#BUT we run the risk of it getting much longer.... hm..

[zukkaoru]

i should. speedwrite a chuuya bday fic,,

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Fellow Honest - Playful Dress Vignette

"My stars, a grave insult!"

[Scalding Sands – Silk City]

Fellow: Now, ladies and gentlemen!

Fellow: What you are about to see here is a one-of-a-kind wonder.

Fellow: This is truly a genuinely invaluable show you are about to witness.

[rabble, rabble]

Fellow: Nice, them people're finally startin' to gather…!

Fellow: If you're interested in what I have to show, please, drop a few madol in this can over here. Any amount is fine～!

Fellow: And now, feast your eyes…

Fellow: On this… A one-of-a-kind puppet that can walk on its own without strings!

Fellow: What do you think, Mister? Madam? Doesn't it look so life-like? Amazing, is it not!?

Fellow: This exquisite beastman doll is the only one of its kind.

Fellow: You all are fortunate indeed to see such a fantastical sight. If your interest was piqued, I implore you to leave a token of appreciation…

[rabble, rabble]

Fellow: …Eh? It's not a puppet? A normal living being?

Fellow: HOW RUDE! WHAT EVIDENCE HAVE YOU FOR YOUR ACCUSATION!?

Fellow: Please, look carefully. It might be able to move without strings, but even if I poke or tickle it, it won't even cry out or laugh.

Fellow: It is a beautifully crafted puppet. Yes, that's right, there can be no question.

[Gidel nods]

Fellow: Ah, stop, Gidel!

Fellow: …It moved? Oh no, it must have just been a trick of the eye.

Fellow: Or, are you perhaps trying to insinuate that I, Fellow Honest, am a liar?

Fellow: You didn't mean it…? Ahhh, oh, but you've hurt my feelings so～!

Fellow: I've been known as Honest John, a man of integrity, pure and innocent, and yet you would call me a liar…

Fellow: I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SUFFER SUCH A DAY! MY STARS, A GRAVE INSULT!

Fellow: Hey now, Mister. Since you've damaged my pride like this, feels like you should provide me with a show of good faith and…

Gidel: [sneeze]

Fellow: AH!!

Fellow: U-Uhh… Ladies and gentlemen, I… Hm? You want your money and time back? …No need to get so angry… Hahaha…

Fellow: …Crap.

Fellow: RUN, GIDEL!!

Fellow: Haah… Pant, pant… Did we lose them?

Fellow: …YOU NITWIT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE RIGHT THEN TO SNEEZE!?

Fellow: Just a little longer and we woulda gotten something extra on top of their spectator fees!

Gidel: …

Fellow: Ugh, whatever. ...All we got to show for that in the end was just a little bit of spare change…

Fellow: …And whatever small bits and bobs of jewelry they had on them.

Fellow: I stealthily swiped them with my magic while those idiots were all focused on you, but there's not much here. Shame.

Fellow: This dump ain't worth staying in. Time to move on, Gidel! Fwahaha!

[Fairest City – Crystal Galleria]

Fellow: Look carefully, fair people! What I have here is a magestone. However, this is no ordinary magestone.

Fellow: The date: 1000 years ago; the place: the depths leagues below the Coral Sea. This magestone was said to be sought even by the Great Seven!

Fellow: It may look like an ordinary pebble. So, what makes this an extraordinary find? Once you hear what I have to say, you'll never recover from the shock!

Fellow: Listen and be amazed! This is a miraculous stone where whosoever holds it becomes capable of using magic!

Gidel: ! [honks horn]

Fellow: For you, ladies and gentlemen, I risked life and limb searching high and low for this in the most secluded southern regions.

Fellow: There is only one of these gemstones in existence. We'll start the bidding at 50,000 madol (500 Thaumarks)! Come, come, all who are interested, please raise up a hand!

[silence]

Fellow: …Huh, no one wants to raise a hand? What, do I have before me a gaggle of broke spectators?

Fellow: Heh, gutless, all of you. Ah, but damn it all! Is there not a single one among you with the courage to reach out and grasp the miracle laid out before you!?

Fellow: With icy demeanors like that, even my fleas will laugh at me.

Fellow: …I'm sure you all are simply thinking there's no way you could trust vagabonds like us, isn't that right?

Fellow: You think I'm selling you a fake? You think you'll be wasting your money?

Fellow: Aah, that's no good, my dear fellows! If you mistrust me so fervently, it's not as fun...

Fellow: Don't worry. If you believe in what I tell you, there's nothing for you to be afraid of.

Fellow: COME ON TO THE THEATER!

Fellow: LIFE IS FUN

Fellow: …Ah, there we go, that was quick. 80,000 madol from the gent over there! And 100,000 madol from the one over here!

Fellow: A good call, everyone! With such wise decision-making skills, you all have a future scholar inside you!

Fellow: Fwahahaha! Look at 'em idiots believing at whatever stupid story I throw their way!

Fellow: A magestone that'll give you the ability to use magic～? If something like that really existed, I'd've used it myself.

Fellow: Even the guys who were the most skeptical leapt at the chance once I used my Unique Magic. I sure enjoy pulling the wool over idiots who try to look down on me.

Fellow: Hm, let's see how much we earned today…

Fellow: Two, four, six, eight… Oho, not a bad haul. Look, Gidel, we'll be feasting tonight!

[Gidel hops happily]

Fellow: Word's probably got around by now, especially after I raked in this much. This might be the end of the line for our earnings here…

Gidel: …

Fellow: What? You want to head south this time?

Fellow: Not a bad idea. How 'bout we target vacationers at them fancy resorts?

Fellow: Let's see if we can kindly crash their little enjoyable vacations.

Fellow: …Yeah, that's perfect. You're a genius, Gidel. This time, we'll be the fancy, rich folk out on vacation.

Fellow: We go where we want, when we want. We have nothing and no one tying us down.

Fellow: That's the least we deserve as free-spirited folk!

[Sunset Savanna – Sunrise City]

Fellow: EEEEP～～! I PROMISE, I WON'T DO ANYTHING BAD ANYMORE, I PROMISE!

Fellow: HELP～～～!

[Sunset Savanna – Sunrise City]

Fellow: SHIT! THAT MASSIVE CHEAPSKATE!

Fellow: They were carrying around a crazy fat wallet. They could've spared even a little bit and nothing woulda hurt their bottom line.

Fellow: Yet they caused a fuss just from me trying to swipe a few thousand madol… Ouuuch, it's still throbbing where they hit me.

[stomachs gurgle]

Fellow: Man, I'm starving. It's gonna suck to go another night without dinner.

Fellow: Ain't there something we can find to eat…?

[Gidel starts to drift away]

Fellow: …Hey, wait, Gidel! Don't open that can!

Fellow: Geez… Don'tcha see what it says right here? It's got OIL inside. You can't eat it, even if you open it.

Fellow: You do the same thing every time you're hungry. I've taught you dozens of times, can't you read what it says?

Gidel: …

Fellow: C'mon, squat here a little. I'll draw it out on the ground, so don't forget this time, 'kay?

Fellow: O is for Orange! It looks round and tasty, don't it?

Fellow: I is for Ice Cream! That thin, ice popsicle was pretty tasty the other day, wasn't it?

Fellow: L is for laugh! Don't it look like a smile when you look at it on it's side?

Fellow: …Why is L the only thing that's not food? I couldn't think of anything, so sue me.

Fellow: There's only so much I can teach you, too.

Fellow: Tch. If I had been able to go to school… By now I woulda been more…

[Gidel pats Fellow]

Gidel: …

Fellow: What? We don't need school to fill our bellies?

Fellow: Sigh, oh, Gidel. You know, you're…

Fellow: TOTALLY RIGHT!!

Fellow: That's right, we're living just fine even without going to school.

Fellow: Learning whatever with books and pencils is utter nonsense.

Fellow: We'll just clean out those suckers that went though their oh so lovely education, and just live a life that's even fuller.

Gidel: !

Fellow: That's right, leave it to me! Follow me, kid, and one day, you'll be a grand showstopper too.

Fellow: We'll get some halfwit students to dance for us on a stage for our own amusement!

Fellow: Now… What's more important right now is figuring out what we're going to eat tonight. I'll try to find something, so you start a fire.

Fellow: Just throw whatever you find into the fire, like wooden crates, or posters or… Hm?

Fellow: This job posting here… Oh, well, well!

Fellow: Look here, Gidel, That one prick is looking to hire someone. And this time, it's at an amusement park!

Fellow: I don't know what they're planning, but… Last time we did work for 'em, we made a killing.

Fellow: I can't stand how he looks down on us, but there's a lot more to gain out of it…

Fellow: Why don't we just go hear them out, Gidel? If we don't like it, we can just bail.

Fellow: We live only for today, never thinking about what tomorrow might bring. We do whatever work keeps our lives free and fun. 'Cause we can go and do whatever we want.

[Gidel nods, Fellow whistles as they go off]

Requested by @sakurakudo.

[moonknightsonata]

Acts of Service

pairing: moon system x reader, marc x reader centered

summary: You learn Steven and Jake’s love languages quickly, Marc’s takes a little longer to realize but it doesn’t surprise you.

cw: not many, a brief non-explicit mention of sex, Marc getting anxious about your relationship

wc: 1199

a/n: Happy new year! This is not beta read, my first time writing for the moon boys and also my first time posting and sharing a fic in probably like 5+ years. Please let me know if I’ve missed any warnings, and let me know what you think! I tried keeping the reader as inclusive as I could, but please let me know if I slipped up with anything.

—

When you first started seeing the system, they all showed affection in similar ways. Holding hands, chaste kisses, flowers at the start of dates and walking you home at the end of them. They each had their own ways of going about it, but at the start all 3 of them were stereotypical in their affection.

Now, months later, you could easily tell each of the boy’s love languages.

Steven fluttered between quality time and words of affirmation. He was a romantic at heart, so in reality, he would do anything you asked of him, really. But you could tell he was happiest just being near you, telling you how much he loved you, and hearing the words in return.

Date night with Steven would be art galleries, museum tours, site seeing, or just walking around the markets hand in hand. Cafe’s and bookshops for rainy days, which there were plenty of in London, filled weekends with him where you could just sit in each other’s company and read besides one another.

Jake was the master of physical touch. You think it’s because he didn’t have as much time fronting as the other two, and his only physical touch with humans up until the three started getting along was when he took over the body in emergencies like in Cairo. When Jake was fronting, his hands were always on you.

Jake always had his arm on you when in public. Around your shoulder, or on your waist, he didn’t have a preference as long as he had you in his arm in some way. You liked to compare him to a livestock dog. Not like sheepdogs who herded them, but like a pyrenees that would fight a wolf off a lamb.

He was also the most handsy in the bedroom.

Marc took the longest to pinpoint his love language. Mostly due to the fact that he was the last to open up to a relationship with you.

You had met Steven first, dated Steven first, and then met Jake and Marc along the way. The relationship with Jake blossomed easily, but Marc still had walls he had built standing steady, that he wasn’t ready to break down yet. For a while even, you weren’t sure he liked you. After anxieties about it were aired out, Marc reassured you he did like you, he was “just shit at showing it” as he had put it. He hadn’t wanted to get close, mess things up with you and risk everything Steven and Jake had with you. That was the turning point for you and Marc’s relationship.

You thought it was behind you, until you noticed Marc’s odd behavior one day.

“Marc, baby, are you alright?” You asked him, leaning against the kitchen counter as he washed dishes.

“Hm?” He glanced at you from the corner of his eye, nodding as he kept his attention mostly on the pan he was scrubbing. “Yea, fine, why’d you ask?”

“Because you’ve been scrubbing that pan for about 10 minutes now. I think it’s clean.” You smiled softly, as his brow scrunched when he realized.

“Fine… yeah. I just… you know I love you?” He finished his sentence more like a question.

“Of course I know. I love you too.” You moved closer to him, putting a hand on his cheek to look him in the eyes. “What brought this about?”

“I don’t… I don’t say it enough. When we met you weren’t even sure I liked you, and now I don’t even say I love you as often as Jake or Steven do. So I just…” Marc lets out a frustrated sigh, running a hand to his hair, pushing his curls out of his face as he steps away from you. You give him his space, you know when he needs it. To work out emotions without feeling suffocated or closed in.

“Just thought maybe you weren’t sure again.”

Marc avoids looking directly at your face as you look at his. You understand him, more than you probably know, which scares Marc. Not in a bad way, but scares him in a way he can’t believe there was someone out there who could.

Which is why what you say shouldn’t surprise him, but it does anyway.

“You don’t have to say it in the same way Steven or Jake do for me to know.” You start softly. “You have a different way of showing it, than they do.”

Marc’s eyebrows furrow, even more than the wrinkled brow he usually has.

He can only describe the look on your face that you give him as adoring, as you continue.

“The days that you front, you’re always up before me. Whether you’re an early riser or you never really fell asleep that night - you know exactly how to make my coffee in the morning and I always wake up to a cup made the way I like sitting on the counter waiting for me.

“I also know that it isn’t Jake who had my car’s oil changed, or the tires rotated a couple weeks ago.”

Marc shrugs at that one, mumbles something that you think is “That’s not a big deal.”

As you tell him all this, you can’t believe it took you this long to realize that Marc’s love language was acts of service. Because of course it was. Marc, the giver. Marc, who always felt he needed to prove his worth and make up for sins of his past, by any means necessary. Your Marc, who did so much for you without expecting a ‘thank you’ because that was how he showed he cared.

You kept going with more examples.

“Last week I forgot my umbrella and my lunch in the apartment and you came all the way to my job to drop them off for me.” You wrap your arms around Marc’s waist at this, resting your head against him in a hug.

“Or, when it’s cold, you always turn my heated blanket on the bed while I’m doing my night time routine, so that the bed is nice and warm by the time I climb in. And when -“ You could keep going, listing the things you notice Marc does for you, but he stops you with flushed cheeks.

“Okay, okay, I get it. I do a lot for you.” He chuckles, rolling his eyes playfully as he wraps his arms around you to return the hug. “I like taking care of you.”

“You take care of me because you love me.”

Marc nods, kissing your forehead. “Yeah, I do. I’m just sorry I don’t say it more.”

“I don’t need you to. It’s nice to hear, but I still know it. You show me every day.” You smile, leaning in to give him a kiss, which Marc gratefully returns.

“And I’ll continue to show you every day, until you get tired of me.”

“I’d never get tired of you, baby. You, Jake and Steven are all stuck with me.”

Marc laughs. “Stuck with you? Making it sound like that’s a bad thing. Honey, I think you’re the one ‘stuck’ with the three of us.”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[solacefish]

✎ File contents - Sebastian Solace x Reader ( 1.3k )

⎙ Examination Results - Sebastian can't handle company, the very thought of another's affection or gaze upon him could make him throw up. So he takes it out on you, by mistake.

⌕ Research Gathered - Angst, Yelling and arguments, Unrequited ( suggested requited ) love, Mentions of his experiments + transformation, Mentions of death, Sebastian can't open up ™.

What did it mean to be loved? What did it mean to love?

Was the dull ache at the bottom of his heart - muffled by mutations and a scarring of who he once was. The tales of his childhood, the sounds of a youth he could never return to. Was that what he longed for? What he dreamt of?

Sebastian didn't dream, he didn't recall the last restful night. Memories stirred between azure eyes, eyes that weren't his own. Nightmares seemed a too gentle term to refer, and terrors wouldn't fully commit to the sickness he felt upon awakening.

The night was the same as any other, having passed out by his desk - having never remembered otherwise. Awoken by the sounds of screaming, echoes of his own against those cold damp facility walls. Never a current sound, always a reminiscent of what had happened to get him into this mess. Always.

Had he remembered to take melatonin from the many drawers that littered the science departments, had he bothered to look at all. The feeling of being lulled, forced, to sleep against his will by medication was not something he happened to be fond of. Not at all.

Running a hand through charcoal locks, hearing the footsteps of an expendable from the outer corridors. Not a moment of rest down here, none were allowed. Had you taken time to rest, you'd have to be risking your life. Urbanshade didn't seem too fond of waiting longer then 5 minutes for their prisoners to move, he'd crossed enough corpses and brain paintings to know.

Awfully so, a facility so willing to kill upon the smallest disturbance.

The expendable crawled through the vent, standing unproud with a ripped wetsuit and cracked mask. Lucky your oxygen tank hadn't been chipped, this whole place was filled with water. He smiles, clasping his hands together and gesturing vaguely to the items that adorned his scales.

"Welcome back .. You already know how this goes, hm?"

He'd recognised you. The one who cannot stay gone - a dead man walking as much as he is. Both of you didn't expire when you were supposed to, and for that you suffer in agony every day.

You nodded, wordlessly walking over to pick up a medkit. He'd noticed a few scratches, a limp on your left leg. Perhaps you'd twisted your ankle, there was enough to run from down here. Enough exercise to be had. They could open a gym, it might be a worthy investment. Rather then experimenting, try new yoga...

"How much?" You look up, and he returns the gaze. Thinking for just a moment, enough to act like he hasn't spent the hours and months down here memorising and practicing the exact amounts of data hed request for each thing he scavenged.

"200. No discount services, never have been. You've been here before, haven't you?" His voice is louder then he remembered. After so long without speaking, he'd forgotten how different the services Urbanshade had cost him from who he was.

You nod, opening the box and immediately giving yourself time to tend to your injuries. wrapping it around a wrist, a leg, anyplace with the crimson bleed that ached to be seen. Sebastian didn't mind the company, but the feeling of nausea that came across his chest the longer you remained was hard to ignore.

"Sebastian," A voice, your voice, brings him back for just a moment. You notice the look in his eyes, and he stirrs where he's stationed for just a moment. "You can talk to me, you know? We're friends, aren't we?"

Friends. Was this a comedy setup?

Sebastian's jaw ached for a moment, letting out an exhale as he remembered the bleeding of his teeth upon his own gums. Whilst biting his tongue and gritting his teeth used to work - it happened to be much more painful after the experiments took place. Unfortunate, but with his humanity stripped away, some sass as a defence wouldn't hurt him as much.

"I don't talk, not to you." He responded bitterly, as if he was straining his voice to keep himself in check. "You remember where you're standing." A huff blew some of the locks out from his face. He didn't see you as any worth, the data you served him so happily was enough to satisfy, however the company wasn't something he was interested in.

"It's nice to open up," You begin, "I know where i'm stood, and I don't mind sitting to be here for you. You're a great guy, honestly, and you need a shoulder to cry on like any other person."

He feels his restraint snap, just a moment. A resistance of a rubber band that had been stretched by a child that moment too far - flicking it at somebody else wasn't enough.

"Don't you fucking dare to call me that." He retorted, his voice echoing off the walls. Sebastian swore he could hear those screams again, of a 19 year old with a life ahead of them. A good person? Were you serious? Were you blind?

A man framed of 9 murders, a man who turned it to 50. How to live with the guilt he was what they made him out to be. A living weapon, with a maw for shredding and tearing, and a claw meant to slide across a throat like butter. To look in a puddle of his self reflection and call himself good? He might as well have let the side effects take him.

You'd flinched, he had noticed, but he hadn't cared. He wanted to make himself clear, for the first time in a long time, to be heard. If you were an unfortunate soul who'd be the one to take his frustrations like a sponge, then he can be the ocean to accompany.

"I'm just trying to help!" You state, he growls. Every bone in his body wanted him to lunge, to rip you apart. The human heart caged beneath the ribs that told him to stop, that ached to be sensitive and free. The DNA that told him to attack, to prowl.

His body was at a war with itself, to tear itself apart. He would never have won.

"I don't need anybodies help!" He yelled, the fins in place of his ears were pinned firmly to the sides of his head. You'd shook your head, and he noticed the reflex that had made you take a step back. You were scared of him. Of the monster before you - had you only just realised he was a predator? He was not ever your friend.

"Please-! I love you-!" The words burst through your lips as the same as sebastians breathing worsens. He can't handle it, it's too much. The sickness of bile in his throat, the acid that threatened to release itself. He wasn't lovable, there was nothing to be adored or admired. You were lying to him, you were pitying him.

"Get out!" There's defiance, the rejection to your words. His body ached, his heart hurt. To be loved was a curse, to love was an unknown. With his breathing heavy, a loud crash as he slammed the vent cover back after you'd scrambled out. He could never be in control of a body that wasn't his to begin with.

Sebastian clutched the sides of his head, the serpentine tail curling around his helpless body. The unfamiliar limbs that tore his soul apart. He could never let himself. He could never see himself ever again.

He hated what it meant to be loved. He hated to be seen, to be known. He hated what they'd done to him, what had become of him. To be loved was to be lied to - to love was to deceive.

Seabstian could apologise later. But he hoped you'd never return. He didn't deserve to await you.

taglist ; @fl1ghtl3ssdrag0n

[edenmemes]

house of the dragon s2 starters

❝ there is a chill in the air. summer is well and truly through. ❞ ❝ it’s alright. there’s no reason to be nervous. ❞ ❝ i’ve little patience for the self-important, and even less for flatterers. ❞ ❝ you think me some kind of monster. ❞ ❝ it is my fault, i think, that you have forgotten to fear me. ❞ ❝ do you think simply wearing the crown imbues you with wisdom? ❞ ❝ i have been, at times, unkind but never untrue. ❞ ❝ mark my words, this is a black omen. ❞ ❝ it is your way, is it not? when something does not please you, you run. ❞ ❝ if i may seem so bold…you have not seemed yourself of late. ❞ ❝ i have come to see if we may uncover some path towards peace. ❞ ❝ i do not know if i trust you. and i sense there is danger in you yet. ❞ ❝ i wonder, do you have a moment for a quiet word? ❞ ❝ now i have seen your heart only belongs to you. ❞ ❝ it was worth the risk, no matter the outcome. ❞ ❝ some of us must serve in smaller ways…even if they are not what we would choose for ourselves. ❞ ❝ fuck dignity. i want revenge. ❞ ❝ you are not the player, but a piece on the board. ❞ ❝ is there no honor left in this world? ❞ ❝ stop wasting your life waiting for something that’ll never come. ❞ ❝ perhaps those who strive for the crown are the least suited to wear it. ❞ ❝ i find myself wondering…do we pursue the same end? ❞ ❝ and how would you define ‘victory’? ❞ ❝ once you get to know me, you’ll find i’m not so bad. ❞ ❝ thought you’d be happy. or at least less morose. ❞ ❝ i can sit still no longer. i must act. ❞ ❝ you struggle to see there’s an anger that blinds you. ❞ ❝ you must accept the path to victory now is one of violence. ❞ ❝ you only blame me because your true enemies are out of reach. ❞ ❝ there are many pieces at play here…some of which you can’t yet see. ❞ ❝ you will have all the vengeance you seek, but you must keep a grip on your impulses. ❞ ❝ which would you prefer? to be loved or feared? ❞ ❝ i don’t know what to think of you. i don’t know what you are, or who it is you serve. ❞ ❝ well, the gods favor the bold. ❞ ❝ you’ve thrown it away. after all i’ve done for you. ❞ ❝ what if the hand that’s done it is not to be blamed? ❞ ❝ the desire to kill and burn takes hold and reason is forgotten. ❞ ❝ the gods punish us. they punish me. ❞ ❝ the path i walk has never been trod. ❞ ❝ well…no use wondering what might have been. ❞ ❝ tales take on a life of their own…like weeds. ❞ ❝ this is not the time for blind accusations. ❞ ❝ hm, you wish to be rewarded. ❞ ❝ they will underestimate you. and this will be your advantage. ❞ ❝ i hope you do not confuse mercy with pliancy. ❞ ❝ there is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin. ❞ ❝ i’ve never trusted you, wholly…much though i wished to, willed myself to. ❞ ❝ you can’t possibly still be angry about this. ❞ ❝ boldness is one thing, but overconfidence… ❞ ❝ this world is cold and cruel, and there are few in it who are steadfast. you, i think, are steadfast. ❞ ❝ do not coddle me. grant me at least that dignity. ❞ ❝ history will paint you a villain. ❞ ❝ do you cling, even now, to what you think you lost? ❞ ❝ a sense of humor would do you good. ❞ ❝ if the gods call me to greater things, who am i to refuse them? ❞ ❝ you have done something i feared impossible. ❞ ❝ i’m not entirely sure we can declare this a victory. ❞ ❝ you should’ve been at my side. ❞ ❝ i see all your great adventures have done nothing for your looks. ❞ ❝ a jest. one you may regret as you’re supping alone tonight. ❞ ❝ soon they will not even remember what it was that began the war in the first place. ❞ ❝ i don’t need their love. i need their swords. ❞ ❝ perhaps all men are corrupt…and true honor is a mist that melts in the morning. ❞ ❝ let us put all the old unpleasantness behind us. ❞ ❝ are you perhaps the culprit who has been tampering with my peace? ❞ ❝ every man has a weakness. ❞ ❝ everything i’ve given you, you’ve thrown back in my face. ❞ ❝ oh, take heart. you’ve already written yourself into legend. ❞ ❝ you wish to wash your hands of what you yourself set in motion. ❞

❝ war is coming to the whole of the realm. ❞ ❝ you are a strange kind of woman. ❞ ❝ there are those that have mistaken my caution for weakness. let that be their undoing. ❞ ❝ i think you used my words as an excuse to take your own revenge…to indulge the darkness you keep sheathed within you like a blade. ❞ ❝ i came here to raise swords, not corpses. ❞ ❝ i cannot blame anyone for doing what i myself would do if i could. ❞ ❝ we cannot all hide in our castles waiting for war to come to us. ❞ ❝ call it what you will…i call it war. ❞ ❝ have the indignities of your childhood not yet sufficiently been avenged? ❞ ❝ you mustn’t be shaken from this. ❞ ❝ is this an order or a request? ❞ ❝ and they will pay for this. ❞ ❝ i will not be thought weak. ❞ ❝ i mistrust this silence. ❞ ❝ oh, you make an art of provoking me. ❞

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝓣𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓮. [Running Free (Final)]

Decisions have to be made- you can't just run away from them.

Tags/Warnings: Hospital/Medical AU, Doctor!Jungkook, slightly aged up!Jungkook, Hybrid!Reader, Dog Hybrid!Reader, comfort, romance??, Fluff, happy end I guess, we finished another one yay

Length: 5k words

-> Masterlist

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You’re being released from the hospital this week.

He’s not too sure how he feels about it, but he knows it’s for the best. The longer you stay in, the more you gain the risk of catching an infection that’ll be resistant to most medication due to the natural environment of a hospital- and you also deserve to go home, wherever that might end up being.

He’ll miss the daily visits, and he will most of all miss the hospital- but he’s made his choice, long term wish of finally having his own office as a hybrid specialist in the city soon to be coming true. The building is currently being renovated from the core, to soon become a place where hybrids can finally be treated without having to have their owners or partners drag them hours away to another location. This had been his dream ever since he’s started med school-

And it looks like if everything goes smooth from now on, it’ll finally come true.

You on the other hand, clearly can’t wait to get outside.

After multiple sessions with a professional, you’ve slowly come to learn that most of the things you’ve been taught weren’t actually true at all. While it’s correct that certain hybrids can’t be outside alone, for most hybrids it’s just a general suggestion- there’s no law against going out alone. So now that you know that you can actually go outside, you constantly ask him if he’ll take you-

And he’d love to, but he just doesn’t have the time.

So instead you’ve gone out with Jimin a few times, while Jungkook would eagerly listen to all the fun stories the nurse would get to experience with you. If he was up for it, you’d probably be really happy with him- but Jungkook knows that Jimin has his reasons for not even thinking about taking you in.

“She’s scratching her ear a lot.” Jimin mentions at lunch, and Jungkook instantly focuses. “I think she might’ve either developed an ear infection or it’s something that’s been brewing for a while.”

“Well, her ears fold over quite a bit so it wouldn’t be surprising.” Jungkook hums as he eats his food. “And since she’s not been outside much her immune system probably isn’t the strongest. I’ll take a look at it later, see if it needs anything prescribed.” He offers, as Jimin falls quiet for a moment, watching the doctor. “what?”

“You have to let her get discharged-“ He starts, but Jungkook instantly shakes his head.

“I will, I will, I’d never do that.!” He argues. “I just want to make sure everything’s alright before she leaves.” He says quietly into his food.

“You could just take her home.” Jimin chuckles. “you’d get to make sure all the time then.” He teases, and Jungkook rolls his eyes.

“Its not that simple. I told you.” He reminds his older coworker, who nods.

“I know, sorry.” He brushes the topic off, before Jungkook’s name is being called out, making Jimin sigh with sympathy for his friend. “I’ll have them wrap it so you can heat it up later?” He asks, and Jungkook nods as he wipes his mouth already standing up.

“Thanks.”

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“hm, yeah, it all looks like it.” Jungkook hums as he inspects your ear, before taking out some cotton swabs and a cleaning solution. “But it’s not bad. Most likely just your immune system being a little over-protective.” He reassures you as he moves to put some of the cleaning solution on the ball of cotton.

“is that bad?” You wonder. “when will I be normal?”

“You’re already normal, don’t worry about that.” The doctor tells you before he holds up your ear to both clean and disinfect it- something you slightly move away from, as it’s uncomfortable. “no no, stay here, yeah?” He tells you, but it’s hard. “you’re doing great..” he mumbles the praise as he makes sure to do a good job while not taking longer than necessary. “Jimin said you saw ducks today?” He tries to distract you, and it seems to work.

“they were in a.. pond, nearby. But there was a fence so I couldn’t get close.” You explain, making Jungkook chuckle. It’s probably for the best you couldn’t- you could’ve fallen into the ice cold waters or gotten lost otherwise. You’re not used to being outside, and Jimin doesn’t have a good sense of what you’re capable of doing and where you should be more supervised than someone else.

You’re holding onto the pink and white little plushy, and he’s again reminded of his choice.

Did he make the right call? Hopefully, because he honestly doesn’t really think that a situation like this will ever truly reoccur like this again. But he had sat down yesterday to go through everything, just to come to a clearer answer for himself. This isn’t something to take lightly, and again, sometimes letting go is the best option to take.

For the rest of the day, you don’t see Jungkook anymore- and neither do you see him the day after, as you’re sitting on the edge of your bed, shoes on your feet and bag packed. Jimin had shed a few tears at seeing you go- but you told him you might visit without needing actual help for once.

The care worker looks nice. He’s wearing a jacket with an official emblem on it for hybrid social work- and he seems really friendly. “You ready?” He asks, and you nod-

There’s no use in waiting for something that won’t happen, after all.

In the small van, you watch all the people and cars pass you by, while the car radio plays slight music on low volume. “if you don’t like the place I’ll bring you, you can always call the number in the phone, okay?” the care worker says, and you nod. The phone you got has a very simplified, easy to understand user interface installed, so it didn’t take you too long to understand how it works. It’s still however quite odd to hold it in your hands.

Everything you thought you knew had been a lie.

“Don’t be afraid to speak up. We’re always just a call away.” He offers, before he parks in front of a tall apartment complex, fancy, high security. He’s being asked twice about where he wants to go and what his name is, as he walks around with you, elevator chiming happily before it opens.

Everything is so.. big. Fancy. Expensive. You shudder, as you remember the last time you’ve been to a place like this.

Will it be the same again? Someone rich and famous buying you just to lock you up and feed you lies? You worry. You really want to go back to the hospital.

When you walk out the elevator and wait in front of another door, you become anxious. But just for a moment, because you start to.. smell something.

And when the door opens, you finally know where you actually are-

As you stand right in front of doctor Jeon, who’s smiling kindly right at you and your wagging tail.

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Jungkook’s apartment is big, very high up in the tall building, and smells like him.

There’s a room just for you, and he’s also got many windows- from the regular balcony and smaller windows in your room, to large one’s going all the way from the floor to the ceiling, showing the tiny city below in the living room. You’re currently sitting on the floor right in front of them, as Jungkook approaches you, sitting down next to you. “You like the view?” He asks, and you nod.

“Do you think I can be an ant now, too?” you ask, and he looks at you a bit confused. “the people.. they look like ants.” You say, pointing to the people all the way down on the ground walking around despite the late hour.

“would you like to be one of them?” He wonders, having brought you a pillow to sit on now- one you happily take.

You nod. “they.. get to have phones. And they meet friends. Or eat at restaurants and drink. Or they buy large stuffed toys.” You explain, and Jungkook realizes that this must’ve been your standard.. or rather only form of entertainment up until now.

Instead of experiencing life, you only got to watch it in silence, secretly.

“Well, you already have a phone. And if you want, we can go eat at restaurants and cafes too- though I might not get you coffee.” He chuckles, watching you look at him now with drooping ears. “it’s bitter.” He explains, and you nod at that.

“Hm.. then maybe something else?” You ask. “but not chocolate. That makes me feel bad.” You tell him, and he internally cringes. Of course it makes you feel bad- you’re a hybrid, and therefore sensitive to it.

“we can check if a Café has hybrid alternatives. I’m sure there’s one.” He tells you, and you smile, tail swishing around a bit as you yawn. “now come on, let’s go to bed.” He says before he gets up, and you look up at him.

“Can I sleep here?” You ask, and much to your surprise, Jungkook nods easily.

“sure. I’ll put your mattress here then.” He offers as he disappears into your room to fetch just that and some bedding to make you comfortable.

This really is quite different from your old home.

You watch how he carefully creates a good bed for you on the floor in front of the window, not just slap everything down there and have you do it yourself. No, this is caring- he even brings out your pink and white plushy that you’ve been given back at the hospital, before he smiles at you who moves to crawl beneath the blankets. “if you need another blanket, there’s one on the couch. And if you end up not liking it here just wake me up and I’ll help you set up your bed in your room again-“ he explains, when your tail just starts wagging wildly beneath the thick bedding.

“Thank you “ You say, and he smiles gently, before he leaves you be.

Even long after he’s switched off his own lights as well, you’re still awake, watching the people down below go about their late night activities. From groups of friends drunkenly stumbling home to couples holding hands, office workers waving for a cab home and policemen patrolling to make sure everything’s alright.

You feel like right now, you’re just one of them as well. Just another being, existing in the same world and same universe as them, experiencing your own life.

And with Jungkook at your side, you already feel like this is going to be the best life ever.

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When you wake up the next morning, it’s slow. Steady. A smooth transition from dreaming to becoming conscious.

Your eyes are still closed while you realize someone’s touching you- but with no ill intentions. Instead, the hands simply adjust the blanket over your body, tucking it back into place so you won’t get cold. He makes no efforts to wake you up at all, instead, Jungkook simply rests a hand on you shoulder for a moment, before he leaves you be.

You can hear him do something in the open kitchen nearby. Your ears tilt towards him, a reaction out of your control.

When he sits down wit his coffee in hand on the couch nearby to watch TV, he catches your now opened eyes- and he smiles. “Good morning.” He offers, and your tail can’t help but react to it as it begins to wag beneath the covers. “slept well?” He asks, and you nod.

You look around for a clock.

“It’s a little past one PM.” He tells you, and you sit up straight at that, shocked. “don’t worry- if I’d wanted you to wake up earlier, I wouldn’t have let you sleep this long.” He reassures you, setting his mug down on the coffee table in front of him. “But it looked like you needed some proper rest, so I let you.”

“I'm sorry.” You mumble, looking to the other side to see the windows show almost nothing from the world outside, fog thick and heavy in the air.

“No need to be.” Jungkook promises. “if you want we can go out later- but the weather isn’t too nice, so we could also very much just stay in today.” He says.

“Don’t you have to work?” You ask, wondering how this will work out in the future as well. Will you have to stay home alone often? Will he at least let you look out of the windows in that case?

“I took my vacation and I’m also finally working on getting rid of all the overtime I’ve collected this year.” He chuckles. “Mostly to help you get used to things, and to.. You know, have you get to know me better.” Jungkook explains, and you nod.

“So... when you go to work again, I’ll stay at home?” You wonder, now relaxing again as a yawn interrupts your words a little, before you stretch your limbs, falling back down onto your makeshift bed.

“We’ll see. I might have someone check in on you once during the day, or I’ll take you to work with me. I’m not too sure about that yet- but we’ll figure it out along the way.” He reassures you. “Right now I believe you should get up and wake up properly, huh?” He laughs, as you nod, slowly standing up to roll up your bedding, struggling a bit to hold it all at once, before you walk into what he showed you is technically your room.

Jungkook smiles. Of course, you don’t have to do this- you could very much just leave it right there and he wouldn’t be bothered, but if this is something you want to do willingly, he will let you. It’ll be very helpful to get you into a comfortable routine as quickly as possible, so he can figure out if he can leave you by yourself, and if so, for how long.

He knows you’re a lot more independent and intelligent than your past owner thought you were- but you still haven’t ever had to live completely on your own, so no one, not even you yourself, knows how you’d handle that. If something was to happen, lets say you drop something in the kitchen and it breaks, it could very much send you into a panic and cause you to get hurt unintentionally. And with him not being home, this could become a problem.

But thats only something in his mind for now. He’ll figure this out somehow.

He has to.

When you come back out the bathroom after getting ready for the day, Jungkook can’t help but laugh a little, waving you closer to where he’s sitting on the sofa. “Turn around for me.” He chuckles, properly pulling your tail out through the designated opening in the back of your shorts. “There we go.” He says, and you sit down next to him now, looking at the windows.

“Why can’t I see the city anymore?” You ask him, and he sets down his coffee, cup now empty.

“Because the clouds are too thick.” He explains. “We’re basically in the middle of them, so that’s why you can’t see.”

“We’re in the clouds?” You ask, mesmerized, and he nods.

“We are.” He agrees.

“So if I went on the balcony, I could touch them?” You wonder, and he laughs.

“I mean, technically? But they’re not soft or anything, so you might be disappointed.” He warns you.

“But you’d let me on the balcony?” You ask, and he nods.

“Clouds are just wet though. You’ll just get a shower, basically.” He laughs under his breath, though he does walk into your room with you, to unlock the glass door to the balcony with a key. “Careful though. Can I hold your hand?” He asks, and you nod, though you clearly look confused. “Just so I feel a bit calmer.”

“Why you?” You ask, not really sure why he’d feel any better holding your hand. “Are you scared of the balcony?” You question him, but he shakes his head with a smile.

“No, but I’m scared of you falling.” He reveals.

“Oh.” You simply answer, taking his hand at that, before you step out into the cloudy outdoors-

But just for a moment, because you quickly realize that Jungkook was right-

Clouds aren’t all that fluffy at all.

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You’re out for the first time with Jungkook, and he has to admit, you’re nothing like he thought you’d be like.

You’re so incredibly great at controlling yourself and your reactions to things, always almost instinctively reaching for him if something becomes too much or if something makes you unsure. It makes him feel incredibly proud- because you clearly already have accepted him as your safety person, always relying on him if you feel like you can’t handle something. You always trust that he will do it for you- and he does, even if he only notices doing it in hindsight.

You sometimes seem to get a bit overwhelmed with eye contact from other hybrids and even humans, and he also notices the way you visibly shrink away from anybody trying to talk to you directly. Its most likely a trained response, taught to you with simple conditioning, and he feels a bit upset about it. But its not all that bad as he thought it might be- overall, you’re handling this day out very well.

You’re currently sitting in a hybrid friendly cafe, your eyes wide as you look at the delicately decorated milk foam on top of your hot chocolate that’s specifically made so that you won’t end up with a stomachache. Jungkook can’t help his smile as he watches you enjoy your little treat- the slice of cake you’re eating clearly being enjoyed to its maximum as you savor every bite.

“Did you know you can actually order all by yourself here?” Jungkook tells you, and your ears instantly tilt towards him at that, as you lick your lips clean of the milk foam from your cup.

“Really?” You wonder. “Me too?” You ask him, knowing very well that technically, hybrids of your category aren’t usually allowed to make any purchases by themselves.

But Jungkook nods. “They have a program here.” He explains. “Basically, I’ll pay upfront, and they’ll take your photo and ID so you can get food or something to drink here anytime you’d like, all on your own.” He informs you, and you nod, amazed.

He noticed that things like that make you feel good. Giving you any form of independence, even if it’s just a somewhat illusion, boosts your confidence. And he loves seeing that.

“But I always want to come here with you though.” You say.

“We can.” He nods happily.

“But I can order?” You ask, making him grin.

“Of course.” The doctor agrees. “I can get you an independence card too, once we both got more comfortable with each other.” He tells you.

“Why’re you doing all that?” You ask, a bit confused as you cut another piece of your slice of cake. “Like.. I always thought guys like it when their hybrids are all.. Dependent and stuff.” You shrug.

“Hm. Maybe because I like seeing you happy. And offering you these things makes you happy.” He explains his intentions.

“Would you ever like me as a girlfriend?” You bluntly ask, and Jungkook stutters in his movements a bit, caught entirely off guard. He’s never really ever thought about that at all, and he’s not sure if he really could- but he can’t deny that he does like you, a lot, already. Not to that degree, but he has to admit-

That could change.

“I’m.. Not sure yet.” He admits. “I can’t tell you a full on answer yet. Why do you ask?” He wonders, and you shrug.

“Just asking.” You tell him. “I’ve been told that hybrids can’t be real girlfriends.” You just say, and he fills in the blanks inside his head by deciding that this narrative must’ve been fed to you by your past owner. It’s a common thing a lot of people who’ve never met any hybrid personally say- because they believe that hybrids are nothing but abominations, or forever unable to really decide anything for themselves, when in reality, this isn’t true at all. Just like regular people, hybrids are all different- some will always have to rely on people, while others don’t need any help at all. There’s even hybrids who have full work permits, live on their own, have families and normal average lifes. It’s more common than one might think.

“That’s not true.” Jungkook denies.

“But like, could a hybrid and a normal person even have children?” You ask, and Jungkook nods.

“There’s evidence that hybrid-human pregnancies are generally safe and usually progress normally. The children inherit some hybrid traits depending on gender of the parent and child themselves, but it’s a lot less and therefore especially the visual traits are typically a lot less prominent.” He rants, taking a sip of his iced coffee before he continues. “It’s actually really interesting, because the children usually end up a lot more resilient to common infections like the flu or the common cold- but it’s not very clear as to why. I personally think it might be because viruses that infect humans behave differently in hybrids- so maybe because of that they’re less vulnerable to these things. They do however show up with problems more common in hybrids though, like eye problems or psychological issues.” He continues, and only after a moment or two does he notice you’ve stopped eating, now just watching him with a smile on your face. “...sorry. I was kind of getting lost there..” He apologizes, but you just laugh, tail wagging wildly.

“No, no, go on!” You cheer him on. “I love that face you make when you talk about stuff you like.” You say.

“The face I make?” He chuckles. “What face do I make?”

“I don’t know- your eyes sparkle, and they get all round. And you gesture with your hands.” You explain. “I didn’t understand most of it, but I’ll still listen.”

And Jungkook smiles.

Because honestly-

That's all he could ever ask for.

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Jungkook has definitely changed his mind on you now, almost a month after living together with you.

You’re very open with your affection towards him, a whole lot better at sensing someone’s attraction than a normal human would be, since you don’t really care about what he could be implying with his words- you only take into account what you know how to interpret. And that’s other cues, like body language, scent, and actions.

You don’t try and read between the lines- you just see things for what they are. And apparently, he’s not very good at hiding any of his growing feelings towards you at all.

And with your confidence rising under his care, you’ve become a real threat to his sanity he feels like- because you’re actively flirting with him, finding way after way to make him flustered left and right, always catching you off guard. And the worst part is that he slowly leans into it, accepting it, and also has begun to initiate such contact as well.

Well, its not really a ‘worst’ part. If anything, it feels like he finally found what he’s subconsciously always been looking for.

You’ve been sneaking your way into his bed at night- and somehow, that evolved into you permanently sleeping next to him in his bed, something that you both just quietly agreed on. This is however, right now, the first time you’re both actively cuddling- slowly testing the water so to speak as you quietly take new steps towards each other. Nothing has to be said in this moment- there's no words needed to really communicate with each other.

He’s never seen you this close, and neither have you.

His hand slowly moves to hold yours, before you place your palm on his, comparing your hand sizes before you giggle still a little sleepy. He doesn’t know why, but somehow, he just feels like its the right thing to do in this moment, as he pulls your hand closer to kiss the back of it, eye contact he holds with you visibly sending out the message he wants to with success as your eyes widen, before you smile a bit shy.

He already has plans on how to incorporate you into his work in the future, so he can always have you somewhat at his side, while also giving you a genuine task you can manage.

You suddenly move closer to him, as he lays on his back now, you hugging him closely so you’re almost halfway on top of him, basking in the physical contact you have with him. You’re both only dressed in comfortable sleeping clothes, nothing but underwear and lazy shirts, and you love this. It’s like you’re currently living in a vacuum, time having no meaning, outside world simply waiting for you both to be ready to continue at any time.

But for now, you just want to stay like this. Close to him.

And its also very clear that he doesn’t mind this situation either- not one bit, as he initiates contact as well, hand running over the length of your arm as he leans his head close to yours. “We have to get up soon.” He tells you, and your ears instantly move towards the sound of his voice, though you whine in protest, clinging to him now. “We can’t stay in bed all day.”

“Why not?” You wonder, leaning your chin on his shoulder. “I like being in bed with you.” You say, wagging tail making it clear that you’re very aware of how this sentence could also be interpreted.

“Do you?” He answers, not backing down anymore as he usually would. “we’re just being lazy. That’s boring, no?” He asks, and you laugh a little, before turning onto your back next to him.

“Well, yeah. But it doesn’t have to be.” You propose, and at that he moves now, leaning over you ad he looks at you beneath him.

“You’re right.” He agrees, voice low because with you being this close, there’s no need for much volume in his words. “I could think of a few things we could do.” He purrs down at you, and you grin, comfortable and even excited. You know exactly what this could mean, and you’re actively seeking this out- you know he likes you in a more personal manner than just hybrid and caretaker. This is so much more than that already.

He just needs to give you a sign- and this might be it.

“Such as?” You ask him, clearly expecting something from him. And he knows what it is.

Wordlessly leaning in to kiss you-

An action that’s instantly returned, in a silent confession of love.

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“this is such a genius idea.” Jimin says, watching you effortlessly keep the young hybrids occupied in the waiting area, while Jungkook goes through patient after patient. “They’re so calm like this. No wonder you’ve become the most sought after doctor for young hybrids.” He tells the younger doctor, who smiles at the scene in the waiting room- all the usually very fidgety hybrids of different kinds listening to you telling them a story, visualized by some stuffed animals you’re holding.

“I couldn’t do it without her.” Jungkook simply says.

“Well, I’ll have to go start my shift in the ER, or Yoongi will rip my head off.” Jimin laughs, before he waves at you, and then Jungkook. “take care!” He says as he leaves-

And Jungkook smiles, as he waves his friend and former coworker goodbye.

"Take care.”

[thousand-winters]

One of the most unsettling things about Belos making grimwalkers over and over and over again, aside from the obvious, is what he had to do with the materials.

The ortet bones? Well, I guess he could have plenty from Caleb's skeleton or even from the dead grimwalkers if he ever had to get to that point.

The selkidomus scales? Depending on the quantity he needed, even killing one selkidomus would last him for a while if he preserved the scales really well, though it also seems like they're not all that common by the time the story takes place, so there are chances he hunted them too much and put the species at risk.

Palistrom wood? Now that one was definitely scarce at this point, but of course it seems like he exploited that resource over and over and over too, either in the form of consuming palismen or using it for the grimwalkers.

The galderstones? Potentially he could have found a bunch of those, though we do know he was probably running out of them or no longer had any by the time of the story since Adrian does mention galderstones would make a good gift for the emperor, implying it might be known that Belos wants galderstones.

But the stonesleeper lungs...

There weren't even many anymore in the Deadwardian era, absolutely not nearly enough for the sheer amount of grimwalkers he made and killed.

So there are two options there. An elaborate explanation relating to how the EC was able to revive basilisks again (and how it seemed for some reason on that one HM memory portrait that Flora, aka Beastkeeper, had some huge relevance to Belos), which could have made it possible for Belos to recreate the stonesleepers exclusively to use them as resources, since to people like Lilith they were all but extinct.

Or...

He just. Pulls out the lungs out of each grimwalker he kills. Which is a way more horrifying possibility, but what else could he do...

[paladin-heart5]

Dream Come True

Husband Leon Kennedy x Reader!

Summary; You and Leon enjoy the life of having a baby.

Word count: 1.1k

You sit on the couch with your babygirl in your arms. A sweet little infant, cooing as you sing softly to her. Bright blue eyes and a cute nose to match her father's, and soft hair identical to yours. Her tiny hand holding your finger, you smile. She's so precious, and you couldn't be happier than to have made a little miracle with your husband. 

Leon enters your shared home with a heavy sigh. His eyes are droopy from lack of sleep, and he's all dirty. A two day mission may not seem like much, but it was messy, and he hated to be away from his girls. But as he looks forward, he melts. His achy muscles slowly begin to relax at the sight of his wife and child. Your voice is melodic, a lullaby that could put him to sleep faster than the baby. His feet bring him forward without having to think. Hearing footsteps, you look up and smile softly. 

“Hello, my love.” You hum excitedly, lifting the baby up more. Leon smiles and leans down to kiss you. Not just a quick, but a loving kiss, enough to taste the familiar cherry chapstick you always wear. Makes you soft and sweet, just like your personality. He couldn't imagine falling out of love. 

“Hey, baby. How are you holding up? You should be resting.” Leon says softly, placing a hand on your cheek. You lean into it and let out a breath of content. You've only been out of the hospital for three weeks, but you feel better. However, your husband thinks you need to be pampered a little longer.

“I'm alright, really. By the looks of it I should be asking you the same thing… oh! Look look,” You eagerly look at your daughter and coo at her. “Hey June, daddy's home! Say hi! You can do it, sweetie.” The baby looks at him and moves her arms around a bit, smiling. After a moment, she coos at him. Leon swears his heart explodes at the adorable sound.

“Holy shit,” The shock in his tone is evident, but you give him a stern look.  “Language, sorry.” He chuckled nervously. He slowly holds his finger out, June grabs it before trying to suck on it. Leon pulls back as soon as he notices, with how gross he is, definitely not risking his baby girl's health. June makes a frowny face before she starts crying. Leon's eyes widen as you tilt your head.

“Someone's hungry.” You hum as you go to lift your shirt so you can breastfeed her. Leon blinks as he watches, but snaps himself out of it. 

“Sorry, honey.” He apologizes softly, running a hand through his hair. You chuckle softly.

“Don't be, Lee. I've got an idea, how about we all take a shower when she's done, hm? I think the skin to skin time will be good for getting her to sleep. I've been having a hard time.” You suggest, making Leon light up at the idea.

“I'll go get our clothes.” He holds back his excitement back just a bit as he goes to get your stuff together.

—----

You gently wash your body while Leon holds June to his shoulder, swaying under the warm water. It seems to be relaxing her very well. You smile at the sight, Leon looks so sweet. He's like a gentle giant, holding such a tiny being. Your heart just swells. You take the time to gently wash him up too.

“You're doing so well with her.” You comment, earning a smile from your husband. “You think so?” He asks softly.

“I know so, she adores you as much as I do.” Your hand trails down his muscular arms as he continues to sway. You then look down at yourself, rubbing a hand over your stomach. Your body is partially back to normal, with the additional stretch marks. You're doing your best to get used to the new image of your body. Leon glances over and notices this, he smiles and carefully turns to you.

“Thank you.” He whispers, reaching for your stomach. You look at him and blink for a moment, trying not to back away shyly.

“What for?” You ask quietly, tilting your head slightly.

“For loving me, marrying me, giving me the opportunity to be a father. I always wondered what it'd be like to have this kind of life. You gave me a safe space to come home to, another reason to protect. And hell, we made a beautiful baby.” Leon pours his heart out into you, his eyes shine brighter every sentence. You swear he puts you under a spell with those ocean eyes. A blush creeps its way into your cheeks, a smile following behind. Before you can think of a response, he continues.

“I'd go to the ends of the earth for you and this child. I want you to know that. I love you no matter what. I meant it in those vows, you're the light of my life. Funny, kind, sexy.” He smirks as he rubs your hip. You giggle, looking away all shy and giddy. He makes you look back up at him and gives you a kiss.

“Okay okay,” You whisper, glancing at the baby. “I think we're clean, let's put the baby to bed.” Leon nods and turns off the water. You quickly grab the towel blanket for the baby and wrap her up. She starts to coo again, her eyes growing heavy.

“I know, sweetie.” You dry her up gently and get her ready for bed. Leon watches you with adoring eyes, he goes to dry you up before himself.

“We don't have to put her in the crib yet.. right?” He asks with pouty lips. You chuckle and shake your head.

“No, but we will soon.” You look at him, he makes a frowny face and pulls you both in for a hug, obviously trying not to crush the baby. You smile and kiss his jaw before you both take turns getting dressed. You begin to hum as you get June to her bassinet, carefully setting her. Leon wraps his arms around you from behind and admires. 

“It feels like a dream, am I dreaming?” You ask him softly. Leon chuckles and kisses your neck, making you shiver.

“Nope, not dreaming.” You state with a dreamy sigh. Leon takes your hand and leads you to the bed. You both get under the covers and cuddle. The warmth is instant when you're in your husband's arms, his strong muscles make you feel safe.

“I never wanna let go.” He whispers, kissing the top of your head. You look up at him. “Me neither.”

[fraugwinska]

Chapter 21 - Breakthrough

Breakthrough (noun) 1. [general] A sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development

Tags & Warnings: none

"... and Aunt Susan had to swat him with our broom to get him to leave me alone, can you believe it? Some guys won't take a 'No' as an answer, but who'd want to marry a boring dud like Gustav? Much less when there are much more handsome and dapper gentlemen out there?"

Alastor blinked – one eye after the other - smiling politely, but as he listened to the babbling of that gossiping windbag Gladys, he felt more and more annoyed. There weren't many creatures in hell that he would endure the auditive torture of getting his ears chewed off while the wretch basically undressed him with her dead, black eyes for - but Rosie was one of them, and Alastor knew he had monopolized Gem for the last weeks, so a few minutes alone with her was the least he could grant his oldest companion. Still, he knew this was also Rosie’s form of punishment - and what a punishment it was. The women of cannibal town were always persistent enough whenever he came around, but Gladys... well, she took his rumored desirability as a bachelor to a whole new level. Whenever Alastor set foot into Cannibal Town, Gladys would rush out in search for him, like a damn bloodhound. Luckily for him, his shadows provided the means for quick escapes and avoiding any unnecessary encounters, and usually Rosie too would hold her at bay.

But now, he needed his full concentration and discipline to appear nonchalant, only letting out short, appropriate sounds as the scarecrow of a lady continued to chatter, eyeing him down and making suggestive remarks with an obvious wink.

Satan, that woman was really trying too hard.

He knew a good hour must have passed, surely this had to suffice, and he gave a quick cough to interrupt Gladys mid-babbling. "Ah, would you look at the time! Apologies, but I have to retrieve my assistant and return to my hotel."

Gladys wrinkled her nose in discontent. "But Alastor - we barely even talked for... " her boney hands pulled out a pocket watch from her childishly ruffled skirt pocket, "... ten minutes.

Only ten minutes? Huh. Well, that had to do. Alastor wouldn't stay a minute longer in the vicinity of this vulture, even if he'd risk Rosie's annoyance. It would be a cheap price to pay, given the alternative. "Oh, nonsense dear - when in your company, mere minutes can feel like eternity! Ha-ha, but I mustn't hold you off from looking for that catch of a man any longer. Wish that fella good luck from me if you find him!" And, as he turned and hurried to Rosie’s backrooms as quick as decorum allowed, ignoring her angry protests, he murmured to himself "The poor bastard is gonna need it."

As he swept the curtain back and stepped back into the warmth of the parlor, he scanned the room. Empty. Hm. He felt his ears itching, a sign that his patience was running dangerously thin.

"Rosie, my dear? Kitten? Where in the seven circles are you now?"

No answer came, but his erect ears caught something faint - almost like a breeze. Then he heard your voice. Or several? And... was that Rosie? He stepped closer, slowly as his curiosity awoke, towards the only other door leading out of her parlor, the one leading upstairs into Rosie’s private apartment. As he got nearer, he could hear it clearly now. Rosie speaking - encouraging, softly, gentle even... he reached for the doorknob as he felt a shift, a burst of sudden, powerful magick and energy and he smelled, felt and tasted the signature essence of her. Gem. His gem.

Losing any dignity he had, he almost ripped the door from its hinges, storming in and staring wide eyed at the spectacle happening before him. A smile stretched across his face, wide, sharp teeth showing and his pupils taking over his whole eyes, a wave of awe and adoration rippled through his being.

Gem had produced another copy. A yellow one, shining and sparkling like gold coated in iridescent powder. They were staring at each other, her eyes, shifting through the color wheel, fixated on her counterpart, who beamed back at her. He felt the pull again, the need to touch it, feel it, devour it - but as he took a step, Rosie shook her head, holding up a hand and spoke in a calm, but warning tone "Alastor. Wait. Let her try something. Please."

He took a deep, snarling breath, fighting the urge to ignore her. But he halted. Waited.

The room was quiet for a moment, still in a way that almost seemed like the whole of hell held its breath. Then, both of them looked at him. The alive eyes of his darling kitten, and the glittering ones of the copy. The latter started to move, so different than her rosy counterpart did. While the one Alastor had met moved like a snake, slow and seductively, teasing and flowing like a silken scarf caught in a gush of wind - This one moved like a ray of sunshine in a mirror - flittering, quickly and light-footed, almost as if it was bouncing off light itself. Three heads followed her movement, Rosie's face full of enchantment, Gem's full of concentrated tension. And his? What did he look like, he wondered, watching the alter ego coming towards him? The energy moving closer made him unable to think about anything but sheer, possessive delight. And pride. Gem was his, and this version of her was part of her, so he had to possess it too.

The golden copy took a last step towards him, her smile as bright as hells sun. She opened her mouth, and the short hairs on the back of his head stood when he heard her voice - like an echo of the familiar, soft voice of her, getting lost in a crystalline grotto, reflected through stone and water, but clearly audible:

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻. 𝓖𝓮𝓶 𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝔀𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓮 𝓾𝓼, 𝓼𝓸 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽: 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓮.

He couldn't take the suspense a second longer. His control slipped and his shadows leapt out to take her and bring her to him, into his grasp, not caring for Rosie's warning anymore as his main focus was on this beauty that his Gem had created, and the need to have it consuming him. But as his black appendages so much as touched her, she shattered into shards of gold, and broke into shimmering dust as he heard a laugh like a faint bell that quickly faded into thin air. Alastor cursed silently, the anticipation and eagerness he had felt turning into bittersweet disappointment, and the crackle of energy in the air turning into nothingness. Sabotaged by his own greediness.

He sighed, turning to the tutting sound of Rosie, but instead of the reproachful gaze and frown he expected, she looked smug and quite pleased with herself.

His gem however looked shaken, wide eyed, as if she was unsure if she was allowed to feel accomplished or not and searching his eyes for guidance. That she still was ever so submissive and molding to his whims as the day he met her made his stirring mind calm and his chest tight. "Well, would you look at that. You finally did it, darling." He commented, still holding his smile as steady as he could, his head tilted in amazement as those few words seemed to wash away all the insecurities that had been written all over her face.

"I-I did it." She said, voice small, and he could see the hint of a flush on her cheeks and neck, the sight causing his grin to widen as Rosie pinched her cheeks. "Yes you did, and how marvelous it was, dove! That darling Citrine is lovely, and the others will sure follow suit. Oh! Meeting them will be so exciting!"

Alastor only understood half of what was said. The ghosting jolts of energy still sparked around him as Rosie and his kitten had to fill the unnerving gaps of information about what had happened to get to this point. It irked him that he hadn't been here to see it all unfold, curse that hag Gladys for keeping him away and Rosie for sending him to her in the first place. The snarl growing was instantly erased when her vivid eyes found his, flashing in golds and pinks.

Forget the momentary disappointment, he reminded himself - this was a welcome, exciting development. The copies of her had some sort of sentience - not much unlike his own magick, which filled him with a smug sense of satisfaction. He should've been at least miffed about Rosie interfering in her training and taking a lead, but he couldn't bring himself to be. After all, maybe Gem needed a more gentle and... less possessive approach to foster what Alastor had intended to teach her. And if she could do it once, she could do it again, that he was sure of. The seed had been planted – and despite this little mishap, Alastor would make sure that no one else but HIM would be the one to nurse it to bloom.

Alastor bridged the short distance to the seating area, patting his lovely lynx's head in passing before he decidedly sat down in the one-seater and crossed his legs, leaning back with an expectant look and folded hands.

"So, now that praise has been sufficiently distributed: Would either of you lovely ladies be so kind to bring me up to speed?"

You felt weird. Good or bad weird, you weren't totally decided on.

Seeing your mother again, so vividly you even felt her gentle hands around you as you remembered the last real hug you got from her before you abandoned her and left for the Academy had sparked something in you. Something so powerful you felt like you split in half. And you had, in a way. It wasn't like the last times when those strange you-s appeared. You almost felt as if she was asking you for permission to show herself, vibrating inside you with the want to come out, and you had allowed her. Remained conscious while you had stared at the dark, yellow thing piecing itself together before you.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you. We all are." she had said in your voice. Different, slightly, but so remarkably you still.

"We?" You heard Rosie whisper next to you, but you didn't care to turn and look at her. All your attention was on her.

She chuckled, and held out her hand for you.

"The rest of us. You. I'm only one of many. You can call me Citrine."

Your arm lifted, slowly, as if not under your own control. It felt so surreal, her fingers brushing over yours. She was solid. Real. Not a dream.

"You're beautiful." Words just fell out of your mouth, and her clinking laughter rang through the air.

"Yes, you are." Citrine smiled at you. "Just as mom said - we learned to shine, right?"

It felt so right, and yet, not at all, to hear her talk to you, with your voice, your expressions. Talking about mom. It hurt. And yet, it didn't. It was confusing, but the way she felt so much like a part of you, so connected, it felt... good.

"What..." Your voice was a dry rasp as licked your lips in a nervous attempt to find the right words. "What is happening?"

"You are the one calling the shots, love." Rosie answered. She too was fixated on the shimmering figure, who turned her head to Rosie, a smile on her face. "She's right. You're our conductor, Gem. We are a reflection of you, parts at least."

As if in agreement, the voices in your head hummed in an overstimulating symphony, making your head fuzzy with noise.

‘A reflection.’  Your voice that wasn’t you echoed.

‘We are you.’

‘You are us.’

‘Parts of you.’

‘Light and Darkness...’

You opened your mouth to say something, but there was a bang and a voice that was as familiar as your own. You turned and saw him, and the way the shadows swirled around him, his red eyes fixated on the glittering being you had conjured up. Alastor looked...

‘Hungry.’  A voice whispered, and the others giggled.

‘Desperate.’

‘Fascinated.’

‘Dangerous.’

‘Perfect."

You blinked as Rosie said something you didn't really registered. Citrine was still staring at you, waiting. Waiting for you to tell her what to do. You could feel it, the energy flowing between the two of you, connecting you like a bridge. You wondered...

You concentrated, detaching your thoughts from the still chattering choir inside to visualize your own, stronger and clear through the noise. 'You... can you... go over to him? Talk to him?'

Citrine grins happily at you, almost glowing. 'Of course, I'd love to! What you want me to say?' you heard her answer in your mind, clear as day over the hum of the others.

You thought for a moment. 'Just... tell him who you are?'

Citrine nodded.

Then she was gone. She moved like sunshine, like light dancing on a water surface, and before you knew it, she had skipped over to Alastor. She said something, and you saw his shadows burst out to reach for her and she vanished into a golden sparkle, like dust particles in the sun. It all happened so fast, the moment so overwhelming that you felt like you could've missed it if you blinked.

Alastor was staring at the space where Citrine had been and it made your heart drop that he looked almost offended. Was he mad? Displeased that you did what he intended for you to do without his presence? Did he feel like you disobeyed him? Or worse... that you disappointed him?

"Well, would you look at that. You finally did it, darling."

His words extinguished the flames licking at your insides, and you felt relief and exhilaration rushing through you.

"I-I did it." You stuttered. He was proud, not angry. You hadn't disappointed him.

"Yes, and how marvelous it was, dove! That darling Citrine is lovely, and the others will sure follow suit. Oh! Meeting them will be so exciting!" Rosie clasped her hands together in glee, the corners of her eyes wrinkling and her lips forming an excited, wide grin. You were happy to see her so enthusiastic, but Alastor interrupted the moment with a loud clearing of his throat.

"So, now that praise has been sufficiently distributed: would either of you lovely ladies be so kind to bring me up to speed?"

You sat down, glad that Rosie did all the talking. You were still a bit out of it, trying to process everything that just happened, and it didn't help that the voices in your head were still talking wildly and in such a fast succession that it was hard to pick up a full sentence.

"So... that's about the gist of it. I thought I could help her tap into her powers, since, well..." Rosie gestured between you both, barely hiding the knowing smile tugging at her lips "... your approach might've been too... charged?"

You felt your cheeks flushing slightly at the obvious indication, but Alastor looked unperturbed, save a barely visible tic of his eye.

"Very helpful indeed." he stated, and the cannibal overlord giggled behind her hand as he rolled his eyes and adjusted his monocle in defiance of having to outright thank her.

Rosie hummed and brushed her shoulders against yours with a wink, a silent sign of 'Don't worry about him, we all know the truth.' and you felt yourself relax a bit.

"But I think it's about time we have to return to the hotel, dearest. We still have to report our plentiful successes to the princess, and we're already fashionably late." He pushed himself out of the arm chair, and you hurriedly sprang up at the flick of his wrist motioning you to follow him. Rosie huffed, half-annoyed and half-amused at the sudden rush her oldest friend seemed to be in, and lead you back down the staircase and through the still buzzing shop, throwing an unnerved and approaching Gladys a razor-sharp smile full of condescended pity as the three of you passed her and her friends. Rosie opened the shop doors, the bell over it chiming brightly while she bowed down to hug you goodbye.

"Alright, off you go. But visit more often, do you hear me, mister? That goes for you too, dove - don't leave me waiting to see you so long again, alright? You have my permission to nag his fluffy ears off if he holds you too... busy." Her eyes darted over at the broad man next to the two of you, twinkling with mischief while the tensed grin persisted on his face as he took your arm, leading the both of you to the sidewalk outside.

"What a threat, dear friend - I shall wear earmuffs in the future then." You almost laugh out loud, not expecting the joke, and the twitch of his hand on your arm and the softening lines around his eyes tell you he notices it. Relieved, you feel him relax a bit too, and he sounded more like his usual self when he added "Cross my heart, you'll see us both soon enough…"

Ozul slithered up your leg with a happy fizz while his shadows engulfed you, his sandy warmth making you shiver as Alastor wraps one arm around your waist to pull you closer to him. "…at the latest at the Blue Moon Ball. Toodle-oo!" He sing-songed and with a loud crack of thin air being forced to separate, the streets of Cannibal Town and Rosie’s bellowed laughter were left behind and the world went dark and directionless again, with him as your only anchor. Suddenly your ears popped from a sudden pressure shift and you were back in front of the Hazbin Hotel.

You staggered slightly as the dizzy wave of your travel wore off. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that kind of extraordinary transportation.", you murmured, letting your fingers run over Ozul’s head in a silent thank you as the shade hummed and retreated from your feet once you stood steadily enough.

Alastor grinned, one of his hands running through the loosened strands of hair that had escaped your neatly tied ponytail throughout the day's progress. "It's an acquired form of mobility you'll surely get the hang of one day. If the successes of today are any indicators - you're very capable to master any kind of extraordinary." One of his claws ran down the side of your neck, the other was still holding you pressed against him as if he was reluctant to let go. His voice dropped low and became the unusual kind of smooth that had become so dangerously addicting to you, its deep vibrations sending goosebumps over your arms and the back of your neck. "But I think we should postpone this particular discussion for a later time - our friends are surely waiting and we shall not waste the opportunity to gloat about our accomplishments today."

Your face flushed at the obvious praise and you felt a slight flutter in your chest as he released you, the familiar hand on your lower back returning as he led you to the front doors and opened them for you with such soft eyes you thought they must’ve been an imagination.

The instant change of atmosphere felt tangible as soon as the two of you entered the lobby. While the lobby was abandoned and empty, you saw Angel, his back to you and with slumped shoulders at the bar, with a concerned looking Husk behind it. The cat demon had a rag thrown over his shoulder and a half-empty whiskey bottle and two tumblers in his paws, his brows furrowed as he talked to the spider-demon sitting at his counter.

"Listen, I'm sure yo' can talk to her, or him, or whatever the fuck, about this mess, okay?"

"No! I can't!!!”, Angel whined, “Husky, you know her by now - she'd… she’d want to help, and I can't - I can't let her get involved with..."

"Talk to who about what?" you asked into the hall, ignoring the wave of annoyed static next to you. Husk looked up to see the both of you and sighed, putting the rag down on the counter, while Angel seemed to fold into himself even more, turning away from you even more as you hurried to his side.

"Ah, it's nothing, Rocks. Jus'... work-stuff has been rough today. I better get to bed, it's..."

You grabbed his shoulder as he tried to stand up and get away, and your eyes widened, burning with anger when you saw blue and purple bruises scattered around his neck like inky paint. With nimble fingers, your free hand came up to hover over the marks - hand marks.

"Angel, who did that? What.... what happened?"

"It's nothing!", he insisted, still avoiding to look into your eyes, but in twisting his body to wiggle out of your grasp he revealed his face just enough for you to spot a blooming black eye.

"Nothing?! Angel, that doesn't look like nothing at all! What's going on?"

Husk looked at him, and then at you. His frown grew deeper, and his paw clenched tighter around the whiskey bottle as Alastor joined the bar silently.

"If you don't tell her, I will." Husk said, his voice low and even despite the furious look Angel shot him.

"Keep ya' nose outta my business, whiskers. I said it's nothing. I just - fuck, I jus' wanna drop out of that stupid show. I got too much work stuff goin' on, Rocks. I - I'll explain later, I have to go. We'll talk later."

With a swift move the spider demon finally got free of your grasp, snatched the bottle of booze from the bar top and rushed out of the lobby.

"Explain what?! Angel! Angel, wait!" A hand on your shoulder kept you from running after him. You whipped around to see that it wasn't Alastor but Husk that held you back, his face resigned and tired.

"I wouldn't. That's one conversation he clearly isn't ready to have with yo' now, kid."

Your ears flattened, and the fur of your tail bristled with a mix of frustration and anxiety. The exhilaration of the day was gone, replaced by worry and confusion. Alastor took Angel's empty glass in hand, swirling the remaining brown liquid around as he sat down on the counter.

"Well, luckily you offered so generously to fill us in, Husker."

The cat demon huffed and returned to his place behind the bar, his gaze lingering on you, as he took the glass out of the radio demon's hand and replaced it with a fresh, filled one, before pouring himself a good amount and knocking it back.

"I'd rather just talk to her, but I guess the 'us' is necessary with this one... C’mon, sit down, doll, and let me fix yo’ a drink – yo’ gonna need it."

[slayfics]

Okay, a sudden idea just popped up in my head. You can write this anytime you want or you can just ignore it but if your interested in writing, how about reader who is on the verge of death, gets saved by muichiro ? How would he react ? Or what would he do in a situation like that ? Your fanfics are what motivates me as a writer !! I literally became on because I wanted to be like you 😭❤️

Muichiro saves you.

Warnings: blood

This was by far the most challenging demon you had ever fought. You were struggling to keep up with its moves, and multiple times you had brought your blade down on its neck only to be unable to slash it.

Think- You thought to yourself. What would Muichiro do?

You suddenly had an idea come to mind. The final Mist Breathing form Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds. It was a dangerous idea, you had only managed to use it properly once. The move focused on confusing the demon on your position then when you finally do go in for the strike you are extremely slow.

It was risky- if you didn't do it right you'd for sure be dead. But you had to try something you were losing stamina fast and wouldn't be able to do anything else soon.

On a whim, you attempted the Seven Form giving it everything you got. You spun around the demon which worked to confuse it. Seeing your opening you finally went in for the strike. The demon being taken off guard had barely any time to react, but still, it was not enough.

As your blade finally came down slicing the demon's head off, the demon at the same time went to strike you, hitting a vital organ. The demon's head fell to the floor disintegrating at once, and you fell down next to it.

Shit- I'm going to die, you realized. It wouldn't be long before you'd bleed out from your injury. Using the strength you had left you focused your breathing on slowing the bleeding. If you could hold out long enough, maybe just maybe another corps member would find you.

It didn't take long before in the distance you heard someone approaching. You felt your heart skip a beat at your good fortune. Much longer and you would have not made it. I hope this is an experienced corps member you thought, just as you were met with the sight of Muichiro looking down at you.

His eyes instantly widened in alarm at the state you were in and he dropped to the floor next to you.

"Keep focusing on your breathing," He instructed as he ripped off one of his sleeves and tied it around your injury to put pressure.

As grateful as you were that Muichiro had found you, you couldn't help but feel embarrassed that you had been so badly injured by not even an upper-rank demon.

"I'm sorry tok-," You began to say but Muichiro brought a finger to your lips shushing you.

"Do not apologize, you risked your life to slay a demon. That is what any Hashira would have done."

You felt a smile spread on your lips at his praises but slowly your vision began to blur.

"Keep focusing on your breathing, and I'll get you to the butterfly mansion as soon as possible," he said, gently grabbing you into his arms. Upon picking you up in his arms Muichiro realized how bad off you were. You didn't even have the strength to hold your head up or wrap your arms around him for support.

Muichiro carefully placed the weight of your head against his chest and his arm, keeping your head upright to avoid any choking. Once he felt comfortable with how secure you were, he took off in the direction of the butterfly mansion.

"Alert Miss Kocho we are coming," He said to his crow who swiftly flew ahead.

Muichiro continued to make his way as fast as he could without disturbing you in your arms. Even with his swift pace you were beginning to lose consciousness and started to come to terms with possibly dying.

"Tokito-" You called in barely above a whisper.

"Hm?" He glanced at you then back up, continuing to run.

"I- I'm glad it's you here with me- if this is my last-"

"No!" He yelled. "We still have so much to do together, do not even begin to say such things!" Tears swelled up in his eyes. "Just keep focusing on your breathing, save all your strength for that! We're almost there!" He looked down at you once more seeing the sleeve he had tied around you was now soaked through as was his own uniform where he was holding you. Yet your soft breathing continued, you followed his orders and did not give up just yet.

Finally passing through the gates of the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu was ready and waiting. Instantly taking you to bed and getting to work attending to your wound.

"She'll be alright?" Muichiro asked, voice shaking.

"I'm going to try my best, it's a wonder she survived this long," Shinobu answered.

Thank you for the request Kye! You’re too sweet ahhh! You’re doing amazing with your own fics keep it up! For anyone that hasn’t check out @sleepykye fics! Her work is so unique and adorable~

Tags~

@aeolia18 @yandere-kou @sakurasunkiss @hashiroses @plvuii @snowmist-hashira

[timothee-chalamets-girlfriend]

Paul Atreides X Reader (Dune)

Part 1: Caladan

     Paul Atreides' feet dangle from his bed as he rests in slumber. The blanket was on his body's top half, but he had kicked it off his bottom half. He was a restless sleeper. This was because of strange dreams he would have. They were always changing, but most made him uncomfortable. This has been going on since he was a child, yet some of his dreams still shock him. 

    Outside of House Atreides, the sun was beginning to rise. It had been a cool night, causing drops of dew to form on the soft grass. The ocean water can be heard roaring against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, a high tide was coming in. Luckily the cliff House Atreides sat on was the highest on Caladan. Not only was it protected from water, it's protected from any kind of threat that may arise. Paul's father, Leto Atreides, had done all he could to keep his royal family safe. However, part of him knew nothing could be protected forever. Still, it was his duty to keep his family safe. And he would.

     "Paul," a small voice whispered. "Paul." He feels a warm touch on his shoulder and his eyes shoot open. Looking up, he immediately relaxes when he sees it was just his mother. Paul readjusts himself from his crooked position and sits up. "Hm?" He makes a small, sleepy sound. "You slept in again. Your father and I have been waiting at the breakfast table for you." His mother tells him, running her hand through his curls. "Oh, sorry. I was-" Paul starts but his mother interrupts. "You were up late studying Arrakis and their people again, weren't you?" She asks with a sigh. Paul simply nods, looking away. "Come now, your food is getting cold." His mother says and leads him to the dining room. 

     Father, mother, and son sat side by side at the table and enjoyed their breakfast. Paul's father and mother finished theirs fairly quickly, while he took a bit longer than usual. "Not hungry?" Leto asked. Paul shrugs. His father and mother exchange a glance before Leto turns his attention back to his son. "Look, Paul, I know you want to come to Arrakis with me, but it's just too dangerous. You've never experienced desert conditions. I'm not going to risk it, you are far too important." He talks firmly. Paul, being a teenager, rolls his eyes at his father. 

    He pushes his plate away, which had a little over half of the food left. "You just don't trust me." He says, shaking his head. "It's not that, Paul, and you know that. We simply love you too much and are trying to protect you." His mother enters the conversation. "But you get to go." Paul defies. "You know why I have to go, Paul. Don't pull that." The mom replies. Paul grunts, "mother, father. Please. You both know how much I've been studying and preparing for this. I am ready. Please believe me." Paul says, practically begging his parents. The room goes silent for a few seconds as Leto looks at his son and ponders possibilities. "There is one thing we could try in order for him to prove himself ready." He finally lets out his thought. Paul's mother was quick to share her thought. "Are you insane!? That could get him killed!" She yells. "Calm down, Jessica. I believe in him. I believe he deserves a chance." Leto replies calmly and seriously. 

     Paul's lips swiftly form a smile, and he jumps up from his chair in a sudden burst of excitement. He had no idea what this thing he would have to do was, but he was happy to get to try nonetheless. Jessica sighs, standing as well and readjusting the long fabric of her dress. She didn't want to disappoint her son, but she couldn't help but worry about the possibility of him failing the test. "Very well, then. I'll take Paul to her." She tells Leto, and both mother and son walk the halls of the great House Atreides. While they walk a sinking feeling forms in the pit of Jessica's stomach. She hated this idea. At the same time she knew it needed to be done. "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear.." she says to herself in her mind as they approach the door. 

     Lady Jessica takes a final step forward, knocking on the large metal door. "Reverend Mother?" She calls out, and the door quickly flies open. As Paul enters the room, which was mysteriously dark and empty, a shiver runs down his spine. He was starting to feel not too sure about this. "Reverend Mother, my son, Paul, is ready to be tested." His mother tells the cloaked woman with a shaky voice. "How wonderful!" The lady croaks, "you may leave, lady Jessica. Guard the door for me." Jessica nods and leaves at once, the door closing behind her with a forceful slam. 

     "Come closer, boy. Don't be afraid." The lady shows off some of her crooked teeth. Paul cautiously proceeds forward, but stops just a few feet from where he should be. "CLOSER!" She yells, her voice suddenly becoming deeper than even his. He feels as if someone was behind him, as he is abruptly pushed forward. "KNEEL!" She yells in the deep voice again; Paul's legs seem to give way as he falls to his knees in front of her. The Reverend Mother takes a few moments to study Paul. She reaches out a shaky hand and places it on his cheek, her hand traveling around his facial features. 

     Paul, thinking that this was all the test was, goes to stand. He is quickly stopped when he feels an odd sensation against his neck. The Reverend Mother smirks as she points the gom jabbar directly at the boy's neck. "By your neck I hold a poison needle, in which will cause instant death at injection. The test is simple. Put your right hand in the box and keep it in there no matter what you feel. The second you remove your hand from the box, is the second you die." She tells him, still smirking. "What's in the box?" Paul asks, lifting up his right hand and beginning to slowly direct it towards the box. "You'll find out soon enough, my boy. Go on now." The lady grows impatient and pushes the needle a few inches closer to Paul's neck, making Paul waste no more time putting his hand in the box. 

    At first, there was just tingling. Almost as if electricity was running through Paul's hand. But it didn't hurt, it was just an unusual sensation. Paul looks the Reverend Mother in the eyes with confidence of passing the test, but it doesn't take him long to regret that. There was no light, no heat, yet.. it felt as if his hand was immersed in flames. Paul takes a quick breath to try and keep himself from reacting to the burning sensation on his skin. Soon, he feels as if his skin was being ripped off and the flames were entering his open wounds, making it feel like he had stuck his hand in a river of lava. Paul bites his lip, shaking his head and groaning through his throat. He wanted to remove his hand from the box. But he couldn't. 

     Now, the sensation he had in his right hand was that of an axe chopping off each of his fingers one by one before completely severing his hand. All of this while still burning, as well. Paul couldn't hold back anymore. He lets out a pained yell, which echoes throughout the room. "Quiet." The lady says, still holding the needle just centimeters from his neck. Paul breathes rapidly and scrunches his face in agony. He felt like crying, screaming, and mostly he felt like removing his hand from the box. However, he knew that any of those were not an option. The pain seems to reach its maximum level, and as it does Paul closes his eyes and holds back another scream, instead letting out another groan from his throat. Everything seems to go blank. All he can feel is pain, all he sees is darkness, and all he hears is the sound of his panting. He decides to focus on his breathing and nothing else. A few failed attempts pass, but he finally manages to get his breathing under control. Paul slowly opens his eyes and locks them with the lady's once more. His face was as still as stone. There were no emotions in his expression. He looked as if he could be dead. 

    "Enough!" The Reverend Mother yells after exhausting herself enough. The boy had passed. Paul swipes his hand out from the box and examines it; it was perfectly fine. He sighs in relief as the pain melts away and he realizes he's still alive, meaning he had passed the test. Lady Jessica runs in and immediately checks on her son, feeling just as relived to see him alive. "You pushed it too far." She tells the Reverend Mother sternly. The lady clicks her tongue, shaking her head. "Now, now. You and I both see the potential power in this young man. He needed to be tested to the limits." The Reverend Mother speaks. "What of him now?" Paul's mother asks. "He will go with you to Arrakis. You'll leave early tomorrow morning. I feel as if he will be needed there. No matter his fate, I feel he can make a difference to that rouge planet." The older lady responds before ushering her guests out from the eerie room.

[thommi-tomate]

Interview with Thomas (January 9, 2011)

By: Andreas Burkert for Süddeutsche Zeitung

Mr. Müller, where is the Golden Shoe for the best World Cup shooter?

At home, in my games room, where the dartboard and Play Station are. Everything that has now accumulated is on the windowsill. Before it gets dusty in the boxes, I'd rather put it outside.

The reason for your award, Germany's World Cup performance in South Africa, was part of every annual review. Did you watch it when this Müller suddenly walks through the picture?

Of course I've also seen Müller in a few previews. But I don't necessarily have to watch the whole thing. The year went really well and I'm always reminded of that, even if I forget about it; I can't avoid it anymore. But it's over now. I can't buy anything for it anymore. Now I have to prove myself again.

What came up in your personal review of 2010 on New Year's Eve?

It was the World Cup. But there wasn't just one moment for me, there were so many great moments.

You only made your debut for the national team just under ten months ago, in Munich against Argentina.

Yes, that was special. When I heard the national anthem, I thought: Now I've made it, now I'm really where I want to be - (A German tourist of an older age approaches the table and wants an autograph. Müller asks for her understanding that he can't now, but will be happy to do so later) - Well, since the World Cup, even those who don't know much about soccer recognize you.

Just older ladies?

Nah, nah, all the age-group are already there.

Does at least your grandma, who you greeted on TV after the round of 16 against England, have some peace now?

In the meantime, yes. The problem was that my parents, my grandma and the people here in Pähl didn't have a media manager like we did at Bayern or the DFB. But I was back home over the Christmas period and everything was nice and quiet.

People who know you well say: Müller, he doesn't take off, not even now, he doesn't drive a Ferrari yet. Don't you have a quirk? And how do you reward yourself after a year like that?

I once asked myself the same question. We have a great sponsor, so I don't need a new car. But I do sometimes walk past watch stores, but then I see that they are sometimes really expensive. Then I'd rather not, it's not worth it to me. I'm also not a bird of paradise who dyes her hair. My wife rides, which has now become important for us. Apart from that, I really do have everything. I'd have to make my own problems if I wanted to have any.

Do you ride yourself?

I tried it out a year and a half ago. Well, I didn't fall off directly, but I felt sorry for the horse afterwards. The risk is too big for me and the horse.

2011 has started for you with the loss of a title: You no longer have the thinnest legs.

You mean because of Luiz Gustavo? Well, we haven't measured his thighs yet, but it's possible. People always joke about my legs, I know they always have. But don't worry, my mother has already noticed that they don't break much. They were never a problem for me, in fact I think they helped me, even when I was younger. Because if you don't just have your body to fight back with, you also have to use your brain to run certain routes to avoid direct duels.

Is that how this urge came about? Müller goes up top, to where the ball suddenly appears?

Certain things are certainly trained automatisms. But often it's a certain instinct, a feeling for the spaces. I'm glad to have this ability.

In any case, it's difficult to compare your style with another player. Do you perhaps know one?

No, I am somehow unique. There are dribblers who are pretty similar, strikers too, but what am I actually?

Yes, what is Müller?

Hm. Well, what am I? A Raumdeuter (space interpreter) ? Yes, I'm a Raumdeuter. That would be a good title, wouldn't it?

In any case. Because, if I may say so, you do score goals, but particularly beautiful ones are rare. But you are there.

That's true, I'm not known for scoring beautiful goals. But the important thing is when it's in. I've often been accused of being lucky, but if it happens five times in a row at the World Cup, there must be another reason for it

Your former amateur coach Hermann Gerland once said: "Müller can play like shit for 90 minutes - but then he scores a goal.

The statement is correct. I consciously take risks in my game, I often try things on the direct route towards goal that are perhaps great in terms of the idea, but difficult to execute. Mistakes happen, but you have to say to yourself: no more, next time I'll try again. Reviews sometimes say: He tried a lot but didn't succeed. Yes, then it just didn't work out. I try a lot, and there are a lot of rejects. I know that, and that's why I don't drive myself crazy.

Did you get the impression after the World Cup that your opponents adjusted better to your unconventional style?

Not really. The first half of the season was a bit different, I mainly played on the right or left. It just didn't go well for the team overall, no individual player was able to break away from the trend, not even me.

Your roles change frequently. Where would you have Müller play?

I would put Müller behind the front line, which is the position at Bayern that is closer to the opponent's goal and therefore more dangerous. I can penetrate the gaps better from there. You have to be more tactically disciplined on the right and left, and the number seven position in the national team is a different right than at Bayern, because the DFB always swap sides with Mesut Özil. I need a bit of freedom to be able to play on the left or right. That's why I see myself behind the front ten. But I'm versatile and also like to play other roles.

Van Gaal said last season: "Müller always plays for me". Has this confidence made your rise possible?

He didn't even need to make that statement. Because I always had the feeling that he was counting on me.

How did you notice that, his confidence? A year ago it was said that some players were afraid of van Gaal.

Oh, I like talking like him too. He wants to create a certain amount of friction, which is why he prefers his way of talking. I really like his direct manner, we're similar in that respect

You, but also other players, were unusually outspoken in your support of the coach during the critical fall weeks. Out of gratitude?

No, there was no agreement between us, but I think everyone deliberately supported the coach. You could have asked each player individually, independently of each other, and everyone would have told you how convinced they were of him and his philosophy. Of course, in a squad of 25, there is dissatisfaction from players who don't play. But even colleagues like Hamit Altintop or even Martin Demichelis have spoken positively about the coach. And when you see what's happening here in Doha at the training camp, how they're stepping on the gas: This team really enjoys working with this coach.

Were you not worried when President Hoeneß was sharply critical and things were tight with the headstrong coach?

Not really, and after the contract extension I had the feeling that the club management was counting on him. We were all very happy about that, and the coach was also pleased that he had the support of the whole team. That's why there was never any talk of a rift between players and coach.

Then you would actually have to persuade van Gaal to stay as long as you and the others who have now signed such long-term contracts.

I think if push comes to shove, you might be able to do something about it. However, the pressure here in Munich is certainly exhausting and I don't think you can be Bayern coach for ten years without damaging your health.

At 21, you are part of the Lahm/Schweinsteiger generation, which is gradually replacing the Ballack generation. What are the differences?

Football-wise, that's certainly a level. But I think even Michael Ballack experienced different times as a young player when it was more difficult to integrate into teams. There are now many young coaches who bring in their philosophy, with a flatter hierarchy. That perhaps makes it easier for us young players today.

At 21, you've already achieved a lot. What else is there to come?

I want to bite down hard, at a very high level. In ten years' time, I want to say that I've always played at the very top for a decade and my body has endured it, and fortunately so has my head. That's my main goal.

[marshmallowprotection]

hm! I had a painful idea, because I'm currently incapable of not thinking about saeyoung choi for more than five seconds.

so the notorious days in the apartment. I'd definitely have some issues after a while bc I've been ditched by people I thought were close friends more than once in the past.

Imagining just. Finally getting sick of his shit and not wanting to keep throwing myself against a wall if, maybe... he's telling the truth? It's... not fair to either of us to try and force him into something he doesn't want. Finally looking at him and going, "If you want me to go away for good, look me in the eye and tell me. Look me in the eye and tell me you hate me, that you don't want me around, not even as a friend. Not that you think it's not safe, that it's 'better' for me to stay away--but that you, Luciel, don't want me around. Look me in the eye and say it, and I'll stay out of your way. I've spent too long chasing people who don't want me."

But we all know Saeyoung is a shit liar when it comes to his loved ones. We all know he can't do it. Even when he's pretending not to care, he's painfully transparent once you know what to look for

"Look me in my eyes and tell me this was nothing but a game to you. Tell me you were playing pretend from the start and none of this ever meant anything to you. I promise you, Seven, I'll leave and never look back... as long as you look me in the eyes when you tell me you never once thought anything about me... about us."

Saeyoung couldn't.

He couldn't look you in the eyes even if he wanted to.

That's because deep down all he wanted was to be with you without fear of losing you just like he lost his brother. 

There was no way for him to explain that to you, nor was there a way for him to understand it outside of the alarm bells burning in his brain the longer you stood him by his side and he saw visions of you being tortured within an inch of your life all because you loved him… and it wasn’t a sin he wanted you to carry. Why was loving him something that brought pain to others?

In that moment, he has no answers, just pain.

He trusted someone with the most important thing in his life, and that person failed not only him but his brother as well. He doesn't know the how or why, all he knows is that because he did everything in his power to try and do the right thing by his brother, people took advantage of the situation and that could happen again.

He's made a lot more enemies than the big bad that's been waiting in the background his entire life. The idea of his brother suffering even more, and you facing any amount of agony makes him want to run away, far, far away, so it could never happen to you to begin with. It might be horrible to run away, and it might be even worse to face everything head-on, but he's the kind of person who would rather risk himself than put his loved ones in danger.

Even if it means he has to go the rest of his life without ever knowing the love he wants. 

Do you want to be the only problem with that plan? 

The only problem with that plan is that no matter how much he tries to lie to your face, he can never lie good enough to make you believe that he wants to run away. You see right through him and that's the scariest part.

He wants somebody to see him for who he is, but when somebody sees who he is, they see all of the pieces, not just the parts he would rather have on display. If you can love him like that, he knows he won't be able to leave you behind, but if you get hurt, how can he live with himself? He can't... he knows he can't. So, be bounces back and forth, lying through his teeth until he realizes he can't run away no matter how much he wants to.

But until the moment he decides he's ready to admit what he wants, you will see nothing but shame in his eyes... shame and tears. Tears that never spill but bubble up as if they've been there for years with nothing to let them fall.

[seishironagi2]

A Love Across Eras

A/n: Hi, my angels! I know this chapter took a bit longer, but that homework pile kept staring. (it's all math,school starts on the 5th help)

summary: James learns about your little slip up.

James Sirius Potter x muggle-born!reader

word count: 1419

warnings: corny shit, inappropriate pickup lines?

read the previous parts: part one part two part three part four

James carried you in his arms– bridal style, walking upstairs, the other James being held by Remus and Sirius.

you had a low alcohol tolerance. you knew that. James knew that. and now, everyone knows that.

"Jamie, you know I loveee you." You say, drunkenly expressing your love for the boy.

the boy softly smiles, kissing your forehead while he opens the door in one hand.

"Why aren't you saying it back, Jamie? you don't love me?" You say as the boy carries you to your shared room.

"I love you to the moon and to Saturn angel," he says while he helps you change into more comfortable clothing

your giggles never seem to stop, and the smile doesn't dissappear.

"You're so handsome, Jamie." You say as the boy tucks you into bed, kissing your forehead.

"Thank you, baby," he says softly, chuckling a bit at your words. James gets in the bed beside you, joining you.

"Jamie. I made a mistake a couple of days ago, but I didn't tell you." You babble, almost about to fall asleep.

"Why didn't you tell me, angel?" He says, putting a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

" 'was scared how you'd react. I knew you'd be mad." You respond

"Now it's alright, tell me what happened. I'll try my hardest not to be mad." he says softly. He bites his lip, wondering what it was.

"i- I told Remus everything Jamie, he knows that We're from 43 years later and how to prevent their deaths. that's why Peter isn't hanging out with them anymore." You say sitting up, tears spilling from your eyes

"That's okay, my angel. how about we talk about this tomorrow, hm?" James says, a soft and sad smile on his face. his hands cupping your face and slowly wiping tears away.

you nod softly, heading into the boy's arms. the boy holds you, patting your back as you fall asleep, softly snoring.

you wake up to an empty bed. all the memories of last night rushing to you as James walks in, holding two teas in his hands

"Oh, you're up. good, we need to talk." he says softly as he hands you the tea. you smile, taking the tea from the boy.

the moment he says that all the sounds around you stop, and a small panic fills your body as your hands slowly shake.

you pause, taking a deep breath as you look at him. -hands still shaking-

"what's wrong Jamie?" You say looking up at the boy, twiddling your thumbs

"y/n. why would you do that. fuck, what about our future. are you ready to risk all that just to prevent a war?" james says, pacing around the room.

"James, he doesn't know much. I swear to you. I only told him things relevant to himself." You say, nervous

"y/n, this could've changed everything." he says, halting as he heads outside the door.

hours pass, and James is ignoring you every chance he gets. that doesn't stop you from running after him, saying your apologies over and over again.

"Jamie, please forgive me. I'm so sorry." You say as you kiss his face repeatedly. his hands resting on your waist while you do so.

he ignores you completely, looking over at sirius as the two of them continue to plan the biggest prank yet.

you continue to stick with the boy, his ignorance not once stopping. you knew he was stubborn, but damn.

you needed him to break, and you needed him to break fast. because you couldn't work with him being mad at you.

"hey Jamie, are you the school stairs?" You say as sirius pauses, giving you a puzzled look.

"cause you take my breath away." You say, looking straight into the boy's eyes. sirius' laugh breaks your silence. as it echos through the room

"Hey, Jamie." You start once again. "Are you crispy chicken and fries?" You say while Sirius looks at you.

"cause no matter how many options I have, I'll always choose you," I say, softly giggling.

"Aw, come on y/n? Is that all you got?" Sirius questions while James holds his face in his hands.

"James, you know. I'd never play hide and seek with you." sirius says as he looks at your boyfriend.

"and whys that sirius?" You question,clearly teasing your loving boyfriend now.

"Because y/n, I can't risk ever losing someone like him," Sirius finishes, causing you to giggle loudly.

"Jamie, are you a candle? .. cause I'm gonna blow you." You say, straight-faced, causing James to choke on his spit and sirius to break into the biggest laugh.

james starts to blush as his hands leave your waist, covering his face.

"knock knock." sirius says.

"who's there." james responds

"where when?" sirius says

"where when who?" james asks

"your place, tonight, just me and you." Sirius finishes as James groans, resting his head on your shoulder.

you wink at sirius, thanking him for his help.

"hey Jamie." You start

"Is your name highway. cause I want to ride you all night long." You say, causing james to groan, his grip on your waist tightening.

" hey jamie" you start as one of his hands leave your waist, covering your mouth

"Shut up, please." he says as he holds you tighter. sirius takes the cue and makes his leave, closing our dorm door behind him.

"Jamie, I'm truly sorry. I am, but. you've heard the stories about your dad's childhood. you know how rough it was for him?" You say, holding James' face in your hands.

"I know, but. we haven't gone too deep into the consequences yet. what if it changes everything y/n. what if I lose you. I can't do that y/n I just can't risk it." he says as he finally looks at you. tears brimming on his waterline.

"Jamie, that'll never happen. you and I, We're soulmates, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you are stuck with me. forever and always dumbass. we are together in every universe." I say softly, kissing your cheek.

you break the silence. "So forgive me, my love?" You ask, looking at the boy.

"only if you help us with a prank." he responds, a cheeky smile on his face

"Fine."

a couple of days pass, while the marauders, james, albus, and you start to plan 'the greatest prank ever' and for some bizzare reason, it all revolved around animals.

there were multiple ideas, and all of them were going to happen.

James' idea was to let five pigs into the school, numbering them each as 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, making them search around the school endlessly.

Sirius added to that idea by saying they can put a spell on them. so that to anyone other than the group. they would look like a crocodile, adding an element of fear.

Remus said, having a ghost band following dumbledore will ruffle his feathers.

the group divided into two. albus remus and you and James Sirius and your james

the three of you started working on your park for a day each. once you were done. the six of you met outside the room of requirements. remus had the ghosts ready to go, and sirius, james and your james had their cages for the pigs.

"on your count y/n." Sirius says as they finish getting ready.

"Three. two. one." You say as the boys let go of everything. immediately chaos begins to errupt as you all run back to the common room, your laughs echoing through the stairwell. the group immediately runs to your dorm.

"Ready to forgive me, Jamie?" You ask, struggling to catch your breath

"Angel, I forgave you ages ago. I just wanted to prank with you." james says a smile on his face as you lay down in the boy's lap.

the group talk for hours and hours occasional giggles are heard. you abruptly stand up, causing you to get some looks.

"Guys, I have some news." You say

"Oh gods don't tell me your pregnant." Sirius says

"Ew, i don't want to be an uncle already" Albus adds

"Now , Alfred. I'm sure you'll be a great uncle." James, the first teases

"Aww, look at the father. His face is so pink." Remus says, accidentally snorting, which causes everyone to break into laughter.

"no guys im not pregnant, but, in my free time. I've been doing more then just that." You say winking as James nods in agreement.

"I have officially finished all of our research. and we will be sadly heading home tomorrow." You say as a tear falls from Sirius' eyes.

"but trust me when I tell you. we will meet again." I say softly as I smile. my arms instantly wrapping around sirius

hey angels :) next chapter will be out soon, I'm hoping to finish this before my schools starts on Wednesday :)

part 6

[unforgivenn]

Confined

Inspired from @whumpasaurus101 's writing prompt from here (hope you don't mind me tagging you :3)

Cw: Blood mention, Failed escape attempt, Breaking of pet, begging, pet names, swearing, creepy asf whumper

Word Count: 658

Alex paced around his room picking at his nails and pulling strands of his dirty blonde hair. There were specks of blood over the room. He couldn't take it much longer. He had to run away from here, from the person who ruined his life, the person who hurt him every single day, the last of all humanity gone in him. Was he breaking? Scars littered all over his body and tears were threatening to fall as he just couldn't take it any longer. But he was determined to take the risk.

'... But what if I get caught. Ethan will kill me right there and then... But then again.. What if it was crazy enough to work.. Maybe.. Maybe there was a village nearby and- and he could ask them for help.. Maybe...' Alex shuddered from the thought of what Ethan would do if he got caught.

The sun was setting.. It would be night soon.. He could leave while Ethan was sleeping..

Once Alex was sure that Ethan was asleep he went towards the door to find it locked.

'Of course its locked..'

He took out a pin from underneath his mattress that he had managed to secretly grab from Ethan and started picking the lock. A few seconds passed and the lock opened. Alex pushed open the door slowly careful not to wake Ethan up. He tiptoed towards the front gate which took him a while to find. He had never been anywhere else than the basement and the so called "punishment room" which Ethan called.

Alex was panicking. His mind a fogged up mess of thoughts. His breathing started quickening as he started having second thoughts about his choice.

May-Maybe I should just go back before he gets to know.. No.. NO! I can't live this fucked up life any more.

It was too far to go back now as he started hearing Ethan yelling his name and stomping towards the front door. Alex pushed the door open as he started running as fast as his legs could but Ethan was picking up with him as he heard him demanding Alex to turn back now. Alex spotted a closed bathroom not too far as he sprinted towards it, slamming the door shut and pressing his back onto the door while his breathing grew uneven.

"Oh Alleexxx, lovvee, why Dont you come out now and maybe I'll reconsider your punishment. How does that sound? Hm?

Silence.

"ALEX YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF!"

No, he didn't. He really did not want to see what his captor was capable of.

He tried to move his legs but it was as if his foot was pinned and hammered to the ground.

"No no no. This cannot be happening right now. move god damn it"

His eyes filled with tears as the stomping grew louder and louder. There was no getting out. He was going to be in this fucked up place forever. Suddenly the door to the bathroom broke open as Ethan stormed inside. Alex stumbled backwards as he looked towards his captor terrified of what was to come.

"No.. Oh god.. Please no.." He couldn't help but let out a sob only for Ethan to grin at it.

"Well well well. We can't certainly leave that unattended now can we? It seems as if my little dove has forgot his place. Well somebody's got to show it right?"

Alex flinched when Ethan got hold of his jaw forcing him to look him in the eye.

"Answer me when I'm talking to you"

"Y-yes sir"

Ethan's grin only seemed to grow wider at that.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Cutting the Parasitic Cord

"Parasite: Noun.  An organism that lives on or in another organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism."

[Warning for emotional abuse]

Tick…tick…tick…

Lillie silently wrung her hands.  The waiting room was quiet—eerily so—and something in her feared that if she was too loud it would throw the entire hospital into chaos.

Tick…tick…tick…

The wall clock directly above where she sat was driving her mad.  She could move to a different seat, but she worried that would look incredibly odd to the receptionist.  She could step out for a moment, get some fresh air, but she couldn’t risk missing the doctor.

Tick…tick…tick…

She leaned back slightly, which led her to realize nearly every muscle in her body was tightly tensed.  Quietly, she took a deep breath, and tried to relax herself at least a little.

Tick—BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNG!!

Lillie’s heart tried to leap from her chest like a Pokémon sick of being in its ball.  She held onto the armrests to steady herself while the receptionist answered the phone, the pounding in her ears drowning out both the conversation and the accursed clock.  Just as she felt she was getting her bearings back, the door on the other side of the room opened, and out walked the doctor in charge of her mother’s recovery.  It took one moment for Lillie to get on her feet, and just one more to reach the doctor’s side.

“Doctor!  Um, how did things go…?”

His smile was weary but warm.  “Quite well, I’d say.  Thanks to Bill’s Cell Separation System we were able to remove all traces of the toxins in your mother’s body.”

Lillie sighed.  “Oh, good…thank you so much for taking care of her.”

“My pleasure.  Now, I should tell you: since this is a toxin we’re unfamiliar with, it’s very difficult to estimate how long it’ll take for your mother to be back at full health.  It could be a matter of hours, or it could be a matter of months—we just don’t know.”

“Yes, I understand.”  She glanced at the door.  “Is she still in the operating room?”

“For now.  We want to observe her just a bit longer, to make sure it’s safe to move her.  We’ll let you know as soon as she’s ready to return her to her room.”

“Thank you, again.  Everyone here’s been so wonderful to us; I can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate all that you’ve done!”

She let the doctor leave and, after one more look back at the operating room door, exited the waiting room at last.  The orange tint of the hall she walked through made her realize the sun was setting, and that it hadn’t been her imagination making her think the procedure had taken a very long time to complete.  Her stomach growled at her.  She paused, looked at the elevator, then turned to the Xtransceiver on her wrist.  After giving it a little more thought, she stepped through the nearest door and out onto an empty balcony.  Lillie poked the device a few times to summon an image of her brother on its screen.

“There you are,” Gladion said.  “I take it the operation ran long?”

“Nice to see you too, brother,” Lillie said.  “Yes, it took them longer than expected—I only just got to speak with the doctor.  But he said they were able to completely remove Nihilego’s toxins!  Mother should be back to her old self soon enough.”

Gladion adjusted his hair.  “Hm.  Well, I’m glad to hear it was a success.  How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.  Um, I did forget to eat dinner, but that’s something I can take care of right away.”

“Then I won’t keep you.  Just…”

She waited to see if he would finish his sentence.  “…Just…what?”

Gladion sighed.  “At the risk of being blunt…it wasn’t the neurotoxin that turned Mother into the person we both had to run from.  Remember that.”

Lillie blinked.  Then she scowled.  “I know that.  But she’s already been getting better since the treatment started.  I told you: she hasn’t said anything about Ultra Beasts, and she’s always asking how the two of us are doing—”

“You also told me she was still awfully controlling.”

“…I know she won’t suddenly change overnight.  But the doctor did say she would recover.”

“’Back to her old self’, as you put it?”

“I…well, that’s…”  She shook her head.  “That’s not important!  After everything that’s happened, surely she knows she can’t continue on like that!”

Gladion looked away.  “Maybe.  I’m not so sure.”

“Gladion—”

“But I’m not asking you to convince me.  I just want to know you’re prepared for the possibility of things turning out less than ideal.”

Lillie took a moment to absorb his words.  “…I understand.  Thank you, Gladion…I’ll try.”

He nodded.  “Alright.  Now go get something to eat.  I’ll talk to you later.”

He ended the call.  Lillie stared at the balcony floor for a while, lost in thought, until her stomach again roared at her.  It was a short walk to the hospital cafeteria, and after finishing her meal, she pulled her diary from her bag and flipped to the first empty page.

Day XX in Kanto Mother’s surgery was today—the big one using Mr. Bill’s program.  It took longer than expected, but it was a complete success!  Now we just need to wait for Mother to get her strength back.  I’m relieved, and very happy to know she’ll be alright.

Her eyes drifted towards her Xtransceiver, and her pen halted for a while.

And, though I don’t want to admit it, I’m also a little scared.  Anything she does after today can’t be blamed on the neurotoxin.  Well, perhaps until her body fully recovers

She stopped and shook her head.

Well, perhaps until her body fully recovers I want to believe she’ll change from the person she’s been these past few years, try to be the mother I remember from when I was young, but I keep needing to remind myself that I can’t make that choice for her.  I thought I already

A yawn caught her off-guard.  She considered heading back to her mother’s room and getting some rest, but reasoned she probably wouldn’t be able to rest much until the doctors were finished observing Lusamine.

I thought I already decided I won’t simply appease her anymore.  It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, so I suppose I’m a bit too eager to picture a future where I don’t have to see it through.  I won’t beat myself up for hoping.  But Gladion’s right: I need to be prepared for anything.

Not much else came to mind.  She doodled a bit, finishing the page with a few messy sketches of Clefairy and Exeggutor and Nebby.  It was a long, long time before she heard from the doctor again.

***

She awoke to find her mother sitting up in her bed, watching something on the television.  After stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she said, “Mother?  How are you feeling?”

Lusamine turned; her gaze was more lucid than it had been in a long time, which Lillie took as proof that the effects of the toxins were wearing off, but she couldn’t quite read her expression.  “Oh, Lillie.  I’m doing much better…though my memory is a bit cloudy on a few things.  What hospital is this again?”

Lillie couldn’t help but relax, hearing her speak so normally.  “It’s St. Joy’s, in Saffron City.”

Lusamine crossed her arms.  “Saffron…I remember you mentioning Kanto, but why Saffron?”

“We needed help from somebody who lives in Cerulean City, but…well, even in that state you insisted on the best accommodations possible…”

“Oh…heh, I suppose that does sound like me.  Thank you for taking such good care of me, dear.”

Lillie smiled.  “Of course.”

Lusamine looked around.  “Is…Gladion here…?”

“He stayed at Aether Paradise, running the Foundation while you were gone.  It sounds like things are going well!  But, he is a bit bored with it.”

“That’s right, I remember now.  Well, I can’t imagine I’ll be here much longer, so…”  She paused, staring at Lillie.  “How long have you been wearing your hair up like that?”

A sinking feeling slowly snaked into Lillie’s heart.  “Um…not particularly long.  I wanted to try something new.”

“You look much more beautiful with it down.  Besides, doesn’t that get in the way of wearing that darling hat I bought you?”

“Well…that’s…”

“Come here.  Let me fix it for you.”

Lusamine reached out.  Lillie pulled back, saying, “No, I…I actually like my hair like this.”

“Nonsense, what you had before was much better.  Let me help you.”

“Mother, please, stop.”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

“Mother!”  Lusamine finally stopped.  Lillie awkwardly held her hand, and said, “I want to keep it this way for now.”

Her expression was starting to look familiar—all too familiar.  “…Fine.  Now, what was I saying…ah, yes.  I’ll call Gladion shortly and let him know we’ll be returning to Alola soon.  Once we do, perhaps the three of us can go on a trip together; wouldn’t that be nice?”

Lillie swallowed hard.  “It…does sound nice, bu—”

“Wonderful!  I’ll have Wicke start making preparations for us.”

“Er, Mothe—”

“Unova is quite nice this time of year.  Oh, but I’ve always wanted to show you Kalos!  Yes, you’ll love it there.”

After one last moment of hesitation, Lillie squeezed Lusamine’s hand.  “Mother, you must listen to me!”

Lusamine stared at her.  Her eyes were wide with shock, confusion…Lillie thought she saw a flash of fear as well.  Much as she didn’t want to say it, she knew it needed to be said.

“…I’m…not going back to Alola with you.”

Silence filled the room.  The seconds seemed to stretch themselves into hours, weeks, years.  Lillie barely moved a muscle—once again, she found, they were all extremely tense.

Tick…tick…tick…

“You don’t mean that,” Lusamine said.

Lillie nodded.  “I do.”

“You can’t!  You can’t just abandon me, not again!”

She knew she’d have to choose her battles.  “I’m not abandoning you.  I’ll stay with you until—”

Lusamine suddenly grabbed her shoulders.  “You have to stay with me always!”

“M…Mother.”

She tried to smile as the fear came to fill her eyes completely.  “I-I got carried away, I know!  I shouldn’t have chased the Ultra Beasts so obsessively!  I’m sorry for the way I treated you, I really, truly am!  Let’s just start over again: I’ll be a better mother, I promise!  We can still be a family!”

Lillie’s heart ached.  Part of her was convinced that this was exactly what she had wanted to hear, that all she had to do was accept and let everything settle back into normalcy.  But only one part.  “I’ve made up my mind: I’m not leaving Kanto until I’ve completed its gym challenge.”

Tears welled in Lusamine’s eyes.  “Wh…what are you talking about?  You hate Pokémon battles!”

“I learned a lot after leaving Aether Paradise.  I’m not the same person I used to be…but, I’m not quite the person I want to be either, not yet.  That’s why I want to challenge the gyms: so that I can keep learning, keep growing!”

“No, you just need to stay the way you were!  You just need to go back to the way you were!”

Lillie’s words caught in her throat.  Squaring her shoulders, she pushed and heaved until she was finally able to spew them out.  “We can’t…just…go back.  We can’t simply pretend none of this happened, Mother.  We have to accept what’s happened, terrible as it all is, and find a way to move forward.  And I…have to find mine on my own.”

Lusamine’s grip tightened.  “Lillie, I can’t lose you!”

Gently as she could, Lillie grabbed her mother’s wrists.  “That’s exactly what will happen if you try to keep such tight hold of me.”

Lusamine didn’t reply.

“I’m not going away forever, Mother.  But I also can’t stay forever.  Please…you have to understand.”

Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, Lusamine’s grip began to loosen.  When she finally let go, her hands hovered near Lillie for a moment, and then she pulled them back, looked down at the bed, and slumped.  Lillie waited as long as she could bear.

“I know this must be a lot for you to take in.  I’ll give you some time.”

She heard no response as she stood up and left the room.  Lillie walked down the hall, her pace slowing with every step, and prodded her Xtransceiver with trembling fingers.

“Yes?” Gladion answered.  “Did something…Lillie?  What’s wrong?”

Lillie broke down sobbing.

***

Ssshhhh…ssssshhhhh…sssshhh…

Lillie raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.  From the bench along the harbor, she could hear the endless sound of the waves and feel the salty, refreshing ocean wind roll over her.  Off in the distance, a shining white luxury liner blew its horn as it drifted on out of sight.  Lillie fished her diary out her bag, turned to the first blank page, and sat back.

Day XX in Kanto

I just saw Mother off.  She was still sad and angry, and made sure we all knew it, but I’m glad that at the very least she’s begun to accept my decision to stay.  It’s a long trip to Alola—Gladion said he’ll need the time to work out how he’s going to persuade Mother to let him leave Aether Paradise.  I hope it won’t be too difficult for him.

A Slowpoke sat at the very edge of the dock, dangling its tail in the water in the hopes something would bite.  Nothing did.

The truth is that I’m sad to see her go.  Isn’t that strange?  All this effort to let go, and I still find myself wanting to look back.  I can’t tell if it’s grief, or love (Mother certainly doesn’t think so), or something else entirely.  It might be a long time before I’m able to know for sure.  I suppose it’s part of accepting the past, rather than simply ignoring it.  But, the past will still be there whenever I am ready to make sense of it—I want to turn my focus to the future.

She sighed.  Her muscles still felt a bit stiff, but they were far more agreeable to movement now.  A school of Poliwag came to the water’s edge, paused to investigate, and then leapt in and began swimming across the harbor, chattering gleefully as they went.

I’m still in Vermillion City right now.  I have a ticket for a voyage of my own, just a short ways west to Pallet Town.  I’ve been in contact with Oak Labs these past few days, and after getting some paperwork settled, they’ve agreed to give me the support I need to start my gym challenge.  In spite of everything, I feel this grand excitement building within me just thinking about it.  It hardly seems real, but by this time tomorrow, I’ll be a real Pokémon Trainer!

Lillie gazed out over the sea.  An electric feeling ran throughout her body; her heart felt impossibly light, like it might carry her up into the sky now that she had shed the weight on her shoulders.  She couldn’t help but smile.

Whatever I run into on my adventure, I know I’ll be able to my Pokémon and I will be able to handle it.  We’ll grow stronger together, and when we’re done here, we’ll head back to Alola to show all of our friends there.  Then, if they’re up for it, I’d love to go on another adventure with Hau, Gladion, and

Another horn rang out, this one much closer.  Lillie looked up to see her ship entering the harbor.  She quickly put away her diary and got to her feet, and then, taking a deep breath, she approached the dock.

“Alola!”