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#honestly. this is basically a slice of life au but taking place in a fantasy world castle

rendevok · 8 months

Note

Do you have favorite nrmt fics? Or just any aa fics

Ooo! Yes! I’ve recently been compiling a list of the ones that I just couldn’t get out of my head, so without further ado~

Here are fics that are pure nrmt goodness:

a seat at the table by parchmints - 7yg, Phoenix officially adopts Trucy, and nrmts finally taco bout it sort of maybe ;3

Butterfly kisses by royalmess - canon compliant and “SO MANY KISSES I DIED” <- actual note from my list

if you leave the light on by angstinspace - 7yg, confessions, and my favoritest thing :^)

rough around the edges by Samioli - [screaming from a megaphone] MILES LIKES THE STUBBLE

the bookstore at the corner of 14th and fen by kbots - bookshop/flowershop au, SOOOOO cute and slice of lifey

Chicago Noël by canolacrush - you ever wanted a baker/mafia au? Well now you do! Takes place in 1950’s Chicago, SO delightful to read, good character variety, holiday vibes, and honestly i will be reading this annually

And it’s not a rec list from me without those tasty tasty casefics! These focus on nrmt too of course:

Dating for a Turnabout by Mikomikono - fake dating, murder mystery but they’re being gay as hell the whole time and it’s AWESOME

Investigations of the Heart by poodlepunk - Miles being tortured and down bad, need i say more?

Thrown Through a Loop by savitarandsigh - time loop au, tied to a case! Very cute and fun hehe :3

Turnabout Feelings by ssygir - 7yg, set in Paris, and Very Ace Attorney iykwim, a very satisfying casefic

Turnabout Sole by Collaberal Damage - bodyswap au, SO FUNNY AND CUTE and on top of that, the case is really well done imo!

Aaaaaand basically the rest so far are klapollo so if you’re into that:

can i go where you go by parchmints - klapollo getaway fic , fake dating, they melt my heart and make me want to flip a table

In Better Light by cosmogyral & sunsmasher - klapollo Pacrim au with a side of nrmt as well, SO WELL DONE, do yourself a favor and read this

singing my life with his words by angstinspace - klapollo soulmate au, the premise is so original and god, i wept. Cannot recommend any higher than literally mailing you my tears

wherever you stray, i follow by parchmints - klapollo royal/fantasy au, as magical, romantic, actiony, and adventurous as a fairy tale ought to be!

I’m actually quite behind on my fic reading list, so this is where I’m at so far. I’ve definitely got plenty of in-progress fics that i follow & enjoy that will probably make it to this list eventually, so ask me again some time for more!

#ik some of these are pretty big/well known fics but man… it’s like that for a reason haha #the fandom is feeding us well is it not? prosperity and peace across the realm #also shoutout to every vampire fic ever you are all on this list in my heart #fic recs #asks #anonymous #if you notice me simping for writers its because they’re my friends but mainly because i have impeccable taste <3<3<3<3 #/lh /srs /imkissingyouonthemouthbesties

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citadelspires · 3 years

Text

since I’m more or less back in business I feel it’s past time I ramble about another au I will (probably) never write. I’ll start off simple with an amphibia owl house au I was thinking up last night at work. (slight disclaimer that I have not seen any of season 2 yet so this is with exclusively information through the end of season 1). Concept below the cut cause it’s a pretty extensive one.

The concept starts at the same point the owl house does, more or less. Camila is concerned, Luz is getting sent to summer camp etc. etc. This time she gets distracted by an unusually pink frog hopping into the woods, and decides she probably has time to go chase after it. So she follows it into the woods until she suddenly trips over something and falls to the ground, turning around she sees it to be a music box sticking out of the forest floor. Curious, she digs it up and starts examining it. She thinks it’s really pretty and she’s about to open it when she hears voices coming from nearby and goes to check it out.

She finds Willow and Amity in a small clearing, think essentially the scene in the actual owl house where she sees them for the first time, except here they’re both human, though Luz doesn’t know them because they both go to some pretentious private school, Amity because she’s a Blight so she had to, and Willow because she got a scholarship for it and didn’t have the heart to tell her dads she didn’t really want to go. The scene plays out in a similar fashion to how it does in the actual show, with the exception that this time without the magic element Luz doesn’t feel the need to keep hiding and instead marches up from her hiding place to chew out Amity for being a jerk. Unfortunately she stumbles on a tree root as she approaches and, still holding the music box, accidentally pops the lid open.

So that’s how the three of them get transported to Amphibia. I like the idea of taking the setup and world of Amphibia, which we’ve seen through the lens of the characters that got transported all being close “friends”, and coming at it from a different perspective, i.e. one of them is a complete stranger to the other two and the two that do know eachother are already not on very good terms going in. (Amity and Willow have essentially the same history in the au that they do in toh).

Luz is dropped right in the middle of Newtopia, and while she’s very excited about the prospect of a fantasy adventure, she’s also pretty worried that she has no idea how to get back home, and she doesn’t take to the city as well as Marcy did. Part of this is due to her having her doubts about the ruler of Amphibia, who in this case is not Andrias, but Lilith(I understand Belos is probably a more fitting character for the role but I just don’t know enough of his character or really care about him enough to implement him, so Lilith it is! She’s more interesting for the setup anyway, depending on what Andrias’ weird master thing ends up being, maybe that would be a belos type deal but honestly I’d probably just not implement that part into this. If you can’t tell this is much less a “amphibia but with the owl house cast” and more of a actual approach to writing something new with the old setting and characters).

This is mostly due to the fact that, while wondering around the city attracting suspicious stares from newts that have never seen someone like her before, she ends up bumping into a newt who appears to be running from the majority of the city guards. They both fall down and Luz helps her stand up, a showing that is enough to convince the guards that, whatever the weird creature is, it’s in league with the felon, so they begin chasing her too. The criminal newt, who is of course Eda, takes pity on her and brings her along to her hideout, where she meets a weird little robot that insists she refer to him as King. He begins to declare that his full title is “King of...” and then kinda falters off as he seems to realize he actually isn’t quite sure what he is. Luz gives Eda a concerned Look but she just kinda shrugs it off and says he always does that.

Luz finds out that Eda deals in the trade of questionable artifacts and considers herself pretty lucky to find someone like that as soon as she did, and she asks if Eda knows anything about a music box, describing it as best as she can, because she didn’t really think to take any pictures. For her part, Eda is pretty sure what it is, and that’s the moment where she resolves to watch over Luz, at first just because she’s Concerned the box is back in Amphibia, though it eventually ends up that she gets a soft spot for the kid.

Though Luz doesn’t find out a good deal of this until later, and it’s gradually, Eda is still Lilith’s sister here, meaning that yes, she had equal claim to the newtopian crown, but the history of the crown never sat well with her (i.e. she finds out newtopia was built on the foundation of bloody conquest, along with the fact that it’s encouraged they want to get back to that point and nopes out of there). While she’s on her way out she starts off her new life of stealing shiny things by grabbing a weird little statue that had always seemed kinda off to her. She figures she could sell it at least, but while looking over it after escaping she realizes that it isn’t a statue at all, but what she decides must have been a defective robot from newtopia’s past, being much smaller and more... expressive? Than it should have been. For some reason she decided to try fixing it, and though it took a good deal of time she eventually got it to work again, which is how she came to be friends with King.

Luz’ story is largely slice of life relationship building with her, Luz, and King, until the point where the path to the valley opens, and the three of them go on what Luz finds out is an annual trip Eda takes around the valley to see if she can find anything interesting to add to her stand, as well as find new customers in the valley. Luz figures if she has a shot at finding either of the two girls she came with, and hopefully the box too, it would be on that trip.

Willow gets thrown into Toad Tower before she even realizes what’s happening to her. She has no idea where she is, didn’t even get a good look at Luz before the teleportation happened back on earth, and is overall not having a great time. She’s not convinced she’s not dreaming until she’s literally tossed into her cell and the impact hurts enough that she’s sure she’s really there. At first she believes she’s alone in her cell until she hears an awe-filled voice ask what she is and why she’s there. She isn’t able to figure out where the voice is coming from until a tiny blue frog jumps up on her hand. She introduces herself as a human, which gets him very excited, and he introduces himself as Gus, explaining that he was thrown in prison for “almost kind of knowing things he shouldn’t” as he put it.

It turns out Gus is something of a scholar, though he admits that most frogs are more inclined to call him a crazed conspiracy theorist. All of his studies have to do with mysterious other worlds and their inhabitants, which he has always been stubbornly insistent do exist. He’s overjoyed that he finally has “a real life specimen!!” and Willow is excited enough at the idea that there might be someone who actually knows what happened to her that she lets that comment slide. She quickly finds out what the meaning behind his weird prison sentence is, as she brings up getting sent to this world from another, and he attempts for a wise nod as he goes “ah yes, you must have experience an encounter with the calamity bucket.” Still he’s kind of helpful and he and Willow get along pretty well, so they end up hanging out together for the rest of the story, he basically tags along everywhere with her Jiminy Cricket style.

Amity has arguably the hardest time adjusting to the world she suddenly finds herself in, as she ends up in the forest on the outskirts of Wartwood, and promptly determines that this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to her. Despite having the box that “weird girl” used to send them here, opening it and closing it over again provided no help at all, and trying to go into Wartwood provided even less. Still being in Full Blight mindset she is really haughty and superior and the townspeople do not take it well. Even deducing Toadstool as the only persons superficial enough to potentially care about her status, she can’t get anything out of him cause he views her as a massive publicity risk, which he’s already not doing super well at.

The only frogs in the village that seem to not turn away from her immediately are a mischievous pair of frog twins that joke around and mess with her, and though it’s all lighthearted she’s stubborn enough at first that when they do offer to help her out she flat out refuses them. Eventually between living in a cave and their hanging around her whenever she’s in town anyway she’s worn down enough that she begrudgingly accepts their offer of help.

Not being Blights in this au has done a good deal in the way of making Edric and Emira happier. While they’re just as much of tricksters as they always are, and they occasionally overstep a little in their jests, they’re quick to apologize, and lack any of the actual malice behind their knack for causing trouble. The two of them run one of the stands in the marketplace, something they get Amity to help out with eventually as the town warms up to her. The two of them find it easier to grow closer to Amity than the rest of the town does, maybe it’s cause they’re the only ones who have really tried, or maybe it’s cause they’ve got a reputation for being trouble in the town already anyway. Whatever it is Amity gets begrudgingly closer to them until she eventually refers to them as her siblings once, and though they refuse to let her hear the end of it for a few days, they’d been calling her their little sister since the beginning, and while Amity had been certain for a long time they were just doing it to mess with her she starts to like it eventually.

Like in Amphibia, the three girls all represent one aspect of the Heart, Strength, Mind trio. Figuring out what those all are takes a lot more for these girls than it does for the amphibia trio though. The focus of this story is less on the relationships the characters have, though that is definitely a part of it, and more on the attributes their assigned to and the personal growth they have. Each of them holds the attribute that is both their strongest and most repressed. The three all hold themselves at very little value in the areas they’re actually the strongest in, and through their journey in Amphibia they start to learn.

Willow had always believed that strength was an inherently negative thing. Strength equated to power, and people who had power used it to hurt others, without fail. People like, well, Amity. She prefers gentleness and peace, and to her that and strength is mutually exclusive. She reacts to the concept that she could be charging the box with the attribute of strength very negatively.

Through her time in Amphibia she gets to learn that her strength can come in different forms, and while she is undeniably strong physically, her physical strength is nothing compared to her emotional resolve and capacity to extend that emotional resolve in the strength of heart to pick up the people around her when they need it. She does, though, get to learn that power isn’t something that is inherently evil, and even that if she uses the strength she has to protect the things that are important to her, that doesn’t mean she’s forsaken any of the things believes.

aka she gets to punch a heron in the face. Boscha (captain of toad tower) is very impressed, though she pretends she isn’t. Speaking of Boscha, she gets to experience a similar development to Willow, but more on the reverse side of the coin. Having always been powerful, and that having always been enough to make her more important than everyone else, Willow strikes her as weak at first, given her lack of aggression. The longer she stays stuck with Willow though, the more she comes to realize some important things, foremost among them being that Willow could totally kick her ass, and just chooses not to, which isn’t something Boscha understands at all, and Willow ends up teaching her how to be more of a person than a weapon, even just leading by example.

Much to Willow’s complete disbelief, (she swears to Luz the box is broken and they’re doomed), Amity is the heart. Amity doesn’t really believe it either. Strength would’ve been Okay, but personally she would’ve picked the attribute of intelligence for her. It was like the box went through all the effort of looking into their souls and didn’t even bother to check her report card. Ludicrous. It doesn’t help her that her time in wartwood is miserable for a good deal of the start. For the first time in her life Amity isn’t perfect, and it’s all because there’s nothing to be perfect at in this stupid little town. She should have all the frogs praising her superiority, but literally None Of Them are impressed by her in the slightest. They didn’t even have a school!

The only thing Amity took to quickly in Wartwood was the town motto, resolving that she would be even slower to respect the citizens of Wartwood than they would her. This started off a bit of a rivalry between her and the town, but the longer she had the horrible influence of her parents replaced by the well meaning nagging from her frog siblings, and the more time she spent not being perfect because for once in her life she literally couldn’t be, she started to think it wasn’t so bad after all, and the little rivalry between her and the town became much less of a real one, and a lot more of the friendly banter type, though she couldn’t recall ever making a concious choice to do so it just sorta... happened.

Eventually she starts to think about the school she was initially so annoyed didn’t exist, and begins to wonder if really no one is gonna do anything about it being in ruins. Eventually, she starts going over to the ruined building and reading to whatever kids in wartwood were in the mood to listen. before she knew it she had built up the closest thing to a school Wartwood had in a while, and where she once would have felt a smug pride, she only felt a casual happiness that was new to her, but not entirely unpleasant.

Luz never would have considered herself good at any of the three options. She knows she’s not strong so that’s out. All the kids at school think she’s weird and she has no friends so she really doesn’t think the whole “heart” thing works in any capacity. But the only thing left besides that would be intelligence, and she’s had enough students and teachers alike call her out for being an idiot that she’s absolutely confident that isn’t it. It doesn’t help that since she’s with Eda, who actually knows what the box is, she ends up worrying over what she’s supposed to be from the very start. She spends a lot of the time before the valley opens up thinking the box made a mistake, and since she didn’t have any of the attributes it wanted it wouldn’t work again at all.

In the end she only finds out what she’s supposed to be through process of elimination. Knowing Willow is strength and Amity is heart she finally comes to the realization that she’s supposed to be intelligence, and her confidence crumbles. Of all the options that’s the one she’d been hoping it wouldn’t be the most. How could so many people be wrong after all? It was pretty unanimous back home that she didn’t really have much going on upstairs, and after hearing it enough time she had gotten around to believing it. Her path in the story largely focuses on coming to terms with her own worth, despite her insecurities and the weight of everything she’s ever heard to the contrary constantly on her mind.

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closer-stars · 3 years

Text

Heart of Depth (2)

Member: Yeosang Genre: Action, Slice of Life, Fantasy, Fluff, a little tension. Genshin Inspired AU Word Count: ~12k Requested: Sort of yeah Content: Yeosang x MC development. More world building. Food stuff. A little bit of crime stuff, some history, some art info dump, some typical genshin shenanigans Note: this was done way before, I’m already 90% done with part 3 but I kinda got bored while focusing on IRL things that i decided to post this. Enjoy folks. Network: @ateezlovenet Tag list: @barsformars @miniyeo @jeongyunhoed @yeekies @yeotlny @frankenstein852 @shinyddeonghwa @prodbyteez @yeochikin @yeocult @harubirus

Part 1

It’s been a few weeks since Wooyoung finally met Yeosang. While Wooyoung was mostly impressed with his background, there were a lot of mixed feelings from your end. For starters, he doesn’t stop talking about Yeosang and his job to you.

“Listen, he’s loaded.” Wooyoung tells you back in your apartment. It’s not that you didn’t believe him, in fact you did. It’s just the way Wooyoung is processing the entire thing made it seem unrealistic. Since Wooyoung found out he works at one of the most popular art museums in the region, he’s been pestering you about it nonstop.

“Wooyoung, I’m not saying that I don’t believe you but really, with the clothes he wears and how he carries himself, it’s not unbelievable that he’d be rich…” You say as you make yourself a cup of instant coffee. To most, they’d be surprised with how you choose to make instant coffee when you know how to make other types of coffee with ease. It’s just more convenient and less work for your head. It won’t give you the same caffeine boost as the coffee you make in your work but it’ll do for now.

“And you didn’t tell me this because…?” He trails off, dumbfounded at how you were so nonchalant about this. Well, maybe nonchalant isn’t the right word but you were a little too unaffected about this. He has a feeling that there’s more to this man, he just can’t place what it is exactly. Wooyoung does find the guy trustworthy, but there’s still something beneath the surface and that’s what bothers him.

You raise your shoulders at his question. “I just.. Didn’t see any point in telling you? Like, Wooyoung let’s be real,” you say as you write down how much you’ve made today. “What’s him being rich got to do with us? He’s a good person yeah but at least his money keeps my shop afloat with his daily purchases. If he wants me to make bulk orders then I’ll gladly consider it.”

He had to give that to you, your business was doing great too, judging by the money on the table. But he can’t help it, there’s something about Yeosang that tells him he’s not as regular as he makes himself out to be. There’s only so much that research and studying can tell you but to be able to talk about history as if he’s been there to experience it firsthand? Sounds fishy. He drops the topic though, seeing how you’re starting to struggle with the money. “So slow.” Wooyoung teases as he gets the cash box from you, as he starts to flip through the bills.

You roll your eyes at his teasing, kicking his shin under the table. “Even if I was slow, you enjoy my food and drinks so either way, we’re even.” You shoot back. You count the stacks he makes on the table and do the basic math that your brain can comprehend. Despite how infuriating he can get, you have to admit he’s really someone you can depend on.

Something in Wooyoung’s head clicks when he realizes that this was your closing routine every night. “You’re closing up early today?.” He asks, looking up at you from the stacks of coins. “Yeah uh,” You stammer out. “I’m uh, meeting up with someone..” You mumble. Even to you, it feels unreal that you’re catching feelings for someone. Someone who honestly just feels way too out of your league. Yet, here he is, sharing the same interest towards you and he’s about to see you in two hours time.

The mention of the date makes Wooyoung’s eyebrow quirk upwards, a lopsided smile on his features growing. “Oh, with Yeosang?” He asks, crossing his arms across his chest. If he could take a photo of you sulking at him, he would for future blackmail purposes-- he’d also send it to Yeosang.

The mention of the man that has been making your heart race a little more than it should makes you hit his calf with the tip of your shoe. He doesn’t yelp so you coat the tips of your fingers with ice and tap the back of his neck, giving you the reaction you wanted. “Yes, it’s with him and please…” you already know what he was about to say, so you beat him to it. “I doubt it would blossom into something more..” Even to you, you don’t sound that convincing. You hope for something more but you know better.

At how flustered you look, he can’t help but chuckle lightly. It’s nice to see you show interest in someone in that light. Even if he’s still a little hesitant about Yeosang’s energy, he wants to trust your judgement. If anything happens, you know how to defend yourself. “I won’t push. You know what I’ll say anyways.” Once everything’s been accounted for, the two of you close up the shop for the night then head home.

The entire walk home, you let Wooyoung recount the conversation he had with Yeosang when they met. You wondered too how Yeosang and San found your best friend. The two of you were opposites but somehow it made sense. At one point, you kind of zone out of his stories, thinking of what to wear for tonight.

Wooyoung doesn’t really mind you zoning out. The two of you appreciate the alone time, you more than him sometimes. In a sense, it also helps Wooyoung to make sense of his thoughts when he thinks out loud.

The two of you arrive at your apartment and already you make a beeline to your room. You got roughly an hour to prepare now.

“Just wear something comfortable.” Yeosang reassures.

“Yeosang, comfortable can mean sweats or just jeans.” You point out, while you also had slacks, those were usually set aside for more formal stuff.

“Fine, not sweats.” He laughs softly only to stop at the look of mild panic in your face. “I promise, it’s nothing expensive.”

You mutter as you change out of your work clothes and into something more appropriate. You wiggle around your room, trying to find something appropriate and it’s a little unfortunate that you room has become a little messy from all the clothes you’ve been trying on. It took a little while to look presentable but you think you did well once you give yourself a once over on the mirror.

Wooyoung already barged into your room, already nagging you for taking so long. “You got less than an hour to get to your--- oh my god your room.” He says, his features dropping into one of horror as he takes in how your room looks.

“I’ll clean it up when I get back.” You beat him to it as you grabbed your bag. “What do you think?” You ask, shifting his attention from your room to you. His eyes scan your look closely then eyes your accessories. Without even saying anything else, he goes through the mess and picks up another bag.

“This goes better with your outfit.”

“Isn’t it a bit too big?”

“Who are you going on a date with tonight?”

“It’s not a date--”

“Who?”

You sigh. “Yeosang, so?”

“Use it. I’m telling you, that guy has a lot of money on him. You might bring home more things than expected.” He points out. “Also, make sure you wear your boots.” It made sense that Wooyoung would have more fashion sense than you. It just did.

“I’m not bringing him home!” You take the bag regardless and put your belongings in it.

He snorts at how you understood his words. “Not like that! I do trust you’d do it responsibly! But, that’s not my point. Just have fun okay?” He walks you towards the door. “If anything happens, call me.”

At his shift from insufferable to endearing, you decide to spoil him with a peck to his cheek. “I know. I brought a spare key also in case you get too tired from staying up.”

He scoffs at your words. “Go, have fun.”

---------

It was short sighted of you to forget to bring a jacket. The area Yeosang told you to meet him at was rather chilly especially at night. As you wait for him, you look around, the shops that lined up across you looked expensive. Did you bring enough money? Well you had a credit card but you only used it for emergencies. You doubt you could even buy one item from any of these shops. Maybe one day.

[ Yeosang to You ] Are you there?

[ You to Yeosang ] Yes! Are you here already? curious_ryan

You don’t know why you added an emoji to your message but you did. Once sent, you look around for the familiar black haired male.

[ Yeosang to You ] 2 minutes.

You lean against the wall, eyes still roaming around for the tall man. Truthfully, you wondered where he could be and what he was wearing since this was his idea after all. It’s up to what he wears that could decide if you wore too much or too little. You spot the raven-haired man from a few feet away; in a striped pull over and slacks as well. Though it looked just as casual as he said it would, his shoes seemed to make his outfit look more put together. You hope you looked okay. Once he gets a little closer, you wave your hand a bit to get his attention and it does.

“There you are.” He says softly, tipping his head politely to you. You take a few steps forward, greeting him warmly. It felt a little weird to meet him outside work but that’s the reason why the two of you are here.

“How was work?” You ask him, just like how you would back in your shop.

He gestures for you to walk with him, wherever it will be. “Same as per usual; scheduling field trips for high school students, collections from other countries and collectors coming in, restoring a few pieces and the like.” He returns with what you could assume was an exasperated sigh.

“It sounds like it was more than just the usual.” You point out as you look at the stores. “Where are we going exactly?”

“It’s the usual for me I suppose, maybe except for the field trips. Other than that, it’s routine for me.” You remember how he would talk about art restoration along with art collections coming in from foreign partners. It wasn’t an easy task for sure, maybe that’s why he didn’t mind staying for hours in the shop. “As for your question, there’s a small night market outside this mall. Nothing too flashy, just a lot of unique things that you might like as well.” You genuinely didn’t take him to be someone who would be into markets, based on his outfit that he feels your surprised gaze on him. “Is something wrong?” He asks. You shake your head at his concern.

“I just didn’t take you to be the type to like markets.” Well, for one, you know he’s rich and he’s wearing clothes that you can only assume are made to order. Two, even if you don’t really listen to Wooyoung’s insistent ‘He’s Rich and here’s Why’ tirades, you picked up a thing or two from it.

He takes no insult from your words and actually laughs behind a loose fist. “I’ve received those words a lot in the past. To be honest, it’s thanks to San and his lover that I’m more open to things now.” Back then, he was still in the dark about what the people like, intellectualizing everything to the point of disconnect. It took them having to explain things to him over and over until he understood things. “Though, old habits do die hard.” He continues, referring to his clothes. “But I have learned a lot.”

There’s something in his words that tells you there’s more. Your attention shifts to his clothes as he gestures to his pullover. You catch a glimpse of the brand name and in doing so, your heart drops. You know that name. An outfit there can cover two months worth of rent for your shop. Maybe even the bills.

That’s how the rest of the night goes: Yeosang showing you around the market, showing you various treats to the senses. There were various stalls that you fell for, buying a few of their products but you stopped yourself from over indulging in the purchases-- some merely out of impulse, some for the mere fact it just looked pretty. “Why don’t you buy it?” Yeosang asks as he catches you eyeing a small bottle of perfume.

“Hm?” You aren’t startled by his strange ability to slip in and out of your sight every so often now. This market has such a vast amount of products, that one would easily lose sight of their companions if they didn’t pay attention. Thankfully, he was tall enough for you to find him when needed. “Oh, well, I still have a bottle I use back at home. I don’t think I need another one just yet.” You shift your gaze to him, and you see he has bought quite a number of items. “Do you want to eat dinner already?”

“I was about to ask you. It is rather late.” He notes with a glance at his watch.

“Let’s go? I’m kind of hungry now as well.”

“Any preference?” He asks, offering his arm for you to hold to which you don’t turn down.

“As long as it isn’t anything expensive.”

--------

Now why did this restaurant look expensive?

You were seated a little further inside the establishment. The seats were comfortable, privacy was assured and the music playing overhead wasn't Today’s Top 40. You were certain it was jazz. “I thought I said anything that isn’t expensive..” You say, unknowingly pouting at the man across you.

“Consider this as thanks.” He says simply, not even looking up from the menu. The in-house steak sounds lovely, especially at this time.

You look up from the menu, confused at his words. “For what?” You don’t remember what you did to result in such a lavish meal-- you don’t even remember what you ate for breakfast today. A small part of you wishes Wooyoung could be here too, he would’ve loved to try out the dishes here.

“Putting trust in me to be considered a good friend of yours.” Yeosang says, it’s only then that he looks up from his menu. “Have you decided on what to eat?” He shifts the conversation to you upon noticing the confusion still etched on your face.

“Uh, well. I’m not sure what I should order” Also known as, everything’s expensive but also they sound good. You were bouncing between the pasta, beef and the fish, unsure of which one would be better for you.

“Anything that you were eyeing?” He presses. Odd enough, he can tell when you’re holding your tongue now. While he doesn’t force you to say what’s really in your mind at times, you’re human, your body has limits as well. An empty stomach carries repercussions that would probably have Wooyoung on his head.

At his question, you tell him your options. He asks about your diet preferences and your appetite for the night until he finds a good dish for you for tonight. Once all that is over, the two of you are left alone once again. “So, my dear, what did you get in the market?” He asks you, leaning a little forward, hoping for a bit of a peek into what fancied your interests.

You look at the small bags that came with your purchases, wondering which one first to show him. “Oh I just got those small perfume bottles,” you start, pulling the box out of the bag. “It’s not much but it was such a lovely scent.” You start to gush over the purchase. It took you some time to decide on purchasing it, as it was your last purchase for the night.

He picks up the box, looking at the details of the perfume, noting all the things about it. Truthfully, he didn’t think you were into this but he’s up for surprises from you. Also, San’s into this brand as well, he didn’t think they made perfume bottles in such small sizes. He hands back the perfume to you, a pleasant hum leaving his curved lips. There’s always something for him to learn.

“What about you?” You ask him as you keep your purchase away. “What did you buy?”

Yeosang looks at the small bag he had by his side. He lets you bring it out of the bag. You peek inside first, confused to see a few envelopes of varying sizes. “What are these? Are you sure I can open these?” You ask, picking a small envelope, the length just roughly around the same as your hand. When you see him nod, you carefully pull up the flap. Being greeted by a strip of colored paper behind a cream colored paper confused you, so you carefully pull it out of its confines only to gasp at the quality.

It’s a watercolor painting. It looks like a flower, something you’ve never seen before. The color was soft against the cream paper yet it was so lively, as if you could tell how the petals could feel under your fingertips. He sees the shock on your face, smiling a little at the sight of how wide your eyes get. “They’re all paintings, you can look through whatever fancies your curiosity.” His words make you feel like a deer in the headlights.

“Where did you get these? I didn’t see an artist in the market…” You mumble in thought. You’d like to get one for your shop too. “What flower is this?” You ask Yeosang, holding up the painting you initially chose. Finding entertainment in watching how you look at art results in his eyes taking a while to adjust to the art in front of him.

“Ah this, it’s called a Névé Jewel. It’s rare to find them now but the artist, a good friend of mine in the market knows of the flower and managed to create this painting. No one else seemed to want it so I got it for myself along with a few other works.” He explains. “If you wish to have work made by him, I can easily arrange that should he leave the market after we’re done with dinner.” As he was about to continue his explanation, the food started to arrive. As you return his purchases, you check the time, it didn’t take as long as you would’ve thought. The flash of warm light from your phone catches his attention. Even at an angle, he can kind of depict what the photo is. “Apologies for the question but is that your family?”

After thanking the staff for serving your meals, you let him see your wallpaper, though you cover the image of a child you from his view. “Yeah, it’s an old photo of my parents, and I.”

“How are they now?” He asks, studying the photo like he would with artwork. The sunlight casting shadows over your mother’s hat, your father squinting through the glare, probably done at high noon. The wall definitely was a product of its time, bricks but covered over with a huge mural. He’s unsure if this was shot here or in another country, regardless, it’s evident it came from a much simpler time.

“Well…” There’s something in your voice that makes Yeosang quiet. The wistful tone is something he knows too well and not something he wants to bring at the first dinner with you. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked such a question.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, we can change the subject.” He immediately adds after the gap. He gestures at your meal, not wanting it to go cold.

You shake your head at his concern. “It’s okay, it’s been roughly a decade now.” You explain as you pick up your utensils. “They’ve passed on now, it’s why I live with Wooyoung.” After your family’s passing, Wooyoung’s family took you in as one of theirs. It’s why you and Wooyoung can pass off as siblings now.

As he takes makes sure he gets a spoonful of the pasta, he smiles a little at your words. “If you didn’t tell me that the two of you weren’t related, I would’ve thought otherwise.” Yeosang’s voice takes on a teasing tone, a subtle attempt to bring back a smile of joy on your features.

You make a face, carrying no malice but rather fake annoyance. “Oh dear, that means he’s rubbed off on me.” You carefully cool off your meal before tasting it. It really was a good idea to bring a few extra in your wallet. “What about you? What’s your family like?”

“Well,” He takes a moment or two to eat before continuing. “I suppose, just like you, they’ve passed on when I was younger. It’s been just San and I since then.” People he considered to be his family have passed on, or have retired from the outside world. Regardless, it has left him in a rather lonely state at times. While there are memories he is fond of, who else is there to share these memories?

The two of you share stories, at least the happier ones, about each other’s families. How it was your dad who instilled in you an affinity for art, your mom teaching you history a little more entertaining than your teachers did. Yeosang shares his stories as well, his brother being a reason for his inquisitive nature that eventually grew into his work. He also talks of how his older teacher taught him the tricks and trades of business. Despite living well off, it was really his siblings who had more or less raised him as his parents were often or rather always, working. Eventually the business of art rested on his shoulders, as he was the only one who had an interest in it. You wondered if he was aware of how much money the business gave him before he signed into this. Come to think of it, there’s only two families that have a hold on the art business. Surely he’s from one of them?

Come to think of it, you still don’t know his last name.

“Are you alright? Is the food okay?” He asks you after the stories have ended. That’s when you realized that you had spaced out in your thoughts in the middle of the meal. “Huh? Oh! Yes, i’m fine. Sorry I was thinking...” You continue to eat what’s left of your meal. “Because you said you took over the art business in the museum right? There’s only two families I can think of that has a hold on the art business industry here: Kang and Song.”

He chuckles lightheartedly, a little pleased to know that even until now his family is this impactful. “Ah, the Song. They’re a lovely bunch, the next in line is rather clumsy outside of formalities, it’s rather cute to see.” His comment makes you stare at him in disbelief. That leaves the option left is Kang. Kang Yeosang.

You’re eating with The Kang Yeosang.

The Kang family has been a pioneer in art restoration especially in works prior to the 1400s. Their own art collection were always pieces hard to find anywhere else-- either due to human’s hubris or due to nature, the way they’re able to keep them in pristine condition as much as possible. You don’t know how they’re able to find some of the artifacts, or how they have the rarest pieces but it’s one of the reasons why they’ve amassed such wealth. Curating in a popular museum, restoring old pieces, tours from not only students but also from diplomats, scholars while being funded to keep security at its peak by the government. It makes sense. It’s been a dream of yours to work in the National Museum and here you are, eating dinner with the owner of what could be more than 60% of the collection in the museum.

He watches the gears in your head click and the realization set in your eyes. He says nothing but flash a bright smile once he knows you know the answer. “I hope this doesn’t complicate our friendship.” He admits earnestly.

You reassure him, with much fervor that it doesn’t. It just makes you respect him a lot more. It’s not easy to keep a bit of a low profile and privacy yet he’s able to do so. Shit, Wooyoung’s right then, a mental note to make up for your lack of reaction and doubt was stored away. So the rest of the meal goes by with you asking Yeosang how it is to handle a museum, knowing how things have been lately.

He sighs a little, the recent rise in art theft has been the bane of his existence since day 1. The amount of artworks he had to keep from sticky fingers, the security of those works is where a good portion of his money goes. He fears the day more works end up in the wrong hands. “We do what we can. It’s not easy but we’ve upped the security in and out of the premises.” He reassures you. There’s comfort in meeting someone who loves art just as much as he and the staff outside of work. “Maybe in the near future, I can give you a private tour.” He casually passes his credit card to a staff member, as both of you are now finished with the meal.

If he was asking you on a date, it’s already a yes in your book.

“I’d like that.” You admit, unable to hide the excited grin on your lips. “Though, as thanks for the meal. If you want dessert, can I pay for it this time?” He didn’t give you enough time to react to the fact he had just paid for your meal. Might as well make up for it, somehow.

On the way to a dessert spot, the two of you decide to stop by the market in hopes of seeing his friend. “Oh hey!” Yeosang’s friend greets him upon realizing who’s right in front of him as he puts away some of his earnings from a recent sale.

“Hey Seonghwa, so my friend here discovered your works and wanted to see them so I brought them here.” The man next to you explains. You see some of his works on display, all of them were in various sizes, some bigger than the pieces Yeosang had bought. Yeosang catches the curious gaze of his friend on you then at him to which Yeosang shakes his head, not wanting to keep anyone's hopes up.

��They’re so pretty…” You say softly as you gaze at the larger pieces in awe. Seonghwa has created watercolor pieces of scenery, places you have yet to see, some look dreamlike. The smaller pieces are of various plant life, one of them looks similar to the flower piece you peeked at from Yeosang’s purchases earlier. “How much are the small works?”

Seonghwa looks at the general direction of your gaze. “The flowers are fifty thousand while the terrain’s at sixty thousand.” You weren’t so surprised at the prices but you had to pick one or the other.

Your lips press into a thin line in thought. “What do you think, Yeosang?” You ask. “I’m thinking of hanging one of them up in my shop.” Truthfully, the flowers would look good considering the plants you’ve cared for in your shop. The terrain on the other hand would stand out in all the good ways.

“Perhaps the floral one would suffice. It suits the ambiance of your shop as well.” Yeosang notes. You trust his judgement with this-- he handles a museum after all, and you fish out your wallet.

“That’s a lovely bracelet you got there.” Seonghwa gasps, awed by the beauty. He knows what that is, eyes flitting to the archon a little too quickly before shifting again to you. His words bring you flattery that you accept.

“It’s from my mom.” You simply explain, ears a little pink from the sudden attention on you. The blond male doesn’t miss your bashful ears that he chuckles lightly behind his hand and drops the topic.

“Your mother has quite an eye.” He simply says as he hands you your change. “Thank you for buying a work from me.” With that said, the two of you make your way to an ice cream parlor.

You let Yeosang look at the various flavors on display. “Before anything, I’m paying.” You remind him. It’s how determined you are to repay his kindness that produces a light laugh from him.

“Very well.” He returns his attention to the display, pondering on his options for the moment. “I’ll get the injeolmi and red bean in a cup. Two scoops please?” He asks. He stays by your side as you order, curious by the other flavors. If he remembers right, San loves the mint chocolate with the popping candy.

As you wait for your turn, your phone buzzes with a message.

[ Wooyoung to You ] How are you?

You smile at his worry.

[ You to Wooyoung ] Cheeky_ryan.emoji

[ You to Wooyoung ] One of these days, you need to go here with me. It’s so pretty here.

[ You to Wooyoung ] Also buying ice cream right now hehe.

You pay for your orders, and let Yeosang choose a spot to sit for the next hour or so. You put your purchases right next to you as your lips widen into a giddy smile. It’s been a while since you last had ice cream too.

“Oh yeah. Now that we’ve settled in a good spot in this shop.” He hands you the same envelope that had the terrain you were in turmoil over earlier. “Consider it a gift.” He reasons when he sees how you were about to turn down such an offer. A smile of triumph brightens his entire face when he sees you give in to his request. You look cute sulking at him when you know you can’t turn down his offers. “The thing Seonghwa noticed, he’s got a good eye for jewelry.” It took eons for him to have such specialized sight but it’s been an asset since he could remember. “It’s something your mother gave you, yes?”

You show him the bracelet from your seat. “It’s an ancestral piece,” You admit. It’s the most watered down way you can explain without showing too much of yourself to someone. Since their death, you’ve become a lot more private about your family life when it pertains to them, but when it comes to your family life with Wooyoung you can easily talk about it. Here’s the kicker though, why were you so willing to share things with him?

Honestly, you didn’t know the whole name of the bracelet. You only vaguely remember it being called Aurora so that stuck with you until now. At night, the pearl shines brighter, when you use your cryo vision for whatever reason, the light inside the pearl pulsates. In a well lit room like where you are, it looks like an average pearl. It was one of the things your mother told you to hold dear before seeing them for the last time.

The male senses your inability to remember clearly along with your discomfort. A part of him reprimands himself for letting his desire to know get the better of him. You are your own person. He has to remind himself of this over and over. “You don’t have to tell me everything, I do respect your privacy.” He says softly.

“Yeosang?” You ask. The tone makes him stiffen, worried for having hurt you in such a short span of time.

“Yes?”

You prod at your ice cream for a moment, trying to find the words. “I mean, considering how historical the museum is. Has there been times where artworks have been stolen?” It was a valid question, most museums you know through the years have attempted thievery one way or another. Some works never find their way back home; you wondered if the same has happened to his museum.

“Oh of course.” There’s a bit of relief in hearing you shift the conversation. A little bit of dread since this is a difficult thing to deal with. “Before I became the head, a group did an art heist. Around ten works were stolen, until now we don’t know where they are.”

This somehow surprises you. You know how tight the security is in that museum even without knowing Yeosang’s hand in the museum, the security there was rather strict too. “What?”

“Yes, a number of works that are considered rarities were stolen. Not a lot of people know that these artists did such works either.” Under the jurisdiction of his predecessor, they kept the frames of the missing works up, hoping that one day they’ll get them back. Yeosang knows otherwise at this point. “Truthfully speaking, I have my doubts they’ll return in one piece if at all.” Yeosang continues. “It’s been decades, if I remember right, since those works were stolen.” Artworks gone for decades usually end up in the same place one way or another. If they’re lucky, they know where it is. The only problem is revealing how they know and why they know, usually.

As he tells you about the works, you search them up on your phone. These are works centuries before you were born only to be stolen decades before your birth. Despite the time difference, the impact it left on the art world seems to be immense. It explains the growing levels of security in museums around the world, among many other things.

“How do you know of these artworks? I haven’t heard of them.”

“With the people I work with, I have to know information like this.” Well that makes sense but why does he talk of these works as if he’s seen them?

“But, it’s been...what.. Decades? Since it’s been seen, how is your memory that clear?” The way he describes it as you look at the painting on your phone, you pick up on details you would have missed but there’s something in his words that tells you something more.

He stares at you, sweat already forming at the back of his neck as he tries to come up with a logical excuse. “I have the records, also the internet gives us the nearest accurate rendering of the paintings.” He explains, gesturing to your phone screen that displays one of the mentioned works.

He’s got a point and you drop the topic. After a few more minutes of looking at the painting, you turn away from your phone, shifting your attention to your ice cream and to him.

“The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovksy”

“Judith Beheading Holofornes by Artemisia.. I don’t know how to pronounce her last name..” It was a little embarrassing that you didn’t know how to pronounce these names but you couldn’t really help but love the work.

That was something he didn’t expect. He looks up the work you mentioned, along with the artist’s name, wanting to avoid possible confusion. “Ah, this work?” He asks, as he shows you his phone. At the sight of the work, you nod shyly but the spark in your eyes overpowers the bashful nature on your cheeks. He gives it a good look for a moment or two, studying what he can from such a small screen. The blood in the work’s dynamic, actively spurting out from the male’s neck while the women wrestle to keep him down to finish the act. The women don’t look disgusted by the action at all, rather they look determined. “Why so?” It’s uncommon but not rare, for people to like works that were rather morbid. He just didn’t take you to be someone to appreciate works like this.

You gnaw on your spoon for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. Truthfully, you find it a little embarrassing to admit that this is your favorite work, not things like The Milkmaid by Vermeer or something more calming. “Uh, well,” you start off. “It’s not everyday really, that I see works made by women. Especially with the subject being someone who’s determined even in doing something morbid.” The reason behind the painting was just as violent, but could’ve been cathartic to the artist herself. To you, you want to do the same to those who have hurt you and your family. But hey, who would talk about that the first time they hang out right? “What about you?” You shift the topic almost immediately. “Why The Ninth Wave?”

Yeosang takes this moment to think for a moment or two, wondering what he should say. “Well,” he starts before scooping a small mouthful of the ice cream. “Seeing the ocean be so dynamic isn’t an everyday thing.” He lets the ice cream melt in his mouth for a moment before continuing. “People tend to forget that the ocean while giving, can take. We’re at its mercy, whether we like it or not. It’s a good reminder I suppose, that we’re not as invincible as we think we are.”

You look closer at the artwork. It’s a handful of men, clinging onto what looks like planks of wood as they face a wave that looks tamed. You wonder why it’s called the Ninth Wave, seeing that the painting was washed with soft pinks, warm bright yellows and various shades of blues and greens. It looks much more peaceful than the description Yeosang gave.

“A little ironic isn’t it?” He muses. A sheen of blue glowing softly in his eyes as he watches you study the painting with confusion. “You see, it’s an old sailing expression that means that another wave is coming. After the previous eight that were already big, the ninth one coming, much bigger than the last eight. The worst has yet to come but storm through it and then there will be peace.” He gestures to the faint wave just by the line of horizon. Indeed there’s still one more but the skies promise peace should they get through it.

You jolt in your chair when you see what time it is. You’re hoping Wooyoung’s already asleep back in the apartment. “I’m sorry, but I have to head home. It’s already late and I usually open the shop early.” You explain as you stand up. Yeosang looks at you with alarm as you nearly stumble from the rush.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“What?”

“It’s late isn’t it? Going home alone isn’t safe, I’ll drive you home.”

--------

That’s how you ended up in his car, breezing through the wide streets as you direct him to where you live. “You don’t have the app?” You ask him as your eyes dart from building to building. You’ve been so used to using the trains and walking that you don’t really spend time looking up to see the bright signages and other restaurants. More things to explore in the future, perhaps.

“What app?” Yeosang asks as he weaves through corners and light traffic. You take that as a cue to explain to him that there’s this app that tells you where to go when traffic in the main roads are too heavy or when an accident has happened to be aware of and the like. All of this while you eat what’s left of your ice cream. Though you did have to explain as well that while you don’t see any use for the app, Wooyoung’s workmate, Yunho, uses it and it’s been helpful for him when he oversleeps.

Yeosang chortles at the reasoning. “Well, I might use that app then despite not being the type to oversleep.” He spots your apartment building, based on your descriptions earlier. “I suppose that is your place?” He looks around. This seems to be a few stops away from your coffee shop. The more he learns, he supposes.

You sent Wooyoung a quick text saying you’d be home in five minutes should he still be awake. “Yes! That’s the building, you can just drop me off here.” You say as you look out the window to make sure there weren't any cars coming so you could hop off.

“I’ll drive you there, just sit tight.” He reassures. The drive was smooth, stopping just by the entrance of the apartment complex with a pleasant smile. “At least I can tell San that I can still make a drive be pleasant.” At his words, you raise a questioning eyebrow at him. “Another story for another time, I’ll see you again soon I hope?” He asks.

“Of course.” You return as you hop off the car. “Stay safe please?” You ask, as you wave at him. He shoots you this smile, and it’s enough to make your heart skip a beat. Too much that you have to remind yourself that the two of you are just friends, that regretting not having given him a kiss is not very friend-like. You watch him drive off until you can’t see the car anymore, by then you head inside back to the safety of your own abode.

--------

He arrives home, his mind still replaying the way you looked so flustered before he left. You were lovely in his eyes, that much he can admit. He tosses the keys on to the table. His coat shrugged off and hung somewhere. Coming home to an empty apartment after being with company and bright lights is a little disorienting. Maybe he should really invest in softer lighting for his home. He switches the lights on, and heaves a tired sigh. It’s been a long day but it was a fun one. Should he consider having you and Wooyoung room with him here? Granted, he already has a room for San whenever he’s in the mood for company as well. It’s been a ritual for him as well to let his place become a haven for those who have been injured through out the years. Perhaps that’s another thought for another day.

As he prepares himself a cup of tea, he goes through the current happenings around him. It was a little alarming that reports of crime were shooting up, some of which bearing certain similarities that he hopes the officials catch soon. The crimes reported haven’t changed regardless of the presence of a god’s protection. He’ll also have to talk to the security in the museum to keep anything from being stolen.

This reminds him to check on any emails concerning the museum and their upcoming events. Most of them were updates of planned exhibitions with other museums outside the country, along with events in partnership with brands in the country. It was rather tiresome really, same routine with every museum, every shop, anything to keep the museum running in ethical ways. Though he wonders how the gardens in the museum are coming along, the seasons are slowly changing and this means that some plants will have to be changed in order to keep up with appearances and health.

His cup of tea was finally ready when he remembered to send you a message.

[ Yeosang to You ] Hey, I’m finally home. I had fun today :)

No less than five minutes did you manage to return the text.

[ You to Yeosang ] I’m glad, I had fun too~ Sleep well!

He finds himself smiling at your reply as he takes a sip. He had a feeling that tonight, he’ll be able to sleep well.

Unknown to him and the rest of the staff, a small bud was already growing.

--------

“I got a proposition for you.”

Whenever Wooyoung has those words come out of his mouth, you were sure it wasn’t a good idea. Regardless of the fear, you entertain his thoughts. “And what is it?” You ask, your focus on the ceramic mug that you dry in your hands.

“What if I work with you here?” You were thankful for your reflexes for not falling lax at such an offer. The idea of Wooyoung working with you was okay to put it nicely but there was an important question you had to raise.

“Why?” You ask him as you keep the clean mug away. It was a Wednesday, which meant business runs slow. This is also the reason as to why Wooyoung was in your shop and not at home catching up on sleep.

“For starters, you work alone.” He says, raising his pointer finger. “Two, you’re practically dating Yeosang by now.” He raises his middle finger and it takes all your will power to not freeze his fingers off his hand. “Three, I want to help you with your work.” You admit, he’s got a good heart but you still want to freeze his hand off.

“Do I have time to think about this?” You ask, keeping an eye on the students who seem to be preparing for a final just a few tables away from you.

“Well, yeah you do cause you pretty much call the shots in this place.” Wooyoung returns with a shrug. “It’s just an offer.” he reminds you. “Oh yeah, is Yeosang coming today?”

You eye him in confusion. “I hope so..? Why?”

“Hope so, huh.” He repeats, a smug grin on his lips.

At his teasings, you let a rush of icy wind brush past the back of his neck, cold enough that snowflakes appear when he touches the skin. “We’re not dating! And yes, i do hope he comes in today or at least I think he will?” He didn’t really send you any message that says he won’t be able to make it today so you were rather confused. Then again, he and Yeosang have started to become good friends as well. San, though impressed, was just as alarmed considering how mischievous Wooyoung could get.

“It’s nice to see Yeosang make friends outside his work. I’m glad you and Wooyoung came along.” San said as he watches Yeosang fall for Wooyoung’s jokes and tricks.

You on the other hand, were behind the counter, cleaning up the coffee machines. The high pitched laughter echoing in the room countered by embarrassed chuckles and feeble attempts to defend themselves. “You think so?” You ask.

San catches onto your light hearted sarcasm and giggles. “Yeah. Guess you can say, you kind of opened him up to a world beyond what he knew. He’s been insistent in learning trends.” He continues. “Oh and don’t tell him i told you but he also wants to learn how you make your coffee. He can never get it like you do. Don’t be surprised if he ends his work early just to ask you to teach him how to make coffee.”

By then the two of you knew it was Yeosang’s way of spending time with you whenever work allowed the two of you to do so.

“Not dating yet.” He takes the extra effort to emphasize the ‘yet’. “Kid, I’m telling you,” he continues, not paying any mind to the lasers that shoot out of your eyes due to being called a Kid. “The two of you are going to date sooner or later.”

Just as he finishes his sentence, San enters the premises. You stand up straight to welcome him just like any other customer but by now you also know his usual order. “Usual order?” You ask him, already ready to write his order on his cup.

He shoots the two of you a cheeky smile. “Yeah, for me and Yeosang.'' The cheeky smile turns a little bashful now as he eyes the treats on display. “Can I also get the lavender blueberry sponge cake, two slices, to go? Yeosang’s been stressed with meetings today.”

Hearing this, your eyebrows furrow in concern. “Would tea be better for him then?”

The male shakes his head. “Coffee might do him better for his work. If we got time to come by later, then yeah give him tea.” You and Wooyoung look at each other, slightly alarmed and worried for him but the explanation will come for another time.

“Sure thing. “ With the payments out of the way, San and Wooyoung catch up as you prepare his orders.

“Something up?” Wooyoung asks, rather worried to see San be this concerned for Yeosang and also look just as stressed.

San takes this moment to take a deep breath and deflate in his seat. “Some of the sponsors are being illogical along with some logistical problems for upcoming exhibitions so all of us are pressed for time and resources.” He runs his fingers through his hair, already tousled by the amount of times he’s been doing the same motion since this morning. “On top of that, a break in just happened near the museum so security measures have been heightened.” San says under his breath, not wanting anyone to overhear that statement.

Wooyoung looks at him in alarm, then looks at his phone for any updates on their area. He wonders if leaving you alone would be a good idea at this rate. “There’s nothing yet on social media..” He mutters, still concerned for you.

“The media’s on their way to cover the situation so give it around ten minutes.” San explains, by then you arrive at the table with his orders packed up for him to pick up and go.

“Tell Yeosang, I said hi?” You say as you watch the two of them, sensing the tension in the air. “Something wrong?”

San shakes his head for now. “Just the usual work stuff, thanks for the food, I have to get going now.” He picks up the bag and bids the two of you farewell. “I’ll send your regards as well.” He says before running out the door.

You glance at Wooyoung and he shows his phone to you. “Besides stressful work issues, a break in happened nearby so their stress hasn’t been anything nice.” You read through the news article: nothing valuable was taken but everything’s in disarray. Though the museum’s a little further down the road from the break in, and further away from your shop, you’re a little worried for your own shop’s security as well. You also know how protective Wooyoung is of you.

“Fine, you can work with me in this shop, your shift’s gonna depend on your availability as well since I know you have to create choreographies and teach them.” You state. He smiles a little too triumphantly this time, mostly due to the relief of knowing you’re safe and because he can keep you company as well. “This also means I have to teach you how to work these machines…” You note with a sigh, you were never confident in your teaching skills.

“Hey don’t lose faith in me. I pick up quickly, don’t I?” Wooyoung croons with a proud smile.

“Do you have a shift today in the studio?” You ask as you look through the cabinets.

“No why?” The answer to his question is an apron tossed in his direction.

“Good, I’m teaching you today then, get your butt over here,”

--------

The two of you crash onto the chairs after a long day of working. Wooyoung glances over at you as he rubs his sore muscles, wondering how you’re able to do this day in and day out, all alone. You don’t seem to be as fazed as he is, as all you do is stretch in your seat. “How do you do this on your own?” Wooyoung asks, now that it’s only the two of you in the shop.

“I have to.” You say simply. It’s rare for Wooyoung to hear you complain as well. This was something you wanted after all. The only complaints he hears from you are usually just muscle pain that he helps ease, and the occasional horror customer. Besides the occasional pet discussion, he never hears you complain over how hard your job is. Meanwhile, he always complains about his. Not that you minded them, some of them are rather valid. He was simply the type to externally process what happened before being able to move on.

He catches you often looking towards the door, in hopes of seeing Yeosang. “He hasn’t said anything yet huh?” He asks, a little sad for you as well. He knows how much you look forward to seeing him, even if you don’t say anything about it.

You shake your head, your phone’s been silent the entire day and with San’s explanation, it makes sense why he’d be busy. Maybe you can send him a message? But wouldn’t that disrupt his work?

“Just send it.” Wooyoung says, hanging his legs over the arm rest. Well, at least it’s not his shoes against the arm rest. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” Were you that transparent in his eyes?

You shoot him a pout but take out your phone. You didn’t think he’d send you a message now.

[ Yeosang to You ] Still in the shop?

“He just messaged me, asking if I’m still in the shop.” You say, blinking at the message, slightly surprised.

“Well, you are so let him in.” Wooyoung says, eyeing the door. The mentioned guy was standing outside the shop, clearly exhausted from a long day. His words confuse you as you still gaze at the phone screen so he takes the honor to unlock the door to let the man in, then lock it once more. “Didn’t think you’d be able to drop by after what San told us.” Your friend notes, noting the loosened tie. He wonders just how much he had to go through today.

It’s only by the time the wind chimes chirp of someone’s entrance that you look up from your phone. The man responsible for the weird heart racing you’ve been getting is in front of you but instead of letting out your frustrations, you heave a sigh of relief to see him alive in one piece. “You’re lucky we haven’t closed the place for the day.”

“Not like they could until they saw you.” Your best friend cuts in much to Yeosang’s delight.

“I see Wooyoung’s now working for you?” Yeosang says, as he takes a seat on the stool next to your table. A soft groan slips from his lips as he finally feels peace after a tiring day.

“Do you want anything?” Wooyoung offers, as you watch the two of them banter in front of you. You let Wooyoung take the lead for his order this time, wanting to see just how much he has picked up today.

“Earl grey tea-- do you guys still have a vanilla macaron?” Yeosang throws back as he removes his blazer, folding it over his arms.

“Gotcha.” He says simply, already getting to work.

“It’s on me.” You tell him as you slip towards the stool across him. He takes the chance to hold your hand, holding it close to his lips.

“I apologize for the late arrival, my dear. Work was not merciful today.” He mumbles softly against your skin. “I was looking forward to seeing you today at a preferably earlier time.” His voice clearly carried the stress of unexpected problems that you wonder what else went wrong after San’s visit. Wooyoung comes back with his order, already pulling up another stool to listen to Yeosang’s woes. “I won’t stay too long today, it’s been a long day and I’m sure the two of you had a busy day.” It was a little worrisome to see him try to keep his stress to a minimum when it’s already clearly nearing the limits. You wonder how much he kept from you the past few weeks.

You don’t notice the look Wooyoung gives you at how intimate you and Yeosang look. Your eyes are on Yeosang the entire time, his free hand taking a sip of the tea, tension in his shoulders easing at the warmth of the tea spreads around him. “Do you want to talk about it?” You ask carefully.

He shakes his head. “For another time, I promise I will fill you in on them.” He says. He opens his eyes after a while, and it shocks you how vividly blue his eyes are. They weren’t the striking ice blue the foreigners have, rather it’s a deep blue. The blue that reminds you of how vast and deep the world you live in is, you don’t know why that came into your mind but it did. But, why does it feel so familiar? “Are the two of you done cleaning for today?” He asks all of a sudden. The two of you look around and the only thing left was to take out the trash.

“Just need to take the trash out then we’re done for the day.”

“How will the two of you head home?”

Wooyoung and you look at each other, surprised by the question. “Well, we just take the train.” His eyes darken just a bit and you want to ask Wooyoung so badly if you’re seeing things. He shakes his head.

“That won’t do. The two of you can ride with me on the way home tonight.”

“I’m sorry?” The two friends ask at the same time, much to Yeosang’s amusement.

“It’s late, though I trust and know that the two of you can protect yourselves.” He starts, gesturing at the visions the two of you carry. “But it is late, the recent crimes have been spiking. Let me pay back your kindness through this at least.” He wasn’t leaving any room to sway his decision so the two of you take his offer. This time you take the responsibility to throw out the trash, the two of them waiting for you by the door.

You wonder what has been going on nowadays for them to be this worried. Frankly, while you were touched by such concern, you were also frustrated. You know how to protect yourself with or without your vision. You’re not the same helpless child that saw the atrocities of this world. Busy in your thoughts, you don’t see a figure keeping an eye on you from a distance. Just as you look at their direction, it disappears. The familiar feeling of dread doesn’t leave, it lingers and it makes your skin crawl. Quietly, you coat your hands with a thin sheet of ice as you make your way back to the two.

“You okay?” Wooyoung asks, noticing how alert you’ve become. He sees the ice around your fists and already he’s on high alert, looking around. Yeosang too notices the frost forming around your skin and wonders what you have encountered.

“Let’s go.” He simply states, making sure that you were walking next to him and Wooyoung. The way your features became so cloudy was a concern but he’ll have to ask Wooyoung for more information for another day. What matters now is your safety.

--------

It’s only in the safety of his car that Wooyoung starts to freak out again over how loaded Yeosang is. Maintenance for this car model isn’t easily affordable, especially for its size. Did you understand anything of what Wooyoung has been talking about? Vaguely. Yet Yeosang manages to answer everything with ease that you wonder just how much he knows beyond art, and history.

On the other hand, The ice around your fists has melted into puddles at your feet. “Sorry for the mess..” You say under your breath. Yeosang doesn’t miss a beat about it, saying that they’re rubber so it’s nothing that can be easily cleaned. His tea was already finished by the time the three of you were near your apartment.

Honestly, if his work hadn’t let him off so late, he could’ve already asked the question already but he’ll have to wait until he arrives outside your apartment. “He knows where we live?” Wooyoung asks, realizing that you didn’t have to give him directions.

“Yeah, he brought me home after our hangout last time, so I just directed him.”

He takes pride in his clear memory, smiling to himself as he can already picture the bashful smile of yours as Wooyoung looks at the two of you incredulously. “So when are you guys going to be officially dating?”

The question causes your heart to race once more, despite your calm exterior. Yeosang as well, appears composed. Yet, the shock of Wooyoung’s honesty can be felt in the car. “Well.” Yeosang speaks up. “That depends on our dear, here, if they would be okay with it.” Just in time, the car slows down to a stop outside your apartment complex.

You face Yeosang, with your heart beating fast, your hands feel cold even without the frost. “I-I’d like that.” You manage to sputter out.

“Thank heavens.” Wooyoung exclaims, eyeing the two of you like the relief of an impatient sibling.

“Can I fancy you to a date soon?” Yeosang says as he unlocks the car, giving Wooyoung the chance to look away from such an exchange.

Ever the cheeky guy, he stays and waits for your answer.

“I’d like that.” You repeat softly, you couldn’t believe yourself for being able to speak up after such a shocking twist of events.

“Lovely, I’ll update you then.” Yeosang promises, waving the two of you a good night.

Wooyoung then hooks his arm around your shoulder as the two of you head back into the safety of your apartment. “About time, the two of you became a thing, he keeps asking me how to properly court you.” He says much to your flustered state.

Will you be able to sleep tonight?

--------

On the way home, Yeosang’s phone rings. It’s San.

“Hello? I’m driving. Can this wait?”

“Depends, are you at a red light or not?” San asks. When San’s voice goes that deep, it’s serious. He eyes the stop light.

“53 seconds.”

“The officials found a symbol on the break in. They don’t know what it is yet but gave us a copy in case we see it somewhere.”

49.

“What is it?” Already, Yeosang feels his blood rush to his ears.

“It’s a severed triquetra symbol.” San doesn’t have to say anything else anymore after that as Yeosang lets out a growl.

It seems they’ve returned. The question is why. “I’ll be home by 5 minutes. 20 seconds on the red light. I’ll call you.” WIth that he hangs up, in time for the red light to turn green. While people forget the events, he doesn’t.

It’s been so long since the Abyss has acted up. The last being a few thousand years back. The last few immortals like him and San remember their deeds. The Abyss was responsible for a battle he had to fight that wiped out a huge land mass in the region he now resides in.

The question that disturbs him: Who or what are they looking for? Because as far as his memory remembers, they stop at nothing to get what they want.

--------

A field.

This is the second time you’ve been here. Around you were plants that you don’t see everyday, in fact some of these look very odd to you. As you look around, hoping to make sense of this dream, you see someone dipping their feet into the clear water.

Just as you approach them, they stand up. It was hard to make out what gender they were: the clothes hang onto them like water slowly freezing, nor did they carry any feature that could separate a man from a woman. They smile at you, as if they’ve been expecting you this entire time. “It’s nice to see you.” They say, voice soft and calming.

“Apologies for not introducing myself, I’m Aos. I’m sorry I didn’t make myself known a little sooner.” They say. The apology doesn’t make any sense to you as you continue to gaze at them.

Despite them having introduced themselves to you, the name still doesn’t ring a bell. They don’t seem fazed at all to see your questioning eyes on them, in fact, they chuckle lightly at how confused you look. You manage to get a better look of their eyes and it reminds you of the sky when the sun is barely above the horizon. “What’s happening?” You manage to ask after getting yourself out of your trance.

“Nothing really. This is just me reaching out to you and giving you my blessing.” Again, the figure speaks in riddles. The last time they did was when Wooyoung’s family took you in, shortly after you were given your vision. You wonder what was going to happen this time.

The world around you loses its color for a split second and neither of you miss this slip up. “It seems that you’ll wake soon. I won’t make this any longer then, this might be our last meeting. Take care of yourself” The color around you fades into greys and whites, yet they don’t. The way they bid you farewell, reminds you too much of your mother and it makes your eyes hot.

“When you get the chance, tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

Before you could make some sort of sense, you feel someone shaking you awake. “Hey.” Wooyoung’s voice rouses you awake, and you don’t miss the concern in his voice. “You were crying in your sleep.” He states, seeing how dazed your eyes are as you try to look around, startled.

That’s when you notice that you were holding onto your bracelet while sleeping, and he was right. Your pillow felt damp with your tears. “Weird dream.” You groan out as you wake yourself up for another day.

Your phone flashes at 6:30AM, why did Wooyoung wake you up earlier than usual? It’s only then that you realize that it was raining once more. Couldn’t you get a few more minutes of shut eye after such a weird dream? The groggy feeling takes a little longer to shake off but you eventually get yourself out of bed.

--------

“What’s your plan today?” At least you are finally looking a little more presentable as you enter the living room.

“Choreography teaching for an idol group this morning until afternoon. I can close up the shop for you if you got plans today.” Wooyoung says, teasing you a little now that you’re more awake.

It’s not hard to miss out on what he insinuates with such that you roll your eyes at him. “It’s not today yet,” referring to your date, “but I need to visit a few shops to buy some ingredients and other stuff by 5PM.” You had plans of opening the shop a little later the following day, wanting to change the interiors even by just a bit. That and having to stay up later than usual to bake and experiment with new recipes was starting to catch up with you.

“Yeah I can take over by then. I’ll be at the shop by 4:30.” Wooyoung promises. He might have to be a little stricter today to get things finished quickly but the group he’s teaching today are quick learners. He can see so much potential in them too.

You flash a grateful smile as you eat. “Your overtime’s covered, I promise.” From this, Wooyoung hops around in glee. Of course, he was eyeing a new clothing line.

A glance at the time and you figured you should get moving. “I’ll see you later then. I need to start moving.” You say standing up from your seat.

“Lunch is by the counter!” He calls out from his seat as he watches you get your things and shoot out the door. With him now on his own, he lets out a sigh. He heard your mumblings earlier and those were the same words you muttered after you were gifted with your vision. Even when you looked put together for the day, there was still a hint of confusion in your eyes that you can’t quite hide from him. Whatever it is, he hopes things will turn out a little better this time.

--------

“Can we do three more runs after a five minute water break?” Wooyoung asks, sympathizing with the boys as they’re now drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. After the chorus of agreements, he lets the boys off for a few minutes and decides to check on you and Yeosang.

[ Wooyoung to You ] How’s work?

[ Wooyoung to Yeosang ] What’s up? Are you gonna drop by later?

It’s only Yeosang who manages to reply immediately.

[ Yeosang to Wooyoung ] There have been better days, but I will be alright. Yes I will be there later.

Seeing that you haven’t replied yet, he just chalks it up to rush hour. The boys enter the room and he puts his phone down. “Ready?” He asks just as he’s about to press play, he sees Yunho peeking into the studio. “Uh, give me a moment. Hyunjae, can you clean the choreo slowly while I’m gone? I’ll make it quick.” The male excuses himself to check on his peer, quietly leaving the studio. “What’s up?”

“Did their manager tell you of the changes to the schedule?” Yunho asks and by the way Wooyoung looks at him with wide eyes and that already tells him what he needs to know.

“Tomorrow or the day after will be the shooting day.” With such information being told to him, he panics a little, unsure if he has clothes that could fit a recording for this. He probably does but he’ll need your help assembling it.

“Okay, uh, forward the email to me and cc it to Popsicle.” Somehow the nickname doesn’t faze Yunho, already knowing well that he meant you. It’s not like there were a lot of cryo vision holders anyway. Yunho shoots him an okay signal and Wooyoung takes this as a sign to head back to his work. “Okay, let’s take it to the top? 3 runs at 100% energy then we can eat lunch.” He says as he enters the studio once more. The proposed plan instills a little bit of fear on the boys but he continues on. “No worries, there’ll be a break in between before going at it again.”

Beneath the calm demeanor he had for the boys right now, he was slightly panicking for his schedule in the next few days. He hopes you wouldn’t mind him being MIA for a day or two.

Wooyoung’s schedule has turned a little more hectic now thanks to the sudden update of the shooting. Not that he minds since at least he’s not at home whenever he’s not needed in the studio. If it means helping lessen the stress on you and keeping you safe then he doesn’t really mind it.

Though, he doesn’t know if you’ve been keeping an eye on the news lately. You still carry on with your day like normal. If he has a shift in the dance studio, he asks Yeosang or San to accompany you to the studio, no matter how many times you reassure that it’s okay for you to walk alone, either one of them is adamant about it.

He spares a glance at the clock as he watches the boys dance. The four hours will fly by quickly.

--------

“Yeosang, you might have to skip on meeting with them today.” Part 3

#yeosang fanfiction #my writings #ateez fanfiction #ateez scenarios #yeosang scenarios #yeosang x reader #ateez x reader

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crystaljins · 5 years

Text

A long journey home| 01

Characters: Taehyung x Reader

Word count: 9.1K

Synopsis: All you wanted was to confront your flaky coworker, Taehyung, not get dragged across a magical fantasy realm trying to deliver a baby dragon safely back to its home kingdom.

Fantasy!au

Notes: I’m not really sure what this is, if I’m being honest. Just a fic so big I split it into two. I basically just wrote whatever I thought was fun and so there’s not a huge amount of plot or anything, really. Just me having fun. Hopefully its fun for you too, at least.

1 | 2

The second they wrench off the blindfold, you know you aren’t on earth anymore. You don’t know how you know- the dark green leaves that paint the backdrop of your surroundings could be native to any forest, anywhere in the world. But instinctively you can feel it- a magical thickness to the air that tells you that you are very, very far from home.

Two men pin your arms in place with tight grips on your upper arms- if they can even be called men. Their hands are hidden beneath thick leather gloves but you don’t think the leather hides flesh and bone. No, each uncomfortable shift feels like there are knife blades sliding along your skin, sheathed by the leather. Their faces are wrapped in thick black shawls so that only glittery eyes peek through thin slits in the material and there’s something inhuman about their eyes. Both men glare straight ahead and you allow your gaze to shift until it settles on Kim Taehyung, the very man who got you into this mess.

In his defence, you don’t think he did it intentionally. No, you doubt he was even aware that you’d been dragged into this realm while your captors pursued him until this very moment if the way his eyes widen just the slightest bit is anything to go by. But you wouldn’t have been captured and held hostage for the past 48 hours if you hadn’t gone to his house two days prior, that’s for sure. A mere 48 hours ago, when the world had been simple and easy and Taehyung had just been an annoying colleague who never pulled his weight.

You had been constantly making up for his slack- staying late, coming in early, working through your lunchbreak, all to make up for the fact that Taehyung is about as reliable as an umbrella in a hurricane. When he does bother to show up to work, he works diligently and thoroughly and is the kind of worker that is friendly and warm and popular and always getting invited to office parties (which is probably how he’s escaped getting fired thus far). But when he doesn’t show up, it is usually at the worst possible time, like right before a meeting that he was supposed to present at (although that burden then falls to you when the boss realises that Taehyung isn’t coming, 5 minutes into the meeting), or in the busy season where you need all hands on deck. And when Taehyung had not shown up two days earlier, you had been forced to pull an all-nighter and missed your niece’s 1st birthday party. That had been the straw that broke the camel’s back. You had tolerated his behaviour and even covered for him when he requested it of you because you felt bad for him and weren’t really the type to turn down someone who needed your help. But enough is enough and you could cover for Taehyung no longer. Especially when your ailing father rang you and asked why you hadn’t shown up to what might possibly be the last family gathering that all of you are together for.

You had stormed over to Taehyung’s apartment and banged on the door until he answered. Only it hadn’t been Taehyung that answered but three creatures that were most definitely not human, fresh from trashing his apartment while searching for him. They had seen you, assumed you were close with Taehyung, and deemed you of appropriate worth to take along in their pursuit.

Now you kneel helplessly, still in your work uniform from two days ago though it is now soiled and partly torn from mistreatment. You must look quite the sight, dirty and kneeling on the floor of some mythical forest in a pencil skirt and a formerly-white button down.

“(Y/N)?” He asks. Taehyung is a fairly unflappable kind of guy. There are jokes at the office that the building could be burning around him and he’d stop to take a selfie with the flower arrangement in the lobby before evacuating. But he looks genuinely gobsmacked in that moment and if you hadn’t been afraid when you’d first been abducted 2 days ago, then you are now. If Taehyung is scared, then things are serious. You shouldn’t have listened to Jimin’s encouragements to confront Taehyung and you shouldn’t have gone to his apartment. If you hadn’t, you’d probably be sitting at home, watching Netflix and enjoying a blissful day off. You would be completely ignorant to the presence of the supernatural beings you had previously thought only existed in storybooks. But no, now the proof of creatures that even humans could not have managed is not just limited to three beings surrounding you, two of whom are restraining you, but the small, frightened little creature in front of you which may or may not be a baby dragon. It burrows into Taehyung’s arms like a frightened kitten. The sight would be endearing if that little creature wasn’t currently a bargaining chip for your life. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“I don’t know.” You say, and though you try to sound normal, terror has your voice wobbling with unshed tears. A glare from one of the captors still restraining you has you clamping your jaw shut.

“Do not speak,” It hisses, and if you had to describe the odd quality of their voices, it would be reptilian. Great. You had been kidnapped by lizard men.

The leader, the one not holding you down, pulls off his shawl and the beastly scaled face that lies beneath has you feeling light-headed. Not two days ago you were a simple office worker, a bit plain, maybe a little bit too much of a pushover, prone to crying a little too much, but human. Ordinary, plain, boring human. Magic, mythology… those were fictional things. But no. Unless this is some sort of weird fever dream (which you haven’t entirely ruled out as a possibility yet), you are currently a supporting character in a fantasy thriller that is unfortunately not fictional.

“Choose, Guardian. Your mate’s life or the dragonling’s.” The leader snarls. “We don’t have all day- our Queen wants her prize delivered.”

“Don’t count your dragons before they hatch,” Taehung protests, his hand resting on what you recognise as the hilt to a sword. Why does he have a sword and not a gun? Why not make use of the very lethal technology humans are unfortunately good at creating? “I’m not handing this little one over. You’ll have to kill her.”

Your eyes go wide, but he doesn’t spare you a glance. He shifts his posture, hoisting the little dragon higher against him in his arms and all traces of shock and distress are wiped clean from his face. A trill of fear runs through you at the clinical, detached way he regards you. Surely he wouldn’t allow these creatures to kill you? Yes, you weren’t particularly close, but you were still coworkers and he certainly owed you at least some sort of attempt to save you in exchange for all the favours you’ve done him!

“Taehyung,” You plead, and the tears you had managed to hold in throughout this whole ordeal suddenly spill further but he pointedly ignores you. “Taehyung,” You say again, trying to gather the words that will convince him to save you. He finally looks your way at this, but he merely looks at you like you are a jewel he finds intriguing but not worth the purchase.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” He says, and while he’s always been fond of using pet names for you, this one feels like a punch in the gut. “I do hate to have casualties when I work, but you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You aren’t worth the price.”

Your jaw drops in offence.

He offers a disinterested look to your captors and turns away.

“Kill her.” He offers over his shoulder, already walking away.

“You… you have to be kidding me,” You gasp incredulously. “After everything I’ve… you’re just going to… No! No way!” You cry.

Though you are largely a timid and obedient worker and Jimin is constantly berating you for being a pushover, there is the odd occasion that you get angry. Those occasions are few and far between, but you feel it now, frustration, pain, anguish and fear building in your chest like the crest of a wave about to burst into frothy foam. He’d… he’d just leave you to die?

“You idiot lizardmen!” You screech. Your anger bursts forth in the form of your enraged screech. No longer is the fear of them enough to hold you in place. And clearly you can’t rely on Taehyung to help you out. You flail in their hold and ignore the way their gloves claws dig painfully into your skin. The little dragon in Taehyung’s arms whines in fright at your outburst. “Why the heck did you drag me into this you douchebags! If you’re going to threaten him at least use someone who actually knows him or check your facts or something! Plus if I’m going to die at least let it be for someone better than him! He didn’t even try you assholes!” You yell kicking out with your legs and they had managed to subdue you thus far with your fear of their sharp claws but that is no longer sufficient now that you have reached the current stage of hysteria. “You’re honestly going to kill me because you weren’t clever enough to find one of Taehyung’s genuine friends? Granted that’s a difficult ask because he probably doesn’t have any cause he just leaves the ones he has to die!”

You thrash wildly in their grasps and their claws slice into the skin of your biceps. But they did not restrain your legs and so you kick out. One of your wild strikes collides with the back of what you think may be the lizard man’s knee. He crumples with a grunt and releases you.

Taehyung must not have gone that far- suddenly he has taken advantage of the lizardmen losing control of you and their lapse of attention on him.

“Shouldn’t have let your guard down.” Taehyung announced with a chilling smirk and the next thing you know it that all three guards are disabled and unconscious across the forest floor. Taehyung grabs urgently at your hand and drags you to your feet- he does not flinch at the way your fingernails are bloodied and dirty.

“We have to go.” He tells you urgently, attempting to flee with the baby dragon cradled by one arm and you hand grasped tightly in his. Your shoes were lost long ago- you aren’t sure at what point, having been blindfolded for the better part of the last two days and you are in no condition to flee with him.

Nor do you want to- the man just offered your life in exchange for keeping a dog-sized lizard!

“Let me go!” You cry, wrenching your hand free. You wince when you step on a tree branch and Taehyung’s gaze drops to your bare feet. “I don’t want to go with you, you psycho I almost died because of you!”

“We don’t have time for this!” He snaps, going to drag you again, but you flinch away from his swiping hand.

“You don’t have time for this! Just leave me to the lizardmen at least they’re loyal-“ He cuts off whatever rubbish is bursting forth from your lips by throwing you over his other should like you weigh little more than a bag of feathers.

“Sorry, darling, but we have to get out of here.” He exclaims and then he’s running with you bouncing on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, screaming and protesting the whole way.

When Taehyung finally sets you down in small clearing a long way away from your former captors, you do not hesitate. He immediately turns his attention to the dragon in his arms, setting it down and examining it for any signs of harm. You make a break for it, aiming to sprint past Taehyung, barefooted and still wearing your ruined office attire. With lightening fast reflexes, however, he snags your arm with one hand- beside him the little dragon coos curiously.

“And where do you think you’re going?” He asks, tugging you backwards until you stand before him once more.

“Away.” You cry. “You were just about to have me killed for a lizard!”

“He’s a dragon,” Is Taehyung’s icy response. He folds his arms across his chest and tilts his head. “And darling, I’d think you’d know me well enough to tell when I’m lying through my teeth. I was never going to allow them to kill you. I just needed them to let their guard down enough to gain the upper hand. Although you freaking out was a very nice touch.”

That gives you pause. You dig your teeth into your bottom lip, contemplating your next move, before finally relaxing your posture. Taehyung relaxes too, sensing that you are no longer on the verge of taking flight.

“That’s what was happening?” You finally ask. You don’t mean for your voice to catch in the way that it does. It’s just that you’re scared and confused and you nearly died. Taehyung’s expression softens and he sinks onto the forest ground, patting the space beside him to indicate you should do the same. Reluctantly, you sink to the ground- your legs give out half way though and Taehyung reaches out to steady you.

“Are you ok?” He asks, taking the opportunity to examine you. Your skin is caked with a thin layer of dirt. Your hands and knees are grazed and scabbed over. There are some bruises on your cheek and arms from the initial struggle of when you were taken captive and the sleeves of your dirty white button up are sliced into ribbons and slowly turning red from where the lizardmen claws had cut into you. Taehyung grimaces at the state you’re in and reaches for a satchel he’s been carrying since you first laid eyes on him. He pulls out what you recognise to be a first aid kit and sets it beside him. He draws near and begins to produce various ointments and salves that you don’t think can be purchased over the counter at your local chemist.

“I have a lot to explain, I suppose,” He says slowly, tending to your wounds as he speaks. “But first, I need to know something- how did you get here? This is not a place any human can get to. And how did you end up with those men?”

You fidget with the hem of your skirt. The air is cool but not cold and so you are coping in the outfit you are wearing, but you will need new clothes and shoes if you are to get out of this wretched forest any time soon.

“I… I went to your apartment.” You confess. Your desire to confront Taehyung over his work ethic has long fizzled out over the traumatic events of the past few days. Now it all seems like a distant memory, like a dream you had a long time ago and can’t quit recall the details of. “Because I wanted to talk to you.”

Interest sparks in Taehyung’s eyes and a slight smile crosses his face.

“Oh?” He says, and you grimace at the way he’s misinterpreted your words. “Do tell, sweetheart.”

“Not like that! I wanted to talk to you about what a terrible worker you are!” You snap, and the smile slides off his face like you’ve slapped him. “And I was going to tell you that I couldn’t keep covering for you at work anymore, but those lizardmen were there, trashing your apartment and they thought I was close to you. They dragged me with them through this weird doorway thing and we ended up in this forest and have been travelling through it for the past two days.”

Taehyung’s gaze darkens.

“I’m sorry for that. They were looking for this little one.” Taehyung says, reaching out to gently stroke the head of the little dragon. It purrs like a kitten and watches you through narrowed eyes. “This is Taithrwyn. I call him Tata though because that’s a bit of mouthful. He’s the last dragon prince and I swore an oath to his former guardians before they died on my front doorstep that I would return him safely to his kingdom before the full moon. Which means I have approximately one week to cross this entire continent.”

Taithrwyn takes hesitant steps towards you, his eyes cautious and regarding. His nostrils flare as he extends his neck, taking in your scent. As he turns his face towards you, the meagre light shining through the forest canopy catches his scales- they gleam a metallic red. Each scale has a gradient, however- they begin a brilliant scarlet and then gradually fade into a warm yellow that shimmers gold in the soft forest light. His eyes are cat-like- he watches you through slit-like pupils and earthy green irises. Hesitantly, you extend an open palm towards him, like he is a stray cat you’re trying to entice close enough to pet. He watches the gesture closely before leaning forward to press the tip of his snout into your open palm, closing his eyes. A warm feeling fills you at the action. You do not know much about dragons and did not know they existed prior to today, but something tells you that Tata’s tiny little gesture means a lot in his language.

Taehyung watches the exchange carefully, a small smile on his face.

“He likes you.” Taehyung offers, and Tata punctuates his statement by clambering into your lap. “Watch your claws, Tata.” He scolds and you wince as his tiny claws leave little scratch marks on your exposed thighs.

“Is the oath why you were going to let me die? You said you wouldn’t let them kill me… but what if your plan had failed? Would you have left me?” You ask softly. Taehyung does not answer for a moment, but he goes still and his teeth dig into his bottom lip contemplatively.

“Yes.” He finally answers. His answer shouldn’t hurt or surprise you- what are you to Taehyung, that he’d choose you over a baby dragon prince? Especially if he had promised someone else to prioritise it. So why do your eyes water and why do you find yourself blinking back tears? He’s not done rubbing salt in your wounds, however- he continues on. “The life of the last dragon prince is more important than a human’s, no matter who that human may be. And I swore an oath- amongst my kind that is something we take very seriously.”

“Right.” You answer, though your voice is strained with the effort to keep it even and unaffected. “Well, I’ll just let you get back to that, then- if you could just tell me how to get home, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Wait!” Taehyung calls, halting you in the process of getting to your feet. “Where are you going?”

“Home.” You say, and the word is loaded with more desperation and anguish than you had anticipated. But the past two days have been hell. In the worst sense of the word. You had been terrified for your life, trapped with strange creature, wondering through a forest, far from home without knowing if you’d ever get out. If you’d ever get to go home. If you’d be alive for your niece’s second birthday. And Taehyung had been willing to let your life end there. To let it fizzle out after being dragged from everything you knew for a mistake. You want to go home, to your family and friends and coworkers. And to your job. You’d worked so hard to get to where you were but you had allowed your work to become a curse, to become something you hated just to stop the man in front of you from getting fired. When your life apparently meant nothing to him. “I’m going home, Taehyung.”

“You can’t.” Taehyung blurts, and when you don’t answer, he rubs uncomfortably at the back of his neck. “I don’t know how to tell you this, love, but this isn’t the kind of forest a mere human can get out of alive. We aren’t in the human realm anymore. All the rules you know about nature… everything you know to be true… out here they aren’t true anymore. If you go off on your own, the best possible outcome is that you get eaten.” He confesses to you. “Because it’s the quickest and most painless way to go.”

A shiver runs down your spine and the darkening light of the forest around you suddenly seems more menacing than before. You feel a creeping sensation along your skin and flinch. He’s right- you’re barefooted, bleeding and lost. You have nothing on you but the ruined clothes on your back and you probably aren’t even on the same planet any more.

“So then what do I do?” You ask, your voice trembling and uncertain. Taehyung shrugs.

“You come with me. I’ll keep you safe.” He says, as if it’s the most obvious and simple solution. You stare incredulously.

“You? We only just escaped from lizardmen that you were going to let slit my throat with their weird claws in exchange for your pet dragon and you want me to believe you’re the safest option in this place?” You demand furiously. Taehyung grins, and something dark and decidedly inhuman glitters behind his eyes, something you’d never seen before. In that moment, it clicks into place- Taehyung is not a human being. He is not the flaky office worker you thought he was- he is something more ferocious and terrifying and you feel a chill to your skin.

“Oh, darling.” He says. “I never said I was the safest option. Just that I’m your best bet of getting out of here alive. You’ll get to go home once I have successfully returned Tata to his kingdom.”

A strange kind of resignation fills you because Taehyung is right. You sink back onto the ground beside him and Tata climbs back into your lap, curling up like a little lap dog. He’s about the size of a small dog but he’s warmer than one- you didn’t realise how chilled your skin was until you felt the warmth of his scales against you. Involuntarily, you curl your body into wards him more and he lets out a pleased little trill.

“Who are you, Taehyung? Where am I? Why did you promise to take a baby dragon home?” You ask, tracing figures into the soil beneath you as you speak. Taehyung sighs and leans backwards, making himself comfortable before a long explanation.

“In this realm they actually know me as V. Taehyung is my birth name, but I think “V” has a much more dramatic ring to it.” He admits. “And as you may have guessed… I am not a human. I was raised in this realm but I came to yours when I started highschool. My kind was driven from this realm following an awful war and my family were amongst the victims. I’ve been hiding my identity ever since, but due to what I am, non-human creatures in need of help often seek me out. I can travel between realms freely and so they want me to help them. And I can’t in good conscious turn them away. It’s why I’m always flaking at work.” He tells you. You do not respond- so his flakiness was because he was helping people? You aren’t sure how that makes you feel and so you allow him to continue without interruption. “A few days ago, the day before that I was meant to do that presentation, I really wanted to prove I wouldn’t flake as much anymore. But then two of my people, ones who had also come to the human realm following the war, turned up on my doorstep. They were in poor state, and they had little Tata here in tow.” Taehyung’s gaze darkens and his eyes pool with unshed tears. “I did not know them personally but you can’t help but feel a sense of kinship with your people when you come across them in a foreign realm. They had given their lives trying to deliver him home before his coronation after rescuing him from some poachers. And on their deathbeds they asked that I finish their journey for them. I came here to bury them. And I had promised them,” His voice catches, but he clears his throat and soldiers on. “I promised them I would get him home safely and so I will.”

“I… I missed my niece’s first birthday filling in for you. You didn’t even have the decency to text that you wouldn’t make the presentation. I got in trouble and was given one day to redo it and give the presentation, without any of the information you had.” You confess because while his reason for skipping work was to help people, you still want him to know why it hurt you.

“And for that, I am sorry. I know I’m always relying on you… but it wasn’t supposed to take this long. Time passes differently in the human realm, and I was supposed to be back within the hour. But I miscalculated a few… risk factors- I hadn’t realised those men were in pursuit and a lot of people would give an arm and a leg to be in possession of a baby dragon. I’ve been here two weeks trying to avoid getting caught. And I know it’s been stressful for you and I will always be grateful for you covering my back like you have. I promise you that I will get you home safely. Just because Tata takes priority does not mean I will allow any harm to come to you.” He tells you sincerely. You watch him carefully, but you feel a tension you didn’t know you were holding in yourself give way at his sincerity. He watches you with large, remorseful eyes and his promise hovers in the air between you. You inhale deeply.

“O-ok.” You say. “Fine. You… you have my trust. Just… please. Get me home, Taehyung.” You tell him, and your desperation must be shining in your gaze but he just looks taken aback at your admission of trust. He offers you a wide smile, the one that reminds you how handsome he is and why he has so many of your coworkers’ adoration.

“I will, sweetheart, I promise.”

And just like that, you end up travelling with Taehyung. There’s still so much information you don’t have and you are still scared and confused. But there’s only so much Taehyung can tell you in hushed whispers on the forest floor with the risk of your pursuers turning up once more. After some interrogation, Taehyung reveals he is skilled enough in combat that as long as it doesn’t turn into a hostage situation then he should be able to adequately protect you and Tata. Still, when the three of you set off quickly, you proceed with caution and are constantly on the lookout for any sign of your former captors.

Taehyung keeps a spare pair of boots in his satchel (which is magically charmed to hold far more than it should). They are far too large, and your feet keep slipping in them but the alternative is exposing yourself to the numerous sharp objects littering the forest floor that can cut into the exposed soles of your feet. He offers you a large cotton tunic which is better than the pencil skirt and ruined office shirt and there’s no hope for his spare pair of pants fitting you for Taehyung is long and large. This would normally not bother you- the cut is similar to a sleeveless dress, albeit a bit more formless, but for some reason you feel exposed. Perhaps it is to do with the devious smile Taehyung offers you when you are done changing.

“This is good motivation to buy you proper clothes when we get into town.” He comments. You are instantly on guard from the way his tone drips with mischievous intent.

“Why?” You demand, a little defensive and on edge.

“Because,” and his gaze turns from a fox-like glee to something decidedly serpentine as he slides it over your body. You feel as though he had just trailed his fingers over your skin. “I would hate for anyone else to see you looking so cute.”

Flirtatious comments such as those are to be the norm for the rest of the journey, something that you eventually begin to expect from him, but you don’t realise that yet and are caught off guard in that moment. You hope that he misses the way your ears are probably hot enough to fry eggs.

You don’t take a hurried pace, but it is rather relentless. Taehyung refuses to allow his stress to affect you but there is a looming deadline for this adventure. Apparently Tata’s coronation is meant to be in a week. Upon rescuing him from his poachers, his former guardians had been in contact with the ailing dragon king and promised to get Tata home before the planned date for his coronation as Dragon Prince. He is not old enough to rule yet, but apparently young dragons undergo a ceremony to declare their royalty and the best translation for the word Taehyung could think of was “coronation”. Getting there in time means travelling across treacherous lands that a fragile and terrified human like you would struggle with. But there isn’t time for Taehyung to take you to the portal that would take you home, in the opposite direction. Instead, you are stuck along for the ride. You must proceed carefully- apparently there are a lot of people who would benefit from selling Tata. Even just his claws have incredibly useful abilities. Fortunately, Tata has the ability to turn invisible which saves you the hassle and difficulty of having to avoid towns completely and pick up supplies through alternate means.

At least the journey is pleasant. It’s like being dropped into a Lord of the Rings novel. You admire the scenery around you in wonder- you have left that awful forest before and now wonder through what you think may be a field of barley. Wheat shimmers like gold in the bright sunlight and there is a dry but pleasant scent to the air. Overhead, the sky is a smooth, uninterrupted blanket of azure blue. Taehyung hums beside you, answering all your questions without a hint of irritation or impatience while Tata stalks what you think may be a cricket.

“So if you aren’t human, what are you?” You inquire. Taehyung shrugs.

“There isn’t really a word for it in your language.” He admits. “I suppose the best word for it is a “guardian” or maybe a “protector”? They say the gods bestowed us with enhanced abilities to protect others. Every creature born in this realm knows that they can seek us out when they need help. Still, they also fear us greatly for our strength which is perhaps why we were driven out.”

“And you still return here to help? After they drove you from your home?” You ask, feeling a mixture of compassion and sadness on his behalf at his admission. He simply smiles thoughtfully.

“It’s my legacy and my honour to do so.” He points out. “To ignore a cry for help would be to spit on everything that I am and on every sacrifice my parents made to raise me in the culture they loved in a foreign realm where the rules of reality differed. And I already make every effort to hide what I am- this is the one thing I cannot and will not pretend does not exist.”

You are silent. Any further questions are thwarted by an intense glow of admiration towards your co-worker. You lick your lips and swallow a few times before you finally find your voice.

“I had no idea.” You admit. He chuckles and shakes his head.

“No need for remorse, lovely. I’m sure you understand better than everyone- not a lot of people would go to the lengths you have to cover for their flaky co-worker.” He reassures you with a wink and a warm smile. Tata coos his agreement, but the conversation ends there because Tata has successfully caught his cricket and you are deathly afraid of bugs.

Apparently the next town, where you will be able to buy horses and supplies and halve the daunting journey ahead of you by doing so, is a 6 hour walk away, skirting around the edge of a mountain. But Taehyung proudly presents what he reckons is a shortcut through the mountain, allowing you to reach town in a mere hour.

You stare dubiously at the decrepit entrance to the tunnel. As daunting and painful as a 6 hour walk in shoes that don’t quite fit an a tunic that barely qualifies as a dress seems, an hour in a cramped, confined and dodgy tunnel seems infinitely worse.

“Are... are you sure about this, Taehyung?” You ask hesitantly. He grins.

“Sure I am! Admittedly it’s been about six months in the human realm since I came here which probably translates to about 60 years in this realm? But how much can change in 60 years?” Is his dismissive answer. He doesn’t hear your answering “A lot!” Because he has already set off, with Tata ambling along in tow. You do not wish to be left behind and are faced with no choice but to follow.

Inside the air is musty and there is an unpleasant moisture to the air. It is also pitch black which Taehyung quickly rectifies by sliding something onto his finger. It lights up the area around you and it seems to be some sort of ring. There is no direct light source coming from it, yet you can see as well as if Taehyung were holding a torch. Tata’s scales glint in the light and intensify the brightness. The interior is not impressive- rocks, uneven ground, and a slick mossy quality to the walls that has you grimacing.

“You look pale.” Taehyung comments, from closer than you expected. You jump slightly and grasp your chest.

“I… I don’t like enclosed spaces.” You confess. “But… if you’re sure it’s safe, then I’ll manage. It’s better than a six hour walk across the mountainside, I suppose.”

“That’s the spirit, sweetheart!” Taehyung crows cheerfully. He sets the lead, walking maybe a metre in front of you. You follow timidly, cautious of the way your feet slip in the boots and the way the uneven ground promises a sprained ankle if you are not careful. That will surely make the next few days difficult.

You make it maybe 15 minutes into the tunnel when it happens. An ominous sort of whisper, so soft you almost miss it, sounds from somewhere behind you.

“Did you hear that?” You ask, wrapping your arms protectively around yourself. Taehyung had given you his coat upon realising the cave was a little too cool for your attire, but you still felt cold. There was a chill to the air you couldn’t quite shake off. Beside you, Tata pauses at your legs, looking around with wide eyes. Taehyung pauses, tilting his head slightly as he listens carefully for any unusual sounds. Upon hearing nothing, he shrugs.

“We probably aren’t the only ones using this tunnel.” He points out. “I can’t hear anything that you wouldn’t normally hear in a tunnel like this and my hearing is far better than yours.” He continues walking, expecting you to follow.

“Ok…” You say hesitantly, but you aren’t convinced. Perhaps the darkness is just getting to you though, so you quiet and obediently follow his lead. He’s set off at a slightly faster pace than expected, though Tata sits obediently by your side. Perhaps he senses your unease, or even shares it. Allowing Taehyung to get so far ahead is your mistake though because the ominous whispering sounds again and is suddenly replaced with a deafening roar and the next thing you know, the floor is collapsing beneath you. “Taehyung!” You cry and the last thing you see before you and Tata plummet is his expression. Wide, shocked, and horrified. He has an arm extended towards you and his mouth is open in a soundless shout but then everything goes black.

You could wake up immediately or a few hours later but you wouldn’t really know. You have no way of knowing, but you must have lost consciousness during the fall. You know because you snap awake when Tata nuzzles into you with a sad clicking noise. When you run your fingers through your hair they come away sticky and warm. It is too dark to tell but you hope it isn’t blood. You sit up and are overcome with a ferocious wave of dizziness. It takes a few moments of deep breathing before you are able to sit up and hold yourself upwards. Tata nudges his nose into you, clearly trying to help. You wish you had a torch or your phone on you but that had been lost in the chaos of being kidnapped. Instead you are stuck in a dark space. The air is dusty- Tata sneezes. You don’t know how far you’ve fallen or if you’ll be able to get out. You swallow, trying to stave off the wave of hysteria that threatens to pull you under.

“Taehyung?” You call. There is no response. Tata lets out a little roar too, the one you recognise is his way of addressing Taehyung. You don’t know how injured you are and you have no light to see- you can only limp forward, using the wall to prop you up. “Anyone?”

At that last call you hear it again- that ominous whisper from before. You swallow and blink back tears, feeling your heart rate pick up with adrenaline. The sound of a rock bouncing echoes in the space. It could be a big space or a large space, you don’t know. You can’t see anything. Beside you, Tata growls, a low warning sound that you haven’t heard from him before.

“Who’s there?” You cry. As if on cue, the cave around you lights up with a cold glow. Tata’s scales glow blindingly in the sudden light and you are reassured at his presence. It’s cold down here, almost freezing and even with Taehyung’s large coat you still find your teeth chattering. It looks the same as the tunnel you fell from although the ground is littered with large rocks, probably from the ground collapsing.

“No human has come here for 60 years.” A deep voice rumbles- with the same eerie edge as the whisper that has been almost chasing you throughout your journey through this tunnel. The scream dies in your throat- your terror is so great that you cannot even produce the sound.

“Who are you?” You demand, though the attempt at sounding firm and brave is ruined by the sob that chokes your question halfway through.

“Who are you?” The voice asks. A shadow moves in the distance, large and ominous and breathing. The white light seems to be coming from that direction, so you move towards it.

“Just… just a traveller. I got lost and the floor collapsed.” You confess. A deep rumbling sound comes as an answer- the disembodied voice is laughing at you.

“The floor did not collapse, little one.” It answers you. “I crushed it.” You tense.

“Why?” You ask. It continues laughing and the shadow begins moving towards you. Whatever it is, it is large and intimidating and most definitely not a fellow human being.

“To retrieve you, of course!” It tells you. “Such a tasty morsel… and the young dragonling will make a nice entrée. I will certainly gain sustenance. I just needed to separate you first, for your guardian is quite the threat.” The voice sounds almost impressed as it mentions Taehyung.

“He’ll come for you, if you try anything.” You snarl, stepping protectively in front of Tata though you tremble with fear and your nose is dripping with tears.

“The strength gained by consuming the dragon prince will allow me to easily take him down. Though with the state I’m currently in, even this meagre amount of magic will drain me.” It confess and it finally steps into view. Tata lets out a shrieking yowl in fright, scrambling to hide behind you while you swallow a scream. It’s the most horrific beast you’ve ever laid eyes one. Gnarled, peeling skin, which is an awful frost white colour, like its been frozen. Its figure resembles a human, but curled and decrepit, walking towards you with a lurching, tilted gait. It looks like a zombie from a move but more inhuman. Before you can ask what magic it is referring to, your eyes widen as you feel your limbs lock in place and a painful chill wash through your body. Like you’ve suddenly been encased in ice.

“I like a little bit of warmth in my dinner, so I won’t freeze you completely.” The monster tells you. “But I can’t have you interfering. I’ll have the dragon first.”

You struggle but your limbs don’t obey, like you’ve been plunged into an ice lake.

“No!” You cry, but you can’t even struggle. You do manage to lurch forward in an uncoordinated collapse, diving over Tata and curling your sluggish, frozen body to cover him. Your tears cut warm trails across your frozen cheeks. You are so deathly afraid. There is no way you can get out of this alive.

“That’s quite impressive.” The monster says, watching as you glare at him. Beneath you Tata squirms and whimpers in fear. “Not many can move under the influence of my ice magic. I suppose I will have to dispose of you first.”

It raises a frozen, decaying arm- they end in large, disproportionate talons, also glowing white. You wince and prepare yourself for the pain of its strike.

You never thought you’d die like this. You haven’t gotten to say goodbye to your family, to have one last coffee with Jimin. You won’t get that promotion you’ve been angling for. Yet with all that, all those unfinished thoughts and regrets, for some reason it is Taehyung’s face that pops into your mind as the monster prepares its final blow. His anguished, fearful expression as the ground collapsed. The image is burnt into your memory. You’re… you’re sorry to be the reason for that face. You hate the idea that you caused that distress. You shut your eyes, ready for the last thought of your life to be an apology to Taehyung, but the blow you are bracing yourself for never comes.

The being chokes, and bright blue liquid spurts from its mouth like blood in the same moment that the end of a sword, glimmering in the unforgiving white light and drenched in the same blue substance, erupts from the centre of its chest. The monster screeches in pain, an unholy, awful sound.

It collapses and Taehyung wrenches his sword from where he had pierced its torso.

“I hate frost demons.” He complains, stepping over the demon’s lifeless form and crouching down beside you. Tata squeezes himself out from beneath you and clambers up Taehyung’s body so he can wind himself around Taehyung’s neck, his favourite position. “Are you hurt, gorgeous?” He says. He helps you sit up though your body is still mostly frozen and unresponsive. You stare at him with your eyes watering, and for some reason, the sight of him makes you feel like something inside you erupts. You burst into tears, sobbing hysterically.

Taehyung sighs and pulls you into him, cradling you like you are the most precious thing in the world.

“I was so scared!” You sob. He gently pats your back as he embraces you like he’s comforting a small child.

“I know.” He coos. “You did so well, button. Thank you for protecting Tata.” He praises. He catches your chin with his fingers and the light is so much warmer since it is now his magical ring that illuminates the cavern and not the magic of the frost demon. He lifts your face until he can peer directly into your red-rimmed eyes. He takes in the bruises that still haven’t healed from your kidnapping, and the congealed blood along your hairline from your fall and his expression tightens. “Let’s get you warmed up, yeah?”

He helps you to your feet and leads you away from the immobile corpse of the frost demon. Tata follows.

You end up having to camp the night in a forest on the other side of the tunnel. Apparently you’d only been unconscious for a mere moment before the Frost demon came. But with your injuries it takes you another two hours to get out of the cave and Taehyung makes the executive decision to have you rest and recover your strength instead of forcing you to power through to the next town. Once you have horses it will be easier, he promises. He’ll buy a carriage if he has to.

The chill of the spell cast on you by the frost demon refuses to leave. Taehyung informs you that he didn’t freeze you- otherwise you’d have frost bite and all sorts of other nasty complications. He simply sucked all the warmth out of your body, hence your sluggishness and difficulty moving. A night by the fire that Tata sleeps in and Taehyung’s warm sleeping bag would have you good as new in the morning. Unfortunately, your body cannot seem to generate the heat that it needs and even Tae’s sleeping bag isn’t enough to keep you warm. You can hear his soft breathing where he leans against a tree, keeping watch like he doesn’t need sleep. He will have to sleep at some point though. A blaze of heat as Tata shifts from where he is curled of in the flames has you sighing contently.

“Are you still cold?” Taehyung asks, sliding into your bedding before even waiting for an answer. You nearly screech in surprise, frightened by the sudden intrusion into your personal space, but upon feeling the immense warmth his body exudes your body betrays you and you find yourself curling snugly around him. “I can hear you shivering.” He observes.

“Wouldn’t it be better and more appropriate to let Tata be the one to warm me up, considering he’s a dragon?” You ask with a yawn.

“And miss a chance like this one?” Taehyung asks playfully, curling an arm over your waist and pulling you in close. “I think not. Tata can sleep in his fire nest. Besides, don’t you think you’d have the opposite problem if you cuddled with a creature who has literally spent the past hour curled up in a fire?” The movement of wrapping his body around you is oddly intimate and domestic and you feel perhaps you and Taehyung do not have the close kind of friendship that warrants such proximity. You also don’t care. He’s warm and secure and this is the safest you have felt in what feels like a very long time. The two of you are silent for a long while and you think he may have nodded off.

“Taehyung,” you call softly, testing for wakefulness.

“Tae.” He answers in an equally soft tone.

“What?” You question. He blinks his eyes open sleepily and regards you in a way that makes your throat feel tight and your heart beat faster.

“It’s what my... it’s what my friends call me. Tae. And while I should have considered you a friend long before now, perhaps I can fix it by calling you a friend now. If you are willing... it would be a true honour if you called me that.” Is his sincere request. Without realising it, a pleased smile crosses your face.

“I’d love to... Tae.” You say warmly, sweetly. The look in your eyes as you gaze up at him, caged in his embrace, is so preciously endearing that Taehyung wishes he could take a picture and save it with him. He’d carry it always, in his breast pocket. Close to his heart.

Taehyung chuckles.

“You’re a dangerous little thing, aren’t you?” He mutters cryptically. You cannot read the odd tone to his voice but it seems reluctantly warm. “What were you saying before I interrupted?” He asks you, changing the subject.

“Oh,” you answer, feeling your face heat. “I wanted to thank you, for saving me. And for keeping your promise. I was...” your voice catches and you clear your throat awkwardly. “I was really scared and I’m glad you came.”

He offers you a soft smile, his eyes crinkling in the light offered by the fire that Tata sleeps in. It makes you short of breath- he never stops being ethereally beautiful. It is unfair to your poor, vulnerable heart.

“I promised you I would keep you safe, didn’t I?” He whispers. You nod and your eyes begin to sink closed when he speaks again.

“Can I ask you a question?” Taehyung asks and with the firelight lending warm highlights to his pensive expression, he looks like an artful painting.

“I guess.” You answer sleepily, uncomfortable with the way the vision of his profile is burnt into the back of your eyelids like you’ve been staring at the sun too long.

“Why did you do it?” He finally says. His voice is a mere whisper, barely audible above the crackling fire. His tone is desperate, like the question has baffled him for a long time. “At work. All those times, where you could have just let them fire me but you stayed back and covered for me... why?”

For once, all his guarded playfulness, the mask he wears to keep people at a distance is stripped back and all that’s left is someone who is genuinely baffled by kindness from another living being. Your heart aches for him.

Why though? Why do you care enough for your heart to ache on his behalf? Why do you care enough to constantly go out of your way? You’ve never had an answer before. Jimin always asks you why you keep helping him and you shrug off the question like a duck might shake rain loose of its feathers. But suddenly the answer, the one that has continued to evade you and the one that you’ve suppressed up until this moment comes forward in the form of a memory.

The job you currently hold is a job that had been your dream for a very long time. Not that you’d ever had a strong affinity for working in an office. It was just that you wanted a stable, well-paying career that your family would find respectable. You wanted to make your parents proud and to help support them with the mounting medical expenses for your father. It had taken you many tries to finally land a job. The amount of rejections had reached the point you thought maybe you’d forever be unemployed and would be stuck working at the convenience store for the rest of your life. The day you’d gotten the call that your application had been successful would be a day that you would never forget, purely because you had finally had your goal achieved.

Tae had been there too, by some odd twist of fate. You had been on the bus, fresh off the phone from being informed you got the job and the first thing you had done was ring your father. You were dripping wet, soaked from the bucketing rain but you didn’t care. There hadn’t been any seats available but that didn’t matter- you announced the news excitedly to your dad, barely restraining yourself from jumping up and down in the middle of the aisle. The bus had lurched then and you had tumbled into the arms of none other than Taehyung, who caught you with one arm without losing his grip on the large black umbrella hooked onto his forearm.

“Sorry!” You had explained, quickly hanging up with your dad. Taehyung had smiled widely.

“It’s no worry- you’ve gotten some good news, then?” He had asked you. You beamed and nodded.

“Yeah… I just got my dream job.” You had confessed. He had smiled, oddly forlorn and gazed ahead.

“I remember that feeling. I got my dream job earlier this year.” He admitted. “But I’m probably going to lose it.” He scrubbed his hand across his face, stressed. Concerned for this random stranger, for some reason, you had probed forward.

“Why?” You asked. Taehyung had shaken his head.

“I guess I’m just not cut out for it.” He had confessed to you, ashamed. “Don’t worry about it. All the best with your dream job, Miss Stranger.”

And with that he had gotten off the bus. It was still bucketing outside and for some reason you had watched him as he alighted from the bus. An old homeless lady had been shivering alone at the bus stop and you had just enough time to watch him hand over his umbrella and sprint off into the pouring rain before the bus pulled off the kerb. It would only take a few seconds to soak him completely through and if he caught a cold that would not help the potentially-unemployed situation.

Someone who would give up their umbrella for a random person like that, you had thought, shouldn’t lose their job.

And when you encountered him the next week, seemingly with no memory of your encounter but fresh from a scolding from his superiors, you had timidly offered to help him out. Simply because you’d seen him be kind. Not because of a workplace crush or because he was good-looking (although he is very, very good-looking). Just because you thought kindness should be rewarded with kindness.

You tell Taehyung as much and he goes silent, watching you with unreadable eyes for a long moment. You begin to feel the sweet, cotton-y pull of sleep tug at your eyelids as he continues to remain speechless.

“But I guess I went overboard,” You confess with a yawn, struggling to keep your eyes open. “And I overloaded myself and forgot why I was helping you in the first place… but that was why I started.”

You don’t notice the way Taehyung’s eyes go slightly misty at your words. Because it is custom, amongst his people, to always go out of their way to help others. At the cost of yourself, you must protect others. But never has he met another being not from his kind willing to do the same. And never has he been repaid for the numerous favours that have been requested of him. But all this time, he was being rewarded for his kindness by you. Not because he asked for it or because you owed it to him… but because you wanted to. Because you thought it was the right thing to do.

An oddly warm and pleasant feeling spreads through his chest and he finds himself smiling to himself.

Your eyes droop shut and flutter in a valiant effort to stay awake. Taehyung watches this fondly.

“Go to sleep, sweetness.” He whispers and almost on cue you subconsciously nuzzle into his warmth and fall silent.

He pulls you in close and soon find himself lulled to sleep by the steady rise and fall of your breathing.

-to be continued-

#taehyung #taehyung x reader #taehyung fluff #taehyung fic #kim taehyung #bts fluff #writing

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boysfile · 5 years

Text

▸ pairing: daehwi x reader.

▸ genre: best friends to lovers au. fluff.

▸ warnings: none.

▸ word count: 1.8k

✎ — synopsis: you lost your textbook and the only person you can borrow one from was your best friend. but you got bored in class and starts doodling all over his book.

✎ — a/n: so this is my first actual? fic post on tumblr uwu. tbh i was pretty intimidated by a lot of things while writing this but i thoroughly enjoyed the process so i hope you like it!

panic. panic was the only thing you felt. you paced around your room, desperately trying to find your chemistry textbook, but to no avail.

the first thing you thought of was to phone your best friend, who you didn’t know if it was lucky or not that he was in a different class from you.

unlucky because you can’t goof around in class.

lucky because now you can scream for his help.

after much persuasion, he agreed. on a condition that his textbook returns to him with zero alternations. which meant no ripped pages or corners, no highlighting or pencil marks, and no spilling of coffee.

you swiftly agreed to his conditions and gave him a virtual hug through your phone screen. quickly, you packed your bag, glad that the frenzied search for your chemistry textbook is over.. for now.

when you arrived at the school, daehwi was already waiting for you at your locker, arms hugging the 5 kilograms worth of paper. you walked over to him, held out your arms, and wrapped him in a big hug. thanking him for letting you borrow his textbook.

you hurriedly rushed to your chemistry classroom as the class had already started. the professor wrote a reference page on the board and you quickly opened daehwi’s textbook to find the page.

upon finding the passage, you took notice of how neat and clean your best friend’s book was. nothing was out of place; pencil marks and highlighted sentences. ruler-lined tables and scaled diagrams. every single thing was for the benefit of his study.

you looked back up at the professor, he was talking about something to do with acids and alkaline. you have no interest in chemistry, only taking it as your parents have told you to.

basically. class was boring.

so you instinctively whipped out your pencil case, grabbed your favourite pencil, and started doodling on daehwi’s book; already forgetting about the initial promise. various small images started to decorate the white spots on the page, slowly being filled with pencil sketches of unicorns, dinosaurs, flowers and even slices of cake. as you giggled at your failed drawing of a penguin, the bell rang, signalling the end of the period.

you slowly walked to the cafeteria, hoping to avoid the crowds who were pining for the last melon bun. it’s always hellish when recess starts, students and staff alike rushing to the cafe hoping to get a single muffin.

you went to your usual table, hand still holding daehwi’s textbook. you took out your phone, wanting to call him to tell him where you were. but before you could hit dial, you felt a gentle tug on your ponytail. you turned around and there he was. smiling at you like you were the sun itself. you could feel your cheek burn crimson from the mischievous gesture, clearing your throat, you looked at daehwi. with a playful glint in your eyes before shutting them and crossing your arms.

“you shouldn’t do that to a lady you know.” upon hearing this. daehwi froze in his spot, hoping he didn’t offend you. you looked at his stance through your eyelashes, seeing how tense he was, you relaxed your expression and chuckled. daehwi took this as a sign that he was in the clear.

“daehwi. you didn’t do anything wrong, i was just joking with you.” you sighed out, still amazed at how seemingly wonderful your acting skills were. maybe you should consider dropping chemistry and take drama instead.

“okay good. i genuinely thought you would dislike me…” he mumbled the last part under his breath, hoping you wouldn’t catch it. but little did he know, you have perfect hearing. so you did hear everything he said and you felt your blood rushing to your face once again.

after a short period of silence. you looked back at the book that was still in your arms, completely forgetting the reason why you had planned to phone him in the first place. so you awkwardly stood in front of daehwi and handed him the textbook. honestly speaking, this scene felt like the cliched love letter scene. except its a chemistry textbook and not a confession letter.

seemingly lost in thought, daehwi was slightly shocked at the sudden movement from you, only to reveal his chemistry textbook in your hands.

after seeing his reaction to your seems-like-a-love-confession-but-its-not attempt at returning his textbook, you couldn’t hold it in anymore and started laughing out loud. scaring an already frightened daehwi.

“um.. y/n..? is there something wrong? are you okay?” your laugh continues to escape from your lungs, though you wanted to hold it in.

“no. i’m.. fine.. totally. yeah, i’m fine.” you said through your obnoxiously loud laugh.

you then looked at daehwi again, your gaze asking him why he isn’t taking his textbook back telepathically. and he understood you, so he walked closer to you and took the weight off your arms.

you sighed in contempt, before uttering a small “finally”. after that, you both parted ways, going back to your designated classrooms. him to chemistry and you to maths.

little did you know. after daehwi sat in his classroom, the first thing he did was open the book.

and he was shocked.

no it wasn't because of the amount of doodles that covered the white spots of the paper. but rather, the subject of these doodles. he looked through his use-to-be-pristine textbook and compared it to whatever it was now. nothing but clean. every white space he could find, he would see one of your pencil doodles. unicorns, ice-cream cones, rainbows, dolphins, and even penguins were sprawled out on his book. a new universe on each page. he knew you had always kept your childish side inside yourself, not willing to let it go nor show it to others. it might be weird, but he felt proud knowing you trusted him enough to doodle all over his textbook.

he smiled to himself. he liked it. he liked how deep you were willing to let him in, how much you trusted him. he liked how your eyes sparkle looking at waffles, he liked how a slight brush of your hand against his would send his heart flying out of him, and most importantly, he loved how oblivious you were to his obvious crush on you.

daehwi wants to tell you. he really wanted to be able to just man up and confess how he truly feels, but his brain always find ways to stop him from doing so. multiple times he was so close, but he couldn't. and he regretted it, so so much.

now, the both of you are stuck in the same relationship of "best friends". everyone around you could see how in love both of you were. you don't show it as much, but it's pretty obvious how head over heels daehwi is for you.

he let out a sigh, looking back at the bulk of paper in front of him. the class continues as usual, not understanding the running contradictions inside daehwi's head as he sat in his spot, flicking through the pages to study your adorable additions to his once boring book.

class went by quickly while he was looking at your markings on the paper and he quickly packed up when the bell rang. he had the widest grin on his face and he couldn't wipe it off. not that he was complaining.

you noticed daehwi walk out of his classroom, and naturally, you waited for him to slowly make his way towards you. you glanced at him, not wanting him to see you eyeing him. it wasn't unusual for him to be bubbly and happy, but you've never seen such a wide and genuine grin plastered on his face before. you felt a little sad, not knowing you were the reason for his smile.

"y/n."

you slightly flinched at his voice, it was gentle but demanding at the same time. you slowly turned around in an almost cartoon way, he saw your hesitation and smiled at you, letting you know that he was not angry.

"i really wish you would tell me that you liked doodling. and its ice-cream and unicorns and rainbows too..." you casted your gaze towards the floor, slightly ashamed at your choice of subject. but daehwi wasn't mad at you, he was far from that. he was enchanted by how your heart held on to these fantasies and lively colors, unlike his which was black and white until you came into his life.

"i'm sorry..." your voice was barely above a whisper. daehwi continued to silently gaze at you, not saying a single thing. you looked up at him, eyes glazed over with forming tears. immediately, that sent daehwi into a panic. he rushed to you, trapping you in a bear hug.

"shh... don't cry. i don't want to see you cry. i only ever want to see you smile." daehwi whispered in your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. daehwi slightly parted from you, creating some space in between the two of you, and moved his hand up to caress your face to look into your glossy round orbs. he could see his reflection in your eyes and he saw how worried he looked. well, what can he say? he is worried.

he cleared his throat to hopefully gain some confidence in what he was about to do. you noticed his not-so-usual actions and looked up at him, arms still wrapped around his waist, waiting for him to say something.

"y/n? can you listen to me for a moment?" you nodded your head and hummed, hoping that it would help him get whatever he wanted to say out of him. daehwi took another deep breath, threading his fingers in your hair, and opened his mouth to speak his mind.

"the little drawings you did in my textbook is still totally uncalled for." you looked at him in the eyes, pretending to be offended by his words. he gave you a look and you retreated back into your right of course, we made a deal whoops expression.

after a couple of seconds had gone by again, daehwi continued his unfinished statement. "but i loved it, just like how i love you." he said the second part in the tiniest font and you looked at him, shocked that this kind of cheesiness came out of his mouth. at this, you felt your face heating up again as small droplets of water rolled down your cheeks. before daehwi could even open his mouth to ask what happened, you got onto your toes and pecked him on the lips.

"i love you too, daehwi."

daehwi was visibly flushed at the sudden contact, but he recovered quickly, pulling you close once again to indulge in your hug. the both of you had completely forgotten that you were in the middle of the school cafeteria as loud cheers were heard, shocking you as they congratulated the new couple.

✎ — masterlist

#daehwi #ab6ix #daehwi scenarios #daehwi imagines #ab6ix scenarios #ab6ix imagines #lee daehwi #ab6ix daehwi #ab6ix fluff #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #g:fluff #m:daehwi #!#!full

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ihni · 4 years

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FIC Preference Tag

Tagged by @delphineera, @missroserose, @gideongrace and @highon85, which only proves that I am SLOW AS HELL on doing these things, sorry ... (but thanks, this was great fun!)

slow burn or love at first sight (mmmmm slow burn ...)

fake dating or secret dating (gimme ALL the fake dating tropes!)

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (how about enemies to friends? I really like it when they don’t like each other at first, but if I’m being honest they don’t HAVE to end up as lovers. Friends is honestly enough for me, being ace/aro and all)

oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance with correspondence (long distance frustrates me)

hurt/comfort or amnesia (I’m a whumper at my core, so hurt/comfort all the way)

fantasy au or modern au

mutual pining or domestic bliss (I see your either-or here and I raise you mutual pining which ENDS UP in domestic bliss!)

smut or fluff (I realize I am in the minority here, but I could live without smut)

canon compliant (missing scenes) or fix-it fic (how about a mix? I like the fix-it scenes that people write that SEEMS like they belong in canon, but really just fixes things)

alternate universe or future fic

one-shot or multi-chapter (don’t ask me to choose between these two!! It depends on my mood! Like, I love me some bite-sized fic but I also love jumping into a 200K masterpiece and emerging after a couple of days, gasping for air)

kid fic or roadtrip fic (she says, while thoroughly enjoying kid fics ...)

reincarnation or character death (no character death on my watch, at least not if I like them)

arranged marriage or accidental marriage

high school romance or middle aged romance

time travel or isolated together (mmm so many possibilities when they’re isolated together ... I like it when you take two characters and throw them into the same place and shake it up a bit. Just to see what will happen)

neighbours or roommates (oh my god they were roommates)

sci-fi au or magic au

bodyswap or genderbend (there are way too few bodyswap fics in my current fandom ... so naturally, I’m gonna have to write one myself)

angst or crack (gimme that sweet, sweet angst)

apocalyptic or mundane (I mean, while apocalyptic fics does have their charm, I am weak for slice-of-life fics)

And since basically everyone has probably done this already (I’m so slooow) I’m not tagging anyone. (Or wait, yes I do, @mikajupiterjonesingtimcurryfeet you’re not in our fandom, do you wanna do this??)

#i was tagged #tagged #tagging game #some day i will choose one tag to call these things but today is not that day

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alkhale · 5 years

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Locked Here for Forever (1/6) Dark!Sabo/Oc/Dark!Ace

(quick note before y’all come at me with torches)

This was a side project I’ve been playing around with while working on updates (THE UPDATES ARE COMING I SWEAR, I SWEAR) I was kinda... possessed? to write this and when it kept coming back to me, I realized I needed to get it out of my system. Doing that made me realize how big it was going to end up being so it’s divided up into parts.

I’ve been wanting to explore a different variety of things. We can say “darker” themes, but I really just wanted to try my hand at playing with characters with honestly manipulative and sociopathic behavior. I’m not going on a limb to say yandere because that term is loose and often made to be thought of with stabby-stabby, stalky-stalky--but I think it can encompass a lot more? Possessive behavior, controlling, but I wanted to really go into manipulative behavior. Sociopathic because it’s not psychotic, it’s functioning and cold and hmm.

(Btw, to each their own, fantasies, kinks, we don’t shame here. But if anyone is ever putting you through what Hoku is going to be put through here and manipulating you into basically mind controlling you and this and that, it is not a healthy relationship and they are scum and you deserve better, drop their ass like a hot fucking potato.)

I decided to use Hoku because this idea originally came from another AU for Memos. (I’m sorry Hoku) Loosely based on the premise from the BL comic, “Points of Three”

It’s here on AO3, if you just want to read there too.

Rating: NSFW

Pairing: Sabo/Oc/Ace (Past! Kid/Oc), Dark!Ace/Oc/Dark!Sabo

Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, Manipulation (Psychological and Emotional), Past Assault, Past Trauma, Possessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships, Use of Aphrodisiacs, BDSM, Dubious Consent, Controlling Behavior, Stalking

Chapter One: Points of Three

“From three points, it can’t ever end. They’ll always pull at one. One is always pulled between them. One point is always trapped between the other two.”

Hoku shoved a pancake into her mouth.

“That’s the idea at least.”

The twenty-four hour breakfast diner was only half busy. A dingy place with wallpaper peeling in places but always clean and friendly. Cozy. The booths had tears at the seams, patched together by other patches. Establishments like this weren’t too popular all throughout their town, but the diner’s all-you-can-eat pancake and breakfast option did the job for their group’s ridiculous appetites.

Crumpled papers were splayed out on their table. Luffy had spilled a bit of syrup onto one of his math packets and it was in the middle of being patted down with water and dried to be somewhat presentable.

Her best friend’s face was currently in the middle of short-circuiting. His attention was waning thin. Luffy’s lips pursed, eyebrows furrowed as he hunched over the papers in front of him, one fork in his hand with syrup dripping from a soggy slice of pancake.

Hoku continued to chew, sick of these studies herself.

“So the answer,” Luffy said slowly. He rubbed the scar beneath his eye. A dumb thing he’d gotten trying to impress a man beyond both their leagues. “Is nothing.”

Hoku snorted. “It’s infinity, dumbass. It never ends.”

“Are you sure?” Luffy said, squinting. “You’re pretty dumb too. I think there’s just no answer. Hey, hey, let’s just leave it blank and then—”

“If you don’t do your half of the group project, Nami’s gonna kick your ass and then she’s going to come after mine,” Hoku said, looking a bit pale at the idea as she slumped forward onto the messy table as well, using her mouth to grab the edge of a pancake off her plate and slowly chew through it. “Dun cwah meh duhm, duhmash.”

“Shishishi, but you are!” Luffy snickered, kicking his feet out and mimicking her position. “We’ll just pay Nami money not to kick our ass and we win!”

Hoku groaned around a pancake at the dangerous word. She made sure strands of her white hair weren’t getting caught in stray puddles of syrup, lazily tugging it back up into a bun. “We’re broke, dumbass. She might be willing to take an IOU, but she’ll collect someday and…”

Hoku whimpered, wishing she could shove her face into the stack of pancakes beside her. “I need a jooooooooob.”

Luffy chewed in front of her, shoveling more pancakes into his mouth. Unbothered. He usually got off on the occasional odd job and Luffy always just had this… way of making things work out when they shouldn’t.

The diner was cheap. So it’d been her source of nutrition the past couple of weeks—aside from Sanji’s loving meal preps and Nami’s fruits constantly being brought back to her dingy apartment. The horrible, cold truth was that her funds were low. Financial aid covered for her classes and materials fine, but existing outside of school came off her savings and odd jobs or freelance work she picked up here and there.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken two years off,” Hoku said, squinting at her stack of pancakes as Luffy reached over and started eating them. “Might’ve landed me a better job…”

“Nah, you needed it,” Luffy said simply. “‘Sides, you had tons of fun. You don’t regret it at all.”

Hoku whimpered once more. “Ugh, you’re right.”

Hoku only stood at twenty-one, two years older than Luffy—but after her third year of high school, she’d chosen to leave Japan after her graduation ceremony and head back to her hometown, a small place in Hawaii. She’d decided on a two-year gap, getting in touch with old family friends of her late parents who were essentially relatives and just taking some time to herself after everything and doing a little self-searching but…

Hoku had come back and managed to enter back into college without much of a hitch. She and Luffy were now on the same pace to graduating with Nami and Usopp—if he or she didn’t fail in the meantime—Zoro was going to school part-time for police academy training, Sanji doing the same for his culinary school and full-time position at his father’s restaurant and at least all her buddies were still in school aside from Robin and Franky and Brook.

To be honest, her life was going pretty well so far, aside from finances. It’d been almost a year now since her break-up and the two of them were still on amicable terms and checked in with each other regularly, her friends were healthy and in her life, Shanks and his team were out exploring some new island and there’d be an interview on it soon they could tune into…

Hoku was happy.

But school aside—she was still unemployed and poor. No new jobs had been coming her way as of late and even Law helping her land that job with designing that new program promotion his residency had needed was gone to her rent in a blink.

“Why don’t you ask Torao to help you get a job at his hospital?” Luffy said loudly. “You can be a nurse or something.”

“I’m too dumb to save people’s lives,” Hoku said flatly. “And I’m an art major. That’s like… Telling a cat to go fly.”

Luffy opened his mouth.

“Never mind, stop there,” Hoku shoved her face into the sleek table, smelling the old wood. “You also need credentials to work in a hospital, Lu. Should I find a campus job? There’s gotta be an opening somewhere… Maybe I can see if the amusement park needs caricature artists or something--”

“But you hate that kinda stuff,” Luffy complained. “It’s boring. You’re never supposed to do the boring stuff ya hate.”

“But I’m broke,” Hoku said pitifully. “Maybe my pride can suck up being poor…”

Hoku turned so her chin was flat against the table, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I can gamble my way to being rich…”

Luffy chewed with a little more thought, making a constipated expression—he was really thinking about something.

Her phone vibrated with a little jingle on the other side of the booth. Hoku turned it over, making a little happy noise. They could worry about money later. She hated thinking about this kind of stuff. “Zoro’s out of class. Let’s meet up with him and Usopp for that movie.”

“I feel like I’m forgetting somethin’,” Luffy said, making a face. “Oh, man… what was it…”

“Answer your damn homework and let’s go,” Hoku said, stuffing her leftover pancakes into her mouth and waving her hand to the owner for a check. “Cuh mown.”

“Nothing, right?” Luffy said, about to press his pen in.

“Infinity,” Hoku said flatly, grabbing his pen and scribbling the horizontal 8 in for him. “Never ends. That point is always stuck. Kinda like insanity.”

“Like how you’re crazy.”

“You’re crazy, crazy, now c’mon. Let’s beat Usopp and make him pay for snacks.”

Luffy stuffed all the pancakes into his mouth, rushing out the door with his cheeks full. Hoku slapped their money onto the table and ran out after him, shoving extra napkins into her backpack.

Hoku stared at the last page of her canvas sketchbook with a reluctant frown, a small sigh slipping past her lips.

She’d tried to be as conservative as possible with all the negative space—but this was it. She went through sketchbooks faster than her small funds could afford, but she couldn’t help but always put aside a bit for her work—it’s what you love.

The rest of her art classmates were packing up their things for the day. Stools squeaked across the smooth floors. Easels or clipboards sliding back into place. The model at the center stood up, stretching her arms over her head as their professor instructed them on what to work on this weekend and to finish last assignments up. They’d just finished another open studio and there’d be a big project coming up soon enough… She was going to need to buy the new canvases and oil paints for that… Shit.

Her fingers twitched. Hoku couldn’t help but smile.

She loved what she did.

Even if you’re bad for my wallet.

“Looks like you finally need a new book,” Hoku’s smile dropped, fingers stopping at the edge of her book. The girl beside her leaned over, smiling, “You’ve been needing a new one, haven’t you?”

I don’t even remember your name. Hoku hadn’t bothered. She made a fair enough effort with remembering the names of her classmates, but this one in particular had made it clear where she stood. Wanted to be some high end artist—was on her way, probably, since she’d been showcased in several galas but—

The hidden hint behind her words was clear every time she spoke to Hoku. Blatant. A teasing curl of her lips.

“Don’t you think that’s sad?”

“You’re always using the front and back of each page,” she laughed. “I mean, the drawings are great, but you can afford a new one or two, right? I’ll donate one if you’re that prudent.”

A few eyes glanced over at the easy confrontation. Hoku kept her face even. After this semester, you won’t even matter.

“You can afford the tattoos right,” she continued with a light laugh, tapping the corner of her left eye where Hoku’s heart shaped tattoo was inked in around her eye, smeared at the end. “Just save a bit for a new sketchbook and some supplies while you’re at it. Got to keep up with your studies, you know?”

“I’m sorry,” Hoku said, it was actually starting to bother her now. “What’s your name again?”

Someone’s pencil dropped behind them. He stooped down to pick it up, hiding his face.

Her classmate’s face flushed red. Her eyes flickered, back and forth, assessing the reaction of the people around them. Barely anyone was watching—who cared? They were all here to learn and to hone their skills. No one needed more drama.

Hoku’s lips pulled into a polite smile, revealing baby canines.

“Come on,” she said, laughing with a titter, “It’s been half a semester. It’s—”

“HOOOOOKKKKUUUUUU—” Thin but muscular arms wrapped tight around her shoulders. Hoku floundered for a second, almost tumbling back over her chair at the added weight. The smell of the sun washed around her and Luffy’s hair tickled her cheek, pressing in close as he jumped around, almost ripping her from her seat.

Warmth pressed into her back. Hoku’s shoulders relaxed, everything cleared. Her lips turned upwards into a wide grin.

Luffy was a destructive, bumbling dumbass most of the time—but he could always turn a mood into a better one.

Shanks rubs off on you too much. She thought fondly, a bit of stupid smile curling over her lips. Maybe that’s a good thing.

“Hoku! Hoku! You won’t believe this—come on! Let’s get lunch, I’m hungry. I’ve got awesome news! It’s gonna blow your mind and—”

“Calm down, dumbass!” Hoku snapped. A few of her classmates looked on in amusement. The girl from earlier had already retreated, saving face. Wiser ones started to move their things out of the way. “You’re going to break something again!”

Her professor didn’t mind friends coming in and visiting or sitting in on lectures. But Luffy’s regular presence barreling through the art department was considered a public menace and had to be dealt with accordingly. “I’ve never seen anyone launch themselves off the second floor and bounce around the way he does, so for the love of god please keep him away from the ceramics class—”

“Did you just finish class?” Hoku said, adjusting herself to account for Luffy’s added weight. She walked with a backwards slump, leaning as Luffy dragged along the floor hanging off her while she gathered her supplies.

“Yup! Nami went to go get a table!” Luffy said happily. “Come on, come on, let’s go eat! I’m starving!”

Her stomach rumbled in agreement. Hoku pressed a warning hand to her stomach, using the other to shove her backpack over her shoulder and purposefully shove into Luffy’s cheek. “I’m hurrying, but what were you saying earlier?”

She shoved her stuff into her bag as quickly as she could, flipping her sketchbook closed and turning toward the door. Luffy was starting to clamber up her back and she wasn’t sure she could support him if he decided to test if she could give him a piggyback ride.

“Oh, yeah!” Luffy said, cheek squished against her knuckles. “I think I found a job for ya! And it pays!”

“You found me a job—”

Hoku’s foot tripped over the other, sending them both toppling to the floor in a massive heap of one screech and Luffy’s monkey-like laughter. A student quickly grabbed his easel, jerking it out of the way as they smashed into the ground.

“Shishishi, you’re such a klutz.”

“If it’s Luffy, it’s probably some weird job throwing yourself off a cliff for fun,” Nami said warningly, neatly filed nails digging into the tangerine in her palm as she peeled it. “You guys are always talking about that explorer—what if it’s doing something illegal or—”

“Throwing yourself off a cliff and getting paid is fine,” Zoro said. He ran a hand through his spearmint colored hair, light catching off his golden earrings. “Just make sure you’re not secretly being employed for some kind of drug smuggling. You’re both idiots, so it’d happen.”

Luffy didn’t even look the slightest bit bothered, simply grinning stupidly to himself as he shoveled food into his mouth. Hoku—a little calmer and more sensible after stuffing her face with the cafeteria’s economically wonderful meal sets—gaped at the two of them in disbelief, blatantly offended.

The four of them were gathered in one of Grand College’s many cafeterias. Usopp was cramming last minute for another exam and should be running over any second. Hoku crossed her arms over her chest, shoving another forkful of pasta into her mouth. Nami leaned forward, setting a peeled tangerine down and smacking Luffy’s grabbing hands away as she set to work on another.

“I would not get involved in something like that without knowing,” Hoku grunted. Turning to Luffy she added, “If it’s drugs, I need to know how much it’s going to pay first.”

Zoro put her in a headlock, pointedly shoving her face into his chest where his nametag from his police training could smash into her cheek. Hoku’s arms flailed around, smacking into his cheek.

“Nah, it’s way better than any of that!” Luffy said, throwing his arms out in excitement. He stopped for a second. “Hey, wait, that sounds kinda fun—”

“Get on with it,” Nami and Zoro chorused.

Luffy grinned, turning to Hoku—who popped her head out over the top of Zoro’s tightened arm—with shining eyes. “Ace and Sabo are looking for someone to help them with this project!”

“Ace and Sabo?” Hoku’s eyes went round. A little box of memories peeled itself open, idle moments, pleasant laughter, warm memories wrapped around little flashes of awkward teenage encounters.

Hoku had known Luffy since she was a kid when his grandfather, a marine, had been stationed over in Hawaii at the time. Hoku’s parents had passed away a few years before that and after moving around, she’d spent some time with Mihawk until Garp swindled her into being looked after with Luffy…

She’d met Ace and Sabo young. When she was nine and they were ten--she remembered fighting all the time with Ace and Sabo being the genial, grinning mediator and those summers and years had been a great time and then she’d left to go live with Mihawk and eventually set up her own place. Their meetings were scattered in between coming to Luffy’s house with the three of them there after school—she and Luffy had gone to the same school for as long as she could remember—it’d gone on until high school, where meetings between them happened on occasion and then Hoku had left.

The two older brothers were great people—amazing even. Funny, easy to be around, always looking after Luffy first and foremost. She and Ace still butted heads and he could flip from a dotting older brother to an absolute menace but it’d been almost three years now since she’d last seen them.

Bright, golden blonde hair. Soot black waves. Hoku huffed over Zoro’s arm, resting her chin comfortably in the crook of his elbow. I wonder if they look any different… I think Luffy posted a picture not too long ago and they seemed well… She’d just never ended up getting in touch with them with everything she’d had going on.

It might be nice to see them again.

“I haven’t seen them in ages,” Hoku said thoughtfully. Luffy nodded his head so hard it almost snapped off. “How’re they doing?”

“They’re great!” Luffy said excitedly. “Never been better, and when they heard you came back into town forever ago, they’ve been saying they wanted to get in touch or somethin’ but they’ve been busy!”

“Your brothers?” Nami said, looking curious. “Isn’t Sabo working for that big designing company right now? The one that works with revolutionary protests through some of their lines?”

“Something like that,” Luffy said. “I never remember the name.”

“You never remember anything,” Zoro corrected. “I thought Ace was working part time as a firefighter. What kind of project would those two need help with? A fire proof line of clothes?”

Hoku looked interested. “That sounds kinda cool.”

Luffy nodded. Nami smacked the back of his head, urging him to continue. “Well, Ace does all kinds of stuff, but he models for Sabo’s work sometimes too. They’ve been doing a specific kinda work for some people.”

Luffy tipped his head to the side. His brows furrowed, crossing his arms over his chest in thought, “I think Sabo said something about… se… celery taste from one of their clients!”

“Selective,” Nami provided.

“Yeah, that! Anyway, one of ‘em wants something special done and Sabo remembered how good Hoku is with drawing and art and stuff!” Luffy said brightly. “I said you’re poor and you need a job—”

“Why’d you gotta say it like that, Lu?”

“And they were super excited and hoping you could help them out!” Luffy said. “See? It’s easy!”

“I’m not going to make your brothers pay me for something like that,” Hoku said, shaking her head in between Zoro’s arm. “They’ve done a lot for me before—they treated me like family when I was always bumming around at your place… I’ll just do it for free, what do they need? An ad? A—”

“Nono, dummy, they said they wanna pay ya because it’s a big job!” Luffy said. “It’ll take a lot of work or something and—ah! I almost forgot!”

Luffy grinned, shuffling around his pants’ pocket before he pulled out a crumpled, balled up paper. He handed it to Hoku, who reached around Zoro’s still loose and comfortable grip to fold it. “Sabo and Ace gave me this last week! It’s their numbers. Said to give them a call or text them if you were down to do it!”

“A week ago,” Zoro snorted. “Nice.”

“But I said we should all get together cause it’s been so long!” Luffy said cheerfully. He grinned, swinging his legs back and forth over the bench. “We can throw a party! Oh, man, we can make it huge and—”

“No parties until after midterms,” Nami said dangerously. “And whatever you decide, don’t forget we’ve got a girls day with Robin next week, Hoku!”

“Right, right,” Hoku said absently, staring at the two differently scrawled numbers—one in neat, even print and a more slurred, harder to read script. Ace and Sabo. “Well, I’ll text them and let them know I don’t mind helping out however. It’s the least I can do since it’s been so long.”

Hoku slumped, throwing herself half over Zoro’s lap. He shot her an unimpressed look and Hoku mimicked a limp fish.

“Maybe I’ll just work in the cafeteria,” Hoku said thoughtfully. “I can sneak meals and they’ll probably feed me too.”

“Sure,” Zoro said. “Like they’d let a klutz like you become a lunch lady. It’s bad enough that eyebrow freak cooks for anyone.”

Hoku made strangling motions at his neck. Zoro just shoved her face back into his lap, folding his arms on top of her head and yawning as she let out muffled screeches.

Luffy snickered. Nami finally relented and offered him a peeled tangerine. He popped it into his mouth and grinned, teeth shining and excitement bleeding into all of them.

“Oh, man, it’s been so long—this is gonna be great!”

“Contributing to society yet, you unemployed bum?”

Hoku’s face shot up from the second helping of curry she’d been about to shove into her mouth without further consideration. Her face twisted, grumpy and angry—but only in the kind of way that came off as entirely defensive because the words thrown at her were blatantly true and painful, damn it.

“Hey, you jerk,” Hoku snapped, waving her spoon at the asshole in front of her. “When I start making it big, you’re going to eat those words.”

The currently sitting definition of tall, dark, and handsome. Changed out of his hospital gear and classical surgeon attire—because being a heart surgeon with an emphasis in being able to do surgery on just about anything else because he was a genius called for a lot of hours—and dressed in easy jeans and a black turtleneck. The fluorescent lighting of the homey curry restaurant caught off his slender piercing. His dark tattoos peeked out from the rolled up sleeves of his cuffs, the neatly printed letters staring back at Hoku as he held his too large cup of coffee—black as sin because he still had a shift tonight.

Hoku always had to wonder what his patients thought every time they saw DEATH staring back at them on the hands of their doctor before going under on the table. She got away with the snow white hair and tattoos because she was an “artist” so no one bothered her much.

Probably shit their pants. Or just cry.

Doctor Trafalgar D. Water Law did not look impressed.

“Maybe,” he said dryly, “if you don’t eat everything else first.”

Hoku flinched back as though she’d been struck. She shoveled more curry into her mouth, glaring hard at him from across the table.

“I keep asking myself why I hang out with you,” Hoku said. “You’re always taking your time and then when I think we’re going to have a nice time, you find some way to cut me open again.”

Law took a sip of his coffee, “You do it to yourself. And I hang out with you. Not the other way around.”

“That’s bullshit,” Hoku said around her spoon. “And ya know it, Torao.”

The two were about as far from each other on the spectrum as possible when it came to a small world. As a doctor and about three years older than herself—there could’ve never been an excuse for their paths to cross. It just happened one day that her art club had been assigned to help remodel and work with the children of their local hospital and overseeing the entire thing had been Hoku the klutz from her art club and Doctor Law, resident bachelor heart surgeon.

“You can’t paint monsters in the child ward, it’ll literally scare them to death.”

“Are you even listening to the kids? They want a wall of creepy and fun stuff so they can tell stories to each other.”

“You’ll give them all nightmares and it will reflect poorly on their health.”

“I’ll give them all a reason to run and they’re going to be dancing out of this hospital from how fit they are.”

And then there’d been a celebration party for finishing the joint project and Hoku drank a little too much—or maybe she’d just eaten something bad—and then she was throwing up on Law’s shoes.

Hoku had also been the reason why one of his buddies, Penguin, had managed to graduate in their shared anatomy class. Law was also fairly good friends with Kid—fairly because they always talked shit about each other but still hung out—and there’d never been a reason not to know each other anymore.

Besides, even if she told Law he was a bastard and this and that, she genuinely enjoyed his company. He was looking out for her here and there in his twisted, clinical, at times cold-hearted way.

“But no,” Hoku admitted bitterly, slumping back into her chair. Law leaned back in his own, satisfied as he threw one arm behind the chair next to him and watched her in silence. “It’s been months now and I’m just barely getting by on any project I can… Did you know I was thinking about working at the amusement park? Or the pier? I hate water. Why would I even want to spend more time there—”

“You’re afraid of water, you don’t hate it,” Law corrected. “It’s called aquaphobia.”

Hoku mimicked him.

Law kicked her knee under the table. She jerked it back in, nearly jostling their small little booth. Hoku and Law both grabbed their drinks to steady them.

“I mean, I’m not that bad,” Hoku rubbed her chin, shaking her head. “I think I’m one hell of an artist actually… I can go back into mechanics and pick up a job engineering for a while but…”

Hoku let out a small sigh. “No, that won’t work. It’s gotta be drawing after all.”

“Eustass-ya is coming back into town,” Law said, knowing what—who—mechanics made them think of.

Hoku looked up. Her face was neutral, amiable. “Oh, yeah?”

“Mentioned it,” he said. “Don’t know when.”

Hoku hummed. She played with a carrot on her plate and shoved it to the side. Law scowled. She grudgingly scooped it back up. “I’ll give him a call when he arrives. Maybe we can grab lunch or something.”

Law watched her over the rim of his cup. Hoku waved a hand at him. “We still check up here and there. I mean, when it’s not angry texting—but that’s all in good fun.”

Law’s brows creased in a suit-yourself sort of way.

“You can shift gears a bit,” Law said. “Get a teaching degree and why don’t you apply as an art teacher? You’d still get to do what you loved while working on individual projects. Quit when you’re ready.”

Hoku lowered her arms onto the table, her face a little more sober. “That’s… That’s probably the best idea, isn’t it? But I dunno… me? Teaching?”

Hoku laughed. She rubbed the back of her neck, dragging her fingers down the side and staring hard at her warped reflection on the metal table.

“I don’t think…” she said and stopped. Hoku shook her head, “I don’t think any parent would want someone like me teaching their kids.”

Law’s eyes flickered. His expression loosened, brows a little less furrowed, face a little easier to approach.

“Hoku-ya—”

“But you know what,” Hoku started up again brightly, eyes flashing in determination as she grinned, “there was this girl in my class today—making digs about this and that and just wait. I’m going to pick up an awesome job and come in with my regular gear because I’m not an idiot who blows her cash on fancy materials!”

Hoku’s chest puffed out in pride. She grinned, proud as a peacock and tipped her chin high in the air. “Long live homemade art materials!”

“You’re the only one who can get away with that,” Law said. “Barely.”

“I’m so confident I’m going to get a job,” Hoku said. “That I’m paying for dinner tonight.”

Law looked vaguely amused. He let his chin rest on his palm, watching her.

“So if I went ahead and ordered the deluxe beef curry set—”

“I,” Hoku said, using her best bluffing face, “wouldn’t even blink.”

Law ended up ordering the set to-go. And paying for the meal—he simply stepped over Hoku’s embarrassingly fallen form when she tripped on her way to the cashier—and handed the food to her after dropping her off in front of her apartment before he took off for his night shift.

“Eat,” Law had threatened, rolling up his window and ignoring her cursing and ranting like she were no more than a fly at his car. “Skip meals and I’ll check you into the hospital myself.”

Hoku threw up both her middle fingers, stomping all the way to her apartment door for emphasis. Law’s sleek car waited in the parking lot until her door opened pointedly wide and closed before pulling off.

“I never skip meals,” Hoku muttered, shrugging her shoes off and hobbling into the living room after setting the food down on the counter. “I love eating.”

Her apartment wasn’t a grand thing, but it was a little more spacious for the great price she was paying. Banged up. Creaky pipes and floorboards—but it held, sturdy and true.

The two bedroom apartment had been shifted so one was her actual bedroom while the other was her studio and guest room—she usually ended up sleeping there when she was working late into the night anyway. Photos were thrown up left and right. Stacks of papers and sketchbooks were scattered all over the apartment. A massive poster hung over her bed of a certain red-haired explorer’s greatest and her favorite excursion.

A small television set and coffee table. A sectioned off kitchen with an island countertop. Her sleek, comfy leather black couch which was a gift from Mihawk—

Hoku flopped down onto the couch, sinking deep into the cushions. She let out one long, low groan.

I’m such a loser. Hoku pressed herself as deep into the couch as she could, willing it to swallow her whole and never let her see the light of day again. You were supposed to come back from those two years and be different. You haven’t done anything.

Her phone vibrated against her ass and Hoku lazily tugged it out of her pocket, half-throwing it toward her face.

“LETS TRY THIS PLACE IT LOOKS GOOD!!!!!” Hoku snorted at Luffy’s text, a smiling touching her lips and scrolling down. Usopp sent a photo of Zoro asleep on their couch. Training must be rough. Nami texted her a reminder to make a reminder in her phone for her date with Robin and the three of them. A notice from her professor about the material list for class next week.

“Heard things are turning up for you. Keep me posted.” Robin.

Hoku’s hand shuffled through her jacket pocket. Her fingers closed around the crumpled piece of paper and she carefully smoothed it back out, staring at the two numbers.

Honestly… she only really had good memories of Sabo and Ace. Well, when she and Ace weren’t butting heads or strangling each other about something. Luffy loved them as much as he could love anyone, so they’d always been important people to her too.

Grade school, middle school, high school… Hoku rifled through the mess of memories. Coming over to their house. Running from their grandfather. Crowding by a television. After school runs to the best food stalls… all just classic, simple memories.

Hoku pulled up an empty message, typing in both numbers into a new group chat. Her fingers hovered over the letters, contemplating the kind of greeting that should’ve fit a gap this long… They couldn’t have changed too much, right?

Hoku typed, deleted, re-typed for several minutes before finally hitting send and dropping her phone onto the rug, rolling over and burying her face between the couch cushions. A minute, two, her shoulders went slack and she finally fell asleep.

Another minute. A beat.

Her screen flickered to life with a response. A calm ten minutes later.

Hey, Ace, Sabo!

It’s Hoku—haha, it’s been awhile, huh? Sorry for being so shitty at staying in touch. Hope you guys are doing well! Are you still holding the three of you guys together? Ace haven’t lost his head yet dropping dead somewhere? Lu says you guys have been busy.

He finally gave me your numbers and mentioned you had a project you needed help with. Don’t worry about paying or anything, I’d be happy to help out! You guys are like family, y’know? I don’t know how much I can do, but let me know. Let’s catch up. :)

Changed at all?

Hoku,

It’s so nice to say your name again after so long! Took Luffy long enough. It’s been ages, hasn’t it? Ace and I are better than ever, well, trying at least. I’m so glad to finally speak with you again after all this time. I hope your trip was everything you needed and now you can enjoy a long stay back home. I could go on forever, but let’s save the rest for in person, shall we?

Yes! I’m not sure how much Luffy told you about it, but we’d love to discuss with you further. Face to face. When is the soonest you can meet? Ace is asleep right now, but I’ll let him know as soon as he wakes up. The lug.

Hope to be in contact with you soon,

Sabo.

Two minutes passed and a second message was sent, accompanied by a warm, smiling face.

Haven’t changed a bit. Missed you, Hoku.

Shit. Hoku exhaled, adjusting her tote bag over her shoulder—Luffy had bought it for her on a random splurge, dotted with stars. Her head tipped to the side, as though looking at the beautiful building would change what she was seeing.

A few people walked past her, offering strange looks.

The dessert restaurant was famous. Newly opened, lovely. Two floors with nothing but booths overlooking the city and cozy cafes where people could gather to enjoy all kinds of sweets—for those not as inclined to sugar, they had an array of sandwiches and anything to all varying tastes.

Hoku had been eyeing this place for months now, enviously searching through images online or drooling into her pillow as she scrolled through food bloggers. She and Nami and Robin were supposed to finally try it next weekend when Robin came back from her latest trip…

Lucky me. Hoku whistled, shaking her head as she stepped up to the patisserie and opened the door with a gentle jingle of the golden bell on top. Now I get to go twice.

She’d woken up, creases in her face from where she’d shoved herself between the couch cushions, to several new messages. The only one that’d stood out, neatly typed in a way most people would never text like a letter, and addressed with his name since she didn’t have his number already saved—

Sabo.

Hoku had stared at the message with wide eyes, not quite believing what she was seeing, drool dried to her chin. Hoku’s eyes had brightened and she’d quickly responded, getting even a little excited because—it was Ace and Sabo—they were good friends. I missed them.

It was supposed to be nice--reconnecting with people you hadn’t seen for a long time.

Hoku’s eyes searched the crowds of people gathered together, focusing on the host stand. A host stand for a bakery, damn. Hoku seemed to be on the lesser scale of dress—high waisted shorts with her halter top tucked in—but I’ll be alright. The entire first floor could be seen from the second story where people could make reservations for secluded booths to enjoy their sweets and tea. We should be on the first floor...

Hoku stopped short. She stood there in the middle of the bakery, face calm.

I mean they… Hoku’s eyes slowly scanned over the crowd one more time, doing a thorough comb over. They can’t be… that different right? Am I crazy?

She stopped at every blonde and black haired male, craning her head, shuffling around the bakery and trying to peek around to get a look at different faces. Trying and failing to be as discreet as possible. No freckles. No scar on the left side of his face. Nothing.

Hoku shuffled through her bag, fishing out her phone.

Right time. Hoku checked the message thoroughly. Right place. Meet here… there aren’t any other instructions. Am I just first?

If she remembered right, Sabo was always so punctual… Hoku made a face, turning around on her heel. Should I just go get a table? I’ll just go get a table—

“Excuse me miss, are you looking for your party?”

Hoku’s phone slipped like butter through her fingers. Her foot shot out, trying to catch it and she almost toppled over completely, grabbing the nearest chair and steadying herself.

The host who’d approached her looked horrified, as though he’d almost witness an apocalypse occur right before his eyes.

“Hi,” Hoku said. A few people were looking. She bent down to grab her phone, shoving it into her bag. “I—what?”

“Your party,” the host repeated kindly. “With a Mr. Sabo, correct?”

Hoku stared at the host with round eyes.

He smiled, “He told us to look out for you. He’s already waiting at the table if you’d like to follow me, miss.”

“Oh,” Hoku said dumbly. She straightened out, staring at the host like an idiot. “I… I didn’t see him. Where is he?”

“This way, miss,” the host gathered up a menu and began his ascent toward the steps.

Hoku stared at the stairs. Stairs led to a second floor. The second floor was a fancy floor.

Hoku pressed her hand into her mouth, staring.

Maybe it’s the wrong Sabo?

“Would you prefer the elevator, miss?” the host said, looking worried. “Forgive me—”

“No, no, no, stairs are fine!” Hoku quickly scampered after him. The host smiled, leading the way up the winding staircase the short distance to the second floor. “I just—I thought he was on the first floor. Sorry. Thank you for your time.” Stop talking, you dumbass.

The host continued to smile, leading them past a narrow walkway of several private rooms and booths. You can see everything from here. Hoku eyed the bottom floor, wondering if anyone had watched her flailing around like a mouse. Or a fish. Or just an idiot in general.

They walked a short distance, coming close to where part of the second floor was sectioned off against the railing of the top floor. The other half of the floor opened up with wide glass windows, showing the entire city and the bay across the distance.

This is so nice. Hoku glanced around in disbelief. I can’t imagine the price tags up here, gotta tell Nami and Robin.

A single booth sat at the end of the walkway, pushed to the back. A perfect vantage point of the entire first floor and the breathtaking view on the side—

Golden blonde hair fell a little longer now. It still had its wavy sort of curve, kissing the sculpted, angular line of his jaw. His eyes still had that soft little light to them, curious as he surveyed the menu in front of him. His skin was fair, a burn scar over the left side of his face, around his eye. There was a larger one hidden beneath the neat, cream dress shirt he wore inside a dark, navy blue sweater.

He looked older—more mature, a redefined version of himself, as though someone had simply adjusted the resolution of a good photo, complimenting what already was. Dapper and gentle and charming all at once—

But still, maybe, the same after all.

“Sabo!” Hoku’s eyes went wide, an easy grin touched her lips and she strode forward. Hesitancy lined the back of her steps, careful. Even if we got along fine and were pretty close, it’s still been awhile and—how do you do stuff like this again?

His eyes flickered upwards immediately, finding her with perfect ease. They went a little round, brightening in an instant. His lips turned upwards into one bright, warm smile.

Some small part of Hoku quieted. His eyes were warm, almost hot. He was looking at her like finally, finally, something had fallen into place and it was all right—

Hoku balked for a second, uncertain. Her heart warmed at the sight, a flood of pleasant memories and—

And what?

“Hoku!” that’s really his voice. It’s been so long. Sabo stood from his seat, stepping around the table into the walkway. The host behind them set the menu down, backing off so they could be alone. Hoku almost reached out to grab his arm and ask him to stay, just to have another person here because—why would you do something like that, you’re so weird, it’s just a reunion with someone you haven’t seen in awhile—

Sabo’s shiny loafers stopped a few feet from her. His arms had been raised for a second, but his face quickly shifted with obvious hesitation, waiting uncertainty. His lips pursed, waiting in that dorky expression of his. Brows a little furrowed. Hoku stood there like an idiot, telling her mind to shut up and—

Hoku let all other thoughts melt away. It was Sabo. She knew Sabo. She knew him when he was missing a tooth. This is Luffy’s brother. He’s practically family. She gathered her footing beneath her, steadying.

Hoku stepped into his embrace, meeting him the rest of the way. Sabo’s entire face lit up, eyes warming.

It was a ridiculously...nice feeling, to be looked at like that.

Her arms came around his middle and Sabo’s arms instantly wrapped tight around her in a bear hug, wrapping around her shoulders and holding her snug. He almost lifted her off her feet. Hoku laughed, patting his back as Sabo held her tight for a moment, the smell of his cologne washing over her, smelling like something expensive and roguish. He laughed back into the crown of her hair, air ghosting past her ears as he moved his head to the side then, right by her ear.

“Hoku!” Sabo said. “It’s been so long! It’s so good to finally see you-—look at you! You got taller!”

“Says you,” Hoku snorted, pulling back a bit so she could crane her head up to his face. Her ear twitched. Sabo laughed, loosening his grip around her so she could shift more comfortably in his arms. “Look at ya—who said you could grow this tall, you jerk?”

“You look absolutely wonderful,” Sabo said graciously. Hoku stiffened in surprise. She shuffled a bit backwards and Sabo quickly released his hold on her, letting her back out of the hug. “You do! You let your hair grow out—it looks beautiful.”

“No, I just,” Hoku stopped, pressing a hand to her mouth in surprise. “I forgot how you were. You’re always saying stuff like that—caught me off guard, ya bastard.”

“With a compliment?” Sabo laughed, a warm, breezy kind of sound. Hoku’s lips pulled up at the corners. “You deserve dozens more with how long it’s been.”

“You look great!” Hoku punched his chest lightly with a fist. Sabo grinned boyishly, beaming down at her. “All dressed up too—couldn’t beat that royal look out of you, could you?”

“Decided to embrace a different kind of style,” Sabo chuckled. “I’m not missing any teeth this time, right?”

The image of a beaming, grinning blonde boy with scuffed up shorts, a creased hat and a gap where his tooth was missing—Hoku’s smile widened. Yeah, that’s right. This is Sabo.

Sabo took a moment to look at her, as though he were seeing her again for the very first time. Hoku’s nerves rattled for a second, a chill racing down her spine. You’re just nervous. Calm down, you dumbass. His face visibly softened. The chill disappeared. Eyes warm, he clasped his hands together in front of him.

“I’m glad you’ve been well,” Sabo said softly, smiling. “It really is nice to see you again, Hoku.”

“I’m sorry I was so bad at staying in touch,” Hoku said, brows furrowing. “I should’ve called once or twice to check up on you guys… Luffy told stories every now and then and I guess that always seemed enough.”

“No, we should’ve made more of an effort on our part,” Sabo said. He guided her to the table and Hoku slipped into the seat in front of him. His fingers gently glided over her arm, over her skin, smoothly taking her bag and hooking it over the back of the chair. Hoku blinked, realizing she hadn’t even known that he’d been getting her bag—

For a brief moment, Hoku stilled. A force of habit. It only lasted a second, anyway.

Sabo’s frame towered over her. One hand resting on the edge of the chair where he was releasing the bag, the other steadying himself on the table but—

You’re boxed in.

And then Sabo was gone and she was free and Hoku relaxed even though she never should’ve been tense in the first place.

“I’m sorry Ace couldn’t come, he wanted to see you too,” Sabo said, pulling away with a frown. “He had an important shift today so he couldn’t get off.”

“We can definitely meet up again,” Hoku said surely. “With Lu next time too, catch up like old times. I want to see more of you guys for sure.”

Sabo smiled at her—it almost made her feel as though she were being praised for something. She’d said the right answer.

“Things just got so busy with work and you were in your third year,” Sabo said. He took a seat beside her, brows creased apologetically. “You were seeing someone at that time too, weren’t you? Relationships, school, it all gets so hectic.”

“That’s… yeah, that’s right,” Hoku blinked in realization. Sabo folded his hands together on top of the table, expression soft. Understanding. Kid and I were together and I was focused on spending time with everyone before I left and then….

Had she just forgotten about Ace and Sabo? Enough to not even give her best friend’s brothers a proper goodbye—

“That’s no excuse though,” Hoku said, brows furrowing. Had that really been what happened? Holy shit, Hoku. They’re like family—how could you do something like that? Kid had taken up a lot of her time sure, but she’d wanted to spend that time with everyone because she was going to be gone for so long. “Shit, I’m sorry Sabo—”

“Don’t even think about apologizing,” Sabo said, shaking his head sternly. Hoku’s lips pursed. “We could’ve called you just as easily as you could’ve called us. It’s a two way street. No one needs to apologize here.”

Even if you say that, I’m still going to make it up to you guys. Hoku huffed, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest in thought. “Doesn’t mean it didn’t suck.”

“Maybe,” Sabo said, a light chuckle. He looked so happy. It was hard not to keep staring at him, to feel happy herself. Infectious. A waiter came and swiftly left behind two steaming mugs and Hoku looked up in surprise. “Sorry! I took a guess at the menu—I’ve never been here before and I got what they recommended and looked the best…”

“No—you’re fine!” Hoku pulled the mug closer to her, eyes growing wide. She instantly grabbed for some sugar cubes and Sabo looked amused. “This is their apple tea, right? Ah, I’ve been wanting to try this, nice call.”

“Thank goodness,” Sabo seemed to deflate in absolute relief, melting down into his seat. Hoku snorted, staring at him in disbelief. “Sorry, I got worried for a second I ordered something awful--still like apples, huh?”

“Enough,” Hoku said. “My favorite is still—”

“Longan,” Sabo said.

Hoku blinked in surprise, looking up from the steaming cup in her hands.

Sabo smiled. He pulled his cup—coffee or an espresso by the smell of it—closer toward him. Sabo reached for the sugar jar. “I always think about you when I see them in stores—it’s such a weird fruit to choose to eat on your own, so I remember the time you had us all try it and—”

“Lu choked on the seeds,” Hoku’s lips curved fast into a grin, “I know what you mean. I always remember random things because of people too. You start to link people up with the stuff and places in your life.”

“Exactly,” Sabo said with a warm smile. He dropped a cube in, picking up the small spoon and starting to stir, slow and easy. “Come on, tell me all about it—how was everything? Luffy said it was something like a… soul searching experience?”

“Sort of,” Hoku laughed, pushing her hair back over her head and holding it there for a second. The apple tea smelled amazing. “I wanted to get in touch with some old family friends, help fix up the town I was born in… just spend some time there. It’s home, you know?”

Sabo looked openly curious, taking a sip of his coffee. “Are you thinking of settling there?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Hoku shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck. “Settling is a tentative word anyway. I love it here to much and all my friends are here, you know? I like my apartment and what I’ve got going fine.” Just minus a steady income.

“That’s true,” Sabo said, looking thoughtful. “There’s just so much here… It’d make more sense.”

“Mhm,” Hoku said. “But it was nice. I needed it. It helped me with a lot of sorting out and growing, I think.”

“The growing I can agree on,” Sabo said warmly. Hoku made a face. “You’re lovely, Hoku. You’ve always been.”

“Stop,” Hoku laughed, wrapping her hands around the cup. It warmed her palms. “I mean, I can talk about my trip and stuff, but what’s been going—”

“Wait,” Sabo said, looking surprised. “You said apartment—are you living off campus?”

“Yeah, like Lu,” Hoku said. “They’re apartment was too crowded, even though they offered a room, so I found my own place.”

“Ah,” Sabo said. He dropped another sugar cube into his coffee. “With your boyfriend?”

Hoku smiled softly. Her eyes dropped down to her tea, staring at the murky red color. Nowhere near the bright, flaming red— “Your hair’s like hot cheetos.” “Keep talking and I’m going to shove you out of my car.”—“Ah, no, nothing like that. Just me. We actually broke up about… a year ago now?”

Sabo’s face shifted instantly. His brows creased, spoon pausing in the air. Apologies flooded his eyes, mouth opening in quick understanding that he’d just asked something like that—but Hoku waved him off, shaking her head and hand in turn. “No, no, don’t even start. We parted on good terms. I was supposed to only be gone a year, but I decided to stay longer and we had a bit of a falling out and yada yada.”

Hoku smiled, earnest, “But we’re still good friends. No drama or anything.”

“Still,” Sabo said, brows creased, looking ashamed. “I’m sorry for asking so insensitively like that. You don’t just go barreling through past relationships—sorry, Hoku. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories—”

“There aren’t any,” Hoku said.

Sabo dropped his spoon into his coffee, starting to stir again, slow, “That’s good. It seems like you both handled it well, then.”

There really weren’t. Even with all their fighting and butting heads, they always sobered up and acted out of each other’s best interests when it came down to it. He’d wanted her to come back—come with him—and she hadn’t known what she was looking for—

Don’t think about that now. Hoku shook her head. This is a different occasion.

Hoku’s mouth opened, eager to shift gears—

“Why’d you decide to stay the extra year?” Sabo questioned, stirring absently. Hoku looked up. Her tea was starting to cool enough now so that it wouldn’t burn her tongue.

“I just realized a year wasn’t enough to find what I was looking for,” Hoku said. “It got hard, making the decision cause I missed everyone so much, but it was a good one. I think it helped.”

Her gut twisted. Had it? She might’ve had a great time—gotten to see Shanks with his surprise stay, Mihawk came and they explored the island her mother had loved, her friends visited—but had it? Here she was now, still moving through life, still going about things but had it—

Changed anything?

Hoku thought about the lack of jobs. Thought about Law’s suggestion to switch gears. Am I even doing things right? Kid slipped into the back of her mind. Yeah, they hadn’t ended on bad terms, but had her decision even been a right one? Had there ever been a reason for them to—

Quiet black gloves, a soft underside of leather, touched her hand. Hoku jumped, eyes dropping down and realizing she hadn’t even noticed Sabo’d been wearing gloves. That’s new. Her eyes flickered back up and she realized his face was creased in worry, eyes watching her openly. “Hoku?”

Shit. “I’m sorry,” Hoku said, pulling her hands back. Sabo’s hand dropped onto the table and he glanced to it for a moment before looking back to her. Hoku used one hand to grab her cup, the other pushing her hair back out of her face from habit. “Got lost in thought—what’d you say?”

“I’m just glad you’re back,” Sabo said. He pulled his hand back, letting it rest in his lap as he brought his cup back to his lips. “Hopefully to stay. Have you had a chance to do everything you’ve missed since coming home?”

“Oh, plenty,” Hoku said, slumping in relief at the change in topic. Think happy. Think Sabo. Don’t worry about the other stuff. He doesn’t need that. Or deserve it. “The lot of losers has been making sure I do.”

“I can imagine with them,” Sabo said, looking amused. He let his cheek rest onto one hand, using the other to twirl his cup. “Luffy always talks about you guys when we meet up. Took him long enough to finally get us in touch again.”

“That’s right!” Hoku clapped her hands together. Sabo blinked. Smiling like a lost puppy. “The whole reason for this—Lu said you guys needed help with a project right? What is it? I don’t know how much I can do but I’ll try my best—”

“So you only came today because of that?” Sabo mused, tipping his head to the side, resting on his hand. Strands of wavy blonde fell a bit onto the side of his face. “I thought we were catching up.”

Hoku paled, her jaw went slack. “No—oh my god—no. You guys don’t have to pay me—I won’t let you pay me. I just wanted to help—”

Sabo’s laugh broke through. Breezy, curling past her ears. Hoku stumbled over her words, stopping as his gloved fingers hid only parts of his bright smile. “I’m sorry, I’m just teasing. You’re still so easy to tease.”

Hoku’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. She settled back into her seat, rubbing the top of her head. “Ah, jeez. You’re awful, Sabs.”

Sabo’s smile widened behind his fingers. His eyes were impossibly warm and Hoku stopped, staring. “What? You keep looking at me with that dumb smile—”

“I was wondering if you’d call me that again,” Sabo admitted, eyes softer now, still so, so warm.

Hoku blinked. She laughed, “You could’ve just asked. I’m sure other people call you that too. You’re so weird.”

“Maybe,” Sabo agreed, looking amused by her choice of words. “Hoku, what have you been up to aside from—”

“No, wait,” Hoku waved her hands, halting him.

Her eyes were on the table. Sabo’s eyes flickered briefly. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, adjusting his comfortable position to sit back in his seat. Hoku glanced back up to him to see a patient smile. It’d felt like the poor guy had to direct this entire conversation, Hoku didn’t even realize how much he was guiding it.

“The project,” Hoku said. “That first. I keep getting all twisted up with you. There’s too much to talk about. Let’s do that first.”

“Alright then,” Sabo said, a little laugh to his words. “It’s… Well, it’s less of a project and more of a personal request from a client of ours for a… specific piece of artwork.”

“That seems simple enough,” Hoku said, her hands curling around her tea to finally take a sip. “But last I heard, you and Ace are doing different kinds of work—is there a reason why they went to you?”

“There is,” Sabo said with a nod. He reached a gloved hand out across the table. Hoku blinked, curious, but Sabo waited patiently.

Hoku pulled her hands away from her tea. She limply poked Sabo’s gloved hand. The blonde laughed, shoulders shaking with the motion. “No, see, I’m not sure if you’re familiar or if Luffy told you, but I’ve been working with a designer company for a long time now. A close coworker and friend of mine designed these.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Hoku said, feeling a little stupid. The brand was labeled neatly, tucked away to not be too flashy on the inner seam of the glove. “Liberator, right? So the client met you two from this?”

“Catching on quick,” Sabo praised. Hoku’s cheeks flushed a bit and she rubbed the back of her neck. Sabo smiled warmly, “Sure enough, both of us are nowhere near a more… artistic sense of experience. I’ve been working and Ace models from time to time, but our client approached us from that line of work. We’ve been helping them out with their requests and they had a more specific one this time. They wanted a portrait. Or a series of them, to keep.”

Sabo sighed, leaning back in his seat. He laced his fingers together over the table. “It had us both stumped for awhile, to be honest. It seemed doable, but we didn’t know who to go to for something of this nature—but then we remembered Luffy mentioning you were back and town and he said you’ve been running into awful luck with work—”

Hoku sank lower in her seat, “How much did he say about that?”

Sabo’s face didn’t hold a hint of judgement. There was a fond sort of pity and understanding, he winced on her behalf, “You seem to be struggling quite a bit financially is what we got from it.”

Hoku grumbled to herself. Damn it, Luffy and your dumbass, big mouth. “Listen, it really isn’t that bad—”

“Don’t worry,” Sabo said, “I won’t pry. I want to. But I won’t. It’s not fair to come barging into your life after all this time and tell you whatnot just because.”

“I know you guys wouldn’t mean it like that,” Hoku said, feeling horribly touched at his words. And… relieved. He’d said exactly what she’d been hoping to hear. “You just care. You guys have always been sweet on those you care about.”

Sabo rubbed the back of his neck this time, looking sheepish. “It’s nothing like that—”

“No, no, it is,” Hoku said. “But anyway, forget about money. Keep goin’.”

“Well, it still has to do with money, actually,” Sabo said. “We both wanted you instantly because we love the way you draw—you’ve always been amazing at it, no matter what it was.”

Hoku’s chest flooded with unrestrained pride. She sank lower into her seat, covering her forehead with one hand and biting her lower lip. “I—I still have a lot to work on—”

“Hoku, look at me.”

Hoku followed the instruction, startled.

Sabo’s face was stern. His eyes held her in place, brows creased in that little way to show how earnestly he meant what he was about to say. “Hoku, you’re an amazing artist.”

Hoku grabbed her tea cup. Sabo opened his mouth, eyes flickering quickly with something—but she already brought it roughly to her lips, a bit sloshing over as she took a long, hard sip—it was delicious—and swallowed.

A bit dripped down her chin. Hoku laughed, a little too loud, flustered and embarrassed and yeah, it’s nice to hear all that but it doesn’t make it any less—I dunno. She was always shit at stuff like this. “Okay, I get it, you like the drawings—what’s the job—”

Sabo’s expression looked lost for a moment. Hoku blinked, realizing he seemed entirely zoned out. His eyes were following something on the corner of her chin and Hoku stopped, quickly rubbing at the tea that’d spilled down her chin—

“I’m sorry,” Sabo said, blinking back into focus. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face for a moment and then smiling at her. “I didn’t catch that. I lost my train of thought this time.”

“No, you’re fine,” Hoku said. ��We’re even now.”

Sabo stared at her for a second before he said, a bit soft, “You’re awful at listening to directions, aren’t you?”

“A bit,” Hoku said. Sabo’s fingers curled around his cup. “Keep going about that client. Needed an artist. What’s next?”

“Ah, yes,” Sabo folded his hands back together onto the table. “Well, we figured we were killing two birds with one stone by asking you. Help you out with your situation, and secure the piece we needed for this request. We’ll need you twice a week for an entire month, starting as soon as you can. It’ll only be in the evening, and we can work around your school schedule, but when you come in, how long it runs for may vary each time. We can supply any materials you’ll need, canvases and all, and all you’ll have to do is just draw.”

“That sounds…” Hoku said, “Really well-thought out.”

Sabo smiled, “We tried to be thorough with our planning to make sure everything went smoothly.”

“I… I don’t see any reason why not,” Hoku said, blinking. “You just need me to draw specific pieces—what is your client looking for? It sounds like there’ll be a model or a specific scene in mind. And honestly, Sabs, don’t even worry about the payment—I’d just like to help you guys out.”

“I have to insist you take the pay,” Sabo said, shaking his head. “It isn’t coming from Ace or I, honest. It’s directly paid from the client. And I have to say, they do pay rather handsomely.”

“Then you guys should keep the money,” Hoku protested. “I really can’t—”

“You’re the one doing the work,” Sabo said. “I have to insist.”

“But if they’re a friend of yours, I don’t want to make them pay,” Hoku said. “It won’t be too much trouble. I might not even be up to their standards—”

“Our business is strictly professional,” Sabo reassured. Fingers folded neatly together, sitting on top of the table. “You can take the pay, it really isn’t—”

“I’m not going to do the job if you guys are gonna pay me.”

Sabo stopped. Hoku’s face was set, stern. Sabo stared at her for a long, long minute, hands still folded so neatly in front of him and eyes quiet—

Sabo smiled, his face was playful, “Still as stubborn as ever.”

“Enough about money,” Hoku said. I’m sick of thinking about it, honestly. “What are they looking to have drawn? It doesn’t sound like it’s something off the top of my head. What’d they have in mind?”

“Ah, well,” Sabo looked a little thoughtful this time, contemplative. He seemed to be working through his words before he faced her evenly, an air of professionalism coating his friendly demeanor. “I don’t doubt your skills in the slightest, Hoku. I remember you’ve always been fond of drawing people too…”

Hoku waited, holding her cup in her hands. I’ve been taking forever to drink this thing. I keep getting distracted.

“I have to ask though,” Sabo said, “are you well acquainted with drawing anatomy?”

“Sure,” Hoku said, the cup at her lips. She’d assistant taught an anatomy drawing class. “All ranges. You’re right, people are usually my go-to for focus.”

Sabo leaned forward onto his elbows. His hands were interwoven together, placed over the lower half of his face. His expression was neutral.

“Nude models as well?”

Hoku nodded, not missing a beat. She’d dealt with the initial embarrassment of drawing nude models years ago from earlier classes. At the end of the day, it bled into a kind of intrigue to figure out how well you could draw people, at their rawest, at their most bare—it was intimate, and you wanted to make it beautiful. They all had the same body parts at the heart of it—when it came to her pencil and paper, there was nothing else to think about except the drawing. No strings attached.

I mean, Hoku felt an inch of heat creep up the back of her neck. It colored the top of her ears. It’s not like I’ve never been naked with anyone before… either…

Sabo watched her over the top of his fingers.

“I won’t scream or run out of the room if I see boobs or someone’s junk,” Hoku said flatly. Sabo’s lips turned up at the corners, holding back a laugh. “I’ve done nude shoots plenty of times, so don’t worry about that.”

“That’s good,” Sabo said, “See, our client is looking for something of a more… intimate nature.”

When you’re undressed like that in front of anyone, it’s already something intimate. Hoku nodded, following along.

“It’ll be an entirely private affair,” Sabo said evenly. “Closed quarters. Our clients are trusted people. Strictly business. You won’t have to worry about having your name attached to anything either, unless you’re particularly proud of a piece and want to use it for anything.”

His reflection in the dark cup of coffee couldn’t be seen, less than half full. Hoku’s reflection warbled back against her tea.

“You’ll only have to draw,” he said. “The time frames will range though, forgive me on that.”

Hoku shook her head, “You really have nothing to apologize for, honestly.”

Sabo smiled over the top of his hands. “There won’t be any given cues. They’re looking for something… natural. Whatever catches your eye in the moment it all happens, you choose what you’d like to draw. Whatever stands out to the artist should be worth something, after all.”

Free reign. Hoku nodded thoughtfully. She’d done some works like this before—almost like hiring a photographer, but looking for someone to draw it instead.

Sabo let out a loud sigh. Hoku looked up, curious. His shoulders had slumped, face visibly relaxed as he offered her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. Working this out with you has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. You have no idea how much you’re helping us out with this. We… we really needed the help.”

I’ll do my best. These guys have always been nothing but kind to me. Hoku straightened.

“When do you think is the soonest you can start?” Sabo questioned.

“Whenever!” Hoku said eagerly. “I’m in school Monday through Thursday, but classes end way before the evening. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

“Today’s Wednesday,” Sabo pulled out his phone, opening up his calendar. “Will Friday be too soon? The timing is perfect since it’s the first of the month…”

“No, that’s totally fine,” Hoku said, nodding. “I can do Friday.”

“I’ll text you the time and address then and further information,” Sabo said cheerfully. He turned his phone over face down onto the table, focusing back on her. “You can send me a list of anything you might need and we’ll have it ready.”

“I have a lot of my own supplies,” Hoku said. “Maybe just let me know if there’s specific size or style your client is looking for. Charcoal, ink, graphite—”

“Classic pencil should do,” Sabo said easily. “They’re not too picky.”

“Will the client be the model?” Hoku said.

“Ace, the client, and myself,” Sabo answered cleanly. “Poses will range. The entire thing will be a bit like… a simulation, if you will. If there was a moment where something stood out and you couldn’t capture it, we have cameras recording in the room on all sides, so just let us know after it’s done and we can send you the tapes.”

Ace and Sabo… Hoku’s brows furrowed. Her gut shifted a little. That… That might get a little weird, won’t it? Drawing them naked is kind of weird.

“We really needed the help.”

“Will any of that be a problem?” Sabo asked gently, brows furrowed in worry.

Hoku’s stomach twisted a bit more.

You’ve drawn your friends in all kinds of ways before. Hoku reminded herself. You helped your classmates with their own projects—you’ve drawn people you know really well nude and different and all kinds of different things—it’s just that. No strings attached. It’s not really intimate at all.

“None at all,” Hoku said.

It was just another job. Pencil and paper. Nothing more.

“And Hoku?”

She looked up. Sabo’s face was earnest.

“If there’s ever a moment where it’s too much, you want to quit, or you just don’t feel comfortable,” Sabo said gently. “You can leave whenever you want. We understand. If you can’t handle it, don’t worry. It’s completely up to you.”

“Can’t handle it?”

“I’m sure I can handle it,” Hoku said, ignoring the old, bitter memory. The tightness around her throat. The sound of water rushing all around her. “Don’t worry.”

Sabo smiled.

Hoku flopped down onto the train seat, knocking her head back on the reinforced glass. The business man beside her didn’t even look up, eyes falling heavy with sleep. Same, man, same.

She shouldn’t be tired. The rest of the meet-up went… amazingly. They stopped talking business and just caught up like old friends. Hoku laughed a lot, ate a lot, constantly being fed this and that as Sabo ordered with reckless abandon—“But it all looks so good!” and when she’d tried to run to the cashier to pay because that’d been her plan all along—she was left staring at the smiling host from earlier as he held up Sabo’s sleek black credit card.

To be honest, she’d felt completely and utterly spoiled. A feeling that always had her on edge and made her feel funny because—I don’t deserve shit like this. Sabo had kindly offered to drive her home, but she had to put her foot down there—and even then that’d been a fight until Hoku had just booked it to the station, waving over her shoulder at a laughing Sabo left behind.

“We’ll meet up before the session starts on Friday with Ace to finalize some things.” Hoku lazily tugged out her phone, scrolling through the new messages. “Give you guys plenty of time to catch up and then get right to work.”

One month. Hoku pulled up her calendar. Aside from school and the impulsive or random hang outs with everyone—ah, gotta drop off food for Law—she had nothing planned. Because you’re an unemployed loser.

She could do this. It seemed easy enough. The only thing that didn’t sit right with her was the nature of how Ace and Sabo would be, but it was possibly they wouldn’t even be nude. Maybe someone wanted a beautiful drawing with two handsome men—yeah, I can do something like that.

It gave her something to do. Keep herself busy. Even if she didn’t take the pay, at least she’d be working.

A notification popped up and Hoku paused for a second before sliding it open. The photo opened up from the art platform she used to post new works and keep herself posted with—

This month’s. Working on the next.

His work was edgy. As always. The sleek slabs of metal had been made to look a chrome silver—they caught off the light, reflecting back the opening jaws of a monster made of his own creation but—

It was awesome.

Hoku stared at the new project. The train rumbled beneath her feet, shifting occasionally.

“Stick to your cars.” Hoku typed out finally, posting the comment with a face. She looked forward, the train fairly busy with other people all heading home from long days and late shifts.

She needed to get moving too.

Her phone lit up in her hands. Hoku smiled, pulling up the message. Luffy’s eager voice through the texts bled through instantly.

“HOW DID IT GOOOOOOO????”

“GREAT.” Hoku typed back. “GONNA HELP THEM ON FRIIIIIIDAAAAAAAY.”

Incoherent, misspelled words came back. Hoku stared, waiting for something to understand until a video was sent. She glanced around, lowering her volume in case and opening up the video.

The camera was violently shaky. Luffy was obviously running—his feet the only thing in view. The phone lifted up to where Zoro and Usopp were lounging on the couch and it looked like Sanji was in the kitchen—

“GUYS!!!!” Luffy’s voice shouted. The man beside her jumped. Hoku winced. “HOKU’S GETTING A JOB! SHE’S NOT A LOSER ANYMORE!”

Hoku slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her laughter. Usopp fell off the couch, startled from his doze. Zoro tipped his head back. “Bust out the booze.”

Sanji popped out from the kitchen, looking hurt. “Hoku honey, I said you could work at our restaurant—”

The video cut out with Luffy shoving a thumb up into the camera.

Hoku smiled, staring at her screen for a long time, holding it in front of her.

She could do this.

She had to.

“We’ll meet an hour before the session starts.”

Hoku stepped into the sleek, polished elevator. The apartment complex was unnervingly nice. She remembered muddy hills. Dangerous forests. Creaky houses and three loud boys. This—one of the clearly nicer apartment buildings in their city—wasn’t what she was used to seeing. Ace and Sabo were clearly doing really well.

“We’ll be doing this at our apartment. This is the address and the code. We have a… studio of sorts for this type of work. Everything will be prepared beforehand so don’t worry about having to arrange anything.”

Hoku adjusted the collar of her blank white t-shirt, tucked into the waistband of her light washed jeans. She pulled her bomber jacket tighter over herself. Her bigger canvas bag was slung over her shoulder, all her supplies shoved in.

“Is there a certain way I should dress?”

“Perhaps nothing too… flashy? Just make sure you’re comfortable. No real dress code. You’ll be working for what might be several hours.”

Hoku’s fingers reached out, pausing at the button. Ninth floor.

Nine wasn’t a really lucky number by her books.

“Our client has already been informed, so don’t worry about anything. You’ll need to stay on the quieter side though, if that’s alright. Your station is positioned nicely in the room so you can move and get whatever angles you need.”

Hoku hit the button. The floor numbers lit up as the elevator lifted her to the apartment.

“We’ll start officially at nine.”

The wall gave way to glass. Hoku glanced to the city lights, flickering and shifting across the streets.

“You can have a moment to do anything you need before we begin. We won’t be able to stop once we start.”

The doors to the elevator slid open. Hoku stepped out, realizing with wide eyes that the entire floor was reserved for a single apartment. How big is this place?

Double doors waited at the end of the hallway.

Hoku shifted her bag and walked toward it, humming a bit to herself. Wonder if Ace is still annoying.

“We’ll walk you through anything else before we start. Answer any questions.”

Hoku stopped in front of the pearly white doors. She stared at it for a second, the tune dying on her lips. Something churned in her gut. A funny feeling.

It’s just another drawing session.

“Thank you again, Hoku. You don’t know what this means to us.”

Hoku knocked firmly against the door. She waited, shoving her hands into her pockets. This’ll be good for you. You need this change of pace. And besides, you get to do it with two good friends—

“You’ll be helping us, a lot.”

Hoku heard muffled footsteps on the other side of the door. A lock, two, slid out of place. The door opened inwards and Hoku looked up.

Eyes like charcoal. A little gray—almost silver in linings. A constellation of light freckles dusted over his cheeks. Sun-kissed skin. Soot black hair that framed the sharp line of his jaw and the familiar smell of something smoldering—like burning pine or with a little more bite to it—

Still a little roguish looking, wild. Still had that grumpy crease to his brows—

Portgas D. Ace.

Ace stared at her for a second and then promptly shut the door in her face.

Still a little piece of shit—

“What’s the password?” Ace said, muffled behind the door.

Hoku snorted. She kept her hands in her pockets.

“I guess I’m not wanted for the job,” Hoku answered. “Thanks for the interview anyway—”

The door swung open. Ace’s hand shot out, grabbing the back of her jacket just as she was turning. Hoku choked, arms flailing as she was roughly tugged back into the entrance of the apartment.

Ace’s bare foot shot out around her, kicking the door closed and twisting one of the locks between his toes—what the fuck you actual monkey—and then he was turning her around to face him.

Hoku spat her hair out of her mouth. Staring.

He had a shirt on for once. Tucked into a pair of black jeans.

That stupid, boyish grin split across his face, showing his always oddly sharp canines and making crinkles show up around his eyes. That dumb, happy, dorky grin—

Hoku’s heart did a funny thing, the kind of thing that reminded you just how much you missed someone and hurt you for not making an effort to see them sooner because—

“Hey, shooting star,” Ace said, voice deep and light all at once, clearly filled with mirth, “How’ve you been?”

“Hey, dumbass,” Hoku said, unable to stop the wide smile on her lips and not even trying to. “Been awhile, huh?”

Ace’s face soured at the name. He grabbed the back of her head, shoving it straight into his chest. Hoku let out a muffled squawk. Her hands shot out, smacking at his arms, but Ace promptly clamped them down firmly in a bear hug around her and lifted her off her feet. “I think you forgot who you’re talking too. Who said you could get that cheeky, huh?”

Hoku let out muffled curses against his shirt, getting a mouthful of cologne and cotton. Ace turned around, about to haul her out of the entryway until Sabo’s head peeked around the corner.

“At least let her take her shoes off,” Sabo said. Ace looked down to where Hoku was already struggling to shove her sneakers off with the other foot despite her constrained form. “You know how she is about that.”

“I have to make up for two years worth of contact,”Ace said simply, without any regret. “It starts now.”

“Make sure you let her breathe first,” Sabo said, amused. “Or you’ll lose her before that.”

Ace relinquished his hold. Hoku almost fell back, tripping over her shoes still half on her feet. Ace grinned, a deft finger sliding through one of her empty belt loops and stopping her from falling onto her ass. He tugged her back onto her feet and Hoku shot both hands out, steadying herself. Her eyes darted around, frazzled and flustered for a second before her face shifted into a deep scowl.

“I don’t miss any of that,” Hoku said darkly. “No wonder I never reached out to you.”

“No, you’re just awful,” Ace said. “Look at you. You look like you’re about to cry. Should’ve called if you were going to miss us that much, shooting star.”

“I look like this because I almost died from cotton suffocation,” Hoku snapped. Ace used one finger to dig something out of his ear, turning away from her. Nope. Didn’t miss him at all. Not one bit.

Hoku thought about tumbling down hills and climbing up trees and their stupid faces popping into classrooms and--

She sniffled. Nope. Not one bit.

“You’re still as grumpy as ever,” Ace said. He yawned, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Sabo said you got nicer, guess he was wrong.”

Hoku tossed her shoe at the back of his head. Ace yelped, turning around with wide eyes and grabbing the back of his head in pain. “You hit me!”

“I’m about to kick your ass too,” Hoku said, waving her other shoe.

Ace’s lips split into a wild grin. He turned, raising his hands to tackle her. Hoku readied her shoe, taking in the healthy, lively look in his eyes and the bright teeth and—

Her shoulders couldn’t help but slump a bit. Her brows softened. “You look good.” I’m glad.

She and Ace had always butted heads the most. Fought the most. Tousled with each other the most—but Ace had also been the one she couldn’t help worrying about from time to time because he’d been such an angry brat as a kid and—

Ace looked as though she’d slapped him silly. He stared at her, jaw stupidly slack and then his cheeks flushed a dark red. He slapped a hand over his mouth, stumbling back one step and fumbling for his words as he rubbed the back of his neck furiously.

“You can’t just say stuff like that,” Ace said hotly, “Aw, jeez—you’re cheating—”

“You’re such an idiot,” Hoku laughed, dropping her shoe and stepping into their apartment.

See? Hoku let any lingering, stray doubts fade away. Easy and comfortable. You’re going to be fine.

Immediately the space opened up to a massive living room. A shining coffee table in the center, sleek and new. Windows opened up to a massive view, curtains currently pulled open to showcase the entire city. A long, comfortable looking couch and a separate recliner. A book shelf, neat and organized. Sabo. A shiny new television screen and set and the space opened up to a massive island that shifted toward a giant kitchen—

“How much are you guys making?” Hoku squawked. Sabo chuckled and Ace grinned, crossing his arms over his chest with a puff of pride. “What the hell happened to leaking ceilings and broken drywall—did you rob a bank while I was gone?”

“Being awesome pays,” Ace said with a cocky grin.

“Our work leaves us comfortable,” Sabo said. He appeared at her side, clad in a navy blue turtleneck and black pants. He set down a pair of house slippers for her and smiled up at her. “Seems like you two are already catching up like you’d never left, and I hate to interrupt…”

“Ah, shit, it’s already almost time,” Ace glanced to his watch and back to the door. “Good thing we got everything set already.”

Sabo nodded. Hoku stepped into the slippers. Nice fit. The blonde offered to take her bag, but she waved him off. He curled his fingers back to his chest, looking amused.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Sabo offered kindly. “Take a seat on the couch, we can go over last minute details before we start.”

“No, I’m fine,” Hoku said, swatting Ace’s hands away when he playfully tried to herd her toward the living room. Sabo’s eyes flickered above her head toward Ace and Hoku made her way gingerly toward their living room. “Thank you though.”

“Take your jacket off if you’d like,” Sabo said. “The room might get a bit warm.”

Her jacket was making her a bit more comfortable, if she had to be honest. Purposefully not doing it seemed a bit rude to a second kind request from Sabo though. Hoku dutifully started shrugging it off and she almost jumped when two hands came on either side of her arms, pulling her jacket away from her with a gust of warm skin and heat.

“Still as jumpy as ever,” Ace said above her, teasing.

“Think I can’t take off my own jacket?” Hoku said, pointedly shoving her arms the rest of the way past his fingers.

Ace snorted. “You trip over air.”

Hoku scowled, turning away as her fingers slipped from her jacket sleeves. Ace pulled it away, watching her back.

He handed it to Sabo, who took it with nimble fingers, folding it once and laying it over the back of one of the dining chairs.

The long, leather couch was tempting, but Hoku wisely opted for the love seat placed in front of the coffee table beside the gas powered fireplace. Ace took a seat on the couch, throwing one arm casually behind it and getting comfortable while Sabo walked over to the two of them, taking a seat beside his brother as he set two water bottles down.

“I brought my bigger sketchbook,” Hoku said. “Just in case. But Sabs said you guys had the drawing table set up so I’ll work directly onto the paper and just let me know if your client wants it finalized on a better sheet.”

Ace took one of the bottles, unscrewing the cap. His eyes turned sideways to Sabo, “You two already went over everything, right?”

Sabo nodded, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands together on top of his knee. “For the most part. You remember everything I told you, right Hoku?”

“Read it over a couple times just in case,” Hoku said. She ticked off her fingers. “Quiet as a mouse. I’m no more than just an observer after all, right? Pick a shot that stands out the most to me and draw that. There won’t be any guidance. Keep it all confidential for the client’s and your guys’ sake. Comfy clothes…”

She’d already silenced her phone. Pulled her hair back into a ponytail to maintain an air of professionalism for their client…

Sabo smiled, lids a little low, pleased. “Good job, Hoku.”

Hoku smiled idly at the praise. “Nothing to give me credit for—it’s a job. It’s the least I should do.”

Yeah. Hoku thought resolutely. You can do this. You’re helping a couple friends out.

Ace watched her over the top of his water bottle. His eyes traveled down the half-heart tattoo over her eyes, dipping to where her t-shirt showed a bit of her collarbone where a smattering of petals were tattooed over her shoulder.

“Any new tattoos?” Ace questioned curiously. Sabo glanced to him, pausing mid-way to grab his bottle.

Hoku didn’t look up from checking her materials in her bag, “Maybe one or two. You still got that gang of yours on your back—”

“Our client should be here in a few minutes,” Sabo turned to Ace. His brother’s expression shifted briefly before settling, head dipping a bit in a nod. “I know you’re a bit behind on catching up, but that is your fault for forgetting to call off.”

“It was last minute!” Ace complained.

Sabo glanced to the expensive looking watch on his wrist. He slipped a thin, flat looking box out of his pocket and casually pressed a button, watching it for a moment before he put it back into his pocket. Ace’s eyes flashed back to him briefly, but his attention swung back to Hoku, whose face had turned a bit constipated as she held up her phone.

“Sorry,” Hoku said, a bit sheepish. “Uh, blame Luffy?”

Ace grumbled without real menace, folding his arms across his chest. Sabo smiled well-naturedly, turning his focus back to Hoku.

“As I said, we already briefed our client on everything,” Sabo said. “So don’t worry. She won’t be surprised. You’ll be in your space and we’ll be in ours and you just have to do what you need to do. Don’t worry about anything that happens either—t’s all been discussed. Just focus on what you’re doing.”

Hoku felt the curiosity from earlier stir. She set her bag down on top of her lap. Ace tipped the bottle back, taking a long swig as his adam’s apple bobbed with a swallow. A bit of water dripped down his chin, past his throat.

“You said it was like a simulation,” Hoku said. Sabo waited, listening, “Is it… Is it going to be like acting something out? Like a play or a scene she’s looking for?”

“You want to see for yourself?” Ace questioned absently. Dark eyes watched her over the top of his bottle, clashing with his light voice—

Sabo shot Ace a chiding look, lined with a bit of bemusement. Ace shrugged.

Hoku’s eyes were on her memo book, scribbling a note to herself in. Look for a good moment. “Hired an artist, not a model.”

“Mmm,” Sabo rubbed his chin, curling his fingers beneath it as his eyes flickered in thought. “Acting something out… You could say it’s something like that. As I said before, it’ll be on a more intimate affair, so I hope you won’t be startled—”

“I won’t,” Hoku promised. She’d already braced herself by going over old sketches of different poses and angles in her nude studies and drawing sessions—she was expecting some of the ‘worst’ in a sense, and reminded herself that it was just—

Another drawing.

Even if you know these guys like brothers, she thought a little limply. Just wash it out of your brain later.

“Perfect,” Ace said simply. “Then there shouldn’t be anymore problems, right? Let’s get started.”

Sabo shot him an amused look. Ace clapped his hands together, locking them behind his head in an easy posture. Hoku nodded, gathering up her bag. “Lead the way—”

“Hoku?”

Hoku stopped. She looked back up at Sabo. “Yeah, Sabs?”

Sabo’s lip twitched. Something flickered through his eyes, concealed beneath gentle amusement and a hint of fondness. He leaned forward, making sure their gazes met.

“I just wanted to remind you again,” Sabo said, warmly, he seemed to wait a bit. Hoku turned fully to face him. He continued, “If any of this seems too much for you or gets too uncomfortable—we can stop. We don’t want to ruin anything or make things weird if this makes you uneasy—”

“I’ll be fine,” Hoku said, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry.”

“If it does get too much though,” Ace added. “Maybe hold off on saying anything till after. I dunno if Sabo told you yet, but it’s hard to stop once we get started—”

“Don’t worry,” Hoku repeated, shaking her head. “It won’t.”

“Then,” Sabo said smoothly. He stood up to his full height and Hoku adjusted her bag. Her eyes dropped to his hands, realizing he was wearing gloves indoors—for the drawing session? “Any other questions before we start?”

Hoku ran over all the instructions twice. This whole thing seemed a little more edgier than she was used to, intimately professional. But it was just another drawing session at the end of the day, right?

Sabo walked around the coffee table, even steps stopping beside her. He lowered a hand to her back, guiding her toward the hallway politely. Ace remained on the couch, watching them with half-lidded eyes as they turned toward the specific hallway—

Hoku snapped her fingers, looking up at Sabo. The brothers turned to her curiously.

“I know you said I had free reign,” Hoku said, eyes wide with realization. “But is there a specific… I dunno, look she might be going for? A moment in this whole thing I should pay attention too or keep an eye out for…”

Sabo tipped his head to the side, considering his answer. Ace tipped his head onto the back of the couch, fingers laced behind his head.

A slow, lazy smile curved over his lips. His canines peeked through. Ace’s expression was satisfied and amused all at once—as though he’d just told the greatest joke in the entire world.

“Probably,” Ace said, “the climax.”

The room—the studio—was massive.

The entire room fitted like a master bedroom. It seemed the entire apartment had several different rooms, using up the large amount of space granted by being the only room on the entire floor of the complex high rise.

Fitted with only two doors—the one they’d entered through and another door on the right that seemed to lead into a bathroom. The room itself was wide.The walls were wood and dark in color. Low, warm colored lights were fixed into the ceiling. Sleek wooden floors fitted with a nice looking rug right in front of the main attraction.

A single bed.

A big bed. King sized. Plush, neatly folded duvets and silk sheets. It was a dark red in color, not too bold or flashy, prominent. It didn’t stand on a classic bed-frame, instead, raised up from the ground with a wooden step that went around it, making the bed seemed fixed into the floor. A dark, leather cushioned headboard sat behind it, tucked beneath heavy pillows.

There was a lounge chair in the opposite corner, a fancy looking recliner. Night stands were nestled on either side of the bed. One more beside the chair.

Paneled sliding doors to the left promised a closet. Hoku was still taking in the entire show of the room because—it was kind of daunting, really. She tried picking out with a more eager eye good angles, the colors contrasted darkly and richly, so she’d have fun with shading and contrasts but—

Intimate. Hoku thought about Sabo’s description. Definitely seems to be the right word.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the classic go-to for all their shoots. She kept calling it a room in her head because it’s what it looked like—but Sabo had said it was studio. It was possible they moved it around and changed it to whatever they needed to fit their client’s demands.

Her work station was nestled in the corner of the room. Almost it’s own little world. It was quite a good distance from the door. Sleek desks arranged for maximum workspace, though humbly recluse from everything else in the room. There were folded up light fixtures and equipment Hoku recognized for photoshoots propped up in case she wanted to change anything. Her work space was a very, very nice looking drawing table, fitted with a light and grooves for her materials, a slot for the paper and—

Hoku stood behind the desk, setting her things down. She played with the back of the chair—it was a roomy thing, arm rests. Wheels on the bottom so she could spin and move it around—

“Perfect view,” Hoku realized, staring at the bed from where she’d be sitting. Of everything.

She glanced up to the ceiling, noticing what looked like paneled boards. Light fixtures behind them? Hoku turned her head, noticing the reinforced hook fixed into the center of the bed’s ceiling. They must move things around after all for different shoots—

“Are you all set up?”

Hoku jumped, nearly knocking into the desk and falling over it. Her head snapped over her shoulder and Sabo blinked in surprise right behind her, pressing a few gloved fingers to his lips. “Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, you just—” Hoku shook her head, laughing a bit as she tugged a quick hand through her hair. Sabo’s eyes followed the action briefly. “You’re like a ghost. I didn’t even hear you.”

“Ah,” Sabo’s lips turned upwards in amusement, lowering his hand beneath his chin. “I know what you mean. Ace and Luffy are always so loud, it makes you seem quieter than you are.”

“You look comfy,” Hoku said, eyeing the dark navy robe Sabo had changed into. Kept the gloves on though.

“I’m used to this,” Sabo said with an easy smile.

“Seems like it,” Hoku agreed, taking a seat in the chair. She adjusted it briefly, spinning it around once. Sabo’s brows quirked, looking as though he were trying to hold back a laugh. “Neat studio you guys have set up here. You’ve got a whole thing going, huh?”

Sabo hummed, playing with the back of her chair. “When it became apparent we’d be doing this fairly often, we figured it was wise to make the investment.”

“Private modeling sessions,” Hoku mused, leaning back in the chair. Sabo crossed his arms over the back of the rest, leaning his head onto them as he watched the top of her head. “You know, considering how good looking you guys are, I bet companies would be paying big bucks to have a couple sessions.”

“How much would you pay?” Sabo questioned behind her.

Hoku pursed her lips, pretending to think deeply on the subject. “I doubt I could even afford an hour.”

Hoku laughed, smoothing out her paper and leaning forward toward the desk. She tugged out her pencil case, flipping it open. “My art teacher would kill to have you sit in for a class—”

Her chair shifted. Sabo had pushed it forward a bit. The desk came close to her, not touching, but keeping her nestled tightly between the wood and the chair behind her. Hoku’s hands instantly shot for the edge of the desk, catching herself briefly—

“For however long you’d like, whatever you’d like, a session for you,” Sabo said, his voice was light, breezy. Easy. Not a hint of anything else. There would be no reason for there to be anything else.

“Would be free.”

Sabo’s shadow was light against her desk. Hoku stared at it for a moment, feeling strangely, quietly—was that feeling even really there? Did she really feel that for a second? No, no you didn’t. Why would you feel like that when—

It’s just them.

“So then,” Hoku said, turning her head over her shoulder with a grin. “I could have you two dressed up however and in whatever ridiculous pose I wanted—”

“I do look better in colors that compliment my hair,” Sabo said cheerfully. “And I like—”

“Navy blue,” Hoku jutted a pencil at his robe.

Sabo’s smile was so bright it almost hurt to look at. Something funny twisted in her gut. “Ace will be coming in with our guest in a second, remember everything I told you?”

“Mhm,” Hoku nodded. “You won’t hear a peep out of me. Won’t even be here.”

Sabo fondly ruffled the top of her head, “Good girl.”

Hoku scowled, swatting at his hand. Sabo chuckled, pulling away from her chair while giving it a bit of a spin as he walked from her station toward the bed. Hoku couldn’t help but hope he at least had something on under that robe because—

Luffy, this might be one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done but I swear to god I’m washing it out of my brain when this is all over. Hoku turned her eyes to the paper, already starting to sketch out the design of the room since she’d be aiming for something to take place on the bed. I’m going to do everything in my power not to have to draw your brothers’ dic—

No, don’t even worry about it. Hoku shook her head. No other thoughts. They’re just bodies. You just draw. There’s nothing else involved in it.

Easy.

The door clicked open.

Sabo turned slowly, standing directly before the bed.

Hoku looked up.

She was lovely.

Long, dark hair curled into waves against her back. Her nails were neatly done, manicured and colored like wine to match the tight, form fitting cocktail dress that showed off all her curves in all the right places. Her skin was a light, healthy tan. Her body was nice. Hoku could see what angles she should draw from immediately from how well her legs moved, long and lovely beneath her dress that barely hit her mid-thigh—

Her lashes were long and curled. Her lipstick matched the color of her dress. She looked older—probably somewhere around Law’s age. Ah, but his type is far away from women like this—

She stepped further into the room. Hoku realized she was still wearing her shoes—black heels, strapped up to her ankles. Her head held high. She walked with purpose. Hoku instantly felt a clear wall erected between them—Hoku was Hoku—this lady, this woman, was exactly what girls aspired to be. Beautiful, mature, seductive.

Sabo offered her a warm, polite smile. The woman’s eyes lowered, half-lidded and dark. Hoku watched her throat quiver with a swallow. Her pretty nails tugged at the hem of her dress briefly. Sabo hadn’t even moved.

The air in the studio shifted. It felt heavy.

Hoku held her pencil loose in her grip, uncertain for a moment, waiting.

“You’re late,” Sabo said, politely, “Hotaru-san.”

Hoku only froze for a brief second. That weird flinch you did sometimes when you thought someone was about to say your own name.

Hotaru’s lips pursed. Full. She bit her lower lip, eyelids fluttering and then her gaze turned quickly to Hoku.

Hoku flinched, gripping her pencil. Should she introduce herself? Thank her? Greet her? Her eyes darted to Sabo in a moment of panic, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off Hotaru.

“You don’t have to speak to her. Or interact with the client. Just do what you need to do.”

Hotaru’s face shifted. Clearly unhappy. A pout followed on her lips and Sabo looked amused as she strode further into the room. Heels clicking against the wood. Hoku waited with her pencil ready, a little nervous until she spotted Ace stepping into the room right after her, still in his clothes from earlier.

The door closed behind him with an audible click. His fingers smoothly twisted a lock into place.

Hotaru shuddered at the sound, breathing a little heavier.

Hoku swallowed. She hovered over her paper. Ace’s dark eyes caught hers from her station and he offered her a small smile, throwing her a wink.

Her shoulders slumped in relief. Hoku forced herself to relax. That’s right. They said it was like acting—they’re just models. You’re just drawing. Don’t worry about anything else. It’s just a job.

What are you getting so nervous for?

“You didn’t say she was going to be a girl,” Hotaru said finally. Her voice was high, her lips pursed in annoyance. Hoku’s eyes went round in worry. Sabo tipped his head to the side and she strode forward toward him, hands on her hips. “I told you how I—”

“You didn’t even take your shoes off,” Sabo said. Hotaru stopped completely in her tracks. His voice was even. Calm.

It could be heard.

“She was that eager,” Ace said behind them, walking forward with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Hotaru’s face flushed dark in embarrassment, mouth opening and closing. “Came rushing right into the apartment.”

Ace stopped right behind her. He kept his hands to himself. “Why don’t you tell Sabo what you asked me to do when you came in, hmm? How I took off your jacket. Where you wanted to do it because you couldn’t wait.”

Sabo took a seat onto the edge of the bed. It’s risen level still left him lowered, but it didn’t feel that way at all—

A throne.

Hoku’s fingers twitched. This is a good shot—should I draw this? Her eyes flickered to her paper, ignoring the sweat that had gathered at the back of her neck. The nervousness that tugged at her fingers despite how steady she held her pencil.

It’s like acting. It’s a roleplay. They just need to get in character. The client must want something like this—

Hoku swallowed.

How… How far is this going to—

Sabo set his gloved hands on either side of him, leaning back onto his hands as he watched Hotaru in silence.

Hotaru bit her lower lip. Her cheeks were flushed a dark, cherry red. She turned her head to Ace and then to Sabo and she quickly spat out, “Fine—Fine, I don’t care. I just—Sabo, please—”

“Take your shoes off.”

Hotaru flinched, looking desperate. Ace didn’t move an inch, face set into an easy, uninterested look. Sabo didn’t seem interested in repeating himself a second time. Hotaru floundered for words.

Sabo smoothly slid out a thin, rectangular shaped box from the pocket of his robe. Hotaru shuddered, eyes growing round and fixed entirely on that little box.

Sabo set it calmly at his side, moving his hand from it.

Hotaru bent down. Her fingers quickly worked at her heels, tugging desperately at the straps and chucking her heels into another direction of the room. Ace looked amused behind her and Hoku’s eyes followed the heels, sketching them into the corner of the image. Giving herself something to do.

“You just have to watch.” She paused at the memory of Sabo’s words. “Closely. Pick which scene you think will be the best.”

Hoku’s brows furrowed and she hesitantly looked back up.

“There,” Hotaru said. She took a few steps and then she hit the floor on her hands and knees. Hoku stared with wide eyes. The woman crawled forward, her tight dress hiking up higher on her thighs with each movement. “I did what you asked, Sabo.”

Sabo remained silent, perched on the bed in front of her. Hotaru crawled up onto her knees in front of him and Hoku darted back to the paper. This isn’t a bad shot. Shows power and an attempt to overthrow. But Ace isn’t doing much in it—

“Look at you,” Hoku looked up at Sabo’s clear, resounding voice. It was directive. Her eyes dropped to Hotaru who bit her lower lip, eyes needy as she gazed at Sabo.

He kept his hands at his sides. Those blonde locks fell a bit into his eyes, framing that sculpted angle of his jaw.

He looked completely and utterly—

In control.

Hoku held her pencil tight, chanting a mantra in her head.

No one is even naked yet. She reminded herself. You’ve drawn worse before. This is some… powerplay or something. It’s an act. Calm down. Why are you—

“All worked up?” Sabo questioned lowly.

Hoku flinched for a second before she relaxed. He’s not talking to me. I don’t exist right now.

He raised a hand. Hotaru’s eyes followed every movement eagerly. Gloved fingers curved beneath her chin, raising her head up to look at him. “You normally put up such a fight. I could touch you and you’ll just roll over, won’t you?”

Hotaru’s eyes flashed. Her cheeks flushed but her hands rushed forward and Sabo’s eyes darkened. She fumbled for the bind holding Sabo’s robe together, pushing forward on her knees toward him. Her breasts pushed up against his legs.

Sabo simply watched in silence, as though he were watching a child try something in vain. A hint of amusement in his gaze. It was—

Condescending.

“Aren’t you the same though?” Hotaru said hurriedly. She tugged Sabo’s rope free and she pushed aside the folds of his robe. “You’re acting all calm and collected—but, but you want it too, don’t you? Look at you!”

Sabo’s chest opened up. Taut muscles. A defined ridge. Hoku’s eyes couldn’t help but move to the inch of his side that was exposed. His scar peeked through. Her heart clenched for a second at the memory of how he got the horrible burn—

His muscled abdomen dipped. Hotaru was almost panting at this point, eyes desperate as she fumbled around, licking her lips and the folds of his robe moved apart and—

Hoku’s eyes dropped down and she balked.

She’d drawn people nude dozens of times now. She knew what belonged where. She wasn’t—she wasn’t a virgin. She wasn’t bumbling and stuttering and a blushing idiot when she saw these things—usually when the pencil was in her hand and the paper beneath her—her mind even became almost clinical. It was another limb. Another part to draw—

Memories rushed forward. Her throat went dry. Hoku’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and her eyes instantly trained themselves hard on her paper, refusing to budge.

But this was—but he was—that—

Her gut twisted sharply, unsettled. Hoku’s throat went dry. She kept her eyes on the paper, on the paper—

“You won’t get freaked out or anything right?” Hoku flinched. But this is different. This feels—

Wrong. Weird. Private. Intimate. Imposing. Intruding.

She… She knew Ace and Sabo. She’d played with them as kids. Had funny, weird, awkward moments when they were teenagers—seen them with missing teeth and dumb grins—

But this is different.

“See?” Ace’s smooth voice, teasing, flooded the room. “She can’t even handle it.”

Hoku’s head snapped up instantly. Her cheeks hot but—No, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry, I’m not freaking out—

Hoku froze. Ace’s eyes were on Hotaru, a smirk on his lips. Sabo looked vaguely amused, leaning back on his hands as Hotaru panted on her knees in front of him, hands on his thighs and—

It’s just a drawing. Hoku said. She shut her mind down. Shut everything else out. You took this job. It’s not weird. It’s human. It’s intimate. It’s a scene. It’s like a play. Just draw the scene. Just draw. She gathered her footing back beneath her.

Hoku turned her eyes fully onto the scene unfolding in front of her.

Sabo’s length stood out from the folds of his robe. Hard. Erect. Revealing the muscled, toned top of his thighs. Hoku refused to study it in any more detail, keeping her eyes trained on Hotaru’s face. Hotaru shuffled forward, pressing herself flush between his legs. Sabo’s expression didn’t even flinch or shift. Neutral.

Professional.

There. It’s just another… Hoku’s neck felt hot. She felt a little queasy. Don’t think about whose that is. It’s just another body part.

“See?” Hotaru said breathily, lashes fluttering. “Look at you, baby. Look at how hard you are for me. This did something for you too, didn’t it? You liked this.”

Sabo watched her. Expression void. His eyes were dark and Hotaru pressed a kiss to his thigh. “Normally I have to work so… so hard to get you like this for me… I knew I did something for you. Aren’t I a good girl?”

Hoku’s gut twisted.

Sabo’s erection was hard. Swollen at the tip. Ramrod straight. Hotaru pressed another kiss to his inner thigh, as though seeking permission. Sabo didn’t even flinch despite the physical reaction, expression calm and collected. His lids were lowered, eyes dark and unreadable from where she was.

“You’re so big,” Hotaru said. Hoku’s ears went hot. Please stop. Oh my god. “So thick. You’re perfect, Sabo. I want it so bad. Please, let me make you feel good—”

Her hands inched up his thighs. Sabo watched in almost cold silence.

“What did it?” Hotaru panted. “The dress, baby? The shoes? The hair? I tried to do everything you told me to—was I too bad? What’s getting you off this time? What’s turning you on that I didn’t do before—”

Ace’s hand shot out like a snake. He fisted a handful of those thick, curly locks, tugging back sharply.

Hotaru yelped. Hoku jumped, almost hitting her knees into her desk. Her heart raced in her chest.

“Look at you,” Ace chuckled, dark, throaty. Hotaru moaned, hands flying up to where Ace held her by her hair. “Who said you could run that filthy mouth of yours? You’re so desperate, aren’t you? Crawling all over him like that—you’re dying for it.”

“Please!” Hotaru pleaded. Her cheeks were hot. She tried to turn around to Ace, hands flying to the button on his jeans. “Please! Touch me—anything—please! I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you want—”

Ace let her get far enough to unbutton them. She unzipped his pants, trying to pull him free from his confines.

Her work stationed seemed miles away and still not far enough. The room was hot—the air was heavy.

Should I be doing this?

Her eyes dropped to her paper.

“We really needed the help for this job.”

Job. It’s just a job. It’s an act. Job. Job. Job—

“Look at me.” Hoku’s pencil almost slipped against the papers. Sabo’s voice left no room for disagreement and she glanced up.

He’d thankfully readjusted the folds of his robe. Leaning forward with one elbow on his knee. His gloved hand covered the lower half of his mouth, holding it there as he watched Hotaru in heavy, shuddering silence.

Hotaru watched him, chest rising and falling with each breath.

“Are you in any place,” Sabo said softly. “To be making demands?”

Hotaru shuddered.

“We’re all here to do this for you,” Sabo said. “And you go and run your mouth like that… is that anyway to repay us?”

Hotaru shook her head desperately, eyes wet. Her cheeks were such a dark red, panting heavily.

Sabo had complete hold over her.

Absolute control.

Sabo reached over for the little box. His thumb hit a button softly.

The reaction was instant.

Hotaru tossed her head back, writhing with her hair still in Ace’s loose grip. Her legs shuddered, jerking this way and that. Hotaru moaned, back arching. She bucked into the air once, twice. Ace and Sabo watched in silence as the low hum filled the room.

Hoku pressed a hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide at her paper. Her face flushed red in embarrassment and she folded in on herself. That’s—That wa—Earlier—

Suck it up, you wimp. It’s just a—

Sabo hit a second button.

“Oh, god!” Hotaru cried. She panted, chest rising and falling and her entire body twisted about, lashing this way and that as she tried to find some kind of purchase, any kind of relief for the pleasure coursing through her body from the little device. “Please—oh, please! Let me come, Sabo. Please, please—”

Hoku filled her head with any other thought. It’s just—this is just porn! This is literally just porn—Usopp! Usopp and—that time you walked on Usopp in the shower—

“You think she deserves it?” Sabo questioned curiously. Looking at Ace over the top of his fingers.

Hotaru’s pitiful moans filled the entire room. Ace gave her head a little pat, watching her squirm. “Why not?”

“Please!” Hotaru gasped, back arching sharply. Hoku flinched. “Sabo! Ace! Please! I’m so close—”

Sabo hit the controller. Hotaru moaned. Her feet skidded across the floor, the humming cutting out completely. She whimpered, hips bucking upwards uselessly as the convulsions ceased and Sabo leaned back onto his hands.

“Take it out.”

Hotaru’s eyes snapped open wide. Hoku choked. Isn’t that a bit harsh—

“Some people are into that.”

Hotaru’s lips trembled. She looked up at Ace pleadingly, but he merely carded his fingers through her hair, offering her a low smile. His canines peeked through. Hotaru whimpered, spreading her legs open as she lowered her hand down to her tight dress. Sabo watched her, hand resting over the lower half of his face, eyes shaded darkly.

Hotaru’s fingers disappeared beneath her dress. She tossed her head back onto Ace’s thigh with a moan, spreading her legs apart. Her eyes kept themselves on Sabo, seeming to hope it’d get him moving.

Sabo remained motionless.

Hotaru let out a little whine. Her fingers tugged and then a ribbon and a thin cord came out, followed by the egg shaped vibrator—

Hoku focused on her paper. She had the entire room sketched out in vivid detail. Shaded in and everything. She had enveloped forms but no real figures. No pose—

“Good girl,” Sabo praised. Hotaru shuddered, watching him hopefully. “Now on your feet.”

Hotaru’s lips parted in desperate protest. Sabo’s face was cold. Unrelenting. Her mouth fluttered shut and she whimpered, slowly gathering herself on wobbly knees and walking toward him like a newborn fawn.

Ace followed behind her, stopping at her back. His fingers dipped into his back pocket, pulling out a foil package. He handed it to Hotaru over her shoulder, slipping it into her hand.

The proud, confident woman that had walked into the room just moments ago was nothing like what she had been. Her knees quivered. Her hair was disheveled. Her lips wet and red from all her biting and Hoku could see the slick shine to the inside of her thighs where her dress had hiked up almost completely and revealed she wasn’t even wearing anything beneath.

She was at their mercy.

Hoku’s eyes flickered to the door and back to her drawing. The events transpiring were leading to one finale. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be seeing this—

“It’s just a simulation of sorts.”

Too raw. Too vivid—

“Sabo—”

“Alright,” Sabo said. Hotaru’s eyes brightened, a kind of desperate Hoku had never seen on anyone before. Not in a situation like this. So… pitiful? “If you want it, then you do the work.”

Hotaru’s lips quivered. She looked about to protest for a moment and Ace stepped closer, hands coming around her sides and dipping low where Hoku couldn’t see.

Hotaru jerked. She moaned, nodding her head rapidly. She struggled with the condom for a second, ripping it open and then she quickly stepped between Sabo’s legs. He shifted further onto the bed, the first move he’d made in what felt like ages. Hotaru followed after, unrolling the condom. She placed it between her lips and her head ducked down.

Hoku turned back to the paper, starting to sketch out the forms onto the bed. There. That’s it. You don’t have to watch the specifics—get the feeling of it.

Hotaru’s lips fell over Sabo’s heavy tip. She licked a long stripe up the side of his length, following a heavy vein and finally moving the condom back between her lips. She took his head into her mouth, moaning just at the fact that she was finally, finally getting closer to what she wanted. Sabo looked almost amused above her, robe pooling down around his elbows as he leaned back and let her work, not moving a finger.

Hoku’s eyes landed on the vivid scar against his left side. The way it carved up his ribcage to his shoulder. She drew that part carefully, softly, on the form that was starting to give more shape to Sabo. She thought about the scar. Focused on that.

Hotaru moaned around him. Wriggling her hips impatiently. Ace knelt on the edge of the bed. He swiftly pulled his shirt off. Muscles rippled across broad shoulders, traveling down to almost slender hips.

His hand reached down, tugging his pants down lower on his hips. He pulled his cock free from its confines, hard. Precum gathered at his tip. Heavy, hot in his hands. His finger dragged across the slit, moving around the heavy head. His slickened hand dropped down, starting from the base and slowly working his way up.

Ace’s head tipped back, barely breaking a sweat. His eyes seemed focused on something else, working almost lazily at his own. Sabo watched Hotaru continue for a second longer, the condom fully sheathed over his length as she pressed kisses to the tip and bent lower—

“That’s enough,” Sabo said. “Go on.”

Hotaru eagerly clambered forward. She panted, reaching up and struggling to unzip the top of her dress. Ace seemed to take pity on her for a second, tugging it down swiftly and she tugged it low, letting her heavy breasts free as she groped desperately at herself. Hotaru twisted one of her nipples, rolling her breast and gazing heatedly at Sabo.

“Am I doing it right?” Hotaru begged. “You like this, right, Sabo? Tell me, please.”

Sabo leaned back on his elbows, calm and collected.

Hotaru groaned in desperation. She readied herself, lining up with his tip and she shot him another heated look, lips quivering, waiting.

Sabo simply blinked, watching in silence.

Hotaru turned, cheeks flushed. Hair clung to her cheeks, to her lips as she let her back face Sabo and she faced Ace. His hooded eyes watched her, inclining his head as he worked at his cock and Hotaru whimpered.

Hoku didn’t watch. Couldn’t watch. Her ears burned.

Hotaru’s blissful, desperate moan flooded the entire room like a siren as she sank low onto Sabo’s length. She took him in entirely, taking him all the way to the hilt as she slotted her hips over his and braced herself on his thighs.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Hotaru repeated. She lifted herself up and slid back with a lewd slick. Hoku winced. “Yes. Yes. Finally—Sabo! Sabo, you feel so good. Baby, you’re so big—so big, so hard, so good. Come on, help me—ah. Sabo, help me—”

Hoku realized just how much a prude she must be after all. Even—even during sex, she’d never been able to utter anything like that-—

Sabo shut his eyes for a second. He tipped his head back, golden strands shifting around his chin. The most of a reaction Hoku had seen so far. She focused on that, ignoring what was transpiring in front of her and how—

Intimate this is—

She remembered every sensual thing she’d ever drawn. She’d drawn sex before—intimate depictions of models—it’s just that. It’s just people.

But no matter how hard she tried—isn’t this too much? She’d never done anything like this before. Panic seized her. She’d never witness something so personal like this where it was happening before her and making her feel so, so—

Uncomfortable.

Hoku froze.

“If you ever feel uncomfortable—”

“If it’s ever too much—”

“Can’t handle it?”

She swallowed. Her throat went dry. Hoku’s eyes hardened and she shoved her pencil to the paper. No. No it’s not. It’s not too much. I’m not uncomfortable. You can do this, Hoku. You have to. So what if it’s new—it’s just different. You wanted to change and try new things—

“Why don’t you put that mouth to use?” Ace said huskily.

Hotaru’s eyes fluttered open and she crawled forward eagerly. Ace was on his knees, hand slipping from his cock and sliding back behind Hotaru’s head. She lifted her hips desperately, bringing them back down onto Sabo’s over and over again, chasing the feeling each time.

The sound of skin on skin. The air heavy.

Hotaru opened her mouth obediently. Ace’s grip tightened on the back of her head and he pushed forward past her lips. His head tipped back, eyes shutting at the feeling before he rolled his hips back and thrusted forward, fucking himself with her mouth.

Hoku couldn’t help the wince. I don’t think I could ever—

Hotaru moaned. Pleasure lined every crease of her face. She worked desperately with her mouth, letting Ace fuck himself as he liked while she moved, Sabo not lifting a finger as she rode herself on him as fast as she could. It was rough, it was desperate and almost pitiful and yet she looked so pleasured—

Hoku’s fingers twitched. I could draw that. Ace was in the picture now. It was obvious the client wanted something like this depicted—it’s just like people who write harlequin novels or direct porn. Just draw it.

You’re not involved.

The single sentence seemed to free Hoku from every other thought. That’s right, you’re not involved. She wasn’t part of the picture. She was safe here behind her station. Look at it from perspective. She had no reason to feel anything else but—

Professional.

Hoku pressed her pencil to her paper, ready, at ease. The faces started to blur and sharpen. She saw bodies. Movement. A scene unfolding.

That’s all it was.

Hoku’s pencil started to move rapidly. She watched the scene less and less, glancing up and down back to it. She had her mold now. She didn’t need to think about anything else. Her mind focused on the drawing and nothing else. The sounds fell deaf around her ears, the actions—

Hoku drew.

Dark eyes watched her from beneath blonde waves. His gaze was heavy, dark. Sabo’s lips twitched and he let out a small sigh through his nose, leaning back onto his elbows as he watched Hotaru get off, riding him with reckless abandon while she took Ace in all the way to the back of her throat, moaning each time.

The perfect picture of nothing but carnal desire. Lewd. Filthy. Raw. The vivid fantasy of any man’s dreams.

Sabo’s eyes narrowed. His lids lowered. Not even watching the moving body riding him like her life depended on it. His gaze remained trained on the only figure out of his reach.

For now.

Ace’s eyes flickered up at the soft sound. His fingers were threaded through Hotaru’s hair, meeting his brother’s gaze over the top of her head.

Ace glanced to the side, watching the way Hoku worked, glancing to them with unfocused eyes and back to her work from beneath his hair. She was seeing them but not seeing them. Watching but not watching. Zoned out as she drew.

Disconnected.

His brows creased slightly. Ace’s grip on the back of Hotaru’s head tightened. He thrust forward with a little more force and she moaned. Loud. Shameless. She worked herself desperately, chasing her high as she came down over and over again on Sabo’s length, grinding her hips, twisting this way and that.

Hoku felt the drawing start to come together. She worked on the details around Hotaru’s face, shading in softer areas, trying to capture the look. Her body curved, meeting both Ace and Sabo so she didn’t worry about anything else. Hotaru was the most exposed.

Ace watched Hoku. His fingers threaded harder. Hotaru moaned desperately around him. His lids lowered. He watched her eyes flicker to and fro, watched her mouth move soundlessly, followed her lips, the way her tongue peeked out as she worked harder at something on the paper—

Ace shut his eyes. He grit his teeth. Heat pooled, fast and molten in his stomach. Hotaru worked faster, bobbing her head up and down while she sloppily lifted her hips to come crashing back down.

Hotaru popped off suddenly, lips bruised and swollen. She panted out desperately with a keen, “Come for me, Ace—”

Sabo pulled her down hard onto his length, driving himself deep into her. Hotaru’s voice cut off with a high, stuttering moan. Her eyes went wide, face flushing with pleasure and Ace grabbed the back of her head, muffling her moans as he thrusted back into her mouth.

Ace’s breathing quickened. His eyes darted back to the desk. More labored. Sabo’s eyes flickered to him. Ace bowed his head, thrusting faster and harder into Hotaru’s mouth without mercy. Tears peeked out from the corners of her eyes, moans punched out with every shift of his hips.

Hoku adjusted his expression based on the sound. Already far, far away from what was unfolding in front of her. Focused on the drawing. The room slipped back into a studio. The bed another prop. The people forms to draw.

Sabo sat up. Hotaru moaned around Ace’s cock at the shift, moving her hips erratically to chase the deeper feeling he’d done just seconds ago, trying desperately to imitate the pleasure he could give her—find it for herself—

Useless.

Sabo’s gloved fingers slid around her waist. His fingers found the swollen nub, working it fast and quickly between his fingers. Hotaru’s eyes went wide and she keened, swallowing around Ace’s thick cock as he fucked her mouth and tears and drool dripped down her chin—

Hoku barely blinked, figuring everything was starting to come down. The room would slip from its high. Her hand worked faster at the drawing. Almost there. Finish up.

You can do this.

Hotaru’s entire body shuddered. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Sabo’s textured fingers rolled a few more times expertly over her clit, stroking it as her hips jerked. She clenched hard around him, trying to tug him over the edge with her. Not knowing how far back at the starting line he still was.

Sabo’s eyes were hooded. He let her ride it out with another sloppy jerk of her hips and then gently, sweetly, patiently guided her twitching hips forward and off. His cock slipped out, still fully erect. It pulsed, heavy and hard. He felt each hot throb beneath the slickened condom and he sat up further as Hotaru fell forward toward Ace.

Hotaru choked. The muted sound muffled as Ace grabbed the back of her head and held her there. He let out a low, ragged breath, barely a groan. He shut his eyes tight, bowing his head low as he came.

Hot spurts filled her mouth and Hotaru’s throat bobbed rapidly, working to swallow it all as she shut her eyes tight. Her hips twitched. On her hands and knees as the bitter taste flooded her mouth.

Hoku erased a part of Sabo’s expression. It didn’t quite fit. She reworked at his eyes, focusing on finishing.

Ace’s fingers unthreaded her hair. He sat back on his heels with a breathy exhale.

Hotaru’s lips slid off him with a wet pop. She breathed, ragged. Her face was flushed a dark red with pleasure. Sweat rolled down her neck, past the swell of her breasts. Her hair disheveled, clinging this way and that. Dress creased. Her entire body shook with effort. A bit of thick white trailed down the corner of her mouth.

Hotaru weakly looked up, eyes wet and hazy. She started to turn over her shoulder. “Sa… Sabo… let me… help you—”

Ace’s large hand slid over her eyes. Hotaru shuddered, letting herself be pulled back into his lap and flush against him. Ace’s free hand snaked around her hip, slowly running a teasing trail right back down to her throbbing, wet heat.

Hotaru sucked in a sharp breath. She moaned loudly, tossing her head back. Eyes covered by Ace’s hand. “Ah, baby—again?”

Sabo leaned back against the cushioned headboard. His fingers nimbly tugged off the slickened condom, tossing it to the side of the bed. He pulled his glove off with his teeth. His hand tugged a small bottle off the nightstand with familiar ease, popping the cap and lathering up his fingers.

The blonde exhaled a long, heavy sound. Sabo relaxed back, slowly wrapping his fingers around the base of his cock. It pulsed beneath his slick fingers, throbbing.

Hoku glanced to his expression for a second and burrowed down into the desk, not even watching any further. It sounded about done—I’m almost done here too.

You can do this.

Ace slid two fingers with ease into Hotaru. She moaned, writhing in his lap, legs opening shamelessly despite the stimulation. Ace kept his hand over her eyes, nudging her legs open a little further as Sabo slowly started to stroke himself, watching.

“Want to help him get off?” Ace whispered by her ear. He nipped at her neck and Hotaru nodded desperately as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her, working her to a second high. “Repeat what I tell you to say like a good girl.”

Sabo’s fingers slid from the base to the head, shifting. He ran a thumb over his slit, eyes following the soft top of white hair flickering in and out of his view. Pinning her in place.

“Sabo,” Hotaru said, listening to Ace’s heatedly whispered words. She gasped, breathy. “Sabo, I missed you so much.”

Sabo let out a heavier exhale. His teeth worked at his bottom lip. His hand tightened around his cock.

“I’m sorry I was gone for so—ah—so long,” Hotaru panted. “I’m sorry—” Ace shoved his fingers harder into her, hitting home. “I’m sorry! I won’t—Ace! I won’t… I won’t leave again!”

Sabo groaned. Hoku worked faster. His most… The most reaction from him this entire time.

She blocked everything out. No other sound slipped past. Completely in her own world.

Deaf.

His cock throbbed harder. Sabo shut his eyes, letting his head roll back as he worked faster, harder, pumping himself over and over again. His lips moved. His teeth ground together.

Ace whispered into her ear, thrusting his fingers up.

“Ah! A-Ah… Please,” Hotaru repeated. “Please… I wan… I wanna feel you. Missed you. I-ah-I’ll be good… so… so… teach me!”

Sabo’s breath quickened. His hand worked faster and faster. He screwed his eyes shut tight, muscles growing taut. Sweat rolled down the side of his chin, past his neck.

“I’ll do whatever you say,” Hotaru babbled. “I won’t ever leave again—oh, god, please—”

Ace shoved his fingers, hitting Hotaru’s spot repeatedly and she cried out the heated words whispered into her ear—

“I’m yours, Sabs!”

Sabo stiffened. His back arched. He tossed his head back against the headboard and shuddered, a low, sweet groan escaping his lips.

Hot spurts of come splattered onto Hotaru’s thighs. Painting them white. She panted, chest rising and falling rapidly as she sank back into Ace’s grip. Ace casually slipped his fingers out of her, wiping them off on the bed sheets as he pulled his hand off her eyes.

Sabo struggled to catch his breath for a second. He reached up with his other hand, pushing his hair back from his face. It slicked over the top of his head, remaining there. He inhaled and exhaled slowly before his eyes fluttered open, glancing to Ace as he watched his brother set Hotaru down on her side, a panting, blissed out mess.

Their gazes met. Ace and Sabo watched each other for a moment before their gazes swung to the side of the room.

Hoku stopped. She stared at the drawing that had finally come to life in front of her. Her eyes went round in disbelief, almost in awe.

For a moment—everything else fell away.

The studio, the people—she’d done it. You did it! Hoku, you did it! You finally made something new—

You handled it.

Pride flooded her chest, desperate and unbidden. The small achievement. This strange, harrowing finish line in the midst of something she didn’t realize she’d started—but you did it. See? You just needed to tune everything else out—

You’re moving.

Ace brought one leg up, resting an arm on his knee. Sabo tipped his head to the side, his hand covering the lower half of his face, hiding his mouth and the way his lips were turning—

Hoku touched the drawing. You did your job. You did it. You’re moving again.

The circumstances wild, crazed. She couldn’t think about anything else except that it finally felt like she was moving again and out of this rut.

Two pairs of eyes, hooded and smoldering stared back at her from the drawing, mimicking the pair watching her just over the top of her desk. Across the room.

The path beneath her feet started to shift. Hoku happily ran forward, eager to be moving.

She didn’t notice the fences sliding up on either side of her.

Didn’t notice the signs pointing where to go.

Didn’t know where she was going. Just happy to be going. Happy to have a destination again and not knowing—

There was no escape.

#Memos #Hoku #Memos AU #Portgas D. Ace x oc #ace/oc #Sabo #Portgas D. Ace #Sabo/Oc #Dark!Ace #Dark!Sabo #Ace/Oc/Sabo #trafalgar law #eustass captain kid #monkey d. luffy #tumblr messed with my italics srry

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kaisooficrec · 5 years

Note

Hi mods, thanks for opening up the Ask box! It's my first time doing this :/ hope I do it right… Can I ask for recs of long fics (say more than 50k? can be chaptered/one-shot) that the mods like but think are underrated? They can be any genre, and they can be from any writers (even some of the older ones who wrote more before 2017?) Thank you!!

Hi lovely anon! You rang the right bell because we have TONS of long fics to rec!! There are old fics but also a lot of recent ones, many different AUs and they’re all above 50k! ! we also made sure to rec fics that are underrated and need more recognition. It will probably take a long time to read all of those so TAKE YOUR TIME AND ENJOY

Amuse-Bouche - hehe this was recced not too long ago but its place on this list still stands! Chefs AU, very unique fic and extremely realistic! a true gem. (139k words)

Legends: The Chosen Twelve - this is an oldie! it was recced back in 2014 but still is pretty underrated and such an amazing fic! it’s ot12, MAMA AU. enjoy ^^ (151k words)

All is Said and Done - another oldie! BFFs!kaisoo that fall in love. it’s angsty c: (70k words)

Common Ground - also from 2014, this is a fantasy/ghost AU that doesn’t disappoint! (84k words)

Start Over - High School AU, lots of drama :’) originally posted in 2012, deserves so much more recognition! (65k words)

Lapis Lazuli - Fantasy + (School of) Magic AU, originally written for the exordium fest in 2015! ot12 although Kaisoo are one of the main pairings. There are adventures and action, it’s very entertaining, a good read c: (55k words)

If Only for Tonight - College AU, pretty angsty (warnings: violence, character death). Police officer Kyungsoo meets gangster jongin :-) (56k words)

French Lilac - Artist AU, jongin loves kyungsoo’s voice, but he’s already married. angst + smut. (50k words)

Trust You The Most - Cat Hybrids AU!! we need more of those . Soo ran a shelter for hybrids and he ends up (accidentally) keeping one for himself. (52k words)

Dear You - Kyungsoo really, really tries to get over Jongin. It’s not that easy. (sorry for all the angst o/) (59k words)

EXODUS - Supernatural AU, Kyungsoo meets a creature that makes him feel safe and cherished (55k words)

Beautiful Butterfly - CEO!Jongin and HS student!Soo, nini tries dealing with all the confessions thrown his way. Read on AFF. (63k words)

hearts and bones - High School AU, swimmer!jongin and photographer!soo meet, and the unexpected happens. (68k words)

Mixed Feelings - College AU, soo has a crush on his straight roommate jongin. pretty fluffy (50k words)

Fly With Me - Fantasy and Fae AU, jongin wanted an escape from reality but he didn’t intend to meet a bunch of men with wings on their backs. (warnings: slight gore, character death) (50k words)

Moon-Child - Fantasy AU, Kaisoo find themselves caught in a fairy tale. (warnings: character death). smutty too (51k words)

Save Yourself - Fantasy & Magic AU, Hybrids AU, War AU. Jongin is a cat hybrid and Kyungsoo’s just trying to make the spell that could save them all work. (68k)

The Stars, Our Saviour - Space AU (+ Royalty AU) + Bounty Hunter AU. Very impressive and unique fic! also smutty ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (77k words)

Close To Home - a kai-centric fic, kaixeveryone but mainly/endgame kaisoo. Soulmates AU + Aliens AU. very smutty. (warnings: alien dicks?? alien sex, tentacles and knotting) (53k words)

Across - Assasins + Hitman AU, dark themes. (WARNINGS!: mental illness, mental instability, blood, violence, gore, murder, unhealthy relationship, mental and physical abuse.) Jongin has a crush on hitman!soo. Things don’t turn out as he planned. If you like freaky stuff, this is for you. (69k words)

Ghost of You - Future + Robots AU. Robots VS Humans. Kaisoo. A love story. (59k words)

Monster - VAMPIRE AU YES!!!! I can’t believe this isn’t as popular as it should be! one of my absolute favorites, it’s vampires VS vampire hunters, a fic where jongin realizes vampires aren’t all bad (especially kyungsoo). OT12 and definitely underrated. (115k words) (warnings: unhealthy to healthy relationships, blood (obviously), murder, psychopath killer, attempted rape)

Bugs and Space Elves - LOVE LOVE LOVE! !! this was originally posted for the happyendingexo fest, but the author decided to rewrite some old parts and continue with the story and i’ve never been more thankful. IT’S SO UNIQUE AND WELL WRITTEN AND MINDBLOWING! i really love this. Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Space AU, human kyungsoo helps elf jongin on his quest to save the universe! worth the read, i promise. (96k words)

The Gates of Horn and Ivory - married!kaisoo are taken into a world of darkness that they probably should’ve avoided. Dark fairy tale elements. (135k words)

The Boy Next Door - kyungsoo finds out his neighbour is a pornstar ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) very funny, fluffy and smutty. PERFECT TRIO! (53k words)

The War. (226k words) + The One After Ten Years. (149k words, on-going) (sequel) - WHERE DO I EVEN START? these are MONSTER fics! OT12, High School AU and Slice of Life AU in the sequel, but also includes their powers from MAMA era. Kaisoo is one of the two main pairings and honestly, these two fics gave me so much feels. It’s not underrated per se but has been only recced once on the blog and i wanted to fix this!

Kim Jongin’s Must Kiss List - College AU, kyungsoo embarrassed himself in front of nini a few years back and he’s still bitter and hateful about it, but jongin won’t stop running after him. (66k words)

2088 - Sci-Fi + Dystopia AU, kyungsoo has a mission to find a mutant boy after the war, but he realizes too late that they’re all just pawns part of a bigger plan. THIS IS HIGHLY UNDERRATED! (122k words)

I Feel Awake (This Time) - Hotel manager jongin and detective kyungsoo : truly a concept! the story of how jongin did his best to win the love of do kyungsoo. THIS FIC DESERVES SO MUCH LOVE! (57k words)

Being Brave - Non AU + Slice of Life AU. cute and smutty stories of kaisoo :-) (95k words)

Perfection - College AU, ballet dancer!jongin is going through a rough time. will singer!kyungsoo be able to save him and give him hope? (53k words)

Through Fire and Ashes - this was originally posted for the exoggedon fest but deserves so much more recognition!! Post-apocalyptic AU + Zombies AU. Basically humans VS zombies, established!kaisoo are ready to help defend their town. (warnings: blood, gore, side character death, PTSD) - ALSO MY FAVE - J

BITE - Vampire + Werewolf AU, both species are rivals (kind of like a twilight parody). Kaisoo and Chanbaek are both the main pairings, Baeksoo are vampires who find their soulmates in werewolves Chankai. Very interesting story! ! worth a shot :D (50k words, on-going)

Admin Macaroon at your service 💜

Mirrors - Youtuber AU, College AU, 132k and ongoing!!! kyungsoo makes covers a popular songs on yt and his fans get into a fight with fans of an idol named kai. it’s minty-pixie whew!

Horizon - 63k. one of the less known works of jongnugget imo! they have soo many fics over 50k wow :’) jongin is a new student at his hs and meets boy that changes his life

Kiss and Cry - 93k, figure skating au. jongnugget did it again

Enamoured - 96k. age gap with teacher soo and bad boy jongin, who is a lot younger than soo. soo always helps him and jongin likes him but they can’t be together for many reasons obvi. happy ending!

Bus Rides & Sleepy Misses - 133k, ot12 with main kaisoo ;) both meet on a bus ride and immediately catch each other’s attention! soft and fluffy :)

Two Sugars / AO3 - 57k, ongoing jfjsjf this is so good ;) a lot of smut, fluff, comfort a bit drama whew! fashion editor soo falls in love with a cute barista by day, sexy dancer by night jongin and when they are together it’s very…cute and sexy :p

Lackadaisical Blue + White Night of Silence- 53k and 61k, kingsman au, with spy exo, also ofc there’s kaisoo too, and this is absolutely well-written!!! if you know And the Rose Said to Me, you’ll understand the quality of these stories!!

Growing Seasons: A Universe of Us - Farmer AU, farmer jongin finds an unknown bloodied man passed out in his cabbage field and decides to take care of him, not knowing this man will change his life forever. (warnings: blood, PTSD, mentions of murder) (77k words) - Adm. Ginger

- Admin J

#kaisoo #kadi #fic request #admin macaroon #j #r:longfic

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twitchesandstitches · 5 years

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Disney Growth AU

One of my holdovers from my old blog was what I called the Disney Growth AU, and I’m bringing it back! Mostly for the odd snippet or story post here or that, and partly as a component in some of my other AUs, since those mentions might not make a whole lot of sense without this AU’s particulars.

And also since it would fill a bit silly reposting older stories or edits of them without giving everyone the background of this AU, and anything i happen to think of. No sense posting stories and just throwing you into it blind, even if you’re familiar with it. It would just feel strange!

The Disney Growth AU is a combination of all the various disney properties (or at least the ones that fit into the Disney animated canon, with the various cartoons as having a more nebulous connection but are present), centering largely around the Disney heroines and major lady characters of their respective franchises and sub-series, with a focus on magically induced transformations and a particular emphasis on hyper curves (gigantic boobs, hips and butt, with variance for individual body types and personality-appropriate looks, and with more monster-y/human divergent form styles) and giantess.

In that later case, the princesses and other heroines are absolutely massive, with none of the usual limits i typically have in my usual AUs or giantess scenarios for the sake of tiny/giant interaction; they are a mile high at minimum when not deliberately suppressing their powers, and when they’re fully powered up, the giant Disney girls can be as big as entire planets, if not solar systems… and even larger than that, with their proportions scaling up to match.

Of note, this AU is broadly split into two continuities of a kind; one where this AU is its own thing and its relation to other fic ideas isn’t important, and one where it is a sub-set of Crossthicc as an important aspect of the multiverse, and the distinction has to do with which aspect I’m playing up.

Both versions heavily emphasize magic, and the basic premise is the same: the heroines, or princesses (whether they are actually royalty or not, such as in the case of Mulan or Moana; the title is a catch-all for ‘important heroine’ as a consequence of their actions) are living embodiments of raw magic, both conduits for the stuff of the soul and transformation, and generating it in the same way that stars create elements and light. This causes them to transform over time, growing bigger and curvier, and eventually take on more individual, inhuman alterations to reflect their raw power and coolness.

Their villains are, of course, around and up to No Good, and in between slice of life shenanigans, pranks, and attempts to simply live their lives while also being benign giant goddesses, they might thwart the plans of their equally gigantic villainesses and foes, who have transformed to become Big and Thicc too, and seek to impose absolute dominance over all existence.

In the former case where its a standalone AU, the setting is more mundane… as much as they CAN be, in the context. They live on a single version of Earth, with a different history to justify how a Powhatan diplomat, ancient Chinese war icon, Germanic fairy tale, and outright mythical figures can all exist at the same time. Effectively, they have been given a Kingdom Hearts style lighter and softer treatment, with ancient countries still existing in the modern day and altering history in subtle ways for this all to make some kind of internal sense. (For instance, modern America may not exist; instead you have the original countries of the First Nations expanded and industrialized and existing as a broad union similar to modern America,) Something similar applies to outright fictional countries or landmasses, with the world altered so that their likely geographic locations makes some kind of sense. Agrabah, for example, is a bit of a tricky case.

In this case, all the princesses are modern women, but have existed in many incarnations throughout history as great peacekeepers, champions of justice, mighty warriors, and paragons of virtue to teach others. In relatively recent times, their actions ensured a massive burst of magic that permanently brought raw, wild and Good magic back to the world, imbuing them all with it and making them living generators of it, awakening new power and making them into new goddesses, with great stature to match. Apart from now being potentially planet-sized and warping local space via their raw power just to fit into the world - packing mountain mass into a very small area - their lives are still mundane, and much of their time is spent adjusting to their new power and finding things to do with it.

Something similar would apply with the villains, most obviously Maleficent and a cadre of other villainesses following her; while not as powerful as the heroines, they are nonetheless massive and powerful goddesses… just not on the same level as the heroines, but they have the benefit of a massive horde of spooky monsters and less imposing foes that are mighty in their collective dangerous-ness.

Periodically, Marvel characters may make appearances (especially the more cosmic ones, such as Thor); assume this is a meeting of the multiverse kind of deal, with the other Earth perhaps being merged into the Disney one and the superheroes making do, with the new supervillains coming into conflict with the villains. Alternatively; emphasizing the Awesome of the heroine and supporting characters to serve roughly the same purpose as having legit superheroes here. For instance, consider Maui as being a Thor analogue by emphasizing his myth-appropriate raw strength and heroic deeds. Guy pulls up oceans during fishing trips!

(That said, the Marvel Growth AU from my old blog is now its entirely own thing, combined with some ideas I have for a DC one as well, as well as BNHA/My Hero Academia, as a cohesive general superhero setting. The tone of Disney Growth AU is more mundane slice of life that just so happens to take place for giant hero ladies dealing with their newfound powers, and just a hint of epic fantasy.)

Generally speaking, i will probably tag fics and thoughts specifically meant for this AU as JUST ‘disney growth AU’, for the sake of simplicity, without additional specifications.

The other version of this AU is explicitly intended to work with Crossthicc, and relies on the multiverse aspect and incorporates more obvious elements from the different versions of the characters in question. In this version, the princesses are explicitly goddesses; not just powerful heroines made mighty, but actual goddesses, and have been for some time.

They are, in-universe, widely worshiped across the multiverse under many different names and culturally relevant touchstones, but when one person pays homage to a raven-haired personification of Good Governance, and another gives their love to a goddess of orphans and adoption, it is still Snow White they worship. Consequently, they are enormously powerful and have a lot of potential domains under their influence, and mostly dwell upon a vast plane of magic that dwells beyond the material realm. This huge coterminous plane is effectively an elemental plane of magic, perhaps the metaphysical engine that keeps the World Tree of the mortal universes going, supporting that delicate soap bubble that is so easy to pop… and constantly on guard from the dreadful things trying to do just that.

It is possible that even this realm is but a reflection of their true divine power, a somewhat accessible an diminished echo of their full nature, but it's so mighty that they cannot properly exist in the mundane plane without wrecking it, instead manifesting as avatars. Depends on the need of the scenario, honestly.

The MILF fleet of crossthicc comes across these goddesses during their travels, earning their favor and interest, and a few of them send mortal avatars to stay with the fleet and experience the mortal universe, far weaker than their true selves but still shockingly powerful, and members of the God Squad that is a club of benign deities that for whatever reason are endorsing the MILF fleet.

Their home planea is much more mythic in tone, with an explicitly magitech vibe; imagine epic D&D style fantasy in an infinite universe of soaring mountains and mighty landscapes, with magically empowered technology serving the role of more mundane technological advances, and magic being absolutely universal. Take your grandest high fantasy ideas, ramp them up a 100 times, and mash them into the tropes of nobility and honor being actual forces of nature, and you have the basic approach! Here, mighty heroes fight grand monsters… and usually it's the goddesses doing this, the mightiest beings in all the cosmos, and fighting manifestations of entropy and cosmic non-existence. Their villains here are embodiments of forces like that, perhaps linked to the mysterious monsters the mortal plane is plagued with.

In this realm, mighty brave warriors ride on fearsome dragons to confront demon kings, mountains get up and walk to wrestle with one another, and the geography of the plane can shift at a moment’s notice when the currents of magic are strong enough. IT is in fact a source of magic, and does not conform to mundane notions of space-time. The plane is infinite, continuing forever, with ever more wild landscapes dissolving into chaotic potential and randomized impossibility as you get from civilization: mountains made of teeth, seas turning into boiling oil and crystalize laughter… and it gets weirder from there.

The goddess-heroines are so powerful that they stabilize this realm with their mere existence, growing more powerful and drinking deeply of the magic they generate and are empowered by, growing stronger still, and in doing so, they also reinforce the mortal realms, which is given life by this plane in some fashion. But the universes of mortals have been badly wounded, and the same applies to the princess’ realms too, and horrors pour out from them, and they must constantly quell those in hope of helping to bring peace, in some fashion, to all realms.

It is also important to note that given the different scale, they are far larger than in my usual giant lady fare; since space is more of a polite suggestion, this causes few problems, and they aren’t just planet sized. They are often universe-sized, if not even bigger, though they can adjust local space to fit them if they please, and even if they don’t, their presence causes no damage if they don’t wish it; their steps could reduce worlds to powder, but not a single living thing will be bothered by them stepping down.

(It is also possible that this realm is a primordial birthplace of souls, or an afterlife; people who perish come here, and after they work through their remaining problems, they pass on to another afterlife and perhaps later reincarnation. IT is the fate of evil beings to be reduced to food for the princesses, becoming monsters to be slain that reflect their evil hearts… or both. Some few mortal villains retain their willpower and become meances the princesses strive to defeat, and these are the villains of Disney canon that otherwise don’t fit the motif for the villainesses. Something similar might apply for the heroes and prince-types, but in terms of heroic spirits or great priests/followers of the goddesses in life. They came to love their goddesses so much, they remain by their sides forevermore. The goddesses themselves, or their bodies, may also constitute an afterlife as well.)

One more note; while this applies to the more mundane AU too, it's more prevalent here: the princesses here aren’t just based on their Disney interpretation but have elements from their other fictional interpretations too. Those who are public domain fairy tail characters, such as Snow White, have attributes from those stories as well as their many different stories incorporated in some fashion. Those who are historical figures will have attributes from real life applied more freely; for instance, in both AUs, Pocahontas is more like her real life analogue (apart from being the same age she is in the movie), down to that not being her actual name. There may also be liberal Fables (the comic series) invoked here, because i just plain like that series.

However, this AU is still intended to be mostly epic fantasy and high adventure, and should have a more or less light tone; thus, exceptionally dark or grim elements (such as those rooted in what may be the Grimm storyteller’s potential issues with women) will be ignored outright, reinterpreted, or applied in-universe as faulty propaganda.

There may also be a lot of mythological elements brought in. For example, the Seven Dwarves of Snow White are her adoptive fathers, in a sense, and are mostly Norse mythology style dwarves (and possibly svartalfar/dark elves, depending on whim), with their disney names, Doc and Sleepy and such, as pet names Snow had for them. For instance, Brok and Sindri are definitely there; Grumpy and Doc, respectively.

Effectively, in whichever AU, all the Disney cartoons are canon, with the ones more akin to Disney’s fairy tale vibes being more closely tied. More gray areas will be subject to weirdness; for instance, the series of Kim Possible might either be as more or less mundane figures in the magical plane of the goddesses, or as characters from a universe of superheroes who happen to have a connection to an appropriate goddess.

#/#//#///#////#/////#Disney Growth AU #AUs #queued #i might also work RWBY in there somehow but idk how yet

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praesidioest · 6 years

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Gladnis Week - Day 3

for @gladnisweek

Day 3 - Gladio and Ignis get tricked by Prompto and Noct into going on a date

Chapters: 3/7 Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, gladnis Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, fluff, domestic, slice of life, domestic angst, jfc can they kiss already (no never), slow burn, iono man Summary: Gladio and Ignis get tricked by Prompto and Noct into going on a date. A bad time is had by all.

AO3 link: here!

“What if we went to—”

“Don’t say Dorsia,” Ignis snapped, his hand immediately clamped over Gladio’s mouth to preclude the possibility that he would.

The two held a tense moment, sat tangled on Gladio’s couch, the metronomic tick-tock of the clock on the wall marking the moments during which Gladio watched for every nuance of displeasure in Ignis’s face, aimed very pointedly at him. When finally the silence had dragged on too long, sure that Gladio would comply, Ignis had raised a brow in menacing question before letting his hand fall away from its occupation.

“Why not Dorsia?” Gladio blurted out, as soon as he was free to, and precisely because he was not at liberty to. “I’ve heard you mention their menu more than once. And that whole—” He gestured frantically here. “Just kinda seems like your scene.”

Plans for their six month anniversary always started with enthusiastic intentions to make arrangements, but often devolved into half-hearted suggestions of restaurant venues, which then turned into somewhat heated discussions of little relevance to their topic at hand, and ultimately resulted in no decision made. Exhaustion on Ignis’s part was sometimes to blame, or hungry irritation on Gladio’s, genuine inability to think of any passable suggestion in the moment, or sometimes the distraction of each others’ lips or hands or suggestive whispers that ended in decidedly unproductive exploits. And the closer they came to the date, the more distinct the tension of expectation grew, the more desperate the need to finally hammer something out.

Ignis gave a sharp sigh of irritation. “Firstly, it would be impossible to make a reservation this close to the date—”

Gladio’s face screwed up in disbelief. “You don’t think we can’t pull a few strings? As Crownsguard?”

“Secondly,” Ignis continued loudly, ignoring his question as though it were too absurd to acknowledge (it wasn’t, entirely). “I believe they, as a reputable establishment, would have a strict ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ policy in place that I’m sure you’ll flout spectacularly, so I rather don’t see the point.”

Gladio threw up his hands in exasperation, slumping petulantly down into the cushions of his sofa. “Gods, I’d put on a proper shirt if we went somewhere nice, Ignis. I’m not a caveman.”

“Tell me that next time we make love,” Ignis quipped flatly, without missing a beat.

Gladio sat bolt upright, a facetious menace to his voice. “That’s it! We’re broken up for the rest of the day,” proclaimed, smacking a pillow for emphasis. “Tryn’a be productive here, there is no need to be giving me the business …”

It had been a half a year now, spent together in an impossible idyll between them. There were times it seemed to them that they were so comfortable around each other they might have been together for years. Other times when the novelty still surprised them, caught them unawares, left them stupid and giddy like they were the boys they once were when they first fell in love.

In spite of Gladio’s enthusiasm to espouse all the commonplace conceits of dating (dinner dates and movie nights, the pride of being able to publically call Ignis his own, emphasised by the occasional but healthy smattering of some truly repulsive overwrought public displays of affection), he’d come to terms with Ignis’s preference for secrecy in the matter, and eventually came to prefer it. No one meddling, not having to worry about anyone else’s opinions on their private relationship, no scrutiny under watchful eyes that inhibited and undermined them. Was it wise, for the Sword and Shield to commiserate? Would it compromise their commitment, their devotion to their offices, to Noctis? Questions that had every right to be posited, given the significance of their jobs, but unnecessary and unpleasant to address, in both their estimations. It was nice, therefore, having something that was clandestine and private, and all their own. So they kept it that way.

Keeping it a secret from Noctis and Prompto had been difficult, though, as neither of them were the sort to have any proclivity for deception. But it became a sort of poorly-played game to them, wherein Gladio would slip and say something suggestive, which Ignis would then have to shut down, and the two would have to pretend to be mad at each other. Ignis would sometimes be so convincing that he’d need to spend a fair amount of time petting the bewildered Gladio later that night. Ignis, therefore, was adept in the art of soothing Gladio’s hurt feelings, a skill which he utilized now, with dazzling aplomb.

“Broken up for the rest of the day?” Ignis repeated as though he had never before heard anything so appalling. His hands found Gladio’s shoulders like an anchor, and he slipped neatly into his lap. “I disagree.”

Gladio’s knee had begun to bounce with impatience, and he turned his face away to avoid the sight of Ignis’s face, which would surely compromise the resolve of his protest. “What do you mean, you disagree? There's nothing to debate here. It’s not a matter of opinion. I stated a fact.”

Ignis’s hand smoothed up the thick of his neck, fingertips tracing the line of his jaw, pinching lightly at his chin to hold him in place as he delivered a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Is it not up for debate, the veracity of this fact?”

Whatever protest Gladio had intended to cling to had died when his hand found the curve of Ignis’s ass, and he hated himself a little for how amenable he was to the surrender. “That’s not fair, you know.”

“What’s not?” Ignis asked, feigning innocence as he shifted very pointedly in Gladio’s lap.

Gladio’s hand smacked at his ass sharply, grabbing hold of it and jiggling it for emphasis. “This.” He kissed him quickly on the mouth. “That, too. I mean, basically all of this.” He ran his hands frantically up his thighs, his backside, in demonstration of this fact.

Ignis laughed. “Eloquent.”

“Yeah?” Gladio grinned, kissing him meaningfully. “You expect me to think when all the blood that should be going to my brain is rushing my dick right now?”

“What was that protest about being called a caveman?” he asked, saccharine-sweet as he touted his own victory.

“Yeah, I concede,” Gladio announced into the fabric of his shirt, where he mouthed at the jut of his collarbone. “Woof.”

The distinct sound of a key pushed into the lock preceded the swing of the front door, and without a thought, Gladio had hoisted Ignis up and tossed him inelegantly to the other side of the couch, where he quickly arranged himself into a picture of composure: hair smoothed, shirt straightened, legs crossed artfully, while Gladio attempted to think of the most disgusting things imaginable to tamp down the ridiculous boner already presenting along his thigh.

Noctis and Prompto bounded in, stopping short of the corner they’d rounded to find them in the living room at the sight of them. Noctis’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, though Prompto gleefully threw himself on the couch between them, propping up his boots on the coffee table with a sated, theatrical sigh.

“I knew you’d be here!” Prompto laughed, with something like triumph in his voice, as he tucked his hands behind his head. “Noct thought you’d be at Ignis’s place, but I had a feeling. Anyways, I won! I think that deserves a meal of some sort. Or at least an ice cream!”

Noctis gave one of those scoffing, sardonic laughs. “You didn’t win anything. We didn’t make a bet.”

Prompto sat up, indignance bright in his eyes. “Hey, man, I’m hungry! I’d honestly settle for a questionable hot dog, like, even one with sauerkraut on it—”

“Is there something you require?” Ignis interrupted, standing to inquire with a gravity to his voice serious enough to catch the pair of interlopers off guard. “It isn’t often that you seek me out, so I’m inclined to worry that you’re not here for purely social indulgences.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” Noctis informed him, in that too-grave way of his, the slightest arch of his brow the only indication of amusement in his expression. “I just thought you guys could use this.” He reached into his front pocket for a folded paper, which Gladio received and opened to read aloud.

“ …. A Groupon?”

“Yeah!” Prompto piped up, nodding enthusiastically along. “My mom bought it, thinking it would be a great way to strong arm my dad into taking her out on a date. You know, pre-paid dinner, pre-determined time frame that basically demanded he take her or else! … It was a real good effort on her part, but you know my dad and his love affair with work …”

Gladio looked skeptically at the paper, lined in exuberant red hearts drawn in Prompto’s undeniably sure and romantic hand. “So why would we want it, exactly?”

“Why not?” Noctis countered sharply, almost aggressively.

Prompto’s eyes went wide, and Gladio watched him scramble to find some more amenable explanation. “We thought it would be a nice change of pace! You know, something relaxed and romantic—”

Noctis shoved him.

“I mean, relaxed and …. Relaxed …. Yeah!” Prompto added hastily, his voice high with the strain of forced cheer. “Anyways, it’s about to expire, so why let it go to waste, you know?”

Gladio peered at the paper. “Doesn’t expire until next month.”

Noctis snatched the paper from Gladio’s hand, holding his gaze with unwavering displeasure as he pawed at Prompto’s vest front to retrieve one of the pens he kept there (just in case I get a number!). The pen scratched out the date with a pointed viciousness and scribbled in nonsensical numbers, before Noctis tossed the crumpled paper back at Gladio. “Look again.”

“Ah,” Gladio said, clearing his throat. “There it is.”

“There what is?” Ignis asked.

Gladio gave a soft laugh as he settled back in triumph, smacking Ignis’s thigh with the Groupon. “So looks like we’re going to Dorsia.”

In spite of all the misgivings he’d harbored over Gladio’s inability to dress for the occasion—any occasion— he had scrubbed up rather well, outfitting himself smartly in charcoal slacks tailored to the gods, a fitted white oxford left unbuttoned at the collar (and only the collar), finished with a surprisingly stylish jacket of a simple cut but in a luxurious silk satin that looked expensive to the discerning eye. Ignis had been pleasantly surprised, enough that he elected not to inhibit or disguise his pointed appreciation as he’d run his hand over the broad bow of his shoulders, the length of his torso, letting his hands roam inquisitively to discern his boyfriend’s surprising sartorial salience. Even now, sat a the table across from him, Ignis chewed quietly at his bottom lip, to Gladio’s distraction, who knew exactly what that tell meant.

The waiter that attended them looked politely nonplussed to the inconspicuous tension between them, as he waited for Gladio to inform him of his choice.

Distracted (more than normal) over the sight of Ignis, Gladio had paid little more attention than a cursory glance at the menu, reluctantly tearing his gaze from Ignis to finally regard the waiter beside him. “So this … vol-au-vent of braised sweetbreads in a black truffle madeira sauce,” he read off, with a stunted facility of confusion. “What exactly are sweetbreads?”

“Offal,” the waiter replied dutifully.

“Awful!” Gladio barked out a laugh that surprised the waiter enough to preclude any further explanation. “Hilarious. We got a joker over here. I’ll have one of those and a glass of whatever wine you would recommend to pair with it.”

“The sommelier recommends a wonderfully complex white wine,” the waiter recited. “It’s a newer vintage, but boasts an unusual minerality, with sweet notes of peach and honeysuckle, and a hint of sea salt which balances the flavour beautifully.”

“Perfect,” Gladio said, handing the menu back to him, absolutely unsure of what the waiter had just said. “Ignis?”

“I’ll have the duck confit with the cranberry, orange and cardamom glaze,” Ignis said smartly, as he snapped the leather-bound menu shut (purely for the indulgent satisfaction of the sound of it) and handed it neatly to the waiting waiter.

“Excellent choice,” the waiter agreed, nodding before retreating to put the order in.

“You look … really incredible,” Gladio informed him, once they were alone again, in that indulgent way of his. “If I haven’t said that already.”

“You have,” Ignis replied, a little smugly. Gladio was always full of compliments, and always so genuinely meant that it was difficult to tire of them, even for the most self-effacing. “But I still appreciate the sentiment. And the reminder.”

Gladio grinned, his eyes dropping demurely to the complex spread of cutlery and crockery, and wracking his brain to remember his formal eating etiquette from so long ago. “Do you think the boys have any idea?” he asked, distractedly, his fingers worrying up the length of a champagne flute’s stem.

“Probably not to the degree they think they do,” Ignis replied. “Noctis certainly has an idea, I think.”

“That kid made direct and un-fuck-with-able eye contact with me, I was shocked!” Gladio laughed. “Shit, I honestly have never been scared of him in my life until that moment. That was the most intent I’d ever seen from him since that one time you tried to force him to eat his brussel sprouts when he was ten. Do you remember that?”

The food came, and Gladio had waited until they were both served before tucking in excitedly, the delighted smile on his lips turning strained as the mastication of his mouth slowed to discern the ungodly texture of the sweetbreads on his tongue: spongy, but also a little grainy, with a strange, bitter aftertaste like bile.

“How’s your food?” Ignis asked absently, cutting into his duck, unaware of the personal turmoil in Gladio’s mouth.

Gladio waited a moment, too distracted by the ungodly taste to think of a euphemistic assurance for Ignis’ benefit. “Good,” he lied through gritted teeth, voice strained as he pushed the offending plate away. “Yours?”

“You sound wholly unconvincing,” Ignis pointed out lightly.

“Okay, but what is this texture?” Gladio demanded, leaving off the pretense of being okay about the morsel of hell in his mouth, leaning forward in a conspiratorial stage whisper, like a hiss. “It tastes clotted or rotten, like an over-boiled blood sausage, and then the aftertaste like a colon—”

“You’re eating pancreas,” Ignis supplied helpfully. “It’s an organ. It’s not technically meat, and—”

“I’m going to be ill on myself.”

Ignis laughed, covering his mouth with the heel of his hand in propriety, a peal which devolved into shallow coughs of growing desperation, and then no sound at all as he flailed for Gladio’s attention. “Epi-pen,” he managed to choke out. “Coat. Pocket.”

“Your what?” Gladio asked, jumping up in his panic and rounding the table to paw clumsily at his coat. “Shit.”

His fingers closed about the rigid epinephrine injector, pulling it frantically from the tangle of Ignis’ coat and instinctively tearing the blue safety cap with his teeth, and jamming it hard into Ignis’s thigh. Gladio’s eyes were trained on Ignis’s form, noting, waiting for the anaphylactic shock to abate with the injection.

It was a full few minutes of rubbing his shoulder and back and cooing words of comfort until Ignis seemed to regulate, and Gladio became acutely aware of the audience about them. It seemed all the eyes in the restaurant were on them, raking down their backs with invasive, proprietary inquisition. Gladio could feel the hairs at his neck stand at attention, raised in reflexive defense of him and his, and knew that if he disliked the exposure, Ignis would hate it more. “Come on,” he urged, bending to slip an arm around his waist and pull him up to standing. “Let’s go freshen you up.”

Ignis seemed to sink into his side, the strain of his arm, as Gladio walked him to the quiet of the bathroom’s vestibule, sitting him down in an overstuffed velvet armchair. “Thank you,” he said hoarsely, his breath coming labored still. “I’m allergic to a very specific strain of clove. It’s rare enough that I never think to be wary of it. But cloves are often paired naturally with cardamom, I should have inquired …”

Gladio pulled a disbelieving expression, kneeling at his side. “But you have an epi-pen on hand anyways. Seriously?”

“Precisely,” Ignis replied, with the bright ease of one stating something obvious. “One must be prepared for every eventuality.”

Gladio shook his head. “I’m too baffled to be turned on. But listen.” He laid a heavy hand on Ignis’s knee. “Now that this fancy dinner is obviously a bust, what do you say we take a trip down to the quay and eat some shitty burgers and some corner store wine? It’s no Dorsia, but after this little debacle here, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”

A little smile curled at the corner of Ignis’s mouth as he felt Gladio raise his hand to his lips to kiss. “No. That’s perfect. What are we waiting for?”

An hour later, and the two were sitting on the beach with their slacks rolled up to their knees, feet buried like ostrich heads in the sand, eating greasy burgers and taking swigs from the boxed wine like teenagers. The wind sang where it sailed upon the crests of the waves, to caress them like a lover under the inky night sky punctured with stars. It was highly romantic, in Gladio’s opinion, and inspired a particularly affectionate mood in him.

“Ever been skinny dipping?” Gladio asked, a rakish smile on his face that Ignis could not see, but was certain was there by the prodigal cadence of his question.

Ignis turned to him to deliver up the most wry of smiles, wriggling his toes delightedly in the sand at the eventuality of the question waiting to be asked. But still, he played coy. “I think you of all people should know that I have not.”

Gladio laughed, wiping a spot of ketchup from the corner of his mouth and sucking it from his thumb. “First time for everything.”

“No,” Ignis laughed, without reproach. “There isn’t.”

“Fine,” Gladio conceded easily, wiping his hands off and tucking them behind his head as he leaned back in the sand. “Ever play truth or dare?”

“Is your objective to wait until I ask or a dare, and then tell me to go skinny dipping?” Ignis asked pertly, grinning wide at his bold-faced and unabashed tenacity.

“No,” Gladio lied, scoffing loudly in poorly-disguised offense. “Not everything I do is intended to see you naked. At least eighteen percent of my feelings for you are purely idealistic, intellectual admiration.”

Ignis neatly folded his food wrappers and discarded them in the grease-lined paper bag. “You’re a terrible liar and a worse tactician,” he informed him evenly.

“Be nice to me,” Gladio laughed good-naturedly. “I’ve waited a long time for you. I’m used to taking what little I can get.”

Maybe it was pity. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline malingering in his veins, inciting him to bad decisions without the rashness of thought. “Alright,” Ignis assented, his fingers already undoing the line of buttons on his shirt. “I’ll indulge you. For the occasion.”

Gladio’s eyes grew wide at the flash of collarbone. “Oh shit …”

There was something ephemeral about the way Ignis wore moonlight, and the quintessence of the stars. His pale skin glowed like a cynosure, like some celestial body whose gravity Gladio was impotent to resist. Even if he’d wanted to. “Come here,” Gladio murmured, even as his hands already reached to grasp his slender face with all the care and carefulness he could muster, to pull him into a kiss.

Their skin chilled by the pelagic winds prickled artlessly, and Gladio drew Ignis to him, their bodies flush with one another. Gladio’s broad hand smoothed down the elegant slope of Ignis’s spine, warm and proprietary, and Ignis folded himself against the muscled breadth of Gladio’s frame with a sigh.

But the sigh gave way to a sharp yelp and Ignis was snatched away from him abruptly, hissing with a writhing, flailing pain that kicked up sand and salt as he suddenly scrambled to his feet to escape the wash of the shoreline. The whole occurrence was so uncharacteristically clumsy of him— desperate even— that it had Gladio following in almost the same manner, chasing after Ignis's limping form with frantic haste.

“What’s wrong!” Gladio demanded, reaching out to steady him with an arm around his waist.

“Jellyfish." Ignis's voice was a strained thing seeping out through his teeth in a hiss as his leg buckled and pitched him into the sturdy hold of Gladio's arms. "My leg. Just above the ankle—"

“What?" he blurted, leaning to look. "Are you sure?”

“Seaweed doesn’t quite have the same acerbic affect,” Ignis snapped without meaning to, his fingers a vice on Gladio’s wrist. He tested his weight on the leg again and the failure of the attempt only heightened the inconsolable edge in his voice. “Gladio, do something!”

The lights of the Emergency Room were unforgiving, ascetic and harsh, casting long, sharp shadows and a preternatural sallow to their skin. Not the first place Gladio would have thought this anniversary date might have ended up, or even the last. And for someone who prided himself on being really fucking good at the art of spoiling a date (as in pampering one), more than just his pride and Ignis’s leg was wounded.

“I’m sorry our anniversary dinner was literally the worst,” Gladio confided quietly.

“You should be,” Ignis said smartly, affecting a brightly clipped tone that he was sure would denote his facetiousness. “I fear this might be indicative of exactly how flawed our relationship is, and I can’t understand how stupendously you failed in your efforts to commemorate our anniversary with something momentous.”

Gladio said nothing, and Ignis grinned as he imagined the abject horror on his face, mouth gaping like a floundering carp.

“I’m kidding, Gladio,” he assured him with a laugh, turning his palm up where it rested on his thigh, and which Gladio grasped like a man drowning to a lifeline, threading his fingers within his and holding on for dear life. “If anything, I’m glad for it. I think it’s a testament to the mettle of our relationship, that we could handle hardships the way we did. It’s easy, to get along. In a sense, at least. Relationships are easy when nothing at all goes wrong. Thus far we’ve never allowed anything to mar our happiness. And while it wasn’t the most harrowing of experiences—no death or financial ruin to speak of— I do appreciate your willingness to stab me with a needle and try to make me laugh after. I’ve never had anyone look after me before, and never would I have dreamed anyone would do so so wholly and holistically.”

He leaned back against the steadying warmth of Gladio’s chest. “If I didn’t love you then, I’m fairly certain I love you now. Irrevocably so.”

It had been the first time since they’d dated that Ignis had said those words to him. They’d been friends for so long that Ignis had had occasion to tell him so, but in a purely platonic sense: a reflexive response when Gladio would thank him for something with a pat on the shoulder and an off-handed ‘love you, man,’ or those many nights he’d indulge Gladio’s inebriate enthusiasms and slurred words, coupled with too-familiar cheek nuzzlings. Those instances had never waned in their frequencies, but there was an obvious reticence between them, a palpable precaution to the way they were conscious never to say those loaded words, now that they had different meaning. But Gladio was always sure he loved Ignis, in every rare and rarified form. And to hear that reciprocated from the man he’d loved for all his life was nothing less than a beautiful devastation.

“You have the worst romantic timing I’ve ever witnessed,” Gladio laughed, kissing just behind Ignis’s ear. “At least I attempted a lead up here.”

“Then you're to blame for the jellyfish,” Ignis quipped, and pointed to his wounded leg. “And the fact that I smell like an indigent’s trash bin.”

Gladio’s lips pursed then rolled as he bit back a rueful smile. “I’m to blame for us even being together, you wanna hold that against me too?”

“I’d rather hold other things against you, given the option,” Ignis replied pertly.

“Aw no, you can’t break out innuendos here,” Gladio laughed, circling an arm around Ignis’s shoulder. “I’m weak, you know this. And now I only want to take you home harder.”

“That sounds like a capital idea,” Ignis said softly, turning his face into the hollow of Gladio’s cheek and kissing there. “I can’t think of another place I’d rather be.”

#gladnis #gladnis week #day 3 #Gladio and Ignis get tricked by Prompto and Noct into going on a date #IM LATE #like a real asshole

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mirai-eats · 6 years

Text

Twenty Minutes Late

It’s mario kart night, and what’s a good competition without a little drama?

Voltron, klance/laith, 2,704 words, rated T, modern/college AU

MASTERPOST

The Snapchat notification sound barely beeped before Lance already reached toward his phone. He didn't even glance at the name since he already knew who it is; they've been snapchatting each other for the past two hours back and forth. Lance tapped on the pink square next to “Keith” with a knife emoji next to it (added when one night Keith showed off his knife collection) and didn't even try to suppress a smile while he read the text.

For the past few days, Lance and Keith had been in contact through Snapchat at almost all hours of the days. Keith was a little slow on responses sometimes, but that was mostly due to him having a habit of putting his phone one place and leaving it there for several hours only to come back and find a handful of messages (from Shiro mostly).

Today was the day Lance was going to see him again. Friday was the promised Mario Kart competition being held at his place. Luckily, his roommates were out and he did most of the cleaning last night so all that was left was snack shopping. Hunk promised to bring over a homemade pizza and fresh snickerdoodle cookies, that left the rest to Lance.

Refusing to make the trip down three flights of stairs to get the rest of the groceries, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and grabbed every bag in the car and made his way upstairs.

He pushed his door open with his foot and shouldered his way into the apartment, his arms laden with seven bags of groceries and the bag of sliced bread dangling from his teeth. Saturday morning is generally his grocery run but there was no harm in going a day early, especially if Pidge was coming over. Despite her size, she has a tendency to snack, so the family-size bag of Cheetos were necessary. To make a point, Lance took a snap of the pile of grocery bags strewn across the counter where Lance had thrown them in his desperation to put them down and wrote “Mr. I can mcfucking lift” then sent it to Keith.

Almost immediately, Lance got a response from Keith, and it made Lance nearly throw his phone across the kitchen. A blurred picture of a weight set at the gym, two large plates on either side of the bar and Keith’s Nike clad feet next to it. “So can I” the Snapchat read.

Instead of chucking his phone, he threw his hands in the air and groaned loudly. Keith was cute, funny, sweet, and apparently wasn't lying when he said he could probably bench press Lance. Some deep part of him now wished Keith would bench press him. He couldn't wait to see him again. He snapped back a hasty reply then got straight to work finishing the cleaning.

It's not unusual for Lance to fall fast and hard for someone, but Keith was so unlike the type he usually fell hard for. Before, it was like he did a double take and on that second take, someone would throw a cup of coffee on him when he figured out he liked someone. Keith? He was hit so hard and fell so fast it was as if Keith had physically punched his gut and threw him out the window. It's been fantastic talking to him these past few days, and Lance was ecstatic he was coming over later. But he wanted this to be the start of something. Lance wanted to take this boy on a romantic stroll in the park and treat him to his favorite pizza place, buy him a McDonald's mcflurry at three in the morning and they have talks, deep talks, in the car parked outside one of their places. Maybe cuddle up on a couch watching Netflix and they could chill, or maybe they would legitimately just chill and drink a beer.

Those fantasies kept Lance company as he got ready for tonight. Hunk said he was going to arrive earlier than everyone so he could have time to prepare the pizzas, which should be in about-

“Hey, I hope you like garlic because I have enough to keep Dracula’s whole family and everyone else you love away.” Was Hunk’s greeting as he shouldered his way into the apartment, arms loaded with grocery and freezer bags.

“Nice. I love soaking my skin in fresh garlic. What’s up, my bud?” Lance helped Hunk put everything on the now clean counters.

“Brought my knives because I hate that you only own two.”

“A big knife and a small knife is all I need for everything. It's not like I'm eating premium filet mignon with my butter knife.”

“I would personally come over and kill you if you put a butter knife near that steak.”

They set about getting everything out for the pizzas, Lance set out and opening tupperware containers full of ingredients for Hunk while he pulled out seran-wrapped dough balls from the refrigerator bag.

“Hunk, you treat us good. If I didn't have you in my life, I guarantee my diet would consist of hot pockets, pizza rolls, and those little saltine cracker packets.” Lance sighed.

“You'd be dead from all the sodium if I wasn't here to feed you fresh baked pizza and my potato salad.”

Lance gasped. “You brought the potato salad?”

“Yes and,” Hunk smacked Lance’s hand reaching for the refrigerator bag, “That’s for when everyone gets here.”

“Unfair. I thought I’m your best bud?” Lance pouted. “You are. I just want everyone else to have some too. The moment they all get here you can go ham because at that point it’ll be their own fault they didn’t get any.” “I love you.” “I know, dude.” Hunk grinned and turned back to unwrap dough balls. “Don’t Han Solo me,” Lance snorted and punched Hunk’s arm lightly. “Need me to do anything?” “Turn on the oven to 400 then you can go back to whatever you were doing before I got here.” “Gotcha.” Lance pulled out the pans he stored in the oven and placed them in a haphazard heap on the stove, then turned on the oven as Hunk instructed. At that moment, Lance’s phone made a familiar clunking sound. It was a response from his earlier Snapchat to Keith (which he didn’t remember what he said) from a couple hours ago. He took a picture of Hunk in the kitchen, tongue poked out and brow furrowed in concentration as he beat those poor dough balls into something that resembled pizza, and stuck some heart emojis around his head. “Got the bae with me here already hurry up and bring the Wii ;)” It was another hour before everyone started to arrive, Allura and Pidge kicked down the front door and demanded Hunk’s pizzas immediately or else they would die. Shortly after, Shiro and Matt came in, albeit much quieter and toted a pie they had picked up from the bakery a few blocks away.

“Where’s Keith? Isn't he supposed to be bringing the Wii?” Pidge asked, hands already neon orange from inhaling half the bag of family sized Cheetos Lance thankfully bought earlier.

“He should be here any minute, don't worry,” Lance waved Pidge’s dusty orange fingers away from his face where she went to jab his cheek. “Get those things away from me.”

“It's not like him to be late he probably got stuck in traffic.” Shiro said.

“Relax, Pidge,” Matt patted her head and and attempt to steal some Cheetos, which earned him a firm slap on the arm. “It's been like ten minutes he'll get here when he gets here.”

“He hasn't responded to my Snapchat from earlier. I sent him a cute picture of Hunk and honestly I’m offended for Hunk that he didn't respond with like a ‘wow he’s cute’.” Lance huffed.

“Aw, thanks dude,” Hunk giggled.

“Here, I saved it. Everyone come look how cute Hunk is,” Lance pulled out his phone and showed everyone the picture he saved.

“If you didn't have Shay I’d date you myself, Hunk,” Allura said.

“Aren't you gay?” Said Hunk.

“Yeah, but you can make a mean lasagna and I would marry for that lasagna over a good orgasm any day.”

“Isn't that basically the same thing?” Matt said.

“Good point.”

Pidge nudged Hunk and pulled him down to her level by his collar and angled them away from the group. Frantically, she whispered into his ear, outside of everyone's, especially Lance’s, earshot, “Keith has a crush on Lance and he’s also an idiot so he probably thinks he lost his chance with him because the Snap makes it looks like you two are dating. He’s probably wallowing at home like the coward he is.”

“Oh, uh, we’re not?” Was Hunk’s response.

“No, you two act like it though,” Pidge practically hissed.

“Text him and see if he's really being a pining idiot at home instead of bringing the damn Wii.”

Pidge whipped out her phone and frantically shot Keith a message, only to get a response right away.

“He's at home wallowing in self pity like a dumbass.”

“Tell him he's a fool,” Hunk said, “with love, from Hunk.”

“Oh my god, should we make it worst?” A sly grin made its way across Pidge’s face.

“So like, fan the flames by acting more affectionate and domestic than usual with Lance but also act as their wingman?”

“You got it.”

Hunk frowned. “Get him over here first, then we can. Tell him he's a fool then that he shouldn't worry about that just that we’ll kill him for chickening out on Mario Kart night when he's supposed to provide the Mario Kart. Only an absolute dingus would do that. Get over it buddy. With love from Hunk.”

“You sound a little upset.” Pidge snickered and started to type out what Hunk just said.

“I am.”

Pidge turned back to the group and announced over their debate which food is better than sex (currently they were on “a really fucking good cheesecake”), “Keith should be here in ten and he's sorry, he fell asleep after the gym.”

“Tell him he's a fool,” Lance frowned.

Another ten minutes later, Keith came frantically knocking at the door. There was a race between Lance and Pidge to get to the door first, both for very different reasons.

“I want to rip his head off and feed to to the crows for being late,” Pidge growled.

Lance’s much longer legs beat Pidge by a landslide. He held Pidge back with an arm and a leg, and the other hand he used to open the door. “Hey, dude you’re twenty minutes late,” Lance said, a small frown etched on his face. “Sorry, sorry,” Keith shuffled into the apartment; a bag with what Lance assumed held the Wii was gripped close to his chest. “I got tired and took a nap after the gym but I slept later than I thought I would.” “That’s alright at least you’re here now. Hey Pidge, stop trying to kill the poor guy he’s here he has your Wii.” Lance attempted to push her off of him. “Please wash your hands before you touch my stuff,” Keith sighed. “You deserve to have Cheetos all over your ugly-ass Wii.” Pidge frowned, but turned to go wash her hands. Keith toed off his boots at the entry way with everyone else’s shoes and came fully into the apartment. A chorus of greetings at varying levels of enthusiasm met Keith when he entered the sitting room. He handed the backpack to Matt without a word and he started to set up the gaming console. Shiro tugged Keith’s arm as he had passed by where he sat on the couch to get his attention. “Hey, you alright?” Shiro whispered. “I’m fine just a little. . .” Keith’s eyes drifted over to where Lance and Hunk was standing in the kitchen pulling the mini pizzas out of the oven. “Out of it, I guess. It’s been a long week.” “Which one?” Keith’s eyes snapped back to Shiro and widened. “What?” “Hunk or Lance? Which one’s caught your little gay heart?” He whispered. Keith hesitated. He spied an unfamiliar woman, Allura he guessed from what Lance had told him, lean a little closer to where they were whispering. “It’s nothing don’t worry about it.” Keith narrowed his eyes at her. Guilty for being caught, she leaned back and threw him a dazzling smile. “You must be Keith. Shiro’s told us much about you,” Allura said, sticking her hand out to shake. “Um, you must be Allura then, right? They talk a lot about you, too.” Keith hesitantly took the manicured hand and shook it. “All good things, I hope?” she arched a white eyebrow but there was a humorous quirk to her lips. “We tell him about your unfortunate straight incident.” Lance yelled from the kitchen. She gasped. “Did they really? I told you not to tell anyone!” “Princess, it’s my favorite story to tell.” Lance’s laugh echoed through the apartment. “Okay so there are four controllers and like seven of us, who wants to go first?” Matt talked over Lance’s raucous laughter. “How about in order of arrival?” Hunk suggested. “Hey then that puts Shiro, Keith, and I last,” Matt pouted. “We brought you a pie,” Shiro said dejectedly. “Okay, Shiro’s puppy eyes are killer and I’m a gracious host so I’ll give him my spot first.” Lance said. “I hooked up your Wii and brought you pie!” Matt interjected. “I brought the Wii.” Keith protested. “Yeah, and I brought the food and was here before you guys so suck it up,” Hunk said. “But the pizza’s actually done. There’s potato salad and plates on the counter and cups in the cupboard there’s some beer, Coke, milk, and-“ Hunk opened the fridge to check, “- Cactus Cooler? Who drinks Cactus Cooler?” “I do. I asked Lance to get it.” Keith raised his hand warily.

“What kind of loser drinks Cactus Cooler?” Matt said, the tail end of his sentence was cut off by the sudden little jingle from the Wii menu.

“Keith does,” Shiro teased.

Everyone had already started moving towards the kitchen in a subtle hurry to try and get there first. Lance had dove straight for the potato salad, Pidge the margherita pizza. The rest of them sort of did a weird shuffle to try and get to the general vicinity of the pizza. Keith somehow ended up next to Lance who was scooping about a third of the potato salad onto his plate. They were squeezed so close together due to the too small kitchen and too many people in there at once they’re arms were pressed against each other.

“Sorry I was late,” Keith muttered, only loud enough for Lance to hear.

“Hey dude, don’t sweat it. Shit happens. We’re all here, everyone’s safe, and the pizza is still hot.” Lance huffed.

Keith peaked at him through his fringe, eyed the slope of his nose and the content smile on his face. It really was fine that Keith nearly ditched the get together because he jumped off a cliff into a steaming hot pit of conclusions. Everything should be okay, Keith has a chance to try and woo Lance himself because he’s thankfully single. Oh god, what if he was straight? But, Keith reasoned with himself, as he served himself a helping of potato salad, Lance is a nice guy, if he was straight or even uninterested he would let down nicely. It would be easy to move on and hey, maybe still stay as friends. Because Keith really liked being his friend. Well, he thinks they’re friends. . .

Keith’s train of thought was cut off when Hunk came up behind Lance and wrapped his arms around his waist, then gave Lance a firm peck on the top of his head.

“How’s that salad, babe?” Hunk asked.

“My souls been cleansed because of this heavenly dish.” Lance said through a mouthful of potato salad.

Keith whipped around to stare at Pidge, eyes wide and the color drained from his face.

Pidge simply shrugged and took a large bite of pizza.

#klance #voltron #keith kogane #lance mcclain #laith #fic #vld #Voltron legendary defender #twenty minutes

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lostinthewinterwood · 4 years

Text

Fandom 5k 2020

Showing up over a week late to the party.

Hey friend! So. Uh. About that letter…

Well, if you’re already on your way, that’s great! Feel free to ignore this letter completely. It is, after all, quite late. If, however, you are like me and haven’t started yet, and you’re wanting a little something more for inspiration, here’s… something, at least. Most of this is in my signup, but there’s a bit extra here.

Good luck!

General DNW

Rape/non/dub-con; non-canonical major character death; heavy angst; hurt no comfort; graphic depictions of deliberate and methodical self-harm*; graphic depictions of suicide; anything E rated; smut; gore; heavy gender dysphoria; grimdark; complete downer endings; character bashing; incest; cringe comedy; a/b/o; mpreg; unrequested full setting AUs (canon-divergence is fine); graphic eye trauma; graphic and/or permanent hand trauma (unless the setting can provide a more-or-less fully functional prosthetic or equivalent); issuefic; unrequested identity headcanons; a focus on unrequested romantic relationships.

*I don’t include things like, say, punching a wall in a fit of emotion under this. however, something like cutting would not be appreciated.

General Likes

– I really like plotty fics

– Secret identity and disguise shenanigans, the more layers to them and more absurdity the better.

– Crossdressing for whatever reason and gender disguises, also for whatever reason.

– Time travel and time loops are always fun, especially as a fix-it. I have a general preference for Peggy Sue style (aka, an older character getting put back in their younger body at an earlier point in the timeline) over the character’s physical body stepping back in time, but either one is good.

– A focus on family and/or friendship, especially characters realizing they’re not nearly as alone as they think they are, and just generally characters who like each other and enjoy spending time together

– Found family; families of choice

– Character studies

– Worldbuilding

Fandom-Specific Things

Original Works

Adolescent Supervillain with a Secret Identity & Adolescent Superhero with a Secret Identity

Child Superhero & Their Concerned Supervillain Nemesis

Male Student Mage Disguised as a Girl & His Older Female Mentor

Priestess Of A Dying Sun & Goddess Of Endless Night

Prophesied Hero & Prophesied Dark Lord

Prince/Prince of Enemy Country He’s Met on the Battlefield More Than Once

- Action/Adventure

- Character Development

- Interpersonal Drama

- Science Fiction

- Fantasy

- Hurt/Comfort

- Worldbuilding

Fandom-specific DNW: neopronouns, random pronoun changes within a PoV (changing because of disguise purposes is fine, great even; I have a lot of trouble with characters who go by multiple pronouns within one PoV basically at random)

Superheroes—for the kids with the secret identities, do they know each other as their civilian selves? As their cape selves? Both? Do they like each other, dislike each other, is this a rivalry thing… with stories that have this dynamic, I always end up spending half my time cackling internally and the other half of the time going children no when they’re friends as civilians and enemies in masks, but honestly I’d be here for any dynamic they could have. For the child hero and concerned nemesis, I absolutely adore the dynamic of the kid going “I’m here to defeat you!” and the villain being like “…okay I may be a criminal and a villain but you are a literal child what are you doing where are your parents,” and it going from there.

Student Mage & Mentor—ngl this is at least 85% inspired by all the “girl disguises herself as boy to become warrior” books I read as a kid, and I always wanted a gender-flipped version—so tell me! Why is he disguised as a girl? Does his mentor know? If she does, is she actively helping him, or begrudgingly accepting, or something else? Anything around this would be great, and ruse/identity reveals are always delicious if you want something more specific as a prompt.

Priestess & Goddess—I really like the idea of this; it has a very melancholic feel to it, like the end of an age, and I would love worldbuilding this place that allows this relationship, or a dual character study, or, of course, both.

Prophesied Hero & Dark Lord—I love explorations of fate and prophecy, especially in regards to people who are supposedly destined for roles they may or may not want—do the hero and dark lord know each other before the prophecy kicks off? How do they feel about their respective roles, and about each other? Is this a story where you can break from your role, or can you not fight fate? Are you destined to fulfil the prophecy, even if you try to defy it? I have no opinions on the gender of these characters—ignore the gender implications of the tag if you want to.

Prince/Prince—I’m picturing something with delicious snarky banter between the two princes. I’d love to see something with, like, a grudging mutual respect turning into something where they like each other and then they go and fall in love and go “oh… well, fuck,” and have to sort it out from there.

The Dragon Prince

Aaravos

Claudia

Soren

- Character Development

- Worldbuilding

- Fantasy

- Fix-it fic

Fandom-specific DNW: Aaravos/Viren, at all.

This show is wonderful and heartbreaking and I adore it.

Claudia, Soren—I love them and am somewhat heartbroken over their choices this past season; I’d love any sort of character study focusing on them or their relationship to each other (and their dad, though I’d rather Viren not take the spotlight in any fic you write). After the show or during it, or something pre-canon—all of those are great. I’d definitely be down for things exploring the fallout of season three and the choices they made there, especially at the end.

Aaravos—I’m fascinated even as I somewhat dislike him. For him, I’d love to see something pre-canon—why did he get locked up in that mirror? What was the world like, when that happened? He’s our narrator at the beginning—what’s up with that? If you want to keep it more canon-era, I’d love a look into his head during the events that go down; what’s his angle on all of this? Is it just to free himself, or does he have broader plans? How much is he lying in all of this? For him, I’d be happy to get an outsider PoV or in-universe meta about him, especially on what he was before he got locked up—he’s in books! Clearly he wasn’t totally low profile back in the day.

The Court Jester

Princess Gwendolyn/Sir Griswold

Hubert Hawkins/Maid Jean

Hubert Hawkins & Giacomo

Hubert Hawkins

- Character Development

- Getting Together

- Humor

Fandom-specific DNW: Gwendolyn/Griswold relationship that isn’t reciprocal

Okay, so, this has been a favorite movie of mine since I was like ten lol. I love it and its comedy and its characters and like… I mean. Look at my Thing for secret identity nonsense; it shouldn’t be hard to see the appeal here.

Gwendolyn/Griswold—so, Griselda tells Gwendolyn that she’ll marry for love. Now we all know that she doesn’t get to marry her jester; but who’s to say that she doesn’t end up marrying for love anyway? After all there’s no real other reason to pair her up with Griswold in the end; certainly there’s no longer a political advantage to be gained by doing so.

Hawkins/Jean—I like their dynamic, their mutual respect for each other’s skills and abilities, how they know each other and rely on each other and idk man I just want More.

Hawkins & Giacomo—this is a ridiculous prompt, in that they spend all of five minutes together before Giacomo gets knocked out (or is it killed? Not clear tbh) and disappears from the movie. I mostly think it would be really funny if somehow they had to drag Giacomo along? And then he’s trying to complete his original mission, but he and Hawkins have to pretend to be the same person, for Reasons, and… anyway I just think this would be very funny.

Hawkins—just give me anything about him; I’d be here for just about anything tbh, he’s great. If you want something more specific, maybe tell me about his past, how he came to be part of the Black Fox’s group, or his childhood before that.

現実もたまには嘘をつく | Genjitsu mo Tama ni wa Uso wo Tsuku | Sometimes Reality Tells Lies Too (Manga)

Terazaki Kaoru & Ousaka Shouko

Terazaki Kaoru & Ousaka Nanami & Takekawa Izumi

Terazaki Kaoru & Ousaka Nanami

Ousaka Nanami & Ousaka Shouko & Ousaka Toshio

- Character Development

- AU – Genre Shift

- Fluff

- Slice of Life

Fandom-specific DNW: sexualization of Kaoru’s crossdressing, romance between Kaoru and Nanami beyond light shiptease à la canon, full justification of Kaoru’s fears re: Nanami’s dad

I love these kids and their adorable friendship and character development. Honestly, anything you can give me with either of them I’ll probably treasure, since as far as I can tell this fandom is basically nonexistent. Some of my feelings here are just wordless warm fuzzy feelings but I will Try to give prompts.

So, for more specific ideas:

Kaoru & Shouko—I love how mom-like Shouko feels around Kaoru, and I’d love a deeper look into their dynamic. Half of me thinks she already knows or at least suspects that “Kaori” isn’t really a girl, or at least isn’t a cis girl, but I rather suspect she’d just not say anything, at least for the time being—“Kaori” is her daughter’s only friend, after all, and has been pulling Nanami out of her shell, and she wouldn’t want to disturb that.

Kaoru & Nanami & Izumi—these three are a lot of fun together, I’d love any sort of shenanigans with them, the more ridiculous the better.

Kaoru & Nanami—look they’re just. adorable. Anything exploring that friendship I am here for.

Ousaka family—I really like their dynamic. I’d be here for anything exploring it, really, including a look into Nanami’s backstory—it seems she wasn’t always as much of a shut-in as she is at the start, but there’s pain there too—what happened? I’d also find it quite funny if her parents have actually figured out Kaoru’s secret but aren’t going to let on to the kids just yet.

General things I’d be into seeing explored in anything with the relevant characters: Nanami’s past, Kaoru’s past/family/home life—he seems awfully lonely at times, do these kids… go to school? I kinda have the impression that Nanami doesn’t, but what do you think?, their mutual obsession with Peten-Chan

If you want to do a setting AU here I’d be down for that, as long as you keep the characters and their dynamics and don’t make it too dark.

Thank you so much for writing for me and good luck with your writing!!

#exchange letters #fandom5k #fandom5k 2020 #requested: original work #requested: the dragon prince #requested: the court jester #requested: hanging out with a gamer girl

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sanvitheartificer · 7 years

Text

Dear Yuletide Author,

I've never managed to make sign ups before, so this'll be my first year doing Yuletide, and I'm really excited! Here's some things.

General things I like in stories:

-queer characters and headcanons; spectrum sliding of all kinds (so, could be skin color, mental health, anything – diversity is exciting!). If you’re not comfortable with doing this, I get it, take care of yourself! {if you’re not sure what I mean, basically: taking a character who’s canonically white and implied to be straight and writing them as bi and black, for example.}

-Personal things you enjoy having a place in the story you write (so like if you know a lot about making dresses in the seventeenth century and it comes up in the story that's always really cool)

-Clever headcanons that explain and recontextualize canon.

-magic, whimsy, and bittersweet endings

-happy and hopeful endings

-Found family, and coming together and surviving difficult situations with your found family

-Hopeful apocalypses; the conflicts of the story no longer matter and everyone has to work together to survive, but there’s a sense that everyone will survive and things will get better over time, even if they suck now

-Things that are on the edge between dreamlike and not-dreams, and maybe sometimes they have real effects but you can't quite tell.

-Alternate universes or settings with more fantasy

-Time travel, fix-it fics: I'm not sure this applies to any of my fandoms but in general I really like it. Any kind of time travel: loops, inhabiting younger body, older you shows up and younger you is still a thing, living as a time-displaced wanderer... all of this is great. Even if I didn’t mention it specifically I’m pretty much always down for a time travel AU.

-Language differences having an effect on the story

-Clever wordplay and riddles and mysteries that matter to the story

-Children allowed to be children, but also having wisdom that matters

-Characters being self-aware and working to improve

-Stories where romance is not the focus, and friendship and family are valued highly. Gen stories.

-Crossovers and AUs

Things I don't want in stories (starred ones are 'hard' rules; others are preferences)

-Hopeless endings

-Things that are dark for the sake of darkness*

-Demonizing a character; changing/removing core character traits

-Unhealthy relationships portrayed as healthy or desirable

-Explicit porn (Not for Yuletide. Thanks!)*

-Eye gore. Please just don't describe things touching eyes.*

-Gore in general is not great

-Slice-of-life fics without any kind of fantasy or magic aren't my favorite

Thank you so much for signing up! I'm so excited to see whatever you come up with! Feel free to get inspired and ignore these ideas, beyond the hard rules! I consider all of this more of a bouncing-off point, and I trust your judgment. I'd also love to talk more after Yuletide if you want to? I like talking to people who are enthusiastic about things I'm enthusiastic about, and brainstorming can be really fun.

Here's the copies of my specific-fandoms requests:

Calvin and Hobbes: Calvin and Hobbes grow up but they hold on to the magic that existed when they were kids, although it's a rocky road at times.

I would prefer that you avoid stories where Calvin comes to live entirely in the real world, *and* stories where he lives entirely in a new fantasy world. Calvin and Hobbes' world feels to me one with feet on the ground and head in the clouds, and I would love if you could preserve that sense.

I like queer headcanons (aro or ace or both Calvin would be super cool!)

I really love crossovers for Calvin and Hobbes, and I'd really like to see one(s) with Lilo and Stitch.

I’d prefer gen and I don’t like Calvin/Hobbes as a pairing.

Nimona: How do they end up where they are, and where do they go after the story is over? I'm really interested in backstories and worldbuilding for this universe; I do kind of ship Ballister and Ambrosius, but please don't ignore the ways in which their relationship (in the general, not-romantic sense of 'relationship') is and has been unhealthy in the past if that's where you go with this.

I'm also down for AUs where they're all a happy family or something; it's not something I'd normally want to read, but dragon shapeshifter baby and two harried dads sound hilarious.

Also, the woman with the device (I haven't read it in a while; forgive me I do not remember her name). I would love to see more of her. What's going on with her life?

Megamind: Oh man I have so many different ideas for this. You don't have to do all of these; really you don't have to do any of them, but here's my list of ideas:

AU in which Roxanne is an alien (whether she's the 'Megamind' parallel or the 'Metroman' is up to you, but I'd love to see Megamind as her counterpart and then they kiss)

-Gender fuckery

-Minion focus (how old was he when the planet was destroyed? How does his mind work?)

--On that note, how do the brainbots think?

--What was life on Minion's and Wayne's first planets like? What did their parents do? What did those societies look like? How did it cope with imminent death -- did other babies get propelled out into the world? If not, why Megamind specifically?

-Wayne eventually growing up, after the movie, and doing something meaningful with his life

-Apocalyptic AU in which they all have to work with each other (I'm imagining that the movie didn't happen in this circumstance, but I'm okay if it did, and apocalypse happens after)

Feel free to focus in on one character and not include all of them :)

The Breakfast Club: The Breakfast Club always felt relateable to me, because I've also had those kinds of microcosm friendships -- and they've often faded away once the moment passes. Does the Breakfast Club hold on to their friendship during the stresses of high school, and after? If not, do they ever reconnect? What does this thing that happened mean to them, later in their lives?

I'm also down for ridiculous AUs with superpowers or time travel or crossovers or fusions.

Princess Princess Ever After: I want to hear about their adventures without each other, and adviser guy: what does he get up to? How do their parents respond; how do they all end up where they are? And maybe what happens when they're married and they have kids what do the kids do? What happens next? What's Amira's brother doing?

Also, also: I really, really want them to kiss. But honestly just give me moooooar of anything about this beautiful story.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire: There's a lot of stories I really want to see within this fandom.

One is an epic tale rewriting the whole thing where the white savior trope is less of a thing, Atlantis makes sense as a society, full of political intrigue and history and worldbuilding. honestly this isn't quite my cup of tea, but I also really want explanations where this world makes sense, so if you're pulled towards this I would love to read it.

Second: a couple hundred years in the future Atlantis decides to reveal itself. What does that integration look like? Maybe space is involved! Stargate crossover could be cool because it has another linguist.

Another is just... give me anything with Audrey and Vinny and Sweet and Helga and Mole and all these people, dealing with returning to the world, maybe Milo returning much later. They're immortal, or something close; time is strange and they have adventures and it's hard to adjust to this world but they have to, so they do. They have adventures, they create things; they live their lives, affected by this brush with the fantastical but stuck in a normal-ish world. I feel like Sweet, Mole, and Wilhelmina get overlooked a lot, and I’d especially like to see more of Sweet, but I also love Audrey and Vinny so. Anything goes.

I'd also like to see any of their lives growing up, or Milo's ... uncle? Whoever it was? and his adventures.

I'm also a linguistics geek so I'd really love to see more realistic language problems, and I'm actually down to read an entire story that's just 'Milo studies things', esp. if you convey the mystery and excitement of a good problem. He’s a geek and I love him.

Or Kida's life growing up! What is Atlantis like? Worldbuilding this fascinating place. Or ancient history; what's Kida's mother like? Or life of random Atlantis urchin or why did the Atlantians forget or highschool AU that’s Kida/Milo or really... anything that's got at least a touch of magic in this setting.

#yuletide 2017 #dear yuletide author #dear yuletide writer #yuletide

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guardianofjunmyeon · 7 years

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Seven (Part 7)

Paring: All of EXO x OC

Genre: Romance; Angst; Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic AU; Smut; Drama

Description: For a girl who has difficulty distinguishing emotionally charged decisions from logic, being placed in the middle of a growing war is the last thing the world needs. She finds herself stuck in a world full of mutants, magic, and privilege. It’s up to her to decide where she wants to stand. Will she save those who need her most, or will she let her own selfish desires turn her into the thing she once hated most. A human infected with the Seven.

Warnings: Literally…everything. R*pe. Self Harm. Eating Disorders. Slavery. Violence. Abuse. Not for the faint hearted.

Prologue, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Rest of the Story

When I wake up later the same day, I have found a new sense of purpose. I think I know what my next steps are going to be, and I need to talk to Tao to finalize my thoughts. To see if what I want to do is really going to help. I don’t want to jump in head first if it’s going to be for nothing.

I stare at my reflection as a brush my teeth with my new toothbrush. I feel as though I am a different person from who I was just a few weeks ago. Not only am I cleaner, but I’m healthier. I feel way healthier than I have ever felt. I can only assume my new found condition is due to that Yixing guy who came in and basically erased all of my bruises, cavities, and wounds. He’s a healer, but he must have like hella power to be able to fix anything. I feel and look different, and I’m not sure whether or not this is for better or worse. I’m still just as gross on the inside as I was before.

How had I not noticed how…gross I was before? Like, I’d never had a problem with my appearance since it’s all superficial and based on personal preference. But now thinking back to what I considered ‘clean’ before is pathetic. All of the human boys I’d known weren’t much different though. Perhaps that’s why I was never really concerned with it. Even still, I should have probably somewhat known how dirty and battered I looked to the trained eye. Especially compared to Tao. I had always thought that he had looked weirdly…fresh for another human. Now I know. He just took care of himself and his hygiene.

After freshening up for the day and putting the clothes I slept in back on my body (they weren’t dirty so I saw no reason to not reuse them), a pale pink pair of shorts and a white camisole, I amble out of my room. The light of the moon shows me that I’ve missed the rest of breakfast and lunch. I might have even missed dinner at this point. I should find food before I talk to Tao. Because that’s the most important thing.

Nutrition.

I leave the room and it’s unmissable how lethargic my body is. Walking feels like a difficult task, and each step away from bed feels like a step closer to my own death.

I reach the staircase and am met with an unfamiliar face who was taking angry steps up the stairs. I make a noise of surprise and the new boy looks up from his feet to me. I figure that I should try a new approach and should maybe not be a dick when first meeting people. I have the chance to be nice, and for the first time I take it.

I open my mouth to introduce myself, but before I can utter any greeting his teeth are bared, and his forearm is pressed against my neck, my body against the wall. His force is hard enough to make ability to breathe difficult, but not hard enough to crush my esophagus or seriously harm me. I would fight back, but after all the mental draining and crying I really can’t get my body to put up much of a fight. The hairs on my arms stand on edge like he’s some kind of balloon charged with static.

“Who are you?!” he hisses. “What are you doing here you piece of-”

“Yah! June!” the pressure is released from my throat and I slide against the wall down to the floor. I take in sharp breaths. Tao stands a few feet away with both of his hands on one of the arms of the boy who just tried to kill me. I can’t make out what he tells the fellow, but honestly I don’t want to know. The boy’s eyes are filled with blatant hate, and I know for a fact that I’ve never met him before this encounter. The boy shrugs Tao off after trading a few words and walks off.

“Jongdae isn’t always like that.” Tao puts a hand out to help me on to my feet and I gladly take it. I am already not a fan of this Jongdae guy. Try to do something good once, and this is what happens. Not a good sign. “Something must have happened in the castle to make him so hostile today.” I can only nod in response as I caress my still sore esophagus. Tao tosses a long arm over my shoulder and we both head to the kitchen. We enter and Tao shoves me over to a chair that is situated at the kitchen island. “Sit.”

I don’t protest and watch as he goes to work making me a sandwich.

“I can make my own sandwich you know. I have hands.” He pauses in his work and blushes slightly.

“Sorry. I was just trying to be helpful after everything that’s happened…”

“If you really want to make it though, I won’t stop you. Proceed.” He smiles briefly before continuing on. Ever since I got here, our relationship has been awkward at best. He is hesitant to talk to me, and I can never find the right words to say to him. I try to break through our awkwardness. “You really like it here don’t you?” I ask as he cuts the sandwich in half.

“Yes.” He says without hesitation. “For the first time since my mom died, this is where I felt happy. Finding Kris was one of the moments that I felt like my life turned around.” he picks up the plate and places it on the counter in front of me. Tao is the kind of person that I believe all of the kids in the 3rd ring could turn out to be if they were given the chance to be happy. He has a different outlook on life and it’s endearing. Even though I attacked him when we first met, he was still able to make me open up to him. Perhaps I should, I can’t believe I’m saying this, be more like Tao. I don’t touch the food, instead choosing to look into his dark eyes. He looks back without any of the fear that was in Jongin’s, any of the uneasiness in Kris and pretty boys, or the hate of that Jongdae fellow.

“Tao…” he blinks in acknowledgement. “Do you think I should do this? What Kris wants me to do?” he blinks again and then nods his head a few times slowly.

“I think…that you could be the one to save us. The kids like you and me, and my friends who are in the castle. They don’t tell me all that happens in there, but I’m not dumb. I can figure out what’s going on in there even when they don’t show up here bruised and shaking.” He props his head up in his hand.

“Why me though? Why couldn’t you have brought some other girl here for Kris? I know there aren’t many of us, but I’m not the only one.” He looks off thoughtfully and then clicks his tongue.

“Well first off, you’re my friend and I wanted to bring you here before I knew about this whole plan thing anyway…” he starts. He pouts a bit before continuing on. “I heard that most girls turn easily once they start to get treated like first class citizens…and I don’t know. You’re different. From what I told Kris, I think he thought you just happened to be the right choice so he didn’t look for anyone else. I think Kris believes that fully now too. You would be able to fight back. You use to defend the boys back at the orphanage when they were hurt and you didn’t ask for anything in return. You’re genuinely nice, and not hell bent on surviving at the expense of everyone else.” I smile authentically at his compliment and my face heats up. I grab a sandwich slice and bite in to it to hide my flustered expression.

After hearing how highly he thinks of me, and how genuine everyone’s intentions seem to be, the rest of my doubt fades away with my swallow of the sandwich. I still feel like this is going to go straight to shit, but I’m open to trying now. “I’ll do it.” I tell him before taking a bite in to the sandwich again.

“What?”

I try to talk around my mouth full of food. “I said I’ll do it.” I swallow the chewed up bread and meat and whatnot. “I’ll go in to the Queen’s castle and try to…fix this. To fix all of this if I can.” He straightens up in excitement and claps his hands excitedly like a little kid. He tackles me in a hug and we both almost topple over with the chair. I hold tightly to my sandwich slice while laughing at how happy Tao has suddenly turned. I’m relived the awkwardness between us is gone; I’m not used to not knowing what to say to him. “Dude, get off of me. I need to finish eating.”

“This is the best thing you’ve ever said. You don’t say much worth listening to usually, and this might be the first time you’ve said something worth hearing.” He jokes.

“For someone who follows and listens to Kris like some kind of one legged puppy you sure are talking rather tough to me right now.”

“Kris is a great man, and you should watch it. I’ll choose Kris over you any day.”

“I find that very hard to believe. You love me after all you big emotional cheese ball.” I reach for his cheek to squeeze it; he scowls and dodges my hand quickly. For the first time since arriving here I smile again fully. It feels like our relationship has gone right back to normal. It’s like it was before, full of teasing, joking, and lightheartedness.

I missed this.

“I’ll tell Kris tonight, and then I’ll tell Luhan in the morning. I think he’s asleep right now.” Tao says grabbing my other sandwich half and taking a huge bite out for himself. I frown at the loss of food and at Tao’s statement.

“Luhan? Who is Luhan?” I grab the Tao bitten part of my sandwich and shove it in my mouth before he can steal any more. Tao squints his eyes at me as if I’ve said something stupid. I hate when he looks at me like I’m an idiot or beneath him or something.

“Who’s Luhan? Really? You’ve seen him every day…” he tilts his head to the side and my eyes widen in realization. The pretty one. That deer eyed boy! I’ve been referring to him as the pretty on all this time, I forgot that he actually has a name. I chew my food and laugh sheepishly while avoiding his gaze. He laughs, “You’re an idiot.”

I haven’t taken the time to figure out anything about the people around me. Being an asshole and disregarding everyone but myself…I really need to turn this act around. I’m not an asshole and I have to prove that to them and to myself. I’ve been wallowing so hard in my own pity that I really haven’t been observant to what’s around me. I’m starting to believe that I really am an inconsiderate douche bag.

It’s time to show them what I’m really like. What girls can be like. Girls can be caring and selfless, I’ll show them. I’ll drop my guard just a bit and I’ll get them to trust me. I’ll trust them. I’ll do what I need to do to save them. If that’s going to start with me exposing my own vulnerability to them, so be it. Maybe it’ll be worth it in the end.

#exo #reverse harem #reverseharem #exo reverse harem #exo fanfiction #exo story #tw #all the things

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raiinfaiiry · 7 years

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College AU thing

So I am working on a short story for my creative writing class, and I;m just writing a Klance Fanfic cause why the fuck not. Anyways, so this is it so far. I plan on expanding this story when my quarter is over and make it a multi chapter fic. hahah. (only 62 days till graduation!)

Series: Voltron (Klance)

Words: 2991

Storms always made everything worse. They always made the dark thoughts come out and play for a while. Lance hated storms. He hated the thunder and all the darkness that came with it. Wrapped up in a blanket that made him feel like he was at home, he watched his best friend and roommate play his new game with running commentary.

Text books scattered across the dining table and the coffee table, laptops screen still lit up on the table, but left ignored as they had studied for the past 5 hours. Dishes were stacked in the sink, mostly Lance’s, and they honestly bothered him so much, but he didn’t have the energy to get up and wash them. Lance was grateful that they had invested in black out curtains as they blocked out the lightening, but even the music from the game couldn’t hide the sound of the thunder.

“Look at this guy, ‘I have come up with a new recipe!’ he sounds like me.”

Lance made a grunt of agreement as he curled further down into his blanket. He didn’t want to admit it, but Lance really liked watching Hunk play Final Fantasy XV, it was an interesting game and he liked the characters. And Hunk, he normally didn’t talk this much as he played, but he just knew. He knew what thunder did to Lance, he knew how much it affected him, so he talked as he played, even if Lance wasn’t listening he knew the mindless chatter helped to distract his best friend. Distract him enough that he feel asleep as Hunk was fighting a giant water snake thing. Hunk couldn’t help but laugh at his best friend as he saved his game and shut everything down, it was starting to get late and they both had a test the next day.

“Lance I swear if you don’t stop thinking that I will hurt you.”

Lance quickly turned around and stared at his best friend as he stood on the other side of the window to the kitchen of the Lion’s café.

“Hunk, my man, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

He is lying, Lance knew exactly what he was talking about. And the look he got from Hunk told him that he caught the lie. Lance just shrugged as he turned around and worked on cleaning the counter in front of him. They were at work, they had a test this morning, a very important test. One Lance is sure he totally bombed, even after studying for the last week and revising like he has never revised before. He has to pass this test, he had to get an A, he just had to. He wanted to prove to his family that he was doing okay…he didn’t want to let them down. He had to pass.

Lance quickly showed those thoughts from the front of his mind, locking them away in a box in his mind as he heard the bell over the door ring. That smile found its way onto his face he looked up to welcome the two customers that walked in.

“Welcome to the Lion’s café! What can…oh! Hey Pidge, what can I get you?”

“What, are you just going to ignore that I am here?”

Lance turned to the sound of a second voice with his perfectly executed customer service smile, of course he would walk in with Pidge, it was almost like you couldn’t have one without the other. Which honestly drove Lance up the wall most of the time.

“Of course not sir, what can I get for you?”

Pidge couldn’t help but laugh, trying to find it behind their hand.

“You know, this whole rivalry thing is ridiculous Lance. But whatever, hit me would a cappuccino with a triple shot, Keith and I got Iverson’s midterm today and I haven’t slept in two days.”

And Lance believed that, Pidge looked worse for wear, the bags under their eyes were visible from far away, and they looked like they would pass out at any moment. It was then Keith spoke,

“I’ll just have a black tea.”

“Like your heart.”

“What did you just say?”

Keith looked at Lance with a small amount of anger in his eyes, really, making the local hot head mad, what was Lance thinking.

“Oh nothing, just that your order matched your heart is all. But don’t worry, one triple shot cappuccino and one black soul tea coming up! Also, your total is $8.75.”

Keith looked like he was about to say something but Pidge shot him a glare that would make a rabid dog run for its life.

“I swear if you two don’t stop flirting I will kill both you. Give me my caffeine, and for making me mad Keith you pay.”

Pidge didn’t say anything else as they walked over their usual table, immediately sitting down and pulling out their laptop, they were going to be here a while. Keith grumbled under his breath as he basically slammed a $10 dollar bill on to the counter.

“Keep the change.”

Lance hummed as he paid the order out, it was then he noticed how tired Keith looked, almost like he hasn’t slept in about as long Pidge has.

“Go sit down dude, I’ll bring the drinks over. And the milk as you always tend to add some to your tea.”

Lane had turned away from Keith so he didn’t see the reaction on the others face when he finished talking, but he did hear Keith walk away. When Lance finally turned around with the tray full of the drinks he saw both Pidge and Keith, nose deep into their text books and notes. Iverson was the toughest professor at the school, he felt bad for the two. With a sigh Lance grabbed a couple of slices of cake from the cabinet and placed them on the tray.

“Please don’t pass out here.”

Lance set the try down in-between all the papers before walking back to counter to help the new customer who just walked in.

A couple weeks later

“Lance I swear to God, if you don’t give me my notes back.”

Lance barely looked over at Keith as he flipped through the note book in front of him.

“Dude, what language is this? How do you even take notes like this? I don’t understand any of it!” “That’s because it’s in Korean dude, just give it back already.”

Lance gasped as he held a hand to his chest in fake shock.

“You understand Korean!”

Keith looked like he was about to punch Lance in the face before Pidge walked in-between them and took the notebook from Lance’s hands without effort. Lance knew better then to get on Pidge’s bad side.

“Korean is Keith’s first language dude.”

Lance looked at Keith with shock at Pidge’s words. Korean was his first language…that made English his second language. But, Lance has heard Keith speak Japanese on the phone with his brother once.

“I thought you spoke Japanese?”

Lance tried his best to hide the small shaking in his voice, if Keith spoke three languages that is one more thing he was better at then Lance. One more thing that made Lance feel second best, maybe not even that.

“I do. My parents were Korean, my adoptive parents are Japanese. So I learned both, aside from English.”

Lance just nodded at Keith’s words, he tried to ignore the weird look Keith was giving him.

“Oh wow! Look at the time, wow, I am so late for this thing I need to do for class. So Bye!”

Lance ran away, he wasn’t even afraid to admit it. He ran away with his tail tucked between his legs. He was falling behind again, he was losing to Keith, losing to his own mind. Lance took a couple deep breaths as he walked, he didn’t have time to deal with this so he locked the feelings away like he always did. He would deal with it later. He had to at some point.

“Lance would you stop walking so fast!”

Lance force in his steps at the voice, why was Keith following him? He quickly turned around with shock clearly written across his face.

“What do you want Kogane?”

Keith simply rolled his eyes and sighed before holding out a note book.

“You said you wanted notes from Slav’s class earlier.”

Lance looked at Keith for a second before he pushed the offered note book away.

“Dude, I can’t read your foreign language, no way your notes are going to help at all. Thanks but no thanks. See you.”

With a final grin Lance turned and walk off towards the front gates of the campus, he was ready to go home now. He was ready to curl up in his bed and ignore the world, he didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

And that is exactly how Hunk found him a few hours later. Lance had heard him enter the apartment and call out his name, but Lance didn’t respond, he just laid there staring at the ceiling in his room. Posters and pictures covered most of the wall space in his room, posters of his favourite movies and bands, and pictures of his family and friends. Those pictures kept him going, they helped to ground him and remind him why he is here in the first place.

“Lance, I brought you home some food from Panera. I figured you hadn’t eaten anything yet, but we stopped by after we finished studying.”

Lance would tell he was avoiding saying Keith’s name, he always did when Lance got into one of his moods. He just…Lance just couldn’t stand Keith most of the time. How could someone like that be so perfect, he always showed Lance up in their shared classes, and now he was showing him up in language skills. Lance himself was bilingual as Spanish was his first language.

Lance sighed as he sat up in bed, he knew if didn’t eat soon Hunk would just bring it into his room and make him eat. But Lance refused to let Hunk see his room at the moment, it was a disaster, dirty clothes were spread all over the room and his notes were disorganized all over his desk. His room reflected his current mental state more then he wanted to admit. With the last of his effort Lance stood up and left his room, closing the door behind him.

Two weeks later

Probability and Statistics class was the only time Lance had class with Hunk, Pidge, and Keith, and Dr. Slav was talking about a project where everyone would have to paid off. Lance quickly turned and pointed finger guns at Hunk, who just smiled and nodded and winked. Of course his best friend would never let him down. But Dr. Slav just had to open his mouth again.

“For this project, in this reality, I will pair you off with person who will have the highest probability of helping you through it! So let’s get started! Pidge, you will be working with Hunk in this reality.”

Lance’s face fell, first they couldn’t pick their partner, and now his main shoot to ace the project got paired with the child genius. Lance zoned out as Dr. Slav listed off the rest of the teams till be finally heard his name.

“Lance, you will be working with Keith in this reality!”

Lance shoot out of his seat at the same time Keith slumped back into his.

“What!? You want me to work with this hot head? Are you kidded me here professor?”

Dr. Slav looked like he was about to answer before Keith spoke

“Tch, like I want to work with a lazy ass like you.”

Lance turned and glared at him.

“Excuse me Mr. I show up to class late all the time.”

“And yet I’m still passing all my classes with honors.”

Lance felt like a truck just ran over his heart, and just as he was about to respond Dr. Slav cleared his throat.

“If you two would please stop arguing in this reality we will cover the project then you may leave to work on it.”

Lance and Keith glared at each other before going back to ignoring each other. Hunk and Pidge gave each other a worried look, they had a feeling this was not going to end well at all.

Three weeks, it took three weeks for Lance and Keith to work together enough to finish their project for Slav’s class. Three weeks of constant bickering, mostly on Lance’s end, Keith mostly tended to ignore him, Hunk and Pidge had both gotten pretty annoyed by hearing their friends whine about the other. But today was the last day of work before turning in their project, and Lance honestly wasn’t handling it very well.

The Library was quiet at the late hour the two boys were there, it was almost midnight and most students had gone to bed as the library closed at 2am.

“Come on Lance, this project turned out really well, better than I was expecting it to. Let’s both get some sleep so we can actually present it tomorrow.”

But all Keith got back from Lance was a grumble as he continued to type away on his computer, adding small bits of information here, taking out bits of information there. Lance was so hyper focused on the paper he didn’t even hear Keith get up, he barely moved his hands in time when Keith closed his laptop.

“Lance, seriously. You look like you haven’t slept in two days, you need to sleep man.”

Lance glared up at the other boy.

“What the hell man. I’m fine, just need to finish this project.”

“Lance, we have finished this project. You need to sleep.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! I said I’m fine! And no way we have finished yet, we still have a couple topics to cover.”

Lance heard the exasperated sigh from Keith.

“What, you want to fail Slav’s class? I can’t afford to man, no way. If I fail this class I can kiss my scholarship good bye. No way , nope.”

“Lance…”

“Keith I can’t fail this, why can’t you understand that!?”

Lance didn’t even realise his voice had risen, his heart was beating faster than it should be, and his mind was all over the place. He couldn’t fail this class. It was the one he was doing the worse in, and if he didn’t finish with at least a B his GPA would drop below what is allowed for his scholarship. He couldn’t fail, he had to pass. Why couldn’t Keith understand that!?

“Lance…Lance listen. You need to take a deep breathe. Lance, please, deep breathe.”

Lance barely heard the voice beside him, his mind was running in a thousand different ways at once, but always coming back to one thought.

“I can’t fail, I just can’t. I’ll let everyone down, I can’t fail.”

Over and over again, he just kept repeating the words. But it was getting heard to breathe, somewhere in the back of his mind Lance understood he was in the middle of a panic attack, but his anxiety was taking the best of him.

“Breathe with me Lance…in…and out…in…and out. Come on Lance.”

Lance tried, he really did try, the voice was familiar to him, so he listened to it. His breathing and heart rate slowly returned to that of a normal pace, all while the voice kept repeating the same thing. ‘In…and out.’

“Why do you even care Keith?”

Lance spoke quietly, Keith almost didn’t even hear him as he leaned back and looked at the boy in front of him.

“I care about you Lance. And not just because of this project, I care about you as a person. You are so much more then what you think.”

Lance looked over at the boy, his face showing every emotion on his face; confusion, disbelief, distrust.

“You think I’m lying, I can tell by the look on your face. I’m surprised you never picked up on it to be honest, but then again it doesn’t surprise me. Pidge said I was obvious, but Hunk said you would never notice.”

Lance couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You are an amazing guy Lance. Honest, brave, smart, even if you don’t believe it. You have a smile that tends to brighten up a room, and you just have this aura that just puts the people around you into a good mood. I wish you could see that.”

Lance was quiet.

“Anyways, look, the project for Slav, it’s done okay. We…we make a great team. Look, I’ll leave you alone okay, but please call Hunk to come and get you or something, okay? Just…don’t be alone tonight?”

Lance didn’t speak as he watched Keith grab his bag and notes and left the library. Lance sat there for a while before his phone beeped at him, it was Hunk asking if he was coming home, he almost didn’t respond but he remembered Keith’s words.

“Can you come get me from the library?”

Lance immediately got a response of Hunk saying he was already on the way.

The Next Day

“See, told you we make a great team.”

Lance couldn’t believe it, Dr. Slav had given them an A just from their presentation, and said it was a presentation he really enjoyed in this reality. He was going to pass this project, maybe even pass this class. Lance looked over at Keith and saw the smile on the other males face, and with that he felt his own face light up. Even with Keith’s words last night, Lance thought Keith’s smile was way brighter than his ever could be.

“Thanks Keith.”

#voltron #klance #fic #story #keith kogane #lance mcclain #high functioning anxiety #anxiety

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