#I shall only exit the game once it's tomorrow

[infinitysdecendants76730]

Infinity’s Descendants- Becoming La Reine de la Mort “Special Guest”

It was a dreadfully dreary night. A storm had blew in and it was in full effect. The night sky was lit only by the lightning. The house was not as lively as usual. There was some laughter coming from a few of the drawing rooms but other than that the house seemed subdued. Zaz and her 3 room attendants, who she now called her friends, were in her room playing a card game that she and her sister used to play. They were sat by the fire place laughing when a woman spoke from the dooorway. “Signora please forgive my intrusion. I have finished the dress you requested. If you have a moment I would too see how it fits to ensure there is no need for further alterations before the dinner tomorrow night?” The woman asked nervously.

“Absolutely! Please” She looked at one of her room attendants and waived her hand towards the woman. The attendant rose and hurriedly approached the dressmaker causing her to back up. After the attendant grabbed the dress Azazelle approached and took the woman’s arm “Come in. Would you like any refreshments? I have plenty of fruits. Should you desire a real meal I could have one brought up here for you” Her kindness startled the woman. All house members were supposedly equal but you didn’t need to be a scholar to know that was far from the truth. If you had been assigned to do anything that required manual labor you were usually seen as lesser than and treated as such. “No signora I cannot accept. However, I do appreciate your thoughtfulness” the woman replied kindly. “Very well then. Should you grow hungry at any time please feel free to help yourself” Azazelle said with a genuine smile. “Let us begin then shall we? Where would like me?”

——-

Gabriel stood at the end of the cannocchiale patiently awaiting the carriage making its to him.

Once it came to a stop, the door opened and a hooded man stepped out. “Gabriel, how have you been?” The man removed his hood and reached out to shake Gabriel’s hand. “I have been well Malachi. How were your travels?” He replied giving his hand a firm shake.

“Long. I am desperate to rid myself of my belongings. Which room shall we take them to?” Malachi replied running a hand through his pristine hair.

Gabriel’s eyes widened when he saw just how much their guests were traveling with. “I was advised that your stay would be short?” The thought left him before he could stop it. “Our stop will be brief but we come baring gifts” another man said as he exited the carriage. “Romulus, always a pleasure” Gabriel said dryly. “Likewise” Romulus bowed then proceeded to walk right by Gabriel and enter the house.

“Your room attendants will make sure that your belongings get to their destination”

“Really? Is everything alright?” Inquired Malachi.

“Of course it is. Why would you ask such a question?”

Malachi stared at Gabriel, his eyes saying ‘you know why’. Gabriel chuckled and said “If your death dealer found out that we made her fellow house members and closest comrade carry their own belongings to their chambers Jareth and the rest of us Angeli Oscuri would be in quite a bit of trouble” he smiled.

“She doesn’t know of our presence does she? Our arrival was supposed to be a surprise” he replied eyes wide with alarm.

“To our knowledge she is not aware. However, she is hard to keep an eye on at times so we cannot give you a full guarantee” replied Gabriel. Malachi laughed, he knew all too well how hard it could be to keep track of Azazelle. She truly did march to the beat of her own drum when it came customs and formalities.

“No truer words have ever been spoken my dear friend. Shall we make our way in? I am quite famished” Malachi gestured for Gabriel to lead the way and the two of them disappeared into the House.

——-

After about an hour of pampering Azazelle looked in the mirror and smiled. The dressmaker had outdone herself. There she stood clad in a dress of amethyst purple velvet with a diamond lined corset that fit her like a second skin. The boning of the corset was of the same fabric and narrowed in the shape of a V from beneath her breasts to her waistline accentuating just how small it was. The fabric below bunched ever so tastefully around her hips and fell loosely all the way to the floor. One would be remised not to mention the slit that ran up the entirety of her leg stopping to cover just enough of her to leave the wanton man wondering. Her beautiful silky tresses fell down her back in loose curls. She turned to the side and took another look at herself. She smiled proudly. “Celeste I sure wish you were here to see this, your baby sis looks damn good”

Marrius, Head of House, had decided to have a house feast.  He requested these periodically to guage the climate of his house. He could observe how the nobles interacted, if there were any tensions between them or amongst any of the other house members. The location for tonight’s feast and festivities was the Hall of Astrea.

Among the white and gold stuccoes of the ceiling there was a canvas with “The Triumph of Astrea”.

There were two enormous fireplaces on either end of the hall with gilding in the same style as that on the ceiling. The floor was an intricate labyrinth made of Carrara marble detailed with a beautiful marble mosaic.

A long rectangular table was elevated in the center to the far side of the room and all the other tables faced towards that center table. Those who were already in the hall were mingling when an announcer rang a bell then called out above all the chatter. “Signora Marianna Corsini of the Corsini Family” Everyone turned towards the door, the men bowed and the women curtseyed as Marianna respectfully did the same.

Jareth who had been behind the center table conversing with two of his father’s councilmen ended his conversation and made his way over to her scanning each and every face in the hall on his way to her. “Mariana my love. You look delightful” he wrapped his arms around her waist and softly kissed her lips “Careful, I dont want to ruin my lipstick. At least not this early in the night” she winked kissing him once more. “Shall I escort you to your seat?” Quite the gentleman he was. “Not just yet. I beleive I am going to mingle a bit before the feast begins.”

Marrius was speaking with Jareth when he began to hear gasps and whispers. He glanced quickly at the door and immediately did a double take. “Che bella” he said in disbelief. Marrius face became expressionless “She has looked the same for years Jareth you two cannot possibly still be that enamored with each other” after all these years he was finally tiring of their puppy love. ”What? Yes, no, I mean sure father” Jareth replied eyes still on the doorway.  “Focus Jareth, these things are important” he groaned with annoyance. “Yes father I know” he replied as he walked off.

——

A vile noise from my friend by my side assaulted my ears. She had choked on her drink and her eyes were wide as if she’d seen a ghost. “Christ Amélie, what is wrong with you” I asked stepping back to ensure she didn’t spit anything on my dress. She choked a word out that was completely undecipherable. “Gather yourself and use your words before you make a fool of us” She truly was one of my dearest friends here but sometimes she made me reconsider being seen in the same room with her. I glanced around, luckily no one was paying us any mind. She cleared her throat and mumbled again. This time I think I understood. “Azazelle?” I repeated.

‘Yes’ She shook her head taking another sip of her drink.

“What of her?” Amélie pointed behind me.

I turned and the sight made me drop my glass.

What did I see you might ask? I saw a caramel skinned…oh what shall I call her? A lady in waiting? No, that’s not fitting…A courtesan? No, not that either. Fine I’ll admit it. She looked like a Goddess in the flesh. Said Goddess was elegantly making her way through a crowd of ogling eyes and desperate faces, half of which did not do the same when I entered and I was announced. She was moving with such poise and self-control, like she had a complete and total comfort with her surroundings like she was right at home. As if Giovanni-Montoire was her home.

 

“Marianna! Amélie! There you two are! I’ve been trying to find you!” she sauntered over to us with a beautiful smile on her face. Amélie greeted her. “Azazelle, you look…” Amélie struggled to find the proper words. I couldn’t blame her, I was finding myself at a loss as well. “I not sure if I should take you to my bed chamber or pay someone to erect a statue of you. This dress is stunning! You must tell me which dressmaker is responsible for this” Amélie hugged Azazelle tightly in a way that only she could. As the two embraced I surveyed the room. Everyone’s eyes were on her. Man and woman alike accept his and that put me at ease, a reaction I wasn’t expecting to have.

 

A near fluent reply in Italian made me snap my head back around. “Wow Azazelle. Your Italian is coming along wonderfully” She and I embraced and I desperately wanted to roll my eyes when I took in her scent. Not only did she look amazing she smelled delectable too. Her scent teased my senses, sweet at first drawing me in like a bee to honey then it warmed perfectly and enveloped me with hints of a rich sultry musk that lent a touch of sensuality.  Dear god this combo would have the most pious of man on his knees. “You are too kind” she laughed “I know I have much more to learn”

 

She tried to step back out of my arms but for some odd reason I held her still, keeping us close. For some uncomfortably close. “I am so glad that you are here with us. I have a feeling that you are going to be just the spark that this old-fashioned house needs” Her look amused me. She was taken aback for sure but she was curious. Curious to find the true origin of my actions.

 

“Beautiful, beautiful Ladies, it is almost time for our feast to begin” Jareth put a hand on each of our shoulders. “Azazelle, I’m sure Amélie has room for you at her table?”

Amélie? I had forgotten my poor friend had been standing here with us. “Yes of course!” Amélie replied gleefully. Much much to gleefully.

 

“Marianna, allow me to escort you to your seat at the head table” he held out his hand for me to take and I gladly did so. “If we must…Ladies do enjoy the festivities” I said with a quick glance back at them.

 

He escorted me to the table and pulled out a chair that was at the end of the table, not my usual seat. “Please have a seat my love” he whispered. “I will not. This is not my seat. Why am I not sitting beside you, where I belong?” He looked at me silently pleading for me not to make a scene. I had no intentions of that but I deserve an explanation for the change. “And why are you whispering?”. “Have a seat Marianna” he warned. I purposefully rolled my eyes aloud then sat.

Seated at this table were the who’s who of Giovanni-Mointoire and If I didn’t have to sit at this table I would get up right now and go join Athan and Amélie. Just look at them, laughing and drinking. Even Azazelle was conversing. I am still shocked that her Italian has improved as much as it has in just 5 short months.

Carlo, a greedy little noble who had his head shoved so far up Marrius’ ass that you couldn’t tell where Marrius ended and he began, was sat next to me asking me countless questions about my father and his business dealings as the Head of the Corsini Family.

——-

Azazelle, Amélie, Gabriel, and Athan were all sitting at the table; accompanying them were a few more death dealers and about 6 of their friends but there were a couple empty seats on Azazelle’s side.  Man after man approached requesting to join them and each time either Amélie or Athan shooed them away. “Why are you all being so cruel? They just wanted a seat. Almost every other table is full” Zaz inquired softly.

“We aren’t being cruel. There’s a certain status you have to have to sit here. They are well aware of that” one of the other death dealers said.

“Then why would they still approach” Zaz asked in reply.

“Because Aphrodite is sat at our table” Amélie laughed. “Or do you prefer Venus?” Gabriel winked joining in the fun.

“Mon dieu” Zaz rolled her eyes and laughed.

Marrius and Jareth were sat in the very center of the table giving them a perfect view of the entire hall. “It is customary to for us to toast our important house guests is it not father?” asked Jareth.

“You already know this Jareth. Why are you asking me such nonsense” Marrius replied plainly, carefully observing each table of people.

“I only ask because Azazelle has been here for five months and this is the first time we have had the opportunity to welcome her in front of all of Giovanni-Montoire. Should we not toast to her presence?” Marrius turned to his son with pursed lips. “I will do no such thing but If you deem it necessary then let it be so.” Bemused Jareth peered at his father. If he did this would he be angry at him? Why did his father have such distain for her?

He looked out at the table she was sat at with his friends and saw them all laughing. Almost as if she felt his eyes on her she looked up at him and grinned. He smiled back and nodded politely and she diverted her attention back to the conversation at hand.

Was there something his father knew about her that he was not aware of?

——-

“Will you calm down for god’s sake? You are making me regret asking Lasko to allow you to accompany me on this visit” Malachi peered at his friend from the mirror as he tied his cravat into a bow.

“I am calm. Why would you suggest that I am not?” he retorted.

“Perhaps because you haven’t stopped pacing since we began dressing? You sound like a herd of horses.”

Romulus stopped pacing.

“Bon, now have a seat and treat yourself to some refreshments. Better yet, come over here and freshen up. Fortunately you no longer sound like a herd of horses. Unfortunately though you now smell like one” Malachi laughed.  Romulus grabbed his cologne and spiced himself in it. Once seated Romulus had to take a second glance at Malachi. “Mon dieu!! Are you here to impress someone? I do not think I have ever seen you in clothes as fine as these.” It was true he had never spent as much money on an outfit as he had for this night. Perhaps Romulus wasn’t the only person who wanted to look their best when they saw Azazelle. “Impress someone? Heavens no” he lied.  “House of Léon is turning over a new leaf and I want to make sure I give a proper representation of the level that our House is rising to. Furthermore, we know how Azazelle looks when she attends outings like this, it would be a disservice to her for her guests to give the air of mediocrity.”

——

The first course had been served, a delicious French onion soup and now it was time for the second course. When the plate of braised short ribs with roasted vegetables was sat in front of me my mouth began to water. Vampires don’t need to eat actual food. Blood alone will sustain us but most of us like to still indulge ourselves with mortal delicacies. I had periodically leaned forward to glance at my love but he never once looked at me. Each time I looked he seemed preoccupied with the door. I decided to glance at him once more and he stood with his glass and beautiful smile on his face. His side profile was immaculate from that razor sharp jawline to those disarming dimples.

“May I have everyone’s attention” he said loudly clinking a spoon to his glass. Obviously everyone fell silent, as they should.

“As I am sure you all are well aware we have had the pleasure of hosting a most esteemed guest Mademoiselle Azazelle of the House of Léon. She has not only graced us with her exquisite charm whilst here she has also been doing a fine Job at training Giovanni-Montoire’s very own Angeli Oscuri”

Must not be too fond of attention. She smiled and nodded kindly but she didn’t stand when being toasted. Strange, considering she didn’t seem to mind all the eyes on her earlier when she made her grand entrance.

“However tonight she is not the only visitor we have from the House of Léon. Please everyone welcome back our longtime friends Romulus and Malachi of House of Léon”

When she heard this she stood quickly. For a moment it appeared as though she was going to run to her friends but wisely she chose against it. Admittedly I must say the three of them were definitely the best dressed tonight. Malachi’s attire would put any monarch’s entire wardrobe to shame and Romulus was as sharp as ever. I. True Romulus fashion he and chatted a bit as he made his way towards her table. Malachi on the other hand stalked past everyone directly to Azazelle and gave her the tightest of hugs. Their warmth with each other was pleasant to see. I found myself grinning like a proud family member although not really sure why. I looked at my love and his was the same.

When I looked back Romulus had finally made it to the table. Mmm I know that type of embrace all to well. He touched her with possessive hands, regarded at her with wanton eyes, lingered as he held her, no doubt drinking in that intoxicating fragrance of hers. Seems as though those two are very familiar with each other. Does our dear bashful Azazelle actually have a boyfriend?  The two men were about to sit beside each other but she stopped them and moved so that they would be on either side of her. Hm, Azazelle and Romulus? I must do more digging into this.

——-

Marianna didn’t have to do too much digging. The feast was over and the party had moved the next room over. The music was loud and the blood and as well as spirits flowed in abundance. This who chose to danced the night away. Romulus and Azazelle kept their distance from each other initially dancing with anyone who’d ask but the last 6 songs they had been inseparable.

The tune was slow. He dipped her brought her back up slowly. Bringing his head to hers, lips close enough to feel each others breath.

“Please let me take you to bed” He implored her. “Not yet” she breathed. “I need you to drink more. We will need our strength when we do depart. I have missed you dearly”

——-

Romulus was walking down a long empty hallway. His appearance was rather uncharacteristic. His hair was disheveled, shirt was wrinkled, untucked and halfway open. He grimaced when Marianna rounded a corner and began heading his way.

“Ah, Romulus. Headed back to your chambers so soon? That was rather quick” she purred.

“No, I’m headed to the kitchens for more refreshments” he replied, purposefully ignoring the sensual nature of her tone.

“Refreshments? Why didn’t you just send a servant?” A single brow rose as she gave him a once over. “You’re bleeding” She said with a lustful smirk . “Am I?” He touched his hand to his neck and looked at the blood now on his fingers. “Oh, I suppose I am” she quickly took his hand and licked the blood from his fingertip. Her eyes widened from the brief vision. “Ooh la la” she bit her lip. “I really need to get going Marianna” his face began to fluster. “Oh Don’t be coy…Show me the rest” she bit her lip once more, fang showing just slightly. “What, absolutely not” he replied resolutely. “Show me the rest Romulus” her voice was very becoming but her tone implied that there could be consequences if he didn’t show her. He let out a sigh of resignation and turned his head.

She closed what little distance there was between them and grabbed his chin. She let out a pleasant sigh as she licked the remaining blood from the two puncture wounds on.

“Shouldn’t you be up under a certain someone right about now?” He pulled away annoyed. “You know me all too well. I am on my way to him now. Although today I’m more in the mood for equestrian.” She grabbed his shirt with one hand and put her other on his chest then looked up at him. “Feel free to stop in. I’d be more than happy to show you how its properly done”

“I think I’ll pass” he said flatly.

“Your loss love. Enjoy your night Romulus” she patted his chest before letting him go.

[rip-the-halls]

I don't really get why anyone would say that Blackwall is homophobic just from listening to small bits of dialogue. He doesn't strike me as the homophobic type,plus Sheryl Chee is a pretty conscientious writer at least when compared to some of the other writers on the team. On the other hand I can understand if people disliked Cullen or Vivienne or even Anders as people certainly love to argue about these particular characters amoung fandom quite a bit.

I completely agree with you Anon. Some people are just so eager to accuse that they'll latch onto any bit of "evidence", no matter how small or flimsy. It's depressing to watch.

I love, love, love sifting through characters' dialogue and dissecting their characters. It's one of my favourite parts of writing fanfiction (which is why I've rarely ever finished anything lol.) So I understand reading into throwaway lines of dialogue, but you've got to measure these things against what you already know of the character before taking them as evidence.

Blackwall has clear prejudice against the upper-class -- less so against women, as evidenced by his initial courtesy shown to Vivienne and his respect for Empress Celene -- but little else. "Well, I'm a man," along with other lines of dialogue such as the disgusted "It's pink," show that Blackwall is biased against men dressing in traditionally feminine fashions. Not to the point of being a bigot -- he eventually makes friends with Dorian and his relationship with Iron Bull is far from toxic -- just enough to step on some toes. It's a normal pov for Dragon Age's setting and one shared by my father, who is for all intents and purposes a decent bloke. He just doesn't like it when men (who aren't transgender) wear pink.

So no homophobia, I think. Just a traditionalist pov. This would likely earn Blackwall a few problems with Cassandra, if it weren't for the fact that he loves strong women.

Female Inquisitor: "Just be there when we need you, and don’t ask too many questions."

Blackwall: "I like a woman who takes charge."

There are many things one could criticise Blackwall for. Homophobia isn't one of them. No one in this day and age would have intentionally write a homophobic character and expect the audience to sympathise with them.

On the other hand I can understand if people disliked Cullen or Vivienne or even Anders as people certainly love to argue about these particular characters amoung fandom quite a bit.

Ah, the DA fandom never changes. This is the most argumentative fandom I’ve been involved in, including Tomb Raider with its era wars -- if only because the TR fandom is smaller.

...Actually, come to think of it, that’s exactly why I ditched the DA fandom for about seven years. It’s more fun to enjoy the world in private. Go figure lol.

At least the fandom doesn’t seem to be as bad now as it was back then, with all its Anders VS Fenris and Mage VS Templar wars. Or maybe I just haven’t noticed the Cullen VS Solas wars because I don’t browse their tags...? Are there shipping/faction wars going on in the fandom still?

But yeah, disliking any of those characters is wholly understandable imo. So is disliking Blackwall, though I loathe to admit it since he’s my favourite in DAI.

Anyway, I’m glad someone agrees with me on the homophobia matter, Anon, and I hope whatever’s left of your day goes in your favour. :)

[starxscream]

Color-Coded Deck

“ Once again Rouxls challenges Swatch to a battle of wits- though this time it doesn't exactly go as planned. “

SwatchKaard fic!

Bc I saw that there were none and so I had to do smth about it, click the read more to view! (Also check it out on ao3 if it’s easier for y’all to read there!

It had been another long day at the cafe, working various loud-mouthed customers that seemed never ending in Castle Town.  Swatch has to wonder if moving out here was worth it, putting up with some of the patrons here almost made it not.  The bird sighs, making the final rounds while the swatchlings finish cleaning up for the night.  As the final chores and tasks are completed, Swatch excuses the swatchlings to head home and rest for tomorrow, staying behind to finish up the managerial paperwork.  There was always more work to do, and Swatch had no time to rest until it was completed.  Such was life.  The same routine that they were so accustomed to, it didn't truly bother them really.  In fact, Swatch enjoyed the brief moment of quiet and privacy of being alone in the cafe.

As the last swatchling exits, Swatch double checks the store before meandering towards to flip the sign from "open" to "closed".  However, as they move to flip the sign, there's a glowing flash of light, causing Swatch to lift his arm to block out the glare before it dissipates.  Oh no.  A feeling of knowing dread nestles in their gut.

Before Swatch can react, a blue hand rattles the door, pushing it against Swatch who had finally moved to try and hold it shut.  Of COURSE it just had to be him…

A loud shrill voice echoes through the crack in the door, "Greetings thou most commonest worm-avian! I haveth decided to graceth thine nighteth with thy presence!" Swatch inwardly groans, releasing the door and taking a step back to allow the other to dramatically swing it open and saunter through the now open doorway.

Rouxls Kaard.

Truly, could Swatch ever catch a break?

"What might you be doing here Kaard? Need I remind you that you have been banned from the premises."  Swatch crosses their arms across their chest, false niceties dripping off of their voice, trying not to let their impatience shine through.

Rouxls tuts, wagging a finger in the air, "That waseth at thou previousth establishmente, whiche waseth the highesteth forme of slandereth I haveth ever been subjectedeth too mindeth thou, howevereth, I haveth not been bannedeth here! So thy musteth allowth my graciouse presence to be bestowedeth upon thy grounds." A smug look sits on his face, chest puffed out proudly, 'sneakily' gesturing to the sign that was still flipped to "open".

Swatch resists rolling his eyes, a part of them wondering if Rouxls even knew the cafe's hours...probably not.  Though they supposed Rouxls was right, he had not been banned from this cafe.  Maybe he would be within the upcoming days, it was inevitable really, but for now he wasn't and Swatch was left with their hands full.  With a sigh, they consider trying to explain that to Rouxls, but they figure that Rouxls wouldn't listen to that...whenever the self acclaimed "duke of puzzles" set his mind on something there was no way to get him to listen to anything else.  Swatch knew that firsthand.

"Well, here you are then...arriving just as I was closing.  What can I do for you Kaard?" Swatch keeps it simple, but not without a small jab, moving his arms behind his back, standing straight with his beak perked up just slightly.  A mixture of professionalism and their own pettiness that made them want to show off how much better he was, especially around Rouxls.  They wouldn't admit it, but they did enjoy the competition that Rouxls consistently brought to their doorstep…that is, if you could call it a competition.

Grin widening, Rouxls whips out a foreign deck of cards, sauntering past Swatch, and slamming it down onto a nearby table.  Then he spins on his heel to face Swatch once again, face nearly splitting into two with how wide his grin was, and threads his fingers together.  Swatch raises a single eyebrow, gaze looking over the strange deck of cards, before looking back at Rouxls, awaiting whatever long-winded explanation that was about to be given.

“I have cometh to challengeth thee to a duelth of wits!” Rouxls makes a grand gesture towards the table, "Thoust three heroes bestowedeth upon thy a gift,” Meaning, Rouxls probably whined until they gave it to him, “A supremeth gifte thou shalt not be wastedeth!  I shall knocketh thou offeth thine pedestalth like a batteringeth rame knockingeth downeth thy castle doorsth! ” He motions for Swatch to sit down at one end of the table, waiting expectantly with shining eyes.  Swatch opts not to say that a battering ram knocks open doors and not off, but that was their petty side talking.

Inhaling deeply, Swatch slowly moves over to the seat, placing a hand on the seat and pulling it out.  Sure the polite thing to do was pull the seat out for Rouxls- as was their job, but they were not going to give Rouxls that satisfaction.  His eyes bore into Rouxls, half expecting the guy to pull out another handful of worms and run off, but he seemed much too invested in the task at hand.  Always with the games and puzzles that one, truly Swatch had to wonder how many times would Rouxls have to lose before he gives up?

“I foughte againsteth thy three heroes valiantlyth, takingeth thou on in thine own gameth.  Sucheth a nobleth duty of thy to do, no?” Rouxls laughs, swiftlying moving to the seat across from Swatch, “Twas a longe and arduousth battle of brainse, and beingeth thy generouse and benevolenteth soul thy am, could not beareth to standeth thy thoughte of thrashingeth thine darling water-beetle’s closesteth allies.  So I humbledeth thyself and allowedeth thine three hereos to besteth thy in battleth unscathedeth to spareth thine ailsth.”  Meaning, Rouxls utterly lost.

“So you...‘valiantly’ turned tail and came crawling to me instead?” Swatch lets out a quiet scoff, unable to keep it contained at Rouxls’ blatant attempt to save face when anyone who knew Rouxls would know better than to believe the theatrics he was spouting.  Easing himself into the chair, Swatch crosses his arms across his chest, “Alright then, I can spare a moment on your childish games.  Would you care to explain the rules of the game you have so dutifully brought to my doorstep while I was trying to close up shop for the night?  I would like to get this over with so that I may go home.”

Rouxls’ eyes narrow at Swatch, dramatically pointing across the table over at the bird, “Thou do not intimidateth me worm-avian!” Rouxls huffs, “Our battleth will be througheth the mighty gameth of what thy lightenereths call “Uno”!  Whereupon thy willeth finally proveth my titleth of butler supremeth over thy worm-avian!”  His point moves towards the deck, “Draweth foulest beast!”

Swatch makes no indication of moving, “I cannot draw if I do not know how to play, or are you resorting to needing unfair advantages to win?  Truly, I expected more from you...” The bird trails off, feigning a sigh, watching Rouxls’ face light up in a vibrant embarrassed flush.  He was so easy to read...it was kind of amusing really.  A small smirk etches onto Swatch’s face at the sight.

“Of couseth not! I wouldeth never bringeth thy illesteth omens upon thy nameth!  I haveth no need for sucheth ‘advantages’, thy willeth win no mattereth the circumstanceseth of oureth battleth as thy am thy grand duke of puzzles!”  Rouxls covers for his mistake quickly, moving to cover the back of his hand with his mouth, “As for thine rules…” He hesitates for a moment, thinking, “I...shalt not wasteth my time explaining! Thereth is rule cardeths for a reason!” The irony…  Rouxls paws at the deck, pulling out the card with the written words littered over its surface, before sliding it towards Swatch.

“Make haste! I do not haveth all nighte.” Rouxls puffs out his chest, arrogance dripping from his voice.  Swatch gives Rouxls a cold glare at his words, a part of them still bitter they were the one being kept up this fine night.  Quickly Swatch skims over the rules of this ‘Uno’ game, a simple color and symbol type of card game- first to get rid of all the cards in their hands wins.  Easy enough.

“Alright, daresay I believe that I am ready now.”  Swatch carefully sets the card back down on the table, reaching over to draw seven cards off of the top of the deck.  There was a wide arrangement of colors, mostly blue ironically, and a couple of special cards with effects that they would need to play strategically.  After Swatch draws his cards, Rouxls quickly follows suit, flipping over the top card to reveal a green number card to begin the game.

“With thy graciouseth self, I shalt allow thee to make thy first moveth!” Rouxls confidently announces, leaning forward with a tight grip on his cards.  Swatch rolls his eyes again, looking over his hand and rubbing the bottom of his beak with his free hand.  Then, without a word he places another green number card on top of the discard pile, a simple play to begin with.

The game continues on like this for a few rounds, with every turn Rouxls announcing how great he was or how he was going to win and Swatch shooting back with some sort of rebuttal that only served to fluster and make Rouxls even more agitated.  Swatch isn’t sure why he liked poking at Rouxls as much as he did, truly Rouxls was the only one who managed to consistently break through his customer service facade.

It was...nice Swatch supposed.  As idiotic as Rouxls was and his constant pestering to try and best Swatch, it was nice.  A break in an otherwise methodical and boring day.  As much as Swatch hated to admit it, they had grown to have fun playing with Rouxls.

However, the peaceful part of the game soon came to an end when Swatch placed down a draw two card onto the discard pile as Rouxls hand seemed to lessen with every turn, complete with the biggest smirk on their face.

“Now, if you could please draw, I can make my next move.”  The bird hums, watching in curiosity as Rouxls sputters, slamming his hands on the table.

“Whateth is this sorceryeth!?” Rouxls glares at the cards as if they were the ones at fault, “Why musteth I loseth my turne? Draweth two!?” He huffs indignantly, Swatch raising an eyebrow.

“...You read the rules too, didn’t you Kaard? Being the ‘grand duke of puzzles’ yourself, surely you know about the special cards, right?” Their voice drips with faux sympathy, sounding more condescending than nice, Swatch stifling a chuckle at the sudden turn of events.

The rule card sits open on the table, Rouxls glancing between it and Swatch with a growing scowl on his face.

“Of courseth I know thy rules! I haveth bestedeth the most strongesteth beings in thy battleth of Uno!” Rouxls mind whirs in thought, “Thy justeth...won so quickly thateth card nevereth neededeth to be usedeth!” With a burning embarrassed flush once against rising to his face, Rouxls quickly covers his own ineptitude at the game, having bitterly come here after losing to the three heroes to try and best Swatch once again to try and lick his wounds.  

Rouxls snatches the rule card after that, Swatch covering his mouth as they let out a snicker while Rouxls quickly skims through it.  After a few moments, Rouxls throws the card back down, once again puffing out his chest.

"I shalt do this draweth two as thou cards stateth, but feareth not! Thy shalt stille remaineth victoriouse in the endth!" Rouxls swipes at the deck, a little frustrated if Swatch had to guess, gripping the cards in his hand even tighter.

Frustration of the evening having long since melted into amusement, Swatch rests an elbow onto the table to use his hand to keep his head propped up as he continues to play.  Carefully setting another card onto the pile, Rouxls following suit a little too fast.

"I am afraid that this little game will end how it always does, though, I suppose that is why you challenged me after everyone left.  Couldn't bear to take the bitter taste of defeat in the face of the public again, could you?" Swatch begins to idly speak, deciding to make some conversation even if it sounded more like he was targeting Rouxls.  Truthfully they just wanted to see how the man would react, it was always so entertaining to see Rouxls theatrics in action when he wasn't purposefully being a thorn in your side, and Swatch found it more amusing than they should.

Rouxls laughs haughtily, gaze focused onto his cards as he keeps playing, "Fool! I wouldeth happily beeneth a target for thine adoringeth publice, howevereth I waseth ever so busyeth with thy duties of greateth importanceth that I hadeth to scavengeth thine timeth to graceth thee withe thy prescenceth.  Thou shouldeth be gratefule thy oh-so busyeth scheduleth allowede it!"  Truthfully he had been lurking around the outside of the cafe for hours, procrastinating and planning out his "grand entrance" until the store had reached closing.  So alas, here they were.  Sure the patronizing laughter when Rouxls had lost prior bothered him but there was no way he was going to let Swatch be right!

"Ah yes, lucky me." Swatch deadpans, smirk still hanging on their beak, "I cannot imagine how else I would like to be spending my evening.  Why would I want to be relaxing at home after a long day of work when I could be playing a silly card game with you?"  The chirp, sarcasm edging in their words.

"Tsk tsk, thee are justeth afraide of losingeth.  Thou can admite it!"  Rouxls slams another card down.  "For I shall  sooneth claime thy victory in oneth fell swoopeth, prepare thyself worm-avian!"

Swatch scoffs, "Afraid of losing to you? My apologies Kaard, but something actually has to be a reality for me to be scared of it." Rouxls, childishly, sticks out his tongue.  He would not claim it to be childish if you called it out, however.

Setting his own card down, Swatch calls out 'Uno', holding his single card in his grasp.  Meanwhile Rouxl still had multiple cards left, there was no chance of him winning.

Yet somehow, Rouxls hadn't started throwing a fit yet.  Usually when it was clear he was to lose, he would get even more rambunctious than usual- yet this time Rouxls still had his cocky grin, staring at his cards.  Swatch's smirk fades, eyes narrowing, knowing that the other man was up to something.  Of course it wasn't a normal card game, this was Rouxls, something unexpected always happens with him around.

The bird tenses, awaiting the surprise bound to happen.  Rouxls grin gets wider, before he cackles wildly, "Aha! Thou hasn't madeth thine finale moveth! I, Rouxls Kaard, shalt noweth claime thy victory!" Swatch's eyebrows furrowed together, there was no possible way-

Rouxls slams down a red skip card atop the red number card.

Swatch skips his turn, Rouxls putting down a red draw two card- causing Swatch to skip his turn again.  He hesitantly reaches over to draw two cards.

There's no way…

Rouxls tosses down another draw two card, this time in green.  Swatch's grip on his cards get ever tighter as they stare at the pile of discarded cards.

"I dareth say this is wheneth thy say 'Uno'!" Rouxls says triumphantly, Swatch's gaze snapping up in disbelief.  Their beak opens and shuts again, dragging two more cards off of the deck.

"Sayeth thou prayers worm-avian! For tonighte, I reigneth victoriouse!" Swatch watches Rouxls dramatically leap from his seat, pushing the chair back, and slamming down his final card with all the energy in his being.

The card was to choose your own color and draw four cards.  The biggest insult to injury that the game of Uno could give.

Swatch stares in utter shock- he had...actually lost.  Rouxls had actually made a good play and won the game.  Rouxls Kaard did.  The guy who could barely craft a feasible puzzle on his own- outwitting them of all people.  It was an impossibility, and yet, here it was staring Swatch in the face.

Amidst the frustration of losing, Swatch couldn't help but feel...impressed.  That is, until Rouxls starts speaking again.

"There!! Noweth thou see thine wretchedeth worm-avian! Thy am superiore to thou inst everyeth way!  Everytimeth before noweth has beeneth nothing moreth than a fluketh!  For this is thy proveth!  I am trulye bettereth than thou!" He laughs loudly, kicking a foot onto the chair seat and propping himself up into a pose with one hand on his hip and one covering his laughter. "Henceforth thou shalt bowe downeth and call me butler supremethe, thy grand duke of puzzles- Rouxls Kaard!"  A pause in his triumph, looking over at Swatch, " ...Thou hearest me lesser worm-avian?"

Swatch sets down his card, controlled, carefully.  Rouxls boasting makes the guy much less impressive and instead Swatch simmers into annoyance and frustration.  Rouxls got lucky.  And Swatch was never going to hear the end of it.  A scowl breaks his beak in half as he stands stiffly upright, keeping it shut to not say anything without thinking it through first.  Every motion was so strictly controlled, his thoughts whirling around and around until-

Swatch was never going to hear the end of it...unless…

They get an idea, sure it was going to be demeaning and incredibly out of poor taste in Swatch's opinion- but it would be better than anyone finding out about their loss to Rouxls.  Besides, after working for the Queen, demeaning had lost its meaning to Swatch.  At least this time they were going to be the one in control.  So a distraction, enough embarrassment so where Rouxls never wants to talk about this moment to anyone.

Swatch steps out from the table, moving over towards the side Rouxls was on, who merely stared at them in confusion.

Abruptly in one smooth motion, Swatch bows to Rouxls, who they can hear sputter in surprise.  A pleased grin appears on Swatch's beak, hidden from sight.

"I surely hope that will suffice, butler supreme.  You are truly the duke of puzzles, Sir Rouxls Kaard, unmatched in his fantastical puzzle prowess." Swatch pulls himself upright, feeling the grating feeling of forced praise and ridiculous titles being pulled from his throat.  However, the look on Rouxls face was worth it- the bug-eyed look of pure shock combined with the fact his cocky smirk had been replaced with a nervous smile- all the while his face seemed to be a darker blue than usual.  Oh this was worth it.

"Uh...Yes!  Thou is correcteth and shouldeth now understande thou place beneatheth me! I maketh the ordereth now worm-avian, thou can no longere banneth thy from thou fineth establishmente and musteth admiteth always thateth thy am forevere bettereth than thou! Lest thou suffereth thy crippling humilationeth of thou defeate once moreth." Stepping off of the chair, Rouxls manages to get out, his voice wavering at the start- a crack in his carefully portrayed persona.  Startled by how...well Swatch was taking it- he had expected him to get mad or bite back or just...something.  This wasn't like their usual banter at all and Rouxls wasn't sure what was going on.

Swatch listens intently, nodding along to show that they were listening.  Even if they, personally, thought it to be pure nonsense, they did not let it show.

Their head so carefully tilts to the side for a moment, "Beneath you?" They coo, taking a calculated step forward into Rouxls space.

An arm casually snakes around Rouxls waist, pulling the smaller man closer.  He lets out a surprise squeak- trying to stammer out something before he is shushed by Swatch's next words, "Would you not prefer to be side by side? After all, you have proven yourself to be better than I- your chosen adversary since the day we met." He chuckles, "With how obsessed you are with me, dare I say you were trying to court me- hm?" A soft chuckle lingers on his lips as he watches Rouxls nearly melt out of pure flustered nerves.

It was…

Hm. Cute. For Rouxls.

"WHAT? I AM NOT-" Rouxls gasps, much louder than intended, his smarmy accent seemingly fading for a moment before he gulps for a breath trying to readjust himself, "Do not thinketh so highly of thouself! I couldeth care lesse abouteth thou, thy games were merelyeth a simpleth pastime, a pleasureth that thy bestowedeth upon thou!"

Leaning ever so closer to Rouxls, Swatch's voice lowers, a quiet coo for Rouxls' ears only, "Then why is it you always throw a fit when I'm too busy to play with you?  You claim to just want to prove you're better than me, but you've done that now, so what next? Honestly, Rouxls, just spare us the trouble and tell me how you really feel."

A hum.

"If you just wanted to go on dates you could have simply asked." It's said with a wink.

Rouxls chokes, and Swatch thinks they finally have this under control, soon to be wrapped up in a nice pretty bow.  Sure was this a little cruel? Perhaps, but Swatch kept finding it so damn endearing, it was frustrating.  So selfishly wanting to see more of Rouxls' reactions.

But of course, this was Rouxls Kaard they were talking about here.  When did anything involving him go as planned?

Suddenly there are hands grabbing the side of their head, and Swatch can feel his feathers poof out in surprise at the sudden motion.  Before they can react, Rouxls practically slams his forehead into Swatch's, keeping it there and pressing hard as if to challenge the bird.

"Thou sauveth trickery shalt not wortheth on I!" Rouxls announces, before adding his own rebuttal, "Maybe THOU is thee one courting I? Thou claim to be bettereth than I but hereth you stand, arm arounde thy waist.  If thou really haveth better thingeths to do, theneth why are thou hereth and noteth at thou homestead?" 

The two were impossibly close now, pressed together as a different kind of tension fills the air around them.  Swatch can feel Rouxls panting shaky breaths on his beak, the man's false confidence easily seen through, yet- Swatch stutters.  And they never stutter.

Then suddenly- his arms are empty and the simple touch is gone as soon as it had started, and Swatch let out a breath they hadn't realized they had been holding.

"Alas, I am sureth thy leech of a darlingeth prince needs thy attentione!" Rouxls skitters towards the door, "I bideth thee a bittersweet adieu! For now thee willeth be without thine majestic presenceth, whicheth I am sureth you shalt miss.  However, I must informeth thou that I, Rouxls Kaard, willeth not be easily impressedeth with thy simplest flatteries..." He pauses in his escape, looking back at Swatch before glancing down at the floor looking a little...unsure, adding on just a little quieter, "But I shalt be backe, I may haveth won thy battle, but not thy war- so...uh...prepareth thouself for thy return!"

With his final words, which were possibly just an excuse to keep seeing Swatch even though he's already gotten his win, Rouxls escapes through the door and flees faster than Swatch had ever seen him move before.  The bird just...watches him go, dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events.

Swatch stands there for a moment, blinking, wondering if that even just happened.  Rouxls rebuttal swirling around in his brain, them? Courting Rouxls?  A ridiculous assumption, entirely out of left field.  And yet…

Swatch sighs, smoothing down his ruffled feathers, Rouxls was right- if Swatch wanted to they could have easily booted out the nuisance and went home.  Yet, Swatch played Rouxls game.  And every game before.  The bird’s fingers flex, still feeling the faint ghost of Rouxls in his grip, as if it were haunting them- taunting them really.

…

Swatch rubs his face with a hand, a flush rising to his cheeks.  This whole time they had thought they were the one in control, but unfortunately they had long gotten swept up in the uncontrollable whirlwind that was Rouxls Kaard.

[georgiaheartsdilfs]

→  life after rebekah m (no reader :)

prompt : this is purely just an imagine of Rebekah and her family with Marcel. After 1000 years of love, betrayal, fear, animosity, after 1000 years of always and forever Rebekah had parted ways with her siblings to live the life she had always dreamt of, with the person she had always dreamt of. Although the death of Elijah had Rebekah haunted for months, not allowing her to truly move on she did so in time. It has now been four years after their deaths and Rebekah and Marcel are now married with one beautiful son, Nikolaus Marcellus Mikaelson of course named after her brother Nik, their son was born in France. The place Rebekah and Marcellus were happily wedded after years of having an on and off relationship that lasted over a century. "Niko, time for school my love" Rebekah says opening the door slowly, she had just woken up after a late night of partying and drinking with some pretty frenchwomen she had met after first moving to France. "but momma I went to bed late" Nikolaus had said quietly rubbing his eye, he had a late night aswell. Marcellus and Niko were playing board games right until Rebekah had come home that night "you must go to school Niko it is important for you and your dad and I" Rebekah said sitting at the edge of Niko's bed rubbing his leg. "Can I take one day off school momma just this once" he said sitting up kissing her on the cheek, persuading her with his adorableness "just this once but that means you have to help your mother with some work" she smiles tickling him as he giggles. "Morning my sunshines" Marcel says walking in the room rubbing his eye like his son, walking over to Rebekah kissing her on the head "what did you get up to with Niko last night Marcel he is too tired for school" Rebekah said holding Marcels hand. "Today is a school day?" Marcel had said removing his hand from his eye "Niko you didnt say that" Marcel says looking towards his son who has already pulled the blanket over his body "Niko... did you want to tell your momma what you told me" Marcel said quietly pulling down the blanket from his sons hands, Rebekah laughing at her sons attempt to hide his face. "I said tomorrow theres no school because it was a special day" Niko had said innocently holding his hands together, Rebekah looks towards Marcel with a concerned look "and you believed him because" she said waiting for Marcel's response "I trust my son, my son is not a liar" Marcel shrugged repeated the vow he and his son had promised. 'I shall not lie to anyone in this family and I will always trust my family, always and forever' "one little white lie is ok, alright buddy but if you really dont want to go to school you can just ask mommy and I" Marcel smiles wrapping his arm around Rebekah as she stands up to kiss Marcel and Nikolaus made an ugly face "ewwwww" he whined jumping on his bed, Marcel picks him up hugging him tightly against Rebekah who hugs him back. Rebekah remembers the joy she experienced when she first held Hope, the first miracle baby. She remembered the pain she had to endure when handing hope back to her parents but she must no longer feel that pain when holding a child of her own, a child she had wanted after 1000 years of suffering and running. "We must sort out his schooling Marcel" Rebekah had said quietly as she and Marcel had exited their son's room "What do you mean?" Marcel asked, Marcel never knew about Nikolaus' special abilities to heal a butterflies wing or to teleport a chocolate bar to him without even getting off his bed. "Niko hasn't told you has he?" Rebekah and Nikolaus had promised to not tell anyone, obviously, his word to his mother meant more to him than his word to his father. "He's a witch and a vampire" Rebekah whispered, Marcel's eyes widen. His son was not only half like him but he was also like the girl he once called daughter... Davina. "What school teaches the freaking young witches" He was flipping out both emotionally and physically, overwhelmed with the news of his son's supernatural abilities. "I know a few people but we will have to move back to America" Rebekah suggested, this would be the first time they had moved in years the first time they had been in America since the night of Klaus and Elijah's death. "America, as in back to the quarter or" "no of course not that ghastly place, Virginia" Rebekah cut her husband off, she hated the thought of that place. "Oh right" Marcel wiped the sweat off his forehead, he couldn't bare the thought of seeing Davina or Kol, especially Kol the look on his face when he lost the bet of 'never coming back to the quarter' he would have to hand over a crisp 100 dollar note to the conniving brother. To Rebekah, this is her life after the death of her brothers, life after escaping always and forever, life after praying and wishing for years, life after sacrifice and the life she always wanted.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 5

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Sorry for the wait, I had a nightmarish week.... I won’t let this little fic die 💜 I can’t wait to write more about it, even though the chapters are hella short xD

She couldn’t deny the butterflies in her stomach. That evening with Donnie have had that je-ne-sais-quoi that made her smile mindlessly whenever she’d think about it. It’s been a while since she last felt like that...

On Thursday they barely had time to have any conversation, only to have their next interaction postponed to Friday - a single day without talking to him almost feeling like an entire week... Vee was going on and about from one corner of the office to the other, handing a pile of documents to various departments, until she passed before Donnie’s office. The door was wide open, giving him a chance to see her walk by. His reaction had been almost immediate, jumping on his feet and going straight to the door frame.

“Vee!”

The woman stopped in her tracks, looking in his direction with a surprised look. They were both frozen for a moment, speech a meaningless thing right at that moment... Donnie tried to redeem himself, quickly clearing his throat and straightening his posture.

“Need help?” he asked, gesturing the documents Vee was holding.

Her lips parted in a small “o”, glancing at her burden and then back at the mutant.

“... Are you sure you want to help me with that? Don’t you have important boss things to do?”

“I’m already done for the day,” he answered instantly.

He approached Vee, lowering his voice.

“Please, I need to look busy, or else Leo will drop more work on me. I don’t want to get something dumped on me that might interfere with my other plans.”

“Which are?” asked Vee, her voice a whisper as well, entering the game.

“As soon as he’s out of here, I’m jumping back to the Lowline drawing board. He considers it low priority for now, so he doesn’t really like when I get some work done on it while we have other more urgent projects in the works.”

Vee parted her pile in two, dumping some files in his hands.

“Follow me then, boss,” she smiled with a quick wink.

As both were on the move, Donnie couldn’t help looking at the woman once more, amused as he noticed:

“Looks like we broke the curse,” he started. “We’re not wearing the same colored clothes anymore!”

Vee was wearing a black shirt that had a pattern of colorful, jungle type leaves, the bottom of it tucked in her jeans. Her relaxed look was completed by her teal hair tied up in a messy bun. Meanwhile Donnie rather simple with a white shirt, an unevenly striped black and white tie, and beige pants.

“Huh! Beige suits you,” noted Vee, observing him as well.

“Wearing those clothes can be a challenge sometimes. Pale clothes are a nightmare whenever you do anything. I’m always so scared that I’ll spill anything on them.”

“Right?!” agreed the woman. “It can be such a nightmare. Imagine white pants! I’d be so scared to sit anywhere anytime!”

Small laughters were exchanged, the duo still walking. Their task was easily embellished with small talk of various subjects, Vee’s day suddenly brigthened by Donnie’s presence. All was good and she couldn’t be ever more grateful for any seconds spent with him...

***

As the rest of the day passed, Donnie thankfully avoiding any tasks from his older brother, people were starting to leave the office, this being the duo’s cue for their project. As Vee had a better understanding of the Lowline’s needs, she was able to provide better feedback about how to approach the plans and drawings, actively pointing whenever Donnie was doing something wrong and the woman simply grabbing a pencil, adding her touch here and there. She didn’t give a second thought about standing close to the mutant, her focus primarly on the drawing. She could sense Donnie’s gaze on her though, the turtle enamored with her work. He was truly open to her comments and loved to get the conversation going about how to proceed, appreciating her knowledge. They worked well together. ... So well that they didn’t see time pass and soon it was almost past eight in the evening. Exiting the small room in which the drawing board was in, they noticed rain starting to fall outside, the mutant then offering to drive the woman back home - to Vee’s greatest relief.

New York was restless. Even in the late hours of the night, it was still booming with life in certain areas, never a dull moment to be had. Vee loved looking at all the lights coloring the streets, the slight start of rain amplifying their shimmering on the pavement like an ephemeral oil painting. The vehicle's motion was creating a kaleidoscope of colors inside the SUV, slowly fading as the pair was rolling away from the busy streets to a somewhat calmer part of town. As Donnie parked near a sidewalk, the rain amplified, the drops drumming against the car's body. He wasn't close to Vee's apartment building, so the woman knew that if she were to step outside, she'd be soaking wet in no time.

“If you don't mind,” she started, looking over to the terrapin. “Can I wait in here for little while? I'm guessing this strong pour will stop at some point, they always do....”

Donnie gently smiled.

“They do indeed, and I don't mind at all,” he answered.

They paused, listening to the rain. This comfortable silence allowed Donnie to gather his thoughts, finally speaking up after a while:

“… It's rather nice, don't you think?”

“The ambient sound?” questionned Vee.

Donnie conceeded, while also adding: “Sure, it's calming. … But I just kept thinking; it's also nice to be here with you. It's nice that we seem to get along so well...”

Vee was suddenly speechless, her heart thundering in her ears. She tried to boot her thoughts back to her brain, tucking some strands of hair away.

“I- … yeah. It's nice.”

She felt his hand hold her left one, his touch soft as he brushed his thumb on her skin. “… I'm sorry, I'm making you uncomfortable,” he said.

“No!” reassured Vee. “No please, I... I simply wonder if this is right?”

She had said that last part with uncertainty, afraid she'd say something wrong.

"And what is 'this'?” questionned the terrapin, remaining calm.

Vee threw him an unimpressed look, getting a chuckle out of the male in return.

“Don't play this game with me, Donnie,” she said. “We're adults. I know flirting when I see it. … I just don't want it to be ill-intentioned on your part.”

His eyes grew wide, a slight distress felt in the air.

“I would never!” he added. “… To be frank, I'm not really used to flirting, so I'm sorry if I'm giving weird vibes.”

“Are you kidding?” lightly laughed Vee. “You make me blush so often, it might become permanent at some point.”

She brought her other hand to his, now properly holding him, simply to bring weight to her words:

“You've made me feel alive ever since we properly met... I simply feel happy, but considering our positions at work, that's why I'm asking if this is right? … I wouldn't want to dive too deep into this simply to drown...”

“People may say what they want, but I think as long as we remain professional, there's no harm?”

Their eyes met, trying to guess the right answer through unspoken words. As the rain was still gaining in strength, the loud pitter-patter seemed to break any barriers, Donnie gaining further courage to speak again:

“You're a beautiful and interesting woman, Vee. Just thinking about you makes me feel warm and I can't stop smiling... I realize that's a bit bold to lay out, but just as you said: we're adults. And I don't see why I should hide the fact that you're bringing me joy lately.”

Vee felt her heart melt, her hands slightly squeezing his. A faint sigh left her as she attempted to cling to reason:

“Let us see where things go from now on. … I think we need to rest our heads on this before anything else. … I appreciate you a lot, Donnie, I do. But right now we need to learn how to walk together before we sprint to any outcome.”

“I agree,” smiled the turtle. ‘’There’s no rush indeed. ... I like any moments spent with you.”

This moment felt so surreal all of a sudden. To openly express such feelings out in the open indeed was bold, from both of them, but it just felt so right. As a sign of fate, the rain was calming down, thus being the cue for Vee to head out and get home.  She wanted to stay here. She wanted to feel his presence and hear more about how he felt, but at the same time she wanted to stay true to her words.

“Well ... I guess this is time for me to go,” she said.

“Are you busy tomorrow night?”

That question surprised her at first.

“What now, I have to lay out my entire schedule to you?” she joked.

“Not really,” grinned Donnie. “But how about a date? That way we shall see how things unfold from now on.”

That caught her slightly off guard, but knowing she had thrown somehow the idea on their last evening out, she knew it was bound to happen.

“How could I ever decline?” she said, smiling. “... I’d like that very much.”

Donnie brought one of her hands up, leaving a soft kiss on top of it.

“Then you make me a very happy man.”

((Part 6))

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE, MORE BLOOD Vol.13 Kino [Track 4]

Original title: ラビリンス

Source: Diabolik Lovers More, More Blood Vol. 13 Kino [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here (38:03 ~ 48:00)

Seiyuu: Tomoaki Maeno

Translator’s note: The plot thickens!! I’m definitely enjoying the different approach taken in this CD. When there’s 13 CDs all with the same basic plot, it’s nice to see they put in some effort to make every one of them unique. Overall, I think the MMB series was handled quite well, but this is soon turning out to be one of my favorites even though I have very little attachment to Kino as a character!

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5 + Epilogue

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 4: Labyrinth

“Ah-aah~ We’re finally done! After repeating the announcement so many times, I guess it only makes sense I remembered the text by heart. But it wasn’t half bad! I’m sure you had fun as well, no? After all, I took such ‘great’ (1) care of you~”

You protest.

“Huh? What a cold reaction...Are you upset, perhaps? Because I used the Hourglass to my heart’s content and sucked your blood time after time?”

You shake your head.

“Hmm~? So you’re upset about something else? Let me just tell you, but you’re the one who failed to suppress their voice, so you only have yourself to blame for how the announcement ultimately turned out. I’m not to blame.”

You complain about Kino not rewinding at the very end.

“Hahaha! What are you saying? Why would I rewind the last time? Your performance was broadcasted across the entire school after all. Hehe~ I’m curious what kind of rumors will be spreading tomorrow. ...Still, it’s odd. I figured a raging teacher would come bursting it at some point. Maybe people don’t actually pay attention to the school intercom at all.

ーー Or rather, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around in general. I wonder if everyone went home already? ...In that case, what was even the point of our announcement? Guess we should grab our stuff and hurry back home too.”

Kino turns his head towards you.

“So? We’re still not at our classroom?”

You seem confused.

“What do you mean, ‘if I recall correctly’...? Don’t tell me you spaced out and got ourselves lost again? I visited the broadcasting room for the first time today, so I don’t remember the way back to our classroom.”

He looks around.

“I’d be able to tell once we reach familiar territory but...Say? Isn’t there something off about this atmosphere? Classes may have already ended, but it still seems too deserted. I feel as if there’s way too many doors as well...? 

Kino comes to a halt.

“Rather than just a hunch, there’s actually too many, right? ...Say, which part of the campus are we currently at?”

You explain.

“Eh? Nearby our classroom? No way, right? I should be able to recognize it by now. There were never this many doors around!”

You insist that you know where you’re going.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s try opening one up then. At this point, any classroom will do. I’m not in the mood to get lost with you.”

*Rattle*

“...Eh!?”

You ask him what is wrong.

“I-It’s...a hallway.”

You seem skeptical.

“You should take a look as well!”

You peek inside the room.

“See? I wasn’t lying, right? Don’t tell me...There’s hallways which lead to another hallway in the human world as well?”

You shake your head.

“Well...I guess so. It doesn’t make sense, huh? Then how do you explain this?”

You shrug.

“Guess there’s no way you’d know. Anyway, we have to get back to our classroom. Somehow I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

*Rattle*

“This is...No, let’s not. These kind of places usually have traps.”

He continues walking.

“I mean, there’s no way this door leads to another hallway as well, riーー”

*Rattle*

“...!! No way...”

You rush to his side.

*Rattle*

“This one too...”

You continue following Kino around.

“As you can see, all of them connect to other hallways...Say, something really messed up is going on over here, no?”

You start to panic.

“Even if you ask me what to do...All we’ve got to work with is this row of doors, nor do we know what is going on outside. Guess we’ve got no other choice. Let’s try and walk down this hallway. We might be able to find a way out somehow. Worst-case-scenario, I could always use my magic to blast through the wall.”

You agree as the two of you continue walking.

“This hallway has a bunch of doors as well...Not exactly something I want to see right now. Let’s try opening them one by one starting from the corner. Can you handle the opposite end?”

You nod.

“Mmh. Let’s get started then.”

*Rattle*

“...Another hallway!? How about yours!?”

*Rattle*

“...No luck, huh? Try opening them all! There might be one leading to something else! I’m sure!”

*Rattle*

“Ugh...This one too...Fuck!”

Kino continues opening all the doors but to no avail.

“...!? What is going on!? All doors lead to hallways!?”

You finish opening all doors on the opposite end.

“...Ah. No luck on your end either? This sucks...There’s still some doors left, but we don’t even know how long this hallway is exactly...This reminds me of a game bug. I was having so much fun using the Hourglass as well...So why did this have to happen!? ...!! Hourglass...Time...”

You tilt your head to the side.

“No...But perhaps...This might be a result of turning back time.”

You seem shocked.

“Think about it. You remember, don’t you? You got the classroom we had to move to wrong earlier today, no? So we ended up spending time on the rooftop instead. You were having trouble locating the cafeteria as well and inside the broadcasting room, the start button swapped places. That switch...I remember very well because it was right by my hand. I’m fairly certain it didn’t move until after I had used the Hourglass.”

*Cling*

“If time and space warped every time I used this to rewind time...Then this bug-like situation isn’t entirely unthinkable. We repeated the process several times, so it wouldn’t be strange for the distortion caused by that to draw forth this kind of situation...”

*Cling*

“Whoever made this item must have had one hell of a rotten personality. I’d ‘love’ to meet them.”

You grow scared.

“Ah, no need to tear up. In that case...While I do feel kind of bad for the school, I’ll just blow away this whole hallway. Stay back for a bit, okay?”

You step away.

“Here I go...”

Kino charges his magic before charging it at the wall.

“...Hahー!!”

*BOOM*

“...!! Why...!? It won’t even budge...This is bad. The magic is blocking it. It’s almost as if even my magic is being warped and rendered null...I guess that means the Hourglass’ energy is flowing through this entire airspace...Fuck! If we don’t play our cards right, we might not be able to make it out and remain stuck in here forever...”

You grow desperate.

“...! No need to cry. ...There’s no way there isn’t a single exit at least. There’s a solution to any problem. ...Don’t you think so as well?”

You nod.

“See? So you do understand after all. ...Well then, why don’t we start from scratch and try opening the doors again? We have to quickly solve this predicament...For your sake as well. There’s nothing fun about seeing you tremble in fear over something or someone other than me after all.”

*Smooch*

“...Bet you wondered why I would do that given the circumstances, huh? However, I felt like doing it exactly because of this current situation.”

You frown.

“Ah! That wasn’t meant as a death flag or anything so rest assured! Well then...Shall we get going? Let’s hold hands...So we don’t get separated.”

Kino grabs hold of your hand before the two of you walk off.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) The term かわいがる or ‘kawaigaru’ can be used in an ironic fashion. In that case, it does not mean ‘to spoil/to dote on’, but ‘to tease’. 

[jaesqueso]

The Bachelorette: NCT edition - Ep. 7

The season of love is finally here! An interactive series where you’ll get to choose who goes home each week and ultimately who Y/N chooses in the end!

pairing: nct(ot23) x fem!reader

summary: For the first time a week goes smoothly without much drama but could this make the bachelorette’s decision even harder?

episode guide

word count: 4,902

warnings: mentions of alcohol (all responsible!)

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

Last week on the Bachelorette:

The big mystery remains in the air with no one willing to step forward and make a confession,

Nevertheless some bonds were strengthened while others are stopped to save a broken heart.

Unfortunately at the end of the rose ceremony a heart did get broken leaving a not so pleasant goodbye that startled everybody.

5 bachelors remain on this love quest but after tonight one of them will be going home.

Who will she choose? Who will she reject?

Find out on the Bachelorette!

-

“Hi everybody!” Chris Harrison walks into the guest house. “Excited for another week?”

They all cheer for new opportunities to amaze you and get closer to that last rose and your love.

“Great because things are about to change!”

The boys look around at each other, what does he mean change?

“So far each date, wether individual or in a group, gave you the opportunity to win a rose ahead of the ceremony and secure your spot here for another week to compete for Y/N’s love, Well from now on there are no more date roses.”

“What does that mean for us?” Taeyong asks the question that’s on everybody’s heads.

“That means give it your all on the dates and the cocktail party because all roses will now only be handed out on the ceremony.”

Mixed feelings run around the room.

“But since there are less and less of you there are also more opportunities for alone time with our beautiful bachelorette as there will be no more group dates. This week you’ll have 1 one-on-one date and 2 two-on-ones. But don’t worry, since no roses will be hand out before hand that also means no one will be sent home on the dates too.”

Breaths of relief come out of everybody’s mouths.

“Alright, enjoy your dates and I will see you at the rose ceremony!”

As Chris leaves, the siren his heard and all eyes focus on the TV.

I hope you’re all having as much fun in this journey as I am. And I think it’s time we celebrate.

The bachelors look intrigued.

Jeno and Jaemin, hope you’re excited to join me tomorrow!

“Yes!” The two boys high five happy to be paired together on a date with you, over the weeks they not only bond with you but also ended up growing closer to each other.

“Wait, you’re going to celebrate without us?” Yuta groans.

“I bet you’ll get to celebrate too in a few days.” Jaemin comforts him.

“And don’t forget one of us will still be going on an individual date this week.” Jaehyun looks between Yuta and Taeyong,

“That’s right!” Taeyong excitedly says.

-

The following day Jaemin and Jeno get ready and enter their ride that’s already waiting outside to meet you. They are taken to a near by city where a parade is about to start and that’s where you’re waiting for them in a pair of light washed jeans and a cute flowy top.

“Hi guys!” You greet them with a big smile. “I found us a great spot to watch the parade, shall we go?”

“Yes!” They say at the same time following you to a nice place by the fence where you had an amazing view.

They stood by your side as you watched the marching band, the decorated vehicles and the big balloons being pulled by the villagers. You explained the guys what the parade was about along with a little story of the city and they actually seemed more interested in what you had to say than the parade itself.

You start to feel shy having all their attention on you, their piercing gaze, beautiful smiles and light touches on your arms. These two have definitely touched your heart and you can’t even imagine how you’ll make a decision if it ever comes down to the two of them.

Once the parade is over the three of you walk around the streets exploring the city. Everywhere you look is decorated because of the festivities and you’re having a great time.

You then decide to stop by a grocery store to get some food to go and watch the concert in the park. After finding a nice place with a good stage view you all sit down on the grass.

The sun starts setting as the band begins playing a nice smooth tune that sets a very romantic ambience all around. You look at the two boys sitting next to you and you couldn’t be happier with the choice you made today, even without saying a word their presence just makes you feel so comfortable, you can imagine your life with either one of them at this point.

-

In the guest house Taeyong, Yuta and Jaehyun talk about the changes in the game.

“How do you feel about no more roses in advance?” Yuta asks.

“Honestly I don’t know how to feel.” Taeyong starts. “This could be good or bad.”

“It definitely makes me more nervous,” Yuta comments, “those date roses were very reassuring and you could relax a bit ahead of the ceremony.”

“Absolutely!” Taeyong continues. “I feel like I’m a little bit of an underdog here, we only started to really bond recently so having to wait until the end of the week really makes me anxious.”

“I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing.” Jaehyun steps in the conversation. “We just gotta keep working hard on the date and the cocktail party just like we did until now. If we’re still here, there’s still a chance.”

“I guess you’re right…” Taeyong says before he’s interrupted by the siren.

“Let’s see who’s next.” Jaehyun gets up as they walk to the living room.

It’s good to go out and celebrate but it’s also nice to have a more chill and relaxed time.

They wonder if this will be another two-on-one date or the individual one.

Sometimes I just like to get on my car and drive around. Yuta, I’d love for you to join me on that ride tomorrow.

The mentioned boy cheers on his seat.

“Well, that means it will be us fighting for her attention after.” Jaehyun taps Taeyong’s back.

“Bring it on.” Taeyong tries to sound excited but deep down he’s scared about his future here.

-

As the band finishes their last song the crowd claps including the three of you and with the last beat of the drums a loud pop is heard starting a wonderful firework show. Your eyes sparkle at the splashes of color in the sky and you feel a hand gently overlapping yours. You look to your left and see Jaemin still looking up at the sky as if his touch wasn’t making his heart beat faster just like yours.

“Wow, that was amazing!” Jeno says as the last explosion disappears in the air.

“It really was.” Jaemin agrees.

“I’m glad you two enjoyed it, I’m so happy I got to share this moment with you.” You smile brightly as you look at them,

You let your back fall into the grass and they lay down too.

“You should be up there.” Jeno comments pointing at the night sky that now shows all the beautiful stars.

“But then I’d outshine them all.” You tease.

“Ok, you’re right.” Jeno chuckles.

“I think you’re good right here, next to me.” Jaemin lightly squeezes your hand making you turn your face to him as he does the same.

“Hey hey, I’m here too ok?” Jeno playfully says as he lifts up his torso separating your hands making you all laugh at his jealousy.

You lay there for a while talking and observing the stars until you decide it’s time to go back. On the ride home you almost don’t want this day to end but you try to calm down your heart thinking about the other bachelors back at the guest house.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jeno says as you exit the car.

“Of course.” You’re impressed with how talkative he is today, he’s usually quiet around other the other guys but you believe it helps that he gets along so well with Jaemin. Whatever the reason is you’re happy he’s loosening up.

“If you had a rose to hand out today who would you give it to?” Jeno asks.

You chuckle as Jaemin hits the other boy in the arm.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” You wink. “Thank you for today guys, goodnight.”

“Thank you Y/N, goodnight.” They both say as you walk to the mansion.

“She would totally chose me.” Jeno says as he and Jaemin go back to the guest house.

“Right, keep dreaming!” Jaemin ruffles Jeno’s hair as they both laugh.

-

The next day a car horn is heard and all the boys go to the front of the guest house where they see you inside a convertible.

“You ready Yuta?” You call out.

“Oh I was born ready!” He almost runs to the vehicle taking the passenger seat.

“Bye guys!” You wave at the others as you step on the gas.

You drive pass the town, headed to the coast, feeling the warm air run through your hair. You tell Yuta how much you love the freedom of just driving around without a destination, observing the life around you without a plan. The sea breeze relaxes you as the low rays of sunshine embrace your skin.

You two sing along to the random songs that come on the radio, laughing at the misspelled lyrics and lines out of tune. Maybe your lonely car rides could be fulfilled with some good company like this.

You stop the car on the side of the road next to some picnic tables facing the sea. You both get out of the vehicle and you get a bag out of the trunk walking to one of the tables.

“Hungry?” You ask him.

“A lit bit yes.” He smiles taking a seat as you take out some bento boxes out of the bag making his eyes sparkle at the delicious food. “Wow! Did you prepare all this?”

“Yes I did.” You proudly state. “Let’s dig in!”

You start eating watching the sun slowly go down.

“This was really good Y/N, thank you.” Yuta complements the meal.

“You know,” you start saying, “it’s been a while since we went on a date just the two of us so I thought I’d make something familiar, a little birdie told me you like this type of food.”

“Oh yeah?” He grins. “That little bird seems to know me well, you should keep him around.”

You two laugh recalling a conversation you once had where you talked about food where he told you this.

“But I’m really glad you chose me for this date.” He continues. “I was starting to feel us drift apart and that’s the last thing I want.”

“I don’t want that either.” You reassure him. “I really like your company, Yuta, and I’m enjoying getting to know you.”

“Good to know.” He releases a relieved breath making you giggle.

“But the date is not over, I have one more thing planned for us.” You wiggle your eyebrows. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s go!”

He helps you pack everything and return to the car, driving off to your next destination.

-

Back in the guest house the dates are the focal point of the conversation.

“How did it go yesterday?” Jaehyun asks the two boys.

“It was really awesome.” Jeno cannot hide the excitement that still runs through his body.

“It really was, Y/N has done a great job planning these dates.” Jaemin agrees. “You know Jeno, if it’s us two fighting for that last rose I don’t mind sharing.” He winks.

“Well I do!” Jeno protests making the others laugh.

“But hey hey!” Taeyong interrupts with a frown. “What do you mean you two fighting for the last rose? Should I just give up?”

“Oh c’mon we can’t all be in the final pretty boy.” Jaemin ruffles his hair.

“Are you two excited for tomorrow?” Jeno asks the two who are still waiting.

“Very much.” Jaehyun replies.

“And nervous!” Taeyong adds.

“Don’t be, it will all be fine.” Jaemin cheers him up before the siren is heard and the gather around the TV.

Taeyong and Jaehyun don’t think I forgot about you, there’s a special place I’d like to take you.

The boys brighten up.

Hope you like dark places with neon lights. See you tomorrow!

“You guys going to a strip club?” Jaemin widens his eyes.

“Of course we are.” Jaehyun laughs.

“What could it be though?” Jeno wonders.

“I guess we’ll have to wait for tomorrow to know!” Taeyong says still feeling intrigued by your message.

-

You turn to a drive in movie theatre as the night takes over. You get some popcorn and a couple of drinks before park right in the middle of the space having a great view of the screen.

“Should we get into the backseat?” You suggest.

“The backseat? Right here in front of everybody?” He smirks wiggling his eyebrows.

“To sit more comfortable you pervert!” You chuckle, playfully hitting his arm.

You two follow your suggestion right before the film starts. It’s a simple sci-fi movie that you recall him mentioning liking the genre.

Halfway through, the now empty bag of popcorn is put on the side as you snuggle closer to your date. Yuta wraps his arm around your shoulder as your heads rest against each other.

Once the movie is over you two stay in his embrace while all the other vehicles leave the place, wanting to savour this moment a little bit longer. You then get back into the front seats to drive back to the guest house.

You decide to take the long route so you can talk a bit more a discuss the movie that honestly you didn’t pay that much attention to as you almost fell asleep against the warmth of Yuta’s body against yours.

“Thank you for today, I had a really great time.” He says as you drop him off.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” You smile. “Goodnight Yuta.”

“Goodnight Y/N.”

He watches you drive off before entering the house with a huge smile on his face.

-

The following day Taeyong and Jaehyun excitedly leave the house to go meet you. During the ride they discuss what could possibly await them on this date. All doubts come to an end when the car stops in front of a museum where you wait for them in a beautiful short white dress.

“Do I hear wedding bells already?” Taeyong asks as they walk to you.

“Not yet!” You chuckle. “This museum holds temporary exhibitions and once I heard they were having a neon themed one I just knew I had to come. Are you excited?”

“Yes!” They both say.

“Well let’s go then!” You lead them inside.

As you enter the building you get into a dark hallway that leads into a purple themed room. It looks like something out of a dream, the lights playing with the mirrors on the walls making it look like there’s infinite space.

The next room is blue. Wavy lights decorate the space making it look like you’re under water.

“This looks like the aquarium we visited last week!” Taeyong excitedly says.

“It really does! Minus the fish.” You two chuckle leaving Jaehyun feeling a little bit left out. He tries to play it off by pretending to be distracted by the room setup that you don’t even notice the sadness on his face.

You then enter a room that looks like a fantasy garden. Neon green lights fill in the space with fake plants and trees. It almost feels like you’re in a magical forest where a mystical creature will pop out any moment.

The next area is yellow. The brightness almost blinds you and Jaehyun takes the opportunity to hold your hand to guide you inside. You’re startled by his action as you were not expecting it but let him lead you around. When Taeyong notices it he decides to hold your other hand making you giggle at the small trace of jealousy.

The orange room that follows the yellow one is very fruit having neon signs shaped like all sorts of exotic fruits. Your mouth gets watery at the sight.

As you walk into the following space it seems like you entered the red light district. There are suggestive images on the walls and even a pole in the middle. The guys seem to be too distracted by the spicy surroundings almost forgetting you’re there.

“C’mon lets get into the next one before you start getting ideas!” You pull them and they laugh realising they were staring.

Entering a a pink area the environment feels more tropical with flamingo light structures everywhere. Taeyong seems to really like that room and you recall a previous conversation where he told you this is his favourite color.

The last room of the exhibit is a combination of all colors making you feel like you entered a scene from Alice’s wonderland.

“Wow, that was really cool!” Taeyong sounds like a kid who just went on his first rollercoaster ride as you get out of the museum.

“I know right?” You agree. “But I gotta say, that orange room made me hungry, should we go somewhere to eat?”

“Yes, I’m starving!” Jaehyun supports your suggestion.

You all head off to a near by restaurant that seems to carry the neon light theme.

“Now I see why you wore white today, you’re shining brighter than all the lights in the room.” Taeyong complements you making you blush a little. Luckily they can’t see that over the lighting in the room.

You order some drinks that funny enough reflect the neon colors all around and come in glasses that look like lab material. You make a toast to having a good time together as the food arrives.

The conversation is cheerful but you can’t help feel like Jaehyun is holding back a little. Could he feel intimidated by the other guy who seems to be having the time of his life?

Taeyong really has changed is attitude and you’re glad he did. He gave you the chance to get to know him better and get closer to him, bonding over all the things you have in common and even the ones you don’t carefully listening and learning from each other.

Jaehyun seemed to have this fight in him before but now he seems to be too relaxed. Could it be that because you gave him a quick kiss on your last date he got comfortable and started taking his position in the competition for granted?

As you wrap up the meal the three of you go for a walk admiring the city lights before you head back.

You say goodbye to the boys  when you leave the car and enter the mansion taking a deep breath. This week all dates went pretty well making it harder for you to decide on someone to send home.

-

You join the boys in the cocktail party that are excitedly talking about all their experiences this week. They welcome you in, encouraging you to give your perspective on all the activities, which you gladly do before you start talking to them individually.

As there are less and less people in the house it’s easier to catch up with all of them before making the ultimate decisions of the night.

The first one to call you outside is Taeyong. You could still feel the rush from the date exuding out of him as he excitedly thanks you for taking him to the museum. You understood is a very cultured guy that enjoys these type of activities which is something that attracts you in him. Despite all the happiness he also discloses how worried he is thinking he might have taken too long to try and build a connection with you but he’s glad you were willing to take a chance on him which you assure him you don’t regret doing at all.

The next bachelor to talk to you is Jaemin. As always, your heart skips a beat when he takes your hand and leads you to sit outside. As always, he wants to know how you’re feeling and if there’s something going on inside your head. As always, you let it all out with him, this week went really well but that actually makes it harder for you to make a decision. As always, he comforts you and makes you feel like everything in the world will turn out alright as long as you’re by his side. And as always you feel like your heart is going to explode with this inexplainable connection you have with this guy since day one.

After a while you see Jeno walk outside and Jaemin calls him out leaving you two to talk. Just like Taeyong, Jeno still looks pretty excited from the date. You’ve been growing closer and closer to him and you’re not sure if this is a good things because everything is getting so messy inside your head. Nevertheless you enjoy every single second by his side and you appreciate all the efforts you see from him, trying to open up more to you and even around the others too. He does seem to be here for the right reasons and you definitely appreciate all the effort.

Next in line is Jaehyun. Now this is a hard to read guy. Sometimes he seems so in sync with you, other times so off. Some moments you spent together in the past drew you close to him and made you imagine a possible future but other times it feels like he’s not really here, or maybe he just got too comfortable. You start to regret going back and giving him that kiss. Maybe if you didn’t he would still make an effort to earn it. Tonight he talks to you like you’re the only person on the planet but in the date with Taeyong he didn’t feel like the same person. As you get closer to the finish line and choosing the man you want to share your life with, could this be a setback?

Finally you spend some time with Yuta. You’re glad you chose him for the only individual date you had this week because you haven’t had that much alone time with him almost since the beginning of this journey. Of course you talk to him in the other cocktail parties and in the group dates, but it’s different. When he mentioned he felt like you two were losing your connection you felt bad because you realised you felt the same way and you don’t want that. He’s a very nice guy and you’d like to keep him around. Even if he’s not the one you end up with you’d still like to keep him as a friend because he’s an incredible person to have in anyone’s life. You’re glad you were able to reconnect with him this week and realise that some of that initial sparkle between the two of you is still there.

After talking to all of them you feel as confused as ever. All of them have strong points on their favour and you’ll really have to evaluate what’s more important to you. It breaks your heart having to send people home week after week but you came here to find love. One true love. You just didn’t expect the production to do such a nice job casting and presenting you such amazing guys the make you more confused than you ever thought you’d be in this journey.

Before Chris comes to take you upstairs, you take some time to talk to all the guys in a group again. It feels good to be here drama free. The environment seems lighter and you all joke and laugh having a genuine good time. You like seeing them all get along despite being in a competition against each other. The good mood helps them focus on what they’re really doing here and that’s proving they’re the one for you, not bickering with each other and forgetting you’re the one they should impress, not each other.

Chris finally enters the room and you know it’s time to reflect on the outcome of tonight. You thought that by now you’d have your mind made up but you’re as confused as ever.

-

“One more week has passed, how are you feeling?” Chris asks as you two sit down in the decisions room.

“Mixed feelings inside me Chris.” You honestly say. “I feel like I’m really bonding with all of them so it’s really hard to think of someone to let go of.”

“Very understandable. How did you find it not giving out roses ahead of today?”

“It was weird but it was also good because I genuinely wanted to give a rose to everybody after the dates!” You two laugh.

“Well we couldn’t have that!”

“It’s really harder than it looks, I’m not only breaking their hearts but I’m also hurting myself a little bit by sending someone home.”

“Do you have any idea of how you’ll make the decision tonight?”

“I think at this stage I have to think about every single detail to be able to single some one out.”

“It is a hard and important decision as every week. I will leave you to it and be back in awhile so you can share the verdict with the nervous boys downstairs.”

“Thank you Chris.”

As he leaves the room you once again stare at the pictures on the wall trying to make sure you don’t regret whatever choices you make tonight. You feel like you can see a future with any of these 5 men but that’s not how it works, you came here to find the one and for that you’ll have to send them home one by one until you get to him.

-

You and Chris walk down the stairs joining the 5 boys that anxiously await to hear your decisions.

“Good evening gentleman. 5 of you stand before us but there are only 4 roses to be handed out tonight so that means one of you will be grabbing his things and going back home.” Chris then turns to you. “Y/N, whenever you’re ready.”

You thank him as he leaves the room and grab the first rose facing the guys.

“Before I start let me say I really like every single one of you and I feel like we’re building very strong connections. Unfortunately I can’t keep you all here. I want to find love and I’m modern and open minded but not that much.”

You all laugh at your comment and then you take a deep breath before starting calling them out.

“Jaemin.”

His eyes sparkle hearing his name.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“Absolutely.” You two smile as you pin the rose to his jacket. “Thank you, Y/N.”

He walks back as you pick up another one.

“Taeyong.”

The boy widens his already big eyes.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“One thousand times yes!” You feel him shake under your touch. “Thank you so much.”

You grab the next rose.

“Jeno.”

He sighs in relief.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“You scared me there for a second! Of course I do.” You giggle as you pin the rose. “Thank you.”

You bite your lip as you take the last rose on the bowl.

“Yuta.”

A smile opens up on his face as he steps forward.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“Definitely.” You pin it to his jacket. “Thank you so much.”

Chris walks back in.

“Jaehyun, that means that unfortunately you and Y/N are not meant to be. Thank you for being with us. You can now say your goodbyes.”

The other bachelors gather around hugging him. You patiently wait until he finally comes your way.

“I’m so sorry…” You mutter.

“It’s ok, Y/N.” Jaehyun wraps his arms around you, pulling your shaky body in for a hug. “I’d have to go eventually. Your prince charming is here but I knew I’m not him.”

“Thank you for everything, Jaehyun.” You say when he lets go, wiping a tear that fell on his cheek.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard to go.” He chuckles. “But it’s time, thank you, I had a great time.”

You watch him walk out with sadness in your eyes. The other guys gather around you understanding how hard these decisions are. As you get closer to the finish line it’s practically impossible not to get emotional when someone leaves. You only hope Jaehyun is right and your prince charming is really amongst these 4 men.

-

In the next episode:

4 guys remain on the quest for love and it gets harder not only for the bachelorette but also for the bachelors:

“You should be careful, you’re getting a little too cocky.”

“I feel like I’m deluding myself.”

“What are you talking about?”

And someone else will go back home.

“I knew it was only a matter of time.”

“I really don’t want to go.”

Stay tuned for next weeks episode premiering 01/08.

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

Episode 8

a/n: jaeeeeeeee T_T I know this chapter is way smaller than the other ones and I’m posting this later than usual but I was out of the country this week with zero time to write so apologies if this feels rushed… I promise to do better in the future! (for real this time) also want to wish a happy birthday to the person who commented on this episode’s voting that this will be their birthday 🥳 do give me some feedback please! ❤

taglist: @skrtbabe @yutahoes @yokshi-unbeliebubble @nakamotonudes @n0hyuck @negincho @love-and-other-possibilities @readers-posts @sylviacxt​ @tyongf-sunflower99​ @princessjunnie​

If you’d like to be included in the taglist for the series do let me know ❤︎

[blackdiamondwrites127]

Epilogue

The epilogue in the ‘Mending Bridges, Meaningful Bonds’ collection.

Fernando and Isabel go on a beach trip with their children.

Credits:

@spooner7308 for beta reading this and giving me handy writing tips!

Characters:

Isabella I of Castile, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Juan Trastámara belongs to @weirdbutdecentart

Isabella Trastámara belongs to @lexartsstuff

Juana ‘La Loca’ de Castile belongs to @ellielovesdrawing

Maria Trastámara belongs to yours truly

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

“Do we not have news about the admiral?”

“We do not.”

The royal couple held hands as they strolled around their new palace in Granada. They had recently conquered the beautiful city and have destined it as their new vacation home.

“I predict nothing good if the winter falls on him at sea,” Fernando said.

“Have faith. How hard have you tried to recover Roussillon and Cerdanya. And now you are going to succeed,” Isabel said.

“If God wills it.”

“He shall. And Colon will return. God rewards the perseverant.”

“It is possible. At the moment, at the moment, my troops are waiting at the border in case the Frenchmen backs down,” Fernando said. His wife shook her head.

“No such thing will happen. These are new times for our kingdoms, let us enjoy them,” she said. They stopped at the entrance of a room where their children were.

Juan had little Catalina sitting on his lap. His dog, Bruto, is sleeping by his feet. He was teaching her how to read. Isabella was looking over María's shoulder. Teaching her how to write in cursive. Juana was practicing her musical skills on her brother’s lute.

Smiles came on the parents’ faces.

“Look. We owe this happiness to the peace that has cost us so much to get. It is our first duty to make it last.”

"Found anything?"

"Nope. It's like they never went to the beach at all. Which is weird considering they live close by."

Maria sighs and shuts the old wardrobe closed. Her and Juan had been looking for their parents' swimming outfits for the past twenty minutes now.

"What now?" Juan asked.

"You have some extra swimming trunks right?" Maria asked. Looking over at him.

"Yeah but I don't know if it'll fit padre though," he said. “It’s worth a try than nothing. I’ll go see if Bella has a spare bathing suit that can fit madre,” she said.

“Alright. I’ll go and help Juana with the food.”

The two split up once exiting the master bedroom. Maria goes upstairs and Juan goes to the kitchen where Juana was.

“Any luck finding anything?” Juana asked as her brother joined her to help in preparing food.

“Nothing. Maria suggested we lend them ours though,” Juan said. Taking over in frying the eggs for Juana so she can focus on making sandwiches.

“Will ours even fit them?” she asked. Putting the finished sandwiches in ziplock bags.

“I think padre can fit in one of my swimming trunks and madre can probably fit in one of Bella’s bathing suits,” he said. He placed the fried eggs on a paper towel covered plate to soak up the extra oil.

“That could work. Hopefully they’ll like the trip to the beach,” Juana said. Putting their prepared food into containers before placing them in a large plastic bag.

Juan’s phone rang and he went out back to take it. Maria had come back down, carrying some of their bags with her as well as a mini cooler. Juana raised an eyebrow.

“Since when did we bring a mini cooler?” she asked her younger sister.

“We didn’t because Bella bought this back in Barcelona to contain her cans of Monster,” Maria said, opening the mini cooler to show about a dozen cans in there.

Juana shook her head. “She’s going overboard with this addiction,” she said.

“Which is why I’m getting rid of it,” Maria said. Closing the mini cooler.

Juan comes back inside after taking his call. “Hey guys! Bella just called and...what do you have there?” he asked when he saw what Maria was holding.

“This, querido hermano, is Isabella’s secret mini cooler filled with cans of energy drinks,” Maria answered.

“Um...okay...but Bella just called me and told me that they’re already packing up their wares in the market so we should hurry and get everything in the van,” Juan said.

“Oh right! Let’s get moving!” Maria said.

“I’ll take that!” Their brother took the mini cooler and shuffled off outside.

The three got the things they needed for a beach trip ready in the van and waited on the front porch for Catalina and Isabella to come back with their parents from the village market.

“Juan, what did you do with the mini cooler?” Maria asked her older brother.

“I got rid of it. Threw the cans away and put the mini cooler in the front shed,” Juan said. His sister nods in approval.

“Here they come,” Juana said as he spotted Isabella opening the gate to let the truck. Fernando drives the truck in the property. Catalina, who was sitting at the bed of the truck, jumped off.

“¡Hola! How was the trip to the market?” Maria asked as she, Juana and Juan stood up to greet them.

“It was alright. Everything managed to sell out this time,” Isabel said as she got out of the truck.

“Oh good! Does that mean you don’t have any more chores to do?” Maria asked.

“Yes. We can relax for the rest of the day,” Fernando said. Rounding the truck to put away the table and crates to the shed.

"Great! Hop in the van because we're going to the beach!"

"The beach?" their parents asked. Their children nodded.

"But what about the farm? Who would look after it if we're not here?" Isabel asked.

"No worries! Juana managed to get a favor from her boyfriend and he agreed to watch the farm," Maria said. "Maria! Hernando is not my boyfriend!" Juana exclaimed. A blush on her cheeks.

"But we don't even have anything to wear to the beach," Fernando said.

"I can lend you one of my swimming trunks, padre," Juan offered.

"And Bella has an extra bathing suit that madre can wear," Maria said.

Isabel and Fernando looked at each other.

"Come on! We wanna spend time with you guys at the beach before we head off to the airport tomorrow. Make some memories and all that," Maria urged.

She's right. They'll be heading back to England tomorrow. And although Isabel and Fernando were given their contact information so they could still communicate from afar, their children leaving will still be bittersweet.

"Alright then," their father said. "Let's go to the beach," their mother said.

All five children grinned happily. They piled up in the van, with Catalina driving as usual, and got situated. Juana waited by the gate as the youngest backed the vehicle out of the property. She closed and locked the gate before hopping in the passenger side.

“Everyone ready?” Catalina asked. “Ready!” everyone responded.

With that, they drove off to the beach.

The drive to the beach took roughly about half an hour. Once there, Maria got out to pay their entrance fee and rent a cabin for the day.

"Maria is in charge of our vacation budget," Juana said when their parents wondered why Maria was the only one who got out of the van.

While they waited, Juan was whispering something in Isabella's ear and she briefly looked relieved and freaked out at the same time. Juana raised an eyebrow suspiciously at this as she watched them through the rearview mirror.

Maria soon returned to the van after doing payments.

"I got us cabin seven with the mini bar and karaoke!" she excitedly said.

"A mini bar?" Isabel asked.

"It's a small island counter with a shelf full of alcohol," Juan explains.

"We're going all out today huh?" Isabella asked.

"It's our last day here so might as well go out with a bang," Maria said.

"I won't be having much alcohol since I'm the designated driver," Catalina said as she drives up to their rented cabin and parks the van up front. They got out and Maria unlocked the cabin with the key given to her so they could bring their things inside.

The cabin was small but it had everything they needed for their temporary stay at the beach.

"Let's go get changed!" Juan said after everything was put away for the time being.

Isabel and Fernando were lended their children's spare swimwear and they went to go change into them.

Fernando decided to wear a plain white, sleeveless, shirt to pair with the swimming trunks Juan lended to him.

Isabel, however, felt quite uncomfortable with the one-piece bathing suit she was wearing.

"I feel a bit exposed in this. Are you sure this is how...Infanta María! What in God's name are you wearing!?” she exclaimed upon seeing her daughter wearing a yellow string bikini.

"What? This is my swimsuit," Maria said. Confidently flaunting her 'assets'.

Of course, this is a big 'no-no' to the former Catholic Monarch.

"You're basically wearing undergarments! Cover up or change into something more appropriate!"

"Mamá, this is normal at the beach. Some people wear way less than me on some beaches. Look! Even Bella and Catalina are wearing bikinis too."

Isabel looked when Maria gestured to her sisters and sure enough, the two were wearing bikinis as well.

"¡Mis hijas!" their mother exclaimed.

"It's fine, madre," Isabella reassured.

"But you're all exposed!" Isabel pointed out.

"It's normal on beaches. Trust us," Catalina said.

"Everyone ready?" Juan asked as he came out. Wearing only his swimming trunks.

"Juana's still changing," Catalina said.

"I'm done," Juana said. She was wearing a yellow bikini top and swimming trunks.

"Great! Let's go enjoy the beach!" Maria said.

"I am not going out there like this!" Isabel said.

"Alright, fine. Here. I have a shawl you can use to cover up," she said, rummaging through her bag and handing her mother a shawl.

Isabel gladly took the shawl and wrapped it around her hips. "There. Now we can go," she said.

"Alright! Let's go!"

The family heads out to enjoy the sun, sand and sea.

Catalina brought their beach ball out and played beach volleyball with Juana, Fernando and Juan. Isabella took their mother to the water for a swim. Maria decided to get some tan on while watching her family play around.

"So how do we play this game?" Fernando asked as he stood next to his son, opposite Catalina and Juana.

"It's simple! We just hit the ball when it comes to us and prevent it from landing on our side," Juan explained.

"Alright then. I'll follow your lead."

With that, they started the game with Juana serving the ball.

Meanwhile, Isabel and her namesake were having fun splashing about in the shallow water.

"This is so much fun!" Isabel said.

"I know! The beach is one of the best places to go to during the summer," Isabella said.

"Oh look! I found a shell!" Her mother declared as she picked up a small, pink shell.

"Ooh! Let's collect shells along the shore and maybe we can make them into little souvenirs!" Isabella suggested.

"That's a great idea!"

The two Isabellas then set off to go find sea shells. After the game, Fernando decided to take a break and went to sit next to Maria. As he made his way over, he noticed a group of young men bothering her while she laid on her stomach. The ties of her bikini top undone.

His protective paternal instincts went on high gear as he marched his way to them.

"¡Hola hermosa! Wanna have some fun with us?" one of the young men said.

"No, gracias, chicos. I'm not interested. Now please leave me alone to tan," Maria said dismissively.

"Come on, hermosa. We promise it'll be fun," another one insisted.

Fernando grabbed a discarded shawl and draped it over Maria's back before standing in front of the group of young men. Arms crossed over his chest and glaring at them.

Like the soldier king that he was.

"Papá! I was tanning!" his daughter complains.

"She said she's not interested. Ahora deja a mi hija en paz," he said.

Or rather commanded.

The group scrambled away once they realized that this man was the father of the girl they were trying to flirt with. Maria sits up and fixes her bikini top.

“You didn’t have to scare them off, papá. I was fine,” she said.

“You and I both know that they wouldn’t leave you until you agreed with them,” Fernando said.

“I know. I’m used to getting hit on like that. Especially on a good day but I still stay strong on my answer being ‘no’.”

“Even so, Maria. You should be cautious around strange men. Especially when they're in groups like that.”

Maria sighs and just shrugs. "There goes my tan, I guess," she said. Standing up from her beach towel. Dusting off sand from her lap before wrapping the shawl around her hips. "How are you liking the beach so far?" She asked. Following her father back to the cabin to get something to eat and drink.

"Aside from the encounter with that group earlier, it's been fun so far. Your madre and I really needed this break," Fernando said. Walking alongside his daughter.

They reached the cabin and went inside. Maria got behind the mini bar to fix them some drinks while Fernando looked for something to eat. The others soon joined them when the weather got too hot. They had lunch together and sang karaoke. Maria and Juan fought over who gets to sing the next song while Catalina yells at them to give their parents a turn.

Isabella used this opportunity to go to the kitchenette, sneak a can of Monster from her mini cooler, that Juan did not get rid of, and pour it into her empty glass.

"Bella, where did you get that?" Juana asked. Coming up behind her.

"Gah!" Her oldest sister squeaked in surprise and almost dropped her drink.

She had been caught.

Juana looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow when she saw the mini cooler. "I thought Juan got rid of that cooler," she said.

"Uh...I can explain?"

"Oh please do, querida hermana," Maria said as she came up behind Juana. Arms crossed over her chest and an unamused look on her face. "Please tell us why you have that mini cooler when-" she turns to shout, "-Juan!-" then faces her sister again, "-told us that he got rid of it?" she finished her question with a sinister sweet tone.

Now this was just not fair! Isabella was being ganged up on.

She held her precious mini cooler protectively in her arms as she tried to think of a strategy to escape her sisters that were easily towering over her.

Juan came to her rescue when he snuck up behind his two younger sisters and had the genius idea of covering their eyes from behind.

"Run! Run, Bella, run!" he said. Isabella did just that and booked it out of the kitchenette.

"Bella, come back here!" Maria shouts after her as she escapes her brother's hold. She ran outside after her oldest sister with Juana in tow. Juan went after them to stop them from catching their oldest.

Isabel and Fernando were very freaked out when their four children started to chase each other outside the cabin. Screaming and shouting at each other.

"W-What's going on? Why are they fighting?" Isabel asked. Looking outside through the open door.

"Don't worry. They're fine," Catalina nonchalantly said as she flipped through the songbook. Looking for a song to sing.

"But they're fighting!" Fernando pointed out. Confused as to why his youngest is so nonplussed by her older siblings fighting over a mini cooler.

"As long as no one is drowning the other at sea or burying them alive under the sand then we're all good," she said.

Isabel and Fernando looked at each other in worry.

The chase came to an end with a compromise between the two parties. Isabella would be allowed to keep her energy drinks and mini cooler but with each can, it corresponds to a day where she would not have any Monster whatsoever. That means she'll go twelve days without a Monster once they land in England.

Isabella accepted the compromise, though rather with much hesitation.

The weather became suitable to go back out again and the family got back to doing their activities. Fernando and Isabel got to try out new things that day and building sand castles seemed to be their favorite so far.

"Hey guys! Let's take a photo!" Maria said. Setting up her camera on a tripod.

"A photo?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah! A little souvenir for you guys. Now stand close together in the shot," she instructed as she set up the timer in the camera.

"Photo time!" Juan said and got behind their parents. Wrapping his arms around them and pulling them close together.

Isabella and Juana stood to Isabel's left while Catalina positioned herself on Fernando's right.

"Alright everyone! Smile!" Maria rushed over to Catalina and grabbed her arm in time for the timer to run out and captured the moment.

"Maria! I almost fell!" Catalina exclaimed. Balancing both hers and her sister's weight before they could topple over.

"Let's see how it looked!" Juan said. Going over to the camera to see the photo taken.

The family gathered around to see and the results were pretty good.

"I like how it came out," Fernando said.

"Yeah! Let's have this printed and framed!" Isabella said.

"I think there's a photo printing shop nearby here," Juana said.

"I'll go get this printed later. Now let's get back to having fun!" Maria said.

They agreed and continued on with their day. When the sun was starting to set, they all decided to take their showers and change back into their civilian clothes. They decided, last minute, to have a bonfire jamming session. They rented a guitar and Fernando and Isabella took turns playing it while the others sang to their heart's content.

It was dark out when they packed up their things and took them to the van. The drive back to the farm was quiet as Maria, Isabella, Juan, Fernando and Isabel were all sleeping and Catalina and Juana were the only ones awake.

"So what do you think of this trip?" Catalina asked quietly. Focusing on the road in front.

"As a whole or just these two weeks in general?" Juana asked back.

"As a whole," the youngest answered.

"The first few days in Barcelona were fun. Then things changed when we got to Girona and discovered our parents living in the countryside," the older of the two said.

Catalina nodded in agreement. They initially planned on visiting several beaches near Barcelona and Girona was their first stop. Their plans changed when their van broke down in the middle of the countryside and met their reincarnated parents.

"What about the two weeks? What do you think?" the former queen of England asked.

"It was...a rollercoaster of emotions for sure. The first week was just full of tension and it was almost unbearable. But then the second week slowly got a lot better. At least a little bit. Well, except for the time you punched padre in the face and I had a huge meltdown in front of madre," said the former queen of Castile and Aragon.

"Yes but look how far we've come in just a span of two weeks. Sure it's not entirely fixed yet but it's a start," Catalina said and Juana nodded in agreement.

"It is a start and frankly, I'm glad that our parents made the effort. Having a complete family again is nice."

"Indeed."

.

It was late at night when they had arrived back at the farmhouse. Catalina and Juana woke their parents and siblings up so they could sleep properly on proper beds.

Come morning time, Fernando and Isabel went with their children to Barcelona to see them out to the airport. Tearful goodbyes, tight hugs and promises of a second visit were shared.

The parents watched as their children walked to their gate leading to the plane they will be boarding. Fernando held Isabel close as she cried on his shoulder.

Two weeks of being with their children felt like years and now they're leaving the nest again.

At least now, they have the means and technology to communicate with them from afar.

When they got home that night, they noticed something hung up next to their wedding photo. Upon closer look, the couple couldn't help but smile.

It was the photo they took at the beach yesterday.

Maria had it printed, framed, and had hung it up on the wall before they left that morning. It was a last gift to their parents as thanks for housing them and making the effort to get to know them again.

The photo will forever be a reminder of the family they had gained over the span of two weeks.

And they had a feeling that the family would grow in time.

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

Thank you so much for reading this collection! This is possibly the biggest writing project I've ever done and I'm very proud of the result! Again, thank you for the undying support.

[thesculptedflower]

A Firecracker

May I request a Riddler x reader, where they meet during a heist, and after taking hostages and what not, the Riddler nabs the reader as a prize too.

@craftyjellyfishcat​

Note: I have to push the S1 Ed fic to tomorrow, I’m so sorry! Things came up at home, but it’ll be posted asap! Love you guys!

A Firecracker

’’Number 357!’’ The banker shouted, the queue moving painstakingly slowly. You glanced down at the number on your paper. 401. You sighed, prepping yourself for the next few hours you’d have to spend at the Gotham City Bank. You had fought your way up the cruel path of being a small business owner in Gotham, where basically anyone was a rival to you. People only look after their own gain, rarely wanting to see the neighboring business succeeding. You had faced many threats from businesses that were run by big and important families, but you didn’t lower your head. You fought back, even when they tried to burn down your place. It was a sloppy job, and they were quickly caught and brought to justice. Which was exactly why you were now queueing at the bank, the court had granted you a small fund to help you re-build. It felt good to be aided, but it also painted a huge target to your back. 

It didn’t make you scared or paranoid, but it sure made you even more courageous to push back those who tried to bring you down. You knew you had it in you.

You had lost the track of time, when a small explosion pulled you from your thoughts. People were screaming and running all over the place, but nobody saw anything or anyone. The heavy safety doors sealed all the exits and people were starting to panic more and more. Suddenly all the lights went out, except for one. The light shined above the staircase to the second floor, and under it was a tall man in a green suit. The Riddler.

You tried to find a way out of the room, but the darkness around you made it impossible.

’’Fear not, dear citizens of Gotham!’’ Riddler announced extravagantly. ’’I’d like to play a game.’’ 

Some of the people screamed, causing even more fear in the others. ’’SILENCE!’’ Riddler shouted, clearly agitated that his speech was disturbed. His deep voice quickly filled the whole space. ’’If any of you try to run, I’ll press this trigger, that will let out a toxic smoke. If you get all three questions right, I’ll let you live.’’He explained, showcasing the trigger inside his jacket. You stayed as low as you could, trying to slowly make your way closer to him. You weren’t the strongest, but you thought you could distract him long enough for the police to arrive. 

’’None of you shall be harmed, but only if you answer correctly to these three simple questions.’’ He was smiling like a maniac, walking down the stairs step by step, holding a gun in his hand. If you only could get that gun. ’’Let’s begin!’’ He shouted, the people below him shaking from the pressure. ’’I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?’’ 

There was a short silence, before people started whispering to each other, trying to come up with the correct answer. You were quick with your thinking, but you didn’t want him to notice you were getting closer to him. ’’An echo.’’ You whispered to a person next to you and kept walking.

’’An echo!’’ The person shouted, lowering his head afterwards to avoid being seen properly.

’’Excellent!’’ Riddler exclaimed joyously. ’’You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again, you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why?’’

Whispering began once again, accompanied with a few desperate cries. This one was harder, but you came up with the answer in time, once again whispering it to the person nearest to you. ’’They’re all married!’’ They answered.

’’Correct once again. Maybe I chose the wrong bank.’’ His smile wasn’t faltering, he was so sure of himself, so confident. 

You were almost at the base of the stairs, ready to jump for his gun any point now. You knew he had the higher ground, but you had to take the chance. 

’’I have keys, but no locks and space, and no rooms. You can enter, but you-.’’ He started, but was interrupted by your sudden attack. You jumped out of the crowd aiming for his gun, but unfortunately for you, he had seen it coming miles away. He was surprisingly quick with his moves, ceasing you by the arm before you could even lay your hands on him. Now that you were forced to face him, you noticed how dark and dangerous his features were. The black bowler hat casted a sinister shadow on his face, making the already dark brown eyes seem even darker. The strong glasses framed his face perfectly, highlighting the strong jaw and high cheekbones. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were taken aback by how good he looked. And he was so intelligent, he saw right through you. 

’’Like what you see?’’ He teased, a cocky grin playing on his lips. You could feel a blush rising to your cheeks, but thanks to the poor lightning, it wasn’t too obvious. 

’’A little firecracker I see, daring to interrupt me in the middle of the last riddle, tsk tsk.’’

He was menacing, but you weren’t scared yet. You knew he loved his riddles, and he wanted to know if this poor audience could get away from him. 

’’Now if you please, let’s rise our bets a little, shall we.’’ 

He made you stand perfectly still on one of the steps and aimed the gun at your head. It made few people shriek, but you tried to motion them to be calm with your hands. The Riddler watched you silently communicating with them and let out a quick laughter. ’’Now would you look at that, what a heroine we have in our midst.’’ He said moving to stand behind you, and you swore you could feel his eyes on you. 

’’I’ll ask this one final riddle, and if you get it right, you’ll all get to go home.’’ He continued. ’’But, if you get it wrong.. Bang.’’ He pretended to shoot you in the back of the head. ’’She goes first.’’

People were crying and getting more panicked, but you remained calm. 

’’Only one color, but not one size. Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, doing no harm and feeling no pain. What am I?’’ He almost whispered, him being so close to your ear send goosebumps down your arms. You concentrated, forcing yourself to think of an answer. 

’’Is this too hard for our savior?’’ The Riddler teased, moving to speak to the other side of your head. ’’Time’s running out, and I’m right here, shadowing you.’’

That’s it.

’’A shadow.’’ You said almost too quickly.

You could feel the grin he had on his lips. ’’Well done, but unfortunately I can’t leave with empty hands.’’ 

You didn’t have time to comprehend his words before you were muffled with a cloth that smelled like, chloroform. 

* * * * * * *

When you woke up, you felt like you were hit by a truck. The room was small and dimly lit, and you sure as hell didn’t recognize it. You panicked a little and tried to sprung up from the bed, only to realize that you were tied down, only one hand free. 

’’Easy there, we don’t want you breaking anything.’’ A familiar, though more soft, voice said from somewhere in the room. Your eyes darted around, trying to find the source. A tall figure stood next to a kitchen counter, pouring two cups of coffee. He was wearing an ordinary flannel, and didn’t seem threatening at all. You had your guesses, which were proven right as he turned around. For some reason, you didn’t feel scared anymore.

’’Coffee?’’ He asked, setting the cup on the night stand next to the bed. You followed his every move with your eyes as he sat down to the end of the bed, carefully sipping his own coffee. Neither of you said a word for a while. 

’’You told me the answer.’’ You said first. Riddler lifted his brown eyes to yours, smiling genuinely this time. ’’That I did.’’

’’Why?’’ 

He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head a little.

’’You were telling the right answers to the others, trying to distract me from following you in the crowd. I wanted you to survive. You’re, different.’’ He explained, stirring his coffee with a spoon. The smell was delicious, and it was harder to protest the growing need for the coffee. 

’’It’s my own blend, a little chocolatey and not too dark.’’ He said suddenly, reading you like an open book. You could feel yourself blushing again as you carefully reached for the cup. The aroma was heavenly, and so was the taste. In a different situation, you would have loved to spend time with a guy like him. ’’It tastes amazing.’’ You whispered, hesitant to compliment him. He smiled in return before standing up slowly, careful not to frighten you. He pulled out a key from his pocket and freed your other hand. Your eyes were looking for an answer, even if your mouth didn’t ask.

’’You trusted me enough to drink the coffee, I’ll trust you enough to let you go.’’ 

Almost immediately you jumped out of the bed, but the effects of the chloroform were still pretty heavy on you, causing you to almost fall to the floor. You weren’t sure if you were lucky or not, but you were caught by the arms of your capturer. He held you so gently, it really felt like he didn’t want to harm you at all. You stared up at his brown eyes, trying to find a reason why you felt this way. Why were you so okay with being in his arms, this close to him. You could smell his cologne, and you liked it. You knew it was wrong, so why did it feel so right. 

He helped you back to the bed, where you took the coffee cup to your hands again. It was still warm. ’’Why are you being like this?’’ You asked carefully. He sat down next to you, now closer than before, but you didn’t move away.

’’I don’t really know, having you here brings out parts in me that I thought I had lost.’’ He answered quietly, showing a more vulnerable side of him. You turned to look at him and for a moment you could see a totally different person looking back at you. 

’’But I do understand if you want to leave.’’ He continued, turning to look down at his cup.

’’I think I’ll stay, for a while at least.’’

You were totally out of your comfort zone, but you weren’t afraid of it. Maybe all those fights and struggles were preparing you for this moment. This moment you shared with one of the most dangerous man in Gotham. And you were okay with it. He wasn’t dangerous, not to you anymore.

[skiller0dani]

Peace Offering | King Henry V

M A S T E R L I S T

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King Henry IV sat on the throne, his health declining but the look of disdain written plain on his face at the mention of his eldest son. “What else has he ruined?” The King spat at the guard, who rushed here straight from Eastcheap with news of the Prince. The guard remained calm as he kept his gaze lowered from the King, “he was seen exiting the Tavern with another wench.” He informed the King, who requested all information of Henry bedding commoners were brought to him. A sigh escaped the forlorn King’s mouth before a rather ingenious idea struck him then, “summon my son to me again.” He shouted to nobody in particular. One guard rushed from the room immediately to then find the Prince of Wales. Though none dared speak their concerns, all in the Throne room doubted Henry would answer the summons after the King informed him he would not be the next to sit upon the throne of England. The look in their King’s eyes informed of them that he would not yet give up on this so easily. “My King?” A noble bravely asks, stepping in front of King Henry IV. 

“Why do you wish to summon Prince Henry?” He asks, but instead of the angry expression he was expecting the King smiled. “I wish merely to offer my son a peace offering.” The noble bowed before stepping back towards his family, not wishing to press the matter any further.

When the guards did manage to locate the Prince, he was as they expected him to be: drunk. Henry needn’t even open his closed eyed to know who approached, the sounds of big heavy metal armor gave them away the moment they stepped onto Eastcheap. “My liege you have been summoned to the castle by the King.” The guards inform Henry with a practiced emotionless stare. Henry smiled mockingly as he remained laying on the bench. A half eaten apple is held in his left hand and an empty tankard is in his right. “You may inform the King that I less than politely decline the summons. You may also wish him ill will on my behalf.” Henry smiled, turning his head and closing his eyes once more. The guards exchange a glance as neither know which leverage to use to force the Prince to accompany them. 

“The King wishes to bestow a gift to you my Prince.” The taller of the two guards says as he takes one shaky step forward. The Prince is not known to have a temper, but the guard still wishes to avoid the wrath of Prince Henry. An empty laugh sounds from the Prince, “I have had my fair share of ‘gifts’ from the King. Each of which a different attempt to bribe me to behave.” Henry’s tone is knowing, and his words have completely disarmed the guards. They have no suitable counterargument prepared. The smaller guard eyes down the Prince, “Y/N I’ve heard is eager to see you again my liege.” Henry’s eyes open as quickly as a gust of wind. 

“Is she being bedded by the King?” Henry asks and the pair of guards share a look Henry does not yet understand the meaning of. “Is not our place to say your highness.” Henry curses softly just under the labored breath caught in his throat, that in itself is enough of an answer. You are the daughter of a greedy noble, your Father shamelessly sold you off to the King to fulfill whatever the King asks of you. Henry had seen you under the stars the last time he found himself near the castle, which is less often than not. He slunk into the grounds to try and catch a glimpse of the fair maiden he’d seen floating so elegantly down the halls. Once his eyes landed upon you his heart was stilled in his chest. It felt as though a thousand bolts of lightning had struck him suddenly, and it sickened him as he knew likely what his Father used you for. How could he or any man resist you when you look as though you’ve been gifted to man by the Gods themselves. Your beauty truly is divine. 

Falstaff gave Henry a look that said more than words ever could. Both of them were gravely aware that Henry would have to answer the summons sooner or later. Falstaff was employed to keep Henry out of trouble, although he doesn’t try as hard to do so as he could, and he said nothing as Henry stood and exited the Tavern leaving the guards with no answer. 

It was weeks before the guards managed to convince Prince Henry to answer the summons of the King. He only accepted so they could leave him to drink in peace after he’d heard whatever rubbish his Father spewed. So Henry stood in the throne room, a look of mocking plainly on his face. With a wave of his hand, The King summoned 4 beautiful women to stand in front of the Prince. “What is your game?” The young Prince asks with an amused smile as his eyes land on you. You stand at the end of the line, your hands folded and head down. “A mere peace offering my son. I have seen how you enjoy the company of a beautiful woman with a fair bosom.” The King smiles, the unspoken conversation ringing in the air clearly. The words unspoken of how the King merely wishes to be rid of Prince Henry. “So pick the fairest woman you see before you, each of which were selected by me.” The King stands and moves behind the 4 women, 3 of which are quite eager. You however have a million butterflies desperately trying to escape your insides as the King trails a hand down your bare arm. 

“This one here son, is my personal bed wench. I am willing to part with her if it would please you. She is indeed one of my favorites.” The King smiles and you keep your innocent look intact even though you feel horribly nauseous as the King watches you with hungry devouring eyes. Henry scowls before lowering his head, with a knowing smile stretched across his face. “I choose none.” He says before turning and dismissing himself, leaving the seething King behind. The King turns towards you and finds your eyes with his, “tomorrow’s dawn you are to go to Prince Henry’s home. I pick you on his behalf for I saw how his eyes glazed in your presence.” 

Indeed when the sun of the next dawn rises, two guards are escorting you to the home of Prince Henry. You have specific instructions from the King on what to do once you arrive. Although you have pleased many men before, never have you had the pleasure of tasting Prince Henry- and he looked simply decadent. He was quite easily the most attractive man you have yet to lay your eyes on. You were dressed in a light colored silk dress, the sleeves resting just off your pale shoulders as you rode in the back of a wagon. You approached Eastcheap, and soon stopped at the doorstep of a quaint wooden house. The guards insured you entered the home safely before starting back towards the castle. 

Making your way up the steps carefully, you push into the Prince’s bedroom only to see him laying in his bed with another woman. This doesn’t surprise you in any way, but it doesn’t stop the twisting in your gut as you eye her resting her head against his arm. You have no issues with your naked body, you’ve stood naked in front of many strange men that have purchased you from the King for an evening. You would never admit this aloud, but you are quite happy to be rid of the King- even if it’s merely for one evening. You reach up and untie the string securing your dress before letting the fabric fall to the ground. The sound of your dress falling from your body to the wooden floors stirs the Prince, and his eyes flutter open before settling on you. 

“What have we here?” He asks, resting on one elbow as you use all your self control to keep your eyes off his bare chest. His eyes however shamelessly drink in your exposed skin as one hand shakes the slumbering woman next to him. “Out.” He says, his eyes on you and voice distracted. The woman pulls on a dress and eyes you with vehement jealousy as she exits the room. “I am a gift from King Henry.” You inform him, attempting to make your voice as steady as you can. “A gift in the hopes of ensuring peace between the two of you.” You finish, unable to stop the tremble of your voice. Henry smiles wryly before standing and taking a few steps towards you. Your breath catches at the sight of his bare body, his own nakedness seems to bother him not as well. You are standing naked before each other, and you can expect what he will do next. His hand reaches out and you wait breathlessly for him to touch you, but he reaches down to pull your dress back up your porcelain body. Your confusion must be written across your face plainly because he smiles. 

“You must be used to your body being bruised and admired for mens pleasure, so if you are a gift to me then I shall make it worth your while. I will not bed you, nor will I sheathe myself in you, I assure you.” Henry promises and while his words strike your heart with their sweet sincerity, you had greatly hoped to bed him. Your cheeks darken in a heated crimson blush as he steps past you to pull clothing on over his naked skin. “What is your name?” Henry asks from behind you and it feels as though your throat has cinched shut. He asks as a politeness for he already knows who you are. 

“Y/N my liege.” You inform him, remembering to keep your tone light and proper. Henry reappears beside you, holding his arm out for you to take. You blush deeply as he walks the two of you onto Eastcheap, “has my Father seen your body bare?” He asks, his tone tight. You pause for a moment, not expecting a question such as this. “Yes my liege.” You tell him and you can feel his body tense beside you, only slightly. Henry then pulls you down an ally and gently pushes you against one of the buildings, his eyes boring into yours as his hands plant firmly on each side of your head. “Has he sheathed himself deep in you?” Henry asks, his tone a soft growl and his pupils wide. Your heart hammers heavily against your ribcage, feeling the warmth pooling in your pelvis. “Y-Yes my Prince.” You whisper, your tone breathless. Prince Henry’s eyes darkened then, a look of uncontrollable anger etching into his face. 

One of his hands slides down your body, underneath your dress before landing on your aching womanhood. You gasp breathlessly as you stare into his eyes, “why would you allow him to savor the feeling of being inside your warmth?” His voice is angry, tight, and his expression is no different. You swallow a hollow lump in your throat, “I have not the choice to say no my liege. Would be my undoing if I were to deny the King his pleasures.” You inform the Prince, who surely knew this already. Henry releases you and steps away, your dress falling back to your feet. “Then I shall not return you to my greedy Father.” He says, holding his arm out again for you to take. Your heart leapt in your chest but you said nothing as you took his arm once more. 

The day was filled with picking flowers in the field, purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, and only arguing weakly when the Prince insisted on buying you a silver locket. The sun had set when the two of you turned for the Princes home, and at this point in the evening, your nerves had settled tremendously. “My liege, why has the King outcast you so?” You asked him, no fear in your tone for you know the Prince is not like other royalty. You could ask of him anything and you doubt it would offend him. Another wry smile crossed onto his face as he led you carefully up the stairs. “I drink too much and bed too many women, for in that lions eyes I am but a child in the shape of a man.” You can see the sadness in his eyes, although he tries to shroud it from you. Alone in his bed chambers once again, you felt your nerves beginning to take hold in your chest. You felt your palms twitch anxiously as you dawdled by the door. 

Henry set the basket of fresh foods down on a wooden table before turning to face you again. “Disappointment made itself plain on your face upon my promise not to bed you.” He said, more as an observation rather than a question. A knowing smile crossed smoothly onto his face as the young Prince watched your cheeks darken in a heated blush. “Perhaps disappointment is how I felt upon hearing your promise.” You say, your voice coy as you watch him through your eyelashes. 

Henry takes a step towards you but you lower your head. “But you cannot, for my body is merely a peace offering. If you were to bed me, the King would see that as acceptance of peace. I know you are not yet ready to yield your anger towards the King.” You inform him, your heart sullen as you keep your eyes on the faded floor boards. The mischievous smile remains on his features as Henry’s eyes darken, “nothing would please me more than to steal away my Father’s favorite female companion.” He says, refusing to call you a ‘bed wench’. Henry takes your hand in his own as he stands mere centimetres from you, “will you have me Y/N? Would you defy the King to stay here with me?” His voice is hesitant, almost as though he fears you will reject him. You have not the strength to fight the smile as it crosses your face. 

“Yes my Prince, I wish to stay with you.” You say, your voice barely above a whisper as you gaze up into his darkening eyes. Henry’s hands reach up to gently hold your face between his palms as he draws you up on your toes. His lips brush gently against your own, “do you long for me as I long for you?” Henry asks, rutting his hips against yours allowing you to feel the swelling appendage between his legs. A breathless gasp escapes your lips as he presses his mouth firmly to yours. Henry’s hands hold firmly to your cheeks, and you feel not only his lips against yours but a burning emotion searing from his body to yours. A desperate whine falls past his lips as his fingers hold you tighter, and with a few guiding steps he’s laying you back against his mattress. His hands fumble with removing the fabric of your dress, but eventually the material is being pulled from your body. 

Henry takes a nipple into his mouth, lavishing it with his tongue as his other hand slides deftly between your legs. You instantly spread your thighs to allow him more space, and his fingers stroke through your lips. “I must admit Y/N, I knew you before the King brought you before me.” Henry’s voice is breathless as he gazes down at you. A crimson blush dances over your pale cheeks as you watch him with curious eyes, “For how long have you known of me my liege?” Henry’s eyes sparkle with care as a hand reaches up to stroke your hair, “longer than I am comfortable to admit.” One of the Princes hands drifts down in between your spread thighs, his eyes however stay focused on yours. “I used to sneak into the castle ground to watch you chart the stars, you are far more intelligent then you let people know.” 

His fingers slide gently into you, the shadow in his eyes allowing you to watch how thoroughly he enjoys this. A subtle gasp escapes your lips as Henry hovers his mouth over your neck, and you can feel the fan of his breath brush against your skin. Henry deftly moves his fingers inside you, “you looked delectable under the moonlight, your skin painted so delicately, your nimble fingers recording the beauty you saw with your eyes. I wished in that moment to do the same.” His voice is soft, nearly a whisper as moans escape your lips. As soon as you’d felt him inside you, his fingers were pulled away as he knelt above you. “I have no intention of returning you to my Father, I wish you to believe that in your heart.” He says, his voice thick with sincerity. His fingers move nimbly as he loosens the string securing his trousers around his waist. “I believe it my liege.” You whisper and a fond smile crosses onto his face as he gently leans over you again. 

Henry slides sweetly inside you, and you never knew you could feel such pleasure. He pulls his hips back before pushing them against your pelvis once more. Stars are erupting behind your eyes and your hand grasp at his shoulders to find purchase somewhere as your body and mind unravel beneath him. He feels perfect inside you, almost as though that’s where he was meant to be. You feel as though your body is alight as his body meets yours. Henry’s hands pull you even closer, his voice whispering sweet words into the shell of your ear. The temperature in the room rises, and you feel your body intertwining with his. Feeling the swells of pleasure intensify you cry out softly as you feel your orgasm approaching. With another clash of his pelvis against yours, you’re pulsating around him. 

After the candles have been blown out, and Henry has returned to the bed he pulls you carefully into his side. “Henry, you know the King won’t just allow me to go free, he purchased me from my Father...” You start, worry and sadness deep in your tone. Henry presses a soft and lingering kiss to your forehead before looking into your eyes. “I will keep you safe from him now and always, I promise.” His eyes held truth to them and you knew he meant what he said, but for how long could the Prince keep you from the King? 

***taglist*** @90sthemedsunsets​ @newletas​ @sflowercvol6 

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch11 Back To Motostoke

(Warning: Contains another fight between younger reader's mom and herself in a flashback. It was pointed out that I accidentally posted the wrong chapter by mistake. My apologies to my tumblr readers, Ill see to it this won’t happen again. Here’s the missing chapter for the events between Chapters 10-12. Enjoy.)

To say you two had a long night when you got back to your hotel room was an understatement. The boys jumped at the first chance they got asking Gloria how the dinner went to which she just let out a long drawn out 'Uuuuuhhhhh' and you had to cut in saying that he had just asked her about the gym battle and her day. Which she seemed thankful about you doing to save her the trouble. Luckily neither seemed too miffed about Glory getting to dine with THE Chairman Rose apparently, you certainly didn't enjoy the experience other than the free meal. You changed the subject by asking Hop when his battle was to which he proudly stated tomorrow. Alright! Seemed cleaned cut enough......Surprise, surprise it wasn't. The four of you ended up having to stay another two days instead for the one you all planned because Hop had lost the first battle with Nessa, visibly upset about the entire thing. Quite understandable. But to your surprise once meeting him outside the stadium he seemed...rather happy. Quickly finding out the reason not only because Nessa have him her ultra rare league card as compensation but that she offered to battle him again a second time first thing tomorrow morning to which he quickly agreed to. So the four of you agreed to spend another night in Hulbury. The next morning the four of you left bright and early for the stadium and after waiting for Hop to redo the gym challenge again, watched him battle Nessa for a second time. It was intense. It was stressful. And it was certainly rough on both parties. But you were SO glad Hop was able to win! Not only because you wanted him to win, but because you didn't want to spend another day in Hulbury. It was a close one too. With Hop winning two out of the three rounds but it was a good enough score to earn the badge! And he was proud to show it off as well when the three of you managed to meet up with him again outside the stadium by the Hulbury lighthouse.

He had smiled instantly shoving the bronze-golden badge out to you three with the same patterns that was on Gloria's water badge. "LOOK!! I FINALLY GOT IT! And on my second try too! Pretty good huh?"

"You were so cool out there!," Gloria excitedly complimented him smiling widely. "Now we're all caught up!"

"Doesn't make us less rivals y'know!"

"...Hey. Speaking of gym badges," you cut in gaining their attention as you gestured towards the badge in Hop's hand. "Do you guys know which gym you wanted to go to next?" You were really itching to get out of Hulbury by this point and just wanted to GO.

Gloria opened her mouth to speak but Hop beat her too it making all of you look back at him. "Actually, I have one on my mind."

"What is it?"

He turned to Gloria. " All right, Mate. You've got both the grass badge and water badge by now right?" She nodded confused. "In that case, we're both headed for Motostoke and the fire gym leader Kabu!"

All three of you stared shocked at him. The twins seeming at something else, and you because MOTOSTOKE. As in the city you all started in?! Hop wanted all of you to walk back ALL the way there to challenge a gym leader!? WHAT-

"What!? We have to go all the way back to Motostoke for that?!"

"KABU!?", both the twins yelled at him and you rose a brow at their reaction.

"....Ok. I feel like this is the part where someone tells me more about this gym leader."

With a slightly worried look Victor turned to you. "Kabu is the Galar Region's Fire Type Gym Leader and his gym's in Motostoke. He's also the only gym leader who's not from Galar himself."

"He's also the SECOND most powerful gym leader behind Raihan," Gloria jumped in frowning, "If Raihan and Leon weren't in the picture he could've easily gotten the title of 'Galar's Strongest Gym Leader' or the Champion itself. He's been known to make a whole bunch of trainers quit the entire gym challenge as a whole because they couldn't win against him." She turned back to Hop raising a brow. "Which begs the question on why do you want to go there next of all places?"

"Nessa suggested I go there actually." She did? That sure surprised you. "She said if I wanted more of a challenge for myself then he'd be a good canidate to battle before we reach Raihan. I thought it would be a great idea to challenge myself even more!"

.....Gloria hummed. "Actually you might be onto something. We can't get stronger unless we push ourselves..." She smiled. "Ok! Count me in too!"

"I think the both of you are in over your heads." Victor sighed. "But if that's where you wanna go then fine. We can take the train."

You felt internal relief you wouldn't have to walk again, but that begged the question. "Exactly how long would it take to get back there?"

"About another month by walking. Two weeks by corvinight taxi. And five days by train over nights too."

"Yeah..We're taking the train this time."

There was one tiny problem with that notion tho. The morning train had already passed so the four of you had to wait in the shade of the train station for at least another two hours until the afternoon train came rumbling up to the station at last! As nice as this place was, you wanted to leave as soon after you and Gloria attended the dinner with the Chairman and his assistant. After hearing he had come there often enough to have 'a usual' dish you didn't want to accidentally bump into them again especially after what you did and getting the off feeling about them. It was too weird, so you were glad to get on the train. You were slightly afraid you wouldn't be able to get on without paying but luckily you slipped through the bars quickly behind Gloria after she scanned her train pass in the slot and piled on inside with the rest of the kids and a few other people who either got on too or were leaving.

"Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. We will be leaving Hulbury Station in five minutes. Please gather all your belongings and exit or enter accordingly. Next stop shall be Nester Town. Thank you for using Galar Transportation for your traveling needs," a man's voice came through the speaker over head and you gave it a raised brow. You had to remember there was more than one town in Galar since now it wasn't just a game. ...In fact with how big this region was, it must've been home to millions of people like a region back in your world.

The four of you all settled into the train cars and gotten yourself situated into one of the seats with the table between them. The twins on one side and you with Hop facing them as you sighed into the soft seat cushions. It would be nice not having to walk somewhere for once at least. You also assumed Sonia must've had the same idea about taking the train outta here because you hadn't seem her since she excused herself and ran out from the dinner about two days ago now. Oh well. Where ever she was, you were sure she was fine. After all you slightly remembered her reappearing later in the game too, so if events were going as they were in the original game then you would most definately see her again soon. But for now you sighed content to just tug off your backpack and leave it on the floor at your feet, your sobble taken residence on the table between you all, and you just leaning back into your seat and looking out the window waiting for the train to start moving again. Not really paying too much attention to what the others were talking about-

"How about I share with you a little tip about that leader, Kabu?" Your eyes blinked back over to Hop who was glancing at his phone you assume reading something. "From what I heard, he's holed up now in Galar Mine No. 2 undergoing special training."

"What?!," Gloria gave him a look. "He's underground while the gym challenge is goin' on? What kind of gym leader does that?"

"If he's in there then we can't take him on in Motostoke even if we zip right over there, putting the breaks on our gym challenge!"

"That's what I literally just implied....Wait. How long has he been in there?"

"Uh.." Hop quickly flipped through his phone's screen. "According to this...since about three days ago."

"WHAT? Who trains in a cave for three days straight? ...What if he's not out by the time we get there? We'd be waitin' for days by that point!"

"....So I say we head to galar mine no. two ourselves!," Hop decided lowering the phone from his face. "Let's go see what all the fuss is about!"

"Uh-...NO!!" All three teens looked at you as you frowned and crossed your arms in a stern pose. "No. No. HECK NO!! I went through one mine thank you very much and was almost caught by miners chasing us because someone wanted to take a short cut. We can go and wait for him like every other person."

"...You did what!?"

"Actually Galar Mine Number two is open to the public since it's naturally a part of the Wild Area," Hop explained ignoring Victor's earlier question. "It's full of a lot of water pokemon since it's connected to an underground spring. You can also find a couple Wishing Stars if you're lucky. ..Huh. Maybe that's why he went there?"

Unconvinced you rose a brow but sighed and leaned back into your seat just as the train gave a small little lurch before slowly beginning to pull away. The kids going back to talk among themselves about mines and gym leaders. Despite not walking, you had a feeling this was going to be a long trip back to Motostoke. ...And you weren't wrong either. The world went past as the train moved along as a rapid pace, the town of Hulbury quickly disappearing from view as it did. Replaced by nature and forests, and the distant view of the ocean side within a matter of minutes. As the talking of the kids and other passengers chatting in the distance continued you pressed your forehead to the window and closed your eyes. Peace allowing you to drift off for the moment as for once you had no worries and nothing weighed on your shoulders, so you got a well deserved break for once. The next five days for the four of you were a bit uncomfortable but managable. A lot more managable than camping at least. When night fell you four decided that you'd take the two empty seats across the small walk way from the four of you so each of you could have one place to sleep comfortably(or as comfortable as you could sleep on a train) and would take turns staying up to make sure none of you missed the stop at Motostoke. Or in case something else happened. Victor volunteered to stay the first night up that rolled around which you were thankful for and the other three of you slept. The next morning you woke and you were greeted with the sight of Victor barely awake leaning his head against the table. Guess he kept true to his word. He only had time to east a couple things Gloria shoved into his hands from your food rations into his hands before he ended up falling asleep leaning against the wall. You felt a little guilty for letting him stay up for so long but it was for a good reason. The second day went as well as the first. The train rode on, Victor slept most of the day away only waking up around sunset before going back to sleeping again that second night, Gloria excitedly showed you the battle between herself and Nessa from the League's official website as well. You watched and had to agree with Gloria that it was a very close call. Managing to defeat Nessa in the first round, losing the second, and then just BARELY winning the third. Good thing it was a good enough score to pass. She was certainly stronger than Milo from what you'd seen. When it came the second night Gloria ended up volunteering to stay up that time stating that she'd use her favorite videos of the League's past battles to keep her up as she always stayed up and never missed a detail when she did watch them. This being confirmed by Victor who looked a little worried over that but was too tired from last night to argue and it was agreed. Day three rolled around and it was the same as the first two. Only this time Gloria spent most of the day leaning against a slightly annoyed Victor snoring. Did she always snore? You must've been too deep in sleep to notice before now, at least Hop found his friends' situation amusing. And then guess who got volunteered by Victor to stay up that night as revenge for laughing at him. Hop wasn't very amused after that. And thus the fourth day came and everyone was awake minus poor Hop who laid upon one of the empty seats during most of the time there. But it was a matter of fact your turn to keep watch as they all slept and agreed without hesitation. After all it was only fair. During the entirety of the trip so fair you all rationed out the food you bought from Hulbury whenever hungry, and walked up and down the walk way between all the train seats if you needed to stretch your legs. Many people coming and going and sometimes giving the one taking up a whole seat to sleep a strange look before moving on. The conductor announcing each stop and as you all came to it. So far none were Motostoke but it was only a matter of time. That night you stayed up as slowly one by one the kids and your sobble fell asleep leaving you the only one awake as the sun set and was replaced with the moon and stars in the silent night. The dark nature of forests and meadows flew by quickly only with the occasional town or house in the countryside lighting up the landscape. It was actually rather peaceful and beautiful. You could almost fall asleep. And you almost did quite a few times but you managed to jerk yourself awake each time. Gloria had offered to let you stream some shows on her phone just as she had done before but you had declined the offer.....Maybe you should've accepted because your eyes slipped closed once. And once again like in your dreams you were back home. A much younger you. Around Gloria's age of fifthteen or so. You were playing a game. The whole surroundings were fuzzy..as if you were seeing everything through a foggy telescope, being able to see things but being too blurry to see much of the finer details. Younger blurry you looked up just as angry footsteps stomped their way towards you and whatever game you were playing. BAM!! With a loud bang your door was flung open hitting the wall and younger you jumped to your feet as the blurry form of your mother standing in the doorway. Even if her face was blurry you could tell she was very angry.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU!?" She shouted angrily as you dumbly stood there. Even as she stomped over and swiped the controller from your younger self's hands. "I told you to study for your year's finals and what do I find!? You playing these stupid games after I slave away at a minimal wage job that barely covers the bills as it is!! Do you want the electricity bill getting higher!? Do you not want to get into a good college!? No daughter of mine is going to be stuck with her mind in the gutter from these dumb timewasters!!"

"HA!"

Your head snapped up colliding with the cool window of the train which in turn made you curse out as your hands instinctively shot up to clutch at where you hit your head. Groaning and looking around, it took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dark again....And you sighed in relief seeing the sleeping figures of the kids and your sobble sleeping facedown on the table. Your hand went from rubbing your head to rubbing your face as you let relief wash over you....A dream...It was just another dream thank goodness. But one you weren't keen on revisiting. Safe to say you didn't fall asleep again that night, nor did you the fifth day despite the kids insisting you at least take a powernap before you arrived but again you refused dodging the questions and eventually they dropped it but kept giving your very tired form worried looks every so often. The day was a blur as you kept drifting in and out of small sleeping spells until nodding off that fifth night, barely remembering Victor volunteering to stay up a second time for that night before completely nodding off into a thankfully dreamless slumber.

"AH!! Y/N WAKE UP!!"

"AH!" Once again as if fate thought it'd be some funny joke, you ended up hitting your head against the window...again...and once again you cried out and clutched your head. The only difference this time was that someone was dragging your half awake butt out of the seat as your brain barely registered what was going on as you barely managed to stumble to your legs getting dragged out. Another person grabbing your other arm and pulling along with whoever was already making your barely upright body hurriedly stumble down the walk way of the train. Your brain began to finally catch up and you realized the two who were pulling your staggering form was Hop and Gloria with your sobble desperately clinging to her enormous backback. By the time you fully registered what was going on they already had you stumbling into what could only be the inside of a train station. "What the-"

"You couldn't have woken us up?," Gloria barked at someone and you blinked over tiredly where she was looking as Hop ushered your staggering form over to one of the seats. Took you a moment to realize that it was Victor who was sluggishly putting his grey beanie back on his head.

"M' sorry," he tiredly mumbled. Judging by the bags under his eyes and the tired look he gave, he was in need of some sleep. "I guess I must've dozed off when we passed the station in Motostoke."

Your blood ran cold as you stared at him and Hop made you sit down. Passed Motostoke!? Any sleepy feelings were mostly dashed out at the spike of concern. How far were you away from Motostoke then!? Were you going to have to walk a long way back there!? Take another train back!? Were you going to miss the chance to battle Kabu?!

"Actually this is better than stopping in Motostoke."

.....The three of you turned to Hop as he smiled. "....Excuse me?"

"Yeah!" He pointed towards the outside of the station. "Mine Number two is located just out of Motostoke right? We're back in the Wild Area. Which means we can go to the mine sooner and see about the hold up with Kabu!"

...Gloria slowly gained a smile. "Oh yeah! I hadn't realized that! That's why yer a genius Hop!" Hop chuckled shyly at the praise. Tho Victor very much disagreed as he frowned.

"What?! We can't just go to the mines as soon as we step off the train! What about getting a spot at Budew Drop Inn for sleep!?"

"There'll be plenty of time for that!" Gloria waved her brother off as he scowled looking like he was about ready to yell at her.

Guess you'd better step in. "Hey. Calm down you two." Both of them looked towards you as you frowned. "Gloria, Victor has a point. He's tired and probably needs some sleep....Maybe we should go back to Motostoke City and let him get a couple rooms for us-"

"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!," Victor yelled out reaching around to grab his backpack from the slew of seats offered too by the station.

"....What?"

Tiredly, Victor looked at the rest of you three. "You all can head to the mines and I can go reserve our rooms and wait for you. I'm tired."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." You interjected pointing a hand at him. "You REALLY expect ME to let you go into Motostoke by yourself when you barely got any sleep last night??"

"I'll be fine," he insisted regaining his composure and sighing as the weight of the very large pack settled back on his back. "If it makes you feel better, I'll wait for you guys here and we can take the noon train back into Motostoke in a couple hours."

You paused for a moment before turning towards the door outside. It looked like the sun was just starting to rise from the night and the train was starting to pull away at this moment. It was pretty early in the morning, so if you left now then the four of you could make the noon train back in time. And Victor could get a bit of rest..but you were a bit unsure about letting Victor just stay here by himself. So you looked back at him. "Are you sure you wanna stay here by yourself?"

"I spent an entire year by myself traveling before Gloria even started this journey," he confired waving his hand. "I'll be fine for a few hours...*yaaawwwnn*"

You still weren't too convinced but agreed that this would probably be a better plan than letting Victor try to go into Motostoke by himself and drop from lack of sleep, or having Hop or Gloria just run off into a mine. (especially since that worked oh so well last time.) "Ok. You win. But I at least want you to seat over here where the station master can see you in case something happens, alright?"

Victor sighed but nodded. "Fine. But make sure you guys get back before the next train otherwise we'll have to wait for the night train or walk there."

The three of you agreed before exiting the station and once again you found yourself standing in the Wild Area like you did a month ago when you were on your way to the Entrance Ceremony. It may have only been a little more than a month ago but it felt like forever ago now. It still looked the same as it did when you first arrived here minus the giant herd of wild wooloo on the tracks. Hop walked up next to you and looked around at the lovely sight. Commenting on how cool it looked. To which you agreed before turning over to Gloria who finally walked out of the station stuffing two pokeballs into her bag as she walked up to you.

"Hey. What are those?," you asked gesturing to them.

"Some people in there didn't want their eevee and pikachu. So I got both of them."

You rose a brow but decided not to comment on that, instead looking around. "Ok. So do either of you two know where this mine is? I don't remember seeing it last time we were here. ..Mostly being chased around by a giant onix and battling super powered pokemon."

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"I do." Hop beamed before pointing off to the fight across the giant spacious open land to where a pretty decent area of trees were huddled together by a hill side. "It's there by those trees according to the map, and every other site where it's listed. C'mon! We can get there and be back in like two hours."

While you were weary of wondering around an area where wild animals-...Er..Pokemon could chase after you at any moment, but seeing no other option the three of you began walking. Despite you still feeling a bit tired from not sleeping the night or day before last night, you felt alert looking around you three in the grass and plants as you walked. Making sure no pokemon jumped out at the three of you as you walked and walked..and walked before the cliff side jutting out of the earth surrounded by trees. As you three approuched and managed to pass through the trees you finally came across it. A giant, dark opening within the rocks being only lit on the inside by a few lanturns strung along the walls leading down into it.

"This is it!," Hop excitedly exclaimed as he picked up his pace gesturing for you two to follow him faster. "C'mon! Kabu's close! I can feel it!"

Increasing your speed you followed him into the cave's opening and blinked as mostly darkness overtook your vision. This cave was BIG, way bigger than the last cave you and Gloria traveled through. The ceilings were high and the same gems as the last one was scattered about the wallas....as well as a few construction workers and equipment.

......You pointed at them. "Hey. I thought you said this was public area!"

"It is," Hop's voice from somewhere ahead of you called back, "But they can collect Wishing Stars here too so they come by and collect them."

Oh that made sense, you glanced at the workers for a little while longer before turning back about to ask Hop something but stopped....They were gone. "....HOP!?" You shouted getting only an echo back, and some of the workers looking at you before you took off in the direction his voice came from. Oh great! First minute in the cave and already you lost these kids!! "GLORIA!? HOP!! C'MON YOU TWO!!" You called out but surprise, surprise only got your echo back. ...Great. Well you better find them before they got in trouble again or any of you got lost. As you traveled farther in with only lanturns plastered on the walls for light, you began to notice how it was connected with the Wild Area. There was pokemon all around here. From bat-like pokemon hanging from the ceiling, a couple scraggies hopping about, and more than once in this GIGANTIC cave and it's caverns, you walked by a small cave like pond and could've sworn you saw some kind of red crustation pop in and out. But with the limited light it made it hard to see and find out for real. More than once you would call out either of the two's names but the only answers were more echoes of your voice, and the sounds of scared pokemon as they fled from your voice. Your sobble(who had regained it's spot on your shoulder after leaving the station) was staring around wide eyed with chirps, occasionally reaching out towards the sparkling stones on the wall. "Yeah. I know they're pretty. But we can't stop and look at them right now. We need to find those two before they get in trouble again." Your sobble chirped curiously grabbing at a sparkling stone from a very close stalagmite as you passed it, the rock easily plucking free as he tugged it. Looking at it curiously...before sticking it in his mouth. !? "HEY!" In an instant you grabbed him by the chin. Your other hand trying to open his mouth as like a child, the sobble squirmed and pushed away. "DROP IT!! BAD POKEMON!! SPIT IT OUT!! IT'S NOT FOOD!!" Instead of listening your pokemon turned his head cheeks puffed out as your fear of him swallowing something that could hurt him rose. "Spit that out or I'm never going to let you have bites of my curry ever again!" This time the sobble paused, looking at you for any signs of deceit, but you absolutely meant it. Holding your hand out expectantly to it.......It opened it's mouth and the sparkling stone fell right into your hand. Quickly you pulled it away from your sobble releasing it with a scowl. "Good boy. Now don't do that again! Rocks aren't edible!" He gave off a chirp in protest but didn't do any more than pout like a toddler on your shoulder. With a sigh you shook your head and looked at the small stone in your hand...Huh. This one didn't look like all the others on the wall. Maybe it was a different one-

"You!" You jumped at the sudden voice. Blinking around at who could've said it when your eyes landed on someone walking towards you in the dim light with pale features. ..Your f/c eyes widening when you realized who it was. Standing before you was Bede! You hadn't seen him a little over a week ago by now, but for some reason he was here and he frowned at you. "It's an inconvience in of itself that I run into that girl and the Champion's chatterbox younger brother, but now I run into the very lady who disrespected the Chairman's assistant as well! Are you all trying to get on my nerves or is this bad luck on my part?"

It took you a moment to respond as he rubbed his head but you frowned right back at him. "Look, Kid. I'm not the one who straight up walked up to someone who's minding their own business and rudely ask about why I was here? For all you knew I could've just been going for a walk or sight seeing the famous Mine Number Two or just exploring the Wild Area. Did I come up to YOU and accuse you of following us from Hulbury? No. No I didn't."

Bede stared at you from under his hand, brain seeming to process what you were saying before a deeper frown is what he chose to go with. "BAH!! Never mind then! I've wasted enough time as it is down here especially after running into those two again. Now if you'll move aside I'll be taking my...." He froze. Purple eyes widening at you, and you rose a brow at his all of a sudden silence. ".......You." He pointed right at the sparkling stone in your hand. "That Wishing Star! Give it to me."

...You held up the stone. "Y'mean the rock this guy tried to eat-" Hold up! Weren't Wishing Stars the magic stone thingies everyone used to gigantamax their pokemon around here!? " You already have one of these." You pointed to the band on his wrist. "Why do you need this one?"

he gave a small growl of frustration. "I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you, Woman! If you won't give it too me then I'll just take it from you!" With that he whipped out a pokeball.

"Oh for the love of- You can't be serious!"

With a toss and bright like a small Gothita pokemon exploded in black in white in front of you. .....WHY was the first reaction for everyone to just whip out a pokemon to intimidate you if you hesitated even just a little bit?? This kid absolutely had NO manners! "Gothita will make quick work of you and your sobble if you don't hand that stone over to me this instant." He was REALLY getting on your nerves. You stepped forward. He smirked. "Another challenge? Really I couldn't be more inconvenienced today as it i-" You stepped OVER Gothita who looked confused as it why you weren't standing farther away sending the sobble on your shoulder to battle. Bede seemed also rather smackgobbed as well. Guess he hadn't ever experienced someone who would physically step over his pokemon instead of battling. His eyes widening as you walked right up to him with a scowl.

You stared a moment at his frozen and confused stance before deciding to talk. "Y'know. Obviously you have no manners. The Chairman should be ashamed of himself if his endorsed challenger is so rude to someone minding their own business and demanding things like a spoiled toddler who's never been told no before."

Bede flinched. Blinking rapidly in your shadow before seeming to regain his voice. "D-Don't talk about Chairman Rose like that-"

"I WAS talking about YOU, Bede!" He flinched back as you leaned forward. "Obviously no one ever taught you manners so I'll teach you a quick lesson in them right now."

His eyes became smaller. "L-Lesson? What l-lesson you m-mad woman-"

"Is THIS what you want?,'' you cut him off holding the wishing star to his face. He paused for a moment, almost going cross eyed as he looked at the thing in front of his face...before reaching a hand towards i- You held it away from him with a scowl. "NO. You don't take things that don't belong to you without asking first. Now I'll ask again. Is this what you want?"......He nodded. "Ok. Do you know what please and thank you are?"....He nodded again. "Good. Now what do you say when you want something?"

He didn't answer at first. Looking at you with some unreadable expression. Confusion? Shell shock?...Maybe fear? ".....May I...please have that Wishing Star, Miss?" Narrowing your eyes for a moment you eventually held it up to him and he reached for it again.

"Yes, you may. But I want an apology first?"

He paused again. "....A-Apology?!"

"Yeah. For acting so rude before. If you really are the better person you will apologize because I don't think the Chairman raised a boy with no manners."

You both stood there for a moment not moving or breaking eye contact before he backed down first and looked away. "Tch! Fine! I'm.....sorry! Now can you please just give me the stone so I can leave!?"

Smiling satisfied you nodded and held it out to him...he...slowly finally took it from you. "What do you say?"

"Mmmm....Thank you," he forced out through gritted teeth as you nodded.

"Good. Now I have to go now but I don't want to be talked to rudely like that again if I ever see you again. ...And don't call me Woman. My name's Y/n. I know you're better than that, Bede." He paused....blinking and looking up at you again seeming to be so, so confused. "You said you saw Gloria and Hop right? Did they go down that way?" You asked pointing behind him. Still staring he slowly nodded. "Ok. Thanks. You be careful getting out of here ok?"

He didn't say anything and just confusedly watch you step around him silently and continue walking away down into the dimly lit cave. At least you were on the right track now. Hopefully you'll be able to catch up with the two of them soon. And by soon it meant it'd take longer than you realized, coming across a fork in the road as hey say and leaving two caverns tunnels to chose from.......You ultimately decided on going left since it was more lit and figured they'd be smart enough to also go down this passage way. As you walked you called out a few times more still getting no answers. This was getting ridiculous!! Where could those two have gone!? Surely they couldn't have gone THAT far away from you in the short time you weren't looking!

"Thank you for helping out with my training, Team Yell." You paused as the voice rang out....What was- "But I must say it's unforgivable for you to get in the way of a carkol hard at work." ...OK! THAT WAS DEFINATELY A VOICE!! Granted it sounded older and nothing like the two kids, but if someone was down here then maybe you could ask for directions or if they saw the two. You broke out in a job up the tunnel towards the voices up ahead.

"We weren't gettin' in it's way! We were tryin' to cheer it on!," a different man's voice insisted loudly. What the-

You rounded the corner as the tunnel gave way to a giant cavern and you froze....OH NO NOT THEM!!

"Still, you did a number on us in that pokemon battle so...it's time for Team Yell to scarper and give a morale boost elsewhere!," one rock star wannabe said to an older man and standing next to another rock star wannabe.

You stared dumbfounded. SERIOUSLY!? What was the chances that you'd run into them all the way down here again!?

"Cheering is one thing but one shouldn't get in the way of honest work,'' the older man scolded the two of them.

You rose a brow at them, eyes slowly going to look behind them. And widening as you saw two teens standing in the entrance of another passage way across the cavern room. ...You frowned. "HOP!! GLORIA!!" Everyone either jumped or snapped their heads over to you as you shouted at the kids' direction. "Dang nabit! Why'd you run off from me like that!? Don't you know how to wait up!?" You started walking over towards them.

...One rockstar wannabe grabbed his friend wide eyed as he stared at you walking past. "C-Crikey! Bro, it's that dame that nailed Andrew in the eyes with dirt!"

"Wha- Seriously!? Let's get outta 'ere before that sobble starts singing a sad tune yo!"

You paid no mind to the scattering footsteps as you walked up to the now gulity looking pair of kiddos. "There you are! *sigh* Do you know how worried I was running around here like a headless chicken?"

"......What's a chicken?," Gloria asked.

"We're really sorry, Y/n," Hop apologized frowning, "we thought you were right behind us and then we ran into some trouble."

"Oh yeah. So did I. Bede needed some manners taught to him."

"Wait..Ya saw the Mareep Head??"

You nodded. "I ran into him on his way out. He said you gave him some trouble."

"By trouble if ya mean kickin' his behind-"

"Nevermind that. Y/n we found him!"

"Found who?"

Hop pointed behind you and you turned with a brow raised. The old man was petting a pokemon that looked like a giant living piece of coal. "There! That's Kabu!...Man, he's wicked! No wonder he's the fire-type gym leader!"

...THAT was Kabu!? Well whaddya know. It made sense since by looking at him now, he wore an unmistakable gym suit. The old man, Kabu, looked up at you three from petting his pokemon and gave a polite smile. "Ah, you are the trainers endorsed by Leon! Hop and Gloria, am I right?"

Both pair of young eyes went wide at him. ".....You know our names!?"

"Yes. Leon has spoken about you before. And your concerned friend just literally shouted your names just now."

"......Oh. W-Well we're here to see you actually! A-About having a pokemon battle!"

"Naturally you would. I'm just training right up until the last moment so that I can guarantee the perfect match when I face you gym challengers."

"Oh really?," you asked and he nodded, "This deep in a cave?"

"I specialize in fire-type pokemon, and the water-type pokemon in Galar Mine Number Two are the perfect opponents to train against, Young Lady."....He hummed and you all watched as he looked at a watch around his wrist. "....Regardless it's getting late. I must leave if I'm going to get the gym ready by tomorrow." he looked back to the three of you with a smile. "Just go straight once you get out of this mine and you'll reach Motostoke. Get a good at the hotel, and make sure you're both in your top condition." He turned around calling to the pokemon. "Come on, Carkol. Time for you to head on home, too. I'll make sure you get there safely. We're going to be on fire tomorrow!" He began jogging off and the thing lumbered off after him with a grunt of it's own. The man looked old enough to be your grandfather and could still jog as fast as you had done earlier. Impressive.

"....I remember Lee talking about Kabu." You blinked over to Hop as he looked at where Kabu disappeared. "He said that a lot of gym challengers give up because they just can't beat Kabu. Man, now I'm getting all fired up too!"

"Yeah. Well, I'm tired out!" Both paused looking at you. "C'mon. You heard what he said. Let's get back to Victor and get to the Inn."

The three of you started making your way back out of the mine and back towards The Wild Area Station. You were tired and you could use a rest before catching the evening train back into Motostoke where you began in the first place. Surprisingly you made it out faster than it took going in the caverns.

"That carkol from before," Hop commented off in thought, "I guess it must've been here on a job. You do know about poke job by now right?" You nodded. "Course you do! I bet he hired that carkol to train with him or something!"

"You might be right, but after today I think I just want to get to the hotel and relax."

Hop nodded. ".....Oh hey. I think we found out who those guys in the punk make up were?"

You froze. Nearly stumbling over your feet as you did so before snapping your face over towards the boy. "WHAT!?"

He nodded. "Yeah. They called themselves Team Yell. Which is weird cuz I've never heard of them before and I don't remember Lee mentioning them at all. What about you Glor?" Gloria shook her head no to his question.....Team Yell?? They were team Yell?? What name was that?? Any 'team' you knew from the Pokemon franchise was evil. Team Rocket being the most obvious in your mind, but if that's true then does that mean those Rockstar wannabe's are more dangerous than they seem? Did Team Yell have a world domination scheme from the game!? You tried to wrack your brain for any and all possible villainous plots in the game that could involve a whole bunch of rockstar make up wearing hooligans....But ended up with...absolutely nothing!! DANGIT!! You couldn't remember anything from playing it years ago! ....*sigh* The only thing you could do now was push on and keep your eyes peeled for any possible trouble they'd cause you. "Now, I'm cream-crackered." Hop's voice snapped you back into reality. "I'm for the Budew Drop Inn and some sleep. Come tomorrow that Fire Gym Leader Kabu better be ready because I'm coming for him!!"

Gloria nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We better get back ta Vic before he decides on givin' us another boring lecture on being late."

You couldn't agree more either. Maybe some more sleep will help you think more clearly than normal. The three of you made your way back towards the station with the afternoon sun rising high in the sky, upon entering you discovered Victor exactly where you all left him. Fast asleep leaning back in one of the chairs. He must've been more tired than you realized, maybe it was for the best he stayed behind here. It took only an hour of your four waiting, appreciating the small break your body got, before the afternoon train came rumbling on in as per usual. It was a jumbled process of trying to wake up Victor who acted like a caffiene lacking zombie until you and Hop decided 'Screw this' and both of you picked him up by either side and dragged his half asleep, staggering, groggy butt over and onto the train with Gloria right behind. It wasn't much easier pushing him into a seat next to you and trying to wake him up for the ten minute ride back into Motostoke, before unsuccessfully doing so and resulted in both of you again half dragging Victor off the train in Motostoke station and on your way to Budew Drop Inn with Gloria trailing right behind you three. Sure it was hard, but you couldn't imagine trying to do this walking all the way back to Motostoke through the Wild Area with dangerous pokemon about, so the train was much better. It took a bit of lifting and slight yelling from Hop for Victor to wake up, getting some strange looks from other people as you went, but by some miracle the four of you somehow managed to make it into the inn you stayed at before during the entrance ceremony. The golden statue still gleaming as ever as you and Hop struggled to get the mumbling Victor up the stairs and over to the bewildered looking clerk at the front desk. WHAT THE HECK WAS IN HIS BACKPACK MAKING HIM SO HEAVY!? It was an effort to keep him up standing as Hop smiled awkwardly at the man.

"Uh hi! We need two rooms for the night please. And fast before my friend decides to drop dead on us."

The clerk blinked for a moment before slowly nodded. "Oh. Of course. Are you challengers here to battle against Kabu?"

Hop nodded. "Yeah that's us alright. Or will be once we get some sleep."

The clerk nodded in understanding smiling. "Oh yes! Wait here for a moment and I'll get you your room keys."

You rose a brow. "Don't we need to register?"

"Oh no. Mr. Kabu has graciously told us to put any registered gym challengers' stays on his tab and send him the bills. After all he doesn't know how long they'll stay before quitting and going home. He's a kind man that doesn't want them or their families stuck with any expensive hotel bills if they stay for a long time before getting stomped out," he said so casually like it was no big deal. ....You and Hop gave each other a look..before exchanging one with Gloria who just shrugged at the both of you. The clerk turned around. "Just one moment please while I check and see which rooms would be available."

"Jeez. If Kabu's this tough, Rahain and Lee's gonna be even more tough-"

"Excuse me." The three of you looked over your shoulder towards a soft polite girl's voice with an accent you couldn't place. Standing there was a teen around these guys' age in almost gothic attire and right blue eyes. At her heels was a small pokemon who you'd call hamster like. Except she wasn't looking at you or Hop or Victor. But Gloria. "Uhhh. Challenger Gloria, Right? From Postwick?"

Gloria blinked in surprise seemingly surprised, before raising a suspicious brow at the girl. "Yeah? ....And yer who?"

"Marnie." She answered politely back. "Out givin' it your all even this late, huh? Hey. Help me with somethin' for a sec. Would you?"

Gloria remained silent for a moment. "....Help you with what?"

"I want t' see if I'm ready for the next leg of the Gym Challenge."

"...Why me?"

"You're one of the challengers endorsed by the Champion. I figured the best way to see if I was ready at all was t' see if I'd be able to beat a fellow gym challenger before I leave. Would you like to battle with me?"

"Gloria. We need to get Victor to his room so he can sleep," you countered feeling the weight of Victor start to weigh down more on you.

"I know, I know but...." She looked between the girl and the three of you. "She asked for my help, and it'd be rude to just say no right?" You gave her a look. "Oh c'mon please, Y/n! It'll be quick. N' and out! Easy peasy berry squeezy."

....You groaned. You really didn't have time for this! " Fine! But please for the love of Mike hurry and get back? We've been running around all day and you need rest for the battle tomorrow!"

She beamed. "Ya got it! Get ready ta have your team beat!"

The girl smiled. "Wicked! Got some fight in you, Huh? "

"You bet! Let's do this!"

You sighed and turned shaking your head. Only distracted from them when Hop grabbed the keys from the clerk and jingled them at you to let you know you two could now go and get Victor laying down. As the two of you turned to struggle Victor towards the elevator the girls left-....!? Your head snapped around as a dash of red and black crossed the corner of your eye, but it was gone the moment you turned around.....What the-

"C'mon Y/N! He's gettin' too heavy to lug around for much longer."

...You turned back to the elevator before the doors closed behind you. It was probably nothing anyways. Right now you had a kid who needed to sleep badly. The two of you managed to drag Victor who ended up passing out in your arms to his and Hop's room, and after Hop struggled to open the door, dragged him to the nearest bed and plopped him on top of it with sighs of relief when your poor body was finally freed from heaving him around. After assuring you he'd take care of things from there, you took your own room key from Hop and went to your own room. It didn't take you too long to get settled in after taking a quick shower, and again rummaging through your pack to fish some food out for your chirping, pouting, hungry sobble. Man the little guy ate a whole lot. It was a little while later as you were eating yourself that Gloria finally showed up, knocking on the door before coming in after hearing your voice.

"Hey. How did the battle go?"

She smiled. "I'd hate to brag....But I won."

You nodded. "Hey! That's great. Glad to know it went well."

She nodded again. "Yeah....But I gotta tell ya something." You rose a brow at her curiously. "...Those Team Yell guys from earlier? They were there."

You dropped the small dried piece of fruit you were holding which your sobble was quick to snatch up and eat. "WHAT!?"

"YEAH!! There was a guy and this woman wearin' all this all this punk make up, and they were cheerin' for 'er. I almost lost cuz I they were so loud makin' it hard to focus. I guess that's why they're Team 'Yell'. Should call 'em team Scream if ya ask me."

"Team Yell was with the girl?" She nodded. "Did they try anything?! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she assured you, "But nah. One of 'em was wavin' this flag that had Marnie's picture on it. ...Do they do that? Y'know make merch for Gym Challengers with our faces on them? If they do I'm totally buying Mum one!"

They....Team Yell was....Cheering on Marnie?? That didn't make any sense. They had said a while ago that they were trying to stop Gym Challengers. Why would they be cheering a Gym Challenger on if they were trying to stop them let alone have merch of one??? It didn't add up. Except for maybe-......You paused. Back at the bridge. When you and Victor encountered those two thugs trying to steel the poor nurse's bike!! They spoke of a lady! Could it by that the girl and 'Our Lady' they spoke of was one in the same? Or was Marnie somehow connected to the woman they spoke of?? Was she a part of Team Yell secretly? If yes then what interest did they have in the Gym Challenge?? Did Leon have something they want?? Were they just trying to cheat their way to the top??.....Or..Your eyes widened. Was there something that the Challenge league had that they wanted and were after?? Control over the Galar Region? Money? Power? Fame? Some other powerful thing you couldn't remember?? ...If she wasn't a part of them then what WAS their purpose for cheering her on?...Could the mysterious woman they spoke of be related to Marnie? Or maybe someone who endorsed her for the gym challenge? You shook your head. It was all so confusing. Too many questions and absolutely no answers at all. It made your head hurt just swimming with the many possibilities.

"Oh by the way. While I was out the battling got me thinkin' 'bout some strageties I could use to beat Kabu."

"Oh really?," you muttered half listening deep in thought.

"Uh huh. But I gotta ask. Y/n, can I borrow your sobble?"

"Sure you can-.....Wait. ..What?!"

[devinescribe]

Games

Chapter 7 to '100 Promises'

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Warnings: Swearing, violence, bullying, blood, I think that's it, but as always feel free to tell me if I missed any.

"I finally got contact lenses. I think they'll be better than my glasses. I mean, yeah, I'll probably still use them, but it's... nevermind, what do you think?" He rambled, a dorky smile on his face. "If it'll make you happy, then you look great," you said, smiling, honestly meaning your words. "I'm asking for your opinion woman, stop giving me the 'if it makes you happy' bullshit. Give me your opinion," he stated, shaking your shoulders."It looks good! I'm not used to seeing you without your glasses, but you look good!" You laughed, your words coming out in a vibrato of sorts from him shaking you. "I'm glad you think so."

"Dear gods my hair is getting long..." he muttered, running his hands through his hair, staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. "I think it looks good," you commented, passing by the bathroom with a laundry basket. "Really? I think I kind of like it too..."

"And how much does it hurt?" He questioned. "Not that much, or so I've heard. Plus, we're getting it at the same time, so... no backing out, or I'll cut your hair," you threatened, your hold on his hand tightening a bit. "No, don't you dare. And I won't back out," he said as you dragged him into the shop. (The fact I've been threatened with that-)

"I somehow can't believe we looked like that!" You laughed, pointing at the photo on your phone. It was from high school, and you were both laughing at how dorky you both looked. "Oh gods... actually, I was kind of hot," you said, giggling a bit. "Have we really changed that much?" Niragi questioned. "Well, let's see," you said, opening the camera and telling Niragi to get into frame. He did so, and you both stuck out your tongues, the matching piercings glinting in the light. You snapped the photo, and put it side by side the one from high school. "Wow... that's a big difference, holy shit," he laughed. You snickered, and posted side by side comparison of the the photos. "Yeah. Huge difference."

"Hatter would like to see you... Alone."

You looked back at Ann, and nodded, getting up. "If she's going, I'm going with," Niragi said, getting up himself. "He said he wants to speak to (Y/N) alone. Respect to rules for once please," Ann chided, as you walked to her side. Niragi laughed, finishing with a smirk, "And since when do I listen to the rules?"

You looked back at him with a proud, yet embarrassed face. Definitely not the same Niragi from back in the real world. He was more confident than you last remembered, that was for sure. "Dude, I'll be totally fine. The least they could do is kill me," you said, a bit to nonchalantly for his tastes. "That seems like a worse case scenario, but ok." he responded, "I'm still going with you." "No, you're not. Look, I'll be fine ok? Just wait outside the door," you suggested. He scoffed, but nodded nontheless. Ann stayed quiet, watching this exchange. 'So... is that all it takes to convince him? Really? All we needed was this girl?' Were her thoughts.

"Oh good, you're here!" Hatter exclaimed as soon as you walked in. Ann stayed outside, and shut the doors behind you. You nodded. Was he happy or just extremely charismatic? You didn't know, but whatever it was, it was nice. It made you feel like you were talking to someone you knew. Like the pleasant ladies from your apartment complex. "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"Where are we?" You asked as you got off the train. "I don't know. Just took a random train. You said you wanted another adventure," he replied. You gasped. "Niragi Suguru, you did not," you said, grabbing onto his hand to make sure you didn't lose him in the large crowd. "I did. And what of it?" He asked, dragging you out. "Oh my gods... Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but which city are we in?" You asked one of the people who worked there. They smiled and answered with, "Shinjuku. Are you lost?"  You shook your head. "No, we'll be fine. Thank you very much!" You said. Niragi dragged you to the exit. "I don't look presentable to be in Shinjuku right now, Niragi," you said, hiding your face. "You always look nice though. And it's called opportunity. I took it, and now we're here. So, let's take advantage of this, yeah?"

Hatter sat you down. "From what Ann and Aguni reported back to me, you're a quick thinker. Great shot apparently. They were both very impressed," he started. You smiled. "I'm honored they felt that way," you said. Hatter chuckled. "Well, Ann said you'd do well in either position of a militant or an executive. And it's just your luck the precious person who held number 7 recently... died. The games, obviously. Before you came here, actually. Maybe it was a sign it was meant to be yours. And, since you've proven yourself useful, I think it's a good idea," Hatter said, rambling a bit. "That's a bit too high for me, isn't it?" You questioned. You had just gotten here, you couldn't possibly be up that high already. "Uh... no. It's not. So, as of today, you shall be a militant," he said dramatically. You laughed, thanking him as he gave you a wristband with the number seven written on the blue tag. You slipped it on your wrist. "Oh, and just so you know, Aguni will most likely take you under his wing. The militants are mostly guys, so be careful. And... uh... your friend can help you find everything. He'll also show you to your new room. That is all. Goodbye now," he said cheerfully. You smiled brightly, thanking him.

You opened the door to leave, seeing Niragi leaning on the wall across the door. You smiled, closing the door softly behind you. "I'm back," you said. He nodded, "I can see that." "Can you really? You have your contact lenses?" You asked, skeptical. He nodded his head. "Surprisingly," he added. "Hmm... and for how many more days do you have them?" You questioned as he led you through the hotel. "Well, I've been in the borderland about 2 and a half weeks-"

"Woah, hold up... you'd been gone for six months up in the real world-"

"Well, I'm starting to think time runs differently in both places. Because no way in hell have I been here 6 months."

"Ok... continue on."

You two talked about whatever came to mind just like you used to. It was like you never skipped a beat. He lead you down into where they kept the weapons. "Only milatants and Hatter are allowed down here. This is the basement, and also where we keep the weapons. So, take your pick," he said, a smirk on his face. "You're a bit to proud of this aren't you?" You asked, looking over the different weapons. "Maybe," he responded. You didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking, you could just hear it in his voice. You picked out a knife that had a strap around. You also picked up a riffle similar to Niragi's, and turned to face him. "Ok, I'm good," you said. "Tomorrow, the militants are heading out on a supply run. Which means you now too. You can wear actual clothes now, isn't that fun?" He joked. You rolled your eyes shoving him playfully. He ran his tongue over his teeth. "That's really how you want to play, huh (L/N)?" He asked. You could hear the tone behind his words. The tone that meant run or your fucked, because whatever game he's scheming will end with you caught. It was quite normal for you two. Playing games with each other was a hobby back in the real world. Didn't matter how childish or immature they were. "Ouch, my last name? That hurts... Suguru." (Is that his last name or his first name? I don't know, I've been treating it as his last name, but I'm probably wrong) You giggled, running off. There was probably tons of places to hide inside the basement, and probably even more places throughout the beach.

"How was last night? Did you have fun?" He teased as soon as you woke up. You rolled your eyes. "Don't even talk to me about last night. Another disappointment," you groaned, rubbing your eyes. "Damn. That bad, huh?" He said, handing you a mug with coffee in it. You took a sip, and smiled. Perfect... He always made really good coffee, and it impressed you. "Yeah... definitely that bad. I heard him leave this morning, let's hope he never comes back," you said. Niragi laughed, taking a sip of his own coffee. The sunlight came in through the sliding glass door of your apartment.  The sky was painted with pinks and purples. Gold dusted the clouds as the sun touched them. It was perfectly picturesque. "One day, we won't have to live in a sucky apartment building, you know? I promise you that one day we'll have... I don't know where do you want to live?" He asked you. You both walked over to the couch, sitting next to eachother. "I don't know... I'd go anywhere as long as I can still have my best friend with me.''

"Come on out, (Y/N). I'll find you sooner or later. We need sleep," he shouted. You stifled a laugh, and crouched down, sneaking around. You could see him looking around for you. You moved backwards, bumping into someone. You slowly turned around. It was the guys Niragi had introduced as 'Last Boss'.

Throughout the day, you had actually had the opportunity to talk to him a bit. More like you talked, while he observed you, occasionally making a sound of sorts to show you he was listening. He'd also answered your questions, so you thought he wouldnt be that bad. You made the quiet signal, putting a finger to your lips. He looked down quizzically. "Playing a game. Can't let him find me. Wanna join?" You whispered to the mysterious man. He nodded slightly, still a bit confused. "Ok, the objective is to not get caught by Niragi. He doesn't know you're playing yet, so I'll figure something out... oh, I got it! You go hide," you whisper shouted, shooing him off. He went to go hide, and you climbed to the top of one of the darker places. "A new player has joined in. One seeker, two hiders!" You shouted. You heard Niragi laugh. "Dumbass! You're letting me know where you are!"  You smirked. That's what you wanted him to think.

"Oh nice! You got his glasses that's 20 points!" The boys shouted. You struggled to get out of the ropes tied your hands together. You heard Niragi groan, and looked up, seeing him on the floor, blood dripping from his nose. "Niragi!" You shouted in worry. He looked over at you, before one of the guys kicked his face into the ground. You struggled against the ropes the boys had tied around your wrist. It dug into your skin, you could feel the skin being rubbed raw from how much you had struggled against them ."So useless without eachother, huh?" One of them taunted. "Stop hurting him!" You yelled, squirming. "Oh? Would you rather we harm you then? You were always such a pretty girl... to bad you decided to defend him," the leader of their little group said, kneeling in front of you. "I don't give a damn if you hurt me. Stop hurting him!' You shouted. "(Y-y/N), don't," Niragi said, before one of the bullies kicked him in the stomach. He winced in pain, screwing his eyes shut. "Stop it! He didn't do anything to you!" You screamed, struggling even more, the ropes creating rope burn on your skin. "It's not a vengeance thing. It's fun," the leader said, grabbing your chin, making you look up at him. You glared at him in disgust, wanting so badly to just hit him, or spit on him in the moment. But you didn't. You didn't because you knew if you did either you or Niragi would get hurt. More likely Niragi, since they knew he was your weakness. "Just like it's fun making girls like you submit," he added with a smirk. "Don't you dare hurt her! Hurt me all you want, but don't touch her!" Niragi yelled. There was confidence in his words, but you also knew how scared he was. You could see it on his face. "That sounds boring though. What if we just make both of you our little puppets for the night, have you both put on a show?'' One of the guys snickered. This was followed by a chorus of 'not a bad idea' and 'sounds interesting.' You looked at Niragi, fear written all over your face.

You ran quietly, and quickly, knowing he could catch up to you. You looked around the dimly lit basement, and saw the exist to go up. Your eyes caught a flash of movement, and someone grabbed you, putting a hand over your mouth. You were shocked at first, going to scream bloody murder, before seeing it was Last Boss. He let you go, and you took a breath. "Oh my gods... dude that was scary," you whispered. He shrugged. "I have a place we can hide. I don't think he's smart enough to find it," He suggested, nodding his head over to Niragi. You stifled a laugh, and nodded, letting him lead you.

"(Y/N)! (Y/N), are you alright?" He worriedly asked, checked on you. You hissed in pain when his hands went over the bruises. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault, if I hadn't-" he started, blaming himself. You grabbed shoulders, and shook your head. "It's not your fault... it's ok," you said, sitting up. The gravel under you poked at the skin exposed from your school skirt. "I-its not ok!" He shouted. "It's... it's not ok. You shouldn't have- I could've-" he started, pulling at his hair. "Niragi. It's not your fault. You didn't... you didn't hurt me," you said, your voice calming. You grabbed his hands, pulling them towards you. You were just kids. Fucking 16 years old(not exactly a kid, but whatever), you shouldn't have to go through this stuff. No kid should. "I should be comforting you, yet here you are, making me feel better. Stop it, you're the one who-"

"Niragi, it happened to both of us. Stop acting like you're ok too."

"But- I'm supposed to... I-"

"Shut up, and come here."

He sighed, sitting besides you. You pulled his head into your lap, and he sighed. "Stop taking care of me. Stop hanging out with me, because you're the one who ends up getting hurt because of me. Please," he pleaded as you ran your fingers through his hair. "No," you responded. "(Y/N), stop being so stubborn! Please, just... just listen to me!" He shouted. You flinched at the sudden loudness. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you," he apologized, noticing when you flinched. You sighed, leaning back on the concrete wall. You muttered back something along the lines of him not having to apologize. You heard thunder, and saw a flash of lightning. "It's going to rain, we should go home," Niragi said. "Don't wanna... let's stay here?" You muttered, watching the sun get covered by the clouds. You were under a bridge, so you at least had coverage. He looked up at you, and nodded. "Ok. We can," he whispered. The raindrops began to splatter on the ground outside the coverage of the bridge, and you sighed in happiness. Niragi sat up, bringing you close to him. The smell of rain filled your senses, and you couldn't help but enjoy the moment, even if you had been in emotional and physical pain before. Being there helped numb it for a while. Being with him helped numb the feeling.

"Alright... if I were (Y/N)... where would I go?" Niragi muttered to himself, walking around. It was too quiet. You weren't a quiet person unless need be, and if he remembers correctly, which he does, you had a losing streak in hide and seek since high school. You were too giggly to hide in silence, or maybe you got scared by being alone in the dark to long. Whatever it had been, you had a losing streak for almost 8 years. That was not about to change, not if he had a say in it. A part of him said he was not acting like himself, and that playing this with you was childish. Especially in the borderlands. He knew he would have to find you either way, so he stopped caring. He remembered what she had said. A new player has joined in. One seeker, two hiders! 'Ok, process of elimination....'

"So, given the fact Chishiya isn't allowed down here, I think I know who she's with, and where she is. Let's see if I'm right.''

This was more memories than actual current events... oh well- hope you enjoyed, have a wonderful day/night, baii!! Oh yeah, just because this is the only place people have a problem with me posting Niragi stuff, if you don't like it, the block button is right there, don't send me death threats or tell me to go kms. Thank you

[yeongwvnhi]

You and I on top of it all

This one is quite the brutal piece of work so proceed with caution and be mindful of the warnings. Do tell me if I missed something possibly triggering.

—

Pairing - Oneus Hyung line (only one makes it) x fem reader

Genre - Angst, Suspense, Suggestive, Horror, Gore

Warnings - murder, violence, blood, weapons, language, death, injuries, guns, shooting, graphic descriptions of murder and violence, romanticizing these themes for the plot

Taglist - @twancingyunhoe @runaway-fics @bearseokie @kingleedo @malzenn

Word count - 3k

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It was 11pm and you were hurrying down the street to get back home. You weren't planning on being outside when it started. Last year still left you shaking in your boots, but this year you will turn the table and stop being afraid. 

What exactly is it? 

It is the purge. The day every crime is made legal and services like police, firefighters or paramedics aren't available. 

Originally you were planning on just hiding out somewhere safe until the 12 hours were over but not this year. This time you wanted to let loose, go absolutely crazy and see where the night will take you. Maybe you'll find a companion or more? Maybe you'll die, who knows? 

Back on topic.. Why were you even out this late? Simple. You bought some nice weapons for tonight. What were those weapons? An array of knives, a bat with spikes and even a damn katana. This time you wouldn't hold back. 

A guy came your way and immediately changed course after seeing your array of weapons. This was exactly what you wanted people to do. Fear you, be scared for their life and just run as far away as they could from you. 

Eyeing the clock above your TV in the living room while taking off your shoes, you realize that it's barely 11:20pm. The fun would have to wait. 

With a shrug you move into your bedroom to put on tonight's outfit. You were going crazy tonight and no one would hold you back, not even your damn clothes. 

You have carefully picked out your clothes a few days ago just for tonight. All black to blend into the night, your casual tight fitting jeans and shirt and your newly bought jacket. There you would store all the knives since it had a lot of pockets. 

The sound of a notification from your phone made you stop examining yourself in your mirror and with an eye roll you go to check. 

Hwanwoong: Hey Y/N, I know that you will be partaking in tonight's purge… I hope you won't die so I can see you again soon.. 

Your best friend has always been worried about you and everything that could happen. 

You: I will be just fine, Woong, don't worry. You better be safe tho or I will kill you. 

After you sent your reply, you didn't bother to check if he answered. You wouldn't be taking your phone with you tonight. Everything else besides your weapons will be staying in your apartment tonight… besides your keys, you decided to give them to your friendly neighbor since he would be waiting out the event tonight. 

Once again your eyes find the clock and a small smile slowly crawls onto your lips. 11:30pm. Soon the fun would begin and you just couldn't wait to finally get your sweet, sweet revenge. 

You secure your sword around your back with the holster and then take your baseball bat. These spikes were so sharp and you couldn't wait to see the damage they would cause. 

The weight of your jacket slowly increased the more knives you put into the pockets and you were so full of adrenalin, to find the person who took everything from you. 

11:45pm, the crazed smile slowly made its way back onto your lips. Just a little while. 

You got up and put your also black leather boots on, tired of waiting for the chaos to unfold. 

With the baseball bat in one hand and your keys in the other you exit your apartment. You lock the door and go to knock on your neighbor's door. 

The man opens the door and you give him a less crazy smile upon seeing the fear in his eyes. "Hey Keonhee, don't worry i just came here to drop off my keys!" You say and hold up said object. 

The taller guy visibly relaxes and smiles back at you. "You scared me there, Y/N" 

"Sorry~" you chuckle and put your keys into his outstretched palm. "Please be safe, yeah?" 

Keonhee chuckles nervously and nods. "You too" 

"Oh I will" you reply, "I'm going to go now. I'll see you tomorrow at 12" 

He closes the door and you hear several locks clicking shut behind it, one after another. 

You swing the bat up and rest it on your shoulder, mindful of the spikes, and walk down the street. It was awfully quiet now and your gaze meets the giant digital clock on a huge building. 

11:53pm 

"Hey!" Someone calls after you and you halt in your steps. "Where are you heading to?" 

You turn around and look at the guy. Tall, black hair and also full black attire. "Why would you wanna know? But I suppose you already know the answer judging from your choice of clothing" 

He walks closer and you now fully see his features. He looks too good to be true. The black turtleneck sweater isn't helping your thoughts either. "You're right" he replies with a sinister smirk. "I'm also going to fuck up someone's life" 

You immediately felt drawn to him, he looked just as crazed as you right now. 

But that didn't mean you'd stay here any longer to chat away, no. It was almost time and you wanted to get your hands dirty. 

So you give the guy an almost too nice looking smile and turn back around. 

"Hey, where are you going?" He asks and you hear his fast paced footsteps approach you. "Don't just leave a conversation like that" 

You chuckle and start swinging your bat around. "I don't really care about conversations right now, pretty boy" 

The Guy scoffs, but you see his smirk in your peripheral vision. "So… are you out for someone special tonight? Or do you just want to blow off some steam?" 

"Does it really matter?" You question in return and meet his eyes for a second. "Also, who even are you?" 

"I'm Youngjo" He replies and shoots you a grin, this time less sinister. "And I guess it does? I could help you out" 

He did have a point, maybe he would actually be of help. "Fine" you nod. "Someone-" 

A loud alarm shakes the silence of the city, the purge has started. 

The two of you immediately look at each other with an excited expression. "Fuck it, let's spill some blood" he says and grabs you by the wrist, dragging you right into the chaos of people running around left and right. 

You manage to escape his grip and fasten your pace to match his. 

"Out of my way!" Someone yells and you see a guy running straight at you. 

No way you're having that shit tonight. "Fuck off!" You spit back and swing your baseball bat right at the guy's head. 

Pretty much to his horror because he can't stop and runs straight into your death trap. His skull smashes against your spiky weapon and you feel his blood splattering onto your face. 

Youngjo has stopped running the moment he heard you spitting back at that guy and witnessed the gory scene. He felt his heart skip a beat and met your eyes, both of you dazed.

"That felt so fucking good" You murmur and Youngjo nods eagerly. For that moment the two of you completely blended out the chaos around you. 

Until there were gunshots, that's when you reacted and pulled him into an alleyway, hiding behind the wall to not get shot. 

Youngjo cornered you against the wall, one hand beside your head for balance. He had his gaze fixated on your side profile while you were checking where the gunshots were coming from. 

"Hey" The tall guy mumbles and your attention belongs to him this instant. "I never thought I'd think that watching a girl smashing a guy's head in would be this hot" 

You click your tongue and roll your eyes, but can't help the smirk that appears slowly. "You're crazy" 

Youngjo's head falls down and he breathes out a chuckle before looking you dead in the eye. "It would be boring if I wasn't, wouldn't it, sweetheart?" 

You can't deny the tingling feeling you felt in your stomach at that and your free hand went up to the back of his neck. "Shut up" 

"Make me" 

"What the fuck are you doing?" A new voice interrupts the two of you. "Wait- Hyung?" 

You turn to look at the guy, annoyance written all over your face for having interrupted the moment. "I fucking hate you for this" 

The guy chuckles nervously and Youngjo leans away to stand at a normal distance. "Why are you here, Seoho? And where is Geonhak?" 

"You didn't just ask me that" he retorts and holds up a bloody machete. "Obviously I'm out for blood tonight" 

A shiver runs down your spine, the vibes that guy gives off are insane. Quite literally. 

"Oh" Youngjo's mouth forms an o-shape. "I see. But now where is Geonhak?" 

"Ah! Right" Seoho piques up and nods his head in the left direction. "He started chasing some weirdo who was about to get a bit too comfy with this girl" 

"Still the nice guy even during a time like this, huh?" Youngjo laughs. "Anyway, we should continue our little fun game now, shouldn't we?" 

You grin and pick up your bat. "We should just go as a group, covering more people n shit" 

"What's your name?" Seoho asks you out of the blue, nodding at your suggestion. 

"Oh, I'm Y/N" You reply before making your way out of the alley and onto the street. "And I see a group of people right up front" 

"Let's spill some blood then, shall we?" Youngjo smirks. 

The two guys follow you and you hear one of them clinking blades together. 

"Hey you!" You shout and the group of four, three guys and a girl, look at you. "Wanna die?!" 

"What are you gonna do, little girl?" One of the guys shouts back and you halt in your steps. 

With a dark chuckle, you open your jacket and pull out a knife. "I'll fucking kill you" is your only response as you throw the knife at him. It connects with his thigh, making him scream in pain and fall to the ground. 

"You have good aim, doll" Youngjo mumbles while passing by you. "Now I'll finish him" 

"Leave some fun for me too!" Seoho whines and just runs at the group of people, slicing the girls throat with his machete with ease. 

Her blood pours out of the massive gash and you hear her gurgling on the liquid. 

One of the two unharmed guys squares up against Youngjo, but he's at a disadvantage in height. 

Youngjo makes quick work of the guy, pulling out a knife from a pocket on his pants and stabbing him in the chest. He pushes the guy away from him and he collapses on the corpse of the girl. 

The fourth guy must've ran away so it's only the injured man on the ground and your little group. 

"Finish him! Finish him c'mon!" Seoho jumps around and you look at Youngjo, but he just nods towards the guy. Your sign to kill him. 

"Too bad that you will die now, huh?" You say and lunge the bat right into his face, killing him right on the spot. "Bastard" You spit and pull out your knife from his thigh and put it back where you took it from. 

"Jesus christ" Seoho murmurs and you look at him. "That was fucking hot" 

You shake off the remains of the guy's brain from your bat. "Shut up" you hiss, slightly flustered. "We should find your friend instead" 

"Right" Youngjo agrees. "Let's go" 

He leads the way with Seoho and you following behind. 

"So… are you out for someone special tonight?" Seoho asks and looks at you through his sharp eyes. "You look tense, darling" 

"I probably won't find him anyways, I'm tense because I don't know if I will die tonight" You give him your answer and hold your bat just a little bit tighter. "So I'm going to use that as my fuel to create as much chaos as I can" 

"I see~" He chirps and focuses back on Youngjo who's still leading the way. 

After a bit more walking, the two guys spot their friend sitting next to a wall, gun in hand and blood on his hands and face. 

"Geonhak, what the fuck happened" Youngjo asks him straight away and kneels in front of him. 

"I killed that asshole, but I also accidently shot the girl. They're both dead" he mumbles, but a satisfied grin forms on his lips. "Now she won't suffer anymore" 

"Hey get up, we gotta create more chaos!" Seoho urges and you exhale a breathy laugh. 

"I think there are a lot of people in the inner city. It's getting louder the closer we get" You say and nod in the vague direction. "Let's go guys" 

"Ooohh sure~" Seoho immediately agrees and Youngjo also looks pleased with your suggestion. 

"Oh you guys brought a companion?" Geonhak asks and stands up. "What's your name pretty girl?" 

You shake the hair out of your face and scoff at the compliment. "I'm Y/N. Now let's go!" 

"I know a shortcut" Seoho exclaims. "It's just-" 

"No! Your shortcuts are dangerous as fuck!" Youngjo rejects his suggestion. 

"C'mon let's just go this way" you tell Seoho. "We can take your shortcut on our way back, alright?" 

"Fine" He grumbles in response. 

Your group quickly gets to the big commotion in the inner city and you just decide to let hell break loose. 

Geonhak starts shooting whoever comes into focus, Youngjo aimlessly stabs people in his way and Seoho attacks everything in his way. 

"Let's dance little lady" some weirdo says and faces you, pipe in his hand. "Got ya!" He yells and strikes at you. 

You dodge in the last moment, swinging your spiky bat at the dude's face, making him stumble back in surprise. "You got a mean one there, hun. Would be a shame if it went out of your hands, right?" 

"Shut up asshole" you hiss and and take another swing at him, this time grazing his arm with a spike and making it bleed. 

"That hurt you stupid bitch" he spits with venom. "I'll end you" 

"Good luck" you huff and take a step back. 

"What-" before he can finish his sentence, you hear a gunshot and blood splattering everywhere. 

"Nice shot Geonhak!" You shout and give the man a thumb up. "Saved my ass" 

After that little exchange you quickly go on and just smash in people heads left and right. 

One was a tough nut though. 

"You've got some nerves, little girl" a tall man smirks after he smacked the bat out of your hands and a good distance away from you. "Attacking others from behind. Tch" 

"Stop talking, bastard" you growl and pull out your katana, glad you took it with you. "I'll kill you" 

"Try to~" he laughs and throws a punch, but you step aside at the last second. 

"Go to hell!" You yell and swing your blade at him, slicing his cheek and leaving him in shock. 

"You'll pay for that you damn bitch" 

After that, a painful shout came from behind you and you heard Geonhak calling out Youngjo's name. 

"Shit-" you go to turn around and leave this fucker behind, but he kicks away your legs and you fall to the ground. 

"Fuck you" you huff in pain, the katana luckily still in your hand. That's when you see your three companions. 

Geonhak has Youngjo's head in his lap and repeatedly smacks his cheeks to get him to wake up. 

But he won't. 

He's dead. 

"Oh noo~ Did your friend die? What a shame" the man mocks and laughs. 

You clench your hand around the handle of the katana and roll onto your back and thrust the blade right into his torso. 

"What-" He coughs in shock before falling to the floor backwards. 

You just stand up and run towards the guys now, falling to your knees next to Youngjo's lifeless body in Geonhak's lap. 

"Who did this?" You ask, emotionless, eyes void of anything but rage. 

"I did" Geonhak mumbles, hanging his head. "I wanted to shoot the fucker you were fighting, but Hyung caught the bullet" 

You remain silent, but you see Seoho behind Geonhak going rigid. "You… killed Youngjo Hyung…?" 

"It was an accide-" 

Geonhak couldn't finish his sentence. Seoho slit his throat right there and the green haired man's blood splattered your already dirty face even more. 

But you weren't fazed. You couldn't help him anymore anyways. 

That's when you noticed just how quiet everything suddenly was, so you looked around and saw corpses upon corpses. 

"When did this happen?" You ask and look at Seoho, his blank stare not bothering you at all as you stand up. 

"I killed the last person before I saw you guys here" He answers and you step away from the two men on the ground, dead and bleeding out. 

You heard Seoho walking up next to you. "So this is it? We go home after this and try to get our lives back together?" 

"Not necessarily" he says, "we can stay together" 

"What do you mean?" 

"People who kill together, stay together" he explains and smiles. He actually looks cute and for a second you forgot that he's a serial killer. 

But so are you. 

"That sounds nice" you smile back. 

"So now it's you and I on top of it all" He whispers and pulls you in close by the waist. "You're mine" 

Your hands wander up to his shoulders and you move closer. "Only yours" you mumble against his lips and he closes the gap, greedily moving his mouth against yours. His grip on your waist tightens and pulls you impossibly closer. 

You'll never forget this day. 

[holylulusworld]

Ms. Bodyguard - The knife

Summary: Jensen is used to be the hero on his show. He’s not a coward, not at all - but when he gets attacked by an unknown man the studio insists on a full-time bodyguard. Specialist in protecting people while living with them - you agree to protect Jensen, but he doesn’t like the fact a ‘small’ girl shall protect him. Will you be able to protect the unwilling actor?

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Bodyguard!Reader

Characters: Clif Kosterman, Jared Padalecki

Warnings: angst, mentions of stalking/mental health problems (nothing graphic), blood, mentions of attempted murder, arguments, grumpy Jensen, mentions of injuries, language

Ms. Bodyguard Masterlist

A/N: Lyrics are taken from Paul Simon’s – Call me Al

* The reader likes to use songs as passwords (in this chapter Call me Al) and names of Greece Gods as special passcodes. Here’s a short explanation of what every code means:

Artemis – danger to life (client got attacked)

Ares – drop everything and run

Aphrodite – the client wants to be alone with a lover/love interest

Dionysus – the client is drunk/took drugs

Hades – client got hit/heavily injured/close to death

Hera – family of the client is in danger

Zeus – attacker sighted

Athena – backup needed/call the police

Poseidon – distraction needed to transfer the client safely

Nemesis – attacker/stalker down

Hephaestus – weapon needed/weapon got lost

“Hey-Betty.” Clif runs one hand down his face while he tries to make you answer his call. “I know you listen to me talking to your mailbox. I got a problem. - It’s Al…”

If you want an answer, do the whole song… An automatic answer replies and Clif takes a deep breath. He knows you do this kind of game to keep your clients safe but sometimes – it’s annoying to ‘play’ with you.

“Y/N come on. You know that only me got this number since you work alone. Give me a chance. I’ve got a client, or rather a good friend who’s in danger. Please.” 

If you want an answer, do the whole song… Again, Clif sighs but he’s got no other choice, so he clears his throat and starts singing the song you chose as his password.

If you'll be my bodyguard

I can be your long-lost pal

I can call you Betty

And Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al

While Clif sings the song, you hold your stomach, laughing hard as he is, by all means, an awful singer. Tears well up to your eyes and after weeks of being bitter you have a soft smile on your lips remembering the training with your friend.

If you'll be my bodyguard

I can be your long-lost pal

I can call you Betty

And Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al

The song ends and you listen closely, waiting for Clif to use a specific passcode to inform you about his current situation. If you trust anyone, it’s your old friend and training partner but in your business – you can never be careful enough or you end up dead.

“Passcode: Artemis,” Clif said the password for a worst-case scenario and you answer his call.

“Y/N, my friend got a serious problem. It’s red already. Are you still in Saudi Arabia or can you come back to the states?”

“I packed my stuff Clif and you can speak freely; the line is safe.” Rubbing your sore eyes, you sit up to listen to your friend’s explanations. “But let me tell you one more thing before you start – you are one awful singer.”

Clif huffs before he grins on the other side of the line. “Did you finish your ‘princess’ job? I don’t want to mess with another job.” 

A soft smile tugs at the corner of your lips hearing your friend is worrying about you and your job. “I heard she married…”

“Married and became a spoiled bitch. Let’s say we parted ways before I had to split her skull with my combat knife, Clif.” He chuckles lightly but this time, you can’t laugh with him. “Now back to your problem.”

“That bad, Riffle? What did she do?” Clif avoids your question and you wonder who is in trouble. 

All you know is he worked for a TV show over the last years, nothing else. It’s not as if you had the time to stay in contact with friends while protecting a princess.

“What happened, Y/N?”

“Husband said I am no longer needed. She agreed. End of story.” Looking at your gun on the nightstand your eyes sadden. 

“I protected her for six years, Clif. Now she married a rich guy and I am…disposable. I got hit by a bullet for her…twice. For years I believed she’s different, my friend, but in the end they are all the same.”

“I am sorry to hear, Riffle. Never thought that she’s a…” Clif gulps when you laugh bitterly. “A spoiled brat? At least I learned my lesson, buddy. No more princesses…”

“Great. My friend is a guy, actor and he got attacked by an unknown person last week. He tried to play it cool, but the studio is on high alert. A guy managed to sneak on set, waited for Jensen to be alone, and stabbed him.” Clif huffs at the other end of the line and you know he wants to take the blame.

“Clif, I love you but stop right now. It’s not your job, it’s the security guards’ job to keep the set safe. We both know how often people can sneak on set to take pictures, steal scripts, or crap. I will help you but only if you stop taking the blame.” Now you huff as Clif chuckles lightly.

“Okay, Riffle. When can I pick you up?” Glancing at your packed suitcases and duffle bags you try to remember which time it is in the US. “Y/N?”

“I will book a flight in the morning. Tell me where I have to be and send me his profile. I need to know everything about that guy, his family and working place. I need to meet him too before I agree to protect him.” You are adamant about your rules, so Clif agrees without arguing.

“I’ll send you the information to the FTP server. Give me three or four hours. The destination is Vancouver. I’ll pick you up and we can talk on our way. Do you know anything about Supernatural?”

“Did a ghost kick his ass or Bigfoot?” Smirking you hear Clif explaining he meant a TV show called ‘Supernatural’ and not the supernatural in general. 

Good thing your friend can’t see you as you roll your eyes at his explanation about the ‘cool’ show he’s working for.

“Clif, I did not watch TV for like six or seven years. Oh-fifteen years? That’s a freaking long time for a series, dude. Now let me have some sleep. I suggest you tell your friend to stay at the hospital. There are cameras, a security team and the cops will guard his room. Do not let him go home…”

“Got it, Y/N. Goodnight and thank you.” When Clif hangs up you sigh deeply. Tomorrow you will leave the land you called home for the last six years. Even worse – you will leave a friend, as she no longer needs you…

Reaching US ground for the first time in six years feels odd, strange even. Saudi Arabia was your home for so many years and being away from Soraya, the first client you would call family feels wrong, but you had to leave.

She lied to you. She betrayed you. She wanted you gone…

Her father called you to his office right before you were ready to head out to the airport, asking you why you quit as his daughter’s bodyguard out of the blue. 

You could’ve told him the truth, that his daughter is an ungrateful brat, but Abdallah was always good to you and doesn’t deserve to get into a fight with his daughter and son-in-law.

At first, he didn’t like the idea of having a woman around to protect his only child but with you, not being a man, he could be sure you can stay by her side in any situation.

It pained you to lie to him, but this was the last time you could protect your client. One last time you took the bullet when you told him you want a change of scenery. 

He looked at you with disgust and kicked you out of his office. Well, that’s what you get when you try to save his daughter. 

“Y/N!” Clif waves at you, a big smile on his face as you walk toward the exit. “Wait. I’ll take your bags.”

“Clif, don’t get me wrong. I know you are a gentleman and all, but I can carry my shit, okay. Now let’s get this straight. Your client is Jensen Ackles, he got attacked by a guy who blames him for fucking a z-list starlet and the cops didn’t get him so far.” Ignoring your speech Clif grabs your suitcases to place them into his car.

“Correct. Jensen had like two or three dates with that girl. They uh—Aphrodite* me a few times and after the third date they got into a fight.” Clif explains while you take notes. 

“She accused him of cheating on her, he yelled back they only fucked, and I drove her home while Jay stayed at the bar.”

“Okay. What happened next?” Opening the door to the passenger seat for you Clif tries to explain the girl started to stalk Jensen.

She called him daily, send disgusting messages, and nudes to his twitter account and stood in front of his house more than once.

“Did he call the cops?” Hopping into Clif’s car you watch him shakes his head. “Let me guess. Mr. Ackles didn’t want to look like the victim. So, he’s a macho?”

“Listen, he tried not to get her into trouble. Jensen believed she would cool off and stop with that shit she pulled. He changed his number, reported her doings to twitter, and told me, the security on set and his colleagues about it.”

“I assume she didn’t stop?” Your friend shakes his head while he pulls out of the parking lot. “It got worse?”

“Awful even. She came to set, naked only wearing a thong. She cut Jensen’s name into her stomach and we had to call the cops, an ambulance, and fight off the press.” 

Nodding you check the files Clif sent to you. “She’s at an asylum for four months and gets better. After she got medicated the girl realized not Jensen was her problem.”

“Maybe she lied? Maybe she’s behind the attack?” 

“We checked her contacts thrice, Y/N. I am not as good as you or your former team, but we normal bodyguards are not useless either.” Patting your friend's shoulder you give him a soft smile. “No one visited her or contacted her before the attack.”

“I know, Clifie. Relax. I would never thing low about you, okay. I just need all information to see the picture.” Clif keeps his eyes on the street while you scroll through the files. “No parents. No siblings. So, no angry family. No ex-boyfriends or husbands. Check.”

“She was a loner. The girl tried to help us, but no one came to her mind.” Clif explains as you shut off your iPad.

“No secret admirer sending her flowers or cards? No one claiming he was the one attacking your client?” Your friend shakes his head and you frown.

“That’s odd, Clif. I mean, if that guy did it to avenge that girl, he would’ve shouted it from the rooftops to get her attention.”

“I know, Y/N. That’s the reason I called you for help. This is…fishy. My instinct tells me something is off with that attack and the way Jensen met that girl. I don’t want to sound like a lunatic but…”

“Dude, only as you are paranoid doesn’t mean they are not after you.” Chortling you give Clif a wink. I will dig deeper and see what I’ll find. Let me call a friend of a friend.”

“C.I.A., F.B.I., or someone else?” Giving you side-glances your friend gulps when you whisper, ‘someone else’. “What will you have to do to ‘dig deeper’?”

“Nothing. That asshole owes me his life and balls.” You smile at Clif, but he can see it’s a fake smile. Whatever past you have with this man, you’ll never tell anyone.

“I don’t need another bodyguard, Clif. For fuck's sake! She looks like a tramp or schoolgirl!” Jensen yells when you enter the room with your friend.

No matter which insults he throws at you, your face remains stoic, your eyes are trained on his face and your posture never changes.

“I don’t need a little girl protecting me! I bet if she sees Jared that girl will go for a run.” Jensen gets out of the hospital bed, hissing as his wound still hurts and he refused to take pain meds.

“Jay-uh—hey!” A tall man enters the room, a knife in his hands, and before Clif, Jensen or the guy can blink you lunge out to twist his arms behind his back to pin the tall man against the wall, face first.

He struggles in your hold but there is no escape when you kick his legs apart.

“Y/N don’t kill him! That’s Jared, Jensen’s friend, and colleague!” Clif gasps and the man you still hold pinned to the wall nods eagerly.

“He had a knife!” Voice controlled; dominant you do not let go of Jared. “Why did he come into Mr. Ackles's hospital room, a knife in his hands?”

“Sorry, but that’s a knife made of chocolate. I thought it’s funny, but I guess, the joke is on me.” Jared huffs and you look at the knife which lies abandoned on the floor. 

“Okay, Jared. I will let you go but you will wait until I checked on the knife or you’ll feel my knife pierce your lung.” Warning the tall man, you reluctantly let go of him.

Clif already picked the ‘knife’ up only to break it into two halves. “Chocolate, Y/N.”

“Holy fucking shit!” Jensen gapes at you holding a combat knife in your hand. “Did you call for the Terminator?”

SPN Forever Tags

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

Dean/Jensen Forever Tags   

@spnfamily-j2​​​

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A/N: If your name is crossed out Tumblr won’t let me tag you.

[elle-and-the-fandoms]

Signs - Kuroo Tetsurō x Reader

Genre: fluff

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurō x reader

Words: 1632

Warnings: none… well mentions of sounds that could be considered sexual right at the end.

A/N: So, this is the first story I’ve written in a while. I feel like it’s obvious that I’m not used to writing in 2nd person POV, and I might just stick to 1st or 3rd person in the future… We’ll see! Proofreading done by yours truly and the ever amazing @themoonlightfeather​, so if anythings up, it’s their fault ∩(︶▽︶)∩ this story can also be found on my Wattpad

"Did he hit his head in the last match or something?" Inouka asked, subtlety gesturing to their captain. Kuroo was standing in the middle of the gym with a ball in his hands, looking out the window.

"I don't know, but he’s been off all week." Yaku replied with a sigh. Off was an understatement. Kuroo always gave his all when it came to volleyball, but this week, his head had been anywhere but the game. His pregame mantra had gotten mixed up and confusing and his blocking had gotten so sloppy. So sloppy that even Lev had no trouble spiking right past him. The last straw for Kenma was when the middle blocker had gotten spiked right in the face by Yamamoto, during a 3 on 3.

The silence was deafening for a solid second, before Kuroo sat up. A groan left his mouth as he held his head in his hands. He already knew a bruise would form on his face. The sound of laughter coming from Lev and Yaku drowned Yamamoto's string of apologies.

"That might be enough practice for today." Coach Nekomata said as he sat down on one of the benches. "The gym is free for those who want to do individual practice as long as you clean up after yourselves. Make sure you stretch before going home."

"Kuroo, are you feeling okay? You've been acting weird lately." The setter asked as he looked down at his raven-haired teammate, not feeling like helping him up.

Behind them Yamamoto continued apologising. Fukunaga was by his side, giving him a comforting pat on the top of his head.

Kuroo took a breath and got off his ass. He took a few seconds before looking around and noticed that most of the team were looking at him. A light blush covered Kuroo’s cheeks as he cleared his throat.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Great in fact! My head's just sorta been elsewhere the last few days." His hand had found its way to his neck where it now rested. "It's just, well... I- I got some exciting news earlier this week is all. Actually that reminds me-" he turned to look at the coaches "that I can't make it to practice tomorrow." Coach Naoi nodded with a puzzled look on his face as he noted it down on his clipboard.

“Well then. Let's get to stretching, shall we?” The captain said as if nothing had happened.

----

The cold air had turned most of the volley team into Rudolf the rednosed reindeer lookalikes. Even on an early December morning, they were lively and, much to Kuroo's annoyance, loud as ever. Since the practice where Kuroo got intimate with a ball, they had been nagging him about why he was skipping.

“Why won’t you tell us? Is it bad? Are you doing something illegal?” Lev asked for the 27th time in 5 minutes.

“That's for me to know and for you to wonder.” Kuroo replied, putting both hands behind his head as he laughed. The hot breath leaving his lips turned into white mist.

“Stop saying that, you sound suspicious… and stupid” Kenma mumbled into his scarf. Kuroo was about to object but thought better of it. He knew it would result in an endless argument back and forth, like always. Instead he continued laughing as the lot walked to school.

During class, it was obvious that something was preoccupying Kuroo’s mind. The teacher took notice but was nice enough to not call on him. After all he was always so active during class, she could let it slide once.

The bell signaling lunch snapped the Nekoma captain out of his trance-like state. He shot up from his desk and threw all his stuff into his bag. The teachers had been notified that he wouldn’t attend class for the rest of the day. As he walked down the hall, a few of his teammates caught up to him.

“You’re never gonna tell us, are you?” Yamamoto sighed.

“Nope.”

“Why though? What could be so important that you’d go through all this to keep it a secret?” Yaku chimed in.

“Look,” Kuroo stopped and sighed “it’s something personal and I’d rather not talk about it right now."

And with that he left school.

----

The drive from Kuroo’s house was about half an hour. Since it was the middle of the day, traffic was no problem. Kuroo parked the car as close to the terminal as he could, not wanting to have to walk too far with a bunch of stuff in his arms. He grabbed all the things from the boot of his car and looked at the time. Perfect timing. A slight warmth creeped onto his face as he grew more excited. He had waited for so long and the time was finally here.

The arrival lobby wasn’t as crowded as Kuroo had feared, making it easy for him to make himself noticeable. With a sign in one hand and a bouquet of roses in the other, he stood there, staring at the arrival exit.

In the blink of an eye it felt as if time slowed down, frozen almost. Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat, then speed up. Standing only a few meters in front of him was the most perfect being Kuroo had ever come to know. The smile that he would do anything to see. The eyes that he could stare at forever.

As your eyes met, you dropped your bags without a second thought, and charged at the tall man in front of you. He only just managed to put down the stuff he was holding before opening his arms to catch you.

The collision resulted in both of you falling to the ground, you on top with your boyfriends arms around you. Neither of you cared about the people starring in that moment. All that mattered was that you got to hold each other after being apart for so long. You nestled into his neck, breathing in through your nose to take in his scent. He did the same, resting his head on top of yours.

“I missed you.” You said after a little while, looking Kuroo in the eyes after pulling away.

“I missed you too. So much.” He said back, leaning in to steal a quick kiss from your lips.

When his lips left yours, you looked up to catch his eyes again, but noticed something on his face instead.

“Oh My God, what happened to your face?! How did you get that? Did I do that just now? I’m sorry!” You panicked, reaching up to inspect the bruise on his face. As you cupped his face, you felt his bigger, warmer hands cover yours. He leaned into your touch enjoying the feeling of your soft skin against his own.

“Don’t worry, it looks worse than it is. There was a little accident at practice.” He reassured you before continuing, this time with a smug face. “But I guess it sorta is your fault. I can't help that it's impossible to get you off my mind. Especially after you told me you could come visit for Christmas.”

You giggled at his accusation and looked at him while mirroring his expression.

“Aww I’m soooo sorry, you want me to kiss your booboo?”

He nodded with a grin, and you pressed a gentle kiss to his bruised cheek. You both got off the ground, fixing yourselves a bit, before picking up the things you dropped.

You turned around to face him again after getting your bag. As you did, you got a chance to read the sign that Kuroo now held again. “Welcome back from prison”

“...I hate you.” You said, before going in for another hug.

“Hey, I was being considerate you know. Could’ve written ‘Congrats on completing rehab’ or something.” Kuroo laughed and kissed the top of your head before guiding you towards the exit. “And besides, you started this whole thing so don’t get mad at me.”

You both laugh at the memory. Back when Kuroo came to visit you, you had made a sign for him as well and since then, it became a thing. Though through time it sort of escalated into madness, or as you liked to call it dorkness.

“Well, ‘I tried to think of a cute sign, but all I can think about is your cute face’ was funny and adorable. This is just bullying.” You fake-pouted. Kuroo put his arm around your shoulders as he laughed.

“You like it when I bully you though.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

“Your wish is my command, Babe.”

---- BONUS ----

Kenma and the rest of the Nekoma Volleyball club were on their way home from practice. A few lampposts and the occasional light from the surrounding houses lit up the streets. The group of boys were talking about practice when Lev caught their attention.

“Hey, isn’t this Kuroo~senpai’s house?”

The other team members nodded, confused about why that seemed like news to the russian giant.

“The lights in his room are on. Look, you can see his silhouette!” He pointed excited.

“Lev, dumbass. Stop being a creep.” Yaku scolded, though he couldn’t help but look to where his Kouhai was pointing. And sure enough, there in the window stood a dark form with an unmistaken bedhead. But as they were all looking, a second, smaller figure appeared.

“Strange, his parents aren’t home tonight…” Kenma thought out loud.

As the team looked wondering at the window, the two figures moved closer, before melting to one. The group of boys all averted their eyes as one figure got pushed against the window. The muffled sound of a moan caused them to hastily move along, not wanting to know THAT much about their captain.

[cibeewastaken]

Ten Proposals and Nine Drinks

Summary:

Malfoy has been proposing to Harry all night. Harry wants a turn to propose as well. 

(On Ao3)

═══════════════════════

“Here’s an idea,” Malfoy said.

“Uh-oh,” Harry said. “We haven’t even got to the pub yet.”

“Piss off.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Shut up,” Malfoy said. “I’m trying to say something.”

“Aren’t you always?”

“For the love of — My plan involves a lot of free alcohol, what are you offering beside your mouth?”

“My mouth is always opened to you,” Harry said cheerfully.

Malfoy took a deep breath. “My idea is — ”

“That maybe you can’t finish a sentence?”

“Oh, for — ” Malfoy stopped to kick an innocent mailbox. “ —  fuck’s sake!”

Harry couldn’t help but marvel at how much of a brat he became in the five years he’d been together with Malfoy. Though, it was either become a quippy brat himself or get railed on day and night by Slytherins. Honestly, it was just Darwinism at its finest. Harry only did it to survive, no matter what Ron said (“You get the glow every time you snark with Malfoy, really, it’s actually more disturbing. You’re getting the after-sex glow without the sex. What the fuck?”)

Malfoy drew in a deep and slow breath. “You know how they give away free drinks to people on special occasions? Birthday, engagement, their bastard of an uncle died, you know, that sort of thing?”

“You want to pretend it’s one of us’ birthday,” Harry guessed.

“I would, but the whole magical world knows a certain twat’s birthday,” Malfoy pinched Harry’s side and Harry yelped, squirming away and bumping into a few girls.

“Sorry, sorry!” Harry flushed, glaring at Malfoy when he laughed. “So who are you killing off?”

“I was thinking Weasley, but I don’t want you to burst into tears.”

“I wouldn’t!” Harry said. “I can take a joke. You just have a shit sense of humor.”

“I do not!” Malfoy cried.

Harry ignore Malfoy’s protests and ducked into their first destination, which just meant whatever pub they see first. Malfoy was still talking indignantly when he sat down next to Harry. Harry cut him off.

“So, you want to propose,” Harry said. Of-fucking-course. “And I’m guessing you want to do the proposing.”

Malfoy latched onto Harry’s arm and batted his eyelashes. “You know me so well.”

Harry snorted. “Have at it, then.”

═══════════════════════

“Told you it would work,” Malfoy preened beside Harry as they head to the next pub.

Harry raised his eyebrows. “I never said it wouldn’t.”

“I could hear you think it!” Malfoy insisted. “Well, never mind that. Wasn’t I amazing at the end?”

“You certainly were . . . something,” Harry said.

“I admit I hadn’t thought of an exit strategy,” Malfoy skipped on the icy road, making the back of Harry’s neck prickled with anxiety and he untucked his hands from his pocket so it would be easier to grab Malfoy if the prick slipped and fell. “But they all seemed eager to send us off into our bright future together.”

Malfoy’s “exit strategy” mostly consisted of grabbing Harry’s face and snogging him until Harry was weak in the knees, before loudly declaring “I must have you now, my love! My sun! My petit four! (“Petit?” Harry had sputtered and Malfoy shut him up with a hard pinch to the face) I cannot wait to have you until after our joyous union, let’s go now, fiancé!”

They were ushered to the door by a harried bartender and laughing crowd. Malfoy blew a kiss at the pub at large before they stepped out, and his face made Harry wished this was always how every one of Malfoy’s plans went- dramatic and ridiculous with the backdrop of happy grins. Not anything else, never badly. Not for the first time, Harry wondered how his life could have been like if Malfoy had been kinder, and they had ended up friends when they were children.

Harry took Malfoy’s hand in his. It didn’t matter right now, or anymore. They still had a young night, and many pubs, and many more proposals to make and receive.

═══════════════════════

Well, Malfoy certainly had a knack for proposal, unfortunately, he also had a bigger knack at mortifying Harry.

Twice, Harry had to stop Malfoy from describing Harry’s dick with details even himself didn’t know about. Twice, Harry couldn’t even understand what the hell Malfoy was saying because he was so drunk from the previous congratulation-this-is-on-the-house drinks.

(Harry had been ready to call it a night by the fourth pub, but Malfoy, who was so determined to get free drinks, had brewed sobering potions to take with him.

“Drink up, Potter,” Malfoy had said. “I am not a rich man any more, and I insist on milking this dry since I’m sure this is going to blow up in the Prophets tomorrow.”

“You don’t care about ruining my reputation?” Harry had said.

“What reputation?” Malfoy had said, and downed the potion.)

Once, though, Malfoy went from loud and sappy tirade to fervent whispers against Harry’s lips. His hands, cold, clenched Harry’s jacket, and he spoke like he was kissing Harry, swaying them both, with Harry gasping for air.

They had gotten champagne for that one.

By the time they were drinking their third Sobering potion, they had successfully gotten nine drinks from both magical as well as non-magical establishments, and Harry was a little irritated.

“I want to have a go,” Harry said.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Please, Potter, you barely got through your speech at the Granger-Weasley cult séance, and you knew most of the people there.”

“Barely being the keyword,” Harry argued. “I want to try. And stop calling their wedding a séance.”

“All weddings look like a séance to me,” Malfoy said loftily. “And do not try to tell me that the abomination Granger and Weasley called a dance wasn’t a ritual to summon the devil or an attempt to murder me through sheer mortification?”

“I’m telling her you said that.”

“What makes you think I care?”

Harry squinted at his boyfriend. “You don’t have the guts.”

Malfoy flushed. “Please don’t tell her.”

“Let me propose next and I won’t.”

“Fine!” Malfoy said. “Good god, cease the histrionics, Potter, it doesn’t become you. But just this once, if I don’t get the attention at the next bar, I shall certainly perish from neglect, and who is going to tell you your hair look atrocious in the morning, hmm?”

“You talk way too much,” Harry said, pushing the door open, and let it slam in Malfoy’s face.

Malfoy caught it smoothly. Damn. “Come now, darling. Betrothed lovers shouldn’t be so testy with each other.”

Harry sighed. “If you’re this annoying before we’re engaged, I can’t imagine how much worse it’ll be after.”

“I have great plans for it,” Malfoy said as they sat down. “I’m waiting, lovely.”

═══════════════════════

Draco looked away, gleefully awaiting the abysmal attempt of Potter’s proposal. He was never good with words, was he? Let him see what happens when he tries to best Draco at his game. They would never get their free drinks with it depending on Potter, but that was quite alright, the privilege of knowing - and saying - he was better at this was worth the lost alcohol.

He waited and waited for the stuttering and ers to come, but instead someone nearby gasped.

Draco turned around to look for Potter sputtering, but instead he found Potter kneeling. Draco stared. Potter smiled.

Harry’s smile settled into his face - it became him - it looked as though he was meant to always be so — smiling.

And yes, somewhere, at the very back of his mind, Draco knew he would be so lucky to have Potter’s smile sunk into him for the rest of his life.

At the very front of his mind, however —

═══════════════════════

Harry smiled at Malfoy. He looked very startled.

“Hi,” Harry said.

Malfoy didn’t say anything. His eyes were wide and bright and lovely.

“Really lovely,” Harry mumbled.

“What?” Malfoy said.

Harry shook his head. “I just — ” he swallowed. Even though Malfoy’s dramatics unexpectedly set this whole night up for Harry, he was still shaky and scared. No matter how comfortably familiar the sight of Malfoy was for Harry, he was still trembling.

“I just love you,” Harry said, going for the one thing he knew he would never be scared of saying. Or would never waver no matter how scared Harry was. But then all of the valleys of words inside of Harry came tumbling out, too - “There’s nothing else, but it’s everything too. I love you, with you, holding you, spending time with you, living with you, being loved by you, everything. It all boils down to loving you, yeah?”

Malfoy looked as scared as Harry felt, so to not drag on, Harry fumbled for his pocket.

Finally, Malfoy started. “Oh,” he said.

“Yeah,” Harry laughed nervously, and it took him two tries to open the velvet box. The ring was pale, with a round moonstone in the middle. Harry remembered the day spend looking for rings, how it was filled with sparkling diamonds and gems, but the grey stones drew Harry in like Malfoy’s eyes always did, and the decision was easy.

Now, with both stone and eyes in the same vicinity, Harry couldn’t help but feel a little sappy at the uncanny resemblance between the two.

“Potter,” Malfoy’s voice was wobbly. “I swear to . . . I swear if this is your idea of getting free drinks, I will maim you.”

Harry laughed. “That was all you, prat. Of course you would mess up my plan, even on this. But then, I want to have you around so you would keep messing up all my carefully thought out plans.”

“Carefully thought out?” Malfoy swiped underneath his nose with his knuckles. The tip of his pointy nose was red. “You must still be drunk.”

“You’re admitting you aren’t as good at potions as you claim you are?”

“Piss off,” Malfoy said.

Sheepishly, Harry said, “I rather not.”

Malfoy’s hand pinched his thigh. His eyes never left Harry. He wasn’t blinking as well. For a moment, Malfoy looked like a statue, like his mind had forgotten it was still in the real world and left altogether.

“Will you, then?” Harry asked, belatedly. “Marry me.”

Malfoy’s laugh sounded manic. “Will I?” he said. “Who is going to tell you your hair looks atrocious in the morning if not me?”

“I don’t know. Hermione does a pretty good job,” Harry said. His knees were starting to hurt, but he didn’t want to get up.

“She does not!” Malfoy yelped. “I am marrying you, Potter, only I can insult your hair.”

“Yes,” Harry said. “Yes.” And he slid the ring onto Malfoy’s violently shaking finger with equally trembling hands.

Beside them, the bartender was frowning. “Excuse me,” he said, “are you still calling the person you proposed to by their last name?”

“Yes,” Harry said. The word felt incredibly gorgeous to say.

“Oh,” the bartender said. “Okay.” He turned around and poured two glasses of white wine. “It’s on the house.”

“That’s lovely of you,” Malfoy said. He had his left hand pressed to his chest. “But why don’t you give it to whoever sits here next?” Malfoy’s eyes sought out Harry’s. His smile made him looked all kinds of shine. “We have a séance to plan.”