#NOTE: IF YOU DO FEEL UNSAFE WITH A STRANGER- WALK AWAY

[kitasgloves]

Closer

tracklist

— ♬ "I drink the honey inside your hive. You are the reason I stay alive"

— ♬ Sex Addict! Fyodor Dostoevsky x Reader, NSFW, female reader, graphic depictions of unsafe sex & sexual obsession, brief mentions of masturbation, stalking & somnophilia, psychological manipulation, lobotomy (yes, fr), manga spoilers for Fyodor's ability, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, 3.7k words, no beta

— ♬ NOTE: I DO NOT CONDONE, ROMANTISIZE, OR SEXUALIZE WHAT IS DEPICTED IN THIS STORY. EVERYTHING IS A WORK OF FICTION. READER'S DESCRETION IS ADVISED.

Faith can make an individual resilient. Faith provides hope to the hopeless. And faith can give purpose to those who seek. Faith in a powerful being's existence is common among humanity. Humans have the liberty to believe in any kind of higher being they create with their minds. Humans owe their existence to gods, goddesses, or unfathomable beings. They offer their devotion and faith towards them and serve them respectfully.

Fyodor Dostoevsky thinks that every country has their own god and that god represents the people's beliefs. God shows their distinction between good and evil, but sometimes the line of distinction gets blurred. Fyodor believed he had faith. He's convinced that he's abundant of it. He can identify the difference between good and evil at a young age. And he chose goodness to pursue and to engrave into his motives. However, as he grew older, he learned that goodness isn't often achievable.

Some individuals perform evil acts for the sake of goodness, and some people overlook their horrid actions and focus on their righteous intentions. In a world where cruelty thrives among humans, being benevolent becomes a challenge. Fyodor viewed people as sinful and foolish after giving in to their depraved acts. He was disgusted, and he equally pitied those who suffer for the wrongdoings of others. A sense of justice blooms in Fyodor's chest. He longs to be the one who would save his country, he desires to be the Saviour of the world.

He could be this era's Jesus Christ. However, he doesn't think that dying for the sins of others is ideal. Fyodor believes that he must eradicate those who are unworthy to be a part of humanity and exhume the remaining goodness of humanity. For years, Fyodor has dedicated his life to rid the earth of filthy sinners. To think that he has died and yet resurrected various times solidifies his belief to be this world's only Saviour.

Fyodor has witnessed so much bloodshed, degeneracy, and incomprehensible evil that he becomes deprived of what is good. He has been away from the hold of goodness and he's slowly becoming a stranger to it. All he cared about and clung to was his own beliefs, he's convinced that it would be enough to carry on with his duty.

To have encountered various faces in his prolonged lifetime, your face becomes the most prevalent of all. Fyodor initially thought that it was your beauty, he is drawn to beauty when exposed to it. Your glistening eyes full of light, your tender skin, the harmonious tone of your voice, and the smell of your natural scent invited him to get closer.

You were a decent civilian. An individual with various thoughts, emotions, and feelings. And a woman with an inviting appearance. Fyodor laid his eyes on you for the first time at a humble café he had recently discovered. He remembered to be the beginning of Spring. He can recall that day in extreme detail. He silently sipped his tea when you walked into the café with that gorgeous sundress and a pocketbook in hand. His throat felt momentarily dry when he observed you. He took note of the drink and pastry you ordered. He finds himself smiling when you choose a table that is near his. And he watched you as you read your pocketbook in comfortable silence.

The attraction to you at first glance almost compelled him to approach you, yet Fyodor held himself back. He decides to quietly observe you and get a sense of what kind of person you are. He effortlessly gathered all the information he required. All it took was to follow you home and a quick snoop inside while you slept. He absorbed every detail about you, from your favorite music to your deepest insecurities. Fyodor knew it all without even approaching you, he reserved that official encounter with you for the precise timing.

Watching you from afar seems so lovely. He adored the tenderness that your existence exhibited. Fyodor noticed everything about you despite the distance. The shade of your lipstick, the slightly chipped nail polish on your nails, the shining necklace around your stunning neck, and even the skin that your dress is slightly exposed. Fyodor can feel his flesh craving for yours, he is taken aback by the passionate yearning at the beginning, but he thinks that it must be natural.

An infatuation is natural, Fyodor has experienced it several times before. However, with you, it seems unusual. His infatuation with you brought this burning sensation buried within his skin. His eyes tended to betray him as he glanced lower at your breasts. He would swallow at the sight of your bare legs exposed during a hot day. And before he realizes it, he has formed some sort of...erotic craving for you.

Fyodor was disgusted by the call of the flesh. The sin of lust came across as the filthiest to him. And yet, he finds himself victim to it. As repulsed as he was, Fyodor made attempts to rid of this sexual temptation by pleasuring himself. However, no matter how many times he has stroked his length or reached the most earth-shattering orgasms, the desire never goes away. What was worse was that Fyodor kept fantasizing about you the more he masturbated.

The mind conjures the filthiest things when given the chance. Fyodor would stroke his cock to the fantasy of your hands replacing his, your soft hands pumping his length while gazing innocently up at him. You would be settled between his legs with your hand wrapped around his shaft. Fyodor throws his head back as he imagined your lips kissing the tip of his dick before slowly swallowing his length. His hand pumped faster as he imagined the tip of his cock hitting the back of your throat as you gazed up at him through teary eyes. Fyodor chants your name at his approaching orgasm. He reaches his sweet release with the fantasy of you swallowing all of his seed.

When he would open his eyes and realize the mess he has made, Fyodor would turn so upset with himself. He was losing track of his mission, his purpose. It's people who fall for the call of the flesh who fail the most. You have infested his mind with these lustful fantasies and crawled your way into his heart. Fyodor tries to ignore the pleading of his desires to consume him, but the longer he suppresses his urges, the more it grows worse.

You accidentally bumped into a tall and slender man with raven hair inside your favorite bookstore. The books in your arms almost fly out of your hold if the man didn't steady you with his cold hands on your exposed shoulders. You looked up and shuddered. The man was gazing intently at you before giving you a polite smile.

"I apologize, I was not properly looking at my path"

"Oh, it's fine!"

"Hm, if I may, you have a remarkable taste in literature"

The man spoke with a prominent Slavic accent as he pointed at the books you huddled against your chest. You blinked and smiled.

"Thank you! They're by my favorite authors"

"It is rare to encounter someone with refine taste, may I know your name?"

"I'm [Surname] [Name]"

"You may call me Fyodor"

Your face bloomed with color when Fyodor delicately reached for your hand and brought them to his lips, giving it a tender kiss. Fyodor strikes you as a man with elegance. His movements seemed calculated. And his gaze offered a mystery that enticed your curiosity. Fyodor invited you to a café to discuss and share common interests in books. You were impressed with how many authors he knows. Judging from his choice of words, Fyodor seemed intelligent. His face looked incredibly majestic too. It was difficult not to be attracted to a man like him.

Fyodor reveled at the way you easily fell for his charms. The way you would gaze up at him through your thick lashes and clench your thighs whenever he talked almost made him laugh. He can feel his pants tighten as you slowly lean closer to him, his eyes capturing the delectable sight of your cleavage. Fyodor wanted to undress you so bad and all he is waiting for is the perfect moment.

"Fyodor, do you enjoy tea?"

"I do, my dear"

"Well, I have an array of it at home from different countries, would you like to try them with me?"

"That would be delightful"

The moment you invited Fyodor to your home, your fate changed forever. You could barely put the kettle on the stove when the man approached you from behind and wrapped his arms around your figure. Before a question could leave your lips, he has already leaned down to kiss you. The kiss was fueled with urgency. Fyodor's hands felt the fabric of your dress as he pressed you against the kitchen counter. Fyodor lapped on your lips and nibbled on your neck with hunger. You were left breathless with the way his hands roamed shamelessly all over your body. He grabbed your ass and squeezed your breasts. When he pulls away to give a proper look at your debauched face, he smirks darkly.

"Shall we continue in your bedroom?"

Fyodor doesn't dare waste his time as he poured all of his efforts into fucking you thoroughly. He placed you in several positions as he greedily stole orgasm after orgasm from you. He devoured you like you were his first and final meal. He pressed your head down against the pillows as he fucked you from behind. His cock would stretch you viciously during missionary. When he grew tired, he would grab your hair and force your mouth on his cock while his hand trailed down to play with your clit. Fyodor has fucked that innocent look out of your face.

You let him violate you. You let him desecrate you. You let him penetrate you. You let him complicate you. Fyodor wasn't finished until you're utterly destroyed. And he left you like that. The moment your eyes fluttered shut as he got done cumming in your cunt, he collected his clothes and abandoned you without offering an ounce of aftercare. Fyodor felt pleased and convinced that his lustful fantasies of you would finally disappear now that he had satisfied the call of his flesh. However, the moment he was finally alone, he felt a heavy weight on his spirit.

Fyodor thinks about what he has done and realizes he's not satisfied. His thoughts lingered back to when his cock was nestled inside of you as he drew out every breathless moan of his name from your lips. To his horror, he learns that his desire will never disappear if you continue to exist and tantalize him. Fyodor almost felt sick at the revelation. He felt like he had broken apart his insides and he had no soul to tell. This momentary self-loathe swallows him as he buries his face against his palms. Fyodor, in a state of emotional distress, pulled on his hair and aggressively bit on his nails until it bled. He couldn't bear to succumb to his carnal urges when he must carry on his righteous deeds. 

He must find a solution. And yet the only thing that works for him is for something to help him get away from himself. Yes, that's it. He wasn't being himself and he would never be himself if he was in this body. Fyodor finds himself wandering among the dangerous and dark streets to find someone who will be a sacrifice. One fateful thug tries his luck to rob him only to be met with Fyodor smiling. With one pull of the trigger, Fyodor's body drops to the pavement. Suddenly, the thug screams in agony as he feels the pain of his skin tearing apart. The screams echoed in the street before it abruptly stopped.

Fyodor returns to his hideout with a refreshed feeling inside of his new body. He tries to fall back into his routine when he has another fateful encounter with you at the café. He clenches his fists and steers his eyes away. However, he doesn't miss the way your face dropped. You ignored him and sat at a table further away from him and read your book. Fyodor was unable to resist as he let his eyes slowly wander back to your figure.

Fuck, you looked good. Your dress was cut shorter, and your soft legs were exposed. Fyodor licks his lips at the sight. You were all dolled up in your usual look as you focused on your book and sipped on your drink. Dismissing the heed of his desires seems futile as Fyodor feels his pants go tight again.

He wants to fuck you like an animal. He wants to feel you from the inside. He wants to fuck you like an animal. Fyodor could no longer deny himself. He wants to shove his cock into your pussy and ram into you until you bled. He wants to feel your warm and wet walls welcome him as if he was made to belong inside of you. He could no longer refuse the fact of how flawed he is. His whole existence is flawed. And yet he's convinced that you get him closer to God.

With every sinful tug on his soul by your body, Fyodor finds himself clinging to his faith. The faith that he will be forgiven and cleansed. God forgives all, doesn't he? If one does wish to repent and seek forgiveness from the almighty, then he shall find it. Fyodor quickly clasped his hands together and spoke a prayer in his mother tongue.

You peered up from your book and found Fyodor approaching your table and sitting across from you with a smile. Everything ends up with you and him in your bedroom as previously. You let him fuck you senselessly until you felt like your insides could tear apart. Fyodor is ravished at the moment of burying his seed deep inside you every time. He's constantly folding and molding you into various positions that could bring you to heaven and back. He'll have you with your back arched as he greedily fucked you. He'll make you lie upside-down at the foot of the bed as he fed you his cock. And he'll leave your thighs shuddering so much from fingerfucking you.

This all quickly fell into a routine. Fyodor would approach you for sex and then leave wordlessly after. He'll kneel and pray for forgiveness before doing it all again. For some reason, he was unable to stop himself. He thought of doing the same things to somebody else, but it would only spark contempt. It was only you he saw was worthy of sharing his filth. No matter how many times he has changed from body to body, he will always long for your body the same.

Fyodor had a feeling that you understood his urges. If you didn't, then why do you keep inviting him each time to ruin you? It fills him with pride and pleasure to see you submissive and trained to be his personal fucktoy. He had manipulated you effectively to feed his desires. He made sure to have you prioritize his pleasure over yours. To have you so obedient whenever he'd force you on your knees to take his cock or to not cum until he has brings a wicked smile to his features.

All this longing for your body was probably because of his prolonged loneliness. His isolation from society felt necessary for his mission to save humanity, he needed to focus. Perhaps he has been stressed for so long that's why he would treat you so roughly in bed, but you always took him like a good little slut. Fyodor thinks you're slowly pulling him away from God and stripping him of his faith. He keeps forgetting to repent every time he's done fucking you. But it was no worry, he's sure God could understand him, right?

God might have sent you to him as a blessing in disguise! He saw his child suffering and offered him relief. Yes, that's it. Everything made sense now. You're meant for him, and only for him. Just as Eve was made for Adam. You're here to take what he's giving you. Yes, of course, everything is so clear now.

You can have his isolation, you have the hate that it brings. Fyodor made sure to separate you from others who could potentially take you away from him. He must have your focus solely on him. He made you cut ties with friends and family and even made you quit your job to stay at his secret place. There you would always wait for him to return and bring him pleasure.

You can have his absence of faith. Fyodor is sure he's straying away from his godly beliefs. How could he remember to say a prayer when his mind is occupied with lewd memories and fantasies of you? Every time your cunt welcomed his cock, his mind with go blank except for the sensations it brought. You have rendered him faithless and filled his head with filth instead.

You can have his everything. Fyodor has grown unhealthily obsessed with you. That initial infatuation had led him to this path of debauchery. Every moment he's seeking you and the pleasure only you can give him. You take him so fucking well that you deserve everything he has to offer. His time, his devotion, his affection, and all you had to do was be a good girl as he'll make sure you're treated well.

Fyodor has lost track of his purpose. All his plans were getting delayed. He was unable to resist a good fuck when you were displayed on his bed. However, you're not completely free from your independent thoughts as you would ask him questions if you can go outside or see your family. He'd always reassure you that it would be soon knowing that soon would never arrive. Sometimes, it would seem as though you have managed to fuck out every logical bone in his body as he starts to function on his sexual desires alone. What an accomplishment you have achieved of fucking the Fyodor Dostoevsky dumb.

You tear down his reason. It's your sex that he can smell. You make him perfect. You have helped him become somebody else. Fyodor doesn't need a change of body when he's with you. He knows you'd welcome him always between your legs. You'd scream his name until your voice would grow hoarse. You'd let him hold you after he has exhausted you to the point of unconsciousness. Even when you slept, it wasn't enough. He thought how wonderful you were to still take him in your sleep.

He wants to fuck you like an animal. He wants to feel you from the inside. He wants to fuck you like an animal. His whole existence is flawed but you get him closer to God. With every thrust of his hips and every time his cock kisses your cervix, you bring him so much closer to God with how heavenly you felt.

Fyodor's head grew hazy as though he was living in a dream. He knows everything he's experiencing with you is real. He lived blissfully for a month until you approached him one evening. You had glassy eyes when you demanded to leave. You're beginning to get suspicious, it took you long enough though. Fyodor predicted this, but he can't afford to let you walk out the door.

"Please, Fyodor! Let me go! I must see my family—"

You bite your lip shut when Fyodor laughed mockingly at you. He walked over to you and caressed your cheek with a malicious smile.

"So, you want to end this relationship with me?"

"This...what we have isn't a relationship"

"Oh, how awfully wrong you are, [Name]"

"You're only using me! For...for sex!"

"That doesn't mean I don't love you, mоя дорогая"

You angrily peeled Fyodor's hand away from your cheek, this makes him frown immediately. You couldn't take it anymore as you marched towards the exit. How stupid you felt for falling for this wicked man's schemes. He didn't love you, he's only obsessed with your body! You can't tolerate being treated as a sex object for his own sexual gratification. However, before your hand could grab the handle of the door, you felt a pang of pain from behind your skull before your vision went black.

Fyodor has gently finished wrapping fresh bandages around your head before gently placing a kiss on your forehead. As he gazed at you, he smiled at the fact that you had ceased having those thoughts of escape. You still moaned his name the same when he fucked you, if anything, it appears as though you have welcomed him even more than before. Fyodor couldn't help but grin. All he needed to do was create minor adjustments to your brain and you finally gave in to your true nature: to submit to him.

Perhaps being this world's Savior wasn't his time yet, he must wait for a few more years or even centuries to continue this journey. But for now, Fyodor is content with you. For as long as you remain on this earth, he shall never let you go. Here in his hold, you must stay. He'll make sure you're taken care of while you take care of his carnal needs. Fyodor hums as he strokes your bandaged head lovingly, he rests his cheek against your temple.

"Through every forest, above the trees. Within my stomach, scraped off my knees"

He recites. You listen to him vacantly. He reaches to gently grab your chin before tilting your face upwards to him. Fyodor hums before leaning down to kiss you briefly on the lips.

"I drink the honey inside your hive. You are the reason I stay alive"

He finishes, and a crooked smile appears on your face. Fyodor grins to himself before his slender hand starts to snake up your skirt.

©kitasgloves (do not steal or copy)

[unconventional-lawnchair]

Hey! I wanted to see if you'd want to do a band!au with marauders . I was watching the kool kids maneskin, Tokyo concert, I couldn't help but think how problematic it actually could be. Something happens maybe someone makes the fem!reader uncomfortable and stuff goes down, everybody's like she's too arrogant and disrespectful and so on. How the marauders defend and comfort her etc with some fluff. Thanks!

You're Strong

Platonic!Marauders x Reader (Minus Peter)

AN: I love this request sm

Cw: 3704

CW: use of {Y/N}, Sexual Harassment, Victim blaming, sexual innuendos, a lot of cussing and shouting

Latex and a shitty cologne seemed to cling to your nose like a taunt, even in the supposed safety of your dressing room. You clung to the small vanity top, trying to rid your nostrils of the foul odor that seemed to cling to you like an unwanted memory.

This wasn’t your first time experiencing something like this, but it was the first since you joined the band.

Back in college, James had gotten on his hands and knees, begging you to fill in for Peter on guitar after their falling out. At the time, you and the boys ran in the same friend group but never really collided- except for Remus, who would write his songs with you.

James didn’t have a clue who you were until Sirius told him you were the one who taught Marlene how to strum. It took some convincing, but after some gentle prodding from Remus and downright devious tactics from Sirius, you finally caved. One song. One gig.

You should have known that wouldn’t have been the case. The moment your first performance was a hit, they practically hounded you around the clock to join them for more. Eventually, after a few failed guitarists, you agreed to go on tour with them.

Never once in the six weeks you had been on the road did you feel unsafe. It was your main concern. You weren’t scared of the boys, but traveling to a new city every night as a girl was a nightmare. You voiced your concerns to them, and they swore they wouldn’t force you into something dangerous. They were always with you at every point- one of them tied to your hip from the moment you exited your hotel room to the second you entered it.

But tonight was different. The moment you stepped on stage, you could tell it wasn’t like your normal performances. The producers had sprung something on James last minute, and you could hear him arguing from behind the curtain while you and Sirius exchanged worried glances.

When James came back, he was red in the face but greeted the crowd with his bright smile. You relaxed slightly, falling into the rhythm of the performance. Then, James introduced two more bands to the stage local to the area. Not just their instruments, but their bloody groupies as well.

The stage was suddenly flooded with people. Men and women danced, far too close. You looked to Remus in a panic, trying to keep your strumming even on your cues. Sirius seemed shocked but into the act, and James continued singing as if nothing was wrong. But for you, the stage had become a personal hell. The noise was deafening, and the people were too close- men grinding on you, women making crude remarks that only worsened your anxiety. It wasn't something you hadn't experienced before. But your boys were there. And they were doing nothing. Sweat and cheap plastic glitter assaulted your senses, making it hard to breathe.

The mix of sounds and overwhelming amount of strangers in your safe space made the stage feel like a claustrophobic nightmare. You tried to focus, to keep playing, but each note felt like a struggle. The safety you had once felt with the band was slipping away, replaced by a rising tide of panic.

Then, a husky smell hit your nose. This cologne you couldn't place, and the smell of burnt latex, as a man walked behind you and grinded on you. But he didn't pass by after, no, he stayed and pressed his entire waist against your back. You felt like you could heave, but instead of sobbing like you wanted to, you lashed out in anger.

You turned and practically snarled at him, your shouts barely audible over the music. “Piss off!”

“Woah, woah woah, no need to be so feisty.” He chuckled as he passed, muttering a simple, “Fucking prude.” as he went.

Your heart pounded in your chest, the adrenaline surging through your veins like wildfire. The blaring attack of music, shouting, and laughter melded into a disorienting blur. Your vision tunneled, and it felt like the walls were closing in. You tried to focus on your guitar, to find some semblance of normalcy, but your fingers were trembling too much to play properly.

James, always the charismatic frontman, seemed to notice your distress. He made his way over to you, still singing, his eyes filled with concern. He offered you sympathetic eyes, but even then, in his understanding you were even more upset. How dare he not warn you?

James’s presence, usually so comforting, felt like a betrayal tonight. You wanted to scream at him, to demand why he hadn’t given you a heads up about the chaos that would unfold on stage. But you knew this wasn’t the time or place. Truly, you didn't know if he knew either.

Your breaths became shallow and rapid, your chest tightening with each passing second. The stage lights felt unbearably hot, and the noise seemed to amplify, each beat of the drums pounding in your skull. You almost snapped at Sirius, as he slammed the instrument worked in tandem with your throbbing head. The people on stage began to mutter and laugh, you didn't need to hear what they were saying to know it was directed at you.

With a deep breath, you forced yourself to keep playing, though your notes were shaky and uneven. You could see Remus and Sirius exchanging worried glances, sensing the shift in your usually electric energy. James, ever the performer, managed to keep the crowd entertained, though his focus never strayed far from you.

But it was too much. The world around you felt like it was spinning out of control, your vision blurring with unshed tears. Your hands felt clammy, your grip on the guitar slipping. The overwhelming sense of panic clawed at your throat, making it hard to breathe.

The second the fifth song ended, you shoved your strings at one of the other band members before walking off stage. You couldn't do it. You couldn't even think clearly on that damn stage, let alone play. The need to escape, to find a quiet space where you could breathe, was overpowering.

You made your way backstage, your breaths coming in short, desperate gasps. The noise of the crowd and the band faded into the background as you found a secluded corner, sinking to the floor. You hugged your knees to your chest, trying to ground yourself, feeling the cold, hard floor beneath you.

As you sat there, the adrenaline began to dissipate, leaving you feeling drained and exhausted. The panic attack had taken its toll, but in the quiet of the backstage, you could finally start to piece yourself back together.

You stormed off to your dressing room where you were now, finally allowing yourself to break down.

You had never had a panic attack so publicly before. Replaying the memory only made it worse, as embarrassment took over the panic remembering how harshly you reacted. But why did you feel guilty?

Suddenly there was a firm knock on the door. You looked at the clock and winced. Did they stop the show early? Fuck.. your poor fans.

You didn't answer, you never did. Walking over to the bathroom to splash water on your face as you heard the door open.

“The hell were you thinking, James!?” Sirius’s shouts filled the room and you shook your head, cleaning off the makeup you now made a mess of.

“I didn't know it was going to happen! They sprung it on me too, Pads!” James shouted and Remus huffed.

“You should of said no, James.” Remus scolded and James waved his hand dismissively.

He walked up to your bathroom door and knocked, leaning his ear against it. “Hey, you good in there, {Y/N}?” He asked cautiously.

You schooled your expression once more before you swung the door open. Looking at the boy in front of you, his sweaty body covered in glitter and giving you a startled look. “Since when did the stage becomes a fucking rave!?” Your voice was loud and you tried to sound angry, but you were on the verge of tears again. Clueless as to why this seemed to affect you so much.

James's eyes widened as he saw the raw emotion in your face. He took a step back, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "I know, I know. It was a mess. I'm sorry, {Y/N}. If I had known, I would have stopped it before it started. Just- they were already in the back when Gideon told us, said it was a deal the producers made to get this place more attention, ya know?”

“Oh sob off with that crap! She's fucking scared, man!” Sirius snapped behind James and Remus scoffed.

“And you're not making it much better, Sirius.” Remus huffed before turning to you with gentle eyes. Ones you were used to, ones that always meant safety. You walked over and sniffed a bit, coming undone easily. Especially when he pulled you into a hug.

Remus rubbed your back and let you ruin his new shredded shirt. His bandaid covered hand slipping behind her head to let you muffle your sobs into his chest.

Eventually, your sobbing stopped, and Remus found himself inspecting you. “Hey..” He whispered after a moment of exchanging looks with the boys. “You're alright, pretty girl.” He cooed and you slowly smiled.

He took the chance to take a peek at you, only to see you smiling brighter at his glance. They had a way of soothing your more erratic emotions, so easily.

“Is she smiling?” James called out in a teasing tone. You rolled your eyes and pulled away from Remus with a sniffle.

“You guys always call me that.” You huffed and Remus laughed. “What? Pretty girl?”

You nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips despite the lingering tension. "Yeah, 'pretty girl.' It's like you think I'm some delicate flower, I'm a big girl.”

Sirius grinned, his usual mischievous spark returning. "Well, you are pretty, and you are our girl. Even if sometimes you're abusive." He cheeked and you shot him a glare.

“See? My groupies would have lost their shit at that line. I just get death glares.” Sirius dramaticized as he looked at James who snickered.

James gave a fond sigh, shaking his head. "Well, to be fair, Pads, it just shows {Y/N} has standards."

At that, you laugh and Remus smiled at you. “There she is.”

“Oh stop that.” You gave a small nervous smile and pushed his face to look away. He laughed before he kissed your calloused palm, turning to face you. He gave you one last comforting squeeze before letting go, his eyes still filled with love and gentle concern. "Seriously though, {Y/N}, we never want you to feel like that again. We need to make sure our performances are safe for everyone, especially you. Trust me, we were shit without a guitar.”

You rolled your eyes fondly but let his words seep in. Knowing he truly meant them.

You took a deep breath, feeling a bit more grounded with the boys around you. "I appreciate it, really. Just... next time, let's make sure there are no surprises, okay?"

James nodded earnestly. "Absolutely. No more surprises. We'll make sure everything is run by you first. You're part of this band, and you deserve to feel safe and respected."

Sirius threw an arm around your shoulder and gave you a squeeze. “Yeah, I mean, if you weren't here we'd just be a bunch of dudes jerkin it.”

You gave him a slack jaw at his crude remark, before Remus rolled his eyes.

“Something tells me you wouldn't mind that, Sirius.” James laughed and you quickly shooed Sirius’s arm off of you.

“You two talk like virgins and it's starting to become sad.” You huffed. “But I'm ready to go back on stage. It's been a hot minute now.”

James barked a laugh and you looked at him surprised. You hit his chest and he held your hand with a playful wince. “Sorry, sorry, just trying to imagine going back on stage after Sirius busted that bastard’s lip. I don't think the show is still on.”

“You did what!?” You exclaimed in shock, turning to Sirius. He didn't look even the least bit guilty, just grinning ear to ear like some damned cat. He shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? No one messes with our girl and gets away with it."

You shook your head, a mix of disbelief and amusement. Not to mention the endless about of affection and safety you felt. "Sirius, you can't just go around punching people."

"Well, I can and I did," he replied with a wink. "He deserved it. Dudes still lucky he has a heart beat."

Remus sighed, though a small smile played on his lips. "Let's just make sure we handle things a bit more diplomatically next time, yeah?"

James chuckled, squeezing your hand reassuringly. “I'm sure {Y/N} has no problems with it-”

Before the quips could continue, suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sirius huffed and turned to slam it open. “What?!” He boomed and came face to face with a very angry producer.

“The hell are you all doing in here mingling? You have a crowd out there waiting to watch you play!” He boomed. Despite yourself, you suddenly clamed up. Oddly, you were unable to speak. Even as you tried to force yourself, the words felt like they were trapped in your chest. Your breathing increasing.

“We had an issue with a guy on stage-” Remus started and the producer scoffed. “Yeah, we all saw it! That's no excuse! These people paid good money-”

“I-I'm not going back out there.” You finally stammered out. He scoffed at you and Sirius tightened his jaw.

“I'm sorry, princess, please continue to believe the world revolves around you. But do that on the stage?” He pushed and you choked out a scoff.

“He-”

“Isn't that what you kids do? You party hard you have fun, can't blend those two together?”

The producer’s words cut through the air like a knife, leaving you feeling exposed and vulnerable. Your hands trembled as you tried to pull yourself together, but the panic was threatening to overwhelm you again.

Sirius, however, was having none of it. He stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger. "Listen here, you pompous ass. She was sexually harassed on stage, and you think she should just suck it up and keep playing? How about you show a bit of human decency?"

The producer sneered, clearly unimpressed. "This is a business, Black. If she can't handle the heat, maybe she shouldn't be on stage."

Remus stepped in, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to Sirius’s fury. “Sir, I think that a discussion needs to be had about our safety on stage before any of us return to it.”

“I refuse to work like this.” You challenged again and the Producer scoffed.

“Listen, kid, everyone deals with stuff like this in show biz. Don’t be arrogant.”

You took a shaky breath and tried to still the next shiver that rocked through you. Again, your words were gathering in your throat like film. “No-”

“Kid.” The producer spoke more sternly this time.

James had been standing quietly, his fists clenched at his sides as he listened to the exchange. But the producer's dismissive attitude was the final straw. He stepped forward, his usually bright and cheerful eyes now dark with anger.

"That's enough!" James's voice rang out, startling everyone in the room. He pointed a finger at the producer, his hand shaking with barely contained fury. "How dare you speak to her like that! She's not just some performer you can push around. She's our friend, our bandmate, and she deserves respect! If you want this fucking band to work how about you worry about that freak in the back with the bloodied nose? Get him the fuck outta here!”

The producer opened his mouth to retort, but James cut him off, his voice growing louder. "You think this is just showbiz? You think it's okay for someone to be harassed and then forced to keep performing? What kind of person are you? I promise you, if she wasn't overwhelmed enough as it is-”

"James-" The producer began, but James wasn't done.

"No. You don't wanna listen to her, you're gonna listen to me. We've put up with a lot of shit from you. But she is where I draw the line. Is that understood?”

James's outburst left the room in stunned silence. The intensity of his words hung heavy in the air, and even the producer seemed momentarily taken aback. But the anger in James's eyes was unyielding with that fire and familiar protectiveness he held for everyone, but it seemed to be focused purely on you.

The producer, clearly flustered, tried to regain his composure. "Look, James, I understand you're upset, but-"

"No, you don't understand." James interrupted, his voice steady but seething with controlled rage. "This isn't just about being upset. This is about basic human decency. You don't get to treat her like that. Any of us! If you can't guarantee our safety and respect, then we're done here."

Sirius had a moment where he stared awestruck at James. Clearly proud. “What the big guy said.”

Remus nodded in agreement, his eyes never leaving the producer's. "James is right. This isn't negotiable. If you can't ensure our safety and treat us with respect, we're not stepping back on that stage."

The producer, now visibly shaken, tried to salvage his authority. "Okay, okay, let's not get hasty here. I-I'll talk to the guy and make sure he's removed from the venue. We can... we can make some adjustments."

James took a step closer, his demeanor still tense but slightly more controlled. “Good.. bloody good, yeah.” He sighed and rubbed his temple. “Now-”

“Get the fuck out!” Sirius shouted over James as his tone turned polite.

The producer mumbled something under his breath before he gathered what little pride he had and ran off.

You stood there shaking slightly, taking deep and steadying breaths when the door closed. James looked back to you and his eyebrows knit together with worry.

“Hey, sorry.” He cooed and muttered your name. Walking over only to give a soft ooph as you crashed into his chest with a tight hug.

This felt right. This felt safe.

It hit you why everything was crashing on you so hard. You have always been so strong, so determined, so ruthless. When the boys came along they smoothed out your edges with so much gentle care you forgot at times you needed to protect yourself.

Though, relying on them wasn't something you found unpleasant. You had been so strong all the time you forgot what it felt like to rely on someone. Let alone three practical guard dogs.

“I'm sorry you had to do that.” You whispered and James absolutely melted at the tender tone.

“Nope. You're not allowed to apologize for that.” James whispered and pulled you close and firm against him. You hummed and nuzzled your nose into his neck a bit. Not embarrassed to come undone in his arms.

“I'm still sorry. I hate to see you so upset…”

James sighed, his voice softening. "Seeing you upset is what makes me upset. Still debating going to give him another piece of my mind. I mean, who the fuck talks to someone like that?"

“James.” Remus warned and he huffed, nuzzling his nose into your hair. Finding comfort with you so close.

Safe.

You felt a tear slip down your cheek, but you quickly wiped it away, not wanting to let the emotions overwhelm you again. Sirius and Remus moved closer, forming a protective circle around you.

Sirius placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, his earlier anger now replaced with concern. "You're alright, yeah? Come on, I hate seeing pretty girls cry.”

“Fuck off.” You choked out and Remus chuckled, rubbing your back.

Sirius gave a small, genuine smile. "That's the spirit. Just wanted to see a bit of that fire back."

You couldn't help but laugh through your tears, feeling the warmth and safety of your friends surrounding you. Remus continued to rub your back soothingly, his touch grounding you in the moment.

James pulled back slightly, just enough to look into your eyes. "You don't have to be strong all the time, {Y/N}. We're here for you. Always."

You nodded, taking a deep breath. "I know. And I appreciate it. I really do. I just... I wasn't expecting any of this tonight."

Remus gently wiped away a tear from your cheek. "I sure hope you weren't. It shouldn't have happened." He muttered, a bit guilty. Having seen it all go down and fighting every bit of himself not to move. You seemed like you had it handled- he didn't want to make a mockery of your strength. But when you left crying he almost screamed.

Sirius clapped his hands together, his usual mischievous grin returning. "Alright, sad sacks, enough of this sappy shit. Let's regroup, grab a drink, and figure out our next move. And if anyone else messes with our girl, they’ll have to answer to us. And I'm feeling high strung after Jamie’s lil proformance."

You smiled, feeling a newfound sense of strength and determination. The boys had your back, and you knew you could face anything with them by your side.

James nodded, his eyes still filled with concern but also a glimmer of hope. "Let's take a breather, all of us. We’ll decide what to do next, but for now, we need to make sure you're okay."

You took another deep breath, feeling the weight of the night slowly lifting. "Thanks, guys. I really don't know what I'd do without you."

Remus gave you one last comforting squeeze before letting go, his eyes filled with love and gentle concern. "You won't ever have to find out."

[asleepyyeti]

unnervingly domestic

you're suffering from a migraine when you get a text from an unknown number.

(the second time simon sends one of his boys to check on you)

platonic!john 'soap' mactavish + reader

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5]

< hey simon i've got a migraine

< really sorry

< can't cook dinner tonight

> Okay.

> what do u want frm greggs

< ???

> im next in line wat do u want!

< sausage roll?

> aye aye, ill bring ya two

< WHO IS THIS

> soap

> lol

< WHO IS SOAP???

> simons bf

> john

> coming over to hang out later

> cant show up empty handed

< oh simons not here :/ sorry

< plus im a bit sick

> i know

> see u soon : )

When you’d moved in, Simon had changed the locks. You’d not even thought about it, really–that obviously his partners would have keys to his place, and that obviously that might make you feel unsafe. Moving in with a stranger had been a gamble in the first place.

Now though, with the pain of an icepick stabbing through your skull and your brain leaking out of your eyes, you’re really wishing that this Soap guy had a key. The doorbell was bad enough, but when you open the door, the sudden blast of sunlight nearly makes you throw up. You actually retch a little, having to turn away as soon as Soap comes into view.

“Jesus, if this is a little sick, I’d hate to see ye under the weather, lass. C’mon, back to bed with ye–”

“But–”

“No but’s, pal, except yours, in bed.”

“But Luna…” you whine.

“I’ll take her for a walk once you’re all set up. What’s yer poison–tea, coffee, whiskey?”

“Any of those are gonna make me throw up,” you mutter. “Only water when I’m like… this.”

“Aye aye. Ye eaten anything?”

“Stole one of Simon’s protein bars–don’t tell him, please. I can’t stand up long enough to make anything.”

“‘s a good thing I asked ye about those sausage rolls, then. Got two vegan ones too, just in case–Si never got back to me on if ye were or not. Get something down ye, then–what painkillers do ye take?”

“Thanks. Ibuprofen. ‘s in the bathroom cabinet, I think.”

He palms off the sausage rolls to you, pushing you gently towards the bedrooms before he goes to find you a glass of water.

“Here, lass. Now, y’need anything else?”

“No, no,” you shake your head, but immediately regret it. “I’ve got my eye mask here, the ibuprofen will take the edge off, I’ll probably try and sleep the rest of it off.” You smile up at him gratefully. “Thank you for all this, really.”

“Not a problem, lass. It’s good to see ye again, and to get some alone time with little Luna. Sleep well, aye?” 

You nod. As you drift off, the stabbing in your head finally abating, you make a note to remember to properly thank both Soap and Simon.

< thanks for yesterday john : )

> no need to thank me hen!

> but

> si brought some of your biscuits over one time and i cant stop thinking abt them

< the ones with the strawberries?

> YES

< i’ll make you some more : ) i’ll send them with simon sometime

> you. you are the best

[aurora-ze-aquarius]

Hello again thank you for answering my first question and it's ok I love a good rant 💗 but excuse me if I'm being rude but I was talking about the tangled au , what would Jackson do if say lightning again . Again so sorry if I'm being rude you don't have to answer this, and sorry for not clearing things up 😔

Hey it's cool!

I like questions like these ^^

-

Jackson hasn't seen Lightning (nor Sterling) ever since he ran away 12 years ago. His memories of them, while still there, had become hazy. His mind pushing them far back as a defense mechanism. So when he first sees (grown up, no longer red-headed) Lightning, he didn't recognize him at first glance. Yet, something about the prince seemed so, familiar. Familiar in a very strange way.

He doesn't know why. He doesn't know why every time he looks at him, he freezes. He feels as if he should know him.

For most of Lightning's early castle life, Jackson just pushes his feelings about this away- pretending he doesn't feel strangely towards the young prince.

After all, it's irrational to feel this way towards a stranger, right..?

[stchttp00]

Drunk Stranger (Leah Williamson x Reader)

*not my gif

Leah Williamson x Reader

Summary: What do you do when a drunk stranger calls you in the middle of the night?

Warnings: Please don't interact if your under 18, alcohol, swear words, throw up, drunk Leah, if any of this triggers you please don't interact.

Words: 3.6k

Authors note at the bottom. Also sorry for mistakes english is not my first language.

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

You honestly weren't expecting your phone to ring at 3 am on a Saturday morning. You had been peacefully sleeping since 10 pm, after a long day at work it was honestly the only thing that had been on your mind when you got home, after nicely declining your friends to go out with them you quickly made some pasta and headed to bed for a long night's sleep. Instead you were woken up at an ungodly hour of the morning because of your ringtone.

You groaned lowly and rolled over to check who was calling you at this time, rubbing your eyes to see a bit clearer you realized that it was just a random number, groaning again at the fact that this had just woken you up, you also thought about who was calling you, clearly it was an english number so the time is the same for them as it was for you. Maybe it was something important? Why else would they call? Deciding to choose the safe option over the unsafe you pick up the phone. 

“Hello? Who is this?” You asked groggily, trying to clear your throat a bit after. 

“Hi” A small hiccup was heard before seemingly the women on the other end continued to speak. “It’s- I’m Leah, uh, who are you?” 

A bit confused, you continued to speak. “Sorry, but why are you calling me, it’s 3 am. Do I know you Leah?”

You could hear faint music in the background from her end, also the clear heavy breathing coming from her.

“I don’t know, do you know me? I don’t think so, I’m- my phone has a low battery.” There was a small giggle from Leah’s end before she hiccuped again, the slurring in her voice should have given it away immediately, but you were honestly also running on low battery, so being fast to think wasn't what you were gonna do now. 

“Are you drunk?” You asked bluntly, almost immediately regretting yourself for asking such a question to a person you don’t know. Slapping yourself mentally you try to backtrack but before you can start to speak again the woman answers you. 

“Me? I’m not drunk, I just had likeee two drinks maybe, I don’t know. But I feel great.” Leah said, you could hear her moving around a bit, maybe she was in a bathroom? 

Deciding to ignore the fact that this woman was most likely wasted, you respond again. “Okay, well Leah, your name is right, go get one of your friends and get a taxi home or something, don’t call strangers in the middle of the night.” 

“I don’t have any friends here.” You crinkled your eyebrows a bit in confusion, who would go out completely alone? 

“Well, call one of your friends to come get you from wherever you are, sounds like a pub.” You said, wanting her to hurry up a bit, knowing she has a low battery. You probably should have hung up, but the fact this woman was alone with a low battery out in a pub was worrying you a bit, even though you don’t know her. 

“I don- wanna, they are sleeping, and I don’t wanna wake them.” Leah said, slurring over the line. You could hear her hiccup again, which is starting to become a more regular thing for her now. You chew a bit on your lower lip, starting to become a bit more worried for Leah, even though you don’t know her it was clear that something was going on in her head, and not just alcohol. 

“So who’s coming to pick you up then, Leah?” You asked. You wanted to know if she actually had a ride home, because everyone knows that a girl walking home alone at night is never something that’s been ideal, especially if she’s drunk. It’s a sad world but it’s also reality, and you knew that. 

“Umm, I dunno, maybe I'll just sleep on the street, I'm gonna go get another drink.” Leah said happily. You wondered if she was actually serious. 

“Wait, what bar or place are you at?” You knew the chances were slim of you even being close to her, but it was worth a shot. 

“Uh, Orleans, you know the one above Emirates Stadium the uh football Arena, I play football actually for Ars- Arsenal, I have played there…..” Leah’s rant fell deaf on your ears almost immediately after she mentioned the bar she was at. You knew that bar, you lived like 10 minutes from it. 

“How do you look like Leah?” You cut her rant off, you wanted to get at least a small picture of how she might look.

“What, um I’m blonde and I have brown pants, but I spilled some vodka on them before so maybe there's a stain on them.” At this point you had already decided that you were gonna drive there, she was alone, and by the sound of it not in the right state of mind at all. 

“Are you not wearing a shirt?” You asked, wanting to know as much as possible. 

“Yes” 

“Well what’s the color of it then.”

“It’s white, with some cool black patterns on it. Jordan got it for me.” Leah’s voice got a little quiet at the end of her sentence, then another hiccup came through the line. Choosing to ignore that she mentioned someone named Jordan, you start to throw on some clothes. 

“Stay there Leah, I’m coming down to the bar.” You say as you put the phone on speaker.

“Wait really, do you wanna drink with me? That’s so much fun we can pa-” That’s all you heard before the line went dead.

“Leah? Are you there?” You check your phone with confusion, then you realize her phone must've died.

“Fuck, okay.” You say to yourself before you grab your car keys and rush out the door to get to your car. 

As you start the engine to your car, you realize how stupid of a idea this really is. A random woman called you in the middle of the night, drunk, and now you are coming to the bar she’s at, to do what really, give her a ride home? But when you think of the situation she’s in, you give no second thought and start the drive towards the bar. 

Arriving at a bar in sweatpants and a sweatshirt was something you've never done before, you could feel a couple of eyes at you as you walked in, but honestly you couldn't care less right now. You were only there to find Leah. 

The bar is where you first notice her, or so you think. Blonde hair, brown pants and a white shirt with some cool plack patterns on it, that had to be her.  

Walking up to the woman in crime, you slowly tap her shoulder so you could see more of her face. “Leah?” 

The woman at the bar turns her head towards you, and god save you that had to be one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen in your life. Piercing green eyes, small small freckles over her pale cheeks, nose sculptured like a- 

“Yes? Who are you, mate?” Her voice broke you out of your daydream, and the strong smell of alcohol that came with her breath, which set off the alarm clocks in your head again.

“You called me before, remember, we just talked on the phone before yours died.” You said, taking a small step back because of the strong smell of alcohol reeking off of her. Looking down towards her hand you notice the half drunk beer she’s holding. 

“Oh, yes the nice lady, my phone died, sorry uh, what was your name again, I can’t remember. I can get you a drink first wai-”

“No, Leah I don’t want a drink, and I think that should be the last one for you too.” You told her, you weren’t sure how this was gonna go but hopefully you could get her out of the bar, before she manages to get alcohol poisoning. 

“Nooo, don’t be a party pooper.” She whined, she swayed a bit at the stool she was sitting at, losing her balance, you took a hold of her shoulders as she fell into your chest. “Okayy, Leah, give me your address so I can get you home.”

“No, I don’t know you.” Leah said into your chest, you tried to push her away slightly but she had lingered her arms around you to keep you where you were standing, she was hugging you.

Before you could speak again you felt her slightly shake, her breathing coming a little bit more ragged. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, that is before you felt a little wetness damp your shirt, from where her face is. 

“Are you crying, Leah?” You asked, as you naturally started to rub her back slowly. 

“No.” Her response muffled by your chest. She was obviously lying but you didn’t wanna make her feel uncomfortable so you decided not to call her out on it again. 

“Okay, how about we go outside.” You suggested, hoping that you could maybe convince her to get out of this bar, away from all the alcohol.

“No.” Her response came once again, the wet spot on your shirt becoming more damp, you decided to try a different tactic. 

“Well Leah, I’m gonna go outside so either you stay her or you-”

“No, don’t go please, I don’t wanna be alone.” Leah whined into your shirt, her breathing becoming more erratic. 

“It’s okay, just come with me and get some air, alright?” This time Leah nodded and you smiled to yourself in victory. As you started to move you realized Leah wasn’t moving with you, so you put your hands in her armpits to help her up to her feet.

As you started to walk out Leah was leaning into you, as she was having trouble walking on her own feet. You held her around her waist to help her a bit to keep balance. 

“If we can’t go to your place, how about you crash at mine.” Honestly, you weren’t thinking before suggesting that, but what were you gonna do, really. 

“Really, are you-” A burp made it out of her mouth mid sentence, right into your face, you scrunched your nose up in disgust. But when you looked at Leah again you noticed she had started to laugh instead of crying now. Now you were just glad she was laughing instead of crying. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, I promise. Sometimes I burp a lot when I drink, it’s hones-”

“Leah it’s okay, my place?” Leah nodded at you, toppling over her own feet as you started to walk towards your car. The fact that she was slurring pretty heavily didn’t sit right with you. You had no idea how much she’s had to drink tonight, but definitely more than average. 

When you got to the car you helped Leah into the passenger seat, and fastened her seatbelt. Her head lulled a bit to the side as you closed the door. You thought that maybe she was gonna fall asleep, but when you sat down in the driver's seat she seemed to be wake as a day. 

Starting your car you notice Leah’s sharp intake of breath. “Tell me if you have to be sick, I really don’t want you to puke in my car.” 

“I’m not gonna be sick, I just feel a little dizzy.” Leah said, as you started the drive toward your home. You weren’t sure if you actually believed her on that, so you pressed down a little harder on the pedal. 

“So football, you mentioned earlier on the phone?” You thought that maybe talking to her would distract from whatever was going on in her head, so she doesnt start crying again. 

“Yes, actually um I play football, in Arsenal and for England. I am captain for England, that’s cool right, we wo- won the Euros this summer. Did you see when we won the Euros?.” Leah was stumbling over her words, but a small smile was evident on her face now. 

You had heard about the England ladies bringing it home this summer, football was honestly not something you took a lot of interest in, but it was still a pretty cool thing. You still had zero knowledge of the players though. “Yeah I heard, that’s pretty cool. So your job is playing football then?” 

“Yep, I work as a footballer. That was always my dream as a child, so many people know me now after the Euros. I almost have like 700 thousand followers on Instagram, I don’t know what to do.” 

“That sounds crazy, you must live a good life then.” 

“Everybody says that, but I’m always so sad.” Leah said, tears forming in her eyes again, her breathing picking up. You didn’t know what to say, everything just seemed to come back to whatever was making her sad. So you just placed your hand on her knee hoping that physical contact might calm her a bit. 

Nothing more was said on the ride back to your home. Leah’s breathing had slowed down after a while, so maybe your touch was helping a bit. When you arrived at your apartment, you stepped out of your car to help Leah out of the passenger seat. Somehow she was still awake, you’d thought she would fall asleep with how much alcohol she’s consumed. 

Getting Leah to her feet wasn’t that hard, she only stumbled a little bit. Noticing her starting to fidget on her feet and her face going a little red you worried that something was wrong again. 

“Are you okay?” You questioned.

“I really have to pee, like really really bad.” Leah stammered, grimacing a little as she presses her hand over her crotch. 

“Okay, come on then lean on me like you did before so you don’t fall over, hurry up.” Grabbing her around the waist again you start to walk towards the apartment, Leah putting almost all of her weight on you. 

As you got into the elevator Leah let go of you to grab a hold of the railing, groaning when the elevator started to move. “You good?” 

“I- I think I’m gonna pee myself.” Leah spoke with a desperate look on her face, starting to cross her legs over each other.

“No you're fine, look now we're almost there now.” You pushed her out of the elevator, and towards your apartment door. You weren’t really sure if you were tryna convince Leah or yourself. 

Fiddling with the key a bit, you finally got the door open. Pushing Leah inside she stumbled on the vase next to the door, making it fall to the floor and break, Leah gave you a half sheepish look.

“Sorry, I didn-”

“It’s okay, to the bathroom we go. Come on.”

Reaching the bathroom, you opened the door for Leah who half ran, half stumbled inside. You closed the door behind her and slid down the wall next to it with a sigh. This wasn’t how you expected your night to go. 

“Tell me if you need anything Leah.” 

Getting up on your feet again with a groan, you walk back halfway to sweep all the pieces of the vase that was now spread out all over the floor. 

Rubbing at your forehead before you start to sweep, you get lost in your thoughts. What were you doing? A random woman who randomly drunk called you in the middle of the night is now at your apartment. What were you even gonna say in the morning? There was not a big chance she was gonna remember any of this in the morning, she might panic. And apparently she is a famous footballer too. 

Before you can go any deeper into thought a shriek from the bathroom breaks you out of your daze. Dropping everything you're doing, you run towards the bathroom and swing the door open, to find Leah holding her shirt with clenched fists. “What’s going on, are you okay?”

“My shirt, my shirt, my- my shirt. It’s broken I-” Leah breaks out in a sob before she even can finish her sentence, the grip on her shirt tightening so much her knuckles are turning white. You notice the rip on the bottom of her shirt, it wasn’t particularly big but it was there. 

You stand there a little dumbfounded not really knowing what to do, that is until you see Leah starts to sway on her feet. That’s when you walk up to her and grab her waist to steady her, so she doesn't fall over.

“Just breathe Leah, let’s sit down so you don’t fall over okay.” You speak as you take Leah down to the bathroom floor with you. Naturally Leah leaned into your shoulder and put her arms around you, hugging you as you leant back on the wall for some support. “Leah it’s just a little rip it’s fixable, you need to breathe”

Leah sobbed even harder into your shoulder, you were sure your shirt was gonna be ruined by how much tears and snot you could feel on you. You tried to rub your hand on her back again like you had done before in the bar, but Leah sat up abruptly, her hands starting to claw and pulling at her shirt, trying to get it off. You looked at her with a confused face, not understanding what was going on. 

“Get it off, please I- I help me get it off, please.” Leah sobbed out in a pleading tone, still trying to get her shirt off with clumsy hands. Not wanting to make anything worse you quickly helped her out of the shirt so she was now bare with only a bra on, you threw the shirt on the floor next to you. 

Leah threw herself into you after her shirt was off, hugging you so tight you almost couldn’t breathe. You had no idea what was going on but asking questions right now would be stupid so you decided to just hug her back, to try and give her some comfort. 

A long time passed before Leah’s sobs finally started to subside, your back was starting to ache and your whole body felt stiff, your shoulder was sticky from Leah’s tears and snot, but there was no way you were gonna move. You heard Leah hiccup, then burp straight afterwards. Worried now she actually might throw up you push her away from you as Leah groans at the sudden movement. 

Leah’s face and eyes were red with dried tears on her cheeks and hairs sticking to her sweaty forehead. Wiping at her runny nose she burps again, but this time she covers her mouth with her hand straight afterwards. That gives it away. 

“Okay, I don’t want you to puke on me so come on to the toilet.” You quickly get out before you help her to the toilet, thankful for already being in the bathroom. 

As soon as you opened the toilet lid Leah was emptying her stomach, the strong smell of puke was overtaking your senses as you started to hold her hair up. When Leah was finally done she laid her head on the toilet ring, her eyes closing as saliva was dropping from her mouth. Falling asleep on the toilet wasn’t ideal so you quickly took ahold of her to get her up on her feet 

“Leah, you can’t fall asleep here, come on.” You said trying to wake her up a bit more. 

“ ‘M cold.” Was all you got in response as Leah shivered a little, goosebumps covering her upper body. “Because you're not wearing a shirt, I’ll help you sit down on the couch then I'll grab you a sweatshirt, okay?” 

“M’kay.” Leah tiredly said, wiping at her mouth as you helped her to the living room, to the couch. 

“Don’t fall asleep until I get back, I’ll be fast I promise.” you said to her. You ran to your room as fast as you could then grabbed a hoodie for her, running back to give her as little time as possible to fall asleep. 

When you got back to the living room Leah’s head was hanging forward on her chest, you went up to her and pushed her head back, her eyes were half closed and there was a little bit of drool coming from her mouth, you shook her little as she whined a bit at the uncomfortable movement.

“Put your arms up so I can put the hoodie on you.” You said, as Leah did as she was told. You pulled the hoodie over head and onto her upper body. Seeing no point in taking her to a bed you just helped her lay down on the couch, getting her into a comfortable enough position to sleep in. 

After Leah finally was laying down, no more crying or puking, you sat down on the couch next to her with a sigh. Starting to think about your weird night, now weird morning you groaned a bit feeling a headache starting to make its way known. Before you could move off the couch to grab a glass of water Leah’s voice interrupted you. 

“What was your name again?” She mumbled out, realizing you never told her your name. You quickly respond. “It’s Y/N.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” After that, small snores were the only thing that could be heard from the woman on the couch. You looked at her with sympathy, then you groaned once again as the question hit you.

God, how was this gonna end up?

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

A/N: Idk if anyone would want more of this cause I know I kinda left it on a cliffhanger, sorry. This also took me like 3 days to write cause im lazy so yeah, if you want a part 2 be aware. Thanks for reading.

[celestialspecial]

Palace of Stars and Shadows (Pt.2)

Writers Notes- Second part drabble- this is slowly turning into something longer in my head but we’ll see. The response has been mostly positive and I’ve honestly been dragging out finishing These Beautiful Torments cause imma miss it so much :’)

Warnings- Feelings of anxiety/dread, mentions of abuse, (smut in near future)

A tray of food was brought up to you, a large platter of fruits, cheeses, small pastries that made your mouth water. The young maid serving you had tiny pointed ears, deep purple eyes and ginger hair. If it weren’t for her ears and unnervingly stunning eyes she might’ve been just another girl in the village. She smiled bashfully at you when you'd  told her thank you. Before leaving she’d shown you the dress that the man earlier had spoken of.

A long draping garment of midnight blue, silver threading along the edges, it felt soft and lush, so different than any of the other dresses you’d had at home. The neckline plunged dangerously low for you liking, your breasts on full display, half afraid they’d fall out as you descended the stairs to the grand ballroom. You were grateful that your room was right by the stairs so you didn’t have to find your way down so many hallways and corridors.

There he was, standing by the base of the staircase waiting for you. Tall, demanding, wearing a tunic of velvet, matching your dress. You felt the hot gaze of his eyes as you took each step, certain the heat rising up your chest was evident to him. Reaching the end of the stairs he held his hand out to you, taking it in your own, savoring the warmth on his palm, the rough texture of his skin, your mind betraying you with thoughts of how it must feel to have these very hands running up and down along your body.

“Where are we going?”

“There is a meeting of the courts today. For your safety I’d like you with me.” You frowned at his response.

“Why would I be unsafe staying here?” His eyes left your face, taking your arm in his as he moved you both towards the center of the room. He walked so gracefully, long muscled legs, you had to move faster to keep up.

“Fae can smell mortals from far away, if one got too close, they might be…tempted to try something.” He bit out the last part, a look of mild disgust playing on his features.

“You mean they’d try to kill me?” He looked down at you then, pausing in his swift movements.

“Eventually perhaps. But that’s the least of my worries.” His vague yet threatening response had you swallowing a lump in your throat. Here you were far from home, in a land you’d been warned about since birth, surrounded by creatures that could easily kill you, and yet this stranger had saved you and not only that provided  safety on the interim. A moments pause later his hand drifted to your chin, hand sliding up the side of your face, it took everything within you not to melt into the palm of his hand.

“I’ve been rude. Allow me to introduce-myself, my name is William.”

“William.” You repeated, enjoying the taste of it on your lips. By the heated look he gave you could tell he enjoyed it rolling off your tongue as well.

You told him your name in kind, a blush creeping across your cheeks when he did the same, speaking your name aloud. You imagined how it’d sound spilling out of his mouth in a fit of passion. Your thoughts began to wander, the heat rising in your cheeks ever higher.

“Come, we mustn’t be late.”

You expected a carriage to be waiting for you two, but a black horse was tethered outside. You watched as William walked up to the animal, stroking its side soothingly before turning to you, a hand guiding you forward.

“I can’t ride.” You admitted embarrassed, sizing up the large beast before you. He smiled in return, stepping behind you to grasp your waist in his large hands, hoisting you up onto the animals back. His fingers lingered a moment too long before he himself threw a long leg over the side, falling into place along your back.

“Normally I do have a carriage, but I feel inclined to ride today.”

As the horse took off you watched the trees and foliage pass in a whirlwind around you. Catching glimpses now and then of the man behind you, his dark eyes always moving always watching your surroundings. Perhaps he was telling the truth, that he did indeed just want to ride, but somewhere deep down you wondered if he felt safer having you close to him, having a quicker getaway method if need be. You didn’t even know why you were here.

You didn’t know why you cared so much, it’s not like you could just go home. Not now anyways. Not without a plan. The village would surely have come across the butchered men in the forest who attempted to burn you, you no where in sight. Assuming that you used your dark magicks to kill them and get away into the night. You didn’t know who William was, or what part he played in the fae realm but surely he had a use for you of some sort? Why else go through the trouble of saving your life and bringing you before the other courts?

Each hoof beat had your tailbone crying out in discomfort. You never rode horseback, but the few times you did you recalled the familiar pain in your lower back. You were still moving quickly but the creature had slowed to a softer gallop instead of a full on sprint. You wiggled backwards in an attempt to reposition yourself more comfortably, feeling yourself sliding once more. You pushed backwards again in a Fruitless effort, coaxing your rear backwards to get some sort of relief in your seat.

A sharp hiss sounded behind you,  “What pray tell are you doing?” You frowned as you attempted to scoot backwards once more.

“I feel like I’m about to slip off.” A large hand gripped around your front, pressing into your side and stomach, holding you in place.

“Stop. Moving.” You frozen at the irritation sounding in his voice, fearful you’d upset the one person helping you, but then you felt it. The hardness pressing into your rear and lower back, what you’d been consistently rubbing against as you attempted to find purchase on the seat.

Your sudden stillness alerted him that you’d noticed it as well, a cough sounding from above you as his hand remained firm on your waist, but he scooted away leaving a space once again between you both. You wanted to whine at the loss of contact, shocked at how briefly you felt him and yet your body was aching for more. You don’t know how long you must’ve thought about the space between you two and how bold were you feeling, enough to press backwards once more?

In that time you noticed a large castle come into focus, a watery like barrier lay before you, creating some sort of wall around the grounds. Feeling yourself unconsciously hold your breath as the horse and you both walked through it unscathed. The foliage turned into bushes of roses, fruit trees, decorative florals and topiaries. Sounds of chatter could be heard in the distance, buttery ribbons of light escaped through the canopy of trees above.

It felt like fairytales you’d been told as a child, except it was real and before you…and apparently dangerous.  You could see other fae dressed in bright clothing entering the  castle, saturated hues of every color, like they’d plucked a flower from the garden and transformed it into a wearable ensemble. The horse trotted to a stop on the side of the entrance where William jumped down from his seat, reaching up to firmly grasp your waist once more, lifting you from your place and setting you down to the earth as if you weighed no more than a potted plant.

You watched as he tied the animal to a nearby post, adjusting his tunic and running a hand through his dark hair, a few strands falling out of place. He truly did look the proper pagan god, and if the other fae in this palace looked anything like him you knew why so many went missing in your village year after year.

“Shall we?”

The two of you entered the enormous front doors, walking down a long hallway filled with multiple large paintings. Stained glass windows dotted the sides between each painting, you marveled at the multi colored lights coating the room in a beautiful, if not slightly eerie glow. Reaching the end of the hallway you stood before two more large wooden doors that reached from floor to ceiling, sounds of music and talking wafted through the air.

William reached up pushing against one of the doors and the both slowly drew open as if some invisible giants stood on the other side to open the massive things. The room before you was astonishing, and enormous. Tables lined the edges of the room, one large one at the forefront, tapestries of every hue and shade hung from the cathedral ceiling. Vines and trees grew along the back, dancing with the brickwork and weaving artfully along more paintings and stained glass windows.

The room itself was bathed in sunlight, that caught along hanging crystals that decorated the room casting rainbows on the ornately carved marble floor. There must’ve been a hundred people in attendance, each one dressed more elaborately then the last. Sumptuous fabrics, brightly colored hair, these truly weren’t the humans you recognized, getting a better look at some, most had pointed ears, some looked like a cross between man and beast, you even saw a few with large wings behind them.

The notes of music and excited chattered ceased once William stepped into the room. Silence settled like a cloud over the immense space. All eyes turned to look at the man before you, then slowly one by one they turned their attention on you. You could see some sniffing the air then pinning you with a hard look. Realizing you were a human, an outsider.

He held out his arm and you wrapped your hands around it, holding tighter than you would like to admit as you both began the long walk to the center of the room. You couldn’t help but notice groups of people shared similar colors and you two were the only ones devoid of bright hues and saturation’s. You received looks of disgust, confusion, some seemed curious, even a few glances of warmth but you couldn’t be sure those responses were totally honorable.

“William! Here at last.” A booming voice echoed throughout the open room. A man stood before the head table it seemed, curling blonde locks, tanned skin with a smattering of freckles that appeared to shimmer in the soft light. Eyes of an inhuman emerald settled on you at Williams side, excitement evident in his expression.

“And who is this?”

William stepped forward, confidently, murmurs broke out amongst the surrounding groups, you noticed how they seemed to have shifted closer than before.

“SHE is under my protection.” He glanced back at you, eyes running up and down your body, flickering to the nosy fae encapsulating you both before turning back to the other man. “A new addition to the house of shadows.”

More whispering and murmurs broke out in the crowd, the man before you seemed to appraise your very essence, taking in the information displayed before him. Raising his hands upward and sending forth a loud clap, music resumed and the throngs of people subsided for the time being, returning to dancing, talking and grabbing food from one of the many banquet displays.

It was barely noticeable but William seemed to release a breath he had been holding, shoulders easing away from his pointed ears just a millimeter. The blonde figure before you softened and walked down the last few steps separating you all, approaching you before putting a hand out. Hesitating your eyes blinked to William who nodded curtly, you then let your palm rest in the other mans hand.

His whole being seemed to buzz with energy, vibrations tingling the base of your palm as he drew you forward, spinning you around at his leisure, taking in the newest member of William’s Court.

“She is lovely. William, you’ve always had good taste.” You weren’t sure how to feel about this comment, even if it seemed a compliment. “I didn’t know you were thinking of taking a bride.” You blanched before whipping your head towards William as he stood close by watching you two interact.

“She isn’t to be my bride, Tristan. She owes me a life debt, men of her village intended to kill her for witchcraft.”

Tristan's hand gripped yours a little tighter, affirmingly, as his unnervingly green eyes danced across your features.

“Is it true? Are you a witch?”

“N-no. I’m not.” His eyes brightened further, which didn’t seem possible.

“Of course not. You’re far too beautiful.” His eyes shot back to Williams who’s posture seemed forced once more. Pale hands fisted at his side, watching each movement of Tristan’s. “Well then, if she’s not to be your bride, I must have her for a dance.”

Before William could interject you both were spinning off to the dance floor. You were certain your feet barely touched the ground, the skirts of your dress billowing out behind you with each new spin or twirl.

“Tell me little one, how has Fae treated you so far?” The glimmering amusement in his eyes soothed some tiny part of your soul. Dangerous. This was the danger you’d been warned of. Surely a man as handsome as this could easily seduce you and turn you into a toy for his pleasure. But you felt no anxiety, no need to escape. Maybe that was this predators talent. Assuaging fear and turning off your senses.

“I’ve been here not two days, I can’t really speak to how I….feel about it all.” You wanted to go home to the home that no longer was waiting for you.

Tristan ponders your words, twirling you under his arm, then bracing a hand along your lower back as you moved in time with the pulses of music, spinning around surrounding couples.

“So William hasn’t been hiding you for weeks on end. Good boy, I’d have been so disappointed if he had.”

“What do you mean?” The dance shifted and partners changed unexpectedly, your hands fell into the fae next to you both, skin darker than night and crystal clear eyes. He seemed unfazed about the new human in his grasp, moving in time with the rhythm, twirling you once more before you again landed in the arms of Tristan, who pulled you closer.

“I’m currently the king of the courts, the house of light takes rule every hundred years or so, based on solstices. So all new additions to the land, changes In house members and matings must go through me.” You felt yourself swallow on the last part. “You were lucky he was there to save you from the men in your village.” All you could do was nod, focusing on how your feet seemed to move more gracefully here than they ever did back home.

“I am.”

“Humans tell stories about how dangerous we are, to stay way from the forest and yet they themselves seem to be the biggest threat to one another.” You fixed Tristan with an appraising look, he was so poised, inhumanely beautiful, like most of the fae in this room. Surely he was a threat of some sort? The beat changed once more and you were circling off into another dance partners arms, eyes watching Tristan's face glimmer with a smile as he turned away to escort his new partner into a slower waltz.

“I cannot wait until his rule ends.” 

You looked up to see William standing before you, unknowingly you’d been danced into his arms. His one hand rested protectively along your back, the other clasped over your other hand, bringing it behind his neck as you both fell into pace waltzing slowly about the dance floor. The shorter hairs at the base of his neck tickled your fingers, you teased your fingertips along his neck, letting a nail or two skirt the edges of his pointed ear. You swore you heard a low grumble deep in his throat at the sensation.

“If he is the king right now, who will be next?” You felt his hand pull tighter against you, falling in flush with him, lilting with the notes of the song.

“Tristan is the head of the house of light, King ruler for the summer solstice, which lasts far longer in Fae than it does in your lands. After that it returns to its rightful place.” You gasped as he spun you outwards, hand firmly clasping to yours before pulling you in far closer than last time, your chests bumping together. Swearing he must’ve been able to feel your heart pounding in your chest.

“Where is it’s rightful place?” The last notes of the song echoed out across the floor, hanging in the air like a soft breeze.

“With me.”

William guided you to a seat at the head table next to him, pulling an ornately carved chair out for you. Many other males around the ballroom did the same, but you noticed how each female seemed to glide into place, whereas you nearly tripped over your skirts, landing in the seat with a thump. A few scattered chuckles rang out and you felt heat return to your face once more. William didn’t seem to notice, he appeared to easily tune out the goings on around him.

Food materialized on golden platters before you, mouthwatering servings of smoked meats, fresh fruits and bread that was freshly baked, steam coming off in waves. Your stomach made an embarrassingly loud grumble as you reached forward to seize a roll. A hand clasped over your wrist and you nearly jumped, watching as William took your plate from in front of you, piling food onto it. Your eyes scanned the crowd and noticed the same was being done by most other males in the vicinity.

You felt your mouth tick upward into a smirk.

“I thought you told Tristan I wasn’t to be your bride.” At that he paused, not looking to you, but eyes still moving as he searched for a response.

“It is customary, regardless of mating status. Plus I need to make sure the food is safe for mortal consumption.” At that you felt your smile fade, the reality that there were fae foods that were unsafe for you to eat dawned you only at his mention if it. He carefully sniffed a piece of bread, before placing it on your plate followed by a handful of grapes. He reached for a some treacle tart, turning it over in his hand and sniffing it as well. You watched as his jaw tightened before placing the treat back into its respective tray, then going over your platter once more apparently satisfied he pushed it back in front of you.

“Its safe?” You ventured, eyeing the dish before looking up to meet his dark eyes. When he nodded, you shakily lifted a fork, spearing a piece of fruit and biting into it. The tastes exploded on your tongue, heavenly and delicious. It was just a plum, you had them at home, but not like this. No, the tastes felt amplified, more savory. You barely listened as Tristan addressed the rest of the courts, going over things that meant little to you, congratulating newly mated pairs, exchanges of land, new rules put into place.

You ventured a glance over to William who barely touched his food, listening to each new word spoken by Tristan. You couldn’t tell if it was out of respect or simply taking note of all the things he’d undo as soon as his reign was once upon him. You half listened but noticed that no mention of births was spoken of. Perhaps that was not important to Fae like it was to humans. They were more appreciative of new fruit grove growth than new additions to their kind, but of course why wouldn’t they be? Being immortal they probably had little use to continue their species out of fear.

As your eyes flitted around the room you settled in another girl at one of the side tables, she looked gaunt and in pain. Grimacing at each bite of food she took. You almost felt agony just watching her, then you noticed a similar expression on a man at a parallel table. It looked like the color had been drained from not only his face but his eyes and hair. You felt fear clench in your belly, curious, but timid to ask what was wrong with them. Then you realized, they were also human.

The room had maybe a handful of them, but you could tell by how tired and fatigued they looked. Pallid joyless expressions, a few even had silver chains attached to their respective “host”. You shuddered at the thought. What had happened that these poor souls had been captured and subjected to this kind of cruelty? Had they wandered into the forest willingly, lured in by sweet smells and the unmistakable beauty of a native fae? Or were they held hostage, taken from their homes in the middle of the night?

One girl had chestnut brown hair that must’ve been stunning when she was healthy and nourished but now it hung limply around her. Her eyes appeared sunken, dark circles around them, eyes staring unfocused forward. A silver chain hooked to a collar at her throat, her “captor” had it connected to an ornate bracelet on his wrist.  William watched your eyes scanning over each of the humans then settling on the last girl once more.

“They’re-“

“Prisoners. Property.” You guessed. He nodded silently, shame flashed in his eyes then anger. Watching the way her fae captor jerked her chin towards him planting a predatory kiss upon her lips, laughing when she tried to recoil. Your stomach lurched watching it. So this is what fae thought of humans. Like animals, to be used and cast aside once they were done playing.

William was different…or was he? You tried not to let your eyes flit back to look at him, to let him know the things you were thinking. You needed to escape, but how? You could barely remember the path you’d ran through the forest, wondering how you could manage to survive the forest, return to your home to grab enough materials and then disappear into the night once more. To make a new home for yourself somewhere else, somewhere safe.

The event had concluded almost as quickly as it all had started. You saw Tristan watching you and William leave, green eyes fixed on you both until the crowd swarmed forward blocking him from view. The ride home felt longer than the ride there, your thighs held firmly to the horse as it galloped being sure not to let yourself slide back in the seat like before. You had immediately feigned sickness when you two had returned to his castle. Allowing him to lead you inside and watch as you ascended the stairs up to your current quarters.

Once night had fallen and the sounds of servants and movement about the estate had slowed you changed into your old dress, it was lighter, less opulent, and the feeling of dirtying it further didn’t make your cringe. You tip toed through the darkened hall, moving swiftly and as quiet as you could. A silver dagger had been hidden under a pile of clothing in your room and you’d taken it knowing it would prove useful later. You’d sneak out, clamber over the trellis wall and with a few candles stuck into your bag you’d find a way back to the village.

You weren’t a prisoner and you surely would rather die than allow yourself to become what those humans were at the meeting of the courts. A dried out husk of a creature, purpose unknown and barely alive. A pant of guilt stilled in your heart thinking about William, how kind he’d been to you, how protective of you, how handsome he was…

You shook your head chasing the thoughts away as you snuck out the side door you’d seen earlier by the kitchen. Soft footsteps on the mossy undergrowth, reaching the garden wall and a metal gate next to it.

Your hand had just braced on the latch of the gate before you felt something right wrap around your other wrist clasping your bag. Breathless you spun around coming face to face with William. Rage danced in his eyes as he took in the sight of you about to leave the safety of his property.

“What may I ask, are you doing?” You tried to tear your hand from his grip but he only held firmer, a more crushing feeling entering your wrist.

“I’m leaving. I’m not…I’m not your houseguest, I’m not meant to be here!” You felt a chill at the way he looked you up and down. Seething, simmering at your defiance, he pulled you along with him back into the castle like you weighed nothing. You tripped a few times trying to keep up with him but he hadn’t noticed or if he had he didn’t care.

The grand room by the entrance was empty but a fire was stoked, you swore it hadn’t been lit when you’d attempted to escape. He tugged you forward, releasing his grip and you managed to topple a few feet in front of him. The anger in his body seemed to emanate off of him vibrant waves. When you’d caught a breath he stepped towards you once more, icy cold gaze pinning you to the spot.

“You think I’m keeping you here for fun? For the pure joy of it? I saved your life once, and your stupid choices may lead you down a road where I won’t be there to help. “ his dark eyes seemed to burn with anger, red heat seeped into your cheeks watching him. “Do you know what far less caring fae do with mortals? Especially ones as pretty as you? Did you not SEE at the banquet today? How would you like to dance until your feet bleed? Eat until your stomach bursts just for their enjoyment? Be their human toy in a feast of the flesh that leaves you nothing more than a husk of what you once were?”

Your nostrils flared as you blinked rapidly trying to conceal the stinging tears that you felt threatening to spring forth. Embarrassed, angry, trapped like an animal. His face had taken on a light blush as well, his normally glimmering pale skin looked momentarily human as anger rushed to his cheeks to meet his words.

“Do you know how many humans have died at the hand of fae? Who see you as a plaything and nothing more. What of those that come too close to the forest, drawn in by faerie circles and feasts, gorging themselves on wine too potent for their bodies and once they can barely move or think they wake up at home, belly full of faerie seed? Bred and tossed aside. Do you think those in their villages don’t know?”

You’d seen it but never put it all together. Girls in the village returning home and showing signs of pregnancy when they’d sworn they were still innocent. Most of them were sent off but those that remained…well you knew they rarely survived the birth. The child was gone by morning, apparently reclaimed by forest and those that had a hand in their creation.

You were shaking, not realizing how you were cowering from him as he stood over you. Waiting, dreading his next words, knowing deep down he was right and you had indeed been a fool.

“If you want to leave then leave, but I’ll not be responsible for what comes of you once you leave those gates.” William took a step back, the red receding from his cheeks as he took a long drawn out breath. You felt your body still trembling, feeling how the room boomed with his anger, how every cell of your body seemed to reverberate with his emotions as well as your own.

“I’m sorry.” Was all you could manage as you watched him from where you’d collapsed on the ground. The fireplace was the only source of light in the large room, flickering yellows and oranges danced happily despite the current circumstances. He stared at you, as if sensing your fear, your true feelings, genuine apology. You had craved freedom but in return risked your life, forfeiting all he’d gone through to protect you thus far. “You’re right. I behaved like a child. I didn’t mean to be ungrateful. I just…I’ve never felt free before in my life and going from one cage to another, regardless of how gilded it might be it’s still…just a cage.”

Hurt flashed over his features, pained and you instantly regretted your response, no matter how true it felt. He only nodded, keeping his gaze from meeting yours once more.

“The choice is yours to stay or leave. I’ll have no hand in it.” Was all he said before turned to ascend the grand staircase of the ballroom, leaving you in a heap in front of the fireplace, wondering what would come next, what would become of you?

[poisonedapples]

Patton’s Home for Traumatized Kids

Chapter One: The New Kid

Story Summary: Roman has to have a completely new start. New school, new town, new home and a new family. As a kid in his first foster home, Roman isn’t prepared to trust these people and get hurt again, but he’s not the only kid in the house recovering from past issues. Regardless, their foster father Patton is ready to be the dad they’ve always needed, and traumatized kids learn to lean on each other for support.

Story Warnings: Past abuse of all types, trauma, and anxiety

Pairings: Familial LAMP

Chapter Summary: Roman moves into his new foster home. He is not having a good time.

Chapter Warnings: Anxiety, panic, implied past abuse, food, one vomiting mention, and talk of hidden cameras

Word Count: 6778

Notes: First chapter of a story I’ve wanted to make for my foster au! Thanks to Cornybird on Ao3 for beta-ing this one <3

“Logan, Virgil?” Patton called out from downstairs. “Can you come down here? I wanna talk about something with you!”

Virgil and Logan gave each other curious looks from their sitting places on the same bed. Virgil placed his phone on the nightstand beside him as Logan set his book down at the foot of the bed, both standing up to exit Virgil’s bedroom and head downstairs. At the dining room table was their foster father, Patton, smiling wide with a laptop and notepad in front of him.

“What’s up?” Virgil asked after he and Logan glanced at each other. 

Patton giggled to himself, “Sit down for a second and I’ll tell you! Nothing bad, promise. I think it’s very exciting.”

They quickly sat at the table on the other side of Patton. “So,” Patton joked, “I bet you’re wondering why I’ve gathered you all here today!”

Logan and Virgil spoke in unison. “You’re getting another foster kid.”

Patton blinked. “…How’d you guess it?”

“You’ve been really happy recently, but also very quiet about why you were so happy. You only get like this when you’re bringing another foster kid into the mix. You did the same thing when Logan came along.” Virgil said.

Logan nodded. “Virgil told me about his suspicions due to your behavior, and I agreed with him. I think we both expected you’d make the announcement soon.”

“Oh.” Patton rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I didn’t think it was that easy to tell. Well, you guessed right! The new kiddo is moving in on Sunday!”

Logan leaned closer. “What’s their name?”

“His name is Roman Goldsberry. He’s fifteen, and he’s only been in the system for about five months. Though, before this, he was in kinship care with his aunt, so living here is going to be very strange for him. So just be patient with him at first, okay?”

“Yeah yeah, we will be.” Virgil smirked. “But you said he was fifteen?”

“Yup! He’ll be a sophomore in high school this year.”

“Aw, that means Logan’s still the baby in the family.”

Logan blushed. “I’m a teenager. I am not the so-called ‘baby’ of the family.”

“Sounds like something the baby of the family would say.”

“Falsehood!”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Patton tried not to laugh. He knew how much Logan hated being the youngest, but it was hard to act like his reaction wasn’t funny. “Remember, Roman will be here Sunday, so be on your best behavior when he gets here. No spooking him.”

“Got it, got it.” Virgil slouched in his chair and thought. “One more question though. How fucked up is he?”

“Virgil, language.” Patton warned.

“Sorry! It’s just a question. We know you have a soft spot for the most effed up kids you can find.”

“I would have to say I’m curious as well.” Logan agreed. “It’s become a pattern.”

Patton sighed. “He’s not messed up, he’s a kid who’s struggling and needs support. If he wants to tell you two about his past, then he will.”

Virgil groaned. “Fine, fine. Can we go back upstairs now?”

Patton smiled. “Yes, you can go.”

“Great! I’m stealing your book, Logan.”

“Wait, you can’t do that!”

Virgil darted back upstairs with a maniacal laugh as Logan chased him, the sound of bickering teenagers traveling back up the stairs. Patton shook his head in amusement, still listening to the ruckus in case it got out of hand and he needed to step in, but Patton knew his kids. They may tease, but they’re not mean.

Patton continued working on his laptop once the noise quieted down again.

***

“I hate this.”

“I know you do, Roman, but I’m certain you can persevere and find happiness in this new home!” Roman’s social worker, Mr. Picani, smiled hopefully as he continued to drive him to his foster home. Roman was scooted as close to the window as he could possibly get, his legs crossed and clamped together so tight his thighs were getting sore. He didn’t trust Picani, and he sure as hell didn’t trust this new house. No matter what anyone told him.

“I already had a home! Living with my aunt was so much better than whatever could happen here.” Roman’s hands shook just thinking about it. He didn’t know anything about this new person, and the idea of being in a house full of strangers was enabling the more gruesome side of his imagination. He trusted his aunt, at least, but now he was going to a family who could be anyone.

Roman didn’t like the idea of that.

Picani frowned. “You know why your aunt couldn’t house you anymore, Roman. I know it’s not easy, but I think you’ll like this new place! It’s more up north in Foley County, and the area is nice. He also has two other foster children if that helps.”

“How old are the other kids?”

“Fourteen and sixteen, I think. You’ll get to know them more during your time there.”

Roman hummed, looking out the window and digging his nails into his shirt sleeve. He really hoped this foster dad hadn’t touched them before. Even forgetting about himself, a fourteen year old kid having to deal with abuse? Even after getting away from bad parents? He didn’t wish that on anyone.

“And if you ever feel unsafe,” Picani added, “you can always contact me, ‘kay?”

I already feel unsafe. “Okay. How much longer until we’re there?”

“About twenty more minutes. Just enough time to finish the rest of the Tangled movie soundtrack!”

Roman didn’t respond. Normally, he’d love to have a Disney soundtrack he could burst into song with, but he wasn’t feeling it today. And probably wouldn’t be feeling it for a long time.

He just wanted to feel safe. He felt safe with his aunt, but she couldn’t afford to keep him long after the trial since she gave birth to the twins. His aunt was always one of his favorite relatives, one of the few adults he genuinely trusted, now he was going to the house of some random guy named Patton, who he’d only heard of yesterday, and expected to be okay near him. Well, he wasn’t okay. And he wasn’t going to be, ever.

Roman leaned his head on the window and closed his eyes. His hands still shook a little and his chest felt weird, but fighting it now was pointless. Roman just hoped that if this guardian did try something, he’d do it quickly. The sooner Roman told on him to save himself and the other kids, the better.

Though, Roman still felt his hands tingle at the thought. The idea of “getting it over with” made him want to scream and cry. He wrapped his legs tighter together.

After a long time of trying to fight against his own anxious thoughts, Picani pulled into a driveway and stopped the car and Roman opened his eyes to take a look at where they were. He didn’t know the neighborhood, but it seemed like Picani was telling the truth when he said the neighborhood was nice. The house seemed huge, big bushes and flower patches in the front yard and a nice outside paint job. It looked like a house that a functional nuclear family would have, where the dad is a doctor and the mom stays at home with the kids.

Well, looks can be deceiving. Roman thought. Don’t get your hopes up.

“Here we are!” Picani unbuckled his seatbelt with a wide smile. “Grab your suitcases in the back, I’ll knock on the door.”

Roman nodded and got out of the car as Picani popped the trunk. He grabbed two red suitcases and a backpack, closing the car and wheeling it all up to the front door. Picani was there talking to a guy who Roman assumed must be Patton Sanders, and by taking just one look at him…Roman had never seen a person look so much like a dad.

 He was wearing khaki shorts and a light blue polo with tennis shoes and knee socks, thick-rimmed glasses sitting on his face to finish off the dorky look. Patton managed to pull it off, sure, but Roman felt a primal urge from binge-watching Queer Eye to fix that mess of an outfit. 

Before Roman could truly take in the fact that Patton’s knee socks also had kittens on them, Patton smiled wide once he saw Roman in the corner of his eye. “Hello, Roman! It’s so nice to have you, come on in you two!”

Patton stepped aside to hold out the door as Picani and Roman both walked in. Roman scraped his arm on the door frame trying to keep a reasonable distance from Patton, but neither of the adults seemed to notice how Roman was acting. Patton kept smiling away, and Roman tried to see how real that smile truly was. “So, Mr. Picani, I know I have some things to go over with you, so how would you feel if the other kiddos showed you around the house, Roman?”

…Kiddos? “That sounds fine to me.”

“Perfect!” Patton walked over to the staircase and called upstairs. “Logan, Virgil! Can you come down here please?”

Patton’s request was quickly followed by the sound of doors opening and closing. Two kids walked down the stairs; a boy in a black and purple hoodie, and another boy with thick glasses almost the same as Patton’s. They both stared at Roman curiously, and Roman wanted to sink into the floor.

Patton placed an arm over Logan and Virgil’s shoulders and Roman winced at the sight. “So, kiddos, this is Roman! And Roman, this is Logan,” Patton pointed to the kid in glasses. “And Virgil!” He pointed to the kid with the hoodie. The boys didn’t react much besides an awkward half smile directed Roman’s way. “How about you both show him around while I talk to Mr. Picani?”

Virgil shrugged. “Come upstairs, dude.”

Patton let go of both of the boys and walked off into the kitchen with Picani. Roman watched them from the living room for a moment, but he could feel two pairs of eyes staring at him from behind, so he turned around and followed the kids upstairs, bringing his luggage with him.

At the top of the stairs, a long hallway connected six doors on the second floor. Four of the doors were plain, brown doors, but two of them had very distinct personalities shown on the outside. One was covered in stars and planets, the door covered in a starry piece of wallpaper with a metal planet popping out of the background. The other was covered in caution tape saying keep out, with emo band posters poking out from under the tape. Two very different personalities.

“Your room will be this one at the very end of the hallway.” Logan opened the door to the room, turning on the light as Roman peeked inside. “You can place your luggage in here in the meantime.”

Roman nodded and walked inside to throw his luggage onto the floor. The room was very bare, with brown sheets on a twin bed and not much other furniture besides a desk and a dresser. There was a lamp on the desk and a floor lamp next to a door, and one of the opened closet doors showed that the top was covered in random boxes. Some newer-looking stuffed animals were also sitting on the bed; a soft bear and one of those squishy stuffed chickens Roman always saw in stores. It looked like an attempt at a welcoming gift, but new stuffed animals always put Roman on edge. He looked around the room, and the idea of sleeping here made Roman’s heart start to pound. He needed to check this place before he went to sleep that night.

Virgil smirked, taking Roman away from his anxious thoughts. “Damn, you’ve got suitcases? Living the fancy life I see.”

“…What?” Roman reeled.

Logan adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. “Most foster children move their things using garbage bags. It’s rare we use actual suitcases.”

Roman looked down at his luggage. Suddenly, he felt guilty. “Oh, well…my aunt gave them to me before I moved out, so…”

Virgil shrugged. “What do you wanna see up here first?”

“We could show him our rooms. Or possibly the attic?”

“The attic is cooler.”

“What’s in the attic?” Roman asked.

“It essentially acts as a playroom.” Logan explained. “Board games and a…random assortment of items are all piled up there. It’s quite entertaining to search through, actually.”

“And it’s in the best place ever, come here.” Virgil motioned for Roman and Logan to follow him. He stopped at one of the doors, opening it and letting Roman peek over his shoulder to look inside. It looked like a normal walk-in closet, first aid and toilet paper on one side with batteries and rows of shampoo on the other. Virgil walked in with a smirk, “Now, check this shit out.”

Virgil jumped and pulled on a string dangling from the roof, unraveling a steep staircase through the closet leading up to a hole in the roof. Virgil started to climb the stairs as Logan followed suit, so Roman climbed right after them.

When Roman made it to the top, his eyes widened with wonder. Granted, it wasn’t anything too spectacular, surely not like something in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but the fact that this hidden space existed made Roman feel excited. At his old house, he barely even had his own room to himself, so a place like this was paradise.

The walls were painted white with a giant window above a sitting area on the other side of the room. Shelves of items scattered the walls, and the rug on the floor was so clean Roman wondered how they even got a vacuum up here. It wasn’t anything like his old attic, stuffed with random items from over the years and covered in spiderwebs. Roman felt like he could spend most of his day here.

“We have a lot of various toys up here.” Logan said. He gestured to the boxes on one of the shelves. “Pokémon cards, a chess set, Magic the Gathering, lots of Lego sets, craft supplies, most of our toys make their way up here.”

Roman’s head perked up. “…Craft supplies?”

Logan nodded. “I believe we have paints and drawing utensils.”

Roman looked at the bottom of the shelf Logan gestured toward. There was a box of small painting canvases with paints and brushes, and though they definitely looked cheap, Roman saw them and grew excited as he took out a canvas and the paints in wonder.

“Kiddos!” A voice yelled from the staircase. Logan and Roman walked over to the stairs to look down, but Virgil stayed in his place on a beanbag near the window. Patton and Picani stood at the bottom, and Patton smiled. “Now, what are you all doing up there?”

“We’re showing him around the house.” Logan said matter-of-factly.

“You are, huh?” Patton crossed his arms. “Does he know where the bathroom is?”

Logan blinked. Virgil called out from behind both of them. “He knows where the important things are!”

Patton tried not to smile, but he lost that battle quickly. “Well, Mr. Picani is leaving right now, Roman.”

“How ‘bout you come down here and I talk to you in private for a sec?” Picani asked.

“Uh, alright!” Roman climbed down the stairs and followed Picani out of the closet, while Patton climbed up the stairs into the attic. They both stepped away to the other side of the hallway, and suddenly Picani’s face became very serious.

“Do you feel safe in this house, Roman?” He asked.

Roman clenched his fist and bit his cheek. No, he didn’t, actually. He didn’t know what Patton would do once the coast was clear from guests, and the idea of what could happen was freezing him from the inside out. The only place Roman would feel truly safe was if he was back in the hospital.

But Roman knew that wasn’t possible, and he couldn’t keep bothering Picani all the time for fears that couldn't be helped. He had to be on his own. Alone.

“I think I do. They…seem like good people.” Roman lied. He’d have to find another way to survive.

Picani smiled, not noticing Roman’s unease. He always was a great actor. “Amazing! Let me know if anything comes up, bucko, and I’ll talk to ya again soon! But until then…so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen goodnight!”

Picani walked downstairs and waved behind him, laughing at his own reference as he walked out the door. Roman watched him from the staircase until he could see the car leaving the driveway through the window, and Roman felt truly hopeless. This was a nightmare.

He stood frozen on the staircase for a while, staring through the window with a hope of Picani turning back and saving him. But no car came into the driveway, and Roman didn’t know what to do with himself anymore. What do you even do when living in a house full of strangers?

“Heya, kiddo!” Roman jumped at the voice coming from behind him, jerking his head back and pushing his back up against the wall. It was Patton, smiling wide with a concerned look in his eyes at Roman’s reaction. “I’m sorry, Roman, I didn’t mean to scare you! I just wanted to ask if you wanted me to give you the rest of the tour. I’ll show you everything you need this time!”

Patton laughed at himself, but Roman felt the need to vomit. Patton was close, way too close, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He didn’t want to be roaming around the house with him, vulnerable and nowhere to hide. He needed to be somewhere safe.

“Uh, no, I’m fine! I’ll figure it out myself!” Patton raised an eyebrow at him, but Roman didn’t care. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Patton’s voice became softer. He pointed to the left of him, down the opposite direction of Roman’s room. “It’s over there. Are you sure you’re alright? You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine!” Roman darted past Patton quickly and out of reach, rushing into the bathroom and locking it behind him. He pressed his back against the door and sat down, pressing his feet against the sink, ready to fight against the door if someone tried to open it. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly, trying to even out his scattered breathing. He knew Patton was outside of the door, he could feel it. He just needed to be somewhere safe.

Roman didn’t move from his spot on the floor, eventually curling into himself and resting his head on his knees. He was so tired, the whole day his heart had been pounding with anxiety and he was sick of it. What did it take to feel safe? Was it even possible for Roman to feel safe anymore?

He didn’t want an answer to that. He was just so tired.

 Roman closed his eyes and leaned his body against the bathroom wall, ignoring all his aches from the strange position and trying to give himself some comfort. His body was exhausted but his mind kept racing, thinking of all the things that could go wrong while living here. He tried to fight the anxious thoughts, but Roman figured it wasn’t that big of a deal. If he threw up in the toilet maybe they’d leave him alone for the day.

But Roman never got to that point. He rested on the floor and let his body shake, taking some deep breaths at times to feel less like he was suffocating. Eventually, a knock came to the bathroom door, and it took everything in Roman not to yelp.

“Are you still in there, Roman?” Roman could tell the voice was Logan, and that helped him relax a little more. He took in a big breath and tried to act normal.

“Yes, sorry. Do you need it?” He asked.

“I’m alright. I simply wanted to ask if you wanted to come downstairs and use the paints you seemed so interested in.”

Roman’s ears perked up at that. He forgot all about the paints, and it would be something that could ease his mind a little. But Roman wasn’t that dumb. He knew this was a plan to get him out of the bathroom. Though…he might not mind that much if he wasn’t alone.

“…Would you sit with me?” Roman asked. He doubted Patton would try anything so long as they weren’t alone together, and if he pleased them enough, maybe they’d leave him alone.

Logan was slow to respond. “I suppose I can if you wish for me to.”

Roman rolled his eyes at that sentence. What a nerd, he thought, standing up and slowly unlocking the door to the bathroom before opening it. He looked through the crack to check if Patton was standing behind Logan, but no one else was there. Logan stood there patiently with his hands clasped behind his back, and Roman fully exited the bathroom.

“I set the box on the dining room table. However, Patton is also there making a pizza for dinner.”

Roman froze. The same room as Patton? “… I’ll go, but you have to stay near me.”

Logan nodded. He led the way down the stairs while Roman followed, entering the dining room through the connected area in the living room. On the table was the box of painting supplies, and Roman ran toward them to start taking them out, trying to ignore the fact that he could see Patton in the corner of his eye. He grabbed a canvas and the cheap paints, as well as a plastic pallet and all the brushes. All that he needed was a cup of water, but…the sink was right next to where Patton was.

Roman drummed his fingers on the table. “…Logan, can you get me a cup of water?”

“Alright.” Logan stood up and grabbed a cup from the cupboard, filling it with water and handing it to Roman. Roman murmured a thank you, and Logan sat back down at his seat. He was grateful that Logan didn’t ask why Roman couldn’t get it himself.

“So, Roman,” Roman stiffened at the sound of Patton’s voice. “Are you an artsy kid?”

Roman gripped hard onto his paints, squirting out a lot more orange than he meant to. “I guess, yeah. I like art.”

“Do you like to paint, or are you more of a sketchy kinda guy?”

“Uh…all of it. Painting, drawing, coloring, I used to make a lot of stuffed animals too.”

“Awww, that sounds adorable!” The oven beeped and Patton put on his oven gloves and pulled out the pizza. “It’s probably best I don’t know how to make stuffed animals though. If I did, this house would be full of little stuffed puppies!”

Roman didn’t respond. He focused completely on mixing red and orange for a perfect sunset color, attempting to get a good gradient with the lack of shade variety. Once he filled in his sunset and blended it with a dark night sky, he mixed his white with a dot of gray and made darker clouds, dotting them above his rough-looking hill. He wanted to add more texture to the bottom of the canvas, maybe some trees, but he didn’t know how to make good ones without a fan brush. Maybe he could add some grass…

“Alright, the pizza is cooled down and ready!” Roman noticed Patton put a plate next to his painting, so he pushed all his supplies out of the way so he could eat. Patton set down more plates around the table as Virgil walked in. “It was a real pizza work if I do say so myself!”

Logan rolled his eyes and Virgil held back a snort, but Roman didn’t quite know how to react. He might have found the dad joke more amusing if he wasn’t so on edge.

Roman took a bite of the pizza. It wasn’t anything spectacular, just a store-bought one that you heat up in the oven and serve, but Roman didn’t realize he was so hungry until now. He had skipped lunch because his nerves about coming here were making his stomach churn, but finally having food near him was bringing back that hunger. Roman’s foot was still tapping violently under the table, but it was progress.

Everyone ate their pizza in silence. It was incredibly awkward on Roman’s end, no stories to tell as this table full of strangers kept making glances at him. Patton was the worst with it. He seemed to want to say something to Roman, continuously making eye contact with him until Roman looked away, but still not saying a word. He couldn’t take it. He hated it, but he hated this silence even more. Roman swallowed the pizza bite he was chewing and opened his mouth.

“So,” Roman started, “what do I…call you anyway?”

“Me?” Patton asked, his eyes lighting up. Why would his eyes light up at that?

“Yeah. Do I say Mr. Sanders, or…?”

“Oh, Patton works just fine! I hear Mr. Sanders way too often at work to wanna hear it at home too!”

“Oh, where- where do you work?” At least it wasn’t so quiet anymore.

“I’m a nurse practitioner for a clinic. It’s a lot of fun, just a lot of work. At least my hours aren’t as crazy as most nurses.”

“Oh that’s…cool.” Roman didn’t know how to continue off of that.

“It is! Is there anything else you wanna ask me, though? Maybe about the house, routines, anything?”

“Well…what are the rules here?” That seemed like a very safe question to have. It could save Roman a lot of trouble, and it could give him more of a read on the kind of parent Patton was.

“Oh, it’s not that much. You’re old enough to clean up after yourself, so make it a habit to pick up your own things and not put that stuff on other people. Be kind to everyone else, and the only rule I’m very strict about is no yelling. You can be loud sometimes, but no angry yelling at anybody here. The last one is to respect others’ privacy. Always knock on someone’s bedroom door before entering. But that’s really it, I think!”

How often do you break that last rule? “That seems reasonable, I suppose.”

Patton smiled. “I think you’ll do just fine here, kiddo. I know it’s hard to start over, but you won’t be alone during it!”

“…Thank you.”

“And I’m sure Virgil and Logan could help out a little bit, since they’ve been in the same situation! Right, you two?”

Virgil was halfway through trying to stick a whole piece of crust in his mouth. “…Uh huh.”

“…Virgil, chew your food.”

“Lo’an ‘old me I cou’ do it!”

“Do not drag me into this.”

Virgil hid his mouth behind his hand as he chewed for a long period of time. “You’re just avoiding your responsibility.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m finished, so try not to choke now.”

“Now I’m gonna choke just to spite you.”

“Please do not start a choking contest, Virge.”

Virgil groaned before swallowing the last of his crust. He followed Logan to the dishwasher and put his plate in, closing it and scurrying away back upstairs. Logan hesitated leaving the dining room, looking between Patton and Roman. Roman couldn’t tell if Patton noticed Logan’s hesitation or if it was just perfect timing, because he also got up and put his plate in the dishwasher.

“When you finish, Roman, just put your dishes away.”

“I can do that.”

Patton smiled and walked off into the living room, sitting on the couch to watch some TV show seemingly about cute puppies and kittens. Logan glanced at Roman again.

“Do you still want me to stay?” Logan asked.

Roman ate the last of his pizza and pushed his plate to the side, grabbing his painting again to put in front of him. It was the most effective thing at calming him down. “…No, I should be okay.”

Logan nodded and walked upstairs. Roman tried to fully immerse himself in his painting, focusing on every last detail and how he could make it better without over-detailing it. Roman put more green on his brush and started to dot at his hill on the bottom, trying to add little blades of textured grass. It was a long process, just enough to take the majority of his focus and calm his hands.

…Roman felt really weird here. It didn’t feel like he lived in this house, now. It felt like he was spending the day with some friends, and his aunt would come pick him up before the sun went down. But no, these new kids were his foster brothers and the adult he was terrified of was expected to act as his new dad. There was no one coming to save him, he was expected to sleep here and eat here and live here. This was supposed to be his safe space.

Roman rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. Don’t focus on that now, he thought. Focus on the painting.

So he did focus. He focused on monotonous texture additions and watching the paint dry on his canvas as he went along, letting the repetitive action calm his mind just a little bit. His calming method seemed to be working too well, actually, as the more details he added and stared at the paint, Roman realized that his constant panic today had completely exhausted him. It wasn’t even seven o’clock yet and Roman could feel his eyelids get heavier. He rubbed at his eyes again and tried to focus.

Roman yawned once. He yawned twice and rubbed his eyes as he kept adding minor details to his painting. Then, after a while, Roman scooted his painting to the side and laid his head down on the table.

***

“…Roman, wake up, please.”

Roman buried his head deeper in his arms. “Come on Roman, it’s late.”

Roman groggily lifted his head up. Patton was sitting in the chair across from him, the lights were all off except for the one light above the dining table. Roman looked around him, and noticed that it was dark outside now. Shit.

“You fell asleep, but that’s okay. It’s bedtime now, and the other two are already in bed, so how about you go get ready and sleep in your bed? I bet it’s comfier than the table.”

Roman dug his palm into his eye. “…What time is it…?”

“About 10:20. You all have bedtime at ten.”

“…But I’m fifteen?” Roman gave Patton a confused and sleepy look. He hasn’t had a bedtime since he was twelve, especially one that was so early. His mom only told him to be in bed by midnight.

Patton smiled. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Logan is the only one who needs a bedtime, but I don’t want him to feel left out because he’s the only one asleep. So, how about you get ready for bed?”

Roman nodded and got out of his chair. The more he walked, the more he woke up, and he could tell by the time he went back upstairs that he wasn’t going to go back to sleep for a while since he could feel his heartbeat in his chest again. Patton followed him upstairs, turning off the dining room light as they went. Roman got his bathroom bag out from his smaller suitcase and a cotton shirt with sweatpants for pajamas, bringing it all with him to the bathroom. He closed the door as he brushed his teeth for the night, placing his bag in the bottom drawer after he did. He changed into his pajamas carefully, taking the towel on one of the racks to hide his lower half under as he switched pants, taking his other clothes and throwing them into a laundry basket.

When Roman stepped out of the bathroom, Patton was leaning against a wall waiting for him. He smiled at Roman, but Roman still ran past him to get as far away as he could get. Patton didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he just didn’t care. Roman shifted on his feet awkwardly before closing his door.

“Um…goodnight.” He finally said. Patton seemed satisfied with this.

“Goodnight, Roman.”

Roman finally closed the door to his bedroom, waiting until he heard the door on the other end of the hallway open and close. Almost immediately after, as if another force was controlling him, Roman started to tear the place apart.

He checked the charging ports in the walls, the lamp, under the bed’s covers and behind every piece of furniture. He stood on top of his suitcase to check the vents and took out all the drawers in the dresser. He punched the stuffed animals to see if he could feel wires, but he still couldn’t find it. He couldn’t find it.

Roman felt himself start to pant. He refused to go to bed until he found it. No matter how well hidden it was, Roman knew there was a camera in here. He couldn’t stop until he found it.

Roman grabbed the boxes at the top of the closet and tossed everything out of them, checking every spare blanket and binder before throwing them across the room when he found nothing. He took the hangers out of the closet and threw them on the floor, shining his phone light on the wall of the closet to find a hole. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Tears sprung into Roman’s eyes as he choked on his own breath. “Where the hell is it!?” He whispered, slamming the closet door closed and moving to check the bed. He tore the bedsheets off and checked the mattress, lifting it up as well to check the bed frame for anything that could be used to record. Nothing.

“Come on, please-” Roman took out the drawer from the bedside table. Nothing. He unscrewed the lightbulb from the lamp, almost shattering it from his tight grip. Nothing. He threw the lamp onto the bed and kicked the nightstand over. Nothing.

Roman choked out a sob as his whole body started to shake. This wasn’t fair, he spent all that time trying to get away from his dad only to end up in a place that hid cameras better than him. Roman gripped the covers he’d thrown and punched the floor next to them, the ache being an almost pleasant distraction from his own head. But his mind continued to race and his crying didn’t let up. The only thing Roman could manage to get out of his mouth was “No, no!”

Then, between Roman’s sobbing, he heard a knock at the door.

Roman froze in place. A feeling of dread spread through his chest and made his fingers go numb. For a second, Roman forgot to breathe as he remembered he forgot to lock the door.

Roman’s body was stiff, but his mind was going a mile a minute in a desperate attempt to save himself. He could hide in the closet, but since he tore everything out of there, if someone opened the door they’d immediately find him. He could hide under the bed, but without the covers to reach the floor it was easy to see he was under there. Roman choked on his own breath when he realized there was nowhere to hide-

“Roman?” The knock came back to the door, gentler than the first time. It wasn’t Patton’s voice like Roman feared, it was Virgil. Raspy and tired-sounding, but without a doubt Virgil.

“Y-yeah?” Roman squeaked out.

“Uh, can I…can I come in?”

Roman’s death grip on the covers loosened up slightly. “Yes…”

Virgil slowly turned the doorknob and opened it, slipping in through the smallest crack and closing the door slowly so it wouldn’t click. Once he was inside, Virgil’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of the destroyed room. “…Holy shit dude.”

Roman tried to dodge the situation, “What do you want?”

“I was gonna come in here and make a joke, like, ‘quiet down it sounds like a tornado is going through here’, but now I think I predicted the fucking future.” Roman put his head down as Virgil looked around in shock. “What the fuck happened?”

Roman wiped away his tears with the palm of his hands, digging into his eyes so hard he saw stars for a moment. “…There’s a camera in here.”

Virgil backed up more towards the door. “Wait, there is?” He darted his eyes around the room looking for what Roman was talking about. Roman let out a shaky breath.

“I haven’t found it yet, but I know it’s in here somewhere!” More tears went down Roman’s face as he hugged himself. Virgil seemed to realize what Roman was babbling on about. “I know Patton put a camera in here for me and I’m freaking out because I can’t find it!”

Virgil looked around at the mess again. He sighed. “I’m not good at this shit…you’re certain it’s in here?”

“Yes!”

“Hey, hey, don’t yell.” Virgil warned. “Pat and Logan are still asleep and I don’t think you’d like all that extra attention right now.”

He was right. If Logan and Patton came in here, Roman didn’t know what he’d do about it. It was the last thing he wanted, so Roman obeyed. “I just…I don’t know what to do…I can’t sleep until I find it.”

Virgil seemed to be thinking. He tugged on the neck of his pajama shirt before speaking. “How about we both make a deal?”

Roman lifted his head up to look at Virgil. “…Deal?”

“We’ll trade rooms for the night. There wouldn’t be a camera in my room if he’s trying to watch you, right?”

Roman paused. “…What if he’s watching you too?”

“I’ve lived here for two years. You think I wouldn’t have noticed a camera in my room by now?”

Roman thought about it. He did have a point, it was hard to go that long without finding the camera. Or at least, have your guardian have it slip that they’ve been watching you. And anything was better than staying in this place.

“…We can trade. Thanks.”

Virgil shrugged. “You know where my room is. Just slip in and don’t wreck all my shit.”

Roman laughed a little bit at that one. Virgil grabbed the sheets and covers off the floor and began to remake the bed as Roman grabbed his backpack and started to slowly open the door. But before he left, Roman had to say one more thing for his own piece of mind. “…Don’t touch my suitcases. I-I’ll know if you do.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow at him. “…I won’t.”

Roman opened the door and softly closed it behind him, slipping into the room next door covered in caution tape. He turned on the light and set his backpack down on the floor, looking around him at all the things that showed Virgil’s personality. Emo band posters covered the walls that were painted a dark purple, with dark wood furniture and Hot Topic decorations all over the place. Just looking at this room told him how angsty this kid was.

Roman shook it off and unzipped his backpack. He could deal with angsty decorations for the night, so long as this place could be safe from creeps. He took out his secret weapon from his backpack, something he secretly bought behind his aunt’s back with his babysitting money, the one item that made him feel secure in a home. He pulled out the security bar, locked Virgil’s door, and placed it under the door handle. Even if someone undid the lock, they wouldn’t be able to sneak inside while he was sleeping.

Roman’s heart calmed down a little for the first time in weeks. Even if it wasn’t much, he felt safe, maybe even safe enough to get some rest for once. Roman crawled into Virgil’s bed, covering himself in his very tasteful Jack Skellington covers, and tried to rest.

Roman’s hands still shook, and his head felt funny, but he eventually drifted off into a light sleep full of anxiety and nightmares.

[bubble-tea-bunny]

come fly with me

[hermes x reader]

author’s note: every time i see his name i pronounce it like the brand out of  habit even if there’s no accent grave lol

word count: 2,572

You sense the bright light of morning through your closed lids and it prompts you to wake. But even as your eyes slide open, you still feel as though you’re dreaming.

A man is kneeling down next to you. You don’t know who he is but perceive he means no harm, for his gaze as he observes you is concerned, no doubt wondering what you’re doing out here. You don’t remember falling asleep outside, but the weather has been so nice as of late, you wouldn’t put it past yourself to have drifted off after laying beneath the stars, simply appreciating their magnificence.

As your vision comes more into focus, and the blurred edges merge into finer lines, you note that the sun shines behind this stranger’s head, and it appears remarkably like a halo. Your focus slides lower, drifts over brown hair pulled back into a neat braid to avoid obscuring his face, the highlight of which are his eyes—brilliantly blue, like crystals, and putting the backdrop behind him to shame. He’s beautiful.

Suddenly you’re nervous to be the center of his attention, so rapt it’s like he can see right through you. You must look a disheveled mess in contrast, your own hair tousled, your eyes bleary with the last bits of sleep. But as if he can hear your thoughts, he smiles gently, a gesture to put you at ease.

“Hello,” he greets you. His voice is hushed, taking care not to disturb the peace of these early hours, and it’s warm, washing over your skin and fighting away the chill of the cool evening.

You open your mouth, poised to speak, but at first nothing comes out, though from nervousness or from the fact your vocal chords are still waking up after hours of not being used, you don’t know.

“I… I must have fallen asleep out here,” you state rather dumbly, because what else could it have been? It’s not as if anyone had carried you out here in the middle of the night. Your cheeks redden from embarrassment but the man’s smile widens, amused and—if you aren’t imagining things, owed to the idea that maybe you really are dreaming—charmed. Though for what reason, you haven’t the slightest clue.  You struggle to call yourself a picture of grace at any other point in a day, least of all fresh from sleep.

“It seems you have,” he responds. “I imagine it was comfortable?”

Not wanting to continue this conversation while still laying down, since it’s a little awkward, you sit up, and he backs away slightly to give you space. The notion of sleeping on the ground certainly doesn’t sound comfortable, and so you assume he asks this in light jest, but oddly enough, you don’t feel any stiffness or aches. Your body is relaxed, pliant. You feel well-rested.

“It was, yes…” you trail off, absentmindedly pondering on this anomaly.

The man nods, satisfied with your answer, and stands. You have to crane your neck to look at him, and as he turns his head to look out at the rolling hills, lush green and divided in the middle by a dirt path, you see a string around his neck which is attached to a golden helmet. The brim swoops and lifts in the back, colored silver to resemble a pair of wings.

Then he turns to you again, now offering you his hand. “Well the day is too nice to waste staying here. Would you like to take a walk with me?”

You’ve been aware this entire time that you don’t know who he is, and logic would dictate you turn down his invitation. No matter how nice he may be, it would be unreasonable as well as  unsafe. But even for all that, you find yourself not tied down by any semblance of reason, and perhaps it’s against your better judgment that you accept.

You take his hand and he pulls you up easily. Maybe it’s his smile that does well to quell any apprehension, for you think you would follow him anywhere. Maybe you were incorrect and to go with him now was the better judgment on your part, because you don’t feel that this is wrong or dangerous. And he’s right: the day is splendid and it would make no sense to stay on the ground alone. It’s better enjoyed with companions.

The two of you follow the trail for a while, pausing whenever small creatures cross from one side to the other: mostly bunnies and deer, but at one point when passing by a lake there’s a duck and her ducklings plodding single-file behind her. As the world around you wakes and you walk in comfortable silence, your anxiety melts away and you instigate a conversation.

“Were you just passing by and happened to see me?” you inquire.

The man glances down at you briefly before looking ahead once more. “I was.” He nods. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He’s sincere as he says it, and it makes you grin. “Well I’m glad it was you who found me.”

The smile on his lips mirrors yours. “I am too.”

Flowers line the path, leaning inward as if to welcome any who walk past. They grab your attention, and you skip ahead to pick some of them. They only require a gentle tug for the stems to snap and you gather them until you’re holding a small bunch of the white flower in one hand. You bring them closer to your face so you can smell them: the scent is subtle and fresh, like the air after it rains. The man finally catches up to you and you twist around. There’s that expression in his eyes again, one of amusement, and again you blush, attempting to hide it by the flowers as you duck your head, but you don’t think you’re successful.

He peers over your shoulder. “Let’s go this way now. There’s bound to be more flowers in that direction.”

You turn and follow his line of sight. The trail has led to a forest, and veering off here would lead you into the thick of it. The man takes the last few steps to close the distance and stand next to you, and you look up at him. “Okay.”

Sunlight pierces the gaps in the foliage, the rays which light the ground soothing to behold and to walk through. It’s like a painting, calm and peaceful, displayed on the finest marble and you’re honored to be in the midst of it, maybe not as the subject, for you think the birds who cast shadows as they soar above you are more worthy of the privilege, but you’re content to be there at all, even just off to the side.

The woods lead to a meadow and the man was correct: there are more flowers here. Their colors vary, from white to lavender to yellow, and the sun envelopes them all in its heat, unhindered in this clearing. The tall grass shifts with your every footstep and brushes your calves, light as a feather, and you giggle. It tickles.

Your eyes rove over the expanse before you. There are more trees, another portion of forest,  on the other side, but this place is so peaceful, and the sun is in the perfect position, centered in the sky, that you would hate to leave so soon.

“I’d like to lay among these flowers…” you murmur. It’s an aside you mean to mutter only to yourself, but given your proximity to the stranger—no, not a stranger anymore, but more of a friend—he hears you fine despite the low volume with which you said it.

“Why don’t we?”

At this, you blink and glance up at him. He’s already watching you with a twinkle in his gaze and he’s smiling. You can’t help smiling too and you feel so warm to be in his presence.

So in the middle of the clearing you find a suitable spot and settle down, lying on your back with the bunch of white flowers still clutched in one hand. You have to squint and use your free hand to shield your eyes from the glare of the sun, but then you close them and the furrow of your brow relaxes, and you can fully enjoy the nature which surrounds you.

Dragonflies buzz and you can hear them flittering along, the beating of their wings louder as they approach, then becoming quieter as they pass. The grass shifts as your friend comes to join you now. He sits, and you hear a brief shuffling before he follows suit and lays down. Together you bask in the sunlight, but for how long, you aren’t sure. Not that you’re interested in tracking the time.

“Your suggestion to tarry a while was a good one,” he compliments, breaking the silence. “It feels pleasant to rest here.”

His compliment makes you grin and your eyes open. You turn your head to look at him. He’d removed his helmet from where it was hanging around his neck and placed it next to him to allow him to lie back comfortably. “The sun makes you feel so refreshed, doesn’t it?”

He hums. “I think it has more to do with the company.” He opens his eyes and also turns to look at you, and the blueness of them is incredibly soft. Your smile grows.

And though you’re confident you could pass the rest of the day in that meadow, the two of you move on. It’s done with a bit of reluctance on your part, but it fades quickly because you agree with him: it’s the company which makes you feel refreshed. The colors of the sky are shifting as mid-afternoon turns into early evening and it occurs to you that you have been walking since the morning yet you aren’t tired, nor has it felt like many hours have transpired. You know it has to do with him. You think you could do this forever, walking with him.

When the sky is a blend of indigo and orange, you ask if anyone is expecting him. We’ve been together all day, you explain. No one might wonder where you are?

He chuckles. “That’s kind of you to be concerned.”

Your cheeks feel warm. He’s awfully good at getting that reaction out of you.

“No one’s expecting me,” he continues. “But even if someone were, they’d understand my lateness, given I’m with someone so sweet. I’m not keen to part ways too soon.”

Your chest feels tight, like your heart is wrenching and you’re scared it might break. “Me neither,” you state shyly.

Then gradually the indigos and oranges transition to black as the sun fully disappears below  the horizon and you are sad to see it leave. You’ve also long since left the meadow and the forest surrounding it behind. The land you walk through is wide, flat, empty. There aren’t any plants or animals and it feels foreign, adjusted as you had been to the lush scenery of this afternoon. The only feature worth noting are the mountains that come into view now, which, while you’d already assumed them to be tall, are taller than you first thought as you get closer, so high they seem to touch the clouds, perhaps even extending past them.

“This way.” The man’s voice pulls your attention away from staring up at the clouds. There’s a path that leads farther into the mountain. “Watch your step. It’s rather dark.”

What light of the moon reaches through small gaps in the mountain reflects off the helmet strung around his neck. He takes care to move slowly to ensure you don’t lose him but the glint of his helmet serves as a beacon. The more you venture in, you wonder where you’re going. Should you ask him? The idea of doing so hadn’t crossed your mind all day because you’d been happy just to be with him, no apprehension about the destination, or whether or not  there was one. But now…

The words are on the tip of your tongue, about to be voiced, but they die out once you turn a final corner and spot a river. The water is dark, almost black, and a haze settles above it that obscures what might possibly be on the opposite shore. Once you do speak, it’s still a question, but it’s no longer about where the two of you are headed. He doesn’t need to tell you that.

“Wanted to let me down gently, didn’t you?” The manner in which you ask this is quiet, lightly teasing but also laced with a sadness you do little to hide.

Hermes—for now you know confidently who he is—leads you right to the edge of the water and then stops, twisting around. “I chose to take the longer route with you.”

You meet his gaze. His eyes are sorrowful, yet for their melancholy they are still just as beautiful, and they’re tender as he looks at you. “Why?”

He takes a deep breath, momentarily glancing at the water then returning his focus to you. “You hadn’t realized what happened, and I didn’t want to tell you. I decided we would venture through the nature you love so much, taking breaks where you desired, to listen to the bugs and to feel the sun.”

Thinking back to this morning, you recall that when you’d woken up, you hadn’t checked behind you. If you had, you would’ve noticed your body there. You’d been too enamored by Hermes to do that. Though you suppose there are worse ways of being led to the Underworld, and you’d always be grateful to Hermes for choosing to take the long way.

“Through it I’ve grown very fond of you,” he confesses. He offers a small smile, and you surmise it’s a struggle, at odds with a frown because of where he has brought you, and what it implies. “A day with you was a lifetime, and it still didn’t feel long enough.”

You muster a smile of your own. “One day or an eternity, I don’t suppose any length of time ever would.”

A boat comes into view, appearing to materialize through the fog, and once it stops at the small dock, the front bumping gently and the water lapping against the support beams, Hermes gives the ferryman two coins. Treat her well, he instructs. And then he turns to you a final time, and when your heart squeezes, you really think it has broken.

Glancing down, your eyes settle on the flowers you’re gripping. You’d kept them with you the entire journey. But now you hold them out to Hermes, and the heaviness in your chest seems to lighten slightly as he takes them and the expression on his face becomes a little less crestfallen. You would hate to leave him in such a forlorn state.

“Thank you, Hermes.” You hope he can detect the sincerity, and when he smiles faintly, you know that he has.

He helps you onto the boat, clasping your much smaller hand in his to provide support, and he stands on the shore as the ferryman pushes away, watching you until the fog engulfs the boat once more. And though he’s alone, the flowers in his hand make him feel far from lonely.

[annmarcus63]

He wanted to say "I love you"

Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion

Here's on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34237159

Injured Jaskier

"Blessed silence"

"Would you shut up, bard?"

"If you don't stop within the next two minutes, I swear, I'll break that fucking lute and shove it down your throat"

"Jaskier, shut up!"

"Alright! I'll stop, there's no need to be such a brute" replied Jaskier while tucking the lute, currently on his hands, on the brand new case he bought a couple of days ago to a retired musician living his last days on White Orchard. It's gorgeous, orgasmic, almost as sexy as the lute.

The music notes slowly fading in Geralt's ears, leaving a weak hum behind. Geralt sighed relieved, and a suspicious feeling that may resemble guilt. But there's not time to dwell on it. He's trying to sort the potions and required ingredients to complete the contract which he needed to follow up  that same night. Witchers were trained to tune out every sound to be able to concentrate. He could meditate for days with not a single thing to bother him, but Jaskier's chatter is a powerful contrary spell to the calmness he was used to. It's a possibility that Jaskier fell upon his path with the sole purpose to test his limits. He is good company but sometimes Geralt wonders if it's worth the trouble.

He needs Arachnomorphs' venom and Griffin's feathers and blue mutagen to brew the antidote to the potent venom of the Endrega warrior he's goin to face. Methodically he starts with the preparation, grind and mix, smell, taste, it hurts...it's ready.

Three weeks ago he received a letter from Eskel asking to meet for pressing matters. Geralt doesn't know what he may want, it maybe a problem with a powerful beast or just a call to drink, which is unlikely because the message seem urgent. So Geralt had to hurry if he wanted to catch him on time, he was two days late and if he doesn't kill the Endrega he'd be three days late. Traveling with Jaskier prevent from a fastest pace, and the reason of those two days were, of course, the bard who asked him to stay longer on White Orchard to wait for his new lute case. Geralt ponder all this with an edge of bitterness towards Jaskier, it's unfair and uncalled for. He feel like shit. He ponder it still.

Jaskier is capable of recognizing when he's being a nuisance. Or well...he can recognize when someone has reach their limits regarding him. He can be too much, he speaks too much, he moves too much, he whines too much, he thinks too much. He's considerate you see, when Geralt snaps at him he understands. He can't help it. Is what he is, and he's not going to change, he tried once for his father. It didn't work, Jaskier was giving too much away for the acceptance of one person, he conclude it didn't worth it.

He understands really, but today Geralt has been a little over the edge, and has crossed the line between banter and plain rudeness.

So the logical response is to be more annoying.

Jaskier can be awful too when he wants.

He prod the wild and stressed animal with meaningless chatter, why does the fire moves like that? is the color of my fingernail normal? have you ever wonder how it'd be to become a fish?

the wild animal spill one or two drops of the antidote while pouring it from the small wood plate in which the ingredients got blend. Jaskier swear have saw how the vein on Geralt's forehead pop.

Ups…

"Would you SHUT UP for once in your fucking life?” ok he seen that coming “I can't even hear my own thoughts, bard. When we reach Velen you're going to stay there. Do you understand? Not following me around anymore”

To be fair he has caused this. It's what he does, always, being and idiot with and incessant mouth. He has push too far this time, even so that tone on Geralt's voice put him on edge, angry even. That ungrateful witcher and his never ending foul mood. What would he give to see him smile more often?

Everything.

A heavy atmosphere settled on the camp, Geralt's angry and now Jaskier's too, offended to be more accurate. Jaskier hated these often-occurring moments, as if the bard were a stranger and not a years friend.

Are you though?

Whoever sent the letter is Geralt's friend. What give it away? the eagerness to travel fast for instance. Jaskier send a letter once, asking if he wanted to meet at Novigrad, he never received a response nor Geralt went there.

Geralt packed his things, secure the sword straps and with a particular tenseness on his shoulders he turn to Jaskier.

"You're going to stay here. HERE Jaskier. I don't want you anywhere near the nest, the poison..."

"I know"

"Then I want you to repeat it"

"What? Really? I'm not a child, Geralt" but the Witcher kept his stance, waiting, and Jaskier's a sucker for pleasing.

"I'm going to stay here, quiet and still. If I get near the nest there's a high chance to get poisoned, even a small dosis could kill me. And get my body back and bury it would be a big hassle for you Are you happy now?"

"Hmm. I'll be back by midnight"

Geralt disappeared between the trees and Jaskier watch him go with a big lump on his throat. Not five minutes later he started cleaning the broth pot to fill it again with clean water to drink to warm up his bones. How he wish to have tea or coffe to add.

·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ··  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ··  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·

Wind's howling, Jaskier reflected, feeling the chill colouring his cheeks and breaking his lips unpleasantly. Besides the wolfs living on the wind, there was silence, a sepulchral silence that caused him feel unsafe. Even Roach looks in distress. An hour ago she was lying on the grass getting ready for a good night sleep, and now she's looking everywhere as if she can sense something lurking in the shadows, and that is scary. By the position of the moon Jaskier could guess the time, one and a half hour past midnight. That idiot witcher should be here by now. He knew that, Roach knew that, so why he's not here?

He couldn't think straight, the worry was eating him up from the intestines and it wasn't fair or unnormal, worrying for Geralt is like worrying for the sun to never come up again. It may happen but is unlikely, impossible.

Geralt is fine, he is, or at least is what he kept repeating himself for the past hour like a mantra that no one would ever listen.

Something went wrong, I'm sure. He'd be here by now so why he's not here? What if the Endrega chew his head off? that's sudden and crude Jaskier, what's wrong with you? He can't be dead, I mean I didn't even get the chance to apologize, to clean his wounds, to buy him breakfast, to tell him I love him with all my beating foolish heart.

Agh, but he's not dead, so stop that train of thought right this instant, young man.

For some reason the voice sounded like his dead mother.

"I need to go there only to see if he's safe" said Jaskier to Roach

"But he said rather rudely to you to stay put and not bother him." replied imitating Roach voice like a tired housewife.

"I know what he said" said with an air of petulant child. "And what about you come with me to keep me in check"

"It's dark you can't see and it's dangerous"

"But you can!"

"Fine, hop on me" he loved winning arguments.

He saddled Roach efficiently, Geralt rarely let him do it but he was a quick learner. He put out the fire with a kick of dust, took a small blade that Geralt kept at the bottoms of his bag just in case, he also lit the only torch they carried for emergencies, a beacon of light that Geralt could see if he was in trouble and rode Roach towards the clearing next to the main road from which people get disappearing and getting eaten.

He trusted Roah to guided him, she was a clever one who also worried for her master.

The cold kept biting his skin even under the small fire, he left his cape at camp in case he needed to run, but they're getting closer. A wooden statue with flowers and canisters at it’s feet appear by his right, the notice board said the location of the insect was near that god statue.

He stoped Roach and dismount then he took the short blade wishing he didn't have to use it, before leaving he remembered the possibility of encounter with poison, according to Geralt Endregas not only spit venom but also exuded poisonous gas equally lethal. So he took his undershirt to cover half his face, this might prevent breathing it.

The turned out the torch because the light would attract the Endrega and distract Geralt.

He walked slowly to north realizing how much he was trembling, it wasn't that cold. It was fear and the soft hum of the adrenaline waiting on his brain for being triggered.

And then a rancid and potent smell reached him despite the undershirt. There. A thick unnatural mist and a series of small mountains piled some meters away. No, not mountains, bodies, Endrega bodies lying on the ground slaughtered with efficiency. A witcher’s work.

He almost missed it because of the mist, but there he was, Geralt, lying on the ground in a tragic pantomim of his foes. Jaskier hurried to him almost tripping in the process, he kneel by his side and got shocked by the hardened veins on the witcher's forehead, his levels of toxicity must being dangerous high. But he wasn't dead and if Jaskier wanted to keep him like that he needed to take him away from the mist to help his body fight the secondary effects of the pocions.

He looked the number of bodies surrounded them, more than six when the contract said one Endrega.

He have to be quick so he wrap Geralt by the armpits and with all his strength started to drag him towards Roach, he couldn't risk bringing her here in case of the poison or another insect near by. Geralt was a big guy, he has always being attracted to that, now not so much. Sweating, weary and scared.

Sweating, weary and scared the bard dragged the witcher to Roach when he started to feel dizzy followed by an annoying scratching under the skin. Roach stamped her feet two times before getting closer, she nosed her master while Jaskier catch his breath, then the lovely girl crouched down and wait patiently.

In a matter of a blink, his head started to pound violently and his vision to get blurred. That wasn't good.

The poison, it's the poison.

With all the strength he got left he pull Geralt on his belly over Roach, the position wasn't ideal but it was all he could do before collapsing on his knees.

"Go Roach. Go" She stood with must carefulness, Jaskier watched her go feeling a rush of pride and victory, he saved Geralt, he'll be alright and that was all that matter.

Jaskier fell backwards hitting his head with the ground, his body started convulsing or at least that's what he thought before lose consciousness.

·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ··  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ··  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  · ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·  ·

An insistent poke on his ribs brought him to wakefulness followed by a fall and a sudden sharp pain on his side. A few seconds later the witcher take in his surroundings. Roach neigh by his side, he had fall from her. The heavy cloud from exhaustion and toxicity still rested on his brain.

He felt the bitter tang on the back of his tongue of venom running thru his system and the hollow pain that remained. There were eight Endregas...yes, the Endregas, he had fainted on the clearing knowing well that he might not woke up again if he kept on breathing that mist. How did he get there? Roach answered with a distressed stump of her foot.

"What?" he asked the horse, and she neigh.

Jaskier

"Fuck."

he search on his pouch for White Honey to swallow it in a big gulp.

Awareness returned quickly and despite the injuries and aches on his lef side he took Roach's reins and guided her back to the clearing.

Back to Jaskier, he hoped to not be late, please let him be on time, he begged to no one in particular.

The contract said one Endrega, imagine the surprise and horror he felt when encountering a nest with full grown ups monsters which position were stronger and their hunt abilities an excellency when attacking in pack. He drank the three vials of antidote he carried and a dose of Swallow that burned his stomach and shot the toxicity levels to a mortal point. The Endregas were all dead, but tired and injured he collapse defeated. The position of the moon indicate that was dead for at least two hours during which he continued to breathe the poisonous gas, half and hour more and he'd be dead for good. Jaskier went for him, he could smell him on Roach, his fear and urgency. Idiot, that idiot.

Geralt tried with all his might to not think him dead.

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At the feet of the statue was Jaskier, body bent in an awkward angle. Geralt removed the undershirt on his face, recognizing it as a clever tactic. The mist did not reach that area but the purple and green tone on the bard's skin indicate high levels of poison, he must have went thru the mist to reach Geralt drag him back to Roach.

“Fuck, Jask”  said Geralt with a trembling voice and without thinking carried Jaskier to Roach, there'll be time to check for injuries for now he have to take him back to safety. Jaskier's heartbeat was slow, very very slow. Geralt fret but he did not relent.

He laid Jaskier's frigid body on the bedroll and with Igni he started the fire, he located the water Jaskier used for tea and used to clean his hands of the grime and dirt. A choking noise alerted him and Roach who was nosing the bard.

From Jaskier's nose a dark liquid started to flow, he was drowning from the inside which meant that he had breath the poison and it was filling his lungs with thick mucus.

He put Dandelion on his side and encouraged him to vomit with his fingers to clean his airways as soon as possible. Jaskier throat convulsed on his fingers followed by a steady dark flow. Geralt reached for the pot by the fire to put it under his mouth, which soon was filled to the brim.

"That's it Jask, that's it" Geralt whispered even though the bard couldn't hear him. With a clean cloth, he wiped the bard's mouth once the flow stopped and her lungs sound clear. It was then that Geralt noticed with overwhelming fear that the other had stopped breathing.

"No, no, Jask come on come on"

He acted fast by lifting Jaskier's chin and placing his clasped hands in the center of his chest and began to push down hard more times than he could count.

“Jaskier come back!” he growled when his shoulders felt like jelly, he was getting tired and Jaskier wasn't breathing. He wasn't breathing. He remembered Renfri choking on his arms a reflection of what was happening here. Not this again, not these again. Jaskier's mouth opened follow up by a weak gasp and a weaker heartbeat.

But he came back, and Geralt almost cried right there and there, but he didn't know how. There's nothing else he can do, he had no medicine of herbs for poisoning that could help humans, everything he had was lethal. He instantly regretted overlooking the possibility of this happening. He was traveling with a bard and the most responsible and considerate thing he could do was prevent and buy at least herbs just in case. But he didn't. They were at least a day and a half away from the next town and being that far from the capital meant fewer healers. Jaskier wouldn't survive the travel, not on this conditions.

If the poison hasn't killed him by now then it means that he could survive on his own, or at least that's what Geralt hope.

He put Jaskier in one of his shirts and covered him with all the available clothes they had, his cape and even the blanket with which he covered Roach.

Exhausted he started removing his armour to clean the now faint slashes on his chest and abdomen, then he walked like death to Roach to remove the saddle and pet her gently thanking her for her help.

It was an hour before dawn, but Geralt did not rest, he could not even if he wanted to. He sat next to Jaskier to check his breathing and keep the fire burning.

The fever hit the bard a couple of hours later, he was burning dangerously high, Geralt dipped a cloth on clean water to place on his forehead, from time to time raised Jaskier's head to feed him with water.

His heart didn't stop again which was a blessing amongst the terrible situation. Jaskier didn't deserve to die like this, not for Geralt or monsters.

Then the hallucinations began, feverish and confused, Jaskier babbled under his breath while trembling furiously. He smell like sickness and decay and in that exact moment the witcher missed the natural perfume of the bard's skin. Like sea breeze and orange tree. Like Jaskier.

By day two Geralt got assaulted by an all consuming wave of guilt. He had yelled at the bard for being...well, himself. He was so upset and it was so easy to insult and threaten to leave him in the next town.

Jaskier hated to be left behind.

"Why did you came for me, you idiot?"

"I don't deserve it" whispered before taking the now warm cloth to dip it once again on cold water. Instead of improving, Jaskier's condition began to deteriorate. Painful spasms convulsed his body for hours, the fever did not subside and his breathing were shallow and slow. Geralt lay next to him that night to keep the tremors at bay, he hold him carefully alongside his body.

"You do remember the night after Posada when we make camp and you asked me to cuddle you because you were cold?" He whispered into the night "I didn't. If you were awake I'd never hear the end of this. You'd love it"

The bard moaned softly and shook slightly under his grip. "Come back to me, Jask." He meant to say how sorry he was, he doze off instead.

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First he felt heat on his face, then a relentless pressure on his head as if a heavy stone was on top of it Little by little he maped his body and the multiple aches that alarmed him. On his chest underneath the skin his ribs screamed with fire as if he have been kicked hard multiple times, also his lungs burned like hell, his shoulders were stiff and sore, his belly hurt faintly.

What happened? Where is he? What, what, what, what

"Jaskier Jaskier. I'm here, breathe thru your nose, I'm here." Suddenly he realized that he was sitting up and wide-eyed. It was noon. "Jask" kneeled next to him was Geralt with a worried frown and a canister fill of water. He snatched it from Geralt's hands and drank as if a desert was kept inside his lungs.

"Easy"

“Not…your…horse” Jaskier flinched at how raspy his voice sounded. Beside him, the witcher chuckled and then stretched out his hand to put it on his forehead. Before Jaskier could react at the soft touch tha hand was gone.

"Fevers down" uh, did he sound happy?

"I had fever?" Geralt looked at him with such intensity, a expression he had never seen and therefore didn't know what it meant.

"You almost died" he answered softly. She saw Roach grazing without a mount a few feet away, she also noticed that Geralt was in his small clothes. The camp was a small mess like when they stay on the same place for more than two days.

"The Endrega"

"Endregas, yes"

"I went..."

"Yes"

"I... i'm sorry"

"No, don't be, you saved me" It was a shock when Geralt straightened a lock of hair from her forehead. His fingertips were warm.

"Are you hungry?"

"I don't know. I don't think so"

"You have to eat. I cooked rabbit broth, it'll do you good"

He could only swallow a quarter of the broth before starting to feel nauseous, Geralt said he had vomit enough for the past days before taking the pot from him. Roach came to say hello and Jaskier felt his heart swelled with affection. He wanted to do and ask more, but suddenly he felt tired, very tired, his eyelids fluttered and when Geralt saw him, he helped him lie down and put his cape over him. He was soft and calm, tender even. At that moment Jaskier knew that he must have been in a bad shape if Geralt was acting like this, like Jaskier always imagine on his wildest dreams.

He wanted to said thank you but it felt so meaningless at the moment, Geralt didn't look that good, slump and with drop shoulders a clear sign of exhaustion. if Jaskier still breathed, it was all thanks to Geralt, despite how defeated he was from the contract, he took care of him.

I love you seem something meaningful to say, every feeling and thought Jaskier have had of the witcher, taking form into three little words.

Sleep took him away before he could have the courage to say it.

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The next morning Jaskier insisted he was fine and he wanted to travel to the next town , of course he was a liar Geralt always knew when he lied, because he wrinkled his nose in a cute but irritating way. With a small smile, he pinched the bard's nose back to normal.

“No, you’re not ready” Jaskier let out a laugh as he smack the witcher's hand away. and before Jaskier could protest Geralt added "But we need go there to get you to a healer and reastock"

"Your letter Geralt, don't forget about your letter"

"Uhmm"

Before setting off on the journey, Geralt made sure that Jaskier could endure the journey. He applied what was left of a soothing balm to Jaskier's chest for the pain and bruises that remained after the compressions. Riding would be painful, but they have to get to the healer in case of a relapse or permanent damage. Jaskier let him applied the balm and he couldn't believe the patience and care the witcher put on his motions as if Jaskier could break if enough force was used. He was crumbling in tiny little pieces, melting, but from a different source. The witcher is going to be the end of him one day of these.

I love you, we wanted to said. He put on one of Geralt's shirt instead, it smells like onion and Roach and Geralt and smoke and safety. It smells like home.

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Riding Roach was painful and tiring, walking was out of the question He kept waiting for Geralt to get upset by the multiple stops they made but that never happen, in fact the witcher was the one who plannified and suggest to rest every one or two hours.

Something has changed between them, but the bard does not know what to name this new atmosphere, but he sure welcomes it. For the first time in all the years they have travel together Jaskier felt wanted, cared for, treasured! With a rush of happiness and satisfaction, Jaskier acknowledged that the walls Geralt has built around him to keep him out and stranded, have collapsed. He finally was someone to hold on to. Jaskier was sitting on the bed roll with a warm tea canister on his hands while the witcher set up camp to sleep the night. A day and a half away from the next town has become two days, they'll be reaching the inn (if it were any, Jaskier hope there would be) by night fall.

Geralt was stoking the fire when a mad idea occurred to him, he crawled to Geralt and before he could voiced his displeasure the bard embrace him in a tight hug. Two seconds later, Geralt hugged him back almost urgently, nuzzling his face where Jaskier's shoulder and neck met. He withdrew with a goofy smile on his face and his heart hammering on his bruised ribs, he couldn't care less. But he didn't get any far, he was a selfish man. Geralt was smiling too, a soft and crooked smile, when he straightened the bard's hair over his forehead and ears, he then, like under a spell trace his thumbs over his eyebrows and eyelids. Jaskier could die right here and then from happiness.

Their faces were so close. I love you, Jaskier wanted to say, he took Geralt's hands instead to place a kiss on each dirtied palm.

"You reek" of course Geralt would know how to break the moment.

"You too, mister. For once Roach smells better than us"

“She always smells better tan us” Jaskier snorted getting back to the bedroll pondering on how lucky he was despite the near death experience, he was a lucky men.

By the next afternoon Jaskier was beyond exhausted, every single one of his bones scream with pain, he felt as if he was about to pass out at any moment.

"Geralt..."

"We have to get going, Jaskier, only for a few hours and we'd get there"

"I can't"

"Please, Jask, I'll take care of you when we get there"

Please, what a strange word to express how much you care.

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Geralt practically carried him up the stairs to the room, Jaskier fell face first on the bed already half sleep. Geralt was placing his things when the bard murmured “Wake me up before you go in the morning." The thing is that even if he were on time to reach Eskel, Geralt didn't want to go anywhere.

Jaskier woke up sometime in the night when the mattress sagged next to him.

followed by a strong arm curling around his belly.

"Grlt'?"

"Sleep"

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Jaskier woke up to the chirping of birds on the windowsill, it was still early, the sun was not up yet. Not even the drowsiness could prevent the joy he felt and finding himself tuck to Geralt chest, they're facing each other naturally as if they have sleep like this forever.

And like a bucket of cold water thrown over him he remembered the letter "Geralt" he called softly "Geralt it's morning"

"Hmm, I can see that" came the sloppy reply, but instead of getting up Geral cuddled him more, practically tucking his face against the other's.

as if sensing his distress Geralt added "I'm not going anywhere"

"But your contact..." he withdrew (a few inches) to make a point. Geralt opened his perfect eyes and hold him under them.

"Eskel, my brother. I already send a letter, he'll understand"

"I'm sorry" a kiss was place on his forehead

"Don't be, I want to be here"

"You...you didn't want to" Geralt sighed ashamed

"I know and i'm sorry. Now I know where i belong"

"Here?" replied Jaskier with a snort

"With you"

"With me?!" Now was Geralt's turn to snort happily, resembling Roach when they feed her apples.

"You risked your life even though I was an asshole to you, even when I told you that the poison would kill you if you got anywhere near the place. I...I'm sorry"

"You were an asshole, yes" Geralt gifted him with a smile full of teeth "To be fair i was behaving like a brat at the time"

"You are a brat, yes"

"Hey"

Jaskier wanted to say I love you, instead he kiss Geralt's lips softly.

Geralt wanted to do better, so better he did.

[melzula]

The Blue Spirit

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

warnings: angst, mentions of blood and injuries

request: could i request a princess!readerxzuko fire lillies blurb with the blue spirit ?

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

You knew better than to walk the streets of the lower ring by yourself at night, but you also knew that if you stayed another minute in that house you’d explode. Zuko’s sour mood was beginning to suffocate you, and you knew that if you didn’t give yourself the chance to cool off you’d feed right into his negativity and create a hostile environment in your new home, so you chose to excuse yourself from dinner and venture towards Miss Tai’s place in search of some company and an outsider’s perspective on your relationship troubles.

You understood that it would take Zuko some time to adjust to your new life as peasant refuges in Ba Sing Se, but sometimes it felt like he wasn’t even trying. Living in the lower ring was vastly different from the way you both grew up, but if you could get used to it then why couldn’t he? It didn’t matter what you said or did, he was constantly irritated and easily agitated and you were starting to second guess everything. Zuko would have to come to terms with his anger and shame in order to heal the years of heartache he’d endured, but the way in which he fought tooth and nail to hold onto the past had you questioning if you could ever truly have a future together. He loved you, that much you were sure of, but would you ever be enough for him? Could he stand to love you without his throne, without his father’s recognition?

“It’s a little late for you to be walking all by yourself, isn’t it?” A voice calls from the alleyway. You startle, so lost in the depths of your turmoil that you hadn’t even noticed you’d passed Miss Tai’s home and were now in a poorly lit, unsafe street. Three men appear from the shadows and just as you raise your arms to water bend a pair of hands hold your wrists in a tight grip and restrict your movements.

“Looks like we got a little water bender on our hands,” the man behind you chuckles.

“Get your hands off of me!” You protest as you thrash around in his hold. The man doesn’t budge, and a small gasp leaves your lips as you realize they’re beginning to close in on you.

“You know, you look a lot like that lost Princess they’ve been looking for,” one of the men points out. “I heard the Fire Nation would pay good money to whoever brought her in.”

“You’ve got the wrong girl,” you argue weakly, frantically glancing around in search of help. But the streets are empty, it’s too dry to pull water out of thin air, and with your hands restrained it seems you’re left completely defenseless. They’d hand you over to Azula and Ozai and then you’d be finished for sure.

“You’re close enough,” he chuckles. Tears well in your eyes at the thought of being taken away, of never getting the chance to see your family again, your home. The last memory Zuko and Iroh would have of you would be a moment full of bitterness and unhappiness before you stormed off, and you’d never get to say goodbye or express how much you cared for both of them.

“Let’s go cash in that reward,” their leader says with a smug smile, but before he can even take a single step forward he’s iswiftly swept off his feet and disarmed of his weapons by the masked assailant who stands above him. Your eyes meet the stoic face of the perpetrator and widen in recognition at the sight of him: the Blue Spirit. You always thought him to be a ghost, a fable passed between soldiers to scare fellow recruits, yet here he stood before you with his duel swords drawn at the ready. The men who hold you captive hesitate, but before you know it they charge towards your savior to attack.

You’re still kept in a tight grip by one of your captors, but you’re able to watch on in awe as the Blue Spirit fights off the thugs. His movements are quick and agile, fluid like a stream of water, and he has no trouble in scaring off his opponents until the only one left behind is the one who holds you in his grasp. You can feel the man tense, his hold loosening before he shoves you forward.

“H-Here, you can have her,” he insists. “She doesn’t even look like the Princess anyway!”

He runs off before the Blue Spirit can retaliate, leaving you alone with the mysterious stranger. You take in the silent man who stands before you, the haunting eyes of his mask seemingly staring straight into your soul, and it’s with a small gasp that you notice the trickle of blood that seeps from the gash on his bicep.

“You’re hurt,” you say, immediately reaching for his arm only for him to flinch away. A small frown plays upon your lips, your fingers cautiously extending towards him in the same manor you would approach a frightened animal, and this time he remains completely still. “Let me help you.”

There is no reply, and you take the silence as your cue to pull water from your pouch and focus it’s energy on the wound. Your eyes never leave the gash, but there’s a gentle smile on your face as you work in the comfortable silence you share with the spirit.

“Thank you,” you silently utter much to his surprise, “for saving me. I was so scared they were going to take me away from the people I love and send me off to the Fire Lord.”

Silence.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

The Blue Spirit tilts his head at you, prompting you to laugh and causing his heart to flutter in his chest.

“Well, it’s nice to have someone who listens for once,” you note thoughtfully, your smile slowly dwindling to a frown. “That’s why I was out here in the first place. I had to get away from home because the person I love... well, he’s had a hard life, and often times he takes his anger out on others. I try to be supportive and understanding but I can only stand so much. Sometimes I wonder if he still loves me.”

It seems the Blue Spirit has heard enough due to the way he suddenly yanks his arm from your hold. The wound is healed and your life is no longer in danger, so it’s time for him to leave. Your eyes soften, almost as if you don’t want him to leave you, and a pang of guilt resonates in his chest at the sight of your disappointment. It seems he’s been disappointing you a lot as of late.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to talk so much,” you apologize. “It’s just... I don’t know, I can’t explain it, but there’s something about you that makes me feel comfortable enough to share my thoughts and my feelings, and I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”

His gloved hand reaches out to you almost hesitantly then, as if afraid he’ll hurt you, and before you can feel the touch of his fingers against your face he’s gone in a flash, leaving you all alone once again.

“Princess!” A voice calls. You turn to see a worried Iroh approaching you in a hurry, relief obvious amongst his features at the sight of you safe and sound. “Thank goodness you are alright. I was afraid something might have happened to you. It’s dangerous to be walking alone at this time of night.”

“I know, I’m sorry Iroh,” you profess quietly, eyes casted downward with guilt. The old man only smiles before gently resting a hand on your shoulder and escorting you back home.

“Let’s get you home before Zuko makes himself sick with worry,” he says with a small smile, one you return faintly before casting a glance over your shoulder. The streets are empty and your mysterious savior is nowhere to be seen; you won’t mention anything to Zuko or Iroh about what happened that night, but the memory of the Blue Spirit will stay with you forever.

~~~

Zuko watches from the rooftops as Iroh guides you back home, your curious gaze peeking behind you in search of the Blue Spirit. A part of him feels guilty for keeping this from you, for not revealing himself right away, but you had looked so peaceful in the Blue Spirit’s presence, and he hadn’t seen you smile like that since your arrival in Ba Sing Se.

How terrible of a boyfriend had he been that you had to find comfort in a stranger rather than in your own partner? Your words had struck something deep within him, and it was with a guilty heart that he made his way back home before you could notice his absence.

When you return Zuko is sitting silently at the table mulling over a cup of tea, but he rises instantly at the sight of your shaken form. Neither of you say a thing as he pulls you into his arms and buries his nose into your hair, holding you close and secure to chest.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers softly only for you to hug him even tighter.

“Me too...”

| tag list: @rainteslerrrr @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @zukh03s @taeeemin @user12345321 @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 |

[ifwallscouldtalkkkk]

"Look, I'm not gonna kidnap you" - Michael Clifford Oneshot (COLLEGE)

Female reader × Michael Clifford

Mentions of alcohol, slightly tipsy (consensual) interactions, swearing, SMUT.

____________________________________

You miss your bus home after a night partying with friends. Luckily, you meet a guy willing to give you a ride home, and his playful pinky promise to not kidnap you somehow convinces you to accept.

The smut in this story is fairly short. This was my first ever attempt at writing fanfic back in 2018, and I was a bit scared of sounding stupid

____________________________________

Your shoes clacked as you ran on the cobblestones. You were so close to the bus station that you could see the bus driver flicking a cigarette butt onto the ground and leaving the embers glowing on the dark cobblestones, before taking his seat behind the wheel. You picked up your pace even more and frantically waved a hand in the air, hoping that you could cut ahead as the bus made its turn around the station back and onto the road. You cursed under your breath, mentally labeling yourself an idiot for staying at the party a couple of extra minutes to say your goodbyes to a friend who was too preoccupied with shouting random answers to the ongoing pictionary game to even hear you.

You skipped every other step on the small set of stairs to reach the platform, and when you reached the corner where the bus would turn, you started jumping up and down and waving in a feeble attempt to get the driver to stop and pick you up even though you weren't technically in the pick up zone. You could see him seeing you, it was a clear summer night and thus barely even dark! But the near empty bus didn't stop. The driver probably saw you as an entitled child who was too drunk to be on time, and maybe he was at least 25% right.

”Fucking bastard” you squeezed out through clenched teeth as you stomped around in a little circle with your head thrown back in frustration. Calling your parents to drive an hour in the middle of the night to come pick you up and let you off at your dorm was not ideal. You knew that they would do it for you, not wanting you to walk the 6 miles home. No, this was definitely not your plan, but maybe it was a bit irresponsible to plan to take the very last bus for the night. You stomped one last time and breathed out deeply.

”What the fuck are you doing, girl?”, someone called out in a humored undertone.

You swiveled around and your eyes landed on a car parked a short distance away, at the designated pick up- drop off parking area. The boy whom the voice belonged to leaned out the open window of the driver’s seat, with his arms folded and propped up on the edge of the window. His smug smirk felt hurtful in your frustrated state, but it brought you back to reality somewhat. You could admit that you probably looked like a child who didn't get a pony for christmas – and to be honest, you felt the same amount of betrayal.

”What a fucking jerk!”, the guy in the car yelled when you didn't answer. ”Where ya heading to?”

You donned a tortured expression, brushed out your skirt, picked your bag off the ground, and started walking home.

You heard the lone car start and you put a bit more speed in your step. It soon pulled up mere inches from you anyways.

”Come on, you're not seriously walking home? You obviously live a ways away since you were supposed to take the bus”, he said with the same amused tone in his voice.

”I'll be ok, and you're probably wanting to get home yourself”, you said, trying to politely reinforce the idea of him leaving you alone

”Look, I’m not gonna kidnap you, I pinky promise”, he chuckled at his own words but continued when you kept your eyes locked straight ahead. ”Girl, I’m guessing that you live on campus, and that's like a billion miles away. I’ll drop you off all gentlemanly at your doorstep and tip my imaginary top hat at you as I drive away, never to be seen again.” You stopped walking and he had to jerk his car to a stop along with you.

”The fact that you know that I live on campus is not very reassuring”, you replied.

He rolled his eyes and let out a little laugh. ”That bus-” he pointed down the road that your planned ride home had disappeared along a few minutes earlier ”-goes straight to campus. I just dropped my pal off here to avoid driving him all the way to the uni, but looks like I’ll have to go there now anyways.” You looked him in the eyes. The way he spoke elicited a strange amount of trust, and although a couple of piercings and a questionable hair color for an adult could be spotted under his beanie, he didn't seem like bad news. ”Look, the door doesn't even lock properly, I wouldn't even be able to kidnap you!” he demonstrated the faulty lock on the passenger door. You had to smile at the enthusiastic way he presented it.

”You promise you won't leave serial killer notes in my mailbox?” He lit up even more at your reply.

”Promise”, he said. You swung your bag up on your shoulder and reached for the door. This was in no way the wisest thing to do in the situation, but you were already overwon by his goofy charm.

You climbed in and kept your gaze forward, feeling the boy's eyes on you, and you caught yourself subconsciously holding your breath. You caved and looked at him when it became clear he wasn't going to drive forward before you gave in.

”Seatbelt.” he said with a parental tone. ”Can't have such a pretty girl making unsafe choices!” It wasn't as funny of a comment as his facial expression suggested, but he really knew how to lighten the mood. ”Michael.” He stretched his hand out to shake yours formally. You replied with your name and a firm handshake. ”Oh girl, with that grip, no one could even dream of succeeding in kidnapping you" he said, laughing at your overly stern behavior.

”I just hate limp handshakes", you smiled, rummaging around in your bag after a snack. ”Damn it I left my granola bar at home”, you muttered under your breath.

”Oh uh, I've got a bag of peanuts somewhere…” Michael trailed off, reaching over to the glove department to rummage through his own stuff. His warm hand grazed your bare knee while reaching and you tensed up at his accidental touch.

”Dude, eyes on the road!” you exclaimed and he chuckled in response.

”I thought risk taking was a theme tonight – oh wait, here they are!” He plopped a bag of salted peanuts in your lap.

”Wait, you're not allergic, are you?” he asked. ”Some risks are not worth taking.”

”No, I love peanuts, no worries”, you poured a handful out and put a few in your mouth. After a night consisting mostly of liquor and dancing around, something to eat felt heavenly.

Michael asked you a couple of standard questions about your studies, and you gave all the standard answers.

”I kinda miss studying. Never thought I'd say that." Michael smiled. His hand dipped down into the bag in your lap to get some peanuts, getting dangerously close to between your thighs. You stumbled for a few seconds.

”Um oh, ok really?” His behavior was so unlike anyone else you knew. He was so daring and sure of himself, but he felt so warm and fuzzy in contrast. Maybe the previously ingested alcohol skewed your judgement, but you couldn't help but find this stranger utterly charming.

”Yeah… I'm on the road a lot nowadays for work", came his reply.

”Oh, what do you do? Uber driver for college girls who can't keep track of time?” You saw one corner of his mouth pulling smugly upwards at your joke.

”Uh no, I'm in the music producing business.”

”Huh, that's fun. I wasn-" you didn't finish your sentence as a deer jumped out onto the otherwise vacant road from between a few bushes on the side of the long stretch of asphalt nearing the campus grounds.

”Oh shit", you heard Michael exclaim while swerving a bit and stepping hard on the brakes. The deer stared confused at the headlights before scurrying off towards the other side of the road. ”You ok?!” the boy asked between quick breaths. Your breath was labored too, but your eyes and mind were mostly focused on the male hand that had instinctively been placed protectively on your thigh while braking. Michael unfastened his seatbelt and leaned closer when he didn't get an answer.

”Uh, yeah…” your eyes now focused on his light, green, worried eyes.

You just stared. You didn't mean to, but you didn't make an effort to look away either. He had gotten so close. His left hand was on your upper arm in a protective manner, and his face was just inches away from yours. You didn't mean to stare, and you most definitely didn't mean for your eyes to briefly flicker down to look at his lips. He noticed. He must have noticed given the way you were both so focused on each other.

”Wa-", you began, but didn't finish the sentence. To be honest, you couldn't even remember what you were about to say. Your eyes flickered down again, when your vocal cords failed you.

‘Shit!’ Your mind blasted out inside your own head, but Michael didn’t pull away, or look alarmed. If anything, his brow furrowed deeper, all the while he was trying to calm his own breath. After a couple more sharp exhales his grip on your arm tightened, and he pressed his lips to yours quickly, as if he was taking a running start. You kissed back automatically before you even registered what was happening. You tensed up and felt Michael’s grip loosen as if to retreat. 'No no no', you were not gonna lose this moment. No way. To signal that you were on board with what was happening you brought your hand up to his neck. ‘He can't stop now’, you were aching for him to continue touching you.

He got more involved in the kiss in response, and your other hand found its way up to the back of his neck too. The hand that had previously resided firmly on your arm now fell to your thigh and snaked its way to the back of your knees, pulling you closer still. Your voice had given up any sort of attempt of self control, and a short moan escaped your lips. The man reacted to your premature excitement and his right hand fumbled to find your seat belt button. In a surprisingly smooth motion for the situation being, he simultaneously pushed his own seat back from the steering wheel, and pulled you onto his lap as soon as the belt let go of you. Both your hands braced against Michael's chest, while his own hands pressed into your sides. Your fingers curled to grip his shirt, and his fingers mimicked yours by curling too, his nails digging into you. You could feel your pulse going crazy. Michael's heartbeat was probably also going off the rails, because he lifted you off of him a couple of inches so that he could grow more comfortably in his pants. He looked you deep in your eyes the entire time and let out a lengthy exhale.

“Girl, I don't even know what to do with you.”

He grabbed your ass to grind you into him. You let yourself angle your head back in reaction to your core finally being stimulated, and Michael straightened up his upper body to nibble at your neck. You helped him by moving your own hips along with the rhythm, but his hands still stayed firmly on your ass. When you couldn't take it anymore, you reached down to unclasp his belt, but your fingers fumbled more than you intended. You hadn't noticed how much you were shaking in excitement before now.

The stranger turned lover stared into your eyes patiently while you unbuttoned his jeans, but as soon as you managed to slide them down his thighs he pressed you hard against him, almost as hard as he pressed your lips together. Your underwear starting to become soaked from the thought of what was to come. Michael shifted his underwear down to meet his jeans. His hands couldn't decide where to rest, alternating between your hips, your chest, and your neck.

When focusing on your hips, his fingers on one hand slid up ever so slightly underneath the hem of your underwear, and his touch left you grinding harder into his thigh. You could tell that Michael knew how wet you were, your panties practically gliding around. His fingers found your hemline once more, and he slowly let his fingers follow the leg seam downwards. He let two fingers slip between you and the fabric to rest right outside your entrance for what felt like several minutes, but then inserted them forcefully when your whimpers became more desperate. He groaned too, from getting to feel you from the inside and knowing what pleasures it gave you. As if this didn't feel explosive enough already, his thumb joined his other fingers and circled your clit carefully.

You felt your cheeks turn red from the blood rushing fast through your body. Feeling sparks in your lower stomach already was not something you anticipated. Michael seemed to understand though, because he stilled you from assisting his fingers’ movement. He had stopped his movements too to make sure you would focus on his face. The look of his eyes as he kept them locked on yours was piercing and the icy-ness of it felt amazing on your hot cheeks. He held one hand deep inside of you, and the other on his own throbbing organ. He slowly replaced his two fingers with his cock, letting you get used to him gradually. You sank down, and the pain of stretching was miniscule compared to all the pleasure in the air. Once Michael was sure that you were comfortable with him, he elevated his hips just enough to push your limits. He finally let out a well kept-in moan. The subtle hip movements turned more and more intense until the point where you could tell you would end up with leg cramps in a few hours. The car wasn’t gigantic by any means, but you found ways to make do. With your hands behind your back, you could hold onto the steering wheel for support, with the added benefit of letting Michael’s hands roam over your torso freely.

Eyes watering, heart pumping, and legs trembling, you could feel your orgasm coming closer. Both your moans blended together into an audible mess as the electric pulses took over your body. After your release, your body relaxed heavy against the steering wheel.

A long, loud honk sounded out before you could get the chance to lift yourself off in horror. ‘Oh shit.’ The motion of lifting yourself off and plopping down in the passenger seat again wasn’t graceful, but it was at least fairly quick. You sat paralyzed holding onto your seat as a dog barked loudly at the sudden interruption of the usual peace and quiet. A lamp lit up in a house a few hundred yards away. It took a minute, but Michael finally chuckled - his hands rubbing his face. You cracked a smile too, but your stiffened posture would take a few minutes to get rid of. Michael clearly had a more easily relaxed personality than you.

The back of his head lay on the head rest, and he let it fall to one side to turn towards you. The same all-too-humored look that he had when you missed the bus was painted over his face. He didn't say anything, and neither did you. Words didn't really help in this predicament. He just pulled his pants up to waist level again and turned the car keys. You two drove in silence the few minutes left to reach campus grounds.

He crawled to a stop outside of the main dorms, and turned his head lazily again. You had quickly gathered your stuff in your hands as he pulled in, and you got out the second the car stopped.

“Well, uh… Thanks for the ride”, you said politely.

“You’re welcome”, he replied just as politely, and with a rare sincerity.

You raised your palm up in a subdued goodbye as you took a few steps backwards, and then turned around to walk away. Your shoes on the asphalt click-clacked loudly in the silent summer night. You reached for the door handle, the cool metal feeling sobering in your grip.

“HEY!” a word sliced through the silence.

You spun around on your toes quickly.

“Hey girl!” Michael continued when he knew he had your attention. He was leaning out the rolled down window again.

“I know where you live!” The grin on his face almost bursting by the seams.

A huge smile immediately spread across your face too.

ifwallscouldtalkkkk MASTERLIST

[darling-i-read-it]

Savoureux

1x13

Hannibal Lecter x reader x Will Graham 

Hannibal Re-Write Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: spoilers for hannibal, murder, mental health problems, jail, angst

Author’s Note: I am super super happy with how this whole season turned out. I might take a few days break of posting to simulate a very small season hiatus but I absolutely adored this and I’m so excited to do more. I think this stuff is some of the stuff that I was most proud of. And y’all...I love will graham (and hannibal lecter which is gonna show more hopefully in season 2!) 

I took lines directly from the script so some may seem familiar. Those sentences are not mine. 

Official Episode Summary : The BAU team finds evidence linking Abigail to the Minnesota Shrike victims; Will checks Abigail out of the hospital; Hannibal convinces Jack that Will is capable of murder.

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director 

Tag List: @llperfectsymmetryll​

(not my gif) 

You stepped into your home. You had spent the whole afternoon, much into the night trying to contact Will who hadn’t picked up his phone. You had been dragged along by Hannibal Lecter as you continued to complain about how Will had not done the things he had said. You dragged your feet and faced the wall as you kicked off your shoes. You would have no sleep tonight. You would be forced to sit at home, think about where Will had gone. 

Will hadn’t ever gone anywhere without telling you if he knew it was going to worry you. He would leave a note, a call, a text. You were forced to wonder where he had gone. Why he hadn’t told you where he had gone. You let out a shaky sigh and held back tears as you turned to the dogs who gathered at your feet. You turned around and pet them. You finally let a few tears escape your eyes as you sat down on the ground and let the dogs run you over. 

“Where’s dad?” you whispered to Winston. He licked your face and you laughed lightly nodding. “I don’t know where either.” 

You stood up and walked through the house, ready to get in bed and not go to sleep. 

You entered the bedroom and almost didn’t even notice Will in bed, fast asleep. You actually walked past him at first and then stopped, turning to the bed and staring down at him. You let out a gasp and a small sob escaped your lips.

Safe. 

He was safe.

You walked to the bed and sat on the ground beside him, not on the bed but instead the ground where you could stare at Will’s face. Peaceful. You wondered when the last time you saw him look peaceful was. 

You stared at him and had a decision to make. You could call Jack or Hannibal, tell them that he was at home and without blood stains from the looks of it. You could sit here a moment more and think. Or you could simply get in bed and go to sleep beside the man you loved. You could go pretend nothing was wrong. 

Tears were soundlessly streaming down your face. You wanted to play with his curls and laugh at him and make fun of each other as you attempt to make food carelessly. You didn’t want to make this decision. 

Will shook and you wiped your eyes quickly. He looked up at the ceiling and his eyes locked on yours. The peace was broken into panic and the moment was gone. 

You stared at each other and he stood up, running into the kitchen. You stayed on the ground for a moment, wishing you could have savored the moment a second longer. Then you got up and walked over to the kitchen where Will was leaning over the sink. Your bare feet patted over to the sink. 

In it was a bloody ear that Will had just thrown up. You let out a shaky breath and Will looked over at you, fear in his eyes. 

Will had never once seen you afraid of him. He had seen you afraid for him but never afraid of him. For a second he saw the fear in your eyes and he wasn’t sure if it was for him or of him.

“Where did you go?” you whispered. He shook his head and you met his eyes again. Terror in his eyes. You had asked the wrong question. “I was scared.”

“I am too.” 

You hugged him tightly and he held you closer than he ever had before.

“I don’t know if this is going to be okay,” you whispered. He whimpered very quietly. 

“I love you,” he promised. “I’ve always and always will love you.” You nodded and shut your eyes tightly. 

“I’ll always love you too,” you whispered. “Always.” 

You pulled away. 

“Let’s call Hannibal.” 

-

When Jack arrived at your home you didn’t recognize it. Jack was such a separate entity from your home. The comforting place, the dogs, Will, a home. That wasn’t what Jack was to you. 

You stared at the house. Crime scene tape over the porch you and Will would drink beer and swap stories on. Strangers in the bedroom you slept in. You looked over at Jack who was holding Will hostage with words.

“They’re going to take him away,” you whispered numbly. Hannibal nodded.

“Yes.”

You walked over as Will got into the back of a cop car. You smiled very weakly at him, stopping the door from being shut. One of the dogs sat at your foot and looked at him.

“I’m not going to tell you it’s going to be okay,” you whispered.

“Just be here. With the dogs.” Someone shut the door harshly and the car was gone way before you were prepared for it to be gone. Hannibal stood behind you and you turned, throwing your arms around him so that Jack wouldn’t see you sob. Hannibal held you tightly, watching Will leave his home. 

After a moment you pulled away from him and turned to Jack.

“You swore to me he wouldn’t get too close!” you yelled, so loud that people could likely hear you in the house. You pointed a finger at him and Hannibal grabbed your arms before you could fight Jack. “You swore!” 

“I told him-”

“Stop talking. You could see he was breaking!” you screamed. 

“Yes, I could,” Jack said simply. “And I kept pushing him because he was saving lives.” You broke free of Hannibal’s grasp and poked him in the chest, staring at him directly in the eyes. Your eyes were crazed and sad and heartbroken and above all, dangerous. 

“I told you he was breaking. Now Abigail Hobbs is dead,” you sneered. Your heart wasn’t able to comprehend that just yet. 

“You think he did it?” Jack asked.

“I know he didn’t,” you promised. “But for the sake of proving you wrong, as I have constantly, Abigail Hobbs is dead because someone messed up. And that someone is not Will or Freddie Lounds or Hannibal or Alana. That someone, Jack, is you.” 

Hannibal pulled you away. You turned to him. 

“You,” you whispered, weak now. “I sent Will to you for help and he seemed to simply get worse.” 

“I thought I was helping him. I don’t know yet where I went wrong,” he whispered. “This is going to be a long process if he is arrested. You have to realize, perhaps not now but eventually that Will killed people even if he didn’t mean to.” You shook your head.

“I know he didn’t.” 

“Either way,” he started and held you by your upper arms, “you’re going to need support through this. You said yourself Will was all you had before.” You stared at him, holding it together the best you could. He was right. You hated it. But he was right.

You didn’t say anything. Instead you just hugged him again.

-

The next day you walked into the headquarters of the BAU. Hannibal walked with you. You had managed to keep yourself together as you walked in. Hannibal stood closely beside you as you walked into his office.

“I’m going to talk to Will,” you stated.

“After the last time we spoke you think I’m going to allow you-”

“I am going to talk to Will,” you said again. Jack looked to Hannibal who somehow was still a valid perspective in his mind. 

“Will it help or harm?” Jack asked Hannibal as though you weren’t there. Hannibal shrugged.

“I will be seeing him. Alana, you, presumably Chilton,” Hannibal said. “It seems unreasonably cruel to not allow her to see him especially before you’ve arrested him simply because you dislike her,” he said. Jack stared at you and you stared back, adjusting your posture to not seem nervous when you in fact were. You hated that the viewing of your boyfriend was going to be held in the hands of a man who you hated vocally. 

“Five minutes,” Jack said. “No more.” You nodded stiffly and Jack led you to the room where Will was being held. You stared through the two way mirror as he stared at the wall. The wrongness of it made you shiver. Jack opened the door and Will turned around. He let out a gasp of almost relief at the sight of you. You walked over to him and hugged him tightly. 

Someone hit the two way mirror. You moved back. 

You sat down carefully at the chair across from him.

“This seems much too formal for us,” he said quietly.

“I don’t think we ever ate dinner at a table this formal,” you said quietly and you both shared a sad smile at what might have been and what had been. “I will be showing the dogs a picture of you every day for...however long,” you whispered.

“However long could be a long time from now.” You pursed your lips at the realization.

“I’ll do it until then,” you promised. Will stared at you.

“Do you...think I did it?” he asked. You shook your head quickly. There was no part of Will Graham that made you feel unsafe. 

“No. You couldn’t have. I know that.”

“Ted Bundy’s girlfriend didn’t think he was a murderer until he was,” he told you.

“Actually she suspected. I have never suspected,” you promised. 

“Has Jack tried to convince you otherwise?” he asked. You laughed dryly. 

“Jack could show me a dead body in our crawl space and I would think he was making it up. That man has never been someone I trusted,” you promised. “Plus, I might get to join you if I decide to go through my plan of killing Jack.” Will raised an eyebrow.

“What about the dogs?” 

“You’re right,” you whispered. “I’m going to try and see you as soon as I can.” He nodded.

“I don’t want you to be particular about it. I want you to live your life,” he whispered. You shook your head.

“You’re my life.” 

The door opened and you looked over, fighting tears again. 

“Be safe,” he whispered. You stood up and walked to the door, holding yourself together by only a string. “And Y/N?” You turned around and Will looked at you, up and down, taking you in.

“Yes?” 

“Don’t forget to turn off my work alarm,” he whispered. You nodded stiffly and Hannibal helped you out of the room. You were okay until you got in the car where you immediately broke down crying.

-

You didn’t go home, it was still a crime scene. You went to Hannibal’s home, sitting on his couch and staring out the window. He walked up to you and sat down beside you.

“Jack has just called me,” he said.

“Oh yeah?” Your voice held no emotion. It was odd for Hannibal to hear. He was so used to emotion to lace your voice. Sometimes excitement, fear, happiness, worry, boredom. You were such an outward emotional person. Even when he walked into the office you would tell him the day's appointments with a smile and chirp.

“They have found victims' hair and teeth in the fish hooks,” he said. You shook your head. “And Jack has just arrested him.”

Your mouth opened and for a moment no words came out. Hannibal waited patiently.

“I passed those fish hooks every single day,” you whispered. “Going to work. Coming home. Going on a date, stumbling inside drunk and happy.” You turned to face Hannibal. “And I watched him work. I would sit on one of the chairs and pretend to read when Will and I both knew I was watching his fingers move.” Hannibal watched your eyes rewatch that memory. “There was no hair or teeth in those fish hooks when Will worked on it.” 

“The evidence speaks otherwise,” he told you quietly. 

“And yet I will refuse to believe it,” you said. Your smile was almost eerie. Hannibal was so curious about this part of you. Almost a numb anger.

“Go home,” he whispered. 

“It’ll only make it worse,” you muttered. 

You hugged him and he hugged you and for a moment Hannibal was the only anchor you had to the world. You felt like without him you could fly away immediately and die somewhere. Hannibal held you like he knew that was what you were thinking.

You pulled away and for a moment, as you felt numb, you stared at Hannibal’s face differently.

“Thank you,” you whispered. He put his hand on your face and you let him. Before he could do anything further you stood up. Home. Go home.

-

The house was empty. Despite the dogs it was empty.

You sat on the bed and stared at the pillow you never touched. Do you wash it? Will used to sweat on it so you had to wash it often but now did you have to? Should you? 

The blanket that you had bought for Christmas for his nightmares seemed so useless now. 

You turned around and grabbed the pillow and held it tightly, gasping. 

The front door clicked open. You turned your head and your emotions went back to static as you stood up, putting the pillow on the bed. You walked into the main room and then there was Will, in orange, but there. You walked over to him quickly and sobbed into his shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, sobbing loudly. 

“I’m going to Minnesota with Hannibal,” he whispered. “But I had to come to you first.” You pulled away and he wiped your eyes for you. He pet the dogs one by one as you continued to cry. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.” 

“Soon,” you told him. “I’ll get you back soon,” you promised. 

“How are you going to do that?” he asked. 

“I have no idea. Somehow.” He got up from petting the dogs and turned to you, tear stained face. 

“Someone is framing me. I don’t know who. I think maybe Hannibal,” he whispered. “But I want you to know that outside of that prison. The copycat killer.”

“You think Hobbs copycat is Hannibal?” 

“I don’t know yet. Minnesota will tell me,” he promised. You walked over to him, hugging him again. 

“I’ll never stop trying to get you out,” you whispered. He nodded, laughing dryly a bit.

“I know.” He kissed your forehead shakily and you grabbed his hand. 

“Stop shaking,” you whispered. “I always wanted to tell you that. You shake a lot when you’re not sure what’s going to happen and I always wanted to tell you to stop shaking.” For a moment, very brief, he was still.

“I’ll try.” 

-

You held your phone tightly to your ear as you sat on the porch, alone once again. Alana picked up after two rings.

“Hi.” Her voice seemed wrong, hesitant. You took a shaky breath in and released a laugh.

“You think he did it.” She let out a sigh herself.

“I don’t know what I think. The evidence is all there Y/N.” You shook your head.

“And you know Will,” you whispered. “And you have to know that there is no way in hell that he did this.” You were pleading now. She was silent and that was answer enough.

“I’m sorry.” 

You hung up the phone and stared at the barren land of the house that you alone were going to brave. You and the only ally you had left. Unfortunately that was Hannibal Lecter. 

-

The next time you saw Will Graham he was in an induced sleep in the hospital. Hannibal  sat at the side of his bed and you stood at the edge. Jack had yet to come and kick you out so you just sat with Hannibal and Will. Jack had also shot Will in the shoulder which he would surely get an earful about later. 

“Hannibal?” you whispered. He nodded.

“Yes?”

“The last time I talked to Abigail she told me you loved me and Will,” you said very quietly. Your voice went out for a moment while you spoke. He smiled a tad.

“Abigail was always eccentric.”

“No, she was a teenager. Although I suppose she was wrong.” Hannibal raised an eyebrow.

“She wasn’t. I truly care a lot about you and Will. I wouldn't’ go as far as saying that I was in love with you two,” he told you. You looked down at Will and thought about his words.

“What happened in Minnesota?” 

“Will had a breakdown,” he said simply. You wondered what Will had found out. You wondered if he would ever be able to tell you.

“I’m not going to let him stay in there,” you said quietly. 

“No?”

“And I would like your help but if I don’t get it then that’s simply how we’re going to have to split ways,” you whispered. Hannibal smiled very subtly. That was ruthless of you. You, while caring about him, were willing to do anything to get Will back.

You and Hannibal stared at each other. He realized that you and him were not all that different. There was a piece of you that perhaps was capable of murder. You were not just his secretary who took calls and made appointments. 

Your eyes stared at Hannibal’s and his stared back. Will laid between you. That was when Hannibal Lecter noticed that you were not an obstacle to get to Will Graham or an obstacle at all. 

You were a piece of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham. 

2x01

[world-of-aus]

Hearts At Stake

Pairing:Vampire!Bucky x Reader

Word Count:7,322

Warnings:bit of angst, fluff.

Author’s Note: I’m sorry for the delay y’all this should have been out yesterday but it got away from me and i apologize profusely. I swear i changed the plot three times till i finally stuck with this one, and i hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank you so much for reading it means so much.

Find My Other Works Here: Main Masterlist

Sunset.

Your breath hitched in your throat as you watched with an unwavering gaze, as the yellow-orange orb of light slowly sank beneath the horizon. You needed to get home and quick, it was unsafe for you to be out once the sun had settled, everyone knew that. Your feet pick up pace; barely there threads of light lingering in the darkening blue sky mingling with the rolling clouds above your head.

You were still ways away from your apartment, and from the way the sunset melted into a stygian darkness that took over the sky, you knew you would be in for it tonight. You just hoped your feet could carry you home quick enough. As soon as the first sequined star lit up the night sky, howls of laughter tore throughout the streets. You tried to even you breathing, the racing of your pumping heart, why hadn’t you left the office earlier!

Your running now, legs pumping as the howls of laughter echo around you, “she smells sweet boys!”

A scream wants to tear from your lips, but you know that will only make your already dire situation much worse. Your legs are threatening to give out on you, your feet burning as you push your heeled feet further turning a sharp right onto your block. You hit a wall of muscle a scream threatening to escape your lips, but your frozen. His face is stoic, he’s bringing a finger to his lips, “If you don’t want to end up bleeding out in a grimy alleyway, I need you to do exactly as I say.”

His voice sends a shiver through you, freezing you into submission.  

Footsteps sound from behind you and you can’t help but cower closer to the equally as intimidating man before you.

“Ah shit.” you hear from behind you, and it's enough to send skin on your arms rising in fear.

“James, how’s it going see you caught our little escapee,” another voice different from the first calls out, “thanks for cutting her off for us man,”

Your heart beats heavily in your ears, eyes widening, oh god you were going to pass out, you were going to pass out. You can feel yourself sway, but the strangers hand shoots out, steadying your swaying form with his hand on your hip, a cold pressed through your cardigan, past your silk cami, till its spreading through your skin. Your eyes widen again, your feet pace, ane he must catch onto it because he stares down at you, jaw ticking, eyes flashing red, and it takes your breath away.  

His eyes slide back to the men behind you, “Look James, we don’t want any trouble with you or yours we just want the girl and we’ll go.” You watch his jaw clench, a shake of his head, “You asked for trouble the second you came to these parts.”

A growl sounds from behind you, “We didn’t know the bitch was a runner, just hand her over and we can all go about our way.”

“now why would I do that, she doesn’t look like she wants to go with you, she looks like she would rather be anywhere else than in the company of the two of you.”

“Barnes we don’t want to play any games tonight, just hand the damn girl over.”

James chuckles lowly, the sound resonating within you, “and you think I want to play games, that’s about the last thing I want to do with you two buffoons,” he sighs “the girl isn’t leaving with you two it’s best to just cut your losses.”

“And we said we weren’t leaving without the girl.”  

James lets out a sigh, a coolness washing over your face making you shiver further, “I guess we’re doing this the hard way,” he muttered.

It all happened so quickly, you were pressed behind him just as quickly as you had smashed into him minutes before.

“All this for a girl Barnes, thought you were better than this.”

“And we thought you were better than this, he grunted, “guess we can’t all get what we want.”

You peer over the burly man’s shoulders the two men that wanted you staring right back at you, their eyes glowing an almost black red.

You wondered if you could make a run for it, “wouldn’t suggest that,” a cool voice whispered into your hair.

Your legs buckled from under you; strong hands caught you from behind, James looked over his shoulder eyes looking over you, “get her home, and be quick about it.”

You wanted to scream but you couldn’t find your voice, “I'll be back don’t have too much fun without me,” the voice called from behind you, “come on let's get you out of here.”

You want to dig your heels into the rain slicked street, but you're not match for the hands wrangling you, “which apartment complex is yours?”

Your head shoots back to him eyes wide, “w-what?”

The shaggy haired blonde laughs, “surprised aren’t you,” he questions, “we’re not all like those you hear about in the news.”

“i- I just-”

He’s shaking his head, a smile pulling at his surprisingly pink lips, “don’t have to explain yourself to me, just make sure you leave work earlier, as soon as the stars are out, so are the “undead”.

“which is yours?” he questioned to the complexes, “that one over there,” you replied shakily.

He nodded “I'll see you in, and if you see those two, as long as you don’t welcome them into your home, they can’t step foot in there.”

You furrowed your brows, “that's actually a thing, we have to invite you in?”

He nodded his head, “yeah, we need your permission always.”

“even those other two back there would have to follow?”

He’s chuckling, “they might not choose to live like we do, but they still have to follow certain rules.” A pause “why don’t you get inside, I think you’ve had enough for one night.”

Your nodding your head before turning away intent on grabbing your keys and thanking him, but when your eyes are sliding back to where he was, he’s not there, he had disappeared into the shadows of the night, you hadn’t even gotten his name.

With the wind picking up around you, so did the noises of the night. Another shiver rolled through you as you raced up the steps of your home, your mother would never believe this, you thought as you leaned against the closed door of your home.

And she really hadn’t.

It was a week later and you were on your lunch break your mother badgering you over the phone.

“Y/n I cannot allow you to walk home alone, not after what you went through, and why has it taken you a week to tell me about this incident, would you have rather me find out in the news that they found your body in a dark and grimy alley?!”

You rolled your eyes, “mother this is exactly why I didn’t tell you anything sooner, look at how you're getting,” you sighed, “I’m fine mom really, there’s no need to send anybody to walk me home, I’ve started leaving the office earlier it was one night, it was just a slip up I promise I don’t need somebody to walk me home!”

Your mother huffed over the line, “Oh y/n you know your mother only worries for your safety, look if you ever have to stay late and you ever need help getting home please call me before you leave that office, I will make sure there is someone there to get you home safely.”

“Of course, mother I promise should there ever be any reason for help, I will let you know I promise, now look my lunch is almost up and I must finish my work if I want to head home early.”

“Alright sweetheart, well I'm glad you advised me, but really I wish you would have said something sooner, please call me the second you get home I need to make sure you get home with all the craziness now in our world, I can’t fathom losing you too.”

“I know mom,” you whispered into the line,  

“I’ll call you as soon as I get home.”

“Y/n honestly sweetheart I’m just thinking about you at this point,” she sighed, “I’ll let you go sweetheart, I hope you’ll make time to come visit me and your father soon.”

“I’ll try my hardest mother.”

“ I love you sweetheart be safe.

“I love you too.”

The line cut off shortly after, your eyes drifted to the frame that sat on your desk, it was of you and your brother, before these times. The two of you had been two peas in a pod, you wouldn’t catch one without the other. You never imagined you would have to be laying your brother to rest before you parents but when News of the undead had begun to rise throughout your quiet town, not many had headed the caution that came with said news, your brother one of them. It wasn’t shortly after that news of many of the residents of your quiet town had begun to be found dead in the grimy alleyways your mother cautioned you of, when you had gotten news of your brothers fate, your mother had done all she could to keep you from that very same fate. You were lost without your brother, and ultimately it had drove you away from your parents, leaving home had been inevitable.

While on your own you had been lucky enough to never have an occurrence happen, but the news had been there to show you all the horrors. So you had been cautious, repeating a daily mantra that you would not be another body in the alleyway where so many had been found. That was until last week of course; that had been your first ever occurrence, and you couldn’t get that night out of your head, you couldn’t get James or his friend out of your head, you couldn’t understand why your life had been spared.

The news had depicted the undead as blood thirsty humans that would stop at nothing to feed on the next living human soul. They had advised every morning to be in the safety of your own homes before the sun went down, and lock and board every door or window so that none could enter, and that if you were to be caught in the streets after sundown, well god be with you. You had never once heard of the ones that were like James and his friend, the ones that protected the likes of you, that made sure you got home, that disappeared into the shadows once they had made sure you were safe. Why wasn’t the news talking about them?

A sigh left your lips as you returned to your computer, you sat there for hours just looking at the damn project that you know needed to be completed by the end of the week but you couldn’t bring yourself to actually getting anything done. Maybe calling your mother had been a bad idea. You allowed another two hours to pass you by before you were done, shutting down your desktop, you began to gather your things, you could only hope tomorrow would be a better day.

You were exiting the through the building's doors making your way down the street when a shiver rolled through you. You pulled your suit jacket closer, as you continued your trek home. The walk home had been a lot quicker this evening, ever since that night, you had increased the speed in which you walked home, you never wanted to be put in a situation like that night ever.  

You were throwing up the door to your apartment, when you froze mid-step, eyes wide, he was standing in the middle of your apartment, eyes on your unmoving form. He’s moving towards you, your breath catching in your throat, your hand falls away from the door as he shuts it silently behind you. He’s feet away from you eyes glowering, you want to look away but your entranced. Thick, lustrous, dark brown hair framed his face; mesmerizing ocean blue orbs with flecks of hazel throughout held you in place. His face was strong, defined porcelain features molded from granite. Dark brows rested above his eyes, sloped down into a solemn expression.

You finally find your voice, “w-what are you doing in here,” you questioned shakily, “h-how did you even get in?”

His head tilts to the side slightly, brow raised, “I’ve been on your mind haven’t I,” he questioned.

“w-well y-yes but -”

“that’s why I'm here,” he replies, he almost looks bored, but then again you can’t really get a read on him.

“but I thought, you had to be welcomed in, I-I didn’t welcome you in.”

Hie eyes study you, “would you like me to go?”

You weren’t sure what you were thinking when your shook your head ‘no’ you both are unmoving as the seconds tick you by before you can find your voice again, “why are you here?”

“like I said I've been on your mind haven’t I, my names running through your mind, you’ve been curious about me, I can only let this pull I have to you go on for so long before I must do something about it.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “pull,” you questioned, “what ever do you mean by that.”

“I’m sure my friend Steve,” so that was shaggy blondes name, “who helped you home that night explained that the only way for us to enter your home is for you to welcome us in, well doll, since my name and the event of that night have been running frigid through your curious mind I have a pull to you it’s like your calling for me,” your brows furrowed further in confusion, “but I wasn’t speaking your name,” you replied.

He chuckles lowly, the sound resonating deep within you, “you don’t need to speak my name for me to hear it,” his words take you by surprise, your feet backing up as he draws closer. Your back hits the door, breath catching in your throat when he runs a finger over you cheek, it should have left you cold like that night that same hand rested on your hip, but instead there’s a warmth left in its wake, a warmth that spreads within you.

“W-what is happening, y-you,”  

“You feel it don’t you,” he questions.

What were you supposed to be feeling because you were sure the warmth flowing within you wasn’t it. He’s cupping your cheek now, “what do you feel?” He questions and his eyes are shining something different.

“Warmth.”

He’s pulling his hand away as if he’s been burnt by your touch.

“I have to go,” he murmurs and he’s turning on his heel making his way through your apartment.  

Your confused as you chase after him, “James, James wait, what is going on, why are you-”

His body tenses by the open window, “I’m sorry if I have confused you any further, but I really must go.”

Needs to go? But you need answers and he’s the only one who has them.

Your moving forward again, hand falling to his bicep, “James please I-”

His head snaps towards you, eyes glowing red, the same red you saw that night a week ago from the two who were likely to have left you lifeless in an alleyway. Your hand falls from his arm, you take a step back.

His jaw is clenched hands tightening to fist by his sides, “i need to go, I’m sorry,” he grunts.

Just like Steve he’s gone in the blink of an eye, except this time he isn’t disappearing into the shadows of the night, he’s disappearing with the last warm rays of sun, he’s disappearing with what feels like a part of you.

Another week passes and just like the week before your mind is on James, you don’t mean to think about him, but your world has shifted since that night two weeks ago, and with his visit last week there was so many things left unanswered for you. You had tried to throw yourself into work, tried your hardest to stay on task to put the finishing touches to the project, but whenever you came to a halt in the project your mind would wander back to him.

“Y/n head home, this project is wearing you out, you can barely keep focus on it, go home get some rest and you can finish this project up tomorrow, you know I’m willing to wait one more day.”

Tired eyes look up from your computers screen, your partner assigned to the same project is looking at you with worried eyes, “I’m almost done, give me two hours max, I’ll have it ready.”

She’s shaking her head, “it’s fine y/n, just head home this project is draining both of us, we can take one more day, please go home and relax you need it.”

That’s not the only thing you needed.

A sigh leaves your lips, “are you absolutely sure we can take another day?”

A smile tugs at your coworkers lips, “I already spoke to our higher ups they knew this project was going to need more time so they offered us another week for completion, so please for the love of god go home early and relax you look like you’ve been through hell and back.”

You chuckled softly as you shutdown your desktop gathering your things, “thank you, for doing this,” you murmured as you met her outside of your door.

“We both needed it,” she smiled, “now go and I better see you ready to kick some ass tomorrow.”

You thank her once more as you made your way out of the office. You really needed to get it together, you couldn’t be letting this or rather him affect your work. You didn’t even know the man, there was no way you could let yourself get so taken with him.

Your walk home is a little slower this time, there’s something about this afternoon that has you slowing down to enjoy the scenery around you, you feel calm, at peace, safe. Walking up the steps to complex you push open the front door trekking up another flight of stairs to get to your floor. Your stopping at the top of the stairs, two pairs of eyes turn to greet you, your brows furrow, “Steve?”

The shaggy haired blonde offers you a small smile and wave, you don’t move from the tops of the stairs, “was wondering If you could spare us a few minutes of your time, there’s some things we need to speak with you about, and its rather urgent.”

“us?” you questioned looking between the two of them.

“where are my manners,” the man next to Steve chuckled, he was moving forward then, hand stretched out towards you, “Sam Wilson, pleasure to meet you.” your brows furrow in confusion when your met with nothing but warmth, you glance down at your joined hands before they’re flitting back up to meet Sam’s eyes, “we’ll explain everything, we just need a few minutes of your time, if after we’ve told you everything we feel you need to know and you decide you want us to leave, you won’t ever hear from us again.

You were staring at the two men incredulously, your head shakes slightly, you hope the movement will make processing the information they chucked at you clearer, but it seemed to have only left you more confused.

“so what I'm like his soulmate?” you questioned.

Steve’s mouth parted, “well not exact-”

“If that makes this easier to process you can very well see it like that,” Sam cuts him off.

Your head shakes again, fingers pushing your hair behind your ears, “okay, okay,” you breath, “so say I am connected to Bucky on some level, is that the pull he was talking about,” you questioned, “you sure it wasn’t me just thinking about him as frequently as I did, as frequently as I still am that is causing this thing between us?”

Steve runs a hand over his beard, “y/n we know what we feel when a person is just merely thinking of us, or inviting us in, and we also know what it's like to be on a spiritual level with someone albeit Bucky’s was never as strong as it is now with you, that’s why he left as quickly as he did that evening, he had had every intention of giving you all the answers you needed, but when you said you felt warmth when he touched you he freaked, he didn’t think it would ever happen to him.”

You frowned taking in Steve’s words, another question sat on your tongue, though you're sure their answer would just confuse you further than you already felt. “might you know or rather did Bucky mention to you why his eyes flashed red, when I tried to get him to stay.”

You watched both men tense slightly, a sigh leaving their lips at the same time, “Y/n you promise you won’t freak out on us?” Steve questioned. You raised a brow, your heart racing in your chest, “why would I freak out?” you questioned calmly.

“I can hear your heart racing,” Steve chuckled, “look what you’re about to hear will likely have you wanting to run for the hills but I need you to just hear us out.”

You chuckled nervously, “isn’t that what I've been doing?”

“and you’ve been doing a great job at being understanding,” Sam added, “but what your about to hear, is something a lot of those bonded with the undead have a hard time hearing much less processing, we really wouldn’t blame you if you ran for the hills.”

Your eyes widened, “Sam,” Steve hissed smacking him in the gut, “What,” Sam grunted, but then he saw your frozen form.

“look y/n the reason for Bucky’s eyes flashing red is because,” Steve paused mulling over his words, tongue running over his bottom lip as he tried to find the right way to phrase this next part, “y/n when a person like yourself and a person like Bucky bond on a spiritual level somethings shifts within us.” he paused gauging your reaction.

“Something like what,” you questioned.

“well y/n, I'm sure you know that vampires must feed on blood to survive, and while we can feed on animal blood it isn’t quite the same or as fulfilling when its human blood,” there goes your heart again, “this feeling tends to become heightened when you’re around that person you’re spiritually bonded too.” oh god.

“So bucky wanted to feed on me?” your voice come out in a panicked squeak, oh god you would suffer the same fate as your brother, except it wouldn’t be in a grimy, wet, alley, it would be in your home.

You were suddenly feeling lightheaded, you needed some air, “y/n, you okay?” Sam questioned watching your swaying form.

“oh yeah, yeah,” you replied feet struggling to keep you up as you pushed off the chair, “Just peachy,” you murmured, taking one step before the world around you went black.

“What the hell did the two of you do to her,” his voice broke through your hazy mind, “when I told the two of you to come speak with her, I didn’t mean send her into a damn panic!”

Your eyes fluttered slightly as you struggled to get them open, “Buck, you asked us to come talk to her and we did, everything she needed answers to we provided them as best as we could,”

Buck sighed, “well what made her get so worked up she passed out?”

“she asked about your eyes flashing red,” a breath, “please tell me you didn’t Steve, please tell me you didn’t tell her.” the tone of Bucky’s voice is tense.

“Bucky I had no other choice she needed to kn-”

“Bullshit Steve, she didn’t need to know, you could have said anything else, why the hell did you have to tell her that, she has a right to chose not to go through with any of this, she has a a right to send us straight to hell!”

“Bucky I was just -”

“Steve that decision isn’t ours to make, I'm not going to force her into anything for fucks sake Steve we barely even know the girl and to throw her into something like this, she has a normal life Steve, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.”

“But bucky,” Steve tried.

“but nothing, the decision is hers and hers alone, if she wants us out of her apartment the second, she wakes up that’s what she's going to get understood?”

Both men gave their silent agreement the moment your eyes finally snapped open, Steve cleared his throat the second your eyes met his, Bucky looked over his shoulder his eyes falling to your form.

He looked tensed and wound up, his eyes were no longer that captivating blue you had come to know from two weeks ago, instead they were an almost lifeless grey. Your heart clenched something odd in your chest, you felt a tug from somewhere deep within you, a tug that wanted you to go over to him.

“How are you feeling y/n,” Bucky questioned voice slightly strained.

“Probably no better than you, I would imagine, you look like hell.”

Steve stifled a laugh, “I like her, Bucky can we keep her?” Sam laughed; Bucky grunted turning his head likely to glare at his friend.  

“we are not keeping anyone, enough.” he hissed before turning back to you, “m’sorry if these two gave you any trouble y/n they may have the best intentions in mind, but sometimes it doesn’t always come out the way they intend.”

“It's fine the news was all a little much to take in is all,” came your reply.

“We can leave if you’d like I think we’ve overstayed our welcome anyhow,” there’s that tug again, you rub at your chest.

“You okay y/n,” Sam asks from behind Bucky, “you having chest pain?”

You shake your head, hand still rubbing over your chest, “just have this weird feeling, in my chest is all.”

“yearning.” comes Bucky’s quiet reply.

Your eyes slide back to his, he feels it too, that’s why he’s so tense and wound up, he wants to be by your side, but he isn’t allowing himself any closer.

“Sam, Steve, do you think you could give me a few minutes with Bucky?”

“Of course, either of you need anything we’ll be out in the kitchen,” he smiles.

“thank you,” you reply, “and thank you for bringing me to my bed instead of that god-awful couch.”

“No problem, we’ll be right out here.”

Bucky's turning to you the second the door is shutting behind Steve, he remains in his spot, “do you want to sit,” you questioned moving up the bed, “promise I don’t bite.”

Bucky chuckled shaking his head, “I don’t think that would be wise, it’s not you it’s me,” he takes in a breath his body relaxing slightly, “what is it that you wanted to ask me about?”

“Do you feel it too, do you have that tugging feeling in your chest?”

“I do, and as much as I'd like to act on instinct, I will not.”

You tilt your head to the side, “why deny yourself something that you want, need to survive it seems.”

“because that instinct should I choose to act on it doesn’t only affect me, as you know it affects you as well, and that decision should solely be yours to make, I won’t force it upon you.”

“Steve said you were different from the other’s, now I'm seeing just how much.” you replied, “I heard you tell Steve it didn’t matter what happens to you,” you paused, “what happens to you?”

“It's nothing for you to concern yourself over y/n, really, I'll be fine.” he tries.

“Except that you won’t be,” you argue, “Bucky you’ve never had a bond like this one, Steve at least told me that much, you say you’ll be fine but look at how it’s already affected you.”

“Like I said those two mean well but they blow things out of proportion as well its -”

“It's not fine,” you cut him off, “Bucky you look drained, your eyes aren't the color they used to be, they’re gray and lifeless, your face is sunken in,”

“and this is nothing new, look y/n, you don’t know me, you met me two weeks ago when I saved you from Zemo and Brock, and even then I wouldn’t call that an introduction, and the second time we met, same thing, you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, you might think you do from the little that Steve and Sam told you, but I assure you, you don’t know the real me.”

“So then let me get to know the real you.” you challenged; his jaw clenched.  

“Y/n no, there’s nothing to know, you don’t want to do this, to give yourself to this life, to give yourself to me.”

“Because you’re not letting me,” you hissed, “you’re not letting me try to get to know you, you ran away the first time without so much as giving me answers and I'll be damned if I let you escape again, Bucky you’re not the only one suffering from this, like you said the decision not only affects you, it affects me as well, and it has been affecting me!”

“you don’t know what you’re asking for, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!” he growled.

“and that’s on me,” you fought back, “this is my decision, because like I said it hasn’t only been affecting you, it's also affecting me.”

His patience runs thin with you, and he’s snapping in an instant as he stalks towards you, jaw clenched as he grabs a hold of your feet pulling you down your sheets. He’s on you in an instant, eyes reflecting red, stealing your breath, he’s surprised you haven’t screamed, "you don’t want this to be your life,” he hisses, hand trailing up your side till it rests on the side of your neck.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for y/n,” he murmurs fingers pressing your head up exposing more of your neck to him, “you think it's as easy as just saying yes, but it's not,”

“tell me y/n, what are you feeling hmm,” his voice has a shiver rolling through you, the tip of his nose running along your jugular vein. “do you know how easy it would be to just sink my teeth into your skin, right here,” his lips press to the spot, the feeling has your breath catching in your throat, fingers curling into the sheets.

“I could end your life in a second y/n,” he coos. A hiss leaves your lips as he presses a nail into your skin, a stinging pain left in its wake. He’s pressing into your neck again, tongue running over what you can only imagine to be a cut he left behind, your body acts on its own volition, back arching up into him, hand finding its way into his tousled locks that have been pulled into a low bun.

A growl leaves his lips, “tell me to stop y/n, I need you to tell me to stop,”

Your mind is hazy, your fingers curl further into his hair, “I can’t because I don’t want to.” you whisper. And it’s the truth, there’s a peacefulness encompassing you, a feeling you can’t bring yourself to part from.

Bucky grunts as he removes himself from your neck, and you know it's taken all of him to do so, he’s looking down at you and stealing your breath once more, “Bucky, your eyes,” you breathe.

“I can’t let you do this y/n,” he tries, “you're not thinking, whatever you’re feeling it's not you.”

Your hands come up to cup his cheeks, and you can’t help but smile at the warmth that lays beneath your hands, “it’s my decision James, let me have this, life has always been decided for me, let me have this.”

Bucky looked away from you, there was an eternal battle going on within him, he knew what would happen if he refused you, but he also knew what would happen if he didn’t.

He was slipping off of you then without so much as a word from his lips, the ache in your chest growing the further he drew himself from you, you watched with baited breath as he showed himself out of you bedroom door, you swallowed down the knot in your throat rubbing at the ache in your chest.

You wanted to be optimistic but the ache in your chest only grew the longer you stared at your closed bedroom door, he had made his decision. You weren’t sure how long you sat there on your bed staring at the damn door, but it was getting harder to get air, you had even debated going out to sit on the stairs outside the apartment complex with how heavy your chest had begun to feel, you felt like a heavy rock had been placed on top of you, it was driving you insane.

You had barely gotten any sleep that night, you were miserable, and it showed the following day at work, but you would be damned if you let this be the thing that takes over your life. You had stayed locked away in the office skipping lunch to get the project proposal done, if you could get this done, and the right way, maybe you’d have enough time before the next project was hurled at you to figure out how to rid yourself of this ache in your chest. God damnit Bucky Barnes.

You were typing furiously at the proposal, one more sentence, and DONE. A smile took over your features as you uploaded the proposal onto an email sending it to your partner and the higherups looking over this project. You leaned back in your office chair looking over the sent email, you had done it, though you had dreaded it the entire time, you had actually done it, looking at the time on your desktop your eyes widened at the time, 8:30 p.m. “shit” you hissed gathering your things, you didn’t bother shutting down your desktop as you raced down the hallway, you knew you had told no one to disturb you, but you hadn’t meant not to disturb you at all! By the time you got down to the front doors of the office your heart sank in your chest, dark blue with speckles of silver filled the night. “shit, shit, shit,” you groaned.

You pulled at your purse looking for your phone, you weren’t sure what help your mom would be, but maybe she had some sort of solution to offer you. Looking for her contact, you pressed her name before bringing the phone to your ear. You tapped your foot impatiently on the floor, your eyes focused on the tiles as you waited for the answer that would never come. A groan fell from your lips as it went to voicemail, “damnit ma, c’mon,” you groaned, you were ready to press the call button one more time when a tapping against the glass doors had your eyes shooting up.

Your lips parted, before they were falling into a thin line, eyes glaring.

You moved forward cautiously as you pushed open the office door slightly, “what are you doing here?”

Bucky sighed rubbing at the back of his head, “came to offer you a ride home,”

You scoffed, “well you can leave, I'll find my own way home.”

Bucky groaned, “please don’t do this y/n, you know what lurks out on the streets right now, let me take you home.”

“your right I do know what’s out there, I'm looking at one,” you grunted braving it out as you stepped out onto the streets, slipping off your heels, you’d be able to run without the wretched things on.

“Y/n, I won’t ask again.” his eyes flashed red.

You got into his space, eyes glaring, “your right, you won’t, now if you’d please, I need to be getting home.”

A hand wrapped itself around your arm, “and you’ll be getting home safely by taking a ride from me, I’m sure your mother would be devastated to know that the last time she could have heard from her daughter she missed the call.”

You glared at him over your shoulder, snatching your hand out of his hold, “fine,” you hissed, “but as soon as you get me home, I want you gone.”

Bucky doesn’t answer as he leads you to a black car, he helps you in before he rounds to his side.

The drive to your apartment is short, the uncomfortable silence suffocating. You almost couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. On top of the already heavy weight on your chest, and the thick tension, you were sure you would collapse from not being able to get enough air.

Your racing up the steps of your apartment shoving open the first door as you race up the stairs, “I told you to leave Bucky,” you grunted trying to get the keys into the slot. He’s plucking the keys from your hand getting your door open swiftly his hands guiding you through it. You want to push him away, tell him to fuck off, but his hands on you relieve the weight.

He’s leading you over to the couch, helping you down, a silence falls over you, “you can go now I’m home safely, you don’t need to stay any longer.”

“Not until you let me apologize, and explain.”

You look over at him, “apologize and explain what James, you said enough last night, what more could you possibly want to say?”

“I’m sorry for leaving last night, I thought I was doing the right thing,”

“Right thing,” you questioned “you thought you were doing the right thing even after I told you that I wanted this?”

“Y/n we don’t know each other, you don’t know my life, and I don’t know yours we’re not the same sweetheart, that’s why I couldn’t let you do this to yourself, that’s why I couldn’t let you agree to something like this, it’s bigger than me and you.”

“It was still my choice Bucky, and you took that from me, you’ve had me hung up since that first night and your right I don’t know you, but it doesn’t change the fact that for some reason I’m drawn to you, and when you’re not around it’s absolute hell!”

“Y/n you don’t know the dangers even if we’re drawn to one another I could still hurt you, kill you.” He argued.

Your glaring at him, “you say I don’t know the dangers, but I lost my brother to those like you, so trust me I know the dangers, I know them very well, but that doesn’t stop how I’m feeling and it sure as hell isn’t going to change my mind.”

Bucky’s shaking his head, averting his eyes from you, and you wonder if he’ll leave again.

“Bucky if could fight this feeling I would, I would tell you to get the hell out of my home and never show up again,” his eyes shoot up to you widening slightly, “but I can’t, I know you say I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but we could get to know each other you just need to stop running, I know your scared and so am I, but I also can’t take you coming and going, it’s affecting me in more ways than one.”

“I can’t hurt you y/n,” you know he’s talking about feeding from you something Steve had said would eventually be inevitable, “it’s going to be hard, but your right I can’t keep coming and going something has brought us together and as much as I’d like to fight it I don’t think I can any longer, that’s why I came tonight, this is what I should of told you last night, but I was scared, so scared that I tried to push you away but it only drew me closer.”

“So then we take it slow but you have to let me help you when you need it, Steve said you wouldn’t feel satiated with blood you drink because of our bond.”  

“Bucky,” you warned.

He raised his hands,”fine, fine, I’ll try.”

And try he did.  

Most  days or rather evenings after that night had been spent in Bucky’s company and as much as you tried to get him to satiate himself he wouldn’t have any of it. He would simply brush you off, pulling you in close telling you he would be fine. You wanted to argue till you were red in the face but you knew it would get you nowhere.

It wasn’t until one particular evening when Bucky called and he always did, and you always answered that something had shifted. Steve has said the moment would come but you just hadn’t expected it to take a month for him to finally snap.

A rushed knock had sounded at your door, your brows furrowed as you stood from the couch making your way to the doo, Bucky usually knocked but never like that.

You barely had the door open a crack before he was pushing his way in, “Bucky what’s wr-“ your words were cut off by his lips pressing roughly to yours, his foot kicking your door closed. Your hands gripped at his sides as he lead you through your home, his lips molded to yours as he pushed you into your bedroom.

He was pushing you down onto your bed, his breathing heavy as he looked over you like that first time, his eyes were blood red, “I need fuck y/n I need to,”

A shaky hand came to rest on his stubbled cheek, “it’s okay Bucky, I trust you.”

He’s shaking his head, even know he was fighting what was meant to happen, “ I-I tell me to stop.”

“Bucky I trust you,” you murmured leaning up to press your lips to his, an intimate gesture.

He chases your lips when you pull away, a grunt leaving his lips when you expose you neck to him.

“I trust you.”

Bucky lets out a shaky breath, “fuck sweetheart,” and something in him has shifted as he leans down warm breath ghosting over your neck, nose roaming over the expanse of sweet skin. He licks over your neck, licking, nipping, it’s enough to have you writhing underneath him. Silently pleading for him to do something, anything.

“Tell me you want this doll, tell me you need this just as much as I do he murmurs into you skin.

Goosebumps rise throughout your skin, a shiver rolling through your body as he breathes you in “Bucky please.”

His hand that wasn’t by your neck searched for yours lacing your hands together as he pressed his face deeper into your neck his lips parting, you sucked in a breath when you felt the sweet pain of his fangs breaking through your skin. A moan bubbles from your throat as you arched up into him, your hips rolling into his. You couldn’t describe the sensation that came with feeling your blood flow through you and into his mouth, but it was absolutely euphoric. It’s almost as if you were on cloud nine. 

You never wanted the feeling to end.

.

WorldofAUs Forever Tag-list: @cap-n-stuff-main​ @bucky-cinnamonroll-barnes​ @kseniiafirebrace​ @sideeffectsofyou​ @pinknerdpanda​ @thefridgeismybestie​ @b0nkybarnes​ @oliviastan17​

[sleepdeprivedheretic]

Wild Heart: Taishiro Toyomitsu fluff and nsfw at the end

Notes: Smut with kinda nomadic and village people with animal features. Sorry s/o, but you’re a lil’ bunny with a kinda fearful backstory. All characters are of age, and this story has some dark elements to it. Don’t read if you’re underaged.

Warnings: No forced mating happens to s/o, but there are mentions of the fearful possibilities, and s/o living in fear of it. Kinda Mary Sue s/o but whatevs.

……………

When your first heat took over you, you first lived in your own little space in your parent’s temporary den. Of course they expected this. You, however, did not expect them to take advantage of your delicate situation by inviting possible suitors in their home.  

It scared you so much, laying there in your feathered nest, listening to your parents in the other room basically interviewing each and every suitor, acting as if you were a piece of meat to be traded off to. Which, you realized, that you were.

Traveling in the past winter was difficult, for many villagers fell ill, got lost, and were eaten by wilder animals, which made your parents desperate to help reproduce the decaying tribe. Of course, rabbits being one of the most fertile breeds, were sought by more dominant species to reproduce. A predatory species such as a wolf or dog, for example, will always have pups, if their mate isn’t high on the list of dominance that is.  

It made young bunnies such as yourself a prize, because although highly fertile and bore kits quickly, the kits will be a species of their mate, instead of rabbits themselves.  

 You weren’t sure if you wanted kits, only to repeat your species’s vicious little cycle. You were sick of it, and always fearful that somebody who your parents approved of, will just come into your nest while in heat, and either fuck you then and there, or drag you away to be a little breeder.

You were so scared and sick. Although terrible, your parents seem to know that a fearful bunny in heat was not good, and the stars aligned with luck as you heard them sigh and say that right after your heat, you will be traded to the well off weasel in your tribe in exchange for nesting materials and food.

It understandably made you angry, and that fateful night, when you felt ready, you packed some things and left without your parents knowing.

To where, you did not know, but like your kin, you will find your own little place, whether it be in a small nomadic village such as your parents, or all alone in the wilderness. It was unsafe for you. Your heat had just lifted, but the intoxicating smell still clung to you.

You traveled far, avoiding to stay at one place for too long, suspicious strangers, and open fields. Wolves would leer at you, owls and other birds of prey would gauge whether should they swoop down at you. Your nights were spent curled up in either an abandoned den, or huddled against a large tree, hoping that you’ll be safe.

As for your heats, you definitely had to play extra safe, so far as gathering two week’s worth of food to place in a temporary den, blocking it and not even thinking about coming out until it was at least a week after your heat.

It was an absolute nightmare to be writhing on the ground, hearing the scratches, threats, and wanton moans of animals outside, wanting to break through your makeshift barrier, and never succeeding. It scared you so much, that a small part of you wondered if the weasel would have been a better choice. You shook it off. No, you were more than an incubator. You always got through the night, and you’ll get through this one.  

On the lucky side, your food resources would not run out due to it being late summer, and so wild fruit, vegetables, and berries were still available to you, making stored temporary dens so much easier while dealing with heats, which drained your energy. You didn’t want to continue walking forever, living in fear and hiding,  but you didn’t want to be near your parents ever again.

One day, you came across a friendly little village. It surprised you. Unlike your village, they had buildings built there to stay, not tents flapping in the wind, or an abandoned den in which would be abandoned again. It felt like a secure place, and you decided that you will try to find a den on the outskirts of town.

It didn’t take long to find an old fox den. The smell has long since faded, and there was no outcry or claim when you left of what few belongings you had. Being smart, you covered the opening up with grass and branches, and headed towards the village to hopefully find work for food so that you could eat for the upcoming winter.

The people were friendly. They saw you not just as a foreigner, but one of the few beings who actually wanted to stay. The majority of your land had a nomadic lifestyle, but this place had structure, rules, and more importantly, safety. Beings of all kinds were welcomed here, and nobody discriminated. It was too good to be true, you thought. You thought that it was a trap, but it wasn’t.

It was a new concept of living, and many beings found it too weird and suffocating, not like the free reign they were use to having, so many beings avoided the village. You loved it. So you stayed.

Of course there were doubts, and the ever-lingering fear, yet it melted away when you seen the sunny faces of a fellow rabbit named Izuku, a red salamander by the name of Eijiro, the warm smile and fluffy squirrel tail of Ochaco, the leader of the village, a droopy crow man by the name of Aizawa, and others , you knew that this was your place.

It didn’t take you long to befriend the villagers. It was not a large village, but for the first time, you felt very welcomed and supported, and even found a job working as a gardener with Ochaco. You felt so happy, that you let yourself smile, which you haven’t done so in ages.

Of course, of all of the villagers, there was one who caught your eyes the most. When your eyes met, you couldn’t help the fluttering feeling beat within your chest. Bright orange eyes, soft yellow hair, and a round face met your gaze. The rare tiger breed was eating something sweet, and had a little speck of food on his face, in which you couldn’t help but find adorable.

It didn’t bother you that he was round, or the soft blush on his cheeks, or the way his pretty eyes had glistened a little with surprise, and most importantly, his sandalwood and soft vanilla scent. You knew that you shouldn’t like a person just bases on their looks or scent, but at that moment, you couldn’t help the blood rushing to your cheeks, a little.

Of course, it didn’t help when he offered a smile and one of his sweets, that you were pulled a little more into the rabbit hole of like at first sight.

Throughout the end of your gardening, he would visit you often. His name is Taishiro Toyomitsu “but you can call me Tai-chan!” as his tail flicked. He was only a few years older than you, and his job was help keep the peace, patrolling around the village and help protect it against invaders.

You were smitten but of course could not tell him. A part of you wanted him to like you in despite of your heats and fertility, and you was scared.

As you continued being his friend for the next year, you learned that not only was he a great and a trustworthy friend, but he had lost his fat during spring, and gained it back during the harsh winter months. You honestly thought his bigger form was cuter, but you were not complaining at all to see rippling muscles adorned with sweat during the summer heat.

Which didn’t help your heats at all when you lay deep within your den, writhing with your fingers within you, feeling incomplete and needing something bigger as you could imagine the soft feel of his flesh rutting within you or hard muscles holding you down. It was torture, and you knew that by not telling him how you felt, and not wanting to ruin your relationship with one of your closest and dearest friends, you allowed yourself to suffer.    

Within the next two years, you worked hard and never complained. You learned how to sew, clean, cook, garden, gather, and even carpentry. You helped your neighbors, and in return, they, mainly Taishiro, helped you build your little fox den into a rabbit hut.  

You never told your neighbors about your problems before, but it didn’t take a genius to figure things out. You were a lone being with no mate, not another’s scent on you, and had never brought anybody into your house. It was obvious that you ran away, and you even let it slip while casual talking to Izuku.

Of course, not to mention that the scent of your heat always lingered a week or two on you after your actual heat. You didn’t deny the thrill up your spine whenever Taishiro would accidentally inhale your scent. You didn’t miss the way his pupils dilated with lust, ears perked, and tail thrashing wildly as he looked at you whenever he thought you weren’t looking. Oh no, you were totally aware, and ate it up. Every little image was fodder for you, and it made your heart race faster.  

Everything changed for you, one November day. You were outside, planning on where to plant your crops for the next spring, happily humming to yourself as ever, until you felt yourself being pushed down onto the ground. In a daze, you scrambled to back up from whatever force that was near you, and looked up.

It was your father, and he was seething. You didn’t understand. You traveled far, hadn’t you? Your scent would have faded on your travels, and why now, after three years, has your parent finally found you with an irrational attitude?

You did feel like you left your parents to defend for themselves, but you had to do this for yourself. If not for your dignity, but for your freedom. The only rational thought you could come up with was that the tribe was traveling this direction, and you, living on the outskirts of the village, was easily spotted.

Fate was unfair, sometimes.

“Where have you been? We were worried for you! Your suitor, the weasel, has already found another mate! Your mother and I had lost a lot of opportunity when you ran off like a coward!” It all came falling out of his mouth as he screamed at you. Three years worth of anguish filled his tone.  

Your ears flattened back as your body stiffened with fear. Then an unexpected anger hit you out of nowhere.

“Do you know how scared I was while you were inviting strangers into our home? While I was in my heat for no less? Overhearing how you were going to trade me in as if I never mattered? I was so scared that you were just going to let somebody walk in and do whatever they wanted to me!” You shouted as tears threaten to spring from your eyes. You hurriedly wiped them away as your father stared in shock. However, you weren’t done.

“I traveled so far! Trying to escape you two, the tribe, and everything that holds me down biologically! I had to hide during my heats, hearing...things outside trying to get through the dens I blockaded. Storing food, hiding in the darkness for weeks until I felt safe to go out...looking above me or behind my back every second….” You trailed off as your anger dissipated fast. You frantically wiped your eyes as your father’s shoulders relaxed.

You almost jumped when you felt a hand land gently upon your shoulder. A fierce sandalwood scent overpowered the sweet vanilla, and you knew who it was. Swiveling to look up, your heart sped faster at the sight of Taishiro, who now had a feral look to him as he stared your father down. Your heart sank. You didn’t mean for him to find about your troubles. His ears flat, tail puffed out and swishing, and eyes didn’t leave your father as he spoke.

“Is he botherin’ you, Darlin’?” His voice was gentle to you, although his body language spoke another situation. You eyed your father as his face held a tiny bit of remorse, and fear.

“No,” You found yourself saying aloud. “he’ll be leaving, soon.” After those words, your father gave a curt nod and left just like that. You couldn’t believe your circumstances, or the loop that life threw at you. Your cheeks paled as you remembered that Taishiro probably heard everything.

To be honest, you didn’t care. You wanted him to know, but of course under better circumstances. Tail smoothing down, ears perked, the sweet vanilla overpowering the sandalwood, and eyes round, he looked at you with a worried expression.

“Are you alright? I came running as soon as I scented an unfamiliar scent around your area, I feared for the worse. Damn, I didn’t mean to overhear everything! Seriously, you went through all of that?” His concerned babbling made your heart leap. He cared about you. Feeling brave, you looked at him and decided to shoot a question.

“What did you fear, Tai-chan?” Your question caught him off guard as his eyes widened and a pink dust settled over his cheeks as he swiftly looked down at the ground. For a second, you thought he was going to start blubbering, but then he looked back at you with a determination.

“I was worried that you had found a suitor.” He admitted. Oh. Oh.

“That would have bothered you, wouldn’t it?” You asked with a serious gentle voice. He couldn’t help but nod.

“How long?” You pressed. His ears flattened with a bit of embarrassment and his eyes tentatively met yours.

“When I first saw you. Timid thing with wide eyes, couldn’t help but find ya...ya know, cute. Then you were always friendly, ya know? Um, I could see ya admiring me, even when I was heavy and fat during the winter, I always felt you starin’ at me with those eyes, and it made me feel special. As if my personality was worth more than my body weight, ya know? Then when the years passed and I got ta know ya, I realized that I loved you.” His flush deepened with every breath as he admitted this.

You felt warmth pool within you despite the November chill, and your heart raced. He loved you? You asked him how he had noticed, and he smiled a little.

“Honestly, you aren’t very subtle, Darlin’. Even a week after your heat, I can see you liking the way I’ve been reacting to your smell. Three years is too much, but I’d wait more if you’re still decidin’.” He let out a little growl, and you flushed.  Your heart hammered loudly, and you swore that he could hear it. Then you let it out.

“I loved you when I first saw you,” Your voice broke out and he looked at you with wonder. “as you heard the outburst I had with my father, I was at first a little insecure about liking somebody. Everyone before I came to this life, saw me as an object waiting to be used. You’re not like that. The villagers, my friends, aren’t like that. I didn’t know that you had feelings for me, but I kept pushing away suitors just in case if you changed your mind, one day.” You admitted freely. It honestly felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off of your shoulders.

Only for warm arms to embrace you. Your little bunny tail couldn’t help but swish happily as you wrapped your arms around him, pushing your face into his chest and taking in the sweet vanilla scent. This was happening. You both acknowledged your feelings towards each other, and now can rest easy.            

  After a few minutes, he broke the silence first.

“In my old tribe, it’s custom for males to court their lovers before they finally settle. Would you like that, lil’ rabbit?” He teased lightly as his hand ran circles on your back. You nodded without hesitation. Then you remembered.

“My heat is tomorrow.” He froze and pulled away to look at you with wide eyes.

“Darlin’…” He let the sentence drop as you cupped his face.

“I’m tired of spending them alone. They’re getting worse, and it’s hurting more every passing season. If you’re wanting, I rather have nobody in my nest for the rest of my life but you.”

The next thing you knew, his warm mouth was onto yours, holding you tight against him as he started kissing you. You shivered a little, and he pulled back.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’d love to.” He crooned, making your insides turn into warm mush. He’d love to make love to you is all you could think about, and in an instant, years of self restraint seemed to wither.

“Tonight, before my heat?” You pondered. It took him a second, but then he nodded. You smiled warmly up at him and caressed his cheek. Because it was getting to winter months, he was bulky. Not fully round, but not fully muscular, yet. You loved him any other way, but were pleased that you got to have both for your first time. You wanted to remember everything clearly, and not be in a heat induced mess where fingers and hazy memories of being alone was your only companion.

“Alright, Darlin’. Tonight. I’ll head home and get ready, alright? I’ll meet you in your hut.” You agreed and the both of you parted ways temporarily. Your heart pounded and you felt slick pool out at the images you had stored in your head that built up for the last three years.

Night fell slower than you’d like, but you took the opportunity to clean your hut, make your nest comfortable, and even made stew. You were more excited than nervous. You trusted him, you knew that when the morning came, you’ll have a bonding mark, letting everybody know that he was yours, and you were his. Time crawled slowly, letting you think upon other things.

Would he want kits? You could easily imagine little cubs looking exactly like him and you, and to be honest, you didn’t mind at all. He’d be a great father, but you weren’t with him because of that. Oh no, you loved him, and your body, although not knowing it yet, will too.

You opened the door to the slow and steady knocking. He was standing there, eyes locking onto yours as you let him in without a sound.

“Would you like supper, first?” You asked. You had already eaten, but you didn’t know if he had or not. He shook his head.

“Honestly, Darlin’? I’m ready for desert.” He exclaimed while staring directly at you with a tone dark with lust. It was a newer side of him than you’ve seen, and you liked it. There was hardly any words when you led him into your nest. He had asked if you were sure about this, and you reassured him that you were more than willing. Your head was clear, and more than likely he would spend the next week with you during your heat. Your lustful hunger had been put off for way too long, and you were more than willing to share it with somebody who cares about you.

...Smut:

When you closed and locked the door, he stared at you with such a lustful gaze, you felt slick leak out. He must have smelled it, for his eyes dilated.

“I’m different when I’m in the mood, Darlin’. I’m still me, but my instincts are screamin’ at me to bend you over and fuck you full of my cum. One last chance, are you sure?” He growled out, and you all but crooned.

“I’m sure, Tai. I trust you.” You admitted, and that was all he needed to hear. Although gently, he pushed you down onto your feathered bedding, towering over you as he stared at you like a man starved. His eyes glowed under the moonlight. Your hand cupped his face gently, and he bent down to kiss you. Kissing was something new to you, and he probably could tell. He’d lick your lips, and you’d instinctively granted entry. He was warm and soothing and coaxed you to swirl your tongue over his as he lightly sucked onto yours.

You broke away from air, only for him to tug off his clothes quickly, and then tugging off of yours. You wished it was a little slower, but you enjoyed the sight. His fat and muscles glistened with sweat underneath the moonlight, and you couldn’t love it more. What caught your eyes, however, was his erection. It was fat and heavy, and leaking pre-cum onto your bedding. You never saw one up close, but you already wanted to taste it.  

“You’re beautiful.” You found yourself admit, and his eyes reached you with warmth.

“As are you, Sweetheart. Honestly, how did I get so lucky?” He murmured as he decided that the two of you needed to continue, and you were on board with that.

You all but gasped as he took a nipple within his mouth, swirling it as he stared into your eyes with an almost cocky smirk. His other hand reached out to your other nipple, and gently rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. It was a new experience, feeling his rough calloused hands do that to you. You knew you were sensitive there, but never indulged too much time because other areas cried for your attention during heat. He sucked eagerly, rolling it around with his tongue, only to let go and gently blow cool air onto your bud. You gasped and he chuckled.

“A little sensitive, Dearest?” He gently teased, but you nodded anyway. Your lower half was aching. You didn’t want to rush the experience, but your self control was withering.

“Taishiro.” You let out a whine. He all but laughed at your expense.

“A little eager, aren’t we?” A darker tone filled with lust was replacing his normal tone, and you and your instincts loved it.

“My little slutty bunny wants to be eaten out, huh?” His voice sent a fire to your loins. You didn’t care what he called you, the both of you knew that was instinct, and it did set you alight. So you nodded anyway as you found your legs being separated with his face in between them, staring at your sex as if it was his favorite meal. You whined.

“What a pretty flower, you’ve got there, Sugar.” Was your only warning as you felt his hot mouth onto you. You crooned with relief and surprise. How did he know how to do this? You didn’t mind his past, he was forever yours, now, but it still had you wondering. His hot tongue rubbed against your clit a little roughly, and you felt his hand lift from your breast, and soon you felt a thick digit enter you. His hands were calloused and bigger than yours, and so the stretch was odd, but you wanted more.

You moved your hips gently with the thrusts of his fat finger as he slowly added more, eyeing you with a raw hunger. His mouth left your opening and you let out a low whine. He kissed your thigh gently as he added a third finger, stretching you out as you moved against him, liking the feel of the foreign burn.

“You’re so tight, squeezin’ onto my fingers, drippin’ pre-cum and ruining yer bed like a wanton whore.” You hear him all but growl. You felt yourself tighten with those words and looked away in embarrassment as he chuckled darkly. You couldn’t help it!

“Ya like dirty talk, huh?” He growled out a whisper as he pulled his fingers abruptly out of you and ignored your moan of protest. He continued, pulling you onto his lap, rubbing his erect member against your clit as he growled out the remaining words that you wanted to hear.

“You wanna bounce on my cock, Baby? Lemme fuck yer cervix? Fuck you roughly through your orgasm and paint your womb white with my cum? Huh?” He breathed hotly into your ear, and you had to keep yourself from cumming then and there as you clung to him with desperation. You whimpered. This is what you’ve been wanting for so long, and you were so happy that it was with Taishiro. You weren’t scared that this was your first time, and knew that your body could take him. You wanted your body to take him, and so you nodded.

“Alright, Darlin’.” His voice was softer now as he laid you gently upon your bedding as he stared down at you with a gentle yet feral look. You knew that he’d been putting this off as long as you had, and was desperate. Unlike his dirty talk, his behavior was sweet as he kissed you gently, holding onto you as you felt the head of his cock slowly enter you.

You kept yourself still as you felt your walls envelop the large intruder. It didn’t hurt like you thought it would, but it did leave a pleasurable burning stretch that you weren’t sure to make of at first. Your eyes were locked onto his as he eyed your expression. He then came to a stop, resting flushed against your skin.

“You doin’ okay, Darlin’?” He asked hoarsely, and you nodded.

“It feels a little weird, but it doesn’t hurt.” You admitted. His muscles stiffened as he looked at you with surprise. You were confused at his expression, and then it hit you. He didn’t know of your inexperience, and you just assumed that he’d know.

“Oh, Dearest, had I known-” You cut him off by kissing him. You didn’t want him to think, right now. All you wanted was to make love.

“Move.” You ordered.

“So demanding.” He chuckled, but complied as he gently rolled his hips, grasping at the nest as he eyed your expression with such intensity. You knew that he was holding himself back for you, and honestly, it was sweet. Yet, you wanted him to enjoy himself, too.

“Taishiro, I’m not hurting. It feels-Ah!-Good. Mmh-I want you to…” Your eyes looked downwards for a second while he looked at you confused. Then you looked up at him dead in the eye as you finished your sentence.

“I want to bounce on your cock.” At this, he stilled so fast that you thought he had stopped functioning, and then with a feral growl unlike you ever heard before, he pulled you up onto his lap.

“I was trying to be gentle, Baby, but since you’re such a little slut, I think you should fuck yourself on me.” He growled darkly as he aimed a sharp thrust, burying deeper inside you and you all but screamed with ecstasy as you felt his dick hit a special spot within you.

“Oh? Was that your spot? You gonna let me fuck you, or are you gonna bounce?” He then moaned as you tried your best to meet his erratic thrusts. You all but keened as his mouth latched onto a nipple that belonged to your bouncing breasts, harshly sucking on it as his other hand roughly groped your other breast. This was what your nirvana felt like as your walls began to tighten.

Refusing to come first, he then pulled out. Any amount of protest you had, was stifled as he turned you around harshly, bare ass in the air and your face muffled within the nest. His hands gripped at your hips tightly as he thrusted in, now with fervor. His weight laid heavy on your back as he breathed into your ear, talking dirty. You crooned, because this angle was newer and you felt the heaviness of his dick plow into you better.            

         “Fuckin’ virgin wouldn’t allow me to take this slow,” He nipped at your ear through heavy breathes. “I love you so damned much. I’m going to make you ride my dick slowly next time, and you’re going to enjoy the slow intimacy, yeah?” A rush of touched warmth enveloped you as you nodded, trying to focus on cumming.

“I love you-Ah! More!” You breathed out. He let out a laugh as one of his hands reached under to rub your clit.

“Oh, Baby, the shit you do to me.” He growled for the umpteenth time. You couldn’t help it. Your walls clenched tightly as you heard him curse, and the best orgasm in your life hit you hard. You screamed out his name through the white haze of euphoria. When your senses came to, his hips fastened their pace as he suddenly gripped both of your hips hard, stilled, and felt sharp teeth clamp tight around your scent gland as he came harshly. You felt him spurt his come into you as he held you down.

His hips were now gently pumping in and out of you, letting the last spurts of his cum be released inside as he licked your wound apologetically. You couldn’t see it, but you already loved it. He gingerly pulled out of you, flopping right next to you as he pulled you close to his chest. The two of you were quiet for a while as you snuggled within his chest, feeling your erratic heartbeat calm down as his slowed.

“No, I love you more.” He countered, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

……………………………….

I think this is my most favorite fic that I’ve ever written, and one of the longest omg.    

[onceinsomniac]

Hey can I request a scenario with Sua from Dreamcatcher where her and the reader get into their first argument but they make up at the end? Thanks

Author’s note: First of all, thank you so much for being the first person to request something. Sorry it took a couple of days but I was trying to make sure it was good. I’m honestly not completely happy with how it turned out but I hope you will like it anyways. Also, I kind of accidentally went off script a little on what was requested and it was my first time writing Y/N so I hope it turned out well.

It’s Always Been You

You were sitting in a park bench, drenched to the core and wondering how exactly had things gotten to this point. You weren’t expecting things to turn out this way when you first awoke that morning. In fact, you had actually been really excited. After all, it’s not every day that you can celebrate your first-year anniversary with the love of your life.

You could still remember the day Bora had first come into your life as clear as if it had been yesterday.

You sighted exasperatedly for what had to be the fifth time in the last 10 minutes. It was the first Friday your demanding boss had given you off in what felt like forever and, after sleeping through the morning and most of the afternoon, you had been looking forward to relaxing on the couch with your favorite snacks and binge watching the new season of your favorite drama.

Your plans had been derailed, however, when you opened your kitchen cabinet only to realize you’d forgotten to stock up on said snacks. Or on food in general, really. You were used to spending most of your time at the office and eating there and since your job kept you quite busy you didn’t have lots of friends visiting you so you tended to forget to do the groceries more often than what was probably considered normal.

You felt annoyance fill you as you hastily shoved on the first pair of jeans and oversized hoodie you found. You could have easily foregone the snacks and just watched the drama but your unhealthy obsession with junk food meant you would now have to make a quick trip to the closest convenience store.

You took a quick glance at the alarm clock sitting on your dresser, surprised to see that it was already nearing eight pm. At least that explained the growling in your stomach considering you hadn’t eaten anything all day, to busy catching up on sleep. You walked out of your small apartment, shoving in your earphones and hitting shuffle on your playlist, quietly humming along to the song as you walked to the convenience store located a block away from your apartment.

You usually preferred walking places rather than driving, as it helped you think, and you had never really felt unsafe walking through your neighborhood but this time you could have sworn you could feel eyes staring at the back of your head. You quickened your pace, eager to get to the store which was right ahead. You quickly entered it, immediately feeling safer in the bright store than you had outside, where darkness was quickly descending.

Once inside, you walked over to the snack section, quickly forgetting the weird feeling you had felt, to busy trying to decide what to buy. You took your time deciding between barbeque or onion chips before deciding to get both. You had just moved to the chocolate aisle when you heard a scream coming from the other side of the store. You didn’t think anything about it as the scream sounded full playful. You simply rolled your eyes at people making so much noise before upping the volume of your music.

A few minutes later, you finally had everything you were looking for and were making your way to the cashier when two girls caught your attention. One was really short while the other one was quite tall and the shorter of the two was clearly the culprit of the screams you had heard earlier, considering the screeching that was still coming from her as she playfully hit the other girl on the arm, a huge smile on her face which seemed to grow as the annoyance on the taller girl’s face also grew. Although you could clearly see the fondness in the taller woman’s eyes even as she seemed about to hit her back.

Both women were beautiful but something about the shorter girl made you unable to move your eyes from her. Maybe it was the way she didn’t seem to care about the fact that she was in public place and was just having fun, or maybe it was the noisy laughter coming out of her, full of unadulterated joy. All you knew was that something about her called to you.

You were so busy staring at her that you didn’t realize that your staring had been noticed until you felt a pair of eyes looking at you. You turned to see the taller of the two looking at you weirdly, probably wondering why you were standing in the middle of the store staring at her friend like a creep. You felt yourself blush furiously at being caught before forcing yourself to look away. You quickly went to the cashier and paid for your stuff before heading towards the door.

It was there, however, that you saw that darkness had fallen while you were buying your stuff and remembered the feeling of being watched while making your way to the store. You stood by the door, hesitating and wondering if you should call a cab even though your apartment was just one block away. You stood there for a few minutes contemplating your choices when a voice broke through your thoughts. “Is everything all right?” a voice asked. You turned around to find yourself face to face with the two women you had noticed earlier. The taller of the two had been the one to ask.

“Oh yeah. Sorry. Am I blocking the door?” you asked, thinking that was why they had stopped to talk to you on their way out. “No, it’s okay. We were just wondering why you were standing motionless at the door. Especially considering the store’s about to close in five minutes”, the shorter one spoke this time. You had been so busy looking through the store you hadn’t even realized it was almost closing time.

“Oh. I’m not… I wasn’t…” you stuttered, not sure how to explain that you were too scared to go back out. “Do you live close?”, the shorter one asked. Usually you are very wary of strangers and wouldn’t tell someone you didn’t know where you lived but apparently your brain didn’t get the memo that the person asking was a stranger, albeit a very beautiful one. “Um, yeah. I mean. I live a block away”, you answered. “Great. We can walk you. It’s dangerous to walk outside after dark, right Yoohyeon-ah?”, she asked the taller woman who quickly nodded her agreement, a knowing smirk on her face. “I’m Bora by the way. And this is my friend Yoohyeon.”

“Hi, I’m y/n.” you answered. You stood there for a few seconds thinking of a way to respectfully reject Bora’s offer but she didn’t give you the chance. Before you knew it, the woman was clinging to your arm as if you were friends and dragging you outside. “It’s very nice to meet you y/n” she said.

As you all walked towards your apartment, you stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. Bora didn’t seem to mind, however, as she chatted on endlessly even though no one was answering. You were admittedly a little weirded out by the shorter woman and turned to look at Yoohyeon questioningly but she simply shrugged, apparently used to her friend’s eccentricity.

Once there, Bora finally let go of your arm before taking your phone out of nowhere. “What are you doing”, you asked her. “I’m giving you my number. I’m guessing you won’t mind considering the way you were looking at me back at the store”, she said. You found yourself blushing once again at the implication that she had caught you staring. She then gave your phone back to you, sending you one final smirk before turning to leave. “It was nice to meet you y/n”, Yoohyeon said before following after her friend.

You shrugged off the weirdness of the interaction and entered your apartment. You had just settled down on the couch to finally watch tv a few minutes later when a music note rang from your phone, warning you of a new message. You stared at the screen, watching the message from the unknown number. “Hey, so I was thinking of going to dinner tomorrow but its kind of unsafe being out there alone at night. Want to return the favor?”

A small smile made its way to your face as you could just imagine the smug smile the older woman was probably wearing at what she perceived to be a smooth move.

Dinner the next day had gone better than expected as you got to know the other woman better. You had quickly realized she was actually quite soft underneath the flirty exterior and she had made you laugh more during the dinner than you had in a long time. It hadn’t taken you long to accept her offer of taking you on a second date.

Things had moved quickly after that and soon you were in the best relationship you had ever been in. It had been a whole year and not once had you guys fought. Until now.

You had been so excited to celebrate you guys anniversary. You had woken up early in order to prepare for the day. You would have liked to spend the whole day with her but Bora was in the middle of preparations for a new comeback and she had to spend the day in the studio. It was unfortunate but you understood what you had been getting into when you got into a relationship with an idol and you fully supported her dreams, even if it sometimes meant you didn’t get to spend as much time together as you would have liked.

It was for the best anyways, you reasoned, as you were going to spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking up all of Bora’s favorite foods anyways. You knew Bora thought you guys were simply going out to a restaurant that night but you were planning to surprise her with a romantic, home-cooked dinner instead, feeling it was more intimate.

And so that’s how you spent the morning and afternoon, running around your too small kitchen cooking, and looking at your phone, wondering why Bora hadn’t yet responded to the message you’d sent her that morning wishing her a happy day and telling her you couldn’t wait to see her that night.

You figured she was simply to busy with practice to check her phone and shrugged it off. By 8:30 you had finished setting up the table, lighting candles and putting flowers in the middle to set the mood. Now all that was left was to wait for Bora to come home. You checked your phone once more, feeling a little annoyed at the radio silence but once more thinking it wasn’t Bora’s fault that she had to prepare for the new comeback. You knew she had been really stressed lately and had been staying even later at the company to practice more.

You watched as 8:00 became 8:30 and soon after 9:00 and still there was no sign of your girlfriend. You weren’t sure if you should feel angry or worried at this point. You decided to be understanding and wait a little bit longer but by the time 9:30 arrived you were starting to get seriously worried. This was so unlike Bora. She was usually always on time and would always make sure to call or text you if she was going to be late.

You called Bora once again only to get no answer, just like the last dozens of times you’d tried. Worried, you decided to call Minji. You were quite close to all the other dreamcatcher members thanks to Bora, but you were especially close to the leader and you knew she always answered her phone. “Hey y/n, shouldn’t you be out celebrating your anniversary with Bora?”, she immediately asked once she answered.

Confusion filled you once again. “I thought Bora was with you guys. She hasn’t come back from practice yet. I assumed practice had run late once again and she’d forgotten to call me”, you told her. There was silence on the other line for a few seconds. “What are you talking about y/n? We only had practice until noon today. Bora said she was looking forward to some plans she had made. We assumed she was talking about you guys anniversary?” she explained.

You felt annoyance creeping on you. “Thanks Minji”, you answered, ignoring the older woman’s worried questions and hanging up. You suddenly remembered that both you and Bora had downloaded the find my friends app so you guys could locate each other in case anything ever happened. Resisting the urge to slap your forehead at having forgotten such information, you opened the app on your phone and were surprised at finding the dot that represented Bora to be at a bar located about 20 minutes away.

You quickly made your way outside, calling an uber as it was already dark outside and you had stopped walking outside during nighttime after you had met Bora. At least alone as the older woman had scolded you one too many times and told you how dangerous it was. You waited anxiously for the uber to arrive and once it did, you quickly got in and told the driver the directions to the bar.

The ride took no more than twenty minutes but it felt like a lifetime to you. Once there, you quickly thanked the driver before hopping off, making your way into the bar. It didn’t take long for you to recognize Bora. She was sitting in a table with another woman, laughing at something she said, a drink in her hand.

You could feel jealousy forming in the pit of your stomach. You’d spent all day working your ass off for her and here she was spending your anniversary with another woman. It seems she was able to feel your glare as she suddenly turned in your direction, her eyes meeting your own. You expected her to look ashamed or guilty, but her smile only grew at the sight of you.

“Jagi, you’re here”, she exclaimed, making her way towards you. She grabbed your arm and started walking back, clearly intending for you to follow her but you remained motionless. She turned to look at you, confused, and finally saw the anger you were clearly trying to hide. Her smile faded quickly. “Jagi, what’s wrong?”, she asked.

“What do you mean what’s wrong? Maybe the fact that you’re spending our one-year anniversary with another woman”, you spat out. You noticed how shock quickly overtook her features. “What on earth are you talking about, y/n? Our anniversary isn’t until Tuesday.”

You chuckled darkly. “It is Tuesday Bora. Maybe you’d know if you had bothered to read your text messages.” Realization seemed to wash over her as her face turned guilty but you didn’t want to hear what she had to say. Without another word, you pulled your arm from her grip before running out the bar, ignoring the shouts for you to stop.

You kept running, almost as if you were trying to outrun the pain. Eventually, you found yourself in the park located near your neighborhood. It was the same park where you and Bora had had your second date and where you both had spent many weekends together. The park was empty at this dark hour and you made your way to the closest park bench before sitting down.

Your heart ached at what had just happened. Knowing that you had been so excited, waiting eagerly for this day to come, only to realize that clearly the day didn’t mean as much to Bora as it meant to you. You suddenly felt a jacket being thrown over your shoulders, shielding you from the rain you hadn’t even realized has started.

You were so lost in your thoughts you hadn’t even realized it had started raining. You felt the person sit besides but you refused to look at them, recognizing your girlfriend from the familiar smell of cinnamon and vanilla that seeped from the jacket that now hung around you.

“Jagiya, please look at me”, she pleaded. You refused, staring straight ahead. You heard her sight before you felt fingers grasping your chin, turning your face so your eyes could meet hers. “Jagi, I’m sorry. I know that’s not enough but I’m truly sorry. I just had so much on my mind and I’ve been so stressed out about this comeback that I completely forgot. I know it’s not an excuse. You deserve better than someone who would spend our anniversary with someone else. But I promise you that she was just an old friend from school. She was in the area for a job interview and she texted me so we could catch up. I swear if I had remembered our plans I never would have gone.”

Your heart clenched at the sadness in Bora’s voice. You knew she was telling the truth. You knew her to well to know when she was being honest. But that didn’t mean you weren’t still hurt at how the day you had been so excited for had turned out. “I know you would never cheat. It’s just. Seeing you with her made my insecurities flare up”, you admitted.

“I’m sorry”, she said. You could see how much she meant it by the sincerity in her tone. “I’m sorry”, she repeated, hugging you tightly against her. “It’s only you, I swear. It’s always been you.” She whispered in your ear. And for the first time that night, you felt like everything was going to be okay.

[shinobirain24]

Suspicion

(Warning: this fanfic might come with suspense and crime).

A man with tangerine hair and black clothing was sitting in an interrogation room. Handcuffed to a chair with his hands behind his back. And the light shining above him.

While Neptune stood in front of him, glaring at the sight of the criminal before him and slammed his palm on the table. "Tell me why you did it?" He questioned.

"Did what? I didn't do anything." The thug denied. But Neptune wasn't going to leave him easily. Even for a softie. "The little girl you tried to take is my daughter and now you're answering to me. Tell me why you tried to take her, it who sent you?" He repeated.

-Yesterday-

Little Tristina is enjoying a day in the park making Sandcastles in a sandbox with her friends. Including her big brother Tristan. But then a figure appeared. "Hello children, do you want some candy?"

Jupiter, who was looking after his niece and nephew was talking to a friend since Haven Academy. Suddenly heard barking. It was coming from his family pet dog, Cerberus, who was ready to attack the man, and got in front of the children. "Cerberus?!" Called Jupiter.

Then he ran up to the pitbull and calmed him down. "Cerberus, calm down. What's wrong?" Then he turned to Tristan. "The man was trying to take my sister. And Cerberus is protecting us." Said Tristan. Then Jupiter glared at the man. "Hey you! Is this true you're trying to take my niece?!" Interrogated Jupiter.

The man shaken and held his hands out in denial. "N-no! The kid is lying. I was just saying hello!" He lied. But Jupiter wasn't falling for it and could tell his dog if following his instincts of danger. "Really, why is my dog barking at you? He could tell you're not friendly around here." He said. Cerberus growled at the man trying to take his owners. The kids a dog ever loves.

The next thing, the kidnapper tried to run away. But Jupiter catched up to him and tackled him to the ground. And beat him up, but made sure he did not kill him. And took him to the police station his younger brother is working as chief in uniform. "Hey bro. Caught this guy stalking the kids. I'll leave him to you." He informed and the kidnapper was taken into custody.

Good thing Tristan knows a thing or two about strangers as his parents taught him. Fortunately, Cerberus was trained to attack anybody suspicious. If anyone tries to come near the kids for a malicious purpose, that's when he will snap. And the kids' safety is the pitbull's priority.

It got Weiss scared after she was informed with all of this and kept the kids in the house for their safety. And couldn't bear the fact that she almost lost her children.

"Tristina, Tristan, it's okay!" She wept while hugging her younger children. As Tide, her eldest, hugged his mother also. "Mom, don't blame yourself, Cerberus did a good job on following his instincts. Tristina and Tristan are safe thanks to him." Cerberus also came to comfort Weiss. As she stroke his head, gently. "Thank you, Cerberus."

-Today-

Weiss went to check up with her husband in the station. And he came out of the interrogation room. Brushing her hair, nervously. "Anything?" Asked Weiss.

Neptune sighed and brushed his hair back. "Yeah, he finally confessed. Turned out he was hired by the Ashlands, who were once connected to your father. Do you know about them?" Weiss jolted in shock on hearing that name. The Ashlands were once associated with her father, who was CEO of the SDC at the time.

Like her father, they are conniving people who swindled for money, and once time, they destroyed another family's factory when the victims refused to sell their property. "When the guy confessed he was paid 5,000 lien to take Tristina and bring her to them, and use her for a bride of their son for when she is older, as payback on you."

"I feared this would happened. And to think they wouldn't know where I was today. I hoped they would never think of something cruel to our children! My father did crossed the line. Even with him gone, they are still here. Those Ashlands will pay for what they tried to do." Weiss growled. Hating the family who tried to take her daughter against her will.

Neptune then comfort her to not let the pain get to her any further. "I know, I'll make sure they do. For now. We can't stay here. For now, we might have to move. Now that the Ashlands know about us, chances are, they will do it again." Neptune informed after the man revealed they will stop at nothing to get what they wanted.

"You're right. We have to think of the children first. After what happened yesterday, we cannot let that happened again."

"Let's go back home, you need some rest. The kids are waiting for us. I'll be sure to put the Ashlands on a manhunt list." Neptune said. And Weiss nodded in agreement. They then walked out, hand in hand. The man was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping. "Also, think your sister will be sure to keep on a lookout for the Ashlands?"

"Of course. Maybe this way, they won't hide forever. After all, she's been after that family for years." Weiss said and took her scroll to contact her sister. Since then, the Ashlands became the most wanted criminals all over Remnant.

Tristan has been working on training with Cerberus for commands the next time anyone tried to go after him or his sister. They became an unstoppable team. Man's best friend is no joke. "Nice job, Cerberus." He said.

-7 days later-

The Schnee-Vasilias Family moved into an apartment in Vale. Where Neptune can continue to work as a cop in Vale and keep an eye on things. Weiss installed security cameras in fear their children will be taken. And they made sure the house is secured, including the locks, and the windows.

Tide then decides to work alongside his father for when he is older. Knowing how unsafe the streets were when it comes to invulnerability. And even looked after his siblings.

Weiss is sitting on a sofa with her younger son and daughter. Tristan hugs his mother while Tristina sleeps on Cerberus like a pillow. Feeling safe when he's around. Cerberus had not taken his eyes off the children since the incident. The Ashlands were still at large since then.

"I miss grandma and grandpa, mommy." Said Tristan, missing his grandparents in Mistral since he visits them sometimes. But now he was far from them. "I know, Tristan. But you and your brother and sister needed to be safe first. Okay?" Weiss said in a comforting tone. "Okay."

"Mommy, when is Daddy coming home?" Asked Tristina, waking up after another nightmare. "Did you have a nightmare again?" Asked her mother.

The little girl sniffled in tears. "The bad man tried to take me. It was scawy." Cried the toddler. The white-haired woman then took her daughter in her arms. "It's okay, darling. The bad man won't get you. Your father made sure of it." She promised. Never letting go of her children.

Then Cerberus handed Weiss her scroll as Neptune called. "Good boy, Cerberus." Weiss said and picked up the call. "How is work, Neptune?" Asked Weiss. "Hey honey, is everything okay?" He asked, checking up on his family. "Everything is okay. The kids seemed to have been adjusting to our new home."

"That's great. Listen, Weiss. I am going to be a little late getting home. Can I say hi to the kids before I go?" Asked Neptune. Then Weiss turned to the children. "Do you want to say hi to your daddy?" The kids nodded excitedly. And leaned to the scroll.

"Daddy!" They shouted happily. "Hey there! Did you miss me?" For now, they needed time to cope. And when taking them to school, Weiss and Neptune made sure they get there safely. Tristan then held his sister's hand to keep her safe. Dressed in school uniforms. "Stay safe, and have a nice day!" Waved Weiss.

"Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy! We love you!" Shouted Tristina, smiling. Weiss had been thinking about homeschooling them, still fearing for the safety of her family. But knows that it will make the children sad if they were kept in isolation and not have any friends.

-13 years later-

There was a session with Professor Goodwitch when he gives lectures about safety. Since the Fall of Beacon Academy from the first downfall. It haunted Glynda for not seeing any signs of traitors around the area.

"And that, students is why we must keep an eye on any signs of suspicion. No matter if it's a friend, family member, or anyone you knew. Especially the people you never met. If you see anyone, and something isn't right. Report to the security building immediately." Glynda said.

Tristan had been working down notes ever since that day his sister was almost taken. Even as a child, he had seen it all. It also traumatized him to this day. Tristina would've been gone had Cerberus not come to their rescue.

"You okay, Tris?" Dana Coal, his best friend and crush, who he is in a friend zone with, asked. In concerns for the well-being. "Yeah, just bad memories flashing."

"Come on, maybe some coffee will get your mind off things."

Later at the Vale Police Station. Tristan and Dana visited Tristan's set brother, Tide to check up on updates about the Ashland Family. "Hey, bro. How's it hanging?"

"Not bad. Is everything alright, Tris?" Asked Tide who was reading the reports of recent events, now that he is police captain. "Yeah, anything about the Ashlands yet?" Asked Tristan. That is when he gave his brother the news.

"The good news is, two of the family members are now cuffed and awaiting trial." Tide informed. Dana also hates that family since the beginning. "And the bad news?" She asked.

"19 of the family members are still at large. Who would've thought that the Ashland Household would be that big?"

"Is Tristie doing okay?" Asked Tristan, concerned for his sister's safety. "Mom called, she enrolled Tristina to Amazon Academy in the Kingdom of Troy." Said Tide.

"You mean an all-girls academy for future huntresses?" Asked Dana. Amazon Academy is a school for girls, it has the highest security in the Kingdom of Troy, another former unknown land where there were cultures of battle stadiums. "Yeah, Mom says it's for the best. This way, she will be safe. The headmistress of the academy is nice, so she was aware of the Ashland case. And made sure Tristie is in good hands."

"Better be good though." Tristan said. Not convinced, but hopes for the better. The next day, Tristan then was about to sleep in his dorm room. And Cerberus nuzzled his leg, missing Tristina. "Hey boy. I missed her too." Cerberus then climbed into his bed and rest. As Tristan smiled and wrapped his arm around him. "Hey, don't worry about me. I'll be just fine."

Cerberus had been attached to Tristan since he was keeping an eye on him. And never left his side since.