The present

jaehyun wished he could mute others, that he couldn’t hear what they were saying so that he couldn’t be bothered by them. it was so easy for him to feel like a bother and at this point he started to doubt himself so much that maybe he had bothered minjun for such a long time already that meeting up with someone else was a great excuse for the other to hide how he really felt about jaehyun and find a different reason to break up. as much as he thought he knew about minjun, everything could easily have been a lie - it wouldn’t be the first time jae’s naive self would get tricked like that. by the time he got in his car all he hoped he could get home as soon as possible, but suddenly it seemed to have become an enormous task to even start the car. every single muscle in his body was working against him, making his hand feel extremely heavy every time he tried to lift it to get the key in. after a short while he gave up on it and stared down at the wheel instead, thoughts wandering to what happened and before he knew it multiple tears fell down. he didn’t want to go home - as much as he loved his own apartment, as long as he’d be there alone it would be a place he’d much rather avoid. he shouldn’t be going home. if this was how him and minjun were going to part ways then it needed to happen in a much more reasonable manner, not like some fight about assumptions and distrust. surely both of them would need time alone to be able to talk properly, but for jaehyun there was no time to wait. if it were up to him they wouldn’t even part ways at all, because he loved minjun and he would definitely forgive him for a lot of things - assumptions and lies included. so, after taking a deep breath and wiping away the tears (that on their turn would come back anyway) he got back out of his car and made his way back to the apartment he was kicked out of moments earlier. despite that he hadn’t given back his copy of the key, he didn’t dare to walk in like he was still wanted, so he knocked a couple of times to patiently wait for an answer.

Minjun felt the pain of watching Jaehyun walk away gnaw at him. It made it hard for him to breathe and he knew he made a mistake almost instantly. But he couldn’t help it. Not when he heard those rumors. Not when he was shown pictures of the other meeting up with someone else. Minjun, who was rejected by his goddamn parents-- why would anyone really want him? He had long since convinced himself that if anyone were to be in a relationship with him it would be, at best, for his looks, at worst, for publicity. He just couldn’t figure out which one Jaehyun was in for, yet. But he was sure it wasn’t for his own personality or something like that. After all, his parents left him, his orphanage never cared about him for anything more than being a cash cow for them... what was he for Jaehyun? He bit his lip as he looked at the ground, still seated on the floor. He felt so tired and weak, as if any strength in him left him the moment Jaehyun walked out. Was this time it’s goodbye forever?

☾ ┇                        𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗   guided him to the location the witch was familiar with. A place he had once made a home for himself until Taemin outgrew it entirely which had caused him to move and settle elsewhere. Upon leaving the complex many years ago; the witch left behind a few valuables stashed away securely within the confines of a cabinet. Stored away was a few photos of his past, these were memories frozen in time and precious for him. He longed for those days to return in the present. These photos along with a few jars emergency ingredients and letters, the items would serve no value to whomever had the guts in breaking the lock. A fog of darkness eased itself through the barely opened window, Taemin shifted into nothingness, a void of dust. Boxes and furniture was laid out on the floor; an indication someone had recently moved in, the witch made it up the stairs as he shifted into his human form, keeping his footsteps as light as a feline.

His blue hues caught hold of the cabinet, the voices of dead ceased. The lock no longer bind the cabinet shut. Perhaps the new tenant had curiously opened it, though no gold or other treasures hid inside. Taemin was positive this person felt utter disappointment upon seeing useless items in their grasps. All but the photos was there, a sigh of annoyance passed his lips. Perhaps the witch didn’t vaiue much of the jars and letters, the photos he definitely valued those memories.

Birds began to chirp welcoming the sun, the witch waited until this new tenant appeared. Finally when the opportunity of meeting this stranger, his voice elegant despite how annoyed and desperate he was; Taemin turned towards the soft footsteps that dragged against the floor. seeing the tall figure appear out from the room. “You there! what have you done with my photos? and why did you break into the cabinet..”

Aiden was resting soundly in his new bed. A luxuriously soft mattress, silky soft sheets and the feeling of being independent from his household workers, at least while he is staying in this apartment. It all translated into one amazing sleep experience. One that had him happily curled up against his plush pillows, dreaming wonderful dreams. No need to wake up too early to commute to city center, which was great. When he woke up to go to the bathroom, he was shuffling slowly through the corridors, rubbing his face and yawning as he walked blindly through his new place.

He would have completely been blinded to the fact a stranger was in his house if the other wouldn’t have spoken and he immediately shot alert at the sound, scrambling to pick up anything he had around him to protect himself-- eventually settling for his slipper as a weapon-- not very effective. But given the situation, it will have to do. “What are you doing in my apartment? Who are you? Are you the old owner? I’ve already moved in! You can’t just barge in here like that?!” He cried out, flailing his slipper and suddenly forgetting all shyness as it flies through the window because-- stranger danger! He can’t be meek.

   Playfully rolling her eyes at your drawn out explanation, Yena gives her head a few shakes. “Ah, you always manage to make yourself right at the end. I shouldn’t even bother arguing with you, huh?” She clicks her tongue before swatting your hand away from your face. “I’m trying to be a good host here, remember? How am I supposed to make this tea when you keep goofing around?” Yena wasn’t very good at keeping a serious tone. Trying to forget the fact that she wanted to laugh just by looking at your face, she keeps herself busy by preparing two cups of tea. She only looks up from her task once you speak up again. “Don’t say stuff like that! You know that you’re always welcome here! My neighbors probably have better things to do than keep tabs on me all day.”

   He definitely had a way with words. Any time she asked a question or brought something up, Yena was always impressed with the ways in which he managed to reply. She had never been that eloquent. “It sounds like you’ve been through that speech before. Is that how you convinced yourself to buy the cake in the first place?” She looks over at you with raised eyebrows as she starts to laugh again. “Oh, my week was pretty normal, you know. I just had two pictorials, so it was actually uneventful, really.” She mumbles, focusing on pouring the tea. “What about you, hm? I’m sure that you had more going on than I did.”

Lucky broke into a huge, smug smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Of course I do. It’s a gift, really. I mean, I’m almost certain that if put my powers to good use, I can be president of the world in like 5 years tops. I just got a way in convincing people I’m right.” He teased playfully, obviously joking. He hoped she realized it as well, though. He looked at her curiously, his brow arched. “But you are! You invited me in. That’s the first step to being a good host-- hosting!” He couldn’t help but break into another chuckle, grinning at her. “Oh, yeah? Really? But what if I catch you while you’re busy or with someone else? Come on, a man coming uninvited to your place-- might get you into trouble!”

“Sometimes apps take up too much space and that can drain the battery or make it lag out. Sometimes people don’t realize it, but an app can also have a built in viruses. Not a whole lot of them, but sometimes. Bluetooth does drain battery, unfortunately, but that’s not the only thing,” she explained. Of course, she understood the anger he was explaining. It could be frustrating when tech stopped working out of nowhere, “oh yeah, for sure. Well. I’m glad you chose to bring it in to us before you decided to crush it to death. I couldn’t fix that,” Ileanna laughed.

“It’s not likely, but it’s definitely possible. It’s hard to monitor what people are lacing with the image that they’re sending,” she explained, shrugging a bit as she plugged the phone into the computer, so they could run diagnostics. “Depending on how much stuff is on the phone, it could take as little as ten minutes. My guess is this won’t take too long at all.”

“How would you know, though? If an app has viruses? God, it’s not like you can check it’s temperature...” He scowled. He really didn’t get the whole modern technology thing. It was so burdensome. He was perfectly capable of communicating on his own and entertaining himself outside the realms of that tiny screen. He watched her do whatever she did and wondered if this was why many of those repair people call their shops as “Doctors” for one’s phones. He never really got the term doctor for a simple machine, but he did now. A whole new appreciation to the profession.

“Horrible. You can’t trust anyone like that!” And most times the stupid application downloads the images automatically to my phone so I can’t even screen it. Ugh, who ever thought phones can be such a headache.” Lucky was a bit surprised at her estimate, looking at her curiously. “That quickly? I assumed like a day or something-- wow. So can I stay and wait here?”

daehyun rolled his eyes, but still decided to humor the god of mischief. he took off his shoes and placed them next to the carpet. lilith did raise a gentleman, even if it didn’t look like it often. ❝ you get too hysterical over something as inconsequential as a carpet when there’s a stranger before you in your own house, ❞ he jabbed at the other, one defined eyebrow quirked upward while a smirk adorned his lips. ❝ a god of many talents and eclectic tastes, got it. not that it matters to me anyway, ❞ yet he was looking around. checking the various items and interesting devices that told him more of the god’s inclinations.

❝ you can give me what i came here for, ❞ if he focused, even for a second, the pull of something more than norse magic could be felt in the atmosphere. he knew he was close, but he may still need the trickster to find the item in case he set up some nasty traps. daehyun hadn’t reached his peak yet and that meant he could still be killed.  daehyun was trying to understand the other’s power but he was coming with nothing. ❝ and you know, keep your mouth shut about bastards and whatnot, ❞ he waved his hand about. ❝ i don’t care about my origin, what can anyone do about such thing when it’s out of your hands, just like it happened with you and your choleric, barbarian family. ❞

he watched as the other made use of his power to disappear his materials into thin air. that was the reality manipulation haeil told him he would be able to perform one day too. ❝ but enough about me and my status as the morning star’s last bastard. where are you keeping it? the horn of gabriel? ❞

daehyun took a few steps forward until he was just a few feet away from the god. eyes flashed with gold then. ❝ i can feel it is here. i am the son of an archangel, after all, even if i am a bastard. you can’t deceive when these things are at play. so where is it? ❞

It was hard for Lucky to keep his shit together with how serious this little shit was acting. For Lucky, this little one was just a bastard brat that is the fruit of his sibling’s fling, love affair, mistake... whatever. But this guy had the audacity to think he is all that and then some. Lucky would have been much more angry if he was not as amused by the other’s actions instead. He watched the other daring to threaten him and he wondered if this child, whatever halfling he may be, really believed he could take him on. Even if he didn’t know that he was carved out of the same material his father was, a half angel thinking he can take on a god? And one as infamous for his actions as Lucky was?

“Unless what you came here for is a good spanking and a slap back into reality, I don't believe I can give you what you want.” Lucky shrugged his shoulders, glancing at the other as he went to sit on his couch, yawning softly. He felt pleasure knowing he had struck a nerve. Something in him was satisfied putting brats like that in their place. Not that he really cared too much for his feelings. Invading his privacy eliminated any ounce of respect or care Lucky might have had for the other’s feelings. Instead he just looked at him, disinterested and unamused.

When the other had finally posed his request, his brows arched in surprise, looking genuinely shocked at the request. How would the other even know he had such possessions. “The what now? Why would I have anything related to that side of the divine family. I’m not interested in whatever messed up shit going on there.” He said casually, the lie coming naturally out of his lips. 

⸻  “EVERYBODY DID.” Jun shrugged, still smiling. “Your betrayal? You chose a life that was true to you.” That was the one and only thing that Jun would fight for as long as he could breathe. Nobody, not Heaven, not Hell, not the Presence Themselves would make the demon let go of his independence. To him, Lucky’s actions were eye-opening and ever since then he’d looked up to the other. The other’s response to Jun’s invitation came as no surprise and ended up in a nod and a small shrug. “I didn’t expect anything. You don’t wanna go then I won’t push. I understand that, at least in theory, I could be dangerous.” That was… doubtful, but Gabriel’s carefulness was praiseworthy, he knew when to be serious and when to let his sense of humour rule. That was probably something that Jun could learn himself. It would definitely save him a lot of problems. Still, the idea that Lucifer would entrust Jun with anything as big as this pushed out a chuckle out of Carnivale. “The day that happens, I’ll probably turn purple but thank you for the compliment.” He didn’t remember a time when Lucifer really trusted anyone, especially when it came to his closest siblings but times change and maybe… just maybe he would just lose his mind and trust Jun. That would probably mean that Hell was close to breaking down but that was information that, in the end, Jun chose to keep to himself. “Sure. If you need me to take your little test of faith then why not? Although, please turn off the sigils that can detect a dumbass, cause if I enter them, then they’ll probably go off…”

greed is the reason they end up in this lifetime. greed and love blended together, forming a bond that is attached to them for a long time. if apollo was not too greedy to be with the other in the past, zeus will not be mad at him - them. they won’t have to suffer in this kind of fate over and over again. but greed mixed with love is not a child’s play. not anymore. if apollo is given another chance, he will choose this person over and over again.

inseol felt his heart clench, fear that he barely recognize as a human crept into his mortal body. fear that aiden will push him away, secluded his self again because of confusion. albeit the other carried him in a loose embrace, inseol lean to kiss him deeper, fuller, real. his love that he cradled for so long, finally be able to express; to believe.

he looks into the other’s eyes and smiles, lips detached for a moment to breath. “ i feel… you. “ he could feel the love, the chance, the moment. “ does it mean we are real? even if the words i spoken are nothing but craze, you felt it, right? you… feel me too. “

Aiden's face warmed up, a warm flush covering his cheeks until the tips of his ears were burning. Warmth, so consuming and real had his body tremble slightly against the other's embrace as their lips grew more intense and memories laced with emotions so powerful flooded his mind. He could hardly focus on another but the softness of the other's lips. The sweetness that was all so familiar. Why did it feel like they were together for longer than time itself?

As their lips part, his eyes are still left in a daze. One that seeks out something. Confirmation? Denial? How could he feel what he feels? "Inseol.. I felt it. I felt us. Like... not us... us. Not Aiden and Inseol. It felt different. Like... it sounds crazy. But it felt so... primal. As if it existed even before I existed." He tried to explain but his mind was a blur and his lips just wanted another taste of the other's pair.

"It's insane, isn't it? It sounds mad. How can it even be possible? But I feel like I've known you my whole life." His words slowly dropped to a whisper as Aiden brought their lips together, slowly their pair met as this time Aiden too control over the kiss, digging his nails into Inseol's shirt, scratching at his back as he clung to him, praying that this won't be another dream he will soon wake up from.

there was a reason lucky was assigned as her bodyguard. unlike the previous ones who worked silently to guard the princess’s every move, lucky was honest, he never shied away from saying things that needed to be said just because of who alana was. sometimes she admired that about him, other times she loathed it entirely, today fell into the latter category. she knew every word he said was the truth, yet sometimes she was not in the mood to be philanthropic when it felt like she had been doing the same thing for the tenth time in the past week. “i just… i just wish my life doesn’t have to revolve around other people. is that so wrong?” it was never about what alana wanted but what her family wished for her and what the press expected her to be. she had to be polite, pretty and impeccable every hour of the day when sometimes she just wanted to be an ordinary twenty-year-old who didn’t have to worry about a disgraceful photograph showing up on tabloids to haunt her forever. everything she did was monitored with every mistake magnified under scrutinising glares and it was suffocating. her gaze darted to the man’s then, frustrated yet curious. “aren’t you tired of having your life revolve around us? around me? don’t you ever get tired of it?” looking outside the window of the limousine, she let out a slow, heavy sigh. maybe telling the driver to stop their journey in the middle of their trip wasn’t the least bratty thing to do, but she genuinely felt like she needed a moment. there was a reason why december was never her favourite month despite how much she adored christmas, there were countless soirees and galas to attend as the year approached its end and she was drained. “— how much longer til we get there?”

“You are seriously over reacting,” Isis replied not even bothering to unpack the suitcase. She was done. Over. Finished. If anything she was going to help him pack her things and she did as she walked over to where her clothes were hanging and picked up a few in a scoop and walked over and threw the clothes and hangers at him. “Maybe I will go fuck him since you’re so worried about it!” She yelled, feeling herself get worked up. She didn’t even know how many times they had this argument and he was at his breaking point, again. And so was she for that matter. “That way you and that girl at the bar from last night can fuck too! See?! Everyone is happen then!” 

“Me? Okay, you are just so off.” He couldn’t believe she would think he was overreacting for her flirting with other people. “Ha ha so very funny. You suggesting this is exactly why I suspect you two have something going on in the first place!” He glared at her, his eyes narrowing. “If you wanted this relationship between us to just be friends who fuck with each other, you should have said so! I am so over seeing you flirt with others and then have to pretend I’m okay with my girlfriend doing this! Have you even thought about how many times I had to fake smile in interviews that asked me if I’m okay seeing my girl hanging out with notorious playboys?! How many times the entire world told me I’m stupid! Jesus fucking Christ! What?! You kidding me? Her?! She is a fucking extra in the new drama I’m shooting! God, she has nothing on you and you legit think something might be going on?! Projecting much, huh?!”

“You’re a slick sly angel. You deserve dark wings as much as I do.” Lucifer provoked as he chuckled and then waved one hand, as if telling that he didn’t want to carry on with the topic.  “Should we poison one of them and set the guilt on another, by living evidence with them? That could be fun and I could lead the soul towards where it belongs already.” He suggested and ignored what his brother spoke about still having some good in him, since he didn’t want to pay any time and thought to that too.

“I am not sure if I’m hurt or flattered.” He arched a brow at the other. “I mean it’s not like father made us to be merciful. He was not. And he had stopped taking care of the mess he had created. If I were not around, people like that Austrian dude back in the 1930s would be all over the place, okay? He was just a slipup I missed but you know how many of his sort I killed before they become... someone like him?” Lucky was a bit defensive, always walking on the grey area, never truly wanting to pick black or white. “Oh-- oh alright there. I like that. Yes!” He broke into a huge grin. “But what kind of poison? I think a graphic, painful death will create all the more drama, don’t you?”

“Uh.. well that barely happens here! We’re in one of the most homogeneous countries in the world, dude.” He shakes his head a little. “Besides, that’s what Google translate is for, I guess.” Dalbit rolls his eyes as Aiden breaks out into laughter, though he is smiling at the same time. Leave it to this kid to poke fun at him.

However, he tilts his head and watches the other carefully. Dalbit knows that Aiden is trying to mask something. It’s not hard to tell, especially since he’s not human. The blood rushes through his veins and to Dalbit it is as loud as a waterfall. He reaches up, tugging on a few strands of Aiden’s hair. He doesn’t care much for the movie, honestly. “Okay, okay.”

And he’s not going to press the issue. Dalbit isn’t quite sure yet that he is ready to trust Aiden with the truth. “I swear if you fall asleep though, I am taking a video of you snoring and putting it on the internet.”

“Hey, with Kpop becoming famous worldwide, you know we will get many crazy American fangirls coming over here and... well, you look handsome enough. What if they start stalking you, hmm? How will you tell them to back off because you’re an officer, not an idol?” He poked the other’s strong arm and broke into a playful snicker. 

All his playful banter is quite obviously his way of masking the nervousness he feels as his heart still tries to relax. He smiled at the other and shook his head. “I promise I won’t fall asleep and if you do that I will bite you so you better not.” He snapped his teeth at Dalbit and started the movie, putting on subtitles while snuggling up close to the elder.

“Say, what is your favorite movie of all times? I kinda imagine it being a cop movie, because I can’t imagine why would you want to become a cop otherwise... but maybe because every career path I ever dreamt of being, came from a movie. For a while, I was positive I will be an archeologist like Indiana Jones! And then a spy... at some point I wanted to be a Disney princess too!”