#I also like to think she royally messed up his back when she took control

[teatime-at-4]

just some old art of mine from last June of possessed Wukong, I think he's neat.

[purplebass]

More Analysis on Kell and Lila's development in Threads

Threads of Power SPOILERS in this post.

I might be boring but... more analysis of Kell and Lila's relationship development in ToP because I like talking about this topic. lol. This post is loooong and I don't know if I have said all I wanted to say about the topic because it still seems I forget to address something every time. You can tell Kell and Lila messed up with my brain a lot 😳🤭 but I love them for giving me topics to analyze and discuss.

Kell and Lila are the embodiment of how two people with the same magical threads (Antari) lived different lives and had a different upbringing, thus the way they use their power and how they face life in both the practical and emotional aspect is different.

Lila as the ship: Kell's fear of the unpredictable, unsteady, uncontrollable

For example, we see how Lila is at ease at sea while Kell feels like precious cargo on the Barron, but then he adapts and feels more adjusted as the years go by. And this is also thanks to Lila, who tries to help him in the ways she can: by teaching him to fight or simply by giving him space when he's in a mood, because that's what she thinks he needs. That's her love language. She also makes sure to come back to him all the times so he'll know she's safe, because Kell knows he can't control her but it's in his nature to be overprotective and she wants to make sure he knows she is there. Lila is unpredictable, just like a ship in the open sea that is potentially open to wreckage or attacks. It never stays put like a palace, and this makes Kell a little uneasy, but he holds on because Lila is there with him. Lila tries to make the ship a safe space for Kell.

Kell as the palace: Lila's fear of routine, stillness, control

Similarly, Lila doesn't really like staying at the palace, in fact she stays mostly out of it. The palace represents for her a still life that goes on every day in the same manner, with no excitement, no thrill, no adventure. Boring. Royals are also expected to behave in a certain way and Lila doesn't like being told what to do nor how to behave. The first night back in Red London, she goes back to the room at the tavern to sleep, but Kell isn't there. She tries to sleep alone but the bed is just too empty without Kell, so she goes back to the palace because he is there. Lila stays at the palace for Kell and we see how fast she falls asleep next to him. Kell is her safe harbor, to use a sea metaphor (lol). Being a safe harbor means "being safe for a ship" and we can say that Kell is the only reason she is willing to stay at the palace (Alucard might be her friend but he wouldn't be reason enough for her to stay there, I think). Kell is the only reason "worth staying put", to use something Alucard tells her.

My lady, my prince

At the palace, she also hates being called mas arna/my lady because she feels like that term diminishes her status as Antari and captain, the statuses she mostly identifies with. See how her crew on the ship calls her captain because they respect her status. Alucard also often calls her by surname and treats her like an equal captain like him. Kell also dislikes being called mas vares/my prince but we see how, after his power is broken, it seems like he clings to the status of prince more because that's what is left of his identity at that moment (even though it hurts all the same and he feels like the red coat doesn't fit him). He also took on the role of Kay the privateer on the ship, a role that he seems to like sometimes, mostly in intimate situations, because it probably helps his carefree/passionate side to come out, just like Lila enjoys wearing the black mask to pretend to be someone else (it's not surprising Kay also wears a mask - Kay is like the privateer version of Kamerov, Kell's royal magician alter ego).

Independent, but connected

Kell and Lila are independent, and they are comfortable being close and alone, and at the end of the day they always come back to and for each other. At the end of the day, it's each other's face they want to see before they fall asleep. Lila doesn't like being called "the prince's promised lady" and is annoyed at the queen for even touching the subject of children and family, topics that are triggering for her and that I'm not sure she even touched with Kell himself. Their attachment style wavers from disorganized to secure (more the former than the latter, but they're headed the secure way). Lila doesn't want to lose her identity in the relationship, doesn't want to be just an accessory or a vessel to have Kell's babies to test a theory. She already considers Kell family, that's progress. For all we know, she may even consider expanding their family, but I have no clue if this will ever be discussed or not.

Lean on me

Lila finds it hard to rely on Kell not because he doesn't deliver or she doesn't trust him; on the other hand, Kell is such a caring partner, over caring even. And gentle. Unlike Kell, who lived as a prince and had everything he wanted except for freedom, which is the only thing Lila had, Lila's needs weren't met as a child thus she only accepts to lean on Kell when her bluff and "I can handle myself" façade don't match what she does. Like for example after he saves her from the Emery estate and she's too hurt to even speak or walk. Lila herself always tries to check on Kell and be there behind him whenever he is hurt. The moment Kell lends her his power with the golden ring and he is broken and unwell, Lila's first reaction is to cry (this scene is a parallel with Lila being hurt in Rosenal in ACOL). When Lila asks Tes to fix Kell, even she can tell that Lila's aggressive act is fake from the way she caresses Ren Maresh's hair gentler than usual or she doesn't bat an eyelash when Tes tells her she needs a thread of her magic to fix Kell. This is a woman who would die to keep the man she loves alive. Even the thing she whispers into Kell's ear: "There is nowhere you go that I cannot follow," speaks volumes. She's basically telling Kell that she's going to follow him anywhere he went to take him back. Or maybe she's hinting at the fact that now part of her magic will be in him - she also lent him her magic, her magic will "follow" him wherever he goes.

The threads that bind: ship ring/gold ring The ship ring and the gold power-stealing ring are an interesting way to see the way Kell and Lila developed personally and romantically throughout the book. Kell never saw the ship ring as a bonding ring the way Lila saw it. To him, the ring was a token to stay connected and to help each other in times of danger. To her, the ring meant commitment, engagement. In the end, Lila truly needs help and Kell comes to her rescue. The reaction Lila has is the same she has in ADSOM when Holland uses her as bait to lure Kell to him: she's surprised and relieved he came for her. She probably thought he would think the ring had a glitch, but Kell used his magic even it hurt him to go to her. Even so, the outcome is positive because the rings were made for a good reason. Later on, when they need to close the door to nowhere, Kell suggests they use the gold ring that steals a person's power so he can lend his to her. Again, Lila doesn't want to risk it, in fact it's Kell who literally shoves the ring on her finger and the other band on his wrist, and his power breaks down even more. This is also a bond, and it doesn't surprise me that the bands are gold like the ones that are used during the vows in a Red London royal wedding. Except in this case, even though Lila knows how to handle Kell's power, the outcome is negative.

It doesn't surprise me Kell's power is fixed thanks to one of Lila's magical threads and that in the end, Lila is wearing the ship ring proudly as if that was truly an engagement ring. This is a new step into their relationship and personal experience and it's character development, and I can't wait what's in store now that Kell is back to being his magical self.

[bebepac]

Holiday Vibes 🎄

I am participating in @choicesficwriterscreations  holiday event 2022.  

I am also participating in @choicesflashfics prompt #21 “it looks like Santa threw up in here.” will appear in bold

I am also participating in  @choicesholidays​ prompt well that’s the holiday spirit which is the overall theme of this story.

Series: School Dayz

The Book:  TRR (no royals) 

Pairings: Liam x Riley

Word Count: 1036

Song Inspiration:  Silent Night by the Temptations

Warnings and Ratings:  None. Everyone.  A total fluff piece.

Original Post: 12/18/22 at 10:45PM EST.

���Thanks for driving me to the mall today, and driving me around when Jaiden can’t.”

“It’s no problem, and I like driving you around, makes me feel manly. Like i'm a super boyfriend.”  

Liam’s face turned bright pink.  

“I…..said that out loud didn’t I?”

“You did but it’s okay. And you are a ‘Super Boyfriend.’ I like that you’re always adorkably honest with me.”

The smile faded from her face and her face was replaced with a serious look.

“You know, the car accident sliding on the ice during the storm really scared me Liam.”

“I know it did, but I’m glad you and Taylor were okay.  When I saw your Jeep…. My heart stopped, Riley. I was so worried you were hurt.”

Liam took her hand and held it.  

“I’m okay.  It means a lot that you care so much.”

Riley gently squeezed his hand in return.  She still had bruising to the side of her face, and arm because when they skidded out of control, Taylor wasn't wearing her seatbelt, and Riley reached out to hold Taylor back, when the airbags deployed.

“I just want you to know I do, and I’ll drive you around as long as you need me to or want me to.”

“Thank you Liam.”

“You’re welcome.  So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the afternoon?”  

“Well if you want to hang out with us for a bit, we might be doing some Christmas tree decorating.  Dad said you could stay for dinner.”  

“That sounds nice.  He’s warming up to me, don’t you think?”

“Yeah maybe he is.  I mean as much as my dad can warm  up to people.”

When they pulled to a stop in front of the Brooks’s residence Riley laughed at the look on Liam’s face.

“Whoa…. Looks like Mr. Brooks has been busy.”  

“Dad loves Christmas, it is by far his favorite holiday.”

When they left the Brooks household that morning, there was no Christmas decor up. Coming back that evening the yard was filled with Christmas decorations 

and the house had been strung with lots of Christmas lights.  

Liam grabbed some of Riley’s shopping bags to assist her bringing them inside.  No one appeared to be nearby, so Liam spoke freely.

“Whoa…. It looks like Santa threw up in here.” 

And the Brooks family came out the woodworks like ninjas, starting with Mr. Brooks.

“No Liam, tell me how you feel about our Christmas decorations.” 

Taylor burst out laughing from the couch as Mr. Brooks stepped out into the foyer holding yet another a string of Christmas lights.

“Damn Liam. You just like stepping on landmines don’t you?”

“Jai! Language!”  Mrs. Brooks exclaimed.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not used to a lot of Christmas decorations. My family doesn’t really do holidays like this.  I think it’s really nice.”  

Ren affectionately rubbed Mr. Brooks’s shoulders.  

“Jason and I grew up in the foster care system, and holidays were hard when you were living in foster homes at the holidays.  We both vowed if we ever had families, we would celebrate.  It’s very important to us.  So we always go all out.”  

“Wow, I really meant no disrespect with what I said.”  

“It’s okay Liam. Go help Riley put her presents away in her room, and you can come back and help us decorate.”  

Liam hurried and helped Riley put her gifts in her closet to hide them and almost ran back down stairs to  the living room area.  He looked excited to be helping with decorating the Christmas tree.

“That’s some very meticulous placing of the Christmas ornaments Liam.  I could almost take a ruler to those and i’m sure their spacing would be identical.”  

“I don’t want to mess the tree up Mr. Brooks.”

“You can’t mess decorating a Christmas tree up.  At least not on my year.  I like bright colorful trees.  So does Taylor.”

He pointed to the box of ornaments.  There were so many different colored ornaments and trinkets in the box.  “We bring out the crazy.  Next year is Ren and Riley’s year,  they like a silver and gold tree with white lights.”

“And Jaiden, what about you? What type of tree do you like?” Liam asked Jaiden.

“I don’t care either way, as long as there are presents for me under said tree.”

“Seems legit.”  

Mrs. Brooks had disappeared from the decorating and had been in the kitchen for a little bit and emerged from the kitchen with a tray sitting down first a tray of cookies, then coming back shortly with a tray of cups of hot cocoa.  Mr. Brooks was still admiring their handiwork.  

“I think it’s time.”  

Ren looked at Jai.  “You know what to do.”  

“I’m on it Mom.”

As the lights in the living room started to dim slowly, Jason’s favorite Christmas song started  playing over the living room surround sound.  It was never officially Christmas in the Brooks’s household unless he heard The Temptation’s version of Silent Night.    

When the song hit its iconic first verse, the Brooks’s living room, the Brook's tree erupted with colorful light.

There was silence for a few moments while Jason wrapped his arm around Ren sipping some cocoa.

"This was a good one, Ren."

"You're right it is. Liam, you did a good job."

"Thank you sir."

After dinner Mr. Brooks pulled Liam aside.

"Yes sir?"

"What are you doing for Christmas, Liam?"

His face turned bright pink.

"Nothing, my Dad will be away, it's going to be just me and Leo. The cooks will make us dinner."

"What does your father do for a living Liam?"

"He's a corporate lawyer. They call him Constantine the Cutthroat."

"Sounds like he's a great lawyer."

"He is. Just a crappy father."

Jason looked at Liam sympathetically.

"You and your brother have plans now.  You're spending Christmas Eve and Day with us."

"Seriously Dad?!?!"

"We'll have plenty of food, and it's the least we can do, because Liam refuses to take gas money to chauffeur you around."

"Thank you Dad."

Riley hugged Jason.

"You're welcome, Jelly Bean."

When Riley's dad left the room, she turned to Liam with a huge smile.

"See! you were right, my Dad is warming up to you. This is huge."

Liam smiled back at her.  It was a bittersweet moment for Liam, but deep down the excitement outweighed the sadness. This was going to be the first Christmas he would really be celebrating since the passing of his mother.

[danstupidaushit]

Horrorfell Danmaged

Ok so, this one is an au im a bit more proud off different than the others

The idea behind this take on Horrorfell is that, different from the original horrortale where the death of asgore lead to the tyranny of Undyne, in this au, frisk chose to try and kill mettaton in the fight, leading to Alphys having to try and fix him up in order to keep the robot alive. But, after managing to fully build mettaton back, she discovered that mettaton's mind had been messed up by how much he got destroyed after the fight, as Mettaton after being reactivated with begin to try and follow a second dream that he had, which was to be a star for the monsterkind. If he couldn't be a star in the human world, he might as well try and continue to be one in the monster world, as he would go on to force alphys to make certain machines for both of his hotel and his shows, before one of these machines would be used on alphys herself, as mettaton would trick alphys into creating a mind controlling device, to which mettaton would shove in on alphys herself, taking control over the lizard as from that point on   he would begin his own kingdom revolved around him, turning most of the places that were previously regions where monsters lived in, into nothing more than areas connected to Mettaton's huge hotel.

That would be basically the lore for how the story of Horrorfell came by Now, here's some simple information about the characters

Jerry: Boy that got pranked by a few bullies into going into a forest during a halloween night, but ended up never coming back. Massive horror movie enthusiast, loves onion rings.

Crybabies: Flowey never came back to life after the events of the undertale neutral route, but because of the determination that was still present in his body, the flower that remained lifeless began to multiply itself, becoming some kind of plague in the underground, as the flower not only spread real easily, but can also infect and take over people's bodies.

Toriel: Instead of going insane due to loneliness, ended up growing extremely dense and apathetic to the world crumbling around her, meaning she has no maternal love left for someone like Jerry

Sans: Had his entire head blasted off after he got snitched to Mettaton about his plans on trying to expose what he was doing under the covers, having being called in to the throne room and being shot in the face by one of Mettaton's lazers. He doesn't remember exactly who he is, and mostly tries to play off how he thinks the original sans acted like, failing a bit to do so and just mostly sounding like a weird copycat of sans.

Papyrus: After the royal guard was disassembled, he had no choice but to take a job at Mettaton's growing hotel, at first serving a normal job carrying people's baggage around, before being given so much work to do that he would begin to live in the hotel, never coming back home for sans, as by that point he couldn't even come back home without being called back in the hotel. He's cold and very unempathetic, taking up his job as the most important thing over everything else.

Undyne and Alphys: both got their heads implanted with the mind controlling device, with Undyne now serving as head of the security of the Hotel, while Alphys works in the basement making various devices for Mettaton to use on his sadistic shows.

Mettaton: Took over the underground and now is the owner of several areas in it, controlling all of the television shows and most importantly, having a gigantic influence in the public. Uses a mask to hide the fact Alphys never managed to fully fix up his face, and he also uses one of the dog's from snowdin as clothing.

Fun facts about the au: Most of the story would happen inside the hotel, having kind of a Little Nightmare vibe to it (I was inspired on it when making this take) Sans instead of scaring Jerry when first meeting him, he would actually just “try” to shake his hand like the og sans would do, but end up just holding his hand for 10 seconds straight in pure silence.

[fangirlofallthefanthings]

Pt: 2

He absolutely loves the Spartan royal family. He finds them wonderful and feels like he has made amazing friends with them. He also greatly admires how they let rumors around Helen and Pollux roll off their backs and subside, similar to how Odysseus' family did for his parentage. He and Helen are besties, tho. She was definitely Penelope's wingwoman and vice versa.

I like to think he could only grow a passable beard in the last year of the end of the Trojan War. His facial hair had always been a scratchy scruff, but Penelope never minded. She thought it was cute. He would rub it on her cheeks whenever he "pounced" and attacked her with kisses while she was weaving or if she was playfully teasing him about it. His lineage with Hermes makes him naturally more running efficient, so facial hair is more challenging for him to grow.

He definitely lies and says Heracles' adventures were his favorite because his grandpa knew him. I wouldn't be surprised. The hospitality thing is definitely his goal. He hopes he and Penelope will be connected forever. <3

I agree that Eumaeus was like a brother to him, but Polites and Eurylochus were, too. I headcanon that Anticlea made friends with Eurylochus's and Polites' mothers. They helped her settle in Ithaca and helped her through homesickness from Parnassus when Laertes wasn't around. They raised their boys together, so it wasn't "Odysseus, Ctimene, and their pseudo-brother Eumeaus." It was "The Terrible Trio (Odysseus, Eurylochus, Polites) and the Sensible Ones (Ctimene and Eumeaus)." Ctimene is still a menace, though. She just focuses on messing with Odysseus rather than everyone else. Euryclea was also close to Anticlea since Anticlea helped her with her own homesickness (and she, Laertes, and Anticlea became a throuple. Euryclea is ace <3). Euryclea is also like a second mother to Odysseus, so he makes her the head of his house when he becomes king. Sure, he's the master, but she ensures the show runs smoothly in the background.

YES!!!! DEMISEXUAL ODYSSEUS IS ONE OF MY NUMBER ONE HEADCANONS!!!! This boy gets blindsided SO HARD every time he falls in love (which is twice)!!!!! It wasn't love at first sight to me, but he was curious about her at first. Then he got to know her, and his plans in Sparta pulled a 180. He was determined to win Pen's heart and bring her home! <3

Back to the boar scar, it didn't cause those issues in my WIP... but he thinks it did. I won't give anything away, but it's a long time before Telemachus comes around. He feels horrible and blames himself for his and Penelope's difficulties even though it's neither of their faults. It's just random.

I find whenever something goes wrong, and it involves Odysseus, he blames himself harshly, even if it is something entirely out of his control.

When the scar healed, he had to have a crutch to get around for a while. Even though the wound closed, he still needed to build his strength up again (it took out a chunk of his muscle, after all). He walks with a very subtle limp for the rest of his life. It's almost unnoticeable most of the time unless you know him well enough. It comes out stronger whenever he's tired or tipsy. ("I'm fine, you... weird woman!" [he is drunk] "Sure, love. Let's go to bed, wobbly husband mine." "Ok..." "That's my weird man ^-^")

He made so SO many toys and puzzles for kids before Telemachus. There were so many little trinkets that he gave a few to any children of guests to whom he felt a paternal connection. Like- "Hey, little guy, I wanted to give you this." ":00000 really???" "Yes. You deserve a gift since you were my guest, too! ^-^" "Thank you, Your Highness!!! :D"

I think the horse idea came to him after Achilles died. My hc is that Diomedes and Ody were... hanging out. Yeah, let's say that. Then, all of a sudden, Ody freezes and tells Dio, "Get off me for a second! I just figured out how to take Troy!" Dio is like, "Huh?????? Now????????" and Odysseus sits up with the biggest smile on his face and says, "A HORSE! :D" "wat. o-o" And Dio thinks Ody has finally lost his mind.

He is definitely "all or nothing" with his feelings. He will sob on loved ones' shoulders and kill anyone who messes with them. Forgive the Harry Potter reference, but he is the most Ravenclaw-like Hufflepuff I've ever seen (and Penelope is the most Hufflepuff-like Ravenclaw I've ever seen; they complete each other <3). I refuse to believe that the way he is in the Iliad is his default. That is a man who was dragged into a war against his will and decided he might as well attempt to gain glory for his family back home because it's the only way he can be the best husband he can in this situation.

I absolutely love your head canons about Water Wife™️, but I’m curious about what head canons you have for Odysseus (aka. #1 Water Wife™️ simp) 🤔

I have so manyyyyyyyy!!! :D

For both, of course, and I'm not even done with Penelope never will be There's some I probably have mentioned before but bleh :D I'll put it out anyways.

Odysseus is a "pretty boy" and he's able to balance "masculine" and "feminine" beauty perfectly and he knows it and uses it. (When you're aspec, you tend to "study" what makes people "pretty". To understand it as, "What's the big deal?". That's what he does) I knew someone in theatre who when playing different characters for acting, the more "sweet and goofy" one (Seymour, Little Shop of Horrors) and the "rugged, handsome" one (Prince from Into the Woods) and he looked like different people and realized it was because he was able to really shift his jaw around and also just really expressive and Odysseus USES this. ALL the time. Paris is a more feminine pretty boy while Menelaus is a more masculine pretty boy but Odysseus is a perfect in-between. (Paris and Menelaus are definitely prettier than him in a way but yeah >:D Homer doesn't stfu about Odysseus and he had multiple people wanting him. When he didn't want anyone but Penelope)

What "mars" his beauty is that Odysseus bites at his lips a lot. Usually chapped and ripped up.

I kind of plan for it to be kind of unknown whether Sisyphus or Laertes is his dad. He REALLY takes after his mom in so many ways. He's a lil jealous of Ctimene as while both take after Mom, she has Dad's nose and eye color. It's something that means a lot to him that his dad loves him regardless. And it REALLY bothers him when people try and bring up Sisyphus being his dad. It makes him sincerely happy seeing Tyndarius loving all his kids even though there's a CLEAR difference on who's whose. (Omfg imagine if he could talk to his mom about Calypso and Circe as what she went through with Sisyphus 😭Maybe Penelope trying to get advice from Laertes!!!)

He actually couldn't really grow a beard until after the war for whatever reason :D he was just kind of pretty smooth-shaven (not shaven but just no beard til later). Penelope teases him about it and when she does he rubs his face against hers.

He tries to say his favorite poems/epics/myths are the ones of Heracles but it's actually Psyche's myth. Not giving up because you're so devoted? That you want to see your person/people again?? RINGING ANY BELLS. (Also Baucis and Philemon, because Xenia is very important to him and to grow old with his love to then get turned into olive trees together?? That's his LIFE GOAL.)

I really love the thought of him and Eumeaus being super close. Like he actually wasn't that close to Polites and Eurylochus until mid-teens but Eumeaus was raised beside him and Ctimene.

Demisexual/demiromantic: Like he didn't really get it until Penelope, at least not fully. And then he's just hit by a truck. They were in the garden when they first met (no details yet! But she just knocks him on his ass) and there were beehives and beekeepers around and he turns so red and is so gobsmacked that Penelope freaked out thinking he was stung by a bee and was dying. (being Naiad she's dealt with this before)

Mentioned before, but the Boar scar caused fertility issues. He's...very ripped up. He blames his asexuality/demisexuality on it and it's a surprise that he can run so well (Hermes' descendant and Athena saved him...just not "all of him".) Penelope had some fertility issues too (she has a lot of siblings so she's really sad about it) but he always took the blame and always made a point of "I won't take a concubine. I don't want one and I'm the reason why we can't have children. It wouldn't change anything." Though his leg does get stiffer in joints and the skin is tight when he's older. Water Wife™ helps with that. :D

Since it took a while before they had Telemachus, he had... a lot of toys made in preparation even though it took awhile. Crib too but wasn't used for a while. Telemachus luckily has many keepsakes and gifts from his dad :') and yes he carried them everywhere. (There was a branch off their "nest" that Telemachus messed around on too much when he was around 8 and it broke :'). When Odysseus comes back, Telemachus is ashamed and says sorry and Odysseus is just happy he wasn't hurt. (OUCHIE)

He actually had the Trojan horse idea for YEARS (like year 5) but everyone thought it was "dishonorable" and he was SO MAD. (also yeah, he remembered all the toys he made his son and that's how he got the idea) It is a "TOLD YOU SO!" moment when they win.

One thing I love about him is that he really is "all or nothing" in many ways. or a "0 to 100 very quickly". He does NOT let even minor insults slide. He goes all out and over the top for the people he loves and the people he hates. like, he DOES care. He loves as much as he hates. Like he's an asshole but there's always a reason (honestly I think he does have his rules. and they ARE consistent I think. probably will write an essay on it soon)

Honestly, I know a lot of people think "oh familiar stranger" when they get back and yeah, they look so different but they still think the same in many ways. Homer ends with them still being like-minded. I think Penelope and Odysseus had the feeling of "feels like there was almost no years of separation" as they can be in-sync and "are like they were before". They're older, wiser, but he still does the funny voice that makes her laugh. She's still ticklish on her neck. So much is the same. It'll be fun to learn what's different.

Except the PTSD.

And Odysseus is basically just trying to force himself to be "normal". He's bottling things up but not pushing away. Some war stuff he's shared as there were games and some fun stories (also not as recent) But he doesn't share Circe or Calypso with Penelope at first. And he definitely doesn't want Telemachus to know. But he's not pushing away. If anything he wants them even closer than ever. And doesn't really like them being away from him.

He usually has to be the one to make "first contact" or "first touch" (don't go up behind him...ever) but he is very physically affectionate so...kind of works.

Though it saddens Penelope, as this is all Telemachus knew, he's not too affected. As to him, Odysseus is already so loving and wonderful to him and so he just sees his moments of war flashbacks and fear and his violent outbursts against others are just... Dad. He knows it's strange but no one's perfect. He's fine most of the time otherwise. He kisses his and his mother's cheeks and is trying to learn pottery from him. But Penelope knows this is not normal. Plus he's sharing some things with her that he would rather keep hidden from Telemachus forever.

Before she could always just hold him and basically do whatever and he melts. She now needs to go slow and always give some sort of warning. He usually meets her halfway, so that helps. Something he did before but...There is so much lost and that needs time.

Slowly reaching her hand out to his face? He grabs it and leans into it. She didn't need to go slow before. She opens her arms? He flops into it. Before, she could've grabbed his hand and basically pulled him into her.

He always has to be in control now and he's mad at himself for it.

"That's your son. Why did your son's joyful shouts make you think of the screams of the young men in war. Your son is fine. There's no war here. You made sure of that. That's your wife. Your wife that you've longed for 20 fucking years and you still wake up weeping and think you're with the goddesses again. Hold her. Let her hold you. Stop crying. Let her hold you. That's what you want."

He's like a cat who digs their claws into you to keep you to them. He's angry at himself for getting scared/upset and...in a way HAS to let it be known that even though he's a mess, he NEEDS them. Always has.

He can't be the little spoon anymore. He can't have her sleep/rest on top of him anymore. He can lay on her and be the big spoon but as he was basically a "doll" for Calypso and manipulated and tricked by Circe, there are certain things he can't have done to him. If he gets in his funks, he sometimes has to have it where he holds her and she's completely still before he gives her the go-ahead to hold/touch him in return. Sometimes he has to quiz her questions only she would know. And then he just cries. He won't talk about it for a while. :')

As he and Laertes shared some of the same "adventures" with the same beings, they bond over that :D Also, with his older cousin Jason? "I don't like him. >:( He always would fuck up my hair by messing with it."

In their Early marriage, they tried each other's "hobbies". Aka Odysseus tried weaving and Penelope tried woodcarving. Two of their most prized possessions is a fucking ugly wooden duck and a little blanket that is uneven and has some holes in it. When he doesn't see his blanket next to her duck when he returns, he's worried and a bit sad but then Penelope reveals that she sleeps with it :') the dye is faded and some parts are clearly rewoven so it won't fall apart.

[mandospace]

Ride (Din Djarin x F!Reader Smut)

Summary: Inspired by Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, you help Din Djarin fix his new ship.

Word Count: 3,131

Warnings: SMUT! If you are under 18, DNI! Implied age gap, PinV sex (don’t be silly wrap your willy), fingering, language, spoilers for tBoBF ep. 5

A/N: I know I haven’t written anything since October (sorry work was crazy for a few months!) but after watching the newest episode of tBoBF, I just had to write this! I hope you all enjoy! Also, big thanks to my friend @catnip987 who helped me brainstorm!

MASTERLIST

It was hot and sunny like it always was on Tatooine. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t escape the twin suns or the sand that found its way into every item of clothing you owned. Even though you were born on Tatooine, deep down you knew you were supposed to have been born on a cooler, water planet. Like Naboo. Why couldn’t you have been born on Naboo? 

It was cooler in the shady areas of Peli’s hangar and often the spaces you took refuge in to hide from the suns, like you were doing now in the control tower. Peli had ordered you to fix the wiring on the control panel so that she could better receive messages and signals from ships that wanted to dock and find repairs. 

You tried to tell her that you had fixed the panel last week, but she wasn’t having any of it; so here you were again: cramped under the control panel at an awkward angle and rewiring everything you had fixed the week before. 

You were loving being Peli’s assistant.

Since you were cramped under the panel in the control tower, you hadn’t seen a ship fly in but you heard the voice of a man talking to Peli. Once you untangled yourself from a mess of limbs and wires, you peeked over the panel and saw that the man she was talking to was a Mandalorian. 

A Mandalorian.

You had never seen one before, only heard the stories about their prowess as warriors and bounty hunters. Looking down at the man donned in shiny silver armor, you wondered which one he was—warrior or bounty hunter. 

Probably both, considering the amount of beskar and muscle on him.

You continued your work on the panel but listened more carefully now, curious as to why this Mandalorian showed up at Peli’s hangar with no ship. You peeked over the panel when you heard his deep voice echo through the hangar. 

“Where’s the ship?”

“Right this way,” Peli led the Mandalorian through her hanger and spun back to face him, arms spread wide. “Ready to have your mind blown?”

The mechanic walked up to the ship that was covered with a sheet and ripped it off, the fabric sending dust and sand cascading to the ground. She held out her hands in presentation of the bare-boned ship and smiled at the bounty hunter.

“Where’s the Razor Crest?” The Mandalorian’s voice was colored with disbelief and his arms flopped to his sides. The ship before him was nothing more than scrap metal.

Peli pointed a finger at him. “I never said I had a Razor Crest, I said I had a replacement for a Razor Crest.” She emphasized the word and patted her hand against the thruster. 

He went to walk away. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Hang on a second!” She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. “Do you have any idea what this is?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before continuing. “This is a N-1 Starfighter, handmade for the Royal Guard and commissioned personally by the Queen of Naboo!”

“This—” he pointed at the ship. “—is a pile of junk.”

“I beg to differ!” you walked down from the hanger’s control tower where you had been watching the whole ordeal. Brushing off the dust from your mechanic’s jumpsuit, you looked at Peli. “Who does this guy think he is?”

The Mandalorian appraised you, noticing your youth and the way you confidently entered the conversation as if you owned the place, all the while insulting his knowledge on ships. He looked to Peli for an explanation.

Peli introduced you as her assistant and sighed. “Do you want your credits back?”

“Yes.”

“No skin off my dip-swap,” Peli leaned around the Mandalorian. “Droids! Bring this lovely man his money.” 

You scoffed and rolled your eyes at the shiny Mandalorian before you. He obviously has no vision or appreciation for classic ships. 

Peli put her hands on her hips. “Here you go. It’s that easy. Sorry to waste your time. Okay?” She sighed again and nodded at the so-called pile of junk. “While we’re waiting, can I tell you a little something about this honey? I know she doesn’t look like much but you got here a lot earlier than I expected and we didn’t get a chance to finish. I mean, clearly, you can see all the parts right here.” 

Peli sifted through a bin, metal clanking as she showed him what she meant. “It all has a home! Oh, look—a family of scurriers, let’s not disrupt the nest.”

Peli shooed the little critters away and you took over her sales speech. “You know how hard it is to find original parts from way back in the Galactic Republic? I mean, these are all handmade, no droids!”

Peli nodded along with your words and moved around the ship. “And not only that, what I’m gonna do just because I like you, is I’m gonna add on some custom modifications that will make her faster than a fathier.”

You really didn’t see how Peli could like this man. He was arrogant and didn’t know a thing about ships, apparently. Plus, Peli doesn’t like anyone. She barely likes you, and even then it’s just above toleration because you are useful to her.

Peli continued where you left off. “AND because this baby’s pre-Empire, she’s off the grid. And did I mention, she can jump into hyperspace with no docking ring?”

You jumped in and finished the spiel. “I mean, come on! You’ve got to see the potential!” 

He walked up to the ship and ripped off a part before tossing it to the ground. 

What a scruffy little nerfherder! That took you an hour to get that part in place! 

“I’m telling you, Mando, you’ve gotta believe me!” Peli leaned against the thruster and patted it, knocking something loose. You cringed as it clanked to the ground. “This is a classic!” 

“Look, at least let us put her together before you decide. Can you give me that?” She nodded towards you and reached for a socket wrench from her tool belt and started working. You joined beside her and began soldering the pieces of metal together. “Get this baby up and going!” 

She looked up at the Mandalorian. “You know, it would be a lot faster if you helped instead of (Y/N) and I doing all the work.” She handed him a large wrench.

——

Hours later, and the three of you were dirty with engine oil and sand with parts scattered all through the hangar. Peli had gone inside to look for some parts and to get lunch while you and Mando laid underneath the ship trying to fix the main sublight engine. While you weren’t happy to be next to the Mandalorian, you had to admit that he had some knowledge of mechanics.

The sounds of tinkering filled the hangar, intermittently disrupting the silence between the two of you. You couldn’t take it any longer. 

“So… what brings you to Tatooine?” You inwardly cringed at the way you sounded, not only because of the awkward small-talk but because your voice was hoarse from hours of disuse. 

“Peli said she had a Razor Crest for me. This—” he motioned above him. “—is not a Razor Crest.”

“You’re right,” you reached for the wrench beside you before bringing it up to the engine. “It’s infinitely better.”

“I beg to differ,” he threw your earlier words back at you. 

You rolled your eyes and scoffed. “You’re telling me you’d rather have the equivalent of a space minivan rather than a classic Naboo starfighter?”

“Yep.” 

“You’re ridiculous,” you rolled your eyes again and continued working on the ship while you tried to distract yourself from your annoyance.

“What do you even know about ships?” Mando challenged. “You look like you’re barely old enough to fly one.”

“I beg to differ!”

“Is that your favorite thing to say?” He cut you off before you could explain yourself. You could feel the heat rushing to your face in embarrassment.

“For your information, Mando, I am plenty old enough to fly a ship. Have been for quite some time. And I’m good enough that I’ve never even crashed one! Which, I’m assuming, is what happened to your last ship since you need a new one.”

“I didn’t crash it,” Mando protested. “It… got blown up.”

“That’s rough, buddy,” you sympathized with him momentarily until you remembered his earlier comment about your inexperience. A scowl settled on your face. “They probably thought no one owned it since it was a piece of junk so they used it for target practice.”

“Do you ever shut up?” Mando groaned and tossed his tool on the ground. He didn’t have to explain anything to you. After all, you were just some young mechanic that worked for Peli that had annoyed him with every breath. He wondered if you were always like this before or if the annoying qualities were refined from working closely with Peli. 

“Only when I’m sucking dick.”

Mando dropped the wrench he was holding above him directly on his face in shock. Thankfully, he was wearing his beskar helmet so there wouldn’t be a nasty bruise later. 

“Oh my gods, I didn’t mean that!” Heat flushed your face and you stammered over your words; not sure why that came out. “I—”

“Good to know,” he smirked beneath his visor, a similar blush coloring his cheeks. He chuckled and picked up the wrench that he dropped.

Embarrassment flooded your veins at his laughter. Trying to ignore the awkwardness that you accidentally created, you picked up your own tool to resume working.

“Do you always talk to Peli’s customer’s like that?” Mando teased. He could feel your embarrassment and frustration radiating off the metal underbelly of the ship. “Or just me?”

“I will throw this at you,” you threatened, waving your wrench at him. “And I won’t even be sorry when it dents that shiny head of yours.”

“Feisty,” he laughed. “I like it.”

“Oh my gods, do you ever shut up?” 

“Only when I’m eating pussy.” 

It was your turn to drop the wrench on your face now. Thankfully, you dodged it at the last second and it clanged to the ground. Your eyes were wide as you looked over at the Mandalorian, not sure if you heard him right.

“Lothcat got your tongue?” he teased and wagged his own wrench at you. 

“Whatever,” you swallowed, your mouth dry. You couldn’t look at him. “Let’s just get this ship fixed so you can get out of my hangar.”

“I think I’m ready for a break,” Mando dropped his tools and slid out from under the belly of the ship. He brushed off the sand from his cape. 

He waited for you to slide out from under too, but you never did. Instead, you focused on fixing the ship so he could leave. The sooner the better.

The Mandalorian wasn’t taking that, though. He reached for your ankle and tugged, dragging you out from under the ship with one strong pull. 

“Hey!” you protested, your shirt sliding up your torso since you had loosely tied the top of your jumpsuit around your waist earlier. 

“Take a break with me,” he said. The hand that gripped your ankle had begun to make its way up your calf.

You swallowed hard. “W-what kind of break?”

“The kind of break where we both shut up,” Mando now straddled your legs and undid the knot of your jumpsuit sleeves at your waist and unzipped it further down your legs. 

Your breath was caught in your throat when his gloved fingers undid the button of your pants. He made a show of slowly taking his orange leather gloves off and slipping one hand past your waistband. 

“Well, if it means I don’t have to listen to you and your awful taste in ships—” you gulped and looked down to see Mando palming the front of his flight suit where a large bulge rested behind. His fingers traced the outside of your folds, teasing. 

You gasped when he dipped a finger into your wet heat. 

Mando hummed low in his throat. “Already so wet. Did I make you this wet?”

“N-no,” you lied, avoiding his gaze. You weren’t about to admit that you had been checking out the Mandalorian since he walked into the hangar with Peli and started insulting the ship you found. 

“I can taste your lies,” he said and brought his wet fingers to the rim of his helmet, sliding them into his mouth. You could feel the pleasure pooling low in your stomach as he hummed around his fingers. “They taste sweet.”

Fuck.

Your head hit the sandy floor of the hangar as he pleasured you, his thick finger curling up towards your navel; your jaw dropping when he  brushed against that one spot inside you.

“There it is,” he grinned beneath his helmet and worked another finger into you. A moan slipped past your lips and he surged forward, clamping his free hand over your lips. “Shh. We don’t want Peli to catch us.”

You nodded your head and whimpered behind his hand. He swirled his wet fingers around your clit, stoking the fire that was building low in your stomach. The flame grew hotter and brighter until it was an inferno—you came long and hard as your muscles squeezed rhythmically around his thick digits. 

“That’s my girl,” Mando growled low in his throat, pleased. He withdrew his hand from your trousers and once again slipped them beneath the rim of his helmet, licking your pleasure from his skin. “Fuck, you taste good. I bet you feel good, too.”

Your head swam with pleasure and you nodded, insisting that you did feel as good as you taste.  You met his gaze under the visor, or you hoped you had when you let out a whimper. “Please.”

“Don’t worry,” Mando unzipped his trousers and freed his aching cock, pumping his hard length in time with your labored breathing. “I won’t leave you empty for long.”

His words spurred you on and you eagerly discarded your dirty jumpsuit, tossing it under the ship. Mando helped in getting you ready by yanking down your pants so that they pooled around your ankles. He grabbed your hips and tugged you on top of him so that you were straddling him, your clothed wet heat teasing his hard cock. Mando dragged you over him, a low groan sounding through his vocabulator and making goosebumps coat your skin. 

“I can’t wait any longer,” you said through gritted teeth and grabbed his cock with one hand and slid your panties aside with the other, sinking down on him with a moan. 

“Shit—” Mando groaned and laid back on the floor. His hands remained at your waist and he helped guide your movements, meeting every roll of your hips with a thrust. “You feel even better than I’d thought.”

“So do you,” you moaned when he gave you a harsh thrust, spearing his cock deep inside you. Unable to not tease him, you looked down at the warrior spread underneath you and smirked. “Even for a man with awful taste in ships.”

He growled low in his chest and thrusted harder, wiping the smirk off your face and replacing it with a look of pure pleasure. “Show me how much you know about ships. Ride me like your starfighter.”

It was your turn to growl now. You picked up the pace and rode his cock hard, circling your hips like you were taking the sharp turns in Beggar’s Canyon.

“I’m not gonna last much longer,” you moaned, the familiar fire of pleasure licking flames where the two of you met. 

“Me neither,” he agreed, feeling his balls tighten in preparation for his release. He couldn’t hold on any longer. “Where?”

“Inside me,” you rode him faster and chased after both of your releases. You wanted to know what it felt like to have the Mandalorian’s cum seeping out of you for the rest of the day. “I’m safe.”

Mando came with a shout that echoed throughout the hangar, his cum painting your walls. You didn’t even care that he was loud or that the droids or Peli probably heard. You followed him and relished in the heat that flooded your veins and clouded your mind. 

The two of you attempted to catch your breath in the aftermath of your release when you heard footsteps in the distance. You both met each other’s gaze and scrambled away from the other in haste, afraid to be caught in this compromising position. Mando pulled his softening cock from your swollen hole, his cum dribbling out and onto the sand-covered floor. You pulled your pants up your legs and he tucked himself back into his trousers just as Peli rounded the corner and entered the garage. 

“Geez, this place is a mess!” Peli exclaimed, kicking ship parts aside that were scattered on the floor. “You two have been in here for hours! I half expected the ship to be up and running but you haven’t even finished the sublight engine!”

She looked at the two of you on the floor. “Where’s your jumpsuit?”

Your eyes darted under the ship where it lay discarded and forgotten in the midst of your eagerness to remove your clothes.

“Oil spilled on it,” Mando answered, saving you from answering your boss and possibly revealing what had happened. 

“Aw man, that was your last good jumpsuit!” Peli shook her head. “Well, at least she’s good at getting stains out, because I’m not buying you a new one!”

“Good to know,” Mando smiled behind the visor and tilted his head down to your pussy where his cum was leaking from, most certainly staining your underwear and pants. 

You flushed in embarrassment for what felt like the hundredth time that day. 

Mando stood from the ground and swiped the sand from himself before offering you a hand and pulling you up to stand beside him. He looked at Peli whose brow was furrowed and her eyes darted between the two of you, trying to figure out what had happened in the short time she left you alone. 

Once again, Mando saved the day by distracting Peli. “I’ve decided I’m going to buy the ship after all.”

“Oh really?” Peli raised an eyebrow at him. “What changed your mind?”

“Your assistant,” Din answered and smiled at you from under his beskar helmet. “She made some very good points.” 

Rolling your eyes at his innuendo, you grabbed the tools you had discarded and handed one to him. “Let’s finish your ship.”

[myafterlifeisbetterthenyours]

Stella and Stolas with the male Imp Overlord

Stella and Stolas with male Imp Overlord

When you, an Imp achieved your overlord status, lets just say that was something of an issue in the world of nobility.

Imps have always been the Hells servant class, every great dynasty and empire have been built off their backs. They were always meant to be ruled over, Not rule themselves.

But with your ascension to Overlord-ship, the pair found they had a very difficult desicion to make.

They could publicly oppose you. They were sure many of there fellow nobles would follow their lead, doing the same and under their banner, they could form a formidable opposition.

The only problem with that, is while they and there allies may oppose you, their enemies would be more then happy to support you. Whether that be directly or in the shadows.

And give the fact you, an Imp, had already achieved Overlord status, the last thing they needed was you against them, with the backing of disgruntled nobility.

So they did only other viable option. They got closer to you.

They formed an alliance with you in hopes of discovering what made you so unique. As well as ensuring you weren't an enemy.

You would initially be very suspicious of the pair.

Royalty had kept Imps down there entire existance, exploiting and enslaving them sing lucifers rebellion.

So you'd naturally have little, to no trust in the pairs intentions.

But as much as you distrusted the two, doing business with them was jus too beneficial to pass up, something the two went to lengths to ensure.

As the couple expected, in only a short period of time, you became even more powerful, amassing further wealth and territory.

And with this development, the two were quite happy there gamble had paid off. With their family becoming your largest business partner and as such benefited greatly from your prosperity.

As your business with the two increased, you'd slowly find yourself trusting the pair more, the two eagerly wanting to build on that.

And well, stolas being stolas, we all know he just couldn't help himself.

Being around such a domineering male Imp, one that spoke his mind and took shit from nobody. The way you didn't care in the slightest about his title and would tell him as much to his face.

Well, I think it's safe to say, he'd become Very interested in you, very quickly.

You wouldn't really mind Stolas.

You could tell he really didn't care much for politics, or the divide between hellbornes and royalty. He was just in it for a good time as well as securing his families continued survival. You could respect that.

Really the problem would be Stella.

It's fairly obvious she isn't too fond of Imps, likely having been raised to despise anyone she doesn't deem worthy.

And while your power and status would put you far above most every other Imp in her eyes, it would take a fair amount of time before she'd develop any kind of real respect for you.

But, given the chance to see just how capable and scrupulous you could be. A part of her would come to respect your cold-blooded you could be.

The truth was, Stolas had lost his blood lust when they were married. But you, you were a beast. Untamed and seemingly unstoppable.

While she initially wasn't fond of the idea of forming an alliance with you, doing it more so out of practicality over any genuine want to associate with you. She couldn't have realised just how good an idea it would turn out to be.

You were exactly what they needed, someone who could do the more 'dirty jobs' royalty often required, not only doing the job in a timely manner, but you always did it exactly to there expectations, never letting them down in the slightest.

The two held a party not long after your alliance began to prosper.

It was a fairly standard gathering of the Goeatia families allies and vassels families, the party working to both appease there egos and allow them to raise any concerns they may have to the couple.

Of course they had invited you, as despite the more recent nature of your power, you had quickly become an important business partner and asset to the Goetia family and they wanted to continue fostering that.

You had arrived fashionably late, clearly unhappy to be around so many nobles, a faint scowl across your features.

Despite your clear disgust, you still paid your respects to the two, thinking them for the invitation.

Leaving the pair you did what one does at such a gathering, you drank, partook in small talk and generally hung about.

But even with your invitation, it wasn't long until some asshat, decided to test you.

He attempted to publicly humiliate you. Pretending you were a servant and telling you, you were at the wrong area, or should be in the back serving drinks.

The asshole ran his mouth. You could handle that, you'd delt with plenty of loud idiots in your time, it was nothing new. But when he put his hands on you, attempting to push you about.

Well. You couldn't allow that.

It was in this moment that both Stella and Stolas saw why they had made the right choice in befriending you.

With a single brutally efficient strike, you dropped the noble like a sack of rocks.

Watching his body fall before calmly walking away, going about the party as though you hadn't just incapacitated one of the most powerful demons in hell.

Needless to say, no one at the party messed with you after that.

When it came to their relationship, she had little affection for Stolas.

She was still very committed to her marriage and family, of course but the once strapping, ambitious and blood thirsty Prince she had once thought she could love, had given way to an unambitious, soft hearted, stay at home dad.

And she just wasn't attracted to that.

But you... you were everything she saught in a mate.

Ambitious. Relentless. Dangerous and insatiable. You had no limits and seemed near unstoppable.

So, against her better judgement, she found herself falling for you. Something that was quite frustrating for the noble woman.

Stolas, would have absolutely no qualms about falling for you. He of course still cared for his family, but you were something else, something he desperately wanted.

The only problem unfortunately, was his family.

But with his wife being so close to you as well, both demons would be at something of an impass.

They couldn't pursue you in fear of there better halves finding out.

You, of course, where not blind to all this.

You could tell the two were slowly gravitating towards you, Stolas being particularly unsubtle about his pull.

And you found it was surprisingly easy to play the two off each other, Stolas was practically drooling over you and while she may try to hide it, you could tell Stella was very much attracted to you.

Stolas would be the easier of the pair to control.

A kind word here, a suductive touch there, a frustrated complaint about something over there and you could get him to do just about anything you wanted.

Stella would be more difficult, as It would take a considerable amount of time to have her overcome her ingrained discrimination towards Imps.

You likely needing to do so gradually, showing her how you were just as good as any snob with a royal title.

You'd need to be careful at first, ensuring that she truly did fancy you. But once you knew for sure, it wouldn't be difficult to seduce her.

All you'd need to do was appeal to her ego and show her your more dominant side.

Unlike stolas, it wouldn't be a physical dominance, it would a dominance of the mind. The owl princess finding your ability to dominate a room without lifting a finger, quite... intoxicating.

So, finding yourself in a love triangle of your own creation, you had a very specific plan.

When the pair of them first approached you, you knew, deep down, it was done out of fear.

Imps were nothing in Hell, and for you, an Imp to become an Overlord, that scared the BlueBloods.

And it should.

But if you were going to enter a relationship with these royals, they were going to be the ones who proposition you.

You'd be damned if you were gonna be the one begging for a relationship. They wanted it, and you knew they wanted it, they'd have to beg for it.

And beg they would.

The two came to an agreement. They both wanted you, but also didn't want to split up their family, so they would approach you together.

It was an awkward affair, in part due to you playing dumb to there intentions.

Stolas, being something of a bird brain, would draw it out, trying put their decision into words, but failing miserably.

Stella would just step in, opening the proposition of a relationship.

You would playfully think it over, already knowing the answer but you enjoyed watching the pair squirm.

You'd accept, the pair releasing a deep sigh before you pulled each of them into a passionate kiss.

However, much to Stolas' annoyance, you wouldnt sleep with them that night, choosing instead to just share there bed.

With a relationship like this, you'd have to spend the first few weeks ensuring there was a solid foundation to it.

Youd mostly do this through spending time with them, getting to know them on both an emotional and personal level.

Youd definitely sleep with Stolas first, taking the prince in his office.

Pushing him onto his desk and taking him rough and passionately, just how you knew he wanted it.

Youd do something more romantic for Stella. Likely having a simple, yet majestic diner before taking her to your now shared bedroom for a night of passionate fornication.

Despite there royal status, you would be the one wearing the pants in the relationship. As you could easily dominate each of them with words alone, Stolas even easier then Stella.

Of course you understood the importance of there image and would take a more back seat role in the relationship when needed.

Youd have a surprisingly intimate relationship with the pair.

Stolas was always open to anything you suggested, often initiating them himself. And while not nearly as common as stolas, Stella would often initiate intimacy with you.

Despite the two being married, Sex between all three of you would not be very common.

As both Stolas and Stella had quite different wants and needs in the bedroom that didn't quite mesh well.

Stolas wanted to be utterly dominated in the bedroom, completely at your mercy. While Stella wanted someone who could keep her pace, if not take control in the heat of passion.

Romance would be a priority for you, often doing your best to sweep them off there feet.

Luxurious dinners, dates on the town, the theatre. Nothing was ever too much.

Octavia would be a rather large bump in the relationship, as on one hand, you were essentially a whole new person intruding on her family, on the other hand, you were a wanted third partner in Stella and Stolas' marriage, you weren't tearing the family apart by being with them.

It would take a long time, and an even longer term strategy, but she would eventually warm up to you.

Never really coming to see you as a parent, but still part of the family.

While life wouldn't be without its problems,

The balance of power being a major source of arguments, as while Stolas was easy to tame, falling completely under your sway, Stella was far more head strong.

As such she'd often but heads with her rather submissive husband, saying he didn't do enough to keep up there family status.

She would often compare him to yourself, something you would always dismiss, having to step in and calm her down.

While you could dominate her husband easily, you'd need to control her in a more subtle ways. Appealing to her ego or planting ideas in her subconscious. Having mentioned when you forced her submission, likely in bed.

So, While it would certainly had its ups and downs, your life with your royal love Birds would be an incredibly love filled one.

Having the royal pair wrapped around your lottle finger, your power and status would grow exponentially. All the while the two would willingly give themselves to you, smothering you in there love and affection.

Thanking you as they made you stronger.

[cursingtoji]

Royals

Pairing: Gojo x Roality/Sorcerer!Reader

Summary: Yuji was told by his sensei that someone very special was coming to evaluate his new cursed energy.

Warning: fem pronouns, slightly suggestive, hickeys, established relationship.

a/n: naruto's anbu uniform is what i based reader's outfit off, so keep that in mind i guess? i apologize if i forgot some tag in the warnings, feel free to point anything out to me. thank u and enjoy <3

“How pontual” Gojo smiled when he felt your presence on the top of the building he was standing along with Yuji.

“Huh?” Yuji looked around confused till he saw a black silhouette behind him.

“Hope you don’t mind Yuji-kun, I wanted a professional opinion and called a friend”.

“Are you sure this is the best place to do this Gojo?” You asked going around the boy with pink hair staring at his figure and sensing his cursed energy.

The building you agreed to meet him was one of the tallest in Tokyo, you could barely see the people on the streets from here.

“Sensei, is your friend a ninja?” Yuji asked, staring back at your figure, your black outfit left no skin to be shown while the kitsune mask covered your whole face and two swords remained crossed at your back.

“You worry too much Princess, don’t you believe I am the strongest?” You frown upon the use of the pet name. Yuji tilted his head to the side.

“I just don’t want things to go out of control” you moved your hands to remove the kitsune mask, your identity would still be protected by the mask that covered your nose and mouth beneath it, but Gojo stopped your hands as soon as you approached him.

“Keep it on until we finish okay?” He smiled, although he did not say anything else this was enough for you to understand he did not want the curse inside Yuji to cross eyes with you. “I’ll explain later, Yuji, now can you give us ten seconds with Sukuna?” Gojo stretched his arms preparing for a quick battle.

You moved to the corner of the building to give him space but still keeping an eye on the pink haired kid.

He was so young...

Black marks soon appeared on the kid’s body and the new cursed energy overwhelmed you making a shiver run up your spine.

As the heir of a clan that for centuries has the ability to control cursed energy, this scared you.

Sukuna’s energy was enough to destroy a big city like Tokyo as easily as a snap of a finger. In the past your clan helped Sukuna by increasing his cursed energy during battles but in the end, your clan also helped destroy Sukuna by suppressing his cursed energy as much as they could. Gojo asked you to come watch a quick demonstration, if the plan succeeded and Yuji managed to live long enough to eat all Sukuna’s fingers, it would be just a matter of time until the king of curses took control of the vessel and attempted some kind of mass destruction. If the time comes you wanted to be able to perform the same act that your clan did in the past.

Although, since Sukuna’s downfall your clan did not act as sorcerers anymore, instead they turned into rulers and politicians, living in big cities as Tokyo and controlling cursed energy just by existing there, a natural balance to the modern world, they would tell you, but none of this changed your mind when you decided to break the chain and become a sorcerer almost ten years ago.

The fight started when Sukuna ran towards Gojo murmuring something about seeing him again. Gojo controlled the situation fast by immobilizing Sukuna on the floor, far enough to not harm you.

“So?” Gojo asked, looking at your direction.

“You asked me to not do anything so I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s possible” you answered the white haired man.

Sukuna’s attention now was brought to you, he tried to read your cursed energy, you sensed that, but with the kitsune mask covering your face and eyes you doubt he recognized you as part of the clan that caused his downfall one thousand years ago.

Gojo again smiled at you, proud of you being able to take such a fast reading without messing with Sukuna’s energy, which he asked you to not do.

It would be better for everyone if Sukuna doesn’t make a target of you so soon.

“Alright, guess we are done for now” Gojo raised as soon as Yuji took back control of his body. You watched amazed as the cursed energy came back to a normal level.

Gojo asked Ijichi to drive Yuji back to the school and promised to talk to Yuji in the morning.

“I don’t know, Satoru. There’s only so much I can do alone, and I’m sure the rest of my clan won’t get involved with Sukuna if he returns. This is a huge responsibility for me...” you stopped talking, not even wanting to consider the possibility of such a powerful curse having complete control to do whatever he pleases and you not being able to do much by yourself.

“I won’t put you in danger, but for now it would be good if you could stick around Yuji, just to observe... I can put a good word for you with Yaga” Gojo dropped his arm around your shoulder playfully.

“You really want me to stay at jujutsu tech Tokyo just to keep an eye on him?” You removed the kitsune mask, now allowing Gojo to see your teasing eyes.

“I have my own selfish reasons too”.

The next morning Yuji crossed his path with Nanami around the school, having worked together once Yuji felt comfortable with asking Nanami about his sensei’s friend.

“Oi Nanami, do you know Gojo-sensei’s ninja friend? I met them last night but still don’t know what happened”.

Nanami stared at Yuji like he was speaking some foreign language “...Ninja?”

The elder was about to ask him to elaborate when the said sensei turned around the corner with you by his side.

“Gojo-san, Ojou-sama” Nanami bowed low when he noticed you coming closer.

“Ojou-sama?” Yuji looked at the person walking to them alongside Gojo. He did not recognize you at first, you now were using a colored Yukata and nothing covering your face.

“Nanami please, you know me long enough to drop this title” you smiled at your friend.

Yuji quickly made the connection between Nanami using the princess title and Gojo calling you Princess yesterday.

“Oh sensei, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. You two make a beautiful couple” Yuji smiled.

“Itadori, show respect, Y/n-sama is an actual royal” Nanami whispered to Yuji.

After the downfall of Sukuna your clan reigned for a while, being the heir of the main clan branch and if your clan was still reigning that would technically make you a princess. Nanami insisted on referring to you as Ojou-sama in public even though you two attended school together years ago and long passed the formal titles.

“Sorry” Yuji bowed, still confused.

“It’s okay Itadori-kun, we will have enough time to get to know each other” you assured the pink haired boy.

“You are moving here?” Nanami asked.

“Isn’t it great?” Gojo smiled widely, now placing his arms on your shoulders and Nanami’s. “It will be like old times again”.

“Yaga accepted my request to stay on the campus and assist the kids,” you explained Nanami. Of course he knew that by ‘the kids’ you mean Itadori and his new found cursed energy.

“What a great set of teachers you will have Yuji-kun” Gojo tight his grip around you and Nanami “Why don’t you go find Fushiguro and Kugusaki while I show y/n her room?”.

“Yes, sensei!” Yuji smiled and bowed again before leaving to find his team mates.

“Let’s keep y/n secret between us, okay Nanami?” Gojo asked now that the three of you were alone. “Sukuna might not find out about y/n’s origins if she doesn’t mess with his or Itadori’s energy, the elders agreed to keep her around for now as protection”.

“I see… Well let me know if you need anything, Ojou-sama” Namami replied and fixed his tie.

“I need you to stop using that title, Kento” you smiled again at your stubborn friend and dropped Gojo’s arm from your shoulder going back to the path that led to your dorm.

“Always so polite, Nanamin” Gojo teased “Just don’t forget I’m the only one allowed to get on my knees for her” he released Nanami’s shoulder leaving his fellow sorcerer flushed.

“What did you tell him?” you asked Gojo when he got back to your side.

“Nothing he doesn’t know already” his large palm touched your lower back.

Your arrangements with Gojo were something known only by the heads of your clan, the two of you and few close friends. A promise made almost ten years ago allowed you to attend jujutsu tech and become a sorcerer if the only descendant of the Gojo clan married you by the time both of you got to your thirties. There was nothing in it for Satoru, but he agreed even though he barely left his teenage years.

“Satoru, What are we gonna do now?” you asked looking at your feet.

“We can start by getting you a pretty uniform, maybe a short skirt and a v-line” the hand that wasn’t at your back moved to the collar of your Yukata exposing more of your neck and collar bones and all the purple and blue marks painted there “A masterpiece like that has to be shown”.

“You are shameless” you slapped his hand away and adjusted your Yukata back. His flirty personality taking your mind away from the new responsibility of being Yuji’s guardian. “You know, we are two years away from the arrangements and I still wonder why you accepted it” you confessed, stopping in your tracks.

“Oh Princess, I’ll always be taking the side of rebel soul and you so happened to be the one that stole my heart from day one, you are not getting cold feet now, are ya?” he leaned and placed his arm on the wall behind you, an old habit that made you flushed when you two were younger, but now you can only bite your lips and raise a hand to lower his blindfold and meet his shining eyes full of admiration.

“Marrying the prince that saved me and the strongest jujutsu sorcerer? How could I get scared of that?”.

“Prince huh? I can get used to it”.

© all content belongs to cursedmoonchild. please do not modify or repost; if you find reposted content please let me know, i have not consented to the repost of my content

[diamaker-moon]

Moving Forward - Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Realizations... (pt. 1)

—————

"I am proud of your chosen, Tikki."

Wayzz said in a calm voice. "She took in the responsibility of being a heroine exchange for her time in her civilian life, and now, she chose to carry the heavy responsibility of a Guardian even though she can refuse it and pass it to someone else, leaving everything behind."

The other kwamis nodded at the wise turtle kwami's words. Tikki looked at them and smiled.

"I'm proud of my bug. She's a worthy ladybug and had shown how worthy she is despite her flaws. She made mistakes, but she chose to fix them. And now she's healing from the toxicity she had received in that place. Sleep well, Marinette..."

— previous chapter... —

The Akuma Class was experiencing an unknown change. And they don't know the exact reason.

It's been two weeks since Marinette hasn't been coming to class.

The first day, Alya thought she was just late or have an errand to run during the morning and will come to class after lunch, but it didn't happen. After classes were done, she tried calling her, only to be redirected to her voicemail immediately. Not knowing her 'best friend' had bought a new phone and uses a new number. She was slightly sour thinking that Marinette is being stubborn in hanging out with Lila, and chose to reprimand her for letting her jealousy get in between a possible friendship with the girl.

The others didn't notice how Adrien was down during the rest of that day. They didn't notice Chloé having a slightly pained look in her eyes.

She was slightly angry that Dupain-Cheng easily gave up in exposing the liar, but it's not like she helped the girl. She had no right to be angry about how Dupain-Cheng chose to move on with life. When she saw her being surrounded by people she didn't know and was walking towards a table, she stared for a moment. Chloé hasn't heard her laugh for a while, the bubbly aura around the girl was fading when she was in Dupont.

Chloé hated to admit it, but she envied the ravenette. Dupain-Cheng having a happy family, while her own mother left them to go to New York for work when she was a child, creating a drift between their relationship. Her own father didn't hang out with her anymore due to his duties being the City's Mayor. Dupain-Cheng gained friends while she was being hated for being a bully who always annoys others and uses her triumph card when she gets in trouble.

She was staring at the raventte's table with a melancholic look. The girl was happy, and Chloé couldn't deny it. Part of her wants to convince Dupain-Cheng to go back to Dupont and defeat the vixen but she didn't want to be selfish for once.

After lunch period she came back to class and grabbed Sabrina's attention, and told her to come with her after class.

The two are in Chloé's bedroom in Le Grand Paris.

"I'm sorry..."

Sabrina was startled to hear such sincere words coming from the person she knew could be very bratty for a long time.

"I'm sorry that I treated you like a servant. And that I made you take some of the consequences from my actions. I want to justify it by letting people know that I lost a mother figure from my childhood and didn't teach me proper manners and that she is very bossy, and that I tried to fit in with her. But I know I can't... There are people around me that could've inspired me to be a better person, like Dup-Marinette..."

When Sabrina heard the name she was about to retaliate but Chloé didn't give her a chance.

"No, Sabrina. She's right. I grew up with people who lie about their backgrounds just to fit in with society. Everything can be searched on the internet Sabrina. I know your smart, use it and prove to me right now that you, defending that Liar is a good thing."

Sabrina stared at Chloé, she was growing nervous, Chloé rarely helps around class problems, and for her to defend the person she has been ridiculing for a long time is strange. So Sabrina did it, she searched.

She sat there, appalled and disappointed, after that there are no articles about a Lila Rossi aside from the girl's interviews in the Ladyblog. Chloé left her to go to her balcony and leaned on the railing. Sabrina ran up to her.

"Chloé we need to let everyone know about this! Maybe we can help Marinette expose her? Collect evidence? Contact her mother? We can help Marinette gain back her reputation and her friends! We can—" Sabrina rambled.

"It's too late, Sabrina..." Chloé said that made Sabrina stop rambling and just stared at her in confusion.

"I saw her. She moved on. Marinette was wearing a uniform from a different school. Marinette gave up, Sabrina, she gave up on trying to protect her so-called friends after being dismissed. You should've seen her, she was so happy, something we— I haven't seen for a while..."

That statement made Sabrina tearful. Staring at nothing, she started remembering glimpses of the ravenette.

She remembered the time that when she looks in Marinette's direction, she was so dull. Like a doll— a Marionette, not reacting to how her sketchbook was torn apart, how her dull bluebell eyes stare at Mlle Bustier when she is talking to her, how she doesn't react when their classmates are attacking her for bullying Lila. Sabrina finally realizes how she treated someone like that without proof. Her own father imbedded to her that 'innocent until proven guilty', yet she didn't even try to see both perspectives and just went along with the class.

Her actions are much worse than how Chloé acted.

"I'll give Marinette credit. That liar tried to break her, but she broke free and spread her wings without looking back, and saved herself."

Sabrina nodded at Chloé's statement while copying the girl's position of leaning on the balcony rails, looking out to Paris.

—————

Juleka Couffaine, the Akuma Class' resident shy goth girl.

When she first met Lila Rossi, she was skeptical, her brother is a fan of Jagged Stone, and when she heard Lila say that she saved Jagged's kitten on an airplane runway was very sketchy for Juleka.

Before she knew it, Marinette became a pariah. She often denies becoming an accomplice due to her neutrality to the problem. When Marinette didn't arrive Monday morning, she was worried. The girl who pleaded to the photographer to take another class photo with her in it, to break her 'photo curse', is absent.

She tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She was currently sitting on her bed and her brother strumming his guitar. He notices how she was just staring at her phone in a daze.

"Hey, Luka... does Jagged had a pet cat in his life?" Juleka asks looking up to her brother.

Luka was surprised by the question, "As far as I know, he didn't have one. Due to him being allergic and the cat not being rock-and-roll enough. Why?"

Luka was shocked when Juleka started tearing up, he immediately puts his guitar down to comfort her baby sister.

"I messed up, Luka... I badly messed up..."

After calming down a little, Juleka finally explained to him why she was crying. She explained that the new girl in her class made Juleka skeptical about her, and then about Marinette's supposed 'cheating', 'stealing', and 'assault', she then talked about how Marinette kept accusing the new girl of lying but no one believing her, and that soon Marinette became a pariah in their class. Juleka told them about all the lies that Rossi has said.

Overall, Luka was disappointed in her.

"You said that Marinette tried to expose her right? Why didn't you back her up, as a friend would do? Isn't she also your friend? Why didn't you voice out your concern about this to Marinette? or to me?"

Luka sighed, before backing away from his sister. 

"You said your class hates Chloé for being a bully, but aren't they acting like a bully? Your class, isolated Marinette. I don't know how she managed it. But right now, it might be too late to act, Jules. At the very least, try and fix your mistake..." Luka said before leaving her alone for a moment, and let her think.

Meanwhile, Rose's phone suddenly pinged due to a notification. When she checked it out it was a message from Juleka.

Juleka:  Hey, uhm...

Juleka: Can you do me a favour? Please?

Rose:  Sure! What is it?

Juleka: Please trust me on this... can you ask Prince Ali about his environmental charities and if he knows a certain 'Lila Rossi'?

Rose:  Juleka? Why?

Juleka: Please... please ask him...

Rose was confused by Juleka's request, if she thought about it she was asking just like Marinette did months ago. But Rose decided to shake that thought out of her head, she knew Juleka was not a bully, like Marinette and how she bullies Lila.

Rose decided to trust Juleka and messaged him.

Rose: Hello, Ali! Can I ask a question? A friend of mine, wants to know about your environmental charities with Lila Rossi, I think it's for a project. Thank you! <3

She didn't know why but she felt nervous sending that message. She shrugged it off and put the phone down to continue her scrapbooking. She waited for a few minutes before she heard another notification sound from her phone. And when she read the message, she froze.

Prince Ali: Hello, Rose! I'm sorry, but I only do children charities since the Royal Family doesn't control the environemental ones, it is mostly done by Achu's government, and sorry to disappoint but I do not know a Lila Rossi. Is she a new friend of yours?

Rose was too frozen to not even notice that she had dropped her phone. She kept looking in her hand as if it was all just a dream. That Prince Ali did know Lila Rossi, but when she picked her phone back up and read the text once again, it said the same thing.

'This can't be happening! If this is true... then I bullied Marinette for no reason!'

Rose: Oh! I'm... sorry for my misinformation... Lila's a... classmate of mine. Sorry for the trouble...

Rose didn't notice the tears dripping from her eyes.

She was numb. She couldn't deny this information, it is a direct reply from the Prince of Achu. That he— Prince Ali, doesn't know someone named Lila Rossi. She was lied to. Lila Rossi lied to me. She thought.

And Marinette asked you to ask him months ago, didn't she? She tried to warn you... You didn't listen to her!

There was a sudden voice in the back of her mind, how she ridiculed Marinette for bullying Lila. But it was all a lie. She treated Marinette horribly for a lie...

She hurriedly opened her internet browser and searched for any of Lila's accomplishments only to see a bunch of interviews from the Ladyblog, nowhere else.

Rose: Prince Ali... doesn't do environmental charities, he only does children charities and... he doesn't know a Lila Rossi.

Juleka: ... I'm sorry, Rose.

Juleka: I only realized my mistake after talking to Luka, I'm sorry if I didn't voice out when I was skeptical about her in the beginning...

Rose: She lied... She lied!

Rose: I can't believe her! We treated her as a friend!

Juleka: Rose, please calm down! I don't want you to become an akuma! Please!

Seeing that message she tried so hard to calm down. Juleka was right, she doesn't want Shadowmoth to turn her into an Akuma! She needed to calm down.

After calming down, she messaged Marinette, but there was no reply, then she finally noticed that Marinette wasn't present during class that day. So she tried calling but was sent to voicemail immediately. She tried calling a few times before she stopped.

She'll just talk to her tomorrow, but that didn't happen... and it has been two weeks...

—————

Adrien Agreste was in denial.

He didn't want to believe that Marinette really did transfer schools. He wanted to visit her as Chat, but since he hasn't seen his kwami, he can't transform. And he's growing worried every second. No Plagg, no Akuma, and no Marinette...

His worrisome state affected his fencing classes. He was always immediately defeated by Kagami Tsurugi. She was displeased that he became a wimp in fencing.

"What made you so distracted lately? That's not like you Agreste." Kagami said.

"Nothing... I'm just worried about Marinette, she hasn't been in class lately, and it's been two weeks!" Adrien replied.

What Adrien said, made Kagami's brow shot up, in confusion. She had talked to Marinette one time, and she had shared that she transferred schools, and has been doing well. She also found out about the 'Lila situation' in Dupont and was very angry that Adrien Agreste knew but didn't say anything. It took a whole lot of Marinette's energy to stop Kagami from attacking Agreste with her sword or using her mother's sword!

"Haven't you heard?" Kagami asked.

"Heard what? You've talked to Marinette?!" Adrien asked enthusiastically.

"Yes. She had transferred schools due to unfortunate situations here in Dupont." Kagami answered before walking towards the locker rooms.

Adrien ran up towards her, held her shoulders and made her face him. "You're kidding right?! Marinette is still a student here! She'll come back here!"

Kagami stared at him in bewilderment.

"I-I gotta go... Bye Kagami..." Adrien said.

Kagami can only stare at the boy's retreating back. From Kagami's perspective, she thinks that Agreste was in denial of Marinette transferring schools. He was also oblivious to the aspiring designer's feelings. But this was different... The way he tries to convince himself that Marinette still goes to Dupont is unsettling.

It's as if, he was supposed to have control over her life. It made Kagami's instinct more unsettled.

Adrien was pacing around his room after he got home from fencing classes. He was becoming more nervous by the second.

He tried looking for her social media accounts only to find none of it exists, he swore that he followed her socials.

Even Nathalie noticed how jittery the young Agreste was, she tried finding out the reason why, but couldn't pinpoint it due to being sidetracked.

The peacock miraculous was missing from the safe, and Gabriel Agreste was furious! He already lost the Grimoire book, the previous Guardians' tablet and now the fixed peacock miraculous. They reviewed the footage from his security cameras, and found nothing!

This made him sidetracked about his supervillain duties, he ignored the past powerful emotions the brooch felt, in exchange to search the whole mansion about the missing items of his. Adrien was no help.

Gabriel calmed down for a second and felt a negative emotion to vent and try to find out if Ladybug got the peacock miraculous.

When he found one, he informed Nathalie about privacy and went to his lair. he transformed to Hawkmoth once again due to the lack of the peacock miraculous.

"Ah, the agonizing pain of experiencing a heartbreak..."

A butterfly flew and rested in his palm, while he fills it with negative power. Once he is done he opened his palm and lets the Akuma flap its wings.

"Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilize this brokenhearted woman!"

The Akuma made its way towards a crying woman near the Seine, wearing a wedding dress. It landed on her headpiece.

"Enchanttréx, I am Hawkmoth. You've been betrayed by the person your loved one, I'm giving you the power to expose any secrets that were chosen to be hidden away from the world. In return, you will bring me ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Hawkmoth."

The purple substance covered the woman in a wedding dress, and when it was gone it left a woman, who has an intricate gold flower-themed headpiece, long black hair that reaches up to her mid-back, a flowy white to black gradient dress, gold strapped heels, white laced gloves that reach up to her forearm and a veil in front of her face.

"It's time to let yourself free from your secrets!" Enchanttréx exclaimed making the nearby Parisians run away in fear and alerting the heroes.

Chapter 5 — Moving Forward: Masterlist — Chapter 7 

[tomurasprincess]

A Caged Dove Finale (Shouto Todoroki x Reader)

Summary: You are a princess from a smaller territory within the kingdom, summoned to the castle to meet with the heir of the throne in the absence of your parents. You think it will simply be a routine trip, until you realize that Prince Shouto has his own plans for you. Whether you agree with them or not.

Pairing: Prince Shouto Todoroki x Reader Rating: Explicit + Word Count: 4.8k Chapter Warnings: Dubcon, forced pregnancy, pregnant sex, praise kink, lactation kink, yandere Series Warnings: Dubcon, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, breeding, pregnant sex, praise kink, lactation kink, stalking, yandere. Some vague descriptions of pregnancy stuff, including morning sickness. Note: Fairy Tale AU. (More Grimm than Disney). Well this is extremely bittersweet. The final part of my very first series (that I swore I would never do.) Despite cussing this story occasionally, I really loved writing it and I’m rather proud of the end result. I hope everyone else likes it just as much! Thanks: To @hisoknen​, for reassuring me that the sex scene was indeed hot. And to @burnedbyshoto​ for being there to listen to me scream about attempting to write all of the Todorokis in one scene. And also for encouraging my deviant lactation kink.

One || Two || Three || Four || Finale 

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

You let out a pained groan as you roll over in bed for what feels like the hundredth time in an hour, trying to find a more comfortable position. Something that was near impossible, considering the reason for your discomfort.

Despite your best hopes, you had gotten pregnant shortly after the wedding. You suppose it wasn’t so surprising, with how insatiable Shouto is. He was determined to have a child quickly, and refused to finish anywhere but inside you. He would take you multiple times a day, until you were so sore that you could barely walk. He was an attentive lover, at least, always making sure you finished as well. That you thoroughly enjoyed yourself, was nothing but a satisfied, boneless mess, sweaty and exhausted and more than ready to curl up with him and sleep.

There was one big positive to your pregnancy, however. You were able to leverage your condition to get Shouto to release your parents from their confinement. You convinced him that not knowing where they were and what was going on with them would only stress you further and harm the baby. It was not even much of a lie, as you were beginning to worry he had already had them killed and was hiding the truth from you. But you were proven wrong when he finally allowed you to see them.

They were not in as bad a condition as you assumed they would be, and were ecstatic to see you. Although they were horrified by what had happened to their daughter, the forced marriage and pregnancy, you reassured them that it was not so bad. Partly because it was the truth, as much as you hated to admit it, and partly because you were terrified they would do something stupid in order to rescue you.

It was this concern that led Shouto to accuse them of treason, but he merely had them stripped of their titles and lands, banished to another country with no political power. He made even this positive publicity, standing in front of a gathering to announce the news with a stricken look on his face, talking about how his beloved wife had begged for her parents’ lives. How he loved his wife too much to harm her in such a way, and had chosen the way of mercy, provided they left the country forever.

The kingdom loves him more than ever now. They whisper about what a beautiful love story it is, how Shouto went below his class to marry his true love. How he risked looking weak by allowing traitors to live, all because the love of his life begged for mercy. How the princess herself was so benevolent, forgiving the people who had hurt her.

You had asked Shouto for one last favor on the day of their banishment. You wanted to speak to your parents privately before they left, as you knew it was the last time you would ever see them. He relented after some pleading on your part, but warned you that his mercy would not extend to allowing them to live if they moved against him.  

You agreed, of course. Even if you wanted to be rescued, there was no way you would risk their lives for it. So when you saw them off, you were the ones reassuring them as they sobbed. They told you to only say the word, and they would come for you, and would rescue you. You placed your hand gently on your stomach, reassuring them that you would be okay. That it wasn’t so bad to be married to Prince Shouto, that he took good care of you. What shocked you is the realization that you weren’t lying, that you were becoming more comfortable as his wife.

You think it started on the day that changed everything. The day you realized you were pregnant.

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

You rush to the bathroom, barely making it before you violently throw up yet again. This had been happening for over a week now, and you couldn’t figure out why you were so sick. You thought at first that you may have gotten food poisoning, but that was unlikely with the palace chefs making sure you and the royal family had nothing but the best. And besides, when you made sure to eat different foods, the sickness still continued.

Your head swims with dizziness as another intense wave of nausea overtakes you. And that was when your sister-in-law poked her head into the bathroom, apparently having heard you rush to the bathroom in a panic.. “Are you okay in here?” She asks with concern in her voice.

“I’m fine,” you manage to choke out before turning back to heave. You have been so sick that there is really nothing left in your stomach, and you find yourself simply gagging instead. “Okay, maybe I’m not fine. I can’t stop throwing up.”

You see Fuyumi’s expression turn contemplative, before asking the question that turns your world on its axis. “Sweetie, when was the last time you had your period?”

Your eyes widen, your hand coming to clamp over your mouth to hold the gasp that was bubbling up inside of you. “I - oh god - I don’t know,” you whisper.  “I don’t remember. A few months, maybe?”

Fuyumi goes from hopeful to pure joy within seconds of your confession. “Sweetheart, you’re pregnant!” She practically jumps up and down from the excitement, not even noticing your look of shock and despair. Or perhaps she is choosing to simply ignore it. “I’m going to be an aunt! And oh, Shouto is going to be over the moon when you tell him!”

“I didn’t think it would happen so quickly,” you whisper. In fact, you had secretly hoped it would not happen at all. A fact that you will never reveal to anyone. It’s not that you don’t want to be a mother. You always have, had even dreamed of it. But in this situation, it only drove home the true reality of your situation. You had no control over any aspect of your life anymore.

“You have to tell him immediately! Actually, let me go grab him for you. You can tell him now,” Fuyumi practically squeals as she turns around to leave the room. Before you can open your mouth to tell her that it can wait, the excited woman has already ran out the door. You let out a sigh, supposing that there is no use in delaying the inevitable as you pick yourself up from the floor.

By the time your husband enters the room, you’ve been able to freshen yourself up a bit. “Fuyumi said you had something to tell me?” Shouto’s face is a mask of concern as he sits beside you in the bed, pulling you close into his arms.

“I do,” you say hesitantly, not really sure how to begin this talk. But you figure that the best way is to just come right out and say it and not beat around the bush. “Shouto, I’m pregnant.”

It takes a second for the news to truly sink in, but when it does, the smile that takes over is truly radiant. The laughter that slips out is so pure that you find yourself smiling despite yourself. And when he pushes you down on the bed to put one hand over your stomach, you can’t stop your own laughter from spilling out.

“Do you think I can feel the baby kick,” he murmurs as he gently pushes on your stomach. You laugh a bit harder as you shake your head. “Honey, I’m pretty sure it’s way too early for that.”

It isn’t until he gives you a soft smile that you realize you called him honey.

✧༝┉┉���┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the door opening, and you glance up to see your husband walk in. He smiles at you as he takes his jacket and shoes off, looking happier than usual. His whole demeanor screams excitement, and something else you can’t put your finger on.

As he begins to get into night clothes, you decide to simply ask him. “You seem happier than you usually do after meeting with the nobility,” you note. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, something amazing happened,” his smile twists up into a smirk as he changes the subject, a sure sign that he’s done talking about this particular topic. You decide not to push for now, and mentally remind yourself to ask him about it later.

“How are you feeling, love?” He climbs into bed as he wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you tightly into his embrace. He nuzzles at your neck, causing you to giggle.

“I feel like I’m about to pop, I’m so big. My feet are swollen and hurt, and my breasts are sore and leaking. But other than that, I’m fine,” you snark at him.

“My beautiful, hormonal wife,” he chuckles as he rolls you over, climbing on top of you but being careful not to put too much weight on your stomach. He plants kisses down your neck, sucking gently at your pulse point as his hands run smoothly up and down your sides.

“Shouto, I - you need to stop,” you whisper, not because you really want him to but because of how self conscious you feel about yourself as you are now.

“Is it because of this,” he murmurs as he touches your swollen stomach. You try to look away as he traces his fingertips across your belly, but he simply turns your face back towards him. You give him a quick nod in affirmation, and are surprised when he chuckles.

“Love, you have never looked more beautiful to me, all big and swollen with my child.” You can’t stop the way your heart pounds at his words, your face growing hot as he smiles at your reaction.

He begins to trail down your body, stopping to gently squeeze one of your breasts. You grab at his hand to try and pull it away, but he quickly stops you. “I told you, I’m -” you pause for a second, embarrassed to finish your sentence, before changing your mind and simply saying, “they hurt.”

“Hmm, I do believe I can help with that,” he smirks as his grip around your breast tightens. You let out a surprised gasp as milk leaks out, causing the front of your nightgown to develop a wet spot on the material. But the sound isn’t one of pain, but of pleasure at some of the pressure being relieved.

“Oh you like that, do you?” Shouto’s voice goes low and husky as he rips your shirt over your head. He leans down to knead a nipple between two fingers, licking his lips as more milk comes out. “Would hate to waste this, wouldn’t you?”

“Shouto, what are you - ahh!” You let out a moan as he latches around one of your nipples and begins to suckle. You make a move to stop him, to try and push him away. But you quickly realize you don’t actually want him to stop as the pain of being too full ebbs with every gulp he takes. So you simply trail your fingers through his hair and let him continue. “Oh god, that feels so good,” you moan out, throwing your head back against the pillow.

He pulls away just long enough to pull his pants down, letting his already painfully hard cock loose. You can see the red, swollen head already leaking precum, and he grips it in his fist as he moves to take your other nipple into his mouth. “You taste so fucking good.”

His grunts and groans as he strokes himself while drinking your milk has your pussy clenching around nothing, juices gushing out and making a mess of the bedsheets below you. You didn’t think this would feel so good, but the throbbing of your core tells you just how much you’re enjoying yourself. And if Shouto’s pace as he rubs himself is anything to go by, he is enjoying himself just as much.

“Dirty girl, I bet you could cum just from me drinking your milk. Do you like it that much?”

You reach down to thread your fingers around the back of his head, pulling him down to your aching nipple. “Please, don’t stop,” you whimper in a needy tone. He chuckles as he reaches down to rub your throbbing clit. “Cum for me, then. Cum while I’m sucking on these beautiful tits.”

You let out a sharp gasp as a wave of pleasure runs through your body. Shouto moves down to take a nipple into his mouth, licking the stray droplets of milk that leaked out. He groans as he continues to stroke himself in time with the tight circles across your clit.

Your face contorts in pleasure, toes curling as you find yourself tipping over the edge into a powerful orgasm. Shouto coaxes you through it, not letting up until you’re squirming from overstimulation, breath coming in harsh gasps.

“God, I have to be inside you right now,” he growls, pulling away almost entirely as he rips off your soaked panties with one quick movement and spreads your folds apart as he prepares to enter you.

You whine as his cock spreads you open, inch by inch. You’re so wet from your previous orgasm that he slips in without resistance, and so sensitive that you can feel every vein on his cock.

“Still so tight for me,” he groans as he finally bottoms out inside you, heavy balls resting against your backside. He puts his hands under your ass, lifting your hips off the bed as he begins to thrust inside your soaked pussy.

You can tell he’s trying to hold back, to be gentle with you. But when you reach up to fondle your breast, squeezing just enough for milk to dribble down towards your stomach, you know he’s reached his limit.

He growls as he begins slamming inside of you, leaning down to lick up the trail of milk before latching back onto the nipple. You clench down hard around his cock as you see his throat working as he sucks down your milk like a man starved.

His thrusts are so deep, so powerful that your breasts and round belly are bouncing and you’re unable to do anything but lay back and take it. He releases your nipple with a wet pop, rubbing his hand along your swollen stomach. “You look so good like this that I should keep you pregnant all the time,” he groans, “would you like that?”

You don’t answer, choosing to reach between your bodies to find your clit, but Shouto snarls and smacks your hand away before pinning both arms above your head with one hand. “I said, would you like that?” He pulls all the way to the entrance of your pussy before slamming back in with one powerful thrust. “Would you like to be bred constantly, all round with my children so I can pin you down like this and milk these tits?”

You whimper when his thrusts get more savage as he finds a sensitive spot inside of you and deliberately aims for it. You can feel your stomach begin to tighten, all of your nerves feeling like they’re on fire as you get closer to that edge. Your pussy won’t stop clamping down on Shouto’s cock as he pounds you into the mattress. But just as you reach the edge, you feel him begin to slow down. Your orgasm is suddenly pulled away from you as you hear a dark chuckle.

“Answer me, princess,” he whispers to you. Your lust addled mind can’t seem to comprehend what question he means. “Shouto, please,” you try to move your hips, push back on his cock to reach the orgasm that was denied. But he simply holds your hips firmly in place, preventing you from moving as he waits for his answer.

He makes an impatient noise when you still won’t answer, moving his fingers in between your soaked folds as he grazes your clit. His thumb grinds down on the sensitive bead, and he groans as he feels you clench around him. “Come on,” he coaxes, “tell me how much you want my cum, how much you want me to breed you again.”

You let out a choked sob at the pleasure running through you, body so oversensitive from hormones and your previous orgasm. You want nothing more than to cum again, to feel Shouto cum with you and fill you up. “Shouto, please breed me again,” you finally start to beg with no shame in your tone. “I need to feel you cum inside me again, please -”

He lets out a low growl as he abandons all sense of rhythm, pounding into your pussy like a man possessed. His hips pick up speed, wet noises of skin slapping against skin filling the room along with your combined grunts and moans. He deliberately hits your g-spot with every thrust, wanting you to come undone around his cock.

The pressure is building back up inside of you quickly, muscles in your stomach tightening and toes curling as your orgasm hits you hard, causing your pussy to flutter wildly around his cock and more milk to dribble out of your sore nipples. Shouto’s pace stutters at the sight, forcing his cock all the way inside of you as he leans over to lick your nipples clean. Just the taste is enough to send him over the edge of his orgasm, thick ropes of hot cum filling your pussy as he continues to drain you dry.

You both stay there for what feels like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, until Shouto gently lowers himself behind you. He pulls you carefully towards his body, nuzzling you as he kisses a wet line down the column of your neck. “I love you, you know,” he murmurs into your ear. “I’m so glad you’re mine now.”

You pause for a few seconds as you consider his words. It’s not the first time he’s used them, and it won’t be the last. Despite everything he’s done, you do believe him. It’s a possessive, all consuming love that will allow nothing else but you and your children together. But you believe it’s still love.

At your silence, Shouto lets out a disappointed sigh. That is one thing he has not been pushy about, told you that he was waiting for you to realize the truth and say the words yourself. You open your mouth to respond to him, although you’re not sure how, when someone comes barging through the door. Whatever words you were about to say die in your throat as you take in the appearance of the one who dared to intrude on Prince Shouto and his heavily pregnant wife.

You barely recognize Fuyumi, with her clothes being put on haphazardly and eyes bloodshot. Her face is splotchy and red, as if she’s been crying for a long time. And then you realize with a start that’s exactly what’s happening, as you see more tears run down her face. “Shouto, it’s - oh god, it’s Dad, he -”

Her words run over each other in a blur as she tries to finish her sentence. “Fuyumi, calm down and speak clearly. What’s going on with our dear old dad?” His voice comes out so cold that you almost don’t recognize it, and you can’t even begin to interpret the look on his face.

“He’s dead,” Fuyumi barely manages to get out before she begins to sob brokenly. “How can he be dead, I don’t understand -”

Shouto’s bearing changes immediately at her words as he begins to take over the situation. He orders Fuyumi to leave the room so he can get changed, instructing her on various procedures for what to do when the King of the realm dies. A nagging thought occurs to you at how odd it is that he knows all this information off the top of his head, before you try to mark it down as meaningless. Of course he would be trained in such things as the heir to the throne. But you’ve learned to trust your instincts, and right now they’re screaming at you.

“You need to get dressed, love,” he says as he kisses your forehead. “Until we know what’s going on, you need to stay close to me.” You quickly nod as you pull yourself reluctantly from the bed and begin to hunt for your clothes.

You’re both ready within 20 minutes, and you head to the Great Hall where everyone is gathered. You glance around and see the rest of the Todoroki family all gathered together, and you breathe a small sigh of relief that they’re okay. Queen Rei looks like she’s in shock, barely holding it together. Fuyumi has an arm around her as she tries to comfort her, but utterly fails due to how much she herself is crying.

What’s concerning is Prince Natsuo and Prince Touya, who simply look amused by the whole spectacle. Prince Touya’s face splits into a huge grin as he sees you and Shouto walk up to him, clapping his back with one hand. “Well then, I suppose congratulations are in order.”

Fuyumi comes out of her stupor long enough to glare at him. “Congratulations? Our dad is dead and you’re congratulating him?”

“Why wouldn’t I? He’s the King now,” Prince Touya chuckles. “Isn’t that right, brother? You do intend to take your rightful throne now, don’t you?”

Prince Natsuo has stayed quiet through this exchange, but you notice he is staring at Shouto with grim determination. As if he’s already decided something, and is merely waiting for the right moment to mention it.

“Of course I do,” Shouto nods. “I’ve prepared for this moment my whole life.” He glances over at you with a tender look in his eyes as he pulls you into his arms. “And now I have a beautiful wife and an heir,” he murmurs, running his hand over your stomach.

“Now you just need the spare,” Prince Touya snorts. “You ready for that, princess?” He snickers as he sees you turn away in embarrassment, but before he can continue to tease you, you’re interrupted by one of King Enji’s advisors. The man leans in to whisper something into your husband’s ear, and your husband simply nods and waves the man away.

Shouto motions for the rest of the family to come closer as he reveals what the advisor had told him. “It seems dear old dad was assassinated.” He breaks the news with no fanfare, no buildup, no emotion of any kind. But this information sends shockwaves through the rest of the family.

Queen Rei’s face goes completely blank, as if unable to process it. Fuyumi’s hand flies to her mom to contain her gasp. Touya simply starts laughing, looking at Shouto with what almost appears to be pride. And Natsuo remains completely silent, continuing to study Shouto as if he’s trying to figure something out.

“The kingdom will see unrest when the truth of this gets out,” Shouto continues as if he didn’t just drop a bomb through his family. “We’ll need to have the coronation quickly, so that there’s no panic. Ideally tomorrow, if we can get it set up.”

Fuyumi rushes towards Shouto, a look of pure fury on her face. “Dad’s dead and you’re already talking about taking over? Do you have any emotion over this at all?”

“Oh, I think our brother has a lot of emotions right now,” Touya gives a darkly amused laugh. “Don’t think it’s the same ones you’re having, though.”

Choosing to ignore his older brother, Shouto instead addresses his sister. “There’s nothing you or Mom can do tonight. Take her to your room. I’ll station guards outside just in case, and I’ll handle whatever planning needs to be done.”

Fuyumi looks like she’s going to demand to stay, but Queen Rei lays her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “He’s right. There’s nothing we can do,” her voice comes out a reedy whisper, so quiet that you have to strain to hear her. But you notice the way she looks at Shouto before finally turning to leave. As if she’s never truly seen him before.

“Same for you, love,” Shouto pulls you into his arms to kiss your forehead. “You especially need to rest. I’ll walk you back to our room.”

You’re too tired to even think of protesting, and your feet and ankles already hurt from standing. So you nod and allow yourself to be taken away from the crowd and back into your room. “I’m going to be busy for a while taking care of everything, but I’ll make sure to check in on you.”

He places his hand on the side of your face, tracing a finger down your jawline before leaning in to give you a gentle kiss. And then he drops to his knees, gently lifting your shirt to plant another kiss on your round stomach. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise,” he murmurs. “I love you both.”

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

Despite protests from Fuyumi and Rei herself, the coronation is being held the very next day, even before the king’s funeral. But if anybody else had any issues with the order of events, nobody spoke out about it.

You just finished getting helped into the floor length ball gown you would be wearing for the event when your husband walks in to see you. You see the look of appreciation on his face at your dress, designed to be flattering while also not concealing your pregnancy completely. “Are you nervous, my beautiful Queen?”

The full force of the word Queen hits you all at once. The former King Enji is dead, and your husband will take his place. You will be Queen, and your baby, whether son or daughter, will be the heir to the throne of the Todoroki Empire.

“Yes, I’m very nervous,” you admit quietly. “I didn’t expect this to happen so quickly. You inheriting the throne, I mean.”

Oh? I certainly expected it.” Shouto gives a deep chuckle that turns dark when he utters the next words. “Nobody else did, however. I made sure of that.”

A cold rush of emotion hits you all at once. You don’t want to believe it, you truly don’t. But it confirms what you already know, deep in your heart. Shouto is the one who orchestrated the king’s death. His own father’s death. Your understanding must be written plain as day across your face, because he’s smirking at you when you glance over.

“You know, he intended to pass a law that stated he could annul a marriage, if it were proven to be illegitimate,” he says conversationally. “I couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t let his hatred blind him into ruining the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so much, and our baby.”

It feels like your heart jumps up into your throat, beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. You should feel horrified, as this means that it’s your fault the king is dead. But as you look into his eyes, you don’t just see the man who killed his father to inherit the throne. You also see the man who wanted to make the love of his life his Queen, and his child the heir.

You can’t bring yourself to hate him for it. Despite everything that he’s done, you love him too, and you love the child still growing inside you.

So when Shouto reaches his hand out to you in order to lead you into the throne room, you take it without hesitation. “Are you ready to become my Queen, love?”

“Yes, I’m ready. I love you too, Shouto.” And as you say those words and begin to walk into the coronation hand in hand, you finally feel the cage fully close behind you, trapping you forever.

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

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[flowerflamestars]

i remember that you once said something about privateer nesta could you elaborate? please? *shrek cat eyes*

WHO TOLD YOU I AM COMPLETELY VULNERABLE TO THE CAT EYES??

okay, so admittedly I don't remember the context in which I said this?? But I still SUPER super love the idea

and it matches with what we'll call the Dream ACOTAR Extended Universe Plot, almost canon.

We begin with the final battle against Hybern. Tamlin dies, closing the loop of his tragic, misspent life. Amren stays dead, a magical being on to the next adventure.

Rhysand stays dead.

He functionally (magically) threw himself on a bomb, and took the whole blast. He's not the Cauldron- and no one man could repair what it once was, but he could contain the fatal, drastic implosion of an object that was meant to endure forever, fractured into more and more peices.

Why is this important?

Because it leaves a world where Feyre Archeron- twenty-ish, romantic hero, prop, prisoner- becomes High Lady in her own, true right.

(I don't think she's necessarily good at this job, because why would she be? It's not even her fault- Feyre has no idea about how faery politics work, no real tangible knowledge of her own inherited kingdom.)

But both the men who stole her and defined her and loved her and hurt her are dead.

And it not only sets her on a journey to become, on her own, an actual character in her own life, but it galvanizes the Archeron sisters.

Feyre's basically fucking comatose after the battle. Elain has been a mess this entire time, but after that last fight with Grayson, walking into the war and stabbing a king in the throat- she is as vital and herself as Nesta has seen her in years.

Nesta just watched her father die and felt nothing- and she hates herself for it. She and Elain had taken the head of the man who stole everything from them- and she doesn't have a single regret.

Feyre screamed until she could no longer- there's so much magic seething out her it hurts to look at-

There's a dark well inside herself that could rise. But why should Nesta let it? So what, if she doesn't mourn her father? He'd never cared about her and Elain- not when they were young, too busy and important to even speak to his own children. Not when they lost everything, and he'd tried one last time to sell them both into marriages to recoup the family loss. Not after, in the starving cold, no matter what she'd tried to force him into action.

Nesta had been mourning all along a human girls human life- what is an absent, neglectful, shitty in the most ordinary of ways human parent if not a part of that lost future?

Their sister owns a fucking country- their sister is, at this minute so hemmed in by her followers no one can see her, much less comfort her- there's a war camp falling apart around them- there's Nesta, Elain, and Azriel, unhurt, upright, alive.

(she does not let herself think that an hour before she'd been ready to die and thought it right, the ending the meant to be conclusion of her story. she does not think about how she'd wished Cassian healed beneath her hands and that he had healed, that she'd wept to learn she could do more than destroy.

that she'd still been weeping, her mouth bright with his blood, when he'd pulled away, dragged himself to Morrigan's waiting arms)

Nesta Archeron is alive. Her sisters are alive. They're free, and she'll be fucking damned if this all falls apart before Feyre can heal.

Nesta turns to Azriel and asks if he can take control of the legions.

She has no time for his blank, angry eyes- she knows he's hurt, he's mourning, he's lost- but she needs him. Cassian's...down. Rhys is dead. Feyre and Morrigan are not coming out of that tent.

And he just listens. Thoughtfully. Asks what Nesta intends to do.

And Nesta looks at Elain- soft, kind, gentle Elain who'd never once wavered now when life was on the line. Who hadn't cried a tear for their father, or for the man who'd kidnapped and then married their baby sister.

The danger wasn't over- and neither had the steel faded from Elain's spine.

Nesta tells Azriel she's going to find Keir.

Nesta isn't blind- she's walked the Hewn City, spoken to the eldest darkness. She was also at the joke of a Summit- Autumn wants new territory, Keir wants to rule Night. And here Night is, weakened, a lamb to slaughter.

Nesta's not going to lose again- she's not going to give these ancient, cruel lords another chance.

Elain grabbed her hand and squeezed- the one person, always, who Nesta never need explain herself to.

Aren't the High Fae technically Morrigan's Elain asked, a bare whisper as they walked through the camp.

It went without saying yes, but Nesta had never seen any indication they respected her enough to listen to her. She made a face, and Elain made one right back, rueful. She had eyes too, after all.

They're not going to listen to us in these clothes, Elain also told her.

She was right, of course. They were High Fae, and that mattered to those vile pricks, but they'd been outfitted for flight. She would do almost anything, actually, to be free of leather pants.

Which Elain, a gleam in her eye that Nesta was learning meant magic, dreamy and happy- led her precisely to a gold topped tent, stepped inside, bowed, and asked without a trace of hesitation if Helion Spellcleaver, Lord of Day, would perhaps do them the favor of loaning them some garments.

Solid gold eyes gleaming against blood and smoke tinged dark skin, beautiful, glorious Helion, smiled.

Day-white against Night- but also, Nesta knew, taking care with her crown of a braid, the splatter of blood left on her throat, her mouth, her cheeks like fine paint- white was the color of death.

Elain covered herself completely- shawl wrapped over her hair, tucked around her neck, breathing easier now, in human modesty- but hung from a golden belt that Helion, with the clear air of someone who knew something about seers, had found, metal hammered with stars and flames, was Truthteller, the long blade without a sheathe, black metal swallowing up light.

Keir was easy to find, and in fine form, surrounded by Darkbringers, who looped back behind the sisters the second they were close.

Nesta was not afraid- she'd thrown power into the sky and it had hurt. Not in depth, but because she was still holding on- it wanted out-it wanted to devour-

Elain dipped a flagrantly rude, swallow bob of a curtsey. Nesta didn't even bother- just let Keir hail them, royal family that they were. He liked the sound of his own voice, but he was also clever- they'd come here of their own volition and now they were trapped.

She could smell the reinforcements, the utter Autumn reek.

Nesta interrupted, and asked Keir to come and swear fealty to her sister.

It was never going to get the right answer, but it had to be said. It had to be heard.

She'd been right- they'd been right- Keir enjoyed the cruelty of getting close to Nesta, denying straight to her Archeron face that no, Rhysand's bloodline was ended. It was time, it was right, for the House of Truth to once more hold their throne.

He spoke his treason aloud, looming over Nesta- close enough to touch.

So Nesta did.

She'd willed Cassian alive and whole. It was so, so much easier to remember fire, death, drowning, to push and want the revolting man's destruction.

And when he fell, silvered fire that had filled his lungs spilling from his throat, Nesta did not flinch. She looked to the next lieutenant, a frankly indistinguishable golden haired pale-eyed blandly handsome man in black armor, and asked, if he, as the new commander of the Darkbringers, would like to give a different answer.

He did.

Azriel met them halfway back to Feyre, grim mouth flickering for a second at the sight of Elain, before looking, stone-faced, at Nesta beside her, leading a crowd of the highest ranked Night Court faeries she could find.

Keir? He asked.

Dead, Elain answered, and that was that.

The Shadowsinger fell in step with the Seer, a threatening shadow to two pale beacons.

It was Azriel who actually went inside the tent. Who said what needed to said, what made Morrigan splutter loudly enough to be heard outside, before she burst out the tent in a whorl of hair, before blanching.

Nesta had just enough control not to roll her eyes. They come to swear fealty.

And Morrigan, chewing her lip with all the dignity of a child- Elain and Nesta had been trained out of such gestures at eight, what did she think was happening here? - shook her head. She's not well, it can wait.

No, Azriel said, from behind her, it can't.

He was supporting what looked like the entirety of Feyre's weight. Dead-white, blue eyes a blaze, Feyre looked blearily out at all of them like she recognized no one.

Elain, treasure that she was, came forward to take her sister's other hand, whispering both condolence and explanation.

And so the High Houses of Night knelt in battlefield mud, and swore eternal loyalty to the youngest Archeron.

It was only after they were gone that Nesta hugged her sister- hard enough Feyre protested, a fresh batch of tears soaking Nesta's shoulder even before Elain joined them.

It's Azriel, voice a little less like a phantom, who tells Feyre they're handling things. That if she wants to rest more, that's fine.

She was so clearly shattered- Nesta half wondered how much of that Azriel can literally feel/hear with his shadow...things.

Feyre protests that there's things to do- Feyre makes it halfway through a sentence about plans before she says Rhysand's name like he's still alive and collapses in on herself like a wave crashing.

Nesta and Elain tuck Feyre back into the blanket pile. Nesta manages to kiss her forehead before Morrigan is there, hugging Feyre putting herself bodily between the sisters.

They leave, and outside, Azriel is waiting.

To hand Nesta a gaudy, enormous platinum ring. The seal of the Night Court- Nesta recognizes it from shipping manifests, but she'd never actually seen it as an adult. Here, as a faery.

Her thoughts on Azriel's powers hold true, as he answers the dismay: Rhys only used it when he had to. It had passed between the whole Court of Dreams hands, there had not been a vizier, a lord of stars, since the time of Rhysand's father.

Nesta puts on the hideous ring, barely flinching at the brush of magic, it resizing to her hand.

Elain grasps her other, squeezing, and asks Azriel who is next.

They work ceaselessly, pausing only to sleep. Azriel, Nesta is quite sure, isn't sleeping at all- until she goes looking for him with a question and finds him finally, finally out cold, face tucked in Lucien Vanserra's neck.

In silence and gestures, they come to something of an agreement- and when the Night Court comes to the table to talk peace, it's with Lucien. Jurian, who Nesta immediately liked.

By the time they return to the North, there is not a Lord one who does not know the names and nightmarish qualities of all three Archeron sisters.

Feyre mourns, and learns to govern slow. Cassian goes back to Illyria and does not return for a long, long time. Morrigan becomes Feyre's second- Nesta laughs, not altogether kind, when Lucien tells her this. No one has been able to answer her as to why, if Morrigan is so powerful, why did she not fight? what does she actually do?

What answers to her questions she does find are appalling. Why does Winter block our every turn? oh, Rhysand killed more than a dozen children. Why is Summer refusing our trade? Well, Rhysand stole their ancestral pride. Why is the Hewn City so wrathful at even the slightest form of intervention? Because Rhysand had left Keir to rule alone.

Nesta doesn't want to rule the fucking court. She thinks she could leave all of these politicians to rot- but she won't let Feyre misstep her way to death, shouldering a burden of her dead mate.

There's nothing they can give Winter but apology and so that's what Nesta does. On her knees, in a gilded palace of ice, stars caught in her hair and the seal on her. Kallias, bright and young, seems to know something about inherited problems- he does not ever forget, but he forgives, at least, the Archerons.

Summer is more complicated- but Nesta does what she can. Gives them every melted, ruined piece of the Book. Offers reparations for the next millennia. Ends up paying for what she is appalled and embarrassed to learn is a two hundred year old debt for a building the head of the Night Court's armed forces- Cassian, fucking Cassian the ghost haunting Nesta- had destroyed. During a brawl. At a solstice party.

She deals only with Cressieda, and they come to understand each other very well.

Nesta was not raised for politics and bullshit- her mother wanted her to marry a crown, but Nesta wanted the family empire. Trade. The Archeron legacy, denied to a girl. She likes Summer more than any place in Prythian, and she doesn't hide that. She relearns old lessons of tide and routes in secret, before Cressieda reveals that of course, she knows who the Archerons were.

It goes well, until Morrigan finds out what she's been doing, and tells Feyre.

The youngest Archeron had been doing better. Morrigan has been right by her side, through everything. Cassian is in Illyria, and Feyre understands why, writing him letters. She writes letters to Rhys too, if only to have a way to direct the words.

Azriel, spectral and busy she sees the least of, but Feyre never doubts his presence, keeping her safe. Elain comes, drags her out into sunlight, brings Lucien and it makes Feyre happy to see them together. Nesta comes too, with them both and alone, with papers from Feyre to sign, with affection sharp-edged but true.

Feyre knows she owes them all more than can be said- she's not stupid, she knows they're keeping Night together. That slowly those responsibilities will fall to her, when she's ready.

She does not think about how much of those responsibilities is cleaning up the tangled mess of betrayal Rhysand left behind. In her head, there is only Rhys- beloved and shadowed, kind and tortured.

Until Morrigan tells her that it's been acknowledged, in public, by Night, that Rhysand was a thief, and a murder of children.

Feyre loses her shit.

Rhysand had done what he had to. Who was Nesta, to say such things? She'd always hated Rhys. Rhys had always hated her, maybe he was right- the children. Rhys had mourned them in screaming nightmares, but he hadn't hurt them-

(Feyre does not stop to think it strange, that Rhys could have nightmares of memories not his own. That he might have fractured just a bit, under Amarantha. That the Red Lady had no daemati- that was why she'd kept Rhys all along.)

The fight is as ugly as can be imagined. And what proceeds is of course, worse. Feyre says terrible things she will ultimately regret and apologize for, but what becomes clear is that Morrigan thinks that Nesta means to hold power forever.

That she's taken advantage.

And Cassian, called home by rage, believes her.

That is, more than her ungrateful sister, more than the ongoing weight of cleaning up after a man she despised for good reason, the end of Nesta Archeron's Night Court career.

She'd thought she loved him- she'd been willing to die with him- but they'd lived. This was the life, the next life, and what did he think of her? That Nesta was a power hungry snob. That she was paying too much heed to politics.

That Nesta belonged quietly at home. That she should have learned to fight somewhere along that way- a point so convoluted it made Lucien laugh- that she hadn't learned anything that mattered.

That she had no right to kill Keir, because it had hurt Morrigan.

Had he ever, Nesta would wonder later, even liked her? Enjoyed anything about her but for that magical tether, telling him he was blessed with something special?

Nesta was something special, and she knew it.

And so she returned the ring to Azriel, packed up her possessions, and left.

First to Day, where Elain had bought a house. Fury and tears both met the explanation of what happened- fury and tears that turned to getting inadvisably drunk in sunlight, when Lucien and Azriel snuck away to join them.

For the first time in Nesta's adult life, she had no obligations. Magic, money, freedom- the whole world was out there.

She stopped wearing black. Learned pants where actually lovely, when they fit correctly and weren't made of leather. Learned Azriel could laugh, and Lucien was as clever as she'd always thought.

She read books, she ate fruit, she took Helion up on several of his more lascivious offers.

She thought of Cassian, and it ached, but not enough to go backward.

Elain's house was by the sea, right on the water. The scent of salt reminded Nesta of Summer- but also of her oldest, most secret dreams. The warehouses of goods, like mysteries to solve. The account books she stole, learning by candlelight the trade in her blood.

Ten years after the war, Nesta bought a ship.

She set out to be a merchant, use what she knew, but what happened was this: Nesta Archeron did not care anymore for rules. And so when she came upon Hybernian remnants-for they were an island kingdom, even more one with the water than Prythian- pillaging a Summer town, she destroyed them.

She stole their treasure, gave much of it back to the people.

Found, unexpected, that she had much more of a taste for marauding than she would have expected. There was still trade of course- proft made and shared- but Summer needed someone willing to do some destroying out on the sea.

Twelve years after the war, Nesta Archeron became a privateer under the Summer flag, pearls in her hair and a true smile on her lips.

Things grew, as all things do. Feyre wrestled herself the reins of government, stymied by the councils Nesta and Azriel set up as much as she often was by Azriel himself out of truly petulant action. Morrigan remained second, golden blades bright as her gowns within reach. Cassian became a sort of seneschal, reigning over Illyria in Feyre's name cold and alone as the wind through the mountains.

(Feyre thought he might never get over the war, but Azriel knew the truth.)

Elain took herself wherever the future led, a sort of mediator and councilor, walking in all Courts- but always back to home, that isolated green, green cove, where Nesta would land.

When war came again, there was no great Lordly alliance, no cut-throat summit. There was a fleet of ships whose sails where edged in purple, whose announcement across the water was silver fire, whose accompaniment were monsters of old.

Violence did not touch Prythians human shore, because Nesta Archeron did not let it.

She was death on the tide, and she remembered what shores had borne her.

She had a home in Summer, a place in Day, her family across the continent- she had her ships, full of faeries from every walk of life, who wanted as she did the freedom as much as the profit, the endless, endless blue, where sea meets sky.

It was eternity, and the Archeron sisters, free, had made it their own.

[binniesthighs]

call me babydoll | reader x chan

soooo shhhh this actually a part one shhhh but i’m just trying out writing out different things and getting out some of my ideas outta my head that i’m really excited about, this one being one of them!! for now...just pretend that this is just a regular ol’ drabble hehehehe. this part is the set-up chapter (shhh i mean drabble) 

One

Pairing: self insert, female reader x bang chan 

Genre: fluff, smut, and angst 

Tags: (overall) bodyguard au, moderndayprince!chan, bodyguard!reader, secret agent au, royal au, action and peril, plot driven, running out of time, slow-ish burn, growing feelings, softswitch!chan, hardswitch!reader, some skz side characters, jeongin third wheel and comedic relief LOL, travelling, chan being expensive and having a lil bit of a superiority complex, flirtyyyy chan, bits of mystery, explicit language, mentions of food and alcohol, idk think like 007 vibes hehe 

CWs: guns and gun violence, a shooting in a ballroom, mentions of blood 

Word count: 4.6k 

Parts

ONE | TWO 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here early.” 

“Well, expect the unexpected.” 

“Don’t turn the motto back at me. I’m sick of hearing it so many damn times.” 

“What? You and I both know that it’s true. You’re here early too, so, technically you don’t get to say anything.” 

Jeongin straightened his bow tie, then patted down the sides of his perfectly ironed tux with not a crinkle to be found. Knowing him, it was a miracle that he hadn’t messed it up in some form yet. He promptly took out his pocket square to clean off his glasses. 

“You’re looking nice. Seems like they don’t mind spending money now on you these days.” He blew off the flecks of dust on his lenses. 

“They know that they get their return on their investment. And thank you.” 

You smoothed down the sides of your dusty pink dress that nearly went all the way down to your ankles. Had you any other choice, it would’ve been something different, but, dresses were really good at hiding your thigh holster compared to the slacks you usually favored. You didn’t mind the times that you would have to put on a pretty dress, it somewhat reminded you that there was normal life outside of your job. Not to mention, they had started sending you jewelry as well. You always had liked the look of a diamond necklace. 

“You do your research for tonight?” 

Jeongin nodded, then took from his pocket his phone to read over the details. 

“I’ve done a background check on everyone attending, we shouldn’t have any issues. It’s already a low risk event anyway. Charity is never something to get too worked up over, but, you never know with the detail that some of these people come with...who they might be tied to...” 

“--The only people we can trust is ourselves.” You nodded with arms crossed. 

“Expect the unexpected, I know.” He slid his phone back into his inside suit pocket to adjust his cufflinks. 

“--Nervous?” You took note of his fidgeting actions. 

“Nervous? No. I’ve been through this before. You know that.” 

You flicked your partner right on his forehead strung with his white hair. You had really wished that he had picked a less conspicuous color, but he had strings to pull that you didn’t. 

Jeongin cleared his throat, “You do your once over?” 

“Do you even need to ask? I did it hours ago and when we arrived. You know that I’ve done this before too.” 

“I know. I know.” 

Jeongin looked out at the vast circular atrium that made up the center of the hotel. Several stories down under the glass rooftop, you could hear the faint sprinkling of the intricate fountain which smelled of copper. A bit further down, you could see the tips of the tree branches from the indoor landscaping. Across the way, a door slammed with residents tucking in their ties. The two men you had recognized from the roster: a simple thing which made you feel at ease. Your young partner must’ve started to have an effect on you. A sense of unease seemed to quell in your neck. You always listened to your hunches. 

“W-what do you think he thinks of us?” Jeongin broke the silence. 

“Well,” From inside the room you had waited outside, you could hear his distant murmuring, so you lowered your tone. “I think that he has yet to trust us. It’s only been a few weeks. He doesn’t seem like the kind to give himself up easy. That, and I’m sure his resentment of his father must have some influence.” 

“You think he hates us?” 

“I think he hates his father for hiring us. I mean, wouldn’t you? His old security detail, he had them for years.” 

“I guess so. But, we’re not like his old detail.” 

“No. We’re not. I don’t think he gets that yet. I think he sees us as one more way his father has a hold on him.” 

“It’s not like he can do much else about it when his dad’s a kin--” 

“--No, no, thank you, really, it’s lovely. Some of your best work. Thank you.” 

Chan swung open the door to his room, stopping Jeongin right in his sentence. 

“Ah. You’re here already. That’s...punctual.” 

As dazzling and showy as ever, Chan looking nothing short of a magazine model. For a prince, he had certain...appearances that he had to maintain. Today, it was a velvety and maroon suit jacket with a white button up. On the collar, two matching brooches had been perfectly placed, and they were silver like moonlight in the shape of English ivy and adorned with diamonds. On his lapel, he wore the royal insignia of the lion and the wolf. Behind him, you could see his slew of stylists cleaning up their makeup kits and obscene assortment of designer dress shoes for him to pick from. You had thought before that he even smelled like royalty: stuffy white roses with a hint of priceless cognac. 

Jeongin bowed his head respectfully. “Everything has been prepared for tonight. The rest of your guards are surrounding the building, and I’ll be corresponding with them as needed, your Highness.” He tapped at his earpiece. 

Chan drew his attention over to you, giving you a rather lusty glare. Over the past couple weeks, you had gotten used to it. He was a prince to every extent of the word. If there was anything that he had wanted, he simply had to ask. It drove him insane that all he could do was merely look at you. You had  wondered if he harbored anything else for you besides the way that he would devour the curves of your shoulders and hips. 

“Fox. Bee. You look nice tonight. I like seeing you dressed up. Makes me feel less out of place.” 

You couldn’t help but let out a little sound of discontentment over his rather affectionate nickname for you. You and your partner had been introduced to him as F and B. Quickly he had figured out Jeongin’s codename as Fox, considering that he had done a poor job picking out one that wasn’t related to him at all. Anyone could tell that boy was fox-like, and he also just wasn’t that creative when it came to picking out a name for himself. B, or Bee as he had decided, was your name; as in bumblebee. After learning about Fox, he figured that there was an animal theme going, so Bee seemed to fit best in his oponion. 

You tested his glare with your best, “Thank you, your Highness.” 

Jeongin gulped. “Your assistant should be waiting downstairs with your itinerary. She told me that you should meet her first off.” 

“You work too hard F. Have some fun tonight, hm? But don’t...drink too much. You’re responsible for my life remember?” Chan clapped his bodyguard on the back. 

Your partner nervously laughed and adjusted his glasses once more: his preferred tic. 

“And Bee?” Chan rose a brow to lean into close and whisper. “Stay close, alright?” 

“Of course, your Highness.” 

Chan let out a little scoff after getting one more proper look at your frame. “Damn. You really are stunning. Just a little too dangerous for me though.” 

You rolled your eyes, dishing him outa, “Whatever you say, your Highness.” 

Jeongin threw you and annoyed glare before tracing after Chan as he sauntered down the hall to the glass elevator. 

“Bee? You coming? Or do you have something better to do?” Chan’s voice called down the hall with an echo and a little teasing gesture of his hand. 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

It had been seven years since you had chosen this line of work, and each time that you had to go to one of these things, you hated them more and more. Not because they were hard to control--they were easy--but you just hated how many superficial and self-absorbed people that they could fit into one room. 

The air was filled with the scent of champagne bubbles and too much Chanel No. 5. From corner to corner of the room, and even next to the ice sculpture of the lion and the wolf crest, silk, satin; velvet and the best cotton could be found. Long gloves covered the arms of ladies with wrinkling skin, and tweed vests held in the guts of men who indulged in their food just as much as their mistresses. All this effort just to appear as if they had given one care about the philanthropic efforts of the royalty.

Several neatly dressed waiters passed you with golden platters of hors d'oeuvres made of ingredients so expensive, they would’ve cost the same amount as the generous donations made by the attendees. If you could’ve, you would’ve scooped up as many of them as you could, just to eat all of their copious amounts of money yourself, but, there was somewhere a rule that you had to keep your hand to yourself when you were on duty. The best that you had to look forward too was take-out to eat at 3 in the morning with Jeongin later. 

Buzzing chatter filled your earpiece while each of the additional guards gave their hourly report. 

“Damn. It’s fucking colder out here than I thought. It’s fucking summer.” One of them joked to the tune of the other guards laughter. 

“Stay focused.” Jeongin scolded over the line. “Don’t leave your posts until your shifts change.” 

While he was a timid man, Jeongin was not one to mess around. Son of the director, he knew that he had big shoes to fill. After pleading for years for her to admit him into the academy, she had agreed. Everyone knew the reason why she didn’t want him in this line of work. Too many dead. Too many missing. In some ways, he was also yours to look after. 

You trailed after Chan who was busy talking to his assistant and his publicist. While he nodded at their words, you knew that he must’ve been barely listening. Chan never really was one for formality, but much rather enjoyed simplicity and pleasure. Jeongin and you had somewhat of a bet going: out of all the guests, you had liked to bet which one he would take with him to his bedroom. Since you had all the profiles of the guests, you liked to bet a little money on which one it would be. 

Jeongin had guessed it to be the heiress and daughter of a tycoon who had made a multi-million won donation in the name of his company. It was ironic; his very company was a big-scale pollutor who liked to make nice with the crown. She was conventionally very pretty: long legs, a thin frame, she was educated and looked as if she could hold somewhat of a conversation...not like that mattered to him. 

You had predicted it to be the foreign CEO who had just started business dealings with the crown. While she might’ve looked a bit stuck-up and prim, she was intimidating, and a challenge. Chan loved challenges. Chan also had a pension for pretty boys with a bit too much money on their hands--usually inherited--and with nothing much else to do other than dote on him. There were plenty of those attending the gala tonight. 

Chan snaked through the crowd, bowing his head at all of the Good evening, your Highnesses and the It’s a pleasure to meet you, your Highnesses. Every few moments or so he would take a bite from a golden plate and then pop it into his mouth. The whole night long, he would hold his glass with him and it would get refilled for him without him even needing to ask. You sometimes liked to pretend that in some places, they must’ve assigned someone to watch him from afar to make sure that he would never need anything before it was given to him. It wouldn’t have surprised you. 

“Having fun Bee?” Chan languidly rolled his head back, swirling his glass. 

“As much fun as you are.” You quipped. 

“Anything that I should be concerned about?” 

“Nothing of concern.” You stated matter-of-factly. Had you matched his flirting tone, you knew that you wouldn’t hear the end of it for the rest of the night. “Fox. Report?” 

“Nothing that I can see. No one has been tagging you.” Jeongin had staked himself up on the upper balcony of the banquet hall room, and had been watching for as long as you had been following after the prince. “You sensing anything strange?” His voice tickled in your in-ear. 

“Just a bunch of the normal crowd.” You kept your tone down low. “He’s rubbing noses with the usual. You’ve seen too?” 

He chuckled. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

You followed Chan to his seat nearest the front of the room which had been fashioned into a stage with a clear glass podium in the center. Right in front there was one more crest decorating it. Chan had ensured it to be so: he had wanted everyone to know that this was all for his charity. 

“It seems like our bets aren’t working out. He hasn’t talked to either of the...suspects.” Your partner changed his choice of words knowing that the other guards were listening. 

From the opposite side of the room both the heiress and the CEO stood with thin glasses of wine in their lithe hands. Chan had in fact walked right past them, and didn’t even notice. 

“Tonight is going to be a long night.” Jeongin sighed over the line. 

You politely pushed past attendees with a raised hand and a sweet smile. You had found that when you smiled, you had appeared less intimidating. 

“Oh wait...what’s this?” 

“What?” You whipped your head around after Jeongin’s interjection. “What? Do you see something? What’s the call?” 

“Relax! It just looks like he’s approaching someone he wants to talk to. I think both of us are about to be proven wrong.” 

“Ah, shit.” You sighed. “Don’t put me on edge like that.” 

“I’m only trying to entertain myself.” 

“Name. Who is it? You’ve got the roster.” 

You partner was quiet for a minute, and you watched from a distance as Chan approached the man leaned over a martini seated at one of the perfectly decorated tables. 

“Uh, I think that he’s Lee Minho. Some kind of royalty from somewhere else. Pretty low ranking from the looks of it. I think that he made a donation himself...and it’s...damn, larger than you would expect.” 

“Should we be concerned?” 

“No. Seems harmless.” 

“Thank you for coming,” You made out the words that Chan had mouthed. He drew a chair next to the unknown man. 

From what you could tell, Lee Minho was handsome to the full extent of the word: nearly all of his physical features were exemplary and his suit appeared to have been fitted to perfect for him; likely one of a kind. He too wore an insignia on his lapel, but it was one that you hadn’t recognized before. He had immaculately styled hair that had some kind of rebellious and boyish charm to it. The man had a kind of mystery about him too: you had been able to pride yourself in being able to read people, and it had saved your life on more than one occasion. But with him, there was something that you couldn’t place. 

“Do they know eachother?” You asked Jeongin. 

“Not that I know of. School friend maybe? Seems like all the royals send their kids to the same schools.”

“Hm. That would make sense.” 

“Enjoying yourself?” Chan said. 

Lee Minho nodded, and rose his glass to clink it with the prince’s. 

“Do we think that he’s our...suspect?” 

The stranger dipped his head into his hand as he listened to Chan speak. A flirty gesture that you had seen a hundred times or more. Still, the way that he inspected Chan, it wasn’t adoring. Or at least, you didn’t think that it was.

“No. I don’t think so.” 

“What the hell are you yapping about?” One of the other guards snapped over the line. 

“Um, classified stuff.” Jeongin quickly explained. “Above your paygrade. Don’t worry about it.” 

“Fox. Watch out for him tonight.” You snuck over to a corner of the room where you could watch the two of them more discreetly. 

“Affirmative....” Your partner paused. “Babydoll.” 

“Pffff--Babydoll??” The same guard stifled his laughter. “You call her Babydoll, Fox? Damn, you all must be closer than I thought. Didn’t know that I was missing out on some of the action--” 

“--Ever heard of a codename, Three?” 

“Babydoll’s her codename.” 

A grin crept over your lips. “Expect the unexpected.” 

You had almost gotten distracted enough to miss how Lee Minho had leaned over to whisper something into the prince’s ear. After he had done so, Chan laughed out a little, then reached his arm around the other man’s chair comfortably. 

“They’re...cozy.” You updated your partner. 

“I’m trying to cross-check where he might know him from.” 

Chan’s assistant and publicist finally slipped away with giddy little smiles. In many ways, you were jealous of them. They could leave whenever the wanted, eat what they wanted...

Jeongin scoffed. “Well, turns out...nothing. I can’t find anything.” 

“Nothing?” 

“Negative. I’m not seeing any crossover.” 

“So they really are strangers?” 

Your partner sighed. “Looks like neither of us are cashing ou--I mean--finding the suspect.” 

Under your breath, you wondered aloud, “Who are you...Lee Minho?” 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

The night drew on longer with the rest of the formalities: the formal dinner, followed by several speeches from important people while dessert was being served. It all led up to the final act: His Royal Highness, Prince Chan’s speech. On several neat notecards marked with the crest, he held them in front of him while he ate his last bits of Mont Blanc Chocolate Pavlova. Even the name of the sweet itself sounded pretentious. Granted, it smelled delicious--as many expensive things did. 

You stifled a yawn from your little set up on the edge of the room. At least you should’ve been able to sit, but it turns out that sitting is also against the rules in this line of work. A couple other security and bodyguards had joined you at the edge: some of their heads nodded with sleep, and the others looked as if they had taken one too many energy shots. Luckily, your stamina had been well crafted. 

A fancily dressed MC made his way up to the podium and the room filled with applause after the last speaker had said all of their correct mandatory words. 

“It is my honor to introduce to the stage, our wonderful head benefactor of this organization, His Royal Highness, Prince Chan of the Crown. 

Applause tenfold of before erupted through the whole room and it wasn’t even an afterthought for the every attendee to stand up from their seats in an ovation. It was a force of habit for you, but you found yourself clapping as well. 

Chan rose with grace, and re-buttoned his jacket with finesse. A blinding spotlight found him and it made the diamonds adorning his beck wink brilliantly. Even more blinding was his pearl white, and perfectly trained smile accompanied by his wave. 

Thank you. Thank you. He mouthed. 

“It’s like he’s a frickin’ movie star.” Jeongin groaned. 

“Might as well be with the way that they treat him. You know deep down they’re all just terrified.” 

Chan made his way up to the stage in all of his regality, and the applause didn’t stop until he cleared his throat. A collective groaning of a couple hundred chairs squeaked when everyone sat back down. 

“Thank you everyone, really. I wanted to thank you all for your generous support in your donations to this organization, as well as your association with the crown. I’m sure that all the beneficiaries of your donations are beyond thankful compared to me. Without you, this would not be possible.” Chan spoke with grandiose gestures, as usual, but this time, he had found you on the side of the room. “Listen, aside from being a prince, I’m also just a person. A person who knows what it means to struggle, to--” 

“--I can’t listen to this anymore.” You whispered into the quiet room, and to your partner. 

“Just a few more hours.” He droned. “I almost wish that something would happen so that we don’t have to sit though much else of this.” 

“Be careful what you wish for.” 

In the corner of your eye, Lee Minho shifted in his seat, but still kept his undivided attention to the stage. You figured he must’ve been just like the rest of them: enamored by the flashiness of the crown--and Chan. He had a way of putting a spell on people: it was the kind of spell that a prince of deception had crafted after years of being kept under lock and key. 

“--Anyway, what I’m trying to say, royal or fanciful we all might be, in the simplest way, we’re all just people, therefore this is what connects us all. Thank you.” 

Chan was gifted yet another standing ovation that was somehow even more thunderous than before. 

“Yeah right.” You scoffed. “People born into money. There’s a difference.” 

Chan gave his last waves, then a clamor echoed from the back of the room. At first, it had just sounded like the same raucous laughter you had heard all night, but then it shifted to something different. The sound of laugher turned into shouting, then screams: high pitched and piercing. You had seconds to respond, head whipping around the room to catch sight of the confused prince. In your in-ears, the the sound of gunshots echoed with rapid-fire speed. Machine guns. Shouting commands barked in your ear, and muddled with Jeongin’s string of demands and questions. 

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE? REPORT! REPORT!” 

Your heart instantly started beating into hyperdrive, and your legs sprinted as fast has physically possible 

“THEY’VE GOT GUNS!” A shrill and cracked voice of an older woman wailed from the back of the room. 

Immediately after she had said so, shots fired into the darkened room with sparks, and the metallic sound of bullets hitting the marbled ground followed. 

Chan looked around in his panic for you, petrified on the stage. You slung your gun out from your thigh holster and latched onto him with all of your might. 

“TH-THEY JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE IN THESE VANS. THEY’RE ARMOURED, WE CAN’T--” 

“Get the fuck down there and secure the exists!” Jeongin growled into his mic. “B--is the prince secure??” 

“Secure!” You yelled back. Using your body as a barrier, you led the cowering prince through the mass hysteria of the crowd. 

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Shit.” Chan shook under your iron grip. 

More shots fired into the room and bodies parted like the sea and fell over each other. 

From the balcony, you had caught Jeongin aiming his own gun at the chaos below. 

“I’ll cover you! Fuck! There’s so many of them! Get him to the car out back--Three, Six, meet B out there! Three!? Six!? Report!” 

“Three and Six are down F!” One of the guards panted. “I can provide cover out back!!” 

“Who’s speaking??” Jeongin bellowed, then aimed from above at one of the intruders. Your only focus was on weaving you and Chan out of there, but you had seen one of them in a blur. Each of the men with guns wore dark grey suits with black ties and leather gloves. Each of them wore their own crest: and it was all red. 

“Bee?? Bee???” Chan shouted out for you, and jumped every time the crack of a shot echoed in the ballroom. 

“I’ve got you, your Highness. We’ll be out soon. Keep your head down and listen to me.” Your arm held to him tightly, and you soon found the exit nearest. There was no telling if there would be more of them outside, but you loaded your gun quickly just in case, and pointed it out. 

“Jeongin, get your ass down here!” 

“Jeongin? Who the fuck is that??” Chan ducked down to hide himself behind your frame. 

His name had slipped on your tongue, but that hardly mattered. 

“I’ll be down in a second!!!” 

“Don’t fucking waste time up there when I need you down here!!” 

“Two! Two Reporting!!” A man suddenly yelled in your in-ear. “I’ve made it out back and I’ve secured the exit. The car is safe!!” 

“FOX! Now!” 

Your partner heaved, “I’m coming, I’m coming!!” 

You kicked open the exit door, gun’s still blazing, however one one else could be found on the other side. 

“Thank God,” You sighed. 

“Oh shit, I’m gonna be sick.” Chan had turned paler than white, then stumbled in your arms. 

“Hey, HEY!” You held him upright. “It’s gonna be alright. I’ve got you. You’re safe. You need to trust me. Your life is in my hands and I’m not giving it up easy, got it?” 

“O-okay.” He stammered, then attempted to straighten himself. 

“The Prince is outside, repeat, The Prince is outside. Two, are you in position?” 

“Yes. Yes, I am.” 

Other than the fact that you had just escaped absolute peril, the evening was unbearably pleasant. Crickets chirped in the summer evening, and the humidity of the night smelled gorgeously of the lake that was near-by as well as the vast array of flowers that had been purposefully landscaped around the hotel. Chan’s uneven steps scraped at the gravel walkway. 

Since you had canvassed the whole building well, you had known exactly where the getaway car was, but you were still careful. 

“Bee. Bee!” Chan blabbered. “Have-have I told you yet that I-I’m in love with you?” 

“No, you haven’t Your Highness.” 

“I fucking am. If I die tonight, I want you to know that I am ridiculously in love with you, and fuck, I wanna--” 

“--I’m sorry, Your Highness, respectfully, but now is not the time for this and you are not dying on my watch.” 

Somewhere off in the distance, frogs croaked, and the splashing of fish in the lake plopped at the surface waters. You turned a corner to finally see Two waiting his his gun raised. He was a bit of a shorter and scrawnier man, but something about him told you that where he lacked in strength, he must’ve made up for in agility. 

“I’m out! I’m out!” Your partner gasped, and over the in-ear you could hear his running footsteps. “I’m almost there! I’ll be there in a second!” 

“Your Highness,” Two bowed and opened the car door. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. You can call me Two or J. Either you prefer.” 

Jeongin came bounding around the corner with heaving breaths and his clothes askew. His glasses which just barely held onto his face had a crack on them and his knuckles were covered in blood. 

“Let’s go.” The younger man prompted. 

“In the car you go, Your Highness.” You motioned for him to do so. 

Chan whimpered like a toddler. 

You shoved his body in, “Stop that. Get in the car.” 

“I’m in love with you Bee!” He yelled out, “I’M FUCKING IN LOVE WITH YOU BEE!” 

Jeongin slammed the door in his face with a bit of a chuckle. 

“He’s delirious.” 

“Mm.” your partner smiled. “Sure.” 

[klbwriting]

Unexpected Allies - Chapter 1

Fandom: Six of Crows/Shadow and Bone

Pairing: eventually will be Kaz/female!Reader but for now nothing

Warnings: I mean, Kaz Brekker is involved, someone is getting maimed

Summary:  The Darkling won the Ravka civil war, defeating the Sun Summoner and taking command of Ravka. Then he went looking for ways to make his Grisha more powerful. Kaz Brekker knew this but took the job at the Ice Court anyway, getting himself and Jesper Fahey thrown into a Ravkan prison for his efforts. After getting broken out by the Darkling's second in command the trio has to find their way to the Permafrost and the resistance gathering there. And then Kaz has to figure out a way to get his crew out of this whole mess. But how can he get himself out of the mess of feelings he has for the Grisha with all the powers?

Note: Hello!  I am alive!  I have found motivation for something else!  As much as I loved the Shadow and Bone show I have found more love in the Six of Crows books so this fic is an AU based on both.  In this the Darkling won out over Alina and then Six of Crows happened like it does, except the Darkling showed up to ruin things as he does. Also going to address the Inej sized elephant in the room, in this Kaz’s feelings were less strong towards her because I ship the fuck out of Kaz and Inej but I also ship the shit out of Kaz and myself too and I needed some self-insert.  I hope you like it, I missed writing and I’m glad to find some inspiration again.  

Kaz Brekker was known even in prison as the guy who didn't need a reason. He wanted his infamy to spread even behind bars, the better to keep those looking for a pigeon to harass away. On his first day in this hellscape he had stolen a fork from the dining hall and used it when his cellmate attempted to take the makeshift cane that he had been provided from his hand. Now he no longer had a cellmate and his old cellmate no longer had his eyes, and word spread quick of the young man willing to kill to be left alone. That had given him the time and space to start to plan his escape.

First, get Jesper as his cellmate. That was accomplished with ease. Anyone else they put in with him would be blind or deaf or crippled within 24 hours so it came down the guards asking him straight out who he wouldn't maim. He said Jesper Fahey and they allowed it if only to have a night's peace. Jesper didn't look like he was faring well. In a cell at Hellgate Jesper would have been alright but here in a West Ravkan prison near Os Alta where his Zemeni features made him stand out he had become a target. When he entered Kaz's cell rage filled the young crime lord. Jesper was thinner than ever, dark circles under his eyes and hands fidgeting constantly, almost like he needed a drug but Kaz knew it was just because he couldn't focus his energy.

"Jesper," Kaz whispered after the guard had left and his sharpshooter sat on the cot. "What do you need?" Jesper looked at him slowly and gave half a smile.

"Just my friend, s'all ok now," he said. Kaz felt the side of his mouth twitch up just a little. "But I could also use a way out of this damned place." Kaz nodded, gripping the wooden walking stick a little tighter. He wanted to put a comforting hand on Jesper's shoulder but he could not, Jordie's body, cold and wet and dead flooded his mind, and he couldn't bring himself to reach out. He hated that this place seemed to be tearing his friend apart slowly. It was even taking a toll on him. Everyday was the same, waked up with the sun, eat a breakfast of stodgy porridge and soggy bread, washed down with possibly the grimiest coffee ever made. The prisoners were then sent outside to work on either the large farm for the prison and surrounding towns or they were forced to be target practice for the Grisha guards. Normally only the worst of the worst were reserved for practice, or those that pissed off the guards. Kaz had avoided this so far but he knew Jesper had run his mouth one day, getting snarky with the yard guard and he had almost been drowned by a Tidemaker the next morning. Lunches were non-existant most days. They were shuffled from work to 'free time' which meant sitting in the hot afternoon sun either playing cards, or, if they were lucky, sitting under one of the shady trees that scattered the yard. Evening was the only decent time at this hellhole, it was dinner, and then back to the cells. Kaz enjoyed this time, he was normally alone to plan, and now that Jesper was here they could plan together. He had the beginning, how to get out of the cell, but the rest he was still working on.

"I have been planning this since we got in here, you were the first part of my plan," Kaz said, watching as another set of guards walked by. He checked the small window above their heads. "She's coming any minute now." Jesper looked at him confused for a moment before the cell door opened and a guard told Kaz to get up. Kaz nodded and stood, Jesper rising as well.

"This one should come too, he was at the Ice Court with me on that night," Kaz said to the guard. The guard looked between them and shrugged, motioning for another guard, a Grisha Corpolaki judging from the kefta he wore. They led Kaz and Jesper out of the cells and into one of the small interrogation rooms. Kaz was familiar with the room at this point, having been there several times in the past few months speaking with the Grisha Infernei who was seated at one of the two chairs in the room. She looked up as they entered and he noticed that she seemed relieved, something she hadn't shown before.

"Are there anymore of your comrades from the Ice Court in this prison?" she asked, motioning for another chair to be brought in. Jesper sat down hard while Kaz stood still, leaning on the walking stick and once again studying the Infernei. She wore a red kefta with black stitching, something different from the others and he was still not sure why. He supposed it was because she was high in the ranks. After the Darkling defeated Alina Starkov and her followers he had gone back to using his true name, Aleksander Morosova, and became king of Ravka. He used the power that he had sucked from the Sun Summoner to control the Fold now, moving and reshaping it to whatever he needed and on the night of Kaz's jurda parem heist he apparently needed the jurda parem also. Kaz and Jesper had been taken but the others had escaped.

"No, no more of us, just we two were involved," he said. The Grisha looked between them, assessing them. Kaz took another moment to look over her while she studied Jesper. He always liked to measure who he was up against, and he didn't mind studying her. She was curvy, seeming to like waffles more than Nina did, with hair a deep auburn and eyes the color of dark chocolate. The first time he saw them they reminded him of Inej's eyes except her's were more hopeful than he had ever seen Inej. This Grisha fully believed that something good could still happen in the world. Kaz was almost jealous of this, but of course, this Grisha had seen her side win the Ravka civil war. His eyes now met hers and he saw that while he was studying her she had been doing the same to him. He could tell she knew he was lying but he didn't care. He had spent the last 4 months keeping his answers vague, giving just enough information so that she would feed him information back about the current situation at the Little Palace, now the true royal home since the Grand Palace lay in ruin. King Aleksander left it as a reminder to those who would attempt to assassinate him, bodies still left scattered around the rubble, Alina Starkov's kefta in tatters on the front steps. Kaz hadn't seen it but from the way this Grisha described it, he believed it was terrifying.

"Mr. Brekker, we both know the heist you were attempting could never be accomplished with just two people," she said, a knowing smile on her face. This seeming infatuation the Grisha had with him was a plus for Kaz. He often wondered if he could possibly seduce his way out of the situation but his mind couldn't fathom the interactions involved, so he would wait. Perhaps this woman had a inclination towards criminals, she might be seduced by anyone, Jesper could do it easily, Kaz just had to get the ball rolling so to speak.

"I don't know, I think Jesper and I can accomplish anything we put out mind to," he answered, bringing himself to nudge his partner in crime with his elbow. The Grisha nodded and opened her notebook as she did at every meeting and began to write.

Y/N had noticed the look on Kaz Brekker's face when he elbowed Jesper Fahey. She could see his hesitation, she noticed the look in his storm gray eyes. He was bracing himself for impact as if the touch would somehow hurt him. Jesper's face was surprised at the touch, and he physically turned towards Kaz with shock. She opened her notebook and pretended to jot down something important as she did every day, but she mentally notated this interaction. She had been listening to others in the prison and despite his limp Kaz never let anyone see him as weak, however, this aversion to touch was never mentioned. He hid it well out in the general population but she could see something about touch bothered him immensely, that information could be useful later. Kaz Brekker was a tough nut to crack she had to admit, but eventually she would get to where she needed to be with him, hopefully sooner rather than later. Aleksander was having a tough time buying her excuses and she had to become even more convincing for him, continuing to keep his trust after the betrayal of the Sun Summoner was an arduous task. She hoped soon she could drop her facade and begin her true purpose, breaking Kaz Brekker and his cohorts out of this prison and find the gathering resistance in the Permafrost.

"Alright Mr. Brekker, we left off yesterday with you explaining to me how you came to know about jurda parem and what the Fjerdans were doing with Bo Yul-Bayor and his son Kuwei?" she said. It had taken months for Kaz to even start explaining anything to her. She had hoped that agreeing to allow his friend to be his cellmate would open him up. Luckily the gamble had worked at their last interrogation. His answers had still been too vague to really make an impact but it was a start. She hated to make him desperate but she needed the information, something to feed to Aleksander and send him on a chase for more jurda parem. Kuwei Yol-Bo had escaped from the Ice Court and that knowledge was keeping Bo from cooperating with the Second Army. He had recreated exactly one vial of jurda parem and refused to create another until his son was returned safely to him. Kaz Brekker and Jesper Fahey had been the last people to see Kuwei alive and she needed something to tell Aleksander before he decided to come here and do the interrogations himself.

"Yes, I believe I told you that a rumor had gone around Ketterdam and that I just happened to hear it," he said, making sure he was as convincing as he could be. Once again Y/N pretended to write something down, pretending to believe his lie. He was a very good liar, she could see that in the way his eyes held truth, his body language said honest, even his pulse was calm, however, the blood in his veins moved just a milisecond faster during his falsehoods. It had taken nearly a month to figure out the tell in his body but she had done it and now she used this against him.

"Must have been quite a rumor to make you put your friends in the line of fire of Fjerdans and of King Aleksander," she said, keeping her voice light, leaning a little closer to him. She couldn't lie, she was enraptured by the young man from the Barrel of Ketterdam, but she wasn't foolish enough to believe that he would ever see her as anything other than another Ravkan Grisha blindly serving her king, but she could pretend that she hoped to lure him in, get him feeling confident about her.

"Jesper will tell you, he was eager to join me to find this new drug, imagine the kruge we could make from such a thing," Kaz said, standing suddenly and poking Jesper towards Y/N with his cane. He moved towards the wall, leaning against it. Y/N watched him for a few moments before turning her attention to Jesper. He wanted to push someone else at her? Why? She could tell he liked the attention she gave him, maybe not in a way most men did, but he liked it all the same. Jesper barked a laugh.

"Eager? You came back and acted like we were going to be rolling in kruge, become kings of Kerch," Jesper said. He was also a practiced liar, following the lead of his boss as it were. Y/N smiled at Jesper then, making sure her brown eyes looked intrigued and enraptured. She noticed the Zemeni man leaned back in his chair then, clearly not interested in the attentions of a Grisha like herself. "But ya, I mean, I wanted the kruge and I was having a good run that night at the tables, felt lady luck was on my side." She saw him fidgeting near his waist, where his guns should be. She had those stored in her private quarters, along with a certain crow headed cane, waiting for the right moment. She had been watching Kaz and Jesper since they arrived, having her spies give her information on them. They were the only link she had to Kuwei and Inej Ghafa and she needed to know all she could before she continued her plan.

She tried to pry more out of the two for several minutes before one of her people, a young Squallor entered.

"The hour is late Korovsa, the king is finished waiting," she whispered. Y/N’s jaw tightened. Her eyes flashed to Kaz and she saw him take notice of the slight change in her features. Her fears were starting to come to pass. She needed to end this charade now.

"Guard, please escort Mr. Fahey back to his new cell. Mr. Brekker and I have more to discuss," she ordered. The guard grabbed Jesper's arm, hauling him from the seat. Y/N wanted to say something, tell them to lay off the guy, but knew she couldn't appear as if she cared. Once he was gone she made a motion for Kaz to sit. He still stood. "Sit, now," she insisted, hoping he heard the urgency in her voice. He eyed for another moment before he moved to sit. She leaned closer, all of her coy attitude gone.

"What's happened?" Kaz asked casually, working the top of the walking stick with his hands, the only sign of his concern. Y/N let out a breath.

"My time is up, tomorrow night expect there to be a riot, stay in your cell with Jesper, don't leave until you hear 2 bells, then leave the cell and go to your left, the door will be ajar due to the last guard through it mistakenly knocking over mop. Once you are in the corridor go right and follow it to the deserted morgue. I will join you and lead you and Jesper out, do not leave without me," she said.

"Why should I believe any of this? That you're just going to help up walk out of there?" Kaz asked, trying to read her, seeing if she was lying. She groaned annoyed. Why was it that her only hope was as distrustful as her current king?

"Because I want to see the king's body burn before he destroys all of us," she whispered, voice dripping with venom. Kaz looked a little surprised at her viciousness and he nodded. She sat back, knowing that by now the guard had returned.

"Well Mr. Brekker, you've once again been no help, tomorrow the king will be coming to personally interrogate you, I hope you are looking forward to it," she said. "Guard take him back to his cell." The guard nodded and yanked him out of the chair. "Careful, the king won't like it if he can't inflict the pain himself," she warned, more to Kaz than the guard. She hoped Kaz believed her enough, that she had shown her hand to him enough that he would do as she asked. If he didn't they were all screwed.

[candlestickbud]

Worthy of Betrayal Pt.1

Howzer x Jedi!GN:Reader [Ep.11 Spoilers]

Description: After the bad batch drop off the weapons to a client of Cid’s, she calls them in for a favor and asks them to help some royal Twi’leks on Ryloth.

Warnings/Notes: I'm predicting that this fic will have 5 parts. Possible smut in the future. Mentions of guns and child kidnapping, minor cussing. Sorry if the story is a little off, I was in a rush to finish. Hope you still like it though!

“What do you mean we have to go back!”

Hunter rose his voice at Cid from the comms on the ship. We were on our way back to Ord Mantel after dropping off weapons to some Twi’leks, a client of Cids. As they were already halfway to the destination, Cid called up the batch to inform us that we had to go back, but this time the location was on Ryloth.

“Hey, you still owe me, remember? Now tell goggles over there to get to Ryloth. I need you to rescue this kid named Hera Syndula, the twi’leks, her parents run Ryloth so we’ll be getting some big bucks, so I suggest you get moving, got that?”

Hunter sighed, “Mind telling us what we have to do to get out of dept?”

“Tell you what, let's say you don't mess this up, and you'll be out of debt. Just fell the big guy to ease up on the mantel mix, wouldya, ” Cid said before hanging up.

Hunter rubbed his face trying to shake off his tiredness.

“What's the word, Sargent, ” Wrecker asked.

“Tell Tech to relocate the route to Ryloth. We have another mission, but this is a mission we can't mess up. We need to save some senators kid.”

“Another senator? They aren't a separatist, are they? There's no way-”

“I didn't ask, and either way we have to take this job to get us out of that debt, ” Hunter cut off Echo, “and besides it's not a senator, just their kid.”

Echo glared at Hunter, “Well you should understand why I plan to not work with separatists, ” he said pointing his cybernetic socket arm at Hunter.

“Wait so who are we saving, ” Omega asked from her room.

Hunter pushed his way past Echo to talk to Omega, hearing Echo scoff as he walked away.

“That kid from earlier,” Hunter said softly.

“Hera? I knew she was in trouble! How can I help,” Onega exclaimed excitedly?

“I’ll let up know once we land. The empire will be there based on what that client said earlier. That's what they needed those weapons for.”

“That could mean that Crosshair would be there, ” Tech yelled from the piloting seat.

“Good! We need to talk some sense into him, get him home, ” Wrecker said.

“I don't think he wants to come home, ” Hunter said coldly.

“Doesn't matter, we need to get him back and remove his chip or whatever.”

Hunter opener his mouth to say something back, but instead walked away to the pilot's seat.

“We should at least try to save him, ” you said sternly.

“Cant save someone that doesn't want to be saved, ” Hunter barked back.

“In case to haven't noticed, we don't know what he wants. That chip is controlling him!”

“I agree with Y/N, ” Wrecker barged in.

“That's not the mission.”

•••

Howzer took off his helmet to ruffle his hair. It was a humid night on the planet of Ryloth, and he's been running around trying to capture a child named Hera with a squad of clone troopers.

“Hey boss, do we stun her or shoot.”

“Stun! She's a child, has some empathy. Besides, I'm sure they want her alive, otherwise, we have no leverage over Cham.”

“You got it, captain.”

There was silence as the squad walked through the place, flashlight in hands and visors on night vision mode as they searched for the child. This seemed very wrong to Howzer. What would the empire want with a child if they already have Cham? Leverage, but for what? They don't plan on hurting the kid, do they?

“What do you think they'll do with the kid, ” Howzer asked his squad.

“Who cared, she's a traitor to the empire. She's lucky she isn't dead yet. Speaking of traitors, don't we have orders to kill whoever betrays the empire?”

“What? That's ridiculous, we should just imprison them, and still, she's a child, soldier. We aren't killing her, ” Howzer scoffed.

The squad quietly whispered to each other. Suddenly a ship hovered over them, landing a few feet behind where they were.

“Stay cautious, that could be their backup.”

“Shoot to kill or stun, ” a trooper asked.

“Stun. I won't tell you again, ” Howser said through gritted teeth.

“Whatever you say, Captain, ” the trooper said with an annoyed tone.

Howzer placed his helmet back onto his head, getting his gun ready and placing it in stun mode.

“I have eyes on them!”

The troopers began shooting blindly at a group of troopers, a Jedi standing in front of then reflecting the shots with a child behind them.

“Hold your fire, ” Howzer exclaimed.

The troopers ignore him.

“I said, hold your fire!”

The troopers looked at each other in confusion and disgust.

“They're wanted by the empire! We need to kill them, they're traitors.”

The troopers began shooting live rounds at the squad.

“But they have a child with them! Stop!”

Howzer put his gun in the gun holder that held itself on his waist, pushing a trooper back. One by one, the trooper squad of 5 became the squad of 2.

“You're not fit enough to be Captain! You're a trait of to the empire! We have to kill them, now!”

“No! This is wrong and you know it! Snap out of it how can you not see that this is wrong, ” Howzer said before being pushed to the ground by Hunter.

“See what you did! You're a traitor, ” the trooper said trying to shake out of Wrecker's grasp.

“You, be quiet, ” you yelled at the trooper.

You walked up to Howzer, cocking your head to the side slightly.

“Hunter, there's something wrong with his chip.”

Hunter looked up at you, scrunching his eyebrows together, “How can you be so sure?”

“He seems...different I can feel it.”

Hunter looked at you and then back ah Howzer, grabbed him by the shoulders, and pushed him up to his feet. You walked towards Howzer and removed his helmet, eyes widening, surprised with how attractive the clone was. You looked at him, placing your hands on his face, inspecting him. Howzer attempted to back off, but Hunter held him in place. He flinched as you placed a hand near the left side of his head, closing your eyes as you felt his chip through the force. You opened your eyes, staring into his eyes, only for him to nervously look away.

“He has his chip, but it's damaged, ” you looked at Hunter as if you were asked for permission.

“Fine. You deal with him. We cat have him running back to the empire to inform them of our arrival. We can't have any attention, this is a stealth mission. We need to focus on saving the kid, ” Hunter said, shoving Howzer towards you.

You caught Howzer and placed your lightsaber close to his face, only for him to flinch against it, his head laying on your shoulder, “Try anything stupid and I'll kill you on sight, got that?”

“I thought that wasn't the Jedi way, ” he said with caution.

You retracted your saber and placed it back on your holders, “There is no Jedi way, ” you scoffed, putting his helmet back on. You knew it would possibly be a distraction to you.

“What do I do with him, ” Wrecker asked, picking up the trooper he held captive.

“Woah, ” the trooper yelped.

Hunter looked at Howzer and then the trooper.

“His chip is active,” you said.

Hunter paused for a second in thought, “Stun him. Look, we’ll look over here, you and Omega look over there, that way we’ll have a better chance of finding the kid.”

“You got it. Cmon, Omega, let's get ahead of them. I think Hera will be pleased to see that you're the one rescuing her, ” you said as you pushed Howzer forward, grabbing Omega’s hand as you led her away, Hunter stunning the clone from behind.

You and Omega stared at Howzer as you walked through the gravel trail.

“Uhm...Why do you two keep starring at me,” he asked.

“To make sure you don't try anything funny, ” you lied.

“Your chip isn't working. That's pretty rare for a clone, ” Omega explained.

“What is this chip that you guys keep talking about?”

You sighed, ” Well, the clones, you included, have these chips that were implanted in you when you were, I think a stage 1 embryo?”

“Stage 2,” Omega corrected.

You chuckled, “A stage 2 embryo, and these chips were implanted in you by the Emperor to have you murder the Jedi. Nearly all of them were killed during order 66. I survived it by chance.”

“Oh…so that’s what that was. I’m sorry.”

You looked at Howzer in confusion, “W-What?”

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard to go through I had no idea. When I was out on a mission, we were working with a Jedi and just out of no where, everyone aimed their blasters at the General. They had told us they were traitors to the republic, betrayed the Chancellor.”

“Yeah, that’s because we found out he betrayed us. He was working with Count Dooku.”

Howzer shook his head in disappointment, “You must hate us then, clones.”

You looked at Howzer, sighing as you let go of his shoulder, “No, I don’t. The clones, it’s not their fault, what they did. They’re all being controlled by these chips, being controlled by the empire. I made my peace with the clones once I got informed of this by the batch.”

Howzer walked by your side, “So those troops back there, their chips are also defected?”

“They were, but we got help with removing them. Having the chips mean that’s you’re still a threat. They could activate at any time.”

“Why not stun me? Like him back there.”

You thought for a moment, “Just because your chip isn’t activated doesn’t mean your not with the empire. For all we know you could still be loyal to them. We didn’t wanna risk the possibility of activating your chip, and we couldn't have you go off to the empire.”

“Oh. What do you uh plan on doing with me once you find the kid?”

“If I’m being completely honest with you, I’m not sure.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” he chuckled nervously.

He scratched the back of his neck, looking at you as if hesitant to ask a question.

“I can feel you looking at me. What is it?”

Howzer looked away, “U-Uhm I was just uh…” he stuttered, “Uhm, where were you? During order 66.”

You smiled at his struggle, a smile still placed on your face when he asked the question.

“I uh I was actually in my ship. It was on a mission I was in with my droid to Ord Mantel, I was supposed to get intel on this bounty Hunter I’ve been hunting down. My droid saved me from the clones.”

“Lucky you weren’t assigned with a squad.”

You chuckled, “Yeah really.”

You and Howzer heard rustling from a bush that was up ahead. Howzer got in front of you, trying to take a closer look.

“Come out! We know you're there,” Howzer yelled.

You grabbed Howzer’s shoulder, “Maybe you should keep it down. If it’s Hera, she could be scared since you are supposed to be hunting her down,” you rolled your eyes in his idiocy.

“Oh, uh, right, ” he backed up.

Howzer removed his helmet. He's very well aware that citizens are often scared of the armor rather than what's underneath it. You glanced and him in admiration until you heard the bush rustle again.

“Hera? It's me and Omega, remember? We were selling those weapons to your uncle, ” you said calmly.

Slowly peaking out from the bush, you saw Hera’s head, “Omega?”

Omega waved at her, “Hello,” she smiled.

Hera got out from the bush, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to rescue you.”

Hera looked at Howzer with wide eyes, “H-He’s”

“Not with the empire,” Howzer said confidently, “Not anymore that is.”

“They’ll kill you,” Hera said walking towards Howzer.

“Not unless they catch me,” He smiled, patting her head.

You smiled at his kind act, “Hunter, we found Hera. We’re on our way back,” you looked at Howzer, “What are we going to do with...,” you whispered into your commlink.

“Hey! I never got your name, ” you said nervously.

“Oh! Uh, the name’s Howzer, ” he smiled, “What about you?”

You chuckled, “In your dreams, pal.”

“What are we going to do with Howzer, the clone.”

You heard Hunter sigh into his commlink, “We’ll stun him when we leave. Take him back with you in case we get spotted.”

“Hunter, we can't just leave him here. Hera knows him, he could be useful to us.”

There was no reply.

“Hunter?”

“Yeah, ” he sighed, “I'm here. Look just get over here we’ll talk when you get back.”

You walked over to Howzer with a smirk on your face, “Lucky you, Hunter doesn't want to kill you, ” you swung your arm over his shoulders, “Now you're really fucked.”

Howzer looked at you like a confused dog, “What do you mean? What you think I can’t handle a couple of clones and a Jedi?”

You laughed, “We ain’t your typical squad,” you smirked.

He got in your face, “Try me. I’ve been with many squads. What’s so different about you guys?”

You inched closer to his face, “I guess you’ll have to find out.”

There was a pause until the both of you burst out laughing.

“Cmon, we gotta get back to them.”

“You got it, General.”

You stopped in your tracks, looking back at Howzer. You were going to say something but decided to let it go.

“Cmon girls. We have to get back to the ship.”

“Coming, ” they said laughing.

•••

“I never noticed how nice your hair is, ” you said ruffling Howzer’s hair.

He kindly swatted your hand away, “Thanks, ” he said while rolling his eyes.

You looked at his face, eyes scanning over his scars. You choose not to ask him about them. Not yet anyway. The girls whispered and giggles to each other throughout the walk to the marauder.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing, ” they chuckled devilishly.

Both you and Howzer looked at them questionably, the at each other.

You shook your head, “Kids, huh?”

“Reminds me of my younger days, making fun of brothers for having a crush. Of course, that was before order 66. Good memories.”

The four of you continued to walk and began to see the ship, with Hunter sitting at the entrance of the ship.

“Took you long enough, ” he said as he got up, “We need to talk.”

You nodded, “Ladies, ” you smiled down at Omega and Hera, “into the ship. Omega show Hera our little secret since she’ll be with us for a bit.”

“Ooh! Good idea. Hera, follow me.”

The two children ran their way into the marauder, Howzer squatting down on the floor, patiently waiting for an invitation inside. Hunter grabbed you and pulled you off to the side, away from Howzer.

“Look I don't want to take him with us. He seems sketchy.”

You sighed and nodded in agreement, “Yes, I know but I'm sure he means well. I'll look after him but Hunter, something tells me that we can trust him. Howzer seems like a good guy. Hera seems to trust him and she knew him when he was working with her dad.”

Hunter looked at Howzer to see him awkwardly wave at him.

Hunter cursed, “Fine, but if anything and I mean anything, happens, he's off the ship.”

You nodded, giddily walking over to Howzer, then clapping your hand on his shoulder.

“What’re you doing just standing here like an idiot? C’mon,” you snickered.

“Well, excuse me for trying to be polite, ” he smiled, Hunter glaring him down as you all entered the ship.

[hb-writes]

The Devil’s Footsteps

1913

It was Ada's day to pick up the kids, but seeing as Tommy was heading back to the house anyway, he figured there was no harm in taking the route that passed by the school. It was a few minutes past the end of the school day, but Tommy knew the kids liked to dawdle, stretching out the walk home with leisurely steps and strategic pauses throughout, so he had a good chance of catching them.

When strolled up to the school, he found Ada alone though, leaning against a brick pillar and picking at her cuticles.

"What are you doing, Ada?"

Ada recognized her brother’s voice and slowly glanced up to him, a pouting lip already plastered on when she met his eye. "I thought it was my day to get the kids."

"Right." Tommy blinked a few times, long and hard as if he was summoning some sort of ancient patience.

Smart as their Ada was, Tommy often found himself wondering where her head was at. On a boy, he supposed, though he hadn't a clue which boy. There was just something about that quixotic look in her eye. That and the new attention to her dresses and shoes and hair.

"So where are the kids, then, Ada?"

Ada shrugged. "They haven't come out yet."

"It's quarter past," Tommy said.

Ada wasn't paying attention though, her eyes drawn across the street. Tommy snapped his fingers in his sister's face when her response didn't come quick enough. "Ada!"

"What?" she shouted as she turned back to him. “Why are you shouting?”

"Don't you think you should've gone to look for them?"

"No?" Ada offered. "They'll come out when they're ready."

Tommy shook his head at her and stepped away. By the time he passed through the gates of the schoolyard, Ada was on his heels, crashing into him when he suddenly stopped short.

Clara and Finn were on the far side of the school building, the pair of them spotting their older brother and sister at the same moment he spotted them. A great flurry of excitement seemed to pass between them, lips and limbs moving quickly as words Ada and Tommy couldn't hear passed between the kids.

By the time Tommy and Ada reached the twins, Clara had tugged Finn by the arm so they stood side to side and as the boy opened his mouth to say something, Clara shoved her elbow into him. Finn was about to do it back when Clara cleared her throat.

"Hi, Tommy."

Tommy glanced between the twin's forced smiles. "Ada's been waiting on you two." 

He waited a long moment to see if the kids filled the silence with an explanation but their lips stayed quiet other than Finn offering a hello to Ada when she pulled up beside Tommy.

"What do you have there, Clara?"

Clara's hands were clasped behind her back and at his words, she started rocking back and forth on her feet, her face twisted up in thought before her gaze found the forgotten pile of dusty erasers Tommy had already spotted.

"An eraser," she offered. "The teacher asked me to—"

Finn's mouth dropped open for a moment, a small sound coming out of him before he offered his own explanation. "Clara got in troub—"

His words came just a few seconds after Clara's started, but Finn had to stop before finishing his sentence, raising his arms to take cover from the eraser Clara brought down upon him. It sent a cloud of chalk dust into the air between them and she got in a few solid hits, stamping Finn's head and back with white rectangles before Tommy tugged her to his side.

"You're not supposed to tattle!" Clara shouted, pulling at Tommy's hold.

"You're not supposed to lie!" Finn shouted back, turning and twisting away as Ada tried to pat the chalk dust off his clothes and hair.

"I didn't lie."

"You were gonna."

Clara tried to lift her arm to launch the eraser at Finn, but Tommy's grip was too tight. "No, I wasn't!"

Tommy tried to turn his sister towards him and was unsuccessful for several moments while she continued trying to work out a way to free herself. Defeated, she turned to him with her features softened, all big sad eyes and frowning lips.

"I wasn't gonna lie, Tommy," she said. "The teacher asked me to clean the erasers. That's what I was gonna say." Clara turned back to Finn. "And that's not a lie."

"Why did she ask you to clean the erasers?"

Clara shrugged and Tommy had a feeling he'd found what she intended on lying about, or as was more likely, leaving out completely. Finn had just been trying to keep her from doing it, tattling on Clara in the name of preservation rather than malice. Finn was trying to save her from herself.

It made sense considering Finn had just gotten in trouble for the very same thing—a bit of lying. He'd lied about going off to play by the Cut when he'd been told to stay on the lane, and the boy found he'd have fared far better by just telling the truth and admitting his wrongdoing.

Clara rarely lied outright, and never for anything too serious, but when she did lie, she always told the vague truth, hoping they could skirt past the incriminating details. Clara would tell him the teacher had asked for her to clean the erasers, which was likely true, and leave the reasoning out of it.

That's what the kids had been fighting about, which is what Tommy decided they had been doing when he spotted them across the schoolyard.

"Was Finn telling the truth? You've gotten yourself in some trouble?"

It wasn't a frequent occurrence. Clara tended to stay out of trouble, both in and out of the house, and when all Clara did by way of a response was shrug, Tommy repeated himself.

"Was Finn telling the—"

"Yes!" Finn shouted, the little boy's raised voice startling them all a bit.

Tommy's distraction allowed Clara to get enough leverage to launch the eraser, which missed Finn's head and left a white mark on Ada's dress instead.

"Clara!" Ada let out a scream and stopped troubling herself to clean off Finn's clothes and began working on her own dress. "Tom, aren't you going to do something about her?"

“What would you have me do, Ada?” 

“I don’t know!” Ada shouted. “Do something to control her.” 

“Me? Control a little sister?” Tommy asked. “I never had much luck with you. Can’t imagine I’ll have any luck with this one.”

Ada rolled her eyes. “Well, stop her from throwing things, then.” 

Tommy smirked at Ada's theatrics before glancing down at his sister. “Clara, can I hold your hand, eh?" 

"Why?" she asked, hesitantly conceding as his grip slid down from her arm to her hand.

"To appease our dramatic sister."

"What's appease?"

Tommy had a definition ready for Clara, something that would be informational while also likening Ada to a belligerent royal, but Ada's mouth flew open first.

"Aunt Pol's right. You spoil her too much. Let her get away with everything. She'll be a right devil when she's older."

The way Tommy saw it, everyone spoiled the babies, which was why Ada was coddling Finn, hugging him to her side when he was no worse for the wear at being stamped over with a chunk of felt.  

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "If our Clara goes that way, it'll only be because she's following in another Shelby's footsteps, eh?"

"Yeah, yours," Ada answered.

Tommy was having fun with Ada, but there was more fight in her today, her bite a bit sharper than normal and he assumed she was mad at him about something he had yet to figure out, so he let her have the last word.

Tommy pulled a coin from his pocket and flicked it to Finn who caught it in his hands. "Right, Finn. Why don't you take our Ada for a treat on the way home? Sweeten her up a bit."

Ada glared at him before grabbing the boy's hand. "Come on, Finn."  

“What about me?” Clara asked.

“I’ll walk you home,” Tommy answered. “I assume you’re still responsible for finishing the rest of those?”

Clara glanced at the small pile of erasers Tommy nodded towards and huffed.

“Best get to work then, eh?”

Clara picked up two from the pile and got to work banging them together while Tommy leaned back against the side of the building. She was quiet for several moments, the only sound the clapping of felt.

"I'm not a devil," she said.

“So, what’s all this about, then?” 

Clara shrugged mid-clap. She wasn't a devil, but she was a Shelby and she'd watched her brothers and sister and aunt never allowing a bit of disrespect to come their way without addressing it.

 “Come here," he said, lowering himself as she walked to him. Tommy settled his hands on her arms. "And don’t tell me it’s nothing. Kids like you don’t get sent out to clap erasers for nothing.”

Clara glanced up at him. “Are you going to be mad?”

“Depends on what it is.”

Clara sighed, holding her hands out between them, palms up and waiting. “Can I hold your hand?”

“What for?” Tommy asked though he'd already moved his hands from her arms to rest on top of her outstretched palms.

“So you don’t throw anything.” 

“That bad, eh?” Tommy said.

Clara had a grave and serious look on her face before she shook her head. "No, it's just…I already took care of it."

Tommy's head tilted. "You took care of it?"

"Wally kept whispering about how Finn can't read, but I took care of it," she said. "That's why I threw the eraser at his head."

Tommy snorted. "You know you can't go throwing erasers at other people, eh Clara?"

"Should I have punched him instead?"

Tommy shook his head and pulled a hand away from hers, hiding his smirk by rubbing his hand over the bottom half of his face.  

"But John showed me how," Clara said, reaching forward to place her fist against Tommy's jaw. "If I hit someone right here, I can knock him out."

"Don't listen to John."

"Why?"

"Because John was out here clapping erasers every afternoon, so I can't imagine you want to follow in those footsteps."

But Clara thought she might. A lot of people picked one person to look up to, taking step after step in their wake, but Clara hopped around, fitting her small shoe into the mess of muddy footsteps left behind by the Shelby’s that came before her. She wasn’t much fussed with who the treads belonged to so long as the person who made them belonged to her. 

[thebadboyfanclub]

I Got You (Napoleon x Reader)

This is the third time i’m trying to post this fucking thing, tumblr won’t let the posts I do from my laptop under search results but they will show posts I do from my phone. Anyways, enjoy!

“This better be worth it Waverly”

“Ohhh (y/n) dear trust me it will. Let me introduce you to your new colleagues”

As she walked in the room with one big desk and a few chairs, three of them were occupied by two men and one woman, probably in her 20s. Her eyes however focused on one particular man.... The man that was one of the reasons you thrived in the illegal field.

“This is Miss Gaby Teller, the most important person in this case, next to her is mister Illya  Kuryakin, her supposed fiance and-”

“Napoleon Solo. The thief”

She bitterly interrupted Waverly, he was of course aware of (y/n)’s past with Napoleon, it was one of the reasons he requested her to join this case, keeping from her that piece of information of course. 

“(y/f/n), you’ve grown up”

“you got old”

“Right, now that everyone knows each other, (y/n) please take a seat and i’ll explain the plan”

As she took a seat from the other side of the table, directly in front of Napoleon, she tried to focus on Waverly and ignore Napoleons intense stare that almost drilled a hole on the side of her head.

“Ok, so since Illya is here to be the love interest for Gaby and Napoleon is here to just get some Italian legs in the air, what am I here for?”

“You dear (y/l/n), you will be portraying miss Brigitte Richard, an heir to the Richard well know Cigar, he is a close friend of mine and graciously agreed to take his daughters name”

“Won’t they know what his daughter looks like?”

“His daughter has been kept away from the public eye and she had transferred in Britain during high school, that’s also where she went to College and recently decided to stay there. I will give you a file of hers to study. Your goal is to get close to Victoria vinciguerra during the event, maybe even seem interested in mister Solo, of course for show, nothing more”

“Of course, everything is only just for show when it has to do with Napoleon”

-

(Y/n) was dressed in her best attire, her long red dress that hugged her waist so beautifully, of course some silver diamond earrings on her ears and her hair up in a perfect updo, her heels were comfortable at least, but if she had to run the dress would not hold for long until it gives a show to anyone around her, she prays that it didn’t have to happen, or she would be royally screwed,

“Miss Richard , your father was right you do have your mothers eyes”

What a fool, she thought, this is who she was hiding from? a woman that complimented her for the resemblance in her eyes.... she wasn’t even close to being related to this people. However, on the outside, she smiled brightly at the tall blonde lady

“Thank you so much, god rest her soul she at least she was generous enough to pass them down to me, my dads brown eyes are great but a tad bit boring don’t you think?”

The blonde gave a tight lip smile to her comment. Of course, if she knew that her real parent had never seen this type of luxury, the lady wouldn’t even spare a glance.

“I don’t believe we’ve met, Victoria Vinciguerra”

“Brigitte Richard, my father made sure to keep me away from all of... this, he wanted his kids to be humble”

“I’m really sorry for your brother”

“It’s alright, I miss him but... c’est la vie”

(Y/n) had almost swallowed the file Waverly had given her, she even looked into the cigar company, just in case anyone asked questions. As the two ladies kept talking, she started hearing commotion,she turned her head  towards the direction it was coming from and saw one familiar man falling to the ground.

“What is going on over there?”

“Excuse me dear”

Victoria started walking towards him and of course (y/n) followed. When they finally reached the crowd that was already forming a circle around him, there he was fanning himself the invitation dramatically, in true Napoleon fashion. (Y/n) kissed her teeth in annoyance, he was supposed to discreetly blend in, not cause a god damn ruckus the minute he walks in.

“Thank you, Thank you”

“I wonder what they do to people without invitations”

That is when she decided to take actions. She weaseled her way out of the crowd and kneeled in front of him to his level, offering her glass of champagne to him.

“Are you alright sir?”

“Yes, thank you very much Darling”

“I’m Victoria Vinciguerra, she is (y/f/n). I do believe an apology is in order. I’ll take it from here”

You helped him get up on his feet and took two steps to lean in and talked to her.

“of course miss Vinciguerra... next one is mine”

She giggled as she walked away in triumphant. To be frank the rest of your job was to keep an eye on these two, yet she could still say she completed the most important part.What she didn’t expect was the growing fire in the pit of her stomach that was directed to Victoria, looking at her talking to Napoleon so nonchalantly made her teeth hurt and her breasts ached with rage.

“It’s such a lovely day to be so pouty miss”

“Well sir... there is nothing really here for me to smile about”

“Not even me?”

“I think I am better off being the reason for someone to smile”

“Roberto  Russo, charmed”

“Brigitte Richard”

Roberto was a handsome man, tall, light brown hair, hazel eyes, sharp jawline, full lips and extremely well dressed, no doubt he knew his way around women and money. What a better distraction and cover up than him?

What (y/n) had not calculated was Napoleon picking up at her “strategic” flirt and filling like punching the hell out of this pretentious little Italian boy that grew up spending daddy’s money. He restrained himself from walking over to her and taking her hand, guiding her away from everyone, keeping her all to herself.

“I saw you were talking to my aunt”

“Oh you are related to Victoria?”

“Yes, my dad is her brother. I actually haven’t spoken to her today, come with me?”

“How could I ever refuse?”

As he offered his arm she smiled and linked hers with his, walking over with her head held high as they got close to Napoleon and Victoria

“My dearest Roberto, how are you?”

she kissed her nephew at both of his cheeks and yet no smile was shown. She really was cold, Roberto however smiled brightly, feeling excited to show his knew “catch” to his aunt.

“I’m doing well... who might he be?”

“Jack Devinsky, Nice to meet you”

Roberto looked at Napoleon up and down, almost well not almost... judging him harshly. Napoleons sure looked rich but there were levels to how rich you were, especially when men judged one another.

“Roberto Russo. Well... aunt Victoria may I occupy you for a minute”

“Of course, anything for my nephew”

“It will only take a minute dear”

“I am counting”

She replied at him, he took her hand and placed a gentle kiss as he stared directly in her eyes, winking at her as she left her with Napoleon. They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments, they haven’t really spoken since the case started, (y/n) made sure to avoid him.

“You look stunning if that isn’t obvious”

“Thanks”

She said dryly. She barely even looked him in the eye, all she could see was that damn night, the night she lost everything, the night her heart shuttered, the night he showed her all the cruelty of the world he always talked about.

“You are mad at me”

“Do you blame me?”

“No, it still upsets me though”

“That sounds like a personal issue to me”

-

The event was a success. which meant (y/n) could finally relax and wear her pajamas, pour a drink for herself and lounge in the couch her room had. She still wore his necklace, the gold star necklace he had bought her way back when... she took the charm in her hands and felt the cold metal.

How much more could she take with him around? it took her so much time to heal and now here he was again, scratching the wounds she had closed up all by herself. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a knock at her door. She got up to answer it and was met with the man of the hour.

“Napoleon”

“May I come in?”

She sighed before stepping aside to let him in. Even when all she wanted was to punch him in the face, her heart took over her and let him walk into her room and her life once again, even when she had swore to take revenge when she saw him again.

“What do you want?”

“To talk”

“About what?”

She was well aware she was snapping at him, could you blame her? He had swore to protect her, help her when she had nothing and no one, taught her everything and then one night she came home to find all his belongings missing... and that damn letter tore her apart, she didn’t sleep for days, she waited for him to return for months and yet he never did.

“(Y/n) I know-”

“YOU KNOW NOTHING

”her voice booming through the entire room, it was like a glass of emotions was overflowing, threating to spill and make a mess. He saw the pain in her face, her lower lips trembling, her hands forming fists... still what caught his eye was one thing, the necklace. She was wearing his necklace, after all these years she didn’t throw it away. He took a breath through his nose before continuing.

“(y/n) you have every right to be upset-”

“Damn right I do”

“Will you just listen?”

“listen to what Napoleon?! What?!What?!What?!”

Next thing that was heard was her glass smashing at the wall, Vodka dripping down and small pieces of glass going everywhere. Napoleon was shocked, he should have known this wouldn’t be easy, he had wanted to reach out to her over the years, he had even went through with finding her, yet every time he chickened out last minute and walked away from it. Now, here she was in pain, yelling and smashing things... she had become his enemy

“I’m sorry”

“You are sorry? Sorry? for what Napoleon? for leaving me? for doing it in such cruel way? for lying to me?”

“I never lied”

“You swore to me that you loved me, that you... cared”

There it was, tears. She couldn’t even control it, as her voice cracked and the waterfalls started, she didn’t also want to cover them, she wanted him to see what he had done... to hell with being the bigger person. He wanted to hug her, comfort her, make her feel loved but now all he could do was to try and reason with her.

“I had to leave”

“Why? What could possibly be the reason... money? paintings? women?”

“You know I would never cheat on you”

“Oh yeah, cause leaving our house in the middle of the night is so much better”

She tried wipe away her tears, silence falling between them once again. As a way to calm and hide her emotions, she kneeled and started picking up pieces of glass, her back turned to him. Napoleon went to her side and even when he wanted to pick her up and kiss her, he controlled his desire

“(Y/n) stop, you’ll cut yourself”

“I’m fine Napoleon”

“(Y/n) the maid can do it”

“I said I’m- FUCK”

a piece of sharp glass had cut her as she accidentally gripped it a bit too hard. Napoleon saw the blood and got up immediately to find some tissues, while (y/n) got on her feet and brought her hand close to her chest, closing it to a fist as a way to stop the pain. When Napoleon approached she turned her back once again

 “I said I’m fine”

“(Y/n) you are bleeding, let me care for you”

She had started crying again. As she turned around and opened her hand to him Napoleon gently placed the tissues on the wound, dabbing away the blood carefully.

“Why did you leave?”

“I thought I was protecting you, a way to keep you away from all of the things I was doing”

“Yet... here we are”

He looked up at her. Her lower lip was in between her teeth, tears freshly running down, her beautiful eyes were now red and puffy, her nose was running and he still found her heavenly.

“You kept the necklace”

“I tried throwing it away, or ponding it... I couldn’t find the courage... it’s too pretty”

“I tried coming back to you... multiple times”

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“I don’t know, I just didn’t”

She finally kept eye contact with him, getting lost once again in those ocean blue eyes, the eyes she looked at when they were laying naked on their bed, the eyes that looked at her when she woke up. With his one hand Napoleon slowly reached over and wiped a few tears with his thumb

“You are too pretty to cry over me”

“I missed you Napoleon”

She whispered looking down on the ground in embarrassment. She was everything he ever wanted, a woman that loved him and had his back and he tossed that all away, his intentions were pure yet the damage was gigantic. He hesitated for a minute, before taking her in his arms for a hug, her head nuzzling on his neck as she held on to him for the first time in what felt like centuries. Napoleon kissed her head, smelling her shampoo that was always the same, lavender.

“I missed you too munchkin”

She giggled at the nickname. Napoleon had met her when she was struggling to survive, she was this delicate little thing that looked everyone with kind eyes, yet once he got to know her he saw the passion, the fire, the potential she had to become something great, he didn’t want all that potential to go on illegal things that could possibly get her in jail or worse kill her. So from the beginning of the relationship he called her munchkin.

“Will we be alright?”

“I got you munchkin, I got you”