#I like how my rendering/finishing touches came out :D

[norstrum-art]

[Image description: A digital, full body drawing of @arytha 's OC Mimi. She is smiling and striking a pose with a hand to her face and one knee bent, her cat tail curling inward. She is wearing cat ear headphones, a brown bodysuit under a pink dress with detached sleeves, which fades into transparent ends, as well as leg warmers and dark loafers. The background is a circuit board design in a pink and purple gradient. In front of it are three open computer windows: A large one behind Mimi shows a wall of binary code that is glitchy; a small one to her right is a pop up with a warning symbol that reads: "Error. You have died. Want to play a game? :3"; the last window below shows ASCII art of two cats, one that is playing with a ball and another that is sleeping. End image description.]

ฅ/ᐠ ‧̫‧ ᐟ\ฅ [Kamoji of a cat with its paws up]

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

✨Bucking Bronco✨

@bat-boness keeps fucking cooking with their Cowboy Lucifer art and I shall do the same!!! @nayomi247 and @liveontelevision this is your fault too lol, we have now formed a small but mighty Cowboy Lucifer cult fan club

Lucifer x f!sinner reader

Summary: Lucifer finds himself in a punishing situation…

Warnings: 18+, smut, hand job, oral (m receiving), p in v

“You know, this wouldn’t be happening if you would come in from the farm on time, Luci,” you scolded as you finished tying the last knot on his wrists. "I don't think I ask for much."

This was the third night in a row your hardworking husband has missed dinner with you. You let it slide the first night. The second night you gave him a gentle reminder to not overwork himself. But tonight was the last straw. A third night of eating alone with a cold plate of food sitting across the table from you. You loved him dearly, but you hated that his priorities didn’t seem to be in order. You were going to make sure he learned his lesson one way or another. He tried to butter you up as he usually did when he came in from work late, knowing full well what he'd done. You feigned a smile and told him not to give it another thought. You told him to get comfortable and that you would join him upstairs soon. But when you walked into your room with your rope in hand, he gulped. He knew damn well that he was in trouble. You sat him down on the ottoman and wrapped your ropes around his hands and wrists, pinning his arms behind his back, effectively rendering him helpless against your ‘punishment’.

“Darlin’, I-I’m sorry, time just gets away from me sometimes! I-I would never do anything to upset you,” Lucifer stuttered. “P-Please, have mercy…”

You checked the tightness of your ropes before standing in front of your husband, towering over him in his subdued state. “Oh, I’m not upset with you! But since you’ve just been working so hard lately, I thought it’d be mighty kind of me if I helped you relax.” You brought your hand to his chin and had him meet your intense gaze. “Do you want me to help you relax, sweetheart?” you asked, knowing all too well that there was only one answer he could give you.

“Y-yes,” Lucifer responded meekly.

"That's my good boy," you praised, a small whimper escaping Lucifer's throat. You slowly dragged your hand down his open-shirt chest, stopping right above his already very apparent erection. He did his best to buck his hips up in an attempt to create any sort of friction. But all this did was cause you to pull you hand away from him immediately. He whined pathetically. "Behave now," you reprimanded. Lucifer looked up at you with glassy eyes and nodded obediently. You smiled and brought your hand back down to its previous spot, hovering just about his hard-on. You heard Lucifer's breath hitch as you finally placed your palm over his cock that has been painfully straining against his jeans. It took every ounce of willpower in him to remain still while you toyed with him.

"P-Please," Lucifer mewled, "I-I can't...hng..."

You pulled down the zipper to his pants lethargically, watching Lucifer's chest rise and fall more and more rapidly until you finally released his already leaking cock from its confines. "I love how needy you are for me, sweet pea." You gripped his length in your hand and started stroking him meticulously. Lucifer's whines filled the room, you've never heard sweeter sounds than his desperate cries. His precum leaked onto your hand, your jerking motions becoming smoother. You circled your thumb over the head of his cock, applying the lightest of pressure to it. Lucifer cried out as he bucked his hips once more from your teasing. You let go of him again, tears now welling up in his eyes from the loss of your touch.

"I'm sorry!" Lucifer nearly shouted. "D-Don't stop, please...I'll behave, I-I promise!"

"That's strike two, Luci," you warned. "You wouldn't want me to leave you like this, would you now?"

"N-No! Please...", a single tear rolled down his face. You smiled gently and wiped it from his cheek.

"Shh, it's alright," you cooed, "patience, my love. I'll take care of you."

He took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself down. He knew deep down you wouldn't leave him in such a desperate and vulnerable state. You knelt down on the ground, gripping his shaft once more. You stuck out your tongue and licked up the length of his cock, tasting all the precum that had spilled out of him. Lucifer's voice caught in his throat; he was beyond forming any coherent sentences at this point. He struggled against his binds, losing grip of his control fast. Your tongue circled his swollen tip, eliciting the smallest yelps from your lover, your hot breath driving him insane. You enveloped him suddenly, bobbing your head up and down, taking as much of him as you could. Lucifer was frozen, he dared not move again in fear of the repercussions. Instead, he was loud, moaning and whining from everything you were giving him in this moment. You let him go with a satisfying pop, flashing a mischievous grin.

"Tell me what you want, sugar," you teased him as your hand replaced your warm mouth. "Use your words."

Lucifer's hat had fallen in front of his face, you could no longer see his eyes. You lifted it up only to see them glowing a bright crimson red, his hunger for you now abundantly evident. "N-Need you," he choked out, "need to feel you, n-now. Please...ride me..."

You smirked at him and nodded. You stood up once more, removing your belt in one swift motion and tossing your shorts off so the side, your soaking pussy now in full view. Lucifer gulped audibly. You straddled yourself against Lucifer's hips, teasing his cock with your dripping folds. You decided to wear his hat on your head instead so that you could clearly see the disheveled mess of a man beneath you. He blushed hard at the sight. You leaned down and planted the tiniest peck to his forehead.

"Now, are you going to be late again?" you questioned playfully.

"N-No," Lucifer promised. "I'll come in from the farm on time, I-I swear! You'll never w-wait for me again!"

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." You lined yourself up and slowly lowered yourself onto him, taking him an inch at a time. He was thicker than most, so he knew you needed just a little bit longer to adjust to his abnormal size. Not that you minded in the slightest, he was able to hit all of the right spots without even moving. Once you bottomed out on his cock, you both let out a wanton moan. After a few seconds of letting yourself stretch around him, you began to shift your hips. Your sudden movements forced Lucifer to lean against the crook of your neck for support. He felt as though you were trying to milk him dry. Which is exactly what you were doing.

"F-Fuck, Lucifer," you stuttered, "always making me f-feel so good, baby. Look s-so pretty under me..." Lucifer could barely hear your praises over his own sounds. This was pure bliss, but agonizingly torturous at the same time. His bound hands were eager to touch you, to hold you, to feel you.

"My love, please, I-I'm begging, let me go..." he cried into your shoulder. "I'm so so sorry, I-I...please..." You stopped your movement completely and started gently petting the back of his head. How could you deny him any longer?

You reached down and grabbed the sheathed blade that adorned his hip. "Stay perfectly still," you commanded, reaching around and carefully slicing the ties around his arms and wrists, letting the rope fall to the floor. You tossed the knife far away from you while Lucifer's hand immediately gripped your hips.

"T-Thank you, darlin'," he whispered against you, "let me make it up to you now. S-Show you how sorry I really am." Without warning, Lucifer lifted you up only for him to slam you right back down on his throbbing cock. The cry you let out was lustful and wanting. His hips bucked up into you at a relentless pace, your cunt clenching around him desperately while you both chased your highs. You dug your nails into his shoulders for support as he pounded into you over and over. You felt that familiar knot in your stomach growing larger, threatening to snap any given second as your lover pushed you to your breaking point with each thrust.

"L-Luci," you whimpered helplessly, "I'm close, s-so close, mmph, fffffuuu-uuuccck..." Your pleas only seemed to drive him even madder than he already was as one of his hands left your hips, his thumb finding that small sensitive bundle of nerves. You nearly screamed from the new sensation.

"Me too, sweetheart, m-me too, shit,' Lucifer breathed. "Cum f' me, l-let me feel you cum around me..."

With those words, stars clouded your vision. You felt your cunt pulsate around Lucifer's cock, tightening and squeezing him without abandon, your juices leaking onto his lap. Your orgasm pushed your lover over the edge as well, his grunts and whimpers echoing throughout the room as he filled you up to the brim with his hot seed, having to bite down your shoulder as to not lose himself in the pleasure. As you both started to recover from your highs, you cupped Lucifer's face in your hands and brought him in for a deep kiss. Your tongues fought for dominance, still trying to catch your breath in the process. You pulled away from him, his half-lidded eyes gazing up at your adoringly.

"You owe me a new rope," you chastised lovingly.

~~~

I have no real excuse for this :3

[astronite13]

check it out >:D multidimensional big bang piece by yours truly

you may or may not already know, but i participated in the mdbb event, and was teamed with the wonderful writer @elevenvolcanoes and amazing beta reader @memryse! you can check out ro's awesome fic here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41524974

go on, i know you wanna read it, dont be shy

as promised, ill be uploading some wips of this below the cut because oh man. this took forever

here are the character design sketches, i am not a very tidy artist

so the original plan was like this adhsjbcbs

i was just braindumping ideas onto a canvas (- -;)

THEN came the clean-ish sketch, where i had 'fun' with having to finalise where things went

(sausage and lizzie were added in later ajdhajfhs)

after that came what i dreaded most. lineart. BANE OF MY EXISTENCE I AJJDKSNC

at this point i was a solid week into this and it was barely halfway done T-T

i then worked on backgrounds and flats- funny thing, i barely ever complete pieces because i have the attention span of a goldfish, so i literally had no idea how to colour things in ┌(。Д。)┐

THIS TOOK SO FUCKING LONG

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW PAINSTAKING THIS WAS

i was literally going insane over this ahdnsndn

FINALLY i was able to move onto shading/rendering(?)/details, and via the power of bullshitting my way through things, voila

at this point i had spent every day doing nothing but drawing for two weeks, but i was SO CLOSE to being done

then suddenly, the fire nation attacked something happened dun dun dun

because i was working with around 80 layers (i needed them all trust me <-lying), ibispaintx was running abysmally slow, and at this moment, it just CRASHED

i rushed back on and got this (0_0 )

i had to wait. FOURTY FIVE MINUTES. FOR THE WHOLE THING TO REPLAY AND TRY TO RESTORE MY FILE. at this point it was 3 am a day after the deadline and panic mode was activated

BUT i think the watchers may have been, well, watching over me at that point because miraculously, i got my file back, and i added a few finishing touches before collapsing on my bed in a heap

this whole thing overall was a fantastic experience, all the mods and participants in the discord server were super entertaining and friendly, and i want to thank each and every one of you for making this event so exciting >:D especially my teammates, and of course luna for creating it <3

funny thing this was literally my version of 100 hours hardcore since my canvas tells me ive been on it for around 150 hours ajdnjahd

anyway bonus aha:

[bubbleteaimagines]

The Babysitter

Kuroo Tetsuro Oneshot

NSFW CONTENT

Summary || After months of sexual tension, Kuroo can’t resist fucking his pretty little babysitter on the couch

Pairings || Kuroo Tetsuro x Babysitter!Reader

Warnings || Smut, fingering, blowjobs, age gap (reader is 20) light praise, pet names, unprotected sex, creampie, daddy kink

Authors Note || In celebration of 3k, here is some Dilf!Kuroo that we all need in our lives

It was inevitable, you supposed. The tension between you two was simply too thick, and it had been for months— ever since you had started working for him.

Kuroo was a man that was very busy, and with a two year old daughter and a mother that was absent, it was no surprise that he needed some extra help.

That’s where you came in- fresh faced and right out of college, majoring in (Y/M/N) and needing a job for the summer.

A friend of a friend had been the one to hook you up, Kuroo taking a liking to you almost instantly.

He had to admit, it was your pretty face and bright smile that draw him in at first, but truly, you were most qualified candidate for the job.

Like a ray of sunshine, a breath of fresh air if he’d ever seen one.

Not to mention how his daughter absolutely loved playing with you from the moment she met you, so in Kuroo’s mind it was a no brainer.

That’s how it started— but your story with the older man would end much, much different.

With lingering glances here and there, subtle touches and late nights where you’d both just sit down and talk, it was no surprise to either of you that ended up here— face down on his couch and completely at his mercy.

Truthfully, it wasn’t supposed to end this way. You were only supposed to have a few drinks and then head home for the night, but somehow before Kuroo could even open the wine, the tension between the two of you had reach the boiling point.

Everything between you two had been spilled in an instant, and now you were a moaning mess as Kuroo’s soft lips attached themselves to your clit, biting and sucking softly while his long fingers worked magic on your cunt.

“You like that babygirl?” Nicknames, so many of them, and they sounded so sexy coming from his lips. You damn near came right then and there as he leaned down to whisper in your ear, nibbling a little while his assault on your pussy continued.

“Y-Yes,” You found yourself squeaking out a reply, too wrapped up in pleasure to respond with anything coherent. But alas, Kuroo wasn’t satisfied. He gave you pointed look as he fingers came to a still, a whine leaving your throat at the loss of contact.

“Kuroo!”

“Ah, ah, ah. That’s not my name. You know better,” He said disapprovingly. It only took you a few seconds for your brain to catch up, a spark of realization flowing through you before you uttered out the correct word.

“Daddy.”

“That’s it,” Kuroo gave you a huge smirk and in no time, continued on with brining you to your high. Admittedly, the man was skilled. Despite never having explored your body before, he knew exactly where to touch you, knew exactly the right spots to make you see stars. “Let me hear you baby- let see hear you cum for me.”

“F-Fuck, fuck!” A breathless moan left your lips as you threw your head back, pleasure taking over every sense. You could barely breathe, too focused on the orgasm that came crashing over you, knocking the air out of your lungs and rendering your brain useless.

You came, harder than you ever had before, all over Kuroo’s slender fingers. In fact, your little pussy made a mess all over his expensive couch but at the moment, Kuroo didn’t care.

His cock was growing harder by the minute as he watched you come undone under him, because of him.

He’s never seen anyone look so sexy, already looking fucked out even though he just started.

“You alright there babygirl?” He’s kind enough to ask, leaning down to stroke your cheeks. Wordlessly, you nod, but Kuroo can tell there’s something on your mind. Suddenly, you sit up, and there’s a hopeful look in yours as you crawl over towards him and pout.

“I wanna ride you, daddy,” You tell him, jutting out your lower lip and tugging on his belt. Fuck. How could Kuroo resist you when you looked at him like that? All needy for him, pussy throbbing at just the idea of him fucking you senseless.

“Fuck, you sure, baby?” He checks to make sure you’re serious before making his next move, and sure enough- you nod eagerly and tug at him again, a whine leaving your throat. He was moving too slow, being a gentleman, sure, but right now you wanted him to fuck you like a whore.

“Yes daddy, I’m absolutely sure,” You tell him confidently, and it doesn’t take much after that to get Kuroo to agree. Quickly, his hands replace yours at pulling at his belt, fumbling with the material and cursing himself for tying it too tight. Eventually though, he manages to get the damn thing off and throws it across the room, making a small clatter that neither of you pay attention to.

And suddenly, Kuroo’s sitting down on the couch and letting you do all the work of undressing him, chuckling at how eager you are. You grab at his clothes like your life depends on it— first his shirt, then his pants, and finally his boxers come off and Kuroo has the absolute pleasure of taking in your ‘O’ shaped mouth, jaw dropping at the size of his cock.

“D-Daddy, you’re so big,” You tell him, eyes wide. Way bigger than any of the college boys you’ve been with. Kuroo was hung and is was making your mouth water, desperate for a taste.

“Go on,” He softly encouraged you after seeing the look on your face, snaking his hands behind your head and gripping your hair. “Give it taste. Let me cum all over those pretty little lips babygirl.”

You’re all eager to fulfill his request, blinking innocently before leaning in and darting your tongue out. Kuroo groans at the action, back straining against the couch as you do it once more before finally giving him the real thing.

Your mouth is hot and tight wrapped around him, pure Heaven, Kuroo thinks, as you get to work and start sucking him like a pro.

Your head bobs up and down, taking him as much as you can and using your hands to stroke the parts you can’t reach. You open up your throat and take him deeper- so deep that you start gagging on his cock.

Kuroo moans at the vibrations and despite your teary eyes, he pulls your head further down and stuffs your mouth with his cock.

He moans again as he feels a pit in his stomach, his orgasm bubbling up the more you pleasured him.

You could feel it, too, by the way he was turning into putty under your touch and groaning every time you stroked him. Slowly, you look up to meet his eyes as you tease his tip with your tongue Kuroo suddenly lets go- sinful noises leaving his lips as thick, white ropes of his cum shoot out and down your throat.

Like the good girl you are, you swallow every last drop before finishing off with a ‘pop!’ Kuroo panting heavily as you sit back on your knees.

“Was I good, daddy?” You ask him, Kuroo frantically nods as he pulls you up, positioning you on his lap and just over his cock.

“The best, babygirl. You took me so well,” Kuroo praises you, stroking your hair before smiling. “You think you’re ready to take my cock now, pretty girl?” He asks, and you nod frantically.

“Yes, please Daddy. I want it so bad,” You tell him, gripping his shoulders, and that’s Kuroo needs to hear in order to spread your legs and lower you on his cock.

You moan as his tip begins to push past your tight walls, the breath leaving your lungs the more he fills you up. God, he’s so big, and he knows it too which is why he give you a little time to adjust to his size before slowly fucking into you.

“Fuck!” It’s so painful and delicious at the same time. The way you stretch around him, your little pussy desperately trying to take him. You throw your head back in pleasure when he bottoms out, hands coming up to steady you.

Your movements are slow at first, only rocking your hips and bouncing a little while you ease into a rhythm. However, you’re practically dripping around him and that makes it all the more easier to move, finally being to able warm up to his size.

The pace that you settle on leaves you both a moaning mess, trying to keep it down as to not disturb his daughter that’s sleeping upstairs. You have to bury yourself into the crook of Kuroo’s neck in order to mask your moans, walls clenching around his cock.

He’s so deep that it has you crying out every few seconds, wrapping your body around him to keep yourself ground. Kuroo doesn’t mind though, in fact he pulls you into a deep kiss as you continue to bounce around him, both of you moaning into the other’s mouth.

Somehow, your hands find his messy hair and you tug on it gently as you begin to feel another orgasm rising up. Kuroo can feel the way your walls are clenching around him, and decides to take the lead. Grabbing your hips, he steadies you before thrusting up and matching your pace, pounding into you while you try to hold on for dear life.

It’s no use though, pleasure clouds over you in an instant, your vision going in and out as you moan and whine against his lips. Eventually though, you’re forced to pull away for air and take deep breath, your body shaking. You’re not sure how much longer you can last like this, and Kuroo knows.

He feels the way you’re squirming and whining against him, he loves the way you’re going absolutely feral for his cock. He wants nothing more than to make you cum around him, and so he snakes a hand down and rubs at your clit, teasing you just enough to send you over the edge.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” You cry out as your walls clamp down on him, creaming all over Kuroo’s cock. Your eyes roll into the back your head and you hear Kuroo groaning underneath you as you squeeze him like never before. Fuck, you’re so tight that he has no choice but to cum too, a loud moan leaving his lips as the milky white substance paints your walls.

He stuff you full of it, his good little girl milking him dry before he pulls out at watches run down your thighs.

You’re breathing heavily as your eyelids slowly open, coming down from your high to see Kuroo as equally as flustered. You both need a minute to calm down before you speak, slowly moving off of his lap and collapsing on the couch next to him.

“That was...” You don’t even have the words for it. You’ve never been fucked so good before, the man making you cum twice which had never happened with any of your other hook-ups. It seems that Kuroo was feeling the same, a low chuckle escaping his lips as he nodded.

“Yeah,” Kuroo agreed as he leaned back on the couch, sweat dripping down his forehead. Even in his fucked out state though, he still looks incredibly handsome. Black hair sticking to his face, brown eyes wide with blown pupils...man, he really was beautiful.

You found yourself smiling the more you admired him, and Kuroo quickly caught onto your stare.

“What? Is there something on my face?” He asked jokingly, shying away from your gaze. You grinned at the light blush that crossed his cheeks.

“No, no...I just...you’re really handsome, you know that?” You found yourself saying, taking Kuroo by surprise. His brows furrowed together at your words, but he quickly recovered, a sly smirk forming on his face.

“Took you long enough to notice, didn’t it?” He teased, lightly nudging you. You giggled at the action but shook your head.

“No, I’ve always noticed. But honestly I didn’t think-”

“You didn’t think I’d see you that way,” Kuroo finished knowingly. You nodded. “Huh. Well isn’t that something.”

“I just thought...well I dunno. I didn’t think you’d be interested in me. I mean after all I’m just the babysitter, kinda cliche isn’t it?” You said.

Kuroo chuckled. “Yeah...I suppose it is. But this...us...it’s not just a one time thing, is it?”

“Not if you don’t want it to be,” You tell him seriously, turning to face him. “I mean...I’m willing to you know...be more, if that’s what you want.”

“You mean like a date?” Kuroo asked, shocked.

“I’m free on Friday’s,” You tell him shyly. But despite this, Kuroo finds himself smiling and slowly nodding at your proposition.

“Friday yeah? I’d say we’re doing things a little backwards, but I’d love to take you out,” He can’t help the goofy grin that spread across his face, his heart pounding a little at the shy, relived grin on your own.

“Okay...Friday it is then,” You beam, reaching for your lost clothing that’s been scattered on the floor. It was getting late, and you really should be getting home before your roommate starts to worry, but you find yourself not wanting to leave at all. Kuroo had completely intoxicated you, making you want to do nothing but stay in his arms for the rest of the night. Unfortunately though, you both froze as a cry pierced through the house and Kuroo cursed as he frantically got up, and slipped his clothes on

“I’m sorry,” He sent you an apologetic look as Kiana began to cry, having woken up from her sleep. “I hate to leave things like this but...”

“It’s fine,” You shake your head, smiling a little as you gesture upstairs. “She needs you, I understand. I’ll get my time on Friday, yeah?”

“I can’t wait,” Kuroo tells you honestly, stopping momentarily to press a quick kiss on your lips before darting to the stairs. “I’ll call you later this week, okay?”

“I can’t wait,” You repeat his words, grinning at his toned figure before watching him disappear up the stairs. Even from where you were, you could hear Kuroo gently cooing and trying to soothe baby Kiana (named closely after her uncle) and it made your heart absolutely melt.

Shaking your head, you gathered the rest of your stuff and quickly slipped out of the door before you ended up in a puddle due to the cuteness. Already, you had your phone out and rang up your roommate -also your best friend- as you walked to your car, excitement bubbling through your veins.

“Hello?” They answered on the first ring.

You grinned. “Y/F/N, you will never believe what just happened to me...”

[robininthelabyrinth]

I saw you mention this in one of your posts and this sounds like a swell idea! Something where JGY figures out that NHS is The Scary One before he touches a hair on NMJ’s head. :D

on ao3

When his father said that someone ought to get rid of Nie Mingjue, that he was in their way, that he would never stop, Jin Guangyao’s first thought was about the Song of Clarity that Lan Xichen was teaching him – and the Song of Turmoil, that he’d taught himself in one of his secret visits to the Lan sect library. He’d long ago noticed the similarities between the two tunes, one to help and the other to harm; it wasn’t similar enough to fool anyone skilled in music, of course, much less in musical cultivation, but Nie Mingjue rather infamously wasn’t.

His second thought was: let’s wait and see.

Perhaps it was only that it had been a very long day, and Jin Guangyao was tired, feeling unusually surly and dissatisfied. But it occurred to him that it wouldn’t do his father any harm to have to actually ask for something from him, rather than merely hint at it and have Jin Guangyao run to do it for him before he even finished the sentence – a rather unpleasant comparison had been made between Jin Guangyao and a poodle earlier that day, and he was still sore.

So yes.

Let’s wait and see.

-

Waiting was not, it seemed, paying off.

His father’s hinting had grown all the more intense, although he had not yet actually asked, and as for Nie Mingjue...

Nie Mingjue had promised to try to trust him again, Jin Guangyao thought to himself with a sigh, but most days it seemed that the only thing he trusted was that Jin Guangyao was up to something.

He scolded and he scowled and he questioned, always looking for loopholes and tricks hidden behind every word and gesture, never giving him the benefit of the doubt on a single thing. Jin Guangyao thought nostalgically back to the days when Nie Mingjue would simply present him with a problem that needed taking care of and tell him to deal with it as he saw fit, trusting not only in his competence in dealing with it but also in his judgment of how things ought to be resolved.

They said that trust was like a priceless porcelain vase: once shattered, it would never be whole again, even if it was repaired.

Jin Guangyao supposed that he deserved it for letting himself get caught like that.  An amateur’s mistake, but you only needed one of those to ruin everything.

But if it couldn’t be fixed…

He was just contemplating the Song of Turmoil again as he walked through the halls of the Unclean Realm when Nie Huaisang unexpectedly tackled him around the waist, making him Jin Guangyao stagger back and nearly fall – poor cultivator or no, Nie Huaisang had some heft to him, and plenty of muscle from years of running from his brother’s attempts to make him train.

“You have to help me, san-ge!” Nie Huaisang said, eyes wide and pathetic in such a patently unauthentic way that Jin Guangyao had an immediate stabbing feeling of empathy, an affliction he almost never suffered from. What a little scoundrel you are, he thought, not without fondness. “Da-ge’s on my case again. Scolding and scowling and trying to catch me in some sort of trick – and I would never play a trick on him, never - not in a million years -”

It occurred to Jin Guangyao that perhaps Nie Mingjue really did treat him as a younger brother, and it was only that he’d incorrectly assumed that he’d be treated as being somewhat more capable than the man’s actual younger brother.

Who was, he conceded, probably equally untrustworthy when it came to the likelihood of playing tricks on his too-earnest older brother, even if the tricks Nie Huaisang generally played were significantly lower in both quality and importance than his own…

“Huaisang! Where are you – ah, Meng Yao. What are you doing here?” Nie Mingjue asked, blinking at him. “Anything urgent?”

“Ah – no?” Jin Guangyao said. “I came to play for you, da-ge, you remember – er-ge said –”

“Right, of course,” Nie Mingjue said, in the tones of a man who had completely forgotten. “Could I borrow you for something else while you’re here? Perhaps Huaisang will learn better if it’s not just me.”

“Of course, da-ge,” Jin Guangyao said. It was always better to do someone a favor than the other way around, to better use it later, and Nie Mingjue almost never asked him for anything. “What are you trying to teach him?”

“How to run a sect,” Nie Mingjue said, lifting Nie Huaisang by the waist. “No, Huaisang,” he added when the younger man whined. “You do not get a choice.”

With that said, he lifted the younger man above his head – Nie Huaisang, as mentioned, was not light, but Nie Mingjue didn’t seem to notice – and walked back towards his office.

Jin Guangyao followed, torn between wondering if this was the reason that the ceilings in the Unclean Realm were all so high and being unable to keep himself from doing the math: Nie Huaisang weighed more than Jin Guangyao did, being both heavier and thicker around the middle, so if it was Jin Guangyao that Nie Mingjue was holding, it could be estimated that he could hold him up for at least an hour, and even longer if he was braced against something convenient such as a wall –

He shook his head to rid himself of the useless thoughts. He would need all his cunning about him if he was going to embark on the difficult mission of trying to get Nie Huaisang to actually learn something, especially something as boring as sect management.

Questions of assassination were, comparatively, much easier.

-

The problem, Jin Guangyao discovered, was not, as he’d suspected, in keeping Nie Huaisang’s attention.

It was in everything else.

“ – and the sect leader is now requesting assistance,” Nie Mingjue concluded his summary of the situation behind the letter that they had received, laying out both the actual content of the letter, the implications behind it, and the background necessary to make a decision so efficiently that Jin Guangyao lost his head for a moment and imagined what life would be like if he could hire Nie Mingjue as his deputy. His life would be so much easier. “How do you respond?”

Nie Huaisang heaved a sigh. “That’s obvious!”

It was. The request was far more than this particular sect really deserved, given its past behavior (rather despicable) and the moderately high chance that they were simply trying to get the Nie sect to pay for benefits that would later go to themselves or, at best, the Jiang sect, but granting the request would not seriously damage the Nie sect’s coffers and would lay the groundwork for a better relationship in the future –

“We write a letter that heavily hints about what we know that the sect leader did in the past, expressing our concern and indicating that we received the information from the Jiang sect in a moment of indiscretion,” Nie Huaisang said happily. “He’ll be so distraught at the thought of potential blackmail from them that he’ll beg us for assistance, and we’ll be able to extract additional benefits before finally agreeing to –”

“No, Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue said, even as Jin Guangyao boggled at the sheer wretched cleverness of the idea. It would work perfectly to isolate the other party through their own paranoia, leaving them feeling that they had no other way out but to throw themselves on the Nie sect’s mercy – there wasn’t a limit to what could be extracted that way. “If he’s so untrustworthy as all that, we don’t actually want him, do we? He’ll just betray us next time he can. No, we write to him the way we would anyone who wasn’t our dependent and lay out our terms, free and clear; if he wants better ones, he knows what to do.”

“People don’t have to be trustworthy to be useful, da-ge,” Nie Huaisang whined, and the infantile tone of his voice very nearly disguised the fact that he was saying something incredibly insightful. Not at all something Jin Guangyao would have expected to come out of the mouth of one of the Nie sect, much less Nie Huaisang, the most useless of them all. “They don’t even have to know they’re being used to be useful! I can think of at least three ways we could use –”

“The answer is no. Besides, I thought you liked Sect Leader Jiang?”

“Yes, but he’s far too direct to be dealing with someone like this – think of it as us ridding him of a pest! We could –”

“Huaisang.”

Nie Huaisang sighed.

-

“ – but if you would only consider what we could achieve with just a little bit of bribery –”

“Huaisang.”

“But it’s such a small amount! I could do it with my own pocket money!”

“Huaisang.”

“Ugh, fine, have it your way, we’ll just ask, I guess…”

-

“Oh, wow, that’s a tough one. Uh…murder?”

“Huaisang!”

“What?! It was a reasonable guess!”

“It was not a reasonable guess!”

“We wouldn’t let anyone know that we were the ones that – I’m making it worse, aren’t I?”

“Yes, Huaisang. You’re making it worse.”

-

“I’m guessing the answer isn’t going to be blackmail?”

“That’s correct.”

“And not it’s bribery, either.”

“No.”

“Definitely not beating him up…”

“Huaisang, are you trying to get the answer by process of elimination?”

“It’s a valid strategy to figure out the answers to test questions!”

“This isn’t a test question, it’s real life!”

“No, it’s a test, because if it was real life, I could use blackmail.”

-

“…you know what,” Nie Huaisang said after a couple of moments of serious contemplation. “I actually have no idea what I’d do in that situation. San-ge? Can I have an assist?”

Jin Guangyao had managed, over the past shichen or so, to get ahold of himself. He shrugged apologetically. “I must admit that I’m at a loss myself. It seems like an especially tricky situation.”

The situation in question involved the crimes of an extremely well-connected individual, with interests from all over the cultivation world deep in his pockets; he would be a difficult man to cross. Moreover, he was well known for his perfidy, rendering blackmail useless, and well-off enough to make bribes pointless; mere intimidation was also out, given his connections – he’d already gone through a “trial”, if it could be described as such, and he’d only used it to cleanse himself. In such a situation, Jin Guangyao would probably hang back out of caution, seeking further information and hoping that an appropriate situation would appear that he could take advantage, but Nie Mingjue had specified that there was a time limit involved…

Nie Mingjue groaned. “You’re both overthinking it: for once, murder is the right answer.”

“Wait, it is?” Jin Guangyao asked, staring at him blankly. “I mean - what exactly do you mean, murder?”

“The man slaughtered children in broad daylight! The evidence is unquestionable and undeniable; he should be executed immediately.”

“But – his connections –”

“That’s why there’s a time limit,” Nie Mingjue said, rolling his eyes on both of them. “If you do it quickly enough, it gets attributed to the hair-trigger Nie temper going out of control and everyone treats it like a casualty in the face of a force of nature – the same way you’d shrug off the death of someone who got in the way of a hurricane or tsunami.”

“Oh,” Nie Huaisang said. “I see.”

Jin Guangyao envied him: he most certainly did not see. Since when was outright murder a possible weapon in the Nie sect’s diplomatic arsenal?

“Speaking of which, I’ve already delayed long enough, trying to teach you something,” Nie Mingjue added. “Huaisang, can you host Meng Yao for dinner? I’ll be back later this evening.”

“Of course, da-ge! Count on me!”

Nie Mingjue nodded at them both and strode out without another word.

“…where is he going?” Jin Guangyao asked.

“Presumably to go murder someone,” Nie Huaisang said, as if it were obvious, and then laughed, presumably at Jin Guangyao’s expression. “He always makes me practice with real questions, you know, though he does save them up if he can.”

“That wasn’t what I was surprised about,” Jin Guangyao admitted, because he’d already figured out – possibly for the first time – that Nie Huaisang almost certainly already knew what he was like under the smile. “It’s just…murder? Really? Da-ge?”

“Da-ge’s righteous, not kind,” Nie Huaisang said with a shrug. “Leave questions of mercy to the Lan sect! Here we believe that showing excess mercy to evildoers is itself committing a harm to their victims…ah, well, let’s not talk about it, shall we? If we do, I’ll just get another headache from trying to figure out the line between what I’m allowed to do and what I’m not allowed to do.”

“You know perfectly well what you’re allowed to do,” Jin Guangyao said, deliberately keeping his voice light rather than accusing. “You just want your brother to be a bit more open-minded.”

“He won’t be.” Nie Huaisang’s voice was fond. “He’s willing to pull those sorts of tricks when he has to – our exculpated murderer is an excellent example – but he’s never going to understand why anyone would pull a nasty trick if they had another choice…it’s just the way he is.”

He laughed, taking out his fan – a new one, Jin Guangyao observed – and lightly nudged Jin Guangyao in the side even as he hid his smile behind it.

“It’s fine, though,” he said. “Isn’t that why he has people like us?”

“Yes,” Jin Guangyao said, following Nie Huaisang to the dinner table, thoughts running through his mind. The Song of Turmoil – it would still work, more than likely, because Nie Mingjue would let him play it for him and him alone, and even Nie Huaisang needed clay to build bricks. But if he did it, and Nie Huaisang ever found out…

He thought that he might not like being Nie Huaisang’s opponent. 

He wasn’t sure which one of them would win and which would lose, of course, and he rather thought he’d bet on himself, but in all honesty he wouldn’t like to try. 

“In fact,” he said casually, “Huaisang, if you don’t mind, I have another situation that I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on.”

“Not another one,” Nie Huaisang whined, but his eyes narrowed in blatant curiosity. “But all right, all right, just one more. Only for you, san-ge, and only because I like you so much.”

Jin Guangyao smiled. “I appreciate it. Now, for the situation: assume there are two sect leaders, and one of them wishes to eliminate the other through underhanded means…”

-

“Murder, I think,” Nie Huaisang said thoughtfully. “No – most definitely murder. There is no other path forward. The only question is, I suppose: how much do you want your father to suffer during the process?”

Jin Guangyao smiled.

It was so nice to work with people that understood.

[phoebe-delia]

could u write a drarry oneshot inspired by sweet creature of harry styles? :)

Hello Nonnie! I absolutely can. This is a great suggestion, I love this song for Drarry. I hope you enjoy it. Warnings: injury, drinking, attempted sexual assault that is VERY QUICKLY STOPPED and NOT H/D!!! Thank you to @apr1cots for the beta!

3 Times Harry Brought Draco Home...+1 Time Draco Brought Harry Home

1.

The first time, Harry found him in the cafe near their flat.

He sat down in the chair across from Draco, who glared at him over his cup of tea. "I thought I told you not to follow me."

"I waited three hours. I figured that would be enough time for you to come to your senses, but you didn't come back, so I got worried."

"I can handle myself, thanks."

"I know you can. But you didn't tell me where you went."

Draco's eyes flashed. "That was for a reason, you imbecile."

Harry shook his head. "Flatmates don't do that—disappear for three hours after a fight without saying where they’ve gone."

"I'm an adult. And you're not my father or my boyfriend, so back off."

"No, but I am your friend. And your flatmate. And I don't want to be worried sick for three hours when you fuck off to Merlin knows where because you're feeling pissy!" Harry snapped, letting his anger creep into his voice.

Draco sighed. He took a moment to sip his tea, and then he looked at Harry. "I'll tell you what. If we fight, and I don't return, send an owl, Floo or contact you in some way within six hours, you can send out a bloody search party."

Harry shook his head. “I will give you three hours.”

“Five”

“Three and a half.”

“Four and a half.”

“Four is my final offer.”

Draco scoffed. “Is that so? What are you going to do, show up with half the Auror department?”

Harry pursed his lips. “Not if I don’t have to. But I would.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“Care to find out?”

“You’re mental.”

“Maybe,” Harry shrugged. “Trouble is, I don’t care. Now, will you be here for a while, or are you coming home with me?”

“I suppose I'll go, but only since I've already finished my tea,” Draco said with another sigh, which Harry ignored as they both rose from their seats. While they walked to the Apparition point together, Harry replayed in his mind the flicker of emotion on Draco’s face when he said “home.”

2.

The second time, Harry’s glass nearly shattered in his hand from how firmly he was gripping it.

He ignored Hermione’s knowing gaze and Ron’s eye roll as he unabashedly stared daggers at the bloke practically groping Draco at the bar. Harry saw Draco’s eyes widen imperceptibly, noticed his smile falter and his cheekbone twitch.

Yes, he observed this from across the room. You get to know a bloke after living with him for almost a year; besides, Harry was very perceptive—constant vigilance and all that.

Speaking of being an Auror, Harry was pretty sure this prick was breaking some sort of public indecency laws by the way he was sliding his hand further and further up Draco’s leg. Draco gently pried the man’s hand from his thigh, only for the stranger to laugh and reach over again, gripping it even more firmly.

Harry didn’t think beyond getting up from his seat and striding toward the bar, quickening his pace when he saw Draco’s eyes widen in panic. He barely registered the look of horror on the stranger’s face when he grabbed the hand gripping Draco’s thigh and pinned the man face-down on the bar.

“He said no,” Harry said through clenched teeth, ignoring the man’s grunts and protests.

“We were just talking!” The man sputtered, his cheek pressed against the counter as he twisted and wriggled to get free.

Harry tightened his grip. “Conversation’s over. If I catch you trying to ‘talk’ to him again, I’ll make sure you have a nice chat with the Wizengamot about sexual assault. Now, apologize.”

“But—”

“Apologize!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry.”

Harry smirked. “Good.” He released the man’s arm and let him right himself. The man froze, looking between Harry and Draco expectantly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Leave. Now.”

The man nodded, scurrying out of the now silent bar, the bell attached to the door tinkling behind him.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Draco’s face was blank other than a raised eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not. But I am glad you’re okay. You are, right? He didn’t hurt you?” Harry’s chest tightened at the suggestion.

But Draco shook his head. “No, I’m fine. But I think that’s my sign to head home.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to. I’m fine to Floo.”

“I want to.”

“What about your friends?”

Harry cringed and turned back to face the table to see Ron and Hermione looking at him, expressions full of nausea and amusement, respectively. He held up a hand in a small wave. Hermione shook her head and smiled fondly.

Harry grinned and turned back to Draco. “They’ll be alright without me. C’mon, let’s go home. I’ll make us some tea, yeah?”

Draco hesitated at first, but he nodded. And if Harry let his hand linger lightly on Draco’s back when they headed toward the Floo, they could both chalk it up to a safety measure.

3.

The door to Pansy Parkinson’s flat swung open before Harry could knock.

She took one look at him and rolled her eyes. “Could you have taken any longer to get here?”

Harry bristled. “I was—”

“Don’t care. Get in here, he’s on my couch.” She turned and walked away purposefully, and Harry trailed behind her.

“I thought you two were just going for drinks?”

Pansy sighed. “We were, but then we came back here for a few more, and he got into my tequila when my back was turned.” She shook her head. “Tequila is his one weakness—well,” she smirked. “One of them, anyway.”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to respond when a shout sounded from the living room.

He looked over to see Draco sprawled across the couch, an empty glass in one hand and the other nearly touching the floor, his leather-clad legs spread wide.

Draco grinned at Harry. “Harrryyy!!! Come to join the party?”

“He’s come to end it, more like,” Pansy crossed her arms. “It’s time for you to go home, love.”

Draco let out a high, keening whine and burrowed himself further into the couch. “Don’ wanna. Tired. Stay here.”

“No, Draco, we’ve got to go home,” Harry walked up to the couch. His breath caught when gray eyes blinked wide and pleadingly up at him.

Draco held out his arms. “Up.”

“Er, what?”

Draco jerked his arms up and down, keeping them in the air. “Up! Help me up, you great oaf!”

Harry sighed and bent down, taking Draco in his arms and nearly stumbling when the blond let his body weight fall into him.

Draco smirked lazily. “Oops,” he said with a grin in his voice. “Guess you gotta carry me.”

Harry scoffed, looking to Pansy for appeal.

She waved a hand dismissively. “He’s your problem, now. Just get him out of my flat and back home intact, will you?” She didn’t wait for him to respond, walking away into another room.

Harry sighed. He wasn’t sure about the safety of Apparating or taking the Floo with someone in your arms, and the twists and turns of the Knight Bus could make a sober person sick up. With a grunt, he hoisted Draco up and into his arms bridal style, and the other man yelped and then giggled wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck.

“Home,” Draco said softly, and affection spread through Harry’s chest.

“Okay, Draco,” Harry whispered as they made their way out of the flat. “I’ve got you.”

+1.

Harry woke to the sound of muffled voices shouting at each other and the constant beep of a monitor.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, wincing as a sharp pain exploded in his side with the effort. Memories came rushing back: the raid, turning his back for a split second to shout something at Ron, blinding pain, then darkness. He tried to sit up in the hospital bed, but he let himself lie back down when his side throbbed once more.

Suddenly, the door was opened and then promptly slammed shut. “Honestly, the nerve of these people. If he needs bed rest, then where is better than his own bed? Is my Healer degree rendered meaningless the moment I’m off the clock?” Draco muttered, running a hand through his hair as he paced the room angrily.

“Draco?”

Draco jumped and turned to Harry with wild, startled eyes that made Harry laugh, and then wince in pain.

“You’re awake, thank Merlin,” Draco approached the side of the bed, relief replacing the shock on his face.

“How long have I been out?”

“Two days. You were hit with a rare curse that caused an ever-bleeding wound in your side, and the healers had to put you in a magically induced coma to reverse it.”

“That sounds good. Do Robards and—”

“Yes, Ron gave Robards the full briefing. You’re not expected in the office until a Healer permits it.”

“So, can I go home?”

“Yes, now that you’re awake, you can go home. I’ll monitor you from there.”

Harry frowned. “You don’t have to.”

Draco let out a short, humorless chuckle. “You were in a coma for two days, Harry. The only reason they’re discharging you is that you’re going home with a Healer.”

“But you don’t actually have to stay and watch me all day, right?”

“What part of ‘I’ll monitor you from there’ don’t you understand?”

“But I’m fi-!” The last word was cut off as Harry hissed through another spark of pain.

“Fine, are you?”

“Shut up.”

Draco smirked. “Not likely.”

Harry scowled, eliciting a real laugh from Draco, who moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Flatmates don’t do this, y’know.”

Draco’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Take several days off of work to care for the other when they’re injured. I’m not even sure friends do that.”

Harry noticed Draco’s jaw tighten. He ached to reach up and relax it with a gentle touch, but he kept his hand at his side.

“What are you saying, Harry?” Draco asked, his voice low and even.

“I’ll tell you what,” Harry swallowed. “I won’t argue about you wasting days away from work if you let me take you to dinner when I’ve recovered.”

The beginning of a smile curved Draco’s lips. “And what will we do in the meantime?”

Harry waggled his eyebrows. “I can think of a few ways to pass the time.”

Draco chuckled. “If you think I’m missing work just so you wind up back in here because you restarted bleeding during sex, you’ve another thing coming.”

Harry pouted halfheartedly. “Apparently I won’t be coming at all.”

Draco mimicked his petulant frown. “Aww, ickle Harry, being waited on for days by his flatmate-turned-boyfriend.”

“I’ll tell you what—”

“Didn’t we already make a deal?”

“I’ll tell you what: I won’t argue about you missing work or not having sex until I’m recovered if you let me take you to dinner once I’m healed and if we can snog as much as we like.”

"What makes you think I’ll agree to those terms?”

Harry shrugged. “If you don’t like those terms, I can come up with more. Now that I’m on bed rest, I’ve got plenty of time to think.”

“You’re not supposed to strain yourself,” Draco smirked when Harry glared at him.

Harry huffed. “You need to work on your bedside manner, Healer Malfoy.”

“I’ll get plenty of practice this week, then, won’t I?”

“Yes, you will. Now, can we get out of here? I want to start my healing regimen right away.”

Draco laughed and laced their fingers together. “Alright, Harry. Let’s go home.”

Send me an ask about Harry Potter, broadway/musicals, The West Wing, and/or Taylor Swift! Or just about life in general :).

Also, I have a playlist of my 99 most listened-to songs of the year so far. Pick a number 1--99 and send me an ask and I'll write you a fic based on it!

[forever-rogue]

In Name Only - Part 16

A/N: Hi, hi, hi! I’m finally back with some more of Oberyn and his Sunshine! I’ve missed them so much, and I hope you’re all excited for more as I am! As always, feedback and comments are welcome, and if you’d like to be tagged, let me know. xx

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 7.2k

Warnings: discussions of pregnancy, violence, slight language 

IN NAME ONLY SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

"Those are so pretty," Saria chirped excitedly as she reached up and touched one of the newly bloomed flowers. It was brilliant shades of yellow and orange, creating the illusion of a sunset. You nodded in agreement before delicately plucking the blossom and tucking it behind her ear.

"And now the prettiest girl has the prettiest flower," you told her as she beamed at you. She giggled wildly before touching the flower and running to join the Dorea and Loreza who were busy playing in a different part of the garden. They'd come to stay for a while at Sunspear and you were more than happy to keep them as long as they wanted.

"And what about you?" you turned to Altair who was intently observing a different flower, “which is your favorite?"

"I like this one best I think,” he commented thoughtfully as he touched over a dark red flower, one that was native to Dorne - hardy and resilient, just like its people. It almost reminded you of a rose, but what with a bit.

“That’s one of my favorites too,” you agreed as you pulled one of the hardiest blossoms off and held it out for him, “do you want to know why?”

“Why?” he asked, his dark eyes wide and glittering with excitement. You couldn’t help but ruffle his dark hair, an affectionate smile on your face. 

“My husband planted them for me,” you explained, thinking back to the day you had found Oberyn in the gardens, hard at work by himself planting the flowers as a surprise for you. He was many things, but a green thumb he did not possess, unlike you. But he had been so proud and excited to show them to you, his hands covered with little cuts from the harsh thrones and thick stalks, “and they remind me of Dorne - home. Strong, beautiful, and welcoming to those who treat it right.”

“Can I keep it?” he asked quietly as you nodded. He threw his little arms around your waist and you bent down to press a kiss to the crown of his head, “I’m going to go and show the others!”

Before you could even get a word in edgewise, he was gone, off to join his sister and the younger girls. You crossed your arms over your chest, a content sigh escaped your lips as you picked up your watering can to continue tending to your flourishing garden. But you were once again estopped by a warm of arms wrapping around your waist, causing you to make a small sound of surprise.

“Hello, my sweetest sunshine,” Oberyn’s voice was like golden honey in your ears as he pressed a kiss to your neck, “how I have missed you.”

“And a hello to you my moon and stars,” you couldn’t help but laugh as you put your hands on top of his, deftly spinning around in his arms before facing him and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “it has been what...about five hours since we parted ways for the afternoon? I hardly think you’d had adequate time to miss me.”

“I always miss you when we’re not together,” he insisted, playfully pouting at you, “the insinuation that I should feel anything but wounds me so, dear wife.”

“Oh stop,” you swatted at his chest before he pulled you towards him, “you are a fool of a Prince. Besides, I for one have not missed you!”

“Oh?” he teased, his eyebrow arching as you broke into a fit of giggles, “I spy a little liar.”

“You’ve caught me,” you acquiesced, “but alas, I have been busy with the garden and these little ones constantly under foot. Loreza is a little trouble maker, just like her father. But Dorea is as steadfast as her mother. A lethal little duo.”

“Ahh, they have learned well,” he snorted as you nodded. He wrapped his arms around you as he watched the four young children running around and playing, the wistful look on your face not lost on you, “the twins seem to enjoy spending time with them.”

“They do,” you agree, biting on your lower lip, “I k-know we’re not supposed to play favorites, but they just...they’re special to me.”

“And they adore you just as well.”

“They adore you,” you insisted with a laugh, “the prince of legend! The lethal, ever deadly Red Viper.”

“I do have a reputation to uphold.”

“I know your bark is worse than your bite,” you insisted as you kissed him, cutting him off before he could argue, “it is not wise to argue with your wife.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised, “will you take a turn about the gardens with me? There are some things we should discuss..”

You knew it wouldn’t be anything bad, there was no reason for it to be, but a lump still welled up in your throat. Such things always made you nervous, especially since the majority of the times you’d been asked to speak in such a manner only bad news followed. But judging by the light smile on his face, you knew it would be okay. 

The past month, almost two, had been a whirlwind, especially when it came to helping Oberyn get closer and closer to be back to perfect health again. It had hardly allotted you many moments to talk properly. He grew stronger and stronger each day, and it some ways it was almost like nothing had happened at all. But you knew - you remembered. It was always in the back of your mind, reminding you that your family was the cause of this. You still needed to talk about it, but you’d never found the right time. But as you looked into those soft brown eyes, you decided it could wait. For now, all that mattered was this. 

He offered you his arm and you looped yours through his, allowing him to dictate the course. It was silent for a few moments, not but the sounds of the fountains, chirps of birds, and the sounds of laughter reaching your ears. 

“I’ve been thinking…” he started slowly, “and before you say anything, I do realize it is a rare occasion!”

“I would say no such thing,” you promised with a wink as he just shook his head in amusement, “please my prince, do tell me what has been weighing on your mind.”

“It’s…” he paused before exhaling slowly, “the twins.”

“The t-twins? What about them?” you tried to rack your brain for something that you could have possibly done wrong with them, “I haven’t…”

“It is nothing in the negative,” he must have sensed your worry without you even having to do anything. You visibly relaxed as you nodded and waited for him to go on, “I note that you’ve grown ever closer to them, you spend much time with them at your side.”

“I know we are not..to play favorites,” you answered nervously, “I fear I must have been doing a horrible job of that.” 

“And your actions are not at fault,” he insisted, as you offered him a confused look, “I know we talked before...about children...”

“I can’t have children,” you interrupted him, answering his silent question. You kept your gaze pointed straight ahead, attempting your best to conceal your emotions. Oberyn’s gaze was trained intently on you, his expression soft. It wasn’t often that he was rendered speechless, but this turned out to be one of those rare moments, “I speak with the maester when we returned from Starfall and you were gone in King’s Landing.” 

“Oh,” was his simple answer as you nodded, “and she…”

“There’s no way to be completely certain,” you said softly, “but there are ways to be almost certain, as certain as one can get. And it seems that the odds are not in my favor.”

“You said there is no way to completely certain,” he insisted, “there’s still a chance, and if you should want, we can always try...”

“No, Oberyn,” you stopped in your tracks as you pulled him towards you, a hand going to his jaw before you ran a hand through his dark curls, “it does not matter, my love. I am happy, so happy. Nothing makes me happier than you, I swear it. You, the girls, Ellaria, the rest of the family, we have so much already. There’s nothing for me left to want.”

You had hoped that saying the words out loud would somehow make them more true, more real. But they still hurt, cutting deep. 

“You deserve the world, my sunshine,” he promised, kissing the top of your head, “whatever you desire you shall have it.”

“I’m afraid that nothing will give this to me...us, not even all the gold in the Seven Kingdoms,” you offered him a small smile, “now, tell me, what you were going to say before I so rudely interrupted you.”

“The twins,” he said, cradling your face in his hands, “I realize this might be a bit unconventional, but what do you say about bringing them in our family? Adopting them?”

“A-adopting them?” you weren’t quite sure what you were hearing as the word tumbled from your mouth. Looking at Oberyn, you opened and closed your mouth a few times, tilting your head to the side as you tried to figure out what was happening. He was watching you with a small smile, waiting for you to realize what he had said, “Oberyn? D-do you mean it?”

“Of course I mean it,” he said softly, “I would not joke about such a matter. I know...it is unconventional and not very common, but I would like to bring them into our family. By convention, they would not be recognized as Martells in other parts of the Kingdoms, but in Dorne it would not matter. It-”

“Does not matter at all,” you finished for him as he nodded in agreement, “it is not the name that makes the person, the quality of their heart - their actions.”

“If only the rest of the world thought as we did,” he gave you a fond smile before pulling you into his arms, “but what do you think?”

“Oberyn…” you looked back up at him, your eyes already misty with tears as you nodded at him. You knew you wanted this - not because your dreams of baring your own children were gone, but because you loved them, truly. And you wanted nothing more than to bring them into your family, your family that had nothing but love and kindness to give. 

Oberyn seemed to know what you were thinking, because he quickly wiped away the tears that slipped down your cheeks before pressing a soft kiss to your lips. He paused for a moment and rested his forehead against yours as he held you tightly in his grip, “everything is going to be alright, my love. Please don’t think ill of the situation...no one is to blame, absolutely no one. And you know my love for you will never change or waver, never. Things will work out as they are meant to, I know it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

“I’m sorry,” you said softly, hearing his words but failing to process them in the moment, overwhelmed by emotion, “I’m sorry, my love. I-I...I can’t even give you a child of our own. I’m such a -”

“Stop,” he whispered softly, his heart breaking a little at your anguish. He wrapped his arms tightly around you as you buried your face in his chest, tears soaking into the fabric of his tunic. You knew it was silly to get so upset, especially since you thought you’d come to terms with this, and you knew Oberyn wouldn’t be upset, “I know this means nothing coming from me, but i will be okay. I swear it. I will do whatever it takes to get you to understand that.”

“You’ll still love me?” you asked softly as he chuckled warmly and pressed a kiss to the side of your head.

“I will always love you. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change that,” he promised, and you relaxed slightly, “my love for you knows no bounds. And you have my heart and soul. Completely and fully.”

“I love you,” you whispered, “so much.”

“And I you,” he responded, “and I’ve got one more bit of good news for you. I know it’s not much, but I’m hoping that perhaps it will at least bring a smile to that pretty face.”

“You’ve given me nothing good news and love,” you laughed at your foolishness as you pulled back from him, “and I give you nothing but theatrics. What else could you possibly have for me?”

“Have you ever considered traveling across the Narrow Seas?” your eyebrows immediately shot up at his question as he seemed to be holding back a gleeful grin.

“I can’t say it’s really crossed my mind…” you admitted, “what lies there that has you asking?”

“Essos,” he answered, “the King needs an envoy to go to make the journey and ensure that plans and laws that were instilled by Daenerys still stand.” 

“And he asked you to go?” your heart immediately grew worried and nervous as your eyes darted to his side, the spot concealed by his tunic where he still bore the scars of the stabbing that your brother had inflicted on him. You were reluctant to let him leave again, especially anywhere out of Dorne, “a-are you sure, Oberyn? I don’t know if that’s the best idea…”

“You worry?”

“Of course I worry,” you insisted, “there are enemies everywhere, as you have said many times. I couldn’t even trust my own flesh and blood. The last time you left, you almost….and Essos? That’s half a world away…”

“I would not go with your blessing,” he promised as he put his hand on your cheek, “nor would I go without you. It’s a large and wondrous world, and I think it would suit you. Essos and the Summer Isles are some of the most beautiful places in the world.”

“You want me to go with you?” you asked hopefully as he nodded.

“What is this old fool without his wife next to him?” he teased, “besides, I was told that I could not venture into the world without you...I think it would be quite dull without my sunshine. I would not let anything happen to you.”

“Nor I you,” you promised, knowing you would cut down any man or woman that even breathed wrong in his direction, “you’re serious about this? You’re sure it will be safe?”

“Yes,” he insisted, “and yes. We won’t be going alone. The retinue will come, as well some other Lords from around the Kingdoms. Honestly, I doubt it will take much work from our end...it will be more of a vacation than anything else.”

“You’re sure about this?” your words were gentle and soft as put your hand on his chest, “positive?”

“I am,” he took your hand and pressed a kiss to your knuckles, “what do you say?”

“For you?” resting your hand on his cheek, you brushed a finger over his cheekbone, “I would do anything and go anywhere. Yes. Let’s do this.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Diplomatic ventures had always seemed so....droll. Plagued by aged and old fashioned men who claimed to know what was best for their people, who claimed to know what people wanted but did everything but. Naturally there were exceptions, such as your father, and it wouldn’t be fair to lump all men into the same category. But from your childhood trips along with Lord Beesbury, your hopes were not high that this would be any different. 

But you should have known better because like with most things, Oberyn was able to turn into a pleasant adventure. Along with the shift of having a Stark King on the Iron Throne accompanied by the Queen in the North, things were...different. Gone were the stilted and old ways, slowly morphing into workable and tangible - change. 

What you were sure was destined to be nothing but boring roundtables without anything productive being done, turned out to be the opposite. Men, and women, of different backgrounds and creed came together to work for the people, not just their people but all people. It was something to marvel at and instilled a sense of hope in you. 

Hope that Oberyn’s children, your children, would grow up in a world where things would be different from your youth, where they would not have opportunities denied to them because of their birth, their origin, or the truths and beliefs they held. Things would never be perfect, but they would be better and that was enough to carry you forward. 

Watching Oberyn, not just your husband or the Prince, but a man of his people - the people - in action was a treat unto of itself. Eloquent and well spoken as ever, he carried himself with an ease and comfort that you could only wish to obtain a fraction of. He was never loud or over the top, but his tranquility and calm aura did not let you forget that he was still as deadly as the rumors suggested. 

This was a man that spoke in prose as lovely as roses but sharp as hawthorne. A man that would charm and persuade to see his ways, but would not hesitate to cut you down if necessary. The duality of Oberyn Martell was a gift to behold, and somehow it still stunned you that you were in the very center of his universe. But somehow you were, his sunshine that brightened every facet of his life while he was your moon and stars, grounding you and keeping you safe and sound. 

“What?” Oberyn’s voice was warm and gravely, still heavy and thick with sleep as he opened his eyes to find you watching him closely. A warmth flooded into your face  as you attempted to burrow your face into the pillow; you hadn’t expected him to wake up and just wanted to study his features while he slept. You’d done it a million times before, or so it seemed, and you wanted to do it a million times more. There was something about how calm and at ease he looked while his broad chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. His chocolate curls were mussed and wild, practically calling for you to comb throw as his plush lips were drawn in the lightest of smiles. He was just so...golden; drawing you in like nothing else mattered.

The soft, warm air of the Summer Isles  was coming in through the windows which you had left open the evening before, perfuming the air with the faint smell of the salty ocean. You’d had a late evening before and were in no rush to get up, despite the fact that you knew he had duties to attend to. There was something about the comfort and safety of waking up in his bed, your, bed that always kept you wanting to stay tangled up with him.

“Nothing,” you insisted as you opened one eye and peeked at him, watching the corners of his mouth tug up. He laughed lightly before his strong arm found you under the covers and pulled you closer to him. A contented sigh escaped your lips as his fingers traced aimless, gentle shapes into your back. You closed the small gap and pressed your lips against his, feeling him smile against your as he chased after you with a few kisses of your own, “Oberyn.”

“Yes?” he teased as he kissed long your jaw and neck, nipping and sucking at the delicate skin in a way that he knew would leave marks, “tell me what’s on your mind or I’ll stop.”

“Such a tease,” you huffed tightly as you tugged on his soft curls, “I was just thinking about you.”

“About me? Whatever for?” he seemed genuinely surprised and pulled back for a moment, which allowed you to take advantage of the situation. You pushed him flat on his back as you rolled on top of him, your bare body flush against his. He almost laughed when he realized what you had done, one of his large hands going to your bum and giving it a firm squeeze, which elicited a soft sigh from you, “cheeky girl.”

“Hmm,” you hummed as you kissed him, “I was just thinking about all the ways in which I love you, which, in case I haven’t reminded you lately, are infinite. But now, I’m thinking about something far different.”

“Oh?” he pressed your forehead against his as he held you with a vice grip, “and what would that be?”

“How much I want you,” it was a gentle, breathy whisper in his arms as you kissed the shell of his ear before working your way back to your lips, “my moon and stars.”

“Then take what you need, sweet girl. I am all yours,” he promised, “body and soul. Besides, I quite like you on top. A sight to be marveled at it, that even the finest art could never capture in essence.”

“Always a poet,” you flourished under his praise as your hands roamed his body, “almost as lovely as watching you come undone, Oberyn Martell. Now, don’t hold back, my love, let them all hear you…”

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Be safe,” Oberyn whispered against your lips before slowly pulling away. It was endearing to know he was so concerned about your safety, despite the fact that the Summer Isles were one of the safest places to be. You nodded slowly before sneaking in another kiss and smoothing down the soft fabric of his bronze tunic. He was handsome as ever, and despite the fact that you were dressed in a soft, breezy gown of your own, you knew you would never match his beauty. 

“I will,” you promised, “I’m just going to explore the markets, maybe go to the ocean, nothing dangerous at all. Besides, I think I found something that the girls will like and I want to get it for them if it’s still there.”

“Do you want-”

“Oberyn,” you insisted firmly, but with a soft tone nonetheless, “I will be fine. I can handle myself, and besides, Jeron’s taught me a few tricks for the times I should be parted from you, in the off chance I need them. It should be me worrying about you. Politicians and Lords are the real snakes here after all, remind them who the Red Viper is, remind them that you are the Prince.”

“I should know better than to worry about you,” he said with a small laugh, “I will see you this evening for dinner then. I love you.”

“I love you too,” you grinned at him before gently pushing on his chest and back towards the building in which all of these so called important meetings had been happening, “now go and get your work done. I don’t want to keep you away!”

“Wait,” he ducked after you and reached for your hand, despite the fact that you had just turned away from.

“What?” a look of surprise coloring your features as he brought your hand to his lips and delicately kissed your knuckles, “Oberyn!”

“I missed you the moment you turned away,” he said softly, as you just shook your head at him, “until your paths cross again, sweet girl.”

“You are a fool of a man,” you teased as you let him be the one to walk away. He turned and gave you one last look before crossing the threshold and giving you a soft smile, the one that made you weak in the knees and a fire pool in your belly. 

Staring at the spot he had previously occupied, you let a small sigh before walking away, ready to take on your own leisurely day. The island of Jhala was a beautiful place, filled with kind souls and beautiful scenery. You’d never seen any place like it before, but you already knew a piece of your heart would remain here even long after you were back in Dorne. Hopefully Oberyn would not be opposed to coming back soon. 

You’d even made a few friends during your extended stay, finding the people welcoming and open, much more than most people in Westeros and they’d even taught some of their language, simply dubbed the Summer Tongue. 

As you walked through the bustling marketplace, your eyes came across glittering jewels of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, fabric of the brightest tones and colors, arts and sculptures, and anything else you could possibly imagine. You made it a point to find something special for everyone back home, including all of the girls, and the twins you’d soon be calling your own. The hunt for something special for Oberyn was proving to be the most challenging of all as you tried to pick your brain for what to get him. Anything that had crossed your mind, he had in turn picked out and gotten himself, he already had, or was something that just wasn’t quite it. But you’d kept your eyes peeled anyway. 

So peeled, in fact, that you didn’t watch where you were going and walked right into someone. A small oof escaped your lips as you looked and found a little girl with bright, eager eyes watching you eagerly. She was gorgeous, skin almost as dark as the richest chocolate, with hair that was intricately styled in braids you learned were traditional to the people of Jhala. Her dress was feathered, a brilliant symphony of greens and reds as she grinned at you, completely untroubled or phased by the fact that you almost bowled her over.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” you offered an apologetic smile and looked her over to make sure she was okay, “I should have been watching where I was going. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she chirped back in your tongue, “we’ve been expecting you!”

“Expecting...me?” you asked as she reached for your hand, and started to pull you away from the crowd. Nothing but a cloud of confusion hung over you as you followed the young girl; you were nervous or scared, but you were intrigued, “who’s been expecting me?”

But she didn’t say anything else, instead pulling you near a small back alley where there were almost no people, just a few here and there milling about. When she seemingly reached her destination, she dropped your hand as you studied your surroundings. Strange, you thought to yourself, I’ve never seen this before.

“Hey-” you turned back to your mysterious little friend but found...nothing. There wasn’t even so much a single disturbance in the air to suggest that anyone had been there or moved away rapidly...there was nothing. A huff of air escaped your lips as you turned and did a spin to just to make sure no one was there; surely you didn’t mind all of that? No, you couldn’t have....you were positive you could still feel the touch of her small hand in yours. It was like a direct call back to your encounter with the mysterious woman in the woods, but this you were sure was real. 

“Hello?” your voice sounded small and diminutive in the large open alleyway, reverbing off the stone walls. No response met your ears but you were positive that you heard your name being whispered softly, calling to you and drawing you in. You were like a moth to a flame as you walked along the cobblestones to the place you were being drawn to, “hello?”

You stopped in front of what appeared to be a small little shop that smelled deliciously of warm spices. Flowers decorated the small window and doors, immediately giving you a sense of warmth and ease. Pushing aside the curtain made of hanging beads and jewels, you slowly stepped inside and looked around. The small space was lit up from the golden sunlight streaming in from the window and softly flickering candles. A small table and two chairs, both looking soft and cozy were in the center of the room, the rest of the space occupied by trinkets from what you assumed were around the world.

“Lady Martell,” the voice was warm and richly accented as you turned and found yourself looking at yet another new person. She offered you a warm smile before coming over and holding her hand out to you; there wasn’t even a moment of hesitation as you reached over and took it, giving it a firm shake, “a pleasure to meet you.”

“How do you...know my name?” you asked as she led you to the table and pulled a car for you to sit in. You sat down and watched her intently as she busied herself with making tea. You tensed for a moment as you flashed back to the tea that had once been presented to you with a most devious intention. But you didn’t think this would be anything like that. She took a few moments, humming under her breath before coming back to you and placing it in front of you before and taking a seat.

“There is no need to worry,” she insisted, “everyone knows who you are. The Prince’s wife, of course. He’s always a welcome sight here as is anyone with him.”

“Oh,” you laughed at yourself, “of course. Sometimes I forget that my husband is such...a prolific figure.”

“As you should,” she said with a warm smile, “he is no stranger to you, but your partner, your lover, your friend - just another person in your life. But to us, he is a man of myth and legend.”

“Yes,” you agreed, “that is he is. Do you...umm...do you happen to have a young girl? I bumped into her and then was gone…”

“Acacia,” she sighed with a smile on her face as a sense of relief washed over you and you realized that you most definitely were not crazy or imagining things, but she had been a real, tangible little girl, “she’s a wily, sneaky little thing sometimes. Here one moment and then gone the next, and almost impossible to keep track of. I wish I could have even a fraction of her energy.”

“She was there one moment and then gone the next,” you told her, “I thought I might have imagined the whole thing.”

“No worries,” she promised, “she’s something else...but I find that people often land where they’re supposed to be at the right time.”

“I…” you mulled over her words as you drank some of the tea; it was sweet with a hint of a spice, but delicious, “I suppose they do.”

“What troubles you?” 

“I’m sorry?” you almost choked on the tea as you set it back down. You looked around and tried to put together who the mysterious woman was when it hit you, she was likely some of...something. You were unsure if there was even a proper label for it, “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“You appear happy,” she said as you nodded, “but I can tell there is something underlying...there is something in your eyes that suggests a deep sense of unhappiness.”

“What?” you asked as you almost laughed in her face. Of course you were happy, you had no reason not to be...your life was practical bliss… “I am happy, so happy. I-I have everything and then some…”

“That may be so, but one can still experience unhappiness,” you swallowed thickly as you shifted in your seat, “but you have to be honest with yourself...what plagues you? What keeps you up at night?”

You wanted to argue with her and tell her she was wrong, but in that moment you just couldn’t. Instead, your eyes welled up and stung as you stared at the table, playing with the delicate lace of the fabric that covered it. You closed and opened your mouth a few times as a few warm, salty tears filled down your cheeks. You had thought, you were sure, that you had been able to conceal your emotions so well, that everything was in check, but apparently you had been very, very wrong. All the feelings you thought were resolved were apparently very much unresolved. 

“Umm,” she handed you a handkerchief which you used to dab at your eyes, “it’s...gods, I feel silly being so worried and still ruminating on this, but my husband...he was injured at the hands of my family, my brother specifically. Oberyn told me to let it go, that things would be resolved, but I can’t just let it go...I can’t forgive them for what they did to him. He almost died, I stayed by his side as he clung to life, and he wants to let it go.”

“And you don’t want to do that?”

“No,” you insisted sharply, “I don’t. My entire life I have been the black sheep, the scorn of the family. I have had so many things taken from me, and I refuse to let them take more. I don’t...I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to Oberyn...I would....I cannot fathom it. But I can’t let it go and let them think they can do this. Oberyn thinks it’s better to let it go and not stir up trouble, but this isn’t like nicking some chocolate. They wanted to kill him and they almost did. I want them to know what they did, to experience the pain I did.”

“And what would you do to them?”

“I would make them suffer, the same cruel harshness that Oberyn had to go through,” you said through gritted teeth, almost surprising yourself with such harshness. You’d had these thoughts swirling in your mind since you had first discovered the truth from Jeron, but to hear out loud like this was another story, “I want them to know what I went through. And I want to know why. Why can’t they just let us alone and experience our own happiness? Oberyn went to them with peaceful intentions, asking almost nothing of them, but they couldn’t let it go.”

“Every action has a consequence, you understand this, yes?” she asked as you downed the rest of your teeth, studying the grit at the bottom of the cup “

“Action-Reaction,” you concluded with a nod, “I won’t do anything that will cause trouble. There is no reason to incite a war, which my husband has reminded me of many times. He worries too much about me sometimes, I think. He wants to protect me, I know he does, but sometimes I want to protect him too. And I know that I would have all of Dorne support me in this, he is their Prince! The Stark King would make them see reason and realize their actions will not go unpunished.”

“Does their violence necessarily mean you should respond in kind?”

“I....” you paused as you mulled over her words as you realized she had a point, “I don’t know. There’s a million different ways to look at this, but I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore. I just know...I can’t let them do this without saying something.” 

“And have you told Oberyn about all of this?”

“Yes - in passing,” you sighed lightly, “and he’s fervent in his request to keep things civil and let them go.”

“But you don’t want to.”

“No.”

“You should express this to him,” she took your cup and swirled the two drops of liquid around as she looked at the grit, making a small sound in the back of her throat, “the two of you will be able to work things out and see eye to eye.”

“He’s insistent.”

“And you shall be just as insistent back,” she suggest as you nodded, “make sure he knows that you do not want to let this go and that you want words at least. That you at least want to express your grief to your family.”

“And if he shall not agree?”

“Remember who you are,” she said softly, “before you became a wife, before you became a Martell. Remember your roots and that you are not to be trifled with. You were strong then too, and now you need to remember that. What were your words?”

“Before Our String.”

“What are your words now?”

“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.”

“Remember those,” she took your hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, “remember that you are strong, with or without your husband. Don’t do things in haste either, but do not allow yourself or your feelings to get pushed around either.”

“I won’t,” you promised softly, “I am not just Oberyn’s wife, I am so much more than that. I will...I will have what I want.”

“Everything,” she whispered as she pushed the cup back at you and motioned for you to look inside, “everything you want will be yours.”

“Everything?” you whispered as you looked into the cup and tried to see what she was seeing. Your voice cracked slightly as you knew she meant so much more than just your issue with your family. I…”

“I don’t think that’s true,” you gave her a small smile as you pushed the cup back at her and cleared your throat to keep from crying, “I can’t...I have everything I want.”

“This world, here and back in your home, is strange and mysterious. Sometimes it is best not to question things and let them work out as they were intended,” she shrugged lightly as you felt as confused as ever, “have faith in yourself and the universe.”

“I have faith in things I know, things I can touch and see,” you shrugged lightly, “I don’t know about the rest.”

“Exactly,” she stood up as she gathered your cup and hers, “we don’t know and perhaps we’re not supposed to. 

“I don’t understand…”

“Mama!” Acacia poked her into the shop and offered you both a gap toothed grin. You stood up and brushed off your dress before walking towards the door. You gave the young girl a small hug before turning back to her mother.

“Thank you,” you told her softly, “I realize I still don’t know most things, but I do know some. I do know I love my husband and I will go to the ends of the world for him, but I also know I refuse to let things go without a fight.”

“You are well on your way, young one,” she insists as you give her a smile, “things happen as they are supposed to.”

“Yes,” you agreed, “thank you for your help.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Oberyn!” by the time you reached the small villa you were staying in, Oberyn had already been back for some time and he was sitting out in the garden, a book perched on his lap as there often was. He didn’t even hesitate to close it and toss it onto the table as you rushed over to him, throwing yourself in his arms as he stood up to meet you, “my love.”

“You are very energetic this afternoon,” he beamed as he picked you up in his arms and spun you around gently setting you and offering you another kiss, “did you have a good day?”

“I missed you,” you told him, reaching up and threading a hand through his curls, “I always miss you when you’re not with me. But yes, I did. I have a very eventful afternoon. How was...business?”

“Business as always was...business. Nothing terribly exciting, and as always my day would have been better at your side,” he touched your cheek gently, “was the market nice?”

“Very,” you promised, “Oberyn, you know I love you more than anything, right?”

“Of course,” he gave you a curious look as one of his eyebrows perked up, “you have never given me a single reason to doubt that. And I feel the same, of course. Tell me, what brings about this sudden declaration?”

“I want you to know. That no matter what ever happens, silly disagreements and bickering, should they happen, you will always be my moon and stars,” you told him and a mildly concerned expression crossed his features, “there’s nothing to worry about my love. But I also...we need to talk.”

“And whatever is so serious that it requires this level of commitment to speaking?”

“I think you know, Oberyn,” you put your hands on his shoulders, “we’ve ignored the issue since it came up and passed, and I...I don’t think I’ve had my fair say.” 

“The issue is over and done,” he immediately picked up on what you were talking about, “there’s no reason to dwell on things that are over and done with.”

“That’s just it, it’s not done,” you insisted softly, “not to me. Oberyn, please just listen to me and hear me out…”

“No,” it was a firm statement, laced with a sharp bite as he stared firmly into your eyes. It was the first time he had ever said it to you in such a manner, “this is over and you....we are letting it go.” 

“Oberyn,” you pulled back and gave him a hurt expression, one that immediately caused him to regret his decision to speak in even a likely harsh tone, “I...we should be able to talk about this…”

“I respect that you have feelings about this, and that they differ from mine,” he promised, “but I don’t think you understand the gravitas of acting upon what happened.”

“I do too! They hurt you, Oberyn. They were going to kill you!”

“And they didn’t,” he held up his hand as if trying to end the conversation then and there, “I know it’s hard to accept, but sometimes inaction is the best response.”

“It’s not...no. I understand exactly what you’re saying, but I don’t think doing nothing is the right response.”

“No,” it was harsh and final, “you are but a child when it comes to affairs of the kind! You know nothing about them. We are not going to do anything and that is final. You will listen to what I say and we are not discussing this further.”

“Oberyn…” you blinked at him a few times, trying to keep your tears from spilling over. He’d never yelled at you before. He let out a long, heavy sigh as he looked at the ground, already angry that he had spoken to you in such a manner The last thing he ever wanted was for you to cry because of him. A few tears rolled down your cheeks as you turned away from him with a small nod, “okay. I understand…”

“Sunshine,” it was soft, reverent whisper as he reached for your hand. But this time, for the first time, you didn’t let him take it, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you in such a manner.”

“It is no matter,” you lied as your lips trembled with cries that you tried to keep quiet, “like you said, I don’t understand these matters. I am but a child and don’t understand these types of things. “

“Please, my sweet girl, listen to me-”

“I’ll see you at dinner, Oberyn.”

With that you walked away from him, hastily wiping at your eyes as he stared after you, unsure of what to do. His shoulders slumped as he regretted every word. He only wanted to protect you, to shield you from the harshness of the world, and yet he was the one that had hurt you. 

That was going to be the first and last time, he quickly decided, he’d make sure there was never a single tear from you ever again.

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[huangbae]

oo can i please request nct dreams reaction to their s/o denying them cuddles and kisses?

a/n: thank you sm for requesting !! :) hope you enjoy <33 btw i didn’t proofread so if there’s any errors i’m sorry D:

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

˗ˏˋNct Dream’s Reactions To... ´ˎ˗

you denying them kisses/cuddles <3

< mark >

you and mark were cooking because your mom was coming to meet him

he was flipping through the recipe book and giving you instructions

he was taking the whole thing very seriously

he was wearing an apron and one of those white chef hats

even though he refused to touch what you were making it because he didn’t wanna mess anything up

you thought his dedication to this whole thing was cute

so after you finished making dinner

and you both got dressed for the occasion

“so, how about a celebratory kiss?”

you laughed at his attempt and told him to wait after your mom left

he was pouting the whole time

even when your mom came by

but you made sure to kiss him after she left so

thumbs up emoji

< renjun >

both of you were attending a party being held by chenle

it was 2 am and you were ready to go home

but renjun was having a good time

so you didn’t wanna ruin his fun so

you tried staying up

a notification from your phone made you jump in your seat a little bit

so you checked it

and it was a text from renjun telling you to meet him in the kitchen

so you got up and walked groggily to the kitchen

the loud music blasting into your ears

which made you kind of annoyed

when you saw renjun he grabbed your hand and asked you for a kiss

you rolled your eyes and started walking back to your seat

but renjun caught up to you and complained to chenle

“my s/o is getting cranky, they don’t even wanna kiss me anymore, i think they’re ready to go”

classic sassy renjun

10/10 would recommend good job y/n

< jeno >

jeno was playing with his cats the whole day

and you were bored

and cuddle-deprived

so you were just a little bit sad

jeno noticed and try to crack some jokes every now and then

to no avail

while you were grabbing a water bottle from the kitchen

he walked up behind you and back hugged you

“stop ignoring me :(“

you rolled your eyes playfully

and told him to get off

he didn’t

so you gave him a quick kiss and ran off into jeno’s room again

he just stood in the kitchen

shocked

for a good 2 minutes

until he ran to his room

and begged you to do it again

< haechan >

after a day of walking through the park with you

his legs were tired

so while you guys were sitting on a bench waiting for the bus to come pick you guys up

he sits on your lap

and grabs your arms and wraps them around his waist himself

he gets mad when you take them off his waist

turns his head around and starts complaining

he took what you did personally

“if you want to break up, just tell me now, y/n D:”

starts fake crying

even though theres other people at the bus stop

and when you get embarrassed he gets even more dramatic

“oh wow. now i’m embarrassing. i can’t believe you’d do this to me, y/n.”

doesn’t speak abt it after you guys get on the bus

lesson learned

don’t mess w haechan

< jaemin >

ever since jaemin got a new job he’s been so preoccupied

you’ve been doing school too so its not like he has nothing to complain about

but still you guys missed each other

you’ve been sitting at your desk the whole day

clicking the keys on your keyboard

but then you heard the door open

and footsteps towards the office you were in

before you could even think about it

jaemin crashed through the door

you don’t know how he has so much energy after working 12 hours at a tiring retail job

but he kneeled down to the chair

hugging your knees and placing his head on your lap

“y/n, i demand attention.”

you declined, saying you needed to finish a paper for your history class

but before you got to finish

he started pulling your swiveling office chair out of the room

and into your shared bedroom

he’s so extra all he wanted was some attention from his favorite person

he’s so pouty though how could you resist

< chenle >

you were scrolling through his instagram

more specifically

the pictures he posted of the both of you

you also looked through the pics he posted of himself

he was already behind you

waiting for the perfect moment to catch you in the act

he put his hands on either of your shoulders

“BOO”

started laughing at how scared you got

you pouted and told him that the pictures were special to you

he looked at you and smiled

“come here, you sentimental idi—”

he comes closer to you with his lips puckered up

you stop him by holding a hand up to his face

and you start running away from him

“this is what you get for making fun of me, zhong chenle.”

chases after you

rolls his eyes

he catches up to you

makes you kiss him

but actually this time

< jisung >

you and jisung were watching a movie on netflix

his head was on your lap

and you were playing with his hair

you could tell he was blushing

a few minutes later

he turned his head and asked if he could kiss you

you decline just because you wanted to pay attention to the movie

you felt bad though bcs jisung looked embarrassed

he even apologized which made you feel even worse

so you tapped his shoulder

and kissed him on the cheek

he covered his face and didn’t talk to you for like a solid 20 minutes

the cheek kiss + the hair play literally rendered him speechless

you called him cute and he literally had to excuse himself

jisung has to be so cute when he’s flustered

man.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

thank you sm for reading !! i hope you enjoyed :D feel free to request something if you’d like :]

~ with love, huangbae :)

[moonlitceleste]

dream of you (ch 1)

Marinette and Jason are soulmates… except according to them and everyone else, they’re not.

A/N: I’m so excited to be posting this, because it’s actually the first Maribat idea I ever had! I started writing it 10 months ago in the form of a one-shot, but I struggled a lot because I was putting too much pressure on myself to finish it all at once. I finally decided to break it into chapters, and I’m so so excited! I hope you guys will be too :D I based this chapter on what I originally wrote and just edited a bit, so it’s a little choppy because my writing style has changed quite a bit. It’ll get better soon, so don't worry!

Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Jason Todd first met in a dream.

She was ten years of age when it happened, still young and small and fresh-faced.

Her parents tucked her into bed that fateful night, pulling the fluffy pink covers over her body before leaving a goodnight kiss on her brow.

Marinette closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into the soft material with a smile on her face; it was one of the few times they were home, and she made sure to cherish every moment.

The door closed with a quiet click only moments later, after which she yawned and stretched her short arms in the air before wrapping them around her black cat plushie.

Content in the safety of her burrito blanket she nestled down further, breaths evening out into a slow, steady pace as she seamlessly drifted off into sleep.

After what felt like a night’s rest but was actually seconds after falling into unconsciousness, Marinette opened her eyes and blinked blearily. Her vision blurred as she sat up and stretched, drowsiness and lethargy slowing each movement.

It wasn’t until she opened her eyes once more that she realized she was no longer in her room.

Rather than pink-painted walls, she was met with what looked like an endless expanse of stars, scattered and strewn as far as the eye could see. It was as if someone had sprinkled fairy dust from the heavens, like diamond fragments that rained down before being suspended in midair.

Most would react with fear upon finding themselves in an unfamiliar destination, but Marinette was much too awestruck to consider it an option.

The sight was spellbinding, so much so that she barely paid attention to the green blades tickling her legs.

The sky was a pitch-black veil, the darkness assuaged only from the light of the brilliant full moon and twinkling stars. They flickered invitingly, winking at her in a playful manner.

They looked close enough to touch, as if she could simply pluck one from the sky; Marinette reached out in wonder, just barely able to make out the outline of her hand in the darkness. 

Despite being somewhere completely foreign, she felt an odd sense of familiarity and contentedness settle into her bones and warm her chest. It felt right.

She lowered herself back into the lush grass, legs splayed before her and arms propped behind. With her head tilted up at the sky, she closed her eyes and let herself relish in the sensation of the warm breeze ruffling her hair.

Marinette didn’t know how long she had been sitting there before she finally looked up. It was on sudden impulse; she swore she could feel someone’s presence beside her, like the tingling sensation one felt when another’s gaze was on them.

Her instinct proved to be right, because only seconds later, she caught sight of a shadowed figure slumped in the grass a few feet from her.

The moon illuminated the person’s face enough that she could just barely discern their features; it was a boy, who appeared to be in deep slumber judging by the steady rhythm of his rising and falling chest.

Long, dark lashes framed his closed eyes, and his fair skin glowed luminously under the moonlight. Silky strands of hair brushed against his forehead, ruffling slightly in the wind; Marinette’s juvenile curiosity made her want to reach out and shake him awake, but the serene expression on his face stopped her as her hand was only mere inches from his shoulder.

Scooting some distance away, she opted to lay spread eagle on the grass with her hands beneath her head and closed her eyes as if she were soaking up the moonlight.

She could always wait for the strange boy to wake up—right now, she had all the time in the world.

Unbeknownst to her, the person beside her began to stir.

☁️

Jason blinked open his eyes and let out a low groan, fully prepared for the full force of Gotham winter to hit him as soon as he came back into consciousness.

But as his hands pushed himself up, he soon noticed the soft ground underneath him, so unlike the hard concrete of the streets he slept on every night

He sat up abruptly at this realization.

Something was wrong.

This time of year, he never woke up without feeling the brutal chill that froze his limbs over and made his teeth chatter.

He never woke up with a full stomach, or with the feeling of calmness that was currently overtaking his senses.

Everything felt right, and it did nothing but disconcert him. Nothing in Jason’s life ever went right.

His eyes darted around the strange place cautiously, taking in the view; part of him wanted to sit and stare at the twinkling stars in awe, but he forced the juvenile desire down. He couldn’t afford to get distracted.

He was in the middle of quickly assessing his immediate surroundings when a quiet gasp broke the bubble of tranquility around him.

Before he knew it he had shifted into a fighting stance, and he whipped around to see a figure sitting on the grass a short distance away.

His entire body tensed at the bluebell eyes staring back at him in shock; they belonged to a girl with short black hair, seemingly a few years younger than him, whose lips were open in an “o” shape.

Jason’s brain urged him to move, to do something, but his body refused to obey. It was as if time had frozen him in that stance, rendering him incapable.

The trance was broken as the girl scrambled to her hands and knees and stood, eyes shining with wonderment.

The next words, spoken in a breathless voice, were written in the stars.

“You’re my soulmate.”

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[tarithenurse]

Stolen - 47

Fandom: MCU Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x fem!gifted!reader Content: ...sorry...I really am sorry. Also lack of beta’ing. A/N: 1) Don’t hate me for this chapter. 2) Reminder: this is unrelated to the D+ Loki series. The only thing in common between the two is the background (ie: the MCU movies). Ask or re-blog for tag.

47. The Death Song

…   Reader   …

Time itself is a paradox…at least that’s what you’ve heard that some scientist should be claiming but you hadn’t been sure until today. Until the shield of the ship and failed and Loki hadn’t had time to teleport (as you call it) it or the people on it because he already was busy doing the same for the Asgardian flagship.

The impact had ripped a huge chuck off the bridge and the decks below and you watched the shrapnel and people, still licked by dark flames, sucked away and into space for the eternity of seconds before you got launched backwards into a wall.

Next thing you knew, you were coming to conscious, drifting through space while the battle still raged soundlessly around you. Gasping to regain your breath after the impact, you had time to slap yourself mentally because there was no air to fill your lungs before panic started to set in and clouded any semblance of thought process. You could feel the dizziness slowly tug at your senses, could see the patches of blackness despite the similarly dark backdrop to everything around you. This is it, you realized, consciousness flickering.

But it wasn’t. Of course not. It was naïve to think you’d get away that painlessly.

A vast shadow loomed over you, pulling you in until you were resting on a metal surface and a metallic gate had swept closed in slow motion. Together with heat, and sound, came the air you needed so badly to cry out in desperation at realizing you were alone.

“Loki?” you gasped at first before filling your lungs, “LOKIIIII!”

There were voices around you and you felt hands grasp your flailing limbs. Then there was the face of Frigga, and you knew where you were but it didn’t matter as long as it was just you.

Another bout of words that you couldn’t be bothered to listen to until, “[Y/N], get yourself together.” You blinked owlishly at the stern face of your ally. “You are needed and Loki sent you into our path for that reason…don’t let his act be in vain.”

“Loki?” you whimpered at the name. Where was he then?

You recognized a pain flickering across Frigga’s face. “Yes, now make him proud, child.” She pulled you onto your feet and lifted your chin in much the same way your love had been prone to do. “Will you let Thanos get away with this?”

No. Something stirred deep within you, something you had never felt before and it scared you while simultaneously enticing you as your blood began to boil with rage. No, he will know pain too.

You allowed Frigga to guide you to the bridge of the vessel. From there you could see the chaos outside, watch the clusters of metal and glass that already were trying to stay in small orbits around each other only to be pushed apart as something came barrelling through, dragging it along in long wakes of destruction. But you saw Thanos’ ship across the battle space. You saw the bands of the wings whir silently as they turned and clicked into place to allow a new wave of smaller fighter flights gain access and kill.

Kill.

Death…so much death.

The ship you had been on was not the only vessel that had succumbed to the enemy. You had been told that was likely to happen even before boarding the ship and setting out, but watching it was too painful. Ruined, hulking wrecks floated by with a stream of dead in their wake. Where is Loki? But you didn’t want the answer. You wanted revenge.

...

People around you are cheering despite the devastation hovering in ribbons and clusters outside the warship you’re on. You know, you should join them – even though Thanos hasn’t been killed, the Mad Titan has still suffered a scalding defeat today – and cheer for those who fought whether they survived or not. But you can’t. Just...can’t. There’s an emptiness inside you, numbing, but void of anything else than disbelief as it renders all senses useless.

“Saviour.” The High Priestess has been among the survivors recovered among the debris right after their flagship was shot to smithereens. “You have done well. Be proud.”

“Thank you,” you mutter despite not feeling the pride she’s talking about. What is there to be proud of?

Every ship are sending out little teams for search-and-rescue, mostly bringing back corpses with bloated and blistered skin and blood-shot eyes. They’re covered in frost. Cold to the touch the few times you’ve tried to reach out to find a pulse before giving up helping out. It’s not the same chill. And you can’t help but wonder: will Loki feel this way too once they haul him back onto a vessel?

Someone big and warm plops down next to you, stretching leather-clad legs out before him and wraps an arm around you to envelop you in heat and sweaty musk that clings to his muscles.

“Don’t fret, little one,” Thor’s voice rumbles, “my brother rarely stays dead for long. He’s always pulled pranks, you know.”

“Thor...” you can’t listen to him. Can’t hear his tales of denial when it only highlights how fruitless it is to hope because this time...if Loki has been picked up by the coalition then you’d have known by now. And if it’s someone else who has found him alive...? You don’t want to finish the sentence.

“- this one time, he had transformed into a snake...and you know I love snakes...so I went to -”

“Thor!” You startle the poor guy shut, the look he gives you full of understanding underneath the wetness nearly daring to tumble down his cheeks. “I’m...I’m sorry, Thor. It’s just...can we not talk for a moment?”

He tugs you closer. “Of course.”

That’s how you sit when the search is called off together with the last inkling of hope you’d manage to nurture. That’s how Frigga finds you leaned against her last son.

[mochegato]

Capturing a Dream

Chapter 10 – Who Do You Trust

Chapter 1     Chapter 9

*Note – Savage is working with Klarion for his plan. Klarion is the one controlling everyone, but the Team doesn’t know that.

After a prolonged encounter with Firestorm, Chimera ran out onto the platform freshly recharged and ready to fight.  She had already used Mullo, Roaar, and Stompp and was now on Pollen.  She was beyond curious to see what cataclysm would do to one of Green Lantern’s creations but she was afraid of what it would do to his ring and, well, the power of cataclysm on a floating rock in space seemed like a poor decision, so Plagg had stayed with Adrien.  

She hadn’t had time to feed any of the kwami after using them except Trixx, who she needed to keep up the illusion of her suit, so for now, each kwami was only used once then put back in the flute. She’d make sure to give them all extra treats and thanks after the fight.  Taking the time to recharge Trixx had been risky and time consuming, but necessary. Didn’t mean she liked it.  She had to hide and do nothing while the rest of the team were getting attacked.  She hated it.

Taking time to hide and recharge meant her team had to fight on their own and cover their own backs.  It lead to situations like the one she ran in on, a possessed Batman throwing Robin across the platform and kicking Rocket into a buttress. The force bubble that had been around Wonder Woman disappeared as Rocket’s focus was forcibly removed.  Robin’s focus remained squarely on the threat in front of him.  He stood, facing Batman, the apprehension in his stance was clear to Chimera.  It likely would have been clear to Batman as well, but hopefully whoever was controlling him only saw confident defiance. Despite the façade, Chimera knew this particular fight was the worst for Robin; fighting the man who had become like a father to him.  Even knowing he was being controlled, she could see the strain in Robin’s eyes.

She rushed forward to assist Robin.  He threw a handful of smoke pellets before jumping at Batman, kicking at where he knew he had been, the kick designed to deliver maximum impact to sensitive areas.  He landed roughly in an empty space instead.  Robin turned around just in time for Batman to punch him with enough force to knock him back a considerable distance.  

Chimera took advantage of the distraction to attack from behind.  She almost made contact with the still distracted mentor when she was roughly yanked to the side.  She landed on the concrete with a grunt.  She looked down to see Wonder Woman’s lasso around her chest, pinning her arms to her side. Her eyes trailed the lasso back to Wonder Woman’s hands.  An unnatural predatory glint was in Wonder Woman’s eyes.  “Now, tell me,” she implored in an eerily cheery voice.  “Who. Are. You?”  She pulled the lasso tighter, drawing Chimera closer.  “The Lasso of Hestia compels you.”

Chimera’s breath hitched as she took in the lasso. Wonder Woman’s eyes narrowed in glee. She would not be able to resist the Lasso of Truth.  Any second now Klarion would know who Chimera really was, and more importantly, what she was. And once he knew that, he would know how to defeat her.  Their next encounter would go very differently with that information.

Chimera looked over her shoulder to gauge the fight between Batman and Robin.  When she looked back toward Wonder Woman, it was more a look of amusement than fear. Whoever was controlling them was clumsy. A novice at UMS could do better than this amateur.  Their strikes were wild and indelicate.  Not taking full advantage of the fighter they chose.  She raised an eyebrow at Wonder Woman.  “A weapon of subjection and dispelling illusions?  Really?  You think this has power over me?”  She pulled on the lasso, easily pulling the normally well prepared Wonder Woman off balance, causing her to stumble toward Chimera as the lasso fell uselessly at her feet.  Wonder Woman kicked off Chimera, using the momentum she gained to flip away from her, putting necessary distance between them.  

But, the movement caused her to lose sight of Chimera for a few seconds.  A few precious seconds that were all an expert UMS player, like Chimera needed.  She spun her top out, just barely grazing Wonder Woman’s exposed upper arm.  But, a touch was all she needed.  Wonder Woman froze in the last moments of the flip.  Unable to adjust to land, she crashed inelegantly onto the concrete in a way that Chimera was sure was going to bruise in the morning.  Chimera slowly walked up to her, confident the person controlling her was still listening.  She knelt down next to Wonder Woman’s ear and whispered, “You want to know who I am?”  She pulled Wonder Woman’s face toward her so whoever was controlling her could see Chimera.  “I’m a goddamned goddess.”

She dropped Wonder Woman’s face so she could no longer see Chimera and winced.  It was kind of true in the cock your head to the side and squint kind of way.  Like a 3-D picture, you had to look really hard and focus on what was behind what was presented.  Okay, it wasn’t true, but there was a goddess involved somewhere and whoever was controlling the Justice League was listening.  It would be nothing but beneficial for their enemies to have the wrong idea about her.  It meant they not only didn’t know about the miraculous, but they would focus on the entirely wrong weaknesses, making them less able to figure out how to fight her.

Chimera gently laid the inoculation patch on Wonder Woman, watching it as it merged into her body.  Chimera let out a small breath, laying her hand on Wonder Woman and wishing a silent apology for the pain she would feel in the morning.  She looked over her shoulder, Robin was still holding his own against Batman.  He still had some tricks he could pull out.  She however was on a timer.  Trixx would time out any second now.  She looked toward where Rocket had been thrown earlier to see if she was moving yet. She could see some movement, but not much.

Chimera rushed over to her to see if anything was seriously wrong.  “I think my head’s going to be ringing for a few hours, but I’ll be okay.  I can still create bubbles.  Just point me where to go,” Rocket stated confidently, but the urge to hold her head in her hands was evident.

Chimera gave her an understanding smile.  “No.  You’ve already taken out quite a few members.  Go hide somewhere until you feel better.  We have almost everyone by now, just a few more.  It wouldn’t help anyone if they caught you in this state. Once you feel up to it, check with Aqualad to see where he wants you,” Chimera ordered her.  Rocket nodded and shuffled to another room to recover.  

Chimera let out a breath and found an alcove and hid herself… again.  She huffed at the thought and vowed to make the transition as quick as possible. “Trixx, Pollen, separate,” she whispered, causing Trixx to come spiraling out of her necklace.  She tossed a cookie to Trixx.  “Eat quickly.  Robin needs us.  And I have no idea where Superboy is.”  She tried to glance back nervously.

“Done, Guardian,” Trixx chirped after only a few seconds.

Chimera gave her a relieved smile.  “I think you’re getting faster.  Thank you so much, Trixx.  Trixx, Pollen, unite.”  Before the wave of light had completely engulfed her, she was already pulling Longg’s choker out of the flute.  “Pollen, Trixx, separate.  Great job, Pollen.  I will feed you as soon as this is all over,” she promised, moving to tuck the comb into the flute.  Pollen nodded in understanding and disappeared into the comb.  Longg spun out of the choker to face her the moment it was secure around her neck.  “Good evening, Guardian.”  Longg bowed to her.  

“Good evening, Longg.  I hope you’re ready to fight.  Longg, Trixx, unite.”  She was blowing her melody in the flute before the light was done. “Mirage.”  She was running the instant the word left her lips, her costume changing as soon as she finished the word.

She narrowed her eyes at the still ongoing fight between Robin and Batman.  She corrected her course toward their fight but skidded to a stop just in time to see Superboy burst through the ceiling and the floor right in front of her. “Superboy!”  She tensed to jump down to check on him, but got hit by Superman and knocked through the wall into the main meeting room before she could.  She shook her head to clear away the fog and moved quickly back to the fight, still a bit hazy from the hit.  

She got to the hole she had created in the wall just in time to see Batman kick Robin through the hole in the floor Superboy had created.  She quirked her lips to the side as the unbidden thought that they were going to be doing a lot of reconstruction when this is all done occurred to her.  Seriously, she and Superboy alone had been thrown through at least four objects, leaving gaping holes.

She jumped when Wolf hit the wall next to her with a loud thump.  She whipped her head around to see Martian Manhunter stalking toward them.  She will deny to her death that she yelped when Sphere came out of nowhere to knock him out of the way.  She shook her head again to focus on Batman and Superman.  She crawled through the hole in the wall and ran to the floor hole.  

She peeked over the edge in time to catch Superboy swing Robin in a circle before launching him into Batman.  Robin deftly placed the patch on Batman as they fell, rendering him unconscious before he hit the ground.  Chimera took the distraction as an opportunity to drop down through the hole, landing behind Superman, who was charging at Superboy.  

He heard her land and twisted mid-charge to swing at her instead.  She jumped back at the unexpected move, just barely missing the hit.  She dropped to miss his next kick and kicked her leg out instead to sweep his legs out from under him, but he floated up just enough to miss her leg, without having to resettle himself as he would if he had jumped. Instead, he could leverage his new height into a dangerous body slam.  “Cheater,” she grumbled, flipping out of the way before he landed with enough force to create a crater right where she had been a second before.  

Whoever was controlling them was clearly more familiar with Superman’s strengths than he had been with the others’ she’d come across already.  She flipped out of the way his punch, but it passed by closely enough that the low pressure created interfered with her trajectory just slightly, throwing her a bit off balance, just enough for him to grab her arm and throw her into Robin. They landed in a heap of tangled arms and legs and bruises.

Superboy punched Superman from the side, knocking him over a few feet.  Superman returned the punch, but Superboy blocked it.  He kicked Superman in the stomach, causing him to double over, but not as much as Superboy had been hoping.  Superman used the change to add power to his uppercut that connected with Superboy’s jaw with a sickening smack.  Superman kicked him, launching him into a wall.  The wall folded under the pressure, a spider web of cracks emanating from his point of contact.  Superboy fell, landing on his hands and knees, muscles shaking with the strain to get up again.  

Chimera kicked Superman’s knee from behind, forcing him to fall back slightly.  She was at his side in an instant with a well-placed punch, knocking him to the side. She rose up her leg to kick him back, but he grabbed her leg.  She tried to kick him with her other leg but he floated up into the air with her.  He spun around a few times and let go of her, launching her through a buttress and out of Superboy’s sight.

“Chimera!” Superboy screamed, searching for any indication of her status.  Not seeing any, he switched his focus back to Superman, who was still watching her to see what she would do.  Superboy’s face was contorted in a dangerous grimace, eyes narrowed and glaring at Superman. He kicked Superman in the back, sending him sprawling forward just enough to almost put him off balance.  He whirled on Superboy, using the momentum to increase the impact of his punch.  Superboy deflected the punch only allowing it to graze him.  Superboy delivered an uppercut of his own, knocking Superman back a few feet.  Superman stopped his backward momentum and flew forward with both fists in front of him, sending Superboy flying into the wall.

Robin tried to sneak up on Superman but he sent his fist out behind him, swinging his body after it, to backhand him.  Robin flipped back in a series of perfectly executed back handsprings.  Missing the entire volley of punches Superman sent his way.  The distraction gave Superboy the opportunity to grab Superman from behind and latch onto him, pinning down his arms.

“Sure about this?” Robin double checked, pulling a box out of his belt.  Conner had agreed to it when he’d gotten it out of the Batcave, but now it was actually happening.  Now he would have to actually feel the pain of it.  Now it was real.

“Do it!” Superboy yelled in confirmation, bracing himself for the pain.  His face was set in a determined frown.  He needed to check on Chimera and this was taking too long.

Robin nodded and opened the box, slowly advancing on the two supers as the tell-tale green glow of kryptonite emitted from the box. Superman and Superboy both groaned in pain and slowly started curling in on themselves.  Robin had almost reached them when he was knocked into the wall by Martian Manhunter.  He reached down and placed the shard of kryptonite back in the box, easing the drain on the two supers before turning back to Robin.  He moved quickly to attack, but Robin had jumped away before he could reach him.

Superman recovered quicker than Superboy.  He grabbed onto Superboy’s arms, which were still wrapped around his chest, securing them and Superboy, into place. He launched himself, or more precisely Superboy, into the wall behind them over and over again until Superboy was barely standing.  Superman turned and kicked Superboy in his sternum with enough force to knock out the already weakened super.

“Superboy!”  Chimera screamed.  She watched him, waiting for him to show any indication of movement.  Seeing none, she turned her focus to Superman, glaring at him with an intensity that would have put Batman to shame.  Superboy just couldn’t get a break from Superman.  It didn’t matter if he was being controlled or fully in control of himself.  No matter the situation, Superman kept making Superboy suffer, and for what?

She stood slowly, her entire body tensed like she was bracing for an impact, her arms hanging by her sides, but ready to spring at a moment’s notice.  She started walking slowly toward him.  She looked down so Superman couldn’t read her lips and silently mouthed “lightning dragon”. She slowly twisted her wrists as lightning crawled over her hands.  Her fingers crackled with the electricity surging over them.  Yellow sparks flared dangerously from her fingers, in short, controlled bursts.  “How bad can I make him hurt?” she asked sharply.

Robin’s eyes widened in surprise, almost not jumping out of the way to miss Martian Manhunter’s grab for him.  He’d never heard Chimera speak with such coldness.  Even when facing enemies, she was rational and never used excessive force.  The look in her eyes showed she was holding back now, the desire to hurt him warring with her natural inclination to protect.  “He’s still our friend,” he cautioned her between jumps and kicks. “He’s being controlled.”

“Right.  Just don’t kill him,” she nodded curtly.  She brought her hands in front of her, wrapping them around each other, forming a large ball of yellow lightning coursing through it.  Veins of electricity traced the invisible barrier she’d created and reinforced with her movements.  She controlled the power’s path.  She set the route and the destination.

Superman’s eyes narrowed and his body tensed to rush her. She gave him a second to demonstrate his super speed, allowing him to get closer to her before she struck, flicking her hands forward to direct the lightning at him.  He froze in pain.  He tried to move through the force of the lightning, but couldn’t get his body to function properly.  Electricity trailed over his body, around his legs and arms, over his chest, holding him in place, interfering with the internal electrical impulses controlling the muscles, pushing them to contract.  He screamed out in frustration and pain, trying to push through the restraints, but barely able to keep all his muscles from contracting and forcing him to curl into a ball.

Chimera’s face contorted in concentration and strain. She had not used Lightning Dragon before and utilizing it at full strength while maintaining an illusion of her regular costume, was quickly draining her energy.  She focused her full attention to Superman, trying to increase the strength until he passed out.  Her focus was distracted when Robin grunted loudly.  Chimera spared a quick glance to Robin.  

Her lightning almost faltered when she saw Martian Manhunter holding Robin strong enough to break bones.  She looked back to Superman, trying to run through her options. She couldn’t drop lightning.  Once she dropped it, Superman would start moving. She faltered for a second before deciding on her only option.  She moved her right hand toward Martian Manhunter, splitting the impact of her lightning.  

Martian Manhunter immediately dropped Robin in surprise and pain.  Robin fell into a crouch, quickly moving away from Martian Manhunter while he regained his breath.  He watched the scene before him.  Chimera was holding the two heroes at bay, but just barely.  Sweat had started dripping down her forehead from the exertion. With the force of her lightening split, Superman had started making progress toward her, though it slowed as he got closer and the strength of the lightning increased.  But, even slowed, it was still there.  He needed to act quickly to get to Superman before he got to Chimera.  Martian Manhunter was closer, so he would have to be first.

“Hurry up, bird boy,” she grunted.  “I’m starting to feel like the Emperor.”

“Drop Manhunter’s!” Robin called out as soon as he had positioned himself behind him.

Chimera moved her hand so they were both directed toward Superman, halting his progress only a few feet away.  Robin quickly placed himself behind Superman as well. “Cut it!”  He yelled out.  

Chimera turned her hands up with a sharp flick, cutting the lightning’s path.  She gasped for air, her chest finally feeling like it could fully inflate, as Superman collapsed on his hands and knees.  Before she could take a full breath, she was already on the move to check on Conner, trusting that Robin had placed the patch on Superman’s neck the moment the lightning cut.

“Conner!” she called to him, gently repositioning him to lay down on his back and lifting his head into her lap.  She gave him a quick check over to see if she could see any grievous injuries.  There was nothing that stuck out, but he would likely have bruises and maybe a concussion.  He may be invulnerable, but she wasn’t at all sure if that still that still held true against another Kryptonian.  They could kill one another after all, that had to mean it didn’t, right?

Robin crouched next to her.  “How’s he doing?”

“I’m not sure yet.  X-ray vision is his thing, not mine,” she motioned toward Superman. “But he’s breathing, so there’s that. Go, help the others get Savage. I’ll stay here with Superboy.  I’m going to need to recharge anyway.  Let me know if you guys need help.”

Robin nodded in agreement.  He laid his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it to give her silent comfort before running toward the Observation deck, where he was sure the rest of the team was heading as well.  

Chimera brushed Superboy’s hair away from his forehead. She quietly cooed at him, trying to urge him to wake up.  “It’s okay, Conner.  You’ll be okay.  We’re not done yet,” she reassured more for herself than for him.  She anxiously ran her hands through his hair, in what she hoped was a comforting ministration.  “I just need you to come back now.  Come back… to me… please.”

She took a deep breath and looked around her to make sure nobody was looking before pulling out a few treats from her flute. “Trixx, Longg separate.”  Trixx twirled out of her necklace with a tired smile.

“Guardian,” he nodded at her.

Chimera smiled back at him and tossed him a cookie. “Thank you, Trixx.  Eat up.  We might have more fighting before we rest.”  Trixx nodded and started eating the cookie.  “You did really well again, Trixx.”

Trixx smiled at her and twirled in the air. “It’s al…”

“Was that a light?” Conner muttered, scrunching his face and clamping his eyes shut to block out the light.

“Conner!” Chimera immediately brightened.  “How are you feeling?  Are you okay?”

“I feel like a human hit by a truck,” he groaned. “Repeatedly.”

Chimera chuckled.  “That’s probably about accurate.  Hopefully fewer broken bones though.”

“How are you?”  He tried to open his eyes but the brightness hurt.  Instead he slowly sat up and hunched over, trying to put as little strain on his aching muscles as possible.

“I’m fine,” she assured him.  “That spin move definitely looked a lot more fun when you did it to Robin than when Superman did it to me, but he didn’t hit me nearly as hard as he hit you, or as much.”

He hummed noncommittally.  He didn’t believe her, but he was in no position to argue currently.  He needed to focus on opening his eyes.  “Is it over?” he asked, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.  He slowly opened his eyes just a bit, blinking repeatedly to try to make them accustomed them to the light.

“I think so.  I haven’t heard anything over the coms yet.  The League have all been immunized.  The Team is just making sure Vandal is gone.”  Trixx floated in front of her with an urgent look, glancing back and forth between Superboy and Chimera.  Chimera’s eyes widened in realization.  She looked down at her suit, her distinctly not normal suit. Once Superboy turned her way, he would see her in a very different suit from normal.  He would know that her powers made her appear differently.  

She looked down at Superboy again and let out a long breath.  Would that be so bad?  Would it be so bad for Conner to know that her suit looked different depending on what power she was using?  She wasn’t going to tell him everything, just… more.  And this was Conner.  She trusted him with her life, and more importantly, she trusted him with her loved ones’ lives.  She trusted him and he deserved to know that, in a way that he would understand.  And there were just so many lies, she really needed there to be fewer.  She needed someone to know more, someone who could understand her.  

She motioned to the kwami to hide and looked back at Superboy.  “Hey, Conner?”

“Yes?” He kept his eyes closed, but inclined his face toward her to show her he was listening.

“Want to see something nobody else has ever seen?” There was a distinctive edge of vulnerability in her voice.

He scrunched up his face in confusion.  What could there possibly be on the Watchtower that nobody had seen.  “Okay?”

“Open your eyes,” she softly instructed.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.  His brows furrowed for a few seconds in confusion, letting his vision adjust before realization set in.  His eyes widened and he snapped up into a sitting position, swaying slightly from the change in blood pressure.  She reached out to steady him, watching him carefully to read his reaction.  He was staring at her in awe, mouth slightly agape.  

When he didn’t react for more than a few seconds, she looked to the side, nervous under his scrutiny.  “It isn’t… I can’t drop…”  She took a deep breath and looked back at him with a nervous smile.  “You know I said I draw on different powers?” He nodded mutely, too shocked by the change to be able to formulate words.  “I draw on two main ones, but occasionally add a new one if I need it. Each new power changes my appearance to enable the power.  I use mirage to hide it so nobody knows.  But I’m not doing that now.”

His eyes raked over the new costume and hair. He reached out to touch her face dumbfounded.  His fingers traced her mask.  The new shape felt odd, but didn’t seem out of place.  Her hair was still pulled back, but in an elaborate French braid, that trailed down her back and flared out like a tail.  The red and black of her current suit seemed to fit her much better than the brown and orange or her regular suit.  

But the thing that absolutely captivated him was her eyes.  They were blindingly, brilliantly, beautiful and visible.  For the first time since he’d met her, he could see her eyes. “Your eyes are blue,” he breathed out. She smiled gently at him and nodded. He stared at her entranced trying to memorize every aspect of her like it might be the last time he would ever see it, which if what she said was true, it very well could be.  “Why?”

“Why what?” she cocked her head to the side. “Why are they blue?”

“Why are you showing me?  I thought… I thought you couldn’t,” he answered breathily, still staring in her eyes, trying to memorize the exact color, a deeper shade of blue than his own yet still bright.  

“I’m not supposed to.  It’s still not me, not me me.  It’s another suit,” she babbled.  Superboy nodded distractedly, only partially taking in everything she was saying.  His eyes kept jumping from one detail to another, subconsciously comparing what she looked like now to what she looked like normally, searching for commonalities and differences to come up with a more complete picture of what she looked like.  

“Nobody has ever seen me in just this suit,” she continued.  “You’re the only one.  I wanted you to see… well, I want you to see more, but…” she furrowed her brow in consideration, trying to force out the words she wanted to say while at the same time trying to keep the tears in.  “There’s too many secrets.  I hate it. I can’t… How close can I get to anyone when it’s all lies?” she stuttered out, trying to organize her thoughts, but there were too many coming too quickly for her to divulge them in an orderly manner.  “How can you build trust when everything is built on lies?  How can I expect you guys to trust me when you don’t know me?”

Superboy shook his head adamantly.  His eyes became hard.  “You’re being stupid again,” he growled.

She looked up at him shocked and furrowed her brow. “You know calling someone stupid, isn’t as comforting as you seem to think it is.”

“Then stop being stupid.” He flicked her forehead. She pouted at him and rubbed her forehead.  “You don’t get to blame yourself because I screwed up.”  She opened her mouth to object but he cut her off before she could say some ridiculous, insane reason it was her fault.  “And what lies?  What you look like?  You’ve never lied about it.  We know that isn’t what you look like.  I know this isn’t what you look like.”

She opened her mouth again, but he cut her off again, more aggressively this time.  “No!  That was Savage’s mistake,” he argued, brows furrowed in frustration.  “He underestimated us.  We may not know the details, but we know what we need to know. I know you.  And you do know me.  You knew what drove me to use the shields.  I didn’t have to tell you.  You never suspected me of making a deal to get them.  You never doubted me.  Because you do know me.  

“And I know you.”  At some point during his speech he had started yelling, but he couldn’t stop now.  It was too important that she understood this.  “I don’t know who your parents are, but I know they love you and you love them.  I don’t know your friends’ names, but I know you think of them like family and would give everything you have for them, for us, without hesitation.  I don’t know what you want to do for a career, but I know you’re creative and have a drive and determination that whatever it is you want to do, you’ll succeed. And I know that you’ll drive yourself into the ground doing it unless you have someone there forcing you to sleep and take care of yourself.”  He gave her an annoyed look.

“I don’t know how powerful you are or will be, but I know you’re scared because you want to protect people from getting hurt, not cause it.  And I don’t know the names of all the people who broke your heart, but I know you use it to guide you in everything you do.”  He took a deep, calming breath and looked at her tenderly.  “I don’t know everything, but I trust you.”

She stared at him, frozen as she tried to process his words.  He started to question if he had broken her somehow when she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.  The hug both calmed her and set her skin on fire.  She buried her face in his shoulder to hide her blush and so she didn’t have to look in his eyes, because if she looked in his eyes, all of her resolve would fade and she would do something dangerous, for her and Conner and everyone else.

They broke apart before at the sound of Robin’s voice over the coms.  “Savage is gone.  How is Superboy?”

Chimera took a deep breath and pulled away, keeping her eyes on the ground.  “He’s awake. I’ll send him over while I recharge.” Superboy frowned at her, but nodded in understanding.  He didn’t want to leave.  It felt like they were close to something, but he wouldn’t force her into anything.

“Come on, our other teammates are waiting on you.”  She gave him a strained smile, swallowing down the bile that pushed up her throat.  The word was bitter on her tongue and she hated it.  She reached out her hand to help him stand up, keeping a close eye on him to make sure he was stable enough to stand on his own.  While he kept his eyes on her to make sure she was okay as well.

She nearly jumped when the New Year was announced over the internal system.  “Happy New Year, Justice League.”  

She let out a breath and chuckle.  She looked up at Superboy, feeling vulnerable under his soft gaze.  She smiled ruefully and leaned up to kiss his cheek.  “Happy New Year, Conner.”  She patted his chest and walked away to a more private area to recharge and catch her breath.

Recharged, refocused, and back in her normal suit, she joined Superboy on the observation deck, standing on the other side of Wolf from him, letting Wolf act as an emotional barrier for her.  She crouched down to pet Wolf and quickly check him over for injuries.  She cooed at him a few times and fell over laughing when Wolf accidentally knocked her over in his excitement.

Superboy smiled at her as he watched her play with Wolf. Laughing, he helped her up after Wolf knocked her down.  His arm twitched to be slung over her shoulders, but she seemed like she needed space and as much as it killed him not to touch her right now, he would never not give her the space she needed.  She suddenly straightened up.  “Oh my God! How much did I miss?”

Superboy looked down at her, a confused furrow in his brow.  “What do you mean?”

“Look at Robin and Zatanna.  The way they’re standing.  Their body language is completely different now.  There’s no way they didn’t kiss at midnight.  Look at those goofy smiles and blushes.  And look at Kid Flash with his arms around Artemis. They must have gotten together too!”

Chimera was jumping with excitement and tugging on his arm.  Superboy grinned at her enthusiasm and closeness.  He looked back to the group.  “Aqualad is looking a bit flustered too.”

Chimera cocked her head to the side to examine him, her eyes widening.  “Oh my god, you’re right.  Do you think Rocket kissed him, too?”  She grinned at the couples, but suddenly wrinkled her nose in disgust.  “They’re all going to be making out all over the Cave now, aren’t they?”  She looked back at Superboy.  “I’m happy for them and all, but I have no interest in seeing them making out.” Especially when she wasn’t able to herself.

Superboy laughed for a moment before he stilled, the idea hitting him too.  He scrunched up his face.  “Me either,” he agreed.  He wouldn’t want to see that in the first place, but seeing them do it and knowing he couldn’t do the same with Chimera was going to suck.  “We could always start carrying water guns around for whenever we see them making out,” he offered with a smirk.

Chimera’s eyes went wide, a mischievous smile spreading on her lips.  “Next time I go to the store I’ll get a few super soakers and a ton of water balloons.” They started giggling at the idea until they felt a presence behind them.

They turned around slowly, eyes widening at the sight of Superman, standing stiffly behind them.  “Hello Mr… Man,” Chimera scrunched up her nose.  “You know, you supers really have a problem with your names. You make it hard to mock you based on your name.  It’s rather annoying.”

Superman chuckled awkwardly.  “Sorry about that… I guess.  I’ll try to work on it.”

“Wouldn��t be my priority of things to work on, but you do you, I guess,” she muttered wryly, knowing full well both of them could hear her.  Superboy smirked, but hid it with a downturned face.  Chimera looked back and forth between Superman and Superboy, almost laughing at the awkwardness.  They both looked extremely apprehensive and nervous, looking anywhere but each other’s eyes.  She was starting to wonder if the inability to process emotions was genetic.  

She studied Superman closely as she waited for him to say why he had approached them.  He kept tensing his jaw like he was getting ready to say something before sending her a furtive glance and looking away.  “Riiiiight,” she drawled, rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels. “Oh look!  It’s Red Arrow… all alone… I should go check on him.  Let me know if you want me.”  She gave Superboy a supportive pat on the back and walked over toward Red Arrow.

She felt slightly guilty about abandoning Superboy to speak with Superman, but it looked like Superman really wanted to talk with him and wouldn’t with her around.  He looked contrite, which was a really good sign for them starting to move toward a relationship, and that was something that Conner desperately needed. She grimaced slightly at the thought that it might be all in her head, just wishful thinking that Superman had finally realized how much he was hurting Conner and that he was blaming Conner for being created.  If that was the case and he wasn’t going to try to make amends, she would personally recreate their earlier interaction… for scientific purposes, of course.

She glanced over her shoulder to check on their progress.  Her steps faltered as she saw Superboy reel back in mortification.  Superman reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder with an awkward smile, calming Superboy immediately.  They spoke a bit more then both looked her direction.  Superman’s expression was indecipherable. Bemusement, maybe?  But Superboy was giving her a proud smile.  She squeaked and turned back to Red Arrow, focusing on the task at hand.

She smiled slightly as she sat next to him on the steps.  “Hey. Good job earlier.  You were really brave going in like that, serving yourselves up like that for Savage.”

He shrugged and looked up with a wry smile. “It’s what I was programmed to do.”

“No, you were programmed to betray us,” she corrected him.  “You chose to help us.  You chose to protect the innocents from Savage and whoever he was working with.  You chose to risk your life.  That was all you,” she insisted firmly.  She watched him for a few moments.  Her determined set lips turned sympathetic.  “How are you feeling now that all the adrenaline is wearing off?”

He huffed out a bitter laugh.  “I have no idea.  I don’t know what is me and what is programming.”

Chimera nodded looking away, staring at the great abyss of space beyond the barriers of the Watchtower.  Her brow slowly furrowed in deep thought until the lines seemed etched deep enough they would never leave.  “I mean… we’re all programmed in a way.  Most of us not so literally, or so malevolently” she granted.  “But memories we wish we didn’t have.  Events we wish we could forget.  Involuntary reactions we wish we could control.”  She looked down at her hands, glancing over to him furtively every so often.  “I break out into sweats and start hyperventilating when I see either a butt… certain insects.  I can no longer function correctly.  It’s in my head now and I can’t get it out no matter how hard I try or how logical I am about it.  I can’t control the reaction.  It’s just there and I can’t make it go away.  I can never see them the same anymore.  Which is terrible because I used to love them.  They used to make me feel calm one kind of insect used to make me feel powerful.”

He stared at her for a few moments.  “What happened?”

She shifted her gaze to the floor for a few moments considering her answer before waving her hands like she was waving away his concern. She looked back at him with a supportive smile.  “It doesn’t matter.  My point is we all have things in our heads we can’t control and can’t get out no matter how hard we try.  Things that were put there against our will.  But… that’s what makes us who we are.  It’s all a part of us.  We wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t have it there.”  She looked at him for a second before her face fell.  “But, I mean… that’s a stupidly simplified comparison. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be dismissive of what you’re going through.  I do realize it is much worse than that.  And if you wanted it out, I’m sure Martian Manhunter could work with you to get it out.”

Red Arrow shook his head and laid his hand on her shoulder.  “No, no. That helped.  Thanks.”

She gave him a supportive smile.  “You know, if you need a place to stay while you’re dealing with everything, you can stay with us.  Even if you’re staying somewhere else but need a break, we’re always there. Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash are there all the time so they’d be there to hang out with.  Or, if you need space, Superboy and I can run interference,” she rushed to assure him.  The Cave was a sanctuary for her.  She wanted him to know it could be one for him as well.

“And you?” he asked quietly.  

She quirked her head at him.  “Me?”

“Will you be there to hang out with?”

“Oh!  Yeah, well, mostly.  I mean, I have school and other obligations, but yeah.  I live there so I’ll be there.  We’ve tried to make the Cave home for all the Team members.  Even if you aren’t technically a member of the Team, you’re still our teammate and we watch out for each other.”  She offered him a bright, reassuring smile.

From across the room, Superboy let out a satisfied laugh, his concerned frown from a few moments before turning into a smirk. Roy had just been teammate zoned, and he didn’t even realize it.  He could continue to flirt with Chimera as much as he wanted, he wasn’t going to get anywhere.  He made his way over to Chimera and Red Arrow.  He took a seat next to Chimera, close enough that their hips were touching.

“Couldn’t help but overhear…” he started.

“Was that because you were eavesdropping?” Chimera asked with a pointed look.

He avoided her eyes, leaning forward to look past her toward Red Arrow.  “Super hearing, can’t control it.”  He pointed to his ear and shrugged innocently.

“Uh huh,” Chimera mumbled, rolling her eyes.

“Anyway, we have lots of rooms in the Cave.  If you want one permanently or for a short term, feel free to take one,” he offered.

Red Arrow noted how close they were sitting and nodded, looking away.  “Thanks. I don’t think I can rest yet though.”

Batman walked over to the trio, focusing on Chimera. He opened his mouth but quickly closed it, seeming to think better of whatever he was going to say before trying again.  “You did good today.”  He glanced over to Superboy.  “You both did.  You two… work well together.”  Chimera blushed and looked down, not noticing Superboy do the same and Red Arrow roll his eyes and look away.

“Red Arrow?”  Batman stepped forward to catch his attention.  “We would like to discuss today’s revelations with you.”

Chimera could see Roy tense at the invitation. He nodded to Batman.  “I understand.” He stood and started following him, but Chimera stopped him, grabbing his wrist as she stood and pulling him into a tight hug.  “Good Luck,” she whispered.  “Don’t forget if you need us, we’re here.  That goes beyond just a room.”  The corner of Roy’s lips quirked up in a reluctant smile as he hugged her back.  He nodded to Superboy and followed Batman out of the room.

Chimera sighed deeply, watching him leave with Batman. She wrapped her arms around herself feeling impotent.  “I can’t imagine how hard this has to be for him.  I really hope he asks for help if he needs it.”

Conner stood and joined her, watching her with concern rather than Red Arrow.  “He knows we’re here.  You made sure.  Now it’s up to him to decide what he wants to do.”

“I hate it,” she grumbled.  She watched the spot where he disappeared for a few more seconds. If the Team hadn’t rescued Conner when they did, that could have been him, or worse.  They could have made him into anything they wanted.  He would have had nobody there for him, no support, just people criticizing him.  Speaking of which, “Oh, hey!  How’d it go with Superman?”

He startled for a moment with the new topic.  “It went okay.  He said we did good,” he hesitated before continuing.  “His last name is Kent, too.”

Chimera reeled on him in surprise. “That must be why Martian Manhunter suggested it… He didn’t seem mad that you had the same name,” she hedged.

“He wasn’t.  He said it fit,” he assured her with an uncertain smile.

Chimera squealed in excitement.  “That’s great Conner!”  

His smile turned bright at her excitement. “Yeah, I guess it is.  He said he likes you.”

Chimera stared at him wide eyed.  “Seriously?”

Superboy nodded with a chuckle.  “He said he’s glad I have someone like you watching out for me.”

She looked away at nothing.  “Who knew Mr.… Wait… Kent?  Like Clark Kent?  He’s Clark Kent?” she whisper shouted.

“Yeah?  You know him?” He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“I know of him.  Oh my God, if my best friend ever found out I electrocuted Clark Kent, she’d flay me.”  She looked toward where Superman had been standing and grimaced at the thought of Alya finding out.

Superboy furrowed his brow.  “Is he famous?”

“Eh,” she made a so so gesture with her hand. “He’s famous in journalism. Especially among those who report on superheroes.”  She quirked her lips to the side in thought.  “Huh, I guess that’s how he gets all those exclusives with Superman. Cheater,” she grumbled but with no real heat behind it.  She knew exactly why Alya had gotten all the exclusives she had gotten with the miraculous team so she really had no right criticizing someone else.

Superboy chuckled and looked over their teammates. He let out a long breath.  It had been an extremely long few weeks and he was ready to do something relaxing for as long as they were allowed to.  “Ready to go home?  Maybe watch a movie or just… sleep for a few days?”

Chimera slumped against his shoulder.  “That sounds amazing.  I just want to sleep until school starts in a few days.  What do you think are the odds they’ll let us?”

Superboy chuckled and shook his head, not wanting to admit the very low likelihood of it happening.  He slung his arm over Chimera’s shoulder and pulled her into his side as they walked.  “So… fall asleep watching a movie?”

She smiled up at him and hugged him around the waist as they walked.  “Definitely.”

Chapter 11

Tags:

@mickylikesstuff @mystery-5-5 @roguishredaxion @vroomtaka @laurcad123 @just-an-observer-ignore-me @emimar7 @moonlightstar64 @maribat-writing-and-prompts @aespades @yokomisaki @glastwime859 @mysticknown @glastwime859 @fan-writtenen @stackofrandomstuff @jalaluvsu @ultimatetornshipper @charme-de-malchan @lozzybowe @deathwishy @too0bsessedformyowngood @kokotaru @ichigorose  @nathleigh @dorkus-minimus @ira-sairain @jayjayspixiepop

[simpingforsoftboys]

Y/N and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

ft. OikAka (Oikawa x Akaashi)

!GN Reader!

Thanks so much for the request anon! Ngl I've never considered this ship but it kinda makes a lot of sense? Like damn they'd be so cute together- and with the reader? Woo! Love it! Going to go for hurt/comfort in this one!

Also yes, the title is based on that one kids book.

Today had been a pretty terrible day for you. Your boss was in a bad mood- meaning she had been increasingly rude to you throughout the day, the office's wifi cut out while you were finishing up the report you had worked tirelessly on for the past week, and you had accidentally dropped your phone in a puddle- screen down- effectively cracking the screen and rendering it unusable (since the insides got wet too). Needless to say, it was quite possibly the worst day you've ever experienced. It took absolutely every ounce of strength to prevent yourself from bursting into tears in the street. There was nothing you wanted to do besides break down and eat a tub of ice cream- actually, being comforted by your lovers would be a good alternative. The only good thing that had happened so far was getting to go home early- since your boss was not in a working mindset and instead decided to go get drunk, a little after noon. It's not really a good thing actually, just means you'll have more work to do the day after tomorrow.

Crying sounded really good right now.

Fifteen minutes later you got off the bus and walked into your apartment complex. The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor was devoid of any other residents. Alone in your misery, you allowed your bottom lip to wobble.

The elevator dings- signaling that you've arrived on your floor.

You step out of the lift and into the hall. The walk to your front door is just as long as usual but somehow feels as though it took an eternity. Seems like your bad fortune followed you home- since the house key breaks, leaving the bottom half in the lock itself.

You're locked outside.

Again, it's a struggle to hold back the tears.

Keiji and Toru wouldn't be home at the moment, since the both of them were out on a date. (There's nothing wrong with that- it's just as important to have one on one dates as it is to have dates with the three of you. You also have plenty of dates with just Toru or Keiji by themselves.) Looks like you'll have to call your landlord... oh wait your phone is broken... and you forgot that he's on his yearly vacation in Seoul at the moment.

Maybe one of your neighbors will let you use their phone to call one of your partners! Nodding to yourself, you get up and knock on Rina-san's door. She's not home. Swallowing your mild frustration, you move along the hall to the next door. Kento-san's not home either. This pattern continues for the next few doors- eventually you just give up. The other apartments are vacant after all, still under renovation.

You return back to your apartment's door and slide down to the ground- back to the wood. Lips quivering, frustration evident, you bow your head and let the tears fall. There's no other noise in the hallway aside from your quiet sobs.

Today was just the worst.

Did you accidentally upset the universe somehow? Or maybe you said something disrespectful and some culture's god was angry at you.

Tears still streaming from your tear ducts, you let your head softly slam back against the door. There's so many things you're feeling right now. Sadness- because you really wanted to have a good day and now that you can't have that you want to be comforted, resentment- at the world, at yourself, at everyone. It wasn't fair- and by that you mean everything- every single, little thing was unfair. Anger- because damnit what else could you be feeling right now? The situation was beyond your control- anyone would feel angry in your shoes. It's hard to fathom that somewhere in the world, someone was suffering worse than you were at the moment.

You didn't care about them.

All you were focused on was how you were feeling.

Thinking that way suddenly made you feel very self conscious.

Maybe there was a reason for the day going like this.

A humbling experience perhaps?

That thought had you seriously wondering if you had actually done something unfathomably terrible... but your memory came up blank. 

The lift dinged.

You had to force yourself to look in the direction of the noise.

The overhead lighting seemed almost heavenly- surrounding your saviors in an unearthly way and appearing to give them halos. 

Why did they look so shocked to see you?

Isn’t that what they’re here to do?

Save you from your plight?

“Y/n darling, what are you doing here on the ground?” Keiji asks, beating Toru by a millisecond and running over to your side- pulling you into his comforting embrace. His hold makes you feel safe, likening him to the firm, concrete walls of strongholds. Yes, Keiji feels secure, strong, and upright. You just know that you can collapse against him and he won’t waver.

Looks like your tears aren’t dried out yet, because you let out a choked sob, dripping snot and all- burying your face into his neck. 

“Shh, it’s alright baby- me and Keiji have you.” Toru says softly, finally coming to your side and wrapping his long arms around the two of you. His hug feels different. It’s like lava- but not quite so. He could burn you- but he chooses to use his heat to bring you comfort instead- only burning those he deems a threat to what he calls his. He’s flexible but will give it all up at a moments notice- trading that mobility for statuesque stillness- letting himself cool, despite his better judgement, in order to become a tall, rock wall capable of protecting you and Keiji. 

You’re warm and you’re safe.

They construct walls around you.

So you let your own walls fall, trusting them to protect you when you’re at your most vulnerable.

“I-I had a really bad d-day.” You whimper into the ravenette’s milky skin. He can feel the hot tears against the column of his neck but chooses not to say anything- instead he holds you tighter. “My boss w-was in a s-shitty mood, I couldn’t f-finish my report in time c-cause the wifi cut out. My p-phone broke- and my k-key did too-” Overwhelmed once again, you cut yourself off and fall back into silence, sniffling quietly. 

“I’m sorry Y/n, you shouldn’t have had to go through all of that.” Keiji says- and you can hear the sincerity in his tone. You bask in his company for a long while, trying to pretend that time stopped- just for the three of you. 

“I need to get the key out okay? Then we can go take a nice bath inside, how’s that sound?” Keiji whispers softly, not wanting to upset you but also wanting you to understand the benefit of letting him go. You’re tempted to say no- wanting to just enjoy his touch, but your rational side tells you that you’ll get all the cuddles you want once you’re in the apartment. 

“O-okay... sounds good.” You move to cling to Toru, while Akaashi begins removing some bobby pins he has hidden in his hair and gets to work. 

“Hey babe.” Your brunette lover murmurs, turning your chin up to gaze into his eyes. “You’re wheezing so much, am I really that breathtaking?” The two of you stare at each other- personally you don’t know if you want to laugh at his horrible attempt at humor or if you want to cry. So you settle on slapping the back of his head. 

“Not the time ‘ru.” You scold, but there’s an undeniable smile on your face.

“Ouch... okay okay I’m sorry!” He apologizes, rubbing the back of his head. “I just hate seeing you so sad.”

“I know ‘ru... thank you.” Toru lets out an acknowledging hum and you can feel the way his heart beat increases ever so slightly. He’s so warm- his fiery love practically oozing out of his being. You love him so much.

A few minutes later, Keiji manages to get the broken part of the key out of the lock and the three of you can finally go home. He’s always been so clever- and you’re reminded again, why you love him.

The three of you head inside...

You take a relaxing shower (since all three of you can’t fit in the small bathtub), then cuddle up together on your king sized bed, tubs of ice cream in hand and candles lit to set the mood. Your favorite comfort show is streaming from the television, both the loves of your life sandwiching you between them, and you realize just how fortunate you are. 

You’ll take as many bad days as necessary- so long as you get to come home to this. 

Maybe, the universe was fair to some after all.

Just maybe- you could consider yourself one of the lucky ones.

I hope this was what you were looking for and more! It’s a little on the shorter side but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out!

[perriewinklenerdie]

Liar, Liar (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N:  Hello, hello, hello! How's life? It's two days till school starts and a little over a month till uni starts back up, so you can feel the desperation in the air. This fic took me like, two weeks to finish, because we love being lazy and would rather sleep than write (so, like, most of the times as of late for me, what you gonna do, right?), but it's here now. I did proof read, but it's possible that something slipped my attention, sorry if there are any mistakes :D

Also, IT’S LESS THAN A WEEK TILL OH COMES BACK, LET IT BE GOOD, PLS

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198620

Tag list: @paleweasels, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian, @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h @justanotherrookie @mvalentine

Enjoy! <3

----------

He knew that he shouldn’t feel like an idiot; that didn’t mean that he didn’t. Standing in front of the hospital, tapping his foot impatiently and checking his watch every five seconds, like it would speed up time. He was never a patient man, and every minute of delay got on his nerves, making him even more anxious than he was in the first place.

If he could have it his way, he wouldn’t even be going in the first place. Claire, however, decided that ‘no way in hell is he declining his Father’s invitation again’, so he didn’t really have a choice.

“When did this happen?” he asked her, right after she convinced him, both of them sitting on the couch, watching some TV show. She turned her head towards him, wrinkles forming on her forehead in confusion.

“When did what happen?”

Running his hand up and down her arm, he shrugged before answering. “It’s hard for me to say ‘no’ to you.”

“I mean, you can.” An innocent smile grew on her features. She gripped his shoulders, straddling him before he could decipher her intentions, then leaned in, making their noses touch. “But do you really want to, now?”

“No.” he answered, causing them both to laugh. Her lips brushed against his, once, twice; she then tried to back away, but found herself unable to do so, with his arms wrapped tightly around her, keeping her in place. “No.”

“There you go.”

The sound of a car horn going off drew him out from the memory, back into the parking lot, where a car stopped right in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing a very smug blonde. She leaned towards him, sliding her sunglasses down her nose slightly.

“Get in loser, we’re going shopping.”

His gaze narrowed as he walked closer, leaving his work bag in the back of the car before going to sit in the passenger’s seat. Claire was still looking at him, her eyes sparkling flirtatiously. He sighed deeply, fastening his seatbelt.

“I may get the reference after you made me watch the movie, and we may be dating, but I’m still your boss, Dr. Herondale.” He reminded, his tone stern.

“Nope.” Her voice was strained as she leaned over the console, trying to close the compartment in front of him. “For the next three days, you’re only my boyfriend.” Breathing out in relief when she successfully finished her task, she straightened herself. “No work, no bosses, just you, and me, okay?”

The workaholic in him hesitated. Three days without any sort of work-related activities wouldn’t be something he came up with, but the rational side of him knew, that she was right. They’ve been working nonstop for the past few weeks, cases more demanding that they expected. He’s told her many times to take a break, and she would always refuse, saying that she will rest when he will; he couldn’t argue with that logic, nor with her when she eventually would decide for both of them that it’s late and pull him out of his office to go home.

“Okay.” He nodded, smiling at how wide her grin was. She extended her hand towards him, waggling her fingers. He took her hand, which made a blush appear on her cheeks, accompanied by a gentle laugh.

“While I love holding your hand, that wasn’t what I meant.” She cleared her throat, schooling her features into a scowl. “Your phone, Ramsey.”

Ethan’s eyebrow went up, clearly thinking she was joking, but a second later he realized that she absolutely wasn’t. “And just why would I do that?”

She sighed heavily, reaching with her other hand towards his pant pocket, fishing out the device. “Because I know you. You’ll get bored at one point or the other and will start reading medical articles just to do something.” He began to protest, which she quickly stifled with a short kiss, rendering him speechless. “You know I’m right. And besides, I’ll be there to entertain you in case you have too much time and start to think about working.”

“I’ll hold you to it.” he gave her hand a squeeze, noticing something shimmery around her wrist. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was an elaborate bracelet, many gemstones hanging from a golden chain. She caught him staring, rushing to explain.

“It’s my lucky charm bracelet.” Shaking her hand, she let it catch the last rays of the sun before it disappeared behind the clouds, sparkling with dimming light.

“How many lucky charms does one person need?” he snickered, catching a sapphire stone between his fingers.

“When you’re me? All of them.”

And with that, they were on their way. The ride wasn’t long, and yet, Claire insisted that he took a nap to rest, reaching for the pillow she had stored for him behind her seat. He had a night shift and didn’t get the chance to grab a cup of coffee in the morning, so he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and fell asleep.

When he woke up, they were about halfway there. Somewhere during his rest, she covered him with a blanket as it got colder outside. He pulled the seat back into the upright position and took a look outside the window.

“How long was I asleep?” he asked, suppressing a yawn. Claire adjusted her hold on the steering wheel before glancing at him.

“Judging by the redness of your eyes, not long enough.” she pointed out, smiling when he scoffed at her remark. “Thirty minutes, more or less.”

His hand wandered towards her, resting comfortably on her thigh, running up and down in a soothing manner. The corners of her lips went up, her eyes trained on the road. The sound of the rain that started to trickle outside combined with the quiet comfort on the inside created a perfect concoction, causing his eyes to drop again a bit. He noticed that it was affecting Claire too, blinking twice as often as she normally did.

“Do you want me to take over?” he murmured, watching her closely. She shook her head, her knuckles getting a bit whiter from the force with which she was holding the wheel.

“I’m okay; it’s you who didn’t sleep last night, so use that time to rest. If you’re hungry or thirsty, there’s food and water in the bag on the backseat.”

“You really thought of everything, didn’t you?” he leaned forward, pressing his lips to her shoulder. Her scent filled his senses, blocking out everything, making her, once again, his one and only focus. “Please tell me the second you’re too tired to drive.”

“Yes, Doctor.” She teased him, touching her head to his when they were waiting for the light to turn green. It was at that moment that the sound of a ringing phone pierced the otherwise silent atmosphere of the car. Ethan pleaded with his eyes, recognizing his ringtone, trying to convince her to give him his phone back, but she shook her head, already answering the call.

“Hello, Mr. Ramsey!” Claire greeted his father, her voice bright and easy. Alan said something that Ethan couldn’t quite decipher, but it clearly must have been funny if it made her laugh to the point of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. It also was most likely about him, because as soon as she sneaked a peak at him, she giggled louder. “No, Ethan cannot pick up his phone, he’s on vacation from work. Can I pass a message?” Some more incoherent words that Ethan had no way of understanding, and the call was over, his phone returning to the compartment near her. “He asked me to tell you that you should listen to me and relax.” She said, choosing to ignore with a smirk the way he shook his head at her.  

Before they both knew it, they reached Alan’s house. The sky has cleared, revealing the sun, shining above their heads as it began to aim itself towards the horizon again. They were getting their bags out of the trunk when an excited voice called out for them.

“You two are just in time for dinner!” The older man stood next to them, hugging his son tightly before greeting Claire and taking the bag out of her hands. He nodded towards the house, inviting them inside.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, they were hit with the scent of food, making their mouth water. Alan expected them to be there soon, so he was prepared, with wine glasses sitting on the counter, food resting in the oven and a bottle of Bordeaux waiting to be opened. Having left the bags in the guest room, they made their way to the kitchen, all three of them working in complete comfort around each other, preparing the table and carrying food to the dining room. Like they’ve known each other forever; like they were a family for a long time and have done it a dozen of times.

Ethan wasn’t kidding when he once told her that his father was an amazing cook. She couldn’t tell which one of the two cooked better, as both knew their way around the kitchen and both excelled in different kinds of cuisine, having the common ground in desserts, especially (surprising no one) chocolate.

The evening was in full swing, the table cleared of plates, cutlery, and empty dishes, leaving only glasses of wine. Claire was sitting closely to Ethan, her palm sitting on his shoulder, his hand resting comfortably on her thigh. At the current moment, the couple was looking at one another, bickering playfully about who was the last one to do the laundry. To Alan, they looked like a married couple, with how comfortable they were with one another and the topics of their discussions. Neither could remember and neither would back down, being a pair of stubborn people, so they decided to agree that it’s a tie, hooking their pinkies and shaking on it. Immediately after, Ethan pulled her by her finger onto him, pressing a soft kiss to her nose.

“So, was it love at first sight?” Alan asked, laughing at their antics. They both fell silent, turning towards him with blank expressions. Claire was the first one to break out of it, leaning back into her chair with a mix of a giggle and a scoff.

“Whoever told you that is a filthy liar.”

Ethan didn’t even try to deny it, mirroring her position in his seat as his head turned towards her, smirking. “She was a pain in the ass before she was anything else.”

“Are you saying that I’m not anymore?”

“Oh no, you still are, but it’s so much more now.” his voice dropped back to the gentle whisper with every word he said, unable to stop the smile from pulling the corners of his lips upwards. Claire used the moment of his helplessness, grabbing him by his chin and making their eyes meet.

“You were an asshole for the majority of time at the beginning.” She hummed, letting him go, smirking at the way his expressions morphed from stunned to agreement. “Similarly, though, you’re not that bad now. It changed.”

“Most likely in Miami.” Alan noted, not thinking too much about it, unaware just how significant of a response his words would get. Claire, who was at the time taking a sip of her wine, choked on it, coughing excessively. Ethan, on the other hand, froze in place, unsure how to approach the situation. She didn’t even have to ask for him to know that she wanted some kind of an explanation.

“I, uh, may have slipped up while talking to Dad a couple of months ago.” A blush creeped up his neck, accompanied by an endearing smile. Claire pressed her palm to his cheek, turning him towards her.

“Aww, don’t be embarrassed! If it made you feel better about our very complicated situation, then I’m glad you had someone to talk to.” she beamed warmly, kissing his cheek softly, sweetly, tracing the line of his cheekbone with her thumb.

“To be fair, I did ask a lot of questions.” The older man confessed, pulling the attention of the pair back to him. “He seemed stressed, like a walking time bomb, so when I asked what made him this-“ he paused, spreading his arms to indicate the state in which his son seemed to be at the time. “- he started talking, and since he never talks, I tried to help him work it out.”

Claire nodded, running her fingers through Ethan’s hair, her hand resting comfortably on the back of his chair. “He does have a tendency to keep everything on the inside. I make him talk too.” She dropped her voice to a whisper, grinning widely as she spoke directly to Alan. “He hates me for it.”

“I don’t hate you, I just- I-“ Ethan jumped to his defense, struggling to word his thoughts. He gave up when he saw very clear amusement on both of their faces. “I can’t with you two.”

The night soon ended, as did the wine in the bottle. Claire jumped up, declaring that she’s going to finish up the cleaning in the kitchen, while the two of them should go get ready for sleep. Alan tried to protest, but she pulled the ‘you-cooked-I-clean’ card, so he didn’t have the needs to fight this logic.

She was in the middle of cleaning the pan when she felt the softest touch on her shoulders. Goosebumps rose on her neck, induced by the hot breath that brushed against her skin. “You know you can leave it for the morning?”

“Ethan Ramsey, are you telling me to ditch my responsibilities?” she mused, scrubbing the bottom of the dish while trying to ignore the patterns he was tracing with his fingers. He trailed his hands down her sides, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her to him.

“I am. You deserve a break too.” He began pressing openmouthed kisses along the line of her back. He sighed when she didn’t make a move to stop what she was doing. “At least let me help you.”

He walked over to stand by her side, towel in hand, drying the cleaned dishes and putting them away. Her hair shielded her face, making it impossibly hard to notice the subtle change in her expression. He caught it a second too late, losing the chance to protect himself from the incoming attack. A wave of water and bubbles crashed into him, soaking his clothes and hair, accompanied by her hysteric giggle.

Slowly turning to her, he looked between the sink, still plenty of water there, and her, predicting she was going to make an attempt to dodge his retaliation. His shot was perfectly timed and aimed, bringing her to the same level. A complete chaos fell over the kitchen, nothing was safe, and nothing was spared.

Truce was forced upon him when she grabbed him by the sides of his face and hauled him onto her, crashing their lips together in a heated kiss. A low hum reverberated in his chest as his eyes fell shut, enhancing his other senses. How enchanting her scent was, reminding him of early mornings when he would bury his face in her hair. How her body fit into his arms like she was made to be in them, like two puzzle pieces, creating the same picture together.

Claire’s fingers were tangled in his hair in a matter of seconds, keeping him as close as physics allowed. The counter was digging into her lower back, the sensation being the only thing grounding her in reality. Everything else was overshadowed by Ethan. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating. The movement of his lips against hers took her all the way back to Miami, where they kissed like it was worth going to hell for, like they were starved, like they were the salvation for one another.

His hands gripped the fabric of her shirt harshly, exposing the skin of her back, extracting droplets of water from the material. They’ve been this close more times than he could count, but the sensation always felt like brand new, like it was their first time, getting to know each other all over again. He trailed his lips down towards her throat, focusing on the dip by the collarbone, eliciting the boldest sigh she dared to let slip out.

Claire didn’t stay indebted for long, scratching his scalp with her nails, drawing a deep groan out of him, his body betraying him in his attempt to keep his desire for her on the low. She couldn’t see the smirk that resided on his face through her eyelids, but she knew damn well that it was there. He’s always been smug at how much he affected her, how much her body told him without words.

“We should keep quiet.” He muttered, failing to suppress the desperate moan at the feel of her pushing him onto her with her leg around his calf. She giggled softly, pulling their faces to the same level.

“Then why are you so loud?” her words were one last warning before their lips crashed again, their hands rushing to touch every square inch of each other’s bodies as thoroughly as they could. He picked her up without missing a beat, leaving the flooded kitchen far behind them.

--------------

The first thing he felt that morning was the featherlight kisses, tracing the line between his shoulder blades. Hot breath caused goosebumps to pepper his skin, slowly bringing him to consciousness.

“Good morning.” Claire’s whisper reached him from right below his ear, her voice provoking a shiver to run down his spine. Without opening his eyes, he leaned upwards, curled his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, pressing her into the mattress with his weight. His head rested in the crook of her neck, his lips touching her anywhere they could reach.

“It’s not morning until we get out of bed.” He growled lowly, his kisses gaining intensity. Their bodies were covered by thin blankets; the only thing shielding them from the biting coolness of the early hours of the day. Clothes were lost few hours prior in the heat of the moment, both of them giggling like a pair of teenagers sneaking around, shushing one another every so often and silencing with urgent kisses.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how the definition of ‘morning’ goes, but… I won’t go anywhere if you won’t.” Claire nuzzled her nose against his hair, taking a deep breath, the scent of his shampoo surrounding her briefly. She was moments away from falling asleep again, when she sensed him changing the position slightly, his lips moving upwards. He stopped a breath away from her, waiting for her move, which at first seemed like it would never come. His eyes opened slowly, finding hers already watching him, crinkling playfully. She raised her hand, running her fingers through his hair.

“Like this, you’re even more handsome.” She whispered, making Ethan’s eyebrow shot up in amusement.

“Like what?”

“Relaxed. Peaceful. All mine.” she tugged on his ear teasingly, watching him nod slightly in confirmation, a hint of red creeping onto his cheeks. “Even though that’s not the hottest I’ve seen you.”

Adjusting his grip on her, he asked, more intrigued than ever. “Oh really? Then what state of Ethan Ramsey does Clarissa Herondale find the most attractive?”

She leaned closer to him, her lips brushing his when she spoke. “When you’re displaying your intelligence. When you’re diagnosing, showing off how insanely smart you are. You’re irresistible.”

Ethan pressed their lips together the second she finished her sentence, winding his arms tighter around her. Climbing on top of her completely, he caged her between his limbs, allowing him to look at her from a different angle when their kiss eventually broke.

“I’ll have you know, that my view on when you’re ‘hot’ is very similar.”

As cliché as that sounded, their moment was cut short by three gentle knocks on his childhood bedroom door, making them both freeze in place. They scrambled to sit up and reach their clothes, pulling them on hastily when Alan called out from the corridor.

“Son, I wouldn’t want to walk in on something that would make us all uncomfortable, so if you two could meet me downstairs soon, I’d be grateful.”

Ethan’s face was white, horror seeping onto it with alarming rate. Claire, on the other hand, was biting her lip as hard as she could, trying all she could to stop herself from laughing out loud. She nudged him, leaving the bed, getting dressed as she went. Noticing that he didn’t make a move to get up, she collected his clothes for him, smirking at how red his cheeks were.

“I’ve never been in a situation like this in my whole life.”

“Well, there’s always time for a first.”

Not even five minutes later, they stepped into the living room, Alan already waiting for them by the entrance to the kitchen. Claire waved at him, overcoming the embarrassment momentarily. “Good morning, Mr. Ramsey!”

“Good morning, Claire. Before we begin eating, I have a question for you two. When I went to bed last night, what did you do?”

Blonde woman turned to look at her boyfriend, noticing how pale he was, frozen in place yet again. Knowing that she would have to be the one to do the talking, she tried to figure out what she was supposed to say, when Alan, clearly realizing what the two of them thought he was asking, rushed to elaborate.

“Ethan, please breathe, you’re going to suffocate. I meant, what happened to my kitchen?” he nodded towards the room with his head, both doctors leaning forward to look inside.

The floor and cabinets were flooded with water. They looked at each other, then towards Alan, pointing fingers at one another, shrugging their shoulders, refusing to take the blame. The older Ramsey man sighed, shaking his head at their antics, inviting them to the table for breakfast.

“You two, liars, are never doing dishes together again.”

[tanyawritesstories]

An Apple A Day | Doctor!Anakin Skywalker x Reader Modern AU

I got this idea from a post of Julia's and I had to write it. It was so fun, I spent every spare minute I had yesterday writing it on my breaks at work.

@anakinswhore and @starwarsdust here it is! I hope you enjoy it, I think I got every point mentioned in that post. I hope I did your man well!

Word count: 2,260

Warnings: fluff, flirting, bad doctor jokes, sexual innuendos, Anakin being cheeky

•••

You hated going to the Doctor. You felt fine, why bother paying someone just to have them tell you what you already knew? It didn't matter, you knew it was probably a good idea and your parents always encouraged you to go. You could practically hear your mother’s voice: “You might feel fine but there are things they can find out with their technology that you’ll never even notice.” You nearly rolled your eyes at the thought. Hell, if an apple a day actually kept the Doctor away, you might be inclined to eat them.

You wandered up to the receptionist and gave her your information as she got you checked in. “Just to let you know, Dr. Atkins isn’t in today, she’s on vacation, but we do have a substitute,” the lady informed you. You raised your eyebrows questioningly. “He’s relatively new but everyone he works with says he’s amazing and his patients rave about him.”

You sighed, “Ok, not like I have much of a choice I suppose, thank you.”

“We’ll call you back when we’re ready.”

You took a seat in the stereotypical hospital waiting room. Chairs with boring colors and scratchy upholstery, carpet with some of the strangest designs you’ve ever seen, and an old tv in the corner stuck on an HGTV marathon of House Hunters. You sat scrolling through your phone, trying to do anything to drone out your surroundings.

“Y/N L/N?” A nurse called from the doorway next to the desk. You reluctantly removed yourself from the chair and followed her down the hallway. She took your height and weight before ushering you into an exam room. The nurse proceeded to take your blood pressure and note any changes since your last visit, which you were proud to say had been around six years ago, though the nurse seemed to disapprove.

“I’m finished here, just sit tight and Doctor Skywalker will be with you shortly.”

You laughed out loud after she shut the door. Skywalker? What kind of name was that? You sat kicking your legs back and forth on the exam table, toying with your fingernails. You fully expected this Dr. Skywalker to be some older guy with an ego bigger than your apartment, thinking he could cure every ailment under the sun. You jumped when there was a knock on the door and the Doctor walked into the room. He was not at all what you had pictured.

He was a younger guy, probably in his mid to late twenties and very attractive. He fixed you with an intense but gentle and kind look as he extended a hand to you.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Doctor Anakin Skywalker. You must be Y/N?”

You found yourself frozen, staring at him for a moment before coming out of your stupor and shaking his hand. “Yes, nice to meet you too,” your voice came out as a barely audible squeak, though you hadn’t meant it to. He pulled a rolling stool over from the other side of the room and sat down facing you, beginning to look through a computer at the nurse’s notes.

God, he was gorgeous. His hair was shoulder length and the color a medium brown, it looked fluffy as it framed his face and you wanted to run your fingers through it. His face was friendly and his presence brought a comfortable and calming aura to the room. He was dressed in the usual Doctor attire, a spotless lab coat, black trousers, a light blue button down, and black dress shoes. Somehow it looked so much better on him.

“How are you feeling today?” He asked, putting the laptop on the counter. His voice was soothing and pleasant to listen to, it held firm tones but overall gentleness.

“I’m fine,” you responded quietly. He was having this strange effect on you, he was intimidating but in the best possible way. You were never normally this quiet or shy, moments ago you were ready to complain about the fact that you even had to be here. Now you found yourself rendered nearly speechless in front of this handsome young Doctor.

“Just here for a regular check up then, correct?” He asked. You nodded and managed a small smile, not trusting your voice. He smiled and you nearly choked on oxygen as he grabbed the stethoscope from around his neck and stood next to you. He was tall and towered over you, you tried to keep your breathing in check but you couldn’t exactly force your heart to slow down it’s beating.

He put one of his hands on your back and pressed the instrument over your chest. His hands were large and warm and your skin felt like it was on fire through your clothes from his touch. You chewed on the inside of your cheek as his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Your heart is beating a little fast, are you doing ok?” You nodded again, “Yeah, I guess I’m just nervous at Doctor appointments.” Your voice had returned to it’s normal volume at last. “Don’t worry that’s completely normal,” he said, “Other than it being a little flustered, your heart sounds good.” He made eye contact with you as the word ‘flustered’ fell over his lips, which you found yourself stealing glances at.

He switched the stethoscope to your back, placing his hand on your shoulder as he gave you instructions to breath in and out as he listened to your lungs. That also helped to calm yourself down, except now your skin was burning in yet another place where he touched you. “Your lungs sound good, too,” he announced with a satisfactory smile. He asked you to sit up as straight as you could and he ran his fingers down the length of your spine, leaving sparks in their wake. Your breath hitched without you knowing it.

“Are you doing alright still?” You nearly flinched with how close his voice was to your ear. “Yea, I’m alright,” you answered. Better than alright, you thought. “Good, just let me know if you’re ever uncomfortable or need a minute, ok?” He consoled, reaching for another tool on the wall. He was calming and reassuring and it just drew you to him more. He used the tool to look into your ear canal, all while he laid one hand on the back of your neck to keep your head steady. “That one looks good, turn your head for me..” he took the tool in his other hand, leaving your neck void of his searing touch. He touched his fingertips lightly to your jaw, urging you to turn your head.

You ears look perfectly healthy as well, however,” he paused to touch the back of his hand to your forehead for a brief second, “You look really hot to me," he held your eyes in a smouldering glance as he said it, "so I think I’ll take your temperature, just in case. I'd hate to send you out of here without knowing you're ok.” He crossed the room to get another piece of equipment and you touched your hands to your face, indeed feeling how hot it was. You couldn’t ignore the flirty little look he gave you as he delivered the line, he had probably noticed you blushing since he stepped foot in the room.

He came back with a thermometer in hand. He stood directly in front of you, your knees brushing against his thighs. “Alright, open wide, I’m just going to stick this under your tongue,” he instructed. That one had you salivating, and not only in your mouth..

He was speaking innocently enough and any normal person wouldn’t think anything of it. But with this insanely attractive and doting Doctor standing in front you, saying those words like that, it caused your mind to drift to only dirty places.

"This might cause a little discomfort, I'm just going to shine this light into your eyes for a few seconds," Dr. Skywalker informed you. You decided to be bold and chanced a comment back. "I've had worse things in my eyes," you said, smirking. He sent you a look, and you thought you had gone too far. "Yeah, I thought I saw something in there, but it was just a sparkle," he replied, smirking right back. He turned to type away at the computer and you stifled a giggle.

Your eyes stayed glued to Dr. Skywalker as he finished your exam, checking a few other things.

"Alright, so you look great. Everything is in order, you're perfectly healthy," he announced. "The only thing I would suggest is eating more fruit, you seem to be getting a limited amount of essential vitamins."

"I'm not a big fan of fruit," you admitted. "How about smoothies?" He suggested, "It's a healthy way to get the vitamins you need and if you add sugar it may not taste as bad."

You smiled at him and slid off the exam table. "I just might give it a try," you said. "Great! Other than that you're all set. If you ever need anything, just call me," he used that flirty tone of voice again and winked at you. "I would say I hope I don't see you again since I'd like to stay healthy, but, I know not to lie to my Doctor," you said smugly.

He opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Anakin, your next patient is waiting," an annoyed voice with a slight Scottish accent said from outside. You smiled and gave him a wink before exiting the room and finding your way to the lobby.

Bonus content, (because I got hooked on this concept):

That weekend you found yourself at your favorite bar after a hard day at work. You were a few drinks in and only buzzed, you knew your limits. You swished the whiskey around in your glass and stared at it until a voice interrupted.

"Imagine seeing you here."

Your head spun around at the familiar sounding voice, only to come face to face with Doctor Skywalker. Your jaw dropped almost all the way to the floor. "D-doctor Skywalker, I didn't expect to see you here," you stuttered.

If you thought he looked good in his work uniform, boy was he breathtaking now. He still sported the black slacks and dress shoes, but wearing a black button down with the first few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Fuck, was he handsome.

"Please just call me Anakin when we're not in a professional setting, Y/N," he smiled. "Alright, I think I can do that," you said with a smirk, "Can I buy you a drink, Anakin?"

"I'd like that, I'll have what you're having," he took the seat next to you at the bar, resting his forearms on the bartop.

"How often do you frequent this establishment?" He asked.

You laughed. "Is that a fancy way of asking if I come here often?" He shrugged with a smile on his face. "Occasionally, what about you? I've never seen you here before," you downed the rest of your drink and turned your attention to him.

"Decided to give this joint a shot," he said, sipping his drink. "Might be my new favorite place after tonight."

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow flirtatiously. Anakin took another sip of his drink, his darkened eyes locking onto yours the whole time. Another action of his that made your insides stir nicely. "Depends on the outcome for me to be certain, but I'm fairly confident," he turned to face you. "You know, I never planned on specializing in anything, but you're pretty special."

"Oh my God," you burst out laughing, "Those are awful, did you look them up online?" Anakin gave you a panty-dropping smirk, "Every single one, gorgeous." You turned your chair and your legs brushed against his. "I got one for you. I know you told me to eat more fruit, but I think I'll stay away from apples if it means you don't stay away," you delivered.

"Not bad," Anakin nodded, "I never told you what my area of expertise was." You motioned for him to continue, trying to match his mischievous nature, "Do enlighten me, Doctor."

"It’s genetics.”

You looked confused, waiting for the joke to make sense. Anakin smiled and leaned close to you. “You want to jump in my gene pool?”

You laughed so hard you had to cover your mouth as to not disturb the other patrons. Anakin laughed at your reaction and raised his eyebrows in a silent ask for an answer after you came down from your laughing fit. You bit your bottom lip, “That depends on what’s in it.”

Anakin reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers skimming your jaw as he retracted his hand. “I’ve been told it’s a pleasurable experience,” he said, “But those aren’t my words.”

“And how do I know if my DNA will mix well with yours?” You flirted, leaning closer, giving him a good angle to look down your shirt. His eyes flicked between your cleavage and your suggestive gaze. “You’ll have to come back to my place and find out,” he whispered.

You pretended to think about it before standing and leaning in to whisper in his ear. “So are you driving back to your place, or am I?” Anakin reached in his pocket and slammed some bills on the bar before grabbing your hand and leading your giggling self out of the building.

[nafeary]

First, Let Me Finish My Pancakes

⚬ Pairing/s: Theo/Reader

⚬ Charcters: Theodorus Van Gogh

⚬ Word Count: 700

⚬ Warning: None!

⚬ Event: Theo Route Countdown Party [D-6: Prompt - Theo and Pancakes] hosted by the one and only @delicateikemenmemes

✧✎ Synopsis: Dawn has broken the horizon, and you decide to have breakfast with Theo in the gardens. Due to work keeping him busy, he hasn’t had much time for you—or his pancakes—but he is positive he can gist both of you some attention.

✧✎ A/N: uhm... I don’t know where this came from tbh? It was kinda just sitting around in my drafts. Anyway, this might look a lil more disarrayed than my other work as I barely edited this. I’m generally not very happy with this, and I feel kinda bad about putting out smth of such low quality BUT I DUNNO maybe I’m just exaggerating ughhhh

Theodorus Van Gogh was anything but an ordinary man.

The elephant in the room was, of course, the vampirism dictating his being just like the other residents’; much like the process of puberty, it incessantly decides when it wants to be the card up one’s sleeve, and when it will throw its tantrum deleterious to everyone’s plans.

Then, there were the finer details. Those, which you would only be granted to espy if you had the advantage of actually knowing him. You could easily spent hours conducting seminars on his person, and create a million powerpoints depicting his genius—if only 19th century Paris had a Bill Gates at their disposal.

And yet, despite his unique quirks, you’ve manage to gain access to his heart in the most stereotypical way known to mankind.

Through his stomach.

Birds were creating symphonies alongside the Austrian’s tunes resounding from the mansion, the usually macabre forest assisting its frolicking sounds with its own rustling additions. Your boyfriend was settled down at your side in the gazebo overlooking the grounds, happily munching on some pancakes you’d prepared for him. Dawn’s myriad of colours only served to further highlight his naturally glowing palette, and Theo’s devilish handsome beauty always made you feel like a sinner holding the cursed apple.

The Dutch turned to you, temporarily halting his chewing. “If you’re going to keep on staring with these puppy eyes, you might as well do so on your knees.” His gruff voice rang out, surprising you slightly as you hadn’t noticed that you were indeed staring unapologetically.

“Do you always have to make these sexual innuendoes? It’s barely even noon, for crying out loud.” You giggled as you saw some syrup glistening at the corner of his lips, lifting a napkin to brush it away.

He caught your hand in a tight hold, the other squeezing around your waist, before you could reach it, turning the key to lock your connection, and you were entranced as he chuckled in a deep baritone, so close to your face you could almost feel his bobbing Adam’s apple. “I’m merely pointing out that a puppy belongs on its knees, hondje. It’s not my business what you interpret it as.”

You sometimes despised how easily he could make you melt, rendering you incapable like the butter that used to be so composed and cold, like the syrup pooling around his pancakes, like the drop still sticking to his lips.

One hand slipped from your waist to tilt up your chin, Theo’s gaze of encompassing warmth and sparkling sunlight made you swallow thickly. Admiring him up close, even amongst all the motley flower beds, made you realize how badly you desired to kiss him. His fingers lingered under your chin, his touch only amplifying the inconceivable blithe that ballooned in your chest. Sans any protest, he readily met your desires.

You didn’t particularly mind his sweet exchange of kisses, that is. On the contrary, the honeyed sensation of ardent euphoria overwhelmed you just the way it did the very first time. The maple syrup spread across your mouth, tingling ever so slightly whenever he focused on that spot. He continued the brushing and nipping along your lips until he could feel your arms start to shake—and then he parted without warning, hand returning from its comfortably warm position to your waist.

“The— Theo?” you sputtered, voice more fragile than glass. It would be an utter lie to say that you weren’t expecting more, but you knew how tired he’d been these past few days. You resolved to yield to his gentle attention, knowing that there’d be other days to explore your reigning passion.

The scent of smoked maple tickled your senses, but you weren’t at all opposed to it, not when your cheek met with Theo’s broad shoulder and both your heartbeats succumbed into a soft and mellow rhythm. He drew circles on your back with his fingers, pushing another piece of the pancakes past his vaguely swollen lips.

Out of your peripheral view, you saw him smirk as he murmured. “You’ve been such a good girl for me, I might just make you “cry out loud” later. But first, let me finish my pancakes.”

Tag List of the most amazing sweethearts (who better be drinking some water *squints*: @kisara-16 @juminly @sweetlittlemouse @thesirenwashere

[skzsauce01]

Eternally Yours

Anniversary Request Special

Description: Dogged by poverty, you struggle to raise your daughter until an unknown patron appears and becomes a little more than just a financial support. However, maybe this unknown gentleman isn’t so unknown after all.

Warning: domestic abuse, substance abuse

Word Count: 3.7k

Pairing: fem!reader x Hyunjin

It is only when the cold morning air slips under your shirt does the gravity of the whole situation make your hands shake and your knees buckle. You immediately crouch under the illumination of a streetlight as tears pour from your eyes. What are you going to do now? You have no job let alone a place to stay. Not to mention the scars left by your lover render your mind immobile. You never once thought things would turn out like this when you married him. Never had this night crossed your mind every time he touched you, sending tingles across your skin, or every time he said your name like it was the only name that mattered in the world. You were so in love, and if you are being honest, you still are no matter how much he’s betrayed you. Still, you know it’s for your own good that you move on, but can you?

“Are you in pain?”

Your head snaps up at the voice of a stranger. Before you stands a sophisticated man dressed in a handsome tuxedo. You know who he is. The whole town knows who he is.

“Do you want to forget it all?”

“Mommy! Guess what?” 

“Yes, Love?” you smile tiredly as you thank the babysitter for her time. She’s too busy looking after the fifteen other children running around at the park to notice, and you immediately feel bad for putting your child under such poor supervision, but it is all you can afford.

“I got a new toy today!” Proudly, she shows you a brand new stuffed sheep.

An eyebrow shoots up. “That’s g-great! Where’d you get that?” you ask, hoping there was a charity giveaway at pre-school or something.

“It was from Mr. H!”

“Mr. H?” you repeat, feeling more and more worried.

“Yep! He had a funny hat and gave me this and some snacks,” she smiles.

“Now, now, Nayeon, what did we say about talking to strangers?” you warn.

“But he’s not a stranger, Mommy! You receive papers from him too, don’t you?”

You flinch at this. It is true that you’ve been receiving random checks from a person by that alias for a while now. Since you fear that it is some sort of a Ponzi scheme, you’ve been ignoring them. Now he is after your daughter too? You wonder if you’ve gotten involved with the mafia or worse. You hold your child to your chest as you cast a look at the distracted babysitter. Maybe it’ll be worth spending a little more on daycare. Your lunch isn’t that important anyway.

“Ah, you’ve learned to read well, haven’t you, Love?”

“Yes, Mommy!” she beams proudly.

“Still, I don’t want you near people like that, okay?”

“But--”

You give her your best ‘listen to you mother’ look and she quiets down.

“Okay…”

“There’s my good girl.”

You take her hand as you walk home, but you can’t help but notice how happy she looks clutching onto her new stuffed animal. You had never been able to get her too many things before, let alone something so new and made clearly of the softest, finest materials. Who is this Mr. H and what possibly does he have to gain from a broke single mother and her daughter? The unease keeps you tossing and turning all night as thoughts of his malicious intentions flood your mind.

A week later, you will your tired legs up the brick steps of the new daycare center. You have to be quick, for your next shift starts in half an hour, and you still have to get your little angel home before then. Once you enter the building, Nayeon waves to you while putting away blocks with a man around your age who is wearing a colorful apron. Suddenly, your head spins.

“Hey!” he exclaims, staring at the flour stain you threw onto his apron.

You stick your tongue at him as a peal of giggles escape you.

“Oh, you think you’re so clever, don’t you?” he teases. 

Before you know it, he has an arm wrapped around your waist while the other hand smears your face with flour. You squeal as you try in vain to escape him.

“No fair! You’re so much stronger!”

“Alright, alright,” he laughs, releasing you to walk to a cupboard. “But we’re adding scotch to these cookies.

“You’re always drinking,” you scold.

“Hey, what’s college for if not for alcohol and all-nighters?”

“Whatever, H--”

You blink before the weird vision of yourself finishes her sentence. You must be tired from all those graveyard shifts. Looking back at the man, you decide that he must be one of the volunteers by his apron.

You wave back with your best smile and go to the front desk to pay for your daughter’s stay.

“For L/N Nayeon,” you tell the receptionist.

She types a few things in and looks at you confused. “Nayeon, right? N-A-Y-E-O-N?”

“That’s right.” You lean over the counter, confused as to what can be wrong.

“It says in our system that you’ve already paid for this month, Ms. L/N. Did you want to pay in advance for the next one?”

“No, I didn’t, but what do you mean I already paid? I barely got my paycheck yesterday.”

“For L/N Nayeon?” another worker pokes in. “It wasn’t you who paid, Ms. L/N, but your boyfriend.”

“My what?”

“Is he not?” she gasps. “I’m so sorry! I just assumed since he paid for everything and even volunteered to play with the kids!”

She points to the play area where your daughter is in only to find just kids. “Huh, that’s weird. He was here a minute ago.”

You feel a tug on your shirt and look down to see Nayeon staring back at you. You immediately lean down to pick her up.

“Was there someone playing with you earlier?” you ask her.

She nods happily. “Yeah! It was Mr. H!”

Your heart drops at that name. “Nayeon--”

“But it’s okay cause Auntie said so!”

The worker looks at you guiltily. “I thought he was your boyfriend,” she repeats.

“Fine,” you frown. “Can we check the name on his card from when he paid at least?”

The one at the computer shakes her head sadly. “It says it was a cash transaction.”

“Maybe this will help!” interrupts Nayeon, holding an envelope to your face.

“What’s this?”

She answers, “He told me to give this to my mommy, so that’s you!”

You take the envelope and glance at the clock on the wall. You don’t have much time to keep squabbling about this mysterious man. The workers apologize profusely for their negligence and promise to find what they can about Mr. H. You thank them for their time and take Nayeon home hastily.

That night, as Nayeon lays sound asleep on your shared bed, you take out the envelope from earlier. You can’t tell if the shaking of your hands is from the tension of the unknown or from washing dishes for the past four hours.

“Dear L/N Y/N,” the letter reads. “I’m sure I have caused you some concern by involving myself in parts of your life lately, and I apologize sincerely for this. However, I would like to assure you that I mean no harm in my actions. I have merely heard of your and sweet Nayeon’s situation and would like to help however I can. If you do not wish that I be near your daughter, I completely understand, but please let me continue being a patron of Nayeon’s upbringing; her angelic charms and sweet smile have taken my heart completely. I’m sure you understand. To show my sincerity, I have included a new lunch card with this letter. It should be loaded with enough to last her the entire year, snacks included. I hope that you will consider my offer. Yours truly, Mr. H.”

Patron? If these past few years have taught you anything, it is that there is no free lunch in this world. You look at Nayeon then back at the letter. Nayeon, letter. Nayeon, letter. Nayeon, lunch card. 

You’d be lying if you said you can go without his gift; one of your greatest guilts is imagining your daughter sitting alone on the swings while the rest of her class indulges in frozen fruit bars or chocolate graham crackers. Are you perhaps being too paranoid about this whole situation? No, this is seriously too good to be true.

You turn the letter over and scribble your own message on its back before putting it into the envelope. You will have Nayeon deliver it to him.

For a year your only communication with this man is through Nayeon and the daycare center whenever he comes in to pay her fees. Your first reply back was a simple “Who are you?” to which he replies:

“Dear L/N Y/N, I apologize for my need to conceal my identity. While I do not wish to deceive you by providing a false identity, I also wish to protect my real one. Just pretend I am no more than a passing wind. I hope you understand this; the last thing I would want is for you to feel indebted to me. More importantly, how are you? Being a single mother must be tough. I offer my sincerest condolences about your struggles. I hope I can free you from at least a few shifts throughout the week so that you might find time for yourself. Nayeon is doing great at this daycare. She is learning to add very well, but I am sure you already know this. I hope you both are well. Until next time, Mr. H.”

Over the months, you grow more and more fond of Mr. H. You don’t even grow anxious anymore when opening his letters. Instead, you find yourself looking forward to them. Admittedly, although ashamedly, you have grown to depend on his support; just the other day, you even ordered soda with your lunch. Nayeon looks happy about him too. You’ve let him associate with her at the daycare again, and she looks extra jubilant on the days he visits.

After those twelve months, you find yourself standing among other parents as the graduating class of kindergarteners walk across the stage. You’ve taken an entire day off just to spend it with your little girl, and you cannot be more pleased with your decision as she bounces towards you in a yellow gown, diploma in her hand and smile on her face.

“Mommy! You came!” she squeals.

“Of course I did! I wouldn’t miss your graduation for the world!” You scoop her up into your arms. “Did you see me when you walked on stage?”

“I did! And--” She stops as her eyes widen upon seeing someone behind your shoulder. “Mr. H!”

You whip around at that name, trying to see whom she was pointing to. You’re met with a tall man who quickly tips his hat over his face.

He isn’t quick enough to stop you from noticing how familiar he looks though, and definitely not quick enough to hide his resemblance to Nayeon. He tries walking away, but you stop him.

“Hey!” you call, hurrying after him. “Stop! Please stop.”

He hesitates, but finally does as you request, standing with his head down and faced away from you.

“I just wanted to thank you,” you gasp, a little breathless from the chase. “For everything. At least let me offer you tea or something at my place.”

“Your place?” he finally says after a moment.

“Yes. To celebrate Nayeon. I bought cookies for the occasion too. My apartment isn’t too far from here. Please come over to have some.”

As if he were an antique wind-up doll, he stiffly turns towards you. “Would you say that even if you knew who I am?”

“What do you mean? Of course I would; it’s the least I can do,” you chuckle, trying to see under his hat.

Slowly, he lifts up his chin so that you can see his tear-filled eyes.

“Y/N…” he breathes as if finding a long lost lover.

You are stricken by a strange sense of familiarity once you see his face, but you can’t quite remember where you’ve seen him before.

“Yes?” you decide to answer plainly.

He furrows his brows. “D-do you not remember me?”

You bite your lip and shake your head. “No, I’m sorry. Should I?”

His eyes widen at your straight forward confession. “N-no, I must have mistaken you for someone else too. I apologize.”

“Well, um, it’s great to finally meet you. Tea then?” you suggest awkwardly. 

He nods and you walk towards your destination, leaving him staring at your back in awe.

At your apartment, you grab two jars of tea leaves from the cupboard. You turn to him and ask, “Would you like green tea or--”

The cupboards are thrown open. Broken glass litter the floor. In the corner, a man sits on the ground with his head in his hands. 

“Honey?” you call out. “Honey, you alright?”

“What do you think?” he hisses.

“Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah, actually. It’s called getting out of my face!”

You withdraw your steps. “I was just trying to be nice.”

“Well you’re just being a pain.”

You crouch before him, deciding to be the bigger person. “If you change your mind, just know that I’m here for you and I love y--”

Before you can finish, his body lurches forward and projectile vomits all over your shoes.

“Are you alright?”

You blink twice, bringing Mr. H back into focus.

“Yes,” you say through a forced smile. 

He walks over to you with a worried frown and feels your forehead with his hand. Unaccustomed to the sudden proximity, you take a step back and clear your throat.

“I um, might actually have some wine somewhere if you’d prefer that.”

“Sorry,” he mutters, embarrassedly rubbing his palms together. “And I don’t drink anymore. Green tea sounds lovely, if you don’t mind.”

You nod, ignoring the heat rising to your face, and put a kettle on the stove.

You collapse onto Mr. H as he rubs circles into your skin to help you feel better.

“Your stupid boss again?” he whispers.

You nod, careful not to make any noise that would wake up your daughter. She and her third grade class have their first ever state exam tomorrow, and you are determined to help her do well.

“Thanks for being here,” you sigh.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do,” he murmurs into your hair.

“No, the truth is, you don’t have to do any of this, yet here you are.”

He pauses at this, lips pressing into a fine line.

“Mr. H?” 

He looks down at you and once again, you are stricken by a sense of familiarity.

“Do you really not remember who I am?” he asks.

You want to shake your head, but your attention is already somewhere else, somewhere much more inviting. 

You watch his lips move as he repeats your name and feel yourself leaning closer as your eyes start to close. You see him giving up on the question as he mirrors your actions. You can’t remember the last time you felt so blissful wrapped up in someone’s arms like you belong there and nowhere else. 

However, as soon as your lips touch, he pulls away hurriedly and jumps off the couch. 

“I-I’m sorry!” you stammer.

“No!” he says too angrily. “I mean, don’t be; it’s not your fault, it’s mine.”

“I should have read the signs. I should have known you don’t feel the same,” you continue, tears threatening.

He hurries back to you upon seeing your state. “No, no, you’re wrong, Y/N. I love you more than anything.”

His sudden confession surprises you. “But that ring…” You look at the wedding band he has on a chain around his neck every time you see him.

“Oh, this? It’s… it’s for someone I lost long ago.”

You let out a noise of understanding. “I’m sorry if I undermined your memory of her.”

“It’s not that…”

“Then why did you pull away? Do I-- Do I repulse you?”

“Don’t you dare think that!” he scolds. “If anything, it’s me who’s repulsive.”

“What do you mean?”

He drops his gaze. “They did a really good job, didn’t they?” 

“Mr. H, wha--”

“Three years I have spent looking for you, and five more I spent in your and Nayeon’s presences-- company which I do not deserve-- yet I have been so selfish, so unwilling to let it all go.”

“What are you--”

“But I can’t lie to you any more, Y/N. Not when I’ve spent all these years doing so.”

“Mr. H, please. You’re confusing me even more.”

“Levanter Inc,” he says suddenly.

“The memory erasing firm?” you frown. “What about them?”

He finally lifts his eyes to meet yours. “Are you sure you want to know the truth?”

“If that’s what’s keeping us apart, then yes,” you answer determinedly. 

He thinks for a moment before continuing, “I just want you to know, that if you want nothing to do with me anymore after learning it, I completely understand.”

“Mr. H…”

“You know that’s not my name.”

“Then what is it?”

He swallows a knot and reaches a hand towards yours. You let him take it and he slips a cold object onto your finger. It’s a wedding band, you realize. One that matches with his.

He twists it over to show you an engraving on the side. “Read it,” he tells you. “Read it and you’ll have the answers to everything.”

You cast him one final look before vocalizing the string of characters that encrowns your finger like it has been there your whole life.

And then the memories came flooding back.

You are hollow as you stare at the stick in your hands. You are supposed to be happy. At least, your sister was when she told you the news while wrapped up in her husband’s arms. Your best friend was too when she called you while her husband’s smooches sounded over the phone, so why aren’t you?

You let out a sigh as you drop it into a zip lock along with all the other tests that all read the same results. You look at the clock. It reads half past midnight, meaning it will be at least another two hours before your own husband arrives. You guess you can go to bed first like you do every night, but you know the discovery you just made is going to keep you restless. Instead, you keep busy by cleaning every spot of the house to distract yourself from the emptiness inside you. 

Truth is, you know why you aren’t happy about the news. You know why you haven’t been happy in general for a while now. Last month’s attempt to rekindle that flame with your husband had failed and resulted in the predicament you are in now. 

Perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing though; perhaps this is the push you needed, you realize as you wipe down the last of the kitchen counter. It’s a little past three now. You sit by the dining table with a glass of milk, facing the door waiting for the only person who can pass through it while fidgeting with your engagement ring. A half hour later, he stumbles past the threshold as drunk as he usually is.

“Y/N?” he grunts. “Why are you still awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Oh.”

His tie is missing and he reeks of substances you can’t even name.

“Aren’t you going to ask why?”

He lets out a fed up exhale and turns to you. “Look, I work hard at my job every day and am exhausted. I don’t have time for this.”

You’re calm as you ask, “But you have time for this, right?” You pull out a bottle of whiskey and slam it on the table.

“So what if I do?” he snaps back. “I need something to distract me from what’s waiting for me at home!”

“I’m your wife,” you remind him bitterly.

“No, you’re just a regret.”

Instinctively, your hand flies up to your belly. Is this a regret too? It must be, you realize.

“What’s that?” he demands, spotting your bag of used tests on the coffee table.

“Nothing!” you insist, running to it first and hiding it behind your back.

“Give it,” he growls to which you shake your head. 

“Give it!” he screams again. 

When you don’t listen, he raises his palm and pierces the room with a clear smack as it connects with your face. As it does, the bag flies from your hands and he dives to catch it. You stare at him, scared senseless as an unreadable expression crosses his face as he realizes what is in his hands. Even the pain on your cheek can’t compare to the one in your heart as it slams itself against your rib cage.

Finally, when he looks up with stunned eyes, you snap out of your trance and slip your wedding ring off your finger. You press the metal into his palm and curl his clammy fingers around it.

“I’m sorry,” you begin, fighting back tears. “I know this is the last thing you wanted-- with me, at least-- but I know I can’t raise my child in this environment either. I hope you’re happier without us. I hope that you can keep your promise the next time you give someone this…”

With that, you turn on your heels and march out the front door.

“No wait, Y/N!” he cries after you, sounding completely sober now.

His height advantage lets him catch up to you in no time. He grabs your wrist to turn you around but immediately drops it when he sees the fire in your eyes.

With finality, you state, “Good bye, Hyunjin.”

~ ad.gold

A/N: Thank you for your request and support! I’m sorry I couldn’t do your first request. I’ve actually never seen a Studio Ghibli film cause I’m a petty never-have-i-ever player and that one always gets everyone AHAHAHA. I hope you enjoyed what I have here! ~ad.gold