#I feel like the previous gifs didn't provide enough of a close up

[charger-lens]

[ivystoryweaver]

3 Times Jake Lockley Tried to Kill You and 1 Time He Saved Your Life

Part 3 of 5 - Hands

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Pairing: Jake Lockley x f!reader

Summary: Jake can't waste any more time or he will be the one who ends up dead...but killing you doesn't come as easily to him as he'd hoped

Word Count: 2.8k

Content: nsfw, mdni, more below the cut

Frottage, groping, choking, language, glove kink, dry humping, violence, murder, a surprise guest, not beta'd

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He invaded your mind almost every second of the day.

Who was he?

Why was he toying with you?

When would you see him again?

You needed a drink. Several, in fact. So, for the first time since the night before Jake's first "attempt" on your life, you descended upon Chicago's nightlife with your friends. Your so-called friends anyway. You didn't feel incredibly close to anyone, but the girls provided a decent enough distraction for drinking, dancing and gossiping.

Tonight your dress reflected none of your typical classy air. The cut and fit of the outrageously tiny garment scandalously displayed the rage roiling inside you.

"If your father sees a photograph of you like this, he'll kill you," one of your bodyguards warned.

Kissing your teeth, you climbed into the awaiting car. "If I tell him how you just ogled me, he'll kill you."

That shut him up.

Still, he had a point. Your father liked to think he still had some sway over how you conducted yourself in public. Well, fuck him. Because of him, someone wanted you dead.

Someone you desperately craved to see again.

Three drinks and several dances later, the slightest bit of tension began to ease out of you. The flashing lights, thumping bass and strong alcohol blurred the worry and frustration, at least for the moment. Your two so-called friends and their hookups had already vanished.

Then you felt a gloved hand wrap around your bare arm as a warm body crowded in behind you.

"Dance with me," he breathed on your ear, gripping both your arms and pulling your back against the solid wall of his chest.

All the air rushed out of you - a wild, raging kind of relief confusing you. Danger surrounded you - it seemed to roll off him - but your lowered inhibitions had you rubbing yourself up against him before you could even remember to be afraid.

The rhythm of his body instantly matched yours, the two of you moving in delicious synchrony as he gripped your hips, corresponding to the heat and vigor of your grinding.

"I don't know you." Your head fell back onto his shoulder as your lips chased his ear, so he would hear you over the club's thump and roar. "I don't even know who's trying to kill me - not even your name."

Jake's smile teased the shell of your ear - his stubble temptingly tickling your flesh. Maybe he was growing his beard back out.

Pushing his hands down over the tops of your thighs, he spread your legs apart, as you danced up on him. Tracing his gloved fingertips back up your legs, he halted when he felt a gun situated in a thigh holster.

His cock, half hard already, stiffened against the curve of your ass. "You kept it," he rumbled into your ear, leaving the weapon in place. "Good girl." He then dragged his hands up over your hips to wrap securely around your abdomen, holding you almost like a lover would. "Did you have as much fun with the gun as you did the knife?"

Normally, you would have spat back a reply full of snark and cursing, but, the alcohol had smoothed your rough edges for the moment. "I had more fun this time," you admitted freely. "Fucked myself with it. Came so hard."

"Jesus," he whistled, grinding into you with obvious intention, while you gladly rubbed your barely covered ass up and down his length to the music's pulse. His hands crawled up to your breasts as he realized how far beyond his control he'd let you take him.

He'd never behaved so unprofessionally, allowing a mark to slip away twice, even encouraging you to protect yourself, with his own weapon, no less.

And now, probably walking right into a seductive trap, his cock hungry for a good fuck, tense and ready after images of you fucking your sopping cunt down on his gun filling his mind. He wanted you more than anything. No one had made him feel so out of control...well, ever.

There was no hiding what the two of you were doing now - with Jake groping both your breasts and thrusting wildly against you. Despite the debauchery around you - your own vulgar display was beginning to draw some attention.

"Not here," you said forcefully, shifting away from him, feeling the slightest victory that he seemed to really want you - to actually be distracted and overcome with desire.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Jake gripped your hand and led you to a much more secluded spot, darker, up against a wall. Not entirely private, but better.

Caging you in, the heat of his body trapped you there, sturdy thighs pressed against yours as he adjusted his hips to rut his cock up against your core.

You mewled out a whimper, your legs falling open for him.

All he wanted was to sink his teeth into the meat of your neck, suck his mark there and push into you until he came, just to get some goddamn relief, but he feebly held onto his last shred of self-preservation.

The air between you shifted drastically making you instantly regret pausing your dance out in the middle of the floor.

"No more games," he gruffly warned, gathering your wrists and pushing them over your head, easily holding them in place with one hand.

His free hand slid back down the length of your arm to the top of your breast, which you hoped he would fondle indulgently - instead, he shifted back up to wrap it around your throat.

Cold eyes bore into yours as his jaw twitched with something like apprehension.

"No," you quickly choked out before he squeezed.

Dark eyebrows arched and in his gaze, you saw the storm of conflict. But you were losing him.

"This ends tonight," he huffed, nodding once as if trying to convince himself as much as you.

Gone was the fire of your sensual dance. He wasn't getting off on this. He wasn't playing around. He was here to finish the job.

"P-lease..." you gasped, desperate for air, hating yourself for begging. Although, it actually worked. He eased off, if only a fraction. "I'm s-sorry," you whimpered, tears slipping out of your wild, terrified eyes. "I'm sorry about your brother. Please..."

Jake's jaw clenched as his eyes flashed with something unrecognizable. Maybe hesitation. Or doubt. "He was just a kid," Jake spat. "Your father is a monster."

You could try to struggle against his compact but strong frame. You could hope to signal your bodyguards that beneath the music��s roar and the dim lights, a murder was about to occur.

But you found that you wanted him to decide not to kill you.

"I know," you whimpered, nodding quickly. "I know what my father is. What he's done." Sniffling, you squeezed your eyes shut as fresh tears spilled over your lashes. "Do what you have to do if it will give you peace. But just decide." This life-or-death edging was pure torture. And you only hated yourself for how badly you wanted him. "Please don't do this to me anymore."

Suddenly, Jake's entire demeanor changed. His shoulders stiffened, body tensing as his dark eyes flickered all around you.

"There's someone here," he breathed on your ear, finally, officially removing his hand from your throat.

"It's a club - there are tons of people here - "

He shushed you, releasing your arms from over your head, pushing your shoulders up against the wall instead.

"Shit," he hissed. "They're here for me." His boss was apparently tired of waiting.

His eyes found yours. "I'm Jake." Wetting his lips, his eyes flickered down to your throat and back. "I'm...obviously I'm not going to kill you."

Reaching for your thigh, he patted the gun you had stashed there. "This loaded?"

"Y-yes," you stammered, reeling from...everything.

"Good. I'm going to lead them out of here," he explained. "They're after me because I haven't finished the job." He locked gazes with you again. "So they might be here for you too."

"Nice to meet you, Jake," you huffed with a slight pout, your usual fire extinguished by the emotional whiplash of the evening. "You're just a ray of fucking sunshine. Been a real pleasure."

Before he could fire back a protest, you grabbed his jacket and pulled him close. "My bodyguards are right behind you. You really are off your game."

Then you kissed him, hard. He tried to pry himself free, to assess the danger, but the heat of your tongue and the tangle of your fingers through the curls at the base of his neck made him forget this entire shit storm for a few heavenly moments - the taste of you more delicious than he could ever have imagined. You sucked his tongue so hard he almost lost his balance.

He finally broke the kiss, eyes darting wildly, trying to get his bearings.

"Kiss me again," you commanded. "My bodyguards think we're hooking up. They won't fuck with me, trust me."

Jake's chest heaved with desire and trepidation. His boss had definitely dispatched two men that Jake had spotted so far. "I'm not worried about those idiots. We have a much bigger problem."

"Where?" You gasped, your hands twisting hopelessly in his jacket, holding onto him as if you were afraid he would vanish again, leaving you afraid and weirdly sexually frustrated.

"My nine o'clock and eleven. Don't look."

You chewed on your lip, resisting the urge to do just that.

"Trade places with me," you ordered, "up against the wall. Let me hide you."

"It won't work - "

"Turn the fuck around, Jake," you commanded, your eyes flashing. "I don't think they've spotted you yet or we would be dead already." Jake quickly traded places with you, pushing his back up against the wall and dipping his knees as you practically climbed him.

A rush of air passed his parted lips as you pressed your breasts against his chest, draping yourself over him. "Trust me - they won't be looking at you - not while I'm wearing this dress."

You shifted your hips until you could feel his hard cock press against your core, right where it felt so good. If you were in this world of shit because of Jake, you might as well enjoy it.

"Now make them believe there's nothing to see here but my ass," you breathed on his ear, barely finishing your sentence before his gloved hands gripped your backside, pushing you down over his length as his mouth fused with yours.

Fuck. The seam of his pants caught on your clit, through the flimsy material of your lace thong. The roughness of the lace only added to the sensation, sending sparks of pleasure up and down your spine.

And his mouth, god. His lips were as soft as you imagined - predictably demanding, and the stubble of his chin scraped and tickled you deliciously. His tongue rolled hot in your mouth, luring you into a salacious tangle of breathing and sucking and tasting.

The rhythm your bodies shared on the dance floor quickly returned - two moving as one in a wild, writhing tangle.

Sucking his tongue, you moaned into his mouth, rubbing your clit over the outline of his tip with increasing vigor, fingers tangled hopelessly in his curls.

Jake could feel you chasing your orgasm - he knew he could make you come like this, but you might not understand the reality of how much danger lurked around you both.

He couldn't kill you now. He realized, as he tilted his head and flexed his forearms along the curve of your back - he didn't even want to kill you - not even for revenge. Not to hurt your father back or avenge his brother.

And not just to fuck you either. A fire burned in you - something rare and wild and beautiful and he didn't want to be the one to extinguish it. He understood now that he couldn't accept anyone else hurting you either.

You panted his name, tugging hard on his hair, your heated breath temptingly falling on his throat.

"I got you baby," he found himself murmuring. "You gonna come for me like this?"

"Fuck you," you gasped, but he heard no venom in your curse as your mouth sought his again.

His protective and survival instincts clawed through the hazy fog of lust, prompting him to tear his mouth away, touching his forehead to yours as your wild panting tickled his lips.

"They'll kill you," he gasped, pulling you into something of a protective hug. "They're not like me. They won't miss. They won't stop. We have to go. Now."

Shaking yourself out of your near-orgasmic state of bliss, you gripped his jacket once more, trying to think clearly.

"Isn't that what you want, Jake?" You asked him seriously. "For me to die? To hurt my father?"

You pushed hard on his chest, but he trapped your hands.

"Listen to me," he hissed. But he paused, swallowing hard as he regarded you, as if for the final time. "I'm going to lead them out of here - "

"Jake - "

"Use your weapon if you need to." He nodded over your shoulder. "Your closest bodyguard is maybe ten paces on your six. Walk straight to him and get out of here. Call your father."

"Jake, you can't - "

His mouth crashed into yours desperately, tasting your lips one at a time before he licked into your mouth hotly, folding you against his chest with one arm. His free hand gripped your jaw as he kissed you for one more indulgent moment.

Easing back, he stared deeply into your eyes before using his teeth to pull his glove off. He pushed it against your chest.

"Something to remember me by...or maybe play with." He managed a wink before brushing his fingertips over your lips.

You realized then that he'd never really touched you before - not without gloves on.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," he went on caressing your face - your chin, your jawline - raking his fingers over the curve of your cheek. "Now go. Don't get hurt because of me."

He tried to push you away, but you clung to him. "Jake...will I see you again?" You asked with trembling lips, your eyes darting over the handsome contours of his face.

He shook his head. "Not unless you want me to finish the job."

"You asshole," you seethed, gripping his glove in your hand before shrugging one shoulder, trying to pretend you didn't care. "At least I got a new toy out of it. Good luck not getting yourself killed."

With that, you turned on your heel and walked straight to your bodyguard, and away from the inept assassin named Jake.

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Jake woke up in a warehouse on the south side of the city.

The night had started out well enough - getting to see you again - to touch you, kiss you...

But had turned bloody. Deadly. Apparently.

Jake hissed, feeling haphazard stitching feebly holding together the gash on his side, attempting to get a good look through his brand new black eye.

"Fuck," he hissed, realizing he'd missed a few hours. He blacked out after he left the club. And woke up here.

An empty beer bottle sat nearby - along with various other bits of trash from whoever partied or slept here last.

Jake noticed his reflection in the glass.

"I would've taken care of it," he offered up a protest to anyone who might be listening.

But he knew why his deadly alter fronted. It was them or him. Or you. They were after you as well, and it was his fault.

His sluggish mind finally registered what might have happened while he was absent from the body.

Jake grabbed the beer bottle, barking an accusation at his dim, distorted reflection. "Did you hurt her?"

Shit. Marc Spector did not fuck around. If you were a mark, he would finish the job if he thought the body was in real danger. He didn't come around often, not nearly as often as Steven, but he was probably the reason Jake was still alive after all these years.

"Answer me, Marc. Is she alive?"

Marc didn't answer. He never answered. He protected.

Jake should have sliced your throat the first time he grabbed you in that park. Saved himself the trouble.

No one was worth all this shit.

But if that were true, why was he panicking? He had to know.

So he would try to see you one more time. Then he would surrender the body to Steven and let him live in London like he wanted.

next

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Jake Lockley-Centric stories

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[yuri-is-online]

Manipulating the Buyers (Rollo Flamm x Yuu)

Intro

notes: they/them used for Yuu, pre-established relationship, Rollo is downbad horrendous and a freak. Not related to my previous Rollo fic, GloMas suggested but not explicitly mentioned; introducing the boyfriend to the family (Crewel) and watching him get hazed by the older brothers (Leona and Vil), and persists in enjoying domestic fluff despite the horrors (magic). More fic can be found on my masterlist here.

"ENOUGH." Crewel shouts loud enough to silence your upperclassmen and send you halfway out of your skin. "Yuu and Grim are being kind enough to let you use there space even after the Headmage was rude enough to refuse to ask them for it. I'm sure all of you are more than competent enough of doing your tasks on your own."

"Won't the prefect be a bit bored if they have to just stand around and just watch?" Asks Trey, completely aware of your ability to entertain yourself. You should be annoyed, but your attention is firmly captured by the buzz of your phone in your uniform pocket.

"Grim and I can take tickets." You smile as the familiar contact asks if you are out of classes yet, and available to talk.

[you] something came up sorry ….. ( 〃．．)ﾉ [you] nothing bad! i'll text you when it's over ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎

"Oh that would be so cute!" Cater cheers immediately turning towards an equally as excited Idia. "We should totally dress him up, oh do you want to be samsies Yuu? Or should we make your outfit unique?"

[my flamme] Good to hear that there's nothing wrong. Please take your time, I suspect your "something" might be related to something I want to talk to you about. [my flamme] Also nothing bad.

"Hmmm I don't mind leaving that up to you guys!" You tuck your phone against your chest and try to to appear too eager to get away. Vil's raised eyebrow suggests he doesn't completely believe you. "I mean, you guys have a theme you're going with right? If you really want me to pick stuff out I'll need guidelines."

"There won't be any need for that," you're really glad Epel isn't here right now to get any schadenfreude from Vil's strict smile being aimed at someone who isn't him "why we can just decide on your outfit right now can't we? Your classes are over for the day so you have no where to go. Isn't that right?"

~~~~

"And then he made me try on every single suit Crewel owns." Your voice is muffled by your pillows in a position Rollo thinks looks comfortable, but prevents him from fully seeing your face. Thankfully you have mercy on him and turn towards him, adjusting your phone with a smile that makes his heart flutter slowly away from his previous aggravations towards something practically domestic. "And didn't pick out a single one! Can you believe it, I haven't told anyone anything but I swear he knows. Vil's worse than Rook sometimes I swear."

"Did you like any of them?" He's wondered about what you would look like in things other than the uniform Crowley provided you, (ashamedly Noble Bell's uniform had been at the forefront of his mind) the worn gym clothes you used as pajamas didn't give him much insight into your personal sense of style. You close your eyes in thought and Rollo moves you closer to his chest, he wishes he was as relaxed with this as you. He wished he had the strength to lay with his phone next to him in his bed and pretend you were there with him, but even sitting next to the fireplace in the Student Council Room is almost too much for him.

"They were a bit stuffy. And stupid formal." You sound so tired, Rollo almost feels bad for keeping you awake.

"I bet they looked nice."

"Yeah Vil didn't let me take any pictures sorry." Rollo almost chokes at the implication of his asking and you laugh as he coughs and decides to change the subject.

"Oh that's fine." He had been so caught up in asking about your day he had almost forgotten what it was he wanted to speak with you about. That should annoy him, this maddening peace you inspire in him is dangerous, he is at risk of being well and truly content with his place in the world. "I'll get a chance to see anyway." He is rewarded for his patience with a smile so radiant he loses his ability to breath.

"You're coming to the Culture Fair?" You sound so excited.

"Your Headmage specifically invited our student council." Rollo had technically known about this for months, he had suspected that would prove longer than you had known about it but for you to have just learned today angered him intensely. Worry knits its way across your face and that anger softens, he thinks he knows you well enough to make some assumptions. "You don't need to worry about leaving your duties to spend time with me, I fully intended to plan things around your schedule." He whispers softly and you relax slightly. "I'm more than capable of entertaining myself when you aren't around."

"That's not really what I'm worried about..." It was certainly part of it though. The thought of having your boyfriend come all the way from the Shaftlands to Sage's Island and not getting to see him once drove you mad and you didn't have nearly the same amount of faith in Crowley's scheduling that Rollo seems to. "I don't want to have to break up any fights."

"...allow me to rephrase my statement, I am more than capable of behaving myself." Rollo says firmly, and you sigh to yourself. It's not him you are worried about, at least not primarily. No matter how reasonable he thinks he is, Rollo is just as capable of being problematic as your classmates. "And as nice as I'm sure Night Raven College is-" It's a school filled with mages so he doubts it is all that nice, but it's the only home you have known here and Rollo has no desire to be impolite. "I would like to spend some time with you alone and I could see that being... difficult on campus." He isn't wrong.

"Do you know where you're staying? I haven't spent a ton of time off campus so I won't be the best tour guide." You move towards your desk to jot down what Rollo has to say and feel yourself warm when you see his affectionate smile.

"That's fine. I've been thinking about how nice it would be to explore a new place with you. And now I get to do it much sooner that I expected." How this man doesn't think he's romantic is beyond you.

~~~~

Craneport is nothing like the City of Flowers but Rollo thinks it has a certain charm to it. For a city so close to a school for mages there are a lot of normal people here, different in attitude than his home but still charming; Rollo likes it here. Exploring this place with you will be worth it, all he has to do is make through today.

"Ah! Mr. Flamm! So good of you to have accepted my most generous invitation-" The headmage badgers on as Rollo takes a deep breath of his handkerchief, the man is somehow more insufferable in person than over the phone or through your stories, a truly impressive feat if nothing else. Rollo barely manages to extract himself from the Headmage's blubbering to explore the cultural fair. It isn't... unimpressive he supposes. There is a disgusting amount of magic on display, but he manages to find small shows of genuine craftsmanship too. He finds himself pleasantly surprised at the student Cafe, the school's botanical gardens provide a feel unlike the cafe's back at home and provide a pleasant degree of privacy from the rest of the school. The snacks on offer are different too, there are no croissants or cheeses, instead the students are offering different types of cake and a few buns. You did say you were only taking tickets, surely your professors wouldn't mind if you took a brief break to eat something? Or maybe they would allow him to bring something to you, he forgets if you mentioned anything about whether or not you had explained who he was to anyone other than Trein. Not that he's nervous about speaking to any of your other professors, he's certain he can make a good argument to any mage for why-

"Roi du Mouchior!" It's all Rollo can do to not snatch up his handkerchief and give Hunt the satisfaction of seeing him live up to that abominable nickname, opting instead to press his nails into his palm. "How splendid! I had wondered if we would see you here, our prefect's improved mood makes much more sense now, no?" The irritating git turns towards a tall, well presented man who is making a great deal of use of the extra height his heels give to look down in judgement on Rollo with in a keen appraisal that would cause lesser men to keel.

"Oh?" The voice, not the appearance is what triggers Rollo's memory, he can't say he doesn't know who Vil Schoenheit is, he's not wholly unaware of current cultural trends, and he remembers your anecdotes that suggest friendship, he just wasn't expecting to actually meet the man. He hadn't really wanted to meet with anyone other than you. "I was aware Yuu was looking forward to something... but I was under the impression it was exciting and not antique."

"... I don't believe we have been introduced." Rollo does take a breath of his kerchief's potpourri at that comment, Hunt is already abominably difficult to read, but he doesn't suppose he had told Schoenheit the truth, not when Draconia had been the one to suggest the cover up. There were more clever ways to call someone an attempted murderer anyway and he supposes that comment was likely aimed at his uniform. "I am Rollo Flamme, the Noble Bell College Student Council President. I am also Yuu's partner." Schoenheit raises an eyebrow.

"I see." He says. "Vil Schoenheit, Dorm Leader of Pomefiore among other things." And that is all as Vil excuses himself and Rook back towards where Rollo doesn't know but supposes he will soon enough. Briefly, shamefully, his heart stutters as he thinks over the interaction. He hasn't been... forthcoming about your relationship with his peers, it simply is none of their business, but he never said anything to discourage you from doing so. But he also hadn't asked if you had... or wanted to do so, Rollo certainly hopes he hasn't crossed a line even if he finds himself strangely exhilarated to stand and just be honest about how he feels. His eyes dart back to the display before him as softer thoughts soothe the flames of disgust.

Shortcake is always a safe bet he thinks. These ones are exceptionally portable and come in convenient pairs.

~~~~

"Thanks for coming, please enjoy the show!" You give your best scary monster claws alongside Grim and smile wide as the guests giggle at your cuteness and shuffle along to their doom, holding the pose till they leave and letting it collapse in a sigh of relief.

"Man this is annoyin'." Huffs Grim. "Why do ya think they keep squealing whenever I hit em with my monster moves?! s' not like I'm cute, I'm really scary!"

"It's a real mystery." You say with the cadence of someone really pushing for that Oscar nomination. Only to be interrupted someone with the tact of an oncoming freight train.

"It's cause it's not good." Leona slams himself into your chair before you can sit back down, blatantly ignoring both your and Grim protests in favor of continuing to insult your companion. "No one in their right name would be afraid of a puff ball."

"I ain't a puffball!" Puffs Grim. "And you're supposed to be in the Grave Yard! Whatdya think Vil is gonna say if he finds out you're here!" Leona shrugs.

"Probably something about how ugly Yuu's boyfriend is." Leona's signature smug smile comes out as soon as he sees the tell tale signs of your embarrassment fluttering through your body language. "Oh? Here I thought he was joking, don't tell me some bullshit about how you think he's attractive everyone says that."

"But I do?" You protest on instinct noticing much too late the sound of approaching footsteps behind you and simply choose bringing consequences you simply choose not to turn around and face. "I'm not going to say I don't I like him!"

"I'm more concerned you didn't say anything at all." A very not mad just disappointed and this is so much worse looking Crewel stands, fiddling with his riding crop in a way that makes you break just a bit of a sweat. "Was there a specific reason you didn't think to mention you had a boyfriend?" You didn't think Crewel's voice could crack and yet here it is in full view of you (who is terrified) and Leona (having the time of his life.)

"Yuu didn't think it was none of your business." Huffs Grim, sealing your fate somewhere six feet under. "I mean whatdya gonna do? Nothin good!"

"What I mean is-" you try.

"Nah I think it's pretty clear what ya mean." Cackles Leona. "I'm impressed, didn't think ya had it in you to hide something this big." Of all the times for the big cat to decide to have a bit of energy, why's he wasting it on teasing you? "Would have assumed you'd wanna blabber your little feelings all over the place."

"I would have hoped," it might just be you but Crewel sounds almost... sad, it's making you feel sort of bad "that you felt comfortable enough to talk about your feelings. With someone anyway."

"I mentioned it to Ace and Deuce." You say quietly and a little of his typical confidence returns to Crewel.

"Good." He says without a hint of irony. "So long as someone is there for you in case something goes wrong." You wonder if it would be wise to mention that to your friends or if it would make them too insufferable.

"You hear that?" Leona smiles. "You're on notice herbivore." A cough makes you realize he wasn't talking to you

Rollo says nothing, a little box you recognize as being from the Science Club's pop up cafe. What you do not recognize is your boyfriend, he isn't wearing his Noble Bell Uniform, though you think you recognize a similar style to the button up underneath his sweater, his giant uniform hat is missing too. He ignores Leona and simply gives you a reassuring smile before turning to Crewel with the more familiar serious look on his face.

"I'm sorry for causing worry, Yuu speaks very highly of you and I would never encourage them to keep a secret from you." His smooth manner of speaking bores Leona, but doesn't fully impress Crewel.

"I am glad to hear that." He says in complete monotone.

"You here to visit your other herbivore?" Leona asks, still here and not in his place for some reason. "We're using Ramshackle Dorm so sorry you aren't gonna get to be alone." Your search for a suitably blunt object to smack him with is interrupted by Rollo asking a very simple question.

"That's your dorm?" Everything stops. You swear you can hear the screams and faint music from the inside as Leona, Crewel, and even Grim seem to have forgotten how to breathe. Rollo's eyes narrow on the shape of the house, scanning the windows and dipping into the carved stone accents with a severity you think could scorch, yet not once does he move to settle himself or take a deep breath. "It has a certain charm to it I suppose... those tombstones are a very impressive bit of prop work."

"Um do you mind if I take my break now?" You don't wait for an answer and seize Rollo's hand and Grim's paw and book it for the hills behind Ramshackle.

~~~~

"Just so we're clear I still intend to take you on a proper date while I'm here." Rollo sits stiff, not wanting to put the brunt of his back against the trees around you but still clearly enjoying the quiet. "And I do want to see the inside of your dorm... preferably after hours." You wiggle your eyebrows at him and he boops your nose affectionately, surprisingly non pulsed at your silent suggestions. "I have no real interest in gauging the special effects skills of your magical classmates, I am interested in where they are trying to house you."

"I mean I think it's nice?" You certainly like the vibe of it, and the ghosts take good care of you where they can.

"It could be better I guess." Grim sounds happy as he says that, probably because Rollo remembered to bring him food as well (even if he had claimed it was just to shut him up.) "But it's ours y'know? I get to set all the rules and we get to pick the decor! None of the other guys get to do that."

"Would you decorate your house like your dorm?" Rollo reaches out for your hand and pulls you closer, finally leaning back against the tree content with how you lean onto his shoulder. "Hopefully without the tombstones in the yard... assuming they are as real as your reactions suggests."

"I don't know..." Both the answer to that question and the reasons for the grave in your current front yard. "W-why do you ask?"

"For now? I just want to know what sort of things you like because I enjoy hearing about them." And yet Rollo says no more, taking out his phone and moving the conversation to Craneport and the various shops he saw on his way to the school. For now it's an easy enough phrase to ignore, but then Rollo has always been one for implications. For the future, he wants to know what sort of place you would want to buy. He thinks it would be nice to leave the decision to you.

Taglist: @nothingfuninthislife

[imagines--galore]

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Seven

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Family.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: BEACH PARTAY!!!! Also romance cuz, I am a SAP! Also some angst cuz.........blame these characters and their backstories okay! Honestly this chapter got away from me but I had SO MUCH FUN writing it :3 PS: The stories in this chapter are derived from different myths as well as stories from within the Avatar verse. I just mixed them up a little.

"So tell me again where Toph got all this new beach stuff?" Orora questioned as she tied her hair back with a square piece of cloth to avoid getting too much sand into it. Suki glanced up from where she had been pushing a pole into the sand that was holding up the canopy under which they could sit if they required some respite from the sun.

"Oh! She got a good deal on it!" The girl shrugged, not at all effected by the look in Orora's eyes because really, Suki was the only person who didn't think Orora was scary. Then again, Orora didn't find Suki's warrior face intimidating either.

Which was a big mystery to Sokka who found both of their expressions to be quite unnerving. And that was a much nicer word he was using.

Orora rolled her eyes as she adjusted the knot of the sarong she had tied around her waist. For their little beach party, the waterbender had opted to remove the unnecessary clothing items, such as armbands, gloves, shoes and pants. She still wore the colors of the Fire Nation, with her bandeau wrapped around her chest, and a pair of short pants that ended just above her knees and clung to her skin. The sarong provided some modesty, though it left much of her dark brown skin exposed.

Especially the scar that marred her abdomen.

Suki found her eyes flickering towards the puckered and raised skin. "Is that where....?" She trailed off, remembering the story Orora had told her how she got it. Glancing down at it, Orora sighed, her fingers gently tracing the scar as she nodded. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt anymore though, and I can hide it." She shrugged, not really bothered by the scar.

They all had them. Some, like hers, Aang's and Zuko's were visible.

Others, not so much.

And strangely enough those scars ran deeper.

Bumping her shoulder with Orora, Suki smiled at her friend. "Hey, no deep diving into that over-thinking brain of yours." She teased as she swung a friendly arm over her shoulders. "We're here to have fun." The Warrior stated as she began to lead them to where everyone else was helping set up the food station. "And admire our boyfriends." She added with a gleeful smile, one that had both girls dissolving into giggles, though with Orora, it was more of a nervous sound since she couldn't help the blush that stole across her cheeks whenever she would catch sight of Zuko.

Everyone was in their swimming costumes. Toph and Katara hadn't gone for the Fire Nation look as Orora and Suki had. Katara had simply donned the underclothes she usually wore beneath her water tribe clothing, with Toph following her example. Of course the colors were according to the Nation they belonged to. Aang had removed whatever covered his upper body and his shoes and had raced straight towards the water, where he was currently enjoying the waves he was creating. Sokka and Zuko had gone up to the house to get some of the gathered firewood and other supplies returning only a few minutes ago.

And the moment Zuko had taken to removing his outer robe, Orora had volunteered setting up the canopy a few paces away, and had dragged Suki along with her.

It hadn't taken long for Suki to pick up on the real reason behind Orora's eagerness to walk away. Which is why the first chance she had, she was leading the girl back to where the other were.

Sokka was eagerly cutting up some watermelon, with Katara saving the slices from her brother's vivacious appetite and passing them around. Zuko picked up two when the tray passed by, and made his way towards the approaching girls.

"Here, I got some for you." He said, holding out a slice for Orora who blinked at it as if she'd never seen a watermelon before. Suki, with a playful nudge at Zuko, that had him stumbling a little too closer to Orora, skipped off to join her boyfriend.

Chewing the inside of her mouth, Orora accepted the fruit, before forcing her gaze to drag up to meet his.

Though that turned out to be a bad idea because that meant she had to watch every inch of Zuko's bare chest and the sight had the blush returning to her cheeks in full force. When he had been last at the beach, Zuko had barely been eating, and it showed with the way his body had been painfully thin. Now though? With a good many weeks of good food and almost constant firebending training while teaching Aang, he was back in form. A form that included a toned, muscled body that would have anyone who found him even remotely attractive stare.

And Orora found Zuko to be extremely attractive.

In an effort to distract herself, the girl began to eat the watermelon. "Thanks." She mumbled through a mouthful, some of the juice from the watermelon streaking down the side of her mouth, staining her skin.

And prompting Zuko to follow the trail of the drop as it dripped down her chin. Unable to stop himself, he reached out to run his thumb against her skin, wiping away the residue and effectively stroking Orora's chin as he did. She stared up at him, her eyes wide. He could see the shifting emotions in them. A mixture of nervousness and something he couldn't quite place.

Though he knew it was a positive emotion.

With the way her gaze had kept flickering towards him even as she had been working on setting up the canopy with Suki, who's helpful nudge had placed them with barely an inch between them. Then again, he had been no different. Because as soon as he had the chance, his eyes would find Orora's figure and more then once, Sokka had to ask him to stop staring at her.

He couldn't help it.

While seeing her in the colors of his Nation had invoked feelings he never knew he had, seeing her in the swimsuit just increased them tenfold.

Or maybe a hundred-fold. He wasn't sure.

What he was sure, was that the urge to kiss Orora, which hadn't exactly been dormant for the past few days now, rose in full force. Making this the perfect moment to ask her what he had been meaning to all day.

"Orora, I-"

"Heads up!"

A giant wave came crashing towards the shore.

Pure instinct was what drove Orora to drop her watermelon, grab Zuko's wrist and pull him behind her as she kicked her leg out in an arc, cutting the wave through the center, leaving the both of them mostly dry, save the spray of water that came from the wave crashing on either side of them.

"Sorry!" Aang called out from where he was standing, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "That one kind of got away from me." Orora rolled her eyes. "You need to learn to work with the wave and not against it by creating your own Aang." She advised. "Didn't Katara teach you that?" The tone of her voice was teasing, and loud enough for the other waterbender to hear.

"Hey! We've never had proper waves to work with before." The girl called, playfully frowning at Orora who grinned. "No time like the present then!"

Glancing back at Zuko, she stole a quick bite from his watermelon slice. "Save some for me?" Without waiting for an answer, the girl made her way towards Aang and Katara.

Leaving Zuko to stare after her retreating form with a slice of watermelon in his hand that only had one bite taken from it.

"Do you have to be that obvious about who your Soulmate is?" Came Toph's voice, snapping him out of whatever daze he was in as he watched Orora splash about in the water and laugh with Aang and Katara.

"I'm not obvious." He tried to argue, even as he forced his eyes away from Orora and looked at Toph as she stood next to him. The blind girl cackled. "Oh please. I'm blind and even I can see how obvious it is." She was holding a watermelon slice in each hand. "Now stop staring and brooding. You can stare and have fun instead." She suggested, before taking a bite from each of her slice and walking off.

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What followed was an impromptu session of boosting a natural wave and riding it with an ice board. Having never had the chance to do that before, Orora was having the time of her life. It was exhilarating, every time she would watch a wave begin to crest, knowing she was giving it the power to go even higher before riding it on her ice board.

She did fall in on her first few tries, but practice did make perfect. In the end, it was Aang who did the best. Not because her and Katara were any less powerful, but because the boy was cheating a little by giving himself a little boost with a gust of air.

The three of them emerged from the waves, soaking wet and laughing, racing each other to where everyone else had set up and were having fun on their own.

Toph was being her lazy self and had kicked back and was lounging under the warm sun. Suki was standing above the moving figures of Sokka and Zuko as they played about in the sand.

"Er...what's going on?" Orora asked, a little confused at the look of determination on Zuko's face as he gathered a handful of sand. "Sokka challenged Zuko to a castle-bending dual." Suki replied, trying her best to hold back from laughing a the sheer absurdity of the name her soulmate had given the little competition.

Katara shook her head. "Leave it to Sokka to turn anything into a challenge." She laughed to herself, watching her brother use seashells to decorate his sand construction, a look of intense concentration on his face, with his tongue sticking out as he did.

"So, who's winning?" Aang asked, after airbending himself dry. "I want to say Sokka." Suki responded, but then she giggled. "But maybe you should judge for yourself."

She probably didn't want to hurt her boyfriend's feelings. Because while Sokka's construction was already crumbling in some places, Zuko's sand castle looked much more put together. Orora couldn't help but smile as she watched him work on his creation. Spying a seashell next to her toes, the girl quickly picked it up. Stepping up behind him, she reached down to hold the shell out over his shoulder.

Zuko glanced up at her, squinting slightly since the sun was right above her head. "Thought you might need this." She said, pressing the shell into his hand as she crouched down next to him, shoulders bumping. "Thanks." The boy responded with a small smile before returning to his nearly finished construction.

Resting her knees against the coarse sand, Orora smiled. "I didn't know you could make sandcastles so well." She observed, the sounds of the others giving Sokka tips fading in the background. Zuko shrugged. "I used to spend all my time at the beach whenever we came here, making sandcastles. Most days I had someone with me." He continued, a sadness overtaking the joy in his golden eyes. "Uncle." He began to list, his voice low yet firm. "Lu Ten." He cleared his throat while his fingers poked holes in the wall he had created to mimic windows. "My mother." His voice was barely above a whisper and the shift in his tone had Orora reaching out to gently lay a hand over his forearm. He stopped. "Even Azula."

Every bit of the confession hurt him. He'd never realized just how he had lost so many people to different reasons.

His Uncle he had lost because of his own stupidity. Given the chance, Zuko would beg for the man to forgive him for what he had done.

His cousin he had lost to the war. Sometimes Zuko wandered how different his life would've been if only Lu Ten hadn't died.

His mother he had lost to the Fire Nation. No one knew where she was, but in his heart, Zuko knew she was alive and out there somewhere.

His sister he had lost to their father and his idea of perfection. Azula's proclamation that she was to be an only child did hurt, but not as much as the knowledge that he would never have his sister back.

Maybe he never had her.

A warm hand against his cheek guided his sorrowful gaze to meet one full of determination, conviction and a gentleness that had his heart aching because did he still didn't think he was deserving of it.

"You may have lost your blood family over the years Zuko." His Soulmate spoke, her voice mirroring her emotions, the hand resting against his cheek sliding to stroke his scarred skin. "But you've gained a whole new family."

Under her guidance, his head shifted to where Sokka and Katara were arguing over something, with Aang trying to placate the two siblings, and Suki watching as Toph finally decided to grace them all with their presence. "Really? Is that what you call sand castles?' She scoffed.

An earthbending move later, one that had Sokka's entire structure crumbling, much to his dismay, Toph had created a perfect sand replica of the market place they had visited not even an hour ago. Complete with tiny human figures.

As everyone marveled at the creation, minus Sokka who sulked because his girlfriend was admiring someone else's sand creation, Zuko couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"We both did." He said, turning back to look at Orora, reaching up to cover her hand with his own. Smiling the girl nodded.

"We both did." She agreed.

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Sokka and Orora get into a squabble and they decide to play beach volleyball. Sokka chooses Suki and Aang. Orora chooses Zuko and Toph. Katara acts as referee. Game starts off with no bending, but the rules go out the window after a bit. Orora's team wins because they had more benders.

"Hey guys! Look what I found in all the stuff Toph got!" Aang called as he raced towards the group as they finished up their lunch. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "And a ball has you so excited because...." He trailed off, the exact opposite of Aang who looked like he would start vibrating with excitement.

"We can play a beachball game! I haven't played one in so long." He added to which Zuko gave Aang a look. "Probably because you were frozen for a hundred years." He pointed out, earning a few chuckles from everyone at the dryness of his tone. Aang gave him an annoyed look, before continuing. "Please!! I know we can scrounge up a net from that pile too." He aimed a finger towards the various items Toph had stolen, been gifted bought.

Sokka, wanting to recover from his failed attempt at impressing Suki with his sand castle skills stood up. "Come on you guys! It'll be fun!" Orora made a face even as Aang ran to try and find a net. "Do we have to?" She groaned out, having wanted to lie back and take a nap in the sun.

"Not stepping up to the challenge Orora? Are you scared I'll beat you?" Goading had always worked for Sokka when he wanted Katara to do something. And he knew it would work the same on Orora. The girl scowled, before scoffing. "If anyone will be tasting defeat Sokka it'll be you." She shot back, arms crossed over her chest.

The water tribe boy smirked, knowing he had her. "Then how about a game. Your team against mine. Winner gets bragging rights!" He held out a hand, which Orora shook with a firmness that actually had Zuko feeling concerned.

"I'm going to sit this one out and act as the referee." Katara stated, not wanting to get in the middle of her siblings little squabble. "And to make things fair, no bending." She added as she moved to help Aang set up the tent.

His smirk widening, Sokka reached out to grasp Suki's arm, before setting a hand on Toph's shoulder. "I call dibs on these two." He stated, to which Orora shrugged, a smile of utter confidence playing about her lips.

"You may have the greatest earthbender and the best Kiyoshi Warrior on your team Sokka." She responded, leaning against Zuko with a casualness as one would lean against a wall. "I have the Prince of the Fire Nation." It wasn't the title that had Zuko feeling proud, but rather the fact that she saw him as a strong player. "And the Avatar on my team."

Thinking that perhaps he had been a little too hasty with his pickings, Sokka glanced from his two teammates.

"You wanna trade?"

The question had him receiving a slap upside the head, courtesy of his disgruntled soulmate, and a punch to his arm, courtesy of an annoyed earthbender.

The game started out nice enough, with all of them following the rules, though the rules were bent a little to allow Toph to use her seismic sense to know where the next ball was coming from.

Surprisingly the three of them worked really well together as a team. Suki would call out or guide Toph from whatever direction the ball came from, while simultaneously defending the area in the back. Sokka with his highly trained senses as a warrior was able to predict moves before they even happened. The moment he would see the ball arching through the air, the boy would spring into action to deflect it.

On the other side of the net, the three benders seemed to be holding up rather well. Though it was a little difficult for them to not automatically rely on their bending, they made do through sheer skill alone. Orora, looking to practice her leg work, took to kicking the ball back every chance she got. It would've been considered foul if Suki hadn't been doing the same, so Katara let it slide.

At Toph's orders, Aang decided to plant his feet firmly on the ground and refrain from jumping too high. He was also afraid his instincts to use airbending would kick in if he were jump any higher then the net.

So he left the jumping to Zuko, who was surprisingly a good player. He'd actually been the first one to score a goal for their team, leaving everyone a little stunned because well, who knew Zuko of all people could play a good game. Since he was already tall, it made it easy for him to catch the more higher shots.

As for Katara?

She was enjoying the time by sitting there with Momo asleep in her lap while she petted his head. Every now and then she would call out words of encouragement as well as the score, though honestly, with how much each team was scoring, since they were all almost equally matched, she kept mixing up the scores.

It took about twenty minutes into the game before an accidental or rather instinctive use of bending on Toph's part brought the game to a temporary halt.

"Foul!" Orora and Aang called as Toph disintegrated the sand arch she had created to slide the ball back in their direction.

"Hey! She did what she had to do to defend her side." Sokka jumped to defend his teammate. "What, she couldn't defend her side without her bending?" Zuko responded, coming to stand beside his team. Suki frowned. "You're using your bending moves to defend your side." She argued back before all of them turned their attention to Katara who'd been braiding her own hair and had missed the bending usage. Seeing several annoyed faces aimed in her direction, the girl shrugged. "Why don't you go ahead and use your bending then? And Sokka and Suki can use weapons if they want." She suggested.

The six players paused, exchanging glances.

Simultaneously they grinned, similar expressions of determination on their faces as Sokka, who had been holding the ball threw it in the air.

"Game on!"

Once the bending began, their makeshift court became a little too contained. So the entirety of the beach became their court, and whichever team let the ball touch the sand, the opposing team would get the score.

There were several rocks jutting out from the sand. A physical aspect of the landscape Suki took advantage off as she launched herself from various heights to catch whatever shot Aang would hit in the air. Having been limited to only using Airbending, the Avatar was using the tricks he had learned long ago playing airball by giving every hit a little air boost, allowing it to fly across the beach.

Toph thwarted several of his would-be-scores. Wanting to practice her sandbending a little, the girl would block the path of the other team members. It was hilarious whenever either Aang, Orora or Zuko would meet one of her obstacles, either in the form of a sand wall, being locked in place by sand, or having a wave of sand throw them off balance.

Having brought his water tribe club to the beach, don't ask why, he had just grabbed it, Sokka was using the more heavier end of the weapon to his advantage by hitting the ball harder and hurling it back in the direction of the other team.

Every now and then the sun would glisten down on the slides and arches made of ice as Orora would either navigate the ball, herself and even her teammates by creating the constructions to help them score a goal. Since firebending wouldn't help him out in the game, Zuko was only using the physical motions of all that he had learnt. And they were coming in pretty handy since he was able to score quite a few times over the course of the game.

The game itself was chaotic, disorganized and fierce. Each bending move was ruthless, and each kick and hit had a strength behind it that would scare any seasoned warrior. If there was one thing scarier then an armada of soldiers, it was a bunch of teenagers determined to win the game. There was absolute pandemonium and barely any sense of organization with every single player giving it their all, barely stopping to celebrate a score. Which Katara had stopped keeping fifteen minutes ago in favor of creating ice crystals for Momo and watching him try to catch them.

That wasn't to say the game was without it's comedic moments.

Sokka was smacked in the face on several occasions. And sometimes by his own team. CoughTophCough.

Once they'd begun to use bending, Aang, in a fit of annoyance at having missed a shot had stamped his foot, triggering his earthbending by accident and making the ground shake just a little. Toph had been really proud of that.

After having scored a particularly ruthless goal against the other team, Sokka had all but swept Suki up in a passionate embrace, much to the embarrassment and grossness of everyone around. Aang had covered his eyes, red in the cheeks. Toph and Katara gagged. Orora and Zuko just felt plain awkward from where they stood next to each other, barely an inch away and yet unable to reciprocate how Sokka and Suki were doing so in that moment. Their gazes met for a brief second, before they looked away again.

The two Soulmates were rudely interrupted by Katara as she doused them with a wave of water.

Then there was the running into one another while trying to keep the ball from touching the ground. On several occasions the players would run smack into each other, often those who were on the same team. Minus Toph, who could quickly step out of the way whenever she sensed someone about to run into her.

One such moment had ended with Aang and Sokka knocking heads and falling back dazed as each of them saw stars in their vision. Katara was the only one who tended to them, the other four carrying on with their playing. Though she'd fussed over Aang more then Sokka, which had annoyed the older boy slightly. But then they were back in the game and it was forgotten.

Another moment had been Suki and Orora slamming into one another in the air. They'd both seen the ball as it hurtled towards the ground, and instinct had both girls jumping, with Suki managing to smack the ball away. However, neither girl was able to get pivot in the air, resulting in the both of them being knocked together and dropping to the ground. Luckily they had only been a few meters from the ground, so neither of them were injured.

Though it did have their respective soulmates rushing to their aid. Which would've been nice if the two girls hadn't been so preoccupied with winning the game for their team. They'd rushed off the moment they were up, leaving Zuko and Sokka to glance at each other, both equally stunned yet all the more infatuated with their Soulmates.

Orora seemed to have the worst luck when it came to running into people. She'd barely recovered after slamming into Suki when she went down a second time. Though this time, when she ran into Zuko, and the two of them fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, it wasn't so bad.

"Ow! My head!" Head pulsing from where she'd come in contact with a stray rock, Orora pulled herself away from where she had landed feeling her hands bury a little in the sand as she pushed up. Only for her body to freeze once she realized the position she was in. Zuko was no better as he stared up at the dangerously close face of his Soulmate.

Blue clashed against gold and time seemed to stand still.

Everything around them disappeared, their friends, the beach, the sounds of nature around them. All that existed in that moment was the two of them and how close they were.

They'd been close before, but never in an embrace as intimate as this one. One that had skin brushing against skin, chests heaving from the exertion of the game, warm breath running along the other's lips and cheeks flushed.

Her hands framed his face where they were half-buried in the sand. An instinctive rose within her, one that urged her to touch him, to feel him even more then she already was. Orora fisted her hands in the sand in an attempt to control her wayward thoughts.

One of Zuko's arms had instinctively wrapped around Orora's waist, and she could feel his fingers brush against the puckered skin at the side of abdomen. He allowed the tips of his fingers to run along the raised skin.

He felt, rather then saw her breath hitch, as her chest brushed against his, since their eyes were still locked. "Are you hurt?" He heard himself ask, unaware of the heated prickling sensation that seemed to be creeping up his body from where his legs were tangled with hers. A little preoccupied by the sudden warmth that sang through her body, Orora was only able to give him a slight shake of her head as her response.

They were both lost in one another, and yet somehow, neither of them had ever felt more seen. It was always that way, whenever they would lock eyes, but the sudden intimacy of that moment made them realize exactly what that feeling had been.

A feeling that simmered within their souls since the first time their eyes had met.

However, the moment was shattered by an angry voice. "IF YOU TWO ARE DONE MAKING EYES AT EACH OTHER???!!!! GET BACK IN THE GAME!" Aang all but roared from where he had been defending for their team all by himself.

That seemed to snap them out of the moment they were both trapped in. Scrambling to stand, the two teenagers raced over to where Aang was, red in the face, hearts beating fast and something akin to frustration and disappointment burning under their skin.

While Orora tried to push the feelings aside, so that she could analyze them later and discern them for what they were, Zuko's mind raced, reliving the moment over and over again.

He tried his best not to use his bending, but the excitement of the game as well as the unintentionally heated moment he had just shared with Orora caught up to him. Without thinking he threw out a punch that set the ball aflame as it flew through the air, sailing over Sokka, who ducked out of the way with a shriek.

They all watched as the ball finally came to a rest a good few yards away, black and smoking, before it disintegrated.

Every eye turned towards Zuko, who gave a sheepish smile and a nervous laugh. "Sorry."

Katara, who had taken a quick nap during the remaining game, declared the match over with no winner. Which earned her several shouts of disapproval. But one glare from the water tribe girl had the players scrambling as they parted in different directions under the guise of cooling off after the game.

With Orora and Zuko walking away in different direction, making it a point to not look at one another as they did.

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Sokka was the go-to meat guy. There was no doubt that out of all of them, he knew how to roast every kind of meat to perfection. Which was why he was stuck with cooking duty. And since he had no desire to suffer alone, he had dragged Zuko with him under the pretense that he needed someone to control the temperature of the fire.

As the only resident vegetarian, Aang had volunteered to prepare his own food, plus dessert.

For once, both Katara and Orora were happy to have someone else cook, leaving the two of them, along with Suki and Toph to lounge about under the canopy after the rather strenuous game.

"Haven't had that much fun playing a game in awhile." Toph claimed as she lay against the sand, arms crossed behind her head. Orora raised an eyebrow. "When exactly was the last time you played a game Toph?" She asked, to which the girl frowned in thought. "Does being in the Earth Rumble count?"

Katara was the one to respond. "No." She stated from where she lay atop a towel, her eyes closed. Suki, who had downed an entire waterskin spoke up. "I doubt any of us have had the chance to play a lot of games."

She certainly hadn't. Not when she was training as a Kiyoshi Warrior almost everyday since she'd been a little girl. Orora hummed in agreement, thinking back on all those days she had so sorely wanted to go outside and play in the snow, but had been told that it wasn't proper for a lady of her station. "The last time I played a game was....before my mother died." Katara admitted in a soft voice, prompting Orora to glance at her as she sat beside the younger girl. "But I did go penguin sledding with Aang, so I guess that counts." She added, the sadness in her eyes melting away to be replaced with a happy smile as she recalled how much fun that had been.

"Was that when you realized he was your Soulmate?" Suki asked, coming to sit down in front of Katara who sat up as well. Toph was still lying down but they all knew she was paying attention to the conversation. Katara pursed her lips, glancing down at her finger where only she could probably see the string.

Orora frowned. "You know I've always wandered, since Aang was buried in the ice so close to your home, did you ever felt your string tug? You must've passed his location many times no?" She asked, curious to know Katara's experience. The other girl hummed. "Now that you mention it." She muttered softly. "I did feel it tug once, a few years back when I was traveling through the area where we found Aang a few years later. But I was really young back then, so I had no idea what the tug was." She added with a shrug.

Tilting her head as she allowed her thoughts to voice, Suki added. "Do you think Aang finally emerged from the ice because his own string sensed you were close?"

They'd all heard how Katara had been a catalyst in Aang's emergence from the ice. Everyone had thought it had been fate.

But perhaps it had been more then that.

Her eyes widened as Katara shook her head. "No, it couldn't be that." She paused, not believing herself. "Could it?" She looked around at her friends.

Toph hummed in thought. "Suki's right. I mean, how many people passed by that area over the hundred years Aang was in the ice." She shrugged. "Not many since it was the South Pole, but still there were people. Aang could've emerged at any time, but he chose to break through the ice when you were nearest to him."

Orora, who had been listening to the entire conversation in thoughtful contemplation, let out a small laugh. "What?" Suki asked, as the other two girls turned to look at the older girl.

"Nothing, its just strange how by being Aang's soulmate, Katara is single-handedly responsible for all of us being here together today. I mean," She continued, glancing at Suki. "If what happened never happened, Suki, you would never have met Sokka because he never would've left the South Pole." Turning towards Toph, she continued. "And Toph, you would've stayed with your parents, and continued to fight in the Earth Rumble, I suppose." The girl shrugged. "Eh, I doubt it. My parents would've caught me sooner or later."

Picking up from where Orora had left off, Suki added. "And you would've never met Zuko." The mere thought of such a notion had a chill running down Orora's spine. "I never would've met Zuko." She repeated softly with a nod, her eyes flitting towards her Soulmate.

As gaze remained fixed there for a few moments, allowing Toph to nudge Katara, and for Suki to exchange a look with the younger waterbender. "Speaking of Zuko, has he asked you out yet?" Katara asked, trying to appear nonchalant when really she was dying to know how her two friends fared.

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"No, Sokka. I haven't asked yet. There! Are you happy?"

For the past ten minutes Sokka had been rephrasing the question over and over. At first Zuko had told him to mind his own business, but finally he had snapped. Mostly because he wanted to shut the boy up, but also because he was frustrated with his inability to form words around Orora that would have him actually voicing the question.

"Really?" Aang looked up from where he had been peeling some fruits. "I thought you would've asked her by now, since we are in a safe place with no immediate threat looming over us." He waved his arms in the air to add emphasize to his words.

Zuko sighed as he lowered the intensity of the fire to prevent the meat from burning. "I just haven't had the chance to ask yet." He admitted with a shrug, looking just as dismal as he felt. "I'm just-

                                            ————————–

-waiting for the right opportunity to ask me. I know it." Orora shrugged. "We just keep getting interrupted." She added her eyes towards the sand where her finger drew nonsensical patterns. "Well why does he have to ask you?" Toph asked. "I mean I asked The Duke and that worked out for me."

Suki was the one who responded in Orora's place. "She doesn't want to ask him because Zuko already promised he would." Katara blinked at the Kiyoshi Warrior, a little surprised she would know that. "And I don't want to steal the moment from him." Orora added.

Toph scoffed. "Well if that little moment you two had during the game wasn't the perfect chance-"

                                            ————————–

"-then I don't know what is." Sokka stated, turning the meat over the spit, only to jump back as the flames were given a little extra boost, courtesy of an embarrassed firebender.

"Don't take it out on the food!" Sokka exclaimed, even as Zuko regained a control over his emotions. Glancing in the direction of the canopy, Zuko sighed. "Don't overthink it too much Zuko." Aang advised from where he was now plating the dessert he had been working on. "Just come out and ask. Its not like she's gonna reject you or anything."

Humming under his breath, the young Prince nodded. "Right." He muttered. "Just come out and say it."

                                            ————————–

It was nearing dusk by the time they were finally called for dinner. The girls had made their way towards the fire when Sokka had waved them over, and were now starting to settle down.

Despite the strangely charged air that seemed to linger between her and Zuko, Orora didn't want to sit away from him. The Prince was a little surprised when she sat down next to him, but smiled at her nonetheless before reaching out to give her hand a gentle squeeze.

Both dinner and dessert were finished in record time since they had all been starving. And once they were full and sipping on some leftover watermelon juice, Aang proposed a little idea.

"Hey, why don't we all tell stories?" He said, looking around with a smile. Katara smiled in response. "What kind of stories should we tell?" She asked, to which the boy shrugged. "Any story. From our Nation, or maybe one that we loved hearing when we were kids."

Zuko smiled. "Technically we still are kids." He stated in a dry tone, which had everyone around him chuckling. "How about you start Aang?" Suki suggested from where she was leaning against Sokka's shoulder with his arm wrapped around her.

The boy hummed under his breath, before nodding. "Alright! I've forgotten where I heard the story, but I'm gonna tell it anyway!"

                                            ————————–

"Some people believe that long ago the spirits and humans lived together. And though it wasn't always harmonious, it was peaceful at times. But the humans began to fear the spirits more and more, and as the fear grew, so did their desperation to protect themselves."

"During that time there lived a young man who was seen as one of the braver ones since he did not fear the spirits. Or rather the spirits did not fear him. No one knew which it was."

"He was a firebender, and he would often leave his village to explore the nearby forest at night. With his fire to guide and protect him, he would chat with the spirits and enjoy the many parties they held."

"One day he came to know that some humans had destroyed a place that was sacred to certain spirits. The spirits were angry and wanted to take revenge, but he tried to prevent it."

"During his attempts, a spear flew through the air, killing one of the spirits. At such a brutal killing, and that too in front of them, the spirits were enraged, and their very physical forms began to manifest the negative emotions they were feeling."

"The firebender tried to find the being who had thrown the human spear, and was shocked to realized that it was a Dark Spirit. The Dark Spirit had tasted just a small amount of the darkness that thrived in the hearts of humans and spirits alike, and thirsted for more."

"It had been the one to throw the spear. The one who started the war between humans and spirits. He had also been the one to sow discord in the minds of the humans about the spirits."

"Desperate for the slaughter to end on both sides, the young man set out to find the opposite of the Dark Spirit, the Spirit of Light."

"It took him months, and along the way, he met several other people. An earthbender, an airbender and a waterbender. They became friends in their shared goal of stopping the war between spirits and humans."

"Finally, they found the Spirit of Light. They spoke to it of what the Dark Spirit had done, and it agreed to help. But at a price."

"The four friends would have to choose someone from them who would be the one to carry the Spirit of Light within. Not only that, but they would have to give up their gifts of bending to that person. For only when both humans and spirits would see the four elements united within a human body, accompanied by a spirit would the fighting end."

"It was a hard decision, but in the end it was decided that the Firebender would be the one to carry all the gifts."

"Honored to have been chosen, the man promised his friends that he would end the war and so stepped up to claim his rightful place as the first Avatar."

"Not long afterwards the Avatar and the Dark Spirit met in battle, with the Spirit being imprisoned forever. And though he had wanted to see humans and Spirits live together in harmony, the young man knew it was never to be."

"So the Spirit World and the Human World were created as mirrors of one another, where each would reside in peace, with the Avatar acting as the bridge between them since he or she carried the Spirit of Light within, as well as the four elements."

                                            ————————–

Silence followed Aang's story.

"Was that...........was that a true story?" Sokka finally asked, to which Aang shrugged. "I'm not sure. It might be? Like I said, I don't know where I heard it before, and I'm probably mixing up some stuff." He added.

"Well whether that story was true or not, I thought it was great." Orora said, smiling at the younger boy, who grinned back. "Who's next?"

"You know Toph, I've always wandered how you became the Blind Bandit." Sokka spoke up from where he was sitting Suki. "How about I go next then?" Toph said, sitting up from where she'd been leaning back against one of the rocks that decorated the beach. "That can be my story."

Sensing the nods of affirmation from her friends, the girl began.

"I was about ten years old, learning everything I could from the badgermoles every chance I could get. It was there that I met an earthbender. From what he told me, he was a soldier passing through, and had seen me sneak away to the tunnels often." She held up a finger in Sokka's direction who had just opened his mouth to ask his question. "And before you say anything Sokka, my seismic sense wasn't that great back then, so I didn't sense him before." The boy looked a little shocked at having been so predictable with his question but stayed silent.

"Anyway! He came up to me and told me he knew what I had been doing." The girl smiled softly, the firelight flickering in her unseeing eyes as she continued. "And rather then ratting me out to my parents, he decided to help me train himself. I asked him why he would want to teach me, a girl who was blind. And he said that I reminded him of his son who he had to leave behind to go fight in the war." Toph shrugged. "He probably made up that part of the story cuz his heart did pick up when he said that, so I just thought he was hiding something else, but I didn't ask about it."

"We began to train, and honestly he taught me everything I know about earthbending that the badgermoles hadn't taught me. And finally, when he thought I was ready, he decided to take me to the Earth Rumble." A glimmer of excitement seemed to exude from her as she continued, smiling as the memories passed through her mind.

"It was a little tricky to sneak out, but we managed and the nights we would sneak away became the highlight of my week. It was so much fun sitting there and sensing all the earthbenders as they battled it out. Going there only had me practicing my seismic sense, and I could predict a person's move before they even made it. It only made me anxious to get out there and show them what I was capable of."

She shrugged. "The old soldier was hesitant, but he could see I wasn't about to back off. And before any of you ask." She held up a hand. "He never told me his name. I called him Old Man because that's what I had sensed him as when I met him."

"I entered my first competition just a few months before you guys came looking for me. I won the title the first time through," She revealed, before the excitement and joy all but disappeared from her tone and she frowned, looking a little sad. "But for some reason I never saw my friend again." She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling her legs close to her chest. "I had sensed him in the audience during the battles, but later I couldn't sense him at all."

A brief moment of silence followed Toph's reveal, with Orora, who was sitting on Toph's one side reached out to gently place a hand on the girl's forearm.

"It was so strange." She whispered, looking every bit the thirteen year old she was. "And I can't still make sense of it."

Shrugging away the hurt she still felt over her friend leaving, Toph concluded her story. "After that I defended my title for a good few months until these three showed up." She gestured towards Sokka, Aang and Katara. "And the rest is history."

                                            ————————–

Katara tells the story of her Gran-Gran and how she left the North Pole in search of her soulmate rather then marry Pakku.

"Speaking of people who found each other." Suki said, hoping to help lift the dark cloud that now seemed to loom over Toph. "You guys told us how your grandmother was from the Northern Water Tribe. How did she get to the Southern Water Tribe? Cuz from what Orora has told me, her tribe is really stingy when it comes to their females."

Grinning and eager to share the story, Katara sat up straight. "Well, Gran-Gran, much like Orora, had lived her whole life by the rules and traditions of the Northern Water Tribe. But she told me how she'd always held on to the hope that she would meet her soulmate."

Katara frowned slightly, looking away. "But that changed when her father announced her engagement to a man named Pakku." Sokka grinned. "Though that all came full circle since he taught you waterbending." He chuckled, at which Suki, Toph and Zuko looked more then a little intrigued.

"What?"

Nodding with a small smile, Katara continued. "That part comes later. What happened then was the betrothal necklace was sent." Her hand went to the one around her neck, the very one her mother had owned and that Pakku had made for her grandmother. "But my Gran-Gran had already made the decision of running away."

"Kind of like you." Zuko whispered to Orora, who smiled before coming to settle against him, her head resting on his shoulder with his arm around her waist.

"Packing what she needed, Gran Gran left a few days before her wedding and escaped the fate that was decided for her."

"That took guts." Aang stated in an admiring tone, earning a smile from his soulmate. "It did. All she had was her few possessions and her string to guide her. Her soulmate could've been anywhere in the world, but she decided to travel to her sister tribe. And, well, to end on a happy note, she found our Grandfather, married him and even though he died years ago, she is living a happy and contented life."

                                            ————————–

"On the subject of love stories." Orora said with a playful smirk on her lips as she turned to her boyfriend. "Your Uncle once happened to mention your obsession with a certain one that involved a Dragon Emperor and how he fell in love with a mortal woman."

Zuko pursed his lips, cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he looked around at his obviously shocked friends. "Zuko reads love stories!?" Toph cackled, earning a glare from the Prince. "Its not a story. Its a classic play." He reiterated, though that didn't work in his favor.

"Oh we're sorry Zuko." Suki said, holding up her hands in a placating manner. "We didn't mean to offend you by mistaking your favorite love play for a love story."

Shooting a look of annoyance at Orora, who was grinning up at him, Zuko rolled his eyes. "What do you guys want to know?" He spoke in a grouchy tone. Aang grinned. "The whole story. And don't leave out any details." He added.

Sighing Zuko shrugged. "It was just a play my mom would read to me when I was a kid. Though the fighting was what interested me the most."

"Sure." Both Katara and Sokka echoed at the same time, earning laughs from the listeners, minus Zuko.

Clearing his throat the boy began. "Its called Love Amongst the Dragons, and it starts with the Dragon Emperor. He was as powerful as an Emperor could be. But he was also full of pride and boasted of his strength to all those around him."

Despite the teasing, everyone was listening to the story with their full attention. "He liked to go around challenging anyone who was stronger then him, and for a time he won every single one of them. Until one day, when he faced the Dark Water Spirit."

The fire flickered, casting shadows all around. The sun had set a good while ago, but no one seemed to notice as they continued to listen. "The Emperor was, of course, defeated in his arrogance and pride. As punishment, the Spirit bound him to a mortal form and sent him to live in the human world. Only when he would learn of humility and let go of his shame would he regain his true form and be able to defeat the Dark Water Spirit."

Orora couldn't help but draw similarities between what the Dragon Emperor had been through, and what Zuko had been subjected to since he had been a young boy.

"The Dragon Emperor decided to take up the name Noren and began to roam the land, the shame of his defeat hanging over him." Zuko's voice lowered slightly, and he couldn't help but seek out Orora's hand, which readily wrapped around his own. A squeeze of encouragement was all he needed as he continued.

"Despite all that he felt, Noren did begin to appreciate the humbleness of the life of a mere mortal. And all that he experienced slowly culminated in him falling in love with a mortal woman."

Despite his best efforts not to, Zuko couldn't help but glance at Orora as she nestled beside him. She had turned her face up towards him while he told the story, and gave him a smile when they gazes met briefly.

Turning his attention back to the rest of the audience, Zuko went on. "The love he felt for the mortal woman, was strong enough to help him overcome the shame of his defeat, and all his past actions. He earned his true form and was able to defeat the Dark Water Spirit."

He ended with a shrug. "The play ends with the Dragon Emperor embracing his mortal lover, who turned into the Dragon Empress so that the two could be together forever."

                                            ————————–

"Since Zuko told his favorite love story." She didn't even flinch when Zuko glared at her and whispered angrily. "It was a play."

"I'm gonna tell you guys one of my favorite stories." She stated, sitting up straight despite the sleepiness that was beginning to creep up on her. "Its the story of how the Sun loved the Moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe."

The very words had her audience sitting up, already captivated by what was to come.

"There was a time when the Sun was a god of sorts. His light was so powerful it brought herbs to life and grew food from the ground. The light from the Sun chased away the monsters that lurked in the night. And everyday, everyone, came out to worship him. They sensed the warmth of his glow. They felt alive in his daylight." A sad lilt overcame her voice as she continued. "The Moon, however, was seen as something bad. A darkness. One that brought a cold presence to the world each night. Everyone would hide in their homes when she rose, afraid of the darkness she brought with her."

"Did the Moon have her own light?" Aang asked, looking every bit as the boy he was as he asked the question. The older girl shook her head. "No, she didn't have her own light for she was born without it, unlike the Sun."

"The Moon craved to be seen." Orora found her own gaze flitting towards the sky where the moon was already shining her ethereal glow. "She wanted to be loved, just as everyone admired the Sun."

"What no one knew, was that the Sun had a secret." Orora revealed, returning her gaze to her captivated audience. "He fell in love with the Moon for the good she brought to the world despite all the hatred she received. He admired her for it. She hid parts of herself from the world that he knew the world would embrace."

"The Moon too, had fallen in love with the Sun long ago. For all the worship he received, and the admiration humans sang off, he never once grew arrogant, and only looked to make the human's life better."

Orora sighed. "But they were opposite souls, the Sun and Moon. They were lovers who rarely met and always missed one another." She smiled softly, her fingers tracing two circles in the sand to represent the Sun and the Moon. "Yet they both waited patiently for the rare days when they might coexist peacefully."

"The Sun wanted to make his true love happy. He wanted to show the world what she had to offer. The kindness and love she could not share. He thought for weeks about how to give her the breath of air she wanted, leaving the world in a cloudy haze."

"But then, at last, he knew what he had to be done."

"What did he do?" Toph asked, eager to know what the Sun came up with.

Orora smiled. "From that moment on, every night, he sacrificed his light so that it would instead shine on the Moon so the humans could see her in all her beauty. He gave up something he was admired for every night, so that she would have her moment to shine."

                                            ————————–

Suki was up next after Orora's story.

And though the girl tried her best to remain awake, she only caught snatches of the tragic love that was shared by Oma and Shu during a time of war.

Sokka, Aang and Katara had heard the story before, but since Toph and Zuko hadn't, it was an interesting new tale for them. However, halfway through, Zuko felt Orora slump against him completely. He glanced down at her to see she had fallen asleep with her head resting against his shoulder.

The boy smiled, tilting his head so that it rested atop hers in a tender embrace.

He began to doze off as well, and was only gently shaken awake by Katara who stood over him with a smile. "Sokka and Suki went for a walk." She spoke softly so as to not wake Orora. "The rest of us are heading back to the house to sleep." Zuko responded with a nod as he leaned back against a.......rock?

There hadn't been one behind him before.

Catching sight of Toph, the girl gave him a grin and a thumbs up. He said his thanks, knowing she would hear him.

The night was beginning to get cold, but with the fire in front of him, and the fact that he could regulate his own body temperature, meant that he wasn't cold, and he could make sure Orora wasn't either.

It was funny how just a few months ago, he'd been here in front of another fire with different people, raging about how angry he was at himself. Not to mention the Orora with him back then had been a projection of his mind. One he could not touch or feel, but could only hear and see.

And now, here he was. More at peace then ever before, with an arm wrapped around his girlfriend as she slept, a look of utter peace and tranquility on her gentle features. Turning his head, he dropped a soft kiss to her hair, opting to wait for her to wake up so they could return to the house.

Though the kiss seemed to have done the trick. Groaning softly as her eyes blinked open, Orora gazed around blearily, trying her best to clear the fog that had settled in her brain while she slept. "Where's everyone?" She said softly, reaching up to rub the heal of her palm against her eye. "Back to the house." Zuko revealed, reaching out with the shirt he had discarded that morning and wrapping it around her shoulders as she pulled away from him. "We should head back too, so that you can get to sleep."

The fire was put out with a brief wave of his hand, before he turned his attention to Orora and helped her up. She was still tired, but was more awake then she had been before. "Come on." She whispered, reaching for his hand and intertwining their fingers. Smiling Zuko began to lead the way back up towards the Summer House.

"Today was fun." Orora commented, smiling to herself. "I can't remember the last time any of us had fun." She mused to herself. Zuko shrugged. "Well when we win this war, hopefully we'll have more days like today."

Catching on to what he had said, Orora turned her head to look at him. "When, not If?" She asked, referring to the statement he had just made. "Of course it's when." He responded with a conviction that surprised her. "We're a strong team, and all of us have something to fight for." He fixed her with a determined look before adding. "So yeah, I know we won't loose."

They'd reached the stairs of the Summer House by now. Pulling slightly at Zuko's hand, Orora brought him to a halt before she pushed herself up to catch his cheek in a loving, lingering kiss.

With her hand cradling his other cheek, Orora smiled at the sight of him staring at her, his eyes wide and wanting.

The last bit of realization had her blushing as she slowly pulled away.

"I'm glad you found your reason Zuko." She whispered softly, referring to the conversation they had had so long ago by the lake they had first battled in. A time when both of them had been practically strangers and yet the connection they had was so profound that neither had realized just how much it would come to mean to them as time went on.

She began to walk up the stairs, leaving Zuko to stare after her.

And the moment she turned back to look at him, the wind catching her hair, his shirt around her shoulders, and the familiar, yet forever breathtaking, smile on her lips, an image surfaced in his mind.

A image of her standing just where she was, with that very same smile.

In his dream.

When he had been sick.

In Ba Sing Se.

Even then his heart and soul had known what had taken his head so long to catch up on.

She was the balm he had always needed, would always need.

And now that he had her, he never wanted to let her go.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

The words rushed out of his mouth before he even realized his tongue was forming them.

The girl blinked, startled. "What?"

Clearing his throat, Zuko steeled himself before repeating what he had said. "I was wandering Orora," As he spoke he began to ascend the stairs, drawing closer to her with every step. "If you would do me the honor of going on a date with me?"

He was standing in front of her now, though still a step down. Not that it made any difference, since the position only allowed them to be face to face, rather then her tilting her head to look up at him.

She still hadn't responded, her hands clasping the front of his shirt tightly in front of her.

Remembering what he had slipped in the pocket that morning, he reached out to pull out the moon peach he had bought for her.

He held it up between them, watching as her eyes widened in surprise. "Please?"

Her hand lifted to take the piece of fruit from between his fingers. "I would love to." She finally replied. Leaning forward she sealed the deal with yet another kiss to his cheek. Though this one was pressed against his scar.

"Tomorrow at six in the evening?" She suggested, to which he simply nodded, his smile just as tender as his gaze. The wind was soft as it played with their hair, bringing with it the sound of the waves still crashing on the beach below.

Orora began to walk backwards, never once breaking the eye contact the two of them shared.

"I'll be waiting."

                                            ————————–

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[imagitory]

@andrewmoocow Personally I find them to be misguided. There is a very well-done analysis video I've cited before that talks about the animation and why it ends up looking like AI, and I think it really addresses this argument better than I could --

-- but TL;DR, the animation looks "fake" largely because of stylistic decisions (l.e. turning off motion blur with the thought it would look "more like 2D") that weren't well thought-out. And I actually think the film's writing issues run into the same problem.

Because here's the thing -- writing high fantasy is not as easy as it looks. I can testify to this because I myself am writing a draft for a high fantasy novel right now.

All these years, Disney has been in an advantageous position with their animated films largely being adaptations of previous works, since they're already given a lot of the parameters a writer needs to build a world, plot, and characters. In a Snow White adaptation, for instance, you need a vain queen, an innocent princess, a prince, seven dwarfs, a magic mirror, and a poisoned apple, as well as a fairy tale world where these things fit comfortably. And since so much mainstream fantasy is largely inspired by medieval Europe, that aesthetic remains very familiar with audiences to the point that you need a lot less explanation for things. We don't really need an explanation for the political landscape of Cinderella because we see "fairy tale kingdom" and immediately know it's an absolute monarchy led by generally amiable rulers. We're not surprised when fairies appear in Sleeping Beauty, or when a magical sword predicts who should be king in The Sword in the Stone, or when Tiana and Naveen are turned into frogs in The Princess and the Frog, or when trolls appear in Frozen -- all of these magical conventions fit within the usual fantasy aesthetic and really don't need any explanation or backstory. I'd hazard to say that most people -- aside from those nitpicky critic types who get all hung up on how many servants are in Beast's castle just because they saw a bunch of extra silverware in the Be Our Guest sequence -- just don't bother questioning these things. And the original material also gives some shape and form to the adaptation's story, characters, and overall feel. It doesn't matter how close the finished product matches the original idea or even how familiar the audience is with that original material -- it still provides a jump-off point and sense of focus for the writer(s), the same way fanfiction (even an AU fanfic) can, in contrast to original content.

All right, well, what about those Disney projects that aren't fantasy? Well, in the case of stories like Treasure Planet, Robin Hood, and Mulan, they're still based off preexisting properties that people will find familiar enough that the writers can focus more on the adaptation's unique additions and not focus on detailed backstories and explanations about how the world and societies depicted in the story work. It's a lot easier to just focus on the fantastical elements like the space tech, talking animals, or Mushu and the ancestors if the rest of the story and cast are relatively easy to understand. Even in the case of original stories like The Lion King (which admittedly was largely inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet, but I digress), Lilo and Stitch, and Lady and the Tramp, they still exist in a non-magical world that closely resembles ours, with only superficial changes like animals being able to talk or the existence of aliens. Even quasi-historical settings like The Great Mouse Detective and Atlantis: The Lost Empire look enough like our real-world equivalent that their settings are largely recognizable to us.

In just about all Disney animated films, the screenwriters didn't have to world-build that much. They didn't have to put the character development and plot on hold to explain the rules of the universe these stories take place in that often -- not unlike how writers like Rick Riordan didn't have to explain as much about the country his hero Percy Jackson lives in, because his books are an urban fantasy where our real world is just "plused up" with magical elements. We don't need to know if gravity works on the story's characters the way it does for us. We don't need to be told about the political landscape, history, or terrain of our location. We don't need to ask whether dying is something our characters can come back from.

Wish, on the other hand, is an original story in a high fantasy setting that doesn't resemble our world. People might try to claim it takes place in the Iberian Peninsula, but come on -- Rosas is a completely fictional country in a world that has magic we don't know the rules of and countries that faintly resemble cultures from our world, but we don't know the histories of or how similar they actually are to their real-world inspiration. We also have a cast of characters we've never met in any other media and a story and messages that we know nothing about beforehand. This means that we have no preexisting framework going in for what's possible and impossible in this world; no frame of reference about who these characters are and what their histories are; and no parameters that the plot, characters, and themes must fit inside, whether based on the fantastical story being adapted or a real-world setting that's a lot like ours. And I don't think that Disney really thought through just how challenging it can sometimes be to tell this kind of a story without stuffing the script with a lot of "tell" and not "show," which, as just about any film person can tell you, is the exact opposite of what you generally want. In film scripts, you want to show your audience a lot more than you tell them -- this not only takes full advantage of the visual medium and communicates your point in a much more natural and artistic way, but it also lets your audience think for itself and come to its own conclusions.

Now of course, can you write a high fantasy original story that's easy to follow and evokes a lot of emotion in your audience? Of course! But it does take time and a lot of careful and creative world-building. J.R.R. Tolkien was the king of such things. George R. R. Martin has done it. Neil Gaiman has done it. Ursula K. Le Guin has done it. Even the writer of the Nimona graphic novel, ND Stevenson, did a good job of it! But I think it's quite clear that Wish's script was not in the works that long -- development of the original idea started back in 2018, yes, but it wasn't until January 2022 that it was announced Jennifer Lee was writing it and Julia Michaels was brought on to write the songs, so the film's current trajectory likely wasn't pinpointed until then. And if the film was released in November 2023, then that means Wish's script was finished in under two years. Although there are successful Disney scripts that I daresay needed only that much time (Frozen, for instance, was quite rushed, by all accounts), once again, those scripts were done for stories with some sort of preexisting framework that allowed the writers to skip explaining certain visual or contextual short-hand in favor of focusing on their own creative flourishes in character and story. They were written with a tighter focus on the plot and its players without the need to build a complete stage under them.

The reason some people want to cry "AI!" when they look at Wish's writing is that they're looking at a script that makes the rookie writing mistake of exposition-dumping in an attempt to make its audience care, rather than evoking emotion. That kind of exposition-dumping is something that most novelists usually have to trim and rewrite in future drafts of their work: it's a mistake done while the writer is trying to world-build enough that their audience understands all of these original rules, societies, locations, and characters they're not familiar with. This exposition is then often trimmed down before publishing, and when adapted for the screen it's often trimmed even further or even completely rewritten, in favor of more visual methods of conveying the same information. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz writes about Dorothy traveling down the Yellow Brick Road and about the long journey that takes her and her friends through a lot of side adventures on their way to the Emerald City: it's the famous film adaptation that cuts out the Kalidahs and puts the whole trip to jaunty music for the characters to sing and dance to. Wish could've communicated to us the importance of the wishes to their owners through more visual means, but instead feels the need to reiterate this idea over and over through written dialogue. And again, this is a common mistake by writers when they're inexperienced in creating completely original content, as opposed to spin-offs, sequels, or adaptations of other people's work.

AI writing is generally known for repetitive phrasing and sentence structure, lack of accuracy, and lack of a personal touch. As much as I'll agree that there are a lot of character and world-building choices in Wish that don't make sense, I don't think that's the same thing. There clearly was a story someone (or multiple people) wanted to tell about a person hoarding the precious ideas of other people away, even if it means those ideas can never be shared with the world -- it just wasn't a story that ended up being told that well. And I think this is why Wish is almost worth seeing -- it serves as a good example of why certain writing decisions work better than others and how writing for fantasy projects and/or "family entertainment" is an art form that's worthy of respect when it's done right.

To sum up my stance on the matter -- I think Disney just bit off way more than it could chew and then didn't give its writers enough time to properly digest it.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

so.. non-c//a criticism about spop. because, you know, c//a wasn't the only thing that spop messed up. I'll just get straight to the point.

Horde Prime was a bad villain.

he had such a cool character design, i had high hopes for him. but like everything else in s5, horde prime's potential was wasted.

to put it shortly, he was boring. he was the typical pure-evil villain archetype with none of the charm. his motives weren't very interesting, we know nothing about him except that he's hordak's brother and an egotistic fascist with a god complex. his VA did a good job but his character was so badly written, even they couldn't salvage it.

even hordak was more intimidating than him until he got defeated by the inexperienced teenager who was never shown to be improving her skills but that's a whole another post

i thought the whole religious trauma aspect of it was going to be explored more, but it just turned out to be cartoonishly stupid, with the typical brainwashing trope.

not to mention, they even added shipping fodder in scenes with horde prime, because of course they had to. how else would people know that catra loves adora? she hasn't ever shown it so the only way the crew can convince everyone that she cares about adora is by having the main villain point it out (not to mention the scrapped off script where he says "you always wanted more but all she ever wanted was you" because we love a villain who exists solely to provide the viewers with ship angst)

the first one pisses me off so much because they didn't even bother to draw catra's eyes dilated yet had horde prime mention it?? all while glimmer was sobbing and pleading him to not hurt adora, but she's not the one in love apparently. i feel like this show was trying to gaslight us

anyway, shipping aside. one common trope in media you may have heard about is the third-act breakdown. this is something that usually happens to villains where their once intimidating and confident façade starts to break apart as they are close to being defeated by our hero.

the keyword here is third-act. if you want a villain to be genuinely scary or an actual threat, you cannot make them lose their cool as soon as something goes wrong. because it just makes them look insecure and weak, and you're left wondering why they're even the main villain in the first place.

and the problem with horde prime is exactly that. as soon as adora swoops in and saves catra, horde prime is immediately angered and upset that his plans failed. and from there, we see him get irritated and lose his cool easily multiple times.

this lessens the anticipation because you're not wondering how the protagonists will defeat him, you're wondering when they'll do it. because if he loses his cool so easily, it's clear that he's not cunning or calculating, he doesn't have a backup plan. and a good villain always has a backup plan, they are always one step ahead of the heroes, because that's how you raise the stakes.

it's no wonder horde prime isn't even a memorable villain and people only talk about how he brainwashed catra or how he "ships catradora". there's nothing else notable about him and it's honestly so evident that he was only introduced so that the previous villains could be redeemed for the sake of making certain ships canon.

they literally had to make it so that adora might die by activating the heart of etheria, because having horde prime as a villain wasn't enough stakes.

they tried to make a connection between adora and horde prime with mara being his previous nemesis, but it was really hamfisted and didn't provide enough tension or exposition. it certainly didn't feel as tense as any of the fights between catra and adora.

horde prime could have been a really cool and threatening villain, but spop decided to focus more on handing out free redemption arcs for all the antagonists and butchering everyone's character arcs instead. bravo.

[tojixz]

Masterlist   ☆   Heart Without Beat Masterlist

HEART WITHOUT BEAT: Chapter Four

Pairing: Neteyam x Fem!Reader

Notes: Cof cof* I got slightly carried away with this chapter. I wasn't going to end where it did, but if I kept going, the chapter would get VERY big! And big chapters are tiring to check for possible mistakes (if with 2k words I already make a lot of mistakes 🥲). So, let's leave more angst for next time! This chapter was more to introduce your new life, your current relationship with the Sullys; the way you had to mature and how you are dealing with past events. Well, it will be better built up next time, I promise!

Summary: Time passed, you grew up, and a new life began.

Warnings: Injuries, blood, a little anguish.

Word Count: 4,8k

Yawntutsyìp (n) - Dear; little loved one

Previous | Next (wip)

Time has no mercy. It will always be in constant 'motion', advancing its seconds, minutes, hours… and all we are left with are memories. Memories of things that have already happened and will never come back.

Memories of good and bad times. They should be enough to overcome the feeling of longing. The constant need to relive what has long ended.

As painful as it may be, those who are gone will only continue to exist as long as you keep thinking about them. And remembering moments that will never come again is certainly something that hurts more than a thousand needles piercing the flesh.

In the end, everyone will have to grow up. And as you mature, the dark will no longer be your worst nightmare. With responsibilities, the weight of life is finally crushing on your shoulders.

And if you are not strong enough, you will be your own worst enemy.

Years passed and, as the inevitable, you grew up. You were now the best warrior of your age, or nearly so. You were second only to Neteyam, but not an absolute loss, since you didn't have a glaring difference in skills.

You have become more agile, more consistent with your own movements; your aim with bow and arrow has become exceptional and your hand-to-hand combat is fluid. Jake has certainly taken great pride in your evolution, and you are happy to make him happy.

After your mother's death, Jake and Neytiri became almost like father figures to you. They welcomed you with the greatest love they could provide. They cared for you, held you through nightmare nights, and were thrilled to see your development. You were lucky to have them.

And it is because of this trust that you have built up with them over all these years, that now, as a warrior, you are on your first direct contact mission with the People of Heaven.

You, Neteyam and Lo'ak have been tasked with being aerial observers. Stay on the lookout in case some strange flying machine came close to the place where the warriors were looting the equipment. That was the initial plan.

But you live with the Sully family, and if there's one thing you've learned over all these years…it's how extremely difficult they can be to deal with.

"Bro, we have to go there", Lo'ak said, nodding his head down to where several Na'vi were gathering weapons and ammo.

"No chance, Dad will skin us-", Neteyam didn't even finish his speech before you walked in on the middle of the conversation with a not at all happy expression on your face.

"Lo'ak, don't be an imbecile and just follow the orders laid down."

It may have sounded rude, but you were used to treating each other like that. You were best friends after all. However, no matter how much you loved Lo'ak and his exploitative ways, you hated the way he often acted recklessly. So you and Neteyam were always there to put his head on straight. But sometimes it wasn't enough.

"What are you two afraid of? Aren't you two the best warriors? Don't be cowards." The second question came out as a taunt. It was typical of Lo'ak.

You didn't blame him for being jealous of the visibility his brother, and even you, received. Lo'ak also wanted to be seen, to be praised. And well, many saw him, but the preoccupation of the constant war just didn't allow that to be shown in the right way. Lo'ak was like a neglected child. He felt alone just as you did before you met him. That was why he was so special to you.

You didn't like many of Jake's attitudes, but you knew that some of them were necessary.

Death in war has no age. Much less does she expect a child to grow up to be able to deal with such situations. So there are just different sides of the story, not who is more wrong.

It turns out that regardless of the case, choices have consequences.

"Lo'ak, don't make me repeat- Lo'ak!!", you hissed at him and then growled in indignation as you saw that Neteyam came down right behind Lo'ak toward the ground. You felt like you were taking care of babies. "What the hell!"

Instead of following them too, you continued flying overhead to keep an eye on the 'aircraft', as Jake instructed you. If you were going to protect them, it was best to do it the smart way.

Despite that, you never took your eyes off the two down there. Her ear twitched as she realized that Lo'ak had a weapon in his hands, with Neteyam at his side, probably trying to convince him to come back. You would have continued watching if not for incoming enemy reinforcements.

You would promptly go to alert Jake of the approach, but just as the object located you, it began firing in your direction. "Shit."

You started flying with agility, making fluid movements but also abrupt to divert the shots toward you. There was a moment then that you finally got an opening to finally press the communication device on your neck. Not that it was very useful now, Jake probably had noticed the new drive.

"Jake, new vehicles in the sky!"

Jake's response wasn't long in coming, but he certainly wasn't happy: "I already know! Why the delay with the message? You guys need to report it right away, dammit!"

You unconsciously flinched a bit, "I'm sorry, sir...", you didn't have time to apologize before new shots came your way. Catching the sound of an explosion in the distance, you prayed that Neteyam and Lo'ak had long since left and were safe.

Even with her agile movements, one of the shots ended up grazing her thigh. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it certainly cut deep. You winced at the painful sensation of the cut, but relaxed a little when you realized that they finally managed to explode and bring down the aircraft.

You noticed that Jake was taking off again, with an extra body in his Ikran. Lo'ak was flying behind him with his head down, looking shaken. You startled slightly when a deep, angry voice reached your ears through the headphones: "Back off. Let's go back to base."

You arrived shortly after Jake and Neytiri landed. You had trouble getting off your Ikran. Her thigh throbbed. You could feel your heart beating in the place of the wound, the blood trickling down to your foot. You winced, but you weren't sure if it was from the impact with the ground or the way Jake looked like he was going to rip your heads off. Lo'ak and Neteyam were already in formation, it wouldn't be good if you took longer.

"What did I order you to do? What were your duties?? Hm?!", Jake paced back and forth staring at the two in front of him, turning around only when he realized you had arrived.

"We're supposed to be watching-"

"Right. Watching. At a distance!", he growled, "I send the geniuses to war and you disobey direct orders! God."

Kiri and Tuk soon arrive at the location as well. Kiri going directly to his older brother to analyze his bruises and Tuk going into Neytiri's arms.

"Kiri, go help your grandmother with the injured, please." Jake tried to throw her off. He wasn't finished with his scolding, not anytime soon were his children going to escape.

But Kiri, not happy with the proposal, just countered: "Father, my brother is injured."

"Tuk, go with her. Come on, both of you." Rolling her eyes, Kiri huffed out of there. Tuk followed closely behind, she hated to see her brothers hurt, but most of all, her father fighting with them. She hated that Lo'ak had to get into trouble.

You were glad that Kiri hadn't seen her wound as well, since it was a little behind her thigh, a place her vision couldn't reach. She probably wouldn't have left the scene if she had known.

"Sir, I take full responsibility-"

"Yes, you do. You must. You are the eldest, you should act like it."

Her ears flattened against her head at the harsh words. Not knowing what to do, you looked down at the floor. Neteyam was not to blame for anything that had happened. He didn't deserve that reprimand, much less that all that responsibility was placed on his shoulders.

You noticed how Lo'ak was also cowering, the only thing you wanted now was to hug him and tell him everything was fine. Everything would be fine.

Jake looked at you now, making you flinch. "You did well not to go with the idiots. Someone needs to follow orders here." What should have been a compliment was more like a stab through her heart. Would Lo'ak and Neteyam be mad at you for getting attention even in this situation? You didn't want that.

Your leg was going numb from the blood loss and you wanted to scream from the pain. It stung, badly. As a warrior you were supposed to endure it. As a living being you wanted to cry. The whole situation was frustrating. It all could have been avoided. You wanted to hit Lo'ak for his recklessness – but how much of it was your fault?

You were in a war. Any one of you could get hurt; the perimeter where battles take place is in constant danger. But it was certain that there were things that could be avoided.

You nodded at Jake's statement, and when he finally looked away, you finally relaxed your shoulder. But only for an instant. You let out a low, pained groan. The burning in your leg was becoming unbearable at this point.

Neytiri who was nearby, opening her mouth to warn her husband of the fact that her son was indeed bleeding, immediately fell silent. She promptly turned her head towards you and looked for the reason for her discomfort.

She took a few steps towards you quickly, alerted to your status. "Yawntutsyìp? What happened?"

You backed up a little. Damn. Neytiri would be worried and you would surely get a scolding. "It's nothing, really-", your words were invalidated as soon as Neytiri saw the cut on your leg.

You noticed his face of astonishment and fear. Her ears twitched and her tail was wagging restlessly behind her, showing her instant stress. "Silly child! Why didn't you tell me you were hurt??"

Jake focused attention on you again at her mate's words. He looked down at the wound on her thigh and his frown deepened. Neteyam was alarmed and Lo'ak confused. Would he feel even more guilty knowing you're hurt too? It wasn't his fault, it was his lack of skills.

The domino effect. It's hard to keep everyone satisfied.

"It's not-", you thought to again deny the seriousness of the situation – even though it really wasn't an emergency. But you thought better of it, swallowed and just said the truth: "It was that aircraft. I tried to swerve, but one of the shots ended up grazing me."

"And why did you just keep quiet? You should have said, don't be quiet when you're hurt!" Neteyam boiled over. He wasn't angry directly at you, but at himself for not noticing. He was angry that he had left you alone, and frustrated that you had hidden it. You just looked away from him; you wouldn't have a good argument now.

Jake snorted at the impending stress. His head was throbbing from the sequence of events, and his mood was definitely not the best. Looking at Neytiri, who was already giving him a firm look, as if to tell him to say something about his actions, Jake looked away half-heartedly, and said, "Dismissed. Both of you, go heal."

Jake ordered Lo'ak to stay behind; he still had some words for him. But you were no longer there to listen, you just hoped Lo'ak would be okay. Neytiri was accompanying you and Neteyam, one of her hands meeting firmly on your shoulder. She would surely have scolded you more if it hadn't been for the fact that Jake had already done enough.

Your leg was more painful now, so you were limping much more. Neteyam approached you, took your arms and put you over his shoulder, while he supported you from behind. "Lean your weight on me."

You didn't want his help. Not out of pride but because he was hurt too. He should worry more about himself. "You shouldn't exert yourself, you have big cuts on your back." You took a break. "What happened?"

"Explosion." It was the only thing he said and you didn't insist anymore.

Upon arriving and entering Mo'at's tent, Neytiri helped you to a seat, while Neteyam stepped aside to sit across from his grandmother. Kiri promptly went to get more herbs to grind and help her grandmother with the dressings. Not even a few minutes later Lo'ak arrived at the tent as well, along with Spider.

Kiri was in charge of taking care of you while your grandmother was taking care of Neteyam beside you. You were happy, Kiri was good at using medicine that didn't burn as much.

"Eywa. What a nasty cut", she grimaced as she said. You laughed at her mocking face. If Kiri wasn't sincere with her words (which she actually was in many situations), her facial expression spoke for itself.

Neteyam tried to get a better look at his wound, but he was interrupted by the burning sensation on his back. He also wanted Kiri to tend to his injuries. Not that he disliked his grandmother's care, but she was sometimes too rough. "Ow. Ow. Ow!"

"Hold still. Stop moving around so much", Mo'at pressed more ointment into Neteyam's cuts, causing him to complain even more. You laughed and he looked crookedly at you.

Lo'ak who was standing next to Neteyam watching his brother suffer through recovery, was laughing at his situation. "Own, the baby wants a kiss?"

Kiri rolled her eyes and walked away from you momentarily, only to pick up another grinding tool. "I would use yalna bark."

"Huh? And who is Tsahik?", Mo'at countered. She could be very difficult at times, and Kiri was frustrated by that.

"You, Grandma. Turns out yalna bark would burn less." Kiri came back to you and approached her wound. She got some of the ointment on her fingers, slowly and carefully she applied it to her wound.

You shivered slightly. It clearly didn't burn as much as Neteyam's looked like it was burning. But it still caused a numbness.

You looked outside the tent as a distraction. Neytiri had long since left the tent and left you and Neteyam for the necessary care. Now she found herself crouched beside Jake talking about something. They looked serious and shaken.

It broke your heart. You hated to see them sad. You would do anything, anything at all, to make each of those people important to you happy.

Her ear wilted a little. Kiri just assumed it was because of the bruise, but Neteyam noticed her melancholy. He followed her gaze and understood her sadness. He did not want to disappoint his parents in any way. He works hard every day to make them proud. Then he felt guilty when it happened.

It was all so difficult.

After finally finishing the healing session, her wound was patched up nicely with a bandage wrapped around it to protect it. It had been a while since you left Mo'at's hut, now you were sitting on one of the tallest rocks in High Camp. You enjoyed hanging out there, watching the eclipse, observing all the beautiful flora that made up your planet, your home.

Breathing in the fresh air of the new night, your heart was soothed by the tranquility. Today was a full, tiring day. Constantly dealing with wars wore her down, even if today was her first time in the field. The adrenaline of everyone around her, the tension that overwhelms her clan. It's all very suffocating.

Growing up was good. You learned new things, understood the true meaning of things. You become freer, in a way. But it's also scary. Growing up you get new responsibilities, new decisions to make. It is oppressive in many cases.

Sometimes your only wish was to go back to being a child again.

Where you would be lying next to Neytiri, listening to the incredible stories of your past life. Where Jake would run after you like an imaginary monster, even though you were a little too big for that…

Or even the time your mother was here.

You missed her so, so much. Missing your affection, your hugs, your tender kisses. The loving way she cared for you and was always there to help you. The sound of her laugh, the way her nose crinkled up when she was angry.

You miss every moment with your mother. It was painful and often you felt alone because of it. Even though Jake and Neytiri were always there to tell you that everything was okay. You were loved.

Her eyes filled with tears at the feeling of longing. Being alone in these moments was good precisely because of that, you could release some of this oppressed hurt inside you.

But then your ear was able to hear a thud close to you. You were startled and quickly began to dry your tears in case it was someone. But you already sensed the presence right next to you, if the person had noticed you well enough, they would have known that you were crying.

The person silently sat down to the side. You kept your head down, away from the figure's gaze, but that made it impossible for you to know who was beside you.

A few seconds passed in silence. Just the nocturnal sound of the forest covering the environment, calming everyone's hearts. You were able to hear a silent sigh before finally hearing the individual's voice. Her ear perked up at the sound.

"Are you okay?"

You didn't answer the question, too embarrassed that he saw you in that situation. Neteyam was always perceptive when it came to those close to you with negative emotions.

But beyond that. He knew when you were in a state of distress. When you were suffering from your inner demons. You were grateful that he was kind enough to help you, but you were frustrated to be caught in such a vulnerable state. In your mind, it was shameful.

Having received no answers, Neteyam cleared his throat and directed his gaze at you. "Does anything else hurt?"

"No. Kiri did a good job", you replied simply. If you continued with your silence, Neteyam would make sure you were okay before leaving you alone again. He was difficult sometimes.

"May I ask why you are crying?" The question came out as a simple, soothing whisper, a whisper where only you were able to hear.

To be honest, it was not the first time that Neteyam had found you in such a delicate state. Just as it was not new that he comforted you every time.

Turns out you felt like a nuisance. Just one more problem to deal with in an environment that was already upset because of the various responsibilities. Neteyam already had a lot to deal with: his training as an Olo'eyktan, caring for his younger brothers, his development as a warrior... you didn't want to be a hindrance anymore.

So you suffered in silence. Alone. But it was really impossible to escape Neteyam's doe eyes. He would always know when you were distressed, in need of support. He knew that although you pretended to be a mighty warrior, without weaknesses, you were as fragile as any other child.

And Neteyam didn't blame you for that. You had been through a lot in your life, in your childhood. So he did his best to make you understand that you were no longer a burden on his back. He took care of you because he cared. Neteyam hated to see you in this state.

"I don't…", you sighed, "Same old same old. I just miss my mother."

You still had your head down, refusing to meet Neteyam's gaze. But he was already looking at your face in profile, from the moment you started talking. Lately you've noticed how his gaze has lingered a little longer on your features. You assumed it to be more concern, so you didn't think too much.

Neteyam slowly raised his arm and rested his hand on your neck, near the nape of your neck, giving a little pressure in place. You tensed under the sudden touch, but it lasted only an instant. You soon relaxed at the warm contact on your skin.

More tears filled your eyes and you held them back as long as you could. It wasn't time to cry anymore, you couldn't be a crybaby forever. Her body trembled slightly, a sob wanting to escape her throat.

Eywa. What was all that whining about now? It had just been a tiring day, but you should be able to handle it. Neteyam must certainly consider you a pain in the ass.

"You can cry, you know. It won't make you weaker", he paused. "It's okay, I'm here."

And then you found yourself unable to hold it in any longer. It was unfair. It was unfair the way Neteyam had the power to make you crumble in seconds. The way he could see into your soul with just one look.

You laid your head on Neteyam's shoulder, hiding your face as endless sobs and tears escaped you.

In all those years, you and Neteyam had become good friends, close friends. You supported each other in each and every circumstance; whether Neteyam was suffering because of new scoldings from his father or tired from the increasing responsibilities of each day, it was you who were there to calm him down. To tell him that everything would be fine, everything would pass.

He loved to hear your soothing whispers.

Neteyam loved how confident you were, with the soul of a leader. But at the same time, it was fragile. And that just like a child, you needed affection and protection.

Just as you cared for Neteyam, he cared for you, being there whenever you needed him. Neteyam would be there to calm your nightmares, silence your agonizing screams or comfort you on sleepless nights.

A smile opened on Neytiri's lips whenever she saw you together, the way you treated each other. The way the two of you, together, cared for Kiri, Lo'ak and Tuk like the most precious people in the world.

You would be strong warriors in adulthood. Individually, but mostly united. You and Neteyam were two parts that completed each other and that is what made you so powerful. But just as unity is a strength, it can also be your greatest weakness.

Neteyam was understanding with you, allowing you to cry as much as necessary for your heart to be at peace. He lowered his arm from the back of your neck to your waist, slowly embracing you. Conveying warmth and protection.

Neteyam noticed how much you liked hugs. This became more frequent after her mother's death. Neytiri was the one who gave you that kind of affection the most, always there, willing to hug you and caress her hair, like a mother would. And you were forever grateful for that, you missed that kind of love so much.

So when you felt the firm arms around you, you sank even deeper into the embrace.

You stayed there until you calmed down. All that was left were silent sniffles and your sighs.

Night had already arrived and Pandora's night lighting came to life. It was so beautiful. You loved looking at the life around you, appreciating the creation of the Great Mother. It is unfair that the People of Heaven come here to take such goods as if they had a right. If the mother, creator of their planet, was dying, it is their own fault; it's selfish to want to get it from somewhere else now.

But that's what humans are, isn't it? Selfish, sinful, and monstrous. You learned as you grew up that they are not all bad, there were good humans too, like those who lived next to you. But compared to the number of those who wanted to break up your home, it was something very small.

But there was really no use dwelling on this. Your only option was to fight, to fight these intruders and to protect your people.

That was the only way to nip this evil in the bud. Fight.

"We should go now, it's late. Your parents will be worried", you said, already pulling away from Neteyam's warm embrace. You felt awkward at the loss, but didn't think much of it.

"Right. We should." Despite him agreeing, Neteyam still took a good look at your face to make sure you really looked better. You were great at changing the focus of the scene, so he knew he should keep a closer eye on you.

Standing up, you stretched slightly before inhaling a copious amount of air. The night was cool today.

You and Neteyam started walking leisurely towards your Marui. Upon arrival, you smelled delicious food, apparently dinner was already ready. It was at that moment that you noticed how hungry you were, the day was definitely full, you didn't even remember what your last meal was.

You went in first, with Neteyam right behind. As you entered, Tuk was the first to spot your presence. She ran up to you immediately.

With its impact on your body, you took a step back, bracing yourself with your injured leg. You let out a silent groan of discomfort, which by the looks of it, didn't escape Neteyam's exceptional hearing.

"Tuk, more careful!"

Tuk startled and turned away from you with her ears perked. She had completely forgotten about your injury. Tuk made you feel pain, didn't she?

You noticed that Tuk's big eyes filled minimally with water. You immediately went to hug her and comfort her from the fright. "No, no, it's all right. You didn't hurt me, it was just unintentional, hm?", you made her look at you, "How about you show me what we have to eat today?"

Tuk nodded and soon a shy smile took over her lip. She took one of your hands and carefully pulled you over to the campfire, near Neytiri, who was finishing chopping some fruit.

Neteyam just sighed and went to sit down too, between Jake and Lo'ak. Neytiri had given her permission to start eating after a brief thank you to Eywa. You had a good morsel, already basking in the gaze. You were starving.

Dinner was silent. It wasn't such an oppressive silence, but it certainly wasn't as cozy. Everyone was on edge. This is the expected result of a war.

Today's results were good from a technical side. But bad from a family side. Neteyam was in a lot of danger, who knows what could have happened... no, it was better not to think about it. The important thing was that he was here now, along with all of you.

You noticed how Lo'ak seemed more sullen too. In those hours he would be making some disgusting joke just to annoy Kiri, but he was quiet. You didn't know if it was from Jake's scolding, the punishment, or the way he felt guilty about his brother. Either way, you would have to stroke his sorrows a little later.

After everyone finished eating and felt full, you helped Neytiri put away the utensils that were used for eating, and then everyone began to organize themselves to finally rest. The energy was depleted and everyone there seemed very stressed. A good sleep should be enough.

You, as always, snuggled between Kiri and Neteyam. Tuk still couldn't sleep away from her parents, so she slept between Neytiri and Jake, but still close to her sister. And Lo'ak slept on the other side of Neteyam.

Many times you woke up in the middle of the night to find half of Lo'ak's body on top of Neteyam. Sometimes you even got a kick or two. But it wasn't too inconvenient, as the warmth of your considerably new family soothed your spirit. It was a kind of tranquilizer for you.

Releasing the air you didn't even know you were holding, you stared at the ceiling for a few more seconds, before closing your eyes to try to drift off to sleep. You fixed your attention on the quiet sighs and snores of the others. They already seemed to have begun to fall asleep, really no longer able to stay awake.

Another day has gone. And all you hope, no, all you pray for, is that better days will come ahead. You hope to find peace one day. No aliens on your planet, no destruction.

Just you, your family, and your beautiful home, flourishing as it should be.

As Eywa made it to be.

🏷; @mashiromochi @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @narutoboi @ilovejakesullysdick

God, it took work to post this chapter 😭

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡🍓｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡🍒

[amberjazmyn]

dr spencer reid one-shot

𝘨𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 - grievances 

𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 - emotions, death, hospitals, flashbacks, gets happier towards the end.

𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 - dr spencer reid's first wife maeve dies during the childbirth of her fourth child (their eldest is jazmyne, kenzie, noah, ryder and lennon is the newborn) spencer moves on and starts falling in love with florianna who is the best friend of spencer and maeve. pretty much this is focused on spencer and jazmyne's grief the most due to the other three, (noah, ryder and lennon) not being able to know fully what has happened and why mamma maeve is no longer coming home with lennon.

𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 - this is an already written imagine from an old book of mine however, i just want to imagine it with dr spencer reid and have it as kind of an au where maeve didn't die due to diane like she did in zugzwang in the show. as always, please, if any of these warnings trigger you, either don't read it at all or read with caution. flashbacks will be in italicised font and present-day will be in the normal font. 

masterlist

- - - 

two years ago| spencer's pov 

jazmyne, my eldest daughter, fifteen, out of my now five children was stirring in my lap as her head laid there as the rest of her body was spread out on a couple of hospital waiting room chairs, trying to get her to sleep even though i knew, despite her being my eldest daughter, that she hated sleeping in the hospital. which, in turn, was very different to her two younger brothers, noah and ryder. however, i knew i couldn't leave maeve, my wife and the mother of my now five kids. just in case maeve woke up, i didn't want her to wake up on her own, especially considering she's just given birth to our brand new baby girl, lennon emily, i didn't want her to freak out and wonder where everyone was. just as a backstory, i have five kids, jazmyne lorde is my eldest and she is fifteen and is actually in theory my step-daughter from maeve's previous relationship, mackenzie rose is my second eldest and is actually adopted from kenzie and jazmyne's school teacher, and she is the same age as jazmyne, noah colton is my third eldest and he's seven, ryder morgan is our fourth child and he is five and lennon, is our fifth child who was just born a couple of hours ago and, during maeve's pregnancy with lennon, it was quite dangerous but, we were told that once maeve had actually given birth to lennon that everything would be fine. and that, maybe, hopefully, we'd still get my wife back afterwards.

how long we'd have to wait until we got the all-clear to drive back to quantico, i'd spend it waiting here in this very hospital waiting room just to make sure that the love of my life was okay. i know how much my eldest despises the hospital and, i feel awful that i'm doing this, i truly do, but we were the only family of maeve's that was close enough to make sure she was okay. florianna, a best friend of maeve and myself was also with us as she helped jaz and i take care of noah, ryder and lennon when we had visiting hours to check in on maeve as mackenzie wasn't with us but with her biological mom.

"jazzy, please, my darling, can you try to get some sleep? it's nearly midnight, can you at least try for dad? please?" i cry out in distress whilst my two boys and lennon were all fast asleep in the hospital bed that was in the room we had been provided, jazzy just couldn't - and i knew it was because of how terrified she was of hospitals but, i just needed to get jaz off to sleep

"no, dad! i don't like it here! i want mom to wake up and to go back home! i just want to be back home in quantico with our family and mackenzie and just hang out together!" jaz tiredly cries into my chest as hearing her say that as my fifteen-year-old girl makes my heart shatter even more

"jazzy, baby, i know you want to be home, i do too but, we just can't. not whilst mom is in the state she's in, we need momma to get better! maybe if i place you with noah and ryder, you'll sleep?" i tried, usually if jazzy slept with noah and ryder, she was able to fall asleep by the click of a finger, pulling her closer to my bare chest as i tried to get her to sleep - a knock at the door gains our attention

it was florianna, she had a small but tired smile on her face, her hair was still done up in the braids that jazzy had doe earlier in the morning before maeve had given birth to lennon.

"hey spence, hey jazzy," she spoke quietly as not to wake the two boys up as jaz and i smiled back, both of us responding

"hey flor," "hey florianna,"

florianna smiled, running her hand through jaz's hair and then her hands through mine as jaz was still resting against my chest, her legs most likely going numb from not having any movement for the past few hours.

"spence, the nurses are suggesting it's probably about time you, jaz, noah and ryder go back home. the last i heard, i think kenzie has been trying to get ahold of jazmyne. and, before you even think to argue with me spencer walter reid, i've already agreed on staying with jj overnight for the rest of the week to see if maeve wakes up and to also take care of lennon. besides, despite the fact you think you're hiding this pretty well, i damn well know how badly you're also wanting to be home, come on spence, listen to your daughter and go home! i've already spoken to hotch and rossi and they are just as worried about maeve as you are! i promise, if there are any, and i mean any updates maeve, you are the first person i'm calling, okay?" florianna hadn't ever been so stern with me before but, i knew she was right and i knew i shouldn't have been ignoring jaz in the way i had been so, i agreed, knowing that maeve was going to be safe with florianna and jj

"fine, but you...you promise if anything changes or happens, you ring me?" i double-check as my voice shakes, florianna comes closer, grabbing a tight hold of my hand as i jolt slightly, letting jaz slide off my lap as she gets her hoodie and then goes to wake up her two brothers as florianna nods her head

"i pinky swear spencer! anything that changes or what have you, you are the first person i'm ringing no matter what!" florianna spoke firmly as i nodded my head, believing her as i then slipped my hoodie on considering i had been shirtless the whole time, i then grabbed noah out of jaz's grip as she still held ryder tightly as he laid asleep on her shoulder, giving florianna a hug as we then walked out of the hospital room, jaz grabbing our overnight bag

*

for three days, jaz, noah, ryder and i had now been home and still we hadn't received any texts or calls from either florianna or jj in regards to maeve and her current state and, it honestly scared me. kenzie had been "grounded" by her biological mom, marnie, hence why we haven't been able to see kenzie. and, i hadn't even realised i had been so silent until morgan had come over to ask why jaz was crying whilst noah and ryder were perfectly fine.

"hey, reid, why is jazmyne crying - shane!" morgan went to ask me why jaz had been crying when he realised i zoned out

"huh?" i responded as morgan sighed, he knew, everyone at the bau knew how worried i've been about maeve and the younger kids that, i just haven't really been able to concentrate or really focus on anything like i'd usually be able to

"spence, we all know you're worried about maeve and the four kids but, what about jaz, she's your kid too. she's just as worried about her mom then you are. yes, she's the eldest but, that makes no difference! she's been crying for the past five minutes, i can't even calm her down, neither can emily. and that isn't normal at all, reid! please, help calm your daughter down, reid, she needs you due to the fact that her mom is sick and in the hospital right now, and apart from her uncles, aunties and other family members, you're the only parent she has right now!" morgan spoke softly but sternly with a sad look in his eyes as i gulped, nodding my head, he's right, i can't be selfish and ignore jaz just because she's the eldest

"sorry morgan," i sniffled, finally letting myself have a cry as well, morgan sighing sadly and sitting next to me to calm me down

"reid, don't apologise, your wife is in the hospital after giving birth to a wonderful baby girl after we all thought she was in the clear. it is totally normal and okay to cry and worry but, don't let that worry consume you. especially when you have four other kids, most especially your fifteen-year-old to look after as well," morgan spoke softly and comfortingly as he rubbed my back as i nodded my head, wiping away my tears with my hoodie sleeve as that's when jazmyne came in front of me

although she was fifteen, she climbed into my lap, she still felt like a little kid around me but we had no care in the world considering she was maeve and i's first kid.

"dad...dad, is...is momma gonna be okay? is she gonna wake up?" jazmyne sniffled as i gulped, biting my lip, doing whatever it was i could to stop my own tears from falling in front of her as i just hugged her tighter, pulling her closer as morgan just watched on 

"of course, she will jaz, it just takes time okay? but i promise you, she'll wake up and when she does, we can have kenzie back over and she'll be a reid forever..." i said with a shaky voice as jazmyne smiled which made me smile although i was just as scared and uncertain as jazmyne was about maeve waking up

present-day - spencer's pov

"...dad, why did you lie to me when you said that mom was going to wake up and that kenzie was going to come home with us?!" jazmyne suddenly screams, i felt the tears in the back of my eyes suddenly well up

the last time jazmyne screamed at me was when she was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she had lost her mom when she was fifteen-years-old.

"i...i...jaz..." just as i went to explain to her as now everyone had locked eyes on jazmyne and me, she screams once more and then runs...no...she storms upstairs to her room, slamming the door shut as it frightens everyone due to the loud noise it made

"...just shut up dad! i hate you! i hate florianna! i hate everyone in this goddamn house! i just want my mom back! why is that so hard to understand?!" she screams as she then runs upstairs to her room after which she slams her door shut, all of us jumping in fear

as soon as jazmyne's door slams shut, a sob comes out of nowhere and left my mouth as i sunk from my standing position to the floor below, my legs not able to hold the weight of my body up anymore

"oh...spence..." florianna whispered as she ran over to comfort me and the tears don't stop, and neither do the loud wails that caused my entire body to shake

florianna pulls me into her arms and i cried into her chest as she tries to get me to calm down, i look up to notice morgan and jj had both agreed to go upstairs to see jazmyne as it had all of a sudden gone quiet. thanking every god i could think of that penelope and emily were playing with noah, ryder and lennon otherwise i'd rather die right now than see my other kids see their older sister in this sort of state.

"ssh, it's okay spence, let it all out. derek and jayje have gone upstairs to see if jaz is okay. everything is goign to be fine, babe. i know you miss maeve, and so do i but, we have to be as strong as we can for the kids, okay?" florianna sternly spoke as i nodded my head, sniffling as i got up off the floor and the both of us followed derek and jj up the stairs to jazmyne's room

florianna and i had made it to jazmyne's room where the door was closed, giving us the obvious that derek and jj had gotten through to her somehow and got her to allow them to talk to her.

morgan's pov

"...jazmyne, we know how much you're missing your mom. trust me, i was best friends with your mom and i miss maeve, as does everyone, however, what you just said to your dad was not nice, okay? you made him really upset, you realy gave him a fright when you yelled at him as well," softly, i reached my hand over to my niece who gulped, finally lifting her head up, making me smile in slight shock that i got through to her so quickly

then, jazmyne finally, lifted her head up and her face was littered with tears. i shared a sad look with jj as i had to figure this out.

"i...i'm sorry uncle derek but, i...i really miss mom! i mean, florianna's great, i really do love her but, knowing that she's mom's best friend just makes it hurt even more and i..." before jazmyne could continue, jj shushed her and calmed her down

"...shh, jaz, it's okay babe, we all know how much you're missing your mom, we all miss her just as much *soft giggle* however, as uncle derek said, you shouldn't have yelled at your dad like that. he is also still grieving the loss of your mom as well as trying to balance five kids on his own and having you yelling at him, telling him that you hate him isn't going to bring your mom back now is it?" jj was also soft but motherly in her tone, sitting in front of jaz, sitting criss-cross as she gulped, shaking her head no - it was shocking that jj was getting through to jazmyne the way she was

"no," she responded as she pressed her hands together, noticing how sweaty they were as i rubbed her back, giving me a small smile and then giving one to jj

"exactly jaz so, we're gonna stand up and just right outside, florianna and your dad are waiting and you're going to apologise and give your dad the biggest hug ever because he really needs it. he miss mom so much and, you are one of five remaining things he's got left of your mom alongside your siblings so, make sure you hug him as tightly as you can!" jj said with a small smile as jazmyne nodded her head, making jj and i smile - yes, we actually got through to her!

we then all stood up as jazmyne opened the door, florianna and spencer were outside waiting as jazmyne ran straight over to spencer as he catches her. straight away, they both broke down into tears as i bit my lip, stopping myself from crying.

"i...i'm so sorry daddy! i...i don't hate you, i just really miss mom and with her and kenzie not being here, it just hurts. and i'm sorry to you as well, florianna. i don't hate you either, it's just, knowing you are mom's best friend makes it hurt even more as it reminds me all the time of what i've lost and it...it scares me that i'm gonna lose you and i...i don't want that," jazmyne sobs out into her dad's shoulder as i share a look with jj as we sigh quietly - jazmyne was still learning about what this word, grief, meant and all of her aunties and uncles in the bau were very familiar with that term after dealing with so much death due to our jobs

"thank you for apologising jazzy but, it is okay. i know you don't hate me because i understand that this is all due to missing your mom. i miss her too, we all do, every single day. but, please, don't yell at me like that ever again, okay? if you want to scream, the best idea is to scream into a pillow. remember the lavender pillow that mom gave to you for your birthday? use that, trust me, it works and i do it almost all the time before i go to bed, i just scream into my pillow and smell your mom's perfume and, i feel ten times better," spencer smiles, pulling out of the hug as jazmyne smiles back, wiping her tears away as she nods her head

two years ago - spencer's pov

"...where's my wife?! where is she?!" i scream, tears streaming down my face as i try to figure out where she went

for context, my wife wasn't in the same hospital room she was in last week when florianna and jj were staying here and, no messages were sent from florianna to me about a room change so i was furious - not at florianna but at the hospital as usually, you'd think that they'd be the ones to contact you about a room change, not your best friend but, apparently, you get neither!

"sir...sir, can you please calm down? who is it that you are trying to find?" a nurse suddenly runs in front of me and i slightly calm down, i gulp as i see my hands shake in front of me before i respond

"my wife, maeve reid, she's been in room 392b for about, ah, i don't know, a few months in and out since giving birth to our newborn daughter, lennon emily reid. but, when i just then went inside to visit her, there was no one in there! is my wife okay? we...we have five kids, two fifteen-year-olds, a little seven-year-old, a five-year-old and a newborn together! please, tell me that maeve is okay?!" i say as my breathing speeds up as i feel another round of tears well in my eyes as i try to keep them from streaming down my cheeks 

i then hear footsteps come up behind me, a hand pulling me back, i instantly recognise it as morgan. i feel my breathing start to regulate properly, knowing that my bau family were here for me. 

"okay, what's your name sir and, who are these people behind you?" the kind nurse whose nametag introduced her as dr rachel johnson asks as i look behind me before responding 

"i...i'm dr spencer reid, maeve's husband, i have four of my five children and i-uh..." 

"--we're the rest of his family, doctor johnson if you please, we'd really like it if we could go in and find out what's wrong with maeve, please, that is all we're asking for!" morgan interrupts as i smile at the ground before i looked back up as doctor johnson nodded her head 

"okay, my apologies, come with me guys. in regards to the reason why we've moved maeve from room 392b to just a couple of rooms down from this waiting room was i think due to some issues that were happening that i am not fully aware of so, apologies for that. however, because i am only just a registered nurse, you'll have to wait until maeve's midwife and surgeon who was actually the two managing and taking care of her, arrive to find out what it is that's wrong with her. so, i'll unfortunately, have to ask you all to just, as patiently as you can, wait here until one of maeve's surgeons or midwives is able to give you the information you need. thank you for being so patient dr reid and company," doctor johnson was professional as she could be as she was then whisked away into another waiting room across the hall 

i then fell back into the chair behind me as i heard crying - i turned to see it was my daughter jazmyne, she was crying into her knees as my heart shattered. her brothers were sound asleep and had absolutely no clue what was going on. i moved closer to jazmyne as i notice the rest of her uncles and family looking over at jazmyne and me, and i could easily tell that they were heartbroken as well. jazmyne leans her head into my chest and i pull her closer as she sobs. i bite my lip to stop my own cries despite the difficulty that was. 

"ssh, jaz, it's okay babe! mom's going to be just fine, okay?" i try to calm jazmyne down as her cries just get louder - this is the one thing about parenting that i struggle with, watching and hearing my children cry and not knowing exactly how to comfort them or cry with them 

morgan and i share a look, morgan knowing the exact look of wishing he could take the pain away. he bites his lip as i know he wanted to cry now as well, jj had started crying long ago but, morgan didn't want to cry. he wanted to stay strong for his nieces and nephews and, i don't blame him as i felt the same way. 

"when...when will she wake up? i miss mom!" jaz sobs as i close my eyes, hoping it was all just a dream and that we were on a beach or on holiday with the family, not in the hospital 

"i...i don't know jaz, i really don't know and i am so sorry that i can't give you a proper answer!" i respond tearfully as jaz sobs again and i feel awful as that was when doctor johnson came back over to us with somewhat of a hopeful look on her face which made my heart race 

"ahem, i...i am so sorry if this is something i'm interrupting but,dr reid, is it okay if i just grab you for a second, privately? one of jaz's uncles can take her and the boys but, i just really need to tell you this in private due to the children..." doctor johnson spoke in a hushed sort of tone as i gulped, nodding my head as i released my grip on jazmyne, morgan and jj immediately grabbing her, jj's fingers massaging her head as rossi and hotch watched over noah and ryder, whilst prentiss was on the phone to kenzie's biological mom giving her updates about maeve's condition- doctor johnson leading the both of us into a hallway a couple of doors down from the waiting room 

"...so, what's up with maeve, has there been any new news about her from her midwives or surgeons?" i ask as i bite the inside of my lip as doctor johnson takes a second which worries me slightly 

"that's the thing, dr reid. when maeve was pregnant with lennon, it was always known from the beginning that it would be a troublesome pregnancy. i also understand that you guys were told that as soon as lennon was to be delivered that maeve would be fine and that within twenty-four to forty-eight hours that she'd be discharged along with your daughter however, that obviously was not true as maeve has been here for way longer than expected. and that is because, something irregular with maeve's blood was detected and, it looked as if it was a tear which has caused internal bleeding---" this was all too much for me to comprehend but, maeve's going to survive right? i mean, she has to, we have five kids together for fuck sake, we have jazmyne, kenzie, noah, ryder and lennon together! 

"---wha...what? but, maeve's okay, right? like, she's gonna survive? she...she's going to wake up?" i ask, feeling myself panic, please tell me that maeve's going to wake up, i can't have my five children, especially little lennon grow up without their mam 

"just as i was about to explain before you cut me off, dr reid, there is a high percentage rate of her not waking up," my heart fell with a thud into my chest as she said that and my eyes widen 

"do you know the percentage of maeve waking up?" i asked as tears brimmed my eyes, i mean, is there even going to be a survival rate for maeve considering her death rate is already so high but still unknown 

"i actually have no idea dr reid, i was not told. however, because we don't think maeve is going to last through the night without complications, we think it's best if you go visit her, her room number is 583b. i suggest you also grab all of the children and the aunties and uncles. of course, the younger boys, noah and ryder aren't going to fully understand but, even if jazmyne and kenzie, if you can get her here, get confused as well, try to make it somewhat easier for all of them to understand but if you can't make them understand, i am more than happy to explain it to them. but, i...uh, i'm terribly sorry about this dr reid, all of us who've been working directly and even those indirectly with maeve were really hoping for it to end in any way but this way and, i'm sorry we can't have it end positively with maeve..." i feel my heart shatter and drown as i try to come to terms with what doctor johnson just revealed as she then speaks up again 

"...oh, and before i forget, for a few moments, it did look as though she was responding with the movements of limbs but, it wasn't anything to suggest that it was an improvement because almost straight away, she went back down. but, besides that, if you'll come back with me, i can walk with you and tell the rest of the family about maeve so you don't have to and then, i can lead you guys to 583b and say your final goodbyes to her," doctor johnson spoke professionally, without skipping a beat as i nodded my head, a single tear slipping down my cheek as my worst fear had come true - my best friend dying on me, leaving me as a single father to our five children 

"thank you doctor johnson," was all that i could muster saying from my mouth as i follow behind doctor johnson as we walk back to the group, noticing that kenzie hadn't arrived like her mom said she would be and the doctor breaks the news to them

straight away, jazmyne runs over to me, seeing her aunty jj struggle to hold back her tears with uncle derek right next to her, jj's husband, will, on derek's other side. jazmyne then looked up at me with sad and confused eyes as my heart broke, again.

"dad... why is aunty jj crying? and why isn't kenzie here with us?" jazmyne questioned in confusion as my heart shatters and i bite my lip and take a deep breath - ready to tell her when doctor johnson steps in instead

"jaz..." 

"...jazmyne, sweetheart, the reason why some of your family members are crying is that something has happened to your mommy since giving birth to your sister, lennon," doctor johnson started as jazmyne tilted her head to the side to look for kenzie only to see that she wasn't there and turned her head back, bunching up to her uncle and aunty watching what was happening 

"what do you mean doctor johnson? is mom okay? does kenzie know about this?" jazmyne asks as my heart cracks - yes, she was fifteen and a big girl, as is kenzie which is why she should be here, but in this situation, i had never seen one of my girls look so small and afraid in their lives, turning to look away, i look back to notice that derek had wrapped his arm around me - his partner savannah watching over noah and ryder as they both fell asleep 

"remember when dad mentioned that mommy was sick?" aunty jj shakily jumps in, wiping her tears away as she moves closer to jazmyne as she nods her head, aunty jj going down to her knees to level with jazmyne as they hug each other as doctor johnson continues 

"yeah...but, you're not listening to me, what about kenzie? does she know about this?" jazmyne mumbles with a head nod after she panics about kenzie not being here, doctor johnson taking over

"...well, jazmyne, because you and your siblings' mommy is sick, she has been having to stay here in this hospital like baby lennon had to, to make sure she could get better, however, there is a chance that due to the sickness your mommy has, it is doubtful that she's going to wake up again..." doctor johnson pauses again as jazmyne and aunty jj look at each other and then around at everyone else - jazmyne then making eye contact with all of her uncles and aunties whilst jj just looks down to the floor 

"...wait, what? why wouldn't mommy wake up? she...she has to... what about baby lennon? what about me and kenzie? what about noah and ryder? what about dad? what's going on..." jazmyne started to panic as aunty jj tries to calm her down by pulling her closer to her body 

"...jazmyne, sweetheart, mom isn't going to wake up, she's going to die..." although everyone else apart from my kids were adults, still hearing doctor johnson say that maeve, the mother of my children was going to die was still hard to hear as jazmyne starts to whimper, jj once again, trying to calm her down 

"...mom's not going to come home, dad?" jazmyne questioned, looking towards me, her voice small as that was the moment that all of our hearts broke 

"mhm, mom's not coming home, jaz," i whispered as tears streamed down my cheeks and jj let go of jazmyne, who ran over to me as i picked her up, both of us sobbing whilst her brothers noah and ryder reacted differently - the two boys latched on to each other but neither cried just yet and lennon, she was having her last few hospital evaluations in the nicu

present-day -spencer's pov

it was a school day for four of five of my children however, for jazmyne and kenzie, since they were both in junior year, their school teacher had allowed her students to bring in the parent/parents of the student/students so they could all share about the occupation of their parent as a way to inspire the other junior students who were about to start their senior year. and, obviously, although both girls didn't want to also bring florianna, who was also an fbi agent, jazmyne and kenzie just brought me in as florianna needed to take care of lennon back home, the baby of the family. we were having a discussion in class about something in regard to the work i do as an fbi agent with the bau when a school friend, macie had questioned why maeve hadn't come since i was the only single parent in the session which got kenzie also wondering where maeve was.

"...jaz, kenzie, what about your dad's job? he's still with the bau, right? also, where's your guys' mom, maeve?" macie, a best friend of jazmyne and kenzie questioned as my eyes widened, i sworn i had told kenzie's mom, marnie, who was also the girls' school teacher not to mention maeve as recently, jazmyne hadn't been coping well so, i was scared at how she would react and in turn, how kenzie was going to react since i'm guessing marnie still hadn't told her

both jazmyne and kenzie's heads shoot up from their early junior certificate testing that the two sisters had both been working as i couldn't distinguish how jazmyne was feeling but, i could tell that kenzie was confused. however, neither girl cried, they didn't scream. jazmyne was strong and confident but then, kenzie because of her confusion, asked since she was also wondering where maeve was. and jazmyne answered without hesitation which shocked me and kenzie. not because i thought she couldn't do it, but, because jazmyne answered so straightforwardly knowing that it was definite at this point that marnie had decided to just not mention it at all to kenzie. and, this was something that adults my age struggle with and, jazmyne and kenzie have both only just turned seventeen.

"oh, she died two years ago kenzie and macie, she never got to leave the hospital. the blood loss she suffered after she had given birth to lennon was too much and, the nurses couldn't control it in time and it was too late. we would've thought marnie would have told you, kenz?" jazmyne spoke softly, macie spacing out as jazmyne shrugged her shoulders empathetically to kenzie who looked as though it was the first time she was being told this news from her friend

"oh..." kenzie responded as marnie interrupted when kenzie was just about to apologise

"...oh my gosh! i am so sorry jazmyne and dr reid, class and parents please, continue with whatever it is you were doing..." marnie spoke out loud before moving closer to me, my two daughters and macie who wasn't even listening and engaged in the conversation anymore and continued

"...that was so rude of kenzie to ask you! she knows to not talk about it, most especially during class, jazmyne, dr reid, are you two okay?" marnie hushed harshly before calming down and rushing over to my two girls to make sure they were fine, both of them smiling and looking identical to their mom as they nodded their heads

although she wasn't engaged anymore, macie decided to nudge jazmyne to speak up, "it's okay mrs nelson, i'm okay and so is my dad. i mean, if kenzie didn't know and wants to know, she has that right. it is okay to ask things like that sometimes as long as it doesn't get too personal and even then, have you met me and kenzie's dad? but, thank you for asking if we're okay i guess but, seriously, we're totally fine, please, don't baby us!" jazmyne smiled as that shocked the entire class, including kenzie and macie but, i couldn't hide my smile - both of my girls were definitely maeve and i's girls, and yes, i'm talking about kenzie as well as jazmyne

getting called out by one of her students definitely was embarrassing for marnie but, she picked herself up and continued, "well, i...i'm still going to make kenzie apologise, alright jaz? asking someone where their mother or father is, is not okay, and she needs to learn that, even at seventeen, she needs to learn that not every single one of her friends has both parents in their lives as she does and she needs to know that and be sensitive towards it," marnie splutters out as jazmyne and kenzie nod their heads as they go back to the early junior certificate for next year when they were both eighteen alongside macie when marnie pulls me aside

she looked sort of mad that her "daughter" asked jazmyne and me about maeve after macie had mentioned it but, to be honest, did marnie even explain it properly or at all to kenzie as it's been two years since maeve died? or, did she just forget about that bit like it was nothing because kenzie was too young? and just decided to tell kenzie that maeve was just going to stay sleeping in a hospital bed for a while? then i notice the face that kenzie made when her mom said that she knew not to talk about it and how it really looked as if kenzie legitimately had no clue about maeve's death two years on.

"i am so sorry..." just as marnie was going to splutter out a useless apology on behalf of her very capable seventeen-year-old daughter, i stopped her

"...marnie, just stop for a second. did you seriously tell kenzie at all as to what happened to maeve or did you just expect that as she got older that she'd find out on her own as to why she never went to the hospital or to the funeral to help her best friend and sister say the eulogy that she had helped jazmyne write like we agreed she would?" i was stern in my approach not just as an fbi agent but as a father as marnie looks at me in shock as if i couldn't raise my voice at anyone on my own without maeve or without crying over it

"wha...what, of course, i did, that's--"

"--no, she didn't, dad," kenzie's sweet voice came up from behind as i gave the girl a proud smile after she stood up for herself in front of her biological mom - but also smiling due to being called 'dad'

"she refused to even let me ask about you guys for an entire year before she could even mention maeve because she didn't want to get upset and "cry" over a friend which, i'm sorry miss nelson but, what the actual fuck?" kenzie was angry as the lunch bell then rang

the other students and parents apart from jazmyne, kenzie and macie leaving as marnie tried so hard to make what her own biological daughter was saying to seem like a lie when really, as an fbi agent with the bau, i believed my daughter more than her biological mom. it was also telling when kenzie called her "mom" by her teacher name rather than "mom" but called me dad.

"really, kenzie? she never mentioned anything to you about what happened to maeve during lennon's birth? even though emily made sure that marnie would give you those updates after constantly being on the phone to update her about it? so, the first time you actually hear about it is from jazmyne and macie?" i questioned with my arms crossed over as both my daughters as well as macie nod their heads as i turn back around to look at marnie who looked as though she had seen a ghost - in which, she bloody damn will in a second and it won't be maeve's happy ghost either!

"yes, i am serious dad, miss nelson hasn't ever mentioned once why florianna has now been living with you guys and why maeve hasn't been around when i've stayed over and why i didn't go to the hospital or the funeral even though i was supposed to because i wasn't even told about the hospital or that the funeral was for maeve in the first place, even when i helped jaz write the eulogy, it was never specified who i was writing it for," kenzie looked at me with teary eyes as my heart shattered for her in the same way it did two years ago - why would marnie not even tell her "daughter" about the loss of her adoptive mom?

kenzie then started to cry, obviously very overwhelmed from the situation earlier and now only just finding out that for the last two years, her adoptive mother had been decseased and she had no clue the entire time. without hesitation, jazmyne and macie rushed over and pulled their best friend in for a hug whilst marnie just stayed stagnant and did nothing to even try and comfort her "daughter".

comforting their sister and best friend, jazmyne and macie hugged kenzie tightly, jazmyne speaking up, "oh, kenzie, it's okay. it's not your fault you didn't know, i should have realised that miss nelson wasn't telling you and i should have then told you myself and figured out a way to have you at the hospital and the funeral. i just assumed you knew already since macie knew parts and parcel of it already but not the full picture," jazmyne whispered as macie nodded her head as they hugged kenzie as closely as they could as i stopped marnie from coming any closer - truthfully, i don't think kenzie wanted to even look at her ever again, thanking god that it was still lunch break

"no, marnie, stay away. i don't even think kenzie wants to look at you and i wouldn't blame here if she'd never want to be seen next to you ever again. especially considering how long you kept this news from her knowing that you'd be losing her because of me and maeve's adoption of her. why on earth did you refuse to tell her? she deserved to know about the death of her adoptive mom just as much as jazmyne and the boys did!" i was mad, fuming at what marnie had done to kenzie

"dr reid, mackenzie's my child, you can't stop me from comforting her..."

"...yes he can, miss nelson, dad's right, i don't even want to look at you, let alone be seen with you ever again, isn't it obvious by the fact that i'm referring to him as dad and you as nothing but my school teacher? in all honesty, i don't even want to live with you anymore, i want to live with my adopted family because then that means i'll actually be told things straight away and i won't have to wait years before i'm actually told things that are important like the death of my adopted mom and i'll actually be taken care of properly because my adopted dad actually loves me and he makes it his priority to make sure all of his children are taken care of, no wonder why his an amazing fbi agent and amazing dad, he doesn't blame his shortcomings on his tough job like you do even though it's obvious as to which job is harder and, just in case you didn't know, it's the fbi agent job that's harder, not the teacher job. and unlike your lies, my adopted family actually wanted me at maeve's funeral and at the hospital, and so did i, why do you think i helped jaz write the bloody eulogy they were going to say? why do you think i wanted to know what emily was talking to you about on the phone that day? because i wanted to know what was going on with maeve. you even said i could go and say that eulogy with jazmyne however when the day did come, you left the house without even giving me any knowledge that you were leaving and that it was time to go. like i mentioned earlier, i didn't even know that the funeral was for maeve and that i was helping jaz say a eulogy for her because you never told me it was maeve's funeral, to begin with, because you didn't even tell me that she had died or that she was in hospital and that was why emily was constantly calling you with updates. yet, i still waited for two nearly three hours for you to come into my room to tell me if it was time to go or not. however, you never came back until the funeral was over and i had no goddamn idea that it was over and that it was maeve's funeral. what the fuck is wrong with you that you couldn't even tell me something as simple as the information that my adopted mother had died. was it because you knew you were quickly losing me due to the successful adoption and that you knew you would have to let me leave you and you hated that you'd no longer be able to hide things from me so you did it for one last time but with the most horrendous thing to lie about because you thought that maybe if you lied about it that i still wouldn't be getting adopted by the reid's?" kenzie was a strong girl, a very strong girl however, not once until now did we think she was going to be able to stand up for her own biological mother like that

no one knew how to respond so, no one did. jazmyne, macie and i just smiled at how proud we were of kenzie for standing up for herself, her friends and me in the way she did. and, just like we imagined, marnie was shocked, unable to comprehend her biological daughter and her student because don't forget, marnie was also her school teacher, just exposed her and stood up to her. and, also, just so you know, me and maeve, had won full custody of her "daughter" and marnie was not granted any visitations at all.  oh, and on top of that, due to florianna and i being fbi agents, that wasn't at all the reason why we won the court case - for that fact was only mentioned once throughout the entire court hearing and mackenzie was now mackenzie reid and was able to move in with us.

two years ago - prentiss's pov

the one day that none of us was ready for suddenly jumped up on us. maeve's funeral. due to being jazmyne and mackenzie's aunty, i had the job of making sure my niece jazmyne was okay whilst rossi and hotch took care of the boys and baby lennon whilst florianna was taking care of spencer. although i was also at my breaking point emotionally because kenzie, maeve and spencer's adopted daughter hadn't arrived, just like spencer was, i had to make sure i stayed strong for my niece jaz and also for kenzie even though she wasn't here and most likely has no idea due to her dumbfuck of a biological mother.

*knock knock* there was a small sounding knock at my bedroom door, knowing it came from jaz, i let her come in. i was then taken aback when i saw jazmyne and kenzie's school best friend, macie

"come in, what's up my prince...princesses?" i say as my back is facing them as i finish fixing my hair although i knew it would be a crows nest after spencer's finished crying into it at the funeral

"you're the last one ready, aunty emily, we need to leave," jaz's hoarse voice rang out as my heart broke and my eyes widened as i turned around to face the two fifteen-year-olds who were dressed in their very best black dresses, their hair is done perfectly by either penelope or florianna with some suede black boots

i then questioned why derek or hotch didn't come up, why did they get jazmyne and macie to come upstairs to tell me?

"oh...oh, thanks jaz, why...why didn't they get uncle derek or uncle aaron to come up and get me?" i ask, patting the bed down for jazmyne and macie to come and sit down next to me for a moment before having to leave

macie then spoke up with a shrug, "we don't know, apparently it was because kenzie's stupid biological mom, marnie, our school teacher, had shown up and they were trying to deal with her and, jazmyne and i were the only two who were free to come upstairs to tell you," macie sighed, with a shrug of her shoulders as jazmyne nodded her head as my eyes widened again, why was marnie here? i mean, kenzie was supposed to come but, not her mother, hence why i was so confused as to why macie had come upstairs with jazmyne and not kenzie

"oh, well, has marnie left then?" i ask as both girls shake their heads, jazmyne speaking up this time

"nah, we think she has somehow convinced dad to let her come but only if she stays right at the back and doesn't do anything stupid, she can stay," jazmyne shrugs as a disgusted look shows up on both jazmyne and macie's faces as i try not to laugh - yeah as a bau family, we weren't really a fan of kenzie's biological mother depsite the fact that kenzie was the complete opposite - an absolute angel"

"okay but, we should probably head downstairs now then girls..." just as i went to stand up, jazmyne pulled my hand back down as i gave the two girls worried looks

"what's wrong jaz and macie? we need to go and say goodbye to your mom and maeve," i responded as the two girls just looked up at me with their sad, devastated puppy dog eyes as my heart broke

"we're not ready..." jazmyne responded as the girls looked back at me as i pulled them both in for a hug and we stayed in that hug for a little while before the three of us stood up, me holding jazmyne's hand whilst macie latched hands with jazmyne and we walked downstairs where everyone else who was attending the funeral was waiting 

"...aw, girls, i know you're not. trust me, i'm not ready to say a final goodbye to my best friend either so, i can't imagine what it feels like for you jazmyne and your brothers having to say your final goodbyes to your mom and, macie, having to say goodbye to your best friend's mom," i whispered as we then walked downstairs 

*

i sat down in my seat in the church of the funeral with macie and jazmyne on each side of me, spencer on jazmyne's side and florianna on macie's as we waited for the next speech. which was one of maeve's siblings and then after that it was jazmyne, macie and kenzie's turn, who was the biological daughter of marnie and was supposed to be here but, she was nowhere to be seen. kenzie was the girl who had helped jazmyne write her eulogy for their (jaz and kenzie's) mom and expressed her interest in wanting to attend today's service but, it seemed as though kenzie wasn't aware that it was for maeve since her biological mom, marnie, was notorious for not telling important things to kenzie straight away, usually telling her months or even years later. 

one of maeve's sisters had just finished their speech and, whilst it broke hearts, hearing the priest introduce the next speech being spoken by maeve's two eldest daughters and a family friend, jazmyne, kenzie and macie, was even more heartbreaking to everyone in the church. and that was because they all knew these three girls as fifteen-year-olds, they were just kids and they were already having to speak about the death of their mother and the mother of her friends. 

and when it did come to jazmyne, kenzie and macie's turn, kenzie was still nowhere to be found and it really worried jazmyne and macie but, that was when i realised that marnie had definitely not told kenzie at all about maeve's death. and just knowing that she didn't tell her daughter but still had the audacity to come to my best friend's funeral infuriated me because she knew her biological daughter was involved in the funeral but didn't even tell her who it was for and therefore didn't allow her to attend and i think i know why.and it's because she knows that kenzie will no longer be in her custody anymore and be able to call her, her daughter anymore. but it still enraged me that marnie did this.

"...macie, jaz, what are you girls doing? it's your turn to speak about your mom and maeve," i whispered as the two girls whimpered softly, their hands not leaving each other or mine as jazmyne spoke up ever so quietly 

"where...where's kenzie, emily? she's meant to be here with macie and me! she's meant to help us with the eulogy, she was the one who wrote it for us because we couldn't do it ourselves one day at school! but, kenzie's nowhere to be found but marnie is still here!" jazmyne stuttered out as my heart breaks for my two nieces and macie, i don't know where kenzie is either but, i have a pretty good assumption that marnie left the house without even letting kenzie know after the fifteen-year-old had properly spent ages getting ready for the funeral and was still waiting for the moment her biological mom was going to walk into her room and get her, not knowing it wasn't actually going to happen 

"i...i'm not sure girls but, it looks like you two are going to have to go up together, just the two of you. you just need to be brave and do it just the two of you and, if you need, i can come up with you?" i spoke softly, comforting them both as jazmyne and macie nodded their heads, putting their bravest faces on 

"okay," jazmyne and macie respond, their bravest faces on as i stand up with them, holding jazmyne's hand whilst macie holds one of jazmyne's fingers as we walk up to the podium, jazmyne and macie holding hands as i stand back a couple of steps behind them 

i then notice spencer as well as florianna who are both smiling towards the two best friends as i just spoke a couple of words before jazmyne and macie's eulogy. 

"hello everyone, just before one of maeve's eldest daughter's and best friend say their eulogy, i am emily prentiss. i'm one of the aunties to the reid children and one of maeve's best friends, just on behalf of the entire reid family and extended, i just want to say a huge thank you for coming. i know funerals aren't everyone's favourite thing to be doing on a day as unusually pretty as today in virginia but, we have to. it's what maeve would have wanted and, i'm glad we were able to come together in the way we have to celebrate a wonderful woman like maeve. i say this because, she's honestly the perfect woman and mother to her five beautiful children and a wonderful wife to her husband, spencer. so, once again, just a small thank you all for coming and now, i'm going to pass the mic on to maeve and spencer's eldest daughter jazmyne and her best friend macie to say the eulogy that they had prepared for their mom and friend's mom," i managed to keep it together as i was applauded before i moved back a couple of steps as jazmyne and macie moved up to the microphone, still holding hands to comfort one another 

"hi everybody, just like my aunty emily just mentioned, i'm jazmyne lorde reid, the eldest daughter of maeve and spencer reid..." 

"...and i'm macie johnson, the best friend of the reid's and although this isn't exactly what me and the daughter's, jazmyne and mackenzie ever dreamt of doing at such ages of fifteen, having to say goodbye to their mom, they are however very grateful that they have all of us guys here to help them and their family to get through it. so, umm, jazmyne's just going to say a few words in regards to who her and mackenzie's mother was as a person and how amazing she was because, jazmyne doesn't think she personally told her enough and then, i'm going to speak after her with mackenzie's part of the eulogy since mackenzie couldn't make it today..." macie trailed off but was a wonderful speaker, as was jazmyne, exactly like maeve, which is why i think it was so hard for everyone to hear the two girls say a eulogy at her mom and best friend's mom's funeral as jazmyne moved forward to the microphone

"originally, my sister, kenzie to help us since she had actually written this eulogy for me but, she actually isn't here like macie just said so, it'll just be me and macie so, here i go," jazmyne paused as she rolled her shoulders back and continued as me and macie smiled at her

"i always loved telling people, as did mackenzie, that our mom was maeve reid and that our dad was dr spencer reid. i loved it because mom was a geneticist and dad is an fbi agent with the behavioural analysis unit. for those who weren't aware, i am maeve's biological daughter and was actually from a previous relationship that she had before she and dad met and started dating. whilst in technicality, i'm spencer's "step-daughter", i was actually adopted by him before they got married so, i'm spencer's daughter no matter what. to be honest, looking back at it now, considering how young i was when mom and dad got married and then had me become an older sister at like just about two years old, it makes sense why i am the way i am. i mean, i think people find it difficult to believe that i am the love potion of a geneticist and an fbi agent, no way! well, i'm sorry to tell you guys but, i...i was, kind of, and i still am and so are the rest of my siblings so, sorry *giggles*. however, that...that's not at all the point i'm trying to make despite how it might sound like..."

"...i only wanted to mention that because, it was and still is something i'm so proud of because, my whole childhood, i found everything my parents did to be amazingly cool even though dad wasn't home as much as mom was. mom was more of a caretaker than a geneticist since she retired shortly after she had me. she loved to take care of people even if she had known the person for less than ten minutes, she'd be coddling them and calling them her child. and this is when kenzie would come into the eulogy but because she isn't here, it means i have to say it..." jazmyne paused again before she took in a deep breath and continued 

"...when i first introduced my first ever school friend, kenzie, to my parents, they were extremely excited because for the last few years before i had met kenzie, i was doing what was basically homeschool since i'm older one that would sometimes join our dad with cases across the country so, when i got to the age of homeschooling and becoming a bit lonely, mom and dad made the collective decision to have me in quantico with mom during the school term and then have me come over to help dad and the bau with cases during the long breaks like spring break and winter break. this meant that going to an actual school and meeting new people was kind of scary because i only had myself since i didn't spend a lot of time there to form proper friendships with the other students my age. even scarier when it's considered that throughout the whole of america, me and my siblings were extremely popular as were our unborn ones because we're the daughters of dr spencer reid from the bau, meaning that i was slightly worried that anytime i tried to make friends, i'd only meet kids who'd only want to talk to me because of my dad..." 

"...however, it didn't really do that, especially when on the first day of my new school, i met kenzie nelson, the daughter of our teacher, mrs marnie nelson, who we were going to have for a good few years of our schooling. kenzie was a sweet, kind, quiet, shy but pocket rocket of a girl. i knew straight away, that she was going to be my new best friend, if not my third sister even though i do now have my third sister, my beautiful baby lennon grace filan," 

"and, going back to the point of mom being a caretaker, the literal second that me and kenzie walked into the house after school, mom was already calling kenzie "sweetheart", "babe", "my darling girl", all the things that she called me, her actual daughter and, i don't think i could lie and say my heart didn't flutter in happiness because it really did," jazmyne started to falter as macie gave her a little nudge as jazmyne nodded her head and macie took over 

"and now, jazmyne knew how dad felt every time mom spoke those sweet nicknames to him *coos and awws* kenzie was already a part of the reid family and she hadn't even been properly introduced to mom, dad who was off from any cases for a couple of weeks and noah, my only brother at the time," macie took over and recovered perfectly from jazmyne's falter as she continued

"jazmyne said all of this and kenzie is too because mom really loved people and she loved being the mom to those whose mom's didn't love them as she did. it was her true calling for her to be a mom and jazmyne and kenzie, along with our siblings, are so glad that we had the opportunity to call her our mom for fifteen, eight and seven years on this earth that we've had with her. and, also, maeve, i think you'll be happy when we tell you that the reid's has finally sorted out that custody battle as kenzie has now been granted permission to start the move back to her house with the reid's so, i think you can stop hovering over mrs nelson and giving her a hard time even though we all know deep down that she deserves it, it really is time to stop as, legally, spencer and the reid's can take kenzie from her whenever he feels like he needs too *everyone giggles*..." 

"we love you so much maeve, thank you, once again, for being the best mom to jazmyne, mackenzie, noah, ryder, lennon and all of our friends, love jazmyne, macie and kenzie," macie finished her best friend's part of the eulogy with so much bravery and poise after her best friend faltered that, i don't even think the two girls needed me up here with them for moral support as macie shakes her head towards the priest, saying that she didn't need to say her or kenzie's part of the eulogy since jazmyne's part basically covered the things she was going to speak about anyway 

we then walk off the stage and back to our seats in the front row pew where spencer and florianna gave jazmyne, macie and me hugs. 

"...you two girls did amazing!" florianna whispered as jazmyne and macie both smiled as i agreed, all of us then sitting down 

"we did it for their mom," i smiled as jazmyne and macie nodded their heads in agreement, jazmyne's tears disappearing as we all held hands and hugged as the rest of the service happened

present time - spencer's pov

it was christmas, which means it is the hardest time of the year for jazmyne, mackenzie, the boys and me, especially since maeve's death. jazmyne had just lost her love and excitement for christmas completely and, the last christmas and now this one, it broke my heart to see the bright hazel sparkles of her eyes be dull on christmas morning when her other siblings, mackenzie, noah, ryder and baby lennon were always so excited. except, strangely, this year, the sparkle in her beautiful hazel eyes for the first time in two, nearly three years, came back.

"daddio!" jazmyne's mature, seventeen-year-old voice was heard down the hall, calling me her "daddio" like the old days, making my heart flutter as florianna and i looked at each other in confusion at jazmyne 

florianna and i started dating after being told to by maeve in a letter she had written to me and the family that doctor johnson had given to me after the family had said our final goodbyes on the day maeve passed away. maeve made me promise that i'd move on and start dating florianna, making sure that it wasn't forced by grief and that it was organic as her only two rules. and also to make sure i gave jazmyne, mackenzie, noah and ryder the chance of having a motherly figure in their life again and for baby lennon to have a motherly figure in her life straight up since she wasn't even a full day old when maeve died. 

"yes, my darling?" i responded, slipping on a festive tee shirt as normally, jazmyne wouldn't be this happy on christmas morning and florianna giggles, rolling back over to sleep again as i roll my eyes 

"it's christmas!" she yells out, almost waking up the entire house, florianna and i hosting the rest of the bau family this year, as we were all staying in quantico for christmas, all running into florianna and i's room to make sure that jazmyne was okay 

"yes jazmyne, it is christmas, what's got you so happy?" i giggled as she gave me an innocent but still smug-like smile which confused me - my seventeen-year-old, one of, was still a child at heart, exactly like her daddio 

"come with me, daddio!" she then said with a snigger as she grabbed my hand as i turned back to florianna who was fast asleep - how the heck has she been able to sleep through this entire thing?

"o...kay?" i questioned with a small giggle as she giggled as well and we ran down the hall into uncle derek and aunty savannah's room and i was confused 

"what are you doing jazmyne? what's gotten into you sweetpea, you haven't been this excited for christmas since momma died, what's up, are you sure you're okay?" i questioned, giving my eldest daughter a worried look as jazmyne rolls her eyes and giggled

and just as i go to look at her uncle derek for help, he puts his hands up and leaves with savannah - god dammit derek and savannah! why is everyone against me today? it's christmas for christ's sake! 

"come on daddio! it's been two, nearly three years since mom's died and since florianna started becoming our mother figure and, i don't hate christmas anymore. it doesn't hurt the way it used to now that mom isn't with us anymore. just, daddio, trust me, i've got it all under control but, before i go, could you please wake up florianna and gather the entire family downstairs by the tree to do presents as i can't wait any longer!" jazmyne explained as i smiled, i was happy to hear that jazmyne was no longer upset about christmas so, i did as she said and i let to go wake up florianna 

"okay, i trust you're telling the truth and not just saying it because you want to impress everyone and fake it but, i'll get florianna and we'll be down in around three or four minutes," i smile, tapping jazmyne's back lightly as she squeals - yep, she's still that same little girl she was years ago even though she's seventeen, nearly eighteen 

*

the entire bau family and their partners, myself, mackenzie, noah, ryder and lennon were now downstairs as we awaited on jazmyne. for some odd reason, she was taking her time but, just as florianna was going to go up to grab her, jazmyne came bundling down from the staircase as we all looked at each other in confusion, lennon resting in my hold, what is jazmyne doing? 

"jazmyne, sweetness, what are you doing?" i giggled, lennon laughing as well as jazmyne grabbed a bag of presents and handed them out to the group, leaving one for florianna 

then, this bombshell that none of us was expecting but was everything we wanted, dropped from her mouth. 

"mom, ever since momma started deteriorating in the hospital after giving birth to lennon, you were there for the entire family and even before that frightful day, you were there for us. and, because it's christmas i thought it was the perfect time to say i really love you a lot and, after talking about it with mackenzie, noah and ryder since lennon is still too young to comprehend any of this, we've all decided that we're ready to start calling you our mom..." jazmyne smiled, not once stuttering as we all looked at jazmyne in shock, expect for my other kids who clearly knew about this christmas present for florianna, tears welling in my eyes as lennon smiled and hugged me tighter even though she was only two and didn't really understand much of what was happening 

i shared a smile with four of my kids whilst we all had a group hug. kissing them all individually, letting them know that this was a beautiful christmas present for florianna and how much it meant to both of us, not just florianna. 

"...jazmyne--" florianna spoke as jazmyne sushed her and everyone laughed as she then continued on 

"...mom, you've been there for everything since mommy died and, we just want to ask you this on christmas morning because it's the right time for you to adopt me, mackenzie, noah, ryder and lennon and be our mom and marry our dad and become florianna reid?" jazmyne asks as florianna jumps off the couch, pulling jazmyne into her arms as jazmyne giggles softly 

"oh, jazmyne, of course, darling! of course, i'll adopt you and the kids!" florianna calls out as i cover my mouth, feeling the happy tears that welled up fall down my cheeks as i wipe them away before lennon and i ran, joining florianna, jazmyne, mackenzie, noah and ryder in the hug as everyone else cheers

"phew, oh thank god you said yes as uh, i had uncle aaron and uncle david kinda help me with getting all the paperwork..." jazmyne spoke with hunched shoulders and a humourous smile to break up the silence as everyone laughed - of course, she had her uncle aaron and uncle david to help her, who else would have the tools to do so? 

"oh jaz, i was always going to look after you guys! that's what i promised your momma the day she died. i promised her that i was going to look after you, daddy and your siblings until my own dying breath," florianna spoke with her beautiful smile as she kisses jazmyne's cheek, making her giggle as she then kisses the other kids 

it was then announced that the other kids could open their presents with their uncles and aunties as florianna and i had taken jazmyne and mackenzie with us to a different room for their presents that were from the two of us. 

"jazmyne, mackenzie, these two are for you, i know they may look like two blank envelopes but, i promise you, it's more than that..." i spoke as the two girls gave florianna and me weird looks before opening the envelopes 

and, let's just say, i never expected this reaction from our two older girls but, we wouldn't have changed their reactions at all. 

"wha-wah-wait, hold up, mom, dad, are you guys serious?" mackenzie was the first to speak up as jazmyne just stared down at the envelope 

"yeah, we're dead serious kenzie, it's about time we spoilt our two big kids rather than your brothers and baby sister," florianna spoke up as jazmyne finally looked up, tears were in her eyes 

"you...you're allowing us to move to las vegas for college? mom? dad?" jazmyne was quiet, as quiet as i'd ever heard her, her voice only slightly rising at the end as i nodded my head, alania also nodding her head 

"yes, you two are graduating within the coming weeks and you're both going to be turning eighteen within the next few months so, of course, we were going to let you guys move to las vegas for college. it was actually something momma left in the letter she wrote for you two," i spoke as jazmyne looked down, starting to cry and i smiled as kenzie comforted her 

"you okay, jaz? is it everything you wanted?" florianna whispered, bopping down to both girls' height as jazmyne nodded her head 

"it...it's all i've ever wanted, mom. to be like momma and daddio," jazmyne whimpered as she looked up once again and i walked over and lifted her up, her legs latching around my waist as i smile, jazmyne hugging me tighter 

"thank you," she whimpered as i squeezed jazmyne whilst florianna did the same thing to kenzie 

derek, savannah and emily (and everyone else) then joined us and smiled as they all leaned on each other, derek speaking up as i nodded my head. 

"so, i guess you told them?" derek spoke up, emily and savannah leaning against him as they all smiled and leant on each other as i nodded my head

"yeah, we did. it was about time morgan, they deserved to know what maeve's final wish for them was before she died. they deserve to go back to las vegas, where they used to live and for them to study there. they deserve to have the choice to branch away from their momma's degree and their dad's job if that's what they so choose to do," i smiled a bright, happy smile that reached either side of my eyes as derek rubbed my back, also smiling 

jazmyne and i hugged a little longer before i placed her down as she then hugged florianna and kenzie hugged me before we then decided to continue with the rest of the presents that everyone else got the kids. 

a gazillion presents later and i still think the one that really got to jazmyne was the present from mom and me for her and kenzie and then the car that uncle derek and aunty savannah had gotten them both. 

well, now this was the moment i knew that it was the right time to propose and marry florianna, the love of my life and make her mrs reid as well as the legal mother of our five kids, having our two eldest move to las vegas for college. this christmas couldn't have gone any better than it already had. a christmas miracle is what happened this year and, i think this instagram post proved it. 

liked by drspencerreid, mackenziereid, floriannatomlinson, derekmorgan, aaronhotchner and 994 others

jazmynereid merry chrysler everybody 🤍

view all 780 comments

drspencerreid merry christmas my dear. glad this christmas was better for you than the last 🤍

jazmynereid drspencerreid  thank you daddio and, this christmas was far better than last christmas that's for sure 🤍

 mackenziereid merry christmas jazzy 🤍

jazmynereid mackenziereid  merry christmas kenzie 🤍

floriannatomlinson merry christmas babe 🤍

jazmynereid floriannatomlinson merry christmas mom 🤍

derekmorgan yes, aunty savannah and i did give you and mackenzie a merry chrysler! merry christmas jazmyne 🤍

jazmynereid derekmorgan yes, you did give kenzie and me a merry chrysler. merry christmas uncle derek 🤍

aaronhotchner merry chrysler to you too, jazmyne 🤍

jazmynereid aaronhotchner uncle aaron, please, never say merry chrysler ever again! but merry christmas uncle aaron 🤍

all was well 

- - - 

yay! i've written for spence again and i'm happy! 

ok ily xx

word count; 11233

[fbfh]

dad!Robert and sister!Sophia Quinn + Quinn!reader hcs - the fosters

wc: 1.5k

pairing: dad!robert quinn + sister!sophia quinn + quinn!reader

warnings: vague allusions to reader having a rough life before living with the quinns, sophia has bpd, robert and sophia both adore you, jill hates you, sibling shenanegins with sophia, robert is trying to be a good dad, brief mention of playing just dance while your parents divorce, I think that's it??

genre: familial fluff with hints of crack and angst

a/n: hey girl I'm hyperfixating on the fosters again! daily reminder that you're faves live in disbelief of how loveable you are! as with the previous fosters hcs if you don't know why you were tagged its bc of the domestic/found family trope!!

@youkissedareaderinthedark @girlfriendwhoseawitch @mrscarolscaramoucheplease

Okay assuming you have a backstory somewhat similar to Callie's

Meaning you didn't know your dad was actually Robert Quinn until recently and through a variety of circumstances he's fighting for custody of you 

It's going to be…… interesting 

Honestly Sophia is messy enough for her own tlc show 

And Robert is so desperate to make up for lost time and be worlds best dad

And Jill?????? Jill detests you 

So there's obviously going to be some silly antics 

Shenanigans if you will 

When Robert first sees you he has to try so hard not to cry

You look so much like your mom, the love of his life

She really was the one that got away 

He feels like he has a piece of her back now

And he is so determined to be there for you now

He’s not letting you slip through his fingers again

You now have more emotional and financial support than you ever did before

Once you’re comfortable enough for it to not be weird he will absolutely give you a credit card for literally whatever you want

One of his love languages is gift giving so when he sees you and Sophia going on shopping sprees together 

When he gets texts from you asking if you can get something you want or food or something

Even though he’s reassured you a million times you don’t have to ask

He gets so happy

He’s so happy to know he can take care of you and provide for you now

He wishes so badly he could have been doing it from the start

But he’s just glad he found out as soon as he did instead of another ten years later

Also if there’s anything you ever wanted to do and didn’t have the money or opportunity to

Surprise

Robert has already signed you up for figure skating and ballet and your violin will be arriving at the end of this week

He just loves spending time with you and Sophia

He loves spending time with both his kids

It makes him happier than he ever thought he could be

And oh my god Sophia??????

She always wanted a sibling

And now she has one

And it’s literally the fucking coolest person in the world?????

She is so desperate to be just like you

For you to think she’s cool too

She wants to be like super mega close sibling bffs with you

She wants to have sleepovers and share secrets 

She doesn’t really realize that that requires a lot of work and time to achieve and you can’t really jump straight there with enough enthusiasm 

You might need to be a little patient with her and set some boundaries 

But she’s just really excited to finally have a sibling yk

Roberts parents (and probably Jill) will accuse him of being a little obsessed with you

But he’s just trying to make up for lost time yk

Sophia however actually is a little obsessed with you 

They all but explicitly stated she has bpd 

You can probably tell pretty soon that she’s a little mentally ill right off the bat

Like you’re not really one to miss red flags yk

One good thing about how much they both care about you and how much influence you have in your new family is that if you tell Robert you’re worried about Sophia

He will take that totally seriously 

Even if Jill doesn’t or thinks he’s overreacting or Sophia is  being dramatic 

Robert will start watching her a little more closely and realize you’re right

He’ll get her into therapy so she can get help before things get worse

He’ll get you in therapy too if you want/need it

That’s one of those moments that really solidifies in his mind that you’re meant to be part of their family

His kids looking out for each other yk

Also once her she starts getting better and some of that obsession burns away

You’ll be able to have a really great relationship with her

It’s so fucking hard for her to not copy everything you do

Like once you move in she wants to decorate her room like yours

She always wants to borrow your clothes and copy your style

She thinks whatever you like to do is absolutely the elite hobby/extracurricular 

And oh my god if you like horses too????

Her two favorite things have just combined

Robert would absolutely get you a horse so you two can go riding together 

She brags to all her friends at Archfield about how fucking cool you are

Eventually you end up getting to have all the classic sibling experiences you didn't have with each other 

Late night talks about life and mental illness and existentialism 

"Can I borrow your top" "No" "Please :(" "Fine"

Basement just dance battles to the death while Robert and Jill are divorcing upstairs 

You show up to all each others events and hype the hell out of each other 

Your texts are half just sending each other tiktoks 

"You" "dad" "dad and Jill" "us" "your horse"

She sends you a lot of astrology memes and incorrect quotes of your signs 

She gets so excited whenever you consult her about your personal life 

You send her a screenshot of texts asking if it passes the vibe check 

It does not 

She loves talking mad shit with you

About people from your schools and extracurriculars 

Sometimes about Jill

Robert is trying to make it work with her 

He really is

But she fucking hates you 

She refuses to even give you a chance

And you know he's never going to pick anyone over his kids

Especially not after everything yall have been through 

You and Sophia both sort of know it's a matter of time at this point

Jill is one of those handful of almond moms who will antagonize you for almost anything 

You can't even swear around Jill bc she doesn't like it

She won't even let Sophia say oh my god 

So whenever you swear around Robert and Sophia it's like a little inside joke 

Even when you let out a long string of substitute swear words when Jill is there they still find it hilarious 

Because they know what you'd be saying if she weren't there 

"Butt…muncher on a pogo stick!"

They find it hilarious 

Jill is not amused

Sometimes Sophia looks up your old neighborhood on Google maps and imagines what your childhood was like

What it would have been like if you were raised together 

There are tons of trees she imagines you'd climb together, sidewalks to ride your bikes on, places to play hide and seek 

Sometimes Robert looks at your old neighborhood and has to try not to cry

His baby was that close this whole time and he had no idea??

They're both just really glad they have you now 

That you have each other 

Also your birthday????

It's practically a national holiday 

Sophia bases half her gift planning on your birth chart and the other half on every piece of information she's retained about you 

Robert is lowkey celebrating the whole month 

He feels like he has a lot to make up for and he's not going to let this day be anything less than spectacular 

God help you if it's your sweet 16

He is going to to so fucking ham people are still talking about it years later

Sophia gets so fucking excited if your birthdays are close together 

Like so fucking excited 

She has a little count down on her phone to "quinn siblings birthday season" 

It becomes a tradition for each of you to team up with Robert to plan the other one's birthday 

Instead of the standard birthday parties Jill would throw and invite half of Sophia's class

And a bunch of adults to network with

This year you and Robert surprise her with a day full of horseback riding and shopping and devil's food cake and all her other favorite things

And a Fiona apple concert over the weekend 

If this is what birthdays are supposed to be like she thinks she's been missing out

And for your birthday?????

They plan a whole week full of surprises 

Sophia's been making careful mental notes of all the stuff you want to do and go see 

Suffice it to say it's the best birthday you could have wished for 

For Robert's birthday you and Sophia plan to surprise him with a bunch of crafts and handmade presents  he probably would have gotten from both of you if you'd found each other sooner 

You make craft paper turkeys and macaroni necklaces and casts of your hand prints

You buy white ties and color them in with paint markers 

You even mark your heights on the doorway of his office 

He cries so fucking hard

He loves it

He loves his kids

It's the second best present he's ever gotten

The first will always be you and Sophia 

[sarayoon]

The panic that settled in her chest and went straight to her face, made Sara regret having invited Hyun Woo in the first place. Not because any of this was his fault, but because Hanbin's question had reminded her just how unfair it was to have put her own feelings above her son's. It made her feel like a terrible mother for doing so. For letting people come into her son's life so carelessly and for letting them leave too, not realizing just how attached to them Hanbin might have gotten.

Maybe, from that day on, she could put her feelings for Max aside and try to just... prioritize Hanbin's happiness instead. I mean, it wouldn't be hard to do, right? Wasn't that the reason why she'd allowed Hyun Woo back into her life? For her son's sake?

I'll always be here with you.

She'd heard that one before too. She'd heard it at their wedding day and on weeks and weeks after that day. She'd heard it even before that day... and she had believed his words every single time.

Until he broke her heart. Until he had those papers delivered to her bedside and had Sara beg him not to leave her. And despite not saying anything on the matter, the young mother looking away, attempting not to let Hyun Woo see her cry, let alone, her own son as she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Especially when Binnie was so happy to be there, laughing under the winter sun, and getting to spend some time with the man he had no clue it was his father.

It didn't matter. She told herself as she quickly wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. It shouldn't matter.

The day went on without many problems. After the ice rink, they all went to have lunch together, and Hanbin was able to ask more and more questions to Hyun Woo like what was his job, if he liked Paw Patrol, what was his favorite dinosaur and things like that.

*****

And, as the year moved closer to its end, for the first time since they'd first bumped into one another while in Providence Peak, Sara found herself in the same place as her ex-husband, without previous warning.

Holy Spirits was crowded enough to have her body pressed to his once someone tried moving past them, and luckily, Sara didn't spill any of her drink on his, nor her clothes. Alas, she took a step back, putting some distance between them as she didn't think it was right to be standing this close to her ex, especially when he'd been the one to pull out the divorce papers on her. Obviously, he didn't want her around like that. "I thought you'd be in Seoul by now. You know, ringing the new years with your family and all."

Ugh, she wished that bringing his family up didn't leave a bitter taste in her mouth, but after everything they'd made her go through, it was hard not to. Especially his mother. "Are you here by yourself?" / @seongxhyunwoo

There was a palpable tension in the air, and rightfully so. Hyun Woo knew that when he came waltzing back into her life, it would not be easy. Sarang may have been kind enough to put her resentment aside for their son’s sake, but her fathers’ protectiveness was warranted. Which was why he did his best to avoid looking at them, a coward as always, choosing to avoid the confrontation by instead keeping his gaze focused on the young boy who was the reason for his presence in Providence Peak in the first place. Who, ironically enough, felt like the only one who he could breathe easy around in that moment. The only one who did not shoo his presence away and rather embraced it. For that, though Hanbin was too young to know, Hyun Woo would be eternally grateful.

“Yeah, they weren’t too bad.” It was meaningless small talk, but he appreciated her attempts to cut the awkwardness of the moment. For a moment he looked away from their son to Sarang, who, despite everything that had transpired and the way he had left her, still made sure he didn’t feel like a complete outsider to their family moment. His smile softened slightly, once again imagining for a second how different life could have been had the choices he made been different. But he was not able to dwell on these what ifs for long because their son had another idea. He felt himself pulled along and stabilized himself in order to ensure that Hanbin didn’t fall either. “Me? I live. . .” how was he going to say that he lived in a hotel? “I live close to you.”

Are you eomma’s boyfriend?

This question nearly had Hyun Woo lose his balance. His eyes widened and head immediately whipped to his ex-wife, who their son was thinking was his girlfriend. She was much quicker to answer than he was as Hyun Woo still dealt with the shock of the unexpected question. His next hurt him for reasons much different than Sarang. He did not know who Max was. But the fact that Hanbin was not sure his father would stay by his side, it was a kind of pain that Hyun Woo had last felt when he’d signed the divorce papers and watched his life walk away from him. If she couldn’t meet his eyes, he couldn’t meet hers or Hanbin’s.

But he had to. He had to assure their son that no matter what happened, he was not going anywhere. He’d broken several promises, but this was one he refused to break. “No, Hanbin-ah, I’m not going to leave. I’ll always be here with you.”  | @sarayoon

[starglitterz]

cynosure. (xv)

─── chapter 15 ! ~ cynosure.

summary; you and xiao are genmates under the famed streamer company genshin impact. the chemistry between the two of you is undeniable, and your fanbases absolutely love your collaborations. but when you both start meeting up offline more and more, your connection starts to deepen past just harmless flirting and playful banter. with these real feelings starting to affect both your job and reputation online, how will you two react when your relationship becomes the internet’s cynosure?

a/n: i hope you enjoy this chapter and that it provides a satisfying ending for this rollercoaster of a series :] thank u for all the support on cynosure, i love u guys and i'm so grateful to be part of such a sweet community <3

warnings; suggestive

previous.┃masterlist.

please reblog ! it helps a lot :)

biggest thank u to; @hurricanectar & @noctua-koi for always talking abt cynosure w me :) i became friends w both of you through this series and i'm so glad we've become so close!! i love u both sm <3

livestream !

y/n: hi everyone! sorry for the unscheduled stream, but thank you very much to all of you who decided to tune in!

xiao: yes, thank you. so as the title of this video suggests, the two of us have an important announcement to make.

COMMENTS ylovrr; omg what could it be siluc; i mean the two of them r tgt for it so im p sure we all alrdy k xiaoxiaoo; ahhh i hope it isn't anything bad :< kazu-topia; it should be fine (i think)

y/n: i think chat is going to murder us if we keep dragging it out, so, xiao, would you like to do the honours?

xiao: me?! didn't we agree it was going to be you?!

y/n: i changed my mind! *sticks out tongue*

xiao: ._.

COMMENTS auradragon199; THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!!!!!! venvens; what if them bantering was my final straw,,, it's too wholesome :sob: dendrobivms; i want to marry both of them atp LSKDJSK

xiao: fine. since y/n has very kindly thrown me under the bus, i'm just going to say it - the two of us are dating.

y/n: ?!?!?!

xiao: why do you sound so surprised?? you asked me to say it!

y/n: I KNOW!! it just sounds so cool when you say it out loud like that.

xiao: ...

COMMENTS hamayumis; AHHHHHHHHH XIAOYN REAL OFFICIAL noctua-koi; OFMWAKJDKJSA THIS IS NOT A DRILL EVERYONE I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL XIAOYN IS REAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sprayio; aww xiao's blushing :>>> so cute !! hurricanectar; theyre perfect for each other :))) contentedbean; yes they deserve the world noirkkat; my scrunklies <3

y/n: holy archons, thank goodness you're all taking it well. not to exaggerate, but i was honestly terrified that most of you would hate us.

xiao: mhmm. but even if you did, that wouldn't change anything between y/n and i. i've been stupid enough to let hate comments affect me once, and it will never happen again. i love y/n, and since i'm lucky enough to call her my girlfriend, i'm not going to allow anything to ruin that.

y/n: aw, xiao! i always knew you were head over heels for me.

xiao: yeah, yeah, whatever. anyways, if you have any questions we'll be more than happy to answer them.

COMMENTS 120802; xiao won't meet y/n's eyes... looks like someone's down bad anon; will this affect your streaming?

y/n: nope, not at all! xiao and i are still very much our own people, so our schedules for streaming won't change at all.

xiao: except for maybe a few more off-collabs with just the two of us.

y/n: *pretends to whisper to chat* xiao's just saying that 'cause he wants me to stay over. *wink*

xiao: I AM NOT!

y/n: *laughter* next question!! 'have you heard that all of scaramouche's social medias have been deleted?'

xiao: ...no, i haven't. nevertheless, i wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavours. there is no bad blood between us and i genuinely hope he's happy.

y/n: exactly! also just a reminder, please make sure not to send any hate to anybody who was involved or a fan of scaramouche. we've moved on from that chapter of our lives, and we'd like to leave it in the past.

COMMENTS scaramew; theyre so mature omfg sohyuki; another day another slay as per usual alatusxiaoo; mwahhh i hope the pillow of whoever asked that qs is warm on both sides kdaehara; them. that's it that's the comment tofuthoma; screaming sobbing crying rn /pos normalisthenewnorm; hmm what else is there to even ask cynokine; i'm assuming scara had to either delete his socials or go to court and he picked the better option test-tube; soooo, any plans to play two-player games more in future?

y/n: great question! personally, i'm looking forward to human fall flat, or maybe fall guys!

xiao: or maybe stardew valley could be cool. or even phasmophobia.

y/n: isn't that a horror game?! xiao, not everyone has your ability to be utterly unafraid in the face of jumpscares.

xiao: hey! is that an insult or a compliment?

y/n: hehehe, i'll never tell!

COMMENTS afchicken; theyre so sweet im going to get diabetes istg yelansrightarmpit; AWKJDJAKSJDKAWKDJSAKD BARKS LOUDLY thomacrumbs; me when they <3_<3 goblefunk; xiaoyn the world xiaophobic; I LOVE THEM SO MUCH !!!!!!! c02z; so, how does it feel being the hottest streamer couple on the planet?

xiao: on the planet...? well it's mostly y/n.

y/n: xiao! don't say stuff like that!

xiao: it's just the truth!

y/n: *swats him* anyways, you're very kind for saying so. and personally i think it's thanks to xiao, and it hasn't been that long yet but so far dating him is very fun!

xiao: dating y/n is very fun too. she's an amazing person and i'm honoured to be hers.

y/n: how can you say such cute stuff with such a calm face?! i swear i'd kiss you right now if we weren't streaming.

xiao: then maybe we should end the stream here, because if i'm being honest i'd like to kiss you too.

y/n: archons, you're lucky i love you. we aren't ending the stream yet, we've still got more questions to answer!

xiao: hmph. *pouts* fine.

...

y/n: so anyways, i think we'll end the stream here! thank you so much to everyone who joined, i'm really glad to know that you all support our decision and we hope that you'll continue to watch our streams!

xiao: yes. thank you for the kind words, have a good day.

y/n: byebye!

COMMENTS nurserinnn; that was the best stream ever!! yanfeishere; brooo xiaoyn has my whole heart omg aijlin; if they don't get eternal happiness im rioting van-chii; them !!!!!!!!!!!!

*stream ends*

y/n: xiao, holy archons, my hands are shaking so much. aHHH i was so nervous!

xiao: you did great, dove. *holds y/n's hands* i'm so happy we did that.

y/n: me too! i must be the luckiest girl in the world; our fans will still enjoy our content, and i get to date the person i love.

xiao: *under his breath* you're so cute.

y/n: i'm right next to you, y'know. i can hear you.

xiao: ?!

y/n: haha, i'm just teasing! i think you're super duper mega awesomely cute too, xiao!

xiao: *ears turn red* it's getting late, we should go get ready for bed. you need to get enough rest, especially after your travelling.

y/n: okay then, boyfriend. i call dibs on using the shower first.

xiao: *swallows* go ahead... girlfriend.

y/n: AWWW YOU'RE LITERALLY SO ADORABLE!!!

xiao: STOP, JUST GO SHOWER ALREADY! tsk, no respect for the adepti.

irl !

"hey y/n, i used the other bathroom, so you can take your time and you don't have to worry about rushing so i can use this one," xiao hesitates slightly before knocking on the bathroom door to let you know. if he's being honest, he can't tell if he's awake right now because all this feels like the best kind of dream possible. sure, you've slept over at his house before, but this time the two of you are an official couple! "it's okay, i'm already done anyways," you reply cheerfully before opening the door and grinning at him. as xiao looks at you, he hopes that if this is all a dream, he gets to sleep a little longer.

"you look really pretty," xiao murmurs, swallowing the lump in his throat which miraculously forms whenever he's around you. he has always been soft-spoken and quiet, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself instead of voice them out loud, but when you're here, this quality is amplified tenfold. everything he wants to say to you is frozen on the tip of his tongue, and he can only gape at you like a goldfish and pray to any deity listening that somehow you'll understand what he's trying to convey. you twirl, allowing the fabric of his shirt to swoosh around your legs, "aww, thanks! this is the shirt you left out for me, right?" your boyfriend nods, and you swear he looks so adorable when he's too shy to make eye contact. little do you know he's thinking the exact same thing, except it's more so about how you're drowning in his shirt - he knew it was a good idea to buy the biggest size, too-large clothes are always the most comfortable, and if he gets to see you like this that's just an added benefit.

"actually, dove, can i kiss you?" the words slip out before xiao can stop himself, before he can filter them like he usually does. perhaps this is just the effect you have on him, reducing him to an incoherent mess who acts before he thinks. but as you smile, "of course," and move forward to kiss him, xiao thinks that maybe it isn't that bad. your hands travel upwards to tangle in his hair as you push his back against the bed, tugging on the jade strands as you deepen the kiss. xiao can barely think clearly at this point, his mind has been wiped to a clean slate, every thought replaced with the feeling of your lips as he does his best to memorise everything about you. hands gripping your waist tightly, his golden eyes flicker from yours to your lips, fixing every inch of your features into his mind. his thumb smooths across your cheek, admiring the way you lean into his touch, eyes fluttering shut as you nuzzle into his warmth.

the two of you have come so far, xiao thinks to himself as his fingers idly dance over your skin, unknowingly igniting a trail of fire in their wake. throughout everything you've both been through, xiao definitely knows that there were things he could have done better, ways he could have reacted better, but if varying the method won't lead to the scenario where he gets to kiss you like this right now, xiao thinks that he wouldn't change anything for the world. he's learned so much these past few months, from healing himself after his past and convincing himself to be brave enough to step into a new future, and it's all thanks to you. you, who coincidentally strolled into his life and captured his heart and attention without even trying, you, who gave him a second chance even when he thought he was unforgivable, you, who was willing to accept him for his flaws and love him nevertheless. it was always you.

as your mouth sears across his collarbone, xiao cups your face, tilting it up to look at him, "y/n, i love you so much." your expression relaxes into a smile, affection glimmering in your irises as you gaze at him with so much tenderness in your eyes, "i love you too, xiao." his hands slide down your torso to rest at your hips, but his stare is focused on yours still, "you know i'll always be there for you, right?" "mhmm," you mumble, pressing your lips to his once more, matching the heat building up between the two of you with an equally passionate kiss. xiao is helpless to do anything but melt into it, enjoying the feeling of your lips moulding together perfectly like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle slotting into place. you're making his head spin with just your lips - he's always been at your mercy, for you've got him wrapped around your little finger; all his attention, all his admiration, and all of him.

when you pull away, xiao leans his forehead against yours, amber irises shining with fondness, "after all, you're my cynosure."

a/n; so we're finally at the end, huh? it's been a pretty wild ride over these 8 months ever since i published the cynosure masterlist as a surprise on 18th july last year :') i never even dreamed it would gain this much popularity or that so many people would like reading a streamer au, but i'm really glad it did. i've met countless wonderful people through this story whom i'm proud and lucky to call my friends until now. i just want to say that i'm so so so thankful for all of you who gave cynosure a chance. ily, i quite literally wouldn't be anywhere on tumblr without you guys <3 also, all the fan accs in this chapter are people whom i love + people who i've recognised interact frequently w cynosure posts !! i hope it's okay that i used your urls without permission, tell me if you'd like me to remove it. do stay tuned for my future projects too mmkay? anyways, as per usual i'm still finishing cynosure chapters at stupidly late hours, so i'll be heading to bed now. goodnight everyone, take care of yourself, and please do lmk what you thought about this chapter / cynosure as a whole! i'd love to hear your thoughts on it :> mwahhh byebye !! <3

taglist; @noirkkat / @c02z / @hojichangel / @glazelilyy / @oreoz-unfortunately / @tiny-aroace / @xiaophobic / @test-tube / @120802 / @storytravelled / @mirikusashes / @ben6ett / @oliviasslut / @bluexiao / @lunachelly / @aelatus / @mimion / @akiiyukii / @angelhxneyy / @give-xiao-almond-tofu / @abyssheart / @xuanya / @normalisthenewnorm / @viagiraffe / @fuhuashandholder / @astersg4rden / @dilucbar / @nachotrash / @childe-support / @kinekyuu / @axerrri / @ventirain / @kait-is-always-late / @venvens / @celestair / @rim0na / @indecisivehusky / @nurserinnn / @ariesreii / @saving-for-xiao / @hellokittykuroo / @auradragon199 / @xiaoszn / @liarchive / @hurricanectar / @berryqueue / @noctua-koi / @yunaholics / @yoimimi / @http-mewchuu

usernames in bold cannot be tagged. pt 2 of the taglist will be tagged in an rb after i wake up :)

general masterlist.

© starglitterz 2022. do not repost or modify in any way.

[fluffyydumplings]

Music

Witch One Will Win? - Part 5

Summary: Taking a break is important.. Doing the things you enjoy is important. Productive or not, who cares…

Word Count: 617

Pairings: dragon hybrid!reader x witch!yoongi x writer!jimin / alien!jungkook x vampire!hoseok x werewolf!taehyung

Genre: fluff / crack!au / angst / fantasy!au / sci-fi!au

Warning: none

A/N: I wrote this out of nowhere. This is a simple, yet sweet chapter. I hope it provides a sense of comfort to you.

Previous

Next

Series Masterlist

‘Jimin-ah! Y/N-ah!’ the familiar, sweet yet deep voice swims through to the ballroom.

‘Yoon..’ the 1445 music box is switched off with the wavering of your fingers.

A classy white model plastered with multiple sakura flowers in the front. It either connects to one’s ears or is played out loud upon command.

‘You two were dancing?’ she smiles upon picturing what could have happened, fiddling with the chocolate suit she had on.

‘And you were monitoring them?’

‘Not anymore.. I feel uncomfortable watching them in such conditions. They look like they need some privacy of their own.’

‘The only reason why I monitor them is because I’m scared someone will die the moment I leave. They’ve grown pretty close though. They’ll be fine.

She recites paragraphs..

‘Nice..’

No one speaks, no one smiles, no one moves.

‘Oh.. Come on! Resume your dancing.’

‘I didn't come here to stare at your faces. Although they are beautiful.’

‘Yooniee.. Is rather grumpy today. Isn’t she?’ you tease.

‘So what if I am?’ her hands propped right below her chest.

‘Sway, Michael Bublé .. Out.’

───

When marimba rhythms start to play

Dance with me, make me sway

Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore

Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze,

Bend with me, sway with ease

When we dance, you have a way with me

Stay with me, sway with me

───

Looking into your eyes, Jimin fell in love. Both with you and the graceful steps that littered the floor. Clit Clat.. Clit Clat.. Clit Clat..

And sitting from the chair a few centimetres away, Yoongi too fell in love.

‘This reminds me of the olden days..’ Jimin closes his eyes, not losing a single step, as his memories come to life.

It was impossible to mess up - Jimin’s a swan hybrid. His whole life was and is dancing. It's been centuries ever since he left home - the great lake of amor.

But once you’ve resided in a place for so long, a part of it becomes a part of you. Jimin’s gravitation towards water speaks for itself.

‘We immortals can be quite irritating,’ you tease, your hands on his shoulders.

‘Humans are even more irritating.’

‘I know..’ you couldn't help but agree.

  ‘You do realise that witches are just humans who practice magic, right?’ she shouts loud enough for your ears to catch on.

‘You’re our favourite human, Yoons..’ at that she smiles, as the song comes to an end.

‘I will survive, Gloria Gaynor.. Out.’

───

At first I was afraid, I was petrified

Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side

But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong

And I grew strong

And I learned how to get along

And so you're back

From outer space

I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face

I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key

If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me

───

‘And so they stopped waltzing around as the music changes.’

‘Yoons.. I bet yah!’

To the rhythm of the song, in synchronisation, you shook like never before.

‘Yoons.. Want to join us? A little birdie told me you were good at this.’

‘No.. I’m tired. Also, you shouldn’t be talking to birds. Those creatures are more vicious than they look.’

‘They are proceeding to the next stage,’ the crystal ball announces.

‘Well.. Looks like we won’t be having any more fun,’ everything stops abruptly and the air goes silent.

‘I’ll be needing your help, Chim... Or,  should I say: blood-sucking Vampire Jimin?’

Take a look at the Y/N’s music box

[slashbitch2]

Extra Complications

never expected to be crushing on an animated character but here we are

Next Chapter

It was sneaky. Perhaps cheating by some standards. But from your perspective, it was a damn good plan.

Ironically you'd seen the advertisement for the Alchemax internship right after being flung into a wall by the very same woman who'd likely approved the broadcast. Olivia Octavius, or Doc Ock as you ought to refer to her in costume. Though she'd given you little time to read up on 'how to apply', as moments later a car was thrown in your direction, which was very inconsiderate of her, but was also all the persuasion you needed.

At this point, you'd be willing to do anything if it contributed to thwarting her, surely, very evil plan. Of course you admired the woman for her general genius and eccentricity, but the constant unprovoked conflict was becoming tiresome. It felt as if she were trying to determine how much of a threat you posed, whereas, you liked to think your legacy as 'that Spider-Person who sometimes saves the day' was all the evidence necessary.

Honestly, you weren't certain as to what exactly her, no doubt, villainous plan entailed besides patrolling the streets in green swimming goggles and black spandex with ridiculous plastic tubes jutting out of her back. In fact, it was ridiculous that no one had made any attempt to stop her yet. Unlike your identity, kept secret by a more modest spandex suit, hers was public knowledge.

Sometimes, it seemed as though you were the enemy here.

Which is precisely why infiltrating her team of scientists was more than appropriate. You were about to single handily take down an international threat, one hidden in plain sight, but left untouched due to the company's vast money, leverage and prestige.

Someday the city would thank you for your many sacrifices. Specifically for voluntarily working another job without pay. Y/N Y/L/N, broke intern by day, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Person by night.

"Excuse me?" A voice called from the left, your vision of them obstructed by an inconveniently placed potted plant. "Are you the new intern?" The person stepped closer, briefly glancing up at you, then back down at a sheet of paper. "Y/N Y/L/N?" The woman's timid appearance hardly screamed villainous scientist, but then again, looks can be deceiving.

"Yes, that's me." You stood, reaching out to shake her hand.

She sighed in relief, shaking your hand a tad too enthusiastically. "Lovely to meet you. I'm Marie and I'll be getting you settled in for the first few days."

A spark of disappointment flashed across your mind. Olivia hadn't been there for your interview, nor had any sway in your hiring, and now she wasn't even the person greeting you on your first day. Although you had no right to be, you felt rather offended by the lack of challenge she was providing. It was almost too easy.

---

To be fair, Marie was the perfect candidate to give you a tour of the facility. She was kind and patient, but not condescending. She seldom spoke beyond what was required of her, unless you asked something work related, when her lengthy response would affirm her status as an epicure of scientific knowledge. By midday, you'd decided she was someone to befriend, and subsequently accepted her invitation to have lunch together.

You were also hoping that the team would eat lunch as a group, but alas, more disappointment. Instead, you spent the break sitting in an awkward silence with Marie, who seemed to loose basic communication skills when presented with food. In spite of her lack of engagement, you still took the opportunity to try and ascertain information about the project you'd be working on, though each time she expertly diverted the interrogation, or ignored your question entirely.

Who knew working for an evil, secretive corporation would be so boring?

It was a test of patience to be sitting in the same building as Olivia Octavius, while forced to shadow an incredibly kind, but slow eating woman. Realistically, you knew there'd be plenty of time to investigate, though you were reluctant to end the day without any progress. So, while Marie was still distracted by her lunch, you excused yourself to go to the bathroom.

She dismissively approved with a wave of her hand, allowing you to slip away from the dining hall. You vaguely remembered the location of Olivia's office as being on the top floor, indicated by Marie's imprecise pointing. She'd explained that very few had clearance to get in, but you'd already thought of a way to get passed the security.

Who aside from the highest ranking scientists had access to every room? Janitors, of course. Because, for some reason, cleanliness was more important than security.

It didn't take long to locate a cleaner, or much effort to pickpocket the security card. To be on the safe side, you even had an excuse ready: that the man had dropped it, that you were simply looking for him to return it. And if Olivia caught you in her office, well, she wouldn't (Spider-Senses and all). Again, it was almost too easy.

There was a minatory silence as you walked along the final corridor toward her office. Part of you felt as though this was some kind of elaborate trap, the repeated phrase 'too easy' coming to mind as you reached the door. Though the logical part of you must've known this was a fatuous suggestion, and took control.

With a final pause to confirm nobody was approaching, or was already waiting inside, you scanned the key card. The action was rewarded with a satisfactory beep, followed by the door sliding open so fast it appeared to have vanished.

The office was smaller than you anticipated. Or maybe it was the bareness of the room that caught you off guard. The woman was insane, yet her work area hardly reflected her deranged mental state. Everything was so perfectly neat that you began to wonder if you'd actually walked onto a movie set, or a photoshoot, which would've explained the strange ring lights hanging from the ceiling.

Upon reaching the centre of the room, you were struck by the realisation that you truthfully had no reason to be here. Even if the office had been as messy as you'd expected, it was unlikely that she'd leave her super evil plans lying around. Rather, It'd been some morbid curiosity that had lured you here. To see where The Doc Ock worked, where the alter ego was likely created. The reality was underwhelming to say the least.

Deciding that you'd spent enough time admiring an incredibly bland office, you exited back out into the empty corridor, nonchalantly throwing the security card behind you, certain someone would eventually return it. Then, as if right on cue, you sensed somebody approaching, soon followed by footsteps resonating from around the corner. With no way of avoiding them, you kept your head down with the intention of blending in.

Olivia Octavius rounded the corner, not sparing a glance up. She was frowning at a piece of paper, her full attention directed to it, blissfully unaware of your presence.

Instinctively, your entire body tensed at the sight of her lithe frame and mass of hair spilling out of its messy bun. Any other circumstance and you'd have fled by now, through a vent, out of the window, it didn't matter. Though you had to remind yourself that there was no reason to be afraid now. There was no possible way she could know your identity.

Nonetheless, as you passed her with less than a metre of space, you held your breath. She said nothing and you both kept walking in opposite directions.

It seemed the coast was clear. You released the breath you'd been holding and kept moving until. "Hey, wait a minute."

You froze, aching to ignore her and escape. Her voice was deep, more so than you were prepared for. While fighting, few words were exchanged, and even then they were unintelligible. Although, now was the worst time to be thinking about previous interactions, so with much difficulty, you cleared your mind. As far as anyone knew, including yourself, you were just the intern.

You ran a hand through your hair nervously, straightening out your lab coat and turning to face her. She was stood at the far end of the long white corridor, entirely unthreatening when compared to Doc Ock, who would've loomed over you menacingly.

Remembering the role you were meant to be playing, you choked out a response. "How can I be of assistance?"

"You're the new intern, right?"

"Yeah." You considered approaching to shake her hand, but the idea of awkwardly marching the length of the corridor to greet her was rather unappealing. "That's me." You settled for a polite smile and shoulder shrug instead.

She screwed up her face in consideration before crooking a finger. "Come with me."

Swallowing any concern, you nodded hesitantly. The prospect of returning to the office you'd broken into only moments ago had you dragging your feet.

She waited patiently until you were by her side to continue. "Don't worry." She scanned her key card. "I don't bite." Her tone was playful, her eyes kindly mocking.

"Good to know." You muttered, following her inside. You took a second to look around the room with mock curiosity, feeling her eyes trace your every move. Like a predator, eyeing up its prey, determining your weaknesses. Unlike the encounters with Doc Ock, it was uncertain who had the high ground here. Her gaze was putting you on edge, not dissimilar to how your character of 'the intern' would react.

"So..." She shuffled some papers around on the desk, finding what looked to be your application. "Ms. Y/L/N right?"

You confirmed with a nod, summoning the resolve to amble toward her desk.

"Take a seat." She gestured to the chair opposite, letting you sit before proceeding. "Tell me about yourself, Y/N."

You started to think of an adequate answer, but she interrupted a second later, contradicting her initial inquiry. "Are you okay with me calling you Y/N?" She leant her head on a closed fist, narrowing her eyes.

Although the question sounded considerate, you didn't feel the implied sincerity. Even if you wanted to say no, that didn't feel like a suitable response. "Sure."

Somehow, it felt like she was establishing dominance through the polite act, and combined with being under her scrutinising glare, the performance was working.

"Great." Suddenly, she leant back in her chair, all evidence of the hostile act disappearing instantaneously.

"What'd you want to know?" Mirroring her relaxed posture, you attempted to re-establish some control.

"Oh, anything." A flicker of something passed in her eyes, piqued interest possibly?

You began routinely rattling off some basic facts about yourself, nothing too specific or personal. Facts that would answer any follow up questions she might have, and yet said nothing about you. Surprisingly, she seemed hooked on your every word. The thought crossed your mind that this might be the real interview, that everything else up to this point had been a sham. But you settled on a more unsettling justification. That she was committing everything you said to memory.

Coming to the end of the informative monologue, you decided to take a risk. "Do I get to ask a question?" You raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"Inquisitive. I like that." She stated, folding her arms on the desk. "Go ahead."

You decided to see how far you could push your luck. "Tell me about yourself." You smugly repeated her vague first query. It was the Doctor's turn to come up with an answer to the ambiguous demand.

She scoffed, realising your plan to make her struggle. "Touché. But I'm rather busy, so how about you pick a more specific question."

Narrowing it down, there was only one thing you wanted to ask. "Can I see the-" You waved your arms around, imitating tentacles. "the suit?"

She chuckled, slowly standing. Judging from her lack of surprise, this was likely a request she'd heard many times.

First, she removed her glasses. Then slipped out of her lab coat. Next to go was the shirt, which she pulled over her head while maintaining eye contact. You wanted to look away, out of respect, yet you didn't. Without the shirt, you noticed she was already wearing the suit underneath and had the harness strapped to her back, confirming your suspicion that she always had access to the weapon. As she was stepping out of her trousers, the arms (tentacles?) inflated, and within moments were threateningly extending to their full potential.

She smiled proudly, enjoying your stunned expression. "As good as you expected?"

"Better." Unable to resist any longer, you stood to investigate the suit in further detail. You'd never seen it stationary, or had the opportunity to try and gauge the details of how it worked. Although you argued this would be beneficial for your next fight, in reality you just wanted to admire the contraption. You circled round, marvelling at the simplicity of the design. It was convenient, yet elegant. "It's beautiful."

Coming to a stop in front of Olivia, she had an unreadable expression. A mix of emotions, most prominently confusion. To your delight, a faint blush coloured her cheeks. Whatever unspoken game you'd been playing, you were winning, or were until she said. "How'd you like to intern for me?"

You quickly recovered. "I already do."

"No." She sighed. "I mean personally. As my assistant? You'd get your own desk, an almost guaranteed job at the end of it and so much more experience than you'd bargained for." She leant forward, a little too close for comfort. There was an unhinged look in her eyes more reminiscent of Doc Ock that both convinced and deterred you. "So what'd you say?"

She genuinely wanted you to work with her.

This hadn't been part of the plan. You'd expected to spend no longer than a few months working at Alchemax. To uncover their evil scheme, figure out how to stop it and hopefully take down the company. An optimistic plan, sure, but one you'd been assured you'd stick to. Although, the opportunity to work closely with Olivia Octavian, with the Doc Ock, was too good to pass on. Not to mention, infinitely more interesting.

You grinned, embracing the insanity that your answer would incur. "I'd love to."

She clapped her hands together. "Great!" Then offered her hand for you to shake formally. "I'll sort out the paperwork and details this evening, but right now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

She left before you had the chance to say anything else, still in her suit, which left you confused for the following half hour. You finally understood upon catching a glimpse of a news alert on your phone.

Doc Ock Seizes Bank, Has Taken Hostages!

You sighed. Today was going to be a long day, and things were only going to get more complicated.

[annieharkness]

Glimpses: Part 2 (Kathryn Hahn x Fem!Reader)

Previous chapter <<< >>> next chapter

Summary: First Meeting.

Word Count: 2.6k

A/N: Hey everybody! It is LATE over here, so if you find any grammar/spelling mistakes - please just keep them. As always, my asks are open for any questions, suggestions, input or general life inquiries - I don’t bite ;)

Additionally, I’d offer to create a tag list for anyone interested :) ---

This is still for you, G.

——————————————————————————————————

“Hello?“, you ask nervously as you pick up the call.You had considered not doing so, since it was unusual for strangers to call you at all, and really - no one had any reason to do so. You hadn’t applied for anything, you hadn’t signed up for anything, hell, NO ONE new had gotten your number in a hot minute. 

For a split second, your anxiety was about to take over and you wanted to decline the call, but you managed to fight it and now here you were - about to take a phone call from god knows who.

“Well, hello there!“, an unknown voice chimes through the speakers, “My name’s Jennifer Minniti and I’m calling on behalf of one of my clients. Would it be okay if I asked you a couple of questions about your afternoon?“ 

You’re confused and look around to see if anyone is watching you having a slight meltdown in your car. You’re still sitting in the parking lot and the sun was still up and bright so people could definitely see you.

“Are you still there?“, the woman asks. 

“YES! Yes, excuse me, I am. I am confused as to why you would call me but I guess we’re about to find out. Ask me whatever it is that you need to ask, let’s go.”

You don’t know what has come over you but right now you feel like you just want to know what’s up to continue on with your day and get back home.

“Alright, thank you“, the voice continues, “I was wondering if you attended an event today hosted by Billboard?“ 

You’re still confused but talk yourself into the possibility that they are simply collecting data on how the audience liked the show.

“Yes I did!“, you can tell the woman on the other end is relieved. 

“GREAT! And are you wearing a, I quote, pumpkin-orange top, a dangly necklace and have [you color]ed hair?“ 

“Yes Ma’am.“ You had a feeling where this was going but this couldn’t be, or could it? 

“Fantastic. Well, the only other question that I have to ask is if you were standing close to stage C at any moment during the event?“ 

Your eyes widen as realization kicks in and your voice shudders as you affirm. Your heart rate must be high enough for two right now and you’re glad you’re still parked - Alexandra hates when you hold your phone in your hands while you are diving, so you try not to do so and that is the reason why you didn't move your car yet. 

“Okay honey, since you confirmed all of my questions it seems like you really are the person I am searching for. Lucky us.“, she chuckles, “All I need from you now is your name before I can give you further instructions.“ 

“Y/N.“ You bite your lip in anticipation. 

“Nice to meet you, Y/N, I would like to provide you with an address to go to tonight, to meet up with my client. Ms Hahn would like to have a drink with you, since you had a lasting impression on her during the show. You are over 21, I assume?“ 

“Yes Ma’am, I am 23, actually.“, you reply a little too quickly as your eyes widen in absolute shock. Did she just mention Kathryn. Is Kathryn her client? How? Why is this happening? WHAT is happening? 

You remember that the woman is still in the line and bring your attention back to your phone where she had continued talking: “Great! I’ll send you the location right away and then we are all set. Do you have any further questions?“

You close your eyes for a second and breath. “I… don’t think so?“ 

“Fabulous. I’ll see you later then, Y/N. Bye for now.“

And as quickly as she came into your life she hangs up again, leaving you hot and cold and absolutely confused. You release a breath that you didn’t know you were holding and look at your phone in disbelief. THIS CAN’T BE. But right as you started to think that maybe it was all just a dream, a flicker in time in which you shifted realities, your phone vibrates and an iMessage including an address appears. 

You quickly click on it, it leads you to the Ritz-Carlton and directs you to its rooftop bar. Still not convinced that you actually might've just talked to Kathryn’s assistant, or whoever that woman was, you are relieved to see that at least the location does not seem too fishy. 

Another message appears on the screen. “Meet her there at 8pm.“ 

Your eyes travel to you car’s clock. 6.28pm and the Carlton is only about half an hour away. Taking another breath you grab your phone and call your best friend again. You needed to tell someone because surely this really couldn't be happening for real right now. 

Alex picks up quickly again and seems tired - its half past three in the middle of the night for her, so it kinda made sense. She quickly realizes how out of place you are and asks her way through the chaos while you try to recreate what had just happened. In the end, the both of you decide that you would turn your location on for her to see where exactly you are and then you would just go for it. 

If it’s a scam, then at least she might be able to help you if anything goes wrong and the both of you had a crazy story to tell. And if it’s not a scam, well, then you’ll see where this is going. Either way, you turn the keys and start the engine.  

It’s 7.32pm when you arrive at the Ritz. Traffic was a pain and you took a wrong turn TWICE, out of nervousness. Luckily, you brought your make up bag with you today to get yourself fixed up before the show, which comes in handy now that you really need to be touched up. 

You quickly do so and put your hair up in a messy bun, some loose strands hanging out in the front. Not too casual, but definitely not too serious. Fifteen minutes later, you leave the car and enter the hotel where you quickly sit down in one of the arm chairs to not raise suspicion. 

The following minutes feel like hours, if not years, and you start to get worried. Your eyes scan the room and you focus on every single face present trying to figure out what was happening. Finally, a tall blonde woman steps out of an elevator and walks towards you with a beaming smile. 

You immediately recognize her voice as she introduces herself again and feel safe as she puts her hand on your lower back to lead you to the elevators. You are shy, nervous even, even though that is not representative for who you are as a person at all. The ride is longer than expected and right as you can’t bear the silence any longer she turns and faces you. 

“Please know that all of these are safety measures. Kathryn is very friendly and down to earth and loves to organize things herself, today’s situation was just a little different from anything this woman has pulled before“, she rolls her eyes with a smile, “and organizing her life was a little extra hard for me today, considering it’s also my job to ensure her privacy. Anyhow, here we are…“, she says as the elevator doors open and you are greeted with the sight of a large white bar that is confined by a small pool. 

There aren’t many guests up here at this time, it is probably still too early, which makes it easy for you to scan the room for a familiar face. The assistant must have noticed the sad look on your face as you couldn’t manage to make out anyone in the crowd and smiles at you fondly. “She isn’t here yet, Dear. There was a lot going on back at the show and she is probably running a little late - as always. I’ll call Stuart, the driver and make sure to keep you updated.“ 

You sight in relief and look at her thankfully as you sign the corresponding gesture because she is already on the phone. It’s something you do a lot. You sign as soon as someone might not be able to hear what you have to say, ever since you took a class back in high school. 

She immediately picks up on it and signs a quick “You’re welcome.“ back as she listens to what Stuart has to say. It’s a quick call and when she hangs up she shoots you another smile before leading you to a nearby seating arrangement. 

“Any minute now.“, she says as she leaves you to yourself.

Just like that, it was time to wait. You hate waiting. You really try to be a good friend at all times, but when it comes to meeting people you’d always chose to be a tad bit late instead of having to wait by yourself for a while until your friends arrive. It’s an annoying habit, but for you it makes life just a little easier. 

Still unsure if the current situation is real, you scan the place to check your surroundings once again and take it all in. A fireplace lights up the space close to you and you can see all of downtown from where you’re seated. Your eyes travel back to the fireplace and you remember that podcast you listened to once, where a doctor talked about the dangers of carbon monoxide and how people actually die from their ovens sometimes. 

For a second, you think about if you should call a waiter and make them aware of that issue, but the window front grabs your attention once again. The view is breathtaking but you can’t get too close to it because of your fear of heights. Life really is a struggle. Leaning back into your chair, you silently thank the assistant for purposefully choosing seats in the back where you would have some calm and quiet, because right now you greatly appreciate that.

Unsure what to do next, you reach for your phone to find something to do while you wait and get sucked into Tiktok for a couple of minutes. Your For You Page never fails to keep your full attention, so you don’t even realize someone is approaching your table. 

“Hiya Hon!”, a familiar voice chimes and you drop your phone as you look up to meet her gaze. 

The cracking noice as it hits the floor sends a shiver down your spine - not in a good way - but you’ve got better things to focus on right now. Kathryn Hahn is actually standing in front of your table and as soon as that realization sets in, you jump up to properly greet her and extend your hand only to take it back immediately to flatten out your skirt. 

Furthermore, you additionally proceed to quickly pull the skirt down as far as possible because suddenly you feel very much dressed inappropriately. Kathryn looks you up and down, a soft smile playing around her lips. You’re nervous. She likes that. 

Before she can look at you a second time, you finally extend your hand and meet hers in a firm, yet soft, grip. “Lovely to meet you Ms Hahn, good evening.” 

“Oh dear, call me KATHRYN.”, she exclaims in a melodic tone with a beaming smile plastered all across her face. 

Your hands are still holding each others and you can’t help but scan the other woman’s appearance. She hasn’t changed yet. Body still hugged by the white corset, her ponytail a little more loose than you remember, she is standing in front of you as beautiful as ever. You realize you’re staring and silently scold yourself as you offer her to choose a seat. 

“Oh no honey!“, she laughs, “You sit down for now and I’ll get us drinks. Let’s start this night right!“ 

And as quickly as she had appeared, she disappears again on her way to the bar. Sighting, you sink into your chair and take a deep breath as the first nervous wave washes out of your body.

You’re still unsure what this is all about and what is going to happen next, but have no time to overthink once again as Kathryn slides into the chair across from you and locks her gaze on you. 

“So.“ She says, looking at you in anticipation. 

“So?“ You ask and the same nervousness washes over you once again. 

“Well, first of all I’d like to know who I am spending my evening with.“ She winks and it makes your finger tips tingle. 

“Y/N. My name is Y/N. And I am not sure I am actually the person you want to spend your evening with.“ 

“Y/N,“ she sighs, „as adorable as all of this is, you gotta drop those insecurities. We wouldn’t sit here if I didn’t intend to! I don’t do this a lot.“ 

“Do what a lot???“ You look at her surprised but get interrupted by a waiter who puts down two glasses of white wine followed by the whole bottle laying in ice and leans down to tell her something in private. 

She nods and he leaves the table again after shooting you a short smile. Meanwhile, Kathryn grabs one of the glasses and hands it over to you, fingers brushing, before your eyes meet again. 

This time, no one dares to look away and you can only bring yourself to a shy smile before you bite your lips for a short moment as she raises an eyebrow and grins at you. She giggles and takes a rather large sip before she continues looking right into your soul. At this point, the nervousness is unbearable and you decide to follow her in sipping the (probably really expensive) wine.

Two glasses in, it all suddenly seems easy and she leans back into her chair, chin propped on her hand, listening to one of your stories about college and work. You love working, but you are also exhausted basically all of the time and could really use a break. Her eyes are locked on you in a way that tells you she actually listens and all of that gets validated by the fact that she keeps nodding and makes small remarks every now and then.

You two had shifted into a comfortable hang out which you willingly blame on the cold air that gave you the chance to elegantly offer your black blazer to her. She had shivered, just once, for a split second but that made you jump and put the small jacket over her shoulder, which she acknowledged by placing a hand on yours, resting on her shoulder. 

The whole evening felt unreal, yet familiar and comfortable at the same time. Sitting with Kathryn was very inviting, she is charming and radiates more warmth than anyone you have ever met. Not looking at the time at all, you two chat, laugh, get to know each other and occasionally glance over the rim of your glass to find the other’s gaze resting on you. 

An outsider could’ve said you two were exchanging glances, but really, it was more than that. With all the fun you have you completely forgot that you were only supposed to have a single glass of wine, if even, to be able to find your way back home by car. Kathryn notices the way you look at your glass in disbelief and slides her hand across the table until it touches yours. 

“Don’t worry, Hon, you don't have to drive. You can stay with me tonight.”

[rogue-durin-16]

THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED (Part VI/VII)

"the downfall"

Summary: After Fred's death, George and Y/n lean on each other to carry on. This wasn't the most brilliant idea, though; George was pretty much in love with the girl, and Y/n— well, she had been dating Fred prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Genre: angst mostly

Tags:

Suggested by: @crispykittywitch

Things never go as planned: @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @beautyschoo1dropout @s1ut4georgeweasley @sunshineandshadows @missmulti @accioweaslcy @andreaareynoso @georgeweasley16 @dianarte @skarlettmikaelson

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality

Warnings: language, allusions to sex

A/N: my apologies for keeping y'all waiting for this one darlings, but here comes the next part YAYY! Enjoy <3

Prologue: the aftermath

Part I: sleepless nights

Part II: candy floss

Part III: shock therapy

Part IV: wrong name

Part V: the perfect excuse

Part VII: apart

Epilogue: I still love you

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

He had left me in the room that morning, alone, with regret and guilt straining my chest, with embarrassment and panic heaving over me, my only company being a terrible headache and a sore body.

I was still waiting for him to come back. Of course, he still lived in the apartment, but the day after, he slept at Shell Cottage because Bill needed help with the chores, and the next night at the Burrow because Molly had asked to keep an eye on 'the kids' —the kids being Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione— while she and Arthur were off to visit Andromeda, and at Lee's because Angelina was away and they were going to have a boys' weekend; in summary, he managed to avoid stepping into the flat while I was in there for an entire week.

I would be lying if I said the idea of moving out hadn't crossed my mind, but I knew I was being dramatic— we were being dramatic; we were adults, even if we forgot about it more often than not, and adults talk things out, so I decided to confront him at the only place I would manage to corner him; the shop.

When I descended from the office on the second floor, I spotted the ginger turning the 'CLOSED' to face the glass door. "Oi!" His head snapped to me as I climbed downstairs and he instantly walked to the shelves on the opposite side. "Can I have a word?" I requested, following him, only for George to move on to another shelf.

"Right now I'm quite busy." He replied, seemingly absent-minded as he pretended to check the products in front of him.

"This is important." I insisted, moving to stand besides him.

Not fast enough, though, because he was off to yet another part of the shop as soon as I got close. "I'm sure it can wait."

"You know it can't," I assured intently, stalking after him, only for him to speed up his own pace, moving from product to product without stopping too long in front of him. "George I'm- Oi, stop! We need to talk about this!"

"Well maybe I don't wanna talk about this!" He exclaimed, taking big steps under one of the stairs in order to shamelessly dodge the hand with which I had reached out to stop him.

"George Weasley don't run away from me!"

"I'm not running away from you!"

"You're literally RUNNING AWAY!"

He stopped circling the counter and stood across from me, slamming his palms over the till. "ALRIGHT, LOVE!" for the first time, I didn't like the way the name dripped off his tongue. "Let's talk about how we accidentally FUCKED! That's what you want so badly, isn't it?!" Flush crept up his neck and ears, and I couldn't tell if it was from anger or from timidness. "Go on, darling, lead the bloody way!"

I felt my own cheeks going red, partly because of his straightforward statement but also because I genuinely had never heard George raise his voice like he had just done.

"Cat's got your tongue now?!" My stuttering seemed to fuel his anger more. "C'mon, Y/n, talk! You wanted to talk!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, GEORGE!" He clenched his jaw as his freckles drowned in a sea of pinkish red. "Yeah I want to talk! 'Cause that's what grown-ups do! We don't know how to act around each other so we just don't spend time together anymore— Fuck, I've barely seen you! AND WE. LIVE. TOGETHER!" I emphasised each word with stomps. "We can either pretend it didn't happen or talk it out to make sure we're on the same page, you choose but for Merlin's sake, don't avoid me!"

"OKAY!" His eyes widened, surprised at his own tone, and then he repeated in a softer, self-conscious one, "Okay." He breathed deeply and then added. "We're on the same page, right?" His eyebrows raised as he looked into my eyes. "It was... A mistake."

I should have noticed the uncertainty and hope in his voice, but I panicked and was too quick to respond, "Yeah! A massive mistake." My words stung my heart and, to my dismay, his own just as much. "Can we go back to being friends? Because I'm going crazy without you." I blamed our watery eyes to the argument we had had, and not to the fact that it had been a mistake.

He circled the counter and walked to me, hesitating before pulling me into a hug. "Can I...?" I tugged him closer, wrapping my arms around his middle. It took a moment for him to ease into my embrace, and I could tell we had fucked up our friendship for good. "It's alright, we'll make it right again." His words made me squeeze him tighter, as if he was about to vanish from my side.

And from then, we tried to make it right, we tried so hard, because it seemed so easy to make it wrong again.

Everytime we stood too close, everytime he leaned on to whisper something, everytime I helped him with his tie, our eyes would fall on each other's lips; I would sometimes drift off the conversation, staring too much at his mouth and hands, wandering if they would feel just as amazing as they had done while we were drunk.

"Y/n are you listening?"

"Uh yeah- I mean, no- sorry, what?"

I was so focused on trying to hide it that I didn't notice George was in the exact same situation, meaning that neither of us could give in, because we would go down together. In all honesty, it was doomed to happen at some point, we were just delaying the inevitable.

The moment came the last night of January, when George showed up in my room due to a really rough nightmare, and I, as always, invited him in so we could lay down together.

"Isn't this... Weird?" He murmured as we scooted closer. We had kept physical contact at bay for obvious reasons, and cuddling had been off the table since New Year.

"It doesn't have to be." I replied, my voice as quiet as his. "We've done this a thousand times."

"Right." He cleared his throat, averting his eyes from mines as we shifted in our places ever so slightly, trying to find a position where the situation turned less awkward.

And it happened, my mind got lost on the way his neck tensed, on the damp locks hanging over his forehead, sweaty due to the nightmare; on his plump lips, which he had just wetted with his tongue in the most subtle way. It was a nervous habit of him, something he would usually do, but that didn't make it any less hot.

"George..." I called his name without noticing, my heart hammering violently against my chest when his gaze landed on my eyes, quickly falling on my lips.

The next thing I knew was that he was holding my thigh over his hip, his other hand on the back of my neck while we shared a hungry kiss that, as soon as my hips involuntarily rocked against his, turned into something more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEORGE'S P. O. V.

The next morning we swore to each other that it was just another accident, that it would happen again.

And the next one too.

And the following.

The fifth time that happened, we agreed to call the situation a 'friends with benefits' kind of thing, well aware that it was an euphemism for the downfall of our friendship.

I had longed to be hers for so long, and it that moment, as I lay by her side in her bed, that wish seemed so close yet so far; I could reach out and my fingertips would touch her skin, yet I had never felt that distant towards her.

The moment my eyes were averted from her form, her gaze was laid on me. "You don't have to go."

"I know." I replied in a mumble, already sitting up and reaching for my pants. "But soon we'll have to get up, so I might as well do that and let you sleep." I didn't want to turn around, I didn't want to see her beautiful irises pleading for me to stay by her side, because I knew I would.

I saw on my peripheral vision her fingers attempting to carefully wrap around my wrist, and I was quick to stand up and walk to the door; sadly, I did not miss Y/n burying her face into the pillow, her hands fisting on the fabric ever so subtly.

She tried to hide her tears like that, and I agressively wiped mines as soon as I reached the corridor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Morning, lady!" I light-heartedly greeted Y/n without turning my back to the making of our breakfast when I heard the steps approaching the kitchen.

In the morning it was easier to pretend everything was back to normal; usually, the refreshing sunlight and the drowsiness provided by a night of sleep were enough to wash away the sad truth of our relationship.

"Good morning, sir." She responded with a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she walked to stand besides me, leaning against the counter with her arms folded. "Smells good." She commented, leaning on to take a peek at the scrambled eggs.

I was about to make a cocky, playful comment when it dawned on me what she was wearing; it was my jumper, one of the old ones that I exclusively used for pyjamas.

I knew she didn't do it intently; I had left it on the floor the previous night, and it was probably the first thing she grabbed, but it struck a nerve.

I had seen a similar scene way too many times before; a sleepy, dishevelled Y/n entering the kitchen with an ugly Weasley jumper as only clothing, ready to start the bickering with an almost identical version of me who would be making breakfast.

My head then travelled to the thought that lately crossed my mind more often than not and my heart clenched; In Y/n's eyes, I was, most likely, just a poor replacement for Fred.

"You alright?" That worried furrow appeared between her brows too often lately. We were both walking on eggshells, and it got me on my nerves.

"You don't have to ask if I'm alright every time I'm quiet." I hadn't meant it to come out harsh or curt, but it definitely did.

"You're not quiet, you're overthinking." She responded with a tinge of hostility.

"What's to overthink?" I fought the need to raise my voice.

"Dunno, you tell me." She squinted her eyes with a scrutinising gaze directed to me.

"Can we not do this?" I almost pleaded; heated arguments had become a usual thing between us —yet another sign of the unfixable problem we refused to address.

Y/n was about to reply something that would lead us into a fight when the doorbell rung. "Mister Weasley?" I took that as a cue to go open the door to Verity, already dressed on her uniform. "The Valentine's Day products arrived, should I unpack them or..." Her eyes flickered behind me and her cheeks heated up. "Y/n—" When I looked over my shoulder, I felt my own face flushing out of embarrassment. Y/n was still my employee and Fred's ex, so Verity catching a glimpse of her dressed in my jumper wasn't the best thing for any of us. "I— am I— sorry, am I interrupting?"

"You're not interrupting." I assured her with a reassuring smile. "Leave the boxes on the puking pastries section, we'll be down in ten."

"Alright, sir." Her curious gaze travelled to Y/n one last time, and with that, she was rushing back down to the shop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER'S P. O. V.

The ache that had appeared on my chest the day after New Year would end up killing me, or at least it felt like that.

I had a dreadful gut feeling of knowing what caused that pain, but my mind refused to believe it was that, and kept pushing the sensation back into my heart day by day.

George had gone to relocate the puking pastries in the upper level of the shop so I could prepare the section with the Valentine's Day products.

My eyes dawned on the small packages of Amortentia. I knew it was a terrible idea but I needed to know.

I took a look around, making sure Verity wasn't near and George was up still, and brought one of the Amortentias under my nose. It didn't take long for the scents to besot me, and I had to put all my will on not to fall under the potion's spell.

The first smell to reach my nostrils was gunpowder; my heart skipped a bit when the next scent was vanilla.

Then strawberry and chocolate; candy floss cupcakes and George's cologne.

The tiny, heart-shaped bottle fell from my hands, scattering all over the shop's floor. "Shit!" I rapidly kneeled to pick the shattered glass when I realized it had echoed in the empty establishment.

"Oi! What was that?" George descended from the second floor, using the ladder. "Oh shit—" his hands took a hold on my bicep and pulled me away from the pool of pinkish pearl liquid that seemed to be attracting me. "Don't!" He warned Verity, who had attempted to jog in the potion's direction too. "Verity, can you bring me my wand?" The girl complied running up to the office.

In Verity's absence, George took the chance and cupped my cheeks, tilting my head up to check my eyes. "You alright?" I managed to give him a slow nod, my mind buzzing with the newly acquired information. "Getting the Amortentias was a bad idea, wasn't it?" I nodded again, producing a frown between his eyebrows. "No 'told you so'? Are you sure you're alright?" He chuckled nervously, his hands falling to his sides right in time for Verity to rush back to us.

"Here, Mister Weasley!"

"Thank you, darling." He politely replied, taking the wand and restoring the potion bottle in a swift movement. His eyes peeked at me again; I could see the worry growing on him. "Y/n-"

"I'm gonna go wash my face." The words hastily left my mouth before I dashed off to the restroom.

I closed the door behind me and took a look at the mirror; my pupils were blown and my cheeks pink. I ran the tab and splashed the water on my face a few times until the potion's mild effect was gone and my mind clear.

It was in that moment that it dawned on me that I was in love with George Weasley.

[all-about-seggs]

The Game of Three-

Rating : 18+, Explicit

Word count : ~ 3K

Pairing : Geto Suguru x female reader x Mahito

Warnings : Mirror sex, dub con, gaslighting ( kind of, like I wanted to add it but not sure if I did it right), Fingering, Cunnilingus, degradation (slight), voyeurism, choking, threesome near the end.

A/n: When describing Suguru's place I totally went into weeb mode and used traditional Japanese terms but I tried to define them to the best of my abilities so y'all won't get confused and I put the link of their pictures in their name as well, so you can check them out if you want.

The red clouds above you parted to reveal the cerulean blue sky, painting the engawa in front of you in its hues. Giving a quick look over to the now clean surface beneath your feet, you made your way to the supply closet to put the mop back.

It's been a few uneventful months since you got employed as one of the only two maids in the entire manor. It was fairly big, atleast for just one person, and minimally decorated so it wasn't that hard to keep the entire place clean even with the two of you. The other maid was a nice old lady who showed you the way around the place and how to do what when you were just starting out.

The manor was quite, most of the time, even with your boss's guests staying over for a couple of days, the place lacked any sort of liveliness much less talking. Just a few more hours until your evening shift is over, you mused to yourself roaming around the garden to feed the pond's fish their dinner as the sun began its descent. Mindlessly, you kept looking around the area until one of the rooms caught your eye. On your right you saw the silhouette of your employer through the thin Shoji door that coverd his room.

Having finished bathing, you saw his toned mascular arms slipping out of his thin bath yukata that contrasted to the one he usually donned, his elegant movements accentuated by the growing darkness the evening provided. His daily outfit was nothing if not modest, covering his body from head to toe, leaving everything to the imagination but right now the delicious shape of his body was on full display, making it harder for you to move.

It wasn't until his form moved closer to the door, that you realised how badly your current actions could effect the job you were given. Just the thought of yourself getting fired after being considered a peeping tom made your breath quicken and not in a good way. The panic surging through your veins momentarily turned your mind blank, making you stumble until the heel of your foot slipped on one of the algae coated rocks. Clenching your butt cheeks you braced yourself for the impact but the efforts proved pointless as the considerably shallow pond's bottom made full contact with your body.

Pain aside, the cold water of the pond was what added most to your immobility until you heard footsteps heading towards you. Looking up from your seated position, the tall figure of your boss, maybe ex boss, loomed over you. He extended one elegant hand towards you.

" Are you okay.....?", His soft tone carried nothing but gentleness but being a mess, both physically and mentally, it took you sometime to process what he had said. Hesitation was clear in your actions as you meekly let him pull you up. His grip on your arm was firm and with how easily he pulled you out of the pond showed his Zephyr-like nature had a brute strength underneath. Threads of wet, black hair covering the sides of his well sculpted face, reached all the way to his mid- back. His usual heavy garb was replaced with a single, cotten yukata which were damp in every places his hair touched.

"Y/n...... Was it?, Can you stand", putting both his hands on your shoulders he peered at your face, you still for a moment, too fascinated by his slitted eyes to look away. This was the first time you two had a real conversation so you forced yourself to speak,

" Oh...umm, I'm sorry! I didn't payed attention to the slippery rocks and fell,.....but I'm okay! So..... Yeah... thank you", it was difficult to keep your voice steady, not wanting to reveal your obviously perverted BUT unintentional peeping. Yup. That's what you kep telling yourself although his secretive smile told you that your poor lie didn't make the cut.

" I see, so tell me y/n dear.....", His hands on your shoulders gripped them a little tighter as he leaned down until his face was right in front of yours, " where exactly were you paying attention to?", The question was simple, nor did it had any threatening undertones but your throat still felt clogged. It was too embarrassing, telling your boss that you were shamelessly ogling at his silhouette changing clothes. One second, two seconds, a lot of seconds passed with you playing dumb until you heard a soft sigh.

" Alright...... If you don't want to tell me, I'll let it go........for now", emphasizing the now, he took your cold hands in his warmer ones, leading you inside his room. You were still drenched, hesitating to climb on the perfectly dry floor of his room,

"It's okay..... I'll go ask for a change of clothes so you sit here, better than the outside right?," Smiling, he disappeared down the hall. The whether wasn't cold, so you didn't have to worry about getting sick but you still reeked of fish and algae, making a change of cloths a better option. You could chid yourself for it but looking at the things in his room can't be considered peeping so you turned around from your sitting position, taking in your surroundings.

His room was relatively normal, just like rest of the manor, the furnishing was minimal, a low chabudai with a few soft looking zabuton around it, a wooden cupboard, the slightly elevated tokonoma on the right side of the room had a full body sized mirror, along with a couple of other tiny decoratives. Nothing stood out with everything in place, your boss sure had simple tastes, you thought to yourself when the door slided again, when the owner of the room itself entered.

He was empty handed , earning a questioning look from you, " it's gonna take a few more minutes to find women's clothing, I hope you don't mind, for the time being....", He walked over to cupboard, producing a towel out of it.

" Use this to dry yourself", handing you the towel he kneeled beside you, he was being so nice, you hadn't expected him to be so kind but you gratefully accepted it. When you began drying your hair, you felt his eyes on yourself, pointed and unnerving. You gulped, feeling like he could see right through your head, just waiting for you to fess up on your own. You were lost in your thoughts when his voice suddenly filled the room.

"You know.....y/n, when you desire something.....", His fingers made their way to your collar, playfully stroking your neck," you should let yourself have it", his last words were nothing but a whisper against your ear as he placed himself right behind your seated form. His upper half of the robe already wet, stuck to his body, defining each and every cut of his muscles. He was somewhere between lean and mascular, his beautiful face giving him just the right amount of sensuality. You weren't naive enough to be oblivious to his suggestive tone.

It was weird to you, perplexing even as to why a clearly well to do, good looking guy would not only make a move on his maid but a maid who smelled like she just popped out of a can of tuna fish. His deep, even breaths stroked your ear as he waited for you to answer.

" I really wasn't thinking about....... 'This'", you pulled his hands wrapped around your shoulders away, to prove your point. You thought he'd be upset but his face only lit up by your rejection.

" Is this embarrassment I see y/n? Because it's not cute", he rose on his knees, looking down at you he gently added, " the mundane world would feel much better if you indulged yourself a bit more you know, even if those indulgences are only of....."

" Sexual nature", his sharp eyes slited as his lips curled into a wicked grin. Impossible to read, his actions did nothing but lure you in a honey coverd poisonous trap. It was obvious with the way his hands started massaging your arms, right where it hurt from your previous fall, blowing softly in your ear. They was all just tricks to make you fall just so he could shame you from above but you'd be damned if it didn't got you all hot and bothered. He grazed his hand across your blouse sticking to your bust, your nipples hardened with the slightest touch. The reactions your body gave were no lies and therefore couldn't be hidden. He pressed your bodies closer until you sat snugly against his torso. You closed your eyes, still unable to decide whether or not you want to let him have his way and deal with all the risks that would soon follow after.

The front of wet your shirt was completely open by now, reveling the garment underneath. Suguru's hands trailed up and down your thighs as he hiked your long skirt higher until it pooled around your hips sticking to the sides. He hooked his left hand under your left knee, doing the same with your right side, he pulled your legs apart, with the mirror in front, you and the man behind you had a full view of your damp panties.

" See that? This is what you want. To be exposed by me. Just the thought of spreading yourself open in front me have you this wet y/n...... Are you sure you weren't waiting for this moment all along?", His voice had a mix of mockery and eroticism in it, his words only adding to the fire burning in the middle of your core. With his right hand, he grabbed the thin strap of your panties at the side of your hips and tore them off until the shredded garment was left dangling on one of your hip. The air in the room, made contact with you now naked pussy but what made you shiver was the mirror in front of you. Suguru held both of your legs as far apart as possible, his face, now lacking all the warmth it had just a few minutes ago. When you tried to squeeze your eyes shut he pinched your inner thighs hard, making you cry out in a mix of pain and pleasure.

" Keep looking y/n, I'm proving it to you, just how much you're body is begging for me. And I won't stop until you've said so yourself, so keep. Your eyes. Open.," The darkness of his tone was accentuated with the look in his eyes. The fingers of his right hand made their way to your cunt, with two of them he spread your dripping lips apart, reveling the tiny swollen bud that was screaming for attention. You felt it too, the need for release spreading in your body but voicing it meant your defeat so you held your breath, letting the self assured guy behind you continue his ministrations.

" Why can't you be honest just like your needy cunt?", He cooed against your throat as he rubbed your nether lips with his digits, coating them in your slick. He didn't touch your clit, if you were going to be a brat then he's bringing his A game too. Making you beg was his only motive now, his eyes met yours, the mirror in front of you showing every nook and cranny of your privates and by now you're sure Suguru has memorised all of it. The ache between your legs was getting worse as he kept on sliding his fingers up and down your folds but never touching the rest of your sex. You knew what would make him do it but after the prolonged defiance you're not sure how to put it into words.

" Whats wrong y/n, are you ready bow to your filthy desires?, Getting off on my fingers is going to be a lot better than yours right?", Damn his rude ass remarks but they were true, the last few months have been very long and dry for you, day in and day out all work, maybe that's why you're giving in so easily, what he promised was as tantalizing as his actions, that's why you were so horny, easily aroused even.

"Right..... You're .... right, so do it.....master", you broke out, the last of your self control shredding itself as you let your voice flow out just as much as your cunt, your juices.

" Finally gave in huh?, It would've been so much easier if you'd just admitted to being my slut from the start, but oh well, this is also good", his thick fingers slipped in you with ease as he wrapped his left hand around your throat, making you look straight at the mirror. You were a mess, a totally different kind of mess you previously were, in addition to your already damp hair, your eyes were glazed with lust, the corners of your lips moist with your drool that threatened to spill out, your clothes were disheveled and tattered, you were disheveled in general and barely recognisable.

" Now look at yourself closely, how your face twists when I make you cum, how you look when you're begging to me like a real slave," his fingers picked up a brutal pace, going in and out of you relentlessly, his thumb roughly massaging your throbbing clit, sending shivers up your spine. You could clearly see your drool covered face turning hotter by the second, pussy dripping from your buliding orgasm on the tatami mats below it, your moans coming out in broken whimpers as Suguru's hand tighten around your throat, eyes rolling back for a second, you cum around his fingers hard.

" Do you see that ? How disgusting she looks right now?", Turning his gaze to the left he called out to his accomplice in crimes, " Mahito", the other man, with an amicable smile on his peculiar face stared at, not where you lied on the floor, but at your pitiful form that appeared in the mirror.

" I just dropped by to give you the clothes you asked for the young lady earlier," his talked merrily, not minding the scandalous sight in front of him one bit," but it appears that you aren't going to be needing them for a while", throwing the cloths aside he sat on your left side. Suguru kept his eyes on the mirror, loosening his hand around your neck he let you breath, mind still hazy.

" You're free to join in, if you have the time. But I'll have to warn you though, she's a persistent one, it took me a while to break her as well", Suguru smirked, pulling his fingers out of your abused hole making an exaggerated show of bringing his cum smeared fingers to your face, as if prove his victory.

" I don't mind a challenge every once in a while Geto kun, I'm not bad at 'this' myself, but to make sure, why don't you keep sitting, after all it's been a while since touched a living human", Still a bit delirious, it took you a few more seconds than usual to process the change in your situation or what he meant by living just now or touching even. The man named Mahito kneeled in between your still parted thighs, you thought it was strange that your brains last and probably rotting cells decided to focus on his eyes. They were heterochromatic, it gave his already scared face a haunting quality.

The fact that you were sandwiched between two men soon left your mind as Mahito started sucking on your still sensitive clit, your legs instinctively clamping if it's weren't for Suguru holding them apart. The man behind you weren't entirely evil though as he rubbed soothing circles on the soft inner flesh of your aching thighs, his touch only heightning the touch of the man between them.

Mahito licked your juices as if they were made to be feasted upon, slurping on them lewdly, the V of his fore and middle finger seperated your pussy for more access, he grazed his teeth lightly across your clit, fighting the urge to bit it down. You didn't have any energy at this point to put up a show of defiance so you kept moaning, the sight of the man lying flat on his stomach along with his face hidden in between your legs was urging you to cum, but the abrupt thrusting of Suguru's fingers in your mouth cut them off.

" If you're mouth is available enough to scream for just anyone who makes you cum then you truly do have the makings of a whore.", His words were nothing more than a possessive hiss against you throat, long fingers grazing your tonsils as he pushes them deeper. You gag a little, the fingers in you mouth kept you from reacting to the man who worked your pussy until it throbbed against his face.

Mahito turned his heterochromatic eyes towards your face, it seemed like someone was keeping you from your release, he sucked on your clit again adding two fingers in your streched out cunt. He moved both his tongue and digits in similar motions, causing a surge pleasure wash down your senses, with just a few quick pumps of his fingers, your juices gushed on his face as your moans get stifled by the fingers in your mouth.

" That wasn't so bad right?", Mahito pushed himself up as he asked his partner in crime, something about his tone was awfully cocky, making Suguru's face scrunched up in a haughty smirk as he added,

" Indeed, you sure know your way around the human's body Mahito kun, but maybe a little less egar to please attitude would do better. Can't let our toy think we're just here for catering to her needs now can we?", His voice loaded with provocative innuendos sounded nothing but gentle but the other man knew better.

" Hooo?, Is that a challenge for round two, then?", He met Suguru's goading with a playful and assured tone. Both of them stared each other, neither of the males backing down they both turned their eyes at your spent body, and you know even without having to look, that it was going to be a long night.