#Heal-on-hit is eyebrow-raising but also intriguing

[raisengen]

Getting back into Elden Ring after all the side dungeons burned me out, and turns out I wasn’t that far from Malenia.

Hoo boy this is a funny boss design. I only ever saw the shadows of discourse, but her being divisive is extremely unsurprising. Fortunately, I’m enjoying it, and it’s really interesting to see how they’re messing around with boss fight design.

Current favourite design choice is having the boss heal every time she lands a hit, even if you block with a shield, then giving her a superblender with a billion hits that you can very easily block with a shield.

[mathanlin]

// mentions of hunger, neglect, and cold, blood and injury

Fae AU where fae!Wilbur’s approached by a skinny street kid. 

More accurately, a *pickpocket,* clutching stolen gold in one shaking hand. *He’ll want luck, riches,* Wilbur thinks, amused. *Or food, if he’s stupid—*

“Can I have a hug?” 

“What?”

“A… a hug?” The kid mumbles, swallowing. “I think— you just put your arms around someone and… hold them. I saw someone do it.” 

The clumsy explanation does nothing to answer Wilbur’s real question. 

So he pushes further, intrigued.

“What do you have to give me?”

The kid straightens. “Gold. Enough for a few days of meals, or— or somewhere nice to sleep.”

It’s worthless to Wilbur. 

But it tells him exactly what the kid’s willing to give up. 

So he smiles. “I accept.”

The kid barely moves, flinching as Wilbur steps up to him. Shivering, cowering, like he expects a hit, a shove. Or even just refusal.

But yet when Wilbur slides his arms around his weak, malnourished frame…

The kid melts.

He keeps coming back.

Sunshine. That’s the nickname Wilbur gives him, after the kid (smartly) refuses to give his true name.

But that’s where his intelligence ends.

“Just… talk to me?”

The kid sets a stolen necklace outside the Fae circle, shivering. It’s freezing, his jaw chattering beneath hollow cheeks. 

Wilbur raises an eyebrow, hesitating. “Wouldn’t you rather have a blanket? Some warm food?”

It’s… just a little from the kindness of his heart.

The kid could die like this. He’s already half-starved, beat-up, and alone.

But he still shakes his head weakly. “No. Just… tell me a story.”

It gets warmer. 

The kid appears less, and though Wilbur’s sad, he’s also relieved. Maybe he’s found someone to care for him. Maybe he doesn’t have to gamble his soul for affection.

And then he stumbles into Wilbur’s forest. 

Half-dead. 

“I’ll give you my name,” is the first thing he chokes out, clutching his bloodied side. 

*To heal you?* Wilbur thinks, recoiling. *That’s not worth the cost, surely you know that—*

“Just— stay with me, please?”

“What?”

Wilbur barely whispers it, stunned. Tommy flinches, paling.

“I’m— I’m dying,” he chokes out. Honesty, like the Fae like. 

Wilbur hates it now.

“I don’t want to be alone.”

“Sunshine—”

“Tommy,” the kid says, shaking. “Tommy, my name’s Tommy, you can have it. Please, don’t leave me.”

And of course, Wilbur doesn’t.

(Despite the blood loss, Tommy still sobs with relief when Wilbur picks him up. 

At least he has someone holding him gently, even if he’s being carried into a Fae circle.

And giving his name & soul away was worth it, for this.)

.

.

.

Even after, Tommy can't accept affection. 

It's not that he doesn't want it. Wilbur can tell that each refusal is a flat-out lie.

But Tommy's telling the truth when he whispers, "I'll let you hug me if I can pay you back."

Nothing Wilbur does can convince him that the affection is free. 

And apparently saying, “You don’t have anything I *want,* Tommy,” wasn’t the right thing to say.

Tommy just shuts down further.

Fuck being a Fae. Wilbur’s desperate — and if that means making a deal with a human, even one whose name he has, so be it.

“How about you hug *me?*”

Tommy blinks, eyes half lidded from exhaustion.

“What?”

“I want a hug,” Wilbur says, trying to keep his voice light. He can’t tell lies, and Tommy knows it. 

So maybe that’s why the kid quietly, hesitantly accepts. 

It’s a sort of gentle trickery. 

Tommy will still shiver when Wilbur hugs him back, but it’s better than nothing. He’ll stay rigid when Wilbur asks to brush his hair, like he doesn’t know that Wilbur *wants* him to lean into it.

And the time he does, he panics.

One moment he’s asleep, dozing on Wilbur’s shoulder after a particularly long hug.

And then he’s jolting awake, choking out, “I’m sorry,” before his eyes are even fully open.

“Tommy—”

“I— I’ll pay you. Please, I know you— I don’t have anything you want, but—”

“—no, sunshine, you—”

“—or— or you can give me less? I don’t need blankets, or food, or—”

“Stop.”

It’s a Fae’s command. And with Tommy’s name in his possession, Wilbur shuts him right up.

“I want you to be happy,” he whispers, unable to stop himself from crying. Tommy stares at him, still trembling, but listening. “That’s it, okay?”

“But—”

“I want you to feel loved, Toms, whatever it takes. I want you to ask me when you want affection, or food, *anything.* 

Fae can tell no lies.

“So promise me, sunshine. Promise you’ll ask.”

And they can feel lies, too.

So when Tommy breathes, “I’ll try,” Wilbur finally relaxes. 

[sastielsfandom]

The Rain Is Our Playground

Dean was singing to himself, using his beer as a microphone when Castiel teleported into the room. Glancing around, they noticed Sam, or rather the lack of Sam.

"Where is Sam?" They asked, startling Dean, who spilt his beer on himself.

He groaned and muttered something under his breath, "Fuck, would you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" Castiel asked, walking forward, still searching for Sam.

"Poofing in scaring the crap out of me," Dean berated, "You know it's pretty fucked up to do that to a guy with a heart condition."

"Your heart is fully healed, you have no conditions." Castiel told him, they made sure of it when they resurrected him.

"Still." Dean said, grabbing something to clean his shirt, Castiel waved a hand, restoring the shirts cleanliness.

"Sam?" They asked again, Dean sat back into his chair, nodding him head towards the window.

"He's out in the rain jumping in puddles and shit," Dean picked up his beer again, when he looked back up, Castiel was already gone.

---

"Sam," Castiel greeted, the young man was holding an umbrella that got shifted towards the angels presence.

Sam smiled at the angel, "Hey, Cas." Sam's gaze went back to the rainfall hitting the messy lot. The sound of rain hitting the metal became background noise to Castiel, while Sam focused on the soothing sound.

"What are you doing?" Castiel asked, stepping closer to Sam who was trying to angle the umbrella towards them. Not that it was necessary as Castiel's wing was blocking the rain in another plane.

Sam shrugged, "Staying away from Dean, he's well, he's being an ass right now."

"I noticed," Castiel agreed, Sam laughed, and nodded.

"Yeah, he's actually calmed, but just that and wanted some air," Sam told them, his posture looked relaxed and happy. But also soaked.

Castiel looked at the muddy clothing and at the puddles surrounding them, "Dean said you were jumping in puddles."

"He pushed me into one," Sam said, glancing at the house, shaking his head, "but no, I haven't been jumping in them."

"Oh," Castiel said, it did make more sense with the coverage of mud over Sam jumping into puddles.

Sam could practically hear the gears turning in Castiel's head, "Do you want me to?"

The angel looked around, it was an intriguing idea, "I've never seen it."

"Have you ever jumped in a puddle before?" Sam asked, and the angel shook their head. Taking the angels hand, Sam dropped the umbrella, rain still going around the two, and led the angel to a puddle.

"This one isn't deep," Sam said, letting go of the angels hand, "here, watch." Immediately jumping into it, causing a splash that would've hit Castiel if they allowed it.

Castiel watched curiously for a moment, jumping into the puddle next to Sam, allowing the water to sink into their clothes. Letting the mud coat their shoes and pants.

Sam's smile lit up the stormy clouds as they raced to another puddle, jumping in it, kicking the water up into the air, laughing as Sam lost his footing and fell in. Just to grab Castiel and drag them down with him.

The two were a muddy mess, Castiel had to let the rain fall upon them in a desperate attempt to clean their faces.

They bounced from puddle to puddle, spinning around, splashing as much as they could, trying to get the other messier than the other. Sam had never seen Castiel smile so brightly as they kicked the water up towards him.

"I swear if you two start dancing in the rain I'm going to puke," Dean said, gathering both of their attention. Leaning against a wall on the porch, protected from the rain as he sipped his beer.

Sam raised an eyebrow to his brother, "Is that a promise? Why are you watching us anyway?"

"Because," Dean said with a shrug.

Sam rolled his eyes and waved him off, "Well go do something."

"Nah," Dean said, "bothering you is fun."

Sam looked at the angel, "Cas?"

"Yes?" The angel asked, inspecting the hunters expression.

Dean recognized the smile, "Have you ever danced in the rain?"

Castiel looked at Dean and back at Sam, "Can't say I have."

"Would you like to?" Sam proposed, offering a hand out to the angel.

Castiel took it, "I'd love to."

Sam held one of Castiel's hands, his other hand pressed against the angels back, Castiel following suit with their other free hand. The two stepped close together, leaving no free space in between them.

"Oh come on," Dean exclaimed, "no no, break it up, leave room for Jesus, God dammit." He told them, which both found an odd statement coming from Dean of all people, and ignored it.

"Nah," Sam told him, "this angel has the space covered."

To Sam's surprise, the angel did know a basic one-two step, and even spun Sam around, pulling him back into their arms. Sam thought that was the end of it until the angel dipped Sam, following the direction, their faces incredibly close to one another.

The angel pulled Sam a little closer, their was a moment where they thought to pull away, but the hopeful look in Sam's eyes were too much to ignore. They captured Sam's lips, Sam kissing them back, even as Dean shouted in the background, "There goes my lunch, I need bleach."

The door opened and closed, only then did either pull back, but they remained close, "Was that to get him to go away?"

"Yes, partially," Castiel admitted.

"The other part?" Sam asked, trying to keep his hope down.

The angel smiled softly at the hunter, "I never kissed someone in the rain."

[punchdrunkdoc]

Part 3, Chapter 8

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 (maybe 4??) parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action/violence and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 and Wattpad

Masterlist

Reference pics

————–

PART 3

Chapter 8

Calina crouched down, circling the opponent in front of her.

A kick came at her left flank but she rolled to the right, dodging the strike. She sprang back to her feet, her hands up in front of her face in a classic defensive pose. She darted away from another lunge, using her quick, agile grace to duck and dance away from the danger.

That’s when her attacker started to get frustrated. Sloppy. The next punch was so telegraphed that Calina had time to follow up her side-step with a kick of her own. The top of her foot whacked the outer thigh of the woman opposite causing her to stumble back with a muttered oath. “Dammit, Calina.”

Calina just shrugged.

Katya rubbed at her leg, and turned to complain to the other Widow doing stretches in the training room. “She’s no fun to spar with.”

Yelena raised her eyebrow. “And this is news to you? Its been like this since we were kids. She’s too quick.”

“You always managed to get some hits in,” Katya reminded her.

So did Matt, Calina thought, before banishing the memory of the fun they’d had fighting together in Fogwell’s. She didn’t need a reminder of that place. And she was trying her best to push all thoughts of Matt to the deepest recesses of her mind.

Otherwise she’d curl up on the floor and start crying.

Which she couldn’t afford to do right now. Not when they were so close to finally putting an end to Volkov’s operation.

To keep her self sane, she’d suggested training to Katya...but it wasn’t doing the trick. She needed a better opponent - someone who would keep her mind more engaged. Someone she always had a hard time besting.

She needed Yelena.

“I don’t know,” Calina said to Katya, goading the woman in the corner. “That was a long time ago. Maybe she’s gone soft.”

Yelena took the bait. She sprung up from the floor and strode over to the sparring area. “Be careful what you wish for.”

Calina took up her defensive position again. “Bring it, shorty.”

Katya sucked in a sharp breath. “You’ve done it now, Calina.”

Calina just grinned. She knew what she was doing. Taunting Yelena about her height was a sure fire way to rile up the other woman and bring out her vicious side.

And that’s just what she wanted.

Yelena launched herself at Calina, catching her around the waist and wrestling her to the ground, where she had her pinned in seconds.

Calina shook her head as she got to her feet. It was always the same with Yelena - no preamble, no easing in to a fight. Just straight to brutal offence.

Calina met Yelena’s smirk with a wry smile. “Beginner’s luck,” she commented.

Yelena shook her head. “Nope. I’m just better than you.”

The next round ended when Yelena tumbled to the floor after Calina sweeped her leg. “You were saying?” Calina taunted.

Yelena’s glare signalled a change in the tone of the fight. Banter was replaced by steely-eyed focus. Punches that were pulled now landed with full force. It took all of Calina’s concentration to dodge and evade Yelena’s attacks...and she wasn’t always successful.

There was a reason Yelena was their best fighter.

As Calina took another bruising tumble to the floor, she wondered if this was what she really wanted. Not the distraction from her thoughts, but the pain.

A punishment of sorts, for ruining things between her and Matt.

I’m a good person; I’m worthy of love.

She tried out her mantra as she ducked a left hook from Yelena. But the words crumbled into dust in the face of the truth:

She’d lied to the man she loved, again and again. She’d hurt him with her deceit and her dishonesty.

I’m a shitty person; I’m not worthy of anything.

Her knee exploded with pain as Yelena managed to land another hit while she was busy berating herself. She staggered back on the mat and pressed her gloved hand to the throbbing joint.

“Ouch,” Katya winced.

“Yeah, sorry, Calina,” Yelena said, still bouncing on the spot. “You tapping out?”

Calina shook off the pain and raised her fists again. “No. Let’s go again.”

“You sure?”

Calina just nodded and started circling Yelena. Pain or distraction…it didn’t matter. Either way, she needed this.

As she met Yelena in the centre of the mat for another round, she tried to block out all thoughts of Matt. She focussed all her attention on the attacks coming her way. 

And she was oblivious to the silent ringing of her phone…

--------

Matt was pissed.

It was now 48 hours since the fight with Calina, and his emotions had come full circle. The despair and fear were gone, and his hopeful optimism had faded, leaving him boiling with rage again.

Because Calina wasn’t picking up her fucking phone.

It was deja vu all over again. Just like after the aborted kiss in the gym and the misunderstanding in the bar, Calina had disappeared and was ignoring his calls.

Matt hated it.

He didn’t exactly have the best track record when it came to mature, healthy relationships, but even he knew that you needed to actually talk to the person you loved to make things work.

Matt threw the phone on his bed and pulled on his mask. He’d spent all evening dialling her number and listening to it ring incessantly. Now it was time to act.

He didn’t know exactly where the Widows’ hideout was, but he knew where they were planning to be. And if he had to scope out that carpet warehouse for the next six months just to get a glimpse of Calina, so be it.

Determination fuelled his run across the rooftops of the city and across the river into New Jersey. Determination, and frustration. As well as the ever-present simmering anger, and a healthy dose of self-righteous condemnation.

She needed to stop doing this. This…silent treatment, cold shoulder thing. It was driving him crazy. Especially since she had all the power in their current dynamic. She knew where to find him. She knew how to contact him. She could show up to his office or his apartment, or climb into his goddam bedroom window at any time of the day or night…but he couldn’t do the same. 

She was off the grid, and he had nothing but a phone number she wouldn’t answer and a vague geographic location.

Which he was approaching now.

He slowed down as he reached the derelict industrial park where she’d found him the other day. He stuck to the shadows as he stalked through the abandoned lots on his way to the warehouse, intent on not giving himself away. He may not agree with the Widows’ plan for Volkov and his men, but he wouldn’t jeopardise it.

He’d come to terms with the fact that this wasn’t his fight. It wasn’t his place to pass judgement on how the Widows’ claimed their freedom and their safety. He wouldn’t interfere. He-

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Matt froze as he picked up the sound of muffled gunfire. He crouched down behind a rusted-out delivery truck and sent his senses out into the night, trying to pinpoint the location.

It was coming from the warehouse.

Pop. Pop.

More gunfire.

And the unmistakeable sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Then shouts in Russian - both male and female.

It looked like tonight was the night the Widows’ took on Volkov.

Matt started running again, heading for the site of the battle.

He wasn’t going to interfere with the Widows’ fight. But he couldn’t just stand idly by while they faced danger.

--------

It happened while Calina was recovering from her fight with Yelena.

The two of them lay side-by-side on the mat, panting as they caught their breath from the exertion.

Yelena tapped her hand against Calina’s thigh - the closest part of her she could reach - and grunted out, “Good match.”

Calina huffed out a laugh. Only Yelena could face off against someone with a deadly look in her eye and fight no-holds-barred, just to turn around afterwards and call it a simple ‘match’ - as if they’d spent the last hour playing tennis or chess instead of pummelling the crap out of each other.

“You too,” Calina replied, not without affection. She and Yelena might butt heads more than any of the other Widows, but she still loved her. In the way you’d love an overbearing, stubborn older sister.

After several minutes of rest, they both clambered to their feet, Calina wincing as her left leg protested the movement - Yelena had walloped her knee again with a hook kick during the third round. Yelena rubbed at her side as she gulped down her water bottle and Calina held back a smile. It looked like she’d done some damage too, which was always cause for gloating when going up against Yelena. 

Katya shook her head in exasperation. “Satisfied now?” she asked Calina. “Did you get everything out of your system?”

Calina let her smile loose and rolled her neck. “Yup.”

“I hope it was worth it. The two of you are going to be in pain tomorrow.”

Yelena opened her mouth to reply when Inessa barrelled through the door of the make-shift gym. “Volkov just arrived at the warehouse. He’s here!”

The other three Widows exchanged a look, then they all set off running at once. They sprinted across the hallway, through the main room, to the control centre - which was a fancy term for a few desks and a bank of monitors displaying the feed from the warehouse.

Anya was sitting in front of said screens, barking out information to the rest of the Widows in the room. “…three in the docking bay. Nine more in the room with Volkov. That makes 18 in total.”

“18 men?” Yelena clarified as she leaned over Anya to peer at the footage.

The seated Widow twisted around to greet the team leader. Then did a double-take at the sweat soaking Yelena’s hair and the burgeoning bruise over her left jaw. “What the hell happened to you?”

Yelena waved her hand. “Nothing. Did you say 18?”

“Yes,” Anya replied. “Plus the two lackeys.”

‘Lackeys’ was the term they’d come up with for the scientific staff recruited by Volkov’s team. From what they’d been able to determine from their surveillance, they were little more than broke science majors from the local college looking to make some extra cash by setting up the lab.

“18? That’s Volkov’s entire faction, right?” Katya asked.

Anya nodded. “Based on our intel, yes.”

‘Our’ intel was really Anya’s intel. The tech wizard had spent weeks glued to her laptop, diligently researching every single person captured on the footage from the warehouse. Between her facial recognition software, the information from Ranieri’s laptop, and her illegal backdoors into the databases of the CIA, KGB and Interpol, she’d managed to ID Volkov’s entire gang.

A few were previous operative from the Red Room - part of Volkov’s original team. Some were family members, converted to Volkov’s cause. But most were hired guns - murderers and Bratva mafiosos smuggled out of Russian prisons and onto US soil with the promise of freedom in exchange for a little light kidnapping and brainwashing. 

And they were all in the same place, at the same time.

“Volkov’s gotta be either stupid or supremely confident to amass everyone in the same location,” Calina commented.

“I don’t think he has a choice,” Yelena said. “We took out most of his top mercenaries in South Carolina - this is all he has left. And he’s paranoid enough to want as much firepower around him as possible.”

“18 of them against 9 of us? That’s doable,” Katya commented. 

“That’s more than doable. Its a cake-walk,” Yelena replied. She straightened up and crossed her arms before addressing the room. “Okay, everyone, it’s go time. We have the chance to end this tonight, and we’re not going to fail. We’ve been training for weeks for this, so you know what to do - tranq and remove the lackeys unharmed, and take out everyone else. Leave Volkov to me. Be ready to move in 5.”

Calina turned to leave with the other Widows but Yelena caught her arm. “You up for this?” she asked.

Calina rolled her eyes. “I’m a little sore, but you didn’t do that much damage, Yelena.”

“I’m not talking about that. I heard you talking to Katya earlier. About your fight with Matt.”

Calina bit her lip. “Oh. That.”

“I know what I said in Maine, but if you want to bail on this, you can. You have nothing to prove to us.”

Calina shook her head. “I’m coming. I can’t just sit here while you guys are out there fighting.”

“Okay then. Go get ready.”

Calina nodded and ran to her bunk. She slithered into her Black Widow suit, zipped up her boots and quickly re-braided her hair. Then she slotted her guns into her thigh holsters…and took a second to breathe.

This was it.

After tonight it would all be over. One way or another.

She glanced around the room and watched as her sisters geared-up and checked their own weapons. A sudden bolt of fear hit her at the thought of one of them being injured.

Or worse.

It never used to be like this in the Red Room. Back then, they’d been teammates in name only. Just individual soldiers going into missions side-by-side. Another pair of hands. Another set of skills. Useful back up…but nothing more.

Now, these women were her friends. Her sisters.

There was Anya, with her logical brain and lack of filter.

Inessa, with her weird sense of humour and bubbly personality.

Viktoria, with her quiet, stoicism.

Yelena, with her fearsome loyalty.

Katya, who she was closest to out of them all. Kind, thoughtful Katya.

She didn’t want to lose any of them.

So she would fight tonight. Not to kill - if she could help it. Not out of vengeance or anger.

She would fight to protect.

She would fight to make sure every single Widow made it back here safe and unharmed.

She would fight for her sisters.

Surely Matt would understand that, she thought. Then she shook her head, trying to quell any further thoughts of Matt. She couldn’t go into this battle with any more fear running through her veins.

Like the fear of never seeing him again. Of leaving things between them in such an ugly, dreadful state.

She didn’t hold out any hope that they could still be together - not after all her lies and with all the blood on her hands - but they deserved some kind of closure, didn’t they? She wanted to see him again, even if it was just to say goodbye.

And that could only happen if she survived tonight.

So she took a deep breath, adjusted the straps on her Widows’ bites and shook out her arms, trying to loosen the tightness in her muscles. As she did, she met Katya’s gaze from across the room. She saw the same hint of fear in the other Widows’ dark brown eyes. Calina smiled to reassure her. “We’ve got this,” she mouthed.

Katya nodded. “We’ve got this,” she mouthed back, and a small smile formed on her lips.

“Hell, yeah, we’ve got this,” Inessa said out loud, having followed the silent conversation. “Do you hear that, everyone? We’ve got this!”

The tension in the air around the Widows’ suddenly transformed into excited anticipation. A few of the others whooped and joined in, “We’ve got this!”

Yelena just shook her head. “Did that really need saying?” She grabbed her rifle and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”

--------

At first, everything went to plan.

Upon reaching the warehouse, the Widows had split into three teams of three - one group snuck around the back to the delivery bay, the other took up position near the front, and the third scaled up to the roof.

Yelena was on the roof team, and it was her role to snipe Volkov with a tranquilliser dart. The aim was to take him out of the equation early on, but leave him alive for interrogation after the fighting was done.

The other two member of Yelena’s group - Viktoria and Sanvi - had the task of infiltrating the lab and extracting the lackeys.

And that was the part that went to plan - sort of.

“We’re out,” was the whispered status update from Viktoria that came through Calina’s ear piece. “But we were spotted.”

At the same moment, Calina heard shouting from within the warehouse, and the sound of gunfire suddenly pierced the night.

“There goes the element of surprise,” Anya said before rising out of her crouch and racing for the docking bay doors.

Calina just shrugged and followed. It had always been an acceptable risk. From the moment they’d identified the lackeys as innocent pawns, they’d always planned to get them out first, no matter the consequences. It was a line in the sand which separated the Widows from Volkov and his faction - innocent civilians were not going to become collateral damage tonight.

And if that meant they had to go in hot - instead of taking out Volkov’s men with stealth - so be it.

Anya and the rest of their group reached the door first, and Calina cursed her earlier sparring session with Yelena for slowing her down. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her knee and kept running, finding an extra burst of speed when the soft pop-pop-pop of a silenced handgun drifted from the open door. She entered the docking bay moments later to find three guards sprawled on the concrete floor, all felled by single bullets to the head.    

“Clear,” Anya reported. 

“Clear,” repeated Katya from her section. “Nice of you to join us, Calina.”

Calina rolled her eyes and checked behind her. No one was following. “Clear,” she called out.

“Let’s go,” Anya said, moving further into the building. They could hear the sound of fighting from the main section of the warehouse, so they all picked up the pace.

Calina breathed steadily as they checked and cleared each corridor and room on the way, the four of them working in perfect synchronicity, their movements honed by years of training. Her earlier anxiety was gone, replaced by a calm determination. The muscle memory of countless previous missions guided her actions and she slipped back into ‘solider’ mode seamlessly - like donning an old, worn-in coat.

This was the life she knew best. As much as she struggled against that concept, her ease and composure in this situation proved it.

All thoughts of Matt, and his opinion on this operation, were forced deep into her subconscious. There was no room for moral quandaries here. Self-recrimination and guilt could come later.

Right now, there was only the gun in her hand and the teammate in front of her.

And a plan that was about to go to shit.

————–

Chapter 9

Tag list: @hollandorks @chezagnes @stilldreaming666 @sio-ina-bottle @tearoseart-blog @acharliecoxedfan @freckledbabyy

If you’d like to be added - let me know!

[infinite-stars88]

Chapter Two

Hair and Outfit

The battlefield was a scene of chaos and destruction, with titans and gods locked in fierce combat. Hades, the god of the underworld, was in the thick of it, his silver hair whipping around his face as he dodged blows from his opponents.

 

He was locked in a fierce battle with one of the Titans, a hulking creature with skin like stone and eyes that burned with a fierce fire. Hades was holding his own, but it was clear that he was tiring. His movements were slower, and his strikes were less powerful.

 

Suddenly, Hades heard a cry of alarm from behind him. He spun around and saw his younger brother, Adamas, charging recklessly into the fray. Hades cursed under his breath. Adamas was brave, but he was also foolish. He had a habit of rushing headlong into danger without thinking.

 

Hades saw a massive Titan raise a fist to strike Adamas from behind. Without hesitation, he threw himself in front of his brother, taking the hit himself. The blow was massive, sending Hades flying through the air and crashing into the ground.

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Hades awoke to find himself in an unfamiliar room, lying on a soft bed with clean white linens. He groaned as he tried to sit up, his body aching all over. That's when he remembered the recent events—the battle, the blow that had knocked him out, and then... nothing. He couldn't remember anything else.

 

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Serena walked in, the daughter of the titan goddess of falling stars, Asteria, and the titan god of destruction, Perses. Hades knew her by reputation—she was a gorgeous goddess with blonde hair and ruby eyes, a voluptuous body, and pearly white skin. However, this was the first time he came face-to-face with her. He had to admit that she was indeed a very lovely goddess, just as the rumors said.

 

Hades tensed and jolted a bit, feeling his head ache once more as memories began to rush into his head. He was captured by Perses, and his own daughter proposed a deal with him.

 

"Good, you're awake," Serena said, a small smile on her lips. "You took quite the beating from my father back there."

 

She reached out and placed a cool hand on his forehead. "You're burning up," she said. "Let me tend to your wounds."

 

Hades nodded, too weak to protest. Serena began to examine his injuries, her touch gentle but firm. She cleaned his wounds, applied healing salve, and wrapped his injuries in fresh bandages.

 

As she worked, Hades couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Her pearly white skin glowed in the soft light of the room, and her ruby eyes sparkled with intelligence and wit. He had to admit that he was intrigued by her.

 

"One of my familiars saw your brother Adamas being brought back to Mount Olympus," Serena said, breaking the silence. "He was injured but was in good condition. I'm certain he will alert both Poseidon and Zeus of what happened and will make a plan to save you."

 

Hades nodded, understanding. "Thank you," he said, his voice weak but sincere.

 

Serena smiled "Of course," she said. She stood up before dusting her dress. She reached out between her chest and pulled out a vile filled with gold liquid before handling it to Hades.

 

"I will bring you ambrosia as much as I can." She said.

 

"Father monitors my every move, so I need to be careful."

 

Hades nodded in understanding. "It’s fine. My wounds will heal themselves eventually." 

 

Serena raised an eyebrow at his statement.

 

"You are aware that it was a divine weapon that hit you, right?" She asked. "That means it will take a while." She flicked his forehead. Hades glared at her while she smirked, chuckling to herself.

 

"I will return later this evening. In the meantime, rest."

 

===============================

Serena sat at the dining table with her father as they ate their meal in silence. After a few moments of complete silence, Perses finally spoke up.

 

"Serena, I have been thinking. Isn’t it time for you to find a suitable match among the titans? We need to strengthen our alliances and connections to maintain our power."

 

Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had heard this speech many times before, and she was tired of her father's insistence on marrying her off to a titan.

 

"I understand your point, father," she said, her voice calm and steady. "But I think it would be wise for me to take some time to think about who I want to marry. I need to make sure that I choose someone who I am truly compatible with, someone who will be worthy enough to be your son-in-law."

 

Perses raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by Serena's response. "I see," he said, his voice filled with skepticism. "And who do you have in mind?"

 

Serena paused, trying to come up with a convincing response. She knew that her father would never approve of her true feelings, so she had to be careful. "Well, I have been considering a few options. I think it would be wise for me to meet with some of the other titans and see who I connect with the most."

 

Perses nodded slowly, still looking skeptical. "Very well, Serena. But remember, we need to maintain our power and connections. So do not take too long to make a decision."

 

Serena nodded; her mind was already made up. She knew that she would never marry a titan, no matter how much her father insisted. She would find a way to gain power and influence on her own terms without having to rely on a marriage for connections.

 

As they finished their meal, Serena felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had managed to sway her father, at least for now. She knew that she had to be careful and keep up her charade, but for now, she was free to pursue her own path without the burden of a forced marriage weighing her down.

 

After the unpleasant dinner, Serena visited her mother, Asteria, in her room, which was located in one of the towers. The goddess knocks on the door before a familiar voice replies. Serena opened the door, and there stood Asteria, a beautiful goddess with blonde hair and pink eyes, who greeted Serena with open arms.

"Serena, my darling daughter," Asteria said, embracing her. "It is so good to see you. What brings you to my palace?"

Serena smiled and replied, "I just wanted to visit you, mother. It has been too long since we last saw each other."

Asteria could sense that something was bothering her daughter, but she didn't want to pry. She knew that Serena would tell her in her own time. So she led her to the dining room, where they shared a cup of ambrosia and talked about their lives.

As they ate, Asteria couldn’t help but notice how much her daughter had grown up. Serena used to be a sweet and innocent young goddess with great potential. Now she’s a grown beautiful woman.

However, Asteria couldn’t help but noticed Serena's distant expression,

"Is something bothering you, my dear?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle.

Serena shook her head, trying to brush off her mother's concern. "No, mother, everything is fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

Asteria didn't believe her, but she didn't push the matter any further. She knew that Serena was trying to hide her pain, and she respected her daughter's decision to keep her feelings to herself.

As their time came to an end, Asteria pulled Serena into a warm embrace. "Remember, my dear, that I love you and I am always here for you," she whispered, her voice filled with love.

Serena hugged her mother back, she didn’t respond. She knew that she had to be strong for her family, but it was becoming harder and harder to hide her pain. As she left her mother's room , she felt a sense of determination wash over her. She would do whatever it takes to protect her mother , even if it means betraying her own father.

On her way back to her room, a red butterfly suddenly appeared. She raise her index finger allowing the butterfly to land. It was no ordinary butterfly after all, it was one of her abilities.

“Welcome back little one, now tell me the status of mount Olympus.” She whispered.

A moment of silence, the red butterfly flutter it’s wings, communicating with it’s master through telepathy.

‘A tournament? How interesting…’

She thought. She let the butterfly flew away once more as she made her way back to her chambers a smirk on her face.

[captain039]

Secrets of mutation PART 3

Logan(wolverine) x reader

Warnings: Age gap, student/teacher, AOB, trauma, swearing, sexual, intimate, a little forceful, heats, smut

Xmen X new mutants

AOB will be referred to second gender xD

Previous chapter

Living with memories seemed strange, knowing who you were, remembering your parents and their death. Your mutation to shape shift like Rahne only another species. You could half shift also, claws and fangs, just not as much body hair as Rahne. You could see in the dark too in human form, your nose was quite strong as was your hearing of you laid attention.

What you couldn’t get out your head though was your parents, those strange men in all black and the memory of someone saying they overdosed you. Dr Reyes knew all this, she had it all on file, never once told you or gave any hint into it. It made you angry, made you want to make her suffer but she was long gone now.

You hated training, hated physical training for that matter. You watched everybody get their ass kicked and kick ass while you hid in the corner.

“Hey” you jumped when Scott called you.

“Mat three now” he said and you sighed going over there.

You looked to the guy and sighed.

“Come on” he grinned.

“I’m- I’m not hitting you” you huffed.

“How are you gonna learn if your not gonna do it?” He asked stepping closer.

“I-“ you sighed.

“Fine” you threw a lazy punch to his arm and he raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” He questioned and you nodded.

“You we’re holding your fist wrong” he said and you sighed.

“I don’t fight” you said.

“You’re a cat” he said.

“A lazy cat” you corrected.

“I like sleep, food and warm beds with-“ you yelped when your feet were taken out from under you. You landed on your back with a groan even though the mat cushioned it.

“Fuck you” you grumbled staying on the ground.

“Come on where’s the feisty kitty cat” he taunted looking over you. You glared not even knowing who this guy was.

“New kid ain’t got balls” he chuckled as people began to look. You felt yourself wanting to shrink as he taunted and went cocky. You growled though claws and fangs out as you grabbed his legs and held you claws to his throat.

“Woah- hey!” You jumped when Logan came over. The boy under you was scared, you could smell his blood also and frowned when you saw scratches on his legs.

“No powers!” Scott scolded.

“Shut up” Logan said kneeling by you.

“I know you wanna claw his throat out but don’t” he said softly and you sighed getting off him. You walked out of the gym and huffed as Logan followed.

“What happened in there?” He asked and you turned to glare.

“Kid” he sighed as you waited for him to catch up.

“I don’t fight” you said.

“Seems like you do” he said.

“He was an asshole” you mumbled crossing your arms.

“I agree but, you did scratch both his legs” he reminded and you sighed.

“Well then maybe I’ll fight you and scratch you to death” you were annoyed, you didn’t want to fight.

“You won’t kill me” he said a slight smirk on his lips.

“You know what I mean” you sighed going to the elevator.

“No come on” he called you and you huffed again.

“You train with me, at least if you scratch I’ll heal” he called and you sighed trudging back to him.

Back in the room you sighed at the looks, the kid was already gone though his blood lingered.

“I don’t fight” you said once again as you stood on the match.

“Humour me” he said and you sighed holding your fists up.

“You’re gonna break your fist if you punch like that” he shook his head walking over to fix it. You stared at him while he did it, his touch less rough than you though and warm.

“Punch my hands” he said as he held them up and you sighed punching them lightly.

“You just took a man down and your punching like this?” He questioned and you sighed.

“I told you-“ he stopped you.

“You don’t like fighting” he finished. You sighed sitting on the ground with your legs crossed.

“I’m only dangerous when I’m a cat” you said as he sat in front of you.

“Even then I’m not, I’m just quick” you shrugged.

“Half shift” he said and you frowned.

“I’ll scratch you-“ you said huffing as he stood.

“I don’t care” you stood and sighed half shifting. The sounds around you became amplified and you twitched at any light noise, your knuckles cracked as you stared at Logan.

“Try and take me down” he said and you made a small hiss noise. Your mind was always half and half, sometimes the feline took control other times it laid dormant.

You tried fighting him, you ended up on your back with him pinning you down easily. You changed back sighing as you let your hands fall to the side.

“Did I scratch you?” you asked and he shook his head. You nodded when a cramp went through your stomach. You froze remembering what it meant. At the program you were always forced to drink some disgusting medicine that kept that nature at bay, but now you haven’t been weaned off it’ll probably hit harder.

“Get off me” you mumbled and he frowned looking to you. You were shaking under his hold and he let go of you, sitting back on his knees. You made a small noise and his nose flared slightly. Others were looking to catching your scent as you whined softly. You stood as quickly as you could stumbling in the process.

“Kid” Logan held you steady and you sighed leaning into him.

“Ah hell” he muttered.

“Come on” he said rather softly to you as he helped you outside the door.

“You should control yourself cat!” Someone called and Logan turned.

“You better control that tongue before you lose it” he snapped before urging you into the elevator.

“I’m sorry” you said in pain as you held your stomach.

“It’s fine kid” he said though it clearly wasn’t fine.

“I can’t go to my room I have a roommate!” You said panicked as the elevator dinged.

“Fuck!” He growled leading you down the opposite end and into a room. He closed the door and you sighed as you laid on the bed before it hit you. His scent hit you and you looked to him. He was scratching his head back turned to you as he sighed.

“Logan” you mumbled.

“Yeah, I know” he growled pacing as a knock came.

“Logan” the Professor called.

“What?!” Logan snapped opening the door.

“Sorry Charles” he muttered going to the other end of the room.

“I’m sorry” you said crying softly.

“It’s alright, you’ve been on some form of suppressant at the facility, we have some here for those who want it, we just needed your body to wear off the other ones I’m afraid” Charles explained and you nodded. Usually mixing two suppressants ended badly, usually in intense heat.

“I know you’ve got a roommate at the moment, I’ll organise a room for you ok?” He added and you nodded.

“Logan?” Charles called and the man practically snarled.

“Come with me and I’ll have Jean come help here” Logan followed Charles out with tense shoulders. The door closed and you sighed hugging his pillow.

Over the last couple of weeks you’ve been sceptical of the man, an attraction to him. He was handsome and an unmated alpha, but he’d probably been with many women, probably had one now, he flirted with Jean a lot though she was with Scott. You knew you two had a large age gap, probably double seeing as he didn’t age like normal. But when you did fight with him or he taught history you were focused on him, his scent. It was stronger thanks to your cat senses, you tried not too, he was just intriguing to you. He always snapped back at anyone that gave you crap too, stood up for you even if you didn’t need it. He was almost protective of you maybe. Now though as you laid there you wanted him back here, holding you, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much than. You pulled the covers over you and curled up in a ball as you inhaled his scent. It was strong on his bed thankfully, it took a little off the edge.

“Y/n” you grumbled when someone called you.

“We’ve got your room ready” it was Jean. You froze though gripping the pillow between your arms as you began to panic a little. She came over and you looked to her begging.

“I-“ she obviously could read your mind as she stuttered.

“Jean” another voice came and you looked to the door seeing Logan. She walked to him and they muttered by the door while you sighed.

“She’s a student” Jean said and Logan sighed.

“Logan” you mumbled and their talking stopped.

You heard footsteps and frowned before Logan knelt by the bed.

“Kid you gotta go into your own room” he said softly.

“I’m not a kid” you glared rolling over. You heard him sigh as he moved to the other side of the bed and knelt.

“I’m old enough to be your grandfather, you need someone your age ok?” You glared again and he pinched the top of his nose.

“Look you can take my pillow, just, we gotta get you into your own room” you still glared but sat up clutching his pillow. You followed him to the assigned room you got, further down the hall. You looked to the fresh bed and sighed lying on it, your back to Logan and the door. You were shaking slightly as you held onto his pillow. Tears were in your eyes, he was right but right now it just hurt. The door closed and you closed your eyes curling up on the cold bed.

Next chapter ->

[sisterofsomeone]

Personal Training

- Katsuki Bakugou x fem!reader SFW

- Warnings: mention of harm, bandaging wounds, choking

- Summary: as a third year, you and your childhood friend Shinso have been moved from the general studies course onto the hero course. No one seems too keen on you two, until you meet Bakugou late one night in the training city and he seems to take a personal interest in you

———————

Wandering around the testing sites at midnight wasn’t something you should be doing, but ever since you got moved from general studies into the hero course it was the only way you could calm yourself down after a day of training. It was dark, the cold air still around your skin and the only light shining was from the full moon above you. You’ve always dreamt of being a hero, but knowing you couldn’t control your quirk, knowing you had the ability to seriously hurt someone if you lost control, you applied for general studies and vowed to learn to control your power before you tried to move into the hero course. Your thoughts drifted to Shinso, you two had been friends for years going all the way back to nursery, just two toddlers constantly holding hands and only ever with each other. Your chest swelled with pride thinking about how both of you had beaten the odds and been moved from general studies to the hero course after all your efforts. You were in your third year, you’d missed a whole two years of the intense hero course training but it meant you two finally got the attention you deserved. You were finally seen as hero material. Sure you felt bad for the people who got moved out, but you didn’t know them and they were obviously not making the most of the opportunity, so you were glad to take their spot. You had to be a hero at any cost.

It was quiet around you, the only noise you could hear was your own footsteps, your breathing the only sign of life. Your breath was coming out softly but because of the cold it was visible, the curls and twists of your breath softly disappearing into the moonlight. You’d been wandering around the town for a few hours now, watching the silent, dead city around you, the buildings towering over you and the roads stretched out and empty. It reminded you of home, disappearing after long days being bullied at school and skulking through the dying streets.

“You shouldn’t be here.” You hadn’t noticed the boy sneaking up on you. You could understand why he currently held your throat in his hands, you did look exceptionally different in and out of class. You didn’t bother fighting his grip, you knew this boy and he would certainly overpower you in hand to hand combat.

“You with that hand guy? He sent you in here to spy on me huh?” His grip tightened but you never once broke eye contact. His red eyes blown out with anger, his lips curled into a snarl and his breath warm on your face.

“I-I’m in your c-class dumb arse.” You managed to get out between shallow breaths. “The o-one with Shinso all the time. The new girl.” He seemed to believe you, releasing his grip on you ever so slightly but still eyeing you with intrigue.

“She has floaty purple hair, and that weird dark aura quirk thing...” You weren’t necessarily in the position to roll your eyes at him, but surely he should have noticed that your whole ‘dark aura quirk thing’ changed your physical appearance too? You’d fought him enough. You decided to indulge him, letting your power grow until you changed in his hands, the light from the moon almost being drawn into you as the darkness swirled and danced around you. Your body surged with the release of this power, your skin feeling hot, as if it was about to burn right off of your bones. You had never been able to control yourself before UA, and this place had shown you how to harness this power and use it to your advantage.

“Okay creep -“ he released you suddenly when your darkness started creeping up his arm and pulling him in. “- I believe you.” He was wiping his hand on his trousers now, obviously feeling the same burning you always did. You pulled your darkness back in, your hair falling flat against you, your eyes returning to their natural colour and your skin settling down. Dusting yourself off, you stood to face Bakugou. He towered over you, the boy growing to be over six foot during your time at UA.

“It’s almost as if you should believe me, seeing as I also live on the same floor as you.” Raising an eyebrow you tried to register his reaction but he didn’t seem to be paying you any more mind.

“Oi, I’m talking-“

“Shut up, I’m not interested anymore.” Sticking his hands in his pockets he turned on his heel and walked away from you. But you weren’t gonna let him get away that easily.

“Oi fucker! You don’t get to talk to me like that!” You walked after him, grabbing his arm.

“Get off.” He snapped back, his eyes dark and angry.

“Not until you apologise for trying to choke me out.”

“Not gonna happen sweetheart. Don’t wander around on your own acting all sketchy and I wouldn’t have had to.” This was ridiculous, all you wanted was an apology.

“But what about you huh?” He stopped walking and turned to face you.

“You’re skulking around here too, does that mean I get to choke you?” You smirked up at him feeling proud of yourself when his eyebrows furrowed.

“You can try, but I’ll kill you if you do extra.” This fucking guy.

“Are you serious right now? Like, does this act usually work on your classmates? Because I’m not scared of an immature man child who can’t even apologise when he’s done something wrong.” In a blur he’d managed to pin you up against the wall that you swore was 15 foot away from you two only seconds ago, his body pressed into yours and his hand around your throat again. You felt his thigh in between your legs, and you couldn’t help the shudder that moved through your body when he spoke.

“You should be scared of me, I’m gonna be number one, I’m the best.” He was staring directly into your eyes, not breaking the gaze he was bearing down on you.

“You think you’re gonna be number one? I beg to differ.” His cockyness seemed infectious. “I’ll beat you Bakugou, just you wait.”

———————

It had been a few weeks since your little scuffle and you had been trying to keep your word.

“Y/n, are you seriously gonna try and fight Bakugou right now?” You’d filled Shinso in on what had happened between the two of you and even though you knew he believed in your abilities, he really didn’t think you were ready to fight him.

“I need practise, and I can never go all out with you because I care about you, you’re my friend! It doesn’t work!” You laughed and Shinso rolled his eyes. He always asked you to go all in when you two sparred but you couldn’t bring yourself to hurt him, even if you knew he wouldn’t hate you, you would hate yourself.

“Look, he’s finally done with Kirishima so now’s my chance. I’ll be okay I promise.”

You totally weren’t okay. Bakugou had kicked your arse, and all he had to do was get close enough that you could feel the heat from his skin and place a hand on your waist during an attack and your hormone-riddled brain freaked out. Not that he’d noticed you’d frozen mid fight, so he just kept firing off attacks as you scrambled to think up a defensive strategy. But it was no use, one well aimed hit and you were down.

You were with Recovery Girl in the nurses office when Shinso popped his head in.

“Told you so.” He said bluntly, drawing a tut from Recovery Girl.

“If you’re gonna be negative she doesn’t need you in here. She need positivity for healing thank you.” He apologised and moved further into the room.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“Tired I guess, and a little sore, but nothing bad. How did the rest of the lesson go?”

“Well, Bakugou and Todoroki got into another fight, Deku tried to break it up but that didn’t really work so they’ve all got dorm cleaning duties for the next week.” That got a chuckle out of you.

“Bakugou? Cleaning? Unlikely.”

“Oh yeah, Aizawa said he’d stop by randomly to make sure they were cleaning.” By now Recovery Girl had ushered you off of the bed and had begun handing you your clothes back.

“You’re all bandaged up, now get dressed and get out of here! And take some candy! You! Make sure she gets back to her room safely will you?” Shinso nodded as you slipped your jacket and shoes back on, wrapping his arm around your waist as a support. You were thankful for him, even if he was a miserable bastard most of the time.

———————

Shinso had managed to get you back in one piece, placing you on your bed softly. No one else had come to help, but you two had expected as much. Since being transferred in you had been singled out as the outsiders of the group, no one had even tried as much as to have dinner with you guys or watch the tv with you two. You were always alone together, you were each other’s rock.

“Hey Purple hair.” The voice behind him was rough and angry, you recognised it in an instant.

“Bakugou. What do you want?” Shinso tried to take no mind, keeping all of his focus on tucking you into bed.

“I need to speak to y/l/n. Alone.”

“I don’t trust you alone with her after today.”

“Let me speak to her.” Shinso turned to face him, his eyes burning holes into Bakugou’s head.

“After the stunt you pulled? No-“

“Toshi, I want to hear what he has to say.” You tugged on his shirt feebly, and his guard dropped. He always softened up around you.

“Fine. But I’ll be outside.” You mumbled a thank you as he barged past Bakugou, hitting him with his shoulder as he passed. Shutting the door behind himself, Bakugou entered your room looking oddly sheepish.

“Hey.” You started softly, not wanting to jump straight into a fight with the guy.

“Hey. About today? I mean, I’m not gonna say sorry because you asked to fight but I just wanna say that I should have noticed you freeze and let up a bit. I didn’t notice and Kirishima had to point it out to me later on, so yeah. Don’t come in unprepared next time.” Well. It was a start.

“Oh, I mean I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to freeze up on you trust me!” You tried to laugh it off, but the atmosphere in the room was way too weird.

“Was it because I touched you?” You blushed at this and dropped your gaze to the floor. Where you really that easy to read? “Because if it was then Kirishima owes me $20.” Oh.

“No. I don’t know why I froze but it wasn’t because you touched me.” He smirked at this, moving to sit on the end of your bed. You instinctively pulled your legs closer to yourself but he took this as an invite to spread out more. You took in his toned shoulders, his strong arms and long fingers. Your mind drifted, wandering how good they’d feel slipping under your shirt and -

“You’re not even listening are you?” He pulled you from your dirty thoughts and you shook your head.

“Wow. I said that it’s a shame, because I’d love to explore what else I can make you do with my hands.” He had to be joking right? You blinked at him, your mouth agape with pure confusion. 

“See? You’re all frozen again. I must have an effect on you.” He started moving closer to you, shifting on your bed until his lips were a mere inch away from yours. His eyes were boring into yours, but the pupils were flickering slightly from your eyes to your mouth. He raised a thumb to your lips, rubbing the calloused skin across your bottom lip. You swallowed, suddenly aware how fast your heart was beating and how clammy your hands had gotten. 

“Bok-” He placed a finger on your lips as if you quiet you. 

“Call me Katsuki, y/n. I have a feeling we’ll be training much more closely from here on out.” With that, he pulled away and stood from your bed. He left your room, glaring at Shinso who was waiting patiently outside. The purple haired boy ran into your room as quickly as he could, inspecting your face when he saw you red, hot and flushed. 

“I’m not even gonna ask what happened here.” He scrunched up his nose in disgust.

“Oh, n-nothing happened. He just offered to train with me more.”

[yourmcu]

Bloodlust

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x vampire!reader

Summary:

There’s a vampire in the city. Natasha (and Steve) went to investigate the aftermath of your killing spree.

Word count: 2,402

A/n: disclaimer! all info about vampires, description of vamps are based on tvd

Warnings: blood, violence, swearing, angst but fluff at the end? kinda confusing if I’m being honest but that’s ok! lmao

gif not mine! credits to the owner^^

Natasha found herself walking around the woods again. Not because she wanted to - well, half of her did, but she needed to find and talk to you for more important reasons.

The day (or night) before yesterday, she crossed paths with you. She went out with Steve in the woods to investigate more than a dozen deaths that occurred in less than two weeks, it was nothing compared to Loki’s attack in New York but they were... gruesome.

Steve pressed a button on the remote, showing three different pictures of the victims as holograms. They weren’t normal - murder - pictures, no bullet wounds or knife slices/stabs. One had bite marks all over their body, one’s head was entirely snapped off. But they had one thing in common: they looked drained, and thin. “There are fifteen more like that. Each gory than the other.”

They all let out noises of disgust.

“Definitely a psychopath,” Tony muttered.

“A deranged serial killer?” Bruce suggested.

“There’s bite marks. It’s probably an animal.” Sam emphasized on ‘bite marks’.

As she continued to walk, Natasha’s fingers brushed on the mark on her neck. For something that was two days old it still stung really bad sometimes. She’s not proud of it. You made her feel incredibly vulnerable that night, weak.

It all started when you jumped from a tree and landed on your feet just behind the redhead-

Natasha had her gun pointed at you in an instant. She was trained and could identify a murderer when she sees one but surprisingly, you looked... normal. Her eyes lowered, checking you out if you had something sketchy on you, but you just looked like a civilian in their mid-twenties or thirties.

You put your hands behind your back, smirking. You licked your lips and mimicked the way she looked at you up and down, not showing any signs that you were threatened by her lethal weapon. “Hey there.”

She was beautiful. Red hair with blonde tips, green eyes, plump lips, she gave off a fierce aura. She looked tough. You liked it.

Natasha kept her usual cold expression and her tone wasn’t any different. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Neither should you...” you reached out to rest your palm on the barrel of her gun and-

Bang!

She let out a shaky breath when you barely flinched as she shot a bullet through your hand, eyes widening. It was a metal bullet, it had little to no effect on you. You made an amused noise before ripping the weapon out of her grip and used all your strength to pin the fighting ex-assassin against a tree.

Her speed and strength surprised you. She kicked you hard in the abdomen before her back hit trunk and punched you across the face several times. For you they only stung for a moment; she had no match against you. She had no idea what she was dealing with.

Natasha looked up when she doesn’t hear pained grunts or signs of weakness from you. You smiled, gripping both of her wrists again. “I’ll have a go now, yeah?” She was grunting, struggling, trying to push you away. “You’re stronger than I thought you’d be.”

You forced her to look straight into your eyes. The only light source was coming from the moon but you could still see her green eyes perfectly. So beautiful.

“Think you can relax for me, hun?”

Natasha stared up at you curiously, breathing steadily. To her you looked so irresistible all of a sudden that she had no choice to listen. Her hands that gripped tightly on your arms relaxed, she was now the one holding on to you.

You moved a side of her hair back to get a clear view of her neck, smiling, “good girl.” Your fangs protrude and poked the sides of your lips, the whites of your eyes turned crimson red as black veins popped out just outside both of them. The smell of her blood filled your senses more intensely-

Well you all know what happened next.

Steve decided to show up while you were feeding on Natasha, successfully saving her from you, much to your dismay. They evacuated right away so you wouldn’t do more harm to the pair. They’d be fighting for a long time against you if they stayed, now knowing what you were capable of.

Natasha hated that she felt intrigued and curious by you, or eager if that’s one word to describe it, she doesn’t know exactly what she was eager for but, she can’t help but think about you.

A small cottage came into view, finally, and Natasha stopped walking. Under different circumstance she’d say it looked pretty cozy. She went on to knock on the door, not sure if you were the one occupying it, but she was right.

You answered the door, raising an eyebrow when you saw who it was.

She doesn’t say anything but her heartbeat quickens. You wordlessly stepped aside to let her in.

“Miss Romanoff,” you said softly, not wanting the air to be filled with awkward silence. Your eyes trailed her as she looked around your - the supposedly abandoned cottage that you may or may not have forcefully stole from a now deceased man. “After what I did to you I was sure the last thing you wanted was to see me again.”

She opened her mouth to speak but was astonished by how fast you’ve gotten in front of her to look at her neck. The bite mark you caused was still there and still looked bad. She tried to read your expression but couldn’t, and was taken by surprise when you bit your thumb without hesitation, a generous amount of blood oozing out.

“I... I don’t-”

“It’ll help but, suit yourself,” you shrugged, wiping away the blood and the wound immediately healed right after. You disappeared for a moment in the kitchen. “I apologize, I’m not used to having visitors. Are you here to kill me, Miss Romanoff, or did you want something else?”

Your stare lingered on her when you came back with a bottle of wine. You did a lot of digging on this woman ever since your encounter and if it wasn’t for your sudden attraction to her you would’ve finished her off already. You thought she was merely a sidekick to Captain America but as you dug further, she might as well be as dangerous as you.

But she was quiet, soft and maybe nervous around you, giving you the feeling that she felt the same way. Your little crush grew more at the thought. As a vampire, everything about you was magnified. Your senses, strength, and if you ever felt it for a certain person, feelings.

“I’m here on behalf of the Avengers,” Natasha spoke, slowly as if she’s choosing the right words to say. “Look, we mean no harm to you, or your kind. We just want to know your intentions...”

“It’s Y/N,” you said absentmindedly, and added, “you’ll never convince me, unfortunately. I won’t come with you.

“I’ve been around for, what, two centuries now and... that sort of play’s getting old. I lost friends the last time I heard that same line.”

You rubbed your temple while taking a swig of the red wine straight out of the bottle. 

“I’m sorry to here that.” Natasha shifted from where she was standing, still not budging whenever you urged her to take seat. 

She didn’t know where to go from here if she was being honest. The plan - well, the original plan, was to kill you. Stake to the heart. Just like that. But after hearing that little story, Natasha’s regrets about suggesting an interrogation on you faded. It’s not like you wanted to be a bloodsucking, immortal monster in the first place, right? You were human once. And it didn’t seem like you dedicated yourself to be completely against humans, because if you did, Natasha would be dead right now without a doubt.

She may or may not have suggested that because you also did leave quite the impression on her.

“Is that genuine, or is this all part of your plan to kill me?” You said coolly, getting up once more to put away the bottle. “Because you’re doing great - oh I forgot, you’re a spy, after all-”

In a swift movement you found yourself on the floor, bottle shattering, drilling pain on your shoulder and Natasha above you, pulling out a pistol. You winced as you struggled to pull out the thick wooden stake buried in your shoulder. You definitely did not expect that.

Natasha gave you an almost apologetic look, but it returned to its usual stoicism. “I’m giving you a chance to do this the easy way,” she breathed out. The sudden attack made you turn to your original form, she looked at the way your eyes faded from red to white again, black veins still pulsing around them.

With your incredible speed and strength you applied pressure to her stomach with your knee and pinned her against the wall again. “What the hell do you want from me, Romanoff?”

What was she waiting for? She could’ve stabbed me already and her job’s done. She’s easily done this before, why was she hesitating now?

Your foreheads were touching and both of your breaths were ragged. Her eyes were so beautiful up close. “You never wanted to be like this,” her voice was barely a whisper. “It’s never too late to change.”

You weren’t all that bad, Natasha was right. You still had a bit of goodness left in you. The vampire that turned you so many years ago didn’t give you a choice, everything just sort of happened. You had no choice but to live like this.

“Is that what this is about?” You mumbled back, loosening your hold on her.

Both of your guards were completely down now.

“I’m a monster,” you said bitterly. “I’ve done horrible things. I’ve killed so many innocent people.”

Natasha gave you a sad smile. She almost had the same background as you. Being an ex-assassin, yet now she was saving lives almost every day.

“You know,” she said, feeling a tingle when your lips brushed against hers. “I don’t judge people on their worst mistakes.”

You gulped, suddenly struggling with your words. But you didn’t have to say anything anymore since her lips connected with yours. Natasha ran her hands on the back of your head while you cupped her face. 

The warm sensation didn’t last for long. You heard something whiz by, and the next thing you knew you had a burning sensation all over, it made you weak. You pushed Natasha off you to look for the source but you were too weak-

The last thing you heard was the door opening and Natasha saying “Clint!”.

-----

Your cell reminded Natasha of the one on S.H.I.E.L.D’s helicarrier, specifically the one they used on Loki. But yours was more small and instead of it being inside an aircraft it was inside the compound.

It’s been a few hours since you went unconscious. Clint used four vervain shots just to knock you out.  Natasha had to remind Steve endlessly that you were not to be killed unless things don’t go well.

“Are you sure this one’s a vampire? ‘Cause it looks like you just closed your eyes and picked a random person outside.” Tony leaned over the glass to get a good look at you.

But once you gained consciousness you lost it. You sped up to the glass, slamming your whole body against it which startled Tony. Not to mention you were in your vampire form.

Some of them cursed when you managed to get a crack on the glass on your third pound. “I don’t want to be here.” Your fists visibly shook as you spat at Natasha. “How do you expect me to change when you trick me, Romanoff?”

“Stark, do something about that glass.” Steve ordered as he pulled Natasha away from your cell.

“Right. You better have those shots at the ready too, Robin Hood.”

“Steve, I’m going in there,” Natasha removed his hand from her arm. She already knew what the look he was giving her meant. “I’ll be fine. Even I didn’t expect Clint to engage last night.”

So she made her way inside, the steel door shut behind her. You were silently pacing back and forth, still shaking. You had given up on the glass when it was replaced by a more durable one.

“Y/N...”

“Get the fuck away from me.”

“I’m sorry.”

You scoffed, glaring at her and glaring at Steve outside the cell who was watching you intently. “Just get your pals in here and finish the job.”

“I really do believe you can change-” she insisted.

When she went to touch your shoulder you immediately grabbed her wrist. Natasha was speechless when she saw your twisted face, eyes scarlet and unrecognizable, your fangs just waiting to sink into flesh.

“I can’t change.” you whispered. “I was meant to be like this.”

-----

Ending 1: Natasha fights and convinces you that you still have a bit of humanity, despite being what you are. You end up having to fight Steve and the others too but they manage to knock you out a second time. When you wake up, Natasha’s the only one in the room with you. That’s when you both get to talk properly, and then you get to be one of the Avengers. It’s unusual, but it works, using your powers and abilities for good, not having to kill people but you feed on blood bags instead (occasionally). And maybe you even end up dating Natasha.

Ending 2: You completely snap at Natasha in the cell. Steve and Clint burst in to help her. This causes you to get even more aggressive. The fighting took a while, Tony and Rhodey even got into their suits to fight you, but you threatened them with the lives of their friends so they couldn’t do much. You knocked out Steve, Natasha and Clint, so it was now Bruce’s turn. They were a bit conflicted of letting Hulk out since they were sure he’ll destroy the whole building. But Wanda came out, using her witch powers to weaken you, it finally ended with a stake to your chest.

[silvermoonflowers]

Moonflower

Priestess!Reader x Demon!Bucky

  Summary: Sometimes what you seek is from the most unexpected.

Warnings: Hints of sorrow and the beginning of a forbidden love between a priestess and a demon. 

A hush fell over the residence. The only sounds that were heard were of several people walking among the corridors, looking tired and wary. Occasionally, someone would approach a window and peek through the curtains, as if they were expecting the worst to come.

But so far, everything seemed alright. Or at least that’s what you thought.

You were currently in a room near the central part of the residence, which was thought to be the safest place away from the entrance. There were charms that hung from the ceiling and scented candles surrounded you. But there was one candle sitting on a nightstand next to the bed that wasn’t ignited. You lit it using a torn piece of paper and a flame from another candle. You set your bow and arrows beside the nightstand. Then you sat on the bed, stretching out your aching arms in relief. But you still had to be on guard. You might never know when they would appear.

Just as you were about to lay down, there was a knock, which you made jump. The door creaked opened and Steve appeared, which made you put a hand to your chest. You had thought that one of them had appeared already. Steve rubbed the back of his head and gave you a sheepish smile when he noticed how tense you were.

“Forgive me for startling you, Priestess. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

You sat further in the bed, pulling your knees to your chest as you said, “I’m fine. What about you, Steve?”

His lips formed a thin line.

“It seems all is well...for now. Sam and Clint didn’t see anything in the forest and Wanda didn’t sense anything either. Perhaps these charms really are helping-”

“Oh? Is that you really think, Captain?”

Your blood went cold at the sound of the deep voice that seemed to echo in the residence while Steve looked around frantically, his hand immediately grasping for his sword. You could hear the others shouting your name and Steve’s from the corridors. With his weapon brandished in one hand, Steve held out his other hand, motioning for you to come. However you sat rigid on the bed, your face pale and your hands gripping the covers tightly.

A demon was here already?

“Priestess!” Steve cried out as he ran to you.

But before Steve could come any closer, a cold wind swept around the room. All of the candles were blown out, swallowing you and Steve in darkness while the charms fell to the floor, seemingly cut by the gale. There was a sudden gasp from Steve and then something heavy hit the floor. He had collapsed. That was enough to break you out of your shock.

“Steve!”

“Relax, my dear Priestess. He and the rest of your friends are simply unconscious.”

You leapt out of bed and grit your teeth, glaring into the darkness trying to find the demon that somehow entered the residence. As much as you wanted to check on Steve and the others, you had to get rid of the source of the problem first. It was only then that you noticed that there was a small light from the corner of your eye. You turned to it.

It was the candle that you had lit. It somehow stayed alight even with the strong wind that the demon sent. But that small light was enough for you. Using the candle as a guide, you inched towards the nightstand until you were able to find your bow and arrows.

“Show yourself, demon,” You stated coldly as you aimed an arrow into the darkness. “How did you even get in here?” There was a chuckle, which made you grip the arrow even tighter.

“Please, you guys need to find better charms. I’m surprised the sorceress didn’t come up with an even stronger spell to ward off someone like me. But I suppose extreme tiredness can do that to humans. However, I am not here to give you any trouble, my dear Priestess.”

Ah yes, the typical statement of demons saying they mean “no harm”. Just hearing that ironic statement made you roll your eyes.

“That’s what they all say, “ You snapped, threatening to shoot the arrow straight at him. “Now show yourself!”

As if responding to your demand, footsteps could be heard. You quickly placed yourself in front of Steve, your grip on the arrow tightening even further. That was when he appeared. Despite there being only one lit candle in the looming darkness, somehow you could make out his features.

He was tall, with dark shoulder length hair and a very well built body. And oh, those eyes of his. They were such a beautiful pair of bluish-gray eyes. His clothes seemed to blend in with the darkness. The alluring appearance of the demon made you loosen your grip on the arrow, but only for a bit. Conflict arose within you. He looked so human compared to the horrifying demons that you and your friends had previously encountered. But a small part of your mind whispered to you that what you’re seeing is probably the demon taking on the appearance of a human, just to trick you so you could fall for his trap.

He smirked, which only seemed to confirm your suspicions.

“Finally, we’re alone together, Priestess of the Silver Moon. ”You weren’t in the mood for his sweet talk. “You’ve been following us, haven’t you? What do you want?”

He simply held up a hand. “Relax.”

Relax, he says. With your patience running thin, you released the arrow. The demon hissed and melted into the shadows while the arrow hit the wall instead. You huffed. That was a waste of a good arrow. Had you been a bit quicker, you would’ve successfully slayed the demon. You reached for another arrow.

A gasp left your throat as you felt a cold hand on your shoulder.

How’d he even get close to you without you noticing?!

“Like I said, my dear, I’m not here to give you trouble.” His voice was soft, so soft, that it made your knees falter. A cold hand oh so slowly slid down the length of your arm and you shuddered involuntarily. You wanted to snatch your arm away from his light touch. He was a demon. One that could cause your downfall. “Please do not attack me. Let me speak.”

Your consciousness screamed at you that he was lying and that it was a trick. That he would claim you. However, after all this time, he had yet to actually harm you. Perhaps he really meant it? You weren’t even sure why you were trusting this demon in the first place. Letting out a sigh, your lowered your bow and turned to him. But you didn’t look at him. You stared at the floor instead. The demon gently brushed a strand of your hair aside. Even with that comforting gesture, you still didn’t look at him. Had you looked at him, you would’ve seen how concerned he was.

“As to your answer to your questions, yes I was following you guys. However I just happened to notice when you guys were at the pond. I have heard many stories about the Golden Sun and Silver Moon Priestesses, but I have never actually seen them before. But now, here you are standing before me. Of course, I had to make your friends unconscious so there would be no interference.”

You weren’t even sure why he was telling you this and you just wanted him to get to the point. He seemed to sense that. “I happened to hear about your problem.”

“Eh?” You immediately looked up, which you regretted. However you saw no malice in his beautiful eyes. He gave you a kind smile instead, which you found a bit strange considering his true nature.

“You are searching for a moonflower, correct? A flower that will help your sister who is ill.”

Your breath hitched and your bow clattered beside Steve.

“Y-you..”

The demon nodded.

“The moonflower, a flower that has healing properties and is most difficult to find because it blooms only once a year.”

He leaned in towards you, his hair tickling your cheek and his lips nearly touching your ear. You couldn’t help but shudder at how close he was.

“I do, indeed, have a moonflower.” At that statement, it seemed like all the tension left your body. You wanted to cry. Not out of agony, but in relief. You had searched for so long, even to the point of exhaustion, but you could never find it. And now you finally found a moonflower. But was the demon telling the truth? You held back your tears as you looked at the demon straight in his face.

He held out his hand and you gasped. There, floating in water and encased in a small glass vial, was the moonflower. It was so beautiful. You watched with fascination as the white petals seem to glimmer under the lit candle . But was it real or was it a fake? Your eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“It is real. I assure you, Priestess.”

With shaking hands, you took the encased flower and held it close to your chest. You let out a breath that you didn’t realize that you’d been holding.

“T-thank you so much…”

Now your sister could finally be healed. The demon nodded and took a few steps back. However you still needed some answers.

“W-wait...why…why are you doing this for me?”

He didn’t reply at first. He simply stared at you. You stared back. Then he let out a sad smile.

“My dear, I’m not like other demons, if that’s what you’re thinking. You also happen to intrigue me. I can see you have a past that is hidden from your friends. A past that is full of pain and sorrow.”

You held the vial even tighter. You weren’t even going to question as to how he knew about your past. He was a demon after all. You just wanted to know why he was bringing that up now?

“I, too, have a painful past,” He said gently, brushing his hand across your shoulder. “Perhaps, you and I are kindred spirits?”

A demon with a sad past? You weren’t even sure if that was possible. Most demons you heard and seen were monstrous compared to him. But then again, he wasn’t like most demons.

“I have to go now. Your friends will wake up soon and I cannot stay any longer.

“Wait!” He raised an eyebrow at your sudden harsh tone. You gave him an apologetic look.

“What is your name, please?”

He hesitated before saying it. “James.”

“James…”

He gently took your hand and pressed his cold lips to it. You were thankful that the darkness was able to hide your blushing face. Although considering the supernatural abilities of demons, he probably saw it anyways. “We shall again meet again, my dear Priestess. That I promise. Now I wish you and your friends the best of luck and for your sister to be healed.”

Then just as he appeared from the darkness, James faded into it, leaving you standing there, clutching the moonflower and staring at the spot where he disappeared. You had continued standing there, even when a groan could be heard from behind you.

“Priestess…?” Steve said groggily. “A-are you okay? Did...did you kill the demon?”

But you didn’t reply as you were lost in your own thoughts. A single tear ran down your cheek as you held up the moonflower. You still had so many questions for James. You wanted to know him better. Perhaps you even wanted him to be with you and your friends. And yet the short amount of time took that away. Why were you feeling this way, you weren’t even sure anymore.

But there was one statement that haunted you now.

Perhaps, you and I are kindred spirits?

[nyxicnymph]

Swept Away

A TodoMomo oneshot for Mermay 2021

Shoto Todoroki shifted uncomfortably, feeling cold. He didn't open his eyes, unwilling to take in the damage he was sure was there. He remembered the impact, and the shattering noises of the side of the ship imploding, then an impact on the back of his head, a flash, and nothing more.

He casually wondered if he was dead.

As he drifted, something nagged at the back of his mind. He felt very even in temperature, not something you would normally feel if you were drifting across the surface of the ocean. He also wasn't feeling any splashes from the waves. Thoroughly confused, he opened his eyes.

A woman's face greeted him, her dark eyes gazing into his, her ebony hair drifting around in unidentifiable motions. He gasped in surprise, only to inhale a mouthful of salt water.

Salt water?

"You're awake!" The woman said excitedly, her voice rolling towards him through the water. "Oh, but don't breathe through your mouth, my magic charm only helps you breathe through your nose."

Shoto clamped his mouth shut once he expelled the water from it, and took a good look at the woman before him. She was black haired and fair, wearing a red seaweed top, and a golden belt around the top of her slightly darker red tail. Her fins along her forearms were the same color, and as she swam to grab something, he saw a fin along her back as well.

"You're a siren?" He asked, tentatively, the only possible explanation in his head at the moment.

She turned around and pulled a face. "No. Sirens are half bird predators, with enchanting voices. You wouldn't have woken up if I were a siren. No, I am a mermaid."

"A mermaid," Shoto repeated, his head spinning, no thanks to the throbbing on the back of his skull. He remembered a few lines from even fewer books, but nothing of actual importance. "Mermaids can do magic?" He asked, referring to the magic charm she mentioned before.

The mermaid blushed. "Some can. I learned from the seawitch, Tsuyu. I saw you sinking, and I thought I could help."

Shoto looked at her for a moment, having to brush his hair back before it floated into his eyes. "What's your name? I'd like to thank you properly."

"Oh!" She practically glowed with joy. "Momo Yaoyorozu!"

"Well, Momo Yaoyorozu, I, Shoto Todoroki, would like to thank you for saving my life. I owe you a debt." He attempted to bow to her, but ended up flipping himself over in the water.

Momo giggled as he tried to right himself. "Let me help you." She grabbed one of his hands, and pulled him so he was lateral. With her face inches from his, she told him, "This is the best swimming position. The water flows around you like this. If you intend to change your direction, tilt your body like this." She pushed his upper body around in a few positions.

"That sounds great, but how do I go forward?" He asked in confusion.

She looked at his legs and frowned. "That's a good question. You don't have a tail, so you can't push like I do." She hummed thoughtfully as she looked at his legs. "Hold on to the stalagmite right there, I'm going to test a few things."

Shoto did as she told him, but was unprepared for when she gently grabbed his legs and started moving them. She finished after only a few seconds and swam back up to his face. She then held her hand level with his face, the first two fingers pointing at him. He noted the web between them before she spoke.

"Move your legs like this." She demonstrated an up-and-down motion with her fingers, one going up as the other goes down, and then they reversed.

"Like scissors," he remarked absently.

Momo gazed at him with confusion in her eyes for a moment, not understanding, but then shrugged. "If that's what scissors do, then yes. Like scissors."

Shoto nodded, and kicked. At first, he didn't notice anything, so he kicked harder. He lost his grip on the stalagmite and rammed his head into a kelp-plated boulder. He gently pushed off of it, and rubbed his forehead.

"Now both sides hurt," he mumbled.

Momo shook her head clear. She'd been watching his two-toned hair float aimlessly, but his words hit her as odd. "Both sides?" She asked as she swam up to him.

His eyes met hers, and he nodded. "Front and back."

Momo's eyes widened. "I forgot you were injured! I can't heal things, though. I can only make things." She thought for a minute, tapping one finger against her chin. "Maybe Tsuyu can help." She grabbed his hand. "If you stick with me, you won't get lost. Remember to push! Use your arms if your... err... double tails... aren't enough."

Shoto frowned in confusion. "Double tails? You mean my legs?"

"Yeah, is that what they're called? Use your legs and arms!"

"Momo, I can't use both arms if you're holding my hand," he pointed out bluntly.

Momo felt her face heat up, and released his hand abruptly. "Sorry! I just wasn't sure if you would be able to keep up!"

"Can't you just swim slower?"

Momo let that sink in. "Oh. Yeah! Yes, I can. My apologies!" She turned around and started swimming.

Shoto looked at the hand she had released rather forlornly. He hadn't asked for it to be released, he just was trying to point something out. Then he had to blurt out the "swim slower".

He followed after the mermaid. At least a slower swim would mean more time to get to know her. He was quite intrigued.

He wasn't prepared for the multi-sleep trip.

"Ah, I should have told you that I live quite a ways from Tsuyu. It'll take us about three sleeps before we arrive, at the speed we're going. Here, I'll make you a sand bed." Momo swept her tail across the ocean floor, and placed a clump of seaweed in the middle of the circle she made. "I'm not sure how humans sleep, but we tend to sleep in circles, with our tails curled up. You can rearrange the bed however you like. I'll be over here," she said, pointing to a spot a little ways away. "You may also wish to use the kelp to cover yourself, should a shark come near."

Shoto nodded, and swam towards the kelp, intent on trying to figure out how he was going to lay down. He flinched when Momo suddenly clapped.

"I'll just make a shelter around us! I can't believe I've never done that!" She swam a ways away, then started swimming in a circle around the two sand beds, tracing her finger in the sand. Where her finger touched, a wall of coral started to rise. It flowed together into a dome over their heads. She snapped, and the coral flowed apart in a few spots, creating some doorways and windows.

Shoto watched her in amazement. He'd seen a few mages on land, but none with the skill and competence that she was exhibiting. The detail that the coral grew in at her command was impressive. He could easily tell the door handles from the hinges. He looked at Momo in wonder and awe.

She released the magic, and turned to catch him staring at her, his mouth hanging open just slightly. "Are you okay, Shoto?"

He shook his head, then pushed his hair aside. "You're very accomplished. I've never seen anyone so good at magic, and I've met several mages in my father's business."

Her face warmed, and she swam to float next to him. "You've met magic users above?"

He gazed at the ceiling. "A few. Mostly storm mages, since my father's company trades through a lot of the more dangerous trading routes. He's a fire mage, and I got that, and my mother's ice mage talents, but I don't like to show those off. I'm not talented enough."

"So you're a... mage... too? Fire and ice?" She asked, not sure what those were.

He understood her, though. "I'm not sure if they'll work underwater. Ice might work too well down here. Can you make a waterproof box or something?" He asked her, turning to face her better.

She tucked a stray lock behind her ear. "I can try. If you stay there, I'll make it around you. But then I won't be able to make anything until I find something to eat."

Shoto paused. "Then don't. We do need to find something to eat, though."

Momo smiled. "I have a fishnet."

Shoto looked bewildered. "Isn't that cannibalism??? Or something?"

Momo shook her head. "Our tails aren't actually connected to fish. Sometimes there are many similarities, but they aren't the same." She swam outside. "I'll be back soon. Don't go out, you can't read the ocean like we can," she said in an informative tone.

He nodded, and watched her swim away.

Timeskip: Three days later

"We're here!" Momo exclaimed excitedly.

Shoto flagged behind her. "I'm glad."

"Wait, are you okay? Did I push you too hard? Should I have invited Tsuyu to my place instead of dragging you here when you were injured and new to swimming?" Momo fretted.

"No, I enjoyed the trip, Momo. I got to know you, and it was an interesting experience," He said, honestly and earnestly, his dual eyes shining. "It's just the pressure is very intense down here, and I'm not a great swimmer." He cleared his throat. "But I wouldn't trade the experience for anything."

Momo turned red, and turned away from him. "I- That's so nice of you. Let's see if Tsuyu can help you at all."

"You should have sent a message fish," A croak-like voice said from behind them. "And why is there a human here?"

Momo spun around in surprise. "Tsuyu! I can explain!"

Tsuyu raised an eyebrow, her flippers twitching. "I hope so."

After Momo explained everything, Tsuyu took a look at Shoto. "Well, at this point, his injuries are mostly healed up. The problem is, he's a human, under hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. If he wants to return to the surface, it might be even more harmful than just staying here. How did he get here without dying?"

Momo shifted a bit. "He was sinking. He was almost at the bottom when I found him."

Tsuyu looked at her. "Still alive, even though he can't breathe water?"

Momo shrugged. "He was close to death, and I couldn't let him die. That's what the charm around his neck is for. It's kept him alive so far."

Shoto nervously fingered the necklace he had barely noticed. "Can I stay here?" When the ladies both looked at him, he looked at the floor. "I don't want to go back."

Momo looked at him with compassion, her eyes lingering on the scar on his face. Tsuyu looked at him more analytically. "Why?"

Shoto shrugged. "I'd rather prefer if my family thinks I'm never coming back. My father is not a good person, he's already run off the majority of my family in one way or another. I don't want to go back." If he could have cried underwater, he would have.

Momo rushed to him, but wasn't sure how to comfort him. Tsuyu gazed at him for a moment more. Then she spoke.

"Well, then I have a bargain for you." Shoto looked at her, confusion in his eyes. "You can become one of us, though it's a painful process, it's not undoable." When Shoto's eyes gleamed, she continued. "But. Everyone you know on the surface will forget about you. Not just your father, but siblings, your mother, any friends you might have had, everyone who's met you or knows about you." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Your choice. An equal amount of pain for if you choose to return. Your body will be in pain for days as you readjust to the surface pressure, and you will forget about your time here."

Shoto looked at Tsuyu for a minute or two, weighing his options. He looked at Momo, then his hands, then up towards the surface. He whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom."

When he met Tsuyu's eyes again, his were tinged slightly pink. "I'm choosing to stay here."

Tsuyu nodded, pulled a few hairs out of his head, and swam over to an enclosure holding a variety of fish. "Then let's get to it. Momo, I would suggest you go outside for a few minutes. Maybe swim around, or plug your ears."

Momo swallowed and nodded. She gave Shoto a hug, and swam outside.

Shoto turned to face Tsuyu, who dropped the hairs and the fish in a cauldron he hadn't noticed earlier. She threw a few more ingredients into the cauldron, snapped her padded fingers, and extracted a silver fluid from the pot. She placed it in a glass, and brought it over to him.

"Now listen, very carefully, Shoto Todoroki. This potion will do a few things." As he nodded, she continued. "It is going to temporarily mute you, so that you don't hurt yourself screaming. Then it will start the transformation. It should only take about five minutes, but you will probably be unconscious for a while. Once the transformation is complete, your voice will return." She grabbed his shoulder. "Are you still willing to go through with this?"

Shoto nodded, his gray eye looking steely. "I'm ready."

Tsuyu handed the glass to him, and he quaffed it down. He felt it trickling down his throat, and then the burning started. He crumpled over, as well as one can crumple in water, releasing the glass before he gripped it too hard and shattered it.

The feeling was like an intense rash, on his neck, the sides of his arms, his spine, and his legs. But, even if his voice hadn't been muted, he wouldn't have yelled. He went into this knowing what to expect, and he'd been through many painful situations. He closed his eyes and retreated inside himself to wait out the process.

When he opened his eyes again, Momo was waiting for him. He smiled at her, and took off her charm. He handed it back to her, saying. "I believe this belongs to you."

Momo smiled back, and pushed his hand back. "Keep it. I made it for you. Even if you don't need it anymore, keep it to remember me by."

"Why would I need it to remember you? I don't plan to leave you, Momo. You're why I decided to stay," he told her. He flexed his new tail. "Besides, you're the best swimming teacher I know, and I don't know how to use this yet."

Momo covered her face. "Uh, ok! I guess I can help you, and you can stay... With me. B-but! You'll have to get a house with the clan once you've mastered swimming!" She poked his nose. "For... reasons."

Shoto wrapped her in a hug. "Ok, Momo."

Tsuyu watched them embrace, then started drawing dates on the cave wall, trying to guess how long they'd stay "platonic".

The End!

[ga-yuu]

Genjiden~Eternal Contract Story Event~Ibuki Route

‘(Just for those who don’t know what this event is about? This is the 2nd ‘What if’ event following the Shirabyoshi Event. In this event, Yoshino(MC) is a demon from birth, and stories are formulated in such a way showing how the male leads and Yoshino will meet and fall in love if she was a demon. Imagine the real prologue without Yoshino in it, because this story is happening after that.)

*

The beautiful flowers of the Otherworld bloom and sways even though there is no wind.

There are similar ones in the human world, but I don’t when it is at its best there....

(Okay, I think it’s time to go to the human world.)

I’m a demon, who often visits the human world.

It’s fun to experience different landscapes and creatures from the human world.

(Of course, that’s not the only reason why I go there.)

As I wondered if today would be the day I would achieve my goal, I stepped towards the gate.

???: “You’re here again.”

(Hm?)

I see a strange man blocking my path.

He had rich long golden hair and two horns were growing out of it----

Yoshino: “-----Oni?”

His frosty eyes shine brightly.

Oni: *Smiles like a creep*

(Ummm...)

I stepped back immediately when I felt the intimidating feeling seeping out of him even when he doesn’t talk.

(I can feel that he’s not just any Oni.)

Oni: “I am Ibuki. Have you heard of that name?”

(Ibuki? Hmmm....)

Yoshino: “Are you saying that you’re the Demon King?”

Shuten Doji, Ibuki. That was the name that came to my mind.

The Demon King or more precisely Ibuki-sama looks down at me in amusement when I was looking back at him in surprise.

Ibuki: “I’ve heard that you’ve got a rare gift. I’m a busy man you know. But I still came all this way to see you, and it wouldn’t hurt to make me happy, right?”

Yoshino: “Eerrmmm....”

(Actually, it’s true that I have a one in a million rare power.)

Yoshino: “But why did you wanna see me?”

Ibuki-sama slowly takes a step towards me.

Ibuki: “Your exceptional powers might attract humans. So I thought, you would make a very interesting toy.”

I raised an eyebrow at his insinuations.

(You want to use my powers to destroy humans? How dare you!)

Yoshino: “Sorry. I can’t cooperate with that.”

Snickering at my rejection, Ibuki-sama lifts one hand casually.

Ibuki: “It seems you have mistaken. I’m not here to negotiate. I’m here to do what I want.”

(Is that thunder!?)

I had a bad feeling and quickly ducked down.

The next thing I knew, a bolt of lightning strike the spot where I was standing.

(Is that Ibuki-sama’s powers...!?)

Ibuki: “What’s wrong? Isn’t it time to run? Come on, run away and I’ll keep chasing you.”

Yoshino: “I will, even if you don’t tell me to.”

I turned my back to Ibuki-sama, and started running as fast as I could.

Ibuki: “Not bad.... It’s fun to chase someone so fast.”

(I’m totally being played. It’s frustrating.....but I have to get out of here now anyway!)

.................

I continued running till I reached my limit and then fell onto my knees in the flower field.

(No more...!)

I was breathing heavily and my legs were shaking.

Ibuki: “You’ve done well for a little girl, but that’s the end of your marathon.”

Yoshino: “Ah!”

Before I knew it, Ibuki-sama was standing right behind me, his arms holding my waist.

Like a predator, he pushed me down on the ground and held me by the nape of my neck.

(Is he going to kill me?)

Ibuki; “Don’t be so hard on yourself. What’s the point if there’s no response?”

Yoshino: “Eh?...Ah!!”

A fleshy wet thing touches the edge of my ear and a shiver runs down my spine.

(He’s also biting...!)

When I turned my head in surprise, our eyes meet and Ibuki-sama was laughing seeing my ridiculous reaction.

Ibuki: “Hehe, the face you’re making now is nasty.”

Yoshino: “M-My face...?”

Ibuki: “Your face is telling me that you can’t look at anything else but me and you’re anticipating something more.”

Then, Ibuki-sama inserts two fingers in my mouth and plays with my tongue.

Just as I was about to sink my teeth into his fingers, he sweetly tweaked the nape of my neck, and my whole body jumped in excitement.

Ibuki: “You’re resisting like a kitten. How cute.”

Yoshino: “Nnn...nnn....”

Ibuki: “Now, why don’t try saying ‘Meow.”

(No way!!)

Ibuki-sama’s long fingers tickled the sensitive parts of my mouth and laughed while watching me struggle.

After my tongue was released, I started breathing sweetly.

Yoshino: “Why....are you doing this....?”

Ibuki: “Why?”

Ibuki-sama’s wet fingers traced down my neck and I felt a chill and fear at the same time.

Ibuki: “Because your reaction is human-like and it’s very intriguing.”

(Why...)

Yoshino: “Why do you want to do terrible things to humans?”

Ibuki: “We both are demons. Isn’t it natural for demons to torment and corrupt humans?”

Yoshino: “No! I won’t do that! All I want to do is make a deal with a human.”

Shaking off his fingers on my neck, I pushed away Ibuki-sama.

Ibuki: “You want to make a deal? Did you hit your head or something?”

A glimmer of interest shines in Ibuki-sama’s eyes.

(Looks like I have to tell him what’s going on.)

I decided to give up the idea of running away and told him about my goal.

Yoshino: “...As you already know, I have the powers to heal a person. But when I heal someone, I have to take away the life force of another living being. And, I have no control over this power.”

Ibuki: “So you want to make a deal with a human to weaken your powers.”

Ibuki-sama chuckled after guessing my goal correctly.

It’s kind of embarrassing to be seen through, so I didn’t argue.

Ibuki: “You really are stupid.”

The corners of Ibuki-sama’s mouth moves up and it didn’t hide the fact that he was amused.

Ibuki: “Humans are cute but stupid creatures. Creatures who dream something beyond their reach and will do anything to achieve even if it means to get their hands dirty.”

(Of course, I’m well aware that not all humans are good...)

Yoshino: “But Ibuki-sama who has never made a deal with a human, can never understand my feelings!”

Ibuki-sama, who is so strong and can conquer different powers perfectly, is so beautiful.

I’m so disappointed that I can’t do anything but say it back to him like a sore loser.

Ibuki: “......”

I saw Ibuki-sama looking down at me emotionlessly.

(Did I offend him....? I did offend him, didn’t I? Looks like my time is over.)

I clenched my fists and mentally prepared myself to be struck by lightning.

Ibuki: “Do you want to play a game?”

(It’s not a death game, right?)

With unexpected words, Ibuki-sama pinched my forehead.

Ibuki: “If I win, you’ll agree to be my toy and let me torment you.”

.............

A month has passed since that day. Ibuki-sama brought me to the human world since then and I’ve been living with him at his base.

The rule of our game was simple-----If I don’t find a human within the next three months to make a deal with, Ibuki-sama wins. If I did find one, I win.

(And the loser has to surrender to the winner.)

(So I’ve no intention of losing!)

Ibuki-sama opened his mouth to start small talk, perhaps after seeing me trembling thinking about the wildest things that would happen if I lose.

Ibuki: “You’ve been eyeing a daughter of a noble family, weren’t you....She does charity for the poor out of vanity. But I heard behind the scenes, her attitude towards her servants is the worst. How about seducing a man with your pretty face? There was a guy asking for you-----”

Yoshino: “I don’t want to hear that.”

I slumped my shoulders thinking about the number of humans I’ve been striking off from my list in the past month.

Ibuki: “And there’s this another man, who is was an official, famous for his integrity. I did a little bit of digging and found out he got into embezzlement.”

Yoshino: “I said NO!”

Ibuki: “You never do any background check before agreeing to one. Be grateful that you don’t have to deal with weirdos.”

(Yeah...It’s hard to accept it.)

I initially doubted Ibuki-sama when he told me about these facts and went to find out by myself.

No matter how many times I repeat the confirmation, I’m only reminded that the words are not false.

(I hate to admit it, but he has been sincere about this game from day one.)

Yoshino: “If only I had been able to scare humans into doing bad things like Ibuki-sama....”

Ibuki: “I don’t like doing boring things like that. I’m more into breaking them right away.”

Yoshino: “And you’re seduction skills are too good.”

(You’re strong and clever, if only you were also a good person....I might have been attracted to you.)

I sighed, but Ibuki-sama reaches out to play with my hair.

(...Hm?)

Ibuki: “Hey, Yoshino. Are you ready to admit it? That it’s better to play with humans than to make a deal with them.”

Yoshino: “I haven’t given up yet.”

Ibuki: “Good. It’s the ones who don’t give up easily are worth breaking.”

At the same time, when Ibuki-sama smiled at me----

???: “Ibuki!”

The front door opens to reveal a pale-looking man.

Ibuki: “Akihito? What’s wrong?”

(Akihito-san? For a human being, he has a very strange aura.)

Even after seeing, Ibuki-sama’s two antennas he’s calm. Looks like he’s aware of demons and the Otherworld.

Akihito: “It’s Yasuchika. He’s serious.”

Ibuki: “What?”

Yoshino: “Who is Yasuchika-san?”

(Who is he? and he’s fatally injured?)

Looking at me from the sideways, Ibuki-sama shrugs.

Ibuki: “He’s an Onmyoji and human, but I don’t think he’s someone suitable for your case.”

Akihito: “Who is this, Ibuki?”

(!!!)

I met Akihito-san’s eyes and bowed lightly.

Ibuki: “Don’t worry. She’s a fellow demon and a playmate of mine.”

Hiding me behind his back, Ibuki-sama turns to Akihito-san.

Ibuki: “More than that, What actually happened to Yasuchika?”

Akihito: “I’m not sure of the details yet. It seems like he was badly injured in a rash attempt to exterminate a demon at the request of his superior.”

Ibuki: “........Ohh?”

Akihito: “They did everything they could to treat him on the road. But on the way to Kyoto, the wound got infected and he lost consciousness. The pharmacist has told me that if things continue to go badly, he could lose his life.”

Ibuki: “.....I see.”

(So he’s suffering from a life-threatening injury.)

Ibuki: “But this news is new to me.”

Akihito: “He didn’t tell anyone about this mission because he didn’t want me to get in trouble.”

Ibuki: “That’s because.....that moron loves you too much.”

His tone was the same, but...when he said ‘moron’ I felt a different temperature, unlike the usual.

(I think I may have never seen Ibuki-sama’s face like this before.)

Akihito: “I was naive. I should have seen this coming.”

Even Akihito-san's cool countenance is now tinged with anguish.

(A human named Akihito-san, an Onmyoji named Yasuchika-san and the Demon King Ibuki....I don’t know what their relationship is nor the circumstances of these three.)

(But I can at least make out that, the person named Yasuchika-san is an irreplaceable existence for both Ibuki-sama and Akihito-san.)

Above all that----

I was moved by Ibuki-sama’s earnestness. So I made my resolve.

Yoshino: “Ibuki-sama.”

Ibuki: “What? I’m busy. We’ll play later.”

I didn’t listen to his rejection and stepped forward.

Yoshino: “Please allow me to use my powers.”

Ibuki: “What!?”

At my words, Akihito-san also blinked his eyes.

Akihito: “Your powers?”

Yoshino: “I have the powers to heal others. ...But there’s a problem.”

I gave a brief explanation of the drawback of my ‘healing abilities’ to Akihito-san.

Akihito: “I’m surprised. I never thought I would see a demon with such a rare gift.”

Yoshino: “You’re right. But when it comes to a fatally injured person, it takes a great deal of life force to heal him. If I take too much life force to heal Yasuchika-san, I might end up killing the other person I took it from.”

Ibuki: “And she can’t control her powers by herself.”

Ibuki-sama calmly points out my problem.

(When I hear him say that, I feel sorry for myself.)

But I can’t just overlook a problem because of that.

Yoshino: “I can’t control it, but Ibuki-sama, who is a demon, is sure to be immune to my Otherworldly powers.”

Ibuki: “...Yeah, so?”

Ibuki-sama narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

Yoshino: “Here’s the plan, I’ll use Akihito-san’s life force to heal Yasuchika-san.”

Ibuki: “......”

 Yoshino: “But if heal him fully without leaving a scratch, Akihito-san’s life will be in danger. So when I go out of control, I want you to stop me with your powers.”

(It’s actually hard to guess exactly when to stop, but....)

Yoshino: “A smart demon like Ibuki-sama should know what I’m capable of and would save Akihito-san, no matter what, right?”

I could feel the intimidation raising as I openly challenged him.

Ibuki: “...Yeah, whatever.”

Akihito-san smiled softly, not taking into account the tingling atmosphere of Ibuki-sama.

Akihito: “I don’t mind. Half of my life for him is a small price to pay.”

Ibuki: “You’ll always be you, selfish.”

(Akihito-san is quite a man to be able to tame Ibuki-sama.)

Ibuki-sama sighed and shifted his gaze to me.

Ibuki: “Yoshino.”

He gives me a sharp look as if to see my true intentions.

Ibuki: “---Why are you doing this? You shouldn’t have any reason to do this.”

(There is no point in lying to Ibuki-sama.)

Yoshino: “When Yasuchika-san’s injury news came to you...for the first time I saw Ibuki-sama showing a slight difference from his usual self. Yasuchika-san must be a very important person for Ibuki-sama.”

Ibuki: “Oh, are taking pity on me?”

Yoshino: “...No.”

(I can’t suggest such a scary thing out of pity.)

If Akihito-san or Yasuchika-san were to lose their lives because of my powers, then......my legs ache just thinking about it.

I became honest towards Ibuki-sama as to why I am doing this.

Yoshino: “I’m just curious to know what kind of person Ibuki-sama, who knows so much about the negative side of humans, is worried about.”

Ibuki: “.......”

Yoshino: “...I wonder what kind of face Ibuki-sama will make if I help him. I want to see it.”

(I know I’m saying something bold. But I really want to save Yasuchika-san but....)

(Also with the same strong feeling, I’d like to see Ibuki-sama’s expressions that I don’t know.)

Ibuki: “...Heh.”

Then his thin lips gave out a smirk.

Ibuki: “So you want to have some fun with my heart? You’ve got some nerve.”

A faint heat flickered behind Ibuki-sama’s eyes.

Yoshino: “Can’t I?”

Ibuki: “It’s not a good idea to use a human’s life as a shield against a Demon King.”

The words that were supposed to be like a threat turned out to be much warmer.

(I’m supposed to be sacred, but I can’t see or hear anything but Ibuki-sama.)

A quiet heat had seized me and was about to engulf me.

Even so, I kept my face up because I was proud of what I said.

Ibuki: “It’s not good, but....it’s certainly a demon thing to do, to act on one’s own interests.”

(Ahh!!!)

Ibuki-sama big arm intertwined my faintly trembling hands and held them tightly.

Ibuki: “I’ll go play your game. So don’t be afraid to help me.”

Premium END // Epilogue

For the Anon, who wanted to see this.

[whereflowersbloom]

Changes.

It’s a rare Saturday afternoon off. Conner is sprawled across the sofa, his head resting on a fluffy cushion. Raven sitting next to him, wearing comfortable summer clothes, leaving her legs bare. Conner was watching the movie with half-closed eyes. He’s unusually exhausted. But everyone was out. They’ve been working around the clock, non-stop for weeks, busy with missions. It’s the first time they’ve managed to arrange their time off in a long time. He wanted to make the most of it, but Raven didn’t want to go out today. It’s a lazy day, spending it in the Tower’s living room. Watching old movies, Raven recommended and insisted he must watch them. Classics. ‘Gone with the wind, The wizard of Oz, Casablanca’ among other tittle.

Conner tried to focus on the screen. They were halfway Casablanca, but got distracted by Raven’s hair. It looked almost magical in this light. Her dark hair, shinning like the night sky. Her hair was slowly turning a dark purple shade, almost indigo with the sunlight hitting it. Conner was quite intrigued about her hairstyle as well. He’d seen braids before, but never this intricately. She did notice Raven had changed the way she styled her hair lately. He secretly wanted to ask what made her change it. He liked it nonetheless. Whether she let it cascade down her shoulders or in a ponytail, or this elaborated braid. She looked dazzlingly beautiful to him, all the time.

Raven felt Conner’s eyes on her. She was intrigued why he was so absorbed watching her? Was there something on her face? She’d only eaten popcorn like him, and he was clean, well groomed like always. Impeccable she’d rather admit. She couldn’t ignore his long, unblinking stare any longer. She was about to ask him if everything was okay when he unexpectedly broke the silence.

“How do you braid hair?”He asked all of a sudden, rubbing his neck, when he saw Raven’s baffled look. Tilting her head to one side, blinking several times, processing why he was so interested in her hair now.

That was not what she had expected. She consciously touched her French braid. It wasn’t her usual hairstyle, she felt heat burn her cheeks. Donna had been watching recently videos about hairstyles. She became seemingly so engrossed in trying new hairstyles, specially braids on her dark hair now that it was long enough, and growing even longer, down to her lower shoulders. The Amazonian had mentioned it would suit her. Donna being the persuasive person she was, Raven didn’t have the heart to say no. Also, she decided, perhaps it was time to try a different look. Instead of braiding just the three strands, you take hair with it as you go down. After hours and hours of practicing, Donna finally mastered it. It was different. The first time she felt strange. But she found some benefits, her hair didn’t get in the way while training or cooking. It was rather practical. Kori found it looking regal. Did Conner not like it? It was the first time he mentioned it.

She didn’t know how to explain. She had only done it a couple of times. “Uhmm, well.” she shrugged the twine from her hair and untangled the braid, slowly, with her small hands. Her midnight tresses were quite long, so it took some time. Maybe because she was so self-conscious of Conner’s curious, steady gaze. She felt her heart hammering in her chest, her breath coming in short. She was overly, awkwardly aware of his gaze on her face as the strands started to adorn her face. She gulped and wished he stopped staring, counting the heartbeats in her mind. But in the back of her mind she’d rather have him look at her with those beautiful baby blue eyes, sparkling with interest and mischief, as always, asking her to read him books, or having a long conversation about her hobbies, even video games he occasionally played with Beast Boy. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, but thanks Azar it healed fairly quickly.

Conner felt heat creep in his neck, and not because of the sun, or the hot summer weather of Jump City. His stomach always did somersaults like the kids in the park, or Nightwing did while training, whenever he looked at her, his feelings flowing so freely like a river, his feelings for her deepened and strengthened with every passing day. He couldn’t decipher it, but it made him feel things he knew he shouldn’t feel for a friend. He knew he shouldn’t, wasn’t supposed to but he genuinely, wholeheartedly liked Raven. She appeared to be troubled by his question.

He cleared his throat, attempting to get back her attention. He pronounced her name quietly. “Raven.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She jumped slightly, snapping out of her trance. “You take three pieces of hair, like this” she demonstrated it and started showing Conner, imitating the way Donna did it, if she remembered correctly. “And as you are braiding, you add hair from both sides and continue. Follow my fingers.” Her breath choked as, abruptly took a strand of her hair and twirled in thoughtfully around his finger, observing it meticulously, seemingly not aware of his actions or his effect on her.

He looked up, smiled warmly at her, the way he did, resembling a child with new toy and nodded. He hesitated for a moment but muttered cheerfully. “Do you mind if I try it?”

Her violet-blue eyes widened. Conner wanted to braid her hair. The idea of his hands close to her face? Her stomach was in knots. No. That was an absolutely terrible idea or not? Calm down Raven. Nothing to worry about. It’s just hair. She has no idea why he’s so fascinated by it, but they are friends. If Donna can do it. What’s the difference? He wouldn’t just tangle up her hair as a prank. He wasn’t Garfield. No. Conner was innocent, honorable, respectful. He was different, like her she imagined sometimes. “Sure, go ahead.” His hand brushed her fingers lightly, with such softness. It sent a tingle of goosebumps up her arm. Their eyes locked, and the powerful connection, felt like being struck by lighting. Blue eyes meeting violet. Both were blushing furiously.

Raven shifted her body, so she was sitting cross legged in front of him, on the sofa, with her back towards him.

Conner took the log hair in for a moment. Admiring how soft and beautiful it was. He breathed in the essence, lavender, jasmine and peppermint. He has dreamt about how it would be to play with it, run it though his fingers. Her head in his lap, she was humming a song he never heard before. He’d absentmindedly started imitating her as well, while twirling the hair around his long fingers. He casually asked her about it. She told him it was an old song her mother used to sing to her. It brought some fond and happy memories.

“Don’t mess it up.” She teased him, giggling softly, but warning him at the same time. A boyish smile spread across his face. She confide him her precious memories. He felt special for a moment. Like he was needed, trusted with such things, he could guess not many knew about. His hands brush her hair gently, over her shoulders, unintentionally touching her delicate pale neck.

“No promises.” he said in a playful tone. He continued to play with her hair, trying to copy her fingers, when she had shown him. Braiding hair sure wasn’t easy.

His fingers caressed her cheekbone as he took a strand of hair. Raven held her breathe. What was he doing? Did he cast a spell on her or something, turning her completely speechless? She was the sorcerer here. Not him. She felt Conner edge closer.

“I’m almost done...I think.” he whispered anxiously. He didn’t need to, but it felt appropriate. The moment felt too intimate, for some reason. Something was changing between them. Perhaps because this was unusual in a way he couldn’t point. Sure, they were close friends, had normal interactions, but this felt intimate, private, almost romantic. They never touched or got close this way before. It was a new experience. Conner furrowed his eyebrows involuntarily, he started to hate that word. ‘Friends’. It didn’t cover entirely their bond. He didn’t want to be only Raven’s friend. Friends certainly, positively didn’t left you breathless and wanting more. He’d rather not talk to any of his other friends and simply kiss Raven senselessly. As he dreamed almost every night for months now.

He seriously had to stop daydreaming about her. But he found himself incapable of stopping. He did not want to, if he was honest.

Raven stretched her neck, yawning momentarily, then she looked over her shoulder. He’d suddenly stopped braiding, and instead of saying anything, she felt him staring at her again. Those blue eyes studying her again. She felt strange, the way he looked at her. That’s not the way friends do it. Not the others. Except a certain vigilante. But that was too complicated.

But when she gazed at him cautiously, she was surprised by their proximity, his lips merely inches from hers. And that look on his face. Conner flustered? No no no. She hastily created more space. And realized maybe he’d feel offended or hurt.

“Sorry, you surprised me.” she mumbled, avoiding his eyes, hand grabbing the end of the braid and tying it quickly. It was adequate, he did a fairly good job.

“No apologies.” he said blushing, shaking his head. He didn’t want her to worry or upset her. “I was distracted.” He confessed, ruffling his hair.

Raven raised her brow, wondering what caught his attention, placing her chin on her palm. “What’s on your mind?”

Conner paused for a moment, considering telling her the truth. He decided it wasn’t the right time. Sighing deeply, he didn’t have the courage yet to declare his feelings for her. There was no way he could reply saying I was daydreaming about kissing you, the way you deserve to be kissed. His heartbeat increased around 40 beats more than average. He had an idea. He smiled mischievously.

“It’s a secret.” He winked teasingly, praying his cheeks didn’t heat up and thanking she didn’t possess superhearing like him.

Raven’s eyes widened. She snorted softly, and she rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous, Superboy.” The dark haired girl threw some popcorn at him and he chuckled loudly, it was so natural. “I’ll find out eventually.” She said, faking indignation and folding her arms as she closed her eyes.

“You will.” He said optimistically, reassuring her, a confident smile on his face. A promise for the future. ‘One day Raven’ I’ll tell you all those things I’ve bottled up. Those things I want to have with you. He told himself in his mind.

Anither konrae oneshot 🙈🙈🙈🙈💙💙💙💜💜💜

@grassfour

[flowercrown-bucky]

The Secrets We Hide

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: Loki has a secret. A big secret. When Thor needs his help finding Odin, his secret may be exposed.

Authors’ Note: My very favourite reader of my Loki series, Lavender Blue, asked for some more Thor, and whilst thinking about it I got a little carried away

Also Y/N has a last name in this that might make sense if you get to the end oop

If you’re waiting for the next part of Lavender Blue I fucking SUCK at writing smut someone help me-

"Where are we going, brother?" Thor looked curiously at Loki.

He'd been to Britain a handful of times in his life.

The very first had been sometime during what would later become colloquially know as the dark ages, in the early sixth century, he was inclined to believe. Earth, he had found, was wholly unremarkable, if England was anything to go by.

It was on this occasion that he had learned of his brother's magical talents, travelling on horseback through the countryside. He'd stumbled onto a (Remarkably small, he noticed) kingdom, ruled over by a gentleman by the name of Arthur. The real shock, however, had come to him upon entering the banquet hall in his host's castle, only to find his younger brother - who was, needless to say, not pleased to see him - sat next to his host. The lengths he'd gone to disguise himself were commendable, and the beard he'd magicked up was impressive, but there was no mistaking the mischievous twinkle in the eyes of Loki of Asgard.

However, the England Thor found himself in now was a far cry from the country of his memory. Winchester, he had been informed, was where the bifrost had brought them, but the cobbled streets he was walking on were about as unfamiliar to him as unicorn land.

Loki, however, definitely knew where he was. He had clearly been here many times before.

He'd replied to his brother's questioning with a disparaging look, continuing to walk on. All Thor knew about where they were going is that it had something to do with where Loki had placed their father three years ago. As for his personal theories? His mind was drawing a blank.

Eventually, Loki came to a stop in front of a single house within a terrace. A tall, unremarkable house, by all means, built with honey-coloured sandstone, the paint on the windows flaking with age, several panes baring the circular marks of a pontil. Three tall steps led to the front door, and the view of the living room through large window next to it allowing some insight as to the nature of its inhabitant.

Through the hazy glass, Thor could see a remarkably cluttered, disorganised room. A large leather armchair sat in the corner of the room, worn from use and decorated by a patchwork quilt. A similar rug lay on the wooden floor, a tapestry of fabric scraps. Opposite the TV was a grey cord sofa, upon which a number of odd and brightly coloured socks were strewn.

It was fairly safe to assume, Thor reckoned, that the inhabitant of this house - who was currently upstairs, based on the light coming through the window - was not his father.

So what the hell were they doing here?

Loki's three short raps of the knocker elicited a response from the house's inhabitant. They could hear them scurrying down the stairs and towards the door, and fumbling with the lock before opening it.

The woman on the other side was not what he was expecting.

The arrival of your visitors had come as somewhat of a shock to you, that much was apparent from your face. The second thing Thor noticed, was that you clearly knew Loki.

Your hair, slightly damp from the shower, was pulled up on top of your head, secured by a scrunchie, the deep green shade of which complimented your eyes. You were dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a red woollen jumper, your feet bare save for a silver ring around the second toe on your left foot and chipped nail polish on your toenails.

The third thing Thor noticed about you, was that you were very pretty.

"Father?" His voice came out as a squeak.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brother laughing.

"Your father I most certainly am not." Your right eyebrow quirked bemusedly, crossing your arms. "But this is a surprise."

"Sorry, I must've forgotten to mention it." Loki grinned at you. "Can we come in?"

You stepped aside, beckoning the brothers through the door and into your home. You shot Loki a pointed look as he entered, prompting him to roll his eyes and, begrudgingly, remove his shoes and place them neatly by the door. In the interest of remaining polite, Thor followed suit.

"I take it this is not a social visit?" You asked, leading them into your kitchen.

The kitchen, Thor noticed, was nice. Homely. Small, but still, homely. The stone floor was cool under his socked feet, although his left being slightly warmer than the right led him to suspect your floor was central-heated, and the aga opposite him would probably heat the entire house. The beams supporting the ceiling were low enough that he'd hit his head twice, although he had noticed Loki had ducked, his posture automatically slouched so as to avoid collision.

Loki had clearly spent a lot of time in this house, in this kitchen.

You hopped up onto the counter, crossing your legs at the knee.

"Perceptive as ever, I see." Loki chuckled. "Although, my manners seem to have momentarily lost me. Y/N, this is my brother, Thor. Thor, this is Y/N Hudson. She's.... She's a friend of mine."

Thor did not miss the curious glance you shot at his brother.

"As delighted as I am to see you, Loki," You rolled your eyes. "What do you want?"

"It would seem that my dear brother has managed to lose our father." Thor glared at the dark haired man.

"I would dearly love to know how exactly one goes about losing one's father." Your lips quirked into an amused smile.

"And you're the only living being on this dull little planet who's capable of finding him." Loki ignored your attempt at riling him, catching your gaze.

"I don't understand." Thor furrowed his brow. "What are you, a witch? Do you have some sort of tracking abilities?"

"No, she's just very intelligent." Loki corrected. "Would you give Y/N and I a moment alone, brother mine?"

Thor nodded gruffly, watching you hop off the counter and walk out of the kitchen, into the room he'd first seen through the window.

He did not miss how his brother bit his lip as he looked you up and down.

Your front room was Loki's favourite place on Midgard.

It might even be his favourite place in the nine realms.

It had quickly become his bolt-hole, his safe place. It was the first place he'd ever been shown true kindness, where you'd brought him after you found him in a back alley, dying and alone. It was where you'd laid him on the sofa, where he'd been tucked under a blanket for the first time, where he'd drunk his first ever cup of midgardian tea. It was where you'd allowed him, a complete stranger, to rest and heal.

It was where he'd returned to pester this annoying, intriguing little human being, a process within which he discovered you were possibly less annoying and entirely more intriguing than he'd initially assumed.

He trailed his fingers across the back of your sofa absent mindedly, staring at the rings on your coffee table. You had a habit of leaving half-drunk, cold cups of coffee on this table - hence, the rings - something that irked him to no end.

The long hairs on the cushion caught his eye, and he wondered where the furry little beast might be hiding. Your cat, Kenneth, did not like Loki, a sentiment he wholeheartedly reciprocated. If you weren't so fond of it, he would more than happily fling the little monster into some unreachable pocket of a distant dimension.

His eyes reached where you'd perched on the arm of your armchair, one leg stretched out in front of you. He allowed his gaze to lazily climb the length of your body, taking all of you in.

Gods, did he love your legs.

"I've missed you, darling." He grinned up at you.

"I've not seen you for two weeks, Loki." Your voice was slow, deliberate. "And you come to me now, because you need me?"

He bit his lip, you had him there. He never was quite sure how to gauge your emotions, never sure how you’d react. Everything you did was carefully considered.

Even after all this time with you, you were still something of an enigma to him. It was one of the things that had initially drawn him to you, one of the things that he loved about you.

"On the contrary, my sweet." His voice had dropped, so much so that he was almost purring. "I always need you."

"Don't you try to charm me, silvertongue." You raised one finger in front of you, pointing it at him; a warning.

"Is it working?" He raised one eyebrow at you as he spoke.

"I'll let you know." You grumbled.

A soft chuckle left his lips, crossing the distance between you in two strides, dropping to his knees before your outstretched legs. He glanced up at you inquisitively, a massive grin stretching across his face at your nod of confirmation.

Gently, he lifted his hands up so his fingertips pressed at your stomach, at the little gap of skin between the bottom of your jumper and the waistband of your jeans. His fingers slid gently under your jumper, taking the woolen garment with it until his palms were flat against your stomach.

"Hey, little one." He cooed. "I can't believe how tiny you are. I can barely see you."

You laughed quietly, bringing your hand down to rest on top of his much larger one. He kissed the soft skin of your slightly swollen belly, and the intimacy of the small gesture made your heart swell with love and affection for both him and the child growing inside you.

"I wonder if they'll be blue." You mused, running your fingers through the ends of his hair.

"Why, in the name of all things unholy," He looked up from his ministrations. "Would it be blue?"

"Because, you're, well, you know..." You waved your hands expressively. "Nevermind. I had a scan a few days ago, do you want to see?"

You fished in your back pocket, pulling out a small folded piece of paper.

Desperation was not something Thor was used to.

However, in that moment, it was exactly what he as feeling.

He'd crossed his legs, he'd shifted his weight from leg to leg uncomfortably. But however hard he tried, he just could not shift the feeling. He needed to go to the toilet, and he needed to go to the toilet badly.

As the age-old saying went, when you gotta go, you gotta go.

He'd uncomfortably wandered towards where he'd seen you and his brother wander off to.

What he was not expecting to see, was Loki knelt between your legs.

His hands flew up to his face, shielding his view. He'd seen this before, and it scarred him for life.

What even had he seen? 

His brother, kneeling between the legs of a mortal woman. Your jeans, he noted, were entirely done up.

Loki was kissing your stomach, caressing it, a dark piece of paper clutched in his other hand.

"Your daddy loves you so, so much," His brother had whispered to your stomach. "But don't give your mummy too much grief, ok?"

Words escaped Thor.

This woman Loki had brought him to, was pregnant. With Loki's child.

He cleared his throat, startling both you and his brother. Loki scrambled to his feet, anxious about being caught in such an intimate moment with you.

"I needed the toilet." Thor's voice came out in a much higher pitch than his intention.

"On your left."  Loki's voice was barely a croak, his voice hoarse.

"I'm okay," His voice came out in a more nervous way than he was expecting. "Congratulations are in order, I think?"

"Yes." Loki's voice was gruff, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Thank you, brother."

"Thank you, Thor." You smiled warmly at the god.

"Anyway," Loki was evidently in a hurry to change the subject. "Do you know where the Allfather is?"

"He's in Norway. That's all I know. He's hidden himself well." You rubbed your chin thoughtfully. "But I do know a man who might be able to tell you more."

Loki's lips curled into a satisfied grin.

Thor's state of confusion remained long after they left your house. He was, as the mortals would say, totally gobsmacked.

Unable to provide the location of Odin, you'd handed Loki a neatly folded piece of paper. As far as Thor knew, his brother had not yet opened it.

Loki had kissed you passionately before he left, an uncharacteristic display of affection and one that made Thor deeply uncomfortable. He'd cleared his throat in a pitiful attempt to stifle a laugh, met only by his brother's middle finger in his face.

Rude.

He glanced at his brother as they walked. He'd not said a word since they’d left, but his hair was mussed from your fingers and his cheeks flushed from your embrace.

“I’m shocked.” He mused. “A woman - an attractive woman - likes you.”

“Harsh.” Loki frowned. “And she didn’t, at first. Like me, that is.”

“Smart woman.” He chuckled, eliciting a punch from the taller of the two.

In his many, many years of existence, he would never have guessed that Loki would be the first of the two of them to become a dad. He never would’ve even imagined his brother as a father in his wildest dreams.

In all honesty, he had never imagined a woman taking Loki as her lover.

He shuddered at the mental image. Yeugh.

“Congratulations, I guess.” A sudden fondness overwhelmed him. “Dad.”

“They are everything to me.” Loki’s voice was clear, concise in a way he had never before heard from his mischievous brother - he was, after all, the God of Lies. “I would gladly give my life to save theirs. I’d give yours, for that matter.”

“Your sentiment is touching.” He grunted. “Anyway, where are we even going, brother?”

He turned to his suit-clad little brother, watching him withdraw the piece of folded paper from his pocket. He unfolded it carefully, revealing your delicate, printed writing.

S. Holmes

221B, Baker Street, London.

[jaskierswolf]

The Bard of Kaer Morhen pt.1/4

Summary: In which Geralt is not the first witcher that Jaskier meets. He's completely enthralled when a witcher saves his life whilst he was studying at Oxenfurt and makes it his life's work to change the world's opinion of witchers. Meanwhile Geralt is intrigued by the amorous bard that Eskel has befriended and sets out to find out more.

On AO3

Jaskier was sixteen the first time he met a witcher.

He was drunk off his face and fast asleep on a stone bench in Oxenfurt when he was woken up by a hand squeezing around his neck and lifting him into air. He still had some growing to do but he wasn’t short by any means and yet his legs dangled limply beneath him as he clawed at the calloused fingers that were cutting off his air supply.

“Fuck!” He choked out, he knew that he shouldn’t have listened to Valdo. They had a big exam coming up and the idiot knew that he could never beat Jaskier without sabotaging him.

He was dumped back onto the floor rather abruptly, his knees screaming at him as they hit the damp cobbled street. He looked up at his assailant with wide eyes and gasped.

A witcher.

It just has to be.

The man was incredibly well built, eyes glimmering amber in the light of the moon and a jagged scar etched into the pale skin of his face. On the man’s back were two swords, thankfully sheathed, although the witcher clearly could kill a man with just his bare hands should the mood hit him.

Jaskier should have been scared. He should have been fucking terrified.

In truth, he found the whole affair rather titillating.

He’d always been a bit weak in the knees for partners who could throw him about a bit and this glorious specimen of a man could certainly do that.

Jaskier gazed up at the witcher through his eye lashes and smiled his most seductive smile.

“Why, witcher, if you wanted me on my knees you could have just asked.” He purred in a low voice. He knew the effect was probably ruined by the fact he almost certainly looked like a mess following his night on the streets but Jaskier was a flirt by nature, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity like this when it was easily presented.

The witcher, unfortunately, only laughed at him and pulled him to his feet. His grip was firm and strong on Jaskier’s arms. Jaskier pouted at the witcher’s laughter but wasn’t deterred.

Rather than letting himself be steadied as he was pulled to his feet, he fell towards the witcher’s chest. “My my.” He breathed as he felt the solid muscle under his fingers, hidden beneath layers of armour but still obvious beneath his touch. “Aren’t you strong, like a…” He stammered as words failed him. “sexy ox?”

The witcher snorted. “A sexy ox? Oxenfurt has really gone downhill since my last visit if that’s the shit they teach you these days, either that or you’re drunker than you smell.”

“Yeah. Well.” Jaskier mumbled.

“Get home, bard. It’s not safe on the streets stinking of booze.” The witcher artfully extracted himself from Jaskier’s arms.

“Care to escort me?” Jaskier winked.

The witcher rolled his eyes. “Persistent aren’t you?”

“For a handsome man such as yourself. Always.” Jaskier grinned.

The witcher shook his head. “I’ll take you home, bard, but I’m not bedding you. What are you, twelve?” He smirked.

Jaskier gaped and stammered back. “I am sixteen!”

“You’re a child.” The witcher pulled him along. “Where do you live?”

“At the university.” Jaskier grumbled. “I’m a student.” He paused. “How did you know I’m a bard?”

The witcher grinned. “You stink of resin and your fingers are covered in ink stains.”

Jaskier gazed in awe at his new friend. “That’s incredible!”

The witcher scoffed and punched Jaskier lightly in the arm. “You’re not bad, for a human. Come along, bard.”

The witcher, named Eskel as Jaskier eventually found out as he tried to lead the man the longest way back to his room at the university as possible, had been hired by one of his professors to kill a monster that was picking off drunk students at night. That was why Jaskier had been so rudely awoken from his drunken nap. Eskel had been trying to save him. A small part of Jaskier’s brain wondered whether the witcher had been intending to use him as bait for the monster but he seemed to genuinely care that Jaskier got back safely.

He also seemed surprised that Jaskier was being kind to him, that he was flirting so brazenly. Apparently not many people found Eskel to their liking which was honestly a crime. His eyes were like burning suns, his smile was gentle and warm like a hearth on a cold winter’s day, and he had a sharp wit that rivalled Jaskier’s.

All in all Jaskier was rather smitten but Eskel continued to reject his flirtations, such a damned shame. The witcher did, however, make up for it by telling him an incredible tale of one of his hunts, a fight against a succubus that turned into a long night of passionate love making.

Jaskier was hooked and itching for a quill so he could capture the tale in a ballad or epic poem, anything that would put Valdo’s work to shame.

Jaskier was devastated when they eventually came to a stop in front of his bedroom door.

He sighed. “Last chance, witcher?” He gave Eskel one last wink.

The man chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint, bard.”

Jaskier sighed dramatically. “You break my heart, dear witcher. Tell you what come to my graduation at the end of the semester and heal my broken heart with more tales of your witchering. I have a feeling there are many more ballads in you yet! I’ll even give you a cut of the profits!”

Eskel considered it for a moment and then nodded. “Throw in a bath and a hot meal and you’ve got yourself a deal bard.”

Jaskier smirked. “What about a bed for the night?”

The witcher cuffed him over the back of the head. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I’d like to think of it more as charmingly irresistible.” Jaskier purred jestingly at this point he wasn’t seriously flirting with the witcher. He knew a lost cause when he saw one but it was fun to flirt and Eskel humoured him.

“Incorrigible.” Eskel insisted firmly. “Sleep well, bard.”

And with that, Jaskier’s first witcher left his life for the first time.

__________

Geralt finally felt his muscles relax as he knocked on the doors of Kaer Morhen. The cold was biting against the exposed skin of his cheeks even though his cloak was pulled tightly around his neck. Roach whinnied and stamped on the ground impatiently, butting him on the shoulder. He murmured soothing words under his breath as he stroked her mane. Until the great doors opened.

He was home.

At last.

The last few months had been bizarre. Geralt was used to the hatred of humanity. He was used the suspicious glares and the never-ending litany of insults that the humans threw his way. Every witcher that lasted long enough to go into a town was used to that. It had only gotten worse after Blaviken but he had only himself to blame. He should have known better than he let himself be backed into a corner like that in a place so crawling with humans. He’d never stood a chance. They would never have listened or understood the truth. It was his word against Stregobor’s

The bastard.

What Geralt wasn’t used to was the songs and poems that had begun to crop up around the Oxenfurt and slowly spreading into the wider area.

They told tales of monster hunts, of witchers acting like knights and heroes. It had certainly made it easier to get coin after a hunt in those areas but he just didn’t understand where it was coming from. He was hoping that one of his brothers would be able to illuminate the situation.

It turned out he wasn’t the only witcher that was confused by the sudden change in fortune. Lambert greeted him with a hug and immediately asked him what trouble he’d gotten himself into this time that had inspired such songs.

“If you’re asking whether I’ve fucked a succubus, Lambert, then you should know I don’t kiss and tell.” Geralt smirked. “At least not sober.”

“Well it wasn’t me!” Lambert defended himself.

All became clear when they shuffled into the dining hall to eat and began to catch each other up with their years on the path.

Eskel grinned as he stuffed his face with a bread roll that was the size of his head. “I got myself a bard!” He announced, spitting crumbs all over the table. “A human from Oxenfurt, picked him off the streets, drunk off his face when I was hunting in the town.”

Lambert choked on his ale. “You got a what now?”

“A bard.” Eskel thumped Lambert hard on his back.

“So it’s your fault.” Geralt noted. “With the songs and poems.”

Eskel nodded.

“You fucked a succubus?” Lambert cried earning a disapproving stare from Vesemir.

Eskel rolled his eyes. “Of course that’s what you got from this.”

“It’s made payment easier.” Geralt noted, kicking Lambert under the table and ignoring the redhead’s curses. “The songs. He’s not scared of us.”

Eskel grinned. “That’s the best part. It’s like he’s immune to fear when it comes to witchers. He even wanted to join me on an adventure.”

Vesemir scoffed. “A human bard on a witcher hunt. That’s a foolish idea, wolf”

“That’s why I left him behind but it wasn’t easy. Bloody fool is worse than ivy. He clings onto you and doesn’t let go. An outrageous flirt too.”

Geralt raised his eyebrows at Eskel. A human who openly flirted with a witcher was either a whore trying to trick the man into bed and then demand payment, or someone who bored and wanted to try something exotic.

Neither options were particularly ideal but that was life.

“I think he might be cursed.” Eskel suggested. “I’ve never known any human, let alone a man, to try so hard to seduce a witcher, and it was genuine! I could smell it on him.”

The witchers all shared an incredulous look. Lambert patted Eskel sympathetically on the back. “You sure you weren’t on Fissttech. First the succubus, second….” Lambert trailed off.

Eskel launched across the table and soon they were wrestling on the floor. After a year apart tensions were always high before they settled back into their routine for winter. Scraps like this were unavoidable much to Vesemir’s dismay. He barked at them to take it outside or save it for the training ground.

Geralt was too lost in thought to watch the fight between his brothers.

A human bard that had taken it upon himself to change the way the world viewed mutants like him. A human that wasn’t afraid of them. A human that genuinely wanted them around. He scoffed. It was impossible.

Wasn’t it?

But what if it wasn’t?

Geralt was content with his family in Kaer Morhen. During the winter months they could all relax and enjoy the comfort of being home. They didn’t have to watch their backs every second of the day and they could all indulge in the physical comfort they craved during the summer months.

The witcher mutations were fickle. Whilst it was true that it dampened most witchers’ emotions, unless the witcher was foolish enough to undergo further mutations, they heightened other instincts. This varied depending on which witcher school you attended. The bears were solitary witchers. They were brutal and efficient and raw power but they struggled to find humans that wouldn’t flee in terror. The griffin’s style was more acrobatic. They danced and flew through the air. They parried and dodged and pirouetted in aerial attacks that were lethal and precise but the mutations had some of the worst success rates and even those who survived were often damaged and didn’t heal as well as they other schools. The cats were similarly light on their feet. They attacked from the shadows. They were the assassins and the school that gave witchers a bad name.

The wolves didn’t like the cats very much.

Unless your name was Lambert, but then he’d always liked to find new ways to piss of Vesemir and fucking the enemy was apparently his new venture.

The wolves, Geralt’s school, were a family. In the beginning, before the siege and before humans had turned on the ones that were meant to protect them, the wolf witchers had travelled in packs. They were skilled and ferocious on their own, but they were unstoppable together. These days it just wasn’t practical and they were caught in crippling loneliness for the majority of the year. Geralt felt it more keenly than his brothers, the second dose of mutations fucking with his emotions more than most.

During winter the wolves would hug each whenever they ran into each other during the day, they would wrestle on the ground whenever the mood hit them and they could often be found in a pile by the fire after a long day of training and chores. Casual affection during winter was the key to survival during the rest of the year.

No human would every allow a witcher close enough not unless they were being paid and Geralt simply could not afford regularly visits to a brothel.  

But if there was really a human who wasn’t scared of witchers, that liked them even…

Geralt growled and stalked up to his room.

He wasn’t going to get his hopes up. Even if the bard did like most witchers, he would still hate the Butcher of Blaviken.

Next

[avtrkyoshis]

You Burn First (zuko x f!reader) pt. 2

hii! thanks to everyone that checked out the first chapter especially everyone from tiktok :) stay tuned for more

here's the link on ao3

masterlist // chapter 1 // chapter 2 // chapter 3

--

Y/n quickly took hold of the Fire Lord’s sweaty yet soft hand. She nearly dropped one of her fans in the panic of trying to get him to safety. Normally she would have made a snarky comment about his strangely sweaty hands, but now was not the time for any of that.

She swiftly started to assess the situation at hand. No one else was around to back her up. Just a half-asleep Fire Lord and one single Kyoshi warrior. The best option was to hide out in the library that she recalled was nearby. The rest of the palace guards could manage the situation. All Y/n had to do was stay hidden with the Fire Lord until back up came.

While the noises came from close by, the odds were they would not pinpoint where Zuko would be. They likely didn’t even know he had left his bedroom. Time right now was the most important thing, they had to hide quickly in case any potential assailant saw them.

She shoved Zuko behind a tucked-away shelf of books. Maybe she was too aggressive, but he didn’t seem to mind. His heart was pounding out of his chest. Y/n couldn’t help but also be afraid in the situation. She normally had the comfort of fighting with others by her side. She did her best to hide any sort of fearful expression.

“Can you make your heart quieter or something,” she said in an attempt to be sympathetic.

“You’re the one talking.”

“That’s - ugh, fine. Stay put. I’m going to go out and see if there’s anyone near.”

Before she could walk away, Zuko took hold of her hand.

“Stay.”

Despite the darkness, she could see the pleading look in his eyes. Even one of the most powerful men in the world felt fear in moments like these.

Y/n simply nodded in understanding.

They stood in silence together for a moment. She never really noticed this before but his eyes were the most magnificent glittering shade of amber.

She hastily looked away, hoping that he did not notice her staring. It’s not like he would ever care for someone like her. Despite the outcome of the war and the peace that came from it, he was Fire Nation and she was Earth Nation. There was still plenty of resentment from both cultures. Y/n still received uncomfortable glares from the people of the Fire Nation.

Y/n was still able to acknowledge the fact that he was handsome despite the fact that he had the sweatiest hands she ever felt.

The noise in the halls started to settle. Zuko began to step out behind the safety of the hidden nook they were in.

Still, no clear signal had been given stating the threat was over. She felt it in her gut that not everything was at ease. Y/n grasped her fans tighter than before ready to fight.

Her ears picked up a quiet squeak somewhere further into the library. Someone was lurking near them.

She whipped her head around just in time to see a dark figure preparing to throw something. Tugging Zuko behind her, she spread her fan out and blocked the small throwing knife before it could hit either of them. Y/n threw one of her fans towards the dark figure’s outstretched arm, knocking the remaining throwing knives out of their hand.

Armed with her other fan, Y/n moved towards the figure, vaguely registering Zuko following her closely. Before the attacker could reach for a discarded knife, she kicked the weapon aside and pushed them to the floor. She pulled the green ribbon that secured her armour from her waist and tied the attacker’s wrists with it behind their back. Satisfied with her work and sure that they wouldn’t be escaping, Y/n took a closer look at the attacker.

They were wearing dark nondescript robes and a mask that only left their eyes revealed. She scanned their clothing for any sort of insignia that would indicate an organization but found nothing.

Disappointed, she got back on her feet and turned around, running straight into Zuko. Y/n had forgotten he’d followed her in her pursuit of the attacker.

He stumbled back in surprise. Zuko ducked his head, embarrassed.

“Sorry I didn’t-”

“My apologies, Fire Lord”

They spoke at the same time, Zuko quickly muttering his apology. He was still standing close enough for Y/n to see a light blush dusting his cheeks. She stared at him, confused at this new side of the young Fire Lord in front of her. He had been so aggressive and anxious earlier. What had happened during her fight to make him change his attitude? She stepped away from him, suddenly needing to put distance between herself and Zuko. He must just be disoriented from the attack and lack of sleep.

Just as Y/n was about to turn back to the captive attacker, she heard a rapidly approaching rush of footsteps in the hallway. She had let herself become distracted and completely ignored the possibility of more attackers finding them. Pulling the still half asleep Fire Lord to sit behind a desk, she drew her sword and prepared herself for an attack.

Instead, a familiar face rounded the corner into the library.

“Suki!” Y/n exclaimed.

The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors turned to face her, determination set in her painted face. Y/n sheathed her sword and helped Zuko back to his feet. Suki relaxed as soon as she saw the Fire Lord and quickly scanned the library, noting the captured assailant.

“I’m so happy you’re safe. We had been assuming the worst when we realized the Fire Lord wasn’t in his room.” Suki said as she approached them.

“I ran into him while doing my rounds earlier. We were just heading back to his bedroom when the attack started and hid in here to wait it out.” Y/n told Suki.

Suki glanced behind them and raised an eyebrow. “Seems like you did a little more than just wait it out.”

Y/n felt a smile tug on her lips and decided to let it show. Suki’s teasing was nothing new to her. Their playful banter was something she looked forward to, much to the annoyance of the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors.

“We may have run into a little trouble. It was nothing I couldn’t handle. What about you, were there more attackers?”

Suki sighed, “They went straight for the main bedroom, they probably assumed that it would be easier to attack while the Fire Lord slept. I don’t think they knew we would be here. They were very unprepared to deal with the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“Most people are.”

It was Suki’s turn to smile. She turned to Zuko, who had been standing silently watching the exchange.

“You’re lucky Y/n was here with you. You’ve been out of it recently, what were you thinking to wander the palace alone?” Suki said in an accusatory tone.

“Well, I-”

“There’s no excuse. It was dangerous, Zuko. None of us want to see you hurt.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He turned to Y/n, surprising her. “Thank you for protecting me. I wasn’t much help tonight.”

She blinked at him. She hadn’t expected him to thank her for anything based on his hostile attitude from earlier that night. There’s no way he had changed in the short time since then, this must be a front due to Suki’s presence. Y/n tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword.

“It’s my job,” she said flatly.

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her comment but stayed silent. Suki raised her eyebrows at the exchange, staying silent as well. The air in the room suddenly felt charged.

Suki broke the silence. “Anyway, you should go back to bed Zuko. We’re doubling the guard for tonight and we can discuss further measures in the morning.”

Zuko nodded and two more Kyoshi Warriors appeared from the hall, ready to escort Zuko back to his room. He began to exit the library but not before looking over his shoulder and making eye contact with Y/n. She searched his amber eyes for a threat but instead found something unexpected.

Intrigue.

Before she could question him, he was gone. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Suki. She squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before leaving in the opposite direction of Zuko, lugging the captured assailant after her.

Y/n sighed and pressed her fingers to her eyes in frustration. She had never intended to interact with the Fire Lord outside of pleasantries and silent guarding. The thought of him stoked the fire that burned inside of her and she clenched her jaw. Nothing he could say or do would change her feelings about him. The war had wounded her, not just physically, and many of them were still healing. She knew better than to poke at something she shouldn’t.

Despite how she felt, something had changed tonight. Y/n just didn’t know what.

--

Her question was answered the next morning. She had been surprised to wake up and see one of the palace workers waiting for her outside her room. Her surprise turned to annoyance when they told her she was being summoned to the Fire Lord’s throne room at her earliest convenience.

Skipping breakfast to get it over with, Y/n headed straight to the throne room. She nodded at the Kyoshi Warriors standing guard and pushed open the doors.

The throne room was as gloomy as the rest of the palace. The heat of the flames lining the walls pressed against her bare face, her warrior makeup being another thing she’d sacrificed in her rush. Surprisingly, Zuko wasn’t sitting on his throne. He was standing at the base of his throne in his typical Fire Lord attire, looking much more put together than the night before. Adding to her confusion, Y/n noticed Suki standing with Zuko.

Stopping a few feet away, Y/n bowed in greeting.

“Fire Lord” she greeted.

He nodded and she stood back up.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Zuko said. His voice was steady and firm. He seemed much more like a Fire Lord this morning, despite the night’s attack. Y/n couldn’t help but notice the dark circles still sitting under his eyes.

“Zuko and I have been talking. He’s very impressed with how you handled the attack last night.” Suki said.

“Like I said last night, I was just doing my job” Y/n replied. She didn’t see why Zuko wanted to see her just to repeat what he’d told her already.

“It’s more than that.” Suki continued “You reacted swiftly and protected the Fire Lord when no one else even knew where he was. I know how skilled you are, Y/n.”

“I appreciate this, but why have you summoned me? It can’t just be to flatter me.”

“I want you to be my personal bodyguard,” Zuko said suddenly.

Y/n blinked at him. “What?” she said dumbly.

“Be my personal bodyguard. After last night, I realize that simply having the Kyoshi Warriors in the palace isn’t enough. Having someone with me at all times will be safer and ensure my protection. You showed your skills during the attack and Suki has vouched for you. That isn’t something I will easily dismiss.” He stated simply. 

Suki was smiling at her. She clearly thought this was a fantastic opportunity. Y/n didn’t know how to tell Suki that the last thing she wanted was to spend more time around the man she despised. Apparently she never would never get the chance to. 

“I’d be honoured to, Fire Lord,” Y/n said. She bowed once again, if only to hide the grimace that was threatening to reveal itself on her face. 

“That’s wonderful! We’ll have to get some things sorted so you can begin as soon as possible, but we can go over the basics now.” Suki began. Y/n barely registered anything she was saying. Her gaze had connected with Zuko’s as soon as she had risen from her bow. 

His eyes shone with the same intrigue she’d noticed last night. She knew her eyes contained nothing but resentment. Y/n felt the air between her and Zuko heat up, but she knew it wasn’t because of the fire surrounding them.

This was going to be an interesting few weeks. 

masterlist // chapter 1 // chapter 2 // chapter 3

[songbookff]

Valentine's j/7 ❤

I’m making this an established janeway/seven. Set whenever you want it to be. Also it turned out a waaaayyy longer than I thought...so I also posted it on A03. Thank you, anon. If you want me to gift you the fic on A03, just message me your username. Or if you want to stay anon, that’s fine too. 

In the early morning, Captain Janeway entered her office and went straight for her replicator. Coffee was calling. She gave the computer her normal order, but to her surprise, when her coffee appeared, so did a single red rose. 

Tentatively, she reached out to touch the vibrantly colored rose. Attached to the green stem was a note. It was odd, to see the cardstock, although replicated and the small ribbon that secured it in place. In printed script, it read: “Roses are red...” 

Kathryn pulled the rose up to her face, knowing that the scent was replicated, but reveling in it all the same. She turned away and made it halfway to her desk before she remembered that her coffee was still sitting in the replicator. Even a red rose couldn’t completely distract her from her morning cup of survival. 

Rose in one hand, coffee in the other, she slipped into her chair behind her desk, only to find a small bouquet of purplish-blue flowers. A blue ribbon tied the stems together and another note attached. This one read, “Violets are blue...” 

She set down the rose and her coffee (after a quick sip of course) and picked up the bundle. These felt different than the replicated rose. Katheryn’s eyes widened when she realized these were from Voyager’s own botanical gardens. They were real violets, not generated by the computer. They felt much more delicate than the rose and she could see the tiny imperfections of being grown rather than created. They were truly beautiful. 

After replicating a small vase with water to set them in, Kathryn tried to start her day. However, there was the faintest smile on her face and she was convinced her coffee tasted better this morning. Finally, she pulled up her data padd to review the reports from the night shift. When the padd turned on, a single message appeared, marked urgent. 

Odd. Usually urgent messages were reported by the computer so that she didn’t miss any when she was sleeping or off duty. She pressed open and the text read: “...I would like to spend dinner in the holodeck just with you.” 

This time, Kathryn didn’t attempt to suppress the smile. Whatever Seven was up to, she had gone out of her way to surprise her this morning. The poem sounded familiar now. It was an old Earth romantic ballad of sorts: “Roses are red, violets, are blue...” usually followed by a rhyming ending that expressed love and adoration. It was clever, really. 

And very unlike Seven of Nine. This of course, only intrigued Kathryn more. 

However, she did have a ship to run. So she pulled up the reports and began reading, trying not to let the beautiful flowers on her desk distract her. It seemed everything had been quiet the night before, so the reports were short. A blown fuse on deck three had been the only excitement of the night and had been resolved within a half hour. 

The door chimed after an hour, and she rose for her morning meeting with Chakotay. He entered the office was a pleasant smile, hands tucked behind his back. “Good morning, Captain.” 

“It has been...” admitted Kathryn with a smile. She couldn’t help but noticed he had a mischievous look in his eyes. “Chakotay, what’s going on?” 

“Can’t slip anything past you,” he chuckled. “Nothing new to report, although B’elanna claims to have come up with an idea to maximize our warp capacity by another percentage. I’ll be sure to have someone double check her math before she begins any experimentation. Although, Tom has volunteered to do the preliminary fight tests on the shuttle. So she can’t think it’s that dangerous.” 

“Just make sure Harry is there to monitor,” replied Kathryn with a smirk. 

“Will do. Also, I have been asked to make a delivery.” From behind his back, Chakotay produced a red box that had been formed in the shape of a geometric heart. He was grinning from ear to ear now, obviously in on whatever Seven was planning by the looks of the box he was holding out to her. 

Curiously, she took the box, surprised a little by the weight of it. Under Chakotay’s excited gaze, she opened it to find an assortment of tiny chocolates also shaped as hearts. They appeared to be different flavors and if she could guess, different fillings as well. 

“What is going on?” she repeated, astonished at the chocolates. 

Chakotay laughed and shrugged, innocently proclaiming, “I’m just they delivery guy. But I do have strict instructions that you are to try one before we get out on the bridge.” 

Chocolate wasn’t something she normally indulged in, especially not for breakfast, but the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach, knowing somehow this was all Seven’s design, forced her to comply. She picked a dark brown piece with a red swirl design and popped it into her mouth. 

“Well?” asked Chakotay, eyebrow raised in anticipation. 

“Dark chocolate with cherry. Absolutely delicious,” declared Kathryn. Then she let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation. She set the chocolates on the desk next to the rose and the vase she had put the violets in. 

Together, they exited her ready room to start the morning on the bridge. Her crew was bustling as usual. To be honest it had been a dull week, but after all the excitement they had recently, Kathryn was glad for the down time. There was maintenance to be done and the crew were rotating on new shifts to get some down time. So for the next hour, Kathryn read reports in the Captain’s chair, tuning out the business of the bridge. 

That is until Harry Kim was at her elbow. He cleared his throat and hesitated, “Captain...” 

“What can I do for you, Ensign?” asked Kathryn. Noticing the nervous expression on his face, she added, “What did Lieutenant Paris do now?” 

“I’m right here!” came the exasperated call from the helm. Tom whirled around in his seat, throwing his hands in the air. The tension broke and Harry managed a short laugh. 

“As you were,” ordered Kathryn. Tom turned back to his helm, but not before giving Harry a wink. 

“Captain, I need to borrow your badge...and your pips...”

“Excuse me?” 

“Just for a few minutes,” he hastily said. “I just need to upgrade the badge!” 

“And my pips?” Kathryn raised an eyebrow. Harry stood firm under her gaze and reached out his open palm. 

Chakotay leaned over in his chair and whispered, “Don’t interrogate the poor kid. Just give him what he asked for...” 

It suddenly dawned on Kathryn that this was another part of Seven’s elaborate plan. Of course, she had no idea what in the world Harry would do with her badge or rank, but wordlessly she plucked the badge from her chest and allowed Chakotay to help her unpin the four pips from her collar. 

Eagerly, Harry hustled away without another word. Amused glances were being exchanged between her bridge crew and she swore she saw Tuvok give Harry a nod of approval as he left the bridge. Kathryn spend the next half hour wondering what in the stars everyone was up to when Harry returned, velvet box in hand. 

Wordlessly, he handed it to her before scurrying back to his post at Ops. Chakotay was staring at the blur of stars on the viewscreen now, purposely giving her a moment of privacy. Kathryn opened the box to reveal her comm badge and four shining pips staring back at her. She hadn’t seen them this polished since they were new, well before Voyager had entered the Delta Quadrant. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t take care of her hardware, but keeping them shining was the last thing on her mind during most of the journey. But here they were, good as new. The badge gleamed too, no residual fingerprints any more. She pinned it back on and nudged Chakotay to help her put the pips back on her collar. 

Harry cleared his throat from Ops and she turned in her chair to face him. With the slightest red in his cheeks he said, “I think you’ll find I took care of the problem you were having with your badge sticking.” 

“Very good, Ensign,” was all she could think to say. For the past two weeks, she had been complaining that her badge needed to be hit twice on occasion to connect to the computer. If they were in Starfleet space, the comm badges would be replaced regularly so this wouldn’t happen. 

The rest of the morning went on as normal, although now Kathryn was wondering what else could possibly happened. Lunchtime came and she made her way to the Mess Hall. There were a few crew members already enjoying lunch. However, she reached the replicators, a voice called out. 

“Captain! Your lunch is already ready for you.” Standing behind her was Icheb, proudly holding a tray. “Today the kitchen has prepared a vegetable and bean stew with a side of crusty bread.” 

Icheb, still learning about human cuisine seemed unsure of what he was saying, but a steaming bowl sat atop the tray and a slice of toasted french bread rested on a napkin next to it. The stew was reminiscent of one that she had grown up eating, although it was usually replicated if she remembered correctly. It was a favorite of her father. 

“Thank you, Icheb,” she said politely, taking the tray from him. He gave her a quick nod before turning on his heal to go back into the kitchen. Kathryn gave a small shake of her head in amusement. What a day this was turning out to be...

The stew was tasty, if a little heavy on beans and the bread was as crusty as Icheb had said. Still, it was a good lunch, one she had not been expecting. As she wiped up the last of the stew with her bread, Naomi Wildman slipped into the chair across from her. 

“Hello, Captain.” The girl had a broad smile on her face. 

“How are you, Naomi?” asked Kathryn, wondering what Seven could have put the child up to. 

“I have something for you,” replied Naomi with excitement. From her lap, hidden from Kathryn’s view, she produced a small stuffed bear. It was brown with a red bow around the neck and wasn’t much bigger than Naomi’s hands. She pushed it over for Kathryn to grab and then slipped off the chair and skipped out of the Mess Hall. 

The bear was soft and fit perfectly into Kathryn’s grasp. The little thing made her smile, right there in front of the other members of the crew in the Mess Hall. Most were grinning back at her and now Kathryn was certain that the entire ship was in on Seven’s escapade. 

She took the bear back to the bridge with her and said nothing when Chakotay tried to cover a laugh at the sight of it sitting on the arm of her chair. She had no idea what had possessed Seven, or rather Naomi, to give it to her, but she enjoyed the little stuff thing. It was silly, but sweet. 

Two hours later, Tuvok called her attention, “Captain. I believe it is time to report to your quarters.” 

“I’m on shift for another three hours, Tuvok.” 

“I will escort you to your quarters.” The answer was firm and when she looked behind her, he had left his post and was waiting by the turbolift doors. 

Everyone on the bridge seemed to be determined to stare at their consoles and not look directly at her. Well, she had played along all morning, why stop now? With a sigh, she pushed herself out of the Captain’s seat and walked towards the exit. 

“Forgetting something?” asked Chakotay, holding up the little bear. He was failing miserably at keeping his face neutral.

“You have the bridge, Commander.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Kathryn retrieved the bear with a roll of her eyes and then allowed Tuvok to escort her back to her quarters. “Tuvok, will you please tell me what is going on?”

“I have been sworn to the strictest of confidences.” He continued to look straight ahead. 

“I know Seven is behind all of this...but it’s interfering with my job now.” 

He didn’t answer until the reached her door and then he slowly turned and spoke, “I would never place you or this ship in any precarious situation. I assure you that this is in your best interest and should a situation arrive that would need your direct attention, I will be the first to summon you.” 

“Thank you, Tuvok.” He held up the Vulcan salute and then left her to enter her quarters. 

When the doors whooshed open, she could hear soothing music playing. The lights were dimmed and there was a large porcelain bathtub where her coffee table used to be. And Neelix was standing behind it, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Captain! Welcome to Neelix’s home spa treatment!” he greeted her with a grand motion of his arms.

“How...?” Kathryn glanced back at her closed door and then back at Neelix. 

“We were worried you may not have appreciated the intrusion. But I promise that I haven’t been in any of your personal belongings. I brought all my own things. Your table was the only thing removed.” He winked at her and then, like the showman he was, waved his hands dramatically and began by lifting a small bowl from the small table he had arranged next to the bath tub.“Today I have for you the most luxurious and moisturizing face cream that will leave you glowing and relieved.” 

Placing the bowl back down he reached for a bottle and wine glass also sitting on the table. Pouring the red liquid into in the glass, he said, “A top of the line red wine that comes from Earth, the French region, I believe. It is dry with a hint of blackberries and oak.” 

“And here,” he pulled a leather bound book from seemingly thin air, “Is your entertainment for the evening. A romance novel circa the twentieth century, for your enjoyment.” 

“All of this in what is called a ‘bathtub’.” Neelix motioned towards the tub with a sweep of his hand. “I made some adjustments to make it more comfortable. I have no idea how humans could stand sitting for long period of times with that shape. Seven wanted everything to be as historically accurate as possible, so we’ll just have to keep that secret to ourselves. The water will remain the most comfortable of temperatures for the human body and it has bubbles that give off the scent of lavender.” 

“Thank you?” Kathryn eyed the bathtub wearily and then back to Neelix. 

He had produced a plum colored robe and walked towards her. The silk was soft on her hands when she grasped the it. “I will leave you know. Just let the computer know if you need anything. Your next guest will be arriving at eighteen hundred hours to help you get ready for your dinner on the holosuite. The computer will give you a fifteen minute warning.” 

Neelix left with a wink and a smile, leaving Kathryn alone with the robe and bathtub. Self care like this wasn’t something she indulged in anymore. It made her a little uncomfortable at first, as she stripped off her uniform and put on the robe. 

A sip of wine helped relax her senses and she liberally applied Neelix’s face cream to her face. She figured that even if Neelix had somehow given her something that she was allergic to, the Doctor would be able to set it right. Once the face mask had been applied, she slipped off the robe and climbed into the tub. 

As she lowered her body into the perfectly warmed water, she found the modifications that Neelix had been talking about. Instead of the rounded bottom of the tub, she found a soft, almost cushiony chair, waiting for her to rest on. She sunk back against the porcelain with a sigh. 

After another sip of wine, she reached for the book. She hadn’t read it before, but it looked like something she would enjoy. It as written in the twentieth century, but appeared to take place in the eighteenth. Soon, she was entranced in the story, with nothing but the soothing music, warm water, and delicious wine to fill her mind. 

The computer chimed some time later, altering her that she needed to get out of the tub. There was a towel hanging from the edge of the tub that she used to dry off and then put the silky robe back on. The door chimed and she said enter without even asking who it was. 

To her surprise, B’Elanna burst through the door, a black garment bag slung over her shoulder. She took one look at Kathryn, frowned, and said, “What the hell do you have on your face?” 

Kathryn had completely forgotten about the face cream and hoped she wasn’t supposed to have removed it after a certain amount of time. “I’m not sure she admitted.” 

“Well, go wash it off while I get these out.” B’Elanna made a shooing motion while she walked over to Kathryn’s bed. Kathryn went into the bathroom to wash off the cream. To her relief, her face appeared to be fine. In fact, she felt light and refreshed. 

When she came back in, B’Elanna had laid two pieces of clothing on the bed. One was a dark green gown, with a lace pattern overlaid on the silken material on the chest. It was belted at the waist and floor length. The second was a light grey suit, with a silken green shirt beneath it that matched the dress. Both had obviously been tailored to her size. 

“I have no idea what Seven was thinking, putting me in charge of getting you dressed. So I got some opinions from the other women in the crew and we decided on these two. There is a bet going about whether you will pick the dress or the suit. I’m betting on the suit, so don’t let me down.” 

Both garments were beautiful, but B’Elanna was right, the suit was probably more her style. The dress was beautiful, but the thought of wearing it down to the holosuite for anyone to see made her uncomfortable. 

“I’ll wear the suit, but leave the dress.” Maybe later she could put it on just for Seven. 

B’Elanna clapped her hands together in triumph. “Alright, so Seven wanted this to be authentic, hence the real clothes, but I’m not a stylist. So I programmed the holodeck to do your hair and makeup when you enter. She’ll never know. And don’t worry, I am a firm believer that no one needs makeup, so it won’t be anything heavy.” 

If there was one person on this ship that Kathryn trusted wouldn’t overdo her hair or makeup, it was B’Elanna. “Thank you.”

“Alright, let’s get you into this thing. Wouldn’t want to keep the Borg waiting...” she grinned at her own joke and Kathryn rolled her eyes. It was a teasing that had been occurring since Kathryn and Seven had made their relationship public. 

The pants and shirt fit like a glove and B’Elanna helped her get the suit jacket on. B’Elanna stood back, admiring her work. “Huh. It does look good.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” replied Kathryn sarcastically. “But seriously, thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it.” B’Elanna straightened her collar and added, “Seriously. Let’s never mention this again.” 

“Deal.” 

The two women left the Captain’s quarters and headed toward the holosuite. There weren’t too many crewmembers in the corridors. Kathryn wondered if they had been instructed to make themselves scarce or if everyone was just busy. Waiting by the holosuite was Tom Paris, bottle in hand, leaning against the bulkhead. 

Tom let out a whistle when Kathryn and B’Elanna approached him and his wife punched him in the shoulder for it. Kathryn only rolled her eyes. “Is that bottle for me?” 

“The finest champagne I could replicate. I did a little magic with the replicator to get around the safety features, that that there is the real deal. Harry and I tried a dozen just to make sure you got the best one. It’s authentic as you can get this far into the delta quadrant.” Tom handed her the bottle with a wink. Then he slung his arm around B’Elanna’s shoulder. “My fair lady, would you escort me back to our quarters. I seem to have lost my way.”

“How much did you drink, you idiot?” B’Elanna grabbed ahold of Tom and as they walked away, she called over her shoulder, “Have a good evening, Captain.” 

“Go get the girl!” shouted Tom, encouragingly. He let out a hoot that was quickly shushed by his wife. 

Bottle in hand, smile on her face, Kathryn entered the simulation. She walked into what appeared to be a countryside vineyard of old Earth. A single table for two was set on a stone patio that had fairy lights strung up in the air. A pair of candles lit the table on a white table cloth. Long stemmed champagne glasses were paired with white china plates. 

“Hello, Kathryn.” Seven of Nine walked out of the vineyard across from Kathryn. She was dressed in a beautiful, shimmering full length red dress. The neckline dipped to reveal just enough of her chest to make Kathryn blush. It was held up by slender straps and blonde hair was curled on her shoulders. The color was gorgeous and Kathryn was sure that her jaw dropped. 

“Seven...you look...” Kathryn gripped the neck of the champagne bottle tighter as she tried to find the right words. “You are beautiful.”  

“I am partial to the dress,” replied Seven, looking down at herself. “It is impractical, but I believe it has the desired effect.” 

“All of this is beautiful,” said Kathryn as she approached the table. “Today was been wonderful. Quite surprising, but wonderful.” 

“Your suit fits you well. I find that my attraction to you is heightened in that outfit.” Kathryn allowed herself to blush under Seven’s gaze. Seven motioned for her to take a seat. 

Suddenly, the Doctor, dressed in a tuxedo appeared out of thin air. “May I take that bottle from you, Captain?” 

“I...yes...” Kathryn handed it over, surprised by his appearance. He deftly popped the cork and poured out the two glasses as the women seated themselves. 

“Tonight, I will be serving a lobster linguine. We will begin with a light salad to prime the palate and then we will move to the main course. A decadent chocolate cheesecake will be served for dessert.” He gave them a smile and then snapped his fingers and the salads appeared on the plate in front of them. With another snap, he had disappeared. 

“Seven, what is all of this?” asked Kathryn. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but I don’t understand.” 

“As you know, I have been studying Earth history to help reconnect with my humanity. I came across several holidays and traditions that have intrigued me. Some of them were based on religious or political movements of the time. I found one particularly of interest now that I am in a relationship with you. It is called ‘St. Valentine’s Day’. Have you heard of it?” 

A smile graced Kathryn’s face. “I have.” 

“I was confused by the history at first. There are conflicting thoughts on the origins of the holiday, but all seemed to be grim. However, it transformed into a day to celebrate lovers. When calendar dates were still being observed, it occurred annually on February fourteenth. I decided to make today Valentine’s Day for just the two of us.” Seven tilted her head to the side. “I thought it would be romantic.” 

“It is...” murmured Kathryn. She took another bite of salad. “I don’t know that much about the history of Valentine’s Day. I understood your poem this morning. I think it is a traditional Valentine.” 

“Yes. Roses and violets. Although, the name violets implies a purple color rather than blue, I did not correct it in order to continue the rhyme. I read that a dozen roses is a common gift, but a single red rose often implies more intimacy. Therefore, I provided a single red rose and a dozen violets.”  

“Chocolates are a traditional gift for lovers, even now. I can’t wait to eat the rest of them.” 

“I too am found of chocolates,” admitted Seven and Kathryn filed that information away for use at a later date. “Another traditional gift is jewelry. However, necklaces, bracelets, and rings are against the dress code. And you do not wear any off duty.” 

“So you had my pips and badge cleaned.” Her heartbeat quickened. Seven had thought all of this through. It really was romantic. Kathryn wasn’t sure she could love the woman more, but somehow, she still had the ability to surprise her. 

“Another common gift was stuffed animals. The Doctor explained that these are not taxidermized animals, but fluff stuffed fake figures. They are more commonly used by children for comfort. A ‘teddy bear’ is a traditional stuffed animal.” 

“It was cute,” laughed Kathryn and to her pleasure, she saw Seven’s eyes light up at her reaction. “The spa was nice, too.” 

“I am pleased that you enjoyed it.” Seven gave her a natural smile. Goodness, she was so beautiful, especially over candlelight. 

The Doctor cleared his throat to announce his return. He snapped his fingers and announced, “Dinner is served.” 

The salad plates disappeared and were replaced by a delicious looking pasta dish, topped with pieces of lobster. Breadsticks appeared in the middle of the table. Seven motioned to the food and explained, “Many references sourced traditional pasta from the Italian region of Earth was a common Valentine’s meal. Others reported that a home cooked meal that was nostalgic was also a good choice.” 

“So you made my father’s favorite stew.” 

Seven nodded. “You don’t have many favorites, but you talk about your family so often. I thought it would be the correct touch.” 

“It was perfect.” Kathryn reached across the table to take Seven’s hand in her own. “All of it was perfect.” 

“I believe the correct response would be that you are perfect. But I think that is incorrect. Everyone has flaws. It is in our nature.” Seven gave her hand a squeeze. “But I feel like you deserve to be treated with perfection, because I love you.” 

“I love you, too, Seven.” The candlelight twinkled in their eyes. 

“We should engage in eating this meal. My research says it will be pleasing to the palate,” added Seven with a tiny smirk. Kathryn laughed and picked up her fork to dig into the pasta. 

Seven was right, it was delicious. And so was the slice of cheesecake that they shared for dessert. When they were finished, the Doctor appeared again. “I hope you enjoyed your dinner tonight. If you will stand please, I will delete the table and leave you two ladies to enjoy the rest of your evening.” 

Both Kathryn and Seven rose to their feet. The Doctor snapped his fingers and the table disappeared. He gave them both a little bow and then snapped himself out of the simulation. Upon his departure, music starting playing. Soft, but with a dancing rhythm. Seven offered her hand and Kathryn accepted. 

The two began dancing, slowly turning on the stone patio together, beneath the moonlight and the tiny string of lights above them. Kathryn pulled Seven’s thin body tightly against her own. She dropped her face to press their cheeks together, breathing in the scent that was Seven. 

Kathryn loved being this close to Seven. They fit together so well. It was something that Kathryn had never experienced with anyone else. She loved the feel of Seven’s body against her own. 

“I am pleased that you are my Valentine,” whispered Seven in her ear. Kathryn smiled and pressed a kiss to Seven’s collarbone. 

Then she pulled back just enough to lock eyes with her lover. Gently, Kathryn raised her hand from Seven’s hip to cup her face. Then she firmly pressed their lips together. Beneath the moonlight, Kathryn kissed her Valentine.