#..and how sweet The South is. i thought we were all proud of it together :/

[ukulelevillainwrites]

who follows the rules anyway?

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9

complete

pairing : anthony lockwood x she/her reader

summary : y/n gets fired from Fittes and seeks refuge with George, only to find out he works with the worst guy she's ever met

word count : 3.5k

notes : this is my first fanfic ever, the set up is a little slow but bear with me, the series will be a compilation of all my favorite tropes and in general everything i love to read in l&c fanfics, it's heavily inspired by everything i've read so far so thanks to all the amazing writers out there <3, a lot more happens in the second part that i will upload right next to this one

She wasn’t entirely surprised when she heard that George Karim had gotten fired from Fittes. He did a great job on the few occasions she got to work with him, but he always seemed to take his research too far. She remembered warning him several times.

“Supervisors aren’t as open-minded as I am, you’re gonna get in trouble if you keep bringing up your theories about the Problem to every person you interact with!”

“But don’t you find it weird how research has come so far and yet the Problem keeps growing? The official story tells us that an unidentified event caused it but what if it’s still going on? Wouldn’t you want to know what that was so we could finally put an end to this?”

When he put it that way, y/n couldn’t help but agree with him.

“Sure, I guess but it doesn’t justify going up to the fourth floor when it’s clearly closed to agents still in training!”

“Keep your head in the sand if you want but I’ll get to the bottom of this, I know I’m getting closer already.” George said with a proud smile on his face.

She’d laughed. He was stubborn but she found it endearing.

He had bragged about his latest discoveries after a case the both of them had been working on. It wasn’t the first time. They got along well and took the habit of grabbing an early morning snack on their way back from work. He would mostly tell her about his most recent theory, either about the Problem or his latest obsession, which could take a few hours. But y/n didn’t mind, she thought he was good company and it helped her relax after a case. Though aside from those few moments they didn’t spend that much time together. Especially since y/n became part of Quill Kipps’ crew.

A month ago, she had gotten the good news coming back to work after a weekend visiting her parents in her hometown south of London. She was ecstatic, her roommate El too. Especially El actually. Because they had such a huge crush on him. y/n didn’t quite understand it, but she did admire his career. He had a remarkable reputation among other Fittes agents and being part of his team would certainly boost her career as well. She had her heart set on moving up to management and someday become a prominent figure of the Fittes organization. But to reach this goal she’d need to be as remarkable as Kipps, better even. She wanted him to notice her, to see how great her Touch was but most importantly how organized and responsible she could be under pressure. She needed him to think she could be a great leader and sought his attention on every occasion. Because of that she and George drifted apart, going from work friends to acquaintances that simply exchanged passing hellos at the archives or the Fittes headquarters. Before she even thought of reaching out to him, he was gone.

“Did you hear?” El had asked her as she walked into their shared room.

“Heard what?”

“That annoying guy finally got fired!”

“What George? He wasn’t annoying he was sweet!”

“You have weird tastes in friends.”

“Yes, I do.” She told them with a wink.

“But do you know what happened? Most supervisors were pissed and wanted to involve the cops!”

“What? Why?”

“Because he tried to break into an office! They caught him trying to pick the lock! How crazy is that?” El seemed to relish the drama of the situation as their face lit up with a smile that seemed inappropriate under the circumstances.

“That is crazy but as much as I love to gossip, I really need to get some sleep.”

y/n got ready for bed and set her alarm for the following day. She had to do some research at the archives with her teammate. They would join Kipps later at the client’s house. It shouldn’t be too difficult since it seemed to be a Type One but she really needed to impress him. She had to be the perfect agent: quick, focused and perfectly prepared. Even though she was always very professional she still needed some rest.

y/n was a heavy sleeper and had very vivid dreams. Ever since she was a child, she had some of her nights disturbed by complex dreams that felt so real she would wake up exhausted the next morning as if she hadn’t slept at all. It hadn’t happened in quite some time, but that night y/n wouldn’t get much rest. She found herself in the middle of the woods, barefoot, standing in a clearing. The ground was covered with an emerald green moss that felt soft beneath her feet. She looked around but couldn’t see much beside the shadows of the surrounding trees. A thick fog made it hard to see where she was. Disoriented and lost, she started walking towards the nearest tree but, a few steps in, her right foot sank in ice cold water. She realized she was in the middle of a pond, stuck and unable to reach the shore. A frog jumped into the water behind her and made her turn around. A girl was standing in front of her. Her auburn hair was slightly curled, and her bangs delicately framed her brown eyes. She was slightly smaller than she was, about the same age, her face showed no emotion at all.

“Find me.” She said in a neutral tone.

y/n furrowed her brow, not understanding what she meant. As she opened her mouth to ask her to explain the girl repeated

“Find me.”

Without moving she somehow floated above the pond and retreated into the woods. She mouthed the same words one last time before the fog engulfed her. y/n woke up with a jolt, disoriented and terribly thirsty. What was that about? she thought. She didn’t have time to ponder since she hadn’t heard her alarm and was already late to meet up with her colleague.

“I’m so sorry I’m late Bobby I hope I didn’t make you wait for too long…”

“It’s fine but hurry up. Kipps insisted on gathering as much information as possible.”

“Really? But everything indicates a Type One right?”

“The problem isn’t with the dead but with the living. Didn’t you pay attention to who our client is?”

“Mrs Overton? What about her?” Bobby had an exasperated look on his face and sighed heavily. So much for being the perfect agent today.

“Her husband owns Overton Watches and basically runs a luxury empire and she is on the board of the Sunrise Corporation. She and her husband are close friends with Penelope Fittes and we cannot screw up this case otherwise our team will probably end up at the bottom of her list next time she needs trustworthy agents.”

Oh, I’m not rested enough to deal with that.

“Okay then, let’s get to work.”

They spent the whole day at the agency’s archives. The Fittes database did help a lot to find more information about the Overtons’ house but overall, it was a pretty boring case. The house was old, dated back the 1800s, it belonged to Mrs Overton’s ancestors, one of them died because, well, they had to at some point, and felt like coming back. This great grandmother didn’t live any kind of extraordinary life and decided to haunt the place in the same unremarkable way. Y/n had trouble staying focused. The case was not fascinating, far from it. Her mind drifted and came back to her dream. In hindsight it wasn’t that disturbing. It was just her brain making stuff up. But she couldn’t shake the feeling she had felt when the girl had spoken to her. There was something magnetic about her voice and it had an intensity that didn’t match the lack of expression on her face. It bothered her. Why couldn’t she stop seeing her face?

Bobby got up to put back some newspapers and the sudden movement next to her brought her back to reality. Right, the Overton case. Everything indicated a Lurker, so y/n wasn’t too worried about tonight. She could still make up for today’s start. Plus, her talent would probably be the most useful. This unseemly case might serve her after all.

As she walked back to their table after putting a book back on its shelf, she accidently bumped into someone.

“Oh I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay don’t worry.”

“George? Hi! What are you doing here?”

“I came by to pick up the rest of my stuff…”

“Oh right… I’m so sorry about all this.”

“Don’t be I kinda deserved it anyway. Though I still think I was right.”

“About what?”

“Mrs. Dufour stealing sources. It’s pretty obvious she can’t afford to live the way she does on a supervisor’s salary, and she always looks like she’s plotting something. She reminds me of relic men. I never liked her.”

“Well to be fair you don’t like a lot of people… it looks like I missed your last hyperfixation… but it seems like a stretch and accusing her of something like that… Was it really worth getting into that much trouble?”

“I’m not chipper about it, but I’ll be fine. I already found something else, a friend I can still work with, maybe you know him. We live in-”

But y/n wasn’t listening. Bobby was calling her, telling her that they had to get moving to get to their client’s house before sundown.

“I really have to go George I’m sorry. But I’ll miss our walks filled with your crazy theories.” She said with a smile.

“If you want to come by for tea, we’d be happy to have you. 35 Portland Row, don’t forget!”

“Sure, I won’t! Good luck!”

“Thanks, you too.”

She hurried to catch up with her colleague. She really was going to miss him even though they weren’t that close she had grown used to seeing him around. But she couldn’t believe his theory about Mrs. Dufour. It sounded like he wanted to see evil everywhere and was looking for something to distract himself with. A made-up scenario that justified why he disliked her at the same time. Nothing more.

----

“Good evening, Madam, we are a leading team from Fittes. We were assigned to make your house safe again by Miss Fittes herself.”

Kipps always had a very humble way of introducing them to their clients. As proud as y/n was of being on his team, she didn’t feel entirely at ease with his elevated figures of speech.

“Yes, I was expecting you. Penelope told me she put one of her best teams on my case. I was very flattered.”

“Well, we do not want to appear overly confident, but we will be most efficient to take care of your problem. May we come in?” she asked.

“Of course, please. I suppose your supervisor will be here too?”

“Yes, Mrs. Dufour will be here shortly.” Kipps answered.

y/n abruptly turned around to look at him.

“Mrs. Dufour? What happened to Mr. Fowler?”

“He got called by DEPRAC to deal with some details on the last case we did. You know, the one where it only took you two minutes to find the source after Bobby and I spent a half hour looking for it. It was really impressive I was glad you were here.” He told her with a wink.

She felt herself blush. She wasn’t used to being praised and certainly not by a prominent agent like Quill Kipps, even after a month of working together she still felt flustered. Maybe that last case made up for the horrible impression she gave him on her first week. And she was going to keep proving him how great she was.

The praise was so unexpected it made her forget who their supervisor was for a moment. What were the odds that on the same day George told her about his suspicions she had to work with this potential traitor? She could not let George’s wild theories cloud her judgement. She was here to do a job, a relatively easy one given their research, and she was going to make a wonderful impression on both Kipps and this high-profile client. She took the lead and went inside.

As they stepped into the house, they were greeted by a white marble entrance furnished with glass cases displaying various clocks and watches, certainly a history of the famous Overton watches and mechanisms. The sun was already setting, it hit a crystal chandelier which reflected golden light over the walls. The pieces shone behind their glass. Their client guided them through the hall into the kitchen were teacups and biscuits had been served. Mrs. Overton took a seat and the three agents followed. She seemed at ease with the situation even though the young adults she had in front of her were here to rid her of a ghost. She sat at the head of the table, perfectly in control as if this meeting was a business reunion like any other. She was in her late fifties; her hair was silver and styled in an elaborate hairstyle. She looked both serious and relaxed at the same time. She was aware of the risks but wasn’t worried about the situation, like she had total faith in the team in front of her.

“While we wait for Mrs. Dufour maybe you could tell us more about what has been troubling you?” asked Kipps.

“I believe the haunting began about three weeks ago. My husband started feeling uneasy when he got home, and I felt the same fear shortly after. We never saw or heard anything we just feel watched.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Madam.” y/n tried to comfort her.

“The research we did on your house indicates that it’s been built in the 1800’s and never left your family is that correct?” Bobby interrupted.

“Yes, I inherited it about 2 years ago, but we only moved in this year.”

“We believe the haunting might be caused by one of your ancestors, a certain Emily Abbott, could you tell us anything about her?”

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of her before…”

“So, you wouldn’t have any idea what her source might be?”

“You might have a late night ahead of you. When we moved in, we kept most of the furniture that were already in the house. For all I know any of these pieces could be the source.”

That wasn’t good news. Hopefully with her Touch y/n could save them some time. They could start at the bottom of the house and work their way up, going from room to room as she touches different objects hoping for some result. As she organized the night in her head the front door opened.

Mrs. Dufour immediately filled the room with her presence. Mostly because she spoke at length and didn’t let the team finish asking their questions. She thanked Mrs. Overton for waiting for her, ushered her out of the house and gave them her directions for the night. Not even Kipps could object. She wanted him to stay nearby while Bobby and y/n were to explore the house to see if they could pick up anything. She felt for Kipps, this seemed like a monumental waste of time for him. But they couldn’t do much about it, agents were supposed to follow their supervisor’s instructions, they were in charge after all.

They searched the house until midnight, making rounds, going up and down the floors, looking for potential sources or trying to pick up any kind of psychical activity but came back downstairs empty handed. How was she supposed to impress anyone with a case like this? y/n and Bobby went back to the kitchen to report the lack of activity to Mrs. Dufour. 

“We’ve searched the entire house three times but unfortunately none of the objects we picked up gave any sign of psychical activity, the visitor hasn’t shown up yet and Mrs. Overton couldn’t give us more information. I’m not really sure what more we could do for now.” Bobby looked defeated. Or bored. Probably the latter, it was an exceptionally boring case. y/n was growing tired at the lack of action. It made her mad that someone could hire one of the best teams in London to take care of such a benign problem just because they had money and connections while hundreds of homes were threatened by harmful Type Twos and couldn’t do anything about it.

“Do I really have to tell you two how to do your jobs? Keep looking and take this seriously. I hope you realize who our client is, I can’t allow any mistake tonight.” Her authoritarian tone made y/n see why George disliked her. Clearly, they must have gotten into a few arguments on several occasions. But she couldn’t understand what would make him think that she could steal sources. She seemed to take her job very seriously. Sure, she was a pain but that didn’t mean she was a criminal.

“I’ve got something here! Bobby, y/n join me in the hall.” Kipps called.

They drew their rapiers and walked slowly into the hall. Kipps was looking at a corner where shadow had gathered. There was a faint, almost indistinguishable human shape lurking there. But it didn’t move, and it didn’t seem to want anything more than just stand there.

“I’m going to keep an eye on it while you two look for the source.” Kipps told them without averting his eyes from the dark figure.

“But what more can we do we looked everywhere already.” Bobby said with a sigh.

“Well,” Kipps turned to her. “y/n, got any ideas?”

She didn’t answer. She hadn’t heard them as she was lost in thought. Mrs. Overton hadn’t mentioned anything about the display cases here. But she should have. There were marks on the walls behind them, and again on the marble floor. It was a clear sign that bigger and heavier furniture had been removed to make room for new ones. That change alone could have triggered the ghost. And since they were behind glass, they hadn’t tested any of the objects on display. Though they were all Overton Watches so, clearly, they didn’t have anything to do with Mrs. Overton’s ancestors. Another dead end. She lingered in front of the central display, slowly losing hope. If such a ridiculously small case was too much for her, what was she even doing here? Sure, the two guys accompanying her weren’t inspired either, but she was disappointed in herself. She had dealt with dangerous situations without flinching, but a Lurker case was getting the best of her. That was embarrassing. She rested her hands on the case and looked down at the watches. There were four watches spread across a silk white sheet surrounding a bigger, more ancient clock. They didn’t seem that impressive. Why were people making such a big deal out of them? The clock on the other hand was more ornate and had required skilled craftmanship. The mechanism was apparent and intricate. It was still working which was most impressive. A golden crown rested delicately upon a mother-of-pearl dial, the needles moving steadily around. Right beneath the number 6 was engraved something almost unreadable. She squinted to see better. The initials EA were written in golden letters.

“I’ve found it! The source! It’s this clock right here!”

“Nice work y/n. Keep an eye on the ghost I’ll take care of the source.”

They switched position and she kept her eyes on the shadow as Kipps tried to get the clock out of the display.

“I can’t get to it, it’s locked. I’m gonna have to break the glass.”

“No! Don’t do that Mrs. Overton would be livid. Bobby go get Mrs. Dufour and Kipps don’t touch anything please.” She said with her back to them, her eyes still staring at the corner.

“Did you find the source? What is it?” Mrs. Dufour asked, suddenly in a hurry.

“We have reasons to believe this clock is the object causing Mrs. Overton trouble.”

“That’s really nice work Mr. Kipps congratulations.”

“I much appreciate your praise, but it has to go to y/n. She found the source. As we don’t have a key, I offered to break the glass, but y/n thinks it would upset our client.”

“Well thank you Miss y/n for using some common sense. We cannot break anything in this house.”

“We could drape a silver net over the case and come back in the morning to pick up the source.” She offered.

“I think it would be best. Thank you again for your prompt judgement here.”

“It was my pleasure.” She blushed. It was nice to have her efforts acknowledged, no matter how small. This supervisor might have been a stickler, but she recognized good work, it was enough to satisfy her. This case turned out pretty well after all.

[jung-koook]

Sky are you ok? It’s tough knowing all of BTS are now serving😭. Considering everything the guys have done for there country over the last 10 yrs, you’d think an exemption would happen. I have a feeling they wouldn’t accept that and serve regardless, it’s hard for them knowing they won’t be able to connect with Army but they are proud Korean men.

I’m proud of them and I know they’ll be ok and work hard, just going to miss them all terribly, but we do get Jin back next year and Hobi soon after. Won’t be long and the other’s will return.

I’m very excited for when they all return and for what the guys have planned for us. I know it’s hard and I’ve shed tears, if you need to talk DM me if you want.

i'm not okay I keep feeling down but I'll get better soon. thank you for asking me.🥺 and you? how are you feeling? i hope you're doing better and well ♡

I think this subject is something very delicate and I'm not a south korean citizen so I don't feel comfortable having an opinion on the exemption. I trust bangtan. bangtan from the beginning didn't show that they wanted that (exemption). we don't know what really happened and how the conversation about it really happened, right but I really feel like that was something they wanted to do (enlist). I don't feel like they even thought about the exemption but rather the people who work with them, the government because they know how much money they are losing and the fans for obviously obvious reasons, right. yoongi talked about it on his song and jin even said that he wanted to go much sooner but bighit asked him to wait a little longer and then there was also the yet to come in busan concert. and regarding military enlistment as a whole, I do have my opinions on that. there are so many things that I see wrong there but what I think should be the first changed is some countries is stop forcing people to enlist. I don't think it should be forced. and there are so many problematic stuff that happen in these places, anyone who wants to know a little more about this please check these two people here: x and x. I think reading or watching about military enlistment can give us some kind of anxiety so if you are interested in knowing more about this, please be careful. but I think some people should stop romanticizing the military and see this situation for what it really is.

thank you, you're really sweet and nice ♡ i'm here for you too ♡ I wish that when they all got back they could go on a trip together. even without cameras, just a moment for them to be between them. I'm so really excited for the new chapter too ♡ I wish I could sleep and wake up when they were all together again😭

[mariacallous]

My #BLEWISH ancestry shows up in different ways. My maternal DNA is Ashkenazi-Russian Jewish. On the paternal side, like many African Americans, my ancestors are a swirl of Black, Native American, and European White — largely German, though I don’t know how much of that was added to the mix consensually.

Rosalyn and Kelly, my parents, were married in Seattle, Washington long before the Supreme Court made unions like theirs fully legal throughout the United States. But unlike many interracial couples, they grew up together during the Depression in North Minneapolis, where Black people and Jewish people were “allowed” to live side by side.

My parents divorced when I was two, just before my younger brother was born. Mom raised us in the very diverse Central Area of Seattle, which (pre-gentrification) was where many Black and Asian people resided.

My mother was proud of her Jewish heritage. While she wasn’t religiously observant, she did send my brother and I to Hebrew school. “I want you to learn about my people’s history, culture, and beliefs,” she explained.

Food was my mother’s love language and a form of spiritual expression. Everything from the simplest dishes to elaborate meals were always cooked to perfection. Most Sundays, she turned out a soul food feast with chicken (baked, not fried), collard greens, candied yams, rice, and often black-eyed peas. Sometimes she even threw in a sweet potato pie. My father had tutored her in creating these delicacies during their years together.

When it came to traditional Jewish dishes, she didn’t cook many, though she’d rhapsodize about her mother’s knishes, rugelach, and schmaltz. But she was serious about her chicken soup. She cooked it old school: a whole chicken, plump chunks of carrots, silvered slices of celery, and plenty of “nature’s antibiotics:” onion and garlic. Sometimes she added noodles; other times, rice. One thing was certain: Mom’s chicken soup was a powerful healing elixir for body, mind, spirit, and soul. And true to form, she whipped some up and administered it at the first sign of any illness.

My approach to cooking is more serviceable than spiritual, and I don’t have my mom’s gift for making everything flawless. But I have carried on the traditions of two cherished dishes: collard greens and chicken soup. My now-grown son and daughter request and expect collard greens for every holiday meal, and they grew up eating chicken soup as a cure-all. Their adult palates are more vegetarian–vegan, so the chicken soup tradition might well end with my generation. But the spirit of healing chicken soup lives on in spirit and memory. Who knows, maybe they’ll come up with a non-poultry option.

Every New Year’s Eve, my mother cooked collards and black-eyed peas, and made sure we all ate at least a little before midnight. “The greens are for money, and the peas for good luck,” she’d remind us. I didn’t realize how deeply this was rooted in African American tradition until I moved to the South.

I thought all the mothers of Mixed-Black children were experts at preparing soul food. It wasn’t until I was grown that I realized how extraordinary my mother was. As my brother and I brought people from different places into our multicultural home, I watched in amazement as she mastered their traditional dishes as well from lumpia and adobo for my brother’s Filipina girlfriend to berbere and Doro Wot for my Ethiopian beau.

My mother’s eclectic approach to culinary expression taught me a lot about being from a mixed-race background. Her kitchen was a living laboratory of what we now call diversity. She learned and then produced the dishes from different cultures with reverence and seasoned them with love. They mirrored her approach to people and life: open-minded and open-hearted with a hearty appreciation for the cultural spice of life.

Unlike my late mother, I normally take shortcuts in the kitchen. But chicken soup and collard greens are sacred, and require elaborate rituals, often taking a couple of days. I clear my counters and my schedule, and savor the opportunity to commune with my parents and to reflect on the paths of their ancestors that brought them together in a rule-breaking love with the audacity to produce children who were destined to live outside the lines.

And when I place small amounts of those special dishes upon my ancestral altar, I give special thanks for the vision, heart, and culinary prowess of a mama who spoke — and cooked — Yiddish and jazz.*

Note: Use your favorite seasonings to flavor your greens. Lawry’s Seasoning Salt is popular and Seasonest (sold in Whole Foods and online) is a Black family-owned alternative with all-natural ingredients.

*I borrowed the phrase, “a mother who speaks Yiddish and jazz” from my #BLEWISH sister-author Lisa Jones and her wonderful book “Bulletproof Diva“.  

[runicmagitek]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Oh my goodness, this is so sweet, anon 🥺 I've been having a rough weekend and feeling really self-conscious about my ability/worth as a writer, so this was well-timed and genuinely made me smile. Thank you for sending this!

Ho boy, it's tough to narrow down the to my top five favorite fics, because I have a lot of fics. I love all of them for one reason or another, so this is difficult lol. That said, here's my attempt at a top five, in no particular order.

What Leads You Here A post-canon deep dive into Keitaro's and Natsuno's trauma and how they mourn what they lost and learn to heal and move on together. It picks up immediately where the game ends and explores numerous things I love, from worldbuilding to slice-of-life interactions to delicious angst to heavy hurt with equally heavy comfort. I'm really proud of how I was able to write and edit and post a 214k fic within roughly two years. I put a massive amount of research into this along with using a lot of my own personal experiences and am REALLY happy that those who stuck around til the end thoroughly enjoyed the ride. This story will always have a special place in my heart.

The Lies We Tell Ourselves It's very difficult for me to talk about this fic without ruining the entire game. But I came up with this idea and wrote/edited it within roughly four days?? Like it possessed me and I couldn't focus on anything else until I wrote it. BJ and his journey is extremely heartwrenching and just thinking about what he might have come across and how he handled any of that (or didn't) felt like a story worth exploring. It also has some of my favorite lines I've written in recent years, especially the second to last scene.

The Wings That You Burn Holy shit, I cried a lot when I worked on this fic. It's a Celes-centric fic from Sabin's POV during the start of World of Ruin. I love VI, but in retrospect, I wish Celes was given more time to heal after everything that happened at the Solitary Island. And with Sabin being one of the first people she finds, he's the perfect character to remind her she deserves to live, no matter what.

Burning Bright Yet another fic that made me cry while working on it (this is a trend - I love me some angst). I love Steiner and his friendship with Vivi and (much like Celes in VI) I was really sad there wasn't any like, touch base with Vivi after everything that happened with Black Waltz 3 and the South Gate incident. Trauma and healing are core themes that keep cropping up in my stories, which probably says a lot about myself more than anything lolsob but honestly, I really love seeing characters support one another, despite it all. And I'm genuinely thrilled so many readers said this felt like a missing scene straight out of the game, too.

Long Journey Home You guessed it - this fic also tore out my heart while writing it. There's a reason it's tagged as "sad with a happy ending". Kentucky Route Zero is such a profoundly tragic game and exploring the possibilities of Ezra's past in this fic really hit close to home for me. That and weaving in magical realism and devising fantastical situations were such a fun challenge. This also contains my favorite passage I've ever written (and I very clearly remember needing to get up and walk off the feels for at least five minutes after I wrote this damn line):

She patted his head, much like how he patted the dog’s head. When she left, Ezra stayed and listened to the water carry them elsewhere. He thought of the people he met and those who stayed and those who didn’t and if anyone ever cried for the ghosts of who he used to be.

[qnewsau]

'Intimidating': Broncos' Ali Brigginshaw on meeting wife Kate

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/intimidating-broncos-ali-brigginshaw-on-meeting-wife-kate/

'Intimidating': Broncos' Ali Brigginshaw on meeting wife Kate

Broncos NRLW captain Ali Brigginshaw and her wife Kate are one of the sport’s ultimate power couples, but Ali has shared their awkward first meeting years before they tied the knot.

Ali and Kate shared a beautiful public kiss in the stands after the Brisbane Broncos won their first premiership title in October 2018.

In December 2019, Ali got down on one knee and proposed to Kate at Ali’s 30th birthday party in Brisbane. Twelve months later, the couple eloped to New South Wales and tied the knot.

“We first met in 2009, and I was so intimidated by her,” Ali told the Courier-Mail in a new interview.

“She was so pretty, and because of that I didn’t have the courage to talk to her,” Ali recalled.

“She thought I was a bitch because I never spoke to her, but I was just so intimidated by her looks.”

The two women were reunited years later and became fast friends.

“We just clicked. It was easy from the get go. It was like I’d needed that time to grow,” Ali explained said.

“We didn’t have the same interests at all. We were complete opposites. She didn’t even know I played rugby league.

“She just liked me for me. It’s cool to be with someone who’s different from you.”

‘It was like a dream come true’

Ali Brigginshaw is captain of the Brisbane Broncos Women’s squad and Australia’s longest-serving Jillaroo, Australia women’s national rugby league team.

She’s also the proud stepmum to Kate’s two children, Addision and Alfie, from a previous relationship. Ali said parenting is “a dream come true” for her.

“I always knew I wanted to be a mum, but I just didn’t know how that was going to fit into my future,” she said.

“When I met Kate and she had the kids, it was like a dream come true.

“I love being around kids. You are constantly learning along the way. Sometimes it’s challenging, but it’s rewarding beyond words. I love helping young kids. I’m good at it.”

A few weeks ago, Kate wrote a sweet tribute to Ali, “a wonderful role model and ultimate partner,” on Mother’s Day.

“Ali is the epitome of goodness. We’ve been raising our kids together for the majority of their lives and she has not missed a beat,” Kate wrote of her partner.

“Being a stepparent is/can be a thankless job. It’s a role that involves a lot of responsibility and very little glory.

“It takes a very special person to love and care for someone else’s kids and that in itself deserves the utmost respect and recognition.

“Our family isn’t defined by last names or by blood; it’s defined by commitment and by love.

“Thank you for choosing to love all of us.”

More on Ali Brigginshaw:

Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw seals Grand Final win with a kiss

Ali Brigginshaw and wife Kate eloped and got married

Broncos star Ali Brigginshaw named NRLW player of the year

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[milanitalia44]

The last time I saw Toby

part one

Dear diary,

I never thought I'd find myself back here, pen in hand, scribbling away in these pages. Liz insists it's therapeutic. Daddy, on the other hand, would probably confiscate this if he knew about it. He's always been more concerned with security than emotions.

Despite Daddy's disapproval, in our session this morning, Liz urged me to write again. It seems she believes in its therapeutic power enough to risk her position. So, here I am, writing again as what seems like a last resort. 

The house feels hollow these days, a cold shell of what it used to be. Often, I find myself lying on my bed, gazing out of the west window at the garden. The gazebo in the midst of the white rose beds feels like a gravestone. I like to imagine the the warmth of last summer, 

When my face was kissed by the sun rather than sickly white.

When my heart overflowed with love, untouched by the sharp edges that now cut it into fine pieces.

Mum avoids me, drowning herself in white wine, tennis, and redecorating the front hall. And Daddy, well, who knows what he's up to? I'd rather not know.

He's a man of strong black coffee.

A man of pressed navy suits with long skinny ties. 

A man who likes dark gray Porsche 911’s, lying, talking loudly on the phone, and women who aren’t my mother. 

Liz suggested I write about last summer, to put my memories into words “as a way to set it off into the past and heal”… bullshit in my opinion, but I guess I'll give it a shot. 

I’ve always been bad at memorizing for tests, daddy had to hire three different tutors just to get me through my biology class last fall, all of them quit within 3 weeks. My memories of last summer on the other hand effortlessly cut through the haze of my usual forgetfulness. It was a sweet smelling day. The cherry blossoms along the front gardens had reached full bloom, they smelt faintly of Mummy’s summer perfume. My birthday had just passed so Lucky was a fairly new treasure. I’d begged and begged for a new riding horse for ages, so finally on my 18th birthday, there came striding in a perfect chestnut English Thoroughbred with a red bow tied neatly around his neck. I remember the tears, the tight embrace with Daddy and the proud look on Mummys face. That afternoon I quietly set out and rode Lucky down the dirt road just south of our land, something I used to do with my old horse Bucky before he passed. About 20 minutes into my ride, a thud echoed behind me, startling Lucky. I swung around to an odd tableau: a blue bicycle and a cascade of newspapers scattered across the road. A few feet from his fallen bicycle, lay a brunette boy, rubbing his knee. I hopped off Lucky and helped him recollect his papers into his woven bicycle basket. Surprised by my act of kindness, he squinted at me and mentioned something about a familiar face. Instead of answering, I asked him what on earth all of the newspapers were for. It turned out, he was the paperboy—I felt stupid. 

“How about I help you out then, I barely ever get to go into town” I said

He agreed. We decided it would be faster if we made the deliveries together with Lucky, so there we rode, it must've been such a peculiar sight. A paperboy and a princess riding an English Thoroughbred down the streets, flinging newspapers into yards and laughing foolishly. It was one of the best days of my life.

My dear Lucky.

Our white gazebo.

The newspaper article I've kept from that very first day.

[heartofwritiing]

always come for you part one

paring: druig x fem!eternal!reader 

summary: after the events of eternals comes the arrival of eros, who has news of the rest of your family being captured by arishem. Determined to get them back you and the four other remaining eternals including a dane whitman set off on a rescue mission.

playlist

a/n: Happy one-year anniversary to eternals! I've literary been working on this since august and I'm super proud of it! I want to thank @redheadspark for helping me and giving me the inspiration to write this! if it wasn’t for her I probably wouldn't have actually written this fic. i'm so grateful for her chatting with me and giving me ideas truly. Hillary this is for you! please go give her a follow she's an amazing writer and person! This is kinda like my prediction fic of how I would want eternals 2 to go i guess but this is just fanfiction, I literally put my heart and soul into this fic and I hope you guys enjoy it! 

word count: 6,266

warning(s): strap in this is a long one! violence, angst, fluff, emotional, mentions of avengers infinity war & endgame events, unedited! 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

You’ve never been this homesick, wanting to be back on earth with Druig was all you wished for. Possibly living somewhere in the north since you’d spent centuries in South America in the blazing warm climate. The only reason you were here was because of Ajak. You had a strong inclination that she would've wanted you to go out and find other Eternals and share the truth, so you could all be free to live your lives. But you were miserable up here. You didn’t care about going back to Olympia or any other planet for that matter. Earth always had been and is your true home. 

 You and Druig had split up from the group around the 1500s in South America, building a small community not too far away from where Tenochtitlan used to be. That was where you had remained until Sersi and the rest of the crew had shown up to inform you about a celestial that was going to annihilate the entire planet from its birth. 

 You and Druig had split up from the group around the 1500s in South America, building a small community not too far away from where Tenochtitlan used to be. That was where you had remained until Sersi and the rest of the crew had shown up to inform you about a celestial that was going to annihilate the entire planet from its birth. 

You were shocked but inclined to get up and fight for this world you developed to adore over time. You had seen disaster and accord take many forms, and through it, all humans never ceased to surpass your expectations. You loved Earth and its inhabitants too much to see it perish, all for the sake of a cosmic being who thought it was superior by obliterating an entire population of life for their gain.

As for your nightmares, they weren't getting any better. The nights you did get some sleep was the ones where Druig laid awake to keep your mind at ease with his powers. 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

 It’s been weeks. Nothing had been heard from any of your family back on Earth. Makkari stands below a hologram of a map of where the Domo was drifting through space. You and Druig sat by side on one of Phastos’ old work tables snacking on some grapes you had brought on your journey. Your shoulders pressed together left no space between you both, it wasn't unusual for you to be this close, considering you’ve been together a long time. 

“It doesn't worry you?” you question popping the red fruit in your mouth, the sweetness flowing into your taste buds. 

“What?” Druig asks, eating a grape as well, not looking away from the hologram. 

“That we haven't heard from Sersi or the others since we left?” 

“I'm sure she’s fine, We're probably too far out for any signal to reach any of them,” 

You shook your head in doubt, You weren't buying it. Something seemed wrong to you and it filled you with high anxiety levels. The nightmares you’d been having recently weren't helping your opinions on this either. Nearly every night since you arrived back on the Domo, you’d been having these very vivid dreams. You would wake up screaming, tears rolling down your face and Druig would be there to comfort you. It was always the same dream of Arishem coming and taking everything you held dear away. 

 If something was awry would Sersi or even Phastos contact you about it? What if Airshem had discovered what you’d all done at succeeding in stopping Timut? Would he lay his judgment upon you all or worse Earth? 

You couldn't have that happen, if no one else would say it you would. You had to go back as soon as possible. You stood from your seat next to Druig and stepped to the middle of the room and crossed your arms, Makkari noticed the worried expression on your face. 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” you say. “we have to go back,” You also signed for Makkari.

Unexpectedly Makkari paused her movements as she began signing to you and glanced at the doorway to the lab. Before you could question her you sensed a source of energy coming from the corridor behind you. 

You saw from the corner of your sight how Thena stood alert from her loose position and summoned her spear and shield. You bulked up clenching your hands into fists, surging your power into your hands as it tingles throughout your skin. Druig on the other hand looked at the three of you in confusion while he munched on his sandwich, oblivious to the danger you three ladies sensed practically immediately. 

A figure with pointy ears had suddenly teleported through the room with a loud crash as he landed face-first onto the floor. Your hands glowed brighter as you stood prepared for anything, if it was a fight so be it. The stranger cackled and stood up on its two feet as it mumbled something about drunk teleporting. You were about to question who he was and what he wanted. He held his hand up and cleared his throat. As if imitating a fanfare he started speaking. 

“Behold, the royal prince of Titan,” 

Another portal appeared on the threshold of the lab, casting a rainbowish glow when another figure walked through as the elf creature continued. 

 “Brother of Thanos, the Knave of Hearts, defeater of Black Robert..” 

“Roger.” the voice corrected. 

 The name Thanos didn’t slip past you, the name sent chills down your spine, and fear seeped into your chest. You’ve heard the name numerous times before, it plagued your mind for five years and whoever this was, was the brother of the most feared alien in the galaxy. Druig caught the distressed look in your eyes, he knew that name was like a stab to the chest for you, and many others across the universe. 

 You had lost so many people to the snap who were very dear to you. Druig had never seen you like that, so lost and hopeless that he was scared he lost you to the darkness when you had first shown up at his compound in the Amazon five years ago. 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

2018

 You opened a portal and touched down on wet soil. There was a heavy downpour of rain coming down on you soaking your spandex but you didn't care, it wasn't important. You took off in a sprint toward the small familiar village a few feet away. You hadn't been here in over three years but it still looked the same, with the old wooden buildings that hadn't been renovated in over twenty years still standing firm. You ran through the courtyard past people who were weeping in despair. 

They cried out to the skies above in their native language, to the gods above, why, why was this happening? but there was no reply and you knew why. You knew exactly what was happening, it was like a ripple effect around the universe all transpiring simultaneously. A wave of defeat on you and your team for failing… Strange had said this was it, the endgame but how could something like this possibly be the outcome of victory? 

You felt numb watching your new friends turn into dust, feeling useless to stand there and not be able to do anything. Everything came slamming down on you emotionally as you stood around the remaining Avengers. until you thought of Druig. and without even thinking you opened a portal to the Amazon and jumped through, leaving everyone behind you in a state of bewilderment. He had to be here, if you didn't dust then he couldn't have right? You spotted Sofia who was sitting in a rocking chair, her family had lived in the village for generations and you remember when she was just a baby and now a grown woman with her baby on the way. You rushed over to her in bathed breaths she had to know where Druig was. She noticed you running up to her and smiled at you warmly. 

“y/n! ¡Qué bueno verte!” she said. y/n! So good to see you!

“es bueno verte también, you touched her arm. “sabe dónde está Druig?” you stammered. It’s good to see you as well, do you know where Druig is? Your Spanish was a little rusty and your voice was shaken but she seemed to understand you just fine. 

Sofia nodded and pointed towards the main building where village meetings were held and informed you he was in there with a few villagers. You thanked her and took off bidding her goodbye, you would apologize for such a rude farewell later, for you were filled with a sense of reassurance knowing he could still be here. When you got to the wooden blue doors you didn't waste another second, you grabbed the handles and threw them open. 

Four men stood at the table down the aisle of benches, one who stood with his back to you with his shoulders hunched over mumbled something in Spanish to the others. You’d recognize his voice anywhere and the gasp you let out was faint but it reached Druig’s ears. He turned around to see you standing in the doorway of the mess hall dawned in your avenger's gear and hair soaked from the rain, he thought you looked so beautiful and fierce. 

Solace washed over you and you both ran toward one another, your feet pounded against the old wooden floor and your heartbeat in your ears, it wasn't until he was meeting you halfway and you were jumping into his open arms that it finally felt true. He was alive, he hadn't dusted and he was here. 

“Oh my love,” he breathes and you let out a cry. “Are you alright?” 

“You’re okay, that's all that matters,” you sniffled. 

You both stand in an embrace grasping onto the other like a lifeline, not knowing if something was going to happen at any given minute. You just wanted to hold him for as long as possible. At some point the other village leaders had left you two alone, all you did was cry in Druigs arms and he held you tight in his arms. When you finally pulled away slightly he looked down at you in puzzlement. 

“Something is happening, I don’t know what-” Druig halted his words when he saw the solemn look on your face. 

“I do.” 

You had explained to Druig what was going on, you told him about Wakanda, Thanos, and everything else. It took a while for you to get everything out having it just all happen and Druig was patient with you as you told your story. When you finished you buried your head in his chest and he kissed your head as you continued to cry. 

“It’s all my fault…” you bawled. 

“No it’s not,” he said sternly. “ you have saved so many people.” 

“I want to stay with you,” you mumbled into his shirt. “I can’t go back to the compound in New York, it's too painful..” 

Druig gently grabs your head to pull you away from his chest so he can look you in the eyes. He sees all the pain and suffering you’ve endured, he wished at that moment to never see you like this again. He would take care of you. He nods unhurriedly Leaning forward to place a kiss between your eyebrows tenderly. 

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere else.” 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

So you stayed with Druig for five years, until Sersi showed up about a month ago with news of Ajaks death and the emergence. You both had decided after living in the Amazon for 5,000 years that you had to move on. You and Druig had split from the Eternals in the 1500s and lived peacefully together for decades until you heard about the attack on New York in 2012. You realized that you couldn’t sit around anymore while there were still hostile threats to Earth. 

 Druig ended up letting you go saying how he wanted you to follow your heart always and that he’d wait for you. So you left for three years, sending letters as much as you could telling him where you were and what escapades you got up to when you joined the avengers. Now you were together again after so much time you decided to never part again. 

“Defeater of Black Roger, the great adventure Starfox of Mystery Planet.” 

A tall man appeared with brown hair who smirked slightly and had a suave way to his walk. He was dawned in a silver suit with red sleeves and a cape, his armor was engraved with similar symbols on your suits. He bowed and greeted you all with his smooth voice. 

“What a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my fellow Eternals,”  the stranger said, then turned to the elf at his side. “You know, you don't have to do the whole thing every time,” he told him with a little annoyance in his voice. 

“Everything you do is impressive.” The elf scoffed. 

“Who are you?” Thena interrupted. 

“I'm Eros,” the brunette introduced, then motioned to his friend. “This is Pip,” 

Pip gave a thumbs up as he continued to chug on his beer. Eros’ eyes moved to Thena as he charmingly smiled.

 “And you are as beautiful as legends say Thena,” Eros professed. 

He certainly was a charmer, you and Makkari shared an amused glance at each other.

“What do you want lads?” Druig questions. 

“Pip and I are here to help,” Eros explains, he holds his hand out in front of him to show a communication sphere similar to the one Ajak passed on to Sersi. Its golden glow pulsed like a beacon as it floated Mid air above Eros’ palm. You were all untensed when you realized what he was holding. If he had Sersi’s sphere then that meant she was calling for help. But why would this new strange character have it? “Your friends are in trouble,” Eros informs. “And we know where to find them.” 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

  Eros had explained that Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo had all been abducted by Arishem a little over a few days ago. He wasn't sure where Arishem could've taken them but you’d all assumed they had been taken for one reason only. Your worst fears had come to life at this information, your family had been taken and were facing judgment from your creator. You had absorbed everything Eros had told you all and couldn't accept it.

   While Makkari and Thena stood in the center of the room conversing with Eros Druig stood off to the side listening intently while his thumb settled between his lips biting nervously. You could see the gears shifting in his head as he was lost in thought. Makkari and Thena had done most of the talking since Eros showed up, you and Druig only taking in the details silently. You could sense the uneasiness in the room from everyone since he arrived a little over an hour ago, You didn't know if you could trust him or not, If this was a tramp Arishem had designed to obtain the rest of you, or if he was here to help you couldn’t be sure. 

How do you know all this? Makkari signed at Eros. 

  “For a while, I followed Arishem much like you all did, but it wasn't till I was shown the truth of what my purpose was that I departed from my team,” Eros explains.

  “So there are other Eternals out there?” Thena raises her eyebrow, and with her arms crossed she stares eros down.  

 “You have no reason to trust me but I can help you find them.” 

  “We need time to think this over and come up with a plan,” Thena declared. She had kept her guard up since Eros came, only asking questions ever so often when he would pause. If Thena perceived Eros to be deceitful about his intentions then she would have him out of here in seconds with so much as a glare, but nothing had appeared wrong to her so far. It didn’t help your displeasure that everyone seemed to just go along with whatever Eros was saying. You weren't sure if it was his charming personality that just gave you the wrong kinds of shivers or his shifting eyes but something just felt wrong with him. 

    Druig didn’t trust him just as much as you did. He thought he was a swaggering peacock just galavanting around the universe looking for attention. With his fancy cape, styled hair, and flirtatious comments. He hated guys like that, and what pissed him off, even more, was the way you looked uncomfortable every time Eros’ eyes would linger on you for a few seconds too long. Druig wanted to throw him out the nearest window and into the vast void of space by his stupid cape. 

   You had wandered over to the long window after you couldn't take much more of the conversation any longer. The memories flooding back to you from the mention of Thanos' name just caused you hurt. Druig had caught your reaction to that as well and he had wanted to run to your side immediately out of habit. He was going to ask you eventually if you were doing okay with all of this, he just needed to find the right moment. 

  He saw you had sat down in the window when you were getting too overwhelmed with the conversation you had been sitting there for the past fifteen minutes. He strolled over to you seeing you looked spaced out in your spot in the window with your knees huddled up to your chest. You gazed out of the glass to see the stars twinkling millions of miles away, you didn't recognize any of the constellations, you were too far out in a universe you’d never been in. 

   Druig sat across from you and placed his hand on your knee and you were brought out of your thoughts. You looked at him untucking your hand from your arm and bringing his hand from your knee to intertwine your fingers together. He smiled warmly at you and squeezed your hand softly, you did the same back. 

“Do you remember when we first met?” you asked suddenly with your stare still fixated on the stars. 

Druig nods and smiles fondly as memories resurface. Of course, he does, he remembers everything he has done with you, refusing to forget it. 

“Yes,” he answers. “It was right here at this very window, and I thought you were the most beautiful being I had ever seen,” 

You roll your eyes playfully at his remark. 

“What about when we first danced?” 

“Yes, it was a celebration for saving the town in Babylon and you thought I hated you,” he jokes. 

“I still hate you, what do you mean?” 

“Oh right, that's why you’re still with me after seven-thousand years,” 

You both chuckle. Druig was glad he could give you some kind of solstice while you struggled internally. You went quiet again and he drags his thumb across your knuckles to pull you out of your daze. 

“You alright?” He could tell you were weighing everything in your head. Druig understood you were struggling with this more than the others, given your recent nightmares this couldn't be easy on you. You inhale but nod your head up and down softly and rest your head against the glass as your eyes stay focused on a specific belt of stars in the distance that were a cluster of blues and yellows swirling around each other. 

Ever since the snap, you hadn't been the same person you were before. You were so full of joy and hopefulness that anyone you were around would feel drowned in your radiance of energy. Druig had always said you were like an angel who had come down from the heavens to bring light down to his darkness. You always believed he was just trying to butter you up but he meant it. 

When you had come to him in the amazon everything had changed drastically. You spent more time inside laying in bed until the sun was in the middle of the sky, barely eating and sleeping at odd hours. Druig felt wretched watching you struggle every day and tried his hardest to make certain you were taken care of but nothing seemed to get you out of your rut. 

After five years it took a while to get you somewhat better, you helped around the village more and spent even more time with Druig. You felt more at peace with him than anyone in the whole world and when you decided to stay with him you had promised Druig that this was it for you, no more being a superhero and being apart any longer. But when Steve, Nat, Bruce, and Scott Lang aka Antman came to find you they had explained their plan to you about time travel. Which you thought seemed far-fetched and had declined their offer to aid them, but wished them all the luck. 

Things hadn't always been easy for you, depression and anxiety took a toll on you no matter how hard you tried to be strong, you still got knocked on your ass but you always managed to get back up again after regaining strength. You were so fortunate to always have Druig by your side in everything, he supported you no matter what, and you the same. 

“I never know how to handle things Druig, How are we gonna handle this?” you ask uncertainty in your voice. “How can we trust Eros? And what if Arishem’s already done something terrible to the others? What if-” 

“Hey,” He cups your face to force you to look at him to stop your rambling mouth. You hadn't noticed your heart began racing and your breathing had become ragged. trying to pull you back down to reality from your hectic brain he hushes you softly. “Breath love,” he inhales as you copy his breathing pattern, taking slow breaths in and out. Eventually, you calm down enough that your nerves disappear, Druigs eyes are frantically searching yours seeing clarity, he takes your hand and places it on his chest where his heart was beating peacefully behind his ribs. 

“I don't know what's going to happen but I do know this, I love you and nothing else matters to me more than you, you’re gonna get through this, and when this is all over it's just gonna be you, and me,” Druig speaks as you focus on his eyes that were saying more than what was on his lips. “You’re so strong and brave, and beautiful, and I know you’re gonna strive past these negative thoughts and feelings, Just like you always have.” 

You’ve moved close enough that you’re practically touching foreheads, a wave of relief washes over you as you feel his skin against yours, his hands holding your face, the feeling of his pulse in your fingertips grounds you back to your surroundings as Druig fills up all your senses. 

You look into his eyes and see affection glowing while the stars from outside reflect into them, causing your belly to flutter in shyness. He asks you to look at him again when your eyes shift away from his gaze. 

  “We're gonna figure this out, together. And if we have to kill Arishem to get our family back, so be it.” The determination in his voice lights a small spark in your stomach making you gain a little bit of confidence back, shaking away your nerves. He squeezes your hand harder to reassure you. “I promise you, we’ll get through this.” 

Tears threaten to slip down your cheeks as you look at each other. 

“What would I do without you?” you ask. 

“Probably suffer,” he tilts his head teasingly. You nudge him in the chest with your knee giggling. 

“I've thought plenty of times about what I would do without you in my life, nothing came to mind so I decided that my only option was you,” he responds. Your lips stretch out into a smile and heat creeps up your cheeks, after all this time he still knew how to tug at your heartstrings.

 You were doubtful about the future, and that uneasiness crept up into you once more and had you in a tight hold. But he leans forward to press a kiss to your forehead and it all suddenly goes away. He was your rock, your soulmate and nothing was ever going to change that. You knew he’d always been the one to pull you out of your racing mind and you were so grateful for him. 

“I love you,” you sighed.

“I love you more,” he said. 

A declaration between you both at the moment. you’ve said it numerous times individually but this felt different. The coming conflict was only going to get more perilous as you pushed on and you had to be sure you both knew how much you loved each other. You had been through some horrible times but nothing would ever separate you two. 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

You all agreed the decision to return to earth was what was best to see if Eros was telling the truth, if you really could trust him this would prove it. Finding Sprite was the first step, now that she was human she still could be on earth and Arishem couldn't find her. There was still a chance that this could all be wrong, you hoped. 

  The Domo landed in a field a few miles outside of London. It was the last place you knew Sprite was living before you all split again. Even if humans were so used to spaceships now there was no need to cause a commotion. Sersi had given you the address to the apartment building and since Makari was coming with you and Druig to get Sprite, she would have to run you to the address after she found it so you could portal Druig there too. Thena volunteered to stay behind on the ship looking after Eros and Pip to make sure nothing was amiss. Since none of you had cell phones you had no way to contact Sprite 

You had changed out of the clothes that you had been wearing for a day now into a sweater and a pair of jeans since it was going to be chilly when you arrived back. You met everyone outside once you were ready and you all shared looks of understanding. You hoped that this was just a misconception and that everything was fine but something told you it wasn't. 

Druig saw you coming down the ramp and beamed at you seeing you look a little more perked up. The rain was coming down hard as the sky became greyer, the drops felt like sharp pins when they hit your hands and face. You couldn't lie when you thought about how much you missed this kind of weather, it was comforting and nostalgic from being in the rainforest for so long. 

Makkari was going over some things with Thena while they waited for you and when they all saw you coming down the ramp everyone was ready to go. You took out the piece of paper Sersi had given you with the address and apartment number where Sprite was living and handed it over to Makkari who took it appreciatively. She sped off in a flash with the whine trailing behind her, and in a second she was back. 

Found it she signed, grinning then asked if you were ready to go. Bidding Thena bye for now you put your arm around Makkari’s shoulders and held on tightly. Makkari took you by the arm and picked you up from under your legs and carried you off. The wind whipped around you as you sped past everything that was a blur and as soon as it started it was over. Makkari was so fast that you could barely tell you moved.

 The only thing different was your new surroundings. A quiet street with cobblestone sidewalks and buildings too close together. It was pretty late in the day and the lanterns were beginning to light the streets in an orange glow as cars sped past on the road behind you.

Now that you’ve glimpsed at your new surroundings it was time to summon a portal for Druig. You channeled all your energy into your fingertips and mind as you visualized the field where the domo was parked. a swirl of light was brought forth as a hoop appeared in the middle of the sidewalk. Through it you could see Druig standing with his hands in his leather jacket, waiting for you. He stepped through and once he did your portal vanished. 

He gave you a proud look as if you hadn’t done that a million times. But he's seen you do it countless times. You just rolled your eyes at him as he pulled you into his side as you walked up to the building. Makkari checked once more to see the number of the apartment was thirteen and you walked up to the buzzer to press the button on the panel speaker box to call up Sprites hopeful apartment building. 

“Sprite are you home? It's y/n” you say.

A few seconds pass and a staticky voice comes through the speaker.

“Y/N?” Sprite’s voice comes through in confusion. 

You sigh with relief that she at least sounded okay. Druig and Makkri had also looked relieved hearing her small voice through the panel. 

“Yes it’s me, and Makkari and Druig,” you announce the company you’re with and you hear a groan come from the teenager. 

“Ugh, tell Druig to go away,” you can hear the sarcasm dripping in her voice, it was good to know she hadn't changed. 

Druig grazes past you to push his finger on the button in irritation. 

“Sprite just let us in, we don't have time for this,” he says vexed. You give him a scolding look, now was not the time to be getting annoyed. 

“Fine, fine, something is happening anyways just come up,” she says, the door to the left of the buzzer unlocks and you all go in. Her words did not escape you, it only made you more nervous that was Eros had said was true. A set of stairs leads to the second floor of the building where Sprite's apartment is located and you make your way down the long hallway until you reach the thirteenth door. you lift your hand to the door Knocked, hearing it unlock from the other side and it opens to reveal a teary-eyed Sprite who smiles weakly at all of you. You immediately pull her in for a hug which she returns gratefully. 

“I don’t know what's going on,” Sprite sniffles into your shoulder. “ I came home from school the other day and Kaurn said Kingo had disappeared.” 

Your stomach sinks at this and you embrace her tighter. Understanding she needed this right now. You’d never seen Sprite this vulnerable yet it didn't surprise you at all. Everyone piles into the small lounging room as you and Sprite pull away from your embrace. Makkari also pulls her in for a hug, which Sprite gladly welcomes. 

You noticed Sprite's hair had gotten a little longer than it was before, as it was long enough to be tucked behind her ears showing off her sparkly earrings and she had gotten a little taller. You were so ecstatic for her when Sersi had made her human after the Emergence, she was always envious of the rest of you having adult bodies, getting to live a long life trapped in a young girl's body couldn't have been easy for her. 

 When you move into the apartment you see a man with short brown hair sitting on the sofa with his hands on his knees as he watches your exchange with Sprite. He stands up when he notices you watching him and makes his way over to you and Sprite. 

“Sprite who’s this?” you point to the stranger. 

As if she remembered there was someone else in the room, the realization hits her features at who you’re talking about.  “That’s Dane, Sersi’s boyfriend,” she says. 

Dane holds his hand out for you to shake and you accept it. He looks to Makkari, who sends him a warm smile while Druig sends him a soft nod of his head. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Dane,” you pull your hand away from his. 

“You too, I was with Sersi when she disappeared.” 

“What, you didn't tell me that!” Sprite frowns, looking betrayed. 

“Well I didn't exactly get the chance,” he says, gesturing to all of you. “I had only just arrived here shortly after you all.” 

You had asked Dane what precisely happened, he went on to explain they were wandering in the park then abruptly it was like the sky went dark and the wind picked up, and there was a giant figure in the sky, and Sersi was taken off into the distance. You asked Dane to describe what the figure looked like, and down to the last detail, you knew it was Arishem. You had spent countless days studying all you had in the domo about the celestial, but that was before you discovered the lies.

“Sprite, we know what's going on,” Druig says grievously. 

“What do you mean?” 

You should sit down while we tell you the rest. Makkari signs. 

You tell her everything. Sprite is quiet the whole time you all explain what happened to Sersi, this was the quietest you’ve ever seen her be, the weight of all this information coming down on her wouldn't be easy to take. Dane also was listening intently even if he didn’t know exactly what was going on he seemed to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. 

“So Arishem is seeking judgment?” Sprite asks. 

“That’s what we believe.” You nod. 

You can’t even begin to think about what Arishem has possibly done to Sersi and the rest of your family. You didn’t want to consider those dark thoughts creeping into your mind. You can’t help but ponder that if you were here instead of in space this wouldn't have happened but you can’t be too sure. 

“And you know this because some guy who claims he’s an Eternal says so?” She raises an eyebrow. 

“We didn't know if we could trust him, now we do,” Druig states, shifting on his feet and his arms crossed. “I still don’t trust him.” 

“Neither do I,” You voice. 

But now that you knew everyone hadn't been seen for days you were beginning to presume this was deeper than you initially thought. 

“We have to figure something out,” Sprite says. “We have to get them back.” 

 You can hear her voice breaking at her words as tears form in her eyes. You and Druig share looks from across the room.

“I want to come with you guys,” Sprite says, looking at all of you. 

You shake your head. No way, it was too dangerous especially since she was now human. She had no way of protecting herself and you all couldn't be too worried about her the whole time if there was gonna be a fight, which you were certain there definitely would be. Going against Arishem was going to be a challenge to be sure, but you were willing to save your family no matter the cost. But you weren't about to put Sprite in danger even if she could help with this mission. 

It’s too dangerous. Makkari argues. 

“Not to mention, you’re a child,” Druig teases. 

Sprite sends him a death glare and raises the middle finger in his direction. 

“We're about the same age,” she says defensively. 

“I’ll go,” Dane offers. “I may have something passed down from my family that can help.” 

 You all agreed and said your goodbyes to Sprite. She brings you in for a hug once more before you walk out the door.

“We're gonna bring them back,” you tell her.

“I know you will.”

end of part one

tags:  

[huneekrispee]

Over the Wall

Pairing: c!Sapnap x gn!Reader

Summary: Y/N, eldest child of Wilbur Soot. After giving everything they could give for the war, it's now apparent that their father doesn't want them around. But Y/N's hopeful, staying loyal to Lmanburg and trying their best to prove themselves to their father. But after meeting a certain man with a white bandana during the war that might just change.

Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST to FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF, cursing, injury , parental issues, blatant child favoritism, parental rejection, mentions of abandonment, spoilers for the first lmanburg war, forbidden lovers :)

Please remember that no one in Lmanburg acts like this in the actual roleplay, this is just for the fic :)

Word Count: 3,410

A/N: I am on a roll today, writing two pieces in one day :) I saw this request and couldn't wait to write it!! I love this kind of trope, it hurts but it's so sweet :) I hope you enjoy reading! Have a good day/night! Stay hydrated! I kind of got carried away with this one... -Hunee <3

The artwork in the GIF belongs to the lovely SAD-IST :))

The walls of Lmanburg stood strong. The walls that were built as a sign of independence from the Dream SMP stood tall and proud. Inside the walls was a hotdog van, and in that van, the members of Lmanburg were in turmoil.

"Wilbur! What are we going to do? That green bastard is threatening us and we damn well fucking know we should fight back-"

"Tommy. Calm."

The confident blonde boy shut his mouth, a scowl coming across his face as he crossed his arms, grumbling insults as he stared at the floor. (Y/N) silently looked at him. That was Tommy alright, always ready to jump into action, disregarding the consequences that may come about.

"We need to stop Dream from getting in. We need to raise our security. We may have built the walls, however, they're not going to be enough."

Wilbur Soot. The leader of their rebellion. Also (Y/N)'s father. Nothing too much to say about him.

"But Wilbur! What are we gonna do? There's only like... 6 of us!"

Tubbo. A precious boy. Best friends with Tommy, Tubbo was like a ball of sunshine for the whole group of Lmanburg. He was too young to be a part of this war, same with Tommy.

"Yeah! How will we defeat him?! He has like- a whole army and then it's just us."

Then there was Fundy. The firstborn of the nation. The whole reason why the walls were built. He was also Y/N's half-brother. They weren't that close, with (Y/N) being distant because of their father's blatant favoritism between his children.

"You shouldn't worry Tubbo, Fundy. Wilbur will surely think of something that can help us. If now, we'll just put our ideas together. We can beat Dream, I know it."

Eret. He was mysterious. Behind those dark glasses lay his white eyes. It was hard to read him. But (Y/N) was sure that with his ideas and smart strategies, he was a loyal and trusted ally to Lmanburg.

Recently he'd been kind of distant, but (Y/N) thought it was just something else, he was mysterious, so they didn't question it.

Clearing their throat, (Y/N) spoke up for the first time.

"I have an idea."

All eyes turned to the eldest Soot child who was leaning against the corner of the hotdog van. Wilbur sighed.

"Not now, (Y/N). Anyone else got any ideas?"

Y/N rolled their eyes. Asshole. He never listened to them, even if they were his eldest child.

After a few minutes of silence, Fundy cleared his throat, speaking up. He stepped forward, placing his hands on the table, eyes looking at the map of Lmanburg on top of it.

"Well. I say we do patrols on the walls. We can take turns. Two people will guard the walls at once."

He pointed at the south side of the walls, dragging his finger up towards the west side as he spoke. "One person will patrol from south to west." Fundy then pointed at the north side of the walls, slowly making his way down to the east side. "Then the other will patrol from north to east."

"We can make a schedule for this. Since there are six of us, while two of us patrol each night, the other four can either be preparing materials, weapons, potions, and anything else we might need. I think this is the best way to prepare for war against Dream while protecting ourselves from anyone sneaking in."

(Y/N)'s eyes moved up to look at Wilbur. He nodded in agreement, eyes full of pride and joy, happy for his son.

God, how they wished he would look at them like that.

"Well. I think we have our plan. Good job, Fundy."

If only he knew, that was the plan (Y/N) also had.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A few days had passed since the meeting. Y/N had patrolled the first night with Tubbo, and wasn't going to patrol until tomorrow.

Right now, (Y/N) was working on sharpening the swords for everyone, aswell as fixing up the armour that got damaged during Lmanburg's last fight with the Dream SMP.

They were currently sharpening Wilbur's sword, his being the last sword to sharpen before they would move on to fixing the armour.

'This needs to be the best damn sword I sharpen. Maybe then he'll let me join the fight with the rest of them.'

(Y/N) had been trying their best to prove themselves to their father, Wilbur Soot.

After (Y/N)'s mother left them with Wilbur, running off with another man, Wilbur had taken care of (Y/N). He used to be the best father anyone could ever ask for.

Then, one day, Wilbur dropped them off at their grandfather's place. Philza was a great grandfather to (Y/N), but he often had to go on trips, leaving the then 13-year-old to fend for themselves for a little bit. He always came back though, unlike their father, who just dropped them off and left.

Then, five years later, he came back.

He came back with the promise of new land. A land called Lmanburg. Apparently, while he was gone, he had gone and had another child, a fox hybrid. He grew up differently, he grew up faster due to being half fox.

Also while he was gone, he had set up a rebellion with four others, wanting independence. Then, (Y/N) realised:

He only came back because he needed more people, not because he wanted them back.

As time went by in Lmanburg, (Y/N) noticed the difference between Wilbur's interactions with them and with Fundy. With (Y/N), he was usually tired and wanted to leave as quickly as possible. However, with Fundy, he was always ready to do anything for him, pride and joy in his eyes every time he looked at the fox.

That was when (Y/N) decided to keep trying to prove themselves.

Smiling, (Y/N) placed the dirty rag down onto their thigh, admiring the work they put into the sword in their hands.

It was perfect.

Internally cheering at their success, (Y/N) sneaked off, silently going into their father's room, placing the newly sharpened sword on his bed.

"What are you doing in here?"

Shit.

Sharply turning their head around, (Y/N) met the eyes of their father. He was furious. His eyes narrowed into a glare.

Suddenly finding the floor to be the most interesting thing in the world, (Y/N) looked down to the floor, nervously playing with her fingers.

"I- I..."

"You... what?"

(Y/N) gulped. "I just... sharpened your sword and wanted you to see it..."

"So? Why'd you give it to me? Just put it with the others."

He walked past them, (Y/N) still looking down. He shoved the sword into their hands, then moved around them to go and sit at the desk in the corner of the room. (Y/N)'s breath hitched as the sword shoved into their hands cut into their skin in multiple places.

"Now get out."

Nodding their head, they left, going to bandage their injured hands.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was now the next day. It had just hit 6pm, and Y/N was getting ready to go on nightfall patrol with Tommy.

Then, footsteps came rushing towards them, with a yell of their name breaking their focus.

"(Y/N!)"

Looking up, (Y/N) moved their eyes to Tommy's figure, the blonde out of breath from running.

"You okay Tommy?"

Suddenly, he stood up straight, smiling confidently.

"Yeah! But I just need you to do something for me!"

Of course. Everyone always wanted something from them.

"Alright." Crossing their arms, (Y/N) looked at the boy. "What is it?"

"I need you to do patrol alone tonight. Tubbo and I are going to make some more drugs- *cough* potions! Yeah! Potions! And we want it to be a surprise for Wilbur! So can you please please please please please cover for me and let me sneak off patrol tonight?"

Sighing, (Y/N) pinched the bridge of their nose. This was a terrible idea.

Fuck it.

Looking at Tommy's hopeful expression, they replied. "Y'know what? I'll do it. I'll cover for you tonight during patrol, and do it alone, then you and Tubbo can go and do whatever it is you want to do."

The blonde beamed, eagerly grabbing (Y/N)'s hand, shaking it up and down.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! You're the best (Y/N)"

(Y/N) sadly smiled, watching as the boy ran back down the hall, probably going to find Tubbo.

At least one person thought they were the best, even if he probably didn't mean it.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been a few hours since patrol had started.

The sky had now been painted over with a blanket of navy blue skies, clouds nowhere in sight, the stars shone brightly, showing off their true beauty in the dead of the night.

(Y/N) sat down on the top of the South wall. The wall that was furthest from the hotdog van. Everything in Lmanburg was quiet. No lights were on, no voices, just the silence of the night.

After taking one last glance around the walls, (Y/N) fully lay back, legs dangling off the stone wall, swinging back and forward as the teenager hummed out the tune of their favourite music disc.

They were still upset at what happened yesterday. Their father's rejection, him accidentally hurting them, it sucked.

No matter what (Y/N) did, it was never good enough for him.

There, (Y/N) lay. Staring at the stars, lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, a sharp sting of pain hit their left leg as it swung in the air.

"Ow. What the fuck-"

Sitting up, (Y/N) quickly looked around, confused as to what hit them.

Then, another sharp pain. Right in the middle of their forehead.

The object that hit them fall into their lap. Grabbing the object in their hand, (Y/N) held it up to the moonlight, trying to see what it was.

It was a small pebble.

Making a noise of confusion. (Y/N) was hit with another pebble, this time on their leg again.

"Down here!"

(Y/N) swung their legs up onto the walls, moving her hands near the edge and peering down at where the voice came from.

It was a man-child.

Even in the dark, with the only source of light being the moon, (Y/N) noticed every detail about him.

He had black hair styled into a very short mullet, with black bangs framing his face. He had a white bandana wrapped around his head, contrasting with the dark colour of his hair.

The man-child wore a white short-sleeve shirt on top of a black long-sleeve. He had black pants with white stripes on the sides and was wearing black and white checked shoes.

On top of everything, he wore shining Netherite armour, with a sword at his side and an axe peeking out from the top of his back.

He was very pretty.

(Y/N) then looked at his face. He was grinning cheekily, hiding his hands, which were probably full of pebbles, behind his back, looking away as if he did nothing.

Snapping out of their trance, (Y/N) curiously looked at the male. He was probably from the Dream SMP.

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The man-child looked back up at (Y/N) on the wall, sheepishly dropping the pile of pebbles he had compiled onto the ground beside him.

Clearing his throat, he posed dramatically, one hand raised in the air.

"Oh, fine citizen of Lmanburg who guards the walls keeping me out! I am no one." He moved his raised hand to his chest, clutching his heart. "No one but a concerned fellow who mourns for the happiness of the attractive guardian of the walls!"

(Y/N) giggled at the show the man-child was putting on. He was certainly a man-child. But cute.

Playing along, (Y/N) replied back to him, "Oh, fine gentleman from beyond the walls, I must know the name of who is concerned about the wellbeing of me, a mere castaway of the rebellion."

It was stupid, both of them knew that, but when the young raven-haired saw the smile on their face, he knew it was worth it.

Staring at each other, from up and below, both of them burst out into a fit of giggles.

(Y/N) was the first to stop laughing. They still held an uncontrollable smile on their face, swooned by the male below the walls.

"But really? What is your name? You're from the Dream SMP, aren't you?"

The man with the bandanna smiled up at them, stepping closer to the walls. He put his hands on his hips, beaming as he spoke.

"Why yes, I am. My name is Sapnap. But don't worry, I wasn't sent by anyone."

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy in disbelief. No one sent him? So he came here on his own?

"My name is (Y/N). Why are you here then?"

Sapnap's face turned soft, his smile becoming wobbly.

"Well, I saw an attractive person on the walls upset and felt like you might've needed some cheering up. I know we're on opposites sides of this war and all but..."

He scratched the back of his neck, slowly looking back up at (Y/N) on top of the walls.

"No one deserves to be upset, y'know?"

God bless this man.

(Y/N) tensed up, feeling their body heat up in embarrassment. What. The fuck? Taking a deep breath, (Y/N) calmed themselves down, looking back down at Sapnap.

"Well, I think you achieved your mission. Thanks for cheering me up, Sapnap."

He once again smiled softly at them.

They smiled back.

It was like a spark ignited between the two. Both were from opposite sides of the war that was raging on, yet they didn't care.

After a few minutes of awkward staring between the two, Sapnap spoke up.

"Sooo? Do you wanna maybe... talk some more?"

(Y/N) laughed. "Sure, I've got all night. No one's gonna be up for like a few more hours."

Sapnap awkwardly laughed, fiddling with his fingers.

"Do you think... I could come up there? Y'know it's kind of hard to hold a conversation when you're so far apart."

Moving a hand up to cover their smile, (Y/N) agreed.

"Sure. It was getting lonely anyways."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"So. Tell me about yourself."

Both teens were now sitting together on top of the walls, covered by the darkness of the night, the moonlight now far from where they were.

"Okay. My name is (Y/N) Soot. Eldest of Wilbur Soot. Um, I'm good at fixing and improving tools armour, so i'm basically the blacksmith of Lmanburg. I'm the expert of being a fuck up and I'm probably going to be disowned and kicked out soon."

I mean, it was the truth. After what happened in Wilbur's room last night, (Y/N) felt like he was on the edge of kicking them out from Lmanburg overall.

The man beside them frowned. So this was the infamous eldest of Wilbur Soot. During a previous battle, Tommy accidentally mentioned them and how 'badass (Y/N) had sharpened his sword'.

He saw how good the sword looked, too bad Tommy couldn't really swing it fully yet.

"Your go."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sapnap began to talk.

"Well. Y'know my name is Sapnap. I'm a longtime friend of Dream's. I'm an expert in burning things and I like making sure the gorgeous guardian of the walls is feeling their best." He winked as he said the last line, watching the eldest Soot child giggle at this action.

Both began to talk more, rambling about the most random things they could talk about.

(Y/N) didn't know why, but for some reason, they felt more comfortable with Sapnap than anyone else in their life. They had just met an hour ago, yet (Y/N) felt like they had known Sapnap their whole life.

Feeling a burst of boldness, (Y/N) turned to Sapnap suddenly.

"Hey. Um. I know this is kind of weird, and you can say no, but... can I... hold your hand?"

Observing (Y/N)'s nervous expression, the raven-haired male smiled softly, shifting his hand over to intertwine his fingers with (Y/N)'s.

"Does that answer your question?"

They nodded, their lips turning upwards at the sight of their intertwined hands.

"Can I... tell you about my dad?"

"You can tell me anything you want. I'm gonna listen."

Feeling butterflies in their stomach, (Y/N) gripped onto Sapnap's hand tighter, moving their body to lie down, gesturing to Sapnap to do the same.

He did, moving to lay down next to (Y/N).

He turned his head to stare at their face. Their eyes reflected the starry sky.

"Basically, long story short. My mom left me with my dad for some other geezer when I was born. He was a great father then. He always helped me when I needed it and made me feel very happy. Then, one day, when I was thirteen, he dropped me off at my grandfather's house. He said he'd come back quickly, but I guess five years isn't 'quickly'."

"My grandfather is great, he was awesome. He had to leave for trips a lot, but he always came back to me, he brought me souvenirs and stuff. I loved being around him. But I still missed my dad, y'know?"

"For a long time, I thought he didn't want me. So he left me. But then he came back. Maybe a year ago? He brought me to Lmanburg. Then I learned he had another child, Fundy. Then my suspicions were confirmed. Yes, he didn't want me. He only came to get me because he needed more people for Lmanburg."

(Y/N) sighed.

"It hurt. It hurt watching him praise Fundy and love him with all he could, while all he did was ignore me and put me up to do chores and work. Hell, I bet he's shown more love to Tommy and Tubbo than he has shown to me in the past year."

(Y/N) felt their eyes swell up with tears, the salty water flowing down the side of their cheeks.

"It just sucks, because I've done everything to try and get his approval. I learned how to become a blacksmith, just to help him. B-But-"

They choked on their sobs, suddenly sitting up.

Sapnap sat up right away, moving to comfort (Y/N).

He wrapped his long arms around them, pulling them into his chest, his hand caressing the back of their head as they cried, overwhelmed by the realisation that their father will probably never want them.

"It's okay. You don't need to say anything else. Just sit here with me, okay?"

A soft, hesitant "Okay." came from them.

The two sat in silence.

Gathering his thoughts, Sapnap spoke up.

"Y'know. Fuck your dad. He's an asshole."

He moved his head on top of (Y/N)'s, leaning his chin into it.

"If you're not going to be appreciated for the amazing work you do for him, then he doesn't deserve you. I saw Tommy's sword one time, and I'll tell you, the craftmanship on that was top notch. Kind of felt jealous of him, to be honest."

(Y/N) giggled. Sapnap's lip's turned upwards. Good, it was working.

"Even if I just met you hours ago, I feel like I've known you for all my life. So, I'm glad you were comfortable enough to tell me about your dad. I'm going to be frank, I don't think he, or anyone in Lmanburg, deserve you. And I think you think the same."

"What are you saying, Sap?"

"Sap? I like that. Anyways, what I'm saying is: 1. Your dad's an asshole who doesn't deserve you. 2. You probably already know that and 3..."

He stopped talking, hesitantly looking down at (Y/N).

"What's 3?"

"3. I think you're on the wrong side."

(Y/N) couldn't even gasp. They knew he was right. Lmanburg was where (Y/N) was staying, but it didn't feel like home.

"Y'know. I think you'll enjoy the Dream SMP more. We need a decent blacksmith and all of us are pretty... chill. Plus, I kind of want you there..."

"What was the last bit?"

"Nothing!"

(Y/N) smiled. What a dork, they heard what he said, but his reaction was cute nonetheless.

"Sapnap."

He turned to look them in their eyes, awaiting their answer.

"Yeah?"

"I'll join the Dream SMP."

Now it was his turn to smile.

[stormblessed95]

Winter Package 2021 Part 1

My thoughts and commentary as I watch Winter Package 2021! There is only the one making DVD in this package (107 minutes long). The other part of this was just the photobook and extra merch. Reminder that these are just my thoughts, it's not very organized. You get me typing it out as I go like I'm reacting to a friend. Somewhat like a bullet point format in a way. Love these packages! Trailer for WP 2021 and trailer number 2

Winter Package 2021 was filmed in Gangwon-do, South Korea. They were there shooting from 201208 through 201210. B cuts from their photoshoots posted by Naver here. And Jihope also posted extras to Twitter after the DVD released in Feb. 2021. Jhope here. Jimin Part 1 Here. And Jimin Part 2 here. 💜 And Jin on Weverse. And you can watch it in full in not wonderful quality, but still with subs on YouTube if you want here

The video opens up with all the covid safety precautions. Lmfao peak pandemic video vibes. The start is of their first shoot at the hotel. So cozy and the outfits were amazing. Then they all went to the beach for indivual, unit and group shoots! Vhopemin were the first unit, followed by Jinkook and Namgi! Namjoon was so excited to get to shoot with Suga. It was so sweet. He said it had been 6 long months and he was going to keep these photos until he died 😭 they missed him so much.

Jimin kept everyone giggling. Lol so cute. And Jimin's memories of the winter ocean included when he jumped into the cold ocean with Suga holding hands as a penalty 🥺🥺 Everyone else talking and there is JK shouting "ahhhh" lol cold maybe? Jimin just giggling and pointing at him! They then all went to go eat dinner together at a restaurant 금화정막국수 and Jikook sat next to each other and JK barely talked he was just enjoying his food too much! Lol

To end the first day of filming, Suga MC'd their games related to childhood, and they decided to just do their teams by table. So we got Namkook, Jinkook, Vhope. And they all picked unit names for their teams. Lol Ugh (namkook), Jinji-do and Vope. They played a complete the fairytale game and so many giggles. Lol Jimin trying to help JK cheat and give a hint when he got stuck on an answer, but he still got it wrong! The next game they played was looking at pictures drawn by kids and guessing who it is 😂 Jimin going "ayee" and pinching Tae's cheek when he saw the portrait he thought was of V!

The one kid who said they wanted to do a princess role play with the member they drew 😭 and it was Jimin who they drew! Jimin wanted to say thank you to the kid too 🥺 And we know that it was actually Son Sungduek's son (Moa) who made Jimins photo thanks to his insta post! The way everytime JinMin are on a team together and win a game, they jump into each other's arms is adorable! Yoongi throwing shade at all the members for their origami skills in game 2 😂 and they ended their day with yummy snacks!

They ended day 1 with their diaries as always. Tae said the most memorable part of the day for him was the drive and that he fell asleep during it. Lol JKs favorite part of the day was dinner because it was really yummy (we can tell he enjoyed it!) Jimin crashed Jins diary time and wrote on his page that he was proud of him 🥺 these 2 on this day man! Jin wrote about the rocks and the ocean. Jimin wrote about how the sky looked so pretty while he was getting ready that it made him happy. Hobi wrote about the winter ocean and enjoying the photoshoot. Namjoon wrote about playing games and eating snacks. Suga wrote about how he was on a low carb diet but broke it for good food at dinner.

The last part of the day was the video diaries too before going to sleep from Joon, Suga and Hobi. They all looked so sweet. Namjoon bringing up again how special it was to have Yoongi back with them. Hobi talking about being scared but also excited to go ziplining the next day. And Yoongi talking about his rehab, being back to work and excited for beer tasting the next day, even if it's a 2 hour drive away.

Day 2 kicks off with everyone going to the High1 Ski Resort for the next photoshoot! Which is one of the absolute cutest they've ever done in my opinion!! Photos in the snow with a bright concept. And i love it. Everyone skidding around in the snow, so cute. Jinjikook have a unit shoot and JK initates chaos by starting a snowball fight and jinkook quickly spiral out of control with their snowball fight 😂 JK with his cute blue and pink fake highlights! The way they match Jimins blue hair too! It's always them!! Lol jinjikook playing rock paper scissors to see who has to roll down the hill. JK loses and Jimin tells him immediately not to actually do it, it's dangerous while Jin just encourages bad behavior the whole time 😂 This trio! Sope is the next unit who practice their English on the ski lift on the way up to the shooting site! Vmon being the last unit and looking so cuddly! Jimin and Jin running up yelling so pretty and taking photos of them too! Lol Hobi taking photos of Jimin and Jin while holding his hand on break, JK taking a photo of Tae doing a pull up too! Jinkook wrestling match round 2 happening as well 😂🤣 Jikook playing around with the giant fake snowball before the group shoot starts. Everyone just seems like they are having so much fun! The everyone cuddling Suga group shot is probably my favorite. The sweet jinkook backhug after all the bickering today is so nice. Lol and the way Tae melts into Jimin is so freaking cute.

They then all head off to their activities in 2 teams. Yoonminkook to go make beer and the others for ziplining and yoga. Lol 2seok getting really nervous and asking if it's too late to go make beer instead 🤣 everyone said they were only here for the yoga lol and the relaxing chill entrance to the brewery in contrast. Lol Jimin saying that Suga had made beer before but it was our (jikooks) first time. The cuts between the 2 groups 😭🤣 everyone being so scared about getting ready to zipline vs everyone calmly learning about the brewery tools and getting a tour and a promise to taste test some beer too. Lol regardless of being scared, when it was over they all had so much fun on the zipline and loved it! I loved seeing them all have fun!

It's the way jikook always talk mostly to each other even as they speak to the whole group. Lol they loved the beer! They are all so cute! Jimin scolding JK "don't get too excited" when they were sitting down in front of all new beers to try and JK automatically started trying to touch them. Lol Jimin sharing that his first try of black beer was one that Jin bought him years ago and he didn't really like it. JinMin are really so freaking cute this package. I can't stop loving on them. Suga encouraging Jimin saying it's bitter so you tend to like it more as you get older. Lol yoonminkook make 3 types of beer today while they are there. JK cracking jokes and making Jimin laugh so hard 🥺 Jimin saying his acting has gotten better and JK just going "ayee." Sigh, these two. So many little touches through this whole trip too. JK stirs so aggressively when making his beer! Lol! Jimin scolding him again when it's time to move on but he doesn't stop. The armpit tickles and chest smacking! 🤣 JK saying he wishes they could share the beer they made with the other members too!

The guys doing yoga being so cute!! 2seok in the back keep giggling to each other. Lol Tae accidentally falling over during meditation. When told to get more comfortable. Joon tells Hobi he is sitting like his Mom 😅🤣 anyone else really enjoy the yoga and all the tips over good breathing and how relaxing that all was. And Tae saying how nice it was to be there with them and happy being together over their dinner 🥺 the teams had dinner together and yoonminkook had the other members send them a video of them ziplining and they watched it being so endeared 🥺 Jimin saying he originally wanted to do yoga but ended up doing beer instead but still had fun. Lol wonder if he was talked into it by someone or by Yoonkook together. Lol

Day 2 ends with the diaries and video logs before sleep too! I'll cover those for the end of Day 2 and all of day 3 in part 2 of this post! I wanted to be able to include more photos so I I'm splitting this up into 2 posts and unfortunately that means day 2 gets spilt up too! Lol they all had so much fun and that's honestly all I want to be able to see! Thanks for letting me share!!

[summerlovingbaby]

Stone Cold

“ We’re almost there.” Kirishima spoke. “ Almost there, and then we could radio for help and get you warm.”

“ Uh-huh.” she whimpered quietly.

Kirishima had been dragging her for about 2 miles in what felt like 10 feet of snow, and was prepared to drag her 4 more if that meant getting her to safety.

They had a mission, and to say it went south was a understatement. They were ambused, and there was someone with a quirk who could make it snow, and Y/N’s quirk was not suited for the cold. She took some pretty bad blows and had a cut running down the outside of his leg,and was unable to walk on her own.

Both their comms went dead, the sudden snowstorm putting them in a dead zone. Kirishima had come out realitively unscathed and had managed to fight off all the villians, and the ones who didn’t fled the area, leaving the two of them stranded in the middle of a blizzard.

“ You gotta stay awake.” Kirishima said, shaking her slightly causing her eyes to flutter open. 

“ Sorry.” she slurred. “ M’ really sorry. I’m just tired.” That was the first sentence she had managed to string together in about  a mile.

“ I know.” he said. All they had to do, was get to the cell tower, then radio their location and Y/N would be alright. “ I know.”

Y/N’s body got heavier with with every single step, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, she was getting harder to carry. But he was a hero, and today he had to be her hero. He spent years training to be a hero, and if he couldn’t even save the woman that saved his life countless times, then who was he besides some worthless kid, who had a stupid quirk.

Y/N thought he was anything but worthless, she actually thought he was kind of cute, in the great Dane type of way. He was loyal and protective, which was something Y/N admired. He was kind and sweet and brought her chocolate chop muffins when she was sad. He had the kind of laugh that made other people want to smile too, He was a great hero in every way that he could be a hero, and strived to be the best person, even though he was the best person that Y/N ever got to know and would ever get to know.

“ Did I do a good job?” she whispered.

“ You did a great job.” he whispered, trying to get a better grasp on Y/N.

“ I wanna be a hero.” she added. “ I wanna be a real good one.”

Y/N had wanted to be a hero, as long as she knew what the word hero meant. And she spent every single second trying to make sure she was the best damn good hero.

Eijiro thought she was the best hero, and he couldn’t tell if he admired her or loved her. Probably some sweet combonation of both. He could spend hours looking at her, because she was that damn pretty. It was like she stepped out of the most perfect picture. Her eyes were always so honest and told him everything that he needed to know. That she was sweet great and wonderful. And Kirishima wanted his share of sweet great and wonderful.

“ You’re a good hero.” Eijiro replied. “ A real good one.”

“ You think?” she said, finding the urge to llift up her head. Then she suddeny dropped it, like she had the wind knocked out of her.  “ I don’t feel good.” she whispered.

“ I know.” he said. “ I know. I’m real proud of you.”

He could feel her body stop shivering from the cold, that wasn’t good, her knees began to buckle and she suddnely became very aware of how much she weighed, and how tired she was.

“ Baby, don’t do that, just stay strong for a little longer.”

He just called her baby? A little frueudon slip.

His hands felt numb as her knees buckled and she collapsed in the embankment of snow beneath her, she was very tired, really really tired. Her eyelids felt heavy and droopy, and she was warm, which to her was a nice change of pace, and to him, was quite possibly his worse nightmare.

“ M’ not cold anymore.” she whispered. “ Is that a good thing?”

“ Yeah... yeah... it’s a real good thing.” he lied. She was going to die. She was going to die right here and now, and he was never going to get the chance to take her out on a proper date.

She was now laying on her back on the snow, and her lips were covered with a subtle blue hue. Her finertips felt like icecubes despite the fact that she was wearing gloves, she looked so damn happy it was irritating to him, because that smile was so cold it was distant.

“ Can I tell you something?” she managed. It was getting hard for her to breathe in this frigid air, but she didn’t even feel it.

“ Yeah, yeah anything.” he begged, hoping if he could get her talking long enough she could stay awake until help arrived. They had to be close by now, even if they didn’t it make it to the tower, someone had to find them. The question was, was it going to be before Y/N froze to death.

“ I think you’re handsome.” she muttered. “ And I want you to ask me out to dinner or something.” 

“ Thanks. I think your pretty.” he said,his eyes welling up with tears. “ You’re the prettiest girl, you know that?” he asked and she struggled to nod. “ And when you get home, there gonna make you feel all better, and then I can take you out on a proper date.” he added.

“ I’m gonna die, aren’t I?” Y/N asked sweetly.

“ I hope not.” he replied. “ They’re gonna come any minute now, and get you all warmed up.”

She took a especially long blink and took a very long, deep breath.

“ Ei.”

“ Yeah.”

“ I’m really tired.” she muttered.

“ I know baby, you just gotta stay awake, a little while longer.” he whispered, he forced himself to look up, pretending to look for the airplane, but it really was so the last thing she saw, wasn’t him crying.

He was  supposed to be her hero, and she was gonna freeze to death due to his own icomptence and inablity to be a good hero. She was gonna die, in the cold, and the last thing that she was going to see was the man who failed to save her crying because he was pathetic.

“ I’m really sorry.” she whispered. “ Sorry for never asking you out, and I’m sorry for dying, I really didn’t mean to.”

“NO...NO... YOU DON’T GET TO DO THAT, YOU DON’T GET TO DIE ON ME.” he yelled.

Her eyes were fluttering shut and her smile started to drop, he could feel her body, which she was holding close to her chest starting to grow weak. She was glad that the last thing she was gonna see was the man that she knew she loved.

“ Please, don’t die on me.” he begged. 

He laid down next to her agaist his better judgement. His chest was starting to ache and his head felt heavy. Against his better juudgemnt he let himself close his eyes, he just wanted one last minute to be with her before he had to leave her, she deserved that. He at the least deserved it.

He woke up four days later, to the steady but annoying beeping of a heart monitor. The light was nearly blinding, and the air around him felt warm. Holy hell the hair around him was warm, he was warm.

He forced his eyes open and tried to sit up quickly, but that was harder than he thought, because even thinking of moving sent shooting pains through his chest and into his stomach, his vison was blurred.

Something was touching his hair, and he didn’t like it. He wanted Y/N, he wanted to know if she was alive. He wanted Y/N to touch his hair, and he needed to get up and go find her. The blood was pumping in his ears so quickly that he couldn’t hear the sound of her soothing voice.

But the something touching his hair, wasn’t so much a something but a someone, he could feel soothing fingertips carding through his hair. He could recongnize that soothing touch anywhere.

He forced himself to blink a few times tp clear his vison and forced himself to breathe so he could hear something but the beeping, he turned his head to the side, and there she was in all her not dead not frozen glory, looking down at him with a wide smile and a few stray tears streaming down her face.

“ Ei! Thank god you’re okay!”

“ So how about that date huh?” he managed to whipsper through a strained voice.

“ How about it?”

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[shesasurvivor]

Everlark Smut by shesasurvivor

Lately, one of my first real forays into Everlark fanfic, Blue on Grey/A House United have been getting some attention for its smut, and that's exciting! Those stories hold a special place in my heart and I'm still incredibly proud of them. But I've also written several smutty stories over the last decade that, in my opinion, are also every bit as deserving as attention, and I thought I would put together a post highlighting them!

Below is, as of January 2022, a complete list of all the smutty Everlark stories I've ever written.

Blue on Grey - As Katniss Everdeen and her family deal with the painful aftermath on the losing side of the Civil War, they also must adjust when a young Yankee soldier is stationed in their house.

A House United - Follow up to Blue on Grey. Katniss Everdeen has done the unspeakable with Union soldier Peeta Mellark. Now she's agreed to marry him. But first, they must make it through a proper courtship while surviving the trials of the Reconstruction Era South. Historical AU.

Getting There - Katniss has started being intimate with Peeta, but there are still a few barriers she needs to break through to fully enjoy herself. A suggestion from Dr. Aurelius may be just what she needs. Post-Mockingjay, masturbation/mutual masturbation. This remains my single favorite piece of smut I've ever written. As one wonderful reviewer on FFN put it, its, "realistic and perfectly in character, seems almost like a natural extension of canon, and is still both INSANELY hot and sweet at the same time." Exactly what I was going for, and I'm so proud.

Rain will Make the Flowers Grow - It’s a far cry from how we both were mere months ago, broken shadows of our former selves. At one point, I believed any hope of being with him had truly died out. But now we’re here, together. And this is happening. I could cry if I weren’t so caught up in the heat of the moment. Various insights to the life Katniss and Peeta build together post-Mockingjay. Another favorite of mine. Thinking of renaming my entire Post-MJ series with this name, because it's perfect.

This Flame will Burn Forever - "'Fine,' I say, pretending to be annoyed. 'Peeta, I- ' the words become choked up in my throat, just like they always do. And I hate that they do, because it isn’t that I don’t want Peeta to know the truth. I’ve told him how I feel about him, more than once. I want him to know, because I never want to hide anything from him ever again. And really, this isn’t why I have a hard time saying it. It’s because a part of me--an irrational part of me, I’ll admit--is afraid that by saying it out loud, some force, somewhere, will pick up on it and take him away from me again." Katniss and Peeta spend a cold winter day wrapped up in each other. Not quite as explicit as some of my other fics, but still revolves quite a bit around sex so I'm including it.

Netflix and Chill - Katniss Everdeen works three jobs, and is a full time student. She really needs to learn how to chill–and Peeta Mellark knows how to help. Modern Day AU. Written for the Fall 2016 MoreS2SL fundraiser.

Everybody's Got a Dark Side - When Katniss reminds Peeta about the time President Snow visited the study, it accidentally triggers an episode. Then Peeta decides it's time to reclaim Katniss... and the desk. Hijacked!Peeta smut, post-Mockingjay. Another one I'm proud of, because this is different from the kind of thing I usually write. It was fun to do.

Cosa Nostra - Katniss Everdeen is a performer for The Mockingjay, a hotel and casino run by mob boss Coriolanus Snow in Las Vegas. Peeta Mellark is the accountant who might be a plant for the FBI in The Mockingjay’s business office. The two are instantly drawn to each other, but how can anything possibly end well when they are on two opposing sides? Especially when the mob will have no problem harming Katniss’s sister if she betrays them. 1950’s historical AU set in mob-run Las Vegas. This one is special to me, because it was inspired by my own time living in Las Vegas. Smut is only in one chapter, but oh, it's there.

The Tigers Come at Night - Forced into prostitution in the Capitol, Katniss and Peeta find a way to seek refuge in the only people who understand: each other. But when they begin to sleep together for comfort in the supposed safety of their own homes, an unplanned occurrence makes the third Quarter Quell more difficult than it already is. Catching Fire AU. WARNING: Forced prostitution, non-con sexual situations. I questioned including this story on my list, because most of the sex scenes are absolutely not meant to be taken as anything other than incredibly traumatic; they're not meant to be romanticized at all. But there are a few this story that are genuinely romantic, and the story is generally about sex. Just please note that this story is dark, and it's not meant to glorify non-consensual sex in the slightest.

And the Sea is A-Roar - The people of land aren’t supposed to interact with those who live in the sea. It’s a law that was decreed long ago. Peeta, prince of the kingdom by the sea, knows this better than anyone. But the sea calls to him, and he finds himself unable to resist. On a secret visit to the shore one day, he finds himself attempting to save a mysterious woman, only for her to save him instead. Upon discovering that his savior is a mermaid, the two strike up a deal for her to give him secret swimming lessons. However, Peeta finds it harder to keep his taboo relationship with the mermaid hidden; and worse, he finds himself falling for her. Finally, the most recent of my smutty stories, because who doesn't love a good smutty mermaid AU?

[achillieus]

let you down. (sebastian stan x reader)

summary: it's a universal truth but it's worth repeating; feelings eat us raw. or just an actor and a girl falling in and out of love over the course of three months.

(this was inspired by sebastian's visit to greece for his movie, monday, and is based on that, so that means in the story we’re in 2018. also i have this posted on ao3 too but while i’m writing the last parts i thought of posting it here too)

quick note: i wrote this back in 2018 after meeting sebastian in greece but i redited it now, so if you see any mistakes or typos please tell me :)

pairing: sebastian stan x reader

warnings: alcohol, sexual references, implied depression, sebastian desperately needs to hug the reader, it's kinda slowburn because i love the yearning

part: 2/6

(other parts)  (masterlist)

It’s Monday when they come back from their small trip to the south. You’re watering the jasmine in your balcony when you hear the engine of Argyris’ car slowly shut down and see two figures getting out of the back seats.

It’s him and a blonde woman. You remember meeting her that night in the terrace. You’ve learnt that she’s a great actress and will play the other main character in the film.

When she notices you looking at them, she waves.

“Hey, Sebastian it’s your friend there.” She gives his shoulder a soft nudge.

We’re not friends. That’s what you almost yell back at her.

His head shots up, smiling.

He’s always smiling. It’s getting annoying.

You can see him going through his bag as he calls your name.

“Look, I brought you some traditional sweets.” He’s holding a small wrapped up package. He starts wiggling it in the air.

He looks so jolly and proud of himself. It makes your throat dry.

And before you can control it, you laugh. You can’t see it from where you’re standing but he bites his bottom lip at the sound.

/

Two hours later he’s sitting in your kitchen devouring half of the pastries he got you.

“These are actually so good, how can you not like them?” He says and it comes out all garbled. His mouth is full of sugary dough.

You do like them. But he does too. And you can find them anytime you want here. You doubt it’s the same in New York.

“They’re just not my favorite,” he nods “but thank you anyway.”

“Well let’s say you owe me,” you furrow your brows in confusion “and will repay me by sending me some of those once I’m gone.”

He laughs before taking another bite.

And as you stare at him, you notice that he’s different. His gaze is tranquil, his voice is soft and he has some cream at the corner of his lips.

Like that, he looks more like a guy you met at college than a well known actor.

Like that, we could be friends, you think.

You talk a lot. He tells you about his time in Romania and his first audition. It makes you realize you are far more interested in acting than what you thought. You tell him how you think team Iron Man is the superior team. He gasps, as if he is hurt.

He doesn’t mention his girlfriend. You don’t ask about her. It’s easier for both of you this way.

/

A stifling heat rises to your body as you walk under the burning sun. You don’t realize how Argyris gets you to give Sebastian a tour around the city, but you can remember a pair of light eyes pleading you.

You can easily hear him humming to himself. You turn to look at him. He’s wearing a hat and his forehead is sweating. He doesn’t seem to mind.

“You’re in a very good mood today.”

“Aren’t you?”

“Well I’m stuck with you for the day so what choice do I have?” You shrug.

He makes a face at you. You crack and a huge smile forms in your face.

He leans closer, mouth to ear and then he speaks.

“You know, I can’t tell if you hate me or just like me too much.”

His breath hits your cheek.  

You try not to blink at the sudden foreign touch.

His words find your skin and they’re so clear and powerful. Suddenly you’re an open page to him.

He crosses his arms in front of his chest and waits for an answer, a nod, a glance.

You are still standing close, the city sounds doing nothing to ease the heated silence between you two.

He realizes you’re not going to give him any response so he lowers his eyes.

And then, when he looks up again, it almost feels like he gives you mercy and agrees to let you get away with it this time.

He smiles.

“So where is Acropolis?”

/

When he’s lying on your couch after six hours of being a tourist and under the summer sun he looks exhausted. Still he’s his typical talkative self.

“You are always so pumped.”

“And you rarely are.”

“Doesn’t it get tiring?” you ask each other at the same time. It seems like you are two different sides of the exact same coin. One body. One heart.

“Today was nice.” He stretches his arms. “Thank you.”

You open the window. There is barely any wind out there. The air smells of hot cement and flowers.

The man on your couch has closed his eyes, breathing softly.

You try to ignore him over and over for the last days. Until you cannot ignore him anymore; your world has come to an end.

So many people know who Sebastian Stan is.

Only few will ever know him like this; falling asleep on a cheap brown couch with his hair messy, his chest rising and falling and his mind empty of thoughts.

These are photographs of your memories now.

An involuntary smile spreads across your face at the thought.

You see him swift and his hand clenches tightly around a throw pillow.

“Stop looking at me like that you creep,” he says.

“Come closer,” he means.

/

The sun is long gone and he’s still asleep when there’s a knock on your door. It’s Argyris.

“Please tell me he’s here.”

You nod and motion towards Sebastian’s drifted away body.

“When I left you this morning, I didn’t actually think you’d last this long together.” He tells you the moment he sees him.

The words fall out of his mouth too easily for your liking. “But I should have known better.”

You don’t understand much. You take a step out of your door. You don’t want to wake him up.

“Do you know how many times he mentioned you while we were away?’

Everything stops and falls quiet in the hall.

The words choke you. You shake your head.

“I need you to be smarter than him.” He says and touches your shoulder. “His world moves too fast for people like us.”

It’s effortless not to look at the man in front of you. It’s hard not to shallow his saying.

/

He wakes up an hour later. He looks at you and it feels sacred. His eyes are still red and the pillow has left a mark on his left cheek.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep here.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it was rude, you should have yelled at me to wake up or something.”

“But you looked tired.”

You carry on with doing the dishes and you hear the couch squeak as he stands up and steps towards you.

The water is refreshingly cold on your skin and the soap smells like lemon.

His hands find your waist and his touch is burning. You wish he disappears. You wish he stays for the night. You don’t even know what you’re wishing for anymore. He comes closer and rests his head on top of yours.

And then he wraps his arms around you and you get flashes of days and nights where there was not enough air for you to breath and your ribs ached.

His action is not so noble. It feels like his body steals all the rationality you have. But it gives you this feeling that there will be no more starless skies at night. And that’s enough for now, so you don’t complain.

His skin feels soft and he smells of sweat and vanilla. Somehow you find that alluring.

He looks at you for a second, like he’s trying to memorize your face. And then he pulls away completely silent.

You try to understand what he’s thinking but he gives nothing away. You were never good at reading people.

You blink and he’s almost out of your apartment.

“Goodnight” he shouts.

“Goodnight” you whisper.

/

You close the window. You wonder how he will spend the night. He probably won���t sleep soon. He just woke up.

But you can’t sleep either.  You just move around in your bed. You sink into the sheets and try to close your eyes.

Your phone buzzes.

He follows you on Instagram.

I need you to be smarter than him.

You go through his profile. You want to think he’s doing the same. You want him to do the same.

His world moves too fast for people like us.

You sigh. Perhaps there could have been a time when you would have stayed away from him, but you can’t pretend to ignore it for much longer. And you’re scared of it. And you’re scared of him.

But you’re more scared of how hard it’s for loneliness to fade. And you wish this doesn’t end like a greek tragedy.

/

One day of the following week you go out for coffee. The curly haired woman comes with you. You don’t understand why. And while you’re adding more sugar to your espresso, she tells him she loves his acting. She uses all kinds of adjectives to describe it; hopeful and poignant, celestial.

You like the way she talks. She sounds beautiful. You almost envy her abundance of words.

But Sebastian stops listening.

He watches the way your fingers wrap around the sugar box. He can see your nerves and your synapses move underneath your skin and he thinks he’s watching a dance show.

He will never tell you, but it’s then; under the morning sun and with sugar in your hands, that he feels his heart beat with the power of cymbals for the first time.

He thinks you don’t have to know.

He’s wrong.

You learn the girl is an actress herself. They’ll be in the movie together. They look stellar together.

Looking at them, gives you a violent feeling that wrenches your stomach around.

You can’t hate her for that. You feel like it’s more your fault than hers. That feeling however, grabs you by the shoulders and doesn’t let go. You try not to let it show.

But for some reason when Sebastian almost touches your palm, you look at her and you’re certain this is entirely mutual.

You make a silent agreement to not include him in any of this.

/

“You were extremely quiet earlier.” He says as you reach the building you call home.

He wants to spend time together until his scheduled shooting. You don’t complain.

“You always say that.” You try to joke. He looks right at you.

And then you notice that his eyes aren’t the color of the sea. They’re more grayish blue. They’re like a frozen lake in December.

“I know,” he starts messing with his hair “But you can’t deny you barely talked back there.”

When you enter your apartment, he immediately throws himself on your couch. These last few days it feels like he owns that right spot there in front of your big window.

“I’ve told you, I talk when I have something to say.”

He smiles at your words.

“Then I must be lucky you talk to me.” He whispers softly.

You sit next to him. If you move a little closer you could touch him, feel his warmth. You don’t.

You never thought of how easy it has become to talk to him. You don’t keep your thoughts locked and your teeth clenched around him. And that’s a novice feeling for you.

You let your eyelids fall close and lay back.

There’s a language between you two. It starts with secret glances and whispers and now it contains words that build and ruin bodies and souls.

Sometimes you want to say them all together. Sometimes you just want to open your mouth and let everything flow out but then you’re scared you’ll make him mad. Or you’ll make him love you.

You can’t decide which is worse and that’s enough to stop you.

“What is this thing between us?” He sounds all tender-like, but his blood feels heavy at the moment. He’s not sure if he can keep breathing. He regrets the words that leave his lips, when it’s already too late.

You have the answer figured out long time before he asks. But you’re not ready to give it to him.

“I don’t know” you open your eyes “I don’t know.” You repeat.

/

He doesn’t tell anyone but sometimes he feels nauseous before a shooting. You can clearly see that now. His pacing up and down the room and his roaming eyes give him away.

You are surprised. You never thought he could be nervous. He looks so confident and radiant all the time; you sometimes forget he is still a regular human being.

“You have no reason to worry.” His lips twitch.

“I know.”

“But you still worry.”  You grin and catch his arm to stop him from moving.

The look he gives you is acute.

“You have no reason to be sad,” he starts, without breaking eye contact “but you still are.”

You feel naked and hug yourself close.

It’s very strange to have someone scratch everything from you and see your raw truth. You’re not certain it’s something you enjoy. You wish it didn’t make you quiver.

Sebastian wishes he could scratch deeper under your dermis and your fingernails and slither there between your muscles and your heart where blood runs thick and melancholy hasn’t conquered yet.

“I’m sorry.” He shakes his head.

“You didn’t say anything hurtful.”

You worry your words may come out bitter. You don’t want that.

“It won’t last forever.” he says and then your name appears in his tongue. You like the way he says it. It almost sounds like poetry. “You won’t be sad forever.”

You smile and, in that moment, you aren’t a worldwide known celebrity and a girl in her early twenties. You are just two people seeking comfort.

/

The same night there’s a party for the first day of shooting. You don’t feel like going, but he doesn’t let you stay home.

What did you do last night?

Went to a party with Sebastian Stan, typical Thursday night.

You can picture the look on everyone’s face. It makes your lips turn upward just a little.

“I told you to be careful.” The voice sounds almost far away but your neighbor is standing right next to you as he mutters.

“I am.” You say with a laugh. He crosses his arms.

“No, you are here, watching him starry-eyed.”

Your fingers start playing with the rough fabric of your dress.

“I don’t know how to stop it.” You whisper.

He tells you to not entail yourself in something you don’t know the way out of. But what does he know about solitude and rushed breaths?

What does he know about a pair of eyes that look like a frozen lake?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

/

He’s watching you from afar while you talk with Argyris. He notices how your chest moves along with your breathing in a way it looks like it’s made of pure glass.

For a while he thinks of staying there and keep observing you but then Argyris leaves and you’re all alone. And he starts walking closer to you.

All eyes are on him as he goes through the main dance floor. The curly haired actress stops moving to the beat and follows him with her gaze.

They both reach you.

And you know he’s moving towards you before you can see him. It’s like your body is aware of his presence madly fast.

His eyes seem darker under the hazy light.

He grabs your hand.

You almost heave.

“Let’s get out of here.” He breaths.

/

You walk for some time. It’s late and Athens is quiet around that time. There is only a soft broken sound of cars and you think about that time you saw a car crash happen in front of your eyes.

You sit close in an old dirty staircase in a forgotten back alley. The city has a lot of those, but people don’t notice. They just walk past them, always in a hurry.

Sebastian sighs heavily. He looks at you in a way it makes you think he’s trying to memorize everything. The way midnight air caresses your body, the way red lighting falls in your hair from that street lamp. He looks at you for an indefinite and long period of time and it feels exquisite.

You place your fingers on his palm and the world flickers. He’s still wearing the rings they gave him for the movie and they feel cold against your skin.

“Do you ever miss Romania?”

The question startles him.

“Every day.”

You nod. Maybe he knows more about sorrow than you give him credit for.

“I remember the dog fence and our neighbors’ daughter and the orange sky through my window, minutes before sun set.”

Your hand locks around his and you stay silent for a while.

“This is the Lyra constellation.”  His eyes light up as he looks up.

You remember reading about how much he’s into space. It’s intriguing.

“Where?”

He doesn’t let go of your hand. Instead he picks it up and guides it with his own. His body moves closer. There’s no cold in the air.

As your eyes search for the stars that your hands point at, he watches you and he’s certain that one day he’d love to lay on his back, with you on his side and show you all the little dead planets in the sky. Show you the secrets of the universe.

And he feels like this is the type of beauty that musicians try to write songs about.

“Ah!” Your grip becomes tighter and you smile. “I can see it!”

He laughs at your childish enthusiasm.

You laugh too.

And then you let your head fall on his shoulder, your hair touching his bare skin. You don’t blame them for making him wear sleeveless shirts for the film.

You can him feel shudder at your sudden motion, but then he exhales and his muscles relax.

He observes the features of your face from this angle. He almost traces them with his fingers.

“They’re probably going to kill me for stealing you away from the party.” You whisper.

“I think I was the one who grabbed your hand and left.” He laughs again and you can feel his chest pounding.

His phone buzzes. He doesn’t look at it. He closes his eyes.

“Δείξε μου όλα τα αστέρια. ”

He doesn’t understand a word but your voice sounds too close. You feel too close. And that’s almost tearing him apart.

“What does that mean?”

You turn to look at him. The neon sign on the old building behind him keeps trembling.

“It means, show me the stars.”

And he does. And he feels like he could burn alive.

And you will never tell him; but you still think of him when you catch a glimpse of burning stars.

i really appreciate feedback, it motivates me tons and also tell me if you’d like to be tagged :)

tagging: @lharrietg  @awkward117 @dannaloureen @broccoligf @cutestfangirlvevo @caitdaniels @arymb @buckybarnesishot310 @roguesthetic  @itsaliceheree

[racheloveyunho]

Till Death do us part - 2

Y/N grew up in a wealthy family, she always was seen as a beautiful and smart kid and was most likely to take her father’s place as the CEO of one of the most important companies in South Korea. However, after the death of her mother, Y/N’s family slowly started to break apart. Her father was always working to forget his uncalled pain while his kids were left alone at home.

She was 17 years old when her life took a sudden turn when she met him in a dark alley. He was a bloody mess, bruises everywhere but behind blood and dirt, she could see his beautiful features and his addictive gaze. Maybe she should have walked away, maybe she shouldn’t have helped him, but the moment his gaze locked with hers, she was already his.

Choi San was his name.

Genre: Mafia AU, smut, angst, fluff, stranger to lovers

Words: 2237

TW series: Y/N is described as an OC. Please be aware that this story will contain a lot of triggering content such as smut, blood, death, murder, drug, kidnapping, etc. Do not read if you are under a legal age!

TW chapter: Body shaming, reader being forced into a marriage, character got slapped, swearing, threats.

I was finally back home. Fortunately for me, my dad hadn’t noticed me since he was already sleeping on the couch.

I quickly went upstairs to my room and collapsed on my bed, my mind still processing what had happened earlier. It was scary to say the least but fascinating at the same time. I was still confused even after showering. This San had a deep effect on me, not only mentally but physically too.

“Choi San…” I muttered before closing my eyes and drifting into a deep sleep.

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Chapter 2

2 years after.

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Days and months went by so fast, I didn't even see them go by.

It has already been two years since my first meeting with San and since then, I didn't met him again. However, he was still on my mind, from the moment I woke up tired in the morning until the moment my head was hitting the pillow at night.

I just couldn't stop myself from thinking about him, his voice, his gaze, his touch, and the shivers he gave me when his mouth had come close to my ear.

"Hey sis’, what is going on? You had been absent-minded for a while and I still don't know why" Jin said with a hint of worry in his voice before he looked around, checking the surroundings to make sure we were alone "Is it because of dad?" he asked.

For the first time since our mother passed away, dad was at home for a whole month without any explanation. He was now working from home and even though It was something I dreamed of a few years ago, it was now so stuffy, I couldn’t breathe properly in my own house. Every single time I went outside of the comfort of my room, I silently prayed not to meet him, hoping that our house was big enough to let me avoid him.

"I'm fine but I'll be better if he wasn't around" I shrugged while looking at my plate "I'm not hungry today" I nonchalantly played with my food.

"Please force yourself and eat a little, you loosed too much weight recently" he furrowed his eyebrows with true concern in his soft brown eyes.

"I'm fine Jin, really! No need to worry for me" I stood up but felt a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my track.

I turned around and saw my dad with his usual stern expression "Sit down." he calmly ordered.

I sat down without a word, I knew I was about to be lectured one more time.

"Why are you not eating?" my dad asked, voice sounding more as a threat than a question.

"Not hungry" I simply answered.

A long silence settled in the dining room, Jin and I were looking down, trying to avoid any eye contact with the man we referred to as our dad. I laughed internally at the situation, wondering if the kids in other families were afraid of their parents too.

"You don't have to eat if you don't want to, men love slim girls so it'll be good for you to start a diet." He stated, unbothered by the awkward silence.

I was annoyed by his remark 'how dare he' I thought 'Is he thinking my body is his?'

"I'll be dumb if I'd choose a man who loves me just for my body, I will not change anything for anyone" I retorted, Jin nodding in approval, visibly proud of me. But, my father didn’t seem pleased at all by my answer and my rebellious behavior.

"Well, I wasn't talking about any random man, but about your fiancé. He likes slim girls." my dad crossed his arms.

I shot a glance back at my father with wide eyes, he was smirking over my shocked expression, feeling visibly satisfied by the way he made me go silent.

"My fiancé? What are you talking about? I never had a boyfriend in my whole life, how could I have a fiancé?" I shouted, standing up from my chair which quickly and loudly fell on the ground.

"I chose a good boy for you, he is the son of a rich politician who will be useful to me and the future of my company. In two months, when you'll turn 20, you will marry him" he said, not sparing a glance at me as he busily taped on the screen of his new expensive phone.

My mouth was now wide open, and so was my brother's.

Jin stood up angrily, it was the first time I ever saw him defy our father's authority. His brown eyes who always seemed so soft to me were now darker than ever. The anger in his body was showing with his tensed muscles and the vein in his forehead that was angrily popping up. His jaw was so tight, I swore he could have been able to break his own teeth.

"What to do you mean she will marry him? Are you not concerned about your daughter's happiness? Can't you stop thinking about your work and think more about your family instead, for at least once in your life? That's why mom died! You-..." Jin got slapped by my father before he could even finish his sentence. Our father’s face was red and rage was visible through his eyes.

I gasped and kneeled myself to my brother's side, the impact was so hard that he was now laying on the ground, his right hand hiding his red cheek. Jin shot a death stare up at my father who was still standing in front of us.

"I heard that you want to integrate the Seoul national university, Y/N. You will need money for that, right? If you marry this man, I'll give you all the money you want. If not, you can already say goodbye to this dream of yours." he told me with a harsh voice "Think well cause your birthday is coming up" he added before exiting the room.

I collapsed on the floor, tears were stinging my eyes and blurring my vision. Jin hugged me tightly and patted my back, whispering sweet nothings to my ear to comfort me the best he could.

I hid my head on his neck and cried silently, I hated this, hated this situation, hated this life. I was like a bird trapped in a silver cage.

I ate nothing for the rest of the day after my dad had announced my upcoming wedding.

I still couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. How come a father could do this to his only daughter? Wasn't he supposed to love and cherish me?

It was Saturday and after a lazy morning, I finally stood up to do my daily routine. I put the prettiest dress I had on my dressing and put natural makeup on. I tried my best to cover up my dark circles and hide the exhaustion in my face caused by a long night of crying.

Today, my best friend Hana and I, planned to hang out together for a shopping day. It was the best way for me to think about something else than my current situation.

I took a look at my phone and saw her message "Hey honey, I'm waiting in front of your house~" I read before smiling and joining her outside the house, in front of the big gateway.

"Wow, you are stunning! Why is that? You're going to meet this San again?" She smiled widely.

Hana is the first friend I ever made in my life, I first met her when I was just 6 years old and she always stayed by my side even when I went through hard times. Her cheerful personality and her warm smile made her easy to get along with, she was the best at socializing, she was literally a burst of energy by herself and never failed to make me crack up a smile even when I wasn’t in a good mood. She made everyone feel attracted to her, she wasn’t only nice and outgoing but beautiful and funny as well. Her short and messy hair were completing her chubby cheeks and her brown eyes. Her tall frame and perfect curves made everyone drool over her, men and women.

She knew everything about my life. When something happened to me, she was the first one I talked to.

"I already told you! I know nothing about him, I don't even have his phone number, how could I meet him?" I pouted before laughing playfully.

We took the first bus we saw and headed downtown.

"It's a shame he isn't on any social media" she whined loudly "Dude, don't get me started" I answered, almost complaining.

During the bus ride, I talked once again about how I felt about San and the gorgeous charisma he had. Hana listened to me as if it was the first time I talked about this whilst I already told her a hundred times before.

Within ten minutes, we had reached our destination.

"Y/N! Look at this! I'm sure this top will fit you perfectly" I heard Hana yelling from the other side of the shop.

Everyone looked at us, some customers were judging us silently while others smiled, probably finding amusement in my friend’s behavior.  I apologized to the other customers for the noise and quickly went to my friend's side, slightly embarrassed even though I was used to it. Hana didn't know the word "silent".

After 3 hours of shopping, I went outside to eat ice cream with Hana. We moved to a quiet spot with no one around. The weather was nice, it was a sunny day and I let myself relax under the comfortable heat.  I always liked rainy days better but I liked to feel the sun against my skin from time to time.

"I'm sorry to say this Y/N, but your father is truly an asshole" Hana swore between her teeth after I told her what happened at home the previous day.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about this. Is it better to agree and then divorce this guy? But my dad is well-known, he always will find a way to keep me under his grip, no matter what I do. I feel completely useless and trapped, I can’t find a good way to escape from this" I spoke in a low tone, sadness filling my voice the more I talked.

I sighed, concerned by the situation I was into. Hana gently rubbed my back to give me some comfort while my head was on her shoulder. We stayed silent for a few minutes, both of us didn’t know what to say because we both knew that there was no way I could escape my fate.

"Excuse me, are you Kim Y/N?"

I turned around to see who had called my name. In front of me stood was a well-dressed man, a bit older than me with a confident look. He wasn't especially handsome, but he wasn't unpleasant to look at. He had this classic Korean vibe one could find everywhere here in Korea.

"Yes? Who are you?" I politely asked.

He took my hand in his own, making me stand up from the bench I was sitting in. Soon after, he put a slight kiss on the back of my hand.

"What the hell?" I shouted and took my hand off his.

It wasn't in our culture to do something like this so I first assumed he had grown up abroad but honestly, from what I knew, even in the USA or Europa no one kissed a perfect stranger met in the street less than ten seconds ago.

"Who the heck are you?" Hana jumped between the man and me.

"I'm Hwang Jinyoung, her future husband" he simply stated, a smirk on his face.

"I never agreed on that." I frowned my eyebrows at his statement.

"What do you mean you never agreed? Your father told us that you were glad to be my future wife" The man seemed truly surprised or at least, he was pretending well to be.

"He lied!" I yelled out, the anger taking over me while I clenched my fists, nails finding their way onto y skin.

I was angry that my father had one more time, talked for me without my consent. My body was shaking from anger while the man laughed at my reaction.

"Move, you're in my way" He suddenly stopped laughing and violently pushed Hana to the ground.

My eyes opened wide from the shock. I was about to check on Hana to be sure she wasn't hurt but Jinyoung grabbed my wrist and pulled me in his chest.

"Why are you so angry? I will take good care of you!" he chuckled.

"Let me go!" I screamed against him, feeling the tears tingling my eyes.

I suddenly felt a strong arm around my waist which encircled me from behind.

"Holy shit." Hana gasped when she saw the handsome man who was protectively hugging me.

I had no need to look back, I already knew who it was. This touch and this warmness were simply unforgettable.

"If you don't let her go in the next five seconds, I'll blow your hands off." the voice behind me growled against Jinyoung.

The beating of my heart quickened. For the past two years I had dreamed about him every night and now, I was finally able to see him again.

"San!" I shouted happily, finally looking to the handsome boy. He smiled back atme but his expression became cold again as he stared at Jinyoung. My so-called husband finally let my wrist go and hardly swallowed his spit.

"Y-you! What are you doing here?" he asked with a shaking voice. I had no doubt about the fact that he knew who San was and that he probably knew him better than I did.

---------

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Edit: Guys, I'm so surprised, I didn't think I would get so many likes for this series, I just uploaded it two days ago after all lol but I'm glad! The next chapter is already done but I'll wait a bit before uploading it, maybe next week? Anyways, thank you again!

Tag list:

@hijirikaww @pinkchampagne2

[cheesyficwriter]

You are amazing! Your smut is amazing! Can you please write prompt “I’m so proud of you.” with a very emotional sex scene afterwards? Bonus points if it‘s a canon setting with Hermione praising Ron for something he has done 😍 Thank you so much😘

Hi there, anon! Thanks for the compliment 😊 I hope this Ron POV drabble gives you all the feels! It's a little steamy, but hopefully mostly sweet 💜

My Gryffindor

“It’s okay, Hermione, just a dislocated shoulder. Nothing a little Skelegro couldn’t fix!”

“That’s a pretty cavalier thing to say about your life, Ron!”

Ron couldn’t stop the grin from forming on his face. There was something about the way Hermione fussed over him that warmed his heart. He often loved riling her up, although he knew it didn’t always bode well for him in the end.  

He leaned even further into his girlfriend’s side, impressed by how she was, quite literally, carrying all of their weight as they took careful steps towards the sofa. Ron eased himself down onto the cushions, wincing in pain as his tender shoulder collided with the armrest. 

“Ron! You’re supposed to be taking it easy — not just throwing your body around like you’re on your broom!”

“Relax, woman, it was an accident,” Ron mumbled, making a very conscious attempt to roll his eyes in a subtle way so that she didn’t notice. One look at the expression on her face told him that she didn’t care for his comment about her relaxing — best not to pet the cat that was already hissing. 

Hermione stomped out of the room, returning only a few moments later cradling an assortment of vials in her hands. She placed them in an organized fashion on the table next to the sofa before retrieving her wand. With a swish and flick she levitated a piece of parchment over and scanned the contents of the letter. 

“You’ll be on a very strict potion regimen for a week, and the healers said that you’d need to keep your shoulder as still as possible. Which means no disapparating, no flooing, and absolutely no flying!”

Ron sighed as he watched Hermione scurry about the room for a few more minutes, busying herself with mundane tasks, before he finally called out to her. 

“Hermione, love? Come sit down, please.”

His tone wasn’t demanding, but it also wasn’t as warm as it could’ve been. However, it was enough for Hermione to pause her to-do list and make the hesitant walk over to him. She sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, giving him a wary glance. 

Ron was frustrated by the amount of distance she put between them, and wriggled himself close enough to her so that he could take her hand. “What’s really going on here?” 

Hermione’s eyes welled up with tears, and Ron was now on high alert. Although he figured she was frustrated with him over his close escape from death, he didn’t want to see her cry over it. 

He never wanted to see her cry. 

“I-I missed you so much, and when I got the Patronus—” Hermione hiccuped, burying her face into her hands as her body shook with quiet sobs. 

His gut twisted in all sorts of directions, almost making him ill. He understood exactly how she was feeling. If he ever got a Patronus that her life had been put in danger like that….he swallowed hard. It was best not to think about it, for he was sure he would go mad. 

“C’mere.”

Ron opened his one free arm, and she tucked her warm body into his in an instant. He kissed the top of her head, keeping his nose buried in her curls. She smelled like Hermione and he felt as if he could finally breathe after an intense day. “S’alright, love. I’m here now.”

Ron rubbed her shoulder, tracing a pattern of freckles that resembled a heart along her skin. They sat in deep stillness for several minutes, finding peace in each other’s arms. 

“I shouldn’t have gone into the field without back-up. I was stupid.”

Hermione lifted her head, placing a hand on his cheek forcing him to look her straight in the eye. “Don’t do that —  don’t say that about yourself. I may be so incredibly furious right now, but the emotion I’m feeling the most at the moment is pride. I am so proud of you, Ron Weasley.” 

Ron’s own eyes glistened with tears, and he blinked to dispel them. He would never tire of hearing Hermione say that she was proud of him. 

“You showed immense courage and bravery out there. And despite the huge chunk of my heart that leaves with you every time you step through that fireplace over there, I will never stop being proud of you." Hermione placed a hand over his heart, never breaking their gaze.

"A true Gryffindor. My Gryffindor.”

He was the luckiest sod on the planet. 

Ron tangled his fingers into her curls, and brought their heads closer. “I love you so much.”

Hermione nuzzled her nose against his. “I love you more than you love chocolate frogs and Quidditch combined!" 

Ron raised his eyebrows, a slow grin spreading across his lips. “Really? That much, huh?”

Hermione only nodded, and her eyes fell to his lips as he watched her tongue dart out to lick her own. 

All of the blood pumped straight to his core, and he wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. 

Hermione must've seen the desire in his eyes, and she started shaking her head. “Ron, we can’t. The healers said—”

Ron pushed Hermione's long curls behind her shoulders, giving him free access to her neck. His lips pressed soft kisses along her skin, making Hermione roll her head back in pleasure. He knew she was caving already. 

“Fuck what the healers said. I’ll deal with any pain coming my way, but what I can’t deal with is not having you in my arms for a second longer.”

Ron's words must have lit a fire underneath her, and before Ron could even process what was happening, she swung one leg over his body to straddle his hips. 

Ron groaned at the pressure against his very evident arousal in his trousers, his possessive hands flying back to cup her bum. 

"Are you sure I'm not hurting you?" Hermione whispered as she nibbled on his ear. 

Hermione tightened her arms around his neck, and the friction between them was maddening. As his hands traveled north and south along the curves of her body, he knew he never wanted to relinquish the sensation of being consumed by her. 

Without answering, Ron sealed her mouth with a kiss, hoping that he could show her instead. 

He loved her, and she loved him, and all he wanted to do was to show her — in every single way. 

Clothes shed, and breaths intertwined, they were soon joined together. As Hermione moved on top of him, he was filled with an emotion he could only describe as bliss. 

The love he felt for the amazing witch in his arms was all-encompassing. He knew, without any doubt or a single thought of hesitation, that the ring he had hidden in his wardrobe was meant for her. 

As they let go together, and Ron spotted the passion behind her eyes, he was content, for now, knowing that he was home from his mission. 

He was home because that's where Hermione was. His Gryffindor.  

[plan3tlvrs]

Promise

erenxblackfem!reader

<3 erenxblackfem!reader (anyone is welcome to read)

<3 contains: slight mentions of racism, slight nsfw, major fluff, some angst?, mild language

<3 setting: 1950’s

<3 summary: you and eren’s relationship is forbidden due to the time period you live in. and it was easy to keep hidden until one quite night in your home.

___________

The school bell rang as you gathered your books holding them to your chest tightly. You placed the extra books that you didn’t need for homework tonight in your locker before meeting up with your friend Darcy. 

“Did you hear about that black boy that got murdered a few weeks ago?” Darcy said holding up a newspaper as you both walked down the hall. 

“Yeah my momma had the news on all night listening about what happened” You sighed as another young black male was tragically killed at the hands of a white man. 

This wasn’t anything new to you living in the south in the middle of the 50’s was one of the worst places you could live at as a colored girl or any color at that. As long as you weren't white nobody cared about your well-being nor your feelings or how you were treated. 

You grew up regularly being called slurs and many other derogatory names a woman of color could hear. 

“You got any plans?” Darcy said as you walked down the dirt road to your small homes. 

“I think Eren is coming by later to take me somewhere” You smiled at the thought of him.

Darcy laughed a little as you looked at her concerningly “By coming by later you mean sneaking you out of your bedroom window just to sit in his car” 

“Darcy stop you know we can’t do much” You rolled your eyes at her. 

It was true you and Eren couldn’t do much why? It was simply because you were black and he was white. Jim Crow laws prevented you from showing your relationship out to the public. This meant no drive in dates, dances at the teen club, or burgers and fries at the diner together. 

You didn’t mean to fall for someone the opposite skin color the way you met just happened out of no where really. You remember walking down the busy street to get milk for your mom as she was making cornbread with the rest of your dinner tonight. Walking down the street getting weird stares as if you were the outcast. 

You just walked with your head down and stared at the ground as your feet moved against the chalky pavement. Clutching your purse in hand you pulled open the door to the small market. Upon opening the door a body hit yours as fast as the wind did knocking you to the ground. 

Eyes widening you quickly tried to pick yourself up as a pale hand reached out in front of you. Taken back by the kind gesture you pulled your hand away from theirs quickly continuing to look down. 

“It’s alright I won’t hurt you I promise” The voice was soft and kind. 

Looking up your gaze met a boy with brown hair and forest green eyes. His hair was pulled back into a bun which was something that made him so interesting to you. The green haired boy extended his hand out, encouraging you to reach for it. Taking a leap of faith you put your hand in his immediately feeling the softness of yours and his. 

“Thank you so much kind sir I best be on my way now” You spoke, wiping off your knees and then your skirt. 

The boy didn’t say anything back, he just stared into your eyes as if they were the most beautiful things he had ever seen. 

“Wait let me help you with groceries, it's the least I can do” The boy shrugged his shoulder a bit. 

The rest was history after that, you learned the boy's name that same day he went by Eren and you simply adored him. At first you had to keep your friendship on the low for obvious reasons. You didn’t feel yourself start to have feelings for him until the day he mindlessly knocked on your door while your parents weren't home, thankfully you were an only child. 

Snapping yourself back into reality you realized you had made it to your house waving by Darcy you stepped in quietly. Your momma didn’t usually get home from work until the early mornings leaving a few minutes before you came home from school. And your dad was on his usual business trip he had said he went to New York in a letter he sent a few days ago. 

Night had hit unexpectedly as you were deep in your studies with books sprawled around you in your upstairs bedroom. Picking up your books and placing them on your desk so you could have them ready to pick up in the morning as you rushed out the door. You sat down on your bed with a sigh looking at the clock it was around eight thirty and you decided to get ready for bed until you heard a knock on your window.

Going to the balcony you opened the doors stepping out to be met with the silence of the night. Your breath hitching as you felt two strong arms wrap around your waist from behind. 

“Hi darling” The voice said softly in your ear. 

“Eren you can’t keep doing that” You relaxed your muscles placing your hands over Eren’s. 

Eren turned you around in a swift motion before placing his hands back on your hips. 

“I know I just like seeing you jump” Eren smiled a little. 

“You're an ass, you know that right?” 

“Just for you” He smirked, taking your hand and leading you back into your room. 

He sat on your bed pulling you next to him after you closed the balcony doors and the curtains so no one could see you with each other. Getting caught was your worst fear, of course things would be bad for the both of you but more so you getting caught was worse than Eren. You had only seen each other during the night as it was easier for him to sneak out and come over since your mom was at work and your dad across the country. 

“So I aced that math test you helped me study for” Eren said, turning to you and bringing out a paper with a huge A+ on the front. 

“I'm so proud of you baby you did so well” You cheered for him putting your hands on his cheeks. 

“R-really?” Eren said softly with red cheeks. 

Eren’s family didn’t give two shits about his school life; they just wanted to marry him off to another rich white woman and have kids with her just to keep the family business running. No matter how hard he tried to show his parents that he wanted to graduate high school and become an engineer they denied it. 

“Of course I am Ren” Smiling you caressed his cheeks pulling him in for a sweet kiss. 

Eren dropped the paper bringing his hands to your waist as your arms settled on his shoulders connecting at the nape of his neck. 

“You're so beautiful” Eren groaned, leaning down to attack your neck in kisses. 

“Eren” You whined as he continued to trail them down your neck. 

“Yeah baby” He continued to kiss your neck as one of his hands came up to squeeze the flesh of your chest. 

“I want you” You breathed out as he pulled back from the crook of your neck with wide eyes. 

“Are you sure?” 

You nodded your head and pulled him in for another kiss, this one rougher than the other. 

An hour later you were in your bed covered in a sheet of sweat and the covers of your bed as your chest rose and fell. Eren next to you in the same position as you snuggled into his side stroking his chest with the tips of your fingers. 

Never in a million  years would you imagine lying naked in a bed next to someone of the race that was supposed to hate you. You felt so lucky to have Eren at your side just hoping that one day you could reveal your relationship to the world without being in so much fear. 

Your eyes fell heavy as you felt Eren’s lips pressed to your forehead and felt sleep take you over.

“What in gods name is going on here!” 

Your body jolted up along with Erens as you held the covers to your chest only to be met with the eyes of your angry mother. 

“Mom I-” You tried to explain but she was already beginning to yell again. 

“What the hell is a white man doing in your bed matter a fact what the hell is he doing in my goddamn house?!” 

You looked to the side to see Eren with the same wide eyes as yours as he looked at your mother who had obviously gotten off work earlier than you expected. 

“Um I'm-” Eren forced himself to say he would be lying if he wasn’t scared out of his mind right now. 

“I don’t care who you are get the hell out before I call the police” Your mom tried to calm her nerves as she gritted her teeth. 

Eren hurriedly pulled on his clothes even putting on his socks backwards in the process. Even though he was scared shitless he still managed to give you a peck on the lips before going to your balcony and disappearing into the night. 

Moments after your mother didn't say anything to you she just shook her head and slammed your door shut after leaving. When she left you felt tears stream down your face like hot springs thinking this would be the last time you'd see Eren you sunk back into your bed. 

Your eyes almost closed until you heard your balcony window being opened again as Eren stepped through your eyes widened. Sitting up Eren looked around the room for your mother and seeing that she wasn’t there he came and sat on the edge of your bed. 

“I thought you left for good?” You smiled through tears caressing his cheek just like earlier. 

“I would never leave you darling” Eren kissed your lips but this time he kissed them with passion and with love like no one was watching. 

“You promise?” You spoke through tears. 

“I promise” 

[outerbankspreferences]

Is It Just Me? - Chase Stokes

Is It Just Me – Chase Stokes

 Word Count: 2893

 MASTERLIST

It's been way too long for me to find it this hard Sitting alone, my fingers picking the sofa apart An attempt to distract from the fact that I miss you I wonder if your friends have had to carry you home And stay for the night because they don't want to leave you alone Way before it was fun, it's becoming an issue

I know it's cruel But I kind of hope you're tortured too

 It had been exactly 3 months and 13 days since you and Chase had broken up. You wished it would have been a shock to you, but you had seen this coming. Things with Chase were great in the beginning. He was caring and sweet towards you. You could remember a time someone had cared for you as he had. You always supported Chase with everything he wanted to do with his life. You met him when he had just started out acting, and you were proud to watch his career blossom to the extent it had.

 But had someone told you 6 months ago that you guys wouldn’t be together anymore you would have denied the accusations. 6 months ago, you thought Chase was in love with you.

 Chase had been going back and forth to North Carolina for auditions and eventually got the leading role in the television series. You spent the first month with him and his new cast mate Rudy, having the time of your lives with the other people on the show. The whole cast would go out to different clubs every weekend enjoying spending time together.

 Just a little over 6 months later you were still going to clubs but this time on separate sides of the country. You couldn’t process what had happened in a healthy manner and instead turned to going out with your friends every weekend to keep your mind off things. It always ended the same, one of your friends dragging you up the stairs of your once shared apartment because you were too drunk to do it yourself. They had grown accustomed to the weekend ritual of getting you sleep wear and a bucket for the morning.

 Then you would wake in the morning, puking the nights content in the bucket popping Advil for the headache and dragging yourself to couch, throwing on some stupid movie that you wouldn’t be able to watch anyways. Instead, you would pick at the loose strings of the sofa thinking of all the times you spent in the apartment with Chase.

 Tell me, does your heart stop at the party when my name drops? Like you're stood at the platform when the trains cross Are you hurting, yeah you must be Or is it just me? Tongue-tied, screaming on the inside When I say that we broke up and they ask why Are you crying in the shower like a freak? Or is it just me?

 As you sit picking away at the sofa, you mind wanders to Chase. You still follow everyone on Instagram, and you were still good friends with Rudy, so you could see everyone’s stories. Rudy had been the only one to keep in touch with you, which surprised you because he and Chase seemed to be such good friends.

 You wondered if Rudy ever asked about you to Chase, and then you wondered what Chase’s reaction would be. Would his heart be in his stomach at every mention of your name, or would he simply shrug like you guys had never been more then distant friends?

 You sat wondering if Chase ever thought back to the day at the airport. The way he let you walk through security with no more then just a side a hug you would give a sibling. Wishing you a good flight and see you later before leaving. He hadn’t even waited for you to board the plane.

 There were so many things you had wanted to say to him. You want to tell him you loved him, that you would fight for him. More so you wanted him to fight for you, for the years you had spent together. To fight for the promises he made to you, the ones you made together and the ones to come. You wanted to apologize for not being enough, but you couldn’t find the right words, so you watched him walk out of your life.

 I heard a rumor you've been spending some time With that blonde girl that you work with and I know she's exactly your type And my miserable mind's running wild with the picture Or are you there by yourself, dialing, redialing my number? And I'm calling your mother, spilling tears on my jumper again The way I am

I know it's cruel But I kind of hope you're tortured too

 1 month later, Chase’s mother, Jennifer, had called you because she had seen the announcement on Instagram. The two of you had been close while dating Chase considering how close he was with her. Your mother lived down south, and you didn’t get to see her that often, so Jennifer was a close second.

 You had heard rumors from Drew and Rudy about Chase and Maddie hanging out together more, and it didn’t come as a shock to you. In the last bit of your relationship, you played second fiddle to her on multiple occasions. “It’s probably nothing, it because they have scenes together.” Rudy would make excuses over facetime when he watched your face drop at the mention of her name. “Yeah, you’re probably right, nothing to get worked up over.” You responded in a less then convincing tone, “she seemed super cool the couple of times I met her.” “Yeah she is. I think under different circumstances the two of you could have been friends.” He encouraged.

 When the nights started to get cold in LA again you found yourself struggling to sleep. It was at these times you would reread old text messages and look through old pictures of the two you. You knew it wasn’t healthy, but you weren’t ready to move on. Chase had extra time to mourn the lose of the relationship while you were still grieving. It was on these cold nights alone in the apartment you shared that you began to wonder if he was thinking about you. Was he sitting next to her thinking about you? Was he wondering whether he should call you or just delete your number?

 Tell me, does your heart stop at the party when my name drops? Like you're stood at the platform when the trains cross Are you hurting, yeah you must be Or is it just me? Tongue-tied, screaming on the inside When I say that we broke up and they ask why Are you crying in the shower like a freak? Or is it just me?

 It was early in the morning in North Carolina and Chase was sitting on the patio of his shared apartment with Rudy. The sun was just starting to rise in the distance as he found himself restless yet again. He had been awake for about an hour just laying in his bed when he finally decided to get up. He was careful not to wake the sleeping girl next to him. She felt different next to him compared to you. When the two of you slept together you always liked to be the big spoon. Chase let you, finding comfort being wrapped up in bed next to you. Maddie was different, she preferred to lay her head on his chest, letting the sound of his beating heart lull her into sleep.

 Not soon after Rudy came on the patio too, and Chase cursed him for being a night owl. “Not tired?” Rudy asked pulling out the bong they kept under the table. “No, and I didn’t want to wake Mads’” Chase spoke up tossing Rudy the lighter next to him watching the blonde inhale the smoke.

 “I can’t stop thinking about her.” Chase finally spoke up, keeping a hushed tone just in case. “Oh yeah?” “I shouldn't have left her like that. It wasn’t fair to her I just didn’t know what to do.” Chase explained and Rudy didn’t need to be a love doctor to know he was talking about you.

 “It’s been 2 weeks, she’s okay.” Rudy explained and Chase gave him a confused look. “When you guys broke up, I stayed in touch with her. She was mine friend too, and I felt bad that we all sort of dropped her when you guys broke up.” Chase nodded his head in understanding but was still jealous that Rudy got to talk to you. “Why did you break up with her? Not that I’m judging, I just thought things were going good between the two of you.”

 It was Chase’s turn to have a hit from the bong while he thought of his answer. “Shit man I don’t know. Things just feel different with Maddie then they did Y/N. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did.” “Are you sure you’re not feeling too much as an actor oppose to being a person. Sometimes having a love interest on show can be different and confusing.” The blonde tried explaining to him but even he saw the demise of the relationship before Chase start acting with Madelyn. “Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?” Chase asked looking at Rudy and he could tell by the look in his eyes that it was doubtful. “You hurt her man. I think maybe one day, but not right now. I think right now she’s just trying to figure out how to do this without you.” Rudy could see the few tears in Chase’s eyes, and he knew that this wasn’t easy on him ether.

 Chase got up but before leaving he spoke one more time. “If you talk to her again, just tell her that I never meant to hurt her the way I did.” Chase still wasn’t sleepy but the effects of the marijuana did aid in his problem, so he finished off with a shower. He turned the water to steaming hot and then got in. He let the water soak his hair while he wondered what you were doing right now. It only took a few more minutes for the tears to start. Chase stayed another hour in the shower wondering if he made the right decision.

 'Cause this would be one whole lot easier God, I know that's selfish but it's true If underneath some calm exterior You're all fucked up too

 The first few months of quarantine had been rough on you working from home. You also felt alone all the time but seeing Chase’s Instagram post sent you spiraling down another unhealthy path. You had just started to get better. You weren’t drinking as much, and you had let your friends set you up on a group date. You knew you weren’t ready for another relationship just yet, but you also couldn’t hide in your apartment for the rest of your life.

 You had also been talking to Rudy a lot more. He had been your biggest support through all of this. He had flown back to LA a couple weeks ago to help you move to a new apartment. You figured if you were going to move on you had to move from the place you spent the most time with Chase. It was bittersweet because not only did you have good memories at the home with Chase, but those memories extended to your other friends as well. Rudy had ensured you that you would make knew memories in your new place.

 But when you woke up on June 14, 2020 you almost had a heart attack. It had been 3 months and 13 days to the day, and he had already moved on. Now you were stuck trying to grabble with the emotions you were feeling. In some messed up way at first you didn’t want him to be happy. You wanted him to hurt the way you did, but you knew it wasn’t right. There was a small part of you that was happy that he was now happy.

 Then you were reminded that you owed Chase his half of the damage deposit. Rudy had told you they all moved back to LA and were waiting for season one to come out. You debated on just giving the money to Rudy for him to pass along, but you also wanted to face Chase, to show him that you were now okay even it was a lie.

 You took the latter of the chooses and sent him a text. (Y/N) It’s Y/N, I have your half of the damage deposit from the apartment. I can drop it off or you can pick it up if you want. You stared at the text message for fifteen minutes before sending it. It only took five for him to answer and you dashed to look at the phone. (C) Oh shit I forgot about that. I mean if you want to keep it, that’s fine. You scowled at the text. You didn’t need or want his pity money. (Y/N) I’m fine without it, if your busy I can send it with Rudy the next time he’s here. (C) Okay, no that’s fine I can come by today and get it just air drop me your address. You did just that deciding against messaging him back.

 Chase’s heart fluttered a little when he saw your name come up on his phone. He hadn’t heard from you in months, and he assumed it was going to be about the post on his Instagram. He made the decision that Maddie made him the happy he wanted to be and left you. He had just gotten back in town when you told him about the deposit, and he didn’t mind letting you keep the money. It was the least he could do after everything he put your though. His heart sank when you declined his offer but lite back up when you offered for him to come over.

 Tell me, does your heart stop at the party when my name drops? Like you're stood at the platform when the trains cross Are you hurting, yeah you must be Or is it just me? Tongue-tied, screaming on the inside When I say that we broke up and they ask why Are you crying in the shower like a freak? With only cigarettes for company? Are you crying in the shower like a freak? Or is it just me?

 He honestly thought of this as his chance to apologize for everything that happened. You didn’t deserve for him to treat you like that, and he owed you an explanation. He drove over to your house, white knuckled the whole way. You lived in a small, gated apartment building and he remembered Rudy telling Maddie B. about it. He remembered Rudy saying how excited you were for a new place, and he wasn’t sure if Rudy was just saying that to upset him. Every time Rudy mentioned something about you it always made his heart sink underground and he was reminded about the way he treated you.

 Chase started to walk up the stairs to your apartment once you buzzed him in but to his surprise you were waiting outside on the step. You looked tired and had lost weight which worried him because you were small to begin with. “Hey.” He spoke not really knowing what else to say. “Hi.” You said and he could hear how sore your voice sounded almost like you had been crying. You were smoking, which was something new, but he figured this was just as stressful for you as it was him You handed him an envelope with his name on it. “Uh, I cleaned the whole apartment, and nothing was broken so we could all the money back. Your half is in there, so I just need your key to give to the landlord.” You explained looking at Chase. He pulled his keys from his pocket fumbling with the ring.

 “Y’know, I never meant”- “Please don’t” “Please don’t want?” Chase looked at you confused. He thought you wanted an apology. “I can’t listen to it Chase. I know it’s mean, but I’m not ready to hear you apologize. I’m just starting to get better, and I don’t need you to set me back again.” You explained looking him the eyes. He flinched when you said again. He handed the key back to you. “Thanks, I hope everything works out. I’ll make sure to watch the show.” You smiled at him and he didn’t realize how much he missed seeing you smile. He returned the smile before turning on his heels to leave. “For the record Y/N, you weren’t the only one to get hurt in this.” And it was your turn to flinch at his words. “I guess grief looks better on some people.” And with that you escaped back into your apartment sliding down the door letting out a silent cry. What you didn’t know was that Chase was going back to his car to the same thing.

TAGLIST:

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