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[neko_90]

The best time for the year has arrived!

Are you ready?

As it is tradition, a small peek at the rules before we begin:


⚝ One prompt per comment - but you can prompt as much as you like!
⚝ Prompt format: Group(s), characters(s)/pairing, prompt word/sentence (or link to graphic or music). For example:

Dreamcatcher, Jiu/Yoohyeon, meet cute thanks to cherry or pie
Gfriend, any, a masterclass in sneaking around
WJSN, Eunseo/any, "why would you look for any prince when you have me?" 

⚝ No minimum or maximum wordcount!
⚝ NSFW and sensitive content is allowed but please warn for them.
⚝ Prompts can be answered several times.
⚝ Comments on fills are encouraged, do tell someone if you read something you like.
⚝ Post will remain open until October 31st 23:59 (Pago Pago Time).
⚝ A longer version of the rules can be found here.
⚝ For any late minute changes, check the fest's twitter

And some reminders before beginning:
⚝ Anon commenting is allowed; IP logging is off. If something gets caught on the spam filter message me here, or on scarygirlynight twitter.

⚝ If you post on anon, you will be able to claim your fics once the fest is over.
⚝ Tell your friends about the party! The more, the merrier!
⚝ Last but not least: Have fun!!

Edit: This year's edition is now closed! You can still see all the fills here but any new comments will be screened! If you want to comment on a fill, there's a reveal post up -- try and see if your favorite author is there!. There's also the ao3 collection (here!) so keep an eye on that!

Comments

Questions, comments...

[neko_90]

Everything that's not a prompt goes here

[(Anonymous)]

Gfriend, Navillera MV AU but like, they come back years later and meet again there and reminisce on their youth

[(Anonymous)]

The email takes Eunbi by surprise.

’Hey, it’s been a long time since we all met together,’ it says, ’what do you think of going on a little vacation together?’

There are many reasons why Eunbi should refuse: her schedule is crazy for the next few months with the chance of finally landing more than an intern position, leaving her growing cacti family to the care of her neighbor, or the fact that she’s not even sure she can afford a trip anywhere with the little savings she has.

But none of that matters when Yerin’s reply sits there, staring back at her from her phone, eagerly agreeing to the plans.

’Just name the place and date!’

*

Throughout the whole trip it feels like Eunbi is travelling back in time.

Their inn, the same one they used to stay all those summers way back, is in a small town south from the city and even though it has been years since Eunbi stepped anywhere near the area, with every corner she turns it feels like she’s still there. In the summer, in her teens, without a worry in the world that is not skate practicing.

Even the owner seems the same as all those years back.

She doesn’t know why she expected the sports complex to be any different, but even if a little more dusty after months of being unused (”They are going to tear it down and rebuild it, modernize it,” Yewon had said, “it’s why I thought we could go together, one last time.” No one had been able to deny her), it fills Eunbi with a specific kind of joy she hadn’t felt in years.

Eunbi can hear laughter in the changing room, echo carrying all the way over to the main entrance.

She’s smiling before she makes it there.

*

The first thing they do, of course, is to put their skates on and run around the ring.

Or, well, that’s what Eunbi would be doing if her laces could stop fighting her.

Someone is sitting next to her, and when Eunbi looks over, Yerin is already looking at her. “Do you want some help?”

Eunbi sighs. She doesn’t, not really, but she would like to start going sometime this century, and Yerin must get all that from her sigh because she laughs, and kneels before her.

She can’t stop herself from focusing on Yerin’s hands.

“You haven’t changed a thing,” Yerin says, like a compliment. It makes Eunbi blush, for some reason. “You always needed help with these then too.”

Yerin always helped her then, too.

Before she can follow that thought, Yerin has finished with Eunbi’s boots, back on her feet and offering a hand for Eunbi to take.

“Shall we?”

*

“Please tell me again why are we sneaking in at night?” Sojung whispers.

“For old times’ sake, of course,” Yuna whispers back, the lock opening in her hands. Eunbi doesn’t remember ever seeing the key.

*

They never actually snuck in back in the day, but it was the one thing they always said they would do.

“After dinner, we’ll sneak out and play,” they would say. They were always too tired for following through, their days so busy under the sun they had barely any energy left for sneaking around.

But meeting Yerin’s eyes across the field, she guesses it’s not the only thing that can change.

*

The thing is, Yerin and Eunbi were never anything back then. Never more than good friends at least. Friends who met because they had friends in common at first, and got closer by the day.

The thing is, Eunbi sometimes wishes they had been. She didn’t, back then. Didn’t know what she was looking at, but if years had given her something was the clarity to know what she had, and lost, by virtue of not seeing it. She regrets it sometimes. Other times she wonders if Yerin knew, or if she was in the dark like her.

The thing is, it doesn’t matter. Because they are there now, and Eunbi knows now. And whatever they had is still there, snapping alive every time they are close.

*

Their picnic spot has overgrown weeds, but it still fits them all around, even as they lay down for a quick nap after eating.

The sun is warm and shining, eyes closing from the brightness alone. It’s the perfect time for a sleep. In the middle of the country side, surrounded by nothing more than the sound of the wind.

And Eunbi can’t sleep.

Not since Yerin closed her eyes beside her, mumbling good night as she did so. Her pinky linking with Eunbi’s just before.

Maybe it means nothing. Yewon has her face smushed against Eunbi’s other shoulder, mumbling in her dreams.

But if it means nothing, why is it sending her heart into an early death?

*

It was always meant to be a short vacation, but Eunbi is still shocked when she finds herself packing to go back to her life.

It has been nice to be with them, to be back here, and on one hand she’s really excited to go back home.

On the other, she feels like she’s mourning for something and she can almost convince herself that she doesn’t even know why.

They all said their goodbyes last night, everyone having a different time to go back, so the knock on her door takes her by surprise.

It’s even more surprising when the person on the other side turns to be Yerin.

*

“I loved you back then.”

It feels like a dream. It must be one, she thinks, unable to close her mouth as Yerin lets herself in, closing the door after her.

“And I don’t know if what I’m feeling now is still there or if it’s only in my mind, a memory to add to the pile to leave behind with this place.”

She’s talking. She keeps talking as if she doesn’t let it out now she’s not going to say it at all, and Eunbi doesn’t think she’s processing this at all. It’s too much, it’s everything, but-

“Because I know we’re different people now. That this was only a parenthesis in our lives.”

Everything has felt like a fantasy the moment she stepped off the station and seeing her worries confirmed by Yerin, pacing from side to side of her room doesn’t really help, but she knows Yerin is right.

Doesn’t make it sting any less, though.

That should be all, Eunbi thinks, but Yerin is still there, still walking from side to side, still not done.

“But I regret every day I didn’t tell you then, and I don’t want to leave now with that regret again. And since we’re not the same people we were… Maybe we can make it work.”

And what else can Eunbi do but kiss her?

sorry sinb but i have yet to figure out how to do the same name thing

[(Anonymous)]

Mamamoo, moonsun gym buddies!! (canon or au is up to you!)

[(Anonymous)]

IOI/their various permanent groups; any/gen; somi and sejeong trying to organize an IOI reunion dinner with moderate success

[(Anonymous)]

Jiu/Yoohyeon , dystopian au based on Boca's aesthetics

[(Anonymous)]

anything, about literally anyone, based on this post!!

[(Anonymous)]

Dreamcatcher, any, exes to lovers (but make it royalty setting)

[(Anonymous)]

Dreamcatcher, Yoohyeon/any, Spideryooh AU and that upside down kiss

[(Anonymous)]

itzy, ryujin/yeji, ryujin going after the Hot Girl™ despite various ridiculous urban legends (?)
(prefer au but canon is also great)

[(Anonymous)]

Sunmi/ChungHa - superstar ChungHa, CEO Sunmi. Take it wherever you want

[(Anonymous)]

T-ara, hyomin/jiyeon or hyomin/eunjung assassin au

[(Anonymous)]

Dreamcatcher, Yoohyeon/JiU, post apocalyptic au, in love with your assigned IA

[(Anonymous)]

Twice, Dahyun/Sana, kissing under the rain

[(Anonymous)]

Dreamcatcher, Yoohyeon/Sua, 'because angels are dying'

down by the lake | Yoohyeon/Sua prompt fill

[stickie]

not sure if this is what you expected, dear prompter, but i hope you enjoy anyways! :DDD

cw // a bit dark maybe (?)

***

Yoohyeon looks beautiful and serene when she sleeps.

Bora focuses back again on what she’s doing, giving a satisfied noise upon seeing the pattern beginning to emerge in that way that she wants it to. She had contemplated on doing a typical pattern of birds, robins or bluejays, but had instead decided to be whimsical and try for penguins.

The thought of penguins waddling around with their little wings flapping makes her smile. Or flippers, whichever, whatever.

It’s been a long while since Bora started, the quilt her most ambitious project to date, nothing quite like it, and it’s only half finished, still unstuffed. She hopes that it’ll be a nice gift for Yoohyeon for the upcoming harsh winter, a warm downy quilt, the anticipation of finally getting closer to the end, making her hunker down back at her sewing machine.

Bora hums as she works, listening to the clicking of the machine helping all her fabric come together, foot tapping at the pedal.

It’s a comforting tune, one she always liked to hear Yoohyeon sing down at the lake.

A scream, and Bora is by the bedside in an instant, trying to calm Yoohyeon who wakes up like a shot, eyes wide and glassy with fever, the hand towel Bora had laid over her forehead to cool her down falling into her lap.

“Shhh, you’re safe now.” Bora lets Yoohyeon squeeze her hand. “You’re okay, you’re safe.”

“—where am I? What happened?” Yoohyeon whips her head around frantically, not paying Bora any mind, unfocused gaze darting around the room. “Why does it—”

Yoohyeon visibly winces, and Bora waits patiently as Yoohyeon crooks her arm behind her back, reaching to where Bora knows she’ll find the truth.

The dawning horror on Yoohyeon’s face makes her heart ache.

“—where are my wings?”

“I found you down by the lake.”

She tries to explain, quickly realizing it’s a futile effort and instead tries to coax Yoohyeon into drinking some water at least as the other girl breaks out into sobs. It takes her a while to calm Yoohyeon down, but she finally does, and Yoohyeon eventually falls back asleep. She makes sure Yoohyeon is comfortable before returning to her quilting, tucking the worn out girl in, pulling the blankets up to Yoohyeon’s chin.

Bora picks up where she left off, humming again as she works on her penguins.

Silly flightless birds.

***

[whispers] angel wings are soft**

[(Anonymous)]

weki meki, anything involving suyeon; accidentally using permanent hair dye for halloween

[(Anonymous)]

apologies for any typos or autocorrect mistakes

Suyeon doesn’t think she’s a particularly petty person.

Wait, no.

Suyeon didn’t think she was a particular petty person.

The bright pink making it look like she had murdered a unicorn in the sink is making her think otherwise.

It all started, as these things often do, with Doyeon and Sookyung joking around while they were in their shopping trip.

“Unnie, do you think this color would look good on me?” Sookyung had asked, holding a honestly hideous orange dye box in her hand.

“Oh my god”, the words out of Suyeon’s mouth before she even realized, “please put that back and away from your hair.”

“You’re no fun,” she hsd replied, happy to have gotten such a reaction, “I was asking Doyeon unnie anyway.”

“For once, I agree with unnie,” Doyeon said from behind Suyeon, dragging their basket along. Suyeon made a gesture (there you go), before the meaning of Doyeon’s words caught up with her.

“What do you mean ‘for once’?”

Doyeon and Sookyung exchanged a look and Suyeon knew then she was going to regret ever asking.

“It’s just…” Doyeon started, “You have always been kind of traditional about your hair color.”

Doyeon said traditional the way other people say boring.

“Or anyone else’s,” Sookyung commented from the back, Doyeon nodding in agreement.

“That’s not true!”

“It’s okay unnie, it’s nothing bad,” Doyeon said, “everyone has their tastes.”

“And you think mine are traditional?”

“You prefer natural colors when you do your hair,” Sookyung pointed out, reasonably. Doyeon nodded beside her.

Suyeon could not believe what she was hearing. “I have literally had red hair,” she countered.

It didn’t matter.

“And you hated every second of it,” and well, that was true—

“But that doesn’t I’m boring!”

“No one is saying that,” Sookyung said, and it should have been comforting. Instead, she felt like she was walking into a trap.

“But if the shoe fits…” Doyeon had mumbled, turning around, and oh. It was on.

*

That had been a couple of days ago, just enough time for Suyeon to sneak out of the dorm and going back to the shop from the other day.

Picking a color had been easy: get the brightest color available; if it looked like it could belong in a children’s toy, all the better.

Her hair was being brightened slowly, working it up for their comeback soon, so whatever color she picked was going to be seen nicely.

It had been easy enough to hide the dye in her bag until night time, where she waited for everyone else to go to bed before going to the shower herself. For a permanent dye it has a stronger smell than she thought it would have, but she just hopes it doesn’t wake anyone up before she’s done.

*

Their reactions, in the morning, are everything she wanted and more.

“Wow unnie,” Doyeon says, pretending to shade her eyes from the bright color, “I take it back.”

“Looking good,” Soeun says when she recovers from the surprise of seeing the pink hair, and Suyeon tries not to blush.

“You really do, unnie,” Yoojung says, arms sneaking sleepily around Doyeon, “how long will it last?”

Suyeon thinks about it and comes up blank. “I don’t remember,” she admits, “but will probably fade out completely in a couple of washes.”

She says it so confidently she almost believes it herself.

*

It does not fade out.

It did not fade out with the first or second wash, no matter how much pink it seemed to get down the drain.

By the fifth wash the only thing Suyeon is doing, besides denying the truth to herself, is to hog the bathroom and probably panic s little.

Thank god it’s the middle of the night, she thinks, but right as she thinks it there’s a knock on the door, soft enough to not wake anyone.

It rings loudly in Suyeon’s ears.

“Unnie, please open,” Soeun says from the other side.

“Nope,” Suyeon replies. Because denial has been working great so far, some more cannot hurt.

“Unnie, please,” Soeun insists, “it’s not going away, isn’t it?”

“No,” Suyeon admits, her voice barely audible in the silence of the bathroom, but she gets up to open the door.

The moment she unlocks the door it opens and suddenly she has an armful of Soeun around her, comforting in a way than a dongsaeng should never comfort an elder.

Not her at least.

“It will be okay, unnie,” she says, and Suyeon feels her words against her neck, “we will buy fading shampoo, and ask for the stylists unnies for help. They won’t even be mad because you managed to accidentally get a gorgeous fairy hair. And in the meantime we will say it was a Halloween costume to the boss, okay?”

Her voice sounds soothing and while being wrapped in her arms, Suyeon believes her.

[(Anonymous)]

any, based on nell's the end of a beginning: "there's always cruelty behind beauty / i lay you down on a blanket made out of thorns / while hiding blood and pus under beautiful silk / you are looking at me with a bright smile"

[baechuzz]

hi!! i filled this prompt! the pairing is chuu/kim lip from loona, i hope it's okay ^^ you can find it on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34597660

[(Anonymous)]

dreamcatcher, dami/any, after the visit to the haunted hospital someone needs extra reassurance at night

[(Anonymous)]

WJSN, Eunseo/any, "why would you look for any prince when you have me?"

[(Anonymous)]

fromis_9, any, a dating show based on love bomb

[(Anonymous)]

any, fairytale retelling but oh wait the witch is kinda hot

[(Anonymous)]

any, based on lacuna's puppy's love: "i'm thinking of you / i'm lying down here / and borrowing your eyes"

[(Anonymous)]

loona, heejin/jinsoul, assassin au? "you probably don't deserve to die but i'm like the third person hired to kill you"

[shyshyshiloh]

hello! i filled this prompt, you can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34743508

[(Anonymous)]

dreamcatcher, siyeon/any, what the birthday girl wishes, the birthday girl gets

[(Anonymous)]

any, "i am not human, i never was. why do you expect me to act like one?"

a god at war | yves/haseul prompt fill; TW: blood, death, and violence

[bythemoon]

Ha Sooyoung had told herself that she'd never fight for a god. That had been lifetimes ago.

And now she fought for a goddess. The goddess of wisdom and warfare. Haseul.

She'd fought her way into the land of the dead, she'd convinced Charon to let her across (it helped he knew not to deny her), and she'd snuck past the spirits. They stood stuck in their eternity, some still with their memories, others losing them with each passing day. If days existed for the dead.

If she survived every battle, Sooyoung would never join them.

But as she crept through the land of the dead, she found glimpses of peace. The skies held no hope for day and the air held no wind, but it was quiet. It calmed her in a way she wouldn't have expected now, covered in blood that was quickly drying, both her own and that of others. Any and all wounds were already healed.

Sooyoung picked up her speed. The further into the underworld she got, the more she heard something that made the hairs on her neck rise. She knew what awaited her, but the sounds still felt so wrong. It was as if she was leaving an enchantment placed over Elysium that stopped the sounds of agony from reaching the dead spared from punishment.

Sooyoung ran. She didn't need to hide from any spirit that saw her here or anything else. She'd fight. She wanted to.

The silence hung over her. Not even her steps were loud enough to fill it. Sooyoung needed something else to fill her ears. If that was the sound of a blade, she'd welcome it.

She could see the glow of fires. Not for the first time, Sooyoung wondered if she'd go there if she ever died. She hadn't killed enough to deserve the most horrible fate after death. She'd done enough that there was a small hope of going to Elysium too, but that would depend on her judges.

Where could a god go? She only knew of a few who had died, but no one knew where they went. If they even went anywhere. The thought of her simply vanishing, no hope of bringing her back or even seeing her, it terrified her.

She pushed the thought from her mind. The voices from the edges of Tartarus were reaching her ears. She wouldn't look. She'd already seen those horrors.

Sooyoung knew she'd stepped over the boundary when the air became uncomfortable. It was never just warm or cold. One step and she felt the hairs on her arms rise, but the next she breathed in air that almost burned her lungs.

And it was louder. Finally.

Sooyoung moved passed all of it. She kept a hand on her blade. Some of them knew not to stop her, but there were a few that would want little more than to get living blood on their hands. Especially hers when they could inflict a new wound on the same spot every few seconds.

She shuddered. Being here could've brought her several unwanted memories, but if she didn't look long at anything, she'd be alright.

Still, the thought made her run faster.

Someone intercepted her. Sooyoung lifted her blade. The air was hot here. She caught the sword that came down on her. Its edge was serrated. Not meant for a fight.

She ducked under the next blow and knocked their legs out from under them. They landed on the ground with a sickening crack. It wouldn't kill them. It was a woman.

She looked up at Sooyoung, dazed. She grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head back into the ground. She fell limp and bleeding.

Sooyoung kept going, smiling when she saw others back away and go back to the dead they could dole out their punishments to. Not all of them were completely cruel. Some were people she'd shared a drink with in the halls of Hades, even a laugh or two.

She ran past the wailing dead and towards the place where true horrors lay. Where her goddess was now too.

Sooyoung came to the steps then. Sharp corners that were speckled with blood from millennia of the foolish who dared to come into Tartarus. The blood was either from the descent that cut and burned through their shoes, or from their desperate escape as they clawed their way up.

She began her descent.

Sooyoung grit her teeth as the pain started. She'd only been on the steps for five minutes, but she could feel the heat across her feet. The hard rubber covering her soles was already starting to melt. The blisters would start forming, but they'd fade too.

Her ears were full of the sounds of punishment. She covered her ears. She'd already heard this. She'd seen everything. She didn't need to suffer it more. She just needed to get to her.

When she finally reached the base, she dug into her pack and pulled out another pair of shoes. She peeled the sticky rubber off her feet, ignoring the pain across her fingers. She put the new ones on and started running.

There were voices that crept through the screams, shouting after her or cursing her. Sooyoung didn't listen for more than that. She didn't look. She knew where to go. She knew where they held gods. That was where the fight would be.

Sooyoung saw them in the distance. Those who oversaw in Tartarus wouldn't have been intercepted the others coming here, a goddess in tow. The Furies did more, but even they didn't mind prisoners being brought into Tartarus. They didn't mind them being freed either, unless they were one of their prisoners.

It was good Sooyoung wasn't here to do that this time. They'd know that too.

She took one of their lookouts by surprise, one that was replaced fast enough by the agony inflicted by her blade. Sooyoung tore the blade from their hand. One look at the metal and the feel of its heaviness told her all she needed to know.

They were here to kill a god.

And so Sooyoung fought. It didn't matter which faces she saw now. She would remember them later. She only looked at where she needed to strike them. The neck, a stomach, the heart, their arms—whatever that meant.

She felt the gashes open on her cheek, sides, on her neck, even her chest. They sealed, even if an organ was struck. The injuries were crippling for a moment, but she always needed to keep fighting. They would seal. The moment her leg collapsed, the ligaments torn or bone broken, she needed to use her arms to ward them off. If she let herself fall, then the wounds would never stop and she'd risk losing herself to unconsciousness. Then she'd be trapped here again. So would Haseul.

There weren't that many there to guard. That worried her. It meant that some had left. It meant that they didn't think they needed more.

It meant she was hurt.

The last one fell. Sooyoung pulled the knife from her chest and felt as the broken fingers in her hand righted themselves again while her lungs sealed.

She didn't look at the bodies. She only looked at the figure behind all of them. She ran.

Haseul hung by her arms from a pole shoved into the ground. Mortals hadn't made it, but it wasn't from Tartarus either. Golden matted her hair and covered her clothes. Blood.

Sooyoung slammed the blade into the chains. They shattered. She caught Haseul in the next moment, stopping her from falling to the ground. She lifted her just enough so that her feet wouldn't touch the ground anymore. Her own were almost numb to the fire held in the sand.

"Soo." Haseul blinked, looking up at her, as if waking from a dream. They were bloodshot, tinged with gold. "Were you hurt?"

Sooyoung almost smiled. "You know that can't happen."

"Didn't answer my question." The smallest of glares was sent her way.

"Doesn't matter anymore," Sooyoung told her. "Can you walk? Or can I carry you?"

Then clarity filled her eyes. "Why the fuck are you here?" Anger laced the words, even through the pain.

"You're here." Sooyoung sheathed her sword, before putting her arm under her legs and picked her up fully. She wondered if she'd manage to get them up the stairs properly. It didn't matter. She was here. Haseul was alive.

"You didn't have to come."

"They were going to kill you," Sooyoung said. She broke into a light jog, wanting to keep the contact with the ground to a minimum, but she was so tired. She kept her eyes on Haseul. Even exhausted, parched, bloodied, and bathed in the harsh light of Tartarus, she was so beautiful. It didn't matter that there was a fury brewing under the surface.

"And you came back here," Haseul gripped the front of her shirt, "why did you come?"

"They told me where you were," Sooyoung replied. No one tried to stop her. They were impartial to everything going on above. Most probably didn't know, but they would know who Haseul was, but they hadn't tried to save her. Sooyoung shoved the anger down at that. She just wanted to get out of here.

"And they let you go?" Haseul looked furious now. "I'll—"

"All you're going to do is recover from these past weeks."

"I'll heal within days," Haseul replied. "Less." Then she twisted out of her arms.

"Wait—”

Haseul fell down to the ground. She screamed and clutched at her side.

"Why did you do that?" Sooyoung pulled her to her feet. "You're hurt."

"I'm a god," Haseul looked at her, tears already falling from her eyes, "you're not going to carry me." She started walking.

The stairs were drawing closer. Sooyoung saw how Haseul's eyes drifted around Tartarus. Horror was replacing the frustration and pain there.

"Don't," Sooyoung started.

"Stop.” Haseul just kept walking. She was still looking.

“Stop looking,” she hissed. “You don’t need that haunting your dreams too.”

“You think it can get a lot worse than this?”

Sooyoung bit back what she wanted to say. They’d reached the stairs. She could see that her bloody footsteps had already dried.

"You had rubber soles?" Haseul asked as they walked up. She was wincing with each step.

"I didn't really have time to plan," Sooyoung replied. "Are you sure you don't want me—"

"Yes, Sooyoung." Haseul looked her way. "I'm not that unaccustomed to pain."

She looked away at that. She didn't want to think that Haseul's screams had been a part of the depths of Tartarus. She didn't want to think which of Haseul's wounds had healed that she'd never know about. She didn't want to think about the ones she had now or the ones she couldn't see.

"Thank you," Haseul said after a few more metres of steps. "You didn't have to come, but you did. I know that," she hesitated, her face still twisted by pain, "someone else could've come. You know that." She looked at her. "I know what this place means to you."

"And what you mean to me."

She paused then. Sooyoung pushed her along then. They wouldn't spend longer on the steps than they had to. It felt as if the numbers of steps had doubled on the ascent. She wouldn't be surprised if the steps were one last punishment, even if you were allowed to leave Tartarus.

"And the rest would've been too slow," Sooyoung said. "They wouldn't have known where to go."

Haseul didn't reply, but she nodded.

When the dark sky of the underworld started to appear, Sooyoung found the strength to go up the stairs faster. So did Haseul.

The air was still warm where they emerged, but it was nothing compared to the fire. The ground didn't burn her either.

And then she heard Haseul let out a sharp breath. She almost thought she was going to break down, but when she looked up, Haseul was standing straight, hand still at her side.

"We're here," Haseul said quietly. "Feels like fresh air and we're still in the land of the dead." She laughed softly.

Sooyoung went over to her, she reached for her hand, avoiding the wrist still ringed with burns. "I," she started. Her throat felt thick.

"Let's get to Elysium?" Haseul squeezed her hand, before raising the other to her cheek briefly. "We'll both feel better the further away we are."

Sooyoung let herself be pulled along. She kept the distance small. She didn't want to take her into her arms here, let alone in the land of the dead, but she couldn't stand being further away.

Haseul stayed with her head high. She didn't stop in Elysium, but she stopped walking so fast. A small part of the weight seemed to fall off her shoulders.

"Why did you go?" Sooyoung asked. She could feel herself crying. "I told you to wait for me."

"You were on the offensive and we need to launch another," Haseul narrowed her eyes at her, "we had the advantage and would've lost it if we hadn't gone."

"They lost you," Sooyoung said. "And this war would be lost if you'd died because of it."

"No war needs a god." Haseul looked out at the Fields of Asphodel. "We know that."

She grit her teeth and tightened her grip on her hand. She started to slow.

"We can't stay here," Haseul said then, pulling her along, but hissing in pain. "You can't stay here."

"Out there I can't talk to you," Sooyoung whispered. "Please."

"What do you want me to say?" Haseul stopped walking then. "It was a stupid idea?" She scoffed. "Or do you want to hear me tell you what a terrible experience that was? That I'll never forget what I saw?" Something broke then and it was sealed almost immediately.

"Yes," she said.

Haseul flinched. "I didn't want to land in Tartarus, Sooyoung." Her eyes turned sharp. "Yes, maybe I should've waited for you, but I didn't think I had to have you by my side whenever." She held out her wrists. "But do you really think it was my plan to be captured?"

"No," Sooyoung snapped. "But you thought you'd be fine on your own. You thought nothing would happen to you."

"I thought we would win." Her voice was rising. "And we will."

"You can't keep fighting after this," Sooyoung fought to keep her voice from shaking, "you need time." She tried to blink away the other tears. "I needed time."

Haseul was shaking her head. "And I don't."

Sooyoung tried not to get angry, but she couldn't. "They were going to kill you." Her voice had risen to a shout that all spirits would hear. "You weren't in Tartarus so they'd threaten your father, you were there to die." She lifted the sword she'd taken. "Why do you think they had these?"

Haseul just stared at it. She'd known.

"Gods can die," Sooyoung whispered. "And you need to stop acting like you're invincible."

"Like you?" Haseul coughed, holding her side again. "Only because I won't heal from a cut as fast as you means that the choices I make are foolish and yours aren't? Because you can heal?"

"Because anyone would need to rest," Sooyoung said. "And you can't go back to the war. You need to heal."

"No I don't," Haseul replied. "I needed to see the horrors to know when to join those wars and when not, but when I did fight, it didn't ever matter if I'd had to watch a town massacred or men and women tortured." She held her gaze, no falter to be seen. "It's my nature."

"And what about my purpose?" Sooyoung lifted her hands and stopped just before she cupped her face. "To keep you safe. Happy." The second had never been a part of her oath.

Haseul only leaned forward, lightly touching one of Sooyoung's hands with her cheek. "I'm not human, I never was." She smiled up at her, but the edges faltered as her eyes searched Sooyoung's. "Why do you expect me to act like one?"

"Because I am."

"But we're not the same." Haseul took one of her hands. "You've always known that. Why is now any different?"

"It's not different," Sooyoung told her. She ran her thumb over her cheek, brushing over the blood and tear stains. "But my love is as human as I am."

Haseul leaned forward, pressing their lips together. Her lips were rough against Sooyoung's.

"As is mine," she murmured.

Sooyoung kissed her again.

When she pulled away, Sooyoung realised Haseul now held the blade.

"They're out there, aren't they?" The goddess looked at it. It was a pale silver, shining, as if it had taken in the light of the moon.

Sooyoung wished she could say no. She wished she could bring her to another part, another escape from the land of the dead. "Yes."

"Then we'll meet them." Haseul walked across the field and past the spirits of the dead, her blade still glowing in the darkness.

[(Anonymous)]

everglow, sihyeon/any, the intimacy of a lonely corner in an office party/karaoke

where two walls meet | Sihyeon/Yiren fill

[stickie]

AHHHH, FINALLY WROTE SOMETHING FOR EVERGLOW. I'm so proud of myself + the girlies are amazing. :))

link to read:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/34392877