#the next part is far longer and I am still stuck but! mc finally met Izuna!

[ikemenomegas]

There's a curse, it runs through us (3)

Omega!Izuna Uchiha x Alpha!Reader

pt 1 pt 2

cw: ongoing discussions of period typical sexism, arranged marriage, implied female alpha

Ane-san's mantle hangs heavily on your shoulders.

The situation is one that is unique, and so is the kimono that you now will wear to the ceremony. The kimono and hiyoku have been dyed from the original white, so that the traditional black of an alpha's layers show beneath the outermost layer.

The coat, which is a glorious sunset red, patterned in gold flames and black clouds and white rivers. It is what would have suited ane-san's high standing at the wedding but it feels too fine on you, stepping into the occasion. Which one of you now is the ghost for the other?

Your aunt smooths back your hair and meets your doubtful look in the beaten bronze mirror, the line of her brows soften.

"It's been in our family for generations," she says, tugging the collar of the uchikake to lay perfectly flat. "You look like a bride," she says. It is both consolation and encouragement.

The position you are going to take up in the clan will require a careful balancing act. That knowledge made your chest tighten, but in the mirror it didn't appear to show. The traditional white powder smoothed your features made your eyes appear more stark and you forced yourself to blink slowly, focusing on the flow of chakra through your body.

"Has any like me worn it before?" you can't help but ask. You feel vulnerable and young in a way that you haven't since your first year in battle as a warrior for the clan.

She smiles, and you can feel the strength in your aunt's hands when she lifts you to your feet and keeps holding on as you step carefully into the new zori just outside the door.

"Yes."

The ceremony was already notable for its unavoidable complexities. As an itinerant mercenary shinobi, and a second son, Uchiha Izuna would have traditionally made his way to your family's compound and joined your household, adding the branch family's honor to his own. However, Izuna and his brother were to be the next heads of the clan and took their orders directly from the main branch. You would travel instead with those your sister's had chosen to take with her from the household and hold land for Izuna as part of the main family lands.

The path to the temple, in what felt like a particularly futile attempt, had been picked clean of forest debris in an attempt to keep the hem of your kimono clean. You held the fabric close anyways to keep it off the ground.

Since you would be traveling to main family compound, Izuna had chanced the travel to your family's lands in return. His name would be bound to yours in the family records at the same temple that had offered the funeral rites for ane-san. This path was the same which you had taken when following her casket.

You shook those thoughts away and tried to dismiss the feeling of dread just the same. The path diverged, the place of burning separate from the place you were going. Wasn't a wedding supposed to be a joyful affair?

Your aunt took lifted the back of your coat gently with one hand, the other carefully clutching her own, so that all of your moves were carefully and silent as ghosts, making no noise even over the leaves that had fallen since the children first cleaned the path.

You reached out into the forest and sought to see forward.

Ane-san's residence still had Izuna's portraits, all fifteen years worth. Every painting the main family had ever sent was there, but you had only opened the last one. All of the others had been stacked so carefully, but the ties around them were crisp, without the wearing that frequent opening and closing might cause. You didn't know why ane-san never opened the old portraits, but you left them alone.

Perhaps it was desperation that drew your senses, searching for the original which could have inspired the artist's rendition even though you would meet him soon, even though you had no familiarity with which to identify your betrothed. You felt as though you were walking into a trap. There were too many factors that would be entirely out of your control.

Uchiha Izuna's mother was long dead and Uchiha Madara, as far as you knew, was not yet mated. They were the only two of Tajima-sama's sons still living. You would be the only alpha in the immediate main family, even if it was by marriage, and the only wife.

You would also be the first marriage into the main family in this generation, making you the first child related to the head by giri, by the obligations and responsibility of being Izuna's mate. All of this would place you immediately into the clan's upper hierarchy, but you knew your own clan well enough to know this didn't remedy your being an effective outsider.

Yours would also be the first fulfilled betrothal from Tajima-sama's five sons, even if your hand hadn't been the first one offered. Another pang of grief struck through your chest, already the most familiar wound on your body. It would do no good to regret what had already come to pass. The duty of that old oath weighed heavily upon you, it dragged behind you and was carried by one of your few remaining family at your side.

The temple was in sight when you sensed it, a well of unfamiliar power approaching from the opposite direction. It was dark and light and deeper than your own but somehow familiar. Your eyes ached in a way that was becoming familiar.

Light broke over you and the others. You crossed the threshold of the temple grounds where the forest had been cut away. The others, Izuna's escort, were a little ways ahead of yours, and you withdrew your senses, perturbed.

You came upon them soon enough, waiting. It was mostly men, battle hardened warriors. Among them you could see one other who was as alpha as you were, although much older, and scent another omega, although that presence was skillfully disbursed.

A man stood at the forefront of the group, the colors of his montsuki haori inverted just as yours were. His jacket was as white as the kimono you wore had once been, the Uchiha crest splashed in red and careful embroidery in the usual places.

None of you had concealed your presence and he turned when he heard. There was no reaction of any kind on his face. Even as an omega, you were both shinobi, and his face had also been left uncovered, with no hood or veil. His thick hair was bound into a tidy braid which fell down his back.

You felt as though you were sitting behind the eyes of a ghost.

Ane-san, forgive me.

He only bowed when you approached but you knew who it was. He looked too much like his picture to be anyone else.

A priest emerged before a word could be said, as though the bow had been the signal, and began the familiar rhythm of ceremony.

Music struck up around the courtyard - instruments and your own clans' humming. Purification, pouring cold water from a ladle for every person who would enter into the temple, including you and then Izuna.

You walked side by side, step by step. It was unnerving how his steps aligned with yours, or yours with his, until it was as though one body walked towards the altar.

You sat on polished wooden stools, side by side, while drums beat alongside your heart and the hum took on a different tone. There was the familiar feeling of seals activating, enclosing the marriage of an Uchiha heir from prying eyes.

The priest, an omega male, began a warbling song, announcing your name and Izuna's before the altar. You snuck another glance from the corner of your eye and could only thank your training for not startling when you saw him doing the same.

Three stacked cups, each shallow and each of a different size and material were place before you. The first was offered to you, and you drank it carefully. The alcohol scorched a path like katon down your throat. The cup was filled again and Izuna drank in three measured movements while you watched with the curiosity entitled to a new bride.

The second cup was glazed red as the clan crest and Izuna once again drank, the alcohol dropping smooth and clear between his lips. Once again it burned, sweet and warm, when the cup was traded back to your hands.

The third was filled with three sharp movements from the priest, the clan's dispersed sound rising around you. The liquor pooled in the dark earthenware clay cup and ignited the fire in your belly when you drank.

You caught Izuna's gaze over the lip of the last cup as you lowered it.

He watched you with quiet dark eyes, eyes liquid as ink. He was beautiful. It was not fair that you be here when elder sister was scattered ashes. A breath caught in your throat for just a second.

It was in that second that you saw the tinniest movement from your new mate, his fingers curling inward as if to form a fist. You blinked slowly, focusing inward once more to burn more quickly through the alcohol from the ceremony, feeling your chakra heat your body. It let you pretend the drop in your stomach was not a confusing amount of disappointment.

Izuna took the last dark cup in his hands and drained it without hesitation.

You could understand his apprehensions easily. They were after all the same as yours. Izuna had spent all of his life expecting one thing, only to presented with an entirely different scenario. Your name was already traded for ane-san's in the family register. The ceremony was only a requirement of tradition. By clan law, he was your spouse and you were his.

Of course it would be disconcerting to be confronted with that truth and a stranger who looked nothing like the painted portrait that had been sent to him every year.

A younger priestess handed you a folded sheet of paper and you and Izuna stood. The vows were the same you had heard at other clan weddings. Only, in order to indicate a balance in your pair, you read them with Izuna instead of alone.

Together you recited gratitude to the clan for a good match, promised harmony in your intentions, protection that your omega would not need, a devotion that he could not give you, and a kind of honor which was the only thing that the two of your had left.

The priests began circulating with wine for the guests while you and Izuna made your final offerings before the altar and the clan's humming came to a gradual end as each one drank their own mouthful of the rice liquor.

And just like that, with the last offering, it was done. Unless he killed you while the seals were still up guarding the temple, you would leave with him for the main compound in the morning.

*the described ceremony is intentionally altered from the resources I could find on traditional Shinto style Japanese weddings and is meant to be reflectively symbolic of izuna and mc. Please excuse any issues in it

#izuna x reader #uchiha izuna #izuna uchiha #mentions of alcohol #there's a curse it runs through us #part 3 #alpha!reader #a/b/o dynamics #omega!izuna #omega!character x alpha!reader #gpn #I am sorry this is so short #after so long a wait #the next part is far longer and I am still stuck but! mc finally met Izuna!

[genevievemd]

The Answer

A/N:  Here’s the follow up to “The Ultimatum.” Because I hurt myself too much and I need a happy ending to that fic. But this does not start happy, we work up to the nice things. No pain, no gain, right?

Also, incase you want to know, this was my inspiration for this fic. A song called “As the Crow Flies” from the show Nashville. 

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC (Genevieve McClure)

He feels frozen, stuck, unable to do anything but stare at his front door. An all too familiar feeling of utter despair overtaking him. His ears are ringing, her words like an incantation running through his mind over and over again. 

There’s no question for me...but clearly there is for you. 

The anguish in her voice felt like a knife to his heart, a repetitive stabbing that would slowly bring his death. And Ethan would gladly take that pain if it meant it saved her from it. He would take it a thousand times over, spend his entire life in the depths of hell if it spared Genevieve further heartbreak. And yet, he let her walk out the door, broken. He let his anger get the best of him. Let his pride stop him from pulling her back inside. Let his fears cloud his judgment. Let her believe she was nothing, when in reality she was everything. 

Is that what I am to you? Just some resident you can fuck?

A “fuck buddy” is what she called herself. So easily diminishing the role she has in his life to nothing more than a carnal fling. Like she wasn’t part of the reason why he was willing to give Louise a second chance, like she wasn’t the reason why his world looks brighter or the reason why he was willing to give up every rule he’d ever set for himself just to hear her laugh or see her smile. 

I’m in love with you and I have absolutely no idea how you feel about me.

What he feels for her is love. It’s been love for longer than he’d care to admit. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? He won’t admit it, to himself or to her. And in the moment when she needed to hear it most, he gave her nothing but venom and tears. 

Ethan slowly drags himself from the entryway to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of scotch. Ready to drown himself in the amber liquid, to try and numb the pain of letting Genevieve walk out the door and possibly worse, out of his life. 

He saw the moment he snuffed out the light in her eyes. The moment he broke her heart. His hesitation ripping her apart and leaving behind a ghost. A once vibrant and exquisite soul turned grey with his refusal to fight for them in the face of her desperation. 

He feels like some sort of colossal imbecile. Letting his past dictate his future. His fear of another woman walking out on him has caused Ethan to keep Genevieve at arms length. Just close enough to fall for her, but far enough to protect himself. He had been convinced that keeping her just out of reach would save him from the inevitable. So when the moment came that she too would leave him, it would hurt less. 

But he was wrong, so incredibly wrong. Because she wasn’t the one to leave him, she was the one fighting for him. Ethan was the one that walked away. He was the one that went back on his word and left Genevieve alone in the shadows of grief. 

With one final swig of his drink, Ethan grabs his keys and heads for the door. If he doesn’t fix this now, tonight, he’ll almost certainly lose her forever. And that feels like a fate worse than death.

He’s caught by surprise when he opens the door, because she’s still here. Leaning on the wall by the elevators, body shaking with tears. He’s broken her and for a moment he fears that he’ll never be able to fully heal the damage he’s done. 

With quiet steps, he makes his way down the hall. Towards the woman he undoubtedly loves and is finally ready and willing to fight for. 

“Genevieve,” he says her name like a prayer, like she’s his only way to eternal salvation. 

She looks up, straightening herself the best she can. Her eyes red and puffy, cheeks are stained with mascara and it feels like another punch in the gut. “I know, I’m pathetic for still being here. And you probably think I’m a childish bitch for giving you an ultimatum like that.” 

“Please don’t call yourself that.” He hesitantly brings his hand to cheek, slowly wiping the tears away. “And please stop crying, I feel like a big enough ass as it is.” 

“You should.” 

“Come back inside, please? I’d rather not discuss this in full view of the neighbors.”

She gives him a gentle nod, taking his hand as he leads her back inside. He brings them to the couch and they sit farther apart then he’d like. It feels like there’s an ocean between them, wide and rough - the kind that makes it harder to find your way home. 

“Do you remember when I said I always think five steps ahead?” 

“Yeah and then you said you can’t see past tomorrow.” 

“I did say that, because with you - Genevieve, you are unpredictable and passionate. You take risks without thinking of the possible outcomes. You don’t see the world as black and white. You can sometimes be the exact opposite of me.”

“What does that even mean? Because I don’t fit in your box, I’m not worth it?”  She has yet to look up from the floor but Ethan can still see the fury returning to her eyes. The once emerald green orbs turning into a darkened forest. 

“You are worth it. You’re worth so much more than I’ve given you. You deserve commitment and someone who will fight for you, someone who loves you the way you do me.”

“And that someone’s not you? Is that what you’re saying?” 

“I didn’t say that. Stop jumping to conclusions.” 

She gives him a pointed look before retreating back into her shell. He’s done more damage than he had initially realized. Genevieve isn’t one to hide, to back down. But here she is, on his couch, looking like the shadow of her former self.  

“Just let me get my thoughts out, alright? This is new territory for me.” Ethan tests their savage waters, inching just the smallest bit closer until it feels like he can breath safely again. “I’m not a man who is led by feelings. I work by logic and rational thought. But there is nothing rational about the way I feel about you, Genevieve. And that - that’s terrifying because I can’t see the end, the conclusion. I’ve kept you at arms length to protect myself, it had absolutely nothing to do with you, it never did.” 

He dares to move another inch closer, until their knees are touching and he can see the tremor in her fingers. “I let my past determine my future. As much as I have tried to run from it, it was still there, pulling the strings and I didn’t see it until you walked out the door.” 

“So you don’t see me as just some -” 

“Resident I can fuck? No, I never have. You are so much more than just some resident and this-” He reaches for her hand, waiting until she looks up at him before he continues. “This is so much more than just a means to an end.” 

He takes a deep breath before making his final move. Ever so slowly bringing his hand to her cheek, holding her gaze until they are both fighting back tears. “Genevieve, you are compassionate and driven. The most beautiful woman I have ever met. Any man would be lucky to have you. I am lucky to have you. And I will never be able to tell you how sorry I am that I made you feel like you’re not worth the commitment you deserve. I want you, Rookie. I want you tomorrow, next week, next month.” 

“How about next year?” Her eyes are bright and hopeful, her light has returned and it’s quite possibly the greatest thing he’s ever seen. 

“I want you for however long you’re willing to have me. I don’t know everything that the future holds, but I know I want you to be apart of it.”  Everything in him is screaming to say that he loves hers, but the words die on his tongue and he hates that even now he’s too much of a coward to tell her. 

He’s about to speak again when she moves, climbing into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. “So you’re in this, completely?” 

“Yes.” Ethan rests his forehead against hers and it feels like his entire body has settled. The fear subsided and the echoes of despair floating off their shoulders in a steady wave. “I am so sorry, Genevieve.” 

She runs her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. She is gentle and pure and everything he doesn’t deserve. But everything he needs.

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

a/n: sorry for the pain, i hope this made up for it. 

taglist: 

@queencarb, @overwhelminglyaquarius, @me-and-my-choices, @schnitzelbutterfingers, @crazy-loca-blog, @a-crepusculo, @drakewalkerfantasy, @ohchoices, @adrex04, @udishaman, @drariellevalentine, @custaroonie, @archxxronrookie, @terrm9, @maurine07, @openheartthot, @gryffindordaughterofathena, @aworldoffandoms

lmk if you want to be added to the list (or taken off)

#ethan ramsey x mc #open heart #open heart second year #open heart fanfiction #i had trouble ending this one ngl #but i think i love it so whatevs right? #ethan x gen

[olivyh]

Into Wonderland Chapter Four: Scarabia Part Three

"Where did you two go?" A familiar voice knocks them out if their sleepy haze.

"Huh?" They look around for the source of the voice and notice Jamil sitting near the door, glaring at them angrily. They freeze.

"I asked where you went." He repeats, voice laced with venom.

"A carpet ride, we went... everywhere?" They struggle to come up with a specific place.

"Listen, I understand that this-" He motions towards the genies, who are still fast asleep on the couch. "Is technically my doing. I should have never put you into that cave. However, I have a job I need to do." Mc gulps and shuffles their feet, prepared for a long lecture. They watch the boy run his hands through his long hair in an act of frustration, taking deep breaths to calm himself. They notice that the braids are long gone and it's out of it's normal ponytail, cascading over his shoulders. He returns to his normal stoic voice and face.

"I can't risk Kalim getting hurt, and you are making it harder for me to protect him. He was unmanageable enough as is, and I was hoping that he'd just accept everything that he must do, so that I can do what I must do." He closes in on them and they stagger backwards, towards the railing. They realize that he's ranting, expression becoming more and more frantic and emotional than before. They wince as the small of their back touches the balcony and the boy is hovering over them, still quietly ranting. His face hovers inches above theirs as they wince, leaning further back over the railing.

"So please, just..." He pauses, sighing and taling a step back. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you should do." He sits up on the railing, once again running his hands through his hair. A nervous habit, Mc mentally notes.

"I'm sorry. You're under a lot of pressure, I can tell. I... really have been making things worse, huh?" Guilt rises in their chest as they meet the boy's tired, steel colored eyes. He looks away, shaking his head.

"He was going to cause trouble one way or another," He sighs. "I suppose it's my own wrongdoing."

Mc pauses and walks back into the room, feeling the boy's eyes burning holes into the back of their head. They pull the lamp out from under the bed and walk back over, holding it out to the boy. He takes a breath and he gingerly holds it between his palms, looking between the glittering lamp and the person in front of him.

"What do I do with it?" He whispers after a while, raising an eyebrow. Mc rolls their eyes and waves their hands in the air.

"Rub it and make a wish!"

"A wish like...?" He pauses, thinking for a second before sighing and muttering, thumb still stroking the tarnished side of the lamp.

"I wish... " He looks up at Mc, as if worried they were going ti say something about his wish. They shake their head and motion for him to continue. "I wish I had the power to never be worried about anything again-" He gingerly rubs his thumb against the side and the three mer emerge from the spout. Mc turns and finds them missing from their spot on the couch, before realizing that the lamp but be some sort of reset spot for them...

"Gotcha!" Floyd chirps in the now smoke filled room. He snaps and instantly the intricate and expensive clothes that Kalim was wearing moments before was now on Jamil, replacing his servants' clothing. His dark eyes widen and he runs his hand along the hem of the shirt.

Mc notices that the room around then had changed, no longer extravagant and crowded with small trinkets, instead replaced with endless shelves of books and maps. The sun soon rises over the horizon and Mc gulps, the sinking feeling in their stomach- the one they've grown to know so well- returning full force.

"I made you the sultan!" Floyd laughs, emerging from the lamp.

"You... what?" Jamil stammers, looking around the room.

"Oh, you know, changed up things here and there-" The eel waves his arms around, pouting when he sees the confused faves of the humans.

"Why do you keep giving him the power to grant the wishes? Don't you three take turns?" Mc turns to the other eel and the octopus.

"Actually- we all thought about doing the same thing," Azul admits. "It would be rather unfortunate if someone discovered our little secret due to waking up to a completely new sultan-"

Jamil is silent in the corner and Mc turns to him, seeing a gleeful expression on his face. "I-I'm free-" He laughs. For a moment, Mc thinks they can see tears well up in his eyes before he blinks them away. "I'm finally-"

"When's our turn?" Floyd huffs. "Yo- as our new master you have to free us after your next wish-"

"I- what?" Jamil stutters. "I can't possibly-" His eyes widen and he grins, this time more maliciously. "Make me a genie then! You can be free and I can figure out how to undo everything Kalim's family had done!"

"Pardon me, but they're technically your family now." Jade interrupts. Jamil sighs before reaching for the lamp. Mc grabs it before he can get to it.

"Jamil, please-" They beg as they take hold onto his arm. He flinches and looks up at them, eyes wide and hopeful for the first time since they'd met. "This can't turn out well. I know it won't."

"Master Jamil?" A familiar voice chirps from the hallway followed by a knock. They all stare in awe as Kalim pushes open the door. "Oh, good morning Master Mc!"

"...what?!" Mc screeches. Floyd bursts into rambunctious laughter behind them, clutching his stomach. Jade snickers behind him and Azul sighs.

"Yeah why are they...?" Jamil turns to Floyd, who coughs between laughs and wipes his eyes.

"You were soooo annoyed at me last time and I wanted to see your stupid pouty little face again-" The teal haired boy wheezes.

"Last time...?" Mc looks down to see a simple golden band decorating their ring finger. "Floyd, you slimy bastard!" They curse. He breaks into laughter again. Azul places a comforting hand on their shoulder.

"I am so sorry about him-" He sighs.

"Kalim, leave-" Jamil announces suddenly, making the white haired boy squeak and rush out of the room. Mc feels their heart ache for the poor boy and anxiety well in their chest as they turn to Jamil.

"This isn't because of..." He motions to the ring. "I swear." He turns to the mer, holding the lamp out. "I wish to become all powerful."

Jade steps forward, placing a hand over his heart. "Your wish is our command," He shoots an apologetic look to Mc before electricity crackles at his fingertips. His clothes grow longer and darker as the air around them turns cold. Wind casts sand into their eyes as they squint against the shadow that takes over the boy. To their surprise, the three mer stand protectively in front of them.

His long ponytail falls loose and his hair turns into thick, inky snakes that hiss and snap at the four who stand in the corner.

"Do something!" Mc yelps as a vase is thrown across the room.

"I'm afraid we can't," Azul turns to them, eyebrows knitted. "He's our master now. With his power..."

"We're equals." Jade finishes. Floyd stands silently, glaring at the brunette as his transformation seems to finish. His laughter echoes through the room and sends a chill down Mc's spine. The door across the room slowly creaks open, attracting everyone except Jamil's attention.

"J-Jamil?" Kalim's small voice breaks through the chaos. "What...?" His eyes turn to Mc and they can see the fear that swirls within them. Jamil turns back to him, snarling.

"Kalim run!" Mc shouts, rushing towards Jamil and launching themselves at him. They tumble to the floor, scrambling off the dazed boy and reaching for the lamp.

"Mc!" Kalim runs at them, grabbing their arm and yanking them up. Jamil fumes behind them and they scramble to get back onto their feet, accidentally knocking Kalim over in the process.

"Kalim... you need to leave!" They shout. "Now! You're in danger!"

"But Jamil!"

"He's the danger!" They shove the boy out of the way as the wind knocks them off their feet and they choke on the sand that fills their mouth. Kalim coughs next to them. Jamil's laughter bounces off the walls and the two humans shrink against the wall, Kalim shaking until arms struggle to hold him up. Mc grabs his arm and tries to console him as the taller boy approaches faster and faster, soon towering over them.

His snakes snap and bite just centimeters away from their face and they wince, shrinking farther into themselves.

"J-Jamil?" Kalim whispers, slowly unfurling himself from his guarded position. "What happened? Why are you being like this?!" He starts to yell, frenzied and shaking. This makes the other boy angrier as he scowls down at the boy.

"Do you have no idea what you put me through?" He snarls.

"This isn't the same Kalim!" Mc yells.

"Put... you through?" Kalim echoes.

"Just wish everything back to normal and you can actually talk this through with the real him!" Mc shuffles in front of the white haired boy and pushes him behind them. "You're being unreasonable!"

"Unreasonable...?" Jamil's face breaks out into a wide grin. "Unreasonable! How unreasonable is it to want to do as I want when I want? How unreasonable is it to want to be free and not stuck under that idiot my whole life?!" He shouts. Mc winces and they shuffle back.

"Jamil please-" The hope that nestled in their heart begins to fade as they realize that the boy was too far gone, too wrapped up in the rage that had built up over the years of being Kalim's servant.

"My whole life!" He yells again, voice breaking. "I've never been good enough! My whole fucking life!" Mc can see the cracks start to appear in the crazed look in the boy's eyes.

"Do you know how suffocating it is?" His hands shake and the snakes fall to his side, lifeless. "I hate it! I hate him!" He shouts again, the walls shaking.

"I-I..." He slouches. "I'm tired." His voice cracks and inky tears slip down his face. "I'm so, so tired..." He falls to the ground, staring blankly ahead of him as sobs escape his throat.

Mc kneels in front of him, shaking his shoulder and trying to get him to look up at them. His eyes stay glued to the ground as he hiccups and sobs. His appearance goes back to normal and Mc steps away from him, giving him a moment to get everything out. They grab the lamp and rub the side.

"I wish everything would go back to normal,"

In an instant the room is back to the way it was, expensive tapestries replacing the maps and bookshelves, and treasures littering the floor around them. Kalim, still in shock, sits in his normal clothes, staring at Jamil with his jaw dropped.

Mc reaches for Jamil again and this time, he lifts his head to meet their eyes. "We both have a wish left," None of this seems to process in the boys head as they continue. "You can either wish to be free, or talk with Kalim. I'm sure he'd do everything in his power to set you free himself." The boy gulps and nods. Mc takes his hand and helps him to stand next to them.

Mc feels a familiar ache as they feel this story come to a close, but they also feel the unease of not knowing how they were going to get to the next one. They grab the lamp and raise their hand to it, before another hand stops them.

"Can I make one?" Kalim whispers, a soft smile on his face. Mc pauses and nods, handing it to the boy.

"Mc-" Azul approaches them, placing a hand on their shoulder while Kalim thinks in what he wants to wish for. "Please don't forget to set us free-"

"Yeah, I really, really don't want to spend another millennia with his tentacles in my face-" Floyd huffs. Mc nods.

"That was the plan."

"I wish-" Kalim rubs the lamp. "I wish Jamil could be happy-"

The brunette jumps a bit. "I-"

"I'm sorry." Kalim cuts him off. "I... had no idea what I put you through."

"You two can settle that on your own." Floyd huffs. "We're genies, not therapists."

"Besides, we believe that's something you two can figure out on your own," Azul smiles.

"Not like you're scamming them or anything..." Mc mutters.

"I'd never!" The silver haired man says in mock offense, clasping a hand to his chest.

"Then... I wish to set Jamil free, no strings attached, no extra work to figure out, none of that. Completely free," He smiles sadly.

Jamil smiles and nods. "Thank you." His servant's clothes are replaced with ordinary citizen's clothes, and with that everyone knew that he wouldn't be obligated to stay there any longer than he had to.

"Oo! Me next! Me next!" Floyd hops around.

"One more! Please!" Kalim pleads. Floyd groans and rolls his eyes.

"This is terrible!" He complains.

"I wish Mc could go home. Their actual home," They freeze and smile, swallowing the lump that forms in their throat. They look down to see their feet turn into sand that's swirled around by the gusts of wind that fly through the window.

"Thank you for everything," Jamil finally speaks up. More and more of them dissolve as they smile down sadly at Grim, who paws at where their calves would be.

"Can you... take care of him for me?" They ask. Kalim nods enthusiastically, picking up the fire cat haphazardly and swinging him around. The cat yowls and scratches at the boy, who laughs loudly and coos at him.

"He's in good hands!" He chirps.

They grab the lamp from Kalim and rub it aggressively, racing the clock as the sand gets to their waist and eats up. "I wish to set the genies that live here free!"

The three mer- genies- well, now humans, smile at them, offering their thanks in their own way. Floyd launches himself at them and gives them a bone crushing hug, making them gasp for air.

"Thank you!" He chirps.

"Okay, okay, please, can't breathe-" They choke out. Jade pulls his brother off them and nods at them, while Azul bows next to him. They look over to Kalim and Jamil, who smile at them. They bite their lip as tears pool in their eyes.

I'm probably never going to see them again- They think, tears rolling down their face as the sand eats away their mouth.

"Don't forget about us, okay?" Kalim laughs, messy tears streaking his own face. They nod with what little they have left, and the world goes dark once more.

Also is anyone else irrationally scared of the desert? like i know its the same sand physics as the beach but im still afraid that I'm going to sink through the sand and never come back

watching aladdin as a kid when the lion cave just like ate him scarred me bc of the sand lmao

And i love the scarabia duo sm like jamils overblot made the most sense to me out of all of them and their whole dynamic and backstory genuinely made me bawl the first time i played through it lmao

#twisted wonderland scenarios #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland fanfic #jamil viper #kalim al asim #jade leech #floyd leech #azul ashengrotto

[fantasyoverreality98]

Fight the Darkness Pt. 10

Masterlist

Pairing: Gaius x MC

Summary: Stuck on a destroyed Mydiea, Amy and Gaius make plans for what to do once they return to Greece.

Author’s Note: Sexual content warning. That’s all I have to say. No other words needed. Also, sorry for any potential typos or grammatical errors.

Word Count: 4,339

-----

Death had never felt so good.

It was dark, quiet, and…damp?

Amy shot up, gasping as she scrambled to her feet. Pain shot through her leg, and she fell back to the ground, wincing.

“Oh, thank god.” Gaius sat a few feet away, his hair disheveled. “I had no idea whether you would ever wake up.”

“Where are we?” She studied their surroundings, frowning when she noticed the small stream running alongside her, its water black.

He sighed, averting his gaze when she looked back at him. “We’re in a cave. And we’re still on Mydiea.”

She should be dead. She had been ready to accept her fate.

Now, she didn’t know what to do.

“I’m so sorry,” Amy said, remembering the way she had behaved. “I should have told you the second I felt like I was losing control.”

“How are you feeling now?” His muscles were tensed.

He was afraid of her.

The sound of the stream filled in the silence while she tried to think of what to say. Finally, she cleared her throat, a genuine smile tugging at her lips. “I feel nothing. No voice, no darkness, no power. It’s quiet.”

Her laugh echoed off the cave walls. For so long, there had always been a presence lingering, following her everywhere she went. Now, all she felt was the blissful silence of being completely alone. There was only one voice now. Her own.

This relief was temporary. Once Amy remembered what she’d done, how many lives she had claimed, shame washed over her. Hundreds were dead. And it was all her fault.

“How do you live with the guilt?” she asked, wishing Gaius would look at her.

He stared at the cave floor, the blade of his sword scraping against the rock as he dragged it in small patterns. “Eventually, you get used to it. You accept that there’s no way to take your actions back. And you just hope you can redeem yourself someday.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I’ve redeemed myself.”

His lips twitched, and he finally met her eyes. “Join the club.”

Amy looked back at the stream, frowning at the color of the water. “How did we get here?”

“I had to carry you in here before the sun killed us both.” Gaius set his sword down, staring at a spot near her head. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Yeah…” She slowly rose to her feet again, the leg no longer hurting. “But I don’t think we can just go back to pretending nothing happened. People are going to start looking for me.”

The text from Adrian rose to the surface of her thoughts, and Amy grimaced. Her friends were coming for her, whether she liked it or not. And they would not be happy when they learned about what she’d done. They already knew who she was with, which would just make things even worse.

She realized that this would likely be goodbye. After they escaped Mydiea, she and Gaius would have to go their separate ways. “Where are you going to go next?” she asked, clenching her hands into fists.

“Considering we somehow managed to survive, I think we should go to Russia.”

“We?” Hope swelled in her chest.

Gaius looked at her again, his expression softening. “Didn’t I tell you this was never about being the hero?”

“Well, you kinda were the hero, whether you like it or not.”

He was clearly trying to maintain a serious expression, but ultimately failed. As he rolled his eyes, his lips pulled back into a grin. Gaius got to his feet, closing the distance between them. “As I said before, you are absolutely insufferable.”

“And yet, here you are. Still here.” Her voice was a whisper, the memory of him saying he loved her burned into her mind.

The horrors she had committed were forgotten for a moment as Gaius pulled her to him. “Because you are also irresistible.”

She smiled, running her hands up the back of his neck into his hair, pulling his face down to meet hers.

Somehow, in this moment, she felt like everything was going to be okay.

They pulled away after a minute, and Amy turned to walk toward the cave entrance, stopping just out of the sunlight’s reach. When she saw what the island looked like, her steps faltered, and a quiet gasp slipped past her lips.

All signs of life on the island were gone, leaving behind little more than destruction. The houses that had been built were gone, the trees growing around them blackened and strewn around the ground.

The once crystal blue waters were now black around the island, changing back to the original color in the distance. Amy stepped back into the cave, unsure what to say or do. She had destroyed Mydiea.

“How do we get back to the mainland?” Her voice bounced off the walls, and she turned back to Gaius. “Is there a way?”

He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I have no clue. The boat might still be there, but I feel that is little more than wishful thinking.”

Amy swore under her breath, walking deeper into the cave, squatting beside the stream. A smell unlike anything she’d ever encountered before hung in the air. It was as if whatever darkness, whatever evil had been inside her for so long, had destroyed the land.

Once, she had felt the constant confliction between good and evil. Now, she wasn’t sure how to feel. She couldn’t say she was good, but she wanted to believe that she wasn’t evil, either.

“How long was I unconscious for?” She started to reach for the water, but pulled her hand back, an instinct warning her that this was no ordinary stream anymore.

Gaius leaned against the cave wall a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. “Half of the day, at least. The sun will probably set in a couple hours.” He eyed her ripped clothing. “I didn’t think we would make it in here in time.”

“Why didn’t you just let me die?” She knew that the question had been a mistake when he stared at her. “I did so many horrible things. So many people died because of me.”

“It amazes me how often you seem to forget about my past. I am not exactly an upstanding person.”

Amy sighed, wishing he would just tell her that she should feel bad. It would be better than trying to make excuses for her sins. Death was supposed to be the way this had ended. She had been ready for it, had wanted it, and instead she would have to continue living with a new weight upon her back.

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” she said, her fingers once more hovering inches away from the blackened water. “You could have just left me there.”

But there was no need for him to answer. They both knew why he had saved her, and she wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet. There was still time for him to change his mind. A few days together wasn’t enough time to make the decision to stay. She had always known the time would come for this little journey to end.

“I guess the idea of living in a world without you made me a bit sad.” There was some of the old, sarcastic Gaius in the comment, and Amy fought back a smile.

It would take a long time for things to return to normal. Perhaps they never could go back to the way they had been, but she had to admit she missed seeing this side of him.

She remembered their reunion, and turned her head back to look at him. “Now you understand the reason why I spared your life. It seemed just a tiny bit of a waste to kill you.”

“Nice to see that you’re back to making those terrible jokes.” He shook his head, his lips quirked up in a smirk. “It would be a shame if I never heard one again.”

Amy finally gathered up the courage to touch the water, and immediately withdrew her hand when she felt the evil that lurked beneath the surface, that seemed to be intertwined with the island itself. Whatever she’d done to rid herself of the power had not destroyed it forever. It still existed outside of her body.

Suddenly, the island felt unsafe. She feared that staying here too long would not be good. Trying to hide the fear, she rose to her full height and walked past Gaius, back toward the cave entrance.

The air felt heavier than before, reminding her of the Death Island they’d visited when trying to defeat Rheya. Something evil lingered here, and Amy wanted to get far, far away.

“Do you think anyone survived?” A large part of her already knew the answer, but the smallest part wanted to believe otherwise.

Gaius took a place by her side, shaking his head. When their eyes met, he frowned, reaching up to brush his fingers across her face. “We both know the answer to that question already.”

“What about everywhere else?”

He sighed, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I haven’t the slightest clue.”

“Are you sure you want to stick around and deal with the aftermath? It might just make you look even worse.” Amy felt the guilt wash over her at the idea of hindering Gaius’ mission to redeem himself.

Why had she dragged him into this mess?

“There is nothing else I’d rather do for the next thousand years.”

A smile slowly spread across her face, and she tried to think of how to respond to that. After a moment of silence, Amy pulled him closer. “Are you sure spending a thousand years with me won’t make you regret choosing to save me? I can be quite annoying.”

“I think I can manage.” He leaned down to kiss her, and all she wanted to do was forget about everything but this brief moment of bliss.

It was strange, laughable, to think of the circumstances. She’d fallen in love with the one person she never, ever should have. Gaius had done horrible things. He had killed her. And countless others. The list of his wrongdoings went on and on, and yet…

Amy held his face in her hands, kissing him harder. Now would be the perfect moment to say those three words. They had survived, and he had told her to wait to say it, but now she found it difficult to admit the way she felt.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against his lips, thinking about what she had almost done.

Gaius shook his head, pulling her body closer to his. “Don’t apologize. You weren’t yourself.”

“But I was.” Her actions weren’t excusable. She knew that, deep down, she had been drawn to the pull of power, to the darker instincts within. “It’s like you said. I was still myself. I had several bad days.”

He sighed, studying her face without a word. Amy thought about all she had done, of the bloodbath that likely remained in a vampire club not too far away. People would hunt her down. Of that, she was certain.

“I can’t believe I was going to change you again. After I knew what those years of being trapped did to you.” Amy tried to pull away, but Gaius continued to hold her. She shook her head, still wishing the sun had finished her off. “Don’t try to make excuses for me. It was wrong.”

“I am not making excuses for you. As someone who spent thousands of years making the wrong decisions, I can understand. You did horrible things, but you are not beyond redemption.”

She almost wanted to laugh at where they were now. “I guess we have one more thing in common now, at least.”

Using humor to deflect from the guilt she felt would only work for so long, but Amy didn’t care. She couldn’t afford to think about it right now. Not with the knowledge that just beyond this cave, the world was in rot and decay. Mydiea might never be inhabitable again.

“You think there’s still room for me on your journey to redemption?” Amy knew that her friends would eventually find her, but she had no intention of going back. It was too late for that.

Gaius glanced at the world beyond the cave, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “My opinion hasn’t changed. I still believe that you are too good for me. It would probably be best for you to return to Adrian and Kamilah.”

She reached up for his face, forcing him to turn his head back to her. “I am not too good for you. You are the only one who understands me. I choose you.”

He took a shaky breath, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you, Gaius Augustine.”

When they kissed, she finally felt complete. The hole that Jax’s death had left no longer felt so big. Amy couldn’t stop herself from crying, the tears traveling down her face as she held Gaius in her arms.

Slowly, their kisses grew more desperate, and Gaius slid his hands under her shirt. They were cold, the damp cave causing a chill in the air, but Amy didn’t care. She wanted him. She needed him.

“Amy…” Gaius’ throat bobbed as she stepped back to unstrap the katana from her back, letting it fall to the ground. “I—”

With a smile, she placed a finger over his lips, shaking her head. “We still have time before the sun sets, and I really don’t want to spend the next few hours overthinking every single thing that’s happened.”

He nodded, placing his hands back on her body. The cold that hung in the air sent shivers down her spine, but she savored the feel of his hands on her bare skin as he slowly undressed her.

Once they’d finished ridding each other of their clothes, they began to kiss again. They took a few steps back, and Amy gasped when the freezing cave wall pressed against her back. With a quiet chuckle, Gaius pulled her away, his hands at the small of her back.

“Do you want to stop?” He gently bit her neck, running his fingers along the curve of her waist. “Now seems like an odd time to do this.”

She shook her head, trying to control her breathing. “Don’t stop. This is the realest I’ve felt in days.”

The sound of the stream still echoed in the cave, accompanied by the occasional gasp as they focused on each other.

A splash echoed in the distance outside the cave, and the island itself seemed to be falling apart. Gaius turned his head in the direction the sound had come from, but Amy pulled his lips back to hers, their bodies flush against each other.

If this was how they would spend their last few hours, she wouldn’t have it any other way. She hadn’t expected to leave the island anyway. The cave could collapse on them, and she wasn’t entirely sure she would care.

“I need this,” she said, running her hands down his chest. His muscles tensed the lower she went, and Amy bit her bottom lip, locking eyes with him.

Memories of their night together on the boat flashed through her head. In that moment, it had been all about satisfying a physical attraction. Even the other times they had had sex before focused largely on a need for release.

This time felt different.

Gaius breathed heavily when she wrapped her hand around his shaft, capturing her lips with his as she began to move. “Amy.” Hearing her name in that breathy tone made her feel more than any touch ever could.

He groaned as she picked up her pace, digging his fingers into her hips. They stumbled backward, her back hitting the cold cave wall again. Ignoring the chill that went through her, Amy tugged him closer, moaning when her tongue grazed his teeth and he kissed her harder.

One of his hands traveled between her legs, their restrained gasps filling the air as they drove each other to the edge. When she felt like she was about to finish, Amy buried her hands in Gaius’ hair, bucking her hips toward him as she finally reached orgasm. A breathy laugh slipped past her lips when he pulled back to look at her, grinning.

“God, you drive me wild.” His hair fell in his face, and she pushed it back, her heart still racing.

“Mm, seriously, I think you need to get a haircut.” She weaved her fingers through the dark strands, cutting off his response with her lips.

Amy broke off the kiss after a minute, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth as she moved to kneel in front of him. He tangled his hands in her hair as she tilted her head back to make eye contact with him, trying her best not to smirk.

Breathy curses bounced off the cave walls as she took him into her mouth, and Gaius groaned quietly. He let her continue a few minutes longer before pulling her to her feet, holding her in his arms.

“I look forward to many more moments like this,” he whispered in her ear, his cool breath making her shiver.

Amy felt her stomach clench, the anticipation enough to make her knees weak. She closed her eyes and leaned against the cave wall as Gaius focused his attention on her chest. Those three words she’d finally gathered up the courage to say played on a loop in her head, heat rushing to her face in a mixture of shame and desire.

When he grabbed one of her legs and brought it up against his hip, her eyes fluttered open. For the first time in twenty-four years, there was no voice in her head. She could truly enjoy the moment without worrying about losing control.

“Gaius.” His name was her new favorite word. She kept repeating it as he slowly pushed inside, mouthing it as he started to move.

Once they left this island, there was no telling what might happen. They could find themselves face to face with death the moment their feet hit the mainland.

Darkness still existed here, lingering in the shadows as the island slowly succumbed to the poison that had lived inside her body for so long. Amy feared what she would see when they left the cave. Something told her that it would not be a pleasant sight.

“I love you,” she said again, her nails digging into his back as Gaius hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He leaned against her, pressing her further against the wall. She hardly noticed the cold anymore. “I love you too.”

After they finished, they slowly got dressed and sat beside each other, letting the steady flow of the stream fill in the silence.

Amy laced her fingers through Gaius’, unable to stop herself from smiling. She leaned her head against his shoulder and took a deep breath.

“I still don’t understand why you changed back into your old outfit. What was wrong with the one I bought you?”

Gaius rolled his eyes. “Nothing was wrong with it. I just prefer this one.”

She couldn’t help it. Amy started to laugh, ignoring the glare she received in response. “How many times do I have to tell you that you look absolutely ridiculous?”

“How many times do I have to tell you that you are the only one who thinks that?”

“Trust me, I’m not the only one who thinks that.”

He scoffed, turning his head to look at the cave entrance. The sun was beginning to set. “Are you ready to leave Greece as fast as we can once we arrive? Once people figure out what happened, they will come for us.”

“It’s still not too late for you to go your own way. I won’t take offense.” A small part of her worried that he really would accept the offer. Staying with her would put both of their lives in danger.

There was silence for a moment before Gaius answered. “If I’m completely honest, I was a bit miserable before you showed up.” His eyes were full of regret when he looked at her. “You were the one who convinced me I had something more to live for. I owe you my life. Were it not for you, I don’t know if I would want to even try to redeem myself.”

“As a wise man once said, ‘goodness is a choice.’ You can’t give me all the credit. At the end of the day, every decision you’ve made has led you here. You want to be good. I didn’t force you to do anything.”

“I’m not so sure the others will see it that way.” He eyed up his gladius, sighing. “They seemed to be convinced that I will always be the evil man they knew. And maybe they’re right. Maybe I will eventually give in to my darker desires yet again. You said it yourself. You know who I truly am.”

All the horrible things she’d said and done while under the influence of Rheya’s powers would haunt her forever. Amy wanted to apologize again, but she knew it wouldn’t make a difference. There was no taking back what had already been said.

“We can keep each other in line,” she said, watching the black water flow deeper into the cave. “If I start to slip, or if you do, we can stop it. Or both end up destroying the world together. Who knows.”

He laughed, leaning his head back against the wall behind them. “Has anyone told you that your sense of humor is quite morbid?”

“Maybe once or twice.” Her smile faltered when she thought about Adrian’s message again. “How long do you think it will take before Adrian and Kamilah find us?”

Gaius kept his eyes trained on the ground, his grip on her hand tightening. “If they know about what happened in Ireland, it won’t be long. And if what happened at the club has already made news…I think they’ve already found us.”

She shuddered at his words. The idea of leaving Mydiea no longer appealed to her. Leaving this island would signal the beginning of a life on the run. From now into the foreseeable future, someone would be searching for them.

“Great.” Amy wasn’t sure she wanted to face her friends. Lily might be a bit more understanding, but she knew that Adrian and Kamilah would be less than happy.

Maybe they wouldn’t guilt her too much for what she’d done with her powers, but they would most definitely be horrified to learn just what her and Gaius had been up to while they were together.

“Are you certain you want to come with me? You will have a better chance at earning forgiveness if you go with them.” Gaius was frowning when she looked at him. “They can protect you in ways I cannot.”

She shook her head, scooting closer to him. “I don’t need protection. I’m not some helpless child. I defeated The First. I overcame the darkness twice.”

He grinned, a laugh bursting from deep in his chest. “That you did.”

“So, I’m sorry to say, but you aren’t getting rid of me that easily.” The sky outside was growing darker, and Amy felt butterflies in her stomach as the nerves settled in. “I just hope you’re prepared to deal with them.”

“Whatever will be, will be.” He glanced at the cave entrance again, and sighed, rising to his feet. “We should probably prepare to leave.”

Waves lapped at the shore when they emerged ten minutes later, the water looking even worse in the darkness. Amy swore she heard rumbling from deeper inland, and shivered. She began to reach for the katana, but stopped herself. It was silly. There was nothing left alive on Mydiea.

Miraculously, the boat was still where they’d left it. It looked like it had been damaged a bit, but it would have to do.

As they pushed the boat out into the water, chills ran down Amy’s spine when they stepped into the sea. The black water lapped at her calves, and she could feel the energy that radiated from the island.

“Let’s get out of here,” she mumbled, ignoring the way the hairs on her arm raised.

Evil remained here. And it was much worse than it ever had been before.

Gaius nodded, and together, they climbed into the speed boat. The motor rang out in the silence, and Amy shuddered again as she watched the island slowly fade away.

Before she turned away, she thought she saw a shadow standing on a cliff, watching them speed away. She shook her head, telling herself that it was her imagination. It was over. The island would slowly wither away, taking the darkness with it.

They spent the trip back to Greece in silence. Amy couldn’t stop thinking about everything she had done, knowing that she had spiraled out of control in so little time. It would haunt her forever.

Eventually, land appeared once more, and she let out a sigh of relief. It felt good to be back on the mainland. The world seemed undisturbed, safe from what she had done on Mydiea.

The relief she felt was temporary, however. After Gaius helped her climb out of the boat and the two of them started walking toward the city, she sensed a shift in the air. Before she’d even looked up, Amy knew who waited for them on the railing separating the beach from the streets.

Still, it didn’t stop her from wincing when she finally looked up and saw Adrian, Kamilah, and Lily watching her.

#choices: stories you play #choices fanfiction #gaius augustine #gaius x mc #gaius augustine x mc #bloodbound #bloodbound 3

[commander-rahrah]

RESIDENCY (AN OPEN HEART FIC): PART FIFTEEN

Pairing: MC (Jordynne Holland) X Ethan Ramsey X Bryce Lahela; MC X Bryce; MC X Ethan

Masterlist: Click Here

Chapter Rating: M (Swearing, Kissing, Alcohol Consumption) Warning: Themes of Alcoholism 

Word Count: 4800+

Description: Ethan faces reality after finally letting go and taking what he wants. Everything becomes too much for Jordynne, and she and Bryce get tangled up in knots. 

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Jordynne’s background is my own creation, based loosely off of MC in-game’s personality and provided with more details.

Author’s Note: Is it too nerdy to admit that I cried while writing this chapter? This one scene has been in my brain FOREVER. Honestly, this chapter and the next few updates just get me right in the feels every time I read it. I have also been thinking of how to continue the story since I am nearing the end of the first book in-game. I really like staying closish to the game to provide more details and story and drama -- but can I really wait until the next book comes out?!?!? So far away. 

As always, all likes, comment, reblogs and replies are greatly appreciated. If you would like to be tagged in future updates please send a DM or reply on here. Thank you! 

Taglist: @drakewalkerfantasy @owleyes374 @lahelable @mayar-mahdy @paisleylovergirl @paisleylovergirl @nicquix @emilymay100 @octobereighth @llamasgrl @timmagicktoad @lilyofchoices @msjpuddleduck @mfackenthal @paulfwesley @ccolz88-blog @mindlessdreaminxo

Previous Updates: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine  Part Ten  Part Eleven Part Twelve  Part Thirteen Part Fourteen

PART FIFTEEN

A soft light trickled in through the curtains in Ethan’s apartment. He was sprawled out on his bed, arms and legs tangled in his sheets. Jenner was at his side — wrapped as close to his owner as he could be.

Ethan woke with a stir, slowly opening his eyes and blinking the sleep away. Letting out a large sigh, he

slid out of the bed. His dog jumped up excitedly as his owner left the room, padding towards the kitchen.

Still half-awake, Ethan turned on the coffee machine before looking around at his apartment. An empty bottle of scotch sat on his coffee table, with a near-empty tumbler next to it. He had gone for the bottle as soon as he had gotten home the night before — he had needed some way to cope with what he’d done.

Last night.

It had been — it had been the compilation of many days of wanting to do that. To recreate how they felt on that balcony in Miami. Ethan couldn’t help but touch his lips — recalling the feeling of Jordynne’s mouth on his last night.

He couldn’t help himself — the look on her face as he pulled away from her, once again. It killed him — he didn’t want to be the cause of that. Especially, when he wanted it too — so badly. It had felt so right, so good— the way she fit into his arms, how their lips met. It was like he was built for her — two pieces going together perfectly.

But then the night ended, and Ethan pulled away from her apartment and was left alone once more. Left to his own thoughts with her intoxicating scent stuck on his clothes and car...

He had no idea what he was going to do.

He had meant it when he said he hadn’t wanted to face the reality of today. As much as Jordynne denied it — it was complicated. It couldn’t be as easy as the movies, or any other couple out there. But he couldn’t help that flicker of hope and want and need.

Letting out another sigh, Ethan padded across his apartment collecting his things and getting ready for the day. Looking at his car keys, he thought better of it and decided today he needed a walk to untangle his thoughts before getting to the hospital. Another moment for his mind to keep whirling before going back to reality. He gave Jenner a final scratch on the ear before heading out and locking the door.

It was a clear morning — the sun already up, only a few clouds in the sky. Lost in thought, time seemed to fly by as he marched down the sidewalk — his hands in his pant pockets, eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes staring forward.

Once he found himself in his office, Ethan snapped back to reality.

The results.

He had completely forgotten. In the heat and passion with Jordynne, in worrying what was going to happen between them, he had forgotten about Naveen’s latest test results. Grabbing his lab coat off of the back of his door, he hurriedly put it on, pulling the sleeves over his button up before racing out the door and into the white, sterile hallway.

Rushing to the nurse’s station, he found his mailbox and grabbed the stack of papers and clipboards sitting in his folder. Thumbing through them quickly, he searched for the familiar “Patient X” tag. Pulling the paper out, he felt his heart falter at he instinctually took in the results.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

His heart went from almost a standstill to a pounding in his chest — climbing up into his throat. The hallway around him suddenly disappeared — his senses numbing and the white hallway and the faces in it turning into a blur.

It was over. He failed.

It didn’t matter how many books he had written, or correct diagnosis he had made before. It didn’t matter that he went behind the Chief of Medicine’s back and kept a secret patient. None of it mattered anymore. He failed.

Naveen was going to die.

Ethan walked slowly down the hallway in a daze, not really sure where he was going.

“Dr. Ramsey?”

Just the sound of her voice was enough to take him over the edge. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go.

“Dr. Ramsey, can we talk? I need your help...” Her voice was quiet, unsure.

“Wonderful. Someone else I can disappoint.” He muttered, closing his mouth as he gritted his teeth.

“What? What are you talking about?” The blonde did her best to try and keep up with him, as he kept marching forward with his eyes glazed over.

“Ethan,… you’re scaring me.” She lowered her voice, grabbing onto his elbow to make him stop.

He gulped at the action — the familiar sensation of her warm fingers distracting him for a moment. “I’m scared too, Jordynne.” He croaked out.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he unfolded and stared her straight in the eye. “I’ve got Naveen’s latest test results back. He has a month to live.” Unable to look her in the eye any longer, he closed them — his face screwing up in pain. “I couldn’t do it — I couldn’t save him.”

“No…” Jordynne swallowed, her eyebrows furrowing as she processed, “No, Ethan, there must be —“

Ethan put his hand up, “Please. Don’t.” His voice was a defeated whisper. Reaching behind him he fumbled for the doorknob. He couldn’t do this -- he couldn’t face her too.

Turning on his heel, Ethan marched into his office and closed the door behind him.

“Wait, Dr. Ramsey! Dr. Ramsey!”

Slumping to the ground, Ethan sat on the floor and leaned up against the door — his head falling back and resting on the hard surface. He did his best to control his breathing — the knot in his chest tightening.  

Jordynne’s voice muffled through the wooden door, and he heard the soft sound of her hand knocking on the door. “Ethan, please? Don’t shut me out.”

That did it. Hot tears escaped out of his eyes, running down his cheeks and dripping off of his chin. Moving his hands to his face, he buried it into them — muffling the sounds of his sobs.

_______________________________________________________________________

Jordynne’s green eyes had flickered to the closed door constantly over the next couple days. She had gotten all of her cases assigned to rooms near Ethan's office.

She knew him — he wouldn’t ask for help, he would want to suffer alone. But he had never let her do that. He had been there to comfort her, to make it better. And she was going to do the same.

She had yet to see him — she assumed he had emerged from his office at some time. But she still hadn’t seen him. So she had come to work earlier than usual — slipping out the apartment before her roommates were even awake.

Quickly changing in the locker room, Jordynne stuffed her messenger bag into her locker before turning on her heel to search the halls for him.

She knew he would be here. He probably had barely gone home lately. It was killing her — but she couldn’t imagine how he felt.

Everything had felt so different on the night of the opera. It had taken her hours to fall asleep that night — as she imagined all the different ways the next day could go. If Ethan was going to pretend nothing had happened again. If he would take her into his office, closing the door behind them to give her more of his hot, gentle kisses. Never had what really happened cross her mind. She thought they had so much more time with Naveen — more theories to test, more pages of her notebook to fill.

She hadn’t even told him about the interviews, being assigned partners on her cases to watch her. The sabotage. Chief Emery. He had enough going on — he didn’t need that weight too.

Her stomach twisting with nerves, she rounded the corner into the new wing — her eyes searching for the familiar attending.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Naveen... You and I have always trusted each other to do the... No, that’s not right.” Ethan shook his head at himself, his hands twisting together in front of him nervously.

“Dr. Ramsey?” The soft voice caused him to spin around quickly.

He looked up to Jordynne — suddenly very aware of his rough stubble and messy hair. He hadn’t gone home. Hell, he hadn’t even showered, let alone looked in a mirror.

“Hi.” He sounded a little breathless.

“Hi.” She did too.

“I have to tell Naveen that he has a month to live. And the moment he knows, he’ll leave the hospital. He didn’t want me to treat him in the first place.” Chewing his lip, he continued, “He joked that, if he couldn’t solve it himself, nobody could. I thought I could save him on my own... but maybe he was right.”

Jordynne stepped forward, her arms wrapped around her torso, “Do you want to let him leave?”

“God, no.” His eyebrows furrowed again, deep lines forming in his forehead, “I want to call in every doctor I know to help. Someone somewhere on this planet has to know how to fix this.”

His eyes met hers again — searching them. She would know what to do. Her moral compass always swung in the right direction. Even with Teresa — so idiotic for her self, but so kind for her patient.

“I think Dr. Banerji...,” She hesitates, licking her lips, “I think he should enjoy the time he has left, Ethan.”

His shoulders dropped. “Even if it means giving up on him?”

“If it’s what he wants... then yes.” She nodded sadly, “We have to respect that. Wouldn’t you want your doctor to listen to you?”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “You’re right. I have to do what’s best for him.” Swallowing hard, he opened his mouth to speak again, “He felt for Teresa — Mrs. Martinez. He told me that even if it was only for one day — that one day of freedom would make up for all the time they’ve spent in here. She said the same thing right?”

She winced slightly at Teresa’s name, but she nodded, “She did.”

“I’ve been holding him hostage in this damn wing for nothing.” He croaked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Jordynne shook her head, “It hasn’t been for nothing.”

“It was inevitable. I just delayed it by a few months.”

“Naveen was the spark for a lot of things happening these last few months. Don’t — Don’t regret that.”

Ethan bit his lip as his blue eyes met hers. She was right. If Naveen hadn’t gotten sick where would they be? It was such a catalyst for everything — sharing that secret.

“Are you ready to tell him?” She asked gently.

He sighed, “As ready as I can be.”

Taking a step back, he hesitated for a moment. “Would you mind... coming with me?” He asked, his voice low and quiet.

“Me?” She seemed surprised.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but... Naveen likes you. And... I don’t want to do this on my own.” I need you. He finished the sentence in his head.

He watched her take a sharp breath, “Of course, Ethan. Anything.”

She followed him through the new wing, towards Naveen’s room. Falling into pace with him like usual — shoulder to shoulder.

Ethan stopped in front of Naveen’s room — the light from inside pouring out into the dim hallway. As he stood motionless, he felt Jordynne slip her fingers into his hand.

He swore she could read his mind at times.

He gripped them — using her as root, to keep him in place for a moment.

“I wish I could say something to make this easier for you.” She said softly, her thumb stroking his fingers.

A sad smile spread across his face as he met her eye, “You’re here. That makes it as easy as it’s going to get.”

Letting go of her hand was incredibly hard. Harder than he imagined it would be. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped into the room.

It was just as white and sterile as always. Naveen was laying in the bed, the sheets folded carefully over him and his glasses sitting on his stomach next to his folded hands. At the sound of them entering, the old man put the glasses on and mustered a smile.

“Ah, my favourite and only—“ Naveen let out a hack, “Only companions! What can I provide today? More blood?” He coughed again, “Or perhaps its urine today?”

“Naveen.” That’s all he could muster out. Ethan’s throat tightened.

The old man looked between the two of them, his smile fading. “Ah... he can’t stop this, can he?”

“The new treatment didn’t hold.” Jordynne spoke up, stepping to the hold onto the railings at the edge of the bed, “Your organs are failing.” If she wasn’t diagnosing one of the most important people in his life as terminal he would have been proud. She really was a great doctor.

“I tried everything, Naveen.” Ethan finally admitted.

“I know you did, Ethan. Marvelous, isn’t it? After all this time, life still had a mystery the two of us couldn’t solve.” A half-hearted smile spread across his face.  “Well then, how long do I have?” He was interrupted by more hacking coughs.

“A month.” Ethan croaked. “At best.”

The old man’s brow furrowed for a moment as he thought. Then he stood up out of his bed and leaned over to grab the clothes folded neatly beside him.

They watched in silence as he got dressed. But Ethan grabbed his vest before he could, holding it back from him. “Please... stay here.” He begged, “Let the other doctors examine you. Maybe they’ll see something I missed —“

“You never miss anything, Ethan.” He interrupted.

Anger flared through him, “Don’t you get it?! If you leave—“

But Naveen interrupted him again, grabbing into Ethan’s wrist gently, “If I leave, I’ll have a beautiful home on the river I’ve never spent more than 5 hours at a time in. Now, I finally get to spend a whole month there. If I die in the middle of a good book, or fishing, or painting, I’ll consider it an excellent way to go.”

He moved his hand forward, silently asking for his vest.

Ethan swallowed hard, his Adam’s able bobbing up and down.

“Wouldn’t you?”

He looked to Jordynne — who had been quiet since giving Naveen the news. His eyes searched hers — looking for the answer again. He could see her eyes welling with tears, how she was chewing her pink lip. She gave him the smallest of nods.

Ethan loosened the tight hold he had on the vest, letting Naveen take it from him. He finished getting ready and for a moment he looked like the normal Naveen. He didn’t look like the small, weak man in the bed anymore.

Naveen turned to Jordynne with a bright smile on his face. “It’s been an honor watching you work, Dr. Holland. You have a very promising career ahead of you. I hope you think of me during it, on the odd occasion.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly swiped at it, “Dr. Banerji I’ll think of you all the time. I wish I had longer to learn from you.”

“But at least you had time to learn the most important lesson...” Gently, he ran his knuckle over her forehead with a smile, “No frowning. Your face will get stuck like that.”

A laugh escaped her mouth, and it made Ethan’s ears perk up for a split second. He hadn’t heard that sound in a while. A tender smile grew across his face as he watched them hug.

“That’s better.” Naveen teased, before looking over at the door. “Well then.”

The trio walked in silence down the halls. Jordynne fell in behind them, slowing her steps.

Doctors and nurses greeted Naveen, excited to see him in the hospital once again.

“Ah, yes, just a visit. A trip down memory lane!”

As they approached the doors leading outside, Ethan felt his throat closing up. He didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t do this. What was he supposed to just say goodbye?

Ethan coughed as they all stopped outside. He held out his hand to Naveen. “Well, I suppose this is —“

Naveen scoffed, pushing away his extended hand and wrapping him in a hug. Ethan let out a breath, before wrapping his arm around the old man — squeezing him back. His eyes twisted shut hard, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“Take care, Ethan. Live well.”

“I will.”

As he pulled out of the embrace, Ethan caught the wink he flashed to Jordynne. “Keep an eye on him for me, Jordynne.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

The pair watched as he waved down a cab, and they watched the yellow car disappear from sight. Once again. Gone.

“Did I do the right thing, Jordynne?”

“You did what you had to, for your friend.”

He looked down at her intently — “I hope you’re right.”

Their arms wrapped around each other, Jordynne pulling him into her tightly. He leaned into her — wrapping his hands around her waist, putting some of his weight into her.

Ethan looked down at her face — her big green eyes filled with worry, her freckled nose crinkled. The few blonde fly-aways already falling out of her ponytail, framing her face.

He wished he could be what she needed right now. He wished he could give her what she wanted.

But he wasn’t the doctor she thought he was. Hell, he wasn’t the man she thought he was. He wasn’t sure what it was about the Dr. Ramsey she saw him as. But whatever made this striking woman fall for him — but he didn’t actually have it.  

There were so many things he wanted to say. But he didn’t know how.

It will be better this way. Lonelier — but better. She deserved better. The hospital, the patients — they deserved better.

As his mind was wheeling, Jordynne fluttered her eyes closed and pressed her soft pink lips to his. He let himself relish in the moment — taking her bottom lip into his. People could be watching — patients, co-workers, hell probably Harper. But he didn’t know when he’d do this again — hell if he would be able to do it again. So he did his best to memorize the way she tasted, the feeling of her fingers knotting into the front of his lab coat. The salty taste of tears entered his mouth, and he realized he was crying.

Moving his mouth, he kissed the corner of her mouth, her chin before pressing soft kisses to her soft, tan neck. He lingered there — burying his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her vanilla scent, feeling the thrumming of her pulse.

“I’m so sorry, Ethan,” Jordynne whispered into his ear, her lips brushed the sensitive skin before playing a quick peck there.

Realizing he couldn’t keep her there forever, he moved out of her arms — coughing slightly as he attempted to regain composure. “Thank you for helping me do this.”

“No thanks necessary. I care about you, Ethan.”

His heart squeezed, his eyes softening as he took her in again, “I know.” His fingers brushed hers as he reached out — just one more time.

She chewed her lip,  “So what now? Do we just go back to our patients like nothing happened?”

He let out a loud breath through his nose, “No. We don’t.” Grinding his back molars, Ethan mustered all he could and marched back into the hospital. Jordynne quickly followed — both of them walking side by side.

Harper saw them the second they walked in, and Ethan noticed her eyes. She looked the pair of them up and down, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

He was going to do it right now then.

“Ethan!” She walked over to them, the click of her heels echoing in the atrium, “Someone just told me they saw Naveen outside? Is he coming back to work?”

“No. He’s gone...” Ethan’s voice cracked. “And so am I.” Digging into his front pocket, he unclipped his ID badge and forced it into Harper’s hands. “I’m done.”

Harper’s eyes went wide, confusion crossing her face as she looked down at the piece of plastic in her hands. She stared at it in stunned silence.

Jordynne however, did not stay silent. “What? You’re quitting?” Her pink mouth was open in shock, her hand reaching out to grab onto him.

He moved his arm out of the way slightly, avoiding her touch as he started for the front doors. The blonde moved in front him — trying to block his exit.

“Wait! You can’t just leave.” She begged, putting her hand out.

“Let me through.” He said quietly, avoiding her eyes.

“But people need you... I need you.” She grabbed onto his hand, her eyes pleading, “Ethan, I need you.”

Fresh tears formed again — his blue eyes rimmed red from all the crying. He shook his head pathetically. “I’m not the doctor you thought I was. It’s time we both accepted that.” Pulling his hand free, Ethan turned on his side and slipped past her.

Ethan’s breath quickened as he walked away from the hospital — his heart pounding in his ears, his chest tightening.

“Ethan!” A voice called out, still heard over the pedestrians and traffic outside. “Ethan!”

Don’t look back.

He started weaving through the crowd of people, getting lost in the many pedestrians until he knew he would be too far — lost amongst the people. Ducking his head, he wiped at the tears stuck on his cheek.

As he walked away from everything he knew, his hands started trembling. Shoving them in his pockets, his eyes searched around him for a familiar store.

Ducking inside, the bell in the liquor store dinged to announce his presence. It had just opened and the cashier gave him a sad smile as he watched him step in at ten in the morning.

Swallowing hard, Ethan asked gruffly, “Scotch?”

The employee shuffled over to some shelves, pointing out a few selections.

Ethan’s stormy eyes stared at the bottles — he needed to cope somehow. There wasn’t any at home — he had finished that after his night with Jordynne.

He was feeling everything right now. It was too much. He just needed to be numb. “Yeah, I’m going to need a case of those.” He pointed to the amber bottles, before pulling out his black credit card.

_______________________________________________________________________

Walking down the white, sterile hallway Jordynne felt numb. He was just gone. Just like that.

Her mind reeled with things she could have said — things she could have done differently.

She had wanted to keep following him down that sidewalk. She had tried — calling after him. But as she watched him stalk away, Chief Emery had called out after her — asking if she was going to quit on her too. It had taken everything in her to remain composed — to not burst out crying in front of her.

Now, Jordynne wasn’t sure why she didn’t quit. Why she didn’t join him — tossing away the plastic ID that was consuming her life. It would be easier.

How was she supposed to do this? How was she supposed to be a good doctor right now?

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice him in time and bumped into Bryce turning the corner.

“Whoa!” He said, grabbing onto her shoulder with his strong hands, steadying her. His face fell as he looked at her, “Jordynne, are you ok?”

Her chin trembled as she looked up at him, doing her best to keep water forming in her eyes, “No.” She chewed her pink lip, looking down at the floor.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, his hand giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“Not here.”

Bryce led her into the on-call room, not bothering to switch on the lights as he directed her to the bottom bunk of one of the beds. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her into him. They sat there for a moment in silence — Bryce waiting for Jordynne to speak.

“I can’t stop thinking about...” Her voice cracked, “About everything. Poor Mrs. Martinez and the investigation into her death... Wondering if I’ll still have a career at the end of the week... Wondering if I even deserve one.” She bowed her head as she kept rattling off the things plaguing her mind, the tightness in her chest increasing, “My first patient Annie, and Dolores, and that cop who did in OR, and my oncology referral, and Dr. Banerji’s diagnosis, Dr. Ramsey quitting the hospital, being sabotaged at every turn, and now this sweet, sick kid I can’t diagnose.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks, “I feel like everything is crashing around me.”

Bryce tenderly moved a piece of her blonde hair out of her eyes, before using his knuckle to wipe away a few tears, “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked softly.

“Because good doctors can handle whatever’s thrown at them. And I really want to be a good doctor.” She knitted her fingers together into a knot on her lap — doing her best to keep her breathing normal.

“You’re already a good doctor. Hell, you’re the best medical intern in the hospital.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you qualified that to just the medical interns.”

He flashed her a cheeky smile that made her heart squeeze, “To be honest, you’re better than most of the surgical interns, too.”

Jordynne let out a sigh and leaned her head onto his muscular shoulder. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this. It’s all too much. If Ethan Ramsey quit, what chance do I have?”

“Hey. You can do this.” He squeezed her leg, dipping his head so he could look at her. Jordynne finally looked up at him — his brown eyes were dark and intense. “It’s wild to me that you don’t realize how great you are.” He reaches out, his fingers grabbing onto her chin.

“Bryce...”

Before she could say anything else, he dipped his face towards her and pressed a soft kiss on her mouth.

Jordynne’s breath hitched at the feeling — it had been a few weeks since they had kissed. In the chaos of her life, she had let him take the back burner. And she was confused. And afraid.

He pulled her closer, turning the kiss urgent — his arms winding tightly around her. Her hands went into his hair — letting go for a moment as his tongue found hers in the dark on-call room, their bodies pressing into each other.

When she tasted the salty water of her tears in her mouth she was reminded of just a few hours ago. The kiss she outside with Ethan — how different it was. How raw and deep her kiss with Ethan was. Everything it made her feel.

What was she doing?

Putting her hands on Bryce’s chest, she pulled away, “I — I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” She whispered, fresh tears forming again.

“Don’t be sorry.” He whispered back, maneuvering them back so they were sitting on the bed. “I just miss you.” He said, a sad smile spreading across his face.

“Yeah, me too.” She pulled her knees up into her chest, hugging them tightly to her body.

They sat there in silence once more, before Bryce’s honeyed voice broke it.

“You like him, don’t you?“

Her breath stopped. “What?”

“Ramsey? You like him, don’t you?” He moved his tan face, his eyes studying her.

“I don’t want to.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

She watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed, “But you do?”

“I do.” A hot tear flashed across her face, and she wiped at it with the back of her hand, “Bryce, I’m really sorry.”

His eyebrows furrowed a little, “What are you apologizing for?”

“You don’t deserve any of this. You deserve so much better than this.” Jordynne hiccuped.

“Hey, I knew what we agreed too. We said no strings.” He shrugged, before looking back at her. His brown eyes crinkled a little.

“Yeah, and instead I twisted us up into knots.”

He gave her a sad smile, using his thumb to wipe her tear away again.

“I don’t know what happens now.” She said quietly, her voice gruff from all of the crying.

“Me neither.” He let out a breathy laugh. “But — you’re my best friend in here Jordy. Nothing will change that.”

Jordynne couldn’t think of anything to say, and instead wrapped her arms around his midsection, her head laying on his lap as she hugged sitting down. “You’re too good for this world, Bryce Lahela.” She finally croaked. “You’re my best friend too.”  Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt him lean over and kiss her blonde hair.

Next Chapter: Part Sixteen

#choices #choices: stories you play #pixelberry choices #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #open heart #choices: open heart #choices: oh #openheart #open heart fanfic #open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey #ethan jonah ramsey #dr ethan ramsey #dr ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #mc x ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #mc x ethan #bryce lahela x mc #bryce lahela #mc x bryce lahela #mc x bryce #bryce x mc

[youdajiji]

1. Reunion

Yongsun loved going by her English name - Solar. That was a cool name. Just like herself. She ran a Youtube channel called Solarsido with a few hundred thousands of subscribers, those who liked videos of her experience. Sometimes Yongsun would call for input from me and the other two house mates. But most of the time, my ideas were ignored. 

"Your idea is ok but spending 4 hours working on meditation painting is a bit... too popular, don't you think so? I need something energetic and unique."

Yongsun circled my idea with a Sharpie on an A0-sized paper which was already full of text. Had she not want to let me down, she would have strike through my idea of making meditation painting. 

"Unique?" - Hyejin crawled on the bed speaking up with her husky voice - "It's difficult, unnie. You have done quite a few unique things." 

Hyejin concluded her statement with a yawning. She was the same age as me, and was a real workaholic as except for her main job as a wedding planner, she took on some part time jobs. That's why at home, Hyejin usually appeared lazy - she had used up all her energy at work.

"Recent trend is about doing common stuff, of course with attractive storytelling, I think so."

Byul Yi spoke up next to me. She was the second oldest in the house, yet the most mature and calm. Byul Yi liked it logical, so she wanted to research and back things up before making a statement. I bet she had just spoken up after going through no less than 10 reports about trends.

"If that's the case" - Hyejin rose up from her place with a yoga pose - "How about living a day as Wheeinie? Her life is the most normal among us, right?"

I shot her a glance askew. She must be mocking at me. But Yongsun, on the other hand, found it interesting. She thumbed up at Hyejin.

"DJing a radio program sounds great Hyejin ah. That's quite different from my channel's vibe."

I pouted. Excuse me, who had just "criticized" that my idea lacks of energy?

"But Wheein ah" - Byul Yi glances at me - "Does Yongsun need approval or something?"

I shook my head.

"They are quite easy. You just need to do your job well as I have already settled the script."

"So" - Yongsun's face brightened - "Tomorrow, right?"

"Up to you. I just need to give them a call. Lucky you that I really want a day-off."

I was dreaming of a chilling Friday, relaxing with a cup of mocha and spending time on my ongoing novel which I would never have the chance to get it published. But the dream had been extinguished. Totally.

"No no no" - Yongsun shook her head and grabbed her phone. She had tons of things to do every week so her schedule was full of notes - "I have class tomorrow at the center for the disabled."

I rolled my eyes and let out an exhale while the other three exchanged a laugh at each other.

***

"Long time no see, Wheeinie!"

The director of Pyeong Hwa center for the disabled welcomed me with a happy smile. She spoke to me but her words were followed by sign language.

"Ah, yes. Solar unnie is busy so I will help her out today."

"That's more than awesome." - The director showed me the way - "The members will be so glad to see you again."

Sure. Because I was the one who introduced Yongsun here. I worked as a volunteer here from my freshman year until about 1 year ago - when my job started to keep me busy. Back then, Yongsun was looking for experience for her newly opened channel so I brought her here. It turned out Yongsun liked this place so much that she kept on teaching piano here even though I left the center after that.

And now I was back to the place I used to be so familiar with. The old piano was still there - Yongsun told me that it was the biggest evidence of resilience - and I could recognize some familiat faces who I had taught before. They were all muted - innate or by diseases but that didn't stop their love for music.

"Oh gosh, Soyoonie ah!"

I almost cried when a 15 year old girl ran to hug me. I hugged her back and looked around, people were all smiling and signaling to me, things like:

"Welcome back!"

"I thought you've gone forever."

"Stay for lunch, ok?"

I replied them with smile. And with the sign language they were using, I told them with seriousness.

"Let's focus on today's lesson first!"

I sat down at the piano and played a few notes. The piano sound brought me back to my youthful days when I spent the majority of my time with these people, disabled yet still positive. When I first came here, I - the freshman who was about to go crazy with my workload at university and a hopeless unrequitted crush - only wanted to find a healing place. But things didn't go well at first. I had thought I had the wrong choice as I struggled a lot with communicating with them. Luckily, I got exposed to sign language. And this language, however difficult it might seem, turned out to be so attractive to me. Perhaps I liked the silence in this means of communication - Hah!

The challenging days of learning to understand and getting myself understood gradually passed by and I was finally capable of communicating with sign language to teach them music until the day I left.

 And right at the moment, the person that brought me to sign language was standing at the threshold, smiling brightly.

"Look" - I read the sign from him - "Whee-pup is back!"

Hyojin was only one year older than me but he had been working here since high school - a few years earlier than I did. We were quite close after nearly 5 years working together on multiple activities for the center, from piano to painting and even dancing. As Hyojin was still here, I felt more welcomed coming back, despite being nagged at once we meet.  

"Hey, why do you keep getting thinner everytime I see you?"

Years working here had taught me to get used to Hyojin's nagging. I would be worried if he did not spend a day without nagging about someone or something. 

"Geez, and you are getting chubbier, my Deer!"

Hyojin usually callsed me Pup and I called him Deer - the old Deer. But he was an old man for his nagging; except for that and the chubbier cheeks, the 27-year-old Hyojin was not much different from the 22-year-old Hyojin when we first met. 

I comfortably adjusted my seat on the ergonomic chair in Hyojin's own office - now he was the operation manager at the center, such a prestigious reward for his never-ending contribution - and drink the mocha Hyojin bought at the canteen, along with a bunch of snacks. I bet that was the reason for Hyojin's gaining weight lately.

"If I say that gaining weight is gaining more energy for work, you'll take it as making an excuse." - Hyojin shrugslged and opened a pack of potato chips. Putting a piece into his mouth, Hyojin smiled at me - "But why are you here today? You didn't inform me for a proper welcome."

I stuck out my tongue. That action has two meanings. First, I had totally forgotten informing Hyojin. If I told him that it was due to urgency, he would take it as making an excuse. And second... what kind of welcome? He was just joking. 

"Yongsun unnie is busy. I just help her out on my annual leave."

"So" - Hyojin raised his eyebrows sarcastically - "Had Yongsun noona not been busy, you would never have thought of paying me a visit, right?"

I smiled crookedly at those burning words from Hyojin. Right, if it hadn't been for Hyejin's unconventional idea, I would never thought of coming back here. Busy work, that's the only reason. Also due to a hectic life, I and Hyojin had gradually grown apart, no longer as close-knitted like when we were in the same volunteer team. However, deep down inside, I believed Hyojin still remembers our purpose.

"Do you still remember my goal back then?" - I shook my plastic cup of coffee and the ice cubes inside make cracking sounds. - "About becoming more sociable?"

"Yup" - Hyojin looked serious - "I do. I have been joking so far. We are both making effort right?"

Hey, had I mentioned that we became close because we both had mental problem back then and went to the center for the disabled to widen our network as well as to be more active, more sociable as a cure? After all those time, Hyojin had made much more progress than I did. Not only had he became a manager at the center, but he also learned to become a coach to assist people. I was, meanwhile, at a slower pace. I only opened my heart for a limited number of people and chose to do something that only required my individual effort to refrain from bothering others.  

"So" - My voice trailed off - "I haven't visited you because I am busy working on that and..."

"Come on Whee-pup" - Hyojin interrupted me and leaned over to throw the empty pack of chips to the garbage bin in the corner of the office. - "I did not ask you to explain. I'm happy because you're getting brighter days after days."

Suddenly, Hyojin exclaimed as if he recalled something.

"And by the way, I did listen to your radio."

My eyes widened.

"How come? It's internal radio."

"Ah" - Hyojin scratched his red hair - "The Earth is round. There was your colleague in my coaching class. I asked him if he knew Whee-pup..."

"How come that person knew if you mentioned Pup?"

I pouted. But Hyojin just smiled and corrected himself.

"Ah no, I asked if he knew" - Hyojin intentionally stressed on each word - "MC Jung Wheein. He said that you were very well known in the company. So" - Hyojin shrugged with pride - "As Jung Wheein's close brother, I asked him to share me a sample session of your program."

"And what do you think of it?"

I raised my chin. It just made Hyojin laugh harder as it had been a while I did not ask him anything. I was originally not a decisive person; hence, I tended to ask my close friends for advice and Hyojin was among my top priority for to-go people.

"Surprised  of course." - Hyojin, again, scratched his head. Had I ever mentioned that Hyojin looked best with red hair? - "Because you produce everything. At first I did not believe but your colleague assured me. That is... how to say... quite impressive."

My grin got bigger. But Hyojin did not let my pride last for long as he concluded:

"But perhaps I found it impressive because I have not heard from you for a while, right?"

I stood up and leansled over to his place, grabbed his shoulders and shook as hard as I could.

"Shut up Kim Hyojin! I knew you've been joking around!"

Both of us bursted out laughing. No matter how long we hadn't seen each other, we were goofing around as if we were still in those youthful days 5 years ago!

[angstymarshmallow]

Side Effects of Being Human - Drake x MC, A Royal Romance Fanfic

#ChoicesCreates Carnival Round 13

Prompt: Betrayal

Book: The Royal Romance

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake x MC.

Hosted by @firefly-hwufanficwriter this week.

[A little note:  Sometimes shower thoughts lead me to interesting places. I scribbled things here and there until I could flesh out something that works well with the prompt this week. I have been writing this on and off for days with in mild annoyance and frustration . It is also extremely long and I apologize. I wanted to try writing from both their perspectives instead of one. I think you can guess where this is headed. ]

[Summary: Drake can’t keep thinking about MC because he knows those thoughts can lead to dangerous places where she’s concerned. He doesn’t want to hurt his best friend and ultimately refuses to. MC can’t stop thinking about Drake, even though her mind tries to convince her otherwise. Neither of them wants to betray the prince’s trust, and neither of them are willing to until tonight. ]

It doesn’t happen the way they always say it should. Love at first sight; the overtly cliché idea that someone can fall for another by simply meeting for the first time – silly stories they teach little girls and little boys growing up.  There is no danger of that. There is no danger of falling in love for two people so different.

He’s just bitter, she thinks.

She’s in way over her head, he thinks.

They do not understand they have far more in common than either realizes; not until he opens up to her about his sister and not until she speaks of her own dysfunctional family. Their friendship is slow, and rocky at best. It doesn’t take much for a misstep to occur. For their feet to stumble and touch a begrudgingly sore spot until they search again for common ground. Soon, the frigid disdain they once had for each other begins to thaw. 

It’s been one of those days. One of those restless nights where Drake is stuck inside the prison of his own mind. Even Liam’s company hadn’t been enough to stomach tonight’s dinner. Trapped in the presence of nobles are as appealing as watching paint dry, but as afternoon becomes evening –  Liam’s ramblings was not enough to occupy his thoughts. His mind wanders until his eyes inevitably find hers across the room filled with other suitors –  but her bright hazels and the sunset colour of her dress makes her stick out. More than that - she demands to be seen. His eyes linger for far too long and when her eyes notice him; it sends a tiny jolt down his spine. Their eyes lock and the flicker of surprise he feels is mirrored until she looks away first, with cheeks flushing prior to those bright hazels skirting towards Liam.

He looks away some time after that. It’s the first time he feels something quite as strongly as this. This world wind of emotions. She sees him first and he doesn’t know why the realization strikes him; why it affirms some stray ideas of affection. And why he cannot help but feel soft pricks of guilt that follows soon after the thought. He prefers not to dwell on it, to pretend that nothing has changed but his mind is stubborn. Hours later thoughts of her simply refuses to be tossed aside. 

What is it?  He asks himself this question, ponders it when she enters his head. His eyes are fixated at the lush evergreen forest which stretches acres in front of him, and the accompanying hills that paints freedom far beyond the castle walls. Once he raises his eyes towards the midnight sky –  the quiet stars twinkling off in the distance, he can’t quite shake his wayward thoughts as they again skim towards her. Back to that night they spent side by side with only the stars and snow around them for company. He wants more; he thinks - he needs more. He’s frustrated that he cannot shake her because tonight, all he can think about is the smart-mouthed free spirit sleeping not far from his own quarters.

He can’t figure out what’s changed. But something has. He braces his arm loosely, letting his eyes sink to the ground below him while his other takes a huge gulp of his whiskey.

What is it about her? What makes her so different from the rest of them? He had never understood Liam’s sudden fixation with the girl they met in New York. She isn’t particularly pretty, striking maybe but in the end - she seems like every other city girl. She cares a great deal about appearances and money rather than people. Money hungry from a country that doesn’t cherish or value anything. These have been his thoughts; thoughts that helps to keep her at arms length until his own misjudgments have began losing resolve the more he unravels about her.

Suddenly he’s noticing little things. Little things until they turn into big things. He thinks the curve of her lips right before she smiles as one of her best features – or the way her laugh seems to carry through even the thickest walls, brightens him immensely before he rises to greet her.  But these aren’t the worst of it. The worst parts are what he’s afraid to admit out loud. The stab of jealously he feels whenever she’s alone with Liam. The guilt that quickly follows before he reminds himself that she’s here for the prince and not him. He fiddles with the whiskey inside his glass, swishing its contents before glancing up wistfully at the stars. He wishes the universe could give him a break tonight.

What is it?  She asks herself, as her feet wander aimlessly down the hall. What’s changed between them that makes her second-guess herself when it comes to him? Her thoughts should always be of Liam, of what it means to be Cordonia’s next queen. She intends to win, she intends to make Cordonia her home. She intends to fall for this perfect dream – and prepares for it in every deliberation with Maxwell and Bertrand. And with every deliberation she has risen to meet expectations. But her steel resolve wavers and crumbles as doubts begin to cloud her heart. Her heart, which is no longer as focused on winning the prince’s favor as much as it should be and instead they linger on Drake. Even hours later; her mind is too awake to fall victim to slumber.

She passes by each room with the intention of turning around but doesn’t. Instead, her feet follow her misguided heart. They lead her to his room. Drake isn’t like the prince – there is nothing princely about him. He’s bitter, angry and for reasons she’s not entirely sure of – he’s got the biggest chip she’s ever seen on anyone’s shoulders. But the more of the little pieces he shares, the more conflicted she feels. Why does his difference speak to her heart so clearly? 

While she’s entranced by the splendor of Cordonia, the little nuisances and unconventional customs which never bores her – it’s the feelings of self-doubt that drives her forward tonight. Not impressing anyone, not the prince’s approval or Bertrand’s – just the unknown. The uncertainty. She tries to reason with her mind instead of her fickle heart but comes up empty. There are no reasons for her to care for someone like Drake, she decides. There are no reasons for her feet to be leading her towards his room. Yet, they do.

The door which leads to Drake’s room is finally within arms reach as she recalls dinner. Her eyes had watched him a little longer than necessary; especially when he’s taken the time to make fun of something the others gossip about. These are the parts of himself she admires; the rare parts that aren’t all bitter. But that isn’t the worst of why she can’t seem to shake thoughts of him. The worst parts are the little what ifs that boggles her mind when she least expects it.

She doesn’t notice she’s found his room until she recognizes that it is the only door left slightly ajar. Her feet halt in their languid pace. She doesn’t hesitate to poke her head inside. Her eyes discern his figure across the room; still dressed in what he wore for dinner – a nicely trimmed suit and she notices with dismay a glass in his hand. Whiskey. It’s probably whiskey, she remembers how much he enjoys it.

Even though his back is turned to her, she has a growing sense of this particularly night being a poor time to interrupt him. Indeed, Drake seems like the lonely sort. What’s she even thinking? What feasible excuse can she even fathom for visiting someone so late? She shouldn’t be here, and she definitely shouldn’t be spying on other people but she doesn’t want to leave.

She shakes her head and drops her hand to her side. The rational part of her wins out. She should leave before she makes a mess of things, because the longer she thinks about it is the more apprehensive she feels. Going inside would be doing exactly that. Making a mess of things for everyone.

She takes a few steps back, deciding it’s presumably better to leave things the way they are. Uncertain but safe.

She turns on her heels and walks a short distance down the hall before deterring again. It takes all her willpower not to scream in frustration. Her mind is telling her one thing while her body is telling her another – neither of which seems interested in co-operating right now.

Closing her eyes, she weighs the options of turning back and marching inside, rather than high-tailing it back to her room. “What am I even doing?” She hisses aloud, cursing herself for her indecisiveness. It shouldn’t matter how confused she is – there can never be anything else than what they simply are.

When her eyes open once more, they widen in surprise at the sound of unsteady feet fumbling towards his door. Shit, shit. She looks around frantically for something – anything to hide behind before he sees her standing here like an idiot. She whirls around quickly, digging her heels into the floor before she decides to scramble towards her room. Abort mission, abort –

“Riley?” His voice is soft, questioning but mostly - he sounds happy. Happy to see her.

She freezes. She doesn’t know what to do. There is no running away anymore since he’s seen her. She exhales a breath uneasily as she turns around sharply to face him. There’s whiskey in his hand and his jacket has been discarded. “Hey.” She says lamely.

His eyes are guarded, a blank mask. There is no inkling left of him being happy to see her. He doesn’t make a move to invite her in. He leans against the frame instead and studies her. 

She studies him too. 

His expression is unreadable. “Hey.”

What are you doing here? 

It is a question they both think, but neither of them ask.

She can’t help but wonder if he’s afraid of the answer as much she is.

“Come in.” He says finally, breaking the silence and stepping aside.

“Thanks.” She mutters as she trails dutifully inside, shutting the door behind her.

Her eyes roam his room once they’re alone again. They look anywhere but at him. There is an abrupt flutter of nerves that twists inside her stomach as her heels clicks softly against his carpet. She can’t fathom what to say and doesn’t know how to break the silence yet. Instead, she clasps her hands behind her back and drifts slowly towards his balcony, where he had been moments ago thinking about her.

He watches her with indecision; torn between what he should do and what he wants to do. He wants to see where they could go, and if circumstances were different perhaps he could. The other part of him knows better. The smarter thing to do is to remain here; by the door and his grip tightens on the knob as he wrestles with reasons for her to go. All he has to do is remind himself of his best friend before he finally makes the decision to stop her. Guilt propels him to speak. “Roaming the halls at this hour, Riley? The only people that do that are ghosts.” He takes another large gulp of his whiskey, “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

She turns back to glance at him. “Shouldn’t you?”

“I’m not the one that has to be up early in the morning.” He reminds her and shrugs his shoulders. “Unlike most people here, I actually get to live a life outside these walls.”

She chuckles lightly, “The morning can wait a little longer.” She brushes past the glass doors and he watches as she glides across his balcony until her arms rest gingerly on it’s cement surface. “I mean – just look at this view.”

He is looking at the view – right in front of him. The way she sweeps her hair one side and tilts her chin up to meet the midnight’s sky, the way her dress seem to almost shimmer and her tender smile that greets the stars.

He wishes the latter wins in his moral debate. He wishes he could ignore his own confused feelings and tell her to leave. But he doesn’t. Instead, he finally gives into temptation, tearing his eyes away long enough to follow suit and settle beside her. “It’s something, isn’t it?”

Their shoulders almost touch. They both stare up at the sky in unison, and while their eyes follow the telltale patterns of stars, their attention has shifted to one another. They are more aware of each other than they are of every breath they take.

She breaks the silence first. “I couldn’t sleep.” She mutters. “Too much to think about.” She smiles thinly, “I suppose that’s weird coming from me since you’ve been here for years.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t imagine what that feels like.” He snorts, “I think I might understand better than you think.”

“Maybe, but you fit in better than I do and when I’m alone, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if I’ve made a mistake.” Her fingers scrape against the texture of cement. “If this is all some giant mistake. I had a life in New York.” She utters a short laugh, “Not much of one, but a life nonetheless. I didn’t vie for anyone’s affection - I simply lived.”

He doesn’t respond, not at first. He doesn’t think she’s looking for advice anymore; she just wants someone to listen.

“Maybe I’m in way over my head.”

“You are.” He says this brusquely, without thinking. He sees the sudden stiffness in her shoulders and considers his next words carefully. “It’s not your fault.” He bites the inside of his cheek. That wasn’t right either. “It’s just this place…” He sighs. “There’s a lot of beauty in Cordonia, but there’s a lot of ugly too.” He drags fingers through his hair, “And you’re new to it all and…. I’d just hate to see you get caught in the middle of it.”

Her gaze slides to him. She doesn’t know who’s more surprised by the look on his face. Him or her. “You’re not actually worried about me, are you?” Her tone is teasing, and immediately he regrets saying anything.

Yes. He bites his tongue before replying. “You’re proving people wrong everyday you’re here.” He shrugs, “What’s there to be worried about?”

She doesn’t buy it. Already, she’s beginning to realize this as one of the little things he does to keep people at bay. Sarcasm is just a tool he uses to shut people out. Luckily for him, she isn’t like most people. She takes the drink out of his hand before he can protest and drinks the rest of it. “I don’t believe you.” It burns on it’s way down. “I actually think – dare I say it?” She grins. “I’m growing on you.”

He likes her smile. He thinks he likes it more than he should. “Yes, you’re growing on me –  like mold.” He forces a frown he doesn’t feel, hoping she’ll leave it alone and stop closing the distance between them.

“Pff, mold? Really? That’s the best you could come with it? C’mon, I expected something better from you.” She scoffs and stares up at him. When he doesn’t take her bait, she presses. “I don’t think so, you’re worried because you care.”

“Most people aren’t worth caring about.” He doesn’t break eye contact, “Of course you’re free to think whatever you want. Even if it’s wrong.”

“Just say it.” She insists stubbornly, “Say you care about me.” She doesn’t know why it matters so much for her to hear him say it. She doesn’t know why; when it’ll only complicate things. Nevertheless, she wants nothing more than to hear him say it. Maybe, she’s looking for something that doesn’t exist, maybe she doesn’t know Drake anymore than when she met him. But in this moment, staring into his dark eyes –  she can’t help but feel that it’s not just inside her head.

He straightens his shoulders and ignores the sudden lump that forms inside his throat. He forces back the longing that has suddenly flared and digs his hands inside his pocket to stop them from shaking. She’s testing him, pushing him without really knowing what that means. She doesn’t know how much he thinks about her. She doesn’t know how much it’s starting to hurt to think about her. 

He looks away first; he hates showing signs of weakness but it’s better this way. “You’re looking for something that isn’t there.” The words feel flat as they leave his lips. They feel hollow and lack sincerity. But it’s the only way he knows to protect himself. To protect Liam. What kind of a friend would he be if he feels any differently? He shouldn’t feel any differently. “Sure, friends worry about each other but we aren’t even that.”

There is silence between them as his words sink in.

Words that are intended to hurt her, to stop this delusion from continuing on but some part of her doesn’t believe him. Some part of her thinks there is more. They’ve barely known each other and yet he’s shared things about himself he’s rarely shared with anyone else. “You’re lying.” She says finally. “You’re lying.” She repeats firmly a second time and she steps much closer until he’s forced to look at her. “You care about me but for some reason you’re just too afraid admit it. Too afraid to say it out loud.”

His jaw tenses with anger. “Look you’ve- ”

“I don’t even know why I care?!” She blurts out, pointing a finger at his chest. “When all you do is talk about how bad everyone else is and how insincere they all are! How naive I am to think that I could have a place here! Why should I care about someone that doesn’t – ”

“It’s not that simple!” He interjects, fighting the urge to raise his voice. “Nothing about this is simple!” He gestures wildly into the air. “This whole competition is ridiculous! No one falls in love with someone they’ve just met!” He blows out a frustrated breath. “You’re one of five suitors!” He says this incredulously, “And in a few short months he’s going to be married and everything will change!”

She blinks back rapidly in surprise.

“And you care about Liam! And I care about Liam!” He continues ruthlessly. “We can’t care about the same person and care about each other!” Suddenly she isn’t sure if he’s talking to her anymore or himself.

“I can care about whoever I want.” Her voice and his are beginning to blend together, an angry wave that that tumbles on the shore of their friendship. “And I don’t make excuses about how I feel for someone else.” She jerks her chin at him.

“Even when caring about someone else means hurting your best friend?” His eyes bore into hers. “Even when it means betraying their trust just for your own selfish reasons?” He laughs with no real mirth. “You don’t get it. You can always walk away. We can’t - especially not him. He’s got a duty to this godforsaken place that doesn’t even deserve him!”

Her hands come up to grab him angrily, “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t think about how much of an opportunity this is supposed to be?” She spits the last words out gratingly. “Truth is I don’t know how I feel, how am I supposed to when there’s constantly other women - gorgeous, cultured women who’re all far better at all of this than I can ever be?” She gestures wildly to herself. “I know I’ve got a long shot, and I don’t need you to constantly remind me!”

“Then what do you want me to remind you of huh? What do you want from me?”

Her hands form tiny fists and she pounds them against his chest. “I just want you to stop building walls! I just want you to not shut down around anyone that isn’t Liam!” 

Her cheeks are flushed and those bright hazels he secretly admires light up like tiny fireworks. “You think you don’t care about anything and anyone! And maybe you’ve finally convinced yourself that no one here except for Liam cares - but dammit!” She quickly gulps down deep breaths. “I care about you too! I - ”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence. She can’t even remember the rest of it by the time she feels his lips crash against hers. Not innocently, like a gentle tease - no Drake’s kisses could never be that. Her imagination could never give his lips the proper justice they deserve. 

His kisses are hot, passionate and demanding. They are rough and angry; exploring her mouth with a harshness that she is eager to reciprocate. Her hands are no longer by her side and the glass has been forgotten as she slides her arms around him, dragging him closer, needing him closer. A soft whimper escapes her throat as their lips slam together again and her nails scrape against the small nape of his neck when he sweeps her off her feet.

He kisses her like a half-starved man, drowning inside his own desire, his own burning regret. He forgets everything except the feeling of her gradually relaxing against him. He presses her against the cool cement and keeps a firm arm around her waist. He can’t remember the last time he’s kissed someone like this; as if it’s the last time he’s ever going to see her. 

All she can hear is the roaring sound of her own heart racing as she kisses him back. The sound of their hot breaths as they kiss again and again. She’s been kissed before but never like this; never with such burning intensity. She melts under his touch and all her frustration has dissolved into a blissful lull as his kisses becomes less demanding almost tender. It is in this moment she realizes that this is exactly what she’s been waiting for. The kind of fire she has never found with the prince.

Their breaths have mingled together. “I care about you.” He whispers against her mouth. I think I care about you too damn much. 

She closes her eyes and nods back, fighting tears that have suddenly prickled. “I care about you too.” For in their admittance; a longing for him has carved itself inside her heart.

Tonight, he allows himself to forget as he leans his forehead against hers. 

Tonight, she allows herself to forget as she brushes back a stray hair from his face.

Tomorrow, they will somehow dismiss from their minds this entire night.

#choicescreates 13 #drake x mc #trr: drake #the royal romance #playchoices #trr fanfic #mc x drake #long post #choices stories you play #choicescreates trr #i feel like they would be angst goals

[splattershotsundae]

Better Eight Than Never --- Chapter 30: Why I hacked the ink lab

Warning: Contains topics of ableism

“Is there room for one more?”

“Of course!”

Hachi folded her arms as she watched the quartet of squidlings hug. Such intimacy… physical affection… it felt so foreign to her. Many octolings didn’t have the time to dedicate to such displays, and nobody ever did it for her. She gripped the railing behind her with both hands. Was this really even so different from back home? She felt so alone up here, she’d still feel just as alone when she got back…

“’Ey! Limpy!” Hissed an all too familiar voice, which shook her from her thoughts.

She spun around, looking down off the ramp to see someone below her. He was wearing octoling armor, with the only change from the protocol being an inkling helmet slammed onto his head. It was Oz alright. One of his long, all too octoling tentacles slipped out just enough to gesture her to jump down, and then held up a containment tank to hide her in.

She hesitated, for much longer than she’d ever admit, before climbing over the railing and jumping down toward Oz, who lifted the tank toward her. She transformed, then slipped into the tank, clinging to the sides as Oz plunged the containment tank into his main tank and started moving. She watched the world pass by through the purple-tinted light, and sighed. What had she been thinking? The surface wasn’t that good, was it? Why had she hesitated? There was nothing for her up here. Besides, this place was filled with the people who’d wanted to kill all octolings. Her brow wrinkled slightly. Before she’d gotten stuck up here… would she have called Squidlings ‘people’? She wasn’t sure. She squeaked as Oz began to remove her tank, and transformed as soon as he tipped her out into a dank alley.

“Hah, ‘s‘bout time I came up an got ya.” Oz said, removing his helmet.

“What even took you so long?” Hachi scoffed, standing up and brushing off her legs. “And what was the deal with you abandoning me anyway!? I had my mask on! You could have told me the plan!”

Oz frowned, his tentacles beginning to coil in anger. “Tha was Orion’s call, ‘e didn’t tell me tha plan meant leavin’ ya.-” He started to walk past her, toward the kettle that they both knew was hidden here. “-If ‘e’d told me, I’da told ‘im ta leave me, an take ya.”

“As if.” She scoffed. “You’d never do that.”

Oz paused, one foot on the kettle’s grating. “… Olympiah… This ain’t even a real mission, an ya think I wouldn’t give somehin’ up fer ya? Do ya even know me at all? Or are ya jus jealous tha I got ta be an elite instead a ya?”

“… This… They didn’t even send you officially to come get me?” She growled. “They really were going to leave me?”

“Ya are a defect, jus in case ya ain’t forgotten. Those rambunctious tentacles ya got? If ya can’t control ‘em ya migh strangle someone someday! Tha allergy ya ‘ave? It costs people a lota time, an tha taste thin ya got? Yah can’t eat ‘alf tha food they give ya! An tha ain’t even gettin’ ta tha part where sometimes ya jus freeze up an go all quiet.” He replied, turning to face her. “If it was my call, I’da come back for ya righ away, but the ‘igher ups, includin’ Orion, ‘ave different priorities. Now are ya comin’ ‘ome or not?”

She grimaced, then looked away. “Fine… Let’s go already.”

He nodded briefly, then transformed and slipped into the kettle, which hissed and popped before sending him away. She stared after him for a moment before following suit.

Olypmiah shook off her tentacles as she popped out of the other end of the kettle, and then took a deep breath of the dank air. It was missing something compared to the world she’d just left, but it was familiar, and welcoming. She opened her eyes, then flinched and took a step back as she was met with a wall of troops, in the dead center of which was Orion.

“Oz, what did you do?” He growled, his cyboric eye flashing with rage.

“Oh, ya know, jus did wha I was ‘sposed ta.” Oz replied. “Not leave a member a tha pod stranded wit no ‘ope a rescue.”

Orion folded his arms, standing tall. “Your orders were to leave her. In her report, she claimed she was carrying some sort of flu! Do you even realize what that could do to the population?”

Oz frowned. “… Tha’s wha quarantine's for. Ya jus neva liked ‘er.”

Orion bared his beak. “I’ll have a word with you later, oversee the drills at the training camp until then.”

Oz saluted, his tentacles slightly swooping to convey his distaste, and then super jumped away.

With him out of the way, Orion’s attention was turned back toward her, causing her to swallow to keep her bubbling fear at bay. It was so hard to be angry at someone when they were right in front of you, and had biceps larger than your head. “You’re coming with me. You have some explaining to do.”

“Yes sir.” She mumbled, allowing soldiers to come to either side of her as she was escorted to the next kettle. In training they’d briefed her about quarantine, and it didn’t sound fun. It took forever, and if you did actually have a highly infectious disease, you could be in there for dozens of shifts… best to get this over with.

At first, it was much like she expected, saliva samples were taken, she was given a scorching chemical misting, then an ink bath, her clothes were taken and replaced with new itchy ones, her ink pressure was taken, and so on and so forth. It was increasingly grueling, but finally she was let into a room with a table, and two chairs. On the far side of the table, Orion sat, arms folded. “… What are you doing here?” She asked, her back tentacles looping together to keep from coiling into a threatening position.

“Sit down.” He said.

“Are… Are you debriefing me?” She asked.

“I said sit.” He repeated.

She winced, then sat down, clasping her hands in her lap.

They sat and stared at each other for a long while, though Olympiah felt exposed and vulnerable without her goggles.

“What did you learn about Yuri?” Orion asked finally.

“All I learned was that Yuri came into contact with the four individuals who’d held me captive.” She replied firmly.

“What did you know prior to this?” He asked.

“I knew that he was turned into water, a breakthrough for science.” She said. “We were unable to find and detain him.”

“Did your captors learn anything from you?”

“They learned that I knew about him.” She took a deep breath. “Are you interrogating me?”

Orion’s ears twitched, and he stood up. “Do you know any of our enemy’s plans?”

“They’re going to ‘splatfest’ next shift. They’ll be on ‘team waffle’.” She said, feeling a tingle run down her back. The fact that Orion hadn’t answered her question was all too telling. He thought she was an enemy. A traitor.

“What color ink will they be using?” Orion asked.

“… Purple, I think. That’s the color of the entire team.”

He smirked very slightly, as if this was good news. Well, it was good news for them, Squidlings and Octolings had a different ink structure, so even if the colors matched, they could still be splatted. Actually no, now she was even more confused, why would their ink color even matter?

“Do you know where the sirens will be?” He continued, walking around the table.

”I am not entirely certain, they may be still in that zapfish plaza.”

“You do remember that you are sworn to serve the MC until death?”

She swallowed. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“Squidlings have a habit of corrupting people’s brains. Making you forget that your own people matter first.” Orion said. “It’s something you should be keen you don’t succumb to.”

“Is that a threat?” She asked.

“A reminder-” He huffed, placing a hand on her shoulder. “-that if you break that oath, you will pay dire consequences.”

Just then, a door across from them slid open, and a doctor stepped in. “Alright Miss Olympiah Windsley… We’ve ran the samples we took, and it appears you’ve just got a case of the common cold.”

“I am well aware.” Orion said, beginning to make strides toward the door.

“You what?” Olypmiah demanded, hand gripping the arm of her chair. “You put me through all of that for nothing!?”

He turned a deaf ear to her, and simply left the room without a reply. That filthy son of a slime…

“Well, regardless Miss, you’re free to go, and you’ll find your belongings in the changing rooms, unless you’d like to stay and donate that defective tongue of yours so we can make bionic replacements.” The doctor said as they held out her mask.

“Yeah, no.” She huffed, standing up and snatching her mask before leaving to change. It wasn’t fair, she… she wasn’t defective. She grimaced, remembering that Bato had been the one to tell her that. She couldn’t let herself romanticize those memories. Maybe Orion was right… maybe Squidlings did change the way you thought. But… was it really wrong to want to be seen as normal? She knew deep down that could never happen, she was so different in so many ways down here… and up there, she was an octoling. There was nowhere for her to just… exist.

She pulled the laces on her boots tight, tugged to make sure the knot wouldn’t come loose, then she sat back and slouched for a moment. She was… actually tired from sitting so straight. The surface had no ‘proper posture’ it seemed, so they slouched all the time, and her back injury had made her do the same.  As she sat, everything that’d happened the past few shifts whirled around her head like an ink tornado. What even was the plan? She realized she had no idea. She’d never been told anything about how they’d take back the surface, except that it probably wouldn’t bode well for the squidlings. She supposed that was the point, get revenge for everything that had happened so long ago… Against the people who’d shoved them into this pit to die. If they tried to take the surface back by force, they’d all perish, wouldn’t they? They were outnumbered several to one. Something stank about this… The army was hiding something, she could feel it. They had to know how many people there were up there, they had to know what fucking rain was! She had to find out what was going on, she decided, her hands balling with conviction. But where should she go? It wasn’t like people would just give her the information… Where would data like this be kept? This was all tied to the ink, wasn’t it? Things only had started getting crazy down here after that whole Yuri incident… so this must be tied to the ink research and development labs. She wasn’t sure how much clearance she had, after all she was defective… But she knew about masks, and about computers, and she supposed… if she was going to be digging around anyway, hacking would have to be the way to go about it. She’d get some sleep first, it’d been so long since she was in her own bed… But she’d also have to get her rations, cook and eat them… maybe even sit around alone before falling asleep… Maybe she’d change her mind by then, after all, what she was thinking of doing was a felony, she assumed…

Was she really a traitor?

No, there was no way she’d actually do this.

As she stood outside the ink research and development lab, she wondered exactly how her life had gone this wrong. She took a deep breath, then stepped up to the doors, which slid open as her mask came within proximity. Apparently she had clearance to the sector. The walls inside were smooth and made of some sort of steel, giving the building a cold feel to it. She used her mask to check the map, and found that the building consisted greatly of intersecting passageways, most of which wrapped around square or rectangular rooms. To her left the rest of the building was blacked out, hiding the map from her. Knowing her luck, what she wanted was in there, but she was still going to search around here instead.

She’d been so focused on the map, she’d neglected to look where she’d been going, and ran into an elite who’d just turned the corner. She squeaked and saluted, not meeting their gaze.

“Olypmiah? What in the name of Octavio’s ghost are you doing here?”

Olypmiah murmured ‘may he rest in peace’ under her breath before looking up at the elite. It was Oana, her old childhood friend… What was she doing here? Her stern stance told her she wasn’t exactly happy to see her. “I… Um...”

“Don’t tell me you’re the new soldier that’s been assigned here...” Oana groaned, massaging her forehead.

“… It… i-it would be quite fortuitous, wouldn’t it?” She asked, realizing that this was just the lucky break she needed.

“Of course you are. It’s not like there’s anyone more competent left.” Oana said, causing Olypmiah to cringe. “Orion must want me to watch over you in light of your recent… excursion. Well, come on then, time to show you your patrol route.” She turned on her heel and began to walk through the maze of hallways.

Olympiah blinked and briskly walked after her. “What am I looking out for?” She asked.

“Anyone who shouldn’t be here, basically. Someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. You also need to keep an eye out for escaped squidlings.” Oana said, turning to the right.

Olympiah had to walk a little faster to keep up with Oana’s longer strides. “Escaped squidlings? What would any squidlings be doing down here?”

“Ugh… you really are dense… every squidling we capture on the surface is brought down here for testing, and we’re about to get in a rush of them, so you’ll have your hands full. Make sure everyone in here is supposed to be here, if one squidling gets out, our entire facility could become compromised.”

She swallowed as she listened, wondering how Oana would react if she found out she was one of the people she should be looking out for…

“This room here is the processing lab.” Oana said, stopping in front of a door and opening it up so Olypmiah could see inside. “The squids are sent down the chute in containment tanks, and land in the trough. They are then taken, weighed, have a DNA sample taken, their weapons extracted and stored, and then they are tranquilized so they can be put into the safe. This is one of the rooms you must be most vigilant about.”

She nodded her understanding. “Right. I think I get it.”

“Think you get it, screens above...” Oana turned and kept walking until they reached another door. “This is the squid safe. You will have to enter here regularly to make sure that all the containment tanks are still properly secured and in position. There’s none in there at the moment, so you can check on your first unsupervised circuit.”

“Understood.” She replied, feeling a twinge of sadness. Oana used to care so much about her, it felt so weird having her treat her with such disdain… It’d been so long… was there any way to repair the friendship they once had? Probably not, considering she was just going to turn around and betray her… Sorry Oana…

She lead her onward again, pointing out several more doors, and how they should remain closed, then stopped by one final door. “This door leads to the computer records, you must peek in there to make sure that nobody is tampering with the computers, but you can’t set foot in the room otherwise, or you will be fired immediately.”

“Understood.” Olympiah replied, trying to stand firm. That was exactly the room she needed, her hearts all felt heavy with curiosity… or was that dread? Best to get it over with as soon as possible. “When do I begin patrolling on my own?”

“Four more escorted circuits.” Oana huffed, before turning to lead the way again.

Olypmiah cringed, her feet were already hurting after just one loop! The world really wanted to torture her… “Can I try on my own?” She asked suddenly. “I’ll send you a message if I need help. It’ll be just like old times.”

Oana froze and turned, light on her mask flickering as she thought. “… Fine. Don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t.” Olypmiah promised. “I’m a fast learner, and a hard worker.”

The elite looked over her a little longer, then turned and got back to her own duties.

Olympiah sighed in relief, then began to patrol, it’d be less suspicious to complete one loop before stopping at the computer room. How was she going to look at that data without being caught anyway? They’d be able to tell she was in the room by her tracker… hell, she was already in considerable danger because of that damn thing… She wasn’t supposed to be here at all. It was really too late to turn back. She’d just have to work fast and hope for the best.

When she looped back to the computer room, she glanced over her shoulder before opening the door. It was brightly lit, neatly organized, and arranged so it would be incredibly hard to hide. She swallowed and checked behind herself one more time before briskly walking into the room, making sure that the door closed behind her before walking over to the terminal. She sat and synced up her mask, not surprised at all when it told her she was unauthorized to be there. All she had to do was open up her toolkit and run her password tool, the sort usually used for mask repair, and then feed the machine the correct password. Once that was done she routed the reply into a new tab, thus bypassing the authorization screen. Easy as using an inkrail. She flipped through the files, frowning in thought. What should she even be looking for? She ran a keyword search for Yuri, and narrowed down the results drastically. Many of these files were encrypted, and she was fairly sure she didn’t have time to break into them, but there were some other ones she could look at… but she was using up an awful lot of her time already, and the next patrol could be there any moment. With a grimace, she started to download all the files, telling herself she could read them while walking.

[Progress: 5% complete.] [Progress: 6% complete.]

How big were these? She glanced over her shoulder, beak bared. She couldn’t let herself be caught, not now! She set her mask to remain on, then took it off and slipped it behind one of the larger servers. Hopefully it wouldn’t get overheated back there. She then stood up straight and looked around desperately for somewhere to hide. She felt herself freeze up. What if she couldn’t hide well enough? What if she was caught? What if she was killed? Everywhere was within sight of the doorway, except.. the door itself, which slid into the wall when it was opened. Oh glorious kelp strands this had better work. She ran at the door and transformed, suctioning herself to the cold metal and flattening herself out as much as possible before screwing her eyes shut. Any second now…

Not more than a moment after she’d secured herself to the door, it slid open, squeezing her into the wall. She had to grit her beak to avoid squeaking in pain as one of her tentacles got caught in the door’s mechanisms. It would be alright, that was one of her head tentacles, it would grow back if it got ripped off. Though, that was something she didn’t want to think about… She swallowed and kept her grip firm, wondering what was taking so long. After what felt like an eternity, the door finally slid shut. She heaved a sigh of relief and let go of the wall, transforming and massaging her pinched tentacle, which was writhing around in pain. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.” She murmured, then went back over to her mask and slipped it back on.

[Progress: 99% complete.] [Progress: 100% complete.]

She sighed in relief. She wouldn’t have to do that again. Her tentacles were wriggling around to clean all the dust and cobwebs off of themselves, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if they revolted if she had to put them back in there. She crept over to the door and opened it, and when she saw nobody outside, she walked out and got back to the patrol. That was way too close. Now what had she learned? This had better be worth it…

[Incident Report 5661]

[Miss Vitrel, highly respected scientist, allegedly punched a guard after being told that her ink experiments will be canceled, as per the orders of DJ Octavio.]

Octavio? This had been going on that long? Why was this tagged with Yuri’s name?… And who was Miss Vitrel?

[Progress report 35667]

[Miss Vitrel’s ‘inking bullet’ technology has been used to change samples of octoling ink into other colors, a feat not achieved since the destruction of the great library. Spawner construction is currently halted due to the unstability of the mixture, and the death of her latest subject.]

[Progress report 35698]

[Miss Vitrel was allowed one more subject, who survived but later disappeared, and is now presumed dead. Steps may be taken to remove her from the labs.]

[Progress report 36006]

[Miss Vitrel was successful in altering the ink structure of a squidling on the surface, however he was unable to be captured. Miss Vitrel has been granted more test subjects, and the collection of squidlings shall begin immediately. This project has been dubbed ‘tidal wave’, and will be searching for a way to change individuals into water for the military.

Known abilities:

Highly resilient, able to heal at a greatly increased rate

Able to meld with the consciousness of another and take them as a host.

Unable to be splatted by water

Known weaknesses:

None

Goal:

Create super soldiers able to take the surface by force and sheer adaptability.]

[Progress report 36013] [Project Tidal Wave has been canceled and been succeeded by Project Moonlight. Details are confidential.]

Olypmiah swallowed. Yuri had been able to take over people’s bodies? No wonder they’d wanted to replicate those results… Imagine what they could do… She felt sick, having to stop and lean against the wall. What would they do with this if not make super soldiers? Control people, obviously. Control squidlings and use them to tear the surface asunder. And when that was done? What would stop them from turning this force against their own people? She tried to go to the next file, but they were all encrypted. She could try to crack it, but did she really have the time? They might kill her if they found out she had this… She took a deep breath, then began to delete all the files. She knew what she needed to anyway, that she didn’t agree with the course of action the military was taking. But what should she do now? If she tried to stop them, they could all die down here, they all knew the domes couldn’t last much longer. But if they carried out their plan… whatever it was, they’d all die on the surface. There really wasn’t a win for anyone…

“Out of the way!”

She yelped and pressed herself against the wall as a lab worker rolled a cart filled with dozens of containment tanks into the squid safe, each tank filled with a single unconscious purple blob. Oh no, they’d started collecting the squids they’d need. The ones she’d told them about. She ran to the doorway of the lab and looked inside, where the containment tanks were coming down the chute one by one and into the trough for processing. There had to be a hundred of them, all being labeled and prepared for storage, and somewhere in this mess was Bato.

That gave her an idea.

Bato is Knitter’s character

Hachi/Olypmiah, Oswald, Orion and Oana are Shuckle’s characters.

Splatoon belongs to Nintendo.

Please consider liking or reblogging if you enjoyed, it’s nice to know we’re doing things right.

Shuckle has a patreon if you would like to provide additional support!

[<PREV] [INDEX] [NEXT>]

#Splatoon #Octoling #Better Eight than never #Octo Hachi #Octo Oswald #Octo Orion #Octo Oana

[olivyh]

Into Wonderland Chapter 2: Savanaclaw Part One

Mc wakes up, groaning as they feel sweat drip down their forehead. The sun beats down on them and makes them want to go back to the ocean where they'd just come from. They jump up, remembering the events that just happened. Looking around the wide dirt field, cracks littering the ground beneath them as they scramble to their feet, falling as they're hit by another heatwave.

"Floyd?" They call out to the empty field, only to be met by the angry squawking of the vultures that circle ahead. They huff and pick up a rock, throwing it as hard as they can at the scavengers.

"I'm not dead! Go away!" They yell. The birds flap for a little longer before returning to their pattern, circling the human and chittering among each other. "Rude-" They continue to walk through the large area, calling out to the friends that they made back in Wonderland. The sun beats down on them in waves, slowing them down until they see small shrubs appear around them.

"Ace? Deuce?" They yell, crouching at a small bush that sits near a small rock formation. "Cater? Epel?" No response, aside from the frightened squeak of a small mouse who was hiding in the rocks.  They stand straight again, cupping their hands around their mouth before yelling again.

"Trey?... Riddle? Your Majesty?"

"I just can't wait to be king!" They hear a child's voice laugh from a distance. They smile and begin to run towards the source of the voice, coming across a small boy dancing and weaving between various animals and people with animal -like ears. With a smile, they decide to walk among them, hoping to find the familiar pink haired cat from Wonderland. While he wasn't the nicest, he was still a familiar face in the middle of the ....Savanna? They were stuck in. The boy runs past them, giggling and making a face at a tall man who tries to catch him, but gets stuck in the large group. The mans white hair sticks out among the group as he tries to push through, ears flat against his head as he yells in the boys direction.   

"Cheka wait!" The man sighs, trying to push more people out of the way. Mc sighs, shaking their head before deciding to follow the boy.

"I can't believe I just outran Jack!" The boy giggles, skipping down the field into a more cloudy section of the land. Elephant skeletons litter the area, making Mc rub their arms as they realize that there's no way this doesn't mean trouble for them. The shadows of the rocks around them loom ominously overhead, making them freeze as a laugh bounces off the walls. The boy hums to himself, seemingly not noticing the situation he found himself in.

"Hey Kid!" Mc yells, running to catch up to the boy, who freezes. His lion-like ears flatten against his head as his face pales, seeing the stranger. "Listen, I don't know what this place is or how I got here but this does not seem like a good idea at all! And don't run away from your guardian!" They scold, wincing at how much they sounded like  the tyrant.

The boy shrinks, frowning at the ground. "But I wanted to prove that I'm just as much of a grown up as everyone else! I'm not a cub who needs someone to take care of them anymore!" The boy huffs, crossing his arms. "And Jack isn't my guardian! Hes my babysitter!"

Mc sighs and crouches, putting themselves on the same level as the boy. "This still doesn't seem safe at all..."

"And what are you?" A voice laughs from behind them. The boy jumps and, forgetting his annoyance at the human minutes before, clings to their leg. They freeze, slowly turning to find a boy a little taller than them, with large hyena-like ears sticking out of his head. The boy shoves his hands in his pockets, tilting his head at the pair. "And you brought the lil princey!"

"I don't know them..." The boy huffs, going to hide behind the human when the hyena stares down at him.

"You look funny," The boy stands still, studying the duo before sighing. "Hey kid, does your dad know you're here?" Cheka shakes his head. "And your uncle scarface?" The boy shakes his head again. The boy snickers, circling the duo ominously. He steps closer to the human, pinching at their ears and laughing when they jump back.

"No, seriously, what are you?" He stares at Mc, looking at them curiously. "Ya got teeny lil ears, no tail, no claws-" He grins. "So what are you?"

"I'm a human!" Mc sighs.

"Hmm~ never heard of it." He kicks a rock and it ricochets off the wall, rolling down the hill.

"Ruggie, what is this?" A deep voice echoes down the hall. The boy jumps a bit but maintains his lazy smile, folding his hands behind his head.

"Huh- Oh, Leona..." He hums, stepping ti the side to let the taller man pass.

"Or is it Scarface?" The man- Leona- growls. Ruggie laughs, but takes a nervous step back.

"Ah, you're perceptive as ever-" He snickers. The man grunts and stares at the boy, who jumps at his legs.

"Uncle Leona!" He laughs. The man rolls his eyes and pulls back at the back of his tunic, but the boy stays stuck to his leg, tail wagging excitedly behind him.

"How did you get away from Jack?" He huffs, finally getting the excited boy off him.

"I outsmarted him!" The boy beams, hands on his hips proudly.

"And how did you find this..." Leona too looks the human up and down, making their face flush. "Soft, earless thing-"

"Human! And I have ears!" Mc cries out, frustration building. They can hear Ruggie laughing behind them from his seat on the rock structure. They cross their arms as they feel the eyes of the beasts around them on them, waiting on their next move.

"I'm not dangerous!" They huff "I just found him-" They motion to Cheka. "Running away from a crowd and heading here."

They jump when they feel a sharp pair of claws drag down the back of their arm. They jolt, yelping and pulling their arms forward, jumping to the side. Ruggie grabs at his stomach in laughter, and the small boy joins him with his giggles.

"Oh, we're not worried about the dangerous part," The lion man chuckles. "We're just wondering how a small, soft herbivore got in the middle of the Savanna. Especially in clothes like those-" He motions to the light blue clothes that they still wear, clearly too heavy for the climate of the Savanna.

"Weren't you yelling for someone before you followed me?" Cheka asks, peeking out from behind his uncle.

Mc nods, motioning at their clothing and the paint that was still splattered on their shoes. "Yes! I was in this... insane place and nothing made sense and I almost died!" They huff. "But I was carried away by two eels and they threw me out of the ocean and I woke up here!" They feel a stab of sadness and worry for their friends back in Wonderland, silently hoping that everyone got away quickly or were able to calm down Riddle in time. They'd hate for Ace, Deuce, or Cater to get hurt because of them.

They're sent back to reality with a sharp flick to the forehead, making them wince. The hyena, hand still raised in flicking position, laughs. "You might want to fix that zoning out problem if you want to survive out here-"

"W-well, either way that wasn't my home either. I don't know how I got here-" They finish with a defeated sigh, a surge of homesickness going through their body.

"Well, until then-" Leona picks up the child, holding him out at arms length towards the human, who flinches.

The boy giggles. "Am I that scary? Really?" He asks excitedly. Mc slowly peeks open an eye, reluctantly holding out their arms. The man places the child in their hold, turning on his heel, tail flicking the human's nose. They sneeze, careful not to sneeze on the child.

"Watch him until you can find a way back. That's your job-" Their jaw drops as they stare between the little lion and the much larger one.

"W-what?" The whisper.

The hyena snickers next to them. "I dunno how things work where you're from but here, you work to survive." The blonde shoots a toothy grin at them, baring his fangs. "And you should be honored, watching a royal on your first day."

"A royal?" Mc whispers. The boy turns in their hold, jumping out of their arms to the floor. He motions for them to crouch to his height, cupping a hand over his mouth and whispering.

"I'm the prince of the Afterglow Savanah! So is Uncle Leona!" He giggles. Leona scoffs from the other side of the cave.

"Was- there's no chance of me being king any more-" He growls bitterly.

"Don't worry- I'll make sure everything turns out okay! For you too Ruggie!" The boy beams.

"Thanks, kid," The hyena sighs, having heard this one too many times before.

Rushed footsteps approach the cave, revealing the tall wolf man from earlier. "Cheka!" He gasps. He turns to Leona, ducking his head. "I'm sorry about him running off." He sighs.

"Eh, he does what he wants," Leona shrugs, moving to slouch against the rocks.

"Well-"

"I said it's fine," The lion prince growls. The wolf freezes and stands straight. The younger prince next to Mc sniffs, and Mc turns to look down at the boy. He wipes at his watery eyes with the backs of his hands.

"I-I'm sorry Jack!" He whines. "I-I just wanted to- to see Uncle Leona an-and Ruggie-" Mc crouches to awkwardly console the boy when he runs out of the cave. Both the human and the wolf go to chase after him. Ruggie sighs, taking a seat next to Leona.

"The kid never learns..." He's met with a snore. He scrunches his face. "Seriously? How are you asleep already?"

Mc runs through the Savanah, struggling to keep up with the wolf. They stop, out of breath and searching for the child.

"Where-" Mc pants, hands on their knees. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," The wolf states, sharp eyes searching the area. "He's not far."

"So... you're Jack?" They ask, finally able to catch their breath. The wolf nods, ears perking up when he hears a familiar yelp from the canyon.

"Come on-" He runs, making Mc run after them. They sprint until they get to the bottom of the canyon, with Mc tripping over stones and gaps that Jack is able to easily avoid.

"Cheka?" Mc calls out, only to hear soft cries from behind a large rock. "Cheka listen..." They feel a strong hand land on their arm and look up at Jack, raising an eyebrow.

They feel it before they see it- the rumbling of the Earth beneath them. Small stones hop across the dry dirt as the ground continues to move. The man next to them pales, ears flat against his head.

"A stampede-" He whispers. He grabs the human's arm and pulls them towards him. A larger man leaps down the mountain next to them, running down the canyon.

"King Farena!" Jack calls out, moving to chase the man.

"I can take care of this! Get to higher ground!" The man yells, charging in the direction of the oncoming stampede. Jack swears under his breath and picks up the human, pulling them up the cliff and hiding with them in the cave.

They scan the sea of wildebeests for the two lions, jumping when they hear something slide in from behind them. "What happened?!" Ruggie exclaims, sliding next to them. His ears are flat against his head and he nervously looks between the cave opening and the two crouched within it.

"Where's everybody!?" Mc yells, anxiety rising in their stomach.

"I-I don't know! Leona ran in after King Farena and told me to find you-!" The boy pants, dust coating his face as he looks for the princes and king.

"Cheka!" The human yells, moving to run when they see the child clinging to a tree branch that threatens to snap with every movement. Ruggie grabs at their arms, holding them back.

"Are you insane? You'll die if you go out there!" He yells, pulling them back to him.

"Cheka's going to be okay!" Jack reassures, voice wavering. The human looks with worry between the two beastmen, heart in their throat.

The trio watched as the king tries to climb the rock to the tree, scrambling as it crumbles beneath his feet. He calls something out, looking to the rock ledge opposite of the one they were hiding in.

Leona runs towards the edge, leaping towards the tree and grabbing his nephew in midair, twisting to land on the top of the rock.

"Over here!" Ruggie yells, waving his arms to get the prince's attention. The man leaps again, barely hanging onto the edge of the rock. Jack and Ruggie move to help the man up, while Mc softly reaches for the small boy who shivers in the man's arms.

Leona whips around once he gets to the opening, moving to motion towards his brother.

"Farena!" He yells as his brother jumps off the rock towards the cave. The king scrambles off the rock as it crumbles under his grip, making him slip farther into the horde. The rocks above the group creak and groan with every slam on the ground, and they all back up in fear.

"Leona!" Jack yells. "The cave!" Leona still holds onto the rock ledge, reaching out for his brother. The king yells something incoherent to the rest of the group and Leona is pushed backwards, caught by Jack and pulled into the now collapsing cave.

The man thrashes in the larger boy's grip, growling and scratching at the wolf. Cheka whimpers and sobs in Mc's arms as the human tries to sooth the boy by patting his head and hugging him closely.

"Let me go!" The man's voice breaks. "I said let me go!" He bites at the wolf man's arm, who winces but doesn't let him go. Ruggie tries to do the same, but tries to push them into the corner of the cave that crumbles around them. Leona finally goes limp, grabbing his nephew from the human's arms and curling over him protectively.

Jack does the same to Ruggie and Mc, wincing as falling rocks hit his back repeatedly. The cave finally gives in around them, rocks creaking as they form a small gap for the group to hide in.

Since then, the pridelands have been silent. Cheka disappeared shortly after the death of his father, vanishing to the vast expanse around the pride lands. Leona had been crowned king, as he always wanted. With Jack, Ruggie, and now Mc as his council.

The other lions were unsure about a hyena, a wolf, and a being of a species they've never heard of before running alongside their king, but accepted after being told the tale of that fateful day in the canyon.

The people continued to disregard their king, being more slothful and blunt than his brother. Where his brother would scour the lands to see the problems and fix them himself, the second born sent one of his three lackeys after it.

And while Ruggie and his clan certainly seemed happy about the changes, the other animals were bitter, now having to share their food with the hyenas who now hunted alongside them rather than picking at their scraps.

"Leona-" Said hyena opens the door to the king's room, moving to wake the lion up. Mc, who slept in a side room similar to Ruggie and Jacks', rolls over onto their side, ready for another day of work. It had been a few years since they'd first come to the Savanah. While they see no changes to themselves, aside from being stronger and the occasional scar they may have gotten from the scrambles one of the trio had to get them out of, they were virtually the same.

The others on the other hand, had clearly aged past their teenage selves that they were when the human first came to the land. Jack had gotten somehow larger and stronger than before, sporting different scars across his skin. His features grew sharper, ears and tail ending in sharp points of fur, with his snow white hair trailing his back. His fangs grew larger as well, which caused the hyena in their group to tease him when he struggled to talk the first few weeks of it happening. Ruggie hadn't grown much taller, but he grew to further fit his once oversized features, while still maintaining his scrawny shape. His blonde and brown hair was only slightly longer, which he pulls into a short ponytail at the base of his head. His freckles and eye bags grew darker, and playful glint in his grey eyes turned more relaxed, but at the same time, more watchful and cautious than ever. He stands with a slight slouch, one that he's been unable to get rid of.

Leona had grown the most, with his cheekbones more sunken and defined, his bright green eyes piercing anyone who looks into them. His hair had gotten much longer than before, making him tie it back with thick braids often as well. He, like Ruggie, didn't grow very much, but got stronger than before. The one scar down his eye is now joined by a plethora of others, one of which crossing across the bridge of his nose and the other going from the corner of his lip down his chin. He no longer holds the hunched posture from before, and stands proudly and confidently when he walks, tail swaying behind him above the ground, contrary to the way it dragged behind him before.

Ruggie had always joked about how humans seemingly don't age, and while Mc laughed with him on the surface, they were deeply curious on the other hand. They used to age as normal- they should be in their mid to late twenties like Ruggie and Jack- but instead, they're still physically and mentally the same teen they were when they'd first arrived. It was a weird feeling for them, realizing after the first year that they may never go home again, that they would have to live out the rest of their days- if their days were even numbered in this world- fighting with beastmen just to survive and bathing in rivers and streams.

Similarly to how Leona had to accept the fact that he would never see his brother again, and that Cheka was likely dead as well when he'd run away.

Little debates were thrown about how Leona would find a successor, with him having no interest in having a child with anyone, necessary for the pride or not. He'd decided that he'd pass it on to whoever he saw fit when his time was up. Of course, this causes an uproar in the pride lands, with many of them believing that he should stick to tradition, and others believing that he would choose Ruggie, a hyena, next- something that the lions could not bear to imagine.

Jack and Mc had talked about trying to find Cheka, only to be quickly shut down by Ruggie.

"This place is too big-" He sighed then, "It'll either be you finding his body or ending up dead trying."

With that, they gave up.

Or at least, until the flood.

Mc had seen countless floods and brutal storms in their years spent in the Savanah, most of them ending with a few losses at most. It didn't rain too often, so Leona was never too worried about flash floods endangering his people.

"It's too early for this-" Mc yawns, leaning on Jack as Ruggie runs ahead of them.

"No, humans might have the worlds shittiest sense of smell, but that doesn't mean the rest of us have to be subjected to that!" He scolds.

"I was literally here yesterday!" Mc shouts back at the man, who snickers as he sets his stuff down on the riverbank.

"Not enough!" He shouts. Mc, despite having lived with the man for a decade, still turns and looks away as he undresses and leaps into the water.

"Rude!" They yell when he splashes them, cackling and sinking into the water. Storm clouds thunder in the distance, making all three of them jump. "It's gonna rain soon too."

"So? Get in here!" Ruggie yells, grabbing the human's arm and yanking them in. They splash and panic for a little while, sighing when they give up and float.

"My clothes are going to be all gross now..." They groan.

"Good!" Ruggie chuckles. "You get to wash yourself and your clothes- two in one!"

"Ruggie, Mc..." Jack yells apprehensively from the bank. "We should get back."

"Already?" Ruggie sighs, swimming over to the bank and motioning for the wolf man to toss him his clothes. While he gets dressed behind a bush, Mc floats on the surface of the water, jolting when they feel the water begin to ripple under them.

"What-" They swim straight up, kicking their legs to stay afloat.

"Mc!" Jack and Ruggie yell at the same time as they see a tidal wave crash around the sharp corner of the river. They scream and try to swim to the bank, the current pulling them further and further away from the two men that run along the shoreline.

The last thing they see before passing out is the panicked expressions of their friends as they try to reach out to them, with Jack pulling Ruggie back before the water can sweep him in too.

#savanaclaw #ruggie bucchi #leona kingscholar #jack howl #cheka kingscholar #twisted wonderland #twst scenarios #twst fanfic