#People we’re saying he was destined to achieve great things

[avoidingdestiny]

What I love about Threshold is it’s a Tom Paris Daddy Issues episode, and at the end he isn’t even upset that his own children got left behind. Gotta love unaware men continuing the cycle.

[sminiac]

౨ৎ⋆˚｡ — Damage To Me ! Pt.2

⋆ Kim Jongseob + Reader

♫ — P1Harmony ‘Late Night Calls’

Pt.1

The light of his circumstances made him flourish at a rate that not many other people could achieve, or at the very least mimic. Jongseob used to think highly of himself because of this, I mean, how lucky is he? To have that something etched into his being, inwardly shaping him for greatness, whether he wanted it or not.

Except, now that he’s found solidity in this revelation, the arduous roads he’s travelled in hindsight look so smooth under his feet only now that they’ve been walked.

He can be destined for something, sure, but some selfish part of him— even if just a fragment, will always want something else.

“I think I know why you’re like this,” he places his thoughts down gently, in fear of scaring you off his hand moves to hold the side of your face, but you only look confused hearing this.

“—sorry,” he interrupts himself, softening the blunt blow to your chest. “why we, are like this.”

Your fingers still brush gently against the skin of his forehead, even if he’s gutting you from the inside out he’s so beautiful while doing it, you’d admire him even in death, moving the blonde hair out of the way of his eyes makes his nose twitch, allowing him a better view of your shredded state in his lap. “What are we like?” You lure out, your voice soft, welcoming of whatever he has to say.

At the ready he replies “Motionless.” With the release of a caged breath, his eyes flitting down to trace the outline of your lips, “We’re motionless.” He says again, the warmth of an apology ghosting at his words, ‘and I’m sorry for it’ he wants to add, unsurprisingly it doesn’t follow. It isn’t a secret, you know it’s also not profound or anything, but the acknowledgment makes it viscerally apparent that there’s a stagnancy that’s both keeping you together, but still so far apart.

His thumb nudges at your lip bottom, a place among multiple that only he has the unspoken permission to feel. “You’re getting tired of it?” You ask through the pressure of his finger, it prompts a stillness to rest on his bones, a sour feeling in your gut buds with a nauseating speed from how he dithers. He doesn’t physically pull away but you can feel that he’s put himself at a distance, “‘Seob?” You ask, watching as he focuses on the drag of his finger.

“I should be.” He voices in a brittle tone. “I want to be.”

The feeling of him on your skin disappears, a sigh as he leans back onto his bed. “But at the same time I know you aren’t.” He adds.

His forearms keep him slightly propped up as his cheek rests against his shoulder with a roll of his head, he looks devastatingly handsome like this, his hair a mess, his lips still wet. Yeah, you think, absolutely even In death.

You lick at your lips, tasting the remnants of what his touch leaves behind. “Why does that matter?” You manage to ask, hands pressing flat against his rib cage.

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Sitting on me because you know I wanna kiss you, make up for lost time.. you have a stronger resolve than I ever will you know this.” It’s terribly bold of him to insinuate you have even a sliver of the strength it’ll take to pick yourself up and walk out the door when still more than your body continues to occupy his room. It makes you laugh now, the stupidity of it all— the keychains hanging off of your bag that he gifted to you, his name saved in your contacts barren of any affections, how he continues to watch your private stories just to keep tabs on what you’re doing while you’re away, even if he has to suffer from the jealousy of other guys hanging around you.

It’s all just, stupid, for a lack of better understanding- the multitude of struggles you impose on yourselves, and so willingly too. Down right stupid.

Jongseob has books, pages, filled with things he wants to say to you, the fact that he likes the way you have yourself on him right now is only archived to it, he thinks that if every convulsing ache of his heart meant he could have you like this again and again he could tough it out, always, just for you. “You still didn’t tell me why.” You prod, entertaining him with a smile as you follow him down, choosing to ignore the flood causing downpour that looms overhead.

“Mmh.. ’s because I don’t know how to be just friends with you.” He explains, his pitchy laugh contrasts from the familiar expression that seeps into his features, eyes lidded, struggling to pay attention to just one part of you, how could he when every piece of you is being drawn to the palm of his hands like a fragile winged moth to light?

“You don’t?” You ask airily, landing, equally as distracted as him, his hands never were rough to the touch, he was always gentle, kind in just the right amounts.

“Never. Why would I ever want to be friends now that I’ve experienced you in ways no one but me has?”

It’s late, 11 pm to be exact, and any anxiety driven thought in that pretty head of his is inexplicably quelled by your presence alone.

“Stay with me.” He urges, sudden and excited even with the sleep clouding thickly in his voice. “You can leave in the morning, as early as you want. Just.. stay in my bed, with me, for tonight.”

You couldn’t find yourself making a viable argument to get you out of here even if you needed to. How much harm could it really do? You question, nodding your agreement before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

The harm will absolutely be irreparable, in a plethora of ways, that’s the real kicker, but the feeling of his fingers running up the slope of your neck and into your hair so he can pull you closer clashes with any and all common sense.

Every part of him you’ve felt has been soft, but his tongue is like no other.

ᰔ sminiac’s P1Harmony M.list

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine Sokka becoming jealous when he finds out you and Zuko have a history together

Your POV

Your father Piando was the best sword fighting teacher in all the four nations and people came from all over to seek his guidance. So you’d met many men who trained with your father but none of them were like Sokka, or more accurately Sokka wasn't like anyone else who passed through your father’s door. Mainly because he openly admitted he wasn’t perfect which none of the other men had ever dared to do. They’d openly boasted all their achievements hoping to impress your father whereas Sokka was brutally honest about himself and you respected that. Your father was intrigued too and so Sokka was allowed to train with him.

You were also very intrigued and observed Sokka’s training to see what this unique man would do. You watched amused as Sokka completed every single task with his own unique style and grew fonder of him with each passing day. You never interfered with your fathers training methods but you did help Sokka where you could and became friends.

When Sokka completed his training it was time for him to leave and you felt sad. It was nice to have someone so unique and refreshingly imperfect. You and your father both disliked the fire nation and your father always told you it would change eventually. Watching the avatar leave you couldn’t help but wonder if the time was now and realised how much you wanted to be a part of it. "Go" your father said suddenly and you paused "what?". "Join them" he smiled passing you a packed bag and your sword "i always knew you were destined for greatness and this is it....why do you think i pressed you to be so skilled with a sword? Go with Sokka and help him overthrow the firelord". You paused overwhelmed with emotion so you just hugged him "thank you". "You're welcome...just don't get any closer to Sokka okay?". You blushed but made no promises. You ran out of the house and caught Sokka as he was halfway down the road. "Sokka i..." you paused as Sokka and all his friends looked at you and you took a breath "i was wondering if you wanted any help defeating the firelord?". "You want to help us?" Aang asked and you nodded "i’m pretty good with a sword and i know a lot about the fire nation....i’d like to help, i want to fight". Sokka pretended to think before grinning "welcome to the team y/n!".

You worked with Sokka on his invasion plan for the fire nation and provided Aang with invaluable information on the firelord. You and Sokka grew closer and started dating pretty soon after you joined the group. You loved your time travelling with the gang and finally felt like things were changing for the better when a piece of your past came back to you.

You had just arrived at the western air temple and after finally getting Aang to talk to you were interrupted by the prince of the fire nation. Everyone rushed to attack him but you just stood there frozen between shock and awkwardness. Eventually you came forward to stand beside Sokka and listened as the others all debated letting Zuko join. Finally the group agreed to let Zuko join and only then did he fully look up from the ground at you all and he spotted you immediately. "Y/n?" Zuko asked and you smiled "hi Zuko". "Wait you two know each other?" Katara asked. "Yeah my father taught Zuko how to use his dual swords a couple of years ago". Zuko nodded "see her father is this amazing swordsman famous in the fire nation known for....". "Yeah i know, i’ve met him" Sokka replied "and he also trained me so you're not the only sword master here". Zuko nodded awkwardly and you changed the subject.

You showed Zuko around as nobody else wanted to and because you wanted to help make him feel welcome. You also wanted to apologise for not telling the gang you knew each other. You explained to Zuko how you didn’t vouch for him earlier because you thought it was Aang’s place not yours and he understood your reasons. You caught up over everything you’d missed in the fire nation and Zuko’s life while Sokka watched with a confused expression.

Sokka’s POV

"I can believe i had no idea they were friends" Sokka cried and Katara sighed "y/n never said they were friends she just said they knew each other, also how would you know? It never came up". "Yeah but y/n knew we were conspiring against the firelord and she never mentioned she knew his son....do you think that’s odd?”. Sokka’s eyes drifted back to where you were both sat together "and now they're sat laughing and joking around together". Katara sighed "i’m sure they're both just happy to be around people they know, Zuko probably just feels more comfortable around her because she’s from the fire nation too, she knows what it’s like". Sokka raised an eyebrow not convinced. The way you and Zuko acted was way too familiar for casual acquaintances. You seemed very at ease with each other and Sokka couldn’t help but feel you were hiding something about this from him.

Later

You were sat around the campfire drinking tea Zuko made with the group when you realised your boyfriend was missing. You searched all over for him before you finally found him. "There you are!" you called spotting Sokka stood at the edge of the woods "why are you all the way out here it’s freezing". "I don’t feel the cold" Sokka said and you snorted "you don’t feel the cold?" you asked imitating him mockingly and Sokka shook his head but smiled "i meant...i have more of a tolerance to it than you because i grew up surrounded by snow and ice" Sokka said nudging you playfully. You smiled at him and took his hand in yours "well that may be but i still think you shouldn’t be out here all alone, come back to the fire with me, Zuko was telling jokes it was crazy!". "No thanks" Sokka said abruptly dropping your hard and you paused "what?". "I don’t want to listen to Zuko be hilarious and watch him become even better than he already is". You paused "Sokka is everything okay....". "Why didn’t you tell me you knew him?". You paused "i...it didn’t come up plus i wasn’t sure it was relevant...I knew Zuko a while ago, it’s not like we’re close". "I thought the same thing but then i saw the two of you together and you seemed comfortable, familiar even and it made me think....has something ever happened between you two?". You paled and Sokka gasped "i knew it! You like him!". "What? Sokka of course i don't, i left to come with you right?". "So why...". "Okay so while he was being trained with my father we became friends and we might have maybe gone on a couple of dates...". "YOU WHAT!" Sokka cried and you jumped "Sokka it’s not that big a deal! It was like 4 times! Then he left for the capital and we never ever spoke again, you have to believe me". Sokka nodded his head as you stared at him fiercely "i do just wow i can’t believe you dated?". You shrugged "i don’t even know if you can call it that, it was just casual and fun, neither of us were expecting anything long term...it was literally just some fun". Sokka paused "is it...does Zuko still seem fun to you?". You shook your head "Sokka i’d never dated anyone before Zuko...that was half the appeal! The other half was he’s a prince, which when i was younger seemed amazing. I’m older now and not so easily enticed by titles or just any guy. It takes a lot more, someone as great as you" you smiled up at him "and trust me Zuko will never seem as good to me as you do”. Sokka smiled and looked at you "really?". "Really" you nodded and kissed him. Sokka was enjoying it before a thought popped into his head "wait when you two dated did you ever...have you kissed Zuko?". Your eyes widened again and Sokka gasped "you have! Y/n!". "It was only a few times!" you cried and Sokka gaped "of all the girls i fall for...her ex-boyfriend is the future firelord...". "He wasn’t my boyfriend and i...wait girl you've fallen for?". Sokka blushed "well i figured it was pretty obvious...wasn’t i?". "No but even if it was hearing you say it...i’m falling for you too Sokka and that’s why this whole Zuko thing is just...so what if i’ve dated and kissed Zuko? That’s so far in the past! I don’t feel anything for him anymore and even if i did there’s no way it’d ever compare with you...nothing and nobody could". "Not even a fancy nobel man?" Sokka asked smiling and you shook your head "nope". "Or a titled tribal leader?". "No" you grinned and Sokka smiled "what about the earth king?". "Isn’t he like 40?" you asked and Sokka’s smile dropped "ow so if he wasn’t then he'd be an option". You got worried Sokka was actually upset when his frown was replaced with a smile "i’m kidding" he grinned. "You're an ass" you said pushing him but Sokka caught your hands and pulled you to him swiftly. "Yeah i know that’s what you like so much about me...my winning personality". “That’s one of the reasons” you grinned and before Sokka could ask you to list all the reasons you tugged his hand “now can we go back to the fire? I don’t have your water tribe protection from the cold”. Sokka nodded wrapping an arm around you “let's go”. You and Sokka reached the fire and sat together, Sokka stayed close to you to try and share his body heat with you and you willingly leant into him savouring it.

“They look happy” Zuko commented to Katara who nodded smiling. She wasn’t technically speaking to Zuko but she loved you and Sokka as a couple and it melted away her anger. “They are” she smiled. “I’m glad y/n found someone, she deserves someone good”. Katara frowned as Zuko was obviously talking like he knew you well but she didn’t push it. She just smiled seeing her brother so obviously in love with someone who loved him back just as much.

[queenoftheworldisdead]

Cupid

Note: This is for @afriendlyblackhottie​​ Brat and Birthday challenge. Happy Bday Month 🎉🎈🎊🎂🍰! I chose Cupid by 112. Chris art work by @nix-akimbo​ she is amazing here is the original.

Summery: Ransom likes a bridesmaid.

Warning: Daddy Kink, gag, oral (reader receives), sex

Groomsman Band member Ransom x Black Reader, Knives out Alternative Universe

Leaning in the archway of the reception hall you sighed watching the newlyweds dance their first dance. You didn't want to be here. Not after all the shit he put Courtney, the bride, through.

But your bestie was the kind of girl that could not function without a man in her life. He had cheated on her five times, that you knew of. You were sure there was more, but she as well as you were tired of the berating.

It was always the same. He cheated, she cried, you picked up the pieces and then when he was ready she would go back. Pathetic.

"Aw don't pout princess your day will come" your eyes rolled at the sound of his voice. You had the misfortune to be linked with Ransom, the cousin of the groom. All the other bridesmaids drooled over him, but you weren't impressed. This rich boy was looking to add to his body count so you only interacted with him only when you needed to.

Their family had paid for this whole affair. You nearly punched one of the grooms relatives when she made a remark on Courtney's color choices. They were all on your shit list.

Just ignore him. Its almost over and you will never have to see him again.

As the song ended everyone applauded while you made your way over to the open bar. Your wrist was snagged as you crossed his path. Snatching it back you looked at him as if he grew another head.

"Look you don't want to be here I don't want to be here. Let's be miserable together." He held up his hands in surrender. You were stuck on this island and you were smart enough not to fall for dumb shit so you gave yourself permission to relax.

You both took over an empty table in the back of the massive hall. Ransom disappeared for a bit, then returned with two bottles of champagne and two glasses. The bar was an open bar, but you were sure they weren't handing out bottles left and right.

"OK let's play a game to pass the time." Ransom proposed as he approached.

"Game? What kind of game?" You waited curiously. Sitting the glasses and bottles down Ransom proceeded to pop the cork on one of the bottles of Champaign.

"We both take turns pointing out people we think the other would fuck."your mouth fell open with his boldness as he spoke. "If you guess wrong you have to take a sip. Yatta yatta you get it."

"Are you just trying to get me drunk?" You squint at him playfully suspicious.

"Nah, just bored. So come on let's play."

You watched as he poured the glasses to the brim, when he handed you the bubbling glass you thanked him. Ransom moved his chair next to you, sitting shoulder to shoulder so you both were sure to have the same view of the people on the floor.

"Ladies first" he held his glass high. You clinked your glass with his signaling ‘good game’.

"What about her?" You pointed to Courtney's great aunt. The lovely woman was at least eighty-seven, you knew this would be a 'no', but why not start off with a softball.

He gave you a look that made you snort.

"Wow was that a laugh? I seriously didn't think the ice queen was capable. You didn't even smile for the wedding photos. Achievement unlocked." Ransom was full of himself.

"No one is gonna believe I got the frost queen to crack a smile." Ransom boasted.

You took a sip from your glass so you didn't have to reply. There was nothing to smile about. You didn't approve of this wedding so you weren't going to act like you were. Courtney was lucky you even agreed to be a bridesmaid.

"OK my turn." He observed the crowded floor, before finding his mark. "Glasses two o'clock."

You searched out 'Glasses' and scoped him out. Tall, put together nicely. "Yep."

"Really?" He gave you a look, that made it hard to fight back the curl of your lip.

"Yep..I have particular taste." You say casually with a shrug.

"Well all right to each his own I guess."

"My turn" you stopped for a beat then found her. " Oh what about her?" you pointed to a tall slender blonde.

"Ugh no...That's my aunt."

"Oooops....My bad... let me see who else, umm" you looked around the room, but he only looked at you.

"Oh! Oh! Her" you pointed to Stephani, a younger cousin of Courtney's. Thick thighed, uber fit college student.

"You can't go twice. Take your sip."

"What that was your aunt that cant count" you argued back.

"A no is a no" he tutted.

"Fine" you gulped from your glass and waited your turn.

"OK my turn. Hmm...What about him" he pointed to an older man that was chatting up a bridesmaid that was way to young for him.

"Eww nah not my type, but he might have gotten a yes back in the day." You tilted your head with a smirk.

"Oh thank gawd. That's my dad."

"What the fuck? Dude gross" you slapped at his shoulder and laughed. Ransom rubbed it fanning pain.

"Hey you picked my aunt" he chuckled with you.

"Yeah but I didn't know she was your aunt!"

After finishing the first bottle you started to feel loose. Ransom's arm stretched out along the back of your chair, slyly rubbing circles on your bare arm, while you leaned snuggled into his side as you both continue to people watch.

"So what do you do?" You asked him.

Ransom was silent for a moment. Taking a long swig from the glass before looking over at you and sighing.

"I'm in a band."

"Oh really, is that your little hobby you do before you take over the board seat at your grand-papa's company?" you bit back a laugh. Ransom frowned at you, but you didn't care.

You knew of the older Thrombey, the famous author and owner of a publishing house. Through rehearsal you watched the interactions between the two and you knew that Ransom was the favorite of the acclaimed writer's brood.

"I don't want anything to do with that company believe it or not. I love music always have."

"Must be nice to play in a band bankrolled by a publishing house. What are y'all called 'Blood and Rock'" you laughed at the ridiculousness of it.

"Ha wrong again. We're called 'Coffee and Roses'. And I've been cut of financially ever since I got these bad boys" Ransom shimmed out of his blazer and rolled up his sleeves. His well toned arms were completely covered in ink. When he pulled down his collar you were able to see the massive art work that encompassed his neck, you bit into your bottom lip as he allowed you to ogle him. "This art work was not board approved " he joked. The booze mixed with Ransom's rocker bod was starting to lower your inhibitions and you needed to put a stop to it.

"Your cousin is a piece of shit." You changed the subject before taking a pull from your glass.

"Yeah well he gets that from his dad, he's always been an asshole."

"Apples don't fall far do they?" You snipped. When Ransom didn't respond you looked over, he was looking at his father who had now moved on to another pretty young thing.

"He made a mistake and he is fixing it." Ransom replied, suddenly in defense of his cousin.

The mistake in question was a child, by another woman. That baby you thought would be the final straw to break the camels back.

"Diamonds don't fix problems." You didn't come from money, but you knew that this wedding was a band-aid. And once it got wet you wondered what would be the gift for the next 'mistake'.

The groom had always bought his way out of his binds. The more he fucked up the more money he poured on it. This wedding you couldn't even fathom the cost. The wedding ring alone looked like it could choke a horse. And this destination wedding on his dime made you think on what happened in the interim leading up to this event.

"You're a really good friend. She's lucky that she has someone that cares so much." You both stared into the distance at the couple. They danced and smiled at each other so happy, but you felt sick. Ransom's sweet words made you immediately suspicious of his intent, his cousin had a habit of talking sweet, but he was a fucking snake. You weren't going to end up like Courtney.

"Look don't think that just because we got all chummy that all of a sudden I am gonna want to bang one out." You hit your glass on the table harder than you meant to, it tipped over and spilled out the rest of your drink.

When a little bit of the liquid trickled off the table and hit your dress you pushed away from the table. Just a tiny bit, nothing major to fuss about, but you had hit your limit. You'd done the wedding, you took the pictures and you stuck around for the reception. It was time to go.

You weren't about to be some random rich kids one night stand. So you stormed off. Thankfully the ball room was not far from the adjoining hotel. Marching you fumed and you cursed your friend for being this dumb, yourself for not doing more to stop this and almost falling for Ransom's charm. Mashing the buttons you thought of changing your number, wiping your hands from this friendship and looking into an overnight flight back home.

How much worse would it be now that she was legally married to that douche bag. The thought of them having kids only served to further irked you.

Before the elevator door could close a hand sliced down the middle, halting the closure.

You stood stunned as Ransom appeared out of breath and in-between the open doors.

**"Baby, I'm so tired of the way you turn my words into deception and lies"**

Ransom consumed the space between you two. Your ass hit the hand rail as the doors closed.

"I am not my father, I am not my cousin. I liked you." His confession made your heart flutter.

Don't be stupid. He is the same as the rest of his family. Don't fall for his game.

His hands rested on the bar on either side of your hips as he stood toe to toe with you. You rolled your eyes and scoffed turning away from him, unable to keep staring into those eyes.

**Don't misunderstand me when I try to speak my mind I'm only saying what's in my heart**

With one finger he brought your focus back to him. You frowned at him, you weren't weak. You weren't falling for him no matter how much your body wanted to throw in the towel.

**Cupid doesn't lie** He leaned in close and you held your breath as your heart raced.

**But you won't know unless you give it a try** Ransom whispered over your lips before kissing you gently. You broke down allowing him to invade your mouth. His lips felt soft and his firm arms a welcome feeling as they wrapped around you.

The elevator dinged loudly and you pulled back. Your lipstick smeared on his mouth made for a funny sight. Looking at the number it was your floor then back at him.

**Give it a try** Ransom pleaded.

A switch flipped inside you. Angry at yourself you pushed past him and marched to your hotel room.

He is just a spoiled rich kid trying to have fun. Don't fall for it. You try and convince yourself.

He shouted as the doors closed and you tried to ignore him.

**Cupid doesn't lie**

He shouted again. You halted, but refused to look.

"All men lie" You stopped as you replied back at him. There wasn't a woman in your life that wasn't hurt and you didn't want to join that club. You wanted to protect yourself at all cost. You heard the elevator doors close so you let out a sigh of relief.

What if you were wrong. What if he was right? A nagging thought bubbled in your mind. He was fun, you felt at easy around him. Some part of you yearned for him to come back.

You were so lost in your own head that you hadn't heard him rush up behind you. Ransom quickly spun you around, his eyes boring into your soul. The sight of which made it hard to stay angry.

**"Oh baby, true love won't lie...But we won't know unless we give it a try"**

He kissed you again. This time more hungry than before, so much so it took your breath away as he pulled back.

**"Give it a try"** he pleaded yet again.

It was hard to get the door open with Ransom latched onto your face. Fumbling with the key you tried blindly several times to get the card in the slot with your back pressed hard against the door.

Frustrated Ransom snatched the card and opened the door for you.

"Thanks Daddy" you teased, looking up through your lashes at him.

"Daddy huh?" The grin that grew on his face was devilish indeed. "So that's it...You act all bratty to get Daddy to react. Huh?"

Scooping you off your feet he carried you across the threshold. You were so surprised that he was able to handle your weight with ease, as he walked you over to the bed, before tossing you.

"Keep the dress on and pull your tits out" he command as he furiously unbuttoned his shirt.

You marveled at the fit rocker. He revealed more tats as he opened his shirt. Pushing down your off the shoulder strap you yanked your top down. Your half bra going down with it, allowing your breast to bounce free.

"Stand up."

Without a word you rose to your feet.

"Turn around."

Again you followed his orders. The way he commanded you made your need soak through your panties.

"Gonna come deep in that pretty pussy, show you who you belong to" Ransom taunted into the shell of your ear. "Say ahh."

The neck tie that had long since come undone was now being wrapped around your open mouth, wrapping it  quickly then knotting the fabric.  

Once secure Ransom proceeded to massage your breast from behind. As he tweaked your nipples you felt his cock, hard and stiff pressed into your ass.

You pushed and rubbed against it toying with him, the hum that buzzed from his lips almost sounded primal. "Nothing but a big tease huh? Daddy's going to show you what he thinks about teases."

Pushing you over on the bed you yelped through your gag. Looking over your shoulder you watched as Ransom bunched up the fabric of your dress, tossing it over your hips to expose your ass.

Feeling cocky you twerked your ass before him, the look in his eye showed that he approved of the sight. Ransom palmed your cheeks with both his hands, kneading the soft tissue as he rubbed his erection on you.

One hand moved around your hips and on the outer-lining of your panties.

"Fuck baby girl is that all for me?" Ransom's finger pulled at the elastic that touched your bud. He felt the drenched panties and pulled them back until they snapped back in place.

"Fuck baby girl" he purred.

Ransom lowered himself onto his hunches, pulling your panties down with them. You felt his tongue lapping gently at your folds. The sensation sending shivers throughout your body.

His tongue separated your lips, you knees wanted to cave at the tantalizing feel of him. Through your gag you moaned, the slow torture of his feasting was bringing you close to the finish line.

Ransom sucked hard on your bare mound adding a finger as he rose to his feet. "You taste so sweet baby." He praised as he curled his fingers inside of you.

"Do you want to come on my cock or my fingers?" He asked as your cunt tensed around his digits. Ransom knew you were getting close and you hoped he would choose the former.

"I cant hear you" he added another digit as you begged through your gag. You wanted to feel him all of him, but there was no way to make your answer clear through the fabric.

"Well, if you are not going to answer I will pick for you."

Ransom knew what you wanted, even with your desperate mumbling. Kicking your legs father apart he then removed his fingers. You whimpered at the lack of touch, but you were also thrilled to finally get what you really wanted.

The sound of his zipper going down made you antsy. You danced on the heels of your feet with anticipation of his next move.

Ransom took his cock in one hand while he spread one of your cheeks with the other. He rubbed his cock against the deep pink within your folds.

Toying with you as you mumbled through the tie. His pre-cum mixed with your juices as he pressed his tip hard against your opening.

"Are you gonna be a good girl from me?" He teased. You furiously nodded 'yes'.

You felt the pressure of him entering you as drool seeped past your gag. "Do you belong to me?" He halted, the sudden stop drove you crazy. Again you nod and shouted 'yes' through your restraint.

"Good girl."

Ransom filled you to your core, only stopping when you sheathed him completely. You gripped the fabric of the hotel duvet, you hadn't expected him to be so big.

The slapping of flesh on flesh filled the room. His moans mixed with the sounds of your sloppy sex were enough to send you over the edge.

Ransom controlled the pace, his length undeterred by your lack of space to take him in. You cried through your gag as he sent jolts through your body. "You were made for me" he proclaimed as he snapped his hips into you.

Your mewls were muffled by the tie, but you were sure whoever was in the room next to you could still make out what was happening here.

"Fuck" he growled as he fucked you into the bed. "I'm gonna fill you up."

"Gonna make you nice and round" he slapped your ass as he thrusted. You felt your core tighten.

"Fuck Daddy I want to come on your cock!" You finally shouted as the gag finally slipped from your lips.

"Come in me Daddy!" You felt him twitch inside you at your desperate pleading.

"Oh baby girl your tempting me."

"Please!" You panted.

"Fuck" Ransom shouted as he shot his load inside you. You felt him coat you as you milked him dry.

Ransom fell on-top of you and your knees buckled, causing you both to fall forward onto the bed. Ransom moved off you, sweaty and exhausted. "Don't think that I'm done with you yet."

[nejibaby]

Afterglow

Pairing: Portgas D. Ace x Y/N

Summary: Without Ace, your nights are back to being long, dark, and empty. But when you finally reunite, Ace refuses to just be your Daylight.

Daylight - Part 1 | Afterglow - Part 2

Word Count: 4.3k (my hands slipped, I’m so sorry)

Loosely based on: Taylor Swift’s Lover album (but mostly about the songs Daylight and Afterglow)

A/N: I really think Whitebeard is a great father, yk? So I see him as someone who you can always seek and rely on. He looks tough (and he’s actually tough), but he’s soft too! And Ace too, in that respect is similar to WB. I really believe he’ll be such a good boyfriend 🥺 Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this so much! Thank you to everyone who read this, I love yall 🥰

<Teach doesn’t exist to me, I hate him, so I guess this is noncanon? Also, there’s this tiny spoiler, just a warning.>

Sailing by yourself in a boat for one reminds you how vast the sea actually is. With the rowdy Whitebeard pirates, sometimes the sea, no, the world, seems a lot smaller, a lot more manageable, but alone, it feels so massive it’s almost frightening.

It’s easy to get lost, except there’s no such concept like that for someone like you who doesn’t have a destination to go to in mind. Quite simply, you’re wandering, but not lost.

You drift from one island to another. Your initial intention is to get as far away as possible from the crew. Now that that’s achieved, you’re unsure of what to do next.

You allow yourself to observe and to experience some sort of normalcy at the islands you dock at. It’s a good thing that you don’t really stand out so no one suspects you’re a wanted pirate.

Walking down the streets of random towns, you’re reminded of how lonely being a Celestial Dragon was. No one wants to interact with a World Noble, afraid of the consequences if they’re angered. Things changed drastically when you became a pirate though. People don’t shy away that much with pirates in certain places. They interact with you, albeit hesitantly sometimes. Nevertheless, you felt so free and happy.

Now, you’re still a pirate, as marked by Whitebeard’s infamous tattoo. But with the unsuspecting townspeople and the lack of the presence of a crew, you don’t feel like one. Somehow it makes you feel empty.

The void is immeasurable. Despite it being unbounded, you’re sure that a single person can fill that emptiness: Portgas D. Ace.

But there are oceans separating you from Ace— a distance that you put. With the space between you, there’s silence in your voyage, however, it’s quite mystifying how every island you reach seems to scream his name.

There’s an island where you’ve docked at that’s snowing all year long. It brought back memories of when you were fairly new to the Whitebeard Pirates and had landed on a similar island. Back then you’ve worn a coat as you disembarked Moby Dick, however, the cold continued to seep through your layers of clothing. You couldn’t handle extreme temperatures that well but you didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so you continued to walk alongside the crew to scout the area. The thing was you may have been terrible at hiding it because Ace noticed the way your body was shivering and your teeth chattering. You were only acquaintances back then but he went to your side and striked a conversation with you. You didn’t understand why you became comfortable when he approached you all of a sudden, but then later that night you realized that he used his devil fruit abilities to warm you up.

At one island with a bustling town, there’s this restaurant that serves a variety of meat. You’re reminded of Ace and his bottomless pit of a stomach, and of his narcoleptic episodes while eating. He has a tendency of eating and then running, and the first few times he did it with you had you reeling. When you’ve finally realized that he’s never going to change, you start to keep a pouch of gold coins with you, reserved for paying for the food he eats. You leave it on the table just as Ace pulls you to run, and he has no idea about it. Owners or servers at the restaurants would still follow you out, but not to berate the both of you for not paying but to return the extra gold coins because you pay too much. Like usual though, Ace pretends not to hear them and they never got to catch up with you and Ace.

On another island, there’s a huge wild boar thrice the size of a human. It reminded you of the time you got so excited to explore an island that you speedily ran towards the forest alone, only to be met by a wild boar. The size of the boar stunned you and its glare kept you frozen in fear. A loud scream escaped your lips when it lunged at you, except the impact never came. When you’ve gathered your bearings, the wild boar was dead and… cooked, courtesy of Ace’s devil fruit abilities. He saved you, but he played it off as if he had his eyes on the wild boar since the beginning “to hunt it down.”

The current island you’re at is in famine. As soon as you docked at their port, a group of men has drawn their swords at you. For a moment, you thought they were bounty hunters so you grabbed your daggers and took a defensive stance. However, from the way they keep looking back and forth to you and your boat, and from hearing the faint sound of their stomach grumbling, you can tell they aren’t. Behind some trees, you can see the heads of some children peeking with worried yet hopeful looks on their faces.

Slowly, you raise your hands up in surrender, dropping your daggers in the process. You can’t turn your back on them — figuratively and literally — so you walk backwards towards your boat. The men look at you curiously but they don’t ever lower their swords.

In a quick motion, you grab a bag containing all of your food supply and throw it at them. One of the men catches it. “You can have them. It isn’t much, but that’s all I have.”

The man who was able to catch the bag carefully opens it and sees food. He almost cries at the sight of it. The rest of the men lowers the sword after you offer no sign of aggression. They start calling the other citizens of the area afterwards.

The children are the first to come running towards the men — all of them conveying excitement. You couldn’t tell how long they haven’t eaten but judging from how thin they are, it has got to be quite some time.

A small girl stumbles and falls near you and you quickly come to her aid. There isn’t much damage, just a scraped knee so you carefully patched her up.

“Thank you,” she gives you a toothy smile and then starts heading to the men who are distributing the food.

She comes back a moment later, arms outstretched to hand an apple to you. “For you,” she says.

Something blossoms in your heart because of her sweetness. “Thank you, but it’s fine, you can have it,”

She doesn’t object but then she hugs you tightly. “Thank you so much.”

Surprisingly, even on an island like this, you’re reminded of Ace. You remember his story about coming to Wano and meeting a child named “Tama” who seemed to be as charming as the child you helped and is under the same fortune.

Now that your mind has drifted to thoughts of Ace, you didn’t want to think of anything else. Even as the people gather around you to offer their thanks, and even as they usher you to a bonfire to celebrate for the food to eat, the thoughts of him linger in your head.

And just like in all the previous islands you came to, you wish he’s here with you too.

There’s longing in your heart, but there’s also something else— something pleasant that you can’t quite describe— and you attribute it to the gratitude of the people.

The mother of the child you helped, Sito, offers their spare room for you to take and you graciously accept. Soft snores almost immediately fill your ears after a few minutes of them bidding you good night.

The longer you stay awake, however, the pleasant feeling you felt a while ago starts to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

You’ve always criticized yourself for not being able to do more when you were still a Celestial Dragon but now that you did something good, you start to feel selfish for doing it because it makes you feel better about yourself.

It’s at times like this that you seek Pops. There’s a sudden urge to hear his voice and his thoughts. So you grab your Den Den Mushi, but you hesitate.

You’ve lost track of the days since you left Moby Dick. And in that time frame, you never once called Pops. Although you didn’t really promise to call, maybe he was expecting you to, especially since you know he wouldn’t do it first.

You sigh. Maybe this call is long overdue after all.

You step outside the house and start to contact Pops using the Den Den Mushi. It only rings once and then it’s answered, almost as if Pops was waiting by the Den Den Mushi. The thought brings a smile to your face. “Pops—”

“Why on earth are you only calling now?!” His angry tone welcomes you.

“I’m so—”

“Is that Y/N?!” Marco interrupts. Ah, how could you have forgotten? It’s at this time that Marco reports to Pops. “We’re so worried about you -yoi!”

You can hear sounds of struggling on the line and then there’s a loud smack followed by an even louder crash. There’s a moment of silence which makes you wonder what’s going on in the ship.

“Why didn’t you call earlier?!” Pops’ voice booms. “If you’re going to leave a Den Den Mushi, I’m going to expect your reports but I received none of that.”

“I’m sorry Pops. I have no excuse,” you sheepishly say.

“Everyone’s worried about you,” he pauses but then his voice rings louder once again, “Some are even outside my room trying to listen in on our conversation. But if they know better, they should leave us alone.” The sound of rushing footsteps could be heard in the background as Pops finishes his sentence.

You chuckle, imagining the crew eavesdropping. “How are you Pops?”

“I’m doing fine.”

“How’s everyone? How’s… uhm… Ace?”

“Everyone’s just missing you. You didn’t say goodbye after all,” he says. “I put Ace on a mission because he won’t stop pestering me about you. He won’t come back in a couple of days.”

“Oh.”

“He misses you a lot,” he sighs. “He strides to me everyday to demand your whereabouts. Each time I wouldn’t tell him but he never learns. Vista says he’s on his 56th attempt the other day.”

The brief image of Ace that your mind comes up with brings a small smile to your face.

“When are you coming back?” Whitebeard breaks your reverie.

“Ah, I’m not sure yet… It might take a while.”

He hums. “So how are you? Have you been eating well?”

“I’m doing fine, Pops. No one’s been coming after me yet so everything’s going well,” you respond. “But… Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“There’s this island with people who haven’t eaten in so long so I gave them everything I have.” There’s a loud growl coming from Pops so you immediately continue your speech before he could scold you for doing such a thing. “I feel really good about what I did as they thanked me. But then the longer I thought about it, I started feeling ashamed because... wasn’t it selfish since I did it to make me feel better about myself? Then I started to wonder if it was wrong to do good things just because I wanted to be absolved of my parents’ sins. Was I wrong in doing this, Pops?”

“No, you did the right thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you’re not an inherently bad person for getting paid in gratitude.”

“But…”

“Making yourself happy by making other people happy is how it’s meant to work. If one of your key motives to doing good things is to feel good, then you’re still doing something good and there’s nothing shameful about that.”

Hearing his words puts you at ease. You’re glad you called him. “Thank you, Pops. I’m sorry for worrying everyone there and for disrupting Marco’s report. I promise I’ll call more often from now on.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t forget to take care of yourself too. Where will you be headed next?”

“I’m not sure. I’m just going where the sea leads me.”

“Be careful.”

“You too, Pops,” and with that, you bid your goodbye and hang up.

By morning, you start preparing your things to leave. You didn’t want to stay for too long because you didn’t want to consume even a portion of the small amount of food they have.

Sito offers you to stay another night, worried that it would be uncomfortable to sleep on a boat. “You can stay one more day. There’s still enough food for us to share.”

“Oh no, I don’t want to impose,” you decline. “But do you mind if I ask what happened here?”

There’s sadness in her eyes, it was easy to tell the memory pained her, but she tells you everything anyway. “This island is one of the few lawless areas in the world, hence, it’s a place where pirates would dock at. A group of men once docked here and kidnapped the leaders of our town. They were sold off to be slaves, because apparently the Nobles like to enslave people of power…” Her words start to fade on you upon the mention of the World Nobles.

Anger flares up in your system immediately. How low can the Celestial Dragons go? It’s sickening to think that you share the same blood as them. It’s because of this revelation that something becomes clear in your mind.

Ever since leaving Moby Dick, you’re just wandering aimlessly. But after hearing Sito talk about this island, you’re finally sure of what your destination should be.

Sabaody Archipelago.

Specifically, the Human Auctioning House.

From the sudden fury that overwhelms you, not even the fear of being within arm’s reach of the Marines, and possibly dying, could stop you from going there.

It’s reckless and foolish, but isn’t this the reason you left Moby Dick that night— to face your nightmares instead of running away from them?

You listen politely as Sito explains everything else but her words enter and leave your ears without you having to comprehend them. Fortunately, she doesn’t notice your inattentiveness, probably because she wants to pour her frustrations out to a stranger.

You offer your sympathies to her and promise her you’d come back with your crew and help them some more. It’s a simple promise yet for someone who hasn’t been offered help for so long, it means a lot, enough to even bring tears to her eyes. And just like that, you leave.

There are two more islands to stop at before you reach Sabaody Archipelago. You gather provisions on one island and buy explosives on the other.

The only thing you’re sure you can actually do alone is to blow up the Human Auctioning House. Facing the World Nobles is for another time, unfortunately. As for the Marines, well… You’d worry about that if they indeed come. You know you’d be able to handle them as long as they don’t send an Admiral after you.

The thing that worries you the most, however, is Pops’ reaction once you let him know of your plan. While you can always just not tell him, it feels wrong, and you promised you’d report to him, after all. And it’s hard for you to admit, but you secretly want to be saved in case your plan goes askew. That, and well, you still want to make up with Ace, may it be just strictly as friends, but preferably as lovers.

You decide to call once you’re about to set sail towards Sabaody Archipelago. You’re sitting in the middle of your boat, still anchored at the port when you told Pops your plan. And as expected, he’s mad.

He demands you to go back to the crew immediately. “Captain’s orders,” he says. But after a few moments, he retracts his words and says, “Your father’s orders.” You feel the weight of his words when he said that and you almost concede. But the faces of the slaves your family had flashes into your mind and it solidifies your decision.

Interestingly, despite the weeks you have spent away from the crew, their ship is nearer to you than anticipated. As confirmed by Pops himself when he angrily said, “Enough! I’m sending Ace to get you! Two or three days is enough for him to catch up with you.”

But quite frankly, that’s also enough time to execute your plan. And if the odds are in your favor, then Ace might just come in time for your escape.

Arriving at Sabaody Archipelago, you keep your face hidden underneath the hood of your cloak. It’s normal for pirates to walk around the place without having to hide their identities, but it’s a luxury you can’t afford. If someone catches wind that you’re here and reports it, the Cipher Pol just might come and capture you before you can even execute your plan. That just won’t do. So on the first day of your arrival, you only scout the area of the Human Auctioning House and retreat back to the inn you stay at.

You carry out your plan on the next day. You place a bomb where the side of the stage is supposed to be. It’s a distraction so people inside would leave the premises. The plan is to find the keys and free the slaves while the people are panicking from the explosion. Then eliminate the head of the place, Mr. Disco, and finally blow the place apart. It sounds simple but with you having to do all the work, you know it isn’t.

Now that you’re here, your nerves are spiking up. Arriving at the entrance of the building, you take a deep breath, your hand automatically reaching for the bracelet that Ace made you. It instantly calms you down.

It baffles you how fate works because on the very day you decide to free the slaves that are being sold off at the Human Auctioning House, Ace’s brother, Luffy — along with his crew — is at the same place to rescue their friend who was kidnapped.

Somehow even on a dangerous mission like this, there’s still something or someone who’d remind you of Ace. It makes you wonder: has he really embedded himself too deep into your life that there’s no escaping the thoughts of him? Not that you mind; the thoughts of him bring you peace, after all. But still, it’s fascinating that even in both mundane and dangerous settings, he makes himself known to you.

Upon entering the Human Auctioning House, everything happens so fast and unexpected. And quite frankly, a lot happened that wasn’t part of the plan.

Aside from finding the Straw Hat Pirates, you got yourself injured when you used your body to shield their fish man friend, Hatchi, from Saint Charlos’ gunshot. Then you confronted Saint Shalria personally despite you not planning to get involved with the Celestial Dragons. As for the slaves, it was the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, who actually freed them. The only things that you personally executed from your plan were Mr. Disco’s elimination and the bombing of the Human Auctioning House.

Escape is easy once the building starts to explode because the Marines would have to lessen the forces who're chasing after the pirates in order for them to successfully put out the fire. Without any Admiral on the scene yet, it’s not hard to slip away from them and/or fight them.

Even with the gunshot wound on your arm, you’re able to take down each and every one of the Marines who are chasing you. But halfway through your journey back to the grove where you left your boat at, you lose your adrenaline.

You start to feel the sharp and stinging sensation on your arm once again, yet, you couldn’t help but smile. You have gotten out alive. The slaves have been freed. With both Mr. Disco and the building gone, the Human Auctioning House will no longer be operational, or at least not yet until someone steps up. But that won’t be after a long time.

It’s a wonderful day.

You look up at the afterglow of the sunset with a serene smile. You have a feeling your nights are going to feel shorter now and less frightening than they were before.

Your peaceful moment is cut off by someone rather abruptly. You jump in surprise as someone wraps their arms around you from behind all of a sudden. “I finally caught up with you.”

Your breath hitches at the sound of the voice. “Ace? What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t answer your question, but he mumbles, “I’m sorry if I only came now. Pops wouldn’t tell me where you were, but I came as soon as I could.” Then he tightens his hug. “I was so scared, I thought I’d lose you…”

“Ace, I’m sorry about—”

“Hey, it’s on me, okay?” He interrupts. “I blew things out of proportion, and now you’re blue.”

You pull away from his hug to face him.

“Y-your arm! You’re bl-bleeding,” he stutters after seeing your injury.

But you pay no mind to that. “Ace… I’m really sorry about us—”

“Ssshhh, baby…” he rubs his hand on your back.

He looks at your figure carefully, focused on looking for any more bruises or wounds. When he doesn’t find anything more, he gently holds you by your waist. “Don’t blame yourself, I’m the one who burned us down, but… it’s not what I meant.

“It was all in my head, okay? It’s just that the Celestial Dragons are all grouped in my head as scums and that they’re inexcusable because… my brother was killed by a Celestial Dragon.”

A wave of guilt flows through your body, enough to weaken your knees. Before you could fall, however, Ace catches you and brings you to his chest. But this doesn’t stop you from sobbing on his chest. “I didn’t know, Ace. I’m so sorry.”

“No, that’s the thing, baby. It isn’t your fault. It wasn’t you who pulled the trigger. And… I have to admit I failed to see that at first,” he says as he hugs you tighter. “I shouldn’t have stood there frozen after you told me your story. I’m supposed to be the one who understands you...

“I’m not trying to make excuses and I’m not trying to make this about me but it’s just that… for so long I thought that I inherited the bad blood of my father, and I spent my lifetime failing to see that his sins aren’t my sins,” his voice cracks as he cries. “So when I found out about you… My mind automatically held you liable for the sins of the Nobles…

“But I talked to Pops and he straightened me up. I understand now. Our parents’ sins aren’t ours. It never was ours to begin with. So I’m sorry for blaming you for something you didn’t do…”

Ace stares at your crying form. He cups your face and sincerely says, “It’s so excruciating to see you low,” as he wipes the tears on your eyes. “I’m sorry if I hurt you…”

“It’s fine Ace, I forgive you. But…” You look directly into his eyes. “I’m at fault too,” you confess. “I was the one who left... I was so used to living like an island and isolating myself that it didn’t occur to me that I was punishing you with silence… I should’ve waited patiently for you but I ran away…”

Ace rubs your back gently and presses his forehead against yours, “I forgive you too.”

You smile in relief.

After a couple of minutes in silence, Ace tilts his head. “Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“Remember when you said that you saw daylight after sleeping in a long, dark night?”

You give him a curious look but nodded anyway.

“Beside wishing that I was there for you sooner, it had me thinking...”

“What?”

“Uhm… The world is terrible and cruel, and no one can ever really stop the dark nights from coming.”

You frown. You don’t really understand what Ace is trying to say.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” he rubs his neck while his cheeks starts to blush, “if you ever have to go through those dark nights, I wouldn’t want you to wait for daylight.

“I want to be there with you on those nights until they’re over. I don’t want to leave you when things get rough and only show up when you’re better. I know you see me as your daylight but I don’t want to be just that.”

His words warm your heart, and makes it skip a beat. “You know, Ace, there are remnants of light that linger in the sky even when the sun has long gone down and the night starts. It’s the afterglow,” you mumble.

“Yeah, but that goes away too after a while,” he frowns.

“Well, lucky for you the moon reflects the sun’s light during the night, huh?”

He grins. “Yeah, yeah. I like that. I want to be your source of light, may it be the daylight, moonlight, or the afterglow.”

A moment of silence engulfs the both of you. Under the soft afterglow of the sunset with your arms wrapped around each other, you feel at peace.

Once upon a time, you used to believe love is black and white— that it’s straightforward. It was either you love Ace or you don’t, there were no gray areas. No matter what he feels, says, or does, your love for him never ceases.

But then some other days you believed that love is burning red— that it’s full of passion, lust, and romance, much like the nights you spent entangled in the sheets with Ace.

However, right now in Ace’s arms, all you could ever think about is that love is golden. It was warmth and comfort, like what daylight brings. It was contentment and serenity too, much like the feeling of lightness one gets when seeing the afterglow of the sunset. Either way, it’s Ace who makes you feel those.

No matter what color love actually is though, for you it’s always embodied by Ace.

[daegall]

Safe Haven

pairing: runaway! Donghyuck x runaway! reader

genre: ....fluf?? i dont really know for this one

warnings: umm i think not...

word count: 1.4k words

a/n: OH GOSH I FINALLY MADE A PART 4!! probably the last part so enjoy all 4 parts of the runaway! AU!!

networks: @neoturtles @knet-bakery @kokonomi

part i, part ii, part iii, part iv

You didn’t think you would last this long without getting caught, but you somehow managed to keep hidden and not be recognized by people.

Of course, there were people who suspected you were runaways, but you’d quickly change the subject and leave before they would realize anything. It was tiring.

You walk out of yet another motel, quickly jogging down the stairs before the owner could come out and question you two further about your identities. It was only a matter of time before these people would report you.

You’ve gone across the city, constantly looking for places to stay and work without any ID until you save up enough to get out. It wasn’t working so well with the fact that you had no ID.

Donghyuck nudges you with his hip playfully, smiling at your pouty face, “Come on, cheer up babe!”

A small smile grows fondly on your face at the nickname you still haven’t grown used to, you really are glad that he’s keeping his spirits up for you. If it wasn’t for him, you’d be breaking down every few hours. You bump his hip back with yours, “Where to next?”

Your next destination is further from the central city than you thought, almost near the edge where it meets with smaller houses and cafes. It’s quite the long journey, but you’re ready.

Walking would be the best choice for you two usually, but for a place this far, you’d rather take a taxi. It’s risky, but as long as you stay guarded you’re sure you can manage.

A yellow taxi pulls up in front of you with ease after just a few minutes of waiting and calling for one, the driver inside smiling politely at you. With a small and quiet greeting from Donghyuck, you two climb in the back seat and instantly settle down on the seats. You haven’t been in a car for so long.

“Where to?”

You doze off as Donghyuck mumbles the address of the new motel you plan to check out, leaning to show the driver the place on the maps. You don’t realize with how tired and comfortable you are, but he bites his lip in an attempt to hold back a knowing smile.

He has an idea of who you two are.

Donghyuck flops back into the leather seat, sighing at the sensation of finally resting on something comfortable without having to worry about anything. His head rests on the window, as it shakes and vibrates with every inch the car travels. The runaway closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying the nostalgic feeling of being in a car.

Donghyuck’s eyes trail back to your peaceful form, smiling gently at the sight of you finally relaxing too. He knows how worried and stressed you’ve been lately, and it relieves him that you’re at least enjoying a little bit of the trip.

He lazily crashes his fingers with yours, folding them together warmly. You can only find the strength to smile at such action. It was only a matter of time until you completely fell asleep.

The driver looks through the mirror, glancing at your very content expressions. He makes a sudden left turn, onto a different road, a different route to a different motel.

He knows this motel you’re planning to go to, he too was once a runaway, and that motel was not good for runaways. The people who work there like to catch runaways just for the reward money.

He’s decided to help you two out.

The motel he drives you to is further out of the city, in the border is more like it. He knows someone there who will help, for the man himself helped him escape from his life.

He reminisces on the time when he had so much hope and compassion for his future, he remembers his motivation to run away. It’s not like he can achieve that dream now.

The driver smiles when he catches sight of the familiar lonely motel, pulling up into the entrance. He turns to see you two deep in sleep, faced away from each other but keeping your hands connected. He almost doesn’t want to wake you up.

The owner of the motel walks in front of the car, hands on his hips as he narrows his eyes onto his friend, the driver, “Ten!”

The man was too immersed in observing your raw states in his car to notice the other man standing in front of his car, jumping at the sudden voice calling out to him, “Jesus christ, Johnny!”

- ceot -

You gulp nervously and tighten your hand in Donghyuck’s as you eye the front desk of the motel, the big golden letters shining with elegance ‘Safe Haven’.

This wasn’t the motel you were supposed to be brought to. Gnawing harshly at your lip, you turn to Donghyuck, who still seems to be half asleep and very much confused. He turns to the driver, who is still yet to unload all of your stuff, “This is not the place we wanted to go to.”

Ten shrugs and places your duffle bag on top of Donghyuck’s, “Oh, I know.” Your grow confused and surprised at his words. “That motel isn’t that nice to runaways.”

“Oh, w-we’re not-“

“Oh please,” The man scoffs, “I’m sure a runaway can recognize another.”

You grow speechless at his words, freezing in your spot as you blink up at him. He’s a runaway?

The stranger offers a genuine smile, gesturing to the man at the other side of the room. “His father took me in when I was still a minor, and now with his father in another country, he’s doing the same thing. He’s saved so many people.”

You can’t help but feel so thankful for the stranger, heart swelling in gratitude at someone so helpful and generous.

The man notices you talking, and yells out a quick greeting and a wave, “Hi! I’m Johnny, owner of Safe Haven! You guys can stay here for as long as you’d like.”

Donghyuck turns to you abruptly upon hearing such great news, the smile itching on his face feeling just as contagious to you, and you feel the upcoming curling of the corner of your lips. “R-really? You don’t mind us staying here?”

The tall man quickly approaches and ventures to the back of the counter, quickly skimming for some free room keys and passing you the silver item with what seems like no care in the world. He leans on the counter and frowns.

“I’m sorry if the room’s not too good. Jaehyun is supposed to be on duty right now, and he knows which room is best for who. I’m guessing he’s with Yuta. You can come back and change rooms if you want!”

You gape at the key, and carelessness of Johnny as he stares at you with anticipation. “Wha- how much will it be?”

The man hisses, “It’s bound to be a lot if you want to pay,” you wince as well. “But, if you’re staying here for a long time, I suggest you work for Taeyong.” Johnny says as he plays with one of his rings. “My friend.” He adds when he realizes you have no idea who Taeyong is. “He owns a cafe just in the city. You can work there with the others until you wish to leave and pay everything you owe us.”

It’s perfect, this is your chance. You can successfully run away with Donghyuck and free yourselves from your hectic lives.

You start to laugh in happiness, blinking away the small beads of tears at the corner of your eyes. Donghyuck can’t seem to keep in his excitement as well, wiping quickly at his wet cheek, nodding frantically. “Y-yes! We’ll work hard!”

Johnny smiles, yet another life he’s saved.

“T-thank you so much, Johnny!” You can’t stop the tears running down your cheeks, with the overwhelming sensation of finally being given a chance to be free, and being able to take it, nothing can stop your tears from ascending your pulled cheeks.

Your minds feels nothing but relief as Donghyuck wipes off your tears from your face, grasping the key tight in his palm. This key is a key to your new room you will be soon calling home, the key to everything good that’s going to happen, the key to your freedom.

[ohhthereuare]

Loved your tags on my norribeth post! I try to be nice bc willabeth is SO popular but I don’t like that ship 😭 I love seeing people salty about it in the wild bc I choose violence

then you've come to the right place 🔪🔪🔪

oh gosh oh gosh where do I even start

I completely agree with all of your points concerning norribeth even though I will fight for sparrabeth till my dying breath but I feel like arguments concerning both of these ships have a lot of common ground and most of them are rightfully pointed against willabeth

and since I have literally no-one to talk to about this and its been brewing inside me for y e a r s we're in for an essay

(of course I harbour no hate towards orlando's performance, he did a great job and it's not his fault his character is a whiny wimp most of the time)

even if they had ended the franchise on "the curse of the black pearl" willabeth's arc would have already been on thin ice. it made sense in a span of one movie and one story- the protagonist rescues and gets the girl, the girl sees something more in the protagonist and favourable circumstances let them be together in the end. except potc is more than just one movie and even that one movie was something more than that.

elizabeth may have been raised as a dame but she was never a damsel in distress therefor what william loved from the start was a false image of her. to his credit it was probably an imagine elizabeth herself believed in for a long time because she had no chance to prove herself wrong. he thought her proper. he thought her honourable. he thought her delicate and sweet and helpless. then we've got william who's just a simple blacksmith and as cute as he may seem, he's unattainable, with rough hands that know hard labour, with sweaty face and messy hair, and most importantly, he's somehow linked to pirates that elizabeth's secretly so entranced by. i'm not gonna go into too much unnecessary detail because we know how this story goes but i w i l l point out an important conclusion- this story is not at all what it seems. because will has never been a pirate and he will never be one. he may have ended up on a ship, may have been forced to work side by side with a real pirate, he may have even used his wicked methods in the course of the entire franchise but william turner is n o t a pirate. he only mimics one. and that's what enrages me so much about the ending of "at wit's end"- will has gotten a fate that he did not want, did not deserve, did not even appreciate. to him it turned out to be another responsibility that he had to take on himself, that he would dutifully follow. all he has wanted throughout these 3 movies was to save whoever he (mostly wrongly) thought needed saving at that time and he wanted to go home. he wanted to be done with it. he wanted to settle. he's never said a thing about a treasure, about a ship, about the sea, about freedom. at first it was a girl then it was his father. it was always an honourable goal and having reached one he was ready to sail back home and happily stay there. that's why the ending of "the curse of the black pearl" already feels spoiled, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. "a pirate" elizabeth says, while lovingly looking at will. no, sweetheart. never have been, never will be. you're in for a bitter surprise.

now, elizabeth. oh lord. never have been a truly proper lady, never will be. in the face of deadly danger she cannot handle a sword (yet) but she claws and bites her way out of a fight with whatever's at hand and she makes a deal with a deadly undead captain and she's ready to stab him with a kitchen knife, she's ready to kill this man before she even knows he cannot be killed. she may need a little help but she doesn't need to sit around and wait to be rescued. throughout the course of the first movie and then the second and then the third she becomes more and more vicious and at first she wants to be free of the corset then she wants to be with whomever she wants then she wants to sail to the horizon then she wants to become the goddamned pirate king and lead a fleet of these wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates against the east-trading company and also a very dangerous, damned lord of the underwater underworld. nothing ever seems enough to her. she thought she wanted, loved will because she thought he represented everything that she has always secretly craved- freedom and a little danger. william was neither of those things. i guess that's the biggest hidden plottwist of this franchise- elizabeth, expected to stay proper, doesn't, and william, not expected to stay a good, does. somehow they switch the roles of the archetypes they would normally be supposed to fullfill and that change was supposed to completely alter their previous motivations and goals.

and maybe she was too set on the topic of love to let herself let him go but their relationship surely felt the strain of their sudden differences. the whole of "dead man's chest" was elizabeth testing new grounds and desperately grasping at old ones and the whole of "at wit's end" was the heavy burden of disappointing discovery. they had very little in common. they couldn't trust each other anymore. they wanted very different lives and were willing to do different things to achieve them and the only thing keeping them together was "love" but at one point it became just a word, a new name for a habit fading away. hell the whole of "dead man's chest" was elizabeth redefining the word love into lust as you have rightly pointed out in your post. would they have gotten married had it not been for the burning need to just jump each other's bones? or more accurently, to jump anybody's bones for that matter?

i feel like elizabeth ending up with norrington or jack would have made a lot of sense for her character arc, both for very different and quite opposite reasons. norrington would have been the anchor keeping her morals safe and jack would have been the wind in her sails steering her towards the wilder, more chaotic, pirate side of her nature (peas in a pod, darling). both men saw her for what she truly was- strong, fearless, unyealding. will saw her for who she was in his mind and in the end that was who she was forced to become- a housewife bound to land, destined to tend to the treasure of her not-pirate husband that got to sail to the horizon. but at least she got to get married, right? 🙂

[cabinofimagines]

Lester’s ABCs

A/N: We be loving one awkward, human god -Danny

Warnings: A bit of swearing bc I can’t stop myself

Word count: 1,330

Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

I think that he’s pretty chill, he’s a new person now, and enjoys the little things more than he used to, Lester is happy camping in your living room or eating pizza at the park while feeding pigeons. Only when the occasion is really special he would do something more god-like

Beauty - What do they admire in their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

He likes your smile, and your singing, even if it’s not great he’s jokingly offered to turn you into a muse but he’s not actually joking and that worries you lmao

Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

He sings to you, usually pours a bit of his own powers to make the song ease you and help you sleep, the next morning he usually welcomes you into a whole day of self-care with your favourite meals and facemasks while binge-watching your fave shows/movies

Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

If you don’t want to live forever as his godly partner, he probably will turn you into either a beautiful melody or a constellation. If your time will be limited by mortal boundaries he’ll make sure to give you the most beautiful experiences and gifts anyone could ever ask for.

Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

He’s a wonderful simp. Very passive and would live happy the rest of his life if he could just stare at you for the rest of his existence, you make all the decisions and he really doesn’t mind one bit

Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

He whines a lot when he’s tired or hungry, but really apart from that he just??? is never angry??? When you’re angry he gives you space and lets you do what you have to do to feel better but you guys never have big fights

Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

I think that we can all agree that after the hell he went through Lester is one of the most grateful boys out there, he’s just so so happy you chose him to spent your WHOLE life with him. Him. You want to live the only life you got with him? That’s amazing.

Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

He’s open even about the things you really don’t want to know lmao like the partners he used to have to the weird shit he used to do as a godly teenager. If you think normal teens are weird imagine one with mighty power.

Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

He’s afraid to forget what he’s learnt as a human, you make sure to keep him humble, he’s helped you to learn to love yourself, every little flaw is a spark of singularity now, he makes you feel unique.

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

He’s the kind of guy to crush on the same people you have crushes on lol I wouldn’t say he’s jealous once you guys are together, he’s more the type to be like ‘Oh gods, did you see that? They smiled at you– Love you should ask them out. What? I know we’re together but c’mon you can’t just say no to that??’ He’s aware that you’re cute and that he can’t stop others from noticing. 

Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

The first kiss was all shy and sweet but don’t worry, he definitely got better at it with time

Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Probably blurted it out while you were training and he just couldn’t help himself. He falls in love to easily, the poor idiot

Memory - What’s their favourite memory together?

When you compliment him with that bright smile of yours, whenever you two dance around late at night and you look at him like he’s your entire world he MELTS

Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

Very classy and old-fashioned names. He can’t help it, he’s been alive for too long and ‘babe’ simply doesn’t cut it for him. Only the best types of nicknames for you. 

On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

A lovesick fool just like Leo, but he’s more devoted to you that he is to his own duties, will try to spend every waking minute of his life serving you. Others wish they were dating a god if only just to be treated the way Lester treats you.

PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

He’s a very touchy boy, hardly ever stops himself before kissing you in front of others, it may be awkward for your friends but honestly who cares, enjoy those smooches honey.

Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Maybe the fact that he’s a literal god lmao

Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

VERY CLICHE BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT ISN’T GREAT. He’s cheesy and melts at your feet and will elope with you no questions asked if that’s what you wish to do.

Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

If you want the moon he’ll make sure you get it. If you want to go to college he’ll support you and pay your tuition if you want, actually what’s harder is to convince him that you don’t him to help you all the time

Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

He likes the easy routines, the mortal lifestyle is comforting. However, if you ever make the mistake to say ‘Man I wish i could see Area 51 from the inside, like, I just need to SEE’ in front of him... yeah, that was an interesting wednesday

Understanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

He always knows exactly what you need when you need it. Empathetic is saying too little. 

Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

He’s lost so many partners already that treasures every minute he gets with you, you’re worth every little irky bad thing that could ever happen. He protects you like it’s his duty.

Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Lester learned to cook the ‘mortal way’ just so he could give you a nice birthday surprise. It went terribly but at least he took you to your favourite restaurant afterwards.

XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Again, very touchy fella.

Yearning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

When he’s got to attend some Olympus business or when you have to go on a quest, he’s always worry about you, he hates that this is the life you’re destined to have, but the love you have for each other makes up for it.

Zeal - are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

He’s a god, he’s an extra little shit of course he’s willing to sacrifice everything.

______________________

Taglist:   @beneaththeiceandsnow,  @bandshirts-andbooks

[candyopala]

Stuck in his ways, Chapter 5

Chapter Summary:  Y/N’s training begins, but not before she discovers one of Obito’s secrets.

Words: 1.7k

AO3

Please reblog or like if you enjoy, comments are always welcome <3

5:30 in the morning. It is the sixth time Y/N has woken up. This whole concussion thing has messed up her whole sleeping schedule, she tried her best to get some rest, but to no avail. She ended up sleeping for about fourteen or fifteen hours between small intervals, but she feels worse than before. 

Y/N drags herself out of bed, makes some coffee, and brushes her teeth, the whole deal. Having a constant roof above her head is nice, she has to admit that. Not having to worry about wild animals and the climate is cool, but the warmth of a bed is the best part of it. Tying her brand new bandana on her forehead, she leaves the small apartment and heads to the training grounds on the outskirts of the village.  

She makes her way through the village’s main market, trying to avoid stumbling onto the hundreds of busy people bustling around her. Watching people attend to their duties and following their routines has always been a hobby of hers, she always found interest in seeing people who can afford to do the same thing every day, have some sort of routine. Can she consider herself one of them now? No, maybe not. Ninjas are always doing different missions and whatnot; their routines are as fucked up as a merc’s. Maybe she can become a baker in another life, who knows? 

Around the corner, a hand blocking her way surprises her. At the end of it is a medium height man with his hair tucked into some sort of fabric, with bits of brown hair coming out of the sides. The man holds a toothpick between his lips, accompanied by a smug smile and an attitude that instantly annoys Y/N. 

“’Sup babygirl, how come I’ve never seen you around?”

“I’ve been busy for the last 26 years”

“Busy living in my dreams, I bet”

“Busy fucking you mom, actually”

The sleazy type is the worst in Y/N’s opinion. Nothing disgusts her more than someone who thinks they’re hot shit just because they’re attractive. She pushes him away and keeps on walking.  

“Ouch! Feisty, I like that. I’ll remember ya!” he states as he leaves the scene with a wink and a flick of his toothpick. 

This has to be a joke, what a douchebag.

Going back on her way and observing the people, she closes into a mass of messy short black hair. The man has his back turned to her, but by the jonin vest and height, she assumes it could be… no, wait… it could not be! This man is helping an old lady carry a shitload of groceries, he would never be nice enough to do that. 

Could it be him!?

From afar, she changes angle to try and catch a glimpse of his face. After much difficulty dodging busy locals, she is able to see clearly and… it’s Obito! Obito Uchiha helping a poor old lady carry her stuff, I wish I had a camera on me. She thinks of approaching him, but she decides against it in favor of watching from a distance to see where this goes. 

Turns out the frail woman lives on the other side of town. Obito sure enough has carried all that stuff through the worst climbs Y/N has ever seen on a city. But that was not all: he was being extra nice. He laughed at all her jokes and even smiled back at her. This is grade A entertainment. 

When they finally reach her destination, the old lady pulls out a lollypop and gives it to him. Y/N immediately loses her shit, almost falling from the ceiling she is in because of her fit of laughter. Before she can compose herself, she notices a presence behind her. She was discovered, but who cares? She has seen enough. Obito towers above her, trying to look intimidating, but failing to do so since he has a lollipop on his mouth. 

“First you invade my house, now you’re following me. Are you sure I’m the one who should be called a creep?”

“Well, you’re right. Maybe I’ll start calling you… Granny Simp Uchiha©, how about that?”  

“I hate you”

“Ow, I’m so hurt, oh my god, how could you? But seriously, I didn’t mean to intrude, but when I saw that… I needed to see more to believe it” She states as she breaks into another fit of laughter

“Let’s go, we’re late for training”

“Have you ever been on time a day of your life, though?”

“Never, I’ll probably be late for my own funeral”

“Fair enough. Wait, did you just make a joke that’s not on my expense?”

“Oh no, your dumbassery is influencing me!” He raises his gloved hands ironically

“Shut up”

 ~”~

 They both reach the training grounds at around 7:30, late but not a whole lot, thanks to Obito’s kamui. Obito will have to make some slight modifications on the mission report to avoid Minato’s wrath. After a quick warmup, Obito goes straight to the point: 

“How much do you even know about jutsu?”

“Well… I can do that chakra punch, maybe walk on water and trees or release genjutsu, but that’s all.”

“Not even a clone or some substitution jutsu?”

“Nope”

“So you’re basically an academy student with enough brute force to take down S rank criminals… That’s… odd”

Y/N scratches the back of her head, clearly embarrassed by her lack of training. Obito did not expect to have to teach such basic things. I mean, if he wanted to teach people stuff he would have signed up for a job at the academy. He still cannot believe Minato sensei is putting him up to this babysitting job. 

He needs to do well on this mission if he wants to get back onto the Hokage’s good side and guarantee his position as the next one. This is his second day with Y/N and things have been insane and… fun? No, he should not be thinking like that. Perhaps he should also go talk with Kushina and ask her to convince sensei to let him go from this one; he was always her favorite after all.

“Granny simp? You ok? Did I disappoint you that much?”

Obito fixes his bandana’s position over his left eye, trying to get himself out of his head. He is here now, so he had better get to work. If he can control himself enough not to put her under a nasty genjutsu for calling him that again, that is. 

“Call me that again and I’ll tell everyone that you saw me naked”

“You were not naked, dickhead. And what’s wrong with that?”

“Uhm…?”

“…?”

“Anyway… we’ll start with some cloning jutsu. Have you ever done any seals?”

“Only one or two”

“Try to copy what I’m doing”

“Hey! Stop doing it so fast!”

She honestly seems to be giving her best, but her hand signs are not quite right and the chakra distribution on her network must be all wrong, judging by her failure in producing something that seems to be remotely human. This takes Obito’s memory back to his old academy days, back when he could not do a single clone properly. He would spend whole nights awake training to achieve something passable. Rin helped him a lot back then. The only thing he has ever taught someone was that sexy jutsu to Naruto. To say Kushina was mad was an understatement. 

“Concentrate your chakra all along your body, not only on your hands”

“Hum… right, can I get a lollipop after this?”

Four hours later and Y/N has finally mastered two basic jutsu: substitution and cloning. She almost passed out several times due to exhaustion, but thanks to some food pills, she is enduring todays training much better. 

Obito has been analyzing her every movement with his sharingan. Looking closely her techniques lack grace, truly a sign of someone who learned everything they know by experience. He needs to fix that too. 

Her endurance is also remarkably low. If she were to fight right now, she could do maybe two or three jutsu before passing out, making her rely solely onto her speed and blade habilities. The girl is more of a samurai than a ninja at this point. Examining her file earlier, he noticed that her chakra reserves are not that low as she has stated before, according to the medical department she has an average quantity of it. She just lacks the ability to use it properly.  

Some very hard work is in order; it could take some months to get her into decent shape. That would be too much time and effort for Obito, there has to be another way of dealing with this mission quicker. 

He did not want to do this, but he will have to talk to Kakashi for some teaching tips. Hell, if he was able to teach anything useful to Naruto he will be able to come up with a routine to help Y/N’s training. 

I just hope he doesn’t decide to bother me about this situation…

After dropping Y/N on her house, with much protest from her part, Obito heads to the village’s café to meet with Kakashi Hatake. He knows that the ninja likes to spend his late afternoons reading his porn books accompanied by some coffee, disgusting stuff if you ask Obito. The coffee, that is. He has no formed opinion on porn books.

Approaching the store, he spots his friend’s mass of upward pointing grey hair. Something is different about him, though. Kakashi is usually… a very apathetic person. The look he gave Obito had chills running the Uchiha’s spine, he looked, well, excited. 

“Obito! I finally found you! Sit down”

Aliens killed him and this is a body double. Or this is one of Gai’s practical jokes. Obito is honestly stumped.

“Are you ok bakashi?”

“Great! So… who’s the girl?”

Great, just awesome.      

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Of course you know, everyone is talking about how you were seen walking up and down with some mysterious gal. I’m so happy for you! Finally you’re going to stop being a sad grumpy bachelor! I’ll call dibs on the position of best-man” and suddenly Kakashi jumps up from his seat, coming closer to Obito’s face “Have you guys done it yet? Did she run away from you and now you need my advice? You could use some techniques from Icha I-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Those books are rotting your brain, seriously what the hell?”

“So is it true?”

[zukkoxx]

mha boys realizing they’re in love pt.1

w/ deku, bakugo

tw⚠️ insecurities!, self doubt!

deku 🥦

izuku knew he loved you since you guys started dating.

he had liked you for a long time, and when you finally got together in your last year of UA, he couldn’t have been happier.

he planned on living the rest of his life with you. and would go through any feats to make it possible.

so when you started to feel doubts about your relationship? that was a wake up call for him.

you had just finished training, all sweaty and tired, walking back to your dorm with a towel around your neck.

you scrolled through your phone mindlessly, and just happened to come across a twitter post about your boyfriend, deku, who had just taken down one of the villains that’s been on the run for months.

you smiled. you were so proud of him. already achieving his dream in becoming one of the greatest heroes. and getting the recognition he finally deserved.

you made it your your dorm, slumping on your bed as you read some of the comments.

woah this guy is still attending UA!? he’ll be a great hero for sure

there’s no one like him!

deku strikes again! what a stud😍

you laughed at some, grimaced at others that claimed the mission was too easy for him. but one particular comment had you freezing in your spot.

is he single? i won’t hesitate to run to the scene and give him my hand in marriage right now!

you knew it was a fun, lighthearted comment. but you clicked the the commenters page and instantly noticed how beautiful as preppy she was.

she was also a big deku fan...probably had more merch than you.

you sighed and threw your phone across the bed.

for the past few weeks, you had been thinking about how different you and izuku were in terms of success.

you were both in your last year of high school, and he had already done so much.

worked on so many cases with pro heroes and went through successful missions all the time. he was destined to become the greatest hero.

and you?

well, you’ve never even caught a villain.

sure you’ve helped out on low grade missions for the hero you interned under, but you had never been publicly praised like izuku. you never stood out.

you had trouble believing you’d become a hero at all.

you always wondered, wouldn’t izuku be better off with someone that could keep up with him? who wouldn’t hold him back. someone who he wouldn’t leave in the dust when he excelled in the future.

he deserved someone better.

your thoughts were cut off when your dorm door brushed open, revealing no other than the man himself.

izuku walked into your room with worried eyes and seemed out of breath.

“y/n? ive texted and called a bunch of times. why haven’t you answered?” he asked, and you subtly turned to your phone that you discarded on the other half of the bed.

“my ringer was off. sorry izu.” you tired to give him a smile as he sat next to you on your bed. “i saw an article about your mission today. you were amazing!” you complimented.

“ahh you give me too much credit. i couldn’t have dont anything with the pro heroes and other people helping.”

“still, you’re a great hero. i wish i was like that.” you chuckle dryly, past insecurities already pushing forward again.

“what!? you’re a great hero y/n!” izuku exclaimed.

“i’ve barely done anything izuku. i don’t know how you put up with me. i should be able to help you on your missions, but i’m stuck in the same position i have been in. i don’t know when i’ll improve.”

you didn’t mean to sound so pathetic, but you had been feeling this way for so long. it was all just spilling out now.

and izuku? he literally stopped breathing when he heard what you were saying about yourself. “you deserve someone that will be able to keep up with you. what will people think when they find out the amazing deku is dating a weak, incapable, good for nothing-”

“don’t say one more word y/n.” izuku cuts you off, and you look up to meet his eyes piercing yours.

they were dark, nothing like their usual gleaming glow that shined when he looked at you.

there was no sign of amusement on any of his features. just dead seriousness

“what the hell are you talking about y/n?” he asks, but doesn’t give you a chance to respond. “you’re one of the most courageous, brave, intelligent, capable people i know! where is all of this coming from?”

“i’ve been thinking about it for a while. it’s just you’re so...amazing and i’m so...” you knew anything you could have said after that would make him even more angry. it was nothing positive.

god he probably hated you for being so insecure.

“you’re you, y/n.” izuku says softly. “you’re you and you’re who i love. i don’t care about what i do, what you do, who says what! i love you for you!”

izuku looks at you with so much love and compassion. you stared into his eyes, wondering what was gong on in his head.

well? at the moment he despised himself for letting you feel this way.

you were his whole world! the person who supported you in everything he did and he would support you in the same way! he couldn’t understand why you were feeling this way when he was literally...in love with you.

he loved you yeah of course, but hearing the way you were speaking about yourself, and how you had doubts about your relationship made his heart physically hurt. he was absolutely and unconditionally in love with you and wouldn’t be able to see himself with anyone else.

and he needed you to hear it.

“y/n you’re my everything! i’m so in love with you, no amount of fame or recognition could make me even think about leaving you!” izuku said urgently, and he finally calmed down when he saw a slight smile reach your lips.

a real one this time.

the conversation continued, and izuku promised to let you learn and remember how in love he was with you until it was the last thing he’d do.

bakugo 💥

bakugo would never pursue anyone unless he definitely knew he loved them.

so of course he never asked you out when he couldn’t differentiate if what he felt for you was love, or if it was a stupid little crush.

he didn’t like thinking about his feelings, especially the irrelevant ones.

he was trying to become the number one hero. who needed time for love anyways?

so he ignored his “feelings” for you, not allowing them to confuse him any longer.

it wasn’t until a few months into his third year when bakugo got the worst news of his life.

you were on a mission. an important one that had you absent from school for weeks.

bakugo was worried.

he’d text you every few days, asking what was going on and how things were and you’d always respond with “it’s fine.” or “we’re hanging in there.”

he assumed it was a pretty difficult mission, but nothing you couldn’t handle.

you were strong

so when he heard from a certain icy-hot that you were in the hospital in critical condition after completing the mission, he forgot about everything and ran straight to you.

ignoring aizawa’s calls, he almost blasted himself out of UA and checked every hospital for you, considering he didn’t even ask todoroki which one you were in before he left.

when he finally reached the hospital holding you, he sprinted to your room.

he found you hooked up to a bunch of wires and tests.

you looked peaceful, sleeping while the heart monitor beeped beside you.

but you looked horrible. bloody bandages covered almost every limb, and your body was covered in bruises.

bakugo’s heart dropped to his stomach. he couldn’t stand seeing you like this.

why does his feelings have to be 100x more noticeable when your tragically hurt!?

he sat down on the empty chair beside the hospital bed, wondering why no one else was visiting at this time.

he stared at you, something he couldn’t get off of his mind lately.

“why do you make me feel things, dumbass?” he asked, waiting for a response. “i never skip class! you just had to get hurt and make me skip the test review.” he rolled his eyes, but his face softened as he looked at you, still sleeping.

“i’ll help you study. you’ll probably fail without going over what we learned.”

.....

“would you wake up, you shitty woman!” he yelled, gripping the side of your bed “this is scary, you know?”

.....

“i should’ve called you today, i just assumed you’d be too busy to talk. if you told me you were in trouble, i’d blast my ass to wherever you were in a heartbeat.” bakugo said, feeling his actual heart skip a beat when you still didn’t respond. 

“please wake up...”

after about an hour of waiting, your other classmates came in, checking on your condition.

you still hadn’t woken up, but your vitals were better and your breath were more steady.

by the time night fell, everyone left; except for bakugo

he was just starting to fall asleep when he felt she. he heard you stir in the hospital bed.

his head shot up, quickly turning to face you as he saw you blinking you eyes slowly.

“y/n!” he yelled a little louder than anticipated, making you shoot awake and look at him.

you blinked a few more times before realizing who you were looking at. “katsuki!?” you asked, trying to sit up, but feeling a sharp pain in your side.

“hey! don’t move dumbass. are you okay? do you remember anything?” he frantically asked.

“umm...i’m fine?” you said, sounding like you were trying to convince yourself. “why are you here?”

“why am i here? you were admitted into the hospital in critical condition!”

“i-i’m sorry, everything’s a bit fuzzy right now.” you say softly, putting a hand on your forehead and tryin got remember everything.

bakugo softened, and waited until you got yourself together. “how long have you been here?” you ask

“since this morning.”

“this morning!? katsuki what about school? do your parents even know you’re here?”

“why the hell are you worried about me? you’re the one hooked up to all these machines and can barely move!” bakugo yelled, trying to understand why you were so focused on him being there with you.

“i just never thought you’d be the one to go out of your way to check on someone. let alone be here the whole day...” you whispered, suddenly feeling shy at the idea of bakugo keeping your sleeping body company for hours.

bakugo froze at your words.

he really wasn’t the type to go check on people for more than a few minutes. especially not one to skip school because of it.

maybe he did this because he felt a little more than what he thought he did.

maybe this wasn’t a stupid little crush? maybe it was something serious that he had just been blowing off.

when he heard about your condition, he just couldn’t stand by. there must have been something that pushed him to run to you.

“it’s cause u care about you...idiot. i wasn’t gonna a let you suffer here alone.” he huffs, crossing his arms.

“katsukiii do you like me or something?” you asked in a teasing tone

he couldn’t believe you were making jokes at a time like this. furthermore, he couldn’t believe how easy it was for you to see through his facade.

“i do.” he states. there was no point in lying.

“i was just kidding kats-“

“i’m not.” he cuts you off. “i care about you, and i like you. a lot. so...you better like be bad damn it. or i’ll blow you to bits!”

you chuckled and smiled tenderly at him. you definitely weren’t expecting him to say that, but you weren’t complaining.

“i like you too...i guess.” you smile, and katsuki tsked before smirking at you.

he finally felt like he could breath again, and that everything was going to be fine now.

except...katsuki didn’t like you. he loved you. but no way would he tell you that

this absolutely sucks i can’t believe i’m posting this. if you can, plz give me some requests so i don’t make trash hcs like this again. they’ll be a pt.2 later. hopefully it isn’t as bad as this one.

click here to send a request. i’d really appreciate it!

[life-rewritten]

Start up: Nam Dosan and his helping hands

I find it challenging to accept finding clues for 'the husband scavenger hunt' type kdramas because they always have this leftover annoyance and unfairness when the second lead gets duped and broken-hearted in the end. Shows like the Reply me series, Hospital playlist, Dreamhigh etc. always use this device, flesh out both men and their reasons and love for our main girl whilst making us hurt with the push and pull of how both men are perfect for her. If one loses her, we all lose. In Start-Up, Jipyeong joins that list of the second lead men who are known to play with our heartstrings and get us rooting for him. He's Cyrano; he's pitiful, the one who's been by the girl's side this whole time, the one who spoke to her and won her heart, the soul of the letters she clings to in her mind as her happiness and person that she wants. Her fantasy for a prince come true. He's exactly that. This is why he should end up with the girl except the main lead Dosan isn't someone to forget, he seems determined and driven to get the girl, he looks ready to give it all for her. Who should she choose? After watching episode 1 and 2, seeing the in-depth and sad yet profound background story of Jipyeong, our minds automatically leans towards him. It makes no sense why he is second lead; he has this incredible bond with her grandmother, he's precisely the guy on paper she's looking for, and he has this innate thing in him ready to protect and look out for her. In a way, fortune has brought them back together again so why is Dosan still the one she probably will end up with? I've written this analysis to stand behind Dosan despite the many people who have dropped him and gone aboard Jipyeong's ship. I want to say that as a writer the show has already given Dosan the girl 80% he's the endgame why you ask because of Fate (Luck)—warning a very long essay upcoming. 

Nam Dosan and Dalmi are meant to be together

The first reason Nam Do san enters Dalmi's heart without knowing who he actually was (she held onto his picture, his name and also how smart he was (from seeing him win the awards) is because fate wanted them to interact and meet each other. Hear me out before you roll your eyes, it feels more like fate is pushing her and Jipyeong together since he's the one who wrote the letters that got her out of her depression and were her rock and anchor when she was broken and looking for something to hold on to. His words comforted her, but fate still made happen in Dosan's name. Fate has supported Dosan and Dalmi from the start. It's fate who pulled Jipyeong to notice Dosan on those tv screens winning his gold medal  (a psychological trick to get him to pick the newspaper later on and be open to using him as a proxy for the letter). Likewise, him seeing Dosan winning a gold medal also hints to who's winning at the end of this. The medal has other meanings as we find out in episode 5 so I'll just move on from that for now and continue with this first. Here's how Fate/The universe is on Dosan's side instead of Jipyeong. 

The universe is supportive of Dosan's journey. Most things that happen to Dosan and Dalmi seem convenient and just random luck because the universe supports them in the story. Dalmi mentions this in episode 5; it's the writers warning us already. First Dosan is good at manifesting what he wants at the right moment and time:

He needed to get support from Jipyeong (his role model who he adored and looked up to) to get into the Sandbox (something Dalmi's inspiration created/she's also the little girl on the swings). This is manifested to him by Dalmi showing up and him selling baseball being the reason she finds him (follow your dreams). Because of her, Jipyeong has to pay attention, mentor and push him into wanting to be better. It's all fate conspiring to get him what he wants; his dreams to succeed in his company despite everyone looking down on him because he's a loser.

The universe provides him with Dalmi's love and support. Dalmi is the companion he never knew he needed (he realized it so much in episode 5 as she was giving his speech; she was his missing piece to his company). She's his catalyst for inspiration and the spark that was missing from his company's startup. He's given a chance to get into Sandbox because of her, (first because of her, Jipyeong backs him in Sandbox hoping he fails, and then second she chooses him to join her team)

The universe has set someone else on his team; Alex, the other Korean American, is also another way Dosan manifests his dream into a reality. Despite everyone looking down on him, Alex is amazed at Dosan and has a past with him that he wants to repay (I'll talk more about how both Dosan and Dalmi's 'choices' is why fate is on their side in another post)

Fate is on Dosan's side, and it keeps on helping him to get there with the presence of Dalmi. Fate wants them to be together regardless if she doesn't know that he's not her first love, the universe already set him up like that by his name being the proxy for the letters, they were destined from the start. 

Nam Dosan always chooses/gets the real Dalmi

The second reason why Dosan and Dalmi are meant to be together, for now, is because he loves and knows the real Dalmi. Jipyeong has been writing letters to Dalmi, listening to her express her self and he never paid attention or remembered who the real Dalmi is. That's already a sign that his slowness will cost him the win in this race. Dosan who the letter was intended for from the start (because it was to his name) reads her messages, and he's affected by who Dalmi is. He chooses to keep going to her side because of this. Her words inspire him, and her genuine self makes him want to push out of his comfort zone and want to win. Her presence in his life is so significant to him because she's meant to be there and it's vice versa for her. They both needed each other, both being pulled to each other without knowing why. Its destiny.  

Let's focus a bit more on this fact about authenticity, both Dalmi and Dosan are on equal grounds (they may seem like they're just acting with each other but they're not they see through each other when it matters), they both think they're nobodies, they're not necessary, they lose on purpose for other people's happiness, and they react the same way to things. The first time we're given this idea of how similar they are  is when she understands why he would lie about being wealthy and prosperous; she just did the same thing in episode 1, so it made her understanding and grateful instead of thinking about the fact she lied to him, Dalmi focused on how she found someone just like her, someone who understands what it's like to be her(it brought her comfort and confidence that he's the right partner for her)

Dosan is her father’s mirror image (the right choice)

The third, Dosan, is a mirror character for her dad. The show has had so many people come to her to mock her for choosing to stick with her dad. When in reality, as we know it was the right choice, that consequences for her choice are slowly unveiling. It's also the reason why fate is on her side She's the inspiration of Sandbox (she's always been destined to enter and become CEO, she became great at what she does because of how many times she spent helping her dad with his own startups, and she stayed untainted by greediness and wealth because she chose him she has heart and different perspectives to the others who just follow things by the books; this is important because that's what her most significant strength is). 

The show is already showing you that Dalmi always choosing things that may not seem perfect for her in the long run rather than the ideal choice (Jipyeong), is already foreshadowing why she'll pick Dosan at the end (if he doesn't change). I noticed Dosan's connection to her dad when he mentioned that the food he wanted to eat in episode 3 was Fried chicken, and Jipyeong told him to erase it and criticized him for his lack of communication skills. Dosan is like that fried chicken (a weird symbol but hear me out this show has so many signs for these two), it's not very fancy, or romantic as a meal (both Injae and Jipyeong reject and look down on it because it holds the opposite connotations to wealth and success). 

Still, it has a sense of comfort and authenticity for Dalmi. See again; authenticity makes its way back to Dalmi and Dosan. Fried chicken is what connected Dalmi to her father; it's also what he went to get for her before he died. It represents family, unity and just a time she was the most grateful for because it brought her to spend time with her father. It was all he could give her without it seeming like it was something, it's just like Dosan who she appreciates his hands, it may seem like nothing, but it means the world to her that he's just there by her side, together and close and real (chooses her authentic self). Just like her father needed Dalmi's steadfast support, Dosan also needs her by his side because of that; she's also his helping hand. Still, he also is that to her by choosing her to become a CEO of their sandbox company, thereby helping her achieve her father's dreams. This is again the universe supporting and bringing them together to make their dreams a reality. 

Jipyeong; the fanstasy and ideal man/The mentor

First look at the ending of episode 5, the show already shows you through visual cues what Jipyeong represents; a mentor for both Dalmi and Dosan. And it breaks my heart. Life already assigned him to be behind the scenes a tool to bring them together. Let's pause and look at what Jipyeong represents. Jipyeong represents fantasy. As much as he was important to Dalmi when she was younger by being the reason she was happy all those times, he was like a fantasy to run to that wasn't real. He wasn't the real Nam Do San. As much as behind the scenes, he's the reason for why Dosan entered her life (both times), and he's falling for her slowly. Like I said the picture above is pretty telling what he is to her and Dosan, life has assigned him as a mentor.  Apart from his wealth, knowledge and being her ideal guy on paper, he isn't doing much for Dalmi as of now. (Hear me out before you lose your minds) Yes, he helped her in episode 5 by teaching her how to speak and present and its all cute that he's there. He isn't Dosan who stayed up with her and stayed by her side through the whole making of the product. He is helpful as a mentor,  able to offer his knowledge and wealth to help Dalmi become successful but as we've seen that's not what Dalmi needs, she just needs someone to hold her hand and be by her side and inspire her to be better. (Do san keeps on doing this for her). Jipyeong represents idealism of our first love, a fantasy, an ideal situation, but that isn't enough to make him the right person for her. Both her and Dosan actually catalyze and affect each other positively, they push each other and provide for each other things they didn't know they needed. Still, they also provide (through the lessons from each other) a healthy but dose of realism. 

That's what love is meant to be about, both equally providing and aiding the other by each other's side, pushing each other to their calling. 

I keep on saying it, but the Jipyeong/Fake Nam Do San she fell in love with is a fantasy, he's good with his words, but they don't hold as much authenticity as Nam Do san's actual words to her, she may fangirl over his texts and letters, but it doesn't mean anything. I fangirl over fantasies (celebrities speeches, love letters written by other people, movie characters) all the time, doesn't mean it's my true love or my soulmate you know? Unless Dosan's character switches, nothing has made me think Jipyeong is even close to being who Dalmi needs, I don't see him as her one despite him realizing how great she is and helping her from behind the scenes because he's been assigned by life to be her helper, not a soulmate. Sorry, not sorry. 

Symbolism, Foreshadowing and Visual Devices pointing to Dosan

Lastly, the proof is with the writers: Symbolism, subtext and foreshadowing devices for Namdosan and Dalmi. 

Let's mention a few:

1. The music box; she wrote about it in her letter. In episode 3, after spending time with him, she realized opening it was wonderful. Foreshadowing, knowing the real Do san, she finally opened the music box. This inspires him to go to her side and choose to stay there despite what's to come)

2. The baseball that brought them together despite Jipyeong and Grandma thinking there was no way it would happen. Fate had other plans. The ball received says what they are meant to be for each other, a way to follow your dreams. It's a representation of fate pulling them to each other to make their dreams a reality. Emphasis as if I haven't said it enough times already they are meant to be with each other, and they are destined to be together. 

3. His hands; Her helping hand she needs,  a hand pulling her up when she's down, lifting her when she's low, pulling her to her dreams, a companion by her side always, comfort, intelligence (as his friends explained in episode 5. This  is also what he's looked down for when it comes to romance; his logical, robotic personality but its needed for her company, and to teach her.) Lastly, his hands represent his authenticity and potential. (like his friend said it's not about how it looks but what he does with it)

4. Her letters and his name; the messages affect him and make him choose her because of her real voice and her authentic self. His name is what makes them meet again, remember he's the actual recipient of her notes from the start.

5. Sandbox; both their dreams and reason for inspiration. They were always on their way to get there; to get her to make her dad's plans a reality, to make his company dreams a reality, a place for a push to become better, both are a team here, both are meant to work with each other on equal ground, and again both are inspiring each other and bringing their positives out.  

6. And even fried chicken; her dad, authenticity vs fantasy, comfort, warmth, togetherness and looked down upon but what she wants in the end

From episode 5: 

1. Tarzan and Jane; from the story, Tarzan is slow and can't provide accurately for Jane the romantic/ideal things she is meant to like and want (Flowers, bunnies etc.).  Just like Jipyeong can provide for Dalmi all the things that are intended to be an ideal for Dalmi (his wealth, his status, making Dosan look rich, providing the texts for Dosan to send to her, the letters etc.). Still, it isn't what she wants in the end. Dalmi says out loud that she overlooks the pretty on the surface things, she wants the useful stuff, like Dosan's helping hands, Dosan's presence by her side, and his words of wisdom to help them create a product in episode 5. Tarzan may seem like he has nothing to offer but the rocks and the gifts he gave Jane is actually what was needed to survive and be happy. Dalmi recognized that. That's foreshadowing who she will choose.

2.The sweets: At first, I wondered why they kept using it as a recurring motif to show Dosan eager to choose what Dalmi chose for him. But no it's foreshadowing. Jipyeong tries to steal the sweets from Dosan unintentionally, and interferingly  (just like he's been unintentionally falling for Dalmi and is slowly starting to want to reveal the truth). Still, Dosan chides him and takes back all the ones she chose for him. This foreshadows that he will lose her to Jipyeong, but because of his heart, and determination, he'll get her back. She's also like the sweets; people don't see the importance to her yet, but Dosan and his friends are excited and eager to have all the free food and sweets because they've struggled for a bit, they have this childlike fascination with it, and she joins them as well later. Dosan doesn't overlook Dalmi's importance, she means a lot to him, and he appreciates and is grateful for her just like the sweets. 

3.Lastly, the handwriting test/ the ability to test forgery: Another symbol for both Dosan and Dalmi. It's telling that the test was able to see 99.8% of what was real and what was fake (idealism vs realism), but it failed to recognize the new handwriting created by Injae and the others. This is foreshadowing there will be a moment when Dalmi won't be able to acknowledge idealism vs realism when Jipyeong reveals who he is. However, it doesn't mean that the handwritings were authentic, they were still forged even though the machine picked them up as real. Dalmi will question things, but at the end of the day, she already said it with the Jane metaphor, she will choose what's accurate and useful to her. This also makes the metaphor she told her grandmother (Jipyeong overheard this I think) about the rain and the storms to create something sweet, instead of choosing again what is ideal (just sunshine), Dalmi chooses the other way all the time, and she appreciates the results of it. That's why I believe she will end up with Dosan/choose him if he doesn't change. 

So yeh for now Dosan is endgame for Dalmi, Jipyeong has been shoved into the role to bring them together and fulfill their goals and destinies. This could change because there’s so much more stuff that can happen, Dosan maybe tempted by greed later on and change and that will pull Jipyeong ahead. But if Dosan doesn’t change, then there’s no doubt that Dalmi even after she knows he’s not her first love, will not choose him. Let’s see how it turns out. 

[raddifferent]

I'm late but I'm in the middle of switching jobs so who cares! Here's Day Two of @rosemarymonth2021: Fantasy! This is Chapter 1; Chapter 2 will double as the Chapter 4 prompt because I want to finish this fic rather than do medieval with no fantasy elements. It's my writing project and I make the rules!!

Anyways, as usual the link will be in the replies and the fic is below the cut!

The esteemed Duchess Lepidopterina Dolorosa of the House Maryam, Baroness of the Misted Isles, Devotee of the Midnight Spiral, and Serene Lady of the Obsidian Blade, first of her name, was having a bit of a shit day. As some of her many fancy titles would suggest, she was an adept swordswoman, and she had been honored to be invited to the wedding of Duke Egbert’s daughter. She was more familiar with Lady Egbert than her betrothed, another Duchess of the Troll kingdom, despite being a troll herself. That was one of the side effects of spending an inordinate amount of time in the borderlands fighting off the blasted undead, as she found herself doing now.

Her traveling party had been journeying through the Cresting Mountains for a fortnight now, having crossed the mountain peaks worn oddly smooth by some ancient ocean and cracked in half on their tectonic ascent. The scraggly pines of its forests were dense in places and opened into large clearings in others, creating an unpredictable landscape full of pockets of zombies. Three of the party had fallen when the undead felled their horses, and she’d lost sight of the other two of her companions when the pack had separated them. Now, she fought the beasts alone.

Kanaya raised a shining hand, turning some of the undead near herself. She had a moment to catch her breath and assess the situation. A crowd of about fifteen undead humans and trolls had her backed against the base of a thick pine. At her feet lay a pile of bodies twenty-strong. Her black leather boots were shiny with rotting ichor, and splashes of guts, grime, and gore adorned her oiled outerwear. The Duchess twirled her twin blades, each a deep, midnight indigo sparkling with obsidian glitter, and also with a little magic. Her hands were covered with snugly-fit leather gloves, but beneath the animal hide Kanaya knew the sigils of the Church of the Midnight Spiral gleamed on the backs of her hands. Indeed, her skin itself glowed from the inside, although that was more of a side effect of being a Blessed Resurrectionist. Kanaya lived thirty five years, and died, and was brought back by The Bright Light in the Dark Sky to walk again some fifty more years. Those outside the Church would call her another, luckier undead. A vampire.

Her groaning, festering foes began to clamber close enough to swipe at her again. Kanaya whirled and sliced, removing limbs and heads as the undead shuffled within her reach. Eight more fell, leaving seven standing. Kanaya tried to wipe a smear of viscera from her face, but she feared the back of her sleeve only made the mess worse. She was breathing heavily. The dampness on her boots and the height of the bodies was beginning to impede her. She needed to reach high ground, and soon.

Just then, a golden light shone from deeper in the woods surrounding this clearing. Kanaya jumped to the side just as a zombie swiped at her head, leaving her in the perfect position to see a glowing arrow pin her assailant’s head to a tree. There must have only been one archer aiding her, as only one or two arrows came at a time, but they still landed more rapidly than Kanaya’s own battle maidens could achieve. In seconds, the battle had ended.

Still breathing heavily, Kanaya attempted to wipe her blades off on her jacket before sheathing them. She began to walk towards where the arrows had been coming from.

Kanaya was met at the edge of the clearing by a figure in a deep purple cloak. Her skin was a deeper, redder brown than Kanaya’s own, set in sharp contrast to their white-blond hair. Kanaya met her startlingly purple eyes, which were bright, intelligent, and a little mischievous. She had a golden lip ring down the center of her mouth, and a thin golden chain as a choker. Her clothing was modest but fine, Kanaya’s keen eye picking out expensive brocade in the shirt.

“To whom do I owe thanks for such gracious assistance?” Kanaya offered when the stranger did not speak.

The stranger spoke in a slightly raspy voice with a short, clipped affect. “Arrows rained upon your general area moments before, and yet you walk towards a potential source of danger? Moments after your own life was at risk? You must either be assured of your skill, or very stupid.”

“I like to think I am the former, although there is always time to prove the latter.”

The stranger smiled. “You think it is inevitable you will be proven unintelligent?”

“I find it imprudent to assume one will never make a mistake.”

The stranger raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth quirking upwards. “Ah, a pragmatist. We may get along yet.”

Kanaya pursed her lips. “I find I get along with people much better if we have something to call each other by.”

“You would still like my name, then.” It wasn’t a question. They seemed to be hesitating. “I suppose you can call me Briar,” she said with a wry smile. “I’m just a traveler in these woods. There’s nothing I have to claim that involves fanfare.”

Politely, Kanaya did not mention the clearly magical bow, or the fine clothing. “I do have a bit of a fancy title, but I think it best not to rattle off the entire thing. Suffice it to say that you can call me Kanaya.” Hopefully, her rescuer would be equally polite about her weaponry and dress.

“May I ask where you’re headed? I wouldn’t mind some company, and you certainly seem like you need the assistance.” The last was delivered with a smirk, which Kanaya bristled a little at.

“I have been traveling with several others, thank you; we just found ourselves separated after that large group of undead descended onto us. I had almost dispatched all of them when you arrived.” She made a sweeping gesture back towards the not-immodest pile of re-deceased zombies surrounding the tree she had been up against.

Briar smirked harder. “So my assistance is not desired?”

“No, that is not-” Kanaya broke off her objection with a huff as Briar began to laugh. “I would, actually, quite like your help locating my companions. However, I would like to know why you would want to help me. You seem to be taking great pleasure in needling me about needing it.”

The other traveler sobered slightly. “I just know what it’s like to be traveling alone, and the drudgery of not having someone to talk to, no stories to tell around the fire or on the road. It can be better to group up, even temporarily, just to kill the boredom.”

“Did you lose a companion recently as well?” Kanaya blurted.

Briar raised a thin eyebrow. “Not recently, as it were. But yes, I have previously parted ways with those whom I enjoyed sharing a story or three.”

“I would be happy to share tales with you, stranger. My companions would likely head towards the closest inn if they were sure they were separated from me, as that was our next destination. Does that align with your path?”

The other woman smiled. “That it does. When last I consulted my map, the next inn was a half-day’s walk up the road. Shall we?”

As they walked up the road, dappled light gently touched the faces of both travelers. Briar hummed an aimless tune, kicking up dead, brown leaves. They traveled in silence for quite some time, neither quite willing to speak up after such an abrupt introduction. About an hour into the walk, Kanaya opened her mouth and was about to begin some sort of small talk about the weather when they reached the top of a hill. Below them, the trees opened up to reveal a path curving down and around a small, ruined stone structure. What had previously been a large castle town now lay in disarray, the abbey wall crumbling and holding nothing at bay. The peasant houses must have been constructed of wood, as all but their foundations had long rotted away. All that remained was a small stone castle with a single, thin spire reaching high into the sky. Small was relative; the property would have held a baron comfortably in his keep with acres of holdings, but from the vantage point it felt like a child’s plaything.

“Well, that certainly looks interesting.” Briar broke the silence with a chuckle.

Kanaya did have to agree. Ruins such as this one, so deep in the woods, were possibly undisturbed, and might have strange and magical treasures hidden within. At the very least, there would be a few monsters to kill, and get some of her frustrations out. “We should explore it. There is still light in the sky.”

Briar’s smile faded slightly. “You know, I grew up not too far from here. When I was a little girl, we were told a tale in whispers. It was the sort of fairy tale that adults would laugh off, but forbid you from speaking about ever again. Would you like to hear it?”

“Right now?” Kanaya asked, the question coming out more incredulously than she intended. “While we’re stopped in the middle of the road?”

The smile was back. “I can walk and weave words, miss.”

“Well then, far be it from me than to stop you.”

“A long, long time ago, a young king killed what he thought was the last dragon in his lands. His fields were free from fiery terror, and his people lived prosperously for three decades. One day, a winged shadow drew over the land again, smaller than the scourge that had last plagued the land, but still enough to wreak havoc. One dragon spawn had survived, and had lived long enough to exact its revenge.”

Briar stopped to hop over a river, holding out an arm to steady Kanaya as she crossed. Her hands were warm, heat thrumming through Kanaya’s thick gear to her palm where she clasped Briar’s. She let go, and they continued. Kanaya’s hand felt cold.

“The dragon landed on the top of the castle of the now-middle-aged king, and told the king that he would leave the lands be, if only the king would offer his daughter. One life in exchange for the kingdom’s safety.”

Kanaya laughed grimly. “I suppose it was an easy deal to make with the dragon staring him down.”

“I suppose it was,” Briar replied. “He brought his daughter to be scooped up in the dragon’s claws and carried away. The kingdom was quiet and safe for another thirty years, until the king’s son had borne an heir and several daughters, and a new ruler was crowned. The dragon once again flew across the land, and once again sat atop the tower and demanded a companion. Every three decades, the dragon would return, larger than before, and more imposing.”

“And how long ago was the last time the dragon came to the land?” Kanaya asked, playing along.

“Well, that’s just the thing.” Briar held a branch up so Kanaya could pass under it. “The dragon hasn’t been sighted in over fifty years.”

“Do you know why?”

The first crumbling pieces of stone that formerly lined the road to the castle began to rise up from the sides of the road. “No one knows. Some of the bravest in our village once described traveling deep into the woods and seeing a castle with a tall tower, a sleeping monster curled around the top.”

Kanaya squinted ahead, trying to spot the castle. “Did you put much stock in their tales?”

“When I was younger? Not really. Now? Also no, not really. I think if a dragon had a castle, he’d sleep inside of it, not on top.”

Involuntarily, Kanaya burst out laughing. “That’s your justification for why they’re wrong? Not that your country doesn’t have a history of missing princesses, or that you happened to live close enough to the dragon’s castle to find it, but not so close that it bothers you?”

Briar put her hands on her hips. “Would you sleep out in the rain and the cold if you had the option not to?”

“I make a habit not to when I have the choice,” Kanaya ceded.

“Then you admit there’s some logic to what I say,” Briar smirked felinely.

Kanaya rolled her eyes, smiling. “Begrudgingly. At any rate, there was no dragon on that tower when we saw it from above.”

“No,” Briar said. “There wasn’t.”

[ginkgomoon]

Victor’s Aura- A Character Aura Study

This post is my take on Victor’s aura, taken from my knowledge and intuition to depict what kind of aura he has! I did one on Gavin, as well as Gavin’s astrological birth chart so if you haven’t seen them, you can read them after this post!

What is an Aura? “Aura” by the dictionary is “the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place”. 

It’s essentially the electromagnetic energy field that surrounds all living things. It’s the magnetic field of vibration like how a lighted candle is lit and how a scent or perfume surrounds a flower. In fact, it’s correctly described as an extension of the body. It’s a part of every cell. Your aura can be affected by anything, including traumas, memories and emotions. It can tell us a lot about a person’s mental, physical, emotional state, vitality and path of life. Habitual thoughts, emotions and even illnesses can be clearly revealed. If a person changes their long standing thoughts and emotions, the aura will too reflect that. 

Victor’s Aura There are many layers to the aura but let’s start off with the “ground” colour. This is the main colour that dominates the aura both in size and intensity. It’s arguably the most important colour as it shows what the person should be doing in their life. 

Victor’s main ground colour is dark yellow (keep in mind this is not defined as “murky”- when someone is lost and muddled in their life). People with dark yellow as their ground are confident, well adjusted and analytical. As a result, they take life one step at a time, one goal at a time, ensuring every project is seen through properly to completion to avoid problems and setbacks later. They are patient people, setting their worthwhile goals in no hurry to reach them, as they know without a doubt that they will obtain their deserved reward in the end. They prefer to do things rationally and in a logical manner, especially at work where they are required to make use of their good memory and love for detail. As they are ambitious and persistent, they often take up roles of leadership, responsibility and of importance. From his corrections on MC’s reports to the food he makes at Souvenir (that is insisted to be cooked according to certain temperatures), Victor is no doubt a detail-oriented leader even whether if the goal he wants to achieve is related to work or not. 

MC: It’s a sort of mark that can be left in literature or in a photograph… and I can feel it. Victor’s eyes are lowered. In his clear and tranquil eyes, there are ripples of light and shadows. Victor: Such as? The smile tugging at the corner of his mouth is clear, and I ponder this seriously. MC: For example, the way I write proposals has changed. The format of my proposals has changed. The indent of the first line, font size 15, 1.5 spacing between lines… it’s the format you find most pleasing to the eye! Victor’s eyebrow quirks. Victor: That’s all? MC: There’s more! I’ve become so much more picky with food. I never used to complain that food tastes bad, but eating at Souvenir has cultivated my palate. Now, when I eat even Michelin meals, I feel as if something’s lacking… -CN Exhibition Date 

“What happened with SE is just an example. We’re from different businesses and different fields. There’s no need to compare yourself with me. Also, I’m older than you. When you’ve reached my age, you might attain the achievements I have today.” -CN Night Meeting Date

“Slow and steady wins the race” is the moral that they live by, but sometimes adhering to this credo may frustrate others as they can be so analytical and detail oriented at times- usually at great lengths. A cute little add from the Tender Regards Date around the concept of snail mail, time (Victor’s evol!) and the goal of always reaching your destination in the end demonstrate this this motif in Victor’s relationship with MC.

“Looks like you should have received this Future Mail. Apart from supporting your event, I’m only going to do this once. This will not be repeated. The things I want to say to you are all in this videotape. It only belongs to you.” -CN Tender Regards Date 

“When will you finally understand? It’s all right. I’m patient. I’ll wait for you to see the light slowly.” -Rooftop Date

Although they have feelings, they only ever reveal it to people close to them. They enjoy the detail and technicality of conversations and find it hard to talk about their emotions. Victor’s Exhibition and Tender Regards Date are very useful sources of information in relation to these topics, as it displays Victor’s deep emotions of affection to MC and highlights the importance of expressing emotions to those you love. Dark yellow aura peoples’ greatest lesson in life is to be more emotionally open, and when do they do, it usually occurs later in life. 

“The writer wrote it down herself - “The time I spent loving someone, not a single second of it was wasted.” I rarely hear such words leave Victor’s mouth, and it makes me feel a little surreal. In my memory, we very rarely talk about the topic of ‘love’. Maybe it’s because he rarely says what’s in his heart. Maybe it’s because I’m used to being thick-skinned. We never have the opportunity to seriously understand the meaning in these words. -CN Exhibition Date 

“Do you still remember the special episode on “Feelings” from before? Actually, this theme was inspired by that episode. Giving gifts is a common way to express how one feels. But it’s not that easy to send a gift to the future. With Future Mail, the sender can convey their feelings and surprises in this gift to the other party across time.” -CN Tender Regards date 

People with dark yellow as their ground enjoy system and order such as routines at work and in their home life. This is applied to Victor’s strict schedules in his day to day life, such as taking on what time he sleeps and when he gets up to go on his morning jogs. They need to consider new ideas before grudgingly accepting them. This is especially applied to when Victor always says “just this once” to MC when he’s being “childish” with her (but we really know that isn’t the case, he knows this all too well, too). 

“Because a certain greedy cat always says she wants to eat something sweet after dinner, I made pudding before leaving the house. Do you think this is a mark of how I’ve been changed?” -CN Exhibition Date 

Next is Victor’s “radiating” colour. This represents his interests and motivations. It adds strength to the ground colour. They can work well in harmony, some can conflict. 

I would take Victor’s radiating as violet. Violet is a very highly spiritual colour, as people with this colour as their radiating will have a very spiritual take on life, as they are deep thinkers who like to analyse everything and think matters though logically. They are also naturally intuitive. Violet radiatings have the ability to come up with unique and unusual solutions to problems. As they enjoy learning, they have the potential to become experts in their field of endeavour- which is no surprise for Victor as he’s basically an “on top of the world tyrant” in the industry of finances. In addition, they feel things deeply, but rather operate things on an emotionally free level- again with the ground aura traits to enhance this! However, Victor too, has a high EQ despite this.

“I’m no different from you. There are many things I cannot do or force to make happen. It’s okay to not be strong, it’s okay to not do well. You don’t have to bottle up your emotions.” … “I won’t tell you to keep holding on no matter what difficulties you face. That isn’t realistic. There will come a time when you will become an even better version of yourself who will have enough courage and experience to deal with all of this.” -CN Colours of Rain Date 

Overall, Victor’s aura of darker yellow and violet depict him as more of a straightforward kind of person, hardworking and articulate, however soon we realise there’s more to what we see of Victor, like how MC thinks that Victor comes off as a “heartless CEO” throughout the main story chapters but he slowly warms up to her whilst determining to prove her wrong. Victor is wise, and doesn’t bother to put in his personal efforts to where it’s not needed, but when it’s up to him- he strives to go all the way for perfection and with the best of his ability. He spends a lot of time in deep contemplation to determine his plans of attack which allows him to execute them well. His values and worth ethics will always in the end allow him to make time for MC, no matter how busy he is :) 

And lastly…

Victor leans against the window, his face still written with distaste, but he does not attempt to remove that childish-looking blanket. He brings the red cup to his lips and gently blows on it. The warm light encases him, softening the aura surrounding him. His outline also appears gentler. He doesn’t look as impossible to get close to. My eyes land on Victor, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He puts down the cup in his hands, lowering his eyes, as though deep in thought. This is a Victor I have never seen before… In this moment, he seems to have put down his stubbornness and distant aura - becoming someone within reach. Only now does Victor finally feel my gaze. He raises his head to look at me. -CN Warm Date 

All of a sudden, he lifts his other hand gently. A water droplet pelts onto his palm, as though pulling him into the pattering rain. Seeing this, I find myself subconsciously frozen in place. Because of the enshrouding misty rain, the Victor before me appears warmer and more tender than usual. -CN Tender Regards Date 

It always has and always will be MC to see this side of him- the tenderness and the willingness of how he opens up to her- his aura willingly to embrace hers too. Fun fact- auras can deflect off one another if you’re with someone you dislike. But when it’s with two people in love, their auras connect, combine and produce an even brighter and bigger accommodating aura for the both of them. He’s certainly living working towards to achieve his greatest life goals- both in his businesses and being with MC, striving together to make great changes and milestones in their respective industries. Without a doubt, she has helped Victor’s aura grow, expand and shine the many rays through his doubts, allowing a light from within to burn brighter and evolve him into more of the brilliant, hardworking and tender man we know today.

[shelovescontrol91]

Between a starring role in Cinderella, live performances, and a forthcoming album, it would appear things are business as usual for Camila Cabello. But there’s a difference: Before the pandemic her work was leaving her drained, anxious, and insecure. Now she’s found a way to be a pop star on her own terms, and everything—from the music to her relationship with her body—has fallen into place.

By mid-September, Camila Cabello was feeling burnt out. In the span of three days she had performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, attended the Met gala with boyfriend Shawn Mendes, and shot the first-ever global cover for Glamour. So when she finally returned home to Miami, rest wasn’t just desired—it was essential.

But rehearsals for New York’s Global Citizen Festival loomed. Before jumping back into pop star mode, Cabello put on a yellow bikini and headed to the beach for two hours of blissfully uninterrupted downtime. She sank into a chair and cracked open a book, her favorite pastime. The salty air enveloped her; waves crashed in the distance. This is why she lives in Miami, her hometown, as opposed to a showbiz hub like Los Angeles: more privacy.

Or so she thought. Somehow the paparazzi found out where she was for those 120 minutes. She didn’t see them at first, but there they were, snapping away.

“I didn’t consent to those pictures,” she tells me over Zoom, camera off as she drives in Miami. (At one point she says to someone on the road, “Why are you honking at me, bro?”) “I got my period on the beach. I’m in a bikini and on my period, so I don’t know if I have a fucking period stain and that’s going to be everywhere. I didn’t sign up for anybody to be taking pictures of me in a bikini.”

Cabello has developed methods for dealing with invasive situations like this. She’s had to. The 24-year-old—born in Cuba, raised in Miami—has been in the public eye since 2012, when she competed on The X-Factor. She auditioned as a solo artist but was later matched with four other girls to form the pop group Fifth Harmony. They released two albums before Cabello embarked on her own—and achieved mind-boggling fame. Her singles “Havana” and “Señorita” (with Mendes) topped the charts worldwide. She’s earned three Grammy nominations, become a face of L’Oréal, and tried her hand at not just acting but starring in a feature film: this year’s Cinderella remake on Amazon Prime. Her third studio album, Familia, is due out later this year.

By all accounts it’s a lot. Careerwise it’s the closest things have felt to prepandemic times, when she was working constantly, arguably to an exhausting degree. As COVID-19 shutdowns went into effect last March, Cabello was able to realize just how tired she was.

“I by no means am trying to complain,” she says, “but it was such a thing of, ‘I have to get onstage tomorrow and I’m performing at this big thing,’ or whatever. ‘I want to do a good job. How do I do that when I feel nervous?’ I did this without being like, ‘Am I even happy right now? Do I even feel healthy?’ I didn’t have the space to ask myself those questions. I’m still working a ton now, but after quarantine I’m able to be like, ‘You know what? Right now I’m just not happy. I need to change something.’”

Therapy helped her see the changes she needed to make. Cabello tells me she’d experimented with therapy before the pandemic, but it was always situation focused—quick fixes to help her tackle the next performance or songwriting session. But with time at home, she dug deeper: “Because I wasn’t stressed about all the things I needed to do the next day, I was able to slow down and have enough stability to look at my stuff.”

Cabello doesn’t expand on what that “stuff” is. She does, however, explain why she decided to switch therapists as her internal work continued. “I wasn’t feeling like I was progressing in the areas I wanted to progress,” she says. “But when I switched, I found I was able to apply what they said in a way that benefited my mental health.”

One lesson she’s learned is the power of saying no. Two hit albums under her belt give Cabello the freedom to do things her way. Now she always has one day off a week, minimum. And when time came to start work on Familia, she forwent the standard pop music factory for a more intimate approach. The new album was made with just a handful of collaborators she could be open with. If Cabello was feeling anxious or nervous in a session, she had the space to address it. As a result, she says, it’s her best work yet.

“It’s the most grounded and calm I’ve ever been making an album,” she says. “I worked with people I wanted to have dinner with, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to write every single day for months, but write a few days a week and have time to gather experiences and be a human being.’”

Shawn Mendes is one of the people she’s gathering experiences with. The two singers confirmed their relationship in September 2019, and they’ve been tabloid magnets ever since. Everything from their laughably slow pandemic walks to their kissing style is dissected with a fine-tooth comb. A clip of them getting ready for the Met gala went instantly viral.

Cabello tells me she and Mendes try to avoid the social media chatter about their relationship, but it inevitably seeps in. “When stuff that’s negative is out there, it’s going to get to you,” she says. “So yeah, that’s very, very challenging. I feel like it’s another thing therapy has been really helpful for.”

Mendes goes to therapy too. While Cabello says she and Mendes haven’t done couples therapy—though she’d be open to it—they very much work on their mental health together.

“For better, for worse, we’re very transparent with each other. I think that’s why we can trust each other so much, because it’s a very 3D human relationship,” she says. “I’ll be venting or ranting about something, and he’ll be like, ‘Have you talked to X about it?’ And I’ll be like, ‘No. I’ve got to do a session.’ And he’ll do the same thing to me. I think even just the language of being like, ‘Hey, I’m sorry that I’ve been distant with you or snappy with you. I’m just struggling and I’m feeling kind of anxious.’ That level of transparency really helps a lot.”

Mendes echoes Cabello’s thoughts. “Camila and I give each other an extreme amount of patience and understanding,” he tells me via email. “I think the truth is that when you’re struggling with mental health, it turns you sometimes into the version of yourself that you don’t like to be—and kind of loving and accepting your person through that, and being there for them through that, is life-changing. We give each other so much space and understanding and patience.”

A behind-the-scenes VMAs story perfectly illustrates this. When Cabello was nervous meeting new people at an after-party, she caught herself leaning on a habit she’s trying to break. Mendes helped her through it.

“I have this pattern of eating a lot when I’m anxious or uncomfortable,” she says. “It’s a comfort thing for me. I’ll just kind of become unconscious and zombie-eat a lot, and then I’ll feel sick. I’ve told Shawn about that. So at the VMAs party, I was like, ‘I’m doing it.’ And he was like, ‘It’s okay. You’re doing it. That’s okay. Let’s just take a breath and not do that.’ It’s really good for me to be able to talk about my patterns with someone.”

Food and body image are two things that have really been on Cabello’s mind this year. A July TikTok she posted shutting down body-shamers racked up 4.8 million likes. “Being at war with your body is so last season,” she says in the video, which she posted after photos of her running in Los Angeles made the rounds online.

That mantra is true, sure, but it’s easier said than done. Even Cabello has difficulty following it. She braced herself for what she might feel when those aforementioned bikini pics went live: “I need to work out. I need to eat better.” “Not that those things are bad,” she says. “But maybe I wouldn’t think about them as much if there weren’t people taking pictures of me.”

It’s not just the paparazzi who ignite moments of self-doubt. Cabello tells me about a time she was exercising with her trainer, Jenna Willis—who’s great, she says—and feeling insecure. “She’s the same height as me, and I was kind of comparing myself to her, because she is a lot skinnier than I am,” she recalls. “I was just like, ‘Yeah, but I’ve been working out and I look better, right? I look better, right?’”

It’s Willis who helped silence those voices in Cabello’s head, reminding her that how she feels is more important than appearances; that life is about balance and enjoying food. These are health philosophies we’ve all heard—but when you’re Camila Cabello and millions are picking apart your beach photos, it’s hard to tune out the noise. Now when she’s feeling down on herself, she just turns her phone off and goes outside.

“When I’m having negative thoughts about my body, that’s actually when I’ll want to binge-eat cookies, and then I have a stomachache,” she says. “It’s this weird psychology: The more I love my body, the more I actually want to take care of it…. As long as I’m healthy and working out and feel good, that’s the best I can do. There’s no point in trying to have another kind of body.”

By this point in our conversation, Cabello’s made it to her destination. When I ask if she’ll have time to chill and decompress, she says, “To be honest, not yet, but I will after this weekend.” There’s a calmness in her voice when she says this—a stillness, a readiness. She seems perfectly prepared for what lies ahead: album promo, performances, and undoubtedly more scrutiny about her body, her relationship, her everything. But she’ll be fine, because just around the corner is a day off. That’s nonnegotiable.

“It’s important to be on top of not just what’s making you sad or anxious, but also what’s giving you joy,” she says. “I want to be happy and enjoy my life. That’s kind of it.”

[kumeko]

A/N: For the FF15 Changing Fate Zine! I wanted to change Nyx + Crowe's fate, but alas, we could had to do minimal changes. T_T

…

…

…

…

There were very, very few times that Libertus found Insomnia beautiful. It was a cluttered city, crammed to the brim with people and buildings. Day or night, there was a constant stream of sound, of angry horns and high-pitched laughter. For all that Insomnia was alive, it was never quiet, not in the way that Galahd was. There were no slow-running streams here, no frogs to serenade him to sleep. At home, the only lights at night were the moon and fireflies.

Still, it was safe here. Libertus had learned long ago that there were few things people wouldn’t trade for a peace of mind. As piss-poor as the food here was, he could get used to it. As much as the guards cussed him, it was a better fate than death. And for all of his homesickness, he had his best friend and a little sister of sorts here.

“Libertus, get your slow ass up here already!” Crowe yelled from above.

Libertus frowned, staring at his plate. Well, she certainly was like a little sister, all right. Sometimes he wondered if she loved him at all, or just loved insulting him. Before she could yell at him again, he shouted back, “Hold your horses, I’m coming!”

“Bring a drink while you’re at it,” Nyx called out.

It was bad enough the locals treated him like a servant, he didn’t need his friends doing the same. Libertus shot a dirty glare at the door leading to the roof. When he’d first gotten this flat, he’d thought he was lucky. If he’d realized how often Crowe and Nyx would eat dinner at his place, he’d have never signed the lease. Biting back an angry swear, he picked up two beers with his free hand and headed over to his friends.

As he stepped onto the roof, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. Just ahead of him, perched on the edge of the roof, Nyx and Crowe chatted quietly. Their plates were beside them, forgotten, and Libertus wondered what they were talking about. Not another mission, he hoped—he never wanted to talk about the work outside of the job. As he approached them, Nyx looked over his shoulder. “I was starting to think you’d injured more than your leg.”

“Don’t be a smart ass.” Rolling his eyes, Libertus tossed the beer can. Infuriatingly, Nyx caught it with ease. “Make some room.”

“Didn’t realize you were so fat,” Crowe teased, shuffling to her left. Patting at the spot between her and Nyx, she smirked up at him. “All yours.”

“I’ll remember this the next time you’re injured.” With a groan, Libertus lowered himself. His plate wobbled precariously as he sank onto the roof. “Next time, we’re eating out.”

“Sure, I have to watch out for my elders.” Crowe dodged his half-hearted swipe, laughing.

“Leave the old man alone,” Nyx reprimanded. Whatever sternness he was aiming for was undermined by his laughter.

“We’re the same age!” Libertus smacked Nyx. “Anyways, what were you talking about?”

“Nothing, really.” Nyx shrugged, gesturing at the city sprawled out ahead of them. Hundreds of lights flickered on and off below them, various shops opening and closing as time passed. It looked almost like the fireflies at home. Almost. “For a city with shit food, it’s not half bad to look at.”

“You know, you keep saying shit food but never bother to cook actual Galahd food,” Crowe pointed out. “When are you two planning on enlightening me?”

“I guess you’re ready for some real food.” Libertus wasn’t a great cook, not by any stretch, but even a taste-blind amateur was better than the cooks here. “After you come back from your next mission, okay?”

“I’ll make sure to get the healers ready,” Nyx added, unhelpfully. He laughed as Libertus swiped at him now.

Still, Libertus had to give him a begrudging point. The city was beautiful, if only for the fact that they could have nights like this.

-x-

There were very, very few times that Libertus found Insomnia beautiful. And now he would never think that again. Shell shocked, he stood at the gates to the city and watched as his new home burned to the ground. It had been unbelievable when he’d raced through the darkness, guiding Nyx and Luna across the collapsing terrain. It was even more unbelievable now as the sun rose, revealing just how much the empire had destroyed the city. How much hehad destroyed the city—unintentionally or not, he had lent his hand to this invasion.

God, he’d been stupid, thinking that for one minute the empire would have freed Galahd. The only thing they wanted was to watch everything burn. The only thing they’d leave behind was rubble. As the sun rose, Libertus forced himself to stare at the city and witness exactly what he’d wrought. Demons disappeared as the sun hit them, the giant guardian statues shattered into a thousand fragments now that their duty was over.

“It’s over,” he muttered, half to himself.

“No, unfortunately it is not,” a quiet voice replied and Libertus snapped his head to find Luna standing next to him. He’d almost forgotten that she was still here, that there was at least one survivor in the city. She looked at him with tired eyes, exhaustion wearing her down to the bone. Dirt smudged her skin and it would be easy to think of her as another ragamuffin on the street and not the princess of a lost country. “This night might have ended, but there is a longer one ahead of us.”

“Oh.” What was he supposed to say in response to that? And what was that answer, anyways? Her words were so cryptic, he wasn’t even sure that Crowe could have deciphered them.

Libertus covered his mouth. Crowe was dead. In the rush of everything, he’d almost forgotten that he hadn’t just lost a city. Crowe was dead and Nyx—he took a step forward, already scanning the city. “I have to go get Nyx.”

A cool hand grabbed his, stopping him in his tracks. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as Luna shook her head. Her eyes were so big and sad he almost didn’t need to hear her speak to know what she was about to say. “I am afraid it’s too late.”

“How do you know?” he growled, yanking his hand free. Whirling around on her, he grabbed her shoulders. “What do you know?”

“Not enough,” she admitted, her voice cracking. Luna wasn’t looking at him, her gaze instead on the smouldering ruins behind him. “If only I could have prevented this. I wanted to save Nyx, to save the King, and instead all I managed to protect was this.” She held out her palm, revealing a small ring.

The king’s ring. He had seen what’d happened to Ravus. What must have happened to Nyx.

To the foolish, heroic Nyx.

“No…” Libertus uttered, staring at the ring.

“I am truly sorry.” She closed her eyes.

“No!” he cried, collapsing to his knees. His hands slid down her arms, fingers digging into her skin, but she didn’t cry out. “Nyx…he…”

Nyx was dead. Crowe was dead. Galahd was taken over and Insomnia destroyed. There were few things that Libertus could call his own and all of them were gone. Libertus wanted to cry. He wanted to yell. Losing his home had taught him a thing or two about loss but that didn’t make it any less of a gut punch.

“Please, take care of yourself. He would have wanted that.” Luna gently pried his hands loose, still giving him that sad smile.

What did you know about loss? he almost screamed, but even he’d heard of Tenebrae, of her mother’s death. The empire was cruel to everyone, whether they were princesses or the most common of folks.

Gravel crunched underfoot as she slowly walked toward the city’s gates. Whatever purpose had brought her to the city, she clearly hadn’t finished achieving it yet. Despite her kind words, her expression had been determined. Libertus had seen that expression on Nyx and Crowe a thousand times. She was a woman with a mission.

And he…he had none. He didn’t even have bodies to bury. All that he had was a wellspring of grief that threatened to bury him. Libertus forced it down, fighting back his tears. This wasn’t the time or place to mourn. He glanced behind him again, at the crumbling city. Should he go back to Galahd, hoping for the off-chance that Nyx might have pulled the impossible? Should he just disappear quietly, fading away like thousands before him must have?

Or a third choice. He turned back to Luna, to her slowly shrinking figure. Nyx had given his life to protect her. And while Libertus could care less about royalty, he didn’t want Nyx’s final act to go to waste. Didn’t want this night to have come to nothing. Crowe had died for this princess. Nyx had sacrificed himself for her.

The least Libertus could do was make sure she at least got to her destination in one piece. Scrambling to his feet, he jogged after her.

“Hey, Princess, wait up!”

And if he didn’t have to deal with his grief now, well, that made it all the better.

[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [75]

iv. the face behind the glass 

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 6.5k

Warnings: language, blood. smut, 18+ only please!

Summary: the chaos of the last few days fades away in the face of a celebration in Sanctum.

a/n: hi, sorry for the later upload today, my power went out this morning and then i didn’t feel well, so it’s been kinda crazy. but it’s here now, and it’s one that a lot of you have been waiting for ;) also, if you saw my post the other day and responded, thank you. i’m still healing emotionally, but each day is slightly better than the last, and all of you have been so helpful with that. so thank u thank u thank u. the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

With the knowledge that you are all safe to stay in Sanctum, everyone gets assigned to a room above the tavern. Luckily they have enough rooms for you and Bellamy to share a room alone, giving you some much needed privacy. Something you get to experience for roughly one minute before there’s a soft knock on the door. 

You turn to look at your boyfriend, both of you in the middle of undressing, preparing to go to bed after the chaos of the last day has settled in, exhausting you both. But you have a pretty good idea of who’s at the door and so does Bellamy, so you both redress quickly and pull the door open, revealing your twin. Her voice is low, not wanting to wake any of the others as most of your rooms are all housed pretty close together. “Can I come in?”

You turn to look at Bellamy, who nods, just as eager to hear about what all of you missed while you were gone earlier. So you step back and usher her into the room, closing the door softly behind her as she steps inside. The three of you pile into the bed facing each other, and your gaze drops down to your twin’s bandaged hand. “What happened? Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

“As soon as you guys left, Russell invited me to dinner with him and Simone so we could discuss whether we’d be allowed to stay. Unfortunately for us, Jordan spent most of his time talking to Delilah, telling her everything about us, the good and the bad. It got back to Russell and Simone, and they decided that we couldn’t stay because we’re violent people and violence spreads like a disease.”

“That explains your shock at Russell letting us stay. So what changed his mind? We heard him mention you saving Delilah, but how did you save her?”

“As soon as I got back from the dinner and changed, I went looking for Jordan because I was pissed that he ruined everything for us. But when I went to the roof to find him, he was passed out on a cot with a paralytic dart in his neck. He managed to point out a guy running away from the tavern with a covered wheelbarrow, which we later found out had Delilah inside. I chased after him, along with a guard, but we split up so he could go inform Russell. I eventually found the guy and fought him off, but he cut my hand in the process and he freaked out as soon as he saw my Nightblood.”

“Weird.”

She shakes her head, giving you a serious look. “It gets weirder. Russell and Cillian both saw my blood too and they acted really strange about it. Russell eventually cut his finger to show me that he too is a Nightblood. He said our blood is royal. Delilah’s too, which is why they took her. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t like how everyone reacted when they found out about the color of my blood, which is why you and Madi aren’t going to tell anyone you’re Nightbloods. You both need to be careful and avoid any injuries that will clue them in, because right now it feels like I have a target on my back, and I don’t want them to paint a target on yours.”

“I understand, I’ll be careful.”

She nods, relieved to hear you say it before she turns her gaze to Bellamy, who has been silent throughout this entire conversation. “What happened to Octavia?”

He sighs, his shoulders sagging as she reminds him of what he’s done to protect all of you and your fragile alliance with Sanctum. “I left her behind. As long as she’s in Sanctum, she’s a threat to the peace we’re trying to achieve.”

You see Clarke open her mouth, looking like she wants to ask more, but you can tell from Bellamy’s body language that he doesn't want to say anything beyond that. So you reach out and place a hand on Clarke’s knee, giving her a subtle shake of your head. “We’re exhausted and in desperate need of a good night’s sleep. Can we talk more in the morning?”

She nods, smiling a little, already sliding off the bed. “Of course.”

You follow her to the door, both of you hugging before she slips out into the hall with a quiet whisper of, “Good night, lovebirds.”

You smile and watch her head for her shared room with Madi before you close the door and turn to Bellamy. He’s already stripping down again, careful to avoid the bandages on his injuries, and you follow suit, both of you slipping into the bed and beneath the covers. You sigh as you sink into the soft mattress, the most comfortable bed you’ve ever rested in, besides the one in Becca’s mansion, and Bellamy smiles as he watches you. You smile in return, lifting your hand to his cheek, caressing his face as you gaze at the sadness in his eyes. “Everything will be okay, my love.”

“What if I didn’t do the right thing? What if she can’t-”

You cut him off with a kiss, pulling away enough to whisper back. “You did do the right thing, even if it doesn't feel like it. It’s not easy doing what you did, but you were right in saying Octavia’s dangerous. I love her like a sister, but if Russell thinks we’re violent and our violence will spread, having Octavia around won’t help that. And she’ll be fine out there. Octavia knows how to survive better than any of us. Maybe she’ll even find Diyoza and they can survive together.”

You see some of his tension melt away. Not all of it, because you know he’ll be struggling with this for a while, but enough to bring him temporary peace. He pulls you to him, wrapping you up together and entangling your limbs. “I’m sorry for what I said to you during the eclipse. It was cruel and I’ll never forgive myself for it.”

You look up at Bellamy, at the hurt he’s trying to hide from you, and you shake your head at him, your voice soft. “Hey, don’t do that. I don’t want you to live with that, Bellamy. I know you didn’t mean it, okay? The red sun toxin messed us all up.”

He nods a little, your forgiveness easing some of that guilt he feels. You see him relax a little, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as he gets ready to fall asleep. “I love you, my radiant moon.”

You whisper back, “I love you more than the stars, Bellamy Blake.”

He wraps his arms around you tighter, not wanting to let you go, and that’s how you fall asleep, tangled up in the arms of the man you love, feeling at peace for the first time in years.

-

You wake before Bellamy does, accustomed to the earlier mornings that you and Clarke held in Shallow Valley. Your eyes fall on Bellamy, still wrapped around you as he sleeps, and you watch him for a few minutes, admiring the peace that holds him as he sleeps. You eventually start to hear the hustle and bustle of sound beneath you, down in the tavern, and you carefully unravel yourself from your lover, dressing quickly and pressing a kiss to his forehead before quietly slipping out the door. You run into Madi in the hall, both of you smiling at each other before you descend the stairs together, greeted by the chaos of a busy tavern.

All around you people are milling about, some quickly, some more leisurely. Food and desserts of all kinds move through the room and out the door, headed to some unknown destination. Clarke looks up from where she stands with Jae, Delilah’s father, smiling at both of you as you and Madi walk towards her. On the way over, Madi asks, “What's going on?”

You shrug, looking around again, “I think it's some sort of celebration.”

Jae turns around to face the two of you as you come to a stop beside Clarke, a large tray of cookies in his hands. “What's going on! It's Naming Day, and you're the guests of honor!”

He holds out the tray of cookies to both you and Madi, and Madi looks to Clarke for permission, who gives it to her with a smile and a nod. You and Madi each take a cookie, biting into it, your eyes lighting up with delight when you taste how good it is. Jae smiles at you both. “I know, a good cookie can change your life.”

Suddenly the crowd around you starts to clap and cheer, and you turn and glance to the stairs, where Delilah is now coming down, holding onto Jordan’s arm. As soon as she sees Clarke she jogs over to her, pulling her in for a quick hug. “My hero.”

Clarke shrugs off the praise, always uncomfortable by it, and changes the conversation instead. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel great.” 

“I'll be the judge of that.” You all look towards the source of the voice, watching as Cillian joins the group, motioning for Delilah and Clarke to follow him. “This way, let's have a look at you. You too, Clarke.”

Clarke excuses herself and they all tuck into a corner of the room to get checked over. Madi walks off in search of another cookie, and you hang out near the stairs, sticking close in case your twin needs you. A few minutes into her check up, Bellamy comes down the stairs looking healthy and well rested, and you smile at him, kissing him in greeting when he reaches the bottom of the stairs. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

He laughs and kisses you back before whispering, “Good morning, beautiful.”

You smile in return and hold out the other half of your cookie, which he takes with a smile and quickly eats. “What’s going on?”

“Something called Naming Day. I think it’s for Delilah, but that’s about all I know.”

He hums in response and Madi walks back over to you and Bellamy, smiling at him in greeting, a half eaten cookie in her hand, all of you watching as Delilah comes bounding out from the secluded corner, excitedly running over to Jordan. Cillian comes out a minute later, taking a pastry from a nearby tray, turning to call back to Clarke, “I hope I see you later.”

Clarke watches him leave with a smile on her face, before she walks over to you, Bellamy, and Madi. Madi looks at Clarke with a smirk on her face, “He's cute.”

Clarke smiles and scolds, “Stop.”

Suddenly more of your group walks over to join you, including Echo, Raven, and Jordan. Madi leaves to go train with Gaia, as Bellamy looks over at Clarke. “Where’s Murphy and Emori?”

“Guarding the ship with Gaia, Miller, and Jackson.”

Echo muses, “Murphy missing a chance to act like a drunken fool? Now I'm worried.”

Raven shakes her head, “He'll be fine. Maybe the rest of us should go there, too.”

“What?” Jordan glances around at the retreating figures of the tavern, all of them heading to the opening ceremony. He turns back to Raven, clearly not okay with her suggestion. “No, I need this.” 

Clarke backs him up, “We're guests of the Primes. If we isolate ourselves on the ship, they may take offense.”

Everyone nods, accepting her answer, as Delilah calls out to the rest of you, the last few people in the tavern. “Jordan? Guys, come on! You don't want to miss the first confession.”

You all exchange a look and Jordan immediately heads off to be with Delilah. Raven mutters something about staying at the bar, and the rest of you follow Jordan and Delilah out of the tavern and into the crowd gathered at the base of the palace. You, Bellamy, and Clarke all stop and stand together, and Echo lingers behind the three of you, not quite sure of her place amongst your group. A horn sounds and you all lift your eyes to the top of the palace, watching as Russell strides out with Simone, both of them dressed impeccably. Kaylee follows behind them at a distance, coming to a stop nearby as Russell reaches the microphone that stands waiting. He smiles down at his people and begins, “Welcome to Naming Day. Today we observe the 4 pillars of Sanctum, and they are?”

The crowd around you answers, “Repent, Renew, Rejoice, Rebirth.”

“Correct. Rebirth. Rebirth! Today we mark the return of our beloved Priya-”

He’s cut off by the crowd murmuring, “Hallowed be her name.”

The rote responses send a chill down your spine, weirding you out just as they did the day before. Not even your temporary peace with Sanctum will change that. Above, Russell continues, “Indeed. As we bequeath her name to our equally beloved Delilah. As is tradition with every Naming Day, I will begin the process of making amends. As your leader, it's my job to keep us safe during the red sun.”

He turns and looks at Kaylee, delivering his next words to her as you all listen. “Kaylee, I failed you in this when I realized you and your family didn't make it to Ryker's keep before the eclipse. I closed the door. I kept it open as long as I could until the life of everyone else was at risk. It was a decision with tragic consequences, and I know the heartbreak you feel. I know your pain. I miss Josephine every day.”

You look to Clarke, not recognizing the name, and she whispers, “His daughter. She died in a fall a few years ago.”

You nod, and look back to Russell and Kaylee. “And the fact that I'm the cause of this pain for you…”

He trails off, looking hurt, and she pulls him into a hug, signifying her acceptance of his apology. When they pull away, he turns back to the crowd with a flourish, “And now it's your turn! Tell your neighbor that you love them, make amends for those you've hurt. Free yourselves.”

All around you people start to hug and apologize to those they’ve wronged. And though you think most of the traditions in Sanctum are weird and a little creepy, this is one that you can get behind. Making amends in a time when you’re all trying to do better than you did before seems like a good idea. You turn to Bellamy, looking up at him as you mutter, “I’m sorry I stabbed you during the red sun.”

“I’m sorry I choked you during the red sun.” He looks up at the bruises on your neck, and you wish they would fade quickly, taking his guilt with it. “I’m also sorry that I left you behind during Praimfaya.”

You see his face fall, still feeling the guilt that you don't want him to feel, and you pull him into a hug, whispering, “I already told you not to be sorry for that, Bellamy. But if you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You’re forgiven.”

He pulls back and smiles at you, remembering your words to him when the two of you were lying beneath a tree in the middle of the woods, back when you both hated each other. You smile back at him, both of you lighter from the forgiveness in the air, and you turn to Clarke, ready to do the same process with her. Except, when you turn, she isn't there. She must have slipped into the crowd without you realizing. You grab Bellamy’s hand, about to walk away and go search for her, but as you step past Echo, she reaches out to stop you. You look at her, her expression pulled into one of guilt, and she whispers, “I’m sorry.”

You shake your head, confused as to why she’s apologizing to you. “For what?”

She seems unsure how to sum up what she means, so she offers you a single word instead. “Bellamy.”

You shake your head, dropping Bellamy's hand so you can reach out to take hers. “Don’t be sorry for falling in love, Echo. Bellamy makes it easy to do. Besides, all of you thought I was dead. I’m glad he had you after Praimfaya, and I’m glad he had someone there to make him happy, so thank you.”

She looks at you in surprise, clearly not expecting you to say what you did, and then she abruptly pulls you into a hug. You realize now as you are held in her arms that this must be hard for her too. You weren't lying when you said that Bellamy makes it easy to fall in love, and you can't blame her for that. You can’t blame either of them for moving on when they thought you were dead on the ground. And as soon as they landed, Echo was the first to realize that Bellamy still had feelings for you. She was the one that broke things off with him, she was the one that told him he was clearly still in love with you. If anything, you really should be thanking Echo. Because she kept him happy during a time you’re sure he was incredibly upset, and she let him go as soon as you entered the picture again. That had to be hard for her to do, and it has to be hard for her to see you and Bellamy together all the time. And despite all that, she’s still been kind to you, even if things have been a bit awkward. 

Which is why, during the first confession of your first Naming Day, you hug her back, really meaning it. You make a silent decision to try and be better to Echo, because there’s no reason for you to be jealous when she interacts with Bellamy, and there’s no reason that the two of you can't get along. When you both pull away, you can sense the change in the air around you, the forgiveness making you feel even lighter than you did before. Echo smiles at you, thankful for the amends, and you smile back before nodding back to the tavern. “If you’ll excuse me, I gotta go find my twin.”

She nods, “Of course.”

As expected, Clarke is back in the tavern when you step inside, along with a bunch of other people, all of them milling about or sitting around and drinking. Clarke is clearly trying to make amends with Raven, who still appears to be having none of it. You miss whatever was said between the two, but you know all you need to know by the way Raven storms out, stalking past you and straight out of the tavern. Clarke sighs for a second, trying to gather herself before she walks over to a table where a lantern sits, writing something on a piece of ribbon and tying it around the top. You and Bellamy watch before you walk over to her, coming to a stop nearby. 

She sees you coming and steps away from the lantern, moving closer to the two of you until all three of you are standing and looking at the object. Clarke glances away from it and over to the two of you, “Apparently, the lanterns float, taking your sins with them.”

You think of your sins, the abundantly long list you’d have to tie to the top, unsure if you’d even remember all the shit you’ve done while trying to survive. Bellamy seems to think the same, because he hums, “Hmm, if only it were that easy.”

“Maybe it is.” She turns to face both of you fully, her expression apologetic. “I wrote down leaving you both in Polis.”

You shake your head, trying to stop her. “Clarke, stop. We already went through this on the ship.”

“But I never apologized to Bellamy.”

He looks at her in surprise, clearly already past the need of apologies from Clarke, her betrayal in Polis long forgiven and forgotten. “Let's not do this.”

She shakes her head and continues anyways. “What I did, leaving you like that...I'm so sorry, Bellamy.”

He reaches out and squeezes her shoulder, face pulling into one of understanding. “I know what it's like to risk everything for one person, and I know Madi's your family.”

“You’re my family too.” You smile at the words, knowing that it’s true. All of you make up one big dysfunctional family, but Clarke, Madi, your mom, Octavia, and Bellamy are your core family, the main people you want to turn to in times of need. Clarke feels the same, because if there is anyone in the world she considers her best friend besides you, it would be Bellamy. The guy that has been part of your group since all of you landed on Earth over 100 years ago. And despite the fact that you, Clarke, and Bellamy were frequently at odds in the beginning, it was always you three. The three leaders from the beginning. 

Clarke gives Bellamy a small smile, continuing her apology. “I lost sight of that. But I promise I will never forget it again. You're too important to me and to my incredible la lune.”

All three of you give each other matching looks of love and forgiveness before grabbing each other in a mini group hug. It feels good for the three of you to be on the same page again, especially after the chaos of events in the days leading up to the war in Shallow Valley, and now you feel confident that the three of you will be a unit again. You, Bellamy, and Clarke against the world, leading together, the way it should be. When you pull away, Clarke looks back at the lantern and nods towards it. “Are you gonna try it?”

Bellamy shakes his head, “Too many sins, my lantern wouldn't float.”

You give him a sad look, thinking the same thing, but you turn to your twin and mutter, “Well, I think I will.”

You turn and walk over to the lantern, grabbing a ribbon and one of the pens, trying to decide the best way to sum up your list of sins. Your brain finally lands on one word. One word heavy enough and big enough to cover the full scope of your violence. 

Wanlida. 

You scrawl it onto the ribbon and tie it around the top, below Clarke’s, and then you put the pen back on the table and walk back over to Bellamy and Clarke. “Better?”

You sigh, “It will be when I watch it float away.”

Before either of them can say something in return, the door to the tavern swings open and a ball of bright energy comes bounding inside, coming to a stop beside the three of you. You all turn to Delilah, a big smile on her face as she looks at you and Clarke. “There’s a party tonight. A big one to celebrate, right before my Naming Ceremony, and both of you need something to wear.”

You start to shake your head, already opening your mouth to protest, but Delilah doesn't allow it. “It’s my Naming Day, so you can’t tell me no.”

You and Clarke sigh and exchange a look before relenting. “Okay.”

She lets out a sound of delight and grabs your hand then Clarke’s, starting to tug you both away before she calls out and yells to Bellamy, “She’ll meet you at the palace at sundown, don't be late!”

The two of you share a smile before you are pulled away again and led up the stairs, straight into Delilah’s room. She heads to her closet and tugs it open, revealing a large selection of clothes, filled with dresses in various sizes. “I’ve always had the best dresses to choose from, which is why I know I’ll have something perfect for each of you.”

She reaches inside and digs around, her grin growing wider as she finds the dress she’s looking for. “Aha!”

She pulls it out and turns around to show it to you both, a long dark blue colored gown in her hands. Clarke gasps a little when she sees it, and Delilah holds it out to her. “I think this would look perfect on you.”

Clarke takes it with a smile of thanks and waits as Delilah turns back to her closet and digs around for a second dress, turning to present it to you with a smile. Your jaw drops as your eyes land on the prettiest dress you’ve ever seen. It’s long, and has an identical shape to Clarke’s, down to the neckline and fitted bodice that flares out at the bottom. The difference between them is that the one meant for you is silver and shiny, catching the light so beautifully. Delilah hands it to you as you look at it in awe. “Jordan told me that your nickname is la lune. This dress always reminded me of the moon.”

“It's beautiful.”

Delilah smiles and heads to a small box, grabbing two items from inside. She hands a long, layered silver necklace to Clarke and she passes you a bracelet, aware that you already have a necklace of your own. The bracelet is small and silver, with a moon hanging from the center, and one silver star on either side of the moon. You smile at it, thinking that the stars represent Clarke and Bellamy, the perfect bracelet to complete your look for the night. “Thank you, Delilah.”

She grabs at you both, “You can thank me by getting dressed and having fun at my party.”

You both nod and she leaves the room so you can change, coming back in to admire you both when you’re ready. She offers you each a pair of flat dress shoes to wear, which Clarke accepts, but you opt to wear your boots, the shoes bringing a little bit of comfort to your unfamiliar look. With your shoes, jewelry, and dress on, you take a look in the mirror in Delilah's room, gasping when you see yourself. You’re not sure if you're ever looked this nice before. Your hair frames your face beautifully and your dress catches the light from the room, making you almost glow. The dress is bright enough to distract from the bandages that peek out from beneath it, the wounds you sustained in the fighting pits and later on during a pointless war. It’s bright enough to distract from your black eye, which has faded into a purple shade overnight, strangely complimenting your space themed look. Clarke looks just as stunning, the dark blue dress perfect for her, and with Delilah’s makeover complete, she hugs you both and leaves ahead of you, eager to get to the party to be with Jordan. 

You and Clarke walk to the palace together, hand in hand, both of you feeling nervous. Neither of you say anything, you just silently offer each other your strength as you climb the steps slowly, following the sound of the music. It grows louder as you near the right room, both of you walking down a long hallway to an open door at the end, music floating out to meet you. You and Clarke stop just inside the doorway, looking around with big smiles, taking in the different colored lights and decorations that adorn the room. There’s a large dance floor in the center of the room, people dancing on it, Delilah among them. Food and drinks are spread out on tables around the edge of the room, and as you and Clarke walk down the stairs together, someone walks towards you from one of those tables. Cillian stops in front of you and Clarke, holding out his hand, silently asking your twin to dance. She looks at you, eyes asking a silent question, and you smile and nod at her, nudging her towards him. “I’m going to go find Bellamy!”

She takes his hand with a smile, and you watch him pull her onto the dance floor before you start to look around, eyes searching for your boyfriend. You finally spot him in the back of the room, near one of the bars, a drink in his hand. You make a beeline for him, eyes on him the entire time, and you can see the moment he spots you, because his face lights up. The smile that stretches across his face makes you lightheaded, one of those ultra rare, ultra bright, ‘melt your heart’ kind of smiles. One of those smiles that you will spend the rest of your life trying to bring to his face, because it is breathtaking and wonderful, and you always want to see him full of that much joy. 

His eyes never leave you as you come to a stop in front of him, standing awkwardly as he eyes you up and down. You’re about to nervously ask him how you look, but he beats you to it, sensing your insecurity. “You look beautiful.”

He pulls you in for a kiss and then pulls away to add, “Stunning.”

And then he kisses you again, following up with, “More radiant than the moon.”

You smile at him, glowing with his adoration and compliments. “Delilah picked it out for me, because she said it reminds her of the moon.”

“It wouldn't look half as pretty on anyone else. That dress was made for you.”

You start to blush, “Thank you, Bellamy.”

You lift the dress to show off your boots, a rugged juxtaposition to your shiny dress, but something about the look is perfect. It’s so amazingly you, your beat up shoes going strangely well with the polished dress. Bellamy laughs and shakes his head slightly, before he reaches back to the bar to grab you a drink, handing it to you with a flourish. You shift to stand beside him, both of you watching the couples on the dance floor kiss, and dance, and have fun. Your eyes land on Clarke, clearly enjoying her time with Cillian, and you smile, happy to see your twin happy. You sense a shift in the air, and you turn to look at Bellamy, finding that he’s the reason why. His earlier happiness has slipped a little, and his eyes have a faraway look, like he’s somewhere else. You put your hand on his arm, but he doesn't look your way. “What's wrong?”

The faraway look continues as he half jokes, half sighs, “The last time I was at a party, my sister was arrested.”

Your heart breaks for him, and you reach up to put your hand on his cheek, getting close and whispering, “Hey, come back to me, Atlas.”

He finally turns to look at you, his expression sad, and you nod towards the door. “If you wanna go, let’s go.”

He immediately shakes his head, “No, you got all dressed up and I don't want to ruin your night.”

“Not all dressed up, remember?” He looks at you in confusion and you lift your dress again, reminding him of your shoes and he laughs as you continue, “Besides, a night with you is never ruined, no matter what we’re doing.”

He seems to think it over, and you put your drink down, reaching for his hand to drag him away, back to the safety of your room, but he pulls you back to him, stopping you. “Dance with me.”

“What?”

“Dance with me.”

You give him a skeptical look. “Bellamy, are you sure? I mean it, we can just go back to-”

He cuts you off with a kiss, pulling away to mutter, “I’m sure. I just want to dance with the love of my life in the center of the dance floor within a palace, smack dab in the middle of a moon that we didn’t know about three days ago.”

You smile, “I’ve never danced with anyone before.”

“With the right partner, it doesn't matter. It comes natural.”

You nod at him, agreeing to his offer, and he smiles and leads you to the middle of the dance floor, wrapping you up in his arms and starting to dance. The two of you dance to song after song, getting sweatier with each passing second, but you’re too happy to care. At some point you see Clarke and Cillian leave the palace, and you smile as you watch them go, knowing Clarke deserves happiness just as much as the rest of you. You and Bellamy dance for what feels like hours, growing closer and closer, letting the music guide the movements of your body. Eventually, Bellamy pulls you in for a kiss, the two of you moving to the music as your lips move together, lighting a fire within you. 

His hands roam all over your body as you kiss, both of you trying to touch every inch of skin available to you. You sigh when Bellamy’s hands slide over the skin exposed by your dress, electricity dancing along your skin in the wake of his fingers. The kiss grows more passionate with each passing second, and it's not long before Bellamy pulls back to whisper against your lips, “Want to get out of here?”

“More than anything.”

He smiles and takes your hand, pulling you off the dance floor and back to the tavern, both of you stopping to kiss a few times along the way. When you finally reach your room, you are practically buzzing with anticipation, so ready to be wrapped up in Bellamy’s arms again. Once the door closes behind you, Bellamy presses you up against it, kissing you hard and fast, his hands sliding around to your back and unzipping your dress. The fabric slides off of you easily, pooling around your feet, leaving you in just your underwear. Bellamy stops kissing you to admire you, his gaze faltering when he sees the bruise he gave you along your ribs. You reach out and put a hand on his cheek, pulling him out of his guilt and out of his head, and he looks at you, his voice cracking a little when he whispers, “Always so beautiful.”

You melt, his words making you even more eager to continue what you started. You pull him in for another kiss, your lips moving together in a passionate frenzy as you make quick work of his clothes, both of you pulling away just long enough to tug your boots off before connecting in a kiss again. Bellamy presses into you, trapping you between him and the door, before he trails his lips along your jaw, down your neck, and to your chest, peppering you with affection. His lips continue even lower, over your stomach, and he drops to his knees in front of you, tugging your underwear down as he sinks lower. The two of you lock eyes as his head moves between your legs, dropping his mouth onto you, the sensation forcing you to break eye contact with him and lean against the door for support. You close your eyes as Bellamy kisses and licks you, bringing you to the edge quickly, fueled by your soft moans of pleasure. Right as you reach your peak, Bellamy pulls away, forcing you to open your eyes and look down at him, groaning at the loss of contact. 

He smiles at you, before he stands and crashes your lips together again, practically devouring you, both of you desperate with want and need. He starts to walk backwards, bringing you with him, falling back onto the bed and pulling you down on top of him. He shimmies out of his underwear, both of you now completely naked, and your kisses continue as you grow more and more desperate for each other. Finally, unable to take it any longer, you break apart again and you sink onto him, both of you moaning at the sensation. You move together, riding him and chasing your high, your eyes locked on each other the entire time. You reach your climax at the same time, calling each other's names, both of your voices hidden by the cheers of the people outside the palace. You comprehend none of it, falling into your high, letting the feeling take you over completely. 

As your senses return to you, you collapse down beside Bellamy, both of you turning to look at each other, smiling. Exhaustion weighs heavy in your bones, but you fight against the feeling, wanting to sit and watch Bellamy, saving every second of this moment to your memory. Bellamy caves to his exhaustion before you do, his eyes closing and his breathing getting deeper as he falls asleep. You watch him for a long time, thankful for this moment. Moments like this helped you get through the six years without Bellamy, and you survived with the hope you’d get back to this again. You never expected it’d happen on another moon, 100+ years away after your time on Earth, but the moment is all that you hoped it to be and more. 

Your focus on Bellamy only wavers when you again hear cheers from outside, and you crawl out of the bed, bringing the sheet with you, keeping yourself covered. You pull the other blanket up and over Bellamy, tucking him in before you head over to the window in your room, watching as the doors to the palace swing open and the Primes begin to file out of the room, Delilah bringing up the rear. The crowd cheers when they see her, and she takes a torch that Russell offers her, using it to light a larger torch, staked into the ground in front of her. The torch lighting must serve as a signal, because suddenly hundreds of lanterns start to rise slowly in the air, floating up into the sky and taking the sins of Sanctum with them. 

You think of your ribbon, tied on the lantern above Clarke’s, Wanlida scrawled out on it. You pick a lantern, one that likely isn't even yours, and watch it lift from someone’s hands while you imagine that it’s your own. You feel lighter as it gets higher, taking the sins of Wanlida with it, until it finally hits the radiation shield over Sanctum, setting the lantern on fire and cleansing the sins of your past. It reminds you of a memory, long before Wanlida was a thing, after Finn was killed for his sins in Tondc. You remember Lexa holding a torch over the bodies of Tondc, Finn among them, and Lincoln translating for all of you as she addressed the people gathered there in Trigedasleng. You quietly whisper, “Raun faya, oso woda klin laudnes-de kom foutaim.”

You feel arms wrap around your waist from behind, making you jump in surprise, despite knowing that it’s Bellamy. He drops his chin to your shoulder, translating your words. “In fire, we cleanse the pain of the past.”

You turn to look at him, seeing only parts of his face because he’s so close to you still. “Do you remember?”

He whispers back, “I remember.”

You turn back to the window, both of you watching the last of the lanterns rise and hit the shield, disappearing forever. Once the sky is clear, Bellamy releases you, reaching for your hand. “Come back to bed.”

You turn to look at him, the smile on his face, and you relent. “Only if you’ll tell me about the gods.”

“I’d love to.”

Your face splits into a grin, and you follow him back to bed, entangling yourself with him as he passes on stories of the gods. You listen for hours, until you both fall asleep, wrapped up in the arms of your love, everything right with the world.

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