#I drew him in masks and called him a god and imagine my shock when I found out this is the Noh theatre itself.

[zu-is-here]

i reallllyyyy want to know more about actor ink!! Does he live in Japan? (or he was born there?)

I'm pretty sure he was born and lived there before! ☆

This is someone you can call "big in Japan" (but vice versa heh), meaning that he didn't find recognition in his home but gained fame abroad.

He might be a traditional theatre actor, but with (because of) this experience, he has a hard time in a foreign place with another rules. That's why he's quite shy and awkward, especially in publicヾ(ówò")

UPD:

"Big in Japan" is what they call Western musical groups who achieve success and are well-known in Japan but not really famous in their place and other parts of the world (*´∀｀*)

Here, we can ironically call him "small in Japan" because he never got fame as a theatre actor in his homeland, but became popular for the other part of the world as Ink Sans :D

[ikaroux]

Xiao: Always (part 2) (EN)

f!reader

The Japanese dubbing of Kirito (Sword art online), helped me a lot to imagine how Xiao's emotions would be expressed.

The ost that inspired me a lot for most of the scenes:

Ori and the will of the wisps: Fading of the Light and The story of Niwen (The ost in general fits Xiao perfectly <3)

Masterlist

Part 1

You had been in Liyue for several months now for your research. You had met several people there, some of whom had turned into real friendships. Hu Tao, Ganyu and the lovely Qiqi were the only girls with whom you had formed a real friendship and then there was Mr. Zhongli with whom you liked to talk a lot.

But above all you met Xiao, a taciturn young man with a cold look in his eyes. After some research, you learned who he really was, a follower protecting Liyue at the risk of his life. He was also known as the last surviving Yaksha, fighting day and night against the emanations of the ancient evil gods killed by the Geo Archon.

Zhongli, who had revealed to you who he really was, often spoke to you about Xiao. Sometimes he would ask you to bring him some medicine specially designed for him to relieve the pain that was eating him up inside.

This was not a big problem for you, as you were staying at the Wangshu Inn. It was perfectly located in the centre of Liyue, making it easier for you to get to different research sites. Zhongli had explained to you that this inn was a front, built mainly to relieve Xiao a little from his eternal burden.

Since your meeting with the adept, you had never dared to call him, for fear of disturbing him. You simply left Zhongli's small gifts in his flats, placed prominently on the table in the centre of the room.

A gift... you had wanted to give him one for some time, but not knowing his tastes, it was difficult to decide. What if he doesn't like it? What if he got mad at you? What if... You then thought of the innkeeper in Wangshu who had known Xiao for a while, she must have known a thing or two about the follower's tastes!

After consulting Verr Goldet on what Xiao liked, she taught you how to prepare the young man's favourite dish. So you prepared tofu with almonds once or twice a week as a gift to him. But even so, he never deigned to show himself to you again.

Yet Xiao was never far from you, always hidden in the shadows watching you, protecting you from the dangers that lurked.

The bond he felt between you and him had never disappeared. Near you, all the pain, all the suffering he felt disappeared. He knew that you were human, so fragile, so fleeting compared to him who had lived for millennia, yet in his eyes you were a true goddess. The night he saw you surrounded by this halo of light, his world was turned upside down. Of course he had discussed this with his master, Morax, or rather Zhongli as he liked to be called from now on.

Xiao asked him during one of their conversations:

"I don't understand, I can never take my eyes off her and my heart - he placed his hand on his chest, clutching the white tunic he was wearing - hurts when I lose sight of her for even a few seconds. I don't understand... Sir Zhongli, I don't understand..."

His voice often broke at such moments. Zhongli then placed his hand on the follower's shoulder, a gentle smile on his face.

"Talk to him and you will finally understand. "he would say to her each time.

"I can't... If I stay around her too long... the darkness around me will eventually engulf her too. "

The sadness in Zhongli's eyes matched the sadness in Xiao's. The adept would often leave without the answer he so eagerly awaited, going to the balcony of the inn to sit on the railing and gaze at the stars. When his gaze turned to his room, more precisely to the small round wooden table in the centre, he was looking for proof of your presence. Almost every day you would leave him an offering, medicine, the almond tofu he loved so much, a flower, a mineral or an artefact you had found on your expeditions. Every little gift you gave him made him forget his torments for a short while, savouring the joy he felt at the time. He treasured every item you gave him, carefully stored in a small gold box encrusted with jade.

When the moon was high in the sky, Xiao would sometimes go to your room, passing by your balcony to see if you were sleeping. Sometimes he would go inside the moonlit room to see your sleeping face. He thought you were terribly beautiful, he had never been so fascinated by anyone, let alone a mortal. He would sometimes tuck a strand of your hair back behind your ear, slightly disturbing your sleep, and you would wrinkle your nose with a groan, causing him to back away hastily.

When Xiao was sure you were still asleep, he would take the opportunity to give you a gift of his own, placed on your bedside table.

As he did every night, he would end up sitting on the roof of your balcony watching for any threat to you.

By the time the sun came up, Xiao was already gone. When you woke up, you would find objects that were not there the day before. It could be a crystal nucleus or sometimes a Qingxin flower, which made you smile every time. You kept all the gifts he gave you as a treasure.

Today you had to go to Mondstadt to visit your friend Lisa, whom you had met in Sumeru. She had come one year to visit her former teachers, introducing herself to the students in the class. The two of you had talked a lot, creating a bond of friendship that you had maintained through correspondence.

In your last exchanges, she expressed a wish to see you, which you gladly accepted. You had planned to stay there for a week, so it was not surprising that you were preparing some things to take with you.

Even though your protector never showed up in front of you, at least not since that night when he gave you his name, you wanted to leave him a letter to explain that you would be back in Liyue in a week.

Before leaving, you left him a plate of tofu with almonds, your letter carefully placed next to the plate.

You didn't think that the wind would blow your letter away from him before he had even read it.

Xiao was accompanying Aether and two other companions for the day. They were to help him confront creatures once sealed in an ancient temple near the nine pillars of Cuijue Slope. The battle was long and difficult, but in the end they managed to exterminate the monsters, allowing Aether to retrieve the treasure that lay deep in the ruins. Xiao hurried back to the Wangshu Inn, feeling a bottomless pit forming inside him. He had been feeling uneasy for a while, a part of him wanted to make sure you were okay. When he arrived at his flat, he saw that you had left him a plate of tofu with almonds, and he took a bite, although he was too nervous to really enjoy them properly.

Xiao put his hand over his face in great pain.

His chest hurt terribly, the voices in his head tortured him again and his body seemed to be chained by the darkness inside him. Why was this? His karma hadn't weighed so heavily on him since he... since he... had met you.

He exhaled loudly, a sudden fear filling his body, making his hands tremble. Without further questioning, he quickly disappeared through his anemo vision and landed in your room. It was pitch black and looked horribly empty. The books usually scattered around your room were gone, your things were gone, your wardrobe was empty.

"No... no... don't go... (Y/n) don't go..."

His voice trembled in shock as his eyes still searched for traces of your presence.

"(Y/n)..."

Nothing. There was nothing. Nothing left. You were gone.

He couldn't even feel your presence on Liyue's land.

Had something happened to you? What if you had been attacked by monsters? The thought terrified him. He thought of your sleeping face, so peaceful. He thought of the promise he had made to himself to protect you.

Your absence was as painful to him as the day Aether told him Rex Lapis was dead. He couldn't bear it.

Xiao vowed to find you again and if you accepted him, he would stay by your side, he would not run away again.

He would listen to you sing again.

He searched for you for seven long days, which was a real physical and psychological torture for him. Aether, worried about his friend, helped him in his search, informing Zhongli, Ganyu and Hu Tao of your disappearance and the state in which the follower was.

Xiao always carried one of the gifts you had given him, holding on to it in the hope of finding you safe and sound.

With his mask over his face and his spear in hand, he slaughtered every hilichurl camp, hoping to find some trace of you, something that would prove to him that you were still alive. Disappointment after disappointment, the anger and hatred grew inside him every day, struggling to control it. He was leaving behind a pool of blood, soon he would sink into madness, feeling the sting of the karmic chains that made him sink a little deeper. How could he have formed such a strong bond with someone that he lost control?

"Xiao, we're going to find her. "

Zhongli's reassuring hand rested on the follower's shoulder.

Xiao had not removed his mask, but the former Geo Archon could still see tears of pain flowing from his eyes. His hand moved from his shoulder to the top of the young man's head. He knew what Xiao was going through, after all he too had lost loved ones in the past.

A varnished lily flower suddenly appeared under Xiao's nose. Ganyu held it out to him with a thin smile on his face. The Yaksha, who had watched you for a long time, knew that this flower was your favourite, many times he had seen you studying it, drawing it, smelling it, admiring it...

He could clearly see your face beaming as you drew it, singing a Sumeru tune.

He slowly grasped the flower that the young woman was holding out to him with renewed hope.

You had been leaving Lisa for a few hours now, promising her and your new friends that you would return to see them soon. You were anxious to get to the Wangshu Inn to rest. You missed your friends in Liyue and the absence of the Yaksha warrior around you left your heart empty.

You knew that he was never far from you. You knew that at night he sometimes stroked your hair, thinking you were asleep. You knew how soft his eyes were when he watched you draw.

You knew that he loved to listen to you sing.

Your lips curled upwards, happy at the idea of finding his presence. For this occasion you had grabbed an anemo crystal core which you intended to offer his.

When you reached the border between Mondstadt and Liyue, the atmosphere suddenly seemed heavy. You could not hear the birds singing, nor the wind cradling the trees.

Time seemed to stand still.

Alerted, you quickened your pace, crossing the wooden bridge that separated you from the shore.

The sudden sound of a branch breaking made you jump. You looked towards the source of the noise, finding yourself face to face with a Brutorocheux chief surrounded by some Brutoshamans and common Brutocollinus.

Your voice and body trembled.

"Why are they here? There have never been so many monsters on the border..."

The Brutocollinus came forward, threatening, it screamed, the breath knocking you to the ground. The smaller ones stepped forward, weapons in hand, while the Brutoshamans chanted their incantations.

Fear froze you in place, you were not a warrior, far from it. Your pupils dilated with fear and shook as the Brutoshaman ran towards you, fist in the air, ready to crush you. By reflex you had grown brambles around you to protect yourself.

But the creature in front of you was of a geo nature, impervious to the little thorns in your plants. Your trembling hand rose before you, summoning a flower capable of projecting poison, but again the monster crushed your hopes as did the flower beneath its feet.

"As long as you are in Liyue, I will protect you. Call me and I'll be there in a second."

Fear choked you, tears beading in the corners of your eyes as you remembered the words of the man you loved.

Xiao.

The sight of his gentle smile as he looked at you, thinking you hadn't noticed his presence.

Xiao.

The tender look in his eyes as he listened to you singing hidden behind a tree.

Xiao...

His hands savouring the feel of your hair between his fingers as you slept.

"XIAO! "

The moment you shouted his name, a gust of wind swept through the area. Blows rained down before you, and the brutocollinus and brutoshamans were the first to perish.

There he was, leaping to an inhuman height, a mask hiding his face and a menacing black aura covering him completely. The spear he always carried with him was pointed at the enemy as the Yaksha fell violently to the ground, sending out anemo illusions from his weapon that skewered the creature. He repeated his move once more, shattering its shell, before finishing it off by charging it with extreme speed. The Brutorocheux fell heavily to the ground, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Xiao moved his hand in front of his face, making his mask disappear, and then planted his spear on the ground. He ran towards you over the brambles you had created, not caring about the thorns that tore his legs. He knelt beside you, his eyes filled with terror and concern.

You looked into his eyes, shocked and trembling.

Finally you exploded, screaming and crying now that it was all over. You fell into his arms, your head resting in the crook of his neck, partially muffling your screams and tears.

He had found you. At last...

His heart broke free from its chains, relieved to see you safe and sound.

He felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest, so strong was it beating.

When he had reached you after your call and had seen you surrounded by monsters, monsters that were there because of him, because of the slaughter he had made in the camps of his creatures, the rage had risen in him. If you had been hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.

He would never have forgiven himself.

He was surprised by your sudden embrace, not really knowing how he should react. What did humans do in such moments?

He raised his arms hesitantly, placing his hands gently on your back. Seeing that you didn't reject him, he hugged you a little tighter, soothing his soul and body with your warmth.

"Don't disappear again..."

His voice was husky, vibrant, emotion knotting his throat. He buried his nose in your hair, inhaling the scent of the flowers that covered you.

"Xiao..."

Your tears continued to fall as your hands clutched at his clothes.

He surprised you by planting a kiss on your neck. He left his face hidden there, not wanting to be seen so vulnerable. His trembling hands around you were more than enough to describe the emotions that were currently running through him.

When your tears stopped, his hands gently grasped your shoulders, pulling you back to get a better look at your face. He wiped away the tears that remained on your cheeks before placing the palm of his hand on them, caressing you with his thumb. Your hand joined his, closing your eyes to savour the sensation.

His forehead came to rest against yours, exhaling a shaky breath.

The happiness of finally having her so close to you involuntarily activated your dendro vision. Varnished lily flowers bloomed around you, and firefly-like particles of light swirled near your faces.

"Stay close to me. Always. "

"Always. "

Xiao didn't know exactly what he was doing as he tilted his head to your lips. The only thing he knew was that he wanted this connection badly.

The bond between you was stronger than any contract, he loved you, by the archons, he loved you more than anyone else.

An emotion so human but so beautiful...

Your lips... tasted like a sweet dream.

Bonus n°1:

"Ah, there they are! "

Paimon yelled to his companions, pointing at you and Xiao. Zhongli was the first to arrive and observed the scene unfolding before his eyes.

"XIAO! "

Paimon shouted, his voice carrying to you. Xiao parted violently from your lips, falling on his butt in the process, his face completely red with embarrassment.

Aether, who had arrived just after Zhongli, grabbed the little fairy in his arms, planting his hand over her mouth to silence her. Hu Tao and Ganyu were waving at you, reassured that you were okay. Xiao had completely forgotten that they had come with them.

He knew that with that chatty fairy and Hu Tao not far away, the rest of the day was going to be hell for him. He wanted to grab you in his arms and run away from his troubles, but when his gaze turned to Zhongli's, his heart was suddenly lighter with a burden. The gentle smile of his master and the kindly gaze he projected upon him broke the last remaining chains of doubt within him.

Bonus #2:

Xiao had offered you on the way back the varnished Lily flower that Ganyu had given him earlier, hanging it in your hair. You walked behind your companions towards the Wangshu Inn, laughter and loud discussions (too loud for his taste) were going on.

Xiao stood very close to you without physically touching you. You never took your eyes off his face, which he noticed. He abruptly turned his head in the opposite direction, the tips of his ears glowing crimson, forcing an affectionate smile on your face.

After a few minutes of silent walking between the two of you, he finally asked you a question.

"Why did you leave? -He looked at you again, his eyes full of emotion-"I thought you were gone forever...or worse, dead. "

His voice trembled at the thought, making your eyes widen. In a comforting gesture, you grabbed his hand, interlacing your fingers with his. The gesture surprised him, he was not used to physical (or emotional!) contact.

"Didn't you read my letter? "

Xiao blinked, once, twice, three times.

"What letter? "

"The one I left on the table next to the tofu dish. "

Xiao's face became totally impassive. He tried to piece together a visual image of his room in his mind, seeing your dish on his table very clearly, but no matter how hard he concentrated, no letter came to him.

"There was no letter. "

"Oh... Maybe it was blown away then?"

Xiao remained silent as you explained that you had gone to see a friend in Mondstadt. He listened to you without really listening, an array of emotions passing through his eyes. He needed someone to blame, anyone he could vent his anger and frustration on.

The wind... The wind...

A malevolent smile spread across his face and his amber eyes glowed with a menacing gleam.

He brought his hand up to his face, a gesture he made to reveal his Yaksha mask.

His hoarse voice whispered dangerously:

"Barbatos..."

Further on, in Mondstadt, Venti felt a shiver run through his body, freezing him in place.

[wesimpforxiao]

Say My Name and I’ll Be There:  4.1

Author’s Note:  So I’m thinking of updating every other day or every two days? I tend to write compulsively and neglect my schoolwork lol.  Juggling this with work and school will be difficult if I post every day (I can’t help it though, I love updating every day!) So yeah.  Also if anyone has chapter filler ideas or prompts they want me to write out, message me or comment below! Back to the story!

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

Xiao had just cleared a band of hilichurls when he came across the small stuffed bunny lying on the ground.  It was tattered and worn, but still held its original color.  He picked it up and dusted it off, glancing in the direction of the crying girl at the top of the hill. She had been crying over her stolen toy so Xiao took it upon himself to return it to her.  

He may or may not have destroyed a portion of the rice crop in doing so...but no matter! The girl was happy now.

"Thank you Mr. Adeptus!"  She gave him a toothy grin and hugged her bunny close.  "Thank you so much!"

"It was no trouble."  Xiao didn't return her smile and began to walk across the bridge that oversaw most of the rice crop.  What was it with mortal children and material possessions? Was it like him with his yaksha mask and spear?

"Mr. Adeptus sir, would you like something to eat?"

"Mortal food is not to my liking."  He continued to walk away despite hearing her disappointed 'oh.'  His eyes landed at the top of another hill, where the hall of Quince Village sat.  I should check on her Granny while I'm here.

"Welcome to my humble home!  How may I--" Granny's eyes widened significantly when she caught sight of Xiao.  "Oh my, it's been some time.  Is she alright? Has something happened?"

"Mm."  Xiao flicked his gaze around the building before he closed the distance.  "She's fine.  The Fatui will pose a significant problem.  They may come to you first."

"Oh," Granny rolled her eyes.  "Don't worry about me then, dear.  Just make sure she's safe.  I can handle the Fatui's interrogations just fine."

"There's no telling what tactics they may use or what they're after.  Make no mention of my interactions with you, nor how you found her.  It is for your own safety."

"Consider it done!  Now, would you like a cup of tea?"

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

"Wait, what?" You and the rest of the adventure team had returned to Quince Village on your request.  

Well...when you say 'the rest of the adventure team,' it was just you and Aether.  Diluc and Bennett had returned to Mondstat on your way here from Liyue Harbor.  After your little confrontation with Childe, he claimed there was unfinished business with the Fatui in the harbor and had to remain there.  You didn't believe it one bit.

"Yeah! Do you think he doesn't like me?" Lil Luo's shoulders drooped in sadness.  She held her tattered bunny tight against her chest.

"'An adeptus that doesn't smile," Aether met your eyes.  "That sounds like Xiao."

"W-well, when was he here?  When did this happen?"  You had to refrain from shaking her little shoulders for answers.

"U-um, maybe a week ago?  I saw him a couple more times after that, but he never smiled back at me..."

"Xiao," you whispered to yourself and scanned the fields for any sign of him.  "When was the last time you saw him?"

"Four days ago, I think."

"You want to look for him, don't you?"  Aether raised a smug brow.

"Can we?"  You pleaded.

"We're here on your request.  Might as well stay a bit, right?"

"Thank you so much!"

"You can just repay us with food," Paimon popped up and was practically drooling at her own imagination.  Aether nodded in agreement.

The three of you--correction, two of you-- climbed the hill to the village center while Paimon floated carefree alongside Aether.  The second you reached the top, you were greeted with a disturbing sight.

Fatui agents.

"W-what the hell?"  You instinctually grabbed the hilt of your sword, as did Aether.  "What are Fatui doing in Quince Village?"

"Paimon has no idea.  Let's get them!"

"Doesn't your Granny live here?" Aether sent you a worried look.

"Yes, she does."  You marched right up to the nearest agent and puffed out your chest.  "Excuse me, what's going on here? Why are you morons moving my Granny's stuff out of the house?"

"Who're you callin' morons?" The agent scoffed through his mask.  "Shouldn't you be in school or somethin'?  Scram.  Get out of here.  Damn kids."

"This is MY house," your blade pressed against his neck in a flash.  "Get off of my property."  Aether followed your lead and drew his weapon too.

"I'm afraid it isn't your home anymore," an all-too familiar deep voice flowed through the air. Zhongli shot the agent a look that caused him to leave the situation to the consultant.  "I sincerely apologize for not being in touch recently.  The funeral parlor has been quite backed-up lately thanks to Hu Tao's mismanagement."

"What are you doing here?" Paimon asked the question that was on all your minds.  "The funeral parlor is so far south of here."

"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor serves all of Liyue," answered Zhongli.  His piercing eyes turned their attention to you and Aether.  "As you know, the parlor is partnered with the Fatui."

"And? That doesn't explain why you're here," you snarled.  Don't get anything mixed up; you were happy to see him.  But the Fatui at your house? Not as much.  

Zhongli released a short sigh and closed his eyes.  "We received a call from one of your neighbors.  It appears your grandmother died last night of a heart attack."

Something hard panged within your chest and it was suddenly difficult to breath.  "That's not...possible."

"Hey," Aether wrapped an arm around your shoulders as the world seemed to sway beneath your feet.  He slowly led you to the ground.

"That's horrible," Paimon muttered.  "Was it...painful?"

"Paimon!" Aether hushed.

"No.  It was rather quick.  She had not suffered long."  Zhongli knelt so that he was eye level with you.  "I had sent someone to meet up with you in Dihua Marsh, but it appears as though the messenger never met you.  My apologies for the oversight, dear friend."

"Then," you gulped, "why are the Fatui here?"

"Your grandmother had signed the house over to them a day or so before she passed."

"What? Why would she do that? She loves this house!"  Your tears dried before they had the chance to fall.  Your fists tightened as you struggled to determine who the enemy was.  Was it Zhongli?  He was technically Fatui if he worked with them.  Xiao could have been wrong about him.  "Who's in charge here?"

Zhongli almost appeared hesitant to answer.  Xiao managed to reach the grandmother in time, but it appears she still had to make some sort of arrangement to guarantee everyone's safety.  To think that Childe had somehow known to come here--

"Tch."  You stood up and brushed past Aether, heading directly toward the Fatui agent that had the audacity to tell a twenty year old to go back to school.  "Hey, dumbass!"  You gripped the collar of his coat and yanked him close.  "Tell me who's in charge here."

"Heh, want to fight your way out of a contract, eh?  Don't you worship the God of Contracts?  You're not gettin' your stupid house back."

"Tell me who sent you."

"A certain Harbinger," the agent taunted.

"Give me the name!"  You back-handed the masked agent hard enough to hurt him and split your knuckles wide open.  The blood splattered onto the wooden floor and soaked into his jacket.

"Hey, wait!"  Aether grabbed your shoulder.  Zhongli watched him do so.

"You're in luck, sweetheart.  You'd give quite the show badmouthing Childe."

"Wha--"  You stumbled backwards and knocked into Aether.  The two of you shared a look of shock, concern, and betrayal.  "This is all under Childe's jurisdiction?"

"Uh-huh," the agent lifted his mask slightly and wiped at his busted lip.  "He should be on his way back to Liyue Harbor by now, if you wanna try and take it up with him.  But I'm tellin' you he ain't gonna budge."

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

You stood alone in the rain.  Zhongli had arranged for a proper funeral and had refused to charge you for the provided services.  He had even managed to retrieve one of Granny's necklaces from the Fatui's grasp, and gave it to you.  He and Aether were alongside you, what...twenty minutes ago?  They decided to leave you alone in front of the new gravestone to grieve.  The funeral was simple, per your request to hold true to Granny's wishes.  The entire village had grieved with you.

"I'm sorry I came too late for a visit, Granny." The words came out robotic and emotionless.  The look on your face was blank.  You placed a small bouquet of glaze lilies on top of the stone; Zhongli had you sing to them before picking them.  "Things got busy, and Childe...well, I'm sure you met him, didn't you?"  You let out a dry bitter laugh that blended with the sound of raindrops.  "I love you.  Thank you for taking care of me even if I was a brat sometimes."

Could it be that you had been the cause of her death just like you had caused your parents'?  Just how much blood was on your hands?

You felt nothing yet everything at the same time.  Your eyes were dry.  After the initial shock, you hadn't shed a single tear.  Thus was your usual reaction to death; you were usually at peace with the idea of it.  If it was their time, it was their time.  But you were not convinced her death was caused by her heart.  

Childe.  Could he have resorted to such extremes to get the house? Or was it for something more?  Perhaps he was the true danger Xiao had warned you about.

Your chest ached, desperate to release the pent up storm of emotions whirling through you.  The wind picked up for a moment.  "Xiao?"  Your hoarse greeting was met with a grim-looking yaksha.  It was possible you were just imagining him in a time of need.  You hadn't seen him in a month now.

Xiao blinked and gave you a once-over as he stood beside you.  He had heard your sorrow like it was blaring in his ears.  His eyes fell to the gravestone, and his expression saddened further.  "She's dead." His question of disbelief sounded more like a tactless statement of fact.

"Yeah," you half-winced, half-scoffed at his remark.  "She's dead."  You knew all too well that he didn't mean any harm.  "Why're you standing in the rain?"

"I don't concern myself with the weather, but you should be inside.  Mortals are fragile."

"I don't particularly care at the moment." Your words cut through the rain like a blade of ice.  

She has lost all of her family now, Xiao realized.  He watched you with admiration at how strong you were acting even though it was clear you were trying not to break.

"I came back to visit and check in on her," you opened up after a few minutes of silence.  His glance towards you prompted you to continue.  "And then a little girl told me an adeptus had saved her toy bunny.  That was you, wasn't it?"

"Mm."

"Did you...see her?  My Granny?"

"I have spoken with her several times over the course of several years.  I did not think it would be the last time.  What happened?"

"Heart attack."  You swallowed.  "When I reached the house, the Fatui were clearing it out."  You caught the color draining from Xiao's face.  "What? Do you know something?"

"So my suspicions were correct," Xiao muttered distastefully.  He looked around the graveyard.  "You're sure they all left?"

"Yes.  Zhongli said that before she died she had signed a contract to hand the house over.  But she wouldn't do that so easily."

Satisfied with his scan of their surroundings, Xiao folded his arms across his chest.  "I told you I would inform you of our predicament when the time is right.  The time is now."

"After my Granny just died?"  Your undirected anger manifested at his words.  

"The Fatui are after the two of us."

"Why?"

"Our guess is they wish to create adepti soldiers or yakshas using the technique I used on you when you were a child."  Your eyes raised at 'our.'  Xiao's gaze flicked to you briefly.  "Zhongli."

"Wait, why would Zhongli be involved with this in the first place?"

"He is the former Lord of Geo, Rex Lapis--"

"Wait wait wait, he's what?!  But that's not possible, Rex Lapis is--"

"--Only a select few know his identity.  Do not go around telling."  You nodded, head spinning from all this new information.  "Childe was tasked with identifying and obtaining us.  If anyone gets their hands on an adeptus or your blood, it could spell the downfall of humankind."

"What exactly is my blood?  Why would they want me?"

"My blood runs through your veins."

"U-um...?"  You shifted uncomfortably at the thought.

"That is how I saved you," Xiao uncrossed his arms and faced you fully.  "It allows you to withstand more adeptal energy than the ordinary human, which is why I can be so close to you.  It also increases your body's healing capabilities.  It is the only reason you survived that day.  It is also the only reason you survived your lawachurl wound."

"...Why didn't you tell me this before?" You mumbled beneath your breath.  The rain hitting the earth nearly overtook the sound of your voice.  "We...We could have saved her."  Your anger leaked through your voice.  It wanted something to blame, something to lash out at.  You caught yourself before you could say or think something you didn't mean.  It was a heart attack.  Xiao is not to blame for this.  Childe is the enemy.

"Childe was listening in on our conversations.  I could not disclose this information to you so we would have the advantage to work in the dark against the him."  He stared down at the gravestone.  "I am...sorry.  I did not recognize the stress it would put her through. She was optimistic and happy when I last saw her."

You shook your head.  "I doubt it caused the heart attack.  I just want to know what they did to make her sell the house," your hands curled into fists.  "Childe will pay for this."

The two of you silently stood in the rain for some time before Xiao held his hand out to you.  "You will get sick if you stay out here longer.  Let us meet with the rest of the team."  You placed your injured hand in his, having forgot that it was aching the entire time.  Xiao's eyes narrowed at this, but he did not question you.  With your blood, it would heal by tomorrow morning.

[whitefawnn]

blood letting (part 7)

c!wilbur soot x reader

warnings: manipulation, violence, fighting, panic attacks, trauma, mentions of character death

masterlist of blood letting

note: read the warnings

His sword is a comfortable weight in his scarred hand, the hilt wrapped in leather, his grip tight. The metal weapon felt like a return to himself, its shimmering a sinister promise to hurt those who had wronged him. His mouth watered as he stared at the light blue sword, imagining it as a dark purple. He missed Nightmare but for now this must suffice. Dream quickly went back to sharpening the blade, meticulously making sure it would be perfect to slice through his enemies just as it had been crafted to, to right what had been wronged.

He had been waiting for Wilbur to return without y/n, but something in him knew Wilbur wasn’t coming back. He knew from the start. Men like Wilbur could be so fickle with someone like y/n whispering in their ear. Y/n could be so persuasive, so persistent, he didn’t know if he could bring himself to fault the man for folding. He knew it would end like this though, them on opposing sides. He wasn’t connected to Wilbur anymore, ties severed after he walked out of that prison, no matter what Wilbur had convinced himself of he could care less about the man.

He was almost done preparing his gear, not bothering to even start Wilbur’s even when he was still here. He only had to go to the nether to collect netherite before he could begin his onslaught. The future tasted sweet, a sick promise of blood to finally be in the air again. Dream laid down the sword on the cracking anvil with a smirk. He turned to look at the marked map behind him, x’s on houses, arrows pointing to weaknesses and targets. A mosaic of to-be pain all in one place.

He had been weighing whether he would kill y/n or not. A big question mark scribbled over where their house sat. He wondered if they could change, be fixed if you will. I guess the decision could be made later, when they weren’t in the place to deny such mercy from Dream. When his sword was slowly drawing blood from their neck. Guess he would be just like Wilbur in that regard.

——————

“I’ll come with you, I will, please just-“ I focused on the panicked voice that trailed from behind me as I slowly came to. I was sitting on a hard surface, my back against someone whose chest was hastily rising and falling. Their breaths were forced and ragged. “Sam, please they need help-“ The voice called out and was cut off as I slowly cracked my eyes open to be met with the night sky and the looming prison. The building first insisting fear then a strange sense of home. I was back in the dsmp, no longer imprisoned in a gloomy mansion, yet I was still with Wilbur. Why did that make me so scared?

“Wilbur, I should kill you right now. Do you not understand what you did? What mercy I’m even giving you right now by letting you fucking speak?” I shook my head, sitting up straight against the person behind me. I desperately wanted to defuse the argument but didn’t feel like I had the words or the strength. My brain a mess of feelings and fog. Sam quickly turned to look at me with wide eyes once he noticed my subtle movements. His gaze felt like sunlight for a brief moment, an escape from all that has gone horribly wrong. He granted me a soft smile that I only knew existed by the crinkle of his eyes that weren’t covered by his intimidating mask.

“hey, y/n” he spoke with a lighter tone more indicative of Sam not the Warden he was being towards Wilbur. I reached for him with an open hand merely wanting to hug my close friend. To give up for just a second. He quickly came up to my side helping me slide off the large horse I had been seated on. I caught a glimpse of Wilbur’s nervous smile, but quickly pressed myself into Sam’s body. Wilbur could wait, he could wait for just a bit.

I needed a separation from everything. Wilbur’s face feeling as damning as seeing Dream himself sat behind me. A chill ran over my body, Dream’s hands pushing me to the floor all over again. My arm hitting the ground. Sam didn’t hesitate to wrap himself around me once I was within reach, warmth engulfing my sleep-riddled body. I winced at the pain he caused by pressing on my injured arm but could care less. “Hi, bear.” he mumbled into my hair, a familiar nickname that made me feel even more relaxed. Warmth bloomed in my heart, a brief moment of peace.

“Sam,” I sighed out, allowing myself to fully melt into him knowing he would support my weight, knowing he wouldn’t let me go as he never had before. I wanted to disappear, to implode, my life felt on fire. A burning house with no exits left. I tried to steady myself against him. The feeling was also a wash of familiarity, smelled just like gunpowder, felt just like when the man behind me had died.

“Do you wanna go home?” he asked me, slightly pulling back from our embrace so he could study my expression. It was such a simple question, but yet I felt my eyes water. He seemed to falter the more he looked at me, his own eyes jumping across my face. I probably looked like shit.

“mmmhm,” I whimpered, stuffing my face back into his chest as hot tears began to run down my cheeks. Everything was wrong and it felt like it was my fault. I could feel Wilbur’s eyes burning into my back and it only made me feel worse. I was not only responsible for my own safety, I was responsible for everyone’s. I was now heaving, sobbing into Sam’s chest as he pet my hair and let me crumble.

“Just breathe, bear. It’s okay, it’s all gonna be okay.” he whispered into my hair. I quickly shook my head against him, my anxiety a vice. “I know, I know, let’s get you home okay.” He took the liberty of picking me up, cradling me in his arms “Wilbur, you follow behind or god fucking help you.” Wilbur didn’t respond but I heard the clicking of hooves follow behind us.

————————-

Dread built in his stomach as he followed closely behind Sam and y/n. He selfishly couldn’t bring himself to focus his full attention on the exhausted body being cradled by Sam. Anxiety pooled on his skin as he slowly trailed behind the pair to y/n’s home. The path was familiar, he need not put too much effort into following as his worries consumed him.

“Wilbur, come hold the door open.” He was quick to tie up the horse and pry open the door. The clear closeness between Y/n and Sam shocked him. The nickname ran through his head, bear, a staple of the months he had missed. Sam hadn’t even been a name he had known, not in any great clarity at least when he had passed. The relationship added context to the fact that y/n had thought they would be able to ebb the consequence of his mistakes with the Warden himself. He hadn’t believed this, leaving y/n to fight with Dream alone on a matter he knew they wouldn’t be able to change. To be left a bruised mess on the floor. To be told by Dream to use them further, y/n a mere puppet to the man, and now a new consequence of his own actions arose, he must talk to Sam alone.

“Wilbur.” Sam’s voice was gruff and lower than the one he had used with y/n.

“Sam, are they-“ he was promptly cut off. Wilbur studied Sam’s hard expression, their eyes locked.

“They are asleep in their bedroom” The tension between the two was palpable, but the reason seemed to have strayed off. Countless things went through Wilbur’s head as he stared the Warden down. “Do you understand what you did, Wilbur? I should have already killed you, but y/n-“ he paused, his hand falling from its place on the hilt of his sword to be run through his hair. Sam shut his eyes tight, trusting that Wilbur wouldn’t foolishly run.

“You mean too much to them.” A breath got caught in Wilbur’s throat “I probably understand that more than you. After you died, Wilbur, they were in bad shape, really fucking bad shape.” Wilbur sharply inhaled, his lungs full of needles. He didn’t need to hear this or maybe he just didn’t want to. “They wouldn’t leave this fucking house, Wilbur, and you came back and, fuck, I think you made them worse all over again.” Sam looked up at Wilbur.

“You were an impossibility to them, they were finally fucking moving on.” Sam got to his feet “You and fucking Dream just hurt them over and over.” His gaze was burning right through him, he immediately relented, stepping back. Wilbur’s shoulders hunched as he let himself fall back against the now shut door. “and they still love you.”

“Sam,” he quickly held up his hand. Wilbur taking the hint that he wasn’t done. He watched as Sam took a deep breath before averting his eyes to the kitchen.

“So much happened that y/n isn’t telling you things that Dream did to everyone in your absence. Wilbur, he beat Tommy to death and he-“ Sam looked back at Wilbur’s crumpled form. Wilbur needed to understand. “You let out a monster, Wilbur. A monster that hurt the person in that room more than you can imagine.” A silence drew out between them, a silence that was not filled by voices but their own shared labored breathing. Both men drawn tight, two strings about to snap. “Stay here with them. Don’t you fucking think about leaving.” Wilbur gave Sam a nod. He wasn’t going to leave them, he wouldn’t think twice about that even if Sam wasn’t threatening his life.

Wilbur trailed to y/n’s bedroom, somewhere they had once shared. The room had changed drastically since then, new sheets and new furniture. He knew it was because of him, he couldn’t imagine living in that room if their roles had been switched, a ghost around every corner. Sheets once green were now a ruby red. Y/n was sleeping now, their face a reflection of calm water not the panic it had been earlier. The more he studied their face the more Wilbur paled. He noticed scars he hadn’t before, how the bruise had only gotten worse. Time apart and together alike leaving them with more wounds. He fell into a restless sleep beside them.

[dinosaurtsukki]

housemates with karasuno

okay this is so fucking long because i love karasuno so much i’d get up to a million antics with them

how you ended up living with them: 

you were probably friends with the entire volleyball team in high school since you were one of the three (cute) managers so when they all suggested living together you were like ‘sure why not? how bad could it be?’

honestly this is so unrealistic but we’re enjoying ourselves aren’t we? 

since there are so many of you in one single house there are probably like 3 to 4 people in a single room

the original room arrangement was that the first-years and second-years would be in separate rooms but ennoshita was like ‘no way are you putting me in the same room as noya and tanaka i will die’

so you, ennoshita, yamaguchi, and tsukishima are all in another room (the second-most peaceful room in the house)

daichi, sugawara, and asahi are all together in another room because they’re pretty tight

and hinata, kageyama, along with tanaka and noya share twin bunk beds in the fourth room

now let’s get into living with this chaotic bunch:

daichi is undoubtedly the head of household. at first he didn’t want to have to manage that on top of everything else but one night he was making a chart for chores (along with small stickers of everyone’s faces) and finally accepted that he was in charge of the house

he’s def the type to manipulate the chore chart just a little bit. if tanaka or noya managed to piss him off, daichi will just slide their face under ‘dish duty’ and they’re none the wiser

at first he feels terrible but then tanaka and noya accidentally break a window and daichi just thinks that maybe authoritarianism isn’t so bad after all

jk guys authoritarianism is bad down with the government

you, on the other hand, know very well what daichi is doing but instead of tattling you just appeal to his good side and before you know it, you haven’t done any chores for an entire year

ASAHI IS THE TYPE OF HOUSEMATE TO BRING YOU UP A PLATE OF SLICED FRUIT WITHOUT EVEN ASKING AHHH

when the clock hits four, its cut fruit time and there are different fruits for every day and asahi just brings up plates of nice cut fruit for everyone

you kind of wonder if asahi ever gets tired of slicing fruit for EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE until you see him split open a pineapple with his bare hands

also he has such a huge closet but if you want a snazzy outfit all you have to do is knock on his shared room and he’ll whip one up for you

okay you guys are probably thinking that sugawara is the mom of the household but unfortunately he is a gemini and therefore even satan fears him

suga’s the one who cooks for everyone but when he’s in the kitchen you had better stay away because he gets intTENSE. he probably uses this big ass knife

potholders? suga doesn’t know her. he uses his bare hands to get trays and stuff out of the oven. just watching him cook stresses you out so nobody watches him cook

but his cuisine is exquisite nobody has complaints

i feel like their room probably has a fuck ton of snacks with asahi’s fruit-cutting, suga’s cooking skills and i bet daichi has a stash of snacks that he keeps from noya and tanaka (it’s under his mattress, that’s why his back hurts)

you, ennoshita, tsukishima, and yamaguchi have by far the cleanest room though (just slightly cleaner than the third-years’ room because they have snack wrappers) and your roommates are all workaholics

your room is pretty much ‘bookshelves and studyblr aesthetic’ except for ennoshita’s CPR doll that stays in a corner of the room looking creepy and out of place but you don’t have a closet to put it in

yamaguchi swears that it’s haunted because it changes positions every time he wakes up in the morning and he keeps trying to convince his roommates about it

little does he know tsukki and ennoshita like to move the CPR doll around to scare him because they’re like that

tbh you are not a fan of the CPR doll either but that doesn’t mean you won’t play with it by dressing it up 

these three are such workaholics that there’s literally only one person asleep there at a time and you like studying there because of the Intense Productive Energy

they even have their own espresso machine and a minifridge full of Red Bull

tsukki is the best at waking you up he’ll literally grip your shoulders and shake you or spray you with water

you can tell he enjoys it and you hate it so much but it does get your papers going

the one thing about this group is that they forget this little thing called ‘self-care’ because they work all the time (well except for yamaguchi who knows how to put on a sheet mask once in a while)

that means you’ll sometimes be knocking on their door with some of asahi’s Sliced Fruit or some instant ramen you whipped up yourself

ennoshita also has a habit of passing out in random places so it takes you and yamaguchi to haul him up to his bed

you also use this opportunity to tuck in his CPR doll next to him in bed because why not?

the chaotic, noisy members of the household are all relegated to one room for the good of the entire house and its downstairs where the walls are thick

these guys are the bunk-bed sharing kind of people but they kind of just switch beds depending on how they feel like it

tanaka: hey dude, is it ok if i top for tonight?

noya: oh yeah sure! no problem!

you: ��👄👁

suga: they’re talking about bunk beds

hinata and kageyama like to play video games during their breaks but they only have one game and that’s Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

i have an obsession with naruto don’t @ me

that’s because they bought a playstation on craigslist and it came with one game and that was it

you like to play with them when you’re taking a break and kageyama’s always the one who loses and he gets so frustrated with himself that you let him win at times just so he feels good

hinata always uses hinata when he plays but he’s also the type to elbow kageyama or purposely swerve a hand in your face when he’s playing 

even though sugamama is in charge of the kitchen, noya and hinata do like to experiment with cooking from time to time and if daichi is in a good mood he’ll indulge them

they’ll even rope you in on their shenanigans and pretty soon you’re making a casserole out of pepperoni and cheetos just in time for sugawara to come in and see what happened to his kitchen

it usually ends with all of you guys just ordering pizza and you having to clean the kitchen with noya and hinata

house incident: ennoshita’s CPR doll that ACTUALLY MIGHT be haunted

okay i know that i already wrote about ennoshita’s cpr doll being not haunted and that tsukki and ennoshita just like to mess with it but IMAGINE IT ACTUALLY BEING HAUNTED

it starts out with yamaguchi getting mad at tsukki or ennoshita for putting the cpr doll in his bed while he was asleep and they were both like ‘no seriously we didn’t do it’

and you could vouch for them because you were the last one to fall asleep in your room and the CPR doll was way in ennoshita’s side of the room (yamaguchi believes you cause you’re the only person he trusts in the room)

you and yamaguchi begin to think that something strange is going on and like ‘is it just me or are those dead, plastic eyes somehow following my every move?’

it gets to the point that you have to turn the plastic doll around the face the wall when you’re studying

and then, you begin to notice that the doll is nearer to your bed when you wake up in the morning and again, neither tsukishima nor ennoshita touched it

because of this you now stay over at daichi, asahi, and sugawara’s room because you’re so creeped out by the doll and also because they have snacks

and then an Incident happens wherein noya and tanaka, who are both doing a first-aid class, decide to secretly use the doll while no one is around at home

although noya and tanaka trying to practice cpr by themselves is hilarious

just visualize tanaka trying to administer cpr while dueting ‘staying alive’ with noya

they both take a break and turn away from the doll for one second only to see it standing upright when they turn right back

tanaka: that doll just moved on its own, right?

noya: yeah, pretty much

that’s when you and yamaguchi come home and see the cpr doll with tanaka and noya looking very afraid

you: the doll’s haunted isn’t it?

yamaguchi: I KNEW IT !!

daichi comes home to the four of you trying to dispose of the doll by fitting it into a box and gets mad at everyone because you can’t just do that to ennoshita’s stuff

but then he sees all of you looking clearly in distress and decides to call for a house meeting about ennoshita’s haunted doll

asahi brings sliced fruit

tsukishima and kageyama very firmly talk about how it’s not possible which is weird because it’s something they agree on for once

daichi: well, where did you get this doll, ennoshita? ennoshita: i got it for cheap at an old antique store. the owner was super intent to get rid of it so i bought it

you, tanaka, yamaguchi, and noya: 👁👄👁

daichi: even i don’t believe in ghosts but damn ennoshita what were you thinking?

and then sugawara who has been eerily quiet this entire time brings out a ouija board and goes ‘LET’S EXORCISE THIS BITCH’

a few minutes later you all are set up in the living room with candles, the ouija board, and the cpr doll

tsukishima’s just there to livestream everything (STORYTIME: my dumb housemates think this doll is haunted)

you, sugawara, and hinata are in charge of the seance (hinata ironically drew the shortest straw and was forced to participate)

sugawara: spirit of the cpr doll, what is your name?

the triangle piece on the board starts moving, you are looking at your friends in shock, asahi has fainted. the triangle piece stops at the word ‘yes’

you: oh my god this ghost is an idiot

daichi: all in favor of getting rid of this doll?

everyone except ennoshita raises their hands

sugawara is already on the phone with the current owners of the warren museum

you: why do you have their number memorized?

sugawara: ,,, reasons

the cpr doll is picked up the next day. kageyama pokes at the doll and goes ‘you’re just a doll, cpr doll. you can’t do anything’. asahi feels sorry that it’s gonna be displayed naked in the museum and gives the doll a little fedora hat

also ennoshita is compensated for the doll and now has enough money to buy AN ACTUAL, LEGIT CPR DOLL from AN ACTUAL, LEGIT CPR DOLL FACTORY

you and yamaguchi still hate it

taglist (still open to anyone who wants in!): @montys-chaos​ @miyumtwins​ @strawberriimilkshake​ @pocubo​ @sugawara-sweetheart @akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan @therainroguefanfiction @atetiffdoesart @stephdaninja @oikaw-ugh @charliefredb @dramaqueenweeb1469 @tremblinghearts @applepienation @doodleniella @haikyuu-my-love

[aotxfan]

Shatter (Historia)

Summary: Historia decides to leave her female lover in order to marry a man that can protect her and give her an heir.

“I think it’s best if I marry someone else.”

The Queen’s voice was neutral, devoid of emotion, and the soldier froze in her seat.

Her entire body had frozen in shock and her mind had stopped processing. The hand that had been holding her spoon lost its grip and the teacup rattled as it fell in. Openly staring at the Queen with her mouth agape, the soldier could only get out a pathetic “What?”

Sitting across from her, Historia sighed. Her shoulders slumped and she looked away as if the sight of the soldier was too much for her to bear. Her hands began to rub together, a nervous habit she had yet to break, and she sought solace in the gesture. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet.

“The more time I spend as Queen, the more I begin to realize that my time here isn’t assured. For now the military has seen fit to follow me, but I don’t think they’ll be fine doing this forever. Over time they will want more, and it may become dangerous for me. I wouldn’t put it past them if they decided one day to feed me to Eren to unlock the Founding Titan’s abilities with my Royal blood. Every second that this war rages on, my safety is in danger.”

The soldier blinked and tried to digest this information. The words repeated over and over again in her mind before she could even begin to make sense of them.

Slowly, she clenched her fists tightly in her lap. Her throat worked as she tried to figure out what to say.

“How-How will marrying someone help you?”

Historia looked away towards the window pensively. She was quiet for a long time before finally answering.

“If I marry someone, I can have children with them. Children that will carry Royal blood and assure the future of Eldia. Carrying a pregnancy will also protect me from being used in some scheme for at least nine months,” she closed her eyes, “It’s not ideal, but I have no other choice.”

“So that’s it?”

The soldier closed her eyes and tried to ignore the way her chest had begun to hurt. She tried to sound composed, relaxed, but her heart was shattering to pieces and she had no idea how to keep it together. No amount of military training in first aid had prepared her for the pain of a broken heart.

Historia said her name softly, under her breath like a secret, and bit her lip. “I don’t have a choice.”

Her voice was a quiet plea and her blue eyes desperately sought the soldier’s gaze.

The soldier leaned back in her chair and refused to look her way. It was much too painful to look in her direction. She had a feeling that, if their eyes were to meet, she’d break down.

“Don’t-”

Historia repeated her name again just as softly as before. This time, her hand reached forward-

And the soldier moved away before their hands could touch. The queen’s hand met with empty air and froze in place.

The soldier drew herself in tight seeking to shield herself and bring herself some semblance of comfort.

“And I can’t give that to you, right?” The soldier dug her nails into her palms, “I can’t give you a child. I can’t even give you my last name. The only thing I can offer you is my heart, but that won’t ensure yours keeps beating.”

Historia’s breath hitched and her hand fell back towards her lap.

“Your heart is all I’ve ever wanted. I’m not doing this because I want to-"

The soldier pressed her lips together. Her eyes began to burn and she bit down hard on her cheek in an attempt to stop the tears from falling. The last thing she wanted was to lose her composure in front of Historia.

In truth, she had always expected this moment would come. While Historia had been happy to let a relationship between them bloom, the world had not. It had only been a matter of time before it conspired to tear the two apart.

As a Queen, Historia had many burdens placed upon her shoulders. Her fate was not her own and her womb belonged to an entire nation. Her responsibility was to bring about a new generation, and the next monarch would have to be birthed at some point.

They had both known Eldia would one day come to collect that which was owed, but they had never imagined it would be so soon.

Foolishly, the soldier had hoped they would have more time. Their relationship had only just started. They had only had three years together which wasn’t enough for either of them.

Not even a lifetime would have been enough for their love to burn, so how could three years possible do it justice?

“I know,” the soldier closed her eyes tightly, “I know. We both knew this would happen, ‘Ria. We knew this couldn’t go on forever.”

The Queen rubbed her hands together again, and the soldier realized they were shaking. The urge to reach out and offer her comfort was overwhelming, but she managed to resist. Were she to touch Historia now, she knew it would only be harder to walk away.

“I just need to have a child. Just one. I can marry someone and have a child then be done. After that maybe we can-”

Historia cut herself off. Even to her, the words sounded hollow. It was evident neither believed them, so the rest of her words died in her mouth.

The soldier knew their story didn’t have such a simple solution. Marriage was a binding contract and parenthood an eternal partnership. Historia couldn’t just use a husband for a child then rid her hands of him.

No, once she married, her fate would be sealed. The new King would own her forever, and he would take her as his own.

The soldier flattened her hands against her lap to keep them from shaking.

“You aren’t asking for my opinion,” she blinked away her tears, “You’re telling me this is going to happen. Have you already found your partner?”

Another pause.

This time, Historia let out a shaky breath.

After years of practice, she was good at keeping a regal composure, but the soldier had always been able to see through the illusion. The intimacy and feelings they both shared allowed her a glimpse into her true feelings. Even if Historia seemed composed to the naked eye, she could still sense the agony that lingered beneath her skin.

This situation hurt her love as much as it pained the soldier.

After a long time, Historia answered.

“I have. He’s a man I knew from my childhood. He used to try to get me to play with him and pay attention when we were kids, but I never really paid him any mind. I chose him because he doesn’t have the noble status to threaten me and because I can trust his sincerity.”

She continued to explain away her decision, but the soldier had long ago stopped listening.

I chose him.

The sentence echoed in her mind and her heart gave another painful lurch in her chest.

Historia had chosen him. She had chosen him over her and the reality throbbed like an open wound.

Despite the years they had shared together, the love that beat in both their hearts, she had made her decision. She had chosen a man she hadn’t seen in years over the woman that had swore to give her, her heart for her to hold, to love-

And to break.

Standing up suddenly, the soldier spun away.

“Please, stop,” her heart began to race, “Just stop.”

Stop talking, and stop breaking my heart. Can’t you see it’s already in a thousand pieces?

Historia called her name again, and the sound brought a new wave of tears to her eyes.

She would miss it, she realized, miss the way her love said her name. After she left this room, the quiet sort of intimacy that was between them would be broken. They would have to assume a persona of Queen and Soldier. From then on, Historia would only refer to her by rank and last name. She would never again utter her first name unless a formal decree followed.

“You don’t have to go on, your majesty, you’ve made your choice-”

Now Historia was standing up. For the first time, her composure visibly cracked. Her blue eyes began to fill with tears, but she held them back with what little strength she still had.

“It’s not my choice!” She slapped her hands to the table and the teacups rattled at the impact. “If it were my choice I’d choose you over and over again-”

“Except this time,” the soldier still refused to turn around.

Historia bowed her head and her shoulders shook with the effort of holding in her tears. A Herculean task, she almost sank to the floor. The table alone held her up even as she felt her world shattering around her.

The soldier drew in a quiet breath and raised her head to the sky as if in prayer. She hoped that whatever deity presided over star crossed lovers would intercede now. Perhaps a God or Goddess that bore witness to their exchange would take pity and turn her into a man. Maybe as a man she might be allowed to love the woman behind her.

When no divine intervention came, she lowered her head and the first tear fell down her cheek. Her fingers reached to brush it away before Historia could hear her sob.

“If this is goodbye, then just dismiss me. Let me go-”

Historia sank to her knees and the tears she had previously held back began to fall. As if a dam had broken, they fell one after another and landed on the surface of the table. She closed her eyes with her fists as if she could stop them from coming.

“I don’t want to say goodbye. I want you, I want to marry you. If I could choose, I’d choose you over and over again.”

Desperately, she reached out to the soldier. Her hand managed to snag the back of her cloak, and she let her head fall against her turned back.

The soldier flinched and turned rigid. An instinct made her reach behind her to try and offer some comfort-

But her mind made her lower her hand before she could touch her.

The last thing they should do was touch, she knew. After all, if she had a chance to hold Historia in her arms again, she might never let go again.

Carefully extracting herself from the Queen’s grasp, she turned around. A mask fell over her features and she held her head up high.

“Allow me to take my leave, your Majesty. The hour grows dark.”

She tried to keep her voice as formal as possible and tried to keep the white hot agony coursing through her at bay.

Historia buried her face in her hands.

“Don’t-please-”

The soldier tried again. This time, her voice sounded more detached.

“Please allow me to take my leave, your Majesty. The hour grows dark.”

At her feet, the Queen sniffed. The tears continued to fall, but she had given up on wiping them away.

“You have my heart, you know that. My heart is yours for the rest of my life. The future King will have my womb, but I am yours until my last breath-”

“Please allow me to take my leave, your Majesty. The hour grows dark.”

The soldier refused to look down and kept her gaze trained on the door. She hoped she could manage to at least walk outside before she collapsed. Her heart was already in pieces and her ears were roaring with the effort of remaining upright.

The room grew quiet once more and Historia dropped her head. She sniffed a few final times before standing up. Dusting herself off, she bit her lip.

Her persona as a Queen snapped into place and she tried to ignore the way her hands shook as she gave a single nod.

“You are dismissed,” she voiced.

The soldier looked past her towards the door and gave a crisp salute. As her fist pressed to her heart, she imagined herself holding the remnants of its shards in place to keep them from being left behind at Historia’s feet.

Her movements were robotic, formal, and she drew strength in the strict protocol. From now on, there would have to be an invisible wall of decorum between the two of them. The previous emotions they had once held for each other would have to be killed and buried.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” she bowed her head.

As she moved past Historia, the soldier swore she saw the Queen’s hand reach for her once more. As if by some desperation, Historia had intended to stop her from walking away. Perhaps she had regretted her choice and changed her mind-

But, in the end, the love for her country won over the love for her soulmate. The hand reaching for her stopped midway and returned to her side. The previous agonized look on her face disappeared and was replaced by the carefully guarded expression she always wore in public.

The soldier refused to look back as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Once outside in the hallway, the last of her composure shattered and she slid down the door. A waterfall cascaded down her face and she clasped her hand to her mouth to quiet her sobs.

Her head bowed and she squeezed her eyes shut. Agony coursed through her and she wished she could claw out her heart and free herself of the pain. Her hand moved to her chest and she pressed down as if she could somehow mend the organ she was certain was now torn in two.

And as she clutched her heart, she was certain she could hear Historia’s own shattering through the wood.

[celestiababie]

Too Much Love- Jaehyun/Yoonoh (m/a)

Genre: angst with suggestive noncon themes, stalker!jaehyun au, college!au, jae is pretty much just a pervy creep, no actual smut sorry

Pairings: jaehyun/yoonoh x reader

Warnings: Stalking, breaking in, knives, illegal themes, reader is dumb lowkey, jaehyun producing a lot of precum lol

Word count: 1,273

A/N: I do NOT condone the things in this fic in real life, this is simply fantasy. I also do not believe Jaehyun would ever actually do something like this. I do not mean to offend anyone with my content and I myself am a victim of sexual abuse so trust me when I say I AM NOT TRYING TO GLAMORIZE IT. THIS IS SIMPLY FICTION. With that being said, please enjoy. I will most likely make a part two.

He bit his rose-tinted bottom lip as he tries to keep his breathing steady. You look gorgeous, like a dainty angel who had descended from heaven, landing on Earth just for him. Your smooth skin caused his mouth to water in need. Mouth salivating from the intense yearning to taste and touch you. His deep brown eyes were dilated, a clear indication of his infatuation with you.

How couldn't you recognize his emotions each time he looked at you? Why couldn't you sense the love he had for you? 

The two of you attended the same university, were in the same social circle, and yet you barely batted an eye to him. Why won't she fucking love me? He thinks to himself. Even he could hear the bitter tone in his head. 

Why can't she see that we're meant for each other? 

Nearly a year ago is when it all began, when his life changed, and unknowingly, yours did as well.

His glove covered hand gripped the handle of the knife he held tightly as flashes of memories hit him. Too many times, he had stood in this very spot behind the large bushes outside of your bedroom. The crisp breeze brushed upon his skin, his eyes fluttered shut from the relaxing sensation. He wondered if your touch would be as calming. He quivered at the thought of your soft hands touching his skin, the tip of his shaft leaking pre-cum at the mere thought. 

You were gonna love him, he knew it. You simply required some... guidance. That's all you needed.

His eyes shut momentarily, the pounding of his heart filling his ears. This is it.  He opened his eyes after a minute and watched as you peacefully slept, the midnight colored silk nightdress with lace accents hiking up on your legs, your chest subtly rising and falling with every slow, delicate breath. It was as if you knew tonight was special, why else you wear his personal favorite? 

He drew a mask over his head before exiting from the bushes, shuffling closer to your window. He mentally threw his fist into the air when he had arrived before and noticed that your window was wide open, probably to allow the cool breeze into your room, but it was making his job so much easier. He discreetly lifted the window screen, making sure to not make a single noise. He didn't want you to wake up quite yet.

He climbed through your window, finding it somewhat challenging due to his broad stature. He bit his lip as both of his feet set down on the hardwood floor of your bedroom, more pre-cum leaking out of him and soaking through his boxers. His breath hitched, and he took a minute to try and calm himself down. He had fantasized about being in your room more times than he could count. His eyes gazed at your sleeping figure, his body moved without thinking. He stood over you at the edge of your queen-sized mattress and took the liberty of lightly grazing your skin with the blade of the sharp, shiny point of the knife in his hand. You shuddered at the coldness of the blade, turning in your sleep, your behind now facing him. He let out a hushed moan as his eyes peered down to the slight exposure of the panties you were wearing. The sight of the innocent baby pink underwear was enough for him to feel bolder. 

He reached over you, placed his large hand over your mouth while pressing the blade up to the side of your throat. Your eyes abruptly opened, your entire body was filled with intense fear. You let out a shriek that was hindered by his gloved fingers and attempted to move away. He climbed on top of you and placed his head close to your ear. Tears streamed out of your eyes as you felt the weight of the man on top of you, his heavy breathing making your ear feel hot. 

I'm gonna die, he's gonna kill me, you chanted in your head. You sobbed as if your life depended on it, tears making your cheeks and eyelashes wet. 

 As if he could hear your thoughts, the unknown man spoke up, the sudden sound instilling your body with even more panic. "I swear I'm not gonna harm you, I don't want to hurt you, Y/N." The man's voice was deep and smooth...there was something familiar about it, but the fear kept you from thinking about it too much. You let out a sob and shook your head rapidly to show your discomfort, wanting nothing more but for the man to leave you alone. How does he know my name? You thought to yourself.

"This isn't how you're supposed to be acting... I'm not going to hurt you, I swear."  His words confused you, but his voice confused you even further. God, you knew you heard that voice somewhere- but how? It's as if a lightbulb lit inside your head, your body suddenly still at the realization. Tears were still leaking from your eyes, but you couldn't move, your frame filled with shock. 

Could it be? 

 You tried to say something against his gloved hand, and he heard you mumble something against his glove and tilted his head, not being able to make out what you said. He hesitantly pulled his hand away from your mouth, overwrought of you possibly screaming.

With wide, bloodshot eyes, you turned your head as best as you could and stuttered, "J-Jaehyun?"

His body tensed, from you saying his name. You knew him? You actually knew him? He felt more pre-cum leak out of his tip, the sound of you saying his name, clouding his head with pleasure. Hearing you say it sounded even more magical than he ever imagined. He came to his senses, and his eyes widened, realizing that you knew who he was...you knew it was him on top of you. He mentally cursed at himself, pressing the knife further against your soft skin.

"Shut up. I don't k-know what you're talking about." He closed his eyes tightly at the slight stutter in his voice, hoping you didn't catch it, but you did. 

"Jaehyun, I know it's you... W-why are you here? Why are you doing this?" You spoke in a rushed voice, distraught that someone you thought was so warm and kind would so something so cruel. His breath shook as he felt his anxiety rising the more you spoke. He shouldn't have come here, he shouldn't have broke in... He shouldn't be on top of you. 

Jaehyun suddenly got off of you in a hurry, rushing out of your window as fast as possible, leaving you confused and scared. 

"What just happened?" You whispered to yourself. You looked over at your phone sitting on your bedside table, but your fingers never reached for it. After a few moments of silence, you finally reached for your phone, but not to call 911. 

You opened your messaged and texted a friend from your photography class...you knew you should call the cops, so why aren't you? Your hands shook while you typed, still filled with fear from what just happened.

[Sent at 2:01am] Hey I know this is random

[Sent at 2:02am] But could you give me Jaehyun's number 

Johnny: lol

Johnny: Did you finally realize the dude has a crush on you???

Johnny: Here xxxxxxxxx

You stared at your phone for a few minutes, eyes wide as you reread it over and over, but you just couldn't wrap your hands around it.

[Sent at 2:07am] A crush?

[anika-ann]

The Troubles Are Lurking in Queens - Pt.2

Of  Not So Funny Billionaires and Terrified Husbands

Pairing: Matt Murdock x reader        Word count: 2960

Type: Two-shot, reader insert

Summary: When an arrogant lawyer demands his paperwork right now or better yet this very moment, you’re a good wife to Matt and decide to deliver the documents yourself – for your husband’s mental health sake (and for the sake of the meeting he’s running to).

The catch is the said lawyer has his office in Queens – and whoever said Hell’s Kitchen was the least safe place in NYC was clearly lying. Also, Tony Stark is... Tony Stark.

Warnings: swearing, mention of attempted assault, mention of past torture, some blood, Tony being a jerk

Part 1

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Spiderman apparently didn’t take no for an answer.

The office wasn’t on the way, but Spiderman delivered the papers anyway; you thought Davidson’s secretary’s face was priceless at least as Spiderman with a woman in his arms knocked on the window of her office, but anyway. Your way included a lot of not exactly secure flying around in the vigilante’s thin and somehow strong arms (enhanced strength?), only holding onto buildings via some sort of a web fibre and it was a fucking wonder you hadn’t either ended up smashed on a side of some building or hadn’t puked by the time you magically landed on the roof of the Avengers Tower.

Also, you were pretty sure some of your blood had rained down on someone and it was an awful idea you couldn’t shake off.

You were clutching your chest trying to catch your breath as the kid let go of you slowly, gentlemanly making sure you wouldn’t faint. Well. Now he was concerned about that?

“Welcome, sweetheart!” Stark’s voice sounded behind you as the billionaire walked in your direction with his arms wide open.

You on the other hand looked at him murderously. Was this really necessary?

“You know Mr. Stark?” the kid asked in awe.

You swallowed the ‘unfortunately’ line and pressed your lips together.

“Tony. What a wonderful surprise. How are you these days?” you wondered with a fake smile and he grinned wider, enveloping you in a hug. You didn’t reciprocate the gesture too happily, but you… tried.

“On a first name basis with Mr. Stark and hugging him? Holy hell!”

You rolled her eyes and spent a precious second thinking what the kid would say to what was coming next. The moment Tony withdrew, you slapped him, because you really needed to slap someone today. Tony was lucky your dominant hand was cut and you used your weaker one.

He tried to set his jaw right as if it really hurt anyway. The Spiderkid fell into shocked silence.

“That’s for using a poor kid for dragging me where I don’t want to go just for your fun or whatever,” you hissed and Tony licked his lips.

“Yeah, okay, I deserved this one.”

“Glad you acknowledge that.”

You tried not to think too hard about that you slapped a man who had once saved your husband’s life. You sighed, coming for another, this time gentler, hug, still wary of not staining his t-shirt with your blood. You probably failed.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it to the wedding.”

“We were hoping you wouldn’t,” you teased, feeling a bit guilty for a) slapping him and b) being cranky. Tony was a bit of a dick, but a good guy. That was why you had decided to send him an invitation along with the other Avengers, who had saved Matt’s life one of the times he had got over his head and you walked into the Avengers Tower begging for help.

“I bet it was boring without me.”

“Totally,” you laughed, letting go of him.

“So… I understand this is some sort of a reunion, but a) I’m not a kid,” the teenage vigilante defended himself and you bit your cheek to stop yourself from protesting. “And b) shouldn’t her hand be handled? I mean, that’s why I brought her here?”

You smiled at the kid. He was cute. “Yeah, Tony. Shouldn’t my hand be handled?”

It was handled, by doctor Cho, who was usually taking care of bullet wounds, knife-in-liver wounds and stuff like that. She was incredibly nice, especially when you considered the shit she was dealing with.

The doc was just finishing your bandage – you only needed two stiches – when your ringtone cut the air and all four present – you, Doctor Cho, Tony and Spiderman – jumped a little.

“Hand me the phone someone, please?”

“FRIDAY, who’s calling?” Stark called out and you were kinda hoping it was just for show. They wouldn’t know that without looking, right?

“Contact saved as Matt, sir.”

How the fuck the AI could tell that? Also… ah-oh.

“That’s a little boring  I was expecting something more original. Sugar-bear. Bumblebee. FRIDAY, put it on speaker.”

You just gaped. How?! And was he serious?

“Oh, and mute her voice.”

“What?!”

“Are you okay?” Matt’s panicked voice demanded from the speakers in the corners of the room and you breathed in to calm his fright – wherever it came from. “Davidson called there was blood on the papers and-“

Oh crap, learning that must have been terrible. Also, you were sure Davidson had been a dick about it as well, probably complaining about dangerous biological material in his office.

“I’m fine, Matt,” you reassured him.

His terrified voice called out your name. “Are you there? Can you hear me?”

You opened your mouth uselessly. Was this for real? Could he really not hear you somehow? What the fuck?! Why would-

“Hey, buddy!” Tony chipped enthusiastically and your blood ran cold. Oh no. No, no, no, no…

Even through the phone, you could hear your husband’s breath hitch. “Who are you? How did you get this phone?”

You could only imagine Matt’s sightless eyes flickering wildly as he was trying to figure out the worst possible bloody scenario.

“I’m-“ you started, but Tony rolled his eyes at your attempts.

“Relax. I’m just having a little fun-“

Spiderman rose to his feet as he apparently wanted to protest too, but Tony shushed him.

“Who are you? What did you do? What do you want?” Matt’s voice changed dangerously, switching to the Daredevil persona and demanding answers. “I swear if you touch one hair on her head, I’m going to tear your limbs off one after another-“

Spiderman shrieked at the cruel threat and the way it was delivered. You gently pushed away Doctor Cho, standing up and making your way to the billionaire with your blood boiling.

“Tony, stop this right now,” you growled, your voice resembling the one speaking through the phone. He was scaring Matt out of his mind. Couldn’t he see that this wasn’t fun?

“Come on! Light up! I’m just gonna-”

“Don’t you dare to hurt her!” Matt thundered and Tony actually jumped at the sound of Matt’s teeth grinding.

“Alright, alright! Jeez, can’t you recognize an old pal? Jesus, DD,” Tony complained and the room was suddenly very quiet.  

“Tony, let me to talk to him.”

“Let her talk to him, Mr. Stark,” the kid supported you and you were sure he made some sort of puppy eyes behind his mask.

Matt didn’t react to learning the name of your ‘captor’. Which meant he was probably really pissed or too shocked. Or that Stark somehow blocked his voice too.

“Tony-“ you pressed and he sighed in defeat.

“Yeah, yeah, FRIDAY-“

There was a beep.

“Matt, it’s me. Are you there?” you asked softly, hearing his sharp inhale. “I’m okay-“

“She’s injured-“

“Shut up!” you shouted Tony down, spinning to him with your hand raised in warning. He had already said enough.

“Well, you are,” Spiderkid noted carefully and you gritted your teeth.

“I’m okay, Matt. I’m in the Avengers tower-“

“Medical wing,” Tony supplied helpfully and you grabbed the nearest thing – which happened to be a metal platter – and lashed it his direction. He shielded his face, silent ‘ow’ escaping him as the improvised weapon hit his hands.

“I’m on my way,” Matt exclaimed.

“Wait-“

There was only a dialling tone and you whined. You measured to Tony with fire in your eyes.

“I’m sorry?” he offered, shrugging with his palms up.

“You are such a dick! Complete and utter dick! You scared the shit out of him!” you yelled at the man who wore almost genuinely apologetic expression. But you didn’t care if he was sorry. He almost gave Matt a freaking heart attack! He had no idea what had-- you squatted for the platter, fully intending to use it again as the idiot was in your reach. “You fucker, you dickhead! You careless fuck-up!”

Each of the insults was accompanied by a hit with the platter. No one stopped you. Tony wisely covered his head. You were sure you it hurt as hell anyway, but somehow it didn’t sooth your nerves.

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“The last fucking time someone had my phone and talked to Matt was when I was kidnapped by Wilson. Fucking. Fisk! He threatened to break my spine to paralyse me, you. Selfish. Arrogant. Bastard!”

Fuck, you were crying and your hands were shaking, suddenly feeling too weak.

You let go of the platter, overwhelmed by the memory yourself; the knife cutting through your skin when the huge man hadn’t liked your answers to his questions, his threats, Matt’s terrified voice on the other end of the line-

The clatter of the platter on the floor snapped you back into reality, but the images didn’t disappear. You brought your hands to your mouth to muffle the scream that drew to your lips.

“Madam?” sounded hesitantly behind you and you tried to blink away the freaking tears and chase away the nasty memory, unable to respond to the kid. It’s gone now, it’s in the past, I’m okay, I’m okay, Matt’s okay— just give me a fucking minute dammit. “Madam, can I hug you?”

You burst out laughing at the request; hysterical laugh during an emotionally heavy situation, the first sign of insanity.

“Oh my god. Yeah, yeah, you can, kid.”

The vigilante obediently wrapped his strong but toothpicks-like arms around your shoulders, embracing you tightly yet gently. He avoided applying a pressure against your belly with surprising grace. He didn’t even call you out on the ‘kid’ addressing. You were really starting to like him.

Maybe it was the costume – the armour – but it was kinda soothing. Maybe it was the knowledge he had to deal with Tony too often, so it felt like he was an ally of yours. You leaned into the hug gratefully and he caressed your back.

“You’re good at this,” you mumbled into the strange material of his suit.

“Thanks, madam.”

You chuckled at the addressing and asked him to call you your first name.

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Tony bullied you into a check-up; like the periodical check-up all pregnant women had to attend.

“Tony, I was at doctor’s three days ago-“

“But I upset you and stressed you big time. Don’t you think you should have another examination? Just to be sure?” he pressed, trying to make puppy eyes. Vainly – you had enough training at resisting the puppy eyes master Matt Murdock himself, Tony’s attempts were nothing compared to that.

“Tony, honestly, I just want to get the hell out of here ASAP,” you cooled him down. You were still pissed at him. A lot.

“FRIDAY! Call Doctor Cho back!”

And just like that, the poor doc who had silently disappeared during the fight had to come back and examine you again. With USG and everything. You didn’t have the strength to argue anymore and you didn’t want to make Doctor Cho’s job harder than it already was by working for Tony Stark in the first place.

You didn’t expect anything being wrong – yet, you couldn’t supress the relief washing through your body as the doctor told you both you and your baby were fine.

Also, the check-up filled the time, so you didn’t get the opportunity to pace nervously. You were getting dressed again when Matt’s voice entered the room.

“(Y/N)!” he called out and you wordlessly asked the doctor to get rid of the curtain separating your and the rest of the world. Not that it made a difference to Matt – it did to you.

“Matt, hey!” you greeted him, rising from the bed so he could see you were perfectly healthy. The impression was ruined a bit by your head spinning and the need to support yourself onto the bed, but hey, you tried.

Matt was crossing the distance between you two in rapid pace, his cane folded in his hand, his glasses covering too little of his worried expression.

“What happened? Are you okay? I mean, of course you’re not-“

“I’m okay, Matt,” you assured his softly as he threw the cane away carelessly and enclosed you in a bone-crushing hug. He nuzzled his nose in your hair, breathing in deeply. You kissed the side of his neck. “I’m fine, Matt, I swear.”

“I smell blood,” he protested, wounded by the lie. “When I heard someone else on the phone, I— I-“

You wrapped your arms around him gently, one of your hands interweaving in his hair, stroking comfortingly. He squeezed a little tighter.

“Tony is a dick. I’m so sorry he scared you. And… I’m sorry if Davidson was being an asshole about the papers-“

“Do you really think I care about some arrogant self-important asshole right now?” he asked hoarsely and you sighed, your lips caressing his skin again.

“No. But I’m still sorry.”

“ ‘kay. Noted. God, I’m glad you’re okay, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have let you-“

“Don’t even finish that thought,” you warned him, smacking his back a little. He caressed your lower back in return as an apology for trying to make a guilt trip. You knew he would be still blaming himself even when not saying it out loud, but you could work with that better. And later. In private.

“So… this is the guy who threatened to tear your limbs off, Mr. Stark?” the kid asked slowly and you bit your lip, loosening the hug just slightly in favour to glance his direction over Matt’s shoulder.

Yeah, you could see how this was confusing. After all, Matt was blind and right now looking like a cuddly teddy bear. God, you loved him for how caring and loving he was.

“This is the guy who saved me from getting mugged… potentially shot,” you whispered, feeling Matt’s body going tense at the reminder of the danger you had been in. His hand clutched at your shirt before letting go of you, turning in the direction of the young man’s voice.

“Thank you,” Matt said in earnest, extending his hand for the Spiderkid to shake. The vigilante squeaked, but lost his glove and accepted Matt’s hand.

“You’re— you’re welcome, sir. She… she was a great help actually, it was pleasure to save her, though she almost saved herself on her own-” he babbled nervously and Matt covered the back of kid’s hand with his left palm.

“I’m still grateful. And it’s Matt.”

The younger vigilante let out a surprised sound. “No prob, sir— Matt, sir.” The corners of your lips twitched. “I’m Spiderman. But you probably know that… or not. ‘cause you haven’t seen me in the news— oh god, oh frack, I’m really putting my foot in my mouth-“

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Spiderman. Thank you again for saving my wife’s life.”

The two men finally released each other’s hands and Matt immediately turned back to you as you approached him. He wrapped his arm around your waist, kissing your temple lovingly, his thumb stroking your hip.

“So…” Stark started, making you both spun in his direction involuntarily. You couldn’t help but shot him an annoyed and angry look. Matt was significantly better seeing you were okay, but make no mistake, you were still incredibly pissed.

“Mr. Stark-“

“Alright! I’m really sorry, okay? Really, really sorry. It was a dick move!” Tony admitted and you were almost surprised at him acknowledging his mistake so openly. He turned rather to Matt then. “But you don’t need to worry, Murdock, I got her checked up and both of your girls are fine.”

Your heart stopped. Matt froze in the middle of his soothing periodical motions. The room fell into silence. You were afraid to even breathe in.

Did he just… did he-

“Both— both of my girls?” Matt choked out at your side and your slow brain was still processing the information you were just given. Oh my god.

“Yeah, Cho managed to check them up both.”

“Both… my— my-- girls,” Matt stuttered and his posture shifted slightly so he could face you without stopping touching you. “We’re-“

You and Matt had never asked your doctor whether you were having a boy or a girl. You had refused to know when the doctor had offered, because you didn’t want to know before Matt would and then you had talked to Matt, learning he wouldn’t want to know either.

Well.

Hell.

You were… having a girl. You didn’t know which option you had wanted until this moment, you just knew you somehow felt you were having a boy. Apparently, you were wrong.

And it was beautiful. So beautiful you felt tears in your eyes. You were having a girl.

You gulped, reaching out to uncover Matt’s eyes, putting his glasses away before squeezing his hand on you lightly. You raised your face to his; his brown eyes were… shining with gold threads and twinkling with tears just like yours.  

You couldn’t let out a single word. It turned out you didn’t have to.

Matt’s free hand reached for your cheek, cupping it tenderly and his lips met yours in a careful light touch. And another one, And one more.

“…they didn’t know the sex and I just told them, didn’t I?” Tony’s voice sounded from an awfully huge distance and you smiled into the kisses you kept receiving, curling your fingers in Matt’s hair, returning his affection.

“I think so, Mr. Stark. I don’t think they mind too much though,” Spiderman hummed, sounding a bit amused and absolutely moved by the scene in front of him.

“Cover your eyes kid, the adults are having a moment.”  

“Cover your eyes yourself… this is way better than a movie,” the teenage vigilante mumbled and they all pretended they didn’t hear it. You just secretly decided you adored the kid.

But you could never love the kid more than your own; your own babygirl.

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M.M. masterlist

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So… this happened? Somehow? Oh no, I made it fluffy… :D

Thank you for reading!

[saladejin]

Broken | Seokjin (M)

Seokjin x Reader | idolverse au, established boyfriend!Seokjin | Pining, rough smut, fluffy undertones 

Summary:  Free time is hard to come by for the two of you, but soon another problem arises in the form of his beloved bandmates.

Warnings: Rough sex, swearing, mature and explicit themes, wet dreams 

Word Count: 4.9k

<< masterlist

* Request from my Ao3 series ‘Movie Night’.

~

Skin tingling with excitement and breaths coming out in short gasps, your hands found purchase buried deep within his thick strands of hair.

His lips melded themselves to your own while his fingers roamed your figure expertly. He knew exactly where to touch to turn you into a whimpering mess, and he would never stop learning. It was like your body was a panel of buttons, and he the curious child wanting nothing more than to find out what each and every one did. 

“Baby…”

The man slowly grinding his hips into your clothed core didn’t respond to your plead. You wondered if his brain was too occupied, because you knew yours was surely gone. Your fingers traced the firm outlines of his abdominal muscles and travelled upwards to use his wide shoulders for leverage. You could hear his hurried and shallow breathing the more you swivelled your hips to create the desired friction.

Another moan tore from you when you felt his hands moving everywhere at once. Their familiar warmth cupping your aching sex attentively. You arched at the memory of his fingers trailing the sensitive outlines and openings. 

“Seokjin, I need you,” You gasped, looking upwards but feeling frustrated that the shadows masked the face of your lover.

You reached forwards for him, eager to have him in any way you possibly could…

~  

Oh to hell with it all!

Reality was fucking harsh. You awoke with groan of disapproval and shifted your sweaty body around in the sheets hesitantly. Just as expected, you felt a certain slickness coating the insides of your thighs again.

This was literally the third sex dream you had conjured up in the past week or so. Each time you snapped open your eyes to find yourself cold and alone in your bed, you felt the wave of disappointment washing over you growing stronger. God, you missed him.

I just want him back in my arms. I just want him.

You sighed as you imagined the smiling face of your long-term boyfriend, the one and only Kim Seokjin of BTS. Life was pretty hectic considering you both worked taxing jobs, with him being a world famous idol and you being a full-time teacher at a private academy a fair drive away. Time had become very difficult for you both to find, but lately Seokjin’s had completely cancelled out when the band began promoting their new album overseas. After that, the bucket-loads of fame brought on caused even more difficulty and restriction on you both.

If it wasn’t for the strong bond and resilience you both upheld, the relationship would have broken to pieces a long time ago.

You grabbed your phone from the nightstand and got up to start the day, trying to ignore the sexual frustration tearing at your insides. A tiny light winked at you from the screen’s surface.

“Good morning my love, I hope you slept well x”

You felt the fluffy warmth spread through you as you reread his text again, but rolled your eyes when you thought about how you actually slept.

Should I let him know? It would probably cause problems.

You shrugged because caution had never been a part of your relationship in the first place. Direct teasing was what created so much of the chemistry between the both of you, and it was almost always much to the disapproval of the other members.

“Good morning! It would have been better if I was getting fucked by the real you and not a dream.”

You watched with an evil cackle as the three little dots appeared and disappeared several times.

“I’ll have to tell my dream-self to do a little better. It’ll only be a few more days until I’m the one breaking the bed again, sweetheart.”

You felt so pathetic for getting turned on by his simple cheesy text, but you were so starved at this point you couldn’t really blame your brain for weakening. He was due to come back to Korea in the next few days, so you really wouldn’t have to long to wait.

“Sounds promising, I’ll order a new one tonight.”

You left the room chuckling quietly to yourself. The weight of his words usually proved fruitful, and the fact that you had both freed up a single weekend was exciting enough. This rarely ever happened so you knew you were both super keen to spend time together for two whole days in a row.

It’s sad to think how even that has become special.

You settled down with your breakfast, already falling into the usual routine of your daily texting with Seokjin. He usually sent you all kinds of funny pictures with the other members, as well as beautiful photos of any places they went. You found yourself having your own private tour each and every day, and you always thought about how caring he was to take all that time out for you.

Not for long. Soon, (Y/n), soon you won’t need to see anything but the bedroom.

You really needed to clear your sex-driven mind.

~

The door swung open and you threw yourself into Seokjin’s arms without hesitation. He had arrived back late in the night and had already slept off most of the jet-lag before texting you to let you know he was on his way to your house. You had almost certainly jumped out of your skin in surprise, because even though you knew you were both longing for each other, you still hadn’t been prepared at all.

“Sorry babe, I tried to stop them but they wouldn’t listen,” Seokjin grunted lowly into your ear, and you tried your best to stifle a shiver at the sound to think about the words.

“Noona! It’s great to see you!” A voice boomed, and you leaned back from the broad chest of your boyfriend to see Taehyung, Jimin and Hoseok filtering in behind him.

“Guys, oh! How have you been?”

You moved to give them all friendly hugs, hoping to mask your utter shock. You glanced behind to see Seokjin gritting his teeth in cleverly hidden annoyance, but you knew him too well for it to be completely invisible. There were slight bags underneath his beautiful brown eyes.

He probably didn’t even tell the boys no, knowing how much they’ve wanted to visit lately.

You invited everyone inside and offered drinks immediately. The fun chatter built up and you left the bustling boys to themselves to go and get some water for them. If you had known they were coming and staying for a while, maybe you wouldn’t have been so quick to throw on the horribly risky lingerie set you’d bought a few weeks ago.

Soft footsteps sounded behind you and suddenly your body was being turned around to press backwards into the kitchen bench. You ran your arms up to loop around Seokjin’s neck, grateful that the kitchen was walled off from the other guys and their watchful eyes.

“I wanted to come here alone,” Seokjin exhaled, seemingly in a daze as he moved one of his hands down to grasp loosely at your waist. You ignored the fire spreading from his subtle touch and craned forward to press a loving kiss to his plump lips.

“I missed you so much, I wouldn’t care if you brought your whole fanbase with you.” You blinked pointedly.

He cracked a smile and pressed another tender kiss to your lips, the wet sound echoing through your mind jarringly. You knew if you focused your attention on his uneven breathing you would lose what little control you had left. It was bad enough that he had started to push his body further into yours as the seconds drew onwards.

“I haven’t had you in so long,” he sighed and sunk his teeth into his bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to lean in and close any distance you might have had. You felt the heat pooling in your lower regions like some kind of dam had broken. His needy and darkened gaze called for your touch and attention loudly.

“(Y/n)-noona? We brought you a gift from America, do you want to open it now?” Jimin’s voice called from the living room. You realised with a jolt how filthy the current scene would seem, as Seokjin almost had you sprawled out on the surface of the bench. You probably would’ve let him take you right then and there too.

You looked at your beloved boyfriend knowingly before squeezing his biceps in reassurance and pushing off the edge of the counter. His loud disappointed sigh basically summed up your entire mood, but you knew you still had the whole upcoming weekend to yourselves.

“Coming!” You smiled tightly, preparing to walk out with the glasses of water in hand.

“Well fuck, you could be,” came Seokjin’s irritated mumble.

You tried your best to fight down the sparks of arousal at hearing his angry rasp behind you, but it was all pointless in the end. Your level-headed boyfriend bickered with others quite often, but when he was actually angry, boy that was another story.

Last time you had seen him that worked up, it had been over how he couldn’t get a certain dance move right even after hours upon hours of practice. He had come over with all his muscles tensed up from the building fury, and when you had offered to relieve his tension, he hadn’t hesitated on fucking you hard into the early hours of the next morning.

That’s a memory I should not be thinking of right now. Next thing I’ll be dropping to my knees right in front of the boys!

You shook your head, trying to concentrate on the words Jimin and Taehyung were speaking as they described each perfume they had discovered and brought back. You were so grateful for their thoughtfulness and thanked them so many times for the presents, but your eyes kept wandering to where Seokjin was sitting with his legs crossed conveniently; his eyes averted and fingers tapping to a random rhythm against the arm of the couch.

It had been way too long. It was almost too much for you to stand being in the same proximity as him, and even if he felt the same there was nothing either of you could really do except wait it out.

~

Your panties were soaking as you smashed in the code for Bangtan’s dorm. Seokjin had been constantly riling you up for the past hour over text, and now that you had finally managed to make your way over things were very heated for you. Your fingers trembled with adrenaline and you cursed when you accidentally punched in the wrong number more than once.

He had managed to score the whole dorm to himself for a small amount of time. This was an absolute triumph, because even though you had both freed up the weekend, escaping the members was truly another task in itself.

“Jin I-”

“Baby I’m so glad you’re here!” Seokjin’s noticeably forced shout caused you to stop in your tracks. The shock tightened its grip as you realised you definitely weren’t alone.

Your boyfriend sat on the couch surrounded by his smiling bandmates who were joking amongst themselves, but you knew by his painfully apologetic eyes and conspicuously placed couch cushion that this hadn’t been planned at all.

“Hey noona, we finished practice early so we could have a movie night!” Jungkook greeted as he jumped up to hug you warmly. You just couldn’t let the disappointment hang around for long when this bunny made an appearance.

“Hey Kook-ah.” You smiled sharply, trying to edge away from him so he wouldn’t accidentally feel what you were wearing underneath.

Fuck, Seokjin knows what it looks like too…

You locked eyes with your boyfriend and you both silently conveyed a sorrowful message.

Yes, you would need to do some more waiting apparently. Children were high maintenance, but you knew if this would’ve gone completely your way you would have dragged him into the nearest bedroom and ridden him like your life depended on it.

Sometimes he was just so caring it hurt; quite literally in your case if your weeping pussy had anything to say about it.

“Um, so what are we watching?” you asked through clenched teeth, smoothing down your skirt in hopes of hiding any ‘evidence’. You looked up again to see Yoongi slouched deep in his armchair and felt your heart thump when his piercing eyes flickered from you to Seokjin knowingly.

Shit, I forgot how perceptive this guy was.

You could see the hints of a half-amused smirk tugging at the rapper’s lips, and the fact that Seokjin’s cheeks were reddening gave away that he had noticed too. You had no time to feel the mortification creep up on you since the younger ones were already dragging you towards the couch.

“We picked a great action one, you’ll love it,” Taehyung rushed excitedly and barely even gave you time to comprehend what he was saying.

“Sorry we haven’t got enough room on the couch,” Jimin clicked his tongue, eyes scanning the room intently for a spare spot. You smiled and opened your mouth to say you were fine on the floor, but someone slipped in before you could speak.

“It’s fine, she can just sit on Seokjin’s lap like she always does. They’re together after all,” Yoongi suggested while craftily masking his intentions under a smile. You saw the way the smirk still poked through his guise all the same.

This sneaky bastard.

But you would admit, this had created the perfect opportunity to tease your boyfriend a little. Usually you wouldn’t hesitate at the chance, but this time you knew you would probably suffer just as badly. Seokjin met your eyes and gave the tiniest shake of his head in warning, there was no way he would be able to handle himself if your ass was pressing itself against his rock hard cock.

“Guess there’s nothing wrong with that.” You shrugged and watched as Jin’s expression crumbled into one of darkness and defeat. You knew exactly what was in store for you, and you loved it.

Yoongi covered the bottom of his face with one hand to muffle the chuckle threatening to break past. You smiled towards Hoseok and Namjoon on the other couch before strolling over and glancing down at your boyfriend with lidded eyes. He opened his arms for you, just as usual, but you felt the vital difference as soon as you sat down onto his muscled thighs.

A deep exhale brushed past your ear as he shifted underneath you, and every inch of your skin tingled with heat as you felt the prominent outline twitch suddenly. He was so aroused it was almost too much for even you to bear.

“Please try to stop moving, please (Y/n),” he blew into your ear almost silently. You couldn’t suppress the shiver that racked your form at the sensation of his breath, but this only caused a tiny grunt to fall from his lips. Damn, you were both way too sensitive to each other tonight, and Yoongi knew it too. The sly fox only sat there watching you two with the biggest shit-eating grin you had ever seen.

“Okay it’s getting good, everyone be quiet from now on.” Jungkook brought a finger to his lips, bunny eyes gleaming with enthusiasm as he grabbed Taehyung’s arm and ran to sit back down on the floor. Seokjin had his head bent forward to rest against your back as his whole body tensed up. You knew he was struggling to keep himself together.

“(Y/n) I’m about to lose it, stop fucking moving.” He shuddered as you unintentionally moved to get more comfortable. You just knew he was about to reach the breaking point, but he would regret everything if he exposed you both so quickly, so you reached to squeeze his hand in reassurance.

“Not here. Come over after the movie and we’ll make it real good,” you leaned down to whisper almost silently into his ear so nobody else could overhear. His lip was bitten as he registered the words, the tension from the implied promise hanging thickly in the air. If he had really wanted to calm himself down he would’ve sat on the floor himself not even minutes in.

You almost squeaked when he rolled his hips slowly upwards just once. Just small enough so you could feel what was waiting for you, but not noticeable to anyone else in the room. Even Yoongi had shifted his attention to the movie and had forgotten about the two horny beings sitting on the couch barely two metres away.  

Minutes flew by as you struggled to keep your attention anywhere else, but you kept failing time and time again.

“Hey Jin-hyung?”

Your heart skipped a beat as Seokjin’s minuscule grinding came to a halt, a large breath trying to casually leave his lungs.

“Yeah?” His low voice crackled slightly.

“Now that it’s over can you help me with that hour-long vocal training thing you were talking about?” Jimin asked as he got to his feet and dusted off his shirt from the popcorn pieces.

Wait it’s over?

You were aghast as you looked over to see the credits of the movie scrolling down the screen. You had literally been focusing on the hard outlines pressing into your clothed heat the entire time. Now the cold dread and disappointment lodged itself deeply into your chest as you looked back to gauge Seokjin’s response. Your underwear was nothing but a scrap of wet cloth at this point.

“Argh! Fuck this!”

To your utter surprise, you felt two large hands swooping down to pick you up somewhat roughly. Everyone else gaped as Seokjin yanked you into his chest and marched furiously towards the hallway where his bedroom was. You were left to helplessly cling onto his neck as he abducted you away from everyone else.

“What was that about?” Hoseok was quick to pipe up, wondering why his eldest bandmate had gotten so agitated. Jimin quickly held up his hands to show his innocence, but Yoongi and Namjoon exchanged amused glances.

“If I were you, I'd go plug in your headphones.”

~

You were breathing heavily as Seokjin kicked open his already ajar door, not even caring if he made enough noise to alert the whole building.

“Are you okay babe?” you huffed, watching in amazement as he proceeded to close the door by knocking it with his hip sharply. He didn’t utter a word and only growled before throwing you onto the bed.

Excitement crawled up your body as you were suddenly being pressed into the mattress, his lips were on you in an instant, hungry and desperate. Nothing could be heard but your occasional gasps for air as the primal urges took over.

He needed to have you, and you needed to have him inside you as soon as possible. You positively ached for it.

“Sorry, I just can’t waste time right now,” Seokjin grunted, eyebrows still furrowed from the irritation lingering in his mind. You knew this look. This was the look, the one that had gotten you mercilessly drilled for hours on end. Your heart almost stopped at the strong surge of arousal licking at your abdomen.

“No foreplay needed, I’m flooding myself right now.”

He locked eyes with you for one electrifying moment before licking his lips and pulling you close to his heated body. Without warning, he plunged one hand underneath the edge of your skirt to search for proof of your words, and your lusty whimper mingled with his pleased moan as he ran his fingers along the dripping entrance he found there.

“Fuck, I could slip in so easily.”

You eyed the prominent bulge growing even larger in his pants, but couldn’t act because you were now both too busy undressing yourselves. He was as ravenous as a starved dog, and there was barely a moment where he wasn’t marking your skin or leaving wet kisses in his wake. You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself either, and the sinful noises falling from him only drove you onward.

You let out a breathy moan as he flipped you onto your stomach roughly. You caught sight of his tensed muscles briefly, and you knew he was so worked up it was insane, yet exhilarating at the same time.

“How will you take me?” You moved one arm to sweep your hair over your shoulder, letting him see the entire expanse of your arched back and rounded ass on full view.

“Wow, just like this. I can’t make it slow tonight, I want to fuck your brains out (Y/n),” he almost whispered, voice low and raspy with desire. You didn’t need to see his eyes to know they were filled with a familiar fire, but the thought caused a fresh wave of need to hit you full-force, and suddenly a trail of your own hot wetness slid down your thigh.

“My God, are you trying to kill me?” He groaned and you heard the breath leaving his lungs harshly. The ripping of the condom packet made you jump in anticipation. You arched your back further and sighed, completely ready for this bundling ball of pent up frustration to unleash his wrath onto you and your pussy.

His hand smoothed down your back and you felt the tiny hairs rising at the sensation. This upped sensitivity was going to be the death of you both, and you knew he could also tell by the way your thighs trembled with longing.

“Head down, my love.”

With that he thrust forward and made sure to follow through with a smooth grind of his hips. You cried out in pure pleasure as his length eased past your soaking folds with little resistance. You shifted backwards to meet him, but still winced at the somewhat tight fit. It had been a while, but at least you had plenty of time to get accustomed.

“O-oh, oh that’s good,” He moaned painfully above you, but you knew the serenity wouldn’t last. He was too frenzied to stop at any moment. His hands were already gripping firmly at the tops of your thighs to spread your bent legs further apart.

A plethora of bruises later, but I’m not complaining now…

You sunk your teeth into the nearest pillow as he began setting a punishing pace. Your walls were being battered by his cock, and he was hitting that sweet spot so rapidly you were already coming undone beneath him. You angled your body higher and couldn’t help but moan wantonly at how he hit you in even deeper places.

“This is for all the time we could’ve been fucking,” Seokjin growled through gritted teeth. “A whole weekend, this is a whole weekend in one.”

You widened your eyes at his words, feeling tears prick at the corners from the pure amount of pleasure building up in your core. He twisted you so you rotated on his cock to lay on your back again, and only groaned in approval when your head and shoulders were met by his headboard with a dull ‘thud’.

“Don’t hide anything, I don’t care if they hear everything,” he breathed into your ear as he spread your thighs open once more, the surface of your skin visibly glistening with your fluids. He took in the sight eagerly before looking up with darkened eyes. You knew how completely messed up you were, but he looked pretty fucked too with his flushed complexion and shuddering breaths.

You opened your mouth to reply, but he shoved his thick cock back into your heat unexpectedly, and your words came out in a garbled scream. This new missionary angle felt even more deliciously sensitive and deeper.

“That’s it,” he grunted, brows creasing in concentration as he watched every little contortion of your expression.

He fucked hard and fast, not leaving any room for thinking as you climaxed shockingly. Your thighs shook and your whole abdomen clenched as the orgasm racked your form. Your cry of relief could probably be heard by the whole dorm, but you couldn’t let your mind wander to that when Seokjin picked up the pace again.

The feeling of your walls spasming around his length caused his common sense to fly out the window. He lowered his body onto yours so he could enter you quickly and easily, your beautiful and breathy noises edging him further to the edge he so desperately sought.

Your shoulders and back continuously edged further up the headboard as he pounded into you. You could vaguely hear the banging of the wood against the snowy white wall behind, but your attention was ripped away as another orgasm abruptly bloomed and jerked your entire body into uncontrollability.

Seokjin reached up to still your shoulders, throwing his head back in complete ecstasy as he allowed the slow rhythmic rolling of your muscles to send him over. He groaned loudly as he came, abdominal muscles tensing as he breathed deeply and gently moved his hips to ride out the finish. You were a sight to behold below him, eyes closed and swollen lips hanging open in blissful shock. He watched in admiration as your clammy body continued to jolt occasionally from the aftershocks.

No words were spoken, but you felt his lips against your skin through the haze clouding your mind. He tenderly trailed the outlines of your neck and jawline as if saying ‘thank you, I’m sorry’. You only gasped as another wave of sensitivity coursed through you from head to curled toes. You could still feel the heavy weight of him nestled inside you, but you didn’t want him to leave.

“You’re always so good to me baby. I needed that.” He sighed and almost reluctantly pulled out of your soaking folds slowly. You whined as the sharp feeling almost brought you closer to the edge again, but the stimulation was just too much. He inhaled sharply in stunned disbelief and moved to calm you down with soft words of encouragement.

“I-I think that’s the best sex we’ve had. You were amazing and fuck, if that wasn’t the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced,” You breathed out, eyes still closed and one hand resting over your eyes as you tried to see anything other than stars. His deep chuckle sounded from somewhere beside you as he got up to dispose of the condom. You sighed before also getting up to use the toilet and clean up a little.

“If only we could go at it for two days…We waited for so long,” he murmured as you returned from the bathroom to see him pulling on some loose pants. You looked around and found one of his large shirts to throw on before climbing back into bed with him.

“Well considering how rough you were when you were angry, I wouldn’t mind getting you like that more often.” You smirked as you cuddled into his chest, trying your best to ignore the dull ache flaming from your lower regions.

“What? (Y/n) if you wanted me to be rougher all you had to do was ask.” He snorted, reaching down to smooth away some of your hair and pull you further into his arms. You hummed as he pecked tiny kisses down your bare arm.

“Well, I guess I just found out.”

~

The next morning you woke a little earlier than usual. Seokjin still slept soundly as you smiled at the sight of his slightly parted lips and fluttering eyelashes. He was so adorable when he was like this, but then your mind flashed back to the smouldering heat within his gaze and the rough pumps of his hips last night.

Well everyone has their duality I guess.

You took a deep breath as you swung your legs out of the bed, wanting to prepare your boyfriend an amazing breakfast for making you feel so good the night before. You made it to the door with a little difficulty, but as soon as you tried to walk normally the ache flared from your vagina and you stumbled forwards into the hallway.

Your knees bent at awkward angles as you tried to shuffle down the passageway, wincing while keeping one hand clenched at your pelvis almost as a reassurance. Damn, he had seriously taken away your ability to walk this time.

You grunted in exasperation, yet somehow didn’t completely hate the sore feeling. You looked up in determination to get to the kitchen but felt your breath hitch when you saw Yoongi and Namjoon sitting at the bench eyeing you in shock.  

Shit, they just watched me amble down the hall like a newborn deer.

“Uh, maybe you should get some rest (Y/n),” Namjoon suggested with a kind smile tugging at his lips. He had a half-eaten slice of toast in front of him, and you felt hunger bubble up in your stomach at the combination of smells.

“God knows you didn’t get any last night…” Yoongi mumbled and you stifled a surprised chuckle as Namjoon wacked his fellow rapper’s shoulder, utterly horrified. You leaned against the wall as they looked to you for a response.

“Well,” you began with a smug raise of your eyebrows. “I’d be lying if I said you were wrong.”

                    Copyright © 2020 by salade. All rights reserved.  

[worklittletolivelarge-blog]

@writing-prompt-s

https://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/660704170176888832/one-day-a-bat-flew-through-your-opened-window

Studying had been tedious anyway so despite the shock of the tiny flying fox that now hung upside down on her curtain rail, Rose was having a pretty great night. She turned her lights low and slowly approached the little quivering creature. “Oh, poor, wee thing,” she cooed and held her cupped hands up to capture it.

Crap! The bat flapped black wings in panic and warm brown eyes opened wider than Rose thought possible.

“Ok! Ok!” She backed away to give the problem some more thought.

Batty calmed down, his feet gripping the curtain rail and his wings tucked around his furry body. His eyes never left her so Rose kept her movements slow and minimal. “Hang on! You can’t see anyway! Are you pinging me?” She scolded in mock-annoyance.

She grabbed her half-eaten apple and cut it into small pieces with the pocket knife she kept in her boot.

Batty’s nose twitched and Rose grinned at her victory. She pushed the apple-laden plate to the window sill and opened the pane as wide as it would go before backing away to the farthest corner of her room. As still as a mouse she waited and finally Batty dropped gracefully from his perch, swiped some apple and flew back out the window

“You’re welcome!” Rose called as she closed the window and drew her curtains. She didn’t hear the deep, sotto voce “Thank you” that emanated from the high branches of the sycamore nor see the flawless leap to the ground that the vampire executed.

He called his baby to him and Batty flew to his shoulder. “Did you like your apple, Sweetling?” Softly chiding he asked his child to take more care and avoid flying in human windows. “You were lucky, Darling.”

Researching her art history project at the library, Rose was deep in concentration, black-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her nose, the smattering of freckles standing out against her pale skin. The pen lid of her Biro was chewed to a mangle of blue plastic and her notebook was full of sketches, questions, random doodles, violent cross-outs. None of it was tying together in the way she wanted to present it. Tomorrow! “Arggh! I am never going to get this right!” Her perfectionist anxiety was off the charts, her short red hair tousled into gnarls and swirls and now she had plastic-poisoning to worry about too!

Despite this, she had captured the admiration of the vampire who watched from the corner. She cut a sweet figure in black baggy combat pants, skin tight cropped top and her trademark 16-up Docs with the embroidered red roses. Her simmering frustration was endearing, her tough clothing choices belying her strawberry blonde curls and clear blue eyes. Wary of patronising thoughts, the vampire watched her closely, seeing her bold drawings, clever insights and articulate thoughts in his mind’s eye. Not one to be trifled with or under-estimated, he concluded.

He observed her working, laughing at her muttered and imaginative swearing as she continued to curse and rage at the work that wasn’t matching up to her high standards.

When Rose finally threw down her disgusting pen in capitulation he sped over and reviewed her final work-piece. He was swift and silent, able to mask his presence, but not the gasp of surprise when he saw the quality she had prepared.

She turned. Fast! Much faster than he had expected and he very nearly got caught. Rose caught nothing more than a shadowy glimpse, but this unnerved her and she saved her file to USB, slammed shut her laptop and shoved everything into her satchel. She left the pen.

Hurrying out of the library she walked to her car, a few blocks away. She was concentrating on her surroundings, conscious of her vulnerability as all women are, yet was still surprised when two men waylaid her from the bus shelter they had been smoking in.

“Hey baby!” One called as the other wolf-whistled.

Oh my god. How original.

Rose bent quickly and slipped her knife from her boot, adjusted her satchel across her back so both hands were free and circled the bus stop, keeping Dumb and Dumber in her view at all times.

“Oh come on sexy; don’t be like that,” Dumb called out. Rose ignored them and kept moving toward her car. She felt the moment they changed from mild challenge to serious pursuit and adopted her defensive stance. They advanced, menacing and predatory.

A black shadow leapt in front of Rose and prevented the would-be assailants from continuing their attack. With blinding speed he knocked their heads together and whirled to ensure Rose was alright.

She was watching with wary eyes and had not dropped her defences. He approved. Her eyes flashed; she didn’t need his condescension and he held his hands up to placate her.

“Sorry. You look like you had that under control but I wanted to be sure.”

“Yeah, I might have, but thanks anyway.” Rose was polite by nature and not arrogant enough to refuse help. She looked him over carefully noting his muscular appearance and chiselled looks. “So, I can’t tell if you’re Damon or Stefan, but so you know, I am pretty intent on keeping the plasma on the inside … so … can I go?”

He chuckled, the reference not lost on him. “May I escort you?” he asked, adding “No obligations or favours required.” He winked.

Sure. She guessed.

As they walked he waved one hand in the air and called, “Come, Little One.”

Rose looked up in surprise and exclaimed, “Batty! Is that you?”

As the tiny creature tucked into the vampire’s shoulder and peered toward Rose’s form, the vampire said scathingly “His name is Bartholomew, not, never, Batty!” He tried to wither her with his stare but Rose ignored him.

“Come on, Batty- I’ve got some apple!” She laughed as the bat flew to her hand and as the vampire’s expression changed from mock- anger to resignation.

[dragon-fics]

DOS: Survivors [1/2] (Male Dragon X Human Reader)

Chapter summary: The Black Plague is running rampant through the land! Your sister and you are trying to get away from it. It has already taken your father, so you must run, except you have nowhere to go and no money. One evening after robbing more food, you come across a cave to take shelter in... what you didn't know was that it was already occupied.

It's odd what you're willing to do to survive, even when everyone else is suffering the same as you. Especially when it's something you would consider wrong to do under different circumstances. For the past few days we've been riding non-stop to escape the sickness that's running through the land, infecting people left right and centre. Their deaths were slow and agonising. Yet, there was nothing the doctors could do, dressed in their black cloaks and their crowface-like masks.

My younger sister and I had fled our hometown after our father had become infected with the disease. He begged for us to leave as sweat ran down his pale face. I still remembered the pain in his face, and I hated leaving him. We both did. And so I bit my lip and took my sister's hand.

Goodbye, Father.

The words still rang in my ears. Even as we raced from another town. I had attempted to rob food from a half-empty baker's stand, before quickly running away. But I ran into some boxes and dropped two of the loaves. Leaving me with a loaf and three small rolls to feed myself, Elizabeth and Silver—our grey mare. So, now we sat on Silver's back as she walked through the damp forest outside the town.

Elizabeth tore off a chunk from one roll and held it up in front of me.

"No, thanks, Lizzy," I said. Her little hand retracted back under her green cloak and I heard her teeth biting down on the crust of the roll. I tugged my cloak closer to me as I felt the chill on my arms. We needed to get out of the damp and in somewhere drier.

I looked up. The last few rays on sunlight clung on to the top of the hills behind us and the night would only get colder. If only I had saved up more of the money I had earned doing jobs at the tavern, or the tips they had given me when I had helped Father's customers.

Father.

The thought of him made my heart ache and my throat burn. I swallowed hard and tugged on my hood, keeping it close to ears to block out the cold. Nothing will stop the cold, (Y/N), I thought to myself. I was about to get off Silver, to give her a rest and so I could stretch my legs, when something alerted her. The mare stopped and stood straight, her ears tilted in different directions before falling back against her mane. Her nostrils flared, and I felt her heart race against my boot. I gripped the reins tightly.

"Hold on," I whispered. Elizabeth tucked the bread away and gripped on to Silver's mane. A rustle of leaves came from behind us and Silver bolted. My cloak flapped behind me like a dark flag, I heard Elizabeth sob in front of me as I reached for my bow, tied to Silver's saddle. "It's going to be all right," I whispered into her ear as time froze for a second. "Silver will get us out of this." I heard heavy paws bounding after us. But before I could noose an arrow, the heavy paws thumping after us, stopped, and we were in a clearing.

Silver came to a sudden stop, throwing me off. Elizabeth sat up the saddle.

"Are you ok?" she called, sliding off the saddle. I forced myself up on to my feet.

"Yeah, I'm all right," I replied, brushing down my clothes. Elizabeth ran to my side, and I got down to her height, her red locks wavering in the cool evening breeze.

In front of us stood several tall ogham stones, though what they said, I could not tell. Behind them stood a low extinct volcano, with an easy, well-worn path led up to the caldera on top. Then I heard Silver snort from behind us. I looked back at the mare and rose to my feet. She threw her head up and down and reared up on her hind legs a few times, her ears flat against her neck. She was still pretty spooked after being chased by... whatever that creature was. I moved toward her, pulling down my hood and holding hands in front of me, hoping to calm her. She allowed me to touch her, and I stroked her nose.

"It's all right, girl, you got us away from it... Shh, shh." I soothed. Her snorts quietened and her nostrils returned to a more relaxed form of breathing. But her ears didn't stand up like they usually did. I assumed she was still in shock and shrugged it off. I looked back up at the hill ahead of us. The hill itself wasn't that high, and the path wasn't steep. And two-thirds of the way up was an opening, a cave. Shelter. I smiled a little and looked at Silver's saddle. While I had been trying to get food for us in town, Elizabeth had been gathering sticks for a campfire.

I tugged on Silver's reins to get her to follow me, but she refused to budge. I pulled a little harder. She still fought back. Elizabeth giggled as a played tug-of-war with the mare. I fought her for a few minutes before giving up.

"Fine." I huffed. I took off Silver's saddle and untied the bags of blankets and food, and the bundle of sticks. I left my bow and quiver by the saddle, hidden behind one of the tall stones. I shouldered the bag of blankets, carried the sticks under my arm and held the pack of food in my other hand. As I started towards the path, Elizabeth took the pack of food. Silver snorted and threw her head as if to tell us not to go.

The sun was long gone by the time we reached the mouth of the cave. The cold nipped at my face, I could see Elizabeth's nose turn red. But finally, we got there. The cave was as dark as the rest of the world, so I lit the fire quickly. It was then I noticed the full size of the cave. It wasn't all that big, about the size of a small tavern. The stone walls were smooth, as was the floor. I noticed small gold flecks of light shine back at us when I looked at the end of the cave which was smaller and out of shape that the rest of the cave... or maybe it was the poor lighting. Either way, I'd inspect the pieces of gold tomorrow, in a better light, in the hope they were coins.

Elizabeth lay down by the fire, lying on a blanket, with her cloak on top of her, with another blanket. I was about to sit next to her when I looked down and checked on Silver. I peered over the edge of the path. It was hard to spot her for a moment, but then I saw her. She stood restlessly where we had left her, surrounded in fog. I felt bad for leaving her down there, alone and in the cold: without her, we wouldn't have been able to make it from town to town before running out of food. I moved towards the bag of blankets and rummaged around for her horse blanket. I felt it and pulled it out. I kept it rolled up and jogged down to her; the cold burning my legs. When I finally reached the base of the hill, she trotted over to me, whinnying happily. I stroked her nose.

"It's good to see you too, girl," I said. I made my way to her side, throwing on the horse blanket and tying the straps. I went over to where I had left the saddle and my bow. Everything was still there. The saddle was covered in a light layer of water droplets and the bow wasn't much better, but it hadn't been stolen, so that was just fine by me. I glanced up at the cave. All seemed fine. I took a few steps back and took in a deep breath.

As I started back for the cave, I looked up again at the cave. The light from the fire flickered and pulsed. Then I saw something; the shadow of some sort of... beast covered the glow from the fire.

"Lizzy," I whispered. I grabbed my quiver and bow. I threw the strap of the quiver over my head and bolted up the path. I can't lose her too! I prayed to the Gods above that the beast wouldn't hurt her, that it'd inspect her for a bit, or even better, thought she wouldn't even make a good snack. Those moments running up the hill, we're the longest of my life. But finally, I reached the mouth of the cave. I let out a battle cry as I pulled back the arrow... But the sight of Elizabeth facing a shimmering gold reptile head interrupted me, looking at her in curiosity. The head raised itself and looked at me; I held my arrow tight. It was only a head, no neck or long body. It was paranormal.

"It's OK, (Y/N), this is Argarth," said Elizabeth, coming to my side. I half looked at her. "He lives in this cave, and he's very good a hiding, look!" The head seemed to grow a gold neck, body, four legs, wings and a tail. I saw now the cave was that bit wider at the end; which must have been where he slept. On The floor there was a makeshift rug made of a light layer of sheep's wool. There were also scrolls littered on the floor around where he slept.

A dragon. I lowered my bow in awe. He wasn't much taller than me, his shoulder was about level with my own, but his horns were long and twisted, like a ram's.

"Much better, young one," said the dragon, the voice was old and wisdom-filled, like that of an elderly storyteller or teacher. Yet it was not weak, he still had strength in him.

A drew in a breath. "I apologise for disturbing your place of slumber. We're—"

"—Running from the plague, I imagine?" Said Argarth cutting me off. He turned around towards his scrolls.

"Yes," I replied quietly.

"Hmm, I heard you arrive here earlier," he said, laying down on the sheep's wool, "so I hid. I apologise for my ignorance, but I know that if travellers see me they run," Elizabeth made her way over to him, sitting down on some wool, "so I camouflage myself to hear their stories, the problem comes when people—such as yourself—choose not to speak much, and so I fall asleep easily, which is when this little one," — he nudged Elizabeth on the shoulder — "saw my camouflage fade away. And that brings us up to this moment." He finished. I tugged on my cloak. The fire was dying, and with that fog, there was no way to get any dry firewood, not to mention the creatures that lurked in the forest.

"Come closer, I don't bite, and I can't breathe fire—" he gestured to the scrolls on the floor "—otherwise I wouldn't have so many." He laughed a little. Elizabeth came nearer to him, leaning against his side. Elizabeth could always tell whether people we're trustworthy by looking at them and hearing them talk, and so I trusted her instincts. I moved closer, sitting beside her, nearer to Argarth's head. He moved his wing close to us, almost covering us, before laying his head down.

"Rest. I'd like to hear your stories in the morning." And then the cave was silent. Inside, our little wing-tent was so warm. Argarth emitted such warmth, and his wing held in that warmth. After almost a week of sleeping rough, it was nice to be warm. And so, with little resistance, I fell asleep to the rhythm of Argarth's sleepy breathing.

[rosegoldannie]

Cacti (feysand bachelor AU) part 2

Masterlist

Butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach as I met his gorgeous violet eyes, which nearly sparkled in the warm light from the overhead lights, strung artfully back and forth.

Rhys simply smiled deeply, ducking his head slightly. “Well, tell me a little bit about yourself, Feyre.” He prodded kindly. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I saw his cheeks tint ever so slightly pink.

I couldn’t hide the flush of my cheeks, even as I internally panicked to think of something. “Uhh..” My eyes roved calmly around us, settling on a small, potted cactus. “I like cactuses?” I offered with an apologetic smile, my eyebrows drawing together. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What kind of answer is I like cactuses?

A new sort of smile spread across his lips, brightening his eyes. A small strand of inky hair fell out of place, and I felt as if I had been punched, the air whooshing silently from my lungs.

Cauldron, I’m pathetic. There is absolutely no way he’ll give me a rose. And hell, who could blame him? What kind of answer is ‘I like cactuses’? Glancing up, I saw the producer waving me forward with a disappointed look, even as my eyes burned. I couldn’t meet the gaze of the man before me as I slipped silently past him and click-click-clicked up the path and into the house, where twenty-four other women were already waiting for me. I could feel those eyes burning a hole between my shoulder blades, and it took nearly everything in me to resist turning back to him. But I didn’t, knowing it would be easier for me in the long run if I were to avoid getting attached. Because who the hell did I think I was, to stand a chance against these super modelesque women, all of whom could easily outshine me on their worst days.

Inside, a warm breeze greeted me, which was quite the opposite from the icy stares of the other women as I took a tentative seat on an overstuffed chair. I fought the urge to tell them that I would most definitely be sent home that night, and that I was of no competition. But I didn’t, some small that sounded all too similar to Elain’s, telling me to buck up and hold my head up high.

The next half hour passed in much the same fashion as those first few minutes, with frigid glares and thinly veiled insults being flug across the room at each other, until a thin woman in a black collared shirt and trousers slipped into the room, and directed us all to proceed to the foyer for the first rose ceremony. 

Belatedly, I wondered if it would be worth it to attempt making some friends, or if I should simply stand back (should I miraculously avoid being sent home tonight), and watch the catfights begin. Women were caddy, this I knew. But despite the silent glares and insults I had watched being thrown across the room for over half an hour, I now saw something akin to kindness in how some girls were silently adjusting the hair and gowns of the others.

I made a mental note to seek them out and try to become their friends, then drew my thoughts back to the task at hand. Mentally, I prepared myself for rejection as we were arranged like china dolls for the camera. Ever the darlings of Prythian. Mentally, I rehearsed my reaction to being rejected. Nothing new there. I was always someone’s second choice, someone’s afterthought.

Mentally, I calmed myself. Planned out my days of moping about on my couch until my vacation days ran out. I’d call Isaac, cuss him out, then eat pizza. Eat so much cookie dough ice cream that I’d have a brain freeze until mid-summer.  Yeah, totally not pathetic.

I blinked, then nearly swore when I realized that I was one of only three girls left, with one rose remaining. How long had I been zoned out for? I met Rhys’s eyes, trying, trying, trying to mask my panic and held his gaze, trying to find some flaw within him to convince myself I’d dodged a bullet. Anything to make this hurt just a little bit less.

“Feyre,” He murmured, clutching a rose. Shock flooded through me. Confused and numb, I half-stumbled, half-tumbled over to him, never breaking his gaze. I held his gaze, praying that this wasn’t some wicked prank. 

Behind me, I heard the disappointed grumbles of the two women who hadn’t been chosen, but the only thing I could focus on was him, those violet eyes. “Will you accept this rose?” A hint of a smile tugged at his lips, and I couldn’t hide the eagerness behind my nod.

His smile turned near-giddy, never looking away from me. Something hidden sparked in his eyes.

I slowly turned to follow the other twenty-two women up to our rooms, fingers stroking the silky petals of my rose and coming dangerously close to slicing them on the razor-sharp thorns, but Rhys gently caught my wrist. He leaned in carefully, pressed a gentle kiss to my cheekbone, then murmured, “Meet me in the gardens at midnight.”

Stunned, I could only muster myself together enough to meet his gaze just long enough to acknowledge that I’d heard him, before turning and almost skipping after the others, beyond thankful that I was the last girl in line, and wouldn’t have to deal with any jealousy.

At ten minutes to midnight, I was in my room, my palms smoothing over my jeans, trying to get rid of any wrinkles, then moving to my hoodie. I had debated wearing something more daring, but decided against it, and opted for comfort over style. Pulling on my formerly white vans, I slipped silently from my room, and began to make my way down the marble halls and opulent staircases, out to the garden where I had seen him for the first time only a few hours prior.

A dark shadow was meandering back and forth by the fountain, head leaned back up to gaze at the stars. The overhead lights were still on, only set to a much dimmer setting.

As I approached, I allowed my footsteps to become louder, and alert him to my presence. The lights cast his tan skin in a gorgeous, golden glow that had my fingers itching for a pencil. Rhys turned, and when his eyes met mine, he positively grinned, and held out a hand to me.

I took it, both completely taken aback and not at all surprised by the callousness of his palms, and allowed him to lead me over to a padded settee.

“So,” He murmured, crossing an ankle over his knee. 

“So…” I hummed, hating how hot my face felt.

Rhys cracked a small smile, and chuckled a slight bit. “I felt horrible that we didn’t really get a chance to talk earlier, and as much as I loved learning how much you care about cacti, I want to know more about you.”

A warm, yet slightly nervous feeling strung through me, turning my muscles to spaghetti and my joints to springs. My knee began bouncing wildly up and down, causing Rhys’s smile to widen a small bit, as his eyes sparked in positively wicked delight..

A moment of silence passed, before I was finally able to speak. “I love to read.” I murmured, not entirely meeting his eyes. “I… I didn’t learn until I was twelve, because of a lot of different reasons, but I love it.”

That wicked smile became genuine, his eyes softening. “Really? Who is your favorite author?” He murmured quietly, then added, “At the moment.”

Instantly I felt myself relax with the neutral turn our conversation was taking. “I love The Falconer series by-”

“Elizabeth May?!” He finished, stunned and jaw agape. “You’ve read that? I’ve only ever known one other person who has.”

I couldn’t hide my surprised shock. “Really?! I haven’t ever even met someone who knows it. It’s so good. Which book is your favorite? I’m rather fond of the first one myself, especially with that ending..”

“The first one? Really?” Rhys chidded teasingly, while giving my hand a sweet pat. “Come, now Feyre. The second one is clearly superior.”

I chuckled, swiping a strand of hair out of my face, shaking my head. Folding my legs under myself, I braced my elbows on my knees. “Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.” I teased, shoving gently at his shoulder. “And if you don’t mind, can I ask who you know that’s read The Falconer?”

That smile saddened a bit. “It was my sister, Violet. She absolutely loved that series, and said her favorite character was Kieran, because he and I look alike.” He paused for a moment. “She died three years ago.”

Guilt overwhelmed me almost immediately. “Oh, gods I’m so sorry, I shouldn-”

“No, no. It’s okay, really.” He assured me, gently leaning forward to take my hand.

My heart jumped at the contact, turning my blood electric.

Shit, being eliminated was going to hurt like a bitch.

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[intelligentdumbass]

Apollo and Marsyas

(So, on advice of bro, maybe I’ll start posting my writing shit here now too. Have fun reading I guess, and be wary of typos and grammar.)

~~~~

I suppressed a laugh. Athena raised an eyebrow and took a quick glance down at her reflection in the water. She frowned; immediately the music stopped. Before I knew it, the flute was thrown off Olympus.

“Well, that’s a shame.” I said. “What a waste of a newly invented instrument.”

The goddess gave me a look of disgust.

“I didn’t like the distortions it made on my face.”

“You mean how you puffed up your cheeks whenever you played? I dunno, it didn’t look that bad to me. Plus, the music was great! Although I suppose it did look mildly…amusing.”

As always, her glare could’ve left someone scarred for life. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

…

The flute tore through the sky and tumbled towards the earth, landing on Phrygian soil. It was soon discovered by a local satyr; Marsyas was his name.

“What’s this?” He said as he picked it up.

It took him a while to figure out the object’s use, but as soon as he blew into it, already blessed with the breath of an Olympian, the instrument produced the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. Delighted, he was suddenly filled with a newfound conviction.

‘I must share this music with all who are willing to listen.’ He must have thought.

Days turned into weeks, then months, then years of practice. By now the satyr had gained quite a cult following, and out of all of the spectators that came to watch him play, someone had caught his eye. Despite how rarely he saw them, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get them out of his mind. He imagined them to be a young maiden, perhaps even a mortal princess? Can you believe it, Marsyas? A pretty young woman going through all the trouble of sneaking out of her father’s house just to hear a glimpse of your song.

“Trust me when I say that there is no other musician who lives on this earth who will sing a sweeter melody in your name, my love. Not even Apollo himself could compare to the songs that my flute will sing in your honor.”

But not anymore. Their smile didn’t fade, but it did start to become a little... strained.

“I’m flattered, I really am.” They said. “But you must really refrain from saying such… blasphemous things.”

Marsyas only laughed.

“But it’s true! Do you not believe me? You cannot deny my talent that which drew you and so many others to listen to my music.” He smiled, but they only frowned. “What’s with that look? Are you afraid that he will strike me down?”

“Stop. That isn’t funny. A mortal can never compare to any of the immortal gods, much less the ones who dwell in Olympus.”

The satyr then exclaimed in the loudest voice he could muster.

“Let it be known that I, Marsyas, hereby challenge Apollo, the god of music, to a contest to prove once and for all who is the more skilled musician!”

His companion stared at him in shock. Slowly, their frown turned into a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, oh my. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such arrogance like this since…”

They suddenly took a step forward and with one hand grabbed his jaw; holding it in a way so that his eyes stared into their own.

“Marsyas” The voice that came out was now much lower; far from how a young maiden would sound like. “Have you not heard of the tales of Arachne nor Salmoneus? I shall give you a second chance. Renounce the challenge.”

The satyr could barely breathe, and who could blame him? The being that stood in front of him was no mere mortal. Their eyes… My eyes, they shone like the finest of sapphires, and my locks looked as if it was as if it were made of real strands of gold. For a moment he glanced down. Instead of seeing the breasts of a woman, the dress hid the body of an athletic young man.

“I-” “I refuse!” Marsyas managed to stutter out. “What reason would you have to ask me to take back what I said? Could it be that you actually feel… threatened by it?”

I resisted the urge to crush his skull and just took a step back, letting go of his jaw.

“Your loss, satyr.”

It didn’t take long for a crowd to start gathering around us.

“The muses will be the umpires-”

“But-” He tried to interrupt, but I quickly cut him off.

“Don’t worry about any biases they might have towards me. I don’t know about you, but I am of the opinion that they have a greater chance of being fair towards you than any other judge you might pick.”

It was true, and from the frustrated look on his face he must’ve realized it too. Any other judge he might’ve picked might’ve just named me the victor no matter what; fearing my wrath.

“Look at you.” Marsyas started out of nowhere. “Look at how you stand your ground; how proudly you think of yourself. So, what if you have an athletic form carefully sculpted by the hands of the most talented artist? What of the gloriously golden tresses that you call your hair? What of your sparkling eyes and mellifluous voice? All those wonderful talents and features that they love to adore you with are just a mask for an empty hollow husk.”

I blinked. Despite his attempt at an insult, it had also sounded like he had ripped his lines straight out of one of the many hymns dedicated to my praise.

‘Okay, talking wineskin.’

“Since I was the one who called for the challenge” He continued. “Let me determine the prize for the victor”

“…Then go on. What’re your conditions?”

“The winner should be able to do whatever he pleased with the loser.”

…

I already knew the satyr was good, great even. However, I also knew I could do much better. When my turn was over, we both turned our heads towards the nine judges. Our audience was either crying like they had just lost their philtatos or smiling like they had just successfully rescued them from the underworld. The muses on the other hand, I… I had never seen them so… conflicted. I think my heart ran a little faster than what was to be expected, but that didn’t matter. The solution was simple; we’ll have another round.

I played the cithara upside down during the second round, something the satyr could not do with his flute, but that was not all. This time I added my voice as well.

“Wait!” Marsyas exclaimed. “This is a contest comparing each other’s skill with the instrument, not our voices!”

“Oh please, when you blow into your pipes, it might as well be the same as singing”

The nymphs supported my claim, and after briefly glancing at each other, the muses did too. I held in a laugh and continued to play and sing to my heart’s content. My mellifluent, honeyed voice; one of the few powers I was actually born with, something that belonged to me and only to me. When I was done with my song, the winner couldn’t have been more obvious. Of course, that didn’t stop the satyr from complaining.

“Enough.” Euterpe’s voice rang throughout the crowd, silencing everyone, including Marsyas himself. “Even if Phoebus hadn’t played his instrument upside down, nor added his voice to the mix, you still would’ve lost. It was faint and quick, but I still heard it as clear as day. You played one note out of tune.”

You should’ve seen the look on his face, he was absolutely devastated. I couldn’t help but pity him a little. That mistake he made most defiantly had something to do with the nervousness that came with going against someone whose status far exceed theirs. If only he had kept his mouth shut, then none of this would’ve ever happened. I would've never had to defend my title as the god of music. Did he actually think that he could've best me? Did he actually think he could do so much better than my decades and multiple lifetimes worth of experience?

“V-” “Very well…” Fear filled the loser’s eyes. “What is it that you would have me do?”

“Aw, no need to be afraid my dear.” I whispered into his ear. “Do you remember the words that you said that started this whole mess? How not even I could compare to the songs that you will sing in my honor? Well, that is what I would like you to do. I would like to give you another chance to prove me wrong by singing to me the most dreadful song anyone could ever hope to imagine while bounded up against a tree.”

At first Marsyas was confused, but it wouldn’t take long for the air to be filled with his horrid cries of surrender and protest.

“No! NO!” He screamed. “Why tear me apart?!” He cried. “Oh, I repent! I give in! I lose! I beg of you to forgive me! No pipe is worth this price!”

I stripped the skin from his body; the whole of him was one huge wound. Blood splattered everywhere. The sinews were laid bare, veins naked, quivering and pulsing. You could count his twitching guts and tissues as the sunlight seeped into his ribs. Even the heart shone red in his breast.

The natives of that land all shed their tears for him, the water mixing with his blood. Hence, a new river raced down the gentle banks and carried the cursed pipes towards the open sea. It took the name of Marsyas, the freshest, clearest stream of ancient Phrygia.

Some say I nailed his skin to a pine tree near a lake, others a cave. Another said I had actually made it into a wineskin. Truthfully? Despite being a god of knowledge who never forgets, I don’t quite remember anymore and frankly, I don’t want to. It’s bad enough that I can still hear his scream. It’s bad enough that whenever I played my lyre, I could never get rid of that dreadful song of anguish echoing in the back of my head.

“Apollo...?” I heard one of the muses surrounding me gently ask, maybe it was Calliope. The broken mess that lay on the floor in front of me was the cithara, my cithara. Its strings were all broken; I had torn them out.

“I’m-” “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I think I’ll just take a small…break for now.”

Before they could pry any further, I was already gone.

[cloverrover]

Lace Teeth

So far warning y’all, it’s been some time since I wrote anything for fun and not for school. Last time I actually wrote anything I submitted a formal essay in a 400 level class that still had the phrase “before shit hit the fan” in it…… so yeah lol there’s that. But this is part of @tilltheendwilliwrite 7.7K Follower (Covid Sucks) Celebration. This one feels more like an angst/fluff type so. It also barely gets done in the timeframe so pls forgive grammar, English (while it’s my first language) ain’t my strong suit lol

Also I’m posting the link to the dress that I found and just freaking needed to include but pretend it’s black and red not black and white lol. https://www.jovani.com/evening-dresses/black-sheer-skirt-embellished-jovani-dress-65381 

And the shoes http://us.christianlouboutin.com/us_en/shop/women/goya-ruban-alta.html lols I’m crying that these shoes are over $1k

***

Teeth. Thirty two by the time you’ve reached adulthood. Those damn pearly whites that drew you in since the very beginning. First it was the smile, then it was the hair, then it was the eyes. Then it was him. That goddamn soldier turned assassin who defied all odds of even living. 

Was his life hell before? For fucking sure. Was it hell after he met you? Bucky seems to think so, but in the best way, so he always claims. One of the first things he noticed was the fact that you’d been able to get jump on him during training one day, something that doesn’t usually happen. 

While you had gotten the same training as Natasha, your introduction to the Red Room was just after she had managed to get out completely. You had only heard stories of the infamous Black Widow, before your training managed to put you on par to her. While you never quite lived up to her, you’d managed to get pretty damn close. Then shit happened, and here you were. Same path as Natasha, working for the Avengers, kicking ass, and occasionally a tooth every now and then. 

Refocusing on the task at hand, you shake your head to bring yourself back into the present. A gala hosted by some Russian mafia dude who’s name you couldn’t remember for the life of you. No one knew yet that you had changed sides; no one on the bad side at least. They just thought you had died in some freak riding accident (somehow the Red Room let you retain your love of horses). So imagine every single person from your past flocking towards you once they recognized you. 

Bucky didn’t like that you refused to go in without a disguise. You argued that no one knew your change of heart yet, so why disguise yourself? You’d be able to gather more information as yourself then as someone else. He tried to argue, go above your head, anything to get someone to force you to wear a mask. The second he faced you though, you had become a completely different person. Yes you still wore your face, but he’d never seen you dressed to the nines before. Hair up in what he’d heard you call a crown braid with little jewels scattered, with makeup that made it seem like you were hiding a secret. Something akin to a black and red bedazzled bodysuit, sat beneath black tulle further accented with red, leaving very little to the imagination. There only being barely enough tulle in the back to slightly obscure your ass from the world. Something Bucky didn’t realize until you were already walking towards the Quinn jet. Only to be hit with the feeling of wedding fever. A thing Bucky never thought he’d feel, especially since y’all hadn’t been dating all that often. 

Now that you were in a room, wearing a dress that did very little to cover the assets you have, you could feel in your bones that you were definitely in for it tonight once this mission had been over. You saw the look in Bucky’s eyes when he saw you. He knew you could easily hold your own, fancy dress and heels or sweats and slippers. Didn’t make the desire to protect you any less though. 

Thinking back to the gala, you couldn’t help yourself but imagine Bucky in a tuxedo, hair slicked back, some bomb ass cologne, and an attitude to make you forget how sweet he actually is. Absolutely dirty when he fights, but the sweetest creature behind closed doors. A thought you pushed to the back of your head while putting your head on a swivel. You may be Red Room trained and know most of the people here, but it didn’t mean you’d leave yourself completely unguarded. 

“Babe you know everyone can see your ass right?” 

Shaking your head, you refuse to dignify the comment with a reply, knowing it would only make the end of the night worse. Sashaying to the bar and ordering a rum neat, because ordering whiskey or scotch is too easy, you take in a look around the room. Nothing particularly standing out to you, you sip and stroll; occasionally listening in on conversations that were best left for closed doors. But the men didn’t care, and the women pretended not to hear anything. Gotta love the Russian mob. 

“So far there’s nothing of interest y’all. No mention of anything any slightly related to Hydra. Just a bunch of drugs and weapons sales.” 

“Something will come up, just stay a little longer, flirt a bit, gather some intel?”

“If you flirt I swear to God.”

“Tony, we all know that if I start flirting, Manchurian Candidate over there is going to storm in, then we’d have to send a clean up crew in.”

“Oi. No need to call me out like that.” 

“Babe, I love you, but we all know that’s true.” You tell him with a smile in your tone. 

The night drags on while you’re doing your best to shutdown some rather vulgar attempts at ‘showing you a good time’ that came with arriving alone. Some were decent enough to give in to a dance now and then, but most were deterred once you gave them the look. The look that said “Don’t fuck with me at all.” 

Bucky called it the Nordstrom look. Something he heard your mom say while on the phone with her. All you knew was that you had the same look a relative of your grandmother had and her maiden name was Nordstrom. Thus ‘The Nordstrom Look’. 

But eventually the night dragged to an end, and you were able to make your way back to the tower. Sans any information you thought would be actually valuable, though Tony and Fury disagreed. Once the debrief was over, you were finally able to go back to your floor to take off everything. While you were definitely more of a ‘bruh girl,’ you still enjoyed the occasional Cinderella moment dressing up. But damn were those heels killing you, despite your love for Louboutin’s. Tony damn near killed you when he got the bill for not only the dress, but for the shoes as well. 

How were you supposed to know they would cost $1,195? Before shipping. When you feigned shock to Tony, all he could do was glare at you while muttering under his breath how women became when it came to shoes. 

But you continued you way to your bedroom when a brick wall pinned you to the door of your room. 

“Can I help you Buck?”

“Doll you can help me a whole bunch.” He tells you, leaving a trail of wet kisses up and down your neck before looking up at you. 

“Hi.” All you can do now is whisper. Not that your nervous, but in the way of when exhaustion hits you. And while you were definitely in the mood to fool around, really you just wanted to take a bubble bath and burrito yourself while watching Love, Death, & Robots. Something that freaked Bucky out the first time he watched it with you. 

“Hi yourself doll.” And he smiles. Showing those damn teeth that dug you in all those years ago. Them damn pearly whites that you can’t get enough of seeing. But you wouldn’t have it any other way. Not while he’s smiling at you like you hung the moon for him and him only. And you realized right then and there, there wouldn’t be another set of teeth you’d want to be looking at when it came with a smile. No other pearly whites that could get you worked up as quick and easy as his. 

Bucky had you in the palm of his hand with that first damn smile, and you wouldn’t want it any other way. 

[ansgar-martinsson]

Fair Winds and a Following Sky - Part 4

Kaffe Lilljekvist,  Malmskillnadsgatan 50, Stockholm, Sweden. Five Minutes Earlier...

Ansgar Martinsson squirmed in his chair, his knee bouncing a tattoo beneath the table, hidden by the white linen cloth.

The waitress had just delivered his kaffe. He had just lifted it to his lips, the scent of it wafting - thick, bitter, delicious - a fleeting moment of relaxation in a cup. He’d taken a small sip, smiling, when his phone had gone off. It wasn’t the normal single vibration that would signal a commonplace text. Rather, it was the insistent triple buzz designating a message from his head of security.

His body tensed. Almost fearful of the message, he drew the phone from his breast pocket and read the incoming text. 

[UA 3300 DFW-ORD-ARN arr 19 June 1300 hrs. Foreclosure sale 450k USD to bank. Last loc: Middagattan Hostel Stkhlm 20 June 0904 hrs.]

“Well,” he muttered, chewing anxiously on his bottom lip, “that’s a bit unexpected.” With a sigh, he set his thumbs on the screen of his Iphone and sent a message back.

[Current location?]

He stared at the screen, waiting for the indication that his message had been “Read” and for the three little dots which told him that his security chief was going to be johnny on the spot with an answer. 

But, he wasn’t. Wasn’t fast enough. Not enough for Ansgar’s rapidly fraying nerves. Bad enough that he’d learned Anna Fair Sky had been put through the hell of the loss of her barn, the rapid decay of her finances. Bad enough that Ansgar had known every sad, sordid detail, but had done fuck all about it. Worse now that she’d lost her home, that everything, according to his security chief, had been ripped away from her. 

And again, he did nothing. What could he do?  What should he do? What, swoop in like the saviour and.... No. She would never have let him. It had been over a year and a half since he last saw her - but she had been firmly on his mind the entire time. But again, what would she have him do? 

She’d have wanted you to tell her the truth, you asshole, he thought. You knew exactly where she was. You could have contacted her, called her, texted her, fucking snail mailed her, anything, but you didn’t. 

You spied on her, kept tabs on her like some creepy-ass fuck, when you could have... you could have helped her.

You God damn coward.

And now she was there, in Stockholm.  But where? But.... but why? Not to see him. Not to come to him for help, no... surely. Not to... 

“Fucking hell,” he swore, and again bent over his phone, thumbs moving over the screen.  

[Mickhail, you idiot, tell me where the hell she is!]

Ansgar resisted the temptation to slam his phone down on the table, to break the useless thing in half, to burst forth with a dissatisfied and angry growl. Rather, he took a deep breath, slid the device back in his breast pocket and slowly stood from the table. He closed his eyes, drawing a long breath in through a jut jaw, blowing it back out again on puffed cheeks. His coffee and kanelbuelle nearly untouched, he tossed a 500 kronor note onto the table, straightened his tie, and turned.

“Jesus fuck,” he muttered, seeing her... Anna Fair Sky Travidge... in the flesh. She sat in the high-backed chair across the room, eyes closed and seemingly asleep. He froze, uncharacteristically unsure of what to do, what to say, how the hell to approach her. He contemplated slipping away through the back door as was his wont; imagining himself in a cartoonish image, high-knee tiptoeing past her, his hands curved at his chest like a garishly masked Scooby Doo villain.

I’d have gotten away with it, too... if it weren’t for you meddling kids....

But that wouldn’t do. Not after he’d spent thousands of kronor keeping track of her, not after she’d flown thousands of miles... 

And so he decided to do what he did best. 

He adjusted his jacket cuffs, cracked his neck, and strode directly toward her. In spite of his footfalls on the wooden floor, in spite of the schuss and slip of his clothes, in spite of the sound of his breath, she kept her eyes closed - a strange, almost beatific look on her face. 

That was, until she opened her eyes, and nearly screamed her lungs out at the sight of him. “Ah, shit!” Her legs kicked out beneath her and she grasped the sides of the armchair, fingers splayed and stiff. Her face, in any other situation, would have been quite comical - dark eyes blown wide, brows nearly to her rounded hairline, and her mouth an almost perfect ‘o’. 

Ansgar had nearly laughed, but he let his mask of control fall into place. He pursed his lips, hardened his gaze, and cocked a sardonic eyebrow. “Do you mind telling me what the fuck you are doing here?” 

“I... I don’t....” She peered sharply up at him. “Do you... do you know me?”

He frowned, blinking. “Odd question, but, yes,” he said slowly. “I do know you.” His lips curved into a wry bow. “In fact, I know you quite intimately. And you know me, Sháńdíín.”

A strange expression crossed her features, a melange of sadness, shock, regret, desire, and relief. Yet, she looked, in Ansgar’s estimation, ill - absolutely shredded. Her eyes were dull and shadowed, cheeks hollowed and lips streaked pale and dry. She remained quiet, too quiet, merely staring at Ansgar for a long moment, as if the world had suddenly stopped around her.

Ansgar let his own visage soften, showing her a small, genuine smile. “Anna, darling, I know it’s been some time, but... it is me,” he said, reaching for her. “I swear.”

She swallowed, shook her head emphatically, and said, “No, I can’t do this.” She grabbed her backpack in a flurry of movement, and made a beeline for the front door. “Sorry, gotta go,” she muttered, slinging her pack on her shoulder.

“Wait!” Ansgar dashed after her and caught her up, his hand clutched around her upper arm. “Anna,” he breathed. “Stop, don’t leave.” He pulled her gently toward him, his thumb caressing her skin just beneath her black short sleeve. “Not yet.”

“Alan, please,” she hissed. “Let me go.”

“My name isn’t Alan, but you probably already got that.”

“Sheh. I knew that the day I met you,” she chuckled mirthlessly. “But... I know your name now. It’s Ansgar.“

He smiled. “Top marks. You’ve done your research.” He stepped closer to her, keeping his grip on her arm. “Come with me, right now,” he whispered, and turned her carefully around to face him, keeping her at an arm’s distance. 

He peered around the cafe, ensuring that no one was watching them. Satisfied to be out of the sight of prying eyes... or cameras... he brushed his hand down her arm and wound his fingers in hers, his palm to her palm. “Come back to mine, and we can talk. But first, you’ll rest. You’re exhausted.”

[ehstarwar]

the gentler gamester is the soonest winner (4/4)

“Dr. Skywalker, you have two PhD’s. I think the scanner, a widely used form of communication, is well within your capabilities.”

He humphs unceremoniously at this. When he finally turns to face Rey, he’s wearing a sly grin that usually means danger, but Rey has learned that some things are better left unexplored.

-

Rey gets some unexpected help from an unexpected source.

-

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 2k

Read on AO3

Notes: please accept this chapter as an apology for last chapter. i do it for the reylos (´ｖ｀)

Chapter 4: when the battle’s lost and won

-

The thick, fraying carpet gave a repulsive squelch beneath the soles of Rey’s rain-boots. She doesn’t know how it’s possible for so much rain water to have made it down the hall and into the professors offices, but she’s thankful for the protection of her walmart-brand rain boots regardless. 

The rain outside was quickly turning into a wintery mix as night drew closer and Rey wanted to make it back to her apartment as quickly as possible. This was the last stop for the semester, picking up her final project results from Dr. Skywalker’s office. She knew the grade already, had for the last couple days, but his notes did occasionally provide some much needed insight.

Her attempts for him to send it to her via email had been quickly vetoed with a succinct: 

No. =P

Sent from my iPhone

It was hard to resent a man who used outdated emojis and brought her expensive coffee on occasion, so she chose to let it go.

Dr. Skywalker’s office was in a perpetual state of disarray, but it had a nice homey feel to it. Rey had spent her fair share of course verbally sparing with Dr. Skywalker in here; enough to be comfortable opening the door and heading in.

“Hi, Dr. Skywalker,” She says, peering over the mountain of paperwork to see him.

“Rey! You braved this weather just to get you final back?” He asked, not looking away from his computer screen. 

“I wouldn’t have had to if you’d just emailed me, like I asked.”

“I would’ve had to use the scanner.”

“Dr. Skywalker, you have two PhD’s. I think the scanner, a widely used form of communication, is well within your capabilities.”

He humphs unceremoniously at this. When he finally turns to face Rey, he’s wearing a sly grin that usually means danger, but Rey has learned that some things are better left unexplored. She eggs him towards her visit.

“So… my final project. Do you have it… somewhere?” She asks.

“Oh, yes,” He looks at a stack of papers roughly 2 feet tall, pulling out a packet from the middle section, in a stunning display of balance and perception. She’s also learned not to ask Dr. Skywalker more questions than necessary. “But first I’d like to discuss your performance this semester.”

Rey frowns at this. “My performance?”

He nods.

“Was it unsatisfactory?”

“Of course not. You’re one of my top students.” Rey would prefer to be The Top Student, but she’ll settle for this. 

“Okay then; what about my performance?”

“You had so much energy leading into this semester, but it seemed to plateau after the midterm. Were you unhappy with your score? Or maybe with another class even?”

Rey wasn’t unhappy with her score on his midterm; it was an A- and she agreed with all the points he knocked off and even appreciated his input going forward. Rey wasn’t unhappy with any of her other classes, either. A mix of A’s and one lowly B (curse you BioChem II), but was overall happy with her academic performance. 

Her unease and general displeasure the past few weeks stems from the Event She’d Rather Not Talk About, as she’d taken to calling it. 

Alternatively, Ben.

Maybe she didn’t know him that well; maybe she spent the majority of their relationship dreaming about pushing him out of a seat that was hers; maybe he was right when he said that it wasn’t okay for them to get together. Maybe all of those things were true, and Rey accepted this.

But it sill hurt. 

She’d spent the rest of the weekend moping about it, refusing to like a stupid meme Poe shared with her on insta. By Monday, she was still in the dumps, but decided that no man who could kiss her then leave her within the span of 10 minutes was deserving of her tears. Even if that man had lips that tasted like pure sin and hands she could still feel the ghost of on her hips. 

She had purposely come to class barely on time for the rest of the semester, to breeze past him, not sparing him a second glance, and sit in her officially-official seat in the back. She definitely didn’t stare at the back of his head and ruefully realize that the one opportunity she’d had to feel his hair beneath her fingertips had slipped away. 

Rey had thrown herself into her schoolwork, using this lack of a significant other as an excuse to be the best student possible. Even if her social life (the minuscule one she had) had to suffer because of it.

“No… I just wanted to focus. Put my head down, petal to the metal, other clichés like that,” Rey says. 

“So no problems? Not even… socially?” Dr. Skywalker was many things. Brilliant, charitable, occasional areshole. Subtle was not one of these things.

“I met your nephew. But I think you knew that.”

“As a matter of fact, I did!” He looks like the cat that caught the canary and Rey is beginning to think that is a set up of sorts.

“What did Ben tell you?” Rey asks, afraid of the answer but still desperate to know. 

“My nephew is not one for over-sharing, if you can imagine, so you can imagine my surprise when three weeks ago, I receive an email from him. It takes him about… four paragraphs to get the nerve to casually tell me he’s met a student of mine, and another two for him to casually ask how you are.”

Rey’s heart drops.

“What did you tell him?” She asks too quickly, earning a pointed stare from Dr. Skywalker.

“I told him that if he cares about you enough to email me, one of, if not the, people he hates the most, he should man up and ask you himself.” Rey frowns. She’s not sure what she’d expect him to tell Ben, but that just seemed so… rude.

“Surely there was a better way to phrase that.”

Dr. Skywalker observe her for a moment. “You think I was too harsh?” He asks.

“Well… yes. Ben was just being nice. You should’ve taken it as a compliment that he emailed you at all. That was… probably a big step for him.” Rey is sure she’s pouting, even if she’s not sure why.

“Hmmm… I agree.” At that, Dr. Skywalker checks his watch, then hands Rey her final, notes and all, without anything further.

“So… that’s it?” She asks, tentatively taking the packet. 

“That’s it.” He’s turned his attention back to his computer screen and Rey feels like she’s being brushed off.

“Okay, then. Well… have a good holiday. I guess I’ll see you in January.”

“See ya round, kid.” He says as she leaves his office. 

Rey will have plenty of time to pick apart this interaction and let her mind spiral with this particular form of oddness from her mentor much later. Preferably when she’s back in her warm apartment, face mask on, wine in her hand, and safe from the winter storm that brewing out side. She makes it about twenty feet from Dr. Skywalker’s office when that plan goes down the drain.

Sliding in front of her on the linoleum floor, is a dripping wet, out of breath, dressed in black Ben. 

He stops a few feet away from her, and Rey is in such a state of shock that words aren’t forming right now.

“Rey,” He says. God, she’d forgotten how good that voice can sound. He walks towards her until she can feel his heavy exhales of breath on her face. 

“It is,” Ben lifts his wrist to check his watch, “5:04pm. All final grades were submitted online at 5pm.” He says this with such determination, and Rey cannot fathom as to why.

“Okay..?”

“I finished putting everyones grades in about twenty minutes ago.”

“Congratulations?”

“Do you know what that means?” He asks her. If she thought she was confused by Dr. Skywalker’s odd behavior before, it is nothing compared to what she’s feeling now.

“I don’t know what that means, Ben. Care to enlighten me?” Her words are harsh but she’s a little fed up with this family’s shit.

“As of four minutes ago, I ceased being your superior in any way.”

“Well… good for you, I guess.”

“It also means that I can ask you out. On a date. With me. If you want.”

Rey’s body goes rigid. Realization dawns on her like a tidal wave and she feels so utterly stupid for not realizing it sooner. She stares at Ben for a few moments (mostly because she can), taking in his giant, brooding form, that she’s never liked quite as much as she does in this moment. Ben clears his throat and she realizes she’s been quiet for too long.

“Yes!” She screams. “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you. Yes, yes, very much yes-”

Ben is kissing her with a ferociousness that takes away Rey’s breath. His lips are still so surprisingly soft, and his hands still so magnificently large as they up her cheeks. The kiss is tender and sweet, yet hot and desperate all at the same time, and it makes Rey feel more justified in her moping since their last kiss. 

Her hands rest on his chest and his forehead goes to rest on hers as they catch their breath. Someone, she doesn’t know who, starts breathlessly laughing, and soon enough they’re both clinging to each other to keep their knees from giving out.

“You ran all the way from the Fine Arts building?” She asks, lips brushing against his on every syllable. 

“Yeah.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Luke emails me that the girl I’d be too stupid to loose out on was in his office.” Rey can’t help the grin she thinks will permanently be on her face. 

“He’s a very smart man, your uncle.”

Ben hums in disagreement, “You’re smarter.”

He kisses her again, slowly this time, like he’s mesmerizing every nudge, every slide, every movement they make together. It isn’t until an all-to-familiar chuckle pierces the silence that Rey or Ben look up. 

Rey’s cheeks instantly redden, just like Ben’s ears. 

“Just don’t do anything unseemly in the shop!” Dr. Skywalker shouts as he exits the building. Rey drops her head to Ben’s chest, feeling comforted by the deep rumble of laugher she feel there. He wraps his arms around her then, and she doesn’t care that he’s wet; she’ll hold him as long as he holds her.

“Ben?” She says, muffled by his chest. “I’m really glad I stole your seat.”

Rey doesn’t have to she his smile to know it’s there. “Me too.”

-

“Excuse me, but I think you’re in my seat.”

Rey whirls around, feeling very dramatic in the large, leather chair that probably cost as much as a car. She sees a very welcome sight; Ben, standing in the doorway, in a pristinely cut suit, wearing the comma-shaped cufflinks she got him for his last birthday.

“Now you have the guts to tell me to bugger off.” She jokes.

“Did I tell you to move, Ms. Niima?” He asks teasingly, using his best Professor Solo voice.

“No, I don’t believe you did, Professor Solo. Or is it Dr. Solo?” Rey asks, sitting up straighter. Ben comes around the large oak desk, depositing another cardboard box filled with books older than the university on it. 

“I think I’ll make a special exception for you Ms. Niima. Can’t have a big-whig Lead Engineer of Resistance Enterprises, calling me something so… stuffy.” They’re both grinning at each other now, liking this vanilla role-playing too much.

“What should I call you then?” She asks.

Ben suddenly grabs Rey’s legs, picks her up, spins around and deposits them both in the chair so that she’s seated comfortably on his lap.

“I think you can just call me… fiancé. For now, at least.”

Rey doesn’t think she’ll ever get over the way his eyes sparkle when he looks at her like that. Like she’s the greatest thing he’s ever seen and that he’d fight the whole galaxy just hold her like he’s doing now. 

“That sounds perfectly acceptable. You can just call me your seat thief.”