#‘nice hair clauds did you kill someone?’
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So… does Soren know that one of his friends cut his little sister’s leg off? Did they have that conversation during Season Six? ‘Cause it doesn’t seem like it. Come to think of it, Rayla hasn’t yet seen Claudia with her amputated human leg, only her pentapus tentacles, so she might not even know herself that she actually, permanently disabled her.
At this rate the heroes are gonna see Claudia in Season Seven and be absolutely horrified at a) her missing leg b) her mostly white hair with its dark magic implications and c) the GIANT FREE AARAVOS. I bet Soren will be so overwhelmed that he’ll short-circuit and say something like “You cut your hair!” or “I like your wood foot” because he’s desperate not to lead with either “Rayla, did you chop my sister’s leg off and not tell me?” or “Hey Claudia. Where’s the little purple guy. Where’d he go”. Callum already has the ‘mental breakdown about Aaravos’ base covered.
#‘nice hair clauds did you kill someone?’#it’s going to be excruciatingly painful#but it could also be very funny#the dragon prince#tdp
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"______" are you- Part 2
Here's part 2! Hope you guys enjoy it.
“Your family’s trademark is golden blonde hair? How does that make sense?”
Arhen just shrugs, “How would we know?” Earlier they thought it would be best to talk at night while everyone is asleep. After All, they didn’t want their caretakers to worry about what they were up to. Arhen pondered on what to do next. They finally left Derolina castle with So-woon’s help, now living in a villa that belongs to the imperial family of another empire, and met someone who’s like him and Sun-Hi. But how long will that last? He wants to believe that they’ll be safe here but he’s aware of Claude’s presence. At some point, they’re gonna encounter if they’re going to hang around his children. Especially his oldest child, Athanasia. If he discovers them, will he send them back to Yuriana? Hold them captive? Or have they killed?
“Geon? You still there?” Arhen snapped out of his thoughts and noticed Athanasia and Arienne looking at him curiously. “Yeah, I’m fine . . . . .just thinking.” Said Arhen. “Right . . . . . . if you’re getting tired we can continue this tomorrow.” Said Athanasia. “No, I'm not tired, I can keep going.” Said Arienne. ‘Are you sure okay? You’ve been spacing out since we got here.’ ‘I’m sure. There’s a lot on my mind right now, okay?’
“If you say so. . . . .Hey, so that lady who came after you and that kid are your aunt and older sister?” Athanasia tries to change the mood. “Aunt Eden and Verbena? They’re the only family we actually have. We hadn’t met our grandparents yet,” said Arhen. “Auntie wanted to take us to their home but she didn’t have enough money for all of us to go.” Said Arienne. “Well you live here now so maybe mama can help with that?” Said Athanasia. “Maybe but there is also a chance she’d say no.” Said Arienne.
“Oh maybe I can ask if you can come to Siodonna with us in two months?” Said Athanasia. Siodonna? Isn’t that where her mother, Diana, is from? “Siodonna? Are you going on vacation?” Said Arienne. ‘Come on, Sun-Hi. Vacation? We talked about grandparents.’ “You’re going to meet your mom’s family?” Said Arhen. “Yep! Since I was born, my mom has been taking me to see Diana’s family for three months for a week and a half. Apparently she did it in honor of Diana since she wasn’t able to inform her family about her pregnancy with me.” Athanasia said thoughtfully. “I didn’t know she went THAT far. The novel only said that the two were close.” Arhen said in surprise.
“Yeah I heard from one of my siblings’ mom, that Diana asked Selena if she could be my godmother. I think she knew there was a possibility Claude wouldn’t take care of me.” Said Athanasia. Yawn “Oh that nice of her.” Arienne. “Tired already, Sun-Hi?” Said Arhen. “Give me a break, Geon. It's late.” Arienne whined. Sigh Okay we should go to sleep now. Come we pick this up tomorrow, Jihye?” Said Arhen. They agreed they could call each other by their past names but only in private so they would forget part of themselves. Arhen wanted to try calling Athanasia, “Jihye”, to get used to it.
“Sure I’m up for it” Replied Athanasia. The twins got out of Athanasia’s bed covers and walked to their beds. Once they got in bed, they instantly fell asleep however Athanasia stayed awake. Sign I wonder if “__” has been born yet?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I would like to name him Ambrosia.”
“Ambrosia? I think it’s a good name for the little prince, Your majesty”
Ten months ago in Obelia, Emperor Claude finally married after two years of nobles pestering him with the addition of Felix's input. Claude has been emperor for 2-3 years and yet he has not gotten married during that time and for unknown reasons his concubines were dismissed. This proves to be a problem as there is no known heir. But Claude craved in and married the second daughter to a marquess, Avrora. Claude never loved Avrora and made it clear she’s only there solely to bear a son. A month after their wedding, Avrora is confirmed to be with child.
“That brother of mine! Really, he could have at least shown up for his son’s birth!” Said a woman with straight pink hair and black jeweled eyes.
“It’s alright, Your highness. I'm used to this behavior from his majesty.” Said Avrora. “It’s not okay, Your majesty. This is extremely disrespectful towards you! You’re his WIFE for crying out.” Shouted the woman.
“Don’t be too loud, your highness. You could wake Ambrosia.” Avrora Hushed the woman. “Well don’t worry, your majesty. Sofia went to fetch Callista however I was unable to reach Dimitri. It seems he won’t be back to the palace until next month. Claude sent him to Huale to handle some affairs for him.” “And of her highness, Selena?” “She’ll be here in a few days. She is far from the capital, remember?”
“. . . . . Yes ""is something wrong, your majesty?”
“Your highness, can I ask you something?” Asked Avrora. The woman looked at her puzzled but answered regardless, “What’s your question, your majesty?” Said the woman. “When I fell pregnant, I started to hear rumors about the ruby palace. Can you confirm them for me?”
#who made me a princess#wmmap#the twins siblings new life#the twins new life#wmmap oc#athanasia de alger obelia#manhwa crossover#arhen yuriana#arienne yuriana#avrora de alger obelia
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SAYONARA
Noted: Short story, betrayal, pain, blood shattered, wicked, hatred, and won't be in the AFR book.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~
It's already in the middle of the night when all of a sudden the castle where the twelve sinister and queen Narissa stay explodes on both sides. Few of the sinister was able to get out of the castle but with injuries around their body.
"Is everyone alright?" Netanel inquired about his teams.
"Yeah, we are fine." Fiori answered as Luna gazed around.
"Charlotte, Ivy and Claude are not here." Luna told everyone as they all gazed in their area.
"What!? Where did those three go?" Magnus shouted. Then everyone heard footsteps sound, coming in their direction.
The person is wearing a purple dress, black hat, and black heels with a gun in her right hand. When the sinister meets the eye of the person, they soon released it as their queen daughter; Marianna Wolford.
"Marianna?!" Liam stuttered out. Jackson gazed carefully at Marianna and saw she doesn't have any injury.
"Marianna, you are not hurt."
"thank goddess." Luna sigh in relief.
"Yes, I am not hurt but disappointed." Everyone flinched and turned to the girl in shock as she said that. "I was hoping that explosion, would take you all to death but so it seems it didn't."
"M-Marianna... W-what are you talking about? Did you... plan that bomb in the castle... To kill us?!" Victoria stuttered as trembling.
"WHY!!?? Why did you do that!?" Kiyoko yelled at her as Marianna stared at them with empty and wicked.
"Why? You ask, huh... Easy, you guys are a fool, weak, and reckless. And so~ easy to be played with." Marianna grins at them as they all started in rage.
"You... You are a monster! We trusted you!!" Miyamoru shouted at the top of his lungs.
"And that is why you are weak. You trusted me so easily without even knowing what I am capable of." Marianna stated as she sounds like a villain. "You poor innocent souls, being blinded by my kindness, caring heart, and from our friends and gf and bf made you all so fragile. It's too bad, this will be our very last meeting."
"W-wha... Are you--" Before Liam could complete her sentence a three knives fly towards her back. As she let out blood and then fall to the ground everyone's attention changed.
"LIAM!!!" They shouted as Jackson quickly go to Liam, the others turned to the person who throw the knives.
"Eh~!? What's with those faces?" The person who throw the knives appeared in the light and it was one of the members of eclipse sinister. No. 5 Krel.
"Krel!! You little" Magnus clicked his tongue.
"You are also a part of this, Krel!" Netanel inquires him as Krel let out a wicked chuckle.
"Princess Marianna, me and the other eclipse sinister, of course."
"You... You all are in this!" Raizo stuttered.
"Where?... Where are Ivy, Charlotte, and Claude? What did you do to them?" Kai shouted.
"Oh? Do you mean these three?" A female voice appeared as she throw three heads toward the group. It was the heads of Ivy, Charlotte, and Claude.
"Ahhhhh!!!" Victoria screamed as she moved away from the heads. The girl who throw the heads laughed at the reaction of Victoria.
"hahaha!!! You look so funny, with that reaction and so good." It was Maze the no. 12 of the eclipse sinister.
Victoria trembled so badly as her trauma slowly came back to her, "P-please... Stop... T-this is... Not right." Then someone grabbed her hair and pulled it up hard.
"Huh, we do what we want to do." Victoria turned to see no. 2 eclipse sinister Chihiro. "Hmmm... Poor you... Why won't you just surrender? Or just die." Pulled her hair a bit hard causing Victoria pain and screaming.
"Chihiro, stop it! Now!" Fiori stands up and runs to Chihiro, yet before he could go close to them. Another girl falls from the sky and kicks Fiori away caused him to fly to the tree.
"Nice kick, Milan," Chihiro said as the girl curtsy to Chihiro.
"Tsh." Fiori cough blood as he stand up but a string was rap around his neck; stopping him from taking another step.
"Alright, that's enough playing around!" Marianna spoke with a cold tone, "Let's end this, and get moving." With that said all of the eclipse sinister appears in the scene and go to attack one-on-one to the twelve sinister.
The moment Marianna opened her eyes, all of the twelve sinister are bleeding to death and on their last breathe.
"Seems there's nothing more here. Shall we go? Princess...or should I say Queen Marianna" Alvertos said as he kicks on Kai's bloody body to the side.
"Hmmm~ yes, we should go," Marianna said sitting on the side with her mother's head on her hands. Her eyes glow green with evil and power, "This place is nothing more than a dirty castle. Filled with the blood of these people." Throw the head to the side as she stood. "Let's blow up this popsicle stand."
The eclipse sinister smirked as Marianna turned to the castle before snapping her finger soon the palace explode into pieces.
"Sayonara,"
~End~
Song after eclipse sinister & Marianna betrayed everyone. 00:28 - 01:13
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{x} Gremlin Hours Are On™️
“Cannot relate. My father was nice enough he just caught the plague & died a few days before my mother. I got the letter telling me I was an orphan & a five year old brother to raise at sixteen… I think I would have known if he was a cunt by then. Though there were many conversations we did not get to have at all so who knows,” he replied, running a hand through his hair though he was pointedly avoiding any eye contact with her when he answered, very quietly of course. He always got quieter, talking about the people he felt he FAILED.
You should have been there. You should have said goodbye. You should have been right by their sides. You are an AWFUL son.
His pale gaze did not stay off of her for long, his head tilting at her as he snorted.
“That is absolutely not what the hell I just said. You are unhinged as shit. You could probably kill me with the right amount of effort. The idea is not ridiculous. The fact that you think I, a lawyer who spent 20 years on a prison island where children including my own were fed literal garbage would risk going back to any sort of confinement for a lie I do not need to tell is ridiculous. Also. DNA evidence. Blood spatter analytics. Cell phone tower location pings. All incredibly large rains on your par-“
& her head was on his chest. What on Earth? Why was she… Touching him? He was utterly repulsive in his own humble opinion & she hardly had any interest in him before. Then again her father was in a very precarious position & he was offering to help. He could have been any other damn defence lawyer really. He was being stupid & overthinking as usual. At least that is what he was telling himself before she said the most unexpected thing in the world & his entire face went pink immediately highlighting his usually hidden freckles.
“Ahhhhhh are you- I-“
Okay maybe a second take would fare better.
“… Then what else is it about, Cakepop?” he asked softly because he was certainly not going to set himself up to think something stupid!
Obviously it was for her father's benefit, rather than her own, that she'd had that particular wish, but at Claude's words about his own father, Joanna decided not to voice that. Instead she reached her hand out and put it gently on his arm, and gave a squeeze. "I'm sorry you didn't get to have those conversations." She should speak to him properly about his parents at some point, ask him questions, but not right now. Right now she was too het up and anxious. It stung to hear him call her unhinged, though she tried to tell herself a lot of people would be unhinged when the only person they had in the world had been taken from them. What would he have thought of what she'd been like in the year after her mother's death, she had been worse then...
Truth was, she had not really entertained the idea of him going to prison. She knew they could get away with lies. "I'm a Lannister. I can pay to make the rains stop." If bribery was needed to get the authorities to ignore evidence, to believe in her guilt instead of her father's, she was ready for that. They needed someone behind bars for Tywin's killing, it had been such a high-profile story, but it didn't have to be Tyrion.
"I care about you getting better, your wellbeing..." Joanna murmured. She had been worried about him, ever since witnessing his flashback at the bar. But her head was in too much of a spin to properly try and explain that now, his words about the horrors of prison were bringing terrible images into her head. What was her father going through as they spoke? Was he being hurt? She knew she had to put a stop to it now. She'd sat and watched her mother die, unable to do anything, but she wasn't going to be that helpless again. "I... I need to go." Shaking a little, eyes wild and face flushed, she grabbed her jacket and strode towards the door. "I need to go, I need to fix..."
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The Kuroshitsuji characters drunk
It's been a few days now, huh..? Uhm, well, in my defense, I have basically succumbed to Animal Crossing New Horizons to the point where I even take my Switch to places you'd never take one to. Am I embarassed? Maybe a little bit. Will I continue to do so? Absolutely. But this is not todays topic.
These headcanons contain the mention of alcohol, NSFW, bad mental health and other mature content. Read at your own risk.
Sebastian Michaelis
he only gets drunk on birthdays, certain events and on evenings
said evenings often include something or someone fucking up his day beforehand
so basically, he never gets drunk without a reason
he isn't really sad or over the top happy when drunk. He's the chill kind who you can have some real great conversations with
What? You wanna know about that one time a volcano errupted and killed an entire civilization? Sure.
His liquor of choice is either rum or tequila
prefers red wine over white wine
he's a lot more friendly to others while drunk. Not because he has to, but because he actually wants to.
which also means that he's a bit more touchy with you
and a lot more needy
kissing the sensitive parts of your neck while voicing what he wants to do to you. No thoughts left unspoken.
I imagine that demons can sober up at will just like in Good Omens, which he will do when you and him get more intimate with each other
hangover? he barely knows that
Grell Sutcliff
a fun night out, birthdays, partying with Ronald, a nice dinner, nothing a bit of alcohol couldn't make more fun
she can and will drink if she has the chance to. But don't worry, Grell knows when to stop before it gets too much
she prefers red wine (who would have thought...), but also likes some cocktails mai tai and tequila sunrise
Grell manages to be even more energetic while drunk
it doesn't take much for her to get tipsy
drags you on the dancefloor to dance with her or do other crazy shit together
she once actually broke into a zoo to pet the tigers because they reminded her of Sebastian
everything is an adventure to her
but Grell is also the type to throw up if she drank too much, so please do her a favor and hold her hair
sex while drunk? nah, better not.
her hangovers are so strong that she usually takes the next day off
Undertaker
he rarely drinks, simply because he often doesn't have the time to do so
resurrecting the dead doesn't allow any drunk accidents
but if he can drink he will most likely do it in a pub
vodka and irish whisky, these are his favourites
he's either really happy or really, really depressed. And trust me, you better hope for the first option
he laughs at anything, no matter how unfunny it actually is.
Your grandma died and because of that you're drinking your sorrows away? How funny, he just had a customer of that age.
but if not...well...
you usually never see him cry, especially if you're a stranger to him. But under the influence of alcohol he let's go of his hold on his emotions.
the death of people he cared about, the fear of balding, being alone and unliked by everyone, it just comes up and breaks him completely down
even to the point of receiving the number of mental health hotlines multible times
fortunately for him, he quickly falls asleep after being drunk for too long
Claude Faustus
he also only gets drunk on specific occasions.
for example after a terrible day, his or your birthday, just this kinda stuff
but as to not turn into an alcoholic, he started measuring terrible on a different scale than we would
tries something new every now and then, but he tends to buy wine and way too expensive gin the most
but it takes a while until he actually is under the influence of it
drunk Claude comes in a happy and in a sad option
the happy one is similar to Sebastian, only that he is even more talkative
did you know he had an emo phase? Well, now you do. Want to know how lava tastes? Really not pleasant, like liking a rock but a lot hotter with the stinging taste of dry ash to it.
but when he tends to go towards the sad side, he just stares into a candle flame and talks to it, how soothing its' light is, how unfair his life is compared to those of others.
but no matter which one you got, he just can't seem to think straight anymore
which also means that he can go from sad to horny in a matter of seconds, telling you straight forward that he wants to be inside you right now
he doesn't get hung over anymore
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Took me quite while, huh? I'm on holiday now, so I finally have the time (and energy) to write again.
Remember that I take requests, but please read my guidelines before sending your request.
Tune in next time for...
A Random Scenario That A Generator Will Generate For Me: Part 1
Your Inconsistent Kuroshitsuji Blog~
#kuroshitsuji#black butler#claude faustus#sebastian michaelis#grell sutcliff#black butler undertaker#black butler sebastian michaelis#black butler claude faustus#black butler grell sutcliff
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Cindered Shadows Ch 6 - End
It's going to feel sooooo good to have this finished. Because after this, I'll have beaten all of Three Houses content and can focus on Warriors.
STORY
I feel so bad for Balthus, Hapi, and Constance. Betrayal sucks. Like, I'm sure Yuri has some excuse or whatever we'll learn later, but it must hurt for them now.
So how did Aelfric find all these crest people if they kept it such a secret?
Constance being like, this background is too ugly for me to die in!
Glad Balthus is rightfully angry about this.
I realllly hope there's more to it than "I have yer mom! Yergh!" from Aelfric and Yuri. Because there's just not enough time left for a proper "rebuild trust" arc if that's all that's going on because like . . . why not just tell them??
Aelfric is batshit 🤣😂 🤣😂
Wait, is that green-haired lady Byleth's mom?? I thought I remembered something about that.
OMG - AELFRIC IS SNAPE OMG 🤣😂 🤣😂 But like unhinged!Snape.
These guys are way more forgiving than I would be about this.
I really cannot follow Yuri's thought process here though. Like for a guy who talks non-stop about "I've been though all this tough shit" and everyone is like "he's o so cunning" when someone held his mom hostage for a situation that would result in him dying, his friends dying, and having to betray everyone his grand plan was . . . nothing?? Just go along with everything Aelfric said?
Oh, his grand plan was, Byleth. I should've known, lamo. The flames in the background behind him look badass though.
I mean, why is Aelfric surprised.
I don't know why he didn't just come clean to Rhea and/or Byleth though. Like, he could've at least told them where it would take place . . .
Still, if I were one of Yuri's friends, I'd slap him and never talk to him again after this. But I'm very bad with grudges.
Constance is the only sane one. Yuri's like, our lives are getting drained by a madman and our only hope is a mercenary who doesn't know where we are find us, but like don't panic because I have - a plan! Which like, tell them what it is for once, dude.
Seems like they borrowed a lot from what people say about Claude (but doesn't seem actually true) and put it into Yuri? Like, oh, he's a genius schemer you can't trust.
BATTLE
My brother warned me about this chapter. Saying prayers that Constance and Hapi don't prove too hard to keep alive since they're wayyyyy more fragile than Balthus and don't dodge like Yuri.
Poor Linhardt not wanting to watch the blood. Dimitri distressed that people are in danger.
Yuri, your plan fucking sucks.
OMG it does damage to everyone. I want Mercedes with Fortify back.
I could kiss Dimitri right now. Everyone else is fucking useless, doing like 8 damage to Aelfric, missing every hit, and he's over here doing 44 damage and actually hitting shit. This is king behavior, Claude better take some fucking notes (he was utterly useless against Aelfric).
Dimitri MVP. Yes. No one else was even a possibility.
And, like, the funny thing, that Dimitri's maybe like 1 or 2 levels ahead of Claude, Ashe, and Hapi, yet they all did jackshit to kill Aelfric with their puny 4x2 damage - at most - and missing 75% and 85% chances, while Dimitri's over here telling Aelfric to eat shit and die.
STORY
Aelfric is surprised that we're fighting him. He's delusional.
I guessed right, though, it's Byleth's mom.
Dimitri's like that's not a two decade old corpse, dude.
Aelfric's motivation is sooooo, yeah.
Rhea's like shut up. I'm not explaining myself to you. That's also King behavior.
Dimitri, once again, being the person worrying about others, concerned the wolves are too injured to fight.
Oh, good, Balthus punched Yuri. Deserved. Also King behavior. So now we're up to three kings.
Nice to see everyone calling Yuri out for not trusting his friends. If only Claude would've gotten the same treatment. It actively makes me less angry with Yuri BECAUSE he got called out. It's nice when you get to release that emotion through characters. If only Crimson Flower took notes.
Aelfric is . . . really pathetic. Not for supporting her with Jeralt, that's great actually, but like . . . everything else is . . . yeah.
Oh, 21 years ago. Guys, we know Byleth's age!!! So Byleth's only a few years older than the students, probably younger than some of them.
No matter how hard they try, I'm just going to find this pathetic.
Rhea sounds like an angry mom at a child that won't stop playing video games and not doing their homework.
Everyone's like, stop, this isn't going to work, but Aelfric is . . . yeah. Channeling his inner Orson I guess.
Oh, he's finally one with his love, as a beast, lamo.
Dimitri's delivery on that last line, that little shake, he sounds scared, and now I'm super pissed at Aelfric.
Good on Yuri for taking responsibility for this mess. I don't blame this all on him, but by him taking responsibility, more than he needs to, I'm more willing to forgive. Again, it's too bad Crimson Flower didn't take note.
And for some reason, we won't have playable Rhea in this chapter for no good reason. I don't even have to see the map to know that.
BATTLE
Final battle, let's go. I think my brother said the tiles move people around randomly in this chapter. Looking forward to that. Not.
I'm not worried about Dimitri, Edelgard, Yuri, Byleth, or Balthus, but everyone else . . . . Hilda, Ashe, and Claude can take a hit, but like only one or two and they don't dodge enough. But Linhardt, Constance, and Hapi - not looking forward to that. Esp Linhardt who infantry, the other two and likely run away at least.
BALTHUS HAS HEALING FOCUS - ARGHHH. WHY DIDN'T I CHECK THAT BEFORE I PLAYED THE LAST MAP. I feel like SUCH an idiot right now.
I like how Dimitri and Claude are encouraging caution. Dimitri should take not for himself about that though.
He's dead. Took a team effort, but we're through now.
Byleth MVP. Deserved.
WRAP-UP
I like how Sitri made a choice, and Rhea respected that choice.
So Rhea really did a magical heart transplant.
Man, if it's really Byleth's mom's heart in there, that just makes the line in CF about wanting to get rid of their nabatean blood even sadder.
Kinda creepy Rhea didn't just burry her though.
So is this cannon to the main plot? Because if it's not then it's funny imagining Aelfric trying to make his crush come back to life while there's a continent wide war going on.
So if the AW house is disbanded, then they join a main house now, right? Oh, Abyss is still around though.
Love how Rhea tells Yuri that he's slain the underserving and now has to deal with the guilt. This man and Dimitri need a support.
Approve of Constance going to Faerghus. Good for her.
I can't believe they're letting Hapi roam free though, with her weird power. IDK she seems dangerous to everyone alive.
Ashe sounds so dissapointed that Yuri's going back to being a thief or . . . whatever he was.
I had Byleth say he'd look after the Abyss, which after all the other stuff I had Byleth say (i.e. always ready to run away screaming), isn't exactly meaningful lamo.
Lamo, Dimitri assuming Claude's motivations aren't always selfish. He's always trying to assume the best about Claude.
This was pretty fun to play, actually. Makes me wish the maps and goals were a bit more creative in the main game. It was challenging without ever being frustrating. Though, I played Normal.
DLC is now finished. Feels good
XXXX
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Debbie tells Lou she never experienced proper aftercare when Debbie was sleeping with Claude
“You sure there isn’t anything else I can get you?” Lou asked, stroking Debbie’s hair back as she watched her finish the last of the water in her glass before taking the cup from her. “Here, let me see your wrists,” she murmured, rubbing at them gently as she hummed, Debbie studying her intently as she watched her partner in awe, tears starting to roll down her cheeks as she sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling anxious.
“Debs?” Lou panicked, looking into Debbie’s eyes with concern, her fingers moving from massaging the brunette’s wrists to gripping her hands. “Did I hurt you? Were the ties too much on your wrists or—“
“No,” Debbie sniffed, smiling as she shook her head. “It’s just—I miss this.”
“What?” The blonde frowned.
“I missed you taking care of me,” Debbie admitted shyly with a little shrug, looking up at Lou. “I never thought I liked the idea of being taken care of, but with you, baby. I don’t know…it feels nice. It feels right. And I guess I’m just not used to it.”
Lou let out a snort as she elbowed the Ocean. “You might only be realizing that you like it now because you’re stubborn, but honey, I’ve always taken care of you.”
“You have,” Debbie nodded. “I just haven’t always had someone who wants to take care of me.”
Lou let out a long frustrated sigh as she gritted her teeth. “You really won’t let me kill him?”
“No,” the brunette laughed, laying her head down in Lou’s lap as the blonde’s fingers shifted back to her hair, humming softly. “I mean, looking back. I guess it was a lesson I had to learn. If you love someone, let them go, see if they come back to you. Or that whole you don’t know what you have until it’s gone…”
“You shouldn’t have had to gone to hell and back to learn that lesson,” Lou murmured. “I really could kill him, you know. I don’t care how good his omelettes were. He treated you like shit.”
“It’s what I thought I deserved,” Debbie whispered, closing her eyes as she admitted it out loud.
“Debbie—“
“I broke you heart,” Debbie spoke softly, as if keeping the sentiment quiet would make it seem less astronomical as she admitted this out loud. “I broke everything we had. And for what? And when I realized that—when I realized it was too late, I settled. I took what I thought I deserved. It wasn’t love. It was just…something. I didn’t want to be alone. I couldn’t face myself. Couldn’t face what I’d done. He let me lie to myself for a little longer. Let me pretend that I had a good reason for throwing away everything we had. Like I could pretend there was something better out there even though I know there wasn’t ever anything out there better than you. Than us.”
“You broke my heart,” Lou agreed. “But I was always willing to take you back and let you help me put the pieces back together. You didn’t have to go and break yours too.”
“It’s what I deserved,” Debbie spoke coldly, hiding against Lou’s chest. “It’s what I still deserve. The fact that you took me back, that you love me and forgive me, I don’t—“
“Don’t do that,” Lou murmured. “You have got to stop punishing yourself. If I can love you and forgive you, you need to do the same for yourself. Lou and Debbie? They’re back. They’re better. But Debbie Ocean needs to find herself again. You need to learn to love yourself again, honey. And forgive all the parts of you, even the past. Even about me. Even about that monster.”
“I don’t even think he ever hugged me,” Debbie whispered. “Never held me. It was always this visceral rough and possessive thing. Like I belonged to him. Like he could just walk away when he was finished. Like he was doing me a favor and I should be over the moon about it.”
“I’ll always hold you,” Lou whispered, her own tears starting to fall. “And hug you. And love you. And be there for you. And show you how amazing you are. How amazing you make me feel as a person. We’re partners, you and me. Equals, love. I want to make you feel good, but I also want you to feel safe.”
“I always feel safe with you,” Debbie murmured, looking up at the blonde. “I’ve never felt safer then I do in your arms.”
#queue#blackacre13#ocean's eight#oceans eight#oceans 8#ocean's 8#ocean's eight fanfic#ocean's eight fanfiction#ocean's 8 fanfic#ocean's 8 fanfiction#o8 fanfic#o8 fanfiction#lou miller#Debbie ocean#Lou Miller x Debbie ocean#Debbie Ocean x lou miller#lou x debbie#Debbie x lou#lou and debbie#Debbie and lou#lou and deb#deb and lou#lou x deb#deb x lou#loubbie#heist girlfriends#heist wives#Claude becker
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Uh. I was looking at fe crossover drawings, and. Corrin's canon appearance has the white hair/red eyes combo in addition to pointed ears. I wonder what that would do to the thinkers in the school. Assuming, of course, that Corrin doesn't immediately get kicked out for head empty problems.
Lysithea is just squinting at Corrin's hair like "hmmm." Edelgard is torn between the way she interacts with Lysithea, where she's like "I want to take care of you and make sure you don't overexert yourself because I know what happened to you", and her gut impulse when she sees Corrin's ears to be like "what are you" in a way that is not exactly kind. Claude is taking notes. Linhardt is keeping observations in his head but it's a bit too much effort to actually write it down. Hanneman has her tested for a Crest but the machine just goes haywire.
Flayn and Seteth are desperately fishing for information from Corrin and also nudging her to cover her ears but she doesn't get the subtle hints and then when Seteth outright tells her that it could be dangerous for people to know her true nature, she's like "but all my classmates are so nice! They wouldn't hurt me!" while in the background, Edelgard and Hubert are wrestling Kronya-as-Monica away from blowing her cover by stabbing Corrin instantly.
Now there's possibilities for how Corrin gets here and they can all be incredibly funny:
Hoshido and Nohr exist on another continent in this world and Garon sends Corrin abroad to get more information about the next kingdoms he/Anankos intends to conquer.
Now, this would mean that Corrin is "infiltrating" Garreg Mach under the guise of an "ordinary student", and you'd be like "why would Garon send Corrin to do this when Corrin has rocks for brains" and you're right, but Garon is the undead puppet of a mad god, so this is just what Anankos does. Anyway, Seteth and Rhea are immediately tipped off that Corrin is Not From Around Here but also has rocks for brains so Rhea's not exactly worried about her causing any problems and just resolves to keep an eye on her and try to get a little more information about where she's actually from.
Anyway which house would be funniest for Corrin to end up in? I think she would fit best in the Blue Lions, since Faerghus as a cold, isolated land with people clinging desperately to chivalric ideals seems...a bit like Nohr! (I want to put non-Azure Moon Felix and Birthright Xander in the same room and see what happens.)
Corrin would get along great with Annette and Mercedes - they might remind her a bit of her sisters. And Felix reminds her of her little brother, but god forbid she say that. It goes as well as it initially goes when Mercedes mentions such.
But I did say which house would be funniest, not necessarily what fits best, so! Either of the others could be interesting too. But Blue Lions dynamics is just my first thought.
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2. Hoshido and Nohr are also kingdoms of Fodlan that are mostly busy going to war with each other while Adrestia, Leicester, and Faerghus ignore them, but people from those kingdoms are allowed to attend Garreg Mach anyway.
This obviously wildly messes with the political dynamics of Fodlan, but I am ignoring that for now to look at character dynamics:
I want to lock Takumi and Felix in a classroom and see what happens. They'll either kill each other or band together to kill someone else. Peri is following Jeritza around like a lost duckling. Sylvain flirts with Camilla once and she's like "If you persist in this, I will break your knees; now, were you also headed towards the dining hall? Shall we go together?"
Silas is in a corner with Ashe, Ingrid, and Raphael like "I'm just trying to be a good knight, what is happening in this place." Lilith is in the fish pond. Bernadetta thinks the monastery is haunted by the ghost of a woman who drowned and now walks the halls singing because whenever she sneaks out at night to get food she hears an ethereal, echoing voice and sees a lot of wet footprints. Azura is in the fish pond.
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felt the lightning under my skin
word count: 13.7k
warnings: explicit!fem reader, cursing, little bit of asshole joel, alcohol consumption, slight innuendo, moderate depiction of injury, needles
recommended listening: under the spell | springtime carnivore
a/n: i know figure skater/hockey player romances are terribly cliche but i couldn’t help myself. as an ex-skater hopefully i can make it a little less cringe. there’s probably an obscene amount of technical jargon in here and i sincerely apologize. the injury mentioned actually happened to me and let me tell you, it was not fun lmao. enjoy!
Joel swears he’s going to kill whoever’s in charge of renting out the practice facility.
Realistically, he knows it’s impossible. The rink can be rented by anyone when the Flyers aren’t using it and he typically thinks it’s a great way to promote ice sports in the community. Joel just wishes the facilities manager didn’t rent it out to figure skaters. They kick the shit out of the ice with their toe picks and leave the ice in terrible quality. It frustrates Joel because while community engagement is important, his career and the team take precedence.
No one else seems to be bothered by the recent decline in ice conditions. Most of his teammates are used to poor ice, growing up playing pond hockey and at rinks that also housed figure skating clubs. While Joel had those experiences as well, he clearly never developed the same nonchalance as everyone else. He complains in the dressing room after every practice until Kevin finally says something.
“Christ Beezer, relax. It’s only for another month or so until renovations at the other rink finish.”
Others chime in, telling him to not take it so seriously, with a couple of them defending the right of the other athletes to use the ice as they so please. The grief Joel catches is enough to shut him up, but he still stews privately over the fact figure skaters are destroying his happy place.
☼☼☼☼
You want nothing more than to return to your home rink. The Flyers Skate Zone has been nice, the staff are incredibly accommodating, but something feels off. You’re having a harder time landing jumps and skating clean programs. The change in routine is enough to knock you off your game, which is something you absolutely can’t have. You’re coming off a breakthrough season, finishing on the podium at nationals and landing a spot on your first world championships roster. People are expecting you to replicate your success and you want to do that and more.
US Figure Skating had taken a chance placing you on the national team for the current season. Though it was expected, they could have easily chosen the fourth place skater instead. She’s much younger than you, barely fifteen, and is yet to have a serious injury. At twenty you’re barely an adult, but this could be the last time you get an opportunity like this. The sport keeps getting younger and you’re going to get left behind if you don’t prove yourself. The grand prix circuit has been kind to you, allowing you to earn medals at some of the smaller competitions and hold your own against the big dogs in the majors like NHK Trophy.
☼☼☼☼
“Try the triple flip again,” Brenda, your coach, instructs. “You could be more solid on the landing.”
“It’s this fucking ice! I can do one at home that would get me a high GOE,” you complain.
She rolls her eyes and thinks about telling you off, but decides against it. No matter how many times she tells you it’s a mental block you need to get over, you find a way to blame the training facility. “Just give me five solid ones and we’ll call it quits.”
It’s your turn to roll your eyes, but you peel away from the boards anyways. Some juniors are mingling in a corner and you warn them to watch out as you skate by gaining speed. The first attempt feels natural, and though you could have been a little stronger on the exit it’s a significant improvement from what you were doing earlier in the session. Jumps two and three also go well, but things go wrong on the fourth try. You catch a bad edge just before takeoff and aren’t able to correct your center of gravity while in the air. Two and a half rotations happen before you slam into the ground. The entire right side of your body feels like it’s been run over by a bus.
“Fuck!” you scream in frustration as you pick yourself up off the ice. Circling back to examine just how bad the edge was you notice your pick created much too large a hole, something you’d get points deducted for in competition. Brenda signals you over to her, and you hang your head as you skate over.
“You’re done,” she sighs. You can tell it pains her to see your progress plateau, but you’re doing everything you can to get out of this rut. Before you can protest, try to convince her to let you stay on, she’s speaking again. “Our ice time is up anyways. Go cool down and meet me in the conference room when you’re done.”
There’s nothing for you to do but sulk off the ice. The other skaters clear out of your way, not wanting to be on the receiving end of your anger. You direct it at the dressing room door, kicking it open so harshly it flies back on the hinges. It makes you feel a bit better but you’re still in a sour mood as you untie your skates. It’s frustrating not being able to perform at the level you know you can, even in practice. If you could just get out of this rink and back into the one you’re most comfortable at.
After a much longer stretching routine than normal, you pack up your bag and head upstairs for what will no doubt be one of those meetings where you sit silently and take the heat. You realize that your behaviour today was childish, but you couldn’t help but let your emotions overcome you. The next group is well into their ice time when you pass by, and you realize it’s the Flyers. Most of them don’t acknowledge you and keep running drills, but one who looks about your age is sending you daggers. You have no idea why.
The meeting goes much better than you thought it would. Brenda takes your anger in stride and lets you apologize for your outburst before shifting the conversation to altering your training plan. She suggests you take a few days off from the rink, working strictly off-ice, and you begrudgingly agree. There isn’t anything you can do or say to change her mind so you take the updated workout plans with a fake smile. She also tells you that your appointment with your sports psychologist has been moved up a couple of days, which you’re grateful for. Things then move to talking strategy and watching tape of competitors to see what to expect at this year’s nationals. The event is just over a month out, and you have the goal of landing on the podium once again, hopefully with the gold medal dangling around your neck.
A couple of hours pass with you holed up in the conference room, and it’s dark when you gather your stuff and head for home. The complex is deserted and you assume no one but the staff are still here. It turns out someone else was there, and they follow you out, their own gear bag slung over their shoulder. You don’t really pay them any mind, holding the door open out of habit, and fail to recognize the person as the boy who glared while you walked by hours prior. He notices you, however, and makes a point to voice his distaste.
“Hey!” he calls out, “Next time you eat shit don’t put such a big hole in the ice. Other people need it too.”
“Get fucked,” you yell back. You really don’t have the time or energy to be accosted by a hockey player. He continues to talk, but you don’t hear it because you slam your car door shut and drive off into the darkness.
☼☼☼☼
Joel doesn’t feel like he was in the wrong until Claude suggests he apologize a few days later. In his mind, he has every right to be upset about you damaging the ice because it directly affected him. The hole you caused couldn’t be fully repaired, and he tripped at a really key moment during the scrimmage. His bad day was your fault.
“You can’t blame a tough practice on her man,” Claude says as the two of them skate a few warm-up laps. “She didn’t mean to fall. Hell, she didn’t want to do it.”
“I get it, or whatever, but it’s still her fault. We’re professional athletes G, we need to be at the top of our games.”
Claude swats Joel upside the head. “So is she! Did you know that she’s favoured to win both the national and world championships? And that things look good for her to be on the Olympic team next year?”
Joel didn’t know, and guilt twinges his stomach. The next time he runs into you at the rink he’s going to apologize.
☼☼☼☼
You spend your time away from the rink conditioning and regaining focus. The first couple of days are tough, but then you settle into a routine you believe will ultimately make you a better athlete and competitor. Your cardio and weights are upped, and you’re anxious to see how the increase improves your performance. At the suggestion of your psychologist you take a few more days off than originally planned, but it’s the best thing you could have done. You return to the rink ready to nail the final few weeks of training before nationals.
Any other coach would have detested you for taking a week off this close to a major competition, but not Brenda. She understands that you needed time to refocus and that you’ll work harder than anyone else in the time until you leave for Salt Lake City. Your first practice is fantastic – every element is clean when isolated and within your programs. The timing is off a bit during your free skate on the first run-through but your jitters settle quickly and the next one is spot on. It feels good to be back in control of things.
“I think you’re over that mental block kid,” Brenda laughs when you stop along the boards to get some water. “You’re skating better here than at home.”
You can’t help but agree. “You know, I don’t hate it here as much as I used to. Think we should move here permanently?” The comment earns you a slightly aggressive hair ruffling, but it’s worth it. You spend the last hour of ice time alone, running through both of your programs in a mock competition setting.
It’s nearly silent in the complex when Joel sneaks through the doors. The only thing he can hear is the faint sounds of your music from inside the pad. He had been worried that you were never going to reappear at the rink but learned you were just taking a break when he cornered your coach in the parking lot. The middle-aged lady had told him when you’d be returning and Joel immediately put it in his calendar so he wouldn’t forget. Now, as he stands against the glass watching you, he’s nervous. What if you don’t accept his apology?
Joel knew you were a good skater. Well, he was pretty sure you were. He spent the short three-day road trip to Florida watching as many videos of you competing on YouTube as he could find. Though he’s murky on the specifics of what makes a good figure skater, Joel knows you put heart and soul into every performance and that your elements are strong technically. Your scores reflect that. Regardless, Joel is blown away at how talented you are when he watches you skate in person.
You’re looser than in the videos he’s seen, probably because there isn’t any pressure, but you don’t give it any less than your all. The music drives you forward in a way Joel’s never seen before – you’re an extension of it, and it of you. As you round a corner to pick up speed he holds his breath. From watching footage of this program from earlier in the season, he knows you’re about to attempt your hardest element. The quadruple salchow is one of the hardest jumps female skaters are attempting at the moment, according to his research, and it’s been your most inconsistent element this season. You’re completing the jump before Joel realizes you’ve taken off the ground, but you don’t fall. He exhales and watches the rest of the program in awe.
When the music stops and you take in your surroundings, you notice the applause. Thinking it’s just from Brenda, you shrug it off, but when you turn around she isn’t clapping. It’s coming from someone else – the boy who was a douchebag the last day before your break. The chances are he’s here to make another stupid comment, but Brenda insists you should talk to him. You wave him over to a section near the benches that dosen’t have glass so you can hear him better.
“What do you want?” you ask bluntly, taking a sip of water.
Joel’s taken aback by your abrasiveness but recovers quickly. He deserves it. “I, uh, wanted to apologize for what I said last week. That wasn’t cool. I was having a bad day and took out on you, I’m sorry,” he rambles. “And you’re like really good.”
“It wasn’t fucking cool,” you agree, “But we’re fine. I had just been kicked off the ice when you caught me, so I’m sorry too. For snapping.” There’s nothing more for either of you to say, and Brenda is calling your name, so you skate away from him. Over your shoulder you call out, “Thanks for the compliment unnamed Flyers player!”
“It’s Joel!” he responds. “Joel Farabee.”
☼☼☼☼
A sort of truce befalls you and Joel. More of your ice time overlaps, but neither you acknowledge each other more than the occasional nod in each other’s direction. It doesn’t bother you in the slightest. Preparing for nationals is the only that matters currently, and trying to navigate a possible friendship would be too much of a distraction. Joel is a little put off you don’t try to extend pleasantries, but when it’s explained to him that you’re entering a period that is similar to the lead-up to playoffs he understands.
However, he finds himself making up excuses to stay at the rink to watch you practice. He blows off dinner with Kevin and drinks with Morgan when you have the slot after practice, and when you skate before him he’s at the rink hours early. His schoolboy crush becomes the topic of locker room gossip. Though Joel swears up and down that he just likes to watch you skate, none of the guys believe him. They don’t go as far as to embarrass him in your presence, but Travis certainly tries. What Joel doesn’t know is that you’re developing the same sort of fascination with him. You find yourself turning on every Flyers game you can fit into your schedule, watching him intently, and keeping an eye on his stats.
“That boy sure has a lot of interest in you,” Brenda muses one day while you’re talking strategy on how to increase the points total on your short program.
“I don’t know why,” you sigh. “So I was thinking, if I raise my arms during the triple lutz it should give me at least three more points.”
She looks at you like you’ve gained two extra heads. “Are you insane? You’ve never raised your arms during a triple.”
Your smile turns into a wicked smirk. “It can’t be that hard.”
It’s a lot harder than you thought it would be. Though you’ve added the extra step to jumps in the past, it’s been on single and doubles to rack up points and GOE scores. Jumping has never been your strong suit, and trying to navigate the change in your centre of gravity is difficult. You spend the rest of your ice time popping, under-rotating, or slamming into the ground. A couple of juniors snicker at your failed attempts, but when you remind them they’re stuck on a double loop they stop laughing. It was a little mean, and you remember how hard it was to prove yourself as a junior, but you can’t find it in you to care. There’s no need to laugh at someone trying to improve their skating.
Bruises start to form on your sides from falling the exact same way so many times, and you trace them lightly through the thin material of your compression top. They’re going to look nasty in a few hours if you don’t ice them soon. A knock on the door stops your actions, and you invite the person on the other side in. To your surprise it’s Joel, and he’s holding an ice pack.
“I thought you might need one of these,” he says, extending it to you.
You thank him and hiss slightly when the cold hits your skin. There’s a beat of awkward silence before Joel speaks again. “Can I ask why you’re trying to change that jump?”
“You noticed that?” you know it isn’t a response to his question, but you’re shocked.
Joel smiles and nods. You explain how changing the position of your arms increases the difficulty of the jump and therefore raises the amount of points it can receive. “So you’re doing it to get more points?”
“Pretty much. It’s a gamble this close to competition, but I’m confident it’ll work out.”
“You’re afraid your program won’t gain enough points to put you in a good position for the free skate,” he notes, “Or you wouldn’t be doing this.”
Once again, you’re floored by Joel’s understanding of your sport. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” you say as confidently as you can. “But maybe I just want the challenge.” If Joel notices the shake in your voice and the worried look in your eye he doesn’t say anything.
You go through your cool-down routine but are surprised Joel doesn’t leave. In fact, he stays at the rink until you’re finished and follows you to the parking lot. His car is parked a few spots over from you, so you have to raise your voice a little to get him to hear you. “Hey Joel,” you call, “Do you not have practice?”
“Day off,” he yells back. He’s grinning like an idiot, which prompts you to ask him why. “That’s the first time you’ve said my name.” The smile on his face doesn’t go away, and you try to settle the butterflies in your stomach as you drive home.
☼☼☼☼
Something shifts between you and Joel after that day. It’s subtle, but you’re well on your way to becoming friends. Phone numbers are exchanged, with him insisting his contact name be ‘King Beezer’, and the two of you chat regularly outside of the rink. He still watches as many training sessions as he can, and you start making appearances at his practices. It’s far more awkward for you but you push through it if for no other reason than wanting to be a good sport. Once Joel’s teammates catch wind of your budding friendship, they’re pestering you to go to a game. You politely decline each time, explaining that your training schedule is rather rigid and you can’t change it so close to nationals. The competition is just over a week out, and you’re catching a flight to Utah in three days.
Joel doesn’t let you know he’s a little upset you won’t shift your schedule for him. Instead, he brings you lunch on days where you’re at the rink for eight hours and does his individual workouts alongside you. The two of you fall into the easy routine of enjoying each other’s company and everyone else is beginning to take notice.
“So,” you say with a mouth full of the pita Joel brought you, “What are your plans for the All-Star break?”
Joel has been toying with an idea for a few weeks now, but he’s keeping it a secret. “I’m just gonna spend it at home with my family,” he shrugs.
“You’re fucking joking. Joel, you could be someplace warm enjoying the beach!”
“I don’t want to go to the beach,” Joel retorts.
You open your mouth to argue with him, because you’re of the opinion that everyone should love the beach, but you’re cut off by Brenda calling you to return to the ice. “This conversation isn’t over Beezer,” you say sternly, poking him in the chest to prove your point. He rolls his eyes.
“I’ve gotta be at Wells Fargo in an hour for a team meeting, so I can’t watch this session,” he tells you. You’re a little deflated but understand he can’t play hookie from his job to watch you do yours. Brenda is banging a skate guard on the boards to get your attention, so you wave goodbye and jog over to her. “Y/N,” Joel yells loud enough that you’ll hear him over the chatter on the ice, “Keep your core tight!”
Your coaching team is perplexed at the comment because it’s second nature to you at this point, but you think it’s sweet. Some of the other girls poke fun at your ‘boyfriend’ and it makes you irritable. Brenda tells them off and suggests they get back to work which makes you feel better. You keep Joel’s advice in the back of your mind for the rest of your practice, and land every jump almost flawlessly.
The day before you board your flight you have a terrible practice. Brenda chalks it up to nerves, but you that’s not it. You feel good about the competition and are confident it will go well. Something is off – you just can’t put a finger on it. Frustration eventually boils over and practice is called early. Everyone stays out of your way, letting you cool off, and you huff out a goodbye after promising to meet Brenda at the airport in the morning. Before you’re even out the door you’ve got your phone pressed to your ear, waiting for Joel to pick up. The Flyers got to start their break a day early due to a scheduling conflict and you hope he doesn’t fly home tonight.
“What’s up?” Joel says casually. Judging by the background noise he’s playing video games, no doubt some dumb first-person shooter game he seems to play constantly. The sound of his voice is enough to send you into tears and you can’t get out a reply. His tone changes instantly and the noise stops – the game paused and forgotten about. “Hey,” he soothes, “What’s wrong?”
“Practice was bad,” you choke out, “Like really bad. Joel, I don’t think I can do this.” Now across the parking lot and at your car, you throw your bag in the trunk and crumble into the driver’s seat.
“Of course you can. Want me to bring dinner over and we can do whatever?” You agree, not wanting to be alone, and hang up only after insisting you’re okay to drive the twenty minutes to your apartment.
Joel must have drove well above the speed limit because he pulls into the parking lot at the same time as you. His engine is turned off jarringly fast, and he’s popping your trunk to grab your bag before your gears have settled in park. Though you put up some rather weak protests about carrying your own stuff, Joel ignores them. When you insist on holding something he tosses you the bag of food he brought with him. Opening it up, you realize Joel had stopped at your favourite sushi restaurant even though he doesn’t like the food. A smile creeps onto your face, possibly the first one all day, and you lean into Joel slightly when he wraps an arm around your shoulder.
The two of you eat in silence, but it’s far from awkward. Joel’s waiting for you to open up, knows you will eventually, and you’re trying to find the words. However, they’re yet to appear, so you let Joel lead you to the couch and put on an episode of some crime show he’s currently watching.
“Thanks for coming over,” you say as the credits roll on the second episode.
Joel sends a smile your way, which you do your best to reciprocate. “Don’t worry about it. This is what friends do.”
Slowly, you open up about practice, venting about how you skated sloppily and couldn’t nail any element no matter how simple it was. You tell him about how tense your muscles are and how scared you are that your fifteen minutes of fame are over, that you’ll never get another chance to represent America on the world stage. Joel listens attentively, letting you speak for as long as you need. At some point you start crying again and he tucks you into his side. Your tears soak through his sweatshirt but he could care less. When you’ve laid all your emotions out on the table he speaks gently, dispelling your doubts and letting you know that you can do it and he believes in you. Joel’s words make it easier to believe in yourself.
The two of you spend the night on the couch, and you’re disheartened when your alarm goes off. You can’t stay in the little bubble Joel created for the two of you – the world and its responsibilities taking precedence over your fantasy. He drives you to the airport, rationalizing it by telling you it’ll be safer to keep your car at home. Realistically there isn’t a difference, but you thank him anyways. Parking is just one last thing you have to worry about. When you reach the airport entrance, Joel pulls into the idling lane and steps out of the car. You follow him, dragging your feet a bit because though you’re excited for nationals you don’t want to leave Joel. This will be the longest time the two of you have been apart since becoming friends.
“Make sure you don’t forget about me when you win and get all famous,” Joel jokes, handing you your suitcase.
You swat his shoulder playfully. “Like you’d let that happen.”
“Of course I wouldn’t. Come here.”
He takes you in his arms. You’ve hugged Joel a couple of times before, but they didn’t feel as serious as this. This time he’s holding you for a purpose and you’re gripping the back of his jacket tightly because you want him to let go. It’s longer than people who are just friends are meant to hug for, so you begrudgingly pull away. Besides, Brenda and some of your teammates are waiting.
“Have a good time at home,” you mumble.
Joel wraps a single arm around you for one more squeeze. “You have a good time,” he says seriously. “Remember to enjoy the moment. I’ll be watching on T.V.”
With your goodbyes said you wander into the airport. Joel says parked in his spot until he sees you embrace Brenda before driving off. The boarding process is painless, and once on the plane you take your seat beside a junior and put your headphones on. Downloaded to your Spotify is one of Joel’s hip-hop playlists, and though it’s the farthest thing from the music you enjoy you listen to it the whole flight.
☼☼☼☼
Utah’s nice, but you can’t help feeling like something’s missing – Joel’s missing. You’ve become so accustomed to him watching you train, clapping like an idiot every time you land a jump, that the silence is unnerving. Everyone notices the shift in your performance, and eventually Brenda crumbles and uses your phone to facetime him while you practice. It’s a decent enough substitute – Joel watches your pixelated figure zip around the ice and though he doesn’t always make comments, just know he’s with you in some capacity is enough to let your mind focus on the task at hand. You do the best you can at pushing away the butterflies that appear every time you think about how he’s giving up his freedom to make sure you succeed.
When you aren’t training or doing press you’re talking to Joel. You call him constantly, narrating what you see on walks around town to settle your nerves and eating at the same time to make it feel like you’re together. The only person to support you in Salt Lake City is Brenda, so talking to Joel frequently makes you feel far less alone. You wish he could be here with you, but understand he needs time to recharge and can’t just follow you around the country no matter how much you’d like him to.
“What time do you skate tomorrow?” Joel asks, mouth full of the pizza he’s enjoying. The features behind are different, so you assume he’s settled into his childhood home.
“Um, I think 11:35? I’m not entirely sure,” you respond. Due to the way the event is seeded you’re skating second last, which both settles your nerves and makes you more anxious. There isn’t the pressure of closing out the event, but there’s hope that you’ll score high enough to win the short program and skate last in the free skate.
Joel hums pensively. “I’ll check the website.” Conversation shifts away from skating, which you’re grateful for. It’s the last thing you currently want to think about. You listen with interest as Joel recounts stories of the pond hockey matches he’s played since getting home. The two of you are on the phone until nearly ten, when you have to say goodnight and head to bed. Tomorrow marks the start of the biggest week of your year.
You follow your pre-competition routine to the letter. At other events this season you’ve been more relaxed, but your professional skating career depends on your performance at nationals so you aren’t taking chances. Five-thirty comes faster than you thought it would, but you’re out of bed and eating your first breakfast quickly. A quick two mile run follows, and then you’re having a shower and grabbing a second breakfast to eat at the rink. You meet Brenda in the hotel lobby before ubering to the rink. A solid practice follows, and you manage to keep your imposter syndrome on a leash in the presence of the other skaters.
“It’s Joel,” Brenda says as she tosses you your phone.
“Hey,” you say, squeezing the device between your ear and shoulder. “I don’t have much time to talk. My warm up call is soon.”
Joel laughs and you find yourself cracking a smile at the sound. “I know. Just wanted to check in and see how you’re feeling.”
“Honestly? I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous for a competition.”
His response is cut off by a loud noise. “Where are you?” you ask.
“Just at home,” he says quickly. “My sister has some friends over and they’re being loud.”
The line is compelling enough that you don’t question how hastily it was delivered. Joel stays on the phone until you have to go, keeping your mind off the jittery feeling in your stomach. The TV cameras catch you talking but you give them a cheery wave and continue telling Joel about how good the soap at your hotel smells. You hang up when they call your flight to take to the ice for warmup and give your phone back to Brenda for safe keeping.
☼☼☼☼
Joel tries hard not to feel too out of place while he takes his seat. For someone who practically lives in arenas he feels like it’s his first time within fifty yards of one. Everyone around him is dressed nicely, and he’s acutely aware of the fact there is a neon orange pom-pom attached to the top of his hat.
As much as he feels like a baby deer trying to stand, Joel’s beyond excited to be here. It’s been a while since he’s gone somewhere that wasn’t hockey related and getting to support you while he does it is the best scenario ever. There are some potential looks of recognition from those around him, but thankfully no one approaches.
Skaters begin to take the ice and he scans vigilantly for you. You’re doing the best you can to stay warm, jacket zipped all the way up and gloves on your hands. Joel notices you seem to be the loosest of the girls below him but isn’t sure if that’s a good thing. You skate a few quick laps before warming up some jumps. Everything goes well, though he can tell you under-rotated a few of them and didn’t attempt the one quad in your program. The warm up is over as quickly as it began and you’re herded off the ice. Joel sinks a little further in his seat as gets ready to watch your competitors.
��☼☼☼
There’s just over five minutes until you take to the ice. You keep your body moving, walking up and down the corridor, and blast your pre-competition playlist so loud you’ll probably have hearing damage when you’re older. Only one other girl in the hall with you but it feels too small. Brenda comes to grab you and the pair of you walk to the side of the boards. You don’t watch who’s currently skating, choosing instead to focus on adjusting your feet slightly in your skates.
“Go out there and put on a show,” Brenda says. “Fuck the judges.”
You laugh at her remark. “Okay Bren, when I lose points for flipping them off I’m blaming you.”
“Fine by me. I have a bone to pick with Mark Johnson anyways.”
The scores for the previous girl are being announced, so you peel your jacket from your frame and do a couple more laps. Right before your name is announced you press your forehead to Brenda’s. It’s a ritual you started back when you were barely as tall as the boards and you’ve done it every single competition since. You feel grounded looking in her eyes, and you break with a fist bump. It’s go time.
Every inch of your skin feels like it’s on fire. You didn’t come to play, and leave everything on the ice. The skate isn’t completely clean, you stumbled on the landing of a triple axel, but you’re happy with it. Despite your fears, both the triple lutz and quad salchow go smoothly. Audience engagement was at an all time high and you finished to deafening applause. Brenda wraps you in a tight hug when you step off the ice before leading you over to the kiss and cry. You chat idly with her and your choreographer, trying to catch your breath, while you wait for your score.
The announcer’s booming voice crackles over the PA as he reads the judges’ decision. “The scores for Y/N Y/L/N please.” You don’t pay attention to the individual numbers, just the final total. “For a total score of 74.83.”
It’s lower than you had hoped for. Not by much, just two or three points, but it could mean all the difference in tomorrow’s skate. Brenda pats your leg sympathetically and whispers in your, “It’s alright. You skated well.”
You head back to the dressing room to watch the final skater on the small T.V in the corner while you get undressed. She’s phenomenal, and you end the day falling to third place. Joel’s hip-hop playlist blasts through your headphones as you do your cool down routine. The average tempo is upbeat and helps to take your mind off the fact you’re not where you want to be. Just as you’re about to exit the room and find Brenda to talk strategy there’s a knock on the door.
“Yeah?” you say dejectedly, the word coming out as more of a sigh than you had intended.
The door is cracked open, and the head of your best friend peaks out from around it. “Hey there rockstar,” Joel says softly, stepping further into the room. Once you comprehend that he’s really here you’re sprinting in his direction, jumping into his embrace. Joel’s laugh reverberates in his chest, and you feel it as you settle further into him.
“Why are you here?” you whisper. Though you’re elated Joel is here, you’re confused as to why he would want to spend his break in Utah.
He lets you down gently and shrugs. “I had to see if you’d land the quad.” Joel’s smile matches yours as you shake your head.
“You’re fucking insane,” you quip, but there’s no malice in your voice.
Before you can pester Joel into answering all your questions you’re whisked away to a press conference. Talking to the media is something you don’t particularly enjoy, and it’s even more difficult to stay present when you know you could be spending time with your best friend. Most of the questions are directed towards the girls who placed higher than you which you’re thankful for. It’s easier for you to zone out, and you root through your mind of places around the city to take Joel.
“Y/N, how tough will it be for you to better your scores in tomorrow’s free skate?”
The question is one that you expected, luckily, and you’re able to recite the response you worked out with Brenda without really engaging with the reporter. “I mean I obviously didn’t aim to be in third place heading into tomorrow,” you joke, “But I’m fairly happy with where I ended up. The other girls had fantastic skates and deserve to be above me. My plan for tomorrow is to leave everything on the ice, skate cleanly, and be proud of myself regardless of what happens.”
Pens scribble furiously by those that don’t have recording devices to get your words down on paper. There’s some chatter, questions for the other girls, before a young reporter fresh out of journalism school is allowed to speak. He identifies himself as Theo Rateliff before jumping in. “Y/N,” he says, “How excited are you to get back to training on home ice when you get back to Jersey?”
“Um, I didn’t know the renovations were finished,” you stammer. “As far as I know, I’ll be at Flyers SkateZone until the end of the season.”
Theo shakes his head. “My partner was informed this morning that the rink will be good to go by the time you get back.”
You turn to the side to look at Brenda, who just shrugs. “Well, to be quite honest I’ll miss being in Voorhees. I had fun skating there and feel like the rink prepared me well for this competition.”
“Obviously not well enough,” Theo retorts, not missing a beat. “Your odds of winning dropped by seventy-seven percent.”
“Thank you for the reminder Theo,” you snap. “Are we done here?”
The press-coordinator shakes their head in confirmation, and you rip the microphone off your jacket before stomping off. People clear a path for you, not wanting to get caught in your storm. You run right to Joel who lets you direct him out of the arena and into the uber he called while you were wrapping up.
It’s a silent ride, Joel knowing you aren’t in the mood for light conversation. He lets you take a ridiculously long shower and orders take out that arrives just as you step out of the bathroom.
“Where are you staying?” you ask as you detangle your hair.
“Nowhere yet,” Joel says, “I got in early this morning and went straight to the rink.”
You think carefully about your next words before you speak. Your competition routines can be excessive and annoying, and you don’t want to inconvenience him. “You could just stay here. The room is massive and there’s more than enough space for both of us in the bed.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” you say, voice taking a soft lilt. “I’d really like it if you stayed.”
Joel smiles wider than you’ve ever seen him do before. The two of you sit comfortably in bed, eating the burritos Joel got and going down a conspiracy theory youtube wormhole. He asks how you feel about him coming to watch your evening training session you have to leave for in twenty minutes. You tell him you’d be angry if he didn’t stand beside your coach and clap every time you landed a jump.
It’s chilly but the sun is shining bright so you decide to bundle up and walk to the rink. Joel pokes fun at you beanie and you swat him in the chest, shutting him up for the time being after his giggles subside. The view is gorgeous, mountains framing the setting sun. You squeeze Joel’s bicep to get his attention and relish the feeling of his muscle in your grip.
“Look! An owl!”
Sure enough, a barn owl is flying over top of you, in the middle of downtown Salt Lake City. “That’s my good luck charm. Means I’ll skate well tomorrow.”
Joel pokes your cheek lightly. “I thought I was your good luck charm,” he gasps.
You roll your eyes. “I guess you can be my secondary one.” Joel doesn’t seem to mind the fact your arms are still wrapped around his, so you stay that way until for the rest of the journey.
☼☼☼☼
The night goes according to plan. You skate well in practice and feel comfortable for tomorrow’s event. Joel executes his role perfectly, cheering when you do things well and squirting water at you to make you squeal in laughter when things get a little too serious. Once back at the hotel you collapse into bed almost immediately. You’re so exhausted you can’t even be bothered to climb under the covers, and wait until Joel pulls them back for himself to crawl in. There’s no awkwardness at sharing a bed with Joel, and you sigh contently as he pulls you into his side. Sleep comes easily then for the both of you.
You wake before both your alarm and Joel. It takes you a second to get your bearing and realize you’re pinned against his body, though you don’t mind. There’s worse places to be stuck. You lay curled into Joel for as long as you can, but eventually you have to shake him awake.
“Beezer,” you whisper, ruffling his hair, “You’ve gotta let me out.”
He groans something unintelligible but instead of heeding your words pulls you closer. “Joel come on,” you try again, “I’ve really gotta get up. Need to shower before I get to the rink.”
Joel listens this time, but only lets you go after squeezing you tight for a second. You go about your routine with him still passed out in bed and giggle at the way his hair curls around his ears when you pass by. As you’re leaving to get to your practice ice slot Joel wakes up, lumbering into the bathroom. He reappears a minute or two later to say goodbye.
“Will I see you after practice?” he asks, voice still gruff with sleep.
“Probably not,” you reply, leaning down to tie your shoes. “I won’t be coming back here until after everything is done.”
Joel nods and wraps you in a warm hug. “You’re going to do great,” he says as he pulls away. “I’ll be there, cheering so fucking loud.”
“I expect you to throw a teddy bear on the ice after I finish.”
The walk to the arena is lonely without Joel, but you push the thought out of your mind. You need to stay focused on putting on the skate of your life in a few hours and not on how lately you’ve been having more-than-friendly thoughts about your best friend. Brenda is there when you arrive, making conversation about what you did last night with Joel before explaining how you’re going to run your practice.
Your hour of semi-private ice passes in the blink of an eye. The other girls in your flight are just as tense as you, popping jumps and doing a lot of stroking to loosen up. A lot is riding on today’s event and you’d be lying if you weren’t feeling the pressure. When you get back to the dressing room and check your phone, you notice there’s a text from Joel.
Don’t want to disrupt your pre-comp routine, but I thought I’d share a playlist. It’s songs that remind me of you.
Included is a link to a spotify playlist entitled ‘my golden girl’. You open it with a smile, noticing that it starts with some of your favourite songs even though they aren’t the kind of thing Joel regularly listens to before turning into things you’ve never heard before.
Thanks <3, you respond, going to listen to it during my off-ice.
That’s exactly what you do. It filters through your headphones for hours as you stretch, do a quick interview for those watching on television, and get dressed. Though it’s a break from your typical routine, it’s welcome. Knowing Joel thought about you enough to make you a playlist and send it to you helps calm your nerves.
“Hey kiddo,” Brenda says as she walks to where you’ve taken up root on the floor. Your left hamstring is tight, and you’re trying desperately to fix it before you have to go on the ice. “Go out there and absolutely kill it. This is your best program, and I haven’t seen anyone skate better than what you can do today.”
“Gee thanks for the confidence booster Bren,” you chuckle before hoisting yourself onto the bench to tie your skates.
She doesn’t laugh. “I mean it Y/N. You can still win this thing.”
You’re left alone to finish getting ready and then join the other girls in the tunnel. No one talks, which you’re grateful for. When you were younger and coming up through the ranks the other competitors liked to gossip while they waited and it was your least favourite part of an entire competition. A camera man waits at the end of the walkway, filming your arrival to the ice pad, and you wave cheerily as you pass by. It can never hurt to endear yourself to those watching at home – maybe they’ll be nicer to you on the internet.
Joel is standing at the edge of the boards during your warmup, watching and cheering intently. In a moment of insane confidence you blow him a kiss as you skate past, and giggle hysterically when he catches it and holds it close to his chest. You’re called off the ice then and spend the time really getting into the zone.
It’s considered bad luck to watch the performances before your own, so you face the wall as you do jog lightly to keep your body temperature up and the adrenaline flowing. Much sooner than you’d like it’s your turn to take your guards and jacket off. Brenda holds your skating hands as she whispers last minute words of encouragement, and you stumble through the traditional handshake before presenting yourself to the crowd.
Once the music starts your brain checks out and instinct takes over. You learned when you were younger that your best skates happened when you just allowed yourself to feel, and you desperately need the skate of a lifetime. Going into the first jumping pass you can feel yourself tense up so you think about Joel’s smile while you guys sat by the lake last night. It works to loosen you up, and you spend the rest of the program thinking of your favourite moments with Joel. As you strike your final pose the music fades out and the roars of applause cascade in. You know you had a flawless performance, beaming as you fist pump the air in the same manner you chirp Joel for doing while he celebrates goals.
You bow to the crowd in all directions, waving and laughing as flowers and teddy bears fall onto the ice in front of you. An orange blob of fur catches your eye, and you skate to pick it up before one of the volunteers could put it in the bag that will join your garment bag in the dressing room. You know Joel is the one who threw the Gritty toy – no one else really knows of your affiliations with the team. As you sit in the kiss and cry awaiting your results, you examine the stuffed animal. Instead of the regular Gritty jersey Joel replaced it with his own, the number flashing vividly at you and pulling a smile from your nervous features.
Brenda keeps her hand clasped tightly in yours as the PA system crackles to life. “And the scores for Y/N Y/L/N are,” the announcer begins, and your knee begins bouncing rapidly. “The free skate score is 155.79, for a total score of 230.62.”
You jump up in amazement. Despite your slow start to the competition you managed to get a season’s best. You’re also five points ahead of the second place skater, guaranteeing you a place on the podium and depending on the final results, a spot at worlds. A volunteer ushers you out of the kiss and cry and you skip all the way down the tunnel. To get out some of the adrenaline you jog the corridor a few times before returning to Brenda.
“Come on,” she laughs, “Joel’s waiting at the edge of the public area. We can watch the final skate together.”
At the mention of Joel you’re jogging again, wanting to see him as fast as possible. “Beezer!” you shriek as you approach, launching into the elaborate handshake the two of you have perfected at this point.
“Hey golden girl,” he chuckles, returning your actions with just as much enthusiasm. “You looked fucking great out there. I see you got my gift.”
The Gritty doll is still in your hands but there’s no shame. Instead, you tuck it under your arm and rest your head against Joel’s shoulder to watch the final skater. The girl after you had fallen a number of times, dropping her total significantly and landing her in fifth place. Victory is so close you can almost taste it.
It’s the longest six minutes of your life. Watching her skate increases your anxiety – she’s good, has almost as great a skate as you, but she under-rotated a jump and rushed through her program so there was extra music at the end. The clock above your head rings throughout the silent corridor as everyone awaits the scores with baited breath. In under a minute you’ll know whether you’re returning to New Jersey with a gold or silver medal in your suitcase.
You don’t hear anything as they announce her score – just see the numbers flash of the small T.V screen and calculate that it’s not enough for her to beat you. After years of blood, sweat, and an immeasurable amount of tears you’ve crossed another goal off your list. Those around you are jumping and screaming, Brenda letting a few tears escape. All you can think about is Joel, who’s celebrating like he just scored the game winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals, and how much you love him.
Without thinking, you smash your lips against Joel’s. It’s adrenaline filled and mostly teeth until he wraps one hand around your waist and the places the other along your jaw. Then it becomes purposeful, both of you moving in tandem and never wanting it to stop. When Joel pulls away and rests his forehead against yours you can’t stop smiling. The kiss might have happened in the heat of the moment, but you know it’s the culmination of feelings building inside of you for months.
“You’re a national champion,” Joel says, pulling you flush against his chest in the biggest hug you’ve ever received.
“I’m your national champion,” you whisper.
He pulls back and grins, kissing you again. “You’re my national champion. My golden girl.”
The rest of your stay in Salt Lake City is a blur. You’re swept up in the numerous press events, galas, and enjoying your blossoming relationship with Joel. When you finally got back to the hotel after what seemed like hours of people complimenting your comeback, the two of you sat down and talked about the kiss and what you wanted to happen next. It was scary, being so vulnerable, but it needed to happen – you’re both adults and communication is important. So, you’re returning home with a gold medal and boyfriend, two things you’re ecstatic about.
☼☼☼☼
“J, it’s not straight,” you giggle. Joel’s trying, and failing miserably, to hang the shadow box with your nationals medal in it above your couch. It’s been almost a month since you returned home but you’ve been so busy that decorating the apartment you barely spend time in has been at the bottom of your to-do list.
He grunts out a response. “Fuck. Do I have to go left or right?”
“Left.” The picture shifts in the opposite direction. “The other left Joel!”
A few minutes later the decoration is sitting perfectly in place. Your child of a boyfriend insists on getting rewarded for his achievement, so the two of you bundle up and get dinner. It’s nothing fancy – just sandwiches from the deli down the street from your apartment, but spending time with him is nice. Joel’s been on a string of short road trips and you’ve been training anxiously, waiting for the organization to announce who they’re sending to the world championship.
“How’s practice been lately?” Joel asks, mouth full with a bite of his BLT. “I miss being able to watch you skate whenever I want.”
After returning from Utah you were shuttled immediately into the freshly renovated rink of your skating club. It’s a little farther into Jersey and certainly not as convenient for him to get to, especially now that the NHL season is picking up and the Flyers are clinging desperately to the final playoff spot. “It’s been interesting,” you shrug, “I’m skating well, and physically I feel great. There’s a mental block or something though because everything feels a little bit off.”
The smile that graces Joel’s face can only be described as shit-eating. “Duh, I’m not there.”
“Fuck off.” Though you try to make the words come out in a serious tone, there’s no malice in them.
Conversation flips to some ridiculous story Travis told at practice that morning, and you giggle as Joel recounts it with failing arms. You tell a few stories of your own, that leave him in stitches, and as you walk home hand in hand he asks you again to come to a game. With your schedule a little more flexible as you wait for a decision about the upcoming competition stint it will be much easier to see Joel play. You say yes with a shy smile and don’t miss the way the boy beside you blushes under the streetlights.
Joel stays over, and the next two nights after that. It’s nice, falling into a relationship with your best friend, because there’s no awkwardness. You know what kind of cereal to keep in your pantry and he knows you don’t eat meat on Mondays. Everything is easy. There are a fews in the road, as can be expected with any budding relationship, but for the most part your lives fit seamlessly together.
After some meticulous planning, you found a home game on the Flyers schedule that will coincide with yours. It’s a Friday night near the end of February, and it’s actually the last day US Figure Skating can announce their assignments for worlds. You figure watching your boyfriend is the perfect way to distract yourself from the decision, whether or not you make the team. Joel’s ecstatic about your attendance, wanting you to be immersed in as many aspects of his life as possible. The entire day he’s bouncing around your apartment, beyond ready for puck drop.
“It’s literally three in the afternoon,” you grumble as Joel corrals you into the hall to put your shoes on. “You never leave this early! Why do we have to do it today?” In an attempt to save gas and lower your carbon footprint you’re carpooling with Joel.
“Because being in this house is making you more anxious,” he points out. “I’ve caught you staring into the distance one too many times today. Besides, this way you can meet up with some of the other girls and relax before the game.”
Joel’s right, as he so often is. Your agent hasn’t called to let you know if you made the team or not, nor has US Figure Skating made an announcement on social media. So you’ve spent the entire day pacing back and forth around your living room and fretting that perhaps the best performance of your season wasn’t good enough. He twirls his car keys around his index finger in an attempt to speed you along and you roll your eyes at his impatience.
After ensuring your home is safely secured you hit the road. The drive into Philadelphia is easy, with little traffic, and you spend it laughing at Joel’s ridiculous freestyle raps. It doesn’t surprise you that the staff lot at the Wells Fargo Centre is sparsely populated – most of the guys don’t show up until around five, Joel included. However, a group of women are standing near the entrance. While this isn’t the first time you’ve met significant others of your boyfriend’s teammates, it’s the first time Joel won’t be around.
“It’ll be alright,” he whispers as the car settles into park. You offer a small smile that mustn't have been convincing because Joel lifts the hand that’s intertwined with his to his lips, pressing a delicate kiss to the knuckles. The smile becomes genuine and you tease him the entire walk to the door.
Joel greets the other girls before setting his bag down on the concrete and wrapping you in a hug. “Have fun,” you say softly against his lips, landing a short kiss. He winks and opens the door, disappearing inside and leaving you in a fit of giggles.
There was no reason for you to be nervous – everyone is incredibly kind. You seem to be the youngest in the group, but the other girls pay no mind and treat you as one of their own. There’s a small amount of confusion when your phone chimes with a notification, a few glances of possible distaste, but as soon you explain you’re waiting on a very important call they understand. Dinner is wonderful, filled with sincere questions about your skating career and how you got together with Joel. By the time you get back to the arena for the game it feels as though you’ve been a part of the group for years.
You spend the game in the family and friends box, sipping a glass of wine and following Joel around the ice. Practice is early in the morning and you want to be productive, so you’re relaxed in your alcohol consumption compared to some of the others. One of the older girls, though you can’t remember what player is her significant other, recently got engaged and is celebrating with as many drinks as those around her will allow. It’s fun to experience a hockey game in this way, but you’re a little on edge. You haven’t anything about worlds assignments all day and the organization doesn’t typically leave the announcement to this late in the evening. There’s seven minutes left in the game when your phone rings. You quickly excuse yourself from the group and step into the hall.
“Hello?”
“Y/N,” the chipper voice of your agent Megan says, “How are you?”
A nervous laughter tumbles from your lips. “I think that depends on what you’re about to tell me.”
“I imagined you’d say something along those lines,” she responds. “You’ve always been quite witty.” Before you ask her to just get to the point of the phone call, Megan speaks. “I have some good news and some bad news for you. You’re going to the World Championships, but you aren’t leading the team like we hoped.”
It’s not as bad as she made it sound. A breath you didn’t know you were holding escapes, and you try your best to remain professional in the hallway of the arena. “Honestly,” you sigh, “I think that’s better. There’s going to be a lot less pressure for me to bring home three Olympic spots. Thanks for letting me know Meg.” She hangs up then, no doubt having to tell another girl she didn’t make the cut.
When you slip back through the door, you find all eyes on you. “What was that about?”
“I made the roster for worlds.”
Earth-shattering applause erupts from everyone in the room, and no one pays attention to what happens on the ice for the remainder of the game. The congratulations continue until you’re waiting outside the dressing room for Joel to exit. He had a good game, featuring two assists and a blocked shot, and smiles lazily when he sees you leaning against the brick wall.
“This is something I could get used to,” he chuckles, pulling you into him by the belt loops of your jeans. The two of you kiss for a moment, letting it stay chaste in fear of getting chirped by teammates.
“Well,” you sigh dramatically, drawing out the suspense of what you’re about to say, “You’re going to have to wait a bit longer for it to become a regular occurrence. My training schedule just increased exponentially.”
Joel sits on your words for a moment before it registers. “No fucking way!” he shouts, picking you up by the waist as the two you are a pairs team. “You got the spot?”
Having Joel be so excited about the accomplishment makes it seem that much more real. Tears well in your eyes and you shake your head up and down to signal he’s correct. Joel presses his lips to yours once again, this time not caring about any insults his friends could throw at him. The kiss makes you feel loved, fully and completely, and you hope you’re conveying the same amount of emotion he is.
“That’s my girl.”
☼☼☼☼
“Oh my fucking god,” you grumble, picking yourself off the ice for what feels like the hundredth time in the past five minutes. There’s two weeks until you leave for Milan and it looks like you’ve never skated before. Jumps are being under-rotated, spins aren’t being entered properly, and your footwork sequence is abysmal. Nothing about the way you’re performing would let a newcomer know you’re a world class athlete.
Brenda gives you a sympathetic smile. “Just try again kiddo.”
You do try again – fifteen more times to be exact. Each attempt at a triple axel getting farther and farther from what it should be. Before you get even more frustrated you abandon the element altogether, hoping to avoid a complete meltdown. No one questions it when you shift disciplines completely and move about the ice completing a simple foxtrot pattern. Ice dance has always been a great de-stresser for you, and after a few passes you feel your heart rate return to normal. At some point during your break Joel had entered the rink and is now standing beside your coach, making pleasant conversation. You smile as you skate towards them, ecstatic that the two most important parts of your life blend seamlessly.
“Farabee!” you shout when you get close enough for him to hear you. At the sound of your voice Joel smiles, turning to pick up your water bottle and toss it in your direction.
“I’m wounded babe,” he feigns pain as you take a drink, “I really thought that we were on at least a first name basis.”
You roll your eyes at his dramatics and playfully squirt water at him. “I’ll call you whatever I want. What brings you this far into Jersey?”
“Thought I’d see if you wanted to grab lunch after you were done. We’ve got a late practice today,” he explains. ��Whatever you want, eh? Does that mean I say whatever I want? Because I think you’re looking particularly good in those leggings.tum” You don’t miss the suggestive tone to his voice, but choose to ignore it.
Joel watches the rest of your practice from his spot at the boards and lays himself across the dressing room bench as you complete a quick cool down routine. You have a meeting with your massage therapist in the afternoon, so you follow Joel to the restaurant he chose. It’s a small vegan place that you sometimes stop at on your way home from the rink. They have the best burrito bowls you’ve ever tasted and since you’ve gotten together Joel has become rather fond of them as well.
The two of you sit outside on the curb. New Jersey is uncharacteristically warm for March and you want to enjoy the sunshine as much as possible. The rest of the day will be spent in dark rooms receiving physical therapy and trying to ease your tired muscles. There isn’t much conversation, but you’re more than content just to be with Joel. Life moves incredibly fast and your schedules don’t always line up nicely. It’s difficult to spend time with him, especially when you’re weeks out from a major competition, but small moments like this keep you from missing your boyfriend too much.
“Have I asked you to take me to the airport yet? I can’t remember,” you admit as you finish the last bite of your meal.
Joel laughs at your lapse in memory, knowing he gets the same way when high stakes games roll around. “No, but you would like me to?”
“Do you mind?” you ask, “That way I don’t have to leave my car at the airport for a week and a half. But if you can't, don't worry about it, I’ll grab an uber.”
“Babe, the uber will be like fifty bucks. I’ll take you. What time do you have to be there?”
You give him a much too detailed itinerary of your departure plans and listen to him talk about the drills they’re going to run at practice. Time passes much quicker than you would have liked, and soon you’re kissing him goodbye and watching him wave from your rearview mirror.
It’s almost a week later when you see Joel again, showing up at a Flyers practice for the first time since training moved back to your home rink. You’ve been instructed to have a rest day, the team wanting to push you too hard before taking off. The arena attendants know you well at this point, and chat with you as you sit on a bench away from the media. You know better than you alert them of your presence – some of them no doubt wanting a comment from you about worlds. Joel has no idea you’re even there until long after practice, when he sees you leaning casually against the driver’s side door of your car, conveniently parked next to his.
“Hey all-star,” you say as casually as possible, twirling your keys around your index finger.
He leans down to kiss you sweetly, and though you probably shouldn’t in a parking lot, you push your body closer to his in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Joel obliges you, tongue gently slipping into your mouth, staying there until you both hear the shouts of his teammates.
“Fuck off,” he yells at Kevin, who’s hollering so loud people can probably hear him all the way back in Philadelphia. “What are you doing here?”
“I have a day off,” you smile, and I thought I’d come see if I could hitch a ride to your place.” You had originally planned to attend the game in person, but a rough day of training yesterday had you too sore to do much other than lie on the couch.
“The chariot awaits m’lady,” he says in a terrible British accent, bowing for good measure as he opens the door. Your car will be fine in the parking lot overnight, so you slip in and enjoy the journey into the city.
Joel’s pre-game routine changes only slightly with you in his apartment – instead of napping alone, you curl into his chest and snore softly, lulling him into one of the most peaceful sleeps he’s ever had. You tie his tie for him and riffle his hair before kissing him good luck. Being alone in Joel’s apartment isn’t as strange as you thought it would be, and you familiarize yourself with his kitchen while you make dinner. The pre-game show plays quietly in the background, and when they mention how well Joel is playing you can’t help but smile.
It’s much more comfortable to watch the game in your boyfriend’s hoodie and pyjama pants on the couch than it would be to sit in the stiff arena seats. Time passes at a pretty leisurely pace, with nothing too exciting going on within the game, and sometime in the third period you fall asleep. The rest of the game and all the media appearances pass you by. Joel figures you must be sleeping when he doesn’t get a congratulatory text when Claude pulls off a buzzer beater to win. His suspensions are confirmed when he slips through his front door to see you drooling slightly on the throw pillow his mom bought him as a housewarming gift.
You don’t remember climbing into bed, but you wake up with Joel’s socked feet pressed against your calves. He stirs behind you and mummers something unintelligible.
“What was that sleepyhead?” you giggle, turning around to run a hand through his hair. It’s rather unruly at the moment and you find it adorable.
“Good morning,” he repeats.
“That’s what that was?”
“Leave me alone.”
The two of you lay in bed for a few more minutes before starting the day. You navigate around Joel flawlessly – like you’re there every morning. Breakfast is quick and you’re out the door before you have a chance to cherish the domesticity of it all. You have a pretty intense day of training and Joel has to be at the airport in two hours for a trip to Toronto. He drops you off in Voorhees, kissing you gently before making his way back into the city. You hate to see him go, wishing you could spend more time together before you head to worlds, but you know you’re both adults with real-world responsibilities.
For the first time in the final push you have a practice that is up to standard. Things click into place and you feel good. Really good. Each time you skate a program it’s clean, and the elements don’t feel weak when completed individually. Maybe you’ll actually be able to pull this off.
☼☼☼☼
Italy is beautiful, but you don’t get much time to enjoy it. A scheduling mishap has team USA leaving two days later than you were supposed to and now you’re all scrambling to find a groove. Every moment is being spent preparing for the competition – off ice training, multiple practices a day, press conferences. When you get a moment to spare you call Joel, but oftentimes he’s at practice or fulfilling other obligations. The time difference is brutal and souring your mood. You feel alone, and just wish Joel could be by your side like he was at nationals.
As soon as you step on the ice something feels wrong. You run through a mental checklist and assure that nothing is – your skates feel they way they should and you didn’t forget any gear. It must be nerves. The competition officially starts tomorrow and you’re eager to cheer on the pairs teams America has brought. You do your best to skate it out, and by the time you’re allowed to have the ice to yourself you can almost convince yourself everything will be fine.
The music starts and you snap into character. Your short program music is punchy and so are you – all sass and sharp angles as you navigate the opening step sequence. A lump forms in your throat as you set up the first first jumping pass, but you push it down. You’ve done a thousand triple lutz-triple toe-loop combinations and could execute it flawlessly in your sleep.
Everything happens so fast. One second you’re rotating through the air and the next you’re sprawled across the ice. Nothing feels off until you try to pick yourself up. When you can’t move your left leg you look to see what the issue is and find your kneecap where it most certainly should not be. It’s rotated nearly one hundred and eighty degrees, now residing in the back instead of the front.
“Help me!” you scream, mostly out of shock. There’s no pain which surprises you, but you know it definitely should hurt. Everyone around the ice surface is frozen in place, not knowing what happened or what to do, and you continue to sob helplessly.
Someone sprints to get the onsite emergency responders and Brenda runs to you as fast as her dress shoes will allow. “Don’t look at it honey,” she soothes. “It’s just going to make things worse.”
“It should hurt,” you croak out through the tears, “Why doesn’t it hurt?”
“You’ve got so much adrenaline pumping through your veins you can’t feel anything,” the EMT explains in flawless English. “Can we take your skates off?”
You nod, and the right skate comes off breezily. Brenda unlaces your left skate and the medical team works to pry the boot from your foot. A sharp pain shoots up your leg and you wail in agony. “Shh, it’s okay,” your coach coos, “The skate is going to stay on until we get to the hospital.”
The ride to the hospital feels like time is moving through sludge. The paramedics keep an eye on your blood pressure and do their best to keep you calm. Brenda is typing furiously on her phone, and you ask what she’s doing as the vehicle pulls into the ambulance bay.
“The ISU rep told me to keep him updated,” she explains. “And I’m trying to vote on which alternate is going to take your place.”
You knew that was going to happen, you couldn’t possibly skate, but it makes you unbelievably sad. All your hard work is going to amount to nothing. No one cares about national champions who don’t place at worlds, and the injury is going to sideline you in next year’s olympic race. The emergency room has a bed ready for you, and the doctor arrives as you’re being transferred into it.
“Miss Y/L/N, I’m Dr. Morelli. We’re going to put your patella back into place. It’s going to be incredibly painful, so we’re to sedate you. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” you say as strongly as you can, though it comes out feeble and hoarse.
A nurse inserts an IV into your arm and smiles at you. They have you count backwards from ten, and by the time you get to eight you’re asleep. There’s a brief moment of panic when you wake up as you forgot where you are. “You’re awake,” Brenda speaks softly from the bedside. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” you admit. “It hurts so fucking bad.”
She gives you a sympathetic smile. “I know. They’re going to come get you for x-rays in a few minutes and then we’ll go back to the hotel.”
“Oh my god,” you gasp. “I’ve gotta call Joel. Bren, give me your phone.”
Laughter comes from the device’s speakers, and you realize she’s one step ahead of you.
“There’s my girl,” Joel whispers, eyes landing on yours as the phone lands in your hands. “Are you okay?”
The question makes you laugh. “You’re quite the comedian Mr. Farabee. Of course I’m not okay. My leg is currently being held together by a brace and my dreams are ruined.” You soften when you realize how upset Joel looks. “I’ll be fine J, I promise.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”
“There’s nothing you could have done. It was a freak accident. You can pick me up from the airport.”
He agrees in a heartbeat and tells you about his day to distract you from the pain. You’ll have to ask the nurses for some pain meds before you leave. A nurse comes to take you to the radiology department, and you hang up after reassuring him for the hundredth time that he doesn’t need to fly to Italy to bring you home himself.
Brenda holds you as the adrenaline wears off and your legs twitches rapidly as a trauma response. She helps you navigate around the small room and makes sure you’re able to use the bathroom. Luckily none of her other skaters are competing, and she’s able to travel back to Philadelphia with you once the doctor clears you. It’s a rough flight – there’s a fair amount of turbulence and each bump makes your leg throb. You don’t get a wink of sleep and are grumpy by the time you touch down in Philly. Joel’s waiting at arrivals with a giant sign and a sweet smile. You wheel yourself over to him as quickly as possible, wanting nothing more than to collapse into his arms.
“Welcome home baby,” he whispers, leaning down to catch your lips in an airport appropriate kiss. The reason you’re home so early isn’t brought up which you're incredibly grateful for. Your untimely withdrawal is still a very sore spot.
“I wasn’t gone long,” you laugh, trying to poke fun at the situation before reality gets you too down.
“Long enough for me to miss you a tremendous amount.”
The three of you exit the airport, and Joel drops Brenda off at her house before taking you back to his place. Chuck and the rest of the management team were allowing him to miss a few games until you become more mobile and can’t exist on your own for a few hours. Joel’s bed is calling out to you, but he insists you’ll feel better after a shower and you know he’s right. Showering isn’t something you can do yourself, so Joel keeps your leg straight and elevated as you sit on the stool he bought while waiting for you to return. The grime of travelling is washed away and you feel lighter when you swing into bed, stubbornly refusing Joel’s help.
You convince him to let you watch the broadcast of the event you were supposed to be skating in. It’s probably not the best thing for your mental health, but you want to see how everyone does. Joel sits besides you, arm wrapped around your shoulder, and listens to you explain the rationale behind every element’s score. When your replacement takes the ice you go silent. It’s too much to see her skating in your place so you bury your face into Joel’s neck. There’s no jealousy like you thought there would be, just an infinite amount of sadness that you’re not able to be there.
“You’ll be able to get back there,” Joel reassures you when he feels a tear soak through his sweater.
“That’s not guaranteed,” you sniffle. “I might not ever skate again, let alone compete at any level.”
He shakes his head in disagreement, leading you to quirk a brow. “I know you. You’re going to do it. It won’t be easy, but you’re the most determined person I’ve ever met. People bounce back after major injuries all the time. I’ll be by your side the entire time, helping you through.”
“I love you,” you blurt out. The gravity of your words sinks in and you gasp. You haven’t said those words to each other yet, but they feel right.
“I love you too,” Joel smiles, kissing the tip of your nose. “Now pay attention to the TV, that girl you beat at Skate Canada is up next.”
☼☼☼☼
Recovery hasn’t been easy. There have been so many days where all you want to do is throw in the towel and cry, but Joel keeps you going. He insists you to your physical therapy exercises with him so you aren’t alone, and he comes to as many doctor’s appointments as he possibly can. After the Flyers get eliminated from the playoffs he doesn’t return home for the summer, choosing to stay in the Philly area with you. Having him there is a massive help, and you power through the pain.
The Flyers are hosting a family skate before training camp, and it will be your first time on skates in nearly six months. Your doctors have cleared it as long as you take it slow and basically let Joel pull you around the rink but you don’t care. It gives you hope that one day you’ll be back to full strength.
“Ready to do this thing?” Joel asks, grabbing your hand and intertwining your fingers.
You nod enthusiastically and let him pull you from the bench to the tunnel and down to the boards. Joel steps on the ice first, keeping his hands up in case you need them for support. A few of the significant others notice what’s happening and they erupt in applause once both your feet are planted on the surface. Joel joins them, his eyes watering when he sees how happy you are to be skating again.
“I do believe you promised me a few laps lover boy,” you wink.
“Yes ma’am,” Joel giggles as he mock salutes. He places his hands in yours and guides you gently, careful not to go too fast or get too close to other groups. The two of you giggle and stop to kiss frequently but no one says anything. You’ve worked incredibly hard to get here and they’re perfectly content letting you have your moment. Standing at centre ice you feel complete, and you know it’s all thanks to Joel.
☼☼☼☼
taglist: @samsteel @kiedhara @tortito @boqvistsbabe @iwantahockeyhimbo @himbos-on-ice if you want to be added just shoot me an ask :)
#this right here is my baby#joel farabee imagine#joel farabee x reader#joel farabee fic#philadelphia flyers imagine#hockey imagine#hockey fic#nhl imagine#nhl fic#cwrites
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Taboo
Alfonse x Summoner.NSFW 18+
This one goes to the people who wanted an Alfonse Summer atl. At least we got Freyr.
Taboo: from Tongan tabu ‘set apart, forbidden’
Summoner POV
As a person who comes from the “World of Steel” I am be very used to most levels of nakedness in people. I mean, when you do P. E. at school or when you go to the gym or running at the park, or the beach, and watch TV; we are all bombarded by all kinds of nakedness. We are used to looking at other people’s bodies as something normal.
When I got to Askr I met heroes of all kinds and many of them are just like me in that they find levels of nakedness normal. Take Hawkeye for for example. He is quite a gentleman and in his culture it is quite normal to be half naked.
Leading the heroes I got used to them and their bodies enough that I view most of them with a more clinical eye, like a doctor would. When they are wounded and I help treat them, I see their bodies just as a doctor would. The same goes when I see them in the beach or the spring. This make them much more comfortable around me. So much so that some of the heroes have tried to play tricks on me and see me crack.
Like the time the most unlikely pair, consisting of Niles and Henry played a trick on older Ike. They took his clothes when he was in one of the baths, locked his room and hid his clothes in my office (which is attached to Alfonse’s). They told him not to worry “ The Summoner is asleep.” I was definitely not asleep and saw the guy in all of his muscular glory. Did I get flustered? Not really. I mean at first it was like “WTF”, but I was not ogling the guy! He was all freaked out, and I got worried. Besides, I have seen him almost naked before. What is a little more skin? Well it wasn’t little to be fair…it was actually quite a lot…
I was quietly reading a report on my writing desk, all hunched over, when he came silently in and stood right in front of me. I waited for him to talk. I thought it was Alfonse at first, coming to get my report, so I did not even say anything. I am used to him just coming in and sit to wait for me to finish my work quietly. Then Ike stands just in front of the desk and I look up to see a mop of dark blue hair over his “Ragnell”. I look all the way up to see Ike looking over at the bookcase behind me. He was not yet aware I was awake.
-Ike? What are you looking for?- I ask calmly looking back to the bookcase behind me to see what he was looking for. I hear a yelp and something heavy falling down. I look around and find him on the floor covering himself with his hands. His eyes were wide opened and he could not talk for a second. He just kept opening and closing his mouth and said “ I can explain.”in a strangled voice. Alfonse chooses that exact moment to come inside and finds me standing up to give Ike my coat so he can cover himself up. What does he see? I am undressing my self in front of Ike and Ike is naked on the floor.
...NICE…
Yes we were able to clear that up. Alfonse even laughed about it and still does sometimes, but that was only the beginning.
Some time later Dieck comes inside the study Alfonse and I use in the library. Now we all know Dieck always uses the bare minimum on clothes, but this time he is wearing only his pants and boots. As soon as he comes in, he starts taking his pants off (And of course he is not wearing underwear) and looks at Alfonse and say.
-Oh Your Majesty is here too? Oh don’t worry; I don’t mind.- He now is butt naked and kicking his boots off. I turn to Alfonse with a ‘WTF’ face and I see him tomato red and very angry. He looks at me and…Why…is he angry at me too? What did I do?
-Dieck… what the hell is going on?- I ask calmly because I feel Alfonse is going to blow a gasket and any loud noise will set it off.
-I am here for the check up.- He says simply and his smile falters a little, looking sideways at Alfonse. I focus on his face like it is a normal conversation. Doctors and nurses can do this and so can I.
-What check up?
-The one you ordered to check our birthmarks and scars, just in case we are killed and there is no other way to identify our bodies.- I turn to Alfonse and I give him a questioning look, but he appears to not have heard anything except the “the one you ordered”. He is looking at us both angrily back and forth.
-Umm…Well now that you mentioned it… It sounds like a good idea, but I have never given that order. Whoever told you that? -Still focused on the face.
-One of the soldiers…so it is not true?- He asks now red in the face, which is very weird because this man has no sense of shame when it comes to showing off. Then he goes to cover himself with his hands, but too late Dieck, I already saw it all.
-Well no, but it is a good idea, right Alfonse?- I say thoughtfully. He seemed to have regained his senses and is now still red, but his face is lowered and he just nods.
-Oh…I should go then and find that (he whispers some curses under his breath)…I… -He takes his pants and puts them on. I start making a note about the idea to tell Anna.- I am sorry ______.
- Don’t worry Dieck. No harm done. This has happened before and just so you know I liked the idea, but if we do make it happen, it would be a member of the healing team doing the check up.- He looks skeptically at Alfonse who is pinching the bridge of his nose and has his eyes closed. You know, that face he does when he is about to lose his patience? Well that one.
-Oh! Thanks for letting me know.
-I want to know if you can identify the soldier that told you this. Please see me tomorrow after breakfast,at the training ground.- Alfonse tells Dieck and there is a determined look on his face. Dieck looks back at him and with just the same look, agrees to it.
At the end we did use that idea, but meanwhile I had four other heroes coming in to undress in my presence. One of them being Lady Camilla who agreed to dismember whoever was the culprit of the trick. The other was Libra who looked about to faint when he was informed he had been tricked by someone. King Claude, who laughed about it and congratulated whoever had bested him in his kind of game; and finally Sonia, who paraded around the room, even after I told her it was not necessary for her to undress. The culprit ended up being Xane ,and Marth was not lenient with him. Neither was I. I mean whoever plays a trick like that on Libra?! Yes! He is a guy!
This keeps happening periodically, specially with new heroes. It is like some kind of hazing ritual.
At this point I have seen at least one version of all the heroes naked for one reason or another and like I said before, they seemed to be very comfortable around me and my professionalism.
Yet I, being myself can’t get used to showing much of my own body due to my insecurities. I mean I may exercise and maybe train but I keep myself still kind of covered up almost all the time. It is a uniform after all. I even have to wear that tiara they gave me. I look like royalty XD
Askr itself has it’s own norms and they are far more conservative when it came to dress codes and overall behavior. I mean Alfonse sometimes sounds like I imagine my great grandpa sounded back in the day. And this is when I realized something. I have never seen Alfonse in any kind of undress and…It kind of bother me. Why? Because he was the only one person I was attracted to in all of Askr. I loved that man’s mind, heart, personality and skill…in everything he did.
I knew I was in love with Alfonse at this point, but it had taken another Alfonse showing a little chest to understand that I was the the most sexually frustrated of all my life and that looking at his chest was doing things no one else had done in their entire nakedness. Hell not even porn or hentai had given me the high I got from imaging my Alfonse in that outfit. I mean…not that I used to watch porn or hentai. I know what they are, but the time I did watch, it was all meh. I even thought it was funny. I mean, who isn’t curious about that ? I suppose we have all gone at least once and taken a look at it? Right?…right?
I remember plain as day I stood there stunned into silence, and probably mouth agape the whole time. I must have looked like an idiot or a pervert! My Alfonse was red as a tomato and trying so hard to avoid my gaze. At the end of the day, the only thing I got out of him was a little laugh and a small “I am so glad, we do not share that costume here in Askr.”
…..FUCK!
I find my self starting at his UN-globed hands when he is drinking tea or eating. I try not to, but the white smooth surface of the back of his hands contrast with the rough calloused fingers, so used to gripping sword and shield. They can also play the sweetest of sounds on a violin and I find that so sexy. Those same long white fingers so tempting and beautiful in their strength and skillfulness. Sometimes I stop my self from wondering how they would feel and...<<What them fingers do Alfonse?!! No ! Stop!>>
It is true I touch him often. Touch is my love language and even though I always make sure to give people that do mind, their personal space, I do know that Alfonse does not mind. Alfonse may not be a huger, but it does not mean he does not enjoy being touched by people he holds close to him or for them to be near him. Also yes, I have helped him with his wounds but, most of the time I am to damn worried to actually take time to enjoy the touch of his skin and to be hones I find that quite a violation of trust, so I do not indulge in it.
Sometimes he has caught me starting at the brim of his scarf and under-armor for a glimpse of his neck and I feel so embarrassed by it, but the thought of kissing him there is so tempting to me and I long so much to see past that barrier. He always covers himself again when he sees it is revealing more that that fraction of his neck… And Lord above! Is he smiling?
The curse of all of this is, that yes we have Summer here in Askr, but it is not as hot and you have to travel to the beach to be seriously hot. He has never gone to the beach with us, since I arrived here. I am not counting the times we do go, because Anna comes up with some scheme to raise money for the order, because we all wear the uniform then. Whenever he goes to the hot spring; he does it by himself, when Sharena and I are doing something else. Even while going to the river he wears long sleeves, because …bugs. I have asked Sharena and she just answered that she had not noticed and why I was interested….Oh you know…scientific purposes Sharena…
At first I feel so sad and rejected. Fine…I get it. You are not interested in me and do not welcome my intrusive looks…but…he gives me so many mixed signals! Why is he so close at meetings and I can feel his fingers touching mine. He has taken my hands in his many times. When another hero flirts with me he always appears out of nowhere with knitted brows and a disapproving stare. Prince Hrid came to say ‘Hi’ once and to talk to me, and next thing I know Alfonse drops everything to be next to me as well. Hrid even asked me if we were engaged ! I wish Hrid!
Well I suppose that is what friends do right? Maybe he does not want me falling in love with a hero and leaving Askr while they need me here. But I talked to him already. I am not returning “home” and I am not leaving…because…How can I leave and not see him again? Not that I wanted to return “home” to begin with, and it seemed impossible to fall in love with someone else other than him.
I have seen heroes flirting with him as well, and he seems unimpressed by any of them. I have heard other heroes telling the rejected ones, “He has eyes only for the Summoner.” …But what had they seen that I don’t? So I go and ask Sharena and she just laughs it up and says to give him time. He is shy and self conscious.
…So he does like me, but is very shy and very busy and very self conscious and insecure? OK…I can work with that. Like a great elf king said once; “I am patient; I can wait.” But not that much cause I’m not an elf.
Then Lif came and I thought “Hell! Even his grandpa show more skin than him!”
Lif came like a shadow from the grave that will take your last breath. To be honest, he looked more like Death than Hel herself. Except… He was HOT. I felt bad for even thinking that, when the Goddess of Death was trying to end us all, and most specially Alfonse. And you see, that is when I got angry. How the heck was an ancestor of the Askr royalty helping that crazy witch, end his descendants?
Lif attacked us and tried to, I suppose…kidnap me? He made a bee line to where I was standing and fell all the soldiers on his way. It was weird! I was about to bolt, because the training I had, would not stop the guy who just felled like twenty guys on his way, but something, not fear, took hold of me and I just…those eyes… It was like ten seconds in which I looked into his eyes and saw so many emotions in them, that I could not understand and then I could not move….ten seconds and he was already there in front of me, not attacking but there!
Alfonse came before Lif had taken me or whatever he was going to do. He ended up with a bruised knee and ankle. I went to help him with some salves and bandages when we were done with the rest of the more serious injured people. He took off his shoe and rolled up the under armor. His ankle was not swollen and his knee was bruised but it was not swollen. I put some salve any way.
-What happened? I saw it from afar and felt I would not get there fast enough. Where was Dimitri?- He said a little angry, since King Dimitri was one of my supports alongside him and he was tasked today with being my guardian. I was still massaging his ankle not even thinking about it.
-They were circling us from the back and Dimitri had to fall back to take care of it…Umm…I don’t know what happened. It was weird. He looked at me and he just…
-I saw it too.- Said Sharena who came to stand behind Alfonse.- It was like he hit you with a spell.
-It didn’t feel, like a magic attack. I was more like… I don’t know…- I felt weird about it, so I just made some stupid joke to lighten the mood- Why didn’t y’all tell me your grandpa was so hot? Heh , heh, heh heh! What? It’s not my fault! He kind of looks like you Alfonse.- Hey I was nervous and I do this when I get nervous!
At first They gave me their “ Seriously?” stare, but Sharena catches on quick and starts laughing out loud. Alfonse? Well he scowls and close his eyes and then takes his foot away from my hands. What?? wait I didn’t get the chance to enjoy that! Damn! Next thing I know, he is taking his sock and starts putting in on. I see his smooth white skin peppered with… is that golden hair? Does it have a blue in it? and my throat closes dry. I follow his movements, as hypnotizing as a dance, rolling up that white sock that is taking away my hopes and dreams. Then the under armor goes down and boot on. It took him like ten seconds, that I totally did not count. Then his hands were covered as well.
I look up at him with my hands still hovering in the same place as when he took away his leg and see him smiling sideways. I compose myself and…Wait…What? Is he doing this on purpose? Seriously? And the worst part is, that it should not bother me at all, but the truth is…I am very bothered by it. He has become a some sort of taboo to me and GOD how I love the guy! If it was someone else like Robin who never looses that coat of his and globes; I would not care! But I love him Lord. Why is he like this? I used to thank God I was not one of those feet fetishes people, and now I will be dreaming of his feet. Thanks Alfonse!
Joking. I respect feet fetish people. To each their own.
The point is that I feel like those people in Victorian novels, where they get all hot and bothered by someone’s ankle showing more than normal! Oh but what an ankle that was tho’. Stop. Focus!
I resolve to see him as clinically as any other hero and not stare at the shape of his ears and think of how I want to whisper how much I love him while kissing it…Grrr…I’m doing it again.
Days later we see Lif again and Alfonse is cursed…We have nine days. Good thing Hel has not seen The Ring or it might have been only seven. Yeah I joke now, but back then I was about to commit murder and then kill myself…or something just as dramatic.
We searched for days, a way to undo the curse and we found nothing. You’d think I would have taken a page from Dean Winchester's book and played the “last days on Earth” trope to get into his pants; but to be honest nothing like that even crossed my mind at the time! I was so desperate to keep him alive that nothing else matter to me. He could have paraded naked in front of me at the time I was at the library and I would not have noticed…Well, maybe I would have, but it didn’t happen so it doesn’t count
Until the sixth night of the curse.
There was a knock at the door to my chamber. Oh! Did I mentioned we have a shared study? Because we do. It is between our chambers and it can only be entered from our rooms. It was his idea and it was for safety reasons. The nights I have spent sitting by the chimney staring at his door…but never mind that. He knocked at my chamber door and when I opened it, he was about to leave. He was wearing sleeping pants, a long sleeve night shirt and socks, all in white.
We had fallen asleep next to each other at the library before of course, especially during the days he was cursed. And yes we used to huddle together during our march through Nifl. It was effing cold OK. We also usually had our sleeping rolls next to each other during campaigns, because we fall asleep while talking or after a watch,but we had never slept together on a bed. Beds are…intimate to him I suppose.
This night however, he came in and he just goes on and sit on my bed. He said nothing. I sat next to him and reached over to give him a hug. He took this as his cue and hugged back and didn’t let go. He clung to me with such force I was starting to feel dizzy. I asked him to stay the night. He nodded and still said nothing. I blew out the candle I was using to read and we went to sleep while he hugged me tightly. It was no surprise to me, but it was not so much fear that I could see in him. It was so many emotions, that fear seemed to be the least of his problems; but of course he was afraid. We spend together the following nights of his curse. Funny thing is …all those nights I dreamed of his Grandpa, watching over from my balcony window.
And did I had a glimpsed of something while sleeping together? No. He came in and blew the candle out and by the time I woke up he was already awake. Not like I would have gone and taken advantage of his sleeping form to explore or something. I just thought later that if I had woken up before him, then may be I would have seen his shirt riding up or his pants lowered a little or maybe his sock had fallen off or something. Oh well…They were still the best nights of my life, even if they didn’t feel like that at the time. I mean, I got to be held like I was the most precious and sacred treasure in the world by my beloved. I would care for nothing else.
Then…Grandpa is actually Alfonse from the future…
Lif, as he goes by now, told us everything that had happened in his Askr. Which is weird because I had been dreaming of something like that and I thought it was stress.
We spent some days in that dead world and I got to see Lif a few times. He looked curious about me, but at the same time I noticed he was avoiding me. The way he looked at Sharena really broke my heart every time I caught him starting at her. In turn Sharena looked ready to adopt him, if only he would let her do it.
One of those night I was having a nightmare about me dying while I saw Anna drop dead as if by magic. I woke up to find Lif watching me from afar. I got up and went to talk to him before he ran away.
We talk for a while. I do not want to intrude on painful memories, but he seems to know me so well it feels natural to talk to him, just like it is to Alfonse.
-You two…you are not lovers yet?- He asks eyeing me sideways.
-No. Where you…?
-Yes. After the first attack. We spent some weeks fighting Hel together. Is he still playing hard to get then?-Oh and there it was.
-Oh! So it is not my imagination! God I thought I was going insane! Oh that Bunny suit messed me up! I love that chest!…wait. Is that why you have your chest out? - He nods.- And the glow…I noticed Thrasir does not have that glow and I love glow in the dark…ermm… It is an awesome design I have to say. I like it. It is sexy.- I felt bad for the lack of tact but at the same time he needed to know I did not find him ugly or scary any more.
-You were always odd like that Summoner.- He says that in his deep voice, and it conveys a lot of feelings.
Did he let me touch his chest? No…and I didn’t really ask to be honest. My respects to Lif. He gave up everything for us. I owe him a lot.
Well, now I knew for sure and I could confront him or let him keep doing it, or maybe just seduce him. It was strange. I always thought it only worked on men, but I guess it does work goes both ways! At least it help me to fall in love with his mind and heart first, not his body.
Next day we were walking out of Lif’s castle when the floor gave in and Alfonse and I fell through it. Luckily it was not even high, but I am not as tall as Alfonse and with my luck, part of my coat and shirt got caught on a sharp part of a broken stone pillar, and I was left hanging about one feet off the ground by one shoulder. I tried wiggling off the coat but I could not do it.
-Are you hurt _____?- Alfonse asks worriedly getting up from where he landed on the floor.
-No! I think I just got scratched! But I can’t unhook my self.
- Only you _____.- Says Alfonse smiling and getting dust out of his uniform.
-Thanks Alfonse…Can you help me down?
He looks around and up for a while and then stares at me for a few minutes. Probably thinking how to approach the problem, but seriously I think he could just reach up and unhook me. He is tall enough for that.
He comes close to me and circle my waist with his left arm and places his left leg between my legs to find leverage on the pillar behind me. He reaches over my head with his right arm to unhook my coat. Being this close to him is so exiting. My heart begins to race and I start feeling kind of hot. I try not to think about it and avoid my gaze from his face, but I can’t help looking at him.
There was not much light coming down from the hole above us, but I could see the side of his face and ear…yeah the same ear I wanted to…OK! Not now! He took this time to move his leg up to hold my weight up, and I was left straddling it. He kind of wiggled it to adjust and…Oh boy! It felt good, good.
<< Oh no! Don’t move it anymore…>> I was praying for him not to move that leg, because God in heaven, I was going to come right there and then.
…And he moved it again but higher and harder…
-Mmmn- Oh GOD! I did not just moan into his ear. I mean, I am not horny all the time, come on! It is just that, he is so close I can smell him. He smells so deliciously manly, and his leg is touching just the right places!!
Meanwhile he is frozen in place. It seems like he is thinking about what to do or maybe just not thinking at all. I personally think he will be leaving me hanging there to be hones. I am so embarrassed, I lower my face to hide it, but we are so close, I end up hiding my face in the crook of his neck.
He gasps and I can feel his arm tightening on my waist and I get even closer to him. I feel him moving his head a little as if to see my face and then…he moves the leg again as if testing it. This time slowly. I tried and fail to stifle another moan but it still comes out. He moves his hips upwards and keeps moving the leg. It creates just the right amount of friction needed. I feel my hips move on their own to meet him.
-Alfonse…- My legs tighten around his and when I come close to his manhood I can feel his arousal as well.
-_________- He whispers my name softly as my leg touches him. All this while he is still moving that blessed leg back and ford. I am panting at this point and he feels like he is in the same situation. All of this brought me to my knees. I came hard. I sat there shuddering in his arms and biting my hand because the stone caused every little noise to sound louder. I felt him kissing my hair.
We heard some loud footsteps up above us and then…
-Hey! You need help down there!- I hear Barst’s voice over my head. He does not sound or look like he heard anything.
-We are fine…I just need …to get her down.- Alfonse’s voice sound a little strained but Barst takes it to mean he es working on helping me down. Just like that, he unhooks my coat and lowers me down gently, still not letting go.
-I’m getting a ladder!- He’s gone and we can hear his footsteps getting farther away.
Alfonse steps forward still with me in his arms ,until my back is against the pillar and then looks at me and kisses me hard.
I am dizzy by the time he lets go. - He is coming back.- He says against my neck and bites into it. I am sure they could hear that whimper that left my mouth. And can you blame me? He just bit into my neck and at the same time moved his hips in a way that I could feel his manhood rub against me. Both his hands were lowered to my hips and he used them to have me closer to him. All this while, he gave this utterly sexy guttural sound that almost sounded like a growl… He lets go, takes a step back and turns around, a moment later a ladder is lowered.
-You go. I will explore down here a moment.- He says in a firm voice not looking at me.
I go up the ladder still a little shaky and flushed. I tel Barst to let him explore to see what he can find, but to leave the ladder for him to get up. Darn I wanted to go “exploring” with him. Just imagining what he is doing down there is doing things to me. Good thing everyone thought I was scared of what had happened. I only had a scratch to show.
He came back much later.
…Well that was a lot of “exploring”.
He comes to the camp outside the castle and we are ready to leave just after lunch. At first he seems reluctant to be near me. I am freaking out because well, overthinking and anxiety mixed with insecurities is a bad mix. Finally after half a day of travel, we make camp and post the watch. He comes and sit by my side when I am eating. We don’t talk about it until we are left alone to go to rest.
-I…I apologize Alfonse. It wasn’t my intention. I…it just happened.- I tell him when he doesn’t speak.
- It wasn’t my intention either…you don’t have to apologize. I have been wanting to tell you. I…have feelings for you. I just did not want to say it in a situation like that and not at a time like this. I wanted it to be special. I am in love with you _____.
-I love you too Alfonse. I have for a long time… I’m sorry I ruined it…but I could not help but enjoy having you so near.- He is scarlet red, but smiling.- Which by the way, is your fault.- He looks puzzled.- Sir you are playing dirty.
-How so? - He asks.
-You are playing hard to get with my heart.
-Oh that game you started playing with mine?-He asks arching an eyebrow.
-What? Me? When? You don’t even let me see your hands for God’s sake. I never saw you flirting with me.
-I…hold your hands.- He says blushing. Well that was so Alfonse of him.-…erm…You used to never take off that coat or those pants. You were all mysterious and unreachable- Mysterious? Well, firs time someone said that about me.
-You wanted me to take off my pants?- He turns red again -I was…insecure. I mean look at those gorgeous women out there and I get all jealous and insecure. I felt safe with my coat on. What was your excuse?
-The same…I am jealous and insecure…Well, I was at first, but then I noticed something about you. - I give him a questioning look.- You could look at any hero in the nude and not get flustered by it. When I asked you why; you told me they where just natural human bodies to you. You sounded like they were nothing special; like you had analyzed bodies so much you did not find them beautiful or sacred any more. You said you studied them at school and everyone paraded half naked in musical shows and the like. Later you told me you did find them beautiful in an artistic or scientific kind of way but it did not make it better to me.
How to make someone like you fall in love….with me? I listened to you and how you praised my intellect and skills, and I knew you were attracted to those qualities, but there are other men with intellect and skills at home too. I needed to find a way to be special to you.
It was only when we met that other Alfonse dressed in a bunny costume that I understood. The way you looked at him made me so envious and jealous. What was so special about him? I saw you ogle his body like he was the most sinful of apparitions, and he looked just like me! I was frustrated. That same evening I saw you looking differently at me, and I could not help but feel elated about it.
I spied you looking intently at my naked hands and when I put on my globes, that look of disappointment did not escape my eyes. It occurred to me that you had never seen me in any state of undress and it must have been strange to you. I understood how you felt now. I have been watching heroes for years. Beautiful women I have been watching on a daily basis and none of them feel spacial, even if they have beautiful bodies,or incredible skills. Yet the day I saw you wearing regular clothes I …well I…- He blushed, lowered his face and left the sentence hanging.
I flirted with the idea of letting you see more of me, but then I would just become like any other hero, and I wanted more than that. I want so much more.- Now he looked at me, and there was so much love and affection in his eyes, I could have melted in the spot.
I have to confess I enjoyed seeing you flustered when you could see a little of me. That made me feel special, but I did not want to be just a mystery to you either. I wanted your heart and soul,your love not only your lust. I needed to to know you loved me.
I had a talk last night with Lif. He told me they were lovers …His summoner and him. He told me I was being a fool just wasting time. He said that if you were anything like his ______, then you loved me, jut like his summoner did him. _______, I want what they had…I want everything, but I am afraid. Between this situation and the war with Embla…You understand me, don’t you?
- I understand you. I suppose the time is not right. I don’t want to look back on the day we finally are together and remember all these tragedies. You know Alfonse. You were right about me and my take on “nakedness”. I guess we are on the same page now about desire too. To us, Desire comes from love. That is what makes you and your body especial to me. I fell in love with your sharp mind and your heart first, but also thanks to your “efforts” I can understand and appreciate how special a lover’s body is. You made me understand, that what I feel for you is true love, not just infatuation or lust. Thank you. We can wait if that is your wish…if not…I will not say ‘no’ to that to be honest. I leave it to your discretion…But Alfonse, next time you go “exploring” , I want you to know, I can always lend you a hand. ;)
~*~
I write this on the day of Devotion. Alfonse and I had another talk and at the end, we decided to wait. Alfonse’s position is a little difficult, and now even more so after his father’s death. His personality makes me forget he is royalty, but the weight of his crown is a lot. He has more responsibilities and images to uphold. I want to think we have time to enjoy each other’s company, hearts and mind before we rush things any way.
Well, I have to go, my family (Yes they are my family now) is waiting for me. Sharena informed me there is a huge surprise for me. Well, Anna did owed me some favors and she designed the costumes for the Royal family.I can’t wait see Alfonse! I hear he is wearing sandals XD Wink, wink!
PS: Wait! I just realized something! Lif was actually spying on us!?
#feh#feh alfonse#feh summoner#feh alfonse x summoner#fire emblem heroes#fire emblem fanfiction#kiralfonse#fire emblem#fire emblem x reader#alfonse x reader#alfonse x summoner#feh kiran#feh lif#feh lif x reader#feh lif x summoner#feh fan fiction
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Dimiclaude kiss prompt no. 55?
this turned out... longer than i intended lmao
also hope you're okay with a soulmate au, because this is the only idea i had for this lol! thanks for requesting <3 <3
(also a warning for spoilers about claude's backstory and maybe dimitri's a little bit but otherwise i'm pretty sure everything is spoiler-free!!)
--
His name is Khalid, is what Dimitri’s mind - wide awake from the searing sting of finally gaining his soulmark - says, barely a whisper while when Ingrid got hers, she screamed with joy the moment she found out her soulmate was Glenn.
That was a year ago, on the fourth of the Guardian Moon, precisely the day of her birth, which was celebrated with her family and friends.
It’s legend that you become of age to receive a soulmark from the day you turn twelve to the day you turn sixteen. Sylvain, two years older, had, unsurprisingly received his two years prior to Ingrid and Felix who both received theirs when they officially became of age.
Dimitri however, while not exactly a rare case, though not a complete normality, had received his a year later than which his childhood friends did, at age 13.
Her mark glistens a glittering gold on the inside of her left wrist, corresponding with Glenn’s which is on the inside of his right one. Dimitri remembers her gushing how when the first time they held hands, their marks shone when they touched.
He also remembers Felix gagging and glaring at the two lovebirds for the rest of the day, completely enraptured with one another and nothing else.
As of that day, their betrothal was made official, now that Ingrid had her mark to confirm the one Glenn owned.
That was a while back now, and today, an exact year later, is Dimitri’s birthday. The mark on his arm stings, but as his eyes really take in the word in beautiful script on his wrist, he begins to ignore the pain.
Exactly three hours later, he’s at the Felix and Glenn’s home, sitting outside on the grass with the two of them, having recently abandoned the wooden training swords. Glenn is a full four years older than all of them, except Sylvain, who is only two years older. Yet despite his age Glenn still treats them the same.
When Dimitri finally shows the two his soulmark after lots of nagging, he notices the way Felix bites his lip and averts his gaze.
But before he can question it, Felix teases “You’re going to have a boyfriend!” before bursting out into laughter.
Dimitri hadn’t even thought of that, fully focused on the fact that he has a soulmark and not on the fact that his soulmate has the name of a boy.
He… isn’t too sure what to feel about that.
“And you are too,” Glenn calls in a sing-song voice to his younger brother, only to get fiercely elbowed in the stomach. A scowl has found its way onto the bright-eyed boy’s face.
Dimitri doesn’t say a word. Felix has been oddly secretive about his soulmark ever since he got it a month after Ingrid’s, while she had been flouncing it around whenever she got the chance and wasn’t with Glenn. Though at the same time, even at thirteen, Felix has been secretive, spending more time by himself than with the group unless he was absolutely forced too.
“Shut up!” he snaps, folding his arms and pouting. “I hate you.”
“So kind, Fe,” Glenn teases with a grin, ruffling his younger brother’s hair.
Silently Dimitri wonders what it would be like if he was in Glenn’s shoes, and he had a little brother of his own.
The silence Dimitri’s indulged in gets broken with a familiar call, and Dimitri turns to see Sylvain, even taller than the last time he saw his friend, standing alongside Ingrid who immediately rushes to greet Dimitri with a hug before running over to Glenn.
“Happy birthday, Dimitri!” Sylvain hollers the second he closes the door, separating the kids from the adults indoors. He joins the group. “How does it feel to no longer be the only soulmate-less one?” He adds a wink as if the very phrase itself wasn’t terrible enough.
A collective group of groans reverberate around the circle they’ve formed.
“You’re an idiot,” Felix grumbles to the older teen, averting all eye contact and instead vouching for a heated glare at the grass. Oh, if looks could kill.
“Aww, I love you too, Fe,” Sylvain teases, still grinning merrily as if he nothing is wrong with the world.
Felix’s face flushes. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Ingrid laughs. “I can say it too, if you’d like.” She clears her throat, as if beginning some long and important speech. “Aww, I love you too, Felix.”
“Now that’s left is Dimitri,” Glenn notes, looking at him.
The younger Fraldarius looks just about ready to bolt as Dimitri says “Aww, I love you too, Felix.”
Instead, he just mutters “It’s your birthday so I’ll take it. Just this once though.”
Sylvain leans close to Dimitri and whispers in a not-so-quiet voice “A little birdy told me you received your soulmark!” Bold black cursive writing stares up at him with non-existent eyes and he feels his heart start to thud.
Thump. Thump-thump. Thump. Thump-thump.
He doesn’t reply, instead peeling his sleeve a little higher above and shows Ingrid and Sylvain his soulmark.
The taller of the two squints at it, as if it’s hard to see. Ingrid’s reaction is more surprised, by the way her eyes widen, and her jaw goes a little slack. She fixes it when she sees his eyes on her with a small smile. “That’s great, Dimitri! It’s so pretty,” she gushes in a very un-Ingrid manner, but the twinkle in her eyes is all the same. “I wonder when you’ll meet your soulmate…”
“Khalid’s not a Fódlan name,” Sylvain offhandedly comments. Dimitri frowns at him, and he hastily continues. “I mean it’s not a Fódlan name I’ve heard. Who knows? You could get some hottie from Duscur or Brigid.”
“Of course, someone from Duscur or Brigid would come all the way over for our Prince,” Glenn drily says, pecking Ingrid on the cheek at her wide-eyed smile. “We’re not getting rid of him that easily.”
--
His soulmark was something Dimitri was very focused on for a while.
Then Duscur happened and everything seemed to fall apart.
His family, his friends… everything changed. The mark on Ingrid’s wrist faded to a black splotch, and the golden writing had completely disappeared.
Felix had shut himself off completely, not leaving his room unless he was training and not talking to anyone unless he was yelling at them.
Sylvain… seemed more closed off – more subdued. Dimitri saw him less and less as the months ebbed on.
And Dimitri… Dimitri couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus, couldn’t even think. His dreams being haunted by the dead, his father begging for revenge, Glenn hissing in his ear, taunting him, his mother, crying at his feet.
“You should’ve saved us,” they hiss. “Kill them for us. Kill them all!”
It’s not the first time he wakes to a cold sweat, a scream hanging on the edge of his lips.
He’s sent to live, along with the Duscur boy he met, Dedue, at Rodrigue’s place, and there Dimitri finds it frequent where he gets the full brunt of Felix’s verbal abuse. He wants to talk back, to say it wasn’t his fault, but he can’t find the words, can’t even find the motivation to speak. Instead, he just nods, silent, and Dedue finds him, concern lingering in his gaze.
It’s like that for a while.
Then the rebellion happens, and Felix seems to hate him even more.
--
It’s almost a relief when he arrives to the Officers Academy.
There he meets Edelgard von Hresvelg (or reunites, perhaps, if his hunch is in fact correct), heir to the Empire, and Claude von Riegan, heir to House Riegan.
Claude is… well… Claude is a lot of things.
In their audience with Rhea, he is stiff and stoic-faced, though the second they’re released from the chamber, he introduces himself properly to Dimitri. “So, you’re the prince,” he says with a wink. “Nice to meet you.”
“It is good to meet you too,” says Dimitri in return, dipping his head. He offers a small smile.
It’s not the only time they talk. As the year ebbs on, Dimitri gets to know Claude, should it be through sparring together, or even tea times Claude has insisted on. Claude is… well, first of all he’s nice and he’s kind, and he’s also very funny. He seems to bring a smile to Dimitri’s face whenever he’s around, and not only that but he’s…
…he’s beautiful.
Maybe it’s his smile, Dimitri supposes, his genuine one, or maybe those piercing green eyes. He’s also been good looking.
Sometimes when they train, Dimitri catches himself staring, and Claude’s caught him too, offering a wink and a teasing comment without any heat.
Not only that but Dimitri’s heart flutters whenever he’s around Claude, and he has to remind himself constantly that this isn’t okay because Claude is not his soulmate. The mark on his wrist proves just that much.
“You’re staring, your Highness.”
Dimitri flinches, almost forgetting that Sylvain is opposite him, lazily twirling his lance. He smirks at his childhood friend. “Got your eyes on someone?”
It would be great if he was immune to Sylvain’s teasing, but he is only human, and heat rises to his cheeks. “No!” His voice sounds a few pitches higher than it usually is. He clears his throat, averting his gaze from Claude who turns away from Hilda who he’s sparring with (how he got her to do so remains a mystery to the school) to offer a questioning brow. “I mean, uh, no. Of course not.”
“Sure, sure.”
Sylvain doesn’t sound at all convinced. He leans closer, whispering in Dimitri’s ear, “I mean Riegan is pretty hot. I don’t think even your soulmate would blame you for checking him out.”
Dimitri splutters, “W-what?”
“I have to go,” Sylvain says. “Pick up some of the ladies- oh, hey, Fe!” He runs off towards the direction of Felix who enters the training ground, and Dimitri doesn’t stop him, staring into the distance as his cheeks turn redder and redder as the seconds pass.
--
Nevertheless, Dimitri still goes out of his way to spend his time with Claude, pointedly ignoring his soulmark whenever he does.
“Your princliness!” Claude calls, waving in greeting as he runs over to him. Dimitri tries not to blush when he yet again winks.
“Claude!” He tries his hardest not to sound too surprised. “What-what are you doing here?”
He looks amazing. Dressed in a sharp suit he’s seen many of the other students wearing, his hair tousled and falling in front of his eyes. “I think the proper question is what are you doing here? Dedue’s worried about you. Says you haven’t even showed up to the ball and-”
Dimitri’s brain seems to shut off, his mind not listening as he surges forwards, closing the distance between them with a kiss.
It lasts two seconds. Maybe three.
Because immediately after their lips touch Dimitri lets go, eyes wide. “I- that was out of line,” he rushes. “I’m sorry, Claude, I shouldn’t have done that-”
But Claude pulls him back in, and Dimitri feels the mark on his wrist burn and-
He stares down at it, watching the white handwriting shimmer to gold. “What…?”
“I have been waiting so long to do that,” Claude breathes, oblivious to Dimitri’s confusion. He raises an eyebrow, clutching his hands. “Hey, what’s wrong…?”
“Khalid,” Dimitri breathes. Claude’s eyes widen. “That’s your name?”
“I-” Claude pauses, before nodding. “Yes. It is.”
Dimitri pulls him close, arms wrapping around him. He kisses Claude – or is it Khalid? – again, and again, and again. “It’s a beautiful name.”
“Mmhm.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Their night ends not in the ballroom, but outside under the moonlight, the memory of soft kisses and warm embraces never to leave Dimitri’s mind.
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House of Lust (part 16)
Abbé de Coulmier x reader
Summary: Five years has passed since the events of Quills. The Abbé de Coulmier is released of prision by a misterious event. And he will know again those feelings he never thought will meet again: love... and lust.
Warnings: some mentions of violence and wounds, mentions of sex.
Odelle went to the dungeons in the morning, finding François sleeping on the ground, covered with the blanket. She actually thought he was dead for a minute, but he wasn't. He survived the punishment. And she didn't know how.
What she was thinking by now was about that empty bottle and that blanket. Who gave those to him? Was it you? One of the guards? Louis? Claude? One of the guests? No, they didn't know he was in the dungeons.
She opened the cell and approached him. She kneeled beside him and put her hand on his shoulder, moving him to wake him up.
"Abbé. Hey Abbé. Wake up. C'mon."
He started to open his eyes and, at the moment he saw Odelle, he jumped and moved to a corner, scared like if she was the product of a nightmare. He even thought he was dead, and she was a demon from a real Hell.
"Oh, do I scare you that much? That's nice!" She mocked. "Take this. Put them on." She throwed him a new cassock, shirt and trousers, and waited for him outside, smiling. He still had some bruises all over his body, and that made her feel good. But the lashes in his back somehow were cured. And she noticed it. It was impossible he did it alone. Someone must have help him.
Coulmier arrived at her side with new clothes, while he finished zipping the last buttons. He was breathing slowly. He frowned when he saw her standing and waiting for him. He wanted to kill her. It was the same feeling he always had while seeing doctor Roger-Collard.
He thought a lot about him those days in the dungeon. It reminded him a lot of the Charenton cell he made him go into. He thought a lot about Madeline too. And the Marquis. He dreamt about them. And you. He dreamt about you a lot.
"What the hell do you want now, Odelle? What are you going to make me do?" Said he, angry. His nails scratched the skin of his palms.
"I'm not going to make you do anything, Abbé. I'm done with you. I punished you because of what you did. But that's it. Today is the last day of the House of Lust this year. And you'll be free to go."
Was that true? He didn't trust her at all. But she didn't seem to be kidding. Maybe she was going to free him. Maybe it was true. But it was just a maybe. He didn't say anything else. He just glanced at her with hate.
"Now, go to Y/N chambers and clean yourself a little. Fix you hair. You're so handsome, but now you look horrible."
She smiled and left. He heard moans coming from a door next to where he stood. But it was a common thing by now, and he didn't mind about it.
He entered to your bedroom and found you sleeping. He approached to you in silence, sitting at the edge of the bed, extending his hand to touch your hair. You were fine. That was everything he wanted to know.
"Y/N, it's me." He said, and you woke. You scared at first, but then you recognized him.
"Abbé! Oh my God, I was so scared! Are you okay?" You hugged him quickly, not letting him a chance to go anywhere.
"I'm fine, Y/N. I'm... I'm fine. I'm alive." He smiled.
He broked the hug and looked at you im silence, right into your eyes. You kissed him with hunger, surprising him. But then, he continued with the kiss, touching your face and then your neck.
"I've missed you so much, François." You said, and his name in your lips caused something inside of him.
He started to cry suddenly. You didn't understand why, but you hugged him again, caressing his hair with pity. You didn't know what he had been through.
"Why are you crying, Abbé? What is it?"
"I thought your sister was going to kill me, Y/N. She... Let me in that cage like an animal. And, you know what? I didn't care about that. But then I thought about you, and I wanted to survive for you. I'm so glad you're fine! This are tears of joy!"
You hugged each other again, but when your hand caressed her back, he jumped with pain.
"What is it?" You said quickly, noticing he wasn't that right. You cupped his face with your hands. "You're not okay."
"No. Actually, I'm not." He smiled with pain in his eyes, tears still filling those green diamonds. "Your sister tortured me."
"What?! That fucking bitch! I'm going to kill her!" You screamed.
"Don't say those things, love." Coulmier cut what you were saying, putting his index finger in your lips. "I share the feeling, but tomorrow we will be free."
"You're right. I'm sorry, François. You're absolutely right. Tomorrow we can go to any place we wish, together."
"Actually, I want to talk with you about a couple of things---"
"Not here. Wait. Come with me to the bathroom. I'll give you a nice bath."
He smiled and followed you to the bathroom. He took off all his new clothes, and you couldn't help but put your hands in your mouth when you saw him naked. His back was all wounded with lashes. He had a stiched cut in his chest above the right nipple. And many bruises all over his skin.
"Josephine helped me." He whispered, in case anyone was outside. "She cured my wounds. You were right. She is not like Odelle."
"I told you she's nice. I hope she can get out of this place soon." You said, helping him enter the bathub, which was full of warm water. You started to clean the rests of blood from his back with care.
"I wanted to talk about that. I'm thinking she can go with us, at least while we go away from here. Do you agree?"
"Well... Yeah. She's my sister. And yes, she's done a lot of bad things, but I love her. It's a good idea. I agree."
You both stayed in silence a couple of minutes, just watching each other. You were washing his back with care and, when you ended, you started to give him a little massage in his chest and shoulders. He moaned a little because of the good feeling. After those days in the dungeons, it was nice to be back with you.
"Odelle makes a party every year when the days of the House of Lust are over." You explained. "We have to go and act normally. If anyone asks why they didn't see you these days, we can say you had a seminary."
"What happened these days I've been in the cell?" He asked with confussion.
"I don't know. I've been in a cell myself, Abbé. Odelle locked me up in my bedroom. Josephine brought me food and some water, and I had a bath just before you arrived."
"That bitch... I can't wait to be out of here, away from her." Said he, with hate. You couldn't blame him. You felt like that since many years.
"I need to ask you something, Abbé."
"Tell me." He responded, closing his eyes to feel your fingers massaging his scalp.
"When we were... You know... About to make love... And my sister found us..."
"Yeah...?"
"You said you had to confess something. What was it?"
François opened his eyes and looked at you briefly. He suddenly remembered how good you tasted, and the sounds you made while he was fucking you with his mouth and fingers just before he was taken to the dungeon. Yes. He had to confess something. Something awful. And surely you will understand.
"Do you know the 100 Days of Sodom? The book, I mean. It's a Marquis de Sade book."
"Yeah, my sisters have it in our library. Odelle reads it since it came out, and uses to practice somethings in here. Why?"
"Did you read it?"
"Some parts, just because she obligued me to do it. What has the book to do with your confession?"
He closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath, like if what he was about to say was really painful for him. He shocked his head and, with notable shame in his eyes, he talked with low voice.
"It wasn't the Marquis de Sade who wrote it. It was me. Roger-Collard... The doctor who made me be an inmate... When the Marquis died, I started to write as if I was him. I heard his voice in my head, guiding my hand into the paper. When Roger-Collard knew about that, he made me write a long story to print as a book. He told everyone it was the last thing the Maquis ever wrote, but it was me."
"And what about that?" You said, not getting why was that so bad.
"If people is so wicked... If this House of Lust has it existense based in that book, as you said... It's all my damn fault. I... I was so away from God... With everything that happened in those days... My mind was full of demons. And I really understood why the Marquis had to write them."
There was an extended silence in the room, with you finally getting how bad it was for him to write such a nasty, bad and pervert tale as that. Who will imagine it? A priest writing those things!
"Hey. Look at me." You took his face in you hands. "No one has to know. Ever. And I will keep my mouth shout. I promise. It wasn't you who wrote it. As you said, it was the Marquis. But you don't hear him anymore, don't you?"
"No. I haven't hear his voice in a year."
"So, you are you. And that's everything is fine." You said, smiling. He smiled back and kissed you.
"Now, we have to go to the stupid party. This will end soon. And we will be free to do whatever we want."
You helped him to put his clothes again and, back in your bedroom, you brushed his hair with care. He looked at himself in the mirror, and you, standing behind him, approached to him and kissed his cheek.
"You're so damn handsome." You said, waiting for him at the bedroom's door. "And you look so fine... I don't think no one will ask anything odd."
"I'm fine thanks to you and Josephine. And you are magnificent and beautiful too." He responded, smiling, hugging you and kissing you again, as if he didn't spent three days in a cell after a painful and pleasurable torture. "I love you, Y/N."
Guests started to arrive to the dining room from their bedrooms while you smiled at him. It will be a long, weird day. You both knew that. But you didn't imagined what was coming. You had no idea...
Tagging: @darknessisafriend @five-miles-over @yukis-writing @thegirlwho @jokerflecker @missrockabilly99 @luperugorria99 @weirdflecksbutok @skaraboo @starksclown @sgtsavoytruffle @joaquinisart @sophiefleck @the-queen-of-things @ajokerfangirl @bailaycantaconmingo @joaquinphoenixdaily @joaquinfeed @beatlebabe1996
#joaquin phoenix#abbe x reader#quills#abbe de coulmier x reader#abbe de coulmier thirst squad#abbe de coulmier#abbe thirst squad#abbé de coulmier#marquis de sade#joaquin phoenix x reader
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Runaan@NYCC 2021 AU headcanons
If Runaan actually attended in person with the characters voiced by the VA's who will attend: gosh the muns got self-indulgent, this is long
Runaan leaves home for NYCC 2021 and sends Ethari a single Pleading Face emoji every time he thinks of him
Ethari gets 2472496 Pleading Face emojis while Runaan is away
Runaan brings his favourite book(s) with him to keep him company and also for Serotonin
Rayla mentions this to Callum
Runaan is all WHy did you Tell the HUMAN
but Callum did the exact same thing
Runaan is unexpectedly supported and he's not sure he likes it
they also make a plan for what he (and Rayla) can do if he ever gets very overwhelmed
Ethari@Rayla: Rule #1 is, do not let him shoot anyone
Rayla; *very serious nod*
he rehearses what he'll say at the panel beforehand, using flash cards
and some of the cards say things like "Thank you" bc Ethari worries he'll forget
Ethari color coding the flash cards for "Social" and "Informational" so Runaan can flip through them if he's put on the spot
he also asks Ethari what he can mention about him+what's off limits bc he doesn’t want to make Ethari feel exposed or anything
Runaan: please don't have a Q&A section please don't have a Q&A section please don't have a
host: so let's open it up for a little Q&A now-
Runaan, internally: *bleep*
Under the table he starts flicking through his flash cards
he doesn't realize there's no tablecloth and everyone can see him do it
he watches the recording of it later to find all his faults but Rayla sits right next to him and she's all, "Yes yes they saw you and guess what, no one assassinated you over it, it's okay!"
Runaan goes Soft™
it's like he can feel Ethari there with him through Rayla's words
he has to thank her but words aren't his style so he offers to let her drag him out of the hotel for the first time that trip
ten steps outside and he has regretti
but he promised and his honor is at stake now so he keeps going
Rayla takes him to a bookstore
its slightly outside his comfort zone but it's quiet, and the city streets are so noisy
Ethari texted her a list of recharge spots, and one was a bookstore, with a reading nook, so she takes him there and they curl up on pillows and hammocks for a while
Another time they go out to a coffee shop at 3am
Runaan sends Ethari a Pleading Face emoji
Ethari replies with “!!” and “IT’S 3AM GO TO SLEEP YOU HAVE A PANEL IN THE MORNING”
Runaan just sends him another Pleading Face
Runaan has noise cancelling earshrooms if he needs them
Ethari wears them while he hammers
Ethari sends Runaan jokes to distract him just before his panels start
And Runaan lies down at night to talk to Ethari with his phone near his ear so it feels like back home when Ethari cuddles him
Ethari sending his own homemade "good luck" memes just before Runaan’s panel, so Runaan can fall back on showing them to the audience if he gets nervous, which he does, and they LOVE it, and Runaan is like, “I can see my husband has some support in the human lands, I'll be sure to tell him,” and the room cheers and Runaan is like "Aaaaa this is making me feel so seen but also yes, my husband deserves all the support"
Runaan sleeps surrounded by like 8 extra pillows in the bed so he can feel as snuggled as when Ethari's actually there
and one is Ethari's
Ethari lending Runaan his scarf bc it smells like him
and Runaan not only sleeps with it right near his nose but he wears it during the panel
Runaan wearing his serious face at the panel and answering hard or angsty questions, and the whole time he has earshrooms in and their lil stems are pokin out of his ears
If Runaan is here then all the other characters with VAs at NYCC are also here, so it’s a panel of actual characters
Viren using chopsticks to try and steal one of Runaan's earshrooms out of unbridled curiosity, and Runaan just. takes them away from him. without looking over. and slaps them on the table like. no, bad human, do not steal my earshrooms while I'm talking.
Claudia's flipping through a book but it's a recipe book and she's looking up mushroom soup
Ethari made Runaan an anti-dark magic charm so he's safe and no one can use it on him, so he feels safe attending the panel at all
someone asking about Lachir and Runaan just brightening
also pspsps that person is @hoothalcyon
Runaan goes off for ten minutes unprompted and uninterrupted about his moonstrider, it's about as animated and excited as anyone has ever seen him
Clauds over on the side making big heart eyes
she asks if he has a picture and he says yes and she bounces over to him and squeals loudly
Rayla texts Ethari just then and Ethari gets a FaceTime call going so everyone can see Lachir in person back home, because ofc she is fine and alive
and Lachir looks derpily at the camera like "wat dis"
She do the blep, sniffs camera, makes it smudgy
Ethari laughing and protesting off screen
the entire panel and audience is all "awwwwww"
Viren loudly demanding a cute pet so people will like him too
Runaan does a discreet lil happy stim and it's so discreet that barely anyone catches it except one or two ND's who are like aaaaa
Rayla slipping behind Viren and putting an adoraburr on his ear tho
"One cute pet, courtesy of Xadia! You've had your Adorapox vaccinations, right?" she chirps sassily
yes the pox look like adoraburrs
you are very contagious and very adorable
Janai, someone asks her about Amaya and she gets flustered and Runaan feels seen
audience question during the Q&A: Runaan, who would win in a fight between you and Janai?
Janai, immediately: Me.
Runaan: Her.
Janai flexes, literally
Runaan is happy to give her the spotlight, which is why he lied, bc ofc he thinks he could take her, he'd do it at night and he'd steal her sword first, obviously
nowhere in the question did it say "fair" fight
Amaya is in the audience and she keeps signing flirty things at Janai no matter how loud the room gets or who's asking who what, and Janai keeps getting more and more flustered and distracted
Runaan has one (1) moment where he's actually relieved his husband isn't there
Ethari would want to tease him so badly
Q: Runaan, are you a good dancer?
Runaan: I'm passable, with the right partner.
Q: So can you show us some moves?
Runaan, blushing: Distinctly not.
whistling and clapping ensue
Rayla jumps up and grabs Callum's hand and says, "I can show you some moves!"
and they dance very sweetly and cutely with some basic Moonshadow moves
and Runaan is like "I can't tell if this is worse"
Q: Runaan, how did your marriage proposal go?
Runaan, after a long flustered moment: ...Successfully. *taps his horn cuffs*
Q from someone wanting to know how to follow Runaan on social media: Runaan, you're amazing, where can we find you?
Runaan: The Silvergrove, but you can't actually-
Q: No I mean, what if we want to follow you?
Runaan: You'd need to know the key dance, and that's protected information. Also, stalking isn't nice.
Q: But you stalk people.
Runaan: *dramatic eyebrows* And it isn't nice.
Next Q: Has Ethari ever gotten hurt, and what did you do?
Runaan: *crushes water bottle*
Host: Okay another question then!
his answers would be really short if he did not feel comfy interacting, which is probably most of the time
Rayla took away Runaan's bowblade before the panel started
Runaan: but that's my emotional comfort trick weapon
Rayla: No. Ethari's Panel Rule #1. No stabbing or shooting people.
they pass a weapons display in the artist alley and someone made a replica of the Bloodborne bowblade and Runaan’s like, hm that looks familiar
Runaan wandering the con and talking to all the cosplayers with cool looking weaponry tho
he takes pics for Ethari
Runaan wandering the con and asking Runaan cosplayers, "So who are you supposed to be?" bc he genuinely doesn't know
he doesn't think he should be in the pictures for security reasons but he takes pix of Rayla posing with everyone dressed as Runaan
social media gets flooded with pix of his hair from the back though
#itssosoft trends on Twitter
Rayla sets up a pic where half a dozen happy fans get to brush Runaan's hair at the same time, and he's stuffing his face with moonberry surprise so he doesn't get nervous
it actually makes him look happy and social and Ethari is like HOW, HOW DID YOU MANAGE THIS, MAGIC
people shyly approach him and ask if he and Ethari can adopt them and he says yes
he ends up in a coffee shop zone with a couple dozen people gathered around and tells them the importance of found family in Moonshadow culture and he doesn't understand why they're all crying
Rayla teasing Runaan and telling him to tell a pirate story
Runaan is like, "Spoilers for Season 5"
some superfan nerd like mun tries to get him to admit how much he knows about Xadia and history and the show's plot, and he does that one line that all stabby people say. "I could tell you. But then I'd have to kill you."
he gets half a dozen volunteers and he is so concerned
Runaan, Protector of Secrets
Soren starts to spill about 14% of a secret and from across the entire con hall a green fletched arrow just zips by
Soren is like "You know what, never mind"
Cracky: Viren runs through the room looking for protection, and Runaan is like ugh fine who's after you this time, and Viren's all, "No one, my children are just being so silly and I just need a break for five minutes, can we please have a grownup conversation about something serious and angsty, please I’m actually begging you"
Runaan spots the adoraburr on Viren's ear and he's like, "Adoraburrs get lonely if they're alone," and he puts another one on Viren's other ear
and then a bunch more so they stack like a hairband and they're happier
Runaan just smirks and walks away
the adoraburrs start squeaking to each other and Viren is like, "Ugh, I preferred my children's terrible puns" and the adoraburrs get huffy and all hop down and abandon him
he does not in fact get adorapox because Viren believes in inoculation
some attendees would try to convince Runaan to "seek asylum" in NY and not return to Xadia or something, and he'd be like "But. Ethari."
they remind him that if he goes back he has to wait in a coin, and he doesn't get it
"Wdym. Ethari is there. Not here. I have to be there."
"BUT. COIN."
"BUT. ETHARI."
Rayla's like, I ain't Naruto running all the way back
She clicks a car fob and there's a *boop boop* noise
and this hovering coin like Tenser's Floating Disk shows up and they hop onto it and surf into the distance
Rayla shouts "SPOILERS FOR SEASON FOUR I KNOW WHO DIES AND IT’S-"
and Runaan is like "RAYLA DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO SHOOT YOU, I COULDN'T DO IT LAST TIME AND I CAN'T DO IT NOW, DON'T GET ME IN TROUBLE I SWEAR TO THE M-"
talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, everyone hopes they come back next year too
#NYCC 2021 headcanons#runaan#ethari#rayla#moonfam#viren#claudia#soren#janai#amaya#tdp crack#this is so self indulgent and we do not apologize pls enjoy
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Fire Emblem Three Houses/ Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes Theory
Spoilers for Three Hopes and Three Houses like major beats in each path and support threads beyond the cut obviously cause there is one thing that's been glaring at me despite only one and a half paths in.
I feel there is a lot of evidence for Shez not only existing in the original timeline, but also they are alive in the original timeline. The answer lies in how both Byleth and Shez awaken to their powers and in most of Shez's support conversations.
When Shez and Byleth first awaken to their powers, it comes when Arval and Sothis first intervene in events where they should have died. Just to bring everyone back up to speed since Lindheart and Shez's support conversation placed an emphasis on the circumstances of the power being awakened.
In the Three Houses, Byleth almost kicks the bucket by shielding Eldegard and intending to take an axe to the back since they weren't fast enough raises a question as to how flimsy the armor is but besides the point. Sothis steps in and allows Byleth to turn back time themselves so they were ready for Kostaz's attack. Byleth's hair and eyes turn green when they were stuck in a funky dark dimension. Sothis's consciousness herself seems to have disappeared unless you happen to romance her by the end of the game In Three Hopes, Shez nearly kills Byleth and Sothis takes over, turning Byleth's hair and eyes green in the process because she sensed that Shez had a familiar presence. Whether that means she remembered the Argathans or recognized Arval as Epimenides is unclear. She's even more active in Byleth's head and quite possibly has the same grievances as Arval did when Byleth gets recruited. But she is not as blinded by anger or past grievances either as it is heavily implied in Byleth and Shez's A-Support that Sothis took over Byleth's body to tell Shez that Arval made sure to not injure Shez's body when he suddenly took over.
Then of course, in the way beginning of Three Hopes, Shez is nearly killed by Byleth which prompts Arval to lend them his power.
In Lindheart's support conversations, Shez convinces an uninterested Lindheart that their power could evolve which does intrigue Lindheart. This leads to a discussion as to the circumstances in which their powers were awakened. There was like a lot of emphasis on it being a near-death experience. It brings me to believe that there is no way that Shez died in the original timeline because I get the feeling if Shez's life was ever in danger, Arval would always lend his power to them to save both their lives like Sothis has done. It would not make sense for him not to do that in the original timeline.
Which does raise the question of where the hell are they in the original timeline. The answer may be found in the other support conversations. Where there is a lot of emphasis on Shez's adoptive mother, them not knowing who their birth parents were. This is really suspicious especially when you consider either Arval, Shez or even both were possibly in the giant water tank thing in the beginning.
Ashe's support with Shez focuses on Shez's adoptive mother. Ashe comments on how she is a very smart individual and was able to teach Shez how to read and write despite being commoners in a remote mountain village. Which went as far as writing a letter to the village chief to ask about their mom. The chief does seem to respond but who knows what that letter actually says since it's the closest we'll get to having a conclusion
In Claude's support with Shez, specifically in the B rank, Shez reveals that their adoptive mom got suddenly got sick, passed away, and was subsequently kicked out of the village forcing them to work as a mercenary.
In Happi's support with Shez, Happi was concerned for Shez's well-being as they had similar origin stories. But those fears were abated as their adoptive mother was genuinely a nice person who cared for Shez. It is only in retrospect that Shez wonders if their adoptive mother was hiding from someone.
The most logical conclusion is that it's quite possible that in the original timeline, Shez's adoptive mother never dies and the pair are still living in that remote village in the mountains. Since the remaining Argathans are apparently not even aware of Arval/Epimenides's plans to reincarnate, mother and child managed to avoid the war. There is also a chance that Arval/Shez was never released from the tank and is probably still somewhere within Shambala.
Who knows if there will be DLC in the future that would further elaborate on this but that's all I got for now.
#fe shez#fire emblem three hopes#fire emblem three houses#fe spoilers#seriously if you dont want to get spoiled do not read#spoilers
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summary: the non dysfunctional!imperial family au hcs no one asked for 😳👉👈
character/s: anastacius de alger obelia, claude de alger obelia, athanasia de alger obelia, jennette de alger obelia
here's part 2 :)
let’s set our stage, shall we?
first of all claude n anastacius’ dad is dead coz we don’t like him at all ew
so ana is the emperor, and claude is his heir presumptive (aka he’s got the strongest claim to the throne rn, but this can be changed by the birth of someone who has a stronger one - ie, anastacius’ child who would be the heir apparent) also bc “i know my mom and i gave u lots of childhood trauma that you prlly won’t be recovering from because therapists aren’t a thing here but here’s a crown you might get to make it better”
claude’s in a position where after the birth of ana’s kid/direct descendant, he’s gonna be given a duchy that athy should inherit after him while still retaining the title of prince
but after hearing of diana’s pregnancy, ana tells her and claude he doesn’t really plan on having children and wants to make their future kid his successor
he basically reserves a spot for their child in the directory and rather than announcing anything publically, anastacius names her athanasia after the sex is confirmed
then this mf obviously pulls a clown move and gets penelope pregnant and complicates things, ultimately naming her jennette, finding the name fitting - ‘god is gracious’
and really, what could be more evidence of god’s grace than the child he’s now fathering, when he thought his legacy would be ending with him?
anyways!!!
so since athy and jennette are born near the beginning of ana’s reign, both claude and anastacius are wayyy too busy trying to bring back the empire from the literal brink of bankruptcy and a possible war to really spend time w their kids
it’s alright, though!! lily is hired as athy’s nanny, while jennette gets kiel’s mom as hers
they all still live together, though obviously the main palace is for ana + jennette while claude + athy are in a separate one
this 'separate one’ is ruby palace after ana dismisses the concubines and he definitely 100% did this on purpose, and whenever he’s summoning claude he’s such a shit about it and goes about it the way you’d summon a deadass concubine
on a separate note, it’s surprisingly claude who visits athy first - he’s seen her here and there with lily but hasn’t ever had the chance to spend time w her. but now it’s almost been a year since athy’s birth (or diana’s death), her first birthday is fast approaching, and he is drunk
lily is a reallyyyy light sleeper and enters the nursery upon hearing someone inside
she doesn’t expect to see the prince standing above his daughter’s crib, a strand of her golden hair between his fingers as he just…stares at her
she approaches quietly, curtsying in greeting - he’s too absorbed to notice, and after a few minutes of silence lilian tells him, “babies can get lonely too, your highness.”
he glances at her then, confused. “how?” he really can’t understand how this girl, who can’t even speak yet comprehend something like loneliness
“princess athanasia is very responsive to her surroundings, much more than children her age usually are,” lily says, “and i like to believe children are able to tell when their parents are with them.”
he scoffs - what a foolish thought. still, claude sits by her bedside, and before he can register it, he’s taken over by sleep
the next night, claude makes his way towards the nursery and stiffly asks if athy could sleep beside him for the night - it’s fairly late, but lilian allows it
he’s gone to the main palace too early the next morning for athy to be awake, but she spent about two minutes tops worrying about the strange surroundings, saw the shiny chandelier and fancy bed and decided yes, she doesn’t mind this kidnapping
this becomes somewhat of a regular occurrence soon enough, and sometime that week she wakes up in the middle of the night with her nose pressed into something soft and literally falls off the huge ass bed at the realisation that this something soft is actually her papa’s hair (you just know that hair smells great i mean uh-)
this mans wakes up and peeks at her on the ground, reaches out to grab her from the front of her nightdress (he swears it’s exactly how he’s seen lilian do it) and plops her back onto the bed
she backs up OBVIOUSLY, you don’t just wake up with a random ass man in your bed and just vibe together?? lee jihye is dying but he glares at her for disturbing his sleep and athy pulls her act together in 0.000001 secs as claude pulls her closer and goes back to sleep
as athy grows, claude starts allowing her to visit his office during the day until it becomes a sort of ritual - he’d have tea and milk prepared and she’d come, sitting somewhere completing a puzzle or sum while he works
mans nearly tears down the entire imperial palace the day she doesn’t show up until he finds her in the garden, teaching jettie the 'proper’ way to hold a teacup during tea parties while lilian and roger’s wife, vivian, watch
athy emotionally blackmails asks him to join the tea party, so half an hour later, anastacius finds his brother sitting on the grass with a plastic teacup that athy’s filling with hot water as she lectures him to learn to fix his posture from lily so he can sit like a “proper dignified lady”
so in the beginning, jennette actually ends up spending more time with claude than her dad. though one day, the brothers are in the audience hall when athy runs in with felix running after her telling her not to run (there’s a shit ton of guards surrounding anastacius so felix has orders to be with princess athanasia when claude is with ana)
anastacius is used to this sight, and watches, smirking at his brother’s subtle smile as athy offers him this wonky looking flower crown - claude accepts it wordlessly, and ana wants to slap his ass to sanity, who wouldn’t thank their kid when they do adorable things like this??
but then they hear another voice, and in comes jennette with vivian not too far behind her. now jettie has a much cleaner looking crown in her hand, but she glances at her father’s elaborate and beautiful crown all embedded with gems and glittering and then at the one she’s fashioned out of daisies
she's always thought she was much like her uncle - jennette was so fascinated by the plain daises, they weren’t flashy but caught her eye all the same - while athy was shiny and bold like her dad
but now she’s second guessing her choice, how could she make such a simple crown for her dad, the emperor??
claude sighs from beside anastacius and literally picks off his brother’s crown before tossing it towards a very tired felix
athy urges jennette forward, and with a bright red covering her entire face she offers the crown. jennette glances at her uncle for comfort before muttering, “for papa”
anastacius.exe has crashed
this blushly, embarrassed, and apparently talented at flower crowns kid was his?
long story short he forgets to breathe or react and jettie thinks he hates the crown and hates her and won’t ever like to see her again so she starts getting teary
claude pushes his brother’s head down before athy can be convicted for murder
ana 100% almost faints when her tiny chubby fingers delicately place the crown in place, he’ll never admit it but he closed his eyes and almost hugged her instinctively as she shyly adjusted some of his bangs around the new headpiece, muttering, “papa pretty”
jennette rushes back to her sister, who’s glaring daggers at the emperor
anastacius tries to smile to calm jennette a bit and maybe look nice enough for his niece to not kill him in his sleep
right well kiel becomes the royal playmate for both the princesses - athy has her classes with him since she’s advanced and honestly they’ll be going back forth with infodumps one minute and he’s teaching her to make paper airplanes the next
(she writes notes on the paper airplanes the next time she’s in claude’s office and flies them towards him, stuff like, 'does uncle cius also snore loudly like papa?’ and he gets seriously offended like a pissbaby)
jennette first met kiel when he was visiting his mom - vivian had to leave for a bit and she taught him a bunch of flower names and their meanings in the meantime - he makes sure to research a new flower every time he visits her, and brings her a bouquet of said flowers she always knows them but never says anything coz she doesn’t wanna hurt his feelings and he gets so excited as he tells her about their meanings it’s so cute
speaking of jennette - claude and ana may seem worlds apart but they’re at the same level of emotionally constipated
ana watches his brother and niece interact and he craves that, an unconditional, timeless love that can’t possibly be tainted by ulterior motives or the like, but he just doesn’t know how to approach little jettie
it seems easy enough - she’s a smiley, sweet girl and theoretically would be friendly if he is to approach her
but gods he’s just so ashamed - such a sweet babe grew without either of her parents and he doesn’t have an excuse because holy hell, even claude is close to athy
he’s being served food in his chambers when he asks the maid about jennette, and she tells him how among her first words was 'love’ and the brunette would just stroll the palace pointing at people and declare “love you” and watch their face light up
thats so CUTE OMFG
his jaw is touching the floor when he’s told that his daughter knows the names of every worker within the palaces
at this point he’s honestly questioning whether this child is his at all
he’s absolutely horrified at the realisation that this maid, who doesn’t even work in jennette’s part of the palace, knows more about her than he does - hell, he hadn’t even asked vivian to keep him updated on her growth, what right does he have to stick himself into her life now?
now, the maid quietly suggests starting with something small like inviting jennette to tea and
of course he goes about it the wrong way??
poor jettie thinks she’s being tested by the ruthless emperor on her etiquette and spends the entire day practicing with claude after athy guilted him into it
she’s so nervous in front of her dad that he honestly feels even guiltier, and anastacius hurries to grab her hands in his to calm their tremble as she reaches to serve him tea
she apologises lmao and he’s just so flustered himself that he orders for her to sit down and instructs her through a few deep breaths
as she calms down, ana serves her the tea before asking whether girls her age even drink tea
she says no and you can literally hear the crickets
he slides the cup he’s poured for her over to his side before gesturing towards the deserts (it was claude’s daughter-luring pro tip) on her side
“you look like you read a lot,” ana says, before asking whether she’s been reading anything interesting lately
“i don’t, actually,” she tells him shyly
anastacius laughs at how of all things his hate for books is what she got from him - and only when jennette chuckles does he realise that he said that out loud
he lets her go around her bedtime, feeling rather… energized? he doesn’t know how to explain it, but it’s a good feeling
he’s busy again the next day, but has an aide send her flowers - the same ones she had put in her flower crown for him
yes lucas is still sleeping in the palace, yes athy still finds him
so athy sees the flowers from uncle cius and is enraged, literally walks up to her uncle and demands he leave jennette alone if he’s only gonna break her heart by neglecting her
and so we have fifteen minutes of the emperor of obelia stuttering as he explains himself to this seven year old
smfh his cluelessness reminds her of her own dad and she takes pity on ana’s suffering soul
the next morning, to give him a chance to redeem himself, athy asks all four of them to have breakfast together - they accept the invitation, and despite an awkward start, the meal seems to be going well
peace is not written in this family’s fate however, and this is where the first coughing up blood thing happens
ohhhh the palace staff almost gets massacred that day
athy’s limp body is moved to jennette’s room since it’s the closest - lily bursts into tears at the very sight of her princess, jennette refuses to eat or drink until her sister can, felix hears his heart break, claude is barely holding himself together
ana is livid - who dares poison a member of his family? what has he even done to earn the privilege of calling these girls his family, when he can’t protect them, at the very least?
claude absolutely refuses to leave her room and finishes all his work right outside her door, lest she wake up in pain again
anastacius can’t keep his own anxiety about jennette at bay, insisting she sleep with him as long as claude stays with athanasia - he can tell she’s drained, and she ends up sharing some of her worries late at night. he soothes both her worries and her cries, letting her curl up into him despite it being a rather uncomfortable position
the family is thrown into chaos again once they realise it was never poison, but athy’s own magic that caused this
aka when chibi lucas drops by and voodoos her back to 100%, everyone legit starts worshipping the ground he walks on - he saved their precious princess!!
ana insists on making him athy’s royal playmate after hearing she isn’t fully healed yet
what does this give us? well, a very very early lucas vs kiel
since they’ve both got the title of royal playmate, they constantly argue on whether being the future duke alpheus is a better title than the future royal magician
the girls are always dragged into this - athy always takes kiel’s side to avenge blackie, and jennette likes kiel too, but the young magician sir saved her sister!!
so.
when vivian passes away due to an illness, it’s like roger is an entirely different person
jennette + kiel + athy all help with the funeral preparations since she was a mother/aunt to them all
felix seems to be paying extra attention to kiel
it isn’t long after this that roger decides to send him to arlanta for his studies, leaving behind two disillusioned princesses
athy spends her time viciously studying to stay ahead of arlanta’s curriculum, while jennette takes an interest in cooking
(athy tries and fails spectacularly; lucas laughs at her and jettie accidentally serves him his favourite food too salty to be edible)
a/n: this would be the first of the two parts, so stay on the lookout, hope y'all enjoyed n have a great day <3
edit: part 2
#wmmap#sbapod#who made me a princess#suddenly became a princess one day#no angst!au ?#well some angst#anastacius de alger obelia#claude de alger obelia#athanasia de alger obelia#jennette magrita#jennette de alger obelia#felix robane#lucas#kiel alpheus#ezekiel alpheus#lilian york#roger alpheus#headcanons
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Golden Wildfire - Ch 4
Thanks to the people who clarified that this is marked as ch 4 despite having prologues and etc . . .
PLOT
This one is still the most lighthearted so far. Dimitri's killing his uncle, Edelgard's killing her uncle, and Claude's fighting a cartoon villain. Who is his brother, but he didn't kill him so.
So Claude just hired Shez as a mercenary and gave her no work. Now she wants to leave. Kinda cool the self-insert isn't just sticking around for no reason, though I'm sure Claude will have some use for her now.
So everyone is suspicious of Edelgard and can sniff out her true goals.
Why make Shez a commander? She spent the past few years doing nothing.
I love Marianne with her hair down. Leonie looks so cool too.
So Ignatz followed his parents' wishes and became a knight rather than pursuing art. That's a bit sad.
No Lorenz in the next chapter?
Edelgard be like - I only want to attack the cHuRcH. First thing she does - attack the Alliance. Smells like . . . eau de bullshit.
CAMP
Cool, Shamir!
I seriously can't wait for this camp in Azure Gleam. It gave away such cool info in Scarlet Blaze.
"War is such a pain." LAMO, Hilda.
Nice. Glad to see the merchants bring up that the Empire's actions are going to destroy their lives. Three Houses really just ignored how destructive war was in every route but AM.
I jus need Leonie, Shamir, and Shez to form a mercenary club.
My favorite thing to do at these camps, is to go to the practice yard and stand right where the archers are shooting so the arrow go right through me.
Ignatz seems almost happy to be a knight. Is he just deluding himself or did they rewrite him because he wasn't popular?
LAMO, Edelgard's first chapter involves attacking refugees and civilians. Claude's is . . . bandits.
No mock battles this time. Ugh. Not until I know how to get out of them.
STORY/BATTLE/MAP
Oh, wow, Arval's dialogue here is the exact same as Ch 5 of SB about drawing out Jeralt and Byleth.
Claude shouldn't trust Glouster further than he can throw him.
So they weren't together during the time skip either.
"unlikely event" the Imperial Army crosses into Alliance territory. Good one, Claude.
Shez coming to Lorenz's defense. I like that. It's really refreshing to see the self-insert actually has opinions and stuff.
It's sad seeing this conversation knowing Lorenz's dad is going to turn tail :(
See, look here, the Golden Deer have 4 students who like caring for the horses. This is why the GD and I are on good terms.
Doing horsey stuff wanting to unlock Marianne's supports. She sucked in battle, but I don't care. It's Marianne and she is precious and deserves nice things.
More grinding with Marianne for eating time too. No, no I'm not at all bias. Not at all. But just look at her. She's so precious.
Lamo, Shez just gave Claude flowers. Maybe it's to apologize for being a bit harsh with him about Lorenz.
SHEZ & CLAUDE C SUPPORT
Man it's nice that Shez is fully voiced.
Shez isn't cut out for leadership lol, wanting Claude to just play dictator.
OMG Shez's dialogue options are "give em the old ba-bam" or "skirt around them with a nice woosh." 😂 This support is pretty funny, not going to lie.
"If the Alliance is ever invaded-" IF, you mean when.
MARIANNE & SHEZ C SUPPORT
Got it already, guys. Marianne support. Let's go!
Marianne, I would accompany you to dinner in a heartbeat.
Oh . . . they snuck in a Marihilda moment in there lol. Hilda would be friendly enough to get Marianne out of her shell.
Marianne asking about her power, knowing that she feels so horrible about her own. 😭😭😭 Marianne wants to be like Shez 😭😭 She should embrace being herself. 😭😭
Go Shez, telling Marianne not to force herself into being someone she's not.
SHEZ & CLAUDE C SUPPORT
Man it's nice that Shez is fully voiced.
Shez isn't cut out for leadership lol, wanting Claude to just play dictator.
OMG Shez's dialogue options are "give em the old ba-bam" or "skirt around them with a nice woosh." 😂 This support is pretty funny, not going to lie.
"If the Alliance is ever invaded-" IF, you mean when.
MARIANNE & SHEZ C SUPPORT
Got it already, guys. Marianne support. Let's go!
Marianne, I would accompany you to dinner in a heartbeat.
Oh . . . they snuck in a Marihilda moment in there lol. Hilda would be friendly enough to get Marianne out of her shell.
Marianne asking about her power, knowing that she feels so horrible about her own. 😭😭😭 Marianne wants to be like Shez 😭😭 She should embrace being herself. 😭😭
Go Shez, telling Marianne not to force herself into being someone she's not.
STORY/BATTLE/MAP
Acheron is that annoying looking blonde dude, right?
Shez is so down on Claude compared to Edelgard (and Dimitri so far, but I haven't gotten to ch 4 for him yet).
I still find it amusing that Claude doesn't want to aid Acheron, but when Gloucester asks for aid he finally takes it seriously.
Really cool he mentions the potential to retreat. I just like that it's considered, because that's what a smart commander would actually do.
"Persuade Linhardt" - So he'll betray Edelgard? Not surprised. Is it bad I'm REALLY hoping you can't just recruit everyone, especially not the Blue Lions this time? Like my dream is that Ingrid, Felix, Sylvain, Dedue, and Rodrigue aren't recruitable at all. And pretty please Annette and Ashe too? It's asking too much for Mercedes, given Jeritza. Like even if Dimitri teams up with someone later on, I don't want them to leave fighting in Dimitri's army. I want them to stay with him and refuse to leave his side to protect someone else. I can dream, right? Right? 😭
Acheron flipped sides, lamo. Woahhh, he died? That soon. Lamo. He was always so pathetic.
Lorenz taught Caspar what a real noble is like.
I love how Linhardt just warped Caspar away and then ignored him. That's king behavior there.
So Caspar didn't die? Then I'm betting Ferdie won't die? Not this early at least. I hope not. He deserves to be important for once.
Wait, Gloucester turned??? I mean, he always did so . . . Poor Lorenz. Ignatz is like awkward over here.
Lysithea is a badass. She doesn't care what House Ordelia does. She's fighting for the Alliance.
Lorenz MVP. I basically played as him almost the whole time, so.
I wonder why Glouster would turn knowing Lorenz is still with Claude. He must be betting Claude won't hold him hostage or anything.
WHY IS JUDITH NOT PLAYABLE. WHY. Please, future DLC. Please give us at least one MILF.
Why does Claude not trust Dimitri, lamo? What's in Dimitri's head? How about fuck the Empire for trying to take over my country. Sort of what's going through Claude's head.
Ah, Dimitri and Dedue. King Dimitri has such a nice ring to it.
Look at that, Dimitri acknowledging when the church helped him. Unlike Edelgard who backstabbed them.
WAIT WAIT WAIT. Does this mean we get to play as Seteth in the Blue Lions that early!!!! PLEASE. What about Rhea??? Flayn?? I love the lettuce family. 😭
God Hubert looks like someone who spends all day writing My Chemical Romance lyrics in an all-black journal.
Oh, Count Rowe stuff. So all routes are still on the same timeline.
I love how Edelgard is like, we must help people who have helped us. Except Rhea I guess. She, you know, helped kick TWSITD out for you, but go on, girlie.
#golden wildfire#fire emblem#fire emblem three hopes#three hopes#three hopes spoilers#golden wildfire spoilers
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