#They should have gave us a part of “Season of Memories” and then give us “Always” as the pre-release | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

m4rv3l-girl · 30 days ago

Note

hello! I love your writing!

I have a request, where the reader is recovering from recently being captured/tortured/raped by hydra, after a few months of recovery she asks bucky too make love,

after some persuasion bucky finally agrees and is so gentle he so gentle as if you would shatter at any moment, the morning after y/n realize just how loved and that after months of trauma and being broken y/n finally feel safe and loved more than y/n could have ever imagine.

maybe some flash backs of the after math of rape and torture? maybe the moment y/n realizes that shes been broken?

Broken Together

Warnings: Allusions to past rape (All smut is consensual). Mentions of flashbacks. Smut. Fingering. Unprotected p in v sex.

The world outside the window blurred into a canvas of muted grays and whites, the first snow of the season settling gently on the windowsill of the small Brooklyn apartment. It should have felt serene. Peaceful, even. But for Y/N, sitting curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over her shoulders, peace still felt like a foreign concept.

The apartment was quiet, save for the soft clinking of dishes from the kitchen. Bucky was there, moving with a quiet efficiency that spoke of a man used to silence, used to keeping himself invisible. Y/N glanced at him, the broad lines of his shoulders, the familiar slope of his jaw.

He had taken care of her since the moment she’d been freed from Hydra’s clutches, never once wavering in his devotion.

Her fingers absently traced the edge of the blanket. It was one he’d brought home one evening, insisting it would keep her warm during the brutal New York winter. She had never been good at accepting kindness, but with Bucky, it was different. He gave without expecting anything in return, but she wanted to give back, to show him that she was still whole in ways that mattered.

Her mind, however, betrayed her at every turn. No matter how much distance she tried to put between herself and the horrors Hydra had inflicted, the memories clung like a shadow. Flashes of cold, sterile rooms and the sensation of being utterly powerless would hit her without warning, leaving her gasping for air. She hated that. Hated how it made her feel weak.

The worst part wasn’t even the memories. It was the aftermath—the realization of how deeply Hydra had broken her. They hadn’t just hurt her body. They had tried to break her spirit, and for a long time, she believed they’d succeeded.

But then there was Bucky.

He appeared in the doorway now, a mug of tea in hand, his features soft but tinged with concern. “You okay, doll?” His voice was low, steady, grounding her in the present.

She nodded, even though it wasn’t entirely true. She had gotten good at pretending she was fine, but Bucky saw through it every time. His steel-blue eyes searched her face, and he didn’t press further when she offered him a small, almost apologetic smile.

He set the mug on the coffee table and sat down beside her, his warmth immediately chasing away the chill in the room. His metal hand rested lightly on her knee, the coolness of the vibranium a stark contrast to his flesh-and-blood hand, which gently took hers in his.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

She shook her head. Talking about it always felt like reopening a wound. But tonight, the silence between them felt heavier than usual. Y/N knew it wasn’t fair to keep everything bottled up. Bucky deserved to know what was on her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “I don’t want to be broken anymore.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed, and his grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly. “You’re not broken, Y/N,” he said firmly. “Not to me.”

“But I feel like I am,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “Every time I try to move forward, it’s like I hit a wall. I’m scared, Bucky. I hate being scared.”

His hand moved to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that slipped down her face. “It’s okay to be scared,” he said softly. “You’ve been through hell, but you’re still here. You’re still fighting. That’s strength, not brokenness.”

Y/N closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe that she wasn’t as shattered as she felt. And maybe, just maybe, she could start to heal. But there was one more thing she wanted. Something that had been on her mind for weeks but felt too big, too raw, to voice.

“Bucky,” she began hesitantly, opening her eyes to meet his. “I want us to… be together.”

“Doll, we are together..?”

“No, no, I-…I mean I want us to…you know. Try again at…yeah.” She mumbled.

He blinked, taken aback by her words. “Y/N, are you sure? Last time it-”

She nodded, even as her cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and determination. “I know what happened last time. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I want to take back what they tried to take from me. I want to feel… loved. Wanted.”

His jaw tightened, a storm of emotions flickering across his face. “Doll,” he said quietly, “I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve been through so much. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

“You’re not pressuring me,” she insisted, her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her chest. “I’m asking because I trust you. I feel safe with you.”

He exhaled, his gaze searching hers for any sign of doubt. When he didn’t find any, he nodded, though the hesitation in his expression remained. “Okay,” he said. “But we’ll take it slow. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, you tell me. Promise?”

“I promise.”

The tender brush of Bucky’s lips against hers was like a warm embrace from the winter’s chill outside, sending a shiver of comfort down Y/N’s spine. His hand, the one not made of gleaming metal, cradled the back of her head with a gentle firmness that made her feel cherished. His touch was a promise of protection, a silent vow to never let her go through that hell again.

——-smut——-smut———-smut———-smut———-smut———smut

Their kiss grew deeper, a conversation of shared pain and hope. His thumb traced the line of her jaw, and she could feel the steady beat of his pulse against her palm. His other hand slid down to her waist, the vibranium cool against her skin, serving as a stark reminder of his past, of the battles he’d fought, and the sacrifices he’d made. But here, now, it was a symbol of strength—his and hers.

Bucky pulled back, his eyes searching hers, looking for any sign of fear or doubt. What he found instead was a spark of something fierce, a determination that mirrored his own. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, and whispered, “I’ve got you, doll.”

They undressed each other slowly, with a reverence that spoke of the sacredness of their bond.

Each item of clothing removed revealed a piece of their shared history, a battle scar or a tender spot that told a story of survival and resilience. He kissed every inch of her skin as if worshipping a living testament to human endurance. His touch was featherlight, a stark contrast to the bruising grip of Hydra’s agents, and she sighed with every tender caress.

Y/N’s trembling subsided as Bucky’s warmth enveloped her. His metal hand paused on her abdomen, tracing the soft curves of her body with a gentle curiosity. He took his time, savoring each moment as if it were their first and last together. And in that moment, as their eyes locked, she realized that she had never felt more alive than she did with him.

With trembling hands, Bucky cupped her breasts, his calloused thumbs brushing lightly over her sensitive nipples. A soft moan escaped her lips as she arched into his touch, her body responding to his care with a fiery hunger that she had long thought lost. He watched her closely, gauging her reaction, making sure she was ready for every step. His touch grew more assured as he felt her body relax, the tension seeping out of her muscles like sand through an hourglass.

Her skin was a palette of soft blush and cream in the dim light, and he painted her with his fingertips, tracing the delicate lines of her collarbone and the gentle swell of her breasts. His palms were rough from years of fighting, but on her, they felt like velvet. His thumbs circled her areola, and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as arousal bloomed within her.

He leaned down, his warm breath ghosting across her skin, and took one of her nipples into his mouth. He suckled gently, the soft sound of his mouth on her skin echoing in the quiet apartment. She gasped, her eyes flying open to watch him, his gaze never leaving hers, as he continued to tease and pleasure her with a tenderness that seemed almost sacred. His flesh hand caressed her other breast, his thumb and forefinger playing with the tight peak, eliciting sensations that sent her spiraling into desire.

Bucky’s tongue danced over her skin, tracing patterns that made her squirm and arch into his touch. The feel of his mouth, the roughness of his tongue, was a stark contrast to the cold, clinical abuse she had suffered. But here, it was a balm, a declaration of warmth and affection. He took his time, exploring every inch of her breasts as if he were learning the secrets of her soul. His teeth grazed the sensitive skin, not enough to hurt, but just enough to make her gasp and clutch at his shoulders, her nails digging into the fabric of his shirt.

His mouth moved to her other breast, and he applied the same gentle pressure, the same loving attention. He knew her body was a battlefield of sensations, and he navigated it with the precision of a soldier. The feel of his tongue swirling around her nipple sent shockwaves through her, and she couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her. The metal hand on her waist tightened slightly, a silent reminder that she was safe, that this was real, that she was loved.

Y/N’s breath hitched as Bucky’s mouth grew bolder, his teeth tugging lightly, sending jolts of pleasure straight to her core. He knew exactly how to make her feel alive, how to remind her that she was more than a survivor.

But then, without warning, the serene winter scene outside the window shattered like a frozen pane. In its place, the cold steel of a Hydra operating room, the smell of antiseptic burning her nose, the sound of laughter from her tormentors. The panic clawed at her chest, and she gripped his shoulders tighter.

Bucky felt the change in her, his eyes snapping up to meet hers. He knew the signs, had seen the flashes of fear in her eyes before. He paused, waiting for her to either pull away or push him to continue.

“Keep going,” she breathed, her voice strained but determined. “Please, Bucky, don’t stop. I need this. I need you to chase them away.”

He searched her eyes, looking for the truth in her words, and found it.

The fire in her gaze burned away the shadows of doubt. He knew she was strong enough to face the ghosts of her past, and he vowed to be the anchor that kept her tethered to the present.

With a gentle nod, he kissed her again softly, his mouth moving lower and tracing the line of her sternum to her navel. He kissed away the cold sweat that had beaded on her skin, his touch a warm reminder that she wasn’t alone in this.

Her breathing grew uneven, her eyes drifting shut as she focused on the sensations he was giving her, the gentle kisses and nips that were slowly reclaiming her body from the clutches of fear. His hand slid down her thigh, his thumb grazing the soft skin of her inner thigh. He could feel the tremble in her legs, the residual echo of a nightmare that she was fighting to banish.

But as his hand reached the apex of her thighs, she tensed, the flashback threatening to consume her once more. He paused, his hand hovering, waiting for her to confirm if she still wanted this.

Her eyes snapped open, the stark reality of the moment slicing through the fog of her past. With a shaky nod, she whispered, “I’m okay, Bucky. I just want you to make me feel good.”

The gravity of her words settled heavily on his chest, but he understood. He knew that by pushing through this, by claiming her body as her own with his love, she was fighting back against the horrors Hydra had inflicted. He kissed her again, deep and lingering, as if he could somehow transfer his own strength to her through the connection of their lips.

Slowly, so slowly it was almost agonizing, his hand slid between her legs, his fingers finding the soft heat of her folds. Bucky’s touch was gentle but insistent, as if he were coaxing a wild creature from its hiding place. He parted her with the utmost care, exposing the treasure he sought. Y/N’s breath hitched as his thumb found her clit, that sensitive bud that was the very center of her pleasure. It was swollen and responsive to his touch and he took a moment to just look at it, to memorize every detail before he started to stroke it with the pad of his thumb.

The touch was light, almost non-existent at first, just the barest brush that had her arching into his hand. His movements grew firmer, more deliberate, as he found the rhythm that made her breathing stutter and her hips lift off the couch. His strokes grew more insistent, pressing and circling, as he watched her face contort with pleasure. Her eyes fluttered closed, her head tipping back, and her mouth fell open in a silent scream as the sensations grew more intense.

The sound of skin on wet skin filled the room, a sound that had Bucky’s cock straining against his pants. He swallowed hard, focusing on her pleasure, on the way her body was reacting to him. He could feel the tremble in her thighs, the way her muscles tensed around his hand. He knew he had to be careful, that she was still so fragile, but the desire in her eyes spurred him on. He applied more pressure, his thumb moving faster, and she began to pant, her back bowing off the couch.

The sight of her was almost too much for him. He wanted to bury himself inside her, to claim her in every way possible, but he knew that wasn’t what she needed right now.

Bucky slid one of his fingers into her warmth, moving with the same meticulous care he’d shown her entire body. He watched her face for any sign of pain, of discomfort, but all he saw was a deepening of the blush on her cheeks and the soft parting of her lips. He pushed in deeper, feeling the tightness of her clench around his digit.

“All good, Doll?” He checked.

She nodded quickly.

He waited, giving her a moment to adjust to the sensation, before he began to move. His fingers curled and stroked, searching for the spot inside her that would make her forget everything but the here and now. When he found it, her hips bucked, and a whimpering sound escaped her throat.

“That’s it, doll,” he murmured sweetly, his voice a gentle caress in the quiet room. “You’re so brave, letting me in like this.” His praise was a gentle balm, soothing the jagged edges of her fear. His words were whispers of love, reminding her that she was more than just a product of her experiences - she was a woman, reclaiming her own body.

Her breathing grew ragged as he worked his magic, the strokes of his thumb and the thrust of his fingers an unspoken language of adoration. She was wet, so wet, and the sound of his fingers moving in and out of her filled the air, a testament to the desire he had stirred within her. She could feel the heat building, a pressure that grew more insistent with each pass over her clit.

“You’re doing so well, baby,” he said, his voice a low rumble that resonated in her core. “You’re going to come for me, aren’t you?” His words were a challenge, a sweet, loving challenge that she wanted to conquer.

Y/N’s eyes snapped open, and she met his gaze with a fierce determination. “Yes,” she murmured, her voice thick with desire.

Bucky’s eyes darkened at her response, and he added a second finger, stretching her gently, filling her more completely. The sensation was overwhelming, the feeling of being so full of him, so surrounded by his love and care, it brought tears to her eyes. He watched her closely, his eyes never leaving hers as he worked his hand in a slow, steady rhythm that had her writhing beneath him.

Her hips began to move with his hand, a silent plea for more, for everything he had to give. He complied, his thumb increasing its pace, the pressure just shy of pain, but oh so close to bliss. His fingers curled inside her, hitting that spot that sent sparks of pleasure shooting through her body.

The world outside the window disappeared, the cold and the snow forgotten. There was only Bucky, his hand on her, his eyes holding hers. And in that moment, she knew she could conquer anything.

Her orgasm built, a crescendo of sensation that grew and grew until it was all she could think about. She was vaguely aware of Bucky’s hand leaving her breast, of his other hand reaching for her, but it was the feel of his mouth on her clit that sent her over the edge. The shock of the cool metal against her overheated flesh was the final note in a symphony that shattered her into a million pieces.

Her body convulsed as she came, her cries echoing in the quiet apartment. Bucky held her through it all, his mouth never leaving her, his fingers never still. He was her anchor in the storm, the one constant in a world that had been ripped apart.

As the aftershocks of her climax began to subside, he kissed his way up her body, his tongue tasting her sweetness, his teeth grazing her skin in a gentle bite that made her shiver.

Y/N’s eyes searched Bucky’s, looking for reassurance. He kissed her softly, his breath warm and steady against her mouth. “I’m here, doll. We’re doing this together.”

With a nod, she reached down to undo his belt, her trembling fingers fumbling with the buckle. He took over, his movements slow and deliberate. He knew she was watching him, could feel her eyes on him as he revealed his own vulnerability, his own scars from the battles he’d fought. His cock sprang free, hard and eager, and she took it in her hand, feeling the pulse of his need.

Bucky’s eyes closed briefly as she stroked him, the sensation sending waves of heat through him. He groaned, his head falling back, and for a moment, she felt powerful - like she could take on the world.

Guiding him to her, she whispered, “Inside me, Bucky…?”

He positioned himself at her entrance, the tip of his cock nudging against her slick folds. He paused, his eyes searching hers for any hint of hesitation. Finding none, he pushed in slowly, inch by inch, until he was buried to the hilt.

The feeling was indescribable - both a homecoming and a new beginning. He filled her in a way that was both familiar and terrifying, a stark reminder of the power he held, and yet she felt more in control than she ever had before.

They moved together and their rhythm was slow and tender, a dance of healing and love. The room was silent except for the sound of their breaths mingling, the occasional soft moan or whispered word of encouragement.

His calloused hands, battle torn, trembled slightly as he cupped her face. The pad of his thumbs tenderly brushing against her cheeks. "You set the pace, doll," he murmured, his voice a gentle rumble of reassurance. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

Y/N took a deep breath and nodded, a soft smile playing on her lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him closer, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the sensation of him inside her, filling her completely. It was more than just physical; it was a connection, a bond that transcended any doubt.

With renewed confidence, she began to move, her hips rising to meet his. Each movement sent a jolt of pleasure through her, and she gasped as he hit just the right spot. His eyes never left hers, watching her intently as she grew more comfortable with the rhythm they’d found. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear, words of love and admiration that sent shivers down her spine.

Her hands roamed over his broad shoulders and chest, tracing the lines of his muscles and the scars that mapped his history. She felt him tense and quiver beneath her touch, his breath hitching as she explored. She whispered back to him, her voice a soft purr of satisfaction. "It's okay, Bucky. I want to feel you."

He thrusted his hips down into hers with passion, but still gently enough that it radiated love and care. The bed creaked beneath them, a gentle background to their grunts and gasps.

Y/N felt the heat building within her, a warm crescendo that started in her core and spread throughout her body. She tightened her grip around him, her nails digging into his flesh as she fought to hold back the moan that was bubbling up from within. Bucky's eyes narrowed, his own desire growing with every passing second. He leaned down, capturing her mouth in a fiery kiss that left them both panting.

Their tongues slid over one another gently, a non-verbal conversation of passion and need. His hand moved from her hip to her breast, cupping it within his large hand and simply holding it there like a reassurance.

With every few moments, Bucky checked in with her, his eyes searching hers for any signs of distress. "That feel okay, doll?" he'd murmur, the words barely audible above their heavy breathing.

She'd nod, a soft smile playing on her lips, and he'd reward her with a deeper, more deliberate thrust, making her moan with pleasure.

Their bodies melded together, filling the room with skin-on-skin whispers. He never missed a beat, his eyes never leaving hers as he read her body like a map, charting her every response, every shiver of pleasure. He knew exactly when to slow down, to kiss her neck and let his teeth graze the soft skin just beneath her ear, to whisper something dirty that made her toes curl.

"Fuck, Y/N," he groaned, his voice a rough caress that sent a thrill through her. "You're so perfect, dripping for me."

Her cheeks flushed at his words, but instead of feeling embarrassed, she felt a surge of excitement. He was speaking the language of raw, unbridled desire.

Their movements grew more urgent, their bodies speaking a silent but powerful language of need. The friction between them built, setting her nerves on fire, and she could feel her orgasm approaching like a freight car.

With a gasp she arched her back, her breasts pressing against his chest, her hands digging into the sheets. "Bucky," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm… I…"

He nodded, understanding the unspoken words, and kept his pace consistent. His strokes dragged against her every time and didn’t move an inch from her sweet spot, each one pushing her closer to the edge she was teetering on. "That's it, doll," he murmured, his voice thick with lust. "You can come whenever you want, Baby."

And she did.

With a cry that was part pleasure and part relief, she shattered, her body convulsing around him as waves of euphoria crashed over her. Bucky’s arms tightened around her, his hips stuttering as he felt her clench around him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath hot and ragged against her skin as he fought his own release.

The tremors of her climax subsided, leaving her panting and limp in his arms. He kissed her neck, her collarbone, her sternum, tasting the sweat on her skin, feeling the thunder of her heartbeat beneath his lips.

"You're so beautiful, Y/N," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "So beautiful and so strong."

Her eyes fluttered open, her gaze soft and adoring. She felt a gentle tug at her chest, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time, as if her soul was reaching out to entwine with his. "Thank you, Bucky. I really enjoyed that." she murmured.

“I’m so glad, Doll.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest, right over his heart. "Feel that?" he asked, his voice gruff. "It's yours. It's been yours since the day I met you."

Her smile grew, and she squeezed his hand in response, feeling the steady, reassuring beat of his heart beneath her palm. They lay there, still connected, their bodies slowly calming from the storm of passion.

Bucky pulled out of her with a soft groan, rolling to his side to lay beside her. He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks. "You okay?" he asked, his eyes searching hers for any lingering doubt.

She nodded, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the afterglow of their lovemaking. "I'm more than okay," she said, her voice a quiet promise.

He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her, and she nestled into his embrace, feeling safe and loved.

For a few moments, they lay there, their breathing syncing up as they both tried to come down from the high of their shared release.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The next morning, the light streamed through the curtains. And for the first time in a long time, Y/N woke up peacefully. Seeing that Bucky was already awake staring at her adoringly, she gave a gentle smile.

Leaning up and kissing him softly - "I love you," she whispered against his lips.

Bucky’s eyes searched hers, filled with a fierce tenderness that made her heart ache in the best way. "I love you too.”

——————————————————————————————————

I really hope you liked this, I tried my best to capture what you asked for. Let me know if you can! Thanks for leaving a request. 🫶

Requests Open!

#bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #marvel #bucky fluff #bucky smut #bucky angst #Bucky is a consent king

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moonlitstoriess · 7 months ago

Text

Across the Universe-ch.6 (Fenrys x Reader)

Summary: Y/n has everything she needs in life. A family, friends, a safe place she calls home and most importantly a male whom she loves. What happens when it all changes when Y/n finds out about the betrayal of her lover and her so called family? Well, ending up in Terrasen and in queen Aelin's court was not what she expected but what she will need to start her new journey full of surprises.

See masterlist

"You are not paying any attention."

Isolde's voice shut off y/n's overthinking as she turned her head from the window in the healers hut and saw the concerned female with a small jar in one hand and some leaves in the other.

"I am sorry, I just got lost for a minute. You were saying?"

The healer sighed as she came closer and put the objects on the small table near y/n "I was saying, this salve will soothe the pain on your neck but in order for the marks to leave, you must apply it with these Sylvan leaves. Their smooth surface contain wondrous magical healing abilities so smearing the salve on it and then applying it on your neck will take the marks in a day or two, depending on the severity of the injury."

Y/n gave her a confused glance "But I did not mention having any neck wounds."

"Oh yes because as you said 'A friend needs it urgently because she fell and her neck got marked badly' Hmm I wonder how is that even possible? Also let us not forget how you are wearing a turtleneck during one of the hottest seasons the kingdom has endured."

She smiled sheepishly and replied, "I was never good at telling lies."

Isolde smirked "I can tell. That goes to show how pure your heart is dear."

At that, the younger females expression became solemn as she sighed and again turned her head towards the small window "I don't know about that."

She felt the healer sit down opposite to her and put her hand on y/n's, caressing it smoothly "There is clearly something bothering you. It is not a good decision to keep it locked within yourself. I am here and willing to listen."

Y/n wanted to. She really wanted to tell Isolde or anyone who would listen really about all that was troubling her. Especially after what she saw last night in the place filled with crystals. But would anyone believe her? Did she even deserve to be listened to? So much pent up trauma, so many words, memories, revelations. She wondered if Isolde would still look at her with this motherly care written all over her face if she knew even the tiniest bits about her. Azriel was the only one who ever heard her full, raw and true story. Who saw her deepest and darkest parts. Who, in turn, showed his own deepest darkest parts. Who promised to love and cherish her even more now that he knew her fully. But in the end, all of those words of affection, all of those intimate touches, all of those memories were lies. He lied. Az lied. He left and all that remained of her was a broken heart and a broken soul.

She thought that she learned her lesson. That she would never make the same mistakes again. How wrong she was. After the shock she endured last night, y/n could not get any sleep. She even went out to the beautiful, spacious, white marble balcony that overlooked a vast green mountanious area with small lakes running in between. However, even that could not soothe her. Her last resort was going to the training ring and exhausting herself but even that did not work. Thankfully though, this time Fenrys did not show up and y/n did not think she could stay calm and not throw a knife at his eye if she saw him. What she saw in the catacombs brought all her buried memories back. Made her rethink her choices. Her past.

How was it even possible? She would never recover.

Because what made her fall to her knees after seeing it was-

"Y/n? You are gone again dear."

She snapped out of it as she faced the healer, who was now looking at her with concern "Maybe I should also give you a tonic against overthinking."

That made y/n giggle as she said, "Such a thing exists?"

Isolde smiled warmly "Not yet but if it means you will stop drifting off in the middle of a conversation then, I will somehow create it."

Before y/n could reply, the female continued "What secrets do you hide you poor child?"

"None of importance."

"Do not lie to me. I have seen your naked body. The scars and memories it carries is unmeasurable. Each of them telling a different story."

She patted Isolde's hand, got up, put the two products in a small pouch and said, "Maybe someday I will feel ready to tell my story. Today is not that day Isolde. Thank you for the salve."

The healer also got up and started putting other medicine's in small, wooden boxes "As you wish. But remember child, the shadows may cloak you for a time, but true strength lies in the light you choose to reveal."

After leaving the healers hut and putting the salve with the leave's in her room, y/n walked up the stairs to the library in hopes of searching more on the matter. An hour ago during breakfast, Aelin announced that they will all be splitting in groups to search for more information. Obviously apart from Yrene because she was busy with the book in her room. They took the next two hours to attend to their duties because after all, Aelin was a queen and the rest of them also had jobs to do. So that means after an hour everyone would get together again and spend their time searching.

Once she reached the large room, her eyes immediately landed on Eva who was sitting on one of the lounge chairs facing the large floor to ceiling windows and reading a book. She looked up and smiled when she saw y/n entering the room.

"Y/n! Do you enjoy reading?"

Y/n nodded as she came and sat down on the carpeted floor next to Eva "I have always enjoyed reading. Fantasy, romance, action, even history."

At that, the younger one giggled "Me too! I especially enjoy getting lost in the pages for hours. Forgetting the real world exists, just you and the words on paper that transport you to an imaginary world you do not want to leave. Ever."

Y/n sighed and said, "Yes, unfortunately the real world can be...cruel and that makes me wish that the places we read about would be real so I could dissapear there and never come back."

After seeing that Eva had a sad, almost mournful look on her face as her gaze landed past y/n on the window and the view beyond, she quickly tried to correct herself, "Oh Cauldron boil me! Eva I am sorry for making the mood so sour, I did not mea-"

"No. You are right. I was just remembering times where the world was cruel."

At y/n's confused gaze, she took a deep breath and said, "During the war 3 years ago, I was so scared. Lysandra and everyone I loved were fighting the Valgs and whatever other horrors Erawan was throwing at them. Lysandra and Aedion tried calming me by saying that everything is fine, that we are winning, but, I saw it for the lie it was. Everyday felt like the last. Like that would be the day they would die and I would be left alone. Again."

The poor girl was struggling to continue so y/n said, "Eva, you do not have to conti-"

"But I want to. This world of ours was not a good place y/n. Not for 10 years. I know my family has told you about what happened but not about what they each went through, their own secrets."

"I do not blame them. It is absolutely fine if they do not wish to tell me that. After all, I am a stranger to you all."

"Yes, their stories are theirs to tell. But I will tell you mine."

At that, y/n gave her a puzzled face "Why? You barely know me."

"Because I trust you. And even if I have known you for only a few days, I believe in you. I see you for the braveheart that you are, y/n"

Braveheart. One of y/n's earned nicknames. Did Eva know of it?

And so, Eva told y/n of her story. She told her of her time with Lysandra in Madame Clarisse Duvency's brothel, about how Lysandra gave her these scars to save her from an early fate of prostitution. At some point, y/n had moved from her place on the floor to the couch to hug the small teen.

By the time she finished, y/n was frozen in her place, processing the shocking information. She was and still is a child. How could they? What world were they living in?

Eva had no tears on her face. In fact, she seemed so emotionless when she was talking.

She took y/n's hands in her smaller ones and said, "I am beyond crying. Please do not pity me, I have had enough of that. Yes, those horror's will never truly leave me, but atleast I fight against them everyday. Their marks on my body get less and less. I am strong now. Aedion has begun teaching me some fighting forms. Yes, these scars will never leave me, people will continue to either judge or be disgusted by me when they see my face but do I care? No. Lysandra has saved my life. I shall never be ashamed of them."

This girl was not only smart but also strong. Stronger than y/n will ever be. Atleast she has managed to face her demons instead of hiding from them. And as they sat there in comforting silence, reading the book in Eva's lap while she was tugged safely under y/n's wing, she understood that at some point, she would also have to face her revelations.

An hour later, everyone was gathered in the sitting room. Aelin took a sip of water from her cup before looking at each one of them in the eye and saying, "We will be dividing ourselves into groups in order to be more efficient. Chaol will stay with Yrene in the palace, Lysandra, Aedion and Elide you three will be going to The Silent Sanctuary, that remote monastery is one of the few places that survived Erawan for 10 years due to its location which is why their ancient manuscripts and meditative insights could provide some form of guidance or hidden knowledge regarding the issue. Then, Row-"

"Why am I not with Elide?" Lorcan said as he stood up and faced Aelin. Rowan, sensing the threat to his mate, also got up and bared his teeth. "Lorcan I swear-"

"That is enough." Aelin said as she glanced between her mate and Lorcan before relaxing back in her chair. "The Silent Sanctuary is considered a holy place for its monks and sages and even if I am their queen, they still hold their own laws and values. Elide is going for sure because she has a way with convincing people to submit to her. Lysandra is going because that place is located in the mountains. Her shapeshifting would be essential for them. Aedion is going for extra protection."

Lorcan was about to protest again, probably with a stupid remark when Elide put her hand on his chest and said, "Lorcan, I am not a little child you can coddle all the time. Did you forget how we managed to get into the circus at some point? How we got jobs as actors and performers? It was all due to my conversational skills and acting. We need to do this so stop acting like a mother hen."

Clearly Elide was the only one to ever shut him up because even though he still had an angry expression on, he hugged her to his chest and muttered a small "Sorry, love."

Lysandra sighed as she put her head on Aedions shoulder "Finally, it has been so long since I shifted."

Her husband, clearly dumbfounded, replied "You were literally a bird this morning."

She slapped him on the shoulder "Yes but a bird is not a snow leopard. It has been a while since I was a snow leopard."

Y/n chuckled from her place near the window "I have never met a shapeshifter in my life. I imagine it must be fun getting to change forms whenever you please."

Aedion grumbled "Fun? It is not fun when I wake up in the morning to not find my wife beside me but some animal."

At that, there were a few chuckles while y/n full on laughed.

Aelin, after regaining her composure, went on "Great. Now that we handled Lorcan's tantrum," a glare from the angry giant directed at his queen, "I digress. Rowan and Lorcan will be going to the Riftgate Ruins."

At the confused expressions from everyone, she sighed as she continued, "I know, I know. None of you have heard of the place before. Except me and Aedion. Tell me cousin, have you been there?"

Her cousin offered her a contemplative look as he answered, "I have heard of the place and its legends but never got the chance to visit personally."

Aelin nodded. "Neither have I. But, that place holds remnants of a lost civilization that has apparently been here way before Terrasen even existed. Legends say they once connected worlds and realms and that's why, the place could offer clues to how the current threat may transcend boundaries."

Rowan, standing beside his mate and queen, put his hand on her shoulder, causing Aelin to look up at him "My love, you know I do not like acting too overprotective or doubting your choices but...why am I paired up with that brute exactly?"

Lorcan snickered "Not nice when you have to be seperated from your wife. Is it now, Rowan?"

Aelin ignored Lorcan as she put her hand on her mates and said with a smirk, "Why? I thought the two of the most feared and strong fae to ever exist could work together."

"But that one is not a fae now, is he?" Lysandra said with a smirk

Lorcan was about to reply with another useless comment before Aelin shut him up yet again, "Fae or human does not matter. He is still extremely skilled, warrior and feared. I need you both working on this together."

Lorcan had a smirk on his face as he looked at Rowan--who was still glaring at him--and then did a mocking bow for Aelin.

Aelin sighed as she put her fingers to her temple and continued, "Gods. Anyways, that leaves me, Eva, Fenrys and Y/n."

Y/n's heart began to beat faster after hearing a specific someone's name. She did not fail to notice how Fenrys also straightened from his sitting position on the couch. She prayed and hoped that she would atleast be paired either with Aelin or with Eva but not with him. Oh please not hi-

As if Eva could hear y/n's thoughts she jumped up and down while saying, "Can I please please be paired with y/n? Pleaseee-"

Aelin held a hand up as she cut the little girl's pleading off "I am sorry sweetheart, but I will need you with me. You and I will be visiting The Great Library of Orynth. Since you are very good with books, I will need you to help me over there."

Eva, clearly disappointed, glared at her parents, crossed her shoulders "Are you sure you are not taking me there because that is the safest place out of all the locations so far?"

Aelin gave her sheepish smile "Well....that may have also played a role BUT! I do really need your skills and alsoooo...you do not want to spend time with me?" she gave a small pout at Eva to which the girl sighed but hugged her tightly saying, "Of course I want to help you anddd spend time with you."

But y/n did not pay attention to their conversation. She did not pay any attention to anything as realization dawned upon her. No, No, N-

"Fenrys and y/n. You two will be heading towards The Oracle's Sanctuary. I know the ancient fools there will try to act like you two are below them and their visions but, they need to see the prophecy we found in the book. Their visions and foretelling regarding the future have never failed my ancestors and though I again, have never been there, I trust in those that came before me which is why I am sending you two there."

Y/n wanted to shout out her protests but Fenrys beat her to it "But why us? I mean what does she have to offer that will make it more helpful. Aelin, just send me on my own."

Y/n scoffed loudly as she glared at the blond male and said, "Me? You are judging my skills without even knowing me or seeing me in action? Believe me Fenrys if we get into trouble it will be me who will save your ass."

"I would rather die at the hands of our enemies than let you save me."

"I can fly."

"Not impressed. I can shift into a wolf."

"And do what? Run around until someone catches up with you?"

"You clearly have no idea on what MY powers are so stop acting like you do."

"How ironic. You are doing the same to me! You know what? I won't even waste my energy on a bastard like you. Just pretend that you do not exist."

"You little-"

"Will you two shut up or should we go and fetch some Mead-soaked Berries to eat while watching your banter?"

Aedion's voice cut through their increasingly agressive argument as they both turned to look at the rest of the room with angry glares.

Lysandra was fake coughing to try and hide her laugh, Aedion was smirking like a fool, Elide was hiding behind Lorcan so that they would not see her smile, even Lorcan had an amused expression on his face. Rowan had his arms crossed and both brows raised as he glanced between the two of them. And Aelin had an amused smirk as she said, "Well, sorry you two but there is no other options lef-"

"Yes, there is. Me and Y/n-" Eva stopped herself after a pointed look from Lysandra.

Aelin continued, "I need y/n because she herself is from a different world. Maybe somehow the seeress would be willing to submit more if she saw you-"

"So I am some object to be presented at a market for sale?"

"That is not what I meant. You come from a foreign world. You have wings, which no one here has, and insight into your world. The seer's in there can be....uncooporative if they wish so. That is why, you going there and showing the prophecy would be the best bet we have. Fenrys is coming because he knows those roads, don't you Fenrys? After all, you have visited them twice."

At that, not only y/n, but everyone apart from Aelin turned with a shocked look at the male as he shrugged and said, "I had my reasons. But as you said, they are uncooperative. They did not help me."

"Well, we do not have the luxury of time or second guessing. Everyone go get what you need, pack your essentials. Apart from me, Eva, Rowan and Lorcan you two groups will have the longest road ahead."

Y/n was about to protest when Aelin gave her look that said 'if you want to find a way back to your world, you must help'

And she was right. Y/n had one and only one goal. Get back home. The rest did not matter. They needed to find a way to get her home and to solve the threats coming their way. She can shut up and endure it for just a little bit more and then she would be out of here. For the sake of Prythian. Just ignore Fenrys and it will be alright. He is an uncultured prick who can not hurt her more than he already has. Just get it over with. Be smart. Be cool. Be levelheaded.

These were the chants she kept on retelling herself as she made her way to her room. She first changed out of her current clothes, applied some of the salve Isolde gave her, and then wore some practical gear. She did not know what road she and the-one-who-shall-not-be-named will take, but she guessed that it would be no easy straight path.

Y/n opted for a...you guessed it, a black turtleneck. Combining it with black, tight, leather pants, and knee high, black boots. She did her hair in a way that it won't get in her way and then began packing a small back. An extra turtleneck, a jacket, a flask with water, the salve Isolde gave her, and a few more items later, she went downstairs with her bag slung over her shoulder.

When she arrived at the grand hall, everyone was already there, busying themselves with the weapons that were scattered all over the place. Chaol was also there, although his wife was nowhere to be seen. Probably in her room, busy with deciphering the book.

She walked towards the table that had all kinds of weapons on it. She took a small, dark brown knife holder as she picked two, sharp ended, small knives. She also took the intricately designed bow and arrow. Y/n was always an excellent and precise shooter, being able to shoot her enemy from any distance and angle. She even helped Feyre improve her own shooting skills.

Just as she was about to turn around, her eyes caught on to brass knuckles. Does she really need them? She can punch quite well. But...it wouldn't hurt to have them increase the force of her punch. After contemplating a little more, she took the object and stored it in her knife holder.

Everyone was ready with their weapons. The brute or otherwise known as Fenrys, also had all kinds of weapons strapped to him.

Rowan and Aelin were having their own little moment while Lorcan was clinging and whispering somethings to Elide like a baby duck who just saw their mother for the first time.

Chaol gave them all a small smile as he patted Aedion on his shoulders and said, "Good luck. Me and Yrene will inform you if we find something." then he gave a look to Fenrys and y/n, smirked and said, "Try not to kill each other though."

Y/n smirked back "No promises."

Fenrys just rolled his eyes before Aelin and Rowan came forward. "Remember, if you can not find anything it is alright. Do not stal and waste time, just come back immediately. Be careful, all of you."

Y/n saw concern flash through the queen's eyes before they all started heading out. She felt Fenrys approach her before he said in the most annoyed voice ever, "Give me your hand. I will transport us."

"You mean winnow."

"Transport."

"In Prythian it is not called transport."

"Well, sorry to dissapoint you princess but this is not Prythian."

"Bu-"

"Give me your hand, y/n."

"We can just walk."

"Walk? If we walk there it will take us a whole day to just even cover half of the way. I will take us to the closest location near the sanctuary. But even then, the road ahead will be long but we will have to walk because it is warded and I won't be able to transport so better not to waste our energy walking from now."

"Then you go, I will walk-" y/n yelped as she suddenly felt herself being lifted up, bridal style, as the room around them started disappearing. That arrogant idiot! He did not even listen to her!

The second they arrived at the clearing, y/n threw herself off from his arms.

"You fool! Are you deaf? Who told you that you can touch me?!"

Fenrys, reigning in his anger, calmly responded, "You were wasting our time. I had to do it in order to get us here."

She scoffed and turned away from him. Fenrys tried his hardest not laugh when he saw her shock and wonder as she took in the place.

He meant it when he said the place is protected by ancient magic so strong, no one could break its wards. So, he brought them as close as he could to the road. But even from here, they would most likely spend three days trying to get to and from the sanctuary.

The place they were in was a small, circular, open area covered in grass and moss. However, this place was surrounded by a dense forest. When he turned his face to the right, he saw the road that they would take. He knew that path and what it held.

This ancient road winds through dense forests, where gnarled trees twist like guardians keeping watch over secrets long buried. Moss-covered stones line the path, their inscriptions faded with time and whispered tales of travelers who sought wisdom from the Oracle. As you tread deeper into the wilderness, the air grows thick with a sense of otherworldly presence, and faint echoes of prophetic murmurs seem to guide your way. Eventually, the path opens into a clearing bathed in ethereal light, revealing the towering spires of the Oracle's Sanctuary rising against the horizon, beckoning those brave enough to seek answers amid the swirling mists of fate.

He looked at y/n as he said, "Welcome to The Whispering Path."

Y/n turned back at him and asked, curiosity and a bit of fear evident in her voice, "We....we take this road? Are you sure?"

He smirked. The little fireball was scared. Good.

"Giving up already princess?"

She came closer to him and Fenrys was once again buried in her addictive scent. Although she was way shorter than him, she still somehow managed to look down on him as she said, "If you think this is enough to scare me away, then your only skill is fighting not thinking because you clearly are an idiot."

His smirk only widened as he pushed past her and began his way towards the path, not looking back. "If you say so, princess."

She will regret her words in just an hour.

He heard her loudly stomp her feet on the ground as she followed him.

Nearly two hours later, the forest path stretched endlessly before them, twisting and turning through ancient groves where the canopy overhead blocked out the sun's warm rays. The air grew cooler, carrying with it a dampness that clung to their clothes and skin. Shadows deepened beneath the towering trees, their trunks gnarled and knotted like the veins of the earth itself.

Each step seemed to echo softly, as if the forest itself held its breath, watching their progress with unseen eyes. The sound of rustling leaves and distant animal calls added to the eerie atmosphere, creating a sense of isolation despite their group's closeness. Occasional beams of fading sunlight pierced through gaps in the foliage, casting fleeting patches of golden light on the forest floor.

They pressed on, guided by the faint sense of purpose that drew them deeper into the heart of the woods. The Whispering Path seemed to weave its own tale, a narrative of mysteries waiting to be uncovered amidst the looming darkness.

Fenrys saw from his peripheral vision how she would keep one hand on the knife sheathed in her belt. How every sound, small or big, would steal a reaction from her. A gasp, a sharp turn of her head, knife in her hand. It was so unusual how he did not find her frustrating here. During their walk, they exchanged only two sentences. Are we there yet? and No.

But still, he, for some foolish reason, felt drawn to her because even if he did not show it, his eyes would constantly find her for a second, make sure she is well and then immediately look forward before she realizes it.

It was an hour after sunset when Fenrys finally stopped and said, "We are halfway there. We rest here until sunrise and by then we will be moving once again. Hopefully, by the afternoon, we will be able to reach the sanctuary."

He did not wait for a response from her as he put his bag down and began taking off some of his weapons.

"I...where or how will we sleep?"

"On the grass, by putting out extra clothing under our heads as pillow."

She gave him a confused look "Why couldn't we just bring sleeping mats or something?"

There she goes again with her annoying questions. Honestly why does he never have any luck? Why is it that he has to be stuck with someone as infuriating as her?

Just ignore her. Sharpen your knives. Ignore her so you do not have to snap back at her or take your anger out on her. Ignore her so you do not have to look into those hypnotizing eyes. Ignore her so...so that you do not have to look at that beautiful face. At those tempting lip-

"Hello? Have you gone deaf already?"

With a sigh, he looked up to see her standing there with her arms crossed. "Why take on extra weight? It would only waste our time. Just sleep on the ground or...have you never done that before?"

She scoffed. "Of course I have. I am going to find some wood. We need fire."

One secon he was sitting, and in the next, Fenrys was holding her wrist as he said, "No fire. This place is packed with creatures far worse than your imagination. The second they see the light coming from the fire, or atleast smell it, they will know that they are not alone so unless you want to be ripped into pieces and feasted on, we are staying in the dark."

She ripped her arm from him, gave him a glare, and went to take somethings out of her bag.

Fenrys sighed, tilted his head backwards and looked up at the tall trees covering the sky. It is like she insists on being a headache.

If he thinks he can order around he is about to be surprised. She is only keeping quiet out of fear for their safety. Once they are out of here, y/n will make sure to give her a piece of her min-

"What are you doing?"

She stopped. Turned around to look at him. Still sitting on the same spot, sharpening his knife and not looking at her. Or maybe he is pretending to ignore her. Y/n could not care less.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why do you have a healing salve and Sylvan leaves?"

He knows of these things? How? Did his injuries at some point also require these exact remedies? Did Isolde teach him? How is he even seeing her right now? She can barely make out his silhouette.

"You have definitely gone mad now. I am doing noth-"

She saw his head snap up at that. Saw how he put away whatever weapon he was sharpening.

"Do not test me y/n. Why do you need those things?"

"And who are you exactly? Last I checked, I do not owe you any explanations regarding anything that I do."

In the blink of an eye, he was right infront of her. There was some distance between them still. Thank The Mother. Honestly, he needs to stop this. She has had enough of not being able to know his next move.

He took slow steps towards her as she took slow steps back. "Come to think of it, why are you wearing a turtleneck? It is very hot nowadays."

Were those her hands sweating? The temperature here is cool so why was she sweating? "I wear it because I like it."

He was still walking closer towards her. "Hmmm, and I suppose it is also why you always wear long sleeves? What are you hiding y/n?"

She tried. She really tried to sound brave but her voice betrayed her as she said in a shaky tone, "None of your business."

That was it. He was right in front of her and she was pressed against a tree. Or was it a large boulder? She had no idea. Breathing became difficult. He was literally nose to nose with her. Why was it so hot?

"Atleast tell me why you wear a turtleneck."

"No."

"Very well then."

Really? He really just agreed? It seems so. He released his grip on her, turned around and started walking away. Y/n released a sigh. Finally-

In the flash of a light, Fenrys had her pinned against the tree again as he quickly pulled down her turtleneck.

"NO-"

But it was too late and her smaller hands were nothing against his firm grip on her. She could not push him away.

She saw it all in slow motion. His reactions, starting from realization going all the way up to anger was written all over his face as her bruised neck was presented to him.

She could only whisper a meek "Please,"

His nostrils flared, even in the dark she saw how his onyx eyes got even darker. His grip on her tightened as he released a low growl.

"Who did this to you?"

She could not answer. She was lost for words. Oh Cauldron boil-

"Y/n. I am not playing around answer the damned question."

"No, Fenr-"

"Who. Did. This. To. You."

"I can not tell you."

"And why is that?"

Because it is your close friend. Y/n knew he was only worried because he felt like he had to be her protector, like she was his job, his team mate until they left this forest and he sent her back to her house. He did not truly care for her, but even then, she could not tell him and cause trouble between him and his companion.

"No one of importance."

"Do not lie-"

She used all her strength to push him away.

"Leave me alone Fenrys! I said it is none of your business so go mind your own fucking job. I myself will deal with the one who did this to me."

"As you wish."

He turned around and went back to his side, lay down and turned his back to her.

For some reason, y/n felt like he would find whoever did this to her because what he said did not sound like he was letting the matter go at all.

Morning came once again. After having a poor breakfast of whatever they could find in their bags, they were on the way again. He did not speak to her and she preferred it to be this way. She did not think that after their small argument, she wanted to hear his voice.

Five hours of silence later, they reached what looked like another clearing. However, this one looked nothing like the previous ones. Soft, natural lights flickered amidst the foliage, casting a gentle glow that illuminated the surrounding area with an ethereal warmth. Fireflies danced in lazy spirals, their tiny bioluminescent bodies creating a mesmerizing display that seemed to guide them forward.

As they stepped into the clearing, the air hummed with a palpable energy, tinged with anticipation and reverence. Ancient trees encircled the space like silent sentinels, their branches adorned with shimmering vines that sparkled as if touched by starlight. A tranquil stream meandered through the glade, its crystal-clear waters reflecting the moon's silvery gaze.

In the center of the clearing stood the first glimpse of their destination: the Oracle's Sanctuary. Its architecture defied conventional design, blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. Tall pillars of intricately carved stone rose toward the heavens, supporting a domed roof that seemed to embrace the sky itself. Soft, haunting melodies drifted through the air, sung by unseen voices that spoke of forgotten truths and timeless wisdom.

As they approached the entrance, a sense of reverence settled over them, mingled with a quiet apprehension. They exchanged knowing glances, acknowledging the weight of their purpose. The journey had been long and hard, yet here they stood at the threshold of destiny, ready to seek the Oracle's guidance and unravel the cryptic clues that awaited within.

"Why is this place so empty? I mean, shouldn't there be guards? or some servants?"

"The seers are not attached to worldly desires. They have let go. That means, it is only them and their souls, connecting witth their surroundings. Besides, they are too ancient and powerful to need any protection or help. Atleast that is what the books said."

Before they could go any further and reach the entrance, Fenrys stopped her. She turned her head around and gave him a puzzled look. "I have been here twice. Neither of those times I got any help. I never even saw their faces. They did not deem me worthy to appear apparently. So I should warn you, it is possible we come out of here with absolutely nothing."

Y/n did not know what it was within her that made her say "You are worthy, Fenrys. Do not let a bunch of old people tell you otherwise."

She saw the surprise and quick gratitude on his face before he turned his head sideways and said, "Well then. Let us hope that the third time is the charm."

Inside the Oracle's Sanctuary, every corner whispered of ancient secrets and the weight of prophecy. The main chamber was a symphony of light and shadow, illuminated by softly glowing orbs suspended from the vaulted ceiling. Shafts of daylight filtered through stained glass windows depicting scenes of celestial alignment and the weaving of fate.

The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting the cycles of the moon, the dance of stars, and the rise and fall of empires. Runes and symbols, both familiar and arcane, were etched into the stone floor, their meanings lost to all but the most learned scholars and seers.

At the heart of the sanctuary, a circular pool shimmered with a surface as smooth as polished glass. Around the pool, low benches and cushions invited visitors to gather in contemplation or prayer.

Books and scrolls lined shelves carved into the walls, their leather bindings cracked with age yet holding within them knowledge that spanned epochs. Dust motes danced in the beams of light that filtered through the chamber, giving the impression of a place frozen in time yet vibrantly alive with the whispers of prophecy.

"Well, this place certainly seems like it has been used."

"Yes. Apparently not when I was here though."

"So what now? How do we call upon them? Do we just wait?"

Fenrys shrugged but looked away "When I came here I...I begged. I hoped they would answer me but...this room stayed just as empty. And I was here for 5 hours."

Y/n hummed in understanding before turning around to find a way for these seer's to appear when she felt otherworldly magic fill the room.

Then, out of nowhere, in the dim recesses of the Oracle's Sanctuary, the seers emerged like living embodiments of the cosmos' secrets. Their forms are ethereal and ever-changing, blending seamlessly with the shifting energies of the sanctuary itself. Each seer appears as a shimmering figure of translucent mist, veiled in robes that seem to be woven from the threads of time.

Though their presence is otherworldly and their nature elusive, the seers possess an innate understanding of the threads that bind fate together. They move with a grace that defies mortal comprehension, their movements guided by unseen forces.

Their eyes, glowing orbs of iridescent light, reflect the constellations that dance across the heavens. Wisps of starlight swirl within their fluid forms, pulsating with the ebb and flow of cosmic energies.

When they speak, their voices resonate with echoes of distant galaxies and forgotten epochs, carrying the weight of prophecy and the wisdom of ages past.

"Y/n Y/l/n the Iron Phoenix. The Winged Fury."

"Fenrys Moonbeam. The White Wolf of Doranelle."

"Come forward."

Why did they all talk at once?

So, not humans then. Nope. Definitely not mortals. But powerful enough to kill them in the blink of an eye.

She shared a look with Fenrys before they both came forward and each sat on one of the cushions.

Y/n and Fenrys awaited in respectful silence, their eyes trained on the shimmering figures of the seers. The seers, in turn, regarded them with a knowing gaze that seemed to penetrate beyond flesh and bone, delving into the depths of their souls where destinies were written and fates were entwined.

Their gazes were trained on her. "You are searching for a way home."

Y/n sighed as she replied, "Yes."

"This world is in grave danger."

It was Fenrys' turn to sigh as he replied, "We know. Which is why we come to ask for your help. For a way on how we may bring an end to it before it escalates."

Y/n put her hand inside her pocket to retrieve the paper containing the prophecy when one of the seers said, "The prophecy you have uncovered foretells of a time when shadows will seek to shroud the light once more. It speaks of cycles and destinies intertwined, where the fate of worlds rests in the hands of a chosen few."

Y/n hid her shock. How do they already know what she wanted to show?

"The Book of Breathings holds a secret that transcends its physical form. It is indeed a key--a Wyrdkey, if you will--capable of unlocking gates to realms beyond. These gates are not merely pathways; they are thresholds that, once opened, threaten to destabilize the delicate balance of our universe."

A mournful expression passed over Fenrys' face before he said, "We dealt with this three years ago. Aelin closed the gates. Why are they opening now?"

The seers regarded Fenrys with a solemn understanding, their luminous forms pulsating with a subtle energy as they responded to his question.

"The closing of the gates by Aelin Galathynius was a triumph, but prophecy is often a tapestry woven with threads of inevitability and cyclical patterns," one seer explained, her voice carrying the weight of millennia. "The gates, once sealed, are not immune to the ebb and flow of cosmic forces. The actions of mortals and the machinations of darker powers can unsettle even the most fortified barriers."

Fenrys nodded, his expression grave. "So, despite our victory, the threat persists," he concluded, his voice tinged with frustration.

"The Valg are relentless," another seer added, her gaze distant yet focused. "Their thirst for dominion knows no bounds. They seek weaknesses in the fabric of reality, exploiting any opportunity to breach the gates and unleash chaos upon the realms."

Y/n furrowed her brows as she said gently, "But, if I am correct, didn't Aelin loose all her power? How is she going to close the gates once more? How is it related to her?"

"The prophecy speaks of a chosen few," one seer intoned, her gaze fixed upon Y/n with a depth of knowing that transcended mortal comprehension. "In the heart of a queen, strength resides, but it is not Aelin Galathynius, who holds the key to closing the gates."

She saw Fenrys' brows furrow in surprise, his mind clearly grappling with the revelation.

Y/n herself felt a surge of anticipation mixed with trepidation. "Then who?" Fenrys pressed, his voice a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"It is Y/n Y/l/n, the Stormbreaker," another seer declared, her luminous eyes locking onto Y/n's with a clarity that bespoke centuries of foresight. "The Braveheart who carries the essence of fire and fate within her."

Y/n's breath caught in her throat as the weight of destiny settled upon her shoulders. "But why me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She heard Fenrys inhale sharply.

She must be going mad. There was no way she was destined to be the one to lock the gates. What about her going home? Her plans, they were doomed.

"The Book of Breathings chose you as its bearer, guiding you across realms to fulfill a destiny entwined with the fate of worlds. You possess a unique connection to the Wyrdkeys and the ability to unlock the gates that threaten to unravel the fabric of existence."

"W-what kind of abilities and con-connections?"

"You possess a unique resonance with the Wyrdkeys," another seer explained, her luminous eyes fixed upon Y/n with unwavering clarity. "The Book of Breathings recognized within you the potential to wield its power, to navigate the currents of time and space, and to restore balance where darkness threatens to prevail."

Fenrys, sitting beside Y/n, interjected with a note of concern. "And how does she return?" he asked, his gaze shifting between Y/n and the seers.

The seers exchanged a knowing glance before one responded, "The Book of Breathings is both a key and a gateway. It holds within its pages the knowledge to traverse the realms it unlocks. Through understanding and mastery, Y/n can harness its power to return to her world."

"And why must I close the gates?" she pressed, her voice tinged with determination.

"The gates, once opened, threaten to disrupt the delicate tapestry of existence," the third seer replied, her presence shimmering with a quiet intensity. "They are thresholds through which chaos and darkness seek entry. Only by closing them can the realms be safeguarded, ensuring the balance upon which all life depends."

"You have to decipher the Book of Breathings, harness its power to return, close the gates and with that, go home."

She was beyond frustrated now. "I don't understand. I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

"You may be angry now y/n y/l/n, and you may be desperate to go to the home you believe in, but within the echoes of ancient whispers, home calls to hearts entwined by threads unseen. The Book of Breathings, a key to realms veiled in mystery, beckons you to paths yet unwalked. Mate not in the flesh but in the resonance of shared destinies. Greatness lies not in the blaze of glory but in the quiet moments where choices shape the stars' dance and futures intertwine."

It was Fenrys' turn to be frustrated as he said, "What on earth does that even mean?"

"Y/n y/l/n, your secret, the one you hide and cherish with all your soul, the one that you understood on an even more intimate level in the crystal caverns-"

"That is enough." She needed to leave. Now. Too much information was thrown at them all at once. To say she was pissed, would be an understatement. These old hags think they know it all, including her deepest secret. Besides, she did not need a reminder on what happened that night in the caverns.

The seers said nothing as they began slowly disappearing.

A look of contemplation passed over the Fenrys' face before he asked quickly, "Why did you not show up when I begged for your help?!"

A faint shimmer of light flickered where the seers had stood, as if they were considering his question before offering a response.

"Our sight extends across the tapestry of time," one of the seers finally answered, their voice gentle yet firm. "At times, the threads of fate must unravel naturally for destinies to align as intended. Your path demanded growth and resilience, lessons that could only be learned through your own journey."

And with that, they disappeared, seemingly leaving both Fenrys and y/n confused.

As they left the sanctuary, neither of them spoke. Both too lost in thoughts of their own regarding what they just learned. Y/n was grateful for the silence. Her mind was about to burn out due to all the thinking she was doing. So much revealed in one sitting. What on earth is she to think of it?

As night dawned upon them once more, they quietly ate their meals and layed on their sides of the grass and turned their bodies away from one another. But she could not sleep. How could she? After all that she learned it would be impossible.

"What will we do? What will you do?"

She heard his silent question but did not answer. She did not have an answer to give.

Instead, she whispered, "Why did you go there twice? Why did you beg?"

She did not think that he would answer her. But, to her surprise, she heard him sigh before saying, "The first time was for my two brothers. Gavriel and Connall. It was after the war and...and they both were killed during it. I wanted to know if I could trade my life with theirs. I...I believed they deserved it more than I ever could. The second time was a year later when I was going through horrible things. I was confused. I still am. I wanted guidance, I wanted help, advice, anything to tell me know who I am and how I can find my purpose in life again. But, as you heard, I was not answered. I stopped coming here since then."

Y/n turned around. "Fenrys, look at me."

He slowly turned around until they were facing each other on the grass.

She took a deep breath and gently whispered to him. "You are lost. Your grief is understandable. Your pain is understandable. What you are going through is understandable. We all have our own hidden troubles, nightmares or secrets that we must overcome on our own. But do not for one second, blame yourself for anyone's death. I may have not gotten the chance to meet either of them but, I know that they would never wish for you to want such things. They sacrificed themselves for you and your people. Do not let their sacrifice be in vain by trying to talk down on yourself. By trying to wish for a different end."

Her hands were itching to touch his handsome face, to move those few strands of hair behind his ear.

Fenrys gave her a small, sad smile. "What about you? The oracle said you had your secrets too. What is the crystal caverns?"

Y/n sighed as she turned around and lay flat on her back, staring up at the large trees covering her view of the night sky. "I do not know anything anymore Fenrys. Sometimes, I wish to be living in a tiny village or Island where no one knows of me. Where I am free of everything and anything."

She felt him come closer to her as the heat of his body started enveloping her. "Seems like we both share the same dream then."

For the first time since coming here, y/n genuinely smiled as she turned around and faced Fenrys or rather, his chest because of how close they had gotten.

But she did not care. Just for tonight, she would not care. So, she snuggled closer to his chest as the feeling of serenity washed over her, gently guiding her to unconsciousness.

What she failed to see however, was how Fenrys looked down at her with a small smile as he too, promised himself that this was just for a night. That they both needed comfort after all that they heard. And so, he carefully put his arm around her waist and hugged her closer to him as he too, descended into dreamland.

When morning came once more, y/n awoke to find herself in the embrace of the male she usually hates. For some reason, right at that moment when he was still deep in sleep, when the sunlight peeking through the dense leaves highlighted his face in ethereal glow, y/n felt nothing but care for him.

But, it all changed when he opened his eyes. Y/n immediately turned bright red as she pushed away from his arms, blabbering excuses, "Um...I-I....yeah um-"

But it was all cut off when a piercing sound was heard from above. They both immediately got to their feet as y/n had her bow and arrow in her hand, ready to shoot whatever it was. But it was after the second roar that Fenrys widened his eyes and ran forward. Y/n, surprised and confused, ran after him. They stopped at a place where the branches of the trees were not as densely packed and they could see a little bit of the sky.

From what she saw, y/n wondered if she fell and hit her head somewhere. Because what on earth was this? A large, black, lizard like thing with wings similar to hers flew over them. She heard Fenrys chuckle as he turned and looked towards her. "Manon and Abraxos are finally here."

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

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justawritterwithideas · 2 years ago

Text

Boy Wonder and the Rockstar | s.r

✩ previous part | next part ✩

summary: The BAU rushes to Washington after discovering that the lead singer of a famous band may be in danger, causing Spencer to come face to face with his past after 15 years.

general warnings: this series contains topics such as mentions of death, alcohol, drugs, strong vocabulary, as well as talk of heartbreak, disappointment and arguments. It also contains content regarding CM season 13, so it clearly contains spoilers.

chapter warnings: this chapter contains mentions of murder, vomiting, mistreatment, as well as the use of strong vocabulary. this is a spencer reid x famous!reader story.

words: 4,269 words.

a/n: hello! here i come with the second chapter of "boy wonder and the rockstar", i had fun writing this chapter as i also suffered from lack of creativity ( T T ), but finally inspiration touched me. I hope you like it. Remember to read the chapter cautions and have a good read.! English is not first language, so I may have mistakes, if so, I'm sorry. :(

𝟎.𝟐: 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫.

For many people, memories that are related to times in their lives relate to certain aspects of the five senses, whether it's certain sounds or textures, music that brings them back to that exact memory, or simply tastes of foods that remind them of what their loved ones used to make.

For Spencer, it was smells.

Despite possessing a memory that makes him remember even the smallest detail of what happened the day before, his olfactory memory was much more developed than other senses.

During his childhood, or what he considers childhood, his memories smelled of the pages of old books that his mother read to him and her perfume, impregnated in the bed sheets when they sat together to read some classic of literature. When he was in his youth, sometimes the smells reminded him of the charcoal in his pencil, writing mathematical exercises on white sheets, or sometimes the smell of chlorine, because of the thousand times bullies forced him to go to the bathroom.

But during his college days, he always thought that the smell that would be his favorite was the soft smell of the library, of wood and humidity; but no, those memories had the smell of freshly brewed coffee, cherries and menthol cigarettes.

His good memories always brought smiles to his face in the middle of nowhere, as if he was remembering one of those old bad jokes they used to tell him and he couldn't find the humor in them, or maybe the less thought out answers to such logical questions. His good memories caused his stomach to clench tightly and his chest to feel heavy, as if a stone was replacing his heart.

Spencer knew why. Why his body felt that way.

But he didn't want to admit why.

Because if he admitted it, he knew the only reason he did would make him regret it, he would have to give reason to his sentimental side than the rational side.

And he hated not being right.

"Spence."

J.J.'s voice brought the boy back to his desk, taking his eyes off the nearly iced coffee with a pound of sugar to keep him awake.

He'd been daydreaming about Y/N's laughter in his ear for nights now, just like when they had sleepovers at her apartment. He couldn't get her out of his head, let alone get the smell out of her hair when she was the small spoon.

"What, what's going on?" the opposite replied, looking at the blonde. She seemed to be trying to decipher what was going on in her friend's head.

"I'm asking you, is something wrong, are you sleeping well?"

"Yes." Bullshit.

"Are you sure? Your eyes say otherwise." The black circles under his eyes gave him away.

"I've been sleepless for a few days, but it's because my neighbors won't let me sleep." Another bullshit.

"You should talk to them, you know." The boy nodded, giving the blonde an elongated smile and returning to his paperwork.

"Really all right?"

"Yeah, J.J. It's fine."

"'S okay, you know what you can tell me."

"Yes J.J., thank you."

The answer didn't leave the blonde satisfied, but she made an extraordinary effort to ignore his attitude and return to the desk with Luke and Matt, who had been staring at him for a couple of minutes.

"He's rambling again." Commented J.J as she returned, who kept her eyes on her best friend and tried to figure out what was wrong with him.

It was usual at this time of year, when the leaves were beginning to turn their last summer colors, that Spencer would go blank staring at a spot in the room more than once.

No one quite understood why that happened to him, the only one who knew was Gideon. But he never shared any of Spencer's secrets, not even if a gun was held to his chest.

"Guess whateee, my dear friends!" The conversation was interrupted by a cheerful and enthusiastic Penelope, who commanded everyone's attention with her sonorous voice.

"What's going on, Garcia?" Luke turned to see her, who was coming with an envelope in her hand.

"Your genius did it again, rub the wishing lamp and I got tickets to the best concert of the year - Paradox in Virginia! Can you believe it?"

"You got them!?" J.J. was the first to startle, coming closer to see the tickets for the most anticipated concert of the year.

"That's right, my dear friend! A girls' night out to see Paradox. You, me, Emily and Tara."

"No way, god. I'll talk to Will and rest assured I'll be ready for that night." J.J smiled hugging her friend's arm.

"What's Paradox...?" muttered Luke, causing Matt to turn to look at him. The poor Luke was trying to comprehend what his friends were talking about.

Was he too out of date on pop culture or were they speaking in some kind of secret code?

"Oh Luke, why did you ask that?" Matt shook his head, earning a glare from the blonde couple.

"What did you say, newbie, don't you know what Paradox is? Oh god, no way. I'll have to bring you up to date with a course on what today's music is right now, follow me." Penelope motioned to the boy, who turned to see Matt who was lifting his shoulders laughing.

"No Penelope, you're not going anywhere. We have a case, and it's urgent. There's no time, meeting room now."

The rest of the people turned to look at each other, abiding by their boss's orders as they saw her so anxious and serious about a case.

That didn't look good at all.

The adrenaline and euphoria of last night's show, plus the last two dates, had been enough of a stimulant for Y/N to fall asleep in bed once they arrived at the hotel. Her whole body was exhausted, and at that moment all she wanted was some chamomile tea and a thousand hours of sleep.

She loved her job, of course she did! But she was mentally and physically exhausted from giving almost 15 concerts without a break, from one state to another, with more cups of coffee and energizers in her body than times where her eyes closed to sleep.

And the only time she found peace and quiet was when her body was being moved from one location to another, so, at that moment, her body was resting in the comfortable seat of the SUV after being driven to an interview and returned to the hotel to rest.

She felt her limbs meld with the seat, feeling like she was in heaven itself where her muscles all over her body were relaxing after days.

Her peace didn't last long when she heard a soft call.

"Psss, Y/N."

The, now, blonde heard the call from Felix, also known as the band's drummer and her best friend.

"What? You ruin my beauty nap."

"What did one wall say to the other?"

Y/N could hang him right then and there.

More the tiredness in her body made her think, trying to devise the best answer to get him to leave her alone.

"What?"

"I'll meet you at the corner."

"I'm having the biggest self-control to not kill you because you just interrupted the only moment of peace I've had these past three months, asshole."

"You haven't been able to sleep?"

Y/N denied with her eyes closed, desperate to get back to her attempt at sleep.

"Not a single moment, I woke up three times last night and that was the best attempt at sleep I've ever had."

"Your pills aren't working?"

"They're placebos, they won't make my body calm down just like that and go back to my eight hour sleep cycle that I'd had for the last two years without touring." The young woman opened one eye, looking at her friend. "I just have to get used to it, I have to get back to the cycle of excitement I used to have when it was tour after tour."

"Maybe if we talk about that thing that bothers you-"

"No way."

Y/N knew what he meant, knew it was talking about a certain doctor who gave her goosebumps every time she thought about him and took her back to her college days.

Why was she still thinking about him? It had been almost 15 years since they last spoke.

Y/N looked at the date on her phone.

No, she was wrong.

It had been 15 years since they last spoke.

Today was 15 years since she had received the last letter from Spencer with her name written on it.

The last time she felt the smell of his perfume on the sheets and his ugly doctor's handwriting on a sheet of paper.

The last time she saw written "wherever you are, whatever you do or whoever you are with, you are always on my mind and in my heart, Y/N."

Last time she saw written "Love from Quantico, dr. Spencer Reid. I'm also known as your #1 fan, but only you know that."

Was that the reason she hadn't slept well that night? Yes.

Was that the reason she hadn't slept well for that last week? Yes.

Was that the reason why, every time she closed her eyes, she saw him smile? Yes.

Was she going to admit it? No.

Never.

"Y/N..."

"I don't want to talk about it, Felix. Don't insist."

"But, Y/N-"

"Let it go, Felix. Really, don't insist." Tyler's voice made Felix turn to look at him angrily.

Tyler and Shawn, the guitarist and bassist respectively, shook their heads and made an "X" symbol with their fingers, muttering at the same time "don't do it, don't be stupid."

"Enough kids, let it go. In two days we have a very important concert to give in Seattle, so I don't want any fights."

"You heard him, Felix." Y/N smiled opening her eyes, looking in the direction of Gerald, her manager.

Thank you, Y/N murmured in the man's direction.

Gerald just raised his shoulders, noticing how the van parked.

"Okay, down."

Tyler and Shawn were the first to get out, followed by Y/N and then Felix.

Felix hated to come off as meddling in Y/N's life, so whenever he meddled too much in the girl's life, he simply knew that seeking forgiveness from her was his best option.

"Sorry Y/N, I didn't mean to insist."

"It's okay, Felix. I know you meant no harm, but I don't want to talk about it."

"And when will you?"

"I don't know, I guess when I'm ready."

"It's been 15 years, Y/N."

"I know, but I'm still not read-"

"Miss Autumn?"

Y/N turned to see the receptionist, who was holding a package.

"A package has arrived for you."

"Thank you, do you know who brought it?"

"No miss, I'm sorry."

"No worries, thanks again."

Y/N received it, walking to the elevator along with Felix after seeing how the package had a sticker on it that said "express delivery."

"What did you order, compulsive shopper?" Gerald turned to look at her, causing Y/N to deny in confusion.

"Nothing that I know of, I promise."

"Maybe it's a collaboration, Tiffany's already started putting the ads with your face all over it." Shawn smiled, elbowing the arm of the store's new ambassador.

"A gift for you to occupy at the next gig." Gerald replied, nodding softly as he looked down at his phone.

The box was small and covered in the typical plastic they place around it. Compact enough to drop a set of jewelry on behalf of the brand, but it seemed odd that it came directly and without warning.

The group made their way to the small meeting room where they had set up everything they needed, ready to hear the itinerary Gerald had prepared for them about their upcoming events.

Y/N's fingers went to open the package once it was placed on the table, watching as the "Tiffany & Co." logo on its little sky blue box.

"Okay guys, tomorrow you have rehearsal from noon until three in the afternoon, then you'll have an interview on a radio station near the sta-"

A beautiful gold ring with a navy blue gem in the middle was the first thing that caught the young woman's eye, perfect for the occasion. But it was heavier than usual.

"Then you can go eat and rest, we'll still have dress rehearsal, so you can get ready-"

A shout coming from Y/N deafened the group of people, causing them all to look in her direction.

Her skin was as white as paper, her eyes fixed on the box she had just opened and her face with an expression of pure terror from an experimental horror movie.

All eyes went in the direction of the box, which Y/N felt like everything she had eaten that morning was going to spew out of her mouth right then and there.

"Shit."

The beautiful ring encircled something.

A human finger.

A human finger that stained the bottom of the box.

A human finger that was accompanied by a note.

"I hope you enjoy my gift, my sweet star. I made it just for you, good luck at the concert."

"This morning at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Washington, the lead singer of the band Paradox received a package. Inside was a human finger with a ring on it." Emily was passing around the photographs that had been sent by the Washington police, it showed just what she had just described above. "According to the receptionist it was dropped off by someone from a package store. The police questioned him and he said it had arrived with yesterday's load of packages."

"From where?" Luke asked.

"They don't know, they collect packages from all over the country so they don't know where it came from. They're looking for the tracking code of the branch they sent it from."

"How grotesque, who would send such a thing to an artist like her?" Tara looked at Emily, who sighed.

"But what do we have to do with this case?" Rossi looked at his tablet, zooming in on the picture of the ring.

"The DNA results came back to find out whose finger it is." A photograph of a stranger appeared on the TV screen. "He is Bruno Colombo, an Italian artist and the owner of that finger. We just got word that his lifeless body was found in his art studio."

"He's Autumn's ex-fiancé." Penelope commented, surprised at all that was going on. "In 2016, he and Autumn got engaged after dating for two years, but after a few months it was discovered that the engagement ended after Autumn discovered him and an art gallery owner having sex in his studio. According to him he did it because he wanted to make an exhibition that would portray Autumn's true feelings, and this way he could see her feeling of anger and sadness. There are still people who idolize him for that."

"What a jerk." Matt muttered.

"And how come no one noticed his absence?"

" According to this, he was isolating himself when he was setting up exhibits so it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to suddenly disappear."

Spencer felt his heart pounding, why would he get like this over a clear case of a stalker obsessing over a music star?

It's not like he even knew her.

"Apparently, this relates to a series of related cases over ten years that the only common element is this band, Paradox. No one has ever linked them before as none of the modes of operation are the same, the only factor that unites them is the viciousness with which they are carried out and the band, of course." Emily sighed, showing the various faces and deaths that surrounded them.

"Race or religion has nothing to do with it, it seems neither does gender." Spencer commented, quickly reading each of the bodies found. "But it looks like they all had an encounter with the band or one of the members. From 2008 when the first body was found until now."

"The director asked us to take on this case, the level of this band is insane and it seems to be going against the vocalist, Autumn. They are currently on a world tour after two years of no activity, plus not much is known about her in general." Emily turned to look at Penelope. "Garcia, you're joining us on this trip. You serve us better back in Washington than you do here at Quantico. Reid and Lewis will go meet the M.E., the rest of us will go to the station and then we'll all go to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, we'll meet the band and their manager." The whole group was surprised, especially Penelope who held a surprised expression. "Wheels up in 30."

Y/N always thought that the whole thing about having human parts shipped to you in a box was part of fiction. At best, news fiction.

But what she had just experienced was surreal.

Her body was shaking with a cup of tea in her hands, feeling her hands stinging around the cup.

"Who the fuck would send something like that to Y/N? No one we know is capable of doing anything to her, they would fuck up their careers if they were exposed like that." Tyler turned, annoyed, in the direction of Y/N. "Who did this to you, are you hiding something from us?"

"No, Tyler. I'm not hiding anything, why would I hide the fact that someone sent me a fucking human part on my name to a hotel in the middle of our comeback tour? You're blaming me for something, huh? Tell me to my fucking face, Tyler."

Y/N stood up in exasperation, letting the hot water spill onto the floor.

"I don't know, you tell me, Y/N. If you got sent a finger."

"Go straight to hell, Tyler. Right straight up." Commented the girl raising her middle finger.

"Enough! Both of you." Gerald's loud voice interrupted them, separating the band's strong personalities. "Right now we can't fight. They just sent a fucking human finger to Y/N, we can't get mad about that, we should be worried."

"Finally someone with sense." Y/N sat back down, setting the cup aside.

"What are they seeing so much of us, why aren't they doing anything? They should be looking for the person responsible." Felix got up walking towards the officers, being stopped by Shawn.

"Hey, they're doing the best they can. If we go in there and raise our voices, we're going to hinder the investigation, don't be a dickhead."

"Damn it, this can't be happening." Y/N stood up, starting to walk over to her purse to pull out a cigarette and place it between her teeth.

"You can't smoke in here, Y/N." Gerald's warning went in one ear to the girl and out the other, flicking her lighter. "Y/N."

"What, look at the shit we're in, I just got sent a fucking human finger from who-knows-who and you're asking me to keep my cool!? I can't! There's a crazy person out there sending me that shit with 'nice words'." The girl threw the lighter at who-knows-where, finding herself on the verge of an anxiety attack. "Don't fuck around and leave me alone to have a smoke, Gerald."

The group fell back into the same silence that surrounded them four hours ago, letting the cigarette smoke flood their nostrils.

They were desperate, they needed to get to the root of this.

Y/N knew it. Right now she was the eye of the hurricane, who that box and message were addressed to; the same person who had sent her that, had taken it upon himself to send her flowers and letters with the same nickname, "my sweet star."

At first she thought it was nice, of course it's nice when you get your favorite flowers along with letters of good cheer and best wishes, but it's not nice when you get a gift like today's.

But her attitude would get her nowhere, she was annoyed and exasperated, but they didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

"I'm sorry, but this is too much for me, I can't handle this alone and my attitude isn't helping anything. " Y/N commented, taking her eyes off her cigarette and looking at the people closest to her. "We should be in this together."

"I'm sorry, kid. I got upset that I couldn't help you, that you didn't know who sent you that." Tyler sighed, giving the girl a rueful smile.

"Don't worry about it, Ty. I'm really sorry, everyone."

The girl took another puff on her cigarette, letting the minty flavor cool her lungs.

"The FBI is here."

The announcement made everyone look at each other, taking their last breaths and letting Y/N finish what she was doing, the only thing keeping her sane at that moment.

"I'll see you downstairs, okay?" Felix left a kiss on the young woman's forehead, taking his leave to get on the elevator.

Y/N found herself alone in the room, again feeling disgust rise in her throat. She couldn't get the image of that package out of her mind, how was someone capable of writing those sweet words and sending something as grotesque as that.

The girl's hands gently stroked her cheeks, waking up and she shook her head. She would make one last stop to the bathroom before heading downstairs, so she could go more consciously for who-knows-what things would make her talk.

The BAU met up with a group of people who, thanks to the way Penelope was getting excited, could be sure it was Paradox.

All along the way, Spencer had listened to Garcia's theories and who it could have been. He loved listening to her talk, but his head was somewhere else, somewhere else but there.

Something inside him sensed something, something he wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe it was his thoughts of the past that had been running through him since morning.

"Agent Prentiss, I'm Gerald Murphy, the manager of Paradox." The man shook hands with the woman, who was looking over his shoulder at three people. "These are the members of the band: Tyler, Shawn and Felix."

The three let out a wave into the air, giving them a smile of sorts.

Spencer knew they weren't entirely happy they were there, he read it in their body language.

"I understand there are four of you in the band, here I see three." Emily looked directly into Gerald's eyes.

"Yeah, Autumn, the vocalist, is upstairs finishing something. But she's coming down now, right?" Felix nodded, watching the FBI agents.

Felix crossed glances with Spencer, feeling that familiar air from somewhere.

Spencer felt that familiar air too, but maybe he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Please, let's go somewhere more private. That way we can talk more quietly."

Gerald motioned to the three men, who plunged inside the room, followed by everyone else.

The BAU settled down in front of the four people seated on the couches.

"If you like, we can wait for Miss Autumn." Emily glanced at the group, all of whom nodded.

"It's for the best, she's the most affected." Felix looked in the direction of Tyler and Shawn, who simply nodded in unison.

"You've never received anything like this before?" Luke directed his question at the group of people, causing Tyler to let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You think that's a normal thing to receive, a human finger? Please, be realistic."

"Tyler, shut up." Shawn motioned, slapping the young man's knee.

"That's a stupid question of his, since when is getting shit like that going to be normal?"

"Tyler!" Shawn gave him a stern look, turning his gaze back to Luke. "I'm sorry, we're touchy about this that just happened."

"My question was out of line, it's my fault." Luke admitted, turning to look at the rest.

"When is Autumn getting here?" Felix's question seemed to work magic, smelling her best friend's signature scent.

A strong smell of cherries and menthol tobacco made Spencer shake his head.

It wasn't time to remember Y/N, it wasn't time to focus on something like that.

It felt like his head was playing a joke on him, as if she was suddenly here. But the smell didn't go away, in fact, it intensified to the point that Spencer could feel his head hurting.

"Sorry I'm late."

Spencer felt his entire body freeze, as if he were turning into an ice cube.

The voice he thought he would never hear again.

The voice that escaped so much in his dreams.

He could hear it there, like an echo in his head.

His head turned, catching the figure that had just entered with some haste.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Autu-"

"Y/N."

The girl looked up, meeting Spencer's hazel eyes.

No way, Y/N thought.

Her heart stopped, as did the time around her.

Standing in front of her was a much older and mature Spencer Reid, but with that same lotion that made her dizzy.

The woman's mouth opened slightly, feeling the air in her lungs catch and no words came out of her mouth.

Her lip quivered, her pulse altered.

"Spencer."

Oh fate, how cruel did you have to be?

If you like it, don't forget to like and repost it.

a lot of love, alme. ❀

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x you #spencerreid #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic #spencer reid x famous!reader #criminal minds fanfiction #it's my first series #almeseries

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solecize · 11 months ago

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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 | 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: every summer on your grandpa's farm was real-life magic to your younger self, who left a piece of her heart in amber valley when the years went on and the town became nothing but a faint childhood memory. soon enough, you become rocked by his death and realize the dead end in your bustling city world. this leads to you making an abrupt decision.

despite knowing nothing but designer purses and the corporate ladder, you uproot your entire life to take over your grandfather's old farm in the town you were desperately trying to remember - alongside a familiar face from your youth that permanently finds his way into your heart.

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: jungkook/reader 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒. inspired heavily by stardew valley, friends to lovers, childhood friends, cowboy jungkook, small town alternate universe, slice of life, grief, growing up, mutual pining 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓. 5k 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒. n/a

part two: the caretaker and the sister ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ previous. next. masterlist

iv. the caretaker

“gonna be real, i’m sure you know why we’re looking at you funny.” jungkook was blunt, but you had to give him kudos for it.

“oh, why is that?” you replied dryly,

the way you had narrowed it down for your parents seemed more simple in your head when you rehearsed it a dozen times over before having each individual sit-down. the property was just going to rot and go to waste. it’s what grandpa would have wanted. so many sweet words intertwined with one another, but not once did you mention your perpetual unhappiness.

explaining it to two people who were essentially strangers should have been easier, but something told you that the look jungkook was giving you hinted that he knew there was more of a story than that. on the other hand, namjoon, who was still confused by the entire conversation somehow, either didn’t care to ask or knew it wasn’t his place to press.

by his sympathetic glance towards your dirty duffel bag, it seemed to be the latter. he slowly came to the ground from his horse and gave you one of those sweet smiles that only a gentleman from the countryside could give. it was the same one your grandpa and jungkook had.

namjoon gestured down the road. “need a ride into town?”

your eyebrows furrowed in confusion when namjoon said “ride” and then your eyes fell on the beautiful stallion that he had a gentle hand on. oh. somehow, the idea made you stomach drop and you were shocked to find that.

“what’s wrong? we used to ride all the time when we were kids,” jungkook said, having read the expression formed on your face.

one of the thing that your mom warned you about was that no one was going to take you seriously in the valley. your grandfather was a well seasoned farmer, as the property had been passed down for generations until your mom declined the responsiblity. and, of course, you grew up in the city and you definitely looked like it. there wasn’t another reason to add onto this obstacle.

you shook your head. “i, uh, injured my ankle a week back. pilates.” a hollow chuckle that jungkook and namjoon overlooked and nodded in understanding. “so, it’s best if i don’t ride into town.”

you weren’t sure why the idea of getting on a horse made you nervous. it had been many years, but there was a time where you rode more often than you walked on your own two legs. pushing the feelings away to deal with another time, there was a bigger issue at hand. the movers were likely going to make it to the farm before you were at this rate.

“oh, no worries! stay put, we’ll come back for ya,” jungkook said, “shouldn’t take long. you’ll be okay waiting here?”

you smiled and nodded, giving the two kind semi-strangers a thank you and off they went.

it was a relief that small-town hospitality was a thing. you hoped that would be the case, as you remembered amber valley to be a tight-knit community, as everyone knew each other. this left you to wonder who else you would be encountering in your new life here from your past. there weren’t too many kids your age growing up and you assumed that most of them would want to leave the valley like you did, given the lack of opportunitites. you wondered why jungkook and namjoon were still around.

although you were just standing on the side of the road alone, you didn’t feel unsafe at all. after all, your grandpa would allow you and jungkook to roam around the town until late at night with no supervision when you were kids. there was not a single vehicle that passed by as you waited. if you hadn’t gotten namjoon’s attention as he was riding by, you were going to end up hitchhiking and probably in the wrong direction, too.

soon enough, you saw a car in the distance and you breathed a sigh of relief. a baby blue mustang, its age was apparent by the blaring roar of its engine and clank of its metal. coming to a stop, the windows rolled down and you gave a small wave.

while jungkook sat at the passenger’s seat, there was a different face behind the steering wheel. another person around your age, you couldn’t recognize him by face, even calculating his smile that reached his eyes. however, when he opened his mouth, the man’s voice hit you like a truck.

“hi, you’re - “

“park jimin?” you gaped.

the park family ran a generation spanning fishing business in amber valley and your mom was once high school sweethearts with jimin’s father. that’s why his mom was particularly snippy with you as a child and didn’t want you hanging around her son, feeding him ideas of how evil you apparently were - or so, that’s what the gossip from jungkook’s mom was. the three of you were baking cookies one day and jungkook wanted to drop some off to jimin. you went along and jimin called you a witch, so when you cried the entire walk back to jungkook’s house, his mom told you not to worry and that his mom was just a bit petty. ever since that day on until your last summer in amber valley, you declared jimin an enemy after realizing why he had done the same to you.

jimin peered over, analyzing your face for a few seconds. beside him, you could see jungkook noticeably stifling a laugh. when the realization clocked in, jimin mirrored your slightly dropped jaw.

he couldn’t help but laugh. “oh shit, you’re bunny.” there was no sense of resentment or snarkiness, which was surprising with your history - but, then again, this wide-eyed individual with the sweetest smile you’d ever seen was nothing like your childhood bully.

“i remember one time you ripped all of my silly bandz. you were evil!” jimin exclaimed.

once you got into the backseat, duffle bag nestled beside you, the atmosphere was actually quite lively. a beyonce album from the 2000s was shuffled in the background and although the road was bumpy and old, no one seemed to mind. you raised your eyebrows, trying to recall jimin’s anecdone.

jungkook added in, “yup, you guys hated each other. i had to play peacemaker all the time.”

“hmm…” you trailed off. “oh yeah. i think you had to physically hold me back from jimin a few times.”

apparently, from “forcing” jungkook to eat mud and terrorizing jimin’s dinosaur silly bandz collection, you were a menace. thankfully, it was all fun and games, as the three of you exchanged giggles about being kids in the valley. slowly, piece by piece, you were grasping some memories that you didn’t even know were tucked away at the back of your mind.

jungkook looked at you from the mirror. “you doing okay? we’ll be reaching the farm in a few minutes.”

“where did namjoon run off to again? i was supposed to lend him something,” jimin said.

“something about helping his dad with something, i dunno,” jungkook shrugged at jimin and then turned back to you. “he says good luck with moving in, by the way, and that he would have helped out if he could.”

jimin sighed. “he’s always at the beck and call of mayor kim. poor guy just wants to get out of here.” you assumed he was talking about amber valley as a whole.

this made you a bit curious, thinking again why these young adults were sticking around the small town. the average demographic for the town was definitely on the older side, from what you saw at your grandfather’s funeral service. you ended up asking what both of them did and while you noticed jungkook go quiet, jimin piped in.

“just helping my parents out with the family business, probably become the owner when they retire. i actually don’t mind it here and i could see myself staying here - “

“ - that’s because you’ve never left your entire life,” jungkook interjected.

“and it’s great! except the dating pool is a bit shallow. gotta figure that out.” jimin’s pout made you laugh and made it feel even more bewildering that this was the little brat from your childhood.

eventually, you all drove right past the path leading into the centre of town and made a sharp turn towards another dirt path that had a singular route to your grandfather’s property. the lively air of the conversation distracted you from the confrontation due, despite your hasty acceptance of your new role. the last two weeks had been a whirlwind and you grew anxious of what it would feel like to see your grandfather’s greatest pride and joy once again.

it’d been almost half a year since your grandfather’s passing and you prepared yourself for extensive work on the farm. there were also floating questions about the property that you weren’t sure who to ask. the property was in your name and the transition to move happened in the blink of an eye. but, what about grandpa’s other possessions? the animals? the furniture?

the moving truck was already parked out front and checking the time on your phone, you were relieved to see that you weren’t too late past the agreed arrival time. the three of you exited the car and you gave the two men a warm smile.

“hey, thanks for the ride. i really appreciate it, i would’ve been toast without your guys’ help.”

“it’s no problem at all! i think it’s really cool you’re taking over the farm, keeping it in the family,” jimin replied. “plus, we’ll probably be business partners. don’t worry, my days of being a pain in the ass are over.”

the two of you laughed and exchanged a playful handshake. meanwhile, jungkook took out your duffel bag from the trunk for you and walked over. you thanked him and took the bag from him, quietly impressed by his quick chivalry.

jungkook smiled at you and you couldn’t help but smile just a little bit wider. “do you need help with anything, by the way?“

“oh, no! trust me, you have definitely helped enough.” you waved him off. the neighbourly spirit was definitely strong in amber valley, but you already felt bad about having them fetch a whole car because the idea of you riding a horse was going to give you a heart attack.

“you sure?” jimin added.

you said, “absolutely. the movers got most of it anyway.” you were slightly worried about exploring the property and looking at the state of it, but that was just the first task you had to take care of in your new role.

“alright, cool. well, i hope to see you around! jungkook, you’re good?” jimin turned to the other male, who nodded. “nice. see ya then!” and just like that, jimin was off. a ray of sunshine, but seemed like the type who was always on his feet.

you were confused why jungkook didn’t leave with jimin and then you remember he lived about a five minute walk away. that reminded you why the two of you seemed to never leave each other’s sides.

“okay. you probably remember where everything is, but the chickens were fed this morning and - “ jungkook started and you were confused. what was he talking about?

“wait, has someone been taking care of the farm?”

you finally got a good look around the front and you realized everything looked. . .normal. it was exactly like how it looked in your memories, when your grandfather took meticulous care of the property. the grass was cut and emerald green, not missing a day of water.

your grandfather’s farmhouse had never gotten an renovation since being built and while it certainly showed, the age of the house accentuated a certain charm that only old houses gained over the years. the wrap-around porch was still in tact, despite its chipped paint. its unique bright red roof faded into a dirty maroon, losing remnants of what was your mother’s favourite colour, which your grandfather had customized the roof to match. the shrubbery around the house was overgrown, but didn’t look like it had been so for nearly half a year, indicating there was maintenance at some point between now and then.

jungkook took a second to speak. “well, your mom was paying for basic maintenance every now and then. for the grass and stuff.”

you didn’t know that, but you weren’t too surprised. after your grandpa died, there was really no talk about where his property was going to go. you didn’t know that he had left it to you, but you later found out that your mother was actually aware of this, but assumed you would be disinterested and didn’t say anything to you.

“i guess she thought i wouldn’t care about the property and took matters into her own hands,” you shrugged. “but, sorry, you said something about the chickens? and what about the fields?”

he put his hands into his pockets. “well, you know before your grandpa passed i was helping him around the farm and stuff. i just. . .kind of continued even after.”

you responded, “you’ve been taking care of the farm?”

you weren’t sure how to feel. you were certainly shocked, having not understood how truly deep jungkook’s relationship with your grandfather ran. for him to come out to the farm and perform labour on his own accord, as well as the way jungkook spoke about him, there was a true sense of care involved.

“well, yeah. there was no one else to do it. your grandpa worked all his life to grow this place and i didn’t want any of it to go to waste. i wasn’t sure what the situation was with the property until you came today, but the animals had nowhere to go!” jungkook seemed genuinely exasperated by the situation. “don’t worry, it’s not like i’ve been profiting off of his animals. i’ve used everything just to back into taking care of the farm and it’s been just enough, since there aren’t any crops.”

“jungkook. . .” you were left speechless. you couldn’t believe how golden of a heart this man really had to be keeping your grandfather’s memory alive, all behind the scenes and for no recognition.

he just chuckled. “look, i’m not just glad someone is here now to get things up and running again, but the fact that it’s you. you’re the perfect person for this.”

“am i?” you asked, looking down at the ground. you were about to fill some really big shoes and you knew it. those words of affirmation meant the world to you, suddenly feeling immense pressure on your back once actually seeing the farm in person for the first time in years.

jungkook said, without missing a beat, “of course. you’re here because you care about your grandpa’s legacy and all the work he’s done, i can see it in your eyes. you’ll be a natural, don’t worry - i’m sure all the little things are gonna come back to you!” he was so confident and you couldn’t believe it. you could only try to hope he was right.

“hey. . .” you began and couldn’t help but approach him. he seemed to share the same idea as you and opened his arms at the same time you did, enveloping you in a hug. neither one of you knew that the other had tears forming. “thank you, jungkook.”

“of course. maybe it’s actually best that i show you where everything is?”

you agreed without hesitation. after making sure that the movers didn’t need anything from you, the two of you left to embark on a quick tour of the property and its different buildings. when you were little, everything on the farm seemed so big and far and the entire world seemed to be unimaginatively endless. now, as an adult, things seemed just as daunting with the new chapter in your life, despite things not looking as big and far.

after an hour or so, jungkook said his goodbye and the movers had long finished their job. now, with your grandfather’s farmhouse living room filled to the brim with cardboard boxes and wrapped up furniture, you knew there was a lot ahead of you. you made a cup of tea and before getting to anything, found yourself outside and sitting criss-cross on the steps to the front door, wondering what was to come next.

v. the sister

there was just one grocery store in town, about half a kilometre of a walk and wasn’t going to pose any trouble for your vehicle-less self. this was your first time going into town since moving in, having been cooped up and living off of ramen noodles since you lacked the energy to go grocery shopping. friday night, after finishing work for the day and unpacking the last of your boxes, you decided to put on your big girl pants and run some errands.

the first few days on the farm were exhausting, to say the least. thankfully, because of jungkook’s help and your mother’s contributions to the property, it was a lot less work than you remembered. you performed many of the tasks naturally, having spent summers doing the same thing over and over again. this didn’t mean you weren’t tiring come the weekend and you just wanted your trip to be a quick in and out.

with an hour to closing, the store was basically empty and this gave you a sense of relief. you walked in, wearing stained sweatpants that were far older than you were willing to admit and your hair held up into a messy updo by a claw clip.

after about ten minutes, you were in the cereal aisle and deciding on if you wanted to pick out the one with the best cartoon on the cover or the one with the best nutritional value. this is when you felt something tugging on your pant leg.

“oh..? oh!”

you jumped slightly when you saw it was a beagle with the cutest eyes you’d ever seen. noticing the dog lacked a leash or collar or any kind, you quickly put the cereal you had been inspecting back on the shelf and crouched down.

you whispered, “who do we have here?” your own eyes softened, as you crouched down to pet the tiny animal.

from behind you, you hear the sound of spongy footsteps - almost like a squeak with each step. turning around, you were met with a little girl and realized the squeakiness was coming from her hot pink light up sneakers, the kind that only ever made noise on tiled flooring. with a leash that matched the colour of her shoes perfectly in hand, her distress visibly eased upon laying eyes on you and the dog.

“oh, peanut! oppa is gonna be so mad at me,” she gasped, immediately enveloping the puppy into her arms and re-attached the leash. looking at her, she couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

still crouched on the ground and meeting her at eye-level, you asked, “are you okay?”

“sorry, yeah! it just looked like she needed a second, so i took it off.” her frown, despite how distraught she was, was adorable. “thank you, miss!”

so much for the in and out. you didn’t mind, though, as peanut approached you again and jumped up, narrowly missing your face with an excitable lick. you giggled in a way you hadn’t in a while, petting the puppy.

soon enough, another round of frantic footsteps followed. you looked up and weren’t surprised to see a familiar face.

“jiwon, how many times have i told you to keep peanut leashed when we’re inside the store?”

honestly, it was to your luck that you ran into jungkook here. after he left you at the farm on your first day, you realized you didn’t get his contact information. you were definitely considering it as he gave you a quick tour of where everything you needed was, but the idea of asking a man for his number for any given reason made your stomach jump. thankfully you didn’t need immediate assistance, save for the various things that were just broken around the property, but it would have been useful.

clad in a graphic muscle shirt depicting a band you didn’t recognize, you couldn’t help but admire the way his tattoos were exposed and adorned his arms. you had to snap out of it. he finally made eye contact you and raised his eyebrows ever so slightly.

“y/n. how’s your first week gone?”

“oppa, why are you making your voice sound like that - “

jungkook cleared his throat. “shut it, jiwon.” you thought you saw his ears turned pink, but he adjusted the baseball cap on his head and his hair fell down to cover them.

you looked between the two of them, confused. who was this little girl? putting the thought at the back of your mind, you opened your mouth to answer his question when two other figures began to approach.

“hey! there you guys are - we got the cake.”

you’d never seen so many people wear cowboy hats in one place than amber valley and this individual was no exception. he was easily one of the most handsome men you had ever physically laid eyes on - what was with this town? and of course, blue jeans. the friend beside him was also incredibly good looking, but dressed more like your neighbour from your old apartment complex and stood out against the other people you’d seen in town. apple watch, expensive nike dunks and a hoodie from an instagram streetwear brand that recently blew up.

“who’s this?” the first man asked and his gaze made you a little more frozen than you were willing to admit.

jungkook replied, “this is y/n. she’s taking over the old farm, it was her grandpa’s.”

“oh, i’m sorry for your loss. welcome to amber valley, though. i’m taehyung,” he smiled and offered his hand, which you took. “i’m new, too. i moved here last year.”

the other man also offered you his hand. “i’m yoongi. welcome to amber valley - good luck.”

“i’m not new - wait what?” you looked at yoongi, confused. “what do you mean, good luck?”

the other three began chuckling amongst themselves. yoongi only looked exasperated. you raised an eyebrow.

jiwon cut in. “yoongi says he got tricked.”

“tricked?”

“tricked to come here,” taehyung said, in between his laughs. “he’s from the city, something about his realtor lying to him about what the town’s like before he moved here.”

yoongi rolled his eyes. “it’s not a joke - i didn’t know i would be moving to the middle of nowhere!”

you learned that yoongi was a computer programmer and lived at home, worked from home, and hated leaving his home. he stayed in amber valley because on the few occasions he was forced to go into the office, it was only a short drive to where his company’s headquarters were in the next town over.

“i mean, it’s definitely different from the city. . .” you tried to offer, but yoongi waved it off. his friends were just amused and you could see the tiniest smile at that, so you assumed he wasn’t totally unhappy.

meanwhile, taehyung proudly declared that he - wait for it - chose to move to amber valley. he was a novelist and moving to the town inspired the setting for the newest manuscript he was working on.

“i love it here, it’s really peaceful,” he said.

the last to be introduced was jiwon, whose appearance baffled you more and more when you looked at her. it was because she looked just like jungkook. and she was calling him oppa. you put two and two eventually.

“my annoying little sister.” jungkook reached over, but jiwon instantly slapped his hand away from her head, as if on instinct.

there wasn’t too much surprise at the sibling you’d never met before, just a little bewildering to think a whole new human was made while you were gone from amber valley. after all, jungkook’s parents were relatively young, both the same age your own parents, who had you at nineteen. this explained two main things in your childhood, the first being why it was a no-hesitation decision for your parents to send you away to your grandfather’s care over the summer. free childcare was incredibly unreliable in the city and it was just easier for them.

and, of course, like most kids from the valley, your mom grew up alongside jungkook’s parents. for that, it was encouraged and even expected for the two of you to eventually become friends. there was also a high level of trust because of this. out late biking with jungkook? oh, you’re with jungkook, it should be fine. left unsupervised on the fields? it’s okay, you and jungkook would look after each other.

“it’s nice to meet you all. it’s a little weird that you have a little sister this grown now - has it really been that long since i left?” you shook your head.

jungkook only laughed. “longest nine years of my life since this brat was born.”

“hey!”

“your mom did always say she wanted a daughter,” you attempted to joke, but ceased when you saw the atmosphere explicitly shift.

taehyung and yoongi looked away, eyes darting anywhere but the current conversation. jiwon looked like she had just seen a ghost. on the other hand, jungkook’s expression went blank. what the hell did you do wrong?

it was taehyung who broke the silence. “hey, jiwon. wanna go pick out a card for jin?”

jiwon nodded enthusiastically - a little too enthusiastic. she happily skipped away, giving peanut’s leash over to jungkook, and yoongi and taehyung both left with her.

“i’m so sorry, was it something i said?” you blurted to jungkook, as soon as the three were out of your line of sight. what a horrible first impression you must have just made.

jungkook said, “ah, no, it’s nothing, really. . .there is something you should know, though.” he took a second, as if preparing himself. “you see, my mom and dad passed away six years ago.”

“what?”

the familiar feeling of grief struck you like a lightning bolt, causing your chest to drop and you blood to run cold. you thought you heard him wrong. six years ago? your grandpa never told you this - or maybe he did and it went in one ear and out the other. you couldn’t believe it, your body frozen and detached.

“hey, it’s okay, you couldn’t have known.” he reached over and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, instantly calming you down at his touch.

you shook your head anyway. “i’m so sorry, jungkook.” you didn’t know what else to say.

“really, it’s fine,” he broke out into a light chuckle. “it was an accident and it happened a long time ago. it’s just a bit hard on jiwon because she doesn’t really remember them.”

“oh, i feel awful!”

“it’s okay, y/n,” jungkook continued to assure you, while peanut just looked up at you with those big eyes.

you still didn’t seem to find the words, as you mentally grasped at any remaining memories of jungkook’s parents. they were always around during the summer and were always so good to you. they cared for you like one of their own. jungkook’s mom always joked that you were the daughter she always wanted.

jungkook decided to be the one to change the subject, even though you had lingering questions about his and jiwon’s situation. he told you the reason why the four of you were in the grocery store in the first place, talking your ear off about how excited he was for his friend’s birthday party tomorrow.

“we’re throwing him a surprise party at the local pub - well, i guess it’s the only one in town,” he prattled and looked at his feet. “do you, uh, want to come? it’ll be a lot of fun.”

you felt your cheeks turn hot. “oh, i really shouldn’t intrude - “ something about jungkook inviting you out to a social setting made you nervous like a school girl.

“no! no, it’s no intrusion at all,” jungkook interjected, “trust me! there aren’t a lot of people our age in town and we’re all pretty close, so it’d be nice if you could meet everyone, too. jin is a really friendly person, he’ll want to meet you and make sure you’re fitting in well and everything.”

you paused. “i don’t know. . .”

“think about it!” he continued to insist, as he reached into his jeans and pulled out his phone from his back pocket. oh no. now, you were really frozen in place.

what was it about the way jungkook made you so nervous? this was literally the little boy that used to cry if your beyblade was stronger than his. you couldn’t believe yourself.

jungkook tapped on his phone a few time and then turned it around for you. “put in your contact. i’ll text you sometime tomorrow afternoon and see if you made your mind up?”

you did, in fact, give jeon jungkook your number. your hands were quivering ever so slightly when you did, but at least you didn’t have to be the one to ask. it gave you heavy relief that you didn’t have to be the one to text first either. but, then, you came to terms with the fact that you were certainly going to be checking your phone every two minutes for a text from the man in question. this was insane.

𝐓𝐀𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓. @sstrongstyle @wobblewobble822@seokout @firelcrds

#jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader #jungkook x oc #jungkook x you #bts fanfic #jungkook imagine #jungkook au #jungkook scenarios #jungkook series #bts series #bts x reader #bts imagines #bts scenarios #kpop fanfic #bts au #*** / the farmhouse.#kpop imagines #jungkook angst #jungkook fluff

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miraculouslbcnreactions · 20 days ago

Note

Marinette asked Tikki and Plagg what was Gabriel's exact Wish in the London special and they said he gave up his life for Nathalie's and that was it, nothing more to it. So the equivalent of the Wish was acquired, a life for a life, and nothing else negative nedeed to happen in order to balance out the universe after Gabriel's Wish according to the established lore. In Origins Gabriel wouldn't have been willing to give up his own life, which means he would've sacrificed an innocent person's life to revive Emilie. I guess the S5 finale is considered a win for the heroes according to the writers' own words cause they prevented Gabriel from sacrificing an innocent person for his Wish (as Gabriel can't be considered as such) even they couldn't prevent his Wish.

I guess that's why they walked back on reviving Emilie cause 1 life for 2 wouldn't fly (as this one's already stretching it considering that Gabriel was mortally wounded by the Cataclysm when he used his life up as an offering for the Wish) and I think the writers didn't want to bother with more consequences for the Wish.

(Post that spawned this ask)

I have yet to see the London special, but I took a look at the transcript and you're right. That does seem to be the official word:

Marinette: What did Gabriel Agreste wish for? Plagg: (sadly) He... gave up his life. Tikki:(sadly) In return for Nathalie's, knowing she was gravely ill. Nathalie:(shocked) He... did that?

*clears throat*

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? That's it??? That's the wish??? The entire universe was rewritten so that a domestic terrorists didn't need to suffer the consequences of her own fully informed choice?

Gabriel: I told you never to use the Peacock Miraculous! Nathalie: I had no choice, sir. I had to save you! (coughs) Gabriel: It's damaged. It's way too dangerous. Nathalie: I want to help you all the way to the end. (smiles) Gabriel: (glares at her but then smiles) Thank you, Nathalie. (puts his hand on top of hers) For everything.

Don't get me wrong, Nathalie living was obviously part of the wish, I just expected more. If you're going to have the villain win, then go big! (I will die on the hill that, if they wanted to "redeem" Gabriel via a wish, then the wish should have been to make the sentikids real humans.) Then again, this does fall perfectly in line with things like the season three and four finals. Something major that should have changed everything, but that ends up having almost no meaningful impact on the story.

Having an official word on this doesn't actually change my stance on the wish, though. If Gabriel making a wish is not a massive no, then everything about the story was pointless in my eyes. If Gabriel was willing to change his mind in his moment of triumph after a season where he was at his absolute worst, then I do not believe that he would have been unwilling to change back in Origins. That's simply not the story that the writers told.

Based on what canon actually gave us, Gabriel would have been willing to change his mind at any time so long as he saw that video of Emilie saying "don't revive me." That video wasn't even directed at him personally! It was an incredibly tepid plea for Nathalie to not mourn her:

Emilie: (from the video recording) Don't be sad, Nathalie. You know that I had agreed to it, that Gabriel never forced me to do anything. But he should never try to bring me back. No one should have their life stolen from them because of the mistake that we made. You must continue to be happy, even though I'm no longer here. As long as there's love, it is possible. Adrien will be well-surrounded. He'll have you, Nathalie, and he'll have his father if Gabriel agrees to give up on his madness... and on me. (Gabriel breaks down.) Adrien... will have all the love he needs to be happy. Bug Noire: And that's what happened. Adrien has learned to live, and built his own happiness while cherishing the memory of his mother. She would be proud of him. Gabriel: (whilst his shaky hands reach for the paused image of Emilie on the phone) I... just can't live without her. (sobs) I loved her so much. When she left me, the world shut down around me. I still remember her smile the day Adrien was born. When I placed him in her arms, for so long, we've been thinking that we would never be able to have a child. Adrien was our little miracle. (voice breaks) Everything was so... perfect, until Emilie became ill. She is— She was right: Adrien was not alone. He had Nathalie and me. I've ruined everything. Nathalie's about to disappear, (the tip of his index finger shatters) and so am I. Adrien will have no one left.

If this lackluster moment could change his mind, then lots of things would have because there's no way in hell that the video was new information. It's even arguable the video didn't change his mind. At least, not the way I'd expect if we're going for a positive, meaningful message. Gabriel still doesn't want to live without Emilie. What we see in this scene and the official word of god is that Gabriel picked death over a life without Emilie:

Émilie will not be brought back to life as Gabriel has finally mourned her death, which Adrien has already done for a long time. But Gabriel cannot live without her and decides to die with her.

I would not call this good, meaningful growth for Gabriel. Nor would I call it a positive, uplifting message for children. I'd call it a horrifying and disgusting message for anyone who has ever suffered intense grief from the loss of a loved one, but let's not dwell on that too much. Instead, let's keep our focus on what Gabriel's choice means for the overall story.

The word of god and the implications of this scene are also that talking it out was all anyone ever needed to do:

In the end, it is not violence or strength that wins, but people talking to each other and opening up about their feelings. It is when people are not subject to their emotions, but instead try to understand them to think better and take the right decisions.

If this is true and it's okay for Gabriel to pick suicide over a life without Emilie, then all of Paris pointlessly suffered because of a simple communication issue. Ladybug and Chat Noir should have just asked Gabriel what his wish was, told him that he'd have to sacrifice himself or a willing third party to make that work, and then let him decide if he wanted to switch places with Emilie. Alternatively, he could have sacrificed himself for some innocent like a cancer patient and gone to be with his wife in death in that person's place. Same ending, just with the bonus of saving someone from cancer! You cannot convince me that he wouldn't go for it based on what we see in canon.

As a quick final note, letting Gabriel make the wish not only ruins the story, it also ruins the lore because we have to actually consider what the wish does now. As you said in the ask, it doesn't make any sense. If Gabriel is literally moments away from dying, then how can he give up his life for Nathalie's? And why do you need to rewrite the universe when the wish is something so minor? How does rewriting the universe make the wish come true? What actually changed? Did Nathalie now never use the peacock? Did her illness just switch to Gabriel? If so, how? I have so many questions that I know will never be answered because they don't exist. The lore is simply not strong enough to hold up to up any level of scrutiny.

#anon ask #ml writing salt #ml writing critical #lore discussion #I know Gabriel is only dying so that the writers don't have to actually address the choices they made re his ending #But that doesn't change the fact that it makes the lore nonsense #I will never get over them having Adrien basically kill his father just so that they didn't have to sacrifice a healthy Gabriel #As that makes the whole suicide issue glaring

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melbatron5000 · 9 months ago

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Murder Board 2.0

Updated 9/27/24

Since I've figure a few things out, I need to re-do my Murder Board. New answers, new questions.

What I think I know:

Hints given out by NG are suspect at best. (I cannot blame him or anyone else on the cast or crew -- they spent A LOT of time and energy building this very meticulous puzzle game for us -- why would ANY of them give ANY of it away? That would ruin all the fun!)

Lots of the discontinuity of Season 2 can be explained by POV switches between characters. See here and here for more. I think the title/location cards are also probably POV Clues, that needs a closer look.

Crowley gave something to Aziraphale in his mouth when they kissed. It's the fly. Now, what else was in the fly besides Gabriel's memory? RECORDS. Incriminating records that are why the Metatron let Beelzebub and Gabriel go, but nailed Aziraphale. The Metatron knows Gabriel has those records, he doesn't know they got passed to Aziraphale.

Saraqael and Crowley and by proxy, Aziraphale are all working together. See here and here for more. That explains A. the tiny miracle blowing up into a 25 Lazarii miracle. It didn't. They had to cover for something else that did. B. Saraqael showing the archangels the book shop in 2019 in the spy hole. C. Crowley's spy turtle neck and where he went during Aziraphale's Job flashback. D. Why Saraqael helps him see the trial in Heaven. (Oh! Muriel's now in on it, too!)

Crowley's memory is fine, it's a red herring. It might mean something else, though. I think he is dissing Furfur, he is denying knowing Saraqael even after she gives him a reason to recognize her to hide that they are working together. He tells Jim he doesn't remember why they invented gravity, but that whole scene is from Aziraphale's perspective, so the conversation likely didn't actually go just like that.

Shax is on a mission besides Gabriel -- she's looking for whatever Aziraphale and Crowley are hiding. Gabriel is a side-mission.

The hand-washing comment from Crowley in the Resurrectionists minisode -- he tells DaVinci about helicopters in Good Omens the novel. It's just a thing he can do.

What is up with Maggie? Maggie's freaking Jesus 2.0. She's what Shax is looking for, and who Crowley, Aziraphale, and Saraqael are hiding. Also, where is God? God is busy being Maggie, that's where. That's why Crowley says "Oh God" before his speech in the final fifteen. He's bringing up what they're hiding, reminding Aziraphale that someone has to stay and keep an eye on Maggie. That's why he can't go. Now, how the FUCK did Jesus 2.0 wind up owning a record store she inherited from her family NEXT TO AN ANGEL?? (Ah, shit, now I'm doubting this one. Now I suspect it's Nina, and Maggie is Mary MAGdeline. Same questions still apply.)

SECRET SONGS??? Why are the songs secret?? I'm losing my mind, what is happening?? I think this is a message that A. Aziraphale and Crowley are okay, and B. We will absolutely be getting part 3 of 1941.

I still think the scenes might be out of order. Is it as simple as watching them in chronological order? Could be.

The Metatron is a naked man. i.e. he was originally HUMAN.

Aziraphale and Crowley are talking in subtext A LOT. Aziraphale's tells are easier to spot than Crowley's. He raises his eyebrows and does vocal bunny rabbit ears, says "um," and "ah." "Our Gabriel miracle," "The establishment in question," "Certainly on to something," "Haven't yet cracked the case." Crowley's tell seems to be being effusive. "Frozen peas," "You wouldn't be interested in love?" "Well, today is your lucky day!" "How do you know I didn't do it?"

We are missing the scenes that should mirror the Resurrectionists minisode. What we do have instead of mirrors to that are Crowley telling the demons they are out of order. He can tell time has been messed with.

There are two Crowleys. I think the head in the book shop is his way of keeping in touch while his twin is off doing things, and the red eyes are him, too. Now, why?? What do they need 2 Crowleys for?

What still needs answering:

The clocks jumping time. And why are the extras moving in double-time when we first arrive to Whickber street?

The weird hand in the 1941 photo.

Aziraphale's chair position being moved still doesn't make sense. Unless Crowley was talking to himself??

The extras behaving strangely.

Crowley's car being in the wrong spot on the road after Shax threatens him.

Weird sounds -- Aziraphale turns to look at a crashing sound when he returns from Edinburgh, to look at a car horn, the very loud clock in the final fifteen BUT ALSO when Jim says he will go out to the demons, nightingale singing when Crowley leaves in the FF.

I'm not sure that POV switches explain Crowley's sunglasses going from silver to black.

I don't know why Aziraphale went to Edinburgh, or why he stopped at the graveyard where Gabriel's statue is, or why he looked like he realized something important while he was there.

Why does Michael do the "nothing's in the box" thing with the matchbox? It's a petty specific action. Someone pointed out that Michael's nails look chewed and terrible, are we meant to stare at the matchbox while something else goes unnoticed? Well, duh. But what?

We most certainly did not get the whole scene where the Metatron is talking to Aziraphale. What else was said?

What did Crowley do during his ALL-NIGHT JAUNT in Heaven? Did he sneak around and steal something? Did he uncover something? Did they hurt him? I think he stole something.

What did Aziraphale do with his briefcase that he took to Edinburgh? We see it in the book shop from his POV, and Edinburgh is seen from Crowley's POV, so they both know it exists. And then it's gone.

Why does Gabriel prophecy with God's voice? IS it God's voice? It's a woman, is it Frances McDormand? It's hard to hear. When he remembers the beginning, I think it's God's voice. When he prophecies, it may be someone else. Frances McDormand has no credit in that episode.

Why the heck did Maggie and Nina go talk to Crowley while the Metatron was talking to Aziraphale? What they had to say wasn't important enough to leave Nina's shop during a rush, and I definitely don't think they derailed Crowley from what he needed to say to Aziraphale, though it might look at first as if they did. So what was that about? Were they trying to speak in husband-code to warn him about the Metatron?

When Shax stops Aziraphale for a ride, he says, "Oh, I really need to get to --" and then is cut off. He really needs to get to where? It's an easy assumption to think he means the book shop, or London. But is that all he means? Or was he on his way somewhere else? And if it was just the book shop, what does he mean he's late? Late for what?

When Crowley leaves Heaven, he tells Saraqael and Muriel to come, too. But in the elevator, Michael and Uriel are there! When the fuck did they show up??

Why does Beelzebub tell Shax to attack the bookstore? Aren't they worried about Gabriel being harmed? And they know Hell is understaffed. Maybe that's why they command it? Because they know Shax won't be able to get many demons?

What about the Masons? It's such a specific thing for the pub owner to bring up, what is the meaning of it? And Maggie has a Mason symbol on her necklace. Did the Masons carve the statue of Gabriel? When did they see him?

The only narration we hear in the entire season is Aziraphale in the Resurrectionist flashback. I believe this is to throw us off the POV character switches all season. But still, why do we only hear him narrate 1 flashback? I think he's reading the diary to himself in the present day. That would explain the end, "And that was the last I was to see of Crowley for some time." He JUST heard the story of the jukebox from Maggie. And Gabriel appearing at the pub -- same city that statue is in. Of course he thought of something important from that diary entry! Now, what did he notice?

Is the Book of Life a real threat? We hear two stories about it, that it's real and that its ability to erase beings was something to scare the cherubs with, this is inconclusive. Crowley gets nervous after Beelzebub talks to him, but I think he's pissed that Heaven and Hell have taken an interest in them again, especially since they're trying to hide Nina!Jesus.

So many promo posters show Aziraphale, Crowley, and Jimbriel together, or symbols of them. Three feathers: two white, one black. Tea cup, cocoa mug, wine glass. The three of them. Not with Beelzebub, not with Muriel, the three of them. And all three of them have been Jesus-coded in some small way. No one else. Those three. What. Why. Are they the sacrifice required to bring about the new world? Why not Beez, then?

The whole collection of Maggie's album's from the Amazon X-ray are great, big CLUES.

A post that I didn't reblog pointed out that the record Aziraphale is listening to when Garbriel shows up is neither Shostakovich nor 21 minutes long. That seems important, but I'm not sure how. (The record is opposite when Crowley gives Aziraphale the fly containing records -- the actual symphony is, according to the original blog, one written by a rebel in contempt of his government. Do the records have to do with the rebellion and fall?)

What the heck does Furfur mean by "little monkey in the waistcoat?" How does that sound like Crowley?

Why does Furfur change the subject when Aziraphale asks where Gabriel and Beelzebub would like to go?

Why does Mrs. H say "for God's sake" two times in a row? No one says that on this show without a meaning.

Shax notices Crowley going to Heaven and makes an epiphany face.

Why is the end credit music for the ball French cafe music? French must be important. And the end credit music for The Hitchhiker is old timey and scratchy, then skips and becomes the same song in a newer, clearer style. Because they repeat the bullet catch trick in the modern day, perhaps?

I thought I heard that Crowley and Aziraphale are in the fly in the opening sequence, but nope. So why are they in a cave?

Why are there multiple elevators and multiple mountains in the opening sequence??? What the hell does that mean?? And multiple Edens?? All right, what's up??

I count at least two times Aziraphale glances right at the camera, probably more. Who is he looking at? Us? Is he looking at Crowley?Why??

When Aziraphale arrives back from Edinburgh, he asks how "everything is with -- mm." Crowley says "he was sleeping, I heard him singing." I don't think they mean Gabriel. At the cafe, Crowley says when Gabriel smites you, you've been smitten. Aziraphale says he isn't "you know who any longer." Again, I don't think he means Gabriel. Who are they hiding?

What has Aziraphale's attention when he asks Maggie about Every Day? She points to the coffee shop, and all of a sudden Aziraphale can't stop looking out the window and gets very nervous.

Twos. Why are twos so important?? Repeating twos. And there's doubles of damn near every object on screen.

Repeating themes: (I am just realizing that these aren't just themes, they are all Clues!)

Beverages of all kinds -- tea for Aziraphale, wine or whiskey for Crowley, cocoa for Jim. Oh, and LAUDANUM. And coffee!

Time -- lots of clocks/mentions of time. Everyone notices the ticking clock during the Final Fifteen, but it's ticking loud when the demons attack the ball, too. Also, why is the first scene of Whickber street shown at high-speed? Is time sped up? Or something else?

Love/partnership/togetherness being stronger than separateness

Memories/forgetting/remembering

Payment -- money comes up in both the Resurrectionists minisode and the Flesh Eating Nazi Zombies minisode, but no one pays for anything in present. There is bartering, but no money. Both times money is brought up, it's Crowley using Aziraphale's money, and both times, it's to buy a life. It's funny, but I feel like there's a point to it.

Rising from the dead -- Job's kids (even though they weren't actually dead), bodies used for science, Nazi zombies, the Second Coming. I think this is all just hinting around Jesus -- sure, hinting around Jesus, who we were expecting to show up in Season 3, but she's already here. The hints indicate that she is already on Earth, not going to show up next season.

Unreliable narrators. Because we are seeing the whole show from various characters' points of view. Because of that, we can only see what they know, expect, believe, or understand, but also what they want us to see. We need to take the whole second season with a grain of salt.

Death in general -- but 8a., I'm a dirty pagan, why didn't I make this connection sooner, death always leads to REBIRTH, change, something totally new and 8b. there are tarot cards in the magic shop, and even if you're not a dirty pagan, the Death tarot card means transition, something must die before a new thing can be born. Hmm.

Morality and what is "good" and what is right

Recognition and identity and hiding one's identity. Ah! Probably at least partly because Maggie someone? is Jesus. How would you recognize them? (I think it's Nina now.)

Licenses, permits, permissions, rules, proof, evidence, what's allowed. All of the minisodes mention this, and it all gets mentioned again over and over. Because Heaven and Hell do have rules they have to follow. Which drives home my theory that Gabriel stole some very incriminating records from Heaven when he left, Crowley got hold of them and gave them to Aziraphale during the kiss, and now Aziraphale is going to nail them.

Colors. Lots of colors!! Job's kids are dressed in the colors of Nina, Maggie, and Aziraphale's shops. Jesus on the Resurrectionist Pub sign is in blue and red, blue and red crop up a lot in extra's clothing, as do yellow and red, Crowley colors. The Ladies of Camelot are in red and blue. Aziraphale says Earth will be a blue-green planet, Nina's shop is blue-green.

Horses. Horse statue, horse wine label, people saying "dark horse." The four horsemen again? I feel like they already had their ride, so what the hell? I think it's because season 2 is an echo of season 1, I THINK -- I have to check -- that horses appear or get mentioned when the horsemen have corresponding scenes in season 1.

Numbers. A lot of numbers get said. Does it matter, or am I overthinking?

Repeating words and phrases:

Technically

Properly

Isn't it just?

Too late

Funny old world

Not as such

Made for each other

EVERYWHERE

Obviously

Two shakes of a lamb's tail

Dark horse

What are you/am I? As opposed to WHO. Aziraphale asks in the Land of Uz, and Crowley asks Gabriel.

Are you sure? Quite sure.

The Marvelous Mr. Fell is described as marvelous in his mysterosity, Shax says the demons have dangerosity.

Mrs. H in 1941 says "for God's sake" twice in quick succession.

Schtum

Every day

Hints:

Powell and Pressburg films

The Crow Road

Catch 22

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett in general

Jane Austin

Book Good Omens

Season 1 Good Omens

The titles of episodes, minisodes, places, etc. 7a. The Arrival: a book and a movie, though the book seems far more relevant. And lovely. The Clue: a movie. Companion to Owls: a line from a Bible story. I Know Where I'm Going: a movie. The Resurrectionists: two novels, each called The Resurrectionist, singular. Both look unhinged. The Hitchhiker: a Twilight Zone episode. Nazi Zombie Flesheaters: Literally no other reference. ?? Nazi Zombies do appear in a LOT of movies, comics, and video games, usually as a dark joke. The Ball: a video game. Irrelevant? It's a puzzle-based game, so maybe not. Every Day: a song AND a movie. Some themes repeat here: Puzzle games, being re-directed from one's path to find true love, death and being brought back to life in a gruesome and unpleasant way.

Objects that get a close-up/centering:

Starmaker's nebula book -- Nebula 231,080

Shax's compact mirror

Maggie's note

Shostakovich record

Tomatoes

The box

The Bentley

Eccles cakes

The bell

Head statue

The book Jim drops

Jukebox

Gabgriel's statue

Laudanum bottle

Phones in Edinburgh episode

"Very closed" sign

Broken whiskey bottles in 1941

Hourglass in Hell

Furfur's camera

Bullet catch in the magic shop

Instruction booklet for bullet catch gets 3 close ups -- because the bullet catch trick is that important, or because it happens 3 times? Both, I think.

Puppets

Dancers' silhouettes

Mr. Fell sign

The actual bullet

Angelic beings book

Photo evidence

Shax's shoes

"Surrender the angle" brick

#good omens #good omens 2 #crowley #aziraphale #good omens meta #ineffable husbands #aziracrow #good omens analysis #good omens fan theory #ineffable mystery #good omens minisodes #good omens 1941 #good omens resurrectionists #good omens Job

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4ngelx-x · 4 months ago

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Early Morning Call.

⇾ This chapter mentions sex, drug use, fights and alcohol. If you are sensitive to this type of content, please skip.

Guys, forgive my level of English, it's not my first language.

Late at night.

I don't usually wake up in the middle of the night. I'm always too tired since I broke up with her, I never have time to rest, I try to keep busy all the time.

I spend the day photographing, if not rehearsing, and when I'm not doing any of that, I go traveling. There was no time for thoughts like that. But tonight was different.

Lisa's call💗

I woke up late at night to my cell phone vibrating under my pillow. I checked the name again and saw that it was hers. The same name as when she gave me her number. I don't have the heart to change it.

I scratch my eyes to make sure it was that name, and I'm sure when it shows up as a missed call and the call comes through again.

— Please Y/N — I had just accepted the call and she didn't give me time to answer it, speaking in a tearful voice — Don't hang up.

— I'm not going, is everything all right, Lisa?

— Please Y/N - I hear her agonized voice — I need you so much, I can't do it without you.

— Elisa, are you drunk? — I ask worriedly.

— I miss your hugs, I miss the way you boss me around, I miss the way we used to be together, I miss your kisses, your mouth - she whispers into the phone — I miss you.

Her voice comes out slurred, as if she's speaking without thinking.

I remember what it was like when she drank, she let loose, danced the way she wanted, acted the way she wanted and also said what she wanted. I remember when we'd go out and she'd pull me up to dance in front of everyone, even when there was no one there, when she'd spin me around until we were dizzy.

— I need you, Y/N. I need you as much as I need water to survive — I hear her sigh on the other end of the line — I swear I've tried to move on, I've tried meeting other people, having sex, kissing, but I can't stop thinking about you.

You had sex with other people?

— I did everything you asked me to do, but I failed. I'm sorry, please forgive me — I'm startled when I hear her cry — I need you, Y/N.

I used to love stroking her hair, I remember when we sat on the bed on our day off and did nothing all day, we'd just sit there on our cell phones, watching a movie, chatting away, having sex all the time, drinking wine. But that all went down the drain.

— Remember when you told me you didn't want to see my face anymore? You told me that I should get on with my life, meet other people and forget about you — he says in a slurred voice — I couldn't, the girls tried to cheer me up, Sakina took me to parties, Jean-François introduced me to friends and no one could get you out of my head.

They were all my friends, we went out together, we went out as a couple. They said we were the most beautiful couple of all. It seems that now they no longer have that opinion.

— I miss how you made me feel, when you touched me, how you caressed me, how you sucked me — she whispers the last part.

We'd have sex anywhere, we'd already tried out every room and piece of furniture in her new house. We had sex whenever we could. We had sex all the time.

— I can't bear to be without you, I can't bear to be without your affection, I can't bear to be without your hugs? — She says with a slurred voice - Remember that time I went a few games without winning and I was frustrated and we had sex 10 minutes before I went on the pitch and we won with a goal of my own?

I laugh mentally at the memory.

— We called it the lucky fuck, because the team went the rest of the season without losing — I hear a muffled laugh — That day I dedicated my goal to you, but you don't know that when I scored that goal I was remembering you cumming in my mouth.

I get up from the bed, trying to get rid of the sensation she had made between my legs. She always did that to me, talking dirty to me everywhere, teasing me and making me horny. When that time we were at a super-acclaimed awards ceremony and she was in the middle of the red carpet, in front of all the cameras and photographers, telling me she wanted to suck me off in front of all those people, so everyone could see how beautiful I am moaning, that had finished me off, me always standing cross-legged trying to relieve the tension she was causing me. Just like now, crossing my legs trying to get rid of that feeling.

— I wanted to taste you again, how good you make me feel and how good it is to hear you moaning in my ear, begging me not to stop — I hear a moan from her.

Was she realizing how long she'd been on the phone?

— Tell me you don't miss it too — The voice comes out like a breath — Tell me you don't miss how I made you feel, how I could make you come in two minutes anywhere…

I drink the glass of water on the bedside table, wetting my throat, which has gone dry.

— Talk to me Y/N - That voice again - I need to hear your voice…

— You're just drunk Elisa, go take a cold shower and go to sleep — I mean it.

— I love it when you take care of me, even though I don't deserve it. — She speaks with a tearful voice again.

When you saw Y/N, you saw Elisa. Because where one went somewhere, the other followed. There's no Elisa without Y/N and there's no Y/N without Elisa. Until that day, that damn day.

— Please Elisa, don't call me again, not like that…

— What way - she replies quickly.

— Drunk - I say worried - Why are you drunk? Again. You're out drinking almost every day, this isn't good for you, if you want to destroy your life, do it away from me, take me away from your close friends, I don't want to see you like this.

Drinking, lots of drinking and drugs. Almost every night. I avoided looking, but Instagram always reminded me.

— I want to smell you again, I want to feel you. Please, let's talk properly?

We never talked, it was never just talk, because it always ended in sex, that's how we always got back together. But I promised myself I wouldn't fall for it again.

I hear the sound of a bottle in the background, as if it had fallen from somewhere.

— Did you know that every night I read that verse from that book you gave me two months ago that's next to our photo? The girls hate that photo, but I like it, we'd just woken up after having sex all night, I like it because I like the way your hair looks when you wake up, and how sincere your smile is in the morning.

That night we'd had a fight, but the fight was no longer about hot kisses and silly hands, we had sex everywhere, even I accidentally broke a glass when she threw me over the sink. We were so drunk that we spent more than 10 minutes laughing. It was the night I had the most fun in my entire life

— We're so good together, why do you want to leave? You're the love of my life, I can't let you go like this without fighting for you - I say between sobs.

— I love you, Lisa, but it's best if we stay apart. Until you get better - I said, wanting to cry

I had never stopped loving her. I'd broken up with her for the best, but she seemed to have got worse.

I remember it like it was yesterday, I'd just come back from a work trip, I hadn't told Elisa I'd be home early. When I opened the living room door, I saw her with one of her friends, sniffing powder on the table. That image of her sniffing was stuck in my head. She was doing drugs on the living room table, as if that was a good thing to do.

We fought all night.

Fame had gone to her head after the World Cup, when everyone saw that she was really good. It must have been that night that started it, when all the girls asked her out and I decided to stay in the apartment and let her have fun on her own. When she came back, she came back strange, but I didn't notice, because she fucked me in every way she could. After that day, the fights started to be almost constant, but we always ended the same way, she spent her days apart and it all made sense when I saw her doing it.

— WHAT THE FUCK! - I laugh, denying what I'd just seen.

She gets up startled and her friend gets up too.

— Ma chatter, let me explain - She tries to get close to me.

— Don't touch me, Elisa! - I shout in disgust at what she's just done.

I walk from the living room to the bedroom as quickly as possible, carrying my suitcase so that I could put more clothes in it. I was going to leave this house.

— Please, mon amour, don't do this. I can explain, I swear.” She speaks with a strong accent, due to her nervousness

She tried to stop me putting the clothes in the suitcase, but I intervened.

— I don't want an explanation Elisa, I saw what I saw, it doesn't need an explanation - I say, trying to get her hands off my clothes.

I closed the suitcase with difficulty and pulled it out, as it had become very heavy.

— Please, mon amour, let me show you that I can do better, but don't leave me, please - she tries to stop me.

I slap her with all my strength.

— Don't ever try to do that again, don't touch me and don't try to stop me from leaving — I say, looking her in the face — You're destroying your life and now you've destroyed our relationship… You, more than anyone, know everything that happened to me, and you want this nightmare to come back?

Her eyes fill with tears, but she keeps trying to get in front of me.

— Please don't leave — she tries again to get in front of me.

— It's over Elisa, I don't want to look you in the face anymore — She's startled by the word “over” — Don't call me anymore, don't text me, don't do anything related to me, until you get better and regret it.

— Ma chatter, please don't do this to me — She was red, trying to hold back the tears.

I couldn't look at her like that, but after what I saw, I can't look at her anymore. I wouldn't go through that again. I'd seen my family destroyed by it once and it seems to have destroyed it again.

— Get on with your life Elisa, try to get on with your life, find other people, meet new people and forget about me — I try not to cry in front of her.

I pull my suitcase out of the apartment and don't look back, lest I regret it.

We spent the night arguing over phone calls, her asking me to come back to talk and me wandering aimlessly around the city with a huge suitcase in my hands. She was on drugs, saying nonsensical things…

— Are you still there? — I hear her voice on the other end of the line — I can hear you breathing, is everything all right?

She knew me so well. I feel angry about that.

— Let's talk, please, I've gotten better, I swear to you — She says — Do you know what day it is?

I spend every day very busy, working from Sunday to Sunday, I don't have time to look at the calendar, let alone the clock.

— Today was supposed to be our two-year anniversary — she laughs disappointedly — That's why I couldn't bear it. I can't do without you. You're my life, Y/N, give me a chance to show that I've improved.

I look at the clock on my dressing table. 3am. She's drunk, she has a match tomorrow and she hasn't even rested.

— Elisa, please, go take a shower and go to sleep — I say, trying not to cry — Just do it, please.

— I swear I post that, but I don't do anything. I've gotten better. I don't do any more of that — She sighs and gives up — I love you Y/N, bye. I hope you'll watch the match, I swear I'm fine, I just called to remind you that you're the love of my life.

I love you, Elisa. I love you so much that it hurts and I can't heal it…

#elisa de almeida #elisa de almeida x reader #woso #woso x reader #woso fanfics

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irisintheafterglow · 1 year ago

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Just Wanna Keep Calling Your Name (gojo x you)

summary: you check on megumi and yuuji before they begin their mission to find tengen and unseal the honored one.

wc: 1.8k

cw/tags: angst/comfort with hopeful ending, swearing, mentions of eating and food, just sad separated found family things

note: part 3/4 of my "i don't wanna live forever" little series. yeah writing this made me so sad i just wanna tell them it'll be okay and this shit hasn't even been ANIMATED yet

likes/reblogs/feedback is appreciated <3

In any other circumstance, he’d be pushing you away in exaggerated melodrama because of how tightly you’re constricting him. He’d gently wiggle from your grip, saying something about you embarrassing him or that he wasn’t a kid who needed hugs anymore. You’d frown a little bit, staring at him in disappointment until he huffed in surrender and squeezed you even tighter. After a few moments, Satoru would inevitably come over and create a “Megumi-sandwich,” wrapping his lanky arms around both of your bodies and pressing a kiss to your cheek. Sometimes, Yuuji would catch wind of the affection and race over, tackling all three of you to the ground until you were in one familial heap. Satoru would take your hands and help you off the floor just to pull you to his lips. Yuuji would coo fondly at the show of affection while Megumi made a gagging gesture with his finger. In any other circumstance, it would be a perfectly normal hug.

But, these were not normal circumstances.

Because they weren’t normal circumstances, you weren’t able to utter a word before Megumi’s arms were shakily wound around your body, hiding his face in your shoulder and trembling. You catch Yuuji’s ashamed gaze from inside Megumi’s dorm and reach out your hand, which he takes and pulls both you and Megs closer to him. As much as you like to remind yourself that they’re capable of holding their own as sorcerers, you couldn’t ignore the reality that the Shibuya incident was not something that seasoned sorcerers should have experienced, much less two teenagers. With Panda, Inumaki, and Nobara in grave condition and Nanami soulless in the morgue downstairs, you were truly the only family the two boys had left. You never allow your mind to drift to Satoru.

“Eat, Megs. Please.” You set the bowl of ginger chicken in front of him, his favorite ever since he was little. You silently thanked past you for putting frozen containers of ginger chicken and spaghetti in the teacher’s lounge freezer, which you picked up on your way to check on the boys. The picture in front of you was tragically familiar–Megumi on his bed with a bowl of ginger chicken and his stuffed wolf in his lap. You couldn’t guess the last time the two ate, but it must have been quite a long time from how quickly Yuuji scarfed down the first bowl of spaghetti. The second tub of spaghetti is still warm, thankfully, and you slide the bowl over to him in understanding. Megumi, on the other hand, simply stared off into space, the enticing steam of the food unable to pierce his broken exterior. “I’m gonna take the wolf back if you don’t eat.” His eyes are dark and dangerous when they flick up to you, the same look he gave you for the past however many years you’d been using that threat. Despite its age, you’re surprised to find that it still works as he finally takes a bite of food. “Thank you.”

“When’s the last time you ate?”

“This morning. I had breakfast with Shoko.” You also tried one of her cigarettes again and hated them just as much as the first time. She’d poured a few shots for you before work to make it up to you.

“Coffee doesn’t count as breakfast,” Megumi deadpans and your first impulse is to laugh. But, you can’t stop the memory that breaks loose and it slams into you like a freight train.

He was giving you that odd look again, something between the lines of skeptical and adoration. You stick your tongue out at him in defiance and his hand finds yours from the driver’s seat of the car. It was an early morning mission and you argued that you deserved a treat after dragging him out of bed. To Ijichi’s annoyance, Satoru stops at a grocery store, running in to grab you a muffin and scolding you for not having enough fuel for the day. He kissed you so fervently when he returned to the car, like you were going to disappear in his absence. He said he could taste the coffee on your lips and that you didn’t make it right; when you looked at him with an offended expression, he shrugged and said he made you the best coffee. You’d never admit it, but he was right.

“I-I had a muffin, too.” Despite your best efforts, your voice still comes out as a choke and Megumi’s face falls guiltily. He knows exactly what his words had accidentally triggered. “I split it with Shoko.” You take his hand while he avoids your eyes, rubbing your thumb over his knuckles reassuringly. “Eat, Megs. It’s okay.”

“Did the higher-ups really confine you to the school?” Yuuji asks after he’s finished the second tub of spaghetti. “I heard…some things about you and it made me nervous.”

You hum in assent. “Well, I’m still alive. There’s no way I’d let them kill me before checking on you two.” The words are meant to be reassuring but aren't received that way as their heads both snap to look at you in alarm. “Yeah, no point in lying. We talked about it, before everything happened. I know he didn’t say anything about it because he didn’t want to worry you, but we discussed what would happen in his…absence.”

“Have they sent anyone yet?” Megumi’s voice is low and threatening but you knew the warning wasn’t directed toward you.

“No, but I also know they haven’t sent anyone after Yuuji either, right?” They nod but still eye you warily. You give them a weak smile in an attempt to ease their worries. “So, that means the brass is still such a shit-show that they can’t dispatch sorcerers to apprehend Satoru’s associates. We have time, but not a lot of it.”

“We have a plan. Or, at least, the beginnings of one. To get him back,” Yuuji says carefully, each word delicate like you were a grenade on the verge of exploding. Your walls go up immediately, shutting down to prevent the storm of emotions that welled up at the optimistic hope in his words. “We’re going to unseal him.” The sentence goes in one ear and out of the other; you can tell by their expressions that your eyes have gone empty and blank. It wasn’t anything against them. You just couldn’t handle thinking about him too much, lest you truly break down.

“Okay. Try your best.” Your smile is pained and forced, but you still nod in weak encouragement. Megumi’s eyebrows suddenly furrow in thought, like he’d remembered something important. “What is it, Megs?”

“Who is Toji?”

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Satoru, Satoru please. Satoru, please look at me,” your voice cracks into broken cries while your hands frantically shake his shoulders, willing him to wake up. “Baby, I need you to look at me, please. Satoru, please, baby. Please, I can’t–” You can’t breathe. The words are getting caught in your throat and staying there. Every inhale tastes like blood and every exhale emphasizes your boyfriend’s lack of a pulse. “I can’t get to Suguru, Satoru. I can’t get to Suguru and he needs you. I need you. I need you, please. Please, wake up.” The tiniest bit of movement catches your eye and you stare in amazement at his hand, drenched in a pool of his own blood, twitching and violently blazing Cursed Energy. “There you are, baby. Come back to me.”

“He was a sorcerer from the Zenin clan. Why do you ask?”

“Was?” Megumi echoes, and it’s your turn to mirror his confused expression. “Like, he’s dead?”

“Yeah, he’s been dead for over a decade. Again, why do you ask?”

“There was a guy that Naobito called ‘Toji’ in Shibuya with us. He had no Cursed Energy but was stronger than the special-grades we were fighting.” Dread drops into your stomach like a dead weight. Fushiguro Toji coming back from the dead was the last fucking thing you needed.

“Is the man still alive?”

“No, and that’s what I’m curious about. He asked me what my last name was and then killed himself when I said ‘Fushiguro.’ He could have killed me, but he didn’t. I just want to know if I have any kind of connection to that man.”

“I see.” You felt guilty for lying to the boy’s face, but you also recognized that it was Satoru’s decision alone if he wanted to tell Megumi about his family history. “I’m not sure, then. I’m sorry.” He nods, face taut in suppressed disappointment and you rush to change the subject. You could feel time passing too quickly, the instinctual feeling that they had to keep moving hanging over your head. “I read about your fight with Awasaka in the report. Thank you for taking care of each other and taking care of yourselves.” You didn’t mean to strike a nerve, but your chest aches when they simultaneously dart their faces away, contorting in quiet agony.

“He killed thousands using my body,” Yuuji hisses, squeezing his eyes closed to shut out the memory. “I don’t deserve gratitude for my survival–”

“Stop. Don’t tell me that I can’t be grateful you survived,” you state firmly and you feel emotions start to well up in your eyes again for the first time in hours. All three of you have tears quietly streaming down your cheeks; you have no more energy for the hiccuping and gasping-type of sobs that wracked your body days earlier. “You’re alive to keep fighting, so please recognize that as important.”

“Would you ever marry me, Satoru?”

He looks at you like you’d just suggested cliff diving into sharp rocks. “Of course. Once all this shit is sorted out with Sukuna and I reform Jujutsu Society, we’ll have a rager wedding.”

You scoff in disbelief. “You want to have a rager wedding?”

“Was that not what you had in mind?”

“Mmm…no. I was thinking something small, you know, with Yuuji and Megs and Nanami and Shoko and the rest of your students. Save your strobe lights and fog machines for the bachelor party.” You both know damn well Nanami would never set foot in a club with Satoru, but it was still a funny image for the mind.

“You want to involve my students in our wedding?”

“I thought that was self-explanatory. You care about them, I care about you, so I automatically care about them. Whatever you would do for your students, I would too.”

“I’d pull down the planets for you, you know.”

“Just the planets? You must not love me that much tonight.” His eyes shine in the moonlight as he rubs his nose against yours. “Break up with me now and put me out of my misery.”

“You underestimate my abilities, sweetheart.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep. I’d pull down every planet in the entire universe for you if you asked, not just the ones in this solar system.”

“There’s my sappy Satoru.”

“I’m yours forever.”

“Do your best, okay?” You say before Megumi and Yuuji leave to find Master Tengen, leaving you alone in Megumi’s dorm. Reaching over for his stuffed wolf, you summon a portal and store it in your domain for safe-keeping. You’d give it to him when you were all together again, your boys and your boyfriend.

I’m yours forever.

#jjk x you #gojo x reader #gojo x you #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen #satoru gojo #gojo satoru x reader #satoru x reader #gojo jjk #gojo satoru #satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo x y/n #gojo x y/n #jjk angst #jjk hurt/comfort

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dreamer1084 · 30 days ago

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Natsuyuu Anime S7EP10 VS Manga Vol23 Ch.93-94

I have seen that some Manga readers are dissatisfied with the anime adaptation in this episode. But this comparison is only on the character dialogue and some obvious additions and deletions. I won't mention the tone of voice used by the voice actors, or the subtle differences in certain expressions. I may give a simple analysis in some places, but I won't give any in-depth interpretation.

As a summary of the previous episode, anime added Nanase was thinking about what Matoba had been doing.

Anime already showed the curse when Matoba used smoke (from Matoba's POV), but manga should still be from Natori's POV at this time, so no curse was drawn.

In addition, in manga, Matoba mentioned that he couldn't see them clearly. Anime deleted this line and the curses were very conspicuous.

Deleted the first sentence of the Youkai's memory "Get away quickly"

Deleted the dialogue where Natsume repeatedly said that he and the youkai fell off. In addition, the one-eyed youkai in manga responded to Natsume that it was fine.

Manga showed Natsume planned to keep the youkai here to talk until the ceremony was completed. Also anime deleted Sensei's complaint about suffering.

Since there're only two pages left in Ch.93, manga first showed the part where Matoba returned to the ceremony and Natori was worried about Natsume. While in anime, Natsume listening to the Youkai came first.

The youkai actually cried in anime.

Anime deleted the small youkai said that all the youkais in this area would be exorcised.

The dialogue of the one-eyed youkai was also simplified (basically the verbose parts of the original dialogue are skipped as usual)

Anime added seasons when talking about Masakiyo's past (how many people were misled when this scene appeared on the PV...)

Moved the scene where Natsume asked Hiiragi where Natori was after Sensei complained.

Deleted the dialogue where Sensei said humans and youkais couldn't truly understand each other, and Natsume's thoughts on Masakiyo's words.

In manga, Natori said "are you okay? Natsume, Hiiragi". So Sensei complained that he was there, too. And Natsume also thanked Natori for his help. Anime was simply "are you okay? Natsume", and then jumped to Natsume saying "Natori-san, I'm glad that you're safe"

Some of Natori's dialogues were also simplified, but one of the deleted lines "I don't know if what you want to do is correct" was quite important IMO.

In manga Sensei sat next to Hiiragi, while in anime Sensei was hugged by Hiiragi.

In manga, the one-eyed youkai just spoke Masakiyo's past. And in anime, Natsume directly saw the scenes of Masakiyo's acquaintance and separation from his lover from the memory of the one-eyed youkai.

Added Matoba said that there would be no more problems with this house for some time.

Moved the scene where Natsume asking where the one-eye went forward. (In manga, this dialogue appeared when they picked up loquats again)

Added Sensei said "Oh, I'm so tired" and stretched. Natsume pointed out "Sensei, you didn't do anything this time." Then Sensei ran to pick loquats again. (So Sensei was not involved in the following conversation between Natsume and Matoba in anime)

Anime clearly showed that Matoba gave a seat to Natsume.

Manga: "Always breaking the promise" Anime: "For the clan"

In anime, Natsume gave Matoba a loquat after seeing it in his bag. In manga, Natsume was hugging Sensei, and he directly took out the loquat from his pocket (It's a miracle it wasn't crushed)

#natsume yuujinchou #natsume's book of friends #natsuyuu

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cemeteryspider · 7 months ago

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In the Wake of Destruction: Part 1

Gambit! Remy LeBeau x Mutant! Reader

Summary: Remy leaves on his trip to Genosha, an emotional retelling of season 1 episode 5 "Remember It" from across the globe.

Trigger Warnings: Character Death, Violence, Emotional Distress, and Injury

Word Count: 1310

You let yourself relax on the couch next to Morph and let your head dangle off the back. You felt him shift next to you so you peeked open your eyes to see him, transformed into Remy making googly eyes at you and puckering his lips.

You groaned and scrunched your eyes closed once again, "Don't be a dick, Morph."

"Relax sweetie, he's gonna be just fine, he's in the one place mutants are protected in the world," He put his hand on your knee, and you huffed looking at him again.

"I know, Morph. That doesn't mean I don't worry about him," You set your head in your hands and heard loud footsteps in the hallway.

Wolverine came in, thunking Morph upside his head, "Don't make the lady more upset than she already is."

Morph rubbed his head, shifting back to his normal form, "Alright, alright, just trying to lighten the mood."

Logan gave a small grunt, settling onto the couch next to you. "Ain't nothing light about waiting for news like this. Feels like the calm before the storm."

"Calm down, Wolvie, we were just talking about the good ol' thief," With that your eyes shifted back to the television screen where you watched live news coverage from Genosha.

When Remy told you he was leaving to go to Genosha with Rogue and Magneto you were immediately hesitant. Not because you did trust him around the auburn-headed bombshell on the jet, no you knew that ship had sailed a long time ago.

No, it was an odd feeling in your stomach. Something in you begging him not to leave, but as you racked your head thinking for a reason you couldn't find any. He told you that he needed to see that the place was really what it said it was. To ensure that it truly was a sanctuary for mutants.

You had Beast search the jet for any and all issues, you asked Magneto if there were any rising tensions in Genosha to which he replied 'Nothing out of the ordinary', you even had Scott ask Madelyne Pryor, which you did not condone them continuing to speak, yet still nothing came up.

Not a single reason you should be worried about him traveling, yet as the day approached, you still asked him to stay anyway.

"Maybe you should stay home, I'm not feeling too great, Remy," You latched onto his arm as you walked him to the landing pad.

He looked at you with a smirk, " I promise I'll be back before you know it, Chere."

Setting his bag down, he wrapped his arms around your waist and spun you in the air momentarily. When your feet hit the ground once more his lips enveloped yours in a passionate kiss.

"We do not have time for your romantic hijinks at the moment, let us go,” Magneto grunted as he stepped into the jet.

Remy glanced at you one last time, his eyes softening, "I need to see it for myself, Chere. If Genosha is really the sanctuary they claim, it could change everything for mutants. For us. I want to build a future where we don’t have to hide, where we can be safe." He kissed you softly, his touch lingering, as if trying to imprint the memory of you before he left.

“I love you, Chere” With one last kiss he turned to get on the plane giving you a wave. The plane lifted off the ground within a couple of minutes he was gone.

“I love you too, Remy,” You whispered into the air.

Several hours later, you were still in the same position, having barely moved except to glance occasionally at the clock. The news had been monotonously reporting about peaceful events in Genosha, but you couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Suddenly and without warning the reporter on the ground stumbled as the building crumbled behind her. Wolverine and Morph jumped up from the couch but you couldn’t tear your eyes away from the scene playing out.

"Scott! Jean! Everyone get in here!" Someone shouted for the rest of the team, but you couldn't distinguish who. It could have even been you.

You could only focus on the destruction on screen. The person behind the camera is running towards what might be safety. The once bright and bustling scene of Genosha was now bathed in reds and purples.

You slid from your place on the couch to the floor, hands grasping the sides of your face as you watched your friends, no, family fight the monstrous sentinels.

Your heart slid to a stop, watching one of those beasts destroy Magneto and a gaggle of children with one well-timed strike.

Whatever happened Magneto didn't get up after that attack.

Rogue charged the sentinel, with Remy not far behind on the motorcycle he procured. You knew it was him from the beautiful white suit you helped him pick out for the event and the motorcycle that he expertly wove through the crumbling streets of Genosha.

He then used the bike to hurl Rogue off her warpath to the side.

"No, Remy, please don't do this," Your words were barely audible as Jubilee sat next to you on the floor, her hand resting on your knee. Every worst-possible-case scenario raced through your head a mile a minute.

It didn't stop Remy from running at the sentinel with all his might. Running and jumping across the broken concrete to get closer. Just close enough to...

Then in a split second, a needle-like appendage was on his side. Even though the cameraman was zoomed in as close as possible, you still couldn't see his face clearly.

Tears blurred your vision, but you quickly blinked them away, forcing yourself to bear witness to this massacre.

The appendage brought Remy close to one of its three faces, but just when you figured the fight was over it started to glow. A pinkish-purple glowed from the seams of the creature. Then in a beautiful pink nuclear-like explosion the camera cut.

Forcing the room to watch the fire covering a section of Genosha, instead of the fates of their friends.

You didn't even hear Trish Tilby's words as you curled up into a ball and continued to block the world out with your tears.

~~~

After the night was over you saw the jet landing just outside, and in a moment of weakness your legs carried you there. An ounce of hope telling you that Remy was sitting in one of the seats waiting to come home to you like he had promised.

However, when Kurt stepped out alone, you could feel the hope draining from your body.

"Meine Freundin," He said as he teleported off the jet and next to you. Still, a part of you waited for the door to open and the stairs to descend. You felt his arm sit around your shoulders.

You looked over at him, misty-eyed already, "Where is he, Kurt?"

He cast his eyes downward, "Gambit is... on the plane. Sadly he cannot come out to greet you."

"He's gone?" Your tears mixed with the light rain.

With a small sigh, he stepped in front of you, "Es tut mir so leid, freund."

“You’re wrong.”

“I am not. I am so sorry for that.”

"But he promised," You fell to your knees and allowed Kurt to kneel in front of you, taking you into his arms as sobs racked your body, "He promised."

The rain didn't stop that day. As you stayed there, embraced by Kurt's comforting presence, memories flicked through your mind. Then a thought, the life with Remy you never had, a house, and kids. You cried harder into Kurt’s shoulder; you wanted it so badly.

The rain mingled with your tears, but within you, a spark of determination began to flicker.

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sugutoad · 1 year ago

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Cabin Matchup for @november-solarstorms

╰┈➤ Thank you for doing Matchups at Sugutoad

╰┈➤ Cabin 10 ‘ Goddess of Love, my moms Aphrodite’

I’ll be honest, this one just came straight to me. Since you do matchups, you probably had those moments when you see a matchup and it just hits you?

Daughter of Aphrodite and Legacy of Hecate

Do you know how beautiful you are? The way when entering the room, the sound of heels clicking against the cabin floor, all eyes are on you. They feel intimidated by your cold yet beautiful aura.

You have the best outfits in Camp Half Blood. After bribing Chiron that at least once every month campers should be allowed to wear whatever they wish. But Chiron insisted that orange must be somehow incorporated through your outfit but let’s be honest, it’s hard to pull the colour orange if you don’t know what you are doing.

After hearing that news, campers flooded the Aphrodite cabin. They were so eager to talk to you, to sort of thank you and help them with an outfit. Together you and your siblings made everyone look beautiful.

Even though charmspeak is quite rare amongst Aphrodite kids, being a legacy of Hecate sort of gave you a boost up. Sorcerers have been known to use charmspeak such as Medea. But even if it weren’t for Hecate, I just feel like you would get charmspeak with that sharp tongue of yours.

You radiance so much confidence, the young campers look up at you. Though you are known to be aloof, you have the sweetest smile but some people say it’s the use of your Aphrodite beauty but only you know the truth

You have control over magic, maybe not as much as Lou Ellen or Alabaster but since your father was the son of Hecate you had some control. And I know for a fact that Drew and other Aphrodite kids get jealous at times since outfits tend to be seasonal. You really can’t wear a short skirt in the winter, right? Well not if you don’t have magic. Using a small spell, you can control the warmth of your body. So despite it freezing or boiling outside, you can wear anything you feel like.

Fighting is a dance when it comes to you. Think of Mitsuri from Demon Slayer. The way you grab your sword, tiptoeing around and spinning so gracefully. It all looks so sequenced out and so beautiful.

Can I just say you would be besties with Drew? Ultimately two Aphrodite girls who are so similar ought to be friends. When Drew was elected councillor of the Aphrodite cabin, she elected you as her assistant to help her around. Though we all know she just wanted your company and to talk with someone, she didn’t want to be lonely.

Whenever there is a party, you always help set everything around. Whether it’s making the lights or making sure everyone looks beautiful. But no one ever knows where you are when the party happens. Plot Twist: You are most likely in your room and reading a horror story . But don’t worry, your siblings won’t rat you out and will bring food from the party. Drew always pokes you around for liking too much horror and ghost thing, she won’t admit but she is scared of ghosts and you bringing them up all the time isn’t helping,

You are one of the top demigods in Camp Halfblood. You pass all your classes with flying colours, whether it’s archery or hand-to-hand combat. While Percy was doing his own prophecy, you were sent on small quests to help the camp.

I don’t know why… but I feel like you would join the Titan Army. Upon hearing that, your siblings were heartbroken but when the war was finished they welcomed you with open arms.

After leaving for New Rome for college, you certainly left a mark and legacy in Camp. Memories of you linger around every part of Camp.

I know this is a cabin matchup but can I just add that if I were to give you a romantic matchup it would be Rachel? But if you are interested in guys then perhaps Leo/Percy?

#pjo matchups #percy jackson matchups #Aphrodite #cabin 10 #camp halfblood #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #piper mclean #silena beauregard #drew tanaka #aphrodite kids #daughter of Aphrodite #Pjo oc #sazh moonboards #Pjo moonboard #sazh matchup

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picturejasper20 · 8 months ago

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A lot of people in the phandom talk about how Season 3 was when Danny Phantom went downfall, and while i agree with the idea, i believe that the series was starting to show some of these cracks in Season 2 that later collapsed on Season 3.

For starters, we have the Season 2 first episode ¨Memory Blank¨, whose main purpose was to give Danny a logo in his suit so they had to make the portal explode on him again. It is an episode that doesn't much sense in the timeline and it is very confusing. It doesn't change much aside from Danny having a logo.

Later we have episodes like ¨Reign Storm¨ and ¨The Ultimate Enemy¨, considered to be the peak episodes from the series by many for a reason. The issue with these episodes is that they were setting up for pretty interesting things- but they never had a proper paid off. I have talked before about how the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire never appear again after Reign Storm in spite of how important they were. There isn't any mention of them in the episodes that followed. The same goes to The Ultimate Enemy, a mutual of mine, @pedanticat, pointed out how the special was setting up for Clockwork to be a mentor figure for Danny, which didn't get much followed except for a later episode.

While "The Fright Before Christmas" has some good moments, it is frustrating how Danny has to put up with Jack and Maddie's childish argument that ruins for him and Jazz what should be a special time of the year. It is quite gross that a 14 year old teenager has to deal with something like this and the adults are never called out for it.

I do enjoy "Secret Weapons" a lot but one main issue it has is that it semi rewrites Jazz's character, making her be incompetent at ghost hunting when in previous episodes (My Brother's Keeper and Maternal Instincs) and later ones she isn't seen having this same kind of issue with using fenton gadgets. I believe it was written like this so the status quo wouldn't change much in the show.

From here is where things start to get more messy, with "Beauty Marked" having very cool things but giving a mixed message regarding gender (potraying all girls who like fashion and buy clothes as brainless and Sam being the only girl who is clever). Not terrible since it still fun to watch but questionable in message.

"Masters of All Time": Another dumb alternative plotline episode that doesn't add much to the series and was a whole wasted of opportunity of showing how Jack and Maddie's relationship with Vlad used to be before the proto-portal accident. Pretty insulting to previous characterization established for Vlad as antagonist among of a lot other weird messages and implications. Not much else to add that hasn't been said before in my blog or by some of my DP mutuals.

"Double Cross My Heart": I don't remember a lot of this one but i do know i didn't like the whole idea of Danny stalking Sam + ¨If someone else that isn't Danny likes Sam, it means that they are faking it¨. I do know that as whole this appears to be one of the most disliked episodes from the series.

"Reality Trip": Looking back this episode has a lot of really cool things, specially some exploration of Freakshow's characterization and Jack and Maddie as parents. The GIW being main antagonists is great too. The whole problem that brings this whole special down is that the events that take place don't have any real impact and most of the characters, including Jack and Maddie, lost their memories of learning about Danny's identity as Phantom. This has to be one of the most insulting moves the series did, all because for the sake of keeping the main status quo. It makes me wonder why Kindred Spirits couldn't have been the double part episode instead, since it is related to one of main plotlines (Why Vlad gave Valerie all that gear) and is about one of the main antagonists (Vlad Masters), something that was a lot more important that Freakshow.

As you can see, Season 2 was already starting to show problems that later defined the writing of Season 3. You have things like inconsistent characterization (From Secret Weapons to Masters of All Time), lack of proper continuity ( What i already said of Reign Storm ending and also Valerie not having a major role after Flirting With Disaster) and episodes with weird timeline plotlines that go nowhere and don't have a real impact. (Memory Blank, Masters of All Time and Reality Trip) It is a season that, aside from the first episode, it stays pretty well until the first half, then in the second half it kinda falls apart, with having some episodes that are pretty solid and others that are a mess for different reasons.

#danny phantom #danny phantom season 2 #danny phantom season 3

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cxtherine · 4 months ago

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all too well - spencer reid x fem! reader

a/n : i came up with this little idea for a series + if it goes well i'll make it ! if not, this works as an angsty oneshot : ) it's short because it would be a prologue x

summary: spencer reminisces on your relationship as you leave quantico for the last time .

the door on the train shuts in spencer's face. it's not a surprise, because that's physics and doors don't just hold themselves open, but he stands there on the platform as the train thunders away and thinks maybe you'd have held the door open for him if you'd seen him, like he used to do for you. he remembered it- he'd hold it open with his arm above your head, and you'd laugh, thank him, grab his fingers and do a little twirl through every door. every single one, and it'd never gotten annoying as you gave him that smile that showed your teeth and that made your eyes crinkle in the corners.

a leaf tinted with autumn snow dances from the trees around the station,bitterly cold but your favourite season- his by association, of course. spencer tightens his scarf- your scarf- around his neck. warm, soft, dark red and purple and you'd bought it because it was your colour- the one you said looked best on you- and his, the colour you always bought him clothes in because you said it made his eyes look bright.

he knows, that morally, he shouldn't keep your scarf, he should give it to you, but you've probably forgotten. spencer never will. he'd met you through work- the BAU's new agent, bright-eyed and smiley and beautiful, the kind that made his heart stutter and IQ drop to 60. he wouldn't forget the way that you started singing to the radio when he offered you a drive to work, some Hozier song he'd never heard before but you declared it was your favourite, and spencer decided it was his, too. he wouldn't forget how you looked- wide-eyed and your pink flushed cheeks, wooly hat and gloves intact when he'd asked you to be his, to be his girlfreind.

he remembered it all too well. how you'd hesitated because work relationships weren't allowed, but you were so clearly flattered, how your affair behind closed office doors and in long winding drives upstate (where you'd always get lost because neither of you had a sense of direction) at the weekends became just so perfectly indescribably you. how everything was you and spencer, spencer and you.

the worst part of his memory, spencer's decided, is when his mom asks him a question about something she's forgotton, and knows he knows the answer, so he just can't lie. explaining to diana, with her hurt eyes, that the two of you had had a fight, had split up, and that diana's only freind in years, with bright eyes and big smile- the woman she'd been convinced her son would marry, had helped him pick the ring for- had left him, just like that.

he remembers how she told you stories about his childhood- the happier ones, the photo albums of pink-cheeked messy-haired spencer in his youth, as a teenager. he remembers how he told you the other ones, the sadder ones and how you'd squeezed his fingers and kissed the tears away and promised that you wouldn't leave him, ever, like his dad did.

spencer realises he's been standing there watching your train leave for 10 minutes, so he turns to head home, even though home isn't home without you. he tucks his nose into the scarf. it smells like cinnamon sugar, your favourite, and vanilla perfume, and innocence, and love.

love. spencer was never really sure about it before- he'd had a messed up experience of everything, of his father, and elle, and gideon and maeve, and everyone he'd loved and lost. he'd been scared- of course he was, right? he keeps telling himself it was valid, after you told him everything about yourself and said you really loved him, that he hesitated. right?

you'd cried when he didn't say it back, because he just couldn't. he just couldn't speak as you said he was a liar and that he'd led you on for all 11 months. he just couldn't speak, move, when you snatched up your phone, your keys, and fled. he couldn't protest when you sent him a letter (you knew how he hated texts, which made it hurt more) explaining you were taking a job opportunity in a different state because you couldn't deal with being in a loveless relationship.

what he was expecting the least, though, was for the text to come through half an hour later, when he sat in his car, remembering too well how he'd broken your heart, the radio on full volume to drone out his thoughts.

'i love you, i'm sorry

#spencer reid #spencer reid x fem!reader smut #mgg #criminal minds #angsty #angst with a happy ending #cm #memory loss #forbidden love #learning to love #first post #idk what else to tag #new to tumblr #hello tumblr #idk what im doing #pls blow up i want an actual hobby

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builtbybrokenbells · 1 year ago

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5/18 with Sam?

Prompt list here

Also I already wrote #5 with Sammy, I’ll give you the link here 💞

Person A noticing person B is cold and giving them their coat.

w/c: 3.3k

pairing: sam x reader

warnings: drinking, one very brief joke about sex, fluff 🫶🏻

thank you for requesting and I’m sorry it took so long! I hope you like it!! (also i got a tad carried away and it turned out a little longer than expected… so apologies for that, too 😭)

Early fall was not the time of year you would expect to get a chill, especially just after dusk on a particularly sunny day. Perhaps you could accredit it to your body being familiar with the warm summer nights, now shocked at the sudden cool air that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Maybe it was because you were tired, and the drink you were sipping on wasn’t helping the drowsiness, nor your body’s ability to maintain its body heat. You decided trying your luck near the bonfire was the best option, thinking the blazing flame would warm your cold hands, if nothing else. When you tumbled towards your group of friends who were gathered around on lawn chairs, you were immediately greeted by smiling faces and words of welcome.

Josh loved company, and that was obvious. It seemed like every weekend he tried to gather as many friends as he could, even just for a few hours. You never complained, always finding yourself at the top of the invitation list, and never failing to have a good time. His house was like a second home to you, and you were always happy to be there. This get-together seemed different, though. Maybe it was the lull of the season, the green leaves beginning to creep into oranges and yellows. The summer sun was now a distant memory, as was the fun that went along with it. But the most looming threat of the fall was not the coming winter, the warm air turning crisp, nor the loss of beach days and park picnics; it was the fact that the boys would be touring again, gone for weeks at a time, and stuck in time zones with hours in the difference. You were lucky to have them around for as long as you already had, but your luck was running out. The ache of loneliness had already begun to creep in and they hadn’t even made their departure yet.

Being best friends with the four boys was incredible, and they were everything you could have hoped for and beyond. You never felt out of place, or unwelcome. They cared deeply about you, and in your opinion, they were the best company in the world. It was like winning the friendship lottery, but everything has a downfall eventually, and in truth, theirs was nothing extreme. The long periods spent away from home was the hardest, and only downfall of being their friend. Well, that, and being in love with Sam, but that wasn’t particularly a fault on their part. Missing them was difficult in the beginning, but now that Sam held an extra special place in your heart, it was excruciating.

You almost didn’t notice the sound of your chattering teeth over the roar of your own thoughts. You were so caught up in missing them that you seemed to be forgetting how to enjoy them while they were still around. “Here, this will warm you up.” Jake said, handing a bottle your way. You reached for it, catching his eye as he gave you a sly smile.

“Warm me up, or knock me out?” Your eyes drifted over the label, noticing the bold letters announcing the potent alcohol content.

“Depends how much you drink.” You both let out a chuckle as you popped out the cork from the bottle, taking a long sip. He was correct in saying it would warm you up; the burn from the alcohol lingered from your throat all the way down to your stomach, where it settled in an angry fashion. You took a long breath, working through the unpleasant feeling while Jake continued to laugh at your grim expression. “How was that?”

“Lovely,” you shuddered, fighting back a gag at the thought. “What are you celebrating?” He gave you a quizzical look. “A bottle this expensive should be used to celebrate something, or it just seems like you’re showing off.” He nodded, agreeing with your statement. The tinge of red on his cheeks and heavy eyelids let you know he was more than tipsy, even if he refused to admit it.

“Ah, well, if I had to pick, I would probably say… life, love, happiness, and… sex.” He listed. “I’m celebrating all of it, the joys of being alive.”

“That’s a big itinerary, Jacob. Planning to fit all of that in tonight?”

“Not just tonight, sweetheart.” He shook his head, shutting your statement down. “Every night.”

“I like the way you think,” you laughed, handing him the whiskey. “Are we all celebrating, or is this just a Jake thing?”

“You can celebrate with me anytime.” He sent a wink in your direction, causing you to reach over and give him a playful shove. “Worth a shot.” He shrugged.

“You say that every time.”

“Cause it’s true,” he defended himself, leaning back in his chair. “Wouldn’t want to step on any toes, though.” He smirked, eyes landing on someone across the blazing fire. You furrowed your eyebrows, unsure of what his comment meant. You followed his eyes, your gaze settling on Sam, who was looking at his brother with a sour expression. Your heart sped, unsure if Jake was serious, or if you were just hoping that his words meant what you wanted to hear.

“Uh, what?” You let out a nervous chuckle, almost afraid to pry.

“Oh, come on.” He scoffed, looking back over at you. When he noticed the shock on your features, he cut himself off, eyes widening slightly. “I just… nevermind, I’m drunk, y/n. Don’t mind me.” He brushed it off, hoping you wouldn’t push the point. Lucky for him, you didn’t have the courage to do so, anyway. Even if he did want to tell you Sam liked you, you didn’t want to risk the crushing disappointment if it weren’t true.

“Never do, Jacob.” You said, trying not to let your feelings get in the way of the conversation. “Hand that bottle back over.” A smile lit up his face at your words, but he did so without a hint of hesitation.

The night dwindled into early hours of the morning. The air grew colder as the flames settled into embers. Your eyes were burning with exhaustion and irritated with the smoke fizzling from the coal. You and Jake had engaged in the bottle of whiskey perhaps a little too much for your own good. He was practically sleeping in the chair, a cigar between his fingers that had burnt out long ago from the lack of attention. You looked around, noticing that you two were not the only ones affected by the lull of the night and bested by the alcohol. Most of the crowd has dissipated, some going home and others returning inside for some shut-eye. You knew Jake was close to it, too, but you were dreading his departure, knowing that once the morning came, it was one less day to spend with your best friends.

When a choked snore erupted from him, you’d thought it was best to get him inside so he could sleep in a real bed. Luckily for you, it seemed like Josh and Danny were about to do just the same, meaning you didn’t have to help carry him into the house. “Hey,” you said, nudging him slightly. The first attempt at waking him was useless; he was still long gone from the world. You tried again, your hand connecting to his arm a little bit harder than before. He jumped at the contact, not expecting to be awoken so bluntly. “Bedtime, Jacob.” He let out an incoherent mumble, but you continued pestering him. “Josh and Danny will put you to bed.” You informed him. The two had already noticed the state of their brother, coming to your rescue so you wouldn’t have to deal with him alone. You loved Jake, but he was a pain in the ass when he was drunk. His eyes eventually fluttered open, looking around at the two boys towering over his chair. “Thank you.” You whispered, catching Danny’s eye. He gave a smile, but opted not to respond, helping Josh pry Jake from the lawn chair instead.

When they disappeared from sight, you continued to sip on the last of your drink, unwilling to sleep before it was finished. Your eyes watched the glowing embers lose their last flame, a pathetic puff of smoke billowing upward in defeat. You barely had time to comprehend the loss of company, because almost as soon as the three boys were in the house, the vacant seat beside you was filled again. You looked over, already knowing who you would find. Something about his presence radiated comfort, and even without knowing who it was, you could feel that it was Sam who took place beside you.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, his pretty face illuminated by the dim glow still shining from the fireplace.

“Free for you, Sammy.” You smiled.

“That’s not how you bargain, you know.” He teased, expression matching yours. You gave a shrug in response.

“You’d never have to pay for my company, I love having you around. Maybe I just don’t want to bargain with you.” You couldn’t tell if it was just the glow from the coal, or if his cheeks tinged pink at your statement. You tried not to stare, but you found it almost impossible to pry your eyes away from him. No matter where he was, or what he was doing, he was always captivating.

“Good thing, because I like your company, too.” He leaned back in the chair, never breaking eye contact with you. You were certain he noticed the hint of a blush on your cheeks, too. “I can’t believe the summer is over.”

“Me, either.” You chose not to express your opinion on the matter. “At least we have Christmas to look forward to, now.”

“What is it with you and Christmas?” He asked with humour, but the question was genuine.

“What do you mean?” You laughed.

“You get excited to celebrate Christmas again literally the day after it’s over. I like Christmas, but I don’t think I like it that much.” He explained. You thought about it for a moment, trying to formulate the best way to speak your thoughts.

“I get to spend it with you guys.” You said, simple and to the point. “The weather sucks in the winter, days are shorter, not really a whole lot of joy. But I know that you guys will be around to make gingerbread houses and all of that stuff… it’s just nice, you know? The promise of time with the people you care about most.” And it was true. You most looked forward to a few days of interrupted time with them, celebrating a holiday filled with joy.

“Yeah, I do.” He agreed, but his expression shifted as he spoke, almost as if he wanted to say more but didn’t know how. “I’d decorate a gingerbread house with you right now if it would make you that happy.” You both laughed at the silliness of the idea.

“It’s not the gingerbread houses, Sam.” You said, also holding back the words you so desperately wanted to say. Once again, you were too caught up in your own thoughts to notice the slight chatter of your teeth and the goosebumps raised on your arms. You hadn’t truly appreciated the flames of the fire until they had burnt out, and now you were cursing yourself for not bringing a jacket.

“You’re looking forward to Christmas and you can’t even handle weather like this?” He teased, sitting up in his seat. Before you could argue his comment, he had slipped his hoodie over his head and handed it to you. You watched him, unsure if it would be right to take it, worried that it meant more to you than it did to him. “Take it, y/n. You’re freezing.”

“Thanks.” You managed to squeak out, really hoping that the light was dim enough to conceal your burning cheeks. You took the sweater from him and quickly put it on, instantly surrounded by Sam. His cologne and body heat was still lingering on the fabric, inviting you in even further. “Now you’ll be cold.” You realized, feeling guilty for taking his sweater from him. He was too caught up in staring at you to realize you had spoken at all. It took him a few minutes to register your words, but he finally caught up to speed and answered, although his response had nothing to do with your statement.

“How drunk are you?” He asked, giving you a stupid little grin.

“How drunk am I?” You raised an eyebrow. “Odd question, but enough.” You giggled.

“Drunk enough to forget this conversation if it goes badly?” You felt your heart speed, unsure of what he was hinting at.

“Uh, yeah, sure, I guess.” Your giggle turned into a nervous chuckle.

“Come over here, sit with me.” He rushed out, clearly anxious before he even finished his sentence.

“W-what?” You weren’t sure if you heard him correctly. “How drunk are you?” You laughed, finding the inquiry more prudent on his behalf.

“Clearly drunk enough to ask that.” He muttered to himself amidst a laugh, followed by a spark of embarrassment flashing in his eyes. “Just thought… neither of us would have to be cold.” He looked like he wanted to retract the statement, to completely forget he said it in the first place. Before he had the chance, you stood and stepped in front of him. Clearly shocked by the action, he gazed up at you with curiosity.

“Well, make room, then.” You said, a smile still eating away at your face. The words seemed to snap him out of his daze and he quickly sprung to action. He sat back, holding his arms out to you, welcoming the change in position. You carefully lowered yourself down to him, finding that he was much comfier than he appeared to be. You were slightly turned to the side, but your back was pressed against his chest. Your head rested in the crook of his neck, and your legs were decorating his. It was a scene you never would have imagined for yourself, but were more than happy to be in. One of his hands took post on your hip, and the other rested on top of yours, which you had laying on your thigh. The contact was overwhelming but in the best possible way. “Better?” You asked, voice quiet.

“Much.” He agreed, the vibration of his voice resonating through your entire body. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I’d get this far. Not sure what to say, now.” You both fell into a small fit of laughter, finding the entire situation humorous. “Still promise to forget about this if I make myself look stupid?”

“Only if you do, too.” You smiled, looking up at the sky littered with twinkling stars.

“You look good in my sweater.” He stated, finally overcoming his anxiety for a moment. Your reciprocity was giving him an entirely newfound sense of courage. “Better than I do, actually.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” You dismissed him.

“I do.” The clarity in his voice was astounding. So much so that you couldn’t find a reply to challenge it. “Is this normal for friends? Do friends do this?” His courage seemed to flee him again, the panic creeping in at an alarming rate. He couldn’t help but second guess himself; the last thing he wanted to do was make you uncomfortable.

“I mean, we’re friends, and we’re doing this. So yeah, I think so.”

“Okay, cool.” He said, trying not to let any disappointment show at your use of the friendship term. You both fell into silence, content with the position and being with each other. After a few moments, a dreaded yawn surfaced and pushed its way from your lips. “Are you tired?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to go inside yet.” You were honest. If you could, you would stay outside with him all night without a single regret. “Unless you want to?” You were both nervously chattering like two kids in middle school, finally alone with their first crush.

“No, I’m perfectly fine.” He said, running his thumb over the back of your hand. “I’m going to miss you when we’re gone, you know.” Your heart broke at the confession, because it was the same one you had been holding back all night.

“Thank god,” you sighed “I’m so glad you said it first, because I was too scared to say it.” He chuckled, letting the hand that rested on your hip snake around you so he could pull you closer to him.

“I’ll still call all of the time, and text whenever I can, and all of that. I’ll still drive you crazy, even from halfway across the world.” He hummed, his cheek pressing into yours as he attempted to give you a hug. You let your eyes close, holding his arm to you in hopes that he would never let go. “I lied to you, earlier.”

“About?”

“I’ll never forget this, even if it ends badly.” He admitted. “I never want to forget this.” You found the courage within yourself turn turn your head towards him, your body following suit so you could finally see his face.

“I’m glad,” you whispered. “I don’t want to forget it, either.” A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, one that was so familiar to you, because you had the same one every time you spoke to him. It was a glimmer of hope that the situation would change, grow into something larger than just friends, and it was impossible to ignore.

“I’d like to kiss you, if that’s okay.” He said, mesmerized by the closeness of your face. You gave a nod, too excited to speak any more. He leaned forward, capturing you in a moment that seemed too extraordinary to be true. Under the stars, with the sounds of the crackle from the burnt out campfire and the taste of alcohol still on your lips, you realized that you could spend the rest of your life kissing Sam and you would never have to worry about anything else. It was sweet, filled with emotion that you both had been to scared to speak into existence, and sedimented with a promise of truth. All of the words shared that night were more true than you could comprehend, and it made your head spin worse than the alcohol and his kiss combined.

When you parted, you both had the same smile on your lips, one that showcased happiness and radiated relief. You wished you could live in that moment forever. “I should have given you my sweater a long time ago.” He said, eyes still locked with yours.

“Yeah?” He gave a small nod.

“Yeah, so I could have done that a long time ago, too.” You let out a giggle, still drunk off the confession. “You don’t have to wait until Christmas to see me. I’ll come home to you whenever I can, if that’s what you want. We can decorate gingerbread houses in July, for all I care. As long as I get to see you, it doesn’t matter what we do.”

“I do, Sam. I want that way more than you know.” You breathed, almost too enthusiastically. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, too.” At your words, he leaned forward for another kiss, this one much shorter and more playful.

“For that?” You nodded, another laugh forcing its way out. He leaned forward, peppering a few more kisses across your cheeks and nose. “Is that better?”

“Yeah,” you grinned, unable to hold back your laughter. “Much better.”

“I have a lot of time to make up for, so I better start now, hmm?” His laughter matched yours, no sweeter sound ever gracing your ears.

“I guess so, Sammy.” The threat of the cold night meant nothing, anymore. Not even the thoughts of a tour could penetrate the bubble of happiness protecting both of you. The sun began to creep back up in the sky before the high of the night began to wear off, and the birds chirping in the trees rang like an anthem of victory.

You were still excited for Christmas, but now for a much better reason; it was the first Christmas you were lucky enough to truly spend with him.

GOD DAMNIT FUCK I LOVE SAM SO MUCH AND WRITING THIS HAD ME SMILING AND GIGGLING AND KICKING MY MF FEET THE WHOLE TIME

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