#LOVE WAS NEVER REAL. IT LAID DEAD AND FESTERING | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

albionscastle · 1 year

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I Will Carry You

One shot! Ray Levine from Stay Close x Reader

You are Ray’s best friend and have been in love with him for years. When Cassie comes back into his life you realize you can’t watch him destroy himself any longer.

I may have gotten a tad carried away.

*NSFW

Fic Masterlist

I Will Carry You by Ruelle

“So anyway, this arsehole had the gall to expect me to pay for his meal because I wasn't ‘what was advertised,’ you grumbled, taking a swig of your beer. What the fuck does that even mean?”

There was no reply from either of the men at the bar. Both Ray and Fester were completely in a world of their own, even though it was Ray who had suggested you go for a drink after your disastrous date.

"And then I thought that later, I might take off all my clothes and walk down to the boardwalk to go skinny-dipping.”

A chuckle from Fester, but nothing from Ray.

"What's wrong with him?' you whispered.

“Cassie's back.”

You felt a cold chill run down your spine, and your chest tightened like a vice. That was the absolute last thing you had been expecting. Just a few weeks ago Fester had told Ray that Cassie was dead, which ended with you half carrying Ray home, drunk as a skunk and sobbing into the cushions of his couch. The absolute devastation in his voice as he had called out her name had broken your heart. Thankfully he had passed out quickly and as you had laid a blanket over him and left his flat, you cursed the Bitch.

“The fuck do you mean, Cassie's back? I thought she was dead, you told us she was dead.” you hissed, looking over to Ray who was still off in his own little world.

You watched as he swallowed down a whole bottle, swaying on the barstool, barely keeping himself upright. He looked completely defeated, what little wind he’d had in his sails had left him and only a shell of a man was left. He signaled for another drink, the only clue that he still resided in the real world.

“Nah mate, you’re done.”

Ray narrowed his eyes at his friend, trying to intimidate him into giving in. You were honestly surprised he could even see straight, the state he was in.

“Fine then,” he growled. “I’m going home, at least I can get a fucking drink there.”

“You do you mate, I’ll call you an Uber.”

“Whatever.” Ray didn’t even bother to pay before he stumbled out the door.

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” you asked, wondering if you should make sure he got home ok.

“Tonight? Yup, I called the ride thirty minutes ago, it's already waiting out there. Other than that I don’t know, I mean he hasn't been ok for a really long time.”

“And now she’s back to fuck him over some more?”

“She wants nothing to do with him, actually. She’s only come to light now because of Green and those other guys that went missing from Vipers.”

“Isn’t that where she used to dance?” you couldn’t disguise your derision at the mere mention of her.

“Yup, and apparently she’s some kind of soccer mum now, kids, house in the suburbs, fiance and all. Turns out she was only living two towns away all these years. She’s somehow involved with the disappearance of this Stewart fellow from way back, mainly because she was involved with the man.”

“At the same time she was involved with Ray?” you felt sick when Fester nodded.

“Why did you tell him she was dead?”

“Because I wanted him to move the fuck on, I mean look at him. He’s a fucking mess because of what that bitch did to him and he just can’t get past it.”

You couldn’t disagree with his logic, you had seen the mess that was Ray Levine many, many times for yourself.

“Listen love, I’m going to offer you some advice.”

You glared at Fester, knowing what was coming next. You had heard it all before, and you wouldn’t admit to it even now. Denial had been key for the past decade.

“He’s likely never going to see past Cassie, darlin. I know you’re just ‘friends’.” The air quotes pissed you off. “You deserve better than dating assholes while you wait for Ray to get a clue.”

For the first time you really couldn’t fault Fester’s words. While it was 100% true that you and Ray had never been more than friends, it wasn’t for a lack of hoping on your part. Fester had always known, but he was nice enough to never call you out on it, at least until now. Ray, of course, was completely oblivious. With a sigh you paid your tab and Ray’s and turned to leave.

“I’ll give it some serious thought.” you nodded and walked out into the night.

It was the first time you had admitted, in a way, that Fester’s suspicion might be true. You had gotten so good at hiding it that you were certain he had forgotten, but Fester noticed and remembered everything, he would have been brilliant working for MI5, if he wasn’t a self-admitted sloth. But what he really was, to you, was a good man and a true friend.

Deep down you also knew he was right. Ray was never going to move past Cassie, she was an obsession now. You wished she really had died, at least then he might be forced to at least accept that she was never coming back to him. In that situation, at least, you knew that you didn’t have to be the same. You could have a life where you didn’t have the weight of him on your shoulders. It wasn’t as though he would notice either way, you thought bitterly.

Opening the door to your flat you threw your keys on to the kitchen table and flopped down on your couch, screaming into the pillow in frustration. You were smarter than this, always swearing you would never be one of those women you lost themselves over an inaccessible man. It was pathetic, and yet here you were, all your good intentions flying out the window the day you met Ray Levine. Bastard. Even if it wasn’t his fault, you were still angry at him. Sipping on a coffee you thought back to that day when this whole shitshow had started for you.

It had been ten years ago and you had arranged a lesson for a couple of your art students who had expressed an interest in photography. You were familiar with his work then, even having his book on your coffee table, which you flipped through often. His work had been atmospheric and evocative. He was a brilliant photojournalist and when you had found out he was local and taught classes, you had jumped on it. You found him to be an engaging and hands on teacher, responding eagerly to your students and they to him. The shaggy hair, beanie and tattoos you had not been expecting, and they clashed with the images you had seen of him in Iraq. But by the end of the first class the whole grunge rock thing he had going on was growing on you. When he had taken your hand to shake, a tingle had run down your spine and when he flashed that smile you were a goner.

You should have walked away right then. Instead, you booked more classes and once a week you allowed yourself the luxury of watching him at work. He towered over all the students, his presence easily filling the entire space, but he was never really aware. The kids were his only focus during those times, and they ate him up. For your part, you just tried not to react every time he accidentally brushed past you. In those early days you had only seen him in the context of lessons, still seeing only the Pulitzer winning photographer. Glimpses of the man he used to be. You were starry-eyed, giddy as a teenager and half in love with just the idea of him within weeks. So, when you started to talk outside the lessons, it seemed like such a natural progression of things. If you only talked about you, you didn't really notice, at least not for a while. When school was out you simply sat on the boardwalk feeding the gulls and discussing shit like politics and global warming.

Your first glimpse of the real Ray Levine came after a few months of you waiting for him to make a move. Sitting at Festers bar, you and Ray were having a great time and you thought for sure it would be then. He'd had his hand on your knee half the night and kept leaning in to whisper nonsense in your ear. Then in a heartbeat it had all changed. Someone in the bar had called the name 'Cassie' to greet a friend and you had never seen Ray whip around that fast. The brief look of hope in his eyes had baffled you and when he turned back to the bar the Ray you thought you knew was gone. The apologetic look Fester had shot you had said it all.

That night was the first time you had taken drunk Ray home to his couch. When he grabbed your wrist and pulled you to sit beside him a tiny spark of hope had ignited. That spark died as it all spilled out of him, Cassie, Vipers, the missing man. How he had proposed and she had walked away without a word. It was as he put his head on your lap and wept that you realized it was too late. You were already in love with him.

As dawn broke through your kitchen window you decided Fester was right. This had to stop.

For a month you made sure to see Ray only during the weekly lessons. He was distracted and disheveled, barely even noticing you were there. Fester kept you appraised, he'd seen Cassie again, she still had the plastic ring, she had kissed him. You felt sick. Then he was questioned, a suspect. Arrested for murder. He only wanted to see Cassie, it was as if you had never existed. After that, it was easy to make your decision. You applied for a teaching job in Edinburgh, receiving a positive reply within a week.

Ray was innocent of murder, you'd never doubted that for a second, but what he had admitted to had shaken you to the core. The Ray you now knew was a drunk, yes, but he was also the most gentle person you had ever known. The kids over the years had never heard a negative word or a raised voice from him. He had been there with a shoulder to cry on after every bad date, when your sister had died. You called him your gentle giant and he laughed every time. Not one time had he ever put his hands on you in anger, even when you were drunk and unreasonable. Not even when you slugged him after a particularly dickish dig at your lack of a love life.

You decided to go and see him, to tell him yourself that you were leaving. No way you would walk out on him the way Cassie had, that would be the cruelest thing you could ever do. Just as you wouldn't disappear from his life, you would stay in touch, you just needed space and time to get over him.

The moment he opened the door to his flat and looked at you with so much relief in his eyes, you knew this was going to be harder than you had hoped. He looked like shit, his hair unwashed and straggly, eyes red and swollen, face drawn and pale, it was as though he had aged ten years since you last saw him. Glancing down at the coffee table, you saw the empty vodka bottle sitting among half empty take-out containers, beer bottles and dirty clothing.

"Are you drunk Ray?"

"Not as drunk as you think." He smiled that lopsided smile you loved so much and put his arms around you for a hug.

For just a moment you let yourself sink into him, taking a deep breath and...

“Christ Ray! You smell like a brewery. you pushed him away, moving to stand in front of the window.

“I'm sorry." he mumbled, looking at you like a puppy you'd just kicked. I'll go get cleaned up, don't go away.”

“I'm not going anywhere, we need to talk.”

You didn't acknowledge the way his shoulders slumped when you spoke, you had to be strong enough to get through this without feeling guilt. It wasn't his fault you felt the way you did, he had never encouraged you after that night. It was all on you and even though you knew you had to do this, you still felt like shit for leaving him. He was a broken man and you would be willing to spend the rest of your life fixing all those broken pieces. That was why you had to go.

Ray came back into the room, freshly showered by the looks of things, looking a little more human than he had. He still took your breath away when you looked at him, even after every way he'd hurt you. Taking a deep breath, you locked the part of you that wanted to stay and fixed him with a stern look.

“How much have you had to drink today?"

"Probably too much." he shrugged.

You stomped into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, not willing to have a proper conversation until he was at least a little sober.

"Are you afraid of me now?? he asked softly, flopping onto the couch, watching you over the rim of his mug.

“Of course not.” You sighed, sitting down beside him.

He looked truly worried.

“Ray. Look me in the eyes.” You waited until he looked up, his blue eyes red, watery and full of uncertainty. “There is no scenario on this planet that could ever make me afraid of you. Understand?”

You cupped his cheeks in your hands, forcing him to look at you when he tried to look away.

“Understand?”

“Yeah.” He whispered.

His skin was rough under your hands, he desperately needed to shave, but then you had always liked him with the scruff. Mainly because you had never seen him any other way. He was still looking at you, almost strangely, his eyes flaring and he made no effort to pull away. In response you gazed at him, subconsciously committing every part of face to memory. You were going to miss him.

He moved before you even had a chance to react, his mouth pressing against yours firmly, hands coming up to tangle in your hair. Before you could tell yourself that this was a very bad idea you leaned in, opening for him with a sigh. Ray was ferocious in his response, hauling you over to straddle his lap, his lips bruising yours, tongue sliding over your teeth.

Electricity coursed through your body, and you ground against him as years of longing came down to this moment. You couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t get close enough to him. You wanted every part of him, ached for his hands on your skin, for your hands on his. He obliged, his arm wrapping around your back so he could flip you beneath him on the couch. Alarm bells started ringing in your ears, but you ignored them, tugging his shirt out of his jeans and sliding your fingers beneath to touch the warm skin of his back.

Ray’s fingers were under your sweater, leaving you shivering as he traced patterns over your skin, wedging his hips between your thighs. Moaning into each other’s mouths you moved together. He was rock hard and you arched up to meet him for every grind of his hips, a low growl escaping his lips.

“Cassie.”

You went still for a moment, not believing what you had just heard. Then it hit you like a bucket of icy water and you shoved him off you with all the force you could muster, leaping from the couch.

“I don’t fucking believe this.” you muttered to yourself, pacing the room.

“What’s happening?” Ray honestly looked confused. “I thought we were having a…thing?”

He gulped as your eyes flashed with anger. You hoped that he couldn’t see past that to the hurt that was cutting you deeply.

“God, you really have no idea, do you?” Tears stung your eyes.

“I don’t, please tell me what’s wrong.”

He looked lost and for a split second you just wanted to hug him. Until his whisper replayed in your head.

“You said her name!” You couldn’t stop the tears now. “Her name, Ray, you were thinking of her when you were with me. I’m some fucking consolation prize that you can pretend is someone else.”

Understanding dawned and he looked horrified.

“It was just a reflex, with everything that’s happened recently, it just popped out. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“That’s horse shit Ray and you know it. You never stop thinking about her, that’s the problem.”

“I don’t! I swear I don’t.” He reached out to you.

“Don’t touch me Ray.” his hands drew back as if you had slapped them. It's bad enough you did it, don’t make it worse by denying it.

He put his hands in his lap, looking contrite.

“How could I have been so stupid?” You wiped at your eyes furiously. “I actually thought…”

Taking a long deep breath you forced yourself to calm down so you could say what you came here to say.

“For ten years Ray, I’ve watched you destroy yourself over that woman and for what? She left you, let you wonder for 17 years! And she didn’t spare you another thought, did she? She just fucked off and got herself a whole new life. You disposed of a human being for that bitch! Then she’s back, and you’re dancing like a puppet again, just the way she wants you to.”

Ray started to protest, but you shut him down with a look.

“You’re doing it now! You can’t see past your own misery to see how she’s manipulated you. She didn’t care about you enough to even check to make sure you were ok, did she? Who was it who dragged your drunk ass home? Night after night, who cleaned you up when you threw up on yourself, helped you to bed? I stayed every time you begged me to, listened while you sobbed for hours about how much you loved her, missed her. She was never here, Ray, never. She never cared. I did! You couldn't see past her, you never saw anyone but her. The woman destroyed your life and you just let her.”

You sucked in a breath, needing to get to the point. He was at least looking at you while you talked.

"Do you even know how I feel about you? Not even an inkling? I love you!

That made him pay attention.

“I never expected you to love me back, never asked anything of you. I realized, when she reappeared, that I would never compete. So I made a decision to leave."

“Wait, what? “

“I'm moving away, Ray. I took a job in Edinburgh, I leave tonight”

'You can't!"

"Yes I can Ray, and I will. I came over today to say goodbye, and so you knew I would never just up and leave you the way she did. Then, for a moment I thought that... But you said her name not mine, and that's broken my heart. So I won't change my mind.”

Taking a step toward him you leaned down, brushing his lips gently.

"I really hope you can let yourself be happy one day, Ray.” You whispered.

Without giving him a chance to respond you turned away and walked out the door.

Later that night and completely sober, Ray sat at the bar and told Fester everything that had happened. If he was expecting a sympathetic ear, he was sorely mistaken.

“I've known for weeks that she was leaving, Ray. You didn't even notice that she hasn't been around?"

"I was a little busy.' Ray muttered.

"Yeah, that's the problem mate. You were always a little busy.”

Ray didn't like the way he was feeling, after so many years of abject misery, guilt was an unwelcome new companion. He knew he'd fucked up, he never should have kissed you in the first place, but he wasn't in his right state of mind. The whole thing with Cassie finally unraveling, the whole fucked up mess had left him feeling vulnerable and more lost than ever. Now he had hurt his friend, and royally screwed up the only good thing he had in his life.

Rubbing his face with his hand, he tried to make sense of it all. He was so tired, fed up and ashamed. “ I honestly had no idea mate.' he sighed. "She never said anything."

“Why would she? You always made it perfectly clear that you only cared about Cassie, it's not like you returned the sentiment. Right?”

That was it there. He didn't know. Admittedly he liked having you around, you were always so comforting. But did he feel anything else? Was he even capable of it? Fuck, he was so confused. He did know that the moment you told him you were leaving, a cold stab of fear had run through his body. The one thing he hadn't thought of at that moment was Cassie. Why he had said her name when he was kissing you, he honestly didn't know.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?"

“That's a conversation that would take all night. But, in a nutshell, you're a self-loathing, obsessive drunk who didn't see what was good for him, even when it was right in front of him.”

"Tell me how you really feel, why don't you?”

"How about this, then? Tell me the first thing that comes to mind, yeah?”

Fester sounded suspiciously like a therapist, but the smile on his face showed just how much he was enjoying Ray's misery.

“What were you thinking when you kissed her?"

"Relief, I guess. I wasn't really thinking.”

“So your immediate subconscious reaction to her telling you she wasn't afraid of you, was to kiss her?"

“Ray shrugged.

“Ok then, your immediate gut reaction when she told you she was leaving? Go!”

Fear, betrayal, loss, agony. His chest had tightened, he'd felt like he couldn't breathe.

"And what about when she said she loved you."

Hope.

“I've really screwed things up, haven't I?” Ray's head was in his hands.

"You called the woman who loves you, by another woman's name while you were making out with her. A woman who, I might add, abandoned you, used you, tried to sell you out for murder, manipulated you and didn't think about you for 17 years.”

“Yeah.”

'Why?”

“I don't know, I feel sick about it.”

"You don't even love Cassie, you know.” Ray's head snapped up. "Think about it, you loved her back then, but for years it hasn't been that at all. You just couldn't separate what you'd had from what you did. Think about it Ray, you destroyed yourself for and because of this woman. Then you go and do this. You need help, mate, professional help.”

Ray wanted to be angry, wanted to defend his love for Cassie, but he couldn't. Deep down he knew Fester was right. It had stopped being love the moment he threw the body in the river. He equated his feelings for Cassie with betrayal, fear, self-loathing and obsession. They had overwhelmed him, especially when he dreamed. He had started drinking so he could sleep without dreaming and from there he had spiraled out of control. He couldn't believe he had missed his own true feelings. Now sober and coming to terms with all that had happened, things were a lot clearer. His feelings for you were so different than he had realized, affection, security, tenderness, warmth. With you there were moments that had been close to happiness. There was heat too, if that morning was anything to go by. He had been completely blind.

"How the hell am I going to fix this?” he sighed.

"Get yourself clean for starters and get some fucking therapy. And only when you are 100% sure that Cassie is cut out of your life forever do you go anywhere near that girl. If you can't do that, then leave her alone and let her get over you.”

Ray had a lot of soul-searching to do.

Six months later.

You unlocked the front door to your flat and managed to get in just before the sky opened up. With the rain came the damp cold and you shivered as you walked through to your bedroom to change. Edinburgh was a beautiful city, but it really did rain a lot. Still, the job made it worthwhile and you really did love it here. Checking your email, you saw a message from Fester and smiled. You made sure you kept him appraised of how you were doing, and he had agreed to never talk about Ray.

The process of getting over him had been a lot harder than you had anticipated. You thought about him every day and your heart didn't ache any less for it. Fester would have told you if there had been any trouble so you knew he was ok. But you missed him, so much it still hurt. You even missed the nights where you dragged him home. It had only mattered to you that you were with him. You guessed that made you pretty pathetic in the eyes of others.

It didn't matter anymore, anyway, you had to move on or you would end up just like Ray.

It was dark early, thunder booming as the rain poured and you started a fire in the fireplace, choosing not to turn on the main lights. Some nights you just needed to brood a bit and try to convince yourself that you would eventually get over Ray Levine.

A knock at the door startled you from your thoughts. Who on earth would be here at this time of the night? Shuffling to the door, you made sure the chain was on before opening the door a crack.

"What the hell?”

Ray stood there, looking nervous, his small umbrella barely keeping him dry.

Stunned at the sight of him you could only stand and gape for a few moments.

“Umm, would it be ok if I came in for a moment?”

His voice startled you back into reality.

“Oh my God! I'm sorry, Ray. Of course you can come in.” Stepping aside, you took off the chain, took his umbrella and closed the front door behind him.

He took off his shoes and coat and stood, silently, looking as awkward as you felt. Motioning him into the living room to sit, you stood in front of the fireplace, waiting. Your heart was hammering in your chest, your hands were shaking. Proof positive that after six months, you were not an iota less in love with him. It was taking everything in you not to jump over and wrap your arms around him.

“Why are you here, Ray?” You made your tone as flat as possible, not wanting him to hear the agitation you were feeling.

He swallowed hard and looked at you with eyes clearer than you had ever seen them.

“I wanted to say I'm sorry.”

You didn't say a word, waiting for him to continue.

“I'm sorry that I hurt you. I honestly didn't mean to, and I have no excuse for it.”

"Ok.” You sighed, sitting down on the coffee table to hide the way your knees were trembling. 'Is that all?”

'No.'" he took a deep breath. “I stopped drinking. Actually I stopped that day. Umm.”

You nodded to let him know you knew exactly what day he meant. Keeping your face an expressionless mask you felt your heart swell with pride that he had taken such a huge step.

“I was fucked up, love, I still am if you want the truth of it. Fester says I'm a work in progress.” he smiled wryly. “But, I've been going to therapy and AA meetings, I… It took you walking away to wake me up to the damage that Cassie had done, and the hurt I caused.”

His fingers were fidgeting with a fray in his jeans, you could see he was struggling with what to say next.

"I didn't realize how important you are to me until you left me. I know it's a fucking cliche and I sound just like any other asshole male.”

You smirked. He wasn't wrong.

He leaned forward, reaching for your hand and looking into your eyes intently.

"I was so caught up in myself that I was blind to everything going on around me, especially you. When I said her name, I wasn't thinking about her, for the first time in years I wasn't. It was a reflex and I'm not making excuses, but that's all it was. I was just so happy that you were still my friend despite everything I did. When I was in that room with Cassie, she looked at me as though I was nothing, she believed I had committed murder for her and she still looked at me like that. It was that moment that I started to realize how completely fucked up everything was. It took a pretty intense talking to from Fester to see what was really there in front of me.”

He paused, searching for the words he needed. You could feel your eyes filling and you blinked before he could see you cry.

“Once I removed my ridiculous obsession with Cassie out of the picture everything was so much clearer. I let it go, it was killing me, and then I started to rebuild. And there you were. You were always there and I was too blind to see it."

His thumb grazed over the back of your hand. You forced yourself to stay still and breathe, needing him to say everything, hope taking hold and blooming in your heart.

'I'm not stupid enough to expect you to forgive me after everything I've done. But I needed you to know, I'm clean and sober, in therapy, starting new work, and I love you. I knew it the moment I realized I was more upset about you leaving than I was about anything to do with Cassie. With her it was all about self-pity, I ruined myself over her. But with you, it felt like someone had taken a vice to my heart, I couldn't breathe and instead of wallowing, all I wanted to do was become the man you deserved.”

Tears spilled down your cheeks unchecked, you could see the truth of his words in his blue eyes. A wry, half smile appeared on his face.

´It's my own fault, I know, All of this. Even when I was at my worst, I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm so sorry that I was. I should have known, why else would you have stayed my friend all these years if you didn't love me? I destroyed all that, and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life, but I won't ever go back to the man I was, I promise you that..."

'Ray?' you interrupted him before he could go on.

You had already forgiven him everything a long time ago. The moment he had said he loved you, you knew you weren’t going to let him go.

"Shit, you're crying! Dammit I never wanted to make you cry.” he sounded angry at himself as he instinctively cupped your face, his thumbs wiping the tears away.

“Stop, Ray.” your fingers wrapped around his wrists. “Please, stop talking.”

Oh God his face was that of a rejected puppy. Pain was etched deeply in his features. You couldn't stand it.

"I need you to listen to me for a moment." you said softly.

His pulse sped up under your fingers and you watched him visibly prepare himself for your rejection.

"You did hurt me, Ray. You called me another woman's name while you were on top of me. I was angry, hurt and sad, when I left. I know that you never intentionally hurt me, I do. You need to know that I understood. I just couldn't watch you slowly kill yourself any longer, because I couldn't help you. And honestly Ray, that broke my heart. Nothing you could have would have stopped me from loving you, nothing. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?”

There was a spark of hope in his eyes when he looked at you and you saw the moment when realization dawned and you smiled softly.

"You love me?'

“Yes. Ray. I do love you, I never stopped. I tried, I really did, but I guess you're a little difficult to get over.” you said, reaching out to run your fingers along his jaw. With a sigh, he leaned into your touch, turning his head until he could press his lips against your palm. You shivered slightly, your breathing turning ragged. Time had only made your want of him stronger and more acute. He dropped to his knees in front of you, hands on either side of where you sat. Your breath caught us he leaned forward, eyes open to rest his forehead against yours. He rubbed his nose against yours, nuzzling your face, his mouth a whisper away from yours, his breath warm on your skin.

"Ray." you whispered his name in a quiet breath.

Time slowed down to a crawl and the rest of the world disappeared until there was nothing that existed but your heart pounding in your ears and the feather-light brush of his lips against yours. Your blood sang in your veins as he tilted his head, his mouth covering yours firmly, his large hands cupping your head to hold you against him. He growled deep in his throat, your name the sound that passed his lips. The sound of it sent a shiver from your scalp to your toes and he took advantage of your sigh to slide his tongue past your lips and against your own. Your arms wrapped tightly around his torso, pulling him closer, parting your legs to accommodate him. You didn't care about breathing, you just never wanted him to stop kissing you. He pulled away and you whimpered at the loss of him, sliding as close to his body as was physically possible.

His eyes, dark now with blown out pupils, took you in, from your heaving breaths, hooded, heavy eyes, to your flushed cheeks and swollen lips. Your fingers moved to tangle in his hair, pulling him back to you, his whispered ‘I love you’, washing over you as you both dove in. His teeth worried your bottom lip, his tongue smoothing the sting before filling your mouth. Your legs wrapped around his waist, causing you both to hiss as your core pressed against his hardness.

Without taking his mouth off yours, Ray pulled you up to stand, palms sliding down your back to your rear to hold you against him. He carried you as though you were weightless, grunting as each step he took brushed you against his erection. You managed to pull off your jumper while he carried you, tossing it somewhere in the dark. Passing through your bedroom door you reached out to flip on the light, leaning back against the frame and giving him an eyeful of your breasts, covered in nothing, but thin delicate lace. He twitched against you, groaning as he steadied you against the wall. His eyes were fixed on your chest as his fingers traced the outline of your bra, your eyes watching him lick his lips as he slid the straps off your shoulders. Your hands went to the zipper of his red hoodie, opening it so you could slide it and his flannel shirt off his shoulders. Using his hips he pinned you to the wall, freeing his hands to shrug off his garments, pulling his t-shirt off over his head as well. You barely had a moment to take in the view of his broad, muscular chest before he clutched you against him, plundering your mouth with his tongue, his fingers deftly undoing your bra and sliding it off your body.

Gasping into his mouth as your nipples grazed the hair on his chest, you couldn't think straight. All you wanted now was his mouth and hands on you, his cock buried inside you, everything you had ached for, for ten long years. Desperation was rising in you both, his hips rolling between your thighs, your kisses now messy, rough and demanding, your hands touching every available inch of bare skin on one other that you could reach. Hefting you higher, he latched onto you, sucking your nipple into his mouth, flicking the tip of his tongue over it, smiling around you as you threw back your head, a cry escaping your throat, a hot sting of pleasure shooting from his mouth to between your thighs where it settled in a wet, throbbing ache. You needed him, now.

'Ray.' you were panting his name as he switched from side to side, alternating between licking, sucking and biting, each sending almost overwhelming pleasure coursing through your blood.

He hummed around you, his hands sliding under your upper thighs, fingers meeting in the middle, tracing over your core through your thin pants. Your fingers tugged on his hair, your body shuddering and jerking, your hips rolling against his touch, wanting more.

"Ray, please.” you gasped as his thumb found your clit and began a frustratingly slow rhythm.

He pulled his mouth off you with a pop, hissing as you tugged a little too hard on his hair. Your head fell forward, his face lifting up so he could kiss you again, his fingers still causing havoc between your legs. You unwrapped your legs from around him, forcing him to let you slide down his body to stand. Biting his lip, your hands moved to impatiently work at his belt buckle, slithering it through the loops of his jeans until it fell with a clunk onto the floor. He grinned against your lips as you made short work of his button and zipper, your palms sliding down his hips pushing his jeans down. Ray wiggled his legs and stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. He growled low in his throat as you reached between you to cup his erection through his boxer briefs. It was his turn to shudder as you stroked him through the cotton, dragging your tongue along his in unison. His hands furiously pulled down your pants and underwear to also be kicked aside, as well as his briefs, a pile of discarded clothing forgotten on the floor. Without breaking your kiss he hoisted you up again, pressing you against the wall, his fingers moving immediately to drag through your wet folds.

You whimpered against his tongue, your own fingers tracing featherlight over his balls feeling them twitch and draw up, his body shivering. He actually cried out, shaking when your hand wrapped around him, stroking his length with just enough speed and pressure to drive him mad. Your thumb dragged through the liquid leaking from the tip of him, the way he rocked his hips against you making you very much look forward to repeating your touches with your mouth later on.

Two long fingers sliding into you made you lose your train of thought as a wave of pure lust took you over. He hissed us your hand tightened around his shaft, making you repeat the gesture with each push of his fingers inside you. You were so close, you could feel your body tightening like a bowstring. He pulled his mouth from yours, pulling back to look down with a groan between your bodies. Doing the same you could see his cock sliding through your fingers, his fingers disappearing between your legs, his thumb sinking between your folds, stroking you.

Ray's breath was hot in your ear, his voice low and rough as he spoke.

"Tell me what you want, what you need right now."

“I want you.” you panted, your body trembling.

"You already have me.” he purred, twisting his fingers, stretching you open.

“God dammit Ray you know what I mean.” you moaned loudly, bearing down on his fingers as he found that magical spot inside you.

To think this man had been hiding under all that drunken misery. The thought flew through your mind, leaving you wondering for a brief second how the fuck Cassie could have left this man behind.

You arched your back, letting go of him as you jerked, his hand going still.

"I want to hear it, I need to hear it.” he caught your eyes, and beneath the desire burning there you saw the vulnerable Ray, the one who was afraid that you wouldn't want him, just like Cassie hadn't.

You allowed all the love you had for him to shine in your eyes, looking at him as though you needed to memorize every line, every feature of his face, each more beautiful to you than the last. You had never been good about vocalizing during sex, always feeling ridiculously self conscious. But for Ray, you would push through it, even though your cheeks flamed and you found it hard to meet his eyes. You clasped your hands around the back of his neck, grunting in his ear as your muscles clenched around his fingers, his length twitching against your thigh as you whispered hoarsely.

“I've wanted to feel you inside me for ten years, Ray. Please don't make me wait any longer and just fuck me.”

You couldn't believe the words that had come out of your mouth, not that they weren't true, but they certainly had the desired effect. Ray's teeth were on your neck, his fingers sliding out of you, replaced by the heated, blunt head of his cock, bearing down minutely at your entrance.

“Open your eyes and look at me. Please.” he begged, circling his hips, enhancing the desperation you felt for him to just push into you.

You did as he asked, watched his face as his mouth moved around the shape of your name. A strangled whisper as he surged forward, impaling you on his length, the air pushed out your lungs, as his body pinned you against the wall. He was still for a moment, forehead resting against yours as you panted heavily into one another's mouths. He felt almost impossibly large as you stretched around him, your every nerve ending focused solely between your thighs. Your body trembled as you tentatively squeezed yourself around him, drawing a long moan from his lips. His body shook from the effort of holding himself back, one hand gripping your hip tightly, the other on the wall beside your head.

“Ray.” his name was barely a whisper on your lips, but it was enough. With a low, long growl he pulled back, leaving you aching at the loss of him, then with a grunt he filled you again. He felt incredible as he quickly set a ferocious rhythm, you saw stars every time he pounded into you. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, nails scratching over his back as they grasped for purchase on his sweat- slickened skin. There was only hunger and desperate lust as his body slammed yours against the wall over and over. He grunted with each thrust, rutting like an animal and sending you closer and closer to the edge.

You cried out as he pounded harder, faster, every scrape of his length against your walls sending arrow shots of pleasure from your core, through your body and back again. You could feel your orgasm building, could hear only his grunts and the sound of wet skin slapping as he fucked your harder than anyone ever had before. It was almost too much to handle.

“So close.” you managed, barely able to breathe.

Ray groaned, pulling back far enough to slide his hand between your bodies, the rough pad of his thumb sliding your clit, your body jerking from the added sensation.

“Good girl, let me feel you come around me.”

He growled your name with every thrust of his hips, tilting you slightly so he could sink that little bit deeper inside you. That was all you needed, you felt yourself start to ripple around him as he stilled, your orgasm catching you off guard with its intensity. You felt as though your body had exploded into stardust as burning pleasure radiated through you. The feeling of him steel hard in you, as your muscles clenched, took your breath away. You writhed on him, hips rolling, fucking yourself on him, prolonging your pleasure, his name screamed into the air. There was no chance to come down, his thumb rubbing you kept you flying as he started pounding into you again.

His name was a litany chanted as your head rolled against the wall, pleasure bursting like fireworks in your blood with every thrust.

“God! I'm almost there. You feel you fucking good, so tight.” he grunted and groaned, his movements becoming more erratic the closer he got.

Then with a roar he slammed hard into you, holding you still against him as he twitched and jerked, his whole body shaking as he spilled into you. The knowledge and sensation of him coming inside of you was enough to send you over the edge again, shuddering and gasping as your body clamped around him tightly, causing him to let out a strangled moan as he spurted one last time, your body milking him as you both tried to breathe.

His legs must have given out as you slid down the wall until you were sitting on his thighs, trembling and shaking. Ray's lips moved over your shoulder, gently kissing and nibbling your wet skin. Your arms were wrapped tightly around each other, neither of you wanting to pull away. He whispered endearments as his lips traveled up your neck, telling you he loved you, making sure to speak your name over and over so you knew you were the only one he was thinking of. Then he kissed you with the sweetest kiss you had ever experienced, his tongue barely touching the tip of yours before he pulled it back. Finally, he leaned back enough to look at you, your chest still heaving and red with a flush that traveled all the way to your scalp. He was red from exertion, his eyes full of satisfaction and affection. He looked proud of himself and you figured he had every right to, no man had ever made you come like that. In fact, until this moment and this man, you had been more content with toys than a real man. Ray had just changed all that, you were never going to stop wanting him and your heart soared as your fingers traced the planes of his face and love shone from his eyes.

"I love you, Ray Levine.”

He smiled sweetly, leaning in to kiss you, softly.

You knew you would never leave him again.

#richard armitage #richard armitage fanfiction #stay close #ray levine #ray levine fanfiction #*nsfw

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abloomntime · 11 months

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That Bloomin' Curse Ch2 The Curse And An Empty House

(if you don't know who Hazelle is, there is a witch npc in the game that I just repurposed and gave an identity to for the story. Picture of Hazelle above.)

Subcon Forest was not a place for just anyone to enter and exit as they please. There was a reason these woods had such a feared reputation and was rumored to be haunted. Because it was. By the King Snatcher of Subcon(as he liked to refer to himself) and his ghastly assortment of minions and dwellers behind him as his undead army, anyone who went in NEVER came out which added to the entire frightfulness of it all!!...Well no one except three little giggling girls who were currently playing with toys and crayons and a certain red head who was busy tending to her garden somewhere. BUT THEY DIDN'T COUNT!! The dark sky and dead trees twisted with dangerous vines as the sun dared not shine here. If that won't convince you to stay away then maybe the giant chunk of the forest that always so dangerously cold will? Or perhaps the section that's always burning bright with enchanted flames? Or maybe the ghostly king who claimed trespassers' souls as his own or the rumor of a powerful witch? Either way, whatever helps to keep trespassers out he was all for it. But he had no real responsibilities today. The brats could wonder around his woods as long as they didn't go near the frozen half or Vanessa, or they could go exploring on any other part of the planet for all he cared. As long as they were all back home and in bed by six he was fine with it. And Poppy by now knew these woods pretty well so he wasn't so worried about her. Right now he was sitting down enjoying his book of dark tales and legends as he relaxed in his home. The old book in his claws as glowing yellow eyes scanned over the story unfolding from it's yellow pages.

Down in the world unknown there laid a kingdom drab and dark. Where darkness and shadows collided and lived in fear and power. One would be mad to even think about stepping in a place like this. Where the dead are gone but still there, the shadows played and roamed and full of terror. A frightful place brace heros dare not venture unless they wish to meet a tragic fate. Yes. This one place was alone ruled by a power hungry spirit, spited by his love in life and now seeks vengeance on any mortal who dared be foolish enough to be beckoned into his awaiting claws-

"Hello, Snatchy. Still reading those same drab books on cursed kingdoms? It's a bit ironic don't you think?"

Yellow eyes narrowed before the book was lowered and he stared right at copper eyes. "Oh look who it is. It's the annoying witch that bugs me all the time. Don't you have a cauldron to stir?"

Hazelle only chuckled and rose a brow. "Really Snatcher. I thought you'd be more nice to an old friend. How's Poppy doing? It's been awhile since I've seen her."

"Just tell me what you want THIS time. Or are you here just to bother me again."

She tutted. "Now let's not start a fight. There's children just outside of your tree." He frowned harder. "Oh alright if you're going to be a baby about it. I came here to ask you about that mansion you've had in your forest for quite some time." She gestured with an arm.

A brow rose on the ghost. "The mansion?" That was Vanessa's old family home when she wasn't in her castle or at the summer house he usually stayed at when he was alive and visiting her. But now she was forever trapped in her summer house and the mansion being inside his territory was now his. But that begged the question."What the peck could you want to go there for?"

"I want to check out the old place for possible magic remnants. If there's magic festering in there for over a thousand years then imagine what I could do with that."

He...never thought of that but he didn't like anyone else tampering with things that was obviously HIS either even if Hazelle and himself were on good terms. But he also knew Hazelle wouldn't use it against him and just go there anyways if he said no. Plus he didn't know what was in there really. Hadn't been back since he died. But Hazelle would be able to harness anything that might've been there. She could make blue potions that harmed ghosts after all and he definitely found those helpful.

He groaned again. "Fine. But on one condition." He pointed at her with a stern claw. "Whatever magical whatchamacallit stuff you find I GET A CUT IN. It's only natural since I'm generously letting you have something that's rightfully mine."

Hazelle only rolled her eyes. "Deal. But I should let you know that I'm bringing Shifty and Timmy with me. It'd be good for both of them to get out."

He let out a longer groan before holding up the book to his face again. "Fine but that dumb familiar of yours better not try to chase around my minions again!"

"Oh he's just playing." She then turned and began walking her pink and white clothes bodied out of the treehouse.

"I DON'T CARE IF HE'S TRYING TO PUT OUT A FIRE!! THAT OLD SACK OF RAGS CAN STAY AWAY FROM MY MINIONS!!" Hazelle sighed rolling her eyes and shaking her head as Snatcher bellowed out of his tree- "AND I KNOW MOONBOY IS PLAYING AROUND HERE TOO! I CAN FEEL HIM IN MY ECTOPLASM!! TELL HIM TO STAY AWAY FROM POPPY AND GET OUT OF MY FOREST!!"

Hazelle again sighed hopping off the large vine leading out of the treehouse and turned her head towards where she left Timmy. Oh there he was! The brown haired boy was chatting away with his three friends as the three girls happily chatted back with Shapeshifter looming over them curiously. Ah! She also recognized that red headed woman there casually holding a tool box in one hand and turned upon hearing her approaching. Poppy smiled at her.

"Ah! Well if it ain't Hazelle." All the children looked over hearing her talk. "I knew ya couldn't be too far if Timmy was around. Come back for more of them herbs I grow?"

Hazelle shook her head no. "No. We're actually going on a field trip to the old mansion up on the cliff side. I take it you're building something with those tools?"

Poppy nodded. "Yeah! That old house everyone keeps callin' Snatcher's Shack. Ah'm gonna fix it up and move into it. I figured it would be an easier place ta live than the spaceship. At least n's the shack everythin' is my size."

"And we're helping!" Hattie added throwing up her hand much to Bow's agreement but Muriel rolled her eyes.

"Sounds boring if you ask me." The blonde tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Exploring an abandoned manor sounds waaaay cooler than building a house."

"Well if you're good then maybe we can go see some o' the old villager's houses." Poppy then looked around them curiously. "By the way where's that red eyed phantom at? I heard Snatcher's screechin' 'bout Moonjumper."

"Oh he's here. He's just off looking over some of the mushroom patches deeper in the forest. He said something about trying to see if his red threads worked on fungi."

Poppy grimaced at the reminder of those red strings but shrugged it off. "Well...as long as he's not causing trouble or messin' with Snatcher. Ya want some company? We're headin' that way anyways."

Hazelle smiled. "Sure. It'd be nice to have the company."

The small group of two women, four children, and Shapeshifter traveled away from Snatcher's treehouse and down into the forest. It was as peacefully gloomy as always and they were greeted by many subconites and dwellers running around the place. Ducking from spiders and looking over the beautiful vines growing everywhere. Ah. The thorns were growing in beautifully this year. Eventually the group did stop by the old mostly still held together shack. Although the entire front of the house was gone. Yeesh. Poppy sure had her work cut out for her.Ah. And right up on the cliff was the decrepted remains of an old building. A VERY big old building at that. That was definitely Vanessa's old manor and it was sitting there just waiting for them to investigate. Bidding good bye to Poppy and the girls, Hazelle and her two trusty helpers went on their way past the shack and up towards the manor. And by that Hazelle just snapped her fingers casting a teleportation spell to transport the three of them in front of the manor's doors as Timmy shook his head and looked up before letting his eyes go wide.

"Blimey!," she shouted before grabbing his hat with one hand craning his neck up. "This place is huge!"

Hazelle also looked up at what he was looking at and hummed. It certainly was. The outside tall four story building was crawling with vines growing up it's sides and many cracks grew in the stone structure from being abandoned for so long and neglected. Windows were broken, dirtied, or just plain missing altogether. The giant wooden doors barely looked like they were hanging onto the hinges as the thick wood rotted away. Definitely a place that you didn't want to be caught in as it crumbled into nothing but dust. With a hum at the state of the doors, Hazelle started her way through the doors. Her palms pressed against the cold wood before pushing forward and making the large doors open with a loud creaking noise. A rush of cold air washed over the three of them making goosebumps rose on their skin. It was...oddly colder than the outside. The sight that met them was...well what you'd expect for an abandoned haunted mansion. Rotting and old furniture was placed everywhere. A few paintings hung by a thread on the walls and a staircase of stone lead up to the second floor. Cob webs, dust, and the smell of must filled all available space. Her copper eyes glanced wearily at the ceiling where a giant old chandelier teetered dangerously over the massive lobby... She'd definitely be careful regarding that.

"Sooo where are we starting first?," Timmy asked peeking his purple eyes around the place and shuffling closer to her.

"Well I'd like to see the library and see if there's any useful books still in tact." Her head turned to the stone steps. "Moonjumper said that it'd be on the second floor." She had asked Moonjumper for his memory about the layout of the mansion for any useful information and the Spector had recalled that he had seen a library on the second floor from the few times he had been there when alive. "C'mon. But stay close to me. Ok?"

"Um.. Yeah."

Hazelle started off towards the stairs with Timmy glued to her side and Shapeshifter waddling behind them blinking his eyes around the place. Their footsteps echoed with each step and the floors creaked and groaned with each each step. As if the wood and stone would collapse under them at any moment. It didn't and further into the mansion they went. Although...oddly it was getting colder and colder the farther they went. The second floor was in worse shape than the first. The wood flooring was missing a few parts in the floor and the parts of the walls that weren't stone. Clutter strung about the dusty floors and wallpaper hung off in strips. Above them the ceiling that also lead into the third floor was also missing random pieces leaving gaping holes. Alright. Moonjumper said that the Library was on the second floor and behind the third pair of doors to the right and left side of the hallway. Hazelle kept going with the two still by her side. Creaking floorboards continued to sound off as she navigated into the hallway to the right and stopped at the third pair of double doors. This was it. With a push the doors creaked open with a puff of dust. Hazelle coughed taking her pointed witch hat to fan the dust away before blinking at the inside. Inside was the BIGGEST library she's ever seen! A crumbling fireplace stood in the middle surrounded by LARGE shelves of old books of various shapes, colors, and sizes and a few torn and broken armchairs. Along with a large hole in the ceiling.

"I bet Snatcher would love this place." She plopped the hat back on her head before slowly stepping in and looking around. "Maybe I'll just pluck a few anyways just to take back to him and Moonjumper."

"Uh..I think I'll just wait out here. I don't trust that ceiling," Timmy said eyeing the ceiling nervously.

"Alright then. Just stay there until I'm done. Shifty stay with him."

The ragdoll familiar gurgled a response before sitting back on his hutches watching with his many eyes as Hazelle walked up to one shelf and pulled out a random book to look at it. Timmy stood there just outside the doorway and sighed before stepping back and jumping as a crunching sound popped out from under his foot. He snapped down seeing something sparkle in the dim light. Curious he lifted his foot to look at it. It was...glass? Crystal? No. It was too cold to be glass or crystal. Ice? What was ice doing here? His purple eyes blinked following the small shards of ice over to the double doors just across the hall from the library. Blinking Timmy followed the shards over to the door before placing his hands on the door and pushing it open with a loud creak. What he saw on the other side made his eyes widen nearly bugging out of his skull.

"Holy peck!"

Gold! Tons of golden shiny crowns were just piled up EVERYWHERE in this seeming bedroom! All over the floor, under the bed, stuffed into the drawers of the vanity, and even a few hanging from the chandelier. He stared at all of them in awe. There must've been at least a hundred of them! But...what were all these crowns doing in an abandoned mansion? It just didn't make any sense. Timmy suddenly stopped before shivering and reaching his hands up to rub his arms. Hey. What was the big deal? It suddenly dropped a lot more degrees colder. Purple eyes looked around before freezing- Literally. Ice shards started to crackle and form as frost covered the walls and his breath could be seen. An almost darkness distorted the area as shadows grew-

HIIIISSSSS!!!!

His head snapped around as Shapeshifter suddenly hissed and snarled up the hallway. His eyes shrank in size from the cold wafting from up the hallway.

"HAZELLE!!"

The witch was there in an instant and both froze as the shadow of red eyes charged down towards them all. The cold aura she radiated distorting the air around her and causing ice to develop in their veins.

Vanessa.

"SHIFTER!! SAVE TIMMY!!"

Timmy could only scream out as the menagerie and cloth and eyes bit the back of his shirt and jerked him up into the air. Shapeshifter. BOLTED. The familiar ran full speed on all fours running down the hall and towards the open window with a the glass long since broken out and Timmy shrieked in fear as Shapeshifter LEAPT and jumped out the second story window as the cold fully seeped into Hazelle's terrified form. Shadows seeped up with a cold hand and pointed out the same way the witch's familiar left with the boy.

"AFTER THEM!!"

************************************************************************

The creature of vengeance was known as one of promises and dealings. Whether If one were to want something most dear to their heart and was determined and pure, or if their heart was filled with greed, envy, and lust he would grant your reply if you were brave or stupid enough to find him. It was when one day a child from a nearby village heard of this rumor that they were excited to find out if it was true or not. Against their parents and everyone else's wishes and warnings, the small child had snuck out to venture into the forbidden dark woods. The brambles scraped and left cuts on their body, the creatures chased after and threatened to eat them if they didn't turn back now, for darker and more sinister things slept in these woods, but bravely the child went on. On and on on their journey to really see this sinister ghost who granted wishes and promises that the mortal eye would repulse to believe. Until the sinister avenger had been found and the massive shadow beckoned the child closer with a boney rigged hand.

"You have traveled far and withstood the tests my forces forwarded. For that you have earned the right to one miracle granted to you. But a warning you have also earned. Be warned, with a pure and honest heart comes great rewards. With a heart who bleeds nothing but black with greed and jealousy, a foul end you shall meet. Think about the consequences greatly, for the repercussions shall be swift and tight. Think well, dear child."

The small child dared to smile at the creature and simply reply, "I have no need for any treasures or anything of preciousness near me. I solely only wished for to see myself if the avenger of shadows was a true sight. And now that I have seen you for what a true being you are, I will simply be leaving satisfied my wish was fulfilled."

The answer of the child amused the ancient spirit and he chuckled his hollow laugh at the very notion of it all.

"Wise answer to an otherwise difficult mortal choice. For that you shall still be granted a prize for your efforts. Name one and answer wisely."

The small child as said had no need for such items like treasure and fortune, but they knew that the child's hard working mother were in need of some fortune in her life. So with a kind heart, the child looked to the spirit and asked for their miracle. "My mother works oh so hard to take care of me. It would be so nice for her to have just a little more luck on her side. Oh spirit, let me repay her for all her kindness she has shown me."

"Your wish shall be granted. A selfless act is always it's own reward, but be wary of those who wish to use those fortunes to their own will."

The child was permitted a safe leave back to their home and as promised their selfless act of kindness was granted by the spirit of shadows. The child and their mother mysteriously found an old box in their pantry one day that they had never known of before and upon opening it discovered many, many priceless jewels. The likes of which they had never seen before. With this new found fortune, the mother and child were able to gain a plentiful farm with all the necessities they needed to have a plentiful life. Farther down in the years the mother even remarried one of the strongest most handsome men in the small village. But this man was nothing but green with want, and treated the mother and her child terribly-

"Hey. Uh....Boss?"

The pages of Snatcher's book crinkled before he looked up annoyed at having his reading time. He stared at the minion shifting nervously before him. "What is it Minion Two Hundred Four? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Um....Well I-I just came back from checking the mansion duty, Boss."

"Oh. Well what is she doing now? Destroying another painting or calling for a stupid prince again?"

"Uh..No. That's what I came to tell you. She's uh...N-Not in the manor, Boss."

There was silence as Snatcher just stared at him. "What?"

"Yeah. I looked in every room from the basement to the attic. She's not there!"

"W H A T?!"

A book thudded to the ground. The minion didn't even get a chance to speak before a snake like figure shot out of the home like a rocket and right towards the cold parts of the forest. Crows and spiders scattered in his path as the Spector shot between the dead trees. The long broken bridge barely greeted him as he flew over it and into the snow bound territory. Phasing through the ice and snow before arriving inside the dome and stopping. In the middle of this icy prison was the infamous summer house he once visited when alive. The last time he was here was when Poppy was revived by accident and the kid had to pull him outta trouble. Just staring for a moment he finally made his way over. Coming to the walls he just phased himself through the walls without stopping and there he was in the first floor of the manor. The place felt...Empty. Barren. He couldn't detect another presence of anyone living or dead. He didn't stand there for long. He made a quick search of the first floor then the second floor and then the third floor and attic with all its creep graffiti. Before finally shooting back down to the first floor to shove his head through the floor to check the basement full of water. Nothing. Absolutely positively nothing. Just as the minion told him. Panic coursed through his ectoplasm as he realized Vanessa was not here. That's ridiculous. Where could she be?! There wasn't anyway she could escape the manor! She was cursed to roam where she once lived! Snapping his head back up from the floor Snatcher stood there for a moment before a cold breeze brushed over him causing his head to turn. And he froze as he saw something that he looked over in his first search.

THERE WAS A GIANT GAPING HOLE IN THE WALL.

He stood there for a moment before slowly floating over and stopping and looking inside. It was pitch black and stone steps lead down into it. A cold breeze blew from within. A...tunnel? What was a pecking tunnel doing inside the manor?! He didn't have time to think of an answer before a magical tug on his soul called out to him from four others in panic making him snap his head around wide eyed.

"POPPY!! MY KIDS!!"

#snatcher #hat kid #florist #bow kid #mustache girl #timmy #moonjumper #Vanessa

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bisexualbumblebee-writes · 2 years

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To Love a Ranger Chapter 19- Aragorn x OC

Aragorn x Issa

Description: Issa wakes up after the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

Word Count: 2k

A/N: Guys we only have like two chapters left of this series! I can't believe I'm actually about to finish my third series. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!

Issa’s eyes slowly fluttered open, only to immediately close them as direct sunlight of the early morning hit them. She turned her head away as she lifted a hand to rub her eyes before looking around. Several other beds laid amongst hers with other people sporting various injuries. She must’ve been in the House of Healing in Minas Tirith.

Slowly, she began to sit up, then groaned. A dull pain shot through her stomach and shoulder, and her hand automatically went to it, and she discovered that her abdomen was covered with bandages. She couldn’t do much more before she heard a very familiar voice.

“Issa, you’re awake!” She heard Eowyn’s voice before actually seeing her. Next thing she knew, a flash of white appeared in her vision before Eowyn’s face came into view.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay,” she spoke, resting a hand against the girl’s cheek. Issa couldn’t help but smile as she leaned into her friend’s touch.

“Eowyn,” she greeted softly, voice slightly hoarse. “What happened?”

“You were injured in battle,” another voice came from the doorway. Both girls looked at it and discovered it to be a man. Issa didn’t immediately recognize him but based on Eowyn’s smile when looking at him, she knew he was a friend.

“You’re lucky that Aragorn found you in time. If the healers waited any longer, I hate to say it, but I don’t believe that you would have made it,” he continued. Both Eowyn and Issa flinched at that, and he offered them a sympathetic smile. Issa sighed softly, then perked up as the memories of the battle hit her.

“Aragorn. Where is he?” She asked urgently. “Last I saw him was on the battlefield. Is he okay?” The duo shared a look that made nerves begin to fester in the pit of Issa’s stomach before facing the girl again.

“I do not know if you will like the answer,” Eowyn responded hesitantly.

“Oh gods, please don’t tell me he’s….” She trailed off, not having the will to finish her sentence. Eowyn’s eyes widened at that, and she quickly shook her head.

“Oh, no! No, nothing like that,” she said, which allowed Issa to calm down. “No, he and your companions along with what remained of the uninjured soldiers from the battle marched to the Black Gate to create a diversion. They only left an hour ago.”

Issa couldn’t tell if that was better or worse than him already being dead. The thought of Aragorn possibly marching to his death without her by his side was too awful to imagine. Immediately her mind was sent into overdrive and she’d begun trying to stand up without even realizing it. It wasn’t until she felt hands on her shoulders attempting to carefully lay her back down (not to mention that awful sting in her stomach and shoulder) that she’d come back to reality and realized Eowyn was speaking to her.

“Issa, no,” Eowyn scolded without any real conviction behind her tone, having been the one to push her back onto her pillow. The girl merely shook her head as she fought against the girl’s grip.

“I-I have to go. I have to help them,” she said, her panic overriding any critical thinking. “Please! Let me go!”

“You will only hinder them,” the Princess responded gently. “Your wounds are still healing, you’ll never reach them in time. They must do this without you.” It was only when she looked at Eowyn with blurred vision that Issa realized she’d begun crying. Sobs racked her body as she finally fell back down, having no strength to fight anymore when a second pair of hands held her down as Eowyn stroked her hair soothingly.

It had been nearly a week since the soldiers of Middle Earth left Minas Tirith to march the Black Gate. Things had felt rather slow since then. Not that that was a bad thing to most, but to Issa it was agony. With time seeming to pass so slowly it felt like it had been an eternity since she’d last seen and/or heard from any of her companions. She’d come to accept it wouldn’t be wise to follow Aragorn (as much as she wanted to) and apologized to Eowyn for her earlier breakdown. Of course the Princess understood, so forgiveness was granted without hesitation.

Issa spent most of her time in the House of Healing, talking to a few Rohan soldiers she recognized as a way to distract herself. She talked to Eowyn a few times, happy to see that the Princess was not only okay after what happened, but she seemed to take a liking to the Steward’s youngest son, Faramir (who she’d learned was the one with Eowyn when Issa first woke up). She’d seen them standing close together as they looked out over the city. It warmed her heart that after so much heartbreak Eowyn was able to find a light amongst the darkness that consumed them.

She desperately wished that she could do the same with Aragorn. She’d been worrying herself sick since the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan left (albeit silently). Every so often she found herself absentmindedly glancing out of one of the many windows that faced Mordor. Of course she couldn’t see the soldiers or anything, but instead the only things big enough for her to see were the tower of Sauron and Mount Doom. If she looked hard enough, she could even see the Black Gate. That was all she had, so all she could do was hope for the best case scenario.

Issa once again sat with Eowyn and Faramir on her bed. Her injuries had healed almost completely (though there’d likely be scars that won’t go away) so she was finally allowed to stand up and move around. They’d just finished a walk around the House of Healing to stretch Issa’s legs when a loud and very sudden boom was heard in the distance. Immediately all chatter in the room ceased as everyone simultaneously realized that the noise had come from Mordor.

All at once the ones who could stand without pain (which wasn’t actually that many) stood up and rushed to the windows that lined the room. Since Issa’s bed was right beside one of the windows that faced Mordor none of them had to get up to see, so instead they just sat and glanced out.

In the distance, the Eye of Sauron suddenly flared, looking around desperately. Screeches and groans rang out loud enough for it to reach Gondor. Issa could only watch in shock as the tower of Barad Dur began to collapse, and once it fell to the ground the Eye suddenly exploded, sending a huge shockwave outwards that could’ve knocked her back if it was any stronger. She heard several gasps as she gathered her bearings, which made her look out the window once again. The grounds just outside the Black Gate gave way, sending the army of Orcs to their deaths and sparing the army of Middle Earth. For a moment there was silence, the only sound being that of Mount Doom beginning to erupt to wash away the evils of Mordor.

“They did it,” Eowyn muttered quietly in shock before looking around at the others. Her eyes met Issa’s and the girl felt a smile form on her face.

“They did it!” She repeated, much louder and more joyfully this time as happy tears welling up in her eyes. Cheers erupted from the room as everyone began celebrating. Issa laughed as Eowyn pulled her into a bone crushing hug, which she returned with a relieved laugh. As the two embraced, Issa’s eyes moved back to the window once again, where she could very faintly see the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan. She had a good feeling about the homecoming of the soldiers.

Issa stood outside with the rest of the friends and family of soldiers, all eagerly awaiting the arrival of their loved ones. Excited chatter filled the silence, but she was too excited to even speak. Her eyes stayed on the entrance of Minas Tirith, where the gates were already open in preparation for the homecoming.

She only managed to tear her gaze away when she felt someone grab her hand. Upon looking to her left she was met with Eowyn. Her dear friend offered her a small smile and nod, wordlessly signaling that everything would be okay. Though Issa already knew this, she still felt comforted by it and she returned the gesture. Their silent conversation was interrupted by someone in the crowd yelling.

“There they are!” The person exclaimed, which made everyone turn towards the gates instantly. Sure enough, there was a mass of people both on horses and walking towards them with smiles on their faces. Almost immediately cheers erupted from the crowd as the soldiers got through the gates. Eomer, along with the rest of the Fellowship were at the forefront. Issa’s breath hitched at the sight of her fiancé, who seemed to be having a rather happy looking conversation with Legolas, who was on the horse beside him with Gimli.

Once the soldiers stopped they dismounted their horses. Everyone else took that as their signal to greet their loved ones because everyone began running to their respective soldiers. A small laugh left Issa’s lips, though she found herself doing the same as she attempted to locate Aragorn in the large crowd. After a few minutes he found him (and the rest of their companions) halfway up the stairs talking to Eowyn and Faramir, all with smiles on their faces. Her eyes met the Princess’, and the girl offered Issa a smile before saying something to Aragorn that she couldn’t hear over the cheers and chatter around her. Whatever she said, however, was enough to make Aragorn turn to face Ussa. Their eyes met just a moment later, his mesmerizing blue eyes staring into hers as a look of happiness and relief filled them.

Issa hadn’t even realized she was moving until she felt someone bump into her, but it didn’t slow her down in the slightest. Aragorn jogged down the rest of the steps in an attempt to meet her halfway. They ultimately reached each other once they simultaneously reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Meleth nin (My love,),” the Man muttered just before his arms wrapped around her waist, the girl copying his movement immediately. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged him so tight she was surprised he was still breathing. To have him in her arms once again, her relief was beyond words. She gasped loudly then laughed jovially when he suddenly picked her up and spun her.

Neither of their grips faltered even when he set her down nor when he suddenly pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that she quickly returned. The kiss left both of them breathless by the time they pulled away. Once they did, Issa brought their foreheads together and opened her eyes to see Aragorn smiling at her.

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” she whispered, though he could still hear her.

“I am too, I was so worried about you,” he responded softly. Issa’s smile widened (if it were even possible as she glanced at their friends, who were all watching them with fond smiles.

“Frodo,” Issa suddenly realized, facing Aragorn again. “Is he…” Almost as if it were a cue, two Great Eagles swooped overhead, one holding Samwise in its talons while the other held none other than Frodo along with Gandalf, who rode on its back.

“Alive,” Aragorn answered simply, which thankfully confirmed her hopes. That reassurance brought back her immense relief, and she found herself smiling at him before pulling him into another kiss. They both had the distinct feeling that things would be better from now on.

#lord of the rings #lotr #lotr imagine #aragorn #aragorn imagine #aragorn x oc

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fateviled · 2 years

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𝙴𝙳 . . . @faeties ( continued. )

the words are HARD, but the voice is SOFT. ed cannot help but bask in it. in the attention, in each syllable. in the gentle thumb that glides along his cheek. the tears come then, pushed over the edge by such a small touch. by such a small kindness.

edmund gray was not a kind person. anyone with the last name gray, had had their kindness stolen by a woman whose cruelty festered within her chest. but ed believed he simply wasn’t born with it. there was no nature within him to be gentle, only frail. unkindness festered in him as well.

“i...” he hiccups. what can he say? what words could even begin to the describe the indignation that bubbles up in his chest and then the weight that hangs there with the TRUTH of it? he closes his eyes for a moment, picturing the two of them on the way to the city, unaware of the decision ed would make once they were there.

words rarely fail ed. usually, they bent to his will, able to break and bend until they were something twisted and beautiful to behold. when he didn’t end up hating them a few days later at any rate. yet, his face in the hands of arlo tesser, the HURT between them laid bare, he finds there are no words that are sufficient. arlo sees through his words anyway. he always has.

“sorry is all i have to give,” he lands on, body tensing, “i know it’s not enough.” it was never going to be enough. ed was never going to be ENOUGH.

but that didn’t stop the wanting— the craving for a lifeline he never deserved. none of that stopped the sickness. the blood in his throat. the exhaustion in his eyes. the vertigo when he moved too fast since this sickness began... this particular bout of illness was taking its toll. yet he was still here.

WHY?

“...but i... i did mean that,” he murmurs, “i couldn’t see how you could ever be happy with ME. the days— you seemed so happy with them. a road to hell paved with good intentions is still a road to hell... and, yes, it was because i still cannot fathom the idea how anyone could be happy with me. which doesn’t... well, you already know.” nothing can ever be made right again.

his voice gains confidence and an infinite sadness in equal measure. he wants arlo to kiss him. he wants arlo to plunge a knife into his throat.

“and i’m looking at us now and i see i was RIGHT,” his body shakes, his hands clutching at arlo’s wrist, mind reeling as he shrinks into himself, feeling so small, so young, “...so what do you want? because if you want me DEAD, then kill me. i know it’s a kindness i don’t deserve, to give me what i want. but i... i want to leave, arlo. i want to leave...”

the city. this life. it didn’t matter. all of it was the same. but if he was going to go somewhere arlo would not follow, he knew which he preferred.

in every way known to man, happiness was abstract. while it felt as real as any warm and solid thing underneath their grasp, arlo knew the sight of it was deceiving. after all, hadn’t monica smiled through the pain of having to care for him in an unforgiving world; hadn’t she played and laughed with him as they raced through desolate and dangerous lands? it hadn’t been happiness that lingered in arlo when he’d first met the days, but a sense of comfort and a feeling of hope he was hesitant to grasp. arlo was no poet, but warmth and sunlight… it was easy to mistake light for happiness, to see something bright and turn at the chance to bask in it.

arlo was not the nights, who reveled in their shadows and secrecy. and arlo was not ed, whom had made the dark his own. but arlo loved the dark just as well, had learned to respect it and see the potential there. and what that said about edmund gray, well… anyone could look into arlo’s eyes and see the weight of the man in his heart.

everyone, that was, but ed himself. and it stings, so much so that the thought brings a smile to his face, despair and disbelief mixing in equal parts within him. it’s not funny — god knows this world, this heartbreak, has wrung out any humor from him. BUT IT IS CRUEL, to trace the soft curve of his frown with a weathered gaze, hand still upon skin, and think that there is nothing else arlo tesser would have wanted more than to have another day, another week, another year with edmund gray.

❝ you always were the stupidest genius i ever met. ❞ touch gentle and deliberate, he brushes the moisture away from ed’s cheek. if it feels like giving too much away, arlo can’t help it. some things are too deeply ingrained in him, and so many of them bare the name of this perfect nightmare before him. ❝ but that’s alright, i guess i couldn’t ask you to change your nature. or to hope you’d want to change. ❞ for me, he doesn’t say. that’s admitting to more than too much, like giving away the plot in one of ed’s convoluted stories. or starting a new one when the one they’d written has long since ended.

he should pull away. he knows. arlo’s hands don’t belong on the other, and he’s said his goodbye a dozen times now. still, he lingers, wondering if he’ll feel any relief to know that he could soon live in a city that did not bear the other’s presence anymore. but the beating thing in his chest offers no answers, whispers no secrets. hell, arlo supposes he already knows the answers, because he still hasn’t moved. doesn’t move when he says, ❝ i would have left with you. ❞ and stronger still: ❝ you were wrong, because i spent weeks after you walked away thinking… that if you just came back to me, apologized, i would have left with you. ❞

there’s no anger left in his tone. arlo’s too tired for it now. he looks down wearily, the weight of the world he’d been left behind in pushing him down. and he endured it now, left with no choice. what did he want? a conclusion. a time machine. to not know another heavy choice again. but that’s impossible, so he looks back up, finding the strength that was built into his bones generations ago.

❝ i want you to stop being a coward, edmund gray. ❞ he forces himself not to swallow, throat dry as the words flow out. malice is not the intent, but he needs the harshness to be felt, as thick on his tongue as he utters every word carefully. ❝ you survived this cruel world, yet you still haven’t learned how to fight. and it takes fight to let yourself chase what you want — even death. ❞

#suicidal ideation tw #long post /#arlo isn’t saying kill yourself but that’s very much what it sounds like and i am so sorry for that bc im also directly thinking about this #and how arlo sure as hell isn’t going to kill him but he also is tired of ed putting these things on other people #arlo wants him to fight for LIFE but he’s saying it in a way that ed will get and not thinking about how it might be taken #faeties #faeties: edmund.#faeties: [edmund & arlo].#╰ 𝙰𝚁𝙻𝙾 𝚃. ╯ ⋯ even the trees lean away from my voracious loneliness

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echantedtoon · 10 months

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That Bloomin' Curse Ch2 The Curse And An Empty House

(if you don't know who Hazelle is, there is a witch npc in the game that I just repurposed and gave an identity to for the story. Picture of Hazelle above.)