#I want her I want to get married and run away

[hedwig221b]

Hey! Do you have any royalty AUs with Alpha Derek and omega stiles?? I’ve had an itch for them and low key feining for it🩷

Of course! Here are some of my faves

The Alpha and his Spark by sandyde03

Stiles is pregnant. Derek is perpetually horny and possessive. Stiles is confused. Not by Derek sexing him up. He loves that. It’s the fact that ever since he started to show that he was with pup everyone has been avoiding his eyes.

Elskende by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace), wildamongwolves (orphan_account)

Stiles is an omega concubine, kept sequestered away in the city of Beacon Hills, waiting for his lord Gerard Argent when the Wulver take the city and the alpha takes the omega.

The White Hart of Winter by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace)

Sent to marry the Hale Beast Stiles finds himself alone in a castle left to ruin and watched over by Kate Argent, who he thinks is sleeping with his new husband and seems determined to destroy him.

Pride and Place by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace)

Derek Hale, Earl of Osterbrook, has inherited, following the death of Lord Montfort, a run down house in Yorkshire he neither needs nor wants, convinced his staff are robbing him, and with the mystery of a missing ward, he manages to get himself talked into a ridiculous bet, that he cannot pass as a steward until Midwinter, nearly two months away. So can he maintain the charade? Find the missing child? and manage to turn the shambles of a house around, or will he give up and let Peter take the thousand pounds he bet. now with explicit epilogue - the rest of the story is teen rated though, so if you don't like the idea of explicit sex in your bodice rippers - just don't read that bit

How May I Be of Service? by cloudsarefluffy

On Tumblr, Anon asked: i want a Sterek fic that has stiles as a human or hybrid (not full wolf?) slave but i want it 2 b like housekeeping for the famous hales. a/o. stiles is in a skimpy maid outfit (w. garter belt and all) and derek is attracted. also its like a month that an omega takes to be in heat so stiles and his resolve breaks down. boypussy gushing slick, panties, twink!stiles who finally knows he needs his alpha. big alpha cock and knotting. whimpering and needy plz. derek breeds his boy but no mpreg. thx The omega’s eyes are downcast on the floor, off to the side, like he isn’t sure of anything that is happening at the moment. “Little one,” the alpha addresses him, and Stiles looks up at him gingerly with the guidance of Derek’s finger under his chin, “I think it’s time that you learn how to be with an alpha.”

Let your unfaithful weaving go by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace)

Every night Stiles goes into the feasting hall to work on the shroud he is making for his husband, knowing that the alphas circle him like sharks until he is inevitably forced to choose one to stand as his alpha and Eli's regent. It's been four years and he doesn't know how much longer he can do this. This is based on the story of Penelope and her suitors, with Stiles in the role of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus

Wolf Winter by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace)

Stiles is the legitimate omega son of King Deucalion, tricked by his brother Theo into running away he is trapped, ruined and unable to return home he finds himself stuck, captured as a poacher by the infamous Hale clan he claims sanctuary in their small chapel and Peter puts him to work, with Derek just returned from the crusades he needs a new healer and the only option they've got is the boy in the chapel who is pretending to be a beta

Meant to be One by sunhazeheart

His nerves felt like a live wire was running hot beneath his skin, hands fidgeting with the silken material of his robe. If he had the concentration to spare, he might had worried about tearing it. It was all he could do to sit there at the vanity, eyes squeezed shut, and try to give in the constricting pressure around his chest that said that he was about to fall into a panic attack. Breath in. Breath out. His own heartbeat rushed in his ears. Being mated to the reclusive king with a frightening reputation to his name, bundled away from his home and father, and then surrounded by underwhelmingly distant faces hiding secrets was not how Stiles Stilinski imagine spending his life soon after turning eighteen. He can only remind himself that it is for the good of his people, both old and newly acquired. But, perhaps first assumptions are made too hastily and a fated match can be made, even surrounded by threats of war, revenge and death’s waiting embrace.

The Lost Kingdom of Lis by queen_of_OTPs

Stiles was thankful that Lis was a private and isolated kingdom, so no one in the other lands he was sure to travel to would know his face. Not the characteristic set of moles on his jaw, or the bright honey-golden eyes that shone like spun gold in the sun, nor the characteristic babble that the servants in the palace had found endearing. He was allowed to recreate himself, just as a smith was allowed to reforge a blade after a harsh battle. Stiles was going to take every opportunity thrown his way, and make himself grow. (Gift for hd-hale for the Sterek Summer Exchange)

The Hills Call

Five years ago, Prince Derek of the Hale Empire had fallen for the son of a Baron, Genim of Stilinski. His mother had not approved, and after some time imprisoned Genim escaped to the Dukedom of the Shore, where he was taken in by Duke Christopher and Lady Allison. Now, Prince Derek is on his deathbed from a poisoning and it is up to Genim, now called Stiles, to nurse him back to health. Wary of the Hale Empire, Stiles returns with their young son to see if he can heal Derek of his illness and escape the threats he still feels from the Empress herself.

Think of instead, a girl worth fighting for by DorkFace

Propping himself up on his elbows so that he could look his husband directly in the eye, Stiles implored, “well, if you can’t stay, you at least need to promise you’ll return to me. Preferably in one piece!” “I can hardly bring myself to picture the consequences if I didn’t my love.” Derek chuckled, “you have my word.” OR King Derek is injured on the battlefield and no longer thinks he is worthy of his widely admired Omega husband, Prince Stiles, and has manpain about it.

The General and The Queen Consort by SinQueen69

2024 Suggestion Form Anon: Omega Stiles is married to the king who is a beta. No one knows that all of the King's children were actually fathered by the King's top general Derek. Hot clandestine cheating sex with heavy breeding kink. Maybe add a dark twist with them plotting to kill the king to be together.

The Spoils of War by halcyon1993

Alpha Derek is a commander in the Roman Army, tasked with pillaging settlements to claim them for his own people. When he comes across a pretty young Omega during his latest conquest, he can't resist taking him as his personal prize.

Take Me Away From Here

Derek Hale looked terrifying. With his broad frame and muscles, with his wild black hair and thick beard, with his eyes the color of blood and fangs of a killer. Despite his kindness and his apparent attraction to Stiles, he was still a stranger, a predator, a wolf. The thing is, Stiles would deal, but others might not. People found Lord Hale horrid, monstrous and unapproachable. If Stiles stood behind him, no one would touch him. He’d be safe with the wolf. If not from him, then definitely from everyone else. And that was enough.

Other fic recs: angsty fics | possessive Derek | historical AU | baby/mpreg | outsider POV | smut | mafia | hurt/comfort | magical!Stiles | Stiles gets kicked out of the pack | BAMF!Stiles + pt2 | omegaverse | witch!Stiles | creature!Stiles + pt2 | oblivious!Stiles | bad friend Scott | pack mom!Stiles | unrequited love | werewolf!Stiles | dark sterek | single parent!Stiles | feral Derek | arranged marriage | Stiles is underestimated | mpreg w/o abo | accidental knotting | jock!Derek | jock!Stiles | alive Hales | spanking

[hearts4johnwick]

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊ Love Me Again. / M. Murdock.

SUMMARY. 𝜗𝜚 matt swore that before marrying you, he’d let go of daredevil—he did, now it’s been almost a decade and wilson fisk is now mayor, which makes hell’s kitchen even more dangerous than it was before—calling daredevil, breaking matt’s promise.

CW. 𝜗𝜚 m. murdock x reader / established relationship, reader is whatttt??? angst, arguments, wounds, blood,

A/N. 𝜗𝜚 ahhhh yes, my favorite genre… superhero’s partners getting upset over them when they’re bruised or cut up and fighting with them because they can’t bare to see them like this… exquisite 🤌

The lock to Matt’s apartment twists with a click announcing that the door is open, your footsteps as you climb up the stairs let Matt know of your arrival, which makes him stand immediately and run to his room, searching for a shirt to cover his scarred body.

“Matt, I’m home!” You take off your coat and place it on the coat hanger, then toss the keys on the island.

Matt comes out of your shared room, you smile when you see his, he walks over to you and places a soft kiss on your lips, his hand finding its place on your lower back while you rub his shoulder. “How do you feel?” He asks.

“Tired, glad to be home.” He nods and plants a kiss on your forehead.

“So am I.”

“I’m going to change, can you prepare me some tea or something?”

“Of course, I’ll be right on it.” He walks into the kitchen as you walk into your bedroom.

You place your bag on the drawer and take your heels off, your height quickly shortening once the plant of your feet touches the ground. You chuckle at yourself and shake your head.

You hear a buzz coming from your bag, you go ahead and take your phone out and you see that you have received a message. It’s from your sister, who had just texted you that she’s back in town. You reply to her fast and quickly make plans, you go and let Matt know, but as you are exiting the bedroom, you notice him making you the tea, with his back facing you.

You notice something.

The spreading red patch on his back. You take a deep breath and walk closer to him.

“Weren’t you going to change?” He asks, the scent your button-down has lets him know you haven’t changed.

“Yes…” you trail off. He turns back to face you and you force a smile. “My sister is back in town.” Matt’s expression lights up with a smile.

“Really? That’s great! Are you planning something with her?” He questions and you swallow the lump in your throat, you saw the red patch on his back and you can’t focus.

You can’t focus on the smell of the tea, or the honking outside, or the fact that Matt smells amazing, or the sound of another notification coming through, or the kicking sensation in your belly, you can only focus on the goddamned red patch.

“Matt.” He senses the change of tone, your heartbeat skipping a few beats and speeding up. “Turn around.” Your tone is demanding, your breath shaky.

Matt knows why you’re demanding this, he feels the wet feeling of blood seeping through his shirt, he knows, and this makes his heart drop. He feared this moment, that’s why he immediately looked for a shirt, he didn’t want to lose you.

He sighed softly and turned around, not only was there one red patch, there were multiple ones now, including one near his kidney area. Your hands find your mouth, covering and muffling the loud gasp that had just left you.

“Oh my, God! Take it off!” You say and he turns around, trying to grab your hands, which you yank back.

“Y/n—“ he calls out.

“Matt. Take. It. Off.” You say, your voice cracking. He backs away and removes his shirt, you hear him groaning from the pain.

Your eyes rapidly land on the multiple cuts in his body, some healed, some bloody, recent ones. You shake your head and almost immediately feel the tears pooling your eyes. You take a few steps away from him, and you hear him let out a shaky breath.

“Matt. You…” your mind slaves as it looks for words.

“I know. I’m so—“

“You swore. Matt, you swore!” He nods, his feet following your steps.

“Yes, I know, but, please, listen to me…”

“No, no, Matt. I’m not going to listen to you! I’m not going to accept your apology—You swore, and you broke that promise, you swore you’ll never go back, for me, for us!” He chokes at the usage of “us” in your argument because he knows it’s not him, it’s you, you, and the life you’re carrying.

“Y/n.”

“Matt. You swore.” Your voice is now raspy, your face all wet by the tears you’ve let go now.

“Y/n. This city isn’t safe. Fisk is mayor now, and I can’t—I can’t watch it all go to hell, knowing I can do something about it, knowing I can keep you two safe, because that’s all I want, that’s all I need.” He says, and silence drowns the two of you, nothing but the sound of your soft sniffles and Matt’s shaky breath between you.

“The only way we can be safe is without you.” This pains you to say, it weakens you. And those words are more than enough to strike fear into The Man Without Fear, but God knows you’ve had enough. So has he, not of you, never of you, but daredevil, kingpin, bullseye, the city, you were his savior, his everything, everything he needed to get away from his problems, it was you, but now, he lost you.

You grab a pair of shoes from the shoe rack at the start of the hallway and grab the keys from the island so you can come later and grab your stuff, along with your coat as you open and slam the door.

Matt feels drops of tears roll down his face, just as you feel tears streaming down yours, Matt can hear the way you stop running down the stairs to sob and gasp for air, but you can’t hear as he sits down on the cold ground to do the same. He can hear how you softly pray for things to get better, but you can’t hear how he softly prays for you to come back home. He can hear how you dial your mother’s phone number on your phone and tell her to expect a guest, but you can’t hear how he holds himself because the only person he had, just left.

❛ i told you once i can’t do this again,

do this again, oh no. ❜

[laylahluvsasians]

𝐓𝐎𝐗𝐈𝐂 || 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎𝐬!𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐨𝐨 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - its currently 2006, you and gong yoo have been dating for over 6 years and got casted in coffee prince together. being casted in a show alongside ur boyfriend sounded fun but lately ur relationship has been rocky.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - toxic relationship, eventual slight smut (not this chapter), sexual innuendos, slightly embarrassing, angst.

𝐚/𝐧 - this will be split into five parts.

𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

you knew gong yoo about 10 years before you landed the role on coffee prince.

you both quickly fell inlove and have been together for around 6 years now.

you met yoon eun hye on set and she immediately became ur best friend and ur friendship was still going strong.

she and you would hang out together and gossip about the other actors, which of them was ur type, and complain about the endless filming hours.

but the shooting hours were finally over and the show was gaining attention. you and eun hye were currently in her hotel room, talking about the newest gossip.

“ugh where is my boyfriend.” you complained falling back dramatically on the bed.

eun hye rolled her eyes at you since she knew exactly what you were gonna say. ”i haven’t seen him since we finished filming earlier.”

“oh my god,” you whined. “i need to see him”

“no way are you getting him when he just finished filming,” eun hye said, rolling her eyes for the 90th time today. “he definitely wants to sleep.”

“so?” you huffed. “i can nap with him.”

eun hye gave you a look, a smirk on her face. “a nap? is that all you would be doing?”

you threw her a dirty look and sighed, dropping back onto the bed. ”i’ve been deprived of him for the entire day, i can’t go through an entire night too”

“you’ll be fine, you literally see him every day,” eun hye said. “i don’t know how you haven’t gotten sick of each other yet, you’re like two peas in a pod.”

“because my love for him never runs out.” you dramatically put a hand on your forehead and sighed. yoon eun hye only laughed at your antics. “stop acting so extra, we both know you’re completely whipped for him. and he’s even more whipped for you.”

“damn right he is,” you said, grinning. “he’s so in love with me, it’s quite cute.”

“that’s not surprising, you know that everyone wants to date you,” eun hye said. “but you just had to pick gong yoo.”

“because he’s the best.” you sighed dreamily. “he’s so handsome, talented, sweet, and he treats me so good.”

“okay, we get it, you’re both sickeningly in love with each other,” eun hye said, making a fake gagging motion.

you let out a laugh and flopped down onto your side so your cheek was smashed against the pillow. “is it a crime for me to love my boyfriend so much?”

“yes,” she said bluntly. “because you two are the most lovey-dovey, disgustingly sweet couple i’ve met.”

“im gonna marry him.”

“is that even a surprise?” she said. “you guys have been together for years now and he’s had so many chances to get away from you, but he still hasn’t. you’re stuck with him for life.”

“he’s not leaving me anytime soon,” you said, a smug expression on your face. “he loves me too much.”

“the whole world knows he’s madly in love with you, you have nothing to worry about,” eun hye said. “but you’re not escaping that easy either, you are just as whipped for him”

“yeahyeah, im gonna go see him.” you get up and start heading towards the door.

eun hye looked at you, an exasperated expression on her face. “i knew you would,” she said. “he’s probably gonna be pissed that you woke him up from his nap.”

“he be aight.”

she rolled her eyes, but gave you a wave. “don’t have too much fun,” she said, “i don’t want to end up hearing you guys through the walls all night.”

you flipped her off and headed over to gong yoo’s hotel room that was right across the hall from eun hye’s.

you knocked on the door before opening it, knowing he probably forgot to lock it. “babe?” you called out, closing the door behind you.

you heard some shuffling from the bedroom, and a moment later, gong yoo appeared in the doorway, dressed in just his sweatpants.

“why are you here, it’s late?” he murmured, sleep evident in his voice.

you gave him an innocent look. “i haven’t seen you all day, is it a crime to come see my boyfriend?”

“baby.” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “i’ve been filming all day and i just got back. i’m tired.”

you put ur hands on ur hips sassily and replied. “we can sleep together.”

he looked at you, his eyes still somewhat tired. “i wanna sleep alone.”

your face fell and you pouted. “but i don’t wanna sleep alone. i’ve missed you all day.”

he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “i know, but im tired. can’t you sleep in your room instead?”

“fine.” you frowned and rolled ur eyes.

“thank you,” he said, and gave you a sleepy smile. “i’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright?”

“whatever.” you grumble under ur breath.

“what’s got you so grumpy?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. “i’m tired, why can’t you just listen to me and go back to your room?”

“bye.” you walk away not even letting him respond.

he sighed and watched you go. “i’ll just see her in the morning,” he muttered to himself, before crawling back into bed.

you find yourself walking back to eun hyes hotel room.

eun hye heard the door open, and the sound of you flopping down onto the bed. “back again already?” she asked.

“he wanted to sleep alone.” you groan.

“oh no,” she said sarcastically, “the horror of being forced to spend a night by yourself.”

you just made a face at her, and pulled a pillow closer. “i miss him,” you said, burying your face into it.

eun hye snickers and pats your back. “you’ll survive one night without him, i promise you.”

“i swear one day he’s gonna leave me because of how clingy i am” you pout.

“that’s not gonna happen, he’s just as obsessed with you as you are with him,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“but what if he gets sick of me?” you asked, a frown on your face. “what if one day he just wakes up and decides that he doesn’t love me anymore?”

eun hye scoffed. “if you think gong yoo’s ever gonna fall out of love with you, you’re dumber than i thought.”

“hey,” you said, elbowing her. “i’m not stupid, i just over think a lot.”

“yeah, and that’s an understatement,” she said. “just relax, gong yoo’s not gonna stop loving you. he’s head over heels for you, i promise.”

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮

it’s early in the morning, and your alarm clock rings. you groan and sit up.

you force yourself out of bed, and trudge into the bathroom. you brush your teeth and wash your face before getting dressed.

after you finish getting ready, you make your way over to gong yoo’s room. you knock once before opening the door.

he was sat on the bed, fully dressed and scrolling through his phone. he looked up when he heard the door open. “oh, you’re here,” he said, setting his phone down.

you roll ur eyes, already starting to get pissed off. “should i not be?”

“no, of course you should be,” he said, rolling his eyes slightly. “i was just surprised, considering how whiny you were last night.”

“god forbid a girl misses her boyfriend.” you lean against his fridge.

he snorted and got up out of bed. “i just found it kinda annoying that you couldn’t go one night on your own.”

“oh so you find me annoying?” you narrow ur eyes.

“when you act like this, yes.” he gave you a pointed look, crossing his arms.

annoyance slowly rises within you. “thats just because i love you!”

he let out a sigh and shook his head. “i know you love me a lot, but you get a little… clingy sometimes.”

“fine, ill stop.” you shrug, trying to seem unbothered.

“it’s not that i don’t like that you’re clingy,” he said. “it’s just that you can be a little too clingy, to the point where i can’t do anything else.”

“whatever.” you didn’t feel like continuing this conversation.

he rolled his eyes at your behavior, and walked over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. “don’t be salty now,” he said. “you know i love you, i just wish you would stop acting like a needy puppy.”

you sighed and leaned into his touch, despite being annoyed with him. “i don’t know how i’m supposed to not be clingy when you’re gone half the time.”

“it’s work,” he said, his arms still around you. “i have to be on set to work and make movies, it can’t be helped.”

“we literally have the same work!”

“which means you’re doing the same thing that i am,” he said. “so i don’t know why you’re so bothered that i have to be away for filming when you’re doing the *same thing.”

you frown. “i just miss you.”

he sighed and brought his hand to your cheek. “i know, baby, i miss you too,” he said. “but you have to understand that work always comes first.”

wrong move. “wow thanks.”

he let out an exasperated sigh. “that’s not what i meant, and you know it,” he said, “i’m just trying to do my job, same as you are. i still love you, so don’t be all sulky and pissy.”

“difference is i put u over everything.” you grumble, annoyed.

he rolled his eyes. “you’re being dramatic again,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides. “i never asked you to do that.”

“well, excuse me if i’m in love with you,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest. “i thought it was perfectly normal to want to prioritize my boyfriend.”

he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. “i really don’t want to argue about this again. this whole clinginess thing is really getting old, and i feel like i’ve explained myself countless times already. i’m sorry im not at your beck and call 24/7.”

“whatever im leaving.” you grab ur bag and storm out.

he didn’t even try to stop you as you walked out. this wasn’t the first argument the two of you had over this exact thing, and quite honestly he was just tired of it.

you walked across the hallway to eun hye’s room. when she opened the door, she took one look at your face and knew something had happened.

“i assume things didn’t go well?” eun hye asked, raising her eyebrows. she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear you say it anyways.

“ugh i hate him!” you pace up and down her room.

“what happened this time?” she asked, letting you into her room. she could practically sense your anger from here, and she sat down on her bed.

you flopped onto the bed next to her, and let out a groan. “the same damn thing again , he said im too clingy and i care about him too much while he still prioritizes work over me.”

“jesus christ, not this again,” she said, letting out a sigh. “you guys have been arguing over this for years, and i swear yall still haven’t learned how to resolve this issue.”

“i just wished i was his number one priority. if we ever got married one day then i should come over anything” you pout.

eun hye leaned back against the headboard, and patted your shoulder. “you know that can’t happen, right? gong yoo will always put his career first, and you’re gonna have to accept that by this point.”

“maybe i shouldn’t be with him then” you say thinking off of impulse.

“come on, that’s ridiculous, you know that you love him,” she said, shaking her head at you. “and he loves you, but he’s a man with a job. he’s going to prioritize that. that’s not his fault.”

“well im not gonna marry him and start a family with him if he’s just gonna choose his job over us” you state.

eun hye was trying her best to reason with you, but it never worked. “listen, gong yoo’s a fantastic boyfriend. he’s been with you through all of the highs and lows of your career, and he’s stuck with you for years. what more could you ask from him?”

you buried your face into the pillow and let out a muffled groan. “i just want him to choose me over his job for once. he’s always telling me that i’m being too clingy and needy, and i hate it,” you said, looking back up at her.

“babe.” she said, patting your head. “i hate to break it to you, but that’s never going to happen. gong yoo will always put his career first, and that’s not even a bad thing. it’s just how it is.”

“whatever stop talking about it” you cross ur arms and lean against the bed frame.

eun hye rolled her eyes at your behavior but kept silent. this was always how it went when you fought with gong yoo. she wished the both of you could just drop it and move on already.

[tttabii]

PREGNANT & PROMISES - THANOS/CHOI SU-BONG X READER

warning : none just fluff

────୨ৎ────

BACK IN THE DAYS when everything felt smaller  dreams seemed so far away, there was just you and Su-bong, on the rooftop of his small apartment, staring into the night sky and gabbing about the future.

"I want to travel," you murmured softly but firmly. "See other countries, dance in the rain in Paris, get lost in the streets of Tokyo, eat every food that we can."

"That sounds nice," he chuckled, propping his arm beneath his head as he listened. "What else?"

"Get married."

That had made him stop short and turn to look at you with eyes twinkling with something unfathomable. "With me?"

"Duh." You laughed and nudged him playfully. "Who should I get married to if not you?"

"True," he insisted, slipping his fingers under yours. ""I'd marry you in a heartbeat, you know."

And he had meant it.

Life had been easier then before his big break. He spent all his time in the studio honing beats, writing lyrics, and chasing dreams, while you were along to bring home-cooked meals, sneaking after hours just to sit next to him as he worked. On the days he had off, he was in your apartment, playing video games with his lazy arm over your shoulders, stealing kisses along your neck between matches.

He was always patient. Always. Even when you fought and were obstinate and frazzled and screaming, he would never shout back. He would just watch you, wear you out talking and screaming, and when you finally calmed down, he would apologize if he was in the wrong or pull you to his chest, pressing soft kisses on your forehead.

"I love you, you do know that, right?" He had whispered one night with his fingers running through your hair.

"I know."

And now, years later, everything had changed—except for the way he loved you.

Su-bong had finally made it. His songs were topping the charts, his concerts were sold out, yet he was still coming back home to you. Still calling you in the middle of the night just to hear your voice. Still sending you flowers with little notes that made you smile like a lovesick fool.

But what he didn't know—what you have not been able to tell him yet—was that you were pregnant. You had taken the test only a few days ago after staring in shock at those two pink lines, hands trembling with excitement and nerves. Though early in the pregnancy about a few weeks, thoughts of having a baby with him, of building that future you had talked about years ago, warmed your chest.

Tonight was his concert, and you had a front-row seat, VIP of course. The energy in the arena was electric, and the screams of the fans deafening as he rallied from hit to hit, commanding stage presence while putting forth raw emotion through his voice. Yet, as the music faded into silence, the arena quieted, and the giant screen above him focused right on you.

 

You blinked, caught off guard as gasps and murmurs spread through the audience.

Su-bong, standing under the spotlight, wiped the sweat off his forehead before looking straight at the camera—straight at you.

"I have some news for all my fans—it is a tad bit breathy," he said. "There has been a very special someone in my life—someone who has been with me from the start. And it's high time the world knows about her."

Your heart pounded in your chest.

"This one's for you, baby."

The music set out, seductively slow, and then he began to rap—words that talked of late-night studio sessions, of homemade meals, of whispered dreams on rooftops. He rapped about love, about patience, about a future he wanted to share.

And you knew for sure that he was now rapping about you.

Tears welled into your already glittering eyes as the audience erupted into cheers—the love in the room suffocating. And with him gazing into your eyes from the stage, full of tenderness, you knew it was the perfect moment to tell him—

The crowd was still cheering as Su-bong bent low on the stage with sweat streaming from his body and glistening under the stage lights. He smiled at you as he handed you the mic and was looking into your eyes, even with a crowd of thousands around you.

"And so?" he asked, his cutesy voice filled with teasing. "What do you think of the song? That was just for you, baby."

The audience waited for your response in thunderous applause. The camera showed you on the gargantuan screens overhead. Your heartbeat rang in your ears; you weren't planning to let this out publicly, but, hell, it seemed like a good idea right now.

You brought the mic to your lips, your voice slight but with a throb of excitement.

"I loved it." You smiled, gripping the edge of the stage. "And... I hope our baby will too."

The moment the words left your mouth, the arena erupted with gasps, screams, cheers—it was deafening. But all that registered in your awareness was of Su-bong, whose playful expression now shifted to a frozen gaze, lips parted slightly as if still processing what you had just said.

"W-What?" His voice came out quieter, breathless.

You bit your lip and nodded, "I'm pregnant, Su-bong."

For a brief moment, time suspended. Without a moment's indecision, he surged forward, clasping your hands and pulling you onto the stage, triggering another burst of applause. He squeezed you tightly against him, lifting you slightly off the ground, his face against your neck as a laugh-respiration burst forth.

"Holy shit," he murmured against your skin and afterward pulled away, cradling your face. "Are you serious?" 

You nodded again, tears welling up in your eyes. "Yeah, I am." 

He let out this loud, joyful whoop, spinning you in a circle before turning back to the crowd, raising his mic. "I'm gonna be a dad!"

The entire arena went wild, fans screamed, some were crying, lights started flashing, and confetti cascaded down like it was all planned as one big finale.

Turning back to you, Su-bong pressed his forehead against yours, hands still cradling your cheeks. "I love you," he whispered, pure passion shaking his voice. "And our baby...I'll give them the world, I swear."

And somehow, in that blinding light, loud cheers, showering confetti like stars, you knew this was the future you would always dream about. 

[delulu4anime]

Maniac

Ch 13 ➧“I Do” Pt. 1

Parings ➧ᴇɴᴇᴍʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀ!ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ ɢᴏᴊᴏ x ᴄʜᴜʙʙʏ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Summary ➧ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇꜱ ɪᴛ ᴜɴᴀᴠᴏɪᴅᴀʙʟᴇ. ʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴɪᴀᴄ ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋꜱ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴀʟʟ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.

Trigger Warnings ➧ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ ʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ.

Word Count ➧3.5ᴋ+

Taglist ➧ @lady-of-blossoms @dekusdante @fortunatelyfurrygiver @birbwithhat @whippedbyikemen @sleepykittyenergy @i-love-ateez @choppersworlds-blog @emochosoluvr @linaaeatsfamilies @sexys-archives @stxrlingpearl @swoozleee (ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟᴍᴋ❣︎)

The next seven months were filled with cake tastings, wedding dress shopping, and reading RSVP's left and right. There were days where you took Emi out for a spa day because she was stressed out of her mind. Between the cafe and the wedding planning you were incredibly busy but you were still able to spend time with Satoru. He managed to plan picnic dates by the water with strawberry champagne and tiny sandwiches that looked even smaller when he held it. He managed to show up on his days off to the cafe with flowers after you texted him it was a rough day.

He even managed to make the task of putting together the two hundred cookies you and Emi spent hours baking into bags for wedding favors fun. By the end of the night your stomach was hurting by watching Satoru's poor attempt at trying to sing along to the songs you played in the background while you worked. Before you all knew it November twenty-sixth was here and you, Kento, and Satoru had gone the day before to set up the wedding venue up with the help of Emi's parents. Emi and Kento were saving a fortune by having the wedding in Emi's parents backyard. Well backyard loosely because they lived on five acres of land and they had a beautiful rustic barn that Emi had dreamed of getting married in since she was little.

You smiled at the way everything was coming together and you couldn't wait for the big day. Everything had been going according to plan until now. You watch Emi pace back and forth in her childhood bedroom as she chews on her manicured nails. The train of her wedding dress dragging behind her every time she walked a few steps then turned to head in the opposite direction. She had been waiting her whole life to meet Kento and to marry him so you couldn't blame her for feeling nervous.

"Emi it's totally normal to feel this way."

"We've been together for five years. I'm just nervous he's having second thoughts. What if he's down there thinking he's about to sign his life away? What if he's getting cold feet? What if someone objects on his behalf and they run away together? What if he has a secret life and-"

"Emi!" You say as you grab her by the shoulders to try and ground her. "Kento told me after a few dates with you that he knew he had met his wife. He's been waiting for this day longer than you realize. Now lets get you down to see your husband to be okay?"

You watch her exhale and it seemed all the anxiety of the wedding exited her body. She smiled at you and then brought you in for a tight hug.

"Thank you for everything. You're part of the reason we are here today. I'm just glad I won when we flipped a coin to see who's side you'd be on." She beams as she walks over to grab her veil.

"Wait you guys flipped a coin for me?" You chuckle as you help her center the veil.

"Well of course. We went back and forth for too long about how you were his friend first and I said you're my best friend now so that got us no where. We settled on flipping a coin."

After you fixed her dressed you walked around and stood in front of her; you grabbed onto her hands and smiled.

"You look perfect," You softly say and she smiles. "Are you ready?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled before she nodded her head. You made your way out of her room and into the living room where her parents were. You felt yourself wanting to cry at the way they cheered after seeing their daughter for the first time in her wedding dress. The white trumpet cut it her form perfectly and you adored the lacy that adorned the dress. The neckline was high but the back dipped down quite low with buttons that ran all the way down her backside down the rest of her dress.

You knew Kento would cry when he saw her because while you were setting everything up for the wedding yesterday you noticed Kento whip a few tears from his face. The next step was to get Emi down to the barn and for everyone to take their places so that she could walk down the aisle. After a short walk down to the barn you walked in first and started to throw white rose petals as you made it closer to where the minister, Kento, and Satoru were already standing. You smiled sheepishly when Satoru looked at you and winked as you stood where you were instructed to stand. You watched as the barn doors opened letting in a cool breeze as Emi looked up through her vail and smiled down at Kento waiting for her.

You looked over to see tears rolling down his cheeks with the biggest smile you had ever seen on his face. You found yourself getting just as emotional watching your childhood friend meet your other friend you had grown so close with over the years fall in love. Now you had the honor to watch them become husband and wife. Everyone cheered as the couple said I do and kissed; they walked down the isle, hands clasped tightly together, as Mr. and Mrs. Nanami. The reception followed soon after and a live band play music as everyone danced, ate, and talked to another.

The glow from the lights that hung from the pavilion illuminated everything perfectly that even when dusk took to the sky no one took notice. You found yourself in the midst of an intense dance off between you, Emi, and Kento. The winner would get to command the losers to do anything. You decided that you wouldn't allow Emi or Kento one drop of alcohol while bringing over Emi's favorite cousin on Kento's side over for a chat. You could tell the fire in her eyes as she hiked up her wedding dress and threw down on the dance floor.

Despite yours and Emi's best efforts Kento come out of no where to steal the show which meant you and Emi had to follow through with his request. You both narrowed your eyes at him when he told you he'd have to think and get back to you both. You knew it was going to be something ridiculous. You searched for Satoru who passed on the dance battle to raid the table that had an abundance of different desserts. You were pretty sure it was a lame excuse to hide the fact he knew he would've lost but you still smiled as he bit into a cupcake as he nodded his head to whatever Kento's dad was talking about.

The pace of the music changed from fast to something slow and sweet. You started to make you way off the dance floor as you looked over your shoulder at Kento pulling Emi in and swaying to the melody. You were planning on grabbing a class of wine when you ran into someone. You were going to apologize when you realized it was just Satoru who was smiling down at you; the plate he had in his hand was long gone but some crumbs around his mouth were still present. You laughed and wiped it away.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked as he grabbed your hand and led you back out to where you just were.

"Not as much as you did clearly." You tease as he places his hands on your waist and you wrapped your arms around his neck.

"I did enjoy myself," He leaned down and placed a kiss on your cheek. "Especially watching your hips move to the music. Almost took you back up to the house and bent you over the closest surface I could find." He whispered in your ear as he moved a hand to your lower back as you continued to sway to the music.

There was no way Satoru couldn't tell how flustered you got thinking about him pulling your dress up just enough to slide his way into you. He chuckled watching you get lost in the thought as he kissed the top of your head. You laid your head against his chest and listened to the soothing beat of his heart. As the song was coming to an end you were about to ask Satoru something when someone else bumped into you. You expected the see one of the notoriously drunken cousins but your lips pulled down in a frown when you saw a familiar pair of brown eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry. Clumsy me." Hina said.

She wore a lilac dress that hugged her figure so tightly that you wondered how she was even going to take it off. You looked to see her date and you tried to rack your brain for where you could've seen him before. He was tall with long black hair that was tied in a bun with stray hairs falling to the sides of his face. His black suit looked like it was designer with silk details throughout the fabric; his black dress shirt was also made of silk and the top four buttons were left undone. If she had someone's attention that looked like this why on earth would she still trying so hard to get back with someone who didn't want her.

"Geto." Satoru said flatly.

"Gojo." Responded in the same tone and that's when it hit you.

This was Satoru's childhood friend that he had cut ties with because of the same women who was clinging into him right now. The two stared at one another before Hina reached up to bring her hand against Geto's cheek.

"C'mon Suguru. Play nice." Hina said and he scoffed at her before turning away. She huffed out something under her breath and she followed him.

You rolled your eyes at their theatrics as the song came to an end and another, more upbeat, song played.

"Are you okay?" You asked noticing how stiff Satoru was.

More guest joined in on the dance floor now that the band played a popular song everyone liked to dance to.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," He replied as you both made your way to the table you had been seated at earlier in the night. "We just haven't seen each other let alone talked since high school." He muttered out.

"That's your old friend right? I thought he looked familiar."

You look out into the crowd of people wondering how Hina could not only bring his old friend to the wedding but flaunt him about. You couldn't help but admire the way he seemed to reject being used as a prop in whatever scheme she was planning. Satoru suddenly place both hands on either sides of your face pulling you out of you thoughts and planted a kiss on your lips. He leaned his forehead against yours and rubbed small circles on your cheeks. You looked into his blue eyes and wanted to melt under his gaze.

"Do you want a drink?" You softly ask and he nodded his head.

"Something with alcohol in it." He said which had you raising your eyebrow. "I need to loosen up."

"I'll be right back." You say as you kiss the tip of his nose.

"Bring me back a cupcake! They told me I couldn't have anymore." Satoru pouted.

"I'll have to think about it." You teased as you started to make your way over the the bartender.

"Please peach!" Satoru called out but you pretended like you couldn't hear him.

You laughed at the thought of someone having to look at a grown man and telling him he couldn't have anymore sweets because he had eaten far too many. It's something you'd imagine the staff telling someone who had one too many drinks. While you waited in line you looked out to see Emi and Kento trying to dance to a song Emi had tried to teach him the dance moves to with no avail.

"They're so cute aren't they."

"Yes they are." You say, your smile fading, as you turn to look at Hina.

Her face looked a little puffy and you wonder if she had been crying despite her make up still looking intake. You realized Geto wasn't with her and you looked around into the crowd of people knowing you could find him and Satoru easily with their height. However, he was no where in sight. You didn't know what came over you but you looked back at Hina and smiled.

"Where's your date at? Figured he'd be up your ass like most people are." You say and you watch the corner of her mouth twitch.

"He had something come up so he had to leave." She said and you hummed.

"That's too bad." You flatly say as you finally get up to the bar and ask for two glasses of white wine.

You walk away without saying another word to her over to the dessert area trying to find something Satoru didn't dig his greedy hands into yet. You felt a strange sense of satisfaction knowing that Hina was here alone at the wedding; maybe now she would understand how you felt for so many years.

"I was about to leave but I just wanted to come over and apologize for my outburst a few months ago." Hina's voice rang out to you again and you turned to face her wondering if you heard her correctly.

"What?" You say astonished to hear her apologize. You didn't think that word was even in her vocabulary.

"What I did was wrong and I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I was just shocked to find out Satoru was seeing another women while he was still trying to get back together with me. You can imagine why I was upset can't you?" She pouted and you just stared blankly at her.

Her eyes widened and she brought her hand up to her mouth. Your grip on the wine glasses tightened as dread planted itself in the pit of your stomach.

"You didn't know did you?" She gasped and you narrowed your eyes. "I don't mean to be a bitch and ruin whatever you have going on but I thought you should know that he was practically begging for me to go to the wedding with him."

"You're lying." Is all you could mange to say and she laughed.

"Of course you would think that," She said as she got her phone out of the small purse she was carrying. "You've been so desperate for his attention for years that you won't believe it unless I have proof. I wouldn't be shocked if you still stayed because he's the best someone like you is ever going to get." She said as she pulled up the conversation between the two of them.

You read through and noticed the time stamps dating back to even before you and Satoru had decided to declare a truce. You thought back to Hina's comment several months ago when Emi asked who'd she be going to the wedding with. There's a fling of mine that's been asking me every chance he gets if he can go as my plus one but I'm not sure yet. You brain replayed the words over and over again as you continued to read until you got to the night that you threw Emi and Kento's surprise party. Dread spread everywhere in your body remembering Satoru saying he'd have to move things around Saturday night as you read the text.

Nuisance Ex

C'mon babe please. Just one more night of fun.

As much as you wanted to deny this there was no way you could when the proof was looking you right in the face. It wasn't the fact that they had been hooking up for who knows how long before you and Satoru were anything other than enemies. It was the fact that he looked you right in the eye and made it seem like that you were the only one he wanted to take to the wedding. That you were special to him. Hell, he even moved his Saturday plans around to make sure that he would be apart of the surprise party.

Doubt took the reins as it made you wonder if he and Hina slept the day of the surprise party; you wondered if he asked Hina to go with him one last time and if she rejected him. I have to keep my options open you remember Hina saying which only meant that the only reason he asked you was to make her jealous. You clenched your jaw at the memory of Satoru insisting he had someone special in mind to take to the wedding. You remember how special you felt when that person turned out to be you. You felt like it was high school all over again and you didn't think you could take the heartache. Those moments he was looking down at his phone like when he waited for you after work or at the restaurant as a text would come through; was he texting her the whole time?

"I tried to warn you," She said as her sweet facade dropped. "He has no regard for anyone's feelings. He doesn't even care about mine which is why he comes crawling back every time he gets bored with whatever fling he has going on. It doesn't matter what I have going on he uses the right words and touches me in just the right spots to make me throw caution to the wind."

She snapped right back to her usual self and laughed as she locked her phone as she put in back in her purse. To anyone watching the two of you they would assume you were friends catching up and not the fact she dropped this bombshell on you.

"But like I said earlier maybe it's pointless to show you. I'm sure you're just grateful he's finally paying attention to you after all this time."

Something in your snapped and you threw the glasses of wine against her which caused her to scream out. Several people nearby heard the commotion and turned to see you setting the glasses on the table next to you.

"You deserve all the chaos life brings you." You say as you turned to walk away from a shrieking Hina.

"Fuck you!" She screamed out as she looked for something to dry herself off with.

"Right back at you bitch." You say over your shoulder.

You made your way through the maze of people trying to find Emi or Kento because you needed to leave immediately. You found Emi talking to a few of her relatives with Kento standing close by. You looked behind you to see Satoru white hair making his way over to where you had just been after hearing Hina's screaming. He must be use to hearing that sound. Why else would he be heading over to her. The nagging voice was back and you knew those nagging thoughts were going to hit you like a tsunami once you were alone.

You turned back and you smiled hoping this would be the one time they wouldn't be able to read you like a book to see something was wrong. You placed your hand on Kento's arm and he looked down at you which caused Emi's attention to pull away from the conversation.

"Hey! Kento and I talked and he agreed to give us a second chance to beat him at the dance off. He wants us to drink black coffee with no cream or sugar for a year if we don't redo this. I'd rather explode." She teases.

"I'd love to but I actually have to leave for a little bit. Something's come up." You say and Emi's eyebrows knit together.

"Is everything okay?" Kento asked, worry laced in his words.

"Oh yeah it's nothing serious. A friend of mine came into town but got stranded on the side of the road. Their relatives are still an hour out. I'm closer so I'm coming to the rescue." You say with a smile and you held your breath as the couple stared at you.

"Stay safe please." Emi smiles and leans over to give you a hug.

"Call me if you need any help." Kento said and you nodded your head.

You walked away but turned to see Satoru looking around frantically for you. He asked someone nearby a question and they shook there head. You turned back and made your way up to Emi's house where you had kept your things. You took your heels off once you got into the house and made your way to Emi's old bedroom; you quickly grabbed your bag and throwing it over your shoulder knowing it was only a matter of time before he found out you were gone. This would be the last time he'd make a joke out of you.

©ᴅᴇʟᴜʟᴜ4ᴀɴɪᴍᴇ 2025 ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀɴɪᴀᴄ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜꜱʜʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴊᴇʟʟʏꜰɪꜱʜ ᴇxʜɪʙɪᴛ

[somewhere-elena]

ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏɴsᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪs ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ

sᴜᴋᴜɴᴀ x ғ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

(ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴀsᴛ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴇᴅ)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

★∻∹⋰⋰ ☆∻∹⋰⋰ ★∻∹⋰⋰ ☆∻∹⋰⋰★∻∹⋰⋰ ☆∻∹

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏᴜʀ

∘₊✧──────────────────✧₊∘

"So you're telling me, that a beast took Y/n captive?" Naoya asked.

"Yes! Thats exactly what I'm saying!" Gojo said.

Naoya just laughed, the whole bar joining in on him.

"You're crazy!" Someone shouted.

"I'm not! I'm telling the truth! Y/n is in danger and we need to save her!" Gojo snapped.

They just shoved him out of the bar, laughing at his 'crazy' statement.

But Naoya thought on it. Everyone knows how much Y/n cares about Gojo, and would do anything to prevent him from getting locked up. If Naoya could somehow get you to come to the village for Gojo, then he could get you to marry him by threatening to lock Gojo up in the asylum forever. Perfect plan. All he needed was to talk to the asylum warren.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

"If they won't help me bring Y/n home, I'll do it myself." Gojo grumbled, pacing around his home, packing some stuff into his satchel, preparing to go off and find you.

"Is that everything?" He asked himself, nodding in approval, grabbing a lantern and heading out.

"I'll find that castle, no matter what it takes." He said firmly.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Sukuna sat in a chair by the fireplace, a fire providing light as you poured hot water into a bowl, soaking a cloth in it before wringing it out

"Here now..." You said, reaching over for his arm that had gashes on it.

Sukuna growled a bit.

"Just hold still-" you said, putting the cloth to his wound.

Sukuna let out a slight yell of discomfort, making the servants back up in slight fear.

"That hurts!" He yelled.

"If you'd hold still it wouldn't hurt as much!" You yelled back.

"Well if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened." He said.

"If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!" You said defensively.

Sukuna went to say something but paused.

You folded your arms.

"Well you shouldn't have been in the west Wing!" He replied.

"Well you should learn to control your temper!" You snapped.

Sukuna got quiet, huffing like a child as he leaned back into the chair.

The servants stepped forward again.

"Now hold still... This might sting a little." You said, pressing the cloth back onto his wound.

Sukuna hissed in pain, gritting his teeth tightly.

"By the way... Thank you. For saving my life." You said softly.

Sukuna looked a bit surprised, but his expression visibly softened as did his tone of voice.

"You're welcome."

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Sukuna stood on one of the many balconies of the castle, watching you as you walked Jugai around the snowy garden. Megumi and Yuji were beside him.

The white divine dog barked, jumping around, wagging his tail as he wanted to play.

You laughed, kneeling down and giving him pets.

Sukuna watched, his expression soft as he looked down at his bandaged arm.

"I've never felt this way about anyone..." He mumbled.

"I wanna do something for her." He declared.

"...But what?" He asked Megumi.

"Well, there's the usual things... Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep-" Megumi said.

"Ah- no, no, it has to be something very special." Yuji said.

"Something that sparks her interest..." Yuji mumbled, thinking.

"Wait a minute!" He said.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Sukuna led over to two closed doors.

"Y/n...there's something I wanna show you." He said, beginning to open the doors but paused.

"But first, you have to close your eyes." He said.

You raised an eyebrow.

"It's a surprise." He continued.

You hummed before closing your eyes.

Sukuna waved his hand in front of your face, making sure your eyes were really closed. When they were he opened the doors with more excitement than he'd like, a smile on his face.

He turned, gently taking your hands into his and leading you inside the dark room.

"Can I open them?" You asked.

"No, no, not yet." He replied.

He paused, causing you to stop as well.

"Wait here." Sukuna said.

He walked over, opening a curtain, the bright light from outside illuminating the room.

You turn your head as the second curtain opened, even though your eyes were still closed, there was still a difference to you.

"Can I open them now?" You asked.

"Alright... Now." He said.

You opened your eyes and gasp to see a grand library, books all over, a smile crept onto your face.

"I can't believe it... I've never seen so many books in all my life." You said, looking around in awe.

"You.. You like it?" Sukuna asked sheepishly.

"It's wonderful!" You exclaim.

"Then... It's yours." He said.

"Thank you so much!" You said excitedly, gently taking his larger hands into yours.

The servants watched from the doorway.

"Would you look at that?" Geto asked.

"Haha! I knew it would work!" Yuji said, nudging Megumi with his elbow.

"What? What works?" Nanako asked.

Megumi chuckled. "It's very encouraging."

"Isnt this exciting??" Yuko said.

"I didn't see anything." Nanako said.

"Come now, Nanako, there's chores that need to be done in the kitchen." Geto said as they all began walking off towards the kitchen.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

You sat across Sukuna at a smaller table that was next to windows that overlooked the garden.

You two were about to eat some porridge.

You picked a spoon up, about to eat when you heard slurping. You looked up and saw Sukuna holding his bowl up, tipping it to eat the porridge.

He paused his eating, looking back at you, the porridge all around his mouth.

You turn your head, holding back a snicker.

Geto winced slightly, feeling embarrassed, but Nanako pushed the spoon towards Sukuna, wanting him to at least try.

Reluctantly, Sukuna grabbed the spoon, holding it in a weird way as he attempted to eat with it.

Smiling softly, you set your spoon aside, picking your bowl up.

Sukuna looked surprised but did the same.

You both held your bowls up in a way of saying 'cheers' before sipping the porridge.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

By now, you two were out in the garden.

You were tossing bird seeds to the birds, Sukuna standing beside you, watching curiously. He then held his hands out.

You smile, giving him a handful of the seeds.

He crouched down, offering the seeds to birds a bit forcefully, causing the birds to jump away slightly.

'There's something sweet, and almost kind... But he was mean and he was course and unrefined...' You thought to yourself.

'And now he's dear and so unsure, I wonder why I didnt see it there before.' You thought again.

Sukuna kept trying to hand the seeds to the birds, you just stifled a laugh, approaching him, placing more seeds into his hands, quietly telling him to stay still.

And he did. And now he was covered in birds, some eating from his hands, the others on his broad shoulders.

'She glanced this way, I thought I saw... And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw.' Sukuna thought to himself, watching as you, followed a smaller bird over to a nearby tree.

'No it can't be. I'll just ignore. But then she's never looked at me that way before.' His thoughts continued.

'New and a bit... Alarming- who would've ever thought that this would be..' Your thoughts continued as you hid behind the tree, placing a hand to your heart, a look of uncertainty on your face before peeking out from the tree.

Sukuna was covered in more birds this time, a nervous look on his face as he stayed still.

You smile at the sight as your thoughts continued. 'True, that he's no prince charming... But there's something in him that I simply didn't see.'

The birds flocked off of him just in time for you to throw a snowball at him.

He wiped the snow off his face, seeing you laugh.

He smiled competitively, gathering up a large ball of snow, and as he was about to toss it at you, you threw another snowball at him, causing him to drop his own snowball on himself, warning another laugh from you.

The servants watched from the window.

"Well who'd have thought?" Yuji said.

"Well bless my soul." Geto said.

"Well who'd have known?" Megumi replied.

"Well who indeed?" Geto continued.

"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own." Yuji said.

"It's so peculiar." Geto said.

"We'll wait and see." They all said in unison.

"A few days more." They continued.

You and Sukuna sat by the fireplace, you opening a book as the servants watched from the doorway.

"You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before." Megumi said.

"What?" Nanako asked.

"There maybe something there that wasn't there before." Geto said.

"What's there, dad?" Nanako asked.

"Shhh. I'll tell you when you're older." Geto said.

Nanako grumbled in annoyance. He acted like she wasnt 16.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The servants were all hard at work, cleaning everything up.

Meanwhile, you were sitting at a table beside Sukuna, reading.

Sukuna had his head resting in his arms that were folded on the table, a smitten look on his face.

"For there wasn't a story of more woe, than the story of Juliet and her Romeo." You said, finishing the book and closing it.

"Can you read it again?" Sukuna asked.

You laugh softly. "How about you read it to me?" You suggest, handing him the book.

Sukuna looked in surprised as he gently took the book nervously.

"Uhh- okay." He said, clearing his throat.

"He looked at the page nervously.

"Uhhh- I can't." He admitted sheepishly.

"You mean you never learned?" You asked.

"I learned! ...a little bit-" he said. "It's just been.. So long." He grumbled.

"Well, here, I'll help you." You said.

"Let's start with... This." You said, pointing at a page.

"Okay." He said, leaning over to read it.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Sukuna sat in a tub, soapy water all over his body as he was being scrubbed down.

"Tonight is the night, Uncle!" Yuji said.

"I'm not sure I can do this.." Sukuna admitted.

"You don't have time to be timid." Yuji said.

"You must be bold, daring!" He continued.

"Bold... Daring." Sukuna repeated his words, standing up and shaking the water off of him.

"There will be music... Candlelight, provided by myself." Yuji said.

Sukuna got out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist as he walked over to a mirror.

"And when the moment is right... You confess your love!" Yuji encouraged.

"Yes.. I can... I-" Sukuna stumbled over his words.

"No, I can't." He huffed.

"You care for the girl, dont you?" Yuji asked.

"More than anything." Sukuna said as his hair was being fiddled with by a servant.

"Well then, you must tell her!" Yuji exclaimed.

"Viola! Oh, you look so... So.." Yuji trailed off.

"Stupid." Sukuna said bluntly.

"Not the exact word I was looking for..." Yuji mumbled.

"Perhaps a little more, off the top." He said, clapping his hands and with that, the servant went right back to doing his hair.

Megumi walked in, clearing his throat.

"Ahem... Your lady... Awaits." He said.

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Eighty One

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi besties <3

I am so so sorry that it has been so long since I updated this. SGW is very special to me, and always has been, but I convinced myself that no one really cared about this fic other than me and a couple of others!!

But, I recently thought that even if this fic only matters to me and a couple of other people, those people deserve to see what I've got planned for these two.

So, I opened up a document and writing this felt like coming home, like visiting old friends. So I promise it won't be as long before the next one.

As always, let me know what you think. Comments really do make the world go round <3

-x-

Words: 2.5k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

“Emily, can I read Lily her bedtime story?”

Emily smiles as she settles Lily into her crib, the 19-month-old still wide awake and fighting sleep even though she is exhausted, and she turns to look at Jack. 

“Why don’t you pick out a book?” 

He nods enthusiastically and runs over to the bookshelf in the corner, his tongue sticking out between his lips as he concentrates on choosing what to read his sister, “I think I’ll read her Goodnight Moon,” he says, pulling it from the shelf, “I always loved it when you, Mom or Dad read it to me.”

“Lily loves it whenever you read to her,” she says, pushing her daughter’s unruly curls from her face, “The baby will too.” 

He furrows his brow, but is cut off from replying when the doorbell rings, “Mommy is early.” 

Emily hums and looks at her watch, “She’s on time, I think it’s us running late,” she says, her heart aching at the disappointed look on his face, “I’ll go down and let your mom in, and you can still read to Lily.” 

His eyes widen in delight, “Really?” 

She nods, “Really,” she leans down to kiss Lily’s cheek, smiling when she sees she’s halfway to being asleep already, “Love you, Lils,” she looks at Jack, “Just come downstairs when you’re done, okay?” 

He nods enthusiastically and settles in the chair next to the crib, “Okay.” 

She has to catch her breath when she gets to the bottom of the stairs and she huffs out a breath as she looks down at her bump, “You are already pressing on my lungs, sweet girl,” she says as she carries on towards the front door, “I can tell you’re going to be a troublemaker already.” She smiles as she pulls the door open and stands back to let Haley in, “Sorry, we’re a little late with bedtime tonight.”

“That’s okay,” Haley says as she steps into the house, “I thought that was what you might be doing, it’s why I only rang the bell once.” 

“Jack’s reading her a story,” she says, closing the door, “But I think she’ll fall asleep in by the end of the first page. Do you want a drink?” 

Haley shakes her head, “I’m okay thank you,” she says, following her towards the kitchen, “Is Aaron at work?” 

Emily nods, her smile tight at the mention of her husband, and she pulls a can of ginger ale out of the fridge, “He’s not on a case, but drowning in paperwork.” 

As she says it, her eyes drift to the papers spread out across the kitchen counter, her half-written birth plan out in the open for Haley to see. Emily was 24 weeks along now, more than halfway through, and she wanted to get everything written down and decided so it was one more thing off her list of things to do before the baby came. It was strange to think that these were things she worried about these days, and she felt as far away from the woman she’d been before she became a mother as possible.

Haley chuckles, “He always used to be so grumpy on paperwork days.” 

Emily laughs wryly, “He still is.” 

Haley stares at her for a second, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, “Is everything okay?” She asks, smiling softly when Emily furrows her brows, “I might not be married to a profiler anymore, but I was for a long time. I picked up a few things.”

A laugh catches in Emily’s throat, “It’s okay, I wouldn’t want to bother you.” 

“It’s really okay,” Haley assures her, “I know how stubborn he can be, I was married to him a lot longer than you’ve been,” she says, scrunching her nose up as she smiles apologetically, “Sorry, that sounded a lot better in my head. I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay,” Emily assures her, “I know what you mean,” she sighs, “I guess I could do with talking about it with another mom, and JJ…” she trails off, sadness swelling in her chest like it did whenever she thought of her best friend and the loss she’d had. She’d meant it when she told her she didn’t mind if she pulled back from her while she was pregnant, but it didn’t make the reality any less painful, “Well, I don’t have many friends who are moms. And my mom isn’t exactly someone I can go to either.” 

She realises as she says it that it’s the first time she’s ever really referred to Haley as a friend to her face, but she likes to think that it’s true. They’d fallen in love with the same man, albeit different versions of him, and their children were siblings, despite the bumps in the road that they’d had - and ones she was sure were to come - more often than not, they got along. Haley was a friend. Someone who’d always be in her life because of the way they were connected, like broken pieces of glass slotting together to make something beautiful and new. 

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it, Emily,” Haley says, nodding towards the paperwork on the kitchen counter, “Is it to do with the birth plan?” 

Emily huffs out a breath and nods, pulling out a bar stool to sit on, grunting as she finds her centre of gravity on it, and purposely ignoring the voice in the back of her head that said her days being able to sit here were numbered. 

“Aaron and I…we keep coming to a stalemate over it.” 

Haley hums as she pulls up a stool to sit down too, “I didn’t realise Aaron had the ability to give birth,” she quips, smiling when Emily chuckles dryly, “Surely you’re the one with the final word on it.” 

“Absolutely,” she says, smiling when she feels the baby, her little girl, shift in her belly, “And Aaron gets that, he really does. But I can see it in his eyes every time I talk about trying to push the baby out,” she sighs, “I know he’d rather I had a planned c-section. His eyes practically sparkled when my doctor mentioned it as an option.” 

“You had a tough time of it with Lily,” Haley says, and Emily nods, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aaron as shaken as he was when I brought Jack to meet her.” 

Emily sighs, “I know. I just…I want to try. With Lily, everything went wrong so fast and I went from being told my baby was in danger, to being handed my baby by Aaron. I lost everything in between,” she says, her hand pressed against her bump, the circles she’s rubbing on it more for her benefit than the baby lying beneath her palm. “I know Aaron is scared, and I understand his point of view but…” 

“It’s your body,” Haley says, finishing her sentence for her, and she nods in agreement. 

“Exactly,” she replies, “And it’s not like I’m suggesting I have the baby here or in the woods or whatever,” she huffs out, unable to stop herself from smiling when Haley chuckles, “I’m happy in the hospital where everyone is on hand if needed.” 

“It’s not exactly something you can meet halfway on either, is it?” Haley says, and Emily shakes her head, her gaze fixed on her bump as if simply staring at it would give her the answer she was looking for, “I’d want to try too,” she adds, and Emily looks up, her eyes wide as they meet hers, “If I’d ever had a second, and if my first birth ended how yours did, I’d want to try. And whilst Aaron’s feelings about it are valid, it's you that labour happens to. It’s you that has a baby coming out of you one way or another,” she smiles when a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh escapes Emily, her control on her emotions long gone, “So all you can do is talk to him about it and make that clear.” 

Emily nods, “You’re right.” 

“I so often am,” Haley says, winking before they both turn at the sound of Jack trying to be quiet as he comes down the stairs, his attempts somehow making him louder than usual. He walks into the kitchen, his smile wide, “Is Lily asleep?” 

He nods, “I read Goodnight Moon to her. She fell asleep” 

Haley stands and walks over to him, “You’re a good big brother,” she says, something wistful in her eyes and the way she runs her fingers through his hair, “Say goodbye to Emily and we’ll leave her in peace.” 

Emily’s barely on her feet before Jack hugs her, his arms tight around her middle, “Love you, Emily.” 

She smiles and cups his cheek when he pulls back to look at her, “Love you too, Jack.” 

He beams and kisses her bump, “Love you, baby.”

Emily chuckles, and she can feel Haley’s gaze burning into her. When she looks up, she isn’t sure what she’s expecting to see in her eyes, but it’s a relief to see nothing but happiness and love. Emily looks back down at Jack and leans down to kiss his forehead. 

“Baby loves you too.” 

Jack scrunches his nose up, “You always say that. How do you know?” 

“Because the baby lives inside of me,” she replies, wrapping her arm around his shoulders as they head for the front door, “So I just know. Besides, you’re the best big brother ever, so of course they love you,” she hugs him one more time and steps away, watching as he pulls on his coat, “Be good for your mom, okay?” 

“I’m always good.” 

Emily and Haley both laugh, and when they look at each other Emily smiles, “Thank you.” 

Haley shrugs, as if her kindness had meant nothing, “Any time.” 

___

He knows he’ll find her asleep on the couch before he even walks into the house. No matter how many times he told her that she didn’t have to wait up for him when he worked late, she’d always try. He smiles when, as expected, he finds her curled up on the couch, a cushion under her belly and one under her head. He crouches down and runs his knuckles up and down her cheek, smiling as her smile chases his touch, her dimples seemingly catching against the ridges of his skin. 

“I fell asleep,” she grumbles, looking up at him, her voice rough with sleep, “I didn’t mean to.” 

“You’re pregnant, sweetheart. You need as much rest as you can get,” he says, stamping his lips against hers before he stands, helping her sit up so he can join her. She immediately leans against him, both of her arms wrapping around his as she turns her head to kiss his shoulder, “Jack got off okay?” 

She hums and nods, “Not before he read Lily Goodnight Moon,” she says, smiling as she pulls back, her eyes still sleepy as she drags his hand to her bump to feel the baby shifting beneath her palm, “He’ll be reading stories to baby sister soon enough.” 

He smiles at the thought of it. No one else knew that the baby was a girl. It was a secret, genuinely something for just the two of them, “I had an idea for a name,” he says, smiling when she looks at him expectantly, “Willow,” he says, immediately deflated when she scrunches up her nose, “You don’t like it.” 

“Oh, honey, no, it’s a beautiful name,” she says, reaching for his hand and lifting it to kiss his knuckles, “I’m just not sure it goes with Lily. I think we’d end up accidentally calling them Lillow and Wil-”

“Okay, I see your point,” he says, smiling as he cuts her off, “Back to the drawing board.”

“We still have a while to go,” she assures him, “We’ll come up with the perfect name,” she hesitates for a moment, “Plus, she has to get out of me first,” she looks down at their joint hands, “However she might do that.” 

He sighs, familiar anxiety spreading in his chest, the memory of being left alone in the room where he should have met his daughter flooding back to him and filling his lungs, “Em-”

“I spoke to Haley about it.” 

He raises his eyebrow at her, his confusion dampening out everything else, “You spoke to my ex-wife about our baby being born?” 

She shrugs one of her shoulders, her smile shy, “I needed to talk to someone who’s been married to your stubborn ass,” she says, her smile getting wider when he smiles too, shaking his head at her lovingly, “She said something that made me think.” 

“What did she say?” 

“She said it’s not something we can meet halfway on, but I think I’ve come up with a solution. I’ll get an epidural the moment we get to the hospital,” she says, squeezing his hand, “And…I’ll try to do it the way I want to. But if I can’t, for whatever reason,” she swallows thickly, trying to push away the shakiness to her voice, “I can have another c-section and be awake this time,” her chin trembles, and she only realises she’s crying when he gently shushes her, his thumb wiping away a tear as it lands on her cheek, “And I’ll remember our daughter being born.” 

It’s something, and even though it doesn’t ease all the anxiety in his chest he knows she’s right, that it’s as close to satisfying them both as it can be. He knew she had the final say, that it was her body that would be put through the wringer either way, pushed almost to its limits,  so he nods and leans in to kiss her. 

“That sounds perfect.” 

“Good,” she says, kissing him quickly, “Because I already filled out the birth plan, and it would be annoying to have to do it again.” 

“And you call me stubborn,” he laughs and kisses her temple, “Both Lily and this one are going to be just like you,” he says, “God help us when they are teenagers.” 

She scoffs and slaps at his chest lightly, “You’d love it if we had a dozen girls, you know that.” 

He smiles and lets himself imagine it before he tucks some of her hair behind her ear, “Let’s wait until this little one is here before we start planning on our own all girls soccer team.” 

She laughs and shakes her head, “You’ll be lucky if I let you get me pregnant again one more time after this one, let alone any more than that.” 

He hums and tugs her closer, lets her snuggle against his side, and buries his nose in her hairline, “I’m already lucky.” 

[myfandomacademia]

I want to write a Wangxian & Zixuan/Yanli fic from the below prompt idea I had. I like to make Zixuan suffer/squirm in my fics ideas lol.

The premise would probably be in modern day rather than canon time. But it’s essentially a married Zixuan thinks his wife is cheating on him with Lan Wangji (Wei Wuxian’s secret boyfriend because he’s not ready to come out to his entire family yet).

It starts when Zixuan comes back to work unexpectedly and see’s Lan Wangji leaving his home and is wondering who this Adonis man is, a person he has never seen before. When Zixuan asks, Yanli brushes the encounter off which Zixuan finds odd.

Zixuan decides to let the matter rest but his odious cousin approaches him bragging that he caught his plain Jane wife cheating on him, showing him pictures of Yanli eating out with Lan Wangji. Zixuan reluctantly hires a private investigator who brings him pictures of all of Lan Wangji’s encounters with Yanli.

Zixuan is devastated about this potential affair especially because they just had their baby son Jin Ling. He decides to get a second opinion with Jiang Cheng who believes Zixuan is blowing things out of proportion and that his sister is madly in love with him, much to his disgust she would never cheat. Jiang Cheng asks if any of the photos caught any intimate moments, like kissing or long embraces. Only one photo has them intimately hugging, when the investigator followed Lan Wangji once after work. Zixuan manages to convince him slightly with that picture and a picture of them cooking pork and lotus rib soup, a secret Jiang family recipe only shared with people closest to them. Jiang Cheng agrees to stalk Lan Wangji with Zixuan to prove his sister’s innocence.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan, Wei Wuxian is a closet bisexual who is in love with and has been dating Lan Wangji for over a year. He decides it’s time to come out to sister and introduce her to his boyfriend. She of course loves that her brother has shared this with her and accepts Wangji easily into her life. They go out to lunch together and when Wei Wuxian was in the bathroom they were spotted by Zixuan’s cousin, Zixun.

Wangji asks Yanli to teach him how to cook Wei Ying’s favorite meals, and those cooking classes are when Zixuan first saw Wangji leave his house and are the content of most of the private investigator photos.

Zixuan and Jiang Cheng follow Lan Wangji who has a boring and predictable routine, and almost fall asleep several times. Jiang Cheng complains that while Wangji beats Zixuan in looks, he’s so boring and his sister would never fall for a man like him. They continue their stalking sessions, when finally one night he meets a woman who looks suspiciously like Yanli from a distance but they cannot tell because they are too far away. But the couple embrace and then kiss, before the woman clings to Wangji’s side as they walk off together. Jiang Cheng denies that woman is his sister, saying she’s too tall but Zixuan is irrationally heart broken and immediately runs off after them with Jiang Cheng cursing and following his stupid brother in law.

Wangji brings his partner to a beautiful park which has a lotus pond. Zixuan is convinced this is Yanli who also loves lotus and is arguing with Jiang Cheng about confronting them now to get answers. Their argument is interrupted by Wangji getting down on one knee and proposing, Zixuan sees red and runs in to tackle Wangji into the pond yelling at him to stay away from his wife. Wangji and Zixuan wrestle in the shallow water as a startled Lan Wangji starts fighting back. Suddenly a scream of “what the fuck, get off my fiancé” comes from a familiar voice as he is pulled off of Wangji and thrown back into the pond.

“Lan Zhan are you alright.” the woman fusses over his fiancé and pats him down checking for any injuries. The couple turns and are shocked to see that the man who tackled Wangji is Yanli’s husband.

“Peacock!?” exclaims the man, dressed as a woman currently, something he tends to do from time to time. Zixuan stares up at the couple and begins to look closely at the woman at Wangji’s side with dread as he recognizes his brother in law, Wei Wuxian.

Zixuan is stunned, and doesn’t move from his spot in the water just watching Wangji and apparently his brother in law in front of him, trying to understand the situation he got himself into.

“Why are you here!? And why did you tackle Lan Zhan into the Lotus pond.” Wuxian demands.

The questions shock Zixuan back into reality and his face turns into a tomato as he begins stammering explanations.

“Well-I-and then Wangji in my house-on dates with Yanli-but it was you”

Exhausted, Zixuan just continues to stammer an apology. And then rats out that Jiang Cheng came with him causing the couple to turn to Jiang Cheng’s hiding spot who comes out with a scowl on his face and stomps over to them yelling at Zixuan that he was right and that of course his sister would never cheat, before double taking at his brother in woman’s clothes standing next to Lan Wangji.

Jiang Cheng is stunned but quickly turns to anger of his brother keeping such a big secret from him. He uses his anger to mask his hurt.

Wei Wuxian explains that it wasn’t personal and he was just worried about how his family would react because Madam Yu didn’t look favorably on anyone who differed from the norm. He also tells Jiang Cheng how he just recently told Yanli and was planning to tell him and Uncle Fengmian next. Jiang hugs Wuxian and tells him he’ll always be his brother.

After the brother bonding moment, Wei Ying goes back to lecturing Zixuan for ruining his proposal, making him even more embarrassed. Jiang Cheng tells at him to get out of the lotus pond, and Zixuan walks out with and begs his in-laws not to tell Yanli about this incident. The brothers glance at each other and begin grinning realizing they have something on Zixuan now and start rubbing him.

Lan Wangji interrupts asking Wei Ying for his answer since they were interrupted before he could respond. He leaps into Wangji’s arms with an enthusiastic yes and they kiss. Jiang Cheng and Zixuan congratulate the couple and Jiang Cheng tells Wangji he can already tell he’ll be the better brother in law compared to Zixuan.

It ends with Jiang Cheng at WangXian’s wedding with this story being his part of his speech on how he met his brother’s husband and interrupted their proposal and it was all Zixuan’s fault. Yanli starts giggling, this being the first time she is hearing this story.

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Five Minutes To Forever

Fandom: Elvis Presley, American Musician

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Addison Goodwin

Characters: Elvis Presley, Addison Goodwin, Jessie Goodwin Presley, Lisa Marie Presley,

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 3950

Summary: A bride never gets a minute on her wedding day.

Tags/Warnings: Fluff, Weddings, Wedding Day, Proposals, Blended Family, Kissing, Love, Little Lisa, Single Parent, Absent Parents,

Notes: This will probably be the last in the elvis/addison series

ELVIS MASTERLIST // ELVIS AND ADDISON MASTERPOST

Addison felt eerily calm. Even as she looked out the window down at the yard below and watched people rush about making sure everything was in place. She could see Joe directing folks to their cars, hurrying them along so that there would be at least someone at the church when they got there. She could hear the kitchen staff working away to fulfil their tasked menu for when a flock of ravenous wedding guests would return awash with matrimonial merriment and no doubt a glow that could only be procured from the hip flask of a tuxedo. And she could hear her family, the chaos of them running around just beyond her bedroom door, her daughter like an army general as she called for order and propriety.

And even though it was hectic and a glance at the clock told her they were at least five minutes behind schedule, she didn’t care. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she knew everything was planned within an inch of its life and no matter what went wrong, Elvis would smooth it out. Though she suspected it was due to the fact she was already a married woman, so no matter what happened, she was already wed, even if their chapel wedding was a memory for just the pair of them.

She was thinking of that little chapel and then their hotel room, where it had just been the two of them, when there was a knock at the door.

‘Come in,’ Addison said, smoothing out her dress as she checked the mirror one last time. The door opened, revealing a mop of shaggy blonde hair before Jerry slipped through, fiddling with the cuffs of his tuxedo as he whistled and said, ‘Wow, you look beautiful.’

‘Thanks Jer,’ Addison said as he moved towards her, embracing her gently as she said, ‘Everything good to go?’

‘Not yet,’ Jerry said as he pulled back.

‘Why, what’s the matter?’ Addison asked, the first seed of worry starting to bloom until Jerry shrugged.

‘Oh nuthin’. But you know EP; he keeps to his own schedule and today’s no different,’ Jerry chuckled.

‘Ah,’ Addison smiled knowingly. He was right; she did know Elvis. Better than anyone, and he shouldn’t have been surprised he’d still be moving to the beat of his own drum even today. After all, he was so used to doing it without pushback for years that it had been a hard habit to break, even if Addison had helped him break that habit just a little.

Though as unfazed as she was, Jerry still tried to provide comfort by adding, ‘Don’t worry, Jess is trying to hurry him up.’

‘I don’t doubt that,’ Addison mused, though, as the conversation lulled, she realised she didn’t know why he was here if not to herd her out to the cars. Curious, she asked, ‘So…everything okay?’

‘Yeah,’ Jerry said, shifting awkwardly. Addison watched, surveying him quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, ‘Actually…no.’

‘What is it?’ she asked, somehow not panicked because she could tell it was nothing to do with the wedding. No, he had the nerves of a younger man, a fifteen-year-old she once knew, one that was still unsure and nervous when it came down to it. This was about Marci, she was sure.

‘It’s…nothing, never mind. Now’s not the time,’ he said, shaking his head, ‘you’re busy.’

‘Kinda,’ she said, smirking as she nudged his hand. Jerry sighed.

‘I just wanted to do it now because you’re not gonna be around after the wedding, well, not a lot, so it’s just…’

‘Jer!’ she said, after all, she had an aisle to get down, and dancing around a subject wasn’t going to get her to the end of it any sooner.

‘I want, I’m going to ask Marci to marry me,’ he said in a rush.

‘What?!’ Addison beamed, ‘Jer that’s amazing!’

‘Do you think she’ll say yes?’ he asked, a smile already in his eyes.

‘I hope so,’ Addison said. She wanted to say yes, but Marci was a law unto herself, so she didn’t want to make any false promises, ‘In fact, you should ask her tonight.’

‘Nah,’ he said, waving his hand in dismissal, ‘it’s your day.’

‘So?’ Addison said, ‘Plus she’ll never be able to wait till the end of my honeymoon to tell me, so if you do it today then she can tell me before we go.’

‘That’s true,’ Jerry said, ‘I’ll at least let you get to the cake cutting first though.’

‘Sounds fair to me,’ Addison said, leaning in to hug the man. As he pulled back there was an errant shout that sounded like a garbled version of his name coming from somewhere in the house. No doubt Marci was wondering where he’d gotten to.

‘I better go,’ he said, patting her shoulder, ‘you look lovely by the way.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘now go. The sooner we get the show on the road; the sooner you can pop the question.’

Jerry beamed and headed to the door and slipped out, allowing the chaos of the house to float through the crack just for a moment before it fell silent. Addison turned to the mirror and watched herself, brushing the hair that had fallen across her shoulder when they’d hugged back into position. Just as she did, the sounds of the house floated into the room once more. She turned, expecting it to be Jerry again, but it wasn’t it was Marci.

‘Hi, have you seen Jer?’ she said as she came into the room, looking harried yet stunning.

‘Nope,’ Addison smiled, trying not to look too knowing.

‘Oh where has he got to? We need to be leaving in a moment… Oh, Addie, you look beautiful,’ Marci said as she looked at her properly and finally took her in.

‘Mar, you literally saw me like half an hour ago,’ Addison said, rolling her eyes. After all, celebrity stylists were all well and good, but Marci had been her hair and beauty expert since she was thirteen. She wasn’t going to have anyone else style her on her wedding day.

‘I know,’ Marci said, dabbing at her eyes in what had to be at least her fourth tearful moment of the day so far, ‘but you do.’

‘Well, thank you,’ Addison said.

‘I just…I can’t believe we’re here,’ Marci said, watching her friend wistfully. Addison smiled and turned back to the mirror, the flashes of all the turmoil they’d been through going through her mind just for a second before it was flooded out by all the good. All the possibilities of the future.

‘Me too,’ Addison said, ‘it feels unreal.’

‘I know,’ Marci said, fiddling with her veil behind her, ‘are you sure you’re ready?’

‘Mar!’ Addison chastised, turning around her face agog. Marci rolled her eyes, though Addison was surprised she was joking about it, given her history of being a flight risk.

‘I mean it. Last chance to run,’ Marci said seriously, ‘I mean, I’ll kill you if you do, but I wouldn’t be your best friend if I didn’t at least offer.’

‘No, I’m good. No more running. It was only ever him I was running from in the first place,’ Addison said, if only due to the fact they were already married.

‘Yeah and even if you did, you two would probably end up running into each other again in your fifties or something. And there isn’t enough bleach in the world to get rid of the grey hairs that would give me,’ Marci giggled.

‘Yeah, probably,’ Addison said. Given they shared a child, both of them knew about now; it was hard to imagine they’d ever be living separate lives again, but she could see Marci’s point. Their lives had always found a way to intertwine themselves, no matter how many years between seeing one another.

‘Well I’m glad you’re saving us all the trouble,’ Marci said, turning her back around so that she could fiddle with her dress though Addison was sure it was fine, ‘even if you are leaving me all alone.’

‘You’re not alone,’ Addison protested, watching her friend in the mirror as she fussed around the bottom, unfurling tulle and lace carefully. Marci smiled in a way that suggested she had never thought that in the first place but rather that she was laying the foundation for something else, which Addison realised as she said, ‘No, I know… In fact, I think he might propose.’

‘Really?’ Addison said, a smirk on her face that Marci missed as she focused on her dress.

‘Yeah, he was being really weird the other day, and I know he and El went shopping at Lowell’s recently, and you have nothing new, so I figured,’ Marci said.

‘So…would you say yeah?’ Addison probed.

‘Duh!’ Marci said, finally pulling up with a beaming smile on her face.

‘Okay! Just asking,’ Addison said.

‘In fact I better get planning now. I’m gonna lose three weeks with you on honeymoon,’ Marci said.

‘Well, I’ll be ready to enlist the moment I get back,’ Addison smiled, ‘and I’m sure Jess can take on another wedding.’

‘Oh, of course!’ Marci beamed, ‘But first it’s your big day. And until it’s over, I’ll still be in full wedding planner mode, so I’m gonna go find him and get everyone ready to go.

‘Okay,’ Addison smiled watching her friend as she waltzed to the door; though as her hand touched it, she called her name, forcing the blonde to turn, ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too, Addie,’ she beamed before she flitted out.

Though in true Marci fashion she didn’t shut the door completely, her thoughts on something else leaving chaos in her wake, so Addison moved to shut it herself, daring to afford herself a few more minutes of peace, though as she got there she found a pair of blue eyes watching her through the gap. Lisa looked cute, with her pastel purple dress highlighting her vibrant eyes and complementing her sun-kissed skin and emboldened golden locks. Though completely unlike herself, she was quiet and reserved.

‘Hey, doll,’ Addison said, opening the door to her and allowing her to step in. Her reservedness still lingered, which shocked Addison, though she said nothing, figuring it was the hubbub of the day that had got her out of sorts. Instead, she went back to the mirror and beckoned her over, ‘C’mere and look in the mirror with me.’

Lisa strutted in, her natural swagger not completely lost, and took a stand in front of Addison, watching them both in the mirror. Addison swept her hands down her hair, smoothing the strays that had come from the humidity of the Tennessee summer. It never failed to amaze Addison just how much she looked like Jess, or even Elvis, when she was like this, though admittedly in the year they’d been in each other's lives, she had only seen it a handful of times.

‘You look pretty,’ she said after a moment, tilting her head back and looking up at her soon-to-be stepmother at an angle she was sure was unflattering.

‘Me?’ Addison said, ‘What about you? You look beautiful.’

‘Addie?’ she asked.

‘Yeah?’ Addison said.

‘Does gettin’ married mean you’re my mommy now?’ she asked, her face pensive.

‘Well, no,’ Addison said, sensing where this was headed.

‘But when Mommy and Daddy were married, we were a family,’ she mumbled, ‘how are we a family if you’re not my mommy?’

‘Well, I am... your stepmom,’ Addison said, taking a seat on the bed. Lisa moved to flop against her, the fabric of Addison's wedding dress making it hard for her to perch on her knee, which meant she had to rely on her stepmother to hold her up as she clung to her.

‘But you’re Jessie's real mom,’ she muttered, ‘and Daddy’s her real daddy.’

‘There isn’t no real and not real, baby,’ Addison said, moving a golden wisp from her face, ‘we’re a family. Me, you, your daddy and Jessie. And you, your daddy and your mom are a family too.’

‘But families live together, and Jessie gets to live with you, and I have to live in California,’ she muttered, dropping her gaze to Addison’s necklace, her fingers fiddling with it nervously.

‘Oh, baby, you know we’d love for you to live here. Your dad would kill for it, but it’s up to your mom. And you wouldn’t want to leave her alone in California, would you?’ Addison said. She knew Elvis hated his baby girl being so far away, but she’d been in Priscilla’s shoes before when she’d only ever had Jess. It’s why she didn’t really interfere in Lisa’s parenting all that much.

‘I guess,’ Lisa said.

‘Besides your daddy’s been so busy this year we’ve hardly been here at all, but once the wedding’s done with, things will settle down. Jessie will settle into school properly, and we’ll be able to get a proper schedule together. How’s that sound?’ Addison bargained. It was true that in the year they’d been together, it’d been hard to get things into a ‘normal routine’. Getting out of the Colonel’s contract had meant more touring to generate money and a longer residency in Vegas to get Addison and Jess ready for the move to Memphis. Lisa had slotted in here and there, something that her frown indicated she wasn’t quite okay with, especially as she mumbled, ‘Promise?’

‘Oh I promise,’ Addison replied, stroking her hair gently just as Jess appeared at the door.

‘There you are!’ She said, looking harried and stressed.

‘Everything okay, Jessie?’ Addison asked.

‘Yeah, all the cars have gone to the church; it’s just the girls left behind, and I thought I’d lost her,’ Jess said, frowning at her baby sister, ‘She wandered off.’

‘I was bored,’ Lisa said. Jess looked as though she wanted to argue but refrained, no doubt due to the time constraints they were under. Instead, she looked at her mother in a serious manner that told her she wasn’t in daughter but wedding planner mode. Addison interjected before a sisterly squabble broke out, ‘Well, we’re gonna be headed to the church now, so how about you head downstairs and make sure you’re not left behind, huh?’

‘Okay,’ Lisa said, though she looked miffed at being dismissed as she toddled past her sister and downstairs. Addison smiled at her daughter and asked, ‘Are you going too?’

‘Yeah, in a second,’ Jess said, pausing before she said, ‘Actually, I just wanted a minute alone with you.’

‘Okay,’ Addison said, beckoning her in. Jess moved quickly into the room, shutting the door behind her before she took a seat beside her mother on the bed, looping her arm through hers as she rested her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. Addison watched her in the mirror.

‘Everything okay?’ Addison asked, after a moment. Jess sighed and then opened her eyes to find her mother watching her.

‘Yeah, I just wanted a moment… just the two of us,’ Jess admitted, leaning up from her mother's shoulder, ‘Today we become a four forever, and I love it. Don’t get me wrong, but… we’ve always just been a two, and I kind of miss that.’

‘Me too,’ Addison admitted, thinking back to all the times it had been just them. Of course they’d had Marci, and this year and a half with Elvis had been unbelievable and truly what she yearned for, but those simple times, those moments that were just her and her daughter, she couldn’t help but miss them.

‘But you’re happy, right?’ Jess asked.

‘Beyond happy,’ Addison affirmed, ‘and actually I wanted to thank you.’

‘Me?’ Jess asked, her brow furrowing, ‘Why?’

‘Well if it hadn't been for your little investigating stint, then all of this would never have happened. You sneaking out, you pushing to see your dad, you pushing me to not give up on him… if you hadn't done that, then I’d have missed all this. I’d have pretended I was okay with it when actually I was missing out,’ Addison said, ‘so thank you.’

‘Well thanks for listening,’ Jess replied, clasping her hand over her mother’s.

‘Eventually,’ Addison said.

‘Yeah, but I get why you were reluctant at first. Actually, I think it probably worked out better this way,’ she admitted.

‘Really?’ Addison asked sceptically.

‘Yeah, I mean, this way I got a normal childhood and two of the best moms I could’ve asked for, and I get my dad without the craziness,’ she said, rolling her eyes when Addison raised an eyebrow, ‘well half the crazy. Plus, if it had been any other way, we wouldn’t have Lisa.’

‘Yeah and I bet she’d have something to say about that,’ Addison giggled.

‘I bet,’ Jess giggled before her smile turned earnest as she said, ‘I love you, Mom.’

‘I love you too, baby,’ Addison said, touching her cheek gently before she said, ‘Now come on, at this rate we’re definitely going to hold the wedding up.’

‘I’m going,’ she said, rising from the bed, ‘are you coming?’

‘I’ll be a minute,’ Addison said, ‘just need to pop my shoes on. I’ll meet you downstairs in two ticks.’

Jess nodded and ducked out, closing the door behind her as Addison stood and moved to slip her shoes on before standing in front of the mirror. She’d already seen her appearance a dozen times today, not to mention being handed a litany of compliments by everyone who walked through that door to disturb her, but she had to admit every time she saw herself, she did feel pretty. Her hair was down, framing her face in waves, though the rest was hidden by a long lace veil with an intricate beaded design all around the edge. Her dress was simple, a square neckline that descended into a tiered skirt which her satin heels poked from underneath.

It was simple and elegant, and she loved it, and if she was being honest with herself, she hoped Elvis did too. It was true they were already technically married and that this was more of a show for their loved ones than a wedding, but she still wanted him to like it.

‘Wow,’ she heard a voice say, and when she turned around, she found Elvis in the doorway, having somehow slipped silently into the room without knocking. He was watching her in awe, his blue eyes light and his mouth open as he drank her in.

‘You’re not supposed to be in here,’ Addison said, though her tone was nothing but teasing.

‘It’s my house,’ he replied, ignoring any protestations that might be made about bad luck or the fact the car was due to leave imminently as he closed the gap between them in seconds and engulfed her, a playful smile dancing on his face. Addison wrapped her arms around him.

‘You look beautiful,’ he said, making her chuckle as she replied, ‘You don’t look so bad yourself.

Though his sense of style had grown exponentially over the years, his outfit was rather toned down. A simple black tuxedo with a boutonniere on the lapel providing a splash of colour. She thumbed at it, wafting the faint scent of roses into her nostrils for a moment. He looked gorgeous too. He’d still got a tan from the summer, which was enhanced by the black and white of his suit. And though the year they'd spent back together meant that this new rugged face was the one she was familiar with and still obscenely attracted to, his hair was different than she had become accustomed to, swooped back into the styles he’d favoured when they’d first gotten together.

‘I like the hair,’ she said, moving her hand to trace along it. Elvis took her hand and kissed it, holding it between them as he pulled her closer.

‘I thought I’d try something…old,’ he smiled.

‘Well, I like it,’ she replied. And truthfully she did. It was familiar, like he was just her Elvis again. Like they were just two normal people getting married. Those two kids from Memphis.

‘Well I like all of this,’ he said, gesturing with the hand she was holding to her attire, ‘in fact, if you weren’t already my wife, I’d drop to my knees and propose right now.’

‘I’m sure you would,’ she giggled, ‘though if we want people to know I am actually your wife, we need to actually have witnesses. I thought you’d all gone to the church.'

‘Everyone’s gone; it’s just me and Jer left,’ he shrugged, ‘I wanted to see you.’

With that he leaned in, kissing down her cheek and jaw until his mouth was caressing along her neck, making her shiver as she breathed, ‘I don’t think we’ve got time.’

‘They’ll wait,’ he murmured, the vibrations his lips made leaving a delectable feeling on her skin.

‘Elvis,’ she said, attempting to sound firm.

‘Hey if I say we have two minutes, then we have two minutes,’ he said, pulling back to look at her.

‘You mean folks will wait around for ya cause you're Elvis Presley,’ she ribbed, a smug smile on her lips. Elvis chuckled.

‘Are you tellin’ me this whole King of Rock and Roll schtick still ain’t impressed ya after all these years?’ He asked.

‘I’m a hard girl to please,’ she joked.

‘I’d say otherwise,’ he said, his voice practically a growl that cut off whatever quip or protest she was going to throw back at him before she was completely silenced by his lips. He kissed her like they’d been apart for months rather than a matter of hours, pulling her as close as he could physically get her, and she let him, though she knew it was ruining her lipstick.

When they finally managed to part, her chest was heaving, her oxygen levels fully depleted and replaced by love and lust. Elvis didn’t seem as knocked out; the smugness he’d acquired at getting her all of a flutter was his overruling emotion.

‘Told ya we had two minutes,’ he grinned. Addie attempted to shove him, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back in closer. And to his surprise, she didn’t make any retaliative quip or challenge him. She simply replied, ‘Honey, we have forever.’

It took him off guard, his heart thudding like he was a teenager having his first crush, though he knew that was a given. He’d been in love many times, even married, and yet no promise had felt truer than her words then. This was it.

‘Or at least we will if you get a move on,’ she said, detangling herself from him as she grabbed a tissue from her makeup station. Elvis allowed himself to be shoved towards the door, too in love to disobey.

She was still smiling as she got him over the threshold, even making to jokingly shut the door in his face, but he stopped it with his foot, not quite ready to leave her though their time was ticking on.

‘I love you, Addie,’ he said firmly. Of course that was a given. He’d shown her it time and time again, proved it by stripping himself back to his core, to being that boy from Memphis, the one who was worthy of loving that girl next door. He’d moved heaven and earth to show her he loved her, and most importantly, she’d let him. She’d trusted him after everything, and now they had forever. Addison smiled.

‘I love you too Elvis Presley.’

ELVIS TAGS

@girlblogger2002 @sania562 @caitlin1996 @literally-just-elvis-fics @notstefaniepresley @artlesson8892 @18lkpeters @velvetelvis @jaqueline19997 @elvispresleyxoxo @amydarcimarie @presleyenterprise @everythingelvispresley @elvispresleywife @lillypink @richardslady121 @lettersfromvenus @louisejoy86 @ccab

[promisedhexvens]

Unlike her sister, who had lost a great love and had to mourn that along with their father, Josephine had lost a love that had barely begun. She had such plans - to tell Silas how she felt for him, to run away with him if it came down to it. And then everything had come crashing around her. She had to mourn all the plans that she had made in her head that were never going to be.

Josephine nodded, "I am certain of it." She wouldn't settle until she found someone that was deserving of her little sister - though she wasn't sure that such a person actually existed. Georgiana, to Josephine, was the definition of perfection. She hoped that whoever she came to marry would see that too. "I think if he is to prove himself worthy of you then the morning moods would certainly be an excellent test." Josephine laughed, as she nudged her little sister.

"She can't. But I don't blame her if she tries. And I feel I will do little to stop her. I am in charge now. It's important that I have an advantageous match - so you girls can have everything that you ever dreamed." She had always said it but Josephine would do anything to ensure that her sisters had a better life, a life they deserved. "I'm not sure that such a man exists." Josephine shook her head as her sister spoke about the man that she should try to find. Though she knew that it wasn't totally true. She just didn't want to think about the men who might give her everything she wanted. "I long for children, Gia." She sighed, "I'm not getting any younger. It won't be long until..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't have much time."

Josephine’s words filled Georgiana with hope. Only months ago, she had been lost in melancholy, feeling like a shadow of herself. It wasn’t just the grief of losing their father — she had lost a great love, too. She had been forced to push him away, to tell him to leave her life forever, never to return or seek her out again. It had taken so long for her heart to mend, but now, with her sister’s care, she finally felt ready to step out of her shell again. To give love another chance. After all, Georgiana had always loved love.

“Do you think so, Josie?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “I fear I’m a little too particular sometimes.” She shrugged. It was true — she liked things done a certain way, and she could be stubborn when it came to settling for anything less than her expectations. “And, of course, there are my dreadful morning moods. I do pity my poor future husband — He’ll have to endure hours of silence before I can be convinced to engage in a proper conversation. That’s certainly not for everyone.” She teased and laughed, though she knew well that love changed her entirely. When in love, she practically skipped out of bed at dawn, as if each morning were an occasion in itself.

Her smile softened as she turned her attention back to Josephine. “No, Jo, Mama cannot force you to marry if it is not your true wish.” She said firmly, shaking her head. “You must live your life as you please — especially after everything you’ve done for this family.” She would make sure of it. Josephine deserved happiness on her own terms. “But if you do marry, it must be to someone who can accompany you on all your adventures. Someone who won’t see you simply as a wife, but as an equal. Someone who loves you so deeply that your dreams become their own.” She reached out, twirling a loose lock of Josephine’s hair between her fingers, her touch filled with quiet affection. “But there is no need to rush — things always happen when they’re meant to.”

[thedisdainfullysilentvisitor]

AU where when Kathony announces they're leaving again, Ben, Hyacinth and Gregory elect to go with them to India both to share in Kathony's experience and to get away from Lady Whistledown

[tommygotwrittenoff]

the fact that eddie and maddie have never interacted outside a group setting is so funny actually. you cannot tell me those two wouldnt get on like a house on fire. i fear the day we get a solo maddie and eddie scene is the day we get buddie canon

[florsial]

Wdym regulus emasculating sirius👁️👁️

I have no idea what you mean, Jamie, I have no idea. I think you are being strange-

I don't think Regulus does it in an "I was a born a woman and now suffers that while [Sirius] gets to prance around." Type of thing. I think if anyone thinks that, it's Walburga and Narcissa. The difference is that for example, Narcissa wants the position of power associated with a man while still being a woman (she thinks she's capable as a woman) while Regulus thinks he can be a better man himself as a whole.

Regulus doesn't view Sirius very highly in terms of being the Head of the House [Black]. Sirius goes against their family teachings, actively fights back against his family, and runs away, etc etc. With this, Regulus views him as rather weak, and since I think Regulus associated the purity views with love, he kinda also thinks that Sirius is a coward for not giving into those views for their family and by extension, Regulus. By emasculating Sirius, Regulus is admitting he can be a better "man" or he is "more of a man" than his brother.

I am aware that I sound like those people who say Regulus is sexist and believe me I know that, I'm sorry but I think sexism is so SO heavy in the stuff we embed into the Pureblood Society of Harry Potter (arrange marriages, victorian "aesthetics") (in my case, Chinese culture) that kinda "ties" everything together. Even though the idea of sexism is a rlly weird topic with Trans Regulus and the female characters of the Marauders (once again another thing that the fandom does to make up for the lack of female content). If you're gonna hc Regulus as trans, it is going to happen with the connections you put into the Purebloods. Yk? Anyway I'll shut up about this lol

Regulus is trying to validate the man he isn't allowed to be by emasculating Sirius' biological masculinity that comes with his identity as a cis man. It's less about the fact he's afab but it's more selfish, catering to Regulus, specifically as a closeted Trans Man. In a broader view, you could say it reflects his selfish nature in a very wide range way.

[randomnameless]

Drankengard done (land 2!)

A lot of nice things in this part, so far it feels like the most FE-like land, and some characters from this land are really interesting!

l firstly love how the plot starts with "we have to rescue this midget prince from 100k soldiers" in one of the few defend maps of this game with various catapults and other engines to attack/defend against a cluster of loldiers coming at you - that was nice compared to the nigh useless ballistas and other engines in FE.

Granted, Gilbert's defining moment after being revealed is basically protecting his vassal from a gotoh-like character who's twice his size and more or less recruiting her for the defend map -

(localisation thingie : no "kisama" for eng/fr script Gilbert, sure it's kind of complicated to put it in words - like an agressive "you" - and yet it gives some nice characterisation, after Amalia rekts Leah and while Gilbert is standing seconds before being surrounded by 100k peons in front of someone who's basically stronger than anyone else around, he is still angry and pissed for his friend's sake) -

Just before being upset at asking our party - aka a foreign nation who was at war with his for the last few decades and revealing that his dad only granted asylum to the princess of said foreign nation to marry her to his heir to conquer it later on - for help.

Hopefully for him his game is no Triangle Strategy, so no one will actually tell him to eat shit because he wasn't the one who liberated the land even if he participed to instead worship the "foreign" person who led the liberation army.

Hell, idk what kind of PR campaign Gilbert and his few loyal soldiers pulled out, but some NPCs are really acting as if he liberated his kingdom single handedly lol

His relationship with his elder brother was sort of developed in the main plot - but more in the equivalent of the support convos - but as I said in another post, I really loved that part where he feels like he's still a second prince, and if his older brother returns, older brother should get the crown even if older brother feels like dirt for failing his country and his father, and became a wandering... mercenary who's busy saving priestresses from jails (and leaving them in the middle of battlefields).

Ultimately, they reunite and more or less solve their issues, and Ludwig manages to tell him that he wouldn't be half the king Gilbert is, because Gilbert is the one who led a rebellion and ultimately led Drakengard free, is loved by this people etc etc.

TBH, while it was short, this was a nice character arc -

(complete with the support/rapport convo just after the final map I unlocked where Gilbert, wanting to know how the common people live in his kingdom, gets plastered with the a random worthless bandit/merc who's freaking out from the entire situation lol)

The other major character from Drakengard is Virginia, the MC's older cousin!

We first see her being kind of pushy and overbearing, sometimes taking the initiative to do rather extreme stuff (wanting to fetch her axe instead of recruiting the earlier worthless bandit/merc), but she's still deferring to the MC, save for a certain mission - because, and kuddos to the game for going there, while Virginia's story is basically a tragic Marth's, aka, when her kingdom was invaded she had to run away to a foreign state for asylum but without any Jeigan, she believed for 10 years and never stopped believing that she was the only one who survived, and thus it was her role and duty to restore the Cornian line on the throne and take back the country from the evil Empire.

And... MC pops up, as the rightful - aka the son of the late queen as opposed to her mere niece - heir thus Virginia's hopes of becoming the Queen and the one to restore her nation vanish.

So kuddos for the game to basically have Virginia tell her cousin that while she was happy to see him and learn he was alive after all those years... she also felt jealous, because the 10 last years she spent having this dream and hope to be the one to restore the country... vanished in 10 minutes lol.

She's not going to challenge Alain's claim to the throne and instead will support him.

Granted, this moment becomes ten times more interesting if you do her own mission before - aka the one where she zerg rushes against the dude who slaughtered her retinue against the advice of Jeigan Joseph and becomes a dreaded green unit (who loses her promotion somehow???), running in a battlefield full of catapults to have her vengeance.

Remember when I said one of her first defining moments is when she asks to be handed her axe to get rid of a worthless merc instead of recruiting him? Well, her words back then were something like "your men died for you, so you can't beg for your life" or something like that, we learn in her own mission that she was basically talking about herself.

Basically, kid!Virginia was supposed to have her Jeigans and Cain/Abel/Draugs and they were supposed to escape and run away together to Drakengard... but they were slaughtered by some general of the evil empire who thought bringing her head would make a good offering to the evil emperor, so the Jeigans, Cains, Abel, Draugs etc etc laid down their lives to allow her to escape - we have a voiced FB with a few images and a battle cinematic, where the knights basically say they will die to make sure she'll be able to escape, and will slow down the evil general with their corpses if needed.

The entire platoon of knights died, and Virginia has been carrying this trauma for ten years, dreaming of having her revenge but never once confiding in anyone from Drakengard about it - not even in her (Gilbert's) vassal Leah who she seemed to be close too earlier.

Short story, the general holds a fort and is supposed to be called back to the evil empire's capital for some reason, and instead of waiting for his departure to recapture the fort, Virginia storms at the general to have her revenge (accompanied by the knights who were just squires when she had to leave, and thus couldn't be there when their senior knights were slaughtered and want revenge as much as she does!).

You have to send Joseph to talk to her to have her turn blue again (and promoted again thank gods) and the re-recruitment scene is cool for 2 things :

1/it's Joseph, not Alain who talks to her because her beef and the one who talked to her and the one whose plan is ignored is Joseph - I love it when the MC isn't at the center of everyone's universe

2/Virginia during this convo notices her friends/knights are injured (they have the injured sprite) and realises she was going to send to their death the last remaining members of that platoon, chastises herself and her next battle lines are something like "I won't let them die/bleed anymore" or something and it's fucking powerful because hey, besides some "vengeance is empty" that she will get later on herself, part of what makes her see reason is the realisation that her allies are injured and were going to die in her quest, and she can't have that anymore (nice ludonarration moment here, Virginia is a tank, if her allies are injured, it's because she wasn't tanking well enough!).

"Vengeance is empty" moment : the evil general who slaughtered her former knights doesn't even remember the people he slaughtered, or the mission where he hunted her, aka, she's been obsessing for 10 years over something her so called "nemesis" forgot.

End of the map, the realisation that her vengeance was nothing + she put her close allies' lives in danger (+ the little bit of salt when she mentions that Alain is the Cornian Royal people should follow because he is royalty) make her want to leave the army as fitting punishment - which, you know, coming from a series where some lord basically goes 1VS1 against the guy who killed his dad and who was followed by his kid sister who put herself in mortal danger but only receives a scold from his not-mom and slap on the wrist just makes me side-eye FE Tellius' writing even more.

Anyways, while I read on redshit that some people were pissed because "wah wah Virginia is a character who does foolish things and there are consequences about it she should be exiled forever or something", she obviously doesn't leave the army because, all of her close allies ask her to stay. Hell, Alain only gives one or two sentences that are dispassionate compared to the other 4 - again to show that MC privileges aren't everything at least plot wise - but the main voice is Leah's - aka her (well) Drakengard retainer!

When earlier Virginia told her that this story and her choice had nothing to do with Drakengard - because it's about Cornian knights who died during her flight from Cornia - Leah now reminds her that she became someone important for Drakengard too, and you know, the 10 years she spent here ? It's not just only background to give some fluff for a teatime line, no, it has more implication, if not only to have this moment where Leah says that Virginia's pride, bravery and hope to restore her country also influenced and inspired people (Gilbert, the second son who had to assume the role of the King when no one else was left!) around her and made the people of Drakengard also hope to liberate their country - if she leaves now, the named character from Cornia will miss her, but also "Drakengard" in general.

To cement her words, after this map we can talk to some Drakengard NPC who's all "wow Princess Virginia is so cool she defeated the bastard in charge of this fortress!" and while idk if Leah's speech + that NPC were added to make the ending where she becomes the queen of Drakengard (save for Alain marrying his cousin) more plausible, but it was a really nice addition.

Adding to that the fact that Virginia is the one who's basically telling Alain (and informing the player) about various map hazards like geysers around the land, giving some backstory about the desert along with Leah and also the one who tells the party about a sort of shortcut/secret passage and yes, we get it that she lived for 10 years in that land and knows it enough to act as a guide, but also that the people around know her.

I mean compare with a game where some dude apparently went to a school in a foreign capital but when he marches on said foreign capital or talks to people who also attended that school he never mentions it - it's like night and day.

Final "daw" moment that is both tied to her character but also, another example that Alain isn't the center of the universe... Virgnia is the one who tells Alain to talk to Aramis (the eldest prince who became a merc!) and ask him to talk to Gilbert to put his worries aside about the throne and the succession and ust, to reunite with his younger brother.

The characters concerned (Gilbert and Aramis) thank Alain for giving them the occasion and push to talk to each other - not knowing this was something Virginia planned, because while hers and Gilbert's issues are sort of similar (the not "legitimate" heir who took the mantle of restoring their country to glory and believed it so for the last decade, only for the legitimate one to return), she has a good enough read on Gilbert to know that he needs to talk to his brother to put his doubts and questions about his legitimacy aside and accept that he is the King.

Coming from a series with "avatar scissors", the bonds and links between the characters was really something I enjoyed, Alain will not pop up and tell Gilbert that he is a good king and should get over/or deal with his doubts about his brother, Alain isn't the one who gives the most meaningful speech about why Virginia is important to Drakengard and hell, we don't even see the exchange we know he had with Aramis to convince him to talk to Gilbert, because the most important scene here isn't the Alain-Aramis dialogue, but the Aramis-Gilbert one. Gilbert doesn't want to free his Kingdom because he envies Alain or Alain told him to do so, it's something he wants to do being inspired by Virginia.

In a nutshell, Drakengard's major characters were a good surprise and their stories and quests were cool.

More minor character wise...

We get the Drakengard version of the same plague we saw in Cornia, but instead of having "clerics" perform experiments on infected people to find a cure, the accent here is put on a wyvern knight who was to enforce a lockdown, to prevent the plague from spreading and well... no fines in this setting, instead she runs them through with her spear.

IDK how that game would have been received just after Covid lol

All jokes asides, just like the Cornian version of this plot heavily suggested, the plague was devised by the evil empire to cut down the forces of the rebellion and make sure this land would be able to be conquered easily.

Why are the imperials killing people? Well, it might have to do something with the fact that the totes-not-gharnef old sorcerer guy is a necromancer...

Leah's quest explored a little more the background info that "Drakengard and Cornia used to be at war" thingie, with random green units also mounting a liberation army but refusing our help, and we know how this ends with green units, we basically have to save them.

Map ends with some Drakengardians - who swore allegeance to the evil Empire? - still willing to fight us, and Alain asking Leah to please ask them, as a Drakengardian (?) to surrender because if someone from Cornia asks them they will refuse.

Also it's a bit of a character exploration, for once the usually demure + always in the back behind Virginia asks the Liberation Army to do something and insists even if people refuse, straight up saying that in that case (if they refuse) she's going to help the green NPCs herself since she's strong enough to do so and it's cool because I think at one moment Virginia sighs/laughs, but not in a derogatory way, but more in some "damn she's becoming like me" way - which is alluded to in ther rapport conversation, Leah seeks to emulate her bold and fearless (being a green unit) behaviour.

I haven't seen a lot of convos with the desert people we recruit - thank goodness we're far from Hyzante's clichés even if the "people in the desert are bandits and former prisoners" trope is still here, but given how the ones who attack us were brainwashed by the evil Empire, it's not as aggravating as, well, Nopes or Hyzante.

Gameplay wise :

Damn if promoting your units cost medals, but it's so worth it to have more than one action (at least) per turn ! It also means we can use entire new strategies because now the turns are at least longer than one round each!

Drakengard fills the Jugdral quota with the group of units coming all at once at you sometimes lol, but I loved the aesthetic difference that ultimately became gameplay difference between this area and Cornia, basically we have more mountains to less space to manoeuver the non flying units, the enemies use AoE engines to ruin you or at times, AoE map abilities from their own units to deal some annoying amount of damage.

The cities are larger so instead of fighting in a meadow with one or two small buildings here and there, at times the fight takes place in an entire city, so again, it means reduced mobility and of course, desert sucks because, just like FE, you can't move well in the sand.

Lolcalisation wise :

Virginia "I have never been fond of court formalities" says a desert full of bandit isn't a place for "royalty like us"? When the "us" is both her and her cousin reknown for their martial abilities?

What the fuck does it mean ?

At least in FR it's "a lot of people avoid this place" and not just "royalty like us" - which doubles as ridiculous because in the "people avoid this place" it's again the trend of Virginia being a tour guide of Drankengard, telling Alain that people from Drakengard think about the desert, eluding this part is also, in part, eluding part of the knowledge Virginia has about Drakengard.

I think the localisation took the "royal pride" that defines her and exaggerated it to "royal arrogance".

IDK if the meaning is the same in english, cretin is an insult like in french, but damn if you say to someone the are a "crétin" they will feel offended and insulted because that's way more rude than calling someone an idiot!

:/

And I also have a bone against whoever thought it was a good idea to throw "pseudo elvish" words in the localised script (sadly we followed this :'() when the japanese audio doesn't use them at all, was it to pretend the evles from Fevrith have a different language because Tolkien shall be universal, or what?

Elf land doesn't see that interesting plot wise compared to Drakengard, and I'm not saying this because of my Alcina bias lol but I'll just have to wait and see!

(poor hodrick is being slaughtered by those pesky pointy ears and their hybrid attacks, tfw armor not withstanding magic is universal, I'll have to promote Miriam asap to protect him or just bench him :/)

[beloved-child-of-the-house]

for the most part I actually don’t see Harry and Draco as being the get married types or at least not the have a wedding types but it’s also fun to just. Have them do it anyway. Weddings are fun and fun to write and read about!

[randomingoftherandomness]

.