#BUT THE TOPICS I PULLED WERE GREAT SO I'M NOT COMPLAINING

[hunsa-jars]

Howdyy my oral exams were held yesterday, got lucky with the topics and I’m very happy with my results

This mouse officially graduated from high school, peeps :’)

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 27 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley just needs your full attention long enough for you to tell him what's bothering you, and for you to pick out a new car. He comes home from golfing completely unwilling to let you gloss things over, but the conversation veers off course once again when you share some big news.

Warnings: Swearing, smut, oral, pregnancy topics, angst, fluff

Length: 5400 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

By the eighteenth hole, Bradley was restless. This was taking forever. He somehow forgot how meticulous Bob was when he teed off, adding probably a full hour to the golf outing. He bit his tongue and fought the urge to tell Bob to move things along so he could get back home to you. When he left hours ago, you were still sound asleep, and he was concerned that you weren't feeling well. He was also completely fed up with the way you were avoiding conversation.

He played through the last hole as quickly as he could, and when Jake and Javy suggested grabbing lunch and a beer, he made his excuses and a quick exit. "Next time. And it'll be my treat. But I need to get home."

"Angel's got you so pussy whipped," Jake drawled as if he wasn't currently driving his car around complete with a car seat for Jeremiah.

"Do you ever hear me denying it or complaining about it?" Bradley replied as he set his clubs in the back of the Bronco. "I don't think she's feeling great, and I need her to pick out a new car. I'm getting fed up with her dragging her feet. So she's picking something out today."

Jake laughed as he opened his car door. "Yeah, go try to show her who's the boss, buddy. Good luck with that."

Bradley grunted and rolled his eyes. You and he were a team, and if he had to demand that you hear him out, then he'd get his way about it. He was absolutely unwilling to return to a place where the two of you weren't communicating well. But as he drove back home, he was starting to get more annoyed. He already asked you so many times to tell him what was bothering you and what was on your mind, and each time, you'd burst into tears. He didn't even know what the hell he was doing wrong. 

"Fuck," he growled as he pulled into the empty driveway, honestly kind of missing your little shit mobile since it had made you happy. Today was his mom's birthday, and he wanted you to have a good day, but if he pissed you off, then he pissed you off. He was armed with his phone browser open to two options that would just have to be good enough. He left his clubs in the car as he strolled up the walkway to the porch in his white golf pants and floral print shirt. He would just have to get you to accept the fact that a new car needed to happen.

"Sweetheart?" he called out when he opened the door. You and Tramp both came running into the living room. "Hey, we need to talk about some of this shit. Right now."

"Okay, but-"

"Please," he said firmly, holding up one hand. "Just let me say what I need to say, alright?"

You were bouncing on the balls of your bare feet with your hands clasped in front of you. "Okay," you agreed, your voice breathy and light. All he wanted to do was collect you in his arms and smother you in kisses, but he couldn't get sidetracked right now. 

Bradley closed the distance to you but planted his hands on his hips. "I love you so much, but something is not working right now. And I'm not going to let us fall apart again. Ever. I want to talk it through right now, and I need you to participate. Starting with your car."

You reached out and let one hand rest on his abs as your lips parted, but he shook his head. 

"No, seriously, Baby Girl. I will do anything to make you happy, but could you please, please just pick out a car? I don't like leaving you home without one." He paused to lean in and kiss your forehead briefly. "I found a brand new, red Honda Civic with all of the same features as your old one. Same transmission, sunroof, everything. And it's on a lot in Chula Vista. We could go look at it right now."

"Bradley, I don't think that's a good idea," you told him, smiling up at him. He felt his resolve fracturing, but he kept going.

"Well, something has to give here! That's the best I can come up with. Unless... you want to go with the blue one I found online which is exactly the same as the one that I totaled. Same model year and everything, but it's in Maine. If you really want it, we can fly there and drive it back. I already talked to the owner about the price."

"Bradley, I don't want that one either."

He tipped his head back in frustration as your hand caressed him through his shirt. "For the love of god, Sweetheart, I am trying my best here. And you're giving me nothing. And it's not just the car," he snapped as he met your gaze again, eyes wide looking up at him. "You yelled at me for buying the wrong coffee when I thought they just changed the label, and you fell asleep while we were mid conversation. And I hurt you when we were having sex, but you wouldn't even talk about it afterwards. I need you to tell me if I'm not doing it for you, because I don't want to keep fucking this up!"

"You're not fucking anything up," you promised quietly. "You're not, Roo."

He examined your pretty, eager face and shrugged. "Then just tell me what's going on here."

You bit your lip and closed the remaining inches between your body and his, and then you smiled up at him so brilliantly, his breath caught in his lungs. As you carefully wrapped your arms around his waist, you said, "I'm pregnant."

He was frozen in time and space, barely able to process your words as his belly swooped and his heart raced. Pregnant. You were pregnant? He swallowed hard as he let his forehead rest against yours, trying to formulate words.

"Baby Girl, are you really? Pregnant?"

"Yes," you whispered, and Bradley had you in his arms, making you squeal as he lifted you up in the air. 

"You're pregnant?" he asked again, beaming at you as you wrapped your legs and arms around him.

"I'm pregnant!" 

"Holy shit!" he nearly screamed as you buried your face in his neck and laughed in delight. "Holy shit! You're pregnant!"

He didn't know what to do with himself as he held you tight against him, imagining a baby in your arms. His baby. And your baby. Something the two of you had been dreaming about for so long. The one thing he'd had to make himself understand he didn't need at the cost of a happy marriage, but that he'd still yearned for.

Your happy laughter and whispered words had his feet moving toward the bedroom. "You're going to be a dad, Roo." 

He set you down on the bed, covering your body with his large one, careful not to hurt you as your sweet lips met his. "I love you so much," he murmured between kisses that left him breathless. "I fucking adore you, Sweetheart."

You whimpered as he slowly let his hand drift down your body before inching your shirt up and running his knuckles gently along your belly. He kissed you hard on the lips one last him before easing his body down lower, kissing your sternum on his way to your belly button. He thought about the future as he said, "And I adore you, too."

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

You ran your fingers lazily through your husband's soft curls as his big hand rested on the middle of your belly next to his cheek. He was a little sweaty and still wearing his golf clothes, but everything was just perfect. The edge of his mustache tickled your sensitive skin as he whispered, "I love you."

Everything made sense now which made you feel more settled. Honestly, this was much better than the flu that you thought you had, and you giggled. "You'll be the best Daddy, Bradley."

He looked up your body before kissing you a dozen more times all over your abdomen. Calloused fingers stroked your skin as he looked at you with those big, brown eyes you were completely addicted to. "Fuck. I'm so excited. I don't even know what to do with myself," he told you as you sat up and climbed onto his lap. "You took a pregnancy test?"

"Yes. I had one tucked in the back of the bathroom closet that I bought a few months ago," you whispered, brushing his scarred cheek with your lips and the tip of your nose. 

"Where's the test?" he asked, scooping you up in his arms again as you told him it was in the bathroom. "I want to see it." You'd managed to pick it up off the floor earlier before examining it for about five minutes with tears in your eyes before you left it on the vanity. And now Bradley set you down, but he kept one arm around you as he picked it up. "Two lines means you're pregnant?" he asked, looking at you in reverence. 

You nodded and whispered, "Yes," and then his eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Roo."

"Sweetheart. You're pregnant," he said so softly. "We're going to have a baby."

"Yes," you confirmed as you wiped at his tears with your thumbs while he held onto the test. "I realized when I woke up that my period was late, and then I threw up. A lot. So I took the test."

He sucked in a deep, shaky breath before he kissed your forehead. "Do you remember what today is?"

You let your cheek come to rest on his chest as you said, "Of course I do. It's your mom's birthday. I already bought everything to make filet mignon and crab cakes for dinner. But I guess we ended up with a birthday present?"

With lips pressed to your hair, he muttered, "She would have loved this. She would have loved you almost as much as I do. And she would have been a good grandma."

And now you felt more tears stinging at your eyes. It had been nine months of trying for this moment, which wasn't extravagantly long in the grand scheme of things, but it had been stressful and hard on your marriage at times. Bradley was your teammate, and he'd worked as hard as you had to make sure the two of you made it back to a good place.

"Can we go to the store?" he asked suddenly. "Buy some more pregnancy tests so I can be here when you take one? And get some ginger ale if your stomach is still upset?"

"Yeah," you said with a laugh. "If you want."

"I want," he replied immediately, taking you by the hand and leading you toward the front door. His cheeks were flushed pink, and he was all smiles as he stopped on the driveway next to the Bronco and gasped. "The Bronco, Sweetheart."

"What about it?" you asked as he slowly backed you up until your butt hit the passenger side door. Bradley caged you in with a predatory glint in his eye before kissing your forehead softly. But you felt so calm as his hand slipped underneath your shirt, his thumb rubbing soft circles on your belly.

"A Bronco is the solution. It's so clear now. We'll swing by the Ford dealer after the drug store. And then we can drive home in two separate Broncos so you can take the tests. And then we can make my mom's birthday dinner."

Your lips parted, but no words came out, and Bradley dipped his head down to kiss you. He was smiling against your lips as his arms snaked around you. "Another Bronco?" you whispered. "You think?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed as his lips skimmed your cheek. "A lot more indestructible than your old thing. I'm not going to let our baby ride around in a little compact car death trap on wheels. Let's get a second Bronco."

"It wasn't that bad," you muttered, only slightly offended as you recalled the gigantic hole that he'd put in the bottom of your car with his foot. "Are you sure you don't just want to have access to drive two Broncos instead of one?"

Bradley leaned on one forearm against the door, still stroking your belly with his thumb and keeping you calm. "We need something big enough for a car seat to fit comfortably. If you don't want a Bronco, I think you should still consider another SUV. Preferably one I can actually fit in."

You looked up at his handsome and eager face, excitement bubbling under the surface of his expression. He was clearly as excited as you were about the positive test, and he just wanted you to be happy. Hell, he'd offered to drive a car back from Maine with you barely an hour ago. Before he even knew you were pregnant. You were still having a hard time wrapping your mind around it yourself. 

Tears stung your eyes, and Bradley's smile faltered a little bit. "Listen," he whispered, kissing your forehead. "Anything you want to drive, okay? Anything you want. But I think we need to look at the safety ratings and all that shit if you really want a compact car again."

"I don't want a compact car again," you hiccupped. "I was trying to tell you that earlier. We can go look at Broncos. I'm just so emotional. I can't seem to control it. But at least I know where it's coming from now."

Bradley smiled as he pulled you away from the door before opening it, and then he buckled you in. "It's coming from the little Bradshaw bun in your oven, and I couldn't be happier."

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

Even the brief walk around to the driver's side door felt like too much, because Bradley didn't want to stop touching you. As soon as he could, he slipped his hand in yours once again and smiled at you before backing out of the driveway. He'd been ready for this for a long time. He knew he'd always been a step ahead of you; his desire to date you exclusively startled you at first, but he knew pretty early on that you'd be wearing his mom's ring eventually. He was ready for this day before you were, too, but he had tried his best not to rush you here. As soon as you told him you stopped taking your birth control back in November, he was ready for you to be knocked up the next day. 

But now you were, and he was looking forward to all of it. The arguments had been worth it. The way he fucked things up before had been worth it, because both of you worked hard to fix things which told him you were unbeatable. 

"We're going to be awesome parents," he said, making you laugh as he parked at the pharmacy. When you tried to climb out your door, Bradley tugged on your hand and whispered, "Come over here. I don't want to stop touching you. I don't want to let go of you."

You willingly crawled onto his lap and let your cheek come to rest on his shoulder. "Don't let go of me."

"I won't," he promised, stroking your belly again like he just couldn't help himself. "Hey, should we call your parents this weekend and tell them the news?"

You pulled a few inches away from him with a little pout and shook your head. "I think it's too early, Bradley."

"Oh. Right," he replied, suddenly embarrassed that he wasn't sure about all of the timelines and exactly what everything meant.

"You know," you added softly. "In case something... happens to the baby. It's still so early. There's still a good chance that something could go wrong."

Bradley's body felt like it was sent into a freefall just thinking about anything happening to either of you. He held you tighter and kissed you a little rougher than he meant to, making you moan as he shook his head. "No. Don't say that." His voice was thick with emotion as he squeezed his eyes closed. "Don't say that, Baby Girl."

"Okay," you whispered, taking his face in both of your hands and caressing him with your soft and steady fingers. "I won't say it again." You kissed his lips and his scars as you pushed your fingers gently back through his hair which was probably already a mess from golfing earlier. But the more you touched him, the better he felt, and he took a few deep breaths as you said, "But I'm already so attached right now that it's a little scary. Already attached to the baby and the idea of you being a daddy."

"I am too," he promised as he opened his eyes to see you so close to him. "I'm so ready for this."

You kissed him one more time as you whispered, "I love you." And then you led him inside as he remembered all the times he played with Jeremiah and changed his diapers and read him books. Oh shit, he was so excited to have it for himself, he scooped up at least ten pregnancy tests while you laughed and chased him up to the registers. 

"Do you think that's enough?" you asked sarcastically as he leaned down to kiss the top of your head. 

He picked some bottles of ginger ale out of the small refrigerator case next to the register as he said, "Listen, I missed the one from this morning, so you owe me. Just humor me, okay? I want to watch those little lines show up with my own eyes."

As he reached into his pocket for his wallet to pay for the collection of tests, he realized he was still wearing his golf clothes and shoes. In all of his excitement, he'd forgotten to change. And now he was getting excited all over again as he inserted his credit card and looked at you. Should he get you right home to take the pregnancy tests? Take you to bed and show you how attached he was, too? Visit the Ford dealer?

He groaned, knowing the Ford dealer was going to win out since he actually had your attention on the new car right now. "Here," he told you, handing you the bag as he buckled you back in again. "Drink one of the bottles so you'll have enough pee for the tests while I drive us to look at the new Broncos. Start thinking about what color you want."

"Red," you replied immediately. "It's what I had before, plus it's your favorite color."

"Fuck," Bradley practically whined, lacing his fingers with yours. "A hot, pregnant wife, a baby on the way, and two Broncos in the driveway? This might be the best day of my life so far. I don't know how much more I can handle here."

You laughed as he kissed you all over your face, resting his hand gently against your belly through your shirt. His to-do list was growing by the minute, and he was a little alarmed that his heart rate was elevated with no signs of slowing down, but every time he looked at your face he said, "I love you."

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

"It's just butter, Bradley," you said as you watched him trying his best to help you cook Carole's birthday dinner. "How are you this bad at melting butter?"

He shot you a playful glare before moving to stand behind you at the stove, wrapping his arms around you so that his hands were resting on your belly. "I'll just watch the pro then."

You shook your head, still a little startled by everything that happened today. An hour at the Ford dealership and the two of you left hand in hand after paying a deposit for the red Bronco that they were going to acquire for you from a dealer in northern California. Then you came home and took ten more pregnancy tests while Bradley sat in the bathroom with you, shooting you his big, soppy brown eyes filled with tears while he smiled. They were all positive, and they were all still lined up on the vanity, and you were pretty sure he kept occasionally sneaking off to look at them.

As you turned the crab cakes over in your cast iron pan, you whispered, "I feel like your mom is watching over us somehow."

"Oh, I have no doubt," he replied immediately, holding you a little tighter and nudging your sore breasts. "Goose, too. But especially her, on her birthday. She'd have been a mess over this news."

You set the spatula down and had to close your eyes. Your hormones were all over the place, and this was the thing that sent you immediately into a fit of body wracking sobs. "What's wrong?" Bradley asked with concern, turning you around and inspecting your hands. "Did you burn yourself?"

"No," you wailed. "I'm just so happy, but it's not fair that your parents aren't here. Like I can deal with the fact that I never got to meet them, but this is so not fair! And I'm sorry, but I can't control my emotions at all."

He pulled you closer and let you cry, kissing your ear and whispering that everything was going to be okay. As you got your breathing under control, he said, "If you're this emotional at like five and a half weeks, I guess I better buckle in for the ride."

You glared up at him before he leaned down to kiss your tears away with a smile, and you let him take the brownies out of the oven and load a plate with dinner. With your hand held in his, Bradley carried the meal to the table, but he led you to the piano instead of one of the chairs. 

"Remember how to play it?" he asked softly as he took a seat and patted the bench next to him. You needed a short tutorial, but he was as patient as ever as he reminded you of the notes. Then you helped him play and sing Happy Birthday to Carole even though it wasn't perfect, and at the end he whispered, "Thanks, mom. Let's go eat, Baby Girl."

You sat perched on his lap like always, mouth watering as you looked at the steak and crab cakes. Everything looked amazing, and you were starving. "How does it taste?" you asked as Bradley took three bites of dinner in rapid succession. 

"Fucking incredible," he replied as you cut yourself a piece of steak. It was buttery and delicious, and it practically melted in your mouth. You moaned as you tried the crab cakes, and they were pretty good, too. About halfway through the meal your stomach lurched, and you turned to look at Bradley. 

He smiled at you as you shook your head and said, "Oh no." You practically fell off of his lap as you ran for the hallway bathroom, barely making it in time to empty the contents of your stomach into the toilet. He was right behind you, rubbing your back as you sat down hard on the floor and caught your breath. 

"This is a pregnancy thing, right?" he asked softly. "Morning sickness?"

You nodded. "I think so. I was going to call my doctor on Monday anyway and tell her about my positive tests, but I'll tell her about this, too."

Bradley collected you in his arms and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," you whined, letting your forehead come to rest against his sternum. 

"I have an idea," he replied. A few minutes later, you were sitting on the couch with a plate of crackers smeared with peanut butter in your hand and the trash can on the floor in front of you. Bradley finished eating the plate of Carole's birthday dinner, and now he was working on cleaning up the kitchen while he dug into the tray of brownies. You gingerly bit into one of the crackers, and your stomach growled but didn't lurch. So you kept going. 

It took you an hour, but you finished the whole plate as you thought about how things would change around here with a baby involved. Nothing seemed too startling though, probably because you'd been subconsciously looking forward to this for such a long time. You knew Bradley was as well. And the way he came out to check on you several times as he cleaned up the house had you swooning over your husband a little bit.

You shared the last cracker with Tramp and then stood to take your plate to the kitchen where Bradley was leaning on the island looking at his phone. "What are you doing?" you asked him.

He looked up at you and blushed a little bit. "Looking at crib bedding," he replied, and you practically tossed the plate at the sink before hurrying to his arms. "You feeling better?"

You nodded. "Crib bedding?" You were instantly melting into his touch. 

"Yeah. I thought we could do airplanes?" 

You whimpered against his muscular chest as he pocketed his phone. "Yes, Roo, we can do airplanes."

He rubbed your back as you tucked your hands up inside the golf shirt he had been wearing all day and let your fingers skim along his abs. "I'm just really excited about this," he said, voice full of emotion. "All the baby stuff. And a nursery. I was already thinking about finishing the attic, but now we should definitely do it so your parents can stay up there when they visit their grandchild. And we can get those convertible car seats for both Broncos. And we should probably start looking at daycares before the baby is born. Like the really good daycares, you know?"

"Oh fuck," you moaned as you looked up at him. "Bradley. You're incredible." You rubbed yourself against the fly of his white pants, and both of his eyebrows shot up.

"You want to?" he rasped, and you started pulling him toward the bedroom. "Last time we had sex, I hurt you, Sweetheart. I don't want to do that again."

"You won't," you promised as you tugged off his shirt. "You won't, because I know what's going on now."

He nodded and reached for his pants zipper as you quickly got yourself undressed and climbed into bed. Bradley watched you as he struggled with his shoes and socks before he could take his pants off, and the two of you shared a laugh. Then you bit your lip as his hard cock sprung free, practically vibrating with anticipation as he plopped down on the bed on his back. 

"Come here," he whispered, but when you started to straddle his hips, he shook his head. "No. Up here." You leaned down to kiss him, and he welcomed you with a smile on his face, but after his tongue tangled with yours he broke the kiss. "I want you to sit on my face."

"Oh," you gasped as he reached for your butt and pulled you up until you were straddling his neck. Then his mouth was on you, and you were reaching for the headboard with one hand as your fingers grasped Bradley's curls with the other. He was so gentle, kissing up and down your most intimate parts before separating you with his nose. "Oh my god," you whined as he nudged your clit and looked up at you before starting to suck. 

You were already pulsing around nothing, your fingernails scraping along his scalp as you rolled your hips gently against his mouth. Bradley licked you up and back before sucking gently again. The more aroused you got, the more your boobs hurt, but it wasn't as bad as last time. Not when his mouth was doing everything to make you wetter as he gently ran his hands along the backs of your thighs and your butt.

It would have come as no surprise to you if he told you that you were dripping wet now as you whispered, "I want your cock."

Bradley practically growled as he released you, his mouth glistening as he licked his lips. "Only if I'm not going to hurt you," he reiterated, voice deep and gravelly as you moved further down his body. "Stop me if I am."

You lifted his length and slipped him slowly inside you as he grunted and propped himself up on one hand. "Feels good," you promised him as you pushed and pushed until he was fully seated. His eyes were big pools as he hesitated a bit before kissing the valley between your breasts, his lips feather light. And that was exactly what you needed as he brought his other hand up to your belly. 

"I love you," he whispered, letting his lips barely caress your nipple as you rocked slowly. "I love you so much, Sweetheart." 

When his tongue grazed your breast, you whined for more, so he took your nipple between his lips. Instead of sucking, he let his tongue drift along lazily as you barely rocked your hips backward and forward, playing with his hair. "I love you, Daddy," you told him as you smirked. 

He looked up at you as he released your breast and gently started to lick your left one as you cupped his cheek. Between kisses and soft nuzzles, Bradley poured his heart out to you as you enjoyed the feel of him, thick and delicious inside you.

"I'll take care of both of you. Always. I'm going to love you forever. I'll never stop. You're perfect. So fucking perfect. I can't get enough. I can't wait for everything."

You were barely moving on his cock when you came hard, your nipples wet to the cool air from his saliva and your fingers gripping his hair. "Bradley. Bradley. Bradley," you panted, squeezing him so tight as you pulsed around him. 

He grunted, watching your face as he let himself come undone, too. He was still breathing heavily as he leaned back against the pillows, and you sank down on top of him. "I didn't hurt you?"

"Not at all," you promised. "My breasts are so tender, but that felt amazing."

"Got it," he whispered, nodding as he wrapped his arms around you. Very slowly you let your body press to his, careful to get into a position that didn't make you want to wince. "I can be extra gentle," he promised. "I can be anything you need. Anything either of you need."

A chill rippled through your body at his words, because you knew they were true. You leaned up and looked at his handsome face, cheeks flushed and lips softly parted. When you kissed him, he tasted like you. His softening cock was still inside you, but neither of you made any move to get cleaned up quite yet.

"You can't stop touching me, can you?"

"I can, Sweetheart. I just don't want to," he replied softly from where he had his face buried against your neck. "Hey, we should go to bed early since you've been so tired. Maybe the baby needs the extra sleep."

"Oh," you gasped, pulling back and examining his face. "Early." You figured you had to be between five and six weeks pregnant, but the last time you had your period, it had come early. 

"What?"

Your mind was swirling as you did the math, and a smile broke out on your face. 

"What?" he asked again, looking at you in puzzlement.

If your period had been early, then you were probably only still ovulating for the very first day that Bradley had been home from his special mission. You started laughing as you kissed him over and over again before rolling onto your back and cracking up. 

"Tell me," he said, rolling to his side next to you as he started laughing, too.

"Oh my god, Roo," you wheezed. "I think you got me pregnant when you totaled my car."

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

A BABY!! A BRADSHAW BUN IN THE OVEN! MOM AND DAD! Do you want to read more of the pregnancy adventure? I hope so. The fact that this has been planned out for the past year is just wild to me, and I'm so happy I got to share it with you. Thanks for everything @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 28

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[moonswolfie]

Princess of the commoner cafe

Oikawa, Miya twins, Ushijima, Hinata, Akaashi x fem!reader

ohshc AU!!

I've been watching a bit of ouran high school host club lately (still havent gotten very far but i am HOOKEDDDDDD) and i'm sure others have written something like this before but i wanted to throw my own hat in the ring and write this delulu ass scenario

also i apologise PROFUSELY if anyone is ooc it has been a WHILE since my last haikyuu rewatch

(btw i am working on your request anon dont you worry ;) )

Somehow, you managed to get into the prestigious Ouran Academy based on your academic success alone. Your parents were overjoyed to send you off, even if you felt embarrased about not even being able to afford the official school uniform. You stuck out like a sore thumb on your first day, that's for sure.

At first, you thought you wouldn't fit in with anyone here. Your hypothesis was mostly correct. Everyone in your class is always talking about their latest designer bag or bragging about their new lambo or bugatti. Needless to say, it's like they're speaking in a foreign language.

They quickly lost interest in you after you couldn't list your top ten designer brands (with reasons as to why you chose those specific ones!!!). Yeah, friends are kind of out of the picture.

So when your curiosity got the better of you one day and you visited the host club all the girls in your class keep squealing about you didn't expect things to develop like this.

"Are you gonna visit today too? Are you?!" Hinata, the boy from the other class attached himself to your arm and looked at you with sparkling eyes. "Of course I am." you smiled at him, a little giddy about returning to the club once more.

"We have a special theme today, just for you..." he told you that while wearing a mischevious grin but refused to elaborate. The boys at the club always go through great lengths to get you curious and draw you back into the club. Not just Hinata, all of them.

Let's just say you've become quite the sensation among the hosts of the Ouran High school host club. You aren't exactly sure how you managed to get yourself in this situation, but you aren't really complaining, either. You'd definitely take being adored by the 6 hotties of the school over being ignored by everyone for all your 3 years of high school.

All you did was visit the club a few times out of curiosity, far too afraid to actually openly interact with the hosts considering the crowd of girls always gathered around them. Not to mention you'd definitely get gawked at for your clothes, mannerisms and conversation topics (and not in a good way).

Akaashi was the first to take notice of you, and somehow that evolved into every other host becoming interested, too.

Anyways, Hinata seemed very satisfied with your promise to come visit once again and ran off, shouting that you have to promise to come visit him first.

Well, there's nothing to it but to do it, you suppose.

.

"Welcome, dear guests, to the host club!" all the guys greeted you and a group of other girls who also came as soon as they possibly could. They were practically pushing eachother in front of the door. Not that you can blame them.

As soon as you stepped into the room, you felt like you were standing at the local cafe located just around the corner from your house. It felt warm and homey. So this is what they went for this time. A strange choice, considering their usually extravagant themes.

"Heya, gir-" Atsumu's smug voice greeted you from behind and you turned around to see that he was about to envelop you in his arms. "Hey, ya lost the bet. I get her first." Osamu pulled Atsumu back by his barista apron before he could actually touch you. Atsumu grumbled something you couldn't quite hear, which you presume was some not so nice words directed towards his brother.

"Actually, I made a promise to Hinata that he'd be the first one I visit." you smiled at the twins apologetically. Neither of them seemed too pleased about the prospect of that, though. "Why? Ya like him more than us?" Atsumu placed his hands on his hips, glaring at you.

"Hahaha, a promise is a promise. I'll be back for you two right after, don't worry." you waved the twins off, winking. That seemed to soften their expressions a bit. But maybe it wasn't the smartest idea, looking back on it. They're definitely going to fight over which one of them you winked at later.

Hinata greeted you enthusiastically, looking overjoyed at seeing you. His cheeks blushed a nice pink color when he smiled at you. "Wait here, wait here." he held out an antique looking chair for you and you sat down behind one of the tables. Then he ran off somewhere.

You're always impressed by how lavishly they decorate their club. I guess being rich can really do wonders for club decor.

"Are you enjoying today's theme? I made sure to pick out some fitting decorations." Akaashi suddenly appeared behind you. You could have sworn you didn't hear his footsteps. Maybe you were just too absorbed in observing the theme, though. Haha, even all the hosts are dressed like baristas.

"Yeah..." you looked into Akaashi's eyes, admiring their color. You've always found him to have a calming presence, even if he can be mischevious at times. That just adds on to his personality, doesn't it? You think it's quite a shame that he isn't as popular as a certain someone in the club.

"It seems to me you're enjoying something other than the theme." you got snapped out of your thoughts by Akaashi's voice. Oops, you must have been staring at him again. You turned away, making a quick apology. You felt a little giddy all of a sudden.

"Oh, but when did I ever say I dislike the attention?" Akaashi gently grabbed your chin, turning your face back to him. Somehow, he seems more affectionate towards you than he does to the other girls who request him. Atleast you've never seen him grab other girls' chins. You were sure you probably looked awestruck in this moment.

"Hey! Stop hogging her to yourself!" Hinata was running back to the two of you, holding a fancy cup of (presumably) coffee. On his way to stop Akaashi from wooing you, he didn't notice a wire below his feet and he tripped over it.

...Which happened to spill hot coffee all over your shirt and shattered the cup to pieces. "Ugh... I'm okay, don't- AAAAH!" Hinata yelled upon seeing your shirt.

"I'll go get new clothes!" Akaashi seemed tense, quickly turning on his heels and running off.

Luckily, the coffee was cool enough to not give you burns. You aren't even worried about the shirt that much either, you've been on the fence about donating it anyways.

"Aaah, I'm so sorry. I'm so so so sorry." Hinata seemed almost dramatically apologetic, bowing down before you in apology over and over.

"What is going on over here?" you heard a smug voice that could belong to one person and one person only. The leader and self proclaimed king of the club, Oikawa, was now approaching the two of you. And he didn't seem very happy, mind you.

"Ah, Oikawa! It's, umm..." Hinata nervously whipped his head around to meet Oikawa's charming chocolate eyes.

"Hinata accidentally spilled coffee on me." Hinata looked at you sadly, like you just betrayed him. You gasped, realising you weren't supposed to reveal that unless you wanted Hinata to feel Oikawa's wrath. Normally he would just scold Hinata for his clumsiness, but when it comes to you specifically, he gets protective. Somehow, he even looks like a supermodel while wearing a barista uniform.

"He... Oh, that won't do. You should spend less time with clumsy good-for-nothings and spend more time with..." he tilted your chin towards him "...Me."

As much as you think Oikawa is an obnoxious jerk, he always manages to charm your negative feelings away when he does something like that. Gets you feeling all giddy like the main character of a badly written shojo anime.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, bro." you kept your face as cold as you possibly could in that situation. It seemed to you like the word "bro" was a direct stab to his heart, but he quickly recovered, putting on his best flirty face. "I will help you clean yourself up, my princess. We simply must get you out of that dreadful shirt." Oikawa shot poor Hinata a glare. You're definitely buying him "that one good commoner chocolate" (as Hinata likes to call it) later.

"Uh, Akaashi's already-"

"Now now now, what's goin' on here?" things are about to get a lot more complicated, you reckon. Because now the twins have showed up.

"We heard precious china shatterin' and wanted to see what caused it." Osamu added. A few girls were blushing a few meters behind the twins, probably too nervous to approach the two right now.

"Ya said you'd come visit us right after! And now yer here with this a-" Atsumu immediately stopped complaining when he saw your shirt. Both the twins shot poor poor Hinata a glare. (One "poor" for each twin.)

"See, I told ya I was a better fit for ya. I'd never spill coffee on ya." Osamu crossed his arms.

"What do ya mean "the better fit for ya"? Clearly, I'm the better one 'round here. And say the wink was meant for me while we're at it, won't ya?!" Atsumu's anger was now directed back at Osamu. (Akaashi would joke that it's back to where it's supposed to be.)

"I was kinda winking at-"

"Oh, please. Don't joke around with me. We all know I'm the best fit for her." Oikawa posed dramatically, which looked funny because of his not very prince-like outfit.

This always ends up happening. At this point you've given up on stopping it. The twins start bickering with Oikawa while girls on both sides squeal for them to calm down, tearfully inviting the boys back into their embraces.

You look behind you, where Ushijima is staring at you knowingly. You give him a relieved smile, knowing what's about to come. Whenever the other guys get into duels over who gets to recieve your attention, Ushijima is always there to pull you out of the situation.

The duels get so heated that you get to spend a few minutes alone with him before the others even notice you're gone. And so you follow the routine of letting him whisk you away to a lonely corner of the club room.

"Do you know why the theme is a commoner cafe?" he asks after a few moments of silence. He's looking at you with complete seriousness, but you don't miss the hint of a smile on his face. Enchanted by such a sight, you shake your head no dreamily.

"It was to impress you. Akaashi thought of the idea." Your eyes widened. Now you just feel giddy that Akaashi actually remembered that one time you told him you used to visit a cozy cafe close to your house with your parents growing up. It was all the way back when he first acknowledged your existence and decided to sit around with you for a few minutes, sipping tea from a cup that probably costs more than your phone.

"Oh... I like it. I really do." you smiled up at Ushijima. You could swear a bit of blush appeared on his cheeks. He silently put an arm around you, pulling you close to him. You like when he does that.

When all of the hosts are swooning over you like this while wearing barista uniforms, you feel like the princess of a commoner cafe.

[chiaraswritings]

I feel like AT the restaurant they go to, Batmom goes into labor. She feels her first contraction, then spills her water on herself from the shock of it. Bruce does not believe her and they bicker about it with Y/N going “would I REALLY lie about this!?” And her husband gives her a look. Then she starts debating if it was gas or a contraction, or what have you.

It isn’t till Alfred comes back from the bathroom that the rush would start.

Batprank (Pt. 2)

Disclaimer: I do not own DC or their settings. This is certainly not canon.

Warnings & Topics: Very light argument, pregnancy, pranking, contractions, labor, delivery, newborn, parents holding newborn. 18+. If these are sensitive topics for you, go ahead and skip this one.

Word Count: 2K words

Summary: Batmom!reader goes into labor at her favorite restaurant and gives birth to her baby with her husband close by in Wayne Manor.

Author's Note: You guys crack me up, great part two idea, anon. It's pretty light-hearted at first, but towards the end of the story, I included a birth scene. I've never gotten to have a home birth, so I apologize if there were inaccuracies. Let me know if you want a part three. Thank you for all the incredible support, and I hope you enjoy.

Part One

Warm August sun tickled my nose as I stepped out of the car, taking a little more time than I was comfortable admitting, caused by nearly nine months of pregnancy's effect on my stomach. Not that I was complaining. I  was thrilled to be having Bruce's baby. It fulfilled the desire to be a mother that I'd had for years, and to be having a child with the love of my life? A fairytale come true. Even if we couldn't agree on baby names, even when I pulled labor pranks on my husband, even when I was being bombarded with concern by all our family members, especially our children. Earlier in the afternoon I had played a tremendous joke on all our family members, except for the all-knowing Alfred, pretending to have gone into labor. It was very convincing, and somehow we wound up at my favorite diner in the process of driving to the hospital. 

I joined my husband in the empty restaurant. It was three o'clock, the last customers of the lunch rush were slowly shuffling out the door, and it looked like the dinner rush had not yet made an appearance. I smiled at him as I intertwined my fingers with his, sliding into the booth next to him where he waited for the takeout order he had just put in.

"You could've waited in the car, it'll be ready soon," he pressed a kiss to my cheek and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I smiled, practically melting into his embrace, laying my hand on my stomach. 

"That's okay, I kinda wanted water while we wait for it." I gave my husband a quick look. 

"Heh, and I'm guessing you need me to get that for you?"

"Obviously, you got me pregnant, now you get to take care of me." I slid out of the booth to allow him access to the soda fountain, tapping my foot in mock impatience. 

"You scared me to death with that prank of yours earlier, don't push it," he chuckled, rising and pressing a kiss to my cheek before going to retrieve my water. 

I rolled my eyes at him, sitting back down in the booth, still with a playful smile on my face. "I love you, Bruce."

"Uh-huh." He set the cup of water on the table in front of me before leaning down to place a loving kiss on my lips. As I returned the kiss, our order number was called from the front counter. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," I smiled and turned to the water cup in front of me, sipping from it and relaxing against the faux leather seat. I drummed my fingers against my stomach and thought about our unborn daughter, just as I had every day for the last six months. How happy Bruce would look when he held her for the first time. How her little fingers and toes would look. How excited Alfred and the kids would be to hear that she was finally born. It'd been a long and interesting journey for all of us, and it would soon come to its end. 

The realization that the kids were still at home in a state of panic hit me harder than a cold pool on a hot summer day. "Shit," I muttered, pulling out my phone and quickly dialing Stephanie's number. She was the most likely to answer, I knew, and I was right.

"Hello?!" The excited squeal made me pull the phone away from my ear for a moment. 

"Hello, Stephanie, I just wanted to let you all know... could you put the call on speaker, please?" 

“Yeah! Okay, there you go, tell us what’s happening!” Stephanie’s excitement was pouring through the speaker of my phone like water. 

“Mom? Mom, what’s going on?!” I could hear Jason’s voice, much more awake than when we had left the manor to rush to the hospital.

“I figured I needed to let you guys all know that my going into labor was a-” at that very moment I felt it, a long, drawn-out and yet sharp pain moving through my lower abdomen. It stunned me nearly into silence, accidentally spilling half of the contents of my water cup onto my lap. It almost felt like the horrible menstrual cramps that I hadn’t felt for such a long time.

“Mom? It was a what?” Tim’s voice broke through the pause. 

“Oh, not a prank, not a prank, not a prank!” I groaned as the pain rippled through my lower stomach. Not that it was unmanageable, it was just so surprising and… a tiny bit terrifying. No, it was very terrifying. The due date wasn’t for two more weeks, I didn’t expect this, I hadn’t mentally prepared, this was truly scary.

“Not a prank?” It was Tim again. “What do you mean, we know that.” 

“I didn’t mean anything!” I took two deep breaths as the sharp pain faded into a dull throb, then almost disappeared. “Just… forget I said anything! We’ll give you an update soon, love you lots, bye,” I ended the call before the curious group on the other end could get another word in. 

As I set down the phone on the table with a thud, my husband arrived by my side with a plastic bag. “Are you ready to… what’s wrong?” He set it down, kneeling to inspect my tense face.

“I… I think I just got a contraction,” I whispered, looking over to him. 

Bruce looked from my face, to the spilled water in my lap, then back to my face before standing. “Nice try, honey, let’s get going.”

“No! No, I mean it!” I looked up at him, grabbing his hand with mine in a death grip. “I’m not kidding this time. I’m not. You have to believe me.”

My husband looked at me for a moment before kneeling next to me again. “(Y/N), are you being serious? You know the story of the boy who cried wolf, don’t you?”

“Would I really lie about this, Bruce?!” I looked down at my stomach and pressed my fingers to the underside. “I swear, I felt it, I felt a contraction!” 

My statement was met with a look of doubt. “(Y/N), we’re two weeks away from the due date, I’m sure it was just… gas or discomfort, it couldn’t have been a contraction.” 

I returned his look with a withering glance. “Bruce Wayne, I swear, that was not gas. I think I’d know the difference.” 

“Honey, you can’t be having contractions yet…” Bruce’s confidence was starting to crack. He gave my stomach a worried look. 

“Oh yes I can, you know that babies can come anytime they choose.”

“Was that the only one?”

“Yeah, that was the only one.”

“Then… it was probably just…” 

“Master Bruce, Madam (Y/N), we had better start moving if we want to miss the rush hour,” Alfred’s calm voice broke through Bruce’s thought. He had stepped into the restaurant in search of us, given that we were ordering takeout, not dining in.

“Alfred! Alfred, I think I got a contraction, we have to call the midwife right now.” I stood, using the table for support. My husband handed off the plastic bag of food to Alfred, catching my arm to assist me. 

“Will we be heading home or to the hospital, sir?” Alfred quirked an eyebrow towards Bruce, just as skeptical as he was. 

“We’ll… let’s call the midwife in the car and go from there.” Bruce looked at me, starting to believe my words.

“Yes, let’s… just get her on the phone, please.” 

...

A few minutes later, we were heading back to the manor. The midwife had advised me to remain in a comfortable space to monitor my contractions on my own, to see if it was really gas, false labor, or the real thing. The original plan was to give birth in the manor, unless something unexpected (such as my water breaking before my due date) occurred. The midwife and her birth team assured me that they were just a phone call away, and with that in mind, we started driving back towards the manor. 

Bruce did everything to make sure I was comfortable, in the car and back in our bedroom once we had arrived home. The kids crowded around me at first, until a growl and firm command from Bruce sent them all back to their rooms. I was resting in our large, plush bed, my hand resting on my stomach, when the next contraction made its way through my body, then the next, then the next, still minutes apart, but becoming more and more consistent. Now that Bruce was convinced that I was actually going into labor, he was the most attentive husband on earth, holding me close with one arm and keeping his other hand on my stomach. 

“I knew this was going to happen, but… I didn’t think that it’d happen so soon,” I looked up at him, trying to relax after a contraction had passed. 

“I didn’t think so either,” he replied, massaging the side of my tummy. “But, you are the strongest person I know. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

The pain was alleviated through his massages and gentle words. “Thank you, I’m so glad you’re here.” 

“I’m not going anywhere.” 

…

Labor was long and longer. Since it was my first baby, the risk was higher, but we wanted to prevent any danger of kidnapping or switched babies, especially since Bruce was in such a spotlight. I found myself in different positions as the night dragged on, the midwife’s reassuring words and Bruce’s concerned yet comforting presence carrying me through the delivery of our baby. Even when I felt for a moment that I couldn’t go on, my husband’s kisses to my shoulder and forehead kept me from giving up. Not that I really had a choice, of course. And yet that one moment was worth it all. 

I’ll never forget the moment the tiny, crying baby was put on my chest, as the midwife maneuvered me from my birthing position to lay on my back. I was so exhausted, I didn’t even register for a moment what was happening, until I was sprawling against the pillows and my newborn daughter was on my skin, her whimpering, suckling noises were music to my ears. Holding her close, I closed my eyes in relief, nearly unaware of what was going on around me. After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked up at the man who had supported me from beginning to end. “Bruce, we did it.” 

“Yes, you did it, I knew you could.” He was looking at the tiny human in my arms with a sort of awe. 

I smiled, my thumbs stroking her back, though she was still covered in fluids. I was half mindful of the midwife asking Bruce to cut the umbilical cord, most of my focus was spent on examining my daughter’s tiny fingers that moved so slowly, as if they were trying to figure out this new environment.

Seeing the love of my life hold our child for the first time was as perfect and pure as I knew it would be. Once she was wiped clean and wrapped in a cloth, Bruce was able to hold her to his own chest, staring down at her with the same awe that hadn’t left his face. I could see her eyes were open, and she was staring up at him. In this wonderful moment, I knew that it had all been worth it, and that she would never have to be alone, that he was always going to be right there for her.

Bruce finally placed her back in my arms, and I held the little bundle of moving arms and legs close again, looking up at him with a smile and a quirked eyebrow. “I told you it wasn’t a prank.” 

[aphroditelovesu]

⸻ The Lost Queen - I ⸻

— summary: You woke up near a military camp without remembering how and why you got there, you didn’t understand why they were dressed like ancient Greeks, all you knew was that you weren’t safe and you needed to get out of that place as soon as possible. Too bad for you that you found yourself attracting unwanted attention from the Macedonian King and he won’t let you go so easily.

— genre: yandere, dark!au.

— warnings: time travel, obsessive and possessive behavior, murder, mention of torture, kidnapping, angst, fluffy (very rarely), dub-con, eventual smut, pregnancy.

— pairing: yandere!alexander the great x female!reader, yandere!generals x female!reader.

— word count: 1,592.

— tag list: @devils-blackrose, @faerykingdom, @hadesnewpersephone, @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 , @kadu-5607, @zoleea-exultant, @borntoexplore11-blog, @silmawensgarden, @elvinapandra, @jennifer0305 , @his0kaswife, @animetye-23.

— the lost queen series masterlist.

Chapter 1

''This is so annoying.''

You looked up only to find your friend glaring at you angrily. You cleared your throat and asked her, ''What's so annoying?''

''All of this!'' She snarled, pointed at the history books on the table. You were in the library, studying about Alexander the Great at the request of your history teacher. Your friend complained, she hated history class and the teacher. You didn't hate the classes, but you didn't like Mr. Sheffield. He was so arrogant and brazen. You were sure he was getting involved with a student, but you had no proof.

Yet.

''I know you're angry but there's no need to take it out on the poor books, May.'' You scolded her and picked up the book she had nearly torn up in her anger. ''Besides, if you screw up this book, you'll have to buy another one.''

''I don't care about that book!'' May snarled and pulled your hands towards her, ''(Y/N), please tell me that you found something rotten about Mr. Sheffield to get rid of him for good?''

You rolled your eyes. Had this. You've kind of become a spy in the meantime, trying to find something about your terrible history teacher and get rid of him. It wasn't ethical, you knew, but you'd do anything to get rid of that bastard. You already had noticed him looking at your legs shamelessly when you wore a skirt or shorts.

''I'm looking for. It's not that easy, you know? I'm not a professional spy.'' You grumbled and went back to your reading. You were reading about the Battle of Issus and its importance in the conquest of the Persian Empire.

May mumbled something unintelligible and you patted her neck comfortingly.

''Here, can we continue our reading, please? We have a work about this topic and I want the highest grade.''

''You're such a nerd, (N/N).'' You and her both laughed and she went back to trying to focus on the open book in front of her. Each was reading about different battles to get the job done faster. As you read about the Battle of Issus, May read about  the Granicus.

You breathed a sigh of relief when you finally removed your sneakers and could lie down on your bed. The day was long and exhausting and you just wanted to be able to sleep until you became one with your bed.

But unfortunately you couldn't. You had to go to the market at your mother's request to buy some vegetables. The thought made you more tired but you were a good daughter and for that, just for that, you got up and went to the bathroom for a much needed shower, as you had been sweating all day due to the infernal heat it was doing.

''Ugh.'' You grumbled after getting out of the shower. You had taken a little longer than you normally would, but you felt so tired and the hot water helped to relax your sore muscles. It was a shame you couldn't just fall asleep

You dried your body and put on some comfortable clothes and put your sneakers back on. You took your phone and your headphones, putting some upbeat music on Spotify and put your phone inside the small bag that had the money to buy the vegetables at the market. As soon as you left the house, you closed the door and started walking towards your destiny.

The music was the only thing that enveloped you and you didn't notice someone calling you until they grabbed your shoulders, startling you.

''What the hell?'' You mumbled and looked at whoever had stopped you. You frowned as you didn't know the older man who glared at you sinisterly.

You felt disturbed by the man's piercing gaze on you, ''Hm... Hi?''

He didn't answer you and continued to watch you intently. This was getting creepy and bizarre.

''Uh... Since you're not going to say anything, I... I'll go...'' You were about to put your earphone back on, when he grabbed your right arm. ''Let me go, now.''

He glared at you and let go of your arm slowly, you pulled your arm back when he let go. He spoke, in a low voice but you heard it loud and clear: ''The shadows of fate surround you... The world will never be the same for you, girl.''

''What?'' You asked but he looked at you for the last time, smiled weakly and turned his back, leaving you standing on the sidewalk and thinking about the man's sinister words. ''Must be just another crazy dude...'' You shook your head and decided to continue going to the market.

You ignored the squeezing of your heart inside your chest, ignored the feeling that something was wrong. And that was your first biggest mistake.

You left the market with bags in your hand, still thinking about the mysterious man's words. What was it? Why was this bothering you so much? And why did you feel a tightness in your heart as if something was wrong? You shrugged, deciding to ignore it all and go home as soon as possible, but first you had one last place to go. At a bookstore, you wanted to buy a new book that you heard had arrived and you felt very anxious about reading it. As if you have to read it.

You smiled brightly when you arrived at the store, opening the door to find hundreds of books. You put away the bags you were holding and headed to the history book section. For some reason, ever since you've read about the Battle of Issus, you've found yourself wanting to learn more about Alexander the Great. You could look up wikipedia, but you'd rather read a book.

Approaching the shelf, you found the book you were looking for, The Life of Alexander the Great, and opened it to flip through. You decided to take it and paid for the book at the register, picking up your bags and putting away the new book. You were eager to start reading it.

As soon as you got home, you packed your groceries and ran with your book to your room, changing clothes and putting on your favorite pajamas, lay down on the bed and opened the book to the first chapter. Your eyes read each word eagerly and you frowned as you read the next paragraph:

''Alexander was married with a woman of an unknown origin and he was deeply in love with her and devoted, according to sources at the time. Her name was (Y/N)..."

And why did your head begin to throb painfully? You tried to stay awake, but your eyes were too heavy and the headache made it worse. Maybe a nap... You bookmarked the page you left off and placed the book on the corner table and allowed yourself to drift off to sleep, your body in desperate need of a rest.

When you opened your eyes, you were no longer in your room.

You tried to get up but your body still ached, you groaned in pain as your head throbbed again. What was that?

Finally managing to sit up, you looked around and felt dread creep through your body. You didn't know this place, much less the people who watched you cautiously and suspiciously. Your eyes widened when you noticed the ancient greek armor and swords in their hands and even more when you saw the symbol of Ancient Macedonian. Vergina Sun.

You recognized the symbol from the history books. This was a dream, it had to be, but if it was a dream, why did you feel pain and feel like you knew these people who looked at you like an alien. And you felt embarrassed when you noticed that you were still in your pajamas, dressed completely differently from the men who were looking at you.

''What are you doing?'' A loud authoritative voice echoed and you cringed even more. First, the person who was speaking approached the group of men along with another slightly taller man and second, why did you understand them? It wasn't the language you spoke, you knew that as it sounded nothing like your mother tongue but much more different. Greek, you noticed and that left you even more perplexed.

You didn't understand greek as far as you knew.

''What is that? Who are you?'' The man dressed more formally than the others, asked looking at you curiously. He had dark blonde hair and his eyes were two colors, blue and brown. He wasn't very tall, but you felt small with the way he looked at you. He seemed to be the leader, you noticed.

You looked like a fish out of water and one of the men laughed and said, ''Looks like she's lost her tongue, Alexander.''

Alexander... You widened your eyes even more and walked away from the grip of the man who was holding you. No... It couldn't be...

You had read a book about him... And his appearance...

By god... You were face to face with Alexander the Great.

— lady l: I hope you liked the first chapter. This was her introduction to the ancient world and the next few will see (Y/N)'s interaction with Alexander and the others.

It has not yet been proofread and may contain errors, so I apologize for that. Until the next chapter my loves!

[hacked-by-jake]

I'm especially sad about the AI art statement.

No one ever said they can't use AI in general. Nobody said this. As long as they don't let the chats be written by AI they can use it for whatever they want.

Me personally, I'm a little fan of AI in general. ChatGPT took Googles place in many situations for me. It's super easy, super interesting and faster. I use it instead of reading millions of Google sites. (of course I don't trust everything right away, check your sources, lovelies)

But that's not what I want to say.

I saw no one complaining about the usage of AI in general. As long as its not creating the whole game and especially not what the characters say etc.

The critism was about the usage of AI ART, not AI in general, completely missing the point in my eyes.

And yes, they're right. AI became a huge part of our lives now. We find it everywhere and we won't get rid of it again. That won't happen. For me, it's okay as long as it's not used to generate money by letting it write texts and stuff.

And I'm completely fine with them using it. Of course, it's still stealing and I won't deny that, but as I said, we won't get rid of it again.

But the usage of AI generated Art is wrong and should actually be illegal. They, as a small developer studio, they should know and they do know, how it is when your work gets stolen and used by strangers.

And that's exactly what AI does. And that's not okay. It simply isn't. Every generated art is based on hundreds of real arts our there. The smallest artist who posts their work will be a victim of that. Because AI pulls it's knowledge and the ability for art out of every little art source there is. And that's wrong.

And I'm disappointed about their statement with this point.

And the second statement about AI art...

Yes, it's wonderful that you will introduce new actors to us. Great, amazing. And yes, we do remember how it was in Duskwood. And we do remember that actors were introduced after some time. Hannah joined in the last episode, and this was great.

But the huge difference is, you used stock photos. Real photography. Real designs. Created by photographers or whoever. The point here is: Real human. And real work.

I don’t think I'm the only one. But the first second I saw the profile picture of Ash, immediately I was like "Hm, that reminds me straight up of arcane"

Which is logical when you use AI generated art because the AI of course uses at first the most popular references.

Fact is: We don't support the usage of AI Art in Moonvale.

Question is: Why didn't you use stock photos just like you did before?

Everbytes answer: Yes, okay, we can change their profile pictures. (Point done)

And I mean, come on. Violet has a freaking cat as profile picture. Where was the problem with just using a real cat for that? Nothing easier than finding a good picture of cats! 😭

And if you didn't want to use stock photos. Have you seen how many incredibly talented digital artists your fandom has? Have you seen the insanely good work they created for your game?

How about contacting a few of them? How about asking them to draw the characters you wanted to have? I'm 100% sure you wouldn't even have to pay them for. Most of them would do it for free right away.

Plus: Real art created by real people

Plus two: No money spending.

Yeeey.

And if you don’t want that...., ✨STOCK PHOTOS✨

To be honest, they took a crumb of the criticism, twisted it a bit. Used the word AI, twisted a bit more, left their statement and at the end they gave us a small little victory by saying "They get new profile picture, see we're listening to you". They gave us a little "victory" so that we hopefully will be satisfied and not mention it again.

That's it for this topic. For now

[eldritch-spouse]

Pinnie I want Lacai to give me kissing lessons (I'm a virgin who's never been kissed even though I'm in my 20s it's so embarrassing)

[Oh shut it, things will happen when they're supposed to happen, jfc. Fem reader. Also, terrible idea as a whole.]

TW: Dubcon.

Boy, he lucked out. Lacai really got lucky this time.

See, when Lord Vesper spends a little more time in the surface than usual, Lacai is allowed to wander. On a bit of a tight leash, but wander nonetheless. And when Lacai's crafty, when luck favors him, he can mingle with the perfect crowds.

What he didn't expect however, was to find someone amongst the crowds like you this time. A virgin. Cute, shy little thing. The type of human concubi in Lust would lick their lips at and claw each other over. He can picture it now, demons of all ranks circling around your helpless form like sharks in a tank, bloodshed and frenzied arousal, tugging at your clothes, groping, biting- You'd be ruined.

Which makes the impcubus all the more giddy to have you all to himself.

Lacai is shorter than you, and yet, when he first approached you, you nearly jumped out of your skin. He could hear your poor heart thunder against its ribcage, a hint of immediate desire muffled by the scent of great panic.

He had to beckon you somewhere quieter, hidden, to be able to have a real conversation with you, bring you out of your shell. This careful process is one that not all of his kin have patience or time for, but Lacai is no stranger to it, enjoying getting to know some of his meals on a deeper level. And besides, virgins should be treated with care. If he is to be your guide into shared carnality, then he must make more than a good impression.

Conversation flowed surprisingly easily between you two, gentle laughter and awe from your part as the imp regaled you with happenings from his home, his work. Most of them scandalous in some way or another... And, as time passed, the fear you exhibited started to melt, your tense shoulders relaxed, those small hints of want starting to grow into genuine thirst. Lacai himself blushed, the pull of a soul yet to experience sex being stronger on those of low-rank, he perspired faintly.

Without him even having to steer the topic too much, you eventually brought up your inexperience, your desire to experience things you claim most people your age already have. It struck him as a bit silly that you were complaining about it as if you were in a race to the finish line -When really these first experiences ought to not be rushed- But fiend that he is, Lacai was very quick to assure you that such a simple request could become reality.

You wanted experience?

You wanted a kiss from someone who's embraced many a lover before?

He'd do that for you.

It seems, much to his fortune, that sexuality isn't the only thing you are inexperienced in. Because anyone who has ever dealt with demons would think twice before accepting a transaction disguised as a favor.

You didn't.

You were as blind as a bat, seeing only your goals within reach, and not the teeth behind Lacai's smirk as he rested a hand on your cheek.

And so, committed to this, perhaps endeared by you, the dance started. With the servant of Lust setting up a specific time and place where the two of you meet, and he helps you "practice".

Truth be told, Lacai is getting a little too fond of these moments. Seeing the way your eyes light up with joy at the sight of him, how you shrink slightly in yourself but always manage some sort of cheeky greeting, your attention and the way you hang off his every motion is a sweet respite from his duties back in the Rings. Even if these moments are too wholesome for his tastes, leave him dreadfully famished by the end, Lacai finds them to be worth it. Because they're part of the game. Because he...

He's grown to like you. More than that, truly.

Which is interesting, he'd always thought himself a little too hedonistic to humor the idea of genuine love, something that isn't fleeting. The imp doesn't know where this is going, but he does know he wants to be a part of it.

He can dwell on it later, when he's not claiming your lips.

You were never a bad kisser. Timid, for sure, barely ghosting across his in your fear of upsetting Lacai, but not bad.

In fact, it's never been hard to sway you into the right movement. The way you're so responsive paired with his natural sensuality, the drunkenness of need, it all makes this learning process a lot easier than you were probably expecting it to be.

Every night you meet, Lacai takes it just a bit further. However much you're willing to humor.

It didn't take too long for him to be slipping his tongue into your mouth the same way he does now, playful yet full of fervor, every one of your explorative motions rewarded with more of his intensity and an encouraging moan.

A kiss from an incubus is a trap. A weapon. A deadly seal coated in saccharine promises you're too flustered to question. It's the lure that makes you set your foot in a bear trap with a smile on your face. All the tastes you've ever loved you shall find on his tongue and all the pleasures you've yearned for will manifest in your mind. To you, it's an unstoppable force.

You were never able to kiss him once and stop, as expected. From day one, you'd always follow when he would pull away, more for your sake than his. And he always took the care to stop when he thought you'd had enough to be kept wanton and anticipating the next time.

Lately though, it's getting harder to do such. Because the further Lacai lets himself go, the more he indulges you, the less willing he is to leave you- To leave a meal worth writing home about after sampling but the very tip of it. Painful.

" You're getting better. "

The impcubus praises as you part, having allowed you to take initiative just to see how far things had gotten. And while yes, you had made a lot of progress, swiftly on your way to becoming a better kisser than most humans- Most of his rabid enjoyment came from your touch, from the fantasies he keeps conjuring of you putting your lips elsewhere.

" You- You think so? "

The demon nods eagerly, a hand on the back of your head bringing you forward to lick the sheen off your lips, bite at your bottom one. His breathing was quick but yours came faster, it was something of an open secret that neither of you were doing this for the sake of learning anymore.

The next kiss is rougher courtesy of his excitement, but you can handle it, he's made sure of it. It's nothing new, even as his clawed fingers drift to your neck, tracing your throat and darting to your sides, hungrily groping, pulling you closer. A growl of his has you shivering just the way Lacai likes it, and he wonders for how much longer he can keep things tame.

His drool starts taking, as it always does.

Pretty eyes turn glassy, you nearly sway in his grasp, overheated, disoriented. You lean onto his pervy fondling and Lacai purrs his delight openly. A stream of soft, almost pleading noises dies muffled on his tongue, and he has to tense his every muscle not to throw you to the ground, show you what lies beyond hidden kisses- Make you feel it all firsthand, fuck you over and over and over and over so that you learn to be the very best. Trained by Vesper's head servant. Trained to be a fine example of his Ring's standards.

Lacai's greedy left hand finishes its trip up your thigh by dipping between your legs. The touch alone, even through your pants, is enough to sober you up some. When your legs try to close around his hand, either to trap it there or in a futile effort to remove it, he grins and presses harder against your core, another desperate gasp falling out of your slightly swollen lips.

" Mm, what's that face for? " He teases when you offer him a scandalized look.

" It's not all just kissing, you know honeybee? "

Lacai takes advantage of your contemplative silence to move his fingers towards your zipper, pulling it down playfully.

" What are you going to do when you want to move onto the next steps? I can help you prepare for that... "

" And then I can teach you how to touch others. " The concubus huddles closer, nearly panting. " After all, you have so much to learn... "

[pixystixx]

Hiiii can you do a pt 2 of you should date like maybe where reader and colby actually try dating but keep it a secret bc they just want it to themselves a but but a fan sees them together or smtg ??

You Should Date! (Part 2)

omg i'm sorry it's been like four months... i had to stop writing everything for awhile, so whenever i was writing i was only writing for my current fanfic. i finally am getting around to writing more things ago tho

colbybrock x f!reader

Summary: Colby and you decide to give dating a try after weeks of tension and subtle hints. The two of you agree to keep it a secret. That doesn’t stop you guys from doing fun things. You decide to go on a little cafe date, but the risk is too great. What happens when a fan spots you guys?

༻❦༺

“I’m just so lonely these days,” you sigh. You’re lying on Colby’s couch, complaining about your dating life. You’re trying to make it sound like you don’t have a massive crush on Colby. You think maybe if you act extremely desperate, he’ll cave and suddenly start liking you. 

“Am I not enough for you?” Colby teases. You shake your head and groan. 

“I’m talking about my lonely romantic life. Are you my boyfriend?” You ask, looking at Colby with a deadpan stare. His cheeks turn red, and he shrugs. “That’s what I thought.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so hung up on being single. I’m sure if you asked any guy out, they would say yes,” Colby explains, “Hell, I’d probably date you.”

“Yeah, right,” You laugh. Even the slight possibility of that happening makes your face heat up. 

“Y/N, you are so fucking oblivious,” Colby huffs. He leans into you and grabs your chin, pulling your lips together. His lips are soft and push gently against yours. You both pull away from the kiss and look at each other awkwardly. Colby’s lips turn up into a smile. You touch your fingers to your lips, the feeling of Colby’s still lingering.

“Colby…” you mumble, “can I be honest with you?” He nods his head softly and brushes his hair out of his eyes. “I’ve liked you for a while. I thought that you’ve been messing with me. Were you actually flirting with me?”

“Y/N, I–,” Colby whispers. He doesn’t finish his sentence and stares at you silently. You tilt your head, confused. Colby smiles, puzzling you further. “I’ve been flirting with you for a year. I wonder how anything gets into that thick head of yours.”

You sigh and pout at him, “My head isn’t thick.”

“It took you until now to realize that I liked you,” Colby chuckles.

“You like me?”

“Of course I do,” Colby nods, caressing your cheek, “Will you be my girlfriend?” The sudden question makes your cheeks turn red. You fidget with your fingers and look down at Colby’s couch. Colby tilts your chin up with his hands, making you look into his eyes. His attention is too much, so you lean into his lips. You kiss him softly, trying to convey your feelings to his lips. You pull away, and he asks, “Is that a yes?” You smile, ruffling his hair.

“Colby, your fans are gonna think I’m some evil hoe taking you from them,” You blurt out, realizing the terms you just agreed to.

“That’s why we won’t tell anybody.”

༻❦༺

It’s been a few weeks since you and Colby started dating. You’ve been keeping in on the low, only telling Sam and a few other friends. Everyone’s been happy for you two. Today, you and Colby decided to go on a small cafe date. Nobody’s noticed your little dates. In reality, the new relationship hasn’t changed anything between you and Colby. Why would the fans notice?

Colby holds your hand subtly, just in case people are watching. You two walk into a small cafe that’s practically empty. Colby pulls out the chair for you, being the gentleman he is. He sits across from you. 

“You look really pretty,” Colby compliments you. You smile and hide your blush with your hands. “You should wear that dress more often.” You nod, and he laughs at your quietness.

“What should I get? I know you come here a lot,” you say, switching the topic. Colby hands you the cafe’s menu. He points to a few things on the menu. Colby orders a sandwich and a coffee. You ordered a wrap and a latte that sounded nice. Another couple with a dog walks in. Your eyes glimmer at the sight of the pocket-sized puppy.

“Your dog is so cute,” you say to the couple. The couple smiles, walking over to you.

“Thank you! We just got him a week ago,” the woman responds.

“Ah, he’s so little,” you marvel, “Can I pet him?” The woman nods, and you pet the dog carefully. He wags his tail, and you smile brightly. “Thank you so much! Enjoy your lunch!” The couple waves, sitting down at a nearby table.

“You’re too cute, Y/N,” Colby teases, pinching your cheeks. You kick him lightly under the table as your cheeks turn pink. Your food arrives, and you guys eat happily. You take a sip of your latte and feel the foam coat your lips. You lick off the foam, and Colby laughs at you.

“What?”

Colby reaches forward and wipes his thumb across your upper lip. There’s white foam on his finger, and you laugh. He licks the foam off his finger with a smile. 

“You’re so clumsy.” You shake your head. He nods. You reach across the table to kiss him. You peck his lips softly before sitting down again. Hopefully, no one saw.

༻❦༺

After your date, the two of you went home to watch a movie. You open your phone to find the internet in shambles. 

COLBY BROCK, NEW GIRLFRIEND!!!

COLBY BROCK SECRETLY DATING HIS BEST FRIEND?!?!?!?!

Y/N AND COLBY BROCK CAUGHT KISSING IN PUBLIC!

You and Colby sigh before tossing your phones on the bed. “Shit,” Colby mutters.

[celabi]

Hi Maggie!!!

So I apologize for the long post and cringy cliche topic but...

I was just thinking..  what if Scaras mom, ei, tends to babysit sometimes...

Perhaps it's a neighbour's kid or Scaras baby cousins or something but it always seems like scara wants nothing to do with them and tends to just slam his door closed when his mom asks for help.

Now just imagine one day, scummy scara finally got his darling to come over to his house once again, to maybe just chill, play games, watch movies and hopefully kiss...perhaps more than that too.

He is feeling so giddy, and confident that his plans to get to that point are full proof as he'd been secretly practicing for this day with his doll...

So imagine his smile fading as he is about to open the door but ei beats him to it, dressed up professionally and looking ready to go to work.

"Oh I'm glad your here, listen I have an important meeting in person, so I need you to look after the neighbour's kids/cousins"

Before he could complain she ran out and drove off leaving the two, to turn around only to be faces with said kids.

Imagine that the darling is actually fond of kids. Her motherly mode is turned on and she easily takes care of them, while getting along with them as well.

Scara is in awe of his darling. He knew she'd be great mother one day but actually seeing her in action really made his heart skip a beat while heat rushed to his face and even down there--- *slap*

Of course this feeds into his fantasy of a domestic life with his darling. His fantasy of making a family with her while enjoying the idea of the process of making babies.

Okay, now he is determined to show his darling that he is good with kids and can be a good father, as well as husband material for her.

So imagine as he tries to smile at the kids ( it's creepy cause he isn't use to it), cooing them to come to him as he brings a hand out for them to take, only for them to slap it away and run over to darling , hugging them and telling her that they don't wanna go him.

It irks him but can you blame them? After all, Scara wasn't someone who really interacted with them and when he did he was chasing them away and constantly yelling at them to stay out of his room. Which usually led to them crying to ei and her scolding him to be nicer.

Of course he didn't listen, shrugging off what she said. However, he'd come to regret it later since the kids figured out his weakness. A weakness they tended to use to get revenge...

Fast forward and Scara is livid at the fact that he can't seem get any time to spend with his darling as the kids are constantly taking all her attention away.

Either they were hungry, wanting her to play with them, look at the drawing they made of of them and her (scara is in the picture but he is underground like that one meme) or whatever! She barely paid any notice to him!

At some point he swore he saw them smirk but later it was confirmed that they were mocking him when she picked them up, hugging them cause they accidently fell and started crying. He  watched them pull their eye while sticking out their tongue as she soothingly rubbed their back.

Oh but if you thought that taking her attention away was bad, haha then your wrong. They were also constantly trying to bring out the worst of him, the side he usually showed to them and make him look incapable of being that ideal person he wanted to be in darlings eyes.

Now imagine his relief when they (she actually) eventually got the kids to sleep, tucking them in and closing the door behind them.

Oh, how Scara was mentally fisting the air, cheering that finally he was able to get his darling all to himself!

Now since he couldn't act out his original plan due to time, he had to skip some parts and head straight to the movie idea since they were both quite exhausted ( him especially as they nearly managed to get him to slip up a couple of times) and what better way to relax than to just watch a movie?

Shyly he asks if darling is up for a movie and after the confirmation, he jumped up and got ready, bringing all the snacks she enjoyed just for this day, before turning on the TV.

The movie choice was a thriller, and inspired by that one ask from anon  where the reader thinks he is frightened for the movie, she decides to comfort him, bringing him closer so he could rest on her, causing him to malfunction from this.

Skip and the movie has ended.

Reader is now stretching while expressing how amazing the show was while scara just agrees, unknowingly to the reader that he was not watching the movie at all, but focusing on how soft she was when she held him.

Oh but how his face lit up when he saw some crumbs on the readers face.

Perfect he thought. Just as he planned when he decided to buy some crumbly cookies for them.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, he brings his hands up to readers face, cupping it while his thumb swiped away whatever was on it.

He says something along the lines "you had something on your face" but the way he stutters it out and how he was blushing furiously, made him wanna  kick himself. Though on the contrary, reader found it cute as she giggles, bringing her hand up to hold his hand that's cupping her face.

Now Imagine the two having a moment, Scara's awaited moment finally coming to reality when their faces were coming closer and closer,

so close that he nearly---

"What are you two doing?"

Startling the two and pulling back, reader is blushing profusely while scara is cursing at the timing.

Scara sighed in relief and disappointment when the day finally came to an end. The kids parents show up, thanking the two for looking after them before leaving. At the same time, Ei happened to arrive home too, which meant that there was really no alone time with reader.

How frustrating...

Ei offers reader a lift home as it's late and she was aware of readers curfew. So when she agrees, scara is bouncing to the car, opening the door for her and all.

Sadly though, he has to sit in the backseat while reader and his mom are chatting happily away.

Eventually they make it to readers house, Scara quickly gets out of the car to walk her to her door.

"I had a fun day"

She says smiling when they made it to the front door. Scara could only agree to her face, trying to smile but it came out forced as he thought of what a bitter day it was for him, and how he wasn't really able to accomplish his goals.

But then again.. if he thought about it...it wasn't all that bad... i mean, he did get to see a new side to her , a nurturing side, one that might have caused his obsession with her to grow... but he also was able to be comforted by her, so in all honesty it was progress.

Too bad he didn't get that kiss...

"Oh, I almost forgot something"

She says turning towards him, making him confused and nervous as he wondered if she noticed that he stole some of her stuff while she was distracted with the kids.

But no.

Instead she smiled at him, coming closer before pulling him down, her lips reaching up to meet his.

To say he was shocked was an understatement, as he was completely thrown off guard, so much so that he forgot that he was to kiss back.

When she pulled away, she chuckled at his beet red face and wide eyes.

"See you monday at campus"

She says, waving before opening her door and entering her home still leaving a dumbfounded scara.

When he finally came to it, he may or may not have punched the air, silently screaming and jumping in victory. Basically being a total weirdo outside her home.

Again I apologize but I tend to have a soft spot for pathetic guys trying to shoot their shot but ending up getting blocked.

Especially if they like scummy scara ໒꒰ྀི⸝⸝. .⸝⸝꒱ྀིა  

OH MY GOODNESS 🥺 just just just him falling even more in love when he sees you getting along with children. When he sees you taking care of a little child, he swears his heart is going to explode from all the cuteness you’re radiating. And I can imagine him literally dreaming about marrying and having kids with you, even going far as to plan it all out before he’s even started dating you.

PLEASE and the kiss at the end? I bet when he got home he beat himself up over not kissing back, like, that’s a one in a lifetime opportunity (for him) and he missed it— making a fool out of himself in the process. Wahh so embarrassing…

Also i imagine Ei watching from the car and giggling at the sight of her looser son melting into a puddle of goo on his darlings door step 😭 she probably thinks about finally having the ‘talk’ with him that she put off for so long— but doesn’t know that he is literally the definition of ‘freak’. Anyways, scara tells his mom to shut up when he gets back in the car, cause she already has that knowing smile on.

This is not cringy or clique at all!! I live for cute stuff like this omg 🥺 I really wanna write scummy scara when he’s settled down and had kids with reader 😭

[lazilybeinglassie]

Monkie Kid Season 5 Feelings

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Okay, I will be brief about the animation, cause I would like to leave that topic be for a while. I wasn't happy about the drama it stirred, nor am I happy with the fans that made the drama worse. The most I will say is I liked it, I can live with it, it's not bad, it's just different. Next season I'm more confident it will be polished mote.

Now onto more serious matters . . .

This season was a lot. A lot of good, but a lot. The last few episodes especially were the most to digest with how fast some of the issues resolve or reveal themselves. It's most definitely feeling rushed and I wish it had more time to breathe. That being said, I can live with how they ended it.

MK and Wukong's relationship has been through so much and they do such a good job at keeping that as a priority. Every step has done it's job to make it so good and get people invested into it. Ima admit, I'm never gonna recover from MK using the circlet/fillet/crown thing on Wukong. That bit is gonna stung for a good while. And them just being there for each other during this whole thing is amazing and I wanna see more of them being friends/bros. I expect fans to make angst fics of bad endings for them to make my depression worse!

I also wanna say, huzzah for more Red Son and hinting at him becoming a part of the group! Finally he can be with em! My son is my favorite character of the series, and I love him like a mother would love him. Also, dragonfruit is always welcome! Sorry spicynoodles, I like this ship more, but I am a Chimera shipper as well.

Dadsy moments were perfect. There is nothing more to say. I adore it.

Now to talk about the Nine Headed Beast in the room . . . if I had a nickle for every Chaotic character I loved, I would have two nickles. Which isn't a lot, but it's gonna be a pattern at this point. Yes, I think his reveal was rushed. And yes, the fact they never forshadow him, it threw me off. But I am pleased we got him. Though I'll admit, I thought the 100 eyed Demon would be the big bad and the 9HB would be lower. Guess they pulled the wool over my eyes. Again, I cannot complain, cause I'm already liking this guy. If I get no mayor, he will just have to do for a replacement. Also, yes, toxic Nine and Mac will be something I wanna see. Fanfic writers, to your keyboards!

Overall, I think this season was great! I'll possibly post more thoughts in the future, but for now I wanted to get my general feelings out before I drown in my sorrows.

[art-blogge]

Everything is Fine, Nothing is Wrong, Dante is Safe, and Birds are Friends

It's been a week. A week of non-stop running, and I don't intend to stop any time soon. I can't. If I slow down for even a little while, the Shi Association will catch up to me. I don't want to die. I really don't want to die.

I'm a coward. I always have been a coward, at least in this life. I don't know how I was before, nor will I ever find out. I've given up on that. What matters now is staying alive. If sticking to the forests and avoiding the paths is what it takes, so be it.

It isn't much later that I start regretting my decisions again. There had to be other ways to deal with this. I should have said something. I should have alerted anyone else. Anyone else! I'm sure at least one of them would have taken me seriously!

On second thought, I doubted it. Even if a single Sinner believed me, it was bound to start fights. In-fighting would have just pointed directly to my location. The Mephistopheles was obvious enough even without the Sinners, too! My location, as long as I'd stayed on that bus, would have been clear as day. There was only one way I probably could have stayed on board, and I didn't want to take that risk. The back corridors were too dangerous. Worse, if the Shi Association had information on how the back corridors worked, it would have made my hiding useless. No, I couldn't risk it. I'd made the right decision. I had to of.

One more option to think over again before I could force my mind onto a different topic: If Vergilius would have done anything for me. I genuinely don't know, and that's probably why I keep coming back to it. Imagining the Red Gaze himself dropping everything just to help me of all people was clearly wrong, but imagining him completely ignoring me was also clearly wrong. I could never properly read that man, and I obviously wasn't going to start now.

I heaved a sigh (or at least imitated one) before taking a moment to observe my surroundings. While I'd been absorbed in my own doubts, I'd wandered back onto the forest path. As per usual, overthinking my circumstances had done me no good. I shook my head and immediately got off the path, opting to walk down into a ditch instead.

Not even a few steps down did I trip, sending me rolling down to the bottom of the ditch. Well, at least I was where I wanted to be. What was I going to do, complain? Instead I laughed, a bitter tone ringing out of my head. How funny I must have looked! I could already imagine what the Sinners would say… And felt a pang of pain in my heart.

<"No! No!"> I reprimanded myself, shaking my head and standing up. I was leaving everything behind to survive. As badly as I wanted to stay attached, I couldn't. Not like this.

To force myself off of these thoughts, I looked over my clothes and bag. I'd already been filthy, having gotten into several scraps and landfills, but now I was covered in mud. I'd just gotten this mostly-clean cloak from a dumpster, too… At least it wasn't my coat.

Another round of heart pain. What, really? I'd gotten attached to an article of clothing?

Well, yes, embarrassingly enough. It'd been so difficult for me to throw it into that river when I'd passed by. Again, though: Leave it behind. Move forward. Keep walking. Keep running. I could do this. I would do this.

Something made a "tink" sound against my head, and stopped to looked up. The sky had darkened more than it usually would at this time of day. Great. It was going to rain. As much as I hated rain, it was a genuine blessing. I'd be able to actually stop somewhere, and all my tracks would be washed away.

I found myself a tree with a particularly large empty space beneath it and squeezed into it before pulling my bag in as well. This would do for now. If the rain ended up being heavy like it was yesterday, I'd have to get out before it flooded…

--------

It wasn't the cracking of thunder that woke me some time later. As much as I dislike the sound, it wasn't the culprit for once. It was VOICES. Voices I couldn't clearly make out, but voices all the same.

Part of me wanted to immediately bail from my hiding spot and never look back. If they were close enough for me to hear over the storm, then they'd be close enough to find me. That meant they'd absolutely spot me if I ran, so I stayed put instead. I just had to cover my head with my cloak's hood so the light from my fire didn't give my position away.

After several minutes of anxious waiting, I was able to understand a voice.

"If we don't find them soon, Vergilius will be mad at us…!"

Sinclair!! The Sinners were here! Did that mean it was safe to--?!

The sound of a sword swinging through the air was followed by a pained cry from Sinclair, then a thud and distant yelling. Of course it wasn't safe. Who was I kidding? Being around the Sinners was like a death sentence.

I waited again. As badly as I wanted to revive Sinclair, that would tell both the Shi and the Sinners that I was present. The storm continued raging, and I pulled my hood down. It got in the way of my breathing, oddly enough, and I'd never quite figured out how that worked.

I couldn't hear voices any more, so I hesitantly pushed my bag down to peek out. All I could see was Sinclair's bisected corpse, unhelpfully enough. No one else seemed to be around, so I bit the bullet and revived him.

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt it HURTS. A sharp pain from the top of my head to the bottom of my foot blasted through me, and it took everything I had to not scream.

I hadn't considered how wide open I would be after reviving him. That was usually the first thing I considered, but this wasn't a normal situation- My priorities were different.

"Manager?" Sinclair called from outside. I wanted to respond so badly. So, so badly. The week alone had been bad enough. But I couldn't. If even one person knew where I was, the Shi would be onto me. I still don't even know what I did to earn their ire.

Upon recovering from my pain-ridden state, I looked up only to see Sinclair staring at me from outside. Shit! Fine, I could work with this!

<"Come in, quickly!"> I demanded, pulling my bag out of the way. Sinclair didn't question this at all, crawling in the hollow as soon as he was able to. I put my bag back where it was before turning my gaze onto him- He seemed tired, moreso than usual. Tired enough that he had eyebags rivaling Yi Sang's.

<"You stay here. Are-">

My question was cut off by Sinclair throwing his arms around me, and I instinctually reciprocated. This felt unfair! I liked hugs! Dammit!

<"Are the Shi gone?"> I asked anyway, pulling away from him. Sinclair seemed to understand and let me go while nodding.

"If you're g-going, go now. Vergilius and Ryoshu killed the two Shi that were here."

He DID understand. Thank the Light.

<"Thank you, Sinclair. Stay safe.">

With that, I pushed my bag out into the rain so I could leave. I trusted Sinclair. He was always honest, so he probably told the truth. It wasn't until I'd pulled my hood up, picked up my bag and started walking again that I fully registered something Sinclair had said-- Vergilius had been fighting. Vergilius. The Guide who was never helping us beyond mission information. Had been fighting. I wasn't sure why I was so shocked- The man was a Color Fixer after all!- but it was probably because I'd only ever seen him fight once. Maybe "seen" was a bit of an overstatement.

Whatever. No voices, no sensations of being watched. I'd gotten away.

--------

I don't know where I am now, and that's fine. I haven't for a while now. At least, I don't think I do.

But…

It's familiar. I have the sense that I've been here before. Something about this place worries me.

It's too quiet. It's way too quiet. The only sound in the silent forest was the singing of a bird.

I sat down where I was. If I move too much, I'll be making noise. Whatever's causing that silence would hear me, and the last thing I need is to get into a fight. I may have learned some self-defense over this journey, but not enough to fight Monsters or Abnormalities.

I still wasn't sure where exactly I'd ended up. I haven't heard a thing about Limbus since two weeks ago, and the last time I heard about the Shi was two days ago. I'm not safe. The longest I've gotten away from them has been two days so far. They'd be here for me any time now.

Something is on my shoulder. I turned to look, but it's just a little bird. Hi, buddy.

"Why do people commit sin when they know it's wrong?" the bird asked me, and I realized I was being used as a perch by an Abnormality that I didn't know. I had to answer carefully.

<"Because… Because there is nothing threatening them," I suggested, "They think they can get away with it.">

"They must be punished!" the bird decreed, throwing a wing outwards, "I will make them fear me and my great punishments!"

The bird stopped and looked straight at me. It was going to speak more? Most Abnormalities were happy with just one response.

"Do you think I can stop them from committing misdeeds?"

It seemed confident in itself despite it's size. I had to admit that I respected that, even if it was illogical.

<"I do.">

The bird puffed out its chest in pride, but didn't have time to answer- We both heard shouting, and it wasn't voices I recognized. The Shi were here.

<"It's not safe here anymore, little birdie. Those people want to kill me and I don't know why.">

Why did I tell it that?…. And what was behind me? There's a gold glow coming from behind me, but I don't dare turn around. A second Abnormality?

"May I watch over you, for your safety?"

I didn't need to look behind me to see how large this Abnormality was in comparison to the little bird. It's massive.

<"I would like to stand behind you. You may watch. Little Bird can stop them from committing misdeeds.">

"If I kill them first, they are safe from others!"

<"Death is not safety.">

The large bird behind me went silent. A second shadow joined the first- This one lanky.

"Let me weigh your sins and-"

Well, I'm damned there! I'll admit to panicking and shouting "Their Sin outweighs mine!" before it could finish speaking. I absolutely shouldn't have! I was far too loud that time!

A moment of silence, and then the little bird was cleanly sliced off of my shoulder. By sitting where it had been, it stopped the sword from connecting with my head. If I've ever been grateful for Abnormalities, it would be now.

"Let me weigh your sins!" the lanky one shouted before dashing past me. What an odd bird that was, featherless and tall. Slowly, the big shadow moved in front of me, and it took me a while to realize that it was the actual bird. I didn't realize until several eyes on it's backside shot open and stared at me. I squeezed my vision shut and repressed the urge to yell, but I still saw those eyes in my head. Bright gold, ever watching, ever watching, ever--

--The pressure on my head snapped me back to reality. Something was trying to crush my head! Out of instinct I pushed at whatever was on me, and the large bird cawed.

It'd been trying to bite my head off, I noted while frantically scurrying away from it and it's many many many teeth.

As I made distance, I looked around and learned three things: One, the small bird was red and pecking on a dead man's face. Two, there were only two Shi left and they were fighting the lanky bird. Three, there was a LOT of blood spilled. Four, some of it was mine. Wait.

Wait.

<"When was I injured?!"> I blared, checking over myself in a hurry. There, on my side! A clean cut through all of my clothes! I didn't even feel it. At least it was under my ribs… That could've been a disaster.

In the few moments I hadn't been looking, the number of Shi had tripled and the lanky bird had been reverted into egg form. Stealthy as always, I suppose.

<"Little bird, more sinners are here!"> I honked and pointed. It felt wrong using "sinner" as a word and not a title, and I wasn't going to do it again.

Distantly, I can hear rumbling. Something's coming. More lights in the distance. I'm in a terrible spot!

"I'll save you!" honked the big bird, biting down on my head again and failing to do any damage. It sure hurt though!

<"Stop that!"> I yelled back, but too late. One of the Shi noticed I was stuck and closed the distance before I got to blink.

"Sorry. Company policy and we've already been paid."

The big bird let go of me to chase the Shi that attacked me, and left me standing there in a daze. I'm not even sure where they'd struck. I feel fine still, albeit aware of the growing pain on my side. I don't see anything on me. Maybe they missed.

Now that the Shi were focused on the birds, and the birds focused on the Shi, I stumbled away safely. I've walked through worse pain than this before, easily. Two times, three times worse, even. This was nothing- Not to brag or anything. It's probably not good that I can withstand this.

Ahead. A clearing. I can hide there.

I ignored all the noise behind me as I dragged myself to the clearing. The shouts, the caws, the rumbling, the crashing, the honking. I ignored all of it in favor of collapsing to the dirt floor. I hadn't meant to collapse, but sure, it worked. I'd started getting dizzy anyway.

…

Oh, that's not a good thing. The blood-loss was getting to me. Faust and Outis had told me numerous times how to deal with this… Apply pressure. As I pushed down on my side wound and tried to get my focus back, I started to become aware of where the second wound was. Somewhere I couldn't see, but I could feel the blood dripping down my chest.

The minutes ticked by ever so slowly, and nothing was working. My brain(?) is full of fog, and my eyes are having trouble staying focused. I'm… So cold.

I should curl up… Retain some warmth. This was a monumental task when my limbs felt heavier than they ever have before, but I think I managed well enough.

Was I dying here? Alone?

<"What a miserable failure of a Manager I was,"> I wheezed, air coming out of my neck wound as I ticked to myself. <"What an idiot I've been. Of course running ended in me dying. Of course… I should've just stayed.">

I laid there, clutching my side with one hand and my neck with the other. I don't want to die here, but with my body in tatters and my mind fading, I wouldn't be going far. I've only got one option left.

I screamed. And scream I did, in an awful cacophony of sounds I've never made before. I screamed to the living who could possibly hear me, I screamed to the dead who couldn't possibly hear me. A horrible combination of sounds that I could no longer stop. A combination of all of my regrets, my fears, and my pleas for help.

I understand now why the Sinners screamed when they died. I…

"Dante!"

…Shaking. Hands, me. Hands, on me. Who is here..?… Someone is here. I'm not alone. Thank goodness. Thank the Light. Thank the Stars. Thank the Wings. Thank…… .. Uh, everything.

I forced my head to utter a weak whine from a few broken gears. It was all I could manage. The shaking stopped, and there are voices, but I can't tell who. People are here, with me. Me. I'm not alone so I'm safe. I'm safe. I'm safe…… I'm….

--------

...Beeping. Left side. Too bright. Brain sluggy. Other sounds. Rumbling. Bus?

…It is the Mephistopheles, I realized. I'm staring at the inner roof of the Mephistopheles. The Sun is being reflected right into my face. I need to move.

Slowly, I shifted and went to stand up. In a manner befitting me, I immediately slipped on something and slammed my head on the floor.

I'd slipped on my coat.

Wait.

I threw this in the river weeks ago..! Was I bought a new one? A quick check-over proved no, it wasn't, it has the shoulder stitches and the frayed ends. My coat! I've never been so happy to see my coat. Medical equipment be damned, I'm putting it on-

"Dante?"

While Sinclair was the one that asked, I can see all of the Sinners trying to peek out behind him.

"Clockface fell," Charon commented, reminding me that she was there.

Immediately there was an outbreak of questions from the Sinners that rushed up to check on me.

"Are you okay, Dante?" "Did you eat shite?" "Can we get your word that you won't pull that again, Executive Manager?"

The last question made me pause, and everyone else did too. I think… I think if I were capable of tearing up, I would be right about now.

<"Yes,"> I promised, holding my arms out to receive my team, <"Promise.">

~~~~

(end fic notes: goooooooosh. i started this during canto 2, stopped until canto 4 (added sinclair part), stopped again, added more in canto 5 (bird part) and finally got the end down (canto 6). gosh. golly. fuck ass tit shit. it isnt noted but sinclair stuck a tracker onto dante. this was also written with pre-clock dante in mind, sorta a "some of the old personality is back", which has worked startlingly well with dante keeping their figurative mouth shut lately. happy april fools (unintentionally))

[irenethewoman]

Mrs. Shelby- Chapter Five- Closer

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He had even propositioned me for sex once, which left me astounded at how straightforward and direct people could be about relationships in this place. I refused, firmly believing it wasn't John who had impregnated Martha before their marriage.

During meetings, I often played absentmindedly with a pen, tuning in and out, occasionally voicing support for Thomas and attempting to persuade others. I swear, my agreement with Thomas was purely professional and unrelated to our love life. Polly always deemed Thomas's ideas as reckless. She confided in me that if given the chance, she could sway Thomas and ease his tension. But I knew the truth. The arms we possessed were both an asset and a danger. Used wisely, they could pave the way for us; mishandled, they could obliterate us. To make these weapons more impactful, we needed to engage in more complex maneuvers, and Thomas was merely leading us to a higher-stakes chessboard.

Late at night, we would steal moments to kiss secretly in the deserted kitchen. "We don't need to be so discreet," Thomas would complain for the fourth time that day. His voice, deep and charming, never failed to captivate me. I would cup his face, offer a reassuring kiss, and then attend to the stove.

"If people knew we were together," I'd say while pouring steaming milk into his cup, "they'd think I support you out of love, and my words would carry no weight."

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "Oh, Mr. Shelby, never underestimate a woman," I sighed, "I'll use my brains to think and my heart to love you. Supporting you and loving you are separate matters."

He sipped his milk, and the topic was set aside. We both knew there were many issues to address, and dwelling on them was fruitless. Thomas sometimes shared my father's belief that women didn't grasp their men's work, so they should provide love and a stable home. Changing Thomas in such a short time was improbable, and honestly, I didn't want to. Despite his occasional vexations—like never uttering sweet words to me, loitering in my office, and sometimes using his sharp tongue—I cherished those imperfections that only I knew. They added warmth to the otherwise cold and ruthless gang leader.

He was my little prince, concealing a sea of sorrow in his eyes. "I heard there's a witchcraft girl in Garrison Lane," he mentioned, pulling me into his arms and placing me on his lap. "But that's Chinese territory."

I couldn't help but try to maintain Thomas's composure. He was just as obstinate as I was, even though I wasn't entirely committed to the task Polly had entrusted to me.

"Calm down, Thomas. Be patient, my dear, and remember not to be pushy. After all, we're the ones seeking assistance."

"Will the great diplomat accompany me tomorrow?" Thomas's hand ventured up my thigh again. "I'll be going to the bar to check the accounts tomorrow."

I swatted his hand away, stood up, and retrieved his empty milk glass. "Remember to give Boy Monaghan two coins."

"Boy Monaghan seems more like your son," I remarked, giving him an odd look. What was going on with him? Was he jealous of his horse?

"I don't mind if you consider yourself a stallion," I teased. Looking at Thomas's deflated expression, I couldn't help but laugh with a touch of schadenfreude. "Ha! Even Heath's venomous little prince can have his moments."

"I'm not sharing this with you to be mocked, my dear," Thomas said as he stood up and positioned me between himself and the sink. "When we have a son, I'll tell him to learn from my past."

"You really should," I replied, hooking my arms around his neck and accepting his kiss.

Tommy's strategy worked. The horse racing business thrived like never before, with people flocking to place bets on the Monaghan boy. People tended to fear and revere things they didn't understand, like the Witch of the East and the Pink Blessing. These laborers were afraid of poverty, and at the first glimpse of hope, they flocked to it. But dreams of a better future were often illusions, a disguised trap.

John continuously updated the odds and shouted in front of the blackboard, while I worked diligently below, tallying, making change, and keeping records. Originally, John had only asked for my assistance in record-keeping, but now, I was busier than ever.

It wasn't until Thomas tapped me on the shoulder that I realized he had returned. "Are you alone?"

"Your men are too slow and getting in the way," I replied, continuing my work. Then, as I handed out winnings to the gamblers, he gestured toward another table. I instructed several men to handle the gamblers who couldn't reach my table.

"If you ask me, it's better to let them play with Finn. Finn is bored out there alone," John chimed in. When he saw Thomas return, John excitedly abandoned his post and snatched the account book from my hands. "Look, Tommy! Everyone's betting on the Monaghan Kid!"

He was as excited and proud as if his shouting had single-handedly drawn everyone to bet on the horse. Although I was also involved in orchestrating this gambling operation and understood the whole picture, facing the constant stream of people and coins, I couldn't help but smile and glance up at Thomas. He returned my smile and was summoned to a corner by Arthur. I could guess what Arthur would say, even if Thomas was immune to anyone's persuasion. Thomas genuinely desired recognition and approval from his family rather than criticism. But I couldn't just walk away, so I kept an eye on him.

"I'm calling a family meeting at eight o'clock tonight! I expect everyone to attend! We're in trouble! Do you hear me!" I watched Thomas leave without looking back at Arthur's proclamation. He didn't even glance my way. My little prince was genuinely angry.

"And you, Diana, you're invited too. We've been busy from ten in the morning until five in the evening."

"Clearly, you're more of a capitalist exploiting your workers than Thomas," I retorted, biting into the chocolate I

had brought with me. Thomas might drag me into hard work, but at least he provided me with sustenance.

"I'm just being generous to you," John replied, eyeing the account book with satisfaction. "What would you like to eat tonight?"

"You should go all out since you're treating. I'd like to go to Garrison Lane for some Chinese cuisine." I realized that I needed to investigate Thomas's stance, and the Chinese in Garrison Lane could provide valuable information. We had always advocated peace as our top priority. If cooperation was possible, we needn't resort to violence. Though I had been forced to endure the smell of burnt tobacco all day, I was the first to exit the horse racing betting station, only to find Polly waiting by the door. Just as I was about to greet her, she pulled me behind her and pointed a gun swiftly at John.

"Polly... What are you doing?" I exclaimed.

"Do you recognize this gun?" Polly asked John, ignoring my presence.

John nodded, and Polly proceeded to strike him hard, knocking him to the ground. Ouch! It was painful to watch. It turned out that Finn had discovered John's unsecured gun on a sideboard while we were working at the horse racing betting station, nearly causing an accidental discharge that could have harmed Ada. After learning about this incident, I became even more resolute about sending those useless men to watch over Finn.

"I understand that it's tough for you to raise four children on your own, but it's no walk in the park for me either," I said, trying to maintain composure. "Well, you're the one who decided to feed them. I don't have an easy time either."

Every time I thought about John's four children, I couldn't help but think of Martha and Maria. It had been three months since Martha's passing, and I still missed her dearly. She had been like a sister to me, patiently addressing my concerns, teaching me how to cook and clean, and reading with me in her spare time. Sometimes, Ada and I would accompany her to deliver meals to the beggars. She was a genuinely good person, too beautiful to belong in a place like this, yet John seemed to have forgotten her, only remembering Liz Stark. Stark often visited brothels, and sometimes Liz would come to help take care of the children. She once let slip that John, on one of his drunken nights, had muttered, "I'm sorry, Martha."

As for little Maria... Thomas and I had become wild and less available for her since falling in love. As Thomas's secretary, I had little time to keep her company. The poor girl was left to care for her brothers after her mother's death. I hoped she could enjoy a more carefree life, playing with kids her age, using her allowance to buy candies, and being pampered when she returned home. But it seemed I had broken my promise.

John and I were in very different moods. We ended up at a restaurant to eat, driven by John's low spirits. Then I found myself sitting at the conference table, lost in thought, as usual. The Shelbys had grown accustomed to my distant demeanor.

Until Thomas handed me a flyer. "If you're over five feet tall and can fight, come to Birmingham."

It seemed the Chief Inspector had arrived with ulterior motives and couldn't be dismissed lightly. He knew that the local police were mostly Shelby men and couldn't be trusted, so he had brought his own force. Thomas claimed he was here to clean up the city, to rid it of the remnants of Irish rebels and figures like Freddy Thorne. But we both knew that these were secondary concerns. He was primarily after the arms. John, however, seemed to have an inflated sense of importance. The Birmingham Peaky Blinders Gang was indeed a legal entity in the city, but there were larger and more powerful gangs in London and throughout the UK. Compared to those groups, the Irish rebels, and the ambitious Germans, we were merely a group of joint gamblers. We were a motley crew with no official racing licenses; we were nothing.

I sighed, touched by a sense of nostalgia as I recollected my earlier life. In India and Germany, I had seen politicians cover their tracks with bloodshed and was familiar with such tactics. The key was to negotiate rather than confront. Those who set the terms first often lost out. Regardless of Thomas's decision, I would stand by his side throughout this dark journey. I wasn't an inherently determined person, but Thomas had given me a second chance when I was down, providing me with a good life. I had joined him without hesitation, abandoning the ideals I had clung to for 15 years. But Thomas Shelby, unless he betrayed me first, would never lose my loyalty. The reason might be what Polly had pointed out on Christmas Eve in 1914: "You're a lot like him." I had found another version of myself, and from then on, I loved and protected him unconsciously, even to death. It suddenly struck me that if my father knew his eldest daughter, whom he had high hopes for, had fallen in love with a gang leader with gypsy blood and loved him to the point of death, he would be furious, his beard bristling with anger, and he might even rise from the grave. The thought of that scenario amused me.

"Did I do something wrong, Diana?" I heard Thomas whisper softly. His voice had never sounded so fragile and helpless, and it tugged at my heartstrings. He had once fought for the king's glory, but now he fought for his family's better future. He projected a tough, cold, bloodthirsty persona, but I knew better. Tommy enjoyed teasing me, giving coins to blind beggars, and asking for kisses as he walked me home. I extended my hand and placed it on his head, an affectionate gesture.

I held my head high, like a warrior, and gazed directly into the eyes of the Virgin Mary. "Tommy," I turned my head and kissed his ear, "Tommy, honey, you know what to do. You've always known."

"What if there's hell ahead?" He raised his head from my arms, and I met his gaze with unwavering resolve. "There won't be hell ahead, Tommy. Not now, not ever, as long as we live, as long as we want."

God had ignored my pleas in the past, subjecting me to hardship in foreign lands. He allowed evil to thrive and tried to break me with harsh living conditions. But I had endured, thrived, and would continue to do so in the future. I pushed him away before our kiss could sour. Practice made perfect; I knew his movements and thoughts well. "Please, we can't do this here..." I wiped my mouth, feeling embarrassed. Making love in a church? He couldn't fathom it. Although my faith in God's capabilities and attentiveness had waned in 1914, I wasn't ready to make love so blatantly and defiantly within a sacred place. Besides, it was my first time with Thomas. What would the church think? "I don't believe in God," Tommy protested. "Yes," I raised an eyebrow, "but we still have some decency. At the very least, let's go home. Before coming to Birmingham, I had always assumed I would spend my wedding night with my husband. On a soft and

comfortable bed adorned with freshly picked roses and surrounded by candlelight, it would just be me and my lover. When the day finally came, I found that there was nothing but my lover and a small, uncomfortable bed.

"I haven't heard the shovel digging into the wall in a long time," Tommy murmured in my ear.

"Really? That's my contribution." Despite the sun streaming in through the church's windows, warming me, I didn't want to leave the bed. I simply rolled over, curling up in Tommy's arms and reaching out to hug him back. Thomas Shelby had a strong scent of tobacco about him, sometimes mingled with the malty aroma of whiskey and spirits, all intermingled with the scent of my perfume, creating a strangely intoxicating blend. There was a bullet scar on the back of his left shoulder and an enigmatic black sun totem tattoo on his left chest, but his arms felt like the safest place in the world. I enjoyed the feeling of his strong, powerful arms holding me like this, our skin touching, exchanging a tender and profound kiss as we greeted each other with a heartfelt "good morning."

"Good morning, my virgin queen."

"Good morning, my little prince."

[lady-of-imladris]

King of my Heart

QUICK TAGLIST ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm sorry if you did not get tagged in chapter 3 of The Great War. I posted it a few weeks ago, but it seems the taglist was malfunctioning. I hope it works this time!

This was written for the prompt "A kiss to shut up." Sent in by @fenharel-enaste for Thranduil and my OC Anarríma. This is a oneshot set in the same universe as my WIP "The Great War", which tells the story of Thranduil and his wife.

This oneshot is kinda sandwiched between two scenes in the next chapter (I'm still working on that) but can be read independently. And apart from the kiss (obviously lol) is SFW.

Word count: 1.7k

Pairings: Thranduil/OC

Warnings: Alcohol Consumption

Angst and Fluff below the cut <3

The left side of the bed was cold when Thranduil woke up. The sun was not even up yet and Anarríma was not with him. He sat up and stretched his back before jumping out of bed and starting the search for his betrothed. It unsettled the King that she just left. Anarríma hated getting up early, usually it was him who woke up with the sun. Depending on how busy his day was, he would either stay in bed and read until it was late enough to wake his lady up, or he would get up, work for a couple of hours, sneak into the kitchen and then wake Anarríma up with breakfast.

Anarríma preferred the second option. It gave her many more hours of uninterrupted sleep and then a tasty breakfast. Thranduil, however, usually opted for staying in bed. He waited as long as he could bear before rolling over and wrapping Anarríma in his arms, kissing her neck and shoulders until she woke up, grumbling about how early it was and complaining about Thranduil’s hair in her face.

Not many were awake at this hour, but many of those who were were so perplexed by seeing their shirtless king roam the halls that they forgot to bow to him. Thranduil did not notice, he was too focused on finding his lady. He stumbled across Galion after a few minutes, his butler clearly still drunk. Galion tried to bow but failed miserably and found himself being caught by the King moments before hitting the floor. Thranduil had to choke back his laughter.

“Goheno nin," Galion slurred, “bit of a crazy night.” “I can see that mellon nin," Thranduil chuckled. “Have you seen Ana?” he asked. Galion nodded a few times and giggled. “I saw the lady a little while ago, she joined us for some drinks and I think she went for a little stroll in the forest afterwards.” “Alone!?” Galion massaged his temples with his hands. Thranduil’s reaction had rapidly sobered him up and he was not looking forward to that hangover. “I sent some guards after her," he assured the king. Thranduil finally let go of Galion’s shoulders and sent him to bed. The king approached the nearest guard and confiscated his sword and cloak before stalking off into the forest. He knew where Anarríma would be.

He nodded to the two guards he spotted between the trees. Ana did not appreciate being followed around by guards all the time, so they just pretended not to be there and she pretended not to see them. It was exhausting. Thranduil needed to help her get used to this part of her life sooner rather than later. They had been engaged for a while now, but every time Thranduil wanted to talk to Anarríma about their wedding, she would change the topic or distract him until he forgot what he wanted to talk about.

He saw Anarríma sitting on a rock, looking out at the small lake, watching the sunrise. As he approached, Thranduil noticed that she was wearing one of his robes. That’s why he couldn’t find it earlier. “Did I snore too loudly, my beloved?” Thranduil announced his presence, making Ana jump slightly. She was too deep in thought and did not notice his presence. She pulled his robe tighter around her body. “I could not sleep," she admitted quietly, not turning around to face him. Thranduil gently lowered himself down next to her. “I gathered that much. But why? Tell me what is bothering you.”

Anarríma sighed, “send them away." Thranduil told his guards to return to the palace and took the half-empty bottle of wine out of Anarríma’s hand. “Sampling wines for our wedding already?” he joked. Ana flinched at his words. Thranduil cocked an eyebrow. “That bad?” He was worried about her. “No, it is quite good actually," she replied, still refusing to look at him. “Ana," Thranduil sighed, “not the wine. Our wedding.” She straightened up. “Why would that be bad?” she asked innocently, grabbing the bottle out of his hand and sipping on the wine. Thranduil found his worry being replaced by confusion and anger. Why would she not talk to him? Why would she not even look at him?

He took the bottle and tasted the wine. She was right, it was quite good. He corked the bottle and set it down next to him, out of her reach. Thranduil reached out to her, gently grabbing her chin and tilting her face towards him. Her eyes were closed and Thranduil could see remnants of the red wine around her lips, staining them a deep purple. “If you are looking forward to our wedding, then look into my eyes and set a date.” Anarríma did not react. Thranduil was helpless. What had he done? Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched her fiddle with her engagement ring.

He let go of her face and took her hand in his, slowly slipping the ring off her finger. She finally looked at him, confused. “Do you wish to end our engagement?” he asked, the hurt clear in his voice. A second chance for Anarríma to choose. But she did not want to. “You are being ridiculous. I love you!” she exclaimed. “Well I thought you did,” Thranduil stated, “but I am not so sure of that anymore. If you love me, why accept my proposal and then refuse to marry me?” “I want to marry you," Ana replied, desperately fighting against the tears. “There is nothing in this life I want more than to marry you.”

Relief washed over Thranduil. “Then what have I done to hurt you so?” “Nothing.” “And yet there is something you are not telling me.” Thranduil still held her ring in his hand, slowly rotating it between his fingers. Ana sighed and let her head fall against Thranduil’s shoulder, finally letting herself relax. “I can’t just marry you," she mumbled. “What do you mean?” “I want to marry you Thranduil. But I can’t. I am marrying the King of Lasgalen. I will have to stand before all those people and vow to rule them. How can I do that when just a couple of decades ago, Ada did not even let me lead our armies? How can I stand there and tell them that everything will be alright when every single night I am plagued by memories of what I have done to survive.”

Thranduil wished to say something, to tell her that she would be alright, but now that he had finally gotten her to speak to him, she did not stop. “I want nothing in this life more than to marry you, but sometimes I just wish you weren’t a king. Sometimes I wish you were just Thranduil and I could just remain Ana and we could be happy together and our biggest problem would be that my parents don’t approve of you and what we would name our children and-” His lips crashed against hers. Anarríma’s body froze up. She found herself unable to move, unable to pull away from Thranduil.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him. The feeling of his strong warm chest brought Ana back to her senses and she reciprocated the kiss, letting Thranduil take control fully, as she relaxed into his embrace. She felt his tongue move against her lips. Thranduil could discern at least five different wines. Their kiss was desperate. Slow. Passionate. Too short. Ana gently pushed her hands against his chest, signalling him to stop. Thranduil chuckled. “Goheno nin, I had to shut you up somehow and your lips just looked too good to resist.”

Ana wrapped her arms around Thranduil’s waist as she leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He rested his head atop hers, finally at peace now that he had her back. “Why are you wearing a guard’s cloak?” she asked suddenly. Thranduil tugged playfully at the belt of the robe she was wearing. “My robe was nowhere to be found.” They both giggled. “Did you at least have fun with Galion and the others?” he asked. Ana laughed as she remembered the events of the night. “I think I’ve been invited to a birthday party and at least two baby parties.” Thranduil smiled. “I knew they would love you.”

He could feel that Anarríma’s mind was about to start spiralling again. “I want you to listen to me, my darling," he spoke softly and ran his hands up and down her back. “You, Anarríma, will marry me, Thranduil. And you will marry the King and become Queen. I would tell you that there is no difference between Thranduil and the Elvenking, but there is. And one day, you will understand. You will learn how to be the Queen and I will be with you, every step of the way.” He gently ran his hands through her hair as he felt that she was crying softly.

“Your father will walk you down the aisle, and I will be there, waiting for you, vowing to love you forever. And you will vow to love me. Then, you will kneel before me and swear your oath to this kingdom and I will set the crown atop your head. It’s okay if you get scared. If you do, I just want you to think of this night. The people love you. They have loved you from the moment I brought you home, based merely on how happy you make me. And if you are still scared, I want you to remember that I am there with you. And I am just as scared as you are.”

Ana looked up at him in disbelief. Thranduil started laughing. “You didn’t know?” She shook her head in confusion. “Then I am indeed better at masking it than I thought.” They stayed like that for a long time until Thranduil decided it was time. Anarríma complained that it was too soon as he got up and pulled her to her feet. “One last thing," he whispered and got down on one knee. He held out his hand and she took it. “Will you marry me? Become my Queen and we live happily ever after?” Anarríma did not hesitate this time. There was no voice in her head, telling her to run from him, to save herself. She had made her decision a long time ago. Anarríma had accepted her fate.

“Yes.”

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Writing this made my day so much better, I hope you like it.

Taglist: @fenharel-enaste, @shirebarbie, @nevermcre, @queenmeriadoc, @spnbandwagon1019, @somebirdortheother, @some--morphine, @hc-geralt-23, @legendary-maddie, @vellichormybeloved, @bookflowersnerd

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[theearlgreymage]

It is yet another Six Sentence Sunday, and I have only two more Sunday's until break. The freedom is close. I can taste it.

Thankfully, these last two weeks should be a breeze and I can get back in a more regular groove with writing.

Maybe.

Here's hoping at least.

Hello to the wonderful @artsyunderstudy @nausikaaa @aristocratic-otter @confused-bi-queer @rimeswithpurple and @ic3-que3n for tagging me despite my lack of posting lately. You are all amazing <3

Despite my quietness, I have been tapping away at a couple of different projects. So, enjoy six series of six sentences --

COBB Project #1

She’s been making these excursions on her own every few months. Claiming them to be for her research, but I followed her last time. I saw the supplies she took, and didn’t bring back with her. We were outside Bristol when I lost track of her. Somehow she managed to lose all her supplies and beat me back to Watford.  There’s no way she managed that on her own.  But until she’s willing to admit the truth to me, I’m on my own with finding Simon.

COBB Project #2

Coward.  It’s the last word I’ll hear from him for a while as I step into the warm sunshine. While he can technically reach me beyond the Underworld, it is a lot harder for him to do. From what I can tell, it’s not worth the effort.  Not caring whether the chlamys around my shoulder gets dirty, I collapse onto my back into the grass. Letting the sun warm my chilled skin. 

A Gift for Someone

Nothing to see here. I wonder how many other students at Watford have used this spell for elicit sexual acts. How many students have had their trousers pulled down in the middle of the Great Lawn with none of us being the wiser? Of course, this isn't the Great Lawn - it's the back table in Astronomy that I'm crouched beneath. And it's not just any student who's trousers I'm pulling down eagerly. They're Simon Snow's trousers.

Another Gift for Someone

The snap of leather against leather sends a chill down my spine. I do my best to conceal it. The click of heeled boots on the wooden floor let me know that he's walking towards me, and still I fight the urge to shiver in anticipation. But when I feel the soft brush of the collar and warm press of fingers on my throat, I can't help but shudder. "Are you going to be good for me tonight?"

Something I'm working on in secret that may or may not see the light of day

Even if I’d come to accept myself more - feel more comfortable as my own individual person - I was still hung-up on the idea of having children that weren’t mine. It became an even bigger issue after Simon admitted to wanting a child. My mind became full of the impossible; of a small child with golden skin, freckles, dark hair, curls, and light colored eyes.  We thought it impossible, and set the topic off to the side. There were plenty of other things for us to worry over. My graduation and the wedding being the top two items on the list.

Chapter 4 of Infinity in Your Chest Pocket

This time, when I spot the movement out of the bedroom window I don't hesitate to leave the room. Fuck these wraiths. I'm not spending another night alone in a room with them. Baz can complain about me following him into the woods all he wants. It's not like he's doing anything all that secretive. We both know that I know that he's a vampire - one that has apparently never tasted human blood.

Tags and Hello's to Everyone under the Cut. Please know that I am eternally excited over everyone's projects and cannot get enough of the talent you all have. Also, I officially made a gosh darn spreadsheet to keep track of people for tagging!

@aroace-genderfluid-sheep @bazzybelle @bookish-bogwitch @buffy @captain-aralias @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @cutestkilla @ebbpettier @erzbethluna @facewithoutheart @fatalfangirl @foolofabookwyrm-activated @gekkoinapeartree @henreyettah @hushed-chorus @ivelovedhimthroughworse @ileadacharmedlife @ionlydrinkhotwater @j-nipper-95 @johnwgrey @krisrix @larkral @letraspal @martsonmars @moodandmist @mostlymaudlin @onepintobean @palimpsessed @prettylightsbigcity @raenestee @shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @stardustasincocaine @stitchyqueer @tea-brigade @theimpossibledemon @thewholelemon @upuntil6am @wellbelesbian @whogaveyoupermission @yellobb @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[mayasdeluca]

I watched the 2 Firenerds interviews with Zoanne and Peter and it was something.

First let me say, you can't really blame them for anything other than season 7. Even when they took over in season 6 they were following Krista's blueprint and cleaning that up.

They are however responsible for the mess they made in season 7 and even knowing early on they weren't getting more, barely changed their vision to wrap ut up nicely.I don't think Zoanne and Peter made good partners. They seemed to have different visions of where they wanted the show to go. If we did get a season 8+ I feel like Zoanne would have won out over Peter since she has legacy with Shondaland.

Zoanne mentioned the vision for Carina, rather than make the 19 world work for Carina, she would change Carina to make her work in the 19 world. Such bullshit. No of course you can't have a pregnant person every day except people give birth every day. She's also a doctor, so instead of making her an EMT in the field how about using her as a doctor at the clinic. Let's say the clinic is so popular that people want to come on the regular. Would it have been so hard for them to make a little exam room for her to treat patients at the station?

And Zoanne's reasoning is because of the lawsuit, hey guess what you didn't have to write the lawsuit story line to then have Carina 2nd guess her career because she got sued 1 time.

As for Peter's interview he seemed to really want to give everything the fans wanted but could really only do that from the directing stand point as Zoanne handled the story part. But also he stroked his ego with the Pride episode and then again with the spinning kiss in the finale which personally I could've done without Marina wasting time to walk outside just to get that shot. Like pull a curtain and tell her the news and maybe we would have gotten a more intimate moment with them touching the belly.

One thing I agreed and disagreed with Peter on was when he spoke about being called out by the fans for some double standards. He was a bit harsh but did make valid points. I mean he could have said it a little more delicately but everyone has a breaking point when people needle them over and over again on the same thing. It's kind of like that annoying Mom, Mama, Mommy, Mom over and over.

I agreed with him that some fans watch with laser focus on certain things almost looking for something to complain about, I mean we see it in the fandom of people with the one track Marina mind and he's right the women can't be topless but when he said the bar kiss got cut because it didn't add to the story I wanted to yell, WHAT THE FUCK DID THAT WHOLE CROWS RAMBLE ADD TO THE STORY?!

Anyway, Peter said he had something in the works that was close to being finalized. If he was smart he would find a part for at least Stefania because I'm pretty sure he knows what the power of the fandom can do.

It felt like they had the potential to make Station 19 great and we all had the excitement for some things in Season 7 but obviously things changed because of the cancellation so who really knows how it would've been but I think we were probably overestimating how good it would have been. Take the Pride episode for example...we were all so excited they were finally doing one of those and look how upset/disappointed most of us were with it. I do think they did some great calls/topics like the wildfire as the big call was done well and they had some good clinic days/scenes but some of their decisions were definitely curious.

I definitely side eye Zoanne especially when it comes to Carina between her vision to make her lose her job as an OB when there's just so much important storytelling there that they would choose to get away from instead (Stefania has so many good ideas so I don't know why they wouldn't see the value in that) and then the fact that she didn't even write Carina in that beanery scene in the finale. Like how much does she really care for Carina as a character if she couldn't even respect her enough to do that? Something tells me the whole EMT thing wouldn't even focus on her either, it would be more focused on Ben and they'd be partners or something.

As for Peter, once I saw your message I went to go look and see what he said regarding the cut kiss scene and I really can't believe some of the things he said and how it came across. The fact that he was so mad about people being mad that the kiss was cut really is something. Saying that it didn't add to the story is certainly a choice...when there's definitely several other things I could think of over the course of the season that wasn't integral to the story either that still made the cut but you couldn't show 5 more seconds of a kiss.

He's seeing it from a different perspective than we are but it's hard not to feel a certain type of way about how literally all their kisses seemed messed with all season and they were the ones getting wordless montages during important moments. He wants to claim they aren't out to get us and that they love these characters and the relationship but I feel like that's just a cop out so that we can't be mad or upset about the treatment of them or anything. I don't want to hear about the double standards of how they can't do things with two women that they can do with men on tv. There's different ways to show intimacy if they actually cared enough to show it. We all know it's not the Marina show, all we want is equal treatment and it's mind boggling to me that a lot of people involved in the show just see it as us complaining for no good reason.

I am curious what his new project is and I do hope he'll get Stefania involved. They seem close so if he can find a character that could work for her I feel like that's something he'd try to do, at least I hope so and hopefully it's something interesting.

[moraxsthrone]

Hello Kel!! This is my first time interacting with you! 💞

I hope you're doing great! ❤️

Jasmine, daisy, cosmos for the ask game! <3

oh hai dres! ahhhh the zhongli/xiao chibis are so cuuuuute >.< so glad you stopped by and said hello! i am doing well, a little sleepy tho! i've seen you on crys's blog a lot and any friend of crys's is a friend of mine. 🥰

jasmine— describe your dream partner or best friend. what kind of personality traits do they have?

my dream partner would be someone i could be best friends with so that makes things a little more efficient lol. first and foremost: INTELLIGENT. ughhhh intelligence is not only sexy...it's a must for me! an excellent conversationalist, someone who loves talking about a variety of deep and interesting topics and is open-minded. funny. doesn't take himself too seriously. responsible. a grown ass man who has his shit together and doesn't mind being with an independent lady. someone who is invested in himself in the sense that he wants to keep learning and strives for personal growth. someone whose presence is known without him uttering a word. magnanimous, compassionate, patient. understated and modest. a gentleman. (is it clear yet why i'm so helplessly in love with zhongli??)

daisy— what is your idea of the perfect date?

something lowkey. maybe drinks or coffee or dinner or all of the above, followed by a stroll while we enjoy an enriching conversation. i'm a cheap date, what can i say? 😅

cosmos— what's the best compliment you've ever received? who was it from?

okay so my paternal grandmother was a single mom to 4 kids back in the late 1950s and 60s, back when it was even more of a struggle than it is now. she pulled double shifts as a dispatcher for the police department so she could make ends meet on her own. but no matter how tired she got or what kind of day she had, she always carried herself with poise and grace. at the risk of sounding old-fashioned, she was the true definition of a lady. several years ago when my son was still a toddler, i remember sitting on the edge of my dad's bed with her, talking. and she turned to me and told me that i reminded her of herself bc i was raising a child on my own. (ONE child, mind you.) she praised me for being so determined to work hard and to do whatever it takes to make sure my baby boy has the best life i can give him, such as it was at the time. it was a struggle back then and i've made a really good life for us in the years since. but the way she recognized my strength and resilience...the way i've never complained about not having a man (i don't miss them tbh), the way she compared me to herself (as if i had done anything close to what all she did!)? that. that was the best compliment i've ever received, hands down.

...sorry this got so long. those were really good ones tho! thank you! 💛