#Warning - No happy ending
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So I was doing this training module that goes over the employee handbook and got walloped by this sentence:
I'm pretty sure there's a set order to these things.
#tw#trigger warning#submissions#fuck customers#cashier problems#happy ending#fuck co-workers#fuck retail#embarrassing#server problems#call center problems#fuck coworkers#fuck managers#retail justice#retail law#tw:
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Coraline
Synopsis: Y/nâs childhood and history with her parents has always stayed a secret, and she likes it that way. Until a journalist reveals the truth, and everything seems to come crashing down at once.
young female driver reader x 2023 F1 grid
A/N: a few things for this fic: reader will be 20 years old, had driven for alpha tauri since the beginning of 2022, the 2022 is the same as the 2023 grid, and please look at the trigger warning below.
Trigger Warning: This fic contains abusive parents, talks of eating disorders, neglecting a kid, verbally abusing a kid, signs of depression, and a lot of hurtful comments in general. This fic is not meant to idolize or romanticize having abusive parents or depression. If anyone finds anything particularly disturbing with this fic, do not hesitate to let me know and I will fix it.
tagged: @treehouse-mouse
2023 was supposed to be a good season for Alpha Tauri. The cars looked good, your driver pairing was solid, and the hopes were high for your junior Red Bull team. You could only laugh at the naivety of it now.
Most of the season was exceptional; you and Yuki Tsunoda brought in points almost every weekend, your team was seventh in the constructors championship, and overall, you were having a great time traveling around the world.
This was your second year in Formula 1, and now that you werenât a rookie anymore, you could have more fun now that you knew what you were doing.
Some people just donât like others being happy, though.
With less than 10 races left, you walked into the paddock for the Monza Grand Prix Thursday afternoon feeling optimistic. This was the second race after the summer break, and Alpha Tauri was expected to do well in Italy.
Your press officer, Ally, greeted you in your garage, and after saying hello to Yuki, you followed her out of the garage and into the media pen for a press conference.
You walk in to see Lewis, Carlos, Lando, and Fernando and talked quietly with them as the press in front of you get settled. âEverybody ready? All right, first question pleaseâ One of the directors asks, as a journalists speaks up.
âLewis, youâve witnessed the infamous âMonza Curseâ multiple times in your career, do you think the theory is true and will it strike again this year?â
âUm, noâ Lewis chuckles. âI donât believe in the curse, but it would be nice to see someone new finish first today, and if a curse is what itâs going to take, then yeah, why notâ
The five of you laugh, not noticing the second journalist beginning to speak. âY/n, what do you have to say about the recent article published regarding your past with your family?â
You instantly stop laughing, hoping you misheard the man.
âSorry?â
Thereâs no way
âThe article? That was recently published concerning your past with your parents, what do you have to say about it?â The journalist stared at you curiously while your mind blanked for an answer.
You had no idea what article he was talking about, but if it concerned your past with your âfamilyâ, you knew it wasnât anything that should be published.
Suddenly thereâs movement in the midst of the media pen, and your press officer emerges from the crowd. âY/n, come with meâ She pauses, seeing one of the directors nearing out of the corner of her eye.
âItâs urgent, I need herâ Youâd take any excuse to get away from the current situation, so after exchanging a look with Lewis, you follow the woman into the paddock towards your garage.
Once you were both in the safety of your drivers room, you turned on her. âWhat article is he talking about? Whatâs going on?â You said, voice heavy with concern.
Ally hesitated, looking uncomfortable, before answering. âThis morning, an article published a story talking about you and your parents, and the-um, harsh history you have with themâ She hands you her phone, said article already open.
âI think itâs better if you read it yourselfâ The bold letters blink up at you, clear and sullen.
âF1 DRIVERS UNCOVERED: THE REAL REASON WE DONâT SEE Y/N L/NâS PARENTSâ
Your heart falls to your stomach and your hands start to shake as your eyes skim over the words of the most invading and overwhelming article youâve ever read in your life. Whoever wrote this, wrote it in hopes of exposing every secret of your past, and further tangles the truth of an already over-complicated background.
The real reason your parents are never around you is a reason you hate talking about.
You first realized it when you were around ten years old, the way your parents never looked happy around each other, and always tense around other parents. The way they never said âI love youâ or kissed each other goodbye. It confused you, as these were the things you always saw your friendâs parents do, but you were too young to understand at the time, so you mainly ignored it.
It wasnât until one night when you were eleven that you heard an argument erupting from your kitchen, one about money and divorces and you. The shouting continued for ages, until you heard one statement, loud and clear.
âThink about this, sheâs getting good in those karting competitions of hers, and according to other parents she could go really far in this thing and get money from sponsorships and mentors. So letâs just give it a little time, make sure she gets better and gets paid, and the money will go to us and eventually sheâll leave to Formula- whatever and we wonât have to worry about herâ
You put your pillow over your head, turned around, and went to sleep sobbing that night.
From then on, there was no âI love youâsâ or kisses goodbye even to you, and eventually, no happiness in your house. The âother parentsâ were right, the older you got, the farther you looked to go in racing. Just before you turned 13, the three of you moved to a city in England so you could pursue karting further, and thatâs when it all got worse.
You competed in countless competitions, and every race you won, the more criticism you got from your mom and dad. The second you stepped off the 1st place podium, your parents were waiting to comment on your driving and the techniques you shouldâve used to win.
They never let you focus on anything but karting, letting you go nowhere but the track and to school, and made sure you were always looking for ways to get better. They ruthlessly compared you to kids in other series that were performing better than you, and countered every compliment someone gave you with a complaint.
All of this seemed like a dream compared to the treatment you got when you lost. Whether it be second, or tenth, every race you didnât come first in was a loss, and your parents simply didnât accept this.
When you lost, theyâd make you practice on track for twice as long, no matter the weather, and berated you the second you started to complain. They limited your diet after your losses, claiming you needed to be lighter if you wanted the kart to go faster.
Your mother and father gave you this relentless attention with anything regarding racing, but the moment the topic drifted, you were neglected. There were no family dinners or movie nights, if you wanted something, you were going to have to buy it with your own money, and if you wanted to go somewhere, you needed to walk or find a ride because they refused to drive you anywhere if it wasnât for a race.
There was no other family to go to even when things go impossibly rougher; you had no other relatives in the UK, and you couldnât exactly ask your friends if you could live with them.
So you endured these conditions, all the way through the F4 British Championship, F3 and F2. You turned 18 while you were in Formula 2, and the second you did, you took the little money you had, and rented an apartment in South England, where youâve been living ever since.
Your parents constantly contacted you in whatever ways they could, but you very quickly made sure they didnât know where you lived and were never given paddock passes again. No one knows any of this anyway; when people ask where your parents are or when theyâd get to meet them, you just shrug and say, âthey couldnât make itâ
You havenât seen your parents in person since you were 17, and youâve done everything in your power to keep it like that.
Though with a few thousand words and 4 hours, one nosy journalist has managed to unravel all your work and growth and release it into the world.
Youâre broken out of your stunned silence when Ally puts a hand on your shoulder. âIâve set up a meeting with Alpha Tauri and Red Bullâs PR managers so we could figure out what we should do next to keep the press off your back, okay? The meetingâs in fifteen meetings, so Iâll leave you for a whileâ
Ally takes her phone back and exits the room to leave you standing still in the middle of it, astonished and speechless.
The meeting goes as well as you expected it to go. You shared as much as the truth as you saw fit, and came up with a statement to post with the rest of the PR managers. You were confirmed to go back to the media pen to finish interviews an hour later, and while no one asked you about the article, you could tell it was the unanswered question they all wanted to raise.
You are able to avoid most of the press of the remaining of the Italian weekend, and stuck to answering race-related questions only, your safest and only option, Ally told you later. You finished the Grand Prix P10, and flew home still sullen.
You spent the two weeks in between Monza and Japan in your apartment, regretfully thinking about all those years you had to spend under your parentâs treatment, and trying to forget them with simulator work.
You arrive in Suzuka, quiet and unsmiling, and try to ignore the shouting of the press that greets you on your way into the paddock. Ally guides you away as two new voices greet you.
âHey Y/n, how are you?â Lewis asks, pulling you into a side hug and stepping into place beside you.
âAre you okay? You seem offâ Charles says concerned, meeting you in a handshake.
âIâm fine, my flight just got in late last night so Iâm tired, thatâs allâ You half smiled in response, hoping it was believable enough.
âSure?â Lewis presses father. âYeah, Iâm okayâ You nod.
âOkay, well, weâre still going into the city after media today?â Lewis asks. âOf course, Iâll meet you guys at my hotel afterâ You assure as you near the Alpha Tauri garage.
âSee you then, and try to sleep a bit, yes?â Charles says before the two men walk off together.
Your friendship with the two drivers started because of the Spanish and British Grand Prixâs, the two races that gave you your two highest race finishes, and ended with two of your closest friends. Spain was a great race for both you and Lewis, yourself in P4, him in P2, and after non-stop talking in the paddock, you flew back to the UK together, effectively starting the friendship existing today.
Youâd been friendly with Charles previously, but after his P9 finish in Silverstone and your P5 finish, he realized in a conversation before an interview that you were undeniably good at cheering people up, and you guys have been close since.
Youâve talked with them since Monza, of course, but not about the article. They want to talk to you about it, you can tell, but Charles and Lewis arenât the type of people to just come right out and ask if youâre feeling okay about your history with your abusive parents being exposed to the world.
They also donât want to pressure you into talking about something you clearly donât want to talk about, so if all they can do is help distract you from the media, theyâre going to.
Your night out with the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers does distract you; Lewis leads you and Charles to different shops and restaurants all over Suzuka, talking and laughing the entire time. You take a few photos along the way, and you go back to your hotel still smiling.
You kept your good mood until qualifying on Saturday, and are brought back into the reality of racing when you only manage P11. Itâs technically not bad of a result for your car, but P9 or P8 wouldâve been better right now, because all you can think about is what your parents wouldâve said if you finished P11.
Theyâre paying you millions of dollars to race for them and the best you can do is eleventh?
You think you deserve to be here?
They are hundreds of other drivers that would do so much better than you
You are nothing compared to the other drivers
Youâre lucky if you keep you seat next season, I know I wouldnât let a P11 driver on my team
You go quiet at the thought, and get through post-race media stoic. You leave with your trainer as soon as you can, avoiding Lewis and Charlesâs eyes on your way out. You have a week before you have to leave for Qatar, and spend a countless amount of hours on your simulator, hoping this time itâll make a difference.
You flew into Lusail not knowing what to expect other than hot weather, and unfortunately you were right. You felt the heat as soon as you got in your car for FP1 on Friday and was already dreading the rest of the weekend.
You qualify P11 for both the race and the sprint, and end up in P12 for the two. You felt terrible after Sundayâs race, both physically and mentally, and youâre already berating yourself for your performance by the time you get weighed.
Charles and Lewis are in your post-race press conference group, and you can see them exchange a look after every cold and detached answer you give. You only stop to talk to your friends for a few minutes afterwards before you excuse yourself to go cool down, and leave minutes later with the defense of needing rest.
You fly back to the UK with Lewis, and youâre glad the two of you are asleep for most of the trip so Lewis wonât ask you to talk about why youâve been so quiet.
The 10 days you have until you fly out to Austin are spent mostly on your phone, looking at all the comments people have been making about you since the article came out, saying how you probably deserved the treatment that you got, and how Alpha Tauri needs a more âstableâ driver if they want to advance in the championship.
You donât do much except exercise and train on the sim in those days, finding neither the desire or energy to do anything else.
Even though everyone is happy to be in Texas that week, you canât find the energy to truly smile once that weekend. Charles and Lewis are practically stuck to your side, and even though you can tell theyâre dying to ask you to talk about it, they only ask a few times if you wanted to tell them something, and when you denied, and simply offered companionship through silence.
Itâs another sprint race, and you only pull off P12 and 13 for qualifying and the shootout, and drop a place by the end of both races.
You feel more frustrated with yourself than ever; you donât understand why you canât work with the car like you once used to, and you canât even figure out how to again. You were doing so well until that fucking article came out, and all the sudden you donât know how to drive.
The worst part about it is that every race, more and more people are realizing how youâve been under-performing, and how people are starting to question your ability to drive for the junior Red Bull team.
You arenât stupid, you know how things work at Red Bull, so you know that if you donât pick your pace up soon, you could end up without a seat for the 2024 season.
This thought alone starts to destroy you, and soon you canât even deny how burnt out you are. You pick up on the forced habit of not eating much, and making yourself to do nothing but train and look for ways to be better.
You spend the days before Mexico with data analysts and strategists, looking for any and every way to go faster. You dedicate too much time looking at successful F2 drivers, hearing Liam Lawsonâs name come up too much for comfort, thinking about how Dennis Hauger had been looking fast in F2.
Itâs a terribly unhealthy time killer, one that makes you look sick and go quiet. Charles and Lewis arenât the only ones exchanging concerned looks now; multiple other drivers on the grid, friends with you or not, notice the change in your behavior and quickly grow worried when they hear Yukiâs description of you.
The drivers arenât stupid either, they all know about the article that was published in September, and most of them would be lying if they said they hadnât looked at it in curiosity. Theyâd also be lying if they saw their eyes didnât widen in concern or eyebrows didnât furrow with worry when they read how terrible your parents treated you.
The grid saw how the comments got nastier and nastier under your lessening social media posts every day, and even asked your PR officer multiple times to make sure she was managing your accounts and making sure you didnât see what people had to say about your background or yourself.
They saw how you got quieter every race, how you stopped hanging out with Yuki and Charles and Lewis, no matter how many times they offered. They saw the rumors of you and your 2024 seat, how apparently Helmut Marko was paying close attention to you and the clauses in your contract.
They asked a lot, if you wanted to talk or if they could help in any way. It was always the same response; a weary smile, a small shake of the head, the words,âNo, Iâm fine, just tiredâ and an excuse that you were needed in your garage or media pen.
So they try to help in more discreet ways; when Yuki is asked about your position on Alpha Tauri or your future with Red Bull, he calmly assures that you are working hard with the team, and is doing everything possible to understand the car.
Charles, Lewis, and a few other drivers make a routine of coming to your driverâs room, most of the time just to sit with you as you look at data, or talk with you when youâre feeling up to it.
Mexico goes somehow worse than Texas, and you finish with your lowest result in F1 yet, P15. You try to be as approachable as possible in post-race media, but your sullen face gives you away.
You leave with Ally and your trainer to catch your flight to Brazil mere hours after you passed the checkered flag, and spend most of your time in Sau Paulo alone in your hotel room, replaying every hurtful comment either your mother and father or fans have said about you, and debating whether or not it was true.
You walk into the Brazilian paddock Thursday morning more grateful than you thought possible that this was the third-to-last race of your season.
And according to over twenty media sources, your third-to last race of F1.
After a public statement made by Marko talking about how Red Bull was âconsidering your future with their junior teamâ every journalist in the F1 community has decided that it means this was your last season in F1.
And honestly, you couldnât find it in yourself to care. Whether you raced in 2024 or not, you just wanted to go home and avoid the press for three months.
It was another sprint weekend, and another terrible qualifying and shootout. You placed 15th in both sessions and kept your place in the sprint, and spent a quiet Saturday evening in your hotel.
You could feel almost every journalists eyeâs turn to you as soon as you walked into the paddock on Sunday. You arrived early that afternoon to get some extra data-stuff done, only now realizing that it gave the growing group of reporters behind you more time to ask you questions.
âY/n! Can you tell us about your future in F1?â
âWill you have a seat next year?
âY/n, what does Helmut Marko think about your decrease in performance?â
âDoes your past with your parents have anything to do with your recent race results?â
You try to keep your face emotionless as you make your way into the Alpha Tauri garage and to your drivers room. You prepare for the race with your personal trainer and look over the arranged strategies for Sau Paulo while you wait for the go-ahead to get in your car.
Due to all the crashed-out cars, you ended the race in P12 in front of Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo. Statistically speaking, it was one of your better 2023 races, but everyone knows if it wasnât for all the DNFâs, youâd finish in the bottom five.
You know that everyone knows this because just before you walked into the media pen after your race debrief, you saw Christian Horner and Marko speaking to your team principle, and after Yukiâs P9 finish today, it didnât take you even a second to understand who they were talking about with disappointed faces and multiple shakes of the head.
Sure, this could mean nothing. This could just be a conversation between the three people that control the top team and itâs junior team. But you also like to think youâre a bit smarter than that.
You walked deeper into the crowded area before the three could see you, and walked to the first open journalist you saw, in hopes of leaving early.
âY/n, hi! Not too bad of a race for you today, I guess?â The man asked, pointing his microphone towards you
âYeah, not too bad. The car felt pretty okay and there was a bit of pace, but not enough to overtake or anything, clearlyâ You reply.
âCan we expect more race pace from you in Las and Vegas and Abu Dhabi?â
âI mean, itâs a bit too early to tell, but weâll hope and see what comes out out of the practicesâ The man nods before looking down at his notebook.
âAnd your seat for Alpha Tauri next year, we know youâre apart of the confirmed driver lineup for 2024 but Helmut Marko states that there are attainable clauses in your contract, what do you think about that?â
Youâre caught off guard by the question, but right when youâre about to respond, the man continues.
âSurely, Alpha Tauri isnât really considering keeping you for next season, are they?â
Youâre standing in front of the man speechless now, your brain barely comprehending whatâs being spoken.
âBecause I know the last thing a team wants is an incapable driver that is too emotionally effected by her âtraumaticâ childhood to race,â the volume of his voice starts to increase, and other drivers are starting to focus on your one-sided conversation.
âI mean, câmon, no one even believes that even happened to you, and if it did, your parents were probably right for doing it-â
Your hands are shaking, eyes are wide with shock, body suddenly freezing, and you donât even think youâre breathing. All you can do is listen as this man goes on and on about how youâre a shitty driver and deserved how your parents treated you.
Youâre only broken out of your trance when an arm clad in red wraps around your shoulders and pulls you through the paddock. Youâre not even aware of the yelling from a certain Mercedes drivers gets quieter and quieter as youâre brought into your driverâs room.
Youâre being sat on a couch, and suddenly Charles Leclercâs face is right in front of you, hands on your shoulders and eyes filled with concerned. âY/n? Y/n, look at me, please, Y/n-â Your eyes dart to him and in an instant, everything from the past five minutes comes rushing through your head, and you canât stop the tears that start to fall down your face.
âOh, Y/nâ The Ferrari driver moves to comfort you, but stops as you begin to cover your face and move away.
âNo, Y/n, itâs okay, please, let me help you, Y/nâ Charles wraps his arms around you in a hug as your body begins to shake with uncontrollable sobs.
âI canât- I canât do this anymore, Charlesâ You say in between breaths.
âI have to quit or something, I canât keep doing this Charles, I canâtâ You let your head fall on his shoulder, as the man tries to calm you down.
Charlesâ heart is breaking as he comforts his friend; he remembers loving his first few years in Formula 1, how everything was so new and exciting to him, he could never not want to race, not then and not now. But to hear one of his closest friends breakdown because of how much she hates being there, makes the manâs heart shatter.
The door abruptly opens, and for a moment, all you can hear is the low angry cursing of Lewis Hamilton, until he sees you and Charles, and his face immediately softens.
âLove, Iâm so sorry. That guy is a complete jerk, donât listen to himâ The British man says as he takes a seat beside you and wraps an arm around your shoulders.
âI donât know what to do anymore, I feel so stuck in this place where everyone is always talking about what happened and I donât know how much longer I can go through itâ You say, your voice breaking off with another sob.
Charles hushes you once more, exchanging a worried look with Lewis as you pull away from him again. âIâm sorry, I know I should be doing better and everything but I just canât-â You say, voice shaky through the tears.
âDonât for one second be sorry that youâre not competitive right now. Y/n, thousands of people are talking about the one thing that hurt you the most, and I understand why you feel this way, just please, love, for your own good, let us help you. I promise it will make you feel betterâ Lewis assures, grabbing your hand.
So for the first time, you do. For over an hour, you tell Charles and Lewis everything that happened when you were younger, and how the article has made you feel since then. They listen quietly, nodding once in a while to let you know they understand, and gave you a hug when you stopped talking.
âDo you feel better now?â Lewis asks.
âYeah, not entirely, but betterâ
âGood, thatâs all I wanted to hear,â
âAre you ready to go home now? Thereâs a plane waiting for us, if you wantâ
âDefinitely. I need to go homeâ You say as Charles helps pack up all your things and Lewis makes sure thereâs a car waiting for you two outside. As youâre all walking through the nearly-empty paddock, Charles turns to you.
âI have to go back to my garage, but please Y/n, if you ever need to talk, call me? I want to help you, I donât want to see you like this againâ The Monegasque brings you into a hug.
âI know, Charles, I willâ You promise.
âOkay, Iâll see you before Vegas, yes? Feel better!â He calls as he moves backwards and further into the paddock.
âYou promise?â
Lewis asks you hours later in the front of the airport in England, just about to get into separate cars.
âYes, Lewis, Iâll call when I needâ You say to the older man in a hug.
âAlright, text me when youâve made it home and make sure you get some rest. Donât be too hard on yourself either, you donât give yourself enough credit for everything you doâ You smile at him.
âOkay, Iâll see you before Vegas?â
âSee you before Vegas!â He shouts from his already-closed car door.
When you do see the two next, they make sure youâve made an appointment with a therapist and are setting up a meeting with your PR manager to put together a statement in regards to your well-being the past two months.
Charles and Lewis make sure the media inside the paddock is severely monitored and checked before being allowed near the drivers, and help you fall back into healthier habits.
These changes donât happen overnight, and they donât take affect overnight, but you do use the winter off season to make sure these changes are helpful and working.
The three month break is utilized to mentally and physically prepare yorself in time for your 2024 seat at Alpha Tauri that was re-confirmed after your P8 finishes in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
The media still knows everything, and you havenât completely forgotten your childhood, you never will, but dealing with it still gets easier.
#formula 1#reader insert#driver reader#f1 grid x reader#formula 1 driver imagines#platonic f1 grid#f1 2023 grid x y/n#f1 imagine#female driver reader#comfort fic#angst with a happy ending#angst#please look at trigger warning before you read#lewis hamilton#charles lecrelc#platonic lewis hamilton#platonic charles leclerc#charles leclerc x reader#lewis hamilton x reader
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Blinded
Azriel x Reader
Summary:
Word count: angst, feeling worthless, yelling, cursing, betrayal, jealousy, big sad people, pregnancy (Elucien), injuries, violence. Yup.
A/N: Honestly? Be prepared. đ¤Łđ
Again, thank you @sarawritestories for always giving me to kick in the butt I need when I'm stuck! đ Thanks @milswrites for the moral support too ily đĽ°
Azriel was staring at your lips. Those full sultry lips painted with that same shade of pink Elain loves to wear.
Only, you werenât Elain.
He tried to convince himself that he could get over it, get over Elain. He could love, praise, and touch another female without thinking about her.
Could he?
âAz?â You whisper, each one of your rapid breaths formed a cloud that filled the small gap between yours and Azrielâs face. His grip on your hips loosened as he snapped back into reality. He gulped down his shame. Shit. Your eyes, so soft, and loving, and pure filled with concern, Azrielâs stomach dropped. âAre you alright?â She stroked his face, his lips. His lips were still swollen from the kissâŚ
From the kiss that he fantasized about sharing with another woman.
He tried to shake the thought of Elain away, tried to ignore his shadows whispering wrong, wrong, wrong in his ears. He could do it, he knew it. You were kind, very pretty, caring⌠âYeah,â He whispered, before attacking your lips once again. The kiss was feral, rough. His lips were crashing hard against yours, teeth clashing, as he tried so desperately to forget about Elainâs softness.
Your heart was beating in sync with the loud, yet distant busy chatting of the crowd at Ritaâs, situated not far from the gloomy alley you and Azriel had stumbled out to. The frenzy was too intense for you to wait before touching him, tasting him, smelling him. Your lips parted when the exposed skin, compliments to the deep cut of your dress that barely covered your body, collided with the cool surface. The earthy and vigorous taste of the wine you had imbibed earlier that night filled his own mouth as his tongue caressed yours.
Elain wouldâve drank something sweet, or fruity.
He slowly pulled away from you, his thumb grazing the exposed skin on the small of your back. It sent shivers up your spine, and your nipples hardened. He stared at you, observed how red your cheeks were, how his lips had smushed your lipstick, how the smell of you changed from your arousal. But the love and adoration that shone into those eyes, your eyes, felt like a stab in his cruel heart.
He couldnât do this.
âLet me fly you back home,â His voice was raspy. He tried to give you a genuine smile, and pressed a chaste kiss on your forehead, his fingers combing through your now very disheveled hair. âWill you be staying?â He wanted to drown in the cauldron and succumb from his sorrows at the sound of your pleading, hopeful tone.
âAnother night, when weâll both be sober.â He lied. They had talked and danced more than they had to drink, he was far from drunk, and you too. But you just shrugged, offering him a kind and comprehensive smile. âOkay,â Was all that youâve answered, before he picked you up into his arms and led you through the clear night sky.
He dropped you off, bowed his head, and said âThank you, for tonight,â before flying away without another word. He didnât even kiss you goodnight.
â
The sky was clear, and the weather started to warm up in Velaris. You had gone shopping for lighter dresses today, and couldnât wait to come back home and swirl in them for your Illyrian to see, since he had been too busy to spend the morning with you. There were always piles of paperworks lingering on his desk, you couldnât blame him.
You turned on yourself in the mirror, admiring the last dress you had to try on. It was the prettiest, the deep blue fabric instantly drew you in. It was the exact same blue of Azrielâs siphons. âSo, what do you think!â You beamed, spinning around to look into those pretty shades of hazel dancing in his eyes. Your toes were curling in your shoes, excited to get his reaction on your newest, and now favorite, piece of clothing.
âMhm,â He hums absent-mindedly. Your face dropped, and your eyes turned a tad more glossy than normal. You lifted your chin up, and instead of exploding with rage, or bursting in tears, you cleared your throat as a last attempt to get his attention.
Desperate, pathetic.
Azriel lifted up his head at last, his eyes quickly scanned you, and he gave you a tiny smirk of approval, accompanied by a small nod of his head. âYou look good, baby,â He adds, only for good measure.
Good. Not stunning, not flawless, not delightful, not ravishing⌠Just good. You noticed how Azrielâs eyes drifted back to whatever paperwork he was doing the second you turned back around to face yourself in the mirror, you noticed how his gaze did not linger on any of your features for one second. The shadowsinger had always been a man of few words, showing his love mostly through actions. But lately⌠lately he was also a man of few actions.
You gulped down your tears, maybe he was just busier than usual, you thought, and yet⌠You pinched your arm, mentally scolding yourself for being so selfish. Azriel worked hard, he always bought you anything youâd wish and ask for, even more. He had to work a lot to get you all that. You concluded that you simply needed to be more grateful and understanding.
Maybe he needed space. Maybe you were too clingy. You inhaled, trying to get all of the possibilities of why Azriel was acting this way around you out of your mind, and you exhaled. Inhaled, exhaled. You repeated the action a few times, and once you were sure that your voice was steady enough to talk to him, you did. âI'm going out to see Elain today,â You said, your eyes fixed on his reflection in the mirror, secretly analyzing how his body reacted to the second Archeron sister's name.
Azriel barely reacted, only the slight twitch of his fingers around his pen proved your point. Something about Elain was upsetting him, but what? âHave fun,â He dismissed you with a wave of his hand. Azriel tried so damn hard to not think of how Elainâs scent would linger on your clothes for hours, maybe even days when you'll come back from your stupid little play date with her. Tried to ignore the insufferable truth that Elain, even when she belonged to another male, even when himself belonged to another female, to you, still haunted his memories every day, noon, and night.
âI will.â It took every ounce of your self-control to not snap at him. It was getting so hard to ignore that pull, that painful throb in your chest that kept screaming at you more, more, more! But deep down, you knew that Azriel would probably never be able to give you more.
To give you his heart, completely.
â
âHow is Azriel?â
Elain's melodic voice snapped you out of your thoughts. Your fingers still plucked at some invasive weeds competing with Elain's stunning flowers for the nutrients, sunlight, and water. But you didn't dare lift your eyes to meet hers, knowing she'd see the lies dancing in your eyes. âGood. Busy, but good,â Which was true, in some ways.
He kept telling you he was fine, and it was true that he was busier than usual, but deep down, you knew he wasn't doing âgoodâ. Elain nodded, the chestnut curls that escaped her bun bouncing on her forehead as she did so. She knew better than to press the topic with you.
âYou're⌠pale,â Her stunning doe eyes burned with concern, and you felt so bad for lying to your friend, even if it was only partially a lie. âI'm fine.â
Suddenly, the air shifted, and a cool breeze ran at the back of your neck, leaving a veil of goosebump on your delicate skin. The sound of Elain's gardening tools clashing to the ground made you jolt. You rapidly lifted your gaze, and gasped when you took I'm the sight of her once brown eyes now turned completely white, the wind flowing through her hair. It was as if she commanded the air itself.
âLeave him,â
Her voice didn't sound like her own, it sounded like nails on a blackboard, scrapping your soul. You hissed, covering your ears, your eyes wide with fear. But you could still hear her voice, and her face was so close. Your body was frozen in place, as if you were hypnotized by those cold white orbs, and your mind screamed at you to back off, to call for help. To call for Lucien, Elainâs mate.
âThe shadow male is bound to be blinded.â
The shaddow male could only be Azriel. Was he okay? What was happening? You hated riddles. âBlinded by what?!â You pressed, begging for answers and yet begging for the kind Archeron to come back to her usual self.
âThe seer⌠The shadow male is bound to be blinded by the seer.â
âElain!â You hadn't heard the grass sweeping against Lucien's fancy leather boots. Nor his hurried footsteps, and breathing, as he not so delicately moved Elain away from you. You landed on your butt, but you didn't take Lucien's actions personally. After all, he was only reacting instinctively as a newly mated male. You swiped a hand on your face, your brain reeling from the information.
Rage, jealousy, despair.
âY/NâŚâ You faintly heard Elain's voice, her real voice, call out for you. You didn't even realize the tears that rolled down your cheeks until you felt her soiled hands brush against your damp skin. âI need to go,â You didn't wait to be granted your leave before you hastened back inside the River House.
You almost tripped on the marbled floors, your shoe soles were now slippery because of the dew that had coated your heels. You shoved them out of your feets, the coldness of the floors not bothering you for one bit as you kept running, and running through the halls.
Rhysandâs office doors slammed open, making the Shadowsinger, and the High Lord startle slightly. You felt your heart being ripped open when you saw his eyes, on you, filled with worry.
It has been years since he last looked at you, truly looked at you.
âWhat is this about?â Azriel rose from his chair, his steps towards you careful, his shadows swirling around you frantically. âElain,â He froze in place, and his pupils shook. âIs she alright?â Her. It had always been her. Her safety, her well being, simply her. It would always be her before you.
The shadow man is bound to be blinded by the seer, not you.
âShe is,â You gulped, swiping away your own tears, the tears he yet hadn't noticed. He reached his hand to touch you, but you smacked his hand away, and he frowned. âI am not, Azriel. I am not alright. This is not alright,â You gesture between him and you. âI'm done.â
The bond snapped into place only for him to tug on the crumbling thread, watching as you reject the one thing Azriel longed for most in this life. A mate.
He fell to his knees, his hand curled at his chest as he looked up desperately at you. âWhat have you doneâŚâ His voice shook, his face red with anger, shame even. âWhat have you done!â He screamed, desperately trying to hold onto the hem of your dress, trying to keep you here, with him. He was angry, furious, at himself, at you, at Elain, at the cauldron that kept torturing his fate over and over again.
Rhys ran to Azriel's side, holding him back. You stumbled back, ripping the hem of your dress out of Azriel grip. He sobbed, and screamed as his soul was being ripped in half. Yours was too, but the damage had mostly been done throughout those years of being ignored, unloved and denied. Your soul and heart have been broken for a while now. You winnowed away, far away, and never came back.
Good riddance.
Taglist: @berryzxx @thelov3lybookworm @sidthedollface2 @favsrachz
#acotar#fiction#acosaf#my fic#angst#no happy ending#lots of warnings#azriel fanfic#azriel x reader#azriel shadowsinger#azriel acotar#azriel spymaster#azriel#azzie#shadowsinger#spymaster#shadowsinger x reader#azriel acosf#azriel acomaf#elriel#elucien#pregnancy#pregnancy elucien#seer#elain archeron#elain acotar#lucien vanserra#lucien acotar#azriel x you#azriel x y/n
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Worth the Peril
Summary: In another life, Astarion would have made a decent barbarian. Despite Karlachâs cheerful demeanor, for the most part, barbarians were known to be violent, brutal, and cruel. All things that Astarion could easily tap into if the situation called for it. And right now, he was entering a rage. OR Upon arriving in the Underdark, you go down in a battle, leaving Astarion to pick up the pieces.
Pairing: Astarion x f!reader Rating: 18+ (no smut) Word count: 15.1k CW: reader gets hurt - violence, severe injury, blood, descriptions of wound, depictions of pain, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, protective Astarion, blind with rage Astarion, soft Astarion, reader is an idiot (and a bard), so is Astarion (not a bard, just an idiot), everyone else sees what Astarion can't Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Act 1 (in-game dialogue, plot points, etc.) Also posted to: AO3 FAIR WARNING: This is PART 5 in my series, "Beauty and the Bard." Find the masterlist here.
a/n: SHE'S HERE!! I am SO excited to be finally be posting the newest chapter of Beauty and the Bard! Thank you so much for your patience as I was sorting this one out. I've always been a huge fan of the hurt/comfort trope and the "Person A gets hurt and Person B loses it" trope, so this is my take on both of those tropes in one! Did I fudge the numbers of the Duergar fight in the Underdark from Act One? Yes. Did I fudge the numbers in terms of injury severity and what's actually possible through magical healing? Also yes! But in a world where a skeleton will bring you back from the dead for $200, OR, simply sleeping a full eight hours will heal you completely, I think I was able to make it make sense. Hopefully. Apologies to anyone working in the medical field who knows I'm a sham. But this is a series about smooching a vampire, so we gotta suspend our disbelief somewhere! There's no smut in this chapter, and for that, I apologize, but it'll make sense why it doesn't. If it helps, my beta says that this is her favorite chapter to date! Woo! Please enjoy. (Thank you to my beta @kermitwazowski for reading! - Also! She just got married! And a tiktok from it went viral! We love her, she's the best.) As a reminder, last time, you and Astarion had a little romp in the river while watching the sunrise.
Taglist: Moved to the comment section, since tumblr hates sharing fun with friends - please let me know if you'd like to be added to the list!
Barring a few dirty looks from Shadowheart and Laeâzel, your return to camp with Astarion - both of you now vaguely damp - was largely ignored in favor of packing up camp in preparation for venturing into the Underdark. So long as you were both there to help with the pack up efforts, it didnât really matter where the two of you had spent your morning.Â
Astarion squeezed your hand fondly before sauntering over to his tent to loiter and drag his feet until the camp was mostly all packed away. You knew his game; look busy without actually lifting a finger until it was absolutely necessary. You rolled your eyes before bending to gather and organize the loot in your tent. He was so annoying.
Gods, you hated him.
And you loved him.
Why, of all people, did you have to fall in love with the emotionally stunted, incredibly dramatic, freak weirdo vampire? Wyll was perfectly nice! Shadowheart had a good head on her shoulders! And yetâŚ
Your eyes flicked over to his tent momentarily.Â
He wasnât even trying. He was fully looking at his nails. He looked up briefly and met your eye. He smirked before moving his hand to wave at you delicately with his fingertips.Â
âPack,â you called to him from across camp.
âWhat?â He cupped a hand to his ear as if he couldnât hear you from the relatively short distance away. âYouâll have to speak up, darling! Or, better yet-â
He left his tent and made his way over to yours.
âOooh, no,â you scolded and pointed towards his tent. âGet back over there and pack, you jackass.â
âOuch, love,â Astarion squatted beside you. He looked around your tent at the trinkets youâd accumulated and picked one up, rotating it in his hands. A tiny statue of a mermaid, her face sculpted in midsong. âHeavy little bugger,â he said, testing its weight in his hands.
âItâs made of iron, I think,â you said.Â
âAnd youâre going to make us lug it into the Underdark? Rather selfish of you, donât you think?â
You snatched the figure out of his hands. âCan I help you with something, Astarion?â
He spread out his legs and leaned back against a chest you kept close-by. âNot particularly.â He rested his arms behind his head, very clearly trying to flex his arms to keep your attention on him.
You laughed and pushed him, making him fall sideways. âStop trying to distract me and go pack your own stuff up. I will not help you when youâre inevitably scrambling later.â
âYes, you will,â he said, using your shoulder to help himself stand up. He squeezed it once before heading back in the direction of his tent.Â
âNo, I wonât!â you called after him, but he turned and cupped his hand to his ear again, pretending he couldnât hear you. You groaned loudly and continued packing.Â
âHate to say it, Soldier,â said Karlach, whose tent was set up between yours and Astarionâs, âbut you probably will help him.â
You sighed heavily. âI know.â
~~~~~
It hadnât been as bad as you thought.
Youâd had the foresight to keep your belongings relatively close together, making use of the travelerâs chest you all shared. Once youâd gathered all your possessions and dismantled your tent, you placed everything you couldnât carry on your person into the chest. Karlach had helped Halsin lift the trunk, full to the brim with everyoneâs overflow, into an ox wagon that you all planned on taking with you to the ruined goblin camp and down into the Underdark below. Even Astarion had managed to gather most of his things before inevitably earning your help with a bat of his eyes.
It had taken maybe two hours total, but looking around the area that you had called home for the last few weeks, it was as if your party had never been there to begin with. It was a little sad to be leaving, but you were pleased with the progress you all had made and were ready to keep moving forward in order to get these damn worms out of your skulls.
The trek into the Underdark, meanwhile, was long and frustrating; Gale had to cast Feather Fall on half of your team, the ox cart, and Scratch and the Owlbear cub, while the other half of you used the deceptively long ladder down into the abandoned Selunite outpost below - much to Shadowheartâs dismay.Â
Much to Astarionâs dismay, youâd actually stumbled upon a colony of Miconids after bumbling through a battle with a pair of minotaurs and looking for a place to rest. It was there that you spoke with the head of their colony, Sovereign Spaw, about eliminating a clan of Duergar dwarves threatening their population.
Which was how you now found yourself smugly walking beside Astarion as Gale and Shadowheart led the way towards the supposed Duergar hideout. The rest of your party had (begrudgingly, in the case of Laeâzel) agreed to help Halsin set up camp close to the Miconids and their beautiful glowing mushrooms, and had stayed behind.
âYou must wipe that stupid expression off your face, darling,â Astarion rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. âOtherwise you might get stuck like that.â
âI told you they were real.â You waggled your eyebrows in victory.
âAnd their music was far less irritating than yours,â he teased. âSo I suppose that was nice.â
âBastard,â you muttered. âIâd love to play something with them when we get back.â
âYou would.â
âAss hat.â
âLoud mouth.â
âWould you two shut it?â Gale turned and quietly shouted. âWeâre swiftly approaching the Duergar clan, according to Sovereign Spawâs directions.â
âI still think we should have rested for the evening,â Astarion complained. âA specimen such as myself requires copious amounts of beauty sleep.â
You withheld a yawn, willing the vampire not to see it. You were still tired from your lack of sleep this morning, and your romp in the river. Not to mention the hike to get down here, and the minotaurs youâd already faced. You were able to get a short rest in at the colony, but you were definitely feeling it, and you didnât want to worry your teammates. Plus you knew Astarion would never let you hear the end of it, given his protests about it earlier today.
âEnough, Astarion,â Shadowheart groaned. âYou heard Spaw; the Duergar are a looming threat to their colony. We couldnât risk a possible ambush in the night. Especially with all the refugees seeking shelter there.â
Astarion sighed. âAnd, I suppose I must admit, I like the sovereignâs approach. A little genocidal, but effective.â
âYes, great, youâll get your fill of blood, now would you hush!â Gale halted, causing the rest of you to stop, too. âSomethingâs wrong.â
You surveyed your surroundings. Wooden structures stood decaying all around, from bridges, to long forgotten buildings, and nets once used for ladders. It had probably been home to a village of people at one time.
âLooks abandoned,â you supplied.
Off in the distance you could make out a lake through some fog. Boats rocked gently against a worn looking dock, illuminated by purple crystals that populated the area. That must be the lake that Spaw had described. But wait⌠were those-? Lit torches?
You were about to take a step forward to investigate further, but Astarion held out an arm to block you.Â
âI smell a trap,â he warned.
Suddenly an arrow shot past your ear and landed in a wooden post behind you.
âThatâs quite a sense of smell you have,â Gale quipped, prepping a spell in his hands. âThink you could sniff out where that arrow came from?â
Your eyes frantically searched the area but couldnât make anything out.Â
âDuck!â Shadowheart shouted, as a flaming arrow seemed to appear out of thin air and hurdle towards your party.Â
You hit the deck, lifting your head ever so slightly in the direction where the arrow came flying from. A figure appeared out of nowhere as you watched, taking a step to the side to hide behind a wall. That explained it.
âOur attackers are using an Invisibility spell,â you said quietly. âIf we can get them to attack us, we can break the spell and see them clearly before they have the chance to cast it again.â
âSounds fairly dangerous,â Gale muttered, holding a hand to his chin in thought.
âDo you have any better ideas?â Shadowheart whispered, pulling her shield and morning star off of her back.Â
âNot really,â Gale said after thinking for a moment.Â
Astarion, meanwhile, had already unsheathed his daggers. âLetâs spill some blood.â A wicked grin graced his features.Â
âLetâs think about this for a second,â you said, holding out an arm to block him from getting up and feeling him deflate. You peered around the large rock that you and your companions had ducked behind. Platforms were littered throughout the decrepit village, perfect for you all to spread out. Quietly, you removed your lute and your backpack.Â
âNowâs not really the time to serenade us with a sappy love song, dearest,â Astarion said, his eyes on your loose lute that heâd recently gifted you.Â
âShut up, and take this,â you said, handing him a scroll of Misty Step that you pulled out of your bag. You handed one to Shadowheart as well. âGale, how are you doing on magic?â
Gale flexed his hands, the purple of the Weave sparking at his fingertips. âGood enough to take out a few dwarves, Iâd say. But I have my crossbow if necessary.â
You nodded and turned to Shadowheart. âYou?â
She nodded back at you. âI should have enough for some healing if anyone needs it, but Iâll stick to cantrips if I can.â
You nodded again, thinking deeply. âOkay, our magic is running kind of low, so we have to be smart about this.â
Astarion cleared his throat. âArenât you going to ask me about my magic, darling?â
Shadowheart laughed humorlessly. âOh, please. As if you wonât rely entirely on those knives of yours.â
He scoffed. âIâll have you know, Iâm also very skilled with a bow.â
You sighed. âIâm sorry we couldnât rest more before we had to do this.â
âThe life of a hero is not an easy one,â Gale pointed out. âOne cannot always put their feet up by the hearth when lives are at stake.â
âSpeak for yourself,â Astarion rolled his eyes.Â
âWhatâs the plan?â Shadowheart asked you. âWe might want to hurry, given they know our location and we donât know theirs.â
âI was thinking we all cast Misty Step,â you turned back around to look over the boulder and pointed to the various empty structures, âand land on those platforms.â
âAh, the high ground! Very logical,â Gale nodded in approval.
âBut do we want to be out in the open? Theyâll shoot at us and we wonât have any cover.â Shadowheart raised a good point.
âIâll cause a distraction,â you said, âno worries.â
Astarion clicked his tongue. âI hate the sound of that.â
âWhat do you mean?! Iâm great at distractions!â
Rather than responding, Astarion hummed skeptically. Then he leaned forward to kiss you sweetly. âIâm going to go kill some dwarves now.â With that, he unfurled the scroll, recited âinveniam viam,â and you watched as he disappeared and reappeared on a platform hidden in darkness. You lost sight of him as he vanished into the shadows and turned back to face Gale and Shadowheart.
âBe smart with your magic, and be safe.â Both of them nodded wordlessly at you and prepared to cast Misty Step. You picked up your lute and stood up straight. âSee you on the other side,â you winked and started descending down a hill towards your hidden enemies.Â
Strumming a quiet tune, you created a Minor Illusion around yourself to look like a traveling musician, rather than an armored spellcaster. You slung your lute back around onto your back.Â
âSorry!â you called, holding your hands up above your head as if in surrender. You spotted an armored dwarf on a wooden walkway up ahead, currently visible, and walked towards him. âSo sorry!â
âWhat?â The dwarf looked surprised by your unarmed approach. âGehk! Got someone sneaking up on us!â
âNo!â you assured. âMy band mates and I,â you pointed your thumb over your shoulder towards the area where youâd been spotted with your companions, âwe got a little turned around. See, we thought there might be a secluded place down here to practice for our upcoming gig, and well, we didnât know you were already here, and-â
âToo loud, sun-scum,â came a voice from above you. You looked up to see another Duergar on a platform overhead. He wore an amulet of the Absolute and had a large battle axe strapped to his back. âCould hear you and your mates stumbling. Can hear you blinking.âÂ
âThat seems unlikely,â you muttered. Your eyes wandered around, pretending to look for more dwarves in the area, but really checking to make sure your companions were in position.Â
âNoise gets you eaten down here,â the dwarf with the amulet went on. âReckon Iâll hush you before something hungry comes along.âÂ
âYouâd hurt an unarmed musician?â You held your hands up higher.
The dwarf above you barked out a laugh. âNice try, bard.â He spat the word. âSaw you lot from a mile away. Your little disguise is pitiful.â
Something seemed off. You felt a chill run down your spine as something brushed against you. The illusion of your plain clothes fell away, revealing your armor. You had a feeling your invisible foes had you surrounded.Â
âNow,â said the dwarf, âwhere are your little friends hiding?â
You laughed. âI was just going to ask! Why would you all surround me when my little friends are over there?â You nodded your head towards one of the platforms.
The dwarfâs eyes widened as he spotted Shadowheart, whose hands were poised with a Firebolt spell. âTheyâre up there!â Before the dwarf could point, an arrow pierced through his shoulder from behind, knocking him forward off the platform. You sidestepped his falling body and made eye contact with Astarion who smirked down at you.Â
âAttack!â The first dwarf you spoke to shouted, and all hell broke loose.Â
Light surrounded you as Shadowheart cast Bless, and you were able to out-maneuver the dwarf whoâd yelled as the light momentarily blinded him. Arrows flew towards Astarion, whoâd been the first to shoot, and with those arrows, multiple dwarvesâ Invisibility spells broke. Astarion was able to easily dodge and avoid the onslaught of attacks, thanks to the advantage of being on higher ground. You grabbed your lute and cast Shatter, causing the dwarves around you to fly backwards in a wave of thunder. Gale launched fiery arrows at your foes, and Shadowheart summoned a Spiritual Weapon to fight for you all on the ground below.
âYouâre here because of those rotflowers, arenât you?â The dwarf with the Absolute pendant got to his feet and pulled the arrow out of his shoulder. âYou reek of justice and good deeds.â
âFunny,â you said, using the pommel of your rapier to push a now visible dwarf off the platform you were on, âand I just took a bath this morning.â
âWould you classify that as a bath?â Astarion called down to you, mischief in his eyes.
You smiled, but could already feel yourself starting to lose steam, even though the battle had just started. Still, you pressed on and cast another Shatter, scattering your enemies further and buying you some time to catch your breath. âAnd what would you classify it as?â
âI can think of many things, but weâre in such polite company, I shanât say.â He shot a flaming arrow down onto the beach and hit multiple dwarves at once in the explosion.Â
âI donât like whateverâs happening here,â the dwarf with the Absolute amulet said. âBut Iâll make you pay for siding with those mushroom abominations.â The dwarf raised his hands and uttered a spell you didn't recognize, but a cacophony of noise from below caught your attention. The lapse in focus cost you, as one of the dwarves youâd been fending off pushed you off the platform.
You heard your companions yell your name as you landed hard in the sand below. It took you a second to regain your bearings before you realized what the sound had been. Fallen Duergar were now rising, life not returning to their eyes, but risen all the same.
Animate Dead.Â
Youâd heard of this spell; had seen it in action with Mayrinaâs husband, Connor. But you had yet to see it used in battle.Â
Now you were surrounded by undead dwarves, hell bent on tearing you apart.Â
âHi,â was all you could manage through the spinning of your head. You blinked a few times before blocking the heavy strike of an axe with your slim rapier. When it was clear that the axe was going to prevail, you rolled out of the way and the axe connected with the sand that had been beneath your head.Â
âAre you alright?â Shadowheart called after hitting you with a Healing Word.Â
You squared your shoulders and entered into a fighting stance. âBetter now, thanks!â While it was true, you were still exhausted and could feel your magic actively getting weaker. Youâd have to remind yourself to get a sturdier sword after this battle. You heard a clang as Shadowheartâs Spiritual Weapon was destroyed by a few zombies that now turned their attention on you.
âHardly the place, darling,â Astarion called, downing one of the zombies in front of you with an arrow of ice. âDying down here? Embarrassing.â
âStop talking and help her kill the bloody things!â Gale yelled, still slinging spells and arrows at the dwarves from up on the platforms.Â
The undead kept rushing at you, and you were able to keep them at bay with brandishes of your rapier and weaker casts of Thunderwave, but it was getting harder and harder to fight back. Meanwhile, living dwarves had made it to the other platforms and started climbing up to your companions. Astarionâs help began to dwindle as his attention was split between you and the dwarves he had to face head on with his daggers. You could hear less and less of Galeâs magic as he opted fully for his crossbow, especially now with dwarves attempting to climb up to him. Shadowheart was facing the same obstacles, instead swinging her morningstar and shoving her shield to throw dwarves from the platform.Â
âGuys,â you said, not as loudly as you would have hoped. There was too much going on. Even if you did manage to raise your voice, it would be hard to hear you over the sounds of fire arrows and spells.Â
âGuys,â you tried again but to no avail. You cast a small Cure Wounds on yourself, but instantly regretted it. You could have saved that spell for an offensive attack, and now you felt yourself completely depleted of magic, despite trying your best to use it sparingly. Which was difficult when you were surrounded by enemies and your companions were occupied with their own battles. You were just one person. This was too much.
The undead dwarves still standing were backing you up against a cluster of boulders in the center of the beach.Â
This was okay. You were fine! Youâd been in tough spots before and you and your team had always come out on top. You could do this. Undead dwarves? Pah! What kind of lethal damage could someone with dead muscle inflict, right? Sure, Astarion was undead and he was a vicious killer, but that was Astarion, and these dwarves had just been resurrected. They were just getting their sea legs! LifeâŚ. legs? It didnât matter. They probably couldnât even think for themselves. You could handle this.
With a boost of confidence from your mental pep talk, you surged forward, away from the center of the beach, and stabbed a zombie through the chest. The visceral sound of metal entering flesh was loud and oddly satisfying.
âAh ha!â you shouted as the zombie slumped to the ground.Â
But the stab had been louder than your slim blade should have been able to muster. You pulled the blade out of the slumped zombie to inspect, but upon looking down, you saw silver glinting with red through your midsection.Â
Another zombie had come up behind you and cleaved you with his axe. The head of it peaked out through your stomach.
You heard your name roared from somewhere up above.
The metallic taste of your own blood rushed into your mouth as your vision started to blur. You fell to your knees.
âGuys,â you said one more time.
Then everything went black.
~~~~~
In another life, Astarion would have made a decent barbarian.Â
Despite Karlachâs cheerful demeanor, for the most part, barbarians were known to be violent, brutal, and cruel. All things that Astarion could easily tap into if the situation called for it.
And right now, he was entering a rage.
Red.Â
That was all he saw.Â
Red, and the corpses of the dwarves who dared cross his path on his way down to you.
He hadnât witnessed it.
Had been too caught up in his own hacking and slashing to see the moment when the axe had made its way through your torso. But he had smelled it. Instantly, he had recognized the sweet notes of your blood entering the air. Thatâs when heâd looked down and saw the state of you. Heâd screamed your name, far louder than any of the magic and explosions that were still triggering in the fight.Â
Shadowheart and Galeâs heads snapped down to look at you, terror in their eyes. And yet they still had to fight. The zombies surrounding your unconscious form began to move away from you and up towards them instead.Â
Astarion downed dwarves left and right, going overboard in his violence on the warpath to get you into his arms.Â
âShadowheart!â he yelled, as if she wasnât already aware of the situation.
âI know!â she shouted back. âI can try a Healing Word but my magicâs nearly spent!â
âDo it! NOW!â Astarion bellowed as he sliced through the abdomen of a dwarf preparing to fire a spell. He heard a chant of âte curo,â followed by the aqua magic that usually came with a healing spell, but you remained motionless in the sand.Â
âThe wound is too deep and my magic isnât strong enough!â Shadowheart slung her morning star into the head of a Duergar that had successfully climbed up to her platform.Â
Gale looked over to Shadowheart and the two shared a brief, silent conversation before Gale nodded and Misty Stepped down to you.
âDonât you touch her, wizard!â Astarion yelled as he fought his way through what once must have been a house of some kind. âUnless you can bring her back up!â His daggers stabbed through the Duergar with the Absolute amulet; the one whoâd raised those dead in the first place. Astarion made sure his death was extra painful with each twist of his knives.
âBe reasonable, Astarion!â Gale yelled back and shot an arrow at one of the zombies still slinking across the beach. He bent and attempted to get you to swallow some healing potion. Youâd already lost a lot of blood.
âSheâs DYING!â Astarion bellowed before jumping down, out of the house, and down onto the beach. He made a sound of pain as he landed, but stumbled as quickly as he could over to you on his hands and knees.Â
Before he reached you, however, he spotted an unarmed zombie halfway up a ladder. That must have been the vile creature whose blade was still lodged in you. He made a beeline for the abomination and pulled it down with enough force to rip the rope that made up the ladder it was climbing. His blades were entering the zombie repeatedly before he even realized heâd pinned it to the ground. It stopped moving fairly soon after its first stab wound, but Astarion wouldnât let up.
âItâs dead, Astarion!â Gale said, trying to bring him back to reality. âTruly dead!â
Astarion finally stopped and breathed heavily. He abandoned the corpse and made his way over to you, sinking to his knees.
âYouâre okay,â he cooed. âHelp is here.â He gently pulled you into his lap, careful not to touch the axe head. âIâve got you.â
âSheâs still alive,â Gale confirmed. âI gave her some healing potion and checked her pulse.â
Astarion wasnât listening. He rocked back and forth, wiping matted hair out of your face. âDarling,â he said quietly, âyouâre too pretty to die. And look at all the precious blood youâve wasted.â You shifted a little and he paused.Â
Your eyes opened briefly. When you realized it was Astarion looking down at you, you smiled.Â
âHi,â you said weakly.
Astarion laughed, but it was a choked, mangled thing. âHello, my love.â
âThat hurt,â you said, smiling blearily until your eyes closed again. He brought his forehead lightly to yours.
Gale touched his shoulder. âTake her to Halsin. Heâll be able to help more than any of us at the moment.â
Astarion wanted to argue, but knew that Gale was probably right. Annoying bastard.Â
âHelp me, would you?â He made to stand up and Gale moved to help guide you gently into Astrionâs arms as he stood. The axe rested uncomfortably between the two of you, but Astarion knew better than to try and pull it out without the proper healing implements nearby to stop the bleeding.Â
âWeâll be fine here,â Gale said, shooting another arrow at a dwarf on his way to Shadowheart. âYou cleared most of the sorry mongrels just now, anyway.â
âI donât recall asking,â Astarion snapped, readjusting how he was holding you.Â
âOnly trying to help,â Gale said sharply. âNone of us want to see her suffer.â
Astarion sighed. âI know,â he admitted.
Gale placed a hand on his shoulder again. âProprae,â he said, and warm magic surrounded Astarion. âLongstrider,â Gale explained. âItâll get you to Halsin faster. Now go.â
Astarion nodded and took off back towards the Myconid colony.
âYou just had to play hero, didnât you?â He didnât look down at you as he sidestepped purple crystals and wayward wooden planks. âCouldnât stay back for once and let someone else handle it.â
You coughed a little and peered up at him. âI do it for the glory,â you wheezed with a joking smile.
Astarionâs eyes flicked to you for a second. âThere are better ways to get attention, darling.â He smiled despite himself. âNow stop talking, please. Save that strength.â
Rather than argue further, you closed your eyes again and nuzzled your face into his neck. You were so tired. And cold. Numbness had overtaken your body except for a dull ache in your midsection. You didnât even realize when you slipped away again.
Astarion felt you go slightly more limp and swore, dodging exploding mushrooms and trying to remember the way back to the Myconids.Â
âDonât you dare leave me,â he growled. âNot now. Not you.â He refused to shed a tear. Youâd be okay, and then heâd have words with you about your pesky bleeding heart.Â
Speaking of bleeding, he didnât like how easily he could smell your blood. Usually heâd be thrilled to be surrounded by such an intoxicating aroma, but right now it was making him sick to his stomach.Â
âDo you know how selfish you are?â he asked, knowing you wouldnât respond. âWasting all this blood. Some of us need a proper meal.â
He hated your silence. Hated that you werenât strong enough to tell him he could feed from you if he wanted because of course you would. Or maybe youâd come up with some sort of jab about him being selfish for thinking about food at a time like this. He missed your voice.
âHow dare you scare me like this, you stubborn clod.âÂ
In the distance, he saw the glowing mushrooms of the colony. He ducked his head and willed himself to run even faster.Â
âWhere are they?!â Astarion shouted to a mushroom sentry at the entrance. The Myconid remained stoic, but flashed a somber song through Astarionâs mind. âNot helpful!â he shouted as he ran up the steps.
There! That halfling woman whoâd asked you all to find her bumbling husband.
âYou!â he yelled, his eyes wild. âThe group I was traveling with! Where did they go?!â
The halfling woman fumbled for words, shocked at the bloody sight of you before her.
âTell me!â he exclaimed.
âI believe they found a clearing not far off. The druid came by earlier to swap herbs.â
Astarion didnât respond before booking it again, the Myconids singing a mournful ballad to him as he passed them.Â
âHALSIN!â he screamed when he left through the other entrance of the colony. âWYLL! KARLACH! LAEâZEL! YOU BLASTED WHELPS, WHERE ARE YOU?!â He kept running, following along a path of glowing mushrooms.
âAstarion?â It was Wyll.
âWHERE ARE YOU?!â Astarion repeated, recalibrating to run towards the sound of his voice.
âOVER HERE!â Karlach shouted, and Astarion saw Scratch appear from around a corner a short distance away, followed closely by Karlach. Wyll and Laeâzel caught up behind them.
âDear gods,â Wyll murmured before running into camp and creating a space for you.Â
âIâll get Halsin!â Karlach turned and ran.
âKaincha,â Laeâzel breathed as Astarion passed her.
âLay her here,â Wyll said, having prepped a bedroll next to the fire.
âLike hells is she going on the bloody ground,â Astarion hissed, looking around for something more comfortable. âGrab my pillows,â he nodded from Wyll to the ox cart.Â
Wyll nodded and ran to the cart before coming back and beginning to fashion a makeshift mattress.Â
Laeâzel looked around for Gale and Shadowheart. âWhere are the others?â
âDamned Duergars. Theyâre in a rotting village by the lake southwest of here.â
âI shall avenge our fallen,â she nodded before running to her tent, grabbing her greatsword and taking off in the direction Astarion had come in from.Â
âSheâs not dead yet,â Astarion muttered as Halsin and Karlach entered the space frantically. âThere you are!â He addressed Halsin icily. He had yet to put you down.Â
Halsin ignored Astarion in favor of approaching you and assessing the damage. He held multiple bowls and jars of unknown substances, and his face gave nothing away. âBring her this way,â he said, motioning for Astarion to follow him. Halsin led him to a giant mushroom cap. âLay her down here.â He set down the materials he was holding nearby.
âOn a damn mushroom? You must be joking.â Astarion held you tighter.
âAstarion,â Halsin said gently, âIâm going to help her. You have to trust me.â
Astarion narrowed his eyes and reassessed the mushroom. It did look soft, and big enough for your whole body to spread out on. He looked at Halsin again who remained calm and collected. Astarion nodded.
Halsin nodded back and helped him untangle you from his arms. âWeâre going to lay her on her side,â he instructed, and Astarion did his best to roll you gently onto the mushroom cap.Â
âHow can we help?â Wyll asked, making Astarion jump. Heâd forgotten about anyone outside of his current line of sight.Â
âFetch my pack, if you would, Wyll,â Halsin said.Â
Wyll nodded and ran towards Halsinâs tent on the other side of camp.Â
âAnd me?â Karlach asked.Â
âCan you heat up some water?â
âYou got it,â she said before rushing to grab a bucket.
Halsin held out his hand, golden magic emitting from his palm. He closed his eyes and hovered his hand up and down your body.
âWell?â Astarion asked impatiently.Â
Halsin opened his eyes and Astarion caught a flash of panic in them.
No.
âWe need to get this axe out as soon as possible,â Halsin explained. âSheâs going to lose more blood, but you were right to leave it in on the battlefield.â
It was then that Wyll came back, lugging Halsinâs backpack, along with other supplies he deemed might be useful.
âSo get it out and heal her!â Astarion exclaimed.
âIâll do my best, Astarion, but youâll have to be patient.âÂ
âWhereâs Withers?â Astarion looked around but caught no glimpse of the skeleton.
âHe said heâd find us once weâre settled,â Wyll reminded him kindly.Â
âIf we lose her and he canât bring her back, Iâm ending him.â Astarion knew how unlikely it was that heâd be able to kill someone who brought people back from the dead for a living (why Withers needed a living in the first place was still a mystery), but he needed someone to threaten. He was terrified.Â
âAstarion,â Halsin said, âIâll need you to help me remove her clothes. Wyll, can you prepare some bandages?â
Wyll nodded and began to gather materials from Halsinâs bag.Â
Astarion hesitated before unsheathing his daggers to help cut the leather armor off of your body. Halsin helped maneuver your limbs out of it until you were left in what once was a white shirt, now a deep red around your midsection.
âHer shirt as well,â Halsin said. âYour skill with a knife is far more refined than mine.â
Astarion frowned, knowing youâd probably hate being shirtless in front of everyone, but shook off the thought in favor of helping Halsin heal you. He quickly and carefully cut your shirt away from your body, depositing it on another mushroom nearby, and leaving you in nothing but your undergarments. The gash in your back was brutal, and rather than stare at it, Astarion took your hand. It was growing cold, but he could sense your blood still pumping beneath your skin.Â
âSheâs so weak,â he murmured.Â
âSheâs a fighter,â Halsin put a hand on Astarionâs shoulder before moving to mix some sort of elixir he had in one of the bowls heâd brought over. âMy magic isnât strong enough to heal her all by itself, not completely, but Oak Father willing, sheâll make it through this.â
âShe better,â Astarion growled, still holding your hand, squeezing it harder than he knew he should.Â
Halsin smiled faintly, then moved around to your head. He tipped your head back and made you swallow the contents of the bowl heâd just been mixing.
âAnd what-â
âThat should keep her from waking up right away.â Halsin came back to stand behind you and examined the state of the axe.
âSo, she wonât feel any pain?â Astarion asked.
âShe shouldnât.â
âOkay,â was all Astarion could manage to say, hoping that was enough to convey his gratitude to the druid.
Halsin nodded and motioned for Astarion to hold you in place. âWyll, can you help with this?â
âOf course,â Wyll moved around the mushroom to hold you from the other side.Â
âIâm going to remove the axe,â Halsin said. âSheâs going to bleed more, but I should be able to stop it with what Iâve brought with me.â
âEnough talking,â Astarion held you tight. âGet to the healing part already!â
Halsin frowned, but nodded. âSteady now,â he said, placing his hands on the wooden handle of the axe. âReady?â
âYes!â Astarion snapped.
Halsin let out a calming breath before pulling on the axe. Everyone held their breath to make sure you didnât cry out in pain. When you didnât, Halsin continued, taking the blade out in one smooth motion.Â
As heâd said, you began bleeding more profusely and Astarion let out a pathetic whining sound. Halsin immediately held out his hands, aqua healing magic surrounding you from both sides. Astarion couldnât look away as your skin knit itself back together, a clear scar forming in its wake.
The aqua magic faded and Halsin instantly dipped his hand in some sort of salve and began rubbing it along your back.Â
âWyll,â Halsin said, handing him a bowl with an identical salve. âPlease cover the wound on her stomach with this.â
âIâll do it,â Astarion said, moving around the mushroom to your front. Wyll handed him the salve and he went to work spreading a generous amount along your stomach.Â
âSorry,â said Karlach, running up with a steaming bucket of water. âI was looking for where we packed all our towels.â She held up a few. âI found them.âÂ
âThank you, Karlach,â Halsin said. âWe can start cleaning the area around her wounds.â
Karlach bounced on her feet. âUm⌠Iâll incinerate her if I try to help with that.â
âI know what you can do,â Astarion said flatly, focusing deeply on globbing enough salve onto your stomach. He lifted his head and nodded towards the axe on the ground behind Halsin. âYou can destroy that wretched blade.â
Karlach smiled and cracked her knuckles. âIâll make it wish it was never fucking born.â
âBlades arenât born, Karlach,â Wyll said, wiping blood away from your skin with the warm water she provided.
âAnd yet, this one will die a fiery death,â she smirked, flaring her flames menacingly. She took off, presumably to be as hot as she pleased without endangering others.
âCan one of you help me sit her upright?â Halsin addressed the two men still tending to you.
âSure,â Astarion said, noticeably calmer now that you werenât actively bleeding. âHow are her, um⌠her innards?â
Halsin smiled. âIf youâre referring to internal bleeding, the potion I gave her and the spell I cast should be enough to have stopped it. But sheâs still very fragile. Iâd imagine it will take her some time to fully recover.â He once again held out his hand and cast a golden spell from his palm like he had earlier. âYes, the internal bleeding has stopped. Though Iâd suggest not giving into any carnal desires until sheâs completely healed.â
âCarnal- I donât want to have sex with her like this!â Astarion looked offended. âWho do you take me for?â
Halsin chuckled. âI didnât think you would, but it still needed to be said.â
âOf all the-â Astarion narrowed his eyes but didnât finish the thought. âYou needed help getting her upright?âÂ
âYes, sheâll need to be bandaged up. Itâs possible sheâll bleed again depending on her movements in her sleep and various other factors, but sheâll also need to keep reapplying fresh salves to prevent infection and minimize scarring.â
Astarion nodded as Wyll finished washing away most of the blood on your back.Â
âLetâs lie her on her back first,â Halsin said.Â
Astarion and Wyll helped to gently roll you onto your back, and Halsin helped sit you up straight. Astarion came up quickly to place a gentle hand on your chest and another on your back to keep you upright as Halsin began to wrap bandages around your torso.Â
Though your head was tipped forward in your unconscious state, Astarion whispered encouragements in your ear that Halsin and Wyll politely pretended not to hear.
âYouâre going to be okay, my love. Soon Iâll get to look into your pretty eyes again and hear your lovely voice. Everything is going to be okay.â
~~~~~
Everything is going to be okay.
How could that be true when you were drowning?
Surrounded by inky blackness. Floating through nothingness.
Your limbs were heavy. And more than anything, you were tired. So, so tired.Â
Youâd messed up. Youâd allowed yourself to fight, even though you knew you werenât at your best, just because you didnât want your friends to be upset. Right? They had been people you cared about? And now the last thing you remembered was being curled into someoneâs side as they ran, presumably, to find help.Â
Idiot.
You were an idiot.Â
The person had looked so scared.Â
This was all your fault. You hated being the one to cause a problem. You had to be good. You had to do everything right so no one would have to worry about you.
The person whoâd held you so close and protectively shouldnât have to worry about you.Â
Whoever they were.Â
You vaguely remembered saying something to them, but you couldnât recall what it was or why youâd said it. You faintly remember making them snicker, at least.
Youâre doing so well, darling. Hang in there.
It didnât feel like you were doing so well. And yet the words filled you with comfort. Somewhere, a thousand miles away, you felt someone squeezing your hand.Â
Weâre going to move you now, but weâll be gentle.
That was very kind of them. You were having trouble moving through this darkness.Â
Easy, now.Â
Was it possible to swim towards the voice? It sounded like it might be within reach, even though mere moments ago it had seemed incredibly distant and far-off.
Youâll be much more comfortable here, my love.
Though your head was filled with fog, something in your gut told you to go to the voice. You knew it was familiar, but you couldnât make the connection. With all the strength you could muster, you kicked your legs as hard as you could and pulled yourself along with your arms.Â
Donât worry, my sweet, Iâm not going anywhere.
Thank you, you wanted to say, but you couldnât quite grasp the words.
Try as you might to swim towards the voice, it remained just out of reach, a wall of pain shooting through your abdomen whenever you got too close.Â
Iâm here, you tried to tell the voice. I canât reach you.
Sleep now.
It hurts.
Iâll be here when youâre ready.Â
Please.
~~~~~
Your sleep was fitful. It had taken about an hour before youâd started thrashing unconsciously and moaning in pain.
âSomethingâs wrong,â Astarion called, emerging from your tent.Â
He and the others had moved you onto the makeshift mattress Wyll had created, and built your tent around you, next to Astarionâs. Or what would be Astarionâs; he had yet to set up his space, having spent all his time at camp so far by your side.Â
Shadowheart, Gale, and Laeâzel had arrived at camp about half an hour after Astarion had rushed in with your unconscious form, all three covered in generous amounts of blood and gore. They had immediately asked after the state of you and were pleased to see you bandaged and sleeping soundly.
Now, however, that wasnât the case.
Halsin and Shadowheart were quick to check on you.Â
Shadowheart felt your forehead and frowned. âSheâs burning up.â
âLikely fighting a possible infection,â Halsin hypothesized.
âWell, can anything be done?!â Astarion asked, taking his place next to you again and holding your hand in both of his.Â
Halsin watched him carefully. âActually, your cooling touch may bring her some comfort, Astarion.â He looked to Shadowheart, who nodded slowly.
âShe needs to cool down. Iâll fetch some cold water, but Halsin is correct. You may be exactly what she needs. But donât let that go to your head.â
âOf course Iâm exactly what she needs,â Astarion puffed his chest, âbut itâs nice to hear that thatâs true in more ways than one.â
Shadowheart rolled her eyes before leaving and muttering, âWhy do I even bother?â
Astarion looked to Halsin. âSheâll be okay?â
Halsin smiled softly. âSheâll need water and nutrients to help fight the fever, but with you by her side, I presume sheâll be better in no time.â
âRight then, get out of here,â Astarion said, waving him away and looking slightly embarrassed.Â
Halsin chuckled. âIâll prepare some food for her.â
âYes, go bother someone else with your sappiness.â
Halsin paused in the entrance of your tent. âBeing vulnerable is not a weakness, Astarion. Itâs quite clear how much you love her, and thatâs incredibly-.â
âYou need to leave,â Astarion snapped and dropped your hand, physically shooing a laughing Halsin out of your tent. âBe useful, why donât you?â he called after him coolly as Halsin made his way over to where Gale was preparing tonightâs meal. The vampire closed the flaps of your tent firmly.
Love?
He shook his head. He was worried about you, yes, but that was because he⌠cared about you. More than he cared about anyone else at this freakish camp. And that was⌠fine. It was fine that he cared about you because you cared about him, too. And that was important because caring meant safety and protection.
Which is why heâd been so panicked about finding help for you! Obviously! If you werenât around to protect him, who would? Not Gale, thatâs for sure. No, Astarion was looking out for you for purely selfish reasons.
Right?
You made a tiny sound of discomfort and he was by your side instantly, holding his hand to your forehead, and then pressing both of his palms to your cheeks. He felt your body sag and watched the features of your face relax a little.
âThere, now,â he cooed. âDoesnât that feel better?â
He paused and narrowed his eyes in thought.Â
That was troubling.
He refused to think any deeper on the subject. Instead, he undid all the straps and clasps of his armor, trying to be as quiet as possible as he removed it all, then placed it outside so it wouldnât take up any of your space. Next, he rearranged some extra pillows that Wyll had brought by your tent to make a space where he could lie next to you. Once heâd done that, he removed his undershirt and laid next to you properly.
âCome here, my darling,â he said quietly, snuggling himself into your side. His body jolted reflexively at how hot your torso was, but quickly moved back into position and wrapped his arms around you as gently as he could. Your face scrunched in discomfort for a moment before settling into something akin to peace.
Astarion watched your chest rise and fall quietly, and let out a silent sigh of relief. One of his hands absently fiddled with the ends of your hair. Youâd need a bath at some point. So would he, for that matter. You were both still covered in gore and filth, and some strands of your hair were bound together by enemy blood. Astarion didnât much feel like licking it off of you or tasting their blood in any capacity, unless he could watch the life drain from their eyes as he drank them dry. But heâd hate every minute of it. He found your taste to be his favorite.
His favorite.
So, you were his favorite. Who cared! He knew it! Everyone at camp knew it! It didnât need to be any deeper than that.
He exhaled through his nose. Being vulnerable was a weakness. Any of his siblings would tell you that. Show one shred of fragility towards anything and it would be torn away from you and exploited in any number of violent and cruel ways. He couldnât let that happen to you.
âCan I come in?â Shadowheartâs voice was quiet, but loud enough to shake Astarion from his thoughts.
âYes,â he answered.
She pulled back the flaps of the tent and paused, taking in the scene before her.
âI hope Iâm not interrupting,â she said slowly, entering the tent with a bucket of water and a few clean cloths.Â
âNot at all, Iâm simply taking advantage of this furnace,â Astarion gestured up and down your body. âThe Underdark gets so chilly at night. Who knew?â
âUh huh,â Shadowheart nodded and felt your forehead before dipping a cloth into the water, wringing it out and placing it there. âYou know,â she began, âand I hate saying this-â
âDo go on, then.â
âUgh. I really hate saying this, but⌠sheâs lucky to have you.â
âShadowheart!â Astarion sounded quietly flabbergasted. âDo you mean it? Truly?â He was being overly dramatic and held a hand to his chest.Â
Shadowheart avoided his gaze and dipped another cloth in the water. âI just meanâŚâ She sighed. âI just mean, you make her happy, in your own annoying way. Even before you both started-â
âHolding hands?â Astarion batted his eyelashes.
Shadowheart rolled her eyes, but continued. âI donât need to tell you how lucky you are to have her because I think you know that, but⌠You make her laugh. You encourage her to fight better, you steal lutes for her⌠And⌠you get her to be selfish. Which, while I donât agree with all of your selfish suggestions, does cause her to think of herself every once in a while. Something thatâs quite hard for her, as she so competently displayed for us today when she didnât tell us how tired she truly was.âÂ
âShe was a lost cause before I showed up.â
âBe serious for a moment, would you?â Shadowheart placed another cloth along your neck. âThatâs something you both need to work on; being serious.â She held his gaze. âWe almost lost her out there today. And I donât think youâve thought about what that would mean for you.â
âOf course I have,â Astarion snapped.Â
Shadowheart raised her eyebrows. âOur Lady of Loss teaches that-â
âOh, donât start with that,â Astarion said sharply. âSheâs fine now. Or she will be, assuming you and the druid are correct in your assessment of her condition.â
âPain is a part of life, Astarion.â
âDonât say that to me,â he snapped. âYou know nothing of my pain.â
Shadowheart dabbed another cold cloth across your arm that wasnât currently cradled into Astarionâs torso. âI know that. I didnât mean it like that.â
âThen what did you mean?â He was aware that he was mildly flashing his fangs in warning.
She dabbed some cold water over your shoulders. âDonât be afraid. That's all I mean.â
âAnd what the hells is that supposed to mean?â Astarion narrowed his eyes. âAfraid of what?â
âYou care for her.âÂ
âSo what?âÂ
âYouâre aware of that?â
Astarion trilled his lips in disbelief. âOf course Iâm aware of that.â
âOkay,â she turned her attention to wringing a cloth of excess water.
If his arms werenât currently wrapped around you, Astarion would have pinched the bridge of his nose. âShadowheart, if youâre trying to tell me something, just tell me.â
âYouâre allowed to love her.â
Astarion felt himself recoil away from Shadowheart, but he still held onto you.Â
Shadowheart nodded calmly, searching his eyes. âWe all see it. You havenât known each other for long, but sheâs changing you.â
Astarion gave her a sour expression but didnât say anything to argue.
âSheâs not what you expected, is she?â
âShe-â he hesitated. âSheâs not.â He looked at your slumbering face fondly.Â
âI donât think sheâs what any of us expected.â
Astarion nodded, quiet for a few moments. He was too tired to pretend he was uninterested. âItâs a wonder we all found her,â he brushed a stray hair from your face. âOr, rather, clung to her. And in some cases, attacked her. Or threatened to.â
âIt is,â she laughed softly.Â
âPoor girl.â
Shadowheart smiled. âShe saved me, up on the Nautiloid. She and Laeâzel broke me out of my pod. Though it was mostly her. Actually, it was all her.â
âThatâs typical.â
Shadowheart laughed. âVery typical.â She shifted to face Astarion more directly. âWe donât know each other very well.â
âNo.��
âAnd probably never will.â
âFingers crossed.â
âBut I know that youâre not the same person who held a knife to her throat a few weeks ago.â
âI wouldnât say that.â
âWell, I would.â Shadowheart gave him a piercing look. âA few weeks ago, you would have been fine letting her bleed out on that battlefield. You possibly would have laughed at the brutality of it. Or, you would have written it off as a fine dining experience. But the Astarion Iâm looking at right now was ready to burn the entire world before he saw her suffer today.âÂ
Astarionâs grip on you tightened minutely.
Shadowheart sighed. âI donât like letting others get too close to me either. Partly because that is the way of Lady Shar, and partly because Iâm afraid of forgetting. Or remembering. Iâm not sure which is worse, truthfully.â
âWhat does that-â
âIt doesnât matter. My point is, our leader here makes me want to remember. Remember our times together, her kindness⌠And how she makes me feel.âÂ
âCarefulâŚâ Astarion said slowly, narrowing his eyes but smiling slightly.
âShe might be the only person Iâve ever considered to be a true friend. I think. But I know sheâd do anything for any of us. And I want to remember that.â
âOkay, so commit it to memory?â Astarion was confused about all the talk of remembering. Surely Shadowheartâs memory wasnât that bad.
âIâll try,â she chuckled. Then, after a moment of quiet, she inhaled deeply. âAll of this to say, Astarion,â she looked him in the eye again, âheartbreak is also a part of life. And while weâre lucky sheâs still with us, you shouldnât be afraid to love her. I think you want to live.â
~~~~~
Darkness.
All consuming and quiet.
But at least the pain had stopped.Â
It was rather lonely here. Nothing to do and no one to talk to. Whenever you tried to move, the blackness that surrounded you gave little away as to whether you were actually moving or not. Thereâd been waves of extreme heat, bitter cold, and heavy nausea, and while none of that was particularly thrilling, it was nice to know that you could still feel something in this liminal space of sensory deprivation.
The voice would occasionally interrupt the profound silence to address you.
Come on, my sweet, eat just a little more. I know you can.
What are you dreaming about in there?
Are you going to wake up anytime soon, darling?
You didnât know. No matter what you tried, it didnât seem likely that you were close to leaving this place. And just when it felt like you were finally getting somewhere, the pain would overtake you again and stop you in your tracks.Â
It was exhausting.
You felt someone squeeze your hand distantly.
Brought a book.Â
Your head instinctively turned towards the voice.
Thought I might read to you. Since youâre doing an abhorrent job of entertaining me.
Something about the tone made you want to argue. You try⌠whatever this is! you wanted to say.
Thought this one might be fun. âThe Curse of the Vampyre.â Maybe weâll learn something.
Vampire⌠why did that word send your heart racing?
âHarken close and beware the Vampyr.â Off to a good start. âBeware its cold beauty.â True. âBeware its charm.â True. âBeware its curse.â âŚâŚâŚTrue. Â
Again, you had the overwhelming sensation that you knew this voice. The sense of comfort that washed over you felt all too familiar.
âHow doth one protect from the beast?â When was this written? A pause, as if the voice were investigating. Iâve decided I donât care. The voice cleared its throat. âWalk not in the blackest night, for the Vampyr loves these nights more than any other.â I was rather enjoying my time in the sun, actually. âIf you must walk, do so by the light of our moon and take care.â What kind of advice is that? The moon? The moon and I get on just fine. That wouldnât protect you, darling. âCarry the blessings and marks of your God at all times.â The voice snorted. Yes, because the Gods have cared so much about stopping my acts of debauchery in the past.
Something in the voiceâs airy tone lifted an aching weight from your chest. Yes, you knew this person. You were sure of that. You could listen to them all day. Mindlessly, you drifted closer to where the voice was strongest.
âBut remember, your home is your fortress, if protected well.â Hmm. âIf you hear a knock in the night, be wary. Let no stranger into your home.â As if we make house calls these days. âIf it be a friend, look upon them. Do you find them pallid and wan?â Rude. âSee you any mark upon their neck?â Collars, darling. Though, Iâve found that most people donât pay close enough attention anyway. Especially when youâre distracting them with- Well, you know. The voice exhaled loudly. âSee you any dirt upon their clothes?â Yuck. âUnless their need is great, turn all away but the most trusted.â You trust me, donât you, my dear?
Yes, you tried to say. Of course I trust you.Â
The voice was growing louder. More clear.
Of course you do, the voice said, though you were sure it hadnât heard you. Stupid. âAnd if the Beast finds a way into your home, flee.â Iâd say thatâs good advice, but unfortunately for you, you canât really flee right now. And I donât plan on leaving.
Good. You exhaled, frustrated that you couldnât speak.Â
The hand holding yours tightened mildly.Â
Iâm here, darling.
I know. Thank you.
It took a moment before the voice started speaking again.
âLease love and family behind.âÂ
You felt an indescribable tension as the voice paused once more. Had this passage just said something important? You replayed the phrase in your head.
Family?
Love?
LoveâŚ
Oh.
The voice was quieter when it spoke again.Â
âYou will not save them if you fight. You will not see them again. But they will see you, pale and smiling, calling them into the night.â
Astarion.Â
Of course it was Astarion. How could it be anyone else?
He was here.Â
With you.Â
Just out of reach.
Well, thatâs a rather ominous passage, isnât it?
Astarion! you tried to say. Iâm here!
Shh shh shh, he tutted. Donât strain yourself.
Something you had said or done had gotten through to him.
Astarion! you tried again.
Nothing. You were met with silence.Â
Fuck it. Fuck the pain, fuck this freakish darkness. You pulled yourself towards his voice.Â
Shall I continue reading, darling?
Yes, keep talking. You winced as a flash of pain pulsed through your middle.
Iâm going to skip ahead. I hope you donât mind.
As long as I can still hear your voice. The pain was becoming more consistent and noticeable.
Ah, this sounds rather interesting: âVampiric Duality.â Ahem. âNow look, the thing is: your basic vampire has two instincts, right? Feed and make little vampires.â Immediately, a vastly different tone. Is this even the same book? The voice paused again, presumably to check the cover. I admit, I do love to feed, but Iâm not sure how much this person knows about vampiric biology. Not that Cazador ever allowed us much research into the subjectâŚ
You felt yourself physically recoil at the mention of Cazadorâs name and heard Astarion chuckle.
No, youâre right, darling, I wonât mention him again. He hummed and mumbled under his breath. Blah blah blah⌠âThe personality of a vampire has as many facets as a schizophrenic diamond?â What? I appreciate the comparison to a diamond, obviously, but a schizophrenic one? What does that even mean?
You would have laughed if you werenât actively fighting to get to him. The pain in your torso was almost unbearable, the closer you got to his voice. Tears pricked your eyes, and every part of you hurt like nothing youâd ever experienced before. When the torment started to become white hot and all consuming, you hit what felt like a physical wall.
Ah! Listen to this part, beautiful: âYet who doesn't adore the darkly romantic complexity of the vampire-â
You did. You adored this vampire. Though you were hurting severely, you reached out and punched against the wall that was blocking you.
Astarion! you all but wailed.
â-the gusto of their love-â
Again, you pounded with all your might, screaming out in agony and rage as the pain physically held you back from reaching out and touching him. You still couldnât see him, but you felt his presence. So, so close.
â-the wildness of their passion!â You heard him let out a delighted laugh.Â
Iâm here! you shouted, using both fists to bang against this wall of pure suffering.Â
Oh, my dear, if you were awake, Iâd shower you with the absolute wildness of my passion. You could practically hear his smirk. Iâd demonstrate the gusto of my⌠well. My-
Gathering all the strength you had left, you wound back and threw your entire body against the wall. You squeezed your eyes tight as an overwhelmingly bright light spilled in and your ears began to ring.
You gasped for air, sitting up quickly, and immediately regretted it.
You heard your name said softly in disbelief and a book slamming shut.
âOwâŚâ you whined, clutching at your abdomen and feeling tears roll down your cheeks.
Before you could register what was happening, you felt cool palms on your cheeks and soft lips kissing all over your face. You blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation.Â
âIâm so mad at you,â Astarion said, still kissing your face, his voice filled with nothing but relief.
âWhat⌠happened?â you asked between hiccups of tears.
âLie back down, precious,â he said, gently helping you back onto what seemed to be a pile of pillows and pulling a blanket over you. âYou scared us, is what you did.â He wiped a few stray tears from your cheeks, but they kept flowing. You couldnât stop.Â
âDid I⌠die?â You turned your head to look around. It looked like you were in your tent, your things strewn about somewhat neatly and similar to how it had been at your camp by the lake. A few candles were lit.Â
âNearly,â Astarion confirmed quietly. He looked exhausted. âAn undead Duergar got you with his battle axe.â
âAh,â you said, at a loss for words. âThatâs not good.â
Astarion stared at you. ââThatâs not good?â Thatâs all you have to say?â He held a hand to your forehead briefly. âYour fever is gone, but itâs possible youâve got brain damage.â
You chuckled, knowing he was kidding, but the action caused a searing pain in your stomach. You let out a pathetic whine, reaching for the hurt area, but Astarion caught your wrist.Â
âCareful, darling. Youâve got a pretty severe wound there.â He released you and pulled back the blanket that was draped over you. Upon looking down, you saw that nearly your entire midsection was covered in bandages. A spot of red spread slowly, disrupting the otherwise pristine white of the cotton.
âIt h-urts,â you sniffled, your voice breaking.Â
Astarionâs eyes were full of sympathy. âLooks like sitting up quickly may have opened the wound again.â
âShould I go get Shadowheart?â you asked without really thinking about it.
Astarion snorted. âIf you think youâre strong enough to fetch the cleric, youâre delusional.â
âOh,â was all you could say in agreement. âShould you go get Shadowheart? Or Halsin, maybe?â
He shook his head, turning away from you to rifle through some supplies that were out of your line of sight. âEveryoneâs asleep, my dear.â He sat back up straight and set out a few items next to you: fresh bandages, healing potions, a salve of some sort, and a small bowl of water. âBesides, Iâm perfectly capable of taking care of you myself.â
You almost laughed. âHow long was I out? What happened to you?â
He rolled his eyes. âYou were out for nearly twelve hours, Iâd say. Itâs a little before dawn, I think. Though thereâs no sun to go off of.â
You nodded, not sure how to feel about this information. Twelve hours was a long time. And yet it felt even longer. Like youâd been out for a lifetime.Â
âAs for what happened to me, well, someone I⌠care about⌠nearly died.â He cleared his throat. âIs it so bizarre that I want her to get better?â
You smiled. âI guess not.â
Astarion returned your smile before hooking his arms under yours and helping you sit up. Someone had stacked two chests on top of each other behind the makeshift mattress to act as a headboard, and he helped you scoot back to sit against it.Â
âCareful, my sweet, the axe entered through your back. Letâs try not to lean and put pressure on it, hmm?â
You nodded, wincing when you moved incorrectly. âWhen did you become such a medical professional?â
He was busy prepping the new bandages. âShadowheart showed me how to change the bandages once or twice while you were out, and Halsin provided the salves and potions.â Astarion got up onto his knees and crawled over to you, helping you scoot forward, away from the headboard. âAnd my sister, Dal. She was a doctor, before Cazador. Sheâd help the rest of us every once in a while. Especially when things got particularly brutal.â
âThatâs much cooler than being a magistrate,â you teased, flinching a little in pain.
âI donât know, magistrates can sentence people to death.â He squeezed your arm.
âNo they canât,â you laughed. Then paused. âCan they?â
Astarion shrugged. âCanât remember, honestly.â He leaned forward to reach for where the bandage was tucked into itself on your front. âIâm going to undo this now, okay? Let me know if I hurt you at all.â
You nodded, holding his gaze.
âOh,â he said before turning to grab a healing potion. He handed it to you. âThis should help.â
You took it and downed it as Astarion began to carefully unwrap the bandages. You could feel the unpleasant sting of something having dried beneath the cloth that was now being tugged at as the bandage was unraveling.Â
Astarion was nothing but complete focus as he reached his arms around you and back towards himself, carefully unwrapping you. You watched him the entire time.Â
âI heard you, you know.â
He looked at you, the corner of his lips quirking up. âHeard me what?â
âWhen you were talking to me while I was sleeping.â
He went a little stiff at your words. âWhat exactly did you hear?â
You raised an eyebrow. âI donât know. I heard you reading just now.â
His shoulders dropped in relief. âHorrid creatures, vampires.â
âThe worst,â you agreed.Â
Astarion pulled away the last of the bandage and you looked down, your eyes widening at the huge gash along the right side of your stomach.Â
âAnd weâre sure I didnât die?â you asked, cautiously poking the area around the wound. The healing potion had stopped the bleeding.
Astarion slapped your hand. âStop that.â
âSorry.â
âNo, youâre still here with us. I would have killed Withers if that werenât the case.â
âYou canât-â
âI know. But he would have gotten an earful at least.â Astarion crawled on his knees back over to the supply area that you previously couldnât see. Now you could see that there were a few buckets of water with towels and cloths of various sizes. He dunked his hands into one of the buckets and lathered his hands with soap.Â
âThorough,â you commented.
âYou already fought off one infection,â he explained. âDonât want to risk another.â He finished washing and drying his hands, then made his way back over to you on his knees, careful not to touch anything on his way.
âI had an infection?â you asked, watching as he dipped a cloth in the small bowl of water next to you.Â
âYes,â he said, âor were fighting one off. Like I said earlier, you had a fever, but itâs gone now.â He brought the cloth up to your stomach. âIâm going to clean the wound now. It might hurt.â
You nodded and he began dabbing your skin lightly. He was right, it stung and pierced whenever he hit a particularly raw area and your body jerked despite attempting to stay still. Tears welled up in your eyes again.
âIâm sorry,â Astarion said, reaching up to wipe a tear away.Â
âIâm the one who got cleaved,â you deflected. âItâs my own fault.â
âWhich reminds me,â his face morphed from apologetic to irritated, âwhy didnât you tell us you were so exhausted? Why didnât you tell me?â
âI-â you squeaked at a particularly sharp pain. âI didnât want you all to worry.â
Astarionâs hand paused and he narrowed his eyes at you. âFine load of good that did, dear.â
âIâm sorry,â you looked away from him. âI didnât know how involved the fight was going to be.â
âIt doesnât matter how involved the fight was or wasnât going to be; if you werenât feeling your best, you should have stayed behind and let one of the others take your place.â He sniffed pompously and added, âWould have given me an excuse to relax, too.â There was a sharpness to his words, but his actions remained careful and kind. You gave him a curious look and he rolled his eyes. âOh, like I would go out and fight when I could laze about at camp for once.â He was suddenly very focused on not looking you in the eye.
You smiled. âYou liiiiike me.â
âIâd have spent the entire time on the other side of camp.â
âLiar.âÂ
âThe point is, darling, you have to listen to yourself and what you need. I do it all the time. For myself, I mean.â
âI know you do,â you chuckled.Â
Astarion set down the wet cloth he was using and got a fresh one, before moving behind you to clean the wound on your back.âWhy do you even care what we think?â
âBecause youâre my friends, and I value your opinions?â
âNo, I mean, why arenât we allowed to be worried about you?â
âOh,â you winced and flinched a bit at the cloth pressing against a tender spot on your back. âI donât know. You all have your own problems to worry about. I shouldnât be one of them.â
Astarion tsked. âI might be new to this whole âcaring about someone elseâ thing, but even I know how absurd that is.â
You tried to stay quiet, focusing on not moving to minimize the pricklings of pain shooting through your back. Yet despite your best effort, you still let out a few weak whimpers of discomfort.
Astarion sighed and moved away from you, back to the cachĂŠ of supplies at the end of your bed. He came up with a steaming bowl of stew and reached across the bed to hand it to you.
âCareful,â he warned.
âHow?â you asked.
âHalsin made soup. Gale knew a spell to keep it warm. This is the result.â He handed you a spoon. âWe were able to get you to eat some while you were unconscious, but Shadowheart said you should eat properly whenever you woke up. I forgot until just now.â
âThank you,â you said gratefully, shoveling some of the stew into your mouth. It was rich and heavy; full of meat and vegetables. Delicious.
Astarion took his place behind you again and went back to cleaning, but not before sighing dramatically. âPlaying nursemaid is so far beneath me. I canât believe youâre making me do this, you wretch.â
You swallowed some broth then said, âI offered to get Shadowheart.â
âNot a chance,â he growled in your ear, leaning around to kiss your cheek. âBut if I ever have to do this again-â
âYouâll kill me?â
âWithout a second thought, my sweet.â
âMmhm,â you hummed through more food. âI think youâre enjoying this, honestly.â
âSeriously? When I could be out killing something? Or drinking from that gorgeous neck of yours? Or thoroughly ruining you? Nice try.â
âAre you hungry?â you asked, suddenly feeling very guilty for not thinking of him.
âThis is what I mean, darling.â He sounded annoyed.
âWhat?â
âYou are very weak at the moment. You lost quite a bit of blood from this wound, and youâre still offering to feed me.âÂ
âBecause I want to help you! I have something you need and I lo-like you so much.â You caught yourself, but not very smoothly.Â
Astarion raised an eyebrow. âFlattered as I am, I know that drinking from you right now could be fatal. And I think you know that, too.â
You shoveled some more stew into your mouth shamefully.
âThatâs all I mean, pet.â Astarion set down the cloth heâd been using to clean your back and moved around so he could look you in the eye again. âYouâre incredible. You always want to help others, which, while I donât personally understand it, is seen as very admirable to some people. But it gets you into trouble, and I donât think you care that it does.â He took your chin in his hand to make you look at him. âBut I care now. And I donât want this to happen again.â
âI canât help it,â you said quietly.Â
Astarion pouted mildly with genuine sympathy and kissed you chastely. âTry.â He pressed his forehead to yours.
âOkay,â you whispered.
âThatâs my girl,â he smiled. âBesides,â his flamboyant cadence returned to make you laugh, âI already drained some poor beastie dry earlier while Shadowheart was changing your bandages.â
âPoor beastie.â
He kissed you again, more deeply this time. âIt meant nothing to me,â he teased and you laughed. âIt was purely for sustenance.â He nosed along your neck to his favorite feeding spot and kissed you there.
âI may never find forgiveness in my heart for this,â you teased back.
Astarionâs eyes went noticeably soft and a small smile tugged at his lips. His hands came up to your cheeks and he kissed you once more, tugging at your bottom lip with his front teeth. You matched his rhythm, moaning softly, and unconsciously rolling your hips, which made you cry out in pain.
âBad idea,â you groaned, tilting your head away from Astarionâs eager kisses.Â
He chuckled and rested his forehead on your temple. âYou know, Halsin actually warned me not to âgive in to any carnal desiresâ until you were fully healed. I told him I wouldnât.â
âAnd yet you did anyway?â you raised an eyebrow with a smile. âYou selfish prick.â
Astarion tsked. âIâm not the needy one rolling my hips, now am I?â
âYou bit my lip!â
âCall it⌠a vampiric sign of affection. Nothing more than that.â
You blew out an annoyed huff, causing a strand of hair in your face to fly upwards.
âI didnât even draw blood,â Astarion said. âYou should be thanking me.â
âOh, thank you,â you rolled your eyes.
âBut of course.â
âI so badly want to strangle you right now.â
Astarion growled from the back of his throat. âOh, how Iâve missed you,â he said, kissing you again, despite your laughing protests.
âWould you please finish with this?â you asked, pushing him back and gesturing the undressed wound on your stomach.Â
He groaned loudly. âIf I must.â
âI can handle the front,â you said, nodding towards a bowl of salve, but not attempting to lean forward and grab it for fear of accidentally hurting yourself further.
Astarion hesitated in giving you the bowl, but quickly gave in. âFine.â
âIâll be careful,â you said.
He nodded once and took his own bowl of salve to spread on your back.Â
The balm was cool and caused you to jump a little when it first made contact with your skin. Astarion paused his work to make sure you were alright.Â
âIâm okay,â you assured. âJust cold.â
âYou get used to it,â he smirked, globbing more cold substance onto your back.
Delicately, you took your own salve and began to apply a generous amount to your stomach.Â
The two of you remained silent, locked in concentration as you administered the medicine to your wounds. It stung mildly, but the cooling effect it had became comforting soon enough.Â
âSoâŚâ you broke the silence after you were satisfied with your work, âwhat did you do while I was⌠out?âÂ
Astarion exhaled through his nose and didnât answer right away. âOh, nothing special. A little of this, a little of that. My world doesnât revolve around you, you know.â
âSad,â you pouted, âbecause while I was unconscious, all I could hear was your voice.â
âCould you, now?â You could hear the grin in his voice. ��I was all you could hear?â
âMmhm,â you confirmed. âWhich means you must have spent a lot of time by my side.â You risked a glance over your shoulder and saw Astarionâs hand hovering just above your back, frozen in place.Â
He cleared his throat and continued to apply the salve. âAnd so what if I did?â
âWell, itâs just that thereâs so much else you could have been doing,â you chuckled. âLike killing, or maiming, or drinking, or stabbing-â
You stopped talking when you felt his forehead press against your bare shoulder. He mumbled something against your skin, but you couldnât make it out.
âWhat was that, my love?â
He sighed heavily and pulled back. âI was scared.â
âYou⌠were scared? You?â
âOf course I was scared!â he exclaimed, looking irritated and confused. âI may already be dead, but itâs not your time yet. I would never wish that on you.â
You werenât sure how to process that.Â
Astarion.
Scared, on your behalf.
You knew he cared about you, that was obvious by now, heâd told you as much, but that was a fairly recent development. In the past, heâd only cared enough to save his own skin. Heâd always watched your back, sure, but there were days where you knew heâd only helped you or another companion because it had been convenient for him in some way. Although, you had to admit, since you two had become⌠whatever you were, heâd seemed to take extra precaution when looking out for you. Both in battle and out.
âAstarion,â you said slowly when he returned from behind you to grab the fresh bandages, âwhat happened when the zombies got me?â
He remained quiet, fiddling with the bandages in his hands.Â
âI carried you here.â
âWhere is âhere,â exactly?â you asked.
He shrugged. âNot too far from those horrid singing mushrooms. They were no help.â
Your eyes went wide, knowing how far the journey from the Myconid colony to the decrepit village was, and how he must have traveled further than that to get here. You shook your head, banishing the thought. âHow did you get to me from your platform?â
Astarion came close and unwound the bandages in his hands again, making sure he had the right amount. âI may or may not have⌠gone into a blind rage, killed some dwarves, yelled at Gale⌠It was no big deal.â
âAnd then you⌠carried me.â
âYes.â
âAll the way here.â
âYes.â
âAnd then?â
âAnd then I helped Halsin with healing you. Why does it matter?â
âYouâŚâ You trailed off and allowed Astarion to start wrapping the bandages around your middle. Your eyes were unfocused on something in the distance and your mind was blank; too overwhelmed with thoughts to think anything at all. You shook your head to bring yourself back into the moment with him.
His voice was quiet. âIâve been powerless far too often in my life. Seeing you go down, and not being able to stop it, it⌠broke something in me.â
You watched him carefully.
âIf I was powerless in that situation, and you⌠If Iâd lost you, I donât know what I would have done.â
âItâs a good thing you didnât lose me then,â you said, attempting to lift the mood while focusing on his hands.
He shook his head and paused with the wrapping. âShadowheart said I was ready to burn the world. I think she was right.â
âIâm touched,â you joked again.
âIâm serious, darling.â He picked up where he left off with the bandages.
âYou were that worried about me? Even though you were also surrounded by enemies?â
âOh, believe me, Iâm not pleased about this turn of events. Normally, in a setting like that, Iâd be mostly worried about myself. But lately I seem to somehow be worried about you more.â He hummed as if he were surprised to hear himself say that aloud.Â
You brought a hand up to gently wrap around his forearm as he continued wrapping you up. He met your eye fondly.
âYou give me something to care for. And thatâs worth the peril.â He smiled at you for a moment, then pulled on the bandages to make sure they were tight enough. âIs this alright?â
Try as you might to not let him see, your eyes welled up with tears. âFine, yes.â
âOh gods, donât lie, youâre crying!â He immediately began to loosen the bandages and you started laughing.
âNo, no, dummy,â you wiped a tear and stopped his hands with your own. âI care about you, too.âÂ
âWeâve established that, darling,â but his eyes went soft. âLet me finish this, you sap,â he gestured to your bandages, still not properly secured, and you released his hands. He once again returned to wrapping the wound and pulled the bandages tighter, but not as tight as before. They were firm enough that they wouldnât fall, and you could still breath easily, despite the mild ache that lingered in your stomach. He tucked the end into the top of the wrapping beneath your chest. âThere now, my sweet. All patched up.â He brushed both hands through your hair before resting them gently on your shoulders.
You smiled at him, but something occurred to you upon hearing the affectionate nickname. âIs there a reason you havenât called me âmy loveâ since I woke up?â
Astarion looked taken aback. âErmâŚâ
You were quick to explain: âItâs my favorite. Thatâs why I call you that, too.â
âYour favoriteâŚâ Astarion stared at you blankly for a second and his hands squeezed your shoulders absently.
You could practically see the cogs in his head turning. You brought a hand to cup his cheek. âIf I did something-â
Astarion shook his head. âNo, darling, you did nothing wrong. Other than almost getting yourself killed, I mean. Itâs just that⌠Iâm in the process of coming to terms with how I feel - about you.â
Oh.
Oh.
Heâd thrown âloveâ and âmy loveâ around so casually, practically the entire time youâd known him. Abruptly stopping their use was incredibly unlikely unless it was deliberate.
Did this mean he was starting to rethink those words? And what it meant to say them to you?
Did that mean he⌠loved you?
Your heart started pounding as a million jumbled thoughts entered your mind. It seemed like Astarion noticed the change in your pulse.
âIf that scares you-â
âNo!â You were grinning widely and tried to hide it behind your free hand. âTake all the time you need, my love.â You hoped calling him by your preferred pet name might convey how you felt, but you didnât want to scare him off. You knew better than anyone how new this was to both of you.
âThank you,â he said, taking your hand and kissing the inside of your wrist. âNow lie down, would you? You need more sleep.â
You handed him your now empty bowl of stew. âBut⌠Iâm not tired.â
Astarion gave you a look as if to say really?
âIâm not! Iâve been sleeping all day!â
âAnd for good reason, might I add.â
The two of you stared at each other, willing the other to give in. Astarion rolled his eyes.
âFine,â he said, annoyed. He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
âCarnal desires,â you reminded him in a scolding manner.
âI donât plan on ravishing you right now, dearest,â he said, a bit of bite in his words. âIf youâre not going to sleep, at least lie down with me.â
He moved the medical supplies off of the makeshift bed and blew out a few candles as he awaited your answer.
You nodded, a smile overtaking your features. âIâd like that.â
âIâll be gentle,â he said as he got onto the pile of pillows and placed his knees on either side of your hips. He took your arms and wrapped them around his neck.
âI know,â you said, using him as an anchor to lower yourself onto your back and further into the pillows.
When he was satisfied with your position, Astarion carefully lifted himself from hovering above you and transitioned himself to curl into your side. You stayed on your back so as to not jostle your wound, but turned your head to look at him. He watched you intently, his hands palm-to-palm and resting under his cheek. You ran your hand through his hair.Â
âI couldnât reach you,â you said.
âWhen?â Astarion lifted his head slightly.
âWhen I was sleeping. I could hear you, but I couldnât see you. And it hurt to try and get to you.â
âOh, my darling,â he said, running a hand along your cheek. âIâm here now.â
âI know,â you repeated, warmth overtaking your chest.
âNervous itâll happen again if you sleep?â he asked. When you nodded, he nodded back in understanding. âNightmares are dreadful.â
âAny tips?â
âHmm⌠not really.â
âThanks.â
Astarion laughed softly and reached for your hand. âIâll stay awake with you for as long as you need.â
âYou need your rest, too.â
He clicked his tongue. âIf you think Iâm going out with the others tomorrow, youâre a bigger fool than I thought.â
You exhaled an amused breath and turned your head back up towards the top of your tent to sort through some of your many tangled thoughts.
While it was true that you and Astarion hadnât known each other for very long, it floored you how much of a change you saw in him now versus when youâd first met. Back then, he was cruel, and violent, and prone to laughing at the misfortune of others. Now, he was still all of those things, but there was also this soft side of him that he continued to surprise you with. Heâd actively chosen to stay by your side all day, even though he could have let the others handle your care. He probably would have opted for that option just a few weeks ago. He was also making the choice to stay at camp with you tomorrow, rather than venture out with the rest of your party to be rewarded by the Myconids for your efforts, and possibly spill more blood throughout the Underdark. Knowing how much he loved to spill blood, that was a big deal.Â
Heâd also shown you the most tender affection the first night youâd slept together and every heated encounter since; he was showing he cared in the ways he knew how. He was trying his best (for the most part), and thatâs what mattered to you. Astarion could take all the time he needed to sort out his feelings.
But you knew how you felt.
âSo other than the peril, are you enjoying the Underdark?â
Astarion groaned. âReally?â
âYes.â
He let out a long exhale, the cool air of his breath tickling your neck. âYou know, for all the time I spent lurking in the shadows, Iâve never ventured into the Underdark before.â
âSo youâve told me,â you squeezed his hand.
âHardly a⌠luxurious setting, but it definitely has its upsides for a vampire.âÂ
You nodded, still looking up at the top of your tent.Â
âOr its⌠undersides? Because itâs - you know what I mean.â
You snorted at his feeble attempt at a pun. âBoooo,â you teased and looked over at him.
âIâve been awake for nearly 24 hours, need I remind you.â
âThen trance, idiot.â You poked his nose.
âI said I would stay awake with you.â
âIâll be alright,â you insisted, âthough I appreciate the offer, my love.â
Astarion blinked slowly, his eyes suddenly heavy with sleep. It was as if he were finally allowing himself to relax, now that he was able to hear your voice again. He wore a lopsided grin as his eyes drifted closed.Â
âI really did miss you,â he murmured, his voice soft.
âI missed you, too.â You brought your clasped hands up to your mouth and kissed the back of his hand. âThank you for saving me.â
He didnât properly respond, and instead hummed out a sleepy acknowledgement.Â
âYouâre so heroic.â
âMmm.â
âAnd handsome.â
âMhm.â He inhaled and exhaled deeply.
âThank you for staying by my side.â
This time he didnât respond. He looked entirely peaceful and his lips were parted slightly.
âMaybe I spoke too soon,â you laughed quietly, brushing a loose hair out of his face. âYou should sleep though,â you said more to yourself than to him. âI canât imagine how tired you must be.â
You watched his chest rise and fall with the unnecessary breaths he still took after all these years. You couldnât believe that mere moments ago, heâd admitted that he was beginning to care more for your safety than for his own. Much less that he might even love you.
Astarion made a small sound, like a tiny grunt from the back of his throat that youâd come to learn meant that he was likely out cold. He rarely fell asleep before you did, given how little rest elves needed, which only further showed how exhausted he truly was.
âI love that noise,â you smiled.Â
You turned your head back up to the top of your tent and sighed. âI love how funny you are. And I love how even though youâre incredibly intelligent, youâre the dumbest man Iâve ever met.â You looked back at him. His slumbering expression remained unchanged. âI love your eyes, and your ears, and the annoying way you put your hand on your hip when you think youâve gained the upper hand in something.â You squeezed his hand ever so slightly and watched to make sure his features stayed even. âI love how kind you pretend you arenât and how fiercely you deny it when I bring it up. I love your laugh, and how gently you hold me when you feed, and how you think about me when you could so easily think of yourself instead.âÂ
Again, you brought his hand up to your mouth and kissed his fingers.
âI love you, Astarion.â
You couldnât be sure, but you swore you could see the slightest smile on his face as you felt your eyes flutter closed and you drifted into your own contented sleep.
#astarion#astarion ancunin#baldur's gate 3#bg3#astarion x reader#astarion x you#astarion x female reader#astarion x f!reader#astarion x bard!reader#hurt/comfort#angst with a happy ending#astarion x tav#astarion fanfic#soft astarion#baldur's gate 3 fanfic#bg3 fanfic#my writing#mine#beauty and the bard#worth the peril#tw: blood#tw: violence#tw: gore#apologies if i missed any tags/content warnings#tumblr ate this post the first time i tried making it ����#i fear the first draft of my a/n was better#oh well!#i am SUCH a huge fan of astarion acting on love and not knowing that it's love that he's feeling#he's a big dumb doof and i absolutely adore him#i also don't think it would be true to his character if her said it in this chapter - he's still got some walls up and feelings to sort out
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The more I think about the finale of A New Wish, the more I canât help but think itâs going to play out as a tragedy. That Dev & Hazel will be cemented as rivals, or their friendship will be a bittersweet âwhat could have beenâ.
Dev is a tragic character. He is a product of his environment, and he acts accordingly. And those actions will almost definitely have consequences. I canât help but wonder âwhat if he loses Periâ?
Would really hammer in the fact that fairies and wishing cannot help every kid.
Magic hasnât exactly been good for Dev, itâs been making him worse with every new piece of information he finds out. Dev makes a lot of empty wishes, chasing a fleeting feeling of happiness, because the only thing he really wants- his Dadâs love -is something he canât wish for.
I think the finale is going to be Devâs moment of âflying too close to the sunâ, and weâll see him fall. Heâs offered a supporting figure, and itâs still not enough, because itâs not the one he wants.
And as a result, he loses everything. His fairy, and his friend. And even after all that, heâs still not got his fatherâs love.
(Regarding Hazelâs rule free wish- I feel like itâll be used to save Fairy World in some regard.)
This is all theorising, and I could be proven wrong ! I would LOVE a happier ending for Dev, because I do think he deserves friends, and a support system. Perhaps they could explore that in a second season, if we end up getting this tragic route.
#thunderstomm#tomm talks#theory#the fairly oddparents: a new wish#the fairly oddparents a new wish#the fairly oddparents#fairly oddparents: a new wish#fairly oddparents#fairly oddparents a new wish#dev dimmadome#peri fairywinkle cosma#poof fairywinkle cosma#fop irep#hazel wells#cosmo cosmo#Wanda fairywinkle#I would love to be wrong and see them have a happy ending! but the set up and crew cluesâŚ#please let this show get a second season so that we can see Dev get better#Hazel and Dev cemented as rivals⌠just like prime meridian love ughhh#I still think that manga is forshadowing these two theories donât contradict eachothed#this hypothetical is giving Icarus. if itâs correct I will draw dev flying too close to the sun on a wax drone or something#okay to reblog#please reblog#!!#(:#gif warning
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Izutsumi character study
#dungeon meshi#izutsumi#One of my goals for this year was to spend more time doing art studies.#What better way to start than with my favourite danmeshi character (not seen: a whole page of figuring out her features)#I feel like she is by far one of the most poorly understood characters in the series. Partially due to her 'late party member' status.#'She's abrasive and mean' - 'she's a picky eater' - 'she's a catgirl who acts like an asshole cat ' YES and that is the point!#Everyone in dungeon meshi is traumatized and messy about it but izutsumi is just less polite in how she tries to cope.#Izutsumi is a extremely traumatized teenager who has utterly lacked autonomy her entire life.#She is the epitome of a âIf I can just have X thing then all my problems will be solved!â character. And the X is 'Freedom'.#Her epilogue was one of the best and wrapped up her character so wonderfully (WARNING: I WILL NOW SPOIL PART OF THE ENDING)#Because she finally gets her freedom! She can go where she wants to and she doesn't need anybody! Yet...it doesn't fix her.#She is so focused on doing only what she wants that she forgets her own needs. Sometimes you have to eat the things you don't want.#And sometimes you have to face the hard truths that you need more than just one thing to make you happy.#Life is not all about only seeking pleasures and avoiding pain. You need to be balanced in order to grow.#Eat your vegetables (including the metaphorical ones: I am eating more art veggies this year by doing art studies!!!)
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đđ¨ đđ đđ¨đŹđ đđ§đ đ
đ¨đŽđ§đ. - đđŽđ¤đŽđ§đ đ.
Rs: Prince Sukuna x Cinderella Reader
Warnings: none other than your bitch step-mother and step-sisters. And Mahito! Slight curse words
Tags: Cinderella AU
Summary: After your father died, your step-family has forced you into becoming their scullery maid. What if there was something or someone that was a one time in a life chance that could change your way of living? Of course, Prince Sukuna.
Wc: 10.2k
A/N: mostly proofread, ignore any mistakes I've made! A lot of monologue and scenes from the 1950s Cinderella movie and a few from the 2015 one.
Gojo clears his throat, opening the book as mice and a few more animals crowd around him. "Once upon a time.." Gojo looks up, thinking to himself for a moment before nodding, averting his blue eyes back into the book, "a life passes and a life begins anew, when poor little (Y/N) worked as a scullery maid..."
"Prince Sukuna," the Duchess speaks. Sukuna smirks as he fences with his partner in front of him before quickly dodging their fence, his own fence easily making way to his partner's body. "Prince Sukuna," the Duchess speaks once again except more firmly, a few butlers coming up to stand next to them. "Prince Sukuna-" "nice job out there," Sukuna's smirk widens when he takes off his eepe mask, high-fiving his fencing partner.
"Prince Sukuna!!-" "What, Uraume!??!" Sukuna turns to his Duchess with visible annoyance shown on his face, his posture starting to droop. "Can't you see I'm busy here? If my father needs something, he can do it himself," Sukuna spits, pulling his mask down and getting into a stance to fence. Uraume's face quickly drops to a face of aggravation as she rolls her eyes before turning stoic, "what your father requests of you is to be wedded with a wife in hand." Sukuna stiffens as his fencing partner gets the opening, hitting him in the chest with the tip of the sword. "H-hey! I did it! I did it guys! 1 to 29! Hey....!" Heads turn to Sukuna's fencing partner when his voice starts to trail off, meeting the glowing eyes of Sukuna through the mask. Sukuna sighs before taking off his whole entire head piece, throwing his fencing sword to the ground. "He wants me to marry," he turns to Uruame, deadpanning. Uruame nods and starts to bow, "he suggests you come up with who you wish to wed." Sukuna groans as a hand drags down his face, his face tattoos scrunching along with his grimacing wrinkles. He thinks for a moment. A wife? Maybe it is about time. "So..." He starts, peaking people's interest. He knows when they slowly turn to a stop in fencing. "Would that get me some pussy?"
His fencing partner starts to snicker along with other fencers, a few chuckling in the back. Uruame sucks in her lips behind her teeth, biting down. She bows down again before walking away, waving to the butlers to stay there with him. "I don't get paid enough for this.." She mutters as she adjusts her monocle.
Sukuna sits in his bed with a black silk robe wrapped around his body, his pecs slightly exposed. His arms loosely hung around two girls who were laying at his sides that were wearing slightly revealing clothes. Sukuna turns his head when he hears a knock at the door, sighing, "come in." Uruame glides into the enormous room along with Sukuna's father following close behind her. Sukuna nearly chokes on his own spit, retracting his arms from the girls beside him and putting his hands in his own lap. Sukuna slightly frowns when his father looks around in the room, "father." The king looks back at his son for a moment before continuing to speculate the room, "Sukuna." Sukuna clicks his tongue, roughly tapping the two females at his sides. They quickly move off the bed and out the room.
"What's this nonsense about me getting married? I'm only 24, damn it-" Sukuna's eyes widen when he gets cut off by a slam on the table. He meets his father's death stare, not too short to make a death stare of his own. His father falters for a second before letting out a boisterous laugh, opening his arms. "My, my, you have grown, son!" Sukuna chuckles and gets off the bed to meet his father, hugging him and patting each other's backs roughly. Uruame just watches silently, blinking at the two. "You are soon to be wed! You're a man, for gods sake. You will take my place as king," he walks up to the large balcony along side Sukuna, looking at him, "and maybe even create your own heir." His father raises his brows in suggestion as Sukuna snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sure, maybe," he smirks, looking over to his father, "I'd just have to find the right one." Sukuna ponders for a moment, looking off to the city that dimly illuminated both their faces. "But how?"
They both think for a moment with their chin pinched by their fingers as Uruame speaks up, tired of the two, "we could throw a ball." They both look back at Uruame and then back at each other before letting out the same rich laugh. Uruame nearly backs out before having her back pat roughly by the king. "That's a tremendous idea! We'll have the servants set up everything in the ball room and have Uruame send out the invitations to every woman in the city!" Sukuna grins as he pats his old man's back, his Duchess mentally sliding a hand down her face. "Soon.. You'll take over everything."
As said and done, servants set up the ballroom that was themed in a deep red with gold encasing the walls and pillars in designs, beautiful diamond chandeliers hang from the ceilings and tall candles light up the room along with the paintings of bloody naked women. Large drapes hang loosely around the King's chair, half-naked women clinging to his legs and sides.
Uruame appears in front of the short stair case, bowing on one knee. "Has the invitation spread throughout the city?" The King slightly smirks, pushing his fingertips together and leans forward. "Yes, my Sire. Every maiden has received an invitation," she pauses, looking up as she smirks, "everything is going according to plan, Sire." The King chuckles in amusement as he waves over a servant, whispering in her ear before sending her off to fetch Sukuna. "Well then," he stands up, arms open, his Royal mantle falling back from his shoulders. "It starts tomorrow night," he grins as the women below him slightly cower in fear, some clinging onto his pants.
You wipe the sweat off your forehead with your arm before clipping wet clothes and dress onto the hanging rope, small dirt and rubble covering parts of your work dress. When all the clothes were hanged, you set a empty basket near the wall and walk over to your Airdelle Terrier, Shoko. The brown thin-furred dog whines in delight when you scratch behind her ears, giggling when she thumps her leg on the ground. She pants as you feed her a treat, walking off with three little mic trailing behind you. Your other dog slept soundly next to Shoko, your Afghan Hound named Nanami. Your horse, Geto, neighs when he sees you. You giggle and wave.
You quickly come to a stop to look down at the three mice following you that bump into the back of your heel. Yuji, following Nobara, and Megumi. "Aw, I didn't know you guys were following me," you sweetly say before scooping them up and dropping them in the pocket of your apron. You enter through a back door of the château, a bell violently ringing against the wall. "(N/N)!! mop the floor downstairs!" The three mice covers their ears in annoyance, Yuji, the one in the red shirt poking out the pocket with a fist curled in the air. He gets shoved back in when Megumi, the one in a dark blue shirt, pushes his head down. You sigh before getting a bucket near the fireplace and fill it up with soap and water, grabbing a towel along the way. You head over to the main room, watching as one of your step-sisters, Yorozu, step up the stairs with dirty heels. She smirks as she slides her feet out of them at the top of the staircase and picks them up, huffing in pettiness before carefully carry her heels within arms reach from her dress, walking away to the shared room with her sister. You sigh when you hear the door shut, quickly dipping the towel in the bucket and start to scrub the floor. The mice jump out your apron's pocket and slides across the slippery floor with small bubbles following closely behind them.
Mahito, the cat, peers from behind the staircase, eyes slitting into lines when he sees the three mice scattering across the floor, struggling to get up.
"Itadori! Get up!" Megumi shouts, his round ears twitching. Yuji fails to do so, slipping before making Nobara slip on her own two little feet, falling back as her bottom half hangs over her face. Her tail wiggles in aggravation as she takes a quick hit on Yuji's head, a 'bonk' sound being heard from the mouse's head. A red bump appears over his pink and black ombre fur. "Ow! I'm trying, Fushiguro! Woah, woah, woah! Hey- look out!" Yuji's small clawed finger points to the now scurrying cat headed their way, all mice's feet skedaddling on the floor. The cat's face meets the wall, his fur standing up from all over at the impact. Yuji snickers before moving on all fours, the blue cat charging at the mouse. Yuji and Mahito slip across the floor, Mahito's claws missing barely an inch on Yuji. Mahito had a thick coat that had a natural baby blue color along with a creamy white color spotting over his paws, nose, and stomach. Dark colors etch on his fur on the back, resembling lines of stitches. Nobara, the mouse that was in a small pink work dress like you, stood on top of a table. Mahito creeps under it, trying to catch the movement of anything. She squeaks when she uses all her might to push a heavy book off the table. Mahito looks up just as it lands in his face, yowling as his paws clutches his face. All three mice scurry through a hole in the wall, closing their small door as you make way towards the cat with a confused expression.
"Mahito, what are you doing down here? You're getting your dirty paws all over the place," you sigh as you pick up the book and set it back on the table, a small frown on your features as you watch the cat walk up the stairs, an unknowing scowl on its' face. You make your way back to your bucket of soap and water, picking up the towel and wiping what stain or streak was on the floor.
The main doors open causing you to turn your head, meeting the eyes of your step-mother. She had a black short bob with a stitch lined across her forehead, a sun hat covered in dark red roses wrapped in a ribbon that was a color of an eggplant. She rolled her eyes at you before opening her mouth to speak, "Yorozu! MeiMei!" Her voice was sickeningly sweet, a hand was cupped next to her mouth, her other holding a envelope and a fan. Both tall women hurry down the stairs, their thick dresses bouncing with each step down the stairs, their hind parts thickened and round in the dress. "Yes, mother," they both say in unison, one's large silver haired braid hanging over their face and the other with a tie up, black spiky hair sprawling out on all sides, a few hair strands resting at the sides of her face. They both bow politely, all three women ignoring your presence.
"Guess who's throwing a ball tomorrow night, girls?" Both step-sisters look at their mother in shock before turning to each other, squealing as they hold each other's hands, jumping in excitement, their dresses bouncing with them. "He's looking for a wife," she explains, a glint in her eye. Both girls squeal even louder, Yorozu balling her dress into her hands. "He'll marry me!" Yorozu claims boldly before having her sister push her shoulder, her braid swaying with every turn of her head, "no, he'll marry me! What are you on, sister?" The girls inch closer to each other's faces as their bickering echoes throughout the room, quickly shutting up when their mother's staff hits the ground. Your step-mother clears her throat, firmly pursing her lips as she explains again, "you both will dress your best. We'll all live in the castle if one of you are able to be wedded." Both of the girls giggle just before you speak up, "step-mother Kenjaku.. May I be able to attend the ball?" The room goes silent as they all turn to your figure, piercing eyes staring daggers into your soul just as they all burst into laughter in unison, your form shrinking and faltering by their boisterous laugh. "Now let's see.." Your step-mother taps her purple-colored fingernails around the ball on her staff, eyes wandering around the ceiling of the room. "If you are able to scrub every corner and edge, clean each of our rooms, and manage to get a dress.." She pauses, jaw pushed to the side for a second, "you're able to attend the ball with us," she seethes with sarcasm, emphasizing with the word 'us.'
You urgently nod your head, bowing at waist-level. "Now then, girls get ready for dinner. (Y/N), prepare the dinner," your step-mother waves her hand at the three of you, all obediently listening to her orders.
"Chop, chop, boys!" Nobara squeaks out to Yuji and Megumi who were cutting and sewing through pink fabric, three other birds working on the bows. One female that had raven colored feathers, the other having silver feathers, and the third having two shades overlapping each other, black and white. A mice, Choso, helps his brother Yuji and have him stand on his shoulders. The raven feathered bird chirps happily when another bird joins in, being quite small compared to her. "Yuta! I'm so glad you could make it," the female bird chirps, watching the smaller bird land on the desk. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Maki," Yuta chirped back, flapping his wings in greeting.
"Gosh, I can't believe I'm stuck with you two," Megumi murmurs, dragging a clawed hand down and over his snout. Yuji blows a raspberry at him before jumping off the desk, sewing the fabric shut. Nobara finishes it with a bite to the string, the rest of it falling loosely to the floor as Yuji scurried his little feet to the desk. Yuta and Maki work their way to raise the dress up high as Panda places a bow in the center of the neckline when Megumi places a turquoise pearl bead necklace around it, small cheers and squeaks erupting from every mouse at the finishing touch. Inumaki flies to your door, hearing your footsteps come up the stairs.
"Mealworms!" Inumaki chirps to the others. Panda sighs before flapping his wings in alarm for the mouses as he translates, "she's coming!"
It was almost sun-down and you were trembling out of your wits end, your body tired and overworked. You open the door to your room, your face twisting into a face of surprise at the sight. "W-woah!" "Surprise!" Mice jumped up from behind large objects, birds flying into your room as you analyze your new dress. It was a simple but beautiful dress to you, you could only stare at it in awe as you touch it and let it fall from up ur fingers. You start to squeal in delight, carefully taking the dress in your arms, hugging it tightly as you danced around the room. "Thank you! Thank you to you all, thank you so much!"
"I have to show step-mother this," you exclaimed as you went behind the paper folding screen, birds flying over to help remove your clothes. The dress easily slides over your figure, hugging yourself as you hurriedly did your hair just the way you wanted it with a pink bow at the back.
Your step-mother and step-sisters descend the stairs as they both pat their faces in dry powder, the back of their dresses bouncing each time they took a step. "Now when you're presented to his highness, be sure-" Just as they were about to leave, you quickly step down the stairs, a hand up in the air, "wait!" They all look back, gasping audibly when they see you in a dress. As you leave the staircase, you immediately twirl before politely bowing. "Isn't it lovely? Do you like it? Do you think it will do?" Yorozu and Mei step back, absolutely astounded. Yorozu had her hair down with a dark pink dress, Mei's hair was half-down and half-up, wearing a vibrant yellow dress. "N/N!!" "Mother she can't-" "oh no!" "You can't let her-" "GIRLS, please," your step-mother holds a hand up at both of them, holding a stern look. She quickly puts on a smile on her face, looking back and forth between her daughters. "After all, we did make a bargain," she looks up to you, "didn't we, (Y/N)?" You only grin in response before having it slowly fade as she steps up closer to you. "And I never go back on my word. Hmm, how very clever. These beads.. They give it just the right touch, don't you think so, MeiMei?"
Mei turns away as she huffs, "no I don't, I think she's-" Mei's eyes are quick to open, turning back to your beautiful form. She ghastly gasps, her face twisting in anger, "oh! Why you little thief!" She stomps her feet under her dress. "They're my beads! Give them here," she demands before ripping them off of your neck before quickly hearing Yorozu pop in, "oh and look! That's my sash! She's wearing my sash!" You stand there in distraught, panicking as your gaze switches to both the girls as they start to rip apart your dress. You plead as they rip off the ribbons and fabric, feeling their breath against your cheek when they get into your face to yell. "Girls! Girls... That's quite enough," your step-mother scoffs before opening the door, "hurry along now, both of you."
They both walk out the door, holding their dresses between their thumb and index fingers with their hind parts bouncing behind them. You look down at the ripped pieces of your dress on the marble floor, looking up at your step-mother looking down at you with a smirk. "Goodnight," she says one last time, closing the door behind her, leaving you alone in the château. You raise your hands to your eyes as you cry out, running out of the house and to a bench where your mother once sat at.
Hot tears go spilling from your eyes, hands clutching onto the seat and your dress. You weep as you speak out, "no, it isn't true." You sob, hiccuping as mice and other animals you know come to gather to watch you. "It's just no use, no use at all," you whimper to yourself, squeezing your eyes shut, "I can't believe. No, not anymore. There's nothing else to believe in.. nothing."
"Nothing, my dear?" A voice speaks out as you continue to weep. "Now you don't really believe that-" "oh, but I do-" "nonsense sweetheart! If you lost all your faith, I couldn't be here," the voice speaks, soft tender hands holding onto your arms. A hand slides to your chin, your head lifting to see the face of the voice. You gasp when you see a pale man with white hair, blue eyes glowing in the dark. "And here I am," he exclaims, smirking when you nearly fall back before holding your arms gently, lifting you up to stand. "Oh come now, dry those tears," he wipes your tears away with his thumbs, "I don't know what to do when girls cry in front of me. You can't go to the ball looking like that anyway."
"Oh! But- but I'm not-" "of course you are, but we do have to hurry," he chuckles, sliding his fingers through his hair. "Even miracles take time," he rolls up his sleeves, closing his eyes. "Miracles?" He nods, humming in response, "just watch," he smirks just as he attempts to pull out a wand confidently, nothing coming out and appearing on his hand. He blinks at his hand, blushing in embarrassment. "Oops, mistake there. Shit- what did I do with my wand? I was sure..." He bends over to look under the bench and inside his cloak as you peer over him in amusement, "a wand? You must be.." "Your fairy godfather? Why yes, of course. Always been here. And before you ask, I swear I'm not that old- oh! Never mind, I just remembered- I put it away," he smugly says, turning to you with raised brows, his fingers pinched as he lines it down in the air, a wand appearing through the pinch of his fingers. You're taken aback when you see this, your feet shuffling on the floor as you step back.
"Fushiguro! Did'ya see that?!" Yuji exclaims in bewilderment, shaking the shoulders of his best friend. "Yeah.. Yeah, I did," he grumbles, whiskers twitching in annoyance. "How'd he do it?!" Other mice exclaim as Choso pries Yuji off his friend. "Now let's look here.. First thing we need is.. Well, to.. a pumpkin! Yeah-" your godfather points his wand to a fresh grown-out pumpkin in the garden, sparkling magic carrying the pumpkin over. You watch in amazement, hearing him mutter words. "What are you saying? What's your name?" Your godfather looks back at you before chuckling, rubbing a hand at the back of his head. "I'm chanting some magic words but it's a little embarrassing for a man like me to say. Name's Gojo Satoru for you!" You nod feverishly, watching as the pumpkin floats its' way over. Vines grow and starts to curl in itself, the pumpkin growing larger with each chant that comes out of Gojo's mouth. The pumpkin changes its' color.. turning white... it's a carriage? It's a carriage! "Isn't it wonderful?" Gojo turns to you in his flirtatious voice, leaning his weight on one hip as he raises a brow at you.
You giggle, ghosting your hands over the wheel of the large carriage, "it's beautiful," you breathe. "Yes, yes it is. With a elegant coach like that of course- we'll have to.... get mice!" He points down to four mice on the floor, Yuji, Choso, Megumi, and Nobara. Your horse, Geto, stomps his hoove on the ground in offense. "We'll have a coach when we're through. Now let's see here- bibbidi bibbidi boo," he whispers, waving the wand at the four mice that turn into large beautiful stallions. "Ah, now see- that's great. You can't go without a horse!"
You tilt your head at him in confusion, "another one?" You ponder, watching him shake his head and chuckle. "It'll be a change- he'll handle the reins instead," he pets your horse before even more sparkling magic carry Geto, turning Geto into a tall grown man that was... quite attractive. He gets sat in the driver's seat, reins in his hold. He blinks before looking down at himself, then at you. You shrug before blushing, watching him start to smile at you. "He'll be a coachman. And another thing.. The finishing touch! You!" You await for the magic to connect with your skin but nothing tingling comes. You open your eyes to see your dog, Shoko, being carried through the air. She was then transformed into a beautiful girl with a brown bob.
"She'll be the footman," he puffs out his chest pridefully, closing his eyes at his work. "Now, go ahead- hop in because we don't have much time," he bats an eye at you, "I know, I know, don't thank me-" you deadpan at him, pouting. "I wasn't.. Well, I mean- I am thankful! But.. My dress.. Don't you think it's..?"
"Hm?" He turns around to fully take a look at you, gasping in horror when he takes a look at your dress. You deadpan at him again. Did he seriously not notice? "Oh good heavens, no. You sweetie, are not going to the ball looking like that, " he mutters, eyeing your dress up and down. He quickly walks over to you, bending down to measure you with his wand. Your face becomes hot when the attractive man gets close to you, wand pressing against your side. He hums before backing up to create a certain amount of distance, chanting again as the same magic before circles around you, your dress quickly puffing into a poofy light-blue dress. It sparkled under the moon light, puffed out sleeves hugging your shoulders as gloves the same color as your dress were worn by your hands.
You twirl around, hands clutching the sides of your dress as your feet drags you across the floor. "Have you ever seen such a beautiful dress? I even have glass slippers!" You sighed happily, seeing Shoko's head nod quickly as she eyed your dress with a sparkle in her eye. You twirl your way to Geto, a toothy grin on your face as his cheeks turned pink. "M-miss (Y/N)! You're beautiful," he breathes, eyes kept on you as you bow at him and twirl your way towards your godfather who was smiling fondly at you.
"It's like a dream, godfather Gojo-" "please," he raises a hand up before taking your gloved hand in his own, "call me Satoru, sweetheart." You giggle as you twirl away, wrapped in the moment. His smile slightly drops as he taps the tip of his wand against his chin, cocking a brow at you in concern. "Jus' letting you know, like all dreams, this won't last forever. You'll only have until midnight.. And then.."
"Yes, yes, midnight- thank you," you grin, swaying your dress as you stare at your reflection in the water. "Hey now- just wait a minute. You must understand, sweetheart, that at the stroke of midnight, all of this," he draws a circle with his wand, gesturing to every object and being he used magic on, "will go back to the way it was before, d'ya hear me?"
You nod before quickly running to him, taking his hands and holding it to your chest, Gojo's cheeks slightly pink at the unexpected action. "I understand.. but it's anything I could ever hope for," you breathe, leaning in to give him a peck on the cheek, your glass heels giving you leverage. "Ah.. Yeah.. Well ah! Goodness shit- it's getting late, you ought to go," he ushers you off, gently shoving you in the carriage, "the ball can't wait." You quickly adjust to the seat as the door closes, the carriage already being sent off in the dirt road. "Remember, sweetheart! Stroke of midnight!" You stick your head out the door window, smiling when you see his figure slowly fade in a sparkle of magic.
"Mademoiselles Mei Kenjaku and Yorozu Kenjaku, daughters of Lady Kenjaku."
Sukuna's eye peak interest when he sees Yorozu, a small smirk on his lips. He does nothing of the matter though, and just bows as they bow at him, eyes lingering on his figure. Sukuna's father sighs from the stands, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disapproval. "Y'know sire, I did try to warn you about the prince. He's not interested in any of this and you are a hopeless romantic," Uruame speaks through his sighs and groans, a gloved hand rubbing his forehead.
"There's no doubt when he just bows and right when he suddenly stops and looks up,"
Sukuna raises his head, his whole body stiffening when he sees you, his heart stuttering. "And there, she stands. The girl of his dreams. Who she is or whence she came from, he does not know nor does he care," Uruame speaks away as Sukuna's father notices Sukuna's sudden change in behaviour. Sukuna rushes past Yorozu and Mei, making his way towards your wandering and curious figure. "His heart tells him that here," Sukuna grabs ahold of your hand, only for you to be quick to draw back, "here is the maid that is predestined to be his bride." Sukuna is quick to bow down before you just as you do after him. Uruame lightly chuckles, rubbing her monocle against her suit as the King blinks at the scene of his son and your beautiful form below. "A pretty plot for fairy tails, sire. But in real life, oh no. It was fore doomed to failure-" she quickly gets cut off when the King locks her head with his arm, his gloved knuckles rubbing against her scalp. "Failure, huh? Then take a look at this, you damn pompous hag!" He quickly shoves her down, along with her monocle to watch the two youngsters interact.
Sukuna kisses your hand gently before looking up at you with his red gleaming eyes, ones that were so opposite from Gojo's. It kind of scared you. His eyes almost held possessiveness and so many dark things behind, eyes more piercing and slit than Gojo's who seemed much more kinder and seemed to have good-will. As scary as it was, his eyes also told you he had a sense of security and protection. It almost made you weak in the knees.
"Your highness, it would be an honor. May I take your hand?" His deep voice rumbles in the air, cold air puffing out your mouth as you stare at him in slight surprise. A smile slowly spreads onto your face as you take your hand in his, guiding you into the ball room. Sukuna was nearly gonna shit his pants. He thought you were so fucking beautiful, he didn't know what to say. "You look amazing tonight," he gestures towards your dress, gently squeezing your hand. You blush and cover over your mouth with a hand as you both walk over to the ballroom, starting to gain the eyes of other maidens.
"Who is she? Do you know her?" The King exclaims, peering down with Uruame's monocle. "No, Sire. I've never seen her before," Uruame shakes her head and peers down with him, invested in the sight of Sukuna in the hand of a woman. "Well that's one thing in her favor- shit, they're coming over here," the King quickly turns to gesture to the musicians, hands waving at them, "the waltz! Do the goddamn waltz!"
"Dim the lights!" The King nearly falls over the edge, Uruame's face turning red and round as a tomato as she struggles to keep him up.
"Huh?" Sukuna looks around before looking back at you, his heart nearly melting at the sight of the eye contact. "I guess this is where we should dance," you joke lightly, his hand wrapping around your waist as the other continues to squeeze your hand gently but firmly. He chuckles at your comment, gazing down at you. "You're funny," he remarks, swaying you back and forth as you pick up your dress.
You grin up at him as the music carries you both, lost in each other's gaze. Maidens stare at you both in jealousy and hate, others' heart crumbling at the sight. Some are even happy.
"If anything goes wrong," the King cuts off before sliding his thumb across his neck just as he disappears behind the curtains, leaving Uruame dumbfounded and in charge.
"Mother," Mei whispers in an aggravated voice, clinging to her mother's side. "Mother, who is that," Yorozu growls, twisting her foot into the ground. Your step-mother stares at you and Sukuna from afar, brows raised as her eyes held a jealous glint in them.
"Do we know her?" "Well the prince certainly seems to- but I know I've never seen her-" your step-mother cuts them off with a wave, "nor I, but she's certainly is- wait.. There is something familiar about her," your step-mother's eyes follow you and Sukuna, her own feet moving to inspect your familiar figure. You and Sukuna dance your way out the ballroom elegantly just as your step-mother tries to take a good look, curtains being closed in her face. "Oh my," she embarrassingly looks around, a hand placed on her chest before turning to the sound of another voice, "ahem." There stood Uruame, cocking a brow at her before rubbing her monocle against her suit.
You hum a tune as you both dance, staring into each other's eyes as the night carries you both away. For Sukuna, it felt like it had been a very long time since his heart started to beat. And when he looked into your eyes, it was like seeing the stars. It was in that moment that Sukuna decided that you were to be the one made into his wife.
You two are both met with stairs and that's when you decide to disconnect from each other, your gloved hand and waist savoring the warmth his hands once left you. "So, are you a princess?" Sukuna looks at you as you sputter, nearly choking on your words, a hand waving at your face as you blush. "Ah- no.. I'm merely.. just a girl that lives in a chateau resided in the city," you smile, tucking a few hair strands behind your ear. "Are you.. Are you a prince?"
Sukuna stiffens in surprise, scratching his head, "well.. I'm the prince that's asking for wife," he slightly smirks when he sees your shocked face. "You- you're the prince?! The prince?!" Sukuna laughs, bowing politely at you. "I'm not exactly the prince, I'm just a prince. But I mean, hey," he looks down at you, eyeing you up and down, "I'm the best prince of all there is." You stifle a chuckle, snorting as you turn away to dab away your tears, "he's so corny," you whisper to yourself. But that didn't go unheard by Sukuna that makes a face. "I'd ought to have your head chopped for that, beautiful," Sukuna looks down at you with a mischievous glint in his eye, smirking when your smile slightly falters. You scoff as you turn your head away, waving your hand at him and completely ignoring what he said. "If you must," you shrug, making your way to a fountain.
You were definitely the one. He chuckles before walking beside you, gazing down at the reflection of both of you. You were an amazing sight to behold, like a newly-bloomed flower covered in a frost of snow. He sees you turn to him, getting the chance to look up at you.
You both inch closer, lips lightly brushing at the tips and ghosting over each other. His hand slides over to your waist, gently rubbing up and down your sides that made you shudder. Your eyes quickly open. Just before he got any closer, you step away far enough that your lips was out of reach. "What time is it?" You bite your lip just as Sukuna makes a confused face, turning to look behind him. "It's currently 11:59. Why?" You quickly detach your body away from him, clutching your dress in your fingers, "goodbye! I'm sorry but I have to go!" You step away from him, his hand reaching out for you. "Hey wait!!" A clock starts to ring in your ears now, hurriedly making your way through the garden and back into the ballroom, Sukuna following not too far behind. When you walk past the curtains, you catch the eyes of other maidens just as Sukuna comes through who was quickly swarmed with women. "Wait- I haven't even got your name!" Uruame gets up quickly to chase after you, shoving past the swarm of women heading Sukuna's way.
"Mademoiselle!- pretty lady!-" she nearly trips over her own feet, her eyes watching your leaving figure unexpectingly run down the stairs with such speed. As you run down the stairs, one of your glass slippers fall off, growling in frustration when you have no time to make a grab for it. Uruame makes a grab for it as you dash into an extravagant carriage, "close the gates! Follow that carriage and close the goddamn gates!" Uruame shakes her head in anger, pointing towards your leaving carriage.
You all make it into a forest nearby your house before everything returned to its' original form, your 'horses' turning back into mice, your coachman turning back into your horse, your footman turning back into your dog, and your carriage turning back into a pumpkin that was now squished under your bum.
You look back to see men with large horses charging at you. You gasp before quickly moving out the way, gesturing to the rest of the animals before they got crushed like the pumpkin below that glittered with left over magic. "Oh.. I'm sorry. It seems I had forgotten about the time," you murmur, looking to your horse and dog apologetically. "But... It was so wonderful. And he was so handsome- and when we danced..- I'm sure that no man could have ever.. man," you laugh, wiping a tear. "(N/N)! (N/N)!" You look down, seeing Yuji's small clawed finger pointing at your feet. "A slipper!" "Yeah, your slipper!" Yuji and Nobara shout over each other, pointing their little fingers as they push at each other. You let out a shaky 'oh' and slip your feet out of the glass shoe, holding the delicate thing in your hands before you look up to the stars, eyes glimmering. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much, for everything."
The King's snoring abruptly stops when he hears knocking at the door, grumbling as he gets up, rubbing the side of his face, "come in," he says urgently. Uruame breaks a sweat as she enters, quick to bow at his feet on one knee. "Uruame! So he's proposed already! Sit down, sit down," he easily lifts her up to her feet, pushing her down on a chair as she slightly frowns, clutching her monocle carefully. "But I haven't told you-" "now, now, we have much more important things to discuss. Arrangement for the wedding, special occasions, national holiday, all that sort of things."
"But Sire-" "here, have a cigar," the King grins, shoving a large cigar in Uruame's mouth that was already lit in the end. "But-" the King laughs, shoving more cigars in her suit. "Better practice to be handin' these out, eh?" He cackles, throwing his head back as Uruame stutters over her words, sweat covering almost her entire back. The king pulls out a sword, Uruame's eyes shutting tightly as she braces for pain but nothing comes. "And for you my friend, a knighthood!"
Uruame peeks an eye open, clutching the hem of her suit. "I hereby dub you Lady... Err- uh.. By the way, what title would you like?" Uruame swallows her saliva thickly, ignoring his question, "sire, she got away." "Well if that would be your title-.. she WHAT?!" The King shakes in anger, his face quite literally turning into a deep shade of red. "Why you- you little imbecile!" Uruame backs up on her feet as the King steps towards her, raising his sword, "b-but sire- remember! Y-you're sick! Your blood pressure!"
"Treason!" He swings down his sword, cutting Uruame's cigar in half. She blinks, gasping just as she crawls backwards, getting up to hide behind the chair she was on. "N-no sire!-" "sabotage! You were in league with the prince all along!" "No sire- I did try to stop her! But- but she vanished into thin air!" "A likely story!" He swings his sword at her, quickly scrambling under and through a table just before he cuts it in half. She quickly jumps onto his bed, jumping as high as he can as he swings at her. They both look like children. "He loves her Sire! The only thing left of her is this slipper! He won't rest until he finds her!" The King's eyes slightly widen at her words but continues to swing, "what did you say?"
"The prince, Sire! Swears he'll marry none but the girl who fits this slipper!" She lands on her back on his bed, the King landing along with her, his large feet planted at her sides. "He said that, did he?" He grins, snatching the glass slipper before smooching it like it was his mother's cheek. "Jackpot!" "But Sire- this slipper may fit any number of girls. Especially in Shibuya!"
"That's his problem- he gave his words, we'll hold him to it," the King hops off the bed, throwing the sword to the side and the slipper on the bed as he walks off. "Nuh uh, I'll have nothing to do with it," Uruame crosses her arms, her usual stoic expression back on her face. He picks up the sword again to lift up the glass slipper, gliding past Uruame's face. "You will try this on every maiden in the kingdom. And if the shoe fits," the King lowers the sword to her throat, "bring her in." "Y-yes.. your majesty," Uruame gulps.
"The prince?" You mutter as your mouth goes dry, accidentally dropping the tray of breakfast on the floor. "Oh you!- you clumsy little fool! Clean up that mess. And help my daughters dress up," your step-mother ushers, pulling the blanket off her daughters that was still in sleeping wear. "If he's in love with that girl, why should we even bother?" Mei pulls the blanket over her and Yorozu again, butts sticking up as their mother roughly snatches the blanket, both of them looking at her in surprise. "Listen to me! There's still a chance that one of you could get in," their mother explains urgently, nodding her head towards where you assumed the palace was. "What?" They say in unison. "One of us?" They turn to each other, blinking.
"Why mother, what do you mean?-" "just this.. No one, not even the prince, knows who that girl is," she explains thoroughly. "We know, we know! (N/N)! (N/-" Yuji quickly gets cut off by Megumi's punch, a frown displayed on his furry face. "The glass slipper is their only clue. Now, the Duchess has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom. And if one can be found if the slipper fits, by the kings command: that girl shall be the Prince's bride."
"His.. bride," you breathe out under a whisper, processing the information. Your step-sisters were quick to process the information though, demanding for you to quickly get them ready and prepped, rushing out of the bed and such. They grab clothes across the room that was laid all over the place, placing it in your arms as you stare off into space, a loving grin on your features as you reminisce your last night interactions with the prince.
"What's the matter with you?!" "Wake up stupid!" "We gotta get dressed!" You blink at them before you look down at your own clothes, your work clothes worn out and covered in dirt and stains. "Dressed.. Yes, I've got to get dressed. It wouldn't do for the Duchess to see me like this.." You set down the pile of dresses and clothes down in Yorozu's arms.
"Mother did you see what she did to me?!" "Mother, are you just gonna let her do this?!" Your step-mother raises a hand at them, "silence." She glares at your back, squinting close to your figure as you sway your way down the hall, humming the same tune as you were the night before. As you go to your room, you quickly undid your hair and start to brush it, singing the tune more louder. Chose lifts up Yuji on his shoulders as Megumi and Nobara stand next to each other, all four shouting at you. "Hm? What?" Your eyes widen just as you look up in the mirror, gasping when you see your step-mother's reflection. "Oh no!" You turn to run to the door, pulling the handle and shaking it. "You can't- I- shit! You can't do this! Oh, let me out!" You cry out, tears starting to form quickly. "You must let me out! You can't keep me in here! Oh.. Oh please," you sob, sliding down your door as you weakly punch it.
Yuji and Megumi hide inside a tea cup, whispering to each other as they plan on how they get the key from your step-mother's pocket. They climb over it and crawl their way over, Yuji slightly pulling on Megumi's tail when he falls into the pocket. Megumi musters up his tiny strength and lifts up the key, Yuji reaching for it as it pokes out. Your step-mother looks up at the stairs just before she starts to reach in her pocket. Yuji jumps, shaking his head profusely as he pushes the key back down in the pocket, a hand going inside to grip the key and going outside the pocket to pat against it. Megumi rubs his head, silently growling under his breath. "Damn old lady," he mutters.
"You must be quite fatigue, your grace. May we all drink some tea?" Your step-mother suggests as Uruame sits herself down on a chair, clearly exhausted. Kenjaku nearly pours a drop of tea that Yuji was in, who was sucking in his stomach when it came too close. "No thank you, ma'am. But we must proceed with the search," Uruame slowly blinks, her monocle falling off her face. She nods politely before gesturing to her daughter, Yorozu. "Yorozu, dear," she says tenderly, grinning when the servant holds the glass slipper right under Yorozu's foot. The servant slips it in, clapping in delight when he sees it fit. Or as he thought. He lifts up her foot, revealing her long slender foot that the glass slipper barely fit in. It seems her dress was covering most of her foot.
The servant's toupee nearly jumps out, clearly shook. "Oh! It- it may be a trugle snug, y'know!? Dancin' all night and all.. I can't understand why of course! It- it always fit perfect before!" The servant tries his best to shove her foot in the glass slipper, Yorozu chuckling awkwardly.
Yuji reaches over for the key, Megumi trying to push it towards his reach as he tries his own attempt to climb out the pocket. Yuji lets out a squeak of pain, both of them dropping to the ground, sliding off your step-mother's dress. "Now c'mon, Yuji! Up the stairs! Now!" They lift up the key, only making it by a few steps. "Boy, do we have a long way to go," Yuji complains, frowning when he looks up. "Oh come on! We gotta help her, now quick! They're already moving to Mei!"
You sob and cling to the door, hearing soft patter draw in closer to the sound of your ears, peering your teary eyes through the key hole. You gasp and cry in relief, "you got the key! My goodness! Thank you, thank you so much!" Megumi slides under your door but before Yuji ever can, Mahito comes in and traps him with a bowl. "Oh! Mahito! Let him go!" Mahito tilts his head to the sound of your voice at the other side of the door, letting out hisses of laughter, his tongue rolling over his fangs. Megumi quickly rushes back out the door, grabbing Mahito's tail, biting it as hard as he can. Mahito jumps, hair spiking up as he grabs his tail. He quickly puts the bowl over Yuji again.
More mice start to charge at him with forks before getting flicked away by Mahito's paws, a grin plastered on his furry face. A candle comes towards him which he easily blows out. Birds come in to throw unused dishes at his head which he quickly jumps up to swipe at them to a stop. "Shit.. Shit!" You panick, banging your head against the door before looking through the keyhole, "Nanami.. Get Nanami!"
The birds quickly rush over to the barn, tugging at the ears of your other dog that hazily woke up by the sound of chirping birds and the barks of Shoko beside him, Geto joining in on the bundle of sounds.
Uruame quickly catches the glass slipper with a finger, sighing in relief. "Oh, your grace, I'm dreadfully sorry. It shouldn't happen again-" "precisely, Madam," Uruame frowns at the grown woman. Nanami growls at the cat that was now cowering in fear, yowling as Nanami chases him out the window. Other mices lift up the bowl that Yuji was under, balled tightly into himself while clutching the key. "Itadori, c'mon!" Yuji shakes his head before Megumi knocks him in the head, dragging him under the door along with the key.
"You are the only ladies in the household I hope I presume?" Uruame cocks a brow tiredly, rubbing her monocle against her suit. "There's no one in the house, your grace." Uruame blinks before bowing her head lightly at the three ladies, "quite so. Good day then, good day-" she nearly walks out before getting cut off by your alarming voice, turning around just as quick as you run down the stairs, your step-family looking at you appalled. "Please wait! May I try it on?" "Pay no attention to her," your step-mother persuades, your step-sisters chiming in, "it's only (N/N)!" "Scullery!" "From the kitchen!" "Ridiculous!" "Impossible!" "She's out of her mind!" Uruame's expression lightens when she examines your feet through her monocle, a twitching smile making way to her lips. "Yes, yes- just an imaginative child!-" "Madam, my orders were 'every maiden.'"
Uruame shoves past her, gently gesturing you to come closer. "Come, my child," she takes your hand in hers as she sits you down, waving to the servant carrying the glass slipper on top of a silk purple pillow. The servant nods happily as he rushes over. Your step-mother grits her teeth, stepping her foot out as he trips over, pretending not to have seen the scene, smirking when it shatters on the ground. "N-no.. Oh no, no, no... This is.. terrible. The king.. What will he say?" Uruame mumbles in despair, getting on her knees to pick up the broken pieces. "You see if I could help-" you get cut off by Uruame's despair, "no, no. Nothing can help."
You chuckle, dipping into your apron pocket, "but you see," you smirk, looking down at her. "I have the other slipper," you pull it out and your step-mother's face goes pale, her jaw dropping nearly to the floor. Mice cheer as they watch the scene, your slipper fitting just so perfectly on your foot. Uruame nearly kisses the shoe as she stares up at you in delight, glad that she finally does not have to search all over the city anymore. And of course, that she found you, Sukuna's soon-to-be wife. Your step-sisters' go into a fit, pouting and crossing their arms to hug themselves for comfort while they stomp on the marble floor.
"Should I go get my things?" You quirk up at Uruame who rubs her monocle against her suit jacket. She blinks at you in surprise before chuckling, "there's no need. But if you please to do so, do it by all means, your Highness," she lightly bows down your way, other men in suit following her action. Your cheeks turn pink before you quickly head upstairs, checking if you wanted to bring anything. You stop rummaging through your drawer when you come across a photo of your father and your mother with little you in between them. You smile bitterly at the picture, bringing it up close to your chest. And of course, you were gonna bring the animals.
"And then- and then what else happens?" Yuji's clawed fingers tug onto Gojo's sleeves, earning a smack on the head from Megumi. "Well, of course, the wedding happens," Gojo smirks, looking back into the large book in front of him.
"Does mommy and daddy have a happy ending?" Gojo looks over to the twins with pink hair, one of them having your colored eyes and the other with red. He chuckles, patting both of their heads, "just listen, okay?"
Maidens scurry across all over the room, various of old women complimenting your features and a few others criticizing you. They made sure your dress fit perfectly and when you came out of the changing room, your beauty had all girls young and old gasping, enchanted by your beauty. "My god, you're so beautiful. Not even I looked like this when I was your age," one comments, "somebody switch our bodies!" Another goes. "You're so beautiful, your Highness," a young one pipes in. You accept the compliments and chuckle with them before the door of the room bursts open, revealing none other than Uruame who held a grumpy face. "Alright, alright, wedding's about to start. Are you guys all set?" A following of quiet 'yes's and a few nods come from all over the room, Uruame sighing when she's had her confirmation until her eyes went over to your figure. Her eyes go wide at the sight of you. "Y-your Highness..." Uruame blushes, bowing. You were wearing a big puffy dress that was as white as snow, your dress being as nearly as similar as the one you went to the ball with. Except parts of the dress had more glimmer and lace designs, especially in your corset. Flower lace designs adorn your ribs and sides, fine linen covering the part for your breasts. Of course, your dress had puffy sleeves made out of fine linen also. You were also the only one wearing white. Everyone else in the wedding was wearing either a dark red or black(which was thankfully allowed). Sukuna made sure you and him were the only one standing out. "You're ethereal," Uruame finishes, bowing once more. You blush at her compliment, draping over the veil over your face.
The King enters the room before bowing deeply, a cute and friendly smile setting onto his face, "you look lovely, miss (Y/N). Gosh- I bet my grandchildren will be beautiful-" he grunts when he feels Uruame jab him from the side, chuckling before extending his arm to you. "Let's see where this beautiful day takes us," he grins wider when you loop your arms around his, hearing sounds of music playing. Was this what it was like? To get married? You were quickly handed a slightly large bouquet of flowers, mixed in with Lilies, red and white roses, some sweet asylum flowers adorning the sides.
The place was dark-colored and yet it seemed so bright with the colors of the sun leaking through the windows and past the drapes. Everyone stood up, many gasped and was in awe at the sight of you. You realized your dress was extended a little longer from the back but you didn't mind. You liked the attention. You could hear the pounding of your heart in your ears as you stepped closer to the alter, Sukuna's figure coming more into view behind the veil. You both come to a stop before he hugs you, clutching your bouquet tightly as you turn to the alter. You couldn't really see Sukuna's face over the lace of the veil but you could see his hair. His pink hair was slightly slicked back, some of it sticking up, giving that 'bad boy' or 'she calls me daddy' vibe.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate union of these two loving beings, Sukuna RyĹmen and (Y/N) (L/N)," you nearly gasp when you recognize the voice, turning to see the same blue eyes wink at you. You smile, turning your gaze back to Sukuna. "We stand here to honor and celebrate the love shared by these two people, as they come together to start their new life in a solemn vow, surrounded by their closest family and friends," you almost cringe at that part. Because you don't have much friends or family here besides the animals. "They are enjoyed that many of you are able to join us today. As we stand here today to mark this occasion, we remember that what matters most is not the ceremony itself, but the love and companionship you will continue to share throughout your married life together. It was by chance, that Sukuna had stumbled across this woman that he now claims his own," you hear Gojo fondly say. You hear Sukuna gruff, agreeing with him. A couple of people from the side laughs, including you. "To honor the strength of love and the role it plays in our lives, Sukuna and (Y/N) have called upon two of their nearest and dearest to share readings that have moved them,
Your wedding vows are a sacred declaration of your love for each other, the foundation of your relationship as a married couple, and the life you want to build together.
Please face each other as you declare vows to one another. Sukuna, you may start." You hear Sukuna suck in a breath, watching him fumble with his gloved fingers through the veil. For Sukuna, it was like his heart was in his throat. For the first time, in front of his own people, he felt so scared. "(Y/N) (L/N)," he says in a firm voice. "When I first met you, you were the most beautiful and enticing person I have ever seen. The dance we had the night we met felt.. special, really. But at the same time, it was like you were out of reach, something I couldn't grab or have, even as a prince," he calmly says without a stutter, looking up at you. "Within every fiber of my being, am I glad to have met such a great woman. One look at you and I'm lost and I feel... vulnerable," the word 'vulnerable' coming out of his mouth had a few people from the crowd gasping quietly. More like almost a few hundred people. "I, Sukuna RyĹmen, take you, (Y/N) (L/N) to be my wedded wife. I promise to stand by your side through good and bad times, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I vow to stay true to you and love you unconditionally for the rest of my days." Out pops a silk pillow with two rings on it, both golden and one decorated with beautiful glimmering diamonds. Four mice are underneath it.
You let out a shaky sigh, looking up to the ceiling so tears wouldn't fall and ruin your makeup. A few people chuckle including your maidens. "(Y/N)," Gojo turns to you, his brow slightly raised. You inhale and exhale through your nose and look up at Sukuna, secretly glad your veil was covering your face. "Sukuna RyĹmen. When I first met you, I wouldn't lie and say you didn't have me scared shitless," you spat, smile wavering as Sukuna snickers, a few people gasping at the use of language while Sukuna's father chuckles at it. "But I realized you were just more than scary. You're funny and kind when you want to be. You took me away from what only I can call a nightmare, and for that, I thank you for everything. Maybe someday in our marriage, I'll get to break past your rough cold exterior," a few awes are heard throughout the crowd.
"I, (Y/N) (L/N), take you, Sukuna RyĹmen to be my wedded husband. I promise to stand by your side through good and bad times, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I vow to stay true to you and love you unconditionally for the rest of my days," you let out a sigh from speaking all those words. Who knew vows could be so overwhelming? "Oh yeah- I forgot, before we start, does anyone have any objections?" Silence. Gojo chuckles before beckoning you both to take the rings.
"Do you, Sukuna, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "I do," the softest words ever to come out of Sukuna's mouth. You were sure your cheeks were as red as beetroots right now. "Do you, (Y/N), take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" You nod, squeezing the trunk of the flower bouquet, "I do." You both slide the rings onto each other's fingers, smiling at it adoringly when it fits perfectly. "You may now kiss the bride," Gojo triumphaly announces, watching in anticipation when Sukuna lifts up your veil. You nearly took his breath away. Before you could even blush and turn away embarrassed, he smashes his lips against yours. It became gentle quickly after that, his lips moving amongst your own. His lips were soft, demanding but soft. It felt nice. It was passionate. From that day on, you were now married to each other.
You walk down the hallway just before coming to a stop, eyes widening as you turn to peek through a door. Your eyes soften when you see your godfather with an open book, animals and your children surrounding him. You smile but it quickly fades away when you feel a hand on your shoulder, your soul almost floating away. "Woah, there. Sorry, darling," Sukuna kisses your cheek, moving his hand on your waist as his thumb caresses your side. You sigh, shaking your head before reciprocating the kiss onto his cheek, not too long until you lay a hand on your own. "I'm happy, Sukuna," you look up at him. He smiles down at you, moving to kiss you. "Eww!" You both quickly turn to see everyone staring at you through the crack of the door. Sukuna growls, moving away from you and marches into the room as you snort at the sight.
As he scolds everyone and tells them to go to bed, you smile. You could never ask for anything more than this.
A/N: was rlly fun to write, I completely made Sukuna into a softie in this one so he's not completely himself. But it's Cinderella only she can change him! đĽ°
This is kind of a make up after the eternity fic.. But I still hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading <3
If you liked this one, go check out my other works and see if you enjoy them as well! Follow and give me a note if you enjoy<3
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#jjk sukuna#fanfic#fiction#anime#fantasy#writers on tumblr#lovers#jjk fluff#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen#sukuna ryomen#ryomen sukuna#sukuna x reader#sukuna x cinderella#crossover ship#cinderella au#fluff#happy ending#fem reader#writerscommunity#sukuna is a warning by itself#sukuna#glass slipper#long reads#long post#prince Sukuna#Cinderella reader#mega update#10k words#100 followers
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Perfect ~ Sturniolo triplets
Warnings: angst, eating disorders, crying, mental health, mentions of a broken home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You had been friends with the triplets since high school and you loved every second you spent with them. As you didn't have the best home life, you found comfort and protection in the Sturniolo home and once the guys moved to LA, you were close behind. You moved in with the trio, saying you'd help with their filming and any meetings.
However, after spending years in LA and now having your own social media fame, you couldn't help but feel bland and simple. You also couldn't ignore the comments on your posts about your weight. You had always struggled with your weight, it going up and down constantly.
But now, it was getting to your head. Your mind was telling you that you wasn't good enough and you were fat and ugly and that the guys only kept you around as you help edit or keep them on track of important meetings. Your mind telling you they didn't really like you.
It then resulted in you skipping out snacks, only eating three meals a day. Which then went downhill. You then cut out breakfast, before skipping lunch and slowly dinner as well. Your mind tells you that eating would just get you fat and nobody would like you.
Your weight then dropped drastically and the guys noticed. They noticed how sunken your eyes looked, how thin you were getting, how your clothes hung off your body and they were worried. They were scared to lose you.
Nick, Matt and Chris sat on the sofa as you were showering, the trio talking about your sudden weight loss. Concern written all over their faces.
"She's not eating." Matt mentioned.
"We need to talk to her." Chris said.
"Yes, but we need to be careful not to hurt her more than she already is." Nick said, agreeing but also thinking logically.
Matt and Chris nodded and when you walked out, the guys told you to sit as they wanted to talk. You nodded, taking a seat between Matt and Nick on the sofa.
"What's going on?" You asked.
"We've noticed your sudden weight loss." Chris blurted out, earning a slap from Nick.
"It's great isn't it. I'm now fitting the perfect LA image." You said, a fake smile printed on your face, which the guys knew was fake.
"Sweetheart, we're basically your brothers. Talk to us, you aren't eating which isn't healthy and we don't want to lose you." Nick softly said, taking your hand in his.
"Just not hungry." You mumbled.
"That's what your mind is telling you. But we know it's not true." Matt said.
"None of you really like me.....I'm only good for helping you work." You mumbled, tears ready to spill over.
"No, that's not true, kid. You are one of our best friends and as Nick said, basically our sister. We love you and care about you. If we didn't, we wouldn't be having this talk." Chris said, sitting in front of you on the floor.
You looked into his blue eyes, the tears now falling freely down your face. You looked at Nick and to Matt as well, all their faces showed worry. You mind now screaming at you for making them upset.
"I'm sorry." You cried.
"Don't be sorry. We're sorry for not seeing the signs first of all." Matt said, rubbing your back.
"We want to help you. Will you let us?" Nick asked softly.
You nodded laying your head on his shoulder. Chris laid his head on your knees as Matt continued to rub your back. In that moment you felt loved and supported and knew over time you would get better, with your friends help.
#sturniolo triplets#stuniolo triplets x reader#sturniolo triplets oneshot#sturniolo triplets fanfic#matt sturniolo x reader#matthew sturniolo#matt sturniolo#chris sturniolo x reader#chris sturniolo#christopher sturniolo#nick sturniolo x reader#nick sturniolo#nicolas sturniolo#angst#angst with a happy ending#eating disoder trigger warning#xreader#platonic
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Spoiler for Venom: The last dance ahead -
So since venom is most likely gonna be in a future spidey film ( Since I think it's implied he's still alive with the cockaroach post credits scene) I'm thinking that once he connects with Peter he'll still do the usual venom things but this time around he will be asking where Eddie is and by the end of the film ( or films ) spidey will help him reunite with Eddie.
#delusional#venom#Sorry for only adding spoiler warning a few days after posting wont happen again :p#venom tld#venom 3#I just want them to have a happy ending ;-; and this will be my headcannon untill spidey 4 comes out#eddie is in new york so maybe#film did do well globally so they might not abandon them#im like 90% sure im missing information that completely dissolves this theory but i did say im delusional#veddie#symbrock#eddie brock#eddie and venom#venom spoilers#Venom 3 spoilers
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Agonized over the fact that when Chip reunites with Arlin, no matter how it happens, whether Arlin is dead or alive, corrupted or stable, preserved as he was or aged by time and magic⌠whether itâs a moment of joy and relief at a long-awaited reunion or a heart-shattering episode of grief because Chip is too late, Chip canât even cry about it.
#jrwi riptide#just roll with it#chip jrwi#arlin james#jrwi riptide spoilers#riptide spoilers#I guess#god I hope Chip gets saved too#heâs only 19⌠he should be in the club#not halfway in his grave#heâs imagined every possible reunion they could have but when it finally happens he⌠canât cry#would you rather choke on sobs or fail to breathe at all#and when Arlin pulls him into a hug but he can barely feel it and there is no warmth#his skin is cold and his lungs fail him#Arlin asking what the hell happened to him#fuck haha anyway#shout out chip jrwi#no one warned me about you the way they did your co-captains and you areâŚ.. oh man.#the haunted guy ever#if anyone has earned a happy endingâŚ. knock on wood
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I work in a public school district with over 30k students. I don't even know how many staff. Our IT department is like 70 people. That's not fucking enough. They announced a few months ago that they're cutting 9 people from the staff that are actually in the schools, AND today they announced that they're cutting all 8 of our part time employees. There were only 33 school-level staff to start with. We're losing over 40% of our man-hours.
For important context, we're a pretty up-scale district, at least for our region of the US. Projectors/smartboards or smart TVs with touch screens in every class, every student has an iPad or MacBook depending on grade level, etc.. This much tech and they're cutting 40+% of our hours.
Next school year will be real interesting, because the whole IT department is in agreement that we're not gonna push ourselves to keep up. Work will get done when it gets done, and if that bothers people then they can go talk to the guys in finance who decides IT isn't important.
#tw#trigger warning#submissions#fuck customers#cashier problems#happy ending#fuck co-workers#fuck retail#embarrassing#server problems#call center problems#fuck coworkers#fuck managers#retail justice#retail law#tw:
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2024 English language manga releases I'm enjoying
Here are a couple of titles I've picked up in English so far this year that I've enjoyed. Most of these I read digitally in Japanese for one or two volumes a couple of years back, but opted to wait and purchase the English print versions for my collection.
I feel like all of these books are worth the purchase price, but don't have the energy to do individual posts for each of them. So here's a very smooshed together post covering a few 2024 reads.
GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! from Yen Press
Akechi Ushiro is a heavily flawed, hard-working woman whose disregard for her own wellbeing results in her coming face-to-face with her equally flawed guardian spirit, Masako. The pair decide to combine their forces and begin tackling the obstacles in Ushiro's life using curses.
Hiruzuka Miyako's darkly funny tale of a woman taking control of her life alongside her queer sister spirit is such a delight . Featuring a rough-and-ready art style that helps underscore the macabre elements at play, the entire first volume is scathing in its humour and unashamed in its portrayal of Ushiro's flaws. I was surprised when this one got picked up by Yen Press a while back, but so happy to see it enjoying a stateside release. If you're after something that doesn't always play nice, GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! might well be for you.
Edit: If you haven't read it before, this Japanese interview with Hiruzuka is worth reading for a bit more on her background and the creation of the series.
Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! (Akujiki Reijou to Kyouketsu Koushaku) from Kodansha USA
A sweet little fantasy romance between two individuals who find solace in one another despite being reviled by the general public for their interest in monsters. One loves defeating monsters in battle while the other loves cooking them!
Melphiera is a smart, capable heroine while Aristide Rogier du Galbraith is a dashing and supportive hero. The manga art is a bit low in detail, but the characters and story are absolutely worth your time. I'd love to see the LNs that the manga adapts in English someday too. I mentioned in tags before this whole series gives me the types of vibes I enjoy in historical fantasy romance novels, so if you like that kind of content this might be a good title to check out (or recommend to friends who appreciate romantasy but haven't tried manga before).
In The Name of The Mermaid Princess (Mio no Na no Moto ni) from VIZ Media
In a country where being "unhuman" or in some way supernaturally inclined is seen as a curse rather than a blessing, Princess Mio takes medications to suppress her mermaid-esque traits and please her father. Her perspective changes when Yuri, a tutor from her fiance's home kingdom, encourages her to be herself and embrace the things that make her different.
I've seen people say this is a bit too obvious in its parallels between fantasy oppression and IRL issues, but this is a Ribon manga for young girls so yeah it's on the nose but I think it works for the audience it has in mind. Tashiro Miya's artwork here is gorgeous and both leads are quite endearing (Mio is SO freakin adorable I can'ttttt). Overall a solid little series with nicely packaged volumes for those after something for a younger audience.
The Moon on a Rainy Night (Amayo no Tsuki) from Kodansha USA
A romantic slice-of-life tale featuring two high school girls, one of whom is a budding pianist (Saki) and the other a loner who is hard of hearing (Kanon).
I don't normally go much on high school romance but the way this series blends classic GL melodrama tropes with genuine issues in an earnest manner works for me. While we see things more from Saki's viewpoint as she eagerly tries to learn more about Kanon and tries to figure out her own sexuality, we do also come to understand Kanon's thwarted ambitions and the difficulties she has with letting people in.
Kuzushiro's art is quite whispy and cute, with all the characters tending to look quite well-realised on the page. While I prefer romances that feature a character with disability to centre their perspective, I do feel this does a decent job of portraying both girls as they try to navigate their deepening relationship. YMMV on this though, particularly if you are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.
Sketchy from Kodansha USA
Ako is living an unfulfilling life with a dull job and even duller boyfriend, but she suddenly finds herself thrust into a whole new world upon encountering a mysterious young skateboarder.
Sketchy, while ostensibly about women taking up skateboarding is more a snapshot of their individual lives and the role having a hobby plays once you're no longer a child. Ako's story particularly resonates with me (I literally worked her job at a similar age) but all the characters prove interesting in their own way.
Makihirochi's art is a bit more experimental than others on this list and may not be to everyone's taste, but I do think Sketchy is still worth checking out even if you're not entirely sold on the art (which I think has improved since I first became familiar with her work through Itsuka Tiffany de Choushoku o in Comic Bunch). Titles like this, which, let's face it, have low levels of mainstream appeal, don't often get English language releases so I highly recommend supporting this one if you have the opportunity to do so.
#GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST!#ă´ă´ă´ă´ăźă´ăźă´ăźăšă#akujiki reijou to kyouketsu koushaku#pass the monster meat milady#pass the monster meat milady!#ćŞéŁäť¤ĺŹ˘ă¨çčĄĺ
Źçľ#mio no na no moto ni#in the name of the mermaid princess#ăăŞăŽĺăŽăă¨ăŤ#amayo no tsuki#the moon on a rainy night#é¨ĺ¤ăŽć#sketchy#ăšăąăăăź#random manga i recommend#manga recs#manga recommendation#manga recommendations#shoujo#shoujo manga#seinen#seinen manga#josei manga#josei#i should warn without specific spoilers that the full series of 'GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST!' doesn't have a traditional happy ending#if that bothers you perhaps be wary - though i personally found it satisfying
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â || ⡠now playing
Taryn: My father used to tell me that the earth would heal our wounds. That the ground would swallow our woes and our tears would nourish the soil beneath us. Pain was no stranger to the garden. A stubbed toe. A scraped knee. A fall. Physical discomfort is a natural part of the living. But to be afflicted by another is quite the wound. You canât heal something you canât touch. Atlas is a different kind of hurt. Like picking a rose from a bush⌠Easy to admire as long as you donât touch the thorns underneath.
#a rose and itâs bumblebee#very happy wif how this came out very happy to use this lil song as well GAH GAHHH#taryn falling from a tree reminds me of when i was ten and i stacked two plastic step stools on top of each other so i could pull the cord#for a ceiling fan... yeah that didn't end well#atlas contemplating on leaving... he's so real for that confrontation makes me ILL#tessellate#sims 4 story#show us your story#gif warning#tessellate: taryn#tessellate: atlas
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Part 5...! Luffy!
#one piece#sabo#monkey d luffy#vivi one piece#WARNING: Once the option is picked. It will drastically change the events of how this will end#Luffy wants to go fly a kite#moonel.art#tw horror#cw horror#tw body horror#cw body horror#also happy birthday to me heres my gift to you guys!
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whoa! it's, like, symbolic.
#happy silverv week everybody#this is a jumple of things ive drawn these past few weeks#my art#silverv#cyberpunk 2077#c2077#my v is called vaya and he got so mad post sun ending that he spent the next few years refusing to die and hunting down johnnys body irl#and his mind in deep cyber space (probably with so mis help) and then resurrected him out of spite. no more tomagotchi era for john#and then fell in love also out of spite#v can have his sun ending and johnny can have his temperance arc god dammit!!! we WILL be sober and happy and heal together or ELSE !!!!#i could go on their dynamic has been rotating in my mind for like 2 years or so. they were two people at once but also one person together#and now separate but forever transformed?? koi no yokan moment but also soul mates in a literal sense and bonded by choice. anyway. then th#and then they kiss : )#cringe content warning â ď¸
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The Leverage OT3 in Every Episode
Leverage (2008-2012)
01x09 The Stork Job
#back on my bs#one of my fav episodes#but soooo many scenes to gif#so many little moments that i love that i just had to include#but goodness i wish it wasnt so blue toned?#like even editing i feel like the gifs are so inconsistent#but i wanted to get this out there because i cant believe its been more than a month since my last one#also the faces in this episode and the looks between them ugh i love them#especially the end Eliotâs so happy Hardison gets to make something explode#leverage ot3#ot3: hitter hacker thief#inde gifs#the stork job#the leverage ot3 in every episode#leverage ot3 casual touches#inde gifs: the stork job#inde gifs: leverage ot3#inde gifs: the leverage ot3 in every episode#inde gifs: leverage ot3 casual touches#flash warning#leverage
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