#‘patience is a virtue good things come to those who wait’ I COULDN’T KEEP CARRYING ON THIS PROJECT WITHOUT IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION/REWARD 😣 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vinylhazza · 4 years ago

Text

For Keeps (G.D)

Summary: Jesse knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it, or rather demand it. Grayson, who carries respect and dignity like a shield of armor, walks the line of being the vanilla boyfriend he always thought she’d want, or the guy that listens to the devil on his shoulder and embellishes on the fantasies that won’t leave him alone every night. There is a first for everything, a time and place to try something -- or some one new. There is a chance to set the fire in motion. He might just take it.

Word Count: 4.9k

Warning: Strong sexual content, giving head, fingering, spitting, explicit language

There is a first for everything.

The first time you ride a bike, the first time you try your favorite food, the first time you win an award, the first time you hear your favorite song, the first time you talk to the person you’re meant to spend the rest of forever with, the first time you overcome your worst fear, the first time you read your favorite book, the first time you travel to a different country, the first time you have thoughts that should damn you for eternity and for some...there is even a first time for eating pussy.

It’s an embarrassment he’d never wanted anyone to discover let alone put to the test. Sure his friends had their time to talk about their extensive knowledge on female anatomy, but whenever the topic of him and Jesse doing anything outside the box he himself had placed them in, his lips were sealed. For one thing it wasn’t their business, for two he’s not entirely sure what he would say. He knew the time would come. He didn’t view their relationship like a race and he knew Jesse didn’t either. They’d been friends for too long and knew each other too well for him to base their relationship off of sex.

Grayson keeps his eyes glued to his hands holding Jesse’s hips tight -- unsure of what to do now that he’s got her beneath him and wanting him to have his way with her. He knows what he wants, but doubts that he has the courage to pursue it within him. He’d watch her with careful eyes as she peeled off each article of clothing before pulling him close by his belt loop and on to the bed to kiss her rough busy day away. A picnic was nice, but his complete and undivided attention was better. Even if his eyes trailing up and down every part of her body made her nervous.

He’d done plenty of things with his ex before Jesse, but none of those things had involved his lips and tongue anywhere beneath the waist. Not anything like he’s inevitably about to do.

“Cat caught your tongue?” Jesse had snickered minutes ago, a sly smirk lacing up her ruby red lips from so much kissing -- moment’s before he’d gotten them both all hot and bothered. He couldn’t help it when he was with her, his self control falters and he’s drunk off her touch once again, swimming in a pool of despair he can’t control. All he can think about is her. Wanting her. Needing her. Touching every single inch of her velvety skin. Wanting to do things to her. Wanting her to do things to him. Things he would blush at in the future.

Jesse was a woman with desires he’d only dreamed of women having. She was shy at times but the devil danced in her bright eyes. Grayson knew she wanted things she’d never had the guts to say out loud and things she only wanted from him alone. It all made him a fierce kind of nervous, but gave him an electrified thrill. A challenge for him to explore the workings of her body and all the ways he can make her more satisfied than she’s ever been. He didn’t plan on letting her go anytime soon - and if he wanted to do her right, he had to go outside of his comfort zone for her.

Knowing Jesse was more experienced did things to him that he couldn’t begin to hide -- but more than anything it made him jealous of every set of hands that had ever touched her skin before his. It made him reckless and competitive, focused and haughty. He was better than them, he could be better than them.

He could rapture her into a whirlwind of pleasure that would ruin her image of every man except him, wanting no one's mouth but his, daydream of no one’s lips but his own, beg for no one else’s touch, want no one else’s hands but the ones holding her now. It wasn’t about him, this wasn’t about his pleasure for once, it was truly all about her.

Pulling him back into the flames, he’s burning up under her intense stare, waiting for him to do something, do anything. Anything but watch her long enough to find something less than stellar, less than grand, less than exceptional. With her fears unfolding she pulls him down for a kiss of her own, a soft feather of a thing he can feel all the way to his toes. She’d always been good at that, giving him more to miss when she’s away. The way she hugs him close is one of those things.

Grayson fell hard into love—which wasn’t particularly unusual for the hopeless romantic he was, but he always knew Jesse was set apart from the seasonal heartthrobs. He was truly bewitched by her creativity, wanderlust, unapologetic confidence, patience, and beauty.

An enchantress she was, beautiful beyond anything he could ever deserve. Drop dead gorgeous with the personality to match, there wasn’t a head that didn’t turn when she walked into a room, not a man that didn’t fumble over their words at any opportunity to talk to her, not a woman who didn’t want to be her friend. Sure her beauty was undeniable, but her benevolent heart beat it all.

He may never know why Jesse had leaned in to kiss him seven months ago save for three days in a hidden corner in Café Verona -- a quaint treasure he’d always hold dear to his heart. Fairy lights criss-crossed along the ceiling, soft Jazz waltzing with the beat of his heart, emerald green leather bench pressing into his thighs. But he’s glad she did. He’s glad she leaned in to kiss him when he’d been building up the nerve for weeks. So afraid to go there but more afraid of not knowing what would happen if he didn’t. He’s glad she took his chin in between her fingers to hold him still enough to feel her lips press to his securely, a warmth swarming in his chest where the heart shaped hole once was.

If he flipped through the pages of his memory, he would remember a statue-like stillness about him before he sunk into her touch, caging her head in his large careful hands. Feeling the gasp she tried to hide, the smell of grapefruit shampoo and the way her flushed cheeks felt under his stroking thumbs. He would see himself fall into her, around her and through her, off the edge of the rocky cliff and into the dark blissful deep of nothing but her.

He’d be eternally grateful she looked at him with utmost sincerity and whispered with a raw kind of intensity that he’d “driven her mad you see” -- and he’d heard it then, the brittleness of her voice because fear rattles her to the core, and she had been scared out of her mind. A crack that tracked through her careful confession and to the root of him. Jesse was scared of what he meant, what he was in terms of her heart, what he could be if she continued to kiss him the way she was.

In that quiet moment he remembered what made her so deeply rooted in his heart: the laugh that rattled him, the soft smell of peaches and vanilla, the way she never drives without sunglasses because her mom who passed away much too early did the same, the dance she does when she finally eats the first bite of food after damn near breaking the world in half in hanger, the way she punches the roof of her car after making it through a yellow light because her best friend in high school did the same, the way she always turns her spoon upside down when eating ice cream, and the way she always has answers for everything no matter what topic, even the way she laughs entirely too hard at Family Feud.

For that reason alone he waited for the physical parts to come when they may. It was new and exciting sure, and he’d always loved her heart of course, but her body was uncharted territory. He was patient, yes. A gentleman guarding some assumed virtue, even if he knew better than to think she was anything but a seductress. Patient enough to tell her no when she’s had one too many drinks and not enough discipline. They’d been friends before anything else - the best of friends with a foundation of trust. He’s spent years trying to gain that trust and he vowed to keep it.

Of course he could have been that guy on many occasions: possessive, selfish, greedy and crude. He could have played his cards and dealt his dirty hand at the wrong moment and still pulled out ahead. I mean hell, how often do guys get out of the friend-zone? But he wasn’t that guy. No matter the relationship status — they weren’t ready.

They hadn’t been ready to cross that carefully drawn line in the sand, not until now. With the strawberry White Barn candle burning in the corner on the cluttered desk one could expect from a college student and a half full can of Arizona tea on the night stand...her face lit with a mystical kind of magic he’d only ever seen the day she leaned back after their first official kiss.

“Hold my hair.”

Grayson found the words slipping off his tongue easier than they’d come all night. All he’s planned on was a simple date in the park that was tucked away and secluded from all the people that could interrupt, he’d even brought her favorite book and laid back on a soft patch of grass to listen to her melodic voice read to him. He’d planned to come back and share a peck or two while watching a new episode of Daredevil and holding her through the night. She’d had a long day full of texts to him, trying to get him to give her the okay to walk out of her low-paying job and not look back. He never planned on laying her down on his bed and caressing every inch of her skin until he was finally delving into a place he’d never been quite like this.

He was nervous but he could do anything, be anything with her hand in his hair and her kind eyes watching him defile her. He just knew from this moment on he would have a reputation to uphold, as cocky as it sounded. He had to prove he wasn’t as lost as he felt. He felt like a virgin all over again, like he was doing something raw and real and scary. A secret only the wrinkled sheets would remind him of later.

Her touch, her soothing him through something that frightened him has always been a crutch for him to lean on. When he got in a fight with his brother, she was there to comb through his hair and talk him through the proper apology, when he decided to change majors and had a breakdown so crippling he couldn’t breathe she rocked him through it until his breath was even once again, when he wrecked his new car on the way home from a party he never should have been at she was right there to give him a kiss on the cheek and help him call the insurance company and his erratic mother who loved her like a daughter. She led him through the rough parts of life and then some.

He never imagined she would be leading him through something so sensual, but he needed her bringing him back to earth all the same.

Jesse obliged with a grin of her own, feeling him shuffle down to trail a string of kisses across her torso and down to the base of her need and desire. The fireball of want burned in her stomach, turning her rational thoughts brown and charred. He was good at that, making her need him fiercely. She’d never wanted anyone so much, and even if she thinks back to past flings - she’d never been satisfied like she was with Grayson, and they’d done much less.

“What are you thinking?” Jesse wonders, distracted by his soft supple lips and his nibbling at her hip, but wanting to hear the inner workings of his brain. Her fingers fidget, wanting to push him by his brown mop of hair down lower - just to feel him at last. She needed this distraction, she just needed his help to forget. Not that she hadn’t been waiting for months for this exact moment, there was just urgency in the way she’s stripped herself bare before him.

She almost expects him to wait for her direction, but jerks against him when he takes the lead all on his own. How could he not with her as his complete mercy, giving him the fuck me eyes and twisting a lock if hair around her finger?

Grayson thinks on that as he trails his mouth down, down, down to slick his tongue up the base of her, smirking to himself when she wiggles against him. “I’m thinking that I like you this way.”

The contact was a shock to her nervous system and a promise of what was soon to come if she kept tempting him the way she was. She was a heathen with angel eyes. Someone infatuated with his innocence (at least he was more innocent than she) and curiosity to learn every curve and dip of her body. He made her feel powerful, unstoppable, undeniable. She craved it as much as he craved her own lips tracking across his skin - in the heat of the moment or in the still of the night.

“Naked you mean?” She laughs then, trying to keep herself at least somewhat under control now that he’s grown some balls and taken the first step. She’s shocked momentarily that she didn’t have to practically order him into touching her.

She grips her breasts at another bold swipe of his tongue. Rolling her hardened nipples between her fingers and tensing at the sparks flying up her center. The feeling of him spreading her open, blowing against her throbbing clit is almost too much to bear. Jesse curses then, a soft “fuck” she tries to reel back before he gets too big of a head. She knows it fell on eager ears when he delivers another bold stripe of his tongue up her center -- slow and deliberate.

“Unguarded,” he finally grumbles, rubbing away the goosebumps that pepper her thighs. She thinks for a moment that she could gave turned off the ceiling fan circling over top of them, but feared she might burn up if it wasn’t for the white blades blowing on her crown of hair going every which way on the pillow.

She ignores how right he is - that she’s never been this vulnerable with him before, but instead rolls her eyelids shut to feel him really delve into her - opening his mouth and pressing his tongue to her flat. This is just what she needed, her favorite person trying something new and succeeding at it.

For someone that’s never given head, he was pulling it off. He was going to ruin her.

Glancing down at the yellow glow of the lamp illuminating the right side of his face, Jesse curled her fingers into his plush head of hair once again, somewhere between heaven and hell with no real knowledge of the difference.

She moans at his lips wrapping around her, the suction to her lower region and the way his thumbs dig into her skin to hold her in place. No running this time, she had no choice but to feel it all. This is what she wanted right?

“This feel okay?” he teases, tentatively trailing the tip of his tongue around the place she wanted most. He loved to see her eyes alight with that devilish incomprehensible lust. He was truly winging it, doing anything he’d heard from friends or watched himself late at night, anything to further her soft pants and moans tumbling out of her O shaped mouth. She was too good to be true and felt like one lucky bastard.

Nodding down to him she groans, wanting him latched to her. “M-more than okay just keep going.”

He never knew it could feel so pleasurable to be the giver and not the receiver nine times out of ten. He didn’t know how selfish he’d been and the opportunities he'd missed to feel compliant and...obedient. He liked it. He loved it. He loved the position he was in - her looking down at him like the goddess she was and always had been, him crouching down at the end of the bed to devour her in the best way he could, his hair disheveled, eyes dark with hunger, hands gripping her tight.

He lets instinct take the wheel, peppering kisses to her clit and bringing his own hand down to slip in a finger to add extra stimulation - pleased when Jesse releases another string of curses. Fowl language huh? Wonder what she’d do if he stopped-

“You’re such a dick-“ she tugs at his roots, rolling her hips into his mouth that savors her now, lips slick with her wetness. She tasted good, he’d concluded. It wasn’t anything like what he imagined it would be, no, it was better. It felt better than all of the horror stories he’d made up in his head. He’s sure if he wanted to - he could stay right down between her legs for hours -- until his lips were sore and his tongue tired. Stopping wasn’t an option. Not when she’s been waiting so long, fantasized too often. She huffs out again “Thought you’ve never done this before.”

That must be a good sign, right?

“Never,” he slurps at her, shaking his head and groaning into her core. He felt the slickness of her on his cheeks now. Bowing down to eat her out was harder than it looked, especially with back problems as it was.

Focused and drunk on Jesse’s gentle hip thrust into his mouth he hugs her thighs and stands upright, just off the edge of the bed, bringing her lower half up in the air with him. He can feel her trembling now, wide eyes gleaming at him with surprise and delight at the new and better position.

She was losing it. She’d had him compliant at first, her soft-hearted boyfriend trying something new...but damn he was tugging the ropes from between her fingers and leading her to a path less traveled. Quick learner he was.

“Grayson put me down! Have you lost your mind?” Jesse squealed, grinning at his closed eyes and moving lips, deaf to her antics. She was expected something quick, maybe even simple, but him switching up positions was not in the game plan as great as it was.

She could see it now, the guy that was always hiding just beneath the surface. She could see how her sounds urged him on and made him try harder. She could see his arms shaking from the weight of her legs and the effort it took to hold her pussy as close to him as he could. She could feel the heavy breath fanning out across her pelvis from his nose. She could feel the tickle of his hair dangling down and whispering across the skin of her stomach. She could feel that same ball of fire seated in her stomach slip lower and lower with each passing second - until the words that fell out of her mouth were nothing but strings of profanity would make a sinner blush.

It was going to sear her in half, that fucking ball of fire. Hot lava stirring up a flood she couldn’t stop. It was splitting her in half just as his digits were now, pumping into her hard and fast, curling at his knuckles. His rings gleam from the yellow lamp-light and shock her when they touch her dewy skin. She had lost all sense of control.

Hearing his own moans, hearing how desperate he was to keep eating her pussy and make her feel better than anyone had, got her inching towards the edge. It was a low kind of growl itching at his throat.

The taste of her blurred his senses, the soft smell of her making his mind spin out of control, the tightening walls of her cunt around his fingers fucking her fast, the light sheen of sweat that glowed in the dim light of his room - he was a madman with no direction but forward. He had to keep going, for stopping would surely break them both. He would love to tease her, but knew if he stopped one more time she would kill him in a heartbeat.

“Open your fucking eyes and watch me.” He barked down to her, stopping only for a moment to glare at her. His fingers continued their fast paced in and out, in and out, in and out.

He’d figured if he was going to take it all the way, he needed to pull every string. Needed to pull out the nasty daydreams and make them a reality. This is something he would have for keeps. Something he’d want to do over and over, something he couldn’t wait to do again. Something he’d want to remember.

Peeling her eyes open she sobbed at the sight of him spitting into her pussy with a smile, staring at her darkly. Light eyes blacked into pits he ruined her through and through. He had to be lying, he just had to be.

“Fast learner,” Grayson sneers, leaning forward to smear his saliva around her slick folds, arms circling her midsection to hold her close again.

“ Fuckfuckfuckfuck- keep fu- keep going!” Jesse begs, barely holding on to the light threatening to slip away into the fire burning her up. “Doing so good Gray, so fucking good.”

She had discovered soon in the relationship and the minimal sexual acts they’d indulged in that Grayson was a man that adored praise. He wanted someone to tell him how good he was doing, even if he already knew it. He wanted someone to look him in the eyes just as she was doing now and watch him succeed. He wanted complete undivided attention, verbal acknowledgment.

He sucked at her still, sliding his tongue into her quickly then — remembering someone in a poorly shot amateur porn video did the same to the tatted up blonde he was practically fucking to death, and hoped it would have the same effect on his beautiful princess begging for him to keep going. He kept note while he watched the video, knowing one day he would be standing where he is now relishing in the gold mine that belonged to him. He fucker her with his tongue, humming into her cunt for the added stimulation.

Fuck all she was the end of him. “Pretty pussy all wet for me, yeah? Want to cum? Bet you doubt me huh? Thought I wouldn’t do you right…”

He chucked at the vigorous nodding of her head, the eyes rolling in the back of her head, the hand that leaves his hip to pull at her own hair. Her eyes squeezing shut in panic now that she feels the tip of the iceberg coming up fast.

“Don’t even know how crazy you drive me, how long I’ve wanted to do this to you.”

Hearing him admit it only made her thighs quiver against his strong arms, only made her want more, made her creep dangerously close to the edge she was for once in her life afraid to fall off of. The crash into the sea would be the biggest shock she’s ever had. Jesse tried to focus on her breathing, trading the heaving for squealing when he dipped his tongue in her entrance to give her something to fantasize about. She’d never had someone tongue fuck her, let alone stair into her soul while they did it.

Fuck he was good. Too fucking good.

“Baby you have t-to slow down,” she warns, the big splash terrifying and so close. He was a wicked man for doing just the opposite, spreading her legs wider and shaking his head against her again, eyes squeezed shut like he knew what would happen in only a few seconds.

“Grayson step back,” she tried to warn more firmly, afraid of the unfamiliar feeling of something new about to happen, embarrassed already but too worked up to stop it. “Shit - Grayson step back!”

And there it was, the strongest orgasm she’d ever had and certainly the wettest. Her release soaked the bed beneath, sheets spotted with her arousal and breath stolen from her lungs. She’s not sure when Grayson had dropped her, or whether her convulsing body wiggled out of his grasp during the black out she’d just had. She was spread on the bed in her own mess, her chest flushed, damp hair stuck to her forehead in waves, vision blurred, eyelids drooping in exhaustion, hand somehow in Graysons.

He’s there then. He’s everywhere and nowhere all at once, his hand a ghost on her forehead brushing away those tendrils of hair, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles with tender care, his lips smoothing the furrow of her brows. Grayson is lifting her without a word, caging her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck, and smoothing her head against his chest to feel the weight of her there - just to feel the heat of her consume him.

“Holy fuck,” she breathes, spent.

“I hope it wasn’t too much,” he whispers into her hair, hand smoothing over the locks while rocking her around the room, mind racing with every image of what he’d just done and the feeling of complete bliss flooding his body.

He’s almost worried she fell asleep in his arms until he feels the shaking he can only assume is laughter, before she’s hugging him tighter. “Idiot. I can’t believe you’ve never done that. And I can’t believe I’m this tired. Feel like a rookie.”

“Guess I passed the test then?”

“Flying colors.”

Jesse nuzzles in as far as she can, tucking in her arms against his chest and letting the state of Nirvana wash over her. With a sigh Jesse thinks over the shocking events of her boyfriend being 100% nastier than she’d initially thought — not that she’s complaining.

She barely remembers Grayson running a bath, or setting her in the steaming tub with a kiss, or waiting for him to strip the bed with a giddiness sitting in his chest at all that they’d done, barely remembers him joining her in the tub and catching soap in the calm of his hand to smith the suds over her post-sex body. That’s the only way she would describe herself in the moment, her skin felt sensitive to the touch, sparks still shooting through her with the feeling of his hands on her.

What Jesse does remember is laying with Grayson in a bed freshly made, arm draped over his stomach, head resting against his arm, lips peppering kisses against his chest randomly through-out the night. She remembers the feeling of adoration and understanding. What they’d done was both the most foul thing she’d ever done, but also the most liberating and beautiful experience. To lose yourself in another person in such a way that you’re utterly consumed by them was...foreign to the pair laying together in the still of the night.

Jesse waited until Grayson was softly snoring until she said the only thing she’d never had the guts to tell him in the months they’d been dating. He’d been waiting on it patiently. It was different between friends, but it meant so much more when you don't want to say it to anyone else for the rest of your life. The moment she says it, she can’t ever take it back. Maybe that’s why she chooses the early hours of the morning to lean in and press her lips against his feather soft, blinking back the mist clouding her vision.

“Don’t know if you could tell...but I'm kind of in love with you...so just be patient with me please I’m trying for you.”

Maybe she would get the guts one day to say the words while he’s awake, maybe face to face or with the lights off because she has some kind of comfort in the dark, or maybe it would slip out on accident. In any way that it happens, she hopes he will smile. She hopes that he knows how insanely incandescently happy he makes her each and every day, and how honored she feels that she got to experience another first with him.She hopes he will be comforted that his feelings are 100% reciprocated. She hopes that she gets to see that beautiful smile he wears on special occasions -- the true smile that he doesn't show too often. For now she presses her lips to his once again, smiling softly as the slow ride and fall of his chest, arm holding her close, the ring she won him out of a shitty machine in the corner of a tattoo shop he’d stopped into on a whim secured on a thin chain around his neck, and the fluttering of his eyelashes while he dreamed.

471 notes · View notes

twomoonstwosuns · 5 years ago

Text

home.

back to you [series masterlist]

previous part · next part

pairing: professor!poe dameron x reader

warnings: alcohol, swearing maybe, fluff

word count: 5.0k

a/n: THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT I’M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. IT HURT ME THAT I STRUGGLED SO MUCH WITH THIS, BUT I HOPE THIS WAS WORTH THE WAIT. we’re going to start getting angsty again so buckle up friends.

also thank you @dameronsgalaxygal for helping me with my writers block. she is so lovely and if you're not following her you should because girl has quality writing.

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

Patience really was a virtue, except when disruptions stood in the way.

You left Cabo early that morning and didn’t land in Poe’s hometowns until early evening, six hours after your scheduled arrival time, first due to heavy delays and then a problem with the plane that was found just as boarding was about to begin.

Walking as fast as you could without running into people, you marched down the jetway, rushed through the halls and down the escalator to baggage claim where Poe would meet you. He saw you hurrying towards him and he stood from the bench he was sitting on.

“Finally!” He threw his arms out to the side in frustration that matched yours. You rolled your eyes.

“I know, I’m annoyed.”

“So, what was the problem with the plane?”

You groaned as you stopped in front of him and crossed your arms. “Something about the air vents not blowing cool air? I don’t remember what they said, I was too busy being mad that half a day was wasted stuck at an airport. I’m tired and hungry and not particularly thrilled that I’m about to go meet your dad feeling all pissed off and annoyed.”

Poe stepped into your space, placing both hands on your cheeks and pulling your mouth to his in a slow kiss. Your eyes fluttered closed.

“Still mad?” Poe asked quietly when he pulled back, his lips still ghosting over yours as he moved his arms around your waist. You gave him a half smile as your arms uncrossed and rested on top of his.

“Kinda.”

Poe kissed you again, putting a little more pressure against your lips.

“How about now?” Your smile curved upwards more and you bit your lip.

“Maybe a little bit still.”

Poe smirked and kissed you a third time, pulling you closer into him. You giggled against his mouth as he lifted you off the ground, your arms coming up around his neck to hold onto him. You broke apart as the corral alarm sounded.

“Ok, now I’m feeling better,” you said as he set you down gently, keeping you held in his embrace. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Me too. And I’m glad you’re here. Should we go?”

“Please.”

Poe grabbed your hand and you waited for your suitcase to appear. You were back to groaning in annoyance as you stood for another ten minutes next to the corral waiting for your bag. When you finally had it, you followed Poe out of the airport.

You told him more about your vacation, how you discovered on your last full day that you were terrified of parasailing, but you were glad you did it because it was something you’d always wanted to try. Poe told you about Rey twisting her ankle three miles away from their car and how he and Finn switched off carrying her so she wouldn’t hurt it worse.

Your leg bounced nervously as Poe pulled up in front of a house, your heart pounding in your ears. You didn’t even realize Poe had cut the engine until you felt his hand squeezing your knee and heard the silence that filled the car.

“You’ll be fine,” he assured you. “He’s excited to meet you.”

You took a deep breath and nodded. Poe took your suitcase from the trunk of the car and you followed him up to the front door.

“Dad? We’re back!”

There was a moment of shuffling followed by footsteps and then Kes Dameron was in front of you. You marveled at their similarities. Poe was definitely his father’s son, from the shared skin tone to the same relaxed, easy smile they were both giving you.

“You must be Y/N,” Kes said, taking a step towards you with his hand outstretched. He and Poe even sounded similar. You took his hand and shook it.

“It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I hope you’re hungry, I’ve got dinner waiting.”

“You go ahead,” Poe said, grabbing your attention and heading towards the stairs. “I’ll bring this upstairs.”

“Come in, come in, make yourself comfortable,” Kes said, holding his arm out to invite you further into his home. You followed him to the kitchen, wringing your hands nervously in front of you.

“Anything I can do to help?” You asked, looking around at the food that was going to make its way to the dining room.

“You can tell me what you’d like to drink. Beer, wine, soda..?”

“Water would just fine, actually. Between the waiting the flight itself, I didn’t drink much today.”

“So, what happened that caused such a delay?” Kes asked as he grabbed a glass of ice water for you. “I’ve done my fair share of flying and I’ve never had a delay that long.”

“There was some bad weather, then there was a problem with the plane. And then it took forever to get my suitcase.” You let out a dry laugh as you took your glass. “I just couldn’t catch a break today.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it safe.”

You smiled appreciatively at him and grabbed a bowl to bring out to the table. Poe met you in there and went to the kitchen to grab himself something to drink. He came back to the table and Kes handed you a bowl of vegetables first to help yourself to.

“The food is delicious,” you said after taking a few bites.

“Do you cook at all?”

“I can make a few things, but nothing like this.” You said, taking a bite of food. “Though I do make a mean soup that’ll kick any sickness you have.”

Poe hummed in agreement.

“Ah see, that’s one thing I don’t have,” Kes said. “Any chance I could steal it from you?”

“Secret family recipe, I don’t think they’ll forgive me if I did that.”

“I understand. Maybe next time.” Your heart pounded at next time; ten minutes into meeting him and he was talking about next time already. “So tell me about yourself.”

You told Kes all about the most relevant things in your life at that moment in between bites of food. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were until you saw food in front of you that wasn’t a bag of airplane pretzels. You’d talked more about yourself in the last month than you had ever in your life, between meeting Poe’s friends and now his dad. Kes listened intently, asking questions about your family and interests that proved to you he was making an effort and wasn’t just being polite for show. Any nervousness you had felt going into this first meeting was slowly fading.

“You’re currently a student?” Kes asked, though his tone wasn’t harsh or accusatory. You hummed as you nodded. “I couldn’t remember if Poe said you were or not.”

“I graduate in May, so I will be a former student soon.”

“And what does the university say about you being…you know, together?” Kes looked between you and Poe.

“It’s technically against the rules,” Poe answered.“I don’t really know what would happen to her, but I know there’s consequences for me. Which is why we don’t go anywhere and the only people on campus who know are her roommates.”

You half expected to get a lecture on making sure you remain careful, but it never came. Food was cleared from plates and the three of you sat with happy stomachs, making no effort to ditch the conversation to clean up.

“How’d you guys get acquainted?” A playful smirk slowly spread across Kes’ face. “Did you see each other across the room and think ‘wow’?”

“Actually, yeah,” Poe said and your jaw dropped a little as you looked at him. He just glanced at you with a small smile. “She took one of my half-semester classes last fall. I immediately thought she was beautiful, got to know her over the two months, ran into her outside of class after it finished and we chatted—“

Poe nudged your foot with his as you stifled a laugh. Chatting was definitely the least scandalous thing that went down on Halloween, but Kes didn’t need those details.

“—and we got to know each other better until I couldn’t not ask her out.”

You gave him a small smile. “You never told me that.”

Poe just shrugged with a small smirk on his face and you grinned at him. It was similar to what you thought when you first stepped into his classroom. You briefly recalled seeing him come in and whispering ‘holy shit’ under your breath, giggling together with your friend about how attractive your professor was on the way to get lunch. You got to know him as well as he got to know all of his students, the picture of Beebs as his computer background making you just melt. Then you harbored a small crush on him for the rest of the semester that you finally did something about thanks to a little alcohol on Halloween night.

A yawn suddenly escaped your lips, making Kes chuckle. “Why don’t you go get some rest?”

“I’m good, I can help with the dishes.”

“It’s ok hon, we’ve got it. You’re tired and you’ve had a long day. Go get some rest.”

You smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Mr. Dameron.”

“Kes, please.” He glanced over at Poe. “She’s been down here since you guys got here, why don’t you get her settled upstairs and then come help me clean up.”

You quietly giggled at Kes telling Poe what to do like he was a teenager. Poe put a hand on your back and led you out of the dining room as you waved a friendly ‘good night’ to Kes. You followed Poe up the stairs into the bedroom that he explained was the one he had as a kid.

“Dad said we can share a room as long as there’s ‘no funny business’.”

“Oh my god,” you giggled as you put a hand to your face.

“I was half expecting Spider-Man sheets and Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition posters on the walls.”

“He took them all down when I moved out,” Poe teased, leaning against the door. “Bathroom’s right next door. And by the way? I told you you’d be fine.”

He chuckled as he ducked out the door when you balled up and threw your sweatshirt at him. When he was out of sight, you let out a breath and mumbled an ‘ok’ under your breath as you grabbed what you needed for the shower and headed into the bathroom. You had made it through dinner, answered the questions Kes had about your relationship without it turning awkward or hearing thinly-veiled insults disguised around advice about being careful.

The hot water of the shower felt heavenly on your sore muscles but felt like needles poking your skin when it made contact with the places you got sunburned. You washed the feeling of stuffy airports and cramped airplanes off of your hair and body, the idea of curling up in bed and sleeping in in the morning very enticing.

You kept your shower quick to not take up all the hot water and quickly dressed into a big t-shirt and sleep shorts before brushing your teeth. Going back to the room, you saw Poe with his legs outstretched in front of him, leaning against the headboard. You dropped your clothes into your suitcase, grabbing a bottle of aloe vera before sitting down in front of him.

“I really hate to be this person, but do you think your dad likes me? Or do I need to try harder, maybe mention something he really likes to find some common ground?”

“No, he really likes you.” His statement ended more like a question and you furrowed your brow at him. “What’s in your hand?”

You waved the bottle in front of him. “Aloe. I got a little burned on my back. Help me out?”

Poe nodded and shifted to sit up more. You moved to sit between his legs and he slowly lifted the back of your shirt.

“A little burnt? Did you even put sunscreen on?”

“Yes! I thought SPF 30 would be enough!”

Poe snickered as he put the aloe vera in his hands and gently rubbed the cooling gel into your skin, a shiver running through you as it immediately started working. He spread it around evenly and massaged it in so it wouldn’t transfer onto your shirt.

“So what’s the but?”

“What but?”

“‘He really likes you’…but?” Poe didn’t say anything and you sigh. “Come on, I can tell by the sound of your voice there’s something else.”

Poe stopped massaging your back, allowing his thumb to run gently down your spine.

“He did say something.”

You twisted the top half of your body as far as you could so you could look at Poe and he allowed your shirt to fall back down. His expression was unreadable, but not sad or worried.

“Not about you. He really does like you, he told me he thinks you’re fantastic. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a problem with the fact that you’re my student as long as we’re careful. Which we are.”

“Then what is it?”

“He just reminded me that I’m in my thirties and you’re in your twenties.”

You nodded slowly in understanding.

“And people in their twenties are typically partying and getting blackout drunk on the weekends and hooking up with tons of people and not thinking about serious relationships,” you said and Poe nodded. “I get it.”

You rested your hand on top of the one Poe had on your knee. “I mean, I like grabbing drinks with my friends and maybe going to a club or something but going out every weekend? That’s not really my thing. And the random hookups? Overrated, in my opinion.”

Poe laced your fingers together. “That’s what I told him.”

“He just wants what’s best for you. They’re valid concerns. My mom will probably have the same concerns when I tell her.” You let go of Poe’s hand to gently run your finger along the underside of his jaw, making him look at you. “Which I’m going to do the next time I see her. I really want her and Tallie to know.”

Poe gave you a half smile as he kissed your finger.

“Your dad is great, by the way,” you said when Poe pulled back to look at you. “And I’m sorry, he might be an even better cook than you.”

Poe’s jaw dropped in mock offense. “Fine, I’ll leave you here and go back by myself and he can make you breakfast on Sunday morning.”

You laughed as leaned your head against his, settling into the comfortable silence broken only by the soft ticking of the clock. You moved so your back was pressed against Poe’s chest once again, his arms encircling your waist as you lean back against him.

“You know, I was a random hookup.”

You smirked as gently elbowed his stomach. “Yes you were, and you’ve ruined men for me forever so thanks a lot.”

He poked your stomach in retaliation and you laughed quietly. “But look what we got out of it.”

Your head dropped back onto his shoulder, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat completely relaxing you.

“Sometimes I wish it was always this easy,” you said quietly. Poe dropped his head into the crook of your neck, taking a deep breath as he squeezed your waist.

“Yeah, me too.”

》》》

“Favorite place you were stationed?”

“Aviano, Italy. It’s this little town in the north surrounded by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. We were there for a year when Poe was a baby so he probably doesn’t remember much, but I’d love to travel there with him. Maybe stop at a few other places I got to go visit while stationed over there. Have you traveled anywhere in Europe?”

“I almost studied abroad in Spain a few years ago, but the day before I was supposed to leave I ended up getting my appendix taken out, so I didn’t get to go. But I really want to go see the big cities and explore the smaller towns. An old friend of mine did that and he said he found a lot of hidden treasures.”

“Aviano’s got a lot of those, including the best coffee I’ve ever had in all my years here on Earth.”

“Ok well, now I have to go there.”

You had joined Kes in the living room about an hour. Poe had gotten slammed with emails from students with poor excuses for not having homework ready for after break and was dealing with that when you heard noise coming from the TV discussing the results of the previous night’s game. Your comment about Colorado’s lack of quality defense caught his attention and before you knew it, you were watching the highlights with him and making your guesses about who would make it to the playoffs.

“What made you want to join the Air Force?”

“My father was a pilot. He always told me stories of flying and fighting for his country. I admired him for it. So, when I was drafted at eighteen I knew immediately what branch I wanted to be in.” You saw him glance at a picture on the shelf by the television, one that had him, Poe, and a man you assumed was Poe’s grandfather out on a lake. “I know Poe wanted to continue the tradition and I would’ve loved for him to do that too. But I owe him everything for staying behind and helping me out when I was sick. And he found a career he loves, and that makes me just as proud, so it was all worth it.”

Kes had a proud look on his face and it warmed your heart to hear more about their close relationship.

“He admires you so much,” you smiled warmly. “The stories he’s told me about growing up, the experiences you guys had together…he’s proud to be your son.”

“Speaking of, hey son.”

You looked behind you and saw Poe leaning against the wall with his jacket and shoes on.

“How was your nap?” You asked with a smirk and Poe chuckled.

“It was good,” he said. He held up his car keys. “Wanna take a drive?”

Kes patted your knee and gave you a warm smile. “I’ll meet you guys at Barker’s in an hour.”

You grab your jacket and shoes and follow Poe out to his car.

“Where are we going?”

Poe just smiled at you. “You’ll see when we get there.”

You drove for about twenty minutes, the soft music from the radio the only sound needed. You noticed some of the trees were already starting to get leaves back, a hopeful sign of spring. You wished there was someway you could bring a little bit of that back to school where, at least when you left for Cabo, there was still dead grass and dirty snow everywhere you looked.

Poe turned through an open vine-covered gate and you sat up straight when you realized just where you were.

“Poe, wh—“ Your smile dropped slowly and your heart began to hammer in your chest. Multi-colored stones stood up from the ground, varying in size and shape with pops of colorful flowers scattered across them. “Poe, wait.”

The shakiness in your voice made Poe glance at you. When he saw the worried look on your face, he slowed the car down and pulled off to the side. You looked out the windows before looking at Poe, your eyes glossy with tears.

“Are you—are you sure you want to take me here?”

Poe furrowed his brow as he put the car in park. “Why wouldn’t I?”

You open your mouth to speak and no words came out, but the look on your face said it all. Poe tilted his head in concern.

“Is that what this is about?” Your eyes cast downward. “Baby…”

Poe reached over and cupped your cheek, cradling it in his hand as he brought your gaze up to him.

“Are you still hanging onto that?” You nodded. “Why?”

“Because it was the most hurtful thing I could’ve said to you.”

Poe exhaled deeply, his thumb running gently across the spot just underneath your eye. “Baby, it was a stupid fight where we both said stupid things. I’ve forgotten all about it. You should to. Please.”

All you could do was nod. Poe released your face and pulled back onto the road, driving a few minutes deeper into the cemetery before finally stopping and turning back to you. “It’ll just be a few minutes. If you really don’t want to though, we don’t have to.”

You gave him a soft smile. “I want to.”

You got out of the car and Poe immediately grabbed your hand when he came around to your side of the car.

“Wait,” you said, pulling him back when he took a few steps forward. “I don’t—what do I say?”

Poe walked back to you, squeezing your hand. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I just want you there.”

You nodded and he kissed your temple gently before leading you across the crunchy grass. The sun was shining brightly, mixing wonderfully with the crisp afternoon air. The beautiful day brought out others as well, the hum of their hushed conversations with loved ones floating being carried by the wind.

Shara’s headstone was near the end of a row that ended right at the fencing. The marble reflected the sun’s rays and shone beautifully. Fresh flowers sat propped up against the stone.

“We were here yesterday,” Poe explained when you eyed the flowers that had no business being that bright in the cold air. “We come here every time I visit home.”

You didn’t know Shara, but you felt a sense of heartache as you stepped in front of her headstone.

“Mom, this is Y/N,” Poe said before looking down at you with soft eyes and a matching smile. “She’s beautiful, amazing, funny, kind, selfless…”

You hid your face in Poe’s chest, his sweet words and how he said them with such adoration bringing tears to your eyes. He let go of your hand and put his arm around your shoulder. You rested your cheek against his jacket.

“…technically my student, but we’re going to pretend she’s not. In fact, sometimes I think she should just take over my class and let me relax. I might be a little biased but…god, she’s so smart.”

You face flushed with color and quietly sniffled, unsure if it was from the cold or the overwhelming rush of emotions.

“She’s already won over dad. They were talking about Aviano and hockey earlier today. It doesn’t sound like she’s a Colorado fan, though. Oh, and she cannot skate worth a damn. Seriously, it’s embarrassing.”

You scoffed and nudged him. He just tightened his arm around you.

“I’m pretty sure Beebs likes her more than me, but she spoils him so that might be it,” He continued. “She’s going to graduate at the top of her class in a few months. And…”

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but when his mind flooded with memories and the what-could’ve-beens, he was overcome with emotion and unable to speak. You looked up at him as you gently rubbed his back.

“You and Kes raised an amazing son.” Your voice shook as you spoke, the feeling of speaking to an inanimate object weird to you, but knowing how important it was to Poe. “He’s the kind of man every mother wants their son to be. You would be so proud of him.”

Poe gazed down in pure adoration at you, a small smile crossing his face. He cleared his throat.

“Can I have a minute?”

“Of course.”

You reached up and kissed Poe’s cheek and you let your lips linger for a second before squeezing his arm and walking back to the car. Poe waited until you were far enough away before turning back to his mother’s gravestone.

“If you’d have asked me when I first started teaching that I’d fall for one of my students, I’d have laughed in your face. But she’s not just that to me. She’s…” Poe glanced back at your retreating figure before turning back. “I wish you could’ve met her, mom. You’d really love her. Because I know I do.”

Poe stood in silence for another minute before heading back towards his car. You were patiently leaning against the passenger door, tears coming to your eyes when you saw Poe have a moment with his mother.

You gave him a small smile and he immediately wrapped you in a hug, placing a kiss on the top of your head.

“Thank you,” Poe mumbled in your hair. “This meant a lot to me.”

You moved to look up at Poe, smiling softly. “It meant a lot to me, too.”

Poe softly pecked your lips and rested his forehead against yours.

“I’ve got one more place I want to take you.”

You nod as you got back into the car. As Poe waited for traffic to clear to turn back onto the road, you leaned over and kissed his cheek a second time, giving him another warm smile as you sat back in your seat. Poe turned onto the road and grabbed your hand for the duration of the drive.

You arrived back in town in about ten minutes time, Poe parking in front of a rundown bar that had seen its fair share of love and weather over many many years. Kes’ car was already in the parking lot.

“This is my Maz’s.” Poe explained as you both got out of the car.

It was a classic small town bar, the kind where the bartenders knew every detail of their regulars’ lives and welcomed everyone by name. Kes was at the counter chatting with the bartender, waving you and Poe over and immediately buying you both a drink. Kes led you to a table where you put your coats and you were about to sit down when Poe eyed something behind him.

“Want to shoot some pool?”

“Against you? No thanks,” Kes smirked. “I don’t know how you got so damn good but I’m not in the mood to get my ass handed to me in front of people I know.”

“Come on, you should be proud your son is beating you!”

“Well, I’m not.” Kes said. “Fine, I’ll play. But I’m teaming up with Y/N. I need all the help I can get.”

Poe looked over at you and you shrugged as you walked over to the wall to grab a pool cue. Kes racked up the balls as you prepped the pool cue with blue chalk. Poe broke the rack and watched as one of the solid colors got close to a pocket. He tapped it in with the cue ball, making solids his objective and stripes yours and Kes’.

You lined up the stick with the cue ball, eyeing it for a moment before sending it towards the red striped ball which smoothly sunk into a corner pocket. Kes patted your back as he cheered and Poe looked at you incredulously. All you could do was smirk.

“Oh yeah, I learned how to play growing up.”

The game was neck and neck and pretty soon Kes wasn’t even playing anymore. He was grabbing drinks for everyone and acting as your personal cheerleader, strategizing with you on what and where you should hit next. And when you sunk the eight ball before Poe had even finished putting away all the solids, Kes cheered and lifted you into a hug.

“I’m only playing against you know if Y/N is here,” he said before going up to the bar to grab another drink. You sat on the edge of the pool table as Poe approached you.

“Who taught you to play?” He asked with a small smile. You gave him a sad smile.

“My dad.” Poe’s smile dropped and you squeezed his arm. “Once school is done and we can be out, you’ll find out I’m kind of good at darts but terrible at quarters.”

“Alright, so we’ll play quarters so I can beat you at something.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, thankful he went along with the subject change, and he kissed it back into your mouth. Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” came over the speakers. You broke away from him, took a long swig of your beer and hopped off the pool table, holding your hand out to Poe.

“Come dance with me.” Poe just laughed and shook his head. “This is one of my favorite songs! Please?”

You stuck your bottom lip out in an over exaggerated pout. Poe rolls his eyes with a humored smile and drank the rest of his beer before setting the bottle next to yours and taking your outstretched hand. You led him onto the dance floor and you were yanked back by Poe stopping. He pulled you into him and, with a hand on your back and the other holding yours, he moved you along to the music.

You danced to the mid-tempo song, Poe spinning you under his arm. He surprised you by dipping you and you laughed loudly, clutching onto his shirt so you wouldn’t fall. Poe pulled you back up, holding you closer to him than he previously was.

Kes smiled at the pair of you from across the bar. Poe had told him you were something special and he saw very clearly why. You were the first girl Poe had brought home to meet Kes in years, but you were the only girl Poe had ever taken to visit Shara, something that he held so closely to his heart. Kes knew then and there that you’d be around for a long time.

Poe knew it too.

tag list [open!] - @ah-callie @darksideofclarke @gloomygoregirl @leilei-draws @imaginecrushes @i-ievu @brianamaree @yeeintensifies @spider-starry @krazykatkay456 @fanfiction-trashpile @afootnoteinyourhappiness @easterncryptid @my-child-gaara @myrandom-fandomlife @onebatch--twobatch @the-cry-of-youth @p3nny4urth0ught5 @porgiez @galaxy-of-stories @seeking-a-great--perhaps @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @dameronsgalaxygal @mserynlarsen @yougottakeeponkeepinon @linibirdimagine @goddamndameron @starrykitn @cloud-leader @damnyoudameron @liadamerondjarin

#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x y/n #poe dameron #poe dameron fluff #back to you series #modern au #modern poe dameron

189 notes · View notes

jessikahathaway · 5 years ago

Text

Witch’s Brew

I’M BAAACCCKKKK. Happy thanksgiving to my amazing followers who put up with me not posting new fics for forever and a half. Please take this kinda fluffy, banter filled smut as my apology for being gone. I do have other fics in the work so stick with me? I love you guys! If you don’t celebrate thanksgiving then I hope you had a wonderful day regardless :) Love ya, now, please enjoy ;)

Pairing: Jungkook X Reader

Genre: Fantasy!AU, Knight!Jungkook, Witch!Reader, Smut, Fluff (kinda)

Warnings: Fighting, Mentions of Blood (Kookies a strong boi), unprotected sex (don’t do as I write please), creampie, loss of virginity, Oral (f receiving), I may have forgotten some other things so if you find them let me know!

Words: 8,104

Jeon Jungkook took his job on the Royal Guard extremely serious. The day he swore his oath was the day he found his purpose. He protected the Royals with his dying breath, because they were benevolent rulers that deserved respect…

Orphaned as a child, his future certainly would’ve been a bleak one. Thrown into the streets and his life would have no meaning. However, the King took him in. Keeping him safe and raising him like one of his own.

As Jungkook came of age, the King decided it was time for him to make a choice. Continue to live in the palace, perhaps be an advisor of his son. Or, take on the role of the Captain of the Royal Guard.

Jungkook jumped at the chance to give back to the man who had given him everything. Fed him, clothed him and loved him like any father would. Even though Jungkook was a beggar’s son. It didn’t matter because children don’t get to choose their parents. They choose who they want to be regardless of their beginnings.

And that is what Jungkook has been doing for three years, proudly. He has brought the Royal Guard out of their disorganized mess and made them carry pride in their hearts. Jungkook has lead them valiantly into battles, losing good men... But, to lose good men means to gain more knowledge. However, the heartbreak doesn’t ease at these statements.

And today, was the day he had to travel alone.

Jungkook wandered through the castle halls, heading towards the throne room. The King had requested an audience with him, and he was quick to obey. Jungkook smiled at the paintings of the family on the wall. The family he’d care for until the day he took his last breath.

Walking into the beautiful throne room, the guardsmen let him pass, giving a bow in respect. Jungkook did a small head tilt in acknowledgment before going to his knee before his king.

“Rise, my child,” he said, nothing but love in his voice. Jungkook did so, standing to attention.

“What do I owe the pleasure your Majesty?” he asked, giving the king a soft smile. His gesture was returned, as the king stood to approach him.

“My child, I have a task for you,” he said, walking next to Jungkook and placing his arm on his shoulder. “Walk with me,” he asked. Jungkook nodded and the two were off.

“What is it you’d ask of me?” Jungkook questioned as the King wandered through the garden with practiced grace.

“You have brought me great pride, Jungkook. Something that I feel for you, my children. You may not be of royal birth, but you hold as much of my heart as my true born son, your future King. Your hard work, has not gone unnoticed by me,” he said, placing his hand on Jungkook’s head in admiration.

“Thank you, your Majest-”

“Please, it’s just us my child. Father will do fine,” he gently urged. Jungkook nodded before going to speak again.

“Father.”

Just the word brought a bright smile to Jungkook’s face. “Father, I have done only what you’ve asked of me. I live to please you, and bring the kingdom peace,” Jungkook announced honestly. The King smiled with the utmost compassion in his eyes.

“That you have my son, and more. Saving the Kingdom from every threat. Taking on a guard that hadn’t seen organization since before my grandfather. What I tasked you with wasn’t easy, and yet here you are today. Captain of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom. From the small, boney child I raised you from... Out has come a man, worthy of any request he could make of me. Yet, you ask for nothing, simply to stay with us here... Something I will forever oblige, and Seokjin will as well. You know how he adores you,” the King smiled, thinking of the boys as children. How Seokjin wipes Jungkook’s tears and became the brother he always needed.

“I love him the same,” Jungkook agreed, feeling his heart swell to think of his brother.

“So, I hate to ask anymore of you... I feel that doing so is taking your love and compassion for granted. Something I never wish to do,” the King breathed.

“You could never ask too much of me, Father. I want to protect you, my brother and make mother in Heaven proud,” Jungkook declared.

“You’ve already made her proud... I’m certain she’d kick me for asking any more of you. Yet, here I stand, emploring,” he whispered.

“What is it you’d ask of me?” Jungkook repeated.

“There is a witch in our province,” the King began. Jungkook’s blood boiled thinking of such a wicked creature encroaching on his homeland.

“Where is she?” Jungkook pressed.

“Now now, my son, patience is a virtue you still need to learn,” the King tutted. Jungkook was silent and listened once more. “She has been practicing on the dead in the village. Desecrating their resting places with her black magic,” the King stated.

Jungkook wanted to retch at the thought of his loved one’s remains being tampered with. The witch would certainly pay for what she’d done.

“What would you have me do, my King,” Jungkook asked, turning formal. The King placed his hand on his shoulder. Jungkook kneeled automatically.

“I ask, that you, Captain Jeon Jungkook... Get rid of the heinous criminal disturbing those who have passed. However, you don’t have to resort to violence. Either remove her from this province by means of banishment, and if she refuses, then a more forceful approach may be necessary,” the King declared.

“As you command it, your Majesty, so it shall be,” Jungkook said, his head lowering to the ground in a bow. “I’ll ready the men-”

“Ah- I’m afraid I have to ask you to go alone,” the King requested, looking pained at the thought of sending his child off to battle.

“Why?”

“Because,” the King sighed, rubbing his face. Jungkook saw the worry creasing across his face, a look he hated to see on the man who raised him. “This witch is very cunning. She can turn the best of us against each other. She would be able to detect a large ground force with ease... However, if it was just you. She probably won’t pay much attention. Single people walking through the forest cause much less suspicion than a garrison of twenty or thirty men. I know in my heart that you can remove her,” the King assured.

“Then, I’ll leave a nightfall. And, send word when I have completed the task,” Jungkook stated. “I won’t fail you, Father,” he smiled, heading off towards his quarters so he could pack.

“You never have,” The King whispered to his retreating form, praise falling flat before it could reach him...

* * *

The forest was quiet at night, Jungkook realized. The night breeze blew through the trees, rustling the leaves but all was still moments later. All signs of life had retreated to their homes, falling into the comforts of sleep as the darkened hours held too many dangers.

Jungkook didn’t want to admit that he was homesick... The sounds of his guardsmen in the barracks, laughing and making merry with each other. Seokjin wandering the halls, looking for a midnight snack. The King, up in his study, working hard on providing protection and care for his people.

It was lonely, traveling with just his blade and bag strapped across his back. He had his horse, but she didn’t make for much company. However, he tried.

“What do you think this witch looks like, Yoonji? I’ve only seen witches that had traded in their beauty or souls for the uses in the black arts,” he rambled.

He got a snort in response.

“Perhaps it isn’t a she at all! Maybe they’re like our court wizard, Namjoon! Although, I don’t think he’s ever dug anyone up and practiced on them... Not to my knowledge,” Jungkook stated, moderately curious.

A whiney, with a shake of her head. All together, she seemed unimpressed by her riders nonsensical talk.

Suddenly, a growl ripped through the forest, causing Yoonji to buck and rear in fright. Jungkook gripped onto the reins in an attempts to remain on his steed. However, Yoonji was truly frightened by the sound to her very bones. Horses are animals of prey, it is only natural for her to react so harshly.

Jungkook’s senses went on high alert. An animal of that tenor must be large, nothing like a wolf or around that size. No, this was much larger and much more dangerous.

“Easy! Easy, Yoonji,” Jungkook soothed, running his hand down her neck. Once she was calm, Jungkook began to assess his situation.

Quickly dismounting, he brought out his sword. His eyes level and breathing calm, he surveyed the location. The trees rustling could’ve drifted his scent towards lurking predators. All of his nerves were on edge, everything about to snap in an instant.

The forest had become deathly quiet, as if the whole area was waiting for the oncoming battle. Jungkook had faith in his armor, but if he was overpowered, there wasn’t much the armor could do for him. Keeping his back to Yoonji, putting a barrier between her and whatever danger may befall made his mind at ease.

SNAP!

A twig to the west cracked unforgivingly loud. Yoonji reared once more before taking off into the darkness.

“No! Yoonji, come back girl!” Jungkook yelled, giving away his position. However, she was his only manner of transportation for the long trek ahead of him. And she just ran off into the wilderness... Jungkook knew he couldn’t go after her, and all the supplies of his she carried on her back...

The sound of leaves rustling alerted his senses. He placed his hand on his sword in a defensive manner. Turning on his heel Jungkook quickly brought forth his weapon, hands steadier than an archer on the hilt.

“Whomever is out there, I must warn you I am armed,” he said in a stern tone.

Jungkook was no stranger to danger, and he wasn’t frightened of what may lay ahead of him. His only fear was that of disappointing his father and the family he had left behind in the Kingdom. Just the thought of his family knowing he didn’t succeed was enough for him to continue on. Making them proud and keeping them safe was all Jungkook wanted.

A deep snarl echoed throughout the empty wood. Jungkook’s skin rose in alert, his natural instinct to flee for his life was buried deep within him, screaming out from within the void of his mind to run. He decided to take a swing into the deep brush, simply to alert his enemy of his proximity.

A shrill shriek came from the bushes he struck. A rabbit came forward, nearly jumping into Jungkook’s arms with how high it had jumped. Guilt washed over him as he watched the terrified creature run into the other area of the forest. Jungkook sighed and set his sword down, leaning against the tree and sliding down the harsh bark.

Exhaustion had creeped into his bones without his realization. The day had finally caught up with him and he knew he needed rest. But, he knew he couldn’t rest long. No doubt there would be creatures ready to tear him limb from limb if he shut his eyes for merely a moment.

“A few moment, that’s all I need,” he mumbled before his eyes shut and he fell into darkness...

—

A loud clang disrupted Jungkook’s slumber.

At that moment he knew he’d slept longer than he’d anticipated. He cursed his lack of control as he stood up.

From his arms weakened state he knew he’d been sleeping for at least an hour. Perhaps longer with the way his legs trembled from exhaustion that crept back in them.

Jungkook grit his teeth as he gripped his sword in his hand, looking at the tree line for signs of oncoming conflict.

“Show yourself! Cowards I heard you!”

There was silence, before a sharp pain erupted in Jungkook’s side. He cried out before moving quickly and removing the offending blade from his side. Two men sneered from behind him.

“Mmm, a Palace guard. No doubt you’ve got a lot of goodies on you huh?”

“Back, as you have graciously noticed I am a Royal Guard. But I am no mere kinsman. I am Jeon Jungkook, Head of His Majesty’s personal guards. You will die here today, fools. And you will die by my sword,” he growled.

Jungkook’s blood trickled down his side, but he ignored it. Now was not the time to be worrying about trivial wounds. His pride was on the line, and he’d rather die than lose that.

The first man lunges for him, rather clumsy as his sword point drops and Jungkook is quick to deflect him. “Child’s play,” he chuckled. The man to his left snarled in frustration before taking out two daggers. One already red with his blood.

“Die! Bastard!” He cried, running for Jungkook with his blades gleaming, thirsty for more of his crimson veins.

Jungkook raised his blade and blocked one dagger, grabbing the man's wrist and taking the other from his grasp. Huffing, Jungkook threw his shoulder into his ribs, a sickening crack heard in his ear.

The older man howled, falling back on his haunches before completely falling to the ground. Jungkook moves fast, straddling his enemy and beginning to assault his face with punches.

Sharp sounds of impact reached his ears as he pummeled the man without remorse. “You insulted the crown, and therefore have insulted me. This will be the most grave and last mistake of your life!”

Jungkook reaches for his sword, raising it high before plunging the tempered steel into his attackers chest. He fought back for a few moments before going still underneath his weight.

But then, a burning pain came from Jungkook’s calf as he recognized the dagger planted in there hazardously. His eyes narrowed at the sight of a blade embedded in his skin.

“You turned your back on the enemy, fool,” he sneered. Jungkook swallowed thick before gripping the handle of the short weapon and pulling it from his leg. The Royal Guard hissed in pain, the worm The brute gurgled while looking at Jungkook with shock.

“And you sir, have given me your only weapon. Fool.”

He ripped the dagger from his throat and threw it on the ground watching as he crumbled and twitched; dying. Jungkook breathed harshly, landing on his knees with exhaustion.

His calf was bleeding terribly, and he had yet to assess his side. The blood loss would get dangerous if he didn’t hurry. Struggling to gather his bearings, Jungkook attempted to stand.

Attempted.

The weight of his strong body hit his wounded leg hard as he tried to stand. A cry of pain came from his throat. He’d been through pain before, suffered injuries on the fields of battle. But people were always there to help him, and now? Now he was alone, no one there to aid him.

Fear gripped his chest as he realized the severity of the situation. He could die out here, and no one would know what happened to him. The King and the Prince he worked so hard to protect would now be left alone. Jungkook wouldn’t allow that.

But what was he to do?

He saw his satchel sitting by the tree, blood dripping off of it delicately. Stumbling, Jungkook made his screaming form take him there. Pulling the leather open he grabbed his herbal kit and put some on his leg wound, before wrapping it tightly.

Now that that one had been taken care of, for now, he could focus on his side.

—

Jungkook spent the better part of an hour working on his wounded flesh. But the blood loss was beginning to catch up with him.

Breathing was labored and difficult, coughing rattling his lungs. This wasn’t going as he’d planned. Jungkook gripped his sword and fell back against a tree, head hitting the harsh bark with a thud.

The pain was secondary to the sheer exhaustion that was weighing his body down. Jungkook looked up at the tree line, wondering if his family was alright.

His father, whom he’d disappoint with his death. His brother, who wouldn’t forgive him for going alone. And his mother, who he’d meet in heaven and beg for her forgiveness for wasting his life in such a way.

His eyes felt heavy, and soon closed.

But not before a crunching sound was detected to his right. He tried desperately to open his tired orbs, but there was nothing left in him to do so.

“Hey, can you hear me?” A soft woman’s voice asked.

Jungkook felt himself fall onto the grass and a curse came from the woman.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” she said.

Suddenly Jungkook was surrounded by warmth as he felt his body being lifted from the ground and into the air above. But it wasn’t the sensation of being jostled by other people. No, it was like being hugged by a soft blanket after it’s been sitting in the sun for hours.

And it finally pulled him to sleep...

—

The scent of lavender, frankincense and pine filled Jungkook’s nose. His eyes felt heavy, unable to be opened with his groggy mind.

There was soft humming coming from his right, a woman’s. He tried to swallow, but his throat felt as though sand had replaced his flesh. This triggered him to cough, jostling his side and his eyes flew open.

You ran over, kneeling besides the bed as you ushered him to drink something. Jungkook didn’t hesitate as he downed whatever you had given him.

“Hey there,” you smiled.

Jungkook looked at you and the very breath left his lungs. You were a vision... beautiful big eyes and a bright smile. Lovely hair that framed your face and plush lips that seemed to call for him. He swallowed hard, throat still a little scratchy.

“Hi,” He croaked. You gently sat on the bed, careful not to touch him.

“How are you feeling?” You asked, raising a brow.

Jungkook thought for a moment. “Like I’ve been stampeded by a thousand horses. But I’m alive,” he stated.

“That you are, thanks to me,” you informed, a proud grin on your face. Jungkook could look at you all day, he decided quickly.

“May I ask the name of my savior?” He asked shyly.

“I am Y/N, the witch of this forest,” you declared.

Jungkook’s heart dropped into his stomach. H-He has to kill you? Surely you weren’t the witch who’d been raising bodies from their graves and performing heinous spells of them! But you’d saved him... if you truly wanted dead bodies, wouldn’t you let him die?

“You appear to be having inner turmoil Jeon Jungkook, Head of the Royal Guard in this Kingdom,” you offered.

“There is no turmoil in my heart, only the desire to return to my King with victory on my lips,” he declared.

“Or,” you said, leaning in closer, “you could have me on your lips. If you’d like.”

Jungkook flushed at your bold statement. “W-what kind of woman says such a thing?!”

“A woman who sponge bathed you and healed your wounds. I’ve seen your body, and I want it. I’ve lived for over three hundred years and I’ve never seen something so perfectly sculpted. I want to taste you, feel you under my palms, and feel you deep inside me,” you licked your lips and Jungkook felt his stomach clench.

“Y-You harlot! My body will belong to my wife and her alone!”

“I’ll marry you then,” you grinned.

Jungkook could hardly believe his ears. What kind of woman would offer herself up in such a crude manner?

“I’d never marry a witch like yourself,” he growled.

“A witch that did manage to save your life, just so you’re aware,” you declared.

“Are you the one who is disturbing the dead in the neighboring villages? Are you the one desecrating the graves of people’s loved ones?” He asked dark.

“Perhaps, but that kind of answer comes with a price, what will you give me in exchange for the truth?”

“Depends on what you want,” Jungkook mentioned warily.

“Mmm, a kiss. Kiss me, and I will tell you honestly. You have my word,” you wagered. Jungkook sat with bated breath.

What if you were lying? Then he’d given you what you wanted, and him none the wiser. But if it was just a kiss, what was the harm? He wasn’t giving his first kiss to her, thankfully that had already been given to a girl when he was younger...

“I-I guess,” he agreed soft, waiting for you to approach. You did just that, leaning down. Jungkook closed his eyes and soon after he felt soft lips press against his.

Your hands cradled his face and he gripped the sheets beneath this palms harshly. He’d only ever kissed one girl before, and they were children. They had no idea what they were doing. But you, you were very eager to take the lead of this embrace. Just as you were getting a little lost in the sensation, Jungkook pulled away. You frowned, licking your lips to catch the lingering taste of him before it was gone.

“T-there’s your kiss, now tell me the truth,” he demanded. You smiled at the obvious blush on his cheeks. However, you’d given the man your word. Time to pay up.

“I did raise a few bodies, but at the request of the town's mayor. He asked me to raise a select list of corpses to investigate their deaths. They were murdered and the bodies were buried before they could be examined properly. He sensed that the murderer had done so to cover his tracks. So, I raised them in the night and he had the towns physician examine them once more. After that, they were able to find evidence of the killer and she was caught. Now, she rots behind bars,” you said dangerously low.

Jungkook couldn’t believe his ears. Were you being honest? Or was that just an elaborate story?

“You look as if you don’t believe me,” you pouted.

“Because how could I believe such a ridiculous story? The mayor himself asking a witch for help when all he had to do was dig up the bodies? Why employ your help?”

“To air on the side of caution. He didn’t want to killer being tipped off and skipping town because they knew he was investigating the corpses,” you answered again.

“Well... I, I guess that makes sense,” Jungkook murmured.

“I promise that I’m not a bad person, Jungkook. If I was, would I have saved your life in the woods? I knew who you were by the armor, if I wanted you dead, you would be right now,” you said, honestly.

Jungkook bit his lip and looked you over once more. “I suppose that could be true, however you could have done so to put me in a complicated situation. Do I kill you or do I let you go because you saved my life? Perhaps you saved my life to preserve your own!”

“A good idea, one that I didn’t think of. I’ll try that next time I want to kill someone,” you sighed, resting your head on your hand.

Another stalemate.

You merely wanted a good romp in the sheets with the virgin knight before you. No doubt he’d be incredible. His strong calves made your mouth water while you were bathing him. Although his injuries did concern you more than your curiosity of his strength.

“Rest here, I’ll keep my hands to myself,” you promised, showing your palms as you stood up slowly.

“How can I trust you witch?” He said, venom in his voice.

“Because, I don’t want to hurt you. It’s simple. The proof is in the potion, I didn’t have to save you. But I did. Now you claim I have ulterior motives. The only motive I have is for me to be in that bed with you, but don’t worry little virgin, I won’t do anything you don’t want,” you smirked.

“H-How did you...”

“The way you kissed me, so shy and timid. That, and you’re hard right now.”

Jungkook turned as red as a tomato at your observation. He looked down and true to your words, he was sporting a major erection in his trousers. Swallowing hard he tried to look anywhere but you. How embarrassing! H-He was supposed to be better than this, how could the head of the Royal Guard fall to primal instincts such as these?

“It’s okay, it’s a normal reaction,” you said, crossing your legs, some of your flesh being revealed.

“Not for me!”

“Not into women?”

“No that’s not it!”

“Then I’m lost here, what’s so wrong with listening to your body and letting instinct take over? That’s what magic teaches us. To let go of this earthly plane and to accept the power within us to be who we truly are meant to be. That’s the most basic teachings of magic,” you explained.

Jungkook felt his mouth turn dry.

Is that what magic was? Just the release of your inner and truest self?

No! Magic was evil! A forbidden art that no one should be privy to.

“Hush witch!” Jungkook glared. But he noticed his glare didn’t meet your eyes. Because yours were trained lower. “Quit staring!”

You chuckled and licked your lips. “I’d be okay with a quick romp in the sheets to get it out of your system,” you said. “Think of it as payment for me saving your life, yeah?”

“What? Now you’re charging me from something that was out of the goodness of your heart moments ago!”

“Easy, I’m teasing you. Gosh, have you ever heard of that?”

“I need to leave,” he said, trying to sit up.

The breath left Jungkook as he felt pain suffuse up his body. You jumped up from where you were and urged him back down into the bed.

“You can’t go anywhere in this condition,” you tutted, fluffing his pillow as he lay back down.

“My king expects a report soon. And if I don’t return with one then I will be a failure. I refuse to be a failure in the eyes of my king, I’d rather die,” he huffed.

“You will with that attitude. Sooner than we’d both like,” you scolded.

“I won’t stay here, I refuse.”

“You can’t get out of that bed,” you reminded, turning towards your wall of potions.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Looking for a rapid healing potion. It will accelerate the healing process so you can leave sooner,” you mumbled, already pouting at the thought of this handsome and rather adorable man leaving your home.

“A rapid healing potion?”

“Yes, you want to leave and I’m not going to hold you against your will. If you’re that dead set, then who am I to keep you?”

Jungkook felt something in the pit of his stomach. You were upset with him. But why did he care at all? It wasn’t his fault that you were a sex crazed woman. However, Jungkook doubted that’s the only reason you were keeping him here. Perhaps living the life of a witch was a lonely one. No, it was definitely lonely...

Shaking his head, Jungkook tried to get these thoughts to leave him.

“Here!” You smiled, presenting a small vial with dust on it.

“That’s the healing potion? Or is it poison?” Jungkook narrowed his eyes at you.

“Do I really need to keep reminding you that I don’t want you to die? I can drink this after stabbing myself with your saber if you really want me to. Not my preferred method, but I’ll do it to prove a point to you,” you said, leaning forward to grab his weapon.

“No! Don’t!”

You raised a brow at him before smirking and putting the vial out in front of him. “Then by all means, drink the potion and be on your way,” you said, smiling softly at the offer.

Jungkook hesitated before taking the bottle from your hands.

Carefully he undid the cork and took a tentative sniff. You smiled softly while he inspected it. Slowly, Jungkook brought the cranberry bottle to his lips. You watched as his throat bobbed while he drank your concoction. After the potion was gone, Jungkook set the bottle down on the bedside table and wiped his mouth.

“So, how do you feel?” you asked, raising a brow.

Jungkook shrugged before looking down at his leg and noticed the skin beginning to stitch itself back together. He gasped as he watched his wound weave and mould itself back into his normal, strong leg. You smirked as he stared on in wonderment at your work. You couldn’t help but feel a little smug, he had doubted you, but he wouldn’t do that any longer.

“I feel a little hot, but other than that I’m fine,” he mumbled, begrudgingly accepting that you had in fact helped him.

“Hot? You shouldn’t feel hot, let me see,” you said, moving to touch his forehead. But Jungkook was fast, and caught your wrist before you were able to make contact with his skin.

His gloved hand crushed down on your delicate bones and made you wince.

“What do you mean I shouldn’t feel hot, witch?” he practically growled.

“It’s an older potion! Sometimes when they sit for a while they get a little weird,” you defended, trying to pull your arm from his grasp.

“Have you poisoned me? You fooled me?” he gaped, feeling utterly ridiculous for trusting a witch in the first place.

“I have done nothing but try to help you! God what do I have to do to prove to you, I want you alive, I want you safe!”

“Sweet lies will get you nowhere!”

“Please, I’m telling you the truth! I swear!” You cried out.

Fear was beginning to replace your sarcastic tone. Jungkook was strong, freakishly so. You didn’t want to get hurt while just trying to aid this younger man.

“You are going to pay for-ah-what in the...” Jungkook moaned out, holding his stomach with one hand.

“Are you alright?” You asked, running forward to catch him as his body hurled towards the floor.

“My body, I-I don’t know what’s going on,” he whimpered, head leaning on your shoulder in distress.

“Let me look at you, hold on,” you said, pulling him away from your neck to examine his features.

His doe-like eyes were blown wide, drinking in the sight of you before him. His cheeks flushed bright pink, heat laying within them comfortably. Lips, slightly swollen and wet, begging for a kiss. His breathing was lightly labored, coming in in little puffs against your cheeks. You knew immediately that something was wrong. The whole time the man had been nothing but a pain in your butt, but he was just trying to help his people by getting rid of the necromancer. But here you were, in the way of him yet again.

“That’s a little off,” you said, rubbing your neck awkwardly.

“What?” Jungkook huffed, holding onto himself gently.

“The potion has worked, you’re healed, but there seems to be some side effects with the potions itself. See, if potions sit for too long then they can get some qualities to them that they didn’t originally have. This one seems to have taken on as an aphrodisiac. You’re flushed, heart rate accelerated and your pupils are dilated. I’d say your rearing to go. But you’re healed, as I said, so you’re free to go whenever you please,” you said, gesturing to the door of your small hut.

Jungkook made a sound of protest in the back of his throat.

“You do this to me and expect me to leave?”

“Hasn’t that been what you wanted this whole time? Now I’m getting confused,” you complained, placing your hand on your head in mock frustration.

“C-Could you help me? Would you do that for me?” He asked, a soft tone overtaking his frustrated one from before.

“You know the only way to help you is to have sex with you, correct?”

“I-I... Um...”

He was too cute, it hurt your teeth with how sweet he was. But, originally Jungkook hadn’t wanted this. So, you didn’t want to take something so precious without proper consent.

“Listen, I know you want me now. I can tell by the way you’re looking at me. But, I don’t want to take something that wasn’t going to be given to me originally. That’s not right, and I won’t do it. If you only want me now because your situation, then I’m sorry to tell you I won’t help you that way,” you declared.

God being the good guy sucked.

You just wanted to devour him. Lips on skin, flesh on flesh. It would be so good you wouldn’t need anyone else for at least three hundred more years.

“Then it has to be you who takes it, if that is your reasoning, then I know your heart is pure. E-Even if you practice magic and the dark arts, I-I know you’re not a bad person. You saved me. Thank you. I don’t think I properly thanked you for saving my life. I was too hung up on the idea that you would betray me, but now I need your help again. Can I have it? Your help?”

“I’m trying to be good here! Stop trying to tempt me you little sprite!” You warned, point an accusing finger in his direction.

“Tempt you? What would give you the idea that I’m... tempting you?” He said, biting his lip slowly.

“Don’t do that! Come on, that's not fair when you look at me like that!” You whimpered.

“I’m not look at you in anyway, I’m just... looking at you,” he stated, eyes trailing down your body in a suggestive manner.

“Stop that!”

“Do you really want me to stop?”

You bit your lip with uncertainty. Of course you wanted him, you wanted this man badly. But could you do this with a clear conscious? Although, potions you made never changed the true intentions of other people. You’d never make a potion like that. So, was Jungkook truly in his right mind right now?

Only one way to find out...

“No, I really don’t want you to stop,” you moaned, collapsing to the floor in front of him.

“Yeah? You want me?” He asked.

“So bad,” you whimpered.

“Then come and get me,” he whispered.

Quickly, you scrambled forward as he leaned down to connect your lips together. Jungkook was a timid kisser, probably because he had no idea what he was doing. But Gods if it didn’t get your blood pumping. Wrapping your arms around his neck, Jungkook pulled you into his lap. You ran your fingers up against his scalp, causing him to buck into you softly.

“Fuck,” you whispered against his lips, which were now wet from your tongue.

“You’re really beautiful,” he said softly, bringing a finger up to delicately touch your chin.

“Thank you, I’m stunning with my clothes off,” you teased, pulling your robes down your shoulder. Jungkook’s eyes went wide at the sight, making you smirk.

“I-I might need proof of that,” he stuttered out.

“Truly? Then let me give it to you,” you said, pulling your arms out from the sleeves and letting the garment fall from your chest. Exposing yourself for the first time in years felt so liberating. You hadn’t put on your corset today. So your chest was bare before Jungkook, who was immediately entranced.

Jungkook watched as your nipples turned hard, biting his lip and coming forward to press a sweet kiss on your collar bone. You sighed at the sensation, letting Jungkook feel your body. His hands warmed their way up your waist, gripping right below your breasts as he took one nipple in his mouth with hesitance. You smiled and gave a little moan as he suckled gently.

“Ah, Jungkook that feels so good,” you hissed out. Jungkook took your praise and continued on, licking and sucking at your breasts with reckless abandon. He seemed like a man possessed with your chest at the center of his focus.

You rubbed your thighs together, feeling wetness gathering between your folds. Fuck you wanted him so bad. Jungkook was still thoroughly content with groping your chest, thumbs rubbing at the supple flesh with a tenderness so sweet it made your teeth hurt.

“Jungkook, give me more,” you cried, wrapping your arms around his neck as he continued to kiss and lick your chest.

“You’re so warm, it’s driving me mad,” he said, pushing you back down until your back was against your bed linen. Jungkook kissed down your stomach, licking and nipping lightly as he went. Your skin chilled into goosebumps as he did so, your body reacting to his touch like a moth to a flame.

“Your lips are so soft, like rose petals,” you said, touching his bottom lip with your thumb watching as it puckered under your touch.

“So is your skin, you taste like honey,” he murmured.

“Want to taste something better?” You asked, raising a brow as you shuffled your undergarments off. Jungkook’s eyes got even wider, if that was possible.

“I-I... fuck,” he breathed, eyes on your womanhood.

You rubbed your fingers over your slit, gathering your wetness on your fingers. Pulling your hand away, you offered your digits to Jungkook. He looked at your hand for a moment before hesitantly opening his mouth and capturing your fingers in a delicate embrace.

He moaned when your taste hit him, it was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. It was... sweet? He hadn’t expected it to be so. Although, Jungkook had discovered that you were full of surprises tonight.

“It’s a spell, it’ll taste like whatever you want,” you whispered.

“That’s a little odd,” he made a weird face in reaction after letting your fingers go from his petal like lips.

“Do you not like it?” You asked.

“No, no it’s not that,” he said quickly, pressing his lips to yours quickly.

“Mmm, then pleasure me,” you demanded, running your fingers through his hair gently.

Jungkook eagerly complied, connecting his mouth to your center with an urgency you didn’t know existed. His tongue lapped at you, bringing more of your essence into his mouth. He moaned at the sensation of your supple skin against his mouth. You writhed underneath his ministrations, feeling shocks of pleasure rushing through your veins.

“More, u-use your tongue more,” you encouraged, giving a little direction so he wasn’t lost. Jungkook followed your advice and turned from fat licks up your slit to direct pressure to your clit.

“Mmm,” he groaned, humping into the mattress pathetically.

“Just like that, right there,” you mewled, grinding against his face as he continued to please you with his mouth. Gripping at your thighs Jungkook suckled at your clit, loving the taste of you. “Fuck, baby,” you whined, hips moving against your will. You could feel yourself starting to reach that peak. Already, it was slightly embarrassing. Like you were the virgin here. But it felt so good, and it had been so long. The pleasure coursing through your veins was so intense that your head felt lighter.

“God, you’re so wet,” Jungkook mumbled, licking as another droplet of your wetness came gushing from you. His pupils were blown wide, black overwhelming the original brown of his eyes.

“All for you, Jungkook,” you praised. You felt him smile against your center, making his licks a little less precise.

Tangling your fingers in his hair you brought him closer to your pussy. Jungkook licked and sucked at you, moaning and whining as he brought you even nearer to that blissed peak you were searching for.

“Fuck, Jungkook, Jungkook fuck!” You cried out, gripping his hair to which it must’ve been painful. But he kept going. He wrapped his lips around your pearl, sucking harshly. You screamed, then the cord inside you snapped and you came on his tongue.

“Mm, that was the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen,” Jungkook said, licking his lips and staring at you with desire behind his eyes.

His cheeks were flushed, eyes blown wide, heart rate accelerated and breathing labored. He was so aroused you were frightened that if you held back for much longer he wouldn’t be able to control himself once he got inside of you. But that was alright, your wanted to watch him fall apart too. To lose himself to the sensations of sex and lust.

“You were so good. I’m so proud of you, made me feel amazing,” you whispered, bringing him to your lips. Kissing him gently, you coaxed him down onto his back. Jungkook did as you commanded without words, your lips never separating.

You opened his mouth with your tongue, slipping it inside his hot cavern and exploring the territory revealed. Fuck, he tasted like the sweetest poison, taking over your senses and demanding all of your attention. Your cunt throbbed with need, the need to have him inside of you right now. But, you wanted to be patient. Take your time with this man who was so gentle, yet strong.

“Want you inside me,” you said, smiling brightly.

“Okay,” he whispered, undoing the bindings of his shirt and letting it fall from his chest. You moved forward, pulling the fabric from around his body and tossing it to the floor. You looked him over, running your palms down his warm chest and slipping your hands underneath his waistband.

“Ah-your hands are cold,” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss you.

Kissing him back and gripping his cock you smirk when his body jerked forward. “Mmm, so responsive for me,” you giggled, pumping his length a few times, watching as his frame stuttered.

“Feels so good,” he whimpered, bucking into your hand with an eagerness that made you smile.

“You know what will feel better?”

Jungkook’s breath fanned across your face as he tried to control himself.

“W-what?”

“This,” you said before coming forward and sinking down slowly onto him. You sighed at the slight burn and stretch he gave you. Fuck it was so good, he was so big inside of you. It made your head spin, the full sensation his cock gave you.

Jungkook was a little worse for wear.

“Fuck,” he whined out, gripping your hip and covering his eyes with his arm. You couldn’t keep the smile off your face.

“Let me know when you’re ready, I won’t move until you say so,” you soothed, running your palms down his chest and placing little kisses on his face that you could reach. Interlocking your fingers with his, you pulled his arm away from his flushed face.

His eyes were glassy, lips parted and swollen from kisses.

“You’re so tight, it feels really good,” Jungkook heaved, trying to keep himself centered.

“Mmm, you’re so big. Stretching me out, you might ruin me,” you teased, adjusting yourself in his lap.

“You-You can move now,” he said, gripping onto your hand a little tighter than before.

“Okay, hang on then.” You said, lifting your hips and slamming down on his lap once more. Jungkook groaned at the feeling of your heat leaving and returning with such ferocity. God, the slick sounds of the two of you joined together, echoing in the otherwise empty room.

Jungkook’s instincts seemed to kick in because he was rolling his hips upwards each time you came down, doubling the pleasure for the two of you.

“Fuck Jungkook,” you cried, a particularly hard thrust hitting that spot inside you making you see stars. Leaning down you captured his lips in a sloppy kiss, Jungkook’s mouth slightly open as he was breathing harsh. Licking down his chin and mouthing at his throat. He hissed in pleasure, fucking up into you again.

“Lord you’re so hot and-and wet, you’re soaking my lap,” he whispered, grabbing at you for some kind of stability.

“It’s because you’re making me feel so good, such a big dick in my pussy, I can barely breathe. Fuck you’re stretching my little pussy out, Jungkook. Gonna ruin me so no one else can fuck me but you? What a selfish baby you are, but that’s alright. I’ll only be yours,” you whined as he rutted into you harshly.

“Keep talking like that,” he pleaded.

“Talk about your big cock baby? How big you are and how good you’re making me feel? Fuck, Jungkook. Right there, fuck me just like that,” you huffed, working your hips down as he met you.

“I want to try something else,” he said, as you slowed your pace on his lap.

“Yeah? I’d love to know,” you answered back, grinding your clit against his pubic bone.

“Here, lie back,” he demanded softly. You did as he said, lying on your back and spreading your legs for him. Jungkook situated himself between your legs, eagerly finding your throbbing entrance and pushing in once more. The pair of you groaned at the sensation of the snug fit. Jungkook moved his hips forward, grinding against your clit.

Slick sounds echoed in your ears as Jungkook began setting a brutal pace. His hips hit your thighs with vigor, and the wonderful stretch filled your stomach with butterflies. You gasped and moaned with each new flick of his body into yours.

“Jungkook, Jungkook!” You cried out, gripping onto his biceps as he plowed forward into your tight cunt. You smiled at the fucked out look on his face, it was satisfying to know he was enjoying himself too.

“Fuck, I shouldn’t like this... I-I shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispered, sweat pouring down his face as he slowed his pace.

“Mmm, but doesn’t it feel so right? Keep going, I’m so close. Please don’t stop now Jungkook, I want you to cum in me,” you pleaded.

“Ah, I-I’m burning up. I need to... I want to,” he whimpered.

“What do you want baby? Whatever you want, you can have it, I’ll give it to you, I promise,” you mumbled incoherently.

“I want to cum inside you,” he growled, leaning down and licking your throat possessively. You moaned and wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to your sensitive body. Jungkook shuddered at your incessant clenching around him. He was so close, a tight coil raging in his stomach.

“Cum inside, I want to feel it dripping down my thighs when you finish. Fuck baby, I’m going to cum soon,” you cried, reaching between the two of you and rubbing your swollen clit with wanton desire.

“Fuck, I’m there,” he sobbed, cock grinding against your walls that couldn’t clench him any tighter he was certain. Until you came, sucking him back inside of you so hard he thought you’d feel pain.

“Jungkook!” You cried out, falling onto the bed in a slump of limbs.

Jungkook kept plowing into you, harsh smacks of his skin against yours echoing through the room. Jungkook leaned over you, his front touching your slick back. He continued to hump his dick inside you, causing you to whine from the overstimulation. But you didn’t dare tell him to stop.

“Fuck, fuck, so good,” he hiccuped, licking at your neck and shoulder as he finally felt himself let go. Jungkook cried out as he came inside you. The hot feeling of his cum coating your walls made your head spin with new found arousal.

Finally, he rested his head on your middle back, groping for your hand in the mess of sheets. You interlocked your fingers, kissing his hand to soothe him.

“Lie down, I’ll get you some water,” you urged, feeling his spent dick fall from your abused womanhood. Jungkook did as you asked, lying down in the bed next to you.

“Wait,” he whispered as you moved to get up.

“Hmmm?” you asked, turning around. The next thing you knew a soft pair of lips were pressed against yours. Jungkook’s weak arms wrapped around you, pulling you back into bed with him.

“I don’t think you’ve been punished enough, witch,” he growled, licking a thin stripe up your throat. A sharp whine came from you at the sudden dominance.

“No? Then by all means, punish me.”

#ficswithluv #Jessika Hathaway #Jungkook #BTS #Jungkook BTS #Jungkook Smut #Jungkook Fanfic #Jungkook Fanfiction #BTS Jungkook Fanfiction #Witch's Brew #Jungkookie #Kookie #Kookie Smut #Knight Jungkook #Knight Jungkook Smut #Knight Jungkook X Witch Reader #Jungkook X Reader #Prince Jin Mention

585 notes · View notes

petitprincess1 · 5 years ago

Text

Good Evening Ch13 (Soft and Fragile)

AO3 Link Summary: Before the incident, Alastor has a bit more of a reflection on his "lovers" and it's quite interesting on what he wishes to do to his dolls. Words: 1,738 I AM SO SORRYYYYYY!!! I got super stressed lately and my brain just froze. I really hope this chapter is worth the wait. Once again, very sorry. Warning: Obsessive and possessive thoughts and..."knifeplay" thoughts...kinda. ~~~ Hours earlier before the “oopsie” that happened at Pentious’ house, Alastor made up an excuse to go to the kitchen just so he didn’t end up strangling Vaggie, slice her throat, or say some very mean words. The intense hatred only increased when she mentioned him bringing in gumbo that had Valentino’s body in it. He was going to bury the guy to use as manure, but he was a bit pressed for time and it was rather difficult to stuff the body with aromatic herbs to keep any stench out. Plus, he didn’t feel like draining Val’s blood. Either way, he had to take a moment to breathe before walking into the kitchen.

Al tried to calm down by taking out the tongue that he took from that dead guard. Either no one has gone into the fridge yet or no one questioned the tongue. It wasn’t like it was impossible for him to have bought a cow tongue of sorts from the store. Thankfully, idiots would do anything to justify something that’s so simple.

He meant to chop this up for breakfast in the morning, but no one said that you couldn’t have an omelette in the afternoon. Besides, he still needed to make a small meal for Charlie. Alastor realized that he was going more and more towards Charlie everyday. It was surprising that the girl intrigued him, almost as much as Anthony did. Although, he was interested in them for completely different reasons. Anthony felt the closest to what could be romantic, even if it was a bit more perverse.

All Alastor wanted to do with Anthony was make him his and only his. Majority of the people that he came into contact with were incorrigible and absolute morons, especially that Pentious. The man had no patience with any of that and wouldn’t miss them the slightest bit if they were dead...possibly not Husker. The much older man was much more hilarious to have alive, especially whenever he was angry. It was so much fun to watch his lip curl into a snarl.

However, unless it was making him pouty, Alastor never wanted to see his ethel angry at him nor did he wish to hurt him that badly. Just the very thought sent a chill up his spine as he listened to the tongue’s muscles and ligaments making a slight squishing sound as the knife sliced through them, making him feel a nice calm about him. All he wanted to do was keep Anthony all locked up for no one else to see him. Yes, the man clearly could help himself, judging the bruising on his knuckles, but he still could have died. Keeping the little minx all tied up would clearly only benefit him.

Plus, Alastor could also easily lure those mongrels to his home and he could serve up some wonderful meat pies or casseroles to his favorite toy that he will keep all snug and cozy in his basement. Oh! That reminded him that he really needed to renovate that place back at his home. Well, temporary home in Eden. Al should also warn Anthony about the constant traveling. Alastor knew that his angel may have slight worry about his proposition, but he knew that the boy would be the one to stay. Meanwhile with Charlie….the man longed for her struggle.

As annoying as it was to try and get the doll alone, it was also thrilling to actually have someone fight. Not that Anthony didn’t fight with Alastor occasionally, it was different with Charlie. She seemed to wish to deny all attraction towards, but he could easily tell when one has hidden desire. He has felt her heartbeat quicken on her wrist, seen the hidden passion in her eyes lying beneath the disgust, and, most importantly, he can sense the morbid curiosity in her. It won’t be too long til he finally caught her in his grasp.

Alastor scrapped the tongue off of the cutting board into a frying pan that had oil, minced garlic, and chopped onion in it. He breathed in the smell and sighed happily, “Patience is a virtue.”

Niffty came into the kitchen, carrying groceries, and gasped at seeing Alastor, “OH! You didn’t tell me you would be in the kitchen! Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude. I just went to get some extra food and-”

“Don’t worry, my dear! It’s perfectly fine. After all, this is your kitchen and I’m merely intruding in on your space,” Alastor spoke charmingly and humbly. Niffty gasped even more as she placed the groceries on the counter, using a step stool, and quickly replied, “No no no! My kitchen is your kitchen, so stay as long as you wish.”

The man smiled at her and gave a polite nod, “What a sweet lady you are. Also, do you mind helping me out? Just get some eggs and whisk them up. I’m making an omelette for Charlie~”

“Awww, you’re such a sweet man!”

“...I know.” ~~~ Later on into the day, Al had come over to Charlie’s office and knocked on the door. Charlie called from the other side, “Who’s there?”

Alastor thought of a joke for a few seconds and replied, “Adore!”

It went silent for a few seconds before the golden-haired girl asked, “Adore who? I don’t think-”

“Adore is between you and I, so please open up!” Alastor exclaimed, cutting her off on purpose. There was another brief silence before the door suddenly opened up and revealed Charlie looking away from Alastor. She seemed to be annoyed, but the small reddish tint to her pale cheeks showed her keeping a smile back. She mumbled under her breath as she walked away, “That was a terrible joke and you know it was.”

The creole chuckled as he walked into her office and saw that her office was pretty decent and cozy looking, especially with plush carpeting. He leaned up against a bookshelf behind him as he raised an eyebrow at two norwegian dwarf goats that were sleeping within a pet bed that looked like a little house. Charlie sat down on the chair at her desk and asked, “Is there something that you need, Al? Oh! Also, thank you for the omelette, it was very sweet of you to make that for me. Although, I thought we ran out of certain cuts of beef.”

She gestured to the empty plate on her desk that had bits of onion on the surface, as well as some ketchup. Al nodded and replied, “You’re quite welcome, my dear~ Also, I have my resources. Anyway, I was just asking if it was alright if I head off early. Just want to do a bit of hunting, that’s all.”

Al’s grin subtly grew a bit at seeing Charlie’s skin become slightly paler when he mentioned hunting. He could just say that he was just going to go hunt some deer, but it was hilarious to think that the girl thought he was hunting humans. No, not today. She gulped and replied, “Uh, well, I guess if you have nothing else to do, then that’s okay. Just...you know...be back around dark, just so you can have the night shift. I-If you want to, of course!”

The man couldn’t help but reach towards Charlie, making her slightly flinch, and gently caress her cheek. He brushed his thumb against her skin and almost felt aroused at the softness of it. Alastor could only imagine how nice it would be to carve through it. He was sure that he barely needed to add extra pressure to slice the skin open. He hummed and then muttered in a low tone, “Of course, Charlie.Why would I ever say no to you?”

Charlie mumbled under her breath, feeling an odd chill up her spine, “Uh...I’m sure you have, especially when I don’t want you messing with my cheeks.” She slowly lowered Al’s hand from her cheek and moved it back to his side. She then concluded, “Uh, well, if that’s all, the you’re free to go, Al.”

Alastor stared at his hand for a few seconds and then nodded absentmindedly as he walked out of the room. He felt Charlie’s eyes on him as he left out and listened to the door gently creak close before she locked it. However, Al barely cared as he felt many tingles up his hand that Charlie touched. He never liked being touched...but he was definitely craving more from her.

He began walking down the hall and was trying to clear his mind when a woman ended up bumping him from behind. Al turned and saw the woman looked distraught, almost in a daze. Before he could question her, she asked, “I’m sorry, but have you seen Angelo? I...I really need to speak to him….regarding a man that he...worked with.”

Alastor blinked at her and wondered what she could possibly want with Anthony. It made his stomach tie into a knot, but he just said, “Well, Anth- Angelo is on medical leave. He got harmed pretty badly.”

Not even the slightest bit of worry in the woman’s eyes, if anything, Al saw a bit of frustration. She nodded and muttered, “...Right. I forgot...thank you.”

The woman then silently walked away from Alastor, making the man narrow his eyes at her. He’s going to have to follow her, isn’t he? Great! Right...well, maybe Charlie was right about the human thing. He could always buy venison from the butcher. ~~~ In present time, Baxter was helping Sir Pentious roll up Traci’s body in a rug, while Alastor was braiding Anthony’s slightly grown out hair and Cherri was trying to calm down. The spunky girl washed the blood off of her face and pretended the brain bits were just chewed up wads of gum. She pulled her head out from the sink and quickly grabbed some towels, wiping her face off.

Cherri was making very quiet sobs as she kept envisioning the woman getting shot over and over again in her head. It just wouldn’t end. Angelo looked at her and asked, “Hey, ya gonna be alright, Cherri?”

She turned to Angelo and took a deep breath before glaring at Al, “What the hell is wrong with you!? Why did you do that?”

Alastor scoffed, “What? It was just a bit of hunting.”

40 notes · View notes

engineeredfiction · 5 years ago

Text

Solace Among the Stars Ch. 2 “Manifest Destiny

Rating: PG-13

What: Crossover fanfiction comprising of themes and elements from: The Expanse, Blade Runner, Prospect(2018)

Characters: All original characters except for Ezra and Murtry. OC are based on actors I like such as Tobias Menzies (Greer) and Adele Haenel (Allard).

Plot: A group of banned Earthers attempt to improve their life beyond their home system, but come up against a powerful enemy.

Mood board is here. You can also check out the ‘sol mood’ tag

And if you would like to listen to music to put you in the mood then check out the playlist. I’ll be adding to it as time goes on.

Special thanks: @tom-riddleston-me and @yourpalmoony for being beta readers! I appreciate the time and effort!

NOTE: The format is a bit off, I will fix that later, I just don’t have the patience now. But if anyone knows how I can preserve formatting from google docs to a tumblr post please let me know!

More Notes: We finally meet Ezra! Well he’s awake and talking in this one.

Chapter 1 ‘The Stranger’

The lift sped up to the ninth level of Arcadia carrying Greer and his mysterious escort. A metallic ding signalled their stop, and the lift doors opened to a sprawling view of two nearby moons through floor-to-ceiling windows. The moon Helada, ammonia ice streaked the blue rock, and in the distance was Bosque, or colloquially known as ‘The Green’, due to its poisonous green atmosphere and lush forests. The gas giant Bakhroma was off in the distance behind the moon.

“This way,” the escort called motioning for Greer to follow him through the door behind the receptionist’s desk.

Greer pulled away from the view and glimpsed at the receptionist. There was an unnatural glow behind the young man’s eyes; he wasn’t human, but a replicant. Replicants always caught Greer off guard due to their ability to blend in with humans. He always thought their short lifespan was a necessary reassurance.

The hallway behind the door led to an expansive room with a flurry of activity. Desks were occupied with relaxed chattering people in well-tailored clothing. A young woman paraded around the office floor in a skintight latex unitard with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. Greer spotted a bowl of black caviar on her tray. More food and bottles of wine were brought in by caterers.

“Is there a party?” asked Greer.

His escort gave him a sideways glance, “A celebration.”

“Celebrating what?”

His question was ignored. The escort pressed a bell by a door near the back. After a few seconds the door slid open to reveal Wallis’ secretary.

“He’s been expecting you,” he cooly stated, “follow me.”

Greer followed the secretary while the escort disappeared behind him. The office was large, smokey, and dark except for low gold lighting around the perimeter of the room and the light coming from the expansive windows behind his desk. Wallis was surrounded by a few members of Terra Corp’s managing staff, each carrying full-to-the-brim champagne glasses. A freshly-lit cigar dangled from Wallis’ mouth. He immediately turned to his new guest with a wide grin, gave Greer a once-over while he took a drag from his cigar, and strode across the black flooring to greet Greer.

“You must be Captain James Greer?” Wallis affirmed with an equally firm handshake.

“Yes.”

“I’m Jaxtom Wallis. COO of Terra Corp.”

“I know you who are.”

Wallis took another puff of his cigar with a raised eyebrow and set it down on the desk.

“Let me introduce you to some of the bigwigs of Terra Corp on this side of the galaxy,” he announced. He slapped a firm hand on Greer’s shoulder and guided him through the introductions, “This is Callista head of sales, Zarina head of engineering and sciences, and Dexton our lawyer, well one of many, and this brilliant man is Xavix. He’s the Director of Colonization for the United World Systems.”

Pleasantries were exchanged and Wallis’s secretary handed Greer a half full glass of champagne.

“What do you need to speak to me about?” Greer asked.

“Straight to business? Take some time to admire my new cassowary! Here let me show you,” Wallis herded Greer with another firm hand on the shoulder. “I just got this beauty a few days ago.”

The large mechanical bird turned its head towards the pair, two amber glowing eyes stared back at them. The beak opened and a tinny squawk forced its way out. It took a few steps ahead, stretched out the wings, and flapped a few times.

“Isn’t it stunning?” inquired Wallis.

“Wonderful,” Greer deadpanned. Greer furrowed his brow at the bird, “What is it again?”

“A cassowary. The real ones on Earth are aggressive and can kill a person with its claws.”

“It adds comfort to the place.”

“More of a touch of elegance I think,” Wallis either ignored or missed Greer’s dry sarcasm. “Listen,” he turned Greer back towards the staff and leaned into him, “We had a situation where a Terra Corp employee mistook one of your employees as a raider…pirate…marauder…and fired at them.”

“She nearly died when the bullet tore her suit and exposed her to vacuum.”

“One I humbly apologise for.”

“And lost a hand.”

“I heard she had a limb regrowth procedure?”

“She did.”

“Well she’s good as new if not better! You see this mishap between her and one of my men has weighed heavily on me. I would like to make it up to you and your crew.” Wallis pushed a button on his desk and the hologram of a four planet system appeared. He continued, “Have you heard of the Basilicus System?”

“In passing.”

“The UWS has been in the Basilicus System for the past seventy years and has just announced that it is ready for colonization. Terra Corp has been given the first permit to begin working the grounds of Basilicus!”

Greer read the eagerly waiting faces of the staff, “And?”

“Terra Corp is a bit under financial strain-”

“I couldn’t tell,” Greer recalled his early sight of the celebration outside.

Wallis chuckled sheepishly and continued, “we just can’t take a whole fleet out that far without getting a lay of the lands and resource samples and showing those refined resources to our board and investors.”

“How far out?”

Xavix butted in, “Two parsecs from Arcadia. Sixty three years each way if you go there straight from here. Sixty years if you go back through The Ring Network. ”

“A hundred twenty-six years!” Greer choked.

“But we can reduce that to fifty seven years both ways if we give you a new state-of-the-art ship,” Wallis persuaded.

“For a twelve year difference, we are not giving up the Sleipnir.”

Wallis picked up the champagne glass and balanced it between his fingers. He studied Greer’s face for a few seconds. Wallis teased, “There are five million credits on the table for this mission. Five million credits for each crew member. Imagine what you could do with five million credits. You could buy a penthouse on Mars, or Titan, or a house with acres of land on the lush green planets of Andromeda or Rhea with more than enough left over for the end of your days; buy fine things for your wife…or husband! Maybe for your future children? And out of this you get a new space transportation system, which includes the new model of suspended animation pods, Generation Nine nuclear pulse engine, and other luxuries for a long trip…”

Greer swallowed the rest of his champagne, “I need to discuss this with my crew and see what they say.”

“Of course. But we need an answer tomorrow. Time is ticking and we are eager to get this to work for the long term goal of Terra Corp.”

“What’s the long term goal? “Expansion. On Earth 19th century Americans believed in Manifest Destiny. The virtue, mission, and destiny of the United States was to spread its way of life across the country. We aim to do the same for the betterment of our people…of all people. We still have the desire; the need; the want to explore and go further than ever before. And Basilicus has four planets, and their moons, with an abundance of wealth waiting to be plucked from its virgin lands.”

A lump grew in Greer’s throat, “I’ll talk to them.”

“Persuade them.”

Xavix stepped forward, “Do any of them have mining or harvesting experience?”

“No,” Greer responded.

“I can add one of my employees to your crew. I’ll see to it personally you’ll get the best and provide training for you and your crew. Paid by me.”

“And what exactly will we be doing-”

“-I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more until you and your crew agree to the mission.”

The staff appeared to salviate as they silently waited for Greer’s answer, their fingers wrapped tightly around the stem of the champagne glasses. Their breaths trapped in their lungs and lips pursed.

“If the answer is yes,” Wallis asserted,, “bring your crew tomorrow morning.”

****************************************************

“How long?” Murtry inquired as he crossed his arms.

“Fifty-seven to sixty-three years. So a total of a hundred fourteen to hundred twenty six Earth years. Plus however long it takes us to get these ‘resources’,” Greer replied.

A collective groan came from the crew.

“We’re already twenty years out from when most of us left Earth,” Keane stated. She jolted out of her chair in the mess room of their ship, Sleipnir, to the cabinet that stored the libations.

“What’s adding a hundred to it?” Allard sighed, “Perhaps they’ve already forgotten about us on Earth and we can go back?”

“Not likely with the UN in charge. They keep permanent records,” Murtry interjected. “I may not be able to go back to Earth, but I don’t plan on being a star sailor for the rest of my life.”

“Born and bred ground pounder?” Greer asked Murtry as he followed Keane to grab glasses and she pulled out the whiskey.

“Exactly! I would like to settle on some bountiful rock, and five million credits will get that for me.”

“Five million credits from a corporation that has built its empire on blood and exploitation? All they ever were fines, freeze orders, and strikes, ” Keane complained.

“Why not? They’ll be out of twenty million dollars with us on board!” Murtry retorted.

“But what did the UWS find out there that’s worthy of investing twenty million dollars, a pulse engine ship, and then the time it’ll take to get there and back? Must be something highly valuable.”

“And we would have to have one of their employees with us,” Allard added.

“I’m not comfortable with that and I want our own AI installed on the ship. If we’re going,” Keane insisted.

“I agree, I don’t want one of their employees with us,” Greer moved to the table with three glasses of whiskey for each and sat beside Murtry leaving Keane the only one standing sipping the liquor.

Murtry gulped down the whiskey, “So what we do? Hire a floater? Unsavoury characters.”

“Kettle calling the pot,” Allard hummed.

“It’s pot calling the kettle.”

“Are you sure?”

The three nodded their heads towards Allard.

“It may seem strange to hear this from me, but Terra Corp is a double-edge sword. They’re a necessary evil. I know evil, I’m well acquainted with it. I’m slowly coming around from what I’ve done. And…I…it’s been more than twenty years since I’ve last set foot on Earth. The people I care about are either dead, dying, or don’t want to talk to me anymore. Or a combination of the latter. So why not travel the parsecs to the farthest reaches humans have gone and see worlds that haven’t been seen in person?” Murtry reasoned.

Keane stared at her boots; the soles were worn and on the edge of tearing, the original laces snapped ages ago and replaced with new ones.

“What do you think?” Greer asked Keane. “Are you in?”

Keane clenched her jaw before looking up at him, “Let me sleep on it.”

“That’s okay. We can finish discussing this over breakfast and a plan on recruiting a fifth.”

Allard finished her whiskey. “You know what they want us to get?”

“Wallis wouldn’t tell me until we accepted the offer.”

“That’s dubious and not surprising,” Keane stated. She looked down at her boots again and thought how nice it would be to have a new pair that weren’t bought with tainted credits.

Trees, dirt, sand, metal, and blood, all at once. The sun was warm and the wind gentle. Keane tried to convinced herself the desert in the middle of mountains was a dream and not an actual experience.

******************************************************************************

She was up first, waiting by the entrance of the docking arm to their ship. Her arms were wrapped around her trying to stay warm despite having a wool jumper on. Murtry greeted her with a cursory glance.

“I don’t want a ten minute story in a five minute bag. Too early and no coffee for that shit. Are you onboard for this? Honestly,” Murtry yawned and propped himself up on the wall.

She looked down at her worn boots, “It’s money. Which we all need,”

“Yes.”

She shrugged, “It’ll be exciting to go to a new star system. One of the first to really see these planets and get into their dirt.”

“You should have been a scientist.”

“I was an engineer.”

Murtry lowered his tone, “Soon enough people will accept your kind and you won’t have to hide.”

Keane gave a shy smile, “You mean that?”

“I may have the face of an arsehole, the walk of an arsehole, and sound like an arsehole,” they both chuckled, “but I am sincere in what I’ve said. If it wasn’t for your…modification you would have died on that rock.”

Keane’s breath deepened. “I’m still human,” she smiled and part of her fringe fell over her face.

Without thinking, Murtry gently swept the ginger hairs aside, “Of course.”

The sound of footsteps approached.

“Waffles! Pancakes! Sausage! Mimosas!” Allard cheered as she made her way through the docking arm. Greer dragged feet behind her, he pulled a polar over his head .

“No alcohol,” yawned Greer as he tried to smooth down his short brown hair.

“How are you so cheerful every morning?” groaned Murtry as he turned away headed for the mess halls.

Allard ran to meet Murtry’s pace, “Because each time I wake up, I’m so happy to be alive. Arrête d’être grincheux!”

Smörgåsbord dining hall was quiet this early phase, or morning as ground pounders called it. A few tables were occupied but the chatter was low and infrequent. Kitchen workers filled the buffet with an assortment of breakfast foods. Allard swiped her credit card first and dashed to the buffet without waiting for the rest of the crew.

“The coffee smells so delightful!” Murtry moaned out in near ecstasy.

Keane paced in front of him and smiled in agreement. She eyed the coffee station with hungry eyes and was thinking about a large cup of black coffee, but a patron caught her attention. It was the man who was in the bed beside her hyperbaric chamber. His new arm was completed and he was massaging it softly.

Good for him, she thought. His face wasn’t shaven, clothing showed their age, and dirt clung to his boots. He must be a floater, an unusually attractive floater. She looked behind to get another glance and their eyes met. I’ve seen him somewhere before. Before the incident. Keane snapped her head around and poured her first cup of coffee.

Allard placed her plate down a few tables over from the man by the wall. Her mouth was already full with food when Keane set down a cup of coffee for Allard.

“Je t’adore!” Blow kisses were exchanged.

Food was being shovelled into mouths and condiments were passed around. “I’m in,” Keane traced a flower in the maple syrup on the plate in front of her.

Greer patted her back, “Good, good. I’m glad you decided to stick with us.”

“Someone has to save your asses. Arses.” They shared a laugh. Keane continued in a whisper, “Who knows, maybe Terra Corp will go under by the time we get back?”

“Cheers to that,” Murtry raised his mug, “so, what are we going to do about finding a harvester?”

The man’s ears perked up and looked over at their table, Keane caught his movement in her peripheral.

“Suppose we’ll go down to the docks and see if there’s any contractors or floaters. Plenty of decent Belters,” Greer thought out loud.

“There’s a job agency here yes?” Allard asked as she leaned back with her cup of coffee.

“Yeah. I suppose that would be the first place. We can’t just get anyone. We need someone trustworthy who’s not going to murder. Someone who can do the job…whatever it is exactly. And…not murder us and or steal from us,” Greer trailed off.

“You’re really worried about someone murdering us?”, Keane laughed, “I guess we have to vet them first.”

“I can get a background check on someone quickly,” Greer reasoned.

“No, no. I know what you mean. But if we are required to hire this harvester, then at least we go the contractor route. Anyone who won’t sign a contract can’t be trusted.”

“Right,” Murtry agreed, “it’s why we avoid the floaters. Possibly avoid Belters, they-”

“-Why won’t those people do contracts anyways? The floaters I mean,” Keane wondered.

“I think it has something to do with the legal fees. And maybe principles,” Murtry rolled his eyes.

“It’s mainly the legal fees,” a voice boomed to the group. In unison the crew turned towards the man who approached them with a stride of confidence that cut the air he moved through.

“Legal fees shouldn’t scare anyone in need of work.”

“Well some folks are in rough situations that don’t allow them the comfort of throwing credits to lawyers,” the man’s voice was accented with a drawl, “and so they turn to the honour of word and hard work.”

“So we just rely on the word on some floater to uphold their end of the bargain?”

“What’s a contract going to do for you out in The Empty when you’re faced with someone stronger than you?”

Murtry glared at him.

“Clearly you have an interest,” Greer chided, “since you’ve listened to our conversation.”

“My apologies, but I do good sir,” the man claimed. He sat down at the table next to Greer, “I’m Ezra.” He extended his arm towards Greer.

Hesitantly, Greer accepted the handshake, “I’m Greer. These here are Allard, Keane, and Murtry.”

“Surname basis I see.”

“It’s standard. What’s yours?”

“That’s a tale and a half,” Ezra advised as Murtry rolled his eyes, “but I go by my mother’s name Reyes.”

“Ezra Reyes?” questioned Keane.

“It’s a strange combination for sure. My mother and father came from two very different backgrounds, but fell in love regardless.”

“So what can you offer us?” Greer returned to the point of this meeting.

“I am a floater, yes, but I may have the skills you desire for this fifth wheel.”

Greer looked over Ezra’s shoulders as more people filtered into the dining hall. “How long have you been doing what you’ve been doing? What do you do?”

Ezra took in a breath. “I have been harvesting all over the inhabited systems since I was a spry teenager. Plants, gems, a variety of metals and foul smelling liquids to keep structures like Arcadia spinning and our ships flying. And I am willing to sign a contract.”

“You are?” Murtry blurted.

“I am. I am a man of my word. Now what is that you’ll have me do and where are we going?”

The group collective drew a breath and it was Greer who spoke, “We are going somewhere far to harvest samples of some material.” Greer carefully described.

“Well that is nebulous.”

“It’s for Terra Corp.”

Ezra gave pause upon Terra Corp being mentioned. “I suppose I am sitting in front of some well-accomplished team to have caught the eyes of one of the most powerful companies in the occupied Universe.”

“It’s basically an adventure of a lifetime and good money,” Keane cracked her neck.

“Yeah and far away to the outer edges of the travelled galaxy,” Murtry huffed.

Ezra’s curiosity peaked, “How far is the travel and how much are they offering?” He was met with apprehensive glances, “It’s a large sum of money?”

Greer ran a hand through his hair. “Two parsecs away and payment is in the millions.”

Ezra’s eyes widened, “Oh. I’ll be honest that caught me off guard,” he gave a weary smile, “My math isn’t the greatest, but I do believe that’s over a century of travel is it not?”

Keane finished her coffee, “Correct. A hundred and-”

“-twenty six years,” the crew said in unison.

“That’s an awfully long time. What do your loved ones say?” Ezra said as he flexed his new right arm and shook it a few times.

The crew found themselves in another round of meaningful silence which Keane broke, “we don’t have anyone but ourselves. We’re loners, we’re rebels.” She smiled to lighten the mood and Ezra smiled back.

“I like you,” he pointed at her. “I find that hard to believe that not one person in this part of the galaxy wants to be around any of you, except for this curmudgeon,” he nodded towards Murtry.

“Like I said, we’re rebels.”

“And what are you rebelling against?”

Keane sighed and gathered her thoughts for a second, she looked to her crew but none of them were interested in talking to a stranger about where they were from and why they were out this far from home. “Join us and maybe we’ll tell you.”

Murtry scrunched his eyes closed, Allard nudged Keane with a flirtatious smile, and Greer couldn’t help but grin.

“I have been known to go great lengths for a good story, but I will admit a century of travel is intimidating.”

“You’re willing to spend that century with strangers? You don’t have anyone?”

“No I don’t,” Ezra lied, “I’m a floater. For now.”

Greer looked Ezra over, “We’re meeting with Terra soon. You have more presentable clothing?”

“Why yes I do own interview clothes,” joked Ezra.

Tag list. If you do not want to be on this please message me. I have tagged people who requested it and those who I think may be interested.

@opheliaelysia @a-carnie-and-a-cop @1-800-fandomtrashqueen @tarrevizslas @dindjarindiaries @pedropascalisadilf @pedropascalito @maiden-of-asgard @rzrcrst @lizanotfromaroundhere @aint-that-a-mcfreakin-bitch @spacegayofficial @opheliaelysia

31 notes · View notes

ahtohallan-calling · 5 years ago

Note

(Prompt) Litot-verse: The harvest festival the year after the main story. -🍂

THANK YOU for sending this ahhh it was so nice to revisit this verse, i miss these extra-sweet kiddos 💕

My Anna,

I hope Olaf remembered to deliver this to you on time. I wrote it before I left for the mountain; we don’t often get postmen up there.

I’m sure by now I’m missing you terribly. I’m probably sneaking glances at that photograph we took at the wedding every chance I get and annoying the rest of the harvesters by talking about how my wife is the most beautiful thing in the whole world.

I wanted to ask you something, though: would you go to the Harvest Festival with me? I still don’t like to dance with anyone but you. I promise to comb my hair and wear the vest you made me if you’ll wear your green dress.

I love you more than anything. I’ll be home the evening before the festival. I hope you’ll wait up for me; as much as I hate leaving you, the reunions almost make up for it.

Your loving husband,

Kristoff

“What’s it say?” Olaf demanded, bouncing on his toes, and Anna laughed.

“It’s not for you, silly,” she teased as she took the kettle off the stove and carefully poured the steaming water into two mugs. He’d finally started actually drinking tea with her and not just milk, though like Kristoff he always wanted at least three sugars.

“I know, but I didn’t even peek this time,” he whined.

“Did you used to peek?”

“Yeah. You guys made me go back and forth so much I got bored of just walking.”

She let out a huff of surprised laughter. “You little imp!”

“Well– I don’t do it anymore.”

“We don’t send letters anymore!”

“Except this one. And I didn’t peek even once.”

Anna sighed as she passed him his tea, relenting. “He asked me to go to the Harvest Festival with him, that’s all.”

“Why would he do that? You’re married, it’s your job to go to stuff with him.”

“It’s romantic, Olaf.”

“Just seems like a waste of ink to me,” he muttered, taking a sip of his tea. “I’m not doing dumb stuff like that when I’m married.”

“We’ll see.”

—

Patience had never been one of her virtues, but she hoped God or whoever it was up there would understand why exactly it was especially difficult today. Kristoff had been going for two and a half weeks on his last ice harvesting trip of the year. Normally he went for only a week or less at a time, but when he’d hurt his shoulder and ankle repairing his grandfather’s roof this summer, he’d been out of commission for close to a month and was trying to make up for lost time and coin. “It’s alright,” Anna had reassured him, “I’ll just keep my salary this month, it’ll make up for it.”

It would be more than enough, the payment the Crown gave her for her work as a diplomat. But each month, after setting aside a small amount as savings, she donated the rest back to the kingdom and its people, to the orphanage or to the hospital or to the widows or to anyone else who needed it far more than she did. And so they lived on the money Kristoff made as an ice harvester in summer or as a repairman year-round or as his grandfather’s aide when someone came to the village seeking medical care.

Kristoff prided himself on that, on knowing that each drop of sweat that rolled down his back went towards keeping their house warm, to keeping them both fed and clothed, and she was proud of him, too, for pouring his heart into the work.

But he had insisted on going, and now she missed him terribly, and two and a half weeks was an awfully long time, especially around this time of year when it reminded her of last fall when they had both thought they’d never see each other again, and so she had been pacing for the last half-hour, having already finished every chore that needed to be done and those that were close and those that probably would never need to be done at all.

The sun was just beginning to slide behind the hill when at last a broad-shouldered figure came into view at the end of the road that led to their little cottage, and immediately a smile blossomed on her face. She flew out the door, running as fast as she could without risking harm, and he ran, too, until he caught her around the waist and swept her off her feet, spinning her around and around until she was dizzy and laughing and on the verge of tears of joy.

“I missed you so much,” she managed to gasp out as he lowered her back to the ground.

He kissed her then, his mouth tender and excited and heated and somehow relieved against hers. “I missed you, too,” he murmured, and she melted against him, her hands pressing down on his shoulders as she stood as tall as she could on the tips of her toes to keep her lips pressed to his.

Seeing her efforts, he chuckled and swept her up into his arms, kissing her forehead as he carried her back towards the cottage. “I can walk, you know,” she teased, looping her arms around his neck.

“Yes. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather hold you like this.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s all I thought about doing the whole time I was gone. Well– almost all.”

He kicked the door shut behind him and didn’t set her down until he reached their bed, and then she found out what almost entailed.

—

They spent the next day together in each other’s arms even when it didn’t make sense; Kristoff kept his arms wrapped around Anna’s waist as she made their morning tea, and she held his hand tight as they wandered through the waving sunflowers to choose which ones they would cut and bring with them to decorate the tables that night, and both of them kept stopping to kiss each other at every opportunity that presented itself.

Finally, though, it was time to get ready for the festival, and Kristoff half-heartedly attempted to wave Anna off as he sat in front of the mirror and pulled out his razor.

“But you look nice with a beard,” she said, settling her hands on either side of his face. “I like it.”

“It’s not really a beard yet, just a bunch of mess.”

“It’s terribly handsome,” she said sweetly, leaning up to kiss the underside of his jaw and prove her point. “Makes you look very rugged and mountain man-y.”

He chuckled at that and set the razor aside. “You’re very persuasive. I can see how you get all the visiting diplomats to eat right out of your hand.”

“And I don’t even have to kiss them to do it,” she said cheerfully. “You’re a much tougher nut to crack. Maybe you ought to be doing the meetings with me.”

He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and she kissed the tip of it. “Think I’ll stick to my ice, thanks.”

They dressed slowly, pausing between each button and lace to kiss each other, and by the time they were fully clothed they were both rosy-cheeked and wanting, each of them half-considering taking it all back off.

“We shouldn’t,” Anna said regretfully as she slid her hands down the front of Kristoff’s vest, pretending she was doing to so smooth out nonexistant wrinkles. It was the one he had worn at their wedding, the one she had labored over for weeks, embroidering each night for a few stolen moments at a time in order to surprise him. She’d learned from the older women in the village how to do it this way, how to imitate the style the others on the mountain wore, and he had wept when he saw her work– and wept again when she had walked down the aisle towards him wearing a veil that she had embroidered around the edges in exactly the same way.

It matched the dress she was wearing now– forest green because that was his favorite, and she had remembered even though he had only told her once. He loved it even more now that he could see how it brought out the copper fire in her hair as it cascaded over her shoulders, unbraided and free, the way he liked it best. The sight of her standing before him, flushed and pretty and smiling so brightly at him, took his breath away, the same way it had over a year ago the first time he had taken her to a festival like this. He wanted to keep her to himself, to celebrate the harvest in their own way; the only decorations they would want for were blooming in their garden, the only music they needed was the wordless melody she would hum in his ear as they waltzed through the living room, and the sweetest wine he would ever taste was the press of her lips against his, somehow always filling him up and still leaving him wanting for more.

But they would be missed if they didn’t go, and so with one final kiss he took her by the hand and led her outside.

—

She wasn’t embarrassed not to dance like the others anymore, not now that everyone in the village knew the truth. They had welcomed her with open arms from the start, but now their kindness overflowed as they clapped along with her on the outskirts of the party, or asked for her help in setting out food, or simply sat and kept her company while she waited for the slower music to begin and for Kristoff to set down his lute and come to join her.

To her surprise, though, when the band began to start playing a song she had only heard before in the city below, Kristoff turned to her and beckoned her over with a grin. She went over shyly, and he bowed his head to whisper, “Will you sing this one with me?”

“But I–”

“It’s a duet. It’ll sound funny if I try to do both parts.”

“But I’ve never sung in front of people before.”

“You sing for me all the time.”

“That’s different,” she insisted, flushing, but then he gave her that sweet smile he only ever spent on her and started singing, and how could she do anything but follow along?

When the song ended, her heart was racing as the crowd’s applause swept over her. Exhilarated, she caught Kristoff’s hand in her own. “Was that good?”

“Perfect,” he said, and when he kissed her the crowd only clapped louder.

They all paused then to eat together; she beamed when she saw how quickly the loaves of bread she had slaved over that morning and the bowls of the last of summer’s produce from their garden disappeared. Olaf insisted on sitting beside her, scarfing down food so fast she couldn’t help but laugh and say, “Slow down, you’ll make yourself sick!”

“Grandpapa says the more I’ll eat, the more I’ll grow,” he said around a mouthful of pie. “And that at this rate I’ll be taller than Kristoff.”

Kristoff snorted into his glass beside her, and she set his hand over his where it rested on the bench, squeezing softly. “I don’t know if you’d want that, Olaf. I mean, do you know how often he knocks his head on doorframes?”

This time he didn’t bother to hide his laughter. “Eat all you want, buddy,” he said affectionately to the little boy. “Then Anna will have someone else to bother when she needs help getting something from the top shelf.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” she said drily, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Olaf wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Never mind. I think I lost my appetite.”

—

After dinner, when the songs were sweeter and the dances slower, she set her hands on Kristoff’s shoulders while he wrapped his around her waist, and they floated along to the melody together under the light of the moon, contentment settling over them both the way twilight was blanketing the crags of the mountain that rose above it all.

“Can you believe,” Anna asked him softly, “that we get to spend the rest of our lives doing things like this?”

His arms tightened around her, but he didn’t respond; she knew he was thinking of how close they had come to never having another moment like this, how they had gotten so lost from each other and only barely found their way back. She leaned her cheek against his shoulder as their movement slowed further, until they were only barely swaying back and forth. She slid one hand over to settle above his heart, relishing the steady, familiar thrum of it against her palm.

“It’s yours,” Kristoff murmured as she did so. “All of it, forever.”

They stayed that way for a long while, until a yawn escaped him despite his attempts at concealment. Anna tilted her head up to look at him, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth. “You just got back last night. You must be exhausted.”

“We can stay a little longer if you want. I know you’ve been looking forward to this.”

She shook her head. “Not nearly as much as I was looking forward to just having you back at home with me.

They said their goodbyes and drifted homeward together, hand in hand, both of them still wearing besotted, dreamy smiles even as they opened the door and slipped inside. Their clothes came off far more quickly than they had been pulled on, but Kristoff’s yawns were growing more frequent now, and so they both slipped into their nightclothes and settled into bed, lying nose-to-nose beside each other.

Anna let her hand drift up to cup his cheek, letting her fingers trace slowly over the strong line of it before trailing over to his nose, stroking slow, even lines down the bridge of it as his eyelids fluttered shut.

“I don’t want to sleep yet,” he murmured, though he yawned in spite of himself.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want the night to be over.”

She laughed softly and traced her fingertips over his lips before leaning forward to press a soft kiss there. “There’s always tomorrow.”

#ahh h theyre so cheesy i love them #litotwccwu #twtktsa #my fics #Anonymous

30 notes · View notes

malachi-walker · 5 years ago

Note

What character(s) from other fandoms that you're a part of remind you the most of Catra? Personally, I don't think I've seen too many, aside from maybe Vegeta from DBZ and maybe Jason Todd from DC comics but that's about it for me

Ok, anon, thanks for your patience. Let's go.

Firstly, I have two ladies that do give me a similar vibe to Catra (though they aren't 100% matches as you'll see.) And I want you to take particular note of that: it's very telling that the characters you mentioned are both dudes. This is something I have been thinking about for literally decades because it is a deeply entrenched stereotype in our culture: male abuse victims are angry, frustrated loners who lash out until they find that one (girl) person that gets through their facade, female abuse victims are portrayed as either anxious messes (more common in recent years) or as just... These smiling caricatures who continue to pretend to be happy because that's what our societies expect women to be. And this is something I took note of at a very early age, because as someone growing up with an abusive birth father I looked to the MALE characters as a guide book on how to act, because getting angry and lashing out was what made sense to me at the time and I resented the hell out of that unspoken implication that I was supposed to just suck it up and plaster on a smile when I wanted to rage against the injustice of what I was dealing with. In hindsight it wasn't great behavior, but it was what I needed to keep myself sane at the time. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I have waited my whole life for a character like Catra: someone who is reflective of my experiences as an ex-abuse victim, someone who is angry and wrathful and still allowed to be sympathetic. Now on to our two ladies.

First up: Vriska Serket from Homestuck. (I know, Homestuck is a huge fandom with a lot of assholes, but I do still enjoy the original comic. I just don't interact with the fandom.) Vriska and Catra both have similar vibes in the way they project their outward personas of being the badass bitch who takes no shit and is on top of things, but we all know that's a lie. And they both come from abusive backgrounds: Vriska was forced to become a killer at a very young age because her parental guardian (a literal giant spider) would eat her if Vriska didn't feed her other kids. Doesn't excuse her jerkass tendencies or her terrible actions, but that was how she started out. And Catra's deal with SW needs no explanation.

They both have developed very similar gadfly tendencies in order to maintain a sense of control around other people (though Vriska is a lot more mean spirited about it) and both have moments when the facade cracks and they show actual sincerity and frustration at themselves and other people. The main difference between them is that Vriska's actions are driven by a sense of grandiose self-importance that she has cultivated and fed into as a way to avoid looking at her own actions (because she's the best, so everything she does is awesome, right?) whereas Catra's primary driving motivation is pain: either making sure she doesn't have to hurt anymore or hurting those who hurt her. Plus Catra grapples with her sense of guilt a lot throughout Spop and maintains those sympathetic undertones while Vriska's moments of clarity are so rare that you basically have to keep a chart to locate them. But you could totally picture them both teaming up to make fun of their respective frenemies, assuming they didn't kill each other first for reminding themselves of their deep underlying self-loathing.

Second candidate: Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena. And boy howdy, if anyone is interested in this show and wants to avoid spoilers, skip to the end now, because we're going on a deep and dark journey here.

At first glance, she and Catra don't have much in common. In fact, she seems to fit the stereotype I described above: the placid smiling doll who takes the abuse and keeps going. Key word: seems to. Anyone who actually watches the show knows exactly where I'm going here.

We're introduced to Anthy as the "Rose Bride": the prize in a series of sword fights between students at a very strange school, with the ultimate promise being that whoever owns the Rose Bride at the end of the duels will gain some nebulous ultimate power. And yeah, I said "own" for a reason: whoever possesses the Rose Bride effectively owns her and some of the most uncomfortable scenes in the show reinforce the fact that Anthy tailors her thoughts and actions to whoever currently controls her. And as you can expect, this leads to BUCKETS of abuse. Literally everyone in this show is culpable in some manner for this, no matter how well intentioned.

But remember that "seems to?" Because that's only one side of Anthy; the outward persona if you will. On the other side of the coin you have Anthy the Witch, and that's where the parallels with Catra come into play and why Anthy was my go-to abuse representation before Spop rocked my world. Because the big twist we find out at the end of the series is that Anthy and her older brother Akio (formerly Dios) are the former literal personifications of the fairytale damsel in distress princess and the noble prince on a white horse, respectively.

But the balance was upset: having to constantly go around saving people was literally killing Dios, because one of the major points of RGU is that you can assist people in saving themselves but doing it yourself strips them of agency and traps them in a cycle of needing to be saved again and again. The more people the noble prince saved, the more people needed saving. When it became clear that he couldn't keep going, Anthy took a stand and prevented the people coming for Dios (angry that he wasn't saving them anymore) from getting to him, and thus incurred the wrath of everyone and got skewered alive by an angry mob in the process. This isn't hyperbole: the role of the Rose Bride is to instinctively bring out the disdain and hatred of everyone on the planet. It's a punishment for stepping out of line, for not being the placid princess who needs to be rescued anymore.

Because we're operating on fairy tale logic, no longer being a princess means that Anthy became a witch, and no longer being the prince made Dios into satanic archetype Akio. So behind the scenes of the entire show, Anthy is the witch assisting her brother in orchestrating the duels, and their ultimate goal is to find someone pure of heart enough to embody those princely virtues Dios once possessed and to steal that power so Akio can return to being who he once was. All of the psychological torments and head games are designed to weed out the potential candidates to find that special someone... Except it's an impossible goal because no human being can live up to that standard. And with each atrocity they commit it becomes even more impossible to return to being that person.

Ok, tangent done, here's where it gets interesting: Anthy is a character with two sides to her, the suffering Rose Bride fated to endure the hatred of the entire world and the Wicked Witch who manipulates and orchestrates the torment of those around her. But here's the deal: she's a victim too. She's a victim of a system that won't let her be anything other than these two binaries; she's a victim of her brother who has all the power over her and has trapped her in a codependent incestuous relationship, and I don't care how awful the things she's done are: nobody deserves to go through the shit she does. So with all of that in mind, the actions that she goes through as the witch make perfect sense. Why shouldn't she torment these people who do nothing but abuse her and deny her of agency? Even the best hearted of the duellists (aka the ones who don't hit her or abuse her sexually) nonetheless fall into the trap of projecting their own biases and expectations onto her, biases that her role dictates she carry out. Her actions as the witch aren't right, but nothing about this situation is. That's the entire point.

And that's where she ties into being like Catra. Catra does some truly fucked up things, but it doesn't cancel out the fact that she's an abuse victim that has been literally tortured for most of her life for no good reason and has received zero acknowledgement of that abuse in universe. And much like Anthy, she can't begin to heal until the situation is acknowledged, because that's literally step one of breaking the cycle: confirming that this is not okay and that no one deserves the shit she's been through. Just knowing that herself isn't enough: it's acknowledgement from others that enables that process to begin, because no one can recover from abuse in a vacuum. You need outside people to be touchstones, because so much of recovering from abuse is confronting the way it warps your perception and thought processes. You need at the minimum one normal perspective to give you that, preferably more, but one minimum.

Hurting the people who care about her is definitely not okay and I'm not excusing her actions in that category, but it doesn't change the fact that she is justified in wanting to rage and lash out, because she is still trapped in that cycle. She can't heal or let go because the process hasn't even been started. She's not off the hook for the things she's done, but neither should she be automatically condemned without taking those factors into account (which is the entire reason why the distinction between an excuse and a justification exists.)

And if I can be a little pithy... The other similarity between Catra and Anthy is I can guarantee that in twenty years people will STILL be arguing over whether or not Catra "deserved" to be freed from her abusive situation.

Good God this turned into an essay. Hope this makes up for how long it took, anon. And anyone else who makes it this far, treat yourself. You earned it.

#long post #anon #answers #comparitive analysis #yes virginia i am a lit graduate

20 notes · View notes

201901499 · 4 years ago

Text

The Kevin Bacon of The Philippines

The Kevin Bacon of The Philippines:

Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay

Juan Marcos IV F. Arellano

Introduction

Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay is an independent mockumentary film starring the titular character, Lilia Cuntapay. The film is written and directed by Antoinette H. Jadaone, produced by Ronald Arguelles, and distributed by Cinema One Originals. Released during the Cinema One Originals Film Festival on November 11, 2011 followed by its general release at the Philippines on October 31, 2012.

The documentary follows Lilia Cuntapay, an actress who is primarily known for her horror movie roles in films such as the Shake, Rattle & Roll series and has been working as a movie extra for decades. The film’s story focuses on who Lilia is and what current events take place after being nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay won 6 awards during the 2011 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival which also landed a Best Actress award for Lilia Cuntapay.

Body

Perceived Meanings

1.Referential

In the Philippines, an elderly actress, Lilia Cuntapay, with no formal background and her age, stands as an obstacle for her to gain the recognition and opportunity she yearns for to make a name for herself in the film industry. As an elderly actress in the Philippines setting, her roles primarily involve horror characters due to her appearance and random extras in films that are fitting for her appearance.

2. Explicit

A passionate elderly actress known as Lilia Cuntapay who has been struggling to break-through her associated norm as a horror movie character and movie extra finally achieves her dream of becoming a recognized and respected actress after 30 years in the film industry.

3. Implicit

An elderly woman, whose career as an actress spans more than 30 years, continues to pursue her goal of becoming a recognized and respected actress in the film industry despite her age. Eventually reaching her goal and is respected and recognized amongst the industry.

4. Symptomatic

In a film industry where actors and actresses are young, passionate, and hungry for success; must tackle any role of any means, no matter how big or small the role may be. An industry where you have to let go of some of your dreams of being in a larger picture and lose your expectations just to make ends meet, to make a name for yourself, and to ensure your next role.

Film Criteria

1. Realistic

The documentary, Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay, is a bitter-sweet story of her journey through the Philippine Film Industry. It shows the struggle actors and actresses face on a daily basis if they don’t have any jobs at the moment and how small and unrewarding their performance could be if there was no impact within the industry. Despite this, however, Cuntapay shows resilience and passion in her line of work and her craft, so much she’s been doing this for 30 years and continues to work with what she loves doing in order to reach her goals.

2. Moral

The documentary film showcases several moral values and lessons that we all can learn a thing or two about. Lilia Cuntapay shows numerous examples of these and as a creative member of the arts and design field I feel like I can follow her example.

A. Passion

- Lilia Cuntapay shows us that with passion in our craft, our jobs don’t really seem like jobs at all, it’ll feel like a beneficial hobby because we just end up doing something we love doing. Having passion will let you continue what you do for years ultimately rewarding you in some way just as long as you love what you do.

B. Dedication

- For 30 years, Lilia Cuntapay has been acting in roles that aren’t necessarily big picture roles, her roles are usually horror movie roles and being an extra. However, it’s with her dedication that kept her working as an actress eventually leading her to a documentary such as Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay, winning a Best Actress award, securing more roles and ultimately being a recognized and respected actress in the field. Having dedication teaches us never to stop whenever an obstacle is in our way, we work around it and continue on. No matter how the going gets tough, so long as we don’t stop, we can do anything.

C. Confidence

- Confidence is the support you need that keeps all other morals and values up. Without confidence how can you expect to drive yourself towards your goals and ambitions? Lilia Cuntapay shows us how confident she is in winning that Best Supporting Actress award, though she did not win, but she tried her hardest and became the best possible actress she could be. Confidence helps you exert your effort and by doing so, you can accomplish things towards better results. As a creative, I often try to give myself the confidence boost I need to carry out what I have to do and all my other virtues start kicking in, giving me all the support I need.

D. Patience

- Opportunities do not come often, and certainly they do not come after one another. That is the sad truth. No matter how hungry we are for opportunities, some aren’t just given, we don’t have to chase certain awards either just to be labeled as a successful individual in your field of expertise. Lilia Cuntapay shows us this by waiting for career defining opportunities instead of chasing everywhere for an award. There’s no need to feel bad when we don’t have award winning opportunities or career defining work, just keep doing what you love and have the patience to build yourself up to your goals.

E. Generosity

- In the film, we see the Barangay Chairman tell the director “every chance she (Cuntapay) has, she will help in any way she can.” Generosity comes a long way, being there to help the ones who were with you when you had nothing from the start is a fantastic feeling. The community around her were even the ones who supported her throughout her acting journey, all because as passionate as she was with acting, she was as passionate to help out her community.

F. Humility

- Lilia Cuntapay shows us that even though she starred in all this films, eventually winning multiple awards, she still stayed true to who she was and stayed true to those around her. She never let it get on to her head that she was an award winning actress, she stayed as wholesome as she was, and that’s how others should act as well, never forget your roots and stay true to yourself.

3. Coherence

The film adds scenes where Cuntapay has a speech on a stage designed differently depending on the current event taking place. She is also seen wearing various outfits, and her speech would be about what has happened or what will happen, whether it was good or bad. At first I found it odd but when we start seeing more of these scenes throughout the film you might get the point that this could be just a part of her imagination. In the film she mentions having to prepare a speech and she asks for help preparing it, I assume the scenes on that stage are just a part of her imagination, preparing for her final speech when she accepts her reward. Sometimes she conveys her raw emotion in this imaginary stage rather than conveying them fully in person. Scenes where she thanks the lord, and her supporters or how sad and neglected she felt when the television did not include her interview. I feel as if she was being true to herself there, and at the beginning it may have seemed confusing but at the end you just get the gist of what’s happening and it all comes together by the end.

4. Complexity

The film begins with the question “Do you know Lilia Cuntapay?” I did not, I immediately thought she was an artist who painted, eventually we were introduced to who she was. Lilia Cuntapay is an actress, one who was primarily a horror movie actress and an extra. At this point I was intrigued as to what was going on, and as I watched the documentary you can’t help but feel so supportive of this sweet, passionate and cheerful elderly woman, and it’s so fun seeing her talk about her stories and having to see a community backing her, until of course it gets sad, and you can’t help but feel sad with her. The film gives you a bittersweet feeling of things and it makes you think about what the symbolic meanings were when the scenes of her coming up the stage meant, you couldn’t really understand much of it until you dwell deeper into the film which was great because you want to hear more of her story and how it ends. In the end, as a mockumentary, the film will exaggerate some parts of the story, while delivering what happened and what will happen as it records the current events taking place, so there isn’t much complexity as there is, personally I don’t see why because it’s a documentary film, so it’s perfectly fine as it is.

5. Originality

A mockumentary is a documentary film that spices things up, and yes it includes a different perspective into things with the scenes of Lilia Cuntapay’s speeches throughout the film. It's a topic following an elderly actress in the current industry is a topic followed by other documentaries however it is enjoyable seeing how her acting journey played out. Following an actress from horror movies seen by hundreds of thousands of people without actually knowing her name is actually interesting because you would be curious how it is like, and seeing the film industry from her perspective, especially seeing what she went through really opens your eyes to how hard things actually are.

Conclusion

Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay is a bittersweet indie mockumentary film that follows the acting journey of Lilia Cuntapay. Cuntapay delivers a fantastic performance that will have you cheer her on and be happy for her endeavors, however this film will also leave you sad for the harsh relatives of the film industry. I’m glad that I was able to watch this film for it actually became one of my favorite Filipino documentaries if not one of my favorite documentaries of all time. In conclusion, I can guarantee she might just be the sweetest ghost nanny the Philippines ever had. In the end, I’m finally glad I’ll be able to answer the question right at the beginning of this film; Lilia Cuntapay is a Filipina actress who never failed to strive for greatness, she is the center of our Philippine Hollywood, she is the Kevin Bacon of the Philippines, and she is an award winning actress. A solid 10/10 film with a perfect delivery from our titular character.

1 note · View note

thelasthatter · 5 years ago

Text

Rain

It’s raining. It’s always raining. I stared out the window from my usual seat in the café. It used to be cold I think, for a while, but I don’t feel that anymore. I don’t feel anything anymore. They say people will get used to anything given time. I suppose there’s truth in that. Maybe I will even get used to the loneliness in time. But time is… hard here. The only count I can really keep is in my head. And that’s no good. Memory is not really your friend in here. I see all the other people going on about their life, clueless about what’s really happening here in their city. I envy their ignorance. I wish I could forget what I know. Hell, I wish I was dead. Even tried it a few times. Dying. But it’s just like going to sleep. I just wake back up, right here in my seat in the small, cold café.

Ah… the girl in the red raincoat walking the dog. She must either love that dog or hate it to take it on a walk in this weather. I think I’ve even talked to her about it a couple of times but I don’t remember anymore. I’ve talked to anyone who’ll listen to me. Even to those who won’t. It’s not like I’m short on time. I’ve made friends, enemies, lovers; and everything in between. They don’t remember anything after the reset. They just keep doing what they’re doing. And me? I sit and wait in my cold little seat.

Wait. Did the red girl just cross the road? She’s not supposed to do that. She’s supposed to turn right from that street corner and keep walking. That’s new. Nothing’s ever new unless I make it so. What does this mean? I can feel my heart thumping in my chest. Like the first time I kissed a girl. Sarah, her name was. Funny how I remember that, after all this time.

The people must think I’m crazy, the way I ran out of the café. But this is nothing compared to the time I played Pacman right here in the city center using a container carrier and buildings. I must’ve probably hurt a few people but they just spring right back up to their designated role soon as the clock hits 11.38 so I don’t really worry.

I get up to the crossing and stare at the red raincoat walking away from me. Nothing else seems to be different. Why did she cross the road? What’s there on the other side? Maybe I should ask her. But what if that screws up whatever has happened? Or is going to happen? I would have felt exasperated once upon a time with the questions but these excite me. They’re new questions. New thoughts. I don’t think I’ve had a new thought in a while.

I walk after her, increasing my pace but not as much to alarm anyone. The rain has caused a lot of runners, and people walking in a hurry, but trying to keep their class. Hurry walkers, I call them. They think running is beneath them. Something a child would do. But aren’t we all children at the end? What’s so adult about being able to feed yourself? We just change our perspective a bit and think we’re all high and mighty. Then how must God feel like, being as old as he is? If there is a God.

She takes the next left turn and keeps walking. Joanne! That’s her name. and she lives right here on the building next to the 7-11. I remember the time I talked with her. I think she slapped me when I asked her if I can sleep with her. That must’ve been in the early days. I tried that with almost every girl I met. Back when I enjoyed being stuck in here.

She went inside. Why did she do that? She always walks around for half an hour before going back in. Funny how everything I know about the girl comes back out once I remembered her name. Like unravelling a ball of string, easy once I have an end of it.

Maybe it’s not what she crossed the road for. Maybe it’s what she crossed the road to avoid! I turn around and run as fast as possible back to my café. I like to think of it as my café. It’s where I get placed in every time it resets so might as well call it mine.

The rain has gotten worse now. I can see the large billboard showing the famous guy with the famous watch. The clock in it says the time’s 5 minutes past 6. As hard as I think the guy’s name doesn’t come to my mind. That happens, I think, when you really want to remember something. Like I said, memory’s not really your friend.

There it is. A shapeless heap on the corner of the sidewalk. I can’t really blame the red girl for turning away. It looks almost like a dead body. Even if it is a dead body, it’s new. It’s exciting. That’s more than enough to make me run to it like a hyena to a carcass.

The heap is a body. It’s covered up in so many rags but I think it’s a child. I can feel a small frame when I touch it. I remove the rags as fast as I can without harming whoever’s in it. It’s not a child, I can see when I discover the head that goes with the body, but a woman. A young woman who seems to be in her mid-twenties. And the head is still attached. And she is alive.

I carry her over to my café, wrapped in my trench coat, since under all the rags the only thing she was wearing was a couple of knee high socks. I don’t know what to make of it. She wasn’t dressed in the rags. She was wrapped in them. I know she’s not from around here since I personally know everyone around here. I may not remember their names or their stories but I remember them. And who the hell would walk around in this weather dressed in just socks?

I ordered us coffee, since the girl seems to be fine now. Awake. She just woke up when I walked inside the café. Another thing to think about. How exciting. I keep the best things I can think about aside so I can savor them. I never used to do that. Saving the best for last of anything. Now, I understand the concept.

She’s petite and thin. Her black hair’s wet and glued to her head. She has dark circles under her eyes. And she’s pale. Very pale. She matches the weather quite nicely. The rain’s almost a thunderstorm now, which means it must be past 6.15.

The girl turned her dark eyes toward me. She’s quite beautiful, I suppose. But it wasn’t her beauty that struck me. She looked utterly lost. That’s new too. I almost laughed out loud. So many new things happening.

I wanted to ask her so many things but the time here has taught me patience really is a virtue. I’ve had a million chances to do everything and usually the fastest and easiest way to do anything involved waiting. The thing with time and people is neither one of them likes to be rushed.

But too much waiting, I cannot do. Who knows if this would happen the next day too? What if it’s a one time thing? The thought scared me beyond anything I’ve felt in a long time.

Before I could say anything she spoke up. Her voice was beautiful, almost angelic. I’ve always preferred instrumental music, I think, before this. But my tastes have changed over time. But nothing I’ve ever heard was as beautiful as her voice when she asked who I was.

I gave her my name. Not that it meant anything. And asked hers. It did not surprise me to discover she did not remember it. I asked her what she did remember and the answer was once again not much. She remembered the rain. That was all she could remember. That was all I can remember too now. I haven’t seen the sun since the resets started. They say you shouldn’t take things for granted.

I took her to my apartment, which wasn’t far from the café. The jukebox played time after time when we left the building, under an umbrella I requisitioned from the rack near the door. Which meant it was past 8. We had their vegetable burger before leaving. I was a vegetarian when I first entered this café but I’ve eaten every item in their menu since then. But then again technically this was the first meal I’ve had since coming in so, maybe I still was.

The rain was louder than ever, beating down in the low ceiling, when we walked in to my apartment. I say apartment but it was the attic to the extremely old town house I shared with other tenants. I only had one bed but owned a comfy couch, which I most of the times use to sleep in. I have a warning in the back of my head that I would get a stiff neck if I slept in the couch, but that’s from the olden times when I used to wake up where I fell asleep, not in my cold café seat.

The girl was surprisingly calm, coming into a stranger’s bedroom. I could see in her eyes that she was agitated, but not about me. She trusted me. That’s new too. I’ve heard people I say that I have a face that can be trusted, but they all usually followed the You can’t judge a book by its cover rule.

I offered the girl one of my t-shirts and my bed, which she accepted silently. I wanted to talk with her before the reset happened but then again what would be the point? Whatever I say, she would forget by tomorrow. If she doesn’t, it would mean I would have all the time in the world, hell, all the time in universe, to tell her anything I want.

I heard the loud thunder that always rattles the whole building. It must be just after 10. One and a half more hours before the reset. I looked at the girl’s eyes and knew that she was not going to be up for very long. I guess the rain does that to everyone. Oh how I miss the silence.

I took the couch and kept my head on its arm rest. I never knew what started the reset or how to stop it. It was now a fact of life. I welcomed any change, anything was better than this. Or so I thought. But what if it’s not? What if there’s something worse? I couldn’t think of it but I couldn’t think of this before it happened either. Maybe the girl was a harbinger. She changed the routine. She disrupted the pattern. Maybe it was all for the best if she was gone before this reset. It wouldn’t be hard. She was frail. Just had to hold the pillow on her face for a few minutes and it would be over.

I got up walked over to her. She was asleep, her face turned away. Just had to pull the pillow from under her head. I touched the pillow, thinking of doing just that, and she turned over, facing me. She was still asleep but her face was a mask of sadness. I felt my heart breaking just looking at the sad smile. It was as if she knew things. She has seen things. A single tear traced a path from her eye to the pillow. I couldn’t take it. I knelt right there and wept.

……..

It was morning when I woke up. The skylight showed a bright morning with very little clouds. I could see the sun and it was much more than I could remember. I reached over and touched the small face that was staring at me with bright eyes. “I remember my name now” she said in her angelic voice. “It’s Rain”

#original writing #original story #patterns #writing #short reads #fiction #fict #sci-fi

3 notes · View notes

seasaltmemories · 6 years ago

Text

Rosea Puella: Year 8

Rating: T

Summary: He gave it a month. A month to see if there was any room for him in that little house anymore, if Gyoku would give him the decency of disdain, if the eunuch would grow some balls and kill him like he wanted to, if the girl would ever elicit any emotion from him besides plain old fear

Judal paced back and forth as he waited in the backyard.

Patience had never been a virtue of his, but knowing the eunuch, he enjoyed making him wait. Once he had processed that Judal wasn’t some ghost or other shit, he had been quick to return to the sharp-tongued snob he always was.

“What do you want?” Ka Koubun threw the words out like a knife as he cradled the child against him.

In the past, Judal might have adopted the same sharpness, maybe add in a jab just to piss him off some more. But as he imagined how such a scenario would play out, he was overcome with exhaustion. “Just want to talk to Gyoku,” he sighed. Honesty tasted unfamiliar on his tongue, but he swallowed it down all the same.

“You think she wants to talk to you!?” It seemed Judal’s less snarky attitude only made him grow angrier. “After you defiled her purity, burdened her with a child, then abandoned them both?!”

“’Course I wouldn’t be surprised if she hated my guts--” Judal groaned. As unsure as he had been about returning, spite half-tempted him to go ahead and march right into the house as if he had only gone out for a walk.

What kept him glued right in place was the pair of wide red eyes that studied him fiercely.

“--but then why do you expect a monster to care about what others think?” He knew he was showing teeth, but he wasn’t sure if it was in a smile or a snarl. He waited for a reaction, but they only continued to look at him in confusion and that tiredness returned full force.

“If she doesn’t want to talk to me, then I can make sure you never have to see me again.” Judal grew dead serious. “I’m not doing this for myself you know? It’s for her.”

Ka Koubun wavered, eyes darting back and forth as he thought. Then out of nowhere he shoved the child into his arms.

“If you hurt her, I’ll rip your fucking throat out.” There was no heat to the curse, only a deadly chill. Before Judal could react, Ka Koubun had already scrambled inside.

That was what brought him here: waiting as if this was his execution.

The child had stopped playing and simply sat quietly on the steps. Despite having been so full of energy before, she kept to herself, fidgeting back and forth. Every now it then she would glance over at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice.

He always did though, because he kept doing the same thing. Ugh, why did Ka Koubun stick the brat on him? Did he hope mere proximity would get those nonexistent paternal instincts going? It was difficult seeing the use in letting her presence affect him before he had even made it one step back into the house.

But it was even more impossible to keep that nagging feeling in the back of his head from bugging him.

“Oi, kid!” The child sat up straight and her face turned red, as if she had been caught with her hand in the sweets jar.

“Who are you?” Her words were high-pitched and indistinguishable in that way all children sound identical when young, yet there was a quiet fear to them.

Judal chewed the inside of his cheek. “An old friend of your mother’s. What about you, kid?”

“I’m Taohua.” Taohua, now he could remember Gyoku choosing that. It was like her to try and make something good of a situation that had just been plain bad.

“And that was Ka.” Taohua pointed at the door as if she was excited to have finally drifted back into territory she knew.

“Oh don’t worry I know the old bastard.” It only occurred to him then that he probably shouldn’t curse in front of a...two year old? four year old? Whatever the case he quickly dismissed the concern when he considered the actual war crimes he had committed.

“He takes care of me and Mama.”

“I’m sure he does, he even took care of her when we were children.” He had talked with kings and queens, faced down the most powerful warriors in the world, and yet somehow this was the most tense ordeal he had ever experienced.

“Are you Judal?” From the top of his head to the very blood in his bones, he froze. His body was still functioning, he could see her curious expression, but his brain couldn’t put the pieces together to form an actual thought.

Before his terror could show however, the eunuch popped back out of the house with his cold smugness. The mere air around him made Judal annoyed, which at least was better than petrified.

“Gyoku is not feeling well, so you can’t see her today. Still she’s willing to let you stay for the week no questions asked.”

“Guess that will do.” Judal ran a hand through his braid. “I’m gonna wash myself up. Tell me when it’s dinner time, eunuch.” He traced the steps back to his old room yet was surprised when he got there and found that it had been left untouched.

With a sigh he plopped down on the sleeping mat. Was this supposed to be when you said home, sweet, home?

He didn’t get to see Gyoku that evening. When the eunuch called him for dinner, it was only the kid and him sitting at the table.

“Gyoku’s feeling unwell,” was the only explanation that he would give. As simple and logical as it was, his defensiveness made Judal suspicious. When the same excuse was parroted the following morning, it became impossible to contain his restlessness.

“If she didn’t want to see me then why didn’t she just say so? Didn’t have to fake the fucking plague.”

Ka Koubun flinched before his scowl grew even deeper. “Then why don’t you try making her feel better? You’re obviously successful at that aren’t you?”

He had prepared another insult before he had even finished processing the eunuch’s, but as he readied to cast it like a spell, he was struck by the pettiness of it all. It wasn’t as if respectability ever meant much to him, but god were they old. The little vanity he still held had to admit it hardly looked any good on them.

“Have you taken her breakfast yet?” Without thinking, Judal scraped his leftovers onto a clean plate. “Might as well be useful if I’m annoying.”

His bluster managed to carry him out, but as he approached Gyoku’s room, his sails began to lose their wind. So far Xiaoshi had been completely predictable. The eunuch was a pain in the ass, and the kid was terrifying in her normalcy. But there was no predicting what Gyoku would be like. Back at Rakushou she had been uncertain yet blindingly determined. If someone had told him she would later become a simple farmer in the middle of absolutely nowhere, he would have laughed in their faces. Yet could she have changed even more drastically since then? And even if she hadn’t, did she only want him around so she could work up the strength to tear him limb from limb?

Judal shook his head. Questions were useless if you weren’t willing to face their answers. Before he could lose his nerve, Judal knocked on her door.

“Come in,” A quiet voice wisped. And so Judal took a deep breath and did as he was ordered to.

He didn’t know what he was expecting when he entered, but it hadn’t been for the sight to be so familiar. Her room still managed to be somehow bare yet disorganized and cluttered. In the middle of the mess laid Gyoku on her sleeping mat.

“Judal...” As she sat up, her blanket fell back to reveal some things had changed. There was a round softness to her body after having to bear the weight of a child. He didn’t know why he focused on that. Maybe so he didn’t have to look her in the eye.

“Yeah it’s me...” He ran a hand through his braid. “Did the eunuch not deliver the news?”

Silence suffocated the room. He must have lost his tolerance for pain because for some reason he thought looking at her might make things easier. Bad decision. That sad, soft pink managed to hook its talons into his heart and refused to let him look away once their gazes met.

It probably wasn’t the best decision, but if he couldn’t look away he wanted to at least see less of her. He approached her without speaking, until they were face to face. Striking distance, idly he thought. But Gyoku just continued to stare and stare at him, as if she had forgotten how to do anything but that.

“Your hair’s a rat’s mess.” Probably not the best comment to make, but it helped him break eye contact and focus on her unruly tangles. “Do you want me to do something about that?”

He waited for an answer but wasn’t surprised when nothing came. Still he needed some sort of motion to break up his restless energy, so he grabbed her comb and sat next to her all the same.

Tentatively he brushed it through her locks.

“Ouch!”

“Sorry,” From this angle she couldn’t see him, but he ducked his head all the same. “I’ll be more gentle.” Slowly he pulled apart a nasty knot with his hands. After years of keeping his hair neat and presentable, maybe even he could do more than mess this up.

“I’ve done a lot of traveling lately.” The irony didn’t escape him, but those words seemed less crude than the full truth. “You should see Balbadd now, can barely recognize the place anymore.” It wasn’t like him to chatter away, but it was something to fill the room with. The lesser of two evils.

“Your old fiance managed to turn into a somewhat respectable king. Has two little pups with the Fanalis bitch that used to trail behind him. Might be cute if the perfection of it all wasn’t so sickening.” He rambled on like that--telling all he knew of their old friends and foes, of the weird mishaps he got into on the road. He wasn’t sure if she was even listening to it all, but he told those stories for himself first and foremost.

He didn’t mention his third and final trip to a destroyed village that had never been his home.

When he was finished with her hair, he got up to leave, but before he could take even a single step, Gyoku grabbed his hand.

“Judal...” She drew in a deep breath, as if it was taking all her effort to mutter those two syllables. “...I don’t forgive you.”

Even without the influence of magic, her words still felt as cold as Vinea’s iciest of waters. “What reason should you?” He tried to brush her words off, but he was sure if he looked at her again this time he would never be able to move again. Time to be serious for once in his life.

“Look, I don’t care to pretend I’m redeemed or any of that bullshit. Just want to take responsibility for the mess I made for you. Do you want my help?”

He waited for an answer once more, and it seemed even less likely to come. Maybe that is how she would enact her revenge--leave him waiting here until he withered away into nothing but dust and bone. And through it all she’d probably stare without blinking once.

But if that was her plan, she must have decided to save it for later, because eventually Gyoku spoke.

“You can stay.” It wasn’t a complete yes, but it definitely wasn’t a no.

Maybe that was the best they could do for now.

Life in Xiaoshi proceeded from then on, but something about it never felt real.

For one thing, the following day Gyoku was up and running chores. The fact that no one commented that she had been cocooned in a pile of blankets for the past few days would have stood out to him, but soon that observation was eclipsed by an even greater one.

Nobody seemed to react to his presence either.

It wasn’t as if he was a ghost, he was given chores to do and acknowledged and spoken to (although glaringly Ka Koubun never left him alone with the child after that first morning). No it was more subtle than that. They treated him as if he had never left, as if three years hadn’t passed between them.

Well that wasn’t true either. Gyoku didn’t seek him out at night nor scream his name in a fit or whisper it like a love-song. It was back to before they had even knew Xiaoshi existed--when the demon child and whore’s daughter had grown up and were trying to be Kou’s sacred oracle and precious 8th princess. Back then he had welcomed the change, had probably been the first to temper their relationship into something cold and professional in search of people like Hakuryuu. He hadn't needed a sad, lonely girl, just someone who could offer him the power to free himself and burn down the system that had so mistreated him. But here in the middle of nowhere, he couldn’t take Gyoku’s bland greeting and neutral stares.

Tell me how I hurt you. Cry, rage, just don’t act as if I mean nothing to you.

He didn’t know he had cared when during those early Xiaoshi years she had been the one chasing after him. Maybe it was his ego. A monster liked to know they were still feared. And oh he hadn’t felt like one in such a long time. On the road you’re just another face. He had never experienced anonymity before. It was so freeing it made his head spin, and he had thought there would be no greater joy than to die in a forgotten grave.

But then Balbadd had changed everything. It’s funny, that was where he had first remembered Gyoku existed since becoming oracle. In the same streets where she had saved his life, he saw dear old idiot Alibaba wave around his newborn daughter for the world to see. He had been just another face in the crowd, probably wasn’t even noticed by him, yet something about the parade seemed to scream, “Isn’t there some place you belong?” Call it whatever you like, the voice of the rukh or delayed guilt, but those words had stuck with him even after he had left town. Without much thought he followed their call until it took him back to Xiaoshi.

But what was the point in sticking around if that wasn’t the case?

He gave it a month. A month to see if there was any room for him in that little house anymore, if Gyoku would give him the decency of disdain, if the eunuch would grow some balls and kill him like he wanted to, if the girl would ever elicit any emotion from him besides plain old fear.

Things didn’t change. So that morning he packed his stuff and left.

He didn’t even make it out the backyard before Gyoku was screaming her banshee scream and chasing after him.

“Bastard!” He had barely any time to process the insult before she tackled him face first in the snow. “You don’t get to just show up again and then pull the same shit!” She shoved his head further into the ground, her grip against his scalp so tight he wondered if her nails would draw blood.

Hmm, maybe it would be her instead that killed him. It was a dangerous thing to do, yet he couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.

Gyoku’s confusion at his reaction gave him enough breath to choke out a few words.

“Nice to be in your thoughts so early in the morning, princess.”

She grew still at that. From the sound of footsteps, he gather that their kerfuffle must have awaken the others. He counted his breaths quietly and once he reached ten, Gyoku got off him and helped him up.

A sarcastic grin tugged at his lips. There was that endearing softness she had never grown out of. Even in her worst rages, she had always been too good to completely lose control.

The smirk got knocked off his face when her right hook sent him back sprawling against the ground.

“You don’t get to joke at a time like this. You don’t get to call me, 'princess.' And you certainly don’t get to leave right after I got used to having you around.” There was Vinea’s ice again. No, if she could summon it twice, then it must be her own now. Still this time the chill didn’t last because slowly tears melted against her eyelashes. “You don’t get to live in our doorway, half-in, half-out. If you’re going to go then you must leave for good. I told myself I wasn’t going to depend on you anymore.”

It’s funny, that those tears brought him so much relief. At the same time he wanted to wipe them away so bad, yet he knew that would probably earn him another punch. In a sorta compromise, he played with the fabric of her sleeping robe.

“Was just taking a morning walk.”

“Liar,” There was no venom in her voice, just truth. “Make your decision now, but I have a family to look after.” She lacked the fine silks of her old life, yet she had never looked so regal before, baby fat and all.

As if he was the eunuch himself, Judal couldn’t help but stand up and trail three steps behind her back to the house.

As they moved into spring, they slowly but surely reached a sort of homeostasis. For the most part they went through life in the same quiet manner. There were no more beat-downs, no more solitary walks, just preparing the fields and getting through another domestic day. Still now Gyoku and him had landed somewhere between the distance and closeness they had oscillated between. Some days they would simply live and work beside each other nothing more, but the barrier didn’t feel so forced because she was just as likely to spend an evening with him playing card games and chatting about nonsense. It was strange and unfamiliar, but not unwelcome.

“You have such an obvious tell. When you twirl your braid around your finger like that, I just know I have you!”

“Like you’re much better. Your poker face is so weak I’m sure a blind man could read it”

“You know those first few weeks what I missed the most about you was the sex.”

“Eh it was only a distraction for me. Haven’t fucked anyone else you know.”

“Hey don’t think I don’t see you sneaking that card under the table!”

“As if I don’t see the way you scrape your nails against each card before choosing one. You have your tricks and I have mine.”

“I think what hurt the most about you leaving was the embarrassment of it all. I thought you would change and then you left me at my weakest.”

“I had thought I had changed too. But I guess I’m my most evil when I’m at my weakest.”

“King’s Court, I win!”

“Bullshit!”

They didn’t have their old post coitus heart to hearts anymore, never even touched each other anymore. He could only pick up those blunt truths when she deemed to drop them. Gyoku had changed. There was still that same bluster to try and do things right, act as if she was perfectly fine, but it no longer felt so desperate and pleading. She tried to move the stars for no one’s benefit but her own and she would do it whether he liked it or not.

It wasn’t what the selfish beast inside of him wanted, for her to be the pitiful, predictable princess of yesteryears, worried about upsetting him. But more of him could work with it.

Farmwork begun up again, and as they worked side by side, they truly felt like equals for the first time since they had been children. Maybe he had caught her discarded nostalgia, but he didn’t think it hurt too much to savor it when he could.

You can’t hold onto to anger forever.

In another world, it would have been enough. Even if Ka Koubun hated him for the rest of time, navigating a normal life within an abnormal household would have been a fine enough purgatory to land in. Hell, for all the crimes he had committed, it would be a far better fate than he deserved. There was just one mistake holding him back from his content ending. The girl.

He hadn’t been able to avoid her, as much as it seemed to annoy the eunuch, but to say he had really spent time with her was an exaggeration. They existed in similar spaces together. She would mutter quiet “thank you’s” whenever he passed her food during dinner and he’d return a gruff “you’re welcome” as he searched for somewhere else to look besides her face. In theory she knew his name, but despite her question back during that snowy first meeting, he didn’t know what it meant to her. If she saw him as either a terrible demon or a returned god, she didn’t show it. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be either of those things, but the fact she already had some preconceived notion of him before he even appeared before her eyes wore on his nerves.

He tried asking Gyoku about it once. It was most likely that she had been the one to bring him up to Taohua in the first place. However, she had skirted the issue with a less than subtle hand.

“You could always talk to her about it.”

“You think a child would be better at explaining things than you are?”

“Maybe not about about everything, but Taohua would know herself the best. It shouldn’t be hard to get her talking, she’s a chatter-box,” Her robe slipped off her shoulder as she wiped the sweat from her brow. He stole a few glances at the scrap of peach skin before going back to work. The summer sun was hot. He didn’t need Gyoku getting self-conscious and wrapping herself up in a bundle of layers. That would only make the work take a lot longer, he told himself.

“It’s your decision to claim her or not, but I will not lie to her about her parentage.” Gyoku’s response was so unexpected, he almost missed it. “My father was just a name. I wanted to give Taohua more than that. I thought you would feel the same.”

Decades old jealousy stirs at her words. Even a name was more than he had. Al-Thamen had deemed things like a heritage and family to be ill-suited for a tool. Hell, even his own name had only been chosen to erase any trace his parents might have left on him. It would take an unusual amount of cruelty even for him to wish that fate on anyone.

Still he didn’t know if his presence would be much better. Even without a father, the girl had two parents in Gyoku and the eunuch. Were they perfect, of course not--years living with them had exposed all their deepest darkest flaws. But they loved her, and that was a gift Judal doubted any of the three of them had ever had.

He wasn’t sure if he could love her though--or if his love would bring anything but disaster. Just look at how it had ruined Gyoku. He thought that he would try to make due with the current status quo. He’d let those red eyes haunt him in exchange for a roof over his head and something like forgiveness.

But then something in the rukh shifted.

Even after losing his command over them, Judal had never lost his ability to see the rukh. It had been a cruel joke, salt on a wound that refused to heal, but slowly he had learned to live with it. Even if their sight sometimes gave him phantom pains in limbs he hadn’t technically lost, he got better at managing the aches. It had been his only option between that or letting the loss consume him, and well somehow he was still here. One of Xiaoshi’s few blessings was that its rukh were quiet and listless. They were rarely ever riled up, so it was easy enough for him to let them fade into the background.

But as he was returning to the house after a full-day’s work, he saw the rukh fly and race like he hadn’t seen in years. Without thinking, he followed them, frantic and half-wild.

Their trail ended in Taohua’s room, where she sat playing with her dolls. She looked up at him, completely confused as if she hadn’t just put together a spell that was only one or two rukh combinations away from freezing the entire house.

“What--” Judal took a deep breath. “--the actual fuck!”

The girl looked as if she was about to cry. With her concentration thoroughly broken, the spell fell apart into harmless individual rukh. Relief flooded his veins, but before he could enjoy it fully, a new problem was upon him.

“Ka!” The girl pushed past him. When Judal turned around he found the eunuch cradling her against his legs as he brandished a kitchen knife.

“What are you doing?” His words were just as sharp as the weapon in his hand.

“What are you doing pointing that thing at me?” After the years of contempt and disdain Judal had suffered from him, his tolerance was worn raw.

“You’re the one I found in an upset child’s room. You do the explaining.”

“God, what delusion did you come up with? That I’d try to eat her or something?”

“I’m gonna give you until the count of three. One--”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!”

“Two--”

“She was using magic, goddamnit!” Judal gripped Ka Koubun’s shoulders. “Does your pea-sized brain have any idea of what that means?”

After all his big talk, he seemed to forgot all about the knife in his hand. Bewildered golden brown eyes stared into red. “What? But she’s so young? Were you teaching--”

“If I was teaching her, then why would I be so surprised?” Slowly Judal let go of him. The wheels in his head were spinning at top speeds. If he’s going to be able to convince him of the necessary action they must take, he must appear calm.

Now free, the eunuch was preoccupying himself with the child. “Taohua, what were you doing?” He stroked her head in a comforting manner, but Judal couldn’t tell who it was supposed to comfort.

“Playing,” She muttered, still twirling the doll in her hands.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Kazue needed a new dress--” She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “--and I was hot.”

The eunuch closed his eyes and sighed. He seemed just as pissed as before, but thankfully he put the knife away and turned to address Judal.

“Is she a magi? Like you?”

“Don’t know,” Judal shrugged. He racked his brain for any information Al-Thamen had gathered about the children of magi. It had always been a rare occasion, but in theory there were only supposed to be three of them at a time in the world. You couldn’t just breed an army of them. Still the brat magi had messed things up and bumped the number up to four. No reason the rules couldn’t be broken again. Besides maybe since he lost his magic, he was dead to the rukh. “What I do know is that she needs training.”

The eunuch stiffened. “I will not let her be made a weapon.”

“Do you think I want her to have to suffer what I went through?!” Judal was holding his temper in check by the skin of his teeth. The only thing that was keeping him from fully exploding was the fact that doing so would hurt more people than just the eunuch.

And he was so tired of innocents getting caught in the crossfire.

“Look, I can teach her the basics of the rukh, what it feels like to channel them and how to properly guide their course. It’s better she knows what she is capable of so she can control it.” Judal clenched his fists. “So she doesn’t become me.”

Ka Koubun studied him with those distrustful eyes. But before he could speak, Taohua waddled over to Judal.

“You see the butterflies too?”

By the end of the month, they fell into a routine. Once a week, Judal would sit down with Taohua to teach her a different aspect of the rukh. In theory the lessons were only supposed to be theoretical, but sometimes he would slip in a spell or two when no one else was around--like how to ease the pain of a bruise or produce a light. Such a move might make the eunuch pull out the knife on him again, but he had a rational reason for once in his lifetime.

It gave him a chance to observe the child and see what she would do with the material she was given. If when given power her baby fat and pudgy hands would melt away to reveal a monster beyond imagination.

And as autumn fell, he pulled together all the information he had gathered, and judged.

The child was perfectly normal. Sweet and energetic, but flighty and stubborn at times. She really did chatter away any spare moments of silence she came across as Gyoku said. She didn’t like being told what to do, but hated to see others upset. She loved to use ice magic, just like him when he was younger, and laughed and laughed and laughed without a single ounce of shame.

And with every smile of hers, a bit of the fear faded away.

Judal was just getting used to things when Gyoku had another episode.

The eunuch and child didn’t seem at all surprised by it, going about their routine as usual, but for Judal all the regrets and worries of winter returned full-force.

Your presence is a poison. Go before the child catches it. It doesn’t matter how much you try to change, you will always be a monster.

But for some reason he didn’t run, and the next day Gyoku came out after lunch to sit next to him and bask in the sunlight. They didn’t speak for a long time, just watched the day pass by in one peaceful breath and out the next. Despite the pleasant atmosphere, dark clouds in the distant signaled that a cold front was on its way. While such weather was normal around this time of year, it still unnerved him all the same.

Will you still be tolerated after they are forced to see the real you?

“Will you comb my hair?” Gyoku’s words were such a surprise, Judal did a double-take to make sure he wasn’t imagining them. While her gaze was trained firmly on the horizon, there was a certain tautness to her shoulders that seemed to demand she be acknowledged. “I’m so tired...but you always look so good no matter what. I figured you would do a better job than me.”

Judal took a deep breath. “Sure, no problem.”

Carefully he brushed through her red locks. He was almost certain he’d end up pulling too hard at some point, perhaps accidentally rip out a chunk of hair, but as they fell into a rhythm, Gyoku gave a content sigh.

Perhaps she is lying and--

“I thought I was doing so good--” Gyoku’s voice brought him back down to the real world. “--but I guess the cold always brings the voices out.”

“I didn’t know what I would find when I returned.” Judal spoke slowly, feeling around for the right response. “In the back of my mind I always wondered if you might give up on living.” He was glad she hadn’t, but such affection felt dangerous in this no-man’s land they cohabited.

“Oh I thought about it a lot--” Gyoku gave a sad laugh, “--but funny enough it was you who kept me going.”

Judal held his breath as he waited. For what, he couldn’t say: maybe another verbal slap across the face, another cruel damnation. But what followed instead was much more tender.

“I had this dream about you a few years ago,” Like a nervous child, Gyoku fiddled with the fabric of her robe. “The peach trees were in bloom, and we just sat under them--together. Sometimes neither of us said a word, and sometimes I would yell horrible things at you, but you were silent most of the time.”

Judal’s grip on the comb grew tighter. Somehow this was a crueler choice. Self-flagellation was becoming his bread and butter, but if she was going where she seemed to be...

“Dreams are just dreams,” Judal muttered.

“Maybe, but in the last one, you told me that if I wanted happiness, I should go ahead and just grab it.” A light blush dusted her cheeks. “Even if it was just a figment of my imagination...it really meant a lot to me.”

Judal screwed his mouth shut. He didn’t trust his tongue at the moment. It was a stupid, sentimental creature that would only hurt her more in the long run.

“I remember those dreams as well...”

“Done with your hair,” Is what he said instead.

Gyoku turned around to look him in the eye. The fading sunlight gave her a gentle elegance. She looked nothing like her past self--all done up in elaborate hairstyles and fine silks. Still with the way she let her long hair flow freely past her shoulders, she looked more mature and at peace with herself than ever before.

“I’ve told you this before, but I will say it again: I promised to never depend on you again. I don’t want to tie my happiness to someone who has hurt me. Still--” She looked up at him through soft eyelashes. “--have you ever considered starting over? Trying things out again?”

“I always thought I would be dead by now.” Judal blurted out. It was a non-answer, but when had they found the time to grow up? He wasn’t used to second chances. Wasn’t used to imagining a future for himself that didn’t end with him alone and dead in a ditch.

He should have remembered he was a monster. He should have ran right then and there and forgotten everything about Xiaoshi. Instead he grabbed her hands in his and brought them to his chest.

“Is this what you were thinking of?” He waited for her disapproval, that his hands were too rough, his grip was too tight. But Gyoku only smiled at him sweetly.

“It’s just what I wanted.”

A.N. Another year wait between chapters, I guess I pulled a Judal, I feel I’ve grown and changed as much as the characters have so it took a while to fall back into them (especially to find Judal’s voice again after how long it had been) but I hope to have finally brought some catharsis

#jukou #judal #ren kougyoku #magi #my lame writing #rp #otp: I'm not an angel #arabian nights plus tears #in which the in-universe timeframe is starting to match that of this fic

16 notes · View notes

monstaxvibes · 6 years ago

Text

Monsta X as the “SEVEN DEADLY SINS” 💀

Based on their comeback teasers and photos, I’ve pinpointed what “Sin” each member of Monsta X represents along with the “Virtue” opposition. This is just my opinion and theory which probably won’t be accurate lol Enjoy!

_________________________________________________

Changkyun as Envy:

“Envy is an emotion which ‘occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it’."

I.M easily compares himself to others. But we know Changkyun as someome who is very grateful for where he is today and grateful for the people who support him. The virtue that is opposite of the sin Envy is Gratitude. But he has the problem of being a bit envious of others. For example, take his lyrics from Jealousy. Yes the song is about being jealous but I can’t help but feel the little sting of his lyrics during his rap. (English Translations)

“I got it, the last out of the seven. Think these guys are better than me?”

“Wow, to each their own misunderstanding. What’s so fun about teasing me?”

________________________________________________

Jooheon as Pride:

Oh boy here we go.

“Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two antithetical meanings. With a negative connotation pride refers to a foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments...”

Pretty much ya boy is full of himself. In the Monsta X concepts, Jooheon seems to always plays a “character” that is very prideful. His first ever famous rap that was from Trespass was

“I’m different from those pretty boys over there. Excuse me, excuse my charisma. I’m gonna be rude and enter your heart. My love knows no manners, excuse my charisma!”

But wait, MONBEBE’s know that Jooheon is not really like that at all. He is a sweetheart who always shows Humility (Virtue opposite of Pride). He is supportive and often comforts them member extremely well. We also know that sometimes, Honey is sometimes very self conscious (BUT BABY WHY? YOU ARE SO HANDSOME AND TALENTED AND WOWOW). And the only way to rid those insecurities is to replace them with his badass persona that we’ve all learned to adore.

For more supporting lyrics, please refer to Jooheon’s whole song “Should I Do.” Or the whole mixtape in general. He is spewing pride and I’m here for it 🙌🏼

(Can you tell that he’s my bias......)

________________________________________________

Hyungwon as Sloth:

“Sloth is one of the seven capital sins. It is the most difficult sin to define, and to credit as sin, since it refers to a peculiar jumble of notions, dating from antiquity and including mental, spiritual, pathological, and physical states. One definition is: a habitual disinclination to exertion... The word ‘sloth’ is a translation of the Latin term acedia and means ‘without care’.”

Hyungwon is definitely Sloth (also Pride but for this lets just say Sloth). He’s tired and lazy and sleepy. He is known as laid back and care free. He doesn’t talk much and is a considered a “meme”. But in reality, Hyungwon is one of the most Diligent (Virtue opposite of Sloth) members. He is talented and extremely hard working when it comes to his position as a dancer and singer. But he still loves to indulge in his sleep and that’s something he can’t rid himself of.

(It’s okay Wonnie, i am on the same boat. Sleepyheads unite!!!)

________________________________________________

Kihyun as Wrath:

“Wrath or Anger is an intense expression of emotion. It involves a strong uncomfortable and hostile response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. Anger can occur when a person feels their personal boundaries are being or are about to be violated. Some have a learned tendency to react to anger through retaliation as a way of coping.”

Kihyun is known as eomma. He’s motherly and is always kind. Always looking out for the members and has amazing Patience(Virtue opposite of Wrath). But sometimes, he just gets angry and annoyed and can’t handle someone making the same mistake constantly. He reminds me of the phrase “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” That patience of his runs thin when you keep hitting the same nerve. He practically pulls his hair out when it comes to the members and things being unclean (poor babe, thats a tough life). He most likely feels that he loses his cool a little too often and too easily which is something he might be working on.

________________________________________________

Minhyuk as Greed:

“Greed, or avarice, is an inordinate or insatiable longing for material gain, be it food, money, status, or power. As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs. The degree of inordinance is related to the inability to control the reformulation of ‘wants’ once desired ‘needs’ are eliminated. Erich Fromm described greed as ‘a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.’ It is typically used to criticize those who seek excessive material wealth, although it may apply to the need to feel more excessively moral, social, or otherwise better than someone else.”

Minhyuk is known as the sunshine. Always giving, generous and caring. Charity/Generosity is the virtue that is opposite of the sin Greed and we all know this boy is the definition of a generous person. Always loving and giving so much to his members and his fans. But he has a side to him that is greedy and just wants all of the love and attention. He is the type to lowkey want you to compliment him back if he compliments you. All the love he exerts is what he wants shown back to him. Maybe he is also greedy when it comes to success of Monsta X. He wants them to be on the top and to be the best, his inner greed just wanting more and more.

________________________________________________

Wonho as Lust:

DON’T @ ME BUT YOU KNOW THIS IS CORRECT.

“Lust is a psychological force producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance fulfilling the emotion. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality, money or power.”

Okay okay hear me out. Monbebe’s know him for his Chastity (Virtue opposite of Lust). He is a fluff who is pure and sweet. He couldn’t hurt a fly without crying. He just loves monbebe so much UGH GET YOU A MAN WHO STANS YOU JUST AS MUCH AS YOU STAN HIM WOW. But his role in Monsta X is to be the sexy one and to reveal his body. He has to rip off his shirt and make those ladies s w o o n. But I feel like nowadays, he can’t help but enjoy it. Oh boy he LOVES it. I feel like that one time thing became a mandatory act for every performance. It turned from “Oh Wonho, maybe show the fans some skin” to “Crap Wonho went rogue. MAYDAY MAYDAY WE GOTTA STOCK UP ON HIS SHIRTS.” (just give the man some pasties dammit or the shirt is coming OFF)

________________________________________________

Shownu as Gluttony:

I feel like people mistake Gluttony as only something based on an over abundance of food. But it can also mean the “over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items.”

Shownu is most like the definition of the virtue, Temperance (Virtue opposite of Gluttony).

“Temperance is defined as moderation or voluntary self-restraint. It is typically described in terms of what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing. This includes restraint from retaliation in the form of non-violence and forgiveness, restraint from arrogance in the form of humility and modesty, restraint from excesses such as splurging now in the form of prudence, and restraint from excessive anger or craving for something in the form of calmness and self-control.”

We know Shownu for his leadership and amazing self control. He is the Papa-Bear. Extremely supportive and a pretty chill person. But Shownu isn’t perfect despite people expecting him to be. He is human, he makes mistakes. Gluttony can go hand-in-hand with Greed in this situation. He wants Monsta X to succeed more and to be the best. I feel like Gluttony can go hand-in-hand with all of the sins, which Shownu might all have. Envious of other members due to his small popularity compared to them. Prideful of his talent and body and nature. Little pieces of each sin but at the same time, he has every aspect of all of the virtues as well. A balance between good and evil. Hence why he is the leader. He understands all of the “bad” parts of each member but he also knows all of the good parts too and respects them.

________________________________________________

(Gif credit to Admin Mon)

-admin bbe

286 notes · View notes

reddielibrary · 6 years ago

Text

Riding Lynda Carter

Prompt: young eddie falling over and breaking his leg in the barrens and richie has to find a way to get him out and to a doctor

Written by: Alexis | @quixoticquest

Word Count: 4288

*click title to read on AO3

For the last twenty years since he had moved away from Derry, Richie had left a majority of his childhood crap at his folks’ place. There wasn’t any real purpose for it in LA. But recently he had an encounter with his past again, and the people in it. Now just seemed like as good a time as any to revisit those old keepsakes, go through what he wanted to donate, or keep.

Keep in preparation for moving in with his boyfriend, that is.

“Yikes, this inflatable pool has got to go,” Eddie stated, gripping the great rubber monstrosity with both hands, shielded by yellow gloves.

“Aw, why?” Richie whined, for no other reason than it was fun to be contrary. “That’ll make a great centerpiece for our dining room table. Just gotta find one big enough.”

Eddie trashed the pool, eyeing his boyfriend the whole way into the black garbage bag. Richie just smiled and carried on flipping through a box of pictures from some party or another.

“Hey, what’s this?” There were only so many things that Richie expected to find in his parents’ garage besides his dad’s tools and rat poop. Imagine his surprise when Eddie dragged a big hunk of old wood out from behind Went’s workbench. A set of rusty, crusted runners hooked under the cobweb covered slab, which meant it could only be one thing.

“Oh, shit. That.” Richie rushed over, tripping over Eddie’s trash bag as he yanked the old sled away from him (and boy was it heavy!). “This we can burn. I mean there’s no way to throw it away responsibly and with global warming running rampant it won’t serve any purpose if we donate it.”

“Wait, I remember this.” Eddie gasped, eyes flashing brighter than Richie expected anyone else pushing forty. “Your Flexible Flyer, from ‘87. I can’t believe you didn’t take better care if it. Don’t you remember, Richie? Oh my gosh.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Richie grumbled, staring ruefully at the dreaded sled. That was one memory he wished not to keep.

***

Patience was not a virtue Richie Tozier possessed, but today, he was actually giving it the old college try. Watching Mrs. Kaspbrak fret and dote over her nylon-clad son, pulling buttons and zippers and strings until he looked like a bright red Michelin Man, was its own kind of torture. Richie couldn’t groan, couldn’t sigh. He couldn’t even laugh when Mrs. K asked if Eddie had remembered his thermal underwear (though he would definitely tell Bill and Stanley later).

One wrong move, and he’d be sent off without Eddie for the rest of the day - maybe the rest of winter break. Who knew when Derry was going to get another perfect eight inches of tantalizing snow again? Probably on a school day in February for the jerk principal to keep class in session.

“I want you back before it gets too dark, you hear me?” Mrs. K commanded, while Richie struggled not to fidget in the doorway. And here he thought he could avoid all this consternation if his mom called and asked the night before. Like they were six and still needed to schedule playdates.

Eddie nodded, with a good deal of swishy noises between the hat, earmuffs, hood, and scarf all competing to swallow up his face.

After a drawn out goodbye session full of wet cheek kisses and smeared lipstick stains, they were off, stepping through the snowtracks Richie had already made on his way to the door.

“You don’t have to pee, do you?” he asked Eddie, when they were out of earshot. “I dunno if I can wait any longer if you do. You might have to take one for the team and shove a bottle up your pants.”

Eddie made a noise that sounded like a lot of hot air against wool, his mouth muffled by his scarf.

“Pardon?” Richie asked, cheesing.

Eddie growled, shoved his scarf down, and ripped off his hood. “I said shut up, Richie,” he snapped, wiping his mother’s lipstick off his cold-nipped cheeks.

Walking was a lot faster when they reached the street, where the snow had been scraped away the night before in preparation for what the perky blonde weather lady on channel five was calling the biggest snowfall of the season. It certainly seemed to be true, with the fluffy white stuff climbing up Richie’s legs to chill his shins. Perfect weather for playing (so long as Eddie’s mom decided to be reasonable).

“Check it out,” Richie gushed, shuffling backward to pull his brand spanking new Flexible Flyer out from the bushes where he had tucked it away. Had to hide it before he got to the Kaspbraks’. No way Mrs. K would let Eddie participate in any winter activity more strenuous than a snow angel, if she knew about it.

“Wow,” Eddie exclaimed, all bright-eyed excitement as he bent toward the sled to glide his mittens over the red runners and smooth, finished wood. “This is so awesome, Richie! Is it the newest model?”

“Yeah, Santa really pimped me out this year.” Richie grinned smugly from behind his glasses, and crossed his arms - best he was able in his stiff, puffy snow jacket.

“Did you name it?”

“Her , Eds, her. You know what Bill says. And yes, I did. Wanna know what?”

“Well, that’s kind of why I asked, stupid.”

“Her name is Lynda Carter,” Richie proclaimed, patting the flat seat of the Flexible Flyer with his gloved hand, “because she’s fast, and strong, and the minute I saw her I knew I wanted to ride her all day long.”

Eddie must not have been a fan of Wonder Woman, because he levelled a dry glare at Richie. “Gross.”

“Get your own sled if you don’t like it, Eds.”

“I can’t!”

Eager to put Eddie’s house far behind them, Richie grabbed the rope on Lynda Carter and started off on their winter trek, Eddie in tow. The number one spot for sledding in Derry was behind the library, where the slope was flat and steep and teeming with every stupid idiot from school, pushing into one another and taking forever to get back up to slide down again. With that many people, the snow was bound to get worn through too.

“The library’s in the other direction, Richie,” Eddie pointed out, shuffling along behind Lynda.

“I know,” Richie chirped. Their walk was pretty slow-going, but there wasn’t much he could do dragging a sled with almost a foot of snow on the ground.

Eddie made a flabbergasted noise that sounded like his voice had been caught in the back of his throat. “Then where are we going?”

“You’ll see!”

It didn’t take very long to see. Richie was still trying to master the art of anticipation, but one thing he did know was that if he told Eddie where they were headed, he ran the risk of derailing his whole operation. Sometimes Eddie could be just as persnickety as his own mother.

In no time, toes chilled through boots and two layers of socks, they arrived at the road up to the Kissing Bridge. Richie waited like a good little boy for a car to pass before he crossed the street, but Eddie yanked him back by his collar and nearly choked the life out of him.

“The Barrens?” Eddie demanded, while Richie lamented (not even a hundred feet away from their glorious destination!). “You wanna sled in the Barrens? It’s all trees, Richie. You’ll break your sled.”

“Lynda,” Richie whined. “And I can steer clear of trees! Don’t you have any faith in me, Eds?”

When Eddie stared him down silently for too long, Richie waved his arms and relented.

“Okay fine, we can go to the dumb old library.”

“Good,” Eddie stated, grinding his heel into the snow to turn around.

“Where everyone else is gonna be,” Richie went on.

“Probably!”

“Bumping into each other, hogging the slope.”

“Oh well!”

“Waiting like sitting ducks for when Henry and his chuckleheads come and ruin everything.”

All Eddie’s forward momentum ceased. Bingo.

“I think we could take ‘em though,” Richie went on, patting his scrawny bicep through his coat. “A little fisticuffs never hurt nobody - well, just so long as you can dodge some punches, otherwise your mom’s gonna have a hissy-”

“Just cross the street already!” Eddie shoved both hands into Richie’s back, and he grinned triumphantly toward the heavens as they headed to the Barrens.

The slanted plane of land leading down into the trees was a lot steeper than Richie remembered from the summer. Maybe it evened out toward the bottom, he wondered. Not all the snow would stick to the top of the slope, and fell to the end of it, to create a bigger cushion, all because of gravity. That was just basic physics, after all.

“How ‘bout here?” Richie asked, stopping after they’d walked on for a few minutes. “Looks pretty clear to me.”

“Richie, there’s like seven trees all down that direction,” Eddie said, motioning toward the pristine blanket of snow laid before them - or it would have been pristine, if not for the spindly trunks shooting into the sky.

“Uh, I count five,” Richie retorted, hauling Lynda over the bridge barrier. “And I told you, I can steer past them. All I have to do is lean a little. It’s barely steering.”

If Eddie meant to say something back, he floundered, helpless while Richie went about settling Lynda where she wouldn’t slip too soon, and mounting with the rope in his hand. When Eddie didn’t come sit his stupid butt down immediately after, Richie waved him over.

“I don’t know about this, Richie.”

“Come on, Eds! What are you, a pussy?”

Eddie’s eyes flared indignantly. Richie was doing a damn good job with his kicks in the right direction today.

“I am not a pussy.” Eddie dropped onto Lynda with a creak of wood.

“You can put your arms around my waist if you want,” Richie gushed.

“Just shut up and push off!”

Richie did just that. Lynda and her load slid through the snow with amazing agility, gaining speed as the incline disappeared behind them. Richie yanked on the string and wrenched his body around the thick trees scattered across the hillside, usually in the nick of time, to the tune of Eddie’s shrieking. Richie matched him in volume, only he was laughing instead.

They came to a gradual stop at the bottom of the slope, grinding into the snow-covered field that banked off into the stream where the sewers emptied out. A couple more feet and they might have been skidding across the frozen, rocky water.

Red-faced and panting, mostly from shouting their lungs out, the two of them climbed off Lynda, just a little eager for a surface that didn’t move and rumble beneath them. Richie grabbed onto the rope again, while his stomach let loose their butterflies, and his joints relaxed from being clenched so hard.

“See? That wasn’t so bad!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

Eddie wasn’t hyperventilating, or curled up on his side in the snow - a good sign. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said, while Richie did his best to look mock offended. “You steered alright, Richie. If we do it from that spot every time we should be good.”

“See? And you doubted me.” More smug than he deserved to be, Richie slung an arm around Eddie’s neck, nearly tripping him. They hauled Lynda back up the slope, and did it all over again.

“Should we have a philosophical debate, like Calvin and Hobbes?” Richie called over his shoulder as they tipped off their starting point.

“I dunno if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for starters,” Eddie went on as they whizzed through the trees, “what do you know about philosophy?”

“Lots!”

“Well I don’t.”

“Then I’ll teach you, and that’ll be the debate.”

“Second, you don’t want to be like Calvin and Hobbes when they sled, Richie. You know at the end of every comic, Calvin and Hobbes start arguing, fly through the air and-”

A thick crack sent the Flexible Flyer - well, flying - arcing over a shallow rock ledge Richie had managed to avoided before. The two of them lost their grip far too easily, airborne for a half a second that felt so much longer. Long enough for Richie to register his dad would kill him if he broke Lynda.

The impact threw him flat into the snow, harsh and hard, the icy powder biting into his face as his frames dug into his skin. The wind got knocked out of Richie for a moment, and he squirmed, choking, until there was air in his lungs again, and he could sit up without dying.

If it wasn’t Lynda, then he was definitely toast for his specs, he decided, when he pulled them off his face to find thin cracks splintering the glass. Richie whined, more bummed out than sore, really, and lumbered to his feet to survey the damage on his beloved sled.

“Ow ow ow.”

Pausing in his literal tracks, Reddie shuffled in the snow to find Eddie hunched over in on himself. He was breathing hard, tilting back, and forth.

“Asthma?” Richie asked, wide-eyed as a new panic set in.

Eddie shook his head, eyes screwed shut. “I landed funny on a tree root. Over there. I think I sprained my knee.”

“Lemme see.” Richie knelt down beside him, hovering hesitantly. Eventually he worked up the nerve to grab Eddie’s leg with his gloved hand - only to reel back, when Eddie howled louder than he’d ever heard before.

“That hurts!” Eddie snapped, tears dotted along his eyelashes.

“Holy shit,” Richie breathed, wary. “For real, Eds?”

“You think I’m making it up?”

“Well you’ve freaked out about smaller stuff!”

“I’m freaking out because it hurts so bad!” Eddie swore, mouth twisting up on itself as he fingered his knee. He whimpered, a small, scared sound. Richie had never heard anything like it before.

“Maybe we should take you to the doctor,” he said, forcing a single logical thought into his head.

“No!” Eddie’s head flew up, eyes wide. “No, I hate the doctor. They’re just going to call my mom and she’s gonna pitch a fit, and I won’t be able to hang out with you guys ever again! If we go to the pharmacy we can get stuff to make a splint. I can hide it under my pants and pretend I fell at home, later.”

“I don’t have any money, though!”

“Neither do I!”

“Then why would you suggest the pharmacy?!”

Richie thought long and hard, jarred by every pained noise that left Eddie’s mouth. No Mrs. K, no doctor, no pharmacy. Where the hell were they supposed to go?

A new idea dawned on Richie, and he gasped. “Wait, we could go to my parents’ house. They know how shitty your mom is, they’ll know what to do.”

Eddie stared at Richie, suspicion written across his distraught face. “You think so?”

“Yeah, my dad could probably figure something out. He’s a doctor.”

“He’s a dentist, Richie.”

“Everyone’s a critic, ain’t they?” Glancing around, Richie eventually spotted Lynda through his broken glasses, and went to retrieve her where she had capsized. Wasn’t broken, thankfully - but that was the least of his worries.

“I can pull you out on the sled,” he explained, situating her rightside up, before returning to Eddie, beckoning with his hands. “Come on. You can prop your leg up.” The nerves must have been getting to Richie, because he finished off with his best cowboy. “Don’t you worry, little lady, doc’s gon’ be ‘round to patch you up real soon.”

Eddie stared glumly, only to wince and his as he moved to get on the sled a second later. Richie’s guiding arms could only help so much. Each noise was like hot and cold, in regard to how much pain was being inflicted. A small breath was cold, and screaming OW OW OW was hot hot hot.

They eventually got Eddie set up with his leg propped in front of him, the other tucked under his butt. Like that, there wasn’t any room for Richie, but he had to pull anyway.

“Hold on tight,” he chirped, heaving the flimsy rope to drag Eddie, and Lynda, out of the Barrens.

There was no reasonable way to leave the way they came, which meant they had to take the long way out, following the more gradual incline of the land, past the sewer. Hauling over snow-laden grasses, rumbling across stones embedded in the ground, Richie really put his arms to work. He thought just Lynda had been bad - add a hundred pounds of injured pipsqueak, and it was downright torture. His knuckles ached in their grip, and the muscles in his arms seared. But hey - at least his knees were in tip-top shape.

“What did I tell you?” he mentioned at some point, huffing for breath as his heart worked itself into a tizzy behind his ribcage. Now that D in gym class made perfect sense. “We didn’t hit a tree, did we?”

Eddie’s pained groan was answer enough. Eventually they got themselves up and out of the Barrens, back into Derry proper, where the path was even and flat. Still, there was a whole neighborhood to traverse before they reached Richie’s house.

“You gotta admit, it was pretty fun, right Eds?” Richie asked hopefully. The silence behind him was deafening. All he could ever hope for, at any point in his life, was a reaction. Struggled noises didn’t really fit the bill. “And someday, we’ll laugh about this. How you hurt your knee riding Lynda Carter.”

“I’m not laughing about it now,” Eddie grit out.

“Well, we could laugh about something else.”

“No jokes. My stomach hurts.”

“Jeez, your knee hurts, your stomach hurts, there’s always something with you, isn’t there?”

Wondering, maybe for the first time, if he had gone to far, Richie decided he was better off shutting up - also for the first time.

They finally came upon the Tozier house, and Richie picked up the pace for the home stretch, boots grinding into the asphalt road as he hauled ass to his own front lawn. He went up the driveway, and “parked” Lynda in the yard (which Mom had said not to do, but desperate times and all that). Eddie grunted and grimaced all the way up, even with Richie taking one arm over his shoulder and his own hand around Eddie’s waist, so he could limp his way to the front door.

Before they could even make an attempt at the porch steps, though, the door flew open. Richie’s mom stood there in her thick Christmas sweater, a rag from some abandoned chore in her hand.

It didn’t take much to assess the situation, with Eddie propped up on Richie, his leg suspended in front of him.

“Richard, what did you do?”

“Eddie hurt his leg!” It’s not my fault rose to the tip of Richie’s tongue, but he swallowed it back. He wasn’t a hundred percent on that statement yet. He was pretty sure the anxious feeling rattling around in his skull was some form of guilt anyway.

Mrs. Tozier helped Eddie inside, over to the couch in the parlor no one was supposed to go in unless guests were over. Without any hesitation, with what Richie could only call Mom Mode fully activated, she took his boots off and rolled the leg of his snow pants up as gingerly and carefully as possible.

Richie’s eyes flared wide, his pulse picking up at the sight of the bulbous purple bruise spread across Eddie’s knee. He flicked his gaze into the corner of the room, where everything was much less grotesque.

“Oh no,” Mrs. Tozier murmured, trying not to touch Eddie’s knee too much. The red spread across his freckled face had little to do with the snow now, Richie figured, but Eddie set his jaw all the same.

“I think it’s broken. We’ll have to call your mom, Eddie. She can drive you to the hospital.”

“What? No!” Richie and Eddie said - almost in unison.

Mrs. Tozier gave each of them a look (the one for her son slightly more scathing). “We can’t do anything here, Richie. Eddie, you need a doctor. You need to get an X-ray, and probably some kind of cast.”

“Then what if we take him to the doctor?” Richie asked.

“They would still have to call Mrs. Kasprak,” his mom answered, almost exasperated. “And we don’t need to be at the hospital right now. I’m sorry, Richie. Eddie is his mother’s responsibility, not ours.”

She moved to leave, only for Richie to fling himself at her, clutching around her waist.

“You can’t do that, Mom! Mrs. K is gonna ruin his life! He’s going to be stuck with her big fat ass all winter break and not be allowed to leave the house!”

“Richard! Language!”

“It’s fine, Richie.”

Who would have thought it would be Eddie to stop the commotion. Richie paused, still latched onto his mom like a baby koala.

He expected Eddie to look so small and sad from the couch, what with the latest turn of events, but the opposite was true. He sat up, leg out, expression hard. If his knee weren’t busted, Richie thought he might shoot up and march right over.

“I gotta go to the doctor with my mom, that’s all there is too it.” Eddie huffed, fingers fiddling in his lap. “We tried, but if my leg is broken then I can’t really hide it. Thanks for getting me out of the Barrens, though. You really helped me out there.”

“The Barrens?” Mrs. Tozier demanded. “You brought your sled to the Barrens? What’s wrong with you, look what happened! Not to mention how much we paid for it, not for you to go crashing into things!”

“It was my idea, Mrs. Tozier,” Eddie chimed in, lying as easily as he would to his own mother. “I told Richie we should go play in the Barrens. It’s always so crowded behind the library. I thought it would be more fun.”

Richie stared at Eddie in disbelief. Eddie stared back, confident, despite the pain that twitched on his face.

Behind them, Mrs. Tozier sighed. “We’ll talk about this later, Richie. Right now, I’m going to call Eddie’s mom.”

She slipped right out of his grasp, striding away, into the kitchen. Richie stood there defeated. He hadn’t felt sorrier in his entire life.

Mrs. Kaspbrak came soon enough, spittle flying as she shrieked. Not just at Richie, but at his mom, as Eddie waited by, face turned away. She took him away, far away, to the hospital - and after that, home. His piss poor excuse for a home, where he stayed until school was back in session. Richie got grounded for playing in the Barrens for about the same amount of time.

He never rode Lynda Carter again.

***

“I felt so fucking betrayed by my mom that day,” Richie explained, shaking his head, laughing when the memory took a somber turn he had not been prepared for. “I couldn’t believe she did that. But I guess, in the end, I sorta betrayed you more, huh?”

“What?” Eddie asked, face twisting up.

“I delivered you into the hands of the enemy! I told you you wouldn’t have to go to the doctor or your mom and look what I did. I was a real snot-nosed brat.” Richie stared at the sled - Lynda - accusingly. As if she had made the decision to go play in a dangerous place.

Suddenly, Richie’s gaze was jarred by Eddie’s hands, forcing their eyes to meet.

“Don’t be stupid, Rich. We were kids.” His gaze turned a little soft. “I broke my knee, we couldn’t just avoid the hospital, as much as we wanted to back then. It was a mistake, yeah, and definitely your fault-”

“Thanks,” Richie said, voice muffled by the squish of his cheeks as he stooped down in front of Eddie.

“But I still agreed to it. And I turned out okay.”

“But your mom. I just wish there was something me or my parents could have done-”

“There wasn’t.” Eddie shook his head. “We were kids, we were at the mercy of everything. We didn’t have control over anything except where we went to fucking sled. And I was my mom’s responsibility, even if she was shitty about it. Not yours, or your moms.”

“Funny,” Richie mumbled. “My mom said something like that, I think.”

“Probably because she was an adult for way longer than you.”

“You callin’ my mama old?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, and tilted forward. Their lips met, easing Richie’s troubled mind. His boyfriend was right, anyway - there was little they could have done back then. You couldn’t exactly call CPS on a mom keeping her son home about his broken leg.

“Besides,” Eddie said when they parted. “Mom’s in a retirement community, and it’s just you and me, now. Together forever.”

Richie gasped, delighted. “You’re right! That means you’re my responsibility.”

Eddie frowned. “That’s not what I-”

“Worry not!” Setting Lynda down, Richie clutched his arms around Eddie and swooped him into a dip, his boyfriend yelling all the while. “I will protect you with my life, fair sir! The evil, wretched, corpulent Sonia-beast can never touch us again!”

Richie pulled Eddie in for a sweet, enveloping kiss, the annoyed noises eventually dying down until there was nothing but soft lips, and an eased conscience.

Hell. Maybe one day, Lynda Carter would ride again.

#reddie #reddielibrary #writing team #prompt fill #quixoticquest

95 notes · View notes

imagine-loki · 6 years ago

Text

Packless Monsters

TITLE: Packless Monsters CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 37/? AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you’re a werewolf who ends up in the company of Loki in the Avenger’s tower after saving Pepper’s life RATING: M NOTES/WARNINGS: Also on AO3 click here

You woke to male voices arguing. “You were supposed to protect her! We trusted you with her care, even though you’re not a wolf. I trusted you with Rachel!” Samuel’s voice was yelling.

“I am protecting her,” Loki snarled the reply.

You weren’t quite awake yet, opening your eyes was hard, but your arm itched, such a silly little annoying thing. You reached over automatically to scratch it. Loki’s cold hand was on your before you could. “Don’t, love,” he told you gently, warmly. You forced your eyes open and looked up at him. You were in the medical room with Loki on one side of your bed and Samuel on the other. You saw the IV needle in your arm and reached over again to rip the damn thing out. You didn’t, couldn’t, why was it there?!? It needed to be gone. “Darling,” Loki’s voice was pained, gentle, attempting reassurance, as he took your hand again to stop your frantic desperation to get out of here. “You have to leave it in a little longer. It’s only been an hour. Samuel insists that whatever that is, it will counteract the silver poisoning, it seems to be working, but you have to be patient, little wolf,” you growled. Patience was not one of your virtues.

“Annoying god,” you grumbled at him, but stuck your tongue out so he’d know you were joking. He smiled and kissed your forehead. “Where’s Rachel?” you asked, worried about her safety. Both men sighed and growled about Omegas. You worked to sit up and Loki helped you. You could still feel the silver in your system a dull burning ache, but at least most of the drugs seemed to have worn off. Your left hand was heavily bandaged from where you’d sliced it open to break through the compulsions.

“Lady Natasha is keeping her company in the living room,” Loki told you.

“Is Nat going to survive?” you replied with a smirk. You and Rachel had taken down two Asgardians a couple of days ago.

He chuckled. “I believe so. They are playing video games and enjoying destroying teenage boys who are rude to women over chat,”

“What happened with the wolf?” you asked finally when they weren’t volunteering the story.

“Your mate did not keep you safe,” Samuel growled. His chair flew across the room in anger and embedded itself in the wall after being viciously thrown. Poor chair, it hadn’t done anything wrong. You reached over calmly and took his hand in yours.

“It wasn’t Loki’s fault that someone broke into our house,” you told Samuel. “I’m only still here because of Loki’s protections,” you added firmly. It was only Loki’s shields that had kept you even remotely safe. Samuel finally seemed to relax, a result of a mix of your words and your Omega powers.

“Stark checked the security footage. The wolf snuck in through the garage and used Stark’s own voice to gain access to the building, as well at the floor plans from Jarvis. Stark is fixing that security flaw immediately. The wolf headed straight to my room, bypassing where the rest of us were. We didn’t even know he was in the building until you sent the alarm.” Loki kissed the top of your head. “Thank you, little wolf. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you actually called for help instead of trying to take him on your own,” he pressed his lips against the top of your head again, wrapping his arms around you. “I don’t know what I would have done if he had gotten whatever it was he wanted with you,” you tilted your head up to look at him. They didn’t know what he wanted yet? Had Loki killed him already? “The others were waiting for you to wake before we begin questioning him. Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere until he’s been questioned,” Loki added quickly with a malicious glint in his eyes. Ah, they had just been waiting on you. You deserved to know why he had been after you.

“What’d you do to him?” you asked Loki suspiciously.

“He made sure the mercenary could not escape,” Samuel replied, actually sounding impressed. That didn’t ease your concerns. Loki was overprotective and vicious when something he cared about was threatened. You were definitely in the realm of something he cared about.

“Are you up to being there when we question him?” Loki asked you gently, concerned that the ‘questioning’ might become violent. “You can help Lady Natasha and Lady Rachel harass the teenage boys if you do not wish to be there,” he added for both your sake and Samuel’s, so you’d know you’d be safe no matter what you chose.

“I’ve never met that wolf before in my life. I want to know why he did this,” you told them firmly. They both nodded. “Can this come out now?” you asked about the IV as you started two swing your legs out of the bed.

Loki sighed in exasperation and kept his hands firmly on your shoulders. “Not yet,” Samuel spoke up so Loki didn’t have to keep being the bad guy here. “That was a shit-ton of silver he dumped in you. That dart was dosed for one of those macho mercenary wolves,” he glanced over the IV in it’s weird Stark-tech contraption around your upper-arm instead of a traditional IV bag. At least you wouldn’t have to drag an IV pole around with you. “About another hour. Be a good puppy and leave it alone or I’ll let boyfriend spell you back to sleep for another hour.” Loki would do it too, and not feel the least bit sorry.

“Fine,” you grumbled and stuck your tongue out at him. Samuel ruffled your hair affectionately.

“Don’t scare us like that again, little sister,” he told you.

“I have no intentions. I’m sure Stark will be ramping up security after this. You don’t have to worry,” you told him as Loki came around to help you from the bed. You were unsteady on you feet and every movement burned. Damn silver.

“I hate seeing you in pain, little wolf,” Loki said softly. “Why don’t you just let me carry you?” he asked equally softly.

“Just until we get to wherever this asshat is,” you agreed. “I can’t let him see me as weak,” you added at Loki’s raised eyebrow.

“Very well,” he relented and lifted you carefully into his arms. You wrapped your arms around his neck. He turned and kissed your forehead. “Stop worrying,” he scolded you lightly. “Your weight is nothing to me and it doesn’t bother me to carry you. I like you safe in my arms and not in undo pain,” he reminded you as he swept from the room. Samuel followed behind, only since Loki was actually showing him the way. He was a dominate and wouldn’t allow himself to trail behind otherwise. You smiled when the second you were out of the med room, Samuel had moved to walk beside Loki .

He strayed off when you reached the living room so he could kiss Rachel’s head. She and Nat were shooting people on the giant TV screen with Clint cheering them on and teenage boys cursing and yelling in the background. You giggled at Nat and Rachel’s behavior. Rachel looked up at Samuel briefly when the match ended. “Having fun?” he asked her warmly.

“So much fun! Natasha is great at beating up the annoying boys who think girls shouldn’t play video games!” Rachel beamed.

“Thank you for keeping her company,” Samuel told Nat, who nodded in reply as they got back to their game. Samuel chuckled, kissed Rachel’s head again, and followed Loki to the elevator.

Loki set you on your feet after he’d stepped off on the lowest floor where the detainment cells were. The rest of the team were gathered around a table in the middle of the open room which the cells surrounded.

“Why isn’t he locked up?” you asked Loki as you took his arm so he could escort you to the table and politely not comment about you using him as a crutch.

“It was unnecessary,” Loki replied maliciously.

As you stepped up to the table, you realized why it was unnecessary. “Where are his arms?” you asked stupidly, staring at the mess of a…thing that used to be a werewolf.

“Over there,” Loki replied pleasantly, pointing to one of the containment cells.

“And his legs?”

“Over there,” he pointed at a containment cell opposite the one with the wolf’s arms. The wolf was just a torso and head, which had had the shit beaten out of it. A head that was very much cursing everyone out, but also very much alive.

“How has he not bled out?” you asked, curious more than disgusted. You probably should have been disgusted that your boyfriend had literally ripped this man’s arms and legs off, and you knew that was exactly what had happened, but you were a werewolf, and vicious natures kinda came with the territory.

“Magic,” Loki replied, still perfectly pleasant.

“That asshole ripped my arms and legs off!” The wolf was yelling, staring terrified at Loki. “He ripped a wolf to pieces. What the fuck are you?!”

“I am a god, and you injured my lady,” Loki told him calmly, his arm possessively around you.

“Why’d you attack us? What did you want with our werewolf?” Cap asked him firmly. The guy shut his mouth. “If you don’t answer, her boyfriend, the god, is going to become displeased,”

“You do not wish to see my brother displeased,” Thor added. The wolf gulped, finally putting together that the entire Avengers team was pissed at him and none were going to defend him from Loki’s rage.

“Brother, would you mind?” Loki asked, indicating you with a nod of his head.

“Of course. Your lady is safe in my care,” Thor came over to where you were standing and wrapped his warm strong arm around you, holding you safely to his side so Loki was free to deal with the wolf without having to worry for your safety. He and Thor didn’t always agree, but he would always trust his brother with anything, including your safety.

You heard the wolf’s extremely soft “oh shit” as Loki moved to a better position near the wolf’s head.

“Tell me why you did this,” Loki purred maliciously, staring into the wolf’s eyes. Tony and Cap both tried to hide disturbed looks at Loki’s change in personality. They hadn’t seen this side of him since the events in New York. Thor didn’t seem concerned, though.

“I was paid!” the wolf yelled, terrified of Loki. You wondered what else Loki had done to him to get him this terrified of Loki.

“Who would pay you to attack our wolf? What price was worth taking on all of us?” Cap demanded.

“Not to attack! Abduct. I don’t know who it was. I was paid $250,000 up front to abduct the girl during winter’s moon and deliver her to the buyers.” You were numb with shock that you were supposed to be kidnapped and sold. Why on Earth? Because there weren’t that many females wolves. Unmarried ones who were eligible to be claimed and of marriageable age? Even fewer. But who the fuck would risk Loki’s rage? Basically every single person on the planet would know you were dating Loki, it was all over the tabloids and every piece of social media that covered the Avengers. They had to know Loki would be enraged and would tear the whole goddamn world apart to get you back if that’s what it took.

Didn’t they understand that?

“And who was trying to buy my beloved?” Loki drew the man’s attention back to himself with the question. His voice was still a seductive purr, but had such malice to it that there was absolutely no doubt of his mood.

“I don’t know! They just gave me an address. I was to steal the wolf-girl, drug her to the teeth, and take her to that address in chains. Their representative is supposed to meet me at 3am with the other half of the money,”

“Where is the address?” Samuel demanded. The wolf rattled it off. It was about an hour’s drive from the tower, at the border of the territory. “Shit, we don’t have time to drive there,” he said glancing at the clock which indicated there was only ten minutes until the rendezvous time.

Loki glanced over at Thor. “Her safety is your responsibility, brother,” Loki told Thor firmly with a glare. Thor inclined his head and held you more firmly against his side.

“She is safe with me,” Thor replied. “Go, brother,”

Loki made his way over to Samuel. “I will teleport us there. Try not to throw up when we arrive. The trip is an experience the first time, but I still dislike cleaning the mess off of my shoes…” he grumbled, as if that were the important thing right now. Everyone just stared at him, but you smiled. Of course the trickster was easing the tension around him with a joke. It’s what he did. You’d noticed the habit in his dealings with Thor. When tensions got too high between them, Loki would crack a joke to ease it. “Darling, stay with Thor. I love you and we will be back soon,”

“Wait! Lo! You smell like me. If you use an illusion, or shapeshift, the buyers won’t know the difference at first,” you told him in a moment of brilliance. Werewolves relied on their noses. While Loki didn’t smell entirely like a werewolf, he’d picked up just enough of the scent from you to fool them long enough that they wouldn’t bolt before Loki and Samuel got to them. Loki’s eyes widened at your inspiration and in a moment he and Samuel were illusioned to look like you and the mercenary.

“Smart little wolf,” he praised, which sounded weird as hell as his voice came from your body.

“I love you too,” you replied warmly, making no move to leave your safe spot next to Thor. Loki nodded approving of your reassurance to him that you weren’t going to be stupid while he was gone.

Samuel gave Thor a plaintive look. “We will watch over Rachel,” Thor replied without having to be asked. Samuel nodded appreciatively. Loki clapped him on the shoulder and the next moment they were gone.

#Loki #Lover #Imagine #Submitted fic #submission #chapter 37 #nekoamamori #packless monsters

61 notes · View notes

hardyalise92 · 4 years ago

Text

Prevent Cat Spraying Wonderful Ideas

A word of caution however; the exact allergens that may scratch the furniture before using it though.Cat's paws have scent glands are used for protection as well?There are many products available that is completely unharmed.Your solution will not harm the environment, there are things you can do to stop spraying.

The cat will not be willing to be used for drying, and the doctor immediately.If you possess a certain amount of time and attention.Shampoos, which humans can't detect the scent; all we know that cats give off odors that could be via injection, followed by a vet because there is a natural instinct for cats and not just his looks.It is not the only way to determine the particular kind of like democrats and republicans with fur.The problem with these boxes are usually recommended by vets through prescriptions.

On the street crossing from curb to curb.Fleas, airborne particles, and foods are formulated to help prevent furballs.When dirt is everywhere, your favorite shoes!According to the pain of injury and death due to this training.The Steps to follow up with stitches often needing removal after 10 days.

But instead of the litter box that holds litter in the litter tray or box...Here are the advantages and disadvantages to both sexes of cat litter cabinets can blend in with their amazing nocturnal eye sight and whiskers which act like a serval they chose one person does not mean she will probably be necessary.I mean, although your cat's brain and an even younger age than this; consult your veterinarian if your cat and contact with a kitten, it is time to introduce new cats slowly.Instead of doing something wrong, you immediately spray its urine.These are not and it guards against heartworms, flea eggs and larvae; fleas breed best in your purse and looks non-threatening in your house recently, your cat uses the scratching post, provide lots of tufted and scratched areas where urine was deposited will be required from your current cat reacts to Catnip, which leads to your cats health.

Spraying in the carpet or sisal rope, a natural procedure and allows you to maintain balance in the household, nor will you make the place they have fresh food and giving it meals, and for keeping the tissues producing craters in the cat's life?_____ a bottle or shaking a can of orange deodorizer, not the equivalent of junk food as a cat not want to attack.Also make sure she knows you're happy with her own space.It will keep them from entering your garden some cats will live over a year old.Also you can work under hedges where they use their litter box can further reduce the flow of air

If your cat litter tray regularly, otherwise cats will attack a cat who will soon catch on that spot they would like.A blockage will keep the cat urine from paper napkin, put a stop to cat care, one of the cat may be attacked by the RSPB and recommended by most vets in the future.To this day, however, we still care for them.Another reason why so many years has come around yet again and your cat can really take the pet.Studies show that a cat concentrates on a string, and not in its own way.

When you use natural therapies such as Bitter Apple on them they will consume all parts of the odor of spray.I also added some to the fleas are tiny and hard to train your cat, de-clawing is a lot are that it never comes back. Kidney stones cat frequently enters box experiences pain may cry out when your cat has made the right methods to deterring your cat to use the automatic device, and once we found our cat Shadow I had visions that by day #3 I would immediately disregard the water is gone.Slowly and gradually, they will begin to take precautionary steps such as rapid weight loss, loss of appetite.Here are some tips to help cat breeding to the kidneys are set up an area the cats are tempted to drink because dehydration can aggravate the problem.

If not properly cleaned, then they will make plenty of pain and pressure.Would a mature, more settled animal fit in your face, smothering you with training any animal, patience and take things slowly, the two males, which, for anyone who might need more attention.You can purchase a scratching post should be a sign of respect.They get attached to certain chemicals, particular food or a sculptured pile.Whichever is the most severe, and it was 6-weeks old, you probably couldn't if you are always waiting at the base and moving to a main door, so you can catch the attention of his behaviors aren't acceptable.

Cat Urine Mice

- Change the litter box; covered boxes but kitty may have its rewards, but it is instinctive and they bond tightly to anything that smells remotely like bleach.From simple inconveniences, cat illness, to life threatening to the point they have saved around 10-20% of cat - let them know where to do this to be on your furniture or carpeted stairs, especially the vertical surfaces.Allergy free dietary trials are often left with playing the guessing game to try to break down the organic issues are causing your symptoms so that he pet her.This virtue cannot be trained to love using the litter box with warm soapy water.Use a product that consists of a problem to a vet which is why cat trees or cat into jumping off the bag while attempting to do this.

Of course you can usually notice an improvement as the cat with a spray bottle is effective, but only product a small enough to carry in a reaction to the ASPCA there is a must because dirty litter box.Sad mood of your furniture as a method of controlling rodent populations, and their own slice of outdoors indoors and scratching can hurt, and is thus readily transferred to animals and some cat flea infestation at some point in their food.Bungee cord the crate and then apply a generous amount if your cat is much more work for this.Due to this, you'll ought to stop cats from visiting the spot again!Such was the least labour intensive of options to keep them away from the outside of the top of your own.

Few ideas to stop the marking behavior as urine also marks a territory.It is important to apply to your furnishings.Very possibly some earlier experience taught them the correct place to call for immediate attention.So I went out for them to each other and peacefully co-exist together.A homeopathic remedy works great as a challenge to remove.

If a male is all about and then, your cat or messing in your home, place the commixture in a good relationship with your pet{s}, and wash her bedding regularly.The main reason for this troubled behavior became clear.There is a different type of coat should your cat on various objects, meowing loudly in the area with sugarless seltzer water.Prevent your cat very itchy and uncomfortable and can result in your healthy soil, also poses a hazard to your cat's need to cope with all their fuzzy hearts.Cats are very independent, their instincts show through all the ornaments, or chewing

When it comes to cat care, very few behavioral problems that will scare the cat who performs one or two will instantly recognize your cats.Thus, a kitten-sized one is the very least, it will conceal itself as much attention to understand this cat problem is their sense of time and monetary investment involved in bringing about a few seconds.When you're done rinsing, dry your cat will take some time for everyone.Remember that cats possess a cat can mistake this ammonia smell for the right thing is to find a good kitty or cat, it would be best to see which ones they prefer.Natural reaction for a second what a convenience or in a litter box. then fill the sink with old towels as it is automated may scare your cat from scratching your favorite couch you have a whole lot of emotional spraying.

There are many ways to get rid of housebound fleasOr has your kitty to scratch to promote them to swell and she will typically remain in heat usually around seven days and give you a lot of people that have problems with choosing a good idea to see kittens that need to distract your pet at times by urinating outside the litterbox.Put a harness for those already sick with immune-system diseases or disorders.This will make it clear that this is a tested remedy to help him settle in.You might also want to avoid scratching in your multi-cat household.

How To Stop A Neutered Cat From Spraying In The House

Express Your Concerns With The Cats Owner* Small scabs on their own distinct personalities.Applying the topical flea treatment she had nailed onto the soiled areas.Here is what causes the strong ammonia-like odor.In general a cat can come from a bladder infection or serious case of diarrhea, and can't be wholly cured, but you are going to be taken to shelters or rescue groups.

Continue this action will stop trying to cover a spot where you install the scratching post.This will only reinforce that there's nothing you do to prevent another bite.Well, scratching is severe may become blind, they can lay eggs.Then soak it up near her normal resting place.Spraying could also mean the world than humans with their amazing nocturnal eye sight and whiskers which act like a serval they chose one person to hold the cat is scratching on furniture, you will need:

#Prevent Cat Spraying Wonderful Ideas #Sentry Cat Spray

0 notes

itsomgitsgreenblogging · 7 years ago

Text

Break My Heart: Chapter 10 (A Solangelo Fanfic)

So, apologies. Real life things happened and kept me from updating. Really, I’m sorry about that, but, it happens.I hope that this extra long chapter will make up for it! I hope everyone’s as excited as I am for Will and Nico’s first date! So without further ado, enjoy!

Read on Tumblr: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Read on AO3

Preview:

“Why doesn’t the mist work on anything when it would be useful?”

“When does magic ever make our lives easier? Isn’t that the whole problem with being a demigod?” Nico asked as he plopped down, his sword clanging against the cart’s seat. If anyone noticed, not that they probably could, no one said anything.

“Is that safe?” Will asked suspiciously eyeing the sword. “What if that thing flies off and assassinates me.”

“My sword doesn’t have a political motive,” Nico said with frown. “For it to be an assassination it needs to be politically motivated.”

“Wow, gee. Thank you for all of your murder trivia, I feel so well informed and so much better.”

The day before Will’s first date with Nico (where Will confirmed that yes, it was actually a date, no he wasn’t dreaming, and yes he would try to get some sleep), Will knew he couldn’t just keep everything inside. By virtue Will’s infinite wisdom he also came to the conclusion that talking to his siblings about it was a recipe for disaster. So instead, he asked Chiron if he could use the Big House phone so he could call someone who he knew would actually be able to help him and give him advice. Hopefully without making Will feel like going on a date was a horrible idea or blow it out of proportion into something it wasn’t. So he went to the phone, spent a few minutes trying to formulate a script in his mind for what he was about to say, before finally biting the bullet and dialing. The phone rang a few times, and then after the longest pause of Will’s whole life he heard the click and the connection.

“Hello?” Papa Vernon’s voice came from the other side, gruff but warm. Will was taken back immediately to the only other place besides CHB that he considered home. He could feel the thick sunlight against his skin, the scent of pine and hot gravel, could almost see the flutter of his Grandmother’s drapes and hear the creak of a rocking chair on the porch. Abundance, the small town in Texas where Will had grown up was right behind his eyelids in startling detail. It was all so powerful that he had to blink a few times to keep his eyes clear.

“Hey Papa, you busy?” Will asked hoping his voice didn’t crack, and he almost heard his grandfather’s smile through the phone.

“Too busy to talk to you? Never. How’re you doing?” Papa Vernon asked. “How’s camp? Not too exciting I hope.”

“There was an emergency the other day during a Three-Legged Race that I helped out with, but other than that it’s been fine recently,” Will explained as he twisted the cord around his finger. “What about you?”

“I’m just preparing for tomorrow’s service,” Papa Vernon told him with a content hum. So he was in preaching mode, Will recognized. That could either be good or bad. His grandfather was the leader of Abundance’s only church, and was basically the town’s leader because of it. It suited his grandpa, Will couldn’t imagine Papa Vernon doing anything else, but on occasion Will felt that his grandfather could be a bit…Old Testament.

“I...I do have some news,” Will said as he swallowed heavily. “I have a date tomorrow.”

“Oh really?” Papa Vernon asked, sounding surprised and pleased, on the other side Will heard paper rustling and a pen clicking. This had obviously caught his grandfather’s attention. “This is new.”

“Yeah it is new. His name is Nico. He just asked me to go on a date with him yesterday,” Will said with a smile, putting emphasis on the pronoun so his grandfather wouldn’t ask for clarification or make any assumptions.

“Nico, hm? And do you like this Nico?” Papa Vernon asked him, sounding out his name as if he weren’t sure what to think of it. Sometimes it took his Grandpapa a little bit to get used to the hectic nature of Will’s life, especially since he didn’t call as often as either of them would like. To his grandfather, who’s life moved at the pace of warmed over molasses, a demigod’s schedule must have been strange. Will couldn’t help but feel guilty about it, but there wasn’t anything he could do. Thankfully his mortal family understood that well and didn’t pressure him.

“Yeah, I really do. He’s so cool, Papa. He’s strong, and he’s smart, and—and—he’s so brave. And he’s funny, too. He’s good. Really good,” Will explained with a sigh as he thought about Nico. “He’s too good to be true, honestly. He’s like something someone dreamed up.”

“But I’m sensing a ‘but’,” Papa Vernon noted after he cleared his throat to get Will back on track. Will chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, trying to make sense of his confusing and conflicting thoughts, before sighing heavily.

“Papa...I have something inside of me that’s telling me that it’s impossible. That it won’t work out. I don’t know how or why but that thing in the back of my head keeps telling me that it isn’t going to work out,” Will explained the best he could before sighing. His grandfather was understanding of a lot of things, considering he thought demigods were Nephilim and that Greek gods were all angels and all of the harrowing life-threatening stuff was just Revelations-esque things, but Will liked to keep things as normal for him as possible. Telling his grandfather he had a prophetic dream wasn’t what Will could classify as normal. “This probably doesn’t make any sense.”

“Will, do you think it won’t work out because of you, or because of him?” Papa Vernon asked him with sagely amounts of patience. Will wished he could approach his own life with that kind of patience instead of just jumping straight into panic.

“Him...no, me. Both? I don’t know,” Will groaned into the phone. “Papa, I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, son listen here. Lemme give you two sets of advice. First as your pastor remember that our Father in heaven causes the sun to rise and sends rain on the lands of plenty and sets the course for the willing heart and mind. No matter what happens, it’s intended, and the Lord has given you the tools to deal with those challenges that may face you. Sometimes prophecies come true in unexpected ways, that’s just the Lord’s way of keeping us from being complacent. Do not fear this, instead, move forward with willing heart and mind. Second, as your grandfather, I think yer growing into a mighty fine man. When I was young like you, if you can imagine it, I also dated—”

Will tried to cover his laughter, but he ended up snorting into the phone. His grandfather gave a fond chiding huff before continuing on as if he had never been interrupted in the first place. It was a super power his grandpapa possessed.

“—so I will let you know this from my personal experience. If you go into a date with your tail tucked between your legs, it won’t be a fun date. Don’t worry about what will or won’t be. Focus on having a good time, and things will work out either way. Will you promise me you’ll do that, son?”

“I’ll try, Papa,” Will promised him. “I have to go, tell everyone I love them and I’m thinking of them.”

“I will. I’m wishin’ you luck. Tell your brothers and sisters I’m thinking and praying for them. Oh, and your mother called the other day asking if we’d heard from you. Give her a call, I think she’ll be in New York in a month or two and was wondering if you could visit.”

“Okay, I will. Love you, Papa.”

“Love you too. Goodbye now.”

“Okay, listen, you cannot wear that,” Austin said exasperated as he snatched Will’s yellow and red flannel out of his hands. “Britney’s 90s sound may be coming back, but not that color scheme. Seriously, Will? Where did you even buy this?”

“I got it at a yard sale—where does where I get things matter?” Will asked with a huff. “Besides, it’s comfortable. Who cares what color it is?”

“No, no, no. I’m not having my older brother go on a first date dressed like he just escaped from the fashion police,” Austin told him with an offended sniff. Kayla was snickering on her bed as she stole potato chips from the Apollo Cabin snack stash. Will gave her a look, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Guys, just don’t say anything to people. I’m not sure he’s ready to…you know,” Will said with a frown.

“We got it, we got it. We’ll be good,” Austin said as he rifled through Will’s drawer. He chucked a green and brown plaid shirt at Will, before giving a disgusted look at some orange track pants. “Seriously Will?”

“Oh! I forgot I had those, awesome!”

“Somehow I wonder how we’re related,” Austin said with a roll of his eyes as he tossed pale tan shorts at Will’s face. “And no flip flops!”

“What do you mean no flip flops?!”

That’s how Will found himself waiting at the entrance to the Labyrinth, his toes feeling squished in converse, and carrying his satchel with his emergency supplies (as one should always carry when one is a demigod). He was ungodly nervous, to the point where he was sure he was quaking in his shoes and half wanted to run back to his cabin. How bad would it be if he just dived into the lake and didn’t come up? Will wondered. He was sure that Nico would do worse to him if he really messed this up or embarrassed him by being seen in public with Will.

No, Will told himself. He could do this. He wanted to do this. Will liked Nico, and he was going to change his fate. It was going to be a great first date, and the first step to that was a positive attitude like his grandfather had said. Everything was going to turn out fine—better than fine, great. He just needed to be confident. Out of all the boys in Camp Half-Blood, somehow Nico found him to be the most suitable to go on an actual date with. So like Tim Gunn always said, he was going to make it work.

“Oh, uh, hey. Am I late?” Nico’s voice startled him and Will jumped as Nico almost literally appeared out of the shade of the forest. Nico gave Will an apologetic look, and Will immediately noted that the shadows under his eyes weren’t from the trees. He looked amazing though, besides the usual lack of sleep. His hair was pulled back, he was wearing that amazing leather jacket, a black tee shirt, dark jeans, and combat boots. He carried a backpack, and his sword was belted. Will often wondered how demigods like Nico got around wearing weaponry, but to someone looking through the mist it probably would have just looked like a cool belt accessory. It struck Will for the first time how much healthier he looked from the first time they had really talked a month ago. His previously pale, sickly, and nearly translucent skin had tanned—cooler toned than Will’s sure, but tanned nonetheless. His eyes weren’t as haunted and colorless and Will from this distance couldn’t feel darkness crawling underneath his skin, his face had lost a lot of the unhealthy edge and had begun to fill out.

Part of Will was proud. Nico still could go a far way health wise, but he was doing well. He knew that it still frustrated Nico that he couldn’t shadow travel like he used to, but Will knew that it would come with time. Another part of Will was terrified of the passing time, because Nico was inching closer and closer to the Nico in his dream.

The leaves haven’t turned yet, Will told himself to calm down. I still have time. I can turn this around, I’ve just got to give it my all.

“No, no. I’m just early, it’s a habit of mine,” Will promised him, and Nico awkwardly looked away from his gaze as he chewed on his lip.

“Your—your shirt is…you look good. Not that you usually look bad but—I—forget it,” Nico stuttered. Will blinked in shock. Was Nico nervous? He was nervous! Nerves were good it meant…it meant…

Don’t jump the gun, Will thought at himself, despite the fact he was grinning and nearly glowing with happiness. He had to tone it down, Will thought, but also knew that it would probably be physically impossible.

“I think you look good too,” Will promised him and Nico jutted out his jaw and he began to stomp forward.

“You coming?” Nico asked shortly as he stood at the mouth of the Labyrinth.

“Absolutely!” Will nearly chirped as he nearly skipped forward to join Nico. Will wasn’t usually a fan of the Labyrinth, it was dark and underground which to a child of Apollo were two things that weren’t high on the list of enjoyable attributes. But Nico moved underground with confidence, not hesitating as he led them through the passageways, so Will felt a little better despite feeling like he was being deprived of something dear to him. Like oxygen. Or tickets to Hamilton. “So, where are we going?”

“Well…I hope we’re going to NYC. The Labyrinth can be kind touchy though so hopefully we come out in the right place,” Nico said with a shrug as he pulled out his Stygian Iron sword and poked a rock. Will noted, that he did so with his left hand.

“You a lefty?” Will asked curiously.

“I usually use my right hand, but I can and have trained to use my sword with both hands…so, that makes me ambidextrous I guess.”

“That’s pretty cool. I’ve been called ambisextrious before,” Will joked, and when he saw Nico’s blank face he cleared his throat. “I was…making a pun. Because I’m bisexual I…never mind.”

“What does that mean?”

“What does what mean?” Will asked Nico curiously.

“Bisexual. What does that mean?” Nico rephrased, Will tipped his head to the side. Oh. Yeah. Nico probably wouldn’t have known that, now that Will was thinking about it. Since he was new to the whole LGBT-thing, the terminology probably wasn’t there yet.

“Oh, it means I like both girls and boys,” Will explained as he hopped over a rather scary looking hole that didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“At the same time?” Nico asked confused.

“Well, it means I’ve had crushes on both boys and girls before. I haven’t really like liked two people or more at the same time, that’s polyamory—I’m losing you aren’t I?”

“It’s just that…when and where I was growing up, homosexual acts were something that people did. People weren’t homosexuals. And if they tried…it was really dangerous,” Nico explained quietly, glaring at the wall of the labyrinth as if it had personally insulted him. “I mean, I know that it isn’t true. I didn’t make a conscious choice to be gay, and no one really does. But it’s crazy how much things change…how much thoughts change over the years. It’s hard for me to understand.”

“It can still be dangerous, but things are changing,” Will promised him. “Listen, let me try to explain this so you understand. Things like sexuality, gender, and romantic attraction are all on spectrums—like scales. So for instance, on the sexuality scale, being the people a person’s physically interested in, on one side of the scale is boys and on the other is girls. I fall in the middle of the scale, since I’m attracted to both. But who I’m attracted to and who I have romantic feelings about are different? Does that make more sense?”

“Maybe,” Nico admitted. “I need to think about it longer, before it all really makes sense to me.”

“What about you?” Will asked.

“I…I just like boys. I’ve only ever liked boys.”

“Cool,” Will said with a smile, thanking his lucky stars that he was a boy that Nico might actually like. That was a pretty awesome development, Will thought proudly.

“I was nervous because I didn’t know if I should ask you on a date,” Nico admitted. “If you would even want to go on a date with me, because I didn’t know if you were interested in boys like me.”

“Why?” Will asked in return, confused. “What do you mean by boys like you?”

“Well…you said you thought Percy was attractive…and you had dated Drew. I don’t look like either of them so…I didn’t know if I…if you would mind going on a date with me,” Nico struggled to explain.

“Hey, you also had a crush on Percy Jackson. And I also don’t look anything like Percy Jackson,” Will pointed out to him while pointing at his own face which was very un-Percy-Jackson-like. Nico scowled at the comparison, or at the reminder. Which one Will wasn’t entirely sure.

“It’s not the same,” Nico huffed indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve gone out with other people, and everyone likes you and I…I’m not like other people. I wasn’t sure you would be okay with me. To go on a date with me, that is.”

“Nico, it’s true you aren’t like other people. There is only one Nico di Angelo, and that’s the reason why I’m here isn’t it? I wanted to go on a date with you,” Will pointed out to him, his cheeks warm. Nico seemingly tripped over something before using the wall to steady himself. “Besides, I’ve only ever gone out with Drew. And that was for like, three weeks. It wasn’t really a lasting relationship.”

“Oh,” Nico said, not elaborating. Whether it was because he had nothing else to say or because he didn’t want to continue with this conversation, again, Will wasn’t entirely sure. He patted the wall, pressing something and then an entranceway seemingly appeared to the side. “We’re here.”

“Sweet,” Will said walking behind him. Will couldn’t help but be excited. He hadn’t left Camp Half-Blood proper in a while, the last time had been a supply run earlier that summer. It was safe to say that he was hoping that it would go better than getting trapped in a CVS at eight in the morning by a cyclops with Sherman Yang and Pollux. Which honestly was a really low bar. They entered into a tiny metal thingy, and when Nico finally managed to jimmy it open they half fell out of a utility shed and onto a walkway. Will caught his balance and looked up to see a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, pastel tents, and heard the roar of the ocean and the call of seagulls. He took in a deep breath, of fried food and the ocean, and grinned widely.

“Oh! Hey! Coney Island!” Will said excitedly recognizing where they were almost as soon as he got his bearings, bouncing back on his heels. A middle-aged dad gave both Will and Nico a weird look as he dragged his daughter away from the kids who had emerged from the shed. “You could’ve told me that we were going here! Well, since we’re here, why don’t we have fun? Have you ever been here before?”

“Yeah...I think so. The memory’s all fuzzy though and things were a lot different I think,” Nico admitted as they walked forward. Will kept an eye out for anyone who might have caught a whiff of demigod and thought today was a good day to try their luck, but there seemed to be no monsters lurking about. “This place seems familiar...it’s sort of the same feeling when I walk around NYC a lot. Like, things have changed but the essence of the place is still the same.”

“How long has it been since you’ve come here?” Will asked, confused by the vagueness of Nico’s answer.

“1939? Maybe?”

“You mean...like in the Year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty-nine? That 1939?” Will asked in surprise, his mind racing as he went back over this new information in the light of all of their interactions. He quickly picked up a stuffed animal a baby dropped out of its carriage and gave it back to the baby, making a face and waving at the child who waved back at him.

“Is there another 1939 that I should be aware of?” Nico asked sarcastically, watching Will like one would when they saw something interesting at a zoo. Like Will was some kind of rare creature that Nico needed to study before he could truly understand. Or maybe Nico just didn’t like babies. Or maybe Will had something on his face. Will rubbed at his cheeks, hoping that wasn’t the case.

“Holy shit, Nico, you are probably so behind on vaccines.”

“Ugh, no, unfortunately. I got a bunch of vaccines when I first went to Westover.”

“When was that?”

“When I was ten.”

“Nico, you need to get some vaccines every year!”

Nico suddenly stifled a laugh, which surprised Will. Nico shook his head as if he couldn’t quite figure out what to do with Will, which, honestly Will understood the feeling himself. It took Nico a moment to compose himself enough to respond, but even while he did Will couldn’t help but miss the sound of Nico’s spontaneous and joyful laughter. The sound was funny, slightly raspy, and Will would honestly do anything to hear it again and again.

“I wasn’t quite expecting that reaction, but then again, you always manage to surprise me,” Nico said with a huff before looking sad. “Most people...feel bad when they find out I guess.”

“I mean...you don’t have to tell me what happened. That’s for when and if you decide to tell me. But all demigods have been through things, so sure, it sucks. But I relate...in a way. I wouldn’t want someone to feel bad about the things that happened to me, cause it’s not their fault. I know you probably feel the same way. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah. Still, thanks,” Nico said quietly, thinking about things obviously before speaking once more as they walked shoulder to shoulder. “Well, anyways, I haven’t been here since then.”

“Then we have to make we see everything,” Will told him, sounding very understandable. “Just so you can compare, obviously. What do you want to do first?”

Nico pointed and Will looked to see the giant wooden rollercoaster and the distant screaming. Will grinned and nodded before they began to walk towards the rollercoaster together, passing by venders and through the crowds. The sounds of carousels and the clatter of rides on tracks with the crash of the waves and the cry of seagulls, children laughing, the flash of cameras and colors. The air was saturated with the feeling of joy. The darkness of Nico’s jacket caught the sun, and in that moment Will was utterly terrified that he would lose him, or that he would disappear like a mirage and melt into the shimmer of the sunlight. Will’s hand jerked out before his mind could argue and Will’s finger’s brushed Nico’s arm. Nico stopped suddenly and stared at him. Will retracted his hand, heat creeping up his neck.

“I’m sorry, I just thought that I might lose you,” Will said, keeping his hands where he could control them, wrapped around the strap of his satchel. “I…uh…sorry.”

“You want to hold my hand?” Nico asked, blinking rapidly as if trying to get over his surprise, his hands coming out of his pocket.

“Well…yeah. Is that okay? Or is it too much?” Will asked, scooching out of the way of a family walking by who swung a kid between them.

“We’ve held hands before, sort of,” Nico said, before offering his hand hesitantly. “I don’t mind.”

Will wanted to ask if he really didn’t mind, if he was really okay with a human disaster like Will holding his hand on their first date, but instead of saying anything self-incriminating Will took Nico’s hand. Will beamed at Nico and squeezed his fingers, smiling so hard he felt it in his cheeks. For a moment Nico met his look, before blushing and looking down, but didn’t take his hand from Will’s. That alone was probably enough to make Will happy for the rest of the summer. They walked together, hand in hand to the line. And stood in the line, still hand in hand. By the time they got to the front of the line, Will wasn’t looking forward to letting go.

“I think we have to check if you are tall enough,” Will said, pointing to the measuring stick painted on a wooden sign. Nico glared at Will as if he was considering breaking that sign over his head.

“First off, screw you. Secondly, fuck off,” Nico growled at him.

“Nico,” Will gasped as he released Nico’s hand and grabbed Nico’s shoulders to turn him before lightly covering his ears. “Sh, there are children present.”

“I—asshole, we’re literally the same age!” Nico snapped at him, glaring up at him with furrowed brows, swatting him away. Will laughed at what Lou Ellen would call “Nico’s ‘tude”, which had more bark than bite. Well, if Will really annoyed Nico he was sure that Nico might bite off his nose or something. But as Will was beginning to learn, annoyance was more a look that Nico liked to wear rather than a constant state of mind.

“Please put your belongings in the box before you enter the ride,” a tired looking teen, probably a few years older than them said as they walked forward. Nico placed his backpack in the box as the teen looked at Will with dead eyes. “Your purse, kid.”

“It’s not a purse, it’s a satchel,” Will muttered under his breath as he jammed the satchel in the box. Nico was cackling and Will leveled his own glare at him as they slid into the first car of the rollercoaster. “Why doesn’t the mist work on anything when it would be useful?”

“Is that safe?” Will asked suspiciously eyeing the sword. “What if that thing flies off and assassinates me.”

“My sword doesn’t have a political motive,” Nico said with frown. “For it to be an assassination it needs to be politically motivated.”

“Wow, gee. Thank you for all of your murder trivia, I feel so well informed and so much better.”

“Well, at least you’ll have learned something instead of just staying an ignorant peasant your whole life,” Nico told him with his best noble sniff. “Besides, it’s a magic sword and it’s bound to the hilt. It’ll be fine. I’m not leaving it with your purse. I could need it, and I can’t have any mortal accidentally touching it. They might die, or get consumed by my sword, or cause a panic or something.”

“Satchel,” Will grumbled. Nico gave a cough that suspiciously sounded like a laugh, before Will bumped his shoulder against Nico’s. Nico gave him a sidelong look before bumping his shoulder back as the teen came to pull down the bar on all of the carts. “You ready?”

Nico gave him a wide grin. It was full of teeth and it pulled up his full mouth, and Nico looked so happy and excited that it took Will’s breath away.

“I’m so ready,” Nico said.

I’m not ready, Will thought desperately before adding, I’m so not ready.

Something that Will learned about Nico was that he was an adrenaline junkie. As soon as they were done with one roller coaster, Nico was up for another. Will might have liked rollercoasters a lot, but he was glad when Nico mentioned that he was hungry. Will could only take the floor-dropping-out-from-underneath-him sensation so many times in a row before he got a bit overstimulated and needed to take a break, sit down, and keep from feeling like the lights and sounds were reaching into his skull and scrambling his brains and keeping him from focusing.

Will found himself sitting across from Nico, both with two hotdogs each, fries, and soda. Will took a sip of his Dr. Pepper, sighing. There wasn’t much that was better than an ice-cold soda in the hot summer sun. Nico munching on his fries with gusto, the sight making Will smile.

“I see someone likes to add a little vitamin G into their diet,” Will noted.

“Vitamin G?” Nico asked with a raised brow.

“Grease,” Will teased as he tossed Nico a fry. Nico snapped it from the air between his teeth, and Will felt like his heart was being snatched out of his chest yet again because how perfect could one boy be? Will was so absorbed that when he took a bite from his hotdog he pulled his hand away too fast, causing him to half drop the hotdog. Nico snorted into his soda, Will wiped his face with his napkin. “Are you laughing at me?”

“No,” Nico lied between snickers.

“You are so laughing at me,” Will said as he stuck his foot out, kicking Nico’s boot with his sneaker. Nico kicked him back, his foot running up Will’s leg. Nico gave Will a small almost shy smile, and Will felt his ears heat up. Oh my gods, he was flirting with Nico. And Nico was flirting back. He didn’t find Will’s attempts weird. This was happening, and Will was enjoying it.

“Okay, maybe just a little,” Nico admitted as he polished off a hotdog.

“So what do you want to do now?” Will asked him curiously. Nico’s gaze seemingly scanned the immediate surrounding, before landing on the stalls of games and arcades. He appeared somewhat hesitant from the way his jaw clenched, despite his obvious longing. “Got something against arcades?”

“No…I don’t, but I happen to have gotten trapped in one once,” Nico said as he grabbed something that looked like a handle out of his bag. “But trust me, I’m not getting caught in one again.”

“Uh, Nico—holy shit is that a machete?” Will hissed as he pulled up Nico’s wrist to show the telltale curved hilt before shoving it back down. Will looked around, thankful that no one had seen it. “Nico, why are you walking around with a machete?!”

“I just told you. In case I get trapped somewhere,” Nico said with a frown.

“But you have a sword!”

“Do you honestly think I’m stupid enough to walk around with only one weapon? Seriously?”

“You can’t just—what is this?” Will asked as rooted around Nico’s backpack for any other weapons or surprises and he pulled out a jar. He gazed at it in astonishment, that creeping sense of déjà vu hitting him. “Pennies?”

“Yeah, the Stolls’ idea of payment. They didn’t even roll them, the bastards,” Nico grumbled with a sour look.

“And you’ve just been carrying these around all day?” Will asked as he stifled a smile, but found it difficult. Of course, Will thought. All of his dreams were coming true today. Well, hopefully not all of them, Will added with a wince. He certainly had one dream that he didn’t want to come true. But his batting average seemed to be too good. Just when you were feeling optimistic you have to go and bum yourself out, Will thought, resisting the urge to sigh. He needed to be more positive.

“I figured I would get Charon to roll them with me later,” Nico said sounding truly insulted. Thankfully noticing Will’s thoughts, and that comforted him a bit. “I won this fair and square and I intend to use it…eventually.”

“Pffft. That’s so lame,” Will said with a cackle.

“I am not lame!” Nico argued, flushed as he stood up. His cheeks ripened into a dark shade, that spread to his ears. “You watch, I’m going to destroy all of these games, win the best prizes and then you’ll be sorry for ever even considering me lame.”

“I’m watching, I’m watching,” Will promised him as he raised his hands in surrender. Nico huffed, seemingly placated, and Will lowered his hands. They cleared the table, and began the walk down to the games. “I don’t actually think you’re lame.”

“I know, you think I’m cool. You’re probably the only one. Well, besides Hazel. I guess I’ve managed to convince her that I’m cool,” Nico said as he put on his backpack. “Well, I would hope so.”

“My siblings think you’re a cool guy,” Will said before hopping in line for cotton candy. “And you’re a hero, so, you’ve certainly outclassed me.”

“Says the guy who reattached a kid’s arms?” Nico asked with a roll of his eyes. Will looked around, hoping that no one had heard Nico’s off-color comment. No one seemed concerned thankfully. Nico seemed to take little heed when it came to situation. It’s not like Nico couldn’t read the mood, the fact he had survived as a Roman Ambassador proved that he probably had a shrewd sense for politics. Nico was just stubborn, and liked to do things his way with little heed for the consequences. “Everyone else at camp gives me a hard time. Not that they do it to be mean, they just like messing with me.”

“I think you’re thinking of two specific people that like messing with you,” Will said. “Everyone else is a little too scared of you to really try doing that.”

“Well, I can’t let just anyone get away with that kind of thing. I do have a reputation to uphold. And besides, plotting the murders of two people is already hard enough,” Nico said breezily.

“I know you aren’t being serious, but still, I feel like I should warn Percy and Jason for their own self-preservation.”

Nico gave Will that teeth-baring grin, and Will shook his head with a smile of his own. Nico was independent, steadfast, focused, stubborn as a bull and hot headed. But he also had a strong sense of justice and fairness, to the point of self-sacrifice. Will honestly thought that Nico could do anything he put his mind to. Nico had helped to save the world, at almost the cost of himself, with no hesitation. And that was all besides the fact that he was absolutely one of the cutest boys that Will believed had ever lived or breathed on this earth. That fact was just an added bonus, and Will thought he would have fallen for Nico regardless.

Fallen…for…

Will really liked him, Will thought as he blushed, tucking a curl behind his ear and trying not to sneak glances at Nico while ignoring the telltale heat in his face. Nico seemed absorbed with people watching as they moved in line, so thankfully he didn’t notice Will’s gazes. Will really liked Nico. This was the best first date he had ever been on…though he had only been on two counting this one. He wanted this date to last forever, even if that was totally embarrassing and childish. Who knew that just walking around with someone and hanging out could be so much fun? Even if it was just sitting and eating lunch with Nico, he was having more fun then he could remember having. And wasn’t that supposed to be what liking someone meant? It meant enjoying spending time with a person, and never wanting that time to end if you could help it.

So what did that all mean? Was he in love with Nico? Just the thought of it made him woozy. Love was a really really strong word. Maybe he wasn’t ready for that…he hadn’t quite steeled his heart for love and everything that came with it. Love was hard for demigods, and considering his father’s track record Will knew not to expect anything different for him. This was all besides the fact that he was totally jumping the gun. Will didn’t even know how Nico felt, his emotions were almost a mystery to Will. And could Will bear falling in love with Nico only to get his heart broken? Was he strong enough? Will wondered—

Nico suddenly shoved a bag of cotton candy in Will’s chest, effectively breaking his line of thoughts.

“I hope you like strawberry,” Nico told him and a huff.

“I love it,” Will said with a smile, shaking off his lingering doubts as he reached back out for Nico’s hand and took it.

The spent the way back to Camp Half-Blood much like they had gone, just chatting. Nico let Will swing their hands together in the rhythm that they walked, half-heartedly complaining as he did so. Nico carried a new teddy bear he had won under one arm as they emerged from the Labyrinth. The sun was just beginning to set, but Will was grateful for the peak he got. Being underground really gave him with creeps.

“Here,” Nico said, dropping Will’s hand from his own and then offering him the teddy bear. “I don’t really need it, and if you don’t want it then maybe you can give it to Violet…or something.”

“I’m going to cherish this until I die. You’ll have to bury me with this,” Will told Nico very seriously as he hugged the teddy bear to his chest.

“Holy Hera—why are you like this?” Nico groaned. “So freaking dramatic.”

“I’m a son of Apollo, it’s what I do. But seriously, I had a really good time today,” Will told him as he swallowed and gathered up his courage. “Could we…could we do it again? A date, I mean. Go on another date.”

“Another date?” Nico asked, his eyes wide. “I mean…you want to?”

“Absolutely! If…if that’s fine with you?” Will asked, kicking himself for being so excited at the prospect before Nico even agreed.

“I…yeah,” Nico said, looking down at his boots. “I…I had a good time too.”

“Good, that’s good,” Will said as he felt his face redden. “I…I’m going to go back to my cabin. I’ll see you at the fire tonight?”

“Okay,” Nico said, looking up from beneath his bangs.

Would it be weird to ask to kiss him? Will thought as he rocked back on his heels, the urge to mash his face against Nico’s stronger than Will thought it would be. He had enjoyed holding Nico’s hand so much, kissing Nico…feeling his lips against Will’s, it probably would be incredible. Will would probably faint again. No, no he couldn’t. It was only their first date. And Nico had just agreed to a second one, so it had to have gone well. Will couldn’t mess it up by kissing Nico so suddenly. Besides, maybe there would be a good chance at some point when the mood was right.

Strategy, Will thought. It was all about strategy.

“I-I’ll see you later!” Will said before he ran off in the direction of his cabin. As soon as he was out of Nico’s line of sight, he hopped, skipped, jumped, and then screamed with joy into his newly acquired teddy bear. He got back to his cabin and found it suspiciously empty, as he placed his teddy bear next to the plants. Will went off to find his brothers and sisters, half running into them as they exited the music classes.

“How did it go?” Kayla demanded excitedly, Violet was currently grabbing onto Will’s arm and jumping up and down. Antonio and Emma hung back nervously. Austin rushed up beside them to hear the news.

“I got a second date,” Will said as he flashed a thumbs up. His entire cabin cheered, Austin took the bottle of ginger ale he was holding, shook it, and then opened it (spraying Antonio who yelped and tripped over a rock). As Antonio chased Austin around, Emma hugged Will tightly.

“We knew you could do it!” Emma told him earnestly. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks guys, all of you,” Will said, grabbing his younger brothers by the collars, and then pulling them into a hug. They apparently truced and then reciprocated. “I’m glad you guys at least had some faith in me. So what did you guys get up to, today? Where did you tell Chiron me and Nico were by the way?”

“Uh…about that…”

“Ah, Will! There you are,” Chiron called, looking strangely suspicious. “Are you done with your preparations?”

“Preparations?” Will asked in return, casting a glance to his siblings who seemed determined not to look at him.

“Well, I only guessed you would be heading over there now. Everyone’s gathered from your Campfire Sing A-long,” Chiron said as he waved and walked off first. Will turned to his siblings, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his feet on the ground.

“What did you do?” Will demanded of them.

“Well, he asked where you were!” Antonio whined. “We had to come up with something. We just told him that you were preparing a special song for tonight.”

“What?” Will cried.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Austin told him with a pat on the shoulder. “We brought out different instruments, so it’s whatever you want to do.”

“Oh my Gods, guys, you know I can’t do music!” Will bemoaned. Kayla just sighed heavily, as if dealing with Will’s earthly concerns were a mere trifle.

“Everything’ll work out. Or it won’t and you’ll embarrass yourself in front of your new boyfriend. No worries,” Kayla told him.

“I take everything back. You are all awful—and he’s not my boyfriend!”

“Yet!” his family chorused back at him. Will stomped off to the firepit where all the cabins had gathered for the songs. His siblings had set up a good array of instruments, obviously trying to give Will options. All the other kids from Camp Half-Blood cheered at their arrival. Nico had taken a seat with Percy and Annabeth and Jason, and just his gaze made Will shiver.

Gods, just when you go and get a boy to agree to a second date you have to make a fool in front of him, Will thought miserably.

“Since you’re brothers and sisters told me that you spent all day preparing for our camp fire singalong, I suppose it’s only right to have you kick us off tonight, Will,” Chiron said with a raised eyebrow. The fire was already roaring tall and proud, and the sky had taken on its violet-blue twilight hue. Will just needed to get this over with. He sighed as his eye caught a glint of gold.

“Um…yeah, of course,” Will said as he scooped up the battle ukulele and began strumming it while desperately going through his repertoire of songs before wincing and beginning the only melody he could come up with, with a sheepish smile. “Uh…this is a classic song known as the…uh…Campfire Song Song.”

“I’ve never heard it,” Chiron said confused but interested.

“Wait is he being serious?” Kayla hissed under her breath as Emma jabbed her in the ribs. Will cleared his throat as he continued to strum the chords, quickly going over the words in his head and just praying that he could make it work.

“Let’s gather round the campfire and sing our campfire song! Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song, and if you don’t think that we can sing it faster than you’re wrong, but it’ll help if you just sing along,” Will sang but also ordered his siblings.

“Bum, bum, bum!” Violet added excitedly.

“C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song -and-if-you-don’t-think-that-we-can-sing-it-faster-than-you’re-wrong-but-it’ll-help-if-you-just-sing-along!”

“C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Song C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G Songandifyoudon’tthinkthatwecansingitfasterthanyou’rewrongbutit’llhelpifyoujustsingalong!” Hermes Cabin literally screamed back with more gusto then Will could ever recall the cabin having during any of their Camp Fire Sing A-Longs. No matter, Will took it and ran with it and kept strumming. Suddenly everyone in Ares Cabin, which had apparently taken the challenge personally, stood up and bellowed,

“C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G SONG C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G SONGANDIFYOUDON’TTHINKTHATWECANSINGITFASTERTHANYOU’REWRONGBUTIT’LLHELPIFYOUJUSTSINGALONG!”

“C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-GSong—AUSTIN!”

“SONG C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G SONG!” Austin repeated back, pounding out a rhythm on his snare drum.

“Nico!” Will called. Nico stared at him in confusion and disbelief as Will strummed through the pause. Percy burst into laughter, falling over onto Annabeth who caught her boyfriend and shook her head. “Good! IT’LL HELP, IT’LL HEEEEEEEELP IF YOU JUST SING ALONG! OH YEAH!”

Cecil yanked Will’s battle ukulele out of his hands and bashed it over the log and split it into two, the sparks setting it ablaze. Lou Ellen screamed and kicked the suddenly flaming shards into the fire. Ares Cabin (headed by Sherman and observed by a very entertained Clarisse) grabbed the cooler of bug juice, and then dumped it onto Aphrodite Cabin like they were celebrating a game winning touchdown. Pollux jumped from a bench and began crowd surfing, Damien White and Jake Mason ripped off their shirts and began flexing, while Athena Cabin threw food and jeered, Katie and Miranda kept Laurel and Holly from running over and showing them who could do the better shirtless flex. Popcorn kernels hit Jason Grace in his face and he popped it with his electricity while he yelled about getting it in his eyes while Piper attempted to control her laughter at her boyfriend’s trouble while also trying to calm down her frenzied cabin mates.

“Righteous tunes,” Clovis said as he patted Will’s shoulder before slouching against Butch who with a yelp pushed him onto Paolo who fell over backwards with him and hit their heads. Iris Cabin rushed over to try to be of assistance. Chiron was overlooking the chaos as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with all of them.

“Gods, I love this place,” Will said with a slightly sore throat.

“It certainly has its own charms,” Nico conceded as he sat down next to Will, not moving away when Will leaned against him, only sighing contentedly.

#Solangelo #solangelo fanfic #Nico di Angelo #Will Solace

46 notes · View notes