#vxreader

After quite a bit of talking, you finally got to agree on fulfilling both of your needs. While he hated to admit it, he did like the pain, largely the adrenaline, but regardless, he was sheltered. You two settled on a safe word and some ground rules. Avoid cutting deeper than fascia, mainly.

You sit him on the bed with a few knives next to him, a medkit, and general after-care things, just in case anything goes out of hand. You found yourself sitting atop his legs holding the knife up and analyzing it, carefully testing its sharpness on your pecs, hearing his breath hitch.

"There ya' go. Not bad," you voiced, already prepared for how much pressure is to be used when cutting.

You moved to hold the knife against V's while relishing how his eyes widened, and he stared at the blade. "Can't you handle it happening to yourself, hmm?" you lured out a smirk on your lips. Cutting open his flesh just enough to stain his flesh with blood.

When V didn't reply, you slid the knife down his shoulder. The sound of skin ripping along the blade was deafening. "Shame it's just, so attractive," your voice practically purred, splitting the cut with your fingers looking into his flesh. "No one had seen this side of you, Val," You spoke, smiling, your free hand placed onto his chin.

"You sicken me," v spoke, rolling his eyes, ignoring the fact he felt the flush on his face. The tent in his pants was clear and obvious. Your knee just so happened to press against it.

"mmm, but you don't refuse," you hummed, staring intently at the blood flowing down his deep flesh. Taking the knife, and suddenly picking it up and slicing V's arm open. You let out an adrenaline-filled laugh, biting your lips as you watched the blood flow. His deep voice letting out a groan, one of his hands tightly holding your flesh.

Fingers digging into you as he lets out small whimpers and gasps. The smell of iron filling your nostrils.held the knife up and made a symmetrical cut on the other arm.

"God your lucky I wanted this…" v huffed his head, turning upwards and closing his eyes tightly, letting his hand drop. Breathing loud and heavy. You chuckled lightly, staring at the red coating him.

Within a few moments, you slathered V with cuts, listening to his gorgeous noises as you did so. The pain emphasized as you went on. You pressed your hands against some of the shallower ones, spreading the blood across his dark flesh.

You smiled harshly at the blood on your hands and his flesh. "Alright, I'm donee," you broke the silence of V's noise. You felt him breathing out.

You proceeded to take some water and wet a washcloth, gently lapping up any dried and wet blood, gently kissing his collar bone in an attempt to comfort him, feeling his flesh heat up as one of his arms wrapped across your back, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

You calmly patched V up, closed up the gaping wounds with some butterfly stiches, and extra pressed put into the whole bandage itself. "You did very well Val." You finished up putting some anti-biotic ointment on the cuts left without some sort of covering.

Val's hand went against his face, his chest heavy. "It was. Fun," he murmured, his voice barely heard. Embarrassment flushing through him. Quickly getting used to the pain that comes with things like this.

jimin: what is central cee??

jin: what are we taking about

tae: when he said “im not a her father” it really resonated with me cuz i’m also not her father

y/n: who is her?

hobi: the block b song?

jk: wish i was her

jimin: central cee?? do i know central cee?? is this like jack hammer’s cousin or something

jin: tf is jack hammer?

yoongi: jack harlow

y/n: jack and jill something about a hill

jin: what is actually going on

hobi: too much!!!!

jk: did you like the song tho

yoongi: no!

jk: minus jack harlow

y/n: you did another song with jack harlow??

jk: i mean central cee

hobi: celery

jimin: TF IS A CENTRAL CEE??????

jin: wow i’m loosing my mind

jin added namjoon to “DRUGGIES”

tae: that’s not namjoons number

jin: yes it is

tae: omg wait

why do have two namjoons in my contacts??

jin: idk tf

leave me alone

namjoon: i am done interacting with you guys outside of work hours

jimin: do you know central cee namjoon?

hobi: we have work hours?

tae: why do i actually have 2 namjoons

i’m freaking out

do you have a twin joon?????

namjoon: no

tae: ok but why do i have two of you then??

explain that

i bet you can’t

namjoon: stop talking to me

now.

y/n: now.

hobi: that was so alpha x reader of you joonie

yoongi: x reader?

tae: alpha???

jk: namjoon has a twin?

jin: ew

someone kill it

tae: should i add the twin to the gc?

y/n: no

jk: yesssss!!!

tae added Bang PD to “DRUGGIES”

jimin: oh

tae: hello namjoons twin!!

quick question when we had that threesome did you happen to feel anything??

namjoom: OH MY GOD???

namjoon changed the gc name to “bts💜”

tae: just want to know if that twin telepathy stuff is real

hobi: do you even know what telepathy is?

tae: yeah

jimin: i highly doubt that actually!

tae: come on joon number 2 you can tell me!!!

bang pd: Wow Taehyung and Namjoon have had a threesome together?

That is what you guys do on your days off?

namjoon: HES JOKING sir lol!!

i am so sorry idk why he even said that

tae: sir lmao??????

don’t tell me ur the younger twin 😭

yoongi: wow he’s dumb as fuck

y/n: ??omg

mr bang!!!!!!!!

bff what are you doing here???

tae: what?

Bang PD: Y/n ☺️!!!

I actually have no idea it seems Taehyung has added me in here under the impression i am Namjoons twin?

tae: oh my god…….

OH MY GOD….

OH MY GOD

jin: yeah

Bang PD: It’s ok i can leave if you would like me too.

y/n: don’t be silly you can stay!!!!!!!

namjoon: sir don’t worry you can stay! we don’t really talk much here anyways

jk: yes we do

why is he lying

namjoon: no we don’t

jk: ???????

we talk here everyday

basically every hour

omg just like my song

every hour

every minute

every second

hehhehehe

jimin: yk jk can’t take a hint

idk why ur trying namjoon

namjoon: so how was your day sir?

Bang PD: It was good thanks for asking!

How was yours?

namjoon: busy as usual!

jk: why is he lying again

he was at our house

wasn’t he y/n??

he didn’t even do anything

he just sat there…

Bang PD: Oh?

namjoon: HA HA HA WOW JUNGKOOK UR SO FUNNY

wow classic jungkook!!!

don’t be silly you know i was in the studio working on the song coming out soon ha ha lol

jimin: i’m telling you he’s not gonna get it…

jk: is namjoon ok?

why is he acting strange

and lying

bet it’s the coke 😭

y/n: LMAO

not funny

Bang PD: Ha i hope that’s a joke jungkook😂

namjoon: IT IS

IT REALLY IS HA LOL

rigHT GUYs??????

hobi: HA HA HA JUNGKOOK UR SO FUNNY WOW UR HILARIOUS ACTUALLY WOW LOL

yoongi: ???

oh

yeah

sooooo funny lol

jin: 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

jimin: wow ur so silly jungkook!

tae: LOOOOOOOL

jk: i’m not joking

namjoon: you are

jk: i’m not :(

namjoon: i’m telling you

you are

jk: why

Bang PD: Sorry guys as much fun as it was talking to you all i must leave now.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and don’t cause too much trouble haha

The leaked chats was enough drama for this year!!!

y/n: ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

leaving so soon

bye bff

namjoon: goodbye sir please take care of yourself and we will definitely keep out of troubles way haha

right guys???

tae: ig

jimin: ofc bye mr bang ☺️!

jin: yes no trouble for us !!

even thought it wasn’t even my fault LOL

bye mr bang💓

yoongi: yup 👍🏻

bye

hobi: no trouble no drama!! it was nice speaking to you!!!

jk: GOODBYE MR BANG 😆

Bang PD: and before i go y/n i hope you and Jaehyun are doing well ❤️

Bang PD left “bts💜”

yoongi: huh

jin: OHMYGOD??/?:£7.

namjoon: um

jimin: HELPPPPPPPCPFFOFOFOLFK

jk: NO SAY THIS IS FUCKING FAKE OHMUGOD

hobi: wait plot twist

tae: SHUT THE FUCK UP????????????????

y/n: wow um

that’s CRAZY wow

WHAT A FUCKING SNAKE BTW

but um

wow

i swear i can explain!

WOOOOW

UM

ok maybe i can’t lol

wow

y/ns first time left speechless 😱

first time for everything hahahaha

ok that wasn’t funny

soooo like wooooowww that was crazy

why did tae have mr bang saved under joons name ??

he’s so silly am i right or am i right??

jk: i’m going to kill myself

tae: i’ve never fallen to my knees so hard before

yoongi: nct lame as hell

namjoon: so are you dating him or?????

jk: IS THIS WHY yOU HAVENT KISSED ME IN LIKE 4MONTHS?/£:&;&; OH MY GOD

IM GONNA YEHSNDCN XNDJCJJSKFJJDMDIXJCJVK

THERE IS ANOTHER MAN

IM GOJNA KMS

IOHMXUXUDICICJDNDJCJ

y/n: ok so basically

y/n left “bts💜”

jimin: she’s so real for that

hobi: feminism

jin: LWMSODOOFO

yoongi added y/n to “bts💜”

namjoon: let’s move on

yoongi: no wtf???

y/n: hi guys !!!😁😁😁😁😁

hobi: in my baggy baggy baggy baggy baggy baggy jeans

jimin: be honest was try again about you

hobi: pls remember my answer is you 😉

jin: thought she liked mark lee

tae: she liked me once

sighs

jk: sHE LIKED MEFIRST

yoongi: yeah now ur lying

jimin: ohmygod cat fight!!!!!!

namjoon: now is not the time guys

hobi: look at joon trying to be the voice of reason

we know you mad asf rn don’t pretend 😭

namjoon: shut the fuck up both of you

jin: i’m on y/ns side i support women’s rights and wrongs!!!!

y/n: I AM NOT IN THE WRONG

jin: yeah ok you go girl!!!!!

yoongi: u saying ur not in the wrong is crazy lmao

jimin: NOO CUZZ WHY THEY FR FIGHTING JIN HOBI ARE YOU SEEING THIS

hobi: LAMSKDKKDODNDJSKSJD

THIS IS CRAZYYY

jin: TEAM Y/N!!!!!!!!!!

namjoon: stop

hobi: yk what didn’t stop

y/n when she made jaehyun her boyfriend

jimin: LAMOSDODOODODODJ

jin: HELP ME OHMUGOFJDJDJXB

y/n: okay guys shut the fuck up 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

—

okay LMAO this was clearly an unfinished work lmao but it was so silly not to post LIKE??? and this was obviously written right after too much came out and then i edited a little of it today but yeah still hope it was silly and cool enough for you all >\\\<

A yellow coded curfew is now in effect.

The monotone voice echoed its warning as you rushed through the empty streets of London. How typical, you thought, that the one time you dare act outside of your routine you are late, and breaking protocol, no less.

Looking over your shoulder, you round a corner and run into a rather plump wall, before the plump wall begins to speak.

"Excuse me, miss."

A large man stands before you, dismissing your apology and excuse before another man the plump wall introduces as "Willy" appears.

Your heart catches in your throat as the two men step closer, making obscene and vulgar remarks, the kind of remarks that have you reaching in your coat pocket for mace. One of the men roughly grabs your hand before you brandish the mace as your form of protection before the plump wall reaches into his pocket and brandishes his own; a Fingerman badge.

Your blood runs cold and again and you begin to apologize. More vile threats leave the plump wall's mouth before you attempt to run in a last ditch effort to save yourself, but another wall grabs you, this one armed with a baton. You desperately struggle and cry for help. You broke the rules, you think, and now you pay the price.

Your screams and thoughts are cut off by a voice from the shadows, and peering out, you can see the shadow is masked.

"The multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him."

The men stop, and angrily turn and curse in the direction of the shadow.

"Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel which smoked with bloody execution."

The masked shadow steps forward, slicing in half the plump wall's badge -which was presently being brandished as a sort of justification for his transgressions- with a single stroke of his dagger before moving with such grace that you would not expect from a man of his strength, which was on blatant display as he threw Willy into a brick wall.

You watched him as he seemed to dance around the Fingermen in incredible, fluid movements, throwing them around as if they weighed nothing to him. Upon disarming the last of your would-be-assaulters, the masked shadow puts his weapon down to his side.

Was this an attempt of mercy, you wondered? Kneeling on the floor from being thrown aside, you peer up at the shadow, attempting to gauge his intentions from the details of his mask. You wince as, suddenly, he's punched but then he's moving again, throwing the failed attempt at mercy into a wall. He walks over to Willy, who is now on the floor, crying out for help much like you yourself were just moments ago.

"We are oft to blame in this- 'tis too much proved- that with devotion's visage and pious action, we do sugar o'er the devil himself."

The masked shadow moves to strike Willy down, for good this time, you think to yourself. After peering down at Willy's motionless body for a moment, either daring him to get up again or making sure he's dead, you can't tell, he walks towards you now with silent footsteps and looming figure as you reach for your mace for the second time tonight.

The shadow stands a few feet in front of you and you have to crane your neck to meet his eyes. He wears a Guy Fawkes mask, cropped by a curtain of dark hair. You take in his all black attire, and the way his voice rumbles as he assures you he means you no harm.

"Who are you?" you demand, just barely finding your voice.

"Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask."

Ah, funny, you think sarcastically. You'd say it out loud but, having just seen this man dispose of four Fingermen with ease, you bite your tongue and decide to keep the remark to yourself.

"But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis personae. Voila!"

You flinch at his exclamation and watch almost amusedly as he theatrically suggests the character of the dramatis personae. At some point, his theatrics turn into passion, and his passion quickly spirals into anger. No, not anger, rage, you think to yourself. Producing a dagger more quickly than you can process he slices a "V" into a poster promoting Sutler's values on the bricked wall of the alley as his dialogue comes to a halt. Again, you flinch.

"The only verdict is vengence- a vendetta...", he adds with a deep, rolling voice. His back is turned to you while his mask looks over his shoulder. You have whiplash from his mood swings; you are hanging on to every word he says.

Finally, he turns back to saunter in your direction before he removes his hat and bows deeply, introducing himself as V. V raises his mask from the ground to look at you, and you feel a chill as the smirking mask stares into your soul.

"To whom, might I ask, am I speaking?" V inquires, almost cheerfully as he rises and fixes his hat back on his head.

Introducing yourself, V repeats your name, once as a question, once slowly- as if testing it on his tongue.

"Of course you are", he remarks thoughtfully. You shiver.

"What does that mean?" you ask quietly, afraid of provoking the masked shadow.

"It means that I, like God, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence." He offers his gloved hand out to you on the ground slowly, like you are a frightened animal. "Are you hurt?" V quietly asks as you accept his hand. The leather is high quality and cold, and the fingers underneath hold your own with such caution- like he feels you might run from his touch.

Even at standing height, he is much taller than you.

You tell him that you are fine, thanks to him, as you take in his appearance once more. You take note of the multiple daggers he has strapped to either side of his body. They look razor sharp and shine a ghostly silver in the moonlight, though now there is a splash of crimson across several of them.

"I merely played my part. Tell me, though, do you enjoy music?"

"I suppose."

"You see, I'm a musician of sorts", V declares, "and on my way to give very special performance. I would be honored if you could join me". There is a hint of mischief in his voice and again, you feel the mask stare into your soul. No, you think, it's the eyes. The black voids of the mesh eyes are pinning you to your spot, and somehow, it feels as if he is studying your face with a burning intensity.

This is a stranger, you suddenly remember. An armed stranger, whose several blades seem to be instruments of their own, and he better than a musician of some sorts. "I don't think so," you hesitate. "I should be getting home". You hold your coat closer to you out of habit, eyeing V with caution.

Rose was up quickly and clambered after the retreating figure cloaked in black. He melded into the dark shadows of the dimly lit backstage area of the opera house. Jungkook came scrambling up to our door asking what was wrong.

“There was a man in here!” Lisa and I cried out together while we all clung to our bedmates for comfort. Some girls were crying from the fright and the rude awakening.

Jungkook’s eyes widened in shock as he shouted for Hoseok and Namjoon. The two older men emerged from their respective chambers blearily blinking sleep away.

Jungkook shouted at the older men and tried to find where the intruder had run off to, when they heard a door slam open. Once the older men heard the gist of the abrupt end to their slumber, Namjoon was rushing up to check on us and Hoseok was rushing out with Jungkook to try and tail the intruder.

Jennie was comforting me, telling me that if anyone could put the intruder in his place it was the pair running after him. I nodded. I knew that she was right considering the hushed rumors of the two that I had heard over the last 8 months.

I hadn’t thought to entertain them though, knowing that nothing good ever came from gossiping. I just kept my head down and worked on refining my skills and keeping my Master pleased. A thought creeped into my mind now, did Master know that there was an intruder in the opera house this morning? I had no way of knowing. Would he praise me for raising the alarm or... was that my master that I briefly saw?

I wasn’t stupid. I also heard the murmurs and hushed tales and the famed Opera Ghost. A mysterious man who often caused strange accidents (most were little pranks to get a rise out of the current leading soprano Francesca). Usually, these little pranks were coupled with a note from “OG”, it hadn’t taken long for me to put two and two together. I never brought this up to my Master, fearing he would think I believed in the gory tales that were whispered at best or acted out to frighten the rest of the chorus girls from time to time by the older, alcoholic stage hand that Jungkook worked under at worst.

Namjoon did his best to comfort us as we waited for Monsieur Hoseok and Jungkook to come back. We waited with bated breaths; eyes glued to the door frame. Jisoo and Rose had made their way to sit on the bed I shared with Jennie. We sat huddled under our blankets and leaned on one another for support. Lisa sat at the edge of the bed ready to attack should the intruder decide to come back again.

After what felt like eons, the two silhouettes of Hoseok and Jungkook filled in the door frame causing us all to relax.

“Did you find him?” Namjoon asked the question that was burning in our minds.

Hoseok shook his head, “No, he got away, we stayed out to circle around the opera house, we couldn’t find any trace of him, or of where he broke in from...” he trailed off, deep in thought.

Most of the rest of the opera house was waking up from their slumber by now, continuing to work on their projects, blissfully unaware of what had transpired. “We’re going to have to tell Jin and Yoongi,” Namjoon sighed rubbing at his temples with his slender digits from his perch on the wooden stool.

“Kookie,” Hoseok started but then paused. “Never mind, just uh,” he glanced around the room and back at the doe-eyed young man. “Just go get some breakfast, let the cook know we’ll be sending the girls down soon.”

Jungkook nodded and was off without complaint.

The rest of the day passed without incident, even the Opera Ghost didn’t come out to taunt Francesca when her singing got especially nasally. The girls were always near, Jennie and Jisoo opted to staying near me, the intruder had seemed intent on getting to me according to their version of what happened this morning.

I just couldn’t wait for night to fall for it to be time for me to meet with my Master.

Unfortunately for me, the day insisted on dragging on for some unknown reason. I did what I could to keep my mind busy and my thoughts distracted from the events of the morning. Today though, God brought me a different distraction.

“Soul-ah?” I heard the soft, curious voice from behind as I mentally ran through the steps of the dance yet again.

I turned in surprise, not paying attention to who was calling my name, “yes?”

Jimin was staring at me, eyes wide with shock. “Soul-ah!” he ran for me and lifted me into his arms easily. I was startled to say the least. My cry tore from my throat causing others to stop and stare. Jimin then seemed to remember that we weren’t alone and set me on my feet gingerly. “I didn’t mean to startle you, my apologies.” Though his eyes were alit with mischief.

I scoffed and playfully smacked on his shoulder causing others to gasp and Francesca to go red in the face. “You absolutely are the worst liar, Jiminie,” I chided.

My dongsaengs watched with interest as the banter flowed between Jimin and I easily. Monsieur Hoseok took his time making his way over. I blanched and lowered my head when I saw him from my peripherals and realized how it must look to the others.

“Soul-ah,” Hoseok’s soft voice was so gentle, “please go and practice your stances 50 times.”

I nodded and with a curtsey, excused myself to find the bar furthest from Jimin and Francesca to avoid further punishment.

“You didn’t have to send her away,” Jimin chided softly to the instructor.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t distract my dancers,” Hoseok smiled at Jimin politely.

Jimin’s eyes flashed with something and looked over Hoseok’s shoulder at the one dancer he was interested in. “She’s my noona—I haven’t seen her in 6 years.”

Hoseok’s eyes softened in understanding. That wasn’t the witty banter of lovers bumping into each other, he realized. It was the genuine reunion of siblings. “Still, there is a time and place for this kind of reunion,” Hoseok smiled clapping the younger man on his shoulder lightly. “Also, I’m not sure Francesca can stand not having your attention,” the older man added under his breath for only Jimin to hear. "You wouldn't want to cause your noona trouble, would you?"

Jimin nodded and made his way to the lead soprano to finally greet her, making sure to put in more effort today. He didn’t want his momentary lapse in judgment to cause his noona any more trouble with the lead singer especially since there were rumors that his noona would one day take her place.

After finishing my sets as Hoseok instructed, I took my place beside Jennie and we continued with practice. Hoseok watched us all closely. He was going easier on us considering the scare we all experienced this morning, but he still expected us to give our all to practice.

When the owners of the opera house had heard the news, rumors spread throughout the company quickly speculating about what this would mean. Jin and Yoongi had immediately sent out Jungkook to find some more young men that would stay watch for us to get added to the staff as stage hands. It couldn't hurt to have more eyes around, it was decided. A few hours later, Jungkook returned with two boys, Hyunjin and Han, they were introduced to the entire staff and performers. Yoongi interrogated the two to ensure they would be the right fit.

Then Jin swopped in and calmed the two young men easing their fears and they were led away by Jungkook to show them their sleeping quarters. Suddenly, it seemed that Hoseok was sending us off for dinner. I was happy to finally rest and couldn’t help the stirring butterflies that seemed to attack me now.

I ate quickly and told the girls I would be going down to pray for a few hours. They nodded and bid me a good night before giving me brief, strong hugs to send me on my way. I slowly made my way down into the chapel and lit a candle to help brighten the room a little and even said a prayer for the candle I lit.

“Angel,” his voice was clearer today.

“Master,” I beamed, the assault on my nerves deciding to finally settle at just the sound of his voice.

“I’m so glad that you’re safe,” he sounded as though he were right behind me. I nodded and clasped my hands together nervously. My senses heightened at the prospect of potentially seeing my master tonight. What a glorious end to the day that would be! I felt the smooth of fabric against my bare arm and stilled at the contact and then relaxed, knowing that my Master would never hurt me.

I took deep steadying breaths and turned quickly to look behind me to be met with the cold unfeeling stone wall. My heart sank. “Master?” I called out, the hurt clear in my voice.

“Today is not the day, My Angel,” he sounded further away again. Much like the distant deity that I thought him to be once more.

I couldn’t stop the cries that came then. I fell to my knees and cried at his rejection. I prayed that The Merciful Lord would reach down and smite me to end the pain. The torment and stress I had carried in my body all day finally broke me and I sat there in a crumpled heap, crying.

I didn’t hear his footsteps like I sometimes thought I could faintly hear in the past. I just felt strong arms and his distinct scent encircling me and pulling me close.  I clung onto him desperate to revel in at least this. Man, or ghost, I no longer cared. It was him. He was the one who inspired my voice and helped me to fly like I did was all that mattered to me. I didn’t try to turn to look upon his face again afraid that whatever dream my mind had concocted would end once again.

“Take all the time you need,” he hummed in my ear as he rocked me in his lap.

I don’t know how long we sat like that, or how long it took for my sobs to die down. All the while, he stroked my hair and held me close against his chest, calming me and giving me all the comfort and support that I needed to slowly build myself up again. I studied the sleeves of the coat that he wore now that my tears had stopped.

The cloth was fine, the weave was intricate. When the light of the candle caught the fabric just right, parts of it shone revealing a subtle pattern.  I took deeper and deeper breaths trying to memorize the scent of the man wrapped around me. “Take me with you,” I suddenly asked. “Wherever you go during the day, let me be part of that world.”

There was a soft sigh behind me. “You already are,” he hummed I felt him press me closer to his chest. “You need to sleep pet,” he softly reminded.

I nodded and reluctantly allowed him to detach himself from me. I waited until I was sure that he had left so that I could say my prayers and made my way slowly up the steps to the bed chambers. Han was at the door and allowed me to pass by wishing me a good night.

I thanked him and slipped through the door shutting it behind me. I fought sleep as I changed into my night shift after shutting the door softly and landed on the bed to let sleep take me. The crying took more out of me than I thought possible and the next thing I knew, I was in dream land.

Go B a c k | Turn P a g e | M. L i s t

You groaned. “You’re far too optimistic.”

He took your hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it. “Only for you.” You blushed. The rose on your side table bloomed. You glared at it, but V just laughed. “No use in hiding your moods.”

“Is that why you put it there?”

“I want you to be comfortable,” V said. “If it helps… then it helps.”

And it did help. You felt connected to the plants now, for better or for worse. Their energy was yours to manipulate, even if it would be months before you fully understood how to make it work. Not that you would ever understand why it worked. You just knew it did. “So what’s the plan?”

“You need to sleep.”

You frowned. “After a nightmare like that?”

V sat his cane down. Shadow appeared at his feet, hopping onto the bed and curling up behind you. “Would it be alright if I accompanied you?”

“In bed?”

V nodded. “You do well with Shadow, and I think you might do well with me,” His hand gently moved your hair behind your ear. “It’s your choice.”

Shadow purred as you nodded, holding your hand out to him. “Don’t go,” You whispered. “I don’t want to be alone.” You trusted him already. He’d saved you. He’d protected you from the demons that threatened your life and taught you everything you knew. And maybe you were too trusting, but you didn’t care. You had nothing else. Nothing but your plants, your vine, and him. And V followed as you pulled him, lying on the bed with the covers between you. One hand rested on your side as Shadow’s continued purring began to lull you to sleep. 

“I’m here,” He said. “Just for you.”

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

You woke up slowly as if rising from underwater. You smelled a variety of strong, conflicting scents and, when you opened your eyes, you were overwhelmed by foliage. Plants were everywhere, spilling from baskets and hanging from the ceiling. Your single red rose had turned into twelve blue ones that were all a bit larger than normal. Stems were braided in the corners. Flowers covered every surface, spilling down over your drawers, up your mirror and around the legs of all the furniture. When you sat up, you were relieved to see that none of them were bursting through the floor. No, someone had put all of these in your room, but you had a feeling it hadn’t looked like this when they were done. 

You turned slowly, feet touching the cold, wooden floor. You closed your eyes, feeling for all the plants on the edges of your mind. Once you found a few, you waved your hand, pulling back some of the life within them. When you opened your eyes again, many had shrunk back to an acceptable size. It was then that you realized you were in one of your nightgowns and your hair was still wet. How long had you been out? Who changed you? Why all of this?

A light knock at the door was one you instantly recognized. Lady! You tried to stand, but dizziness had you sitting right back on the bed. “Come in.”

Your jaw went slack when it was Vergil that entered, brushing aside the vines as he closed the door behind him. You suddenly felt very exposed, even though you were well covered. His expressionless gaze almost had you wilting. A few of your flowers shrank with your mood. “What do you want?” You said warily, lacking the energy needed for your usual sass. In fact, you felt drained, way more than you thought you should after absorbing such a large demon. You took one of the roses and lay it in your hand, watching as it withered away, donating its life to you. You placed it back on the table and looked up at him. 

“I’ve been informed that I am, under no uncertain terms, to make a truce with you.”

“A truce?” You echoed. “What?”

“I am to stop antagonizing you and avoid giving accidental commands whenever possible.” You were almost impressed at how even his voice sounded. There was no disdain as far as you could tell, but his face didn’t give anything away. He was talking pure business, and that was something you could manage. 

“That would be appreciated,” You said. 

“I’ve also been informed that I am to be your partner for the foreseeable future.”

“My what now?”  You said. “I don’t need…”

“Neither do I,” He interrupted. “But considering the circumstances behind your… condition… the others have tasked me with ensuring that you are…” His jaw set. “Taken care of.”

You snorted. “What did you put it to a vote?”

“I had no part in that decision,” He said flatly. 

“But you’re going with it anyway.?”

“Unless you tell me otherwise.”

“Is that a sliver of hope I hear?”

His eyes narrowed. “Dante has made it very clear that he would be… disappointed in me if that were to happen.”

“Oh good,” You said. “Then feel free to leave.”

Vergil’s hand tightened on his sword. “Lady and Trish were going to speak to you first, but…”

“But you jumped at the chance?” You said. “How nice of you.”

“Will you…” He took a deep breath to steady himself and started again. “I did some research on your condition, but we need more time to fix it.”

“Will you stop calling it that?” She said. “You make it sound like I’m slowly dying of some horrible disease.”

“There is nothing else to call it,” Vergil said. 

“I suppose “my mistake” would be too difficult for you to say.”

You didn’t think his eyes could narrow any further. They did. “You’re obnoxious.”

“Are you projecting?” 

He took another slow breath, but you saw the way his knuckles were slowly turning white around the hilt of his katana. Why did you enjoy this so much? Normally making someone this upset (angry? furious?) would bother you. But with him you almost felt vindicated. Maybe it was the fact that your “condition” was his fault to begin with. Maybe it's because you were still in denial and expected V to walk in the door at any time. “Look,” He said. “I don’t expect us to like each other, but everyone expects us to at least get along. Either we can act like adults, or we can both go our separate ways and be done with it.”

You were silent for a long moment. We can act like adults. Nice of him to actually point some of the blame at himself, even if it was in a backhanded way.  But could you trust him? A large part of you said no. It was too easy for him to control you. One slip up or wrong word choice and you’d be caught right under his demonic spell. But if he was being serious… and if the others believed in him... 

“Fine,” You said slowly. “But I have some caveats.” 

You swore you saw his eyebrows twitch. “Such as?”

You held up one finger. “Stop complaining about my music. You’re not going to stop me from listening to it.” You held up a second finger before he could respond. “Let me deal with the demons and stop bringing them inside.” Again, he moved to speak, but you put up a third finger. “Bring home something other than pizza for a change.”

You swore you saw the flicker of a smile. “Fine.”

“Fine,” You repeated. “Then I’ll go with you.

“Morrison has called in a few different requests. Dante and the others went for one, and they expect us to handle the others.”

“Urgent?”

“You have some time.” He said. 

You paused a moment. Then, “How long was I out?”

“Two days.”

You choked. “Two days?”

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” He said as he turned back toward the door. “And I suggest you get these plants figured out.”

“I’ll be the one to worry about my plants,” You said. “You leave them alone.”

Vergil paused, glancing back into the room. “He slept here?”

It took you a moment to realize who he was talking about. Odd that he wasn’t saying “I”, but maybe he too was still struggling with it as much as you. “Most of the time. We never had quite so many plants though.”

He paused again. Then, “I was told this was the best way to even out your demonic energy.”

You blinked. “You did this?”

“I’m leaving in an hour,” He said without looking back. “With or without you.”

Then he left, leaving you irrefutably confused and, surprisingly, a little disappointed. 

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

An hour was rather generous of him, so you made sure to use every bit of it. You even set a hard timer on your phone, so he couldn’t possibly argue with you when you sauntered down to the front of the store exactly 59 minutes since he left, ready to go. This time, you had been a bit smarter about your clothing choice, just in case the vine wanted to come out and play again; a low hanging tank top and a jacket zipped up to your neck to hide the scar. And he did scowl at you - you had a feeling you’d never get away from that - but he didn’t complain and off you went. 

Today, you had three separate jobs; two scouting requests (you didn’t find anything on those) and one suspicious potential demon in a greenhouse on the other side of the city. You ignored the irony that you of all people were sent to the greenhouses, but you realized immediately upon your arrival that it may have been for more reasons than just a demon. The plants inside were sickly. Flowers were wilting. Fruits and vegetables were dying. And, if you remembered right, this was a very important source of food for the people that had survived the tree. 

“Can you fix this?” Vergil said as he knelt in front of vines filled with rotten tomatoes. 

You knelt beside him, brushing your fingers against the vegetables. The rot slowly disappeared, and the tomatoes turned a bright, fresh red once again. “I don’t know about all of them,” You said. “Not without some demons for fuel.”

“There are some around,” He said. 

“Hiding?”

“You can’t feel them?”

You paused, pressing your fingers against the ground. You could feel the roots wrapping around themselves and seeds that had yet to grow. But you could also feel strange holes in between them. Small, humanoid shaped holes. “Not directly,” You said. “But…” You twisted your hand, moving a few of the roots. Then, you pulled your hand up, spearing them through the holes. You heard a few screeches that went silent within seconds. “They’re what's eating the plants away.”

Vergil left your side, slicing through the ground over where you felt one of the holes. He ripped a demon body out of it, stabbing it himself before tossing it at your feet. You wrinkled your nose, grateful it wasn’t one of the stinkier demons you’d dealt with over the last few weeks. “How did you manage that?” You said. 

He smirked, but it faded quickly. “The Yamato can cut through anything.”

Yamato. He spoke of it so fondly. Almost like a parent would a child. That was the first time you’d head that name. Dante had proudly named his own sword “Devil Sword Dante” apparently (and you’d teased him over that more than enough by now), but Yamato seemed… different. Just as special, you assumed, but different in a way you couldn’t understand. You wondered if that would be something he’d be willing to tell you about if you asked. 

“There’s more,” He said. 

“You want me to kill them?”

“That’s what you’re here for.”

You rolled your eyes. “And here I thought you didn’t need me.” You hopped around to the other side of the demon - a small, gremlin looking thing - and unzipped the top of  your vest. The vine was quick this time, sucking out the rest of the demon’s blood with eagerness before vanishing again. You zipped up your jacket and felt for more gaps. You found five in total, but only three were big enough to absorb anything from. However, you made sure to pour back whatever you got into the soil, regrowing all the plants you could. 

“Will they grow back normally?”

You blinked before you realized he’d even spoken. “They should if they’re taken care of,” You said. “But I take care of my own flowers so…” You shrugged as you moved back to the entrance. “There’s more nearby. A lot more. I’ll get what I can but you might have to start carrying your own weight.” You gave him a dismissive wave and wandered over to the next greenhouse before he could respond. You did, however, hear a light sigh of annoyance as you walked away. 

The second greenhouse was as infested as the first, with you uprooting the few you killed and Vergil grabbing others before you could. By the third greenhouse, it had turned into something close to a competition, with him moving much faster than a human should and you stretching your mental connection as far as it could possibly go to beat him to the punch. A few times, you swore he just disappeared and wondered if his demon powers gave him the ability to teleport. Of course, that was probably cheating, but you were at the limits of your power, so it seemed only fair he should get to use his own. 

By the sixth greenhouse you were exhausted, and the demons you were finding weren’t enough to sustain the number of plants you’d brought back to life. You sat down outside of it, breathing heavily as you leaned your head back and let your eyes close. It was the last one, but you weren’t sure if you’d be able to fix it today. Even your senses were muddled, as you weren’t even able to feel the roots of the grass anymore. 

But you’d done a great service. That had to be good enough. 

“Done already?” Vergil said.

You opened your eyes just to glare at him. “Not all of us have the stamina you do.” 

Was that another flicker of a smirk? You weren’t certain. “Maybe you shouldn’t have challenged me.”

“I never challenged you,” You said. “I just told you to stop being dead weight.”

Vergil rolled his eyes. “Stay here. I’ll deal with the rest.”

“Don’t you dare think me weak,” you said, throwing your hand out. It was shaky and fell back against your side quicker than you intended. “I’m more than capable of…” Deep breath. “Keeping up.”

“Clearly,” Vergil said as he entered the greenhouse. You heard the screeches of demons behind you and just closed your eyes again. You’d siphon energy from them later. He’d been pretty good so far at leaving everything for you, but you supposed he didn’t need it. He clearly had all the power he needed while you were left to siphon from the leftovers. 

A rustle from nearby caught your attention. You let your head fall to the side, staring out over the open field. You noticed subtle movement in the grass. But there was no wind to stir it up and nobody in the fields to disturb it. Frowning, you forced yourself to your feet and moved over to where you thought the rustling was coming from. You placed your hand on the ground, drawing from the grass so you could sense what was underneath it. 

Your eyes widened. Big holes. Dozens of them. How had you not sensed them before? 

“Verg…”

You screamed as numerous holes burst open at once. The gremlin demons landed and charged straight at you. You tried to get to your feet, but your exhaustion took over and you crumbled. You reached for the grass, begging it to rise for you. But it wilted instead. You snapped your head up as a gremlin jumped at you. 

Blue lines filled the air between you and the demons. The gremlins screamed as they hit the ground, sliced to pieces. Your eyes caught a blue blur, and the others nearby died in an instant. Vergil appeared before you, sheathing Yamato with a loud, deliberate click. You stared at him, mouth agape as your heart pounded somewhere in your throat. “I didn’t sense them.”

“You were too focused on the greenhouses,” He said. 

“You knew they were there?”

“I knew there were more around,” Vergil turned to the carnage of broken soil and torn roots. “We’ll get some soil sent over from Fortuna. Send Dante out to fix it.”

You pushed yourself back to your feet, wincing as you took a few steps forward. Most of the demons had already bled out, but there were a few you could still absorb. I don’t deserve these, you thought. You didn’t kill them. You weren’t stronger than them. But you needed the energy, and all you could imagine was V smiling as he took a step back, ignoring the demons he and the others had killed in front of you. 

You need it too. 

“Thank you,” You whispered as you zipped your coat back up. 

“Is a day enough time for you to recover?”

You closed your eyes and nodded. “There’s plenty of demons here.”

“Dante promised to bring some home.”

“... That’s kind of him.”

Vergil turned away. “We’re done here.” 

“Wait,” You said as you moved to the last greenhouse. 

“What are you doing?”

“Fixing the last one,” You said as you pushed yourself inside.

“You don’t have the energy for that.”

“You don’t know what kind of energy I have,” You said as you continued into the middle of the greenhouse, turning your hand as you went. The plants bloomed as you passed by, smaller than the other greenhouses, but alive and ready for someone else to take care of them. When you were done, you took a deep breath, listening for the vine. It was silent now, and you wondered if you’d managed to even your energy out. “Now we can go,” You said, but jumped when you realized Vergil was in the doorway. 

“You’re pushing yourself.”

“I’m doing my job,” You said. “Why else would you all have sent me here?” You moved to push past him, but he didn’t let you. His gaze locked with yours, but you still couldn’t read his expression. “What?” You said, unable to hide your frustration. “Were you expecting me to just stand around and watch you do everything?”

“No,” He said. 

“Then what is it?”

“Is this how you were with him?”

You froze, confused. “Like… what with him?”

“Loud and careless.”

Your jaw clenched and your eyes narrowed. “We knew how to work together,” You said. “And respected each other, something I’m not even sure you’re capable of.”