#I cannot wait for everyone to read these next chapters

[checkeredflagggs]

The Story of Us: Chapter 1

pairing: logan sargeant x famous!fem!singer

summary: logan and you have been keeping a secret from everyone but it might be time for it to come out

a/n: while I do my best on most of my works to be race neutral, this one is very very very self indulgent 🤷🏻‍♀️

a/n2: this is part 1 of 4/5, which will be released when they’re finished and I’m using pretty much everything from Taylor Swift

a/n3: I still don’t understand instagram so - no one but those that follow you can see a private accounts comments (even on a public post). Also I still hate twitter so I’ve replaced it with Bluesky

y/n_fanpage

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris, charles_leclerc, and 10,293,833 others

y/n_fanpage: y/n_nation has been busy this past week with hints of what’s to come. Obviously midnight has something to do with her announcement! Thoughts?

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user1: NO. SHUT UP!!!

↳user2: NEW STUFF??? NEW MATERIAL??

↳user1: MOTHER IS BACKKK!!!

↳user2: I forgot that it’s y/n_nation that posts the announcements now 😭😭 I feel like I’ve missed so much stuff

↳user1: girl you better go back and check it out

charles_leclerc: cannot wait! Will definitely be on repeat in the garage

↳carlossainz55: yes!!

↳scuderiaferrari: already making room for it in the playlist!

↳user3: ok but this just makes sense to me!!

↳user4: right? Of course Carlos and Charles are y/n fans!

user5: another banger album on the way!

↳user6: album of the year!!

user7: 🤞🤞 fingers crossed it’s a love album

↳user8: oh my god same?

↳user7: like I love her other stuff so much but her love albums??? Next. Level.

↳user8: right?? Oh imagine being loved by someone who writes literal love songs for you

↳user7: not just love songs tho…Thee love songs!

alex_albon: new race day anthem loading!

↳logansargeant: 😂

↳alex_albon: I can’t be teammates with you if you’re not a y/n fan

↳logansargeant: biggest fan there is

↳alex_albon: well that’s not possible

↳lilymhe: no one is taking that title from us!

↳logansargeant: if you say so…

↳oscarpiastri: 🤣🤣

user9: tour tour tour tour!

↳user10: she’s hasn’t even released the album yet? Like Jesus…

y/n

liked by user, charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, alex_albom, logansargeant, and 11,283,012 others

y/n: this is a no judgement zone, right? Right? Meet the newest members of the family — Snowball and Snowflake, Marshmallow, and Croissant!

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user11: I’m in love?

↳user12: you’re in love? I’m in love!!!

↳user13: they’re so cute!

maxverstappen1: You’re a cat mom too?

↳user14: still not over the thought that vroom vroom guys are in mothers comment section

logansargeant: good looking pups there!

charles_leclerc: it must be the season for new pets!

↳user15: ok but this seems desperate?

↳user16: oh I’m glad I’m not the only one to sense this

↳charles_leclerc: non! It is called shooting your shot!

↳user15: reads like desperation tbh

↳maxverstappen1: ha

↳charles_leclerc: I don’t think I like you anymore

↳user15: I’m not sure who you’re talking too or who should be more offended

↳charles_leclerc: yes

y/n

liked by logansargeant, landonorris, estebanocon and 13,297,934 others

y/n: We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t — right this minute — about to make some fateful life-altering mistake.

This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clocks strike twelve…we’ll meet ourselves.

Midnights, the story of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, is yours now. Meet me at midnight

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user16: what??? Like what??

user17: did she seriously just drop a surprise album on us?????

↳user18: miss ma’am mother i know that the album is called midnight but that does NOt mean you have to drop it at midnight! I have classes tomorrow!

maxverstappen1: vigilante shit is on repeat!

↳redbullracing: we can confirm this ✅

↳charles_leclerc: bejeweled is where it’s at actually

↳scuderiaferrari: excuse us while we grab our rhinestones

↳maxverstappen1: it’s ok to admit you’re wrong.

↳charles_leclerc: I’m glad you’re being truthful!

↳maxverstappen1: 😑😑😑

user19: ok but mastermind??? What kind of groundwork are you laying girl??

↳user20: right??? She’s been writing love songs for years and there’s still nothing about who they’re for

↳user21: for real!!! She’s come out about a lot of her songs — illicit affair about yourbff and back to December being about yoursister — but she’s Never! Said anything about who the love songs are about!

↳user19: I’m convinced she’s in a long term relationship and they’re all about her partner!

↳user20: user53 your help is needed rn!

↳user53: oh god not again

↳user19: when im right im gonna laugh in your face

↳user53: uh huh sure you will

alex_albon: do we have to pick a favorite?? Can’t we just play it on repeat in it’s entirety?

↳lilymhe: we absolutely will be doing that

↳logansargeant: really? The entirety??

↳alex_albon: for someone who tried to say you were her biggest fan, this is disappointing behavior

↳lilymhe: it really is

↳logansargeant: 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️

↳logansargeant: 🤣

oscarpiastri: my sisters have been screaming at me since it dropped

↳logansargeant: oops. Sorry about that man — know how that feels

↳hattiepiastri: we! need! a! signed! copy!

↳oscarpiastri: I thought you were just into kpop?

↳hattiepiastri: mom! nicolepiastri Oscar is being mean!

↳oscarpiastri: low blow.

↳hattiepiastri: 🤨🥺

↳oscarpiastri: …I’ll see what I can do

↳user19: 🧐🧐🧐

landonorris: I don’t know which one to choose as a favorite…

↳oscarpiastri: oh no

↳landonorris: which means all of them are!

↳oscarpiastri: does this mean…

↳carlossainz55: he will be singing the entire album at the top of his lungs, yes

↳danielricciardo: it won’t be good singing but it will be consistent

↳oscarpiastri: no

↳carlossainz55: yes

↳danielricciardo: yup

↳landonorris: go away muppets! Leave me and y/n and her album alone

↳oscarpiastri: 🤣🤣

logansargeant

liked by not_y/n, oscarpiastri, alex_albon, and 1,294,278 others

logansargeant: always a great feeling being back home — even better with new friends

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user22: new puppy??? Winter break did Logan good this year!

alex_albon: you didn’t tell me you got a new dog!

↳logansargeant: haha it’s technically not mine but sorry!

↳alex_albon: you got a new dog and didn’t tell me!! Me!!

↳logansargeant: 😂😂

↳lilymhe: he’s pacing right now, he’s in distress

↳logansargeant: sorry not sorry

↳logansargeant: would a visit with him help?

↳alex_albon: it is literally the least you could do

↳logansargeant: 😂 he’ll be at Miami

↳alex_albon: good!

user23: ummm?? Could I take the place of the puppy???

user24: I’m?? Jealous? Of a dog…

↳user25: big mood

↳used24: this is not where I predicted my life would be 10 years ago…

↳user25: no one ever does.

user19: am I gonna be attacked if I say something?

↳user53: potentially

↳user19: do you just have me on notifications??

↳user26: we alert them every time we see you post

↳user26: you scare us

↳user19: just because I’m always right doesn’t mean I’m scary

↳user53: ok let’s take it to dms.

↳user19: buckle up then buddy cause I’ve got it all printed out

↳user26: user53 is a real one 🫡 taking it for team

↳user19: 😡😡😡

↳user53: user19 come on. Explain your newest conspiracy

not_y/n: what a cutie! And he looks so well behaved

↳not_logan: why thank you!

↳not_oscar: gross guys. Keep it to yourselves please and thank you

↳not_y/n: why?? Want me to call you a good boy too??

↳not_logan: absolutely not!

↳not_oscar: eww 🤢 you’re solidly in the sister category and this is not game of thrones

↳not_y/n: 😜

↳not_y/n: speaking of — hotd season 1 binge before Miami?

↳not_logan: yes!

↳not_oscar: yes! — L

↳not_oscar: i guess that it’s a yes from us

y/n

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri, maxverstappen1, and 16,294,923 others

y/n:

What keeps you up at night?

It’s a momentary glimmer of distraction. The tiniest notion of reminiscent thought that wanders off into wondering, the spark that lights a tinderbox of fixation. And now it is irreversible. The flame has caught. You’re wide awake.

3am is different from midnight — the sky is ever darker and the thoughts even more haunting. Things that would keep you up at one don’t at the other.

Midnights: the 3am edition is yours now

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user27: why? Would? You? Do? This? To? Me?? I just barely got over midnights?? And now I have to listen to 3am??

oscarpiastri: again? Didn’t we just go through this 2 weeks ago?

↳landonorris: WOOOO!

↳oscarpiastri: oh no 😥

↳logansargeant: you could show some enthusiasm? You’ve definitely said she’s one of your favorite artists before

↳oscarpiastri: she is. Lando’s version of her? Not so much

↳landonorris: so rude!

↳carlossainz55: I think it might be a self defense mechanism

↳danielricciardo: gotta save those eardrums somehow

↳landonorris: 😡😡

danielricciardo: Paris baby!

↳user28: I knew you were a man of taste!

↳yukitsunoda0511: he’s really not. The Great War is superior

↳danielricciardo: you wish

user29: ok but would’ve, could’ve, should’ve??

↳lilymhe: karma is still the superior song

↳alex_albon: bigger than the whole sky? Did you miss that song?

↳lilymhe: we’re breaking up. I can’t be with someone who’s top song isn’t karma

↳user29: sorry but you’re both wrong 🤷🏼‍♂️

user19: Paris???? Are you kidding me!??!? And The Great War?!??

↳user53: I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath

↳user19: I told you!

↳user53: yes you did. And, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I’m starting to believe you

↳user30: who are you and what happened to user53?

↳user53: I don’t know man. I don’t know

↳user53: however user19 might be on to something here…

↳user19: MIGHT?!?

↳user19: just you wait!

y/n_nation

liked by logansargeant, oscarpiastri, charles_leclerc, and 19,294,923 others

y/n_nation: pack your backs and get your tickets! Coming to a city near you, the Eras Tour is a journey through y/n’s decade long music career!

Starting in Miami, Opening Night is Monday, May 6…more

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user30: YES!!!

↳user31: omg omg omg omg!!!!

danielricciardo: already planning on it!

↳maxverstappen1: so lucky that opening day is immediately after the Miami GP!

↳danielricciardo: exactly! It’ll be nice to spend a few extra days in Florida!

↳user19: yes so lucky…

oscarpiastri: on the one hand I think my sisters would kill me if we didn’t go for opening night…on the other hand I don’t know if I can do a live show with Lando…

↳logansargeant: maybe you’ll get lucky and have separate seating?

↳oscarpiastri: one could only hope…

↳landonorris: you frickin muppets

↳hattiepiastri: seriously???

↳oscarpiastri: will work on it

↳hattiepiastri: yes!!

alex_albon: suddenly i feel like the garages will have a lot of extra guests…

↳lilymhe: what do you mean? I always planned on going to Miami!

↳alex_albon: does always mean 20 minutes?

↳carmenmmundt: it does actually!

↳georgerussell63: since when?

↳francisca.cgomes: for about the last 20 minutes!

↳pierregasly: hint received

↳francisca.cgomes: 🤭

user32: ok i need to be at opening night now…

↳user33: right? The chance to see all these drivers in person?

↳user32: AND to see y/n perform live?!? Dream come true

charles_leclerc: I am ready to fight the Ticketmaster

↳alexandrasaintmleux: yay!

↳user34: oh to have Charles leclerc fight Ticketmaster for you…

logansargeant

liked by not_y/n, oscarpiastri, alex_albon, and 1,214,223 others

logansargeant: last minute dates before the season starts

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user35: who? What? Where? When?

↳user36: A GIRLFRIEND?!??!!? SINCE WHEN????

alex_albon: first you get a dog and don’t tell me and now you have a whole ass GIRLFRIEND AND DIDNT TELL ME???? Where is the team loyalty?

↳logansargeant: …we’ve been together longer then I’ve been your teammate?

↳user37: what?? HOW LONG?

↳alex_albon: exactly! HOW LONG???

↳logansargeant: just over 10 years now

↳alex_albon: you were a baby?

↳logansargeant: I was nearly 14?

↳alex_albon: a baby!!

oscarpiastri: tell her to answer her texts

↳logansargeant: she said she’s on a strict no phone policy

↳oscarpiastri: I can see her on her phone right now

↳logansargeant: “oh it’s exclusively against Australians who mocked my cooking attempts”

↳oscarpiastri: 😑😑😑

↳oscarpiastri: whatever she made IT WAS NOT BANANA BREAD

↳logansargeant: “but you didn’t have to laugh at me!”

↳alex_albon: the Australian knows???

↳oscarpiastri: there are levels here albon. Gotta get on my level — childhood best friends

jensonbutton: you’ve never mentioned you had a girl, kid

↳logansargeant: ok but to be fair you’ve never asked?

↳jensonbutton: and you’ve never introduced us?

↳logansargeant: she supports from a distance — she also travels a lot for work

↳jensonbutton: kid…

↳alex_albon: DOES ANYONE BUT THE AUSTRALIAN KNOW??

↳oscarpiastri: my family knows

↳alex_albon: Logan…

↳logansargeant:😂

user38: that Florida sun does something amazing for Logan!

↳user39: is it the sun or is it the girl??

↳logansargeant: it’s not the girl

↳logansargeant: it’s my girl

↳user39: I am literally swooning right now good lord

user19: user53! I told you

↳user53: …yeah ok

↳user40: user19 I need the timeline I need the proof I need the receipts

↳user19: I’ve got you!

Bluesky

f1

liked by logansargeant, maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc, and 8,923,924 others

tagged: y/n, y/n_nation

f1: it’s time to be fearless! Miss Americana will be performing the National Anthem at the Miami GP the day before the start of her Eras tour!

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user41: oh my god!!! I get to see her twice???

↳user42: seriously??? I’m so jealous

↳user41: I don’t know which gods blessed me but I managed to get tickets to both!!

↳user42: you know I heard it’s good to sleep with your windows open…

maxverstappen1: y/n the Redbull Garage would gladly welcome you!

↳redbullracing: absolutely! You Belong With Us!

↳user43: …is the redbull admin playing wingman for max?

↳redbullracing: the grind never stops

↳maxverstappen1: thanks admin

↳user43: gotta respect that I guess

landonorris: I think papaya is more your color y/n!

↳user44: I think she might prefer a winner actually

↳user44: you know to match her 3 album of the year’s

↳landonorris: ok i let stand the bullying from my friends and teammates

↳landonorris: but im not gonna stand for it from you

williamsracing: i think we could have The Best Day with you and your fellow American y/n!

↳logansargeant: hey what?

↳alex_albon: that’s it? Gonna need more enthusiasm from the guy who “claims” he’s the biggest fan

↳lilymhe: yeah! Show off your American spirit

↳logansargeant: caw caw 🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅

↳y/n: stunning show

↳lilymhe: 🤯🤯

user49: did…did she just…

↳user50: respond to Logan Sargeant? Yeah

↳user49: ohmygod

scuderiaferrari: I do believe Red is your color y/n

↳charles_leclerc: we look best in Red here!

↳carlossainz55: and we have ice cream!

↳charles_leclerc: yes! Custom ice cream just for you

↳alexandrasaintmleux: and we’ll even have a puppy if you’d like a puppy play date!

↳charles_leclerc: yes leo is very well behaved

↳user51: the desperation stinks all up in here

user52: i am living for all the garages trying to get y/n to join them for the weekend

↳user54: my favorite part is the desperation coming from the drivers

↳user54: silly vroom vroom guys and gals thinking they could shoot their shot with y/n… liked by not_y/n

Private Messages

y/n_gossip

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y/n_gossip: breaking! Coming from unknown sources are apparently leaked photos from y/n’s private phone.

My questions are how was she hacked and who is the guy!

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Private Messages

Part 2

[dollishmehrayan]

# TAKE EVERYTHING AS IT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU ── .✦ ( batboys x writer!reader who writes ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ )

dollish note ౨ৎ: hey so I’m back from the dead apparently, anywaysss omgg I missed you guys Hii and I will posting more content from now on and taking this seriously and these past days I was super stressed out over moving but hey my lovess anyways I decided to base this writer s/o over like anyone, like whether you write fan fic like me or write actual books, it matters to this hcs !! Tags: (batboys x writer!s/o)

© dollishmehrayan — ( all rights reserved to me. These works cannot be reposted, translated, or modified. Thank you for understanding dollies! )

# DICK GRAYSON ── .✦

He loves that you're a writer ( listen he just LOVESSS creative women like hello !? God forbid a guy likes creative people 🫠) he's your #1 fan and biggest hype man.

Tries to read your work over your shoulder while you're typing, even if you hate it “Babe, I need to know what happens next!” Like constantly over your shoulder seeing what you’re drafting and etc.

Occasionally offers cheesy plot ideas like “what if the love interest also knows parkour?” (His ideas suck)

Will 100% brag to everyone: “Yeah, my partner’s a genius novelist. Ever heard of them? You will.” OOOOO

Falls asleep listening to you ramble about story arcs and character development. It's his favorite sound.

Writes you little encouraging notes like, “You got this, Hemingway 💪” and sticks them on your laptop / tablet or wtv you have bbg.

# JASON TODD ── .✦

Loves your dark, gritty writing especially if there's violence, angst, or moral grayness involved since a lot of people don’t write angst that casually.

Offers surprisingly insightful edits or plot ideas: “This villain's motivation is weak. Give them a tragic backstory and don’t make them redeemable.”

Low-key wants you to base a character on him but will pretend he doesn’t care.

Has a soft spot for reading your fluff pieces though and will be quietly emotional about them.

Will threaten anyone who leaves bad reviews on your work. "Just say the word. Username 'Booktoklover93'? I got 'em."

He buys you fancy notebooks and pens and acts like it's no big deal, but he's proud of himself.

# TIM DRAKE ── .✦

Absolute king of writing dates you'll both sit in a café typing furiously and sipping terrible coffee.

Helps you fact-check obscure things at 3am without complaint (okay, maybe some complaint).

If you write mystery or thrillers, he treats it like solving a real case. “Wait… that clue in chapter 5…”

He totally has a secret folder on his computer labeled “[Your Name]’s Writing – Favorite Stuff” with all your pieces saved.

You’ve accidentally inspired him to write fanfic once and he WILL take that secret to the grave.

Sends you prompts or memes like “this is so your OC.” (Sorry I just keep cringing at oc 🥲)

# DAMIAN WAYNE ── .✦

At first, he might not get why you write fictional stories… but then he reads them.

He's completely blown away and demands to know what happens next immediately.

Occasionally critiques your logic but ends up emotionally invested in your characters.

“Why did you kill him off?” Because it served the story—” “You’re a monster.”

Will sit next to you while you write, drawing or sketching your characters in his own style.

Has probably told Alfred he thinks you’re a genius at least once when he thought no one was listening.

# BONUS WHICH MR WAYNE! ── .✦

Loves that you're creative and has the patience of a saint when listening to you rant about plot holes.

He doesn’t read everything you write, but when he does, he’ll quote it back to you at random times like a proud husband.

“Chapter 7 really showed growth. I was impressed.”

Offers to fund your writing career or self-publishing venture without blinking. “You’ll need an editor and marketing team.” SIGN ME UP !!

He also gently reminds you to eat and sleep when you’re on a deadline: “You’ve been writing for 16 hours. Come to bed and go to sleep.”

[deliciousangelfestival]

I Hate It When You're Drunk - 2

Character: bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x Princess!Reader

Summary: A forbidden love between a princess and her bodyguard. They love each other deeply, but their relationship is threatened by the tyrant king's oppressive rule and their differing social statuses.

I Hate It When You're Drunk Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || If you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee on : Ko-fi 🙏🏻

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter. Leave a comment and Reblog, please. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ❤️

"Good morning, Your Highness." One of your servants opened the heavy curtains of your bedroom.

"Morning." You groggily rubbed your eyes, slowly sitting up in bed. Your head pounded from the remnants of last night's alcohol. "What's my schedule today?" you asked, wincing as the bright light from the open curtains hit your eyes. Every movement felt like a struggle, your limbs heavy and your mind foggy from the overindulgence.

"We've made sure to clear it until noon because you're not in the best condition." Even the servants were used to your drunken state.

"Perfect." You sighed. With some effort, you got out of bed and started getting ready.

Your head still felt dizzy from last night's drinking. You shouldn't have drunk so much. What had triggered you to drink until blackout was seeing another of your friends getting married. You felt happy for her, but deep down, you were jealous because they could marry without any objections.

But your father is the king. And to make it worse, he's a tyrant king. He controls every aspect of your life, dictating whom you can and cannot love.

As you finished dressing and stepped out of your room, Bucky was waiting for you, as always. His eyes softened with concern as he saw you.

"Headache?" Bucky asked, his voice gentle.

"A little bit." You pinched the bridge of your nose. "I went overboard again last night, didn't I? I'm sorry." You leaned your head against his chest, seeking comfort.

His fingers gently brushed your hair, soothing you. "Don't drink like that anymore," he said, his voice filled with a quiet pain. He hated seeing you hurt yourself like this.

You nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. Then, you took his hands in yours. "Let's go. We can't waste more time."

Bucky followed you, his grip firm yet tender. Walking hand in hand through the hallway was the longest moment you could be together like a real couple. This short walk was your favorite part of the day, a fleeting taste of the life you both wished you could have.

As you moved through the palace, the sun streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the marble floors. The silence between you was filled with unspoken words and shared glances. Bucky's presence was a steady anchor in your tumultuous life, and these stolen moments were your refuge from the storm of royal duties and impossible expectations.

You squeezed his hand a little tighter, silently promising each other that, no matter what, you would always find a way to be together, even if only in these brief, precious moments.

But the moment ended when you entered the dining room. Bucky couldn’t join you; only royalty or invited guests were allowed. He had to stand outside. It was always difficult to let go of his hand.

"You need to eat," Bucky reminded you gently.

"Can’t we eat together?" you whined, a pout forming on your lips.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." He chuckled lightly.

You rolled your eyes, sighing in defeat. "Fine."

Suddenly, one of the guards interrupted, causing you to release Bucky’s hand. The guard greeted you and announced, "The king has returned."

"Okay," you replied. Then you realized the gravity of the situation and looked at Bucky, "Fuck. Wasn't he supposed to come back next week?"

Bucky immediately switched into professional mode. He spoke through his earpiece, issuing commands, "Prepare for the entrance."

The king had been on a world tour for conferences and the Olympics. While he was away, you had used the opportunity to be close to Bucky. But now, that had to end since your father was back.

After two hours, the entourage and the king arrived. As the princess, you had to welcome him at the grand entrance along with the ministers. While waiting, you kept glancing at Bucky, who stood far to your left. He looked strong and imposing, like a knight straight out of a storybook, his posture radiating vigilance and strength.

The horns blew, signaling the king's arrival.

"King Leonard Damon II has arrived!"

When the announcement was made, everyone bowed. The large doors opened, and the most important figure in the country stepped into the castle.

King Leonard Damon II was a man in his 50s. He looked dignified and confident, his presence commanding respect. His eyes, however, seemed lifeless, devoid of any warmth or feeling. It was understandable; he was known as the tyrant king.

Leonard acknowledged everyone with a curt nod, but his gaze lingered on Bucky for a brief moment before returning to you. It made your heart race.

"Continue with today's agenda," the king commanded as he walked, not pausing for rest despite just arriving.

You felt a sense of foreboding. Glancing at Bucky, you saw your worry reflected in his eyes.

As the king walked past, you couldn't help but feel the tension in the air. His return meant a return to strict protocols and the end of the small freedoms you had enjoyed. Your mind raced with possibilities, wondering what his sudden return would bring.

Bucky stood tall, his eyes following the king while staying alert to potential threats. His presence was a silent reassurance, yet you couldn't shake the unease in your chest. The king's glance at Bucky had been brief, but it carried a weight that made you anxious.

You straightened your posture, preparing to follow the day's agenda, but your thoughts were still with Bucky. You managed a small, reassuring smile in his direction before turning to follow your father.

👑👑👑👑

The meeting primarily involved discussing the results of the king’s world tour. The Veridian Economic Minister, Hugo, who had accompanied the king on the journey, excitedly explained, "Many foreign investors are interested in investing in our beloved country. It will boost the economy significantly."

"They won’t be taxed?" you interjected.

"Ahem, that’s right, Your Highness." Hugo was always startled whenever you spoke up. He glanced nervously at King Leonard, but the king didn't seem to mind his daughter interrupting the presentation.

"That's great," you continued. "But I hope that as Veridian's GDP rises, we will also support the younger generation who want to start their own businesses. We should offer small loans and assistance because they are the future pillars of our country."

As you spoke, everyone listened intently.

"I agree, Your Highness. I see that you've met with young entrepreneurs during our absence," Hugo remarked.

"It's good to see you engaging with them," King Leonard added.

Everyone nodded in agreement. "She’s perfect as the next ruler," Hugo commented.

"She only needs one thing: a spouse," someone interjected. The room filled with murmurs of agreement, but you flinched at the mention.

"I already have candidates in mind," King Leonard announced.

After his declaration, the room fell silent, followed by applause. "That’s wonderful. If it's King Leonard's choice, the person must be the best," the ministers echoed their support.

You sat there, your nails digging into your thighs, looking at your father with a mixture of anger and frustration, your eyes burning with unshed tears.

👑👑👑👑

Everyone left after the meeting was over except you and the king.

You fixed your gaze on Leonard, who appeared unruffled, as he always did in moments of confrontation. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, as he lounged back in his ornate chair, fingers steepled in front of him.

His eyes, cold and calculating, never wavered from your face as if he could read every thought passing through your mind.

"Say it," he commanded, his voice cutting through the tense silence like a knife.

You swallowed hard, feeling the pressure of his gaze bearing down on you. Slowly, deliberately, you spoke, your voice steady despite the turmoil. "I already said that I won’t get married unless it’s Bucky."

A flicker of something unreadable crossed Leonard's face, gone as quickly as it appeared. His lips curled into a half-smile, devoid of warmth or amusement. "Over my dead body," he replied coolly, the threat underlying his words unmistakable.

"Should I take your life first so I can be with the man I love?" you retorted, your voice shaking with emotion.

"My child," he said, leaning back in his chair with a casual air, the leather creaking softly under his weight. He studied you with a cold, almost amused detachment, his fingers lightly drumming on the armrest.

"You’re not a killer like me," he continued, his voice smooth and unyielding.

The word 'killer' sent a shiver down your spine. Because it was true, you were different from him. The reason why King Leonard Damon II was called the tyrant king was because he was a cold-blooded killer.

Leonard had killed his own siblings to secure the throne. He felt no remorse after taking their lives. Not just relatives, but also anyone who objected to him being king. This included the family of the queen, his own wife, your mother.

"Do you hate Bucky because of what happened to my mother?" you asked, your voice trembling.

Leonard fell silent, then hurled his glass of wine across the room. "Never mention that woman."

"There’s no evidence that she ran away with her bodyguard," you insisted. This was the kingdom's biggest secret. Outside the castle walls, everyone believed the queen had died of illness. But the truth was, she was missing. You didn’t know if your mother was alive or dead.

You understood why your mother might have run away from your father. He never acted violently towards her, but his actions against her family made her hate him. She had never wanted to be a queen. One day, she vanished, and her guard also went missing a few days later.

Leonard became obsessed with finding his wife. He spared no expense, sending out the kingdom’s most skilled trackers and investigators to scour the land. Despite their efforts, every lead turned cold, and every trail went nowhere.

You rubbed your forehead, feeling the weight of your family's complex dynamics. "If I’m not married, will you still pass the throne to me?"

The lack of an immediate answer gnawed at you, amplifying the uncertainty of your future. You knew your father’s mind was a labyrinth of ambitions and schemes, where even the most straightforward question could hide layers of strategy. His silence spoke volumes, a testament to his unwillingness to relinquish control or reveal his true intentions.

"Father?" you prompted.

Finally, Leonard spoke, his voice measured and devoid of warmth. "Maybe. Perhaps after 10, 15 years," he said, his tone betraying no hint of reassurance.

You hadn’t expected this. "I should’ve known. You never planned to make me a queen," you said, feeling a surge of despair. Without becoming queen, you couldn’t marry the man you loved.

Leonard's face remained expressionless, his eyes cold and unyielding. The tension in the room was palpable, and you felt a mix of anger and hopelessness. Your dreams of a future with Bucky seemed to slip further away with each passing second.

Your father’s silence spoke volumes. He had always been calculating and ruthless, willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for his own power. The realization that he never intended for you to rule cut deep.

You clenched your fists, trying to steady your breathing. "So, my fate is to remain a pawn in your game?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Leonard stood up, his imposing figure casting a long shadow across the room. "You will do as you are told, for the good of the kingdom," he declared, turning to leave.

As he walked away, you felt a tear slip down your cheek. You were trapped in a gilded cage with no way out. Your love for Bucky seemed destined to remain unfulfilled, crushed under the weight of your father's tyranny.

When Leonard reached the door, he paused and looked back at Bucky, who had been waiting outside. "Remember your place," he said coldly before exiting the room, leaving you alone with your tumultuous thoughts and fears.

Bucky’s grip tightened as he watched the king leave. Once Leonard was out of sight, he rushed to your side. As he entered, his eyes immediately found you already on the ground, knees pressed against the cold stone.

Shock mingled with concern in his eyes as he took in your tear-streaked face, your eyes red and puffy from crying. Seeing you in such distress tore at his soul. He wished he could shield you from the pain, protect you from the harsh realities that surrounded your life.

"Hey," he murmured softly, his voice a soothing balm amidst the chaos. "I'm here." His words were simple but carried a world of comfort and unwavering support. He brushed a strand of hair away from your face, his touch tender and gentle.

Seeing your pain, Bucky's heart ached. What had the king said to you?

Without a word, you collapsed into his arms, your body trembling. He held you close, his strong arms enveloping you in a protective embrace. You buried your face in his shoulder, your sobs muffled against his uniform.

"Oh, Bucky, what should I do?" you cried, your voice breaking.

Bucky gently stroked your hair, his hand moving in soothing circles. "Shh, it's going to be alright," he whispered, though he knew the words felt hollow. His own heart was heavy with the knowledge of the king's cruelty.

A/N: Did you enjoy Chapter 2? What would you like to see in the next chapter?

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[ohmystaxk]

For there is beauty | Chapter One: What is science, if not risks?

[MASTERLIST] | [NEXT]

Tags/Warnings: Time Travel, Jayce is a Sweetheart, Jayce and Reader are childhood friends, Idiots in Love, Reader has a backstory, Undercity!Reader, Cait is Jayce and Reader's little sister, Protective Jayce, Jayce's Love Language is Physical Touch, Mutual Pining, Viktor-centric, Sassy Viktor, Viktor Needs a Hug, Viktor has a crush on Reader, Accidental Fake Dating, Miscommunication, Slow Burn Jayce/Reader/Viktor, Eventual Jayce/Viktor, Reader is greedy, Smut, Slow Romance, Romance, Canon Related, Possible AU timelines, Fluff, Angst, Reader has parents, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Not Beta Read

Summary: Life was simple. You woke up each morning, and walked the streets of Piltover with Jayce by your side, joking and laughing while Cait could only roll her eyes at the two of you. You worked hard on your research and studied double as much at the Academy to prove your worth. Each day was the same, but that was until you crossed paths with Professor Heimerdinger's assistant at the library one day. His name escaped you, but that never stopped your curiosity for the man. Viktor, he said his name was. And you left the library with that, not expecting to cross paths with him again.

It was then the nightmares began, dreadful glimpses of a world you wish to never exist. A world empty of life, happiness, and freedom. But they were only that, nightmares, nothing more. So why did they feel so vivid? So real, and tangible?

N/A: hello everyone! just like everyone else, I folded and started writing for arcane. I have only watched the show, so my knowledge is ONLY from it! english is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes you might encounter along the way.

I currently have 3 chapters written for the fic and I cannot wait to show them to all of you!

I have created playlists that I encourage you to listen to while reading (spotify, yt music and apple music) this fic!

spotify yt music apple music

I will also be uploading this to my ao3: @ohmystaxk

Track List: 1.Breakfast with Lou 2.Bewitched 3.Cinnamon Girl

The warmth was the first thing you noticed, something almost comforting. You let out a breath you were not aware you were holding in the first place. The blood in your body rose to your head as something touched your forehead; that same warmth now replaced your blood, running down every vein, clinging to each cell. It was becoming one with you.

“We were always one .” A voice, distorted and unfamiliar, spoke.

Your heart is empty of blood, only pumping warmth. Your chest is heavy, your lungs chasing for that last bit of air.

“Do not be afraid.” The touch on your forehead shifted to your cheek. “I am right here with you.”

You wanted to open your eyes, look around, and find where that voice originated. You tried to turn your head around, but the touch on your cheek moved to your chin, holding your face in place. Even when the touch was demanding, you did not feel threatened.

“Soon, you will see. ” The voice was different, almost that of a woman. “Truly see what has been hiding underneath. It is time for you to go back. ”

Your body suddenly regained its bearings, jolting you awake as you gasped. The morning light blinded you, forcing your eyes to close once again. Your heart beating worryingly fast, your head felt heavy, and your body tingled. The sound of faraway voices made your head snap towards it, your brows furrowed as footsteps crept closer your way. Then a knock came from the door of your bedroom.

“Are you awake? Did you stay up too late again?”

When you recognized the voice, you pushed the comforter away and stood up from your bed. Your head spun, and your vision went blurry. Suddenly, your knees hit the floor.

Your door flew open.

“Hey, what's wrong?” A pair of hands touched you, one on your back and the other on your forearm. “What happened?”

You grabbed your head with one hand, frowning from the buzzing feeling.

“I don’t think I’m feeling too good right now, Jayce.” Looking up to meet his eyes, you only saw worry in them.

“Yeah, no kidding.” He scoffed awkwardly.

He moved his hand on your arm towards your elbow while the other took your waist.

With some effort, he helped you stand up, walking you back to your bed.

“How did you get in?” You asked once you sat back down at the edge of the mattress.

“I remembered where you keep the spare key.” Jayce stood in front of you, his eyes looking around your room.

“Is everything alright?” You heard a voice coming from somewhere in your apartment.

“Did you bring Cait here with you?” You asked the man with a whisper, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Yeah, she wanted to come over to the workshop again.” Jayce crouched, amber eyes taking in your features. “Cait!” He called out to the girl.

“Yes?” She answered quickly, a bit of a tremble in her voice.

“Could you bring me a glass of water, please?”

“Oh...Yes!” You then hear the girl walk to what you knew to be your kitchen.

“Hey.” You looked back at Jayce, not realizing you had started to space out. “What are you feeling? Do you need us to take you to a clinic?”

“No-. Just…I’m just a bit dizzy, that’s all.”

Caitlyn entered the room, glass of water in hand as she eyed you. It was a similar look to the one Jayce was giving you.

“Thanks, Cait.” Jayce looked over his shoulder, and the girl walked over and handed him the glass.

“Are you alright?” She hugged herself, head tilted to the side.

“I will be, just a minute.” You sighed, bringing your hand to your temple.

“Here.” Jayce gently handed you the glass, keeping his hand on yours. “I still think we should take you to a clinic.”

“You look pale.” Cait pointed out, leaning against the small dresser in your room.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” You rolled your eyes, scoffing as you finally took the glass and drank from it.

“Did you feel like this last night?” Jayce held the glass for you once you finished the water.

“No. I felt fine. I think…” Your mind wonders about your strange dream, and how it made you feel.

“What is it?” Jayce leaned closer, tilting his head to catch your gaze.

“I had a strange dream. It startled me. I felt just like I did now; I was dreading something.”

“What was it?” Cait asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

“I don’t know, my eyes were closed the entire time. I just heard a voice.”

Jayce frowned. He placed a gentle hand on your knee before he stood up.

“I think I will take Cait back to her house. I’ll come back with something for you to eat-.”

“No, I’m already feeling better, Jayce.” You stood up, your legs giving you the support you needed.

“You don’t have to exert yourself.”

“I’m not.” You looked at the man with a smile. “Besides, Cait and I know you will barely get things done if I’m not there to help.”

You gave his arm a quick squeeze. Then you walked towards your closet, opened it, and heard Jayce take a few steps.

“We can work on it once you feel better.”

“I feel better, Jayce.” You looked over your shoulder. The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m going to change and then we can head out.”

“Just-...Yell if you need anything.” He stepped back, then turned around, heading to the door. “Come on, Cait.”

The two of them walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

You let out a heavy sigh, your hands going to your face. It was true that you were not feeling great, but you were feeling better than before. You stayed up late the night before, reviewing notes from Jayce's project, while also studying for your research paper. You had also forgotten to eat anything, perhaps that had affected you now.

Walking through the streets of Piltover alongside Jayce and Cait had become a bit of a routine for the three of you. Since Counsellor Kiramman had acquired the lab for Jayce, Caitlyn had started tagging along. Especially after she heard about your and Jayce’s projects. Cait was curious, always wanting to help the two of you with whatever was necessary. 

She seemed to enjoy watching you correct Jayce’s work, or talk to her about engineering and the theories for your research paper. It was funny really; two people in their twenties hanging out with a teenager, who they saw like a little sister. The truth was, Caitlyn, reminded you a lot of Jayce all those years ago. 

You opened the front door of your home, sunset had started to set by the time you arrived. You took off your bag and let it fall by the entrance, voices came from the kitchen, and you looked up to find your mother seated on the dining table, a woman across from her as the two laughed. Your mother’s gaze fell on you, a bright smile on her face as she widened her eyes.

“There you are! How was school, baby?” She stood up and gently placed the mug she had in hand on the table. “Come here, I want you to meet someone.”

You slowly approached the table, the other woman turned on her chair, and she smiled once she saw you. Her hair was a dark brown, almost black. Her eyes were light brown and she had a pretty mole next to her right eye.

“Oh, isn’t she adorable?” The woman said. Your mother met you halfway, placing a hand on your shoulder and the other between your shoulder blades, nudging you towards her.

“Say hi, baby.” Your mother brushed a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Hello,” Your voice was small, just above a whisper. You played with your hands.

“Hello, your mother was just telling me about you. I’m Ximena, a friend.” She extended her hand to you, and with a trembling hand, you took it. “Oh, you are a bit shy. Please don’t be.”

“Ximena is a friend of your dad and me. She has a son your age, and we wanted the two of you to get to know each other.” Your mother explained with a smile. “Now, take a sit while I serve you dinner, you must be hungry by now.”

Your mother gently directed you towards the table, you took a seat and watched Ximena as she adjusted herself on her chair.

“Oh yes, my boy should be here any minute now. I believe the two of you go to the same school, but he is a year older than you, sweetheart.” At that you frowned, wondering who her son was out of all the boys in your school.

“Okay.” That was the only thing you could reply with. Under the table you kept playing with your hands, your nails picking at the skin.

“You didn’t tell me how school was? Did the professor grade the painting yet?” Your mother asked, your nails dug deeper into the flesh.

“I-it was okay. She liked it.”

“I’m glad she did! I told Ximena how hard you have been working on the art project.” You bit your lip, your vision blurring as you picked even more at the skin.

A knock came from the front door. Ximena stood up from her chair, fixing her skirt as she walked to the door.

“Must be my boy.” She said, you did not look up, your eyes focused on the markings on the table.

The door opened, and you tuned out the voices, your lips quivering as your vision became blurry. Your heart was heavy on your chest, and the next thing you knew, you heard your mother call your name.

In front of you was a boy, and his honey eyes were so bright and shiny. He smiled at you, a tooth gap on his front teeth. But his smile failed him, his brows furrowing as he looked at you.

“Sweetheart,” It was Ximena who spoke. “Are you alright?” You could hear the worry in her voice as you quickly stood up and ran to your room.

You shut the door behind you, falling face-first on the mattress as you started sobbing into the pillow. The door opened and you felt the weight shift the mattress someone sat down next to you.“What’s wrong?” Your mother brushed your hair away from your face. “Did something happen?”

You shook your head, sobbing even more. Your mother ran her fingers through your hair, traveling down to soothe your back.

“You know you can tell me anything, baby.”

“T-they they ri-pped the paint-ing.” You struggled in between sobs. Your mother immediately pulled you closer to her, hugging you tightly.

“Who did?” Your mother spoke at the top of your head.

“T-hey said I w-was an Under-city r-rat.” You cried even harder into the crook of your mother’s neck.

After your mother calmed you down and assured you the kids were wrong, she left you in your room to get you food. You lay in your bed, curled up as you traced the patterns on the wall.

“Did you paint those?” You quickly sat up on your bed, your head snapping to the door, standing there was Ximena’s son. His gaze was on one of the paintings on one of the walls of your room.

“M-my mom and me.” You replied, and your voice came out hoarse and small.

“And this one?” He pointed at another one, you now were by the edge of the bed, your legs barely touching the floor.

“Me.” When you said that, he turned to face you. Your face was puffed up, your eyes red from crying.

“I like it.” He said, and the boy walked up to you, he sat down on the bed next to you. “My name is Jayce.” You told him your name, and he smiled at you. “You have a pretty name.”

It was later you two shared your curiosity for science and inventions. You two finally found things in common; Magic, science, art, and literature. It was those moments that had led to your friendship of twelve years .

“Like I said, I was reviewing my notes.” You rolled your eyes. Jayce walked right beside you, your shoulders brushing.

“And are you sure to went straight to bed?” He leaned down a bit, wanting to see your face as you held the strap of your bag tightly. “Did you eat anything?”

“Well-.”

“I knew it!” He snapped his fingers, pointing forward as you tilted your head away with a sigh, closing your eyes. “I told you we could stop by and get some dinner.”

“I wasn’t hungry…” You looked at him.

Jayce’s hair was neatly styled. You could smell his aftershave as he leaned over, his arm reaching your right shoulder, pulling you closer to him.

“Aren’t you the one always reminding me to eat? Especially when I don’t want to.”

“You do always remind him.” Cait shimmed in. When you look to your right to narrow your eyes at her, she simply shrugs.

“Thanks, Cait.” Jayce now wrapped his arm over your shoulders, pulling you even closer. “Which is why we are grabbing a bite before we head to the studio.” You threw your head back.

“I need to stop by the library first.” You glanced up at Jayce, his amber eyes narrowing. “Just remembered that I need to get some books.”

“Right now?” He asked with a pointed look.

“Might as well, the library is right across.” You pointed with your eyes at the massive building across the street.

Jayce slowed down his steps, making you slow down as well.

“Your research paper?” He asked.

“Yeah.” You gave his chest a quick pat and pulled back a bit, his arm sliding over your back before he too pulled away. “I still need to finish the draft before I can start working on the actual paper.”

You adjusted the weight of your bag.

“Think you feel better to head on your own?” Jayce scratched his head, eying you as you laughed.

“Don’t worry, if I need a big strong man to help me, I’m sure I can find one there.” You slapped his arm with the back of your hand. Jayce rolled his eyes, scoffing at the comment. “I won’t stay long, how about you start heading over and grab me something to eat? I’ll see you two in a few.”

“You want the same thing from yesterday?” He asked as you were already starting to walk away.

“Sure, sounds good. Cait, keep an eye on this one, don’t let him wander off with strange women.” You smiled at the girl, and Cait simply laughed with a nod.

“I-. I don’t wander off!” He called out once you started crossing the street.

“Didn’t hear you deny the last part though!” You laughed as you ran, holding your bag tightly.

The Piltover library was massive, with three floors and an impressive collection, even containing two extra lower levels for more restricted books and archives. You immediately went to the second floor, walking past tall bookshelves. The sunlight was casting different colors due to the stained glass from the windows. Then you took a turn, finding the section you were looking for. You stopped when you saw that someone was standing at the other end. He had brown hair and a strong nose, his focus deep in a book. The man leaned on a cane, the light filtering from the stained glass casting a yellow glow on him.

With a thud, he closed the book he was reading. He placed the book back on the shelf, his eyes looking at the spines. You recognized him as Professor Heimerdinger's apprentice; his name escaped you. 

You fixed your bag, and you focused on the book titles closest to you, trying to see if you could find what you were looking for. But with every two books you looked at, your eyes could not help but glance towards him.

You had always seen him around the academy, always on his own. Whenever you saw him, he would be reading a book or writing something down in his notebook. You had asked about him out of curiosity a good number of times to other students, they also seemed to barely know anything about him. Then there were a couple that mentioned how his mysteriousness was rather, attractive. But the only thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that he was… gifted . He had to be if he had caught the attention of the Dean.

Without knowing, you were already standing shoulder to shoulder next to him. You accidentally bumped into him.

“I’m sorry!” You immediately uttered, your eyebrows shooting up and your face burning hot. “I was distracted.”

He already had another book in hand. He looked your way, seemingly also surprised. His eyes scanned you, falling on your eyes before he spoke.

“No need to worry.” He said with an accent you didn’t quite recognize, it sounded nice. “I didn’t see you.” It suits him.

The man took a step to the side to create some distance between the two of you.

“Sorry.” You said more quietly, your eyes glancing back and forth between him and the shelves.

As you tried your best to compose yourself, your eyes caught sight of a book you were looking for. You looked at him, making sure you were not in his way, and reached for it.

“Excuse me, going to grab this.” You called out. 

You needed to finish the research paper, three months had gone by so fast that trying to meet the deadline felt almost impossible.

Once you picked it up, you noticed a few more and quickly grabbed them. You stepped back with your stack of books and turned around, heading back to the main hall. 

That was until you heard his cane and feet shift.

“Those are about Astrophysics.” The man suddenly spoke again. Your eyes widened as you stood in place. “Is it curiosity or for research?”

 You looked over your shoulder, your eyes meeting with his bright amber eyes; they were similar to Jayce’s, but perhaps they were a bit lighter.

“B-both.” You were caught off guard. After many years and countless times of seeing him around the Academy; this was the first time you had interacted with him.

“Um.” He gave a quick nod. His eyes shifted towards your books before meeting your gaze once more.

“It’s research. For my final.” You fixed your posture, your body turning to face his.

“I have…seen you before, in the academy.” He stated, shifting his weight on the cane more comfortably.

“Yes, I’m part of the Engineering department.” You put the weight of the books on your hip. “Or I was. I was part of Professor Heimendinger’s lecture last summer.”

“Oh.” He’s eyebrows rose a fraction. “I remember now. You sat close to the middle row.”

You remembered when you and Jayce had arrived at the lecture for the first time. How excited he was, talking your ear off as the two of you sat down. You remembered how dark the auditorium always was, except for the chalkboard and the podium the Professor stood. It became a habit to always sit in the same spot, not out of preference, but it just did. Sometimes whenever someone decided to take those two spots, you and Jayce would jokingly say things like ‘ The audacity. ’ or ‘ We should start carving our names on the desk at this point. ’

It was then you remember seeing the assistant in the corner of the room many times, almost like he was hiding in the shadows. You would meet his eyes on occasion, even in the dark you were always impressed by how bright his eyes seemed to shine.

“Yes.” You let out a chuckle. Your eyebrows furrowing. How did he remember that? “And you are the Professor’s assistant.”

His eyes fell on your hips, taking note of your posture. “I am, yes.”

“How did you get the offer?” You fixed the hold on the books. “That’s a very big opportunity.”

“My charms I believe.” He shrugged. You smiled as you let out a laugh.

“Oh yes, those are very important.” You took a step forward. “Every inventor needs them.”

“Not everyone has those.” He grinned as he placed back the book he was holding on the shelf.

“Do I?” You played along.

He stopped his hand, his fingertips brushing the spine of the book. He raised an eyebrow, amber eyes staring at yours with curiosity.

“Um.” He eyed you. “What is it that intrigues you the most? Astrophysics or Engineering?”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. What a charmer , you thought.

“Why not both?” You tilted your head to the side with a grin.

He nodded with a smile. You noticed the moles adorning his cheek and upper lip.

“Well, what is it about Astrophysics that made you want to pursue it?”

“The many unanswered questions space holds from us; about gravity, the sun, and the moon. But I didn’t get into Astrophysics for that only. I am searching for something more, something out there in the universe.”

“Which is?” He took a step forward.

“Magic.” You answered breathlessly. “Time, space, the possibility of actions and consequences. What other possibilities those could have led to.”

“Time travel.” He answered, his eyes widen a fraction.

“Multiple timelines possibly coexisting within the same plane. I believe the Arcane is capable of that.”

He looked at you, his eyes shifting between yours and the books still resting on your hip.

“The Arcane is wild magic…not something science could master.”

“You’re right, but I believe science could help us understand magic.” You started talking with your hand. “I’m not thinking of bending the Arcane to science’s will. But I wish to find an understanding.”

The two of you stood there in silence. The noise of people speaking and walking around soothing your nerves. It had been your dream that had connected you with Jayce, the mutual understanding of what magic could do and the wonders it held.

“Those types of ideas could get you expelled from the Academy.” If he had spoken those words with a serious tone, it would have scared you. Instead, he still held curiosity in his eyes. “But what is science, if not risks?”

You let out a breath you did not know you were holding in. You frowned.

“Are you going to tell the Professor?” You watched him soften his eyes.

“I’m his assistant, not his whisperer.” He grinned and you could not help but let out a nervous laugh.

“I have to go…” You held his gaze. “It was nice to finally talk to you.”

“Likewise.” He smiled at you. You felt your cheeks suddenly heat up. “You have a great mind.”

“Thank you…” You were going to say his name when you realized you could not remember it. 

“Vik tor .” You felt a sudden touch in the back of your head. Your eyes narrowed for a second, you could’ve sworn you heard his voice change. “You can call me Viktor.”

“T-Thank you, Viktor.” You gave him your name, taking a step back as you slowly started retreating. “I will go now.”

You turned around and started heading to the hall. Your heart started beating fast once more. Perhaps, you were still having side effects. Or the Academy was making you begin to lose your mind.

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[sallowedbethyname]

to be home, to be loved, ch.1

pairing: sebastian sallow x reader (hogwarts legacy)

rating: mature (eventual smut)

themes: found family, friends to lovers, slow burn

summary: Eleazar Fig and Solomon Sallow died. Anne Sallow had disappeared. You, Sebastian, and Ominis tried as best as you can to move on, learn, and heal from everything that had happened. In an effort to keep Sebastian company and gave Ominis a new refuge after your fifth year at Hogwarts ended, you proposed an idea: the three of you living together in the house Professor Fig left you.

notes: am i too late to write fics for the infamous, the illustrious, the genius sebastian sallow when hogwarts legacy came out almost 2 years ago? probably, but that never stopped me before, so here it is!

read the full chapter on AO3

read chapter 2

It had been over a week since Spring arrived, melting white snow to make way for verdant green and vibrant colors. Hogwarts was lovely this time of the year, with blooming flowers and swirling butterflies softening the solemness of the castle. It was almost hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, you had been fighting for your life against Ranrok, shaking the very foundation of the castle. Yet Hogwarts still stood tall and majestic. Unshakeable. 

Everyone called you Hogwarts’ Hero, but you wondered if they knew that your sleep had been plagued with vivid dreams of bright flashes of red, the memories of the Keepers, and the light fading from your mentor’s eyes as he drew his last breath. Who would've expected that you'd have trauma by the end of your fifth year? Certainly not you.

The teachers, bless their hearts, seem to be paying more attention to you these days. Even more than before, when they used to give you tasks and extra lessons to make up for lost time. Among them, Professor Weasley was the one who often reached out to you to inquire about your O.W.L preparations. 

Curiously, though, the deputy headmistress didn't seem interested in your O.W.L or Field Guide today. Instead, she regarded you with a gentle, sympathetic expression as she handed you a thick envelope. 

“I know the grief of losing Professor Fig must be too fresh for you, but with the year ending and… in light of everything that has happened recently, I'm afraid this cannot wait.”

You stilled in your seat, immediately assuming the worst. Had the remaining goblin forces taken arms again? A new enemy entering the fray? Or perhaps you weren't meticulous enough when locking away Isidora’s repository and some of the magic had leaked away?

Professor Weasley cleared her throat. “This is Professor Fig’s will. He'd entrusted this to me the night you fought Ranrok. I assume you knew that Professor Fig and Miriam had no children?”

“Yes,” you slowly replied, thinking back to the months before Hogwarts where Fig patiently taught you everything you need to know about magic. 

What Professor Weasley said next made your eyes widen in surprise.

“Well… Professor Fig had decided to list you as his beneficiary. This means all his possessions now belong to you, including his house in London.”

“I— what?”

“It’s all stated in his will,” Professor Weasley nodded at the envelope before you, urging you to open it.

You hesitated. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion and disbelief. You wondered if this is a setup. Perhaps Professor Weasley decided to give you a surprise test before O.W.L to really gauge your readiness? But what purpose would it serve? The deputy headmistress has no reason to trick you and even if she did, she wouldn’t resort to using Fig, wouldn’t she? It would be too cruel.

Still, the deputy headmistress was silent while you mentally hyper-analyzed your current predicament. Nervously, you reached out for the envelope, pulling out its contents with trembling hands. Complicated words jumped out at you when you unfurled the parchment. You weren’t really well-versed in legal phrases and languages, but as you read through the pages and saw the stamps and signatures that belonged to Fig, you realized that everything Professor Weasly said was true.

Professor Fig left you everything.

“I… This is…”

You could feel your eyes getting wet with tears but blinked them all away, refusing to let out even the smallest sob or sniffle. Not in front of Professor Weasley, at least. Professor Fig never really expressed any sort of familial affection to you. Any praise and encouragement mostly only came because of your aptitude for magic and quick thinking. Because of that, you assumed he only saw you as his student. You two hadn’t known each other that long, after all.

You flipped the pages and began to reread everything from the beginning and, to nobody’s surprise, nothing’s changed. The content of his will stayed the same. 

But why, you found yourself thinking. A big wave of grief swept over you. A part of yourself secretly wishing Fig could’ve told you all this on his own. After all, despite everything, he had been the closest thing to a father that you’ve ever had. 

Not for the first time, your chest swelled with rage towards Ranrok, though you know it was futile.

“I had the pleasure to talk with Fig not long after he discovered you,” Professor Weasley finally spoke with a gentle voice. “He told me how gifted you are, how he had never seen someone learn magic so quickly. He was very proud of you, dear. And I’m sure that sentiment only grew bigger until the very end of his journey.”

“I… I don't know what to say, Professor, I…” you stammered. 

With a flick of her wand, a cup of warm tea appeared on the desk and Professor Weasley offered it to you. “Fig also told me that you were living in an orphanage. I suppose he hoped that, though he’s no longer with us, you can now have a home to return to aside from Hogwarts.”

You sobbed, unable to hold back the tears. Without wasting a beat, Professor Weasley was already at your side, rubbing soothing circles on your back. The warm gesture was appreciated, of course, but you tried your best to stop crying. 

“Your mentor is a good man,” she said. “He had made sure that you’ll never live in want.”

“Truthfully, Professor, I don’t know if I deserved this. I…” you paused, rubbing your eyes with the sleeve of your cloak. 

“Nonsense, you’ve done so much for the wizarding world. I know Fig, he wouldn’t have made this decision if he wasn’t sure,” Professor Weasley reassured her. “But… it's up to you, in the end, whatever you want to do with Professor Fig’s possessions. I advise you to sleep on it tonight before coming up with a decision.”

Your nose flared as you took a deep breath, blinking away the burn in your eyes. “Alright,” you said, suddenly feeling more exhausted than ever. “I'll give it a thought. Thank you, Professor.”

The deputy headmistress nodded. “Well, I shan't keep you any longer. You still have classes to attend, after all. But rest assured, I'll always offer you my assistance should you need it.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

*

Try as you might, you couldn't stop thinking about Fig’s will. You barely paid attention to whatever Professor Sharp was saying (you were pretty sure he was giving you disappointed looks the whole time) and, when class was finally over, you began walking aimlessly around Hogwarts, hoping the excursion could help you process everything that had just happened. 

Of course, you had been giving some thought as to how you were going to spend the term break before your sixth year began. Natty and Poppy had also invited you for a sleepover at their houses. But, ultimately, you thought you were going to spend most of your time back at the orphanage, though you absolutely did not look forward to it.

But now, things have changed drastically.

You weren't trying to be ungrateful or petulant but… how many fifteen-year-olds out there got entrusted a house and a certain amount of wealth all of a sudden? 

The details of Fig’s home trickled back into your brain as you recalled the few times you had been there. It was a simple two-story house with brick walls, cobblestone roofs, a garden filled with peculiar magical plants, and a chipper house-elf named Hobbs. The insides of the house were filled with books and knick-knacks from Fig and Miriam’s adventure. It was warm there. And quiet, detached from the hustle and bustle of London’s city center.

‘Wouldn't it be so empty if only Hobbs and I lived there? How can I even stay there when Professor Fig is already gone?’ you wondered, uncertain. 

You were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn't realize that one of the armors in the corridor had already broken down into pieces, its parts strewn messily across the floor, no doubt it was because of their usual fight. But this detail slipped your mind and, the next moment, you found yourself falling down to your knees after you tripped over what seemed to be an iron breastplate. 

“Ow!”

“...Is that the Hogwarts' Hero I hear stumbling down the corridor?”

Cheeks reddening, you looked up to see none other than Ominis Gaunt standing in the middle of the corridor with his wand stretched forward, glowing red.  

“Yup, it's me. And don't call me that,” you sighed before pushing yourself back up and casting Reparo to fix the armor. “Fancy seeing you all by yourself, Ominis, Sebastian's not with you?”

“He’s being held back by Professor Garlick.” 

“What, did he make a student faint with a mandrake?” you asked as you inspected the repaired armor, satisfied with your work. 

“Almost lost an arm from accidentally dropping his Chinese chomping cabbage.”

You winced. “That… didn't sound good.”

That did not quite sound like Sebastian as well. You may not have known him long enough, yet Sebastian was not exactly someone you'd call clumsy. No, he had always moved with certainty and confidence, with intentions behind each of his actions. Needless to say, he wouldn't have done something as foolish as accidentally dropping a magical cabbage that could tear one's limbs. 

You turned to look at Ominis, half-surprised that he was still there. 

“How is he doing?”

“He’s… managing, though I can sense that Anne's situation still bothers him greatly,” Ominis quietly answered, carefully picking his words. “But I believe that he has come to terms with it. Slowly making peace with everything.”

“That's good to hear,” you nodded. 

Of course, like Ominis, you had been witnessing Sebastian making good progress. He seemed to be fully committed to the promise he made to you in The Undercroft a few days ago, and for that, you couldn't have been more relieved.

“Speaking of Sebastian, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about,” the blond-haired boy spoke again and it piqued your interest. 

“Mm?”

“Not here, let’s go somewhere quieter.”

“...Alright, lead the way.”

You assumed he would lead you to The Undercroft, yet it seemed Ominis had a different plan in mind because the two of you had just made a turn that certainly did not lead to your secret base. 

“Where are we heading?”

“The Black Lake,” he answered and your eyebrows shot up. “I’m unsure if this is something Sebastian should hear. Not yet, at least.”

You tilted your head to the side. This was certainly unexpected. After all, a good portion of your fifth year was spent doing unsanctioned and dangerous things with Sebastian, away from Ominis’ disapproving gaze. Now it was you and Ominis who were scheming together while keeping Sebastian out of the loop.

“This… was certainly a surprising turn of events.”

“You’re the only one I can turn to. And as to why, I'm sure you don't need a reminder.”

That shut you up. “Fair enough.”

It didn't take long before you reached the Black Lake. You held back a shiver when a chilly spring wind blew, mussing up the strands of hair that escaped your braid. Still, the sight of a verdant meadow after four months of pure white was very much welcomed. When you squinted, you could see the silhouette of the giant squid that lingered in the murky depth of the lake. 

Ominis led you to a quieter, more secluded part of the lake and you followed, sitting next to him on the grass. 

“So, what is it?”

“I know I said that Sebastian seemed to be doing alright, but… with the term break approaching, I can't help but worry for him. Anne is keeping her distance, Solomon's gone. Sebastian will be all alone.” 

“Ah… that,” you hummed. “I've been wondering about that, too, actually. Of course, I don't know Sebastian as well as you do, but I wondered if he'd be okay going back to an empty home. I figured the grief would be too much.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “I will just say it as it is. Aside from the grief, I worry he would try to do something stupid. Something we've agreed we'd help him put a stop to.”

An uncomfortable sensation pricked your skin, trailing down your spine. The faintest echo of Crucio that Sebastian cast on you back at Salazar’s Scriptorium. It was consensual, yes, you had asked for him to do it, but the pain was unbearable. It was as if you were being burned from the inside. As if a thousand knives pierced your skin over and over again. Your throat constricting on its own and breathing had been impossible.

Still, some days you wondered what was worse, the consensual Unforgivable curse or the anger he lashed out at you whenever he got too frustrated about his quest to find a cure for Anne.

‘Water under the bridge,’ you thought to yourself.

“I suppose you couldn't take him with you?”

“With me,” Ominis repeated slowly. “You’re suggesting that we bring Sebastian to a house where children are not taught but also encouraged to use the Unforgivable curses.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“Curses aside, you know how I preferred not to stay in that house. I used to visit Feldcroft in the past, but now…” 

There was an awkward silence for a moment as you realized it wasn’t just Sebastian who lost his family and home. Ominis also lost a shelter. You looked up towards the blue sky, wishing you could find someplace for your two friends. Perhaps the three of you could sneak and hide in the Room of Requirements for the entire term break. That wouldn’t be too much of a bad idea, would it? Wild, but… plausible? You certainly wouldn’t have any problems with it.

Absent-mindedly, you put your hand inside the pocket of your cloak. It was at that moment your fingers brushed against an envelope. 

Professor Fig’s will. 

Suddenly, another idea popped into your head. 

“Something happened to me earlier.”

“Yes…?” Ominis arched an eyebrow, unsure of what it had to do with your current predicament. 

“Professor Weasley gave me Professor Fig’s will. He had listed me as his beneficiary… which means all of his possessions, including his home, are entrusted to me. I’ve been to the house a few times before and… it was quite spacious. There were spare rooms available.”

Ominis immediately turned to face you. “Are you suggesting that Sebastian could live with you during our term break?”

“I— well…” 

Now that you had said it, you realized how ridiculous you may have sounded. 

“I know that you tend to come up with bizarre ideas, but would your family even be okay with this? Can’t imagine they’d be pleased if you suddenly came home with a boy.”

‘They probably wouldn’t… if they existed,’ you thought to yourself. 

“Um… I sort of don't have one…”

“What do you mean you don't— oh,” Ominis immediately fell silent when he understood what you implied. The blond shifted awkwardly. “I must admit I have heard some rumors regarding your… family, but I didn’t dare to ask I…” he faltered. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t apologize. Really!”

An awkward silence stretched for a brief moment before he finally let out a sigh. “Well, that’s even more bizarre, then. A girl and a boy living together. Did it ever cross your mind that your idea is rather unconventional, if not, inappropriate?”

You could feel the heat rushing to your cheeks. Ominis did not have to make it seem more serious than it really was. The three of you were just friends and nothing more. You highly doubt that Sebastian would do anything weird. Besides, it’s not like any of you had a lot of options.

“I know… it was just—” you took a deep breath. “Look, I just thought we could all stay there. Yes, you included. There's enough room for everyone to have their own privacy and there’s also a house-elf, so it’s not like it’s going to be just us.”

Ominis still looked like he suddenly got his vision and saw that you actually have three heads instead of one. 

“I don’t know what to say, thank you for the invitation? But have you considered the fact that there’s a possibility that something unwanted could happen?”

“Sebastian wouldn’t do that! And neither would you!” you replied with wide eyes, perplexed. “And even if any of you somehow did, which I highly doubt, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself.”

You were quite certain that Ominis didn't doubt you. After all, you did have the ability to wield ancient magical power and have successfully thwarted a goblin rebellion.

“Besides,” you took a deep breath. “I really don't know if I'm going to be able to live there with only a house-elf to keep me company.”

He paused. “Why is that?”

A rueful smile bloomed on your lips. “The silence would be too much for me to bear.”

“Ah…”

“A- anyway, you don't have to agree to my idea if you're uncomfortable about it. I was just thinking out loud… we need a place where one or the two of us can keep Sebastian company and you need a place to escape your family. I thought the house could be a good option.”

Ominis finally let out another defeated sigh. “You’re not wrong.”

Biting your lower lip, you inched forward, not wanting to put more stress on him. “I suppose there is a possibility that Sebastian would be completely fine living in Feldcroft alone and things would be the same despite… what had happened. At any rate, we wouldn't know unless we talked to him about it, no?”

“Yes, I suppose you're right,” he muttered. “We should talk to him tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

The Slytherin boy arched an eyebrow. “We're going to Feldcroft with him tomorrow, remember?”

Right. You remembered Sebastian asking you to go with him and Ominis to his cottage in Feldcroft. This would be his second visit after Solomon’s death and Anne’s disappearance. The first happened just moments after he learned of his sister’s disappearance. Suddenly, your chest felt heavy.

“Alright. We'll talk to him tomorrow.”

Ominis nodded. “I have to go back, Sebastian is probably searching for me already. Talk to you soon.”

“Me, too. I promised Natty we’re going to Hogsmeade together. See you, Ominis.”

He stood up and dusted his robe. His expression was unreadable. 

“Despite everything that had happened,” he spoke again in a soft voice. “I’m grateful for all the help that you’ve done for Sebastian. I reckon it must’ve been hard for you, too, back then. I’m sorry, I realized there were times when I was being too harsh on you.”

The heaviness in your chest grew and though Ominis couldn’t see you, you still hid your face from him. A small part of you worried he could somehow sense the relief you were trying to suppress. Still, a treacherous part of you continued to wonder if Sebastian would still do what he did if you had made different choices. Had you, despite your best intention, unknowingly and foolishly led him into darkness?

You took a deep breath. 

“Thank you, Ominis.”

*

That night, you dreamt about Isidora’s final repository, tucked deep beneath Hogwarts. Yet instead of locking it away, you absorbed it. Unknown, unlimited power coursing through your veins, taking you to a greater height. 

You dreamt that you found Anne and, with that treacherous power, you broke her curse. 

*

Feldcroft was as humble and quiet as the first time you visited it. The evening sun bathed the little hamlet in a warm, golden hue, enhancing the colors of the daffodils that grew all over the grassy field. It seemed to be more alive, with villagers loitering around merchants and children running across the meadows. With the goblin forces gone, peace had returned to the hamlet.

Beside you, Sebastian was staring at the idyllic sight with a hollowness in his eyes. The price of freedom surely had never been so steep. Feldcroft was safe, but Solomon was gone, Anne did not want to speak to him, and some villagers were eyeing him warily. There were rumors that the young Sallow boy had cast one of the Unforgivable curses during the last goblin attack. Opinions were divided, some thinking he should be thoroughly investigated, while others thought “Well, good riddance! He saved his sister!”

“Sebastian…”

“Come on,” the brown-haired boy said. “All this walk is making me tired.”

You glanced at Ominis, who seemed to be holding back as many emotions and thoughts as you did. Sighing, you followed Sebastian as he made his way home. 

The Sallow cottage was in a slightly worse state, which wasn’t unreasonable, considering nobody lived there anymore. Sebastian hadn’t said anything about his desire to return, but the three of you came to the house anyway to keep it clean and well-maintained. 

Solomon Sallow was laid to rest in a simple graveyard in the back of the cottage. Anne had told everyone in the village that he died peacefully in his sleep. Silence stretched as Sebastian stood before the grave, while you and Ominis stood a few feet behind him, watching. The brown-haired boy was still as a statue and you wondered what went through his mind.

But then he sighed and turned to face you, his face calm and eyes clear without a hint of tears. 

“I'm done here. Let's get inside.”

With a flick of his wand, the door to the cottage opened easily. Inside, it was as if time was frozen. There was a glass on the table where Anne used to sit, the bed was unmade, an opened letter sitting on top of a nearby fireplace, and the windows were starting to collect dust.

“Well… let’s get to it, then. Nothing a few Scourgify can’t solve,” Sebastian said, trying to maintain a carefree attitude.

The three of you worked in silence, repeating the spell to clean any dust and dirt you laid your eyes on. You turned your attention towards the bookshelf by the window, noticing more opened letters were scattered on the shelves and the floor around it. You averted your gaze, not wanting to take a single peek at the content. One of them caught your eye anyway because it had your name written on it in handwriting you had grown familiar with. 

Unable to resist the urge, you carefully picked it up from the floor. As you suspected, it was Sebastian’s letter to Anne, and he was talking about you.

Dear Anne,

Do you remember the new fifth-year I brought with me during my last visit? I forgot to tell you this, but she’s very strong. She’s capable of magic beyond our comprehension and she agreed to help us find a cure. I couldn’t be more grateful that I met her. 

Wait for us, Anne. We will cure you, no matter what.

Sebastian

“You know, reading someone else’s letter is considered a breach of privacy,” Sebastian’s voice almost made you jump. You turned to find him already standing next to you, eyes fixated on the letter in your hand.

“I’m sorry. It had my name on it, I got curious,” you shook your head before tucking the letter back into the first empty envelope you could find and stuck it between the books.

“It’s fine. There wasn’t anything scandalous there anyway, thankfully. It was just me singing your praises,” he replied, a faint hint of playfulness lacing his tone.

You bit your lower lip as you looked up at him, uncertain. You never did manage to use your power on Anne. It wasn’t like you knew how to reverse or break a curse — the Keepers didn’t give you much knowledge beyond how crucial it was to use your power responsibly — but you wished you could’ve at least tried.

“I’ve been thinking about reaching out to the Keepers again, now that they’re all present in The Map Chamber,” you finally confessed, picking your words carefully. “These past few weeks I… I’ve been trying to practice the ancient magic on my own, but it proved to be a bit difficult without a mentor. I just…” 

You sighed. 

“I still wanted to try, if you’re alright with it. To cure Anne, I mean. We… I… didn’t manage to try it before.”

Sebastian's eyes widened as he stared at you in surprise. “If I’m al— of course, it is alright with me! Goodness, after everything I’ve done you still—” he stopped himself, taking a steadying breath before continuing. “Thank you. I… you don’t know how much this means to me.”

A soft smile curved on your lips. “I’ll start working hard, Sebastian. Of course, I have to remind you that there is no guarantee that it will work. Isidora tried to remove pain and ended up creating a destructive force that she could not control. But I promise I will try. Figure something out. Find a middle ground that Isidora couldn’t.”

“And that is enough for me. Really,” he says, half-laughing, averting his gaze because he just couldn’t look you in the eye. The gratefulness he felt was just too great and raw he feared that you could spot it with just a glance. “Though, I suppose… we can only do that if we know where Anne is, can’t we?”

Your smile faded ever so slightly. “Yes, you’re right…” you trailed off before shaking your head and giving him a bright grin. “I believe she’ll come around. You didn’t lose hope back then, so let’s not lose it now.”

The weight of the unspoken fact laid heavy between the two of you: there was a solid chance that Anne wouldn’t return. Yet you chose to gloss over it for Sebastian’s sake. You also would like to believe that the bond between the twins was stronger than any adversities thrown at them, including their current predicament. 

It seemed that Sebastian thought of the same thing because he smiled at you and nodded.

“I won’t.”

*

It took around three hours to clean the Sallow cottage until it was spick and span. By that time, the sun had set and the three of you decided to make use of the dining room to eat some desserts you had stolen earlier from Hogwarts’ kitchen. 

“I find it a sacrilege that you knew how to get into the kitchen and not tell us,” Sebastian said with a mouth full of bread. 

“Sebastian, for the sake of decorum, please swallow your food before you speak,” Ominis lamented, his face contorting in disgust. 

“With all due respect, you cannot see me, Ominis.”

“But I can hear you, Sebastian, I'm not deaf.”

You found yourself smiling at their bickering. At moments like these, it was so easy to slip back into your normal routine, so easy to believe that everything was alright. No dark arts. No curses. No forbidden artifacts. 

“I have to agree with Ominis on this one, Sebastian, it's gross.”

“See? She has spoken. Listen to her.”

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes. Still, he finally swallowed his bread and you were grateful for that. 

“You're saying that as if I never listened to you.”

Ominis let out a sigh that sounded as if he was a 500-year-old vampire who had grown extremely tired and weary of life.

“Cases where you listened to me are, unfortunately, rare.” 

“Alright, alright. We can go to the kitchen tomorrow, I'll show you the way,” you interjected, worried that the discussion would lead to sore topics. “The house-elves were very friendly, I'm sure we won't have any trouble getting there.”

Sebastian grinned. “I know I can always count on you.”

Perhaps it was the playful glint in his eyes or the carefree smile on his lips, but his words made you smile. You tried to mask it by eating another mouthful of your cream puff. 

“Though I have to say, bit of a shame I knew about Hogwarts' kitchen so late… but there's always next year, I suppose,” he spoke again.

You glanced at Ominis, and, as if sensing your gaze, the blond boy spoke. 

“Speaking of Hogwarts, are you planning to stay here for this term break?”

There was a short silence. Sebastian leaned back on his chair and stared at the ceiling. 

“I dunno,” he answered. “I suppose I could… but without Anne this house just felt…”

A pause. He shook his head. 

“Well, if you're planning to stay here for the entire break like you used to, I guess it wouldn't be so bad,” he finished, nudging Ominis with his knee. 

“I can't. Not for the entire period. The last time I did that, my lovely mother and father had been even more unbearable than they used to be,” Ominis said in disdain. “I must spend a few days or weeks at home, unfortunately, to prevent them from going rabid.”

“Darn it. I'm so sorry, that sounds horrible, Ominis,” Sebastian sighed. 

“I agree, some people just… shouldn't be allowed to become parents,” you muttered. 

“It was nothing I couldn't handle, as unfortunate as it sounds. But if it does get worse, I won't hesitate to make my escape. You’ll probably find me on your doorstep, Sebastian.”

The brown-haired boy let out a hum. “Escape, huh? These days I've been thinking about that, too. Going somewhere far away from Feldcroft, leaving this place for good…” he said with a faraway look in his eyes, imagining his perfect paradise. “But I couldn't abandon this place when I still don't know where Anne is. Feldcroft is… Feldcroft is the last thread that connected me to my sister.”

“Are you going to stay, then?” Ominis quietly asked. 

“I dunno. Frankly, I don't like being here without Anne,” he replied before locking eyes with you. He smiled. “What about you, ace? I reckon you'd go somewhere fun after your heroic deeds this year?”

Your heart leaped ever so slightly at the nickname. ‘Ace’, Sebastian often called you, because you always bested him in a duel, because of your terrifying and extraordinary skills. He used it teasingly at first. A way of getting under your skin or initiating a friendly banter. Now, there was a softness to it.

Though, you probably only imagined it. 

“Oh, she's definitely going somewhere alright. Somewhere better than ours,” Ominis muttered. 

“Somewhere better? What do you mean?”

“It's a bit of a long story. To keep things brief, Professor Fig made me the beneficiary of his will, meaning, all his possessions are now mine,” you explained. “I now have my own house.”

Sebastian's eyebrows shoot up to his forehead, brown eyes widening in surprise. “Beneficiary?” he repeated, utterly bewildered. “Woah, who would've thought? But I suppose it's not too outlandish, you were quite close with him and you saved Hogwarts. Well deserved!”

“It's a bit strange though, isn't it? I thought he would've picked a relative.”

“Maybe he doesn't have one and that's why he chose you. Could be anything, really,” he shrugged. His gaze momentarily shifts from you to Ominis. “Hold on, I didn't expect you'd tell Ominis before me. You wound me, ace.”

“This isn't a competition, Sebastian,” Ominis replied coolly, though you could sense a bit of amusement seeping into his tone. 

“You were still caught up in Herbology class yesterday,” you explained with a shake of your head. “Didn't realize you're quite possessive.”

“I mean, I saw you first,” he said with a low chuckle, the simple action successfully made your treacherous heart race. “And I was the one who dragged you into this circle, so… without me, you wouldn't have been friends with Ominis.”

You let out a laugh and you could hear the other Slytherin boy let out a bored sigh. “It doesn't work like that.”

“Ominis is right. Besides, I remember you made him mad at me for a few days because you told me about The Undercroft. So, the way I see it, you sort of ruined Ominis’ first impression of me.”

“It was a betrayal of our pact,” Ominis nodded dramatically.

“The end justifies the means!” Sebastian retorted, raising both of his hands, a cheeky grin curving on his lips. “Anyway, Fig’s will. What are you planning to do with them?”

Holding his gaze, you sat up straighter, somehow feeling nervous about what you were about to say. 

“This is just a thought. A random idea that came into my mind,” you started, greatly intimidated by the innocent way he tilted his head. “Fig’s house is rather spacious and… I don’t know if I could live there alone. Well, I suppose I won’t be alone, there’s a house-elf there, too. But I figure it would still be very, very quiet, with Fig already gone and all… I don’t know, the quiet just… unnerves me lately. So I thought… I’d like to invite the two of you to stay there, with me.”

“You’re asking us what?” Sebastian blurted. 

Had this been another one of your mindless, silly discussions, you would’ve laughed at his dumbfounded expression. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. 

“But we’re…” he took a panicked look at Ominis. “We’re boys!”

You let out a groan. “You’re saying that as if we hadn’t explored Salazar’s Scriptorium and spent who knows how long exploring goblin camps together!”

“That’s different!” he spluttered, absolutely flabbergasted. “This is… this is living together! Do you not have other friends?”

“I do, but they all have a loving and functional family, so I can’t exactly ask them!”

“I—” he was ready to retort, but you knew he knew there was no arguing that fact. Still, he shook his head. “And what about your family, huh?”

This time, Ominis spoke. “She’s an orphan.”

“She’s a— hang on. Again, how could you know this but I don’t?!” 

“You never asked!” you quickly replied, almost impatiently. “But that’s beside the point. You asked me what I wanted to do with the house, well, that’s my idea, but it doesn’t mean I’m forcing any of you to do it. It’s just… a wild, random thought.”

Sebastian was still staring at you as if you had just encouraged everyone to learn Avada Kedavra and insisted that it was actually an ethical spell.

“I mean, I think you'd benefit from being a bit more cautious and careful,” he carefully said. 

“Sebastian, I have the ability to turn you into a chicken. No offense, you're a great duelist, but I don't think you can harm me even if you wanted to. And I trust you wouldn't.”

“Of course I wouldn't!” 

An awkward silence fell. You couldn't help but glare at Ominis for being awfully silent and unhelpful, before realizing he couldn't see you. Mentally cursing yourself, you began to speak.

“Anyway, it was just an idea,” you waved your hand flippantly, now eager to return to Hogwarts. 

Yet Sebastian seemed to have a different opinion. “But you said you couldn't stand the silence and you're still grieving over Fig's passing.”

Your eyes met his and, for a moment, you feared he could look into your soul. He couldn't have possibly found a spell that gave him Dementor’s ability, could he? 

“Yes,” you admitted anyway. 

You and silence never really went hand in hand. The orphanage had been noisy most of the time. Bustling with a cacophony of children's screams, cries, and chatters. Silence used to be a respite you had often chased yet eluded you. 

But things had changed. When the noises receded and the room grew quiet, your mind became unbearably loud. There were so many sounds and thoughts echoing in the back of your head. The sound of Avada Kedavra cutting through the air, the deafening crack as the stone ceiling collapsed above you, burying Fig’s body under its colossal size, the roaring of a dragon. Each night a different memory.

Before you, Sebastian shifted on his seat, his eyes carefully searching yours. “Well, it can't be helped, can it, ace? We'll go with you. Though, Ominis would probably tap out every once in a while because he has such a pleasant family.”

“I'll try to make my family visit as brief as possible,” Ominis murmured. “Anywhere is better than home.”

You stilled, not at all expecting them to agree. A part of yourself wanted to laugh at the turn of events. You and Ominis should've been the one giving support to Sebastian, yet the tables turned and now you were the one being cared for. Perhaps Ominis had orchestrated the flow of the conversation to keep Sebastian in the dark. You found yourself not minding it, though. 

For now, you let yourself revel in the rare feeling of your friends coming to your rescue. 

“Alright. It's a deal. No going back on your promises.”

“Of course,” Ominis replied, his voice soft, a gentle smile curving on his lips. 

Sebastian locked eyes with you again and he grinned. “Wouldn't even dream about it.”

*

Time went by in a terrifying sleep. Somehow, you finished your O.W.L exams and your last day at Hogwarts had arrived. The Gryffindor table erupted in a loud, booming cheer when Phineas Nigellus Black, without masking his disdain, announced that they had won the house cup. You couldn't help but revel in your fellow housemates’ euphoria. 

“Imelda Reyes was talking about how Slytherin would win the house cup,” Nellie Oggspire said conspiratorially. “I told her if Gryffindor didn't win, then the system is rigged and Hogwarts’ integrity should be questioned! You have saved this school and the wizarding world! I say that should warrant a permanent house cup victory for Gryffindor until the next seven years!”

It was a wild idea, but you found yourself not minding it. Besides, you agreed with Nellie.

“What's important is that we won,” Natty said, a satisfied smile blooming on her lips as she sat straighter than usual. She started picking up pastries from the table and placed them on your plate. “Now, I believe our hero should have her own feast!”

“Hear, hear!” Garreth whistled. 

You let out a hearty laugh, happy at the absurd amount of pastries and desserts filling your plate. However, when your eyes caught the empty seat where Fig usually sat, an emptiness crept its way into your heart. Grief had been woken up from its slumber. You tore your gaze away and, somehow, it landed on the Slytherin table. Meeting with Sebastian's. He gave you a knowing smile and raised his glass. A silent acknowledgment, which you returned. 

Still, the emptiness clung to your figure as you dragged your feet back to your room, where your neatly packed trunks had been waiting. For a moment, you stood there, casting your gaze around the room, determined to memorize every detail even though you would return in a few months. 

“Hey, don't look too sad.”

You turned around to find Natty leaning against the doorframe, a sympathetic smile curling on her lips. 

“We'll all see each other again in a few months.”

A sigh. You let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I’m being sappy, aren’t I?” 

Natty’s dark eyes crinkled in delight. “You’re not, this school tends to have that effect on people. And don't worry. I'll make sure to write you lots of letters. That way, you won't feel too lonely.”

The smile on your lips grew. 

“Thank you, Natty.”

The journey to Hogsmeade train station was loud, as the students' chatter filled the air like the humming of a thousand bees. You managed to claim an empty thestral carriage for Garreth, Natty, Poppy, and yourself. As other students began to fill the remaining carriages, you spotted Sebastian and Ominis in the crowd. Quickly, you raised your hands, calling out to them.

Soon enough, your carriage was filled with familiar faces. The faces of your first friends in Hogwarts. Some roped you into trouble, some helped you achieve the unimaginable. All of them you cherished.

“Huh, I think this is my first time seeing you joining the train ride to London, Sallow,” Garreth was the first to speak, eyeing the brown-haired boy curiously. 

Sebastian's eyes locked with yours for a fleeting second before he cleared his throat. “I'm moving somewhere closer to London this year.”

Garreth hummed in acknowledgment. Silence blanketed the carriage for a moment, only broken by the huffing of the thestral and the sound of the wheel grounding against wet soil.

“I'm sorry about your uncle,” Poppy finally spoke with a gentleness akin to the caution one might show when approaching a wounded puppy. “First Anne and now your uncle… you've been through a lot.”

This time, Sebastian avoided your eyes, but you could somewhat feel the tension in his body. Feldcroft was not at all far from Hogwarts and words traveled far. Condolences had been given, as everyone, just like the villagers in that little hamlet, believed that Solomon Sallow died of natural causes. The gruesome truth was only known by you, Sebastian, Ominis, and Anne, and all of you guarded it close to your chests. 

“Thank you, Poppy, I appreciate it,” Sebastian replied with a hollow smile that did not quite reach his eyes, an expression that could be easily mistaken as grief. 

“How's Anne? Is she coming with you to London?” Natty asked. 

You opened your mouth, wanting to interject, worried that the innocent question would only rub more salt into Sebastian's wound. But to your surprise, the boy was smiling earnestly. His eyes reflected just the right amount of sadness. Enough to make everything believable.

“Anne is in France with one of our great aunts. She moved there after Uncle Solomon passed away. It was a tough decision, but… we agreed it was for the best.”

“I see…” Natty replied, completely none the wiser. “Well, I wish only the best for you, Sebastian. I know how much you care for your sister. I hope that one day, you'll be able to find a cure for her.”

This time, Sebastian faltered. From his side, Ominis inched forward, opening his mouth, no doubt eager to change the topic, worried about how it would affect Sebastian. 

Yet before he could say a word, Garreth spoke.

“I believe you will find that cure, Sallow,” he said plainly, simply, as if stating that anyone with a brain can brew an Edurus potion. “What? This world is a big place and magic is a boundless thing. I'm pretty sure it's out there somewhere. If not now, perhaps sometime in the future.”

“I think this is my first time hearing you saying something so wise, Garreth,” Natty said in amazement. “I did not know you had it in you.”

“Rude!” Garreth retorted, feigning a hurt expression. “I'll have you know that this brain of mine contains a multitude of new potion recipes ready to be tested! You think I am incapable of weaving pretty words?”

“It's a bit hard to imagine that when you regularly blow up your cauldron, to be honest,” Poppy said, grimacing. 

“And stealing from Professor Sharp's ingredients vault,” Ominis spoke for the first time, half-amused, half-relieved to fuel a new topic that did not concern Sebastian, Solomon, or Anne. 

Garreth protested, yet his voice was drowned by Natty and Poppy’s laughter. As your friends recounted more of his shenanigans, you locked eyes with Sebastian once again. His expression was soft, akin to relief. You tilted your head to one side, pink lips curling into a lopsided smile, which widened when he mirrored your actions.

No words were spoken, but you knew he found comfort in Garreth's words, and for that, you couldn't have been more relieved. 

*

It was almost sunset when the train arrived at King’s Cross Station in London. Students flooded out of the train, ready to be reunited with their families, ready to go home. Poppy found her grandmother in the crowd and you could hear her delighted squeal as she wrapped the older woman in a big hug. Garreth went his separate way not long after. You noticed him being welcomed by a group of people, all having almost identical red hair and the same kindhearted look. Must be the Weasleys. 

“Well, here we are, London,” from your side, Sebastian hummed. “Where to now?”

“The house is on the outskirts of the city. I think it's best if we take a carriage there. What do you think, Ominis?” you asked, turning to the blond-haired boy who had been rather quiet throughout the entire ride home. 

To your surprise, Ominis looked exhausted. You looked down to find him nervously fiddling with his wand.

“My mother’s helpers are here. I can sense them,” he quietly said, dipping his head low. “I suppose this means I have to go see my parents first.”

“Oh…” you stilled, unsure of what to do. 

If it were up to you, you'd waste no time whisking him away and maybe transfigure this helper into a chicken. The rest of his family, too. Good riddance. Yet you knew it wasn't what Ominis wanted. You probably couldn't do it either. Plus, you'd rather not get involved with the authorities, lousy as they were. 

“We understand, have a safe trip, Ominis,” Sebastian said, patting the boy's back. “Let us know if you need us to kidnap you from that hell hole.”

Ominis tried to smile, but it came out strained. 

“Thank you, but I'd rather you not go anywhere near my family. I don't want them to taint any of you,” he turned towards your direction. “Especially you, since we know nothing of your blood status.”

“...I understand. Please, be careful, Ominis.”

He nodded. You couldn't help but find how drastically Ominis changed in a matter of seconds. The sweet, gentle Ominis always seemed to glow when he was in Hogwarts. His smile was relaxed and his voice soft. A serene look on his face whenever he dozed off in class. Yet now, his light had been dimmed out. Eyebrows furrowed, hands couldn't stop picking on his fingernails. He looked terrified. 

“I will,” he said anyway. “Be on the lookout. I honestly do not know how long I must stay at that torture house… but I'll try to join you as soon as I can.”

Sebastian patted Ominis' shoulder once again, this time giving it a firm squeeze. “Stay safe, and I mean it, call us if you need some help to escape.”

“I will. Don't worry. I have my ways,” the blond-haired boy said, relenting. He took a deep breath and placed both hands on his trolley. “See you again. And don't do anything weird when I'm gone.”

“We won't. Not too much, at least,” Sebastian replied, amusement lacing his tone. 

“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the last sentence,” Ominis huffed. He stood there for a moment, still facing the two of you. “Well, I better get going.”

“See you, Ominis.”

The Gaunt boy nodded. His expression was grim. But he adjusted his bag handles and pushed his trunk towards one of the exits. True to his words, you could see about three wizards waiting there, all dressed in black. They crowded around Ominis as soon as he was close enough, taking his belongings away from his hands to carry them on their own. No doubt it was how the heir of an important, old-money family should be treated. Yet you couldn't help but think your friend looked like a caged dove. There was a weight on his shoulders that wasn't really there before.

“He'll be alright. We've done this a couple of times before. Don't worry,” Sebastian said, nudging you with his elbow. 

“Right,” you sighed and looked around the still-crowded station. “Let's go, then, but make sure nobody sees us. I'd rather them not ask any questions or worse, spread gossip.”

He let out a low chuckle. “Bit too late to consider that detail, don't you think?”

“Oh, shut it.”

Quietly, away from everyone's eyes, you and Sebastian slipped away, but not before casting one last glance at the view behind you. At the train, at Natty, Poppy, and Garreth, laughing as their families welcomed them home, hands laced together. At Ominis’ disappearing figure. 

“You coming? I don’t mind leading but I kind of don’t know the way.”

You turned to find Sebastian leaning on his trolley, looking at you with an arched eyebrow, a playful smile tugging on his lips.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Follow me, country boy.”

“Lead the way, city girl.”

[kyri45]

✨ISAT Sky: Cotl!AU Q&A ✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the ISAT Sky: Cotl!AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: sometimes when im bored i just go to your profile to position your pfp to siffrin's hands so it looks like they're holding you

I feel threatened bc if Siffrin would know what I'm making them pass through with the next comic updates he would crush me insteantly with a fist.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Damn Siffrin is dying and no one will ever remember them. 😔 Oh Loo~ooop!

Loop coming to save the day even tough they aren't paid enough for this shit

Anonimo Siffrin isn't aware of the hole in the wall you can go through for those two statues without having to get pelted by rocks smh my head. (said jokingly) ((Love your comic btw!! Thank you for this AU, I love it))

THE

WHAT?

YOU CAN GO THROUGH A WALL TO GET THEM WITHOUT RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE?????

Anonimo My reaction to this chapter of ISAT COTL CROSSOVER AU (10/9/2024) GO BBG YOU GOT THIS IN THE BAG!! OH YOU DO NOT GOT THIS IN THE BAG.. oh now you're out of the bag oh god ruh roh

Oh yeah he does NOT have this.

Anonimo pst hey hey are you gonna pose the statues, it would be funny i swear totally not more heartbreaking for siffr- WAIT HOW WOULD THEY REACT TO THE FACT YOU CAN BARELY SAVE ALL OF THE STATUES WHEN YOU REACH THE FOREVER STORM PART-

he has enough memories that he should recover a good amount of statues. It's not a matter of wheter or not he can save everyone, but mostly themself....

Anonimo ha chiesto: Hey so I cannot believe I am so late to see your ISAT and Sky AU because I love!! Both of them!! So much!! And I just wanted to thank you for making it and sharing it with us because it’s really cool! And both fandoms need more attention imo <333 @ucorpwhalingyaoi ha chiesto: I know NOTHING about cotl but my god your isat au of it has made me want to play it so bad 💔 (very /pos…) @primrosechronicles ha chiesto: HEYYYY ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE IVE SENT AN ASK!! Ive been silently reading the isat comic since my last ask and im very very proud of you for making this far!!! mwahh!!! Thank you for inspiring me to play sky again, cuz if not i wouldn't have able to meet my sky friends Anonimo ha chiesto: first of all, I came here from the shadowpeach au but your comics dragged my ass to the ISAT fandom second of all, HOW DARE YOU PLAYED WITH MY HAPPINESS LIKE THAT (love your art and story telling, I wanna eat it like a fancy dinner) @prince0fghosty ha chiesto: It's been hard for me to find Sky: Children of the Light content anywhere! I found you through a friend and not only are you interested in Sky but also Lego Monkie Kid this is truly the best day ever!!! I got back into the game because of you. I like to help moths out in Eden @phoenix-is-here ha chiesto: You are the person who introduced me to the ISAT fandom and I gotta say thank you for that. That's one of the best games I've ever played and I would have never known about it without stumbling onto your account first (because of a strong hyperfixation on a show about monkeys ofc) so.. Accept this virtual cookie and glass of milk as a gift : 🍪 Anonimo ha chiesto: I followed for the shadowpeach, stayed for Sky CotL, keep cookin

HIII!!! AND TYSM!!!!!

@elianaroselight ha chiesto: This feels a little silly, but what is ISAT? I read through your ISAT Sky AU comic and I feel like I am missing half of the story. I love what I'm seeing so far and want more, but I also don't know or completely understand who the characters are and why I should care about them (more than I do already at least). Sorry if this is silly. I just want to understand.

ISAT is short for "In Stars And Time". It's an RPG game made by @insertdisc5. ABsolutely go check it out otherwise you wont understand a thing about the characters of the AU!

when i was reading the most recent page of the In Skies and Time™️ comic I had the most hilarious image in my head of just a bunch of sky kids smacking down on the same area and making this. sky kid pileup????? [since it seems liek theyre all gonna come back like that..] it was super funny to imagine 30 CAR PILEUP 🔥🔥🔥

AWWW SKY KID MOUNTAIN!! Lol probably it would happen? Like when you do Eden just after reset and when you get reborn there's like 7 other players clipped in you rebirth animation in the aviary /home space

Anonimo ha chiesto: Awwwww Bonnie was so excited 😢

poor Bonnie they will get their comfort moment eventually

@sohrleas ha chiesto: YOU YOU'RE THE REASON WHY I got Sky 'cause I saw your isat sky au and got super curious about the game Your art is beautiful and I love it 💚💚💚

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO!!!!

Anonimo ha chiesto: HOPEFUL STEWARD WOOOOO-

IT'S MY BOY!!

@o0mochacoffee0o This isn’t related to you Bio dad AU Like my usuals- I just saw in your abut that you like CotL! Now you share two of my interests!! I’m curious to know your favorite parts of the game, if you have any ships, head canons, etc!! I always love listening to people’s opinions on things I love!

About Scotl? I don't have any specific headcanon, but I do ship Moments Guide and Reassuring Ranges. The only thing that I crave for that game is MORE LORE GODDAMN IT

Anonimo ha chiesto: When I said the fun was dying. I did not expected this. I'M SCREAMING AND PUNCHING THE BED NOOOOOOOOOOOO SIFFF

*sips coffee* welcome to hell (literally)

Anonimo ha chiesto: "is that thing a sadness?!" sweet summer child that thing is a menace of death

It absolutely is

Anonimo ha chiesto: Poor Siffrin’s gotta be absolutely TERRIFIED Big scary beast thing spotted them AND suddenly getting bathed in the color they associate with bad stuff? I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be quaking in their boots.

He is in desperate need of comfort that wont come in like- a irl month I think

Anonimo ha chiesto: I know you won’t be doing the golden wastelands but… Once the party discovers that the groundwater has the same effect as the forest rain, Isabeau decides to bridal carry Siffrin the whole way. Leaving Siffrin a blushy mess. Also, almost if not everyone is scared shitless of the Dark Dragons/Krill (totally not projecting)

ooooohh that is soooo cute i'm dying!!!!!

Anonimo ha chiesto: THE FAKE ACT 4 LOOKING SMILE . THE ACT 5 EDEN MOMENT. THE PARTY BEING SENT BACK . DIES "oh yeah if I still have energy I can loop back" ← me when I'm lying

@starlight-and-clockwork ha chiesto: bawling and kicking and screaming and pulling my hair out THAT PANEL OF SIFFRIN ASKING HIS FAMILY TO REMEMBER HIM WILL HAUNT ME FOREVER YOU ARE SO TALENTED AND CAUSE ME MUCH PAIN THANK U<3

@aro-aces-world ha chiesto: I just caught up with ISAT sky au Fuck you /affectionate

Thank you! Be ready to be even more destroyed by the following updates!

@cherryblossomventi ha chiesto: I’m gonna go feral, Sif did that because he knows he can kinda come back from this with the shooting star thing Im guessing but the others cant/might not because they aren’t from this land,,, oh buddy why didn’t you tell them stop being cryptic idiot

Sif doesn't really remember that he can be reborn like in Sky. He knows only that, if he can reach the light right at the base of the cataclysm, then maybe he can return as well.

[imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul]

The Prince - Chapter Nine

A/N: Hello! I did not expect this chapter to be as long as it is, but there was just too much to squeeze into this one! Only one more chapter left! I want to thank you all again for your likes, comments, and reblogs! It means the world to me and I hope you stick around for more Jace fics after this one is over. Like before, please see tag list in the comments.

Pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x Reader Word Count: 5.2k Synopsis: Finally, all matters are put to bed as Jace meets with Baela, the reader meets with Rhaenyra, and Lord Blacktyde is dealt with.

Warnings: violence, blood, death

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Jace walks directly out of your chambers and heads for Baela’s. It is too early an hour to be visiting, but he cannot wait any longer. In this current situation, he needs to ensure your safety. Besides, he has put off this conversation with Baela for far too long.

He gathers his courage as he knocks on her door. To his surprise, Baela answers the door herself.

“Jace,” she says with a sigh, looking him up and down. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“I’m sorry it’s so early. I—” he pauses, taking a breath, slowing down, “Can I come in?”

She doesn't respond, but holds the door open. As he walks in, his thoughts are of you, your smile, your hand in his, and it gives him the strength to finally face her. To finally tell her the truth. When he does, she’s already looking at him with a sad smile.

“I know, you know,” she says softly.

“Baela, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to find out from anyone else but me. You're my closest friend, and--"

“I mean,” she says, walking into the room, sitting down on a couch, motioning for him to do the same. “I knew, I think even before I knew. Your feelings for her . . .” she sighs, “It’s the kind everyone wishes they’ll find.” She is still smiling, but there is a hurt behind her eyes, too. When she meets his gaze, she laughs.

“Don’t you dare pity me, Jacaerys. I’m glad that you’ve found love with Y/N. You deserve happiness.”

“So do you."

“I know,” she says with a laugh. “I see the way you look at her. I hear the way Rhaena talks about her budding relationship with Lord Corwyn. I want the same for myself.” She sighs. “I used to think I might find that with you.”

“I love you, Baela. It’s just—”

“I know,” she says, smiling gently at him. “I don't feel that way either. I love you, too, just . . ."

"Yeah," he says softly. She is quiet for a moment, studying her hands.

“If I break our betrothal, I don’t want Driftmark," she says. Jace's heart leaps once. He meets her eyes, seeing a determined glaze in them.

“What do you want?” he asks.

“King’s Landing is my home, I don’t want to leave it.”

“Baela,” he says with a smile, “I wouldn’t have you anywhere else. During the war, you were my confidant, my advisor, I need you here.”

“I know,” she says with a smirk, “I’d like to be Hand.” A grin spreads across Jace's face.

“Done.”

When Rhaenyra invites you to her quarters, a horrible dread fills your bones. You think of the only other time you were summoned by her, when Lord Blacktyde arrived. There is little doubt in your mind that this meeting has to do with him.

You think she'll probably have Barun and his ship waiting for her command, waiting to send you off to the Iron Islands, never to see this family you have grown to love again.

At your arrival, a guard leads you into the queen's chambers. The room is warm, like Jace's tends to be, a trait that must run in the family. Rhaenyra is standing over her desk, her brow furrowed as she reads the scroll in her hand.

"Your Grace," the guard says, drawing her eyes up.

"Y/N," Rhaenyra says.

"Your Grace," you say, curtseying.

"You may leave us," she says, dismissing the guard. Once the door closes behind him, she gives you a small smile.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Baela has agreed to end her betrothal to Jace," she says, making your heart leap. "I asked my son to hold off on telling you until I could speak with you myself.

"I have seen the way you look at Jace, and how he looks at you. I know there is love there," she says, a soft look on her face. "He deserves love."

"Yes," you say quietly, reflexively.

"But he also deserves a long life, an easier one than the one he has lived thus far. The arrival of Lord Blacktyde has made me reconsider my initial approval." She meets your eyes. "Tell me why you should marry my son."

"My Queen," you say, taking a deep breath to hopefully squash the growing panic within you. "I don't know why I should marry Jacaerys. I know there are more advantageous matches out there for him. I have no titles, no relationship to offer your family that you don't already possess.

"But I do know that I love your son, more than anything in this world. And I know he loves me," you say, your voice cracking with swelling emotion, "It is an honor I do not take lightly. For so long, I tried to fight my feelings, because I know I'm not good enough for him, because of my past. But your son has shown me that the love between us, the admiration and trust, it is not commonplace. It deserves to be treasured.

"I don't know why I should marry him. I probably shouldn't. But if you grant us leave, please know that I will do everything in my power to make sure he lives a long, happy life."

She studies you for a long moment. You fidget with the hem of your sleeve, waiting for some sign of her approval.

"What of Lord Blacktyde?" she asks. "If you are to reject him, he will turn his anger upon my family."

"I know," you say, dropping your head. "If it comes down to it, I would leave with him, if it meant keeping your family safe." She raises an eyebrow at you.

"That means a lot." She is quiet for another agonizing minute.

"I want to see more of Lord Blacktyde, to understand for myself the kind of man he is. Already, he has sullied his reputation after barging in here, making demands for you. Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst thing to lose his allyship. He is already ostracized in the Islands." That spark of hope leaps up into your throat.

"Your Grace?"

"If you would give up your happiness, your life, for my son, if you could walk away from your feelings, I can think of no stronger quality in a wife, and queen."

Jeyne is pacing in your quarters when you arrive back. The moment she spots you, she gasps, moving to your side.

"What did the queen say?" she asks. The tears that were threatening to fall during your meeting finally spill over.

"She said yes," you say, "Baela agreed to end their betrothal."

"And Barun?" Jeyne asks, her face flushing with excitement.

"I think she'll try to make some kind of agreement with him, she's inviting him to supper tonight to feel him out. Although, its my understanding that she wouldn't care either if the relationship falls through."

"Oh, Y/N," she says, wrapping you into a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you."

"Me too," you say with a laugh, wiping at your tears.

"Have you seen Jace yet?" she asks.

"Not since last night. I'm sure he knows, but I want to see him. To celebrate with him."

"Well, you'll see him tonight."

"Barun will be there, too," you say, "I won't be able to get close to him, to even let him know."

"The prince is clever," Jeyne says, "I think he found a way around Barun."

When you slip on the dress Jace sent, you are in awe. Jeyne always made sure you had beautiful, elegant dresses, but this one was of its own caliber. The beading made it sparkle in the light. The fabric clung to you favorably, the slightly lower neckline surely Jace's idea.

You feel absolutely beautiful, and stronger somehow. Clad in your future family's color, you feel some of their bravado embracing in you.

"If your father could see you now," Jeyne says, walking back into the room, also dressed in her finest.

"What would he think?" you ask.

"That he was a damn fool," Jeyne says, wrapping her arms around you. "He wanted the Vale, wanted its legacy to pass to your husband and sons. Look at you now," she says with a smile, "You're going to be queen."

You take in a breath. In your excitement, your love for Jace had overshadowed the fear of becoming queen. It's years away, but already, you worry what the people will think of you. Jeyne seems to notice your attitude change.

"It won't happen for a long time. You'll have time to prepare," she says, "But you'll be perfect."

"Thank you," you say, "For everything."

On the walk down to the dining hall, Jeyne tells you of her morning meeting with Barun. His terms hadn't changed from five years ago. He promised aid to the Vale in exchange for your hand. Jeyne had politely told him she needed to consider, and went on her way.

"How did he appear?" you ask.

"He cannot hide his emotions. He said all the correct things, but his face and voice held only frustration."

"I will be relieved when he is long gone," you say with a sigh, stopping in front of the doors to the dining hall.

"That day is near," she says. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

The heavy oak doors open to reveal Jace and his family. He is joking with Aegon, but upon your arrival, he looks up. A smile immediately breaks across his face. He bids his brother goodbye and comes to your side. You can tell he wants to do more, but he only takes your hand and kisses it softly.

"You are beautiful," he says, warm eyes meeting yours.

"Thank you," you say. He transfers your hand to his arm and guides you into the room. "I had no idea you had such an eye for gowns."

"I don't," he says with a smile, "But this one was as easy find, once I pictured you in it." His eyes flick down to your chest. It dawns on you then, just how long it has been since you slept together. Was it really only a few days ago? It feels like longer now.

"I've missed you," you say lowly, "I--"

The heavy doors open again, this time revealing Lord Blacktyde. He stumbles almost instantly, and you realize he is already drunk. Jace must notice the way your body tenses, because he tightens his hold on your hand, just as you break away from him.

"Y/N," Jace says sternly, quiet enough for only you to hear. "He's going to find out eventually."

"Not here," you say, watching as Jeyne greets the lord. "Please," you say, glancing back to him. "For tonight, let's just pretend."

"Pretend that I'm not the happiest I've ever been?" he asks, making you smile.

"Yes. Just for this dinner. Tomorrow, we will figure out how to tell him."

"Very well," he says with a sigh. "Let me escort you to your seat, then." His mirth has vanished, and you hate that you can't celebrate this victory with him. For so long, you two have longed for this very moment.

As he guides you to your seat, you cross him and whisper, so only he hears, "I love you." He keeps his composure, but the look in his eyes conveys his response.

"Y/N," Joffrey says, sat to your right. "You look lovely tonight."

"Thank--"

"Evening, Your Highness," Barun says, startling you as he sits in the seat to your left, the one Jace was about to claim.

"Lord Blacktyde," Jace says through clenched teeth. You exchange a look, but Jace is too smart to start an argument now. Rhaenyra sits at the head of the table. Her eyes meets Jace's and she inclines her head to her left, the unoccupied chair there.

As everyone takes their seats, Jeyne, Rhaena, and Baela across from you, the younger boys further down the table, soft chatter breaks out. For the first time since you revealed yourself to her, Rhaena meets your eyes and gives you a soft smile.

"How is Morning?" you ask carefully, hoping a neutral topic might mend the gap.

"She's good," Rhaena says, "I should be able to fly with her soon, finally."

"Really?"

"Dragons grow quickly," she says with a shrug. "You should . . . come see her soon." A strange expression passes over her face.

"I'd like that," you say, with a smile. She cuts into her food, and you assume she's done speaking to you, until she looks back up once more.

"Red suits you," she says. It's as much acceptance as you'll get from her, but it means the world.

"Thank you."

"So," Joffrey says, pulling your attention to him. "Remember in the library, when you swore nothing had changed with you and my brother?"

"Yes," you say, glancing up the table to Jace. The prince meets your eyes with a smile.

"Care to make any amends to that statement?" he asks when you look back at him.

"No," you say, smirking.

"Even now, you won't trust me with your secrets?" Joffrey asks, a frown on his face.

"Today we are pretending," you say, "Ask me again tomorrow."

As the next course is served, you feel you must relieve Jeyne from entertaining Barun. Thus far, she has been one of the few to speak with him, save for a few remarks from Rhaenyra and Daemon.

"Are you eager to return to the Iron Islands, My Lord?" you ask.

"Yes," he says gruffly, his breath reeking of ale, "I can't stand the heat here."

"It's not so bad, one you get used to it," you say.

"I don't intend to. You shouldn't either."

"May I remind you, Lord Blacktyde, I have not agreed to any terms with you," Jeyne remind him.

"Yet."

"Excuse me?"

"You haven't agreed to any terms, yet," he says firmly. Jeyne doesn't break eye contact.

"Of course," she says. She glares him down as she reaches for her glass of wine. He looks away before she takes a sip.

"What is it you find so desirable about the Iron Islands?" Daemon asks, drawing your attention down the table again. For a quick moment, your eyes meet Jace. He isn't looking at you, though, because his sole focus is on Barun. His fist is clenched tightly atop the table.

"Is it the never ending damp? The sunless sky? Or are the stories true, that the Islanders fuck the creatures of the sea?" Daemon asks. The room is quiet. Barun's face grows redder by the second. But before the tension can break, one of the younger boys laughs. Whoever starts it gets the other one going, too, and soon everyone starts laughing, too. The only one who doesn't even try to fake one is Jace.

"Say what you will about our customs, your Targaryen ones are much stranger," Barun says. Your laughter dies in your throat.

"And which customs would those be?" Rhaenyra asks.

"You forget yourself," you say quietly, hoping only for Barun to hear it. He turns to glare at you, his eyes bloodshot.

"You'll do well to learn to hold your tongue," he says. "As I was saying," he continues loudly, "Such strange customs. You married your uncle after all, Your Grace." Jace's knuckles have gone white.

"That must be why you've had such trouble finding a husband," he says, turning his full, horrid attention to you.

"How is that?" you ask.

"Because you're not related to them!" he says, punching the last few words as if he's a jester.

"Lord Blacktyde."

"If only you had just been a little blonder," he chortles. "Although, that rules doesn't apply to these two." He motions to Joffrey, then to Jace. Your prince's face is white with rage.

"Need I remind you who you are dining with?" you ask. Barun rolls his eyes. He seems closer now, as he looks at you. You can smell the alcohol and see the beads of sweat at his brow. You move closer to Joffrey.

"When we get home to the Islands, this back talk will not be permitted."

"I believe my cousin already told you nothing has been decided." You reach for your win glass, casually, needing to pretend all is well.

"King's Landing," he says under his breath. "Leave it to them to teach a woman such disrespect." You exchange a glance with Jeyne, both of you knowing you learned that trait well before King's Landing.

"And what is it exactly that you find so lacking in King's Landing, My Lord?" you ask.

“People claim the Iron Islands are barbaric, but when brother argues with sister, we don’t put the burden on the whole of the realm.”

“Would you call usurping our queen’s throne ‘arguing?’” you ask, your eyes flitting to the end of the table where Jace, Rhaenyra, and Daemon all stare coolly at Barun.

“I just believe that if things had been handled more rationally, I wouldn’t have lost so many good men.”

“People were lost on all sides,” you say, your wine glass nearly shaking in your hand. Tension tightens along the table. All side conversations have ceased.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” he says to you. “You need to come to the Iron Islands. It’s not safe in King’s Landing.” He seems oblivious to the shifting mood of the dragon riders around him. Rhaenyra has a firm grip on Daemon’s arm, but the King Consort shares the same expression as Jacaerys. Barun leans in even closer, until your back is pressed into Joffrey’s arm, trying to put as much space between you as possible.

He continues, unbothered. “I mean, they couldn’t even protect their own children, how could—”

The glass in your hand shatters in your grip, jostling the rest of the table. Both Jace and Joffrey are on their feet with you, the latter of whom reaches for your hand. You pull it back, your focus solely on Barun. You aren’t alone in this, the entire family looks at him with cold-blooded anger.

“Apologize,” you say firmly. He laughs as he looks up at you.

“Excuse me?”

“Apologize,” you say. The glare he gives you is one that could kill. But before he can say anything more, he finally looks at the people around him.

“My apologies, I meant no insult,” he says with a forced smile.

“Of course,” Daemon replies, an equally vicious smile on his own lips.

You sit down, begging Jace to do so, too. His jaw is clenched so hard, you aren’t sure he’s actually breathing. You give him a look that says please, and finally he sits.

“Y/N,” Joffrey exclaims, reaching for your hand. Jutting from your palm is a large shard of glass. Blood drips between the two of you. “You need to see the maester.”

“I—”

“She’s fine,” Barun grunts, taking your hand from Joffrey. He drags the chunk of glass down your hand, lengthening the cut before pulling it out. You clench your other fist, and take in a quivering breath, but that is the only reaction you’ll give him.

“See? All better.”

“She’s bleeding,” Jace says plainly, looking at Barun in disgust.

“Haven’t you been told, boy? Girls always bleed.”

“I think I’ll escort Y/N to the maester," Jeyne says, standing quickly. You look nervously between Jace and Barun. You don't want to leave, fearful of where this anger might lead. “Y/N” Jeyne urges.

“Coming,” you say, standing up. Joffrey places his napkin in your bleeding hand softly. “Thank you.”

As you move out from between them, Barun looks as if he wants to stop you. His attention moves to the end of the table, and whatever he finds on Jace’s face stops him. As Jeyne leads you out of the room, you look back once, unsettled by what has happened, and usure of what is to come.

The maester has just finished stitching your hand when Jace walks into the room, Rhaenyra and Daemn following close behind. He doesn’t seem to care that Jeyne, his parents, and Maester Orwyle are there. The moment he is in front of you, he grabs your face and kisses you.

“I’m fine,” you say when he pulls away. He doesn’t respond, just takes your bandaged hand in his. He studies it for a moment, then kisses the back of your hand.

“Jace,” you say, looking up to meet his eyes. His hard exterior drops then, and he sits down next to you.

"How is your hand?" he asks.

"The maester says I'm lucky," you say, "I could have lost my grip if it had been deeper. He says it will only leave a scar." Jace looks livid.

“Did anything else happen after dinner?” you ask, hoping to change the subject as Jace’s hand holds your uninjured one.

“No, Barun shut up once you left," Daemon says.

“He’s revolting,” Jace says, giving your hand a squeeze.

“He is,” Jeyne says, joining your small group. “And I’m afraid he’ll only get worse, when Y/N rejects him.”

“He’s one man,” Jace say firmly. His thumb traces over your skin, both to soothe you and to remind himself that you’re there. “He is disgusting, but he is not invincible. We’ll arrange to tell him in a group and then send him back to the Iron Islands.”

“And if he threatens the Vale?” Rhaenyra asks. "Or dares to threaten us?"

“Then I will fly there myself and defend my future wife’s home,” he says proudly. "And ours." You meet his eyes and give him a gentle smile.

"We will meet with him tomorrow morning," Rhaenyra says. "Tell him firmly that Y/N rejects his suit, and that if he leaves willingly, the Iron Islands will be rewarded. Hopefully, that will be enough."

The plan is set. The next day, Barun will be informed by Jeyne, in front of Queen Rhaenyra, Prince Jacaerys, and a slew of Kingsguard, that she rejects his suit. It is Jeyne’s idea that you stay out of sight, and you don't fight her on it. Barun is possessive. If you were there, you aren’t sure what he would do.

But the waiting is agony. When the time comes for them to go down to the throne room, you are confined to your chambers. You can’t help but pace, worrying what might be happening.

It’s an hour before a knock comes from your door. Eagerly, you run towards it and whip it open, having dismissed your lady’s maid half an hour earlier, because her worrying was just as bad as yours.

Panic surges through you, though, as you open the door and find not Jace or Jeyne, but Barun. He stands outside your door, a menacing look on his face, his nostrils flared. On the ground next to him, is the guard assigned to your chambers.

“Lor-Lord Blacktyde,” you stutter, backing up as he presses into your room.

“Now you’ll see me,” he says. His face is red, his tread heavy. He radiates an anger so great you haven't seen before.

“You shouldn’t be here,” you say.

“Why not? Expecting whatever lousy lordling you’ve been seeing behind my back?” he asks, still stalking towards you. Step for step, you back up, too.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Don’t lie to me!” he yells as your back hits the post of your bed. Quickly, you jump aside, putting some more distance between you.

“You forget yourself, My Lord,” you say shakily.

“I forget myself?” he asks with a laugh. “You were betrothed to me, but coming here made you forget your oath.”

“You married another,” you say, “How was I to know you’d kill her and come crawling back for me?” Anger flares in his eyes as he moves towards you. His hands reach for your arms, but you step back just in time. Barun catches his knee on the edge of a sofa, growling at the pain.

“This behavior will not be acceptable when I bring you to the Islands. You will be my wife and you will obey me."

“I’m not leaving with you," you say icily.

“The hell you aren’t."

“Let me remind you, that Prince Jacaerys promised war upon your doorstep, should you put up any fuss at my refusal.”

“The prince,” he says with a scoff.

“Should you comply, he will see that the Iron Islands are rewarded,” you say. Barun is silent for a long moment, considering. You think his anger might have abated, but when he looks up again, there is no life behind his eyes. They are dark like you know him to be, and you truly fear for your life then.

“The prince,” he says again. “The prince.”

“My lord, I really think you should leave now,” you say, moving towards your door slowly. As you take a few steps, Barun lets out a huff, his eyes locked on your movements. You stay still, waiting for your opportunity to react, when a pounding comes from the door.

“Y/N!”

“Jace!” you call back, immediate relief seeping through you at his voice. There might be more commotion in the hallway, but you can’t decipher any of it but his voice.

“You whore,” Barun mutters, drawing your attention back to him. “You fucking whore!”

“Please, let’s just end this peacefully,” you say, again stepping towards the door.

“The prince is going to save you?” Barun asks with a laugh. “Not only are you a whore, you’re stupid, too. He’s not getting close to you. And if he does, I’ll rip—” While he was rambling, you positioned yourself enough that while he is distracted, you shove an end table at him, catching him in the stomach. He hunches over as you run for the door.

The lock won’t turn, your hands are shaking so badly. You hear Barun approaching, and as you finally throw open the door, Barun’s hands grab your arms, pulling you back.

“Not so fast,” he mutters. You fall to your knees, trying to break away from him, but his grip only tightens, this time in your hair, as he drags you across the room. Jace runs in with Joffrey in tow.

“Let her go, Blacktyde!” Joffrey yells, his face paling when he sees you. Barun stops moving and lets go of your hair when he sees them.

“Oh, Y/N, look who it is,” he says. In response, you kick his leg, knocking him to his knees. You make to move from him, but he grabs your ankle in the last second. Jace and Joffrey run at him, pulling him back, but not before you get a kick to his face.

Barun punches Joffrey hard, knocking him against the far wall. As Jace continues to hit him, taking his fair share of punches, you struggle to stand up. As you do, you see Barun reach for the knife at his side.

“No!” you scream, running towards them. You grab the back of Barun’s shirt, pulling him back as hard as you can, until the knife falls from his hand.

“Stupid bitch!” he bellows, turning around quickly, his hand outstretched. Pain erupts across your face as his back-handed slap hits. For a moment, you cannot see anything. But when your vision clears, you see Barun, his hands wrapped around Jace’s neck, and in that moment, you know it’s one or the other. He is never going to stop. There is no deal to be made where he will be happy enough to let you go.

As you get to your feet, the knife on the floor glitters in the light. You take it in your hand, trying not to hear the sounds of Jace’s struggle, Joffrey's grunts of pain as he tries to stand. All your focus is on the move Jace taught you, so many months back, on the sparring grounds. The knife is much shorter than the sword you had practiced on, but the movement is the same. Your aim is the same.

Centering yourself, you get a tight grip on the knife. It is Jace or Barun, you remind yourself. Jace or Barun.

You lunge.

For a moment, looking at the knife wedged into Barun’s lower back, you think you’ve must have missed, angled incorrectly. But then, red starts to seep across his back. You step back as Barun drops Jace, who gasps for breath on the floor. Barun looks back at you, shock and betrayal etched on his face.

“You cun—” he coughs, dropping to his knees. He reaches around for the knife, but he can’t reach. Blood begins to pool from his mouth and it’s clear his strength is fading rapidly. While you still have the sense to do so, you move to Jace’s side, helping him sit up. Red marks mar his neck, but he is alive. You wrap an arm around him, and he does the same, both of you watching as Barun takes his final breaths.

For a moment, you just sit there in silent horror, watching the life fade from his eyes. The blood quickly pools around him, at the same time that your breathing quickens. Your adrenaline has cooled quickly. Tears now fall from your face.

Jace notices immediately, tucking you into his arms. He shushes you quietly as Joffrey comes to your side. He quietly checks in with him, noticing the blood dripping from his nose.

“You had to, Y/N,” Joffrey says quietly. The fact only makes your tears come more violently.

"He's right," Jace says, "You had to. He would have killed all of us.”

That night, you stay in Jace’s room. Neither of you want to leave each other’s side. Besides, your room is covered in Barun’s blood.

Jace leaves you alone only long enough to speak with his mother, but even that time isn't long. He is back minutes later, and the look of relief when he sees you again is unmistakable.

Jace holds you tightly when the two of you get into bed. Your arms wrap around him the same, but sleep avails you. Every time you close your eyes, you see Barun’s black ones. Every shift of the castle sounds like his pounding fist. Too often, you look up at Jace, the bruising on his neck, making sure he’s real, that he’s still there. Each time you do, he is already looking at you, too.

“Y/N,” he says softly, brushing your hair back with a gentle hand. “We need to get some sleep.”

“I know,” you say, snuggling closer to his chest. For a while, you are both silent.

“You saved my life, you know,” he says, whisper soft.

“Jace.”

“You did,” he says, the intensity in his voice bringing your eyes to his. “I can never repay yo—”

“Oh shut up,” you say with a roll of your eyes. “I told you, you saved me first, when you promised I could come here. And every moment after. Don’t forget you came to my rescue.”

“Y/N,” he says, hand on your chin, “I’m trying to say thank you.”

“Oh,” you say, smiling gently. “I’d do it again if I had to, for you.”

“I pray you never do."

“I love you, Jace,” you say, He smiles as he brings your lips to his.

“I love you, Y/N.”

[plainclothesdisaster]

Red Knight Chapter 7 - Ghosting

DP x DC | Dead on Main

Jason Todd encounters one Danny Fenton in the streets of Gotham and suddenly he's thrown into a world of ghosts and monsters. Will he embrace this life? Or will it just end up with him dead again?

Read on AO3 | Beginning | < Prev | Next >

---

“Is this your new Knight?”

Deep in darkness, voices wafted through half-consciousness.

“No. I donʼt know. Heʼs… a friend.”

“Being your friend is dangerous, Great One.”

A long sigh. “Yeah. You could say that.”

“His core is severely irregular. Moreso even than yours, if I may be so bold. Healing it would require an extended stay in the Realms. At minimum.”

“I know.”

“And even then, I cannot say for certain what causes this affliction without further study.”

“I know.”

“So. Why haven’t you brought him?”

“It’s complicated.”

“This would have been a perfectly good reason.”

“I’m not about to kidnap a person to a different dimension.”

“Perhaps it would be easier if you more fully explained the situation to him?”

“It wouldn’t help. It’s bad enough he’s involved as much as he is.”

“You let your doubt guide you blindly. Have you considered that he wants to know? That he will still want to be a part of this when you show your full self? Don’t you want that as well?”

“What I want doesn’t matter.”

A soft grumble and a stretch of silence. “He nearly died. Perhaps you should have let him?”

“Whoa. Harsh.”

“No. What I mean is- a death of sorts may be needed to trigger core stability and unlock his ectoplasmic form. To reset whatever is keeping him in this state.”

“Seems… extreme.”

A warm chuckle. “When it comes to your affairs there are rarely half measures.”

“Ha ha.”

“You wish to help him, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then help him. I trust you will know what’s right.”

A silence. Then, a sigh. “Thanks for making a house call.”

“As always, it is my honor.”

// 

Jason, astonishingly, woke up. He blinked his eyes into focus and found himself in a place that felt comforting and homey and safe. Gentle sunlight beamed across a warm comforter. It wasn’t his apartment— it was Dannyʼs. 

Danny sat at the desk next to the bed. He looked up from his computer as Jason stirred. His face was a stormcloud of relief and guilt. “Hey.” he breathed.

Then Jason remembered. His heart hammered as he pulled the bedsheets back. He put a frantic hand to his stomach to find— 

Smooth skin. A still-pink scar the size of his palm.

He should be dead.

“What the hell,” he whispered. 

“I brought you to your place first but your bed is half broken so-“

“How am I not dead?”

“I called in a favor.”

Jason remembered voices, but couldn’t pull any specifics from those moments of half-consciousness. He blinked, waiting for Danny to say more. He didn’t, of course. He just sat there, looking innocent and sleep deprived and disheveled. As if everyone had friends on call who could just stop certain death as a favor.

Jason moved to sit up further but Danny put out a hand in caution. “Careful— itʼs not magic. Just a boost to your accelerated healing. It’s still gonna take some more time.”

“How long was I out?”

“Day and a half maybe?”

“Maybe?”

Danny shrugged. Jason laid back into the pillows with a heavy sigh.  

He felt fine. Better than fine, really. More well-rested than he’d been in ages. Absolutely zero buzz of anger in his blood.  

But he remembered the curse queen's black hole eyes staring through him. Remembered the chill that had crawled up his fingertips as his blood spilled out between them.  Remembered Dannyʼs overwhelming power, remembered him turning into something else, something bright and terrible.

He looked at the guy in sweats on the desk chair. He tried to make his mind reconcile the two Dannys as the same person- the scrawny kid and the force of nature. He couldnʼt do it. It didn’t make sense. His mouth tasted like ash. 

“You get the queen?” He asked, gravel still in his voice.

Danny pressed his lips together. “She got away.” Tension strung tight in his voice, barely held in check. A rubber band about to snap. 

Danny looked away, toward the window. It went unspoken that if Jason had been able to do anything but stand there and get skewered- hell, if he hadnʼt been there at all- the story would have had a different ending. 

“Now what.” Jason said finally, looking at the ceiling instead of at Danny. 

“Now you can go home. And rest. No ghost fights for at least a week.”

“You can’t bench me.” Jason snapped.

Danny glanced at him sideways. “I can and I will.”

“I’ll just go out anyway.”

“I’ll bring you back.”

Jason glared at him. Danny smiled like the little shit he was. 

“Fine.”

If he was honest with himself he wasn’t exactly eager to get back out there. Dying- or coming damn near close to it- tended to put a damper on the whole crime fighting thing. He bristled at the idea of Danny getting any say in what he did or didn’t do though.

Then a different worry nagged. “You think we’ll be able to find her again?”

“Probably. I mean, it won’t be as easy as it was this time, but-“ He trailed off. 

Great. Not only had Jason fucked up, he’d made it harder for them going forward. An unsaid apology tasted bitter in his mouth. What good would it do? He didn’t want Danny’s pity.

“Let me give you a ride back to your apartment, if you’re ready. We could go get a burger on the way. You gotta be hungry.”

Jason was starving, but something in him flinched at the idea. “It’s fine. I’ll just go. Iʼm still pretty tired. Gonna just go home and sleep some more.”

Danny looked like he might protest, but didn’t. “Okay. Yeah.”

Jason got up to leave. The muscles in his stomach strained a bit, but it felt stiff more than painful. He swallowed tightly. He’d only ever seen the Lazarus Pit heal wounds like this. Had that been what Danny had done? Filled him with more of that impossible green energy? He couldn’t bring himself to ask.

As he reached the door, Danny caught him with a searching look. 

“Jason, I—“ Jason stopped, hand on the doorknob.

Danny’s eyes tightened, some internal debate waging behind them. In the end he let out a long breath, his momentary conviction flailing. “Just. Get some rest, okay?”

Jason nodded, tucked away his disappointment, and left.

//

He didn’t turn on the light in his own apartment. He went straight to the half broken bed and flopped down.  

Heʼd dealt with metas before. Heʼd seen Superman and Wonder Woman fight, he knew the kind of destructive force they wielded. Danny was not like them. They didn’t make Jason’s heart want to crawl up out of his throat. 

His helmet and armor were there on the armchair. Danny must have returned them while he was out. Next to them on the side table was his sword, or at least what was left of it. Just the hilt and a few inches of blade, severed at a clean angle.  

He reached for it. As soon as he put his fingers to the hilt he felt the hum of familiar power came to life under his fingers. Power heʼd come to rely on. It felt like spiders in his skin.

Stupid broken sword. Why did Danny even bring it back here? He should have just left it in the warehouse to rust for all the good it could do now. He tossed it to the floor. The spider feeling stopped. It fell with an unceremonious clank. 

He rolled over on his bed, the fresh scar on his midsection twinging uncomfortably as he curled up around it. This ghost stuff might just be another fight he couldn't win. After all, the clown was still breathing, and that was a mockery of everything he said he was. He couldnʼt even kill his own demons, how was he supposed to take on all of Gotham’s? 

Turned out he couldnʼt. He laughed at the thought that he was ever really helping Danny. Heʼd only ever been slowing him down.  

And Jason wasnʼt selfish enough anymore to insist on staying somewhere he wasn’t needed just to protect his own pride.

// 

He shouldn’t have messaged Tim. It crossed a line, broke the careful tenuous separation he’d fought to keep between the bats and all this ghost shit. He hadn’t wanted to, really. But after the third night in a row of not sleeping, of watching the sun rise as his mind cycled through the warehouse fight on loop: a spear of shadow pierced through his gut again and again, the faceless smile of the curse queen on the back of his eyelids every time he closed his eyes— 

He had stumbled out of bed and his shaking fingers typed a message before he could think better of it.

RH: Security footage of north docks warehouse 18 night of nov 10. 

RR: Dude what. 

Tim replied almost instantly despite it being just shy of 5 am. 

RH: Can you pull the footage

RR: Not until you explain the park. And at the bank. And whatever this is.

RH: No. Can you do it?

RR: You’ve refused to talk to us for weeks and this is how you reach out?

RH: Can you do it?

RR: Why donʼt you? 

RH: Reasons. 

RR: If you think Iʼm going to do it with no explanation just because Iʼm curious you've got another thing coming.

Jason didn’t reply. Five minutes later his phone buzzed again. 

RR: Okay fine I did it. But we have to meet up if you want to see it. Itʼs.. something. 

RH: Fine. 

//

Tim didnʼt look up from the Batcomputer when Jason entered the cave, the roar of his bike announcing his arrival.

Jason parked his bike, took off his helmet. Being back here, in the cave, it was never pleasant. He glanced at the stupid memorial display of his Robin uniform before he could stop himself, all lit up like an exhibit at a history museum. Or a crime scene. 

“You could have just sent the footage.”

“Yeah.” Tim turned in his chair at the Batcomputer. He looked only slightly less tired than Jason felt, which wasn’t saying much. “But then I wouldnʼt have gotten any answers.”

Tim had unlocked the tunnel entrance. Jason realized, when he reached the second level of security, that he hadn’t needed to. He still had clearance. Bruce must have gotten lazy. Why else wouldn’t he have bothered to change the locks?

It didn’t change the fact that he regretted coming here almost as soon as he stepped foot inside. All that effort spent avoiding the Bats and here he was, delivering himself on a veritable platter. His hand hovered over the cold pit in his stomach. 

He needed to know what actually happened that night. It didn’t make sense that he was still alive. Nothing with Danny made any sense. He needed someone not Danny to tell him if this was actually crazy. Someone who could be objective about it.

Dick would have codled him, told him what he wanted to hear and then blabbed it all back to Bruce. Steph would have just laughed at him, and Cass surely wouldn’t give him the time of day. Babs would have helped, but once she was in it she wouldn’t ever butt out. The demon brat was a non starter, despite his own brush with death.

Hence, Tim. 

Tim took a long sip from a coffee mug as Jason leaned on the desk beside him. “So. You nearly died. Again. If you hadn’t been the one to text me, I would have assumed you did.”

“Yeah. You saw?”

“Not exactly. You should really just watch.”

Tim turned back to the computer, expanded a window, and hit play. A grainy high-angle shot  of the docks filled the screen. Empty for just a moment before Danny dropped out of the shadows into frame. The picture got fuzzy around him, like a pale layer of static. 

The fight went how Jason remembered it. The queen, the hounds, Danny holding back the horde of curse ghosts, Jason jumping into the fray to help.

Tim paused the video. “At first I thought maybe it was just you and this guy having the worlds shittiest duel but-“ Tim clicked a key and an infrared filter overlayed the image, clearly highlighting the ghosts as cold spots. “It’s the same as the park, isn’t it?”

Ah, right. Tim couldn’t see the ghosts, even on the footage. Jason just nodded and guestured for Tim to play the rest of the tape.

He looked at Danny. That same cold halo around the ghosts surrounded him. He looked at himself. He had it too, not as strong but still unmistakable. 

The knot in Jason’s stomach wound tighter as the fight on screen went on. Tim switched to a camera inside the warehouse, following the movement of the action.

Then the rest happened quickly. The queen of the curse. The talon through his stomach. The broken sword. The blood. He gripped the spot above the fresh scar reflexively.  

The light in the shot shifted, and it pulled Jasonʼs focus to Danny. The footage didnʼt show it, but Jason remembered the look of white hot fury on his face. The glow around Danny intensified until it distorted the image, casting rings of lens flare. When the image cleared it appeared that Danny himself had changed- his hair was white and whipping around in a non existent wind, a dark cape fell down from his shoulders, he looked taller, larger somehow. And there was the crown.  

Jason thought maybe he imagined it, but the footage didnʼt lie- floating over 

Dannyʼs head was an onyx black crown shrouded in an ethereal green flame.  

Then the building exploded.  

For a second his mind went white. His ears rang. He was back inside a different warehouse, as a different timer ticked down. 

But this warehouse didn’t explode like that one, with fire and flames. Instead it was like it got struck by an invisible force from within,  emanating from Danny as the epicenter. His mouth was open as if he were yelling. The silent image staticed and shook violently. For a minute it was only snippets of falling rubble. Then it went dark. 

Tim hit a few keys and suddenly they were looking at a different angle- farther away, high above the warehouse, or at least what was left of it. As the massive cloud of dust settled, Jason’s face twisted in shock. Two thirds of the building was just /gone/. So were Jason and Danny. 

Tim paused the footage. Swiveled his chair around. “So. Whoʼs your friend?”

Jason didnʼt look at him. Nothing he could say would begin to explain what they just watched.  

“Has Bruce seen this?”

“Not yet. But itʼs only a matter of time till he catches wind. A suspiciously demolished warehouse wonʼt stay off his radar for long.” Tim paused. “Why have you been protecting this new meta?”

“Heʼs not a meta.”

Tim snorted. “Regular guys donʼt explode buildings with their minds.”

“I think it might have been his voice, not his mind. But either way heʼs not a meta. Heʼs like me.”

“So heʼs stubborn? Incapable of asking for help? Denser than Dickʼs attempts at baking cake?”

Jason finally looked Tim in the eyes. “Dead.”

“Oh. So… can you explode buildings with your mind now?”

Jason groaned out a sigh. “Heʼs not dangerous.”

Timʼs eyebrows shot up. Jason put up a defensive hand. “Heʼs powerful, but heʼs not causing problems. Heʼs been helping me.”

“Helping you? With what?”

Jason sighed again, pinching the bridge of nose. Explaining this made him sound like the crackpots on late night History Channel shows. But in for a penny, in for a whole supernatural pound.

“Ghosts.” He grumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“Ghosts. Weʼve been fighting ghosts.”

Tim narrowed his eyes. “Right.“

“Fucking—Donʼt look at me like- ugh. Fine.” Jason concentrated, focusing his power through Danny’s inventions, and a moment later he was hovering six inches off the ground. He folded his arms. 

Timʼs jaw hung open. “Since when can you fly?”

“Since I got this new pair of socks. And itʼs more of a float, less of a fly. Itʼs a ghost power.”

“Explain.”

So Jason did. He sat down, and for the next hour he talked Tim through his last few months with Danny. Tim asked questions about why he couldnʼt see the ghosts, to which Jason had no good answer except for counting it a privilege of having died. He gave demonstrations of the ghost power tech. Even let Tim try it himself, though like Danny said, it didn’t work for him. Tim listened with steady patience, for which Jason was relieved and grateful though he wouldnʼt dare say it. 

After a series of detail-gathering questions, Tim hit him with something out of left field. 

“Why come to me with all this? Babs could have pulled the footage. Dick would have asked less questions.”

Of course Tim would be suspicious. The two of them werenʼt exactly on the best terms. Jason folded his hands together. He answered the question with another: 

“Howʼs Bernard?”

Tim blanked for a moment as Jason watched deductions spin behind his eyes. 

“Heʼs good.” Came the eventual measured reply. “Didnʼt think you cared.”

Jason hmphed. 

“This guy- His name’s Danny, right?” Tim asked gently.

Jason’s stomach churned. Somehow Tim saying Danny’s name made it feel so much more real. He nodded.

The corner of Timʼs mouth twisted upward, smug like a cat. “Well, aside from nearly getting you killed again, he seems nice.”

Jason punched Tim’s arm. He measured his breath but it wasn’t enough to quell the heat in his face.

“But seriously. You almost died. Again. Is it really worth it?”

“I donʼt know.” Jason answered truthfully. “You canʼt tell Bruce.”

“Let me guess, you want to handle it yourself. And howʼs that going?”

“You were there at the park. You guys can’t fight these things. If Bruce gets involved this gets infinitely more complicated. Just… keep this on the down low. Please.” The fact that Tim was also the best (besides himself of course) at keeping secrets from Bruce had also factored in to his choice of confidant.

Tim held him with a long, calculating gaze. “Fine,” he finally relented. “I saw nothing.  But you have to promise that youʼll call for backup if things go south again.”

Something like relief settled in Jason’s shoulders. He wanted to think it had all been calculated— that he’d let Tim in on just enough to get him off his ass. But he’d be lying to himself if it hadn’t felt nice to tell someone- anyone- about all this ghost bullshit.

“Thanks, Drake.” Jason stepped to his bike and straddled it.

“That wasnʼt a promise.”

“I owe you one!”

“Hey—Just because ghosts exist doesn’t give you permission to fucking die again—are you even-“

He revved the engine loud on his way out.

// 

He took the long way back to his apartment, weaving his bike through the streets of Gotham without direction. He looked for trouble (as he always looked for trouble) but he also couldnʼt stop himself from looking for ghosts. 

He thought heʼd gotten pretty good at ghost fighting. When he and Danny fought together he felt invincible. That illusion had been shattered. Turns out he couldn’t last a second when faced with a real monster. And Danny… 

Danny had beaten that unbeatable monster in an instant. 

Jason knew Danny wouldnʼt let him come to harm if he went back into the fight.  Heʼd proven that decisively by bringing him back from a wound that should have killed him. But was Jason really helping? Or was he just some pawn in a game of kings? 

He knew what it felt like. He tried to drown it out with the rev of the engine beneath him, the rush of smog-filled wind around him, the grimy stone and blue-black glass of buildings passing by.

This was Dannyʼs fight. Not his. No amount of tech or training could make him something he wasnʼt. Danny insisted he was like him. Jason didnʼt believe him. He never had.  

And now, after seeing a glimpse of what Danny was, of what he could really do- Jason was certain.

He finally spotted a ghost- a lone green wolf prowling on a rooftop. He realized where he was. His aimless wandering had delivered him just a few blocks from Dannyʼs apartment. 

He whispered a curse to himself. 

He started to reach for the thermos on his belt but stopped. Why bother. Danny could handle it. 

And Danny didnʼt need his help. 

//

Danny texted him a week after, at the end of his ghost fighting probation.

D: New lead on the curse beasts if youʼre up for it. 

And again two days later.

D: Another sighting. Just north of Crime Alley. 

And again the next night.

D: You okay?

Jason slipped his phone back in his pocket, returning his focus to his stakeout of a potential new drug operations base in his territory. Fear like ice had wrapped around Jason’s throat each time Danny’s name lit up in his notifications. He barely saw the words. Instead, his mind was filled with images of the queen's black hole eyes. The destroyed warehouse. The look on Danny’s face before he went supernova.

Jason didn’t have a death wish. Dying, in fact, had made him more cautious. More calculated. He wasn’t afraid to play with fire (as a series of explosions across the city soon after his initial return to Gotham had proved), but what no one else ever saw was that he was always in control. He made moves with purpose. Fighting unwinnable fights was for suckers and fools.

He was aware of the kind of fights Batman got into when he worked with the Justice League. Jason wanted no part of them. What could he do, really, with his soft human body, against demi gods? He’d made his name by sticking to what he was good at, here with his feet firmly planted on the streets of Gotham, where he could make actual change.

His hand had found its way to rest over his stomach. He could still feel the blood, so much, so red, pouring through his fingers.

So Jason ghosted him. 

At first it was the accidental kind of ghosting, where maybe he meant to reply but never actually did. Then the days turned into weeks and eventually it had gone on so long it would be more weird to reply than not. 

And that was okay, he told himself. Danny was better off without him. No more having to slow down for the sidekick. 

It helped that the ghosts left Jason alone. That, or he got good at ignoring them. He didn’t try to stop the pack of ghost rats from raiding the corner store. He didn't draw the ire of any more ghostly hunters. And when he spotted a ghost goon lurking in the park? It wasn’t his problem. Instead, he monitored for Joker activity with new fervor. He focused on his dealings with Black Mask. He took care of his girls and his goons, the living breathing people of Gotham who he could actually help.

But a thought still lingered like a stain: as long as Gotham stayed cursed, nothing he did would ever be enough. 

// 

Tim found him during a rooftop patrol some days after his visit to the Batcave. Jason didn’t lower his binoculars when he heard him approach.

“Last I checked you still don’t have permission to operate in my territory.”

“I’m not here on business,” Tim raised placating hands. “Just wanted to check that everything’s …okay?”

“Just peachy.”

“No ghosts out tonight?” A smirk in his voice. Jason lowered his scope and saw Tim’s eyes on his empty wrists.

“You better be glad there’s not.” He grumbled. “Did Bats start snooping?”

“Still looking into your mystery meta from the bank. But it’s not priority since it’s not related to active cases other than, uh, you. He hasn’t made the connection to the warehouse yet.”

Jason let out a full sigh. Good. Despite everything, he still didn’t want the Bats going after Danny.

“Should it be priority?” Tim ventured. Jason flashed him a look. “You haven’t gone out patrolling with him in days.”

“How the fuck is that your business? You little creep.”

“Just because you banned Bruce from knowing doesn’t mean I can’t look into it.”

“Oh yeah? And what have you found?”

Tim frowned. “Daniel Fenton. Amity Park, Illinois. Getting that much wasn’t easy, which I’m sure you know. He’s been deliberately erased from the internet. Surely I don’t have to tell you how suspicious that is.”

Jason scoffed, but Tim pressed on. “Are you keeping an eye on him?”

“I’m handling it.”

“Where is he right now?”

“I said I’m handling it."

Jason thought back to his conversation with Tim at the cave. Was it worth it? Ridding Gotham of its curse was worth Danny operating freely in Gotham, yeah. Then once the curse was gone Danny could leave. And then everything would be back to normal.

A bright purple butterfly the size of his head fluttered lazily between them. A ghost. Tim looked right through it.

Normal. Right.

Jason sighed. “If you find anything else on him let me know.”

“You’re the one who’s in contact with him. Why don’t you just ask him.”

“And why don’t you just shove it?” The words came out harsher than he intended. A familiar rage, sickly and green, twisted underneath his heart like an old friend. He swallowed the urge to vomit. He’d gotten so used to being around Danny he’d forgotten what his unchecked rage felt like.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Like you could fucking fix anything even if I wasn’t. Fuck off, little bird.”

“I’m only asking because if you’re not handling the case, someone has to.”

Jason whirled on him. “Oh, and daddy Bruce will make it all better? You think he’s going to act reasonably when he perceives a threat to his rule over the city?”

“If there’s a threat-“

He backed off slightly. “He’s- Danny’s not a threat.”

“Then why are you hiding from him?”

“I’m not hiding.” Except that was exactly what he was doing. Ever since he’d stashed all of the ghost gear back in the duffle bag and shoved it in the back of his closet. Since he’d changed his schedule to work daytimes as much as possible, changed his routes to avoid their hotel meeting place.

“You know the rules. He can’t operate in Gotham without our oversight. If you just bring him into the fold properly, we could work together, help him-“

“He doesn’t need help!” Rage roared under his heart, hot and ferocious. Tim flinched back. “And neither do I. Now fuck off. I won’t ask again.”

Tim looked like he had more to say, but he thought better of it.

As Tim grappled away, the purple butterfly ghost bloomed with black goo, oozing from its midsection till it was completely consumed in shadow.

//

It was past three am when he saw it, lurking in an alley, illuminated by a trash fire: a curse ghost. He felt it first, that familiar crawling feeling on the back of his neck. He turned his head to look at what he already knew was there. It looked like an unholy cross between a cockroach and a snake, eight feet long and writhing. It hissed and chittered at him, spattering gobs of black goo on the pavement.

By instinct his hand went to the hip where his sword used to be. He gripped at nothing and cursed. It wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself. The curse ghost wasn’t attacking him, it wasn’t actively causing harm. He should just ignore it, same as he did all the other ghosts now.

The curse ghost being here meant Danny hadn’t finished his job, though, and that sent a hundred other questions through his thoughts. Mainly, what the hell was taking him so long? 

He should text Danny. Tell him to come take out his trash. But no, that was a stupid idea. The less he associated with Danny, the more he could separate himself from all of this bullshit. 

Like it or not, this bullshit stated him down from the end of the alley, waiting, taunting. Red Hood, on principle, didn’t flinch first. It was part of his whole brand. He played chicken with his life on the line. It didn’t matter that he didn’t want to think about ghosts anymore, let alone fight them. The curse ghosts caused real harm. When faced with a problem on his streets, he didn’t run from it.

He reached for his gun.

Gunshots sounded from the building next door, followed by voices raised in distress. Saving people comes first, Bruce had always taught him. He didn’t subscribe to all of Bruce’s teachings, but that one stuck.

Shit.

He looked at the curse ghost for a moment longer, and though it had no lips, he could swear it was smirking at him.

He shoved aside his anger and ran for the building, crashing in and taking the stairs two at a time. He followed the sounds of ruckus till he came to an apartment door that had been busted in.

With the nose of his gun he pushed the door the rest of the way in. Broken glass and torn papers littered the floor- signs of a fight, but otherwise the apartment was still. He’d missed the aggressors. 

Gun still out he crept further in, till he spotted a figure in the kitchen. Teenager, by the looks of it.

“Hey. Kid. You okay?” He holstered his gun. “You should probably get out of here.”

The kid was looking at something on the ground in the kitchen. He didn’t acknowledge Jason at all.

“You hear me? Time to—“

Fuck. The kid looked at him and the words died in his throat. Jason saw what was on the kitchen floor, the thing that he’d been so focused on. A body. His body. In a pool of drying blood. The kid was a ghost.

“Jesus, kid. I’m so sorry.”

Doing this job hinged on not getting caught up in /ifs/. If Jason had been quicker to react to the gunfire, if he’d actually fought the curse ghost, drawn it and its aura of misfortune away, if he hadn’t fucking frozen when he’d the chance to actually beat the source of Gotham’s rot- if, if, if—

His choices affected people. He assumed that responsibility every time he put on his mask. Sometimes the reminders of that fact were gentle. Other times they were this.

“It’s gonna be okay.”

The kid glared. “I’m dead.”

Well, at least he was taking it in stride.

“So am I, supposedly, but only just a little bit. It’s not so bad. I’ve met some pretty cool dead guys, honestly.”

The kid shook his head in annoyed disbelief. That tracked. Jason tried a different angle.

“You get a good look at who did it?”

“You some kind of cop?”

Jason snorted at that. “If it makes you feel any better, if you tell me who did this to you I will personally go guarantee that they can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

At that, the kid’s eyes sharpened. “You can really do that?”

“C’mon. Don’t tell me my reputation doesn’t speak for itself.”

“It was Penguin’s guys. My brother owes him money. He’s working the club tonight and I didn’t give him up so…”

“Good kid. What’s your name?”

“Devon.”

“Well Devon, you can rest assured that those goons have very limited time left on Earth.” The rage under his heart coiled in delighted anticipation. He could still make things right even if he’d been too late to save this kid. His fingers clenched around the grip of his gun, which he must have gotten out at some point. Devon’s eyes flashed down at it.

“Wait- I-“ Devon frowned. “I don’t really care what happens to the goons. Not as much as what happens to my brother. Would you- would you just make sure he’s okay?”

Jason’s skin itched at the idea. Those assholes deserved to pay for killing a kid. The best way to make sure they couldn’t hurt again was to make them pay in blood. He’d hunt down every last one of them if it meant no more premature deaths, no more Devons.

Still, he nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay. Thanks.” He nodded. And with that, Devon’s ghost faded. 

Whether it was temporary invisibility or passing on to the next plane, Jason didn’t know. He still knew jack shit about most ghost stuff. But that quasi seance hadn’t gone poorly, especially considering the tenor of most of his other ghostly interactions for comparison. 

So much for avoiding ghost stuff. At least he could blow off some steam by hunting some goons.

//

Sounds of breaking glass and gunshots come up from behind the basement door before Jason even kicks it in. 

He clocked four aggressors immediately, interspersed between tables, their various firearms pointed at the grungy bar. And what do you know, they were drug runners he’d dealt with before and owed a little payback.

“Howdy boys. It’s your unlucky night.” The weapons snapped toward him as he sauntered down the stairs. He smiled behind his mask.

It was a satisfying little fight, quick but bloody. Two out of four went down in less than a minute with a shot to the knee and a knife to the gut respectively. He got the third in a chokehold and lost himself for a moment in the buzz of delicious black-tinged violence simmering behind his ears, until he heard a different choking sound from across the room.

The last goon got behind the bar in the fray. He held the bartender in a tight headlock. The bartender, who looked a hell of a lot like the ghost kid Devon.

“Cool it, or else I snap his neck.”

He didn’t take his hands from around the neck of goon number 3. In fact, he squeezed tighter. These men killed that innocent kid. He’d make sure they all died. Didn’t matter what order. Didn’t even really matter if the brother lived or died. So long as he ended these scumbags, this night would be a win.

Then out of nowhere it felt like someone slid an ice cube down his spine. That burning black hum of rage fled him so fast he nearly gasped. He blinked his eyes back into focus, released the pressure of his fingers.

With cool clarity he whipped his gun to the goon behind the bar and fired a sure shot into his leg. He went down with a grunt, dropping his hold on Devon’s brother as he did.

Jason rounded the bar to get to him.

“You okay?”

Devon’s brother rubbed his neck between coughs. “What the hell man?”

Jason helped him up. The goons scattered, limping up the stairs in a hurry. Jason let them go, despite his stomach churning at his lost prey.

“Your’re lucky your brother is looking out for you.”

The brothers' eyes went wide. “What did they do to Devon?”

Jason wished he had his cigarettes on him. With a sigh, he pulls out a card and slips it into Devon’s brother’s pocket. “Text me with info if those guys come after you again. Or don’t. You better get out of here.”

The brother was shaken enough that he didn’t take more convincing. Good thing too. Jason didn’t have it in him to deliver the news of Devon’s death, even if that would have been the kinder thing to do.

The basement door clinks shut behind the brother and a quiet settled over the ruined club. Green light reflected off the broken glass scattered across the floor, and the familiar quiet under Jason’s heart didn’t leave.

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter,” he hissed at the ceiling— at Danny, who almost certainly was here. There was no other explanation for how he didn’t end up killing those guys.

He waited, scanning the room, but Danny didn’t appear. He wasn’t sure if that made him more pissed than if Danny actually appeared and tried to explain himself. He didn’t want to see Danny, he reminded himself. He didn’t want anything to do with him. 

So he sat down on the least-ruined bar stool and waited, silently, till the ice-cool feeling eventually faded.

Only then did he get up and leave. He walked home. 

Jason could avoid Danny all he wanted, but Danny had a knack for finding him. He had since the night they met. Jason ground his teeth, chewing on the unfortunate realization that as long as Danny stayed in Gotham, he would be under his watch.

//

He barely had closed his eyes to sleep when a voice right next to his ear made his heart freeze in his chest.

“Hello, my lost little Robin.”

He bristled at the name, but the words curled around his throat like a noose. His eyes flew open, but he couldn’t see her in his apartment so much as he felt her. A simmering malice in every shadow, a cold smile just outside his peripherals- the Queen of the curse.

“Dannyʼs not here,” he half-choked. That must be why she was here. Jason was no real threat to her.

“Iʼm not here for him, sweetheart. Iʼm here for you.”

“You stabbed me.” Jason sat up and pulled his gun from under his pillow, palm sweaty. 

Nothing personal, she purred. It wasnʼt about hurting you, it was about hurting him.

“He’ll catch you.” He swallowed. It was a juvenile declaration, a pitiful grasp at any upper hand in this situation. “If you hurt me now, he’ll end you.”

“Is that what you think? The Rego Senfina had every opportunity to claim you and yet he didn’t. You’re nothing to him. He doesn’t /want you./“

He felt his chest go hollow. He’d known it, known it since Danny had told him to stay back at the docks, since he’d taken him down in their mock fight. But to hear the queen confirm it shattered any delusions he’d been harboring. Whatever world Danny belonged to, Jason didn’t. Danny was confident and powerful and good. And Jason was just… broken. Down to his core.

“You and I are cut from the same cloth. We want the same things. We know, deep down, the heart of this city is oily and black. And a heart canʼt change. Not once itʼs set. And would you really want it to? A Gotham without a curse isnʼt a place that the Red Hood would belong.”

He breathed out a long breath. Danny had talked about after. After the curse was defeated he’d move on to fight some other curse, save some other city. But where would that leave Jason? What would he do if he wasnʼt fighting Gothamʼs problems? What would he be if the city didnʼt need a vigilante crime lord? Bruce and the rest of them had personas outside of the mask. Jason Todd was dead.

“That imposter came to our city. Tried to make us be something we arenʼt. Tried to change us. He doesnʼt know Gotham like we do. Isnʼt it time to show him the door?”

“I canʼt.” Jason choked the words out. “I can’t beat him.”

“Not alone. But with my help you are capable of much more than you know.”

He didnʼt believe anything could beat Danny, but the curse queen was the only thing that had made him fight serious.

He gripped his shirt over his stomach. Truth was, he’d never felt so weak as he had since he’d started fighting ghosts. Not even when he wore the Robin costume, and he’d been one small kid against the world. He’d gotten a taste of impossible supernatural powers and it wasn’t enough. 

“Take this token. Use it to call upon my power.”

The shadows reached tendrils out to Jason’s broken sword, where it still lay discarded on the floor. They penetrated the pieces of the blade, bringing them together and stitching it whole again. What remained was an onyx black sword that hummed with a dark energy he could feel even without touching it.

Stupid. It would be incredibly stupid, and impulsive, and rash to take the sword. He’d seen the tragedy and chaos the curse caused, and he wanted no part of that. Except—

The curse was the only thing strong enough to stand against Danny. And he needed Danny to leave. He needed his Gotham back.

“Don’t fight what you know. You embraced my power long ago. You’re mine. You always have been.”

He reached out and grabbed the sword.

“How do we get him out?”

The shadows twisted in a cheshire smile. “You simply ask him to leave.”

[f14fun]

pixelated love (!simmer x mv1) - chapter 4

synopsis: in which the famous three time world champion max verstappen wants to learn how to play the sims 4. except, he doesn't really know how to. so what does he do, search up a youtube tutorial. low-and-behold, y/n's video is the first he watches.

smau ✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩ profile | masterlist ⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆ prev | next | series index ˚୨୧⋆｡

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yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and 162,823 others

yourusername: AYEEEE wedding day in mc! not the type of content that i usually make but here i am getting married to maxie poo in mc! plz pu 😈💐👰🏻‍♀️

view comments:

user1: rip all ppl who actual believed that this is an ACTUAL wedding LMAO. the biggest joke that she's ever made she is actually executing 🤣🤣🤣

maxverstsappen1: What are you talking about?

maxverstappen1: This IS a real wedding??

maxverstappen1: Huh? I am lost.

user2: out of EVERYONE playing into the joke i didn't expect max to go full on roleplaying mode 💀

maxverstsappen1: I am not roleplaying ❌🤷🏻‍♂️

user3: BYE HE IS SO UNSERIOUSSS 😭😭

yourusername: CANNOT WAIT TO FINALLY MAKE BOO MY BOOOOOOOO

maxverstappen1: 😘😘

user4: aight y/n the jig is up you can STOP COMMENTING FROM UNDER MAX'S ACCOUNT 😀

yourusername: what are you talking about... 🫠😞🔐

landonorris: I am still baffled how you got this man to do so many things, oml...

yourusername: he luv luv luvsss me cuz of my beautiful smile and amazing smexy humor 🥰😌😇🤭🤭🤭

maxverstappen: Oh, okay! Believe what you want!

user5: HE ATE HER UP I FEAR LMFAO

user6: DAMN SAVAGE MAX 😭😭😭

user7: bro im so glad we r getting unhinged max bc of y/n omgghhh 👺👺🤡

user8: BYE i need to see max in full wedding smexy smexy smexy attire UGH pls y/n i beg of u to PLS make him show up in a tux on streammmm 😇🙏🏻👼🏻🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

yourusername: 🤭🤫

maxverstappen: 😐

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taglist: @hiireadstuff @sinofwriting @mehrmonga @the-untamed-soul @glai1023-blog @loloekie @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @sheastri @llando4norris @gwginnyweasley @carmenita122 @ririyulife @pausmoon @ur-fav-ave @eveninggstar @maddie-naps @erin-odonnell04 @rexit-mo @ems-alexandra @si1ver06 @iamred-iamyellow @bibissparkles @percypie @formula1blog @lanadelray1989 @rylieverstappen-sargent @luvsforme @eiaaasamantha @kaysmiles42 @mvaldez7821 @stinkyjax @sweate-r-weathe-r @laneyspaulding19 @mingyusbigrighttoe

some of these didn't get tagged, and i'm having trouble (?) it's being very weird, idk, so please let me know if your name is here and it didn't tag you ❣️

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author's note: ty guys for reading this fic! 😍🫶🏾

lmao i lied again, part FIVE i swear will actually include the mc wedding, and for al of y'all's confused, ITS FAKE LMAO they are not actually getting married for reals, just for funsies (shout out to my moots for letting me know this bit was a tad confusing 😭)

i'll see if i can get part five out tmr afternoon or evening!

comment if you want to be added to the taglist! ⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆

[starglow-xx]

star's blue lock fic recs!

below the links are my own personal notes with a short plot blurb! a heart means it’s one of my personal faves! (but actually i just love all these fics so, so much)

im a heavy isagi simp so rn it's basically all him oops but i'll eventually add my fave fics for other characters too hehe

want more fic recs? see fic rec master list post here! all fic masterlists will be updated randomly!

✧.* Challenge Accepted : ̗̀➛ ao3 link

ᰔᩚ isagi yoichi you are a star

ᰔᩚ in which isagi is used as a chess piece for the jfa for more money and views by placing him in an exhibition match against ichinan high school with a certain someone taking his old spot as forward.

OR in which isagi yoichi proves he isn't just a lucky shot

ᰔᩚ status: complete! 3 chapters & 17,021 words

💗 More Than A Memory : ̗̀➛ ao3 link

ᰔᩚ sobbing over little isagi he's the cutest thing i just wanna pinch his little cheeks :(

ᰔᩚ isagi gets to meet his idol noel noa on his birthday and everything comes full circle 10 years later

ᰔᩚ bonus! the blue lock boys find out it's isagi birthday and chaos breaks loose as isagi and noel noa have a heart to heart

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot with 7,107 words

✧.* A Reason to Celebrate : ̗̀➛ ao3 link

ᰔᩚ isagi yoichi you are so, so loved & deserve nothing but the best

ᰔᩚ in which ego lets everyone know it's their favorite striker's birthday

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot with 6,371 words

💗 That's My Ego : ̗̀➛ ao3 link

ᰔᩚ AKSSVNSL i adore this fic sm, they're so cute i cannot

ᰔᩚ blue lock with a fem! isagi! some others are gender bent too but see fic for more hehe

ᰔᩚ sports with shoujo! follows the blue lock plot but has hints of romance as a side (?) plot mwah mwah

ᰔᩚ status: incomplete ; last updated april 19, 2023 ; 16 chapters & 85,024 words

💗💗💗 Butterfly Flutterby : ̗̀➛ ao3 link (but can also be found on quotev!)

ᰔᩚ this fic has my heart 10/10, i always reread ; i will never not recommend this fic, it’s honestly one of my faves of all time ; still patiently waiting for the next update :((

ᰔᩚ fem reader insert! the interactions with the blue lock boys are always so cute and so is mc i wanna squish her (our??) cheeks (author refers to her as rea-chan in the notes so sometimes i read it as an oc fic teehee)

ᰔᩚ mc gets chosen to be a manager for the blue lock program, competing alongside other managers facing risk of elimination like the boys

ᰔᩚ slight hints of romance/possible pairings but very minimal ; focus for now is being friends/a good manager

ᰔᩚ status: incomplete ; last updated march 19, 2023 ; 12 chapters & 64,042 words

ISAGI YOICHI

✧.* Hometown Hero : ̗̀➛ ao3 link

ᰔᩚ need more fics abt reuniting with isagi post blue lock bc man the angst potential is great :(

ᰔᩚ fem! reader where mc and isagi, her childhood friend, reunite but he's a bit different than how she remembered him

ᰔᩚ some angst but has a happy ending!

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot with 2,862 words

✧.* Fake It 'til We Make It : ̗̀➛ ao3 link

ᰔᩚ fake dating! do i need to say more

ᰔᩚ no pronouns! gender neutral reader!

ᰔᩚ a bit of angst but happy ending! :D

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot with 3,270 words

💗💗 if i had a choice : ̗̀➛ tumblr link

ᰔᩚ crying bc i want isagi to want me too :((

ᰔᩚ post u-20 match! fem! reader reuniting with isagi having already accepted soccer takes priority in his life right now

ᰔᩚ angst with a happy ending!

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot

💗 happily always after : ̗̀➛ tumblr link

ᰔᩚ ASDSVN i wanna marry isagi :(

ᰔᩚ a misunderstanding regarding a proposal causes you to distance yourself a little

ᰔᩚ hurt/comfort with a happy ending!

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot

💗💗 home visits : ̗̀��� tumblr link

ᰔᩚ he's literally so sweet im going to die, isagi marry me pls :((

ᰔᩚ where you visit isagi's parents at his house and seeing some baby photos make you think of the future

ᰔᩚ fluffy fluff fluff, you'll get a tooth ache

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot

💗💗 as close as strangers : ̗̀➛ tumblr link

ᰔᩚ ASNVLS oh to have a meet cute with isagi yoichi :(

ᰔᩚ you go with you sister to a bar to meet her newest boy toy but end up getting rescued by a stranger when you get some unwanted attention

ᰔᩚ fluff fluff isagi yoichi pls marry me

ᰔᩚ status: complete! one shot with 1.4k words

[tare-anime]

SxF Mission 110

(Beware spoilers)

Woah! That was such a scary jumpscare 🥶🥶

Endo would you please stop doing that with Donnie??? Gosh..... 😅😅😅

Anyway, this chapter make me relieved.

Before this chapter, I was conflicted.

I know and I believe Loid is a good man. He has good heart and really wants what best for everyone. However he also was known to be such a perfectionist when doing his job, and he's so good at it. Of course he is not a stranger to anything by any means necessary to achieve his goals. That's the grey morale of his character.

Logically speaking, as the spy it is such a waste of opportunity if he suggest Melinda to leave her husband to end her suffering. But... that's exactly what he did. And he was sincere when he told Melinda that he knows Melinda is suffering by being with Donovan (showed by the transparent speech bubble).

He acknowledge that there are types of abusive behaviour. Physical and verbal. And he acknowledge that Melinda is enduring a great deal of stress.

This.... is a waaaaaaayyyy more better portrayal of how Loid doing his job as a psychiatrist. Miles better than his session with the Tutor Residence chapter.

His analysis and approach is way more compassionate while at the same time, he is showing a professional side.

Aside from being compassionate, Loid also managed to push his mission forward.

And by doing that, we now know another information: Melinda (and Demetrius) believes that Donovan can read minds.

I know this theory has been going around for quite sometimes. Especially with Anya being an experimental result herself, and Donovan has two identical scars on his head, in the more or less identical position of Anya's hairclip.

But....... I'm going with the unpopular opinion here.

I say no, Donovan cannot read minds.

My theory: He might be undergo an experimentation to gain such ability, but he himself is a failure. However, Donovan does uses the rumor regarding his ability to read minds to its fullest potential. That is using the rumor to control the people and ensure he maintains his political power. He might even has few trusted inner circle who actively spreading this rumors.

And that's why Donnie was so happy during that disasterous "family dinner" several chapters back. Donnie can confirm that the rumor still has its effect to his own family. A very few "outer ring" people who has direct contact with him.

But, that's it. It's just rumors being used to its potential in giving suggestive thoughts upon others.

Because, plot wise, that would be unmatch with what Endo has been building, and creating a plot hole as mentioned by Endo himself via Loid's inner thoughts.

Not to say that if Donnie really can read minds, it means he already know Loid was a spy from their very first contact.

But honestly, I don't know where Endo planned with this.

Maybe this will lead to Anya's backstory??? 👀

Either way, we can only wait and let Endo cooks his story 🤭🤭🤭

Next chapter is a short chapter, iirc 🤔 so maybe we will know something in 4 weeks.

PS:

I love how Loid said thank you to Yor, and didn't actually convey what thing that make him thanked her. Since the parenteses was in his inner thoughts 🤣🤣

But he was being genuine (thank you Anya). And that's what matter 🥰🥰

[maidragoste]

Promises

THG AU

Victor!Aegon II Targaryen x Victor!Reader

Summary: President Snow announces that in the next Quarter Quell, the tributes will be reaped from among the victors.

Logically I should have posted the Jace games first but it's been a while since I posted anything about Aegon and I was excited haha

Edit: The first chapter of the Jace games is now available.

Likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated. Please, if you enjoyed this reading, let me know in the comments or in my inbox, that always motivates me to continue writing 💖💖

My inbox is open so I'm always willing to read your headcanons, opinions and answer your questions.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

You were in the house of Viserys Targaryen like the rest of the victors from your district. Of course, you had to drag Aegon's drunk ass out of his house and bring him here first. Everyone was waiting for the broadcast about the seventy-five Hunger Games. All the Hunger Games were bloody but this year was the third quarter quell and in each quarter quell they modified the rules with the purpose of making the games even more brutal and more difficult to win. In the last quarter quell instead of sending two tributes per district they sent four so you couldn't even imagine what they planned to do now.

You locked eyes with Rhaenyra as you heard her father laugh at his own joke. She, like you, seemed to be anxious about the announcement because she kept spinning her rings.

“That's enough,” you said when you heard Alicent, Aegon's mother and Viserys' wife, sigh for the fifth time when she saw that her son wouldn't stop drinking. You tried to take the bottle from him but he slapped you and looked at you annoyed. Rhaenyra was ready to intervene but you waved her hand at her telling her you could handle it. “At least you can share a little,” you complained.

Aegon looked at you suspiciously. It wouldn't be the first time that you asked him to share his alcohol with you and then didn't return the bottle or in any case threw away all its contents. He groaned as he watched you pout before handing you the bottle. You smiled at him making a small smile appear on his face. Even so, he watched you carefully as you drank his whiskey, when he thought it was enough he abruptly took the bottle from you, causing the liquid to drip onto your chin. He laughed at your annoyed look as you wiped yourself with your hand. Rhaenyra shook her head at their foolishness.

President Snow finally appeared on the screen. Aegon's laughter stopped as did the conversation between Daemon, Viserys, and Harrold. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary, as every year he talked about the uprising against the Capitol and how significant the games were until…

"On the 75th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol"You didn't know why but you couldn't help but get tense, you felt your stomach drop, you tried to calm by telling yourself that surely it was just the drink you had that was bad for you and you leaned back from the couch, listening even more attentively to the speech. "the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."

You heard Alicent's screams. You watched as Rhaenyra got up from the couch and left the house. You flinched at the sound of breaking glass. The president's voice was no longer heard and the smell of whiskey filled the place. Aegon was no longer next to you, he found himself banging his head against the wall as he screamed. You felt like your heart was going a mile a second. You had a lump in your throat and your chest hurt and all you wanted to do was join in the screaming and smash things but that wouldn't help. Aegon needed you, Aemond and Daeron were busy trying to calm their mother down while Viserys carried a frightened Helaena to her room and Harrold along with Willis was trying to stop Daemon from destroying the kitchen as he had done with the vases in the living room.

You stood up and didn't bother to dodge the glass as you walked towards the youngest male victor in your district. You tugged at the back of his shirt, managing to move him away from the wall for a brief moment.

“Aegon! Stop” you shouted in a broken voice as you saw her hit herself again.

Hearing your voice like that Aegon turned to see you. There was now a bloody gash on his forehead and his eyes were manic. For a brief moment you thought he would attack you but all he did was pull your body towards his and entice you into a tight hug.

“We can't go back. I can’t go back” You felt his body shake as he sobbed and your heart broke for him. You knew Aegon's head couldn't handle surviving another arena, he spends all his time drinking to stay groggy and avoid thinking about all the people he killed. Even most of the time he only managed to fall asleep after having been drinking non-stop. "I can not do it"

“You won't,” you promised, caressing his cheeks, your head already hatching a plan. District One has five living male victors: Viserys, Daemon, Aegon, Willis Fell, and Harrold Westerling. There were chances that Aegon's name wouldn't come up in the reaping but if it did then Daemon could offer himself as a tribute. He would do it if you volunteered in Rhaenyra's place and if you promised to help him keep his girlfriend from District Four alive.

“I can't lose you,” he said, resting his forehead against yours. Maybe he was lucky and his name didn't come up in the reaping but you had less chance. You and Rhaenyra were the only living victors in the district. If your name came up he knew his sister wouldn't show up as a tribute. She may not depend on being drunk to keep her calm but he had witnessed how she would sometimes wake up screaming and the dark circles under her eyes were evidence that she could sometimes go days without sleep.

And those words ended up destroying you. You started crying with him. You wanted to be strong but you couldn't. You didn't want to go back to the arena either, you were supposed to be free after winning the games, and you didn't want to kill again, much less people you know. You may not be friends with every victor but during these years as a mentor, you had at least spoken once with each one.

Your stomach twisted as you thought that maybe it was one of your friends who would finish you off. Would they be merciful and give you a not-so-painful death? You didn't believe it because you knew that the people in the Capitol liked the show, they got bored with a simple death, and they wanted to see blood. So if Arryk, Tyland Johanna, and Sabitha wanted to live they would have to put on a show to gain sponsors.

Perhaps the easiest thing would be to commit suicide in the games, you would bring dishonor to your district—you wouldn't be the first, people still didn't see Viserys as a true victor after having betrayed his cousin by killing her while she slept—but at least you wouldn't have to kill anyone. The president couldn't punish you, he had already taken away your loved ones after you refused to prostitute yourself and killed the one who was supposed to be your biggest sponsor, he had only wanted you to come out alive so he could obtain your body.

You could die by eating some poisonous bug, plant, or fruit like Jacaerys Strong and her district mate had tried to do at the last minute. Supposedly they had done it because they were in love and didn't dare to be in a world without each other but you were sure it was an act. You could come to believe that the girl is in love but the boy does not seem natural with every display of affection in public.

“It's not fair,” you whispered in disbelief when you realized that they were all being punished because of the last victors. They had done their act of rebellion by threatening to eat poisonous berries so that there would be no winner of the games after announcing that the rule that there could be two winners if they were part of the same district was revoked. “It's not fair,” you moved your hands away from Aegon's face for fear that in your state of fury, you might end up scratching him. “I want them dead.”

You were too deep in your head to notice Aegon looking at you in dismay. Tears didn't stop flowing from your eyes but there was no longer fear in them but fury and determination. You have the same look you had during your Hunger Games.

You may die in these hunger games but at least before you leave you would make sure to make the so-called lovers of District Twelve pay for ruining what little peace you and Aegon had. You would make them wish they had died in their games.

These days it seemed like all you felt was anger. Angry at President Snow, at the Capitol, at Jacaerys Strong, and the girl from Twelve. But right now the one you were angry at was Aegon. The day after the announcement about vassalage was made, all the victors agreed that they would train together and get in shape for these games. The only one who had continued training all these years was Daemon, so the rest had a lot to catch up on, especially Viserys and Harrold—because of their age—and Aegon—because of his alcoholism—so when it was about to be a week and the idiot still didn't leave his house, you got angry.

You entered his house with the key he gave you a year ago. You found him sleeping on the couch with several bottles, some empty and others still unopened, on his table. You bit the inside of your cheek to avoid waking him up by screaming. The best thing would be to take advantage of the fact that he was asleep to get rid of any alcohol that was in the house. You started by inspecting the entire house and ended up throwing the contents of two flasks that were in his bathroom, five bottles of whiskey that you found in his room, and five bottles of vodka in his kitchen, down the drain.

When Aegon woke up he found you putting the bottles that were on his table into a garbage bag. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and once his vision fully focused he slowly stood up. He walked towards you and he hugged you from behind. Feeling your body he tensed he left a kiss on the back of your neck hoping you would relax but instead, he earned a slap on his hands that were on your waist. The blonde grumbled and walked away from you, finally realizing your bad mood.

“Go take a bath” you ordered without looking at him and continuing with your cleaning task.

Aegon listened to you, of course, he left before grumbling, revealing his displeasure at your cold tone towards him, hoping that once he was clean you would let him hug you and kiss you. At the thought of having your sweet lips, he soon took a quick shower and didn't even bother to dry his hair well before coming down to meet you in the kitchen. I smile at you when I see that you have made him eggs and toasted him bread. Before eating he wanted to look for a bottle of vodka to accompany the meal but he found his shelf empty.

“No more alcohol,” you declared, making the blonde turn to look at you with a frown. “Don't even try, I got rid of everything” you said when you saw him opening another shelf.

“You have no right!” He reproached you, pointing his finger as he walked towards you. You didn't flinch at his angry look nor did you try to escape when he placed both of his hands on the table, leaving you caged between his body and the table.

“You told me you couldn't lose me” The man looked at you confused without understanding what this had to do with you taking away his alcohol “So I'm training and I'm trying hard for these games for you” You felt heat on your face because of what you were about to say, you weren't used to being so open with your feelings. “I want you to do the same for me. I want you to train with me and the rest of the victors. I want you to promise me that you will give everything you have to win these games because I can't lose you either, I couldn't bear to live without you” Your voice broke at the end and you closed your eyes.

You needed Aegon to promise you so you could be a little calmer, you had already spoken with Daemon and he accepted your deal but you were still afraid that he would betray you at the last minute, you needed to know that Aegon would not give up if he went to the arena.

Feeling his chest warm at your words Aegon grabbed you by the waist to bring you even closer to him and captured his lips with yours. It didn't take long for you to move your lips in tandem with him. While he got drunk with the sweetness of your lips and melted before your touch, he couldn't help but think that this was the way he wanted to spend his last days, by your side. He also wanted to hit his past self for not taking advantage of every moment he had with you. If only he had made the effort to be a decent man and become someone worthy of you he would have told you a long time ago that he loves you. But he didn't and he didn't want to tie you down to spending the rest of your life with a useless drunk so he kept his feelings to himself and settled for those shared nights.

A growl left his lips as you broke the kiss. He tried to kiss you again but you moved your face making him pout.

"Please, Aegon. I need you to train. I need you to try and fight for us."

He hated that look in your eyes. He could see the fear and sadness in them. And knowing that he was one of the reasons you were unhappy made him feel a pit in his stomach. He didn't like the idea of having to fight Daemon and obey his orders, but he would do it for you.

"I will do it, I promise"

Maybe later when he is crying and with sore muscles he would regret it but seeing how your eyes lit up and the bright smile you gave him he didn't believe that would happen.

"I love you" he finally confessed his feelings and smiled when he saw the surprise in your eyes "I love you. I love you. I love you" he repeated while he spread kisses all over your face.

A mixture of laughter and sobs escaped your lips. You were happy to know that he also felt the same as you, you had long wanted to hear those words, but your heart ached knowing that you would not be able to spend the rest of your life at Aegon's side. It was a bittersweet feeling.

"I love you too," you declared through tears.

Taglist for all my House of the Dragon works: @chaotic-fangirl-blog @venus-flytrap3 @ajordan2020 @iloveallmyboys @sweethoneyblossom1 @fudge13 @crystal-faith @tita004 @ichanelvxgue @snowprincesa1 @joyouart @rosey1981 @alastorhazbin @papichulo120627 @apollonshootafar @jasminecosmic99 @diorchaiamet @partypoison00 @camy85 @fluffly @rebelliuna @bxdbxtxh15 @impartinghades @targaryenmoony @thegirlnextdoorssister @angeliod @snh96 @aleemendoza2425-blog @lizlovecraft @natashaobo @nyenye @savagemickey03 @kishie8 @ewwwitsel @nzygftoji

Tumblr won't let me tag them: @arabis-world @Snileykiddie08 @Bugheadskid @lauufeysonnn @missusnora @sabi127 @cicaspair418 @sydneyyyya

[dreamwritesimagines]

Garden of Secrets [42] - Clover

A.N: The final chapter before the epilogue! ❤️ Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and support throughout the story my loves! I wouldn't be able to write this without you, I love you so much ❤️ You're amazing! 🥰❤️

Summary: Happiness finds its way.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, some gender specific language and terms, mentions of sex.

Word Count: 2600

Thank you to @theskytraveler for helping me with the story and the chapter!

Series Masterlist

You hadn’t seen it coming but you were very much looking forward to get to the country house.

Lottie and Anthony were already in Aubrey Hall on their honeymoon, and the rest of the ton were getting ready to go back to the countryside since this year’s social season had come to an end. You and Benedict would be going to Benedict’s house—your house, as he would remind you whenever you mentioned it— before the weekend and the rest of the Bridgertons would be back in Aubrey Hall probably a day or two later.

But until then, you were planning on enjoying London, and the good news you were currently holding in your hand, even though Benedict still had doubts.

“I think it says no,” he said, pacing in the drawing room of the Bridgerton House while you turned the envelope in your hand, and Eloise narrowed her eyes.

“You do realize everyone in this room knows you got in, right?”

“We don’t know that.”

“We do know that,” you pointed out and Lady Bridgerton smiled.

“Benedict…”

“It’s the Academy,” Benedict insisted. “The Academy.”

“Yeah it says so,” you held up the envelope. “On the back of it. I can read.”

“Y/N, just open it—”

“Don’t open it.”

You crossed your legs, fanning yourself with the envelope and exchanged grins with Colin.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this tense before,” Colin stated and Benedict threw his hands up.

“Oh you know, just my lifelong dream and the future of my career,” he said. “What’s there to be tense about, Colin?”

“He can be very sarcastic when he’s tense,” you told Eloise who nodded.

“You should have seen him when Whistledown wrote about him and other ladies while he was trying to court you.”

“Eloise!”

“What? Just saying.”

You let out a laugh. “Fun times.”

“Give me the letter,” Colin motioned at you and Benedict shook his head.

“No, Y/N should do it,” he said. “If I’m getting rejected, I’ll at least feel better if the love of my life reads it out loud first.”

You smiled at him, tilting your head.

“You aren’t getting rejected love.”

A soft look dawned on his face and Eloise groaned.

“I think we should just see what it says and then celebrate before going back to Kent,” she said. “Because I want to tell Anthony myself that he missed the celebration.”

Colin nodded. “Good idea.”

“Alright,” you said and stood up, breaking the wax seal on the envelope as Benedict let out a small whine, his brows furrowed together as if he was waiting to get shot right there. You heaved a sigh and unfolded the letter, your eyes skimming the lines while you tried to keep your face straight.

“What?” Benedict said, the rest of the room completely silent. “What did they say?”

“Um,” you pressed your lips together. “Ben, I’m sorry…”

“They rejected me,” Benedict said breathlessly and ran a hand through his hair, “Okay. Well I—”

“No I’m sorry because we’ll have to cut the whole honeymoon in Rome short,” you said, holding up the letter with a huge grin on your face. “Apparently the semester starts three weeks before the next social season.”

“What?”

“And since they cannot wait to have you among them,” you read out loud. “We’re going to have to come back earlier.”

“Oh my God!” Benedict exclaimed and the whole room exploded into a chaos. Benedict pulled you into his arms, hugging you and lifting you up before putting you down and you let out a laugh as Eloise threw herself at him to hug him. Lady Bridgerton came to hug Benedict as well and Colin slapped him on the back in a supporting matter.

“I told you!”

“Congratulations Benedict!”

“I don’t believe this…” Benedict murmured, getting the letter from you. You threw an arm over Eloise’s shoulder while Benedict’s eyes skimmed the lines.

“I hate to say I told you so but…”

“We all told you so,” Eloise said and Benedict let out a breath, then lowered the letter again.

“One moment,” he said, then grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you out of the drawing room into the nearest room, which turned out to be the music room. You let out a giggle as he closed the door behind you.

“What are you doing?”

He held up the letter, grinning wide. “I actually got in.”

“You did,” you said with a huge smile. “I knew you would, never doubted it for a second.”

“I just—I can’t believe it…” he whispered. “I’m going to be attending the Academy. Do you realize what it means? They think I have the talent.”

“Because you do have the talent,” you told him. “I’m so, so proud of you Ben.”

His smile widened before he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to kiss you on the lips.

“Thank you,” he murmured and you pulled your brows together, looking up at him.

“For what?” you asked with a laugh. “I didn’t do anything.”

“No, you—” he trailed off. “You’ve done much more than you could possibly imagine. Without you, this wouldn’t have…none of this would have happened. None.”

You hummed and stood up on your tiptoes to peck him on the lips.

“Well, that’s good,” you said, a smug smile curling your lips. “Then you’d better remember to thank me on your first gala, Mr. Bridgerton. I want a full speech.”

                                                *

The following days went in a rush, both because of Benedict’s news and the fact that everyone was fully focused on the upcoming trip back to Kent. You had visited your aunt and uncle for afternoon tea and after there, you had decided you could pay a visit to Josie.

But as soon as you walked through the front gate into the garden, you came across a very pleasant surprise.

“Well what do we have here?” you asked as you approached Felix and Andrew sitting under the tree, Andrew seemingly engrossed in his book while Felix sketched, and both their heads shot up when they heard your voice.

“Oh hello there!” Felix said, jumping on his feet to hug you and you hugged him back.

“Hello to you too. And you Andrew.”

“Good afternoon love.”

“Is Josie home?” you asked and Andrew nodded.

“Inside with Bess and Teddy, they’re deciding what to take with us before the trip back home,” he paused for a moment. “Well, other home.”

“And you’re here enjoying the sunshine with your lover while he’s working?” you teased him, winking at Felix and Andrew gasped.

“How dare you? I am working as well, you know?”

“Doing what?”

“Inspiring him,” he said, making Felix chuckle and reach out to squeeze his hand.

“He is working really hard,” he told you. “Speaking of, is it true? Benedict got accepted into Academy?”

“Oh yeah.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“Oh congratulations!”

“I’ll make sure to tell him,” you said. “Thank you.”

“And is everything alright between you two?” Felix asked, making you tilt your head.

“Sure, why?”

“I thought the only reason why he decided to wait to apply next year was because you asked him to?”

Oh, you had forgotten about that lie.

“Right!” you said, snapping your fingers. “Yeah, we talked about it, everything is more than alright. I couldn’t be happier for him, really.”

“I’ve always known he would get in, we all did,” Felix said and you patted his arm.

“Your time will come, Felix.”

“It definitely will,” Andrew said and Felix heaved a sigh, then shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” you and Andrew said at the same time and Felix smiled at you both.

“You two are the best.”

“Just foresighted,” you said airily and turned to look at the house. “I’d better go see them, you two aren’t going anywhere, right?”

“No, I’m working as you can see,” Andrew said, making you chuckle.

“Wonderful, I’ll be back,” you said and made your way to the house. You could already hear Teddy’s cheerful voice that always made you smile and you climbed up the stairs, following the voices.

“Y/N!” Teddy exclaimed when he saw you by the door, and flung himself at you. You hugged him tight, then turned to look at Josie and Bess.

“I was told you two were deciding what to take with you to the other house.”

“We were, but we took a break,” Bess came to kiss you on the cheek. “Because someone got bored.”

“I’m not bored, I’m tired,” Josie defended herself. “Deciding on things can take its toll on you, ask Y/N.”

“It does not,” you said and sat down on the sofa, Teddy coming to sit right beside you, hugging you sideways. You pressed a kiss on top of his hair.

“How about you? We’re taking all your sculptures with us, no?”

“All of them yes!” he said. “And my pony as well.”

“Mm, of course.”

“And will I have a room in your other house as well?” he asked and you nodded your head.

“Oh absolutely,” you said. “And Benedict was talking about making you an art room as well, so you will have to decide on two rooms.”

Teddy’s eyes widened and he turned to Josie and Bess.

“Did you hear that? I’ll have two rooms!”

“We’ll have to match those two rooms with two of our own so that you’ll come and stay with us as well Teddy,” Bess said and Josie chuckled.

“Not above bribery, as you can tell.”

“Oh I’ll show you one of my new sculptures, wait here!” Teddy said, excitement laced in his tone and he ran out of the room. You leaned back on the sofa.

“Uncle and Auntie say hello, by the way,” you said. “We’re all invited for dinner on Thursday.”

“That works for me,” Josie said. “What time were you leaving for Kent again?”

“Friday,” you said. “We will stay there for around a month before we leave for Rome.”

“Oh the Rome honeymoon, I almost forgot!” Bess said, pressing a hand over her chest. “Are you very excited?”

“I am,” you said. “We had to accelerate the plans because we will also come back here earlier than the rest of you next season, with Benedict attending Academy.”

“And how does it feel to be married to the future big artist?” Josie asked with a grin and you let out a laugh.

“Pretty good if I say so myself,” you mused and Bess poked Josie on the leg.

“See? Told you,” she said. “I’ve told you from the first day that she was in fact in love, just in denial as well.”

“We’re not talking about that, because I’m also in denial about you always being right,” you pointed out and Josie laughed.

“Make your peace with it, I have.”

 You held up your hands, gesturing surrender.

“I think you will love Rome,” Bess said. “Very romantic.”

“Almost too romantic for you,” Josie teased you and you let out a small laugh, then shrugged your shoulders.

“I don’t know,” you muttered with a small grin. “That whole romance thing…I’m starting to like it.”

                                               *

To be honest, you had heard many good things about Benedict’s house but this?

This was something you hadn’t imagined.

Friday afternoon was absolutely chaotic for you and for everyone else, and by the time you got to Kent, it was already night. After a very quick introduction to the house staff, Benedict had basically dragged you to what turned out to be your shared bedroom, and—

Well.

You had been rather occupied and distracted from exploring the house until the morning.

When Benedict had told you the house was called “My Cottage”, you had pictured something like a cottage as the name would suggest, but you were very much wrong. It was more of a villa than a cottage, but none of the cold and distant structure one would expect. The house itself was surrounded by so much green, and it made you feel already like—

Like you were home.

This right here was just where you belonged with Benedict all along.

“I have so many ideas already,” you told Benedict, making him chuckle. After a very late breakfast, you could convince him to show you the grounds, and right now you were walking through the garden, with him holding your hand.

Well, garden was a big word for it but you were going to fix that very soon.

“By the way, I still cannot believe you just woke up and look at this place and thought ‘yes this counts as a garden’,” you couldn’t help but point out and Benedict pulled you closer to press a kiss on top of your hair.

“In my defense, I didn’t even think about any sort of garden.”

You gasped. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“So right here will be the greenhouse,” he motioned at the empty space right across from the house. “I still must show you the drawings and plans and such, they’re somewhere at home.”

“I can’t wait!” you said, excitement rushing through you and Benedict smiled at you, a soft look etched on his handsome features.

“And the rest of it is…up to you really.”

You tilted your head. “The rest of it?”

“The rest of the grounds,” he motioned around all you, then let out a small laugh at the look of confusion on his face. “This is not the whole place darling, this is just the garden.”

You blinked a couple of times and looked around at the endless green around you.

“Oh,” you managed to say after a pause. “I just—I assumed…”

“I already had the house and the garden but bought the rest of it after we got married because I figured—” he paused. “So I have an idea.”

“I’m all ears.”

“I made some research, because you really like gardens,” he said. “And apparently there are all kinds of gardens.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well there’s the…for example, there’s a winter garden, I already knew about it because we also have it at Aubrey Hall,” he said. “There’s orangery, there’s the woodland garden, water garden, butterfly garden, fernery— there’s apparently even a moon garden, and the book said those were designed to be enjoyed at night because—”

“It’s full of fragrant flowers and flowers that blossom at night only,” you finished his sentence for him. “I’ve never seen that type of a garden before but I heard of it.”

He nodded fervently.

“So I was thinking maybe you’d want to have that. All of that.”

You gawked at him. “I’m sorry?”

“Whichever gardens you want to have, we can build those here,” he said. “That’s why I bought the whole…you know, the whole estate.”

“Because you thought I’d want to have multiple gardens,” you managed to say through shock and he nodded again.

“Yeah,” he said. “But I mean if you want to make it all a big garden, that’s also totally—”

He was cut off when you stood on your tiptoes and crashed your lips against his, wrapping your arms around his neck. He smiled into the kiss and heaved a pleasant sigh, cupping your cheek while resting his forehead against yours.

“I’m taking that as a yes?”

You blinked back the happy tears and bit down on your lip, taking a deep breath.

“You’re…” you trailed off and sniffled, “You’re amazing. How did you even think of this?”

“I’ve told you before darling,” he said with a soft smile, then pecked you on the lips again. “You’re the love of my life and I want you to be happy. Simple as that.”

 A smile curled your lips and you stole a kiss from him, warmth spreading from your chest to your whole body.

“And you’re the love of my life,” you whispered, happiness making you feel almost lightheaded. “In this life and beyond.”

Epilogue

[nocasdatsgay]

The Worst Book

Pairing: Gen/Implied Nessian | Word Count: 801 | Rating: T i guess

Summary: Emerie gives Nesta a book to read not fully detailing what she would be reading

A/N: For @readychilledwine who jokingly said she would pay good money to see [redacted] used in a fic lol

Read Below or on Read on AO3

Gen Tagging: @hieragalbatorixdottir @thisblogisaboutabook @mybestfriendmademe @ninthcircleofprythian @daycourtofficial @ysmtttty @secret-third-thing @acourtofladydeath If I missed you let me know.

“Then he pulled out his purple-headed yogurt slinger. And gods did I want some of that yogurt slung onto my tongue. I dropped to my knees-”

Nesta threw the book. She had put up with poor writing before but this? She fell back onto the couch. Her mate, who has been reading beside her in his own chair, watched her from over his book. 

“You okay there Nes?” He asked. 

“No,” she replied, not moving. 

“Someone die?”

“Worse!” 

He raised a brow as she sat back up and got the book off the floor. He sat his own open faced down in his lap while she flipped to the pages. 

“There,” she shoved the book and pointed at the words. “Read that.” 

He did and he burst with laughter. “Purple- purple headed, what?” 

“Purple-headed yogurt squirter.” Nesta fake gagged. “I’ll never eat yogurt again.”

“Not even mine?” Cass replied quickly. Nesta hit him with the book and he laughed more. “Where did you even find that?” 

“Emerie. Tomorrow I am going to ask what the hells she was thinking.” 

As promised, the next morning Azriel brought Emerie to training and Nesta was waiting. Arms crossed and book in hand, she glared at her friend as she approached. 

“What did I do?” Emerie asked. Her gaze fell to the book and she grinned. “Oh, so you got to chapter 14.”

“Why in the hells did you recommend this to me?” Nesta grinned. 

“If I had to read it, you had to read it. Did you keep going?” Nesta shook her head and Emerie howled with laughter. “Go to the next chapter! You have to see his POV.”

Hesitantly, Nesta flipped the pages. She skimmed the page, picking up that the main female had just given this main male the best blowjob of his life and he was going to return the favor. She turned the page and a voice pulled her away. 

“What are you both giggling about?” Gwyn had arrived. 

Nesta cut her eyes to Emerie and they both burst with laughter again. 

“You don’t want to know,” Nesta said between laughs. 

“Oh come on, yes I do!” Gwyn grinned. 

“It’s a smut book.” Emerie said plainly. “The author called the man’s cock a purple headed yogurt squirter.” 

“Oh,” Gwyn’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. 

Behind her in the distance, Az’s head whipped up. “They said it was what?” 

Cassian cackled beside him. Both males walked over to join them and Emerie explained she had read the book and it was so horrible she needed Nesta to see it. She then turned to her friend and gestured to the book. 

“She was about to read what the main male calls the females-“ she eyed Gwyn, who still wasn’t used to the crassness of the romance novels she and Nesta read. “Her bits.” 

Nesta opened the book where she had her finger placed. She read aloud. 

“I had to return the favor. She laid out in front of me and her legs parted, revealing the treasure between them. I parted- oh my gods I parted the lips of her meat oyster and my tongue dived in to find its pearl.” Nesta yelled last part. “Where the hells did you find this! This cannot be real.”

The boys doubled over, leaning on each other laughing. Gwyn too, covered her mouth as her body shook with giggles. 

Emerie grinned. “It’s a, what did they call it? A satire romance novel. It’s supposed to be terrible.” 

“I think you’re just saying that because it’s so horrible.” Nesta replied, scrunching her nose at the book. 

“Okay ladies,” Cassian regained his composure. “The others will be here soon. We’re here to train with actual swords. Not. Yogurt squirting ones.” 

Gwyn made a face and everyone chuckled. Nesta went to put the book away and Emerie leaned over to her. 

She whispered. “Before you toss it in the fire, read chapter twenty.” 

Nesta gave her a look but sat it down. Later that night as she winded down for bed, she went to chapter twenty. It was the males POV again. She braced herself as she read. 

“I bent her over the table and threw up her dress. I groaned seeing she had no panties on. I wasted no time shoving down my trousers. My meat injector was hard and locked in-“

Nesta was instantly taken aback. “Meat injector?” She muttered. 

She kept reading. “-and ready to shoot my load and baste the insides of my love’s flesh sleeve.” She gagged, instantly regretting it.

She tossed the book on the table beside her chair and tried to clear her mind. If her mate was going to be handsy in bed- as he usually was, she could not be thinking about that. It would definitely ruin the mood. 

[mistywitcher]

finished wind and truth about 2 hours ago and I have just finished crying enough to compose some thoughts.

my heart is broken for Dalinar, and watching everyone grieve for him. I kinda felt like it was coming, but I refused to believe it, and when it did happen, I don't think I've sobbed like that over a book since Mistborn era 1.

I take back what I said about Adolin being angry in a different post. I still agree he got to be angry and that was valid, but never seeing Dalinar again and his last interaction with him being so awful absolutely killed me and oh fuck I'm crying while writing this. I'D ONLY JUST MANAGED TO CALM MYSELF.

Kaladin. KALADIN. that hurt too, In a bittersweet way. I fucking bawled at the idea of everyone thinking he's dead, and Szeth burying him. ruined, I won't recover from this for a long time.

I am beyond pleased he got such a wonderful ending and set up for the next arc, cannot wait to see everyone's faces when he fucking shows up as a HERALD!!!

Adolin fucking princeling wonderful human best guy Kholin was probably my favourite part of this book. His stunning relationship to Maya. His whole arc was incredible, his courage, his acceptance and realisation, FORMING THE UNOATHED. What a fucking baller move, so proud of my pretty boy, I didn't think it was possible to love him more but I do.

Shallan was brilliant as well, although she didn't feel like as bigger part as I expected for this ending, I feel like she was set up brilliantly for Arc 2 and I cannot WAIT to see how she escapes Shademar.

Also I could be so so so wrong, but I feel like, maybe, just maybe, she may, perhaps, could be... pregnant???? idk why I get this feeling but I do. only time will tell.

Renarin and Rlain absolutely shone in this book. I loved every second of it. Was so glad to see how much time they both got! As a neurodivergent, gay person, it was a fucking honour to see myself represented so much and so well in Renarin's chapters. beautiful, stunning, can't wait to see what happens next with my fave gay boys.

Poor Jasnah, those last chapters of hers were so rough. I felt so sad for her, and also so taken with how Sanderson wrote her failure, in such a compelling, tragic way. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Szeth, oh my sweet man Szeth. I wasn't that bothered about Szeth before this book but now I would die for him. I LOVED his chapters and flashbacks, I loved his journey, I simply loved him.

GAVINOR!!!! that twist at the end, with him being a grown man now, I look forward to seeing more of him, and honestly I found his child character to be massively entertaining and so so lovely.

there is so much more I could say, but I am so tired, I read for 7 hours straight with no breaks and then cried for 2 hours, and my head hurts.

so in conclusion, I am slightly broken right now, intimidated by the huge wait we all have, grieving for Dalinar, but ultimately, incredibly satisfied with that ending to Arc 1.

Life before Death

Strength before Weakness

JOURNEY BEFORE DESTINATION

[tinythiefalex]

Ouran Host Club but it's g/t

Chapter 2

Me: did everyone enjoy the cringey anime fic?

Y'all: No Alex, only you did.

Me: Oh. Well, that was basically my target audience anyway.

It's here babes! I was finally able to write the first part of the Ouran fic I've been wanting to make! Basically, it's the same as the show, except everyone but Haruhi is a giant!

HEAVILY inspired by @friendlyfoxpal ‘s Ouran artwork. It’s so cute and I love it so much!

Here's the first part, it's basically just an intro to the premise, next part will be posted on Wednesday!

_______________________________________________________

Ouran Academy. The most prestigious school in the area, full of filthy rich, young people with way too much time on their hands. Haruhi, as a lower-middle-class citizen, had enough audacity to even think she could attend this elite school. But this school wasn’t just a rich kid's playground, it had the best education programs in the country, so Haruhi was determined to go. On top of being a “commoner” though, Haruhi was also a human, and Ouran Academy was a giant’s school. 

Honestly, Haruhi was surprised that the school’s headmaster even let her take the scholarship exam, but after acing that, here she was, in the headmaster's office, one week before the school year started. 

“I have to say, I’m impressed, Ms. Fujioka.” The headmaster said with a smile. “Your test scores are some of the bests I’ve ever seen.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Haruhi was polite, but inside she wondered what this meeting was for. She had already gotten her acceptance letter in the mail and completed all of the paperwork. Did the headmaster just want to greet her?

As if reading her mind, the headmaster spoke up again, “I bet you’re wondering why I called you here. Well, even though your test scores are remarkable, there is still the problem of a human attending this academy. Forgive me if this is rude, but you’re a little outsized here, Ms. Fujioka.”

Haruhi knew all of that. “Yes, sir. I am aware.” She knew this was a giant’s school before she even applied, but it’s the best one for her future, so what’s the problem? 

“Well, Miss, tell me, just how do you expect to get around the campus? You cannot walk that far, and vehicles are strictly forbidden on school grounds.”

Haruhi…honestly hadn’t thought about that. “W-well I…” He wasn’t going to revoke her acceptance for this, was he?

Surprisingly, the headmaster smiled. “Do not worry, Ms. Fujioka, I had an idea that I wanted to discuss with you. You see, the son of one of my colleagues also attends this academy, his name is Tamaki Suoh. If it is alright with you, I can arrange for him to help you around school. To be a sort of escort for you, per se.”

Haruhi wasn’t thrilled at the idea of being carried around by a giant, but if the headmaster thought it was necessary, “Alright. Thank you, sir.” 

“Of course,” The headmaster stood from his desk. “If that is all, then we’re done here. I look forward to seeing you during this year, Ms. Fujioka.”

The next morning, Haruhi stood outside of the school’s gate. Its needlessly fancy gates, she thought. Looking at the building again, with its bright pink architecture and massive rose bushes, the gates matched. This entire school is so pretentious. She had been instructed to arrive very early and wait on the giant upperclassman who had been assigned to her, so no other students had arrived yet.

Just then, she heard a voice from above. “Hey there! You must be the honor student I’ve heard so much about!” Haruhi looked up, way, way up, at the giant that approached her. She felt her face turn white. With the headmaster, the size difference wasn’t so bad, since she was standing on his desk, about chest height to the man. This was the first time she had ever seen a giant from ground level. She lived in a strictly human neighborhood and had only gone to human schools. This guy's height was almost unfathomable. 

Thankfully, the giant knelt down to be closer to her level. “I’m Tamaki Suoh,” he said, holding his hand palm-up in front of her in a clear invitation, “and you are?” 

Trying to not stare at the massive hand, Haruhi looked up at Tamaki, “I’m Haruhi Fujioka,” she replied, stepping onto his hand as calmly as she could. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Tamaki was fascinated by the feeling of tiny shoes walking onto his hand. He rarely spoke to humans, much less came in physical contact with one. So cute! He thought, unable to keep the awe off of his face as he stood up. Remembering his manners, he replied, “It’s very nice to meet you too, young man.” 

Haruhi stumbled when the hand lifted, but it was surprisingly steady enough to not knock her over. She barely registered the ‘young man’ comment, not particularly caring. Although it was strange to think that she was so small to Tamaki, he couldn’t see what gender she was. That’s probably not the only reason, she thought. She had very short hair, glasses covering her eyes, and she wasn’t wearing a school uniform, instead opting for a comfy shirt and pants. Haruhi couldn’t blame him for not being able to tell.

As soon as he was back up on his feet, Tamaki cupped a second hand around the one holding Haruhi. He’s so tiny, Tamaki thought. And yes, with both of the giant’s hands around the human, Haruhi looked very tiny indeed. A fall would be disastrous. Pushing that worry out of his mind, Tamaki headed towards Haruhi’s classroom, giving her a little tour on the way and explaining all he could about the school. By the time they got to Haruhi’s class, other students had started to arrive, filing in and taking their seats. 

Setting Haruhi down on an empty desk, Tamaki smiled down at her. “Welp, this is your class, Haruhi. I’ll be back later to take you to the next one. Have fun, little guy!” And with that, Tamaki was gone. 

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Class after class of Haruhi mostly being ignored, to her surprise. She didn’t know if that was out of lack of caring, or if the other students just didn’t notice her there. Either way, she didn’t care, she was just focused on her studies. Tamaki, despite coming off as a bit obnoxious, was also surprisingly reliable. Every class he was there right on time to help Haruhi to wherever she needed to go. She didn’t speak to him much, but she wasn’t sure he even noticed her silence. He easily filled each walk with stories and tangents of his own.

At the end of the day, Haruhi expected Tamaki to drop her off at the school's gates, so she could make her way home, but it seemed Tamaki had other plans. “Oh my, I don’t know how I didn’t think of this before! Since classes are over for the day, how would you like to see my host club, Haruhi?” 

“Your…host club?” In all honesty, Haruhi hadn’t really been listening to most of the things Tamaki said in between classes, so she was not sure if he ever mentioned a club, much less a host club. What kind of high school even had a host club?

“Of course! I’m sure you’ve noticed my jaw-dropping good looks, and you know, beauty must be shared with the world! So, I created a host club full of handsome young men with too much time on their hands to entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands,” He struck a short pose, before smiling back down at Haruhi. “Who knows, maybe one day, you could become a host too!”

Haruhi laughed awkwardly at that. “Yeah, no, I don’t think that’d be for me, senpai.”

Tamaki shrugged. “Well, either way, you must meet the others, I’m sure they will just adore you, little one!” Haruhi grimaced a bit at those words, but as of right now, her life was in Tamaki’s hands, literally. While he was holding her, wherever he went, she had no choice but to go. 

A music room? Haruhi stared up at the sign above the door Tamaki was opening. Why would a club like this be in a music room? 

Inside the room were five more giants. One of the giants, with dark hair and glasses, typing on a computer, immediately looked up when Tamaki entered. “Tamaki. There you are.” he said flatly. Two redheaded twins spoke up next, “Hey boss! We were wondering where you were!” 

Tamaki just smiled at them. “Sorry, I had to make a small detour” He looked down at Haruhi with a grin. She rolled her eyes at the pun. 

The first one to notice her was a blonde boy, who seemed much too young to be in highschool. “Who’s that, Tama-chan?” 

“I am very glad you asked, Honey-Senpai!” Tamaki exclaimed, holding his hand out in a princely pose so that everyone could see the little human. “Everyone, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Haruhi Fujioka, the honor student!” 

Haruhi felt her shoulders stiffen under the scrutiny of so many giants. She tried to stand as straight as she could. “Um, hello, everyone.” she said with a small wave. 

The young boy’s eyes lit up, “Oh he’s so cute! Isn’t he adorable, Takashi?” Haruhi looked up at the tall man by the young boy’s side. He was easily the tallest giant she had seen that day. The man didn’t respond past a small nod. 

Tamaki walked closer to the pair and held Haruhi to the young boy’s eye level so he could see her better. “Haruhi, this is Honey-Senpai and Mori-Senpai.” Haruhi barely got out a small “Hello,” before Tamaki moved on to the twins. Haruhi noticed he sounded considerably less enthusiastic when he said, “These two trouble-makers are Hikaru and Kaoru.” The two stared down at her with mischievous grins. “Aww, look at the little guy.” “What a cute little plaything.” they each said. The way they were talking about her made Haruhi a bit nervous.

“And last but not least,” Tamaki said as he moved to the final member, setting Haruhi down on the tall table he was seated at, “this is my second-in-command, Kyoya!” The dark-haired man turned away from his computer to look Haruhi up and down with a flat look. She pushed her nerves down and waved, “Hello, it’s nice to- 

“So, I assume you are the reason for Tamaki’s tardiness today?” Kyoya interrupted.

Haruhi, startled out of her greeting, stuttered, “O-oh, I uh…”

Tamaki jumped in, “Kyoya, that was very rude. This man is our honored guest! I have been assigned to help him around the school grounds, it is not his fault that his class is further from the club room than mine.”

Kyoya just hummed and stared at Haruhi once more. Haruhi felt her hands fidget at her sides for a moment from the tension. Kyoya looked back up at Tamaki. 

“And how much is Haruhi paying you for this?” he asked, despite knowing fully well that a little commoner like Haruhi couldn’t afford to pay Tamaki anything substantial. Haruhi was taken aback for a moment.  

“P-paying? I- I can’t… the headmaster assigned him to me, I wasn’t aware that I had to-” 

“I see,” Kyoya interrupts. “Well, be that as it may, Tamaki is our most popular host. His involvement in this club is crucial to its success. Taking you to your classes eats into his day and takes away time he could be focusing on the host club and our guests. Just today, bringing you here took away 15 minutes he could have been devoting to the club. Are you prepared to refund any losses his absence may cause?” 

“I-uh-I-” Haruhi stuttered.

 “I didn’t think so. In that case, maybe we can come to an agreement on another way for you to repay Tamaki for his time.” 

“Now wait a minute!” Haruhi pointed a tiny finger at Kyoya. “I never asked for an escort! I don’t need him to-” 

“You’re here on a scholarship, are you not?” Kyoya interrupted again, Haruhi really wished he’d stop doing that. “And that scholarship requires you to stay at the top of your class. Tell me, how do you plan on doing that if you are unable to get to your classes on time in the first place? This school is far too big for you to traverse on your own.” Kyoya had her there. Hell, she was barely taller than Tamaki’s finger, it would take Haruhi the entire class time just to get to the right room. 

Tamaki’s eyes lit up as he connected the dots that Kyoya was laying out. “Oh, that’s right! You need a way to pay me for my services, and I would love a new little member for our guests to fawn over. So, it seems there’s only one thing to do.” 

“Yes,” Kyoya joined in. “Under normal circumstances we would have you work off this debt by doing chores and running errands for us, but since your small stature prevents that, becoming a new source of entertainment for our guests should suffice.” 

Haruhi did not like the sound of that. Then the twins jumped in.

“Oh, they would love that!” “And we would love to have a new little plaything too! What do you say, doll?” 

Haruhi hated the sound of that even more.

“I mean,” said Kyoya, “it’s not like you really have a choice here, right?” The smile on his face was far too cheerful for what he was implying.

Haruhi was trapped.