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owillofthewisps · 5 years ago

Note

Do you only write Geralt? Because although I adore our dear Witcher, I am IN LOVE with Jaskier. If you are willing to write for Jaskier, could you do one where he’s a big puppy dog over the reader but she’s very insecure and doesn’t notice? I know it’s cliche, but I like it. If you aren’t comfortable writing for Jaskier, could you do the same request for Geralt?

notes: hi anon! i’m sorry this took me seventy years - i am always and forever at the mercy of my brain and what catches its attention. hopefully this is close enough to what you were looking for since i deviated a little bit!

(additionally! when doing even the vaguest hint of research for this i realized something i had always thought was a midsummer tradition for…everyone…is actually just something specific to russia/ukraine [which would be why my grandmother wanted me to know it] but also i’m often wrong so who knows. either way it threw me lol.)

pairing: jaskier/female reader

rating: teen

word count: 3k

——–

Jaskier finds you by the riverbank just before midday. You’re bedded down in the lush thickness of summer clover, sprawled indolently across the verdant carpet. “Ah,” he says, settling down next to you. “A four-leafed clover amidst the cloverbeds. How lucky of me to find her. Blessed for the rest of my days.”

You snort, shading your eyes so that you can peer up at him.

He grins down at you, his smile almost as bright as the sun that outlines him. “Too much?”

“You’re ridiculous,” you tell him. You consider reaching up to sweep his chestnut hair back from his blue, blue eyes. Lapis eyes, Lidka calls them, because she is a merchant’s daughter through and through. She’s wrong, you think, but you hardly intend to tell her that Jaskier has eyes like a lake, the type of clear blue of a mountain spring, something fresh and pure. You know when something is out of your reach.

“So you keep telling me,” he says. “And yet it barely touches on the words you deserve.”

You roll your eyes. “Shut up, Jask,” you say, shoving at his knee. “Don’t tease.”

Something passes over Jaskier’s face. It reminds you of a stormcloud on a summer afternoon, rolling through the sky to blot out the sun, swollen grey with rain. It passes like a summer storm, too, and that starlight smile of his blooms again. “I would never, dear heart.”

“Mhmm,” you say, letting your eyes drift closed again.

“Gods, has Geralt infected you? It’s bad enough trying to get him to use his words.”

“You use enough of them for both of you.”

“I use them much more prettily than he would!”

“S’true,” you murmur. “You use them more prettily than most everyone, though.”

The summer breeze stirs; it carries the scent of the season with it, soft grass and wildflowers, woven together into a fragrant bouquet. Beneath it all, the earthy tang of the soil, freshly tilled for summer sowing. The scent is not the only thing the breeze carries. The wind brings you the muffled joy of children, frolicking through the fields, and the steady song of a choir of hammers.

You roll over onto your belly and squint up at Jaskier. His cheeks are petal pink, the faintest hint of a flush coloring his skin, and you wonder if the heat is getting to him despite his open doublet. He reaches out and plucks a clover from your hair with his long fingers, the touch delicate.

“What, darling?” he asks, leaning close and teasing another clover from where it’s caught in your hair. The sun catches on the curve of his cheekbone, kisses soft against his skin, and you are frozen, a deer caught unawares, tail flicked high with nerves.

Darling, you think darkly. How unfair he can be, all without even realizing it. Women like you do not often hear anything but their name, and Jaskier seems to say everything but yours. You wish he would realize that sometimes it feels like scraping your knee against a river rock, to hear his smooth voice say that to you, knowing he means nothing by it.

Jaskier makes an inquiring noise, something soft and fluting, and you shake yourself out of the cobwebs of your thoughts.

You peer at him. “Are you trying to get out of building the summer shrines?”

“No,” he gasps, one hand flying to his chest. “How could you think such a thing?”

“Why else would you be out here with me?”

He blinks. “Why would I be anywhere else?”

You scoff. The clover crunches beneath you as you roll onto your back again. “Nevermind.” Why, you think. Why do you always ruin things, why do you open your mouth. Sometimes you think it’d have been better if you’d taken a vow of silence, had kept yourself from inflicting any attempts at conversation on unsuspecting folks. It’d be better than having them lie to you.

A hush falls, broken only by the far-off sounds of the village and the river’s quiet hum. You tear at the clovers beneath your hand, rip them up one by one as you squirm. Jaskier shifts beside you. You close your eyes again and tilt your face towards the sun. It is easier than being blinded by Jaskier’s light.

The bard sighs. He nudges closer, his thigh a warm streak of heat against your side, and you crack an eye open. His focus is solely on his lute, his eyes - the blue of the midmorning sky, deep and rich - trained on the strings. Better position to play, you think, nothing more, just another nip of unintended cruelty.

“Did Geralt tell you about the harpy?” Jaskier asks softly.

“Geralt speaks?”

The laughter spills from Jaskier like fine wine: everflowing and delicious. You gulp it down greedily, wishing your belly were a wineskin, so that you could carry some for later.

“You make an excellent point,” he tells you. “And how perfect. I’ve been waiting for a captive audience to test the tale on.”

The smile on your lips crumbles into dust. “Of course,” you tell him. “Go ahead.”

Jaskier launches into the story, tells it with twists and turns and beautiful flourishes, his voice a calligrapher’s pen. You listen intently, determined to be of use to him, knowing there is nothing else you can offer him. He spins his tale like a magic thread, spins Geralt’s exploits from straw into lustrous gold, makes the Witcher’s effigy something that is much more difficult to burn.

After he’s done, the two of you fade into idle chatter. You know you are boring him, can feel it in the way he shifts against you and the way his voice catches here and there, but you cannot help yourself. Finally, you fade into quiet and let Jaskier fill the hush with his lyrical voice. Beneath the sun’s warm kiss, you ride the edge of sleep.

“What does your crown look like?” Jaskier asks, his deft fingers plucking at the strings of his lute. Even his half-hearted chords meld together prettily to sweeten the air with their song.

“What crown?” you ask sleepily. You’re sundrunk, now, adrift in time, lost in a haze of heat and in the sweet perfume of the clovers. Sometimes you think the sun’s kiss will be the only one you ever keep.

“Do you have multiples?” he says, his voice laced through with laughter. “Your Midsummer crown.”

That washes over you like river water, runs cold over you like snowmelt.

“I don’t have one,” you say tightly, pushing yourself upright. You curl in on yourself like a nautilus shell, pull your chest snug to your knees, as if the arc of your spine can shield you. You’ve never made a Midsummer flower crown, could never bear to have the river whisper to you what haunts you in the dark of the night, what you hold in your heart. You’ll be alone, you know, plain little thing that you are. The river will carry your crown all the way out to the sea, and all of your prospects with it.

“What?”

“I said I don’t have one,” you bite out. “There’s no point.”

“Darling,” Jaskier says, his voice downy soft, “what in the godsdamned world are you talking about?”

“I don’t need the river to tell me my fortune,” you hiss. “And I don’t need it to confirm what I already know, that no one will want to catch it, that I’ll be alone.”

Jaskier wraps a large hand around your arm. He tugs you to face him, shows that hidden strength of his that had so surprised you all. Geralt makes him look small, but he is hardly delicate. “I would catch your crown, darling,” he tells you. That flush is back, peonies blooming pink across his cheeks.

The tears pool hot in your eyes before they spill over like rainfall, sweeping down your cheeks like a summer storm. You pull free of Jaskier’s grip and push yourself to your knees. “Don’t,” you say, chest heaving. “Don’t say something like that out of pity, Jaskier, that’s not fair.”

He gapes at you. You scramble to your feet, ignoring the grass stains bleeding across the front of your skirts, and wipe at your eyes.

“Darling,” he starts, and he is pushing to his feet, and you cannot take it, cannot take platitudes from a silver-tongued bard. Perhaps he’d thought it kind, to offer to catch your crown when no other would, that it would give you a chance to take part in a tradition that’s always scorned you. Instead, it reminds you of what you have always known - he is kind because he knows that you are to be pitied.

You stride off towards town, wiping at your eyes with a rough sleeve, and when Jaskier calls your name, you start to run.

—

“You’re such a godsdamned fool,” Sabina says, but her harsh words are gentled by the soft stroke of her hand across your hair. “The bard’s mad for you, everyone knows it.”

The two of you are tucked away in a patch of sunlight in a small copse near the river. The festival is blooming to life like a wildflower, cheers and music starting to lift to the sky. You’ll join them soon, you know, though you can barely stand the thought of it.

“That’s not true, Sabina,” you say.

She takes your cheeks between her work-rough hands. “He wrote you a song,” she says, her mahogany eyes flickering over your face.

The tips of your ears burn hot. “He didn’t,” you protest. “He wrote a song about the village!”

“Godsdamned fool,” Sabina mutters to herself, releasing you to throw her hands up in the air. She runs her fingers through her silvery curls. “Does the village have ‘a sunrise of a smile, lips that guide you to the warmth of day, a beginning unfurling across the horizon like a kiss’?”

“Those aren’t the words.”

“They very much are the words, I’ve just taken out the fluff in between.”

“Sabina, please,” you say, feeling the tears begin to prick. “Jaskier could never see someone like me as anything like that.”

She cups your face again, leans in to press her forehead soft against yours. “He can,” she murmurs. “And he does. Have you ever seen him sit at the riverbank for hours with any other woman? He asked you what your crown looked like because he wanted to dive for it, you ass.”

Sabina’s Midsummer crown is irises, you know, the deep purple of a fresh bruise to sit dark against her silver strands, and men will dive for it, will dive deep into the cold for the chance to place it dripping back on her head, to have the river bless their courtship.

“He didn’t mean it like that,” you say through numb lips, because - because you’ve heard Markus ask Lidka what flowers made up her crown, heard Iwo beg Tosia to use something unique so he knows which crown to pluck from the river’s fingers. Jaskier couldn’t have meant that. Not for you. You’ve never heard anyone ask about a crown for mere conversation, but - he couldn’t have meant that.

The sound that issues from Sabina would not be out of place in a filthy bar. But she knows you, grew up running in the streets with you, wove Midsummer crowns with you when you were both still far too young to actually sail them down the river, and she can see the crack in your stone. “He did,” she says. “He does.”

“It doesn’t matter,” you say helplessly. “I didn’t make a crown.”

“I know.” She presses a kiss to your cheek. “Maybe next year.”

It’s for the best, maybe. Next year, Jaskier will be long gone, traipsing through the Continent. And Sabina’s confidence is not yours. She’s always been persuasive, always been able to convince others of her ideas.

“Come,” Sabina says. “It’s Midsummer.”

You follow her out onto the meadow that hugs the riverbank, into the flood of sunlight and cheer.

You dance, and laugh, and chase the children through the tall grasses, through the rolling fields of clover. The summer shrine sits regal in the distance. You think Geralt might be there, his broad form barely visible.

You stay with the children when the others flock to the river. Sabina plucks one of her irises from her crown and tucks it into the laces of your bodice, her deep brown eyes kind, before Anatol scoops her up and carries her off. The children dart about the meadow, barely minding you, which is fine. It’s Midsummer, and a festival, and also - you’re not sure why anyone thought you could corral them.

One of the older boys finally takes the other children in hand and guides them to a safe spot nearby in the meadow to play games. You sigh and flop back onto the soft bed of the clovers. The sun feels like a blessing against your skin, soft and warm, a lover’s kiss. You bask like a cat, stretch out in the sun, pillowing your head on your hands.

Eventually, you hear soft footsteps. The children are still howling in the distance. The footsteps slow, and then there is darkness cutting through the warmth of your sun. You open your eyes, pushing to yourself to sit upright, and go still.

“Hi,” Jaskier says. He’s soaked, his clothing clinging to him. Every inch of his wiry frame is outlined by it, and gods, he’s delicious, lean and hard with traveler’s muscles. The water drips from his pink lips, trickles down to his chest, beads in the thick hair there. You swallow.

“You dove for someone,” you say. The words creak out of you like an unoiled hinge.

There’s a flower crown hanging limp in his hand, dripping wet and sadly ruffled. He kneels not far from you and meets your gaze. Sometimes you think you have never known blue before you met him, before you saw his eyes. “I did.”

“Who?”

“You didn’t have a crown,” he says softly, raising the crown and presenting it to you, “so I made you one.”

It’s a crown of peonies, fluffy balls of petals pearl pink like the dawn. The petals are layered like ribbons over themselves, an unfurling promise of summer, and the soft color of them is all the softer against the hint of verdant green stems. And tucked in between the peonies like secrets, buttercups bloom gold, shining in the sun.

“Oh,” you say.

Jaskier shifts. “I didn’t realize you didn’t know. That you thought - that you thought I pitied you when all I wanted to do was slow down every moment with you, so that it could last through the ages.”

You make a small, hiccuping noise. It feels like there are words stuck in your spasming throat.

“It was never pity,” Jaskier says. “It was always so that I knew which crown to dive for.”

You reach out to touch the edge of a peony, let your finger trace over the delicate petal. It’s soft against your fingertip, even with the river’s chill still clinging to it.

“It’s yours,” Jaskier says. “If you want it.”

You draw back. Jaskier pulls in a tight breath. His eyes are like tidepools, deeply blue and glinting in the sun.

“I think I do,” you breathe. “You mean it? You aren’t -”

“Never,” he says. “It’s yours.”

“Alright,” you say, your pulse thundering like hooves, beating deep in your veins. You think you can hear your heartbeat. Even through the cotton that sits heavy in your head, muffling the roar of the river and the others as they draw close once again. “It - I - won’t be easy.”

“I don’t want easy,” Jaskier says, leaning forward, cupping your cheek gently, slowly, testing the waters, “not if it means I can’t have you. I’m not easy, either, or so Geralt tells me. When he’s speaking to me.”

It startles a laugh out of you, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep inside, and Jaskier’s lips curve into something sweetly pleased. He rubs a thumb across your cheekbone.

You push into him, catch his lips with yours, and he makes a noise before cupping your face in his large hands, pulling you closer. He kisses the breath right out of you, and for a moment - he kisses the fears from you too, teases them out of you with his tongue. You pull back panting, one hand knotted in the damp strands of his chestnut hair, and he coaxes you back to him.

He licks into your mouth with fervor, shifts so that he can pull you into his lap, and your chest is heaving as you press against him, as the cool river water starts to seep through your bodice. Jaskier is warm against you, and hungry in a way you didn’t think someone could be for you, not like the other men that have tumbled you. You kiss him until one of the children shrieks in the distance.

“Shit,” you say, pulling back, but Jaskier doesn’t let you go far. He presses another soft kiss against your lips before he lets you go so that you can fix your hiked skirts. He picks up the crown with his deft fingers, and sets it on your head.

The crown, you find, fits perfectly.

taglist (only including folks i know read jaskier/have requested all witcher fics): @witchernonsense @hina-chans-stuff @stretchkingblog97

#jaskier x reader #jaskier imagine #the witcher imagine #the witcher x reader

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xpao-bearx · 4 years ago

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《This story series is also on my AO3 acc @ Paoloca》

SUMMARY: The bachelors of Selphia conjure up a plan to decide who truly deserves the beautiful princess' heart...if Frey can only choose one of them, that is.

PAIRINGS: Frey x Vishnal, Frey x Kiel, Frey x Doug, Frey x Arthur, Frey x Dylas, Frey x Leon (Polyamorous Ships)

RATING: Mature/18+/Romance & Smut. Please bear these in mind if you are uncomfortable and do NOT report!

NOTE: I have been an avid fan and lover of the Rune Factory series for a looong fooken time now and with RF 5 coming up (who else can't wait?!?!) along with my bursting inspiration, I decided to do something a lil special~ 💖

This story is actually one I wrote--or at least TRIED to write as I didn't finish it--many years ago on my old Wattpad acc (I have a new one now). As such, I'm taking the basic plotline from the original idea I had and simply making it a bit better especially now that I'm older + more mature (pfft yeah sure "mAtUrE" xD).

I sincerely and deeply love ALL of the amazing bachelors on RF 4 and as someone who absolutely ✨A D O R E S✨ reverse harems, I really *personally* don't think that Frey has to choose! And so, here's a naughty + sweet story that'll kinda just delve into my--and I'm sure others'--fantasy ;)

I hope ya lovelies will enjoy this story series and your wonderful support is always very much appreciated! 🥺💕💕 Also, feel free to fangirl/fanboy with me anytime~

P.S. Please forgive mah pathetic ass in advance if I ever portray any of the characters wrong, I promise to do my best!!

"The Princess' Harem"

Part 1: The Game

☆ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE TALENTED ARTIST☆

Summer 1, the dawn of a sweltering season. But most of all...

Beach Day!

Ah, yes, a most wonderful holiday to take a dip in the refreshing water and don the most attractive swimsuits that perfectly hugged one's form! And while it was understandable for the gentlemen to gawk and admire the lovely ladies, it seemed that all the bachelors of Selphia were completely ensnared by one warrior princess in particular...

Frey's tinkly laughter carried in the air as she happily swam around in the lake with the other girls. It was certainly a gorgeous day, yet none could quite rival the turquoise haired beauty's radiant smile.

"Haa... The princess is SO beautiful~" Vishnal sighed dreamily, his violet eyes turning into hearts.

"A goddess among mere mortals!" Kiel piped up cutely.

"You guys are so lame! But, uh... Y-Yeah, I agree, I guess." Doug conceded, face flushing as scarlet as his hair.

"I am a man, after all. Therefore, I must say I agree as well." Arthur cleared his throat, propping his glasses.

"You are all perverts..." Dylas grumbled, though he couldn't help but shyly sneak a peek at Frey.

"My, my~ You're such a bad liar, horsie. Calling us perverts when you, yourself, are one~" Leon chuckled, smirking.

"Who're ya calling horsie?!" Dylas snapped, but couldn't start an argument when all of them heard a splash and saw Frey emerge onto shore.

"Princess!" Vishnal beamed, not wasting a single second as he dashed towards her with a towel much like an excited puppy. "Are you done swimming?"

Frey gratefully took the towel, wiping her drenching body with it. "Yes, I am! And once I change into my clothes, I'm going to be checking the requests."

"You're ever so diligent, Frey. I truly admire that about you." Arthur smiled as he and the rest of the boys approached their beloved girlfriend. Arthur's glasses then flashed as the sun reflected on them, and he quickly grabbed that splendid opportunity for his gaze to drop and hyperfocus on Frey's nearly naked body. He barely managed to suppress it as he almost shamelessly licked his lips, fully taking in and very much appreciating her wet and fit physique.

"Oh, it's nothing! I'm only doing my duties." Frey giggled, embarrassed as her cheeks tinted pink. "But other than that, how come you guys aren't in your swimsuits? It's boiling!" She frowned worriedly.

"Why, is milady that eager to see me in all my glory?" Leon purred, standing in front of her in a flash. His teal eyes sparkled mischievously, as one of his hands reached forward to run his fingers through her long hair. "If you want to see me that badly, I'd rather 'perform' a private show for you tonight~"

Frey became as red as a ruby, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly like a fish out of water. She tried to speak, but no words came out as she could only stare up with eyes as wide as dinner plates at an amused Leon who was enjoying this situation far too much.

"Oi, knock it off!" Dylas growled, wrapping a protective arm around Frey as he glared sharply at Leon. "She's gonna go fishing with me after she's done, anyways!"

"WHAT?! No fair, you can't hog her all to yourself! If you guys are going fishing then I'm going, too!" Doug huffed, snatching Frey away from Dylas.

"No way, you dumbass dwarf! You're not invited!"

"Well, I am now, you fucking nag!"

As the two handsome idiots bickered like an old married couple and fought over Frey, she could only release an exasperated sigh. Honestly, she loved them both, but there was really no use trying to talk any sense into them. The best anyone could do was just wait it out until they inevitably get tired.

But as Doug and Dylas were yanking Frey from one side to another like a ragdoll, they suddenly stopped. It seems that everyone else halted, too, and the air blew bitter cold. Frey, oblivious, could only raise a brow before she finally realized--or more like felt--what all the boys were staring at.

She looked down, Doug and Dylas' hands accidentally cupping each one of Frey's breasts. All of the boys were a thousand shades of crimson, and Vishnal even started to have a nosebleed.

"ACK! S-Sorry..!" Doug and Dylas exclaimed in unison, abruptly pulling their hands away as if they were burned.

"O-Oh, uh, it's f-fine..!" Frey stuttered, not being able to meet anyone's gaze. "I-It was just an accident, after all!"

"Are you sure you're alright, Frey?" Kiel asked, holding her hands into his gently as he studied her face in concern. "These lowlifes didn't hurt you, did they?" It was rare for Kiel to be angry let alone badmouthing anyone, but it was clear from his tone how upset he was. Honestly, Doug and Dylas were a little scared...

"Y-Yes, I'm alright!" Frey nodded vigorously, smiling brightly. "Seriously, guys, don't worry about me! I'll see you all later, okay?" She hurriedly gave each one of them a chaste peck on the cheek before making her way back to the castle.

"So..." Leon began, a fake smile plastered on his lips as his eyes held no emotion. "I wonder who the true perverts are now?"

"H-Hey, it was an accident! Besides, it's all this moron's fault!" Dylas retorted, pointing an accusatory finger at Doug.

"MY fault?! If you just invited me in the first place, none of this would've happened!" Doug shouted furiously.

"You guys...touched...the princess' b-b-breasts..." Vishnal muttered, totally lost in his own world as he was slowly deteriorating from existence.

"Oh, my..." Arthur let out a heavy exhale. "I'm sure you two already know this, but as soon as Frey is done with her tasks then you both must apologize to her again. Accident or not, it is completely unacceptable for a man to touch a woman without her consent."

"Hey, y'know, I've been wondering..." Kiel cut in. "Do you guys ever think if Frey is just being strung along by us?"

"What do you mean?" Doug frowned.

"Like, didn't we confess to Frey at different times? And at every confession, she rejected all of us. And later on, it was only then we found out that we all shared the same feelings for her."

"So, what's your point?" Dylas pressed.

Kiel sighed, staring pointedly at the taller man. "Don't you find it a bit weird that now, we're all in a relationship with her? I know that being in a polyamorous relationship with Frey was something we all consented on from the very beginning, but why the sudden change of heart?"

"Isn't it obvious? Being in a polyamorous relationship means that Frey likes all of us at the same time, which is fine. Maybe she was just too shy at first to admit it." Leon shrugged.

"That may be true, or...what if she's only with us out of pity?" A wave of realization washed through everyone, and a certain pang of sadness settled in their hearts. "Frey is such a nice person, it's possible she only agreed to be with us since she felt bad for rejecting us. And now, she doesn't know how to break up with us for fear of hurting us even more."

"There's also one other possibility..." Arthur spoke up. "What if she actually likes one of us, but can't exclusively date that person?"

Dead silence. Only the faint sounds of the lake thrashing and birds chirping, before Vishnal was the one who first woke up back to reality.

"So... What are we supposed to do?" He questioned softly. "I feel so terrible... If what you're saying is true, then I don't want to continue on like this. I love Frey, but I can't ever bear the thought of hurting her!"

"How about a game?" Leon suggested.

"Now's really not the time, foxy." Doug rolled his eyes.

"No, no. You've misunderstood." Leon shook his head. "I'm talking about a game to see who Frey truly likes or doesn't like. And that way, we won't have to be hurting her and suffering like this anymore."

"Hmm... An interesting proposition." Arthur hummed thoughtfully. "I don't quite like referring to this as a 'game', but colour me intrigued. What's your idea, then?"

"Alright. So, we each get one whole day to spend with Frey. Completely alone, and no one is allowed to bother anyone else. As long as Frey is okay with it, then we can do whatever we want with her. Going on dates, exploring...you get the idea. Finally, by the end of the week, we'll all ask her how she feels and who she had the most fun with. Her answer will then determine what will happen afterwards."

"Hmph. Okay, that sounds good." Dylas nodded, agreeing for once. "How can we settle who goes first and last, though?"

"I think it would only be fair if we go in the order that Frey met us. So it's Vishnal, me, Doug, Arthur, Dylas, and then Leon." Kiel offered.

"All in favour?" Arthur asked, and everyone collectively voiced out their approval. "Good. It's settled, then. May the best man win!"

"Speaking of, I forgot that the castle is undergoing construction! So please excuse me, I'll have to get going now!" Vishnal grinned, disappearing in a blink of an eye.

"Wait... I just visited Ventuswill earlier with Granny Blossom." Doug furrowed his brows before gasping. "That bastard..! He went to go have a headstart with Frey!" He immediately chased after the conniving butler, but not before his shoulder got bumped hard by Dylas.

"If anyone's gonna get a headstart, it's me!"

"Oh, shut the hell up, HORSIE!"

Arthur sighed deeply, rubbing his temples stressfully as Kiel only chuckled sheepishly. Leon simply watched the scene, his fan hiding his smirk.

'There is a saying: Save the best for last~' Leon thought satisfyingly to himself.

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notveryglittery · 5 years ago

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kiss me

summary: a series of kisses. words: 1,820 / ship: romantic royality notes: @hawthornshadow said “kiss me” by sixpence none the richer and royality and this happened? i wrote it on discord so it’s kinda plotless and messy but it’s cute, imo!! shout out to @sleepless-in-starbucks for encouraging me along the way <3

please listen to “kiss me” while you read!! read on ao3 | @fandersfic-royality

— — — — — — — — —

If this godforsaken town has one thing going for it, it’s Patton Hart. He is sweet, and handsome, and mesmerizing. From the light floppy sun hats to the pastel spaghetti strap dresses; from his strawberry blond curls to the sharp emerald green of his eyes; from the sure swift grace he moves with and the mischievous smile he hides behind his hand. There is confidence in Patton that makes Roman wonder if he really isn’t from the city, if he truly has been born and raised out here in wheat fields and sunflower plains.

They meet when Roman is sixteen. He and his mother have only just moved to Iowa and don't get him wrong, he'd go to the ends of the Earth for his mom, but did her job really have to transfer her to the middle of nowhere? Roman isn’t sure this tiny little town even knows what Starbucks was. There’s one grocery store, one gas station, a library that also doubles as the cinema which makes absolutely no sense, and an ice cream parlor. They have an ice cream parlor but they don’t have stable WiFi and what was the gosh darn ding dang point of a cute, aesthetic ice cream parlor if he can’t post on Instagram about it?

Roman had been hoping it'd take some time to explore his new home, to get to know the lay of the land, but it really only takes him a day and a half, and that is only because they arrived late in the evening. It isn’t until after Roman has the streets memorized (which isn’t difficult given that there are about nine of them) that he stops in at Scoops 'n Smiles. He thinks it a stupid name but then again, most of this town is still stupid to him, because he’s still bitter about living in it.

It all gets a whole less stupid when a greeting rings out to him as he steps inside.

Roman might not know anything about the cute employee behind the counter but the cute employee behind the counter certainly knows plenty about Roman. It is such a small town, after all, and word spreads fast. He’s a city boy, out here with his mama, and so far he’s been nothing but polite, if not a little grumpy. Neither of them would admit it until they’d been engaged for five months, eight days, and thirteen hours - but the love at first sight is entirely mutual.

Roman approaches the counter with a spring in his step and stars in his eyes. Patton had smiled coyly at him.

“Hiya, welcome to Scoops ’n Smiles,” Patton would say sweetly.

Roman would choke (“your accent,” he’d explain later, “god, you were so cute.”) and Patton would find his stammering endearing. They’re only sixteen but Patton has never been so sure of something in his life. He’d marry this boy, if the fates would allow it.

Maybe Patton hands Roman a napkin with his ice cream, despite there being a dispenser at the counter beside the spoons. Maybe it has Patton’s phone number written on it. Maybe Patton winks at Roman as he leaves, gripping his cone so tightly it is close to crumbling. Maybe Patton screams into a dish towel the moment the parlor is empty again.

Their first date is, not to put it loosely, magical. Roman learns quickly that anything is magical where Patton was involved. They go out to the lake. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and bright and warm. Patton is wearing a sundress in a shade of blue that matches the sky. Roman wears the wrong pair of shoes and they are caked in mud by the end of the day, but that’s alright.

The stars are sparkling brighter than Roman has ever seen, laying in the bed of Patton’s truck beside the barley fields and green pastures. Lightning bugs flit in and out of view, the air is cool on his skin, and Patton is telling him all about the constellations.

“How d’you know so much?” Roman asks.

“My cousin taught me when he visited last year,” Patton answers, turning to look at Roman, and smiling, smiling so sparkling and pretty that the stars no longer compare. “I’m pretty sure he used it to do the same thing I’m doing.”

“And what’s that?”

“Trying to impress a boy he liked.”

Patton tastes like strawberry ice cream and vanilla chapstick. Roman doesn’t see it, given he’s so very focused on kissing Patton (kissing Patton!), but a shooting star streaks across the sky, and it really all might as well be made for movies.

Let it be known that Patton is never one to be outdone. He throws himself into his projects and his friendships and his work. His pa tells him to be careful about giving and giving and giving, that he has to slow down sometimes. Patton thinks that silly; how could he ever do that when he has so much love and energy bottled up inside, so much that he feels like he might burst with it? Roman matches him here and it is exhilarating. City boy is outgoing and adventurous and go go go. It feels so good to finally have someone that can keep up.

What could possibly go wrong when Patton has someone as wonderful and sincere and bright as Roman at his side?

Winter is approaching and so the town is celebrating its autumn harvest. They do this at the end of every season and it’s Roman's first time attending one. There are games and prizes, treats and cider, and when the cleared space for a dance floor is glowing with moonlight, and the band is at full swing, Roman takes Patton by the hands, swinging and spinning him around.

By the end of the night, the fireflies dancing and the silver moon sparkling, Roman will press a kiss to Patton's lips and murmur breathlessly "I love you."

Never one to be outdone, Patton will return it, and he'll continue with hushed compliments, and light pecks anywhere he can reach, and by the end, Roman will be as red as the changing leaves.

If Roman had known he'd only have two years, he'd have done more with his time. He'd have confessed his love sooner, he'd have made sure to take more photos, he'd have done better.

It’s at the broken treehouse and working tire swing that they've taken to spending their free mornings at. Patton is wearing his favorite sun hat, the one with the flowers. Roman’s pushing him on the swing, soaking in the sound of his laughter and the warm unfiltered sunlight. He doesn’t want to go.

They sit down for a picnic, looking at an old map Patton's dad had given them, one marked with trails and clearings and lakes. The idea of spending his summer with Patton exploring and hiking sounds so much better than going back to concrete skyscrapers and smog. He doesn’t want to go.

"I have to go."

Patton looks at him curiously.

"Home, I mean."

"You are home," Patton assures him.

"I -" and it's all Roman can say before tears are stinging at the corners of his eyes.

Patton's expression crumbles and he hurries to pull Roman into his arms, shushing him, and pressing kisses to the top of his head, and running a hand up and down his back. Somehow, it doesn’t help.

The following three years are dreadful. They are boring and slow and lonely and Patton finally understands what his pa meant by taking it easy. He can’t work at Smiles ’n Scoops without remembering this is where he met the love of his life, he can’t attend harvest festivals without recalling the way Roman had blushed so prettily after their first I love you, he can’t look at the broken treehouse in the park without remembering the way it had felt to hold a crying, trembling Roman in his arms.

Sure, there are letters and texts and video calls. They don’t compare to the way Roman’s hand fits perfectly in his. The freckles Roman had earned from all his time in the sun fade the longer he is back in the city. His hair is darker and there are bags under his eyes and Patton wonders if it is because it’s so noisy there; he can hear it through the phone sometimes.

Roman does get better, over time. He gets used to the noise and the monotone colors and it is almost like he was never in Iowa to begin with. That doesn’t mean anything, though, because three years and eight months and two weeks later, he’s packed everything he owns, and he moves back home.

Home is where the heart is after all. More accurately, home is where the Hart is.

Maybe he keeps it a secret. Maybe he meets up with Patton's father and asks for his blessing. Maybe the entire town is on the same page for once and doesn’t spread the word. Maybe Patton doesn’t see Roman sneaking up on him at the autumn harvest festival.

Maybe when Patton turns around, Roman is behind him on one knee. Maybe when they kiss this time, it is with shaking hands and tears of joy and a ring that sparkles like the silver moon.

Five months, eight days, and thirteen hours into being engaged and Roman is still as hopelessly smitten as he has been since day one. He’s helping Patton to figure out his new phone. Somehow, Patton’s had the same iPhone 5 for over seven years, and it was still in perfect working condition. There wasn’t a scratch or dent on it, not once had it needed to be factory reset. When Roman asks how Patton does it (because Roman has gone through at least four phones), Patton says sweetly, like the way he does the day they met:

“I take care of the things I love.”

And it should just be something Patton says but nothing Patton ever says is just something and someone might as well be crowing “one hit KO” because Roman is down for the count.

“I loved you at first sight,” Patton sighs, as if Roman isn’t already dead. “I said to the fates, I’m going to marry that boy.”

Roman falls over, swooning onto Patton’s lap. The harvest festivals see them on the moonlit dance floor less often, too busy staying curled up beside each other. “Dearheart, please have mercy.”

Patton grins mischievously and leans over to press a kiss to Roman's lips. There are fireflies dancing around him and his strawberry blond curls look like they're glowing. "Now why ever would I do that?"

And if Roman confesses beneath the milky twilight to Patton, too, that he'd fallen in love at first sight, hoping to fluster his fiancé (his fiancé!) in return, well... Patton is never one to be outdone.

#sanders sides fan fiction #royality #royality fan fiction #roman sanders #patton sanders #romantic royality #dani writes #y'all idk how to write in one tense lol

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jessmt · 5 years ago

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I won’t go (until you come outside)

Since I’m on such a roll this week and both of my classes got cancelled this morning, I decided to write another Jesslake fic that’s been bouncing around in my head for a little while.

Summary: Lake finally chalks it up to tell Jesse what happened on the train when they were forcibly separated.

Notes: Check Yes, Juliet by We The Kings is a cute song and the theme of running away together and never looking back fits these two pretty well. So I wrote a fic loosely inspired by it.

Also, I thought it would be pretty cute if Lake gave him a nickname. She calls him "Jess" because it sounds cute and I said so.

AO3

Normal.

Her entire life, Lake never had any proper definition for the word. Her entire life, all of her decisions had been made for her. What she’s allowed to wear, where she’s allowed to go, when she’s allowed to sleep, when she’s allowed to eat. Sure, Tulip may have been a pretty average person for the most part, but it wasn’t normal. Forcing herself to stay up until 4:30 in the morning so Tulip can fix the bug in her code or wearing those pointless chrome glasses or eating those stupid onions she didn’t even like wasn’t normal.

Living someone else’s life wasn’t normal.

She’s lucky Tulip was so understanding. Well, Lake supposes she had to be, since up until that point they had essentially been two different copies of the same person. But she didn’t feel that way. She felt and still feels and will never stop feeling like she is her own individual person. And the moment she took her first step out of the “Chrome Car”, as Tulip had called it, she was sure that was the end of it. She could be whoever she wanted to be, go wherever she wanted to go, wear whatever she wanted to wear.

But of course the Flecs had to develop new software that allowed them to chase escapees from car to car. If she had known about that she would’ve stolen it to escape the car years ago. Not that it mattered much anyway, because as long as they weren’t trailing directly behind her then the only way they’d be able to find her was through some random reflective surface that happened to be lying around, which was a surprisingly difficult find in a good majority of the cars she’d been through.

And for months at a time, she was convinced she’d found her normal. Most cars she only passed through, but other cars, those that provided beds and food and something to drink (just as long as it wasn’t water), she’d stay in those for weeks at a time. She felt grass under her feet for the first time in a train car, she saw a real life tree in a train car, and she even experienced rainfall in a train car. And as far as she was concerned, she had the best life she could ever imagine. She never considered herself a “denizen”, because she never wanted to live her life in someone else’s shadow ever again. And if that meant self-isolation, then so be it. She didn’t need companionship, because all companionship did was slow her down.

But then Jesse came along.

And so went her definition of normal.

She had tried to separate herself from him. She had tried to wave him off, tried to take Alan Dracula as her only companion and go. But in the end, nothing she tried ever worked.

He saw something in her that nobody else did.

She knew he had an opportunity to turn her over to the Flecs. She knew he considered it. But he chose not to. He stood up for her in a way nobody had since Tulip freed her. He liked her for her, not just as someone helping him escape the train but as her own person.

She had never even considered the possibility of leaving the train until she met him. But it was all the time she spent with him that she realized that when she’d escaped from the mirror realm that all she’d fled to was an even larger prison.

He was the only person who’d ever promised not to leave her behind. Tulip couldn’t even make that promise. He never showed any signs that he’d been lying, never gave her a goodbye. He developed the habit of taking her hand in his own to assure she was still by his side, and Lake in turn developed the habit of giving his hand a squeeze to assure him that she wasn’t going anywhere. He grabbed her hand every time they fled from the Flecs, or every time a door opened, and it grew to become a comforting gesture for Lake.

He never let go. Even when they were forced apart at his exit door, he never let go. Their hands were interlocked until the moment he faded away into nothing, and even then he broke the very physics of the train itself by refusing to let go, refusing to leave until she was able to come with him. All the time she had spent fighting for him, she had no idea he was on the other side fighting for her as well.

She’s M.T, she can take care of herself, but I made a promise.

They finally got their exit together. And it was staring into her own reflection in that lake, and feeling that sunshine on her face, and Jesse’s hand on her shoulder that made her realize she had finally, finally found her real normal.

Nothing could compare to the euphoria she felt when they were walking back to Jesse’s house. She could hear birds, actual birds, not weird talking parakeets that needed her help to build their giant nest, or something, actual birds! And the wind, and the traffic, and the sky was an actual color, not that depressing shade of brownish-orange it always was on the train. It’s a miracle they ever got to Jesse’s house at all with Lake stopping to check something out every ten seconds. Not that Jesse minded at all, because there had been multiple times where Lake had caught him staring at her with an affectionate twinkle in his eyes.

After that initial adrenaline rush faded, everything slowed to a peaceful calm. Jesse convinced his mom to convert their guest room into Lake’s room “until further notice”, which she quickly settled into. She registered as a new student at the local high school online, and choosing classes was just a combination of what she’d already known from Tulip and what simply caught her eye.

Everything fell into a pattern. And for once in her life, she was happy with that.

Wake up, go to school, eat lunch, come home, hang with Jesse, explore the neighborhood, do homework, watch movies, go to bed. It’s simple, it’s repetitive, it’s home. The only thing that ever differs in her schedule other than weekends is when she’d have to take the bus home without Jesse when he had swim practice, but admittedly it was nice to have that time to herself.

Take right now, for example. She’s just lying on her bed with her hands behind her head watching her ceiling fan swirl around. She likes to be alone with her thoughts, contrary to popular belief, because they really tend to keep her in the moment. Having her own complex thoughts validates her and tells her that she’s here, and she’s her own human being.

...Until there’s a light tap against her window, which doesn’t make sense because her room is on the second floor. She stands up to investigate, and she’s ready to dismiss it as a bird or a bug that must’ve bumped into it when a number of tiny pebbles tap against the window again. Baffled, she opens the window to look and see who could possibly be throwing rocks at her window.

“That worked?” She can hear Jesse exclaim, but he clears his throat when he realizes she probably heard that. “Lake! Down here!”

She snorts, leaning her elbow against the windowsill. “Hi Jesse” she shouts back, and looks over her shoulder at the clock sitting on her nightstand reading 8:46pm. “I thought you had swim practice”

“I did! It just ran later than usual because competition is coming up soon” he shouts back, and runs a hand through his hair to expel any extra water as if he’s trying to prove to her that he’s not lying. “You should, uh, you should come outside! It’s really nice out. I’m not even shivering”

Lake smirks, rolling her eyes at him. “And you wanted to ask me that by shouting up at my window? Isn’t this your house?”

She can practically see Jesse blush from where she sits at her window. “Well, yeah, but I wanted to look cool! Tossing rocks at someone’s window is like, the most romantic gesture ever”

Lake laughs. “I’m swooning”, she teases, dramatically bringing her wrist to her forehead.

Jesse shoves his hands in his pocket and glances to the ground, a sure sign he’s probably blushing even harder. “It’s a serious offer, you know!” he mumbles just loud enough for her to hear. “It’s beautiful out.” He offers his hand out to her, and the gesture makes her blush.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming”, she replies in mock annoyance, warmth in her tone giving her true nature away. She slides her window the rest of the way open, climbs onto the windowsill, and wiggles around until she’s hanging out of the window by her hands. Once her arms stop shaking from holding her own weight up, she lets go and lands on her feet. She turns around to face Jesse, and throws her arms up in the air in a victorious pose.

He smiles. “You could’ve just gone out the front door, y’know. Mom isn’t that strict about us leaving the house”.

She shrugs. “Yeah, but it’s like you said. I wanted to look cool”.

This time Jesse’s the one laughing, and he offers his hand out to her again. “Well?”

She blushes. Dammit, he shouldn’t be this cute, and intertwines her hand in his. “Well what? You’re the one who called me out here, you dork”

“Well, where do you wanna go?” he rubs at the back of his head. “The ice cream parlor closes in ten minutes, so I don’t think we could get there even if Mom let me borrow her car”.

Lake laughs. “How romantic, borrowing your Mom’s car for me” she teases. “Who says we have to go anywhere in particular? You said it yourself. It’s a beautiful night. Why don’t we just go for a walk?”

Jesse gasps, his eyes twinkling. “Travel friends?”

Lake rolls her eyes and leans in to kiss Jesse on the cheek. “I think we’re a little more than that by now, Jess.”

Jesse grins. “I know. It’s just a catchy song”.

“Nerd.”

Jesse shrugs in a what-are-you-gonna-do-about-it sort of manner before he taps at his chin to think about where they could possibly go. “Well…” he starts. “I think there should be a nature trail near that lake we ended up at, and I think….people are known to occasionally spot a family deer over there, you wanna walk around there a bit?” he pauses. “Or is that too familiar?”

Lake gives his hand a little squeeze. “Pssh, nah, that sounds perfect. You know how I am with exploring”.

He’s looking at her with that soft, affectionate look in his eyes again, and gives her hand a squeeze back. “Perfect.” he says, and begins to lead the way, but it isn’t long before they’re walking side by side. The walk to the lake isn’t as long as she remembers it being, but she supposes she could chalk that up to the adrenaline she’d felt the first time she was here. Once there, she stops to look at her reflection in the lake, and this time Jesse’s is standing beside her. He takes his hand from her, only to wind his arm around her shoulder and give her a kiss on the cheek. She rolls her eyes at him, but just before he can turn his head away from her she quickly leans in and gets him on the lips.

“C’mon,” she gestures. “We could be here all night”.

He blushes violently. “Right, right…” he murmurs, and leads the way to the entrance of the nature trail. It’s larger than Lake was expecting, apparently looping all the way around the back end of the cul de sac and back to the lake. She doesn’t know what Jesse could’ve possibly meant by calling the trail “too familiar”, because it’s nothing in comparison even to the Forest Car where they met. Everything feels real, everything smells real, everything just is real. She could never get her boots muddy or dirty in that or any other car on that godforsaken train because they couldn’t even program mud properly.

“You okay?” Jesse asks after a few moments, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

Jesse blushes, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his head. “Well, you weren’t saying anything, and I was gonna assume you were just enjoying yourself, but you were kinda….staring off into space. So I figured I’d ask. No big deal”

Lake shrugs. “Nah, it’s okay. Thanks for asking. I’m fine, I’ve just been...well, thinking about the train”.

Jesse stops in his tracks. “You have?”

Lake shakes her head, and shakes her hand around in self-defense. “It’s no big deal, really, I’m just...really glad to be as far away from that thing as possible”.

Jesse steps forward and sits down on a fallen tree in the middle of the path, patting at the spot beside him to invite her to sit next to him. “It sounds like a pretty big deal to me”.

She smiles, a blush tinting her cheeks, and takes the seat beside him. “It doesn’t bother me anymore, trust me” she folds her hands together. “I’m getting much better at looking into reflective surfaces, and I don’t get snappish at people who look at me funny as often as I used to.” She turns to look at him. “But I just can’t stop thinking about how ever since I got here with you I’m realizing how much of a living hell that train was”

She turns her gaze up towards the treetops. “I don’t think I ever told you what it was like when you were forced to leave without me.” She brings her knees up to her chest. “It was awful. I was so afraid I was never going to see you again. Everyone was saying it was pointless, that you would move on without me, that I was never getting off the train, I wasn’t my own person, blah blah blah” she dismissively waves a hand in the air.

“But you came back for me, Jesse, because you cared about me. Nobody’s ever come back in the history of the train, not for me, not for anything.” She laughs, and punches him in the arm as lightly as she can. “You gave the train a mental breakdown. You gave it the very problem it’s programmed to fix in everyone else, all because…what?”

Jesse smiles. “I made a promise.”

“Exactly!” Lake exclaims. “You made a promise you were so heartbroken to break just because you wanted to be able to see me every day.” She looks down at the forest floor. “...just so I could experience mud, and twigs, and all these things you don’t even notice because you’ve just had them your entire life”.

Jesse snorts. “Well I’d sure hate for my girlfriend to miss out on the amazing wonders of mud.”

“You know what I mean”.

“I know” Jesse smiles, kicking his feet back and forth. “I just...couldn’t go home until I knew you were coming with me. Flecs or no Flecs, I could tell you seemed pretty miserable”.

Now Lake finds herself blushing violently. “That’s….incredibly sweet of you”.

Jesse hums. “Not as incredible as you”.

Lake snorts. “Dork”.

Jesse stands up from the fallen tree, brushing his pant legs off and offering Lake his hand to help her up. “Ah ah, your dork”.

She takes him up on that offer, intertwining his hand in her own as she stands. “You won’t be for long if you keep that up”.

Jesse blushes. “Sorry.”

Lake laughs, and brings a hand to Jesse’s face and turns it towards her to make him look at her. “Jess, I’m kidding” she says, and kisses him softly on the lips. “I love you too”.

#jesslake #infinity train #infinity train book 2 #infinity train lake #infinity train jesse #my writing

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writtenbyjenn · 5 years ago

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Homework

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Reader Warnings: None Squicks: None Genre: Fluff Word Count: 2280

If there are any spelling or pronoun errors, please tell me! All of my fics are gender neutral. _________________

Draco slammed his forehead on his book. His homework was just not turning out right, no matter how many times he wrote, rewrote, or reread his textbook. He crumpled the parchment that sat in front of him and tore it into shreds. When he threw it back onto the table, it knocked over his bottle of ink, spilling it all over. Draco groaned. With a wave of his wand, the ink and the paper were cleared.

He picked up his books and started heading away from the common room, intending to go to the library. Maybe a change of scenery would help loosen his mind and allow him to finally understand the assignment. He was not looking forward to it, having an intense fear that someone would realize just how stupid he felt.

Draco walked alone through the corridors- he sent Crabbe and Goyle away long ago, not wanting his underlings to see him in such a sorry state. Eventually, he came upon the library. Opening the doors, he saw small groups of students dotted among the tables, each either completely absorbed in their homework or not all, gazing off into space and desperately willing their homework to complete itself. He saw the one person he was most excited to see- a lone Ravenclaw he was sure he could convince to help him. Draco walked over to them.

“You’re a Ravenclaw.” The student in question flicked their obviously blue scarf over their neck without looking up, their eyes still glued to the paper their quill was dancing across.

“Yeah,” they said, still scribbling furiously. Their writing was intense- whatever homework they had (if it even was homework, Draco had never seen that textbook before) they were determined to get it done. Their writing was so small he couldn’t make it out from across the table, and the parchment looked almost totally black with the amount of ink covering it.

“So, you’re smart,” Draco said simply. The Ravenclaw let out a dry chuckle.

“You would be surprised,” the student motioned to another group of Ravenclaws in the corner of the library who were currently trying very hard to blow a portion of their homework up without alerting Pince, the caretaker of the library.

There was a slight pause as Draco stood there before the Ravenclaw continued.

“…. Yes, I’m smart. At least compared to most.”

Draco sighed and smiled, “Just what I needed!”

The Ravenclaw looked up confused as their quill stopped. They saw Draco Malfoy, holding his textbooks and parchment in front of him excitedly. Their face steeled as they looked back down, quill resuming its frantic scribbling.

“No matter how much you threaten me, I’m not doing your homework for you.” Draco’s face fell.

“Nonono, that’s not what I meant!” His face turned pink. Did he really have that much of a reputation of threatening people? He knew was a bit wand happy with hexes and jinxes in the halls….

“I just wanted help with my homework,” he said shyly, a pale hand moving up to ruffle his hair and hide his embarrassment.

For the first time, the Ravenclaw in front of him looked up and met his eyes, trying to see if he was being honest. Draco gulped. He knew the student well from the hallways and a few double classes they shared- they were Y/N, not the absolute smartest student at Hogwarts (that went to Hermoine), but one of the best Ravenclaws there were. Draco knew that they would be able to help him without letting the whole world know he needed the help- they seemed like a drama repellant. Pansy and Parvati tried teasing them many times, but no matter the insults they hurled or rumors they spread, Y/N just shrugged and walked away unaffected. It drove the girls insane. They eventually stopped, more so for their own sanity rather than getting bored.

Y/N looked up at Draco. For a long moment they held eye contact. Draco gulped again. His throat felt dry. Why was he so nervous? His thoughts were interrupted by the movement in front of him. Y/N had looked back down at their paper, but their other hand was motioning to the seat beside them. Draco let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and sat down next to them, spreading his books out and readying his quill and parchment. Y/N looked over at his excited expression and their lips curved into a small smile. Draco’s heart flipped. He had never been so excited to do homework before.

Soon enough, the pair settled into a rhythm. Draco would write, Y/N would correct or make comments.

“Your handwriting is so messy. Also, that is wrong,” Y/N said, pointing to a specific line that Draco hastily scribbled out. There was a slight moment of silence- no words were exchanged, and Draco’s quill stopped for a brief second. He looked over at his tutor. Y/N was leaning on the table, their head resting on one hand. They had a gentle smile on their face.

“…What is it?” Draco broke the silence.

“Nothing,” they said, looking back at the parchment in front of them. A moment passed where Draco looked at them before they continued.

“Most people get angry when I correct them, because I don’t bother sugar coating things,” Y/N looked a little embarrassed as they scratched the back of their neck.

Draco didn’t respond, as he knew he was the same way. He simply smiled, and Y/N understood. He had quite the reputation, after all, for speaking his mind without thinking (or waving his wand as soon as the urge struck, without regard as to who or why). The two continued in amicable silence, only stopped by the occasional blunt correction by Y/N.

Soon enough, his homework sat in front of him, finished. Draco let a content sigh slip from his lips as he leaned back.

“All done, then?” Y/N said.

“Yes, and I’m quite glad. I couldn’t have done it on my own. I appreciate the help,” Draco said, putting his things away. He looked over to his companion, who was grabbing their own work once again, eyes trained back on the parchment they were scribbling on before Draco came over.

“You’re welcome, Draco,” Y/N said simply. Draco frowned. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to pull them out of their shell. He wanted to see their eyes again, not trained on their paper like it was the only thing that mattered. He wanted their sparkling, mischievous eyes trained on him and him alone. He wanted to see their face again, their expressive face, reacting to the stupid things he said and the stories he told when he didn’t feel like answering the questions he was assigned. A plan sparked in his mind.

The week passed quickly, and it was time to put his plan into action, if Y/N would be willing to endure his presence again. He hoped so, Draco thought as he pushed open the door to the library once more. As he suspected, Y/N was sitting at the same table as before, scribbling in the very same frantic manner. He walked up to them again.

Y/N looked up, saw him, and gave a slight smile. Draco’s heart leaped. As Draco approached, Y/N pushed their books and papers to the side.

“Need help again?” Y/N said, a smile on their face and hands folded in front of them.

“Yes, please,” Draco said, a lopsided smile on his face.

Their routine became clear quickly. Every few days, Draco would come to the library to spend time with Y/N get help with his homework from Y/N. Y/N would push aside their work every time and help him with his homework, often interrupted with anecdotes or jokes from both students. A few weeks passed in this manner.

“Draco,” Y/N asked, looking towards him with an unreadable expression on their face. “Why are you here? I know you don’t need help with this. It’s your best subject. You do just fine in class.”

Draco paled. He scratched his neck absent mindedly, eyes trained on a peculiar stain on the floor.

“I, ah, I know,” He paused for a second. He could feel Y/N’s eyes trained on his face, which was rapidly heating up, “I just like spending time with you,” he said, eyes not rising from the floor. He was so embarrassed. He couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. Why did he say that? He wanted to hide under his scarf or apparate away.

Y/N sighed before speaking. “… I like spending time with you too,” Y/N said. Draco looked up hopefully. Y/N was in the same position as him, face flushed and looking away. Draco grinned from ear to ear.

“Well, then we should spend some more time together,” he said, growing more confident with each word and the blush on Y/N’s face, “How about we go to Hogsmeade together next weekend?”

“… As a date?” Y/N said.

Draco paled once more, but pushed forwards, with a resolved “Yes.”

“Okay,” Y/N’s hand lifted to brush a stray hair behind their ear, smile on their blushing face.

Draco couldn’t wait for the next Hogsmeade trip, but until that time came, he still went to the library to spend time with Y/N. He invited them to many things, most of which Y/N politely declined when they saw the group of Slytherins behind him, most of which held a disapproving glare. Y/N always made sure to come to his quidditch matches though, and Draco could never resist showing off.

Draco entered the library, and for the first time, Y/N wasn’t there. On their table (which many students now avoided sitting at, for fear of Draco’s wrath) was a note. He recognized the scratched, near-illegible writing instantly. He picked up the note.

Draco,

Don’t you think the grounds are very nice this time of year? I’m underneath the tree by the lake.

See you soon,

Y/N

He left the library and headed outside. The sun was shining, and he had to admit, it was very nice out. It did not take him long to find Y/N, situated under a shaded tree. They had their eyes closed, drifting off while the shadows from the leaves danced over them. Draco was entranced. Books and parchment were spread on the ground all around them, it was clear they had been there most of the day. He stepped towards them, and they stirred, wiping their eyes with the back of their hand.

“Don’t let me interrupt your nap,” Draco said quietly. Y/N hummed in response.

“Why don’t you join me?” They said sleepily. Draco’s face turned pink and his eyes opened wide, but he didn’t decline. He moved closer and sat next to them, back leaning against the rough bark of the tree. Y/N scooted closer and laid their head on his shoulder. Draco tentatively wrapped his arm around their shoulder.

“…Is this okay?” Draco asked. Y/N just let out a soft mhm before closing their eyes again. In a near instant, they were asleep. Draco felt their weight slump against him. He didn’t know what to do, where to put his hands. After a panicked moment of looking down at their peaceful face, he relaxed. Draco laid his head down on top of theirs and let out a soft sigh. In a few moments, he too was drifting off to sleep.

He awoke some time later. He didn’t know how long it had been, only that the noonday sun was now creeping near the horizon. Y/N was still stationed next to him, but they were no longer asleep. Their head still rested on his shoulder and his head atop theirs, but their eyes were trained on the book in their hand. He watched as they ever so carefully flipped the page with a smooth movement and not a lick of sound.

Draco’s heart leapt when he realized they were so gentle and quiet because they didn’t want to wake him.

He didn’t hesitate to move, wrapping his arms completely around their waist and pulling them lower onto the soft grass. Y/N dropped their book and cursed but let out a soft giggle when Draco nuzzled into their neck.

“Feeling bold, aren’t you?” Y/N mumbled, hand brushing through his blonde hair.

“Yes,” Draco replied simply. He pulled back, letting his arms pin Y/N to the grass.

“I must still be sleepy,” he continued, looking down at them. The evening light danced between the leaves and cast jumping shadows across their adoring face.

“Or maybe you just do that to me,” Y/N was looking up at him and their eyes locked. He could see their chest moving with each breath, the leaves and grass bits in their hair, feel their warmth, see those adoring eyes, and he leaned forward with no hesitation.

The kiss was soft and sweet and seemed to last a lifetime. He never wanted this moment to end, but he had to come up for air. He opened his eyes, and Y/N lay beneath him, a perfect gentle smile upon their lips. He leaned down once more. ________________________

Draco walked to the library, like he did every day. He glared at first years that passed him by and sneered at the Gryffindors that passed, but as soon as the library doors closed behind him, he relaxed. He let out a sigh and a soft smile appeared.

Draco held his books in front of him, lopsided smile on his face as he walked up to the familiar table they used every day, and asked the same question that brought them together,

“Help me with my homework?”

#draco x reader #draco malfoy x reader #hp x reader #Harry Potter x reader #hp #x reader

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missmonsters2 · 5 years ago

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The Color of You || Part IV

PAIRING: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader/OFC

Summary: It was another mission Natasha was assigned to. Nothing she hasn’t done before. Same mission, different people. Sent undercover to investigate William Cain, suspect to funding terrorism and smuggling weaponry. Under the disguise of Natanya Rovinski, Natasha is ready for another routine mission. Until she met you, William’s fiancé.

Warnings: There are dark elements to this series. Also, smut later on.

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Action

NOTE: Y’all know the drill. Drop a comment to be added to tag list! Also, I wrote this while I was sick, so please ignore any glaringly obvious mistakes LOL

PART I || PART II || PART III

PART IV of X

Count: 2420

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

The morning before Natasha was to meet William, she decided to stop by to see you again. Natasha’s not exactly sure what compelled her to do so, but it didn’t settle well with her how things ended last night.

The maid let Natasha right in, stating once more that William was already gone to work.

Now, Natasha stood before your studio door again, looking through the glass at your back once more.

You were painting, working on the same piece you were last time. Whatever it was, you were intensely focusing on it.

Natasha let out a slight huff of breath as she tapped her knuckle lightly against the door.

You jumped slightly and genuinely.

“Come in,” you said, turning your attention to the door. You seemed surprised to see Natasha entered, but your face showed no memories of last night--to Natasha anyways.

“Natanya,” you greeted quietly, and it was then that Natasha finally got a better look at you.

There were streaks of paint on you again, shades of yellow on your arm and even a stripe on your cheek.

Your hair was in a tied up messy bun, strands falling out and framing your face as you demurely tucked a stray strand behind your ear.

Natasha missed this look of you. Rather than the fancy dresses and strains of politicians around you, she wanted you to always look like this.

But when she looked at the oversized men’s shirt on you, she couldn’t help but shirk a little.

And you noticed.

“Is that William’s?” It’s hardly words of greeting, and Natasha feels she might regret hearing the answer, but she can’t help it.

You’re ruining her.

You look down at your shirt and chuckle lightly.

“No,” you tell her, and Natasha feels the tension in her stomach relax, and it annoys her a little.

“I end up ruining a lot of shirts when I’m painting, so I buy shirts in bulk for cheap,” you explain further, tugging slightly at the hem of your shirt.

Natasha only smiled, eyes flitting over to your painting.

“Yellow today?” Natasha asks even though it’s clear with the streaks of paint on you.

You nod, looking at your work in progress as well.

“Tell me something about the color yellow,” Natasha says, falling into habits.

“Other than the obvious things?” You tease her and tilt your head when she chuckles.

“Well,” you start, thinking of what to tell Natasha. “Yellow is actually a very difficult color to read. Since it reflects so much light, it’s straining to the eyes. I can’t help but feel happy when I see the color, though.”

“Why?” Natasha asks softly.

You look up to the ceiling, and Natasha wonders what you see.

“It reminds me of my childhood,” you reveal to her. “In my parent’s summer cabin they used to own by a lake. Many yellow flowers grew there, and my mother used to bake sweets while my father fished. I would draw in my sketchbook, and nothing mattered then.”

“What did you want to not matter?”

“The future,” you say quietly.

The way you said it was so soft and sad that Natasha might’ve missed it if she weren’t hung up on your every word. But then the moment was gone when you looked back down and quirked your lip at Natasha.

“What else do you see about the color yellow?” Natasha asks you, not sure what else she can say but she doesn’t want the moment to end.

“It’s a complex color,” you tell her. “But it’s also the color for friendship.”

There it was.

Acknowledgment of last night.

Words that Natasha didn’t want to hear.

And so she crosses the threshold, invading your space as her hand touches the bottom of your back, dragging it’s way up until it’s between your shoulder blades.

“How are you so different from William?” Natasha asks quietly in your ear.

This was exactly what you had asked Natasha not to do, but she can’t help herself. She doesn’t want to pull away.

“How can you tell me to just be your friend?” It was a quiet hiss in your ear. Natasha lined her shoulder up to yours, her right hand covering your left.

“How can I only be your friend?” She asks you, her lips just brushing the tip of your ear and you bite your tongue.

“When I’m begging you like this?” Her forehead momentarily rests against yours as if in defeat and Natasha feels a wet spot against her wrist.

She pulls back to see a bright shade of yellow against her black sleeve. Your eyes pull down, and you frown.

“Sorry--I’m always getting paint on you,” you tell her, turning away to grab a cloth but Natasha grabs your hand.

“No,” she tells you. “I don’t want you to wipe it away.”

Her hand slowly slips from yours, and Natasha turns away to walks off, adjusting her coat in her arms.

“Natanya, wait--”

Natasha stops and turns her head back at your call.

“Tell...tell me something interesting too,” you ask her softly.

Natasha purses her lips tightly before sighing as she gives you a half-hearted smile.

“It’s getting harder to pretend you exist only here to me.”

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Natasha pinches the bridge of her nose.

She’s distracted.

How immature of her, she thought.

The entire afternoon, Natasha had been working on looking through the files and following up with Tony to see if he had anything.

The entire time, she couldn’t get you out of her head.

A part of her--the dark park, whispered about how it was a weakness. You were a weakness, an infection that was making her inefficient.

But after years of being with Clint, it was easier to silence the voice.

She heard a car drive up to her front porch and checked the time.

New plan, Natasha thought.

If she could find out tonight what William’s plans were, and in addition, secure all the microchips, she could be done with this all.

William would be put away, the microchips wouldn’t be released, and you?

You...

Natasha released a heavy sigh from her nose before she opened the door to see the driver.

“Miss Rovinski,” he greeted before gesturing to the car.

One step at a time, Natasha reminded herself.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

The drive was shorter than Natasha thought was normal.

The driver wasn’t taking her to the warehouse that Natasha had seen Emilio load off the microchips at.

In fact, she ended up on the Cain’s estate once more, but instead of the main house, she was being led to the right-wing that was detached.

“Natanya, glad to see you made it okay,” William greeted her as she stepped in. She was the last to arrive, seeing many familiar faces of politicians and CEOs of companies that were supporting William’s campaign.

There was one face that Natasha didn’t recognize.

A woman with very sharp facial features, blonde hair, and in a tight pencil skirt stood a little further away with her hands behind her back.

Natasha took a seat as William started his presentation.

“I’m glad you all could make it. As you know, I’ve promised for my campaign something revolutionary...and I’m here to provide just that.” William grinned, throwing his palm out to the blonde in the back. She placed something in his hand and William brought it back, placing it delicately on the table.

“What this? A phone chip?” One of the CEOs asked as he leaned closer to take a look.

William chuckled and shook his head.

“Not even close. This, everyone, is our future. It’s a bio nanochip, meant to be inserted just right behind your ear. It’s a data collector. Anything about yourself will be put onto this microchip. Health, genetics, personal preferences, all of it.”

“Why would anyone want to have that?” Another person asked, William just grinning further.

“Think of it like this. Your family has a history of heart problem, the nanochip picks up on that. You’re constantly making unhealthy choices--not exercising, eating junk food, not visiting the doctor. The nanochip is picking all this up, by the way. Maybe you need a heart transplant--what would you do?”

The men and women looked at each other around the room, perplexed by the hypothetic situation.

“I would go to the best doctor available,” one woman said.

“What if you can’t afford it?” William countered.

“I--” She stuttered.

“What if you’re a student wanting to go to the best university there is, and you didn’t get any scholarships--what would you do?”

“Get student loans from the bank or government,” a CEO offered.

“You didn’t qualify, or maybe you don’t want to pay the insane interest rates for the rest of your life. What then?”

Everyone is silent. Natasha is confused about what exactly William wants to do.

He pushes the nanochip forward.

“This nanochip collects all your data on you, gives you the information via an app. As stakeholders, you’ve all purchased your share into the company I’ve started up to provide this technology to the public. The chip is free itself but to get it, people must sign an agreement with our company that it can collect, use, or sell their data.” William lifted his finger off of the nanochip, looking at everyone.

“In situations where maybe people are looking to get a little...help, stakeholder and other companies who purchased into the company can reach out to this individual and set up a side contract with them. Be it their services or whatever they can offer in exchange for the financial help, connections, or whatever it is.”

Natasha felt her stomach dropping more and more as William spoke.

She was going to vomit, she’s sure of it.

William was going to turn poor people into...into slaves to the rich and to companies.

Poor people who can’t afford healthcare, education, a job, or even a home. They wouldn’t even realize what selling their information would do.

Who is to say a company or person using a someone’s information wouldn’t do things like make them unemployable--forcing them to turn to rich people and companies for help?

The worst part is many people wouldn’t even see a problem with it. They would be stuck in a cycle, relying on the rich to stay alive or achieve anything. The rich would have complete control over people who’ve signed their life away.

“Amazing,” A CEO said, looking at the chip. The potential for free employment was outstanding, and he was already increasing his profits for the upcoming year.

Sure, they may be shelling out thousands of dollars, but whatever they were shelling out would be made back on interest and their services. A trade of equal or higher value.

After all, humans are the best resource there is.

“How do you know if companies will want to be involved?” A woman asked.

William grinned throwing a stack on paper on the table. “On average, 70% of businesses in each state has already invested in this. Even some internationally. The funding for everything is already secured.”

“When is it set to roll out?” Natasha asked, plastering a smile even though she felt sick.

“It’s already rolling out,” William told her, “it’s been going in batches. The last batch will be shipped out tomorrow night.”

The first thing in Natasha’s head was panic.

The second was that she needed to call Tony and Steve immediately.

The third was that she needed to get a hold of the last batch.

There was a small celebration happening, and Natasha stayed as she felt the group was too small for her to sneak out unnoticed.

When it came to an end, Natasha made sure William watch her leave in her vehicle.

Halfway through, Natasha got her driver to stop, drop her in the middle nowhere, send him off on his merry way as she turned around and made her way to the warehouse on foot.

The warehouse was quiet, quieter than Natasha expected. No guards standing outside, but maybe because that would seem suspicious. Using her intel from last time, she slips through a window, landing gracefully and moves behind a pillar when she sees a guard standing inside at the door instead.

She makes her way quickly to where the crates were last time which was the back of the warehouse, but there’s nothing.

No crates.

It was all gone.

Suddenly, alarms were going off, and Natasha found herself in flashing red lights, guards were screaming, and there were footsteps quickly rushing towards her.

Natasha didn’t have time to make it back to the window where she came in from and quickly left the through the nearest back door that led outside.

Red flashing lights were on the outside too as the alarms continued to ring and Natasha was running into the trees and bushes outback.

She could hear the footsteps running after her and Natasha thought she would have to take out the guards.

If she did that, it would alert William for sure someone was onto him.

Just as Natasha debated on what her next move should be, an arm shot out from behind a tree, pulling her roughly in before shoving her down and underneath a bush to hide.

Natasha was about to attack whoever was on top of her, her body tensing up but when she found herself staring into your wide eyes, fingers to your lip as you signaled her to be quiet, she did as she was told.

Time seemed to stop as the silence shrouded the two of you, the footsteps in the distance.

The two of you didn’t dare move.

It was an awful time to notice how warm your body was and how much it fitted against hers, but Natasha had always been acute to noticing everything around her.

It wasn’t until the footsteps and voices passed the bush the two of you hid in without incident, the voices fading further and further away until there was nothing but silence again.

You let out the breath you were holding in, eyes closing in relief, shoulders sagging, and Natasha felt all the tension leave your body.

She wanted to open her mouth and ask you what in God’s name were you doing out here and how the hell you knew she was here.

But you opened your mouth first as you turned your head towards Natasha, eyes ablaze with fury.

“What in the hell were you thinking?!”

PART V

#mm: my fics #series: the color of you #natasha romanoff x reader #Natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x ofc #natasha romanov x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanov imagine #natasha romanoff #black widow x reader #black widow imagine #Avengers #avengers imagine #Avengers AU #avengers reader insert #marvel mcu #Modern Avengers AU #marvel imagine

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thebirdohermes · 4 years ago

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Grass Cushion

Here’s a little something I wrote last night after looking at some prompts and being really inspired by one! Time for self indulgent writing! I mention pressure stimming in this! Because I’m an autistic bitch who needs the pressure squishing me! Ahem. Without further ado, writing below the cut!

One helluva day had passed. Wilson was pretty worn down from it all and he’d run out of any spoons long ago. But the two of them were already out and about. Alucard and Wilson had spent the day walking around. It was rare for Alucard to be in spirits ready to walk around outside during the day. It wasn’t like the sun affected him, he was far too powerful for that. He made comments about disliking the sun though.

Wilson saw the way Alucard watched sunrises and sunsets. HIs eyes fixated on a point in the sky, watching the colors blend and the red sun rise or descend the view. Wilson had watched Alucard plenty of times when he stayed up with Alucard through the night. It wasn’t something he wanted to do often (his poor sleep schedule had quite a grip on him, though). He did want to have a healthy sleeping pattern but still be able to spend as much time as he could with Alucard. He found himself longing for his companionship when he was working on artwork during the day. Commissions and Patreon content that needed to get out there. When he took stretch breaks he’d near summoned Alucard. He knew Alucard was busy dealing with ghouls and freak vampires often, but he still wanted to call on him every now and then. Spending every hour of the day with someone would probably feel too claustrophobic, though. Wilson needed his space and Alucard his. Wilson respected that, and Alucard just seemed to know when to show up.

Throughout the day Wilson and Alucard had stopped to sit in the shade or the sun and take in the environment. They’d started at one area on the bike path and now they were round a bend on the lake. They’d gone quite a ways away. Each time they had stopped, Wilson pulled out his sketchbook and drew. People wandering by on the path with dogs, boats out on the lake, or Alucard were frequent subjects for the artist.

Wilson and Alucard had wandered to a beach side. It had started off empty, but it was quickly filled with lake-goers within a matter of thirty minutes. Alucard kept a close eye on Wilson while they sat in their shaded spot being surrounded by humans. Alucard had grown accustomed to reading Wilson. A wrong movement of his hands or lip twitch and Alucard knew what he’d have to do. It depended on the situation, if it called for it.

Wilson’s pencil stopped moving and Alucard searched Wilson for any signs that he could pick up on. No, false alarm. Wilson had only been switching to his eraser. He was determined to nail his subject matter on the page.

Alucard watched Wilson. He continued drawing, but slowed up only several minutes after he had first thought he noticed something. Wilson’s head turned a little to the left and his gaze dropped. Alucard looked past Wilson to see where he was looking. There was a group nearby the two of them. A couple of teenagers were laughing amongst themselves. Having a good time together. Alucard’s gaze fixed on Wilson again and he watched as Wilson took a moment to look down at himself. His own eyes searching himself. Alucard nodded to himself as he watched Wilson’s jaw move. To the average onlooker, the movement was unnoticeable. Alucard was no average onlooker. Wilson was his; his human; his lover. He saw the slight jaw tighten happen.

Alucard’s hand appeared in Wilson’s line of sight. He was staring down at his sketchbook after he’d heard the group of teens behind him laughing. He’d checked himself. Was there anything glaring? Any major aspect of himself that screamed out for a chorus of chuckles?

Wilson followed Alucard’s arm up to his face with his gaze. He was watching Wilson. He had an intense look in his eyes. Wilson stared back at Alucard for a few moments and then packed his sketchbook into his fanny pack. Alucard stood from his spot across from Wilson and took a few steps to close the small space between the two. He extended his hand again and Wilson took it and stood. Alucard wanted to hug Wilson, he knew he’d need the pressure on his body, but he also knew that Wilson would get nervous with all the people around. While extraverted, he was still quite the awkward autistic person. He needed the pressure stim but he also wouldn’t want to do something so intimate surrounded by prying eyes. It would feed into the feelings Wilson was already having in this moment. Instead, he squeezed Wilson’s hand and began leading him away from the area. They left the beach area and wandered into nearby woods, following a desire path into the shade of the trees. They walked past a wooden overlook. Any regular time Wilson would have wanted to venture into it and look at the view beyond the railings.

Alucard led Wilson off the path and they headed into unknown territory. Alucard wasn’t worried about getting lost. He didn’t get lost. After a few more minutes of exploring they came to a secluded, warm, opening behind the trunk of a large tree. Once there, Alucard took Wilson into his arms. He hugged him against his body with his long arms wrapped around him. Wilson was shorter than Alucard, only coming up to below Alucard’s shoulders. Alucard had no trouble wrapping his arms around him.

Wilson let out a low, long sigh as he eased into the hug. The pressure on his body felt good. He wanted to lay down in the grass and have Alucard just sit on him. The feeling of being squished with care was so good. The pressure stim! Wilson pressed his forehead against Alucard’s chest. He stared at Alucard’s shirt through half-lidded eyes. He was tall and warm. He knew just what he’d needed in the moment.

“How are you, My Human?” Alucard’s voice dripped down to Wilson’s ears.

“Better. Thank you…” Wilson muttered as he pressed his face against Alucard’s chest. He breathed in through his nose, taking in Alucard’s scent.

“What else can I do for you?” Alucard asked. He rubbed Wilson’s back a bit with one hand.

Wilson stayed quiet for a moment. He turned his head a bit to look at the grass. Sun shone down, and the grass looked straight out of a fantasy. Plush and green-yellow. It reminded Wilson of a patch of grass he’d noticed one year at his parents’ old house. He was celebrating his eighteenth birthday and he laid in the patch with his significant other at the time. That plush, unreal grass. Alucard watched Wilson and then looked where Wilson was looking. The grass in the clearing.

“I want to lay on the grass. And I want you to lay on me.” Wilson turned his head and looked back up at Alucard. Brown met red and held each other with care.

“And so we shall.” Alucard released Wilson from the hug and watched as he moved over to the patch of grass. Wilson stood upright for a moment. Sunlight beaming down through the treetops caressed Wilson’s features. Features Alucard knew and loved on Wilson. He knew Wilson only liked his nose. When he got into his oversharing mood he would reference his hatred for his own body but make an exception for his nose. Stating that it was his best feature. Alucard could see the appeal, sure. Of course, Alucard found every inch of Wilson appealing. Freckles across his cheeks. The slight unevenness of his eyelids. The way his hair grew so fast and he had to complain about getting it cut again. The few moles that littered Wilson’s neck and arms. Every bit of him Alucard found appealing.

There the human of Alucard’s affection stood in the warm light. The yellow-orange seeped down through the green above and held Wilson. Alucard could spend the rest of his unlife in the moment. He knew this was a moment he would revisit often. In an easy glide of a motion, Alucard was next to Wilson. Wilson looked at Alucard as he took his face into his hands. His hands brushed against the underside of Wilson’s chin. He was gentle as ever. Actions like that made Wilson melt. A gobbedly-goop with lovey-dovey eyes in Alucard’s hands. Just putty. He stared up at Alucard’s eyes and took in Alucard’s smile and gaze. A smile worth a million tender words and eyes glued to Wilson worth the same.

“I couldn’t help myself. You were standing in the sun,” Alucard paused and it almost seemed like he might have been at a loss for words “just waiting.” “Vampire, you’re funny. I was barely standing here for a few seconds.” Wilson blinked a few times and watched Alucard’s hands as they floated back down to his sides.

“I know.” Alucard flashed his teeth and stepped back so Wilson could lie in the grass. Once Wilson was down on the grass, he got comfy and then watched Alucard. He was waiting on the grass for him.

Alucard towered over Wilson and just admired him for a bit. The being of his affection, just lying in wait for him on a cushion of grass. Alucard kneeled down and laid himself onto Wilson. A content hum crept out of Wilson’s mouth as Alucard’s weight settled onto him. Alucard carefully spread his weight onto Wilson and began petting him.

“Thank you for squishing me.”

Alucard let out a chuckle of a HMPH and watched Wilson beneath him. Wilson wiggled one of his arms out to wrap onto Alucard’s back. He grabbed onto the fabric of Alucard’s shirt and smiled. “Anything for you, My Human.”

#self ship #self shipping #self ship community #s/i x f/o #s/i x canon #fictional other #self ship drabble #self ship one shot #autistic self shippers #adhd self shippers #self ship writing #ok to rb #alucard #stim time stim time stim time!!!!!#listen!!!!! i just like being squished!!!#me when im hanging with friends: please lay on me #me when sitting with friends on the couch: please put your legs over MINE #wilson writes

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chilly-territory · 5 years ago

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Uchouten Kazoku 2, chapter 1 (part 1 out of 3)

And this is the more interesting thing I mentioned.

The Eccentric Family: The Nidaime's Homecoming (Uchouten Kazoku: Nidaime no Kichou) by Morimi Tomihiko

Chapter 1 (part 1/3, pages 7-29) The Nidaime's Homecoming

There is nothing to do except to live an amusing life.

First, how about setting to do just that.

I'm what you would call a tanuki living in modern Kyoto, but too proud to be a mere tanuki, I admire tengu from afar and love imitating humans. There is no doubt this trouble-inviting disposition is something that has been passed down from our distant ancestors through generations, and my late father referred to it as our 'idiot blood'.

My father, Shimogamo Souichirou, was known far and wide in the city of Kyoto and its surroundings as the Nise-emon [*1], that is, the head of Kyoto's tanuki society, and even tengu respected him. If Souichirou had been a tanuki possessing just a little more good sense, he wouldn't have ended up in humans' tanuki hot pot as a result of picking a fight with the Kurama tengu. However, he was able to leave numerous legends behind precisely because he was a phenomenal idiot who danced on the brink of a pot.

"My idiot blood's doing," he used to say.

I came into this world as the third son of said Nise-emon, Shimogamo Souichorou, in the Tadasu forest.

A genius shows from childhood, they say, and I showed myself as a perfectly healthy and furry problem child of the tanuki world even before being able to stand steadily on my four paws. Starting with my attempt to smoke out Hesoishi-sama[*2] of Rokkakudou with pine needles, I bizarrely changed into anything and everything, from a bottle opener to mounted peacekeepers[*3], and meddled in tengu and humans' affairs alike, having bought a lot of displeasure as Yasaburou the reckless lad. However, as a tanuki in whose veins the idiot blood inherited from my father flows, how else could I live? There is no path for me other than that of a fool.

In other words, an amusing thing is a good thing.

And thus, I begin this furry tale that started on a certain day in May when spring was in full bloom in Kyoto, spreading fresh smiling greenery to all the 36 peaks of the Higashiyama mountains where I, a tanuki, lived an amusing life, as always.

〇

Ever since being a baby tanuki, I'd always loved May that never failed to get my idiot blood bubbling with excitement.

The forest puffing out with vibrant new leaves resembles a tanuki, don't you think?

On that day, I exited the Tadasu forest, humming to myself as I walked along the riverside of the Kamogawa river with the spring breeze streaming around me. Having shapeshifted into a gorgeous woman with blond hair and blue eyes, I took no small pride in my skin-deep beauty, parading myself along the Kamogawa river and bewitching the living daylights out of some idiot students passing by.

My destination was a certain apartment in the apartment building Masugata just behind the Demachi shopping district.

Despite the refreshing spring breeze sweeping through every back alley and street of Kyoto, that shabby apartment stayed gloomy like a stale permanently laid-out bedding never left out to air.

In that apartment lived a life of alternating lulls and explosions of rage Akadama-sensei, an elderly semi-retired tengu. Having an imposing name of Nyoigadake Yakushibou[*4], he used to be a great tengu ruling over the whole Mt.Nyoigadake in the past. However, having suffered defeat in the turf war against the Kurama tengu, he was exiled to behind the Demachi shopping arcade, becoming a shadow of his former self, his dignity as a tengu vanishing like mist.

"Hello, hello, sensei, it is I, Yasaburou, and I humbly came to call on you."

When I called out to the back of the four and a half tatami mat room, "Oh, it's you, Yasaburou," came an answer in a displeased voice.

"Oh, sensei, are you in ill humor today, again?" "I never once have been in good humor since taking my first bath as a baby." "Here you go again saying such things... better take a look here: a beautiful girl is here for you. Please behold this hair, golden like the finest Miwa soumen[*5]." "Don't flaunt your cheap shapeshifting tricks before me, they make me sick!!

Leaving the foodstuff in the kitchen, I entered the four-and-a-half-tatami mat room and found sensei sitting cross-legged on the laid-out futon in stains from Akadama port wine and scowling at a stone on a zabuton of gold brocade. It was a pebble about as big as a human’s clenched fist, gray and completely ordinary.

"Ohh, if it isn’t the keystone of the tengu hot pot!" I said. "As long as they have this, even a complete fool like you can make a hot pot." "...What a mean thing to say."

To make a tengu hot pot you fill a pot with water, add tofu, kujo green onions, Chinese cabbage and some chicken meat, then throw in that stone that sensei had and let it all boil. It's delicious if you eat it with seasoned ponzu, but without the keystone, you won't get the flavor of the authentic tengu hot pot even if you use the same ingredients. That keystone was truly a priced possession and a seasoned veteran that had been wandering from one hot pot to another in Japanese cuisine restaurants of Kyoto for a long time, and each time it was thrown into a hot pot, it would ooze the umami of countless hot pots. Another stone was entrusted to a traditional Japanese restaurant near Koudaiji temple and was currently in the process of ripening.

Although, in Akadama-sensei's opinion, since the tengu hot pot was a recipe that implied cooking in deep mountain valleys, making the authentic tengu hot pot without letting the clear air of mountains dissolve in it was impossible in the first place. Making it in this apartment where the only things that could dissolve in it were dust and tanuki hair would only result in a poor imitation no matter what you did. Though if served said result, sensei would still eat it with appetite - tengu were really troublesome creatures like that.

"I humbly thank you," I said, accepting the keystone with appropriate reverence and heading to the kitchen to start preparations for a hot pot. "Yasaburou, tell me, are you still into hunting the likes of tsuchinoko?" "Would you like to come along, too, sensei? I plan to head to Nyoigadake tomorrow."

When I suggested that, sensei only snorted from his small four-and-a-half-tatami mat room, "What foolishness. You take after Souichirou in all the silly ways."

〇

By the time we'd almost finished eating the hot pot, the sun outside had already set.

I patted my full tummy, while Akadama-sensei puffed on his tengu tobacco, looking quite satisfied. The ascending trail of purple smoke drifted around the conical shade of the lamp like a tiny dragon.

"Days sure have gotten longer, wouldn't you say, sir?" "Another tedious day I've lived through." "By the way, sir, have you received any letters from Benten-sama?" I asked, and sensei threw a suspicious sidelong glance my way. "And why would you want to know that?" "Why won't you tell me, sir?" "What a persistent little scrub. How is my correspondence with Benten any business of yours?"

Benten was Akadama-sensei's beloved disciple whom he had educated in the ways of tengu with utmost care.

With her tengu-like raw power Benten overwhelmed authentic tengu, with her beautiful face she bewitched humans, and with her repulsive habit of eating tanuki hot pots she made Kyoto's tanuki shudder in fear of her. Who could have imagined back when Akadama-sensei had abducted her as she trotted along the bank of Lake Biwa that she would come to the fore so rapidly?

The one who incited me to help her trap Akadama-sensei and subsequently made him fall, ultimately causing his ruin, was also Benten. And not only that: she also made my father into a tanuki hot pot and ate him, and she never left attempts to do the same to me at every opportunity. Despite all of that, she was my first love, so it was complicated. "Is it that bad that I'm a tanuki?" I asked her. "Of course. I am a human, after all," she replied. Every time I recalled that conversation, the fur on my butt felt itchy.

It was dazzling April when Benten declared that she would cross the ocean.

I heard of that on one early morning when I was taking a stroll along the Kamogawa riverside together with Benten who leaped from one sakura tree in full bloom on the bank to another, indulging in a cruel game of shaking off all the petals from them without leaving a single one. "Why? What brought this on so suddenly?" I asked as I chased her in the storm of sakura petals. Seated on the top branch of a sakura tree that was left completely naked, she gazed with amusement at the petals dancing in the air and falling to the bank. "Well, I'm bored," was all she said.

"Yasaburou, make sure you take care of sensei for me. I might write a letter if I feel like it."

After spectacularly scattering sakura petals in Kyoto, she proceeded to use her charm on a tycoon in the port of Kobe to board a luxury liner, embarking on a round-the-world cruise. Akadama-sensei was only informed of Benten's departure after the ship had already set sail and when it was already too late to chase after her even if he tried.

Since having departed on her voyage impressively without any money she had yet to come back.

Occasional letters from Benten were the only consolation to sensei's heart. The fact that Benten, of all people, took troubles to write letters already being a reason enough for deep gratitude notwithstanding, those letters clearly lacked in effort so much that it was plain to see coldheartedness oozing from between their lines: even if she wrote something, it was but a couple of lines at best and simply the symbols of 〇 or X at worst. Despite that, Akadama-sensei, always sincerely looking forward to such letters, would read the few lines with meticulous attention, as if licking each of them, then carefully store the letter in a Chinese jewel-box and cherish it as if it were an imperial treasure from the Shousouin treasure house[*6]. One of the reasons why I made a habit of duly visiting sensei's apartment on a regular basis was because I hoped to snatch an opportunity when sensei would be drunk off his gourd to read Benten's letters.

Staring into the now empty pot, Akadama-sensei groaned, "Benten, plague take her, appears to be in England at the moment. Curse her for going to such a remote place."

Sensei fished out the Earth's globe out of a pile of junk, spun it and found England. "What, it's this tiny little thing?" he commented. "To hell with this world pleasure tour, she's just wasting her talent, much to my chagrin! Even though what she should be doing is devoting all her energy to walking the path of sorcery and someday succeeding her mighty master, that is I." "I wonder what she is doing there right about now." "Hmph. Probably eating some English tanuki, I would bet. Wouldn't you?"

When asked that, I recalled the words of my lovely natural enemy, 'Because I love you so much that I would eat you.' My idiot blood that made me look forward to the return of my natural enemy who betrayed her teacher, devoured my father and tried to eat me was frankly too much of a nuisance even to myself.

"You look lonely, Yasaburou." Sensei stared intensely at me. "All because Benten's not around. Bull's eye, right?" "Ahaha. I have no idea what you are talking about, sir." "You never learn your place, do you. Don't think she'd show any mercy to the likes of tanuki," sensei said, plucking his nose hair. "...But if you want to jump into a pot of your own volition, I won't stop you."

〇

That spring, I was obsessed with hunting tsuchinoko.

In the world of humans, there is a saying 'An idle brain of a small man is the devil's workshop'. It means that if a fool has more time on his hands than he knows what to do with, nothing good will come out of it. In the world of tanuki, there is a similar proverb, 'An idle brain of a small tanuki is the devil's workshop'. So let's just say that according to worldly wisdom, even the world itself would be better off if I searched for tsuchinoko rather than cooked up the devil's work for him. Initially, I started my tsuchinoko hunt because of my late father's influence, but there is no doubt that said father of mine was so in frenzy to search for tsuchinoko in his youth because he had trouble finding outlets for his buzzing idiot blood.

The term 'tsuchinoko' refers to a strange very short but wide type of serpent, a UMA with an ancient origin that was featured in the Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia[*7] under the name of 'Nozuchi snake'. Even long before I was born, the fever of trying to find this cryptid had invaded the tanuki world. The rumor has it that in the times of my father's Sturm und Drang youth, 80% of his ventures was spent on tsuchinoko-related adventuring. The root of that passion for the romanticized dream was, without a doubt, the idiot blood flowing in our veins, and there were even tanuki in our family who ruined themselves over tsuchinoko.

However, my mother couldn't be farther from understanding the appeal of the nigh unattainable dream that tsuchinoko represented.

"That tsuchinoko of yours, is it anything like takenoko[*8]?" she asked. "Not in the least, mother." "But it's edible, at least?"

When I showed her a drawing of how tsuchinoko was supposed to look, "Oh, so it's just a weird little snake. I bet its meat is all tough," she declared. My mother was insistent on seeing tsuchinoko only as food. "Not tasty. Not tasty at all!" "I keep telling you I'm not going to eat it." "If you're not going to eat it, then why search for it?" "I guess the romance of hunting for a dream goes beyond your understanding, mother." "Come to think of it, I seem to remember that Sou-san also searched for that thing when he was young. It's so exasperating, really. Weird little tanuki do get fixated on weird little things!"

With that, my mother shapeshifted into a handsome young man and headed off to the Takarazuka Revue[*9].

As to me, I tried inviting my second elder brother dwelling on the bottom of a water well in Rokudo-chinouji temple to join my tsuchinoko hunt. But my brother said, "Even supposing we did find tsuchinoko, I'd wind up getting swallowed whole. Because, you know, it's a snake, and I'm a frog." I couldn't argue with that.

At the time, my eldest brother was very busy, often going to Nanzenji temple. All because he was moving behind the scene to revive the Nanzenji Temple Tanuki Shogi Tournament that the previous head of the temple and our father had collaborated to hold in the past. Shogi was our father's hobby, but then again, so was tsuchinoko. My eldest brother, however, had a tendency to place more cultural importance on shogi than on tsuchinoko hunting. "Stop chasing around something as dubious as tsuchinoko," he started lecturing, which made inviting him out of question.

In the end, I organized the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team with my not exactly eager younger brother Yashirou as its other member. The founding leader was our father, I was the second generation leader, and team member number 1 became my younger brother. We were on the lookout for a team member number 2 in and around the city of Kyoto.

〇

The next day after my paying a visit to Akadama-sensei, our Tsuchinoko Expedition Team set out, infiltrating the forest from the Shishigatani valley and proceeding to wander around the foot of Mt.Nyoigadake. The forest wearing fresh green swelled like a sponge that absorbed clear water, with the wind, nice and cool at its core, rustling between the numerous pillars of light shining through new leaves.

"Nii-chan, it smells like spring, right?" "Hey, keep your eyes peeled. We have no idea where it might be hiding." "But, nii-chan, I have to wonder if tsuchinoko really exists." "It's precisely because we don't know for sure if it exists or not that it makes this dream-hunting worthwhile."

Since tsuchinoko is a UMA steeped in mysteries, for its capture one must employ equally mysterious techniques, or so my pet theory went. Going about it the normal way wouldn't work, as there could be no doubt that all the obvious methods had already been tried by someone. The approach that looked to me like it could be useful was summed up by 'If you do this, what would happen?' So we set a trap of a gourd filled with cheap sake and a hard-boiled egg sprinkled with some Ajinomoto salt[*10] in the shade of a tree. We also documented in a field notebook any suspicious traces we had found in the forest.

Although I hatched a plan to teach my younger brother the beauty of tsuchinoko hunting and eventually raise him into a proper member of my team, all he did was going on and on on the bothersome subject of electromagnetism, not showing the least bit of interest in the dream adventure that tsuchinoko represented and that was happening right at the moment. As the last straw, he finally took out a reference book from his clasp-adorned pouch-shaped backpack and started reading it while walking, like a veritable Ninomiya Sontoku[*11] for all the world. If only he spared just one percent of that enthusiasm and directed it toward tsuchinoko hunting... Seemingly completely oblivious to that earnest wish of mine, my kid brother, "Nii-chan, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration," had the gull to throw Edison's famous quote at me.

"That's wrong, Yashirou. Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% foolishness." "Then when do you work hard?" "...You just wait for your destiny." "But, nii-chan, I don't think that's the way to live." "You cheeky little Edison!" I started teasing, when the forest's trees suddenly stirred, as if jolted by an invisible giant.

And then, the whooshing sound as if the very air was being rent asunder started getting closer.

"Something's flying our way, it's dangerous!"

The moment I hugged my brother's head and bent over, covering him, something came flying in from the sky, tearing through the canopy of fresh leaves and crossing over above us. Sunlight filtering through the trees swayed furiously, and torn off leaves rained all around us. Then, with a sharp thud reverberating in the pit of my stomach, everything went quiet.

We cautiously lifted our heads.

Right above us, in the top branches of a large tree covered with new green, there was stuck a velvet-covered chaise. Its red velvet sparked most bewitchingly in the light streaming through the leaves.

"Nii-chan, could it be a tengu stone?" my little brother murmured.

〇

Tanuki called the phenomenon of unlikely things falling from the sky 'tengu throwing stones'.

Be it tengu's prank or simply them accidentally dropping their possessions, among all kinds of things that rained from the sky in the past were, for example, fuda talismans, small gold koban coins, wine casks and colored carps. My mother said that when she was still little, cotton candy fell from the sky near Sajoukobashi bridge, and near Mt.Funaokayama there resided a tanuki collector of tengu stones who even eventually opened a private museum for exhibiting them. Back when Akadama-sensei was still active and flying through the sky, there was a time when he rounded up all of his tanuki apprentices and sent them on a search for something he had dropped.

Since a few days ago, the topic of some modern-looking tengu stones falling from the sky became a hotly discussed subject, and I was aware of it.

Said stones were all diverse and truly gorgeous articles, like silver tableware polished to a shine, a seasoned violin fit for a maestro musician, a bathtub with metal legs and Persian carpets that looked ready to fly through the sky, among others. A custom tracing back to the Edo period stated that so long as tengu didn't come out and claim ownership, a tengu stone would come in possession of the one who picked it up, so you could see why Kyoto's tanuki were so excited about the recent fallings.

In accordance with tanuki's finders keepers rule, this velvet chaise was to become the Shimogamo family's possession.

My brother and I went through quite a bit of trouble getting said chaise off the tree.

When I experimentally sat down on its red velvet, my behind experienced such fluffiness that I had this majestic feeling as if I was a guest of honor in an ancient and honorable Western-style house. Even the faint moldy waft in the air smelled classy to me. That was enough to make even us sons of a distinguished family ourselves let loose a sigh of admiration.

"The level of comfort is too high, so high, in fact, that it feels like my butt's disappeared on me," opined my little brother with seriousness. "This is amazing. It's probably what antique is." "Mother will be pleased if we bring this home." "Very well. Starting now, the Tsuchinoko Expedition Team will proceed to carry this chaise home. Team member number 1, take the chaise by the rear end at once." "Roger!"

We lined on the both sides of the chaise with it held between us and, with a great deal of effort, proceeded along the foot of Nyoigadake. The grand chaise clearly boasting historical weight was just as grandly weighty physically, proving to be a heavy load for the slender arms of modern tanuki kids lacking in strength. "Nii-chan, my arms are all tingling," voiced a feeble complaint my kid brother. "They're tingling because this is a tingling mountain," said I. "That's lies, this is Mt.Nyoigadake," he rebuked, and I laughed.

After a while, my brother murmured uneasily, "Nii-chan, won't we get yelled at for coming all the way here to search for tsuchinoko?" "And who's gonna yell at us?" "Isn't this the Kurama tengu-samas's turf?" "As if we could search for tsuchinoko if we were worried about some guys like the Kurama tengu! Besides, the whole area around Mt.Nyoigadake is our Akadama-sensei's turf to begin with. Although he was ousted from here in a tengu turf war, sensei's still greater than the Kurama lot. Those Kurama tengu are just small timers compared to Akadama-sensei." "'Small timers', huh?"

All of a sudden, the chaise got heavier, unbearably so. It didn't so much as budge when I pulled. "Yashirou, are you holding it up properly on your end?" I asked and when I tried to take a look over my shoulder, a voice resembling an owl's hooting at night said near my ear, "Hoou hou". The moment a cold breath trickling against the side of my head sent a chill down my spine, I got seized by the neck.

"You've got quite the mouth on you, little punk. What parts are you tanuki from?"

A man in a blackish business suit swooped down on the chaise's armrest and grabbed me by the neck.

I ducked my head before saying, "Oh my, oh my, if it isn't a Kurama tengu-sama. How are you doing this fine day?"

〇

I and my little brother were escorted by that Kurama tengu to the site of bonfire lighting taking place during the Daimonji festival[*12]. The transformation of my brother whose balls shrunk up literally and figuratively came undone, and he reverted back to his tanuki form, then got seized by the scruff like a cat.

Back when Akadama-sensei ruled over Nyoigadake and its surroundings like he owned them, he used to parade his tanuki apprentices around calling it 'practical drills'. Sometimes he took us as far as Mt.Iwayasan or Lake Takaragaike, but generally we would wander around Nyoigadake that was sensei's own backyard. On this site of Daimonju bonfire lighting, the tanuki would shapeshift into the Genji and Heike clans and wage an imitation Genpei war [*13], so it brought back memories.

"This way, follow me."

Like the Kurama tengu arrogantly ordered, I began climbing the slop dotted with fire pits for lighting the bonfires that formed the 大 'dai' character.

Looking back as I trod on the young green grass, I saw the brightly-colored townscape of the Kyoto city expanding below against the backdrop of the mist-covered sky. This canvas was truly a sight worthy of a tengu to behold.

On the slope halfway up the mountain, there stood a red and white stripped parasol like what you'd find at an ice-cream stand by the poolside, and under it 4 Kurama tengu, encircling a round table, were engrossed in playing hanafuda [*14]. Among them were those who wore a business suit complete with a tie in a proper and neat fashion, as well as those who popped a vein in their temples and rolled up their sleeves. Every time they threw the cards on the table, a jingling sound could be heard as if small coins were being scattered. After all, tengu were hot-tempered creatures, and when they got into a game too much, they would end up tearing or biting hanafuda more often than not. For that reason, the tengu hanafuda cards were made of steel.

The tengu that brought us called out to one of his companions, "Hoou hou, Reizanbou."

The one to answer him was a tengu in a white dress shirt and sunglasses.

"Hoou hou, Tamonbou. Why did you bring the likes of tanuki here?" "They were saying insulting things about us, and I thought it can't be allowed to pass." "I see. Indeed, it's our job to educate tanuki, after all. So, what kind of insults were they throwing?" "'The Kurama tengu are just small timers', according to them."

The Kurama tengu, seated at the round table, burst out laughing, still clutching the hanafuda in hand. That tengu laughter massed together like an ominous dark cloud and took flight, riding the wind blowing across the slope.

These Kurama tengu were the same ones who once upon a time ousted Akadama-sensei and occupied Nyoigadake, that is, five out of the ten retainers under direct command of Kuramayama Soujoubou. They were Reizanbou, Tamonbou, Teikinbou, Getsurinbou and Nichirinbou [*15], but they all were so alike like acorns from the same tree that it was impossible to tell which was which by looking. It was no wonder that during the meetings on Mt.Atagoyama, Akadama-sensei never passed up an opportunity to ridicule them by saying 'Look at 'em mountain acorns putting on airs'.

Groveling on the firebed as the spring breeze swept over me, I said, "I humbly stand before you sirs as the third son of Shimogamo Souichirou, Yasaburou. And this is my little brother Yashirou." "Famous! Famous!" the Kurama tengu cheered, their hanafuda jingling.

"So you're Yasaburou, of the Shimogamos, huh!" "He's Benten-san's favorite, apparently," "Wait, wait, wasn't there a fool of a tanuki by the name Souichirou who fell into a pot?" "Oh, I remember that tanuki!" "He was a tanuki who never knew his place. All because Yakushibou spoiled him rotten," "That senile old fool was always like that. All pleased and self-satisfied with being worshiped by the likes of tanuki," the Kurama tengu were saying audaciously one over another.

The sunglasses guy, Reizanbou, bit on his paper-roll cigarette and sneered, "Yakushibou sure is a lucky fool. No matter how low he falls, tanuki still keep taking care of him. We'll look after Nyoigadake and the area around it, so tell him to bite the dust with an easy heart for me."

"With all due respect, please allow me to humbly explain."

With this, I got up and started spouting sophistry in a rapid fire torrent.

"I will not deny that I called the Kurama tengu-samas 'small timers'. But it seems the Kurama tengu-samas, living the lofty life of rightful kings of the skies, are not aware of the finer nuances of lowly tanuki's speech. The thing is, our tanuki language tends to adapt to keep up with the times and words change their meanings accordingly. So the term 'small timer', formerly one of slight used to refer to someone unimportant or petty and small like an acorn, nowadays means pretty much the opposite, that is, 'great', 'mature in style' and 'gentlemanly', thus having turned into a wonderful compliment. So as you see by no means tanuki mock you sirs esteemed Kurama tengu-samas."

The Kurama tengu kept their silence, too dumbfounded for words, only their hanafuda jiggled quietly. When Reizanbou pulled down his sunglasses, his upturned eyes were laughing.

"I see, that's one curious tanuki all right." "A too damn talkative tanuki, for sure, never knowing when to shut up, and I don't like that," said Tamonbou, grabbed my furry little brother by the neck and hoisted him up high in the air. "Well then, well then, I wonder just how far will this one fly if we throw him?"

Suddenly, the Kurama tengu looked energetic and pumped up, the hanafuda plinking and chinking.

"Let's make bets on whether he'll make it over the Kamogawa river or not!" "This is much more fun than playing hanafuda!" "What should we bet? A mountain? A valley?"

In the past, my father, Nise-emon Shimogamo Shoichirou, shapeshifted into Mt.Nyoigadake itself and gave the Kurama tengu, who were picking on our master, the scare of their lives. It became known as the scandal of fake Nyoigadake - a glorious example of recklessness deserving place not only in the chronicles of the Shimogamo family but also in history of the whole tanuki world. However, what was a historic triumph for our household, to the Kurama tengu was none other than a historic stain on their name, and it was partly for defying Kurama that my father ended up falling into the Friday Fellows Club's pot.

A wise tanuki would learn from this anecdotal story and get through their skull that defying tengu would bring nothing but harm upon them. After all, tengu were made to bully tanuki. And bullying was what made them tengu.

"What's the matter, Yasaburou?" asked Reizanbou. "Got anything to say?" "With all due respect, sir, when my kid brother is bullied, my seizures start acting up..." "Seizures? What are seizures?" "Uuugh, it's no use. Kurama tengu-sama, please watch out!"

I got on all fours, groaning all the while, and inflated my body. Tightening your butthole and psyching yourself up was the secret to shapeshifting into something big. In the blink of an eye, my four feet became massive like the columns of the Parthenon, and my swelling back turned white as if smeared with mortar coating. My nose grew in length, rapidly extending toward the blue sky above. I had shapeshifted into a white elephant.

The Kurama tengu had to have some bitter memories about white elephants after being chased about by one in the past when my father tempted them into coming to Nyoigadake. While their attention was distracted by the resurfacing humiliating memories, my kid brother took advantage of their momentary confusion and, by twisting and turning, slipped out of Tamonbou's hold, then proceeded to make his escape by rolling down the slope like a true tsuchinoko.

"Stop it, stop it, Yasaburou. What foolishness." Reizanbou grimaced in displeasure. "We're not fond of elephants. Return to your former form at once. Or else..."

It was at that moment that a travel suitcase that came flying in at a terrifying speed from the direction of the far away western sky crashed right into Reizanbou's face. Truly a blow from Heaven. As if dragged along by Reizanbou who got knocked over without another word, the rest of the Kurama tengu fell to the ground one after another, their parasol blown away, hanafuda jingling uselessly.

"Baon baon, what happened?"

Raising my long trunk, I gazed toward the western sky.

The one who came flying down as if smoothly gliding from the spring sky was an English gentleman.

T/N:

[*1] Nise-emon (偽右衛門): the 2nd season subs translated the title as the Trick Magister. 'Nise' means imitation, fake, phony, in other words has to do with tricking people which is what tanuki are good at. [*2] Hesoishi of Rokkakudou (六角堂のへそ石): the 2st season subs translated Hesoishi (lit. Bellybutton Stone) as the Center Stone because that hexagonal stone is supposed to represent the very center of Kyoto and the temple where it's located is called the Chouhouji or Rokkakudou (lit. Hexagonal temple) [*3] Mounted peacekeepers (平安騎馬隊): a mounted unit of Kyoto Prefectural Police that was established in 1994 to commemorate 1200 years since the relocation of the capital (jp wiki) [*4] Nyoigadake Yakushibou (如意ヶ嶽薬師坊): Nyoigadake (alternative reading is Nyoigatake, but the novel specifically gives the reading 'Nyoigadake') is a mountain that's part of the Higashiyama mountain range. Mt.Daimonji (that's part of the Gozan no Okuribi festival shown in the anime) is part of Nyoigadake. Yakushibou is a given name ('yakushi' is archaic 'doctor' and -bou you'd be seeing again as it's a suffix for male tengu names) [*5] Miwa soumen (三輪素麺): fine white noodles, a local specialty produced in the Miwa region, said to be the birthplace of soumen noodles, of Nara prefecture with the center in the Sakurai city. (jp wiki) [*6] Imperial treasures of the Shousouin (正倉院御物): wiki [*7] Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia aka Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会): is the first Japanese illustrated encyclopedia published in 1712 in Edo (wiki) [*8] Tsuchiko and takenoko (bamboo shot) share the same word-building pattern, namely take-no-ko (lit.a child of bamboo) and tsuchi-no-ko (lit.a child of soil) [*9] Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団): a theater troupe based near Kyoto and famous for women playing all roles, including male ones, and flamboyant costumes and such (wiki) We saw Tousen imitate them as the 'Prince in Black' in the 1st season. [*10] Ajinomoto (味の素): a food corporation most famous for its so-called Chinese salt (wiki) [*11] Ninomiya Sontoku (二宮尊徳): a 19th century reformer and economic thinker who is typically depicted as a boy walking with a bundle of firewood on his back while reading a book. You can frequently find his statues at Japanese elementary schools as an exemplar of diligence and studiousness. [*12] Daimonji festival (大文字) or Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火): depicted twice in the anime (wiki) [*13] Genpei War (源平合戦): a 12th century national civil war (wiki) [*14] Hanafuda (花札): lit. 'flower cards' (wiki) [*15] Reizanbou, Tamonbou, Teikinbou, Getsurinbou, Nichirinbou (霊山坊、多聞坊、帝金坊、月輪坊、日輪坊): -bou is a tengu male name suffix and the rest of their names mean literally 'spiritual or sacred mountain', 'all hearing', 'imperial gold', 'round moon' and 'round sun' respectively.

#uchouten kazoku 2 #uchouten kazoku nidaime no kichou

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denbroughbill · 6 years ago

Text

chapter 1 of “sky so blue”

word count 2.3k

author’s note based on the hc i wrote that recieved positive feedback! the medieval times written are not completely accurate just to be a little humorous and have fun with this story :) the lowercase letters are intended. also please let me know if the paragraph spacing is awkward! i’m working from tumblr mobile

there was a crooked, tiny, wooden cottage on the outskirts of the town of derry. the ivies outside had overgrown, wrapped around themselves and found comfort in the cracks of the house’s walls, making it an unruly sight to by-passers, but the owners enjoyed it that way. inside, there were shelves upon shelves lining the walls. they had books that were not in order and glass bottles of different shapes and sizes, filled with adder’s tongue, baby’s breath, and dragon’s blood.

this is where beverly lived.

beverly was a young woman, fair skin and face splattered with freckles, who was shunned when she cut her own hair with the blade of a sharp sword, offering her auburn locks wrapped in a tight braid to the norse goddess, frigg, ruler of marriage and love.

and it worked.

beverly’s partner ben was a blacksmith, who worked closely with the kingdom — their go-to man when armor and weapons required repair, which spared beverly from being burned at the stake for her witchcraft. he worked outside in their shed behind the cottage which held his swage block and hammers and bellows and drifts.

in the afternoons, there was a man in a hooded cloak. he would bring gifts of fresh bread and candles for ben and beverly, and ben would allow him inside.

his name was prince edward.

prince edward walked from his castle to visit beverly and ben, walked for hours starting at night until he could begin to see the sun rise on the horizon. at one point before, his feet would ache with every step he took, but he was used to this now. he had no fear in his mind or heart when he would look towards the village and see the dim lights from the houses, and he would set off on his trek to the village.

sometimes he would look back, though. he would look back at this fantastic castle, towering over the meek rest of the village. his grey eyes narrowed in anger, he looked back in disgust.

he did not have to duck under the ivy leaves that reached out to touch him or the herb plants in hanging pots. he was a smaller man, and looking up at the dangling plants was similar to looking at the chandeliers that adorned the castle.

candles were lit for edward’s arrival, and beverly smiled her all-knowing smile, beckoning him closer.

“so we meet again, edward.”

edward rolled his eyes in good humor, sitting on the wooden stool across from beverly, her work space separating the two.

“bev, please, i told you to call me eddie.”

eddie liked beverly because they shared the same belief system that the natural riches of the earth and their loved ones were worth more than anything. prince eddie was never one to decorate himself in silver or jewels; to him, every rock was precious, every ray of light golden.

she removed the clear crystal from the top of her deck of cards and began to shuffle. she had eddie shuffle the cards, too, filling them with his energy, thinking about the longing question he wanted beverly to reveal the answer to.

being a prince kept him hopelessly cut off from the rest of the beautiful world, and romance was something he constantly found himself craving. he never let those thoughts disturb him, for he knew that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. sometimes eddie wished that his prince charming would come rescue him from his dismal world of passivity. he would take him traveling all around the world, and he would assist him as he made his kingdom a better place. after one month, he would take his hand in his, kneel on one leg, pull out a wonderful diamond ring, and ask for his hand in marriage.

“this is the queen of swords — reversed,” beverly laid down a card on the table in front of eddie. pictured was the queen of swords, sitting on a stone throne, holding a sword in her right hand. this card was upside down.

“there is a treacherous enemy. a resentful, cold-hearted person blocking your relationships and clouding your vision.”

eddie shook his head, laughing, “that’s just my mom, bev.” she has also been shown as the queen of pentacles and the devil.

beverly pulled other cards. the queen of swords ruled over eddie’s chance of ever reaching the sun, the seven of swords, and the lovers.

he sighed.

“maybe you could try a different question? want a hex spell?” beverly asked with a friendly smile.

eddie thought to himself. there could be glass shards, dead scorpions, vinegar, or garlic in the jar. if he said yes, beverly would probably instruct him to cook his mom’s hair while she slept. or worse, an eyeball.

he politely declined. “hm, maybe some other time, beverly.”

“hey, stick around for a while,” ben placed his heavy hand on eddie’s shoulder. his warm smile brightened his coal-blackened face.

eddie thanked them both but decided it was time to leave.

treading through the grass once more, eddie thought the fortress of kaspbrak itself was a fine castle, built with a panorama of the surrounding land. from the towers once stood medieval watchers, quiver and arrow ready to fly, and moss clung to the ancient walls in the shade, which reminded him of beverly’s cottage.

he made it back before suppertime. the halls were bustling with activity, but the click of the heels of his leather boots on the tile floor stopped them in their tracks. there was complete silence except for the sound of eddie walking through the halls and his personal butler walking towards him.

“good evening, william.”

“you muh-must change for supper.”

the suits of armor and framed oil portraits of elders towered over the both of them.

he liked william a lot. his mother had lined the potential workers in front of him one day and allowed him to chose his person butler himself. the rest were picked off to work the courtyard grounds and cook meals.

eddie picked william because he was close to his age. he liked his red hair and blue eyes, and sometimes william visited eddie in his daydreams of marriage. eddie also thought he would look better in the gold lacework and rich embroidery clothes eddie had to wear. william liked how eddie allowed him to spend time in the courtyard when he was not tending to the prince; he thought he was kinder than the queen, and they became good friends.

but neither would allow eddie’s mother to hear the boys call each other out of their formal names or whisper and laugh together, nor would they let her majesty see william pick loose leaves and twigs out of eddie’s blonde hair.

there was no need to question the prince; he was obviously visiting beverly again. there was a long, painstakingly unnecessary spiral staircase that led to where eddie slept.

william ushered him ahead, opening the heavy wooden door to his chambers. he would be back to fetch eddie when he was dressed properly.

prince eddie stood in front of the open window, head perched in his hands as he watched the bright, clear lake shimmer in what was left of the sun. he wondered frequently why he had to dress for the occasion of sitting across the incredibly long table, where food was in such abundance that it looked more like decoration, for just him and his mother to eat. it made him angry, the thought of food going to waste as the queen at the opposite head of the table rubbed her full, plump stomach.

a voice called out from below him and pulled eddie out of his thoughts. “could you help me out?”

“oh, yes. my apologies,” eddie said. reaching outside the window, he grasped the clothed covered hand of a man.

he screamed and jumped backwards, reality setting in now. there was a stranger climbing the cobblestone walls of the castles, how had he not noticed? was this thief foolish enough to climb through the prince’s chambers to steal from the bottlery? was this planned — had he chosen this window, knowing it was the prince’s, to hold him hostage? he hoped william had heard him.

eddie stood with his back against his wardrobe, fist tightening around the door knob. he fought between the thoughts of fighting to the death or flinging the door open and hunkering down small, hiding himself between long silk robes and hidden jewels. he understood now why the thief had chose his chambers.

the man acted quickly. with the boost eddie had given him, he was able to grab hold of the edge of the windowsill and climb through the window.

and before prince eddie could grab the glass candelabra from his bedside table and wield it as a defense weapon, there was a man standing in his room.

eddie did not care how well-dressed this man was — there was an intruder in the castle. and he didn’t care how tall, dark, or handsome he was, either.

he could not cut, thrust, or slash with the candelabra, but he was willing to try. his knuckles were turning white from his tight grip. eddie didn’t have to pretend to be brave; he could call for a servant or guard immediately, but then the mysterious man could attack. he noticed the actual sword in the man’s bronze scabbard, and his eyes widened.

the man firmly placed his hand on eddie’s mouth before he could call out and wrapped an arm around his waist. eddie clawed at the gloved hand for his life as fear and dread swirled in his stomach. he’s watched his mother force two townsfolk to fight to the death for entertainment rather than call for the jester. the sight was evil, twisted, and bloody, and eddie did not want stains like those on the finest silk of the land. he tried his best to fight back and squirm, but his grasp was too tight.

“i don’t want to hurt you.” eddie stopped struggling when he loosened his grasp, but still trembled in fear. the man let out a soft laugh, and his voice was smooth and soft spoken, but strong somehow, like he wanted eddie to believe him. he removed the hand from eddie’s mouth, and placed it on firmly on his shoulder, other hand on his waist now.

he was taller than eddie, with dark skin, strong shoulders, and brown cassiterite eyes – heart-stopping eyes that flickered when he said, “i want to marry you.”

“oh,” eddie laughed, slapping the man’s chest in a manner that said, ‘how foolish of me.’ “why didn’t you just say so?”

they leaned closer, a faint smile on the man’s lips and eddie giggled under his breath. when he thought of his moment before, he thought he would be in a horse drawn carriage, or whisked away on the back of a white, noble steed. he didn’t even know this man’s name, but butterflies in his stomach told him there was no time for introductions now.

as their lips drew closer, there was a knock on the door.

“the queen is wuh-waiting for you to accompany her.”

“okay, you hide in here,” eddie whispered, grabbing the man by his lapel. he forced him inside his wardrobe. “what’s your name?”

“michael, prince edward.” michael responded, silk hanging over his face now.

“okay, mike, i’ll be right back.”

eddie plastered his most charming smile onto his face, forcing himself to enjoy eating in the grand dining hall with his mother. at least stanley’s performance was enjoyable.

eddie called him stan for short, and he had sunken eyes and curly hair and what eddie thought to be a rather lovely nose. the entertainment consisted of satire and self-deprecating humor, but he was nice. eddie also thought it was silly when he danced with his scepter and the bells from his hat jingled. stan was loyal and friendly, and even the queen enjoyed his company. she even consulted with him once to make strategies for battle— stan had agreed with everything she said because he believed she just wanted to hear herself talk.

supper ended, and eddie did not protest about all the food that had gone to waste, partly because mike was waiting in his wardrobe, and partly because he knew what his mother would say; “that's how hierarchy works.”

the halls were nearly deserted, and only their shadows followed as eddie strolled with mike, hand-in-hand, showing him every inch of the castle. he learned that michael hanlon was a farmer who worked in the fields under the blistering sun from dawn until dusk. he assured him he wouldn’t have to do that anymore, his smile as warm as the candles and lanterns illuminated around them.

“and this is our oubliette. this is where my mother leaves prisoners to die.”

mike gasped. “that’s kind of cool.”

“what does that mean?”

“i don’t know.” they both laugh.

eddie sighed, heartfelt and knees weak. “oh, mike, i’ve had so much fun getting to know you. i can’t wait until we marry,” he said, bringing mike’s hands to his chest. then he exclaimed with a brilliant idea, like if the light bulb had been invented then and it was dangling over his head.

“let’s marry tomorrow! at sunset!”

the excited gasp brought attention to the pair, alerting the guards that there a intruders afoot. eddie thought fast, and pulled the two into a small, dark corridor. he wasn’t afraid of his guards by any means, it was his mother he feared. and he did not particularly need to sneak mike around, but it was kind of fun.

they were pressed together, breathing heavily from the anticipation of being caught. their faces drew closer, laughing softly, and the image of doves flying crossed eddie’s mind as they kissed.

prince edward had always seen beverly and ben kiss, but he never knew what it felt like. a surge of energy and passion from being engulfed in this kiss made him think he should’ve asked beverly for a love potion years ago. he never wanted this moment to end.

and it wouldn’t, as they would be married at sunset tomorrow. eddie could not think of a single thing that would ruin their nuptials. taglist: @reddiesetrichie, @veganmikehanlon, @bumblerea, @eddiessecondfannypack, @tinyarmedtrex, @jwilliambyers, @edstozler, @eddiecare, @stephenskings, @constantreaderfool, @imeddie, @kaymcgivemeacall, let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

#mike hanlon #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #bill denbrough #beverly marsh #ben hanscom #stan uris #it fanfiction #my writing

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writing-mermaid · 6 years ago

Text

A Monster Like Me

Summary : After an incident, a young man remembers how he met his fiancée and the hard path they had that led them to that moment.

Words : 5 532

Author’s note : I wrote that one shot for two challenges : @sebbys-girl and @caplansteverogers. My prompts were the song A Monster Like Me and the sentence “A monster like me doesn’t deserve to be loved”. I used the song as an inspiration, but I also put some of the lyrics in the dialogues.

Warnings : Language, mentions of war, violence, PTSD.

Song of the title : A Monster Like Me - Mørland & Debrah Scarlett

Masterlist

The constant beeping of the machines. The slow and steady breath. Grey walls. Setting sun shyly picking through the taupe louvered shutters. Night is falling and so does the rain. The unremitting procession of nurses, doctors and sick people. Hospital life. It’s been four days and nothing changed. She’s still lying there, eyes closed, her body surrounded by white sheets, hands resting by her sides, sliver engagement ring shining around her ring finger, her chest rising and falling gently. I spent the last four days pacing up and down like a caged lion, constantly dwelling on how we met and what happened on that night.

“How is she today ?”, a nurse asks, entering the room, to check on the screens.

“Same as usual”, I answer, sitting on the chair next to the bed, grabbing the cold hand resting on the covers.

“Don’t worry mister Barnes, she’s going to wake up at some point”, she optimistically says. “And everything will be alright.”

She smiles and then, exists the room.

I intertwine my fingers with hers and smell her hand, looking for her usual scent, but it’s not here anymore, it’s long gone. Sweet Romance, that’s the name of her perfume. It enchanted me from the beginning, the smell of plum and blackberry, the sweetness of the morning rose, mixed with jasmine. Sweet romance, not really what she signed of when she chose to be with me. It turned me upside down when I first smell it, the day I met her.

How can I even forget that blessed day, or rather night, I met her. It was five years ago. I remember the moment she stepped into the club, with Steve by her side. I’ll always remember that little navy blue dress sprinkled with white birds. I was sitting with Sam, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Peggy and Vision when he led her to our table, his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards us. When she came into the light, the first thing I noticed were smiling eyes and a bright smile on her painted red lips. She probably was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, and I would probably be the most fucked-up man she would ever meet.

“Guys, let me introduce someone to you ! This is Y/N Howlett, she’s my new neighbor.”

“Hi”, she waved at us.

“Of course you already know Peggy, and these are some of our friends, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, his girlfriend Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Vision Shade, her boyfriend, and James Barnes, my best friend, but he goes by Bucky.”

“Nice to meet all of you”, she said, her voice peaking over the loud music.

“So Steve finally managed to make you go out of your place”, Peggy stated.

“Yeah”, she answered, “he said I should meet new people as I haven’t really had time to do it myself, he would make me meet some himself.”

“And that was an excellent choice”, Sam said, raising from his seat to take the one next to Y/N. “So beautiful, can I order you a drink ?”

“Sparkling water please. With a slice of lemon.”

“Consider it done !”, Sam exclaimed, rising on his feet. “Please, take a seat”, he gestured to her and, she complied, sitting next to Wanda.

After a few minutes, she started chattering with the girls, what about, I didn’t really know, still don’t for the matter, but didn’t care and whatever they were talking about is not the subject. I was completely mesmerized by her, her bright Y/E/C eyes shining through the lights of the club, her Y/H/C hair glowing in the dark, her straight back, ankles crossed. I don’t know which one of the girls said a funny thing but, she laughed, a crystal clear laugh, the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I haven’t contemplate her enough that Sam came back a few minutes later with two glasses in his hands.

“There you are sweetheart”, he said, putting down the glass of water in front of Y/N.

“Thank you”, she told him and then took a sip of her beverage.

“Now let’s talk about you, princess”, he began. “What do you do for living ?”

“I’m a dancer, a ballerina”, she answered.

“A ballerina. So I assume that you must be very supple then”, Sam added, not so cunningly, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Sam please, leave the poor girl alone”, Steve suddenly appeared next to us, standing a beer in one hand, his second one in his jeans pocket. “I already had a hard time to make her get out of her apartment, so please don’t scare her.”

“What kind of show are you working on ?”, Wanda questioned.

“Swan Lake, that’s the brand-new show my company is putting on. I’ve had the honor of being chosen to play the Swan Queen”, she responded, shyly blushing.

“Wow Swan Lake and Swan Queen, how… Amazing.”

“Say the truth Wilson, you don’t know anything about that story.”

“Because you do Barnes, maybe ?”

“Actually, yes”, I answered him. “Swan Lake is a ballet written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It’s about a princess, turned into a swan by an evil magician during the day, and she’s human again by night. One day, a prince that was hunting the swan followed her to the lake she belonged, and when the moonlight hit on her, she became a beautiful princess, they both fell in love and to break the curse, he promised to marry her. Except that the magician didn’t agree about that, and so he turned a black swan into the princess’ clone, so when the prince saw the black swan at the ball, he thought she was his princess and promised her eternal love. But then, the trick is revealed and the prince rushes to his true love, but she’s dying. They both die in the end. That’s a very sad story.”

I took a mouthful of my beer, everyone was gazing wide-eyed at me.

“What ?”, I said. “It’s not because that I’m in the army that I’m not cultivated.”

“You’re in the army ?”, Y/N asked.

“Yes, so does Steve and Sam.”

“My dad was in the army too”, she smiled at me.

And that’s how everything started. At the end of the night, we all head to Steve’s apartment, and we left her next door, with the promise of a brunch at Steve’s the next day. At the end of said-brunch, I headed back home with her phone number and a dinner date the next week to the great displeasure of Sam.

I took her somewhere fancy, because I wanted to woo her, literally.

“You didn’t need to”, she said, when we stopped in front of the restaurant.

“I just wanted to treat you like you deserve to doll, a real princess.”

“I’m no princess, James.”

“That’s what you say”, I winked at her.

We followed the maître d'hotel to the table I booked, and we started to chat of everything and nothing after we ordered food. When we get served, she simply hummed in pleasure when she took a bite of her pasta dish.

“So, what can you tell me about yourself ?”, I questioned her. “You told me your father was in the army.”

“Yes”, she responded, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “Maybe in your regiment you’ve already heard about James Howlett. Well I think you would have more heard about Logan Howlett, my dad goes by his middle name. He thinks that James is too common name. Please, don’t be offended.”

“I’m not”, I chucked. “He’s right by the way, James is a too common name.”

She laughed at it, so loud and clearly, it made some clients turning to our table.

“Sorry”, she said, drying away the tears from her eyes. “It’s just, no one ever agrees with my dad, especially not my boyfriends. They were all afraid of him. But, my father is just a big bear, you have nothing to fear if he likes you.”

She took another bite of food.

“Those are absolutely delicious !”, she swallowed, “So where were we ? Oh yeah, you wanted to know about me. Well, I’m twenty-five years old, I was born at Salem Center, Westchester County, my uncles have a manor there. My mother finished her pregnancy there. Her name was Kayla and she was an artist. Since the beginning she knew she was sick, a cancer, a violent one. She knew that she was going to die. She was three months pregnant with me when she knew she wouldn’t make it if she wasn’t cured. She had to choose between chemotherapy or me, and she chose me. She chose me because she had a miscarriage a year before, and she thought she would never had another baby. I was my parents’ miracle. My father begged my mother to get cured, she refused. The doctors said she could finish her pregnancy, but, after, there were only a tiny hope that she could be cured because the cancer would have been too advanced after my birth, and it would be too late. As my dad was away for a pretty long time, he told her to go to my uncle Charles and Erik’s home, it’s a big manor uncle Charles inherited from his father. After my birth, my mother went back to the hospital, she was attentively followed-up care while I was inside of her belly, but it was too late, as the doctors said. They told her she had six months left, and she better enjoy them and her newborn. My father went back for my birth, when she told him, he asked for a year of permission, he explained the army, and they let him take that year. My mom passed five months later instead of six. Dad stayed at uncle Charles’ with me until he had to go back to work. He asked uncle Charles and uncle Erik if I could stay with them while he was on duty, to avoid me to move every time, and know that I was somewhere safe, having a normal life. So I lived with my uncles and dad came back each time he could. I had a happy life, and they told me a lot about my mom. They signed me up for ballet at six when I asked them and I dance ever since. What about you ?”

“Me, comparing to you, my life is rather boring. Also, twenty-five. Born, raised and lived all my life in Brooklyn. I have five sisters, my mother is a school teacher and my father is a caterer. My sister Rebecca works with him, she’s going to take the business over when dad retires. As you already know, Steve is my best friend, we grew up together, decided to go to the army together and there, we met Sam. Steve’s way is already all choose, he’s going to be an art teacher, but I don’t know yet what I’m gonna do. I chose the army because I didn’t know what to do after high school. We signed up and that fucking country was at war. I’ve seen so many things, horrible things.”

“How long left ?”

“Two years and a half, and I’m gonna be a free man”, I smiled to her, and she smiled back.

We continued to speak through dinner and then, we walk in the sweet beginning of the spring. After an hour or so, we reached her apartment block. She fumbled into her purse to find her keys.

“I’ve spent an amazing evening, thank you, Bucky”, she put herself on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.

I watched her pass the door of her building, a goofy smile on my lips, my hand touching my skin where her lips were merely seconds before. I started to walk, jumping happily on my way back home. Then, after that night came some other dates, first kiss, first time, moving together, meeting Logan.

“Relax Buck, everything is gonna be alright”, Y/N said, smoothing my shirt.

“I don’t know doll, with the portrait you made me about your father, I think I have many reasons to be afraid of him.”

“Bucky, you make me happy, I’m sure that he’s going to be happy for me. I’m his only child and all he wants is my happiness”, she stated, leaning her forehead against mine. “Don’t you worry”, she pecked my nose and turned back to the meal she was preparing.

“You’re the best baby”, I wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my nose in her hair.

Thirty minutes later, a tall man with brown hair and hazel eyes, wearing blue jeans and a leather jack, was standing in the doorway, a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

“Ya must be James”, he stated with a drawling voice.

“Yes, sir. But you can call me Bucky”, I told him, holding out my hand.

“Where’s my girl ?”

“She’s in the kitchen, finishing dessert. But please, come in.”

I moved aside to let him enter the apartment. He stepped in and took a look around. His eyes fell on my uniform that was hanging on a coat rack.

“So you’re in the army.”

“Yes sir. 107th. I’m going back in the field in a week.”

“Be careful there kid. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Dad !”, Y/N’s voice came from the kitchen’s doorway.

“Hey bug”, he said turning towards her to hold her in his arms. “Nice place you have here.”

“Thanks. I hope you’re hungry, dinner’s ready”, she smiled up at him, while she showed him his seat around the table.

It turned out that Logan was very nice behind his bear behavior, just a man who cares a lot about his only daughter’s well-being. He left shaking my hand, saying that it was nice to meet me and to be careful on the field. He kissed Y/N’s forehead, and left, telling her that she had made a great choice.

The next week, Y/N and Peggy came with Steve and I to take us to the military base from where we were supposed to leave.

“Be careful”, she whispered, “come back to me. Don’t do stupid things there, I beg you.”

“Don’t worry doll, I will”, I murmured back. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I lent to kiss her soft lips before taking her into my arms, silent tears falling from her eyes. Next to us, Steve and Peggy were also saying goodbye to each other, Peggy was crying her eyes out, begging Steve to not be reckless this time. When it was finally time, we left the girls and headed to our plane.

We came and go for the next two years without any accident, our missions went well, until that bloody day, a little more than six months before the end of my duties. It was supposed to be a recon mission, just a fucking recon mission. I was walking, gazing all around me and then, there were screams, a searing pain, and everything went black. When I opened my eyes, everything around me was white, I was lying in a hospital bed, when I turned my head, Steve was there, half-asleep in a chair. A nurse entered the room.

“Glad to see that you’re awake Sergeant Barnes”, she softy said. “I’m gonna call the doctor for him to come and see you.”

She shook Steve up before exiting the room, telling him that she was going to come back with the doctor.

“Shit man, you frightened us !”, Steve exclaimed. “We thought you’d never wake up. You remained unconscious for almost a month ! How do you feel ?”

“A little numb, but I think everything is alright”, I answered him. “Did someone call my parents and Y/N too ?”

“I did, and they were bloody worried. Buck”, he said after a pregnant pause, “I don’t know how to say that to you, because you clearly didn’t realize it yet but… Because of the bomb that exploded next to you that day, the doctors had to… The doctors had… The doctors had to amputate your left arm Buck, I’m… I’m sorry”, he stuttered.

“What ?!”, I turned my head to my left side and all I saw was an empty place where my left arm usually stand. There’s nothing there, just a white sheet and a bandage around what’s left of my shoulder. “Have you told anyone ?”, I questioned, clenching my teeth.

“No, I swear. I thought this wasn’t my place to do it. I just gave them news, I thought you rather say it to them yourself. I’m gonna call and say that you’re awake.”

With that, he exited the room. I leaned back on my pillows, sighing heavily. How was I going to tell my folks about it, how would they take it. And Y/N, oh god, she’s never going to stay with me, which sane girl would stay with a cripple ? I hadn’t the time to think about it because the nurse came back with another woman who was certainly the said-doctor.

“Glad to see that you’re back to us, Sergeant Barnes. I’m doctor Helen Cho, from the US Army”, she introduced herself. “I’m gonna examine your arm, I need to see how the wound heals”, she lifted my sleeve and removed the bandage from the stump. “It’s really clear and it seems to heal well. I’ll have to take a look at the scars on your chest too. That bomb hit you pretty badly.”

The nurse helped her to remove the hospital gown and I saw what lied underneath.

“This is really good”, Doctor Cho said, while looking closely. “You’re healing really well. You’re going back home really soon. I managed to make you enter a program I’m supervising, it’s a program which will give you a prosthetic arm. Did you call your family back there to say you were awake ? Your girlfriend ?”

“My friend, Captain Steve Rogers, is calling them right now. How do you know that I have a girlfriend ?”, I asked, confused.

“You said a girl’s name, Y/N, during your sleep once when I came and check on you, Captain Rogers said she was your girlfriend. She’s gonna be relieved when she’ll know that you’re awake and fine.”

“Yeah, I’m really fine, I’m missing an arm, but I’m fine…”, I mumbled.

“Don’t worry Sergeant, as soon as you have a foot on the US soil, you’ll be taken care of my program and given a brand-new arm and your life will be as it was before, except that you’ll be off the army. Congratulations Sergeant Barnes, that wound makes a free man of you. Rest a little and in less than a week, you’ll be back home.”

With those words, she left the room, the nurse on her heels.

She didn’t lie, four days later, I was on a plane, on the way back home, Steve next to me. I was wearing a loose hoodie to hide my stump. During the time I was in the military hospital my hair grew and so did my stubble. I’m unrecognizable, I don’t look like the man that left anymore. I’m someone else. I’ve seen so much during those last few months, in addition of my missing arm, and I wasn’t a fool, I knew at the moment that the only thing that made me sleep well were the medications I took for my injuries. When the plane landed, I asked Steve if we could wait to be the last to go out, I didn’t want to blend in with the crowd, I wanted to go outside, quietly, without anyone to look at me. He accepted and asked one of the air hostess if it was possible. She answered that it was, and we looked at the plane becoming slowly empty.

“Ready ?”, Steve asked when every soul were out.

“What if I say no, will I be allowed to stay here forever ?”

“I don’t think so Buck. It’s your decision. But I know a bunch of people that would be disappointed and worrier if you don’t get your ass out of that plane. One of them especially”, he said.

“Y/N”, I whispered.

“Y/N indeed”, he repeated. “I know your folks are impatient to see you too. Your mom says it’s not good for you to be alone and withdrawn. She says no one is going to let you down.”

Steve got up and thanked the air hostess before I did too and put my hood on my head, nodding to the girl who sadly smiled at me. When we passed the terminal door, my whole family, plus Peggy, Y/N and Logan stood there. My father got my luggage back, and he was standing aside with Logan. Steve passed by me and ran to Peggy and took her in his arms, before kissing her lips passionately.

“I missed you, I missed you so much”, she said, between kisses.

I paused before continuing to walk, my backpack on my right shoulder, hanging from my back. I looked around and saw my family. In the middle of the way, Y/N was standing there, still, tears in her eyes. I hesitated, but she didn’t, she started to walk straight to me and suddenly ran towards me, she threw her arms around my neck and I managed to stay steady despite our two weights. She buried her face in the crook of my neck and cried.

“I was so afraid that you didn’t come back.”

“I’m here now.”

“And I’m never gonna let you go again.”

I put her down on the ground and kissed her softly. I took her hand and we walked to mt family. My sisters and mother were crying too, my father just hugged me and Logan just nodded, but when I saw his eyes that he has been worried too, maybe more for his daughter than for me, but still worried.

During the next month, I received the papers from doctor Cho’s program and even if I wasn’t really into it, Y/N insisted for me to have that intervention and take advantage of the free program, even if it was only at it’s beginning. I had physical tests, psychological ones too, the doctors said I better find a shrink in New York. My sleep was less good without the med, but I figured it out that having my girlfriend’s hot body sleeping next to me helped soothe me, despite the nightmares. After another month of test and appointment at the therapist, I was admitted in the program. Y/N took her vacations and came with me and in less time than I realized, I had a brand-new arm, metal one. I wasn’t armless anymore, but still so damaged.

After that, our lives went back to normal. I get used to my new arm, went to the shrink three times a week, started to work as a geography teacher in a junior high. And then there we were, five months ago.

One night after work, I was looking at the little velvet black box, containing a beautiful engagement right, I bought a few days before, in secret, that was hiding in my work backpack. I planned to ask Y/N to marry me Saturday night, I booked a table at the restaurant where we had our first date, and ordered for that night all her favorite meals. I heard the door opening, earlier than usual, and I ran to hide the box in my stuff.

“Hey doll, you’re here earlier tonight”, I said, going to her and kissing her lips. “You look sick and tired.”

“I felt bad today during the rehearsal. I have been nauseous, I wanted to throw up and I even faint. And you know Katie, she insisted for me to see a doctor, so she sent me to the hospital with Sharon and there they asked me a bunch of questions, take a sample of blood and did a test.”

“What’s going on ? Nothing serious ? Please, tell me, you’re stressing me right now doll.”

“I’m pregnant James”, she softly answered.

“Oh so that’s… What ?! Like… Like really ? We’re pregnant ?! We’re having a baby ?!”

“Yes, James we’re having a baby.”

“Oh my god, I love you so much”, I took her in my arms and started spinning with her in my arms. “Wait, I’m… I’m coming back !”

I put her down and ran to the bedroom, to pick up the ring in the pocket of my jacket. I came back in the room as fast as I left. Once in front of her, I put one knee down and look up to her, in those beautiful Y/E/C eyes.

“Y/N”, I breathed heavily, “for five years now you’re illuminating my life, I never thought that I would fall in love so quickly of someone who would take all of me, even after I lost an arm and had night terrors and PTSD, but you’re still here, and now, we have a little one on the way. I was supposed to do this on Saturday night but, I think I can’t wait, so… Y/N Howlett, will you do the honor of becoming my wife ?”

“Yes, yes, a thousand time yes !!!”, she nearly screamed knocking me down on the floor, peppering my face with kisses.

After that, we had a quiet night, having dinner and cuddling on the couch, absentmindedly watching TV.

“What do you think about Kayla if it’s a girl”, I stated, rubbing her not yet showing baby bump with my right hand.

“Kayla ? As my mom ?”, she asked.

“Yeah, as your mom”, I answered tightening my grip around her. “That would be a tribute to her. Except if your dad doesn’t agree with it.”

“I’m sure he would appreciate”, she answered, pecking the top of my nose.

The next day, we threw a little party with our respective parents and close friends, to announce them the two news. Everyone congratulated us, Logan a little smile dancing on his lips, he seems so proud and happy.

And then, it happened, four days ago, I don’t really know how it happened. I had trouble sleeping. I was turning over and over again. Suddenly, I felt a soft hand on my arm and someone was shaking me.

“Bucky, wake up. Baby, wake up, it’s just a bad dream. Nothing is real, it’s a nightmare. Bucky baby wake up”, Y/N’s voice was trying to sooth me.

I don’t know how it happened, but my left hand grabbed her throat and my fingers closed in on her skin.

“Bucky, stop it, it’s me”, she tried to say out of breath, but I didn’t hear her, still in my nightmare.

Her hands tried to push me away, but she didn’t manage to, I’m too strong and heavy.

“Bucky please”, she whispered one last time before her strength gave up.

My eyes shot up open and I saw her, barely breathing.

“Y/N, doll, say something.”

I shook her but she didn’t answer. Grabbing my phone, I called 911.

“911, what’s your emergency ?”

“I’m James Barnes, and I live at the 384 Bridge Street. It’s my fiancée, she… I had a crisis during my sleep and I strangled her. It… It was an accident, I’m a veteran and I have a PTSD, I didn’t know what I was doing. I…”

“Sir, sir, calm down”, the woman on the other side said. “Is she breathing ?”

“Yes, but, hardly”, I answered, tears falling from my eyes.

“Don’t worry mister Barnes, an ambulance is on its way to your home.”

I don’t know how much time passed in between the moment I hang up and the moment someone knocked the door. Two ambulance men dressed in their white uniforms came in with a stretcher. I showed them the way to the bedroom, and they took Y/N with them to the nearest hospital and let me sit next to her in the ambulance.

Once at the hospital, she was taken in charge by a doctor named Bruce Banner. He treated Y/N and intubated her to help the air in her lungs, saying the tube was there to help her breath normally again and that he would remove it in one or two days because she would be able to breathe by herself. He asked me how it happened, and I explained him everything.

“Don’t worry, this is not your fault mister Barnes. I know what PTSD is. I’ve treated many patients having it, my best friend was kidnapped by terrorists, and he has it too. I perfectly understand that it’s not your fault, James”, he said with a paternalistic tone, putting his hand on my shoulder, “I know it’s not. Did you let her family know ?”

“Her father, I… I have to call him”, I answered, remembering that I didn’t tell Logan yet, I was so panicked that I completely forgot about telling him that his only daughter was at the hospital, and moreover that she was because of me.

“Give me his number, I’m gonna call him. We transferred miss Howlett in her room, just go with her.”

I complied, I had nothing else to do after all. I must have fall asleep holding Y/N’s hand, because the next thing I remember is someone shaking me. When I opened my eyes and raised my head, Logan was standing there rage deforming his features.

“What happened”, he growled. “I wanna know, right here, right now what happened”, he demanded.

Without giving me a second to answer, he caught me by my collar and lifted me up.

“It’s an accident, I swear. I had a nightmare Logan. And you more than anyone must know what a PTSD is.”

He let me go, almost regretting his behavior.

“I’m sorry, and you’re right, I indeed know what is it.”

He sat on the other side of the bed, taking his daughter’s other hand and started waiting with me.

The next day, doctor Banner came and removed the intubation, saying Y/N was out of danger and that she would wake up, it was only a matter of days.

And that’s how it led to today and me keeping bringing all of this up. Logan left a few minutes ago to breathe some fresh air, and he’s probably smoking a cigar right now and Steve came to have some news. I’ve been thinking about what to do and already made up my mind.

“I’m gonna leave her as soon as she’s awake.”

“You can’t do that Buck, she loves you. She loves you more than anything in that world”, Steve states, his gaze traveling from Y/N’s motionless form to me.

“A monster like me doesn’t deserve to be loved”, I say calmly.

“Do you hear yourself ? Do you really think that if you really were a monster she would agree to marry you ? Do you really think that she would have want to have a baby with you ? Jeez, Bucky, how can you be so stupid ?!”

“I ruin everything I touch. How could she even thought that I was or could be the prince she dreamed of.”

“This is so stupid Buck, you’re not gonna abandon her and your baby to come. How do you think she’s gonna react when you’re going to tell her that you leave her ?”

“I’m gonna leave before she wakes up”, I end the conversation before Steve can say something else.

By the end of the day, Logan leaves again after telling me that he will come back tomorrow. That’s the moment I have to leave, tonight, while nobody else is here. It’s cruel, but it’s gonna be crueler if I stay and put Y/N in danger again and our baby too. It might seem selfish but I have to. I go down in the hospital shop, buy a card and flowers. I write my goodbyes on the card and put it next to her bed.

“I’m sorry my love, but I have to do this”, I say, putting down a kiss on her forehead, and rubbing her baby bump where the baby kicks when my hand touches the little bulge it makes.

“James, James”, Y/N’s voice came like a croak.

“Listen to me doll. I’m gonna let you go, I better let you go. I better set you free and give you up to find the prince you thought I was.”

Without saying another word and looking one last time, I go through the door and walk towards the hospital’s exit, and disappear into the night.

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themcuhasruinedme · 6 years ago

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Sacrifice (The Flame Pt. 3)

[Summary]: You knew Tony in college for three years. And in those three years, you had such a crush on him. You’re not really sure if he ever knew, even though there were times when it seemed like he did. And after graduating, you both went your separate ways but you still had those feelings for him. Years later, he reenters your life in the craziest way. And what follows after, gives you so many new experiences in life.

[Pairing]: Tony x reader

A/N: This series has been inspired by my ‘Love Songs’ playlist on Spotify and real-life events that have happened to me (although a couple things are different. And each part will be based off a song or two from the playlist). This part drew inspiration from this song and this song

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 |

School seemed to be going rough for you for a bit since you found out why Tony never asked you out. Not that you were failing, but you felt like you had a gloom cloud hanging over your head constantly. Yet what was strange was the fact that Tony still wanted to be around you and have you hang out with him. And what made it worse? Was that you couldn’t really stay mad at him.

Within a few weeks after him telling you he had a girlfriend, everything seemed like it was back to normal between the two of you; sitting next to each other in class, hanging out by the tree while studying and even the flirting started back up! You wanted to question why seeing as how he was with someone but you also didn’t want to cause a riff in your friendship again.

As the the school year came to a close and the days became longer and warmer, you asked him if he was going to be in the next level of the class. He shrugged and said he’d have to think about it, while giving you a small smile. You gave him a playful shove.

“You can count on it,” he said and gave you a peck on the cheek. Your face turned cherry red and felt extremely hot. Ghosting your fingers over the spot his lips just touched, you smiled and buried your face in hands.

“So, what are you doing for summer break?” Tony asked as he tapped his pencil on the edge of his book.

You looked back up and placed your book in your lap. “Same thing as I do every year. My family and I go up to our lake house and spend the entire summer there. It’s quite fun actually. The only issues I really have is when my sister brings one of her boyfriends with and they complain about everything.” You paused and wrote down some notes. “But I do like that we can cut off everything and not be bothered for a few months. What are you gonna do?”

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably hang out at my aunts house for a bit cuz my cousins are gonna be visiting for about a month and I haven't seen them in so long. After that, I’ll probably hang out with some other friends.”

“Well, that sounds nice. My cousins rarely visit us, which sucks but it is what it is.”

As the bell rang for lunch to end, the two of you packed up your stuff, said bye and headed different directions to your next class. You couldn’t help but stare out the window and wonder if you should’ve asked Tony to come with. But you brushed the thought out of your head because you knew that your mother would never allow that. You asking if a guy friend could come with and her not knowing him? You already knew that that would spell disaster.

Summer came and went and as soon as school started back up, it seemed like you were already on Christmas Break. The last two years of school seemed to go the same way. And before you knew it, you both graduated.

And in those last two years, things between you and Tony went pretty smooth. Granted, there still was never a time that he asked you out or to be his girlfriend, but you never saw him with another girl afterwards. And since you thought it would be best not to ruin your friendship on something like that, you never brought up the situation or became pushy about why he never asked you out. The flirting went on non-stop between you two though. The spot under the oak tree had pretty much become “your spot” to hang out during lunch and when you two had free time to study.

And once graduation came, it was a moment to remember. Getting to wear a new dress that was different shades of greens and blues plus white, you were hoping to impress him a bit. And when you saw him in a suit, you almost fell and had to place your hand on the wall for support. As you walked over to him you smiled and waved your hand to get his attention which he noticed and smiled back. As you came closer to him, you inhaled the intoxicating scent of the cologne he was wearing, which made you weak in the knees. He then scrunched his face in approvement over your dress, looking you over and smirked.

“Well, you look absolutely stunning,” he said.

“And you don’t look so bad yourself,” you playfully teased.

A little more small talk happened between the two of you and then it was time for the graduation ceremony to start. Sitting nervously in your chair, you kept playing with one spot on the end of your dress until a hand snaked it’s way in between your fingers. Tony quickly glanced over at you and gave a small smile. You gave him a half smile and you seemed to calm down a bit after that. He held your hand right up to the moment they called you up. And once you went through the line of shaking hands with the teachers and sat back down, you felt even better.

And after everything was all said and done, it was time to party. You hugged Tony and told him you were going to look for your parents. You pushed your way through the sea of people and managed to find them off to the side. Both of them had big beaming smiles on their faces and gave you the biggest hug possible.

“We’re so proud of you,” your mom said, tears coming to her eyes as she fixed your hair.

“Immensely proud.”

You thanked them both. “Oh, and there’s someone I want you to meet.” They both looked a little surprised but you waved it off. “Don’t worry. He’s just a friend.” Taking both of their hands, you meandered through the crowd and found Tony talking with his family.

“Tony. Tony!”

He turned around and smiled, excusing himself from his parents and walked over to you “Ah! [Y/N]. I was hoping to see you again.”

Giving him a hug, you then cleared your throat. “Tony, I’d like you to meet my parents, Mr. and Mrs. [Y/L/N]. Mom, Dad, this is Tony. He was in one of my classes. We were study buddies and he helped me out quite a bit in class.”

“Nice to meet you,” your mom said, nodding with a smile.

Your dad put out his hand to Tony, who was hesitant for a second but then shook it. “It’s very nice to meet you, Tony. I trust that you were able to keep up with my girl? She’s quite the smart one.”

Tony gave a soft chuckle while you playfully nudged your dad. “Daaaad.”

“No, it’s fine [Y/N],” Tony said still smiling. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “I was. She’s a very smart girl. I had a great time getting to be in the same class as her.”

You smiled and looked down, placing some loose hair behind your ear. You tried not to show how pink your face turned.

“Well, it was very nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. [Y/L/N],” Tony said, letting go of you and shaking your parents hands again. Turning to you, he said, “And there’s a couple people I’d like you to meet too.”

“Oh, ok,” you said, a bit of surprise in your voice. You looked at your parents who smiled and nodded.

“Go on. We’ll see you at the house,” your mom said. She pulled you in for a hug and kissed your cheek and then you hugged your dad.

Tony half smiled, said goodnight to your parents again and took your hand, pushing his way back through the crowd to his family.

“Mom, dad, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” They turned around and smiled at you. “[Y/N], this is my mom and dad, Mr. and Mrs. Stark.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you said nervously as you shook hands with his parents.

“We’ve heard so much about you. And you’re just as pretty as Tony described you,” Mrs. Stark said. You smiled and you could feel your cheeks burn hot from blushing so hard.

Having a hour of small talk happen with Tony and his parents, you checked your phone and realized it was getting late. You said your goodbyes to Tony’s parents and he walked you outside to your car.

“It was really great knowing you Tony. I had a really good time in class with you.”

“Same here,” he said and he placed a hand on each side of you, leaning in to kiss you. You hesitated as his lips ghosted over yours and you felt your breath hitch in your throat.

Before anything could happen, you pulled away. “I... I really have.. to get going,” you stuttered as you put your hand in your purse and fumbled around for your keys. When you looked up after finding them, Tony’s nose was centimeters from yours. Your eyes darted from his eyes, to his lips then back to his eyes. “I really do, Tony. I have to get going.”

He pulled his hands off your car so you could open the door. He closed it once you were in and you rolled down the window when you started the car.

“Maybe I’ll see you around some time?” he asked. “I’ll be living with my aunt for a bit and she lives just down the street from here.”

You shrugged. “Maybe. My parents live around here too so there’s a chance we might run into each other. We’ll just have to see.” You quickly kissed him on the cheek and started pulling away, rolling up your window as well so he couldn’t have time to react.

You laughed a bit as you drove away and he laughed as well as he jogged after your car for a second. He stood there in the middle of the parking lot and wondered if he’d ever really see you again. Going to his car, he sat inside for a few minutes and pondered over the feelings he sort of had for you.

As another summer was coming to an end, you were starting to feel the pressure of college debt creeping in and the hopes that it would all be paid off quickly were coming to a halt. So instead of being able to find a small apartment to start your own life to live, you had to move back in with your parents for the time being. Along with having to have your mom’s aging parents move into the house as well.

Everything seemed to start off ok. But you quickly learned how exhausting it was with your grandparents and how things REALLY were with them. Your grandmother would always get into arguments over stupid things with your mother and there wold be a lot of yelling going on. And unfortunately your grandfather was starting to get Alzheimer’s from a stroke he had several years ago.

Your life at home had pretty much turned upside down. But this was just the beginning. Things were going to get even worse.

#marvel imagine #avengers imagine #tony stark #tony stark imagine #tony stark x reader

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smolfangirl · 6 years ago

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A mermaid’s tail

Some headcanons I wrote and that @miris-xo helped me with. I got the idea about the kiss from this lovely ML fanfic and this awesome comic, and finally remembered to post it. (Here you go, Ellie)

Don’t drown in all these messy words!

Word count: 3.5k

She’s a young mermaid living in Cancún, he’s a young boy on vacations with his parents

Kid Matteo is sweet and innocent and loves all the stories the locals tell about mysterious sea creatures

Of course he’s eager to get into the water and dive for just one sight at the merfolk

A few days of endless hours at the beach later (and reapplying his sunscreen after his mom complains), he finally sees a mermaid

She’s about his age, and swims closer to him than he expected (or dreamed) but when he tries to catch up with her she’s gone

Which doesn’t really matter because he saw a real mermaid!!

Back on land, little Matteo runs to his parents, too excited to even speak clearly, tripping over his words

They don’t believe him. He gets scolded for annoying them with such an obvious lie

“Look, you ruined your dad’s newspaper with your wet hands, no ice cream for you today.”

A year later he hasn’t forgotten about the little mermaid, but she appeared in his thoughts and dreams so often, her image has changed too much from reality

So when he spots her again, it takes him a minute to recognize her

This time, she watches him carefully, clearly having been warned about the danger humans radiate (even when they’re just a little kid)

But over the days, she starts to swim with him and her smile becomes a memory that, years later, is still as crystal-clear as on the day he first saw it unfold on her lips

(She’s helping an injured turtle, and while he’s too young to understand that he just witnessed pure magic, he understands why she seems happy once the turtle is cured)

Years pass without a Balsano vacation in Mexico

In the summer before his last school year he finally convinces his parents to go back to Cancún

He’s thrilled

He’s sure he’ll see her again, and wonders what happened to her in the past years. If she’s still his age, or if she’ll remember him, and if he gets to see her close enough to admire her smile

Or, yk, if he’s completely insane and none of this was real

For the next days, he spends his time in the water

Because he sometimes forgets to reapply sun screen, his skin soon takes on a light shade of red, but he’s too determined to find her to stop

The salt water burns after a while. He keeps swimming

His mermaid, however, is nowhere to be seen

Matteo’s parents grow more annoyed with each day that their son pulls a sad grimace at dinner

“You begged and complained so much to get here, and now you’re not happy?”

One and a half weeks later she’s still not there

Sometimes he thinks he sees her in the corner of his eyes, though every time he checks, there’s nothing there

Once Matteo is certain he sees a mermaid’s tail but no, it’s just some tourist who thinks they can pull the mermaid swimming style off

(Later, he will learn that kids can discover a mermaid with ease but that it gets harder with every year except when they leave the water. But most mermaids choose to remain unseen even in the ocean)

His parents drag him to a Maya site. Matteo spends the time with a feeling of disappointment yet he’s glad since he can at least try to enjoy one day without crashed hopes

The next day, he goes to the beach super early. The water is still chilly and only a few joggers run on the cool sand

And away from the shore, just where it gets a bit too deep for his liking, he finds her

If Matteo could cry underwater, he would

She’s beautiful

Her tail shimmers in the few sun rays breaking through the waves and her hair flows in the water like the laws of nature don’t apply to her

Her movements are gentle, she’s gliding through the water with a grace he never saw before

Starstruck, he follows her for a bit. She pretends not to notice him while she also waits for him when he has to go up for air

After a few minutes he realizes she’s leading him somewhere, and he catches her glimpsing over her shoulder at him so without thinking, he awkwardly waves

She smiles back at him

That’s the moment he decides he needs to know everything about her that he can learn

The next time he dives up he finds himself close to a lagoon he never saw before

Is this place even real?

No time to think about it, though, because she swims closer to him and he’s about to have a heart attack

“I haven’t seen you in a long while,” she says. “I almost didn’t recognize you.” Her voice is sweet and calm and Matteo wonders how she knows Spanish

First thing he blurts out is that he looked for her for almost two weeks now

She chuckles, her tail splashing the water a bit

Then, she introduces herself, “I’m Luna.”

He stammers his name and suddenly, they’re talking. For hours.

At one point, Luna shyly asks him if he wants to play a game with her and if he wants to learn a trick to make swimming underwater easier

“What trick are you talking about?”

“So, I think you humans call it kissing? It’d be just a second… but you can say No, really.”

Speechless, he nods

Before his brain has a single chance to catch up, her lips are on his. However, they’re gone too fast and only when she pulls him back into the deeper water does he notice he doesn’t need air anymore

Admittedly, he is shocked

Probably, no, definitely more because of the kiss

He’d stare at her in awe, frozen, but she swims off and motions him to follow so he tries to catch up while thinking how he ended up with a kiss of a mermaid

They play chase and of course Matteo doesn’t stand a chance. But she lets him win every once in a while

He dreams of her that night and tries to find the lagoon, without success

Turns out it’s a magical place

Luckily for him, she waits for him in the water and leads him back

This time, he’s more prepared for the kiss. Every day, they last a bit longer until he builds up the courage to carefully pull her closer and kiss her a second time, her lips cool and wet

They talk for hours and she shows him the marine life and damn, he never thought it’d be so much fun swimming with turtles

He loves listening to her, to stories about her life and the ocean. She knows surprisingly much about the human world but only shrugs and says they learn about it when he asks why

During dinner, Matteo talks his father into making a donation for the protection of the local reefs

Curiosity also gets the better of him, and he asks whether there are any mermen she likes… like that

What follows is an awkward, yet important conversation about whatever it is that they have

By the time vacations end, he’s fallen fast and hard

His heart breaks the last time they lay on the beach, her tail half in the water, the waves rolling against his body. The last time they play in the water, the last time he kisses her. The last time he feels her skin on his, warm and cool at the same time and nothing like he ever experienced himself

She asks if there are any lakes or rivers where he lives. Matteo tells her about the first days of summer when he was a kid, jumping into the water with his friends, unbothered by how cold it was

In return, Luna mentions a spell she could learn, to keep in touch at least a little, but she needs something personal from him

He promises to come back and bring her something she can use

At home, he gets a job to afford going back to Cancún in the winter break, alone this time

The job is boring. Long, dull shifts at a local supermarket. If it gets too much, he thinks of her smile and the sound she makes when she laughs

The moment he puts his bags down in the hotel room, he goes to the beach

But before he gets his bare feet on the sand, he stumbles into a girl

At first Matteo thinks his eyes are playing a trick on him

It’s Luna

As a human

She laughs and jumps a bit, clapping her hands, saying how nice it is to see him again, and before his summer vacation and she had no idea!

His immediate reaction is How

The explanation knocks him off his feet almost. For a few weeks every year, the merfolk comes out of the water as humans, it’s a powerful magic only understood by very few mermaids, but it works and that’s all she needs to know

He’s thrilled

Now they spend a lot of time together

Walking on the beach, going out for dinner (she eats a lot of fish. A whole lot. It’s weird to him, but then again, he shouldn’t be surprised), he even gets to meet her friends and family at the gigantic mansion they all live in

After a while, their make-out sessions at the beach are close to getting them arrested

His parents keep asking who this girl in his pictures is. Matteo keeps it short by explaining she’s a local

During one of his last nights, he asks her if she could stay human. Luna answers that there’s a possibility but he can’t ask her to give up her life when they’re so new to each other. She assures him she loves being with him, and she’ll miss him terribly when he leaves again. But still, becoming a real human is too big a sacrifice to seriously consider it, for now.

Matteo nods and asks if she remembers his promise to get her something personal from him. Surprised he actually brought it with him, Luna wants to know what it is.

It’s his very first guitar pick on a necklace, made out of ocean-friendly material that won’t be ruined by the water

Again, he flies back home, with a heart even heavier than last time

How do you explain to your friends that your heart isn’t exactly broken but that you fell for a girl you can only see twice a year and even then only when everything works out?

The day it’s remotely warm enough to dip as much as a toe into a local lake, he drives out there, hoping and praying she can reach him

It’s a blurry mess but somehow, he feels what she wants to tell him

“Why didn’t you come earlier?” – “I’m not that fond of freezing cold water.” – “Okay, yeah, me neither.”

The spell exhausts her and although she gets better at it, it’s not working out perfectly. They both agree it’s better than nothing, though

When school is over he’s back in the plane, surprised to learn that his parents follow him. Of course they want to meet this local girl who charmed their son so badly, but is never around to Skype or text

As soon as Matteo swims far away enough from the shore she’s there, kissing him desperately. Her tail twirls around his legs, holding him close (like he’d ever want to let go)

Later when he’s exhausted from swimming and meeting her friends again, they lay in their lagoon

She’s draped over him, her tail glistening in the sunlight, and he is overwhelmed by so much beauty, he barely knows where to look first

In a whisper, she tells him how glad she is that he made it

They’re both touchy af

A wave comes in too fast and big and she ends up face down in the sand after the weirdest body roll ever

He’s laughing so hard he barely can breathe while she tells him to shut up

Two days later, she’s acting weird, giddy and overexcited over the smallest things, but when he wants to know what’s up, she replies he’ll see later

That night, he has dinner with his parents in the hotel. They ask when they can finally meet his mysterious girl and his mom makes a joke about him having heard too many local tales and that she’s probably a mermaid

How funny, haha, of course she’s not a mermaid, that’d be insane, haha

And suddenly, she’s standing next to the table, in a beautiful dress and her hair braided over her shoulder

Matteo blinks

His parents blink

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Luna jumps in, because his mind is still going wild while figuring out what he’s seeing here. “I didn’t know if I could make it tonight, so he didn’t tell you.”

They’re suspicious of her at first, but quickly warm up to her. She’s too charming and sweet to resist

When Luna and Matteo are alone for a moment, she tells him that she made a deal with her people to turn human between sunset and sunrise, but that it allows her to go out of the water for more days

Things go great after that

She’s even allowed to stay a night over. They’re so in love

(Like a gentleman, Matteo offers to bring her back to the water. Luna insists that she wants to go alone, the transformation is painful and she doesn’t want him to see it)

So, they’re happy and in love and sometimes she can imagine a life by his side

Until

Matteo’s dad takes him out for fishing

And Luna follows them around but gets stuck in the net when his dad throws it further than she expected

Which his dad doesn’t notice of course, he wouldn’t see her until she’s out of the water

Matteo panics

Cold chills run over his spine

Breathing? What’s that?

Luna is stuck and struggling and fighting but it’s helpless

In the last moment Matteo yells “Over there! A shark!” and throws the net into the sea, knowing she’ll manage from there on (or hoping)

His dad is so annoyed

Matteo gets grounded for a few days for ruining the net and the trip and basically being nothing more than a disappointment to this family

Arguing he’s an adult and can do what he wants doesn’t prove to be helpful, but at least Luna is safe

Her family is even less thrilled, they lament how humans always bring trouble and that she should consider leaving him

They both question if they’re good for each other, if there’s any chance this could work out without causing a disaster

In the end each of them decides to just allow this to develop a bit more and see where it takes them (but a few doubts remain)

During the last days of him there, they talk about the future

He’ll go to college now, he has no idea how often he can make it, and it makes them both sad

It gets so much worse when he meets a girl at college who he begins to have a tiny crush on

The guilt eats him up, he’s too ashamed to go to the lake or do anything to reach out to Luna

She’s devastated

Believes her magic isn’t working, but she’s not feeling his presence at all, and she’s tired all the time since she checks if he’s anywhere close to water too often

Sometimes she wonders if he died and thinks about how she’ll never know what happened

Luna loves him, she knew that, but she never imagined it would hurt so much

If she swam down to Buenos Aires, would she find him? But how? And she really can’t stand the cold

So, it’s waiting and hoping he’ll come back one day

The first time Luna feels his presence again, she’s too excited and almost messes up the spell

He apologizes a million times

Admits how guilty and sorry he feels

Explaining everything to her takes time, and the way she asks him if he’s leaving her for this girl breaks his heart

Matteo says he tried to forget Cancún, to forget her, but it’s impossible

Long talks ensue

His toes go numb from the cool water, his whole body is freezing but his mind feels more at ease than ever since that day on the boat

He goes back to reach out for her as often as he can

Gastón notices how happy he is ofc and asks if he went back to the moon and if the trip was nice, before asking why he never applied for university in Mexico

Matteo feels so dumb

Because he never considered it

The thought simply never crossed his mind

Obviously, the first thing he does is researching if and how it would work out

Thinking out it takes its time, and he’s tormenting himself, but one day he wakes up and knows

Heavy discussions and fights with his parents follow, especially with his dad

But Matteo follows through with moving, while he makes Gastón promise to visit him often

The first days back with her are great

Now they know they love each other, they choose this, and they’ll make it work

He knows he made the right call

They play around in the water and at night they walk underneath the stars, and she brings him the prettiest seashells to decorate his flat

However, on the first day of uni he comes back home from an introductory course, and he’s not done counting the hours till sunrise when he discovers her crying on the floor in front of his door

Matteo struggles to understand a single word she stammers

He carries her inside and wraps her in his arms and waits until she calms down enough to tell him what happened

She hasn’t told him yet because she didn’t want to make such a fuzz about it, but she’s been arguing a lot with her family lately. About him and his move here, their relationship. So, this morning, she waited for sunrise by the shore and her family was there, asking why she didn’t get in the water already. Her reply was that she enjoyed being a human and wanted to soak up the last minutes of it for the night. Her family was not amused. Like, super not amused. She admits to Matteo that they have had their doubts for a long time, but today it really spilled out of them. They started saying ugly things, like her relationship was getting out of hands, and she should have told him to not move here, it won’t last, she was making the worst decisions for each and every one, and she should break up with him

In a hot-headed impulse, she refused to go back into the water

And now she’s a human

For good

She’s a human and lost and angry at herself and has no idea what to do

All she wanted was for them to apologize to her

Matteo feels like all the wires in his brain burned through

But he promises her that they’ll make it work

The first weeks are a mess

Luna is either crying or mad at herself and along with him continuing university in a new country, they’re both too stressed. She lashes out at him more than once, while he has to swallow nasty comments about how she alone made that decision

Finally, a month has passed. Things are somewhat more stable now. She adapts to being a human for more than just a few weeks, and he gets used to sharing his flat with someone. Both have their weak moments, but happiness slowly finds its way back in

Matteo helps her to reach out to her family and get all her documents and stuff she kept in the mansion. Lots of tears are involved but, in the end, meeting them helps.

He also learns that she has some basic knowledge about all the things people learn in school

Still, it’s not enough to get a job or training, she will need lessons

They decide it’s easiest for him to cut back a bit on classes and help her until she can get a tutor or course program

The hardest thing is going swimming. She avoids the ocean and it takes multiple breakdowns and endless tears for her to go back

But they make it. They make it through fights and blaming each other, through the stress of barely having time between classes and her new job as a tourist guide for ocean trips, through every up and down. Together

Bonus:

He definitely proposes by the beach, the night sky above them and the sound of the waves in the background

#soy luna #lutteo #my sl fanfiction #sl headcanon #when will I ever stop getting new kittens #also swimming with turtles is really fun and the best and they're just really cool animals

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golddaggers · 7 years ago

Text

have you seen her?

pairings: reader x stiles stilinski.

warnings: meh, a bit angsty, some smut. nothing much.

a/n: I wasn’t going to publish it in the first place, however I though I would risk it and post it. I really hope you all enjoy it!!

ps.: you might have some characteristics that don’t belong to you.

word count: 6867

The park was pretty crowded when I arrived. Like most days, some kids played happily in the small playground, yelling cheerfully while their parents were sitting on the nearby benches, watching them from afar. Birds chirped excitedly, eating bread crummies that were scattered by the lake’s margin, the sunshine enlightened the clear water and, due to all of that, she popped into my mind. All the memories we built on this very same place and the reason why I came back every single day.

Y/N/N was the woman of my dreams and, at the same time, my personal hell. Someone who was permanently etched to my brain. Either way, I didn’t want to forget her. Not ever.

The day we finally met each other, was also the one I had given up on giving my heart to the wrong girl. I had wasted years of my life chasing after Lydia and now I was forced to watch her gushing over Jackson, which definitely was not good for my mental health, because I knew I would be a much better choice for her. Yet, when I came clean about my feelings, Martin didn’t pick me, making my heart shatter into tiny little pieces. In that moment, I thought I would never feel okay again, however, Y/N quickly proved me wrong that night.

Loud music was throbbing on the sound boxes when I downed my first glass of vodka. This party, so far, had gone incredibly wrong for me; I had come to put the whole revealing to Lydia she was my crush and getting turned down by her aside, but, as if fate wanted to take a good laugh at me, I bumped into her and her new boyfriend. God, I got so enraged I left Scott there with his new girlfriend, Allison, and went after a drink.

Obviously, I was never much of a drinker, so the transparent liquid went down my throat, I felt it stinging, burning. Yet, despite the feeling, I actually enjoyed, so I kept drinking, fact that drove me to get tipsy in, roughly, twenty minutes. The whole place began to spin, double people speeding in front of me; it was when I preached myself I needed some fresh water on my face, just to sober up a little bit.

Tripping my way into the restroom, I bumped into someone, spilling their drink on both of us. A gentle voice cursed, making me look up, only to find a beautiful set of grey eyes staring at me narrowed; I was so stupidly mesmerised by them I didn’t even understand what she said, I just… Got lost on her.

“Are you even listening?” The light pink haired girl quizzed, cocking one of her eyebrows at me. “Fuck, you must really be shitfaced, huh?”

I should say something.

Why wasn’t I saying something?

Without hearing any response, she sighed, shaking her head. I was still breathless by the look in her eyes.

“Okay, come with me.”

She gripped my hand, intertwining our fingers, and dragged me through the crowd, pushing me to enter a dark room. Once inside, the beautiful woman let go of my fingers, disappearing in the darkness for a second before the light was turned on. Again, I was in awe by her beauty.

“My name is Y/N, by the way, but everyone calls me Y/N/N.”

“U-Uh, mine is… It’s nice to meet you, I mean, no, wait.” I babbled, saying everything at one strike and making absolutely no sense. However, instead of running away scared, she just laughed and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. “Stiles.”

“What the hell is a Stiles?” Y/N asked, pulling a tissue from her purse and rubbing it against the stain on her baby green dress.

“M-My name.”

“Oh.” Another smile pulled the corners of her lips. “Well, Stiles, you kind of own me a new book. And very likely a new dress.”

“A book?”

Y/N used her chin to point at the a dripping wet hardcover book thrown over the sink. It was about matching signs or something. Either way, I swallowed thickly, nodding shyly, and then took the courage to go over to her side; taking a deep breath, I turned on the faucet, washing my hands. When I was finished, I rubbed both of them on my eyes, trying to make the spinning stop. The alcohol was still making me dizzy.

“Need a tissue? Maybe some coffee too? I have been told I make the greatest coffee around.”

“Uh, sure, why not? And yes, I do need one.”

Smiling, the woman handed me the requested object, which I used to clean the drops sliding down my face. As soon as we got rid of all the spilt drink, she boldly took my digits on hers again, guiding me towards the kitchen room, where she did not hesitate to grab all the goods necessary to make us coffee.

The place was huge mess, but I still managed to find one empty seat by the table. I sat down, supporting my elbows on the cold marble and licking my lips that were immeasurably dry. Now that I was slowly recovering my senses, a light shade of pink painted my cheeks; how could I be nervous about a girl I had never seen before in my life? Was that even possible?

She quietly put the trash out and found herself a chair, occupying the spot next to me. Her Y/S/T arms hooked my shoulders, her thumb massaging my shoulder lightly, like she was trying to comfort me somehow.

“Is it a girl?”

“What?”

“I have seen that bummed out face on plenty others before. All of them had had their hearts broken by a girl.”

“Lydia Martin.” I exhaled, the name fluttering on my lips. “I fell for her back in the third grade, but she never noticed me. Now she has found a crappy boyfriend and I just wish… Fuck, nevermind.”

“Okay, wait a second, because I think the coffee is ready.” Her chuckle filled my ears, making my heart skip a beat. “But our talk isn’t over.”

The girl stood up in a jump, found two mugs in the old cabinet, poured the black, strong liquid and then went back, the glass hitting the marble sound echoing. She pushed my mug so it was in front of me.

“Alright, listen to me now. Uh, I know we have never seen each other before and I know it sounds crazy that a stranger is giving you advice, still, I feel like you should let go of her, really. Don’t hurt yourself because she can’t feel the same about you. Honestly, you seem like a pretty nice guy… If she can’t see that, well, you better off without her.”

“You’re right.” Sipping on my coffee, I agreed with a slight nod. “And you do make a great coffee. Never enjoyed it this much previously.”

“Thank you.” Y/N nudged my upper arm with her shoulder, giggling.

She too drank a little bit of her drink, us both remaining in a nice silence for a tiny moment. Afterwards, she crinkled her nose, laughed and started talking. Random stuff at first, however, once three hours had gone by, I already knew all about her family, her friends, her dream job, her love towards animals… This particular side of her made me even more enchanted by the new girl. I was simply fascinated by her personality and strong will.

“God, it’s so late. I gotta go!” Y/N/N said, right after she checked her watch.

“Wait, can I… Shit, can I have your number?”

“Absolutely. I would love to get a call from you when you’re all sober.”

Y/N ripped a piece of paper from her ruined book and wrote down her number in it. She pecked my cheek swiftly then left me standing alone in the kitchen, not sure of what should I do next. The second she had disappeared from my sight, I picked up the note, seeing numbers, but also a small message: ‘Looking forward for us to have good time. Call me ;).’

I smirked, running a finger through her pretty handwriting; by being so deep within the fresh memories of the mystery girl, I never noticed Scott stepping in. He had a torn appearance and I was clearly drunk when I set my eyes on him.

“Where have you been all night?” My friend queried, his tone sounding demanding and upset. “Allison’s father came to pick her up a while back and I was alone with both Lydia and Jackson.”

“Poor you, Scott.” I tried to suppress a smile, upon seeing his true drunk state. “What about we head home, huh?”

“That would be nice.” Scott mumbled, trying to clumsily hug me. “What’s that on your hand?

“A phone number.”

“Wait, what happened?”

“I met a girl.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, her name is Y/N and she’s pretty cool.”

“Uh, niceee.” His voice was strangled and weirdly excited, pushing me into shaking my head. “Oh no, I think I am going to throw up.”

“Not on me, you loser. Now let’s go.”

That rising morning was one of the best of my life and I couldn’t forget the way she smiled, showing off her cute dimples, or the funny way she got excited when talking about her pet cats not even when she choked, laughing at one of my jokes. I just couldn’t wait to call her up and ask her out.

I solely knew I had found the woman of my life.

When I got home that night, after carefully putting Scott in bed and making sure Melissa wouldn’t see his wrecked state, I, out of sudden, experienced a sinking feeling reach my stomach. And my heart was acting just as weird. Yet, despite being uncomfortable, I understood, right away, what was all of that about. It was, as I began to call it later, “Y/N/N side effects”.

Life, on the hand, tried to warn me I shouldn’t be so smitten by someone. The first warning was: I lost the little paper with her number. I searched through every single one of my pockets, my car, my room, even Scott’s place. It was not anywhere to be found. Still, I wasn’t going to give so easily.

Digging a little, I discovered she was friends with Allison and, the second I learned that, I went straight to my best friend’s girl, wanting meet with Y/N again.

Allison had a cheerful smile on her face when I approached her six mornings later after the party. Yet, when I brought it up the subject of the pink haired girl I got know in the party, the smile faded to a sympathetic one. Like those you give when your puppy dies or something.

“Please, Allison.” I begged, squeezing her delicate hands on mine. “She was so warm, so nice to me… I need to see her again. I don’t know, I might have fallen for her.”

“Look, Stiles, I am sorry to break to you, but I don’t think Y/N/N is the person you should be falling for.” The brown haired woman pulled her hands away and placed them on my shoulders, the sympathetic smirk never leaving her lips. It seemed as if she was sorry for me. “Put her out of your mind, honestly.”

“But I don’t want to, Allison!” A tired sigh left my lips while I glared at the girl a bit saddened. “She was perfect. How can I put her out of my mind?”

“Stiles, listen to me.” Her traits suddenly contorted into a serious expression. “I love Y/N/N, she is indeed a great person to be friends with, still… Not the type any good boys should be falling for. I have seen her do this to men a thousand times.”

“Do what?” The question slipped, me getting more and more frustrated by the second.

“Make them in love with her, even though she has no plans on staying.”

“No, Allison, it was different with me. I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I felt it.”

Allison exhaled, shaking her head. Without saying anything, she pulled both a pen and a paper from her backpack and scribbled down a phone number, handing it to me with a disappointing look burning in her irises. I, on the other hand, was cheering on the inside.

“Here’s her number, since you’re so desperate to reach her, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

I happily kissed her cheek, hearing her laughing as I walked away to find a calmer place to call Y/N, for I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to hear her voice again, her cute giggle and, obviously, I needed to ask her out as soon as possible. A girl like her… Well, she doesn’t stay single for long.

The phone rang, rang and rang, however, the call was only picked up after the sixth time, which got my heart beating too fast I could hear it pumping on my ears.

“Hello?”

“Y/N?”

“Yes, that’s her.” The phone call went mute for a second. “Who is this?”

“Uh, it’s Stiles.”

“Oh, Stiles… The one who owns me a book, right?” Her laugh echoed on the speaker and I could swear I was in heaven all over again. “I thought you would call me the day after, but you never did.”

“Uh, I-I lost your number.”

“That’s too bad.”

This moment had been planned by me so many times and I now I had no idea how I should ask her out. What exactly I should say. My hands were stammering and I knew if I spoke, my voice would be shaky too. Her breathing was regular on the other side, which made me sigh, giving up on being like that.

“Can we, you know, go out sometime?”

“Oh.” Her voice sounded surprised, but I understood she was just messing with me. “Obviously. But we have to make it to today.”

“Why?”

“Some dork should have called me five days ago.” I could mentally see her rolling her eyes. “What about you pick me up at seven? I’ll text you my address.”

“Sounds great.”

“It’s a date, then.”

“Yes, it’s a date.”

Y/N bid me goodbye then hung up and I, once more, got left alone, standing like an idiot in the middle of the school hall. Yet, I couldn’t care less about it. Despite all odds, I had a date with her: the girl I had been dreaming about for the past days. The one who, out of the blew, won my heart.

The satisfied smirk never faltered on my mouth throughout the whole day. Everyone kept asking me why I was so damn happy, but I didn’t want anyone minding my business, not for now anyway. For this short while, I would keep it secret, in a way of protecting this new relationship that was coming to life today.

I wasn’t even certain if it was going anywhere, still, I sure as hell wished it was.

The memory of our first date was carved into my brain; about ten minutes to seven P.M., I parked outside her home, only to find her sitting at swing on her porch’s home. Y/N/N had a fine black dress and a light makeup on her face, very different from what I remembered. Still, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.

We went to a small but cosy restaurant outside Beacon Hills. Clearly it was nothing fancy, yet, it meant a lot to me to take her there, because that was the place my father took my mother on their first date. Or so the story tells. Either way, I was sure she had enjoyed it, for the smile shone on her poison red lips all night long.

After she and I finished our meals, I decided to take her to a park nearby. One I played a lot as a kid. She nodded enthusiastically, accepting without think it twice. That was the place where we had our first kiss.

A round moon and a bunch of stars enlightened our walk to the empty park. Y/N had her hand carelessly linked to mine, her digits squeezing it gently. By this simple act, my heart was pounding like crazy against my chest, sweat coating my forehead. As for her, she looked peaceful, her loose hair breezing to the wind and her cheeks a bit flushed. God, how can someone be so beautiful?

“This night was amazing, Stiles.” She whispered, a while after we were sitting by ourselves in a bench in front of the lake. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I am just happy you said yes.”

“I am too.”

I noticed her leaning in to lie her head on my shoulder, sighing. Upon her latter action, I dared myself to hook an arm around her shoulders, comforting her on my chest, which the girl accepted happily. And, for several minutes, we stayed in that position, contemplating the dark sky, the soothing water waves… Tonight indeed was a breathtaking night.

Y/N, then, abruptly unhooked herself from me and glared at me with a mischievous glint on her hazel irises.

“I have a crazy idea. Want to do something fun?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Well…” She began tugging at the hem of her dress, pulling it up. “Have you ever skinny dipped?”

“No.”

“I am glad I will be your first.”

Laughing, the girl skilfully took off her dress, standing before me in a sinful scarlet red lingerie set, and ran to the lake’s margin, calling me up with a finger once she got there. I lowly mumbled a ‘what the hell’, got rid of my clothing too and joined her, our arms tied together.

“Nice underwear.”

“Yours is pretty nice too.”

“Okay, ready?”

“Yeah.”

We jumped, without think twice, in the cold water, feeling it swiftly numb out our bodies. Y/N did not hesitate to cling herself to me, her arms linking behind my small back, she had a gorgeous smile lying on her lips whilst her chin jittered to the low temperature. Our faces, as noticed rapidly, were dangerously close, so much I had to stop myself from leaning in.

The water moved around in smooth movements, making us both swing lightly. I cupped her cheeks, wiping the drops sliding down on them, which pushed her into biting the soft flesh of her bottom lip. I swallowed thickly, tracing a line on it, getting her lids to fall shut. In a hushed action, I pressed my mouth on hers, kissing her passionately.

I had never been kissed like that before; her lips applied a soft pressure to mine, her tongue moving in sync with mine. It was like we were meant to do that. My hands were on her neck, my thumbs caressing it slowly, provoking a small moan to slip. Hers were on my back, her nails digging it as they glided down, eliciting goosebumps on my skin. I wished this moment to never have an end, still, we needed breathe.

“I-I think we should get out of the water.”

“Yeah.” I answered in a whisper, however, before the magic was over, I kissed her again, lasting it enough for us to be begging for a warmer place.

In the road back to Beacon Hills, I gazed at her by the corner of my eyes, a goofy smile plastered on that pretty face. I understood I didn’t want just one night like that, I wanted all nights. All mornings. All afternoons. I wanted everything with her.

Throwing some crummies to the birds, I remembered how incredibly happy I was that day. The sweet taste of her lips lingering on mine, her gentle hands stroking my back while we exchanged a fond act. Who would have guessed how ephemeral our relationship was going to be? I certainly wouldn’t. Not for a while, at least.

Y/N/N and I had an amazing month together before things started to fall apart. I, then, understood what Allison had said about her not committing problem. Well, she had all sorts of issues, and not wanting to settle down was among them. The second things began to get serious between us, she started to push me away, refusing to get any deeper than the mainly sexual relationship we built in the meantime. Of course I wouldn’t give up on that girl so easily, I loved her with all my heart, which was why I decided to do something.

On the week of her eighteenth birthday, I planned a little surprise party. I invited some of her friends, some of mine. Decorated my entire place with her favourite kind of flower, bought her favourite cake and simply transformed my place into her dream place. Ah, yes, it was a magical night for both of us.

All lights were switched off when I got back home that night with Y/N. We had gone out to celebrate her birthday, going to the small restaurant I took her on our first date; I could see by the sparkling of her hazel eyes she was happy I had done that. Her family wasn’t exactly the type who would do some big gesture for their daughter; from the little she had told me, I utterly hated them for the lack of love towards her; I mean, she was so damn amazing it was a crime to do that to someone like her.

“A penny for your thoughts.” Her soothing voice filled the room. “Oh fuck, you look so hot when you’re serious…”

“Oh shut it, Y/N.”

“I would like you to call me Y/N/N, or at least Lis. Not boring old Y/N.”

“I love your name and you know that.”

“Oh shut it, Mieczyslaw.” She rolled her eyes, laughing afterwards, her hand lying careless on my thigh. “Shall we go inside? I sort of want to see what you saved underneath those clothes for me today.”

“Oh, you naughty thing.” I cupped her cheek, stealing a quick, but passionate, kiss from her lips, sensing her smile against my mouth. “Let’s go.”

Y/N wrapped her arm around my waist, placing her head on my shoulder as we walked towards my home. Everything was so silent that, if I didn’t know better, I would say everyone had forgotten about the thing I had arranged about two weeks ago.

As a way to let them know we had arrived, I started to fumble through my pockets, making an awful lot of noise, which drove the girl to direct me an odd looking glare. If only she knew what waited her behind that door…

“Okay, found it.”

“Yay!”

The money I had wasted on it was definitely worth it after I saw the glowing in her eyes to the small gathering I had architectured. Flowers were covering every inch of my living room, petals scattered the way up to my room; a table was set in the middle, the cake positioned in the centre of it, a couple of drinks beside it. Party lights were blinking and all her favourite songs were playing on the background.

Allison was the first to come over to us, hugging her tightly. The brown haired woman whispered something funny on her ear that made her laugh loudly, but I, sadly, was able to hear it or know what it was. She shook my hand then went back to Scott’s side, who, by the way, winked at me, raising his red cup. I did the same, lacing my arm around my girl’s shoulders, making us get even closer.

While watching her talking cheerfully to her other friends, I could not avoid my constant contemplation of her. The way she moved, or crinkled her nose, squinting her eyes to laugh, also throwing her head back. How she would put her hands on her hips, leaning in to pay attention. All the little things that made me head over heels for her.

Y/N didn’t know but I was going to say 'I love you’ to her for the first time tonight. Later, obviously, when we were alone at my bedroom, possibly staring at the stars… Oh God, I just couldn’t wait for it.

If only I knew what was going to go down later… I would never have said those three little words to her. My Y/N/N was an wonderful person, she was the moon holding all the stars together… Maybe it was why I couldn’t have her all to myself, I mean, who can own such a beautiful thing like the moon?

When the party finally ended, I took her upstairs, to my room, so we could spend some little alone time with one another. I liked Y/N better when she had no masks on and that usually happened within closed walls. Just me and her.

“Thank you for tonight.” Y/N whispered, walking around the dimly lit room, stripping off of her coat. “The party, this! Oh god, Stiles, you’re perfect… I don’t know if I am deserving of you.”

She stood by the window, gazing at the empty street; I approached her, giving a subtle massage on her shoulders, hearing the girl moan lowly under my touch. The mere sound made me tense up, like I did whenever she produced those noises. It was, again, “Y/N side effects”.

Abruptly swivelling herself to face me, Y/N captured my mouth with hers rapidly, not even giving me a chance to pace myself to the contact. Her lips were thirsty, sucking at mine as if she wanted to take a bite or anything like that. I chuckled at her exasperation, gripping her upper arms and leading her to the bed, where I pushed her to fall with a small thud.

“Uh, someone’s eager to be dominant tonight, huh?”

“Don’t spoil the moment, will you?” I asked huskily, kneeling in front of her and sliding down her skirt, finding a violet coloured underwear under. “Nasty, babe.”

“What can I say? Not just you are the one with the surprises tonight.”

Us both shared a laugh, then, not wanting to waste any more seconds apart from her, I started kissing her inner leg. Leaving a red stain behind wherever I applied a little pressure. She, a long ago, had fallen back, her hips lightly buckling to my caresses. But I wouldn’t cave in so soon… Nah, I would tease the hell out of that woman.

My hands perked up to meet the waistband of her panties, playing with them while I was fanning warm breaths over her clothed core. She barely moved, only begging for me to get over it, eliciting a ironic giggle from me; I began, after a while, to kiss her crotch, scattering sloppy open mouthed kisses across the region. The buckling started to get a little bit hash.

“Easy, babe.” I pinned her down, strongly grasping her soft skin. “Let’s not rush ourselves, shall we?”

“You son of a bitch.”

I went back up to her toes, getting one inside my mind and swirling my tongue around it. Somewhere in internet I read this was an erotic zone or so; might have been in porn, but I am not admitting that. Either way, she seemed to be enjoying, because I did hear some meawls slipping from her mouth soon afterwards. A couple of minutes later, I caressed her legs, going down again, this time actually pushing her knickers to one side and revealing all her nudity to me.

For a moment, I gasped, always being struck of how beautiful she looked when she was like that: surrendered. I glided my tongue up her folds, using it to find her sensitive nub; the second I hit it, her hands flew to my hair, pulling it tightly. She also moaned a bit louder than usual. I dared to look up whilst circling her clit, she had her grey eyes pierced on me and they were soaked in pleasure; my name vibrated on her lips, pleading with me to go faster.

I pushed her down, supporting my hands on her thighs, deepening the contact, zigzagging on her core, erupting a string of curses to echo across the room. Those pretty sounds I grown used to hearing whenever I did that to her. In one sudden movement, I pushed two fingers inside, my saliva making it wet enough for it not to hurt. Her walls complained against my digits and Y/N screamed, mumbling disjointed words while I pumped, scissoring sometimes, experiencing the feeling of her clenching anytime I went a little further into her.

“Please, Stiles… Shit, I am going to…”

“Cum to me, honey.” My voice spoke up, so hoarse I almost didn’t recognise it as mine. “I want to be the one to take you to heaven tonight.”

With one last push, she broke down, yelling and arching her back, her toes curling on my back. I couldn’t help but groan along, mesmerised by her.

“You’re not taking me to heaven.” Y/N replied, once she had rode out of her high and was up on her elbows. “You dragging me towards hell.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Damn good, baby, now come give me a kiss.”

Nodding, I slowly made my way up, lifting her shirt alongside it while scattering pecks on her torso, feeling the girl shudder. At her neck, I sucked the smooth skin, leaving a purple mark behind and earning myself a low gasp. Her nails dug in my shoulders, sliding down my back, very likely scraping it too. I couldn’t mind less, though. I loved when she did that anyway.

I linked our mouths in a savage kiss, noticing perfectly she taking her skilful hand to the growing length forming the bulge under my khakis. She squeezed it softly, summoning a raspy moan from my throat; I closed my eyes, poking her cheek with my nose as our lips brushed. Y/N massaged me for a while longer, then she struggled with the button, popping it open a second later. Her hand job got me feeling like I was in paradise.

“Fuck, Y/N/N…” I murmured, nibbling at the crook of her neck, still maintaining my weight on my knees and elbows, otherwise I would crush her. “You’re so good at this…”

“I love when you’re talking dirty to me, Stiles.”

Y/N intensified the movement on my dick, making me twitch a bit. If she kept going, I would spoil all the fun, that was why I stopped her and stood up, obviously gaining a grunt of complaint. I merely smiled, kicking off my shoes, trousers and anything that could prevent me from diving into her. Yet, once naked, I still lacked the protection, so I went to my drawers, collecting one; then I put it in place, going straight to the action, only to be astounded by the scene of her rubbing herself, providing pleasure to the body I loved so much.

“That’s how you do it without me, Y/N?”

“Oh yes, baby… But nothing feels better than you.” A whine escaped her lips when I harshly pushed her legs, getting my cock lined up to her entrance, teasing it a bit. “Fuck… Damn, please, Stiles. Do it.”

“That’s what you want?” I pushed inside one bit, taking an achingly long moment. “Do you want me to wreck you good?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Then I must fulfill your wishes.”

Gripping the base of her Y/S/T thighs, I sheathed myself inside her using one sharp thrust. We both groaned to the touch, our bodies mingling, turning into one. It was cheesy, but it was how I felt when I was with her like that… Two pieces forming one. Like it was meant to be.

I slammed into her almost as if I thought that was no tomorrow, the sound of our skins collapsing filled the room, just as much as her silky moans and my constant grunts. My palms glued to her breasts, to which, I had realised, I have given no attention until now; Deciding to make up for the time lost, I used my thumbs to circle her nipples, getting them hard effortlessly. Matter fact, Y/N’s whole body was over sensitive to tact, meaning anything I did would get goosebumps crawling on her skin.

She forced her bottom half forward, meeting mine with a noisy clap. I smirked cocky, leaning in to savour her boobs for a while, for I wanted her to get the best experience of this whole thing. Nothing plausible came out of her during the time I continuously buried myself within her tepid core, experiencing it chewing me like my cock was some sort of gum.

“Shit, babe. I’m close.”

“Hold on there, Stiles, I want to… Fuck. Just like that, keep going.”

Upon being aware there was nearly nothing left of me, I took my digits to her clit, rubbing it fast; noticing her legs tensing up around me. A couple of movements later, the girl came undone for the last time, right after I did it myself, growling her name. So loud anyone nearby would have known who I was fucking. I thrusted a little more, riding us out of our peeks, then I rolled to her side. Once free from the condom, I lied down again, pulling her to my chest; the jittering figure heaved still.

Y/N caressed my hair, pecking my cheek; afterwards, she started drawing figures on my chest, us both enjoying the healthy silence.

“This was amazing.” The pink haired girl muttered. “And thank you again for tonight.”

“Anything for you, darling.”

I winked afore we fell into a deep silence again; I knew I couldn’t wait any more. I had to tell her how I felt so this heavy pressure on my heart would be released; Y/N needed to know she was loved.

“Can I confess you something?”

“Of course you can, baby.”

“I love you, Y/N. And I have been loving you from the first time I saw you.”

The woman went mute for a second and, after it, she sat up, her eyes widened in shock, her mouth gaped open from what I had said.

“You what?”

“I love you.”

“No. Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Spoil things. You’re not supposed to love me!”

“But I do! Very much!”

Her hazel eyed gaze was sad when she looked at me the last time before she got up from the bed, quickly gathering her clothes and putting them on, totally ready to leave.

“What are you doing?”

“I-I need to think.”

“Excuse me?”

“Please… I-I can’t do this. Oh fuck, I-I need to go.”

Those words said, the girl ran away, slamming the door shut behind her and leaving me, this time, heartbroken, because I knew, the second Y/N glared at me with those scared eyes, she wouldn’t ever be coming back.

Ever since Y/N/N walked out of my life, almost three weeks ago, I had been a total mess. To be honest, the first couple of days I had been in such a bad shape, even my father came up to me to ask what had happened. It was still fresh in my brain how he had gaped his lips slightly, a low 'oh’ falling from his mouth; more than anyone, Noah Stilinski adored her and I fully knew he was sad we were over. For now, at least.

I threw the last pieces of bread to the birdies, cleaning my hands on my blue jeans and standing up, deciding it was time to go home. Drowning myself in my memories, going to back to the time I was with her, it was all good, but I couldn’t go on like that. It wasn’t healthy, actually, once it was over, I got even more wrecked.

A soft sigh crawled out my mouth as I gazed at the darkening sky, reminiscing on the countless afternoons we spent lying on the grass, laughing and just being ourselves. Without any feelings getting in the way. Fuck, I missed her so much…

“I knew I would find you here.” A voice whispered shyly from behind me, one that made me spin on my heel so fast things went blank for a second. “Hi, Stiles.”

“Y/N/N?”

“You never call me that before… What is up with you?” The smile shining on her face made my heart warm up, beating at an inconsistent rate. I was definitely not ready to see her again so soon.

“W-What are you doing here?” I stammered, noticing my eyes go wide whilst hers glared at me a bit unsure.

Y/N/N bit her bottom, hiding her hands within the pockets on her leather jacket.

“I wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay, obviously.”

I nodded, sitting back on the bench again and watching her do the same on the corner of my eye. We stayed in an uncomfortable silence for a bit, neither wanting to be the one to break it, but, in the end, she ended up clearing her throat, trying to make out a coherent sentence yet failing miserably. I shot her a sympathetic glance, in hopes the Y/S/T girl would feel more comfortable.

At last, Y/N/N took a deep breath, soothing herself before saying:

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, exactly?” I quizzed, bluntly, daring to connect our gazes.

“For being a bitch to the only person who truly loved me for what I am.” She look at the ground, her knuckles white from squeezing strongly her thighs. “I shouldn’t have ran away like that.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t. You almost tore me apart and it wasn’t fair.”

“I know messed up big time, baby, but that’s why I’m here anyway. This time we spent apart made me see some stuff clearer and, damn, I can't… I can’t be without you. I miss our early morning walks; you petting my cats while I made you coffee; we talking until late night… I miss us. I can’t live without us, to be entirely honest.”

“You can’t?”

“No…”

For a moment, I was shocked. Was she really saying all those things to me? Saying she had missed me, like I dreamt about for weeks? That was indeed real life? It was so unrealistic I thought I might be hallucinating, however, when the gentle touch of her hand met my knee, I knew it wasn’t, so I smiled. Genuinely, like I hadn’t ever since she walked out on me.

Her hands met my cheeks, cupping them, and her thumbs massaged the cheekbones underneath; I noticed she leaning in, her beautiful nose poking my playfully; then, the gorgeous looking woman pressed her lips on mine, waking me up to reality, making me feel alive again. I snuck my hands down to her waist, pulling her frame towards me, deepening the kiss and letting out all the stored emotions.

The kiss lasted a couple of minutes, afterwards, we had to break it to breathe, our lungs complaining for the lack of air. While our breathings normalised, I took the chance to lose myself on her smouldering green eyes, wanting to savour that moment at its fullest.

“Stiles, I… Fuck, I missed you.” Y/N/N pecked my lips again, this time scattering kissing my entire face. “And now I can say it was all bullshit.”

“What was?”

“The whole act I put on, saying you had spoilt everything… You didn’t do anything wrong. Not ever. The truth is, a while back, I fell in love with a wrong person. It destroyed me, so I learnt to protect myself, I wore a thick layer around my heart. However, when you showed, it all went down and scared me.” A tired exhale left her pink lips. “But I love you, Stiles. Like I have never loved anyone in my life before.”

Those three little words hit my chest like an right aimed punch, driving me to lose a breath. And a beat. God, I was so head over heels for her!

“I’m glad you know that now.”

“Jerk.” She rolled her eyes, lying her head on my shoulder, her gaze lost on the darkening sky. “Be cute to me.”

“I’m always cute.” We chuckled, intertwining our fingers. “Can I ask you something?”

“Obviously!” Y/N/N replied cheerfully. “Anything you want!”

“Promise me you’ll never leave my life again. That even if we don’t work out as a couple, we will still be friends. Promise.”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I lived without you and I came to the realisation I don’t want to. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me!”

“Lies!”

“Excuse me?”

“You, Stiles, is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Not the other way around. Also, of course, I promise you that. From now on, we’re stuck with each other.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

Absently minded, I glued our mouths once more, finally feeling, after so long, whole again. And I was aware that, as long as she was with me, as long as she loved me, I would always feel this way. Always.

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randomactuallywrites-57 · 7 years ago

Text

For the First Time

Title: For the First Time Author: randomwriter57 Rating: G Word Count: 1,936 Event + Prompt: @sormikweek day two - Ladylake: Conflict/Trust Summary: Inexperience isn’t a bad thing, but Sorey’s always had a curious streak. Notes: I actually wrote the first draft of this one a while ago, but I think it kind of fits today’s prompts? In any case, please enjoy some shameless sormik.

Also on: AO3

Sorey has never been kissed. Or kissed anyone, for that matter.

This fact turns out to be far more shocking to Rose than he would have expected.

Even in the noisy cheer of the tavern, Rose’s laughter never fails to take precedence. He can only watch as her cheeks flush from lack of breath, unable to understand what about this is so shocking to her.

“I know you’re young, but this is too good,” Rose manages to say through the last bout of laughter. “Like, are you being serious?”

“Yeah?” He doesn’t really get what she’s saying. Surely his age shouldn’t have anything to do with this - Rose is only a little bit older than he is, after all.

“Wow, you really are as pure as Lailah says!” Rose finally calms down enough to take a drink. “Sure, it’s understandable that you couldn’t do it before you left home, but even after that you still haven’t?”

“I’ve kind of been busy,” Sorey points out, eyes flicking over to his Shepherd’s cloak, which is drying on the back of a seemingly empty chair.

(He’s learnt never to leave it on the coat pegs at the front of the tavern, not since someone tried to steal it one time. He’s lucky Rose managed to hunt the thief down. Now Lailah is the designated guardian of the Shepherd’s cloak when they’re at an inn.)

Only Lailah and Mikleo are sitting at the same table as them, with Edna and Dezel already having retired to their rooms (though the draught of cold air gives Sorey the sneaking suspicion Dezel is reading the wind to make sure Rose isn’t leaving by herself again). Whilst Mikleo doesn’t look at all interested in the discussion, Lailah is covering a smile with one of her hands.

“If Sorey wanted the normal human experience, he wouldn’t have become the Shepherd,” Mikleo points out with a smirk. Sorey recognises the half-teasing tone in his voice and sighs.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“I think you made an admirable decision,” Lailah says. “But don’t let us stop you from having fun in your time off!”

Rose nods firmly. “Lailah’s right. I’m sure you could have your pick of any girl in Ladylake, or even anywhere else in Glenwood. Take your pick! Just make sure you’re back in time to find that trial of water with us.”

Sorey gives a nervous laugh. “I don’t really think that’s…” He trails off, not really knowing what to say.

To his left, Mikleo takes a long sip of his drink through the straw. It looks a little less odd to those without resonance than seeing the glass lift itself from the table, but that didn’t stop Mikleo from looking annoyed to have to use it. His expression looks somewhat miffed even now, but Sorey assumes he’s still annoyed about the straw.

(Sorey refuses to think that Mikleo’s expression might be due to the conversation.)

“Have you ever really thought about it?” Rose asks, this time more curious than teasing.

“Not really,” Sorey replies with a shrug.

“What about Mikleo? Has he ever thought about it?”

Mikleo shrugs. “We seraphim tend not to care too much about it.”

“Besides, Mikleo has a long life ahead of him,” Lailah says. “He has plenty of time. The same goes for Sorey.”

Sorey looks down at the table. The implication of Lailah’s words does not go unnoticed - he has a much shorter lifespan than Mikleo, after all. Perhaps that’s why Rose seems to care so much about his inexperience. But he still can’t bring himself to be too bothered about it.

Inexperience comes part and parcel with living with seraphim all your life. This is something Sorey has acknowledged for years, something he quickly learnt upon leaving his hometown.

He’s never thought of it as a weakness, though. Not having experienced things only means he has the chance to do so in the future. Curiosity is in his nature, and trying new things has never been something he’d say no to.

That being said, Sorey’s never cared all that much about romance. Perhaps it has something to do with his youth, or the fact that the people of Elysia never made it seem like a big deal. For seraphim, who live far longer than humans, finding a sole person to spend most of their lives with it tricky in itself. Most of the Elysian seraphim focus on making lasting friendships and maintaining the community they’ve built.

Sorey, having lived with them all his life, maintains the same standpoint. He already has a guardian to guide him and a large family rooting for him, not to mention the steadfast companion he has in Mikleo. Now he’s the Shepherd, he has an even larger group of companions. In all essence, there isn’t much need for him to have a romantic relationship, not when he already has a tonne of people who care about him.

(That doesn’t mean he’s never entertained the idea, of course. As a teen, reading the books Gramps pushed onto him concerning human puberty, he found it difficult to picture kissing some random stranger. He’d never picture any of the older seraphim, of course - that just feels wrong to him. The only person he could really picture anything like that with was Mikleo. They’ve never tried it, though, not even at the peak of Sorey’s curiosity. Mikleo probably doesn’t care much for romance, after all.)

Quietly, Sorey excuses himself from the table and heads into the night. A cool breeze ruffles his hair, following him from the inn to the area outside the aqueduct, which is surprisingly deserted, save for one or two stragglers. The light of the moon makes the lake glisten, reflecting the pinprick stars above him.

Maybe it’s Sorey’s curious nature cropping up, or the memory of Rose’s words from earlier coming back to him, but part of him wonders what it would be like; to stand here, by this lake on a romantic moonlit evening, to take their hand and to lean in until their lips met.

What would it feel like, he wonders? To kiss someone?

“Sorey,” a voice calls. It’s more familiar than the ruins he has imprinted into his memory since childhood. Though he doesn’t need to turn to know who the person is, he does so anyway.

“Mikleo.”

“You’re over-thinking things again, aren’t you?” As always, Mikleo sees through his smile straight away, crossing his arms in a judgemental pose. In the moonlight, his white hair glows, reflecting the light. If he didn’t already look somewhat mystical, what with being a seraph, this certainly helps.

“I was just thinking,” Sorey says after a moment’s pause. “Clearing my head.”

“Is it about what Rose said earlier?”

Sorey can’t help but flinch at Mikleo’s bluntness. He’s always been able to read him perfectly. “Is it that obvious?”

“Could have been worse,” Mikleo says with a wry smile. His expression quickly becomes serious. “Lack of experience isn’t a bad thing, you know.”

He smiles at that - of course Mikleo would think the same way he does. They were brought up together, after all.

“I know, but don’t you ever just feel curious?” Sorey looks back out to the stars. “Why do people care so much about it? Surely it must be something worth that much thought, if people think it’s strange not to have done it.”

For a long moment, they are silence. The breeze brushes past them, leaving ripples on the lake. Mikleo moves to stand at Sorey’s left side.

“Have you always wondered about it?” Mikleo says quietly. “Or is this more recent?”

Sorey looks over to Mikleo, a little surprised at the implication that this is something even Mikleo didn’t pick up about him. “I wondered a little, a few years ago. For the most part, it’s more recent.”

“You could have said something if it bugged you so much,” Mikleo says. His tone switches to a teasing one. “Unless that’s why you really tried to leave Elysia without me.”

“I wasn’t trying to leave without you!” Sorey says. “I just didn’t want to put you in danger for the sake of a human you didn’t care about at the time-”

“I know, I know.” Mikleo smiles at him. “In any case, if you’re so curious, why don’t you do it? The girls were right before, you could have your pick of anyone.”

Sorey looks at him for a long moment, his mind blank. “I’m not sure if ‘anyone’ includes the one person I’d ask to do this with me, though.”

“I’m sure whoever it is wouldn’t say no.” Mikleo says this with a pointed look towards him, one which Sorey can only assume means he understands what Sorey was trying to ask.

Still, he has to ask. “Would you…?”

Mikleo rolls his eyes, letting out a deep breath. His shoulders relax a little, and Sorey wonders if he had actually been nervous. “Do you really need to ask?”

“But it’s your first, too.”

“There’s no one else in the world I’d choose for this. It’s the same for you, right?”

Sorey nods, licking his lips nervously. “You’re sure?”

“Just do it already.”

For the first time, Sorey lets his gaze fall to Mikleo’s lips, taking in the light pink shade, the natural curve they make. His left hand finds Mikleo’s right wrist, and Mikleo links their hands. He feels Mikleo tug him forward, and takes that as his cue to stop hesitating.

He kisses Mikleo.

His first thought is that it’s okay. The kiss is only a touching of their lips, a sharing of warmth between them. Their noses and chins brush against each other, and Mikleo’s lips are soft underneath his own. The sensation is nice, but neither of them really know what they’re doing, so they end up breaking apart far too soon, before they have a chance to figure it out.

Still, they stay close when they part.

“So?” Mikleo says after a beat.

“Undecided. I need more evidence to form a proper opinion.”

“It would help is either of us knew what we were doing.”

“But then it wouldn’t be an experiment. Besides, we’ll get better at it.”

Mikleo hums, then lifts his free hand to cup Sorey’s face. There’s a flash of determination in his eyes, one which he usually sees in combination with a particularly logical puzzle. “Let me try again.”

Sorey closes his eyes in consent. A moment later, their lips are connected once more, but this time it’s more dynamic. Mikleo moves his lips as he kisses Sorey, gently tugging his lips with his own. This time, it feels even nicer, and Sorey finds himself responding to Mikleo’s kisses with his own, until their lips are moving in tandem. After a minute or two, they break apart, Sorey’s breathing a little heavier, though Mikleo’s is unaffected.

“Better?” Mikleo says.

“Can we do that again?” Sorey mumbles, already moving in again. Before their lips connect, however, Mikleo pushes his face away, just a little.

“There are still a couple of people around, you know. You look like you’re kissing thin air.”

“The people here already think I’m crazy. One or two kisses won’t do any more damage.”

Mikleo rolls his eyes, but when they kiss again, his lips are curved into a smile.

(It turns out to be far more than one or two kisses. Not that Sorey’s complaining, of course.

He’s always been up for trying new things, but after this, he’ll never say no to a new experience again, he thinks.)

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#sormikweek2017 #sormik #tales of zestiria #tales of zestiria fanfiction #toz #yes this is a shameless first kiss fic what are you looking at #if you think this is shameless wait until you see the next few pieces i've written for this week #also update day 3's (tomorrow's) is currently #8371 words in total #and it's not technically finished #more on that tomorrow

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