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songbirdseung · 2 months

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chapter closing / park sunghoon

Synopsis: a series of awkward encounters with your ex who happens to also be an idol under hybe.

Pairing: idol!sunghoon x idol!yn

Warnings: angst, break ups, second chances, being followed at night, pranks, scheming behind backs

a/n: this is a long one, I got carried away with how fun I was having while writing it.

Fate, the unfolding of circumstances outside of an individual's influence, believed to be dictated by a divine force. That's what you believed when it came to your relationship with Park Sunghoon.

In the very beginning, you thought that fate was kind to you enough that it brought you to him or vice versa. Something told you to walk the line, despite the obstacles and in the end, you were given you the love of your life but so viscously have him taken away from you.

"YN, Let me in" your boyfriend said in a hurried way, most likely not wanting to get caught by dispatch and stalkers outside your dorm. You run to the door and open it and closing it as quickly as you could. "What are you doing here, are you insane?" both of you knew that if anyone to find out, your careers would be dead, and so after, you two as well.

But let's start from the beginning, 10 months before you became a trainee, a friend of yours wanted to meet at a skating rink, it was a fun, but it didn't stop there. After dropping her home, which was only a few blocks away, you just then noticed how late it has gotten and the sun was no longer up. But the moon was giving you enough light to realize there was someone following you, the streetlights that flicker did not help the ambiance and the anxiety that was creeping in you.

You started walking faster and constantly looking back, he was still behind you. Making turns only made your suspicions become a reality. He was now walking faster and coming closer to you.

At this point, you thought to run but before you could do so, another man your age comes up running behind you. "Babe, there you are, I've been looking all over for you" the guy says louder for the other man to get the message. "don't worry, I'm just trying to help you" this time he whispers it.

Later after that, he still accompanies you on your walk home just to make sure no one follows you. He tells you that his name is Sunghoon and asks why you were out so late. "Oh really, I'm actually a figure skater, I go to that rink every day."

A friendly conversation between you two was put to a stop when you reach your parent's house. "Thank you so much, Sunghoon. I really owe you one" He denies it and tells you everything was alright, but you insist, so you exchanged numbers and he watch you cross the line, walking over to the side of the road.

Sunghoon did not expect to save a girl that night but even more, he did not expect to receive the invitation from you, to go to the cafe your family owns. A week after, when is schedule is clear and he has time for himself, he finally stopped by the cafe.

Hearing the doorbell ring, you greet the customer without looking up, as you were still making an order. "So, you don't look at your customers when you greet them?" to say you were drunk and dazed was an understatement. Sunghoon didn't reach out or replied to you, so you thought he never ever was going to show up. "My bad I didn't want to spill the coffee I was making." ending it with a chuckle.

Since then, your acquaintance with Sunghoon turned into a friendship that felt too good to be true. In a short amount of time, you let him see you in your worse and vice versa. Like the time when you got a fever, and he came over to your apartment because your parents went on a business trip. Despite your rebuttal and telling him you could take care of yourself; he missed a skating practice to be with you. "you're still pretty even when you're sick" he whispers under his breathe think you didn't hear him. "What was that?" flustered, he faces you again "Nothing, I said you look so horrible" then went back to play games on your console.

He definitely gave you mixed signals as he became very flirtatious with you and go the extra mile for you, beyond friendship. For example, when he rode a bus for basically the whole day just to find your favorite snacks that were not for sale in your local area anymore. Or when he would get jealous when another man asks you out or when you tell him about a date you went on. When asking him about it, he'd say that you just got it all mixed up. Either way, Sunghoon felt like he was sucked into a wormhole with how the first moments with you felt like an instant and intense connection, almost as if you've known each other for a long time even though you've just met.

It was hard to make that transition of friendship to relationship because you had the idea if you two were ever to break up, you wouldn't just lose your lover but a best friend. He showed up at your parents' house holding 'forget me not' flowers asking if you would go on a date with him. With that gorgeous smile, you could not say no.

He was determined to make you his, nothing made him wary, and he was set in making you believe that nothing can ruin the bond you had together, even sacrificing his safety driving in the snow in a complete whiteout. One day, you left the city to go on a short break, away from work and all. Although you had to admit that you were getting scared by the strong winds and heavy snow fall. What did Sunghoon do? drive to you and keep you company in the Airbnb, of course.

The second he finished reading your message he tamed and dashed to the Airbnb and swooped you into his arms. "Just say you missed me and wanted me here with you." being with you made Sunghoon feel like he was the upper side of life, dreaming. "Just a little bit"

Down the line, everything felt like it came straight out a fairytale, until one day when you were met with the option to go big and go home, you chose to go home and cause the first big argument you would share with your boyfriend. At this point it has been a year since the start of your relationship and 2 years since the day you first met. You two were discussing the trajectory of your relationship and how you two were going to make a big sacrifice for the career paths you both were going to take. Being a trainee in a K-pop industry is one of the strictest and maybe one the busiest jobs to have, and to have you both want to audition. Where was this relationship heading?

Everything was perfect, a blockbuster if you will. You believed the universe and fate brought you here, to him. So, why was it also the one to lead you away from him? "Babe, your attention, please?" Sitting on the opposite end of the bed, he holds your hand and tries to keep it together. "Can we just try to make it work, cause right now it seems like you just want to give up without even trying" your voiced cracked in between the words since you were crying but the emotions were controlling you than you were controlling it. You had to ask him the question if he even loved you, it was rude to ask but the situation felt like you were blessed and cursed at the same time. Getting the email that the company both wanted you two for a second audition felt like a blessing but looking at the love of your life right now felt like a reminder how the world put a curse on you.

The next following days, in between your practice days, you found yourself locked inside your room, alone. Looking at a box of pictures of you and Sunghoon, but the one that caught your eye the most was the polaroid you took of him when he was practicing his routine for his ice-skating performance. Your own little polaroid love.

Day 2 finally arrived, and day 2 meant the second day of auditions. You were standing in line for the female applicants and adjacent to you was your boyfriend. He was silent next to you since this was the first time seeing you after the little dispute you both had the other week. But he was still holding your hand and giving you comfort since he knew you were nervous, soon enough your name was called and before you could walk away and let go of his hand, he pulls you back and kisses you on the forehead and whispers, "I'll always be your biggest fanboy."

Fast forward to when you both became trainees for Be:Lift Lab under HYBE Entertainment. You supported him when he was on I-Land, and he supported you. Both of you tried your best to make time for each other and sneak around during work hours, you though everything was fine until he brought you over to one of studios to talk.

"Sunghoon, what's wrong?" Your voice trembled, betraying your fear of the answer you already feared deep down.

Sunghoon took a deep breath, steeling himself against the pain he knew his words would inflict. "YN, we need to talk," he began, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to shatter the fragile peace between you both. Heart clenched at the seriousness in his tone, at the distance you felt creeping between the two of you. "Is it about us?" He nodded, unable to meet her gaze. "I… I can't do this anymore, YN," he confessed, each word tearing a piece of his soul apart. "I thought we could keep this secret, but… but we were caught."

Tears welled up in your eyes, a silent testament to the pain that threatened to consume you. "I don't understand, I thought… I thought we could make it work."

Sunghoon shook his head, his heart breaking at the sight of her anguish. "I wish we could, YN. I wish I could defy everything and everyone just to be with you. But I can't risk my dreams, my career… not anymore."

That was it, all the effort you put into keep the future perfect, went down the drain. It was all now feeling like a paradox invasion with how you had to walk away in order to gain more.

Since then, you have been changing your efforts of "being with him" to efforts of "avoiding him at all costs". That feeling when you would take the longer route as long as you did not bump into him in the hallways and even taking the stairs instead of the elevators, so you did not have to stay in that small space with him.

One day as you were choosing a song for your monthly evaluation, your adviser gave you a song. You agreed that it did suit your voice very much and it was easy to sing but the thing was the song was basically a shout out to an ex-lover that was deeply cherished and love. Wishing that this foreshadow of a song showed up a month before, so it prepared you for the unfortunate event you faced.

Eventually, you both made your debut. Everything changed except the awkwardness between you two. And today's event did not help with that. "YN, can you on that, I need the light" your group member asks, but you weren't listening. Too busy looking at the text your manager sent you.

Manager: You'll be a MC with ENHYPEN's Sunghoon

"Oooh, being an mc with your ex-boyfriend. That's interesting" the same member looks over at you, worried. "Maybe fate wants you two to work it out?" Scoffing and replying back with a sassy answer of how fate is a bunch on nonsense and how it screwed you over last time. She chuckles and resorts to teasing you about your new MC job with Sunghoon.

One in a billion tasks as an idol, and they gave you this one? with Sunghoon? You thought as you held your cue cards, re-reading them over and over again in the waiting rooms. "YN, they are going to start filming soon so we need to rehearse with your MC partner" the staff says as she fixes your hair and leads you to the filming area.

You make the change in attitude once you saw him there, trying to not show any anxiety and nervousness. Being professional and reminding yourself that this was your life now until one of you gets too busy that they can't be an MC anymore.

He sees you as you walk onto the platform, offering you a hand to get onto the set. You take it and the feeling of holding his hand still felt the same. Immediately you stopped your feeling of familiarity and focused on your job. "It's been a while, yn"

Filming went well, and now you were at the dorms with your members who decided to show you all the comments and posts of fans that saw the episode where you and Sunghoon were the new MCs for KBS' Music Bank.

"Okay but can we talk about the chemistry between Sunghoon and YN on Music Bank? They were practically glowing together, and I can't help but ship them so hard!" "Sunghoon and YN as MCs on Music Bank? More like Sunghoon and YN as the cutest couple ever! They were so adorable together, and I can't stop imagining all the cute moments they must have behind the scenes." "I know they're just co-hosts on a music show, but Sunghoon and YN have some serious on-screen chemistry. They just seem so comfortable and natural together, like they've been best friends for years. Low-key shipping it!" "Sunghoon and YN hosting Music Bank together? Yeah, I'm officially aboard the ship. They're too cute together, and I can't wait to see more interactions between them in future episodes. #SungYN for life!"

Just bite me and kill me at this point, you thought. People were now shipping you with your ex-boyfriend. "You guys think he'll see these comments?" covering your face in distress as your members agree and nod. "Just sacrifice me now, how am I going to face him?"

Yes, Indeed. He did see them.

As Sunghoon scrolled through Weverse, he could feel his cheeks flush with embarrassment as he stumbled upon more and more comments shipping him with YN. Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a notification from the group chat. He opened it to find messages from his ENHYPEN members, all teasing him about the shipping rumors.

Jake: "Hey Sunghoon, looks like you and YN are the new power couple according to fans!"

Sunghoon couldn't help but roll his eyes, knowing his members wouldn't let him live this down.

Sunghoon: "Yeah, yeah, very funny. It's just fan speculation, nothing more."

Sunoo: "Come on, Hoonie, we all know there's no smoke without fire! Maybe you two should give it another shot!"

Sunghoon: "Thanks for the advice, Sunoo, but I think we're better off as friends and colleagues."

He typed back with a smirk, hoping to put an end to the teasing before it escalated any further.

Ni-ki: "Aww, don't be shy, Sunghoon! We'll support you no matter what. Just promise to invite us to the wedding, okay?"

At first, Sunghoon chuckled at the playful comments, finding it amusing how fans could easily create pairings based on professional interactions. However, as he continued to read through the posts, he couldn't shake off the memories of his past relationship with YN.

Sunghoon felt a mixture of nostalgia and discomfort as he came across fan-made edits and speculative theories about his current relationship status with YN. Despite their amicable breakup and professional rapport as co-hosts, Sunghoon couldn't deny the complexity of their history together.

Taking a deep breath, Sunghoon closed the Weverse app, feeling grateful for the support of his fans but also recognizing the need to set boundaries when it came to personal matters. He knew that while the shipping was all in good fun for fans, his real-life relationships were more nuanced and deserving of privacy.

But for some reason, he decided to do something. Maybe he shouldn't but he does anyway. Holding his phone and looking into his contacts until he finds your number, the contact's name still the same as when you guys were dating. Hoping you did not change your number; he sends you a text. "Seems like our fans want us together."

You don't see the text only after a few days, you're sitting on your bed, scrolling through your phone after a long day of rehearsals. As you open the messaging app, a familiar name pops up: Sunghoon.

Your heart skips a beat as you read the message, feeling a mixture of surprise and curiosity. It's been a while since you last heard from him, and the timing couldn't be more unexpected.

You stare at the screen for a moment, processing his words. The mention of your fans shipping you together brings a flood of memories rushing back—memories of late-night conversations, stolen glances, and shared dreams. Despite the breakup, a part of you still holds onto the connection you once shared with Sunghoon. But you also know that revisiting the past could reopen old wounds and complicate things further.

Taking a deep breath, you type out a response, careful to keep your emotions in check. "Yeah, it seems that way. But we both know our relationship is more complicated than fan speculation," you reply, adding a smiley face to lighten the mood. As you hit send, you can't help but wonder what Sunghoon's intentions are behind reaching out. Is he just reminiscing about the past, or is he hinting at something more? Only time will tell.

Unfortunately, the next day you have to see him again at Music Bank to film another episode. When you get there with a nervous heart, it gets worse as you meet your manager with Sunghoon in the room already. "You're going to be filming a TikTok challenge with Sunghoon." Following orders, after filming the show's interview and awarding, you two were practicing for three TikTok videos. One for his song, your song, and a random trendy challenge with a song that had a repetitive chaconne composition.

And obviously those three videos blew up, and there was more posts and comments seen and to be read by you and Sunghoon.

"OMG, did you guys see the TikTok videos with YN and Sunghoon from Music Bank? Can we please get more collaborations like this in the future?" "They make such a cute pair, and you can tell they have so much fun dancing together. Low-key shipping it 😍 #SungYN" "The TikTok videos with YN and Sunghoon are giving me life!"

As the ENHYPEN members piled into the van after a long day of filming, Sunghoon couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. The intense schedule had left him exhausted.

As the van pulled away from the studio, the atmosphere inside the vehicle quickly shifted from exhaustion to playful banter. "Hey Sunghoon, did you have fun filming those TikToks with YN?" Jake asked with a mischievous grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Sunghoon felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as all eyes turned to him, knowing full well where this conversation was headed. "Yeah, it was fun," Sunghoon replied, trying to keep his tone casual despite the butterflies in his stomach. "Fun, huh? I bet it was more than just fun," Sunoo chimed in, winking at Sunghoon from across the van. "I mean, you two looked pretty cozy in those videos."

Sunghoon couldn't help but roll his eyes at his members' relentless teasing, knowing there was no escaping their playful banter. "Come on, guys, it was just work," Sunghoon protested, though a part of him couldn't deny the truth behind their words. "Sure, sure, just work," Ni-ki chimed in with a smirk, earning a chorus of laughter from the rest of the group.

As the van hummed along the road, Jay leaned forward from the back seat, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Hey Sunghoon, did you and YN have to practice those TikTok dances in front of a mirror for hours to get them just right?" Jay teased, unable to resist poking fun at his friend.

Sunghoon let out an exasperated sigh, knowing he was in for more teasing from his fellow members. "Actually, we did," Sunghoon replied with a smirk. "But only because YN kept forgetting the steps."

Jungwon chuckled from the passenger seat, unable to contain his laughter at the banter unfolding in the van. "Ouch, Sunghoon's got jokes!" Jungwon exclaimed, earning a round of laughter from the rest of the group.

As the van rumbled along the road, Heeseung couldn't resist adding his own playful jab into the mix. "Hey Sunghoon, do you think all this work with YN means you two are getting back together?" Heeseung teased, a mischievous glint in his eye. Sunghoon's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the suggestion, but a small part of him couldn't help but entertain the thought.

"Come on, Heeseung, don't be ridiculous," Sunghoon replied, attempting to feign indifference, though his heart raced with excitement at the possibility. "Hey, you never know," Heeseung countered with a grin. "Stranger things have happened."

Sunghoon chuckled nervously, trying to play off Heeseung's teasing as mere jest, but deep down, he couldn't shake the hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for him and YN to reconcile.

As the conversation shifted to lighter topics, Sunghoon couldn't help but steal glances out the window, lost in thoughts of what the future might hold for him and his former flame.

You thought you paid all the bills life gave you, but here you were in an interview and or variety show with your group and Enhypen. Was this karma from something you did in your past life? Cause the directors, staff, and managers knew what they were doing when they sat you next to Sunghoon. Although, despite it all, filming was going great, and it was like everyone was having fun. That was until it came to the sit-down interview portion and for some God forsaken reason, the interview had to ask romance questions. "Sunghoon, if you had a girlfriend, what would be her contact's name in your phone?" He laughs it off and as he says, 'One and Only', you try your best to keep your composure and keep a straight face. Sunghoon also tries his best to not look at you and your reaction as he casually said the name he has saved on his phone for your number.

It felt like you were going to be a criminal if you still were in love with your ex. Unfortunately, everything was working against your favor. "YN, if you were to compare a relationship to a flower, what would that be?" No thinking was required because before you could answer, Sunghoon was answering for you. "A blossom" Everyone's eyes were now on you and Sunghoon, his eyes just as wide as everyone else's. "How did you know what?" the interviewer and host asked. Saving his ass, you had to make up a lie how since you two have been spending a lot of time together, working; you two just happened to talk about certain things like that.

But deep down you knew, certain people can see through your bluff. Shipping and speculation would just go more haywire and insane. After the variety show segment aired, fans took to social media to share their reactions to the tension-filled interview between YN and Sunghoon.

"OMG, did you guys see that interview with YN and Sunghoon? Talk about awkward! You could cut the tension with a knife when they asked about romance." "I can't believe they asked Sunghoon about his ideal girlfriend's contact name! And YN's reaction when he answered 'One and Only' was priceless. It's like they were trying to torture us with the shipping feels! 🤣" "I swear, that interview with YN and Sunghoon was straight out of a K-drama. The tension, the chemistry, the unresolved feelings—it was all there. Can someone please give these two their own rom-com already? #SungYN" "I'm convinced that interview with YN and Sunghoon was orchestrated by the universe to torture us SungYN shippers."

Let's just say you both did not get out of that situation without some angry words from your managers. At this point you were happy you were just a mortal, meaning you'll die and forget these things ever happened. But that didn't comfort you that until death, you'll have to deal with Park Sunghoon.

Back to the present. Good thing, now in 2024; you both were no longer MCs for music bank. Although, that did not stop the shipping and speculation since you two were still seen together often due to being under the same company. Recently you've been under fire for a solo song you have posted, and fans are thinking about the lyrics on how it's about a sad relationship break up. "Maybe if you guys can say you dated, I feel like they won't be mad, they love you both together" you member hands you back the phone showing news articles of your recent song. Which was somewhat true since any interaction you had with Sunghoon was like sweet venom for them.

But in a perfect world, there would only be nice and loving comments. Unfortunately, for you, you were still the monster starring in other people's stories. Blinded by the unspoken truth to their theories and rumors, they lean towards hating on you for even being around Sunghoon.

As you walked into the cafe section of the entertainment company, you scanned the room for an empty table, their heart skipped a beat when they spotted Sunghoon sitting alone at a table by the window.

With a deep breath, you made your way over to Sunghoon's table, their heart racing with anticipation. Sunghoon looked up as they approached, a surprised smile spreading across his face. You greeted softly, voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey," Sunghoon replied, his eyes twinkling with warmth. "Fancy seeing you here." you couldn't help but chuckle nervously at the serendipity of their encounter, feeling a rush of emotions bubbling up inside them.

"Mind if I join you?" gesturing to the empty chair across from Sunghoon.

"Of course not," Sunghoon replied, sliding over to make room. "It's been a while since we've had a chance to catch up."

Settled into your seat, you couldn't help but notice the easy familiarity that still lingered between you and him. Despite the years that had passed since their breakup, it was as if no time had passed at all.

"So, how have you been?" Sunghoon asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "I've been good, busy with work and life," you replied, their voice tinged with a hint of wistfulness. "And you?"

Sunghoon nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I've been keeping busy too. Lots of projects and schedules to juggle."

As you guys talked, the conversation flowed effortlessly, each word feeling like a natural continuation of the one before. You two laughed, reminisced, and shared stories of their lives since you both had last seen each other.

And then, in a moment of vulnerability, you couldn't help but speak the words that had been weighing on your heart for so long.

"You know, despite everything that happened between us, I've always treasured the memories we shared," You confessed, voice barely above a whisper.

Sunghoon's gaze softened, his eyes locking with yours in a silent understanding. "I feel the same way," Sunghoon replied, his voice filled with sincerity. "No matter where life takes us, you'll always hold a special place in my heart."

Bathed in the warm glow of the cafe, you couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over you. Despite the ups and downs of the relationship, both of you knew that some connections were simply meant to endure, no matter what.

In another part of the entertainment company, the other boys were huddled together, their heads close as they plotted their mischievous scheme.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Jay began, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "We're going to have Jake fake confess to YN while Sunghoon is nearby. We want to see if he'll get jealous or if he still has feelings for YN."

Jungwon raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Isn't that a little mean? What if it backfires?"

But Heeseung grinned mischievously. "Trust me, it'll be fine. Besides, it'll be fun to see how Sunghoon reacts."

Jake chuckled nervously, feeling the weight of their plan sinking in. "Wait, you want me to fake confess to YN? What if it gets awkward?"

"Don't worry, Jake, you got this," Sunoo reassured him, patting him on the back. "Just think of it as a performance, like we do on stage."

With their plan set in motion, the boys exchanged knowing looks, their excitement building as they anticipated the drama that was about to unfold. As the clock ticked closer to the designated time, the boys couldn't contain their excitement. They watched eagerly as you and Sunghoon at the cafe, unknowingly walking straight into the trap they had set.

"Okay, everyone remember their roles," Jay whispered, his eyes darting between his bandmates. "We need to make this as convincing as possible." As YN and Sunghoon settled into their seats, Jake took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task ahead. With a nervous glance at his bandmates, he approached YN's table, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Hey, YN," Jake began, his voice slightly shaky. "I, uh, I wanted to tell you something."

You looked up, surprise etched on their face as you turned to face Jake. "What is it, Jake?"

Taking a deep breath, Jake launched into his carefully rehearsed confession, his words tumbling out in a rush.

"I've, uh, I've had feelings for you for a while now," Jake confessed, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "And I couldn't keep it in any longer. I just had to tell you."

Eyes widened in shock, mouth falling open in disbelief. Beside you, Sunghoon watched with a mixture of confusion and concern, his eyes darting between Jake and you.

Before you could respond, Sunghoon stood up abruptly, his expression unreadable as he stormed out of the cafe, leaving you and Jake stunned in his wake. The boys exchanged nervous glances, realizing that their plan had taken an unexpected turn.

As Sunghoon stormed out of the cafe, you sat there in shock, trying to process what had just happened. Jake, on the other hand, was left feeling guilty and unsure of how to proceed.

"I… I'm sorry, YN," Jake stammered, his voice filled with regret. "I didn't mean to upset you or Sunghoon. It was just a silly idea we had…"

But before Jake could finish his apology, you held up a hand, silencing him. "It's okay, Jake," said softly, eyes clouded with uncertainty. With that, you got up from the table and hurried after Sunghoon.

"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked," Jay commented, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, but did you see the look on Sunghoon's face? He was not happy," Jungwon added, shaking his head.

Jake, feeling a pang of guilt, couldn't help but speak up. "Guys, that was a stupid idea. I shouldn't have gone through with it."

Sunoo placed a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, Jake. We were all in on it. Besides, we didn't expect Sunghoon to storm out like that."

"Yeah, well, now we know not to mess with people's feelings," Heeseung chimed in, his tone serious.

Jay couldn't resist a teasing jab. "Looks like Jake's love confession didn't go as planned. Maybe he needs some tips from Sunghoon on how to win someone over."

Meanwhile, Sunghoon had made his way to a secluded spot outside the building, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions. He couldn't believe what had just happened, and a part of him couldn't shake the feeling that maybe there was still something between him and you.

Lost in his thoughts, Sunghoon didn't notice you approaching until you were standing right in front of him.

"Sunghoon, I…" you began, voice trailing off as you struggled to find the right words.

Sunghoon looked up, his eyes meeting yours, and in that moment, all the walls he had built around his heart came crashing down. Without a word, he pulled you into a tight embrace, holding you close as if afraid to let go.

"I'm sorry, YN," Sunghoon whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I never stopped caring about you… I just didn't know how to show it." As you two stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the rest of the world faded away, leaving only the two of them and the promise of a new beginning.

The car ride home was awkward as hell, best believe Sunghoon told them off. The atmosphere was thick with tension. Sunghoon's usually cheerful demeanor had been replaced with a steely resolve, and the rest of the boys could sense his frustration brewing beneath the surface.

For a while, the van was filled with awkward silence as everyone avoided eye contact, knowing that Sunghoon was seething with anger. But eventually, Sunghoon couldn't contain his frustration any longer.

"Seriously, guys? What were you thinking?" Sunghoon's voice was laced with barely concealed anger as he addressed his bandmates.

"We were just trying to have some fun," Jay attempted to defend their actions, but Sunghoon wasn't having any of it.

"Fun? That why I'm the leader of 02z and you're not, that was not fun, Jay. That was incredibly immature and disrespectful," Sunghoon snapped, his frustration boiling over.

The rest of the boys exchanged nervous glances, realizing that Sunghoon was not going to let them off the hook easily.

"I can't believe you would pull a stunt like that, especially involving YN," Sunghoon continued, his voice growing colder with each word. The guilt weighed heavily on the boys as they listened to Sunghoon's scolding, knowing that they had overstepped their boundaries and hurt their friend in the process.

As the van continued on its journey home, the silence that filled the air was deafening, each member lost in their own thoughts of regret and remorse. It was a harsh lesson learned, but one that would ultimately strengthen their bond as a group.

As the tension in the van reached its peak, Heeseung could sense the heavy atmosphere weighing on everyone's shoulders. Wanting to break the tension and lighten the mood, he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Well, that was certainly an eventful day, huh?" Heeseung said with a wry smile, attempting to inject some levity into the situation.

The rest of the boys glanced at Heeseung, grateful for the attempt to ease the tension. Sunghoon's expression softened slightly as he turned to look at Heeseung, curious to see what he had to say.

"Who knew our little prank would turn into a full-blown drama?" Heeseung continued, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I guess you could say we really know how to make an entrance."

Despite himself, Sunghoon couldn't help but chuckle at Heeseung's joke, the tension in his shoulders melting away as laughter bubbled up from deep within him. The rest of the boys joined in, the sound of their laughter filling the van and washing away the lingering awkwardness.

Settled into their dorm, the tension from earlier in the day had dissipated, replaced by a sense of camaraderie and warmth. They lounged around the living room, chatting and laughing as they decompressed from the events of the day.

Jake, always one to dive headfirst into conversations, couldn't resist bringing up the topic that had been lingering in the air since their encounter with YN and Sunghoon.

"So, Sunghoon, how did things go with YN earlier?" Jake asked casually, though his eyes twinkled with mischief.

Sunghoon rolled his eyes at Jake's persistence but couldn't help but smile at the genuine curiosity in his friend's voice.

"It was… interesting," Sunghoon replied, choosing his words carefully. "We talked things out and cleared the air, I guess."

Jay perked up at Sunghoon's response, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Ooh, does that mean there's a chance for a SunYN comeback?"

The rest of the boys chuckled at Jay's teasing, knowing full well the speculation and shipping that would inevitably follow their every move.

Sunghoon shook his head, though a small smile played at his lips. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, guys. We're just friends now."

But deep down, Sunghoon couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for something more. As Sunghoon's phone buzzed with a new message, he couldn't help but smile when he saw that it was from you. With a quick glance around the room to make sure the other boys weren't paying attention, he opened the message.

"Hey, just wanted to make sure everything is okay after your argument with the boys. Did you manage to keep the dorm intact? 😜"

Sunghoon chuckled at your playful tone, with a few quick taps on his phone, he composed a reply.

"Hey, everything's fine. No fires, I promise 😂 Thanks for checking in though, it means a lot. Let's catch up soon?"

With a sense of warmth spreading through him, Sunghoon hit send, feeling grateful for the unexpected but welcome connection he shared with YN. As he tucked his phone away, he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of rekindling their friendship, and maybe even something more.

Now we are at the point where there is no need to hide away from Sunghoon in the hallways and rooms of the company. Things seemed like they were looking up and everything is naturally easing into place.

As you step into the elevator, you're surprised to find Sunghoon already inside, holding a beautiful bouquet of orange flowers in his hands. Your eyes light up at the sight of them, but you can't help but tease him.

"Wow, Sunghoon, are those for me?" you ask, a playful grin tugging at the corners of your lips.

Sunghoon meets your gaze with a confident smile, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Actually, yes, they are."

Your heart skips a beat at his response, but you try to play it cool as you accept the bouquet from him.

"Well, thank you, but you didn't have to," you reply, trying to mask the fluttering feeling in your chest.

As the elevator begins its ascent, Sunghoon clears his throat, his expression turning serious.

"YN, I wanted to talk to you about something," Sunghoon begins, his voice soft but determined.

You turn to face him, curiosity piqued by the sudden change in tone.

"What is it, Sunghoon?" you ask, your heart pounding in anticipation.

Sunghoon takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what he's about to say.

"I know we've been through a lot, and I understand if you're hesitant," Sunghoon starts, his gaze unwavering as he speaks. "But I can't shake the feeling that maybe we're meant to give this another shot. I still care about you, YN, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work this time."

You feel a surge of emotion welling up inside you at Sunghoon's heartfelt words, but you can't help but voice your concerns.

"Sunghoon, I… I want to believe that too, but what if history repeats itself?" you admit, your voice wavering with uncertainty. "What if we end up sneaking around again, only to get caught and have our hearts broken all over again?"

Sunghoon reaches out to gently cup your face in his hands, his touch sending shivers down your spine.

"I won't let that happen, YN," Sunghoon says firmly, his eyes locking with yours in a silent vow. "We've both grown and learned from our past mistakes. This time, we'll face whatever challenges come our way together, as a team."

As the elevator reaches its destination, you find yourself lost in Sunghoon's gaze, feeling a glimmer of hope blossoming in your heart. With a nod, you take his hand in yours, silently agreeing to give love another chance, knowing that this time, it just might be different.

As months passed, your relationship with Sunghoon secretly blossomed beautifully. You found comfort and joy in each other's company, navigating the highs and lows of life together with newfound confidence and trust. Despite the occasional challenges, your love for each other only grew stronger with each passing day.

One evening, you found yourselves attending an award show together, surrounded by the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. His eyes lit up with anticipation as the lights dimmed and the stage came alive with a dazzling display of lights and music. And when your turn to perform finally came, fans in the crowd could see the pride and admiration shining in Sunghoon's eyes as he watched you take the stage, giving it your all with every dance move and note sung.

As the night progressed, fans shared their excitement over the award show, particularly Sunghoon's enthusiastic support for YN's performance. Fancams of Sunghoon's delighted reactions began circulating online, sending waves of joy and admiration through the fandom.

"OMG, did you guys see Sunghoon's reaction during YN's performance? He was literally glowing with pride and excitement! 😍" "I love how Sunghoon can't contain his happiness while watching YN perform. It's so refreshing to see idols supporting each other like this! 🥺" "Sunghoon's smile during YN's performance is giving me life! Who knew idols could be so openly supportive of each other? This is the kind of energy we need in the industry! 💖"

As the award show continued, fans were quick to notice YN's undeniable affection and admiration for Sunghoon as he took the stage to perform. Fancams capturing YN's reactions to Sunghoon's performance began to circulate on social media, sparking a frenzy of excitement and adoration among fans.

"OMG, YN's love eyes for Sunghoon during his performance are everything! I can't handle the cuteness! 😍" "YN is all of us watching Sunghoon's performance. The way they can't take their eyes off him is the ultimate ship confirmation! 🚢 #SungYN" "I swear, YN's smile during Sunghoon's performance could light up the entire room. It's the most precious thing ever! 💕"

Even when it came to each other's live streams, they would be filled with the other's name. As you settled in for a cozy livestream session on Weverse, chatting with your fans and sharing updates about your day, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement bubbling up inside you. The familiar hum of the chat box filled your screen, the messages from your fans scrolling by in a flurry of emojis and enthusiastic comments.

But as you read through the comments, one in particular caught your eye. "Did you see Sunghoon's latest Instagram post? You guys would make such a cute couple! 😉"

Without thinking, you read the comment out loud, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment as you realized your mistake. But before you could backtrack, the chat exploded with questions and speculations about your relationship with Sunghoon.

"Wait, are YN and Sunghoon dating?!" "OMG, my SunYN heart is screaming right now! 😱💕" "Please tell us if you're dating! We need to know!"

As the questions continued to pour in, you felt a knot forming in your stomach. You hadn't intended to spark rumors or speculation about your relationship with Sunghoon, but now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no going back.

With a nervous laugh, you tried to deflect the questions, but the curiosity of your fans was relentless.

"I… um… we're just friends," you stammered, your voice barely above a whisper. "Nothing more."

As you struggled to address the flood of questions and speculations from your fans about your relationship with Sunghoon, a familiar notification popped up on your phone screen. With a quick glance, you saw that it was a text from Sunghoon.

Curious, you opened the message, your heart fluttering with anticipation. "Having fun with your livestream, YN? 😜"

A soft chuckle escaped your lips as you read Sunghoon's teasing words, you didn't realize that your reaction had sparked even more curiosity among your fans. Before you knew it, the chat was flooded with messages from eager fans, all desperate to know who had sent you a text.

"Omg, who was that? spill the tea, YN!" "Was that Sunghoon? Are you guys texting each other right now?!" "Tell us who's texting you, we won't stop until we find out!"

As the messages continued to pour in, you couldn't help but laugh at the frenzy your fans had whipped themselves into. It was both amusing and overwhelming to see their excitement over something as simple as a text message.

With a mischievous twinkle in your eye, you decided to tease your fans a little more. "Hmm, I wonder who it could be? You'll just have to keep guessing 😉"

It was a funny little game you and Sunghoon liked to play with your fans.

"Sunghoon, did you see YN's livestream? Are you guys dating?!" "Tell us the truth, Sunghoon! Are you and YN secretly in love?!"

Sunghoon couldn't help but laugh at the barrage of questions, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the sudden onslaught of attention. But he knew he had to address the elephant in the room.

"Alright, alright, calm down everyone," Sunghoon said with a chuckle, trying to regain control of the chat. Sunghoon did his best to answer their questions with a mix of humor and sincerity, knowing that his fans were simply curious and excited to be interacting with him.

"Hey, Sunghoon," Jungwon began tentatively, drawing Sunghoon's attention away from the game he was playing on his phone. "I've been thinking… do you ever worry about accidentally revealing your relationship with YN?"

Sunghoon furrowed his brow in confusion, his mind racing as he processed Jungwon's question. He hadn't given much thought to the possibility of accidentally revealing his relationship with YN, but now that Jungwon had brought it up, he couldn't deny that the idea made him uneasy.

Jay, who had been listening in on the conversation, chimed in with a concerned expression. "I mean, it's not like we're just worried about our careers or anything. We just don't want anything to happen to you and YN because of a slip-up, you know?"

Jungwon nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with genuine concern for his friend. "Exactly. We just want to make sure you guys are okay."

With a contented sigh, YN snuggled closer to Sunghoon, resting her head on his shoulder as they gazed out at the breathtaking view. In that moment, surrounded by the beauty of the city and the warmth of each other's presence, they felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over them.

Sunghoon couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arm around YN, pulling her close and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. In that simple gesture, he conveyed all the love and affection he felt for her, the depth of his feelings shining brightly in his eyes.

YN glanced up at Sunghoon, her heart swelling with love as she returned his smile with one of her own. In that quiet moment, as they watched the world pass by below, they knew that they were exactly where they were meant to be: in each other's arms, surrounded by love, and ready to face whatever the future held, together.

#enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen au #engene #enha #enhypen x reader #sunghoon #park sunghoon #sunghoon au #sunghoon x reader #sunghoon fluff #sunghoon enhypen #sunghoon imagines

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hiraethwa · 2 months

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one summer day

06 saturn ii. where ushijima’s words take you by surprise.

<< 05 saturn i. | >> 07 sun and moon. | << the collection >>

pairing: ushijima wakatoshi x reader a/n: i am back from my trip now, i will be posting more regularly again, thank you for staying! i loved reading the tags on your reblogs of one summer day, they make my heart go WAHHH! my inbox is always open if you want to chat <3 - ave word count: 1.5k warnings: angst, childhood trauma, parental neglect/verbal abuse, past death of a family member

april, second year

“you don’t have to be the person in your house with me.”

since he stayed with you that night, there has been a medley of conflicting feelings swirling in you. you had felt embarrassed in the morning, but also relieved for his presence. and this burning shame in your chest whenever you see him and his eyes seem to ask, are you alright?

you could tell he wants to ask so many questions, but he is holding himself back, waiting for you to tell him yourself. worst of all, you wanted to tell him, consequences be damned. but you were afraid he would see you differently. you don’t think you could bear the person who’s seen you at your worst decide you were not worth his time. but if you wait any longer, perhaps he would decide that anyway.

“what i mean is, you can be yourself around me, always.” you know that. deep down, you feel it.

“ushijima–” you start, staring down at your shoes, thinking about how to explain that day to him without trauma dumping on him.

he corrects you, “wakatoshi”

your cheeks color, testing the way his name rolls off your tongue, “wakatoshi… i owe you an explanation…”

you decide it is easier to start from the day everything changed. so you tell him what you haven’t been able to tell any of your friends since that day eight years ago. about your sister, akiko’s death anniversary. that she passed away in an accident, and that it was your fault for leaving her outside the house when your mother tasked you to look after her. that even though eight year old you went in to get some water for the both of you playing outside, it was still your fault. that she had ran out after a stray cat and did not see the car coming. that it was your fault.

“am i a terrible person?”

and then you hold your breath, knowing there is a possibility that he would have that accusing look in his warm brown eyes. beautiful with tiny flecks of greens and golds. you think those are your favorite features of him. and fuck, it would hurt like hell if that is the way he looks at you from now on. but you had taken a leap of faith, all you can do is hope for the best. hope that the feeling in your gut is not wrong.

“and your parents, why weren’t they around?” for their daughter’s death anniversary goes unspoken. of all the questions he could have asked, he sure did pick the most difficult one, you thought.

“let’s just say we all cope in our own ways. akiko’s death… it changed our family for the worse. my father threw himself into work to forget about it… my mother… her grief made her meaner, colder, it changed her.”

he gives you a concerned look, causing you to hurriedly explain that your mother is not abusive. “she’s just different than the mother i had when akiko was still here. she cared less about us, her words became sharp, like knives designed to hurt, especially when it comes to me, but she never laid a hand on us. i think her grief morphed into anger, and she never stopped blaming me for that day.”

“it isn’t your fault, you know that, right?” he grabs your wrist, turning you around to look at him.

your next words comes out in a whisper. “i know, but if i hadn’t left her, akiko would still be here. if i had done what i was supposed to, my parents wouldn’t have lost their daughter, and we could have been happy,” your voice cracks.

“you were a child. it wasn’t your fault. do you understand?” his strong grip on your shoulders forces you to look into his eyes. there was no judgement in them. no accusing look, no blame, only resolution. and they made you feel safe. “you cannot be blamed for your parent’s decisions, and it was their responsibility to look after their children’s well-being, not an eight year old child. your only duty was to grow up.”

an unidentifiable feeling overwhelms you, welling up tears in your eyes. what is it about me and crying in front of ushijima? you had been fine, just fine before he came along and messed up your coping system. every year before this on that day, you wouldn’t even cry, believing that all your tears had been spent when you were eight. that all you could do is feel empty and sad and self-destructive on that day while lying in your bed, staring at the ceiling until the sun comes up.

oh gods, you were eight, and you had believed that it was your fault your family lost a sister, a daughter, and your mother let you believe it. she never let you forget it. all the hurtful words hurled at you. all the pain you swallowed and carefully locked away in a box.

your home stopped being a home that day.

home should feel safe. home should be a place you long to be after a long day, not somewhere you dreaded. home should feel like a warm blanket on cold winter days, not a house that is a place to eat and sleep. home should feel safe. but it doesn’t.

you had known it for a long time. but you had been running away, refusing to face the fact. that maybe if you pretended hard enough, it would all go away. all this heartbreak that you had hidden away would vanish.

“i don’t think my mother fully forgave me for it. i don’t think she forgave herself either.” but you were only a child. and all you wanted was her love, and approval, and support, and presence in your life.

you look up at the stars shining in the dark sky, wondering if your sister is one of the millions smiling down at you from a far away distance. “she would have been in junior high if she was still here.” you smile sadly at the stars, thinking of the life that she could have had ahead of her. all taken away in one unfortunate moment.

“your sister would want you to be happy, to live for yourself. i think she would find solace in that.”

you turn sharply to look at ushijima. “i–i have been doing my best to survive.”

his voice turns gentle, “but not truly living.”

“have you spoken to anyone about this?” he inquires, though you think he knows the answer.

you clench your fists, looking away, a rising feeling in your chest that you identify as discomfort. oh, he is safe, but he is not afraid to tell you the truth, no matter how much it hurts. “you’re the first.”

no one would understand anyway. not your parents, if they even cared enough to listen to you. not your brother, who had pushed you to open up, he lost his sister that night too.

“then you no longer carry the burden by your lonesome. live, y/n, for you and your sister.”

live. he says it like it is so easy. as if living in that house doesn’t make you gasp for breath. if only your house did not also feel like your prison. if only being alive when your sister no longer breathes does not feel like a sin. as if everyday does not feel like being trapped in the past.

and then with excruciating realization, you admit it. “i don’t know how.”

the recognition leaves your head spinning, and you seek the comfort that you had felt in his arms. looping your arms around his torso, you bury your head into his chest. how do i do this how do i do this how do–

“you take it day by day. one foot in front of you at a time. and you keep looking forward.” he tilts your chin up, searching your eyes. “i will be right next to you.” he promises.

“don’t say things you don’t mean.” please don’t make promises you can’t keep.

“y/n, i only say things i mean.” you hope he sees the gratitude in your eyes. you really hope he means it. because you think you can make it, with him by your side. when you’re with ushijima, you can truly breathe. with him by your side, you can see a glimpse of your future tonight. maybe not tomorrow, not a month from now, but one day, you could be happy.

akiko, did you send him to me? thank you. i love you. i miss you. i miss you so much. but i think i need to learn to let you go now.

reblogs and comments are appreciated!

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dragonwritersblog · 5 months

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Royally Screwed!

Prince Jax of the Kingdom of Laphria was…well, he was a jackass. He kept pranking the servants, threw the wildest parties within the castle and always kept trying to run away from his duties. King Kaleb and his wise Queen Quinn were at their limit, hoping for something to turn their son’s head around. Their prayers were answered when a traveling circus visits the kingdom, including a talented jester named Pomni. Jax’s breath was taken the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew that no matter what, he had to have her. It would be a lot easier though if she didn’t hate his guts.

Read on AO3

1/2/3/4/5

we have a new fic!!! this might not be part 2 of 5+1 but think of this as a little treat until that comes out in the new year. truth be told, this au already had a life of its own before I started writing, artiesrump on twitter came up with the idea on one of their posts and then allhailthequeenuwu continued with making some awesome concept art for it. one thing led to another and I started planning this out during writing the last chapter of 5+1 and here's the first chapter! I really hope you guys enjoy this cause this au is gonna be a lot of fun!

Nothing You Can Take From Me

The kingdom of Laphria.

It was a place of peace and prosperity. Home to beautiful rolling fields and meadows, a sanctuary to its residents and weary travellers and cherished each time the sun and moon would rise, for it was the sign that another beautiful day was upon them. This land was ruled none other than the beloved King Kaleb and his wife Queen Quinn. A couple with the kindest hearts that anyone had ever seen, and I love so strong that it could be seen from oceans away.

Truly, Laphria was perfect…apart from-

“That’s it! I’ve had it!”

The bedroom door of the king and queen’s bedroom slammed open, with the two-chess piece’s rubbing sleep from their bleary eyes as a maid with rubber skin and pink hair stormed in, covered from head to toe in confetti and leftover pudding.

“Oh dear,” once they king’s eyes were focused, he realised the state that the maid was in, “Another party?”

“Yes!” she snapped as a few other servants came in behind her, all covered in the same mess as she was. “How did he make it worse than the last one?! There were spiders in the chandeliers your majesty. Spiders! What kind of party does the prince need that involves spiders?!”

“Well that’s definitely new,” the queen mumbled, not pleased with this at all. She turned to her husband, “I believe we owe our son a chat darling.”

“Agreed,” he nodded, “That boy needs his head screwed tighter before someone knocks it off if he’s behaving this recklessly.”

They threw their comforters off, with the servants and two stationed guards following behind as the couple trekked to their son’s room.

When they arrived at the prince’s room, they had hoped to find a lazy lump of purple fur within the blankets and sheets of the bed. However it seemed that Prince had different ideas. The sheets were still there, only they were tied together into a rope and thrown out his open window.

“Oh no,” the queen groaned as her husband facepalmed. “Not again.”

From a small distance they could hear the boyish and cheerful whoops of a young man along with the stomping hoofs of a horse running further away from the castle.

“Guards!” the king spoke up, alerting the two next to him. “Gather a search party and go after him, I’ll save the chat for when he gets back.”

“Yes your highness,” the wooden toy soldiers chorused, saluting their king before running off.

The king groaned, “Why did the lord make our son so difficult?”

The air, oh just smell that fresh air! That party last night was the perfect distraction for him to get out of there. And the spiders! That was so much better than the centipede trick he pulled last time! And now he was out of the castle, away from his parents pestering him and the servants eyeing his every move. No lessons, no fencing and best of all, no responsibilities. Just him and his freedom.

He eyed the sun rising from across the field, he had been out for a good few hours, making the guards lose their trail of him was the highlight of his morning. Anyway, now was not the time to think about that. He was free to do anything he wanted right now, what should be the first thing he could do? There was the bakery down the street, he could snatch a few loafs down there. Or maybe he could go the seamstress down the street and see if her daughter wanted to ‘spend some time with him' and maybe buy a new dress for his sweet mother. Wait, no, he had a better idea! The firework shop down the street, those would be perfect to create a little show for everyone! Oh this was going to be perfect!

He took off again, lifting up the hood of his cloak over his head to conceal his identity. Once he arrived in the village, he took his horse into a spare stable and kept him there before making his way to the shop. He was able to sneak in and out thanks to his combat training (and he begrudgingly left a few coins behind because damn his lovely mother and her teachings of morals).

He ran to the village centre, laying the fireworks in an upwards motion before striking a match and running into the nearest alleyway to watch the show go down.

Boom!

The confused and petrified screams of the villagers were nothing but melodies in his ears. He couldn’t hold back his cackles as some ducked for cover at the loud boom, others had dropped their shopping and started sobbing, some even jumped at least ten feet into the air and landed on the rooftops. An obnoxiously loud snicker escaped him when a spare firework failed to soar into the sky like its siblings, instead it chased someone around until he fell to the ground and it smashed into a shop window. Truly, this was the best morning he had in a while.

His fun was ruined however when the familiar sound of clanking armour and huffs of horses made him snap out of his trance. The castle guards were coming, great. And that little light show was definitely a massive help for them to find him. Only Prince Jax of Laphria could pull off a stunt like that. He didn’t want to be caught, not yet anyway. He wanted to have a little bit more fun before going back to his gilded cage. There was a pile of crates and an old market stall with the cover still on top, if he could climb on those and blend into the shadows of the walls, he could be able to hide until the guards leave. Hehe, Jax you are an absolute genius he smugly thought to himself.

And so he did just that, he climbed on the crates, jumped on the old stall and grabbed the edge of the roof while resting his feet on the side of the wall. Hidden within the shadows and from the guards. He was truly too smart for his own good. But just before he could properly pat himself on the back, there was a tiny meow above him.

He looked up, and right next to his hand gripping the roof was a small brown tabby kitten.

Mew

“Uh, hi?” The prince gave him an awkward wave.

Mew!

Jack cringed, that was a little bit too loud. The last thing he needed was to be outed to the guards by a tiny round ball of fluff. “Keep it down, would ya!” he hissed at the kitten, “You’re gonna blow my cover!”

The kitten tilted his small head, turning to look at the guards and then back to Jax. The prince sighed in relief when he kept quiet, returning his focus to the soldiers when he felt a tug at his sleeve. He whipped his head back round to see to kitten pulling at the cuff of the fabric with its teeth. “Hey, hey! Quit it!” he tried to shove him away with his free hand, but the feline had a tight grip and refused to let go.

Jax bit his lip, trying to keep an eye of the search party. There was no way he was going to get found out because of a stupid stray cat!

He let out a yelp when he felt a paw swipe at his hand, along with a hint of claws. Now the kitten thought his hand was a toy, and that this little interaction of theirs was now a game. “No, no!” Jax pushed him away again, but the feline just kept coming back with his claws now fully out and leaving little scars on the prince’s hand. “Piss off!”

The kitten pulled back, Jax swore he was literally glaring at him. He gulped when the kitten leaned back on his haunches and wiggled his tail as though he were a little lion hunting his prey. “Don’t you dare,” Jax growled.

…mew

The feline wasn’t put off by the empty threat however, launching himself onto Jax’s hand, biting and scratching as though his hand were nothing more than a scratch post. “AAAHHH YOU LITTLE-” he cried out in pain as he let go the ledge to escape the attack on his fingers, unfortunately that action sent him face first in the pile of crates – which were filled to the brim with grapes, soiling his clothes.

The guards turned at the sudden noise, only to see their prince covered in purple stains and looking as if he emerged from the greatest battle of his life.

Jax lifted himself from the squashed fruit underneath him, cringing as he felt the fruit’s liquid seeped from his clothes and onto his fur. He dramatically groaned when the guards crowded him. “So, did you have fun with your wild goose chase?” he remarked at the soldiers glared at him.

Jax practically stomped throughout the castle as the guards guided him to the throne room, there was no doubt that his parents wanted to have some colourful words with him about the recent stunts he pulled.

The doors of the throne opened, revealing a disgruntled King Kaleb and a disappointed Queen Quinn. Jax winced, he could tell that he was in for an earful.

“You! Young man,” Kaleb got off from his throne and descended down the steps below it, “You are restricted to the castle grounds. Until I give my word, you are forbidden to step one foot out of these walls unless you have my permission.”

“Or what?” Jax rolled his eyes as he plopped onto the last step, slouching in an un-princely manner. “Are you gonna force me to play a metaphorical game of chess and how ‘my attitude is a disgrace to the people of our kingdom and it somehow represents the chess pieces’ of the game and all that other shit.”

“Don’t mock me Jax,” Kaleb grumbled, making his way closer to his son. “You are the crown prince and heir to Laphria, you must treat your role with respect!”

Jax turned suddenly, glaring at his father, “It’s also my life and I should have the freedom to do what I want with it.”

The king was about to say another word, a slight growl leaving his throat before he was stopped by his wife’s voice.

“Kabel, please sit down. The last thing we need is for you to have a stroke.” Quinn stood and made her way towards the two men. “Jax, you were born to privilege and with that comes specific obligations. You are an important figure to our people, one day the crown will go to you. You have to know what it truly means to be leader. But first, you have to accept the responsibility that comes with it, not just as a royal, but as one of your people.”

Jax sighed, he could deal with his father giving him lectures (it was rather funny seeing the old chess piece get riled up), but his mother was an entirely different story. If the rest of the world was cold stone, Quinn was a diamond. His father was a good man, kind and caring to his son while teaching him everything to know about the kingdom’s past present and future, but Quinn was always there to hold him whenever he was sad, help him with a hard lesson when he got to frustrated if he didn’t know the answer, taught him the values of human kindness even if the world kept spitting it back out. Just seeing that look on her face, knowing he did the complete opposite of what she taught him, it felt as though he were carrying the worst plague known to man.

“Forgive me mother, but shouldn’t I be the one to carry out how I choose to live my life than be restricted with what I’m expected to pick and choose?” he stood, facing Quinn. “And have you ever considered that perhaps I’m not worthy to be given the crown?”

“No, I don’t,” Quinn admitted. “A normal person who wasn’t worthy would not be trying so hard to fail.”

Shit. His mother always read him like an open book. “And what are you gonna do to stop me?” he retorted, trying to reel himself back in order to save whatever natural charm he had left.

“I will simply deny you the crown and…um, live forever!” Kaleb declared, his wife shaking her head at his ridiculous outburst.

“Finally,” Jax cheered, clapping his hands. “Thank you father. Now there’s something we can both agree on.”

Kaleb grumbled under his breath as his sudden mistake, letting his pride getting in the way of his logic were incidents that happened on the odd occasion, but it still meant that they did happen despite the rareness of it. Surprise, surprise, it was caused by his son. “You’re dismissed,” Kaleb waved his hand, “Take this time to at least attempt to reflect back on your actions.”

“No can do,” Jax bowed mockingly before the guards came back in to escort him to his room.

Once their son was gone and the doors were shut did Quinn turn back to her husband, “Seriously? Telling our son – who is doing everything in his path to avoid responsibility – that you’re going to not make him king was your best idea?”

“I know, I know,” Kaleb sighed. “Our son has a talent for making me lose my head sometimes. I just…I’m at a loss here Queenie, I don’t know what to do.”

She took his hands in her when he said his nickname for her, a silent calling for help. “Kinger,” She replied with the nickname she had for him in return, “I know how you’re feeling. It’s hard seeing him act like this, but he can only be helped if he allows someone to do so. But I have a feeling that something will strike that boy with realisation soon. He’s a good man and will be a great leader someday. We just need to let him find his sense of self first.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kinger sighed, “I think Jax is making me age faster than I should be.”

Queenie let out a small laugh, “Don’t worry, you’re still that same young man I met by the lake at midnight.”

“I still remember it like it was yesterday,” he said, letting the memory play behind his eyes. “You looked so beautiful, and I kept getting tongue-tied trying to figure out what to say to you.”

“It was adorable though,” she cooed. “Just wait until Jax gets his head turned, that will certainly be fun to watch.”

“Huh, now there’s an interesting thought,” Kinger chuckled. “Our son tripping over his feet over a girl or boy.”

“Perhaps that will knock some sense into him,” Queenie suggested as she rested her head on her husband’s shoulder.

“Only time will tell my dear,” Kinger patted her hand, “Only time will tell.”

Jax slammed his door, throwing back the curtains of his canopy bed before dumping himself face first onto his bed, letting out a load groan into his pillow. He was almost free, almost able to do anything he wanted without fear of consequences. If it wasn’t for that puny little stray he wouldn’t have gotten caught. That’s it, he now deemed cats as the worst animal in the world.

And what his mother said?! ‘Trying too hard to fail?’ Oh please, why couldn’t his parents except that he just wasn’t fit to be king? It would save them all both stress and time. There were plenty of other worthy noble figures in the kingdom, just toss them the crown and everything will be fine! He flipped over in his bed and onto his back, rubbing his hands over his face. He may be stubborn, but he would be damned if he didn’t inherit it from his parents.

He jumped when he heard a faint scratching sound at the doors of his balcony. He turned slowly to see a small blob at the bottom of the door window. He got up from his bed, going over and opened the doors. His stomach sank, sitting right in front of him was the stupid kitten that got him into this mess. “Oh no!” he glared at the tiny feline, “Absolutely not! You can’t come here after backstabbing me like that.”

Mew

The kitten ignored him and pattered inside, roaming around the room and taking in his surroundings. “Hey, get out!” Jax chased after him and picked the cat up by the scruff of his neck. “Don’t walk around as if you own the place!”

Mew

“Oh I get it,” Jax scowled at him, “You think you can act all cute and get whatever you want after what you just did. Well guess what fleabag? That shit won’t work on me.”

Mew

The kitten gently pressed a paw on Jax’s cheek, no claws and no malice. Just a small kitten reaching out for some affection. A lonely tiny creature…scared a hungry…despite how feral it seemed at first, all it really wanted was warmth for another being. Jax shook his head, “Nope! You are not cute,” he pointed his finger to the feline, “You hear me you are not-”

The kitten gave his finger a little lick.

Mew

Jack exhaled slowly, “I’m not gonna win this one, aren’t I?” The kitten purred against his finger, with the rabbit giving him a scratch behind his ears. “Alright fine. If you stay here at least you won’t be terrorising anyone else. I’ll accept ‘responsibility’ or whatever it was mother said. See, I’m able to do that.”

Mew

Jax shifted the kitten, sliding an arm under his chest and held him with his hand. “You’re gonna need a name first. If you’re staying here, the staff is gonna need to know what to call you,” he took a good look at the brown tabby, thinking for a moment what the best name would be for a small little feline like this. “Hhmm. How about…Motley?” The kitten only titled its head in response, “Yup, you look like a Motley.”

Motley let out a meow, purring as the prince scratched behind his ear again. Jax grimaced as he noticed dirt under the kitten’s fur, he must’ve been on the streets for some time if that amount of dirt had built up. “But first, a bath,” he declared, “The last thing we need are your paws trailing mud everywhere. Just be lucky my mother didn’t catch you, the last time I did that was the first time I believed the phrase ‘if looks could kill’ was about to become real.”

Motley went silent at that, seeming as he were choosing not to test if that were true or not with the queen. “Come on,” Jax carried him to the bathroom, “Time for a bath.”

The kitten let out a protesting mewl at that, Jax rolling his eyes. To be fair, he showed some resistance to baths when he was younger as well so he couldn’t fault Motley for that.

He stepped into the marbled bathroom and moved to the porcelain tub, turning on the water and testing the temperature before putting in the plug and plopping Motley down. The kitten was not happy at all with the sudden change, already hissing and clawing at Jax’s hands, trying to get out of the bathtub as the rabbit grimaced at the new scratches.

Yup, cats were just delightful.

Despite the gruelling process, he finally managed to get Motley clean. The kitten was glaring at him the whole time he was getting dried off. Honestly, Jax felt a little smug about it. Revenge for selling me out you little shit.

Although, there was something quite heartwarming about all of this once the kitten was dry. He lay on the mattress, nuzzling the soft blankets underneath him as he though it were the first time he rested on a bed. Fully trusting someone with his safety after a life on the streets.

Jax felt a smile on his lips, before shaking it off and picked up Motley under his chest again, “Come on. You can sleep later, let’s get some food in you first before my parents send the cavalry to my room just so I get to dinner.”

Mew

Motley seemed to like the sound of that, climbing up Jax’s arms and curled himself around the prince’s neck, with the rabbit automatically giving his head a scratch. “Yeah, yeah. Little attention whore.”

The cat didn’t seem to take notice of the prince’s comment, rubbing his face against the prince’s cheek (Jax was desperately trying not to coo at the adorableness of it all).

He made his way down the halls, not caring for the servants who stared at the new little creature round his shoulders. All he wanted was food and then sleep, maybe plan another escape plan if he had the energy for it. Finally, he made it to the dining room, his parents already waiting for him while chatting excitedly in hushed voices.

Now that intrigued Jax, not by much but still, “What are you two going on about?”

His parents turned at the sound of his voice, suddenly gawking at him as though he had grown a third head. “Uh…Jax?” Queenie spoke.

“What?” Jax placed a hand on his hip.

Kinger raised a finger to the feline, “Who is…um, your friend?”

Jax switched his gaze to Motley, the kitten staring at the two monarchs with wide eyes, “Oh him? This is Motley, he’s the worst thing in the world but I guess he’s my cat now. You don’t mind if he sticks around, would ya?”

“I-” Queenie was genuinely at a loss for words. Yes Jax had brought back to the castle much odder things – and people – but never once did she expect that he would bring back a kitten. “Well, he does look very sweet.”

“Here,” he lifted the cat off his neck and placed him down in his mother’s lap, “You can take him for a while, I need a minute to get away from the stench of kitten breath.”

The queen was about to say something to Jax, before Motley rubbed his head against her hand, silently requesting for her to pet him. “Oh,” Queenie cooed, unable to resist the small creature’s sweet eyes peering up at her as she ran her fingers down his back, “Well aren’t you adorable.”

“Adorably annoying,” Jax muttered under his breath.

“And yet you still chose to keep him,” Kinger retorted. He didn’t have a mouth, but if he did Jax swore he would definitely be smirking at him right now.

Jax scoffed at his father, pulling up a chair and immediately slumping once he sat down. The chef’s brought in the dishes and lifted up the lids to start serving the royal family their food consisting of mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, freshly baked bread and a whole chicken - along with a little bowl of food for Motley once they heard about the surprise guest. As soon and Jax tucked into his meal, he turned back to his mother, “So, what were you two giggling about before I walked in?”

Queenie perked up at the mention, “I’m so glad you asked! There’s a travelling circus going around and is coming to visit our kingdom! There are lion tamers, tightrope walkers, even a contortionist!”

“Sound the same as every other circus,” Jax muttered as he played with his food.

“Your mother has been really excited for this,” Said Kinger, “Apparently they have a star performer that everyone is obsessed with.”

“Oh please,” Jax stabbed his fork into a carrot, “What could be so special about them that they’ve got everyone tripping over themselves for?”

“Word says that she has a special talent with magic tricks, so good that no one can tell how she pulled it off,” Queenie explained, “That and she has a beautiful singing voice.”

“So she can sing a little and show someone their spade card, so what?” Jax said, “Anyone will put a label on someone to promote something because they know it’s gonna attract an audience. Like dangling a toy in front of a cat…no offense Motley.”

Mew

“Regardless,” Queenie sighed, “As the royal family, we’ve agreed to watch them on opening night when they arrive. And you’re coming to Jax, no exceptions.”

“You’re kidding?” Jax groaned, slamming his fork onto his plate at his mother’s words.

“Please Jax,” Queenie’s eyes softened towards him, “I understand the apprehension, but this is something that I really want to do with us all together. Not just as an expectation of us as royals to see an event, but to spend time as a family to see a fun show. Please sweetheart, for me?”

Jax’s heart twisted at the look on his mother’s face. He sighed, he didn’t like putting on all this stress for his parents, for his mother took it harder the most. She saw so much good in him, so much faith in him in both as a prince and son. His father still expected more from him, but his mother – no matter how many times he was an absolute prick to her – always saw the best in Jax, somehow knowing that deep down there was that light that needed to be reached. It was annoying…but that was what he loved about his mother. He should at least to this for her, she’s been through enough as it was.

“Fine,” Jax sighed, picking up his cutlery today, “For you mother. But I’m bringing Motley too, he has to suffer with me.”

Mew

“I think I would enjoy his company very much,” Queenie nodded, petting the kitten, “After all, he’s part of the family now.”

“Oh, great,” Jax muttered, sipping some water.

“You’re the one who brought him home,” Kinger teased in a sing-song voice.

The prince scowled, muttering, “Shut up Dad.”

The theatre was packed. Anyone who was anyone in the kingdom had all been invited to see the travelling circus, but more so, they were curious about the star performer that no one could stop talking about. The whole theatre was built as a circle, for the audience to watch while a door on the far side of the circular ring was connected to what people theorised to be the tent.

The royal family had a special booth reserved only for them to oversee the show from the best angle, wearing their best attire and crowns. Jax slouched in his chair, ignoring his father’s bickering for him to sit up. He really didn’t want to be here, but his mother looked so excited. At least he brought Motley so that he was forced to indulge in the prince’s misery. Although he wouldn’t bet on the cat being that upset, after all he was well fed, groomed and sat on Jax’s lap to watch an amazing show.

“You’ll see Jax,” Queenie whispered to him amongst the chatter, “There’s gonna be something in this show that’ll leave you breathless.”

“If that happens, I’ll eat my crown,” he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kinger retorted, stifling his laughter at Jax’s annoyed expression.

The lights dimmed, spotlight centring the stage as the crowds went silent. Jax scoffed, everyone got excited way too easily over a room doing dark. He ran his hand over Motley’s head, the kitten’s eyes entranced by the bright colours. Honestly he should have expected it from him, he was a cat after all, you could swing a necklace in front of him and he would think it was the best thing in the world.

The drums rolled, and from the back of the set-up tent, a clown ran out onto stage. “Welcome one and all to our circus!” he bellowed, the crowd applauding madly in response. Jax clapped slowly in an unimpressed manner while Kinger and Queenie gave out a cheer. “My name is Kaufmo and I will both your ringmaster and clown for this evening! We have a very special line up for all you lovely folks! From lions! To tightropes! And our own special star that I know you’ve all been waiting for!”

The crowd went rapid at that sentence. Jax just scoffed, everyone was such a sheep these days.

“But I won’t keep you waiting any longer, let’s get right to the sho-woah!” Kaufmo suddenly slipped on a conveniently placed banana peel before landing face first into the ground, making the crowd erupt into laughter.

Really? Jax thought to himself, this is what gets people going?

“Oh, sorry ladies and gentlemen,” Kaufmo brushed himself off with a goofy smile, “But I’m sure we can move on from here.” As if timed perfectly, a bucket of water fell on his head, soaking him to the brim.

Jax sighed at the audience overexcitement of the shenanigans. “Everyone knows that this is rehearsed, right?” he whispered to his mother, “This is so cliché!”

“Oh shush,” Queenie waved a hand at him dismissively, “It’s funny Jax. Just have fun.”

Jax feel back into his seat, trying to seek an accomplice in Motley, but he seemed to be as addicted to this as the rest of the crowd.

The clown continued with that as his act, tripping and falling while telling jokes left and right at the same time. Jax found the whole thing pretentious, why was everyone acting like they hadn’t seen a clown before? Were they really that desperate for entertainment?

As soon as he finished with his act, a ragdoll with red hair wandered on stage, waving and smiling sweetly at the audience while carrying a couple of hoops over her shoulder. Kaufmo patted her on the shoulder as she set up the hoops before he went back into the exit of the tent. It seemed that the ragdoll seemed to be caught up with her setting up, for two lions prowled out with her back turned.

The crowd murmured as they stalked closer, sitting back on their haunches, ready to pounce. Everyone’s cries to the Ragdoll fell on deaf ears as she continued to hum and prepare. Suddenly, the lions pounced! The crowd screamed! The ragdoll whipped round, and raised both of her hands, placing it each on the lions’ noses respectively. The audience gasped. She moved, the lions going backwards with her as she led them to the corner of the ring.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out two strips of meat. “Stay,” she commanded, the lions obeying her word.

From the top of the ring, there were jumps set up, each one of them a different height and climbing up like a staircase on each side until meeting at the same height in the middle. Both lions went on each side of the steps, jumping and climbing until they reached the top. With a snap of a finger, the first lion jumped down, standing on all fours in a circle while the second lion jumped on its back, balancing there for a few seconds as the audience applauded.

But it wasn’t over yet, the second lion jumped down and both trotted and separated themselves to the two set up rings respectively. With another snap of her finger, both lions jumped through at the same time. Jax put his elbow on the arm of his throne, resting his cheek in his palm. Woah, animals jumping, so revolutionary. The ragdoll disappeared off stage for a moment, returning with a flaming torch as the audience murmured. Everyone faces dropped once they realised what the flame was for. Without sparing a moment, she lit both the rings on fire.

She snapped her finger, the lions ran, without a moment of hesitation, they jumped.

The crowds held their breathes, some even shutting their eyes out of fear.

Both lions came out unscathed and the fire went out. There was a beat, before the audience cheered and whistled and the ragdoll and lions bowed before going back off stage.

“That was incredible!” Queenie exclaimed, “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it!”

“Imagine the courage one must have for that!” Kinger agreed, “That young woman was fearless!”

Jax shook his head at his parents’ antics, “Oh come on! No one actually believed that they were gonna go on fire! There wouldn’t even be a circus at this point if that happened!”

“Jax, you have to admit that her skills were impressive,” Kinger pointed out.

“You’re just easily amused,” the prince huffed. Motley was kneading Jax’s trousers beneath his paws, copying how the lions kneaded the ground each time before they performed a trick. Jax patted his head, “Sorry to break it to ya buddy, but you’re only gonna be the size of a foot when you’re older. Might as well give up on those lion dreams of yours.”

Mew

Someone new came on, a pink and yellow amalgamation of parts who looked as though they were going to fall apart any minute. Their routine was simple enough, twisting and stretching their limbs in the most unbelievably flexible ways. The audience oo’ed and aa’ed at how far he could take it without even showing a wince on her face.

“He’s cheating,” Jax muttered, “He can literally detach himself, it doesn’t count.”

This time it was Motley’s turn to shush him, swiping his paw at the prince’s shirt with a mewl. Jax pulled a face at the kitten but quieted down anyway.

Once the contortionist went back off stage, the lights started to go upwards, revealing a tightrope with two performers at the top. The first seemed to be a woman with the head of a Moon on her shoulders, while the other was a man around her age who shared the appearance of the Sun. Nodding to the Sun, the Moon began her routine. Tip toeing across the rope, seeming as though to fall off – to the audience’s collective shock – before breaking out into a pirouette, as though there wasn’t a fifty-foot drop beneath her.

The Sun started to do the same, spinning on one foot before both of them stopped at the same time. Both of them ran to the middle, taking one another’s hand before producing canes from their sides. The two began to perform a little tap dance on the rope, waving their canes around without a care in the world with grins on their faces. While the audience was losing their mind, Jax inspected his nails to make sure there wasn’t any dirt in them, far less interested than everyone else.

The Sun and Moon ran off back to the ends of each side of the rope, pulling out a unicycle and mounted them before cycling back onto the rope. They went back and forth, pulling out a few small balls from their waistcoats and began to juggle them,

Jax was sure he had read about this scene in a book before, nothing new here.

Finally, the duo finished and bowed for their cheers before running back off again.

The next act seemed to have the entire circus cast out, including a new member, a body of ribbons and a mask on her face. A few tables and chairs were set up as well as some sort of makeshift kitchen area. The ribbon girl seemed to be playing some sort of waitress, stumbling and shaking in an exaggerated manner. Jax groaned, realising that this was going to be a slapstick act, just great.

The act was predictable, a couple played by the ragdoll and clown were on a date, the sun and moon were bystanders and the contortionist was the owner of the pretend restaurant. The ‘waitress’ was attempting to get a meal out to the ‘couple’, but was constantly messing up. Whether it was tripping over a ‘customer’s’ foot, absentmindedly eating the food herself, even forgetting which table to bring the food to. Each mistake would lead her back to the start of her journey. It all escalated when she tripped one more time, bumping into the clown and making him get on one knee, as though he were proposing. The act ended with the ‘couple’ getting together, the other ‘customers’ being happy for them, even the ‘owner’ was happy for them and the ribbon lady keeping her fake job.

The crowd clapped again once the act was completed, Jax however felt as though he was about to fall asleep. At least there was only one act left and he would be down with this fiasco.

“Just you wait Jax,” Queenie leaned over to him, “I’ve heard far and wide that this star performer has entranced every audience she’s come across.”

“I for one am very excited,” Kinger said, “She must be very talented if she’s the most talked about.”

“As long as it’s the last act, then I’m fine,” Jax sank further in his chairs, Motley now sitting straight instead as he prepared himself for the final act.

What he didn’t know was said star performer was currently hiding within the shadow of the ceiling, taking a breath to calm her trembling nerves before she had to go on. She looked to Kaufmo within the tent, behind the scenes on the ground. He looked up to her, mouthing to her if she was okay. She nodded and closed her eyes, she could so this.

The lights dimmed one more time, as two red aerial silks fell from the roof. Jax’s eyes wondered to the top, a small trapeze swing between the two silks. He could barely see what was up there, there was a shape of a body but it wasn’t even visible. Why would anyone get excited over someone they couldn’t see-

-You can't take my past

You can't take my history

His ears perked. A voice rang out into the empty quiet like a melodic bell.

You could take my Pa

But his name's a mystery

It had to be the most beautiful thing he ever heard in his life. Soft and delicate yet commanded everyone’s attention, including his.

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

The body stood, grabbing both silks in her hands and startled twirling down, the strum of a guitar started playing and the audience clapped along with the upbeat tempo. Once the lights shone on her, Jax stiffened, his voice caught in his throat and his heart started throbbing madly in his chest.

The woman holding and sitting on the silks was a jester, with short and shiny brown hair, mesmerising red and blue eyes, along with milky skin that seemed to be smooth to the touch. She wore a regular jester hat, only the bells were replaced with two gold spheres and wore a glittering red and yellow leotard with long sleeves instead of a usual get up he’d come to expect from that line of work.

And her voice, of her voice. How it charmed him, like a river, both calming yet ready to be powerful when needed. His lips began to quirk into a smile as his foot involuntarily tapped along with the music.

You can't take my charm!

You can't take my humour

You can't take my wealth

Cause it's just a rumour!

Putting her body weight into one of the silks, she let go of the other one and started to swing round the ring, putting out her hand to the audience as they tried to reach her. Once the silk slowed, she used her other hand to grab it and twirled upside down as she kept singing.

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

She lifted herself up, twisting the ribbon until she was in a sitting position one knee up to her chest and her other leg pointed out.

Thinking you're so fine

Thinking you can have mine

Thinking you're in control

Thinking you'll change me

Maybe rearrange me

Think again if that's your goal!

She uncurled the silk, twirling back down to the ground in a graceful manner until her feet hit the ground and she faced the crowd. The audience went wild, shaking one another in their seats as the jester continued to dance. Jax found himself cheering along as well.

Queenie took a moment to look at her son, bewildered by the fact that he began to enjoy himself. Sure the act was amazing, but there was something else about him. His posture became more relaxed, his smile seemed to be genuinely happy and free of malice, and his eyes were locked in and focused on the jester…wait a minute. She looked back to the jester and then back at Jax before letting out a gasp of realisation.

“Darling? What’s wrong?” Kinger asked, worry lacing in tone for his wife.

“Nothing, nothing my dear,” she reassured him, “I think our son is in love.”

The jester stopped for a moment, bringing her bare feet together before lifting a hand again. She waved it around her head, a navy night blue mist appearing from it. Just like lightening, she vanished!

The crowd and Jax gasped, whipping their heads round to find where she could have gone.

Cause you can't take my sass

You can't take my talking

They followed her voice and found her in the right corner of the ring, continued her song with her harmonic voice. She waved her hand and disappeared again. This time, appearing in the royal family’s booth. Both Queenie and Kinger exclaimed in surprise and delight.

The jester made her way towards Jax, reaching out to him. His pulse thundered in his ears and heat began to rise to his cheeks. To his shock, she pulled her crown over his eyes and disappeared again, making Jax snap up and push his crown back as he tried to look for her again.

You can kiss my ass!

Then keep on walking

She was back in the middle of the ring, strutting as if nothing has happened. She waved her hand one more time, making the silks levitate on their own, surrounded by the blue mist as they neared her.

… Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

As they travelled slowly, the red silks slowly faded into the same colour as her mist, the crowd awing at the trick. Jax noticed her leotard and hat doing the same, the yellow and red disappearing, replacing it with a diamond-sequined deep blue with spaghetti straps instead.

No sir, nothing you can take from me is worth dirt

Take it cause I give it free, it won't hurt

She grabbed the silks again and lifted herself, twirling them around her until she was sitting on them like a swing.

… Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

No nothing you can take was ever worth keeping

The music quickened as she climbed up the silks again, Jax’s eyes following her every move, too entranced to look away. Both she and the music got faster, climbing and climbing and climbing until she grabbed and pulled herself back onto the trapeze swing, saluted the audience – and with one more wave of her hand, sparks erupted from her place, dazzling the audience. Once they had faded, the crowd looked back. She was gone, as if she was never there in the first place with the silks returning to their original red colour.

There was a beat.

The audience stood, cheers and screams ripping from their throats as a thunder of applause ripped through the crowd. Jax couldn’t stand due to Motley in his lap, but he was still just as loud. Motley meanwhile was looking at him, titling his head from the prince’s reaction to the jester. It intrigued the little kitten to say the least.

The entire cast ran out, including the jester, giving one final bow as the crowds cheered louder before disappearing back into the tent.

The lights went back on as everyone began to murmur and whisper to one another about how amazing the show was. Jax was left awestruck, frozen in his chair, unable to process the complete and utter dazzlement that was the singing jester.

“I take it my son has a crown he has to eat now,” Kinger chuckled, brushing his robe a little bit.

Jax didn’t reply, still stuck in his own head.

“Jax, are you alright?” Queenie asked, getting a bit worried.

“That jester…” he breathed.

Oh, now Queenie understood, her suspicions being confirmed. “I see,” she nodded slowly, “I take it you like her?”

Jax turned his head so fast that he nearly got whiplash. “Like her?” he questioned his mother, “She’s incredible! Her voice! Did you hear her voice?! It’s not like anything that I’ve heard, and the fact that she can sing while doing all that in the air! And her magic tricks! Oh mother, she was amazing!”

He caught himself when he saw both his mother and father raising both their brows at him. He decided to save himself further embarrassment, he already knew that they would tease him about this enough as it is. An idea went off in his head. The circus had a while before they went back to whatever inn they were staying at to rest, perhaps he could pay the little jester a visit before he left.

“You guys hold onto Motley for a while,” he stood, picking up the kitten as he mewled while being placed in his mother’s arms. “I’m gonna go give that jester my congratulations.”

“Uh, Jax?” Queenie said, but Jax was already running out of the booth, “Jax!”

“Oh dear,” Kinger muttered, “I believe we made a mistake.”

Pomni sighed with relief, her blue leotard reverting back to its yellow and red while talking off her hat as soon as she was back behind the scenes, everyone hugging one another and giving each other high fives.

“You guys did great!” Kaufmo grinned, “I’m so impressed of how are far you’ve all have come!”

“Not bad for opening night,” Zooble placed a hand on his hip, “Although I think most of it is owed to Gangle and her creative skit idea.” She gave the woman a wink, the ribboned woman blushing at her partner.

“Zooble,” she giggled as they pulled her close, “You were great too.”

“Being out there has never made me feel so alive,” Moon let out a relaxed breath, recalling the euphoria of being on the tightrope.

“I agree!” Sun beamed, practically jumping up and down with joy, “It was spectacular, amazing, show-stopping, fantastic, spectacular- oops, I said that already, didn’t I?” He rubbed his neck bashfully.

“Don’t worry about it Sun,” Ragatha patted his shoulder, using her other hand to pet her lions. “However I can’t deny that Pomni stole the show, as she always does.”

Pomni gave her a shy smile, shuffling her feet a bit, “Stop, you’ll make me flustered.”

“Because its true!” Ragatha exclaimed, the rest of the cast nodding their heads in agreement, “You’re a stable of this show!”

“A true star, and trust me, I know a lot about them,” Moon gave her an amused look.

“You were like a million stars at once!” Sun cried, “Though if you think about it, stars are also suns, so you were like a million suns! Wow!”

“I mean, I agree…I still liked Gangle the best though,” Zooble murmured.

“I always love hearing you sing Pomni,” Gangle took her hand, “You have the voice of an angel.”

Kaufmo came up and placed a hand on her shoulder, “I for one couldn’t be prouder.” He gave it a reassuring squeeze, with Pomni placing her hand on his.

“Thanks Kaufmo,” she smiled back.

“How are you doing kiddo?” he asked softly, “I saw you shaking up there before you went on. Did you have those nightmares again?”

Pomni paled. It was quite jarring how easily he could read her. Kaufmo had been her rock since day one after all, he knew better than anyone when she had hard nights. She opened her mouth to answer when someone barged into the room.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the cast of the show,” Prince Jax jeered, making himself at home, “Don’t mind me, I just wanted to thank you guys for an awesome show. Especially you little lady.” He winked at Pomni.

Pomni choked, why on earth was the prince waltzing in here unannounced? Didn’t he have princely duties to attend to? And why the hell was he calling her little lady?!

“Oh well, that’s very kind of you-” Gangle began to walk up to him but was pushed aside by him and she fell right into Zooble’s arms.

“Hey!” Zooble snarled, checking Gangle for any injuries. “What’s your problem?!”

“Excuse me,” Ragatha placed a hand on her hip, “You can’t just do that to one of our own. Not when we travelled all the way here to put on a show for you and your kingdom!”

“Look doll-face, I didn’t ask for you to be here,” he sneered, before turning his gaze back to Pomni. “Not that I’m complaining though.”

Pomni scoffed, gaping as she looked to Moon and Sun, the former of the duo looking furious. “I have the right mind to drag you out by the ears of you don’t apologize to Gangle right now,” Moon hissed.

Sun gulped, hiding behind his twin sister.

Ragatha’s lions had even began to have enough of his presence, growling and baring their teeth at him as he backed away slowly.

“Now, now,” he tsked, “We don’t want the crown prince of Laphria to go back out with his handsome face all mangled, now do we?”

Everyone’s faces fell. He was right, one wrong move and they’d all be imprisoned.

“All I want is to speak to your little jester here, is that such a crime?” he pouted.

They all turned to Pomni, awaiting her decision on what to do with this situation. “Kiddo, Pomni, you don’t have to do anything he tells you to do,” Kaufmo reassured her.

“Don’t worry Pa,” she said, a little nickname that she saved just for him, “I got this.”

Kaufmo’s eyes flickered to Jax, glaring at him before going back to Pomni. He smiled at her and let her continue.

Pomni walked to Jax, the prince was already acting smug about it too. “So, Prince Jax of Laphria,” she raised a brow at him, “In the flesh.”

“Ah, so you’ve heard of me,” he grinned, it seemed to be starting off well. She looks even lovelier without her hat on.

“Oh I’ve heard of you,” Pomni confirmed, “You’ve got quite the reputation it seems.”

“All good things I bet,” The prince smirked, looming over her.

Pomni didn’t move a muscle, the height difference didn’t affect her for what she was going to say next. “Actually,” she began. “I heard you’re a no-good son of a bitch who spends his days disrespecting those who sacrifice their mornings and nights just to serve whatever little thing he wants.”

Jax’s eyes widened, this was not how he thought this was going to go.

“Awful to the people who not only rule this kingdom but spent every day of their lives raising you just for you to turn out to be a jerk,” Pomni continued to list it off.

Jax was going to admit it, that one stung a little.

“You embarrass those you deem beneath you and refuse to take responsibility when their reputation is ruined because of your words and actions!” she scowled.

Okay yeah, he’ll admit it, he took that one a little too far.

“You cause destruction and mayhem in your own home with the worst of the upper class because you feel like it!” another flaw she pointed out. “And what was your most recent one? Let me think. Oh yeah, you set off fireworks and nearly set fire to a village you’re going to rule over one day!”

Jax rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Word really got round fast about that, huh?

“So excuse me your royal highness, but I would like nothing for you to leave this tent and never step ten feet toward me again,” she gave him an exaggerated bow, still glaring at him. “Now if you don’t mind, leave!”

He opened his mouth to speak, only to be faced with the glares of a protective clown, a ragdoll with a knife, a Moon holding a noose and two lions looking at their next meal. Yup time for him to leave.

Pomni sighed with relief the moment he left. She didn’t think she would have the courage to stand up to someone as important as the prince like that, but she was glad she did. Everyone patted her on the back, impressed with her accomplishment as well, including Kaufmo. “Great job kiddo,” He murmured.

Pomni smiled warmly, “Thanks Pa.”

Jax walked out the tent, meeting the dissatisfied looks on his parent’s faces. “Well, we did try to warn you,” Queenie muttered, handing him back Motley, “But I’m afraid this is one of those cases where your heart is bigger than your brain.”

Motley mewled in seemingly agreement with the queen, rubbing his head against Jax’s palm so he could pet him.

“Let’s head back home,” said Kinger, taking Queenie’s hand lovingly before whispering in her ear. “I have a feeling that star performer won’t be leaving his head anytime soon.”

Queenie nodded subtly in agreement and the royal family headed out of the theatre.

During the carriage ride back, while petting Motley, Jax couldn’t stop thinking about that jester…no, Pomni was her name. That was what the clown said, right? The bite of her words, the ice within her eyes, the sharpness of her tone. All of it was meant to push him away…it was a good thing that Jax was determined and stupid.

He would show her that she wasn’t what she said he was! He’s a prince, he could do anything! He was going to shower her in the most lavish gifts known to man. Whether it be gowns, food, new equipment for her shows, anything! He was going to show her that he was worthy of her time.

In fact, he sure that be the end of the week, she would be fawning at his feet. Jax chuckled, he was way too good at this.

Motley could only watch in despair as his new master set himself up for failure.

Song Credit: Nothing You Can Take From Me by Rachel Zegler.

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leahnardo-da-veggie · 7 days

Text

Merida

Merida placed the joss stick in its holder, as she did every day. The faint scent of incense invaded her nostrils, and she sneezed. This made the girl in front of her let out a little giggle. The pair sat there, contemplating the faintly burning joss stick.

"Thank you for putting that there. My parents never honored my choice of religion while I was alive. I'm glad someone does now," the ghost girl said, after a while. It was strange hearing such solemn words from what seemed to be a nine year old, but Merida was used to strange things. Ghosts always appeared as children, whether they died of old age or were stillborn. "I will not forget your kindness, Cazarsa. I owe you a boon. Should you ever be in need of help, simply call me."

Cazarsa. It always warmed her heart to hear the phrase. In the language of the dead, it vaguely meant 'ally', but with an air of gratitude and friendship. Ghosts did not use the phrase lightly. "It was my pleasure to help you. I hope the starlight shines on you as you dance beneath the full moon," Merida said politely.

"And I hope the sun warms your soul and Kurall favors you in all that you do," the ghost responded automatically, before bowing. Then Merida picked up her bag and headed off to school, leaving the graveyard as the grey morning light stole away the darkness of night. It was the time of the living, and the ghosts would soon be away, lest the exorcists catch them.

Merida Ryder spent her dawns and twilights helping the ghosts. Ofttimes, all they needed was something as small as a vase of flowers or a copy of the new reboot of their favorite show. They had come to accept her as a middleman, someone to guard them from the cold cruelties of the exorcists. She warned them of the approach of any exorcists, and they did not hunt the living. It created a peace most attributed to the nearly savage zeal with which the exorcists hunted ghosts.

Merida slipped between two cars, strolling up along the street that led to her secondary school. A few ghosts resided there, along with a spirit. They were the most frequent recipients of her gifts and assistance, for she needed their favors the most. The moment she walked through the school gates, she felt a presence at her side.

Without looking at him, she said, "What's up, Hans?" Hans was the spirit, a strange creature that never showed his face. He and he alone traded in artifacts, requesting her to go through esoteric channels to find the most incomprehensible magical objects in existence. On the other hand, his favors were far more practical than most, especially for chasing off exorcists. Most exorcists had no interest in getting into a fight with a genuine spirit, since they were unable to bully them around. It meant the difference between a painful second death and afterlife for many ghosts, so Merida tried to keep a few of his favors on hand at all times.

Nevertheless, she never truly trusted the spirit, though she rather liked him. He was far too powerful to be lurking in the middle of nowhere twiddling his thumbs. "The exorcist has brought her weapons to school again. It seems she plans on killing someone today. You might want to warn the ghosts," Hans remarked blandly.

"Thank you for the information." She had to get back into her school persona, she reminded herself sternly. It would not do for her sister to discover that she was the one feeding information about the exorcists to the ghosts, and speaking with the formality of the dead would give her away instantly. "Don't talk to me until after school. I don't wanna get caught by her."

As the presence left her side, Merida turned around. "Actually, could you warn them for me? I'm afraid I can't make my usual rounds. I forgot my homework at school yesterday." She felt him nod assent, then disappear.

The school was old, and with age came death. The ghost-mice scurried along the corridors, unbeknownst to the vast majority of the students, and Merida dropped crumbs for them as she went, crumbling the cookies for her lunch. "Go home, little ones. It's dangerous out here. The school exorcist is making her rounds," Merida murmured. The mice took the hint, disappearing into the walls and the pipes. Hopefully they would carry the message to all the other ghosts.

Keeping her eyes on the slate floor tiles, Merida hunched her shoulders and tried to blend into the crowd of youths who gabbled amongst each other and spilled drinks and had a deep-seated prejudice against the dead, never considering that they too would become ghosts one day. Grey locker doors swung open and closed, and Merida avoided them as she made her way to the hall.

She settled down in a corner, trying to blend in with the faded white paint of the walls, praying that the exorcist would not find her. But she had neither the skill nor the luck of the ghosts, as Miranda Ryder, youngest exorcist in the 42nd Corps, approached her.

"I need you to be on your best behavior. I'm doing a presentation on exorcism today, and the press is coming to see it. I don't want you screwing it up again. Got it?" Merida shied away, glueing her eyes to the floor.

"Look at me, damn it! Merida, this is important. There are more bigwigs coming here than I can shake a stick at. Even the head of my corps is coming here. This could mean a promotion!" Miranda all but shouted at her, and she curled up even tighter into a ball, closing her eyes tightly. The head of the corps? There were going to be far too many exorcists at the school for the number of ghosts Merida was trying to hide. It was dangerous, far too dangerous, and Merida felt her heart sink.

No matter what she did today, someone was going to die.

A sob caught her throat at the thought. "Stop that. You're not a little kid anymore. You don't get to throw tantrums every time you don't get your way," Miranda told her angrily, before striding off. Merida stopped her, terrified of what was to come.

"I want to help you. I'm sick of being in the background. Just let me be your assistant, just for a day?" If she could find out more, she might be able to minimize the loss of life. She might be able to avoid the piles of corpses, the dead who died again leaking ectoplasm. It had taken her weeks before she could get rid of the phantom sensation of sticky ectoplasm, and months to stop bursting into tears at the mere sight of the school last time.

Miranda raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You'd better not. In any case, I need to show that you're not the same batshit crazy bitch who threw a tantrum when we got rid of those pests at the school," she told Merida. "You really embarrassed me last time. Maybe this will make up for your idiocy."

Merida blinked back tears at the word 'pests', and kept her mouth shut. Monsters, she thought. How could anyone call a sentient being a pest? Even if they are dead, what does it matter? They still have feelings. Her fingers clenched the greying hand-me-down school skirt she wore. The blood flowing through her burned her flesh, bitter with anger.

But she could not hate the exorcists. She understood how dangerous the ghosts were. Part of her life, and Miranda's, involved stopping the ghosts from ripping open the guts of the living and feasting on them.

They both brought safety to the living, in polar ways. One with death, the other by preserving life. Of course, in the classic style of humanity, bloodshed was favored over the quiet negotiation and peace.

They walked up onto stage, and Miranda handed her a sheet of paper. "These are your lines. Don't fuck them up, got it?" Merida nodded dumbly.

In front of them, the school's populace settled into their morning positions, a sea of white shirts and black pants. Merida pulled her eyes away from them to look at the script. It consisted of a few lines, mostly prompting segments of Miranda's speech.

As she read further, she realized that Miranda planned on showing the school an actual demonstration of an exorcism, on an actual ghost. That pig-faced bitch! She's going to murder someone in front of us all?! And they will all applaud and cheer at the extermination of a monster… Merida had to do something. But what?

The exorcist jostled her elbow, and Merida realized that they were starting.

"Good morning everyone! I'm certain you all recognize me. I'm Miranda Ryder," Miranda said, before nudging her again.

Her line, according to the script, was 'and I'm (insert name)!' In a fit of pique, Merida said, "And I'm insert name!"

A scattering of snickers gave Merida the courage to continue, taking over Miranda's lines. "On this fine, ever so sunny day, we are going to talk about the murder and torture of the dead! Or as you all call it, exorcism!" The lines were not strictly in the script, but Merida felt it summed up the content perfectly.

"And since I know you all know what exorcism is about, given how much they shove it down our throats, let's just skip to the fun bit, shall we?! We're going to do an elaborate ritual to kill an innocent ghost! I wonder who it is… Maybe one of your ancestors, or the soul of a beloved friend?" Miranda tried to cut in, livid at her for turning her speech into a train wreck, but Merida was on a roll.

"While our beloved exorcist fetches the victim, I'll tell you the truth about ghosts, shall I? You know those stories about the dark times where ghosts stole away unsuspecting children, eating them alive?" Merida waited for them to nod, and they did.

"Well, it was true. Ghosts do drink human blood. They do it to further their after-lives. They choose children because they look like children, and because children are easily manipulated. They get the child to trust them, then they take the child off to a dark corner and they drink their blood!" Miranda had stopped protesting, and was listening curiously.

"I was the victim of this when I was five. I made an imaginary friend, and followed him to the forest one day. If my sister had not saved me, I would have been devoured by a hungry ghost. Even as it is, I still have the scar," Merida said as she pulled up her shirt, exposing her midriff. It was covered in jagged scars, as though a chainsaw had scraped across her chest. A collective gasp resounded through the hall, as people gaped at the horrific evil of the ghosts.

"Guess you aren't gonna fuck this up again," Miranda muttered. "I'll bring the ghost out. I'm glad you've finally stopped being a fuckwit."

Merida ignored her. "These ghosts have done things to rival the cruelties of the most infamous serial killers. Worse, they exploit the very thing that makes children children; their innocence. These creatures are child predators! Wouldn't you agree?"

There were wholehearted cheers from the teachers, many of whom had kids of their own. "Exterminate the ghosts!" Someone in the back cried.

"They're just like the human scum we give death sentences to, right?!" The response was deafening, and Merida was filled with horror at their support for mass genocide. These people… Do they not realize they are killing humans? Have they not made the connection? Simply because they are dead does not change the fact that they were human once!

"That's because they are," Merida said. The half a thousand people in the room hushed, confused by the sudden turn. "These ghosts you hate so much are the very same serial killers that society reviles. Stop to consider. Ghosts are just the souls of the dead. Serial killers and rapists and general human scum have souls too, yes?"

The people nodded uncertainly. Behind her, Miranda had stopped to listen, and Merida gestured for her to get a move on. She did, and Merida continued.

"And therein lies the problem. These disturbing crimes against humanity are being committed by a tiny portion of ghosts. Most ghosts, just like their living counterparts, simply want to live their after-lives in peace. An exorcist's job is to eradicate these evil ghosts."

She let them simmer in that, as Miranda wheeled a massive cage, made of cold iron, with a long velvet curtain draped over it. Its bars were wide and flat, covered in an enchantment meant to contain ghosts. Merida nearly gagged at the terrifying aura of the cage. It was slimy, like ectoplasm, and putrid, magical rot embedded into metal. It was a cage meant for cruelties, made to corrupt and corrode.

"Please, let me out," someone said from within. Merida recognized that voice immediately. It was the girl she had visited in the morning.

As one, the audience gasped in excitement. Ghosts were normally only perceptible to children and those with magical talent. Merida placed her hands on the velvet cloth. "I'll get you out, miss. Just play along for now, okay?" The girl reached out to the small gap between the bars and touched Merida's hand. Her fingers were cold, even through the thick layer of velvet.

"I trust you, Cazarsa," the girl whispered. Internally, Merida cursed herself for forgetting to warn the ghosts beyond the school. They were in as much danger as the rest.

"Well, shall we?" Miranda gave her a tight-lipped smile, rightfully suspicious of her whispered communication with the ghost. Merida nodded.

Together, they dragged the curtain off the cage, revealing the ghost. She was an absolute mess, with ichor running down her cheeks, tears of the dead, and wide, terrified gray eyes. She floated in the center of the cage, curled into a foetal position in an attempt to get as far from the cage as possible. Merida felt horribly uncomfortable being in the vicinity of the cage. She could not imagine how infinitely worse the girl felt.

"Look at this horrible criminal! This peddler of evil, participant in the most vile of sins! Dearest sister, will you please tell us all what crimes this inhuman filth has committed?" Merida placed as much emphasis on the 'crime' the girl had committed as possible. If they saw she was innocent, Merida might be able to convince the exorcists to let the ghosts be, if only for a while.

Maybe there was a chance to stop the bloodshed.

Miranda instantly saw the minefield she had set up. Her eyes hardened, lips flattening into a line. She said nothing.

"I will tell you what I did to deserve this," the ghost girl said, uncurling herself. Her tattered clothes were stained with ichor and ectoplasm, and her eyes were red from crying, but she still managed a semblance of dignity.

"What are you doing?! Get down!" Merida hissed urgently at her. She was going to ruin the entire thing!

"No, Cazarsa. I must speak. My horrible crime, as you put it, was being young and stupid. I was a drug addict, a New Age fool who thought getting high was the key to enlightenment. I had a teenage rebellion, went for the religion that seemed most likely to piss off my parents, and joined a community of equally foolish youth. Some of the adults in this room might remember doing the same."

"The only difference is, I did not survive. It was two days from my coming of age, when I got run over. I was in the middle of the road, higher than the top of a skyscraper, when I got hit by a man rushing his pregnant wife to hospital. I did not come back to haunt them. I do not hold a grudge against them."

"Yes, I did drugs. Yes, I did stupid things. But I paid for them in blood and the tears of my loved ones. I came back for them, to say sorry, to tell them that I had been stupid. I do not care that they did not respect my religion, or even acknowledge my presence at the funeral. But I forgive them."

"I am not a ghost of revenge, or of evil. I am a ghost of regret, one made to sit and contemplate my own foolishness for the rest of eternity, to find peace and lead others to it. That is my crime, if you so wish to prosecute me for it," The girl spoke eloquently, projecting her voice throughout the room. There was no way anyone could not have heard it, and Merida thanked Ina for her mercy.

The room had fallen completely silent, all eyes and ears on the ghost girl. The cameras of the journalists were pointed right at them, and Merida knew she had scored a point for ghostkind.

Finally, someone said, "That's not a crime at all!"

"Yeah! She's a good person!"

"Let go of her!"

Echoes of the sentiment reverberated around the room. Merida turned to the girl and raised an eyebrow.

"I used to win prizes for my public speaking and impromptu speeches," she admitted sheepishly.

"Thank Ina for that," Merida whispered, then corrected herself. "Kurall, I mean."

Miranda surveyed the hall with a poker face. "You knew this was going to happen," she said accusingly.

"I did not. All I know is that I cannot let the exorcists to continue harming innocents, whether they are alive or dead," Merida replied.

"This time you've gone too far. You're a traitor to your own kind, and I'm going to stop you," Miranda snarled, pulling a gun out of her jacket.

Everything happened in a blur. Merida instinctively ducked as the gun fired, diving towards the floor, but she was not fast enough. Sharp, bloody pain filled her shoulder.

Merida looked up, confused and in agony. "You shot me! But… I'm your sister!"

Miranda stared down at her with dead eyes. "Not anymore," she said dispassionately. She lowered the gun slightly, aiming it at Merida's head.

This is the end, Merida thought. I knew someone was going to die. I just never expected it to be me. But I cannot give up. I must not. Nobody will protect the ghosts otherwise. I can't try to be peaceful anymore. Not unless I want them to keep massacring the innocent.

Someone's going to die today, and it's going to have to be my sister. The thought, horrible and wrong as it was, gave her the will to move.

Merida was not a trained fighter, or a magician. She had never seen the point in learning magic, unless it was to help or to heal. But she did learn to enhance her speed and endurance. She was long and lanky, and being able to run from the graveyard to the school in five minutes seemed like an excellent idea. She was glad she learnt to do so, because it was the only thing that could save her.

She slammed into Miranda, tackling her legs even as her shoulder screamed in agony. The gun went off as Miranda went down, and a second source of pain shot up her leg, and she clung on to her consciousness. She had to finish it. The world seemed to become smaller, encompassing only the two sisters and their struggle.

Miranda slapped her, sharp nails raking across her face as Merida slapped the gun out of her other hand. They fought bitterly, like all siblings did. The only difference was that it was life and death, rather than a squabble over the last slice of cake. The gun skidded out of range, leaving the two of them to fight it out with their fists and teeth.

Merida thrashed like a fish in a net, ignoring the throbbing wounds that tried to claim her attention. I have to finish this, she told herself. I must finish this. She tried to drag herself to the gun with her uninjured arm, clawing desperately. Just before she could reach it, the gun floated out of her range.

"Hello there, Merida," Hans said with his typical cheer. "Need some help?"

Merida gritted her teeth. She did not know if she was glad to see him, irritated, or too pained too care. She suspected it was the latter. "Pass me the damn gun. And hurry up about it!"

Behind her, Miranda was stumbling to her feet, clutching a broken wrist. She looked like a reanimated corpse from a zombie movie, complete with gratituous gore. Unfortunately, most of it was Merida's.

"Are you sure? I mean… She is your sister," he said skeptically. All the same, he tossed the gun to her.

Merida's mind flashed back to what Miranda had told her. _Not anymore, huh?_ She raised the gun, cocked it.

Miranda had just enough time for her mind to register that she was about to get shot. She raised her hands, a futile gesture. The bullet went straight past them, penetrating the spot between her eyes.

The world seemed to slow. Blood blossomed out of the wound, the flower of Death opening for the briefest of moments. Miranda's eyes were wide with horror, caught in that moment for eternity. Her mouth was open slightly. She looked the very picture of shock.

Merida wanted to feel sorry for her, like she had for the dead ghosts, but she could not. All she could think about was how the exorcist got what she deserved. Or, as Ina had put it, karma had come to bite her in the ass. _Those ghosts had the same expression when they died too. That or relief that their torment was finally over. _

Then time resumed on its normal course, and Miranda fell backwards, dead as the ghosts she had failed to kill. Maybe she would become one. That would be truly ironic.

Merida turned back to Hans. "I guess you only owe me two favors now," she said calmly.

"I guess so," he replied, sounding unnerved. It took a lot to disturb a spirit. They were notorious for having no empathy. If Merida had been in any proper state of mind, she would have been horrified. But she was not. So she did not care.

She stumbled to her feet, numbly ignoring the pain that racked her leg as she put her weight on it, and hobbled over to the cage. The girl was still floating in the middle of it.

She fiddled with the latch, which needed no key, and released her. Merida's vision was slowly going black from the blood loss. And the trauma of watching her own sister die (albeit indirectly) at her hands, though she would never admit it.

The last thing she remembered doing was kneeling over her not-sister dumbly.

#Remember when I said I was gonna be posting about her soon?#Yeah guess what #She's honestly my traumatised precious #writeblr #writing #my writing #creative writing #writerscommunity #writing community #short story #spilled ink #fantasy

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gryffindorkxdraws · 2 months

Note

Hello, thank you for drawing jackunzel <3

I've got a question: do you have any jackunzel fanfic recommendations?

I'd love to read more about Jack and Rapunzel together <3 I trust your taste 👀😄

Oh and in what app/program did you edit your recent jackunzel videos? They are fun to watch, haha

I wish you great day/night 💕

hi anon!! hehe you're welcome 💙 i'm always game to draw my OTP 💙 for my jackunzel videos, i use capcut! its free to download. and i'm gonna be honest, i haven't read fics in a while 🫠 but i was able to gather a few for you!! hopefully, you'll enjoy them 😭💙

firstly, here are the oneshots

The Sun & Moon Children (oneshot): When the daughter of the sun fell in love with the son of the moon, the earth watched in anticipation for what would undoubtedly be a tragedy.

READ HERE: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9616560/1/The-Sun-Moon-Children

2. Murals of Winter (oneshot): After all, she is a girl locked in a tower with hair more than twice the length of her room. Why wouldn’t there be a boy who wears winter on his sleeves and stirs up snowstorms in her heart?

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289766

3. January Wedding (oneshot): Jack Frost and Rapunzel Corona get married in January. Or, The story of how Rapunzel Corona became Rapunzel Frost.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22325986

4. We're Not Good, We're Super (oneshot) (this is my work!): Jack likes to think of himself as the one guy who might just uncover who exactly Spider-Woman is. What he fails to realize is that she might just be closer to him than he thinks.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41070603

5. This Night Is Sparkling, Don't You Let It Go (oneshot) (this is also my work hehe): Rapunzel feels distant. Like she’s there, but at the same time she’s not. Something about having a disconnection with herself in the party. That is until her eyes landed on him. or an AU where they decide to see where the night would take them

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46529908

6. Jackunzel Coming Of Age Prompt (oneshot)

READ HERE: https://www.tumblr.com/hiccanna-tidbits/735307559599292416/okay-can-i-look-now-not-yet-the-kitchen-is?source=share

7. Are We Out Of The Woods? (oneshot): Ever the dutiful daughter, Rapunzel agrees to make a delivery to someone her parents owe an old favor. But she knows she must beware, for many dangerous creatures roam the heart of the forest. Perhaps even the ones that once claimed her best friend.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42718821

8. Bloody Valentine (oneshot + extra chapter): Superhero AU It's easy to become cynical when you see the darkest side of humanity every night. It's easy to lose sight of what truly matters, and let it go in a moment of fear. For Jack, the hard part is either coming to grips with the fact he let Rapunzel go, or figuring out a way to get her back.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5220320/chapters/12037064

now these below are a series if ever you're up for longer stories

9. An Essay of Love (series): Jackson Overland moves to a new city and gets the job of teaching history to a bunch of annoying teens every day. The one thing keeping him from handing in his two-week notice as soon as he arrives is the sunshiney, optimistic art teacher who unlocks not only his classroom but his heart.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597147/chapters/62125681

10. Dusk Till Dawn (series): Jackson Overland travels far and wide to find the lost people of Corona to seek vengeance for his fallen home, Luna. Fiercely driven by the memories of his family, he meets a mysterious feral young woman named Rapunzel Flores. Two opposites, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25257757/chapters/61231741

11. Among The Stars (series): SCI-FI AU The crew of the Night Fury - Hiccup Haddock (captain), Merida Haddock (first mate), and Jack Frost (Pilot) - have a habit of getting into trouble. Accidentally rescuing Princess Rapunzel of the planet Corona puts them in more trouble than they can deal with... unless Jack can admit he was wrong.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5149355/chapters/11854694

#jackunzel #rotbtd #answered

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divinctions · 5 months

Text

✿ ━━━━ songs from a bedroom : ep .

a chill they couldn't place and burning lungs like she'd ran a marathon that never happened haunted them from the moment they stepped off the plane. the amount of layers and numbers of deep breaths she took did nothing to quell the all consuming ailments. as days turned into weeks they wondered if it would always be like this. if her body was rejecting the change as much as a part of their heart did. there were too many eyes on them then. she couldn't turn back if they wanted to ( on nights where not even a brown leather jacket brought her comfort, oh did they w a n t to ). they owed it to their parents. to her sister who put her life on pause to help luna push theirs forward. they owed it to themselves. she wouldn't turn back. but they couldn't ignore the ache in their chest either. their needed to be a release. so they picked up their guitar, sat down at a keyboard, pressed record on a camera and used the mic to support the words they always found hard to say. there was a total of eight songs written before luna felt better. they weren't healed. some days were still worst than others, but she was better. better was a start. dropped quietly with little warning. nothing more than muted videos on an instagram story alluding to something coming, but never getting details on what. but over 4 months it had become completed projected. they were ready to let it go. these are those eight songs. / ( @santainspohq )

angel / beabadoobee

it's quiet. a darkened room illuminated by candlelight and a sniffle start the video recording as luna shifts in her bed. " it's two am and i just got off the phone with my mom. " a pause. they're unsure if they would begin to cry again, but it passes. quietly, but not without taking another piece of her voice. " it wasn't anything bad, i don't know why i'm so ⸻ " they felt the silence judging them, and so begun a delicate strum of a simple melody. anyway. she was telling me how proud she is and my dad is and my abuela is and my tia too, and my tia's novio and down the list " there's something of a laugh that slips through a mixture of gratefulness and guilt. " i should be happy, i am happy. but i think i'm also scared. very scared. "

you're not as brave as you may seem i'm scared of life it's in my blood so i blame myself i blame myself

the way i spoke / beabadoobee

imposter syndrome made itself comfortable in the depth of her ribcage. it was tearing them from the inside out. days consisted of wondering if they could really become a folklorist. if they could go down a path that wasn't previously paved by their father or their mother. perhaps it was subconsciously, or maybe they were aware that it was a fantasy. but they swore she had seen him. even if it was fiction, it was enough. pressure wound so tightly around her heart lessened for a moment. it carried them through their day. through the front door of her apartment, and too their bedroom window. it helped them pick up their guitar again, sit by the rain patterned window and hit record again, but the guilt wouldn't let them speak. so they just sat strumming, humming, singing until the thought of what they'd done wouldn't let her anymore.

the sky was dark in sight the moon was out but the sun was in your eyes no one talked, but i did you listened you said you liked the way i spoke

lug / juliet ivy

acting coaches only worked for pretending to be someone else. not a better version of yourself. luna learned that the hard way. worry from family and friends, pestering questions about how they were feeling when she was trying to bury in the closet where they found themselves hitting record on a friday night trying to pretend that she wasn't home. " i don't want to talk so i don't know why i turned this on. " voice is a whisper as they peeped to the door, frightened itzel might have found them out. " maybe that's what i should write next, but it's just ten minutes of white noise. " it might not have ten minutes, and it wasn't white noise either but luna spent the weekend locked in her room working on the song focused on how much she just didn't want to speak.

i rip off the zipper off my back and hide it so i'll never have to know what lives inside it even though, i'm the one who packed it i don't wanna face my decisions even though i'm the one who did this

tired / beabadoobe

living but their life wasn't theirs; it was routine. lug was meant to release the things she couldn't say out loud but all it did was cram them into the back of their throat and make it hard to breathe. she'd take care of nymph, spend time with their spiders, attend their classes, and not much else. monotony was scary. another night in the bed she hardly left. she pressed record but the words were like gotten in their mouth so they strummed instead, letting the things that scared them most to say find their way through a melody.

you haven't felt right for days is it the fact you never say what comes in your mind that day? maybe it's time to shut away cause i've never really felt okay

soren / beabadoobee

the same night rough cut of their heart was put into tired, luna returned to the same position. eyes were red from crying and their throat was dry, but they hit record anyway. " i've been trying to record this since i got to here actually. " her voice was hoarse; hands slightly shaking. being honest with themselves quietly was a lot different than being honest with themselves out loud. " i think i knew i would start to feel better if i recorded it ⸻ if i got it off my chest and i don't think i deserve that. i don't think i should feel better after what i did but i don't know. i don't think he would want me to think that, and i think he deserves to hear this even if he doesn't hear it right away. "

if there was a place that i had to choose or a memory that fades that i cannot lose if there was a place that i could call home before i'd die, you'd ought to know it'd be in your arms tonight

bestfriend / juliet ivy

trying was made easy with one carmen hernandez. from impromtu exploring and unintentional sleep overs; luna found a new home in her faster than in the apartment she was renting. it was with her that they produce the instrumental; trying to make it as upbeat as carmen. she wanted it to feel like a ray of sunshine because that what carmen was. the lyrics came later, an excited click of the record button and a small laugh. " these are probably corniest lyrics i've ever written. " the thought turning a small laugh into a joyous cackle.

i'm not under any obligation i just love you without hesitation when i'm with you i don't have to fake it fall asleep in my bed and i'll hold you cause you're my best friend

ceilings / beabadoobe

it had been weeks since the last song. the room she'd spent so much time in they knew how many wood panels lined her floor had hardly seen them. they'd began attending campus club meetings, meeting with teaching assistants, making new friends, and conversing with locals about their favorite myths. it was the first day they settled by their window with a guitar in hand. there was no record button near, but she knew they'd remember. they'd sing for themselves first, and share it later.

love me like a book that has no name let the birds sing let the fish swim and appreciate the life you live

we're all eating each other / juliet ivy

" i think death is very comforting. " it was surely the start the recording. " i just mean in the sense that the universe doesn't care about us, and we're literally all going to end up in the ground one day. none of us our important so why do we need to put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect? for what? for who? we're all going to decompose and be used to grow trees or flowers or crops and then the generation after us and the ones after that will feed on those things. we're all eating each other. who gives a shit ? i think that's the most motivational thing i could ever thing of. "

cause we're all gonna die decompose into daffodils and dandelions the bees will use our flowers for whatever they like make the honey that our grandkids will put inside their morning tea it's the thing of life we're all eating each other

#I DONT THINKKKKKK luna would share the recorded bits with the ep BUT I STILL THOUGHT IT WAS FUN TO SEE WHAT/WHERE SHE WAS THEY INSPIRED WHAT #IDK I JUST HAVE A LOT OF LUNA THOUGHTS #THIS IS LONG FOR NO REASON #DFIJOKSDFIJSOFK #XOXOXO #smhqinspo #⸻ ✿ luna dominguez herrera ❮ creation ❯

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justaduckarts · 1 year

Text

Head Canons: Holiday Edition

Currently taking a break from wrapping xmas gifts for family and had these thoughts in my brain so now they can be your thoughts too :)

Sun:

-Starts decorating the day after Thanksgiving, ropes in anyone who’s nearby

-If he finds/has handmade ornaments, those are his favorite

-Goes way too hard on outdoor decorations

-Has been shopping/making since July and already has his list finished by December first

-His favorite part is definitely seeing his partner's/friends’ reactions to the gifts!!

-Likes Christmas Music! Except THAT song. (You know the one.)

-Dramatically sings Last Christmas by Wham! Every time it comes on the radio

-Loves every gift he receives :) (but he might like the handmade ones a TINY bit more)

-Very careful unwrapping presents bc he doesn’t want to ruin your hard work!

-Christmas Movies? YES!! Hot Chocolate? YES!

-Favorite Christmas movie has to be The Polar Express (But I think that the original Grinch is a close second)

-Ugly sweaters all day long. They get progressively more complex each year. Eventually he’s just going to be wearing the whole damn tree

-Hangs a mistletoe in the place where he is sure it will earn him the most smooches, pretends its a coincidence

-Asks kids if they’ve been good this year, if they say yes he gives them candy :’)

-Would 1000% become one of Santa’s elves if the chance ever came up

-Knows Santa isn’t REALLY real, but loves playing along because he finds it so wholesome.

-Snow angels! Snow people! Snow sculpting! :D

Moon:

-He groans if he hears Christmas music before December 1st

-Enjoys decorating but thinks that Sun overdoes it

-Favorite part of decorating is lifting up his fave so they can put the star on top of the tree <3

-Started thinking about gifts in July because Sun did but then totally forgot until November and is now scrambling to finish getting things together :’)

-Likes the Christmas lights but also hates that it is so much BRIGHTER on the streets at night >:(

-Prefers giving gifts over receiving for sure

-All I Want For Christmas comes on. The eye twitch begins.

-Doesn’t mind other Christmas music usually

-Absolutely shreds the wrapping on gifts like a feral cat :)

-Has one ugly sweater that Sun gave him. Will not replace it no matter what.

-Hoards all the gift bags to reuse next year (reduce, reuse, recycle)

-Cold out? You mean extra snuggle season? :)

-Is the maker of the Hot Chocolate :)

-Asks kids if they’ve been good this year, gives them candy if they say yes :)

-Helps Sun pick the mistletoe spot. Finds excuses to lure you over there.

-Told a kid Santa wasn’t real at least once, is sorry

-Favorite Christmas movie is The Santa Claus. He would 100% try to kill Santa so he could take his place if it were truly possible. :)

-Sneaks down on Christmas eve to put the gifts under the tree

-After Christmas Sales? You mean time to buy Sun his next ugly sweater?

-Would probably go caroling if invited

-Sledding! Snow ball fights! He’s so playful

Eclipse:

-Hates the crowds

-Christmas music? You mean the same three lines over and over? Pass.

-Tells kids Santa isn’t real. Tells parents they are setting their kids up for disappointment when they get mad.

-Christmas Movies? You mean the same three regurgitated plots over and over? Pass.

-Pretends decorating is a chore but actually likes it

-Moves the mistletoe around when Sun and Moon aren’t home so they can’t get smooches (evil)

-Owns one ugly sweater. Only wears it for ‘family pictures’ and then immediately puts it back in the very back of the closet

-Likes baking little treats to celebrate

-Buys gifts sporadically starting in August.

-Prefers receiving gifts, always overthinks what kind of gifts to give

-Opens gift like it owes him money or like it might explode, no inbetween.

-Actually loves the good cheer but hates how crowded places get

-Keeps mistletoe on him so he can have smooches whenever he wants :)

-Keeps all the handmade things he receives in a safe place and never uses them because he doesn’t want them to get ruined

-Not afraid to say he dislikes a gift, but usually just offers it back so it can be returned

-Mails out so many Christmas cards. To who? We may never know.

-Once filled Sun’s stocking with coal as a joke.

-Argues with Moon over who gets to lift the fave (tm) to put the star up on the tree

-Snow ball fights! Ice skating! Snow people! :)

-Loves wrapping gifts <3

-Daydreams about Christmas dates but never plans them

-Asks kids if they been good this year, if they say yes he tells them Santa will spare them... for now :)

And there’s the brainrot! Back to gift wrapping! <3

#justaduckarts #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #fnaf sun and moon #eclipse fnaf #reader insert #sun x reader #moon x reader #eclipse x reader #head canon #chrimas

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pinkkinoko · 2 years

Note

Jesus christ please bless us with your kid!mungrove hcs 😩😩😩😩😩😩 i love these babies so much

*High pitched yelling*

You’ve unleashed the beast😶

To be quite honest, I think the drawings center mostly around a three year old Billy and a five year old Eddie, which would make it a separate timeline from my foster care au (god I’m gonna illustrate some stuff for that too because😭💔) but anyway, I’m pretty sure for them to meet it would be Eddie probably going to California.

So far, I’ve thought it’d be interesting to have Eddie’s parents skip town without him, something that unfortunately happens a bit too often, and Wayne has to make a drive to Cali for work, but since he’s not about to leave Eddie to fend for himself, he decides to take him with. Eddie is a pretty energetic five year old, so the drive there is hell for him, and he’s also cranky because his parents promised they wouldn’t leave him behind next time they bailed. It’s also the middle of June, so it’s ridiculously hot, and when they finally arrive in cali, Wayne does his best to let Eddie get some time to burn off his stress by taking him to see the beach.

Eddie’s still sulking, but he’s a kid, so he’s over the moon about getting to see the beach, and he’s dumbstruck with just how big it is. He’d only ever seen stuff about it in picture books, so Eddie’s practically vibrating with anticipation and trying to wrestle out of Wayne’s grip while he tries to smear sunscreen on him so his nephew doesn’t cook in the California sun.

Once he’s looking like he’s been dipped in mayonnaise, Wayne finally lets him go and Eddie all but teleports to the shore. He’s about to run straight into the water before something tugs him from behind and has him falling flat onto the sand. He’s about to cry when he opens his eyes and stares up into these big blue orbs that are looking down at him with what looks to be stern disapproval. Eddie wants to be annoyed, but this kid looks like one of them little angels he sees when he passes by the church on Sundays. The ones with those tiny wings and pretty blonde hair.

He giggles and points a finger up into that stern face, “You look like an angel!” The other kid makes an even angrier face and bends down to smack a hand onto Eddie’s forehead. “No. Billy.” He says it in a very serious tone, like Eddie’s made some big mistake he’s gotta be told off for.

“Ow!” before he has a chance to complain, the child—the boy—is being lifted up into the air. Eddie almost thinks it’s magic before he sees the pretty lady in a white dress, her blonde hair matching his angelic little acquaintance.

“Oh my, Billy! We don’t hit people! I’m so sorry, you ok sweetie?” Billy is squirming in her arms, obviously very upset at being removed from his task of pestering Eddie. The lady is trying to help Eddie up but having a hard time due to Billy’s protests, so Eddie dusts himself off and stands up on his own—like a big kid.

“Um, I’m ok, um, I think, I think Billy should say sorry too.” Eddie purses his lips and stares up at the two with expectant eyes. Kids in Hawkins always make fun of him because of where he lives and the hand-me-down clothes he wears, even the grown ups make funny faces at him when he plays alone in the park with no shoes on. He’s made it a habit to have a big attitude and a bigger mouth. The adults are always telling him he’s rude, he just things they’re ruder for staring.

The lady blinks down at him before smiling—she has a really pretty smile, she looks like an angel too—and setting Billy down.

“You heard him Billy, think you can say ‘sorry’ for hitting him? Maybe the nice boy will play with you when you make up.” Eddie thinks Billy doesn’t like the idea at all, he has big tears threatening to fall down his cheeks and he’s looking at a spot just in front of his feet.

“Why’re you crying? You hit me!” Billy starts wailing in earnest at that, big hiccuping sobs as he walks up to Eddie and points at something behind him. Eddie turns around and looks down to see a big shard of brown glass sticking up from the sand a small ways away.

He turns back and scrunches up his nose.

“You should use words! Just say something! Sheesh, you’re awful pretty, but you don’ talk, huh?” Eddie doesn’t really think it was mean, he’s just being honest, but Billy just starts crying even louder at that as he turns betrayed eyes onto Eddie and runs back to his mom.

Wayne eventually comes down to see what the fuss is about, and the two grown ups get to talking while Billy glares dagger at Eddie from behind his mom’s legs. Eddie just squats down and stares back with fascination, he’d never seen such a pretty boy before. Even the girls in Hawkins don’t have long lashes and curly blonde hair like Billy.

Eddie really wants to be friends, even if this poor kid doesn’t know how to say much.

Billy, for what it’s worth, wants to throw sand in this weirdos face and tell him he’s stupid. He’s not really great with talking to people he doesn’t know though, so he settles for sticking out his tongue. The scrappy kid just giggles at him and sticks his own tongue out in return.

Billy thinks he hates this idiot.

#mungrove #kid!mungrove #can’t believe people be out here wanting to know what I think #This is a very rough headcanon i apologize lmaoo #yes Billy is a bit of a cryer krgvblrsght #pk’s library

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ethereallyrigid · 2 years

Text

Brief 6th house synastry rant

Reference: My mom has a Virgo stellium (Sun, Moon,Mercury,Venus,Jupiter and Pluto) to which all planets except her sun falls in my 6th house

Sometimes having 6th house synastry with your parents can be straight up not okay especially moon in the 6th house. Being taken advantage of by your parents, them feeling obligated to your time and energy. They expect you to make sacrifices for them and sometimes even expect you to work for them or do their job for them. It can get absolutely ridiculous. Obviously it makes sense to have 6th house synastry with your parents and/or family if you live with them, it will entail you see them almost if not everyday and THEY’RE YOUR PARENTS they are supposed to take care of you, see you everyday, house you, sacrifice for you, BUT NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! I DO NOT CARE! CHILDREN DO NOT OWE THEIR PARENTS ANYTHING FOR BEING TAKEN CARE OF, THAT’S THEIR JOB! That is the rightful dynamic of a parent-child relationship. Of course be appreciative and grateful for your parents and what they’ve done for you. But parents need to stop viewing their children as their servants! No it’s not normal and it’s wrong. Sorry not sorry.

TMI: I once did something for my mother (can’t remember what, it was just one of many incidents) and she literally said “That’s why I had kids” 🙃 I-

If anyone has experienced anything like this please just try to focus on yourself and try to heal from this dynamic. It can be tough but remember it’s YOUR LIFE not your parents, they had their turn and now it’s yours!

Anyways love you all and I hope everyone has a good day 💕💕

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aroworlds · 1 year

Text

Hallo, Aro: Pillar

For the second day of @aggressivelyarospec‘s #aggressivelyarospectacular 2022 event, I have another Hallo, Aro story: a series of (mostly) flash fiction stories about allosexual aromantic characters navigating friendship, sexual attraction, aromanticism and the weight of amatonormative expectation.

Contains: A allo-aro woman who doesn't choose marriage and children ... and a society that expects she use her time in service to those who did.

Length: 1, 320 words.

Content advisory: This story focuses on the intersection between capitalism, misogyny, amatonormativity, classism and singleism in terms of how they impact non-partnering and non-parenting working-class adults (especially women and people forcibly categorised as "woman" by Western society) under capitalism. Please expect depictions of and/or references to these as well as general aro erasure, aro antagonism, heteronormativity and cisnormativity.

Animal bones, medical tools and cemeteries are casually mentioned in the setting.

The woman lingers at the alley entrance, peering left and right and left again, before pulling at her cloak's cowl. Only then does she make the turn, her steps swift and furtive. Most gods’ altars line crossways, thoroughfares and squares, their divinity owed public homage; some, lost amidst the city’s sprawl, lurk behind privies and warehouses. Such sacred spaces never moulder unvisited, but their worshippers seldom attend beneath the sun’s revealing light.

When fog creeps and moon fades, the desperate seek out gods few dare name.

She hurries, her full skirts swishing, around a pile of crates. Behind lies an alcove, mossy and damp, set into the wall dividing alley from boneyard. Ivy smothers both ancient stonework and looming sepulchre, veiling the god's image such that one sees little more than outstretched wings. Only yellowed papers and fallen leaves cushion the ground before the granite altar, but a soft glow illuminates worshippers' offerings and the god’s business: rusting hand bells, wire-bound bird bones, curved needles, empty glass phials.

A crow-black feather, carefully stitched onto a red ribbon, emerges from her pocket. She kneels and sets it by the smallest bell. “Please, I beg you listen…”

She scowls, shaking her head. A brown braid escapes her hood.

“No, I’m no priest! I’m Quick. I reckon the name suits. My cousin … none of you gods was listening when my aunt named her. Or you all split your sides laughing! Anyway, I’m a seamstress. The kind doing piece work in a tailor’s workhouse. The kind sewing seams so folk sing the tailor for his cuts and finishings.”

Quick hesitates, crooking her head. Nothing disturbs the alleyway behind her: only a tabby cat sits atop the crates, his yellow eyes examining the wall opposite.

“It’s tiring work, but I’ve guild-set hours, fifth days and holidays. And sewing suits me.” With gloved hands, she raises an unwieldy vine from the altar. Her breath mists the night air. “I mind the tailor and how he manages the other women. They’re married. Mothers with toddling babes, mostly. Their mothers, sisters, or partners tend their children while they work. This must be hard for them, but…”

She bends the vine back upon itself, weaving it into the mess of leaves shrouding the alcove’s left wall.

“When we’ve trousers to remake or shirts still to baste for the morrow’s fitting … they plead their babies and their partners. The tailor says he’s a proud family man, so he won’t hold family against his workers. Meaning when the eve-bell rings and work wants continuing, he begs me to stay. ‘Cause I’ve no partner or children, aren’t I best to?”

A withered twig cracks as Quick breaks it clean from the vine, stowing it inside her cloak's pocket.

“The tailor pays no guild’s cut on after-bell hours. So he won’t hire more seamstresses, the others go home, and I stay late. Again. He suggests he can’t keep me elsewise, which makes mockery of his singing about my good work.” Her voice roughens. “Mama … Mama chides my minding so much I daren’t speak of it, ‘cause she says I’m helping the tailor and the other women both. Aren’t I better to be kind and turn extra coin for the family, than sit idle at home?”

Her lips trembling, she turns to the altar. Never does she permit her fingers to touch older offerings, irrespective of rust and tarnish; instead, uncaring of her skirts and cloak, she brushes leaves, twigs, bird droppings and dirt from the granite slab.

“But I don’t! I scarce bang my boots before a sister hands off her latest babe or begs me feed her boys. I haven’t been home in weeks while the oldest nurses—and when the youngest sister takes ill and her children also need tending, there I go.” Quick utters a low laugh, shaking her head. “Until bed, I’m changing napkins or saving the cat from being poked. Sometimes just so they can be alone with their husbands! My sisters say a village should raise a child, and since Mama helps my brother’s wife when not doing for Papa, and my sisters’ husbands earn their rent, there's me. I’m to be kind to them, too--to be the village.”

“But I mind it. I mind.”

She bows her head, resting fisted hands in her lap.

“I want no husband. I want no children. I want … a house with a big bed for me and a lover—but they never pass the whole night in it. More like a regular guest than a partner, and I know how that’s awful!” Quick inhales, her cheeks flushed and eyes glistening. “I want time for reading, stitching, tatting, drawing—and coin enough for a score of lamps! Space to guest in a friend’s bed, some evenings, and have them guest in mine. No wifehood, no motherhood. They’d strangle me!”

She sits in wordlessness, breathing heavily.

The cat leaps from the topmost crate, lands and pads down the alleyway.

“I know that for truth, ‘cause I’m strangled now. I work late ‘cause the tailor chooses wives and mothers' leaving over me.” Quick shudders, her hands tightening. “I tend my sisters’ children ‘cause I’m no wife or mother, so I own nothing more important. I won’t be a partner or parent, so those who are expect I use my hours to help. And to escape their expecting? Marry and bear my own children! Only then are my refusals accepted!”

Her harsh, raucous cackle sends a startled cat skittering into the street.

“I’m why the tailor won’t hire another seamstress but sing himself for being a family man. I’m why my sisters have all their sons. I’m the pillar holding them up—making doable their homes, marriage, children, pride. I'm obliged to bear their weight … and why shouldn’t I, after refusing what we’re supposed to have? What good am I to anyone, elsewise? How am I naught but selfish, denying Papa the chance of granddaughters?”

A tear—hot, salty and grief-leaden—patters the alcove's pitted stone.

“I want to live for me, but not by leaving my family. I still want my sisters, Mama--just less of them! But even had I wage enough to leave, what next? Won’t another employer think the same? Won’t I be holding the neighbour’s crying babe? When nobody can live the way they’re obliged to want without spinster aunts shoring them up, where can I be?”

Quick sucks in another gulping breath, her voice wavering.

“If you’re a good and just god, even you won’t change this. Nothing right lies in making everyone be and think different for my wants, even if you could. Nothing right lies in upending everything, and that’s the worst thing, the very worst thing … that there’s no escape. None. Just a horrid knot binding us all, a knot in a world with no scissors. One I best ought to learn to not mind.”

Her shoulders slumping, she sags in upon herself. The fog thickens, gifting the statuette a halo of blue light, but Quick sits as if too worn and grief-struck to move. Only when her shivers threaten convulsions does she catch herself, blinking.

“Least you listen without chiding," she murmurs, and you never demanded a girl marry for your favour or called her selfish for choosing her own way. Other … other gods aren’t so kind. Even if they're reckoned good.” She grimaces, shaking her head. “Thank you. It’s easier to forget how I mind if I talk, sometimes. Least for a while.”

She stands, bows, tugs her hood as far over her cheeks as the fabric will allow, and retreats down the alleyway.

In the shadows of a corner unseen by mortal eyes, a weeping god cups his face in taloned hands.

For how long can he pay witness to the harms wrought upon his own before inaction may no longer be deemed “just”?

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justastarholder · 8 months

Note

Aha hello it’s the nosy person again

(Sorry for asking so many questions, every time I send an ask, I think of like ten more, if I’m annoying you or something just let me know and I’ll stop)

If you haven’t guessed already, I have more questions again. It’s just the way you word things, Afton!! You make it all sound so mysterious. So you were a familiar once? Interesting. What was it like? What made you want to… well, transition to the goals you have now? According to your responses, it sounds like demons are just corrupted gods, existing to keep the world in a sort of balance. What kind of debt do you owe to… the Aberration? How did you even go about seeking him out? Also, how do you feel about being a demon that looks like an old decrepit rabbit? (I mean no insults by this, just my observations)

Why did you adopt kids? Why did you even go about having kids? You don’t really strike me as the type of demon that would want children to take care of. How do demons even have kids? All right, with (most) of the serious questions I have out of the way, how about some (two) questions about your preferences instead?

Who’s your least favorite god? Favorite? And those are all of my questions ahaha…. (I ask far too many I’m so sorry-)

Hello!

Before I bully Afton- ahem- ask our friendly rabbit to answer your questions: You're not annoying! Afton may make cranky comments, but those are purely the character. I've had lots of fun reading and answering your questions! You never have to worry about sending too many asks or asking too much. If it's something I can't answer for spoiler reasons, I will let you know! I'm honestly happy to answer most questions, so long as they're not just downright insults or bullying. I also try to keep the characters amiable, even if they're the antagonists.

"Oh boy. Here we go..."

The rabbit rose from the throne with a soft groan, making his way down the steps to pace absently.

"Yes, I was a familiar. I can't really tell you about my early years. I was a young rabbit and don't really remember much of the first twenty years or so. But I do recall the moon god. I adored them. We had a good bond. There was also Hermea- the familiar of the sun god. He was this great, golden bear. We were good friends. And his daughter, Charmea, was the reason I ended up deciding to foster a child in the first place... She was so bright. Eventually Hermea had a son, too. Fred'r." He half-smiled, recalling those simpler days.

"I think you ought to know how children are made," Afton mused. "The reason I adopted was because I had no love of my own to mother a child- so I adopted a young fox god... Redtail. He was a good kid, a god born from a legend, so he had no parents of his own. Redtail was always a bit rough around the edges. He was like me in that way, I suppose. Rushing forward with his heart on his sleeve."

"I did eventually have two children, but their mother and I weren't exactly in love, so I took them in and she left. My daughter, Elizabeth and younger son, Evan. They were human, like their mother. By this time I was well into my godhood, so it wasn't all that strange. Evan and Elizabeth never really got on with Redtail, since he was so much older. But I loved all of my children, regardless of what history will say about me."

The rabbit moved to one of the windows. He stared out into the darkness for a long time.

"...It was when Evan died that things shifted." He picked at some of the grime on the glass.

"We all know what happens when the gods die. Their stars remain and become new gods. Their consciousness rejoins the Mother Star, up in the heavens." He sighed, mangled ears dropping.

"But we're not really sure about humans. I mean- we understand decomposition. And sure, you could argue that a body returning to the soil is beautiful in its own right. But what about the mind? What about the soul of my son? Was that it? Was he gone forever?"

Violet light bubbled off of his skeletal hand as he clenched his fist.

"I didn't want to lose my son forever. He was still just a child."

Afton turned back to the tapestry handing just behind the throne. A red banner emblazoned with a glittering gold sun, tattered and ruined.

"I pleaded with the greater gods to find some way to undo it. They told me I was meddling in something I'd be better off leaving alone. I couldn't stand that thought. Even my former master told me that the only choice I had was to let go."

"But I didn't want to let go." The window beside him shattered as he slammed his fist against it.

"I poured myself into my research, and I confess I neglected all else. The humans began to pray for me less and less and I grew weaker. Older." Afton dragged his good hand down his face.

"...And then Elizabeth died, playing around in the ritual room of the temple. Ensnared by one of the very tools I'd created to try and understand how I might bring Evan back to us." Afton laughed bitterly.

"At that point, my oldest son left for the seas. He no longer wanted anything to do with me. And my good friend, Hermea, had lond since taken to wandering... I became desperate. When I again appealed to the greater gods, most of them shunned me. They told me I had only myself to blame... But the youngest of them. He took pity on me and told me a well-kept secret. He told me about the Aberration."

Cold white eyes bore into you. Afton seethed with a hatred that couldn't be fathomed.

"Do you know what corruption is? What it truly is?"

"It's not a disease or some sort of physical change. Corruption is what happens when a god makes a pact with the Aberration. It hasn't happened many times, but I'd take being forsaken by the Mother Star a hundred times over if it meant I could see my children again. I don't care how this body festers. I don't care what it costs."

"...As for what the Aberration asked of me... I'm afraid that I can't say. You'll know soon enough. Everyone will." He turned back to the ruined window.

#star holder au #starholderanswers

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cumbunnywitch · 10 months

Text

Red Sun, Pink Moon - Chapter 2: Aftermath

Here's the tumblr post of chapter 2. Chapter Song: No Surprises by Radiohead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5CVsCnxyXg)

Read it with better formatting here!

Also, like all the summary and notes for extra information will be on AO3, so give it a bookmark if you like it!

"What the fuck was that?"

Lilia nearly jumped out of her skin as Kara's shrill voice called out from right behind her. Before she could decide to run or turn around and confront her, Kara's fingers dug into her shoulder. In an instant she could feel the rough cut stone of the dormitory walls on her back as Kara pushed her shoulders back against the wall.

"Well hello to you too Ka-"

"Shut the fuck up no-name. I could forgive whatever mishap of a spell you crafted spilling my tea, I could even forget that it ruined my best set of robes." The anger in Kara's eyes did nothing to quell the anxiety Lilia was already struggling to bottle up, and she could feel it building to a full-blown panic attack.

"Then what the fuck is your problem Kara!?" Lilia finally pushed back. Her hands hit Kara's chest, nearly knocking the other girl over. She finally got a chance to look around; they were entirely alone. No groupies, no teachers, no one to stop this.

"Because little no-name assholes who come in with all that gifted student scholarship bullshit piss me off enough as it is, I don't need you trying to outshine me in front of the fucking school heads!" Kara shouted. Lilia could almost see a tear forming in the girl's eye, but it could just as easily have been a bug or some tea she failed to wipe away.

"I don't owe you anything Kara," Lilia continued. "I work hard to be here. If I don't, I don't get to be here. Talentless hacks with no creativity don't mean shit to me!"

Tears did start to well up behind Lilia's eyes. She could usually ignore the day to day bullying but that cut deep. Right now, when she was vulnerable, anxious, praying to just make it to the dormitory without falling to pieces, it was one more thing she didn't have the capacity to deal with.

Kara seemed to pause for a moment, perhaps to think of another insult or decide if one was even worth the effort. "Stay out of my fucking way, no-name. Next time I have to tell you, I'll give you a reason to cry."

As Kara walked away, Lilia watched, frozen. When she rounded the corner, Lilia ran the rest of the way to her dorm, through the door, and straight into her room. She let out all the emotions she'd let build up. All the anxiety and anger and misled hope poured from her eyes and lungs into her pillow. The months of hearing 'no-name' shouted across the courtyard or whispered in the halls. All the gossip and rumors she'd had to deal with just because her parents weren't mages or nobles. She let it out, not strong enough to contain it anymore. And as she did, she felt the quiet look of disapproval of Foiroux and half of her instructors. She saw the smirks and eye-rolls and.. and the anger in Kara's eyes. She relived that betrayal time and time again, until slowly, the panic faded. She gently slipped into a quiet cry, completely dissociated from reality. Consciousness faded, and Lilia drifted into sleep.

_________________________

It was the first day of her first year. Lilia was a little nervous, but more than anything she was excited. Most mages have heard of Bremerton Academy for the Arcane Arts, and only mages taught at other equally prestigious schools dared scoff at students attending Bremerton. She was one of the lucky few with enough potential to have qualified for the highly sought after Raising Excellence Scholarship.

Lilia was already aware that mages without a pedigree were viewed as a "lower class" sort of mage, but plenty of them had risen to the ranks of Archmage. That thought wasn't anywhere near her head today though, especially not as she looked up at the brightly lit granite in the midday sun. She could practically feel the magic in the air as she ignored the welcome speech by nearly every member of the faculty.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and a sudden whisper. "Psst, hey!"

Lilia turned to the voice, startled. She saw a girl about her size, maybe a little taller. Her hair was probably the reddest orange she'd ever seen, bound up in an immaculate bun. "Hi, I'm Kara. This is super boring. Do you wanna sneak out after the next intermission and check out the grounds?"

Kara was smiling, and maybe her first friend away from her home. But still, despite her attention span, perhaps it would be smarter to stay and at least look like she's listening. "I don't know.. it's my first day, what if they catch us?"

Kara waved her hand. "Pfft, they don't care that much. My older sister graduated last year, plenty of people just flat out don't even come to these things. C'mon, it'll be fun!"

On the next change of speaker, the girls take off. It's the end of summertime, but the beginning of a friendship Lilia would never forget.

---

"Hey Kara, did you get notes from Kella for elementals?" Lilia asked, entering Kara's dorm. They didn't need to knock with each other at this point. They had hung out together, practiced together, read books in the lounge, even braided each other's hair while gossiping about their professors.

Today was different though, a man stood in Kara's room. He looked about in his forties, and didn't wear the usual faculty robes. She couldn't place the sigil on the man's cape, but he certainly wasn't an instructor.

"Ah, Karalin, is this your friend? Lilia, is it?"

"Um.." Kara rushed over towards Lilia. "Yes sir. This is Lilia, my friend from orientation. Lilia Quinn, it's my pleasure to introduce you to my father, Archmage Darius Denella."

Lilia could sense her friend's unease. "My apologies Archmage. I didn't mean to intrude. Please, excuse me." Lilia bowed. Her upbringing told her that Archmages were nearly Lords in their own right. The power they held in courts across the world might not have been inheritable, but it certainly wasn't something to insult, either.

"No, no. I'm glad to hear my daughter has such a good friend. Quinn, though, that's not a name I've heard in my years. Is your family foreign?" The man asked inquisitively. Lilia felt the creeping tendrils of panic. She knew this line of questioning by now, subjected to the taunts and jeers of her highborn peers and the dirty looks from legacy mages. She tried to look calm, but the dread was mounting in her stomach.

"Sir, my family was from the north of the kingdom. My parents both left to come here to try and give me the opportunity to study at Bremerton. " It wasn't a lie, but technically they had only moved in search of new land to farm.

"Hmm." The man's face turned to a scowl. "Well, I suppose Bremerton should be happy to have found such a.. polite commoner to award their scholarship to this year." He looked back at Kara. "Karalin, we'll speak later. I have an appointment with your headmaster at present."

Kara nodded. He turned and walked towards the door, looking down his nose at Lilia. She bowed again as he walked by. Once he left, Kara slowly moved to her desk, grabbing a small stack of papers and handed them to Lilia. "Please just leave me alone for a little bit. And... start knocking when you enter." She opened the door for Lilia, who stepped through. Lilia looked back as the door closed again, but Kara's eyes refused to meet hers.

---

Sunlight shone through Lilia's window as the morning rose. She woke slowly, clearing the dried tears from her eyes. Her pillowcase was still damp from last night. Even her dreams gave her no respite.

_________________________

"It could have been so much better than this." She whispered to no one, reburying all of the things she had let out. She was thankful there was nothing to do today . The final exam was over. Results would be posted in a few days' time, once the Headmaster and faculty heads had a chance to look over the results and class performance. For now, though, she could rest. Lilia flipped her pillow over, adjusted her blankets, and stared at the cream-colored wall of her private room.

_________________________

Kara was awake before the sun rose. She prepared for the day like every other - she brushed her hair, her teeth, cast a bit of water magic to moisturize, and powdered her face. She stretched, as a good mage should always be limber to cast. From her closet, she selected a robe for the day, perfectly pressed and clean, as a mage should always look presentable.

She opened her suite door and walked to the dorm lounge, where her friends waited. Kella and Luna were neither completely unskilled nor prodigies, but they had uses. Both had exceptional memories, and were horrifically adept gossips.

"Lanie said she heard that no-name idiot crying all night, you must have done a real number on her Kar."

"Nah, she's just a crybaby. 'Wah, wah! I've got no friends and the whole school hates me waaah!'" It was hardly possible to tell them apart. One, because they barely had a thought in their heads that someone hadn't put there for them. And two, because they were identical twins. It had taken a few weeks to work out just which one was which, but at some point Kara stopped caring about that difference.

"Shut up. I barely did anything. The little no-name dug her own hole this time. I just shoveled the dirt in. Hopefully she repeats so I don't have to see her stupid face in class anymore." Kara's words were hurtful, sure, but she felt a sort of guilt saying them. Maybe she.. No, no this was alright. One more year in the Academy and she could leave and go make her own life and not worry about twins or exams or headmasters or studying or schmoozing with that creepy Professor Delax. Gods what she would give to not have to fake such a polite personality just to get more of an answer out of him than "Practice your fundamentals, Kara!"

She snapped from her thoughts as she reached the dining room. Her friends helped themselves to the full buffet of breakfast items. A special treat for the end of the year and, of course, to recover from the likely excessive mana use during yesterday's exams. Despite her own extraordinary display of a flaming crystallized fountain, complete with waterspouts that poured an illusion of liquid silver, she didn't feel hungry. She grabbed a few pieces of fruit and sat at a table while Kella and Luna piled their plates high with eggs and bacon and cheeses. Kara watched as the girls dove into their meals, taking only a few bites of an apple.

"Oh my gods yeaa! I'm so happy they let us perform together! Honestly Luna you were great, the lights were perfect."

"Noo they only looked so good because your bubbles had just the right bounce!"

"Hey, it wasn't a 'performance.' It was our final exam. It was for a grade, not to look cute and fancy. Honestly, I'll be surprised if you two even passed. Your forms were both terrible." Kara barked before taking another bite.

"Whoa Kar-bear, are you okay? You're not usually this snappy in the morning." The look of care on Kella's face looked almost like pity. She couldn't stand it.

"I'm fine. Just mana crashed." Kara rolled her eyes. Maybe it was just mana crash. Maybe she didn't have to think about this anymore.

"Hey, it's okay Kara. It happens, that was a really impressive spell. You're going to be on the top of the rankings, we just know it! Plus, we heard that the headmaster is releasing the ratings tonight, so that-"

"Tonight?!" Kara cut Luna off, dropping her apple on the table. "They always take at least 3 days, what the fuck are you talking about?"

Luna shot back in her chair at the interruption. "I uhh.. I heard it from the lady proctor. She said they finished early because of something about a meeting. I didn't hear the rest."

"Are. You. Sure." Kara demanded, emphasizing each word.

"Y.. yea. Did I do something wrong?" Luna asked, scared.

Kella grabbed her sister's hand to comfort her. "Kara, this isn't that unusual, what's wrong?"

Kara dropped her head to the table, groaning. She knew she would score high, that wasn't the problem. "It's.. whatever, it doesn't actually matter. I'm sorry I yelled, it isn't your fault. Thank you for telling me."

She stood from the table, leaving her fruit. She needed to go, immediately. Her father was visiting today, as he did at the end of every year. If she wasn't in the top bracket, it would be another lecture, another summer of tutors and extra work and absolutely no freedom.

Kara left the dorm in a huff, nearly bowling over a group of girls just on their way in. If she wasn't at the top, she'd find a way to be. Last year it was easy, she had three days to talk with the proctors and faculty, to make sure they knew how good she was. It was part of the job, honestly, to manipulate those in power to do what you want them to. Usually for their own good, of course. Usually.

_________________________

Kara knocked at the door of the headmaster's office. The secretary hadn't wanted to say if he was in or not, but the constant looking back gave away the game.

"Come in," came the reply. Kara opened the door, seeing Foiroux alone. She had half expected some of the other proctors to be present, but she could work with this.

"Headmaster Foiroux! It's great to see you. I brought you some of the berries we had at our buffet, they're absolutely delightful." She placed the porcelain plate on his desk, adorned with a few blackberries, blueberries, and some assorted melon Kara didn't recognize by sight alone.

"Kara Denella. A pleasure, I'm sure." His voice was flat, giving away absolutely nothing. Clearly, he was tired.

"Sir, I heard that the testing scores were being released today, is that true?" Kara asked, her false smile glued in place.

"Yes, they are. We have some important dignitaries coming early this year to do their interviews with the fourth year class." Kara's mouth opened, but before she could speak, Foiroux raised a hand.

"And no, you cannot see them early. We post the rankings half an hour before the dinner bell, just like every year. It would be unfair to students if someone got special treatment."

Her smile almost cracked, but she pressed on anyway. "Sir, I know why we typically have to wait but.. Well, my father will be visiting today and I'm not sure he'll still be here by then! I wouldn't want to disappoint him, after all. I promise I'll keep my rank a secret, please?" She batted her eyes like she'd seen her mother do to her father, and tried her best not to lay it on too thick.

"I'm sorry Miss Denella, rules are rules, even if your father is an archmage. You will find out the same as everyone else, no special treatment."

Kara's eyes dropped, followed by her heart. Did this mean she wasn't in the top bracket? Or did she fail somehow? No, that would be impossible, Foiroux just has a stick up his ass.

"If you'll excuse me, Miss Denella, I have an event to prepare for." Foiroux stood, motioning to the door.

"Of course sir," Kara said, bowing. "Thank you for your time. Please enjoy the gift anyway."

As she left the administration building her mind raced. Someone else might be able to give her the scores, but who? The proctors were.. fucking somewhere, maybe? Department heads, they would know!

Kara ran through the courtyards, dashing from Elementals, Alchemists, Arcanists, even the General Education department. They all said the same thing, parroting Foiroux almost word for word. Only one remained: Professor Delax, department head of Fundamentals.

Kara walked through the Fundamentals building, focusing on her smile and poise as she made her way to the professor's office. She knocked in her same cheerful 'tap-taptap-tap' that she always used. Just as she did, the door opened.

"Ah, Karalin, I was wondering if you'd be by. The rest of the heads said you looked like a ghost." Delax smiled warmly as he spoke. It felt weird seeing any professor smile, but his felt.. off, somehow.

"Ah, yes Professor. I'm sure you've heard then, what I'm looking for?" Kara asked, her fake smile fading just a bit.

"I have. Why don't you come in and chat for a bit, make a case for why you should know your scores early?"

Kara was.. surprised, but not terribly. She wasn't, however, looking forward to this conversation.

#red sun pink moon #creative writing #ao3 #original fiction #f/f romance #slow burn

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