#I added / replaced a certain bit in one chapter and like

[variantia]

BELLUM.   not only does Esme know the specific kind of content I crave but she also knows how to make me giggle with said content

[cryptidghostgirl]

HII this is the first time I ask one of this request and I would love if you could write this idea that’s been on my mind:3 and sorry if it is too specific but I was thinking of an Alastor x reader inspired on the chapter masquerade from dangerously yours??(only if you know it of course I don’t want to bother you😭)

basically the reader is an angel undercover to spy on the guys of the hotel and their plan for the extermination and the only one who knew this was alastor, but he didn’t say anything since he found her interesting and knew she wouldn’t be a threat if he had her under his watch!! but this changes when they started talking, getting closer to each other to the point he almost forgets why she’s here and what she really is,, but they’re so in love and doesn’t doubt of the feelings she has for him either to care😭

BUT when she(the reader) discovers he knew it all along she doesn’t have another choice but to kill him with an angelic weapon, and Alastor starts rambling about how she wouldn’t do it because she loves him and that kkwjzkxbdk

sorry if it’s too confusing english its not my first language so I tried my best😭😭 feel free to ignore it if you want to!!

A/N I am not sure what Dangerously yours is but I liked this idea and did something with it anyways. I hope that is okay :) Also I know I deviated from the prompt a bit, if you want I can do another.

Masquerade (Alastor x Angel!Exorcist!Reader)

Pairing: Alastor x Reader

Warnings: Adam. Angst. I think that is it, please correct me if I am wrong.

Word Count: 1,616

Master Lists:

Master Lists 

Hazbin Hotel Master List 

Alastor Master List

Click here and leave a comment if you want to be added to any taglists or send me an ask about it.

"I want you down there."

Adam was picking at his teeth with the nail of his pinky finger, not even bothering to look at Y/n as he spoke.

"You what?" she shook her head, aghast at the idea, "Sir, do you really think that is such a good idea?"

"Yeah, that's why I am ordering you to do it?" Adam raised his eyebrows, his eyes meeting Y/n's as he leaned slightly across the table towards her, "I want everything: their plans, their intel, their... fuck, I don't know, their deepest darkest secrets. Just bring me whatever bullshit you're able to find."

"But sir, what if they find out? What if I get caught?"

"Then I'll send someone else to replace you."

His words sent a shiver down her spine. This was the life of an exorcist. Hardened, because they had to be. Afraid because there was no chance of beating their leader. Utterly disposable because there were thousands more of them to be had.

"But sir... I've really never been a good liar and... and..."

"And.. And..." Adam mocked, rolling his eyes, "Get over yourself, bitch! Pack your bags, you leave in ten."

That was how Y/n ended up where she was now, in disguise as a guest at the Hazbin Hotel. It had been scary at first. All she knew about demons was what she had been told, that they were vile, that they were filth. It came as a surprise when she also learned how kind they could be.

Alastor had known from the first moment he met her. It was the defensiveness that did it. That, and that she positively reeked of purity. When Y/n had come knocking on the door to the hotel, there hadn't been a single doubt in his mind about her true nature. Always on the hunt for a good show, he had decided to let it lie. He figured any trouble that would come of this was something he could deal with, that he would keep an eye on the little potential trouble maker. There was a certain pride that rose in his chest at the self proclaimed role of protector, he took the oath very seriously.

At first, Y/n had been reticent, suspicious. She seemed to be in a constant state of running in to Alastor and that set her on edge. He always played it off, was always kind and polite but with the years of learned behavior at her back, Y/n was slow to trust.

It happened that as she grew more comfortable at the hotel and its ragtag group of inhabitants, she also became more comfortable with Alastor. What had started off as little more than formality soon turned into her stopping to talk to him when their paths crossed, even bringing him treats she baked when he wasn't down in the kitchen to enjoy them with the rest of the crew.

It wasn't on purpose. Alastor didn't do a lot that wasn't on purpose. The more time he spent with the angel in disguise, the more he fell victim to her innocent charms. She was excitable, she looked at the world through new eyes. When he walked the well worn streets of Pentagram City by her side, it nearly felt like he was experiencing them for the first time again. There was something desirable in her sense of wonder.

Slowly distrust became friendship and friendship became something else. It was an unspoken bond of shared glances and secret smiles. No one ever talked about the way they would be looking everywhere around the hotel for one of the pair only to find them holed up together in some discrete corner listening to music and chattering away. The worst kept secret in all of Hell. Everyone saw how close they stood, how their hands brushed lightly when they walked side by side.

Y/n knew it was wrong, could feel it in her gut. The guilt ate away at her and still, she was unable to keep herself from indulging. He was magnetic, kinder than she ever could have expected and with an eye for the dramatic which she just adored. On that first night he kissed her, on the balcony beneath the false stars, she felt her divinity begin to slip.

It was a careful dance, a well strategized game of chance. They never said the words, they didn't need to. They both knew the truth, Alastor from Y/n's inability to be anything other than genuine in her joy and Y/n through the fact that Alastor seemed to avoid all forms of intimacy - emotional or otherwise - with anyone save her. She felt like she was drowning but she didn't care. She relished the embrace, the first true kindness she had felt since being forced into the ranks of Adam's army all those years before.

The weight of the lie was heavy on her shoulders, bearing down on her more and more with each passing day. With every soft smile, every hand hold, she felt the mask crack a bit more. Secrets had never been an issue for Alastor on the other hand. He expected to find joy in her slipping facade, some sense of satisfaction in the idea that while his remained strong her's was slipping. Instead, there was only worry. That was when he realized it wasn't a game anymore, it was reality and he was done for.

The line of the tightrope was thin, they both clung to it. Nothing good lasts forever and both knew, eventually, they were doomed to fall.

It happened by accident. Alastor had figured he had at least until the next extermination to make a plan, as did Y/n. Fate had other plans.

"My dear!" Alastor hummed jovially as he materialized in Y/n's room, "Your fellow guests are waiting in the lobby."

It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to just appear, Y/n was used to it by now. He was a man of routine and she knew his schedule, worked her own reports in carefully around it. She should have been suspicious of how well things were going, should have seen the doomed end creeping closer by the minute.

She froze, the portal open before her spinning gold sparks into the room as it framed Adam's face. His eyes flicked to Alastor and then to Y/n. Her eyes stayed stuck on the Radio Demon, grief winding its way through her lashes.

"Oops!" Adam laughed, "Wrong place wrong time, dick for brains."

Either way, it was a lose lose situation. Both Y/n and Alastor saw it. He killed her, she killed him, she didn't kill him and was ousted from heaven or killed by Adam, he didn't kill her and Charlie lost all trust in him. There was one faint future, glimmering with potential, where everything worked out. Y/n saw it in the idea of tricking Adam into having gotten Alastor on her side working against the hotel. Alastor saw it in Y/n falling and the perpetually kind hearted princess of Hell, Charlie, taking her in.

Y/n's sharp intake of breath sent shiver's down Alastor's spine. He watched her carefully, microphone in hand.

"Well?" Adam groaned in irritation, "Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna kill him?"

Her gaze shifted to Adam momentarily, her mask gone and her expression conflicted. She was looking to him for an option, for a way out. Adam gave no such reprieve and she returned to Alastor, her eyes widening in sudden realization of the essence of their situation.

The man in question had made no move to attack. It revealed everything, she took a trembling step towards him.

"You knew?"

The question was soft as rose petals, quiet enough so Adam couldn't quite make out what she had said. Alastor gave a subtle nod.

"God, Lute was right. You are a pathetic little brat, aren't you. Finish. The. Job."

Another furtive glance thrown between the two men and Y/n transformed. Wings sprouted from her back, her demon features fading into nothing as a black halo materialized above her head. Spear in hand, breaths shallow and constant, she turned her anxious eyes and spear to Alastor.

He was blinded, she was beautiful. Alastor had always found her attractive but something about seeing this true nature of hers, the face behind the mask, made him breathless. His mind reeled, he felt only he should return the favor but feared she would mistake it as aggression.

Please.

Her lips formed the word though no voice left her chest.

Run.

Alastor shook his head the slightest bit. Tears began to well in Y/n's vibrant eyes. Stuck between Heaven and Hell, divinity and desolation, love and war. She took a step forward. Y/n's wings splayed out behind her, a fitting backdrop to her inhuman beauty of the moment.

"Get it over with." Adam spat.

She begged him with everything but words. She wanted to do anything. To run, to hide, to lash out, to kill her instead. Alastor just stood there. He let his microphone disintegrate into the air.

He couldn't comprehend what he was doing, what force was driving him to look his much avoided double death head on without fear. Regardless of his confusion, he was undeterred. He spread his arms slightly to the sides, feeling his second form begging for control. He could feel the horns sprouting, the heat from the aiming light of the gun on his brow.

Y/n's expression only became more pained. Taking a deep, stuttering breath, she drew her weapon back.

"I'm so sorry."

----

Tags:

@willowshadenox @i-love-jafar @elfyeet @reader3 @lazygirlfanfic0-0 @kahlan170

[emeritusemeritus]

No Good Deeds [George Weasley x Reader]

Part 4

Part 1 2 3 4

Pairing: {George Weasley x Reader} mentions of previous Fred Weasley x Reader.

Timeline: Set a few years after DH, loosely following Canon.

Summary: A few years after Fred’s death, the investors of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes demand changes to the name. All it would take is two years of a fake marriage to fix the issues, but no good deed goes unpunished.

Warnings: Fake marriage trope because we love the cliché. Mentions of death (Fred). Friends to lovers. Slow burn but mentions of kissing and eventual smut. Swearing. George calls us Angel. Drinking. Angst, sadness, grief. Smut. Tags will be updated with each chapter.

This one got a little spicy 🌹

You took a deep breath as you looked up at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was nearly 6pm, already feeling a little drained by your busy and productive day.

You'd woken early and had noticed that George had already left for work by the time you'd gotten up and so you got ready and walked to the cafe on the corner, grabbed a quick coffee and a pastry to go before walking towards the Friday market in the centre of town, shopping bag and grocery list in hand. You walked around the little market and picked up some fresh vegetables and a handmade apple pie that looked delicious, deciding to buy that rather than make your own from scratch. You'd decided on cooking a Sunday roast lamb dinner, though it was Friday, and had chosen to present it using a giant Yorkshire pudding, something you'd seen creeping up in popularity within the muggle world that you were certain Arthur would greatly enjoy.

You bought fresh carrots, parsnips and a fresh mint plant that you needed to make your own mint sauce and some flowers for the table before walking to the supermarket and purchasing a lamb joint from the butcher section and a few more essentials, including wine, before walking home with your purchases. You'd listened to muggle radio stations as you washed and prepped the veg, bouncing around as you sang along to the songs that you knew, intermittently stopping to grab a sip of your tea in between tasks. Around 12 you stopped what you were doing, happy with the progress you'd made and fixed your hair and clothes briefly before apparating to the shop to take George some lunch. The shop was busy but not unmanageable and you could see that Ron had stepped in to help him, working the till. George noticed you immediately and gave you a wide smile, finishing up with the customer he was helping before walking over to you, gesturing for you both to go to the office.

"I didn't know if you had any lunch," you said, handing him a little bag of stuff you'd picked up from the shop, "thought I could take some of your stuff back with me, give you a bit more time tonight."

"You're too good to me," George says with a wink, enthusiastically pulling out the food from the bag, looking as if he was almost salivating at the sight.

You'd spent his lunch break together, preparing yourselves for tonight as he ate and then you'd apparated back with a bundle of his things that he had pulled earlier that morning, stuff that he knew would make it seem that he was living with you completely.

You checked the lamb and made the mint sauce quickly, peeled some more potatoes just in case and then set to cleaning. Once everywhere was clean, you went into George's room and brought out all of his things and moved them into your bedroom. His books went on the side of your bed, a pair of pyjamas were laid out on the dresser and you'd moved some of your girlier accessories into the spare bedroom so make it seem like you'd decorated up a guest bedroom. You stripped George's bed, throwing the bedding in the wash and replaced the sheet with a set of your own spare sets, so it again looked like a guest bedroom. You set up a little decorative area in your bedroom with some of George's things, adding them into the shelves and then had placed more of his things into the bathroom, along with placing his aftershave next to your perfume on the dresser.

Once you were happy with the flat, you took a minute to sit with a drink before finishing up the meal prep. You then took a shower, did your hair and makeup and got dressed, ready for the actual cooking, seeing that it was late afternoon already.

At 6:17pm, George apparated into the living room and his eyebrows immediately shot up, looking around.

"Wow Angel, looks like I've moved in," he says, reaching out for your hand as he pulls you close.

"I'd say so," you laughed, allowing him to pull you in. When his thumb caught on the stones of your engagement ring, he smiled and focused his gaze on the ring, seeing it on your finger.

"Looks great," he says, gesturing around you, "as do you."

"Oh Mr Weasley, you charm me," you joked, pulling away from him with a laugh as you smoothed out your skirt.

"Well future Mrs Weasley, that is my job," he smirks, twirling your around in his arms, making a quiet squeal fall from your lips at the unexpected motion.

"I thought you owned a joke shop?" You retorted, causing him to snort.

"I do, yet it appears you are the one with all the jokes tonight."

"Then perhaps you should make me a business partner," you jest, seeing George's smile growing.

"I intend to my love," he says smoothly, with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he stops spinning you, both of you looking at each other with a smile.

"You should get ready, they'll be here soon," you saw quietly, unable to look away from George's smiling face.

Fifteen minutes later and George is showered, dried and dressed, both of you waiting in the kitchen for his parents to arrive. Molly preferred not to apparate, having mentioned before that it left her feeling horribly nauseous no matter how many times she'd tried and so Arthur had offered to drive them in the car, muggle style.

"I'll go," George says, placing a hand onto your shoulder to calm you as he walks past you to open the door, having heard the telltale knock moments earlier.

"Oh y/n dear, how wonderful to see you!" She says, bounding over to you with a wide smile on her face, pulling you in for a hug as soon as she could reach you.

"Hello Mrs Weasley," you say warmly, holding on to her tightly. She looked very pretty with a flower beret in her hair, clearly having made an effort tonight in her beautifully crafted green crochet shawl and dress.

"Oh please, I've told you to call me Molly for years!" She laughs, stepping aside and looking around, "what a lovely place you have!"

"We have," George corrects her, stepping through into the lounge with you, Arthur following behind. You embrace and greet each other warmly as George explains to Molly that you two are living together.

"Oh well that is wonderful news!" She says, clapping her hands together, "you didn't tell me you were an item!" She says, smacking George on the arm as she looks between your both. He doesn't even flinch and simply laughs, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh well done son!" Arthur says, clapping George on the shoulder warmly before sending you a special smile.

"Would anyone like a drink?" You offer, listing off a few things you have on hand. You go and fetch them both a drink and quickly check on the food before diving into conversation, listening to Molly's explanation of what her oldest children were up to.

"Well I have to say, that was absolutely delicious," Arthur says, placing down his cutlery and sitting back in his chair, rubbing his hand over his full stomach, "amazing what these muggles come up with isn't it, a giant Yorkshire pudding!"

You can't help but smile at his reaction, pleased that the novelty had gone down a treat. You catch George's eye as Molly compliments your cooking and he looks proud, a gentle, honest smile tugging at his lips.

"So how long have you been together, very sneaky of you both!" Molly says with a warm smile, pointing a playful accusatory finger between you and George.

"About six months," George says effortlessly, sticking to the little story you'd both created. He clears his throat and looks at you with a determined glance before turning back to his parents.

"We were going to wait until after dinner but now seems as good'a time as any," George says smoothly before reaching for your left hand, which you place in his, ring side up.

The sparkle immediately catches Molly's eye and she gasps loudly, causing Arthur to jump up in his seat.

"I've asked her to marry me," he says, looking into your eyes with a smile that you reciprocate.

"And I said yes," you replied, smiling warmly at him.

Molly let's out an animated squeal and rushes from her chair to envelope you both into a hug, her body bouncing in elation as Arthur beams with pride, his hands raising into the air in celebration.

"Oh how wonderful!"

"We must celebrate, now, everyone raise your glasses!" Arthur says proudly, raising his own glass of daisyroot. Molly scrambles to reach for her glass and you and George take hold of your own, raising and clinking them together in a round of cheers. The moment feels real and you don't even question it, allowing yourself to enjoy the moment with your smile beaming across your face.

Molly immediately bursts out into wedding planning, mentioning that her own dress was put aside for Ginny but she had a beautiful hair beret that you could use as your something borrowed and she could always try and convince Muriel to let you borrow her tiara even though she'd been rude about it with Fleur. You laughed and nodded the whole way through the conversation as George and Arthur had broken off into their own as Arthur proudly tapped George on the back, telling him outright how proud he was of him.

You cleared away with plates with a flick of your wand and then brought out the warm apple pie with a selection of custard and icecream, depending on everyone's preference. More drinks were had and by the end of the pudding you were beginning to feel a little tipsy, especially when George pulled out a bottle of fire whiskey to celebrate with.

You all congregated back into the lounge after the meal had finishes, laughing and drinking as Molly told stories of the kids when they were younger. Fred was mentioned a few times and initially it had felt like a kick to your gut but you pushed through and as the drinks flowed, so did the conversation.

"Goodness gracious look at the time! Arthur, we'd better get home," Molly says, tapping Arthur on the chest. He nods dutifully, sinking the last of his fire whiskey and begins to stand, immediately wobbling until he falls back onto the sofa. George turns to cast a look at you and you immediately understand what he's trying to communicate; there's no possibility he'd be able to drive home having drank so much and apparating would be incredibly dangerous for him due to his intoxication, which meant they would have to stay with you for the foreseeable.

George had managed to convince his parents to stay after their lengthy protests and you'd gladly offered them the 'guest bedroom' to sleep in.

George apparated back to the Burrow to collect a few things they might need after a lengthy list that Molly had reeled off with clear instructions on where everything way and exactly what he'd be looking for.

Whilst George was gone you made a cup of tea for everyone and began prepping their room for the night, ensuring that everything was neat and clean, with no hint of George's things being crammed into the room. George arrived back not too long after with their things and helped to get his parents settled into their room, mainly helping Molly get Arthur into something comfier and then into bed.

You'd had a fabulous night and it had gone so much better than you'd hoped, feeling firmly included and welcomed into the family even more than you already had been, even if it wasn't technically real. George came out of their room a few minutes later and you both couldn't help but giggle at the turn of events, never having seen Arthur so inebriated before. He was a joyful drunk, telling stories and little quips that we're actually rather interesting and the new side you'd seen of him only greatened your fondness for him. George came and sat next to you on the sofa now that it was just you and him and he immediately placed his arm around your back, pulling you into him.

"Well, complete success I'd say," he says quietly, keeping hold of you as you melt into his side, keeping his voice low just incase his parents were still awake. He reached for the television remote and flicked it on to a random channel, not really paying attention though it was nice to have a little background noise.

"Such a good night," you said fondly with a small smile, trying to suppress a yawn as you cuddled into him, watching the screen.

"That meal was delicious," he says, beginning to stroke your shoulder where his hand rests, "I'd marry you tomorrow now I know what your roast dinners taste like."

"Well lucky you," you say with a cheeky smile, "maybe not tomorrow though, I'm rather busy."

"Oh really?" He says with a playful tone, playing along.

"Yes, you see I'm head potioneer for this little joke shop in Diagon Alley, you've probably never heard of it," you say, "well their stores of potion products are low and it's my wonderful job to brew more, all day tomorrow. So I'm very sorry but I can't marry you tomorrow, much too busy."

"Well isn't that a shame," he says quickly, "perhaps I should have a word with this boss of yours, he sounds tyrannical, working you as he is."

"Oh absolutely, he's a menace, Mussolini in brown tweed."

George immediately lunges for you with your last comment and you can't help but laugh, trying your hardest to keep quiet as he grabs you and rolls you about on the sofa. Only when you pull apart does he pause and smile at you widely, his face lighting up with his smile.

"Want to go to bed?"

The very words make your stomach roll a little in nervous excitement, though you try desperately not to show it on your face. You simply nod and offer a warm but mildly fake smile before you stand and ensure everything is locked and switched off.

Though you and George had shared a bed only a few nights ago, this was entirely different and a nervous anticipation consumed you, knowing you'd both be heading to bed at the same time, both of you aware that this was happening.

"Need the toilet? I'm going to get undressed," he says, gesturing with a nod towards the en-suite in your bedroom.

"No, you go on," you said with a smile, walking over to the dresser to grab some pyjamas. You heard the door close and as you pulled open the drawer, an immediate dilemma faced you. What would you wear to bed?

You looked down at the various pyjamas in your drawer and felt frozen with choice, not knowing how to proceed as the different materials stared back at you, each of them seeming to convey something. There were a few pairs of oversized, frumpy sets that you mainly wore in winter or when you were needing comfort but they weren't exactly 'nice' nor would they look very attractive on, most of them having some sort of embarrassing pattern or cheesy slogan printed on the front. You didn't want George to see you in something so frumpy and shapeless, looking like you'd made absolutely no effort on yourself but the alternative seemed much too drastic too. There were a few nicer sets of lace and silk in sensual colours that you used to wear for Fred but wearing one of those would send a clear message to George that you didn't feel was appropriate, or it would look like you were trying too hard. You dig through the drawer, thankfully still hearing the water running in the bathroom and tried to find a compromise. Should you wear a bra? Everything felt so confusing.

You realised that you could no longer hear the water running and reached for a cotton set at the bottom, trying to make it seem like you hadn't spent his entire shower agonising over this simple choice. It was a simple camisole top with long bottoms, dark red and black check with just a little lace on the neckline, comfy but attractive.

You passed him on his way out of the shower, seeing the tips of his hair still damp and his pyjamas clinging to his slightly moist skin, hugging the wider parts of his chest and shoulders deliciously.

You washed off your makeup, splashing cold water on your face for good measure as you tried to calm your racing thoughts, knowing that you were being ridiculous. He probably wouldn't even see you if it was dark. You put on your pyjamas, throwing your dress in the hamper and took one look at yourself before turning off the light and stepping out into the bedroom. The lamp was on, dimly illuminating the room and you could see George reading in bed, covers pushed up to his hips as he concentrates on the page he's reading. He looks up at you though you don't look back at him as you take off your jewellery, leaving your engagement ring on, feeling his gaze burning into your side.

It feels more than awkward, peeling back the covers and slipping into your own bed now that George was already settled on one side.

"Is this okay?" George asks and it takes you a moment to realise he means the lamp.

"Yeah of course," you reply absently but politely as you sink down in bed, pulling the covers up to your waist. There's a few moments of silence that feels in between awkward and comfortable, knowing that your awkwardness stemmed from your own anxiety whereas George probably found the silence comforting as he read his book.

"Okay sorry," George says with a bit of a huff, marking his page with whatever he was using as a bookmark, a chocolate frog card by the looks of it, and placed the book into his lap, turning to you. You gazed up at him, leaning forward a little in concern at his sudden outburst. "How do you look so good in pyjamas?"

Your mind is completely empty, astounded by his words. His face had softened significantly as he looked upon your shocked face, a gentle chuckle passing his lips. "Sorry, it's just, no ones going to believe you're married to me when you're so hot."

You were hallucinating, you were almost certain of it. Those words had never come from George Weasley before and your mind started to spiral whilst your face remained blank, heart racing in excitement. You knew that the only way to reply was to fight it with humour, not able to believe that he was being serious.

"Shove off, I'm comfy," you replied, though your words felt hollow, almost like they weren't actually coming out of your own mouth.

"I'm being serious," he says chuckling with a shake of his head. "Only you could make pyjamas look yule ball worthy."

"How much have you had to drink?" You laugh, playfully nudging him, still trying to deflect his words.

He simply smiles at you in return, "very little actually, dad drank most of it." You both giggle a little at the thought of Arthur snoring away in the spare room, George's room.

"Well you're not so bad yourself Weasley," you tease, your gaze flicking to his bulging arms for just a second, seeing that the T-shirt was just slightly too tight around his biceps.

There's a brief moment when everything seems to pause and as if in slow motion, George leans over and presses his lips to yours, only hesitating for a moment as he looks as your face, searching for any hesitation, in which he finds none. Your lips meet his and its like an electric current is passing between you both, igniting something inside you that has you pressing into him and fuelling the kiss. The clattering of the book is a distant noise to you as the kiss deepens, George's hand wrapping around your jaw line as he pulls you in, his tongue slipping out and caressing your own. You feel weightless, breathless, like you're floating, hardly even aware of your hands as they reach out for him, feeling the soft material of his T-shirt under your fingertips as you seek purchase on his shoulders, a fire burning between you.

Clothes are shed with desperation, either of you able to fight the blistering urge to feel the other completely. His lips are all over you, his touch only fuelling the desire that consumes you, leaving you unable to think clearly as you seek out his touch. It's raw and primal, no time for thinking or hesitation as you melt into each other, passion and arousal overwhelming everyone of your senses. He's hot to the touch and in the back of your mind you can feel your own heat coursing through your body, feeling more out of control than you ever hand but at the same time, feeling completely safe and right. When he slips inside you for the first time, it's all you can do not to cry out, the pleasant stretch and overwhelming relief of the sensation is the only thing you can think of. Your glad that he'd been quick to cast a silencing charm around the room as you mom out, unable to hold back any longer as your hips meet his, desperate to keep him inside of you. He groans out again, moaning with abandon as his hips only increase in pace, seeing your own body contorting in pleasure, working with his movements to create the most sensual scene and feeling he could fathom. When his hand slips to your exposed breasts, fingers plucking as your hardened nipples, you cry out his name ecstasy and are blessed with an almost whimpering moan from him as his thrusts get harder, watching as your breasts bounce in time with his thrusts, your body working to double your efforts chasing after the fullness he provides. Your walls begin to clench as the pleasure rises, white hot heat of bliss overtaking you, feeling his long and skilful fingers toying with your breasts, your pussy stretched around his perfect cock that hits every pleasure filled spot inside you and your throbbing clit rubbing sinfully against his happy trail with every deep thrust. It's too much and not enough all at the same time and you cry out his name over and over as your orgasm washes over you, hardly noticing his own climax until you slowly come down from your high, no longer feeling the force of his thrusts as he lazily slips in and out of you slowly in the come down. There's a warmth from deep inside you that is both intoxicating and comforting, knowing that the evidence of his pleasure had coated your insides, as if he'd claimed you as his own.

You're both breathless, panting against each other as your sweat covered bodies meld together, George's arms barely holding him up anymore as he slowly sinks down, putting more of his weight on to you that you welcome. You're still connected in every sense, your arms clutched around his shoulders, legs linked over hip hips and his now softened cock still inside of you. You reach up just enough to kiss his forehead where it is nestled into your neck, trying to prevent any awkwardness from slipping in to the blissful moment. His head turns downwards and he presses fluttering kisses over your chest, kissing each breast and trailing upwards until he kisses you on the lips with a sweetness that is a stark contrast to the burning passion of before. When he looks up at you, you feel breathless all over again. His eyes are so filled with emotion that it truly makes your heart flutter, seeing yourself reflected in his eyes, a look that you'd never seen crossing his gorgeous features.

With one last kiss, he slowly pulls away as your limbs disconnect from him and though you feel truly satisfied, you can't help but feel a little empty as his soft cock slowly slips out of you, no longer bringing you warmth or fullness. There's nothing said, no words needed as he pulls you into his still sweaty chest, unfazed at his nudity as his arms wrap around you, a kiss pressed to your hair as you lie there in utter contentment.

You realise George had fallen asleep a little while later and you attempt to slip out of his arms undetected as you make your way to the en-suite, careful not to wake him. You pee for good measure and consider showering but don't quite feel up to it right now. When you look in the mirror, you see a beaming smile greeting you in your reflection, not having noticed that you were doing so. You realised then how utterly happy you were, feeling more content than you had in so long.

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[mirandasidefics]

But Home is Nowhere- Chapter 9 (Pt1)

Pairing(s): Lucien x Plus Size Reader, Azriel X Plus Size Reader, and Ruhn Danaan x Plus Size Reader

Chapter 9 Pt1 Summary: Reader returns to the townhouse to see that Lucien has gone to the Spring Court. Per Ruhn, he asked him to make sure that Reader is okay. The emotions of the day hit her in an unexpected way. A week later Reader, Lucien, and Mor go to Day Court. It quickly becomes apparent that the Inner Circle likes to meddle. Well, so does the High Lord of the Day Court.

Word Count: 5.4K

Warning(s): Nightmares

A/N: This chapter will be split into two sections, mainly due to the similar themes throughout, but it was becoming a bit of an overload. A very special thank you to @hardcoremarvelfan for her assistance with this chapter start to finish! And thank you to my team of beta readers! You guys are all amazing! There is a lot going on in this chapter, and I promise we are getting closer to actually moving some of the plot forward. But character and relationship development is also important for what I have instore.

Series Masterlist

Previous: Chapter 8

Nyx had fallen asleep rather quickly after the start of your personal one-woman rendition of Frozen 2. After tucking him in and saying your goodbye to Feyre and Elain, you opted to walk on your own back to the town house. You’ve walked along this route a few times and it didn’t pass by any of the pubs, so you didn’t have to worry about possibly running into any drunk males. Even if you did, you had been seen walking along the route with various members of the “Inner Circle'' and even the High Lord himself on more than one occasion. Someone would have to have a death wish to mess with you knowing that you worked directly for the High Lord and Lady. 

The walk was just the thing you needed to help clear your mind of the emotionally taxing day. This morning had started off much differently than where your day had ended. Your good humor from the surprise offering of that apple to Azriel had long since disappeared. As the day went on the positive energy had been slowly drained out of you. Instead, it was replaced with irritation, a hairpin trigger temper, and resurfacing memories you longed to be forgotten. Today felt like the longest day in existence as you slowly trudged back to the town house. 

The cold breeze off the Sidra flitted over your skin, hurrying you along. The day’s events added up and you couldn’t wait to see Lucien to discuss everything that happened. Well, almost everything. You still had a promise to keep to Nesta, even though you were certain that the other females would be telling their mates about your little ability to walk through the Prison wards without issue. Once Cassian knew something, it meant that it wouldn’t be long before Rhysand knew as well. 

In what felt like record time, you found yourself walking up the steps leading to the front door. Your heart sputtered with the thought of not being able to tell Lucien what you had discovered. So far, you shared practically everything with the Autumn Court male. While he didn’t know everything about you or your past, you had made sure to keep him apprised of the inner workings of your mind and any event that happened while he was not directly next to you. That was something the two of you had agreed upon since your fight prior to moving to Velaris. 

The door had been unlocked, which was something that you felt you’d never quite get used to. The interior of the town house was warm, a fire dancing in the parlor’s fireplace. You poked your head into the room expecting to see the near crimson shade of Lucien’s long hair hanging over the armrest of the couch. However, you were instead greeted by the infectious smile and vivid blue eyes of Ruhn. 

“Hey there sweetness,” He called out. You felt your shoulders slump ever so slightly and hesitated on whether to fully enter the room. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be around Ruhn, but all you really wanted to do was talk to Lucien. You needed to decompress with your best friend from this emotional rollercoaster that was today. 

“Hey,” Your voice was softer than you intended. Maybe Lucien was already in your room waiting for you. A book in his lap as he leaned against the headboard of the bed you both practically shared.  

“That’s all I get? A simple ‘Hey’.” Ruhn teased, standing up from the couch. 

“Sorry,” You tried to hide your own smile by pressing your lips into a thin line. “But is Lucien here?

“Ah, about that,” Ruhn took a few steps across the room, and you tried your best not to tense your shoulders again. “He…wanted me to tell you that he was called away. He had to go…check in on those allies in the south.”  

“Oh,” Your chest felt heavy. “Okay.” A part of you couldn’t help but wonder at the truth of the statement. 

“Is there…” He paused, his hand outstretched. Ultimately it came to rest on your shoulder before that violet stare looked you over. You fidgeted in place, picking at your nails. It wasn’t exactly like Lucien not to tell you himself if he was leaving. Sure, he’d left the Night Court without warning before, but he had always left you a note. “Can I help with anything?” 

You met Ruhn’s gaze and hesitated. He and the others from Midgard were perfectly aware of your ongoing issues. They had all been at the Moonstone Palace in those early days. And while Bryce and Hunt would occasionally stay in a room at the House of Wind, Ruhn stayed at the town house full time with you. He knew all too well that the occasional nights away from Lucien still led to difficulty sleeping. But you never asked for any help from him or anyone else before. Lucien was the only one and those nights had just become routine. He was your safe space. Though the guilt had been lessening, you didn’t want to be a burden to anyone else. It wouldn’t be fair to ask Ruhn to step in, even if you knew he would without question. 

“I should be okay,” You forced a smile to your lips. Taking his hand off your shoulder, you gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you though.” With that you turned and headed up the stairs to your room.

Sure enough, you were greeted by a cold and empty room. Lucien would typically use his magic to light the fire in the small hearth and have it blazing before you fell asleep. Tonight, you would have to go without. You knew how to get one going on your own, but you didn’t have the tools readily available tonight. Closing the curtains, you changed into your night clothes and readied for bed. You prayed that your sleep tonic tonight would be enough to keep the darkness at bay.

Blackness. Deep and penetrating. The surrounding darkness filled your vision. The color was so dense it swallowed any light that dared linger. The dark was followed by a bitter cold that seeped into your bones. Your hands stretched out in front of you, trying to guide you through the depths. The tips of your fingers were numb, giving way to a minor sensation in your palms. What should have felt like frozen air was instead slippery and oily. Something slithered across your forearm. 

You opened your mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Another unknown thing wound up your leg. Still no sound could be heard past your lips. Up and up your thigh the scaly creature traveled. You tried to brush it away, but another wrapped around your wrist, pulling it back. The silence of the space around you was deafening. You kicked against the creature, trying your best to shake it off. You could feel the frozen tears along your cheeks. The creature coiled its way up slowly, a trail of black oil in its wake staining your skin. You pulled at your restrained wrist and continued to kick. Finally breaking free, you began to run. Getting no more than a few feet, your steps slowed. The ground beneath you turned into thick molasses. The sticky and slimy substance reeked of festering meat. Gagging at the stench you pulled your hands up to your mouth, only for the reek to become stronger. Looking down you saw your hands were covered in the same unknown substance. Suddenly your movements stopped altogether. 

The stinking black ooze fully covered your feet and was rapidly rising; filling up the space that you were in. Panic latched itself onto you. With each attempt to free your limbs the world around you seemed to slow. Not that you could see much beyond your own body. The silver glow it emitted was immediately swallowed by the darkness. A deep rumbling caused the light to flicker. 

“No!” You cried, but again the sound died instantly. The ooze continued to rise. The creature from before had wound its way around your waist. Your wrists were bound a second time above your head. You tried to kick again, but the ooze was nearly at your hips. How did it get so high? A bright flash of blue nearly blinded you. 

“No!” You tried to scream a second time. The ooze was now at your neck, and the tears streamed down faster. The creature around you constricted tighter and you felt that deep rumbling at your back. You opened your mouth again to scream, but air was quickly replaced with that reeking oily darkness. You were going to die. 

“(Y/N)! WAKE UP!” Your eyes snapped open. Tears clung to your eyelashes and blurred your vision. You tried to move your arms, but something kept them pinned down at your sides. Taking large gulps of air, you blinked and whipped your head around, desperately trying to find why the blackness had suddenly disappeared. The rushing of your blood pounded against your ears. Slowly, the sound subsided, and the tears dried up. A blast of cold wind snapped along your front. It was a stark contrast to the dull warmth at your back. You turned your head to look behind you. Moonlight drenched panic was visible in Ruhn’s features. Slowly you turned around, his arms never leaving you.

“R-Ruhn?” Your throat burned, hoarse from the screams you let out in your sleep. The male stood before you now, one arm wrapped around your middle while the other cradled your face. His thumb brushed at a tear that slipped down your cheek. You looked around, finally taking in your surroundings. You were on the roof of the town house. The Night Court sky, black speckled in deep blues and purples, twinkled with starlight. A nearly full moon hung low on the western horizon. Ruhn’s thumb continued to stroke along your cheek. The movement allowed you to slowly reorient yourself in your body.   

“How…” You looked back at the male.

“You were sleepwalking,” His touch was so gentle, and his voice held the slightest tremble.

“I’m sorry,” You apologized. Ruhn chuckled.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, baby,” He pulled you towards his chest. Your feet stumbled as they came off the ledge. The stone of the building felt like ice under your bare feet. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

You nodded along and he guided you back to the roof entrance. You had only been up here a few times, so you were surprised that you found the door on your own. Especially since you had been asleep. Sleepwalking. You had never sleep walked before, and you could feel your body shake with the thought of what would have happened had Ruhn not been in the town house with you. Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize that you were already at your bedroom door.

“Did you take your tonic tonight?” Ruhn asked, leading you into the room.

“Yes,” You whispered, staring at your empty bed. The dark sheets were crumpled and half hanging off the side. Almost as if you had been in the fight of your life within the silk fabric.

“Then you’re not sleeping alone,” His tone was resolute. And if you hadn’t been in near shock, you may have fought against him. You watched in silence at the foot of the bed as he tucked the corners of the bottom sheet underneath the mattress. Once it was all set, he motioned for you to climb back in. You complied wordlessly, pulling the blankets back over yourself. He then sat in the armchair next to the bed and spread out the copper throw blanket over his legs.

“Take the rest of your tonic,” He instructed, “I’ll let the others know that you need the morning off.” His smile was gentle, and you genuinely felt safe. You again did as he instructed, and slumber claimed you again as soon as your head hit the pillow.

If you could only use a single word to sum up the Day Court, it was brilliant. The sun itself almost seemed to shine brighter than within the Night Court skies. The air certainly held a warmer quality that wasn’t solely because it was further south on the large island. No, the air almost reminded you of your own home in the fall. Just like the warm breeze flowing across your skin now, you didn’t get the crisp and cool Autumn winds in your hometown. A slight pang of nostalgia flooded through you.

The Autumn based holidays were always important to your family. You made a mental note to ask Lucien when the Autumn Equinox was set to occur. You could then use that as a base to count down the days to Samhain. Maybe this year you could celebrate the Wheel of Year in your own way. If you were going to be stuck here, you may as well continue your personal practice. You had been able to gather that Prythian followed a solar calendar and celebrated many similar holidays to your own Celtic roots. Maybe if everything worked out in your visit with Helion, you’d be able to study some of their holidays and mythology. You always loved reading about that in your own world.

You wondered if the libraries held the same level of grandeur as the High Lord’s palace. The hall that you found yourself walking along with Mor, who had firmly planted herself between you and Lucien, was nothing short of opulent. Large stone columns lined the hall, holding the ceiling aloft. To your best guess it would have been at least 20 feet high. Your eyes darted from pillar to pillar, each filled with various images. It reminded you of the temples and other sacred sites in ancient Egypt.

The hall eventually ended, sectioning off into two open air walkways that surrounded an open courtyard oasis. A large reflection pool with deep teal water took up half of the expansive space. An occasional floating lily pad was the only disruption to the smooth surface. The other half was walled off by a luscious garden. Your eyes lit up at the vivid greens ranging from deep emerald to olive to dusty sage in plants of all sizes. The few flowering plants all held buds and blossoms of a white hue. You could recognize only a scant few on sight. Roses, Calla Lilies, and Magnolia. It was breath-taking to say the least. You would have loved to lounge on one of the cushioned benches that were scattered throughout the area. A good book in one hand and a margarita in the other.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Morrigan walked up to your side. You hadn’t even realized that you had stopped to stare at the beautiful garden. She gently pulled your elbow encouraging you to continue moving. Rubbing the top of your left ear you followed suit. Rhysand requested that Lucien place a glamor on your ears to give them a pointed appearance. Mor gently clasped your wrist and pulled your hand away.

You weren’t entirely sure why Rhysand had insisted that she tag along on this journey. Really, you only needed one babysitter. So, having two seemed a bit overkill. But as much as Rhysand tried to pretend that you were more than just a thorn in his side, you knew that the only reason you even required an entourage was because he didn’t trust you to be alone with anyone outside of the Night Court.

You had nothing against Mor being here, and she was certainly a better option than some of the other members of the Inner Circle. For the most part you got along with her, but you also didn’t spend much time together to be more than cordial in each other’s presence. She often traveled to and from the continent for some reason or other. You weren’t privy to that information, nor did you really care. The internal workings of the Night Court held no real interest of yours.

You just wanted the opportunity to figure out a way home. The sooner you could do that, the sooner you could leave and return to the place where you knew you were wanted. Something deep in your gut told you that the longer you spent in this strange world the more likely you would get caught up in drama or events that frankly you’d rather not have to deal with. You had been perfectly comfortable with your life back home and you were eager to return before too much time had passed. You still had so many things you wished to accomplish.

Your mind was brought out of its wandering when Mor looped her arm with yours. She began to chatter about the marble sculptures that lined the walkway your group had taken on its way to wherever Helion was waiting. The Fae male escorting your group took you down another hallway, this one leading to a veranda. Nervously you reached towards your ear again, but Mor stopped you.

Helion sat on an ornately carved pine chaise with cream upholstery. Before him was a table lined with various meats, cheeses, fruits, and bread. A carafe filled with pale wine was in his hands. He had just finished filling a glass with the liquid when he looked up to see his visitors.

“Ah-ha!” His deep voice reverberated off the white marble walls. “I was beginning to think that you had gotten lost.” The High Lord set down the wine glass and stood. His arms outstretched as Mor’s arm slipped from where it encircled yours. The two embraced like the old friends they were.

Just as his home was an aesthetic vision of whites, so was the High Lord himself. The robe he wore hung from one shoulder and draped across his broad and toned chest, tucking into a golden belt. The rest of the fabric cascaded to the floor. Your eyes roved over his form. His golden-brown skin was perfectly sun-kissed, half of his thick black hair swept and pinned up accentuating his sharp jawline. The male was nothing short of godlike in appearance.

Next to you Lucien cleared his throat, before placing his index finger under your chin and closing your mouth for you.

“What?” You swatted his hand away.

“Really?” He leveled you with a look that was halfway between amused and exasperated. Heat flared on your cheeks. You hadn’t meant to gawk at the High Lord, but honestly no one should have expected any different. You opened your mouth to try and save your pride at having been caught so blatantly when Helion called out to Lucien.

“How are you?” The two males clasped their forearms together in greeting. “I’m thrilled that you were able to make it. I hear you and that brother of yours have been working tirelessly to help maintain…boundaries as of late. Hopefully this isn’t the only break Rhysand has given you?”

“I can safely say that this is a much-welcomed change of pace,” Lucien smiled. “Shall I introduce you to (Y/N)? Rhys and Mor��s cousin from the continent.” You tucked a strand of (h/c) hair behind your ear, a shy smile forming on your lips. You had nearly forgotten the cover story that had been provided to Helion. It struck you as ironic that Rhysand had come up with the idea, especially when he gave no indication of knowing how close to the truth it was.   

“It’s very nice to meet you um…” You still weren’t certain of the best way to address him.

“Helion,” He smiled, and it seemed as if the room brightened along with it. “No need for formalities for such an informal situation wouldn’t you agree?” He took your hand and brought the back of your knuckles to his lips. You nodded in agreement, the ability to speak completely vacating your mind. You felt like a middle schooler again trying to talk to the dashingly handsome teacher. While you had been warned of the High Lord’s flirtatious nature, you didn’t fully realize how dangerous his looks would be on their own. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Lucien’s own mismatched eyes roll.

The High Lord stepped away and returned his attention to Mor, who had made herself comfortable on one of the plush chairs surrounding what was certainly to be your lunch. Lucien playfully poked you in the ribs. Suppressing a giggle, you pushed his hands away only for him to keep one on your waist.

“I’ve had my people prepare two rooms for you,” Helion began. “Per your request Lucien, you and-”

“Only two rooms?” Mor questioned, casually sipping from her wine glass. “Not that I mind sharing a room with my cousin.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. You felt Lucien tense as you continued towards the table. You had been under the impression that you and Lucien would share a room per your routine. Was that not the case? Had the concern of the time you and Lucien spent together spread beyond just Azriel and Nesta?

“Not exactly,” Helion’s smile almost seemed forced. You glanced at Lucien out of the corner of your eye. He appeared just as hesitant and uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going as you.

“So, a third room will be prepared as well then?” She picked a strawberry and brought it to her lips. Your heartrate kicked up. Would you really be forced to sleep by yourself for your short stay here? You had had nightmares all week, even after taking your tonic and Ruhn staying with you as promised. You had your tonic, but you were not prepared to be alone. From the looks on Lucien and Helion’s faces neither had they.

“No, Mor,” Helion stated simply. The High Lord motioned for you and Lucien to take your seats on the small couch. “Lucien and (Y/N) will share a room as I have discussed with him.”

“Even though he’s mated to another female?” You couldn’t suppress the surprise on your features fast enough. “His High Lady’s sister to be exact.” You half expected a satisfied smirk or even feigned concern on Elain’s behalf given her tone, but her expression gave nothing away. It suddenly clicked that this was the reason that Mor was present. She was to run interference between Lucien and you. To keep you separated, regardless of what that meant for you.

Her statement only confirmed your recent anxieties. Those outside of your bedroom believe your friendship with Lucien was crossing into a questionable realm. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Surly Morrigan, whose power was somehow related to seeing the truth, would know that your relationship with Lucien was strictly platonic. Your friendship was the only thing that kept you stable. Did they all really expect you to have completely healed by now?

That must be the case, since it appeared everyone around you believed it was high time that you learned to manage your issues on your own. It didn’t matter that others had been given the time and resources and social support they all ultimately needed to heal. You had been granted time and Lu was your support. So…maybe they were right. Despite Lucien saying that everything was fine, maybe you depended on him too much. And if an effort to separate you was being made, maybe you had inadvertently prevented Elain from seeking out her mate. Maybe-

“It seems that there is a misunderstanding regarding my relationship with (Y/N),” Lucien cut in, his hand finding its way to the small of your back. “I help her with her nightmares, which have recently escalated to include sleepwalking. She nearly-” You looked at him. Did Ruhn tell him about that first night he was away? About how you nearly walked off the rooftop.

“Then maybe we should seek the assistance of Thesan regarding a stronger tonic to help her get the restful sleep she needs,” Mor’s interjection was quick. This discussion had the potential to quickly get out of hand.

“Helion,” Your voice was soft, and again you played with your ear. “Perhaps, if its not too much trouble, a separate room for myself would be best.” The warmth supporting your back vanished as you looked to the High Lord. For a split second you could have sworn that sadness flickered in his eyes. The male held your gaze for a moment, before slowly nodding. Helion called over one of the males that stood by the entrance to the veranda instructing him to advise that a third room would be needed.

“Given the concerns of your sleepwalking,” He looked to Lucien briefly before returning his gaze to you. “I will personally see to it that the appropriate wards are set so that you can rest easy and walk about the room without getting hurt.” Lucien’s hand returned to your lower back as you took a deep breath.

“Thank you.” You dipped your chin in acknowledgement and apology. The remainder of the afternoon passed quickly. The conversation switched to various topics, most of which your brain couldn’t seem to focus on. You answered questions that Helion directed towards you, but you kept your responses short.

When the room was prepared, the High Lord himself showed you the way, setting up the wards as promised. He allowed you to have some time alone before reuniting for dinner. You didn’t have the heart to tell him or any of your companions that all you could manage to do while alone was stare out the doorless entrance to the balcony overlooking the large palace grounds. Instead, you lied, claiming to have taken a nap.

At dinner, Mor insisted on sitting between you and Lucien. Her reasoning was that it would allow you to focus on a conversation with Helion. Again, your focus on the conversation was strained. By the time you returned to your designated room you felt like a zombie just going through the motions. You bathed and changed into a set of night clothes you reserved for warmer weather. Holding one of the four bottles of the sleep tonic that you brought with you, you sat on the foot of the massive bed. You had been so lost in your dissociation that you had yet to take in its splendor. You stared at the bottle, debating on drinking half or the entire thing. Even with the shields in place you didn’t want to risk your body having the energy to physically get up. So, popping the cork you downed the entire contents. Within seconds your vision faded, and the world went black.  

A couple days had passed since you, Lucien, and Morrigan arrived in the Day Court. Throughout that time, Mor had rarely left your side and it was grating on your nerves. You had hoped that you would have the opportunity to talk with Lucien regarding everything that had happened since the day you went to the Prison. Unfortunately, that opportunity was thwarted at every turn. Her presence made you feel on edge.

You had terrible dreams that first night here, the sleeping tonic proving to be of no real use. You wondered if your body was starting to become more tolerant of whatever ingredients went into making it, or if you were being given something else entirely. While insomnia wasn’t new to you, it certainly was much more irritating to deal with when you had no access to the heavy drugs of Western medicine. So, instead of continuing to drink shit that did nothing you decided that you just weren’t going to sleep. By your count, you had foregone sleep for nearly 40 hours now. The longer you stayed in your room, the more the shadows started to play tricks on you. Which is why you found yourself wandering the halls of Helion’s palace just before dawn.

“I do not make my decision lightly Morrigan,” Your body jumped in surprise as Helion’s deep voice rumbled through hall. “Had you not been so preoccupied with your…companion that night, I’m certain that you would have heard her screams. The rest of my estate certainly did.” 

You scurried behind one of the large pillars as their voices grew. You could hear Mor respond, but the words themselves were difficult for your human ears to pick up on. Your face flushed at the realization that he was talking about you. You had screamed yourself hoars in those early morning hours after your first night. Lucien had practically broken down the door to get to you, Helion hot on his heels. As soon as you managed to stop crying you apologized profusely to the pair. Lucien offered to stay with you after that, but you knew that with Mor around it wouldn’t be wise. So begrudgingly he left you to get ready for the day.

“This is not a slight against you,” He reassured the female as they came into view. You pressed yourself as close to the pillar as possible.

“It certainly feels as such since you are asking only me to leave,” She quipped. “Helion, what am I supposed to tell my cousin when I return alone?”

“If you must give him an answer then tell Rhysand this,” Helion smiled at Morrigan. “I cannot come to trust her when she does not feel comfortable around certain members of his court.” The pair halted, stopping before an insanely large looking glass.

“Let me talk to her without his ever-watchful eyes and ears,” You watched as Helion set his hand on her shoulder. “That means take the Shadowsinger back with you.” His final sentence was delivered with a coldness you had not anticipated hearing.

It took a few seconds for your brain to process what he said. Azriel was also here and lurking around. Your eyes did not play any tricks on you last night after all. Those were Azriel’s shadows peeking out behind the curtains of your room. From the reflection in the hallway mirror, you saw Mor’s eyes widen slightly before that perfected Night Court façade slipped in place. 

“Lucien and Azriel can return-”

“Lucien is the only one she is comfortable with; therefore, he will remain here in his emissary capacity,” A shiver shot down your spine at the level of authority held within the High Lord of 

Day’s voice. “I’m not trying to steal (Y/N) away after all.”

“But he’s mated-”

“And has that bond been accepted?” He challenged. “He’s a grown male and she’s a grown woman. They do not need your nor Rhysand’s interference in their lives and how they wish to live them.” You wished that you were able to see the look on Helion’s face. He didn’t even know you and yet he was fighting with Mor, someone he knew well, on your behalf.

“You saw through her glamor,” Mor kept her air of indifference.

“No,” Helion laughed. “She keeps touching the tops of her ears. I don’t know of any High Fae that touch their ears the way she has been. I merely guessed at her being human, so thank you for the confirmation.” So much for your disguise. It wasn’t your fault that the magic felt like the top of your ears had lost circulation. That pins and needles sensation was unsettling.

“It is interesting to watch them though, is it not? How when in the same space they are so unconsciously aware of each other. One shifts as the other does.” His deep voice sounded further away, as if he was remembering something.

“Then you understand the concern,” Mor pressed.

“I do not,” Helion resumed their walk. “Those in the Night Court have been blessed with finding their mates and happiness of being with them. While many place these bonds above all else, you and I both know from personal experience that finding your mate doesn’t guarantee a happy life.” Mor sighed as she followed him.

“You’re right,” She linked her arm through his. “They do have a unique relationship that the others don’t want to acknowledge.” The two walked in silence for a while, their voices growing soft in the distance.

“Has his mate made any comment?” You could barely make out his last question, and you couldn’t even hear Mor’s response. Their conversation sent your mind reeling. So many questions swarmed to the surface. Had your friendship with Lucien really crossed some unknown social taboo? If that was the case, then you certainly had a lot to think about.

Next: Chapter 9 Part 2-Coming Soon

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[waywardxwords]

The Fix - Part 3

Summary: Everyone has a past, but yours seemed to haunt you. You've tried to move forward with a normal life, but the day comes when that's not possible anymore. When Sheriff Beau Arlen enters your life, you're certain he is going to judge you just like everyone else in town does. But something about Beau is different.

Warnings: Child abduction, mentions of domestic violence, slight language (maybe? I feel like maybe not in this chapter, but honestly it's me, so there may be one or two slipped in there. Adding it here to cover myself lol)

Word Count: ~2.5k

There were multiple deputies coming and going from your home. Mo seemed to be the constant—he was the only one who actually came inside. He wanted to make sure you had water and he tried to get you to eat (tried being the key word). But you were glued to the television. The search had begun, but they weren’t showing much. You had only seen Beau once on your screen, but you assumed they were trying to be inconspicuous with where they searched, just in case Jackson was watching. 

Matt, the FBI agent, had stopped by. You assured him you didn’t know anything about the press conference or the search. The anger you felt around Beau ditching you had mostly diminished. But now it was replaced by anxiety, fear and this deep despair that you couldn't fix. 

Mo had been gracious enough to close Bailey’s bedroom door when he spotted you staring from the doorway with tears falling down your face. 

“She’s probably cold and tired,” you muttered as he approached. 

“It’s going to be okay, ma’am. We’re going to find her,��� his words were meant to be comforting, but you knew he couldn’t make you any promises. So now you waited, because you didn’t know what else to do. 

It had been hours. You had practically paced foot trails in your hardwood as you walked. But you heard the sound of tires against the gravel and you darted to the front porch. Mo had stopped you long enough for Beau to open the driver’s door and step out onto the gravel. But after that, you wiggled out of his grasp and headed straight for the Sheriff. 

Your feet carried you quickly through the trail of the headlights until you reached him. Instinctively, your hands reached out to grasp at his jacket lapels. “Have you found anything?” Your words were rushed and your heart thumped heavy in your chest. 

Beau’s hands gently gripped your shoulders and you watched as he carefully chose his words. “Not yet. Let’s get inside, okay?” 

Your knees buckled at his words. As you wanted to move, you struggled and Beau could see that. With one hand on your lower back, he led you past the deputies and into the house. Even though the kitchen was warm, your body shuddered.  

“There’s nothing you can tell me? No signs of them? Do you have any leads?” You turned towards the tall man and saw that same sympathetic look across his face. “And for the love of God, can you please wipe that sad look off your face?! I’m so sick of everyone in this damn town feeling sorry for me.”

Beau nodded and averted his gaze. “I get it,” he leaned back against your countertop and folded his arms across his chest. “Listen, when I came in as interim Sheriff, this town wasn’t too sure of me. Hell, if I remember correctly, you weren’t too sure of me, either,” he eyed you with his brows raised. You didn’t even realize that he hadn’t addressed any of your questions. Your brain felt like you were running on fumes. “I know what it’s like to have people talkin’ and lookin’. Maybe not for the same reasons, but I still understand.” 

You bit at the inside of your lip and begged the tears to stop flooding your eyes. You were sick of crying. “I know they can’t understand why I didn’t leave him sooner,” you mumbled as your eyes stared at the hardwood below your house shoes. 

“That’s not anybody’s business but your own,” Beau spoke firmly. “You don’t owe anyone anything, you hear me?” You nodded and wiped angrily at your face. “Now, I already know you’re gonna fight me on this…but I need you to try to get some sleep.”

Your head shot upward and you stared at him like he had two heads. “Yeah, right,” you huffed. “First of all, it’s like 9:30…I don’t go to bed this early on a normal night. Secondly, there’s no way in hell I could sleep right now even if I wanted to.”

Beau stared at you blankly for a moment before he glanced at the clock in your microwave. “Darlin’, it’s after midnight.” Your eyes followed his gaze where the little green numbers clearly read 12:01. You didn’t have a clue how that was remotely possible. “And I know it’s not easy, but you bein’ sleep deprived isn’t gonna do us any favors.”

“Beau…” you started with a look across your face that said you couldn’t do it. 

“I’m gonna be here, I’ll keep an eye on the place and an ear out to make sure there aren’t any leads,” his words reassured you. Beau seemed to understand you would never ask him to stay in the first place. “I know you don’t feel like you can trust me,” his gaze stayed on you to try to prove his words. “But I promise you, I’m handlin’ Bailey as I would my own daughter. We’ve enlisted other departments and law enforcement outside of Big Sky. We’re gonna get your girl back. I just need you to be in the right frame of mind when we do.”

“I don’t even feel tired, Beau,” it was a partial truth. Adrenaline had been coursing through you for hours now. But your body felt the weight of the exhaustion. 

“Well, let me make you a hot cup of tea and we can at least sit on the couch and chat for a bit,” he tried to reason. “How’s that sound?” 

You contemplated for a moment. “Fair enough,” you knew you weren’t going to win this fight. 

Beau made his way around your kitchen. You redirected him to an electric hot water kettle and then to the tea bags and mugs. You busied yourself with finding the honey in the pantry before settling on a stool as he waited on the hot water. 

“So,” he glanced over his shoulder at you as he prepared a chamomile tea bag in a mug for you. “Tell me, have you always lived in Big Sky?” Most people had been born and raised in this town. 

“No,” you sighed. “I’m from Pittsburgh. I came out to Big Sky for a backpacking trip with some girlfriends about seven years ago.” You had assumed everyone in this town knew your story, but you had to remind yourself Beau wasn’t from this town, either. 

“Ah, fell in love with the mountains?” He asked nonchalantly. 

There was a pause before you continued. “Or fell in love with a person I thought I could fix.” 

“That’ll do it,” Beau replied as the kettle flipped off once it was done boiling the water. He pulled it from the hot plate and poured some water over the tea bag. “I don’t mean to look at you like I feel bad for you,” he said gently as he fixated on the cup of tea. When you didn’t say anything, he realized you weren’t following. “Earlier, when you said you were tired of the way everyone in this town was lookin’ at you. I just wanted to say I didn’t mean to look at you any kinda way.”

He walked with the mug over where you sat on the bar stool and placed it in front of you. “Oh,” you breathed, not really sure what to say in response. 

“I guess for me it’s easy to see that you’re a good person,” he held your gaze with his eyes. For a moment, you got lost in the mossy hues and speckles of gold and brown. “I see a lotta people get mixed up with the wrong ones. You didn’t deserve that.” 

His words were simple, but they hit you harder than you had anticipated. You had blamed yourself for a lot of things that happened over the last few years. The warning signs you had avoided, or the red flags you had written off. 

“I’ll never regret what I went through,” you said softly. “Because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have Bailey.” Her name brought a blur over your eyes once more. 

“And that’s what makes you a good mother,” he said. “We make sacrifices for our kids, and they’re sacrifices people might not understand. But they don’t have to. I meant it when I said you don’t owe anyone any sorta explanation.”

“I do feel like I owe you somewhat of an explanation. You’re here because of me in the middle of the night when you could be at home sleeping right now,” you felt comfortable talking to Beau, though you still weren’t ready to admit it entirely. There was something about the way he had jumped into action when he heard how distraught you were on the phone, and how he blatantly disregarded the FBI’s request to stay in his own lane when it came to this case. 

“Sleep and I aren’t friends these days anyway, darlin’,” he chuckled. “You can’t really value sleep when you become the Sheriff.” You nodded and glanced down at your mug. “If you wanna talk about it, I’m all ears. But just know you don’t have to.” 

A sigh escaped your lips, but for the first time since you realized Bailey was missing, a small smile tugged at the corners. “Let’s go to the living room. It’s comfier.” You slipped off of the stool and grabbed your mug before you led the way to the couch nestled against a wall in the next room. 

Beau took a seat next to you but left enough room between you so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable. You set your mug down on the end table before you continued. 

“My ex, Jackson,” you began. “I knew he was broken when we met…I just didn’t realize how broken.” Your eyes didn’t meet Beau’s, but you knew he was listening. “But I couldn’t walk away. My mama always said I would take in a hundred stray cats, if I could, just so I could fix them up and take care of them.” You picked at the skin around one of your fingernails as a distraction. “Too bad I didn’t just adopt a cat, right?” You managed a chuckle.

Beau looked sympathetic again, and it made you want to groan. His silence urged you to continue.

“So, we moved faster than we should’ve…my family hated Jackson. They never trusted him, rightfully so,” you explained. “But we got married anyway. At that point, I knew he had struggled with addiction in the past, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from loving him. I just didn’t know he was dealing and getting mixed up with the big drug bosses on the side…” this was the point in the story where you always started to feel really stupid, for lack of a better word. Your fingers continued to wreak havoc on your cuticles, a nervous habit.

From the other side of the couch, you felt Beau’s calloused palm fall on top of your hands. His movement halted the picking and pulling your fingers were doing around your nail. You raised your head to look at him.

“Sometimes we have blinders on...but love always has a way to make us see what we wanna see,” his voice was low. 

“But it wasn’t love, Beau. It was never love,” you shook your head and repeated the words you had practiced with your therapist in so many sessions before. “The only love that ever came out of that relationship was Bailey… I was thankful for her for so many reasons.” Your gaze shifted again, because this was your least favorite part of your story. “He didn’t start hitting me until well after we were married…but he stopped once I got pregnant. I thought it had changed–he had changed. I thought that was the end. But as soon as she was born, it started up again.”

“Hey,” Beau’s voice was firm and it forced you to look at him again. “That isn’t your fault. You hear me?” His eyes were dark, almost and his brows knitted together.

“It’s hard to recognize that sometimes,” you answered honestly. 

“Well, you just lemme know when you’re being down on yourself and I’ll remind you,” his words kind of surprised you. You didn’t know Beau. And though he knew parts about your life, he didn’t really know you, either. 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” You asked, your voice just barely above a whisper. 

He hesitated only for a moment before he answered. “Bein’ a Sheriff gives me really good intuition when it comes to people,” he started. “And I can tell, you’re good people.” This time, you reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. You saw a look you couldn’t quite place mirror in his eyes. “Besides, I know what it’s like to be the outcast. Everybody’s just waitin’ for you to fail.”

Your brows pulled together at what he had said. “This town loves you, Beau. I know people are a little unsure at first. People who are from here don’t really know anything else. The big, bad Sheriff from Texas was hard to accept at first.”

A soft chuckle left his lips as he seemed to study you. “Oh, yeah? Was that why you didn’t trust me? Big, bad Sheriff from Texas, an’ all,” his grin made a dimple hollow out underneath his stubble on his cheek. You hadn’t noticed that before. 

“I didn’t not trust you,” it was a fib, but you felt bad now that he had called it out. 

“Ha!” He couldn’t help the louder laugh. “Yeah, okay.” He said sarcastically. “The first time I showed up over here, your demeanor was colder than frickin’ ice.” 

Heat rose in your cheeks as you recalled the first time you had met Beau. “Sorry,” you felt bad about how you treated him the first time you had met months ago. “Law enforcement was always showing up here. I felt like a suspect, when I was the victim. Nobody believed that I would leave Jackson, so when they were looking for him, the whole town assumed the battered wife took him back. I felt…degraded. Worthless, just about.”

Beau softened at your words. “Hey, in all seriousness, I don’t blame you. Didn’t blame ya then, definitely don’t now.” 

“Thanks for that,” you smiled at him. He matched yours, and you felt that same flutter in your chest. 

He nodded once, then cleared his throat. “I really need ya to try to get some sleep,” he eyed you with raised brows. “It’s late, and tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”

A sigh fell from your lips but you nodded. “Okay,” you stood from your place on the couch and reached for your mug of tea. “I’ll try. No promises, though.”

“Give it a fair shot and I’ll be happy,” he smiled as he stood while you left the room. 

“Night, Beau,” you glanced back at him over your shoulder. In the moment, you felt like you could get used to seeing him in your living room. 

“Night, darlin’,” he crooned. As you padded to your bedroom at the end of the hallway, you felt exhaustion wash over you. You felt safe for the first time in a long time. 

All of that would change just a few short hours later when you awoke to gunshots. 

I'm so sorry--I NEVER do cliffhangers...please don't hate me, lol. To be fair, I'm going to include a preview of the next chapter below that will hopefully hold you over until Saturday! I'm just barely getting this out (this has been written for a while but I did a quick read through to edit--my family has had the freaking stomach virus since Saturday so I'm STRUGGLING over here today, so I probably missed some errors, apologies in advance). Thank you for all of the feedback, likes and shares! I appreciate you all <3

Side note: If I'm a reader on something you're writing and I haven't sent feedback in the last 5/6 days, it's coming, I promise! I'm hoping to get caught up on my Tumblr reads this evening after my kiddo is in bed.

New installments posted on Wednesdays and Saturdays!

A preview of the next chapter to hold you over:

Pop, pop, pop. 

The sound was nauseating and caused you to bolt upright in your bed. You were disoriented and confused—you didn’t even remember falling asleep. 

Beau’s voice was muffled through your closed bedroom door. “Jackson, drop the gun!” He demanded with a tone you hadn’t heard him use before. “Nobody else needs to get hurt.” He said firmly. 

Nobody else? Your heart was in your throat. Bailey. 

You pulled on the metal doorknob and swung it open so hard that it bounced against the wall. It was so loud that it caused Beau to flinch slightly, but as you stepped into the hall you realized his focus was fixated on someone in your kitchen, his gun drawn and aimed in that direction. 

“Darlin’, I’m gonna need you to stay put,” Beau’s tone had shifted slightly—it was more gentle—but his gaze remained locked on the person in your kitchen.

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[arkus-rhapsode]

So Rudo and Follo in Gachiakuta Chapter 117... (Mini Discussion)

So the newest Gachiakuta chapter came out yesterday. A bit of a breather chapter after the last few revelations that ended up adding to the character of Follo. However something happened in this chapter that caught my eye.

So for a brief summary, during the last arc of Gachiakuta, Rudo and Follo swapped clothes to trick Kuro the Information Broker. Follo has been a pretty reoccurring side character, portrayed as a Cleaner assistant who helps in combat but aims at being an actual Giver. Follo though really could only contribute to their fight in small ways. So of course he feels a bit guilty and wants to give Rudo a replacement uniform. But Rudo rejects it.

Now, for those not aware I personal interpret Rudo as an autistic character. I have a whole big post about it, that can be read here. Where I go into a level of detail on why this is my reading of the character though I'm not going to say for certain that this was an intentional choice on the part of Kei Urana the author. But one such piece of evidence to my forming of this perspective is Rudo has an affinity for broken things and has a hyper fixation to fixing them.

Because of this we can infer that why Rudo rejects Follo's gift of a new uniform is because Rudo himself wouldn't throw away an object that he sees value in even if its damaged. Now it could've stopped there, but this moment between Follo and Rudo continues with Follo trying to convince Rudo to take his new uniform.

At first Follo is clearly sheepish about this. There's a guilt inside him for how things turned out and this is how he chooses to apologize. Its small, but its the best he can do. However, when presenting Rudo the gift we see this-

Follo bucks up, covering up his guilty feelings and just trying to apologize to Rudo indirectly. But Rudo rejects this, as stated previously, Rudo's fixation on not abandoning items that he sees value in is part of who he is. Even something as simple as his uniform is his. So naturally we can understand that when Follo acts like this isn't a big deal but he should change, Rudo rejects it.

And so Follo just relents and walks away, frustrated in himself and how once again his contributions don't help at all.

So... one of the common signifiers of being on the Autism Spectrum is an inability to read social cues. A common thing in polite society is to sometimes communicate without saying things. Some people can pick up on these very easy, reading a person's emotion and their non-verbal forms of communication like gestures. But there is a level of social unawareness in individuals on the Autistic Spectrum who fail at these readings. This can be in a variety of reasons such as not understanding the difference in someone's tone, difficulty in reading facial expressions, and inability to understand indirect intentions of an individual. These can often times lead to unfortunate or awkward situations where the Autistic Individual has hurt a person's feeling or misinterprets a person's intentions without fully understanding why-making it harder for them to learn what they did wrong. It can also be very unfortunate for the neurotypical individual who has these feelings and can feel as if the Autistic Individual is being insensitive to them and their emotional state.

We see both sides of that situation here with Rudo and Follo. We already have been inside Rudo's head in this story. We know why he feels the wy that he feels. We can get into his mind space. That's why this exchange is don't from the perspective of Follo's headspace. We can see his internal guilt as well as his feelings of inferiority to someone like Rudo. But Rudo can't. Rudo only yes Follo trying to give him a uniform and it not being a big deal. But afterwards we continue to see Follo's mind space and how he saw this exchange with Rudo. Reliving how much other regular people around him consider his job lame and being a lackey to people more special than him. With Rudo's rejection of the new uniform being seen harshly and coldly through Follo's eyes.

Now of course, I didn't want this post to be a "Rudo is Autistic and Here's Why!" While I have said that is my personal interpretation of the character and do have a chapter like this to be another reaffirmation of that belief, I think it is worth acknowledging that Gachiakuta is a series with a very prevalent underlying theme of people's feelings and how those are manifested and communicated with.

Characters like Zanka try to hide their real feelings of elation at praise because they don't consider themselves a genius and get a full head. Rudo's powers enhance the "feelings" an object may hold such as Griss's good luck charm that Gross wore because he wanted everyone to be safe and thus it turned into a defensive power for Rudo. Amp is a character whose twisted sense of love ensures other people trapping them in their good memories etc.

This feels like a natural extension of that theme. Follo is holding these emotions and as such Rudo is unable to truly understand the "why" of Follo's act. While I said that inability to read social cues is part of indicators of those on the spectrum may experience, I don't want to discount there are likely Neurotypical people who have had moments of this. If someone doesn't tell you how they feel then how can you act accordingly? Urana takes a very empathetic approach with her characters. And being able to see why they feel the way that they do is important for making that connection. Its when Amo is honest about her backstory and why she developed her interpretation of love and Rudo admits his own fault for the frustrations that he feels about having his emotions played with were the two ultimately able to reach out and connect with one another.

In the case of Follo and Rudo, Follo isn't making that known. So all Rudo can do is act as he usually does when it comes to damaged items. I don't know if this was added in translation or if the original Japanese is a similar, but props to Rudo's rejection being "No. Thank You." Rather than a frank "No." Its a perfect knife twist, because Rudo is clearly trying to have some manners in his rejection, but Follo still sees it so cold and is hurt by it. It really makes both these characters feel justified in both dismissal and frustration. And its all done in a non lecturing type of way. Its people being people and we are allowed to be inside their heads.

Anyway, this chapter of Gachiakuta surprisingly got to me. And I really want to make a discussion on why. Hope Urana keeps on dropping bangers like this.

[brookstolemybrand]

I already talked about Sabo being kind of a parallel protagonist to Luffy, but Koby is in some ways maybe even more so (especially since he was introduced literally in chapter 2)

Sabo is Luffy's dad's protégé

Koby is Luffy's grandpa's protégé

(Sidenote: Luffy kinda took Ace's place as Shanks' and Rayleigh's protégé, arguably; I mean it would have made a lot of sense for former Roger pirates to act as mentor figures for Roger's son, wouldn't it? In a different story that put more importance to bloodlines, Ace would have been destined to be the next King of the Pirates for sure. Ace is kind of a decoy protagonist)

With Koby it's even more obvious when you look at the known SWORD members and how many of them have some kind of legacy position, or at least we can assume so even if we don't know for certain (like with Hibari suspiciously sharing Akainu's dialect). In theory, Garp's grandson would fit into SWORD perfectly.

And of course Garp very much intended this to be Luffy. It's not even subtle that Koby is the replacement grandson lmao

(Say what you want about Dragon's (lack of) parenting, he definitely didn't put any pressure on Luffy. So with Sabo it's not really the same, it's not like Luffy refused to follow in his father's footsteps; he didn't even know he had a father, much less what those footsteps were. But the parallels are still there)

But yeah, I think their personal connections to Luffy, as well as the way they're set up in positions that Luffy plausibly might have had in some alternate timelines, makes them Luffy's counterparts in the Navy and in the Revolutionary Army. Which allows them to function as pseudo-protagonists for the audience when Luffy isn't present and to take on plotlines that would otherwise feel like they should be handled by the main characters (like taking on the Blackbeard Pirates and the Celestial Dragons respectively)

Narratively speaking, as the plot gets bigger, you kinda need these secondary protagonists to carry the parts of the story that Luffy can't be there for

The three of them also represent different shounen protagonist archetypes:

I kinda struggled to phrase this myself (and honestly I just have a very limited reference pool for shounen anime) so I googled it and I'm stealing the terms from this post

Basically Luffy is the "Idiot Hero", Koby is the "Boy Wonder" and Sabo... well actually I think Ace is the "Punk Martyr" (he took the martyr part a bit too seriously rip), and Sabo is the secret fourth thing: the Cool Competent Guy (even though Sabo is also a punk, he just hides it better)

Luffy is a Goku, Koby is a Deku, and Sabo is... idk I guess he would be a Lelouch (look, I'm talking about character TYPES, not saying they're the same kind of person)

... Well actually Sabo is more of an Enjolras, but Les Mis is not a shounen manga—

SIKE, IT IS, I'M COUNTING IT

(That's a really good adaptation of Les Mis btw, I could gush endlessly about Takahiro Arai and how well he understood not only the core of the story but also how to adapt it into a visual medium, really leaning into the vivid metaphorical imagery in Hugo's narration and then adding to it his own, it's SO GOOD)

(To immediately nitpick myself: Sabo is more like an amalgamation of all the Amis de l'ABC but it's easier to say Enjolras for short. Also yes I know Enjolras isn't the protagonist, but he has protagonist energy)

Anyway... what was I saying?

Right, I was gonna talk about the hero thing, because heroism is actually a big theme in One Piece:

Luffy doesn't want to be a hero, BUT KOBY DOES. He might be sheepish about calling himself one, but it was his dream, and by all conventional standards he accomplished it: he's now a Navy Hero

Sabo is more of a reluctant hero; he wanted to be a pirate like Luffy but chose to become a revolutionary instead. He's fully committed to that role though, even willing to accept the title of regicide if it helps the cause (this btw also makes him similar to another character in Les Mis, the Conventionist who... okay fine I'll stop)

As a marine and a revolutionary, Koby and Sabo are on the opposite sides of the whole "hero" thing. Although well, neither of them are extremists so at the same time they're not that opposite either, more like just each others' counterparts on opposing sides, but still

It makes sense that Koby, whose ambition was to become a hero, would gravitate to the conventional and widely accepted form of heroism: military heroism. Meanwhile Sabo, the reluctant hero, was driven to become one exactly because those socially accepted forms of heroism in reality exist to maintain an unjust system and there need to be people who step up to oppose that system, it's heroism out of necessity

You could also say that Koby becomes a part of the system because he wants to be a hero, Sabo becomes a hero because he wants to escape the system...

(Sidenote: I actually have a hunch that Dragon is probably more like Koby in terms of personality and ambitions, he's just a Koby who became disillusioned after learning the truth about the navy. That's the vibe I get anyway)

Either way, both of them are a good contrast to Luffy, who insists that he's not a hero and who chooses to just follow his selfish whims, which is why he's the pirate, he picks the least "heroic" career option. And that's why he's the protagonist, because this is a pirate manga

That said, as it turns out, his selfish whims are pretty heroic anyway, and he ends up being the one who has the most freedom to do exactly what needs to be done, BECAUSE he's not a hero

(Is that extremely dangerous? Sure. Could it end really badly? Yes. But Luffy isn't supposed to be a role model, he's literally a pirate)

But it still helps the narrative to also have heroic characters who aren't only motivated to help people who give them food lol

(I kid, but ykwim)

It helps that there are heroes even if the protagonist isn't one, because otherwise the audience might start wanting the protagonist to become the hero

And then it wouldn't be a pirate adventure story anymore, it would become a hero narrative

....

.... I know I should end the post here but you have no idea how much I'm holding back a rant rn about the marines and how much they suck and why I find Koby so frustrating as a character... That's another post tho

[xoxodiluc]

lapis dei | zhongli ( genshin impact ) x female! reader

— part two.

series genre romance, angst, smut, fantasy mafia! au

summary in your family, being married and giving an heir to a certain man you’re married to is a must. after zhongli lost his wife guizhong — he was devastated. but there’s no time in wasting to find another woman who shall be his new wife, and you were chosen.

cw in this chapter smut [ sub! virgin! reader, first time, slight sir kink, praising ], strong language, mentions of death, death threats | please read at your own risk, and please send an ask if i missed any content warnings here. not proofread.

word count 1.2k

notes + at the end this is a reupload!!! since this app wanna act up… here’s the second part of the zhongli mafia series! enjoy :) | if you want to be added in the taglist, just send me an ask / reply. thank you ☺︎

one | two ( you’re here ) | three | four

Rex Lapis’ contract states that you should never fall in love with the man you’re married to.

You suddenly thought about that while Zhongli’s lips tickled your neck, leaving soft kisses, your bare bodies against each other. You wondered, was Guizhong not allowed to fall in love with Rex Lapis? or did he love her—

“You seem to be in deep thought,” He whispered, raising his head to look at you. “What is it?”

You shook your head, giving him a small smile. “It’s nothing, sir. Don’t worry.”

“Just call me Zhongli. You are my wife now.”

Staring into his amber eyes, you whispered, “Okay, Zhongli.”

Calling him only by his name was so unfamiliar, but for some reason, you liked it.

“Unless you want to call me ‘sir’ during sex, that is.” He chuckled when he saw your flustered face. “I’m gonna put it in, okay? Tell me anything, whether it hurts, or it feels good.”

Of course, the nervousness kicks in again, but you just nodded at him while flashing a smile. “Okay.”

You held onto his shoulder as you felt him entering you. They weren’t wrong with first times hurting.

“Ah...” You let out, squeezing your nails onto Zhongli’s shoulder, yet he didn’t mind. “H-Hold on…”

As you expected, he was too big.

He nodded understandingly. When you felt the pain slowly going away, you looked at him. “You can move now.”

“I’ll be gentle,” He reassured, kissing your lips as he carefully thrust into you.

And finally, as seconds passed, the pain was slightly replaced by pleasure. You panted when he started getting a bit rougher with his thrusts. “Mmh… it feels good, sir…”

“Yeah? Fuck,” He grunted, “You’re tightening up so much…”

You let out little whimpers as he slammed his hips against yours, and you couldn’t help but admire him.

He’s beautiful. He really is — the fact that you’re married to him somehow made you feel butterflies in your stomach.

However, it’s only an arranged marriage.

Nothing more.

You have to keep reminding yourself that.

A few weeks after your wedding, you and Zhongli don’t speak to each other unless he needs to. He still intimidated you, too, even though you saw a different side of him back on your wedding night.

Honestly, you never thought it would get so boring. Sure, you could go out (but of course, you have a personal bodyguard if you will) or buy everything you wanted, but still.

Your own husband won’t even acknowledge you.

You could only sigh.

“M-Madam Y/N!” A maid called out when you left the bedroom. She was nervous — you could tell by her tone.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Zhongli has requested that you wear this dress for later. Raiden Shogun had invited him for lunch since she decided to visit Liyue.”

Raiden Shogun. The Mafia leader of Inazuma. All you’ve heard is that she is merciless, and you weren’t sure if it was okay for them to meet.

Don’t they have bad blood between each other?

She gave you a box, which you assumed contained the dress Zhongli wanted you to wear. The maid bowed, then walked away at a fast pace.

Were you that intimidating? You knew you were part of the Mafia, but you’ve never been strict with maids. You were always friendly with them!

Or maybe because now, you’re Rex Lapis’ wife.

Sighing, you walked back to your bedroom and tried the black dress Zhongli gave you.

And… wow.

It was stunning. Besides the dress, there was also a jade necklace and a pair of jade earrings.

Jade itself is expensive. You don’t even own one.

You admired yourself in the mirror. Maybe you could go shopping for clothes you actually want once in a while.

It was silent in the car. There was a distance between the two of you in the backseat, and you noticed Zhongli preferred to be quiet.

From the corner of your eye, you examined him. He wore a black tuxedo with a gold watch on his left wrist. His arms were crossed, looking out the window with an emotionless face.

“You can stop staring at me now. We’re here.”

Your eyes widened, looking away from him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

A small smile from him was enough to make you shut up.

The driver opened the door, and Zhongli climbed out. He offered his hand and you took it gratefully, seeing the luxurious restaurant in front of you.

“Just stay close to me.” He muttered. You nodded and linked your arm to his before entering the restaurant. It wasn’t long before you were facing the Raiden Shogun herself.

Only seeing her in pictures, she looked even more beautiful in personal.

But if looks could kill, you’d be dead.

She looked at you with a poker face, but her eyes were sharp.

“I have been waiting for you, Morax. I assume this is your new wife?”

“Yes, this is Y/N. His father is a trusted friend of mine.” Your husband pulled you closer by your waist.

She crossed her arms, “Huh… All right. Go take a seat.”

Once you and Zhongli sat down, he asked, “What was the reason for you to meet up with me?”

“No reason,” She responded, looking down at her dessert. “Since I visited Liyue, I just thought I’d catch up with the Mafia leader. And I was also told that you have a… new wife… what was it, Y/N? Immediately after Lady Guizhong has passed.”

Okay. You could tell Raiden doesn’t like you. You could almost hear the disgust in her voice when she said your name.

Zhongli grabbed the menu, “I see. well, I’m doing fine. Up until now… we still couldn’t catch my superior’s killer, but I’m doing my best to catch them soon,” Then he looked up at her. “What about you? How have you been?”

She leaned back on the chair, “I’m good.”

The silence after that made you feel awkward, so you grabbed the menu, looking for something to eat.

An Adeptus’ Temptation? Or Golden Shrimp Balls? Perhaps, some Jade Parcels?

Zhongli’s cell phone suddenly rang, and he stood up to answer it. “I have to take this, I’ll be back.”

And he’s gone.

Great.

Your heart was racing, and you felt like something was wrong.

“I will get rid of you.”

It took seconds after processing what Raiden Shogun had said to you.

To get rid of you… to kill you.

Why?

“Why, you ask? Because I want to marry Morax. By marrying him, I can take what he has, and I can make a deal that he won’t ever refuse in exchange for marrying him,” You see the smile on her face. You nervously fiddled with your fingers. You knew it… she’s just as ruthless as you thought. “Did you know that Morax killed Sasayuri? One of my trusted friends, and the person I was supposed to marry? So do you expect me to just sit here and do nothing after all that?”

you gulped, unable to speak.

“Count your days, Y/N.”

After some time, you heard Zhongli’s deep voice from behind you. “I’m back, have you decided on what to order?”

“I’ll… I’ll get the Jade Parcels.” You almost whispered. God, your hands were shaky. You couldn’t even look anywhere because you could feel Raiden’s gaze on you.

Your blood ran cold at the thought of getting killed by her.

notes idk how this story suddenly got dark…?!??!

taglist @dori-mon @angel-of-requiem @xxshinimakixx @aestharmus @atsuki-mitsuri @aclairysm @kodzuken-a

xoxodiluc © 2021 | all rights reserved. do not claim as your own, modify, copy or repost.

[hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall]

Chains of Destiny - Hope (Ch.5)

Summary: Eva is getting better, until she isn't and memories go knocking down her peace. Logan grows softer , wanting nothing but good for the girl.

Content warning: Angst, fluff, blood, hurt, nightmares. Logan beeing an awkward sweetheart.

Author's note: Logan starts to really care and things will heat up in next chapters so stay tuned ;)

Tags: @danicl25 @mxrtiaxv @ayamenimthiriel @jinndesu

Over the next few weeks, Logan let his approach with Eva soften into something more gentle. He’d thought it over after that first training session, knowing that pushing too hard was only going to draw out her walls, not break them down. Instead, he decided to try something different—he’d focus on letting her find herself, letting her learn what it felt like to be here, with people who cared for her without any expectations. And though it wasn’t exactly his strong suit, he found himself wanting to try this, to see where it might lead.

Each day, he’d find her for what he called their “walkaround training.” He’d take her through the training grounds, letting her talk about whatever she wanted—new things she’d learned, things she was curious about. At first, she only gave short answers, her voice a barely-there thread. But gradually, bit by bit, her voice grew more confident, and she started to share stories and small pieces of herself that surprised them both. Logan felt his initial hesitation fading, replaced by something closer to protectiveness, a quiet pride in seeing her start to find her footing.

One afternoon, during one of these walks, he noticed something different about her, a subtle fullness in her face and a brighter spark in her eyes. She’d started to gain a little weight, her cheeks no longer hollow, her frame filling out in a way that looked… healthy. She looked like a young woman finally, with the beginnings of confidence and even a touch of joy that had been missing before. He promised himself he’d need to see to it. 

Logan and Eva walked side by side along the quiet training grounds. The mornings had a crispness he liked, fresh air cutting through the usual scents of steel and stone. It was the kind of stillness that gave him room to think, and lately, he found himself waiting for these walks with her, listening to the tentative way she’d begun to open up.

They moved in comfortable silence until he spoke, his tone casual. “So, Ororo says you’ve been reading more these days. What’s got you hooked?”

Eva glanced up at him, a bit caught off guard by his interest, then back down at her feet, a tiny smile creeping onto her face. “I like it,” she admitted, her voice soft but steady. “Ororo… she’s been teaching me, and it feels like I’m learning something new each time.” She hesitated, then added, “I think I like that it’s… safe. I can get lost in something that isn’t… me.”

Logan nodded, looking out over the trees as they walked. “That’s the thing about books, isn’t it? Doesn’t matter what’s going on around you—they give you a place to be. I get that.” He shot her a side glance, his voice softer than usual. “Anything stand out? Something you keep thinking about?”

She paused, choosing her words carefully. “There was a story about this spider, Charlotte,” she said, her voice nearly a whisper. “She was just… doing what she could to protect her friend, even though she was small and everyone thought she couldn’t do much.”

Logan’s mouth quirked into a subtle smile. “Ah, Charlotte’s Web. Tough little spider. Had a lot of smarts.” He took a moment, glancing at her. “You ever think you’re a little like her?”

Eva blinked, her cheeks turning pink at the unexpected comparison. “I… no, not really. I don’t think I’m much of anything. Not like her, at least.”

“Maybe you don’t see it yet,” he replied, his tone unwavering. “But you got more in you than you give yourself credit for. Takes a certain kind of strength to start over like you’re doing.”

She didn’t respond immediately, her fingers nervously tracing the edge of her sleeve, but there was something softer in her expression, a cautious pride that hadn’t been there before.

They continued on in silence, and Logan found himself feeling a kind of relief, like a weight lifting off him. He didn’t need to push her; he’d just let her find herself one step at a time.

***

Later that day, Logan found himself seeking out Ororo and Jean, who were talking in the common area, their heads turning in unison as he approached. Ororo raised an eyebrow, a small smile already forming as she watched Logan’s typically gruff approach soften ever so slightly.

“Ororo, Jean,” Logan started, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Need a favor.”

Jean exchanged a quick, amused glance with Ororo. “Is that so, Logan?” she asked, her tone playfully suspicious. “What kind of favor are we talking about?”

Logan looked away, a hint of embarrassment flashing in his expression. “It’s… for Eva,” he muttered. Logan shifted uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, uh… I was thinkin’. Eva’s been doing alright, better than I expected, actually. She’s getting stronger.” He hesitated, then exhaled. “She’s put on a little weight, too—starting to look more like herself. Figured it’s about time she got some clothes that fit her right. Thought maybe the two of you could take her out.”

Jean raised an eyebrow, her lips curving in a grin. “And why not you, Logan? Why not show her that you’ve got an eye for fashion?”

Logan rolled his eyes, muttering, “Last thing she needs is me grumbling my way through a clothing store. Besides,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck, “figured she’d feel safer with the two of you, more… at ease. I don’t want her to feel like she’s gotta worry about what I think.”

Ororo’s smile softened. “Logan, that’s thoughtful of you. We’d be happy to take her shopping. I’ll make sure she feels right at home. But are you sure you don’t want to come along?”

Logan grunted, shaking his head. “No need for her to deal with my ugly mug the whole time. I’ll cover it if need be, just make sure she’s alright.”

Jean laid a hand on his shoulder, her gaze kind. “Logan, you’re doing more than looking out for her. It’s clear you care. And she’ll feel that. We’ll take her out when she’s ready, don’t worry.”

Logan grumbled softly, shaking his head. “You two don’t get any ideas,” he muttered, but there was no irritation in his voice, only a gruff sincerity that both women could see through.

Ororo patted his shoulder, a hint of pride in her voice. “We’ll let you know how it goes. And don’t worry—Eva’s safe with us.”

Jean and Ororo shared a smile as Logan turned to go, but they couldn’t help the warmth that lingered, grateful to see a side of Logan they hadn’t seen in a long time.

***

After a week of careful encouragement, Logan decided Eva might be ready for a small step forward. The next time they met for their walk, he suggested the idea.

“Eva,” he said as they walked under the sprawling trees that lined the campus, “I think you’re ready to meet some of the other students. Just a quick pass through the training grounds—no pressure. Just me and you.”

She stopped, looking away, her fingers twisting together nervously. “I… I don’t know. What if I mess something up?”

Logan’s voice was calm but firm. “There’s nothing to mess up, Eva. They’re just people like you, all figuring it out in their own ways. But if you’re not ready, we don’t have to push it.”

She glanced back at him, searching his face for reassurance. “Will you… you’ll be there, right? The whole time?”

He nodded, holding her gaze. “Every second. We stay as long as you want, and if you need to leave, we’re gone. It’s your call, alright?”

Her face softened, a small flicker of determination breaking through her worry. “Thank you, Logan. I… I think I can do it if you’re there.”

They continued on, the silence between them now laced with a quiet understanding. Logan didn’t need to say it aloud, but he knew she could feel his support. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

***

The morning sunlight streamed through the high windows of Xavier’s, casting warm patches of light across the polished floors. Logan walked beside Eva through the hallways, showing her around the place he’d called home for so many years. She watched every room and corridor with wide, curious eyes, the corners of her lips hinting at a smile that hadn’t come easily to her before.

Logan noticed this shift and felt something tug at his chest. The school was new to her, yes, but it was more than that—it was as if she was seeing something she’d never imagined. Each classroom they passed, each echo of laughter from down the hall seemed to fill her with a kind of wonder that felt fragile and tentative.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice softened by her quiet awe.

She looked up at him, the small smile staying just a little longer this time. “I’m… good. It’s… all of this,” she said, motioning to the classrooms and paintings and students wandering past. “It’s just… so much.”

He couldn’t help but notice the small bounce in her step, how she was now looking at the school not with fear, but with a genuine curiosity and maybe even a bit of hope. For all she’d been through, she seemed to be taking it in with a kind of reverence, and it struck him how much she’d lost in her life. How much she’d never had the chance to be. For the first time, Logan found himself wondering just how different her life might have been if things had gone another way.

They walked out onto the courtyard, and he pointed out some of the older students. “C’mon,” he said, nodding toward a small group standing by the fountain. “Might as well introduce you.”

Eva slowed, and Logan felt her fingers brush his sleeve. As they got closer, she hesitated, her grip tightening until she was holding onto his hand. He glanced down in surprise; she hadn’t held his hand before. But he could feel the nerves in her grip, the way her fingers trembled slightly. She wasn’t exactly scared—just unsure.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, keeping his tone easy. “You’re good, alright? These kids know what it’s like. You don’t need to be anyone but you.”

They stopped by the fountain, where Rogue and Bobby were talking. Rogue noticed them first, giving Logan a warm nod before turning her gaze to Eva with a gentle smile.

“Hey there,” Rogue said softly, her Southern drawl warm and friendly. “You must be Eva. I’m Rogue, and this here’s Bobby.”

Eva nodded shyly, her hand still holding Logan’s tightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated, her cheeks flushing.

Bobby, always quick to break the ice, grinned at her. “So, you’re training with Logan, huh? That’s pretty cool. Takes a tough soul to hang with him.”

Eva’s face softened a little, a small, uncertain laugh slipping out, and Logan felt her hand loosen in his. She still didn’t say much, but Rogue stepped in, clearly picking up on her hesitation.

“We were just about to head over to the dining hall,” Rogue said, her voice soft and easy. “They’ve got the good muffins today. You like blueberry?”

Eva blinked, a little taken aback by the question, then managed a small nod. “I… yes, I like blueberry. I think I do,” she murmured, her voice so soft that Logan had to lean in to hear it.

Rogue’s smile grew, gentle and understanding. “Good choice. Those are my favorite, too. Why don’t you come with us, grab a snack? No pressure.”

Eva glanced up at Logan, and he nodded, giving her hand a final squeeze before letting go. “You’re in good hands,” he assured her.

As they left, Rogue turned to her, guiding the conversation with practiced ease, and Logan watched them go, a strange warmth settling in his chest. For the first time, he felt she was truly beginning to believe she might belong here.

***

When the day ended, Logan found her waiting for him by the lake under their tree. She held a book in her lap, the cover worn and soft from repeated use. As he approached, she glanced up, a smile softening her features.

“Thank you… for today,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “For… being there.”

“Did better than alright,” he replied, sitting down beside her. He let the silence stretch between them for a while, watching as the fading sun cast its amber glow across the water.

After a pause, she looked down, her voice small. “I want… I want you to know that I’m trying. And I’m grateful, but sometimes… sometimes I feel like I’m not enough. Like I should be more than this. Better.”

Logan’s gaze remained fixed on the lake, his voice steady. “You don’t owe anybody anything, Eva. Not a single person here. What we want—what I want—is for you to be you. Not some version of you, not what you think we expect. Just you.”

She took a shaky breath, her fingers tracing the edge of the book. “I’ll… try to remember that,” she murmured, her voice just barely holding back a tremor of emotion. “It’s just… hard.”

Logan gave a faint nod, letting the weight of her words settle around them. “No one’s asking you to do it all at once. We’ve got time.”

After a beat, she opened her book, and with a small, tentative smile, she began to read. It was soft at first, her voice wavering over the words, but as she went on, her voice grew steadier. Logan closed his eyes, the sound of her voice and the rustle of the evening breeze a quiet reassurance.

For now, that was all they needed. And for the first time, he found himself believing that maybe, just maybe, things would be alright.

***

It was deep into the night when the nightmare struck, ripping Eva from any peace she’d managed to hold onto. In her room, objects began to tremble, her powers releasing waves of pure, unrestrained force. The air around her crackled with tension, her hands trembling as she wrestled against the terror inside her. Charles was there, reaching through the darkness to try and touch her mind, to quiet the chaos, but it was as if she’d walled herself off completely.

“Eva,” he called out, his voice laced with worry, but her mind was distant, the thick haze of fear blotting out any reason.

Logan, hearing the crash from down the hall, arrived to find her room torn apart by invisible hands, the force of her powers spinning through the space. He didn’t hesitate, despite the brutal energy emanating from her—it was like she’d transformed into something wild and unchained. He could see she was in the throes of her nightmare, her arms wrapped around herself as she screamed, lost to the horrors in her own mind.

“Eva!” he called, stepping forward.

The second he got close, her powers lashed out, sending him crashing backward. Blood oozed from a deep cut across his brow, but he pushed forward again. She screamed once more, the wave stronger, hitting him with a force that knocked him back into the wall. His body ached, a line of blood trailing down his cheek, but he moved in again, this time fighting against the force with everything he had.

Finally, Logan reached her. Ignoring his injuries, he held onto her arms, calling her name.

"Eva. It’s me. Wake up—it's Logan." His voice was gentle, firm, like a tether to pull her from the darkness.

Her eyes snapped open, taking him in with a panicked, stricken gaze. She saw the blood on his face, his beaten form, and her entire body went still with horror.

“Logan,” she whispered, voice choked. She shrank back from him, clutching her arms as if to make herself smaller, as if to disappear. She backed into a corner, every muscle tight with fear. “Oh god, I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

Logan could see that look in her eyes, the same haunted fear she’d had the first time he’d seen her in that lab—afraid, caged, convinced she was nothing more than the monster they’d made her out to be. He took a step forward, but she flinched, her hand flying up to push him back with an instinctive surge of her powers.

“Please, Eva,” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here. Just let me help you.”

But she continued to withdraw, her eyes filling with tears. She was shaking, her breath shallow and rapid. He could see the self-loathing and guilt tearing through her, her chest rising and falling with frantic breaths as if her very skin was something to hide from.

Ignoring his own pain, Logan moved in slowly, keeping his movements calm and deliberate. He reached out, catching her hand in his, and then, gently, he brought it to his head, letting her touch the tangled thoughts and memories swirling inside him. He didn’t pull back, letting her feel every part of his mind, letting her see herself the way he saw her.

“You’re safe,” he whispered as he held her hand to his head, showing her the quiet moments he’d spent watching her laugh at the lake, or how she looked when she read to him under the tree. There was no hatred, no fear—just warmth. In his thoughts, she was human, vibrant, and real, a person he had come to care for, scars and all.

Slowly, he felt her begin to relax. The tension in her shoulders eased, her breathing slowed, and her grip on his hand softened. Her head leaned forward, resting against his chest, and finally, finally, she drifted back into a deep, healing sleep.

***

After making sure she was resting soundly, Logan slipped out of her room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Charles was waiting in the dimly lit hallway, his face etched with worry.

“Logan, are you alright?” Charles asked, noting the bruises and blood still staining his skin.

Logan waved it off. “I’m fine,” he muttered, wiping at the cut on his brow. But his expression was far from casual; his eyes held a fierce determination. “What the hell happened back there, Charles?”

Charles sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “She’s been trying to manage her powers, but the mental and emotional strain has been overwhelming her. I suspect that in her dream, those suppressed memories broke through, and her powers—well, they respond to her emotional state. When she feels threatened, they manifest.”

Logan’s jaw tightened. “I’ve seen that look before, Charles. I’ve seen it in her every time she feels like she’s hurt someone. She’s haunted by it. She doesn’t want to be what they made her into.”

Charles nodded solemnly. “It’s as if she’s at war within herself. A part of her is terrified of what she can do, of what she’s been forced to do in the past. And I felt that same terror in her tonight… When she saw you, wounded because of her powers, she broke. She couldn’t bear the thought of hurting you.”

Logan stared down the hallway, his gaze distant but intense. “She thinks she’s just a weapon, Charles. Like she’s nothing else.” He shook his head, voice thick with a feeling he was still struggling to name. “We have to help her see she’s more than that. We can’t let her keep carrying this alone.”

Charles’s eyes softened as he watched Logan’s reaction. “You’ve come to care about her, haven’t you, Logan?”

Logan was silent for a long moment, wrestling with his own thoughts. Finally, he nodded, a deep sadness mixed with something almost protective in his expression. “Yeah, I do. I hate seeing her like this—believing she’s not worth anything more than what they did to her. I just want her to see what I see.”

Charles placed a reassuring hand on Logan’s shoulder. “That’s the most powerful thing you can give her, Logan. Someone who believes in her when she doesn’t believe in herself. We can teach her how to control her powers. But what she needs most… is hope.”

Logan’s gaze shifted back to Eva’s door, a determination hardening in his expression. “Then that’s what I’ll give her.”

[dragonfly0808]

Bloom: The Thesis

So, I decided to go ahead with the thesis, if you like it I might make more for other characters.

This will just essentially be a little insight into my thought process when it came to Bloom’s character, a few of my notes from my character sheet and discussing the things I added/removed from her character in my rewrite and why I did so.

Hope you enjoy it!

First Things First

The first words I wrote on Bloom’s character sheet as a bit of a paraphrase for what I felt like she was were ‘Next-door kind of protagonist’ which is definetely what she was meant to be in the original series.

Bloom’s main character traits at the very beginning of the rewrite would be: anger, loneliness and curiosity.

In the very first chapter, she’s just broken up with her boyfriend, got into a huge fight with her best friend and we see her be bullied. Bloom’s always been bullied and has only ever had few friends. She feels like she doesn’t quite fit in, doesn’t quite belong.

Her anger plays into this. Bloom’s anger issues are partially due to the Dragon Flame being under a magic block and trying to get out. But, in general, at the beginning of the rewrite, Bloom is a bit of an angry person.

This is something we saw in the OG, we see that Bloom is a bit of a hot-head and can make rash decisions, I loved that about Bloom in the first few seasons, I felt it was a good flaw to give our protagonist, so I chose to carry that over.

Bloom’s anger sets up certain conflicts, mainly her losing control and accidentally burning her friends. That is the main consequence of her anger in this rewrite, losing control, which plays into her feeling like she is way too behind compared to her classmates. The anger also converts into eventual guilt over certain things.

Finally, curiosity. I have no idea why in the OG they just… dropped Bloom’s love for drawing and fairies after like 5 episodes. Why? I feel like after season 2 there was truly no hobby or interest that truly set Bloom apart from the others.

I took the drawing from the OG and added a love for mythology and history in general.

I think making Bloom a bit of a nerd just really helps her character and also makes it so that she isn’t always confused by what’s going on since she does her research, especially about Domino (in season 2 she already knows a bit about Darkar and in general about Domino’s culture). It also gives her something that is very distinguishable and just gives her personality.

I gave her quite a bit of struggle in season 1 when it came to adjusting to Alfea, she instantly excels in History but struggles with the rest and, up til season 3 continues to despise Potions. I did this to round up her character and help make her abruptly joining Alfea more realistic.

Her main traits towards the end of season 1 and going forwards would be: loyalty, bravery and curiosity.

Her loneliness is replaced by loyalty. She has found an amazing group of friends and she is not going to lose them and will do everything in her power to protect them. And tbh, after what they go through in season 1 (and in the later seasons) can you blame her?

Her anger bleeds into her bravery. We see her nearly beat Icy to death in the last fight of season 1 and we see that her anger bleeds into guilt over not believing in her birth parents and feeling like Daphne shouldn’t have died to save her. Her anger is still prominent even after she has gotten better with it.

Part of her bravery comes from necessity, but it is still a very big part of her person.

And finally… curiosity. That’s what doesn’t change. I think it is her defining trait.

Thoughts Behind her Main Relationships

Stella: Stella is her person. From the moment they meet, they just click. I’m not even all that sure how to describe their relationship they’re just… the closest and the best.

One thing I added was the whole Taylor Swift invisible string aspect to their friendship. Their parents were best friends, their mothers were so close Luna believes she might’ve been a better mom if Marion had been around to advise her. And Stella is the one that finds Bloom on Earth and unknowingly brings her to where she would’ve ended up if Domino hadn’t fallen.

Bloom and Stella are very supportive of one another and the emotional support is very much not one-sided, they both are always there for the other.

They were always going to be friends. Bloom looks up to Stella due to her confidence and her dedication to her future as queen. Stella adores Bloom’s passion and how unapologetic she is when it comes to what has made her ‘the other’ throughout her life. They are each other’s person. And they always will be.

Their friendship is just one of intertwined souls. Their friendship is; Oh, I never knew I was looking for you but the second I met you it was like a puzzle piece falling into place and I know that I’d find you in any universe. Their friendship is an invisible string. It was always going to happen.

Sky: They are a friends to lovers situation. From the moment they meet they are quite soft with each other and I think it took them a second to develop a crush but it happened quite organically, nothing dramatic just being like ‘huh, everytime I see you I like you more and more and I’d like to get to know you even better’.

They start dating and take things slow, again, things between them are very normal and organic up until the switcharoo reveal where Bloom is obviously hurt due to being lied to, Sky apologizes, gives her her space and they decide to just stay as friends and leave it at that… but of course there are still feelings there.

So they stay friends for a while, but, since they are on good terms the feelings only get stronger and then they get together again and from there, they’re pretty strong as a couple.

I think the main problem they have is that they’re both stubborn and can both get angry easily (this gets better overtime but those cause a few issues in season 2).

But they are both incredibly loyal people and Sky sticks by Bloom side even when she’s being affected by Darkar.

Right now they’re… in a rocky place since, while Bloom does want to support him and makes sure he is okay, the fact that she made it very clear whose side she’d be on if it came down to it… that did hurt their relationship and they’re in a very unclear space at the moment and it might take time for them to be able to heal from that.

I feel like Sky and Bloom’s relationship is a tragedy, but like, a tragedy because of the narration ya know? Like there are these two kids who for all intents and purposes would’ve known each other their whole lives if Domino hadn’t fallen. Who care about each other so much and just want to be there for each other but have also hurt each other (for Sky, it’s his bloodline that hurt Bloom, for Bloom, it’s the very loyalty that Sky loves that winds up hurting him when Bloom choses a side).

Their tragedy is one of; I love you so much but the universe keeps fucking us over and revealing things that make me wonder if we truly can love each other and be together without another wave of hurt falling upon us.

Their love of each other is pure, it’s just a question of whether or not it can survive all the bullshit the universe keeps throwing at them.

Timmy: So, Bloom’s friendship with Timmy kinda came out of the blue and almost smacked me across the face as I was writing the beginning of a scene. In season 1, during the chapter with Tecna’s birthday I just kinda realized that Bloom and Timmy would totally be besties and just ran with it.

They are both very nerdy and get very invested in their interests so they’d totally listen to each other rant even if they don’t always get the others obsession. They can both be a little insecure but when they’re together that just fades away.

They just really bring out each others goofy sides and are not afraid to be weird with one another and that just really helps them click.

Their friendship is one of ‘others’ finding comfort in their ‘otherness’.

Their friendship is; you may be weird but you’re my favorite kind of weird. And I may make fun of you but I’ll never laugh at you, only with you. It’s, let’s be weird and unapologetic and free and happy because I found someone that may not share my interests but even better, they share my enthusiasm and they get me.

Who is Bloom in this Rewrite?

To me, Bloom is someone still trying to find their place. She’s a little stuck between being an Earth girl and a fairy. Between being a Winx and the lost princess from Domino. Between being a heroine and just a girl that wants to nerd out about mythology.

She’s a little unsure about what she wants to do. She has the general idea that she wants to do something regarding history or mythology but, unlike most of her friends, she doesn’t really have anything concrete.

She’s just doing her best to explore options.

On the other hand, she’s a warrior. Not by choice, but because she has to be.

Season 4 will be dealing with A LOT of imposter syndrome.

Because, in my rewrite, Bloom wasn’t born with powers or the Dragon Flame. She was born powerless. Daphne gave her the Dragon Flame and part of her magic before sending her to Earth.

Bloom wasn’t supposed to be a fighter. She never wanted to be a fighter.

The main difference between Daphne and Bloom is that Daphne ALWAYS wanted to be a queen and a warrior. She chose to be a Guardian fairy and a Nymph aside from being a princess. It may have weighed on her from time to time but she loved it.

Bloom… Bloom never wanted this. She’s a good fighter and she gets better because at this point she knows that to be the Guardian of the Dragon Flame is to be a warrior whether you like it or not.

Bloom is a girl who just wants to keep her friends safe and who feels guilty about a lot of things that are not really her responsibility but still feel like it.

Bloom is a girl who, if she’d have it her way, would just be a next-door kinda girl, nerding out about mythology and hanging out with her best friends. But things don’t go her way.

They rarely do.

——————————

Hope you enjoyed that! A little peak into my mind and a hint or two at what I’ll be focusing on in season 4.

Please let me know what you think, if I worded/communicated all of this clearly and if you’d like other character thesis.

If so, I’ll probably make a poll to see which one you want next!

——————————

Masterlist

Bloom Moodboard

Bloom’s Instagram

Bloom and Stella Moodboard

Bloom and Sky Moodboard

Bloom and Timmy Moodboard

[miraculous-magicalconnections]

FAQ about my rewrite/AU Miraculous: Magical Connections

A Brief Summary:

Miraculous: Magical Connections is a complete rewrite of the French TV show Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir and aims to fix the issues many fans (such as myself) have with it. This includes but is not limited to: plot holes, character inconsistencies, and a general lack of story

How Mature is It?

Most of what I write is Teen and Up, and this is no exception

That isn't to say every character is going to swear and make sex jokes all the time, because they won't, but I wanted to work with a rating that allowed long time fans something to look forward to in this

I also wanted this to be a bit more on the mature side because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to go into too much detail with certain characters backstories and the trauma they've gone through (such as Adrien)

What do you plan to Change?

A lot of it! I have completely rewritten the character backstories, have overhauled a lot of their designs, and have given them all a proper personality (not to say they didn't before but now they're more diverse)

I have also changed a lot of things that many of the fanbase just didn't enjoy, such as Chloé's loss of character development, the younger demographic causing certain topics (such as Adrien's trauma) to be extremely watered down, and other things

However as for the main plot of the story, it's still mostly the same in that Marinette and Adrien are Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting against Monarque (Hawk Moth) and Paon Aimant (Mayura) and Lila is still another antagonist (though my version is arguably more terrifying given she actually knows what she's doing)

Any Added/Removed Episodes? Why?

I'm going to be taking something from every episode of the show, whether that be the plot of the episode, the Akuma/Sentimonster, or just certain information but none of the episodes are going to be a one-to-one retelling with rewritten characters

When an episode is used in a way that was more or less what happened in canon, there will be enough changes to make sure I'm not just copy and pasting the episode

Changes to the Heroes or Villains?

When it comes to Miraculous holders? Nope, all Miraculous holders will keep the Miraculous that they wield in canon (With the exception of Zoé who doesn't replace Chloé)

But Akumas/Sentimonsters? Yep! I have quite a few original Akumas and Sentimonsters, though I doubt most of them will get their own chapters since most are going to be used as throw away to further world-building

Any Ships?

Most canon ships will stay the same, such as Adrien/Marinette, Alya/Nino, and Ivan/Mylène being endgame, however a few other ships will happen throughout the story that aren't endgame such as Marinette and Adrien's relationships before they get together

There are also other ships that will happen that aren't canon to the story due to them not having a canonical partner, such as Sabrina

The only canon ship that won't be canon in my rewrite is Félix/Kagami as (while I like the ship) I have other plans for them

On the topic of ships though!

LGBTQIA+ Characters?

Marc, Nathaniel, Juleka, Rose, Max, and Alix, like in canon, are all queer, however a good chunk of the rest of the cast are also in some form queer because 1. I'm following a lot of popular headcanons, and 2. I want them to be

Any Lore Changes?

The most notable is how Miraculous came to be, something that will be elaborated in the story itself, however due to the change in this there are a few changes I've needed to make

The Peacock Miraculous was never broken so Emilie simply died in an accident, this also led me to making Adrien, Félix, and Kagami all humans

I've also changed certain aspects about Guardians and the overall world, such as making certain magical creatures real (namely dragons) and further tying Kwami's and their abilities into real world stories such as the lost City of Atlantis and the Loch Ness Monster

And if it wasn't obvious, I've also changed the lore behind the Kwami's so they're no longer these random magical creatures and instead Gods (which was never confirmed in the show)

Things About Me (The Creator)

Who are you? - Call me Magi, I'm 19, and I use any pronouns

How long have you been in the fandom? - I started watching Miraculous right around when season 2 started, and I've been active in the fandom since around season 3 or so

Why are you doing this? - Because I've seen other people do it and wanted to throw my hat into the ring when it comes to this story

What're your goals with this? - To make the story more enjoyable then what it is currently, especially to the fans who grew up with it and wish it was more mature (such as myself)

Favorite character/Miraculous? - Alix and the Rabbit

[can-of-pringles]

When I'm Alone with You - Chapter 16

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3k

Summary: Silas finally introduces Copia to Hanna.

Also Read on AO3

Hanna looked around the vast ministry building as she walked beside Silas.

“I know you said before that this place was big, but that was an understatement. This place is huge.” Hanna’s voice echoed slightly.

She looked up at the tall ceilings, eyes widening as she admired the beautiful artwork of the stained glass windows.

Silas chuckled shortly. “Yeah, you’ll get used to it. Thanks for coming to visit, by the way.”

Hanna smiled as she looked at him. “Of course, you just moved in. Think of it like… a housewarming party. Plus, you’ll finally introduce me to your work best friend.”

“It’s starting to sound like that’s the only reason you wanted to visit.” He joked.

“I have to see who I’m competing with for the title of your best friend.” She joked back, playfully nudging him with her elbow.

“You know that’s not going to happen.” Silas lightly scoffed.

“Oh, I’m aware.” She thought.

“Where is he, anyway?” Hanna’s brows knitted in confusion.

“He had a bit of work left to finish and then we can go out for lunch together. It’ll be good for y’all to meet finally.” Silas explained.

“Y’all.” Hanna teased, slightly putting on a fake southern accent. “You know you haven’t lived in Texas since you were a teenager, right?”

“Well, it’s not something that just… goes away?” Silas shrugged. “Är detta bättre?” (is this better?)

“Mycket bättre.” She teased. (much better)

“Texas mat är bättre.” He added. (Texas food is better)

Hanna faked a dramatic gasp while Silas laughed to himself. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Anyway… while we are waiting, do you want a tour?” He asked.

“Your room, right? Because I’m not sure we have the time for all of this, no offense, but this place seems like a maze.” She winced.

“Yeah, it’s a maze at first. You learn the map in your head, eventually. I meant my room,” Silas replied.

“Okay, good.”

“It’s this way.” He gestured to one of the winding hallways. “And then you take a turn here.”

She followed him, and they caught up on stuff in both of their lives. Now that Silas wasn’t living as close to Hanna, it was different. It wasn’t a drastic change, but it still altered some of their usual daily routines. They were grateful to still have the option of texting and calling.

Hanna couldn’t help but notice someone else walking down the same hallway, going the opposite way. She appeared to be a nun of sorts, keeping her hands folded in front of her. The woman reached up to move the brown bangs out of her eyes.

“You okay?” Silas asked. He furrowed his brows when her steps faltered.

“What? Oh, um, yeah.” She fidgeted with her hands. “Um… who is that?” She whispered, glancing at the woman walking away.

Silas followed her gaze. “Oh, her? She’s one of the Sisters of Sin. They’re basically the nuns here.”

“Oh, okay…” She murmured.

“Here it is.” He smiled, opening his door.

She followed him in, looking around to see if anything had changed. “Oh, it’s like your old place.”

“That’s good… right?” Silas asked.

“Yeah, I was worried it would be completely different.”

“Hanna, I work as a janitor in an unholy church. Do you think I could afford to buy all new furniture and decorations?” He spoke in a deadpan tone.

She struggled to keep her expression neutral before losing it to a snicker, quietly chuckling. “No… but I thought you said the pay was fairly good.”

“Just because the pay is good does not mean I am by any means rich,”

“Yeah… I feel that.” She sighed.

“There’s no need to replace it all anyway. That wouldn’t be practical and I like the familiarity.” He added.

Hanna noticed a certain food and water bowl on the tile floor near the kitchen/dining area. “Speaking of familiar…” A smile crept onto her face. “Blizzard!”

The grey and white dog came trotting into the room at the sound of his name. He wagged his tail nonstop when he saw her.

“Blizzard! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” She crouched down and began to pet him, talking sweetly about how much she’d missed him.

Silas smiled at the sight. “I’d just taken him out for a walk before you came. He was sleeping on my bed afterward, well, until you woke him up.”

Hanna looked up at him, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry…”

“No, no, it’s fine. He’s been missing you.”

She looked back down at Blizzard, cooing at him. “Aw, did you miss me? Sweet boy.”

Once Blizzard had (surprisingly) enough pets, he hopped up on Silas’ couch and curled up in the corner, silently watching the two humans.

“It’s been odd not seeing him every day for sure.” She lightly frowned, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

Silas did the same, sitting down on the couch. He reached over to pet Blizzard before leaving him be. The dog was already falling asleep again.

He gave her a sympathetic look. “Yeah… but now you have way more time to focus on getting your own business started.”

“That’s true. Speaking of that, I’ve already started the process of finding an actual location!” She grinned.

“That’s great! I thought you were going to do it out of your apartment, though?” He asked.

“Well… I’m not completely saying no to that idea. I want to keep my options open.” Hanna shrugged.

“Hm, that makes sense. I really hope it’ll work out,”

“Yeah, me too.” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, how’s he been settling in?” She pointed to a sleeping Blizzard.

“Oh, he’s been doing pretty well. I was a little worried before the move, but he’s still eating normally. I think he really likes it here. The Ministry grounds are big, so he’s been having fun exploring when I take him out on walks.” Silas explained.

“That’s good to hear,” she said.

Silas looked up, hearing a knock at the door. “Oh, that’s probably Copia.”

Blizzard opened his eyes, raising his ears, but decided to stay on the couch. He let out a big sigh, already used to hearing lots of knocks recently.

“Finally, I’m starving!” Hanna exaggerated, faking a dramatic sigh and causing Silas to chuckle.

He opened the door and was met with the familiar Cardinal, smiling. Silas felt something warm bloom in his chest but decided to ignore it. “Hey, come in,”

“I just had to finish up some paperwork and send it to a higher-up… but I’m finished with work for now,” Copia explained, walking into his room.

Hanna stood up from her seat.

“Copia, this is Hanna. Hanna, this is Copia,” Silas introduced them.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hanna.” He held out his hand, and she shook it.

“Yeah, nice to meet you, too. Silas has told me a lot about you.” She smiled.

“Really?” Copia raised a brow.

Silas could feel his face heat up and he glanced away, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shrugging. “I wouldn’t say a lot…”

Hanna refrained from rolling her eyes. “You know what I mean…”

“Anyway.” He cleared his throat. “Is everyone ready for lunch?”

“Oh, yes. What were you thinking?” Copia asked.

“There’s this cafe place that opened nearby recently. I looked at the menu and thought it sounded good. Sandwiches, soups, things like that. If that’s alright with you guys?”

“I’ve been wanting to check out that place. Heard good things,” Hanna commented.

“Sounds good to me,” Copia agreed.

“Alright, great. So… how do we want to do this? Drive there separately? Or a car-pool situation…?” Silas asked.

“We could take one of the Ministry’s cars,” he suggested.

“Please don’t be like a church van situation…” Hanna thought, hoping her apprehension didn’t show on her face.

“Is that allowed?” Silas frowned slightly.

“Seeing as I’m in charge currently, mostly, I don’t see why not.” Copia shrugged.

“Oh, okay, cool. Let me get Blizzard in his house and then we can go.” He opened a box of dog treats that was on the counter and got a biscuit out.

“I thought Blizzard could free roam while you’re out?” Hanna pointed out.

“It’s a temporary situation until he gets more used to the new place. I don’t want anything happening to him or my room while I’m gone.” Silas explained, calling Blizzard over with the treat.

Copia smiled and waved at the dog while Silas led him to his crate. Blizzard listened and went inside, curling up on his pillow and blanket; chewing on the treat Silas gave him.

Silas went to wash his hands and dry them before grabbing his phone, keys, and wallet. “Alright, we can go now.”

---

“Do we want to take the new one?” Copia smiled and held up the keys. “It’s… um, a replacement for the one that Sister crashed…” He kicked loose gravel.

“Oh, hey, it’s an actual car… it’s nice.” Hanna raised her brows. “Wait, crashed?”

“What were you expecting? As for that, it’s a long story…” Silas’ lips pressed into a thin line.

She opened her mouth to speak before closing it, shaking her head. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter. I’ll sit in the back, you can sit up in the front with Copia.”

“You sure you’re alright sitting in the back by yourself?” He asked.

“Yeah, no worries.” She smiled.

Copia unlocked the car, and they got in. After the Cardinal made sure everyone had clipped in their seatbelts, he started the car and they began to head out. As expected, Silas sat up in the front next to Copia, giving him directions from his phone to the restaurant. Hanna kept her gaze focused on the window for the most part, chiming into conversations with them.

She smiled to herself when she noticed how carefree Silas was acting around Copia; occasionally chuckling at his jokes. She could sense it wasn’t just a polite act, it looked genuine; natural.

Once they arrived, Copia put the car in park and they stepped out, squinting from the bright sky. Silas held the door open for both of them and they walked inside, immediately being hit with the scent of coffee brewing and delicious food cooking. Silas pointed to a table near a corner and they each sat down.

“I was worried it might be full, but it looks like it’s just us and a couple of other people,” Silas said, quietly sighing in relief.

“It’s a nice break from the usual packed lunch room of the Ministry.” Copia smiled.

“At least you’re not covered in dog fur and stuff on your lunch breaks.” Hanna half-joked.

“Pretty sure Blizzard fills that fur quota for me.” He chuckled.

“Even I end up getting his fur on my clothes when I visit!” Copia pointed out. “I don’t really mind that much… he’s a very sweet dog.”

“Two words: lint-roller,” Hanna said. “Anyway, after we’re finished deciding what we want, I can go up and order it all for us, if you two would like.”

“Oh, really? Thanks.” Silas smiled.

“'Course, I know it can be difficult to go up and order,”

They pointed out what they wanted while Hanna wrote it down on the notes app on her phone. Easier than just remembering it all. Silas gave her a grateful look before she got out of her chair and left to order.

“It’s nice that Hanna offered to order for us,” Copia said.

“Yeah, it’s not that I can’t, it’s just… I don’t know.” He sighed.

“I get it. Though at least you’d probably fit in better. When you’re an Italian Cardinal here, you tend to… eh, stick out.”

“Maybe if you learned more Swedish.” Silas lightly teased.

“I know, I’m working on it.” He chuckled.

They both looked up as Hanna returned to their table.

“And now we wait,” she said, sitting back down.

“So, Hanna, Silas mentioned you work as a dog groomer…?” Copia asked, trying to start a conversation.

“Yes, I work at that one place you know, that’s downtown? Actually, I don’t know how you'd know, but anyway, I want to open my own place, eventually.” She explained.

“Oh, interesting. Did you always want to work in that business?”

“Well, I’ve always loved animals and dogs specifically, so I knew I wanted to work a job involving that, but I didn’t always know what kind of job,” she answered.

“When we were kids, she thought she wanted to be a vet, but then realized she couldn’t take the emotional toll,” Silas added.

“You wouldn’t be able to either.” She gave Silas a look.

“Oh, that would be tough… I already get anxious taking my rats to their check-ups.” He fidgeted with his hands.

“Oh, that’s right! Silas told me you had pet rats.” Her eyes lit up.

“Yes, I have three little sweethearts named Alessa, Bella, and Clara.” Copia beamed, talking about them as if they were his children.

Silas pulled out his phone and found a picture of them he had taken, showing it to her. Copia pointed out each one in the picture.

“They’re adorable. I honestly don’t have much experience with pet rats…” Hanna chuckled sheepishly.

“I get that they’re not for everyone. They take a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” Copia sighed.

“They love to give him a heart attack by jumping off high things. They think they’re little cats I guess.” Silas joked.

“It’s not funny, it’s scary!” Copia exclaimed before ultimately losing his serious expression. “Okay… I guess it’s a little funny…”

Hanna turned her head when she heard her name being called. “Oh, looks like our order is ready.” She left the table to get it.

“So… overall thoughts?” Silas asked in a hushed tone.

“I wish we could’ve done this sooner. Hanna is great. I can see why you two have been friends for so long.” Copia matched his tone and smiled.

Hanna came back with the tray of food and set it down in the middle of the table.

“Thanks for getting it, Hanna.” Copia gave her a polite nod.

“You’re lucky I came back and didn’t just decide to eat it all myself.” She kidded and sat down again.

Everyone took their plate and drink and began to eat, occasionally talking.

“So, you've known each other since you were kids, right?” Copia asked.

“Yep, practically grew up together like siblings, except for the long distances when we were apart, but that hasn’t been a problem in a long time,” Hanna explained.

“We met in a library and bonded over the Moomins. We used to joke that we were like Little My and Snufkin,” Silas added. “Uh… remind me to explain Moomins to you later.”

“Got it.” He smiled. “I understand the whole feeling like siblings bond. I had that with my brother figures growing up…” He glanced away for a second.

“Oh, nice,” she said. “What was it like growing up in a… ministry environment?”

“Um… well, it was interesting. I lived in the Ministry location in Italy for most of my life, then was placed here. Spent a lot of time reading in the library or exploring the building. There was always something to find.”

“Wow… I definitely can’t imagine living somewhere that big. I would’ve run around constantly.” Her eyes widened.

“Hanna, you did that anyway.” Silas pointed out.

“True. It used to drive my parents crazy.” She had a sheepish grin.

“Sometimes the Sisters would get onto my brothers and I about running around…” Copia fought the urge to chuckle. His smile slipped for a moment when he thought about them.

“Hey, you okay?” Silas asked, mild concern showing on his face.

Copia snapped out of it. “Yes, I’m just a bit tired, is all. Don’t worry.” He gave him a reassuring smile.

“I am too.” Hanna sighed. “There was this one dog at work, big fluffy guy, high energy. It was hard keeping him in the bath... but he looked very cute after he’d been cleaned and gotten his fur trimmed.” She had a small smile on her face.

“Wow… and here I thought that doing paperwork was hard.” Copia slightly joked.

“Oh, no, it is hard. Reading all of that stuff gets so confusing.” Her face scrunched up.

“You tend to get used to it.” He shrugged.

“Which is heavier? The stacks of papers you have to carry, or the dogs that Hanna wrangles into baths and up onto the grooming tables?” Silas asked rhetorically.

“To be fair, the papers can’t bite me.”

Hanna laughed, causing them to chuckle as well.

---

After their meal, they returned to the Ministry. Hanna said her goodbyes to them, hugging Silas and shaking Copia’s hand again. She didn’t forget to say goodbye to Blizzard as well, petting him briefly before leaving.

Copia had a little bit of time left before he had to start on his work again and decided to spend it sitting on Silas’ couch; talking with him while occasionally petting Blizzard, who lay curled up next to him.

“I thought that went well.” He had a small smile on his face. “Perhaps we could do it again soon.”

“Oh, of course. I’m so glad you and Hanna get along. Now I don’t have to worry about if my two best friends wouldn't like each other.” Silas sighed in relief.

“Was it a serious worry?” He tilted his head, lightly frowning.

“Not really. Hanna gets along with lots of people. It’s just one of those nerve things, you know.” He rested his face in the palm of his hand.

“Yeah, I understand. Again, thanks for inviting me to lunch with you two. Maybe at some point, I could even bring along some of the ghouls.” Copia thought aloud.

“Do they… need to eat?” He raised a brow.

“No, but they like the taste. Anyway, I’m sure they’d appreciate the gesture.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Silas nodded.

“I should probably get back to work… I enjoyed lunch.” Copia smiled.

Silas could’ve sworn he felt fluttery inside, or at the very least, his heartbeat quickened. “Yeah… I did too.” He smiled back.

[geralt-of-baevia]

Begin Again: Chapter Three

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Summary: When Penny starts working at AFC Richmond as their new head photographer, she catches the eye of a certain mustached, happy-go-lucky, head coach of the team. But can their spark endure through the season’s pressures and the demons of their past?

Pairing: Ted Lasso x OFC (Penny Fletcher)

Word count: 4.5k (YOWZA!)

Warnings: Drinking, flirting, etc.

A/N: Alright, I know this chapter took a while but it's a BIG one. This chapter was so much fun to write and I think you're all going to like it 😍😍😍

Beta: Thank you to @midnightswithdearkatytspb for proofreading and the AMAZING banner! I love it.

Tiny Tag List: @tegan8314 @rosesheerio @eugene-emt-roe @floralsightings @imvibin69 @justsomefunshit (Let me know if you want to get added!)

The next morning I was terrified to go to work. I paced the apartment, looking at my phone every two minutes, counting down until I had to leave. 

“Penny, why are you so nervous?” Jo asked, giving me sarcastic smile. Sometimes I just really wanted to slap her. I narrowed my eyes at her, folding my arms across my chest and shifting my weight to one hip. 

“Oh, I don’t know, Jolene, maybe because my colleague I fancy saw me showering naked-”

“I mean, that’s usually how you shower-”

“-so not only do I have to face Ted over that, but I’m terribly nervous about what Jamie bought as replacements…”  I said, shifting my weight to my other hip. She playfully rolled her eyes at me. 

“Penny, Jamie is loaded. I have no doubt that he got you only the best quality things to replace your equipment,” she told me, “Also, it's nice to finally hear you say you fancy Mr. Lasso because I thought I was going to have to waterboard you or something to get it out of you.” 

I let out a big huff, finally going and deflating in the armchair as an act of defeat. 

“Joey, I just can’t face Ted-”

“Would you like me to drive you to work today? I’ve got the day off so I can take you, Even walk you in if that’ll help?” she offered. I gave her an over-exaggerated pouty face, sticking my bottom lip out. 

“I would wove that vewwy much,” I said in a mock baby voice. She laughed, shaking her head at me. 

“Go get the car warmed up, I’ll get ready really quickly,” she said, walking over to the hallway, “keys are on the hook.”

I squealed excitedly and shot up out of my seat. “Thank you, Joey!” 

My leg bounced the entire way to work, and every so often Jo would put a comforting hand on my knee to calm me. 

“Honestly Penny, I think you’re making a way bigger deal of this than you need to,” she told me as we drove onto Nelson Road. My heart started nervously pounding in my chest. 

“Okay, but what if he doesn’t bring it up? Do I need to? I just don’t want it to be a giant naked elephant in the room!” I exclaimed with a laugh. 

“I mean, you could make it fair-”

“Jo, I don’t want to see him naked-”

“HA, that’s a lie. I know your pervy little mind,” she said as she tapped her pointer finger to her temple, “you’ve already thought of that man naked, plenty. And now probably in the shower with you…” I felt my cheeks burn hot and rosy. She wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t something I wanted to think about as I went into work and had to see him. 

Jo pulled into the parking lot and parked. Once the car was off my body grew hot with anxious anticipation and I could feel my heart beating in my entire torso. We got out of the car and as I was getting my bag from the backseat, I heard my name being shouted. I looked to my left and saw Jamie approaching me, a large shopping bag in his hand. 

He gave me a giant smile once he saw I had his attention. “I got the goooooooods!” 

I giggled a little bit as he jogged over to us the rest of the distance. 

“Jamie, thank you so so much for doing that,” I told him once he was at the car. He scoffed. 

“Penny, it's the least I could do. How else are we supposed to get that wicked sliding shot?” he gave me a friendly wink and I pulled him into a hug. 

“Oi, so you’re the one who broke my little bird’s camera, huh?” I heard Jo ask. Jamie pulled back from our hug and turned to Jo. 

“Now Penny, why haven’t you introduced me to your gorgeous friend here?” he asked, looking Jo up and down. I looked over to her just in time to see her roll her eyes playfully. 

“Jamie, this is my best mate and roommate Jo, Jo this is-”

“Jamie Tartt doo doo doo doo doo doo, oh I know who he is,” she said with a smug smile, also looking him up and down. The sudden tension between them made me feel like I shouldn’t be there. 

“Well, now that this has been such a lovely and not at all awkward introduction, shall we go inside? I’m going to need to set up the camera before I do anything today,” I said with a huff. Jamie and Jo both nodded in agreeance, and we all went inside together. 

We walked with Jaime to the locker room, and the closer we got the harder my heart beat in my chest, and my stomach grew sour. But to our surprise, Ted wasn’t in the coach’s office; only Coach Beard and Roy were to be found. 

“Oi, where’s Coach?” Jaime asked Beard, and Beard shrugged in response. 

“I’m not sure. He just said something came up last night and he wasn’t going to be able to make it today,” he explained before turning to me, “I know we were supposed to get some coach shots today, but maybe we’ll wait until next week?” 

I nodded, my stomach easing a little knowing Ted wasn’t at work today. Jo nudged my side and leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I’m sure something came up alright…” I shot her a look, rolling my eyes at her. 

“Is everything okay, Fletcher?” Roy asked. He had gotten in the habit of calling me by my last name. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t question it. I looked up at him from Jo and shook my head.

“No my friend Jo here was just making an inappropriate comment,” I said, looking back at her and giving her a stern stare. She stifled a laugh before turning back to Roy. 

“And I’m Jolene by the way, so nice to meet you all,” she said, giving them both a small wave. Coach Beard’s eyes grew wide at the mention of her name and I giggled. 

“God, I wish Ted was here so that I could have experienced you two learning her name for the first time together,” I said, causing Roy to break his stony stare and crack a small smirk.

“We’re a fun pair, huh? Best mates who are both named after famous songs. What are the odds, right?” Jo piped in. 

“You’re really named after the song?” Beard asked. Jo nodded. 

“My parents went through a country phase when my mom was pregnant with me,” she said with a shrug, “they had just wished I was born a red head and not a blonde.” 

We all chatted for a few more minutes before Jo and I left the guys to start practice, heading out into the club to go to my uncle’s office. Once the door was shut behind us, I turned to Jo. 

“Okay, but what the actual fuck was that with Jamie?” I asked with a breathy laugh. She threw her head back with a laugh. 

“Oh god, nothing is going to happen with that boy. He thinks he can try, but I don’t think so,” she proclaimed proudly. I playfully rolled my eyes at her. Knowing her as long as I did, I knew when she was into someone, even if she played it cool. 

We made it to our destination, and I knocked on the door after we approached it. 

“Come in!” I heard Uncle Leslie say from the other side. Jo opened the door and my uncle’s face lit up when he saw us. 

“Hello, Penny! And hello, Jolene! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” he said excitedly. He closed his laptop and placed his elbows on the desk, resting his chin on his now intertwined fingers. “How can I help you ladies?” 

“Hello Mr. Higgins, it’s very nice to see you as well,” Jo said cheerfully. 

“Well, I don’t know if you heard, but Jamie broke all of my camera equipment yesterday,” I said with a sigh, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk and gently setting the fragile bag in front of me. He gave me a forced, flat smile. 

“I did indeed. Jamie came to me after you left to ask what he should get,” he told us, “did he get the correct equipment? I only know so much about photography. But I did tell him the person at the camera store would know best.”

“I mean, honestly I haven’t even looked at it…”  

I pulled over the bag that Jamie brought me and opened it up, my eyes lit up at the site of what he got me. 

“Well? Is it okay?” Jo asked. I nodded as I pulled the box that had the camera body out of the bag, putting it in my lap. 

“Okay? This is like, top-of-the-line stuff,” I said, looking up with a huge smile. I was in disbelief. The camera I was holding in my lap cost more than I was willing to truly consider. 

After we looked over the new equipment together, I got myself set up in a corner of my uncle’s office and Jo left to go get her day started, not needing to stay any longer since Ted wasn’t here.

I spent the rest of the day setting up my camera, replying to emails, updating my computer, and catching up with my uncle. I hadn’t spent this much time with him since I was a teenager, so it was nice to reconnect with him. He was always my favorite uncle. 

“Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?” my Uncle Leslie asked me as the day was finishing up. I sighed, looking at my phone to see if I had any notifcations. 

“Well, I think Jo and I are going to go to the pub. She wants to celebrate my first week at my new job,” I said with a content smile. I was very much looking forward to having a couple of drinks and just shooting the shit with my best mate. 

“Oh that sounds like a good time. You deserve it! You’ve honestly blown all of us away just on your first week. I’m very proud of you,” he said, a sincere grin spreading across his face. 

I felt tears sting behind my eyes. Quickly I tried to blink them away, but it was no use. They spilled down over my cheeks and I hotly wiped them away. 

“Thank you, Uncle Leslie. That means a lot.”

When I got home, Jo was already at least a third of the way ready for going out. I set my stuff down next to the door and she came out into the living room, toothbrush still in her mouth. 

“You need to get ready,” she mumbled flatly around toothpaste. 

“But it’s barely 6 o’clock,” I half whined at her. She rolled her eyes at me before heading back into the bathroom. I followed her, leaning against the doorframe as she spit into the sink. 

“Well, it’s going to take you at least 30 minutes to get ready, and then we have to still get there which will probably take around the same amount of time. So we won’t even get to the pub until like 7. And we can stop at that fish shop you like before we go too,” she explained, “so in other words, get your arse ready. Please.” 

I jokingly rolled my eyes at her and headed to my room to get ready. I threw on something acceptable but still comfy, an outfit that wouldn’t turn too many heads but was still sexy. 

Once I was done getting ready, I went over to Jo’s room and hovered in the doorway again. 

“How does this look? Yeah?” I asked before spinning to show off my outfit. 

“You look fit,” she said with a cheeky grin before turning back to her mirror to finish her makeup, “if only Ted could see you…”

I scoffed at her. “Yeah, well, I’d like to forget about him for an evening and just relax, mmkay? So no mention of him from here on out.”

She turned to me again, drawing an X over her heart with her pointer finger. “I cross my heart and hope to die, I will not mention the mustached coach for the rest of the night.” 

I giggled. 

“You better not.”

After a train ride and a stop at the chip stand, we reached our destination. I was thankful for the little pub that Jo and I always went to. It was small and quaint, in the basement under some other business. The exposed brick walls and dim lighting made it feel homey and comfortable. We found it one night while searching for somewhere to get a drink after work when we lived in this neighborhood a few years back. One visit and we were won over, it becoming our 'usual' spot.

We ordered two pints and a shot of whisky each at the bar, and then went over and sat in a small corner booth by the fireplace. We took our shots and I quickly moved on to my beer. After downing about half of mine in one gulp, Jo shot me a disheartened look.

“Penny, you need to relax-”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” I asked with a sarcastic laugh as I gestured to my drink. 

“No no, we need a toast!” she exclaimed. She raised her glass up and I followed suit.

“To Samantha Penelope Fletcher! The bird who has overcame so much shit in her 29 years and finally got her dream job!” she said with exaggerated enthusiasm, clinking our glasses together. We each took a large swig of our beers, me finishing mine. 

As we set our drinks down on the table, I watched as Jo’s eyes flickered to just behind me, before returning her gaze to me. She raised her eyebrows, a mischievous expression growing on her face. 

“What?” I asked. Her face slanted into a sarcastic grimace, her eyes shifting away as she took another drink of her pint. 

“Jolene, what?” 

“Well, lets just say ‘he who shall not be named’ is sitting over there at the bar,” she said with a nod of her head. My whole body grew hot and my stomach soured. I wanted to turn around and look, but my body wouldn’t move. “And it looks like someone here needs another pint…”

I huffed, my lips trilling. “And you’re not going to go get it for me, are you?”

She shook her head no. 

“You’re going to make me, me, your bestest mate in the whole world go?”

This time she nodded her head. “Go my little nymph, go!” 

I narrowed my eyes at her before gritting out a, “fine,” to her through my teeth. A wicked grin played across her face. 

“Man, I might have to move to a closer booth so I can hear…” I rolled my eyes at her as I stood up, shimming my fitted black dress down to its proper position before grabbing my empty glass and heading towards the bar. 

I felt as though another person was in control of my body, telling my legs to keep moving in the direction of Ted. Once at the bar I stood behind him for a second, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. I decided that buying myself a drink and just 'noticing him' would have to do.

As I took a seat at the bar next to him, I raised my hand up to get the barman Albert’s attention, raising my empty glass once I had his attention. After ordering my drink I pretended to not notice Ted at first, but did a fake double take to realize it was him.

“Ted?" I asked, giving him another look over. He glanced up from his drink, apparently not having realized that anyone had sat down next to him. He gave me a look over, before realizing who it was, or at least I hoped so.

"Oh! Well hello there Penny Lane," he said a bit more cheerfully than his facial expression showed, “I almost didn’t recognize you…”

My face furrowed in confusion. “How so?”

"Well, I'd have to say you're much more dolled up than you are at the club," he said, hiding a grin in his glass before taking another drink. 

I felt myself blush, hoping that the dim lighting would hide that from him, but I doubted it would. Thankfully, Albert came over and handed over my drink, momentarily distracting me from my warm, rosy cheeks. I thanked him, holding out cash to give to him, but Ted stopped me.

"No, no. Put it on my tab," he said. I slowly retracted my hand back away, putting my money back in my bra. Albert gave me a knowing wink before nodding to Ted.

"Well, thank you. You didn't have to do that," I told him before taking a sip of my drink. He shrugged, giving me a small smirk and a sideways glance.

"It's the least I can do. After…you know," he said before trailing off and gulping down the last of his drink. He set it down on the bar, motioning for another. I couldn't read the emotion on his face. 

“Oh, Jesus, Ted, I mean, honestly-”

He cut me off. “I apologize for cutting you off because my grandma taught me you never interrupt a lady like this, but I’m currently the perfect mix of guilty, booze and well, stupidity, and I have to get this out before I burst like a can of Pillsbury crescent rolls,” he sighed before turning to me, our eyes meeting. 

“I need to say how sorry I am about yesterday. I can’t- I can’t stop thinking about how vulnerable and exposed you must have felt. I mean, gosh Penny. I don’t even know what to say. I’m just-I’m just so embarrassed. If I had known that you were in there-”

I put my hand on his forearm to calm him and stop him from rambling on. 

“Ted, first off, please breathe,” I said, giving his arm a soft squeeze. Not breaking eye contact with me, together we took a deep breath through our nostrils and then out, my eyes darting to his slightly parted lips. I nodded in approval, and he nodded back. “Better?”

“Yeah, yeah better,” he said with a sigh. I moved my hand from his arm and picked up my beer, taking another drink. 

“You know,” I said, wiping the corner of my mouth with the pad of my thumb, “I didn’t realize I had a triple threat see me naked…”

His eyebrow knit together and I giggled at his confusion. The booze was definitely settling in my bloodstream. 

“Yeah! Now tell me, how does one become whisky? Exactly how much whisky are you? Is it an even ratio to the guilt and stupidity?” I explained. A stupid grin suddenly appeared on his once forlorn expression at my dumb joke. 

“I’d say it’s probably a 40/30/30 thing,” he replied with a scrunch of his nose. 

“Is the 40% whisky, because if so we have a problem Coach Lasso,” I giggled. He took another sip of his drink, resting it in his hand. 

“Then maybe a 10/40/30,” he corrected. I paused, doing the mental math through my beer fog before laughing. 

“Ted! That’s only 90%,” I joked, pushing on his shoulder playfully. I watched my hand almost like it was a foreign object, it seeming to have done that all on its own. I brought it back to my beer, taking a drink. 

“How did you know this was whisky?” he asked, lifting the glass in his hand. 

I shrugged. “I know I might be drinking pints right now, but trust me, I know a good whisky when I smell one. May I?”

I put my beer down and held my hand out for his drink. His eyes lit up, both taken aback and impressed by my actions. He held his short glass out to me and as I took it, my fingers brushed his. My heart started pouding in my chest at the feel of his skin under my finger tips, and I had to remind my tipsy brain to focus on the drink and not it’s owner. 

I swished the glass around before bringing it up to my lips and taking a small sip. The amber colored liquid stung as it hit the back of my throat, causing my face to wince slightly. 

“Good god Ted, you’re drinking this whisky neat? Like, not even on the rocks?” I asked, making a face at the glass as I handed it back to him. He chuckled. 

“Well, what can I say? I’m a purist at heart when it comes to drinking,” he said proudly. 

“Or your tastebuds are just shot after only drinking something you could sterilize a wound with during WWI,” I said with a laugh. 

As I picked up my own drink to get the taste of the whisky out of my mouth, Ted took it out of my hand, bringing it up to his lips without saying a word. His eyes widened as he realized what I was drinking. His face soured as he swallowed, coughing a little. 

“So you’re-you’re telling me, you just now were talking about how mine tastes like rubbing alcohol, when you’re sitting here in front of me drinking a Guinness? That drink is more bitter than Scar when Simba was born and he knew he was never going to be king,” he said, giving my glass an amusing glare. 

“Um, yes. This tastes like hops and has hints of coffee and chocolate. It’s absolutely delicious,” I stated proudly, taking my beer back from him, “and didn’t your grandma teach you to not take a drink from a lady without asking when she taught you about cutting them off mid sentence?”

The expression on his face was nothing short of impressed. “You have happily surprised me, Penny.”

“How so?” I questioned, genuinely curious for his answer. As I took another drink waiting for him to reply, I felt my body grown warm, my vision getting a tinge fuzzy around the corners. The temperature of my body continued to rise between the alcohol and my nerves, even though those were currently masked by faux confidence from the before mentioned booze. 

He opened his mouth to talk as I began to take my jean jacket off and placed it on my lap, exposing my shoulders to the cool air. His voice hitched in his throat, causing him to cough a little, his eyes never leaving me. 

“Yes?” I pressed, raising my eyebrows at him. 

“Oh, yes, um, sorry,” he said, and I could tell he was fending off embarrassment. “Just that I never expected you to drink pints of Guinness and know whisky by the smell or…”

His cheeks turned red, and after his eyes scanned down my body he buried his nose in his drink, taking an audible gulp. My eyes widened and I couldn’t help but let out a giggle. Ted’s eyes darted back to me as he brought the drink down to the bar. 

“Well, I think there’s a lot that would surprise you about me,” I teased with a smirk, picking up my drink and chugging the last half. I set the glass back down with a loud clang, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. He raised his eyebrows, cocking his head to the side in interest.

Before I could get other word out, I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. Ted looked over my shoulder at someone and I followed his gaze, turning around to see Jo. 

“ It’s Joey! TED! You have to meet my friend. You’re going to LOVE her name,” I exclaimed a little too loudly. 

“Hello, I’m Jolene, this little blonde bundle of Guiness’ best friend and roommate,” she said, putting a hand out to Ted. He took her hand in his and shook it. 

“Nice to meet you Jolene- wait Jolene?” he asked, it dawning on him. A stupid, drunk, shit eating grin spread across my face. “Wait, you mean like the hit song by our Lord and Savior, Miss Dolly Parton?”

Jo smiled. “That’s the one!”

“Well butter my butt and call me toast. Best friends with names from song titles? That’s pretty gosh darn cool if I do say so,” he said, his speech slightly slurring. 

“Isn’t it the best?!” I stated, still too loudly.

“Alright, well it was very nice finally meeting the man I shouted ‘wanker’ at for a long time, but I do believe I need to get this little light weight home. Did she drink an entire pint while over here?” Jo asked Ted. He nodded. 

“And made fun of me drinking whisky,” he added.

I giggled to myself, thinking back to that interaction. “It was hilaaaaaaarious. You should have seen his face!”

“Ohhhhhkay Penny, let’s say goodbye to Ted,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders to help me get up. As I stood my knees wobbled, thankfully Jo caught me though. I draped my jacket over my shoulders, it making me want to be in my bed cozy and warm. 

“Are you going to be okay getting her home, Jolene?” Ted asked, a look of concern on his face. 

“That’s very sweet of you Ted, but I’ve got her. This isn’t going to be the first time I’ve had to cart her drunk ass home…or the last,” she said, turning to me and giving me a wink. I scoffed, giving her an over exaggerated face. 

“Alright then. Well, was nice to meet you Jolene,” he said, nodding to her with a large grin, “and it was good seeing you Penny.” 

“It was good seeing you, too, Coach. And thank you for my beer! That was very kind of you,” I said, giving him a smile. 

“Anytime, Penny.”

As Jo and I began to walk away, I stopped, my brain acting before my common sense could catch up and stop it. I leaned in close to Ted, my lips practically brushing his earlobe. 

“I was going to tell you,” I started softly into his ear, “one thing that might surprise you about me is that I didn’t hate you walking in on me naked, and I don’t think you hated it either.” I stepped away, giving space for me to see the shocked but relieved look on his face. 

I gave him a scrunched nose smile. “Goodnight, Coach.” 

Jo and I exited the bar, and the moment we were outside she stopped me, holding me arm’s length. 

“Did you just tell Ted what I think you did?” 

I giggled. “Mmhmm.”

She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and began to walk us in the direction of the tube. “I can’t wait to tell hungover Penny what you just said.”

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Forty Eight

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends,

As ever, thank you for the love on this story! It truly means the world. I cannot believe we are on Chapter 48.

I've got something special planned for Chapter 50 (a certain Agent Prentiss's birthday 👀) so I'm looking forward to that!

Please do let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.8k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

“Will Daddy be home soon?” 

Emily turns and looks at her stepson, her heart aching at the forlorn expression on his face. Ever since the sudden loss of JJ on the team, Aaron had been working even harder than usual. He was two people down and desperately trying to find a replacement for Emily and JJ, something he claimed was close to impossible. It meant his workload had increased, something he bore on his shoulders alone, feeling responsible for the gaps in the team, for not being able to stop JJ’s move. Emily knew she needed to speak to him about it, that she needed to convince him to take the steps he needed to make sure he wasn’t at work on a Sunday afternoon like he currently was, missing out on time with his son - something else she knew that weighed heavily on him.

It was something that was slowly creeping up on her too, the end of her maternity leave looming over her. She knew she wanted to go back to work, but she also knew that she didn’t have to. That she had enough money that neither she nor Aaron would have to work again, but it wasn’t who they were. They loved their careers and their children, and she knew they’d spend the rest of their lives trying to get the balance right. 

“Not before Mommy comes to pick you up, sweetie,” she says, sighing when his frown deepens, his lower lip sticking out in a pout. She shifts closer to him, throwing a glance at Lily in her bouncer chair, the baby awake but content, and she wraps an arm around his shoulders. He immediately tucks himself into her side, seeking out the comfort that it seemed all the Hotchners needed from time to time, “He’ll be here all of next weekend, honey,” she says, kissing the top of his head, “I’ll make sure of it.”

It’s a promise she’d make sure she’d keep, even if it meant marching into Strauss’s office and yelling at the woman herself, something that, if she was honest with herself, she’d been waiting for an opportunity for. 

Jack nods against her and sighs, “I wish I was here more.” 

It was something he’d said before when she was still pregnant, but he’d never mentioned it again, so she’d dismissed it as a one time thought, a momentary show of sibling jealousy upon the realisation that Lily would live with her and Aaron full time. Emily pulls back and looks at him, running her fingers through his hair and idly thinking that he was overdue a haircut. 

“You wish you were here more?” She asks gently, trying to get more information out of him. He nods in response.

“I miss you guys when I’m with Mommy, but I miss her when I’m with you,” he says, creasing his eyebrows together, looking so much like Aaron it makes Emily ache, “But I’m with Mommy more, so I miss you more. Does that make sense?” 

It makes guilt that Emily knows is misplaced swoop through her gut. In moments like this, she had to remind herself it wasn’t her fault Aaron and Haley weren’t together anymore, that she hadn’t broken a family. It had already been broken, shattered around their feet as they tried to figure out how to put it back together, how to make something new and beautiful out of what had once existed. She’d simply added her pieces to it, bits of glass that were fractured themselves that fit amongst the bits they already had. 

“That makes sense,” she assures him. She smiles softly at him and gives him the only promise she can, “I’ll talk to Daddy about it, okay? And then he’ll talk to Mommy.” 

Even though she loved Jack just as fiercely as she did Lily, her place in conversations like this was somewhat limited. It was something Aaron and Haley would have to figure out, even though she knew her new job, and the more normal hours and additional time at home it gave her, would factor into Aaron’s reasoning for them having Jack more. 

“Okay,” Jack responds, placated for now, and Lily cries out for attention, seemingly bored of her bouncer chair. Emily smiles and then turns back to Jack, pressing a kiss to his forehead before she stands up from the couch.

“I hear you, sweet girl,” Emily says, walking over and unbuckling her from the chair before she lifts her into her arms. She turns back to Jack and smiles to herself before she carries on, well aware that her plan would remove the final bit of melancholy from his face, “I think it’s tummy time.” 

As predicted, his face lights up and he’s up off the couch in seconds, already on the floor in the spot they usually did tummy time for Lily, the cushion they’d bought especially for this in hand.

“Tummy time is funny,” he says, sounding delighted as Emily kneels down and then puts Lily in position. Jack lays in front of Lily like he’d seen Emily and Aaron do countless times, his face close to hers as he makes funny faces at his little sister, his joy only increasing when she laughs at him, her tiny giggle still enough to make Emily’s heart squeeze in her chest, “It’s silly.” 

Emily chuckles, “Do you remember why we have to do it?” 

“To help her with her neck,” he says, “So she can sit up by herself and play with me.” 

She clears her throat to stop herself from laughing at his simplified explanation, something about the innocence of it, his desperation to play with Lily, enough to warm her from the inside out. 

“Exactly, sweet boy,” she says, looking at Lily and cupping the back of her tiny head, smiling at the soft feel of her dark hair, “You’re such a good big brother.” 

He beams at her and she can’t help but return it, love for him and Lily threatening to overwhelm her. They sit there and keep Lily entertained, taking turns to shake her favourite toys in front of her, or smiling at her to encourage her to smile back. It’s such a normal moment, something that she knows happens countless times with countless families across the world, but it's a reminder that this is her life now. That she gets to experience everything that, not too long ago, she’d convinced herself she’d never have. 

The doorbell rings and it pulls her out of the moment, and she checks her watch, “That will be your mom, Jack,” she says as she stands up, “If I go get the door, can you please keep an eye on Lily for me?” 

“I’ll keep both eyes on her.” 

She smiles at his seriousness, something she hopes Lily, and any other future children they have, inherit from Aaron too. There was something endlessly funny about someone so young, so small laying there with the same stern expression she had often seen on her husband’s face back before she knew what it was like to make him smile.

“Thanks, sweetie,” she says, making her way to the door. She checks through the peephole and opens the door,  smiling at Haley as she steps into the house, “Hi Haley.” 

“Hi,” she replies, returning her smile as she pulls at the collar of her shirt, unintentionally drawing Emily’s attention to a small mark on her neck, “How has he been?”

“Good,” Emily says, smiling wryly, as they walk towards the living room, “Lily kept us up for most of the night, but I think he slept through it.” 

Haley hums sympathetically, “She’s still not sleeping through the night?” 

Emily groans and shakes her head, “At this point, I’m not sure she ever will,” she quips, turning her attention back to Jack as they enter the room, the boy still lying in the exact position she’d left him in, all of his attention on his sister, “Thank you, Jack.” She reaches down and picks Lily up, kissing the top of her head as she holds her close. 

“Look at you Miss Lily,” Haley says, smoothing her hand over the baby’s soft hair for a moment before she steps back, “You get more beautiful every time I see you.: 

Emily smiles, pride filling her chest, but any response is cut off as Jack jumps up and runs over to Haley, wrapping his arms around her waist, “I helped with tummy time!”

“Wow,” Haley replies enthusiastically, ruffling his hair, “I bet Lily loved that. Why don’t you go up and get your bag and we’ll head home?” 

He nods and runs off, calling out Sergio’s name so he can say goodbye to the cat before he leaves. Haley turns and looks at Emily and she smiles, a tinge of awkwardness to the air they could never quite shift when it was the two of them.

“I like your haircut,” Haley says, and Emily grimaces, groaning as she scrunches her face up. 

“Thanks, it was out of necessity more than anything,” she replies, shifting from side to side as Lily fusses in her arms, “I’m still getting used to it.”

“Well,” Haley replies, a wry smile spreading over her face, “As someone who has spent a lot of time wishing you were slightly less beautiful,” she says, drawing a laugh out of Emily, “I think you still look incredible. Even with your post-partum hair. It’s kind of unfair really.” 

Emily chuckles, “Well, thanks. I guess,” she says, her gaze falling to the mark on Haley’s neck again, and she clears her throat, “Please feel free to tell me where to go since I’m your ex’s wife, but is that a hickey on your neck?” 

Haley’s eyes go wide and she covers it with her hand, the way her cheeks go bright red with embarrassment enough of an answer for Emily, “Damn it, it’s that noticeable?” 

“It’s really not that bad,” Emily assures her, “I’ve had worse,” she says, and they fall into a brief silence, “So, who is the lucky guy?” 

Haley sighs and her hand drops down, “His name is Stephen, he’s…nice. He’s lovely actually,” she says, her cheeks still burning, somehow unsure how she still felt like a teenage girl when she talked about a guy she likes, “I’ve been thinking about introducing him to Jack.”

Emily tries to control her reaction, but she doesn’t, and she once again clears her throat as she tries to school her features, “Oh-”

“I wouldn’t do that before talking to Aaron,” she assures her, “I promise. I know I made him wait before you met Jack as Aaron’s girlfriend so I owe him the same. Can you…not tell him?” She asks, looking down at her hands as she twists them together, “I’d rather talk to him about it myself.” 

Even though she hates the idea of keeping something secret from her husband, she nods. It wasn’t her news to share, or her story to tell, she just hoped Haley didn’t keep it to herself for too long. 

“Of course.” 

Jack bounds back down the stairs, his backpack over his shoulder, and his favourite teddy in his arms, and he runs over, “Mom, can we go home via McDonalds?” 

Emily and Haley exchange a smile before she looks down at him, “Sure buddy, whatever you want.” 

____

Aaron groans as he wakes up, torn from sleep by his daughter’s cries. He feels like he’s barely been asleep for long, something that he confirms as he looks at the alarm clock and his nightstand and sees that he’s been home only for an hour or so.

“I’ve got her,” Emily rasps out, throwing the covers off of herself as she reaches over to the bassinet.

“No,” he replies, sitting up against the headboard and turning on his bedside lamp, “I’ll take her,” he says, reaching out for the still-crying baby, “I feel like I’ve barely seen her recently.”

Emily yawns and passes Lily over, smiling as Aaron settles her against his chest and pats her back, “I only fed her just before I went to bed, so I think she just wants attention.” She says as she rests her head on Aaron’s shoulder, reaching out and stroking Lily’s cheek, wiping away tears from her skin as she starts to calm down in her father’s embrace. 

“Like mother, like daughter,” he quips, and she lightly slaps his chest, her wide smile all the proof he needs that she’s not actually annoyed at him, “I’m sorry you were already asleep when I got home.” 

She shakes her head at him and reaches up to push his hair from his face, “It’s okay, I know you’re busy. You’re here now, She says, and he hums, looking down at Lily and smiling when he sees her eyes flickering shut already, as content in his embrace as Emily always was, “How’s it going finding mine and JJ’s replacements?”

He groans as he turns to look at her, “I think I may have found yours, JJ’s is proving harder, but there is someone from the academy who has been recommended, but she’s still a cadet.”

She raises an eyebrow at him, “Not sure what it says that it’s been easier to find your wife’s replacement.”

He shakes his head at her and smiles, the reaction they both know she’d been looking for, “There’s only one you, Em,” he says, leaning in to press a kiss against her lips, “You know that,” he looks down and sees Lily is asleep, “Lily would agree with me but she’s sleeping again already.”

Emily smiles and reaches to gently lift the baby from him, careful as she turns and places her back in her bassinet, “She’s very skilled at waking us up and then immediately falling back asleep isn’t she?” 

She kisses Lily’s head and then yawns as she lays back down, dragging Aaron’s arm over her middle after he turns the lamp back off, content to have him pressed up against her, his back against her chest as they settle. 

“So, who is this replacement for me?” She asks, linking their fingers together. It somehow felt more final than leaving the BAU for her maternity leave had felt, even though she knew then she wouldn’t be going back. But her job had still been there, hanging over her head like a test of some kind, one that she was determined not to fail.

“She’s called Dr Alex Blake,” he replies, pulling her closer, “She’s a linguistics expert,” he says, smiling into the top of her head as he feels her tense against him, “But as good as you sweetheart, don’t worry,” he kisses her temple, “And she’s a professor at Georgetown.”

Emily hums, the finality of it all sinking in. She looks over at her sleeping daughter, and any doubt, and regret, fades away. She’d left for her. She was breaking the cycle and putting her daughter first, no matter how much it might sting to feel as if she was being replaced. 

“She sounds good,” she says, kissing his knuckles, yawning again, “What’s the issue?” 

He sighs, the rumble of it passing from his chest to hers. The burden of whatever he was worried about was a shared one like everything else, “She lost her son a couple of years ago, it’s in her file. Our work is not easy, I wouldn’t want anything to drag that up for her if it’s too soon.”

She turns her head and looks at him in the low light of the room, her eyes narrowed slightly, “Says the man who went back to work a month after being stabbed in his own apartment by a sociopath.”

“Hey…” he says, squeezing her tighter, “Technically it wasn’t my apartment anymore, I was about to move in with you.” 

She rolls her eyes and leans up to kiss him before she settles back down, “Semantics,” she mumbles, “So much has changed since then,” she says idly, reminding herself to talk to him in the morning about Jack and his comments about being with them more. 

“For the better,” he whispers, squeezing her hand and she nods. 

“For the better,” she replies, yawning again, “If this Dr. Blake thinks she's ready, you should give her a chance.” 

He hums, “I know,” he says, kissing the top of her head again, “Just like I know we should try and get some more sleep before your mini-me wakes us up again.” 

They both close their eyes, sinking into the comfort of each other, of their life together. Aaron thinks she’s fallen asleep, her breathing all but evened out, when she speaks again.

“Aaron?” 

He yawns as he replies, “Yes sweetheart?” 

“Is she prettier than me?” 

-x-

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[little-birdseeker]

Growing Wings - Ch.8 - Weaver Among The Rogues

[<- Chapter 7: The Problem With Magic]

When R’namo entered the guild hall, she saw the usual hustle and bustle of the rogues guild. Some sitting there and chatting, some training with their knives, and there were even a few that dozed in the corners. But her eyes shifted quickly into another corner of the room - the corner Isabelle had taken over a while ago. The young girl had somehow managed to build an improvised sewing place, where she and others sat down to repair their clothes, if it was necessary. Or, as of now, Isabelle sat there and crafted something on her own.

“Here again, Isa? What is it this time?”, R’namo asked her pupil.

“Oh, hey Naaamo!” A wide smile from Isabelle welcomed the Miqo’te, before she showed her doing. “Looook! It’s new braaa! Whaaat do you think!” “A new- For whom?”, R’namo asked, and added a “For you, i see…” with a sigh.

“They slooowed down!!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that they have been huge already!”

“It’s not myyy fault! I have nooo say in it!!”, Isabelle pouted, whispering something more to herself.

“I know, I know…” With a sigh, R’namo sat down beside the red Miqo’te.

“But you do realize carrying basically two puppies in front of you brings a lot of issues with it? No need to look so surprised, of course I heard you! I’m not deaf, you know?”

“But… but… the biiigger the beeetter!”

“No, Isa! Listen, your chest is already huge! No need for more! And now, sit upright! You need to train your back more, or else it’ll hurt. A lot.” “Uhm…” “Is it already?” Isabelle nodded slowly, a bit embarrassed after her friend did look straight through her “Oh, Isa… Well, we will take care of that. But don’t forget what I said, okay?”

“Will it make the pain go away…?”

“Who can say? It’ll get better though, I promise. And your bra looks good. A bit rough, but I can definitely see you are doing your best.”

The pouting vanished as quickly as it had appeared, now replaced by a huge smile. “Thaaank you!”

“And your sister? What does she think?”

“It’s gotten better!”

“Oh, nice. So she stopped ranting about you?” “Hmmm… she ooonly starts when she finds my clooothes again! When i was too laaazy to put them away.” “Isa…”, R’namo sighed, but had to chuckle a little bit. “So, envious as ever, is she?”

“Yeeep!”

“I really don’t get why you still like her so much.” “She is my siiister! And she is reeeally nice! She brought me some chooocolate yesterday!”

“She did, huh?” R’namo had never understood this strange relationship between Isabelle and her sister. Or the family in general. The envy of her sister, her family that thinks she is clumsy or maybe dumb and rarely able to learn something, even though she had seen herself what Forwin had meant a few years ago. And some chocolate would not change a thing, would it?

“I juuust love them! Yesterday, I asked Muuum how I could craft my ooown bra! And she tooold me, withooout questioning it!”

“And did she think you got what she was telling you?” “Uhm… hmmm. She diiid take a while to teach me. I thiiink she wanted to make sure i understood eeeverything! That was niiice!”

“Or she… oh, whatever. And you understood everything, and remember it?” “Mooost of it! And see, I can figure out the reeest myself! And when I am dooone, I will make a beeetter one for Iana!”

R’namo just had to smile. There was no point in arguing here. Isabelle was just way too kind, and that was something she really appreciated. A kindness that never wavered, whatever may happen. It was something she could envy her for, really. R’namo would never understand why Isabelle thought that way, but maybe… maybe she was just full of love for everyone, and everything. And if she was not mistaken, her family knew that as well, even though they may be treating her harshly.

“I am sure she will be happy about it.” “Mhm! It will make her haaappy, and proooud!”

“That she will. I am certain. And I can tell you, I am proud of you as well. For learning so much, and doing your best.”

The bright smile R’namo received was something she would never forget, as well as all the others that have been and would still come.

After all, Isabelle was the little sun of the Birdseekers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Thanks for reading <3 I hope you enjoyed it! More will be added the coming days and are linked here and on Isabelles story page!)

[Chapter 9: Her Decision ->]

[turtles-allthewaydown]

4, 14, 28, and 30 for the ask game!!

4. How do you know when a chapter is done?

It's a combination of word count and pacing.

When I first start a fic I just start writing without worrying about chapter breaks. Eventually I hit a point where I've written enough to figure out what the fic is about, and then I can outline the rest. At that point I usually figure out the general shape of pacing, scenes that can mirror each other, recurring themes, etc. Then I look at what I've already got written and what I've got planned and figure out what the first chapter should be. That generally determines the size of later chapters. All of my fics have a general rule-of-thumb for how long a chapter should be, which I freely ignore when I feel like something needs to be included.

For example a chapter of My Body Is An Orphanage (Hazbin Hotel) is 6-8k, except the latest chapter is actually over 9k because I wanted to reach a certain point in an emotional arc. Nothing Ventured (Dungeon Meshi) has much shorter chapters, generally 2-3k, but I know there are some that are a bit longer because a scene just wasn't finished in fewer words.

The point of having a word count goal for a chapter, for me, is to 1) keep things approximately the same scale so readers aren't surprised, 2) keep things moving, and 3) give myself a goal to aim for, so while I'm working I can say "I just need 500 more words before I can post this chapter, maybe I'll write that scene now so I can post tomorrow morning!" The goal is never to make myself stretch something longer than it needs to be or cut something short to make it fit an arbitrary length. Sometimes it does help me realize when something is dragging on for too long, though!

14. What's one word you can never spell/use properly, no matter how hard you try?

Oh, there are so many. I'm hopelessly reliant on spell check, which is unfortunate since a lot of them are getting worse with AI ;_; Brainstorming some words, one of my big struggles appears to be with remembering whether something uses c or s (license, spouse, sauce, etc.) and single vs double letters (below vs bellow, apologize, etc.)

28. How do you make sure your plot points are there while also making them blend in with the story?

My fics tend to be more about character arcs and emotion than about plot, but I do have a method here. It's all about outlining -- it's way easier to reach your destination if you know where you're going!

When I outline a story, I'm essentially writing bullet points of the major plot and emotional beats, plus any side scenes that I know I want to write. Generally one sentence summarizing a scene, with a line break to indicate moving on to the next part of a scene and two line breaks to indicate shifting to a new scene entirely. I then bold my outline and gradually replace the bolded sentences with the scenes they describe. For example, at one point a portion of To The Dogs (Dungeon Meshi) looked something like this (italics instead of bold because I bolded the questions lol):

Meeting the orcs pt 2

[flashback scene]

Traps are always dangerous, keep your guard up and don't get cocky

He gets cocky [partially written scene]

Then as I worked I figured out what "traps are always dangerous, don't get cocky" would be, and made sure to end it with that sentence so that I could start the next one with "he gets cocky" and keep the flow I wanted to have when I was outlining. (To The Dogs was a really important fic to outline because I was blending three different timelines. As I wrote I was constantly jumping around the outline, sometimes adding new scenes or rearranging them, making sure things made sense and that Chilchuck's emotional journey tracked within each separate timeline.)

What this effectively means is when I sit down to write a scene, I'm starting with a focus on the major plot points or emotional beats that need to happen. Everything else springs from there. So I'm not writing aimlessly hoping to get to a plot point or trying to cram a plot point into a scene, I'm starting from "okay, I know this scene needs to end with Chilchuck telling someone not to get cocky and warning about traps, how can I get there?"

Sometimes after I write all the bits I'll go back and realize there's some connective tissue missing and write something to link two scenes together, but generally I find jumping straight from important part A to important part B works fine, and readers can be trusted to follow.

By the way, those of you waiting for the next chapter of Nothing Ventured? There's a little bit I've already written and then the next line of the outline just says "Chilaios in the Dungeon"

30. How do you edit your stories?

hahaha edit? nah

In all seriousness, this is the thing I am weakest on. Once I've written the scenes my outline told me to write I want to be done! I did the thing, time to post it already and get to those lovely comments!

Generally I skim over whatever I've decided is a chapter to make sure it all connects, do a spelling/grammar check, and then up on AO3 it goes. Sometimes I re-read my fics and will go back and edit typos and formatting errors if I find them.

In the case of something like My Body Is An Orphanage, which recently got a partial re-write, I knew some of the changes I wanted to make so I went in and did that first, then I read the whole thing from start to finish and made smaller changes as I went -- fix the phrasing here, add a little extra detail there, correct the spelling of a character's name over there, etc. The sort of thing I should probably do with all my works, but just don't have the patience to.