#I even did Imprisoning War fluff

[skyloftian-nutcase]

hiiii do you have any requests for fluffvember things i should write next month? i'm really excited to write happy things after the angst month double whammy 💜

AAAHHH FLUFFVEMBER :D :D :D

Hmmm, maybe for Snow it could be one of the boys’ first snowball fight? Or some comfort with “I’ve got you” between your favorite blorbos? :)

I’ve got some stuff planned for Fluffvember but so far it’s either just LoZ or my AUs 😅 I should probably write some LU lol

[wyvernest]

cregan stark x f!targaryen!reader

first part - previous part - all chapters list

>>Queen Rhaenyra has sent you away from the brewing war to safety since your brother, Jacaerys, has secured the Pact of Ice and Fire. You have to honor it by marrying Lord Cregan Stark, Warden of the North.

chapter cw: smut, fluff, ANGST, explicit description of a wound

Wind's howling. The sea simmers with wrath and death.

The deck creaks and groans under you like an old beast waking from a decade-long sleep, bones cracking and jaws grinding with vengeance.

There is no crew, no captain. The ship is a wraith, and you, a speck of dust in the darkness.

You step towards the taffrail, looking down into the abyss. Terror washes over you, a raw instinct of deathly peril. Your heart thumps in your ears, and you feel the blood race through you.

Deep below, a wreckage drifts on the tides, carried by charred tongues of fallen beasts, licking its last life away. Atop, a small, frail creature, claws at the damp wood, drained and wounded.

Your throat tightens, a deeply rooted, dreamlike feeling of being bound to the creature rushes through you like wildfire. It tenses and crawls, its blood seeping into the black waters like a frozen breath leaving warm lungs for the last time.

The wind wails louder as you bend forward, seeking help, life, hope, with terror biting at your every sense. You slip over the ledge, and the void swallows you in your fall.

You awaken in your bed, the night barely pierced by the first lances of sunlight through the clouds. The fear slowly retreats, your breathing slowing down.

Cregan is still asleep next to you, lying on his stomach and facing away from you, his hair splayed messily over his shut eyes. You get up, quietly leaving his side to soothe yourself with cold water.

The castle is silent and imperturbable, a welcomed calmness following your nightly terrors. You walk like a ghost through the halls, lulled by the newfound safety, yet your mind is still imprisoned in thought.

Why would I even dream of such things? I cannot recall the last time I saw a ship, I cannot recall the last time I saw a storm at sea.

It is long past four moons since you first arrived in Winterfell, four moons since you last saw Dragonstone, your family, your brothers and sisters. The tenth day of the twelfth moon of 129 A.C. And for four moons, you haven't missed them nearly as much as now.

Perhaps it is the war, the news of Rhaenys, the murder, the unavoidable dread of death that knows no borders. Whatever it is, the dream shook you out of any serenity Cregan has struggled to settle in your heart.

“This is war. And the finality of death harrows even the toughest of men.”

But it was not the harrowing of your heart that woke you now. You would accept the night terrors every time you slept if it meant you could see your family alive and well again.

When you return to your chamber, Cregan shuffles to look at you, still lying down. He smiles, lazy and content, until he notices the strain between your brows, something you did not mean to bring back to him.

“My love?” He calles for you, but you push him back down before he could rise. You fall beside him, letting his warm hand cup your freshly washed cheek. “Did something happen?” His voice is still groggy with sleep, and the closure subdues your bleak worries.

“Just a dream.” You whisper, closing your eyes. His hand brushes over your hair lovingly.

“Tell me.” His hand moves to caress your back, pulling you closer to him.

“There is no need. All is good now.” But is it?

And yet you cast your worries aside when he drags you nearly under him, his free hand running over your waist and hip, dipping into the valley between your thighs. You cast your worries aside when you feel the coarse hair of his abdomen brush up against your belly.

Your mind goes numb when his massive body encompasses yours, as he breathes hotly into your neck, slipping himself inside you lazily; when he whispers to you of how he'll protect you, ah, love, you're mine own now, no harm will come to you.

But when his warmth leaves you, deep in the nights to come, the dreams find you again.

The second time they came with the same black waters, the drifting wreckage, but now shadows danced in the skies. Sinister serpents, prowling like enormous crows above a fresh cadaver. They pushed the clouds beneath them with behemothic wings, and you felt as though the whole night sky was coming down on you, in all its weight and darkness.

You dared look up once, up into the mirroring abyss. And then, you saw it. Through the gloom and mist, a ghost of a citadel atop a sunless hill. Perhaps there are many castles you may confound in such obscurity, but this was not one to be mistaken for something else.

Estrangement, guilt, it was, that claimed you in all these nights. A terrible shame, inexplicable for your position. You were sent North, you did not abandon your cause. But the creature in the sea bled every night, clung to the wreckage every night, and died every night.

It soon became an obsession. And weeks past, well near the end of the twelfth moon, your uneasiness bolts as Cregan receives another raven from Dragonstone.

The flying shadows. - is your first thought upon reading. The serpents swarming the skies. Though the letter should soothe you, with the notion of the Blacks’ forces finally recuperating, all you see is the black sky in a cobweb of smoke and thunderclouds. You see them much clearer; your family’s dragons stalking above the seas like starving vultures.

A broad hand on your lower back makes you turn back to Cregan.

“Word of this reached me shortly before the raven arrived.” He admitted, referring to new riders. “Your brother waited until the last dragon was mounted to write to us, but the people have been spreading the news like the plague ever since he first called for willing men.”

An overwhelming feeling of helplessness muffles out his voice. It's all amounting to the dream.

“They have fighting dragons.”

“You have fighting dragons, beloved. I dared not believe it without his testimony.”

You force yourself to smile at him, laying your head on his collarbone, the message still in hand.

“This is wonderful news.”

He kisses your forehead, taking the small scroll away. You briefly rub your fingers in its loss, as if the news had burnt your very skin.

“I am glad to know that I was able to please you, as well.” He remarks smugly, his tone laced with the honest surprise of seeing your brother quite literally tell on you.

Sudden nervousness momentarily rips you from the illusions of your distress. You scrunch up your face, as if you hadn’t already given him your maidenhead.

“Few brides have the comfort of wedding handsome men. Fewer, able men, and even fewer kind men. But …” You trail off, taunting his patience. He gazes at you, eyes squinted, the corners of his mouth ever so slightly raised. Even as a wolf, he often times held the cunning gaze of a fox, which amused you to no end, for you know it was only reserved for you. How he had the talent of drawing you out of dark thoughts with nothing but a jest or a tease.

“Well, don’t stop now.” His voice went down an octave, now sly and intimate.

“But to gain all three …” You kiss his cheek, dangerously close to his mouth.

His arms wrap around you in response. “To find yourself next to a man so strong-” another kiss, on his jaw. “- so resourceful -” another, on his lips, but so hasty that he doesn’t catch it.

“ - and yet so considerate and gentle. You hard warriors have no idea how important that is.” You stop, softly pushing him away to speak, your tone masquerading a scold. “You think it’s enough to butcher away any foes and any peril. But after that…” a kiss on the bridge of his nose. He looks at you like you’re preaching the word of gods. “ - to be able to lie in his arms, to know that these hands, that bathe in blood to protect her, will only ever touch her to caress, to fondle, to hold so dearly.” Your voice spills into seriousness, and he heeds your confession.

“That is when she truly feels safe.” You smile at him, accentuating your discourse by playfully shaking him twice by his shoulders. “And to have that, is more than any woman bargains with the gods for.”

He kisses your face, the slyness faded from his eyes.

“...And I can’t say you don’t look the part.”

He giggles, and your heart beats a little faster.

“I did not yet have the chance to truly protect you, love.” He corrects, and your heart sinks at his humble words, or more so at the recollection of your worries. “I haven’t yet spilt blood for you. Trust that I will , should the occasion arise.” That was no longer a jest, you realise. “And afterwards …” He leans into you, and seeing you do nothing to flee, he kisses your neck. “I’ll hold you, however you want, wife.”

Tonight you can barely shut your eyes without your heart thumping in your chest. After tossing and turning beside your husband, tiredness finally takes you and the visions creep over.

The nightsky rains with arrows. They snap and ring against the wooden shipwrecks like so many sharp teeth of jaws closing in on utter desolation.

Faceless, weightless, you step on the waters while the black wings dance and stalk restlessly, as the shafts hit the debris in a cacophony of wails, winds, tides crashing and roars of wrath.

And in this moment, it feels as though this cut is too deep even for time to mend. This place would never recover from such decay. Chaos has conquered the bay, irreversibly.

Death itself growls in the heavens above, blocking out the light of the moon. The sea heeds the call and drowns whatever escaped its claws, and the Red Keep stands still and cold and silent on the shores, an ill omen of rot and ruin.

The man on the rubble is dead. A snapped arrow coated in blood bore into his neck, the impact twisting his upper spine so unnaturally that he lies lifelessly atop the wreckage like a mayhem of boneless limbs discarded.

Only a hand quivers away in agony, the last semblance of a decapitated animal’s tremble.

You stomach turns.

Jacaerys!

You awaken in a sweat, with a shriek that rips Cregan from his slumber as well.

“ ‘S alright, come here, you're safe.” He cradles your still shivering hands to his chest, running a hand over your hair and back.

“ ‘m sorry.” You speak, muffled, remorseful and ashamed.

“It's no fault of yours.”

“...Cregan?”

You whisper, your limbs still tangled with each other. He hums, as attentive as he always is. The sun is just starting to show, and the dimness of the morning makes him look astonishingly beautiful.

“Would you do anything to shield me from pain?”

“ ‘course I would. What do you need of me?”

You hesitate. You know he would forbid you from fleeing, though you can not bring yourself to hide from your husband any longer. Whatever needs to be done, you ought to discuss it together.

“I need to fly South.”

There is a moment of complete silence. His face, for all you’ve grown to know, is now as impenetrable as The Wall. You cannot tell if you, indeed, sense anger or if it is only your expectations, for asking such a thing. You both get up as tension becomes unbearable.

“My men are already gathering at the White Harbour.” He speaks with patience and softness, understanding of your predicament, though stern and clearly unwavering. “In Barrowton.” He continues, “Roderick Dustin should be ready to march by week’s end. I-”

“ ‘Should’, and ‘by week’s end’…” You repeat to yourself in sorrow, too late releasing you quite rudely interrupted him. But the urgency of the issue can no longer afford gentleness nor much civility. “My family needs me, now. I dreamt of it, Cregan. You must believe me! And even if it’s wanton, even if the peril is still at bay, then I shall return safely. You mustn’t worry.”

“Wife.” His tone is demanding. It silences you, but deep in your heart you loathe him for it. You loathe him because of your dreams, because of the war, because greybeards can only ride so fast and so far, and will definitely not head for The Blackwater Bay.

“I have faith in your courage.” He begins, still holding you, yet the frost in his gaze is anew. “I do not doubt your loyalty. But as husband, I cannot allow you to risk such a thing. As warden, I cannot allow you to forsake the Queen’s command.”

“That’s your desire to protect me!” You speak hastily until your voice breaks, yet you go on. “What of me? How am I to live on knowing I could have saved someone so dear?! How am I to live with the remainder that I saw what would happen and did nothing?!”

“Dreams can be bad omens. But what if it was nothing more than a dream?” His voice escalates into the clear image of your demise in his mind. “What if you die for nothing? How would I live with that? Knowing I could have prevented it?”

“Cregan.” You brush an arm over his shoulder.

“I will say no more. You are not leaving Winterfell.” It is a command. And yet you hear him mumble, “I can’t lose you.”

Your heart sinks into your chest, and your throat tightens with unspoken pleas and cries.

Fortunately for you, Cregan is a heavy sleeper. He was still off soundly when you roused, during the hour of the wolf.

He was still undisturbed when you gently kissed his cheek, as an apology and farewell. He was unmoved when you slipped out of bed, changed into riding skirts and threw chainmail over your chemise and underneath the leather cloak.

“Lady Stark.” A reverential voice echoes in the halls when you depart from your shared bedchamber. For a heartbeat, your blood freezes at the thought that Cregan might, at last, awaken because of it.

“I have orders from Lord Stark to ensure your safety. Allow me to accompany you.”

“Oh, there's no need. I only mean to clear my mind on the battlements.”

Before he could reply, you turn your back to him and stroll off to the winding stairs. Your footsteps feel heavy, heavier than your masked armour, heavier than the dagger at your belt.

The cold, high winds hit your face as you reach the top of the castle. The merlons thin out the howling of winter gusts, but the cold dread is no less horrifying.

“Māzīs! Aderī!” (Come! Quick!)

The Godswood shivers with the call, but it does not matter. No one in the yard could be fast enough to catch you now.

Soon enough, a high pitched shriek answers as a slithering, white ghost of a cloud emerges from behind the high walls of Winterfell.

The silence of the night wails, broken, as Suvion brings his wings down, and with one, two swings, he's landing atop the tower, his hawk claws scraping the stone.

He brings his head to you, slightly frenzied by your tone and distress.

His icy scales shine with the dampness of the snow he had been dousing in, and his sheer beauty in the moonlight soothes you. He has grown. His wings are stronger. The cold had hardened him, as it did me.

“Sister!”

You halt, right before mounting.

“Sara.”

“Off on a nightly prowl?” she jests, but the moment she comes closer, eyeing your attire, her playful smile fades.

“Tell Cregan” you hesitate, pondering, ���-to tell the lords he sent me on a secret scouting mission.”

She frowns, disheartened, lost, confused. After a few beats of unbearable ache, she speaks, as icy as Cregan had.

“Did you loathe it all from the beginning?”

“Sara, I cannot-”

“Is this what you'd always hoped to do?”

It's not an accusation. It's forlornness. Betrayal, and the grief of it.

“If I don't go, I will carry this burden with me for the rest of my life.”

She remains silent, but even Suvion twitches at the sound of her soft weep. You mount, shivering, with the cold, with regret, with doubt and fear, and guilt.

“If I do not return by the new moon's end, I loved him. Tell him I loved him. Tell him it's not his fault.”

With nothing but the sound of his wings, Suvion takes off from the tower.

a/n: that was quite the chapter

@ohsnapitzmarvelficrec @crypticlxrsh @louiselouve @karmaswitch @just-pure-trash @yujyujj @cost234 @dracaryxzs @cherrymallowtm @lady-targaryens-world @lightdragonrayne @krokietino @sukunassfinger @ithilwen-blackwood @rey26 @beebeechaos @melsunshine @aemondwhoresworld @romeavecryst @raynetargaryan2 @fireandblood-mharmie @mitski9328373 @drwho-ess @dorkysupernova @nitimurinvetitumsposts @ghitakhnifissa @darylspersonalwhore @helo1281917 @delaynew @poochies04 @accidentpronedork @fiction-fanfic-reader @rha3nyra @wallacewillow0773638 @star-serpent @potionsclub @moadvx @jellybeanstacey0519 @italianchameleon @ephemeralninon @sithapprentice @cloveradora @hawkins-2000 @thatspiderwebinthecorner @wolvestitches @idohknow @nyxbranwenn @asteria33 @nina6708 @r-3dlips

[dreamcubed]

call it what you want | draco malfoy x reader

song; call it what you want [taylor swift] pairing; draco malfoy x fem!muggle!reader genre; fluff, angst, forbidden love, s2l word count; 4,3k timeline; post-second wizarding war warnings; draco's daddy issues, low-key y/n's daddy issues, references to the second wizarding war (and draco's part in it), discrimination (of muggleborns) summary; his entire life, draco had it drilled into him that anything to do with muggles was bad- impure, even. but after his father is imprisoned for life, he decides to venture into the muggle world- just as a temporary thing, of course

suggested by @tendous-pretty-hair !!

masterlist

"my baby's fly like a jet stream, high above the whole scene, loves me like i'm brand new."

also i have fucking eras tour tickets!!!

—————————————————

Draco had found himself at an emotional stand-still ever since the Second Wizarding War - more specifically the events of the Battle of Hogwarts. After he had regrettably joined Voldemort's side in the mass fallout, only for him to lose anyway. He wasn't sentenced to any time in Azkaban, since it was deemed that he had been coerced into the situation, as backed up by his mother, who had been pardoned due to saving Harry Potter's life in the final moments. His father, however, would never feel the light of happiness again, caged away in the breeding ground of fear.

It wasn't that Draco missed Lucius all that much, in fact, quite the opposite. The time away from him had allowed him and Narcissa to grow closer, and also given him the opportunity to properly question and break down the beliefs that had been hammered into his head since infancy.

Eventually, he decided to step foot into unknown territory: muggle London. He had only ever been to the magic side of it before, but he had come to the realisation that living such a sheltered life was the reason he wound up another of Voldemort's slaves. That lifestyle would be no more.

He found himself stood outside of a small music store, displayed to have vinyls, CDs and cassette tapes inside - whatever they were. Draco did know what music was, however, and wanted to understand the way that muggles experienced it. So, he stepped foot into the shop with the tinkling of a tiny silver bell above him alerting whoever was working behind the tall overflowing shelves.

There were more people perusing the shelves than he had anticipated, so he ducked his head down and headed to an emptier area of the shop. As he began scanning the labels on the shelves, his confusion grew as he realised that he recognised none of the names.

"You don't look like a death metal fan," a voice to his left caught him by surprise, making him jump.

He turned around to have his eyes meet the gaze of a woman wearing an amused smile. You couldn't help but laugh slightly at his skittishness.

"Forgive me, but it's not everyday we have a man dressed in a perfectly ironed suit come and check out the works of Morbid Angel."

After his brain caught up to him, he said, "You work here?"

You nodded, "Family business - me and my mum."

Draco didn't reply to your statement, turning back to the shelves.

"You seem a little lost, first time in a music shop?"

"Uh- yeah," he said, "My family never played music growing up." That was a lie - the Malfoys had held many a musical event, however, they took the form of private orchestral bands.

"You're joking," your expression was that of shock, "How have you lived such a musicless life?"

He shrugged.

"God, I was practically raised on music- I mean, obviously," you gestured around you, "It's everything to me."

"My father was a very strict man," he said simply, making you hum.

"I see. God, I just can't believe you've hardly listened to music - we have to change that," you said, "Do you have any idea what sort of sounds you like?"

"I think I like classical music," it was all he had ever really known.

You grinned, "Yeah, that definitely suits the way you're dressed more than death metal. Come on, I'll set you up with some stuff. Vinyls, CDs or tapes?"

From what he could gather, vinyls were the larger circles, and he was pretty sure that Malfoy Manor had a phonograph with the large brass tube attached for the purpose of playing them. Like the one he saw at the Yule Ball all those years ago. "Uh, vinyl? The big black disc?"

You bobbed your head, "They're becoming less popular these days - people mostly want CDs," you then paused for a moment, "Although my mum said they'll probably have a resurgence in another twenty years. Making an aesthetic of past trends and all that."

Draco listened curiously as you babbled on about different musicians, bands, and albums, finding himself enraptured by the way you carried yourself. Salazar, his father would throw a fit if he found out that he was willingly talking to a muggle.

But his father wasn't there.

"So, do any of these interest you?" you finished, smiling at the ever stoic man before you.

"Uh, yes- all of them," he wasn't sure if he liked the music genre you suggested or the way you talked so passionately.

"All of them?" you tilted your head, "That's- like- hundreds of pounds."

He began digging around in his pockets for the money he had exchanged earlier before coming, and your eyes widened at the sight of all the twenty pound notes.

"Right," you said in a state of shock, "I'll... ring these up for you."

As you totalled up the price and packaged the vinyls into a bag over at the till, the man watched you, as if he was meticulously detailing your every move. Weirdly, it didn't feel creepy.

"Okay that will be... £404.39," you said, in awe of the fact he seemed unfazed by the number.

He began counting out the notes, before handing them over to you: £420 worth of twenty pound notes in your hand. You counted the change out and handed it back to him, placing the receipt in the bag.

"Thank you for shopping here, come again..." you trailed off, realising you didn't know his name.

"Draco," he said, stopping himself before saying his last name. Although he knew that you wouldn't recognise it anyway.

You couldn't help but think that he had a peculiar name; regardless, you smiled, and said, "Y/N. Please come again."

He nodded, taking the bag and leaving the shop swiftly without so much as looking back once.

***

A week passed by and Draco found himself stood outside of the record shop, unsure of why he had returned. During his last visit he had purchased months worth of music, so really he had no need to be back.

Except, he did.

His social circle had been non-existent ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, not because Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott no longer wanted to be friends with him, but because he had isolated himself in Malfoy Manor with his mother. Draco was nearing being ready to owl them again, but reconnecting with them meant inevitably having to unpack the events of the war.

With a muggle stranger like you, however, there was no unpacking to do.

"Draco, you're back," you grinned, coming out from behind the till, "I was hoping you would."

"Why?"

His abrupt question caught you off guard, "Well, I- I don't know. You're an interesting character," that and you thought he was cute.

Draco stared blankly at you, making you shift uncomfortably on your feet. Eventually, you decided to change the subject.

"Here for more music?"

"Oh, uh- yes."

"Well, what were your favourites from last week's purchases?"

After he told you which ones he had enjoyed the most, you were able to develop some kind of idea as to specific kinds of music to indulge him into. Of course, you had a question burning at the back of your mind that you simply had to ask.

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?"

He looked up at you with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

"It's just- vinyls aren't cheap, especially not in as large a quantity as you get them," you elaborated, "I assume you have a well paying job."

Draco sighed, shaking his head, "Family money."

"You mean old money?" you couldn't help but clarify.

He reluctantly nodded, "Yes, old money." He used to be so boastful and prideful of the Malfoy family legacy, but in that moment, despite you having no idea who he was, he could only feel shame when he thought of it.

"Okay, Mr. Fancy," you chuckled, "Let's continue your musical adventure."

Even as you proceeded to serve him with a chipper attitude, you couldn't help but be saddened by learning that he was old money. There was no way that you stood a chance, since old money families liked to marry each other and not someone who was simply the daughter of a small record shop.

At least you learned that piece of information about him early on, you reasoned.

***

"Back? Again?" you questioned incredulously, spying Draco stood in the doorway of your shop, "Hate to turn you away, but we're about to close."

"I know."

You paused, frowning slightly as you grasped hold of the door, "Uh, okay, then... bye?" You began slowly shutting the door.

"Wait."

Again, you paused.

"I need help."

Opening the door fully again, you placed a hand on your hip as you said, "With regards to what?"

You didn't know what to think when he presented a small battered flip phone to you on his milky white palm.

"A phone?"

"I found it. On the floor."

"Musta fell outta someone's pocket," you shrugged, "Happens - why do you need help?"

"Well, don't we need to do something about it?"

All you could do was look at him curiously.

"Is that not- is that not what you do?" maybe he was overcompensating for his past by trying desperately to do one small good deed, or maybe he was trying to prove to you that he was a good person even though you had no reason to believe otherwise. Either way, he wanted to return the muggle contraption to its rightful owner.

"I mean- I guess? If you're feeling nice," you said simply, "Can't lie, I'd probably leave it for someone else to deal with."

"How do I return it?"

You sighed, "Just call the last person they called."

"Right, okay."

Much to your confusion, Draco stared at the device as if he was trying to will it into doing what he wanted.

"You do know how to call someone, yes?" you asked, your arms now folded across your chest.

With a sigh of defeat, he shook his head.

You rolled your eyes, stepping aside, "Come in."

Once Draco was inside your shop, you shut the door and flipped the sign from 'open' to 'closed'.

"Give it," you made a grabbing motion with your fingers, and the man before you immediately handed over the device, "It's really easy-" he watched in amazement as you flipped open the phone, "-just use the arrow buttons here to go to call history- and, oh, look! Last person they called was their mum- press the green call button and bam."

You presented the now dialling phone to him.

"They have been notified now?"

"Well, her phone will be ringing- hopefully she'll pick up."

"Pick up?"

"Hello?" a voice from the phone announced, "Cadie?"

"Hello, ma'am, your daughter dropped her phone and we found it."

"Oh, I see. Thank you- I'll let her know so she can pick it up. Where's a good place?"

As you told the concerned mother the address of your record shop, you watched Draco's intrigued expression.

You hung up, placing the phone on a nearby surface and beginning to walk to the back room, "Would you like some tea?" you asked.

He stared blankly at you for a few moments, before nodding, "Please."

"How do you take it?"

"No milk, one sugar."

You chuckled to yourself at his strange way of having tea.

***

Draco watched you as you chatted mindlessly while sipping your tea, almost entirely forgetting that he had his own cup sat to his side. Your topics were classically boring - yet so interesting to him. He was enthralled to learn about the different characters in your family, and the trials and tribulations of your school years. He hadn't even realised how little he had said until you pointed it out.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" he went, snapping out of his daze.

"I feel like I've just been talking about myself this entire time. Where did you go to school?"

"Oh- uh-" he desperately pulled together all his thoughts, "A private boarding school in Scotland."

Your mouth dropped open, "Wow, that's cool."

He shrugged.

"Did you miss your family while you were away all year?"

Again, he shrugged, "My mother, yes- my father... not so much."

"I don't see my father at all," you added, to make him feel more comfortable about sharing details of his own father, "I used to... but I realised it was always me reaching out and not him so I stopped. Haven't heard from him since."

Draco nodded, "My father is in prison."

He didn't know why he told you, only realising what he had just said when you froze for a few seconds with widened eyes.

"Can I ask what for?" you asked in a squeaky voice.

"Uh... terrorism, murder... that sort of thing," he had no clue why he was being so honest. Had you put veritaserum in the tea?

You cleared your throat, wanting to delicately change the subject but lacking a way on how to do it naturally. Draco observed you, and opened his mouth to say something more when a knock sounded on the door.

"That's- uh- that's probably the phone owner," you said quickly, rushing to your feet to run out of the back room and let them in.

You opened the door to be faced with a short brunette woman.

"Cadie?" you questioned.

She nodded, "You have my phone?"

"Yes, come in."

"Thank you so much- I really can't afford a new one right now," she sighed, "I'm always losing things."

You chuckled, "I know how you feel- I'm always breaking things."

Draco appeared in the doorway to the back and picked up the phone from the counter.

Cadie sighed happily, accepting the phone and thanking the both of you profusely.

"Seriously, you have no idea how appreciative I am."

"It's no trouble, Cadie, really," you assured her.

She paused for a moment, looking around. "Is this your shop?"

You bobbed your head, "Yes, it's family-owned."

"Oh, that's so cool," she looked towards Draco, "So this is your husband?"

You were so taken aback you couldn't even form a response. Before either of you could reply, the phone began ringing.

"It's my boss! I have to take this," she said, "Thank you so much again. You two are a cute couple." And with that final comment, she departed, leaving you and Draco in an awkward silence.

"I-" you began, but you were quickly interrupted.

"Go on a date with me," Draco hurriedly said, realising he had said it like an order rather than an innocent question. He was still in some ways his old bossy teenage self, socialised in a slightly abnormal way.

You took it in good humour, however, and smiled, "I would love to."

***

The following six months were filled with the fanciest and most luxurious dates that you could ever have possibly imagined: five star restaurants, weekends in Paris, and expensive gifts. It was heaven in all ways but one - Draco always had an excuse for you not meeting his family and friends.

For a while, you had ignored the itching feeling that he was ashamed of you and so kept you a secret, but your suspicions grew until you couldn't keep it in anymore. You had to confront him about it.

"...and I was thinking, we should go out for dinner with your mother," you said, flicking through a magazine as Draco sat on the sofa in your small but homely flat.

"When?" he asked.

"Whenever's good for her."

You heard Draco's breath hitch.

"What? Can't come up with an excuse to get out of this one?" your tone held evident bite.

Draco turned around to face you, but his expression was unreadable.

"Are you ashamed of me, Draco?"

His eyes widened.

"I know I'm not rich, let alone old money, but I'd like to think that I'm a likeable person."

He shook his head, "It's not that-"

"Then what is it, Draco?" you snapped, feeling tears fill up your eyes, "You won't even introduce me to your friends! How am I supposed to feel?"

He stood up and began shifting on his feet and fidgeting with his hands, "It's more complicated than that."

"What? You're engaged to someone else?"

Again, he shook his head, "No, nothing like that."

"Then what?" you waved your hands about, "Because I can't date someone who treats me like a secret."

"You wouldn't believe me!" he yelled, clearly unintentionally.

You were shocked: you had never heard him yell before. "Try me," you said, your voice low.

He sighed, moving around helplessly for a few moments before striding over to his bag by your front door. He reached his hand in - what appeared to be deeper than the bag's actual depth, but you dismissed it due to your blurred vision - and pulled out a blank piece of paper, tinged brown.

He came over to you and placed it on the kitchen island you were stood behind, and pointed at the bottom of the page. "Sign here."

"It's blank," you thought he was insane.

"Just trust me. Please."

You gave him a skeptical look, but wiped your eyes and picked up a pen nonetheless, writing your signature in the area he pointed to. To your amazement, the second you finished the last letter of your name, writing appeared on the paper. As you scanned it, you were increasingly confused.

- By signing this non-disclosure agreement, you agree that as a muggle you shall not disclose the existence of wizardry and witchcraft to anyone not already in knowledge of it. You understand that by doing so, you would be breaking the law and could face potential criminalisation. The wizard or witch of whom has vouched for your approval to know of magic shall also face potential criminalisation in such a situation.

It will no longer be a criminal offence for wizards and witches to perform magic with you as a witness unless there are unapproved muggles also present.

You will be granted access to wizard-only areas including but not limited to Diagon Alley and Platfrom Nine and Three Quarters at King's Cross provided that you are accompanied by a wizard or witch. Please be aware that these permissions may vary in other countries depending on their laws surrounding muggle knowledge of magic and also their acceptance of the British Muggle Non-Disclosure Agreement.

Please sign your name below. -

"What is this?" you asked, your eyebrows furrowed.

"An NDA."

"Yes, I- I gathered that- but- what does it mean?"

"It means... that I'm a wizard."

Part of you wanted to burst out laughing at Draco's insane words, but the way he said it held so much depth that you couldn't help but take it seriously.

"Prove it."

You didn't know what you had expected, but you certainly didn't anticipate your boyfriend pulling out a wand and muttering what sounded like Latin under his breath.

The pen on the table before you morphed into a feather.

There were really no words to describe how you felt in that moment. You asked him to do it again - he turned the feather into a sharpener. You asked him to do it one more time - he turned the sharpener into a fork.

"Oh my God," you said at the volume of a whisper, stepping back and falling against the counter behind you, "What the actual fuck."

"I know this may come as a shock to you..."

"Really?" you said, "No, actually. Not freaking out at all. Not even a little."

He pursed his lips, "My family is what is known as pure-bloods. We haven't mixed with muggles when it comes to reproduction at any point in our bloodline - allegedly."

You stared at him.

"Sometimes, a witch or wizard can be born of muggle parents - we call them muggle-borns. Half-bloods make up the most of wizarding society - their ancestors are a mix of muggle, muggle-born, pure-blood and half-blood."

At your lack of speech, he continued.

"There is a culture of supremacy among pure-blood families - choosing to reproduce only with other pure-bloods to ensure the pure-blooded line continues as they believe themselves to be the only true witches and wizards."

"You're pure-blood," you mumbled.

Draco nodded, "I used to think like that. Used to bully muggle-borns in school - the school I went to being specifically for witches and wizards."

"You don't think like that anymore?"

"No," he quickly said, "I've had a lot of time to question everything I was taught to believe - but, I- there's something really bad I have to tell you. It may change your opinion of me forever and it's the reason why I have kept you away from my family and friends."

You nodded, mentally preparing yourself for what he was about to tell you.

"Years ago, there was a war in the wizarding world..." he began.

***

You had never seen Draco in tears before, but when he reached the details of the final showdown between Harry Potter (a heroic celebrity in the wizarding world) and Lord Voldemort (a wizard terrorist), he broke down in sobs as he recalled him walking over to the latter's side. Tears were falling down your cheeks soon too, and you quickly brought Draco into your arms and felt him collapse into you.

"I regret it every single day," he said through sobs, "Why didn't I have more of a backbone?"

"You were just a boy, Draco," you soothed him, "You didn't want your family to be killed."

He cried harder.

"My opinion of you is not changed - by the sounds of it you never actually killed anyone yourself," you thought back to the Professor Dumbledore section of the story, "In fact, it sounds like you couldn't bring yourself to."

"I can never make up for my past, Y/N."

You stroked his hair, "You dating a muggle is pretty solid evidence you're trying to."

"I'm not dating you because you're muggle," he pulled back from you and looked you in the eyes.

You chuckled slightly, wiping the tears off his cheeks with your thumbs, "That's not what I was saying. Young you would have never even considered entering the muggle world, and yet here adult you is."

He gave you a small smile, "I love you."

You beamed, but teardrops were still cascading down your cheeks, "I love you too."

"Let's have dinner with my mother on Sunday."

***

"Mr Malfoy, you may see your father now," the Azkaban worker said, who Draco couldn't help but think reminded him strongly of Filch. An old miserable man with long scraggly hair, an unmissable limp, and filthy dark-coloured robes. Then again, at least this worker had a reason to be miserable all the time: working in the breeding ground of fear and desolation. Filch was by all means in a much more cheerful environment.

Draco nodded at him, and followed his lead down shadowed narrow corridors, caked in dirt and dust. They turned a few corners and went up a few sets of dangerously steep stairs before reaching a cell block with moans and whines coming from every cell - except one.

In all honesty, Draco hadn't known what to expect when he came to see his father: he hadn't visited once since his arrest. But Lucius looked quite different than the proud man he once was, with his once well-kept long blond hair being knotty and entwined with filth, and his once healthy (albeit pale) complexion being overly skinny with sallow sunken features. He looked up at his son, still being able to produce a slight scowl.

"So, you finally decided to visit," he drawled, but his voice was too broken to hold the same threat it used to.

"Yes, father, I have some things I need to say to you," despite Lucius' weakened state, Draco still held some lifelong fear of the man, but he had to remain strong in front of him.

"And what would that be?"

"I have a girlfriend, and I plan to propose to her."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, "Your mother has not mentioned this," Narcissa frequently visited her husband.

"She didn't find out until last week."

After some seconds of silence, Lucius slowly rose to his feet and stood face-to-face with Draco at the cell gate. "What is her name?"

"Y/N L/N."

"L/N does not ring a bell. Which bloodline is she from?"

Draco felt intimidated by his father's close proximity, but still managed a smirk, "She isn't of pure blood, Father."

Lucius' eyes widened, "You don't mean to say she's- half blood? Or worse- a- a mudblood?"

"Worse," his smirk grew, "She's muggle."

The ghostly shock that flooded over Lucius' face made Draco feel a triumph over his father he had never felt before, and gave him the confidence to feel as though he had the upper hand in their interaction. He stepped closer to the cell and lowered his voice.

"And I'm going to marry her, and have children with her, and you will have to spend the rest of your life rotting in this cell knowing that the Malfoy pure blood line has been permanently tainted."

"You can't do this," Lucius said through gritted teeth, "After everything we fought for."

Draco hummed, "See, I thought it was time for me to finally fight for something good."

————————————————

masterlist

written; 02/06/2023 —> 17/07/2023 published; 17/07/2023 edited; —/—/——

taglist ; @workinatdapyramid @iluvweasleys

[brights-place]

BARB WITH AN POP READER LIKE IMAGINEEEE IT! THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT BUT LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH!

Barb X POP! Troll S/O

Pairings: Barb X Reader

Warnings: Fluff, mild cursing

A/N: Okay but that’s like so cuteee! I’m happy I get to write some fluff stuff after writing so much nsfw OMLLLL I mean I love writing it but damn you all are wild! (I’m also referring to myself) Anyways hope you enjoy!

- OKAY OKAY BUT I AGREE!!! THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT BUT CARE FOR EACH OTHER SO MUCH!

- Barb was an rock troll and you were an pop troll. barb hated pop trolls but you... you were different to her you stood out your f/c skins and f/c hair made her light up for an moment before noticing the glare you shot at her as she imprisoned you with the other trolls

- "You won't get away with this you asshole!" You shouted beingd held back by other rock trolls as she walked over smugly grinning "Oh but I already did"

- Told the rock trolls to get you an spot right in front of the stage where she would preform to get you to see her rock out

- Even though you were impressed by the new genre you were mad at how she would make you all into rock zombies

- After the event she started on getting help from poppy so when poppy introduced you to her she looked away sadly when seeing you step back quickly and judge her since she well was an Hegemonic Supremacist

- When she tried to speak to you since poppy said you offered to help an fellow troll out but you didn't know it was barb!

- "Hi Im-" Barb put her hand out giving an awkward smile "barb I know the Hegemonic Supremacist that tried to take over all trolls" You said as poppy quickly dragged you away apologizing to barb about your behaiour "(Name) She's trying to change" "and you want me to excuse the crimes she has comitted?" You said back with furrowed brows and crossing your arms - "(name) come on" Poppy said looking at barb and back towards you "Don't (Name) come on me you think I should trust her you wanna hear me listing all her crimes! I'll spit them all out!" "(name) she's trying" "You think I can forgive her with all she has done! Attempted world domination, Attempted cultural genocide, Hate crimes, Terrorism, Malefic, War crimes, Crimes against trollkind, Mass invasion, Mass kidnapping, Serial grand larceny, Mass brainwashing, Unlawful imprisonment, Abuse of power, Conspiracy, Psychological abuse, Extortion, Minor arson, Assault and battery, Mass property destruction, Attempted mass slavery, Corruption, and Public endangerment" You shouted pointing towards barb who hanged her head in shame

- You would glare at her whenever she came by pop village to talk to poppy or when it's an troll meeting for all of the genre of trolls

- Everyone forgave her except for you so she wanted to show you she became an better person

- She would come by and try conversations with you and would fail as you would snap at her

- When she noticed you trying to learn how to play electric guitar due to Val buying you one

- She noticed how you were struggling and walked over biting her lip thinking that you might tell her to go away again"Hey uhm do you need some help?" she questioned as you stared at her before looking away sighing - "I dislike you but I don't know what I've been doing for the past 30 minutes I dot even understand the guide" You groaned turning to her as she quickly lit up and walked over to re-position you holding the guitar and showed you how to play some chords

- She taught you how to play fade to black by metallica as an first starting so and praised you on succeeding as you cheered hugging her and asked her to each you more songs another time - You would do practice and she'd teach you songs which mainly were rock but you asked her to show you how to play pop songs which she cringed at but did her best with an smile that you learned how to play your favorite Pop song

- You slowly started to bond after awhile of hanging out - You two would do duet songs of rock songs but if you could convince her to sing pop songs with you she would try... then it becomes an pop rock song - You two would make pop-rock songs and have your own album unaware you made an new genre of music together as you smiled together singing softly as she sang loudly strumming her guitar as you did the same -  It's known pop Troll is extremely happy, strives happiness and seeks fun above all things which is so like you but its also true that they are prone to absolute panic when things go wrong, often overreacting in a comical way and that what was going on right now you panicking for the fact that you messed up playing an song - The Pop Trolls have a holiday for every day of the year, meaning they are constantly having one party or another. - So you would always invite her to ones that you know she'd be comfortable in. - When you started to get too close almost seeing around each other with you smiling around her and clinging to her arm as you blabbered away as she listened - it's like an Princess Bubblegum and Marceline relationship without them starting to date...

- she even asked to dress you up as an rock troll and you asked to dress her as an pop troll it was... eventful you two where laughing while hanging out

- She loves how you kissed her face and kissed her ear that was cut off telling her she was beautiful when she was crying - You would be with her or would visit which became normal with all rock trolls knowing who you were and wouldn't talk bad about you since one rock troll was heard talking bad about you as an joke and had barb close to using her chainsaw on him - She introduces Debbie to you and it's so CUTE! how you cry instantly and hug Debbie saying how adorable she is unlike the pop trolls who first saw Debbie

- She loves how her dad became best friends with you so fast and ends up with you painting her fathers nails black as you ranted to him about the dumbest things and she could feel her heart throb

- You would be coming over to volcano rock city and riff would high five you and do an rock n roll handshake that they all taught you to do - Barb would smirk on how poppy and other pop trolls saw you greet all the rock trolls who came for all of trolldom meeting at pop village this time - Poppys mouth would be agape as she see you do handshakes with every rock troll who came with barb - Would realize she likes you when you hugged her goodbye after you coming to volcano rock city for your daily hangouts - "My place next time right?" you said grinning as barb nodded "yup" the fact you kissed her on the cheek goodbye and left made her turn red so fast that she melts into an puddle - Riff would point out barb was crushing on you once you left and she would try to deny it but she'd turn around and be like "Holy shit I like an pop troll" - You two would be doing your daily jam session with playing your guitars back to back as you sang your songs before you turn face to face both of you soon singing softly in your pod leaning forward heads touching before you end up kissing - Her hands on your waist as you put your guitar on the side and have an hand in her hair making out before pulling away the two of you pausing staring at eachother before laughing as you went back to kissing her with an big smile as she giggled abit

- You two became official after the kiss and went on dates together you two would now be seen with barb having an hand on your waist or holding your hand mostly on your waist while she glares down trolls who would try to speak up about it

- You two would be jamming out together once more at volcano rock city as she told her dad about you two now dating as he smiles nodding telling her she did amazing and would have an good partner which was you

- You would hug him crying "Thank you king Thrash" as he hugs you back "Call me dad..." as you turn to barb who looked away sniffling trying not to cry

- You and barb would be having an picnic in an empty flower field as you played your guitars together as she smirked turning towards you "(Name)" You would giggle "Barb"

- You put your guitar to the side as she did the same before tackling you to the picnic blanket pinning you against it and peppering your face to kisses as you blush before returning the small kisses as you cuddle and laugh together

- Somewhere in the bushes there stood Poppy and val high fiving that there planned work on getting you and barb together the two flinching when hearing an light moan come from you before the two ran off quickly as then hear barb push you against an tree

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2024 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact

[hana-no-seiiki]

SOME YANDERE FLUFF TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY.

// fantasy creature cruelty. yandere themes. heteronormative society (sort of?? both your paternal and maternal grandparents come in hetero pairs)

I don’t know if you guys read my yan! father fic yet but do go check out @yoru-no-seiiki for it (Unless you’re a minor cause that acc doesn’t allow those) as it happens in the same universe(ish) as this one.

So by now you’ve already met yan! father.

BUT WHAT ABOUT CUTE HIGH FANTASY YAN! GRANDPARENTS AND OLD MENTOR.

(honestly would love to see my moot’s takes on yan! grandparents so if ya’ll see this. it’s not only a sign but a call to aid plez)

mostly based off of mairimashita iruma kun’s sullivan, your YAN! PATERNAL GRANDPA and GRANDMA spoil you a shit ton.

YAN! P! GRANDPA is more on the type to spoil you physically/monetarily. If you have a need or even the slightest hint of desire for something, consider it received. He has saved so much of your drawings and if you happen to be the kid who drew monsters/weird abominations as a child then ya boi definitely has frankensteined some into being. His creations happened to net him a ton of money which he spent all on you as ‘thanks’ but everyone knows it’s just cause he’s infatuated with his cute grandchild.

YAN! P! GRANDMA leans heavily on the ‘unhealthily allowing this kid(you and yan!dad) to do whatever you want and even encouraging it’ sort of parenting. She taught how to kill and do it efficiently as a young child. Uncaring of whatever prophecies schmofeces oracles have of your future. She will make you into an indestructible machine and is hell-bent on it. … You have probably ingested a lot of poison from her cookies as a way to built immunity to the stuff.

Now your maternal grandparents are a lot let on the damaging side but are still pretty over the top.

Your YAN! MATERNAL GRANDPA loves showing off. He’s probably like a war general with many wives and sees love as ‘you worship/admire me’ which he sorta maybe passed unto you. He’s kind of like a caveman and believes a show of strength is in order to be successful. So there’s a lot of him flexing and challenging YAN! PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS to a duel.

Only for YAN! PATERNAL GRANDMA to swiftly have his ass wipe the floor.

YAN! MATERNAL GRANDMA is a jaded woman. She never loved her husband and had always wanted to flee the family and high society until you came along. I see her as the old version of those Manhwa female protags that have rebirthed multiple times and is just tired of the shitty life they’ve been dealt with. She’s incredibly knowledgeable on fashion, trends and the industry as a whole. She’ll make sure you look good at every turn. Maybe even start trends of your own. It doesn’t matter your body type and if isn’t what’s in at the moment, she’ll make it the moment. Unlike the paternal grandma and her husband, she would never put you in harms way. Even extending your time with her so you don’t have to do those barbaric acts with the others.

And then there’s YAN! MENTOR who swore to never have another child under him ever again. The last time he did that, said child (your father) destroyed his precious astrology tower and had him imprisoned for 5 years for a thing he never even did. Sure, 5 years is nothing for thousand or so year old man but boy was he pissed off.

YAN! MATERNAL GRANDPA had to threaten him to have you and YAN! MENTOR is almost thankful that he did.

YAN! MENTOR believes you to be his best student. It definitely did not start off that way. He thought that a prissy, spoiled brat like you would leave the moment he gave you a difficult task but you surprised him with your tenacity. Throughout all his trials for you, you always came out at top, if not persevered until your body couldn’t handle it anymore.

He definitely wants you to kill your dad as compensation though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up writing him as the reason why you plotted to end the dude’s life.

To keep things fluffy, let’s say in this timeline, he saves you from your dad’s entourage and adopts you.

Your YAN! GRANDPARENTS definitely riot but all are mature enough to understand the situation in the end.

will write more on this on the future but for now, i gotta go! byeeee!!

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Where's Mommy?

Wolffe x Lilith Sestri (OFC)

Part 12

Summary: Wolffe's wife suddenly dies, leaving him a single father in the middle of a war.

Pairing: Wolffe x Lilith Sestri (OFC)

Characters: Wolffe, Cara (child OFC), Sinker, Comet, Boost, Warthog

Tags & Warnings: heavy angst, mention of death, off-screen death, spousal death, grief, hurt/comfort, family fluff

Word Count: 1.7k

Author's Note: Phew! That was a whole lot of work, but everything has been converted from reader to oc, and every chapter has been updated to third-person past tense writing 😮‍💨 Nothing in the plot has changed, but I did update some wording and filled in a few gaps I found while I was going through the story. Y'all, the next chapter is the funeral. Enjoy this last bit of, uh... not as sad moment(?), then brace yourselves! As always, please enjoy 💚

Beta: @beating-a-dead-plot

Part 1 || Prev | Next

Series Masterlist

Wolffe watched from his seat at the desk chair as Cara, Comet, Boost, and Warthog continued to unpack her things and arrange the room. He had Warthog stuff his armor in the wardrobe while she wasn't looking to try and keep the mood up. She was going to have enough to be sad about when they went to the funeral soon. Too soon. He didn't even know if he was ready for it, let alone Cara. He'd already had a conversation with the Wolfpack about it, and they'd be ready to step in when he needed them.

"Commander," Sinker called from the doorway. "Can I talk to you?"

Wolffe sighed and got up from the desk chair to join Sinker out in the hallway. He left the door open so Cara wouldn't fret about his absence, but he'd keep his voice hushed so she didn't overhear their conversation. If he was lucky, she wouldn't notice that he'd stepped out of the room. Sadly, with the look on Sinker's face, Wolffe knew that whatever happened in that briefing couldn't be good, at least not in terms of their remaining time left on Coruscant, and he braced for it.

"How was the briefing?" Wolffe asked.

"We're deploying," Sinker sighed. "I'm sorry, Wolffe."

Wolffe cursed under his breath.

"According to the intel," Sinker continued, "Captain Rex and General Kenobi were taken captive by Zygerrian slavers while trying to infiltrate their operation to free some imprisoned Togrutas."

"You're kidding," Wolffe said.

"Afraid not," Sinker said. "We're being sent to Kadavo as reinforcements for the liberation."

Wolffe pinched the bridge of his nose. "When are we leaving?"

"Two rotations," Sinker answered. "It would've been immediate, but General Skywalker and Commander Tano are already on the ground, so it bought us some time to regroup. As is, it's going to take twelve standard rotations just to get to the Kadavo system from Coruscant."

Wolffe breathed a small sigh of relief. It wasn't a lot of time, but it was enough for him to get his affairs in order. He looked over at Cara and watched as she played a game with Comet and Boost. She will be devastated when he has to put his armor back on and leave. With no mother, no father, and no Wolfpack, she was going to be completely alone. It'd take at least one standard month to get to the Kadavo system and back, and that didn't even take into consideration the length of the actual mission. Liberations could last for months.

"May I be excused?" Sinker asked after Wolffe didn't respond. "I promised the general that I'd help with the… preparations."

Wolffe paused. He knew what the implications of that word meant and while he was grateful that his second in command had his hands on his wife's funeral, it was still a stab to the heart.

"Yes, of course," Wolffe stammered. "Dismissed."

Sinker left and Wolffe walked back into the room, grabbed his comm, sat down at the desk, and typed a message to Fox. We need to talk. It's important.

It took a while, but Fox eventually answered back. I'll be at the funeral.

Wolffe quickly sent another message. No, not there. Tomorrow morning. The diner.

Fox replied back after a couple of minutes. Meet me there at 0600.

Wolffe put his comm back down and anxiously tapped his foot against the floor. It was a long shot, but he needed someone to look after Cara while he and the Wolfpack were gone. Even if Fox couldn't do it, he probably had a couple of trusted brothers in the Coruscant Guard who could. It was better than the alternative of some random Jedi caretaker brainwashing his child while he was off fighting the War. He wanted to be able to trust the Jedi, he did, but he always found a small seed of doubt when he tried.

"Cara," Wolffe called. She ran over to him. "I'm going out tomorrow morning."

"You're leaving?" Cara asked, her voice full of uncertainty.

"No, baby," Wolffe soothed. "I'm just gonna see Fox for a bit."

"Can I come?" she asked.

"No," Wolffe said.

"Please?" she pleaded.

"You don't even like Fox," Wolffe argued.

Cara pouted.

"Comet will be here to watch you," Wolffe said a little louder. He looked up at Comet and received a smile and a nod of acknowledgement. "You can explore the Temple together."

Cara continued to pout.

Wolffe decided to change his tactics. There was something in the Temple that could get her excited, even if only a little bit. "You know," he began. "I heard they have a tree somewhere."

Cara perked up. "A tree?"

"Mhm," Wolffe said. "A real one." It was something Wolffe and his wife planned on doing after the War; moving to a planet full of different flora and fauna for Cara to see. His wife kept images all around their apartment of different trees and plants from around the galaxy, since Cara had never been off-world yet.

Cara gasped with wide eyes. "Can I go see it?"

"Sure," Wolffe shrugged. "But only if you stay with Comet."

Cara thought about the proposal for a moment. "I'll stay with Comet."

"That's my good girl," Wolffe praised. "You can go play now."

Cara ran back to Comet and Boost, but then turned on her heels and ran back to Wolffe.

"Daddy," she said. "I have to go potty."

Wolffe blinked a few times in surprise. He was so used to Cara using the refresher by herself at home, that it didn't even dawn on him that she might need help here. He really wasn't made for parenting, but he was going to do his best to help her. The last thing he needed right now was for her to have an accident, and right before the funeral too. He glanced at the chronometer to make sure they still had time, then took her hand and guided her through the halls to find a refresher.

There should be a one somewhere on that floor, but he didn't remember seeing it on their way in. Then again, he did zone out for a bit near the end. After walking a little further, he saw a sign, but it was for a male species refresher. He looked around and saw another sign for a female species refresher, but he wasn't sure which one he should take her in. His wife would've just taken her into the female species refresher and took care of everything. Maker he wished she was here.

Since he was a male species, did he need to bring her into that one? If he did take her there, he risked her seeing things she shouldn't be seeing. However, if he took her into the female species refresher, was he going to get arrested? He noticed Cara starting to wiggle and he knew he needed to make a decision quickly. Ultimately, Wolffe took her into the female species refresher for her own comfort and protection. If he got arrested, Fox could always bail him out.

"Do you need help?" Wolffe awkwardly asked while rubbing the back of his neck.

"No!" Cara said adamantly and slammed the stall door behind her. "Mommy said I'm a big girl and big girls use the refresher alone."

Wolffe was shocked, but rolled with it. "Oh, okay. I'll, uh, I'll wait out here then."

Wolffe wasn't sure what to do with himself while he waited. He missed out on the potty training phase when Cara was two years old, and this was always his wife's territory, just like bath time. Which was something else that slipped his mind. He had no idea where the bath was, if the Temple even had a bath, or who was going to help her bathe in the morning. His wife was adamant that someone had to watch her in the bath. Maker strike him dead if she drowned when he wasn't around.

Within a few minutes, the stall door swung open and Cara came walking out. Wolffe opened his mouth to remind her about washing her hands, but before he got the chance, she was already at the sink washing her hands with soap. He didn't have to remind her; she did it all on her own. She even used the stool on her own. She didn't need his help at all. Wolffe felt a small twinge of pain in his heart. She was growing up so fast and he'd barely been around to see it. He'd missed so much, and he was going to miss even more.

"Ready to go back?" Wolffe asked after Cara finished drying her hands and hopped off of the stool.

Cara nodded and grabbed Wolffe's hand. He held it just a little tighter while they walked back to the room, because there might be a day when she no longer wanted to hold his hand, and when that day came, all he would have were the memories. It was expected of a clone to grow up fast, that was their purpose, but if he could ever find a way to stop aging, he'd give it to his daughter. It might be selfish, but he didn't want her to grow up. She was his baby girl and he wanted her to stay that way.

When rounded the corner of the hallway leading to the room, Wolffe could see Sinker standing outside of the door, dressed in his formal wear and holding what looked like Wolffe's officer uniform folded neatly in his hands. It must be that time, Wolffe guessed. He grabbed the uniform from Sinker and left Cara with him while he went into the room to change. When the door shut, Cara didn't say anything, but she did look a little confused. Sinker wasn't sure what to say to her, so instead of stumbling over his words, he said nothing.

Comet, Boost, and Warthog had already changed into their dress uniforms and went ahead, which left Sinker, Wolffe, and Cara to bring up the rear. It was fitting, in a way, for them to arrive at the funeral last. After a few moments, the door slid back open and Wolffe emerged in his officer's uniform. He fixed a couple of spots while Cara looked up at him with concern in her eyes, almost as if she knew what was going to happen, but still, no one had the heart to speak it out loud. Inevitably, it was time for them all to say goodbye.

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[aviradasa]

The sight of two stars

Aaravos x Startouched elf! Reader

(art from Pinterest if you know the original artist let me know so I can give proper credit!!)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

{Fluff}

warning: none

I had this idea for a while about Aaravos with a reader who likes to find constellations on his skin and I started this oneshot expecting it to take a completely different path but I love how it turned out and I'm low key proud with the idea. The execution is not my best work but we have fun here!😂. Anywho, I hope y'all enjoy! I hope this will be able to hold you over for a few more days as I have 3 more one shots/images in the making that should come out shortly! Anyway, it's almost 3 am and I have to drive for 5 hours back home tomorrow 😭.

(ps:I had to make up a constellation for this that sounded more magical so I did! But all the other constellations are either from the show or a real constellation!)

Don't forget you can leave a request! I will link my master list here make sure you read before requesting! Love you all my little goblins 🖤

I have always loved the night sky And everything that belongs to it. I've especially always been drawn to constellations. The way the stars are set just perfectly to make a work of art when in reality they are so far from one another that they are not aware that their portrait is beautiful in a way.

It's been so long since I was able to gaze upon them. Being imprisoned for centuries with no windows or fresh air is a burden in itself, But losing my Night sky, it almost felt like I had lost myself. Well, I didn't lose all of myself. My lovely husband keeps me Sane (When he's not driving me Insane).

He's the reason I’m here in the first place. What is it with dragons anyway, It was just a couple of war crimes and whatnot, And I wasn't even involved. With the crimes that is. yes, I may have given my lovely starman some ideas every once in a while, But I never got my hands dirty. I was just a performer, Singing and dancing in town squares, Taverns, inns you name it. But alas here we are. Here I am. Stuck in this hell, with no sky, just that Damned mirror. I hate that mirror, Well I hate being in range of that mirror. To know someone could be watching me from the other side unnerves me and I avoid it at all cost.

I hear the door open to the room I have placed myself in, another room in this prison. It's a little library with books on all sorts of things. it's my favorite spot in this wretched place. My little slice of heaven.

I glance up from my book watching Aaravos enter the room with that cloak on, I can’t help but love the way he looks in it, and with the way I look at him, I’m worse than any man.

“My love, Why do you gaze at me in such a way? I can feel your eyes from here” He teases, taking his cloak off and hanging in on a small hook by the tall doors before looking over at me with that Smirk he gives. I love this elf but by the Divines why must he do this?

I shake my head with a chuckle, placing my bookmark in the spot I left off before closing my book. Setting it down gently on the table beside the little sofa I've curled up on. “ Am I not allowed to admire you?.’ I jokingly ask with a small grin as I allow him to take a seat beside me.“So how was your dramatic entrance? Did that Dark mage see you this time like you wanted?” I ask turning to face him resting my arm on the back of the sofa and using my hand to prop up my head.

“Everything went according to plan. His candle went out. I went in, confused him, and left. Just as Intended.” He tells me with a cocky smile.

“Now everything should fall into place, he’s a curious desperate, power-hungry human. That is just the combination we are looking for if we wish to get out of here.” I say with some excitement,

“but my love do not get cocky yet because if one little piece is lost, broken, or forgotten, we will be stuck here. And If we are stuck in here for another century I will skin you alive.” I warn with a stern expression before I chuckle a bit.

He laughs a bit “ No you wouldn’t, 'cause then you would be all alone in this place and we both know you couldn't take that.” He says pulling me closer to his side.

“What are you talking about? Some peace and quiet would be lovely. Maybe then I could finish my book.” I joke as I adjust to get a bit more comfortable. “Ah yes, what book are you reading currently again? It was something to do with the differences between human interpretations of constellations and Elven interpretations correct?” he asks genuinely curious about my interest,

He remembers my love of the night like no other, for he loved it as well. but now it's hard to remember what it's like. Of course, there are illustrations in the books but those illustrations can only capture so much, yes some books do better than others but the true beauty of the night sky can only truly be appreciated in person. Well, maybe something can come close.

“Yes that's right, and honestly humans need to get a bit more creative. I mean they Named Garlath the Annihilator the Big Spoon… Because they thought it looked like a spoon." I say with sarcasm as I roll my eyes. “ and also they call Leolas' last wish the South Star. Talk about imagination.'' I speak with disappointment. Aaravos just simply chuckles “Those names the humans gave them came to be long before this generation, they are simple and easy for their minds to comprehend but I do agree they were quite lazy.” he says in agreement.

I think he gives them too much credit. but what can I say I lost patience with humans during my time performing. Aaravos on the other hand has plenty, but then again he was more respected by them due to the whole giving them magic ordeal which I understand but still, humans are like an annoying younger sibling. you love them and would do what you could to protect them from others, but you would definitely rip their vocal cord out and strangle them with it as soon as they call you ugly.

I sigh “Perhaps I'm a bit harsh on them sometimes, but I can't help it. I feel like I'm losing my mind here, I'm not even sure how much time has passed anymore.” I explain as I absentmindedly trace little patterns on his freckled arm that rests around my waist, as I'm doing this a particularly bright star freckle brings my mind back into focus and I notice something. “Wait a moment…” I say suddenly as Aaravos gives me a confused look “What is it?” he asks simply before I place my thumb over the spot on his arm to not lose it reaching over I grab my book and open it to a certain page leaving him to his confusion as i scan the books page.

“Aha! I thought that looked familiar, darling." I say lifting my thumb off the spot on his arm and placing the book's page next to it. The page has an illustration of a constellation on it, and it just so happens that the little star freckles on his arm connect to make the same one. “Hm well isn't that interesting? I had not noticed that none yet ” he says, grabbing the book from my hand to examine it.

“ Well it says that it's called the eye of Izora, it has 8 stars on top making the upper eyelid, and 5 stars that make up the bottom. The iris is made up of 4 stars in between with the pupil being a completely different constellation (Leola’s last wish). The eye has 7 stars above it making it appear as though the eye has three separate eyelashes with another 7 on the bottom doing the same. In the human kingdoms, it's not known” he reads with a hint of interest. He looks between the book and the spot on his wrist where I found the constellation.

“ isn't that interesting? Oh, I just love finding new ones they are harder to find on you than they are on me for some reason.." I tell you with a grin, snatching the book back. I search through the pages as I scan the rest of his arm looking for more connections. this is one of my favorite things to do, I've found plenty of constellations on myself but with Aaravos they are harder to find because he has a lot more stars on him then I do and they make it harder to connect them,

Minutes pass before I find another new one… It was right in front of us but my eyes couldn't make it out right away. “I see one right there but I can't make out what that one is, It's definitely something though. Can you tell what it is?” I ask Aaravos looks at it for a moment, tilting his head to the side a bit trying to get another angle to look at it but failing.

he seems to think for a moment before he grabs a quill out of the inkpot that sits on the end table next to the sofa, he places the tip of the quill on his skin tracing in between the stars on his arm. As I look through the book I hear him hum “It looks like a scorpion look it up in the book I think we finally found it.” he says, showing me the connected lines.

“I think you're right.” I say glancing at his armbefore turning to the next page and seeing the scorpion-like constellation, it matches the one on his arm and I grin “We found it, I knew it was around here somewhere, we all have our star sign on us, yours just was hiding all these years.” I laugh and he does too “I found it once before I believe but I lost it and didn't find it again until now.” he says holding it up

“ well maybe once we get out of here you should get it tattooed so you don't lose where it is again.” I joke And Aaravos laughs a bit “My love you know I would never do that, it's not my style, besides I am already vastly decorated anyways.’ he says in a kind of sassy tone. As we both laugh some more

As the day? Night? Carried on We both continued our search for more constellations on his skin. It wasn't long before we had mapped out at least a dozen from his wrist to his shoulder connecting the stars with thin lines of writing ink that was smudging in some places but neither of us cared because this was one of the few moments where neither of us are frantically searching or planning. It was just us, then again it's always just us, but moments like this bring us back to reality when we didn't even realize we were drifting away from ourselves, and each other. I know we are gonna make it out of this prison one day, and once we do I know it's going to be just the two of us against all of Xadia. But that's ok I know we will be able to take care of it. And at least I'll have my night sky back.

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Checkmate - Steve Rogers x Reader (Medieval Royalty AU)

A/N: this is my entry into @the-slumberparty week three challenge: something new! I got Royalty AU and if you have been following me since my wattpad days you’ll know I’ve already given Modern Royalty AU but this is my first go at Medieval Royalty AU so I hope you enjoy it!

Summary: Sometimes you wished you were more than just a chess piece

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Light Angst! Mention of Arrange Marriage! Fluff! One bed trope if you squint!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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You had given up hope that you’d be rescued, or at least rescued alive. In the weeks you had been held captive in this dungeon you had come to terms that your death would spark a war that would result in the deaths of countless others. A thought that you hated, you didn’t want the blood of innocents on your hands.

But with every passing day that thought became your reality. You weren’t even sure how many days had passed. Your cell was damp and dark all hours of the day, the air stale and thick with the stench of decay. You couldn’t even use meals to determine the passing off time, they were so sporadic. Your gown hung loose on your body, ripped and caked in mud making the chill in the air even worse.

You were huddled in the far corner, the only one that seemed to avoid the breeze. It was a silent night, with the exception of quiet groans from those who were also imprisoned in this dungeon. The sound of keys rattling had you curling up further.

“Princess” the guard said as he walked into your cell.

“Please, please leave me alone” you whimper with a small shake of your head.

The sound of his boots approaching made you curl up even more, shivers running through your body. You flinched and whimpered when you felt his large hand on your shoulder.

“Princess, I’m here to get you out of here” the guard said, his tone much softer than before.

You hesitantly look over your shoulder at him, first noticing how poorly his armour seemed to fit. All the straps were as loose as they could be so the metal could fit over his large frame. None of the pieces seemed to match either, it was as if he’d just picked up random pieces as he came across them. Your eyes finally met his through his helment, you blinked a couple of times at the warmth that they held before realising you actually recognised them.

“Steve?” You whisper in disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s me” Steve nods a small smile playing at his lips “I’m here to rescue you” he says holding out his hand for you to take.

“My father sent you?” You mutter not able to believe it.

“No, I’ll explain later but lets get you out of here” Steve says as he wraps a shawl around your body, pulling the hood up so it hung low over your face “i need you to stay completely still and don’t say a word” he instructs you, you had barely nodded when he swept you up into his arms, repositioning the shawl so every inch of you was covered.

Despite your surprise, you did what he said remaining silent and still as he carried you to freedom. Relaxing into his arm feeling safe for the first time in weeks.

Steve had carried you halfway out of the dungeons when someone called out “Hey where are you going?”

Steve didn’t even flinch “the vagrant in cell 23 died, I’m dumping his body in the woods for the wolves,” he told the other guard.

The other guard laughs “oh they’ll love fighting over that, barely any meat on him” he chuckles.

Steve hums “i’ll make sure to make a hasty retreat” he says as he continues his journey out of the dungeon.

When he stepped out into the open night air you instantly began to shiver. Steve wrapped his arms around you more and held you closer to him.

“Not long now, once we’re over the border we’ll stop for the night and I’ll build a fire” he reassures you.

He walked for a few more minutes before stopping and setting you back down onto your feet. His arm wrapped around your waist as your weak knees buckled beneath you.

You pushed your hood back enough so you could see, your breath catching when you saw your horse standing waiting to be mounted.

“Maximus” you breathe out, your voice catching at the sight of your beloved horse.

“He was just as desperate to rescue you as I was, so I had to bring him along, it’s a good thing we’ve always gotten along” Steve smirks as he lifts you up onto the horse.

You chuckle gently, shaking your head since you knew that wasn’t always the case. You had known Steve since childhood, his mother was one of the palace healers and he worked in the stables whenever he wasn’t fighting his own illness. The pair of you became fast friends and before you knew of your duty as a Princess you had always hoped he would be the man you spent the rest of your days with as nobody owned your heart like he did. Maximus and Steve had a love hate relationship, something that would always make you giggle when Maximus would grab Steve’s collar to stop him from walking away, and kicking over any bucket he could to make Steve’s life harder.

“Hold on as tight as you can, we’re gonna be going pretty quick until we get over the border” Steve warns you as he climbs up onto Maximus behind you, his arms reaching around you to grab the reins.

“Ready” you confirm as you grab hold and prepare yourself for the gallop.

You had been riding for a couple of hours when you finally came to a stop for the night. Steve had already dumped the armour he’d stolen to throw anyone who followed off your scent.

He gently helped you down from the horse, guiding you over to a large log that you could sit on “here eat some of this” Steve says passing you a roll of bread from his pack.

“Thank you,” you say gratefully as you start slowly tearing into the roll, unable to stop the sigh that escaped from your lips as you tasted the first nice bit of food in weeks.

As you ate you watched as Steve set up a small camp for the night, lighting a fire and creating makeshift beds for the both of you.

“How are you feeling?” Steve asked brushing his hands against his trousers as he rose to his full height.

“Better thank you,” you say quietly pulling the shawl around you tighter to fight the chill.

“It’s okay I’m sorry you had to stay there so long” Steve sighs as he sits down near the fire, adding a couple more logs to help warm you up.

You give him a small smile before looking down as you remember what he said about your rescue “you said my father hadn’t sent you… has he… had he given up?” You say, your voice barely above a whisper.

“No” Steve muttered instantly, his brows furrowing as shakes his head “no not at all” he tells you as he moves closer to you, hesitating for a second before sitting down next to you, putting his hand on your knee “your father is working tirelessly to try and free you but with the politics of it all it was proving difficult to organise an attack” he explains.

“Because if he attacked it could trigger a war, which is just what they wanted” you sigh shaking your head “so how are you here?”

“I tried to convince your father that a stealth attack would free you and prevent a war, the enemy would be too busy preparing for a large-scale attack that they wouldn’t notice some slipping in but he didn’t agree” Steve explains with a shrug of his shoulders.

“So you had to prove him wrong” you chuckle shaking your head at him “I should have guessed” You say knowingly earning a bashful smile in return “I’m glad it was you though” you tell him softly, shifting closer to him so you could rest your head on his shoulder.

It was silent for a few minutes, the only sound being from the pop and crackle of the fire before Steve cleared his throat “it’s late, you should try and get some rest” he says standing up and walking over to his pack and pulling out a blanket “that should help keep you warm”

“Yes, of course, thank you,” you say quietly taking the blanket and moving to lie down on the floor.

As you tried to get comfortable you look over to where Steve was sitting, the fire casting a warm glow across his features. His back seemed tense as he sat with his arms resting atop of his knees and all you wished to do was help him relax.

“Steve….” You said quietly catching his attention “will you lie with me?” You ask softly.

Steve’s lips parted slightly in surprise “I-I- I um don’t-“ he stuttered.

“Please? I’ll feel safer knowing you’re next to me” you tell him.

He pursed his lips and you could see his resolve breaking “okay” he said softly before moving to lie beside you, close enough that you could feel his warmth but far enough away that he didn’t risk touching you.

Silence once again fell and you tried to allow yourself to fall asleep. You should be exhausted, you had barely slept during your imprisonment and it had been a tiring day. But you just couldn’t, your mind was just too loud.

“I hate politics” you mutter mostly to yourself not expecting Steve to still be awake.

“What do you mean?” He hums behind you.

“Oh sorry I thought you’d be asleep,” you say looking over your shoulder at him.

Steve gives you a soft smile “I was waiting until you fell asleep first, so what’s on your mind” he asks.

You roll over to face him, your fingers fiddling with the buttons on the cloak he’d given you “its just rules my life, it nearly killed me, if you hadn’t saved me I don’t think I would have lived to see the next full moon” you sigh shaking your head.

“I’m sorry, I should have come and saved you sooner” Steve apologises with a sad look in his eyes.

“Shush” you mutter shaking your head as you look up, your eyes meeting his in the low light “you have nothing to apologise for, I’ll forever be a chess piece for everyone to just use,” you tell him “our enemies used me to try and start a war, my father will use me to create an alliance with another kingdom, they’ll just use me to produce an heir…. All because I was born, something I had no control over leaves me with no control over my life”

Steve looks at you sadly, his hand reaching out to take yours, his thumb gently brushing over your skin in a soothing manner “what would you do if you did have control?” He asked quietly.

You smile softly as you thought about what you would do, one idea instantly coming to mind “I’d marry for love, status means nothing to me, they could be a prince, a duke…. Or a stable boy” you say, the corners of Steve’s lips twitching upwards, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Would that make you happy?” He asks, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“The happiest” you smile softly.

“Well… I will wish on every star that you get that life princess” he promises shifting closer so he could press a gentle kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering for a few moments as he breathed deeply.

“Thank you Steve” you whisper moving so your forehead rested against his chest.

You willed your breathing to be deeper and slower to give the impression that you’d finally fallen asleep. Smiling to yourself when you felt Steve kiss your forehead again, his arm draping over your side securely.

When the sun began to rise Steve packed up the camp while you ate some of the rations he brought. Once the camp was dismantled and all signs of your stay hidden the two of you continued your journey home. As your strength had begun to return you sat behind Steve giving you the best opportunity to wrap your arms around his waist. It was a feeling you would savour as you knew you’d never get a chance like this again.

Your arrival into the kingdom did not go unnoticed, crowds all murmured and whispered as you rode past, the look of relief on their faces to see you safe and alive. Guards did not get in your way as you walked into the castle, straight to the throne room where you knew your father would be.

When your father saw you walk in his expression was one of pure shock and relief, he surged forward and hugged you tightly “my dear I am so relieved to see you alive and home”

“as am I father” you smiled reassuringly “and we have Steve to thank for that,” you tell him glancing over at Steve.

Your father straightened as he turned to look at Steve “I should have you punished for disobeying my orders but… you saved my daughter and for that, I will be eternally grateful” your father says shaking Steve’s hand “is there anything I can give you to repay this debt? Anything you desire? Anything at all, I could make you one of my knights” your father offers.

Steve glances over at you before turning his attention back to your father “I appreciate the offer of a knighthood but there is something I would value more” Steve says “I would like your permission to marry your daughter, I have loved her since childhood and I promise to continue to love her for the rest of my life” he asks.

You couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped your lips, you never expected Steve to love you in the same way that you did. You always believed the affection he showed was from your friendship and duty, not because he actually loved you back. your eyes dart between Steve and your father, praying silently to the gods that your father would say yes.

“Steve…” your father sighs “I respect you as a hard-working and loyal man but in this world, Love is not good enough for a prosperous match” he says shaking his head “Y/N has to marry someone who will be good for the kingdom, not just her”

“Steve is good for the kingdom” you interject making your father arch a brow in question “I can see no better way to show how we value are subjects that to show we don’t view ourselves as above them” you point out.

“but that would jeopardise our relationships with our allies” your father reasons.

“I believe a marriage with another kingdom could jeopardise our own, what if the man you pick for me to marry doesn’t value this kingdom as much as his own, our people could suffer, whereas a future king who is from this kingdom will forever value it and work in its best interest” you tell him “we have strong industries already, we could focus on them and use them to create allies with other kingdoms”

Your father smiles proudly back at you “you shall make a good queen someday” he says softly.

“then let me marry a man I love and that won’t stop me from performing my duty” you say stepping closer to Steve taking his hand in yours.

Your father lets out a long sigh before looking back at Steve “I guess I should start calling you son” he says shaking Steve hand with a warm smile on his face.

You smiled warmly up at Steve, you may still be a chess piece but you just won the game.

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[cuteniarose]

an au that may or may not exist: what if suiren became the avatar instead of korra??

Believe it or not, it is an AU that has existed in my head for… about four years now, maybe? I think I even made some art for it once, though I’m pretty sure it was destroyed in the Great Tablet Explosion of October 2020 (don’t ask…). I never really developed it much because Kat wasn’t too interested in it and considering my difficult relationship with motivation, energy and creating in general, it’s hard to find the will to spend time and resources on something if I don’t have my beloved partner in crime to yell about it with me, you know?

But anyway, the two ways an AU like this could go are:

1) Reminiscent of most Red Lotus Korra AUs, Suiren is raised by her parents to believe in the anarchist cause, always on the run and never staying in one place for too long as they hide her from the White Lotus right up until it’s time for her to learn airbending. The world is absolutely not ready for an Avatar like her, Spirits help us all

2) She is discovered and taken from her parents as a child, the Red Lotus are imprisoned and she’s raised in Korra’s compound. No matter how much the White Lotus would try to condition her against her parents, she’d never listen and would spend the years doing as she’s told but biding her time until she’s old and powerful enough to break her parents free and take revenge on everyone who did this to them. The world’s fucked, RIP everyone

I am much more partial to the first version just because Suiren already goes through so much pain in all of our AUs, I’d like to spare her at least from this. And also the first version is just so much more fun since it creates room for a lot of family fluff and shenanigans, which are some of my favourite genres to indulge in 😁

As for what she’d actually be like as an Avatar, she’d be a lot like Korra. Brash, cocky, hotheaded, all that. She’s prodigious in waterbending, obviously, and I imagine fire and earth would come to her rather quickly as well, fire more so since she’s a bit too lightfooted for earth (on that note, as much as it would make sense, I don’t want her to be a lavabender. Let Midori have this one thing she’s exceptional at, please, she already has an inferiority complex the size of the Earth Kingdom even without her sister being the Avatar). Air would also be a struggle since the extent of her spirituality is considering the moon her closest ally, but she’d have the movements down straight away since it’s not too far off from her bending style. And this is based on what I tangentially learned from Kat, but I think she might also be similar to Yangchen in being very susceptible to her past lives. Not quite to that severity, but she definitely gets flashbacks and strange dreams and random knowledge a lot, and when she’s overwhelmed and dissociated her past lives have a tendency to take over. It’s both scary and comforting to her, knowing that at any moment someone else could take her body over while her mind would be safe and sound in some sort of headspace. Out of her past lives, she’d absolutely adore Kyoshi and Yangchen, would probably be interested in whatever Kuruk and Aang have to tell her, and would hate Roku for his inaction leading to the start of the 100 Year War. She’d probably like Wan too if she ever dug that deep

She’s two years older than Korra so she’d have a bit more time before LoK’s plot kicks in, but… I didn’t actually think this far, to be honest. I’m horrendous when it comes to politics so I don’t really know what to do with the conflicts Korra faced. However, Suiren’s grandmother (adopted, not one of the biological ones, RIP Nuying and Afarin but Ikiaq is different) is a bloodbender so assuming there came a point where Suiren was taught it – and I believe she would definitely spend some time in the North with her grandmas, maybe at some point after the White Lotus exhausted their search of the poles and decides that the Avatar must come from a blended family in the Earth Kingdom – I think she’d be able to clock what Amon was doing as bloodbending. Not straight away, but if she looked at the chi paths of one of his victims. But again, I don’t really know where that whole thing with the equalists and Tarrlok and everything else would go. But it would be funny as hell if they had a “🎵 I’m just like you, you’re just like me 🎶” moment over bloodbending 😂😂 (before obviously some huge end-of-season fight, we’re not in a Disney movie where everything is solved by singing, unfortunately. If Suiren from the mermaid AU was here, though…)

About Book 2, tbh I feel like the story could very well end here, because the Red Lotus is fundamentally opposed to the existence of the Avatar. No, I’m not saying that her own family would kill her, absolutely not, but perhaps Suiren would choose to end the Avatar cycle during Harmonic Convergence by unfusing with Raava, freeing Vaatu and letting them keep doing what they were doing before Wan so rudely interrupted them. But if we wanna take it further and make it interesting, which I would prefer, she could fuse with Vaatu instead (probably killing Unalaq in the process since he’s not letting his Chaos Kite Boyfriend go that easily /hj. That’s alright though, wouldn’t be the first verse in which she’d kill Unalaq [hi Kat I know we haven’t discussed this yet but I recently got this really clear picture in my head of UtOS!Suiren eventually killing Unalaq as they’re readying the world for an anarchist revolution, and of Malina finding her over his dead body and kissing her while her face is splattered in his blood. Idk what possessed me there but it exists now and idk what you’ll think of it but you’re gonna have to try really hard to talk me out of it], no one would miss him). Raava wouldn’t be too happy about it but she’ll settle eventually once Suiren yells at her and Vaatu enough times to shut the fuck up and stop fighting, she can hear every word and she’s trying to sleep. If I were to write it, I’d draw a lot from what Kat described in her works Bonded and Adumbration, which I would link but that would require me doing a whole song and dance to get my VPN to connect so I can access Ao3, so… I’m sorry find them yourself if you’re curious 😅 It’d be quite an interesting dynamic for sure, and I really think Suiren would be rather fond of her Spirit Kites. She’s got a real thing for any creature that reminds her of water – snakes, certain fish, dancing Kuvira, etc., Raava and Vaatu would fit right in!! (I’m being plagued with art ideas beyond my skill level, send help)

After that it’s pretty much a clear road to an anarchist revolution since she’d be practically unstoppable with the power of two Great Spirits inside her, and that would replace the plots of Books 3 and 4 since obviously she wouldn’t have to go up against her own parents, they wouldn’t lose and Kuvira wouldn’t become the Great Uniter. But I still think Kuvira would have a high rank in some kind of oppositional movement against the Red Lotus, probably started by Suyin, so Kuviren can still have that sweet, sweet toxic yuri enemies to lovers plot line. Wouldn’t be an AU by yours truly without it :D And.. I think that’s pretty much all the thoughts I have on this topic, apart from the fact that once the time comes, Suiren would still end the Avatar cycle, either by unfusing with Raava and Vaatu or by ensuring she dies in the Avatar state (not by poison or anything, I’m sure if she talked to Raava and Vaatu they could arrange a way for them to take over right as she’s about to pass. My dear girl deserves to go peacefully at age 90+, I will not argue about this). No matter the exact route of this AU, Suiren would be the last Avatar, I can’t see her deciding any other way. Anyway, it’s a fun AU, definitely, an absolute goldmine for those shenanigans that I adore, but I do not have the energy or enough knowledge of politics and worldbuilding to turn it into an actual thing, so for now, it all remains in this post. Thanks for the question though, I really enjoyed this little thought experiment :)

[juliansswimmingpool]

Merthur Fic Masterlist (Updating)

These are some of my favourite Merlin fics so far. A lot of these will contain spoilers for the show. They are listed in no particular order. I have also cropped some of the summaries to save people the scrolling time.

Formatting is as follows: [Title] by [Author] | Completion Status | Word Count (to the nearest thousand), Chapters or Parts (if series) | Rating | Warnings (if applicable) | Key Info/Themes | Summary (I did not write most of them)

Updates since first posted: 1

Under 10k:

The Tulip Thief by Polomonkey | Complete | 3.2k, 1 chapter | General Audiences | Modern setting, fluff, pre-slash, misunderstandings, hand-holding | 'Sometimes I steal flowers from your garden on my way to the cemetery, but today you’ve caught me and have demanded to come with me to make sure the “girl is pretty enough to warrant flower theft” and I’m trying to figure out how to break it to you that we’re on our way to a graveyard'

10-20k:

to go with grace by andiwriteordie | Complete | 17k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Post-canon, character redemption, Morgana POV, angst, introspective, forgiveness | Morgana Pendragon is dead, at Emrys’s hand. Just as the prophecies had foretold. But before she can enter Avalon and find peace, she must first pay penance for all the sins she committed in her life. Her penance is quite simple: look after and heal Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King, until the time comes for his return to the land of the living.

The Sorcerer and the Lionheart by just_a_wavefunction | Complete | 16k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Post-canon, historical references, friendship, Immortal Leon | Merlin spends fifteen hundred years waiting for Arthur's return. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait alone.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart | Complete | 15k, 8 chapters | Mature | Soulmates AU, fluff, humor, angst, office romance | Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).

From This Day On by lady_ragnell | Complete | 19k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | modern setting, canon era (it'll make sense), mystery-solving? (idk how to describe it) | While on a hike, Merlin and Gwaine stumble upon the Lost City of Camelot, cursed to wake up every morning a century in the future, and Merlin decides it's his duty to break the spell--with help from a prince, an imprisoned seer, and quite a few others. A Brigadoon AU.

A Metaphor of Human Bloody Existence by lady_ragnell | Complete | 19k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Modern with magic, humour, crack treated seriously, destiny | In which Merlin and Arthur (and others) band together to fight evil on the advice of a can of peas.

21-50k:

and with my opened mouth i join the singing light by intothefirewego | Complete | 33k, 6 chapters | Mature | Graphic descriptions of blood | Heavy angst, major character injury, emotional hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, magic reveal | Merlin frowned, and tried to inhale, but choked on a cough. He opened his mouth, trying to speak but his mouth was sticky and full and he felt warm, warm, warm, warm spilling down down down down… The world tilted on its axis a little bit, and Merlin leant into Arthur’s body. Why was the world tilting? Arthur’s face shifted from annoyance to horror.

Destiny That Darkly Hides Us by Nympha_Alba | Complete | 40k, 7 chapters | Explicit | Angst, WWI, Edwardian era, college AU | It's 1913, the practice of homosexuality is unlawful, so is the practice of magic. When Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys meet as Cambridge undergrads, they're both hungry for a real and true connection without secrets. For a short time they believe they may have found it. But war breaks out and separates them, and it seems unlikely that they will meet again. After all, what are the odds?

A.S.S. (Agents of Secret Stuff) series by supercalvin | 39k, 8 parts | Mostly Teen & Up | Mostly none, one fic is marked with Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Spy AU, modern setting, humor, crack treated seriously, BAMF characters | Merlin & Arthur are an unstoppable spy duo. Basically merthur + the knights and other characters do whacky spy shit

51-100k:

Singing Trees by aescrof | Complete | 65k, 11 chapters | Teen & Up | Canon era, different first meeting, magic reveal, fluff, angst | Arthur knew about the magic from the start.

Tributes by TheAvalonian | Complete | 88k, 10 Chapters | Mature | Graphic Depictions of Violence | Hunger Games AU, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, emotional hurt/comfort | It is the 57th annual Hunger Games, and Merlin Emrys stands at the Reaping ceremony with his best friend Guinevere Smith at his side. In a twisted game where death seems the only certainty, Merlin will find himself tested in ways no one could have ever predicted - and may even find himself fighting for more than just his own life as he enters into an unlikely alliance with Arthur Pendragon, the Career tribute poised to win it all.

Over 100k:

To Bare Our Teeth and Our Hearts by queerofthedagger | Complete | 124k, 14 chapters | Mature | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | An execution was not exactly on Merlin's bucket list, wasn't even what destiny had intended for him. Arthur, for his part, really wants to catch a break, and to stop thinking about his late manservant. Or sometimes, things have to go downhill first before they get better, and if Uther had known about the eventual outcome, he might've changed his mind for once in his life.

What I'd Have Done by Flight_of_Fantasy | Complete | 119k, 14 chapters | General Audiences | Canon era, magic reveal, heavy angst, gen or pre-slash, Arthur-centric, character study | For better or for worse, Arthur knows Merlin's secret. The problem? Merlin doesn't know Arthur knows. This leaves Arthur with a predicament… and an opportunity. A test. Three trials and three opportunities for Merlin to prove he doesn't deserve death. Arthur hopes he will pass them. Maybe then the image of Merlin's golden eyes will stop haunting him.

The Heart's Search by rotrude | Complete | 115k, 2 chapters | Explicit | Some violence | Romance, AU - dystopia, modern setting | For thirty-five girls/boys, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Arthur. But for Merlin Emrys, being Selected is a nightmare. Leaving his home to enter a fierce competition for a crown he doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

The Great Merlin Bake Off by Elizabeth | Complete | 102k, 10 chapters | Mature | Modern setting, fluff, pining, schmoop | Because someone said, "What if it's Merlin, but they're on Bake Off?" AKA: The GBBO AU. It was bound to happen at some point.

Some bonus non-merthur Merlin fics:

Everyday Destiny (ffn, ao3) by Searchingforangels (ffn) or DancingInTheStorm (ao3) | Complete (only on ffn) | 53k, 200 chapters | General Audiences | Drabble collection, golden age AU, exploration of themes, non-linear narrative | Great destinies swing of small hinges; a collection of small moments that shape Albion. A pre- and post-reveal drabble collection.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Fluff and comfort coming up in multiple flavors since I don't know if you have a preference for characters/my stories and stuff.

Imprisoning War

Hemisi peeked in hesitantly, moving as silently as possible. The Festival of Colors had been a wonderful time, but Link had gotten ill shortly after, scaring her and her brother to death when he hadn't been able to breathe. Her father had quickly taken charge of the situation, but he hadn't let her anywhere near her boyfriend since then.

Well, she had to check on him. She hadn't seen neither Link nor her father since last night, and that was a whole day ago. It was evening now, the orange sunset reflecting on the colored powder that still stained the pathways and walls, reminding her of the festivities they'd had yesterday.

Her parents' room was at the center of the top floor of the palace, making it accessible but also very hard to be not noticed. Hemisi did her best, though, having memorized different routes of escape over the years.

Careful not to cast an obvious shadow, Hemisi slowly surveyed the room, noticing immediately that Link was in bed and her father was nowhere to be seen. Relieved, she entered hastily, poking her boyfriend carefully. He at least looked like he was breathing well.

Link turned his head a little, brow furrowing as he took a sleepy inhale with the jostling. Then he took notice of her, sitting up, eyes lighting up like the sun as he smiled. "Misi!"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Hemisi whispered reassuringly, before asking, "You... are okay, right?"

"I'm fine," he hastily answered, waving a dismissive hand and trying to reassure her.

"Link. You'd say you're fine while you're bleeding to death," Hemisi noted dully. "Be straight with me."

The warrior sighed, leaning back into the pillows behind him. "I'm just a little tired now. But I promise I'm pretty much okay. I can breathe fine, my chest just hurts."

"Perfect," Hemisi beamed, filled with excited energy. "I wanted to show you something before you got, well, really sick, but you can't come if you're still too ill to move."

"Getting out of here? We're getting out of here?" Link whispered, sitting up again, eyebrows rising with eagerness. "Gosh, please. Please, let's go somewhere, Lord Ganondorf won't let me get out of bed."

Then he caught himself, biting his lips uncertainly as his duty-bound nature conflicted with his restlessness.

Hemisi had no such qualms, and she knew she could coax the mischievous side out of him. "Don't worry about him. This is way more important."

Link frowned, nose scrunching the way it did when he was skeptical. "What are we doing?"

"Exploring the old sanctuary," Hemisi immediately answered, lowering her voice. "It's been abandoned for hundreds of years. Imagine the things we'd find down there!"

"Haven't you already explored it?"

"Heck no, it requires two people for some of the climbing and stuff."

"But Merovar...?"

Hemisi huffed. "Haven't you figured out yet that Merovar prefers quaffing his stupid self and pretending he's already king? He hates getting dirty."

"He literally tackled you into the muddy water yesterday."

"Okay, let me rephrase. He hates getting dirty and attacked."

Link crossed his arms, smirking. "Uh huh. So there are monsters in this sanctuary."

"Maybe," Hemisi shrugged, smiling slyly. "But that's never been a problem for you."

Link's expression mirrored her own, and she knew she had him. "No. It hasn't."

"You two are going to get in so much trouble."

Link and Hemisi nearly jumped out of their skin at the voice, looking to see her brother, Merovar, standing in the doorway.

"Mer, what the hell," Hemisi hissed. "Don't give us heart attacks!"

"Father's going to kill you anyway, so might as well start early," Merovar replied dully. "You're crazy, by the way. Nobody goes to the sanctuary for a reason."

"And you're a coward," Hemisi fired back. "You can fight well enough, you just don't want to."

Merovar rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Father's heading back upstairs, so if you're going to go, better do it now."

Adrenaline shot through her body, and Hemisi hastily grabbed Link by the wrist, dragging him out of the bed. Her boyfriend didn't argue, breathily giggling as he followed her, and the two dove off the balcony without hesitation.

It was time to have an adventure.

Hero of Shadow

The Depths were suffocating him. He felt his skin crawl, his heart racing, he felt like he was about to burst out of his chest.

“I want to go outside again,” he said softly, frankly pathetically, but he didn’t care how weak he sounded. He was done. He was so done.

Ganondorf’s expression, initially fairly neutral, grew somewhat exasperated. “We just got back. You said you were tired.”

I only did that because there was a traveler. I didn’t want you to hurt him. “But talking to you woke me up. I want… I just want some fresh air. Please.”

It was foolish to argue with the man. Link had learned early on that fighting Ganondorf like this wouldn’t get him anywhere. But, for whatever reason, the man didn’t immediately snap or take control of him. Instead, Ganondorf watched him a moment, cheeks flushing a little in frustration, before he took a calming breath and rose, holding out a hand. “All right. But we only have a few hours left of the blood moon, understood? We cannot stay beyond that. Come on.”

Link stared, surprised and dumbfounded, head too foggy to really comprehend that he had actually won an argument. He automatically reached out his hand to take the Gerudo king’s, and he let Ganondorf pull him close as gloom surrounded them and sent them upward.

The first sensation Link felt after being squeezed in cold darkness, was moisture. The air was heavy with it, and his ears were filled with the sound of curtains of rain crashing down from the sky. The cool damp of the Depths was replaced by a warm blanket of humidity slowly being washed away by cool rain. Ganondorf immediately shivered, shaking his head of the water that had already soaked his hair, and dragged Link under a tree. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a lullaby to accompany the nighttime white noise all around them.

Link glanced around, unable to see far due to the walls of white spreading foamy sparkles that hid the world around them. To his best ability, though, he couldn’t detect any people nearby, and he thanked the goddess for that. Then he slowly peeled himself out of Ganondorf’s embrace, stepping out into the open and letting the rain come crashing down on him. The sensation was immediately invigorating and grounding, silencing his mind from the screaming and begging for an end that had been playing nonstop since he’d found Hemisi’s urn. He didn’t think about anything because he couldn’t, his soul filled with the sound of rain, his emotions pouring out as the water carried them away.

“Link, you’ll catch a cold,” Ganondorf called from under the tree, huddled into himself like some feral cat avoiding one of the fountains in the capital.

“I like the rain,” he said quietly, not particularly concerned if he was heard.

Goddess it felt so freeing to be out here, to not be confined by stone and malice, to taste and see and feel and hear the earth around him. He missed this.

The rain brought new life to Hyrule, providing the most precious resource to everything in it. Link licked his lips, tasting the blessed gift, smiling for the first time since he’d been dragged back to mortality. He let it thoroughly soak him to the bone, drenched in the tears of the sky, the magic of the goddesses, the gift of Farore.

Thank you, he prayed. Thank you for giving me this.

It gave him hope. If Ganondorf could let him do this, if he could save that one traveler earlier, if he could actually speak to the man instead of bow down to his every wish…

Link hiccuped, his tears lost in the trails of rainwater cascading down his face. His quiet sobs were lost in the deafening sound of the sky crashing down.

Somehow, Ganondorf heard it. Or sensed it. He wasn’t sure. But the man called to him again, far more gently than before, and he slowly made his way back to him.

“You’re soaking wet,” the Gerudo fussed, pulling off his outer robe and wrapping Link in it. It was warm, so warm, and Link melted, letting Ganondorf settle him on his lap, knowing for a fact that after what he’d done earlier he wasn’t going to be let out of the man’s arm reach let alone out of his sight.

But just in this moment, he didn’t mind. He let himself be held, he let himself relax, he smiled and smiled and giggled and would have outright laughed if he had energy for it.

How had such a horrible day ended with such a note of hope? He didn’t know. But he took it as a sign. Hemisi had always loved the rain too.

Thank you.

“We’ll heal Hyrule, right?” He asked softly, eyes closed, consciousness slowly fading away.

Ganondorf paused from his ministrations, and then chuckled a little, lifting the robe so it was over Link’s head and rubbing his hair dry carefully. “We’ll reshape Hyrule, my boy. And it will be perfect when I am done.”

It wouldn’t be. And he wouldn’t reshape anything. Link would ensure that. He had in the past, and he would now. He’d promised himself that. The rain grew heavier, a breeze blowing a spritz of moisture, a wet kiss from the goddesses themselves as Ganondorf hissed a little and held Link more tightly to shield him from the water.

“Yeah,” Link sighed breathily, finally slipping into sleep with hope glowing in his heart, with resolve returning that rivaled a lonely in strength, with enough trust in the goddesses to be his own secret stone. He was still exhausted, he had no energy left to do anything. But he knew… at some point, it would come back. At some point he would get better. And he had a chance. Hyrule had a chance. He’d saved that stranger, even now, even at his lowest point. He could see the world again, could smell the cherry blossoms from home, could hear the rain and smell the sweet aroma of the world coming alive. “It will be.”

Linked Universe

Wild stared intensely at the cooking pot. "You said a pinch of salt?"

"Yeah, like... I don't know, a little pinch?" Sky offered.

Wild glanced at him exasperatedly. "What's a little pinch?"

Sky hesitantly dipped his hand into a pouch of salt, bringing out a near fistful.

"That's not little!" Wild protested, smacking the Skyloftian's hand away from their dinner. "Honestly, just tell me the basics of the recipe and I'll figure it out, promise."

"What are y'all making?" Twilight asked, peering over them both.

"Pumpkin soup!" Sky said excitedly. "But the Skyloft way."

"Still isn't better than Grandma's soup!" Wind called from the other side of the camp.

"I really wanted to see how it differed, honestly," Wild noted. "There are so many variations on it!"

"I just want to eat," Legend grumbled from where he laid on his sleeping mat, staring at the sky.

"Well, I'm sure it'll turn out great, no matter what," Twilight said with a chuckle.

"For sure!" Sky agreed. "Our cook is the best! I think it's going to be delicious."

"Yeah, but you gotta be more helpful we're going to do it your way," Wild noted. "Tell me the ingredients one more time. And make sure the list actually matches this time, you keep switching ingredients."

Inevitably, Sky added yet another new ingredient to the list, uncertainly claiming that he wasn't sure exactly which spices were in it, but simply emphasizing that it had to be served piping hot for it to be authentic.

When the finished product was ready, everyone eagerly gathered around the cooking pot. Sky dipped a bottle in first, immediately downing the drink, much to Wild's alarm.

"Sky, it's still boiling--"

Sky smiled, eyes alight. "This is delicious!"

Wind watched him warily, slowly dipping his own jar into the food, before he slurped it with his eyes squinted. They blew wide in a heartbeat, though, as he leapt to his feet, bouncing back and forth with his tongue sticking out. "Too hot, too hot!!"

When everyone laughed, he glared defiantly. "I'd like to see you guys try it!"

Of course, it immediately became a competition. The varying expressions the boys and men made to hide their discomfort were enough to draw laughter out of Sky, who somehow was completely unfazed by having boiling hot soup in his mouth.

The winner of the competition, of course, was Time, who managed to maintain a stoic demeanor (Sky was automatically disqualified from the competition). Of course, he wasn't going to tell anyone that he couldn't taste anything for the next two days, or that he downed half the contents of milk he'd packed from Lon Lon Ranch. He did have a reputation to maintain, after all.

And lastly... Recalled!

Malon honestly found it a little difficult to sleep that night. She didn't often wander somewhere so foreign, and she'd never been on one of her husband's adventures. Everyone here was an absolute doll, of course, very friendly and welcoming, but still. It was... different.

Seeking some comfort and familiarity, she slid out of the cot provided to her and climbed the ladder out of the shelter. She just needed some fresh air, and to--

"Malon?"

Gasping a little, she looked down the ladder to see her husband standing at the bottom, looking up at her curiously with half lidded eyes.

"Sorry, love," she whispered. "I just... wanted to go outside."

Link seemed to sense her anxiety, and he gave a small smile of comfort. "Can I come with you?"

Malon huffed out a chuckle, her chest warming with love. "Of course."

The pair made their way into the cool night air, and Malon automatically wandered to the miniature stable at the edge of the compound. Their horses greeted them quietly, ears perked forward as they watched the couple.

"How about a ride?" Link offered.

"You read my mind," Malon smiled back.

The pair rode their steeds into the field. The strange sight of Hyrule castle floating was still unsettling, but with her husband at her side, her horse running freely in the open landscape, and the wind flowing through her hair, Malon knew everything would be all right in the end.

Hey hon!! :D

It seems like you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, so I am here to offer hugs and gifts and distractions ❤️

Hug: Your art style is absolutely adorable and delightful, I love it. Also I am still hugging your art of Shadow to my chest mwuah adore it

Gift: Would you like me to write you anything? :D

Distraction: What’s the latest scoop for the Recalled Heroes? What are Sky and Sun up to?

HDHAJDJFNGN A

Hiiii XD meep I spent like five minutes happy stimming as soon as I saw your ask ndbdhsj

Thank you so much, I really appreciate the hugs and compliments! I have had a bit of a rough week, but I'm finally on the upwards trend, and that's been nice! Mental health is such a fickle thing, but I think I'm getting the hang of it for the moment.

Also hdhajdjfjgbg I'm so glad you love the art! :D I had so much fun drawing him!

As for gift: HSHSHFBFDNSKDKF I'm not used to asking for things fhdjs XD uhm... Maybe just some cute fluff/comfort stuff? I don't really have a preference on characters, but ye. Fluffy cuteness sounds great!

As for Recalled! I'm finally making progress on the next update, which I'm hoping to have done sometime next week, so that'll be fun! Most of it is just character interaction, and Sky and Sun doing introductions and figuring out nicknames. Super chill and cute, and Sky and Sun get to be the playful couple they are XD. I've also been having fun trying to figure out how to not lose my mind drawing brickwork and cobblestone cause the group is headed up to Hyrule Castle and oooooh boy cobblestone my beloathed. But ye! I've been having fun!

Thank you so much for the ask, it really means a lot to me that you reached out :D

I hope you're having a wonderful day/evening! 💜

[anika-ann]

Fought the World (for Your Hand) - S.R.

Type: drabble-ish, post Civil War canon divergence, established relationship

Pairining: (nomad) Steve Rogers x reader      Word count: 1600

Summary: Coming back after all that happened isn’t easy. To get pardoned is harder than one might think.

The Accords are being revised and the Avengers are back to business. But some damage cannot be undone. 

Warnings: mentions of bad parenting, angst & fluff, allusions to smut (if you squint)

A/N: works as a standalone, but technically is a one big ‘what if’ Sparkles and Steve (Love on the Brain) went through events of Civil War - based on THIS ASK; divider by firefly-graphics 😍; lyrics (shortened) from SYML’s Body

I want to love like a man I’ll build you a home when I can I fought the world for your hand

Coming back isn’t easy.

It isn’t seamless – there are smidges on the canvas of friendship and heroism and tears at the edges - but you are back.

And the story behind your return might make angels weep, or perhaps at least renew your faith in humanity as a whole. Your return seems to stand on the goodness of a human heart and the strength of broad shoulders of the man closest to Atlas the world has ever known.

Steve Rogers and a handful of his friends have been turned into criminals when they refused the Accords, some of them imprisoned – after a parody of a trial – in a federal prison that wasn’t on any map. And yet, broken out of this cage resembling the worst of nightmares, the so-called criminals continued to do good.

Silently. Without seeking recognition; because even bittered, goodness was in their blood.

And people noticed. People spoke up. A tiny law practice from the depth of Hell’s Kitchen helped to voice the concerns about the Accords and about the injustice served.

Defying all laws of the Universe, the governments of the world heard them out.

The Accords are being revised. Meanwhile, you’re all pardoned.

The Earth’s mightiest misfits are together again.  

Crimes forgiven, but not forgotten. Some agree with this – some don’t.

You scoff as you wipe away your tears; disappointed, angry, heartbroken.

It’s not fair, but it is what it is. It figures your parents would belong to the latter group.

The prodigal daughter returned and they didn’t give a damn. You guess it serves you right; as long as you were catching serial killers and creeps, as long as you locked up whom everyone perceived as a bad guy, you were theirs.

Once your husband became the criminal, as did you, you were none. Even after the American damn government did the closest thing to admitting a mistake.

It’s not fair but it is what it is.

And still, you weep.

You feel him before you hear him, even if the life on the run taught you paranoia; your body knows his, every inch, tangible or not; his breath, his smell, his soft footsteps. And your brain knows you’re safe with him, as does your heart.

The way the bed dips under his weight. His strong arms, his calloused palms. The warmth of his skin, the scratch of his beard.

He embraces you and you follow, his presence as magnetic as it was long before you confessed your love. Always gravitating closer, never out of reach – inevitability.

Steve Rogers, shoulders as strong as a god itself and with more love for your little life than one, holds you to his chest and lets you soak his chest in tears, gently rocking you back and forth, fingers tender as they caress your back, stark contrast to yours fisting his shirt.

The guilt rolls off him in waves, but he wills those to be gentle as they reach the coast of your sorrowful heart. He swallows his anger at people who should always stand by you, your own blood. You can feel it burning through him, but he doesn’t voice his rage.

He holds you, an unrelenting silent force.

You don’t utter a word either.

Having been ones to talk things through eventually before, you have perfected understanding each other without words during your time on the run. In the motels that never really slept, between drunken shouts, lustful cries and thoughts screaming louder than actual words, silence was a luxury. One that not even Steve's arms could always provide.

But it does work now.

You let it all out, until you have no tears to shed anymore, until the raft of emotions settles at a shore, safely brought back home; a solid home, built from cells, tissue and blood instead of bricks, roofed under a beautiful soul the world tried to tear to shreds so many times.

Steve gently combs your hair back as he feels your breathing change, your tension melt away. Only when you tip your head back, finding the sea of his eyes glassy with an unshed tear or two, he finally speaks.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart."

It makes you sad; and you’re outraged. Yet, you’re in love, still.

A small smile plays in the corner of your mouth as you squint at him, a little playful.

“Don't you give me that face, GG,” you reprimand him softly, causing the worried wrinkle on his forehead to deepen, before his right eyebrow arches.

“What, I cannot be sorry that you're hurting?”

There’s an unhappy note in his teasing. You brush your fingers over his creased forehead, long fingers catching your hand to cradle it gently.

“You, GG, can be anything. Even mine.”

He sighs, gaze tenderer than before, a promise – and he seems to think it is more of a life sentence – on his lips.

“I am. Always. And I am sorry,” he whispers and it would be foolish to doubt the truth behind his words.

You know this.

You understand.

But you don’t fully agree.

People who turn their back on you like your parents did do not deserve to weigh on his already heavy conscience.  

“I know. So am I. But I don't blame you. Or me,” you say, swallowing the creak in your voice; because you believe this.

And he has to learn to do the same.

You know he doesn’t yet; but it’s a journey. It’s a journey for you too, because losing your parents to this hurts, god, does it hurt. But you know you’re right.

“I did what I could. Once we were back, I did reach out. They refused. That's on them. I tried, even after they dragged my name – your name – through the mud, spitted on it and even looked like they enjoyed it.”

Anger laces your voice at the injustice, at the betrayal, and you can hear the stitches on Steve’s wounded heart cry with effort to keep the precious muscle together.

The guilt, the pain, the rage – you can read it in his face as it all peaks, but you charm a smile and the barely-there movement of your lips magically makes you feel better, and maybe it helps him too. It definitely feels better when you turn your hand in his and squeeze lightly, thumb running over his scarred knuckles.

He fought so much in his life that not even the serum could handle it anymore.

Maybe the scars that remained were from punching ghosts and mirages, intangible things that didn’t bleed and couldn’t be fully bested when he tried to beat them anyway.

“Sparkles-“

You shake your head to stop him; you’re not done.

You hurting was not the message – you both know that already.

“But bless their heart, they got one thing right,” you continue as he watches you, eyes large pools of sadness and adorable confusion that takes ten years from his real age despite the beard he has been sporting since your days as fugitives.

A large man with a beard and a heart of gold; the original nomad.

“They talked shit, but they never said you led me astray. They blamed my decision on me,” you say slowly, freeing your hand from his to rake your fingers through the tickly beard, fingertips brushing over his lips when you feel him suck in a breath – no, you are still talking. He kisses your fingers tenderly, understanding this; patient. “I went with you and took your side because I was and am yours, yes. But also because it was what I believed in. And I don’t regret it, Steve.”

You see his Adam’s apple bob as his eyes avoid looking into yours, a shudder running through his body; and as a consequence, it does through yours too, because you’re still in his lap, side to chest, face to face, skin to skin. Lover to lover; best friend to best friend, even if Bucky would maybe have a thing or two to say about that.

The thought makes you smile wider as you push slightly against Steve’s jaw to make him meet your gaze.

Because this is important. This is the most important part.

“You're not responsible for my choices. Even if you're one of them,” you whisper and his hands squeeze you tight as his face shines with affection; love renewed, as if it has ever been gone.

And it wasn’t. It just built and built and sometimes you wonder if it can ever grow higher than the Tower of Babel; one that withstands a fury of man and gods alike.

“I love you.”

Simple as that; three little words and yet two of them would be enough. I and you. You and I. Together.  

“I love you too,” you say back, fingers moving to sink into his long strands. A handsome man he is, your husband. Complicated, but so simple in his principles. You circle back. “So... you know. Don't give me that face.”

He huffs a silent chuckle when he realizes what you mean – that feeling sorry is okay, but misplaced guilt is not – and his lips find yours, tasting of sunshine, gratitude and adoration.

He kisses you deep. He gives and he takes, and he lays you down on your bed, pouring all his feelings – feelings that seem larger than himself and he is already of impressive size, as you like to remind him – into his lips and hands, to cover you with all the love you deserve.

He cannot fix the mess he made. He never could, as desperately as he wished to.

But he can be here. He can give you his everything; build you a new home, a new family, helping you forget the sorrow of your stolen one. It isn’t exactly a hardship he will undergo unwillingly. Less so when your body melts into his, your affection tangling with his own.

All he can do for you is to be yours.

And he will.

And he will thank every day to whoever is up there that despite all odds, you are his.

Steve Rogers masterlist // Love on The Brain masterlist (if you’re interested in who inspired this dynamics)

It sometimes happens that an ask triggers this, when the stars align... even though I don’t take requests 😅 

Thank you for reading 🥰 Feedback is life ✨

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Fanfiction master post

I have an Ao3 account now!! :D I’m Skye_the_Lofty_Nutcase over there, you can find my profile here.

This has not been updated in a while, sorry, I write too much lol. *sweating* However, you can find all my writing using the tag #writing on my blog and you’ll find not only the stories below but snippets, bonus scenes, and all kinds of stuff! I’ll eventually try to update this post to make things more accessible, sorry it’s a mess. >_<

A general note on my fanfiction: I work in healthcare, so sometimes injuries or illnesses might be more detailed than people are comfortable with because to me it’s just normal, but I don’t make things excessive or gratuitous. I will also never write any explicit sexual content. At best things will be steamy, but nothing will ever be NSFW.

My story tags! You can find fics and their bonus content with these :) I also have some extra highlighted tags that you can find by clicking the search bar at the top of my blog.

Breath of the Sky // Blood of the Hero // Elastic Heart // LU in Healthcare // Dad Squad // Good Ganondorf // Imprisoning War // Fierce Dadity // Secrets of the Shadows // Forsaken AU // Wild Spirit // Hero of Shadow 

And my master lists for a lot of my writing. Below the cut are links to writing as well!

Lovely Prompt Event Master List // Imprisoning War Master List

Skyward Sword stories

A Dragon’s Care - 5+1 chapter Skyward Sword Sickfic

Summary: After the defeat of Demise, the dragons of the realm find a very sick Chosen Hero on their doorstep with no explanation and have to scramble to deal with it. Hurt/comfort. Starring Link, Faron, Eldin, crimson loftwing, and Lanayru, with a small helping of Zelda, Groose, Owlan, Eagus, Pipit, and Gaepora.

Ch 1

Ch 2

Ch 3

Ch 4

Ch 5

Bonus chapter

Sleeping Dove - Two part general Legend of Zelda story with emphasis on Skyward Sword characters

Summary: When the Spirit Maiden Zelda finally passes on, she finds herself in an unexpected situation.The true nature and cruelty of Demise’s curse is revealed, and reality crashes down. Angst and more angst, with a small bit of comfort. Starring Skyward Sword Zelda, with appearances from OoT/MM Link, Fi, SS Link, Sages, OoT Zelda, BotW Zelda, and BotW Link.

Pt 1

Pt 2

Scenes from a Wedding - Couple vignettes from Link and Zelda’s wedding. Absolutely pure fluff. Starring the lovebirds.

One Last Look - Vignette, Zelda POV of a pivotal Skyward Sword scene, angst

Sparring - Zelink Vignette

Summary: Zelda hasn’t sparred in quite a while since their adventure. She decides the best way to dust off the cobwebs is to duel her chosen hero. Fluff, fun, bonding.

Adventure of a Lifetime - Vignette

Summary: Being a Hero is difficult and filled with trials. However, it isn’t all bad, and while on his quest, Link takes a moment to appreciate everything around him. Link, Fi, fun and fluff and highlighting the joy of playing this game.

For a Better Tomorrow - Vignette

Summary: On the day of Demise's first defeat, Hylia tries to find hope as she succumbs to her injuries. Starring Hylia and Fi, angst and bittersweetness and hope

.

Breath of the Wild stories

A Promise of Armor - Miphlink oneshot

Summary: Mipha planned on giving Link the Zora armor, yet 100 years later it was found in Zora’s domain in her family’s safekeeping. So what happened on that fateful evening when she was to offer it? Did she gather the courage or decide to keep her feelings to herself? Mild angst, romance. Starring the lovestruck champions.

The Hero’s Guide - quick cut scenes, oneshot

Summary: An idea about a fun possibility for botw 2, featuring familiar characters serving in a mentor role. When Link finds himself alone again, Hylia sends him a guide to help him along. Adventure, starring BotW Link, Hylia, and a link from the past.

Breath of the Sky - pre-BotW canon divergence, BotW characters meet up with SS characters! Multi-chapter story

Summary: When Princess Zelda goes to the Spring of Courage to pray, accompanied by her appointed knight, a giant magical cog spitting out a goddess is the last thing she expects, but it is what she gets. Meanwhile, the Spirit Maiden Zelda is trying to figure out what the heck is happening and where her missing husband/chosen hero is. This story is set pre-calamity and is my way of comforting poor Princess Zelda and Champion Link because their destinies made them an absolute mess, and I just get to play with my favorite SS couple too. Starring Sky Link, Sky Zelda, Wild Link, Wild Zelda, co-starring the king and the Champions. Angst, adventure, romance, fluff, all of it.

Rainy Days

- Hylink oneshot

Summary: Every year, Hylia remembered her original chosen hero, and on that day every year it rained. One year, though, she finds a surprise in the form of a connection to the newest Hero. (this story goes along with the my headcanon about how Demise’s curse works, but it can be read without knowing it) Angst, emotional hurt/comfort.

Age - Vignette

Summary: After finally defeating Ganon, Link and Zelda take an excursion to Gerudo Town to celebrate. Very brief vignette. Silliness and some bonding.

Healing - Zelink vignette

Summary: Link takes care of Zelda after defeating Ganon. 100 years locked in a fight is draining, after all. Starring the traumatized teenage team. Hurt/comfort.

Great Expectations - Oneshot

Summary: When the time comes to finally face the Calamity at the castle, Link finds himself faltering. Doubt and old anxieties suddenly drown him. Amidst his spiraling, however, a voice from the past arrives to help him, and he learns a valuable lesson about self-worth. Starring Link, a ghost from the past, and mentions of family and friends long gone. Angst, emotional hurt/comfort.

Blood of the Hero - Multichapter story, also known as Link’s Parents play BotW

Summary: The Soul of the Hero will always be there to save Hyrule. But when Calamity Ganon is nearly victorious in killing him, it's those that bear the Blood of the Hero who will prevail. Ten years after the Great Calamity, the Shrine of Resurrection is damaged and Link's parents fight to save their son and Hyrule along with him. Starring Til & Abel, Link’s mom and dad! Also starring Link, as well as many characters from the AoC and BotW eras. Adventure, angst, family kicking butt and taking names, protective parents.

.

Ocarina of Time stories

Statue - Zelink vignette, Zelda’s POV upon meeting the Hero of Time. Angst, romantic undertones.

What is Lost and What is Bound - Post Oot/MM oneshot.

Summary: Everyone makes mistakes. When Link’s mistake costs him an eye, a fierce deity decides it’s time to take things into his own hands. Featuring Link, FD, and Nabooru, set after Link’s game adventures. Leans heavily into my HC that FD is a Soft Dad but also bears in mind that lore and fanon believes him to be dangerous and dark, so it’s like Soft Dad with an Edge lol. Blood and gore but nothing excessive, some angst and silliness and body horror because I’m weird and can somehow mix all of those together.

Veiled Eyes - Two chapters, Zelink and Malink, and complicated feelings

Summary: Link lives in a world where he feels he doesn't belong. Zelda doesn't understand. Link looks past the princess, but all she sees is him. Heavy angst, Link dealing with the emotional ramifications of living in two eternally separated timelines and learning how to move on from it. Can be viewed as either Zelink or Malink. Starring Link, Child timeline Zelda, mention of Adult timeline Zelda, and Malon

.

Wind Waker stories

Ritual - Telink vignette

Summary: Link is getting his ears pierced. He’s excited, Tetra is hell bent on ensuring it’s done correctly. Quick vignette, fluff and fun.

.

Twilight Princess stories

Secrets of the Shadows - Wolf Link Reveal, multichapter story

Summary: When Link goes missing shortly after his adventure, Rusl is worried. Preparing to leave and search for him, he stumbles onto a wolf. This has to be a sign of trouble, right? Rusl thinks it is, and the swordsman attempts to eliminate the threat... and then realizes that there is far, far more to this beast than he thought possible. Featuring Link, Rusl, Uli mostly, with appearances from other TP characters like Renado and Colin. Heavy, heavy angst and whump and hurt/comfort.

Winter’s Bite - Ordon family hurt/comfort/fluff oneshot

Summary: Link usually shows up at Rusl's house every day. When no one has seen or heard from him in the middle of a sleet storm, Rusl goes out in search for him. i.e. Rusl gets to take care of his fluffy boy <3

.

Hyrule Warriors stories

UNDER CONSTRUCTION (i.e. I’m too lazy to put it in right now lol. Feel free to check out my Fierce Dadity series on AO3 and that’ll have all of them!)

.

Linked Universe stories

Day Trip - Oneshot

Summary: Legend and Warriors are tasked with going into town to get supplies. Their dynamic and their baggage makes the trip go about as well as one might expect. Slice of life, basically, little bit of angst, little bit of fluff, a fair amount of banter. Starring Legend and Warriors, with the other boys in the background.

Homesick - Oneshot

Summary: At the end of another day, Twilight finds Sky by himself, aching for home. Little emotional ache/comfort, Twilight being a nice big brother. Starring Twilight and Sky, with the other boys mentioned. Inspired by twilight-linkess’ lovely art of Twilight and Sky!

Mild Adjustments - Oneshot

Summary: When the Chain steps through a portal and ends up on a seemingly floating piece of rock, they suddenly realize that there was far more to the Hero of the Sky’s title than they previously thought. Starring Sky and Wild with Twilight, Legend, Warriors heavily involved, and a speckling of Wind, Four, Hyrule, and Time. General, mild angst and illness, Sky being feral and not bearing in mind how his insane actions affect others.

Fierce Revelations - Three part story

Summary: When a battle spirals out of control, Warriors finds a familiar mask in Time’s arsenal and decides that desperate times call for desperate measures. Time then has to confront what it’s like to be on the other end of the mask, and the repercussions that come with it. Emotional hurt/comfort, some introspection of a few characters, angst, and family bonds. All the boys are present but the stars are Time, Warriors, Sky, and the Fierce Deity.

Surf’s Up! - Oneshot

Summary: When the Chain settles in early, Legend seeks out some peace and instead ends up having a very eventful evening. Because where Wild’s concerned, nothing can be peaceful... especially when you throw Sky and Warriors into the mix. Fluff, fun, and chaos with the knights and the veteran.

In the Library - Vignette

Summary: The boys find a library and chill. Featuring all the Chain! This vignette was just made to accompany the lovely art by sky-squido. Fluff and silliness.

On Display - Vignette

Summary: When Warriors is pressed into using his attractiveness as a distraction, Four steps in to save him from the discomfort of the situation. Starring Four and Warriors with Legend, Sky, Wind, Wild, Time, and Hyrule as supporting cast. Inspired by a post by skyward-floored, who always has great ideas. Mild angst and comfort and background silliness.

Beautiful - Vignette

Summary: After consecutive days of battle, Warriors sees Twilight struggling and reaches out to help. Starring Warriors and Twilight with Time and Wild on the side. All the boys are there, just not the focus. Angst, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff.

Paradox - Oneshot

Summary: When Sky suddenly falls deathly ill with strange markings, Time has to piece together the cause and save him. Starring Sky, Time, Warriors, Twilight, with Legend on the side and the rest of the boys in the background. Sickfic, Dad Time to the Rescue, Sky having a 0/10 experience, Wars, Twi and Ledge being scared and caring brothers.

Elastic Heart - Multichapter fic, curse reveal story

Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late. Featuring Sky as the centerpiece of the story, even though he’s not always actually in it, and then starring all the Chain. This story is designed to act like a LU arc, with lots of character interaction and highlights around a central plot. Angst, humor, hurt/comfort, drama, fluff, adventuring, and fun. Also featuring a sprinkling of Twilight Princess characters as the Chain explores Twi’s Hyrule.

Numb - Oneshot

Summary: Nearly losing Twilight was devastating to the entire Chain. Sky managed to hold it together the best, though, and seemed to be doing fine. Until he wasn’t. Starring all the boys with Sky at the center. Heavy emotional angst and with some mild comfort to soften the blow, Sky has a mental breakdown and it isn’t pretty.

The Caregiver - Oneshot

Summary: Twilight tries to be there for everyone, and he usually doesn't need any kind of help in return. Except on some days. Too bad he refuses to reach out. Angst and mild emotional hurt/comfort, starring Twilight being the Big Brother who decides to tough things out on his own and comforts himself

Final Hour - Oneshot

Summary: When everything goes horribly wrong, Time desperately attempts everything in his power to fix it. Wind instead chooses to be the self sacrificing Hero, but the end result isn't what Time expected it to be. Based on art by kikker-oma. Heavy angst, emotional hurt/comfort, Time throwing caution to the winds (har har) when everything falls apart. Starring Time, Wind, and the Fierce Deity. 

[americancowgirl19]

Where You Belong

Summary: War takes everything from everyone. Tommy thought he had lost you to the war. He hadn’t. It’s just taken you longer than the others to come home.

Warnings: war, imprisonment (POW), PTSD, fluff, angst, dead, drugs, implied sex, fluff, angst

Reader: Male Reader

Pairings: Tommy Shelby x Male Reader

Word Count: 3,051

A/n: My first Peaky Blinders work, let me know how I do! I’ve been nervous to publish this cause I wasn’t sure if I could get the characters right so fingers crossed! 

Masterlist

“Y/n?” 

Frowning your eyebrows, you turn around to see a well dressed woman holding a child. She’s looking at you in disbelief, as if she’s looking at a ghost. It takes you a moment before you realize who’s standing in front of you.

“Fucking hell, Ada?” You whisper, a small smile creeping onto your face. “Well, look at you. All grown up and absolutely beautiful,” 

She continues to stare at you, her mouth ajar. You take off your work gloves and shove them into your back pocket. You then proceed to try and improve your appearance. It wasn’t easy seeing as you’re on your seventh hour working at the lumber yard.

“We thought you were dead,” Ada said. “We buried you,” She snapped, her eyes narrowing into slits.

“I know,” You mutter, rubbing the back of your neck. “I saw the stone. Looks beautiful,” 

“Tommy picked it,” Ada whispered. You wince at the mention of his name. “When do you get off?” She asked. You look around and slowly shrug.

“I can leave now,” You tell her. “These blokes won’t miss me,” Ada nods emotionlessly and turns around. You sigh before following after her knowing it was going to be a long night. “So, who’s the little guy?” You ask.

“Karl, your nephew,” Ada says, handing him to your without waiting for you to ask. You eagerly take him. “Freddie was his father,”

“Freddie?” Your head snaps toward her. “Freddie Thorne?” She nods stiffly. “I haven’t seen him since the war,”

“He’s dead now,” Ada says before you could continue. Your heart drops to your stomach. “Just two months ago,” She admitted.

“I’m sorry, Ada,” You say gently. She hums but offers you a small smile. She leads you back to her flat where she takes Karl to put down for a nap. “Do you mind if I freshen up in the shower?”

“Yes, I do,” Ada tells you. “As far as I know you’ll disappear again. So, you stay right there,” She gives you a stern look. You nod and don’t move until she returns without Karl. She leads you into the kitchen where you sit at the table while she makes tea. “So, why the hell aren’t you dead?”

“Sorry to disappoint,” You tease but she isn’t amused. “What was the last word you heard of me?” 

“John wrote saying you got separated from everybody and declared MIA,” Ada explains. “Eventually we just assumed you were dead,”

“I wanted to be,” You tell her honestly. “I was kidnapped by the Germans around 1916. When the war ended nobody released us. The Germans left us to die. I didn’t even know the war was over until February ‘19,” You explained.

“How’d you get back?” Ada asks, sitting across from you.

“It wasn’t easy,” You answered vaguely. Ada respects your wish to not go into further detail.

“Why didn’t you come back to us?” She whispers, gently.

“I did,” You lower your gaze to the table. “But then I noticed you all believed I was dead and that you seemed to be living well without me... Figured it would be easier for you lot if I just stayed dead,”

“No,” Ada shakes her head. “Your death has been anything but easy, Y/n. We still mourn you,” You send her a comforting smile. “Tommy especially,” Your smile disappears.

“He seemed just fine when I saw him last,” You grumble. Ada tilts her head.

“Tommy is not fine, far from it,” Ada tells you.

“I know Tommy very well, Ada,” You said, your eyes pouring into hers. “I know when he’s happy and when I saw him he was happy,”

“When did you see him?” She asks, tilting her head.

“When I first got back a few years ago,” You tell her. “With a pretty blonde,”

“Grace?” Ada arches her eyebrows. “Love, they went down in flames,” She tells you. “She’s in America and he’s hopelessly alone,” She says. “And very much in love with you. You ruined him for anyone else. He tries but they’re just not you,”

“You were always the one trying to get us together,” You whisper, smiling at her. “Ever since you were a little girl you played match maker,”

You grew up with the Shelby’s. Your family wasn’t a family in the slightest so you hung around the Shelby’s until you became an honorary member. In your mid teen years you started to see Tommy differently. You always knew you leaned toward men than women but in today’s day and age that wasn’t accepted so you kept it to yourself.

You and Tommy were always the closest in the bunch. You thought that you could just continue as normal when you realized your feelings but it was much harder than you expected. You were insanely jealous of any woman that had his attention and very frustrated all the time.

Ada, despite being a few years younger, picked up on what was going on. To her it was painfully obvious that you both had feelings for the other. So, she took it upon herself to get the pair of you together. It took an entire year but eventually he made the first move.

Being a Shelby, or an honorary one, allowed the two of you to get away with things other people couldn’t. You two weren’t obvious about your relationship but you also didn’t hide it. Anybody who had anything to say found themselves unable to speak for a while.

Polly warned the two of you to be more careful but you were both in love and didn’t care who knew it. Arthur didn’t understand and often grumbled under his breath but that’s as far as his displeasure went. John couldn’t give two fucks but you were often the victim of his teasing.

When the war came around everyone joined up, you were no different. You were with the Shelby’s for a few years until a plan went wrong. You and a few other men got separated from your unit. You were all captured and you were the only one to make it home.

When you came home you weren’t the same person who joined up. You were as skinny as a twig, terrified out of your mind, and stuck on survival mode. All you could think about was how you needed to get back to Tommy. Only when you found him your heart broke when you witnessed him kissing a blonde woman.

That moment everything came crashing down on you. All the shit you went through the last few years and everything you did to stay alive swarmed your brain. 

You spiraled and you ran. You ran all the way to London. Not literally, it took a while but you eventually ended up here.

You lived on the streets for a while. Drugs and alcohol were your best friend. However, you need money in order to buy those things and you were shit at stealing. So, you got a job. You were in the process of making a life for yourself.

No matter what you did the Shelby family, specifically Tommy, never left your mind. You thought about playing and wrestling with John and Arthur. You remembered picking on and protecting Ada. You also remembered taking care of baby Finn, who you knew wouldn’t be a baby anymore.

But Tommy was the main one to occupy your mind. You thought about his touch, his voice, his smile. You reminisced in the memories of your time together. God you missed him.

“You should go back to Birmingham,” Ada encourages. You shake your head. “Why not?”

“What’s the point?” You ask. Her jaw drops.

“What’s the point?! How about seeing your family? Finn’s as tall as you are now and John’s married with more kids. We miss you,” Ada stresses. “And I’m not going to let them keep believing that you’re dead,”

“Ada,” You snap, warningly.

“No,” She snaps back. “Our family is better with you than without,”

“And what if I’m better off without you!” You snap standing up. “What if my life is better without all of you? What if I’m better off alone!” 

“I don’t believe you,” Ada shakes her head. You release a slow, shaky breath. “Come home with me, Y/n,” Ada whispers standing up. “We’ll go tomorrow,” You turn your head toward her. “You, me and Karl... You won’t have to do it alone.”

“Fine,” You mutter. “But only because if I don’t go with you you’ll bring the whole clan here,” Ada smirks smugly.

“Damn right,” She mutters. “Can I have a hug?” 

“Of course,” You whisper, pulling her into your chest. “I missed you so much,” You whisper holding her as tightly as you can.

In the morning, after stopping by your place for a change of clothes, you left for Small Heath with Ada and Karl. The entire time you were a large ball of anxiety. Ada did her best to calm you but it wasn’t working.

“Here we are,” Ada mutters. You look at the home. 

“It’s the same as I remember,” You whisper.

“Polly should be here,” Ada said. “Who knows where the brothers are, most likely at the office,” She mutters to herself. You nod but keep your eyes glued on the house. “I thought Polly would be easier to start with,” You laugh.

“She is the only woman I am afraid of,” You admit, looking at Ada.

“Well, I guess it’s best we get this done first,” Ada smiles climbing out of the car.

“Fucking hell,” You mutter, climbing out of the car as well. You shove your shaking hands in your pockets before following Ada.

“Pol?” Ada calls out. You feel your heart hammering in your chest as you close the door behind you.

“In here,” 

You tense at the sound of her voice. Suddenly you feel like a kid who’s done something bad and is about to be scolded. You also feel a sense of peace despite the overwhelming anxiety. Polly always had that affect.

“What are you doing here, Ada? Your brothers aren’t here,”

“I didn’t come for my brothers,” Ada says, sitting at the table.

“Then what did-,” Polly’s voice cuts off when she sees you standing at the entrance of the kitchen. Her reaction is identical to Ada’s when she first saw you yesterday. “It can’t be,” She whispers, tears filling her eyes.

“It is,” Ada nods. Polly stands slowly but comes up to you quickly. You brace yourself. Instead of hitting you like you thought she would, she holds you tightly in her embrace.

It isn’t long before you’re breaking down in her arms. She had raised you like she raised the other Shelby’s. To be in her arms is like being hugged by your mother for the first time after being apart for years.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you, love,” She whispers, threading her fingers through your hair. “You’re home now... Thank God, you’re home,” She whispers, tears of her own falling down her face.

“I’m so sorry, Pol,” You whimper. “I’m so sorry,” She gently shushes you.

“You’re here now, it’s alright,” Polly whispers. She pulls back slightly and gently cups the side of your cheeks. “Oh, my boy, what has the world done to you?”

You close your eyes and place your hands over hers. She gently pulls you back to her. Despite being taller than her, you curl into her arms seeking her comfort.

When the two of you finally sit down you tell her what happened the way you told Ada. You kept the details vague not wanting to plague either of their minds with the horrors you’ve gone through.

It wasn’t long before John showed up with Arthur and Finn. Finn didn’t recognize you but John and Arthur were in shock. John was the first to hug you. He was the last to see you before you were captured. 

John had talked to Tommy about your disappearance. He talked about how he blamed himself for the fact that you never came home. Even as the years passed that guilt lingered. Nobody else blamed him but he couldn’t forgive himself.

After the first hug came the cheering. Arthur smiled from ear to ear and hollered in excitement. John soon joined and clapped you on the back while Ada explained to Finn who you were.

You shared a drink with the two brothers and swapped a few stories. You watched the door intently but Tommy never walked through.

“He’s with the horses,” John explained later that night. “It’s been a long day but he’ll be at the Garrison later. We were about to go there, join us?”

“I’m sure I’ll find my way there,” You say, standing up.

“Right,” Arthur says, standing up as well. “It really is good to see you,”

“You as well, Art,” You smile at him before slipping out the door. You had seen everyone in the family except the one you wanted to see the most.

On the way to Small Heath you were terrified to see him but now you couldn’t stop yourself if you wanted too. Before you knew it you were at the stables and from there you found Tommy.

He looked a little older than when you last saw him but still as handsome as ever. He was muttering under his breath with a cigarette between his lips. His hand was holding the horses halter while the other was rubbing his neck.

“You’ve always had a way with horses,” You speak up after observing him for a few moments.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Tommy mutters glancing at you. You frown your eyebrows. “When will you leave me alone?” He sighs, rubbing his eyes.

Ada had mentioned his drug use. When you used whatever drugs you could afford you often hallucinated. You always saw yourself back in the war, back in the imprisonment camp. Only you weren’t alone, Tommy was always with you but just out of reach. It was sweet torture.

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” You say, walking closer to him. He tries to avoid looking at you. “I’m here, Tommy,”

“No, you’re not,” Tommy shakes his head. “We left you in France, you never came home,” He squeezes his eyes shut.

“I did come home,” You whisper. “It just took me longer than the rest of you,” Tommy turns his back to you making you sigh silently. “I should have come back sooner,” You mutter. “I thought you were happy without me,” Tommy scoffs.

Hesitantly, you rest your hands on his sides. He tenses but doesn’t move. You step closer and lean your head against his. Slowly, he relaxes and leans back against you. You doubt that he realizes you’re here with him but you savor the moment none-the-less.

“I miss you,” Tommy whispers. Your arms snake around his waist and hold him even closer to you.

“You’re the one that got me through hell, Tommy,” You mutter, burying your head in his neck. “I’m really here Tom, please believe me,” You beg.

He shifts in your arms forcing you to lean back. You look into his eyes. Slowly, you lift your hand and take the cigarette from his lips and bring it to your own. You breath it in before holding it between your fingers. You hold the smoke in your mouth before gently kissing him. When his lips part you blow the smoke in like you’ve done millions of times before.

When Tommy puts together that you’re truly with him he deepens the kiss. You stumble backwards as Tommy pushes you against one of the stable stalls. You moan unashamedly and hold him as close as you can.

“Y/n,” He whispers against your lips.

“Hello, love,” You whisper back. He looks at you awestruck. “I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you,”

“You’re here,” Tommy states. “That’s all that matters,” You smile resting your head against his. You breathe in deeply and hold him close.

“We have a lot of catching up to do,” You mutter. “If you’ll have me,” Your eyes gaze into his.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight,” Tommy declares. “I love you,” He confesses bringing a smile to your lips.

“And I love you,” You respond. Tommy smiles prompting you to trace his lips with your thumb. “I love you so much,” You mutter kissing his lips deeply.

You don’t remember how you made it back to his flat but you do remember the kisses, the soft touches, and the familiar feeling of him inside of you. Neither of you slept that night. Both of you were too afraid to sleep. You both feared that if you fell asleep you would wake up without each other. You feared that this was all a dream.

As the sun slowly rose the next day, the two of you laid in bed. You both laid on your sides, staring at each other. You held each other and traded kisses.

“After I got separated from John the Germans picked me and the other guys up,” You explained. “They took us to their front lines. We were forced to work for them, do whatever they wanted us to do. If we refused we were beaten and eventually shot. When we stopped being useful we were forced onto train cars like fucking cattle. Eventually we made it to Germany where we were put into an outdoor camp. There were tents but other than that we were exposed to the weather. A lot of men died due to the conditions. Every morning the Germans would collet the dead and throw them in shallow graves. When the war ended the Germans left us. We had to find our own way back home,”

Once you started to explain what you had gone through you couldn’t stop. You and Tommy never kept anything from each other. It didn’t matter that it had been about six years, that didn’t change. He was the one person you could confide in.

“I can still smell the fucking stench,” You muttered.

“You’re home now,” Tommy whispers. “You’re safe, I’ll keep you safe,” He vows. You smile snuggling closer to him.

“You always keep me safe,” You murmur. Tommy holds you close and gently kisses the top of your head.

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Safe Haven ~Bang Chan | Day 152.

Pairing: SpaceRebel!Chan x WitchQueen!F.Reader Themes: Fantasy AU | Sci-Fi AU | Royalty AU | Soulmate AU | Slow Burn | Mutual Pining | Angst | Smut | Fluff. Series Warnings: Third person POV · Very loose and liberal usage of Star Wars concepts (mostly to refer to weapons and tech). you don’t need to know anything about SW to read this, trust me · Physical descriptions of the main female character such as: can visibly blush, having long hair, and being short · Violence · Swearing · Mature themes and language · Original characters · Graphic smut (later chapters) · Mentions of the members of other groups (later chapters) · No one is straight, beware · Each chapter will include its own individual warnings. Chapters marked as M (Mature) either include highly detailed violence, or smut.

Chapter Warnings: sad Chan · mentions of alcohol consumption & violence. Word Count: ~3k | AO3

Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for a 18+ audience only. Minors do not interact. ✰This chapter has been reworked as of 16/08/2023

Previous Chapter: Day 92. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 159.

Author’s Note: Only two more chapters to go after this one... one more week and this story will be fully posted. feeling kinda melancholic about it already~ if you’re reading this, hope you enjoy what’s left, and don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts💜

Disclaimer: the story presented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.

Nothing yet, Chan. 

Dev’s defeated voice rumbling in Chan’s head did nothing to ease his worries.

It’d been two whole months since the Charmer was defeated and brought back to Lira Le. Two whole months that Chan and his friends had spent flying across the galaxy to take back the remaining enslaved and invaded planets from the few Charmer supporters that were left.

The Alliance was doing an outstanding job with this task, all units were working together to chase away any mutated creatures, as well as Charmer supporters, and reclaim these planets in record time. There was still a long way to go, but knowing that the Charmer had been imprisoned, that there would be no new planets affected, lifted their spirits the more time passed.

Or, at least, most people’s spirits were lifted.

Chan and his friends had spent these two months carrying out their task with ease. The enhanced weapons provided to them proved to be greatly effective against the damned things, and they were all already skilled enough to defeat regular people. However, even if they were succeeding, Chan couldn’t help but feel incredibly hopeless.

The Queen and the High King had fought the Charmer and debilitated him enough to capture him, but as soon as the imminent threat was out of the way, and victory was claimed, the Queen passed out.

It had been two whole months, and she’d still not woken up.

It was quite the predicament for Chan. Every single fibre of his being was screaming at him to go to Lira Le, to stay by her side and try to support her even if she was unconscious. But she wouldn’t let him, she wouldn’t have wanted him to, especially considering the last words she gave the five unit leaders back when they met her at Dall’s base.

‘I need everyone to understand that, regardless of what happens, the moment we succeed, getting rid of the creatures in the usurped planets is of the utmost priority’, even if she was addressing everyone in the room back then, she’d been looking directly at Chan when she said it.

In a way, it was almost like the Queen knew he’d try to leave everything behind if things went south, and, had she not said those words, she would’ve been right.

Chan decided to obey the order, even if it pained him. He knew that, were she to wake up before the people had been freed and saw him there, she’d feel responsible for having taken resources away from the Alliance. He knew this, because–if the roles were reversed–that was how he’d feel, too.

So Dev kept him updated regularly, they spoke almost daily.

Chan found out that even if she was unconscious, her magic was still present, so being in Lira Le meant that the balance was stable. Which was consoling, in a way. If her magic was present, it meant she was still in there. Or, at least, that was what the High King had told Chan in one of the conversations they had.

Her vitals are fine, and the healers have managed to avoid too much muscle mass loss with some very intensive spells. Everyone’s working really hard to keep her healthy.

“That’s good”, it was good. But not good enough.

Chan was laying on the sofa in the resting area inside the Big Bad Wolf. Jeongin, Hyunjin, Felix, and Chan had been on this planet for around two weeks now. They finally managed to rid it of the damned creatures yesterday, and they decided to stay for another day just to monitor the place and make sure it was all clear.

Your Majesty… Yeah, I’m talking to him…

Chan could imagine the High King coming up to Dev at this very moment. His Majesty had been contacting him frequently, even more than Dev, which Chan appreciated. Although he never mentioned it, Chan was sure the High King knew there was something going on between Chan and his sister, and, in a way, he was trying to find comfort in Chan just like Chan was trying to find comfort in him.

Chan…

The High King’s low baritone replaced Dev’s voice, sounding much more tired than Chan could’ve anticipated, which worried him immediately.

Chan briefly recalled the Queen telling him how difficult her brother had it when it came to emotions, which was why he was usually so standoff-ish and would come off as mean or rude. 

‘Sol’s got a… a condition that’s made him this way. It’s just who he is. Whenever he’s talking to anyone that isn’t me, his snarky and rude comments, his mean tone… He doesn’t even know he’s doing it half the time, that’s really just how he’s always connected with the world, and just because he’s that way doesn’t mean he doesn’t care deeply about us. Sure, we fight a lot because we love to drive the other crazy, but regardless of his condition, I still love him dearly, just like I know he loves me, too’, she’d told Chan one night that they’d been sitting on one of the benches in the castle’s courtyard. 

The more Chan spoke with the man–especially during this sensitive period in his life–the more Chan understood what she was trying to tell him that night.

“Your Majesty… How’re you doing?” What a stupid question to ask, considering he knew how the High King was, truly. But the words came out before he could even think twice about it.

Horrible. I hate this. I really, really hate it.

“Yes, well… I can understand that”,  and Chan did. He really, really did

There was silence for a while, but he knew the High King was there. Chan had also discovered that His Majesty had a lot of difficulty expressing his feelings in a coherent manner. He’d experienced this struggle first hand during the first call they’d had, when the man just spilled a bunch of unintelligible words and phrases in a panic and Chan had to make the conscious effort to make sense of whatever he was telling him, so Chan had learnt to be patient with him.

I know you can’t come… The Alliance’s mission and all that… 

The High King learnt all about the Alliance from Dev, Chan found out after the battle. That was how he’d ended up on the battlefield in the first place.

Apparently, when the Queen had spoken to Chan about her backup plans, one of them was for Dev to tell the High King everything. Every single detail.

It seemed like Dev didn’t follow the plan as intended, though, because, out of worry, he spoke with His Majesty even without the Queen’s command as the battle was taking place. Which was clearly a very wise choice on his part.

Chan learnt from the High King himself that even if he wasn’t directly involved with the Alliance, he did know about the Charmer’s identity, and that he’d tried to meet him and convince him to stop his madness. Which confirmed Chan’s suspicions that the injury the man had sustained during Chan’s stay in Lira Le had been inflicted by Ike–or, rather, by one of his creatures. 

Dev had told Chan after the High King’s confession that the only reason the Queen had kept the Alliance a secret from her brother was because, if her identity were to be discovered, she didn’t want the High King to be dragged into the mess. As the face of the Liralean monarchy, he needed to remain neutral, and she knew her brother well enough to know that the moment he found out what she was doing, that neutrality would fly out the window, and he’d try to assist her without hesitation–which was exactly what happened.

You can’t come, but… Do you think… Do you think you could talk to her?

Chan’s eyes widened, surprised by the sudden request. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But what do you mean exactly?”

I mean what I said, Chan. You should talk to her. When I’m… When I’m not feeling my best I always find comfort in Hoseok’s voice. Even if she’s unconscious, I think she can find comfort in your voice, too.

The juxtaposition of the High King’s relationship with Hoseok and Chan’s with the Queen didn’t go unnoticed. It was the first time His Majesty had come remotely close to address it and that, admittedly, brought heat to his face.

As usual, Chan decided to ignore it.

“What would I even say…” Chan said it more to himself than to His Majesty, but the man answered regardless.

It literally doesn’t matter. Anything goes, really. I’ll leave the stone with her. If we’re not talking to you, assume it’s resting on her skin, so just… talk to her.

“...so, if I connect these cables to the circuit board I mentioned earlier, it’ll help me recalibrate the blasters, and…”

Chan took the High King’s request to heart.

All day, he’d been talking out loud as he worked on his ship to prepare it for their trip later that evening. Which was already something he often did to keep track of his tasks, just that this time, he started by saying the Queen’s name, and his string of thoughts started flying past his lips immediately after.

“You know, the other day I was showing Jeongin how to do this properly. I don’t think he was listening to me, though. He hardly ever does, that rascal… Even when…”

It was oddly therapeutic, in a way. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if it’d be as the High King said… Would it really make a difference at all? Would it really help her? Chan hoped it did.

With a sigh, Chan took his hand out from the open panel on the side of the ship, and laid his hand flat on the cool metal in front of him.

“It’s all boring stuff, I know…” With his eyes unfocused, looking at nothing in particular inside the panel, his fingers tapped the surface. “I just… wish you’d wake up. I miss you, and there are so many things I want to tell you, but… not like this”.

Chan rested his forehead on the cool surface of his ship. Slowly, and very, very softly, he started hitting his forehead against it. He was getting more and more frustrated every day that passed. If only he could go, if he could be there, maybe things would be different, maybe–

“Chris”, Felix’s voice broke through the noise in his mind, and Chan’s head snapped in its direction as soon as he heard it.

Felix looked at him. He looked incredibly serious as his eyes scanned Chan’s face.

With a sigh, he stepped into Chan’s space, bringing his arms to his shoulders and pulling Chan into a hug. Felix held him tightly, and Chan was completely taken aback by the sudden gesture. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

Chan blinked, slowly bringing his arms up to hug his friend back. “I know. What’s this all about?”

Felix pulled away from the hug, and rested his hands on Chan’s shoulders, keeping him an arm’s distance away. “I’m not an idiot, Christopher. I know you’re hurting because of the… the whole situation with the Queen”.

Chan nodded, suddenly unable to keep his friend’s gaze.

Changbin and Felix had seen the Queen and the High King in the battlefield, which they inquired about as soon as the battle was over and everyone was safe from imminent danger. Chan had promised to the Queen that he wouldn’t reveal the identity of Dall, so even when the Charmer had been captured, he didn’t say anything about it to his friends. He did, however, mention the Charmer’s identity, which gave his friends the explanation they needed to understand the twins’ presence in the battlefield, and the news soon spread among his crew.

As far as Chan knew, though, no one else really knew who’d been the two people that fought and defeated the Charmer, and Yong had made sure everyone thought the High King’s Guard was just an extension of Dall’s unit, which seemed to have successfully kept both the High King’s and the Queen’s identity a secret. 

“So, you don’t need to bottle it all up. You can talk to me”, Felix shook his friend slightly, trying to emphasise his words.

“I know, I know… I just…” Chan let out a tired sigh, unsure of how to navigate this intervention. He must be extra weak these days, since he found it incredibly hard to put his walls up around his friend. “I can’t explain it, but… it hurts, Lix. It hurts a lot. And I don’t know what to do”.

“You don’t have to do anything”, Felix added with a tight squeeze on Chan’s shoulders. “Her Majesty, she… she’s strong”.

“But what if… what if she doesn’t make it, Felix? What if–”

“Don’t go there”, Felix warned, his voice stern. “You’re spiralling, you’ve been all these days and I get it, I do. But you’ve got to have faith in her. From what you’ve told me, she’s stable, that’s a good sign”.

Chan returned his eyes to his friend’s, feeling that knot tighten in his throat as he saw the concern in them. With another tight squeeze to his shoulders, Felix spoke again. “So, please. Just talk to me. I know you like to keep these things to yourself, but I can’t let you. Not when I can see how they’re piling up in you”.

Chan scanned his friend’s face for a moment. Felix was right, he knew it, and for once, he decided to take his friend’s offer. “Okay. Let’s hop onto the roof”.

Sitting on the roof of a ship was something Chan and Felix used to do regularly back in the day when they were on their own. It was the equivalent of sitting in a private, quiet place for them to talk about things that weighed heavy on their shoulders. So the moment Chan suggested it, Felix was already climbing his way up.

Felix had gotten quite adept with his magic, enough to emit tendrils of light from his hands to land blows on the battlefield, and enough to be able to flick his wrist and make two soda cans appear from thin air when they sat down on the roof of the Big Bad Wolf, with their backs pressed against one of the protruding surfaces on it. The action brought a smile to Chan’s face, it always made him happy to see his friend’s progress on something that was so fundamentally important to him.

“So, how long have you known?” Chan was genuinely curious. At this point, probably everyone in his crew knew the Queen’s state was weighing heavy on him. Whether they knew it was because of his feelings for her or not, he wasn’t sure.

“That you’re worried about Her Majesty or that you two are a thing?” Felix asked nonchalantly as he opened his can.

“I guess… the latter?” Chan popped his drink open, too, and took a sip.

“I knew there was something there the very first time I saw you two talking to each other in the courtyard the day we came back from the trip with Dev”, Felix shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “I was sure about it the evening the four of us went to the castle town for drinks and saw you two in an alleyway eating face against a wall”.

Chan choked on his drink at that. He’d been drunk that day, true, but he was sure he hadn’t been drunk enough to not notice someone’s presence around them at the time… Well, maybe he had been…

“Why are you acting shocked all of a sudden?” Felix snorted. “Anyone with eyes could’ve noticed something was going on even without seeing you both with your tongues down each other’s throats”.

Chan felt heat on his ears, and he brought a hand to his face to hide from his friend’s teasing eyes. The worst part about it, though, was that he started to recount every single detail of that night, of that particular moment, which now made his heart ache. Oh, what he’d give for just a bit of her warmth right now…

“I mean, I figured you must’ve had a reason to not say anything. At first I thought it might’ve been like a fling or something, but seeing you now feels like… like it’s way more serious than that”.

“It is”, Chan removed his hand from his face, and took a sip of his drink. “Never… Never felt anything like it, to be honest with you”.

“What about the guy from Nadell?”

“Dude!” Chan laughed at that, incredulous. “The fuck? Haven’t even thought about that guy in years. It’s incomparable now”, a soft chuckle passed his lips as he brought the can to his mouth and took a sip.

“Hey, but it made you laugh, at least”, Felix nudged Chan with his shoulder, with a soft smile resting on his lips.

Chan looked at his friend, slightly perplexed.

Of course this was Felix’s plan, to try to make him laugh or at least to make him focus on something else. It was such a Felix move, and Chan had let himself fall for it, just like he did every single time.

“Come on, don’t get all shy on me now”, Felix chuckled. “Spill all your worries on your little brother Yongbok. I’m listening”.

Being back at their base felt refreshing, which was very telling of the place they’d been in the past two weeks.

Once they were sure everything was in the clear, Chan, Felix, Hyunjin, and Jeongin had hopped onto the Big Bad Wolf and left as swiftly as they could, reaching their base in only half an hour thanks to the great advances of hyperdriving.

The first thing Chan did as soon as he was back was take a long, warm shower. Some of his tension washed away with it–not like he was fine in any way, but at least being squeaky clean again helped some of that hopelessness he was feeling.

The second thing he did was send his report on the mission to the Alliance. It was odd, considering he now knew the messages would usually reach the Queen herself.

As Dev had explained it to Chan, the Queen’s guards and himself had been taking care of the Alliance’s communications in Her Majesty’s absence, so most of the messages that were usually sent by Dall were not even signed with a name these days.

He decided to catch up on his messages from other units, too. Hongjoong’s message was particularly enthusiastic. He and his crew had probably restored peace in the most planets out of all units in the Alliance, which did bring a small smile to Chan’s face. Everyone was doing their best, clearly, and it was paying off.

Being honest with himself, the conversation Chan had with Felix earlier had helped him more than he’d expected. Yes, he was still sad and hopeless and sulking, but having let all his thoughts out to someone else meant they no longer resonated incessantly in his brain, which he was grateful for.

Once again, he was reminded that he had people to rely on–people who would borderline force him to rely on them when things went wrong out of their own concern. He certainly needed to work on that need to not burden anyone with his worries, considering everyone seemed to worry regardless, whether he spoke about them or not.

As Chan laid on his bed that night, his mind couldn’t help but wander. Once again, he felt that itch under his skin that urged him to move–to leave wherever he was, hop onto the Big Bad Wolf and hyperdrive to Lira Le. And once again, he was reminded that he couldn’t do that just yet. Not without breaking the last order from his leader. Her last order.

He was trying his best to not spiral again, and the quietness of his room honestly did little to ease his worries. Chan remembered how a couple of months ago, he could hear that weird hum in his ears… It’d gone missing again after the battle, and, as he laid in silence, he realised he missed it. He wished he could be comforted by that sound again, just like he had been many times in the past.

Maybe he’d truly lost it, just like Minho had suggested to him several times already.

Chris…

Chan’s heart jumped out of his ribcage and up into his throat at the sudden call of his name. He scrambled to sit on his bed, with wide eyes and his eyebrows high on his face from the shock.

Was he imagining things? Had he truly lost it?

…Are you awake?

Surely not. Chan had heard many voices in his head these days, but this was the only one he’d really wanted to hear, and hearing it now was steadily replacing the hopelessness that had been clinging to him all these sleepless nights, and leaving only warmth in its place.

“Am I–” Chan laughed, an incredulous laugh. “Are you?” His hands trembled slightly as he gripped the bedsheets, and his heart started beating increasingly fast in his chest.

Mhm… So it seems…

Finally… After so many weeks, he finally felt it.

Relief.

Previous Chapter: Day 92. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 159.

© therhythmafterthesummer 2022-2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.

[pageofheartdj]

Flower Crown

Some fluff xD

***

King knew his newly adopted brother was impatient.

The mysterious god child appearing from the mirror plate and with a flick of a finger moving the celestial body in the sky were a definition of impatience.

They hurried to play a new game, or tell something interesting they knew, or show something cool they found. Always excited, always in motion. King wondered if this was how they were from the beginning, or did they become too antsy after their prolonged imprisonment.

It didn't matter though. In the end of the day, asking him to stay still was the cruelest thing you could have done to him. Aside from leaving him all alone. Not that this was something King was planning on doing. He was as excited to spend time together.

Yet making them stay still was just…

“Cole! Don’t move!” King chided with no bite in the tone, as he worked through their hair. The muted giggle was the only response he got.

King had to do it right! Darn his stubby little fingers.

“King! King, look what I have! Look what I made!” That’s how the morning started for King.

The small figure teleported into the room and pushed him on the floor. King would have immediately complained for the ruined nap, if a batch of flowers weren’t shoved into his face. Moving it away and giving a closer look he saw…

“It’s a flower crown! For you! Luz showed how to make them!” Cole was practically vibrating, floating in the air and slightly bouncing, the flower crown still in his outstretched arms.

“For me?”

Now fully awake, King curiously sniffled the flowers. He never saw those white and yellow flowers before. Probably from a human realm.

“Yup! A crown for a king!”

Something bubbled inside King’s chest and he giddily accepted the gift, quickly putting it on his head and rushing to the mirror.

The blooming buds were decorating his skull, framing his horns, complimenting their curve.

“I look so regal right now!” he couldn’t stop his tail from wagging.

“I know!”

Cole appeared from behind, watching him in the mirror with a proud look on his face. That gave King an idea.

An idea to make a flower crown and weave it right in their hair! The blue blossoms that King had in mind, and Cole readily growing them behind their house.

Oh that would look so great! If only Cole didn’t fidget so much!

“You’ll mess it up!” King gave a small whine, while intertwining the long stem around Cole’s small horn.

His horns were usually hidden under the hat, so King didn’t get to see them too often. A reminder. Cole was a Titan too. Like King. Well, not exactly like King, but still!

It made King’s heart sing. He wasn’t the last one of their kind anymore.

Cole’s perplexed expression, when he realized that King knew nothing about this, was still funny though. But the now full understanding of that mural… wasn’t.

It happened when King decided to show Cole the hidden island as a proof of his trust. He didn’t notice the lack of awe Lilith and Luz showed when they arrived at the previous time. Cole did express interest in all the glyphs that were covering the building. And then he saw the mural. And explained about the war. The left and the right titans. King and Cole standing in front of each side.

And so right then and there King had decided; He will not allow things to go this bad again. He and Cole are friends now, they are family. And it will stay this way.

To which Cole whole-heartedly agreed. “They were just dumb adults anyway! What do they know!”

Dumb adults, indeed.

“Aaaand DONE!”

Finally!

King swiftly got up and ran around, anxious to see the result of his work! And just as he expected: the blue flowers were perfectly entwined in the snow-white hair, making them look even fluffier than they were! (They were indeed very fluffy!)

Cole screeched in delight and looked for the closest reflection. As he found one, he twirled a bit in the air, watching himself from different angles.

“Flower crown buddies!” he then exclaimed and scooped King in a hug.

They stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the warmth and light-hearted joy, before another bright idea came to King’s mind. He wiggled himself out to look right into Cole’s eyes.

“Let's make flower crowns for everyone!”

Cole gasped and his eyes shined with anticipation. He liked that idea very much!

“I’ll grow more flowers!”

“I’ll get everyone! One by one!”

“Ohhh, what flowers should I grow?!”

“Oh! Imagine all the flowers we can brand in Eda’s hair!”

They laughed and spined in the air, making their glorious plans for the day.