#(He grew roses for her I decided. But because he is so tainted he did it wrong. Making more thorns than flowers.)

[twilight-deviant]

[Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic (2024) #29]

[Daredevil (1964) #270]

[didasgomas]

Because we're friends, right?

Day 1 of @augusnippets

Prompts: Gaslighting/Hypnosis/Brainwashing

CW: Emotional abuse, gaslighting, mentions of murder

Part of "In Mortality", an au of CDTA, a body and psychological horror story created by @missr3n3

Black roses - Floral symbols of mourning, mystery, loss, and obsessive love. To be gifted with or to gift these symbolizes the expression of feelings related to death, danger, sorrow and revenge.

October 3rd, 1805

It had been Erica this time. She had been the fifth one. Much like the first one, Helena, she had been able to last an entire year, before Asher decided she had to go as well. It had been Erica this time. She had been the fifth one. Much like the first one, Helena, she had been able to last an entire year, before Asher decided she had to go as well.

But Jonathan just couldn't understand why. Erica had been a hard-working and honest woman, she seemed to genuinely make Asher happy.

He had to ask him about it. The day of her death just a week ago had been full of conveniences.

"Ash, can we talk?" Jonathan asked, as permission was necessary for anyone who worked for the man to talk to him. Even if they were friends, Asher was still his patron as a painter, so the rule applied to Jonathan as well.

"Sure. Go ahead." Ash normally would have answered in a warmer tone, but it was known to expect a less friendly way of speaking when initiating conversation with him during or immediately after work.

"It's about Erica".

Asher turned around and gave him that same expression he had the day of Erica's death: as if he already knew. As if he already knew that Erica had died, that Jonathan would ask that question.

"..Yes?" He finally answered back.

"She found out, didn't she?

"Found out what, exactly?"

"About everyone else."

Silence. Asher's expression went blank.

"Just like Helena, isn't it? She found out about the other four and you killed her. And now I'm starting to think that…"

Jonathan hesitated, not knowing if what he was about to say might cause Ash to end up killing him as well, amongst all the other boys who had lost their lives to the towering man. Asher's eyes changed, a sudden aggression visible in them.

"That what, Jon?" His voice as threatening as his eyes.

"..That you didn't kill Helena by accident. You killed her because she found out the truth, didn't you? And now that Erica did that too, you murdered her as well."

The increasing tension grew so much it could almost be touched, so heavy it was crushing the two men in the room.

"…"

"…"

"The only thing Erica found out about was you. I took her life to protect you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Even the nicest people can have some of the worst hearts hidden away. She found out about your past, and she refused to be respectful about it when around me. She told me she intended on ousting you because of who you are."

"So the best option was to murder her?"

"I thought I had already told you: my duty is to cleanse those of tainted heart, and at times death is the only remedy. You are my friend and no one else is willing to hire your services, so can you at least try to understand that what I did was a necessary evil?"

Asher's voice got loud, but he wasn't shouting, despite how annoyed he clearly sounded.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Ash.."

Asher sighed, seeming to calm down. That was… good, perhaps.

"It's alright. If you can stop doubting every little thing I do like you are my father-in-law or something, everything can remain normal, understand?"

"Yes, Ash, I understand."

"Good."

Why was Jonathan constantly suspecting of Asher, his best friend and patron, the only person who accepted and helped him survive? Helena had just been an unfortunate accident, Erica had now turned out to have been a bad woman on the inside, and the three other women between them had just been rotten people.

Asher was right, he was just trying to get rid of all the malice around them, there was no need to doubt his methods, Jonathan was just being ungrateful for all his kindness.

Never again would he distrust his best friend like this, never ever again.

Because without him, Jonathan was no one.

[christinebloodwrittings]

Don't leave me

Pairing: Jotun Loki x Fem!Reader

Warning: Angst

Summary: Post heartbreak.

Loki taglist: @lokisprettygirl22 @novenaproxy @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore @high-functioning-lokipath @thereadinggeek @el-zef @lulubelle814 @beakami @lokiprompts @ilovefanfictions @laurenandloki @buttercupcookies-blog

No one knows exactly how much a relationship should last. Some say, until death do us part, others, just a while.

I couldn't tell how much longer I had with him, I had only accepted half of that fact at the moment, that I did him a lot of damage, but he broke my heart first.

Loki and I lasted over a year. We were a month away from our first anniversary, when I got a call from a girl. She started with a sweet complacent tone, then she got really arrogant when she told me he was cheating me with her.

To say that it shook my world would be a lie, it wasn't the first time. I felt sick, angered, sad, like all four walls of my room were falling down on me. I started to visualize the sheets of my bed crawling to choke me, at least taking me away from that knot forming in my stomach.

What was I supposed to do?

She ended her speech with a simple and unrhetorical "He's never going to change, dearie", or so I decided, because I hung up.

The first time, I had so much love for him, got him so far under my skin, I forgave him and moved on. Believing his lie and false promise of change and loyalty, I looked him in the eye and told him I loved him, and he said it back, but I couldn't see past the green, and catch the red flags.

I worked all the time, while he was just in the tower reading or killing time. I busted my ass dealing with nasty people all day, with only two off days a week, and that is what I get?

I have dedicated him, my time, my love, none of my family members liked him, yet I defended him, and all for what? For him to paint a version of himself that wasn't real?

Every time we had sex, he said he loved me, but before it was only then, I don't saw that as a red flag.

He wouldn't tell others that we were dating, or post our dates online, anything would've sufficed, but yet again, I didn't saw that as a red flag.

I even became friends with the girl he screw me with first, she's really nice and was hurt just like me, we bonded over how much we loved him, and how much it killed us to leave him.

When I confronted him, he tried to put excuses, lied about it being true, but the rose tainted glass had fallen, I didn't recognized him anymore.

The man that stood before me, making up excuses was not the Loki I fell in love with a year ago.

And then, when it couldn't go any worse, he says he's going to be there for me, that he wasn't going to leave me alone. But he just didn't get it, he had crushed my trust so many fucking times, he had treated me with a false love, maybe throughout all our relationship.

Relationship, I thought of that word a lot. Was it really one if he never really trusted me with anything regarding his feelings, or how he truly felt? I gave myself whole to him, and only saw the version of him he allowed me to.

The last time I hugged him, I tried to savor his strength, the fake love I fell for, all that we lived together, the good mostly.

Remembering the bad stuff was the thing that broke me while walking away from him. My family turned their backs at me when we thought I was pregnant with his child, I wasn't, but it still hurt when they walked away. With reason really, I called him with a [false] positive in hand, but he was away partying, so he couldn't be there for me when I asked him to.

That should've been reason enough to leave him the first time.

Then the first cheating, should've been the second reason to leave him.

Taking all that in, knowing that it's over, the fierce pang in my heart grew, and the tears kept soaking the pillow. I knew it was a good change, that I could live without him.

But...for now, I just want to cry him just a while longer.

[chemicalpink]

대취타 (DAECHWITA) | EMPEROR!YOONGI X READER | FINAL

Pairing: Emperor!Yoongi x Assassin!Reader

Words: 3.5k

Genre: Emperor AU, Historical AU (kinda), smut, angsty

Warnings: mentions of death, mentions of historical public execution, oral sex (male receiving), lowkey breath play, unprotected sex

A/N: FINALLY IT’S HERE. I hope you enjoy, I had a hard time trying to make this not seem lame so here it is! please let me know what you think!

Summary: You used to be an assassin, got caught and works at the palace as a servant up until you are escorted to the main palace, either to meet your inevitable destiny or for a change of plans. 

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4

Forehead resting against your own as you found yourselves panting, him sliding out as your spasming cunt dripped with both of your releases onto the floor, placing one more soft kiss on your lips with his eyes closed “Marry me”

 You almost sat up with a start. Suddenly the world was bright and hazy. Yoongi had opened his eyes and they were digging like daggers into yours, an unusual look on him. You looked at the emperor apologetically before turning your gaze to the end of the room where there was a pile of books, silently detangling yourself from him.

The silence was deafening.

Then again, who in their right mind proposed marriage while having their cock buried deep inside some assassin turned royal slave. All the same, Min Yoongi wasn’t exactly known for having a right mind. But it wasn’t just the fact that he had proposed seemingly out of the blue, more than it was everything that came with it. The words seemed to tangle themselves inside your brain as you hear him say them over and over again. That he couldn’t think of himself marrying some woman that was inferior to him in mind and spirit. That he had wanted to marry to someone he loved. To think that Min Yoongi had proposed you marriage not in the heat of the moment but fully conscious of his actions would not only mean that he was in it for the great sexual escaped you two regularly went on, but because due to some fucked up mindset the royal had, he believed he could love you. 

Yoongi reached for your hand in an attempt to get your attention, face soft with post orgasmic bliss as he repeated the ill fated words “Marry me, Y/N”

You  snapped out of his hold. “Yoongi I don’t think you understand the situation”

“What is it then, please do enlighten me, Y/N cause from what I understand is me asking for your hand in marriage, twice now” he blinks a few times, looking at you expectantly, crossing his arms like a petulant child

“FUCKING READ THE ROOM MIN YOONGI ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND”

“Well I’m not, but you seem to be”

“I’m a fucking assassin, my hands? they will forever be tainted red” you look down at your hands and the blond man comes near to hold both of them inside his 

“Y/N I couldn’t care less about that, it’s not like I’m a saint either”

“You just don’t understand”

“Then help me out” somehow his ever consistent and aloof tone gave you more chills thana you could’ve imagined if he were to raise his voice at you “Y/N I’m serious with my proposal, the sex is amazing, but you’ve proven to be an excellent addition not only to my court, but to my life”

You are shaking, voice trembling and just above a mere whisper “I was the one that killed your mother on that freezing December night”

He freezes in place.

He seemed oddly composed for someone who had just been told the responsible of his mother's death was none other than the woman he thought he wanted to marry

You remember how a few years ago, he had gone on a killing rampage, exposing heads outside his palace as if they were homemade decorations, swearing to find the person responsible for his mother’s death and get revenge. It had been months of bloodbath. Some had considered the emperor’s son to have gone completely out of his mind. 

You storm off. Not before accepting the responsibility of your actions, perhaps Yoongi had also been a good addition to your life “I’m fine with you deciding to execute me for my crimes, I understand whatever sentence is best fitted for me, your majesty” for the first time since you had arrived at the palace, you don’t dare to look him in the ye, opting to follow court protocol and bow deeply before taking your leave, attempting to detangle yourself from your messed up robes and even more messed up string of thoughts.

The following days to that conversation were a blur and for the most part, uneventful, the emperor had opted not to gravitate your way unless strictly necessary, oddly enough, the air wasn’t awkward at all, it was as if nothing had ever happened between the two of you in the first place. Yoongi had retreated to being an aloof ruler, along with regular trips to meet his once very occupied and spoiled rotten concubines, all the while you were kept apart from. Sometimes, you would receive jobs outside the palace and were expected to fulfill them according to instructions. More times than not, you were left wondering if you would make it back to the palace or if it was one hell of an excuse to execute you.

Hearing approaching footsteps, you couldn’t help but hide the best that you could behind one of the hostel’s walls. Hooded and well muffled with the cape, as you did your best to camouflage yourself into the shadows and become a mere wisp of darkness. A maid from the hostel trudged to the open window and closed it, grumbling. Lightning illuminated the landing. You took a deep breath and reviewed the plans that you had so painstakingly memorized throughout the three days you had been guarding that building on the outskirts of the kingdom. Five doors on each side. The target’s bedroom was behind the third one on the left.

Stealthy as a specter, you walked down the landing. You pushed the target's bedroom door, which opened with an almost imperceptible squeak; waiting for another thunder to rumble to close it carefully. A second flash of lightning illuminated the two figures sleeping on the canopy bed. Young Hee must not have been over thirty-five. His son, small and beautiful, slept soundly in his arms.

“I’m not murdering a poor kid’s mother”

“So you’ve gone soft”

“No I haven’t gone soft” “What could a poor merchant woman have done to you for her to deserve such an end to her life”

He sits down on his throne “You didn’t even hesitate when killing my mother, though”

“Yoongi I-” he turns his head to you, a sharp gaze following your every move, as if he was a predator waiting for the precise moment his prey took a wrong turn to jump on them. You turn your gaze to the floor immediately “Your Majesty”

“Listen Y/N- I’m a very busy man, so I’ll make it easier for you” he stood up from where he was sitting, and although you weren’t looking directly at him, you could hear him move around the room until you were able to see him stop right in front of you, a hand you were so familiar with once caresses your cheek as he grabs your chin and forces you to look at him face to face “It’s either her life, or your life. Easy choice, Y/N”

You can feel your heart wanting to burst out of your ribcage at that exact moment, finally understanding the importance behind such a horrifying task, the mirroring in the situation. And the choice was as simple as it could get. “Kill me instead”

You could see the rage inside his eyes, even as he stood still for a few second, steady as ever, unfaltering as he called over one of the palace’s servants to get him the royal seal, the infamous red ink that decorated the skin of those in line to be executed by the royal himself, an utmost sign of rage, of personally wronging the monarch. A sense of longing crossed his gaze for half a second as he locked eyes with you before he took your wrist in his hand and stamped the cold ink on it; you couldn’t keep your body from reacting to the action, whether it was having him touching you again, the almost imperceptible stuttering of his movements when he did so, or the knowledge that you’d have to face an execution, making you shake lightly as adrenaline filled your veins. 

Preparations were something the emperor certainly didn’t scattered in, back when he became known as the cold hearted borderline psychopath he had a vaste fame of, ikt was mostly do to the whole antiques that surrounded his personal executions, the way that they seemed to mimic a kingdom’s festivity was almost breathtaking, were it not for the fact that the main entertainment of the day would be having you publicly executed.  You had been waiting for that night for a whole week. Sitting in the wooden corridor nestled to one side of the golden dome of Min Yoongi’s personal library, remembering how the last time you had been there, things were so different from how they were now, where the emperor had asked you to marry you in the worst way possible and you had confessed the greatest murder of the dynasty; you let yourself be carried away by the music that rose through the amphitheater. With your legs dangling under the railing, you leaned forward and rested your cheek on your crossed arms. One could almost swear the palace was preparing for a wedding, if the way you were constantly dressed up and down during the week, the way the palace’s servants were constantly bustling around the building to ensure the greatest quality for the evening, the greatest night for the kingdom. The execution of the Empress’ murderer. 

“You seem oddly calm for someone who's about to be executed” Jungkook mentions as he approaches where you were currently hanging out, a few minutes to spare before a small group of designated maids were to call you to get you ready for the night.

You look up at him tiredly, without separating your head from where it was laying, catching him taking a seat by your side in the most infantile way you had ever seen the royal guard do, shrugging to no one in particular, you add “You know, accountability and stuff”

“Oh and she grew a moral compass during her time here” if he was expecting a bickering comeback, the way you used to do back when he was designated to look after you, he was certainly not getting anything other than be met by an extended silence that seemed to rise the tension and seriousness of the whole interaction between the two “Why are you letting this happen to you?”

“What are you talking about” this time, you do turn to face him, confused as to where he was expecting the conversation to go.

“You didn’t kill his mother”

“I did”

He huffed out air, sounding a bit exasperated at your response; you could have even sworn you saw him roll his eyes faintly “No you didn’t, you were a mere 15 year old” there was a bit of laughter behind his sentence before he regained his composure and went back to his former self from a few minutes ago, looking at your face quizzically as if there was something hidden in there that held the answer to his question  “So why are you doing this”

You try and miserably fail to convey a nonchalant look on your face as memories of your time with the emperor fill your mind, not just the carnal ones, but those where you would watch him work for his place in the royal hierarchy, the soft sides around the rough edges that were publicly hidden on purpose, turning away from the guard you say softly “Yoongi’s a great man”

“Okay sure, he could do with a more...tame temperament, but what does that have anything to do with you chopping your own head off”

You try your best to ignore the way your heart seems to physically ache at the thought behind the answer; you almost don’t get enough strength from within to mutter “I’m hoping to get him some closure, be an even better ruler”

“That’s- definitely not how it’s supposed to work Y/N” Jungkook says incredulously 

 “I was technically part of the killing so, it’s all the same”

He huffs before going to stand up, dusting off his uniform and already facing away from you, before you can hear him call for you one last time “Yoongi’s in his room, you know, he was looking for you a few hours ago, in case that information helps in any way”

So perhaps you were naive for thinking that he would answer his door, he would have no reason to do so, especially given the circumstances, if it were you, opening the door to the person that had confessed of murdering your mother, and having them come up at your room, you wouldn’t even need to think it once to decide not to further interact with them, but Jungkook had said Yoongi had been looking for you before, so the chance of him wanting to see you alive one last time were there. Unless you were reading it all wrong. You turned your back on the huge wooden door you had come to know as the emperor’s bedroom a few months back, resigned, when you heard the creaking of a door opening and a calm steady voice.

“So you’re going to just knock on my door and run away the same way you entered my life and are now leaving it forever?” his frozen tone still having an effect on your body as you turned to face him properly for the first time in what seemed like an eternity “Came to discuss a bargain for your life?”

“Not at all” you lock eyes with him when approaching him, until you were practically inside the room, his judgemental gaze still on you “I wanted to say my goodbyes properly, your majesty”

“Then don’t waste my time and come in already, Y/N” 

The royal wasted no time in cornering you against the door, face so close to yours you could feel his breath on your skin, the tip of his nose nuzzling the side of your face and you knew him enough to know he had his eyes closed to keep his composure as he talked “I’m going to miss you like a fucking mad man” 

It felt like falling back into routine, the way he kissed you, down to your neck up to your collarbone, pushing past the robes that covered your skin, in preparation for the ritual, his hands roaming freely in a familiar way, grabbing all the right places as he draws little sounds from your throat, all while he worked the both of you to where his bed was placed, although he was giving your body and pleasure a decent amount of attention, you couldn’t brush off the fact that he irradiated an angry aura, words left unspoken as he got his anger out by pleasuring both of you. Maybe himself more than you, as he removes himself from caressing your body as he usually did and positioned himself above you, his member laying flat on your already expecting tongue,as soon as you realised what his intentions were when he started undressing himself, his hips thrusting a few times in an experimental manner, soon enough finding a  pace at the same time as you bobbed your head up to capture as much of his length as you could inside your mouth, your hands captured under Yoongi’s weight, unable to help you work him further, the way you’d done before. 

You feel him start to thrust further into your throat at one particular kitten lick of yours to the tip of his cock, your head starting to hang from the edge of the mattress you two were on as he picked up the pace, his cock filling you up all the way until it hit the back of your throat a few times, you trying to whine around him, only further encouraging him to take a handful of your hair and push you further against him, your gag reflex taking the best of you as he held you there, nose close to his navel, deep grunts ripped from his lips, the air leaving your lungs and becoming slightly light headed after a few seconds of you tapping his thigh in a motion to let him know to let you breathe, at which Yoongi locked eyes with you, a mix of anger and longing in his yes as he  thrusts a few more times as saliva started dripping from your mouth, tears decorating your pink stained cheeks before he removed himself from you, giving you a few seconds to gain air before he repositioned both of you. A deafening silence taking over both of you, as you were still catching your breath and he positioned his cock at your entrance, his tip, wet with your saliva, playing with your folds for a few seconds, as you take a sharp intake of air when he enters you and immediately sets a slow deep pace. You can feel his member filling you up perfectly, mind racing with flashbacks to all those other nights before where the emperor and you shared endless nights all over the palace. 

The knowledge that this would be the last time creeping up in the back of your mind. You feel an unfamiliar wetness hit your neck where Yoongi was kissing your skin, rolling down as you identified it as tears, as he was still passionately thrusting into you. 

“I don’t want to lose you” his voice barely above a whisper, trying to conceal the way his chest was tightened with sadness 

“You have to let me go, Yoongi” one of your hands comes up to caress his locks as he pushes up to stare at your face, anger long gone and replaced with utter sadness before one last thrust has him filling you up with his seed, warmth enveloping you, a soft whimper leaving your lips as his cock leaves your cunt, a briskly wind coming from the window causing your body to shiver for a second at the loss of body heat on top of you.

“I guess this was it then” his cold and unnerved facade was on again, making the cold shivers in your body that much worse as you watched him adjust his clothes and walk out of the room, leaving you to dress yourself and ultimately face your fated destiny at the end of the day.

The palace’s front plaza is filled to the brim with spectators as the news got out that the Emperor was finally getting revenge for his mother’s killing, people from the kingdom and even some people from neighbouring ones all lined up in the outer sides of the fire marks that decorated the space to illuminate the middle path where you were placed in the end of it to walk your way up, two unknown guards on each side of you as each grabbed your elbows to push you forward, the rope certainly leaving marks on your skin as it was wrapped tightly around your wrists.  

You could only catch a glimpse of Yoongi’s blond hair, wrapped in his infamous black and golden hanbok, drums roaring in unison, people screaming as you watched him take the sword from the swordsman that had prepared the ritual beforehand, as someone wrapped a cloth around your eyes and you were promptly pushed forward, legs buckling every few seconds as you came to realise what you were about to face, it hadn’t been clear before, mere seconds away, finally falling to your knees, head bowed down in resignation as you could barely hear the sharp sword cutting the air around you, gasps from the crowd filling the air along with the constant sound of the drums around you. You could only hope your death would bring much needed peace to the monarch and his kingdom. Your heart seemed to want to burst out of your chest, if anything, Yoongi was known for being an espectacular swordsman, which hopefully made the whole execution that much easier. You could hear cheers and a metal cutting the air before your body fell limp to the ground.

But your consciousness never left, the drums couldn’t be heard anymore, cheers were replaced with confusion as a pair of hands helped you up to your knees, fumbling with the cloth around your eyes to come face to face with Min Yoongi kneeling before you, a subtle smile on his face as one of his hands caressed your cheek before helping you up beside him.

“I’m sure you all must be confused right now” he announced to his subjects “This woman right here, has got more courage in her than anyone that has ever worked for me, any of us, for that matter. Which is why I’m asking once again, publicly, for the first time, for her hand in marriage” he turned to face you, as you were still dazed by the whole ordeal, his hand in yours being the only thing holding you down “Marry me, Y/N”

[aka-ashi-keiji]

Bittersweet

Akaashi Keiji

soft angst, unrequited love

a/n: this was for a school assignment lmao but i really really enjoyed writing it, even though love stories are def not my forte :(( but angst definitely is, so enjoy!!

Keiji, such a beautiful name. This was the name of someone who you held so closely to your heart, but weren’t necessarily as close to his. Despite this fact, the fondation in which your friendship was built off of will always overpower your sense of heartbreak as you realize that not all the feelings you feel for Keiji are reciprocated. The earliest memories your mind encapsulated revolved around the amount of time you spent with him as a child. Your mothers being best friends and your houses set on the same street, you each had a “built in best friend”, as your parents would like to tell you. And it was true, he was your best friend all through the enjoyable years of grades kindergarten to fifth. As well as staying through the hell bound years of grades six to twelve. 

The core memories accumulated through the daily interactions between you two, stood out so brightly in your mind even years after graduation. Racing each other down hills even though those races always ended with either you or both of you with scraped knees. the scars still graced your skin and were visible under the skirt you wore to your office job day in and day out. Spending time sat in the shade provided by your house, in the backyard as your backs faced each other. On these days of your early preteen years, Keiji would bring you a new book every time, insisting that you would adore it. You nearly always did, and when you think about it now you’re not entirely sure if you truly did like these books, or if you just adored the person sitting with his back to yours as he read the same set of words. 

Despite whether you adored the books or if you adored him subconsciously, this admiration soon became a conscious thought that consumed your entire being. It all started with the garden of flowers that grew near the back door. Tiger lilies, roses, tulips, all varieties of each end of the color spectrum, definitely the second most beautiful thing that took part of Keiji’s household. The first being obvious, but nonetheless beautiful. But one specific flower soon had woven its roots of beauty and simplicity into your mind. Forget-me-Nots were simple, easy to overlook, kinda like Keiji and yourself. But when examined closely, they were completely immersed with beauty. Or, that’s what he would tell you everytime he handed you a bundle of these precious plants. Every morning since fourth grade, you would walk with Keiji to school. Every single one of these walks began the same. Around when you both were first years in high school, you finally asked. 

“Why do you give Forget-Me-Nots every morning?” 

To which he replied with, “Maybe if I give you them enough, you’ll never forget me.”

At this point in time, you had become conscious of the romantic feelings you had for keiji, but you could see it in the way he looked at you and in the way he gazed at the girl who sat next to you in English. His eyes weren’t tainted with the same love you felt for him, his eyes only became tainted when they were focused on her. 

You had read about this, the emotion of something much worse than a breakup. Unrequited love. The concept only existed in stories you read with the person who manifested this fictional feeling into your reality. But that feeling started to dull as his closeness started to become tainted just as your eyes had been for so many years. This had started your third and final year of high school, after the girl you sat next to in english had dumped him on his birthday. You were at that party, you watched it happen, You watched as she laughed with another the next day, while Keiji wept into your shoulder. You had never seen such genuine and painful tears spring from his beautiful dark blue eyes. His eyes were no longer tainted with that love, but instead flowed through to his actions. 

He started to linger longer after walking you home, bringing books over ‘just because’. He stayed for dinner now on the days where he would normally be out on a date, and not just on the weekends like before. Everything that unrequited love had taken from you, was now slowly making its way back into your life. The taint that still clung to your eyes seemed to force yourself to see the same emotions through his actions. Maybe this unrequited love was finally starting to go both ways. You knew in the back of your love sick brain that you were just being hopeful, and that he most likely was just being himself and his love was still only platonic. But a heart that had been bruised so many times can only handle the bleeding inside for so long. 

Your emotions had begun to spur your actions, linking your arms with his in the halls at school, legs over his lap as you both read on the couch, the grazing of your knuckles when you two walked too close together. He too, mimicked these habits. His head finding its way to your shoulder as you two studied, squeezing your hand when he sensed your unease, and even the smallest glance of his daring eyes seemed to hold yours for a second longer than would be comfortable, but it was comfortable with him. Even though the words never came from Keiji’s lips, you could’ve sworn you felt them with every move. I love you too. 

One day however, your feelings became too great to live in your mind. The love that manifested in fourth grade in his backyard was finally going to be voiced and accepted into the world. This day was like any other school routine, but the excitement and nausea was the catch. You waited patiently to hear Keiji’s strong but subtle footsteps come into earshot as you waited on your porch. Once they had, your heart nearly pulled you to his side, the giddiness concerning Keiji. 

“Are you alright? Are you cold, you're shaking.” He asked quietly as he began to take off his uniform blazer. Oh only if he knew. He placed it over your shoulders and began to reach back to the side of his school bag as you softly thanked him. What happened next was something so completely normal, but it still made your cheeks dust pink everytime. And today was no exception. He held out a single bundle of the precious flowers, his soft subtle smile gracing his face. You smiled back brightly as you took them, and with that you started your commute. 

You nervously picked at the stems as you fought the urge to just blurt out your confession. You nearly decided against it, but you shook your head as you promised to go through with it. You owed it to yourself, after all the years of pain you unnecessarily had put yourself through. And even though you knew you had to come clean, you still feared that maybe this was just a side effect of a love sick brain and a heart damaged by an emotion you read in a teen fiction book in seventh grade.  But that taint in your eyes never left and it remained glossy as ever. So as your steps fell in time with Keiji’s, you spoke. 

“I like you” 

He slowed down a bit and turned his head to see you staring at the gift he had given you. “What?” You both had stopped in your tracks now. Slowly but surely, your eyes connected to his and with one look, the taint had spread through your body and infected your heart. 

“I like you, or actually I love you.” You stammered out, the weight that sat so heavily on your head and heart finally receded. But soon returned as the air around Keiji was filled with silence. “That’s what I wanted to tell you.” You spoke again, hope filling your voice. You smiled at him as his eyes had suddenly become a shade darker. 

“Oh.” One word, that’s all you got. And that one word shattered the taint that covered your heart, and bruised it once more. 

“Oh?” you questioned, silently begging for more of an answer. Hoping for the answer you wanted. But you knew you wouldn’t get. His eyes still bore into yours, your smile fading along with any hope of this going the way your feelings had told you it would. 

After the few seconds that felt like eons, his explanation finally fell from his lips. The words gentle, but still sharp enough to draw blood. 

“Y/n look, y’know I care about you and I’ll always be your best friend but it’s just that-” 

You cut him off, you knew what he was about to say and if he said it, it would’ve split your heart in two. You saying it didn’t dull the damage as much as you hoped. 

“You still love her, huh?” You asked quietly, your heart pumping adrenaline into your veins, every muscle in your body working together to keep tears from falling. You didn;t want the answer even though you already knew it. You knew it from the start, you knew that fictional emotion wasn’t fiction and unfortunately, it was permanent. But you couldn’t blame yourself, you were sick, too love sick for your own good. And something you wished that book had told you, was that unrequited love could be deadly. 

A single nod was all it took. And when you think about that day now, you remind yourself that you should really listen to the thoughts that stick around long enough. The thoughts that don’t deter even when you have the strongest of feelings. You didn’t know how to feel, or what to say. In all honesty, what could you do? So you did the one thing you had mastered over all these years, you hid your true feelings.

“Okay, that’s alright!” You said brightly, beginning to walk once again. His steps fell in time with yours, and he even tried to apologize, apologize for being honest. But you assured him that it was okay, that you two were okay. You couldn’t be mad, but that didn;t stop you from being broken. It was true, your friendship continued as always, never letting the side effects of unrequited love over power the strength of the love manifested in your friendship. 

You both soon graduated, promising to keep in touch. And that you did. You both began to travel quite a lot after university, your jobs moving you all around the globe. But the tradition of the flowers that grew in Keiji’s backyard never ceased no matter the distance. They may have not shown up everyday, but they made their way to you on most occasions. 

On one very specific day, the day your first company launched, the bouquet of the dainty little flowers made their way to your office desk. However this time, they came with a note. 

“You didn’t forget me yet did you? I always knew you’d do great things. Congratulations y/n, come visit soon. I have some new books I think you’ll adore. 

- K.”

You could never forget him, you couldn’t ever forget Keiji even if you wanted to. The memory of him brought you back to that emotion that only existed in the fiction books you read in seventh grade. It wasn’t fiction, it was most definitely and undeniably real. Unrequited love was bitter, but with Keiji it was also sweet. And that’s something you could never forget. 

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

a/n pt. two: as an akaashi simp and stan this hurt my heart.

part two is under construction :))

[hannya-writes]

Your Kind

Title: Your kind

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Pairing: Derek Hale x Reader, Peter Hale x Vampire!reader?

Other Characters: Kate Argent (mentioned), Laura Hale, Cora Hale and Talia Hale (Mentioned)

Category: friendship, platonic love.

Warning: Reader is a Vampire! Young Derek, and Young Peter because that's dangerous! This all happened after Paige's Dead. Violence, hypnotism or mind control (not sure but hey!) Peter being wild, I guess this is kind of sad.

Author's note: I didn't wanted to use the common powers of vampires because cliche! And I ended up with a mix of a striga, a bat and kind of werewolf powers, If I write a part 2, maybe I'll explain what's up with my version of vampires. And no! Vampire reader is not killing anyone... Yet. Also gifs are not mine, I found them on google!

• • •

In the moment you had stepped in Beacon Hills you had know that you shouldn't stay there for a long time. You weren't welcome. There was a Werewolf pack in town and werewolves didn't like your type. Maybe because of legends, since they told that your races were supposed to be enemies. Maybe because of a bad experience with someone of your race, maybe because it was engrained in their DNA. You didn't know. You never asked.

You just stayed as far away of the Hale family as possible. It was a problem that you got stuck in classes with no one else but Derek Hale. A teenager that had smell death and blood on you. He was cautious and curious about you, sneaking on you, expecting you to blow your cover. But you didn't. You had smelled him too, he smelled like a wolf, a mix of the animal itself and the smell of forest that came with them and made normal people get scared: the smell of the unknown, of danger.

You played it cool. You were a good student, middly attractive, you spoke when others spoke to you, you were kind and relaxed, you even helped some students in what was possible. When some students decided to pick on you, you didn't reacted. Never lost the patience that had been taught to you.

Then, there was Kate. Kate loved to pick on you, mock you, call you "the new library mouse". It was her insistance on you that had made Derek pay more attention to you. He smelled your murderous instinct every time Kate was close. An truth be told, he was amazed by your self-control.

After being put in a science work with him, you finally got the chance to know each other. You two had speak to each other like civilized human beings. You had joked together, you even became friends.

He wanted, no. He needed to know. He deserved to know, you were his friend now, he wanted to tell you what he was and needed to know more about you.

— Y/n, what are you? — he directly asked you one evening after the end of school, you were the last two people in the library, the question made you uneasy. If he discovered you, his family would kill you.

— excuse me? — was your simple answer, play dumb was your way out. Your parents have told you to do that, and act as a victim if necesary.

— you are not human, I can smell you — he confronted you walking in your direction.

— I'm a human, duh — you rolled your eyes faking amusement — Smell me? — you added with a perfect tone of confusion you had rehersed — do I smell good? — that last question was pure curiousness, you had recognized every part of his scent, you knew what every change in it mean so... Had he, maybe, done the same? Was it disgusting to him because of what you were?

— what? — he was surprised by your last words and you wished earth could swallow you whole, maybe your head first since you were blushing.

— there you are, I've been look for you — just in time, Peter Hale entered the library. And if Derek smelled of danger, Peter reak of wildness and blood. That was the first time you met, and unlike Derek, Peter took the opportunity to attack like the animal he was. Probably because he knew what you were.

Peter snarled at you, showing his fangs and blue glowing eyes, his fingernails turned to claws and suddenly the whole library smelled like wolf. His transformation triggered yours, he was challenging you in the little space that was yours. So, yes. You turned, but unlike him your fingers turned longer, your fingernails became long white claws. Your skin became paler, to the point of looking like a corpse. Your usually y/e/c eyes became red like those of an Alpha werewolf but unlike them your sclera turned black. Your 4 fangs grew in an instant and a high pitch sound inaudible for humans came out of your throat.

Derek covered his ears in pain at the sound that came from you. He couldn't believe his eyes, a wave of fear made him step away from you and Peter, his instinct told him to either fight by peter side or runaway. However his body wasn't able to move.

In a complete opposite reaction Peter jumped over you, hands extended, face contorted in an angry, animalistic expression. You saw him get closer but you didn't back off, you took a stride and with your longer hands throwed him away towards one of the book shelves. He didn't expected it, he had never fought a being like you.

— Leave — you warned him standing over him, but he wasn't afraid, he was angry. He jumped to his feet and charged again at you. You stepped away from his path, making him more furious. You were faster, you got more range with your claws. He was going to loose. That's why werewolves attacked your kind in packs. They trusted in their numbers, the organization. A lonely wolf, was a dead wolf.

Peter roared at you as he once again attacked. You knew what to do to kill him, one single slash of your claws and his lower jaw would be flying in the air. He would bleed out. You could almost see it.

However, instead of killing the menace you used one of the tricks the werewolves hated the most.

— calm down — you said in a soft voice keeping the eye contact and all of his attention on you— I'm not your enemy — you got closer to the werewolf, your hand lightly touched his face.

Peter would never be able of describe the sensation that over took him at your words, it had been as if suddenly he was in heaven, and the person speaking was an angel, better! a Goddess! He loved you, he would do everything in his hands to just hear you a little more. He will kill for you, he'll ask you to order him to kill in your name. Just for that sensation of fullness, happiness. You weren't his enemy, how could you? You were everything he wanted and more.

Your scent, your voice, your light touch, even your face had Peter hypnotized. You fully wrapped the violent werewolf with your presence, and he looked at you with big warm eyes. Even you hated using that trick. It was an induced state of bliss that made people easy to manipulate.

— everything is fine — Derek heard you said softly almost in a loving way, that made him feeling somehow nervous. He knew there was something wrong and he had to do something.

— who are you? — Peter asked in a soft tone that made you feel guilty of using your power over him. You took a breathe to aswer and then froze as you felt claws against the soft skin of your neck.

Peter saw the menace, felt your hand leave his face and fury rose from his chest, he growled warning Derek. He was aware of Derek speaking to you but the words didn't make sense why was Derek telling his goddess to let him go?

— Derek, please wait — hear you say his name made him see red. You had say Derek's name but not his? How could you? How dare Derek try to take you away?

Horrified you saw the werewolf extend his hand to attack Derek, you felt Derek's claws cutting your neck as you moved to avoid that the other werewolf claws hurt Derek. You had pushed Derek to your right. As you felt the spell over Peter was broken. Blood spilled from your wound, the strong taste of iron hit your tongue as you fought to breathe. But you couldn't, not with your throat slashed, not even when you tried to stop the bleeding with your hands.

Peter saw you confused, he didn't know if he had done that. He wanted to think that he had cut your throat, but he couldn't believe it.

— no, no Y/n — Derek spoke with panic as he crawled to you horrified by what he had done. He had kill you. It was like Paige all over again. His hands pressed over your hands trying to stop the bleeding.

— that won't kill her, she is a vampire — Peter said coldly, his eyes greedily watched how you struggled, how your red eyes slowly smother. He was amazed but disappointed, you a mythical creatures, a vampire non the less were dying like a common human being. You weren't as powerful as he expected. Why weren't you healing?

— I'm sorry — derek muttered ashamed, and Peter noticed that his own hands weren't tainted with blood. Derek hands were stained in red.

— no — peter voice was filled with hate, that vampire was his prey. That little vampire was his. You were his. Derek wasn't going to be your killer. His body moved and pushed Derek away from you with a kick, his hands took yours with the intent of taking them away from your wound, but he stopped. A sensation of coldness overtook him, his eyes slowly closed with a sudden desire to sleep.

On your end, the moment his hands touched you it felt like fire, the blood stopped flowing and the wound closed in a matter of seconds. You coughed a blood and the werewolf felt by your side asleep. The tears felt from your eyes freely and after a moment you hugged yourself to get a hold of your panic. The sound of someone else crying made you sit and look at Derek sniffing, with tears in his cheeks.

— D, D... Derek? — you called him out with a gruff voice, thanks to your recently healed vocal chords. — Der, der, derek — you repeated afraid of him being hurt, the worry made you stand up and walk towards him. — did he hurt you? Derek, are you ok? —

Derek looked at you with surprise and relieve, in his face the path of tears was pretty obvious.

— y/n, you are a vampire — he wasn't asking, of course not! the other werewolf had said it as you were almost dying.

— and you a werewolf — was the only thing that crossed your mind as you saw him.

— did you... Kill my uncle? — somehow Derek didn't sound worried, you denied with your head.

— Vampires... Can heal with the help of a werewolf — you said looking down, ashamed.

— but I, I... I tried to help you and.. — He was clearly confused and you sighed, feeling the need to explain yourself

— I charmed him, that makes a bond like the one of a master and a servant. You are not my servant... You can't heal me — you hated that stupid explanation but it was the truth.

Vampires had slaved werewolves to be closer to immortality. But not all of you did that. You had never had to charm someone, it could make people go crazy. It made a big unbalance in nature, made you get closer to the beast inside.

— I don't think Uncle Peter wanted to heal you — the comment made you giggle, but it soon died out.

— I know — you looked at Derek eyes for a moment — I won't charm you Derek, you are the closer to a friend I have and I have only speak to you for like... Two weeks — you smiled with sadness, knowing that this was a goodbye — but I have to go and your uncle has to forget about me —

— you are leaving? — he asked worried and a bit angry after all he had just found out what kind of creature you were — why? —

— Derek, your family is going to kill me if they discover that I charmed your uncle — you admitted scratching your neck nervously.

— My mom wouldn't... — Derek was trying to convince you, he made you feel bad, made you want to stay.

— she's going to do it — you stood up and went to his uncle, placidly asleep, Derek followed you. — I'm a problem to solve, a burden to destroy — you kneeled by Peter's side and reached to the back of his neck with a hand.

— no, you are not — he stated as serious as a heart stroke. — you are my friend — that made you smile.

— remember that if I make your uncle become a psycho — was the last thing you said before sinking your claws in Peter.

— maybe he already is one — he joked and the funny thing: that was the last thing he remembered of that day. He couldn't remember saying goodbye to you or how he got home. His memories started again with him being home, Laura and Cora were laughing and his mother got closer with a smile and a question: "Everything ok? You seem distracted"

And he had lied to her.

• • •

So, are you Team Peter or Team Derek?

[theheartsmistakes]

Any Other Name: Chapter 2

“Cordelia!” Her mother called up the stairs in a fake, chipper voice that held undercurrents of irritation Cordelia knew had nothing to do with her and everything to do with their company. “Our guests are here. Why don’t you come down and help me set the table for dinner?”

If she took to yelling up the stairs at her rather than walking the staircase or sending her father to come and retrieve her, she must be considerably uncomfortable.

“I’m coming!” said Cordelia so no one could come after her and find her kneeling on the floor over a removed floorboard with a secret letter in her hands.

Quickly, she folded the paper, stuck it back under the floorboard, and pushed the wood plank back into its place before pushing herself to her feet and brushed the dust off of her hands. She grabbed her black cardigan from off the bed and threw it on as she twisted the knob and opened the door and nearly walked right into Augustus Pounceby.

A small shriek escaped her as she fell back against the door frame, cursing in Persian, and clutched her chest.

Augustus smirked. The last time she’d seen him he had an impossibly round face, buck teeth, and a lisp that made it difficult to understand him. They’d been twelve years old at the time, but she didn’t think people could change so much in five years. He’d lost the roundness of his youth, grew several inches, and his teeth were a normal size. His dirty blond hair was cut short at the sides, long on the top, and perfectly coifed with products. He wore a black button-up t-shirt with the buttons done up to his neck, over dark denim jeans, and a pair of black and white trainers.

His smirk turned lascivious as his eyes roved over the length of her body, lingering on the bits her dress left exposed. She fought against the urge to close her cardigan around her.

“Pounceby,” said Cordelia by way of greeting. “Anyone ever tell you it’s rude and a bit creepy to lurk outside of someone’s bedroom door?”

“I was sent to fetch you,” he said, glancing over her shoulder into Lucie’s bedroom. “Your mother said that you’d give me a tour. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of the infamous London Institute.”

Cordelia unceremoniously closed the bedroom door behind her with a bit more force than necessary. Unfortunately, the movement made her step closer to Augustus. “No one’s ever invited you in before?”

“It wasn’t a matter of being invited,” said Augustus, not moving an inch to provide some space between them. “I wouldn’t have stepped one foot inside of this place with those demon-blooded Herondale’s living here. You can still smell their taint all over this place.”

Cordelia shoved her shoulder into his chest as she moved around him, fighting against the urge to also knee him in the solar plexus while simultaneously breaking his nose with her elbow. Her father probably wouldn’t appreciate her getting Pounceby’s blood all over the floor and he’d most likely make her clean it up, so she decided against bloodshed for tonight and keep things— cordial.

“Allow me to give you a tour then,” said Cordelia pointing to the walls as she walked towards the stairs. "This is the hallway and these are the--" She looked over her shoulder and realized Augustus wasn’t following her.

“What’s down this way?” He asked, nodding towards the other end of the hall.

She hadn’t bothered to wander farther than Lucie’s old bedroom. It felt wrong like she needed an invitation to go farther. There were two more doors at the end. One used to be a study and the other had been James’s bedroom.

She’d only ever been in there once the last time her family came to London for a visit. Lucie had gone on a trip to Paris with her Aunt Cecily, but James stayed home due to some punishment after an incident that happened at the Academy. James never told her and she never asked. Not that she could have, from a young age she was so enamored by James that she often found it difficult to form coherent sentences when she was around him. He was the most beautiful boy she’d ever seen. With his raven black hair, always unruly and curling at all ends like it’d been worked and shaped by the wind and his eyes, like golden flecks of sunlight framed by thick dark lashes. She remembered how they would crinkle at the edges when he smiled, and he always smiled at her.

They spent that entire week reading, wandering around the Institute, pretending to battle each other with the baguettes Tessa brought home for dinner. It'd started as the worst summer of her existence and ended as one she would never forget.

Warmth spread up her neck and into her cheeks at the memory of it. “There’s nothing down there. Come on, they’ll be wanting to eat soon.”

“The men are talking in the old, stuffy drawing room,” said Augustus as he turned on his heel and walked leisurely down the hall. “Come on, Carstairs. It’s your house now, you can do whatever you want in it.”

“I want to go downstairs and help my mum set the table,” said Cordelia, crossing her arms. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait just a moment,” drawled Pounceby. “Isn’t this goat eye's old bedroom?”

Cordelia glared. "Who?"

"James."

Cordelia bristled at the rude name he'd given James. “I don’t know. Why does it matter?”

“My interest is peaked is all.”

“Some infatuation of yours with James, Pounceby?” smirked Cordelia. “I’m sure he’ll be flattered, but somehow I doubt you’re his type.”

Augustus put his hand on the doorknob and tried to turn it but it wouldn’t move. “It’s locked.”

Relief swept through Cordelia. “That’s settled then. Let’s go to dinner.”

“Why is it locked?” Augustus tried the door again. “What’s in there?”

“How am I supposed to know. I did just tell you I haven't been there." Cordelia dragged her feet as she came beside him to try the door herself. It was, in fact, locked. “I’ll tell my father about it at dinner and he can find the key, or something.”

Augustus narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you hiding something in here?”

Cordelia’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“It was no secret you were a Herondale and downworlder sympathizer,” he said with a sneer that once again made Cordelia want to shove his face into the wall. “Is there a reason you don’t want me going in here?”

Cordelia’s empty hands clenched around the fabric of her cardigan to keep from swinging out against her will. “If you want to look stupid for claiming that my father has anything to hide from the Clave by dragging them away from their drinks to come up here and open a door that’s obviously been locked from the inside, only to find that it is as empty as all the rest?” She stepped aside so there was room for him to go around her. “Please, by all means, be my guest. I was really hoping for quality entertainment tonight and to see the look of disappointment on your father’s face will be well worth the wait.”

Augustus held her gaze for just a moment longer before he released his grip on the door and walked past her, whispering the word ‘bitch’ in a volume that was just loud enough for her to hear.

She’d been called worse.

When he was far enough down the hallway, she gave the doorknob another attempt, but just as before it wouldn’t budge.

Curious, she thought and tucked the anomaly away for a later time.

~ ~ ~

“Ah, there she is!” Her father said as Cordelia descended the stairs. Now with the lights all burning in their sconces from the wall, casting shadows from the chandeliers, they gave the Institute back some semblance of the warmth that Cordelia remembered when she would visit. It still felt odd without any Herondale presence; she half expected Will to come bursting through the door in a rage about the city traffic and Tessa to follow behind him with her genuine smile.

But the front door remained closed, much to Cordelia’s dismay, as she slowly sank from the last step.

“Cordelia, you remember Inquisitor Bridgestock?” said her father with a tight smile.

Cordelia looked to the tall man standing before her. He always reminded her of a toad with his round face, bulbous eyes, and thin mouth. He even had a rather large wart at the start of his right eyebrow.

“Well, Elias, what a beauty your daughter has become,” said the Inquisitor, folding his hands in front of himself, not even bothering to shake hers, because why would he? Perhaps he thought her dainty little hands couldn’t withstand his masculine dynamism.

She fought hard not to roll her eyes at her thoughts and plastered a smile across her face. “Oh yes, I remember him well.”

“And our new Consul, Marcus Pounceby?”

Her eyes shifted to the man standing beside the Inquisitor. He did offer her his hand, and when she placed it into his smooth palm, she could not feel a single callous on his fingers or palm. It made her wonder when the last time he trained, or patrolled, or held a weapon for that matter. He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. A European custom and she was in Europe, but it still made her feel uneasy, small. At least, he wasn’t trying to kiss both of her cheeks like the French, which she didn’t mind, it just all depended on the person. Lucie and James’s cousin Anna was privy to that custom and with her, Cordelia didn’t mind it in the least.

“My son wouldn’t stop raving about you when he learned about your arrival,” said the Consul. “He spoke of your bravery, your skill, we are very lucky to have you back in England. He graduated from the Academy with top marks and has shown himself to lead a powerful squadron of Shadowhunters. You should speak to him about going out on raids together. He can show you around town.”

Her eyes flashed to Augustus, standing beside his father, looking rather bumptious. When she didn’t say anything for a good long time, her father nudged her with his elbow. “That would be delightful.”

She’d only used the word delightful possibly twice in her life. It tasted like poison coming out of her mouth, but it did its job. They both looked pleased with her which made it all the more difficult not to vomit on their shiny oxfords.

Only her father, who was attuned to her sarcasm and indifference after being the victim of it for sixteen years, noted the tone of her voice.

“Where is your son?” inquired the Consul.

“He stayed in Tehran to oversee the Institute until the new family moves in,” said her father. “He’ll be joining us just as soon as their settled.”

“Excellent,” said the Inquisitor. “Another student of the academy that succeeded with top marks. We could use him on the streets while this issue with the Downworlders is in effect and in meetings regarding demon and downworlder business. He had some dealing of his own with the Herondale boy, did he not?”

Cordelia looked to her father for an answer. She knew Alastair and James went to the academy at the same time and didn’t necessarily get along. Then some incident happened that resulted in James’ expulsion, but she didn’t know what that had to do with Alastair. He never told her even though she asked him nearly a hundred times.

Elias shifted a step so he stood closer to Cordelia. “Alastair only spoke of how troubled James was.” His eyes flashed to Cordelia. A warning and a plead not to say a word.

“Yes, well, with the filth that runs in that family’s blood it is no wonder he was capable of causing such a disturbance. He shouldn’t have been accepted into the academy in the first place,” said Inquisitor Bridgestock.

Cordelia bit the inside of her lip until she tasted blood.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Elias?” asked Bridgestock.

Elias breathed through his nose and straightened his shoulders. “Of course. Now that we’ve all been reacquainted, why don’t we move this discussion into the dining room. Sona has been slaving away in the kitchen for the better part of our move-in day to make this dinner special. Cordelia, please go help your mother.”

Cordelia gave them a half-hearted curtsy and dipped out of the entryway towards the hall that led to the kitchen. Upon noticing her angelic energy, the lights in the sconces along the walls flickered on with several distinct clinks and filled the space with a subtle glow. Cordelia put her hand on the swinging door that led into the kitchen where her mother, with a large ladle in hand, poured some kind of broth over the sliced pork chops lined neatly on a silver platter.

“I can’t do it,” said Cordelia as soon as the door swung shut again. “They are absolutely incorrigible. They called the Herondale’s filthy.”

Sona set the bowl of broth down on the crowded counter and started to pull the leaves off from a sprig of thyme. “You already knew they felt this way, Cordelia. This should not come as a surprise.”

“Yes, but to hear them say it out loud makes my skin crawl.” She picked up the serving fork and stabbed it into a pork chop. “I can’t even say anything to defend them. I just have to nod my head at all of their slurs. I might as well be stabbing my friends in the back.”

Sona wiped her hands on the cloth hanging over her shoulder as she turned to Cordelia. “Your friends know you, they know your truth, and they would want for you to protect yourself. If the situation was reversed and it was our family that had been banished, what would you want from James and Lucie?” After a moment, when Cordelia didn’t answer, Sona continued, “I knew Tessa well. She was a good friend. I know that if the situation was reversed, I would want Tessa to protect her family.”

“She was a good friend?” Cordelia emphasized the second word without looking at her mother. “Maybe I would want James and Lucie to protect themselves and not be banished like me, but I know I wouldn’t want them to stop seeing me as their friend.”

Sona opened her mouth and sighed. “Cordelia—“

“Let’s just feed the monsters so they can leave.” Cordelia picked up the platter of steaming pork chops and started towards the swinging door, leaving her mother to look as dejected as Cordelia felt.

Once in the dining room, still decorated in Tessa’s elegant taste with gold and white herons flying across the wallpaper with holly in their beaks, Cordelia set the platter of pork onto the center of the mighty oak table. The chandelier hung low with sphere-shaped crystals that cast rainbows across the walls when the light from the large arched window at the west side of the room hit them. The table was set for only six people tonight with Elias at the head closest to the window.

Cordelia had no choice but to sit beside Augustus, as all the other spots had been taken.

Sona followed in after her, free now of her emerald green apron and kitchen towels, carrying a plate of scorched rice and another plate of fresh-herb Kuku-- Cordelia’s favorite. A twinge of guilt went through her as she noticed the plates of comfort food her mother had prepared for no one else, but Cordelia.

“Sorry about the wait, gentlemen,” said Sona as she placed the food on the table. “I hope you’re all hungry and wish to expand your palettes. These are all dishes from Tehran. We thought you might like to experience something from our home.”

Augustus looked at the green pie-shaped dish placed directly in front of him as if it might come to life and attack him.

“It’s called Kuku,” said Cordelia, serving herself a large piece before anyone else. “It’s delicious.”

“It’s green,” said Augustus and looked to his father for help.

Consul Pounceby just laughed. “You didn’t have to go out of your way for us. We would have been happy with fish and chips or a nice shepherds pie.” He forked a piece of pork onto his plate with a small helping of scorched rice.

"What kind of pie?" asked Cordelia with a mouth full of Kuku.

“I thought it might be nice to have something from home for our first night here,” said Sona.

“It’s looks wonderful, darling,” said Elias.

The conversation took a small reprieve as everyone ate their meals. Metal forks clinked against plates and ice rattled around in glassware in the silence. Marcus Pounceby chewed with his mouth open and took a particular fondness to the Kuku, though his son took one bite and then refused to acknowledge it again. Inquisitor Bridgestock proceeded to take a drink of his wine after each bite to clear his throat. Cordelia felt a brief sense of satisfaction at the light sheen of sweat that coated his brow after having a piece of pork.

“We’re not used to such flavors here in England,” said Inquisitor Bridgestock, dabbing his face with his napkin. “It’s quite exotic.”

“I may have gone a bit heavy handed on the peppers,” said Sona as she soaked a piece of her pork in the sauce. “Can I get anyone some water or milk, perhaps?”

Cordelia forced herself not to laugh.

“Milk?” inquired Marcus. “Does that help?”

“It does,” said Sona.

“That won’t be necessary.” Bridgestock patted his distended stomach. “I’m quite finished as is. If I drink a glass of milk you’ll have to roll me out the door or call my wife and have her come drive me home.”

“How is Mary Beth?” asked Sona. “It’s a shame she couldn’t come tonight. I did look forward to seeing her again.”

Another easy lie from her mother. The last time Mary Beth and Sona met, Sona couldn’t stop talking about what a deplorable know-it-all with questionable moral Mary Beth was and how the Bridgestock’s may have not been the best family to adopt the young Ariadne girl. To go from such strong feelings towards the Bridgestock's to inquiring about her as if her absence was missed surprised Cordelia. Her mother’s ability to be so languid never ceased to amaze her.

“She’s well. She simply didn’t want to be present for a bunch of Clave talk.” Bridgestock wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. “Not when she had a previously schedules game of bridge with some of the other wives. You should go sometime, Sona.”

Her mother’s tight smile was all Cordelia needed to know. She’d been invited to a few bridge games and attended one thinking that at least Tessa would be there and she’d have someone to talk to, but when she got home Sona looked exhausted and explained that all the women at the bridge club did was gossip, smoke, and drink expensive wine. There was not one game of bridge to be played. She then went into a rather hilarious impression of the Inquisitor's wife, with her pinched face and animated hands that may have been slightly exaggerated, but had even Alastair snickering.

“Perhaps when things are a bit more settled,” said Sona and took a long drink from her water glass.

“That reminds me,” said Marcus as he placed his napkin on the table, “we’ve interrupted your move in day. We apologize. We’ll get out of your way just as soon as we finish some business with Elias. Should we retire to the study, gentlemen?”

“Yes,” said Bridgestock as he rose from the table. “There is much to discuss regarding this Downworlder business. We’ll need to brief you on some of the changes we’re making regarding the laws and how we are expecting those on patrol to be our inforcers. We’d appreciate your opinion on a few of these matter before we hold the official Clave meeting in two weeks.”

“Uh, yes,” said Elias as he stood from the table too. “Cordelia, would you mind helping your mother with the dishes and then come and join us—“

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” said the Inquisitor. “Our talk will just bore her. We can explain everything to her at the official meeting with the rest of the Clave.”

Elias’s grip flexed on his dining room chair. “My daughter will be one of those patrolling the streets of your city. I would like for her to be prepared and understand what is expected of her.”

“Kill demons and any downworlders that dares to step out of line,” whispered Augustus under his breath. “Not much else left to understand.”

Demons can take the shape of many things, she thought. Even privileged, annoying boys.

She might be able to plead her case against the Clave if she were to accidentally stab him.

“It will all be explained at the meeting,” continued Bridgestock. “Until then, Cordelia will not be allowed to patrol alone and will instead train with Augustus.”

Cordelia couldn’t stop the pinched look that took over her face. Her mother nudged her underneath the table before anyone could see her.

The men filed out of the dining room, leaving their half-cleared plates of food for Cordelia and Sona to clean up. They piled the dishes and separated the silverware in silence before carting everything back into the kitchen.

Sona turned on the faucet over the deep bucket sink and held her hand under it waiting for the water to warm while Cordelia continued to bring plates in and set them on the small island.

She glanced at the old grandfather clock that stood in the hallway each time she passed it. Only two more hours and she could find Lucie. Finally, there would be someone she could speak freely about all of this to and not constantly be shut down; told to smile, and bear it.

The large hand steadily clicked on, but not fast enough.

Not nearly fast enough.

A/N:

This chapter does include some artistic license. To make it relative to the times, I changed it from James having to stay home from a Paris trip due to being expelled from school rather than being sick with the Scarlet Fever.

I also made up Augustus's appearance. It is not canon. It's just how he looks in my head.

Also I have no clue what Inquisitor Bridgestock's wife's name is so I'm calling her Mary Beth.

Comments and hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!

Next update comes out in two weeks: May 28

[thegreatbigfourmain]

Dancing With Dragons

He knew something was wrong the moment he came to his senses. His entire body trembled with pain as he was forced to awaken from his blissful and painfully unaware sleeping state. The sound of beeping monitors and the soft echo of shoes tapping on hard floors rose once his eyes opened. Moments later, a doctor was there to greet him and inform him they were at the hospital, yet still on base. The battered-up brunet saw a glimpse of himself in a mirror given by a nurse. His hair was matted and dirty, his body stitched and bandaged. 

It took the doctor a moment before telling him that not only was he being sent home on an honorable discharge, he also had a terrible accident. It wasn’t losing his men or killing civilians, as one would assume. The tragic loss was the left stump that was now his leg, bleeding through the bandages. His green eyes widened at the sight. No words left his lips as his entire body shut down. As a result, the doctor pumped his IV with morphine to cause the soldier to rest. However, the shock never truly left him.

In all honesty, he wasn't too proud of going off to the Marines like he had. He thought that if he left his art scholarship and went to the army, his dad might actually be proud of him. And for a moment, the old man was. With his buzz cut and high rankings through bomb tech and military tacticians, he had been put in the hand of his squad. His father was proud of him every day.

Yet, it only took a single bomb to set back everything. He came home taller with lean ropes of muscle, a haircut and a foot gone. The looks of sympathy were worse than the disapproval. He spent months in the hospital and physical therapy, though it did nothing to help his mental state. His hair grew out back to the long length it had once been and he could actually walk in a straight line with his prosthetic, yet he still felt as weak as he was all those years ago. Even as a twenty-seven-year-old man, he still looked to his father for approval and now only saw that same disappointment.

There wasn’t anything he could do to change that’s man mind. 

***

Today, Hiccup Haddock the Third found himself outside a small dance studio recommended by his redheaded, Scottish doctor. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. 

The brunette sighed, looking down at the floor of the car.

“You ready?” his best friend asked from the driver’s side.

The man grumbled, “No. Take me home.”

Jack scoffed and turned off the car as to not waste the gas. Hiccup knew what that meant; a lecture from good ole’ Jack Frost. 

“Doc said it was going to help your coordination and that this girl was a good friend of hers. She’s not even going to charge you! What’s the worse that could happen?” the white hair male asked.

Hiccup gave him a look, “I fox trot myself into falling on my ass?”

Jack narrowed his eyes, “Get out of the car and go get better or so help me I will pull you out myself.”

The brunet rolled his green eyes before opening the door and lifting his legs awkwardly out of the vehicle. He slowly stood up, only to bend down and look back at his buddy. 

“Two o’ clock right?” 

“I’ll be here. I promise,” Jack said with a smile. The veteran closed the door and with a sigh, wobbled his way toward the dance studio. He was still slow in his walk and looked stiff. He refused to use a cane as it only furthered his disappointment and loss of his normality. Besides, it was mostly the pain that bothered him rather than his appearance. 

Everything inside him screamed that this was a bad idea.

His father had ingrained in him that real men don’t need help. Then again, he wanted a lot out of his fishbone of a son that didn't have much to give in the first place. 

Hiccup walked up to the door as the colorful fall leaves crunched under his boots. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a button up dark green shirt with a warm leather jacket over it. Now that his hair was long, he used a ponytail to tie it back. It showed off more of his sharp jawline and many, many freckles.

He hesitantly knocked on the door. 

Many thoughts swirled in his mind at the moment. Dr. DunBroch could have at least showed him a picture of her friend to ease his nerves. If she was cute, then this would most definitely end badly. If she wasn’t attractive to him, then it still probably end with him falling on his ass. 

With an awkward turn on his good foot, he only waited a second before heading back to the sidewalk. Hiccup was at the ready to pull out his phone to call Jack to turn around.  

Hiccup dialed Jack's number as the autumn wind tried to penetrate through his thick jacket. He hated the cold. The worst part of being out in the desert was the nights. It was always freezing. 

He brought the phone up to his ear, his other hand in his jacket pocket. 

As the phone rang, he heard the door behind him open.

“Hi, I’m Rapunzel. Are you Hiccup?” 

He turned to see who called his name. The person before him made his eyes widened. Oh this is bad. This is very, very bad. 

She was beautiful. 

She was a petite woman who wore a strapped rose pink dress that brought out the pink of her cheeks and the spring green of her doe eyes. Her hair was held up in a messy bun of golden strands. There was no makeup on her face to taint the natural beauty she possessed. Her lips were in a natural pout as she waited for him to answer. 

He gulped, ignoring the voice that yelled at him on the other end of the phone line.

He decided this was much worse than what his imagination concocted in his head. The last thing he wanted was to be exposing his flaws and handicap by falling all over the place in front of a beautiful woman. Warmth flooded his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He gave her an awkward smile, hanging up the phone and putting it in his pocket. Hiccup took a couple of careful steps towards the door, though he still wobbled a bit. 

The brunet stopped to take a deep breath, his smile gone from what he was about to say. His green eyes filled with a bit a self-loathing, but mostly embarrassment. 

“Umm, hi. Yeah, I’m Hiccup. Dr. DunBroch referred me here, but I think it would be best to continue going back to physical therapy. This dancing thing isn't for me. I was never coordinated, even before my accident. I'm sorry if I wasted your time.” 

He could see her face fall when he told her that he wouldn’t be taking her class. It seemed like she was almost looking forward to it. No, it couldn't be that. Injured veterans are charity cases. She was probably just trying to validate herself through some civic duty to a soldier. Just another person to pity him.

These emotions made Hiccup turn around. He couldn’t take looking at her hurt face any longer. He closed his eyes tightly at how stupid he must have sounded. He took out his phone again while walking stiffly towards the sidewalk once more.

All he heard was a soft “Oh, of course. No worries” from her before the door closed behind him, leaving him out in the autumn wind.

Haddock you asshole, he thought to himself. 

He called Jack again.

“What?” 

“I’m ready to go home.”

“You didn’t even go to the class, did you?”

“This is stupid. I want to go home.”

“Your doctor said this was the best chance you have to walk normally that’s faster than therapy. You can’t just walk away because you’re uncomfortable!”

“I can figure it out myself. And I’m not walking away. It just isn’t for me.”

“I’m not picking you up.”

“Then I’ll walk.”

“Are you crazy? You can barely walk as it is! No offense.”

“How is that not offensive?”

Hiccup was about to utter something to his supposed best friend when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. It made him turn around, his phone still up to his ear with Jack barraging him. 

The petite blonde stood behind him, out in the cold with her dance outfit on. 

She smiled at him and handed him her card. “Here. It’s my business card,” she explained. 

“I know you may not want to now, or ever. But if you ever do want to have a session in the future, I just wanted you to know you have other options. I may not be a licensed physical therapist, but I do know a few things about dance,” she joked, letting out the most melodious giggle Hiccup’s ever heard. 

Her words were almost lost on him because he found himself looking into her green eyes now that they were closer. They were green like summer grass. He felt like he was getting lost in all that was simple about her. That’s what it was. She was simple, uncomplicated and without drama. His whole life had been a series of problems and complications. Hell, his name was Hiccup: he was a mistake and a problem within itself. Even his own occupation was full of bomb techs, guns, drills, training and war mechanics. When he got home it was hospitals and surgeries, family issues and planning. She seemed so simple.

Hiccup reached for the card and, in doing so, gently brushed his fingertips with hers. That short contact caused jolts of electricity to run up his arm, followed by a bright crimson blush flustering his face. 

“Oh, th-thank you,” he muttered out. She gave him one more heart-stopping smile before spinning around in a dancer’s fashion and going back into the building. 

“Hiccup? Hic who was that?” Jack’s voice finally registering into the memorized brunet. 

“Th-that was my instructor. Sorry Jack, I gotta go. See you at 2,” Hiccup rapidly uttered before stuffing his phone once again into his pocket and following the direction of where the blonde beauty went. 

When he did catch up to her, she was beginning to put her speaker away and looked like she was closing up shop. Hiccup cleared his throat before knocking on the open door and entering. 

The blonde glanced towards him, tilting her head to the side a bit like an adorable curious puppy. 

“Hiccup?” 

He chuckled at that, whether it be to hide his incredibly nervous emotions or because the way she said his name was on the rapidly growing list of what he enjoyed hearing from her; her giggle being the first. 

“I, I’m sorry about before... This is all so foreign to me,” he started. 

She placed the speaker aside and began to walk towards him, Hiccup doing the same until the pair met in the center of the room with only their reflections in from the ballet mirrors to accompany them. 

“Well, If you’re up for it, I don’t mind helping you get un-foreign to it,” she grinned, her smile never failing to clench the inside of Hiccup’s chest. 

What was this girl doing to me? 

“What the heck, let’s do it.” 

What did he just get himself into? 

[mallickshah]

A GATHERING

YEAR 2021 ; MAY 1ST

There was a gathering in a part of the club's faction that not many had ever been to. Behind the tavern that held the name of Yureif, Mallick’s brother, a name that not many knew of either. Mallick’s name had started to make its rounds through the faction though and not just on clubs' lands, but in the entirety of Kadeu. The main reason behind it, at first, had been his new gain of the title of Ace, of course. The manner in which it was obtained, who he had been associated with when it was obtained; the name of The Resistance muddled with the name of the Ace of clubs did not seem to please many, clubs included.

Despite all of that, the new Ace had kept quiet about his whereabouts for two entire weeks. The rumor mill might have enjoyed this absence, this lack of leadership, if it wasn’t for the small things that were also being done while he all but let himself be a simple whisper, or a harsh critic from the mouth of those who wanted this new impostor to reveal his cards. Mallick had learned many things from the man he’d been and the one he now was though, the most important rule he’d himself instilled in his own operations was to move in the shadows.

To many, this title would just be a power trip, something to hold onto while they barked orders and let the rest of the world see how much control they could exerce because of their rank. To many, this title would just be another way to subjugate an already overtaken faction. So Mallick had needed to think about the course of action to take before taking a different path. Because he would certainly not fall into the trap that had led him to fight the last Ace of clubs.

Things needed to be different; many conversations and consulting with his family afterwards had proven this fact correct. It didn’t matter how it was formulated, Mallick had a sense that even his parents had at one time dreamed of an opportunity as such. However, no matter how dire, how urgent it seemed to reveal what he had in his mind, what he knew would be better suited for clubs, without breaking the order of things in which they operated. Or rather, the disorder they thrived in. In order for him to do so, he had to mull, he had to think, to meditate on the matter, to play behind the curtains.

He’d let the rumor mill play its advocate, both for and against him, while Mallick simply let himself use connections he’d never known would find themselves useful for such a thing to tie himself further into this fate. It all brought it down to a statement plastered in clubs' streets, and only in clubs' streets. For one, they were not allowed in other factions, but even if they had been, Mallick would have still excluded all that were not part of this faction.

One sole goal ended up prevailing from the stapling of loose ends and the unifying of alliances needed to be of the same sound mind to better the lives of the people of his faction; their faction. Mallick was not alone in this, he had many other heads he could count, aside from the makeshift council that The Barbarians saw themselves create after the havoc they wrecked on the faction.

They had not been the easiest to reach, or to talk with, or to negotiate with, but Mallick had learned something about himself he’d always feared could rear itself back up. Something that had stayed dormant, and only manifested itself whenever Saiyah could not see him act upon them. Mallick had once been a very domineering young boy, and young man, but by the time he was all but embracing that step in his life, the woman he would never cease to love and adore waltzed in his life and shook the very core of that foundation.

During these two weeks, Mallick had admitted to himself that Saiyah was no longer and would never be again, so it was time for him to reconcile with the man he had been. The one who had been the cause of her death, for the foes that he’d gained along the way not forgetting his old ways. This man could now come at the forefront, and the ire he would instigate would be more than justified. It had once been unfair to try to coerce him out, but it was now the perfect fit for these gloves.

Or for this stand, among the clamoring of the crowd.

The sun was too high for it to be the beginning of May, but maybe this spoke to the urgency of the current situation. Mallick was aware of many things. One, the only reason why so many people were here was because of the allies he’d decided to take with him, his name only would not have been able to draw such a crowd. Two, the crowd was growing restless with the heat, their gaze too focused and their bodies would soon find themselves needing some type of action to relieve themselves of the heat they were enduring. Three, that release when it came to clubs would simply end up in a brawl rather than a quiet disapproving grumblings.

He knew these people, he was one of them. So it made him feel less and less apprehensive as he took his time to exit his brother’s tavern and walk up to the wooden stand. Yureif had taken some pride in his tavern being the place of the gathering, and Devjay had appointed himself as the man one would have to cross first before they could get to him. They were still debating on whether they should label him a right-hand, or a brother in arms. For now, he was simply all but Mallick’s shadow.

Mallick had only ever been a lover of the light, or rather, ever since a certain one slipped in uninvited and brought in even more than he’d ever thought could possibly be found. But he’d picked the black panther as his emblem for a good reason, Mallick had always been a man of the shadows.

It was commanding to see how the moment he stepped into view, the clamoring quieted, and when he rose behind the stand, the crowd took a stance. Mallick had made himself ready for what he knew of these people, his people. If a fight had to break while he was talking, or even before, he’d simply let it unfold and do this at another time.

However, a single line on the posters had advised them to not start a brawl if they wanted to be given anything they wished from the tavern, free of charge. Mallick had shamelessly bribed his way into making sure they behaved, or tried to at the very least. His brother might suffer a few losses for a bit, but it’d quickly come back compensated if this took flight the way Mallick hoped it would.

The heat of the day was now sitting atop his head, his shaved beard was no longer leaving him with a vulnerable feeling. He was long past that sensibility to the sight he was used to showing to his reflection.

Mallick started speaking and hoped to the gods that this would not derail in another civil war.

THE SPEECH (THE ACTIONS & REACTIONS)

I come to you with something we’ve never thought we could have, something none of us probably ever think of now, because we are not used to it being offered; peace. I do not mean peace by giving to others what we have and wishing that they treat us right, or giving up who we are and what we believe in to be the way they wish us to be. I mean peace in being ourselves, peace in giving to the people of this faction something better than the bloodshed they’ve been enduring, generation after generation. We are crumbling! But look at you, you are warriors, fighters, better than soldiers, some of you are the most fearless merchants! We have the power and we have the skills it takes to make us better together. That is where I want you to start, when you think about what can be done for the future.

(The crowd was still attentive, but some were slowly leaving their position, dispersing as Mallick stepped off the stand to walk among them; and as his voice grew louder, some did halt and turn around. Perhaps begrudgingly, perhaps simply to enjoy the spectacle, or who knows, get a pass in to take down this new Ace.)

I come in peace, because I realize I might not be the image of what you would think to be a strong representation of us, but I am not a weak man and no men in clubs are weak. None! WE are what WARRIORS were meant to be and WARRIORS do not fight dishonorably, nor do they kill for the thrill, we kill to feed our families, we FIGHT to show our strength. We can still do that and do it to have BETTER for all of US. Don’t you see it? The other factions do not care about us, they will jibe, they will insult, they will mock us and we let them do it by continuing to act like WE are NOTHING else but the WEAPONS WE CARRY.

(The crowd has not entirely dispersed, some newcomers have found themselves walking forward because of a sudden clamor of a lone man now carrying the hammer of another, Mallick is that lone man. He is all but arm wrapped around the shoulders of the weapon’s owner and somewhere, someone finally does something that shows less disinterest; a scream is heard.)

But first--I wish to say that it almost brought me to a path none wishes to carry. To work in the shadows of a rebellion that might have tainted my reputation for your eyes. But I did it for the union of this faction. Because I was a lost man, and for that, I will never use their name, because they should remain in the shadows, where they belong. WE do not belong in the shadow, we BELONG in a light that has long been shining on others because they casted us their clouds.

When I say WE, I mean all of us. The weak, the poor, the rich, and especially the STRONG.

(It has to come to this; Mallick walking among the crowd and the crowd walking with Mallick. They make rounds, they move with something akin to a trance. Maybe something has been sprayed in the air, maybe it is simply that the heat has finally gotten to them all. The Ace and the people, the ones that are left and the new ones, they might as well just mesh and become one.)

ARE YOU NOT TIRED OF BEING AT THE BOTTOM WHEN YOU ARE THE MIGHTIEST?

(Now the chaos is present; but it is not a chaos of weapons brandished against each other, it is of weapons held up and clinking, the way one would cheer with pints; not the delicate touch of a wine glass. Mallick was yanked somewhere in between; his brother all but wearing a disapproving scowl when all it did was make him laugh heartily. There’s this glee in his eyes that has Devjay letting him go then, there’s something more potent than anything else Mallick has ever felt in his life. It feels alive and like it will consume him, but if it comes to that, then he’ll let it be. The crowd quiets when the silence stretches for longer, without Mallick’s voice, without his words and suddenly as he’s back behind the stand, they all look confusedly for a second. Weapons are held, the tension seems to return. Mallick clears his throat and holds them with a steady gaze. He’s all but one man against a crowd, but there’s an undeniable power and confidence in him that tells them if he has to, he will fight every single one of them if they dared to challenge him. Mallick waits. The silence stretches. Then a grin pulls the corners of his lips.)

Well if you are TIRED, then rest assured that I’ll make sure to remind them they shouldn’t have underestimated you.

(The end might feel anticlimactic for many, but it is also the beginning of one promise being complied with. One promise that put them all right where they are needed, in the Panther’s den. As they gather in the tavern once it is made clear that they can by the owner of the tavern, Mallick follows suit; ready to put on his best suit; and gather all the information he can from the ones who he noticed stayed from the beginning to the end. It is not all the members of the faction that need convincing; it is the ones who could turn out to believe in him and in what he wants to do more than they would in anything else; those are the ones that he needs on his side. Mallick is aware of this and he will not lose this opportunity to build the threat that will lead him where he needs to get. Like his emblem of choice, The Black Panther prowls; stays quiet; strikes when it is ripe to do so.)

[levisnackajack]

The Wrath of War

Chapter Fourteen

Training had become Eden’s life. 

She trained from the brink of dawn, up until Hange dragged her back into base for dinner. As the only member who had stayed behind from Levi’s Squad; she felt astonishingly stupid. 

When Eden wasn’t running laps or working on building her muscle strength; she cleaned anything she could find, and until her fingers grew raw. The windows were invisible, the floor was glistening, the banister free of even a grain of dust. There were a few Scout members who had also stayed behind at the headquarters; but Eden did not find the power to strike up a conversation besides a meek “hello” and a friendly “good night”. 

Her mind raced with thought of her last moments with the Captain. By the time she had woken up the following morning; Jean’s bed was cold and the atmosphere had altered into a grim, grey nightmare. Albeit sharing nothing more but a few hungry kisses; Eden felt both calm and guilt-ridden at the same time. Her mind was all over the place.

She avoided lingering anywhere close to Levi’s office, afraid it will bring back her dreadful memories to life. A stone-cold weight tangled around her heart, pulling at it uncomfortably as his dull eyes flickered in her mind.

Her muscles were constantly aching. Once the ache of her hard training began going away, Eden would grow exasperated and go train harder; whether that was going into the nearby forest and practice her ODM skills, or just finding any sort of exercise that would keep her mind at bay and her muscles in pain. 

But this one morning, she walked through the empty corridors; the other Scouts all laughing and sparring outside as Hange locked herself in her own office- memorizing all the information Eren had bestowed upon her with his new powers. 

Her dainty fingers curled through the thin fabric of her long skirt as her heart beat against her ribcage. She blinked twice before walking towards the Captain’s office, her hand coiling around the doorknob shakily. 

His office door was unlocked. But of course, no one would ever dare walk into Levi’s office without his permission. Why would he care enough to lock the door when it was a known fact that the person guilty of entering his personal space would suffer horrendous consequences? 

Eden’s eyes widened slightly when she saw the dim-lighted layout staring back at her. His office was in the exact same condition as when Eden had stormed out- a vortex of emotions reflecting in the mess around her.

She looked at the ripped map on the floor, the shards of china glittering across the floor from the cup she had thrown. Guilt washed through her as her lack of anger management scrutinized her.

Bringing all the cleaning products she could muster; Eden began tidying Captain Levi’s office quietly, her brows scrunching together when she bent over and picked up all the small pieces of the broken cup. 

The girl decided to look for glue and then spent a long hour sticking all the pieces together carefully. Once she was done, she twirled the cup in her fingers, picking up a black marker and scribbling a small “sorry :(” on the cracked surface, shaking her head as she gently placed the cup back onto its tiny saucer.

There was something incredibly peaceful that had washed through Eden during the time she spent cleaning Levi’s office. It was like all the wrath and outrage etched within her had slowly begun fading away every single time she had successfully cleaned one of his shelves; or when his desk became as spotless as it usually was. 

After spending a few hours locked behind her superior’s office door; she vaguely heard horse’s whinnies and people’s voices. Eden ran to the window, pressing her cheek against the cold glass as she tried to see the commotion. But, it must have been happening on the other side of the estate. 

She went to pick up the cleaning supplies when the sound of boots echoed behind the closed door. 

Eden froze. 

Without any rational thought, the agitated girl fell to her knees behind Levi’s grand desk; her head ducking as she waited for the footsteps to fade. 

But they never did. 

The front door slammed open as someone hastily walked in. The sound of their boots came to a halt. There was a short moment of hesitation before any noise broke through the silence. 

The door closed slowly. 

Eden held her breath until her lungs burned uncomfortably. The thought of Levi finding her behind his desk made her want to throw herself out of the window. 

She listened to rustling before a loud thud echoed through the room. The sleeve of his cream-colored jacket hung over the edge of the desk, brushing against Eden’s face. She pushed it away gently, heart stammering at the sight of dried up, unevaporated blood. 

Had he been injured? 

The rip of fabric and a low groan reverberated through the office. She peaked her head above the wood of the table. 

Levi stood with his back facing her, hair tousled; fidgeting with the grey fabric of his shirt that stuck uncomfortably to his skin. He clicked his tongue in irritation, huffing softly as he ripped the cloth covering the right side of his ribcage, where a large gash stood freshly opened against his pale skin. 

Eden rose to her feet, cheeks peppering with a faint blush.

Levi stiffened to the sound of movement; his head craning in her direction as he stared at her over his shoulder.

“Are you unaware of the term ‘knock before you enter’? That’s still a valid expression if you’ve decided to come through the window,” he said in a gruff voice, eyes narrowing as he watched her fidget behind his desk.

“I’m sorry, sir. I had no right barging into your office without your permission. I wanted to clean up before your arrival. I didn’t know you'd returned...” Eden offered in a low voice as she tried her very best to conceal the tremors in her speech. 

Levi ignored her and walked towards his desk, the ripped cloth pressed against the wound as it soaked with his blood. 

“You’re hurt,” Eden whispered, eyes widening at the blood. How could he walk around when it was clearly visible he was in no position to stroll around so carelessly? 

Levi scowled at her before glancing down at his concealed injury. He huffed under his breath. 

“Thanks for the heads up,” he snapped at her huskily, unfastening the ODM buckles wrapped across his torso. Eden could tell he was struggling to do so with one hand; but knew that he would never in a million years ask her for assistance. 

So she decided it was best if she did not ask. Instead, she stalked towards him and gently brushed his cold fingers away from the metal clasps; brows scrunching in concentration. Ignoring the jolt of electricity that rushed through her when she touched him; she loosened the leather straps. 

Levi stiffened and watched her wordlessly, mouth pursed tightly as his right hand pressed against the bleeding wound. Eden hurriedly finished and headed towards the connecting room after inquiring whether that was a bathroom- earning a tight nod from the Captain as he leaned against his desk awkwardly. 

After several moments, she emerged from the bathroom, bucket filled with warm water, a cloth and a bottle of transparent alcohol. Eden had also found a first-aid kit box filled with sterilized needles and thread and placed all of the items on the desk beside him. 

She didn't have the time to stare at him; the defined muscles peaking through the ripped fabric of his shirt and his sunken, tired face because agony seeped through her at the sight of the smooth, red liquid tainting his skin. She submerged the cloth in the warm water, squeezing the remnant liquid out before pressing it against his skin. 

The cloth grew red almost immediately as she continued cleaning the site. 

Eden met his hooded eyes before pressing her lips together in a tight line. “I can suture the wound for you, if you want. It’ll hurt, but I promise I’ll try my best to be as quick as I can.”  

Levi had not flinched once during the whole cleanup session. He had watched her intently, grey eyes leaving her face only when he wanted to check up her method of cleaning the wound. “Go for it, brat.” 

The girl nodded in affirmation, urging her nerves to calm down as she reached for the needle. At this point her hair was messed up, her fingers were stained with Levi’s blood and her mind was spinning.

Never would she have imagined being the person tend to Humanity’s Strongest Soldier’s battle injuries. 

Her heart spasmed rapidly as she closed the wound, Levi’s fingers snaked around the throat of the alcohol’s bottle. He took a long swig, eyes closing as the needle made intricate contact with his flesh. 

Eden shoved the hair out of her face with the back of her hand; completely disregarding the wetness that smudged against her cheek. 

When she was done, she bent closer to his skin, cutting the thread with her teeth as her fingers pressed against his lean chest. She pulled away, inspecting her good work. 

She would never let him in on the fact that she had never sutured a human wound before. She merely had a passion for sewing from a young age and assumed she’d be able to stitch him up efficiently. Lucky for Eden, she was successful. 

Taking the bottle out of his grasp, Eden sent him a gentle smile before tipping some of the alcohol over his stitches. She watched in amusement as Levi’s expression contorted into one filled with pure rage as he glared at her, jaw clenching tightly. 

“Enjoy my suffering while it lasts,” he spat out at her, earning a breathy chuckle from his subordinate. 

“It’s okay, I’m done now,” she replied gently as she patched a layer of soft, cotton gauze over the fresh stitches. 

She glanced at him, smiling lightly as her blood began pounding in her ears. “There. Now you can go back to sulking and drinking tea.” 

Levi stared at her intensely, his grey eyes fixating on a certain place of her face. Eden’s cheeks pinkened as she imagined what a mess she looked like; tangled hair, scrunched up clothes, wide eyes looking sweetly back at him. 

The girl tried her best to keep the emotions away from her face as Levi reached over to grasp her jaw. Keeping her face secured in his grip; he tilted his own head to the side as his thumb grazed over her cheek. It moved slowly inward until his fingertip brushed against her lip. 

Eden’s breathing hitched in her throat as she parted her lips lightly; mesmerized by his captivating eyes once more. It was as though she was in trance, unable to look away as the only thing she could focus on was his hand on her face. 

She leaned into his touch ever so slightly. 

A long pause settled between them. It was both comfortable and incredibly nerve-wrecking. Eden did not know how to feel in that moment. 

She dropped her head when Levi pulled his fingers away excruciatingly slowly. Eden let out a low sigh before pulling herself to her feet, eyes searching his as he too, pushed himself off the desk. 

“I’ll head out, I don’t want to bother you any further,” she mumbled, pushing her hair behind her ear as she twisted her body towards the door. 

“I need to meet with Hange, anyway,” Levi replied in a cool tone, his indifferent mask back in place. Eden felt as though she could catch that mask crack every once in a while. Even if it was for a split moment. 

He shrugged his cape back on; concealing the wound with the velvet, green fabric before opening the door for Eden thoughtfully. 

Eden turned her head immediately as her blush deepened, clearing her throat hastily and thanking him under her breath. 

They walked side by side as Eden made her way to greet the rest of the Squad whilst Levi headed to Squad Leader Hange. 

Her hazel eyes widened as the familiar face of a boy always eager to see her came into view. He stalked up the stairs, cocoa eyes never leaving her face. 

“Eden,” Jean greeted her softly, bending over and brushing his lips against her cheek. 

The girl glanced at Levi would marched off; the muscles in his jaw tightly clenched. She blinked slowly as she watched him leave her sight; trying her best to brush the feeling of disappointment threatening to conquer her soul. 

“Jean, are you okay?” She stepped back, checking his uniform for any signs of bleeding. He seemed fine. 

“I’m alright. It was a tough couple of days- everyone in our Squad is fine. Can’t say the same about some of the other teams, unfortunately. You look...different.” he replied, looking away as trauma flickered behind his eyes visibly. Eden rubbed his arm reassuringly. 

“Don’t think about it. It won’t do you any good. I’ve had nothing better to do but train, so thanks. Would you like to go for a walk?” 

Jean searched her eyes in wonder, lips curling upwards as he played with a strand of her hair. 

“Already trying to get me alone, Eden? At least wait till I shower.” 

Eden scrunched her nose in distaste, shaking her head as she shoved Jean gently. 

“I’m just curious about what happened? I’ve never been on a practically week-long expedition. Must have been horrific?” They walked together towards their usual training spot, Eden’s ears perked up as Jean began telling her all about the last few days. 

Eden listened intently to the sudden, unexpected titan attack that ambushed their campsite on the second night. She hugged her knees close to her chest as the words of his memories trickled through his lips like a fairytale. 

They had found a gap in the wall, practically concealed by a nearby forest, large enough for 12 meter and shorter titans to come through. Eren had spent an entire days trying to build up enough force to seal the breach with the broken remnants of the wall. 

Finally, Eden had built up enough courage to ask Jean what has happened to Captain Levi. 

“I’m not sure, to be honest. One our way back, a few abnormals intercepted us. Captain Levi told us to go; he wanted to handle them and have us reach safety, I guess. After some time, he just came back on ODM, bloodied up and moody. You know how he is; but I heard he had gone to rescue some of the fallen comrades from the other squad. I think that’s when he got injured.” 

Eden’s skin dotted with goosebumps as she chewed on her bottom lip. How easy it was to be wiped out by a titan. Gone in the blink of an eye. 

She felt like she was about to physically be sick. 

“I want to talk about us,” Jean pulled her reverie back to the present; picking a chamomile flower and handing it to her. She took it gracefully, smiling warmly at him, eyes creasing.

“What about us, Jeanie-boy?” 

He rolled his eyes at the nickname, readying himself to throw a snarky remark Eden’s way. But she was quicker, blocking his words before he could open his mouth.

“I really enjoyed the night we were together. I feel...safe with you. I can’t really explain it. But I feel like I don’t want to put a label on anything just because of the circumstances,” she replied meekly, resting her chin on her knee. 

Jean smirked widely at her, standing to his feet and pulling Eden up from under her shoulders. “Fine by me, darling. But, this doesn’t mean I’ll be going easy on you during training.” 

Eden’s own full lips curled into a mischievous grin, grabbing his chin before pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Thank the heavens, I was starting to think you’re going all soft on me.” 

They began walking back to the headquarters as the sky grew painted with every shade of orange, pink and red whilst Jean told her about Hange’s celebratory surprise scheduled later that night.

It was a campfire night. 

Hange had decided to treat her and Levi’s squad to a quiet night under the stars; in honor of Eren’s ability to seal the breach. They had plenty more information to uncover; but during the mission, it was established that there had been an extinguished campsite close to the breach. This led the superiors thinking that there must have been a few titan-shifting traitors amongst the ranks. And this could subsequently be tied to the female titan from a few weeks back.

Regardless, Levi’s Squad and some of Hange’s teammates sat around a large fire, the crisp nighttime air cooling their skin whilst the flames melted the cold away. 

Eden and Jean came a little later because they both went to their respective quarters and took showers. Sasha and Connie snickered upon their arrival, her three childhood friends smiled at Eden tenderly, Hange was too busy speaking to her second-in-command whilst Levi sat looking as bored as ever. 

Jean sat beside Eden on the bench surrounding the fire and Eden shifted uncomfortably. They had managed to sit down exactly opposite their Captain. So, wherever Eden looked, she would always be in his view. 

Her palms grew sweaty as the chilly breeze kicked in. She let out a low whistle, awkwardly turning towards Jean. 

“I’ll be back soon, I guess I should have brought my jacket...-”

“Here,” Jean shrugged his cream-colored Scout Regiment coat and threw it over her shoulders. Eden pursed her lips, thanking him under her breath as she looked down at her fingers in her lap. 

She didn’t know what to do. 

“Would you rather never eat potatoes or never eat meat?” Connie’s voice asked Sasha in a very serious tone. 

“That’s outrageous. I can just choose one and then just steal the other food when no one is looking,” Sasha replied in an equally solemn tone, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“I’d just choose meat and then beat the shit out of anyone who wouldn’t give me potatoes,” Eren responded in a cool tone, shrugging lazily when Mikasa shoved him with her elbow. 

“Ridiculous,” Levi muttered under his breath, slender fingers gripping his teacup in his own, peculiar way. He tilted his jaw the the side when Hange slapped her knee beside him, pulling him into a conversation.

The fire crackled and Eden grew hypnotized by the swirls of fire dancing before her. Over the flames, sharp, grey eyes glared at her. Eden stiffened, holding his stare levelly, raising a brow slightly. 

She jumped at the sudden motion of Jean’s arm settling around her shoulders. Looking up at him, Eden noticed the way his face was contorted into an irritated glower. Her arched brows bunched up together, her fingers flexing in exasperation. She cracked her knuckles, staring down at the tips of her boots, unable to brush the feeling of disappointment. 

Eden wanted to ask him how he was feeling. Whether he felt any pains in his wound. If he wanted her to redress and clean the injury tomorrow. She wanted to ask him whether she can accompany him on the next expedition; knowing damn well she would be of much more use fighting beside him rather than waiting for them to come home like a bored housewife. 

Most of all, she wanted to ask him why the hell she could feel his constant stares burning into her soul. Why his eyes were the only ones that made her feel like he could read her like an open book. 

She wanted to know when the hell her heart started hammering in her chest every time his face flickers through her mind or when she hears his detached voice that perfectly matched the deadpan expression he constantly carried around with him.

Eden wanted to know why he kept looking over and why that made her insides burn with an unfamiliar flame that threatened to burn her crucially. 

Big thank you to everyone supporting this story! Thank you for all the comments, reblogs, likes and follows! I appreciate every single one of you!! 

Tags: @idiot-juice-enthusiast

Link to the story in AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919136/chapters/70952145

[reelwriter19]

Black and Blue

Pairings: Kevin Atwater x Black Reader 

Summary: With all that’s going on in the world, I wanted to explore things from Kevin’s perspective. What’s it like for him and his family, existing on both sides of the spectrum? 

*Title inspired by one of my favorite Chicago PD eps

Attempting to soothe your 4 month pregnant and agitated stomach, you got in your cousin's face, finger pointed, rage on high.

“As much as you want to refute my choice of a life partner, Detective Kevin Atwater is the reason your dumbass isn’t in a jail cell right now...or worse.”

“So now I’m a dumbass?!”

“YES!”

“You don’t think what we’re doing out there is important?! Did you sell out when he put that ring on your finger or was it the day he wrote the down payment check for this bougie ass loft you’re livin’ in?!”

Without hesitation, you smacked Brian across the face, just as Kevin walks in to the front door. Already changed out of his riot gear, he dons his usual black hoodie, dark jeans and combat boots. He holds a beat on locking away his gun, as he’s not quite sure what he’s walking into.

“Baby, you good?”

You and Brian are still staring each other down. You finally break the silence, with gritted teeth.

“Get out of my house.”

Brian slowly backs away from you, being sure to glare disapprovingly at Kevin on his way out. Locking the door behind him, Kevin continues his routine of securing his gun as you walk over to him crying.

You weren’t quite sure if it was the adrenaline from the fight you just had with family, the worry for your husbands safety out on the currently extra dangerous streets or the pregnancy hormones, but all you wanted was Kevin’s hands on your body.

As you reached up to place your arms around his neck, he obliged and pulled you into a passionate kiss. Within seconds, your legs were wrapped around his waist as he carried you up the stairs into the bedroom, slowly lowering you on to the bed. He hovered over you, gently reaching down to kiss the remaining tears away. You removed his hoodie and proceeded to let him know just how glad you were to have him safely home in one piece.

_________

Hours later, the two of you were absently wrapped in sheets. Kevin sat up, his back against the headboard, while you laid across his lap. With one hand intertwined with his, you used the other to trace the solid ridges of his stomach.

“Y/N…”

“Hmm?” The deep sound of his voice breaking you out of a trance.

“I don’t want you to be mad at Brian.”

You sit up to turn and fully face him. The look of curiosity and annoyance growing across your brow.

“Kev...the things that he said...what he’s doing out there? You saved him tonight from the possibility of not making it back home and he couldn’t even say ‘thank you’? He’s a disrespectful little...”

“But Y/N, I get it. The way Brian grew up, hell the way we grew up, he was trained to hate people like me. Do you remember how reluctant you were to date me when you found out what I did for a living?”

“Of course. I was pissed cuz you didn’t tell me right away.”

“Exactly, but I didn’t because I wanted to make sure I had you before your opinion of me was tainted by what you thought a Chicago cop was like. Y/N, Brian never had that chance. Sure I’m married to you and by default he’s family, but that deep seeded hatred takes years to undo.”

“True, but you guys in Intelligence…”

Cutting you off with a touch to your cheek.

“We’re a rare breed baby. You know that. Just think of all that nonsense I had to fight off two years ago with Doyle’s people. They’re the majority. They’re the ones who don’t care about Brian’s life and they’re the reason why he was out there looting with that group after others protested peacefully downtown for hours. And you know good and well that if circumstances were different…”

Kevin slightly repositioned himself over you, placing light kisses on your pregnant belly.

“...if you weren’t cooking my beautiful baby girl in this sexy ass oven…”

Smirking as you playfully swatted his hand “Boy! I told you I want a boy…”

He rolled his eyes at you while further pinning you down under him. Unable to move, you gazed upon your husband as he proceeded to have a full on conversation with the child growing in your stomach. Although annoyed at the topic of his current Ted Talk, you truly loved these moments. Being black in this country was hard enough. Adding to that, your choice as a couple to stand with a foot on both sides of the spectrum of black and blue, it was a rare occasion when the love of your life was allowed to put his guard down and just be a man. You came back to reality when he purposely grazed your sensitive skin with his beard.

“Listen baby GIRL...mamas gonna try to act tough when you get out here, but I got your back, ok?

Laughing reluctantly and whining in protest and for him to move… “Stop it! That tickles!”

Kevin relented and moved up, gazing deep into your eyes. The look on his face as if he was ready to put another baby in the oven. You bit your bottom lip. As you each moved in closer for a kiss…there was a sudden urge...

“Great, now I have to pee!”

He burst into laughter as you untangled yourself from his limbs and the sheets and scurried to the bathroom.

“Shut up!”

_________

The next morning, you awoke to a text from Brian.

My bad cuz...I ain’t mean that shit.

Brian was never verbose and you knew him sending just that simple message took a lot. You were about to respond when you heard voices downstairs. You had expected Kevin to be at the District by now. He previously had a routine of waking you up before he left, no matter the hour, but that became less frequent once you got pregnant, deciding to text you his whereabouts instead. His voice ringing in your head now...

“You need to be well rested, Y/N.”

You got up, put some comfortable clothes on and went downstairs. To your surprise Kevin was sitting at the dining room table with his partner Adam and your cousin Brian. It looked like they had been planted in their seats having a heated discussion for hours. You stood in shock and then walked over to the kitchen to make some tea.

Adam was the first to break from the tense meeting, walking over to greet you with a hug and a peck on the cheek after you placed the kettle on the stove.  

“Morning, Y/N, you’re lookin’ beautiful as always.

With a chuckle, “Hey sweetie...you’ve always been such a good liar...I appreciate that.”

“I'm serious girl, you look great. I told Atwater if he acts up…”

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Kevin yelled from the dining room as he approached. He and Ruzek were like brothers. He’d stood by Kevin’s side through it ALL, unwavering in his loyalty, so it was only natural that, as a brother, he also knew which buttons to push to irk him the most.  

Kevin punched him in the arm and Adam reciprocated with a swat to the back of Kevin’s neck. You shook your head and laughed, proceeding with the business of putting the kettle on the stove….this boyish nonsense was routine.

Both deciding there could be no winner in this moment, they finally calmed down. “Man chill out, you’re gonna upset my goddaughter.”

You immediately rolled your eyes and sighed as you grabbed your favorite mug from the cabinet. “Daughter...I see he’s gotten to you too huh?”

You darted a look at Kevin, which he avoided, clearing his throat with a  smirk.

“Adam, are you hungry?”

Walking past the guys into the dining room, you offered an olive branch to your cousin as well, who still sat at the table in deep thought, “Brian, you want anything to eat? I can make some breakfast.” He looked up at you and rose from the table. You were startled by the look of both sorrow and determination in his eyes.

“I’m good cuz.”

He gave you a quick hug and exited the apartment.

You turned to Kevin and Adam for an explanation. “What just happened?”

Kevin spoke up first.

“I called him. He was pissed when he saw Adam here at first but I needed him to get it. I wanted him to understand why I still do this job everyday. That we haven’t sold out. We haven’t abandoned our people, I’m doing this for my people. It’s hard as hell but people like Adam, Intelligence...it’s a family, and we’re doing what we can at least to make this shit a little better.”

“How did he take that?”

Adam retorted, attempting to break the awkwardness, “Well, Brian didn’t try to hit me in the face, so I guess you can say it went alright?”

You snorted. With Adam’s sarcasm and Brian’s temper, you knew that was no small feat.

“Ok man, I’m gonna head out. I’ll catch up with you at the district.” Adam pounded Kevin’s fist and made his way to the door, but not before one last jab. With a wink to you, “Bye baby…”

“Bro! Get the hell out!”

With a mischievous laugh. “What?! I was talking to my goddaughter!”

You couldn’t help but laugh too. “BYE Adam!”

Kevin walked towards you, wrapping his arms around your waist. Your hands rested lightly on his strong arms.

“How many people have you told that we’re having a little girl?”

“Not many...I mean, the people down at the 21st of course…”

Hitting his chest… “Kevin Atwater! We haven’t even officially checked yet! Such a man.”

He tilted your face up to look directly at him. “What’s wrong with me wanting a girl, Y/N? If she’s anything like her beautiful mama, she’ll be strong, graceful…” His words slowing down as he was sure to kiss your face after proclaiming each of the attributes he adored.

“...independent….smart.....beautiful.”

Per usual, you were becoming puddy in his arms. “You said that one already.”

He squeezed you tighter, hoping to stay in this moment a little while longer. Your face buried in his chest, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For trying to make it right with Brian. For reminding me why I chose to stay with you. For reminding me how easy it was to fall in love with you even after I found out you were a cop. I’m proud of you babe.”

No sooner than the two of you became lost in eachother again, the kettle whistled loudly on the stove. Kevin moaned against your lips in protest as you wiggled away from him to take it off the stove.

Trailing right behind you, he smacked your butt and then reached for you. Longing for the comfort of your body to hold flush against his chest. You turned the stove off and allowed him to engulf you in his arms from behind. Your fingers interlocked with his as they rested comfortably on your stomach. You each looked down for a moment at your growing belly.

Neither of you discussed it often, but there was an innate fear of what it meant to birth a black child into this world. Things had changed, yes, but the cases Kevin was exposed to and the systemic racism that still existed, as obvious in more recent events, was enough to make any future parent uneasy.

One day, when Kevin found you deep in your thoughts, he reminded you that he would never let you shoulder that burden alone. You and his unborn daughter were his world. Everyday that he chose to put that badge on, he was doing so with the intention of making the world around you and for generations to come, a little bit better.

“I have to get to work.”

You turned to face him. “I know...just make sure you come back to us.”

With a kiss to your forehead and another placed softly on your lips. 

“Always. I love you.”

[thirsthourdemon]

The beast in the garden

Includes: Aone Takanobu

Genre: Nobility!Au, angst, smut

Warning: Nsfw

Note: Okay so I’ve had this idea for a while now and I just couldnt find what I wanted to do with it but now it’s hear so please enjoy 😔

“Oh nobu!” the young miss whimpers at the force of the man pushing into her wet sex. Panting and whimpering at every movement. The pleasure sinking into her and she grips onto his shoulders. Y/N had never anticipated such a scenario before she met the “beast”.

Once there was a young miss inside an isolated mansion in the woods owned by her her parents, the lord and lady of the land. She was a beautiful girl with a cold gaze but such a warm heart. Y/N was given almost everything she could ask for! Shoes, books, beautiful jewelry and wonderful entertainment...all that could be hers but the one thing she had craved for the most was so out of her grasps. Freedom.

She was given everything except the freedom do go outside. She was secluded and kept like a beautiful porcelain doll, too pretty to even play with. The lonesome lady wasnt even allowed to walk their entire garden because the north part of their garden had a “beast” as the servants would tell her. Fearing the beast she stayed with her gaurdians at all times and barely left the mansion at all.

“What flowers are these?” Y/N asks her tutor showing the beautiful image of flowers in her book. “Chrysanthemums, my young miss” he replied sparing her a glance and going back to look at the book he was reading himself. “They mean devoted love and loyalty it says” Y/N’s voice so sweet and filled with admiration of the flora. “I hope one day someone will give me these flowers instead of roses...”

“Beautiful, arent they? You have them in your garden as I remember”

The male informs, flipping another page in his book

“Huh...maybe I should go pick some later tonight” was all she had said before she stood up and excused herself from their reading session.

That late afternoon the young miss asks her gaurdian to bring her to the garden to pick chrysanthemums only to be told that they only grew at the north of their grounds. The home of the beast she remembered coming to the conclusion that it would be best not to try and go at all. The whole afternoon it bothered her to no end.

Learning more and more about the flower and finding how it could be made into tea and how sweet it would taste. The chrysanthemums deeply explained what type of love she wanted. The young miss had countless suitors but all of them brought her the same red stainedroses over and over again until the roses didnt feel so red anymore.

She wanted those flowers no matter what but the servants themselves were too scared to get some and not being one to force others she decided she must take matters into her own hands.

As the moon came into view that night she had retired early to her bed chambers and told the servants to not let anyone in no matter what for she was not feeling well. Waiting for the moon to reach it’s peak the young miss had already climbed out of her window and tip toed her way to the border to the garden up north.

At the highest peak she hurridly went in looking for the beautiful flowers only to realize that this garden was the most beautiful one of all. It felt as if the fae themselves lived here. The moonlight fully illuminating the garden before her. Well kept grass and full bloomed flowers sparkling by the reflection of the light on the dew drops.

Before her eyes was the most beautiful garden and the most dangerous one as well thinking to herself. With every step she took however she did not realize how late it had been. Forgetting her reason for going all together and walked around the garden as well. There was no sign of the beast at all...not until she felt movement from the otherside of the rose bush. Quickly backing away...”Oh lord I forgot the chrysanthemum!” The young woman exclaimed hurridly looking for them and as she was about to pick some that she found there was suddenly a feeling of a presence behind her.

Fearing her safety she ran back as fast as she could and even forgeting the cloth she wore around her shoulders. Running fast and not even sparing a glance behind her. Almost sobbing and fully terrified she couldn’t even climb up to her window again.

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Bubump bubump bubump she heard her heart beat almost out her chest. Foot steps along the grass.

Was this her demise?

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Why was she always so weak that she could not even fend for herself?

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Why did she have to spend her life locked up in such a dull household?!

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Why could she never stand up for herself?

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Why did she have to experience death without experiencing what it meant to be alive?

The foot steps have stopped in front of her. Feeling the heavy beathing and warmth of the huff from the monster. This was it...looking up she was greeted by a tall man with albino like features being graced upon the cold light of the moon. Somehow it had taken her breath away but then again it would be her last breath.

He didnt say anything though he just presented her something. Her shawl. “T-tha..nk yo..uu? B-...Beas...t, sir” stuttering and shaking of fright while grabbing her shawl back. “Young miss-“ “I-I...I...Ughhh...I apologize! I didnt mean to steal from your garden, sir! I just wanted to get some chrysanthemum! I swear I wasnt going to destroy anything!” Y/N interrupted trying to save her skin not knowing the intention of the man.

“Beast? Takanobu Aone. Im not a beast, young miss” deep and warm was all there was to say about his voice. Hearing his voice felt like the feeling you get when one drinks warm tea in a fairly cold morning. Comforting and soothing. His features were strangely soft for a monster. His eyes seem to be squinted but his eyes were plastered with concern and confusion.

“I- but the servants said there was a beast at the northern grounds!” Her soft voice no longer trembling at the sight of him. Shrugging the man had gestured for her to wait as he emerged back into the garden. Confused the young miss was troubled about everything that she had just discovered.

There was no beast all along. The house was meant to keep her in and not keep the beast out.

The albino like man stepped into view once more however he did not returned empty handed. He returned with a small bouqet of familiar light coloured flora. Chrysanthemums.

“Th-thank you! I-I...I really...ehhh...ummm... appreciate them” a warm feeling arose to her chest when she got the small gift. Aone nodded and started walking back to his home. “Umm...Sir Aone- Let’s meet again! B-back at the...the...y-...your...your garden when the moon is at it’s highest peak again!” Y/N nervously suggested to him and all he did was walk back to pat her head as a confirmation before jogging back.

There wasnt a beast.

Soon enough the young miss would barely wake up by 8 am, her usual waking hours, and it had troubled her gaurdians asking her questions like why was she up so late or why she had trouble waking up but before they could interrogate her even further she would only excuse herself.

Night by night Y/N went back to meet the mysterious nobu figuring him out little by little like she was building a puzzle with a thousand pieces.

He was quiet but his small actions made up for it. Things like talking all night and conversing about ridiculous ideas were always one sided however staring into the nigth sky with her head on his lap or making small flower arrangements for the young miss...those were when he was the most charming in her eyes.

Eventually the two had become great friends and both felt a strong connection to one another more than anything. Aone Takanobu was a beautiful being. His gaze was cold but it also had tears glossing over them whenever he looked at her. His touch maybe rough and yet it would soft enough having her hand in his.

He didnt pay any attention to her status or the amount of wealth she possessed because for him at the end of the day he only saw her for who she was.

Likewise she had already built the puzzle of who nobu was and it turns out it was just as wonderful. Growing to like each other much more spending more time in the gardens just to escape a little while-

“YOUNG MISS! Get away from that monster!” Her tutor’s voice exclaims when he saw the lovely child snuggling up next to aone by the bushes. “You! You are to not lay a finger on her anymore! She is too fragile and too weak! Have you no mercy! What are you even doing tainting her with your disgusting commoner-“

“Quiet. You dont have any right to insult her” nobu growled looking at man with a calm expression on his face. “She is neither fragile nor weak” he stands up and takes your hand to help you up. “N-nobu I-“ with that he just shakes his shakes his head slowly side to side and leaves the young woman with her tutor.

That night the young lady was scolded and ultimately gaurded with a handmaiden to watch over her and having her window locked.

He did not expect her to be there that night and he was correct. That night and the night after that and the following nights that would follow but all he could do was wait by chrysanthemums until she would eventually show up.

Many sunsets have passed and the incident was forgotten as everything had come back to normal. That night however the beast could no longer be patient and wait for the young miss to come back so he took measures into his own hands.

“When will I see you again...nobu...” Y/N talked to the withered flowers in the vase shet set by her desk. For all the time she spent indoors again she could never forget his face or his warming presence whenever she snuggled up to his chest. Suddenly russtling from the tree by her window had interrupted her thoughs.

If she hadnt felt his presence in that moment she was sure she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs but Y/N already knew who was trying to get into her room just from hearing the sound of the movement. Opening her window and there he was. Tall, albino features, covered in leaves and holding a small collection of different coloured chrysanthemums.

“You know chrysanthemums actually mean loyalty and devoted love” the no longer lonesome lady giggled picking up some of the leaves by his clothes.

“I like you, nobu and I know it’s crazy because we only met a month ago and I dont know what to do or what to say but Im sure that I like you”

Waiting for a reply. Silence and anticipations.

Tension and a full display of worriedness crossed over her face. Only for all of that worry to disappear the moment their lips connected. It was a kiss filled with nothing but love and longing for each other.

Taking a break and having their foreheads leaning towards each other. The beast of a man took her in his arms and carried her off the ground. Staring into one another’s eyes. Speaking a million words in silence. Those “I love you”s that only eyes could say and those “I want you”s that can only be tasted within their liplocking. Slowly their want and passion had slowly translated into the way their skin had dragged against each other.

Sitting the tall man down on her bed as she carefully and ever so teasingly stripped her night gown down revealing her beautiful body. Her body covered in imperfections had made her the most perfect human being in his eyes. He couldnt keep his hands to himself as he stood up and touched her sides while kissing her forehead.

That mere moment of innocence was soon erased by a passionate kiss and as the moon had tried to reach its highest peak the two lovers only evolved into more skinship.

Kissing and nimbling on the soft skin of her neck while gently massaging circles into her inner thigh. With her underneath him he could only imagine what he could do. Her pretty tears reminding him of the dew drops at the garden and her small noises resembling those of the night’s music.

His wet and hot tongue had travelled to her untouched pot of dripping honey. Licking in one agonizingly long stripe upwards. “Agh...gods” she huffed trying not to lose herself completely to the pleasure. Once he had started licking her entrance the only sound she could have ever made was whimpers that she so badly tried to cover. With her legs trembling and her eyes half open she had felt him stopping to grab a bottle of oil by her mirrored desk. While the liquid had poured of to his hands he started to pump his incredibly large member. Soon lining his member to her entrance.

“N-nob...uu...it m...aghhh...might not...FIT!” Y/N gripped on his shoulder once he had entered. Carefully he tried to soothen her so she wouldnt be so nervous. “Mhhm” kissing her forehead and allowing her to adjust his large size.

At once the young miss gave the beast her signal he thrusted into her creating a certain rythm so that both of them could slowly ease into it. That was soon thrown out the window once they both paced faster makiing the sweet girl cry out in pleasure.

Wet kisses and hair sticking to the forehead. The sound of skin slapping against each other through the night and small whimpers of “N-no...bu...” had only prolonged

“Oh nobu!” the young miss whimpers at the force of the man pushing into her wet sex. Panting and whimpering at every movement. The pleasure sinking into her and she grips onto his shoulders. With every time his member had hit that sweet soongy spot inside of her it had built her up so much that once the wave of pleasure had washed over both of them at the same time they had both decided to lay in bed for a while.

The albino like beast stared into her eyes noticing that small request of freedom. “You know chrysanthemums actually mean loyalty and devoted love” He remembered your words and at once stood up. He took the chrysanthemums from the ground and swore to her “I will love you devotedly and loyaly”

“Then follow me wherever I may go”

That night as eventful as it was for the two...had only left the household in panic.

Once the sun has risen and the servant that had to wake up their miss up entered the room only to see the room completely tidy as if no one had used the night before. There was no young miss and there was no beast. Only an empty bed with a bouqet of chrysanthemums.

Taglist: @janellion @my-mass-hysteria @anianimol

[jaehyunskitten22]

(Poly!) Wonho x Changkyun x Chubby!Reader - Two’s a Party... Part 1

prequel // part one // part two

Summary: You and Changkyun are unlikely childhood best friends- you being the shy chubby girl and him being a flirtatious, traditionally attractive guy. Still you two hit it off, and grow very fond of one another. But what happens when he meets someone new? Is there a place for you in his life anymore? 

AKA- How the hell Changkyun managed to get himself into this mess

(A/N) Hello cutie pies. I would not blame you guys at all if you are angry and annoyed at me for taking so many breaks, but 2020 has been a freaking dumpster fire for literally everyone so I feel like you guys might understand (at least i hope >,<) I love you guys so much, and I don’t want you to forget that you matter, and you’re so important. You’re never alone, and you are capable of doing anything, even if you’re too scared to try <3 the beginning is a little rusty, but I hope you guys enjoy! xx

Changkyun and you had been friends for too long to remember at this point. You two had grown up together in the same school and at first he seemed almost a little cold and slightly arrogant and flirtatious; he was mouthy and couldn’t resist a challenge. You were so shy and quiet, being giggly and chatty within your circle of friends but to others not so much. You wanted to avoid conflict and he was often right in the middle of it.

That’s why people were so often confused by the way he had taken an interest in you, how he would hang around you and try to get you to open up; he did like a challenge after all. Everyone just assumed that he would give up eventually as he never seemed to be able to get you to talk, but they were then shocked to see your friend groups slowly blend together, and how you and Changkyun had grown inseparable.

It would have been foolish to say that you weren’t attracted to him, he had a tempting cool and relaxed energy around him, like nothing bothered him and that had piqued your (and everyone else’s)  interest. But you quickly realized he was just a big dork, playful and chatty when he wanted to be and it helped dissolve your nervousness around him. He was quietly caring, not liking to express his emotions verbally, but more through small touches, looks, and actions, playing with your fingers when you two sat together or smiling at you if you apologized for getting too excited and chatty about something, always making sure to let you know that he cared about what you had to say and that he was always present to listen, which is what really attracted you to him. 

You had never had a guy take interest in you in the way Changkyun had. He was never ashamed to be seen with you. When girls would come up to him and start to flirt, asking why he was always hanging around you and if you just wouldn't leave him alone, he never hesitated to fill in the “boyfriend” role, telling them that he was the one who wouldn’t leave you alone and how he enjoyed your company more than everyone else’s. Sometimes he would finish it off with something he knew would make their heads spin; something like “She’s pretty fucking hot too” with a wink before casually walking away. He never lied about what he said, something that made you almost mortified and you would hit him on the arm, asking why he thought something like that was necessary before rolling your eyes and walking away. He would always trail right on your heels, throwing an arm around your shoulders and tucking you into his side, and leaning down to whisper “Because it's true.” which would just make you groan in response and tell him to quit messing around, but melting into his side nonetheless.

He was attracted to you as well. He couldn’t resist flirting with you, first making you blush and then roll your eyes and laugh at him. He loved your smile and laugh, the way your cheeks would turn rose-y and the happiness in your eyes. When alone in bed together, talking about anything and everything, he would often use your laugh to cut the somber mood that conversations sometimes took, to hide how comfortable he was with you and how he was so open to you emotionally. He would lean up onto his elbow and give you a devilish smirk before going to town on you, throwing his leg over yours to keep you in place if you tried to get away. In these moments he would randomly pick up on something; how you smelled, the way the soft skin of your stomach was peeking from underneath your shirt or how close he was to you, chest heaving and breathless. He would stop then, and let his mind wander, wondering what this would be like if it was caused by his hands doing other things to your body. 

You two had definitely had your close calls; lingering hands in places that a friend’s hands shouldn’t be, subtle shifting of hips and almost kissing, but at the last minute backing off, always being interrupted or thinking better of it at the last second.

These actions made you nervous; you didn’t know what they meant to him or his reasoning behind them, and not knowing scared you. In response, you decided to distance yourself from him, instinctively wanting to protect yourself from things going bad and ruining your friendship.  In your head, it just didn’t seem plausible for him to like you, so it seemed like a bad idea to continue spending time with him to avoid giving him a chance to catch on.

But his feelings for you overwhelmed his mind. He was unable to look at anyone else the way he had begun to look at you, no one else could make him feel the things that you made him feel. He couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong, as you had seemed interested in him before. 

Hoseok came seemingly out of nowhere; at first glance he seemed like a fitness nut, a guy who couldn’t go 15 seconds without trying to shove his lifestyle onto you. But when Changkyun was introduced to him by Hyunwoo, a mutual friend, Changkyun quickly realized that he was just like a big puppy with a bright smile. He was shy but playful with a caring and protective nature, completely contradicting his original assessment’s conclusion: “gym nut alpha male”. 

When they got together you felt threatened; you felt like your spot was being filled by someone else, someone better suited for him and his companionship. Changkyun made it clear that he still wanted you around after they became an official couple, but you just felt too shy to be yourself in front of the both of them. You were very familiar with the way Hoseok looked, how seriously he took the appearance of his body and you were afraid that his attitude towards himself would apply to you as well. You didn’t want to make Changkyun feel uncomfortable or like he had to choose between the two of you if Hoseok ended up being disgusted by you or your appearance so you didn’t even give him the chance to develop an opinion on you.

As Changkyun grew closer to Hoseok, you guys continued to drift apart. He still texted you everyday, of course, but he found himself being hesitant to let those two parts of his life collide. He was confused and conflicted, because despite his slowly emerging feelings for Hoseok, he still couldn’t stop thinking about you. He tried to throw himself into his relationship with Hoseok, seeing if him putting a label on it would make it any easier but it didn’t, and he felt awful for it. 

He had started developing ideas after he and Hoseok had started sleeping together, fantasies of what it would be like to have both of you in his bed. He fantasized what you would be like and what role you would take. What would it be like?

Changkyun liked control, liked telling Hoseok what to do and how to fuck him. Hoseok liked pleasing him, wanted to be good for Changkyun and make him feel good. But you? You seemed completely clueless and like a blank canvas, someone who needed to be taught and taken care of, and that naturally fit in with Hoseok’s personality. Changkyun didn’t often imagine him fucking you, but his boyfriend instead, and him opting to sit behind you and cradle you against his body, holding you close and cooing dirty praises into your ears and telling Hoseok what to do to you, telling him how to take care of their baby. He wanted to watch his innocent Hoseok take your own innocence away, to taint you in the most beautiful ways.

All sorts of sinful and wrong thoughts. 

But there were innocent thoughts too. He often thought about how you would look, curled up between them or against Hoseok’s broad chest. Would he like making you laugh as much as he did? Or would he prefer to dote on and treat you like his little baby? It drove him crazy to think of all of the possibilities. He couldn’t help but wonder if Hoseok would be interested in you in the same way he was. 

So he brought it up to him. He told him that he loved him, and that he would never do anything to purposely jeopardize their relationship and how he and you were just friends currently, nothing more. He opened up about how he had been keeping his distance from you because he felt guilty for how he was feeling and for how much he missed you. 

“But I just can’t stop thinking about her. She’s so sweet and genuine. And loving. So, so loving. She’s caring and- and,” He had been looking at his hands, trying to avoid looking into Hoseok’s eyes. They both were sitting at the foot of their bed, facing one another, and when he looked up at Hoseok he saw that he had an unreadable look on his face, but he didn’t seem upset. He  took a calming breath and finished with  “Everything about her is beautiful. Everything.” He waited for Hoseok to say something and when he didn’t he became embarrassed, opting to flop back onto the bed and throw his arms over his eyes. 

“This is the most passionate I have probably ever heard you be, Kyunnie.” Hoseok slowly came to lay beside his sprawled out form, leaning up on his elbow while looking down at him. Truthfully he didn’t know what to say. He had never thought about this before; about how he would feel if his partner came up to him and expressed interest in another person. 

“I know… and I’m sorry. You obviously don’t have to be okay with this, but I couldn’t stand you not knowing. And I just don’t know what to do...:” He trailed off, wondering if Hoseok would mention the idea himself. 

“I’ve never been in this kind of situation before, Kyunnie. And I don’t really know what our end solution will be, but I would like to meet her…” His voice grew quiet at the end, worrying about what would happen if you didn’t like him, but he wanted to see what you were like. If Changkyun loved you this much, he knew he would like you too. And he wanted to try.

Changkyun felt a little bit of worry settle into his stomach, not knowing how he himself would react to both of the people he had grown to love so much being in the same room together. But he knew that he couldn’t handle being so distant from you anymore either. When Changkyun didn’t say anything Hoseok decided to try and bring you up again, wanting to help him feel more at ease in any way that he could.

“What’s her name, and what does she look like?” Changkyun looked at him and smiled, relieved at the change in direction. He grabbed his phone and pushed Hoseok onto his back so he could cuddle into his chest, and Hoseok responded by wrapping his arm around him and pressing a kiss to his head. Changkyun pulled up his gallery and started swiping through your pictures, a wistful sigh leaving his lips.

“Y/N. Her name is Y/N.”

[doingthingsthewriteway]

Thorns

Summary: A tale as old as time. Dom stumbled upon a castle and perhaps something more. (will be a series) 

Warning: some language, it’s a slow ass burn y’all 

The legend was a juicy one, so juicy many an author had taken time to transcribe their own version of the tale. Some were incredibly far-fetched, others took a strict moral approach. Those who know the in parties involved agree the events occurred in a similar manner. 

Long ago in the English country side, a small kingdom sprang up. The castle was idyllic, with sweeping rose gardens and stables, ivy crawling up the towers, and a lavish ballroom for parties. Known for a variety of goods that grew just a bit too magically, the kingdom prospered. Magic was not unreasonable in the kingdom and served as a comfort, especially as protection from the restless wolves that lurked beyond the castle walls. 

Still, life was pleasant and just until the princess came of age. Perhaps it was the philosophy she took to reading, or the endless days bemoaning to the kitchen staff, but Y/N simply could not believe she was expected to get married at the tender age of 16. It was disgusting. Damn near revolting and illegal. 

So when the royal ball brought conquests from around the world to try and whoo her, they all failed. One by one she rejected every prince (and the occasional princess) in their hand in marriage. Most took the rejection with stride or at the very least were so royally cold it did not matter that is until one rather evil prince (speculation was his name was Loki and remained second in line to the throne) was rejected. 

“You pathetic quim. Any girl would consider it an honor to marry me in Asgard.” He hissed like a snake, moving around her as she tried to cross the floor. 

“Then leave.” She stepped onto the throne, overlooking all of the hall. “Anyone who shares his sentiment may leave as well.” 

“If you so desperately want to be alone, alone with the wolves for eternity you shall be.” 

All at once, Loki brandished a staff, twirling it around his head as a beam of green light struck the fair princess in her chest. Amidst the chaos the crowd fled, leaving a collapsed Y/N in the arms of the king and queen and the staff. 

“Send for the witch!” The queen shrieked, a notable lack of concern for her daughter present. A curse one was a curse on all. 

Ashley arrived wearing a cloak that disguised the beauty beneath. For hours she tended to the young princess, doing her best to reverse the spell. In the end, she managed to alter things just enough that hopefully the young princess would have some time. In good faith and service, she remained in the castle which would come to be a blessing as the young beauty would soon become a beast. 

----

Many years later, a musician woke from his slumber with a stretch. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn as he rushed to get dressed for the day. Today, Dominic Harrison was going to make it big. The village could just suck it. If he didn’t, he supposed he could return to the small minded village and marry a simple small minded girl, but that was hardly Plan B. 

Kissing his mother and father, he loaded the cart and hitched his horse. His younger sisters rushed out to hug him farewell, housecoats billowing behind them. “You were going to leave without saying goodbye!” They accused. 

“Me? Never. I was just letting my girls rest.” He pinched a cheek and nose for good measure. “Now, what do my darlings want me to bring back for them?Crepes? Biscuits? A puppy?”

“A rose!” 

He smiled his crooked smile. “Those are my favorite, why don’t you pick something else?” 

“Biscuits then, but get a rose for you.” 

Dom couldn’t believe he was so blessed with such a loving family and such darling sisters. He did intend on expanding his family one day, he just hoped it would be with someone as loving as he. 

With his final goodbyes, he mounted his horse and headed off. He had made the journey plenty of times in 22 years, no doubt this time would be any different. This thought would soon prove naive as a storm swept in, his horse tossing him off and running straight toward the castle gates. 

Running to catch up with his beloved pet, Dom heard the howls began to echo through the woods. With a strangled cry of frustration, he met up at the gates with his horse, holding the reign in his hands. 

“Please!” He wasn’t sure what he was begging for. The royal family weren’t exactly the most helpful or kind bunch from what he had heard in his lifetime. Dom shook the rusting gates, the thought hitting him he didn’t know when the last time the gates had been opened. 

A low creak pushed the rusting gates open just enough for him and his horse to squeeze on through. Kissing the Saint Christopher that hung from his neck, Dom led his horse inside the gates. The rusted metal clanged shut trapping him in. 

“Don’t worry, bubba, we’ll be alright.” He assured, stroking his horses mane as they ventured up the drive to the castle. “Look, there’s a stable for ya.” 

Leading bubba into the stable, the horse whinnied happily entering a stall with plenty of hay and water. “You stay here, I’m going to see if I can get some shelter.”

Soaked to his core, he trudged on to the castle, stopping only briefly to smell the roses that grew in twisted  knots on a trellis. How beautiful they were, he was certain his sisters would love one. 

He plucked a red one off the vine. “How delightful.” 

“Who goes there?” 

Dom jumped in fright, turning quickly to find a short young woman, arms crossed. A cloak covered her head which paired with long tendrils of hair covered her face. “Please, I mean no harm. I just got lost, the storm spooked my horse and I-”

“So you steal a rose?” How cold Dom felt in her presence. “Guards!” 

A small army dressed in faded tunics baring the royal arms surrounded him and ceased his arms, struggling he was carried down into the depths of the castle. 

----

“Princess? Perhaps it might be wise to offer our guest a room of his own?”

 The question was posed by Harry, one of the most faithful members of the staff. Once upon a time he sang for the crown at parties and balls, now he kept the castle a foot and kept Y/N company in her chamber. He was not usually so bold in his distaste of her actions, though he was always quite kind. 

“Harry, I said no.” Y/N turned her back to him and focused her attention once more on the wilting rose that remained encased in glass on her balcony. 

“But what if-”

“But nothing!” She had turned cold in her isolation, her view of the world tainted by such loneliness, her view of men tainted with the oppression they caused (except for Harry it wasn’t his fault, nothing ever was). “Besides, who could ever love me?” The list of reasons to not were ever growing. 

Harry crossed the room in two brief strides, his professional guard dropping as he scooped her into his arms. “Y/N, don’t think like that. We all love you and if I could break it, you know I would.” 

Tears fell onto the glass dome encasing the rose as the two fell into silence. Once Y/N curled up into a ball and fell into fitful sleep, Harry grabbed a candle stick and rushed into the prisons. 

The chill made his teeth chatter as he tsked under his breath. “Princess’ll learn one of these days, only way somebody’s gonna love her is if she’s fucking nice.” He continued his grumbling as he reached the cells. 

Drawing out his keys, he unlocked the cell revealing a strapping young lad that reminded him of himself when he first arrived at the castle. “Hello mate, I’d like to offer my most sincere apologies for the treatment you have received up until now.”

“Pop your clogs.” Dom spat, squinting his eyes at the stranger. Under any other circumstance, literally any other one, he would be jumping the tall man’s bones because damn he was pretty. 

“Well that’s not very nice at all.” Harry quipped unlocking the cell door and holding it open. 

“You arrest people for picking a bloody rose around here?” 

A harsh look clouded the servants face, eyes turning sharp. “Some suffer eternal damnation for one.” Um, what the fuck? Dom thought. “Unless you would like to spend the night freezing down here, I suggest you follow me.” 

Sucking in a bated breath he decided he had one option and that was to follow the stranger. Harry flashed a dimpled grin, “Name’s Harry. The delightful princess you met earlier is her royal highness Y/N.”

“She’s a peach.” Dom scoffed keeping his stride in time with Harry’s, a frown lacing the other man’s face. 

“Things were not always like this.”

“What happened?”

Harry shook his head, leading him into one of the many unused guest chambers. “Nothing you need to worry your little head about right now. For now, dry off and rest we cannot have our guest getting ill.” 

Now, Dom wasn’t entirely sure he was a guest, or at the very least a willing guest, but he desperately wanted warmth and to sleep so he complied. He found robes of the finest silk and immediately thought of how much his mum and sisters would love the extravagance of it all. 

It was the first time he cried to go home. 

[ryuumarsart]

My Evil!Pink AU. This is an old headcanon, now AU, from around the time "The Trial" came out. It was mostly me ignoring all the signs that Rose was Pink Diamond and shamelessly making Peridot the main character lol. This is centered around my old belief that Yellow Diamond was the one who shattered Pink...but in self-defense. I predicted (correctly) that Pink suffered abuse from the other Diamonds, being constantly put down and punished for her child-like nature. After a long fight for her own colony and to finally have a chance to prove herself, she does get one. And it goes terribly. She initially wants to give the colony a little more freedom to run itself, wanting to distance herself from the other Diamonds. However, the others don't approve of this method and forced her to double down on her control. This led to a growing sense of discontent channeled by one of her own creations, a Rose Quartz who she trusted and has now turned against her. This rebellion is yet another failure by Pink and one that she cannot fix on her own, leading to Yellow . Yellow does not hide her disappointment of Pink and openly chastises her in front of her own court. Blue meanwhile guilt trips Pink and emotionally manipulates her along the lines of "Why do you do this to us?" and "You wanted this. I should have seen that you weren't ready, but you insisted." Being in the middle of a WAR, Pink encounters a large amount of trauma, such as an instance where a fringe group of the rebellion attempted to assassinate her and she started becoming paranoid, expecting an attack at any time. Pink's resentment of others and cynicism grew, especially that of Yellow. She was increasingly violent on the battlefield, even brutally shattering a large fusion (which definitely reminded her of Yellow), contributing to Garnet's view of Pink as a merciless monster. She eventually comes to the conclusion that she wouldn't have to feel so ashamed, feel so fearful if Yellow wasn't there. If Yellow was shattered by the rebellion, they would finally retreat and the other Diamonds would retaliate against the rebellion rather than blaming her. (Some very flawed reasoning but it fits canon Pink's terrible life choices lol) In a similar way as described in The Trial, Pink leads Yellow away from others and attempts to shatter her, but Yellow easily overpowers her and accidentally shatters her. Pink states that "You didn't even hesitate?" showing how convinced she is that Yellow hates her. Yellow feels intense grief and guilt for this, but doesn't want to taint Blue's memory of the precious, young Pink. She places the blame on Rose, who accepts and runs with this narrative for her cause (who may still be morally grey as she witnessed the ordeal and did nothing to stop it). And White is there I guess?? At the time of this headcanon, I thought White was the fusion of Pink, Blue, and Yellow so she doesn't have a big role. Pink goes to the afterlife, which is a gray wasteland (see above) where gems who have unfinished business in the living world wander with holes where their gems would be. If their unfinished business gets resolved, they disappear, moving on. Meanwhile on Earth, everything goes as normal except Lapis has been training Peridot to use her metal powers. I mean, they're both telekinetic powers so they should work similarly. Plus, Lapidot is my heart and soul so I'll take any excuse for them to be closer (it's canon in this AU). Peridot wants to go on missions with the others, but keeps being swept aside due to her physical weakness and inexperience with her powers. However at some point (maybe after the Rubies and them go to the moon??) a group of Homeworld gems come to either as a Jasper rescue team 2.0 or as retribution for stuff Steven does in space. Garnet decides to bring everyone on board to defend Earth, including Peridot and Lapis. I haven't decided what gems actually show up but maybe some more quartz gems?? Either way, the threat is big enough for the team that Garnet seems visibly concerned. They win the fight, but at a cost. Peridot sacrifices herself in battle and is shattered. Having built a friendship with the entire team, her death absolutely wrecks everyone. Steven desperately tries to heal her, but fails. In her grief, Lapis almost shatters the Homeworld gems, but Steven stops her. She falls into a deep depression and refuses to leave the barn, instead spending her days holding onto Peridot's shards. Amethyst confronts Garnet about how this evaded her future vision and why she would bring Peridot if she would die. Garnet snaps and says "If I didn't bring them, it would have been one of us!" Amethyst becomes furious and yells that Peridot is one of them. She and Pearl give her the cold shoulder and refuse to hear her out. (This is mostly because I feel like Garnet never has a moment where she messes up and everyone is mad at her. She's always right and that made her boring to me) Steven later learns that Garnet saw that if she didn't bring Lapis and Peridot, it was almost impossible to win the fight without someone being shattered. However, if they came, there was more of a chance of losing no one, but their lives would be at risk. She had a hard choice to make, and it didn't work out. There would be a whole arc of everyone confronting their grief and comforting each other. In the end, Garnet is forgiven and Lapis decides to move into the temple, becoming closer to main cast. She literally lets go of Peridot, putting her shards with the other bubbled gems. In the last part of the arc, Steven visits Peridot's bubble and recalls how much of an impact she had and tells her to not worry, everyone will be okay. Also, he opens up about his guilt of not being able to bring her back. However, it seems like there are fewer shards and the pieces have gotten bigger. He attributes this to denial and looking for something that isn't there. Nonetheless, he visits again a few days later and realizes that it wasn't denial, the gem is being put back together. Peridot's gem still has large cracks filled in by his healing tears, but it is pretty much healed. He and the other gems pop her bubble, but something goes wrong when she tries to reform. Chunks of her body are missing, most notably half of her face. She can't walk or move as well as before, but everyone is overjoyed to have her back. She is also missing some memories from the cracks in her gem. Lapis is extremely protective of her and will not let her so much as walk without her there. Amethyst, on the other hand, wants to go back to having fun and going on missions. Peridot forces a compromise where she can go out to the barn and the town, but only with escorts. She tests if her metal powers still work by trying to lift a can. Unbeknownst to her at first, she accidentally lifts most of the barn. Her powers are greatly heightened, but to an almost uncontrollable level. Eventually she convinces the other gems to let her on a mission to the strawberry battlefield to retrieve more weapons or something. Upon arriving, she immediately has a terrible seizure, yelling "Please STOP!!" and "Please! One at a time!". She is brought back into the afterlife, where many gems are clamoring for her attention to resolve their unfinished business. After calming down the crowd, she speaks to a gem who was shattered on the battlefield, but whose shards were never found. Peridot awakens and point the gems to the hidden shards, giving peace to the shattered gem. She soon realizes how much of a curse this connection to the afterlife is as she cannot go into a battlefield without tons of gems asking for peace and overwhelming her, or hold a conversation with Pearl or Garnet without them asking about a past loved one. She even learns that Rose did this once before, but the gem she healed was so miserable that she had to keep it bubbled...yayyy. It becomes much worse when Pink finds her. Peridot had been successfully fighting off the other shattered gems trying to control her, but Pink is too strong for her. Pink is able to possess her, using Peridot's body to finally live again, to the horror of the other gems. Pink introduces herself to Steven and the others and claims that she was wrongly killed. After all, she was only doing what the other diamonds were telling her to do. She had to fight against the rebellion. Even if she ruled over the colony and fought in the war, did that mean she deserved to die? Surely the least Steven could do to right his mother's wrongs would to bring her back to life and finally get the diamonds to leave Earth alone. The other gems of course don't trust her and don't want to bring another diamond into the world; even Peridot objects, feeling like there was a reason that the other gems in the afterlife feared her. Pink senses Steven's hesitation and repeatedly takes over Peridot's body, torturing her day by day while insisting that she is only doing what she must to reunite with her family. Peridot insists that he shouldn't do this for her sake and that she doesn't matter; she definitely says at some point that "Some things are better left dead, Steven!!". This isn't enough though as Steven caves in and meets with the diamonds. Pink possesses Peridot to talk with them, verbally torturing Yellow and insisting that she tell Blue "what she did". Yellow deflects and tries to convince Blue not to bring her back, but unable to persuade her without also revealing the truth. Steven heals Pink, but her gem was even more shattered than Peridot's, causing her form to be more mangled and distorted. Also, her powers are much stronger and she doesn't hesitate to fight Yellow. However, she overestimated her ability and the diamonds escape. Pink regains her old armies (including the Jaspers and Rose Quartzes) and tries to turn the other diamond's gems against them. (This is where things get messy as I haven't completely thought them through) Pink isolates Yellow and surprises her, killing her quickly and "not hesitating, just like you". White and Blue try to reason with her, but to no avail. Pink's armies overwhelm them and they are both shattered. Pink declares herself sole ruler of the gem empire, but is stopped as she feels herself losing control. The other diamonds fight her from the afterlife to take over her body and force her to shatter herself. The war is finally over, but the colonies are left to recover with no leaders and the aftermath of Pink's rule. The crystal gems and the rebels throughout the universe have to work to reform gem society and fix the damage the diamonds have done. Or something like that. tl;dr Pink was traumatized by the gem war and tried to kill Yellow, but Yellow shattered her instead. Pink blackmails Steven from the afterlife into bringing her back to life and letting her get revenge by using Peridot, who was shattered and healed. All the diamonds end up dying and the universe is freed from their tyranny.

[comfy-whumpee]

Judgement

@whumptober2020 Day 10: Blood loss.

@lonesome--hunter, @iaminamoodymoodtoday, @wildfaewhump, @ishouldblogmore, @lektricwhump, @that-one-thespian, @raigash, @paingineering, @whumpywhumper

“There were a couple of places they could have slept, those two. There was a little log cabin that had been abandoned a few years before, rough-hewn but sturdy, a few cobwebs but fresh water nearby. The other option was an inn, but Brigit, she never wanted to spend money if she could avoid it. They trekked out to the cabin and slept there for a night, then two. Then three.”

The voice was light, softened by an accent Patience didn’t know. It echoed through the building, carrying in that odd way words did inside a church.

“They decided it would be best to wait out the winter there. They cleaned it out of cobwebs, started chopping wood and foraging for the stores. Dried out berries and meat to wrap up, even got themselves a good bed from goose feather. Expensive, but worth it for the comfort. They stayed there through the cold months, making it into a home, and when the spring melt came, the leaves grew green along the branches again. Why, there were fish in the rivers again, and berries in the trees, whyever would they leave?”

Patience scrubbed at the floor and didn’t look up, even as he smiled.

“And that’s the story of how they stole a house.”

The demon stopped talking. The bloodstains were vanished from the stone. Patience got up, stretched out the crick in his back, and looked over at the cage above and behind the altar.

Dark eyes looked back at him from under matted clumps of hair. The demon lay sideways, curled in its cage, one skinny arm underneath its head. “Do you know why she makes you scrub the floors, Patience Penrose?”

It did this sometimes. Asked questions. Do you know who wins the war? Do you know where your money comes from? How old will you be when you die in her service? Patience wasn’t afraid to answer. “Because your blood taints them,” he said, wringing out the cloth into his bucket. Aches were spread across his shoulders and down his back like heavy ropes, but the demon’s talk kept things interesting.

“Perhaps,” the demon replied, smiling secretively. “But I hear her talking to her servant. She likes you tired, she says. You are too curious for her, and nag about learning the elixir. She finds you tiresome.”

Lady Irene? Surely not. She was never anything but cordial with him. He hadn’t learned the elixir because she was not ready to prepare it, that was all.

“Is that your best lie today, demon?” Patience asked with a sunny smile, his freckles crinkling up around his nose. “I thought you were a silver-tongued beast. She has warned us all of such.”

The demon laughs quietly. “She speaks nonsense. I am a travelling storyteller. I have no demonic powers. No magic lies in me, Patience Penrose.”

“But you come from the future--”

“That was a joke. I read, that is all.”

“But the blood—”

“Oh, yes. She does need the blood, for her alchemy, and to keep me weak too. Stop me from fighting her.”

It didn’t make total sense, but in moments, it clarified. Like being on the outside of a great machine, and suddenly learning how it worked. Stepping inside a windmill for the first time and seeing all the great shapes moving together for the small, simple purpose of grinding wheat into dust.

The demon was from the future. That it wasn’t could only be a lie. Its stories were unlike anything Patience had ever heard, and its reassurance on their first meeting had to be sincere. But the rest of the claims rang different, sounded truer. He couldn’t deny that the demon’s stories were beautiful, and the way its voice lifted and spread across the room was a practised art. Perhaps it was a storyteller. Did it spread evil too?

Even if it did, could Patience really say that the demon was more evil than Lady Irene for bleeding it? Although, she didn’t hurt it more than necessary, did she? Was the blood her purpose, or the demon’s captivity?

Was it to keep the village safe, or produce the elixir that gave her influence?

Or was it to learn about the future from a strange, but human traveller?

Patience hadn’t really joined her service in order to worship her as the others did. He suspected that was the reason she’d liked him, even. But he couldn’t deny that he wanted to know if the demon was right.

If he was evil, then let him be evil. But let him be sure, too.

So, that night, when he was supposed to be sleeping in the crypt, and Lady Irene had retired to the old pastor’s house with Mr Fitch, Patience rose again. The church, a great hall of darkness with freezing stone under his feet, held his footsteps as he moved. The faint sound of the breeze came through the empty windows of the bell tower, and the cage creaked slightly on its chain. The demon could be awake and watching. Could betray him the next morning.

Patience would have his answer then, too.

He opened the door to the secret workshop, the one Lady Irene had still not allowed him into. This room did have a window, and in the moonlight Patience saw rows of bottles and jars. They were lined across a shelf two tables, glinting in the light like eyeballs in the black. There didn’t seem to be anything else in the room.

Patience picked up a glass bottle. It had a good weight, and was cool, now. Thirty-one bottles He’d counted.

He threw it. It shattered against the far wall, and the crimson stench of blood filled the air like a thousand coins melting.

Patience picked up another bottle, smooth and cold as ice on a pond, and he threw it. The same terrific noise, smashing and clattering and tinkling, and splashing on top. A thick splatter was visible now even in the dark, black on a pale grey wall. He reached for another bottle, and then ripped the shelf from the wall too, sending a cascade of glass down to explode against the table, and droplets of blood, cold blood, alien to his skin, flickered over him, and Patience almost smiled at the destruction, lit by a strange energy. Taking matters into his own hands felt good.

All in all, it took no more than minutes to destroy the room and every container within it. The smell was everywhere by the time it was done, and glass shards crunched under his feet as he walked towards the door. The pain did not register. He was too bright, too alive, like a lightning rod. He left the room, circled the church, and smashed the window from the outside.

Finally, after a moment’s thought, he lifted his hand and smacked it across his own face hard enough that his vision flared white. Then, he ran to the pastor’s house, where Lady Irene slept. He pounded on the door, feeling blood pool under his feet. “Lady Irene! Mr Fitch! Come quickly! The workshop, Lady Irene, it was broken into!”