The Return Of An Empress Masterlist

Strangers (Chapter Two)

Strangers from Hell AU

Series Masterlist

pairing: ot7 x reader

genre: yandere, horror/thriller

warnings: murder, mature themes, obsessive/possessive behavior, emotional manipulation, stalking, violence (will update as needed)

word count: 5.5k words

quick note!! I had to make some edits in the last chapter bc I realized two plot points were missing so to summarize: yn has a boyfriend named Jihoon that also lives in the city and Nayeon is the friend that got her a job at the company! not major plot points (and they’re only briefly mentioned in the last chapter) but just wanted to put this out there in case you were confused reading this one :)

Today’s the big day. You thought you would be nervous but right now, all you feel is excitement. You finally get to wear the professional clothes you bought recently and you feel like a real adult in them. You opted to wear a gray pencil skirt today as it’s still pretty hot outside, paired with a blue button-up blouse. You slip on the heels and inwardly thank your mom for forcing you to wear them around the house the past few weeks in order to break them in. A quick once over in the mirror gives you all the confirmation you need to start your day.

You try to ignore your clicking heels echoing in the hallway as you fish through your bag for the granola bar you stuffed in there earlier. You don’t see Jimin standing there by his office door, which he takes advantage of as his eyes rake up and down your figure.

“Good morning, YN!” You jump as you look up and see him smiling at you, his abrupt greeting causing you to almost drop the breakfast you had finally dug out.

“Good morning, Jimin.” You bow politely, fully ready to move past him when he stops you again.

“Sorry if I scared you.” He laughs warmly, stepping closer to you. “I just wanted to say I heard that things got a little rowdy last night and I hope you weren’t too freaked out.”

“Oh, yes well-”

“It’s normally not like that at all. We’re usually very quiet and respectful here.”

“I understand. It can get like that sometimes with a lot of people living in the same place.” You try to inch towards where the stairs are when he subtly moves closer, blocking your path again.

“You’re so considerate!” Jimin coos, tapping your arm in a friendly manner. “Unlike that other girl, she’s a real trainwreck.”

Your eyes widen at his blatant gossipping, not expecting him to speak so negatively about one of his tenants. “You mean Soomi?”

“Yes, she runs with a pretty rough crowd so it explains how violent she is.” His words give you pause as you take in this new information, not sure whether to believe him or not. “But don’t worry, you won’t be seeing her around anymore. She packed up and left this morning.”

Keep reading

:¨·.·¨: 

`·. 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝑭𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 ★°*ﾟ

Su-Hyeok x Fem!Reader | 1.9k words

Warning(s)/Rating: T

Premise: Self-defense training gone wrong, or gone right, depending on how you and Su-Hyeok look at it.

Author’s Note: Another pre-apocalypse AU just because I like imagining all the characters happy and carefree like other normal high school students—they deserved so much better in the drama. My next post will most likely be another 5 + 1 piece just because I love that style so much. Also, visualize what you see below as your POV throughout the fic ♡

P.S. Thank you so much for all the love in my previous post 😭. I wasn’t expecting it to gain that much attention! 🤧

When Dae-Su invites the whole gang to visit his uncle’s gym for “fun,” it never crossed anyone’s mind that they would be learning fighting skills. Perhaps Nam-Ra was smart to decline even before hearing the entirety of the planned itinerary, opting to study instead. To put it courteously, Dae-Su’s uncle was as eccentric as he was, maybe even more so.

Though you have to admit you could get behind his reasoning for pairing everyone up the way he did, regardless of whether it was truly effective in terms of honing techniques or just based on skill level, there’s no doubt it’s now your new form of entertainment:

1) On-Jo was kicking Cheong-San back and forth on their mat, expressionless. Poor guy looked like he was in a pinball machine, but he truly didn’t seem to mind even though you knew he was agile enough to avoid it. You can’t lie; they’re absolutely adorable even when they fight. Seeing I-Sak coming over occasionally to tease them only confirmed that you weren’t the only one who thought so. Huh, who would’ve thought self-defense training between two people could be this cute.

2) Animatedly, Gyeong-Su gestures “ladies first” to I-Sak, but she mimics his motions, repeating for him to “man up.” From your point of view, it looked almost comical, like one of those silent movies you could never understand. Neither of the two seemed to take it seriously; they were simply just having fun yielding to one another, taking nothing to heart.

3) Ji-Min and Hyo-Ryung were in some kind of mutual stand-off, neither one of them daring to move, their stance reminding you of two cats with a ball of yarn in the middle. They were too far away for you to listen in, but from the former’s expression, you could tell she was complaining endlessly. Is it worth it to bet on who would make the first attack rather than who would win between them?

4) In a corner, Wu-Jin and Joon-Yeong were ganging up on Dae-Su, except the biggest hurdle was that they clearly needed an actual gang to make Dae-Su budge. Apparently, his position as the so-called mediator—since it was deemed no one could win in a fight against Dae-Su if he simply laid down—didn’t matter to the other two; it was purely an opportunity for them to use him as a stress ball. You laugh at the idea that as a referee, one is supposed to keep a close eye on matches to ensure all rules are adhered to, but here, Wu-Jin and Joon-Yeong definitely found a loophole: if you take out the official, anything goes.

5) Now, that left you and Su-Hyeok, mainly because according to Dae-Su, he wanted to see you guys fight to the death, leaving you wondering if he meant that in the literal sense. “Bare-Su doesn’t know what giving up is, and Y/N would never accept defeat,” was his reasoning, pestering his uncle to pit the boys and girls against one another. Originally you and On-Jo were supposed to practice together, but for some reason, it just ended up like this. You were going to question Dae-Su as to why only the four of you were in a mixed pair, but decided against it. Knowing him, it’s probably better if you didn’t ask.

As you’re watching the hilarious matches—if they could even be called that—Su-Hyeok’s voice draws you back to your own mat and sparring partner for the day.

“Out of all supernatural beings, what are you most afraid of?” “Zombies,” you say without hesitation. “Alright, then go ahead and imagine me as a zombie in a sudden apocalypse.” “Please, when would zombies show up? At a high school of all places—I don’t think so,” you reason, giving him a pointed look.  “Just for mock situational purposes, I’ll be a zombie; a handsome one.” 

“You?” “Yeah, you can’t picture me as a zombie?” “No, I can, but not as a handsome one,” you tease, even though it was far opposite from the truth.  Rolling his eyes, he gives up. “Fine. Let’s just say I’m a regular zombie.” Su-Hyeok begins to move behind you as he says, “In the instance that I—a zombie—were to come around and do this…” He wraps an arm around your shoulders, placing your neck in the crook of his elbow in a squeezing motion that would choke you in a real-life situation with more aggression involved.  Surprising him, you quickly remove his arm, spin around, and pin it behind his back in a matter of seconds. Technically, he never asked if you had any prior experience, which you did; a black belt to be exact, but he doesn’t have to know that.

“How are you this strong?” Su-Hyeok asks, genuinely shocked. Though he groans at the pressure you applied, he reverses the disadvantageous position by drawing your arm out and back up over you, untangling himself first before flinging you down on the mat. Despite that, he still throws an arm out for you, cradling your neck to lessen the impact you would’ve received otherwise. You would never tell Su-Hyeok, but his absolute care for you—leagues even above others—was your heart’s kryptonite.

“You don’t think I can handle a fair fight, huh?” Without faltering, you wrap your legs around his waist and flip yourself back on top, not quite registering that you were presently straddling him. Too competitive to pay it any mind, you miss the slight smile Su-Hyeok tries to suppress—that always meant trouble. Decisively, you shift into putting him into an arm bar, one leg across his throat while you twist his arm tightly, disabling him from moving. “I never said that you couldn’t!” He taps the floor, seemingly signaling that he wanted out. “I give up!” He exhales tiredly.

“Oh sorry!” You apologize hurriedly, truly worried. Knowing that you had an unfair advantage to begin with, you loosen your grip altogether, already beginning to check if you went too far in the spirit of competition when Su Hyeok unceremoniously flips you back around, pinning you down. Y/H/C splays out beneath you, a stark contrast against the blue mat as his hands hold your wrists above your head, pressing it firmly to the floor while his knees lock outside of yours, restricting all movement. “Oof,” you gasp, not expecting the force or the motion’s speed, struggling against the added weight on you.

You look up, seeing Su-Hyeok chuckling openly at you having fell for his trick. His face ends up unbelievably close to yours, so close that you can see drops of sweat dotting his hairline. Every time he exhales, you can feel his breath ghost over your face, and you wonder if he could hear how fast your heart was beating or whether he could feel it from the radial pulse in your wrists through his hands due to the compromising position he currently had you locked in. His eyes sweep from your face down to your lips for a split second before looking back up, though it goes unnoticed by you.

Your feelings aside, you were never one to lose—Dae-Su was spot-on about that—and you definitely could get yourself out of the position if you just knee him where it’s known to hurt the most. Even those without training would know that oldest trick in the book, but instead, you figure that messing with him is a thousand times more satisfying.  “Do you know your place now?” He taunts, repositioning his hands in a more comfortable position so that it wouldn’t put too much force on your wrists; far too considerate for the situation at hand. “You mean underneath you?” You gaze up at him, defiantly, challenging him to make another move. Clearly flustered at your suggestive tone, his smile falters, causing you to burst into laughter. Dae-Su’s uncle walks around the dojo, gauging the progress of every duo when you see him stopping by your area, scratching his head in confusion. “Oh, geez this is…different. What do we have here?” His eyes widen as he mutters to himself, before he goes back to his usual neutral expression you’ve seen all day. “So…uh, who won?” He raises his eyebrows at you and Su-Hyeok. “I’ve never had to determine who is the victor in this—" he gestures at the air, “—kind of a match before.”  You scoot your head a little bit to the side so you could make eye contact with Dae-Su’s uncle out of respect. How ironic, considering what he was seeing in front of him. Clearly, Su-Hyeok was still too stunned to think properly, but hasn’t let you go. “Me!” You reply without shame, even adding in a smile for good measure.  Skeptical, Dae-Su’s uncle nods anyway. “Well…good going? Keep it up?” he compliments, or rather, questions awkwardly, before going on his way to the other end of the room. You have half a mind to wonder what kind of first impressions you and your friends were making, thinking about what Dae Su’s uncle would encounter on the other mats to follow. When you turn your head back, Su-Hyeok is still looking at you. He shakes his head in amusement as you nudge his knee with yours. “Where’s the sportsmanship? You just declared victory with a lie. All my hard work went down the drain.” “Well, should have spoken up earlier then, you fool.” He scoffs at you, before narrowing his eyes. “Hey! Don’t try to distract me! Is your solution in an unexpected situation to seduce your way out of it?” You blush but hold it together. “Depends, did it work?” Su-Hyeok splutters. “I told you to imagine me as a zombie. How would the undead fall victim to human charm?”  “So, you’re saying my charming nature is distracting.”  “Now you’re just twisting my words.” “You didn’t answer my question,” you press. “Was my method successful or not?” “Again, Y/N, let me remind you that I’m a zombie—" “I’m not asking Zombie Su-Hyeok, I’m asking Human Su-Hyeok what he thinks.”  There’s a dangerous glint in his eyes, which should have been warning enough for you. He moves to lace his fingers with yours, and leans in even further, his face barely an inch away. He smirks. “Maybe if you do it more often.”  Not knowing what to say and abruptly much too shy to retaliate, you quickly throw him off of you and move back into a sitting position, your cheeks red. Su-Hyeok falls to the mat on his back, laughing so hard he’s shaking. You kick him with your foot in childish revenge to no avail, glaring all the while. He finally sits up, leaning back onto his arms to continue staring at you, smiling cheekily at the expression on your face. “After that, I think I clearly won.”  Dae-Su comes by and squats between the two of you, looking back and forth pensively. “As the designated referee and the one who suggested this activity in the first place, I’m saying this for the benefit of the whole and all the single people in this room: Next time, a little less flirting and a lot more fighting, please.”

I have this brainrot of Scara's darling being abducted and when he hears news of it, he immediately goes to where his intel said that you were held captive at, only to be met with you standing there, the expensive parasol he bought you at your hand and is that blood on your kimono?

Since darling has to take his horrendous etiquette lessons, he probably had to also teach you how to gracefully make use of parasols (whether it's to actually shield you from the sun when you walk the gardens or hide your identity when he oh so graciously allows you to go outside his estate, you'll never know.) Darling would think that those classes are useless, but the lessons oddly came to their help when they needed it. How she was able to retrieve her parasol from the abductors is simple. If deceiving Scara is the hardest thing she had to think about, then petty kidnappers are bound to be child's play. Beating them up with a mere parasol is also easy, having to deal with Scaramouche daily takes a shit ton of emotional control and hey, you're kinda doing them the favor of avoiding his wrath by beating them up yourself (or so you think, the dungeon lingers with static electricity the next day sadly.)

Scaramouche probably reprimands you from using a parasol since then, in an effort to keep you under his control too. Lucky you then, that's one less etiquette rule to keep up with. (Sorry if this is all over the place since I honestly enjoy the thought of his darling carrying around a parasol ASKDLFGSJKD)

OMG YOU'RE ONTO SOMETHING... who needs a sword when you've got a parasol? the parasols in your possession are the real deal too, nothing is cheap about how they were made since it was a gift from scaramouche to you. he doesn't settle for anything less than perfection. he never considered the possibility of you using it as a weapon — but the juxtaposition of your gentle demeanor paired with bloodshed just does something to him. he sees a lot of himself in you (ha!). pretending to be fair and demure, only for their to be ruthlessness hidden beneath the surface.

maybe gets a bit lovestruck in that moment, who knows. he certainly won't admit it.

shoutout to whatever poor shmuck orchestrated the entire kidnapping event... they definitely had to have been given bad info. some guy said that this estate was just an inazuman diplomat and his spouse, an easy hit. turns out that inazuman diplomat was number sixth of the eleven fatui harbingers. a bad day overall for them.

— don’t care just missed you

cheong-san x gn!reader | 3.4k words

genre: horror, angst, comfort, then fluff

warnings: swearing, canon-divergence, blood, injury (eye injury), implied cannibalism (technically, he’s half human and half zombie), mentions of death, suicidal ideation, and anxiety. aouad stuff basically.

synopsis: being a shut-in introvert with no interest in spending time with people or going outside was something people weren’t exactly fond of. it turned out to be the best thing in your life when a virus broke out in the school near your house. OR you love cheongsan and don’t care that he barges into your house with a zombie bite on his arm.

a/n: so i just finished all of us are dead and. i’m upset LMFAO i know i said i was taking a break but the end with cheongsan’s implied death(?) made me so upset i wanted to write for him also i. cant find gifs for him

The living room was dark. As was the rest of the world. Or well, maybe saying the world in its entirety would be an exaggeration. The world was dark for the people of Hyosan.

You stared at your laptop screen— the only source of light in your house, currently—, clicking your tongue rhythmically as you stared at your wallpaper. On your toolbar, several old internet browser tabs were open. Social medias and such, platforms with information on what was going on. All refreshed and now gone.

The word was everywhere: zombies. A zombie apocalypse that had started spreading so fast one could compare the city’s situation to the famous movie Train to Busan. Before you could get any more useful information, networks had shut down entirely.

Of course. A classic move. “So misinformation won’t spread” was what the higher-ups of the military had told on TV. But you knew what this meant. Cutting off communications was dangerous, even more so in a city that slowly started to break down under the pressure of some unknown virus that turned people into literal zombies. Not only that, but their means of stopping the spreading of misinformation meant that they stopped the spreading of information in general. Without being in direct contact with what was going on… You couldn’t know anything.

Like, genuinely.

You lived in a small, humble house lodged in the middle of the forest. Your parents owned it and were always on trips. They’d told you you could live there if you wanted since they were almost never home, saying that the house was supposed to be yours when you’d be an adult, but that it worked either way. You’d taken up on the offer with joy, around the end of middle school. No one but your family and close friends knew you lived there. Needless to day you were a bit cut off from everyone else. You liked being alone, and having an entire house (even if a bit small) to yourself. It was nice.

You’d dropped out of school mid-year, leaving your close friends surprised and pleading you to stay. But you’d told yourself that social life wasn’t really for you, and much less the restrictions of the educational system when you were forced to attend school five days out of seven in a week. So you’d shut yourself in your house. You were fine with it, really. You liked it more than going out every other day. You had food stored for months, and you weren’t that far from the city. So if you needed more you could just go to the nearest road, take a taxi, and take a trip to the grocery store to stock up. So you were fine.

Nevertheless, it seemed people naturally craved for the presence of other people. Recently, watching slice-of-life animes during your breaks from homeschool had got you craving for the thrill of a typical “normal teenage life”. And you missed your friends. You wanted to run out school laughing with them, you wanted to go out for ice-cream on sunny, hot days. You wanted to pass notes with them during classes and get detention afterwards. You wanted to buy stuff at the vending machine as you spoke with your classmates.

But you’d chosen the life of someone who stayed inside.

And this choice had turned out to be the best one you’d made in your life when the news of a virus outbreak in your city, and in your former high school especially, had broke out. You were happy. Gleeful, really. You’d just escaped what could’ve been hell on Earth, while simply sitting peacefully at home. And with the ongoing crisis, you’d be excused for any homework and assignments you’d miss. So this was fine. It was even good!

Until you’d look away from your laptop screen and face reality again. You’d swallow thickly, frowning. The old name tag on your desk was something that usually brought you comfort, yet lately it did nothing but worry you.

Lee Cheongsan.

If the school was the epicenter of the virus, then he was in danger. Who knows, maybe he’d even turned already. The thought of your best friend… No, the person you loved turning into a zombie was unpleasant, to say the least. So much that every time it crossed your mind, you had to fight the impulsive urge to run out of your house and to the school. You didn’t live far from the school, so it would be fine. But still. It was careless and impulsive, so you always refrained.

But you were scared. And you missed him.

You missed the texts he would send you saying your empty seat in class made his heart ache in a dramatic way, before insulting you for saying he was dramatic. You missed his smile when you’d open the door every time he’d come to see you. You missed his hugs. The way he held your hand when you were anxious. You missed your childhood days with him, you missed the teenage ones that you’d barely had the chance to experience. You missed going to his family’s restaurant when he managed to get you to leave the house. You missed studying with him. You missed taking pictures with him that he’d purposefully try to make blurry. You missed him.

And after several days of zoning out entirely, loud knocking brought you out of that daze you were in. You were scared shitless, to say the least. Just a while ago you’d heard announcements about explosions that would happen around the city, and in the school in particular. You’d sat there, unmoving as the image of Cheongsan and your friends drenched in blood and dead on the ground plagued your anxious mind. You didn’t want to leave for the safe-place the military kept talking about. When they’d come to your house, you’d grabbed every belonging you’d used recently and ran straight to the basement, hiding there and staying as quiet as possible in hopes that they’d deem this house abandoned. Your safe place was obviously your house. So you would stay. You were almost certain the explosions wouldn’t reach it. And even if they did, so what?

You didn’t really… feel like living that much anymore. While you knew Cheongsan was someone who was strong and smart, you were still almost certain he could be dead. And you loved him. And he loved you. You both knew. So why would you want to live if the one you loved was dead?

The point was that irritatingly loud knocking brought you out of that train of thoughts. You picked up the knife on your table and carefully walked over to the door.

The military again? Maybe this time you should answer, you thought. But you couldn’t be sure. And you didn’t have a view on who was outside. You had to at least walk over there and—

“[name]!” a familiar voice yelled outside. And you froze, and dropped the knife. Because what else could you do? — “It’s me. It’s Cheongsan. Are you there?”

Then you ran and opened the door.

There he was. He looked exhausted. His features were painted with red, and one of his eyes was… weirdly bloody. The veins around it were prominent and visible, almost zombie-like. He was panting, a hand holding the side of your doorframe. You noticed that, besides the blood all over his clothes, a part of his sleeve was torn— Like someone, or something, had bit his arm.

You grabbed his collar and yanked him inside your house. You closed the door and locked it back to the way it was before, before turning around abruptly. “Cheongsan.”

“I’m… I can’t stay here.” he said, before opening his mouth but hesitating. He took a deep breath. “I was bitten by… Someone who’s kind of a zombie. But not really. I think I’ll turn soon.”

Then why did you come? you thought. You didn’t care. You didn’t care if he would turn while locked in the same room as you. Honestly, you’d prefer it if he turned with you around. So you could die together. But Cheongsan cared. He would never want to put you in this kind of danger. So why was he here?

Oh. You understood.

“I just wanted to say goodbye.” he said, and you knew. You felt your throat burn and noticed with how much difficulty he gulped. His eye was red, like he wanted to cry. You both wanted to cry. He didn’t wanna say goodbye. You wouldn’t let him say goodbye.

Before you could say anything, he grabbed the sides of your arms and pulled you towards him. He planted his lips on yours in a short, desperate kiss. You wanted it to last, you wanted it to last so long you’d die. You didn’t want him to speak. You didn’t want him to say that he was sorry and he should leave. You didn’t want him to say he loved you like it was the last time he’d be able to. But he pulled away and looked at you, sad.

“I should leave. I’m sorry. I love you.”

It was Cheongsan. Of course he’d say it. You grabbed his wrist and held it tight. It was warm, his skin. Not much like a zombie, much more like him. You’d missed the feel of it. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

He looked away.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m leaving, now.”

“No, you’re not.”

You suddenly moved towards the living room, pulling him along, before pulling him in front of you and holding him in place. “You’re not leaving this damn place, Lee Cheongsan.”

“No, I have to. [name], I’m gonna turn—”

“Does it look like I give a fuck? Look me in my eye and tell me if it looks like I fucking care, Cheongsan.” you said sternly, before coughing out a bitter laugh. “I’m selfish, so you’re staying. I haven’t seen you in way too long. I spent hours worrying about wether or not you were alive. Now that I know you are, I’ll spend all the time we have left with you. Zombie or not. You’re staying here.”

He must’ve felt there was no point in arguing, because he frowned, then sighed, and lowered his arms. He bit his lip and slowly nodded. There were tears at the corner of his eye. You glanced at the injured one and instinctively moved your gaze away.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Kind of.”

You couldn’t help how upset your expression was in this moment. You didn’t like seeing him in pain. You were certain he’d gone through far worse pains during the time you weren’t in contact but it still made you worry. His hands twitched at his sides.

“I’m gonna turn.” he said quietly. You nodded, only bringing him closer. You wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Yeah.”

“I might kill you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t want to kill you.”

“Then you won’t.”

You weren’t pretending. You weren’t scared. You’d sort of given up on the idea of being scared of zombies, at this point. People themselves could be considered scarier, anyway. And this was the person closest to you. The person you’d put above everyone else. This was Lee Cheongsan. And maybe it was wishful thinking, but you strongly believed he wouldn’t hurt you. Or that at least, he wouldn’t kill you. You didn’t know how the virus worked, considering how little information you had access to, but if there was a way for him not to turn completely, it would happen. After all, he hadn’t told you he was bitten by an actual zombie. From what he said, it seemed like your theory was plausible, and that the boy could very well stay at least half human.

You felt his muscles twitch under your embrace, his back stretching and him wincing. His jaw was tense, as was every muscle in his body. He groaned in pain and you felt his hands grab the hem of your shirt and tighten around the fabric. He wanted to get away from you— You wouldn’t let him. His body contorted to the best of its ability while stuck in your arms, before falling completely limp against your hold. You lost balance due to the sudden shift in weight and fell on the floor with a yell.

It hurt your head and for a moment your attention was elsewhere, as you winced in pain. You huffed and looked up. The ceiling. Then you looked down. Under your chin, Cheongsan’s head. And… All over you… Well, Cheongsan. He was completely unmoving. His chest was on yours, yet you couldn’t feel his heartbeat. Your fingers touched the side of his neck.

His pulse was there. It was faint, but it was there. That was odd. From what you’d understood, the zombies invading your city were basically dead and the virus was what kept them on their feet. So why… Was he alive?

You stayed like this for a while. Maybe it was a minute, maybe ten. You couldn’t be sure, you’d kind of zoned out. But eventually, you felt him move. He groaned in pain, and then slowly pushed himself off the floor— and, well, you. He was breathing heavily. He was breathing. He looked down at you like he was confused. Otherwise… He looked perfectly fine.

“…[name].”

You didn’t reply. You didn’t need to. He was Cheongsan. There was no doubting it. He wasn’t some undead human-turned-zombie. He wasn’t like the ones you’d seen running in the forest while staring out the window before. He was Cheongsan, with the same gaze you knew.

Except he looked …Hungry. He gulped and panted a little.

“I really want to bite you.”

“Are you certain you haven’t seen anyone walk around there? Someone who looks human? There’s a group of zombies with… Human behavior. We’re looking for them.”

You sighed and leaned against your doorframe. “Listen, Officer. As it happens, I don’t spend my days staring out the window to check if zombies are crawling around. That’s your fucking job to do, not mine. I have studying to do, actually. Exams are coming up. And this is the third time you ask me. Could you tell your team to leave me the fuck alone when you go back? Thanks.”

The cop hesitated before closing his mouth and nodding. “Sorry. Thank you. Have a good day. And if you decide you want to come to the camp, you can contact us—”

“You as well!”

You closed the door with a slam and locked it (out of habit) before heaving a sigh. You were really annoyed, quite frankly. You did have to study, that was right. Since it had been a few months since the explosions in Hyosan, it was not surprising that you’d eventually received an email telling you school had resumed. So the incessant visits from police officers and the military weren’t exactly ideal. It seemed living in a remote area near a place that was literally bombed down, and not having done any effort to leave it or go to the safe zone was considered a bit odd, if not straight-up suspicious. It was understandable, if you were honest. But it didn’t make it any less irritating.

“It’s like you get less and less polite each time they come to ask you questions.” someone said behind you. You sighed and turned around, walking over to your desk and sitting down on the chair.

“Well, obviously.” you exhaled, stretching your arms in front of you. “I’m not exactly free.”

You looked over your shoulder to see Cheongsan leaning on the wall next to the hallway and smiling. You grinned and spun in your chair. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy.”

“You’re an idiot.”

You turned back to your desk with a smile as Cheongsan cursed back at you. You heard him laugh and walk over to you, before wrapping his arms around your neck. He set his chin on top of your head and sighed in content.

“I’m gonna go out tonight. Namra told me the fixed dates for “that” were on the last fridays of each month.” he said quietly. You moved your head up right as he did and stared up at him, smiling. You pet the side of his face and he leaned into your palm, a gentle smile on his lips.

“Okay. Take care when you go out.” you said. He nodded.

“I will.”

You stared at him. He was pretty. He was happy. He was better, now. His wounds had healed, and he looked healthier and more well-rested. You stared at him long, and long enough for you to frown. You spun around in your chair to face him and extended your hand towards him. He instinctively leaned down towards you.

You fixed his eyepatch and tutted, shaking your head. “You look like Kaneki Ken, like this.”

He laughed and tilted his head. “Really? I must look pretty cool, then.”

“Yeah.” you sighed, scoffing a little as you leaned back on your chair. “You look like an idiot who selflessly puts others before himself and somehow pulls off cool shit without getting killed. You are pretty similar.”

He lightly hit your arm and laughed, while you smiled. You also have to eat the way he does, is something you both thought but didn’t say. Turns out, he never did bite you. He said he wanted to when he turned, but never did. He always managed not to. Even when you told him it was fine, that you didn’t mind if it helped him stay alive. But he never did. And eventually, he found alternatives— Thanks to Namra, partially. So it was okay.

Now you lived a life as odd as anyone else’s after this crisis. You lived in your remote little house in the forest, hiding your boyfriend-turned-half-zombie while studying for university entrance exams online. Things were weird, but things were good. You preferred them that way. During the past few months, Cheongsan had told you all about what happened at the school. He’d told you about how he wanted to text you the moment everything went down but he was in the cafeteria and his phone wasn’t with him. He told you about everytime he almost died, and every time one of your friends did. He told you he saw him mom. He told you about Onjo’s dad. He told you why he was injured. He told you, because he needed to tell you. He told you because he needed you to know the reason he wanted to cry. And he cried, and so did you. It felt as painful as it felt relieving. Now you knew about what had went down, but you also knew about the deaths of people you loved and cared about. That was a harsh and cold reality that made you cry despite your preparation for it. Nothing could make you emotionless enough not to react to that. Maybe that was a good thing, but it hurt.

During all that time, you got him new clothes. The bloody uniform was getting a little old. Despite the memories it held, he refused to throw it away. You understood. Maybe it was because it held that many memories that he wanted to keep it. So it sat quietly in the middle of his clothes.

He got an eyepatch, too, to cover the scar. He kept going on about how cool he looked and you’d always insult him in return. He couldn’t even put it right, this idiot. It got you smiling.

You and Cheongsan had always loved each other. He’d finally told you when your last day at school came around, giving you his nametag as he cleared his throat and tried to confess. So you gave him yours and only grinned as you left the school. You texted a lot before everything happened. You’d only then realized how lonely you felt without his texts and calls. Your friend texted you too, before. But… Things happened.

Cheongsan asked you out, too. You thought it was dumb, and that you two were practically already dating at this point, anyway. He insisted. So you said yes. It was nice to think about. Cheongsan’s my boyfriend, you’d think, then smile like an idiot. It wasn’t so bad to make it official.

Cheongsan was alright, and so were you. That was all that mattered. Things were okay.

Predator (Jungkook x Reader) Part II - Prey

Pairing: Vampire Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 5.2k

Series: Predator Universe

Warnings: 18+, Yandere, Vampire Jungkook, Obsession, Manipulation, Forced Relationships, Blood (So much of it), Fear (Copious amounts), Panic/Anxiety Attacks, Mind Games, Tormenting the MCs, Discussions about dead bodies, Jungkook and his unblinking stare, Self Injury (Non Mental Health Related), Forced Feeding, Isolation

I do not condone the acts displayed in this story nor do I believe any members of BTS would actually engage in this type of behavior. This is simply written for entertainment purposes and should not be taken as a reflection of my own values, opinions, or morals.

Preview: The worst part was that you never tried to run. Jungkook never tied you down to anything or bound your wrists or feet. He simply knew that you would never try. It would be idiotic for you to try and run, you knew he was a talented tracker - he would be able to find you within minutes of your escape. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from him, he would always be able to find you.

A/N: I am alive! This was entirely inspired by an ask that was sent to me so the entire reason this exists is because of the wonderful anons who have asked be about what has happened since the end of Predator and who have asked to see what a more lucid Jungkook would look like. I haven't had this much fun writing in such a long time. I'm sorry it's so short, I hope you can forgive me 💜

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It was dark and quiet, the only sound being the steady, slow, drip of water hitting the dusty floorboards and the harsh chatter of your teeth as they clashed together. 

You were freezing, your body trembling despite your best attempts to collect yourself. It was no use, no matter what you did you were never able to warm up anymore. You knew it wasn’t all that cold outside, but that didn’t really matter. Despite the chills that wracked your body there was a fine sheen of sweat that coated your skin.

You were unsure as to how much time had really passed since you had found yourself here. All of the days had begun to blend together like some horrible fever dream you simply couldn’t wake up from. The only constant in your life has become him. 

If you didn’t know any better, you would think he was trying to kill you. 

What was truly likely, was that this was a side effect of his treatment of you. It was very likely that he just didn’t know how to take care of a human. And despite your incessant pleading, he had told you that he would not kill you. So really, it was his own ineptitude that had you knocking on death’s door.

Your skin felt grimey, not entirely from lack of hygiene, but from the film of blood that coated your skin. It was all over you but it mostly dominated your cheeks, lips, throat, chest, and fingers. He was not violent when he claimed his feeds, but he was not necessarily gentle either. You hadn’t looked in a mirror for quite some time, but you were certain no amount of vampire blood would be able to seal your wounds with how often they were readily reopened.

This wasn’t a life, it was a slow and painful trek to the afterlife.

Your trembling increased as the front porch creaked, he was already back. Your head lolled backwards and hit the wall behind you in defeat. You couldn’t do this again, you couldn’t give him another part of yourself - this time you were certain that it would kill you. 

Every time he fed from you, there was a horrible, delightful, exhilarating rush that followed. Whatever it was that he was doing to you, it was forcing you to enjoy the very thing that was killing you. It was perverse. It was disgusting. It was addicting.

It was hard to hate him in the throes of ecstasy, there was this horrible thrill that came the second before his fangs pierced his limb of choice as you knew you would be rewarded with bliss in the moments that followed. It was easier to hate him when he wasn’t there, his lack of presence giving your mind the briefest of reprieves to remind yourself of the horrible situation you were truly in. 

The distance, however, didn’t seem to allow him the same clarity. If anything, it made him grow more needy, more irritated, and more clingy.

The door creaked open, and your time to yourself disappeared. Your body shook tenfold as his presence filled the room. He still looked the same as he did the first time you had come face to face with him. His clothes were worse for wear, even more blood stained and shredded than they had been before. There was a permanent coppery scent that surrounded him, the dried blood being the prime suspect. 

You were certain that you didn’t smell that much better. Although, to a vampire, you probably would smell all that more enticing.

His gaze was immediately drawn to you, your eyes locking with one another, bridging the fifteen foot gap between you. His eyes often fluctuated in vibrancy depending on how hungry he was. The days where they were near black were the most difficult for you, but today they were a bright crimson red. He had fed on someone, someone who luckily wasn’t you.

“Hello little mouse,” He greeted, his voice low and surprisingly soft, devoid of the almost manic tone you had been familiar with for the longest time. 

He began to close the distance between the two of you, his gait smooth as he approached you. The way he moved was unnaturally perfect, the silent power of a predator imbued in every muscle of his body.

He wordlessly dropped a bag in your lap as he sank down to the ground beside you, his wide, red, unblinking eyes staring at you, waiting for you to make a move. No matter how much time you have spent with him, his stare was still unnerving.

It took you longer than it should have to open it, your fingers trembling beyond your control. But Jungkook was patient, he has all of the time in the world to wait.

The scent of food hit your nose, your mouth watering and your stomach growling eagerly in response. From the color of his eyes and what he had brought you, you assumed he had decided to have his fill of a hiker instead of you. 

Jungkook didn’t know how to take care of a human, that much was obvious. He had, however, been keenly aware of how much blood he was draining from your body on a daily basis. You had become so weak, anything but sitting felt like a herculean task nowadays. And the lack of consistent meals was weighing heavy on your body.

You didn’t care that he was watching you eat, your mannerisms ravenous and most likely off putting. But you no longer complained when he took his fill of you, and for some reason he remained silent and returned that courtesy. 

You had noticed a shift in his behavior when that other vampire had found the two of you not that long ago. He knew Jungkook, from the way they spoke it appeared he knew him very well. This other vampire, despite how he appeared more human than Jungkook, frightened you just as much. You could tell from the curl of his smile to his confident gait that he was just as bad, if not worse, as Jungkook.

You had nearly fainted on the spot when he suggested the two of them share you, you were already tapped out as it was, Jungkook had fed on you that morning. The two of them, together, would kill you for sure.

To your surprise, Jungkook had not responded enthusiastically. He responded like an animal defending its territory - baring his fangs and growling in just barely contained rage. And that reaction had set off the other vampire and before you knew it they were a blur of limbs.

They moved so fast your human eyes could barely keep up with them. You were only able to focus when one of them threw the other giving you just enough time to watch them separate before they came back together again. The sound their bodies made when they clashed together was like thunder from what you could only assume was the pure force and strength they possessed. And, much like animals, they ripped and tore into one another with their teeth and nails.

By the time the two of them had finally separated for good, it was because of how much they had injured one another. The both of them were covered in wounds oozing black blood, some of which was their own, and some belonging to the other.

The other vampire, whom you had briefly heard Jungkook address as Hoseok, was tired but still enraged.

“Are you fucking serious? All of this for what, a pathetic little human?!” He yelled, his nostrils flaring in anger. “It’s food, Jungkook! I’m your brother!”

Your body flinched out of habit at the snarl that left Jungkook.

“With the rate that you’re going you’ll kill her anyways! Why does it even matter?!”

“She’s my human,” Jungkook replied, his voice low with warning.

“This isn’t even supposed to be about her! She’s nothing! Namjoon sent me to come and find you but you know what, I think I’ll let you deal with the consequences of your actions. It’s only a matter of time before he comes for you and when that happens, you're on your own!”

He disappeared quickly after that, it was like he was there one moment and then vanished the next. Once he was gone, Jungkook’s once sturdy stance softened, his shoulders bending forward from the strain of his own weight. He was hurt, badly.

He slowly turned to look at you, the red of his eyes and his dark mop of hair just visible over the curve of his shoulder. You knew that look, it usually didn’t end well for you. 

“No, no, no, Jungkook, please!” You whimpered, scrambling backwards.

But it was no use, he never listened to you anyways. He always took what he wanted, even when you had nothing left to give. 

He stumbled when he moved but he quickly regained his footing, his black blood stained hands grabbing you by the shins and pulling your retreating form towards him. You fought as hard as you could but you were already weak to begin with.

“Stop it, please!” You begged, but he didn’t listen. He wrapped his arms around you, his grip too tight and utterly uncomfortable. 

“Jungkook-”

“Shut up,” He grunted before yanking your head roughly to the side and sinking his teeth back into the scarred skin of your neck. The shriek that left you was borderline inhuman, the building scar tissue made the intrusion all the more painful and Jungkook was not gentle.

And he had already taken so much blood the day before. It wasn’t long before your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you went limp in his iron hold.

That was the first time that Jungkook had given you vampire blood. You had almost died that day, you had gotten so close to finally being free of him and still he wouldn’t let you go. Even death wasn’t a great enough adversary for him. 

When you had woken up after that attack, shocked that you managed to survive, you were met with those big, red, frightening eyes. The look on his face was the most serious you had ever seen it before, an odd clarity in his eyes that you were seeing for the first time.

He had been dreadfully quiet since then, speaking even less and shorter sentences than he normally did. You wouldn’t say he felt bad for what he did, but he had become increasingly aware of the inherent fragility that came with being human. He never apologized, but he had fed from you a lot less after that.

You froze mid bite as you felt his icy fingers graze your flesh, the coolness biting your skin and seeping into your veins. His touch was feather light, just barely there, but you went still beneath it anyways. You were incredibly aware of the strength that was concealed in that touch. He appeared unbothered by your response, his thumb smoothing over the curve of your jaw as he leaned in unbearably close.

You flinched at the feeling of cold metal being draped around your throat, his fingers clasping the material at the nape of your neck. It was a necklace. Your chest felt tighter, the food in your stomach quickly souring. 

He was doing it again. 

You were well aware of Jungkook’s strange and disturbing habit of taking mementos from his victims. His ears, wrists, neck, and practically every inch of his body were adorned with items he had stolen. You noticed he had an affinity for jewelry, but his jacket and boots had been taken from someone’s corpse as well. And, recently, he started bringing them back for you as well. 

Your bloody fingers were littered with several rings, a bracelet on your right wrist, and your ears decorated in earrings - some of which he had pierced himself. And now, the necklace.

It left your stomach in knots when he did this, you couldn’t help but think about the bodies abandoned in the woods that he had slaughtered every time the metal glinted back at you. Each piece felt like another shackle keeping you at his side. 

The worst part was that you never tried to run. Jungkook never tied you down to anything or bound your wrists or feet. He simply knew that you would never try. It would be idiotic for you to try and run, you knew he was a talented tracker - he would be able to find you within minutes of your escape. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from him, he would always be able to find you.

And so, you had become his plaything. His dinner and now his doll, a weak body that he could play with and decorate to his greatest desires whether that be with a corpse's jewelry, or a litany of scars.

“Pretty,” He said, his voice deceptively soft as he grazed the skin of your neck, his fingers moving from the clasp of the necklace to trace over the scarred imprints of his fangs and teeth.

You were thankful that he wasn’t hungry.

The odd, calm atmosphere between the two of you was quickly dissipating. Jungkook shifted away, agitation clear on his face as an annoyed growl parted his lips. You flinched back against the wall, scooting away to stay out of his path. 

This wasn’t unusual - he had been having rapid mood swings lately.

The few moments of peace the two of you would share were often interrupted by the sudden pained twist of his features - his eyebrows drawing together and his nose scrunching in a snarl. It almost looked like he was in physical pain despite there being no signs of any injury.

And then, the pacing would start. It was like watching a caged lion sweep the perimeter of their enclosure. Back and forth, slow and menacing steps. It was like he was looking for something, or trying to guard the two of you from someone else. You hadn’t dared to ask what he was doing, to be entirely honest you tried your best to avoid initiating any interaction or conversation with him at all. The few times you did speak to him, it was usually to beg for him to leave you alone, pleas that often fell on deaf ears. 

You didn’t know what to do with this. When you first “met” him, he had been sadistic, like a zealous child with more power than they knew what to do with. He had wanted to play his sick and twisted games with you and the plan had always been to gorge himself on your blood and leave your mangled corpse deep in the forest to wither and return to the earth. That was what was familiar to you, that was what you were expecting. 

You were never supposed to live, that had been an unfortunate circumstance, a split decision he made to prolong your torture and pain. You didn’t know what you were supposed to do with this suddenly quiet, confused, and barely human creature in front of you. One that would rip open your flesh to feed just as soon as he would leave bruising kisses on your lips and throat, painting the flesh a rich red that was left to rust.

You were waiting for him to snap, waiting for it to all finally be over. But that would be luck, luck that you didn’t have. He had promised you, so long ago, that you would never be alone again, that he would keep you. And you have suffered the consequences ever since.

When he said your name you felt your blood freeze over. He had never said your name before, you didn’t even know that he knew it. He had always called you that horrific pet name, his little mouse.

You wrapped your arms around your legs, pulling them into your chest in an attempt to feel some sense of security as he continued to speak. 

“We’re leaving soon.” He said, the words simple but the expression on his face ever so complex. Reluctance, frustration, pain, anxiety.  

You swallowed, but did not move. The silence was deafening. But, by the look on his face, you knew that he was waiting for your response. You would have to break the stalemate. 

“Are you…taking me home?” You dared to ask, your heart thundering in your chest as that predatory gleam returned to those red eyes. 

“No,” He growled, his jaw clenched as his fangs ground against his lower set of teeth, “You’re not going back there, ever.”

Your heart shattered. 

“I’m being called back to my home.”

His home? This was the first that you were hearing of it, you never stopped to ask yourself if he had a home. You couldn’t picture it even if you tried, it was a puzzle piece that simply didn’t fit. You had always assumed he was simply a nomadic creature that moved as he hunted. And, due to his supernatural nature, it seemed that he never needed the typical human necessities and comforts such as four walls and a roof. 

You knew he had some sort of family at the very least. You had, after all, had the displeasure of meeting Hoseok who had referred to himself as his brother. And he had mentioned the name Namjoon, the phrasing suggesting a hierarchical structure. But even the notion that he had a family felt just as mismatched. And how ironic it was that he was returning home to a family he didn’t even want, and he wouldn’t let you go home to the family that you missed so much. 

“And that’s bad?” You hesitantly asked, flinching as he growled in frustration. 

“It’s worse than bad!” He yelled, his hands sliding through his hair in stress, “It was difficult enough fending Hoseok off, but all six of them? You’re as good as dead.”

Hope.

“Then…don’t go?” You said, although it sounded more like a question. By the way he was acting, it was like returning was not a choice. 

“If only it were that easy,” He laughed, the sound bordering on being unhinged. “I can’t ignore it, if I’m called I have to answer. If I don’t it becomes more and more persistent. It feels like a cord that grows tighter and tighter until it pulls and my body moves on its own and takes me back.”

That explained the pacing, the restlessness his body had been experiencing. He had been trying to redirect it by walking the perimeter of the decrepit cottage but it had been a temporary fix to the problem. You could only assume that he was getting to the point now where his body was ready to return against his will. 

How horrible it was, to be someone’s unwilling puppet. You knew that feeling all too well. 

You didn’t know what you were supposed to tell him. There were no choices to be made by the two of you. He would have to return, and he wouldn’t leave you here on your own as he knew you would be given the greatest opportunity you have ever had to leave him. So, he would have to take you with him right into the lion’s den where you would undoubtedly be consumed.

He was mumbling to himself now, his pacing becoming more frantic and much faster, your human eyes struggling to keep track of him. You were sure that he was moving so fast he would wear down the old floorboards beneath him and the soles of his beat up boots.

You could only assume that meant the call was becoming even stronger. Before - it was asking, now it was commanding.

You had never seen him so frantic before, those wide blood red eyes unblinking and shifting back and forth faster and faster as his thoughts raced. It was borderline demonic, like something you would see during a paranormal movie or an exorcism. It was terrifying. 

You began to scoot back as far away as you could until your spine was flush with the wall behind you. You felt better with some part of you concealed from the open, but that did little to calm your racing heart and the creature that raged in front of you.

What was he so afraid of, so panicked by? You couldn’t imagine anything scaring him, not with how terrifying he was on his own. What could be so bad, so scary, that it frightened a monster? You weren't sure you wanted to find out, even if it meant you could finally feel the sweet embrace of death and escape him once and for all. 

Jungkook finally came to a stop, his body still but his eyes continued to move erratically. And then they too settled, and a look of deadly calm settled over them. He had decided something, and you were certain that whatever his decision was it wouldn’t be good for you. 

“They wouldn’t,” You heard him mutter to himself, “Not if I put a fail safe if place.”

A fail safe?

Before you could even blink he had moved across the room, faster than your eyes could track. Your body had been ripped away from the wall and set in between his legs, your spine pressed against his chest, the both of you seated on the ground.

An uncontrollable wail shook your body, the sound emanating a feeling of pure hopelessness. You had been surprised it came out of you, but you knew why. You were terrified he was going to feed from you again. 

His one arm was wrapped around your ribs, his legs tensed and forcing your own to squeeze together. He had immobilized you, there was nowhere else you could go and no way to escape him. 

Your entire body shook and heaved with hysterical breaths as you writhed in his grip. “Please, please don’t do it again I can’t take anymore of this!”

He hushed you, his free hand brushing over your hair in a surprisingly gentle manner. It was more like someone who was trying to calm a startled stray animal than anything else. His touch moved to your chin, lightly taking hold of the point where your neck and jaw bone met.

He didn’t say anything, instead he forced you to look at him, turning your face so that he could look directly into your eyes. And then, to your shock and horror, he plunged his fangs into his own wrist and ripped the flesh wide open. A torrent of thick, viscous, black blood rolled down the pale flesh of his forearm. And before you could do or say anything he grabbed you by your hair and jerked your head back before pressing his open wound to your mouth. 

You gagged at the smell and taste, tears blurring your vision as you tried to move your head away but he did not budge. His arm around your ribs finally moved but only to help him pry your jaw open and force the blood flow down your throat. He continued to hush you as he forced you to drink, gently rocking your body in stark contrast to the harsh and violent hold he had you in. 

“Just relax,” He whispered against the shell of your ear, “The more you struggle, the longer I’ll keep you here. We need to get as much of my blood as possible into your system.”

You were crying even harder now, the salt of your tears slipping between his wrist and your lips and mingling with his blood in your mouth. What had you ever done to deserve this? What horrible thing had you done in some past life to deserve this kind of punishment?

You just wanted to go home. You wanted your mom and dad, your grandparents, and the gentle comfort of your bed in your childhood room. You wanted that life back, and you were never going to have it again. 

His harsh grip on your jaw loosened as you went limp in his arms, resigning yourself to your inescapable fate. His hand returned to those soothing strokes against your hair, a low hum in his chest vibrating against your back as he watched you feed from him with a curious gaze. You were such a weak little thing, you needed him more than you would ever understand. 

You hiccupped pathetically when he finally removed his wrist from your mouth after what felt like hours. Your lips and chin were stained black from the blood he spilled when you had struggled. He stared at you again, curiosity evident in his gaze, as he leaned forward and licked the flesh of your lips, tasting his own blood.

You shivered as he made a soft hum, cocking his head to the side before doing it once more, stroking over the bitten and chapped skin with his tongue as he transitioned into kissing your battered lips in a grotesque act of intimacy. He laughed against your mouth as you weakly pushed against his chest, he was amused by your pathetic attempts to push him away. It only encouraged him to kiss you harder and deeper, sampling the taste of his own blood straight from your mouth. 

Once he was satisfied he finally allowed you to breathe, a devious gleam in his eyes that you had not seen in a long time. 

“They won’t be able to kill you for a while now, not unless they want another vampire to worry about.” He said. He was gloating, reveling in the win his family had no idea he had already achieved.

Your blood ran cold, your body freezing at his revelation. The very thing you craved, your own death and by association freedom from him, would be the very thing that would trap you with him for the rest of eternity. If you were killed with his blood in your system, you would become one of them. He truly had taken everything from you, even the dignity of your own death. Your life was his and his alone.

He really was a monster.

His features suddenly twisted in pain, his head jerking to the side as he released a low and threatening growl. The call was becoming even stronger, the most intense it had ever been. There was no more delaying it. They had to go, and they had to right now. 

He quickly lifted you into his arms as his body began to move on its own, forcing him to begin to move in the direction of his home. There was nothing more that you could do, all you could do was remain limp in his arms. It was over, there was point in fighting anymore.

He had finally broken you. 

When he stepped outside you were shocked by the fresh air and the cold weather. Then again, you always feel cold now. The clouds were thick today, the sun hidden behind their cover. It had been so long since you were outside, and even longer since you had been in the sun - that wouldn’t change in the near future. But what truly shocked you, was that the world went on without you. The seasons continued to change, the flora continued to flourish and then decay. The cycles continued while you were stored away. How cruel the world was to keep going on as you withered away. 

You leaned your head against his shoulder, shielding your face from the harsh wind as he began to move faster, running at his impossibly fast pace that no human could ever wish to match. How had so much changed? When did you go from human being to a play thing for a monster like him. You had a life, but now it had become inconsequential, toyed with and thrown away like it never even mattered.

What were you supposed to do now? At the end of the day, it didn’t really matter. He had won, he had played his sadistic stupid games with you, and he had won. He had broken you. You tucked your chin into your chest and like the pathetic creature that you were you whimpered.

You cared about what was going to happen next. If Jungkook had been wrong, then the two of you walking into the proverbial lion's den would end with you turning into one of them, a fate worse than any other that you could imagine. To be tied to him for all of eternity would be your personal hell on earth. 

What would they do to you when you got there? Would your death before your next life be slow and torturous, or quick and merciful? Would it be planned and intentional, or accidental? 

Jungkook began to slow, his fast pace relaxing into a natural walk. The tension that previously rested in his body had begun to dissipate. You could only speculate this was the relief of obeying the command to return home. His control over his own body was slowly but surely coming back to him the closer the two of you came to his home.

He stopped for a moment, placing you down on your own two feet before he took hold of your wrist and forced you to follow after him. Your knees wobbled beneath your weight, unaccustomed to you standing after being curled up in a ball in that abandoned shack for the longest time. You looked more like a baby fawn learning to walk than you did that meek little mouse Jungkook always thought you were. He, however, paid little attention to you at that moment. He was tense, his body in a state of alert as subtly surveyed the area as you continued on. 

He could sense something that your dull human senses weren’t entirely picking up on. However, the hair on the back of your neck prickled and your gut twisted as you felt phantom eyes digging into your body. 

Someone, somewhere, was watching you. 

A building began to break through the cluster of trees. A modern, contemporary house in the middle of the forest was coming into view. This was the last place you thought of when Jungkook had mentioned his home. In all honesty, you would have been less surprised by a crypt and a row of coffins.

In front of the house, stood a man. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his eyes that familiar shade of deep burgundy, the same shade the monster’s eyes were when he was hungry. This sent chills throughout your body, your entire being sensing the danger in the vampire that stood across from you. 

Those burgundy eyes swept towards you, a look of shock and confusion discoloring their once calm gaze that you speculated was rarely rattled. His features twisted as he took in the state of you, the dried human and vampire blood that coated your body in thick layers, the dirt that was caked into your clothing, your hair that needed to be washed, and the smattering of scars that decorated your body and glistened in the cloudy daylight. 

You were barely human anymore, you were a walking corpse.

“You called me home, Namjoon.” Jungkook simply said, his body moving to shield you from the other vampire's gaze.

“Jungkook,” Namjoon said, utter disbelief tinging his words, “What are you doing to her?” 

In every possible scenario you had conjured in your mind, this had not been one of them.

Sympathy.

_______

Hi, I really love your works, they make me so soft(and cry). I really did get a brain wyrm with your last work, the council of gods, and I hope you don't mind me sharing. Just, you know how in imposter aus, there will be at least 1 or 2 characters that will be on readers side? How about for Imp, that's Kazuha (who has never felt comfortable with the imposter!God, the wind so cold and quiet around them) and Tomo(who is still alive because Imp might or might not have accidentally done something through teyvat). Just, these two having Imp's back whenever possible. (And maybe when Mari asks if anyone wants to phone home, everyone gets a shock seeing an alive Tomo.) ty for reading this blurb, I hope you have a good day!

Shameless plug for @fuwon but if you want more imposter au + kazoo and tomo read their story (here) pls it's amazingly yummy and deserves the world.

unsure if i can count this as a part two but who cares lol. This isn't edited and it was highkey rushed but alsdfkjsd;flkasdjfsdl writing is hard <3 (o h, that's why it took so long, it's almost as long as the first part-)

A Council of Gods: Part Two

warnings: Cult behaviors, fluff :>

"Oh, hey Mari? Can I- like - tell my acolytes where I am?" Emi scratched their head with an embarrassed grin, "They're probably freaking out right now."

The four gods, and the puppet, were in a lounging area. The puppet and Imp were playing miscellaneous games by the fire, Mari was sprawled across the rocking chair, Arte was reading a book they'd found about the Fatui.

Mari nodded with a soft smile, "Of course, Arte, would you like to do the same?"

"Huh? Oh," Arte startled from their book, "Yeah I need to." They smiled, "I'm sure they're ready to tear the archons apart."

Imp looked up from their game with the puppet, "Uh..." They fumbled with their new clothes, "Can I... call someone from my world?"

All eyes turned to them and Imp's breath caught in their throat.

Mari noticed how they froze and softened their gaze and tone, "You have someone from your world you'd like to talk to?"

Imp paused but nodded, "Mhm." They hummed.

Mari sighed, "As long as they don't hurt you, then of course you can." They said with a motherly smile.

Arte shut their book with a snap, "If they hurt you I'll hurt them ten times worse." They spat with a strained grin.

Emi giggled and pat Imp's head softly, "They won't even be able to touch you with us around."

Imp frowned, "Well, I like them, and they helped me run away from the fake god and the archons." A faraway look overcame their eyes and a frown tugged down at their lips, "They were ready to do anything for me."

"Well, I can bring your acolytes here now if you wish." Mari stood with a smile, "I'd prefer for you to not go back to your world to meet them. Acolytes can be overbearing, especially after you've been reincarnated." Mari chuckled, "If you went back home I doubt they'd let you come back."

"I'm fine with that." Emi beamed and Arte agreed.

"Now," Mari clapped and four of their realm dispatches appeared in their hands, "Who would you like to send these to?"

Emi had a hard time choosing, though eventually settled on Diluc (they wanted to choose Zhongli but Imp was barely able to stop shaking with one Zhongli around). Arte didn't struggle at all, immediately asking if they could see the Tsaritsa (their cheeks were dusted with a faint pink when they thought about her. It was hilariously cute). And Imp, surprisingly, didn't struggle either. They asked for Kazuha.

Mari nodded with a bright golden smile and the dispatches disappeared, "They should be here soon, they'll appear in the throne room so let's go there to wait for them."

The three others agreed, the puppet followed, casually holding Imp's hand as they walked through the halls. Imp got easily afraid of the acolytes walking around, but holding the puppet's hand made them feel grounded and the puppet never minded.

The five of them waited excitedly for their acolytes to arrive, Imp in particular was silently vibrating in anticipation. They were no longer able to focus on anything but tightly holding the puppet's hands and quietly flicking their eyes to the spot where they had first arrived.

A small white-ish blue light flickered in the spot and two guys appeared. A slightly taller blond holding onto the other's shoulder, who was holding the dispatch in his (unbandaged?) hand.

"Kazuha! Tomo!" Imp shouted, scrambling up and flinging themself onto them, "I missed you two! I'm glad you're both okay."

"Ah! Your grace!" Tomo shouted, "You're okay?"

Tears pricked Kazuha's eyes and Tomo's looked near watery.

"We were so worried about you!" Kazuha sniffled, "We thought- we thought the crow had gotten you."

Imp shook their head with a wide grin, "No, they didn't get me." They turned to the other three gods and the puppet, "Mari," They gestured to them, "Brought me here. They are a god of a different Teyvat, the one we're in right now..." Imp faltered as they looked between the three other gods, "Why do you guys look so..." Imp trailed off, nervousness gripping their veins. Even the puppet looked shocked.

"Tomo's..." Emi approached, staring at him. Their gaze flicked over to Imp, "How is he..."

"Oh!" Imp shouted, panicked, "I- uh- I don't know how I just kinda... accidentally, uhm... interrupted his duel... with the shogun..."

"You what?" Emi and the Puppet shouted, their eyes wide and mouths agape.

Imp flinched back and Kazuha steadied them, "I arrived to Teyvat at the starting area but I had my map and I wanted to go to Inazuma 'cause it had just come out and- and I saw Tomo about to get executed so I- I just- I didn't think and just ran forwards and the Shogun immediately stopped when she saw me!" Imp's hands were shaking, all of the words had tumbled out without any thought or breaks from their panic.

"Your grace," Tomo grabbed their face with his hands and squeezed lightly, "Calm down."

When he tugged on their cheeks they couldn't help but smile, "There ya go," Tomo grinned, "You're alright your grace. I've always told you that you'll be alright."

"I never thought that..." Mari hummed, standing from their throne, "I'm surprised Tomo is alive. It's nice to formally meet you both Tomo and Kazuha. I am grateful to the both of you for treating my friend here so."

Tomo and Kazuha could feel their godly presence. It wasn’t the same as their god, who had touched them with their Divine Gaze, but this world cherished the being in front of them. That much they could tell, so the two bowed.

“We are merely doing what loyal acolytes should.” Kazuha said, rising from his bowing, “The others in our world are fools for following the first sign of godhood, and they hold too tightly to the fake god.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Mari nodded, “One day we shall deal with that, but now is not the time.”

There was another flash of white-blue-ish light and the room temperature dropped significantly. The Tsaritsa stood tall in all her terrifying and blood-filled glory.

Though, as soon as they saw her, Arte launched themselves into her arms with no fear, giggling like a madman.

“Tsaritsa! Here you are! Haha! I’ve missed you.” They clung onto her tightly, and the poor Tsaritsa looked so confused as she glanced around at everyone in the room, but she held onto Arte just as tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re alright, your grace.” She held their face in her hands, though the gesture was far more intimate, “I was so worried for you, we all were.”

Emi leaned in towards Imp and Mari, muttering, “If they start making out I’m gonna throw my shoe at them.”

Imp chuckled, “I’ll burst into tears.”

Mari raised a brow but grinned all the same, “I’ll kick them out of my throne room if they do.”

Emi giggled and Arte looked over suspiciously. To which Emi and Imp looked away, and Mari merely smiled innocently.

Arte introduced the Tsaritsa to everyone in the room, including Kazuha and Tomo. The Tsaritsa bowed to the gods and thanked them for taking care of Arte.

“Thanks to you as well,” Mari said with a warm smile, “I’ve heard of Arte’s situation and I am glad that in their world they have a home to call their own.”

The Tsaritsa nodded, holding onto Arte’s hands, “As am I.”

Somehow, Mari and the Tsaritsa immediately dove into conversation pertaining to the harbingers and Mari’s puppet. Which the Puppet was very embarrassed about, hiding their face in their hands and leaning against Imp with a groan. Imp merely giggled at their suffering.

Emi, though, was getting antsy. Where was their acolyte? Their world was the most “normal” but at the same time the entirety of their Teyvat probably went insane when Emi went missing. In the short time Emi was gone, did they already destroy Teyvat trying to find them? Emi nervously bit their nail as the possibilities ran through their mind.

Luckily, the thoughts dissipated as a white-blue-ish light flickered in the room. But instead of Diluc, it was Kaeya holding a small pink bundle of fur in his arms. A… ticked off pink bundle of fur in his arms.

The little thing hopped out of his arms and Yae Miko appeared with an indignant puff, “Apologies, your graces,” She bowed, “For not getting Diluc. He is an unnecessarily suspicious and stubborn individual.”

Kaeya blinked at the once-fox-now-woman but shook himself out of his stupor at the sight of his god (and more?)

“Your grace!” He approached them and bowed lowly, grabbing their hand with a relieved sigh, “It relieves me to know that you are alright. The entirety of Teyvat was so worried for you.” He lifts himself up and grins brightly at Emi.

Emi smiles back, “Aha, is everything alright back at home? I was worried that you would all freak out because of this.”

Kaeya hummed, “It’s… well, we were all worried for you and… okay, the archons - not naming names but the electro and hydro archons - are trying to start up another archon war because they think one of the other archons have taken you-” Kaeya sighed, “It’s a whole, awful, completely unnecessary situation.”

Emi sighed loudly and smacked their forehead, “It hasn’t even been a full day yet,” They groaned.

“I’ve tried to get Ei to calm down,” Yae Miko frowned, “But whenever it comes to you, your grace, it seems as though all sense of reasoning just disappears from the archons.”

Emi huffed, and turned to the three other gods and the puppet with an apologetic smile, “I should probably go back home for a bit, or else I’ll come back to no Teyvat at all.” They smiled but their worried eyes told that they didn’t think it was a joke, “I had a nice time and will come back when I can. I just have to use the realm dispatch to come back?”

Mari nodded, “The same way you first came here. You can leave by tapping the dispatch again, it’ll automatically return you home.”

Emi nodded and grabbed Kaeya and Yae Miko’s hands, “Alright, thank you so much for all of this, and see you all soon!”

“Thank you for taking care of our grace, your highness,” Yae Miko bowed and Kaeya followed suit, also thanking Mari.

“See you Emi!” They all called after her, waving as they and their acolytes disappeared.

Arte and the Tsaritsa immediately lost themselves in conversation with one another. Arte worrying over the harbingers as though they were their children, and the Tsaritsa revealing how Tartaglia threw a tantrum when Arte went missing (the Tsaritsa also threw a tantrum but that’s besides the point).

Imp, on the other hand, yawned.

“Are you tired, your grace?” Kazuha asked, “I assume it’s been a long day for you, hasn’t it?”

Imp nodded and hummed in agreement.

“Here, I can show them to their room,” Puppet offered, “You two are free to come with..?” They trailed off, glancing at Mari for permission.

Mari nodded, “I’ll come as well, it’s about time to go to bed anyways.” They looked back at Arte and the Tsaritsa and called out, “You hear that lovebirds? We’re going to bed!”

Arte and the Tsaritsa turned. Arte giggled and pulled the Tsaritsa along by the hand.

When Arte and the Tsaritsa went into their room, the Puppet practically pleaded with them to “Be quiet, these walls are thin.”

To which Mari giggled and looked away but didn’t say anything. Arte’s face heated up a bit but they nodded in agreement.

Imp eagerly entered their room, Tomo splayed across the couch with a tired sigh and Kazuha carefully sat next to him. Imp paused and sat in between Tomo and Kazuha.

“I don’t wanna sleep alone, if that’s okay with you two?” They asked.

“Of course your grace.” Tomo patted their head, “It’s no different from camping outside. Well, other than this is a lot fancier than that.” He chuckled.

Imp hummed. After much emotional stress, they finally had a moment to rest in comfort and familiarity with their head leaning against Tomo's shoulder and Kazuha's head leaning against theirs. They were out like a light, snoring lightly.

Mari, who was leaning against the doorframe, hummed quietly, "Tomo's not your actual name, is it?"

Tomo chuckled and whispered, "No, it's not. But they called out to me on that day with so much panic and yet so happy to see me. And they called me friend I just..." He looked at them with an affectionate smile, "couldn't tell them my actual name.

I want them to call me that, always."

MAN there's been a critical lack of sagau tsaritsa content lately. downsides of being into characters we know next to nothing about i guess but i miss when we got new tsaritsa content kinda often 😭

Allow me dear anon hehe also tagging @lovesickeros because never met anybody who loves the tsaritsa as much as he does <3

Snezhnaya is not a warm nation. 

It is not, after all, known as the land of everwinter for no reason; snowstorms rage all year round, the frost chills the bones of even the fattest, most furred bear and what flowers bloom have long since adapted to the frozen grass and icy lakes. 

Snezhnaya is not a warm nation, for its Archon is none other than the Tsaritsa whose domain spans across the frost, the snow, and the biting chill of winter. 

Snezhnaya is not a warm nation but lately, it's been close.

Some would argue it's because of their God's presence within the cold walls of Zapolyarny Palace. Their very presence in Snezhnaya was due to their beloved Tsaritsa's cleverness; where the rest of the nations so foolishly rejected their God's presence and dared call them "face-thief", Snezhnaya opened its borders for them for they and their Tsaritsa knew the truth.

The Harbingers were of this opinion as well, though they never said a word to either their Grace or the Tsaritsa. It needed not to be said, anyways.

Not when they spent so much time together, practically joined at the hip:

"You should come sleep," you hum quietly in the silence of her private office, yours arms around her neck and your chin on her hair. "You've been working too much, love."

The Tsaritsa sighs, an action she does only with you. So many moves, so many gestures and emotions she only shows to you, and you cherish each one of them as much as you cherish her.

"Those fools refuse to leave you alone," she says, her tone just a tint hard. Her hands clench one of the many, many letters on her desk, filled with apologies and promises meant for you. "Shameful behaviour."

"I know, darling, I know," you take the letters from her to set aside, then claps your hands with hers. "We can deal with them in the morning, but for now let's go sleep."

She lets you lead her easily— she doesn't think there will ever come a day in which you'll lead her astray, a day in which she won't let you lead her.

She loves you; every motion and every thought, every little breath and laugh from you is like a balm to her soul. It shouldn't be surprising considering who you are to her, and yet—

Yet she finds her breath stolen all the same by you, when you so lovingly hold her without caring about how cold her body is. When you look at her with such love, such fondness and trust, she finds that she, too, is capable of being loved.

idk if u still accept reqs but can u do a cheong-san au or short one shot abt the reader is like a part of the group w/ on-jo and cheong-san and the reader r getting teased be almost the whole class but they dont know that they r actually dating and only finds out in the whole apocalypse thing

— for real?!

cheong-san x gn!reader | arnd 700 words

genre: fluff, established relationship

warnings: swearing, mentions of kissing/making out, mentions of punching and hitting people, that’s it i think LMAO

synopsis: it’s getting funny to see your friend group tease you and cheongsan about how good of a couple you’d make. really funny, actually.

author’s note: thank you for requesting! i hope i understood your request well and that you like it!!! <3

“Stop it, you two. You look like a couple.” Joonyoung scoffed, shaking his head as he looked down at his book. Daesu and Wujin laughed, nodding their heads.

“For real. Get a room, or something?” Daesu added, teasingly bumping his shoulder, while Wujin bumped into yours. They exchanged glances before grinning mischievously and leaning closed to the two of you. “… So you can kiss without us interrupting.”

You pushed Wujin’s face with the palm of your hand and heaved a sigh, shaking your head, while Cheongsan only looked elsewhere. Your lack of response got the duo sighing and muttering words about the two of you being no fun.

“Come on, leave them be. If they say they don’t like each other like that, they don’t.” Onjo chimed in, chuckling despite her statement. “Okay?”

“Not okay!” Daesu scoffed, “Where’s the fun? The excitment?! Plus, they’re both missing their name-tags. Isn’t that odd? Isn’t it?!”

You rolled your eyes lightheartedly and walked away.

“And they— Stop ignoring me! Man.”

This was a daily occurence, now. You and Cheongsan would do something as simple as talking or exchanging homework notes and your friend would start going on about how good of a couple you’d make, or something along those lines. You two were always telling them off, saying there was no such thing between the two of you anyways.

But, well.

“You guys were actually— Like seriously dating? For real?!”

Joonyoung said what everyone was thinking when they walked over to a remote part of the rooftop. Everyone had gathered here, staring at you two wide-eyed as your hands awkwardly hovered over Cheongsan’s face, and his tried to move away from your waist. He was the first to clear his throat and turn around, but no words left his mouth.

“No way. You guys were ma—” Daesu stop talking when you held your hand up in what felt like a warning of sorts.

“Before you get any ideas, we weren’t making out.” you said, raising your eyebrows. Cheongsan muttered something in your ear and you elbowed his waist, resulting in him wincing and nodding as he turned away and everyone following his movement with their eyes. Their gazes all turned back to you when you spoke again. “…We were not. But, we are dating.”

Joonyoung whistled as he turned away and Daesu held his hand up im triumph. Onjo scoffed and started going on about her not having her wallet during a zombie apocalypse, and you figured they’d placed a bet on whether or not you two were dating. If you were angry, you could’ve very well hit them both for that, but you weren’t. Surprisingly. Maybe it was because you expected it, but it felt fine. Good, even, for everyone to finally know the two of you were together.

Cheongsan joined your side again and instinctively put his arm around your shoulders.

“How long have you guys been together?” Suhyeok asked, curious, as he raised an eyebrow. His lips were turning into a teasing smirk that was very much directed towards Cheongsan and you could feel how much the latter wanted to punch him. It made you laugh.

“Three years.” he said, before scoffing. “So stop acting like you knew everything when you only started going on about us dating at the beginning of the school year. Idiots.”

There was muttering and whistling and laughs about how surprising it was that you’d spent so long together without anyone noticing a thing.

“Look at him getting all worked up.” Jimin said with a slight grin and Namra chuckled. Onjo pulled both your wrists and leaned in closer.

“You’re lucky I’m nice and didn’t tell them.”

You shared a look and smiled, murmuring a small “thanks” as she grinned in return.

“Alright, you guys, let’s go back to the fire. I’m getting cold.” she said, pulling you two along as she did. Everyone agreed, some shivering exaggeratingly as they jogged back to the fire.

You and Cheongsan followed closely behind the group, and you turned to each other with a smile.

“Stop smiling, idiot.” you said.

“You stop smiling, idiot.” he retorted.

Neither of you did, until Joonyoung yelled at you both to stop smiling like fucking idiots or you’d have to share body heat because they’d keep the fire to themselves. And then you stopped and rushed over to the rest of the group to sit around said fire. Daesu and Wujin started talking about how you guys could say you not only spent three years dating but also survived an apocalypse together, and then Joonyoung started talking about Suhyeok and Namra which brought on more teasing, until the ones teasing ended up quiet when called out on the fact that they were still single. Which was quite funny. It was a nice evening.

A Balladeer who dreamed

A sort of prequel to all of the Scara pieces I made

In a time before you would make your permanent arrival upon Teyvat, an event occurred before you had gotten a chance to play the game.

One which resulted in the 6th harbinger sleeping softly on a beach, coincidentally not too geographically far from where the Traveler and yourself would eventually wake up. Though marks in the sand imply that his slumber was not so peaceful at first, he now lies still. Breath slow and steady, face half buried on the sand, but no signs of discomfort of any kind are present.

He stood at what seemed to be a throne of some kind. Though the surroundings were quite, surreal. In fact, there was only void. The platform where the throne sat led nowhere, columns rose far in front reaching nowhere. The throne was made of the same material as everything else. A pale, stone like texture yet it pulsed and writhed like the figure sleeping upon the throne itself.

You lay asleep, though not quite soundly, your face was contorted in worry and anguish, small noises of unease would come from you in this otherwise deafening silence.

Hesitantly, Scaramouche makes his way towards your sleeping figure. As he gets closer, the sheer size of the throne dawns on him. You could fit a mattress for two comfortably on the thing, and yet there you lay, sleeping on the armrest like one would a normal couch.

Unconsciously, Scara reaches a hand out to your figure

“You”

A voice echoes all around him, causing him to flinch away from touching you.

A figure seems to slip in from the very blackness surrounding this place. Before manifesting into the figure of a woman. Long dark hair and near sickly pale skin wear a dark dress seemingly woven from the night sky itself. The fabric, though seeming quite thin, obscures even the shape of the woman wearing it. The only distinct piece they wore was an amulet vaguely resembling a jagged vortex, emitting a soft purple glow at its centre.

Her expression is neutral, not quite harsh, not quite soft. Deep dark night coloured eyes gaze upon and seem to lay all of his secrets bare. Yet Scara can’t bring himself to look away.

“Who are you”

Their voice echoes all around, yet is still barely above a whisper.

“I am… The Balladeer”

Never in his life has he met someone so non threatening yet so incredibly intimidating.

“How did you reach this place”

“I… I don’t, remember” he bows his head, almost as if in shame

The woman approaches him, and when he lifts his head again, her expression has changed to a softer one.

“All I remember, is… I was having a nightmare, I think.”

“I see” is all she replies, before stepping past him and towards your restless form. She lays a gentle hand upon your head, instantly your expression relaxes. She turns back towards him before continuing

“This place is a realm of thought, here, they replay their own nightmare over and over again. It’s not surprising that even now, they’d still seek to help someone even while they’re unconscious”

A protest bubbles up in the Balladeer’s throat, but he cannot bring himself to say it aloud.

“You are a native of Teyvat, I presume?”

He nods his head

“Then may I ask you one small favour?”

He nods again

“Look after my youngest sibling” she pauses to look down at you, still fast asleep, clutching onto something underneath your head rather tightly.

“Knowing them, they’ll overexert the use of a power they don’t have full control over yet, and as much as they insist that they can go out on their own, I still worry.”

“And what would I get in exchange?”

At this, she rises to her feet, regaining that subtle aura of intimidation.

“As the Void Mother, I’m not quite sure what a material being could possibly want of me. But I’m sure you could think of something, and when you do, then I’ll do what I can”

Scaramouche ponders for a minute, before replying

“What makes you think I’d be any good at protecting them?”

“Are you a sword, Balladeer?”

He does not answer, as much as he wants to say no, he knows what he’s capa-

“Then it should be no surprise that you’re capable of more then just hurting people, no need to be afraid of yourself” she speaks, a sly smile gracing her lips

Before he can even ask how she could’ve done that, a vortex of shadows manifests at his feet, beginning to drag him within

“You still have time to consider Balladeer, do think it over for me, would you?”

The gentle sound of waves lapping at the sand greets him back to the land of consciousness. Dreary and confused, Scaramouche begins to rise slowly, but recoils at the sensation of something clutched in his hand.

A small amulet, bearing a strange, jagged vortex symbol, is found when he checks beneath his palm. Upon picking it up and examining it, everything rushes back to him at once.

The Harbinger sighs, wrapping the amulet around his neck and tucking it beneath his shirt before looking around the small island

It would seem he had much to consider

@nicebonescomrade COME GET Y’ALL JUICE

#heart in paradise, body in abyss

synopsis: you may be kind enough to forgive but never to forget. those who would've cherished you the most know it, perhaps too well.

warnings: yandere content, yandere cult stuff, mentions of harassment and violence, mentions of death; impostor is referred with fem!pronouns but does not mirror reader’s gender

note: @nicebonescomrade's villain au that @mikachuchu brought to my attention :)) i'm not too proud of it, but i hope it's good lkasngldfag

“you will never know kindness, not even in death will you find peace."

perhaps, it's true that you'll never know kindness. you’ll never feel it on your skin when the breeze of mondstadt tickles your cheeks. you’ll never see it on the kind faces of the citizens of liyue. you’ll never hear it from the gentle pluck of a zither. you’ll never envision it when the stars align once more in place long forgotten.

maybe that is what fate has decided as your body caved into the pain, and the tests of your strength has failed you. your legs had long gone numb, your arms just the same. it’s such a nice place to rest, you think. if only it could stay that way for you, letting yourself fall into the solitude of nature once for all; you’d never have to run until your lungs have pit, never had to starve in the midst of being hunted down.

you no longer recall whatever fault it is they decided you committed, only offensive enough to invoke the wrath of those you loved once upon a time. it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, knowing that the era of your laughter has long passed. instead, it has been replace of an age where the reign of such a tyrannical ruler clawed at you.

the swift rustle of grass keeps you wide awake, even when the call of death coaxes you to finally close your eyes and rest your weary soul. the sickening high-pitched laugh of teyvat’s beloved deity rings in your ear that you’ve come to akin to the annoying buzz of a mosquito. you wheeze painfully on the forest opening, accepting your fate.

your gaze remains on the cloudless sky before you, too painful to move even a single muscle of your body. you don’t even care to identify which characters on your past roster that she brought with her.

“given up, i see.” her tone is obnoxious, yet you can only imagine of shutting her up; you’re too powerless to ever go up against the characters you oh, so tirelessly built for months on end. how ironic that they’d kill you with the weapons that you provided for them.

“can you hurry it up? i’m tired enough as it is. i don’t even want to deal with you anymore.” you’re able to pick up all kinds of sounds after that, a few growls and clicks of tongues. nothing you aren’t used to before.

“be more respectful to her grace, scum—” you faintly hear the voice of scaramouche as footsteps indicate someone has moved closer— “you’re lucky that our beloved god has shown you kindness. if it weren’t for her, we would’ve killed you where you stood.”

you almost want to double over.

“kindness?” you wheeze painfully. “what do you know about kindness?”

“mercy.” zhongli retorts from afar. “it’ll be the only kindness you’ve been shown, yet you don’t even deserve it.”

despite the ache that roots itself deep within your bones, you force yourself to smile. a cloud drifts right in front of you, and you wonder what it’d be like if you were one. at least, you’d be able to live in bliss, no longer paranoid if you’ll live to see the next day.

“i suppose offering a little more wouldn’t hurt,” their god exclaims and puffs out their chest in pride, “say your last words. it’s the least i can give for such a pitiful creature.”

“last words, huh?” you hum. there’s nothing in particular in your head. you’ve long since been abandoned by the ones you’ve cared for the most, so who’d even be kind enough to give you a eulogy? you can no longer dwell on the pain, to spout out curses in your last moments. instead, you reminisce on the times of joy.

the grass underneath you caresses your skin as you sink further into the earth, back into the soil from whence you came. "i knew kindness once— offered it, even. i always thought that teyvat was a beautiful place, but i underestimated just how cruel it would be."

"the merriment of mondstadt's windblume festival, the lights of liyue's lantern rite, the fireworks of inazuma's summer festival— i'll never forget them. the adventures we went on, and the time i spent with you all are things i cherish the most." you smile. "maybe somewhere in my heart, i can find it to forgive you. i'm just thankful for the good memories."

as soon as that is said, your face falls once more, and the grin on your lips drop into a frown. "but i'll never forget what you've all done to me."

liquid gold drips down your nose, and you can just imagine the horrified looks on their faces now that the truth has come out. you, their true god, would die of the injuries inflicted by your very own acolytes; it'd make such a good drama, you muse. you've lost enough feeling in your body that you fail to register the desperate hands that run up and down your limbs in hopes of soothing the pain that pulsates underneath your skin.

a shriek rings in the air, and you're mildly surprised it isn't yours. you find yourself crowded by all kinds of bodies, but you can't force yourself to care. if you die here, at least you were kind enough to show them the truth— even if it meant leaving them to blame themselves for teyvat's downfall.