I really appreciate your help.”

“Anytime.” He responded. “Like I said I enjoy Ha-eun’s company.”

With one last nod you left trying to ignore the painful pang in your heart. Funny how only a few simple words felt like a total rejection. It wasn’t like you seriously considered dating Jungkook in the first place. He was too young and you needed to focus on Ha-eun. So why did his dismissal hurt so much?

///

Jungkook wanted to die, but not before killing Jimin. He told the blonde time after to watch his mouth, especially when Ha-eun was over. The little girl hated bed-time, and would pop out of nowhere attempting to avoid it. So it came as no surprise she heard something not meant for little ears. It was Jungkook’s luck she heard his best friend advising him to fuck her mother. God...he wouldn’t blame you if you decided not to let him watch Ha-eun anymore.

“Kookie, are you alright? You look sick.” Ha-eun asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “You’re not going to barf are you?”

“I’m perfectly fine, Ha-eun. No barfing here.” Jungkook reassured, running a hand through his hair. His fingers tangled in its knots only bringing more ire to him. Great not only did Jimin’s mouth get him in trouble, but he looked like a hobo in front of you. What a great way to start the day.

“Good, because Bon-Hwa threw up last year at school and….” she trailed off, detailing how a classmate barfed everywhere. Normally Jungkook listened to Ha-eun finding her stories quite entertaining, but his current level of self-hatred distracted him. He made a fool of himself in front of the woman he loved. There was no coming back from this.

“Are you even listening Kookie?” Ha-eun demanded to know.

Jungkook turned from his thoughts to see the young girl pouting at him. “Sorry kiddo, wasn’t trying to ignore you.”

“Uh-huh…” Ha-eun squinted. “You’ve been acting weird since I told mommy to-”

“Why don’t we go to the park? Maybe grandma will be there with Sami today?” Jungkook suggested. On many levels Jungkook considered Ha-eun his own, but that did not mean he wanted to have THE talk with Ha-eun.

Thankfully it did the trick for Ha-eun ran to get her shoes on, her face beaming with excitement. The white samoyed was the closest thing she had to dog. Often Jungkook and Ha-eun would visit him and his owner (an old neighborhood woman) at the park. There they’d play catch or tug-o-war with Sami, until either Granny or Jungkook decided it was time to go home. “Do you think I can feed him meat skewers again?!”

“Ha-eun, we aren’t supposed to feed Sami in the first place.” Jungkook sighed. For such a brilliant girl, Ha-eun didn’t always think things through. He wondered if that was just her age or something she inherited from you. You were kind of scattered brained at times.

“But Sami was a good dog. Good dogs get treats.” Ha-eun stated.

Jungkook shook his head. “They do, but not with my money okay?”

The (h/c) haired girl shrugged, but said nothing more. She was definitely plotting something though. “Ready Kookie?”

“Ready.” Jungkook smiled, taking her hand. It always amazed him how full of life Ha-eun was. You would think someone so small would tire easily, but Ha-eun had a thirst for life that neither naptime or bedtime could quench. She was truly something.

"We need more bread! Kookie loves bread." Ha-eun ordered, dissatisfied with the small amount placed on the table. The small girl decided to take it upon herself to ensure that tonight's dinner was nothing less than spectacular. Granted Ha-eun didn't cook a damn thing, but she did boss you around every chance possible.

Normally you wouldn't condone such behavior, but the nerves for tonight reframed you from parenting duties. Ever since Saturday things between Jungkook and you have been awkward. Neither of you could really look each other in the eyes, let alone speak. In fact you were sure dinner would've been cancelled if not for Ha-eun excitedly reminding Jungkook about it the other day. The young man was a sucker for Ha-eun, and refused to upset her

The doorbell rang jolting you to attention. Ha-eun let out a gleeful cry, "He's here. He's here!"

Like Saturday morning you heard the familiar jiggling of locks along with the scraping of a chair being moved. "Ha-eun (L/N), we've talked about this. " You called out.

"But it's Kookie!" She wailed.

"I don't care if it's Santa Claus himself, you do not open the front door without me. " You replied, walking over to the door. Ha-eun pouted, but wisely chose to keep her mouth shut. "And stop standing on chairs. They're for sitting not standing."

"Okay moooom, can I open the door now?" Ha-eun pleaded.

Shaking your head, you waved her off the chair. You unlocked the deadbolt, allowing Ha-eun to do the rest. The girl practically slammed the door open, startling both you and a well-dressed Jungkook behind it. "Kookie!" Ha-eun launched herself at him, ignoring the shocked expression on his face.

"Ha-eun!" Jungkook smiled, catching her with ease. His eyes yet again alit at the sight of her. It was the type of look you used to imagined Ha-eun's father giving, before everything went to hell: a look of love and pure adoration. The type of fatherly expression Ha-eun deserved.

“Jungkook, I’m glad you could make it.” You greeted, pushing back the bittersweet feeling rummaging around your heart. Jungkook was not Ha-eun’s father. He was a kind neighbor boy who you needed to stop pushing your creepy emotions onto.

Jungkook’s smile lessened a little as he shifted Ha-eun in his arms. “Noona, it’s good to see you. I wouldn’t miss Ha-eun for the world or your food.”

You forced a smile. “Well, come in. Dinner’s about ready, I hope you like curry-”

“You’ve brought me flowers, Kookie?!” Ha-eun squealed. She pointed at a colorful bouquet of flowers on the ground. Their petals tousled from their inevitable drop when Jungkook caught her.

“Crap-I mean darn it. They’re not supposed to look like that.” Jungkook muttered to himself as you picked it up.

A giggle escaped you. “’I’m sure they weren’t expecting to get dropped in exchange for an excited six year-old. Besides…” You smelled them. “They’re still lovely.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he gave a toothy grin. “I’m glad you like them. You said not to bring anything edible so I thought these might do.”

"They're perfect. " You grinned, clutching the bouquet. How long had it been since you got flowers?

“Hey! What about me?” Ha-eun protested.

Jungkook cocked an eyebrow. “Who?"

Ha-eun stomped her foot thoroughly annoyed. "Me. Ha-eun! Your favorite person."

You snorted. Ha-eun certainly didn't like anyone taking her Kookie's attention, but her. Hopefully it didn't develop into a thing when she got older. Maybe you spoiled her too much.

"Aish...I haven't forgotten about you, kiddo. " he chuckled, pulling out a packet of butterfly hair clips from his pocket. "These are actually from Jimin. He wanted to say sorry for his potty mouth."

She glanced over the packet, brows furrowed as they always did when Ha-eun made decisions. Jungkook and you shared a look, both you trying not to laugh. After a minute of contemplation Ha-eun hugged the packet to her chest. "I forgive him, but next time tell him I take cash-"

"Ha-eun!" You said as Jungkook howled with laughter. Your cheeks burned bright red. Really? Where did this girl come up with these things? "The correct response is apology accepted and thank you. "

"I don't know, Noona. I think I like hers better. "

"Don't encourage her. She needs to learn manners. "

"I hate manners." Ha-eun chimed.

"Well, you need them soooo you're stuck." You said, rolling your eyes. You definitely needed to stop spoiling that girl - Jungkook too. "Now why don't you two wash up, while I set the table?"

"Okay, come on Kookie, race you to the bathroom!" Ha-eun challenged taking off.

Jungkook ran after her. "Hey you cheated!"

Once again you smiled listening to the two argue as you set the table. In the very center of it sat the crumpled flowers looking prettier than any bouquet you've seen before.

Thankfully the rest of the night went smoothly. Any and all awkwardness between you and Jungkook seemingly vanished. Ha-eun even managed to convince you two to watch a movie afterwards, despite her usual eight O' clock bedtime. Overall the night ended well with Jungkook carrying a sleepy Ha-eun to bed as you cleaned.

“I swear if you don’t fuck him, I will.”

A groan escaped you at your best friend’s declaration. Hyuna was definitely the female version of Jimin if the blonde hair, cat-like appearance and salacious appetites said anything about them. Though unlike Jimin, you knew Hyuna meant every word said.

“What does that have to do with anything I said?” You questioned, eyebrow raised.

Hyuna gave you a look. It was the same look Ha-eun often did whenever she thought you were stupid. “The boy’s best friend suggest you two should fuck. What more is there, (Y/N)? I mean I know it’s been a while, but it’s not like you’re virgin naive to all things sex.”

“He was joking. You know being stupid. Jungkook said-”

“Jungkook lied. Men lie. Especially when they don’t think they have a chance.” Hyuna said. “Besides he brought you flowers, (Y/N)! Flowers! No uninterested man brings a woman flowers. What more of a hint do you need?”

“Right, because it’s not social etiquette to bring some to dinner.” You pointed out, steadying the tray of drinks in your hand. As giddy as the thought of Jungkook actually liking you was you couldn’t allow yourself such hope. After all it was only a matter of time before Jungkook met someone through work or friends and moved on with his life.

Hyuna smacked your head nearly causing you to drop the tray. “What the fuck-”

“That’s for being stupid. First about the flowers, then about whatever stupid shit is running through your brain right now.”

You shot her a glare, but said nothing. Sometimes it scared you how easily Hyuna could read your thoughts. Honestly you weren’t entirely sure she wasn’t a mind reader. “Look, I don’t want to discuss this anymore. Jungkook is young, he has a lot going on for himself. I don’t-”

Hyuna raised her hand. “Keep talking shit about yourself, I dare you.”

This time you smiled shaking your head. Hyuna was the best friend you could have ever asked for. "Fine. Have it your way but I'm telling you now Jungkook is merely a kind guy. "

"And I'm a natural blonde. " Hyuna snorted, but left it be. "Anyway if not Jungkook, then what about Seokjin? He's hot, our age, and you are totally his favorite employee."

"You did not just tell me to fuck our boss!"

Hyuna giggled, walking off with her tray. "Come on (Y/N). You got to get it somewhere. Why not let the owner of Eat Jin eat you? "

You stared at her, mouth slightly ajar. That's it. Hyuna wasn't the best friend ever, she was the worst. "I swear she's more concerned about my sex life than I am."

Hours passed with the breakfast rush ending pretty well. Tips were slightly above average, the customers managed to be bearable, time seemed to go by fast and now you were folding silverware waiting for lunch to start. Overall, the day was going to be a good one.

"(Y/N), you got a phone call. " your boss Seokjin said, holding the phone out. "It's your neighbor, Jungkook. Something about Ha-eun. "

You brow furrowed as you grabbed the phone. It was a Thursday afternoon. Ha-eun was at school. So why would Jungkook call you about Ha-eun at work nonetheless?

“Hello?”

“(Y/N), thank god. I tried calling your cell phone, but you weren’t answering so I called your work-” Jungkook’s panicked voice came over the phone. “Listen, I need you not to panic, but Ha-eun had an accident at school. She hit her head falling off the jungle gym. The school said she was alright, but they took her to the hospital just in case.”

“Wait what? No. No. Ha-eun can’t be in the hospital, I would know if she was. They would’ve called me-”

“(Y/N), they tried reaching you on your cell phone, but couldn’t so they called me next. Look, I just left work I can pick you in fifteen minutes and take you to the hospital.”

You barely heard his words, your mind racing with horrid images of Ha-eun hurt. How bad was it? Was she crying for you? Did she need stitches? Why weren’t you there right now?

“No. I need you to go straight to the hospital.” You spoke without thinking. “It’ll take too long if you get me, and Ha-eun needs someone right now. Even if I leave right away, you’ll still be closer. Please Jungkook, you’re the only one I trust with Ha-eun.”

“...I understand. I’ll go straight to Ha-eun.”

You sighed, feeling a little of your panic dissipate. “Thank you. I’ll be right there. I’m going to catch a cab right now.”

“Don’t. Ask Jin-Hyung for a ride instead. He’ll bring you here in one piece, if not I’ll kick his ass .” Jungkook said, growling the last bit. “And (Y/N), don’t worry I’ll take good care of our Ha-eun until you get here.”

He hung up leaving you with questions, thoughts, and more importantly ⁸a feeling of reassurance.

Jungkook had forgotten he was on Ha-eun's emergency contact list. You had placed him on it last winter when Ha-eun gotten the flu. It was only supposed to be a temporary thing until you found a more suitable contact, and seeing how Jungkok never received a call he figured you eventually did find someone else ...never had he been more glad to be wrong in his life.

“Ha-eun! I’m here for Ha-eun (L/N), her school called me.” Jungkook said as he burst through the emergency room. His heart raced against his chest as if he ran a marathon. He must’ve looked like a mad man, but Jungkook didn’t care, he needed to find Ha-eun.

“Sir, can you please calm down. I’ll be more than happy to direct you." The woman at the front said.

Jungkook clenched his fists. "Calm down? My kid is in the hospital. Don't tell me to calm down!"

"I understand. There are a lot of people here with someone they love in the hospital. That doesn't mean you can freak out-”

“I swear to god if you don’t tell me where Ha-eun (L/N) is…” Jungkook growled, not bothering to finish his sentence. Never before in his life did Jungkook think about threatening a woman, but in this moment all he was beyond tempted too.

The receptionist glared at him. She looked ready to argue, when her co-worker intervened. “For God’s sake Haneul tell him where his daughter is.”

Hanuel frowned her dark eyes boring holes into him. “Room 23. It’s down the hall on the right.”

Jungkook let out a sigh of relief. He murmured a quick ‘thank you’ aimed at Hanuel’s co-worker who waved him off, then spun in the direction told. Thankfully it wasn't long before he saw Ha-eun's teacher Ms. Kim sitting outside a room. "Mr. Jeon. I'm glad you're here!" she greeted. "Ha-eun's inside. Everything is alright for the most part-"

Jungkook barely spared her a glance as he opened the door to Ha-eun's room. Instantly he was greeted by the sight of Ha-eun trembling on the hospital bed , her little hands gripping the blanket tightly as a doctor leaned over inspecting the nasty gash on her forehead. "Told you already Ms. Kim, family only." the doctor paused staring at him. "You're not Ms. Kim. Who are you?"

"I am-"

"Kookie!" Ha-eun cried, arms outstretched towards him. "Kooookie!"

Jungkook scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the doctor's protest. She buried her head in his chest, tiny fingers tangled themselves in his shirt as she sobbed. "It's okay, Ha-eun. I'm here now. Your Kookie's here. "

"Sir, if you don't tell me who you are I'll have to call security. " the doctor, a balding middle aged man, warned.

Jungkook shot him a glare. Barely a minute had passed and already he can't stand this guy's guts. What was with this hospital and its staff? "If you don't tell me what's wrong with my kid, you'll need to. "

The doctor relaxed not even questioning Jungkook's words. "Your daughter fell off the playground and hit her head. She has a minor gash that'll need stitches and we have some tests to run for safety, but as of now there are no complications. "

"Thank God. " Jungkook sighed, holding her closer. Never has he felt so scared or relieved as he did today. Even now it felt like Ha-eun could slip through his arms at any moment.

"Thank God indeed. Now if you don't mind Mr.."

"Jeon."

"Jeon? Must be divorced. " the doctor muttered. Again Jungkook's dislike for the man grew. "Anyway as I said previously Mr. Jeon, your daughter needs stitches. We'll numb the area around the wound to prevent any pain, but I'm sure Ha-eun would like her dad around when it happens. "

"Of course. " The words slipped out of his mouth before Jungkook could stop himself. Deep down he knew he should probably insist on waiting until you came. You were Ha-eun's actual parent after all. He was simply the next door neighbor who occasionally watched Ha-eun.

The thought didn't last long as the doctor approached with a syringe. Ha-eun let out a terrified sob turning into further into his chest shutting up any doubts he had. "Noo...I don't want a shot. No shots please!" Ha-eun begged.

Gently Jungkook stroked her head, wary of the cut above her forehead. "Ha-eum. You need it to get better. "

"But I don't want a shot, Kookie. Shots scare me. " Ha-eun cried, clinging tighter to him.

Jungkook felt his heart squeeze from terror in her voice. It pained him so much to see Ha-eun like this. He honestly didn't know how you could handle taking her to the doctor, especially to get a shot. If it were up to him, Ha-eun would never get one.

"Ha-eun, sweetie, look at me." Jungkook said, guiding her gaze to him. "I know shots are scary, but I need you to be for me. I know you can do it, because you're my tough girl right?"

"Uh huh. " Ha-eun nodded, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "You won't leave though Kookie? Promise you'll stay?"

Jungkook smiled. "I'm not going anywhere. You can even squeeze my hand if it makes you feel better, okay?"

Ha-eun nodded placing her tiny hand into his larger one. "Kookie? Can we get ice cream after this? Mommy always takes me for icecream after shots."

"Ha-eun, we'll go anywhere you want once the doctor is done. " Jungkook swore. She could ask to go to Disneyworld for all he cared. Whatever Ha-eun wanted she would get.

The doctor loomed over her hand raised like the villain in some horror movie. "You'll feel a little pinch but that's all."

Ha-eun whimpered clutching onto Jungkook who gently rubbed her back. Thankfully the doctor was quick in his work only taking a few seconds to numb the cut. When he finished Jungkook let go a breathe he didn't know he was holding. The doctor smiled. "There. Not too bad, huh? Now onto the stitches!"

///

Kim Seokjin knew Jungkook since the boy was ten years old. They grew up in the same neighborhood together and Jungkook often tagged along with Jin wherever he went. In college, Jin acted as Jungkook's mentor/ big brother in their fraternity. Overall Jungkook was a little brother to Jin.

Which was why he could not believe his eyes upon seeing Jungkook act so grown up around you and your daughter. Jin didn't mean to be nosy. It just kind of happened. After dropping you off at the front entrance, Jin decided to make sure you and your daughter were alright. He expected to find Jungkook out in the waiting room not protectively hovering over Ha-eun and you. His arm wrapped around your waist in a half hug comforting you as the doctor performed stitches on Ha-eun.

If possible Jin's heart exploded in pride. His little Jungkookie all grown up. "She's okay. No signs of concussion, but they need to do some tests. " Jungkook murmured.

You shook a little but no tears or cries came out. Undoubtedly if not for Ha-eun's sake. "Thank God. When you called I was so scared. I immediately thought the worst. "

Jungkook rubbed your back soothingly. "I promise she's okay, (Y/N). She might have a mean cut but our Ha-eun is strong, she'll bounce back quick."

Our Ha-eun. Jin snorted at this. Out of everyone in their friend group Jungkook was one of the last they suspected to have kids. It wasn't that he didn't like them. More like there were other more kid oriented people like Taehyung or Jin himself. In fact they used to picture Jungkook as a permanent bachelor especially given his fear of women. However it appeared they guessed wrong. Ha-eun had Jungkook wrapped around her little finger.

"Thank you, Jungkook, for everything. If you hadn't picked up when the school called or called my work I don't know what I'd do." You said looking down. "You even came here when you didn't have to. "

"You thank me too much. I did what anyone else would do. " Jungkook replied.

You shook your head. "No you did not. I'm going to repay this time, Jeon Jungkook, I swear. "

Unfortunately Jungkook's response got muddled under a sharp cry from Ha-eun. Both of your attention turned on the young girl conversation forgotten as you two comforted her. From the outside looking in, the three of you looked like a real family, but then again you weren't you?

A few hours passed since the familial scene and Jin waited patiently for the doctor to release Ha-eun. He knew there was no real reason to wait. Neither you nor Jungkook knew about him waiting after all. If anything you probably thought he drove back to the restaurant already. Still Jin couldn't help but wait if only to talk to Jungkook for a little bit.

"I didn't know that the (Y/N) you always talked about was my (Y/N)." Jin hummed, leaning back against the plastic chair.

Ha-eun's scans thankfully showed no complications. She did have a slight concussion but after a couple hours of observation the doctor deemed it okay to go home. The only thing left now was some paperwork.

"She's not your (Y/N), hyung." Jungkook grouched pushing his hair back.. "Besides I told you plenty of times you just forget because of your old age. "

He was surprised by Jin's presence thinking he simply dropped (Y/N). However given his Hyung's kind nature it wasn't too shocking. Undoubtedly the older man worried about his best employee.

Jin sighed dramatically. "The disrespect I get after all those years of raising you on my back. How did you end up so poorly?"

Jungkook rolled his eyes. "Throwing a tantrum isn't going to help your cause, hyungnim."

"No, but maybe telling (Y/N) about the time you passed out naked will." Jin threatened silencing him.

Three years ago Jungkook passed out drunk at a fraternity party. When he woke up the next day Jungkook found himself tied to the house's flagpole naked. A lesson from his brothers for being so stupid. It was the last time he ever got wasted. "You wouldn't dare." Jungkook growled.

Jin grinned challenging the maknae to try him. "Would you rather I tell her about how you jumped out a window to avoid a love confession?"

"You weren't even there, hyung! How can you tell her a second hand story." Jungkook frowned, nose wrinkling.

Jin laughed. "Jimin recanted the story very well. I feel like I was there when it happened. Besides you were always so scared around girls, it's not hard picturing it."

Jungkook rolled his eyes ignoring the embarrassment welling up in him. In general Jungkook fell shy around new people, hence his habit to hide behind his hyung as a teen. However women were the worst. "I've grown up hyung. I'm not the scared little kid I used to be. "

"I know. " Jin replied staring fondly at the boy. "You've grown up so much Jungkookie. I see it in the way you care for (Y/N) and her daughter. You're an adult now which is why I think you should admit your feelings to (Y/N). You both deserve it."

#jungkook x reader #jungkook imagine #jeon jungkook #bts x reader #bts imagines #neighbor!Jungkook #bts #seokjin x reader #jin x reader #kookie #Jungkook x single mom!Reader

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saiilorstars · 2 years

Text

Ch.7: Reign

// Story Masterlist //

Fandom: Sailor Moon (Crystal) – – [Rewrite of season 2, AU-ish in that there’s new OCs and the fusion of plots from the manga, crystal and the og series]

Pairings: Eventual OFC x OMC, Usagi x Mamoru

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @antonybridgertons @foxesandmagic

{If you’d like to be added to this OC’s taglist, let me know!

"I'm bored...I'm booored...I'm boooooooored!" Azula swayed her head while she sing-sang in the abandoned warehouse she'd been brought to. She didn't even try to get out of the white ropes binding her wrists and legs to her chair. She tried that twice and it resulted in a scary, angry Sailor Hemera threatening her with what she would die of. Irritating the hell out of the girl was better and more fun.

Sailor Hemera walked into the abandoned factory holding a bag of food in her hand. "Seriously?"

Azula smirked. "Seriously. Is that lunch? I'm so hungry!"

"This isn't exactly how it's supposed to work, you know?" Sailor Hemera walked towards Azula. "You're literally kidnapped. I am holding you hostage and I can hurt you to the point of your death."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just give me lunch," Azula popped her mouth. "I'm really hungry."

"I could kill you—"

"But we both know you won't!" Azula snapped. "I'm your only leverage right now, so I'm willing to bet my usefulness is better if I'm alive."

"You think this is a joke?" Sailor Hemera put the bag of food on a worn down chair.

"Believe me I know this isn't a joke. You're searching for an alien crystal or something and you're probably the only thing that can stop Senka."

"I can't stop Senka," Sailor Hemera said like it should have been obvious.

"That puts a damper on the whole 'hero' thing…"

"You humans can't take anything serious," Sailor Hemera muttered before coming up to Azula. "You know, I once had a soft spot for your kind, a long time ago…"

Azula remembered the little Mamoru had told her about his 'visions' concerning Sailor Hemera. That's had to be what Hemera spoke of. "You mean back in Silver Milenium?" Sailor Hemera stiffened for a second. "Yeah, I know about that," Azula went on. "And I know you're looking for the Prince of Earth but he's gone. You're wasting your time with me."

"Where is he?" Sailor Hemera demanded but there was a hint of concern in her tone. Azula was the way to the prince. If he was gone then...there was no saving them. "Where's Prince Endymion?"

"Gone," Azula repeated. "He's gone just like everything else from Silver Millennium."

"He can't be," Sailor Hemera denied it like her word was law. "He has a duty to my people and he will not get out of it! It's because of him and that Moon princess that I'm here!" Azula watched as Sailor Hemera's eyes grew glossy with looming tears. "It's why my sister and my guardian comrades are awakening in some godforsaken world!"

"Okaaay," Azula swallowed hard. "Look, believe me or not, I would like to help you but...I don't understand you. I mean, you're supposed to be a Sailor Scout and as far as I know they're meant to be good people who don't kidnap others," she nodded down to the ropes binding her.

"This is necessary to reach Prince Endymion. I have no value for you," Sailor Hemera spat.

Azula nodded, pursing her lips together. "Yeah, great, thanks."

"Back then I wouldn't dream of hurting anyone, especially defenseless humans, but they are the cause of all this. And if Prince Endymion doesn't reveal himself then it will be his people who fall this time, and not by me."

"You mean Senka…"

Sailor Hemera gave a curt nod. "She has escaped from her prison and only my Princess can defeat her."

"Who was your princess?"

Sailor Hemera stared plainly at Azula, keeping her mouth shut.

"Oh c'mon, believe me I know a lot of things. I'm not an ordinary human," Azula sighed. "Yeah, I know your 'prince' and whatnot but I also know he hasn't awakened."

"But you know him, and that is all I need to get his attention. He owes me," Sailor Hemera gritted her teeth together. "He owes her this. My Princess helped him even when he was gone so it's his turn now."

Azula detected a somber story behind that rage, one that could probably match Usagi's and the girls'. "What do you mean? Who's this Princess?"

Sailor Hemera sighed. "The Princess of Shadow where I am from, Princess Reign."

Sailor Hemera, along with two other young women stood in a throne room. The exterior was dark with a glow of purple illuminating enough to see the figures of the guardians. Three of the four Sailor Scouts of Shadow were down on one knee while they addressed the Princess of Shadow.

"And so you see, Princess, the Prince of Earth demands to see Queen Nyx in order to discuss our established deal," Sailor Hemera finished telling the story of how Endymion had wandered close to their barrier, thus discovering their existence. "Apparently, he did not know we resided here."

"I don't blame him," went the Princess, "Had this been my planet I would also like to know who lives on it."

"Princess, he wishes to cross the barrier into Shadow…"

"Well, as interesting as that sounds, we cannot allow that. I will speak to my mother about the ordeal and once Sailor Asteria returns from her guard you will bring to the Prince our answer."

"Nonsense," Queen Nyx made an appearance in the throne room. The three Sailor Scouts in the room gave a bow before returning to their knees. "Sailor Hemera, you may tell Prince Endymion he and I can definitely speak. It is my duty, as I once promised, to protect him and his people shall they ever need it. To do so, I need to establish a relationship with him."

Princess Reign stood up from her throne chair and regarded her mother with concern. "You should not be out of your chamber. And you are foolish if you think I am letting you out of this palace in the state you are in."

"That's funny, I seem to recall me being the Queen and you the princess," Queen Nyx went straight to her own throne and sat down.

Princess Reign turned to face her mother again. "This has nothing to do with royal status. I am your daughter and I am beseeching you to keep your health, please."

"Someone needs to speak with Prince Endymion and he may not cross over to this world. It is unsafe for humans."

"Then allow me. I know the rules of our establishment and I know how to speak with people despite you locking me up," Princess Reign knelt down beside her mother. "Please, let me do this for you."

Queen Nyx regarded her daughter quietly. "Reign, it is no secret that you wish to leave this palace. You feel that I lock you up for my benefit when in reality it is to protect you from foreign eyes. Allowing you to cross over to the Earth kingdom could jeopardize your safety. Do not forget why it is that we hide behind an invisible barrier on a foreign planet."

A heavy silence fell over the entire room. The Sailor Scouts kept their gazes down for they knew this secret was the Princess' most painful burden.

There was a lot that ran through Mamoru's mind when he held his star-shaped pocket watch. Serenity.

Even though there were still sporadic pain in his head, the memories were rushing back like a damn breaking down. His memories had been cleared by Usagi herself and unintentionally returned by these foreign Shadow people. Had Usagi ever meant for them to find each other without memories once more? We're the truly doomed to repeat the same story over and over?

"It's like a weird, cosmic, love story," Azula remarked with some amusement once she understood the jist of the situation between Usagi and Mamoru. By the looks of it, she seemed fascinated. "A bit sinister but tasteful for me. I could write a book off you guys."

"That's not funny," Mamoru scolded but the giggle beside him downgraded his scold.

"You could write a book!" Usagi said with a beaming face.

Azula smirked at Mamoru. "See? But anyways, your little secret is safe with me. Besides it's not like anyone would believe me if I ever said you guys were a reincarnated prince and princess."

"That's not what you said when you blackmailed me to meet Sailor Moon," Mamoru reminded.

"And you were the idiot who believed me," Azula shot back. "But you guys know that I'm being honest. I'd never sell you out, even if it killed me."

"We would never let anything happen to you," Usagi promised.

"I know," Azula shrugged but smiled impossibly wide. "It's like I've got my own personal heroes to look out for me."

Heroes or not, Azula remained a true friend till the end and now she was in trouble. Mamoru now knew she had kept his identity away from Sailor Hemera - a Scout he was now sure he had met in his previous life - and was taken as a result. He didn't understand much right now seeing as new memories were being added to the ones he already had.

He couldn't finish understanding how it was he remembering new things about his previous life. He thought it was done. What else was there?

A new princess, Sailor Scouts, a world, a crystal…

Mamoru shook his head. "I need to find her…" he looked down at his pocket watch and wondered if Usagi even knew what happened to Azula. But the answer was a clear no.

There was no Sailor Moon. There were no Sailor Scouts.

~0~

"So Princess Reign was the reason you guys had to flee from your planet?"

Sailor Hemera regarded Azula with a condescending look. "No. There was a Sailor Wars that ended up destroying our planet Shadow. There was so much chaos that it was impossible for people not to fall in temptation with Reign's power."

"But you said she was a baby when you fled…"

"A baby and yet one who held impossible power. The Shadow Crystal."

"What does that Crystal do? I mean it's got Senka going mad searching for it which by the way I still don't understand why she would think that a human has it now."

"Because she also knows, like me, that Princess Reign was reincarnated," Sailor Hemera spoke above Azula. "And with her reincarnation comes the Shadow Crystal. Senka can easily destroy Princess Reign if she has not awakened. And if she gets ahold of that Crystal then she could open up the door to a dark world."

"What world…?"

"Not a world, a realm: the Shadow Dominion."

Princess Reign emerged from the royal hallway designated for her mother and herself. Her three Sailor Scouts were dutifully waiting in the throne room. "My mother has agreed to my crossing to meet with the Prince. But I must have all my guardians with me."

"Of course," Sailor Hemera gave a nod first followed by the other two Sailor Scouts.

"While it is tedious, I suppose holding the Shadow Crystal did make me a target," Princess Reign said with a small sigh afterwards.

"If I may, princess," Sailor Hemera took a step towards her, "I spoke a good deal with Prince Endymion and he does not appear to be a danger. I hardly think his people even know about the existence of the Shadow Crystal."

"Those are my thoughts too," Princess Reign nodded. "I have been in this palace for so long, hidden, and so I doubt anyone would remember. But it is still my sacred duty to guard and hide the Shadow Crystal lest we want the seal of the Shadow Dominion to be broken."

"Never," spoke the three Sailor Scouts together.

"The Shadow Dominion is home to all the souls of this world. It would be truly the end if the seal that keeps them locked up was broken."

"Which is why we must be cautious when you cross over," Sailor Hemera understood.

"Yes, but…" a sneaky smile spread across Princess Reign's face, "...Earth, I believe, holds a lot more beauty than danger."

And something about her face warned she intended in seeing that beauty with her own eyes even if it killed her.

Rei sat in her room dead focused on only one thing. "Where is she, where is she?" she would mumble with her eyes squeezed shut.

The fire in front of her crackled but no image came to Rei's mind. Azula had been taken right in front of her and she hadn't been able to do anything. Obviously calling the police was out of the question considering a Sailor Scout like Hemera wasn't exactly thoroughly believed in.

"Show me where Azula is…" Rei prayed to anything that would hear her. The fire in front of her snapped and with a gasp Rei looked up. For a split second, she saw a flash of herself...throwing a blast of fire…

"Azula, watch out!" Sailor Mars got over to where the red-haired girl was cowering away. She was able to pull Azula out of the way just seconds before a purple strike of energy hit the area.

Azula breathed in hard but Sailor Mars acted fast. "Burning mandala!"

A creature was struck by raging fires that left its corpse to burn to ashes.

Rei put a hand to her head and shut her eyes again. "What was that?" she whispered. It looked like a vision but it felt like she had lived through it.

~ 0 ~

In Mamoru's apartment all that was heard were groans as he survived one raging headache after the next. Memories were coming and they were coming fast and painful. He supported himself against a his bathroom sink and tried steadying his breathing at least. He faced his reflection in the mirror and suddenly everything around flickered between his apartment and a grassy field

"You will show your respect," Sailor Hemera warned Prince Endymion as she emerged from the invisible barrier.

"Or you will face my wrath," spoke a woman with a light blue hair and white tips, whom Endymion could only assume was yet another Shadow Sailor Scout. Two more scouts walked through the barrier, each holding stern expressions on their faces.

"Ladies, please, no dramatics," finally spoke the woman of the hour.

The blue-haired scout moved to the side so that Princess Reign could be seen. The woman was dressed in lavender gown with the skirt covered in twinkling lights that resembled the silver stars sometimes seen in the sky. Her bell long sleeves were lavender laced and see through but had sparkling dark purple crescent moons and flowers. By her waist, she had an attached train layer around her that flowed like a cape in a darker shade of purple.

What drew Endymion was the fact that as much as he wanted to look her in the face, he couldn't. His eyes gazed right over her face, or to the sides, even when he tried his best to focus. All he could make out was a black M-shaped crown fitted around the corners of her face. It had a light, glowing purple essence.

"It is impossible to look at the Princess' face," a black-haired Sailor Scout said. "There is an enchantment cast around her. Your attempts will be in vain no matter what."

"I am Princess Reign of Shadow—" the princess did a courtesy bow and because of it her Sailor Scouts did the same behind her, "—and these are my Sailor Guardians. Sailor Hemera—" she made a gesture to the brunette at the end of her right side, "—and her sister Sailor Asteria," she moved her arm to the next Sailor Scout in tow, the light blue haired woman with pale skin, "And Sailor Circe—" Reign directed her left arm to the black haired scout, "—and Sailor Siren," she motioned to the last scout with platinum, blonde hair.

Endymion acknowledged the introduction with a nod and, out of politeness, gave his own bow for the Princess. "I am Prince Endymion…"

Princess Reign let a small chuckle out. "I know who you are. I've known everyone of the royal Earth family. I've lived a very long while. So much that I believe no one even remembers me," Princess Reign said, although she didn't sound very sad about it. "I understand you have questions about my people and why we reside in secret on your world."

"Yes, I want to know what are you doing here? How did you...get here?"

"Of course," Reign nodded her head. She began to walk in the direction that would inevitably lead towards human civilization.

"Princess," Sailor Asteria's stern voice stopped Reign for a second, "you must not leave the barrier's proximity. Queen Nyx would not—"

"My mother doesn't have to know anything," Reign calmly said. "Unless the Prince here has some objection I would like to take a walk, not actually crossing to his kingdom of course."

Endymion didn't need to see her face to know she was intently staring at him, waiting for his approval. "Y-yes, of course," he glanced at Sailor Hemera, "She will be alright. I promise."

Sailor Hemera gave a curt nod. As the Princess and Prince walked away, they could hear Sailor Asteria continuing to disapprove and remind everyone of the threats that surrounded this idea of crossing over.

Azula watched silently as Sailor Hemera returned from the outside. She could tell by the windows that the sun was setting and she could also feel the shivering wind creeping in from the open door.

"It's been nearly a whole day and he's still not coming," Sailor Hemera huffed.

"Because, as I told you, he doesn't remember who he is," Azula grew tired of repeating. "This whole thing is a waste of time."

"He owes me this!"

"Yeah, I got that the first ten times you said it," Azula rolled her eyes. "What exactly does he owe you anyways? I thought you said he owed the Princess."

"I trusted the Prince with my Princess. He gave me his word he would protect her should danger ever come for her," Sailor Hemera grew closer to Azula, and for the first time Azula was properly scared. There was a new rage in Sailor Hemera that spelled danger for anyone caught in it. "In the end, he died for another Princess…"

"Yeah, I know that bit…" Azula tried leaning her head away from the brunette.

"And my Princess was left defenceless in the middle of a new war!"

Azula fitting in that story with what she already knew about her friends' previous lives and the new Princess with her Scouts. "Things aren't adding up here. You said that Princess Reign was kept in her palace. Why would she need Endymion's protection if she wasn't even in his Kingdom?"

Sailor Hemera backed away, her rage simmering for a bit to be replaced with bitterness.

Princess Reign kept her word to explain to Endymion the situation that led the people of Shadow to Earth and how it was that they set up a new world just beside the humans'.

"But the Sailor Wars...my understanding is that happened centuries ago," Endymion stole a glance from Reign. "How old are you in reality?"

"About 200 years old," Reign had no trouble answering. Endymion stopped in his tracks and gave a wide eyed look. Reign laughed. "Well don't stare. You'll make me self conscious."

"Sorry," Endymion quickly looked away. "I've never met someone like you...who doesn't age…"

"Well, most Sailor Scouts have an elongated life. My mother was once a Sailor Scout, you know."

"And are you?"

"Yes, of course. But I do not practice. My powers are...taboo, I believe the expression is."

"Taboo?'

Reign nodded, suddenly serious. "My powers are dangerous, you see. They can turn anyone's head, no matter how noble they are. It is why my mother locks me up in a palace. My people, as noble and kind as I believe them to be, cannot be trusted."

"So you're just locked away all the time?" Endymion thought that mad.

"Even though I have my guardians with me, I don't have friends," Reign said sadly. "I was cursed and gifted but to me it feels like a curse all the time."

"And your powers are part of the reason why your entire world hides within mine?"

"Yes."

"I don't know how to feel about this…" Endymion took a step back, really examining the hidden princess. She was only a couple inches smaller in height compared to him, yet older and probably wiser. She had lived for so long and yet hadn't really lived at all.

Reign turned her head to the side and caught site of the overview of the human kingdom. "Is that your Kingdom? All..sunny and lively?" She could hear the birds chirping, the rustling of everyday human life, and machines clanging as they all worked. There were carry overs of music somewhere. "It's more beautiful than it would be."

There, Endymion found the confidence to be sarcastic. "Thank you."

Reign laughed shortly. "Sorry. My social skills are not exactly the best. That's what happens when you're locked away all your life."

"Have you truly never been out?"

"Never. It is difficult to trust people who know your secret."

"And yet you trusted me enough to tell me…"

"I don't have friends, I was hoping maybe you could be my first," Reign's smile was unfortunately hid behind her enchantment.

Rei wasn't sure if she was doing good or not but there she was, knocking on some stranger's door. She knocked and knocked until, two minutes later, the door opened.

"You?" Mamoru wondered if he was seeing things in the present day now too. His head was throbbing and the last thing he needed was a stranger coming to bother him.

Rei could sense the state he was in and additionally incremented her concern. "I-I don't know if you remember me? I was with you and Azula earlier when she...she was taken…" she trailed off though when she saw her words were barely registering with him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Did you need something?" Mamoru couldn't wait to close the door on her.

Rei was startled by the brazen attitude but she suspected it was because he was not, indeed, alright. "Well Azula is still missing and I-I imagine that her parents don't know about it."

"I'll get her back!" Mamoru said so sure and attempted to shut the door but Rei was quicker and stuck a foot between the doorway.

"How do you plan on doing that!?"

"I don't know! Now can you please leave me alone!? I'm trying - ah!" Mamoru fell to his knees with a loud yelp.

"Are you alright!?" Rei went to help but she truly had no idea what was going through his head.

"Shadow is a rather quiet place. Our people are much focused with meditation and overall reservation," Princess Reign explained as she and Endymion walked back to the invisible barrier. "We're generally a serene kingdom."

"I can't imagine a place so quiet…" Endymion tried to think about it but found the mere thought sounded incredibly boring.

Reign sighed. "It's better if you don't. I would love nothing but to be in a place such as your Kingdom. I love my people but after centuries of being kept in the palace...I want a change."

Those were her last words before they reached the invisible barrier. All of Reign's Sailor Scouts were waiting for them.

"Princess," Sailor Asteria spoke first and stepped forwards, "are you alright?" she threw the Prince a suspicious glance.

"Yes, of course I am," Reign responded, sounding weary yet accustomed. "We talked, not battled. And we remain on the same terms as before. We do not interfere with human affairs so long as the royal line remains protected and we keep our safe haven. Yes?"

Endymion nodded. "It seems fair."

Sailor Asteria remained with a straight face. "Then it is time you return to the palace. The sooner the better."

A loud, audible sigh was heard from the Princess. "Back to my room I suppose."

Endymion could feel the despondency radiate off Reign. He truly could not imagine what sort of solitary life it was that she lived. Although he didn't know her enough he was sure that she was kind and overall yearning to live. He couldn't let anyone who needed his help leave. It's not what he did.

"Hold on," he stopped the three Sailor Scouts and Reign before they could disappear through the barrier. "It seems rather unfair that I have to keep returning all the way to this spot just to talk with your people. I demand a relocation-"

Sailor Asteria scoffed. "We can't relocate an entire kingdom—"

"I'm not asking for the Kingdom," Endymion smirked. "I'm asking for someone just as valuable to relocate to my Kingdom."

It took only a minute for the five when to understand.

"You want me to go to the Earth Kingdom?" Reign gaped behind her visor. Her heart hammered at the possibility of a new life.

"Absolutely not!" Sailor Siren nearly shouted. "The Queen would never allow that!"

"Then your safe haven will be no more," Endymion didn't hesitate to warn. He smiled a brief smile at Reign, letting her know he was only trying to help her.

Behind her enchantment, Reign smiled back.

"Tell the Queen of my demand. Princess Reign relocates to my Kingdom where she will be protected my own royal guards should she ever need to be. I need to know what happens in this other world that lives on my planet."

Reign had never felt so happy.

Rei had barely managed to move Mamoru to the couch. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around for anything useful. Of course there was nothing.

"I don't know how to help you!" she frantically cried. She tried to at least make him more comfortable but the moment she touched him again, they both saw images of the past.

There stood Sailor Mars arguing with Sailor Moon (whose back was to his eye); flashes of the Silver Crystal followed perfectly in suit; many battles involving Youmas came rushing through; Princess Serenity garnering the Silver Crystal and letting it be absorbed into an unconscious Tuxedo Mask; Tuxedo Mask being taken away by Queen Beryl; Sailor Mars dying in battle against the Dark Kingdom.

The last scene made Rei pull her hand from Mamoru's arm. Her face was horrified. "I died!?" How quickly she accepted it was true even though she understood nothing of what she saw.

For Mamoru, on the other hand, it was the last revelation he needed. The pain in his head had vanished into nothing. No longer was his mind clouded. He knew who he was, who he had been, and who he loved. All he didn't understand was how he had come to lose his memories in the first place.

"Wh-where are you going?" Rei barely got back to the present when Mamoru was already halfway to the door. "What just happened!? What did I see!?"

"Listen Rei—" Rei picked up immediately on Mamoru's friendlier, casual tone towards her, "—I don't know how but we've all been living a lie again. I'm going to get Azula back and then we're going to figure things out. You, me, and Azula."

"But—"

"Stay safe, Sailor Mars. I know you're still in there," Mamoru gave a brief smile before he rushed out of the apartment.

"What does that even mean!?"

~0~

"Okay, seriously, it's getting dark out and I have a curfew," Azula said rather boredly again.

Sailor Hemera fumed at her casualness of her situation. "You're not leaving. What part of that do you not understand?"

"The part where you think this is all useful," Azula didn't hesitate to say, her face completely blank of any fear now. "I'm just a techy girl, not a princess detective. And your prince is gone."

"He owes her!"

"Yeah, I know, but really, what did he do? You said he brought her to live with him in the Earth Kingdom and?"

Sailor Hemera was close to fuming. "You don't understand! Princess Reign was a dangerous existence. I lived to protect her but to also protect the very existence of this world."

Now this made Azula stop. "What do you mean?"

"Princess Reign was locked away for the safety of herself and the world. She was, by no fault of her own, given one of the highest tasks: to protect the seal that keeps the Shadow Dominion locked away. If that seal were to be broken then we would see our world invaded by Shadows of the foulest creatures."

"And with her death…"

"The seal was marred. Senka was able to finally work around it."

"Oh, now I get it," Azula leaned her head back against the wall, sighing deeply. "But listen, keeping me hostage isn't going to help you. You're just wasting time-"

Sailor Hemera growled and garnered her sword out of thin air to brandish at Azula. "BE QUIET!"

Azula blinked and this time kept her mouth shut. There came that fear again.

"You have thinned my last line of patience you little-" Sailor Hemera's threat was cut off by a razor sharp, red rose that cut through her wrist. She yelped and dropped her sword and Azula did not think twice to kicked the sword away.

"Sailor Hemera, we need to talk," Tuxedo Mask grabbed the blonde's attention instantly. She growled at the sight of him up above on an old crate.

"Hey, your climbing skills are back!" Azula exclaimed before she realized what his presence truly indicated. Her smile vanished when she got the memo. " Your climbing skills are back…"

He remembered. Azula's stomach churned.

"Who the hell are you?" Sailor Hemera demanded.

"You know me, Sailor Hemera," Tuxedo Mask remained right where he was. He had no intention on fighting this time. After all, this wasn't a matter of battling, it was a matter of talking and living up to his word.

"I would remember something like you," Sailor Hemera promised, narrowing her eyes on him. She moved her hand to her head, indicating what her next move would be. "Glimmering boomerang attack!" Her golden boomerang slung forwards but Tuxedo Mask jumped off the crate in time.

"I don't have time for this!" shouted Sailor Hemera. She went running for her sword and caught her boomerang on the way.

"Are you okay?" Tuxedo Mask quickly reappeared beside Azula, startling her.

"Yeah, yeah, just get me out of these things!" she motioned to the binds on her wrists. "How did you even find me?"

"Uh, well, with the memories the abilities come back," and he truly thanked the ability to see through the lands of his planet. It was a simple reconnection.

"And I am so happy about that! Really," Azula flashed a warm smile. "It's been lonely. But, um, Sailor Hemera? Yeah, she's crazy and-"

"I'd finish those words carefully if I were you," Sailor Hemera had reacquired her trusty sword and aimed it menacingly at the two. "Without my Princess or my sister I can't guarantee my morals are intact."

Tuxedo Mask blocked the way to Azula. "Sailor Hemera I know who you're looking for-"

"And? Your loudmouth of a friend over there wasn't able to help me so tell me," Sailor Hemera slowly walked up to them, holding the sharp end of her sword to his chest. "I'd make your words good…"

"You don't have to…" Azula whispered to him from behind.

"I do," Tuxedo Mask nodded, fairly certain of himself. "Because I made a promise...and I didn't keep it." Sailor Hemera raised an eyebrow as he took off his mask to reveal his face. "I don't remember much yet, except that I think I was Reign's first friend...and I want to help find her. Whatever you need from me, I'll do it."

Sailor Hemera was awed and yet fascinated as she lowered her sword. "Hello...Prince…"

#ocappreciation #ocfairygodmother #fd: sailor moon #sailor moon #sailor moon fics #sailor moon imagines #sm #sailor moon crystal #sailor moon crystal fics #sailor moon crystal imagines #sm fics #sm imagines #oc: azula keena #fic: reign from the shadows

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choihans · 4 years

Text

This is dedicated to the anon who asked for fluffy Jongho first kiss five centuries ago. I’m sorry it took me this long and I hope that you and everyone else enjoys it.

✨ warnings: college!au, fluff, more of my stupid ass humor, teeny tiny bit of drama, first kiss.

Studying has never been your strong point. Scratch that, school in general has never been your strong point but you try your hardest because you want to have a good life, get married to a handsome person some day, and possibly have kids. Not that you need a college degree to do all of those things, but it would be nice.

At least that way if you’re unemployed after you graduate you can wipe your tears with your diploma.

Or use it as a really expensive coaster.

All of your dreams are starting to circle the drain, though because your classes are kicking your ass this semester and it seems like no matter how much studying you do, it’s all for naught. You decided that it would be nice to have a study partner; someone who will keep you motivated and help you out when you get stuck.

So why on Earth did you pick Jongho?

He has the capability to be just as lazy as you are and while he gets good enough grades, he’s hopeless when it comes to this kind of stuff. You’re both currently at the library, hunkered down at a table with books and papers spread all over the wooden surface. Jongho’s scribbling in a notebook, most likely something that has nothing to do with school work, and you’re trying to understand this problem set that your professor gave you for your upcoming exam in Calculus.

You’ve been at this for over an hour and your eyes are so strained, everything’s starting to blur together and you’re past comprehending what’s on the page in front of you. You drop your forehead down on your book and hope that the knowledge will seep into your brain through osmosis.

It’s never worked before but you’re optimistic this time around.

“You okay there, champ?”

You groan and stomp your feet on the carpeted floor like a petulant child. “No. I’m not. I’m going to fail all of my exams and then I’ll have to drop out and live in a cardboard box. Where will I keep all of my skincare?”

Jongho sighs and you lift your head, resting your chin on your book and trying to school your expression into something less haggard. In a rare display of affection, Jongho reaches over and ruffles your hair with a small smile on his face.

“You’ll be fine, ______. You won’t have to live in a cardboard box. I would never let that happen.”

You chuckle and lift your head completely, stretching your arms up up up and sighing when your shoulders pop.

“Thanks, Jongho. I appreciate it.”

“But maybe we should take a break.”

You raise an eyebrow. “I’ve still got a bunch of problems to go over, though.”

“I know,” he says, gaze darting to your clenched fist where you’re gripping a Hello Kitty mechanical pencil. “But you look like you’re one minute away from losing it and stabbing someone between the eyes with your pencil.”

Jongho knows you all too well.

Your fingers uncurl and you drop the pencil on the table with a clatter, watching as it rolls off of the side and to the floor. Fuck it. You’ll either pick it up later or it’ll be a fun surprise for the next stressed student who camps out at this table.

“So, what now?”

Jongho tilts his head at your question and you swear that his eyes focus on your lips but when you blink, he’s looking down at the Sailor Moon sticker on the cover of his notebook. His teeth dig into his bottom lip and he raps his nails on the table, contemplative. A handful of seconds pass before he meets your eyes again but this time he’s got a shy smile on his face.

“Well… we could kiss? Maybe?”

All of your thoughts come to a screeching halt and you gape at Jongho, clearly shocked. Kiss? Jongho wants to kiss you?

“Did your brain finally break?” you ask him after a profoundly awkward silence. “Do I need to take you to see a doctor?”

Jongho huffs and when he pushes his lips into a pout, your mind screams DEAR GOD HE’S CUTE and you tell it to be quiet. Now is not the time. Jongho’s expression quickly grows serious and you frown, confused by this sudden turn of events. He’s never expressed any overt interest in you in the two years that you’ve known him but that’s not for a lack of trying on your part.

“No, I don’t. I know this must be surprising for you, but…”

“Jongho.”

You cut him off and he meets your eyes again, mirroring your frown.

“One time I got drunk at a party and you dry heaved after I kissed you on the cheek.”

Jongho blanches and you the smile that you show him is tinged with sadness. You know that he remembers the incident. He was joking, of course, but your crush on him had already developed by then so his reaction broke your heart a little bit.

“Honestly... I wanted you to kiss me for real,” he confesses and your eyebrows nearly become one with your hairline when you hear those words come out of his mouth. “But you kissed Wooyoung on the cheek not long before that and I figured you were just playing around so I tried to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. In a very stupid way.”

You sigh and lie your head down on the table, shielding your face from Jongho’s view with your crossed arms. He wants to kiss you. The guy you’ve been crushing on for nearly a year wants to kiss you. This is kind of a dream come true. You lift your head up just enough for you to rest your chin on the back of your hand and you stare at Jongho, a soft smile gracing your features.

Might as well go for the gold.

“If you kiss me, you have to take me on a date.”

Jongho’s eyes widen, sparkling with excitement. “Really?”

You hum in confirmation and start packing your things, more than eager to get out of this wretched place. You unceremoniously shove your various papers and notebooks into the beat up messenger bag near your feet. Jongho pauses before following your lead and once your bag is secured, he gets up and slings his own overstuffed backpack over one shoulder. You stand and push your chair in, stepping around the table until you’re right in front of Jongho.

“Well?”

Jongho’s eyebrows pinch together in confusion and you roll your eyes before pursing your lips in a slightly ridiculous manner. It doesn’t take long for him to get the hint and when his lips touch yours, a ball of warmth unfurls in your stomach and heats you from the inside out. A few perfect seconds pass and he attempts to break the kiss but you pull him in by the back of his neck and lock lips with him again, your heart hammering in your chest when his hands find your waist. Jongho’s thumbs rub soft circles into your skin over your shirt and you have a fleeting thought that you would be absolutely content to stay like this forever.

The heavy sound of a book hitting the floor somewhere near you startles you both so much that you spring apart. Your tail bone hits the edge of the table and you can’t help but laugh at the situation. Jongho smiles and shakes his head, exceedingly fond, and slips his hand into yours so he can lace your fingers together.

“There’s that cafe not too far from campus that we can go to,” he offers while leading you through the stacks and to the front entrance of the library, “If that’s alright with you.”

“That sounds great!” you exclaim.

The pair of you step through the doors and you wince at the bright sunlight that assaults your eyes. You squeeze Jongho’s hand as you make your way down the stairs and when he stops to glance at you, you lean forward and plant a kiss on his cheek. Unlike the incident at the party, Jongho smiles and squeezes your hand back.

#ateez fluff #jongho fluff #ateez imagine #jongho imagine #ateez jongho fluff #m: jongho #i've been looking at this for too long skjlasdfkjlkjlsdf #and i couldn't think of a title or anything so i'm not making a fancy post or header or anything #text

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floraone · 5 years

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So, Rec'tober is almost over and I come in at the finish line.

But I wanted to write a special kind of fic rec, something beyond what I normally do. And so I target this post not towards our little corner of the internet that have read every big fic that was posted in the last two decades, but towards those who pop in from time to time, to those that loved Sailor Moon in their childhood and youth and feel that pinge of nostalgia for the world. This post is for you!

Not everything in the Sailor Moon franchise survived the test of time. There are parts of canon we REMEMBER differently - we remember what it made us feel at the time, but re-watching it, it just doesn’t have the same impact. We grew up, and we STILL LOVE THE FRIGGIN CONCEPT, but we notice the flaws we didn’t notice before. But we want that back - we want the feeling that we had watching the show when we were little. We want that wonder, that newness, that full heart about how GOOD and wholesome Usagi is, we want the miracle romance, we want our favorite characters but how they grew with us in our heads.

And well, there IS a place where we can find this fix of what it felt like. And it’s preserved in a treasure box of fanfiction. Of people who write these characters as they might be today, of people who take their essence and make it new.

So, this list is filled with tons of fics that tried to re-create canon with that affectionate, nostalgic feeling. I specifically for this list chose fics that dealt with canon themes - either through fix-it fics that took specific episodes and put their own spin to it, or to spins on canon, the what ifs - what if this specific choice weren’t made, what if the break up arc didn’t end, what if we took this plot point and spun it somewhere new, playing with the things we vaguely remember to have loved so dearly. (Though, of course, the world of Alternative Universes and Non-Senshi fics is vast, and if you are looking for a fix of that, please check out @uglygreenjacket ‘s elaborate worlds and @queenrisa14 fantastic AU spins out especially for this purpose!)

(Take note that these stories prominently feature stories revolving Usagi and Mamoru and the Miracle Romance, since that is my absolute jam. (Though it didn’t even used to be my most favorite part of the story growing up!) And some categories feature more stories by the same authors (for instance those that just like to dabble in What Ifs - a not all TOO common trope, though I hope it were!))

So, let me transport you back into your childhood:

What If’s:

Forget Me Not by Antigone2 What if, post-stars, Usagi was suddenly the one to forget Mamoru for once, and he had to try really hard to make a new good first impression? This plays off all my buttons, and @idesofnovember is a master of making you remember the small details of these dorks that were so special.

What If by Antigone2 Canon had the habit of making Mamoru forget his memories, and @idesofnovember is a master of taking this trope and making it better. Here, Usagi wonders if Mamoru would have ever dated her if it weren’t for their history, and Setsuna, fed up, makes it happen.

Desperate and Divine by Antigone2 (Rated M) This story will always have a giant place in my heart: What If Mamoru never remembered after Beryl’s defeat, and Usagi was trying to get that one special night of closure. This had such an impact on me, reminding me how much I loved these characters, that it caused me to start writing fanfiction once more.

Royal Pain and Similes by Antigone2 What If the Senshi had found out Usagi is Serenity, but never that Mamoru is Endymion in this spectacular pinefest that will make your heart bleed.

Coming Of Age by Kasienda What if the R story arc surrounding Chibi-Usa was a little more sensical, a little more tragic, a little more realistic? This kid shows up in front of Mamoru’s door, Sailor Pluto informing him she’s from a great war in the future and him being the only one of age, he is now her legal guardian. Watch Mamoru and Usagi becoming parents to a war-traumatized Chibi-Usa, and all the struggles with it.

The Reveal by Kasienda This is a series of unconnected fics set in first season primarly and beyond, and it reinvents that crucial moment where the superhero personas of our favorite characters are revealed over and over and over again, because that moment can never be special and new enough.

A Craving for Milkshakes by Kasienda What if during first season, a monster-of-the-week had caused Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon to be telepathically linked? Watch how it would progressively have changed their dynamic in this endearing, sweet story!

Wring My Emotions and interpret canon anew:

Six Birthdays by Kiyoshi Dot This Fic reads like a poem, and it runs your through the ups and downs of the Miracle Romance via gifts Usagi receives forher birthday through the years, and it has the feeling of the Manga written all over it.

Aisuru, Mamo-chan by ellephedre Post-stars, Mamoru receives a package from Harvard. In it are all the letters Usagi wrote to him while he was dead during Stars. And yes, this read is as painful and therapeutic as you imagine it is.

Song for a scribbled out name by Antigone2 Centered in the first season during the anime’s Evil!Endymion arc, this little story teases you with what might have become of this enticing little nugget of piney, deliciously angsty plot!

The Odds Considered by Kiyoshi Dot Takes you through the secret romance of Usagi and Mamoru in the first season in this hauntingly beautiful way of forming words, and made me hurt in the way I always wanted the manga to hurt me.

Resiliency is My Mask by MamaLadyKT This is an episode fix surrounding the time Usagi was nearly suffocated by a monster-of-the-week in the infamous Saori-episode, and Mamoru cares a LOT about it.

Feel Good Little Moments with these characters as we remember them:

Je t’aime by Antigone2 A snapshot moment where Usagi uses the disguise pen to sneak into a university event of Mamoru’s and takes him for a little test. This little story feels so delightfully, essentially THEM in the way they behaved during later seasons of the anime that it makes my chest feel light and happy!

Day Of Delinquency by UglyGreenJacket A snippet of a moment that captures the humor of the series as my heart remembers it, in which Haruka takes Usagi on a joy ride, Usagi lands them in jail, and Mamoru and Michiri have to bail them out.

Distractions by Antigone2 follows Mamoru unsuccessfully trying to help Usagi study and it feels like home.

The Untouchable King in the Day and Night Lacunae Series by Tina Century What if we let @tinacentury show King Endymion the Sailor Moon Crystal series? This is exactly as delightful as it sounds.

A Romance For The Small Things by amomo Newest on this list, @spider-momo wrote these fall-themed snippets of Senshi interactions in the way that feel so painfully right and homey and warm they are bound to make you ache to re-acquaint yourself with these old friends of yours.

Public Eye by Antigone2 Canon never gave us a terrible lot of interaction between Usagi and Tuxedo Mask or Mamoru and Sailor Moon. This is a cheeky and delightful little ficlet about Mamoru having to pretend he has No Relations Going On With This Superheroine.

Rainbow by Kasienda I’m pretty sure I put this fic on every fic rec list I ever wrote, but @kasienda encapsulated everything I love about Mamoru and Usagi’s dynamic in the first season of the anime and made my heart ache in its simplistic beauty.

The Space Between by Uglygreenjacket This series of ficlets explores the space between R and S and gives you that sweet feeling of Usagi and Mamoru tender baby love as we were used to in S!

A Week With Mamoru Chiba by Dreams In Pink This fic takes us through a series of Mamoru-centered mini-stories in a mostly first season second that feel so delightfully warm and funny it will warm your heart.

Flower Power By irritable-vowel-types Do you miss the absolute ridiculousness that were these show’s monster-of-the-week, or Tuxedo Mask’s outrageous speeches? This fic is a crackfic, and yet it somehow manages to feel EXACTLY as ridiculous and not a tad more than those original canon monsters.

All’s Fun With Love and Orbs by irritable-vowel-types This is set in Super-S, and reads like an episode as it should have been. What if one of the Amazon Quartett’s shenanigans was to flip all love into hate for one delightfully hilarious read?

The Thing About Your Transformation by AngelMoon Girl Delightfully funny, this little ficlet explores the fact that Mamoru can’t quite deal with the fact that for a short moment before every battle, Usagi may be all glitter, but she’s also briefly naked as she transforms.

Shall We Dance by ncisduckie A snippet in time and a secret relationship as Serenity and Endymion share a bittersweet dance.

And, if you still want more, I wrote my own canon spins, too. Most notably, the Ikigai and Yugen duo (Rated M), in which I tried to hand-pick everything I loved about the Sailor Moon story, manga and anime and all, of all the seasons, and tried to reinvent it in a way that felt contemporary and told one consecutive narrative within the anime setting. And in contrast to that for the manga meets anime setting, my story Priorities (Rated M) tried to encapsulate what the feeling of reading the Manga for the first time felt like to me, but now with a very adult and mature and heart-aching spin to it.

This list I gave you is non-exhaustive. There are many, many more where they come from. And if you need a fix of Sailor Moon nostalgia, they are waiting for you. Have FUN!

(And if you liked any of them, please consider leaving the author a review, so they will keep motivated to supply us with such beautiful, free, nostalgic treasures!)

#fic rec #fic recs #sailor moon fanfiction #usagi x mamoru fanfiction #canon fics #fics playing with canon #these people make my life better #please share this list and spread the love #fandom love #rec'tober

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agustdef · 4 years

Text

Knuckleheads - Part 1

Pairing: Yoongi x OC [From Here & Now]

Genre: Idol!AU; Some fluff; Angst

Word Count: 12.6k

Warning: Angst. Some Language. Medical emergency. Unhealthy habits. (Not eating. Not sleeping. Just not taking care of one self in favor of working too much.)

Rating: PG15

Banner Marker: @shadowsremedy

Lovely Beta Reader: @shadowsremedy

Author’s Note: So, this is part of a two-shot for the Bangtan Scenery ‘April Showers Bring May Flowers’ collab. So this month you get the angst and next month comes the fluff. I promise I won’t just leave people hanging with this ending.

P.S. The creator of this lovely banner is also my posting twin and is giving us some angst with a Jungkook x Reader story here.

Summary: When you refuse to take care of yourself, you’re accepting that the consequences may vary. Or Kendall and Yoongi can’t seem to find a balance within their work and it’s doing more damage than they think.

Kendall's fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes focused solely on the open document in front of her. She was almost at the end and could feel it or at least that's what she tricked herself into believing. In truth she still had a few more chapters to write, but the end of chapter goal was what kept her going.

Lying to herself was the way to get stuff done.

And after twenty minutes of typing away, the chapter was finished. Kendall then took a short break to drink some water and flex her fingers, but it wasn't long before she was on the next chapter. There were deadlines she needed to meet and getting ahead was her only goal for the day.

Even if that meant she was glued to her chair for twenty-four hours.

Time passed quickly as she wrote, especially since she'd gotten lost into the world she was weaving. Before she knew it, it was midnight and she was writing the final words of her last chapter of the day. She'd breezed through writing two of them and pushed for three more, even though her eyes were begging for a break.

Just as she typed the last word, she heard an aggressive vibration coming from the drawer in her desk. Confused, she opened it up to see her phone squirming around, which made no sense since she'd told everyone to leave her be for the day.

Kendall pulled the phone out of the drawer and flipped it over just as the vibrations stopped. And when she saw the screen her eyes nearly fell out of her head.

There were twelve missed calls from Yoongi.

She'd completely forgotten that they were supposed to have a facetime that night.

He was going to be pissed.

Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the phone and called him back. As she waited and was forced to see the reflection of herself, she realized she'd forgotten to do all her skincare that morning. Her face was beyond dry, but she didn't have time to remedy that because Yoongi was answering her call.

The expression on his face was blank, but she could see the annoyance in his eyes and the way his jaw was rigid.

"Hi Yoon," she said.

Being calm was her best option, because if she tried to play innocent or too sweet, he'd be even more annoyed with her than he was. And she honestly felt bad so that was the last thing she wanted.

A minute went by and he just stared at her, his eyes almost never blinking. It made the silent treatment even more uncomfortable.

Kendall sighed. "I'm sorry, Yoongi. I really am. I've been writing nonstop all day and time just got away from me. I seriously didn't mean to forget. I even set an alarm on my desktop, but it didn't notify me."

Though her words seemed to soften his expression it only lasted for a moment, because then he was leaning closer to his phone with an obvious frown.

"Nonstop? You've been writing nonstop all day?"

Kendall cursed herself for that slip up. Of course, that would make him even more annoyed with her.

Not knowing what else to say she nodded.

Yoongi ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath before his full attention turned back to her. For a moment he still looked miffed, but soon enough his entire expression shifted to one of worry.

"Why?" he asked.

Knowing she'd already ended up on his bad side she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Articulating her reasons clearly would lead to less confusion and annoyance for him if she accidentally said something in a way she didn't mean it.

"You know I'm on deadline for this rewrite and I wanted to knock out as much as possible. And I know, I know it's a bit further away and I have time, but I have all these other things to do that I wanted to get a head start. Give myself time to breathe later on since I know I'm going to have to start that outline for the one duology that Ara and I have been talking about. Plus, I don't want to spend all my time while I'm in Korea writing. So, I didn't think that a goal of ten chapters today would hurt anything," she rambled.

"Ten?" he shouted.

Again, Kendall nodded.

There was a series of sighs that he let out before he spoke again.

"Were you wearing your wrist braces?"

"Yes."

"Did you take Tylenol before you started and then again a few hours later?"

"Yes."

"Did you move around some?"

"Kind of."

Another sigh.

"Did you eat?"

Kendall knew she was screwed, but she wasn't going to lie to him.

"I had a pop tart throughout the day, but nothing else," she said.

If his glare could kill, Kendall would've died the moment he looked at her. And she understood why. It hadn't been her intention not to eat. Not eating was never her intention, but when she was focused on something else and didn't feel any biological urges, she'd forget. Even if she did get hungry it wasn't long before it slipped her mind.

After another stare down he broke again, though that time the anger didn't leave his face; it merely softened a bit.

"My day was a late start so I'm having a late lunch. It's on the way. Order something and we'll eat together. And it better be something filling. I don't care about how late it is; you need to eat."

"I can do that," Kendall said.

Not wanting him to glare at her anymore she sprang into action. Propping the phone against the monitor she went to her browser and looked at the places she had bookmarked. She wasn't craving anything specific, so she went with a Chinese restaurant not too far from her. Quickly her order of chicken with broccoli and vegetable fried rice was placed. She even flipped her camera and raised the phone so he could see her do it.

"It says fifteen minutes," she said once it sent.

He grunted. "Mine should be here around that time too."

Even though he was more at ease because she got her life together he didn't look at her. He'd sat the phone against something, and his eyes were focused on the screen in front of him. Though she wanted a little more interaction with him she couldn't help but enjoy watching him focused on work.

After a few minutes she broke the silence.

"Did you get the samples I sent you?"

Yoongi nodded and said nothing, but then directed his gaze to the camera.

"But you didn't put that one cello piece in there. That and the synth drum track," he said.

Kendall's brows furrowed and she sat the phone back down to focus on her own screen. After going into her email, she saw that it was indeed missing something and huffed.

"I'll send the synth drum and this other thing I meant to give you, but you have to wait on the cello piece. I wanted to redo it. Something sounded off," she muttered.

Despite not looking at her phone she knew he was rolling his eyes at her.

"It sounded great. You're just being a perfectionist," he said.

Kendall scoffed. "Says the man who played me Clair de Lune so flawlessly that I cried and then had the nerve to say it didn't flow well enough."

Yoongi smacked his lips, but Kendall could see a small smile form. No matter how much he pushed it back down it flared up again.

After pressing send Kendall watched him closely and said nothing. Not even when he confirmed he got the tracks did she speak a word. She just watched him with a weird smile on her face.

When Yoongi looked her way, he was taken aback by how focused on him she was, but he didn't mind it one bit.

"What?" he asked.

Without thinking she said, "I love you."

Yoongi rolled his eyes but smiled wide at her words. "I love you too, idiot. You just need to do better at taking care of yourself. This shit isn't healthy."

Kendall nodded and continued to stare at him with love in her eyes. Yoongi stared back with the same intense feeling.

They remained like that until her food arrived, then they spent the rest of the night eating and watching Sailor Moon Crystal together until Kendall fell asleep.

Kendall tried not to be annoyed, she really did, but it just wasn't feasible. And it was beyond clear to Kihyun as he drove her from the airport to Yoongi's apartment.

"I'm sorry. I called him and Namjoon, but got no answer from either of them," he said.

That made Kendall sigh. Not because she was pissy, which she was, but because he'd apologized a million times since picking her up. He apologized more than Jungkook that time he thought he'd deleted the track she was working on. In neither instance was it their fault, but both men seemed insistent on quelling her agitation.

She turned her head and stared at Kihyun; whose eyes remained on the road.

"Ki, we've been over this already. You have nothing to apologize for, so stop it. I'm not mad at you. Hell, I'm not mad at all. Just annoyed. I promise."

Kihyun glanced at her as they came to a stop light. Though he appeared skeptical after a few seconds he nodded, and she watched his body physically relax. In turn she relaxed because she hated making people feel uncomfortable when they had done nothing to warrant her mood. She could save her agitation for later.

After about half an hour and some small talk they arrived at the entrance of the building. Kihyun got out to help her with her bags and after a hi-five she made her way inside. The guard on duty was one she was familiar with and he waved at her, a smile on his face. She returned it before heading into the elevator.

As she stood and watched the floor number change it was easy to settle back into her agitated state. Pulling her phone from her pocket she checked to see if there were any messages from the hour she hadn't looked at it. The only things were from her mom responding to her landing text, some emails, and social media notification. Not one message from any of the boys.

When the doors of the elevator finally parted, she practically stormed out, dragging her luggage behind her. She punched in the code into the keypad and just as she stepped into the apartment, she saw the reason Yoongi wasn't answering. On the small table next to the door sat his phone.

Rolling her eyes Kendall kicked off her shoes and fully entered the apartment, ensuring that the door locked behind her. Since she knew he wasn't home she went about her business. That meant taking her luggage and unpacking it and then going into the kitchen to make her a quick lunch. Which was reheated kimchi stew from the fridge and some rice.

By the time Kendall finished her food a wave of tired coursed through her. She'd slept well on the plane, but that didn't make her completely void of jet lag. Staying up was the goal, but after ten minutes of sitting and fighting sleep she realized a nap wouldn't hurt. It was only three in the afternoon anyway, so it wouldn't mess with her sleep that night.

Before she slept, she checked her phone one last time, but again there was nothing from any of the people she needed messages from. Sighing, she texted the group chat and all the boys separately asking why no one was answering. She didn't bother to try and wait for a response though, merely setting an alarm and passing out on the bed.

Her dreams were filled with normal everyday things, so it was a peaceful sleep. Once she'd woken up her body still felt that linger of tiredness, but it was mostly energized. Which was a miracle for a nap. Though once she tapped the screen of her phone, she realized it was because she'd been knocked out for six hours.

None of her alarms had woken her up.

"Damnit," she groaned.

After throwing a small fit she carefully rose from the bed and stretched out. She wondered if Yoongi had appeared, though since he wasn't in the bed with her or hadn't woken her up, she was sure he hadn't. And after a quick look around the apartment, including his studio, she was proven right.

Checking her phone, she went to every single chat and there was nothing, not even a read message. And she knew they kept those things on so they could drag each other when they didn't get a prompt response. Hell, she knew that half the time Jimin went to the bathroom was to check his phone where he wouldn't get scolded and yet nothing.

Tired of it she finally texted Sejin.

Kendall: Hey, Sejin. Is everyone alive? No one is answering my texts or calls.

She went to put down her phone after that, but there was a notification before she could.

Sejin: Today's just been a bit busy with practice and things. Is there something that you need? Something wrong? Do I need to get Yoongi? I know he accidentally left his phone at home.

All the questions made her laugh. Of course, he'd think something was wrong.

Kendall: Nothings wrong. And I know he left his phone. I saw it when I got in a few hours ago

The three dots came almost instantly and then stopped. It went on like that for a minute solid and Kendall had no clue what he could possibly be typing. Finally, it came in.

Sejin: That was today???

So, Yoongi wasn't the only one who'd forgotten about her. It didn't hurt her feelings any because while it was partially Sejin's job to remember it also wasn't. He wasn't the one who was supposed to come get her. Nor was he the one who left her sitting in the airport for almost two hours.

Kendall: Yes

Again, the dots, but he didn't take as long.

Sejin: I'm so sorry, Kendall. I had it down somewhere and it slipped my mind. How did no one get back to you? Yoongi didn't contact you? That punk. I'll let them no to get back to you. We just finished and everyone should be heading home now.

That didn't really warrant much of a response, so she said ok and thank you before throwing the phone on the couch. Them getting back to her was no longer a worry of hers, so she'd just continue with her evening.

Feeling disgusting she grabbed some stuff and went off to take a shower. The moment the hot water hit her skin was like a cleansing for her mind. Was her annoyance gone? No, but she felt calmer and much more relaxed. Well, at least until she remembered she'd gotten in without a shower cap on and scrambled away from the water. Thankfully, there was one already in there from when she'd been in Korea months before.

Refreshed, she hopped out the shower and got dressed. Settling on some short shorts and a tank top for her sleep attire. And after twisting her hair in large sections in order to put on her bonnet, she snagged one of Yoongi's hoodies to walk around in.

Hunger struck her again, so she found her phone and ordered from a place that had pho. It would take some time to get there and she was set on ignoring the messages from the boys that sat in her inbox. So, she went about straightening and cleaning things. She'd done the kitchen and the living room by the time she was notified the food was there. Slipping on her shoes she went down to get it, once back in the apartment she practically inhaled it.

She watched some random show while she ate, but once she was done the urge to be productive hit her. Grabbing her laptop from the bedroom she planned to work from the couch, but then her eyes drifted towards the hall where the studio was. Being fully immersed in her work sounded better to her, and she'd wanted to work on a track, so it made sense.

Kendall grabbed some water and a pop tart before heading into the studio.

It only took her a minute to set everything up. Even booting the computer up under her log in. Everything was just like she wanted it, thankfully. Sometimes when Yoongi typed in his password wrong too many times he used her log in and ended up altering how she liked to set up her software. It was a pain in the ass to fix.

He was a pain in the ass.

Not allowing herself to get worked up Kendall focused on the computer. Slipping on some headphones she played the track a few times before tweaking it. The goal was reggae trap, but it wasn't coming out that way at all, so she just went wherever it took her.

But twenty minutes in her phone wouldn't stop vibrating, so she was forced to deal with it. It was a series of messages from the boys. They'd all sent apologies separately, but also blew up the group chat. Scrolling through and reading them all took a solid two minutes.

She wasn't that upset with them. Much like Sejin they were supposed to remember, but weren't the ones with any real responsibility. It wasn't necessarily their job. Kendall was just being petty when she ignored their messages before.

Sighing, she realized that if she didn't reply they'd keep messaging her nonstop or start thinking she was pissed at them or something.

Kendall: It's fine. I'm annoyed and hate that I had to call Kihyun to come get me, but it's fine. I'm not mad at any of you. But I'm also trying to work, so maybe tone down the spamming

There was an overall okay in response to her and she went to set her phone down only for it to go off again. That time it was just Namjoon.

Namjoon: Did Yoongi call or text?

Kendall checked her phone for a message from someone other than Joon and there was none.

Kendall: No

Namjoon: Taehyung gave him his phone so he should get to you soon. And I swear that he feels like shit for forgetting.

Though she believed him, something in her questioned why he felt the need to emphasize that. And why Yoongi didn't just head home instead of using Tae's phone to contact her, but she chose not to ask Joon a million questions.

Kendall: Ok, thanks for letting me know

With that she got back to work but sat the phone on her thigh, so she'd feel when it went off. Enough time passed that she'd been so into her work that the vibrating almost went unnoticed. But when she realized it, she took off the headphones and answered the call from Tae's phone, though she did take note that it was over an hour later.

"Hello?" she said.

There was silence and then a gruff voice came through. "Hi, baby."

"Yes?" she wasn't going to play that game with him.

"I know I fucked up," he said.

"Accurate."

He laughed at that but kept going. "But I really need a favor from you and then I'll be on the way home. Where I will apologize thoroughly."

Of course, he needed something from her first. That explained her weird feeling about how bad he truly felt.

"What is it?" she asked.

A sigh of relief came through the phone. "There are some things in the folder labeled Jin and I need you to send it to me."

"Fine."

"Thank you so much. I love you."

In return all she did was grunt. Saving her own project, she logged out and logged into his. Within a minute or two she'd found the folder and sent it to him.

"It should be there," she said.

"Thank you. I swear I'll be home in forty-five minutes or less."

Kendall rolled her eyes. "Sure."

Right as he tried to say bye, she stopped him though, there was something else she needed to say.

"If your version of telling me your sorry involves sex, you're going to want to rethink your plan. It's not happening."

And with that she hung up.

Locking her phone, she threw it on the desk and refocused on her music. She wasn't going to let him derail what she was doing.

By the time thirty minutes passed Kendall was okay with where she was in terms of progress and knew she'd need to come back to it with fresh eyes. But she played it aloud a few times to see if she genuinely liked it.

Kendall was so immersed in listening she didn't realize that by the third playthrough she was no longer alone. Not until Yoongi's hands were on her shoulders. It caused her to jump, but when she registered his fingers she calmed down.

She then stopped the music and turned around to face him. He was looking all sweet and innocent, but she knew better than to give in to that.

"Go ahead," she said.

Yoongi immediately dropped the act and sighed. Then after staring at her for thirty seconds he moved closer and pushed her legs together. Before she could question that both of his knees were on either side of her thighs and he was sitting in her lap, his arms wrapping around her neck.

"Baby."

"Don't baby me mister."

Yoongi rolled his eyes but didn't retort.

"Kendall. I'm sorry I forgot about you today, I really am. I told myself last night, but then today was crazier than we thought it would be. It didn't help that I was up late working on this thing for Kook. Which meant I rushed out of the house forgetting my phone and then I was so wrapped up in work that nothing else crossed my mind," he rambled.

Kendall's eyes narrowed. "Pause. A thing for Kook? As in the thing you said you stopped working on and would pick up today when you had the chance. Because you'd already pulled three all-nighters this week and you needed the rest."

With each word Kendall became more annoyed and Yoongi realized he'd messed up.

She watched as he scrambled for something, but then finally gave up.

"Look, I know. I should've slept, especially since it takes me so much more energy to fake that I have energy in order to get through work. But inspiration hit and I just started working. Next thing I knew it was early in the morning and I needed to get ready for the day. I fucked up and I'll do better about it. I promise."

His words were sincere, and he wasn't the only one prone to doing that, so she couldn't be too upset with him.

"I get it. We both suck at taking better care of ourselves. We'll both do better," she said.

Yoongi nodded, removing one arm from around her neck so he could hold out his pinky. Smiling she linked her own with it.

"We'll do better," he said.

Kendall nodded and with that Yoongi got off her.

"I showered and ate dinner already, so how about we go to bed?" he asked.

A sarcastic laugh escaped Kendall and she shook her head.

"I said sex isn't happening."

Yoongi scoffed. "I just want to cuddle you, not sleep with you. Goodness, woman."

Though she didn't believe him Kendall shut everything down and allowed him to lead her out of the studio to the bedroom. There they snuggled up and watched TV. Yoongi copped several feels, especially on her butt, which he insisted was an accident.

But the truth was, they didn't do better. In fact, they got worse.

Comeback preparation came at them harder than usual and they had to dive into the chaos. Of course, it wasn't their first time handling it, but that didn't make things easier for either of them.

Yoongi was fully submerged in it, along with one or two projects outside of the group. Kendall wasn't essential for the album, but she still worked on it nearly every day. Plus, there were other groups she worked with that were preparing to comeback, along with all the writing she needed to get done. It was a blessing that projects in the western world were off limits to her during prep or the stress would've tripled.

To their credit they did try to keep things from getting out of hand, but it only took a week before they slipped into unhealthy habits. Their focus was so on getting things done so they were out of the way, that there was no thought about taking a moment to breathe. A moment to take a walk and not think about all the things that needed to be done.

If a thing they planned wasn't mandatory it wasn't going to happen. There were countless outings with friends that they flaked on. A cancelled lunch here, a trip to Lotte World there, jam sessions that were only meant for some fun and stress relief. Kendall nearly missed a friend's engagement party because she'd brushed off the reminder and twenty minutes before someone called to ask her when she was getting there.

At some point people stopped inviting them places and neither of them even noticed.

And that didn't even account for them flaking on each other. Date nights or plans to do even the grocery shopping were put off or forgotten about. Not that either of them ever brought it up, because even if they were aware enough to remember themselves something always caught their attention, so they forgot it even happened. Well, didn't happen.

It even reached the point where spending time together was sitting in Yoongi's studio and working on different things. Kendall preferred her studio for producing so she'd just bring her laptop in and write. Yoongi was usually the one to invite her, but he didn't stop staring at his screen or talking to one of the guys about a track long enough to say anything but hi.

It was getting out of control, but of the two Yoongi was the one dealing with all the stress and work better. He was pushing too hard and not taking proper care of himself, but sometimes logic would prevail. A snack would get eaten or he'd walk to a secluded park to write lyrics because he needed a change of scenery.

But even with his brief moments within reality, he was blind to the fact that Kendall was descending farther than he'd ever reached. He always had faith that she would be fine because she was strong enough to know when things truly needed to slow down, but she wasn't doing that. And right under his nose she was on a downward spiral.

For over a month he remained blind to that, everyone did. Or at least they weren't saying anything to him about it. Not that he listened much to what anyone told him when he was focused on something else.

However, at some point someone got fed up with the bullshit.

Kendall was on Yoongi's couch typing away on her laptop with music blasting through her headphones, while Yoongi sat at his desk writing lyrics. They'd started working on a song the night before that he needed help tweaking. Hours past rapidly as they brainstormed and worked through it. When that was figured out, she decided to write while he finished up.

Both neglected to notice that by the time Kendall's butt hit the couch it was seven in the morning. And they stayed like that until nine rolled around and Jin was bursting through the doors with bags in hand.

The suddenness startled them both and they stopped what they were doing to focus on him. They were met with an incredibly angry Jin and a smirking Taehyung who stood behind him watching the show.

"What time is it?" Jin asked.

"Uh..." Kendall shrugged, eyes flitting down to the bottom right of her computer screen.

When she saw the time, her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. There was a curse from Yoongi which indicated that he'd also checked.

"Mhm, and when were you supposed to leave?" he asked.

"No later than one," Yoongi mumbled.

"And why is that?"

"Because we've already been pushing it, so the rule has been imposed for everyone so not to overwork ourselves," Kendall said.

Jin nodded. "And yet, here you two are. Up for over twenty-four hours. Plus, you haven't eaten since who knows when. So, you're going home and today is an off day."

Yoongi opened his mouth to speak, but Jin just reiterated his point.

"You're both going to eat all of that. Only then will you be allowed to leave and when you leave, you're going to go home and rest. Don't make me have to come over and watch you do it either. I will know if you don't."

The way he glared at them meant there was no room for argument and Yoongi wasn't going to, but Kendall had something to say.

"Actually, I have a meeting at one that's like an hour away and then I have a session at four. So..."

That made Jin glare at her, but he didn't have anything else to say. Of course, arguing it was an option, but work was work and there was no way around that. Yoongi even had it in him to look displeased by the news.

Without saying anything Jin moved farther into the studio and shooed Yoongi out of his chair and onto the couch. From there he took a seat and started pulling things out of the bag he'd brought with him. Before they knew it, containers of steaming food were in each of their laps and Taehyung was handing them drinks.

Once they had the food, he stared them down and waited, but Yoongi was the only one who started eating right away. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kendall playing with the food.

"Look, Jin we didn't mean too..."

"Just eat," Jin said, clearly not in the mood for an explanation.

After that nothing else was said and they both just sat there and ate their food. Every drop of food was consumed too because no matter how much they told him they were full he just stared at them until they continued.

It was like they were children.

When all the food was gone Jin directed to shut everything down and gather their stuff. Jin supervised every movement. It didn't stop there though. He got into the van that took them home and glared the entire drive there. Then he went up with them and watched as they both got ready for different things.

Yoongi prepared for bed and Kendall for her meetings. In half an hour of arrival she was out the door and Yoongi was down for the count.

But his sleep was only temporary.

After about twenty minutes he was up again, and his body didn't want to go back down. He gave up and dragged his feet out into the living room, where Jin was still present.

"Are you not leaving?" Yoongi asked, his voice gruff.

Jin was startled by him and jumped a little, but quickly collected himself and went back to the scowl that seemed permanent.

"Not until you've been out for a few hours. And maybe not until Ken gets back," Jin said.

Yoongi chuckled at that. "I can't sleep, and she might not be back for a while so you're going to get bored fast."

There was a moment or two of silence before Jin's expression shifted to something more distressed, a sigh escaping him.

"Yeah, I know."

That response through Yoongi off. Obviously, Jin would be tired of their antics but something about him read more than that. Yoongi couldn't pinpoint what else could be plaguing the oldest member, but he would find out. He hated seeing any of his brothers down and out.

Moving toward the couch he laid out a few feet from Jin and watched him closely.

"Something wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Yoongi asked.

That made Jin sigh again, but it was accompanied by a humorless laugh. After a second or so Jin nodded and turned to face Yoongi.

"Not when you're like this I can't."

Yoongi scoffed. "Of course, you can. I know I've been a little too focused lately, but you know I'm always here for you. You don't need to worry about that."

"You're the one I'm least worried about," he mumbled.

"Huh?"

For a moment Jin appeared conflicted, but then his expression turned serious. He turned his body so he was facing Yoongi full on and stared at him for a few seconds.

"Have you really not noticed Kendall's behavior?" Jin asked.

That made Yoongi frown. He'd been caught up in work, but he liked to think if something was wrong, he'd noticed it. There was nothing that came to mind though. All he was met with was memories of her being as engulfed in her work as him, which wasn't a great thing, but it wasn't that bad. She had a lot of work.

Though part of him felt like that line of thinking was stupid since he was on her constantly about taking care of herself. But of course, he shook it off, they were in a high-pressure time and sometimes things needed all their attention.

"She's been working a lot, but that's it. Did something happen?" he asked.

Jin groaned and wiped a hand over his face.

"You've both been working a lot, but she's taking it to an almost extreme level. Have you seriously not seen that she's almost always working on something or going somewhere to do more work? I'm not even sure that she gets much sleep at this point. Let alone eats enough. I'm sure this morning was the biggest meal she had in a few weeks."

That made Yoongi even more confused. "But I almost always see her when you guys force a group lunch. She eats then."

Jin pursed his lips. "Have you actually seen her eat or just pick at the food while typing away at her phone and basically running away when everyone else finishes?"

Yoongi tried to think back to all the times they'd eaten together, and he remembered eating at least half his meal, but never actually seeing Kendall eat. His attention always focused on his screen or notebook. And when he'd go to put the leftovers in the fridge or trash Kendall's containers would be beside her in the exact spot it was placed. But of course, she just happened to sit it back down there or ate out of it from that position. She wouldn't forgo food for long, so she had to be eating.

"Of course, she..." Yoongi started, but then he recalls seeing her walk down the hall one afternoon and having to lean against the wall for a moment with her eyes closed. That could've been a one time thing though. Couldn't it?

It reached a point where he just laid there with his mind going over every interaction they'd had since the prep began. He was finding all types of things that seemed normal at the time, but in hindsight didn't make any sense if she was taking proper care of herself.

"Listen," Jin said, regaining his attention. "You just need to talk to her. We've all tried, but she plays it off or has something else she needs to do. Jimin almost got her to listen, but she just went back into the habit a few hours later. You're the only one who can call her out on it. You both need to be called out, but I know you'll be fine. I'm scared she's going down a dangerous path."

At that Yoongi nodded, but he was still a bit lost in his own head. He couldn't believe that he'd missed so many signs. There was just no way.

Jin confronting him the week before had woken Yoongi up from what he was doing to himself. The way he'd slimmed down a bit and how no amount of skincare could save his face; the undereye bags were going strong. It wasn't good and so he made changes in order to be healthier. Even having the younger members enforce him taking breaks multiple times a day. It was easier to see how things were going down a bad path for him and he was eternally grateful for Jin helping pull him back as he always did.

However, with his newfound clarity and self-awareness he finally saw what was going on with Kendall. Finally, he was paying attention. He watched her for a week and could see that he'd missed everything. Even the biggest flag of them all, which was how she never left her studio if she didn't need to. He hadn't been looking for that before, so it got by him, but every day until who knows when she was in that room by herself working. Food set outside would go ignored and he was sure she never even peed.

How he'd been so far gone that none of those things caught his attention was still a major question, but he couldn't focus on that. His attention needed to be on figuring out how to handle Kendall. If someone didn't get her to snap out of it, she'd lose steam completely and enter a creative block. And she didn't need to do that when all her jobs were creative. Yoongi cared more about her health than her hitting a roadblock, but he knew that when she did that it was much worse for her mentally. She put too much pressure on herself.

So, he needed to be strategic about it. Coming straight at her would do no good and if he was too nice or tried too hard to get her to forgo something to do something else, she'd suspect him. The only choice was for her lone plan for the day to be cancelled to create a slot where she was free. It would be hard for her to turn him down then, so he did what he had to.

Yoongi pulled out his phone and called Kihyun. His friend answered after a few rings.

"Hello."

"Hey, Kihyun. I have a question," Yoongi said.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Is the thing that you're working with Ken on something urgent? Can it be postponed or something?"

"Yes. Yes, it can!" Kihyun shouted.

It shocked Yoongi. "Uh, okay..."

A throat cleared and then Kihyun was speaking at a normal level. "Sorry. It's just the last time she came to work on the song she looked so tired. And even though she was working as well as usual there seemed to be a lack of her normal spark. I asked her about it, and she brushed me off, but I've been worrying about it. So, it can definitely be put on hold so she can rest or whatever you have in mind."

Everyone, but Yoongi had been paying attention it seemed.

"Yeah, I want to get her to rest. But listen, I need you to make up a reason why it's pushed to another day. She cannot know that I'm the reason that this was cancelled. Getting her to stop depends on her not knowing."

"Okay, I can do that. I'll text her now and then text you when it's done," Kihyun said.

"Thanks man."

"No problem."

With that they hung up and Yoongi shut down everything and prepared to head out. But he couldn't just stroll into her office after she got the news, so he played on his phone for half an hour after getting the confirmation text. After that he just casually made his way to her studio, knocking before letting himself in.

What he was met with was her sitting on the couch and staring at her table with a pen in hand. She was making edits, which made his appearance even better time wise. If she was doing it then that meant she was ahead of her schedule in some way and was even less likely to turn him down.

"Hey, baby. I was going to head out for some food. You want to come?" Yoongi asked.

For a moment or two she didn't say anything, but that was unsurprising since he'd asked as she started to write on the screen. Once she was done with the task at hand her attention became his and he truly saw the tired in her face. The bags under her eyes were prominent and her usually plump cheeks weren't as chubby. It made him feel even worse for not noticing it before.

"Uh. I'm not really hungry." she said, her voice softer than usual.

"But you were gone before breakfast. Come eat with me. Unless you have something else planned?"

That made her sigh and deflate a little. Yoongi almost felt bad for messing with her schedule, but it needed to be done.

"No. Ki said that something in his schedule changed so he'd need to meet with me another day."

Yoongi tried his best to seem chill about it. "Damn, that sucks. I hope they aren't overworking him over there as per usual. Okay, then you can come eat with me since your meeting fell through."

Again, he was met with no response for several seconds, but then she nodded her head and carefully rose from the couch. It was clear that it disoriented her a little, but Yoongi couldn't react to it. He had to let her move at her own pace and get her where he wanted her to be.

As she packed up her stuff, he kept a close eye on her.

"Is there anything you want to get in particular?" she asked.

Yoongi shook his head. "Nah, not really. I was thinking something close by, but then I also remembered that Jin put some kimchi stew in the fridge so we could just eat that."

Kendall froze and that worried Yoongi, he did not need to be found out so early. But when she turned around, she smiled at him.

"That sounds really good."

He returned the smile. "Great. I already had one of the vans waiting out front for me, so we can just tell them where we're going."

Kendall nodded and then motioned for Yoongi to lead the way. When he turned around, he released a deep breath and led them out of the building and into the awaiting van. Once they were on the road it was silent between them, but he didn't mind. He needed to ensure that he didn't say something too soon and if they got talking, he would slip up.

Once they arrived home, he led her upstairs with a hand wrapped around her waist, which wasn't something unusual. It appeared like affection to her and everyone else, but it was mostly him trying to keep her stable enough that she didn't sway or stumble. If that happened, she'd get defensive when he asked if she was okay.

They got into the apartment without issue and Yoongi got to work reheating the food so they could eat. Kendall took a seat at the dining room table and began editing again. It wasn't too intensive, so he let it be, but the moment the stew was ready, and he had some side dishes he had her put it away.

Again, they sat in silence, though that time he turned on the TV and put Brooklyn Nine-Nine on in the background. It drew in some of her attention and that's what he wanted. He needed her calm and comfortable. If she got a filling lunch and was somewhat immersed in the show some of her walls would be down. It also helped that he genuinely enjoyed the series and she knew that, so it didn't appear that he was trying anything.

But despite Yoongi's careful steps Kendall saw through him. After he'd taken the dishes to the kitchen, he returned to find her waiting for him with her arms crossed.

"What?" he asked.

"You're up to something."

That made his heart rate spike, but he'd perfected a steady expression over the years so of course that didn't show.

"What are you talking about?"

"We haven't spent real time together in a while and now you're actively seeking me out. Plus, you've been watching me a lot over the last two days. It's weird and sudden. So, what are you up to?" she asked.

"I'm not allowed to show interest and want to spend time with you now? That's suddenly... actually, no. I'm not going to do this. We'll go back and forth for forever and I'm just going to get to the point. I've stopped being so caught up in work that I noticed that you're too caught up in it. You're not taking care of yourself and I'm worried about you. Many people are worried about you. I thought we could spend some time together and that means you would rest."

Kendall's expression went from suspicious to annoyed. One of her brows raised and she rose from her seat, though she didn't move closer to Yoongi. In fact, he saw her take the smallest step back.

"So, what? You were going to try to get me to bend to your will by using things I like to lull me into a sense of comfort? Thought that would be enough to get me to forget about all the work I have to do?"

"No, I..."

"And then what? Get me to sleep? Make sure I stay in bed until tomorrow? Or were you planning on trying to get me to not work the rest of the week? Something that would put me back severely since I have things to do. Something that..."

"Stop!" he shouted. "Yes, I wanted you to take a break. And I would've loved if it was for the rest of the day. I would love for you to just sit down for a moment and relax. To sleep more than you do. To eat more than you do. I'd love for things to not be how they are now. But I wasn't and don't plan to commit some grand conspiracy against you, Kendall. I just want you to slow down and breathe."

There was silence and then Kendall scoffed. "When you're doing it it's fine, but when it's me there is suddenly this major problem. I'm fine. I'm stressed and working a lot, but I'm fine. This isn't anything that I can't handle. I've had more to do, so it's not a problem. But a problem occurs when everyone seems to think they need to insert themselves into my life for one reason or the other. I don't need to be watched like a child who can't function on her own. I'm more than capable."

Yoongi sighed and ran a hand over his face. Of course, things were taking a turn. She reacted much like him when backed into a corner when they swore, they were okay when in truth it felt like life was drowning them.

"No one is saying you're not capable, Kendall. We just want you healthy and not pushing yourself so much. You're losing weight and you look so drained of energy all the time. Even Kihyun said something was off during your last session. That you had your same work ethic, but your usual energy was gone," Yoongi said gently.

He hoped that his words would change something within her, and they did, but she was angry which wasn't the goal.

Kendall took a deep breath; her fists clenched and unclenched a few times before she glanced at Yoongi.

"Kihyun? Is that why he canceled? Because I don't seem well enough? Great."

Yoongi took a step forward, but she took two steps back.

"Everyone seems to have these grand ideas about what I should be doing and making decisions on my behalf. So, I'm going to let you all do what you want to do. But I won't be around to let you do it. I have things to get done today and Kihyun canceling means I have more time. So, if you need me for my job then let me know. Other than that, back the hell off."

With that she grabbed her stuff and was headed towards the door. Yoongi went after her, but after she slipped on her shoes she whipped around and held her hand up to stop him.

"I'll be sleeping somewhere else tonight. Don't wait up or come looking for me to make sure that I'm sleeping up to your standards."

And with that she was gone. Yoongi was left cursing himself and wishing he'd handled things differently. Maybe if he had she'd be still in the apartment. If he'd only caught on sooner maybe the evening would've been spent cuddled together on the couch or in bed. Honestly, anything was better than what happened.

Yoongi couldn't help but feel like he'd messed everything up.

Despite wanting to fix things as soon as they happened Yoongi waited it out. He knew that coming at Kendall again would just yield another argument and he didn't want that. Especially because he was likely to lose his cool and things would become worse.

So, he sat back and let her do what she wanted for a few days. Every time he ate, he grabbed her food, sat it near the door and walked away. Sometimes it would be gone when he went by again, but more often than not it was still sitting there. It was frustrating, but he didn't let up and just kept doing it. There were even little notes where he left her with encouraging messages or that relayed how much he loved her. He hoped it would help soften her and that she'd see his true intentions.

And when they worked together, he was his usual self. There was no pressure to eat, drink, or rest. Kendall had already taken to avoiding him, so he didn't want her to just completely ignore his existence. He only got such brief time with her to make sure she was okay, and he refused to risk it.

The method was honestly great for the first few days, but then after two days in a row with food untouched and her barely leaving the office he'd had enough. The boys could see it too, they watched as he was pushed over the edge.

They stood in the middle of the practice room discussing the choreography they went over a few times. It was the early stages, they were more worried about everyone getting it than it being in sync, so the topic of discussion was one move that almost everyone was struggling with.

But it was during Namjoon explaining that maybe they could alter the instrumental a little to fit that shit hit the fan.

"I could talk to Kendall about it. Of course, making changes is a bit much but it would be kind of cool. None of us are doing it as smoothly as needed and we were discussing adding more of that slightly disjointed sound to the chorus. It wouldn't take much time at all," Namjoon said.

Hoseok pursed his lips and nodded. "But when can she do it? Of course, we can practice it with that in mind, but we need to hear it and get approval before we make that choice. And she said she had a lot to do today. Something about having a new project to work on and needing to prepar..."

When Yoongi heard she took on another project his head snapped up, his eyes focused on Hoseok. The younger male was startled by the attention, especially since Yoongi was glaring at him.

"She has another what?" Yoongi said, practically shouting the words.

No one said a thing, but then after they all were the focus of his glare Jungkook said something.

"Yeah, she took on this thing for some artist she really likes. They're an American one, but she wanted it more than she cared about sticking to her rule during comeback prep."

The rage that filled Yoongi was swift and before anyone could utter another word, he was storming out of the practice room. He didn't stop until he reached the elevators, but as he waited for the doors to open, he could feel his emotions intensify. It was time to put an end to the situation and he didn't care about her being upset with him.

"Where are you going?" Namjoon called out as he caught up with Yoongi.

"To stop this shit."

"Yoongi, you can't just come at her all pissed off. She doesn't respond well to that, you know this," Joon tried to reason.

"I'm not going to her."

Just as he said that the doors opened, and he stepped through. Namjoon stood and watched him, conflict clear in his expression. Yoongi waited a second, but when he didn't make a move, he pressed the floor number. Just before the doors closed Namjoon slid in after him.

The elevator ride was tense and quiet. Yoongi was trying to control his anger so that he wouldn't lash out at anyone. No one was at fault for this and there was no need for them to have to deal with his issues. Even if they were all willing, he'd hate if he'd made anyone too uncomfortable once everything was over.

When the doors opened, they walked out and the secretary simply nodded and pointed towards their destination. After knocking and being granted entrance they walked into Bang's office.

Their boss looked prepared for their arrival and Yoongi was sure one of the boys put two and two together and warned him. He didn't mind though; it was easier to handle it if he didn't have to just show up and lay it all out when he least expected it.

"Is there something I can help you with, Yoongi?" Bang asked.

Taking a deep breath Yoongi collected himself and then nodded. "Yes, there is. Kendall has been a little, well a lot overwhelmed the last few months. She's working more than she needs to and not taking care of herself properly. Obviously, some of this stuff is out of your domain, but a lot of it is work on producing and writing. It's reached a point where she won't listen and even when things fall through, she finds a million other things to do in its place. I know that her main focus is on the girl group debut and you wanted her to take full control of that, but they won't even be announced for a few months and she's way ahead of schedule. So, what I'm asking for is her taking a break. She'll have more than enough time to come back to it and have them ready. But right now, she needs to step back. I need her to step back before things get worse."

Yoongi hadn't meant to be long winded, but once he started talking it all came out. And that included the distress he was feeling. His voice went up a few octaves and he was pleading with Bang to agree with him. He needed for him to give the go ahead.

It was silent for a moment, but then Bang nodded. "I've noticed that she's been working a lot, but I didn't know to what extent. She's farther ahead then what we talked about. Practically finished the album. So, we can put a hold on any more work until she's had proper rest. If that needs to start today, then it can. I'll send the email and make the call."

After nodding and giving a brief thank you Yoongi was out the door and back in the elevator with Namjoon hot on his heels.

"What are you going to do?" Namjoon asked.

"We're going home."

"And if she doesn't choose to go? You know she's not just going to agree. So, what are you going to do?"

For a while Yoongi didn't say anything, but the moment he stepped off the elevator he turned to face Joon.

"I'm going to tell her too much time has gone."

Namjoon's eyes widened at that, but Yoongi could see on his face he understood. That phrase - too much time has gone - was used when there was something serious they needed to talk about. Something where one of them needed to be heard out and it invoked the urge to listen better with the other. Kendall wouldn't be able to refuse and would have to see how concerned he was.

He hated using it because it always left him on edge when she used it and he would assume the worst, so he knew she had to feel it too when he did it.

"Call or text me after. Okay?" Namjoon said.

Yoongi nodded and then turned to walk down the hall. He made a quick stop in the practice room to grab his stuff and then did the same in his office. Once packed up he headed towards her studio. As he went, he prepared himself for a shit show and he really wished it didn't need to be, but he'd accept that if it meant she'd be okay.

When he walked up to the door the bag of food he'd left earlier was gone and that helped calm him. At least she ate something. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door but got nothing. Several knocks and doorbell rings later he put in the passcode and entered the studio. Instead of finding Kendall immersed in her work he was met with darkness, which was weird because she didn't have any outside work.

Yoongi flipped the switch and found everything was shut down, but something on her desk caught his eye. He moved closer and saw the bag of food, which was still untouched, but before he could focus on that his eyes drifted to the note on the desk. It was the one he left, and it read: You're doing a great job, baby. I got your favorite. I love you.

The paper was wet unlike it had been when he dropped it off and it only took a second to realize that it was from tears. Even the space around it had a few drops here and there.

His first thoughts were about if she was okay and the next were hoping that maybe they'd just been from him finally breaking through to her. Either way she needed to be found.

Yoongi sprinted out of the room and slammed into SlowRabbit who looked at him confused, but then noticed where he was coming from.

"Ken went home. Said she needed to do something," SlowRabbit said.

Muttering a quick thank you Yoongi was running again. He needed to get home fast. Thankfully once he got to the lobby Joon was waiting there with one of the drivers, once they saw him the driver headed to a car out front and Yoongi moved after him.

The drive to the apartment was tense. There was a giddiness inside of him as he clung to the idea that she'd finally seen the light, but there was also a deep-rooted fear of what could happen if she wasn't coming back to reality. It left him all over the place and sweating more than he had during dance practice.

Once in his building he felt his anxiety diminish, but for some reason he walked very slowly through the lobby and to the elevators. Like he was stalling for time trying to come up with something, but in truth his mind was completely blank. Even as the elevator indicated he was getting closer to his floor his mind remained emptied.

It was weird.

As the doors opened, he started to think again, but that quickly came to a halt. At the end of the hall there was a person collapsed onto the floor. Panic filled him and he sprinted out to them, dropping to his knees to make sure they were okay.

"Excuse me? Hey. Hey. Wake up." He chanted as he carefully rolled them over.

When he saw the face, he stopped breathing. For some reason it didn't register in his head that the person was on his floor and in front of his door. It didn't register that the person could be Kendall. Until he saw her face.

"Kendall! Kendall! Baby!"

He shook her gently, one of his hands going to cup her face. She wasn't responding or even moving and that panicked him more. His mind raced and he continued trying to get her to wake up. Screaming her name and shaking her to get some sort of response.

It took a minute or so before it clicked with him that he needed to act. That there was no time to waste.

He placed his fingers under her nose and waited, after a few seconds he was sure that she was still breathing. It wasn't strong, but it was something. He then fumbled in his pocket for his phone and when it was finally in his clutches, he dialed emergency services. His eyes never left Kendall's face and his finger remained under her nose.

When they answered he had a response ready, but instead of words a sob broke free. The tears came soon after and he was finding it hard to say anything.

"Hello? Hello? I can hear you crying, dear. Please tell me what's wrong," a soft voice said on the other end.

Yoongi took a breath and reminded himself what was at stake.

"My... my girlfriend collapsed, and I don't know how long she's been out. I found her in the hallway of our apartment building. Her breathing... her... her breathing isn't as strong as it should be. And neither is her... pul... pulse." He finally managed to choke out.

"Okay. I'm glad that you checked all those things out. If she's still breathing, there's a chance she's fine. Can you give me the location?"

He mumbled off the address and what floor they were on. As he spoke more, he calmed, but the tears never stopped and at any given moment he was hit with an intense wave of distress.

Yoongi's eyes never left Kendall, even as the dispatcher kept him talking so he wouldn't freak out too much. He couldn't take his eyes off her. The last time he'd done that led him to the pain he was enduring in that moment.

Kendall's body felt too hot and she needed to cool off but no matter how much she adjusted there was no escape. At some point she was forced to wake up and try to free herself, but the moment that her eyes opened she felt disoriented.

Everything was fuzzy and her head felt swimmy. It was as if she wasn't grounded and she didn't know why. Of course, she wanted to fight for some clarity, but she knew she'd needed to just let it pass first. So, she waited until her vision cleared and she felt settled before trying to figure anything else out.

Who knows how much time passed before she could make out her surroundings, but when she could confusion filled her. She wasn't in the apartment or in her studio, but what looked like a hospital room. But for the life of her she couldn't figure out why she'd be there.

Kendall searched her memory for something, but it was as clouded as her vision had been. She didn't let that stop her though, she focused on what she could last remember until snippets of her day came up. They were so short that she couldn't make anything out of them though. It was frustrating, but she needed answers and she was alone so there was no one to give them.

At least she thought she was alone.

As Kendall took in her surroundings and then herself, she finally noticed that she wasn't the only one in the hospital bed. Next to her lay Yoongi. He was asleep and looked so peaceful that she momentarily forgot what she was doing. It had been so long since she'd seen him like that and she wanted to savor it, but before she could even get comfortable with the idea it all came rushing back to her.

She'd been working on a track that was proving difficult for her. The idea she had in her head wouldn't translate into the actual work. Nothing she tried was working and she was close to screaming about it. Instead she decided to take a step back and finish some things on a different track for a friend. It would give her a break and the chance to get some more work done.

Halfway through that hunger struck her and she'd peeked out to see if Yoongi left any food for her like he had been. Kendall was still upset with him for actively trying to hinder her work, but she appreciated the gesture because she often forgot to eat. It wasn't that big a deal, but not having to search for food when she finally decided to eat was a good thing.

She'd grabbed the food and brought it in, but as she opened the bag there was a post-it on top. It wasn't surprising since he left them with every meal and she'd planned to sit it aside, but then she read the words. For some reason something in her finally snapped and she felt her body droop and tears fall from her eyes.

Yoongi was being so caring and loving, even after she lashed out at him. He was making sure that she at least ate and reminding her constantly that she was doing great and was enough. She'd been so caught up in doing everything that she'd let those things slip away from her. Let herself reach a point where she was so tired all the time and barely functioning mentally but using the excuse of needing to stay ahead as a reason to keep going. As a reason to not take a moment to breathe.

Kendall ran herself into the ground. And instead of giving into him and taking in what he tried to tell her she'd pushed herself further to prove a point.

But she was tired of proving that point.

So, after crying she packed her stuff and planned to head home. Yoongi was practicing so she didn't want to disturb him. She'd planned to text him after she got home and showered, it would be enough time for the boys to be taking a break. After telling Slow Rabbit she was leaving, a van took her to the apartment and she was eager to finally stop being so hardheaded so she could rest. However, as she got onto the elevator, she felt weird, but couldn't pinpoint why. She brushed it off as being tired and thought maybe she should nap and then shower.

But as she got off the elevator and walked towards the door everything around her shifted. It was like a kaleidoscope was right in front of her eyes and before she knew it her body was falling in slow motion. After that everything was blank.

The moment her brain caught up she felt herself tear up; she'd fucked up. Not only had she done damage to her body, but she couldn't imagine how Yoongi felt. Had he been the one to find her? Was he notified as he tried to live out his day? She hoped she hadn't scared him too much.

As the tears fell her hand moved to caress his cheek. At her touch he shifted but didn't wake up. Leaning down she pressed a kiss to his forehead. It was soft and lingered for several seconds. When she pulled away though, his eyes were wide open, and he was staring at her. The sadness was clear, but there was also some relief.

"Baby," he whispered.

Kendall didn't get the chance to say anything though, because he was kissing all over her face in seconds. After he pulled her tight, burying his face in her neck.

"You scared the shit out of me, Kendall. You can't keep doing this shit, okay? It needs to stop," he mumbled.

"I know. I'm sorry," she said.

It was all she could think to say. She wanted to explain herself, but it didn't feel like the right time, so she let it be.

They spent the rest of the day like that. Even when the doctors came in Yoongi didn't stray too far from her, he always had to be touching her. If he couldn't be in the bed with her then he was holding her hand and if she left to use the bathroom, he would snatch it up the moment she was out.

It hurt her heart to see him like that. To watch him look at her as if she were going to slip through his fingers and disappear.

"I'm sorry," she started. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I should've listened to all of you and stopped letting work take over, but I just pushed myself harder. And when it finally clicked, when your note put me back into reality, I was going to take a break. I'd gone home to shower and rest. I was going to message you after to not be a disturbance and because I knew we were going to need to talk, but I didn't get the chance. I didn't mean for it to get this far."

Yoongi just watched her as she spoke, nodding along to show that he was listening. When she finished, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. He murmured about how it would be okay, and they would deal with it later. Kendall didn't think that wise, but then the boys showed up to pay her a visit and lightly scold her, so the moment was lost.

After her explanation Yoongi still remained close by, but she noticed a shift in him. His relief faded and he relaxed more, but something else rose to the surface. He was clearly annoyed and though she wanted to ask if he was okay, she knew it was best not to. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know why he was upset. Kendall expected his rage to surface at some point, but she wished it made him more vocal.

Instead of scolding her or just straight up yelling he remained silent. They didn't speak much and any conversations she tried to start fizzled within seconds. It left things tense all the time and despite the guilt it grew tiresome.

Thankfully, they only kept her for a day after she'd woken up so she could rest at home. That meant that she wasn't confined in one room with him watching her with his underlying anger, but it didn't make her feel any less uncomfortable. Yoongi still made sure she rested, took her medication, and ate. He worked outside of the home studio to keep an eye on her but kept his distance. And his silence remained. He'd even mastered answering her questions without saying a single word and after three days Kendall was over it.

She'd come home from the hospital still quite drained, but with eating regularly and resting her energy returned to her. Which meant she could risk exerting herself a bit to push the issue. And after he'd blatantly ignored a question she asked it was hard not to snap.

"Can you just fucking yell at me already? I get you have some stuff to work through and are probably trying to figure out how you want to address this, but please just do it. Just say what you want to say. Yell. Cuss. Tell me you hate me. I don't care. Just please say something!" she blurted out.

That made him pause and turn around to face her. His expression was one that he wore when he was pissed off and though it made her stomach drop it's what she wanted. What she needed.

Yoongi laughed after a few seconds. One of those humorless ones, that were so loud and obnoxious that they seemed fake. It lasted for a moment and then he abruptly stopped, taking a few steps forward so they were only two feet apart.

"Okay. I'll talk. We both went off the deep in and got too caught up in things. You more than me, but we're both guilty of it. But I was so off in my own damn world that I didn't notice you were taking it a step too far. I had to be told by Jin, who saw it from the start and tried to help. I had to be told to take a closer look at my girlfriend who I saw often, and thought was okay. I fucked up and part of this is on me. No matter what you say I'm sticking to that because I know how far you can go, and I wasn't seeing the signs. Hell, I even encouraged it with my own behavior.

"But then you have to be so damn stubborn about things. You have to think because there are no obvious effects on you that you're doing okay and that everyone else is seeing things. You push yourself too hard, Kendall. No matter how overwhelmed you are, you push so hard as if you can't take a breath. As if you couldn't half ass it and still come out with some great work. And you let yourself get so in your head that you fucking forgot that and neglected yourself. Barely ate. Barely slept. Barely did anything besides work, even when there shouldn't have been any work to do. And that shit ended with me fucking finding you passed out on the ground in front of our home. Of me fearing that you weren't going to be... be... that you weren't going to be okay. This entire situation is fucked up and I need some time, okay?

So, let me have my time to fucking think. Let me have the chance to stop being mad at you and me, so we can try to move the hell forward after this shit show."

With that he turned on his heel and walked away. He went into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. It left Kendall alone in the living room feeling worse than she had when she woke up in the hospital. She knew she had no valid reason to cry since she'd brought this on herself, but it felt like her heart was ripped out of her chest.

It felt like she'd fucked her entire relationship up.

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