You and Kuroo are part of a secret organisation. While heâs out on a mission, you lose communication with him and the rest of the team. As a dispatcher, you have no choice but to rely on the other members to bring him home.
Cursed {Miya Twins x Reader}
Youâre a fox spirit living in the forest. One day, you encounter the twins. As the three of you grow closer, you stumble upon a problem - Unless you break the curse, youâll be turned into a fox forever.
Second Button {Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader}
Thereâs an old tradition amongst graduating high school students. The first button of their uniform jacket is to be kept as a momento; the last few buttons are for their underclassmen and friends; and the second button is to be given to the person they like. You wonder who Kuroo gave his second button to.
Pinpricks {Miya Atsumu x Reader}
Your confession goes wrong, and now things are strained between you and Atsumu. What are you supposed to do?
LOVE AND DEEPSPACE â· ââââââ · ·
The Foxâs Den {Sylus x Reader}
Youâre tasked with a mission to investigate Foxâs Den, a host club near the outskirts of Linkon. What Sylus doesnât know is that youâre going undercover as a hostess.Â
I frkn love Nightplumes {Sylus}
It's not a fic, but I'm pretty proud of this one :D.
A piano cover of the Nightplumes BGM.
A Moment of Rest {Sylus x Reader}
You find Sylus dozing off after returning from a mission.
Under the Same Sky {Sylus x Reader}
âDo you think in another life weâd still be stargazing together like this?â
Mini-Me {All Love and Deepspace boys}
The LADS with kids. UwU
Without You {LnDS Boys i.e. The LADS x reader}
So as not to spoil it, a new type of wanderer appears and they weren't with you
Bittersweet {Barista!Sylus x Reader}
The sweet barista from a small coffee shop in Bloomshore is more than what meets the eye.
So... This one is a bit weird because it's technically x MC as well ( âââ) because Y/N and MC are separate people. Anyway, just have a read lol. I hope you enjoy it either way ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
And my fault for not properly reading the World Underneath stories, but I just found out that the twins were experiments and tried to assassinate Sylus â§âĄâŠ
-Seven
|| Masterlist ||
Was there really any point anymore?
"You don't understand, Y/N."
You loved Sylus you really did.
"MC... She makes me feel human."
But apparently, that couldn't compare to MC.
When he told you that MC had been his lover in his past life, and every other life, you didn't believe him.
"Sylus, surely, you can come up with a better excuse than that?" Was your first response after just having bared your feelings to him.
In such a vulnerable moment, surely, he wouldn't be so cruel as to play with your feelings like this, right?
"I appreciate the creativity, I do," you cradle your temples in one hand, "But all you had to say was that you don't like me back."
You really don't know what compelled you to confess in the first place.
You had been so content just being with Sylus, Mephisto and the twins - your little family.
It didn't feel like that at first.
After all, you were taught never to trust anyone in the N109 zone, but they picked you up off the street half dead and patched you back up.
And from then on, you never left.
So why did you have to confess...Now of all times?
Maybe it was some sort of possessiveness.
The more MC got closer to Sylus, to Mephisto, the twins... the more you felt like a tiger whose territory was being encroached upon.
She had your hackles raised and everything, and eventually, she pushed you into a corner with no escape other than to get devoured.
She walked straight past you and got so close in such a short time.
What made her so different? Because she was his lover in a past life?
Maybe you didn't understand after all
"Must you love her in this life as well?" You mumbled the words, but of course, Sylus heard them
He looked at you like you grew another head, like the idea of anything else was unfathomable.
You simply clicked your tongue and walked away.
Pursing such futility is madness.
â· ââââââ · ·
Now at Onychinus' base, you realise just how much you've made this place your home.
As you're walking around the base, you pick up your throw blanket with little crows from the sofa; then the custom controller the twins got you from the games room. You've tucked your spare windbreaker from the coatroom over your arm. And in your drawer, you spot a piece of card paper - Sylus' birthday card.
One that you never gave him⊠because MC did it first. After all, she was the one who found out Sylus' actual birthday.
Although⊠You were more than content to celebrate it every day of April with the twins, butâŠ
Anyway, you run your hand over the texture of the paper and tuck it back into the drawer.
You can leave this one behind. Maybe it'll reach it's rightful owner someday.
But⊠now, you've also realised just how much she's made this her home as well.
A mess of Pile It Up blocks here; a can of cat food for the stray cats there.
You shake your head and do one final walk around the base.
You come to a stop in front of Sylus' room.
With a deep sigh, you quickly place your belongings on a nearby table and open the door.
Just one more time⊠you say to yourself
Your eyes flit around the dark room. All black and red decor except⊠Colourful stuffies and meow badges lining his shelves.
You clench your hands and let out a shaky breath. You rush to leave the room pulling the door closed with a soft click.
Just as you're gathering your things, you hear voices from the hallway.
Your hand immediately goes to the holster on your waist.
"I told you so! The bossman was with miss hunter! Mephisto was there too, we didnât need to worry."
Your body goes lax. It's just the twins.
"Oh hey! Y/N's here, Kieran."
Kieran comes from behind Luke after having locked the door, and you muster up the best smile you can.
"Hey." It comes out weaker than you'd like. Almost a whisper.
You clear your throat. They've got the worst timing, you think
"What's all this, sis?" Luke rhymes.
Kieran lets out a soft chuckle, "Yeah, you movin' out or something?"
You smile a little, just to ward away the tears that are building up in your eyes, "Yeah, I can't have all my stuff lying around." You lift your arms and motion to all your things, "The big boss scolded me last time, remember? Something about not leaving a trace, right?" You pretend to think and act like you hadnât learnt your lesson, "Or was it just to keep the base tidy? Oh well."
Luke brings a hand up to his face and pretends to look around the place, "Hmm? I donât know what you're talking about. I donât see anything here. Itâs squeaky clean."
You laugh and take a few steps to nudge him with your shoulder and he grins.
"Anyway, I can't stay for long," You say, "I just came to fetch these."
Their shoulders droop a little, "Aww."
You place your things back onto the table and open your arms to the boys.
Kieran comes first, "We just got here and youâre leaving already?â
âYeah,â You say and squeeze your arms around him tighter, âIâm gonna go home.â You release him and move to Luke.
âBut you are home,â Lukeâs voice is muffled in your shoulder.
âMy real home, dummy.â You release him and turn to your things, âIâm gonna sleep in my own bed for once, without having to hear the both of you yelling at video games.â You tease.
âYou canât even stay for a round of Interstellar Warfare? We want the spaceship upgrades to beat Boss.â
You shake your head as you gather your things, âNot even for a round, Luke, Iâm sorry.â
When you turn around, theyâre quiet⊠brooding little chicks; your little brothers.
âOh,â You sigh and free up one of your arms, âI know, I know,â You coo, âBeing away from your family - your big sister - will be too much.â you tease as you reach under Lukeâs mask to pinch at his cheek.
He turns away with a âTch.â
âWe saw each other yesterday, and the day before! Why are you two pouting like this, hmm?â You ask
Maybe they felt that something was wrong. That something was changing. Maybe their hearts knew that they werenât going to see you again after today.
But youâve already made up your mind.
âOk, I have to go.â You pat Kieranâs cheek over the mask, âStay safe.â
You turn back to Luke, âAnd you,â you point to him, âDonât cause too much trouble.â you pat his cheek too.
They just give you an exasperated sigh, but you can almost see their smiles behind the mask, âOf course, little boss.â They say in unison.
âOh yeah, tell the big boss that I took that M-38 from the armoury, actually, wait, maybe donât. He might get mad.â You wink and stick your tongue out.
They make a zipping motion above their mouths and you smile.
You walk towards the front door and they follow behind you like lost puppies. You never would have thought that they ever attempted to assassinate Sylus. It makes you chuckle at how close theyâve gotten.
As you exit, you turn around to say âMake sure you feed Mephisto all those nuts and bolts that mess up his gears!â
They smirk from the front door.
âI love you both!â You plop your things into the back seat and stick your head out, âGood byeâŠâ you give them a soft wave and their smirks drop.
You just duck into your car and drive away.
Being away from your family really may be too much.
â· ââââââ · ·
After that day, you took every effort to change your name, your appearanceâŠeverything. Not a single trace of who you were before.
I guess thatâs one thing that youâve learnt from Sylus.
You used to help track people down with him, having learnt and even executed each and every one of his methods yourself. So, fortunately, making a counter to them was easy.
Now days, you were living a quiet life tucked away in the country side with a big plot of land, a few animals and a garden.
But still, your heart wasnât there.
Even with your new lover, something was missing.
âŠ
Today, youâve gone to visit the markets by the beach with your lover.
Youâve wandered off to look at the stalls while he stayed in line to order some food.
You didnât have to worry about leaving him by himself. For once you were glad that you donât have to constantly look over your shoulder.
Youâve done well to take that target off your back.
In the midst of it all, youâve somehow wandered all the way to the seaside.
With the waves lapping at the shore; the sun high in the sky and the gulls calling from above.
It was a rare sight back in the N109 zone; Something as beautiful and serene as this.
But youâre glad⊠As much as you miss it, youâre glad.
You close your eyes and take a deep breath, salty air meeting your senses.
You hear footfalls behind youâŠyour lover, you think.
Although a little heavier than usual⊠must be the sand.
âYouâre a hard one to find, kitten.â
Chills.
All the way down your spine.
Your body whips around - all the years of training still very much engrained in your body.
âHowâŠâ
Your eyes are wide as Sylus stands in front of you.
Your breath hitches in your throat and your heartâs racing out of your ribs.
Nonchalantly, he swipes a finger across his lips, âWell, You happened to keep all your pin codes and passwords with some variety of 0418 or 1804 - My birthday.â
You swallow thickly. Is this what itâs like to be on the other end of Sylusâ wrath?
But heâs right, most of your passwords were some variety of his birthday. Some stubborn part of you not wanting to let go of your past and now itâs come back to bite you.
But you didnât want to forget him. Never.
âAnd,â he continues, âYou also sold that M-38âŠâ He takes a step towards you, âThe only one in the world.â
You curse in your head and take a step back to keep your distance. Careless.
âIâll have to give it to you, it still took me longer than I would have like to find you.â He hand reaches for your wrist, âWhy did you do it?â
Snapping back to reality at his touch, you push him away, âIt doesnât matter.â You shake your head, âGo back to Linkon or Onichynus - wherever youâre staying these days.â
âThe twins miss you.â
You freeze at his words.
Youâre so selfish.
âMephisto wonât stop plucking out his feathers.â
Hurting your family like this.
âStop.â You mumble.
To Sylus or to yourself, you donât quite know.
From a distance, you hear your fake name being called by your lover.
It pulls you out of your daze and you turn to his voice to rid your mind of Sylus.
Sylus doesnât miss the way your eyes soften when they reach the man across the beach.
âWho might that be, sweetie?â
You turn back to him with a cold hard glare, âLike. I . Said.â You enunciate every word, âIt doesnât matter.â You push at Sylusâ arm, âGo back.â
âNo, no.â Sylus chuckles,â I would like to meet him. Is this the man youâre working for now?â
âSylus.â You bite out a warning.
He meets your hard gaze but then smirks smugly and begins to walk towards your lover.
âSylus!â You call out, trying and failing to catch his arm.
His strides are much bigger than yours.
âSylus! Stop!â You just barely catch the back of his coat and tug at it.
âI insist. He must be a impressive man for you to have left Onichynus.â
You rush to get in front of him, âSylus, stop! Please!â your voice breaks as you hold your hands out to block him. âPlease, just stop.â
Sylus falters as he sees your eyes glisten with tears. He merely looks at you and you take the opportunity to speak.
âI cut myself off from you⊠and the twins. From Onichynus for a reason.â Your chest heaves as you speak, âIt was the hardest decision Iâve ever made in my life - To leave my family - my heart -behind.â The wind bites at your wet cheeks but you continue, âSo please. Please, just let me live peacefully.â
Sylus is wide-eyed at your confession and at your tear-streaked face. Almost as much as he was when you confessed your feelings to him.
Your lover calls your name once more and heâs jogging towards the two of you after seeing the altercation from a distance.
You take quick steps away from Sylus, leaving him frozen in his spot.
It takes all of your willpower not to look back at Sylus. You have to remind yourself that youâre looking ahead. To your future in front of you. You canât go back no matter how much your heart yearns to.
Your lover meets you halfway and wraps an arm around your shoulders, âAre you okay, pumpkin?â
You nod despite the tears and wrap your arm around his waist, âYeah⊠Yeah, I will be.â
âWho was that?â He asks taking a quick glance back at Sylus.
âI donât know.â
"He seems to know you.â
âI donât know him anymore.â
âOkay, okay.â He yields,â Letâs get you home, darling.â
So... How are we feeling? \ (âąâĄâą) /
Let me know what you thought about it, I've never really written one where MC and reader and separate people, but I like the overall idea so I thought I may as well write it haha ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Soooo, this one (and a bunch of others) have been in my notes for ages, and I guess my writing juice only comes once a year and finishes them off...
Right, now I'm trying to flesh out my Model!Sylus x Photographer!Reader - I'm planning for it to be a series so please look forward to it! Hopefully I have enough writing juice to finish it àŽŠà”àŽŠàŽż(Ë” âąÌ Ꭰ- Ë” )
|| Masterlist ||
Amidst the clinking of teacups and the occasional whir of the coffee machine, your pen scritches against the endless amount of HA papers you have to fill. For every mission, every single move, is another report, another piece of paper to fill out.
You sigh, bracing your chin against your hand and gaze out the window. Your finger taps against your cheek in time with the clock.
7:39 PM
Taraâs late.
Just as the thought crosses your mind, Tara whips the door open and slides herself into the chair across from you.
âMy goodness, MC, I donât know why you choose here of all places to do your work.â She carelessly tosses her bag in the chair beside her and slumps into her own chair, âI swear I had to cross three rivers and climb two mountain on the way here.â
You chuckle, âDonât forget the about the zip-line and the protofield at the start.â
She kicks your foot under the table and fans herself with the menu, âWhatâs so good about this place anyway?â
You smirk a little, âThe baristaâs cute.â You joke and nod your head in the direction of the kitchen behind her.
Tara subtly turns her head and pretends to look at the overhead menu in the kitchen before dropping her gaze to where Sylus was tending to other customers.
Her head whips back to you and she begins to fan herself with her hand, âHooo, please, Iâd cross another swamp to get here if thatâs the face Iâll see at the end.â
You smile but turn back to your work, âJokes aside,â you say without looking at Tara, âThe coffeeâs just the perfect blend of bittersweet. And⊠I like the atmosphere.â You shrug.
...
Not long after, as Tara finally picks a drink to order, Sylus approaches your table.
âOne house special.â Sylus says as he places your cup on the table followed by a plate of cookies.
âOh, sorry, I didnât order the-â
âItâs on the house, sweetie.â He gives you a wink and a boyish smile before walking back behind the counter to make the other customersâ drinks.
As if holding her breath Tara sighs out, âGee, killer looks and a smooth voice to boot, no wonder youâre crossing all of Linkon just to do some documents.â
You give her a kick on the shin, âItâs the atmosphere and the coffee.â You argue.
Youâve learnt a few things throughout the weeks:
This is the only cafe in Bloomshore open until 1:30 in the morning. Or maybe even later than that, youâve never stayed past 1:30.
Sylus must be making a whole lot of money for him to be giving you desserts on the house with every drink you order (Youâve also learnt that itâs futile to protest)
#2 canât be possible since his coffee shop isnât exactly overflowing with customers. There must be something else.
Thereâs two boys - Luke and Kieran, you overheard - who visit every Friday to collect some packages from Sylus. Youâve convinced yourself that itâs just coffee beans, or 'something else'.
But on top of that there was another instance where you realised that there was more to Sylus than what meets the eye.
As usual, you were doing some paperwork and Sylus brought your drink and a choc chip muffin this time.
The sun has long since dipped below the horizon, you wouldnât be surprised if it was already time for it to return to the sky.
Your watch beeps just as the tv, previously playing music in the background, switches to an emergency broadcast.
âAttention all. Attention all.â The newscaster frowns a little, âThis is an emergency message from the Hunterâs Association - Wanderers have been sighted in the Bloomshore district.â A map pops up on the screen right where the coffee shop is located. The newscaster points to it, âIf you are in this area, seek shelter immediately.â
Just as the message repeats, your watch vibrates against your wrist. A similar map is displayed - a live update of where the wanderer is headed - right in your direction.
Overhead, you hear the whir of helicopter blades and the other customers begin scrambling towards the entrance.
You stand at the entrance stopping one customer from leaving, âStop! Stay calm everyone.â You show your badge to the customers, âIâm from the HA. At the moment, itâs best if we stay in the cafe. Stay under the tables.â
âScrew that!â one of the customers yells and pushes past you.
âSir! The wanderer is-â You turn to grasp at his arm but not long after he bumps into Sylus, who had come to your side from behind the counter.
He towers over the customer with a stance imposing and unfamiliar as compared to the sweet barista you know.
âI suggest, sir, that you listen to miss hunter over here before you lose your life.â He narrows his eyes at the customer who gulps but still has the audacity to reply.
âIf.. If Iâm going to die, it sure as hell wonât be here in a coffee shop.â He insists.
Sylus simply gestures to the door, âBe my guest.â He says with a taunting smirk.
You look at him incredulously, âUgh, why would you-â
âWhat? I have to honour a manâs dying wish. I would also prefer not to have a death in my coffee shop.â
Just as he finishes the sentence, the small coffee shop rumbles with the roar of the wanderer. The customers scream and scramble in all directions.
You click your tongue and push past him to follow after the customers who ran out in fear.
He just smiles and turns on his heel to follow after you.
Too engrossed in protecting the civilians, you donât realise that Sylus is trailing behind you taking care of any straggling wanderers coming from behind.
When you hear the shrieks of the wanderers from behind, you see Sylus throwing blow after blow to its body.
Much too smooth and calculated to simply be a barista.
With your laptop propped on your thighs, your fingers are gliding over your keyboard as you type up the report - noting the time of the incident, to the nature of the incident, to those involved.
Your fingers tap lightly at the keyboard, not enough to input any letters, but to rid yourself of your anxiety. Write too much and the HA will investigate this place, and unfortunately, the packages that youâve convinced yourself were coffee beans are in fact not coffee beans, but bombs.
Writing as vaguely as possible, you work you lip between your teeth as you eye Sylus from the edge of you laptop. How much can you say without really saying anything at all?
Time flies by with every word you type and every sip of coffee you take. Itâs bitter today, but thatâs exactly what you need to stay up and finish this report.
Speaking of which⊠What time is it anyway?
You spare a glance at the clock at the bottom of your screen.
Sylus lifts his eyes to your figure, noticing your unease, but continues to clean the teacup in his hands, âDo you need something, sweetie? Another cup, maybe?â
You stand up to gather your things, âNo. Iâm sorry.â You stuff your laptop in your bag, âI didnât realise how late it was, I-â
He only flashes you a smile, âI donât mind.â He averts his gaze for a moment, âI have nothing scheduled for tonight, and⊠and I donât mind the company.â
Youâre frozen in place unsure if he was being courteous or if you were imposing.
Sensing the conflict in your head, he waves his hand and shakes his head, âSit down,â He walks over to your table and picks up your empty cup, âIâll make you another drink. You donât seem to be finishing up any time soon anyways.â
âNo, no.â You wave both of your hands in front of you, âI couldnât. Iâm already overstepping my bounds.â
âI insist, kitten.â
Hesitantly, you slot yourself back into the booth and say, âI donât think I have it in me to finish that report today.â you scratch at your cheek.
âThen, at least stay until Iâve made you another drink.â Heâs back behind the counter and shoots you another smile that has your stomach doing backflips, âWhat will it be, sweetheart?â
âHot chocolate?â You tilt you head a little.
âMmmm.â He hums, âWhatever my dearest customer wants, she gets. A warm cup of cocoa to stave of a snowy night, coming right up.â He chimes and the coffee machine whirs to life again.
Shortly after, as youâve warmed your cold hands against the mug, Luke and Kieran waltz through the entrance.
You glance at the clock - 2:54 AM.
When your eyes return to the two boys, they seem just as shocked as you are that anyone else was still here.
You lift the mug up to acknowledge them and they simply smirk.
âLate night, miss hunter?â One of them says, youâre not quite sure who is who.
You simply hum in response and take another sip of the hot chocolate.
Luke and Kieran make their way to the back as usual, and before they return with the âcoffee beansâ, youâve emptied your cup and left the shop.
When Sylus leads the twins out (only so they donât harass you more than you can tolerate) he notices the empty table.
âA special drink for a special lady so late at night, boss man?â Kieran asks.
âDid we interrupt a romantic rendezvous in the middle of the night, boss man?â Luke wiggles his eyebrows.
Sylus merely shakes his head, âGet out of here before I send Mephisto to end the both of you.â He says as he clears your table. Although his voice is dripping in malice, his eyes are soft as he reads the little note you left.
Thank you for the hot chocolate.
Sorry for staying so late,
Iâll make it up to you.
-MC
â· ââââââ ·
It wasnât for another ten days did you make it up to him. Not that anyone was countingâŠ
You felt a little guilty albeit a little flattered by how sweetly he was treating you. But also confusedâŠDoes he like you? Is he being nice? Does he do this for others? Is it a ruse with underhanded motives?
Honestly, itâs all so confusing. From how sweetly he was treating you, to the shady deals going on in that dainty little coffee shop. You really donât know what to believe anymore.
You thought maybe if you stopped visiting for a little while, everything would clear itself up. But the more you restrained yourself, the more thoughts of him surfaced.
With an exasperated huff, you convinced yourself that you were just having caffeine withdrawals and none of the other coffee shops in Linkon satisfied you like the small coffee shop at the edge of Bloomshore. Definitely, the coffee and not the barista⊠the coffee.
âŠ
When you shuffle into the coffee shop, it busier than usual. So much so that Sylus hasnât even realised that youâre here.
Why would he though? Iâm just like any other customer getting a drink.
You let out a breath. For whatever reason, your traitorous heart is pounding away. By the time you get to the counter you heartbeat is in your ears and you can barely hear yourself say, âOne house special, please.â
At your voice, Sylusâ head fwips up from where his hands were holding a milk jug to the coffee machine, âI though my little hunter was injured, or that I was too forward.â he sends you a smile that makes your heart race a little faster.
âSorry, I was⊠I was busy.â You avert your gaze and begin to reach into you bag, âI do have something to give you. A little thank you gift, if you will.â You pass a little mug set over the counter.
He quickly wipes his hands on a dish cloth and receives your gift. He opens the set and smirks.
Your brows furrow, âWhat?â What could he possibly find amusing?
He looks into the mug and reads, âI love you a latte?â
âHuh?â You lean over the counter and grab the mug from his hands. Just as he read, the words âI love you a latteâ are printed at the bottom of the mug.
You stare at it, baffled as heat rises to your cheeks âI-â
He chuckles, âThis one says, âmugs and kissesâ.â He looks back at you, âAre you trying to tell me something, sweetie.â
âNo! I didnât know they had those printed at the bottom! I just liked the designs at the front!â Youâre leaning over the counter reaching for the mugs.
âYouâre more forward than me it seems.â
âJustâŠjust give them back to me, I can return them and get you something else.â
He pulls the both mugs further away from the counter and above his head, âI canât. This your first gift to me, kitten.â He holds them to his chest, âIt would be a waste to return them now.â
âNo, Sylus, Iâm serious.â
âAnd so am I.â He places the mugs on one of the shelves and turns back to you, âNow go sit down, Iâll bring your drink once itâs ready.â
With your head in your hands you take your usual seat.
â· ââââââ ·
Your mind spent half the day replaying the events from this morning, so now youâre only a fifth of the way through your report.
You groan and plop your forehead on the table with a thud. You turn your head to the side and rest it atop your hands.
Most of the other customers have left for the night, and Sylus is finishing up, cleaning all his equipment.
Shortly after, he walks over with two take away cups in hand. Heâs donned his long black coat and a scarf. âCome,â He says, âYou need a break, let me take you somewhere.â He nods to the entrance.
You raise a brow at him, âYouâre not taking me somewhere to kill me, are you?â You joke as you gather your things, âI know how to fight, you know?â you add with a chuckle.
âOh? Shall I take you to spar then, miss hunter?â He says as he hands you the drinks.
With both of your hands occupied, he takes the opportunity to wrap his scarf around your neck. He ties it up and tidies the edges so that your neck is fully covered. Leaning back a little he admires his work with a chuckle and flicks your forehead.
âHey!â
âLetâs go.â He guides you with a hand at the small of your back.
After a short walk, he opens the car door for you with his other hand at the roof of the car so you donât bump your head.
You mumble a quick âThank you.â and adjust yourself in the seat as he walks around to the driverâs side.
When the car rumbles to life and he begins to drive, you ask, âAre one of these for me?â
He gives you a quick glance and canât resist teasing you with the way your eyes sparkle at the drinks.
âOf course, but youâll have to guess which one.â
âMmm.â You take a sip of one of the cups but shake your head as intense bitterness bites at your tongue, âBleghh. How many shots did you put in this?â
He stifles a laugh with his hand, âCute.â He mumbles.
âŠ
When you exit the car, he guides you towards a bridge overlooking the city and the river.
in the middle of the bridge, he leads you to a railing and leans against it with his drink in his hands.
âYouâre not going to jump, are you?â You tease.
He scoffs, but adjusts your scarf to cover your nose and ears that have gone red from the cold.
âWell, now how am I supposed to drink this cocoa with my mouth covered, Sylus?â
âIâm sure youâll figure it out, kitten.â
I think this one turned out a little cuter than I expected, but I love it either way hahaha. I hope you enjoyed! â§(˶ᔠᔠá”˶)
So i woke up one morning with this on my mind and couldn't help myself :D
I died making it àČ„_àČ„, but enjoy XD
-Seven
|| Masterlist ||
Something is wrong⊠So very wrong
the briefing said that this mission was, at best, a C grade mission.
âYouâll be in an out before you know it.â
âJust a clean-up job, really.â
âThink of it as a little break.â
but ever since you and your squad mates stepped foot into this factory, you couldnât help but feel as if you were being watched⊠stalked
one of the other hunters use their evol to light your way
In the dim light, you squint, waiting for your eyes to adjust
It reveals rows and rows of multi-storey shelves lining the large room.
Your eyes canât help but flicker to any- and everything in the room. You just canât seem to shake off that feeling that there are eyes on you
But you brush it off - itâs probably because itâs dark and we know there are wanderers lurking here somewhere
As you go deeper into the building, you see figures sprawled out on the floor
People?
You walk a few paces ahead of your squad mates to get a closer look, They might be some of the workers. Are they hurt?
âHey, MC! Donât go too far ahead, we still donât know where the wanderers are.â
You turn back to your squad mates, âI think there are people over there,â You point to the figures on the ground, âCan you see it? They might be some of the workers.â
They catch up to you and peer into the darkness, âYeah, we should call for medical assistance.â one of them lift their wrist to access their watch.
As you get closer, you realise that they werenât humans but rather the corpses of wanderers
Instantly, the hairs on your arms and nape stand on end
Upon seeing this, one of the members asks, âThey havenât sent anyone else to do the job, right?â
Another chuckles, âMaybe Xavier came and finished it off for us.â
Your brows furrow, âNoâŠâ
They turn to you for an explanation.
âHeâs stuck at HQ, he needed to renew his hunterâs license but he hadnât finished any of the paperwork. Jenna forbade him from taking on any missions.â
They look at one another, smiles quickly fading.
âSomething - or someone - â you emphasise, âhas killed all of these wanderers.â
One of your squad members, dons a glove and kneels down next to one of the corpses, âTheir protocoresâŠâ Her hand hovers over the centre of the wanderer, motioning to where the protocore is usually found, âTheyâve beenâŠpulled out.â She looks at you with concern written all over her features, âForcefully.â She adds
Your brows pinch, âLetâs get out of here and contact HQ.â You make a quick decision, not wanting to continue with a mission that was potentially out of your teamâs depth.
The others turn around to exit, but you stay back as the the girl gathers her things
From far away, a glimmer on one of the top shelves catches your eye - A silhouette moves just out of your view
It looked too human to be a wanderer, but how could anyone be up that high with no equipment in sight?
From behind you, a thud resonates around the building - one of your team mates has been shot down.
Your head whizzes to where the shot came from, and again, that humanoid silhouette shuffles just out of sight
As your eyes adjust more to the darkness, you see the figure is taking languid steps towards you
As it steps into the light, you see that he has a crossbow poised and aimed at you!
Swiftly, you aim at his chest, but the adrenaline makes your hand tremble - your shot misses, but it hits his crossbow.
The impact was enough for him to drop it, and it falls to the floor
From that high up, the fall was more than enough to shatter the weapon into pieces.
âOh, come on.â The voice resounds in your ears as if he was right next to you.
As he tilts his head to the ceiling and whines, you use the opportunity to usher your team mates out, âGO!â You shout, âGet to the exit!â You say, waving them over towards you.
The voice speaks again, âI liked that one, you know!â
In a flash, the manâs on the ground, having dropped multiple stories without harm - the kind of scene you see in movies
âWhatâŠâ Youâre taken aback, steps faltering.
âWell, it doesnât matter. Your friend over there,â He points to the one he shot down, âhas left a pretty, little rifle, just for me.â
At this comment, dread spreads throughout your body
With a scream, one of your team mates has made a full sprint towards the exit.
But having stayed back with the other girl, youâre too far away to run from him now.
You scan your surroundings and on your left is a wooden table.
You flip it on its side and hide behind it for cover.
You know it wonât do much against a rifle, but itâs all youâve got.
Peeking out from the table, you see him stretch his arm out towards the gun and it flies towards him and into his grasp.
A loud bang from the gunshot makes you duck for cover, and soon another one of your members has fallen to the floor, a few metres shy from the exit.
He laughs and imitates the thud of your squad member falling to the floor.
It sets your anger ablaze and with all the courage you could muster, you shoot at the man before ducking back behind the table.
It drew his attention to you, and for a split second, as his cold, dark eyes met yours, your body was numb, completely frozen in itâs spot.
His skin was pale - lighter than the indigo that most wanderers have, but it has the unmistakeable stone-like texture of a wanderer
Your vision goes dark for a moment, and you collapse onto the floor, knees buckling underneath you
He purposefully fires at the table and lets out a hearty laugh when you scream
How is this possible? Was he the one that killed all those wanderers? You heard of reports of self-aware wanderers but he was more than just self-aware, he was toying with you.
From behind the table you hear his footstep drawing near.
Faster.
and Faster.
The sounds draws closer.
You bolt out from behind the table with your twin pistols aimed in his direction, but in the split second that you do, he has telepathically pulled the table to cover your shots before flinging it in your direction
You scamper backwards and carelessly fire a few more rounds in an attempt to distract him as you compose yourself, but the bullets stop inches from his body and clatter to the ground
All the while, he is striding closer and closer and closer
Your breathing goes ragged and you aim at him, but your gun just clicks. clicks. clicks.
Out of ammo already?! It canât be. Is he jamming it?
In a blink, he has gathered a dagger from his waist, spinning it along his fingers before swiping at you.
The metal met your warm flesh before you could even gasp.
Your body drops to the floor and everything goes dark
All you can hear is your squad matesâ screams amongst the wandererâs wicked laughter.
Sylus â· ââââââ · ·
Was the first to find out
He had Mephisto tailing you in secret - He knows you would have scolded him if your colleagues caught even a glimpse of the crow
It wasnât long after the first gunshot that Mephisto flew back to Sylus, but it was too late by the time they arrived at the factory
From your location, it seemed that you were on your way to Akso Hospital
...
The next morning, the news spread like a wildfire throughout Linkon - Your name having come up as one of the the casualties
âLast night, three hunters have unexpectedly lost their lives to what the Hunterâs Association are calling âAn intelligent wandererâ. Another two are in critical condition, but are expected to make a full recoveryâŠâ
A few days later, Sylus has been mulling about in the base. He has so much anger directed at himself, but it was incredibly unreasonable anger
One that said why wasnât he there with you? Why wasnât he fast enough? Why didnât he just let Mephisto tag along? Why hadnât he finished that custom crow that he promised? Why? Why? Why?
With all these thoughts clouding his mind, Sylus spends more time in the boxing gym, needing something to relieve his restlessness
With all this anger, Luke and Kieran have begun to walk on eggshells around him. There was an unsettling tension whenever they were with Sylus
Whilst this atmosphere was great when making business deals in the N109 zone, it set them on edge.
When you were here, there were sides of the bossman that they had never seen. Ones, they realised, that only you were capable of bringing out.
Mephisto began acting differently too. He would be too quiet, not even a single caw. He would stay on his perch as if he was tied down and unable to fly.
It isnât long before Sylus tried to distract himself by trying to âfixâ Mephisto. He would give him upgrades or take out the ones that he had made specifically for you.
But recently, Mephisto is shut down, splayed out on the workstation with screws and bolts scattered around him
Sylus has lost the motivation to fix him. Always saying to himself that, maybe he will find the time to do it tomorrow.
OHHHH his sleep schedule would be so messed up⊠I mean, it already was since he was nocturnal, but now he wakes up at the most random times but more often than not, he finds himself sleeping as the moon took its place high in the sky
bro went back to default settings because of you
He would wake up in a cold sweat, or simply just cold.
His body was so used to your warmth, but now itâs gone⊠Youâre gone.
When he wakes, his hand subconsciously reaches out to the space beside him, but itâs empty
Your presence was sapped away from the base, save for a few little trinkets youâd left - A Pile It Up block here, or a kitty badge there, a few plushies that lined Sylusâ shelves
His eyes drift to his nightstand where the sketch from the vendor at the New Yearâs market was framed and regret spreads through him
he was always so hell bent on removing any trace from his bases, including yours, so now all thatâs left are memories of you stored in useless trinkets
Had he become too overconfident in your Evol linkage? Why didnât he think that it could be broken? Did your curse not apply in this lifetime?
Although, he had seen your death many times before, he had always been confident that fate would bring you together over and over again, but for once in his life he began to doubt that he would ever see you again
Zayne â· ââââââ · ·
Was at work when he found out.
It was late at night and he was the on-call surgeon for that day.
He was at the nurseâs station requesting an ECG to be done on one of his patients when a commotion happens at the front entrance
Thereâs a team of people pulling in a stretcher - He recognises their uniforms as the first responderâs team of the HA
Like clockwork, he gets ready to see what the situation is, asking the team what happened
âGunshot wound, Dr. Zayne, itâs lodged in hisââ
âDr. Zayne!â someone calls out to him and he sees a few more stretchers being pulled into the emergency unit.
He quickly turns back to the man before, âGet him to operating room 1.â He motions to his right where the operating theatres were, before heading to the nurse that called him
When he looks down at the next stretcher, he see you with gauze pressed to your neck and another at your chest
His heart turns to ice at the sight
ââKnife wound â like her heartâs been pulled â Dr. â Dr Zayne!â
He snaps out of his trance, âGet her to OR 2. Now!â
Heâs hurrying all available personnel into OR 2, He turns to one of the nurses, âCall the anaesthetist, Iâll operate on her first.â
The nurses stops him, âSir, you canât just play favouââ
Coldly, he turns to her, âIâm not. A wound to the neck and chest with this much bleeding could mean her artery has ruptured.â
Despite his steady words, the nurses can tell that heâs frantic. Truthfully, this is the most urgent that anyone has ever seen him.
In the operating room, the nurse is helping Zayne scrub in.
Moments later, another surgeon walks into the room with Yvonne.
âDr. Zayne, unscrub and get out.â The older man orders.
Zayne looks at him incredulously, âI beg your pardon.â
âIâll take over from here, son.â
Yvonne takes a few steps forward and tugs on his wrist, âDr. Zayne, youâre not thinking straight right now. Youâre not in any condition to operate on her.â Yvonne explains and begins nudging him out of the OR.
âNo, Iâm perfectly fine.â Zayne resists and Yvonne has to use all her weight to push him out.
Zayne moves back inch by inch, watching at the more senior surgeon begins donning his gown and gloves to operate on you.
âNo, let me assist in the surgery!â His tone has raised and he struggling against Yvonneâs efforts to push him out.
âI canât let you do that, doctor.â She and another doctor are blocking Zayneâs way, restraining his arms.
âAt least, let me sit in! I need to see her.â Zayne pleads to Yvonne, âPlease!â
Yvonneâs eyes melt with pity, but she shakes her head, âI canât.â She pushes more, âYou know itâs hospital policy not to operate on those you are close with. You could lose your license by going in there, Zayne!â She reasons with him.
It takes him a whole hour to settle down enough to not enter the OR. Nevertheless, he paces the hall, and when he sits he bounces his leg and bites his knuckles
âŠ
The next time Zayne wakes, the sun has risen. He blinks to adjust to the bright lights, âWhere is she?â He mumbles into the air.
âDr. Zayne!â Itâs Greyson this time.
âWhere is she?â Zayne repeats
Greyson averts his gaze and solemnly shakes his head, âShe⊠didnât make it.â
Zayne bolts upright, âWhat?!â For a moment anger flickers wildly in his mind, âThis is why I should have been the one to operââ
âDr. Zayne!â Greyson reprimands him, disregarding Zayneâs medical superiority over him.
âŠ
For the next few days, Zayne finishes his rostered week of work.
Although, he is generally seen as cool, calm and collected, now, itâs more of an indifference. Almost as if he was only there physically whilst his mind was somewhere far away.
He would be more distracted, lost in thought. Sometimes it would seem as if he was frozen in time.
When he snaps back to reality. Heâs in his offices and in his palm a jasmine made of ice.
He closes his fist and crushes the flower, a painful reminder of each of your deaths that he has experienced before.
Not long after, the usually hard-working Dr. Zayne uses up ALL of his annual leave to stay cooped up in his home.
When the staff hear of the news, they send a few gifts to him. Theyâve never seen him so withdrawn.
He probably starts eating so terribly, either skipping meals or binging on sweets, because youâre not there to keep him in check
He probably gets sick, both from not taking care of himself, but also as a manifestation of his grief
When he gets really bad, he loses control of his Evol and he thinks that maybe soon, if it takes over completely, he could see you again.
Grayson visits a few times and mentions how Zayneâs patients are doing well and theyâre thanking him for his good work
And as selfish as it sounds, all it does is make Zayne wonder, whatâs the point?
He became a cardiac surgeon in this lifetime with the hope that he could help you with the Aether core in your heart, but whatâs left if youâre no longer here?
Rafayel â· ââââââ · ·
We all know Rafayel hates waiting, and I imagine that you were meant to meet up with him after your mission
butâŠyou never came
He had heard the news about the new wanderer, but he hadnât stayed long enough to hear that you were one of the casualties. It never even crossed him mind.
so when the day comes for you to meet him, heâs at his studio waitingâŠwaitingâŠwaiting
at this point his phone is going off but he hasnât bothered checking the notifications. It was probably from Thomas anyways.
but then he begins to think
what if one of those messages were from you? saying that you were busy or something and couldnât meet with him
maybe she forgotâŠ
Iâll message her now >:( poor bbg
Just as he pulls out his phone, the doorbell rings
his face lights up at the thought of you. Heâll forgive you this time, he guesses
Swinging the door open, heâs not met with the sight of your smile or your sheepish apology for being late, but his manager, Thomas
What a let-down
He blows a raspberry and sighs, turning away from Thomas to walk into the studio
He scratches his head, ready to have his ears fall off from Thomasâ nagging, but thereâs only silence
And from the doorway, Thomas stands looking at the ground, mouth opening and closing
âWhatâs the problem? You look like a fish with your mouth like that.â Rafayel chuckles, but something at the back of his mind tells him something is wrong
Thomas doesnât know how to break the news to Rafayel, he knows doing so would absolutely break him (keep in mind Thomas doesnât know that MC reincarnated before)
âI⊠MCâŠâ Thomas canât seem to find the words to say, âRafayel, she passed away in the hospital late last night.â
âVery funny.â Rafayel brushes it off with a scoff. He walks to the door and Thomas moves out of his way.
âSheâs gotta be hiding here somewhere.â He looks to the left and right of the doorway, âYou guys are just playing a prank on me, right?â
He looks back at Thomas whose expression hasnât changed. He only shakes his head.
âYouâreâŠjoking, right?â He steps towards Thomas, âRight?!â
Thomas shakes his head once more and brings up the news repost on his phone
under the heading of casualties is your name.
the revelation knocks the air straight out of Rafayelâs lungs
âŠ
Weeks after your passing, Rafayel has been cooped up in his studio painting and painting.
All of them clearly capturing your essence.
All of his painting were of you. I mean, they already were, but the sense of hurt and longing within them has returned
With all of the emotion tied to each piece, his works quickly become hits amongst the citizens
and as easy as it makes Thomasâ job, he can tell how much Rafayel is hurting.
He never thought there would come a day where he would want Rafayel to stop and slow down, but he knows that doing so would make it harder for Rafayel to cope with the situation.
All Rafayel can do is paint every last memory of you. Immortalising you in each and every canvas.
With each stroke of the brush, he thinks how long would he have to wait to see you again?
Xavier â· ââââââ · ·
Xavier would dive head-first trying to hunt that wanderer down.
Against all of the HAâs warning and threats to revoke his license as a hunter, he pursues the wanderer day and night.
The reason he travelled back in time and became a hunter was to stop the future of Philos from repeating itself, to stop you from being sacrificed for the Aether core in your heart.
So, similar to Zayne, even if he was still a hunter, there was no point if you werenât here.
Nonetheless, he would spend days in his apartment tracking down every bit of information about the attack that night
He would pull some strings, asking Jeremiah for favours to fish for information amongst the higher ups
I feel that he would become so consumed by this that he would skip meals just to keep up-to-date with the whereabouts of that wanderer. This was unusual for someone who would often eat so heartily
When he passes out from exhaustion all that goes through his mind is resentment towards the HA for sending you out on that mission.
But he knows deep down that they couldnât have anticipated a new and intelligent wanderer
That stupid paper work for that stupid hunterâs license! The stupid association!
You reminded him multiple times to get it done - âYou know Jennaâs going to hunt you down, right?â
If he had listened to you earlier, he would at least have been able to go on that mission with you.
Maybe he should have just ignored the association and gone on that mission with you.
Why didnât he? He could have protected you - would have traded his life to do so.
Iâm willing to bet that Xavier would visit the N109 zone to get whatever information they had
He knows that Sylus wouldnât just let this go
If he has to work with his ârivalâ to bring you justice, then he wonât hesitate.
Caleb!!! â· ââââââ · ·
Was contacted by Linkon City Hall with the notification of your death since you had him as one of your emergency contacts
At first he thought it was a joke
That they got the wrong hunter
Because you were skilled, your Evol was powerful
It couldnât have been you
Sure, he had always worried since your job as a hunter wasnât exactly the safest, but he never doubted your skill, and he had never doubted himself to be there for you as he promised
Being in Skyhaven, the news about the new wanderer came later than if he had been in Linkon like the others.
His position as Colonel forces him to put up a façade to lead his fleet
Caleb has been so accustomed to holding back his feelings, so he did the same with his grief
But when he goes to the city hall and then hand over your death certificate, it breaks him
I read a post recently that unlike the other boys, Caleb sees MC is the one, not a version of the one - so your death was something that he had never even fathomed
With the spare key that you had given him, he goes to your apartment in Linkon
Your scent hits him so heavily
He makes his way to the living room and just collapses onto the couch, tears falling uncontrollably
After a while he would compose himself - a small part of him thinking how much of a weakness this is and how ashamed he would be if you had seen him like this
BROOOO he probably took one of your blankets back to Skyhaven and just lays there with it in his room, uggghh iâm dead.
He tosses up the idea of using his status as Fleet Colonel to dig up some information on what happened and if this was connected to Ever or even the Fleet
⊠I imagine that he prematurely returned to the Fleet - convincing himself that he was strong enough
but in moments when heâs alone, all those emotions spill out and he has to quickly compose himself, discretely wiping the tears away.
His vulnerability is instantly sealed behind the iron wall that is the Farspace Fleet Colonel
He always ends up pinching his arm or palm whenever he thinks of you - it becomes a way to comfort himself
âŠ
On his day off, he returns to Linkon
Clenching his teeth he walks through the gravestones, the bouquet of flowers almost crushed with the strength of his grip
Right next to Gran was your grave.
He quickly swipes the stray petals from previous bouquets away from your graves and sits between the two of you
For a moment heâs silent, unsure of what to say
Then he places a hand at your gravestone and greets you with a meek, âHey, pip-squeak.â
That alone has the tears rushing down his cheeks, so he greets Gran as a way to turn away from you
Honestly, he doesnât know what to do with himself anymore
He probably goes back and listens to your voice messages or rereads your texts
He remembers you when he dries his hair, when he cooks he subconsciously makes portions for two. Nowadays, he canât bring himself to go back to Linkon because he sees you everywhere.
He has that photo of the two of you from his graduation and he stares at it for a while, reminiscing all the memories you had together, gently tracing your smiling face through the frame
Spending time away from you after that explosion at Bloomshore was torturous enough, but now, he has to do it for the rest of his life⊠and he doesnât know how.
Girls, if it weren't for those meddling kids Sylus, I WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CALEB GIRLIE!!!
Let me tell you, I used to reread Caleb's chapters and the messages, etc. etc. especially when i read those chapters for the first time.
And then Sylus came, and boom... too little too late, Caleb (._.)
...
Caleb coming back from the dead: àŽŠà”àŽŠàŽż(Ë” âąÌ Ꭰ- Ë” )
Me having convinced myself that surely Infold wouldn't make him an LI: (ïŸàČ„çàČ„ïŒïŸ â»ââ»
|| Masterlist ||
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!
Edit: bros i just read some of the chapters in part 2 and like damn, caleb's so obsessive, like massive red flags??? Damn
I can't stop imagining the LADS boys with kids. Mainly because of the "Plushies I gave her; plushies she gave me" trend. I CAN'T, I CANNOT, I DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO CAN XD
Enjoy!
-Seven
|| Masterlist ||
Rafayel â· ââââââ · ·
Rafayel is as much of a child as he is a man
I think that Rafayel would have a son.
Right now, the two of you arenât planning for another child, but Rafayel wouldnât say no XD
Rafayel would be super fun and silly with your son
He would be overly dramatic when your son presents a new drawing of craft to him
âHere, papa,â Your son presents a painting of the ocean to Rafayel, âI tried the oil paints this time.â
With a hand at his chest, Rafayel does a big gasp, âWhat a masterpiece!â
Your son giggles
âI should present this at my next art exhibit!â
Please, as much as he exaggerates his reactions, he would have those painting and trinkets buried with him - thatâs how much he loves your son
I imagine that one day as youâre cooking, theyâre in the living room and Rafayel has your sonâs hand enveloped in his own, guiding him as he paints.
It reminds you of that time in his studio in Greensprings after you promised to see the lanterns together
âWhat should we add next, kiddo?â
âHmmm.â Your son taps the paintbrush on his chin, âWhat about some birds?â
âHeh, like the ones that stole your chips the other day?â
âIt wasnât the birds! It was you, papa!â he jabs the paintbrush at Rafayelâs chest
Rafayel lifts his hands up in surrender, âWhat do you mean? Iâm innocent.â He chuckles as your son pouts at him
More often than not, the two of them are covered in paint, or whatever art supply they used. It ends up to be a whole load of washing for you >:(
Your son definitely loves the ocean just as much as his father.
When you were pregnant with him, he would kick in your belly whenever you were swimming or submerged in water.
As a toddler, he would kick his legs and squeal every time the waves washed over him
Rafayel would have his hands under your sonâs arms, stabilising him so that the waves wouldnât push him over
Now at six years old, heâs diving under, collecting shells and chasing fish,âMomma, look at this shell.â He lifts his small palm carrying a pink shell, his pearly whites beaming up at you as he smiled, âYou can have it, momma, orrrrr, maybe I can make it into a paint with papa later.â
Itâs late afternoon and your son is knocked out on the couch from spending the entire morning at the beach.
You and Rafayel get started on dinner
Rafayel comes up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. âThank you.â He presses a kiss to your shoulder.
âHuh?â You pinch your brows and chuckle a little as he nuzzles your neck, âWhat for?â
He takes a deep breath, âI donât know, just⊠For our son, for being my wife, Iâm just happy, I guess.â
You chuckle lightly, âIâm happy too.â You turn around and pinch his cheek, âA little jealous that he takes after you so much, but happy.â you offer a bright smile.
Before Rafayel can lean in, his arms are jerked away from your waist
Your son is pulling at Rafayelâs arms, âNo, papa! Momma is mine!â Heâs leaning all the way back, using his entire weight as leverage to pry Rafayelâs body from yours, âGo away, papa!â
Rafayel scoffs, âYours?â He raises an eyebrow, âTsk.â He clicks his tongue and hauls your son over his shoulder, Your momma was mine first, you jellyfish!â
Rafayel's fingers jab at your son's sides, and the sound of your sonâs laughter fills the kitchen âHahaha, paâhaha-papa! Stop!â Heâs got tears in his eyes but the biggest smile on his face.
âNope!â Rafayel pops the âpâ and continues to tickle him, âI gotta show you whoâs the big fish in this tank, pipsqueak.â
You shake your head and put an hand at your hip, the other one pointing the spatula at them, âAlright, enough, or both of you arenât getting dinner.â
Sylus â· ââââââ · ·
Sylus has a daughter, a son, and another on the way!
Heâd spoil them ROTTENNNNNN. I mean, he buys you dresses, gives you his black card to spend as much as you want, what more would he do for your children? Or rather, what wouldnât he do for them?
He would definitely be the type to let your children learn how to do things on their own, even if they are clearly struggling. He lives by the âtheyâll never learn if they donât do it themselves.â idea - he literally says "I prefer the cold and things that make me strong."
Although, he would yield after a little while when theyâre clearly upset and wailing, but more often than not, with some gentle encouragement, heâd get them to figure out how to do it themselves - climbing thing, opening boxed, pulling out chairs, etc.
It gets a little troublesome since they become explorative - he often has to use his Evol to reign them back in. Although, the children squeal in delight when theyâre lifted into the air and land in their fatherâs arms.
Mephisto is surprisingly gentle with your little ones, keeping his claws and beak out of range because it could hurt them, but also because they wouldnât hesitate to grab it XD
Luke and Kieran are often on babysitting duty so that you and Sylus can go out - Honestly, this is why you have another baby on the way. ( ͥ° ÍÊ ÍĄÂ°)
Sylus would totally hum to your belly, always off-tune, but he definitely would.
ANYWAY
Today, youâre out on an errand and your baby boy is absolutely crying to bits so Sylus and your daughter are trying their best to calm him down
Sylus has your daughter on his shoulders as he changes your sonâs diaper. Your daughter has her hands in his hair as she makes silly faces down at her brother to try and distract him from crying.
By the time you come home, itâs quite late and you find that they are all sprawled out in the middle of the living room floor, toys scattered about and a kids show playing in the background.
Your son is splayed out on Sylus chest while your daughter is on her stomach, across Sylusâ stomach XD
You chuckle a lightly at their positioning
The lack of sleep must have finally caught up to Sylus, huh? You think
As you come closer you realise that your son is awake - heâs cooing with a fist in his mouth, drooling all over Sylusâ shoulder.
With a little difficulty, you kneel down onto the floor to slip your son out from Sylusâ arms. Slow and steady⊠The last few times youâve tried, Sylusâ eyes would snap open, on high alert -because who would dare try to take his precious angels.
Anyways, you decided that Sylus probably needs the sleep, especially since youâre pregnant again, heâs been so on edge
You cradle your son in one arm, and with the other, you run your hand through Sylusâ hair - which he subconsciously leans into.
Then, you lean down to place a light kiss on your daughterâs cheek, although leaning down has become a challenge in itself with your growing belly.
With the support of a nearby armchair, you stand yourself up.
You make your way over to the cushioned rocking chair in the corner of the room, cradling your son to your chest to feed him.
Just as he finishes, your daughterâs slowly sits up from where she was laying. She rubs at her eyes and blinks sleepily - a vibrant red, like her fatherâs, peeking through.
She looks around the room and gasps in delight when her eyes land on you, âMama!â
She takes a few steps to you and then stops midway to look back at her father. She hurriedly grabs the throw blanket from the armchair and throws it across her father, uncaring of whether it covered him properly or not.
âHi, mama.â She greets you as she climbs to sit in your lap
âHi, sweetie.â You gently caress her face, âHow was your day?â
âMmmâŠâ She quirks her lips, âWell, little bubba was crying a lot, like, a lot, a lot.â
You chuckle as she spreads her arms all the way apart.
âBut I missed you." She nuzzles into your shoulder, "Daddy did too, he kept looking at the clock.â
Hehe, ever the observant girl your daughter was.
âAww, I missed you, and daddy, and bubba as well.â You press little pecks to her face and nuzzle your nose with hers to which she giggles. Like tinkling bells in the wind.
Zayne â· ââââââ · ·
I feel like Zayne would have a son and a daughter. Your son would be quite a few years older than her though
Some days, Zayne would take them to work, subtly showing them off to his colleagues
Greyson never misses the opportunity to pinch their cheeks and ruffle their hair, âThey both look like a mini Dr. Zayne."
Zayne may have all those awards and trophies lining his office walls, but his pride and joy will always be his children
He may not outwardly express it, but he absolutely cherishes them - reading them bedtime stories, tucking them in with the lightest kiss upon their foreheads
I imagine your son would be very studious, having read most of the books occupying the shelves of Zayneâs office. He would be quite curious, exploring the hospital and asking the doctors all sorts of questions that they themselves do not even have the answers to.
He would be your little gentleman, learning from his father, pulling out chairs and opening doors.
Your daughter would probably be a little shy, always having a fist clenched on her daddyâs clothes or holding onto his hands, or rather his fingers.
Her big brother wouldnât hesitate to get her whatever she wanted or take her wherever she wishes - your familyâs little princess
As much of a workaholic Zayne is, and as much as he wants to provide for you and your little family, he would have no problems lessening his hours to spend time with you and the children
It doesnât matter how tired he is from a long day of endless surgeries, he would just as eagerly play with them in the living room
âHere, Dad, have a turn.â
âWhat is it?â Zayne removes his coat and drapes it over the couchâs armrest.
âUncle Greyson bought it for us.â Your son leads Zayne over to the living room table.
âUncle Greyson, huh?â
Your son brushes over the comment and continues to explain the little toy, âYou have to take these plastic organs and bacteria out without touching the edges or else it beeps and his nose flashes a red light.â
Ever the steady-handed surgeon, Zayne takes them all out without a problem.
âDaddy,â your daughter clutches at the fabric of Zayneâs dress shirt. âI want to try.â
Zayne beckons her over to stand in front of him where he can support her little hands holding the plastic forceps
On the off chance that you are not with them, Zayne would get them sweet treats on the way home
âItâll be our little secret.â Zayne whispers, with a finger pressed to his lips
your son and daughter giggle in their seats and happily gobble up spoonfuls of the dessert
It isnât long before they all start having toothaches and receive a scolding from you
On family vacations, you all end up in a cabin up in the mountains of Snowcrest (at the request of your sweet little angels)
Zayne is more than happy to teach them how to snowboard,
Much to your surprise, as your daughter grew older, you found that she was quite proficient in snowboarding
But there used to be times where Zayne made them little tiaras and crowns of ice and built little ice castle with them using his Evol
Xavier â· ââââââ · ·
Sleeps as much as your newborn son, if not more, and your eldest son has inherited his fatherâs incredible appetite.
When youâre not at home, Xavier nearly burns the house down trying to make food for them, so once your son was old enough, he opted to learn how to cook - having his father as an assistant because, you know⊠they need supervision or something XD
Xavier would definitely read them bed time stories
His voice is so soft and mellow, they would fall asleep so quickly
Not much of a surprise considering that Xavier falls asleep at the drop of a hat
But on days when they have nightmares, Xavier would use his Evol to create little bunnies and flowers that float around in their bedroom
and when sleep finally overtook them, he would tuck their blankets around them and whisper,
âSweet dreams, my little starlight.â
Most days, in your lounge, your younger son would be crawling all over Xavier as he laid on the floor.
âArghh, the monsterâs got me.â he would jokingly say.
Your older son would then come in with a cardboard sword, gently tapping his little brother on the back to slay the monster
Xavier cradles the young one in his arms, âAnd the hero has saved the day once again!â He lifts the infant up into the air and receives a toothless smile.
âJust like you and mommy!â Your son beams down at Xavier, sword and shield still poised, âYou keep us safe from all the wanderers, right? I wanna be just like you and mommy.â
Xavier just smiles - the kind that crinkles the corners of his eyes, âWell, we better start training, huh?â Xavier ruffles your sonâs hair.
Although he may not be as well-off as Sylus, he definitely would do his best to spoil them, bringing them to amusement parks, buying them little star lamps for their bedrooms, taking them to the arcade and playing kitty cards with them.
One time, you all went on a holiday to this guest house in the forest. When you asked him how he knew about this place he replied with:
âI befriended the uncle that runs this guesthouse while I went fishing that one time.â
Xavier would take them hiking, showing your sons the most scenic views in the forest
when night time came, all four of you were laying down on a blanket, gazing at the stars
Today, heâs taken you to a cherry blossom park. Heâs got your eldest son on his shoulders, and your little one in a baby carrier at his front.
Your eldest son is reaching up trying to grasp at the pink petals some of which fall onto your youngestâs head.
Xavier quickly lets go of your hand, which he was holding, to brush them out of your babyâs face. (heâs using the other one to stabilise your sonâs leg over his shoulder)
Just as quickly, he grasps your hand once more.
You squeeze his hand lightly, âLet me take the carrier from you, Xavier.â
âNo, itâs okay.â He quickly refuses, âI want to carry them both. It wonât be long before theyâll be too big to do so.â
AHHHHAAA, I'm finally finished with exams, so I'll be able to write more often. Yahooooo ~(ËâŸË~)
But brooooo, the Lads with KIDSSSSS I CAN DIE HAPPY
I logged in to take a break from studying, and i see Sylus dressed like this đ, but not only that, he says, "I like having shiny accessories front and centre."
SYLUS, WHAT KIND OF SHINY ACCESSORIES ARE THOOOOOOSEEE??! HAHAHAHAHA
You guys loved A Moment of Rest so much more than I could ever have thought >///< Thank you so much â„ â„ â„
Hopefully, you enjoy this one as much as I did hahaha.
I accidentally spun Sylus around on the home screen and saw the stars through the window in the background XD. I immediately thought of stargazing.
-Seven
|| Masterlist ||
It all started with a meteor shower
âSylus~â You sing and loop your arm around his, âI heard thereâs going to be a meteor shower tonight!â You look up at him with expectant eyes
but he merely raises a brow and says, âOh?â
You deflate a little at his unenthusiastic response, âWill youâŠâ watch it with me?
You quirk your lips, would he do something as mundane as stargazing?
You clear your throat and even your tone, âWill you be watching it tonight?â
Seeing your internal dilemma, Sylus canât help but smile a little, âI suppose donât have any pressing matters to attend to, soâŠâ
Your eyes twinkle at his revelation, âSo, youâll watch it?â
He chuckles a little, âWell,â he pets your head, âthis excited kitten clearly wants to watch it, so how could I refuse?â
That night, the two of you laid upon a blanket and watched as the meteors painted streaks across the night sky
âLook!â You turn to Sylus with a bright smile
But the words die in your throat when you find that his gaze is already fixed on you.
The world stills for a moment.
From how close you are, you can see the stars reflected in his eyes.
You gravitate towards him, leaning ever so slightly closer.
Closer.
But stop yourself short.
The pinch of your clenched hands quickly grounds you to reality.
You clear your throat and shy away from his gaze âThe stars are so bright from here.â You say as you look up at the sky once more
He hums in response , âI told you I knew the perfect spot to enjoy the scenery.â He lays back with a sigh.
âIt actually reminds me of the city lights in Linkon.â This time you face him, and with a longing voice, you say, âI wish you could see it with me.â
From that night onwards, it became a common occurrence to watch the stars together.
Most nights, you would talk about your day or the missions you went on.
You would tell him everything, whether good or bad.
He listened to you as if he, himself, was there in those moments.
He listened and imagined a life where he could do all those things by your side. Without hiding.
Some days, you would stay awake long enough to watch the night sky fade into sunrise. A sign of a bittersweet goodbye.
But oftentimes, the light breeze against your face as you snuggled up against his side was more than enough to lull you to sleep.
Sylus would always let you fall asleep first. Waiting until your breaths evened out and your weight was completely rested against him.
Only when he felt the coldness of your cheeks would he carry you back inside.
He hadnât outwardly admitted it, but being with you like this was the best start to his day.
One particular night, he had the blanket tucked around you, almost swaddling you to his side.
You wriggle one of your arms free from the blanket and reach up to the stars, âDo you think thereâs another world out there?â You ask
âEven if there was,â He reaches up to your outstretched hand, intertwining them, âDonât leave me here.â He draws your hands to his lips where he leaves a little bite against the back of your hand.
He quickly presses a kiss to the same spot, then guides your hand to lay flat on his chest, where he covers it with his own.
In this position, you can faintly feel the thrum of his heartbeat against your palm, âDo youâŠâ You untangle your hand from his to lightly trace the length of his fingers, âDo you think in another life weâd still be stargazing together like this?â
He sits up slightly to look at you, using his forearm to hold his weight.
After a few beats of silence, he replies, âEven if our lives are as numerous as the stars,â he leans down to press his forehead against yours, âin every life,â the warmth of his breath fans against your cheeks, and your eyes flutter shut at his proximity.
âI will always stay beside you.â
His hand finds yours to give a gentle squeeze. Almost sealing those words against your palm.
It causes an unfamiliar ache in your heart. As if it was a whisper of a promise heâs made many times before.
He cups your face, coaxing your eyes open as he runs his thumb back and forth across your cheek, âNo distance is too far so long as I decide it isnât.â
As you hold his gaze, youâre met with such conviction in his eyes. It makes you want to believe heâll cross leaps and bounds, galaxies even, to find you.
What could you possibly reply to such a profound yet sombre declaration?
At your silence, he leans away, letting out a slow sigh as he tucks an arm behind his head.
You unwittingly follow his movements and sit up to hover over him. Not wanting to break the distance between you.
The movement causes your hair to trickle down over your shoulder, casting a shadow across his face.
âSylus, I ââ Your words fall short on your lips.
With a tender gaze, he brushes the curtain of your hair behind your ear with a soft smile, âYouâre so beautiful.â He says.
Ever so slowly, he inches closer. Leaning upwards to meet your lips in a sweet kiss.
Unaccustomed to the feeling, you break the kiss with a gasp, âAh,â
But heâs quick to close the distance, and yet is still so gentle to press his lips against yours.
With your eyes closed, all you can focus on it the warmth of his lips against your own.
It makes your head swirl and you melt into him, âMmf.â
With a firm hand to the small of your back, he steadies you, and without breaking the kiss, he leads you to lay down on the blanket.
In a daze, you lift your hand to grasp at the back of his shirt.
He cradles your head against his other arm, and languidly pulls away from your lips.
He lingers there for a moment before coming up to rest his cheek against your temple.
Your blood is thumping in your ears, but is silenced even as Sylus speaks barely above a whisper,
âThereâs not a star in the sky I wouldnât bring down for you. No world where I wouldnât return to your side.â
Which one should I write first?
'Grassland Romance'-based story involving all the LaDS boys (will take much longer, probably a series? idk)
OR
2. Bandaging Sylus' wounds? (one-shot)
ALSO! I sent the Artsy bird emoji titled "Love Ya" to Sylus and LOOK AT HIS RESPONSEEEEEE!!!
As much as I love the thirsty Sylus posts, itâs the little moments of domesticity that take the cake for me.
This one is quite short - this is actually where the Fox's Den post stemmed from hahaha. I intended to post this one first but then accidentally posted Fox's Den instead XD.
|| Masterlist ||
So I imagine that youâve just come back from a mission that was on the outskirts of Linkon
You decided, hey, why not visit Sylus and the twins while Iâm nearby?
As you get to the base, you remember Sylus saying that your fingerprints were registered in the system.
So⊠You should be able to open the door right?
As it does, an odd wave of satisfaction washes over you
Should I really be happy about this, a rookie hunter having access to a safe house belonging to the leader of Onychinus
You dismiss the thought and enter
âSylus?â you ask into the air
âLuke? Kieran?â
âHello?â You say in a sing-song voice, âAnyone home?â You ask as you walk into the living room
There, you see Sylus resting his head on the back of the chair with his eyes closed.
Heâs seated so close to the edge of the seat, you think he might just slip off. His legs are outstretched in front of him, and you think, âThat must be wildly uncomfortable.â
You chuckle a little, and walk over to nudge at his shoulder. âSylus.â
You nudge him a little harder, âDonât sleep here. Youâll get a stiff neck.â
He crosses his arms across his chest and turns his head away from you.
âSyyyyyluuuus.â You draw his name out.
When he doesnât respond you shake your head with a soft chuckle.
As you move away, you spot a throw blanket atop the arm of the couch.
You pull the blanket and drape it over him, tucking the sides under his upper arms so it doesnât fall off with how often he shifts.
âSleep well, Sylus.â
A gust of wind wafts through the living room causing the curtains to flutter.
The open window allows the wind to carry the scent of wildflowers into the room.
You walk over to the window and catch a glimpse of black and silver amongst the trees outside, âMephisto!â You call to which he caws in response, âCome back inside. Iâm going to close this window.â You motion him over with a hand gesture
Much to your surprise, Mephisto flies to the window and lands on your shoulder, as he would with Sylus.
As you close the window with one hand, you pet Mephistoâs head with the other, âHmm, whatâs this? Are you becoming fond of me, Mephisto?â
You swear you saw him give you a side eye before he flew over to rest at his perch.
You take a glance back to Sylus and see that the blanket has fallen off again somehow.
Despite his disdain for sunlight, it looks quite good on him, you think
With a small sigh, you draw the curtains closed so as not to disrupt his sleep.
âNow, for that blanket.â
You knew Sylus moved a lot in his sleep.
One night, the Evol linkage forced the two of you to share a bed; combined with his restlessness, you didnât sleep a wink that night.
Tara pointed out the dark circles under your eyes the next morning. You didnât know what to say. I slept in the same bed as the Onychinusâ leader?
Anyway, you go over to fix the blanket once more. As youâre hovering over him to do so, he shifts once more and you freeze.
He groans and crosses his arms over his chest.
âSorryâ You whisper and pat his shoulder in apology
Before you could straighten your posture, Sylus wrapped his arms around your waist and tugged you towards him.
Your arms automatically brace themselves against the back of the couch to stop you from pressing your entire weight against him.
âSylus!â you exclaim.
Trying to wiggle free was in vain because he only tightens his arms around your waist.
âWait!â you scold as he ends up pulling you onto his lap
âUrgghh!â You grunt.
For someone half asleep, his grip was incredibly strong.
After a few seconds of struggling, you admit defeat and change plans.
You may as well get comfortable if he wonât let you go.
You reposition yourself so that you were seated across his thighs with your feet dangling off of the armrest
Your arm comes around his neck to anchor your upper body to his.
With your head rested on his chest, you sigh.
âCaw! Ca-caw!â
âWhat?â You narrow your eyes. âIt wasnât my fault!â
âCaw! Caw!â
âHe pulled me in!â You say, motioning to Sylus.
You click your tongue and close your eyes, âWhy am I even trying?â
You look up to Sylus, whoâs still fast asleep despite the commotion, âSylus, tell me where Mephistoâs off button is.â
A few hours later, Luke and Kieran walk into the base
âBoss! We got what you -â
âShh.â Sylus hushes them with a finger across his lips, then covers your ear with the same had that was cradling your head.
âOh?â Kieranâs head pops up from over his brotherâs shoulder, âThe little miss is here, too.â
You were still in his lap softly snoring against his chest.
Luke drops the bag he was holding onto the kitchen counter top, âDid something happen to miss hunter?â
âI closed my eyes to rest for a while. â He says, brushing a few strands of hair from your face, âAnd when I woke, she was in my arms.â
The twins grin at one another
Sylus continues, âFrom what Mephisto tells me, she came from a mission not long after the two of you left.â
âYou know, Luke,â Kieran starts, âI think we forgot to fetch something.â He says as he animatedly rummages through the bag.
âWhat?â Luke peers into the bag as well, âI swear I-â
Kieran nudges him with an elbow to his stomach.
âOomph!â He grunts, âHey! What was that- OH! Oh, yeah.â Luke agrees, eagerly nodding his head,
Luke turns to Sylus âSorry, Boss!â He cheekily salutes
Sylus spares them a glance, but turns to you once more.
âWeâll go back and get it!â The two leave with a click of the door locking.
A few minutes later, your movement in his lap catches Sylusâ attention.
You stretch with a deep inhale that transforms into a yawn.
âSylus?â You blink up at him with half-lidded eyes.
âYouâre quite bold, kitten.â He teases.
âSylus!â You say louder this time, your posture shooting straight up. âI didnât mean to-â
â- attack me while I was sleeping?â He looks at you with a smug grin, âSeems quite unfair to me, sweetie.â
âNo, I-â
âWhat?â He turns to you with a smug smile, âYou slept on my shoulder the entire time. Itâs all sore now.â
You open your mouth to retort, but nothing comes up.
His serious expression is broken with a soft chuckle, "You're too fun to tease." He whispers the words against your temple, "Just go back to sleep, sweetie. You can lean on me whenever you want. Don't hesitate."
Haaaaahhh... Back to a Sylus-less reality, I suppose T^T
I won't be able to post for a little while đ, but here's my rendition of the Nightplumes BGM. IDK the actual name of it XD.
Also, this is the first time I'm posting myself playing piano so i'm a little shyyyyy đ„șđđ but that's just how much I absolutely love the Nightplumes BGM.
I'm so weak for soft Sylus...
Sorry for the crappy piano audio, though T^T. My phone sucks đ
You know... All this brain juice should really be going into writing my assignments, but itâs whatever :D
Anyway, I'm thinking of posting a masterlist soon, there's not a whole lot, but please look forward for that! :D
|| Masterlist ||
-Seven
You and Atsumu have been friends for as long as you can remember.
Not too long ago, after he had won a championship game, you confessed your feeling to him.
âIâm sorry, YN, I just⊠I just asked another girl to a date a few days ago.â
A thousand needles. All over your body.
âOh.â
Tears prick at your eyes and you clench your hands to will yourself from letting them drop.
âThatâs,â You give him your best smile, âThatâs great!â You chuckle a little.
You both know itâs the kind of smile that doesnât reach your eyes.
Who were you trying to fool?
You laugh a little - as a coping mechanism or from embarrassment, you donât know.
âHah, forget I ever said anything then.â You shy away from his gaze.
âYN.â He says as he reaches his hand out, âLook-â
âNo,â Youâre quick to cut him off. You tuck your hands around your waist and lean back ever so slightly, âI, uhâŠâ You clear your throat to stop your voice from shaking, âI should get going.â
You turn to leave.
âYN, wait I-â
Act normal.
Youâre fine.
Haha.
You lift a hand to wave at him, âIâll see you around, Tsu-â Your hand drops slowly. Tsumu? Could you even call him that anymore? You bet his new girlfriend would.
With these thoughts in mind you quickly correct yourself, âAtsumu.â
You donât think youâve ever gone this long without talking to Atsumu. WellâŠAside from greeting him like you normally would. Or at least as best as you can without breaking down.
In between classes, you take the most convoluted route possible. At break times, you hide yourself amongst your girl friends; forgoing the rooftop to eat in the crowded cafeteria.
In some classes itâs quite hard to avoid him when he literally sits next to you.
âPssst. YN.â He leans towards you.
You spare him a glance, âShh.â You give him your best glare, âIâm trying to write notes.â You speak while scribbling in your notebook, âYou know this topic is hard for me.â
Not true... But it was your best excuse.
From the corner of your vision, you see him narrow his eyes.
With your eyes trained on your notes, all you can hear is a huff and tearing of paper.
Moments later said piece of paper lands on your desk.
I need to talk to you after class.
You turn to him, who already has his eyes trained on you.
You answer with a subtle shake of your head.
To which he replies with a frown before turning to write another note.
Youâve been avoiding me
You hold the note in your hands and stare at it for a few seconds.
You look up at the ceiling and blow out a breath before writing down a reply.
Fine. After class. 2 minutes.
Short and sharp.
You pass the note back to him and he looks to you with a smug smile.
But pins prick at your heart once again.
You once thought of confessing by passing a note to him like this...
After all, it was something you two did almost every day.
Just how long had you been harbouring these feelings?
It doesn't matter, it's too late now.
âŠ
You donât think youâve ever dreaded the end of class as much as you have right now.
Everyone is speeding away, having thrown all their belonging into their bags to head to lunch.
But your hands are shaking as you pick up your notebooks.
What am I supposed to say to him?
Lost in thought, you donât realise that Atsumu is holding your pencil case for you to pack away into your bag.
Heâs standing in front of your desk with his bag slung over his shoulder, âYN?â He asks.
Snapped out of your trance, you look up from where your seated but donât answer him.
âLetâs go,â He laughs lightly, âYa only gave me two minutes, I gotta hurry.â
You take your pencil case, âRightâŠâ You whisper, âThank you.â
âCâmon.â He motions to the door with a nod of his head.
Languidly, you follow after him. Every step pinches at your heart.
âLook Astumu,â You try to beat him to the chase, âI-â
But he cuts you off, âYouâve been avoiding me.â
You bite your lips. Of course I have. You think.
He places a hand on your forearm, âI told you, you donât have to be awkward with me.â
You almost scoff at him, âIt doesnâtâ I canât justââ erase my feelings for you.
With a deep breath, you gather your thoughts, âIââ You look up at him, âI just need some time to get used to it.â
You gently cover his hand with your own, âIâm embarrassed enough as it is.â You admit and dip your head as you feel the tears rising, âIâllââ You pull his hand away, âIâll come to you when Iâm ready, Atsumu.â
âAnd when will that be?â He whispers.
You can only shrug.
He sighs, âYouâre my best friend, YN.â
Thatâs what makes it hurt more. You grit your teeth. Why canât he understand that?
âI donât want to lose my best friend.â
Again... A thousand needles. All over your body.
You close your eyes for a moment as the tears threaten to spill over.
âNeither do I.â You hate the way your voice shakes.
âAtsuuuu~â Itâs his girlfriendâs sickly sweet voice.
You quickly wipe your tears and turn to leave, âI have to go.â You point behind you with your thumb, âI have to borrow PE clothes from a friend.â
One thing that is both a blessing and a curse about being friends with Atsumu is that you inevitably become friends with his twin, Osamu.
âYou know you canât avoid him forever.â Osamu says, leisurely leaning back in his seat in front of you.
You scowl, âWatch me.â
You know this is misplaced anger, but this heavyhearted feeling is becoming too much to bear.
âWill you at least come for our birthday later this week?â
Your body goes slack.
You've never missed their birthday, and they've never missed yours.
It was an unspoken promise at this point, one that you, unfortunately, think you can no longer keep.
âŠ
When the morning of their birthday arrives, youâre curled up in bed.
Youâve been vomiting all morning; feeling lightheaded with a fever but feeling so cold all the same.
Osamu came by a while ago. He was meant to pick you up and head back to their place to celebrate their birthday.
âJust take the presents.â You groan as you prop yourself up, âThe blue one is for Atsumu. This black one is yours.â
You began preparing their presents months before today - collecting little volleyball trinkets that you think they would have liked.
You gather the blankets around your body and take small steps to the presents you prepared.
With all the strength you can muster, you give him a smile and say, âHappy birthday, Osamu.â
... and Atsumu
âŠ
When Osamu arrives home, he delivers the present on your behalf, âHere, Tsumu. This is YNâs gift for you.â
He smiles when he takes the box, âOh, nice. Thank youââ He looks around... Behind Osamu... To the door, âYN?â He says slowly as he tilts his head.
âSheâs sick.â Osamu explains, âShe was vomiting all of last night and this morning when I came to pick her up.â
Atsumu frowns at that, âWhat?â
Why didnât she call me?
When your eyes blink open, you see Atsumu sitting on your bed.
He lifts his hand to your forehead and greets you with concerned eyes.
I must be seeing things.
âIâm going crazy.â You mumble and turn your back to the figure. I guess Iâm more ill than I thought.
âWhy didnât you tell me you were sick?â The voice is crystal clear in your ears.
âNope.â You push your fingers into your ears, âGo away. I just need more sleep." You nod your head, "Thatâs probably it.â
Atsumu pulls one of your arms away, âWhy didnât you call me?â He asks, barely above a whisper.
You freeze at the realisation. Itâs not a dream⊠Heâs actually here.
âYou always call me.â He mumbles and turns to tuck the blankets under your feet, âYou hate being sick.â He states.
You watch him fix the blankets some more before asking, âWhat do you mean?â You croak out, âItâs your birthdayâŠâ
He turns to look at you, âSo?â
You blink at him confused, âSooooâŠâ You drag out, âIâm not gonna call you to take care of me.â
He doesnât speak, but his gaze is too tender to simply be concern for someone who is sick.
It makes you feel uneasy and you fidget under the blankets, âIâll be fine. Whereâs Osamu? You should head back.â You ramble.
You grunt as you sit up, âGo.â You urge him by pushing his shoulders with whatever strength you have left, âYouâre missing out on your own birthday party. Iâll be fine.â
âYNâŠâ It almost sounds like a plead.
âJust go.â
But, you can be just as headstrong as he is, âJust go, Atsumu.â
A few beats of silence passes and he stands up on his own accord.
You r gaze drops to your hands in your lap, but you can hear his footsteps fade followed by the click of the door.
You didnât actually think he would leave.
But he was right, you hated being sick and he would always be the one to take care of you.
But things have changed between the two of you. He has someone else he has to take care of now.
Your body falls back onto the bed at the thought.
You pull the blankets closer to your body to muffle the cries that fall from your lips.
Crying when you were sick was always the worst. The tears feel so much hotter on your cheeks. Like little pinpricks to your eyes.
Atsumu used to be the one to wipe them away.
For now, theyâll just have to soak into your pillowcase.
The first thing you feel when you wake up again is the cold towel on your forehead.
When you look around, you notice that thereâs a humidifier on your nightstand and another blanket draped across your body.
âWhat?â
As you try to make sense of the situation, a loud bang comes from behind the door followed by a string of curse words.
Huh?
You groan as you sit up and your vision sways from having laid down all day.
As you stand, you have to brace yourself against the bed momentarily as your body aches in complaint.
When you exit your room, youâre greeted with the sight of Atsumu crouched down on the kitchen floor, rubbing the top of his head.
âYouâre awake.â He says, âUgghh,â He presses against the sore spot, âI was tryna cook, but damn, your rangehood is so low.â
Youâre speechless for a moment, âWhy⊠Why are you still here?â
He places a pot onto the stove as he answers, âWell, yer super sick, why wouldnât I be here?â
You would be lying if you said you werenât even the least bit happy to see him here, but of course youâve got a traitorous mouth, âAtsumu, I told you that Iâd be fine.â
He shakes his head, âYou were 38 degrees before I left.â Then makes his way over to the dining table, rummaging through a plastic bag, âYou need ta take some meds. Come here.â He beckons you over with a wave of his hand.
Your feet moved on their own and before you knew it, you were inches away from him.
But of course, youâre still at war with yourself, âJust go.â You bring a hand up to stop him, âIâll take them later.â You assure him
But evidently, it does nothing of the sort.
He looks at you with a frown, âWhy do you keep brushing me off? Telling me to go away?â
âBecause it hurts seeing you here, okay?!â The words fly out of your mouth in a tone you didnât quite like.
Your chest heaves as you admit it to him.
But your outburst is met with cold silence.
âI really canât see you right now.â You say through clenched teeth, âI want to stay friends, I do. I want to go back to how we were before⊠Before all this.â Your hands motion between the two of you, âBut itâs so hard, okay?â You look up at him, searching for anything in his eyes.
When he says nothing, you curl into yourself, âJustâŠJust leave me alone. Youâve done what you need to do.â You place a hand at his back in an attempt to guide him to the front door, âWe can end everything here and IâŠâ
You pause as he begins to push back against your hand, âI donât want to see you again.â You mumble.
Swiftly, he turns around and grabs the plastic bag from the dining table
Oh, right⊠He canât just leave without his stuff. You think
But he turns and grabs your wrist as well and leads you back to the bedroom.
âAtsumu! What are youâ Let go!â
âLay down.â
âWhat?â
âYouâre not in your right mind, right now.â He throws the blanket over you. âWe can talk when youâre better.â
âAtsumu!â
ââ No.â He says sternly.
His tone is enough for you to cease your struggling.
âSleep.â He guides you to lay down, âWeâll talk when youâre not sick.â
â Youââ
âEnough.â He cuts you off whilst jabbing the sheets between the bed and your body.
You huff in defeat and childishly untuck yourself, âYou canât just bulldoze your wayââ
âI said enough.â
In anger you glare at him and itâs only then that you see the hurt that's masked behind his sharp tone.
It catches you off guard.
As he turns to leave, he says, âIâll... I'll wake you up when Iâm finished cooking.â
This just kinda...spilled out of my brain... It started off as a few paragraphs and then spiraled into this, but uh, enjoy.
FAIR WARNING!!! THIS IS INCREDIBLY LONG, I MIGHT HAVE TO SPLIT IT INTO PARTS ACTUALLY IDK
|| Masterlist ||
-Seven
Youâre finishing some paperwork at HQ when Jenna slides a manila folder on your desk.
âAdvance tech labs has another mission for you.â She says and crosses her arms over her chest, âHear them out first. Then go take a look.â
As if on cue, your watch beeps with a notification.
You click on it and the missionâs user interface window pops up.
Client: Unspecified - Investigative mission
Status: ACTIVE
Authorisation: Approved entry - No Hunt Zones: 105, 106, 107, 108
Task details: High-class Linkon residents have been seen carrying protocores to Foxâs Den, a host club, on the outskirts of Linkon. There are suspicions that the club is being used as a trading venue to sell and modify high-grade protocores into the N109 zone.
Objective: INVESTIGATE Foxâs Den FOR PROTOCORE SMUGGLERS.
DO NOT ENGAGE OR ELIMINATE SUSPECTS.
THIS IS AN INVESTIGATION ONLY.
As you re-read the objectives, Jenna speaks once more, âHave a look through this folder before heading to the Data Sector. â She places her hand above the folder, âNero and Tara are waiting there with some more information for you.â
You give her a small nod, âYes, Captain. Will do.â
You do as youâre told and flick through the contents of the folder.
âHuh, the address is near the N109 zone?â You whisper.
Sylus has a safe house near there, I think.
Itâll be easier to complete the mission if you could crash there every now and then.
Iâll ask him when I have the chance.
Thereâs a few photos of the club tucked into the folder and from what you can see, itâs quite luxurious.
Entering the club shouldnât be a problem with the brooch Sylus gave me. Hmmm. I might need to visit Jeremiah some time soon to forge another identity.
You sift through a few more pages and a photo catches your eye. Itâs of a blonde woman with a hunterâs uniform and badge but stamped across the page is the word âTENEBRAâ in bold red lettering.
âHmmm,â You hum as you read the sticky note attached, âIf encountered, detain immediately? Who is this?â
What had she done to be labelled a Tenebra?
With that thought in mind, you think to your own situation.
Your involvement with Sylus is more than enough grounds to label you a Tenebra, but you brush that thought aside quickly.
âMC?â
Your head perks up from the sound of your name and you quickly press the folder to your chest, âOh! Tara⊠Nero. I was just leaving to see you guys, actually.â
âAbout the case, right? Isnât it interesting?â Tara grins, âBut, yes we came here instead because Nero thinks that the Data Sector is too noisy.â
âTheyâre blabbing about all the time, itâs dizzying.â He retorts.
He pulls a nearby chair and motions for the two of you to come around, âCome, weâve got work to do.â
The three of you discuss the case for a while until you ask, âWhy am I being sent alone? Arenât mission usually done in pairs?â
âYes, well⊠Technically, itâs only an investigative mission, so the higher-ups donât think we should waste resources on a mere investigation.â Nero makes quotation marks with his fingers. âYouâve got orders not to engage where possible.â
Tara leans forward to argue, âBut even still, Foxâs Den is surrounded by no hunt zones! Isnât it dangerous?â
âYes, thatâs true, and speaking of whichâŠâ He opens some tabs up on his laptop, âAs Iâm sure youâve seen, youâve been approved access to all no hunt zones surrounding the area.â
You nod, looking back at your watch and also the map that spread across the table.
âBut thatâs not the problem.â Nero continues, âThe problem is getting into the club.â
You furrow your brows, âWhat?â You tilt you head, âCanât I just go in as a client?â
He clicks his tongue, âTheyâve got a very specific clientele.â He says and then draws a rectangle with his fingers, âInvite only.â He emphasises. âDid you think you could just waltz into the place?Everyday?â
You tense for a moment. I thought⊠with the brooch...
But you canât tell them about the brooch; Theyâll ask you how you got it. So you settle with, âI- well,â you scratch your temple, âI havenât really thought that far yet.â
...
Your meeting with the two ended just as the sun dipped completely below the horizon
Somehow, theyâve got you a position as one of the hostesses.
You huff. You donât know a thing about being a hostess.
To be fair, being a hostess would give you the widest variety of intel.
Never had you thought youâd be going undercover like this, but the job must be done, you suppose.
You harshly tug your helmet on and head to Sylusâ safe house on your 270HM.
If he says no, then you can just scout the area on the way back home. That way, the ride there wouldnât have been for nothing.
âOh! There you are, little miss hunter.â
You turn around at the voice of one of the twins. âLuke, Kieran?â
âMephisto told us youâd be here.â Kieran says pointing to the sky where Mephisto circles above the three of you.
âIs Sylus-â
Luke responds before you can finish your question, âThe boss has a important business deal, but,â
âYouâre more than welcome to stay with us in the meantime.â Kieran finishes the sentence as he opens the gate.
You can almost see the grin behind his mask.
âHow long will he be gone?â You ask as you walk with the twins into the house.
âIt might not even be until tomorrow that youâll see the boss.â
âIf youâre lucky--â Luke starts
â--Iâve checked your luck index today, miss, youâre not.â
âKieran!â You smack him on the shoulder
âAnyway,â Luke starts again, âAs I was saying, if youâre lucky, he might be done by midnight.â
âŠ
Well now, itâs way past midnight and the boys have convinced you to play card games as you wait. From old maid, to kitty cards, to Big 2.
Eventually, they pull out another deck of cards with haphazardly drawn crows. - âWeâve invented our own version!â
Your brows furrow.
âCrow Cards!â They say in unison.
Youâre speechless. You shake your head with a chuckle, but oblige them regardless.
It isnât long before Kieran has passed out on the couch and you can tell that Luke isnât too far either.
âLuke, why donât we get you and your brother to sleep?â You suggest.
âYeah,â He yawns and give you a nod, âbut Kieran can sleep here on the floor.â He snorts, but goes to haul him up anyways.
âI can use one of the spare rooms, right?â You ask
âOf course. The boss has even gotten spare clothes specifically for you in every house. They should just be in the closet of the en suite.â He points to one of the doors, âThat one is your room.â
It didnât take very long after your head hit the pillows that you drifted off into a shallow sleep
Just as the sunlight begins peaking through the horizon, Sylus enters into the safehouse
Mephisto is cawing at him incessantly.
âWhat has you so worked up?â He frowns.
âCAW!â
Sylus walks through to the main area and sees cards strewn across the floor.
He examines them, seeing the poorly drawn crows, and looks to Mephisto, âWhat?â Sylus raises an eyebrow at Mephisto, âYou led me here because Luke and Kieran made you look like roadkill on these cards?â
Mephisto shakes his head and pecks the cards out of Sylusâ hand. He pitter-patters to the door of the en suite and lightly pecks at it
Sylusâ frown deepens but he follows after him.
And there you were - laying on your stomach atop the sheets.
He lets out a small chuckle, âTsk tsk, kitten,â he shakes his head, âYouâll catch a cold at this rate.â
He gently turns you so he can lift you up into his arms.
With his Evol, he untucks the sheets and lays down with you in his arms.
You have your head on his chest and legs entangled with his own.
With all the movement, you lift your head blink your eyes open, âHi.â You whisper.
âI didnât expect to see you here, kitten.â
You plop your head back down onto his chest, âYeah, I wanted-â you yawn, âI wanted to ask you something.â
âOh? Youâre asking me for a favour? How unusual.â
You only hum in response and close your eyes again.
For a moment, he thinks that seeing you in the sunrise makes the sunlight a little more bearable.
âWhat is it that you need, sweetie?â he asks, brushing his lips against the top of your head.
âThe location of my mission is near this house.â
âAnd?â he shoots you a smug smile, âWhat is it exactly that youâre asking, Dove?â
You narrow your eyes at him, âIâm asking if I can stay here for a little while.â
He chuckles and gently swipes at the space between your brows, âDo you know what you look like right now?â he asks, âA kitten with a temper.â
You untangle yourself from his grasp, âScrew you.â
It quite futile since you end up in his arms once more.
âWhat mission is so important that the hunterâs association would send you into the N109 zone?â He asks.
âOne,â You put your pointer finger up, âIt's near the N109 zone. And two,â You lift another finger, âApparently, thereâs some shady trading of high-grade protocores.â
âHah, when is there not?â He chuckles.
You quickly brush his question aside, âBut youâll let me stay, wonât you?â You pout for good measure.
âI never trade for a loss, dove.â He taps a finger on his temple. âWhat are you planning to give me in exchange?â
âUmâŠâ You contemplate on the question. âI'll trade any protocores I find that I think may be of use to you?â Your intonation makes it sound more like a question than a statement.
âWhat makes you think that I donât already have access to such protocores, sweetheart?â He shifts to lay on his side with his head propped up by his arm.
Thatâs true. What could you possibly offer to a man who already has everything in the palm of his hand?
You glance up at him, âWell, then⊠truthfully, thereâs nothing I can give you.â
I guess he wonât let me stay after all.
One of the corners of his lips tilt upwards into a smirk, âThere isâŠâ he pauses as he procures a piece of paper with his Evol, âSomething you can give me.â
You take the paper and frown as you read the contents, âIsnât this that restaurant by the river? The one with the orchids?â
âMmm.â He hums in agreement.
âWhat could I possibly give you there, Sylus?â You ask
He chuckles, âWell, itâs quite simple, really.â He leans forward to whisper in your ear, âI want you to stay with me⊠Until the moon is high above our headsâ
His voice is so close to your ears that you have to turn away
âI want your time.â
A few days have gone by since yourâŠencounter with Sylus.
Now youâre face-to-face with the owner of the club.
He has his hand grabbing the lower half of your face, turning it side to side.
You grit your teeth. Keep it together for the mission, MC. You say to yourself.
âSheâll fetch a hefty price from the clients, thatâs for sure.â He chuckles
He almost throws you towards a woman who has a comb and spray bottle in hand.
âAnother?â She asks
âGet her ready.â He says as he begins to walk towards the bar where the guests are, âI want her ready for service by the end of the week, Stella.â
The woman, Stella, as youâve learned, rolls her eyes and grabs you by the arm.
She drags you across to one of the clothing racks and pulls various clothes up to your body. She takes some off, and others she returns.
Your eyes wander as you stay still, and for a brief moment, you see a blonde woman in a red dress, strutting towards the exit.
âTenebra?â You mumble
âWhat?â Stella raises her brow.
âHuh? Oh, I was asking If Iâll need to wear a bra.â You gulp hoping sheâll believe your cover-up
She stares at you for a moment but then continues to find you a dress.
After a while, sheâs finished with your make up and has given you a run-down of the rules.
âFor tonight, youâll be staying with me.â She says as she walks towards the exit
You scramble after her. You barely catch yourself from bumping into her as she abruptly turns around to address you.
âKeep close and donât wander. Do you understand?â
You nod, âYes.â
She wraps a red band across your wrist with ease, âThis bracelet means that youâre off limits for the mean time.â She grips your wrist and squeezes, âSo I suggest you keep it on your wrist even if your life depends on it. You wonât have this luxury for long.â
What have I gotten myself into?
You spend that night observing each and every one of the hostesses and clients.
Memorising faces, names, voices. Anything.
As the week ends, youâre back at the safe house trying to piece all the information you have so far.
Youâre hunched over the coffee table with papers scattered about. Some of which youâve scrunched up and have unintentionally made into Mephistoâs playthings.
You huff.
Everything looks normal, but clearly thatâs not the case if HA has sent you here. They wouldnât have sent you here if there wasnât some concrete evidence of a covert operation.
Sylus stops cleaning his gun and smiles as you frown. The bastard.
You huff once more and rub your temples.
âYou look as if youâre going into a grand battle.â He chuckles and leans back into the sofa.
âI feel like Iâve gotten nowhere!â You throw your hands into the air.
He carefully returns the gun to itâs case and settles himself on the floor next to you, âTalk to me.â He pulls the pen from your hands and spreads the papers across the table, âWe can figure it out together.â He glances at you with the smallest of smiles.
A couple of weeks have gone by and youâve gotten better at acting as a hostess.
You find that a lot of these clients have a very loose lips - ever so willing to give information with so little incentive
Today, youâre cozied up with a client, your legs in their lap, and an arm wrapped around one of theirs.
You grin internally as he continues to talk about all the protocores he could offer you.
âOh?â You say sultrily, drawing circles on his arm.
YUCK
âOh, I do, baby.â
EUUUGHHH
Youâre trying your best to suppress a scowl.
âI could give you all -â
You glance up at him as he stops mid-sentence.
Your gaze shifts from his face to the mirror behind him where your eyes meet Sylusâs intense gaze.
What is he going here?
Sylus nonchalantly walks over to the two of you and the room has gone still.
âAnd who might this be, sweetie?â He glowers at the man, but his question is directed to you.
You open your mouth to reply, but the man beat you to it, âMr Sylus, Iâm-â
"I didnât ask you.â He says sharply.
âSylus, what are you doing here?â Your grip around the man loosens and you quickly shift your legs to plant your heels on the floor.
âWell⊠Sweetie.â He emphasises the endearment as he pulls you from the other manâs lap, âIâm here for you,â He pulls you to his chest
Without another word, he tugs you into one of the private rooms.
With the momentum, you fall to the loveseat in the middle of the room.
âSylus!â
âWhen you said you had a mission here, I assumed you were going in as a client.â He locks the door and makes his way to you, âNot a hostess.â He narrows his eyes as he traps you between his outstretched arms on the loveseat.
âWhy does it matter?â You glare back at him, âIâm still getting the information I need.â
âYou realise that I could get you all that information in the blink of an eye, right?â
You know that. You do. He never lets you forget. Head of Onychinus. King of the N109 zone.
But what does that say about you?
Always relying on someone else to do things.
Always relying on Xavier on missions. Even Rafayel helped you at The Nest. Zayneâs always taking care of your health, and now Sylus, too.
When had you ever truly done anything yourself?
You grit your teeth, âLook.â You say as you muster up all your courage to glare at him, âI appreciate the help, but Iâm not some dove that needs saving.â You push at his chest, âI can do this on my own.â
He yields as you push him until both of you are standing.
âI canât just rely on you for everything,â You say.
Tenebra - the word plants itself at the forefront of your mind
His chest heaves as he looks at you, but he doesnât speak.
âWhat am I supposed to say to the association?â You walk towards the door but look back at him with a soft smile, âTheyâll label me a Tenebra for even breathing the same air as you, remember? We canât have that now, can we?â
He takes a hold of your wrist. âYou know Iâd never let that happen.â
âMmm.â You shake your head, âI know, but even then⊠I want to be able to proudly say that I was able to do a mission with my own strength.â
He doesnât say anything, so you shrug your hand away from his hold.
âSo,â You place you hand on the door knob, âLet me do this on my own, Sylus.â
As you leave, he deflates onto the loveseat with a sigh.
As much as it stings that you donât want to rely on him, he understands what youâre trying to say.
Youâve gone many days without seeing Sylus, not even at the safe house.
At the host club, you return to your dressing room with the brightest smile, youâd think your face would split in half.
That drunk client spilled all the beans. They are smuggling protocores through this host club. He mentioned a warehouse south from here, in the no hunt zone. Luckily Jenna authorised your entry into that zone. Youâll have to check it out after you leave the club.
As you exit, your watch beeps, âHuh? Wanderers? This far from the no hunt zone?â
Your hands settle at the hilts of your hands guns strapped to either thigh.
With vigilant eyes, you scan your surroundings. Trees upon trees in every direction.
Taking soft and steady steps, you head deeper into the no hunt zone.
Eventually you see lights scattered throughout the tree line.
Thereâs a large building stood in the centre of the clearing.
As you walk closer, you hear voices. âThe warehouse.â you whisper.
Then a truck whizzes past and you duck for fear of getting caught.
It drives far into the warehouse and you follow around to get a clearer view.
They seem like specs from this distance, but theyâre unloading the protocores from the truck.
The impatient part of you screams to just sneak into the warehouse.
But that fire is quickly extinguished when you notice a few men patrolling the warehouse.
âI need to come back another time. With a plan.â
The next few days you observe the schedules and their protocol for receiving deliveries
You manage to sneak your way into one of the trucks as your shift ends at the host club.
In the truck, youâre shallowly breathing from the adrenaline coursing through your veins. You close your eyes to take a deep breath as the truck slows to a stop.
âThis is the last one for today, boys. Letâs do this quick!â You hear a man shout.
Your hand comes up to press at your sternum. Your heart is beating right out of your chest so much so that blood is thumping in your ears.
âYou think weâve got some aether cores to sell today?â
âTch, I wish.â
As their footsteps grow louder, you take a slow breath-
BEEP BEEP!
You gasp as your hunterâs watch detects wanderers nearby. You grasp at your wrist to dampen the noise. Hunching over, cradling your arm as it beeps again.
STOP! Please!
âWhat was that?â
What do I do? Iâm going to get caught.
âCheck it out.â
Think. Think.
From their footsteps, you can tell one of the men has walked into the truck.
THINK!
You donât have a choice.
With a grunt, you charge at the man, shooting him in the chest, before hauling his body to cover yours as you exit the vehicle.
âINTRUDER!â the other man yells. âINTRUDER! LOCK EVERYTHING DOWN.â
Sirens blare as shots are fired in your direction. One lodges itself into your thigh. With a scream you dump the body shield and limp as best as you can out of the crossfire.
Another shot whizzes past the side of your arm. Another into your lower abdomen as you turn to shoot at them.
Before you make it to the forest, a loud roar shakes the ground and you stumble onto all fours.
A wanderer. A Hoarfrost Wyrmlord, you recognise.
It stomps itâs way towards the warehouse, likely drawn in by all the noise.
You scramble away as best as you can, but behind you are the men from the warehouse.
Your breaths have become rapid and shallow, âWhereâŠâ
The Wyrmlord locks onto you, blowing out gusts of air from itâs nostrils.
You begin shooting at the Wyrmlord but it looks unphased.
You duck for cover as it shoot icicles your way.
Protocores. You think. âYou must have a shield somewhere.â you say as you peak over the metal pillar.
âYou!â A foreign voice takes your attention.
The man has his gun pointed to you.
Swiftly, you kick your leg out in an attempt to disarm him, but he catches it and kicks at your other leg so that you land face first into the dirt.
For a few moments, you wrestle him until heâs got you in a choke hold.
You elbow him in his side and as his grip loosens you try to swing him over your shoulder.
But he uses the momentum to kick off of the pillar, and the action flings you backwards, and your back hits the ground with a thud.
You grunt and struggle to stand.
Before you can shoot him, a Harte Knave slashes through him.
Just as quickly, your bullets pierce though the Harte Knave and it disintegrates in dust.
Another roar shakes the ground as you and many others are pulled into a protofield.
âNo!â You scream.
âSylus!â You yell into the air.
Hoping, praying that he just might appear out of thin air.
...
âCAW!â
Meanwhile, Sylus is seated in another safehouse.
His leg is bouncing up and down.
You should have returned to the safe house hours ago, but there has been no notification of your arrival from the security system.
For every centimetre the moon rose into the sky, so did his worry.
âI appreciate the help, but Iâm not some dove that needs saving.â
Your words echoed around in his mind for the past few hours.
âI can do this on my own.â
He knows that. Youâre strong. Heâs seen it.
âTheyâll label me a Tenebra for even breathing the same air as you, remember?â
Tch.
âI canât just rely on you for everything,â
But something was wrong.
His intuition never failed him.
âCAW! CAW!â
âMephisto.â Sylus quickly stands and stretches his hand out for Mephisto to land on.
A holographic video pops up and Sylus sees you dropping the lifeless body and limping away into the tree line.
The screen flickers for a moment as you scream his name before you disappear into the protofield.
Even before the video ends, Sylus is rushing out to his motorcycle. He pulls up the coordinates from Mephistoâs previous location history and speeds away.
Why did I leave her by herself? Near the N109 zone nonetheless. Iâm a fool.
In the protofield, the Wyrmlord is the last wanderer.
There are only a few other humans left and luckily, the Wyrmlord is beginning to stagger too.
Youâve managed to break itâs shields but youâre heavily wounded and the Wyrmlord has caused the temperature to drop so rapidly that itâs difficult to even pull the trigger.
Sylus⊠PleaseâŠ
You know he canât just appear into a protofield. But somehow his name on your lips gives you enough strength to continue the fight.
Out of desperation, youâve managed to resonate with some of the Evolvers.
And with great effort, you and another Evolver deal the final blow to the Wyrmlord and youâre transported back to the warehouse.
Sirens are still blaring and the edges of your vision are fading.
âSylus.â You whisper walking away from the warehouse.
You grunt as you slump against a sturdy tree.
The shards of ice that were lodged into your stomach have vanished along with the protofield and now your blood has begun to soak through your clothing.
With a few harsh tugs, you rip your sleeve off and press it against your wounds.
Everything hurts, but you try to slow your breathing.
Your watch beeps once more.
The adrenaline causes you to perk up at the thought of more wanderers.
WARNING! Critically low blood pressure - severe blood loss. Coordinates have been sent to the nearest Hunterâs Association field lab.
When you wake next, the room is too bright for your eyes to adjust.
You blink and raise a hand to your face to block the light.
Glancing around, you notice itâs like any other bedroom.
You groan as you sit up.
Looking down at yourself, you see the faint outline of multiple gauze pads from underneath your top.
You limp out of the room, using the wall to take most of your weight.
You flinch as you feel a tap on your shoulder, hands immediately going to where your guns would have been.
âRelax, Kitten.â Sylus says, with both his hands up in the air, âIâm just trying to help you.â He begins to lower his hands.
âSylusâŠâ You croak from the dryness of your throat.
You could do nothing but stare. Was this real?
You were hyperventilating a little, and heâs never really seen you so high-strung.
âYouâre safe.â He says as he slowly cups the side of your face.
âSylus⊠IâŠâ
He lowers his forehead to yours and you visibly relax.
âYouâre safe with me, sweetheart.â He repeats the phrase as he gathers you into his chest.
âI wonât let you go ever again.â He whispers. âNever again.â
I told you it was long XD. I had fun though. If you guys like it, I don't mind fully fleshing this out into chapters. I really enjoyed writing this one actually.
So, this, uh, somehow, uh, like, quintupled in length from my original note, I donât know how, but I guess my fingers slipped? Oops?
Kuroo, Bokuto and Iwaizumi are Team 1
You, Akaashi and Oikawa are their dispatchers, respectively
The six of you share a communication channel, but you have a separate one with Kuroo similar to how Akaashi and Bokuto have one, and Oikawa and Iwaizumi have one
Kuroo always teases you through your comms even when the others are listening. You never fail to say something snarky back to him or completely ignore him altogetherâ
âIf I return successfully on this mission, will you give me a welcome back kiss as a reward, Y/N-chan?â
âTch, as if.â
âArgh, get a room, you two lovebirds, you have a separate channel you know.â Cue Oikawa fake gagging.
â but he always somehow gets sweeter and more sensual when talking on your private channel:
Itâs super late into the night. Akaashi and Oikawa have gone to sleep and youâre borderline dozing off. Your chair is fully reclined and your feet are propped up on the desk.
âY/N? You still there, sweet?â
You jerk up, your chair almost folding you in half with how fast you tried to straighten it.
Hands flying to the keyboard, looking at each screen you have of their info, vitals, location, supplies, etc., âYeah? Yeah, what do you need? Are you guys okay?â you make sure everything is still green
âYeah, weâre good, I just wanted to hear your voice, Kitten.â
Kuroo was always a little more straightforward when it was late at night.
You hum and the heat travels to your cheeks as you recline
You can see him through the CCTV cameras Akaashi got into.
âTalk to me, Y/N-chan⊠So I donât fall asleep on these snoring fools.â He chuckles and you see him crossing his hand across his chest.
His voice was much softer than his usual strong and commanding one, but it was nice in your ears, so you closed your eyes and took a breath
âHmm,â You lean back into your chair, âDid I ever tell you how much I hated youââ
ââI think you say that every day. In fact, sweetheart, at this point, I think you mean I love you.â
You sputter out a disbelieving laugh, âI was going to say how much I hated you for always somehow being higher in rank than me!â You try to defend, âAlways beating me by a few points even though I gave my 110 per cent!â your voice slowly rose as you finished the sentence.
Akaashi turns in his temporary futon on the floor between yours and Oikawaâs
Your hand whips to your mouth, but luckily, heâs still fast asleep and Oikawaâs sleeping like a log, sheets ruffled and tangled all sorts of ways around his legs.
âWell, itâs what I like about you.â
You frown, âWhat? That I can never surpass you?â
You hear his deep but soft rumble of a laugh, âNo, sweetheart, the fact that you always give it your all. Itâs why I put my full trust in you as my partner behind the scenes. Speaking of which, why did you apply as a dispatcher, anyway? You definitely had the points and the commendations to be out here with me, Kitten.â
âPlease, weâd be at each otherâs throats if I was out there with you.â You reply without thought, but then mumble into your hand, âWho else was going to watch your back.â
âWhat wasââ static cuts him off
Then a sharp ring in your ear has you whipping the earpieces out of your ears and bouncing on the desk where they eventually roll off to the floor
Even though he teases you so much, you canât help but worry when you suddenly lose contact with him
âKuroo? Hey! Do you read me?â All the text on your screen starts turning orange, red and flashing, âKuroo!â
You shake Akaashi awake and throw a stress ball at Oikawaâs head but eventually have to kick him awake, âHey, hey, wake up, weâve lost them, get Ki-chan, Kenma and Kunimi-kun.â
Oikawaâs up and almost sliding the door off of its hinges to get them
Kiyoko-chan, Kenma and Kunimi-kun are assigned to the Intelligence team
they start working on why youâve lost contact with them, hair all messy from just waking up and eyes half-lidded with sleep
Graduating Third Year! Kuroo x Second Year! Reader
So... I'm back from the dead.
I have so many things I want to write lined up, but would you look at that? I haven't done any of them XD.
Whelp, I'll work on a master list when I have a few more fics up.
I hope you enjoy :3
|| Masterlist ||
-Seven
Heâs graduating next week. Heâs graduating next week. Heâs graduating next week.
Youâre chanting this to yourself as you breeze past other students in the hallway. The final bell has rung, and you were on your way to the shoe lockers.
Heâs⊠you slow your steps as you spot Kuroo surrounded by his friends and a few underclassmen in the courtyard below, leaving me behind.
You shake your head. Ugh, why couldnât I have been born a few months earlier?! We could have been in the same year. We could have been graduating together; going to university together.
You continue to walk with slow steps. Where has the time gone?
Youâve been wanting to confess for a long while now. You had it all planned out. Youâd confess before months before his graduation. That way you would have enough time to get used to having a long-distance relationship since he would be leaving Tokyo for university.
Or⊠If he rejected you⊠Well, heâd be leaving Tokyo for university. So, it worked either way.
You took a deep breath. It was now or never. If anything, it might be better to confess today since you could receive the second button on his jacket.
It was something you heard from a few other girls in your class. Theyâve been talking about it a lot, leading up to the graduation of the third years.
The first button was for themselves; a memento of sorts. The last few buttons would be for their friends or underclassmen. Then, the second button⊠The second button is the closest to the heart, and would be given to the person they like.
You know Kuroo gave one to Kenma. You saw it in Kenmaâs pencil case in class this morning and he told you who it was from.
If he gave them away this morning, does that mean heâs already given his second button away?
âNe, ne~.â You hear a few girls talking in the classrooms, âDid you see Kuroo-senpai?â
âYes! Iâm so sad heâs going.â
You freeze just past the doorframe of the classroom. Your hand is going white from how hard youâre clutching the straps of your shoulder bag.
âYes, but hear me out. His second button is missing!â
What? Your whole body goes slack.
âWhat? No way! Who did he give it to?â
Your heart fell out of your chest. No, no, no, no, no, no. I donât want to hear.
âI donât want to hear.â You whisper under a breath.
You speed off to the shoe lockers. Nearly tripping down the stairs on the way.
All the confidence you had been mustering up has vanished. WhoâŠWho could he have given it to?
You slip off your school shoes and bend down to pick them up.
Rika-chan? You know they have chemistry class together.
Youâve slipped on your outside shoes and tap them against the ground to slip your feet into them.
Maybe, Akira-senpai? Kuroo sometimes studies with her and a few other friends.
You splayed your hand across the door of your shoe locker. Your chest is being squeezed tight at the thought.
WhoâŠ
âY/N. There you are.â
Kuroo.
You look up at him and sure enough, his second button is missing. Itâs right in front of your eyes.
You see him tilt his head a little and chuckle.
Flick!
âOwâŠâ Your hand comes up to rub at the spot in the middle of your forehead. âWhat was that for?â
âYouâre spacing out. I said I went up to your classroom, but you werenât there.â He walks over to his shoe locker, not too far from yours, and begins changing his shoes. He looks up at you again with a small pout. âWere you planning to leave without me?â
âNo, IâŠâ You pinch at the tips of your fingers. âI thought you were busy.â You mutter.
He shuts the door to his shoe locker. âWith?â
âHuh? Oh, I mean, well⊠I went to walk with a friend and saw you with a few underclassmen, so I thought Iâd go on ahead.â
âSo, you were thinking of leaving without me.â
You open your mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
Then Kuroo snorts, âIâm just teasing you,â He nudges your shoulder before wrapping his arm around it, âLetâs go.â
Your eyes meet the floor, and you hum as youâre guided by his arm.
The walk home was rather uneventful.
Usually, youâd be the one animatedly talking about your day. Whether a teacher told you off for a stupid reason or if you knew you totally messed up your presentation. Kuroo was, more often than not, the one who listened to you.
You really donât know what to say. What else is there to say? There was no way you were going to confess now that you knew he had someone he liked. Thatâs the only reason his second button would be missing.
He calls your name once more and you tilt your head back to look up at him, âHmm?â you hum.
âWhatâs on your mind? Youâve been quiet ever since we left.â
You shake your head, âNo, nothingâŠâ You shrug, âSad that youâre leaving, I suppose.â
He hums in agreement. âOh, yeah?â He leans towards you with a smug smile.
Once again, the space where his second button would have been is right in front of your eyes. You swear itâs taunting you.
âWho would you give your second button to?â The words slip from your mouth before you even realise.
Kuroo stands up straight and smiles at you. Itâs a soft, almost endearing kind of smile.
Your heart squeezes in your chest, and your blood is pumping loud in your ears.
Were you reading too much into everything? Had he just been acting normally all this time, and you thought it was something more? Had there been someone else that he loved, and you didnât even notice?
All these thoughts are whizzing past in your head and your heart has found its way to your feet.
Oh, he really must love her a lot to be smiling so sweetly at the mere thought of her.
âOh, my second button? Iââ
You push your hands to his mouth. âWait, wait, wait.â You close your eyes and look away from him, âI donât want to hear, Iâm sorry, forget I even asked! I didnât even realise I said those words out loud.â Youâre spewing bullets at this point with how fast youâre speaking.
He chuckles into your hands, and the vibrations cause tingles to run across your palm.
You open one eye to look at him and heâs reaching into his pocket.
âDid you mean this?â he asks, and twirls a small golden button between his fingers.
Your hands fall to your sides, and your mouth is wide open. You could collapse from the relief.
âIs thatâŠâ
He lets out a small laugh. âYeah.â He breathes out. He gently takes your hand and tilts it upwards so he can place the button in your palm. âI thought Iâd save it for you before anyone tried to steal it away.â
You let out an exasperated laugh, âYou mean,â You look up at him when his hand cups your cheek, âYou⊠You like me back?â
He chuckles, âItâs more like I liked you first.â He lightly pinches your cheek. âYou were a little slow, but Iâll forgive you because youâre cute.â
So I felt like Kuroo could have been more teasing, but I didn't know how to incorporate it.
I have a few more I want to work on and post, but I might just die again, lol.