#When Jade arrived knew everything was lost.

[evilcokito]

These damn fish bewitched me.

One appears and they all appear to make you a deal.

[bisexualiteaa]

A Night Beneath the Stars

Logan Howlett x Mutant!Fem Reader (SMUT MDNI)

CW: established friendship, younger Logan, cursing, reader has telepathic powers, mutual pining, mentions of alcohol, mentions of insomnia, reader and Logan bond over not being able to sleep, fingering, oral (f receiving) unprotected P in V, creampie, p0rn w/o plot, pet names, praise kink, dumbification, Logan is down bad but so is reader, possible spelling/grammar errors, fluffy ending

You were newer to the mansion, having only just been brought to Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters about a year or so ago. You remembered when you had first arrived, how nervous you were to meet the professor, how intimidating of an experience it was in meeting other mutants in general. You had spent so long keeping your mutation a secret from others, the shame of being different than normal people was still something that was going on even as times were changing. People still seemed to believe that anyone with a mutation was some kind of monster. You knew you shouldn’t have to worry about that here at the mansion, not when everyone around was a mutant, yet you couldn’t help but be nervous. Everyone did their best to make you feel welcome, knowing it was a bit difficult at first considering that you were an adult rather than a new student joining. However that didn’t mean you weren’t welcomed with open arms, and assurance that you were safe and accepted here. That you were amongst friends now who understood you.

You were often invited to tag along with Ororo, Jean, Scott and Logan whenever they would go out in town. In the hopes, or rather Ororo’s hope, to help you open up and feel a little more at home at the mansion rather than isolated away in unfamiliar territory. At first you didn’t take them up on it, preferring to stay behind and get accustomed to life at the mansion, but they never failed to extend the invite each time, waiting for the day you would finally peak from your shell and tag along. When you first started going with, you would just hang out with the girls. Enjoying the time drinking, gossiping, talking about each other’s love lives, and what led you all to being at the mansion. However, over time you and Logan had slowly begun to kindle something of a friendship with one another. The connection you had with him was almost magnetic with the way you were drawn to him. You didn’t know how else to explain it really. Like two kindred spirits once lost and now reunited, everything came effortlessly between you. You would happen across him late at night in the kitchen, finding him nursing a beer or smoking a cigar as you would sit next to him and enjoy a glass of whatever you could get your hands on. Sometimes you both would just sit there in comfortable silence, providing moral support to each other by just being there. You didn’t need to speak to know when one of you was upset, or to know what he needed, you just understood somehow. Other times, he would find you out in the gardens, seeming to be in your own little world as you stared up at the night sky. When you were outside you were often meditating, trying to take in the peaceful surroundings to help calm you enough to go to sleep. Slowly, your late nights spent trying to unwind would cross paths more and more, leading you both to meet up just about every night. Logan would begin to join you as you would sit outside and gaze upon the stars with you, just as you would join him in the kitchen with a drink when he was there.

Your friendship was always something of an enigma to the others, where you were soft and kind, Logan was rough and jaded. They would have never guessed that of all people, you would have found comfort in someone as gruff as him. Being known for the way his temper was, and how he normally kept to himself, it was shocking to the others anytime they would see him laughing with you, or see a soft smile stretched to his lips. Ororo would often tease you for it, saying you managed to soften him up and claiming that she’s never seen him so happy than when he’s with you. It would often leave a blush rising to your cheeks when Scott or Jean would tease you about him, asking if you two had finally gotten together yet. Despite all of the teasing, they were happy for you both. It was obvious he was who you needed to feel comfortable here at the mansion finally, and you were who he needed to help him soften up a little. They truly would have never guessed that he would open up to anyone, much less the near polar opposite of himself. Yet you understood each other in ways the others didn’t. Your late night talks, spent trying to unwind for bed had turned into a ritual of sorts, leaving you both unable to sleep without talking to the other, and over that time your bond had only grown stronger.

Many people figured that the friendship kindled between you and Logan would turn into something more. What with the fleeting glances shared between you, and the way his hand would often rest against the small of your back when he was next to you. There was a palpable tension that resided between you, one you prayed would finally lead you two to being more than just friends. Others bet that what you had was nothing more than a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. That if you were to date the Wolverine, you would end up heartbroken by his whirlwind personality. You tried not to pay attention to those comments, no matter how unkind they were. You knew that he could be a lot sometimes, and that to most he wasn’t exactly the kindest man on earth, but you knew better than to think he would treat your heart with such malice. You trusted that if you were to explore that option, and he didn’t want you in that way, he would tell you. You loved the way he always stood by you when you were in a room together, giving an aura that he was almost your protector of sorts. It left butterflies in your stomach when his hand would come to the small of your back as a silent sign that he was there when you were upset, or when his hand would clasp yours gently to lead you somewhere more isolated and private to help you calm down. Anywhere you were, Logan wasn’t very far behind, and vice versa, and while some might have thought it was weird, you counted it as your biggest blessing. The others would often find you two sitting and watching movies together, or out on missions together. The professor delighted in the way you seemed to benefit each other and balance each other so well. You were an effective team, and not only that, you were each other’s comfort. He would cook for you, you would bake for him, you would enjoy drinks and conversation together and every night, you both would find yourselves at each other’s side until sleep would finally call your names. Your friendship took a matter of months, nearly an entire year to fully kindle to a point of trust and comfortability, but one night was all it took to finally change the dynamic between you from platonic to something a bit more romantic.

The evening started the same as all of your evenings together went. You were sat in the gardens, enraptured by the stars that freckled the night sky, observing the different constellations and the phase the moon was in for the night. It was a beautiful summer night, just warm enough to be able to be outside in your night dress, but with a calm, cool breeze that kept it from being too hot to withstand. It was perfect. “Can’t sleep, bub?” A familiar, slightly gruff, voice asked you pulling you from your thoughts. The nickname gave away exactly who it was, only one person ever called you that, meaning Logan was finally here to join you. You turned his way as he spoke, and offered him a soft yet excited smile as he leaned against the doorway, seeming to watch you from afar. His eyes drank in the sight of you, your hair slightly tousled from the wind, the moon’s rays casting an almost ethereal glow upon you in your night gown. You looked as if you were right where you belonged, the night time your golden hour. Your smile brought a warmth to his heart that he thought had long since frozen over, its brightness enough to lighten his every sour mood and calm him even after the toughest of days. He looked upon you like an art student seeing their favorite work of art in person for the first time. He was completely enraptured by you. In awe of your beauty, wondering what it is that he could have ever done to be so lucky to call you a friend. Although he was secretly wishing that you would consider more than that someday with him, but those thoughts were for another time. He was here with you now, and he wanted to cherish that. “I never can without our nightly meet ups” you admitted, your tone gentle yet spoken with conviction as your gaze fixed upon him. He adored that he was your solace, happy that he could be there for you in the same ways you were for him. His lopsided grin always sent a giddy flutter to your stomach and made your heart skip. For someone who was known for being hard to put up with and cold to almost anyone he came across, you loved that you were his one exception. The sunshine to his storm clouds as the others would often describe. There was an undeniable chemistry between you that made your bond so strong. “Heard you would be able to see Jupiter and Saturn tonight while looking at the moon. Didn’t want to miss the chance, only happens once every twenty years” you added, patting the ground next to you in invitation for him to sit with you. “Come join me?” You asked, and who was he to ever deny you? He made his way over to you, lit cigar in hand as he sat down with you, following your eyes as you looked up into the night sky. “How can you even see it?” He asked between puffs of his cigar, making you chuckle as you pointed up at the sky. “See those two dots behind the moon? They’re pretty small, but that’s what you’re looking for” you answered, making him hum with intrigue in reply before turning to look at you. He swore he could see the reflection of the stars as he cast his gaze upon you, watching them twinkle in your eyes as you spoke. The way you looked at him with the same wonder and regard as the night sky every night left him so utterly weak in a way he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He could sit there and listen to you talk about astronomy for hours and be perfectly content, happy to hear the sounds of your sweet voice.

“See that over there? There’s the Little Dipper, and right over there is Orion’s Belt” you said, pointing to each constellation, teaching him the names, locations and small little facts about it all that you knew. What you hadn’t noticed was the more you spoke, the closer you two seemed to move together. It was as if you were being magnetically pulled to one another without realizing it. “The Greeks use to believe that when their greatest heroes died, their spirit would pass on and the gods would place their likeness in the stars so that their sacrifices would never be forgotten” you stated, making him smile softly as he listened to you. Stuff like this from anyone else would normally bore him, but from you? He could listen to you ramble on and never get tired of it. It made his night talking to you away from others so you could open up and just be yourselves. “You believe it?” He asked, genuinely curious of your input, making you chuckle. “I’m not sure. I’d like to. I like to think that my mom is up there somewhere” you answered, making him hum as you both looked to one another, his sympathetic gaze turning into an arm wrapped around you, pulling you to him. “I’m sure she is, bub. ’m sure she’s damn proud of you too” he said comfortingly, making you smile up at him appreciatively for his kind words. He wasn’t always good at consoling others, but for you, he would always do anything he could to see that gorgeous smile stretch to your lips. “I hope so. I hope when the time comes some day, that maybe I’ll join her up there” you replied before a comfortable silence fell upon you, listening to the crickets chirp and the wind whistle softly through the trees. “Save a spot for me?” He asked, making you smile warmly. “Of course, but not before I’d haunt you for a while. Gotta make sure you know I’m still around” you replied, making him chuckle. “Wouldn’t want it any other way, bub” he answered, leaning his head against yours as you both gazed upon the stars.

“Almost forgot. I got something for you” he spoke up after a few beats of silence, placing the cigar between his lips as he rustled something from his pocket. “I remember you saying somethin’ about wanting whatever those rocks are you always talk about” he said, making you giggle in response. “You mean crystals?” You asked, looking up at him from where you were resting your head against his shoulder. “Saw one in a store today, thought you might like it” he said before dangling a dainty necklace in his hand. “Aww Logan, you didn’t have to do that! Now I feel bad that I didn’t get you anything” you replied, making him chuckle. “How were you supposed to know? It’s a surprise for a reason” he responded as you looked at it. It was a small piece of rose quartz shaped into an obelisk, resting on a thin chain. You smiled excitedly as you inspected it, not only was it a crystal but it was rose quartz, the crystal that symbolized healing, compassion and eternal love. You weren’t sure if perhaps he picked it deliberately for its capabilities, or if it was chosen for you at random, but you almost didn’t want to believe that it was a coincidence. “Would you help me put it on?” You asked him, looking up at him with a smile so bright that he swore the sun couldn’t even compare. “Course, turn around and I’ll help ya” he replied, happy to see you liked it as much as he hoped you would. You turned your back towards him, sweeping your hair to the side to keep it off of your neck before feeling his fingers ghost along your soft skin. You shivered, feeling goose-flesh rise along your arms as he put the chain around you. You giggled as he struggled with the comically tiny clasp in his large fingers, hearing him mutter a curse every now and then under his breath as it would slip from him, but eventually he managed to get it clasped for you. “Now I’ve got to get you something” you insisted, making him chuckle as he watched you readjust your hair and look at the necklace with wonder. You were just so damn precious in his eyes. “Don’t worry about it bub, really. I wanted to” was all he replied with, assuring you that you were in no debt from his kind gesture as you turned back to face him. “How’s it look?” You asked making him smile as he took you in, admiring you for all of your beauty, not just the necklace. “Beautiful” he responded meaningfully, but something in his eyes and in his tone told you that he wasn’t just talking about the necklace. You gave a giggle in response, blushing at the compliment.

“You like it?” He asked and you were quick to pull him into a tight hug, making him smile as he took that as a yes. He hugged you back warmly, his head resting slightly on the top of yours since you were shorter than he is. Your hair smelled so nice, the signature scent of your shampoo something he’d grown to love. He especially loved when your perfume would transfer to his clothes when you would hug him, catching even the slightest whiffs of it on occasion when you weren’t around kept him sane on even the worst of days. “I love it. Thank you Lo” you said appreciatively, your face buried into the crook between his neck and shoulder, enjoying the warmth of his body against your own and the feel of his arms around you. You both pulled apart slightly after a few moments, a palpable tension now hanging thick within the summer’s night air. You pulled away just far enough to still be close enough in his hold, but not completely separated. Your faces now sat so close together that you could feel the ghost of his breath against your lips, sending a pulse of excitement through you. He smelled of tobacco, smoke, pine and that distinct scent of him that made you feel at ease. Safe. When you were with him, it was as if all time had stopped, as if all others ceased to exist. In this moment, it was just you and Logan.

His fingers brushed a small section of your hair that fell into your face back behind your ear, allowing his rough palm to rest against your cheek as you gazed into his eyes. You smiled at him as the distance between you dwindled, feeling that almost magnetic pull to one another once more. Your eyes fluttered to his lips before looking back into his beautiful brown eyes, wondering if this would finally be the moment. “Don’t look at me like that, bub” he said playfully, a smile stretching to his lips and making you giggle. “Like what?” You asked teasingly, making him give you that lopsided grin you loved so much. “Like you wanna kiss me” he answered, making you smile even wider with excitement and it made him melt. No one had ever looked at him with such pure love in their eyes until he met you. Attraction; sure. Love? This was a first, and he could see just how strongly you felt for him in that gaze, wishing he would have taken his shot sooner. “Maybe I do want to kiss you” you answered, making him chuckle. “Oh do you?” He responded playfully, making you shake your head. “Yeah, maybe I do” you replied, butterflies fluttering in your stomach with each brave word you could utter. “What’s the matter? Scared you’ll like it too much?” You asked confidently, making him laugh at your cocky tone that reminded him a lot of himself. He was rubbing off on you and fuck if it wasn’t cute. “Me? Scared? Don’t kid yourself bub” he replied, making you laugh. “Then kiss me already” you challenged telepathically, and he certainly did not need to be told twice.

You felt him pull you closer, allowing there to be a moment of anticipation that would keep you on your toes before his lips finally met your own. It was a moment so electric, you swore he must have been able to hear the way your heart was pounding in excitement. You smiled into it, your hand coming to rest on his chest to keep him close to you, feeling as his heart started racing against his sternum beneath your palm. You hummed contentedly into it, feeling him release a shaky breath as his free hand rested against your hip, squeezing it gently to remind him that this was really happening. You wanted him just like he wanted you. It was almost unreal. “Are you really sure I’m who you want?” He asked, making you rest your hand on his cheek, thumb rubbing soft circles into his skin. “I’ve never been more sure of anything” you replied confidently before kissing him once more, allowing your tongue to drag against his bottom lip, asking his permission to allow you to let it deepen. He gave in with a groan, allowing you your chance to slip your tongue in and explore at his pace. You didn’t want to move too fast and scare him off, but you also didn’t want to move too slow and bore him. You moaned softly into his mouth as his hands caressed your curves, feeling your warm skin beneath your soft night dress. The friction of his hands against you, mixed with his intoxicating kisses sent fire coursing through your veins.

You smiled playfully into your kiss as an idea came to you. Your arms looped around Logan’s neck, pulling him down with you as you allowed yourself to fall backwards into the soft grass. You giggled as he fell on top of you, holding himself up above you before looking down upon you with a grin and a wild look in his eyes. The scent of your arousal filled his senses, clinging to you like the sweetest perfume. “Don’t look at me like that” you joked, using his own words against him, making him chuckle. “Like what?” He teased, grinning down at you with a hungry look in his gaze. He looked as if he might eat you alive. It was thrilling. “Like you’re going to ravage me” you answered, your hands cascading along his broad chest, making him groan at your gentle touch. “Why? Afraid you’ll like it too much?” He asked in that ever familiar cocky tone, making you giggle as he leaned down, burying his face in the crook of your neck, placing sweet kisses along your throat as he inhaled your scent. You moaned softly before biting your lip with excitement, your hands moving to card through his hair in appreciation. “Logan…” you breathed, moaning quietly each time his lips would brush against one of your more sensitive spots. “Not afraid, wanna see what I’ve been missing out on” you spoke telepathically once more, making him rise his head from your neck to look at you. He looked almost surprised to hear what you’d said, like he needed to see you to make certain he heard you correctly. “What did you-“ “you heard me” you replied boldly, a soft grin on your lips as you waited for his response, allowing him a way out should he not want this to go where it was leading. Yet you spoke the words he’d been dying to hear for months now. “Fuck…c’mere” he replied, pulling you into a kiss, making you giggle excitedly at his response. “You know all the ways to get me so fuckin’ worked up” he spoke into it, trailing one of his hands up your thighs as yours carded through his hair again. You moaned softly once more as his fingers found your clit beneath the wet spot forming in your panties, rubbing small circles against you. He took the opportunity to let his tongue explore your mouth, tangling with your own as he slipped his hand beneath the waistband and into your underwear. You were intoxicating. The scent of your arousal, mixed with how wet you were for him and the sounds of your sweet sighs and moans pulled a growl from his throat. The guttural sound sent a shudder through you, making him chuckle as he felt your clit throb beneath the pad of one of his rough fingers. “Pretty girl, you like getting me all worked up, huh?” He asked, rubbing slow, methodical circles into your clit, making you squirm beneath him from pleasure. “Yes…” was all you could get out, making him groan as you rolled your hips against his hand. “Good girl” he said, peppering your neck with kisses again as he worked you up, listening to you whine and mewl for him to give you more.

“Gotta get you nice and ready sweetheart, be good for me and take it, yeah?” He asked, pulling away only momentarily to unbutton the top of your gown, exposing your bare chest to the night air. “Such a pretty little thing” he complimented, his fingers finding their way back to your core as his kisses began to trail down to your chest. You moaned in delight as he wrapped his lips around one of your pert, sensitive nipples, sucking it as his finger teased your waiting hole. He moaned at the taste of your skin, the way you were so ready for his finger to slip inside of you. “So tight for me” he said, working the tip of his finger in and out slowly before pressing further inside of your heat, leaving you to lull your head back at all the stimulation. “Just like that princess, take my fingers, open up for me” he cooed, talking you through it sweetly as he worked you open. You moaned as his finger curled against that gummy spot inside of you, feeling as his mouth latched to your other breast to pay it equal attention. Your hands in his hair yanked the raven strands on occasion, making him groan against you as he stretched you with his fingers. “Logan…” you moaned, making him grin up at you. “Feel good, bub?” He asked, making you whine as you shook your head yes. “Let me get a taste, hmm? Bet she tastes as sweet as the rest of you” he said, sliding down your body before scrunching your dress up your hips a little, exposing your panty-clad cunt to him. He pressed a soft kiss to your core through the damp fabric, making you moan and buck your hips at the feeling. He gave a chuckle at your eager response and sensitivity. “Let’s get these off of you” he said before sliding your underwear from you, slipping them into his pocket for safe keeping. “So pretty for me” he complimented once more before dipping down between your legs, his lips pressing a soft kiss to your clit before his fingers found their way back inside of you.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as he worked you with his tongue and fingers, your nails scratching his scalp in appreciation for the bliss he was granting you. “Oh my god…Logan!” You moaned, making him groan into you. The sound of his name on your tongue was music to his ears. You’d never felt so good. The way his hot muscle worked circles into your bud, paired with the way his fingers worked in and out of you, you were floating on cloud nine. “Shh, gotta stay quiet baby. Don’t want to get caught now, do you?” He asked, making you whine and bite your lip as you tried your best to keep your voice down, but it was hard. It just felt so good, you couldn’t help it. You felt his fingers curl against that spot within you again, his tongue fluttering in just the perfect rhythm that had the knot in your belly growing taut. “Logan, I…” you tried your best to warn of your impending orgasm through your moans and pants. “Gonna cum for me? C’mon, want you to cum on my fingers doll” he said, feeling you squeeze around his fingers, keeping his pace exactly where it was to get you there. Before you knew it, you were toppling over the edge, gasping as your back arched and your cunt tightened around his fingers. Your eyes rolled back, your mouth opened wide in an O shape as your release washed over you like a tidal wave. “There we go, good girl” he said, helping you ride out your orgasm before you grew too sensitive.

He sat on his knees before you, watching your chest rise and fall with each heaving breath you took to try and come back to earth. You smiled sweetly at him, an almost drunken look on your face as he drank in the sight of you in your afterglow. “So fuckin’ beautiful” he complimented, making you give an appreciative hum in response, seeing the effects you had on him as your eyes raked his body with hunger. He needed you, needed to mark you as his, have his scent linger off of you so the others knew exactly who you belonged to. “For the love of everything, please take your clothes off” you said with a grin, making him laugh. “Leave you waitin’ too long, sweetheart?” He asked with a cocky smirk, making you grin wider as he came back up over top of you. “Yes!” You said through giggles as you watched him strip himself of his white tank top, leaving you absolutely enamored at his build. You’d seen him without a shirt on before, after all you both would spar together fairly often, and you’d helped patch him up after missions when his healing hadn’t quite caught up yet. But in this sense, this was entirely different. Here, he was bared for your eyes only. You squealed in surprise as he rolled you both to where you were on top of him now, your shared joyful laughter melding together into the most perfect moment. As you held yourself up over him, your hips resting against his, you couldn’t help but gaze into his eyes. You fit against him perfectly. Like two pieces of a puzzle, he was who you needed to finish the big picture. His hand came up to gently sweep your hair from your face and tuck it behind your ear once more so he could see your face. His hand then rested on your cheek, rubbing comforting circles along your skin. “I love you, Logan” you admitted, the words escaping you before you could even have the chance to hold them back. Your heart raced anxiously in your chest as you waited for his response. Waiting to see if he would turn you away, or tell you this was nothing more than a fleeting moment. But that moment never came. Instead, you felt his lips press to yours, pulling you back down and against him as his other hand looped around you. He wanted this. He wanted you. He chose you. “Fuck I’ve been dying to hear that. I love you too” he replied as he pulled away for air, pressing his forehead against yours, watching you smile happily at his response. “then what are you waiting for?” you asked telepathically, making him chuckle as you looked at him. “For you to take my pants off and show me how much you want me” he replied, making you grin as you kissed him once more, just as intimately as before, only this time your hands began to fumble with the buckle of his belt.

Blindly you managed to get it undone, then unbutton and unzip his jeans as your tongue tangled with his. You caught his bottom lip between your teeth, pulling it gently before releasing it, earning a guttural growl from him in response. You giggled mischievously before grinding your hips against him through his boxers. “Think it’s funny to tease me, huh?” He asked, making you grin. “It’s a taste of your own medicine” you replied coyly as you continued to grind against him, littering his neck with kisses as your hands roamed his body. Your hands found their way beneath the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down and allowing his cock to spring free. You watched as it bobbed and his tip slapped just above his navel, standing completely at attention all for you. “All for me? Hardly even done anything to you yet and you’re already so worked up” you teased, making him scoff in response. “Right. Because fucking my tongue and fingers is hardly doing anything to me” he quipped, making you giggle. “It is hardly anything in comparison to the real deal” you said telepathically, gliding your pussy along his cock, allowing him to slip between your folds and his head to bump your clit but not allowing him inside. He groaned at the feeling of your wetness gliding up and down his length, his fingers digging into your hips with how tightly he was gripping you. The stimulation of this alone was already enough to work him up but he needed more. He needed to be inside of you. “Don’t you want to find out?” You asked. “Fuckin’ tease” he grumbled, making you chuckle before you lined him up to your entrance.

You eased your way down onto him, your knees digging into the ground on either side of his hips as you worked to take him all the way inside of you. You hissed at the painful stretch, thankful that he worked you up as much as he did beforehand but still struggling. It took a few tries, but eventually you managed to fully sheath him inside of you. You moaned as you took a moment to allow yourself to acclimate to his size, feeling him throb within you as you kissed him sweetly. His one hand rested on your cheek as the other rested on your hip trying to help provide a soothing distraction to the pain. You tested a roll of your hips, moaning delightfully as the pain morphed into pleasure. “Logan..” you moaned as you began to set a steady pace, his hands at your hips helping you keep that rhythm. “Fuck, sweetheart” he groaned, watching your breasts move as you bounced on his cock. Your hands rest against his chest for leverage, listening to your shared moans and the sounds of skin slapping against skin fill the air around you. Your nails dug into his skin when his tip grazed your g-spot, leaving puffy red marks along his chest as you threw your head back. You heard an animalistic growl leave him in response, looking down to see a feral look in his eyes. “Do that again” he said, making you grin as you began to drag your nails all the way down his chest to his chiseled abs, hearing him groan in pleasure from the pain. “Fuck” he panted out as he thrust up into you. “Right there!” You whined, your eyes rolling back in bliss as he hit that spot repeatedly. “I’ve got you bub, gonna take good care of you” he replied, fucking into you at a faster pace that left you delirious. “Oh, Logan!!” You moaned, not caring if you were too loud now, not caring if you were to be caught, all that mattered to you right now was how good he felt inside of you.

You were lost in all the pleasure he was giving you, his name the only thing on your mind that was blanker than paper at this point. “Not a single thought behind those eyes right now is there, sweet thing?” He asked with a cocky grin, making you whimper at the way he made you so stupid on his cock. He loved it. “Feels s’ good” you babbled out the best you could, clear sentences now beyond you with the way his fingers began to circle your clit. He knew all the ways to get you to feel so unbelievably good, it was almost unreal, unfair even. “C’mon baby, cum on this cock. You can do that for me, can’t you? Wanna feel her squeeze me good and tight” he said, making you shake your head yes in response. “Yes! Yes, wanna cum s’ bad. Fuck!” You babbled almost incoherently, making him chuckle at how eager you were, listening to your moans rise in pitch and the way your walls squeezed him tight told him that you were close. All you needed was a little push and you would be sent over the edge. “Gonna fill you up good, what d’ya say? You want that? Want me to stuff you full so everyone knows who you belong to?” He asked, making you moan at the thought of him cumming inside of you, filling you up to the point it leaked out of you. “Yes!! Want it, want it so bad please!!” You replied, making him groan in response. Such a good, obedient little thing. “So close…Logan please” you moaned, grinding against him and meeting his thrusts for that extra little bit of friction to get you closer. “Cum for me, baby” he said, working your clit just how you needed to topple over the edge finally. Your back arched as a gasp left you, your eyes rolling back as you moaned with your release. He groaned as your cunt spasmed around him, coating him with your slick and pulling him closer to his own peak. He sat up to meet your lips with a feverish kiss. “Fuck, I love you. So fucking much” he said into it, tongue and teeth clashing with your own as he rutted up into you before releasing himself inside of you with a deep groan. You couldn’t help but moan into the kiss along with him, the feel of him throbbing inside of you as his seed painted your walls was quite a pleasurable sensation. You felt him ride out your orgasms as much as you could before you both became too sensitive.

You both pulled away for a moment to allow air to fill your burning, oxygen depraved lungs, looking into each other’s eyes as you shared in the afterglow. You smiled at him as you cupped his cheek, placing a tender loving kiss to his lips before resting your slightly sweaty forehead against his. You enjoyed the peacefully quiet moment together, the only sound being that of your collective breathing slowing to a normal tempo once more. “Want to come back to my room for the night?” He asked, making you chuckle. “I’d like that” you replied before kissing him softly again, feeling him stir within you making you gasp at the feeling. He laughed at your cute reaction. “How are you already-“ “Healing factor. Can go all night if you want” he replied with a smirk, making you blush as you hummed with interest into your kiss. “Don’t threaten me with a good time” You said before he pulled you off of him to situate himself back into his jeans and your nightgown for the trek back through the mansion. He scooped you up into his arms bridal style, making you giggle and squeal in surprise. “Hope you’re ready for a long night then” he said, making you grin. “Then take me there before I change my mind” you said with a grin, making him chuckle as he carried you to his room, closing the door behind him with his foot.

While it may have been a long night, it was certainly one you would never forget.

[obessedwithfictionalmen]

Daylight

Curtis Biddick X nurse! Reader

Summary: A fight between Curt and

Y/n happens before Curt's last mission. But they both don't know that...

Warning: Angst/ sad/ crying/ mention of death/ medical inaccuracies/ mention of blood/

Word count: 1.6k

A/n: I'm sorry in advance

Their relationship was quite new, but what they felt was true. She was a nurse, desperate for a distraction, she needed to forget the atrocities she saw every day. He was a pilot, wanting to forget the friends he lost and the horror that kept him up at night. Together, Y/n and Curt forgot about their horrible job and became happy together. At first, they were just fooling around, not wanting more than what they already had, but time went by and they both developed feelings for the other.

‘’You stole my little spoon!’’ Major Egan said, laughing. ‘’You can have Meatball if you’d like’’ the woman replied, laughing. She was the owner of the dog that quickly became the mascot of the base. The men around them laughed at the comment of the lady. She sat on Curt’s lap; it was a night before a long mission, so they wanted to spend a lot of time together. ‘’We’ll have plenty of time to spoon together in Africa, Bucky’’ Curt said. The boys were going to land in Africa and then, get shipped here again. They would be away for a long time. Y/n smiled and took a sip of her drink. A nurse came running inside the room, looking for her colleague. ‘’Y/n, we need your help, it’s Lucas’’ she panted, out of breath from her running. Her legs reacted quicker than her body, getting up, without even saying a thing and she started to sprint towards the medical building. Lucas was a wounded man that was transferred from another base, he’d suffered from a head trauma and had seizures. The problem was the fact that he had multiple wounds on his body that would open and bleed with each seizure he had. ‘’We gave him medicine, but the seizures won’t stop’’ the other nurse said, while running. ‘’He’s bleeding to death?’’ Y/n panted. ‘’Exactly’’ When they arrived, Y/n saw 6 nurses trying to stop the bleeding and hold him, so he’d stop moving. ‘’How long has he been seizing?’’ she asked. ‘’2 minutes’’ one of them said.

When his nurse sprinted out of the room, Curt knew it was serious, she’d rarely run like that, without asking question if her presence was necessary. When the name Lucas was pronounced, Curt barely blinked and saw that she was running to help. ‘’Who’s this Lucas?’’ Buck asked, looking outside. Before Curt could answer, the Colonel stepped in. ‘’He’s a Major from another base, he was transferred here because his old base didn’t have the necessary equipment to treat him. His injuries are pretty serious, I’m surprised he’s still alive’’ he took a sip of his beer as he finished his sentence. ‘’What are his injuries?’’ Crank asked. ‘’Head trauma that cause seizures. His body is almost opened completely, so every time he moves, he risk bleeding to death’’ A men that was recently discharged responded. Curt only nodded, praying that his girl was okay.

She pushed the door open, gaining the attention of every man in the bar. Her uniform was full of blood, most of the men had never seen this much blood. When he saw her, Curt ran to her. ‘’Are you okay? Whose blood is this?’’ he exclaimed, looking at her body to check for any injuries. Her gaze was empty, there was no emotions showing on her face, she was jaded. ‘’Lucas’’ she mumbled. She looked at the Colonel, who was watching the scene with horror. ‘’Colonel, Lucas’s dead. He was bleeding too much, his seizure was too long’’ she said, no emotions in her voice. ‘’I’m sure you did everything you could, Curt can you go help her change’’ he said, with hesitation in his voice, he didn’t want to upset her. Curt nodded and led her outside. ‘’Let’s get you cleaned up, Sunshine’’ Curt softly said, borrowing Major Egan’s Jeep. He drove to the nurse’s quarters, right now, he didn’t care that men weren’t allowed in, he had to take care of his girl.

She was in a new dress; Curt was sitting in front of her. ‘’Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?’’ He gently said. She shook her head. She was scared, terrified that one day, she’d have to treat his injuries and he would die in her arms. She needed to protect her heart. ‘’I think we should stop seeing each other’’ she breathed out. He looked at her, she had tears in her eyes. ‘’What, why would you say that?’’ he quickly replied, a sense of panic in his voice. ‘’Because we can’t allow ourselves to get attached. Not when you could die tomorrow’’ she tried to speak clearly, but the lump in her throat was making it difficult. ‘’I’m going to come back! I always come back! Y/n I know you’re scared, but don’t shut me out!’’ he tried to control the volume of his voice to not scare her, but he loved her, he wanted to be there for her. ‘’You don’t understand what’s it like to be in my position! Do you know how many dead people I see every day! How many men ask me to tell their wives that they love them? You don’t know what’s it like! Curt I can’t enter this building one day and see you lying down in a pool of blood. I can’t and I won’t do it!’’ she sobbed. ‘’I won’t be dead Y/n! I know you’re scared for me! Don’t do this’’ his eyes filled with tears. ‘’Please, Curtis, if you care about me, if you love me. Let me go, I can’t do this again! I love you, but I hate you at the same time! I don’t want to have your blood on my hands! I hate your job, but I love you! It’s tearing me apart! But I got to protect myself! I’m begging you, please, let us go’’ she sobbed and yelled at the same time. Curt was crying too, he truly loved her. A nurse knocked at Y/n’s door. ‘’Major, you have to go’’ she softly said. It was time for him to leave, it was time for his mission. He looked at Y/n. ‘’When I come back, because I will, we’re going to continue this conversation. Because I’m not letting you go, I love you, Y/n, you’re stuck with me’’ he said, quickly kissing her before leaving her room. Y/n sobbed for hours, she wanted to let herself love him, she wanted to be able to love him without this constant fear of loosing him.

He thought he was going to be able to land this plane in the field, it looked so easy so higher, but when the plane came in contact with higher trees, Curt knew he wasn’t going to make it. ‘’Tell Y/n I love her’’ was his last words before the plane crashed on the ground. His death wasn’t painful, it was quick. The most painful part was to think about Y/n’s reaction. During his last seconds, he thought about her. Her smile, her scent, her voice and everything he loved about her. He felt guilty, he ended up hurting her after all. But all that thinking stopped when his life ended.

Today was a quiet day, not many men were injured, but enough to keep Y/n occupied. So, when she finished healing the men, she went outside to breath fresh air. The sun was warming her up, the daylight was soothing. It rained the hole week, so rays of sunshine were really good. She saw Buck and Bucky walking towards her, they looked sad. ‘’Can we talk to you for a second?’’ The blonde asked. Y/n nodded, confused. They took her to the empty cafeteria. They didn’t know how to break the news. Buck sat down, while Bucky stayed up, he went closer to the woman, in case she would react badly. ‘’Y/n, we – ‘’ she cut them off, tears already rolling down her cheeks. ‘’He’s dead, isn’t he’’ she breathed out. The two men could only nod. ‘’He told us to tell you that he loved you’’ Buck whispered. ‘’It’s not fair, he was supposed to come back’’ she cried. ‘’We’re sorry, Y/n’’ Bucky said. She began sobbing even harder. ‘’It’s not fair! He was supposed to come back!’’ she sobbed angrily. She kept repeating the sentence until Bucky hugged her, he was strong, so his embrace was calming her a little. ‘’ I loved him so much’’ she lamented. There was so much pain in her voice, the two men had to control themselves. ‘’We’re so sorry, Y/n, he loved you so much too. You were all he was ever talking about’’ Buck said, looking at the ground. ‘’I’m such an idiot! I told him I wanted to leave him before the mission! But I didn’t mean it! I was terrified of him not coming back. And now he’s gone’’ she wailed. Bucky kept hugging her until she cried every tear in her body. She eventually fell asleep from all the sobbing. The two men brought her back to her room, where they put her in her bed. Buck told other nurses to look after her.

That day, a part of her soul broke. Curt was her one true love, but she knew he died loving her. Her heart was broken into a million pieces. She would never love a man more than she loved him. He was her soulmate, and she was his. She’d look for him in daylight. He loved looking at it. So, each time a ray of sun came on her skin, she thought about him. They would eventually find each other again in the daylight.

[mi-dori]

☆Loyal Love☆

●Prompt: In which you grew up besides Jade and Kitana and fell in love with Kitana. You deemed yourself as her forever protector but as unfortunate events occurred, you lost her. You blamedyourself for her death until fate decided to gave you one more chance with her.

●Warnings: Mentions of Kitana x Liu Kang, Jade x Kotal, reader gaining godly powers...

■Contains lore of Mk9, MkX and Mk11■

"I'll always protect you! Even when I gow big and stwong!" Little you puffed your chest in a scary manner, making little Jade and Little Kitana giggle.

"I know you will! If anything happens to her I'll hold you accountable!" Mini Jade squished your cheeks in her tiny hands as Mini Kitana kissed them. The three of you played in the gardens, without any worries in the world but Little did you know, those were the only times we're you three would be able to hang without having a care in the world.

As you all grew, Kitana bloomed into the most beautiful woman you've ever laid eyes upon. Of course your feelings for her never died, if anything, they increased.

The Mortal Kombat tournament had approached. You weren't choosen as one of Outworld's fighters but you were there to support your friends. Lord Raiden, protector of Earthrealm brought along his champions, to which the choosen one had caught Kitana's eyes.

"I see the way you look at Liu Kang, Kitana," Jade smiled at Kitana, a teasing glint in her eyes. Kitana denied it, over and over but you knew all too well that she did, because of the look of love and adoration that portrayed in her eyes when she looked at Liu Kang, you could tell. After all, you had the same look towards her.

You weren't there when Kitana found the experiment Shang Tsung created down in the lab nor were you there when Shao Kahn ordered her extermination. You had arrived just in time to see Kitana's head in the guillotine. "Jade?! What's going?!"

"Shao Kahn betrayed Kitana by creating a clone of her, using Tarkat blood." You were disgusted. How could Shao Kahn to this? Together with Liu Kang, Raiden, Kung Lao and Jade, you all barged in to save her. Not that you ever liked the earthrealmers but Kitana's life was at stake. As you all managed to successfully save her, Raiden teleported the group to the beach, where he explained Shao Kahn's motive to conquer earthrealm. He claimed he needed everyone's help but your stubbornness took over.

"Please y/n. We need all the help we can get. Lord Raiden wouldn't have asked if it was something urgent." Liu kang tried persuading you but you weren't having any of it, especially not from him.

"I will help." Kitana blurted out and Jade agreed as well.

"Are you two crazy?! You're going against Shao Kahn!"

"Shao Kahn is the man who took away everything from me, my home... my family... if we don't do something he's going to take it away from others as well. So it's either you're with me or not?" You looked at Kitana then back as Jade before shaking your head and backing away.

"I'm not. You'll only meet your demise." And that was the last time you saw Kitana and Jade. You didn't really mean it, especially not when you decided last minute to help them only to find the dead bodies of Kitana, Jade, Kung Lao and the others, but Lord Raiden and Liu Kang was no where to be found.

If only you had joined them in fighting Shao Kahn, you'd meet your demise as well... but atleast it would've been better than to live alone now.

"Kitana..." you whispered, slowly dropping to your knees as you cradled her body in your arms. Hot tears rushed out of your eyes as you let out a painful scream, bawling your throat until it hurt. But it didn't. Not at that moment. Everything was numb; even when Kitana's body slowly disappeared. It felt unreal at that moment, the minute you turned around to see Kitana and the others standing there, their bodies looking cracked, like earth when it hits drought.

"Kitana? Jade? I-I don't understand." You wiped the tears from your eyes, standing up. They looked so emotionless, so lifeless. They were Zombies, Quan Chi's puppets. You hadn't wasted a mere second as you bolted away.

Coming upon a roof, you saw Liu Kang's lifeless body, and Shao Kahn hovering an almost dead Raiden. You didn't know where that surge of energy came from, but all you knew that it was because of Shao Kahn, Kitana died- or so you thought.

Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you rushed towards Shao Kahn, your mind hazzy with the only thought of killing Shao Kahn. It wasn't you that had control over your body and Lord Raiden witnessed you becoming a vessel for the elder gods. Using your body, they killed Shao Kahn, however, they couldn't reverse time so it was only you left, along with Lord Raiden, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade.

Having lost your reason to stay in outworld, you joined Lord Raiden to protect earthrealm, eventually creating new friends and memories. You were there when Sonya and Cage got married, when Jax came back to life. You held Cassandra as she was born so did so with Jaquie as well.

The elder gods saw your determination to protect earthrealm and forged a weapon and an amulet consisting of godly powers, much like Raiden's. Ever since that unfaithful day, you swore to follow Lord Raiden as you realised that he only served the good and the light and so did you.

You fought against the Revenants and as much as it pained you to fight Kitana, you knew she was far from the one you once knew. Even when you realised that Kitana and Liu Kang were the emperor and empress of the netherrealm, you did what you had to do to protect earthrealm.

Raiden eventually succumbed to the dark side while maintaining himself as earthrealm's protector. He got so corrupted he lashed out on all the realms he deemed a threat, including outworld. With its new Kahn, Kotal, outworld did not take that lightly to which they became earthrealm's enemy. You, on the other hand, were welcomed in Outworld only because Jade was your childhood friend and Kotal honored that.

However, fate took a huge twist and you found yourself staring at a younger version of you. It was like time was reversed, and the you from the past was there. But also, all the tournament's champions all long gone came back, even Shao Kahn.

All you did was look into the eyes of the woman you failed to protect. She looked right back at you but she knew that you were different from the you from her time.

Maybe it was fate, maybe it was luck but you had another chance to protect Kitana and you weren't gonna fail, even if you had to be the one doing the kill. You lost her once, you're weren't gonna lose her again.

[i-guess-im-into-this-now]

The Apothecary Diaries

S1E9 First Watch

Here's where I watch The Apothecary Diaries for the first time and give my thoughts, analysis, predictions, and occasionally I stumble into a joke.

To start at the beginning:

Episode 1

Content Warning: discussion of suicide, suicidal thoughts

My character/location cheat sheet:

Sir Kounen - an officer who died drinking

Lady Ah-Duo - one of the top 4 concubines

Fengming - head LIW to Lady Ah Duo

Garnet Palace - Lady Ah Duo's residence

Cryptic opening. The officers are gossiping and drinking. Someone puts something in a drunk man's drink. He's a man who has had a fall from grace, perhaps a former well respected officer or war hero?

Jinshi is sulking. Love this for him. Gaoshun drops this line:

The Jinshi I know would never give in to such childish behavior. The Jinshi I know would never become so attached to a toy.

Which is reinforcing the theme that Jinshi is changing and he's not willing to keep up pretenses.

I don't love that Gaoshun has once again refered to Maomao as Jinshi's toy.

Apparently Lady Gyokuyou took pity on Jinshi and told him the truth, that Maomao hadn't hooked up with Lihaku. So this misunderstanding is cleared up but there was still damage done. Jinshi wants Maomao to trust him, to be able to come to him if she needs something, but instead she made a deal with a virtual stranger.

Gaoshun fills us in a little on how things have been on Jinshi's side. The day Maomao left the palace, Jinshi had rushed through his work because he had been looking forward to seeing her. He arrived at Jade Pavilion only to find she had left with another man. A shock and a disappointment to someone who is used to being able to use his sparkles to seduce any woman.

Jinshi's trying to wear a lot of hats. Here we see him reviewing bills that have been submitted by bureaucrats. Is this something that the Rear Palace manager is expected to handle, or are these responsibilities those of a prince? Gaoshun pities Jinshi for his workload. He has mostly managed it up until now, the exception being the time after the Garden Party when he became exhausted. It seems that Jinshi often has his hands full but can manage it until something unexpected is added to the queue. Even though he is so busy Jinshi makes time to see Maomao, but it's funny because she interprets that as him being bored and not having anything more important to do.

It seems Jinshi's workload will grow tonight however. An important man, Sir Kounen has died. Based on Jinshi's reaction to the news, this man was more than a mere acquaintance. Perhaps someone he served with in the military or someone he grew up around in the palace?

He seeks out Maomao the next morning. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that this is anything other than what it looks like which would be an accidental alcohol poisoning, but Jinshi is struggling to accept what happened and he needs to hear it from Maomao to know if it's true.

To Jinshi something isn't right. Sir Kounen could handle his alcohol, this was too sudden. And yeah, Jinshi definitely knew this man personally. He's upset that the man is dead for more than professional reasons. Jinshi doesn't seem to have a lot of close relationships, and now he's lost someone he knew and cared for. The timing of this is also challenging for Jinshi. At a time when he is trying to build up his close personal relationships, he loses one instead. And he's still reeling from everything that has been going on with Maomao. It must feel alienating.

Maomao notes that something is off with Jinshi.

He's acting meek. Must realize he's asking for the impossible. I prefer dealing with his usually-shiny self. Then again, for awhile now, Master Jinshi has been behaving more like a child.

Jinshi has emotions about this case and he's not interested in hiding them. He shows Maomao his grief and despair, and she's not comfortable with that. After the Garden Party when Maomao was poisoned she saw an incensed Jinshi and she knew she was seeing his real self. She preferred his real self then. Now she sees his pain, and that isn't something she can heal. She doesn't like to see him suffer. She'd prefer to see him sparkle over this pain.

And this is the second time this episode that someone has referred to Jinshi as childish. What is going on? Is it just because he is showing some emotion that he's getting called childish?

He's making himself vulnerable in front of Maomao and she's not great with vulnerability. Not in herself. And not in Jinshi. She has no idea what to do with a vulnerable Jinshi. She would prefer to deal with the sparkly Jinshi, even if that is a mask he wears. She doesn't understand yet that there is no going back to that. And she's too afraid to move forward with Jinshi. They're at an impasse.

Jinshi gives Maomao the booze that was served at the gathering and she proceeds to binge drink. Trying to poison herself maybe? She asks that they look into something for her.

Maomao really is superior. After she has the report she requested she easily solves the case of what happened to Sir Kounen AND offers her conjectures! I'm personally glad to see it after her self recrimination about it last episode. Maomao really does have good intentions, she wants to help identify the culprit (even if she does have some guilt about incriminating someone) and because it's Jinshi, she knows she can tell him and her words will be given careful consideration. Even so Maomao is conflicted with having shared her thoughts. If her conjectures ever do prove false and someone is hurt because of them, Maomao will be devastated.

Maomao sees Jinshi's mourning tassel and realizes why he's been acting strange. She does a kind thing and asks him about Sir Kounen. Seeing Jinshi reflect fondly on his memories, Maomao thinks he looks like a "regular person."

I guess he is human, after all.

The mask is off and the emotions are out and Jinshi is suddenly relatable. Where as before Maomao viewed him as some lofty official so far above such things as love or grief, now, in this moment, he's just a person who has lost someone he cared about.

Jinshi takes note of everything, with everyone, but especially with Maomao. It did not slip his notice that she loves booze. So today he has a gift for her, which she sincerely appreciates.

This whole scene has been too real for too long, and both of them are feeling a little too exposed. There isn't enough trust yet between them to maintain this level of intimacy. So Jinshi breaks the tension by teasing Maomao. She responds by accusing him of slacking, which is a well targeted shot, because the man is drowning in work.

They're teasing each other here, but having a real conversation, as Maomao asks him a question about his work. Jinshi really is quick witted because he shares with her about a bill that would ban young adults from drinking, landing his own well targeted shot. And then we get a sparkle from him. Nothing makes Jinshi happier than bantering with Maomao.

We get just a short glimpse of Jinshi later that night. He's alone, he's drinking, but he's also smiling. For as shitty as his day has been, he's feeling hopeful again after meeting with Maomao. He had let himself be vulnerable in front of her and she offered him a compassionate listening ear, by asking him about his deceased friend. She also asked him about his work because she's interested in learning more about Jinshi. And their banter felt comfortable, like they were returning to a place where they still knew where they stand with each other. He sees that although she has set some boundaries she's still interested and she's reaching out in her own careful way. Jinshi is insightful and I doubt any of that that was lost on him. Hence, his smile.

A woman's body was found in the moat around the palace. The doctor is as inept as ever. He can't bear to look at a dead body. Maomao doesn't feel repulsed at all, but has been ordered not to touch dead bodies since she struggles not to cross ethical lines when it come to her obsession with medicine. Jinshi concurs. Though I have question if that is the whole truth of the matter.

We get a nice interaction between Jinshi and Maomao.

Jinshi: There're somethings even you won't do, then.

Maomao: I figured you'd show up eventually.

Jinshi is teasing, knowing that it's going to be taken well. Maomao is just happy he's there, because his support and encouragement really does make it easier for her to solve these cases.

How on earth is this doctor going to manage to do this autopsy? He's so incompetent and unfit for his job, that I have to wonder if his placement in the palace is intentional. It seems unlikely that someone like that could have earned his placement, instead perhaps he was appointed precisely because of his incompetence. Maybe so that nafarious deeds could be done without notice?

Maomao doesn't touch the body, but she's not giving up on the case. She makes her observations and she seems deeply sad as she thinks about what the dead woman must have experienced. She realizes what happened to this girl and that realization, along with all of it's ramifications are having a powerful effect on her. She's unguarded for a moment and Jinshi notices.

Jinshi reviews the facts of the case with Maomao, but what he really wants are her thoughts on it, and he asks for them. Her conjectures that her father told her never to speak aloud. Maomao's powers of observation, and curiosity are unmatched, which she demonstrates as she logically lays out her theory of what happened to the servant girl.

Maomao's mood is darker than we've ever seen it before. She knows this could have easily been her, after all she is merely a servant girl herself. Up until now Maomao has seen people suffer and die from incompetence like with the poisonous powder, through malice that was meant to tease or harm, but not kill like with the fish that was served at the Garden Party or even the salt in Sir Kounen's alcohol. She has even seen people attempt to murder those who may deserve it, like with the horrible client at the brothel. She managed okay with each of those, but this time the target was a servant girl. Someone who's life means nothing and is easily discarded by people in power if she becomes inconvenient. The girl who died was powerless, like Maomao. And now she is dead.

Maomao considers thoughtfully for a moment both suicide and murder. She confirms that she doesn't want to die and wouldn't kill herself, but her reasoning for wanting to live is thin; she wants to continue testing drugs and poisons on herself. And though she claims she wouldn't kill herself, she has thought of how she would do it, which is a sign of just how dark her thoughts have been.

Jinshi has noticed her mood and asks for her thoughts. Maomao is vulnerable in this moment. Something she usually tries to avoid, but she's so despondent right now, it seems that even her usual anxiety around intimacy is subdued. She's in too dark of a place to even care what Jinshi thinks right now. Or maybe she just thinks he really needs to her this.

She tells Jinshi that she's thinking about what kind of poison she would use to kill herself. And Jinshi is in no way equipped for this conversation. He's so competent on so many levels, and he's not afraid of difficult conversations, but in this, he's lost.

Maomao says of dying:

It's not something that I want. But there are malicious third parties out there, who would wish to cause harm to other people.

It's not me today, but it may be tomorrow.

She continues on, talking about the inevitably of death.

We wander through life, never knowing when it's our time. That's fate. There's no way of resisting it.

They both turn away from each other and take a moment to think over the people who have suffered or died lately, and neither one knows quite what to do or say. They are both privately experiencing their own crisis in this moment.

Why is there so much evil in the world? Why so much suffering? Does any of it mean anything at if death is the end result anyway?

Maomao has been at the side of so much trauma as an apothecary and that trauma is now in conflict with her motivation to heal. If people suffer and die and none of it matters, then what does it mean to be a healer? This is Maomao's dark night of the soul.

Jinshi flounders. Where is this coming from? What changed? He can't read her thoughts here, he's as lost as he's ever been with Maomao and has no idea what to do. And he can't help her, because he doesn't understand. Maomao's on her own.

Maomao: If you're tasked with executing me, could you make sure it is with poison?

Both she and Jinshi may be powerless to prevent her death if someone in power wants her dead, so she asks for the one thing Jinshi could control, the method of her execution.

It's so, so dark. Such a terrible thing to ask of someone who cares about you. She recognizes that and apologizes.

But she's not wrong about the fact that it could happen. If she makes a mistake as she said, or if those malicious third parties that she mentioned earlier were to conspire. And the order to execute would fall to Jinshi.

Jinshi: You realize that's not going to happen?

Jinshi is panicking internally. Why is she saying this?! Stop it!

Maomao: I am but a lowly commoner. My life is easily taken away over the slightest error.

Just like the servant girl who was found dead in the moat.

Jinshi: I would never do that!

Maomao: It's not about would or would not. It's more can or cannot.

Jinshi gasps and Maomao knows she's hit a nerve. Because here we are again with the insurmountable class differences and Jinshi's inescapable responsibilities that stymy their relationship every time they take a step closer. Because of her class, Maomao's life is expendable. Because of his position he has to order executions even if Jinshi doesn't like it.

While the two are talking the sun is setting, signifying the end of a chapter between these two, then Maomao leaves. Jinshi looks more lost than we have ever seen him.

Devastatingly, the case of the drowned serving girl was covered up as a suicide, further proving Maomao's assertion that the girl's life is expendable, and all of her work is meaningless. We get a shot of Maomao contemplating it as she watches time pass by her window. She's experiencing a crisis of faith and will have to find a reason to believe that her efforts matter before she can reclaim what drives her.

And we close on a scene between Jinshi and Gaoshun. If Gaoshun was concerned before that Jinshi was acting childish, he need not worry any longer. He's every bit the lofty inaccessible palace master now. His walls are back up and indeed, he's quite a bit colder with Gaoshun than we've seen before.

It's painful to see, when Jinshi has made so much progress in opening himself up. But his trails have never been about his feelings or making himself vulnerable, instead he has to face the expectations that are placed on him. Maomao always seems to hit him in the most painful spots. This time she said that there may come a day when his station requires him to execute her, and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. The prince is powerless to defy his responsibilities.

So maybe what we see in this scene is despair or at least a retreat. Like Maomao, Jinshi is also questioning what does any of it matter? Why should he bother trying to connect with others if the barriers of his status make it impossible? If he can't protect the people he cares about, maybe he shouldn't care about them at all. Having to execute Maomao would destroy him. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if he didn't care so much.

We see Maomao's and Jinshi's character arcs running parallel here. Each of them facing their own crisis and retreating. But things have changed and there is no going back. They may be able to briefly pull away from their problems but soon they will be facing these same trials again, until they can overcome them.

We do gain a lead in the case from awhile ago that involved caustic chemicals on wooden sticks. It turns out that Fengming, who works for Lady Ah Duo is the suspect.

A super heavy episode, with devastating consequences.

Every time the lovers take a step forward they are pulled away. I'm barely over 1/3 of the way through this show though, so I suppose that's to be expected at this point in the story. There are many trials left for Maomao and Jinshi and they have a long way yet to go.

I like the way the relationships and the plot are building on each other and I have to appreciate the storytellers for adding so much nuance to it. The writing is phenomenal and the animation and voice performances are so good at telling it. Nothing is wasted. Not a single superfluous shot. I'm amazed that the animators are so good at expressing subtle and complex emotions. And the voice actors have been incredible about keying in to exactly what the characters are experiencing and cueing the audience into subtext. It's so well done, I really am loving this series.

If you want to read these from the beginning:

Episode 1

Next Episode:

Episode 10

[homestucktheresetau]

John Egbert-Lalonde design & storyline

NON SPOILER SECTION:

DESIGN:

John is a little more feminine-looking due Roxy's influence (he's ok with that). He has longer hair, usually he wears hairclips too. He wears colorful and comfy clothes, and also he has many stickers and doodles around due the kids playing with him. He also has a piercing on his lip; it's pink because it's Roxy's favourite color.

JOB: Working as caretaker for kids, grubs and baby consorts and carapacians.

RELATIONSHIP(s): Married to Roxy Lalonde; best friend with Rose, Dave and Jade.

STORYLINE (NOT SPOILER VERSION):

Once arrived to Earth C, John was actually really positive. He got married to Roxy, moved into the Children Acceptance building, where he takes care of all children, grubs and little consorts.

He tried to establish a friendship with everyone; Dirk, Jake, Kanaya, Jane, but for a reason or another he ended up not talking to them anymore [he's scared of Dirk, not really "vibing" with Kanaya and he's envious of Jane]. His envy towards Jane started during the period where John passed a lot of time at Jane's house, where Jane's dad was to take care of the kids. The more John spoke to Dad Crocker, the more he understood that he wasn't his father and never could be; while Jane has him and never lost him. John slowly stopped talking to Jane because of that, but Jane doesn't know the reason and barely noticed it (she still thinks they're in good terms).

John became less and less satisfied with his life when he slowly stopped talking to his friends too. They were already growing apart, but since they all got married, the only time John can see at least Rose is when she comes over to talk to Roxy. And so John ends up being lonely and apart from everything, yet not looking like he is.

The first time Karkat came to speak about the Singularity and how to use it to fix their errors and build a happy ending for everyone, he couldn't say anything since Roxy attacked Karkat and sent him away. When Roxy confessed to John that she already knew everything about the Singularity, because Rose told her — and neither of them told him. John felt hurt, but he didn't say anything again.

SPOILER SECTION:

DESIGN: John decided to put back on his old God Tier PJ, but it has small changes; mostly, the breath symbol now is made of three colors: red (Dave), green (Jade) and purple (Rose). Same thing at the end of his pants, where white is also present to symbolize his dad.

SIDE: Karkat's; reset the Universe.

STORYLINE (ENDING PART - SPOILER VERSION):

One night, in panic due the visions, Rose came to John to talk to him about everything and ask help to fix everything, etc. After that night Rose was founded dead, and John decided to join Karkat, Terezi and Sollux to reset the universe.

What John wants is to simply have his dad back, his friends close again (and Rose alive), and maybe recreate Earth C too, but with better premises, more preparation, and gave life to the same children/grubs/etc later on.

ENDING 1 and 2: unfortunatelly, Terezi decides to purposefully use John as a shield against Dave's sword, killing him.

[NOTE: I'm planning to make more endings, but 2 are 100% done]

[revserrayyu]

2.2 Penacony thoughts [part 4]

**Spoiler warning** as we are nearing the very end of the story. Discussing on everything that happens once we wake up after the first boss fight until right before we enter the Horizon of Existence with Acheron. Do look away if you haven’t reached that place yet.

Ma’am, what do you mean by this??

Here I am, wandering around reality all confused, and yet the game still has the audacity to make jokes!

I thought Boothill was just being silly, but if Dan Heng also forgot, then it must be serious. Then I remembered there was one occasion last patch where we also forgot about Acheron’s name when talking to Welt. Or Himeko. I don’t recall which parent it was but we were near Clockie’s statue at the time.

So I saw Ratio, Topaz and Aventurine chatting with each other from afar and thought nothing of it, only to finally realize after our beloved gambler greeted us that YES it has indeed been a while because he was SUPPOSEDLY DEAD and he CLEARLY ISN’T ANYMORE, THANK GOD! I believed he was gonna be fine, thanks to Ratio’s advice and the fact Aventurine stated he wasn’t going to join his family yet, but then hearing Topaz’s call with Jade and how the Aventurine Cornerstone lost its light made me doubt his status just a little bit, but overall I’m so happy to see our man alive and well. I just wish.. it happened differently? I was expecting this grand reunion cutscene after his death-defying performance and he just.. shows up in the hotel with a completely normal interaction.

That is a whole lotta words, honey, but good for you I guess?

Screwllum jump-scare, also accompanied by lots of words that my mind can’t focus on right now.

… Pardon me? No. Surely not. We still have a whole other patch to get through after this, Welt! Needless to say, at this point in the story, confusion was at an all time high and Penacony’s story was beginning to lose its luster for me because the “ending” didn’t feel like a true conclusion.

Despite the unsatisfying feeling, we indeed arrive back on the Express. It has been a long while since we had a good adventure with our fellow Nameless. I hope he can join us fully in the next planet. Surely he would keep us from getting in trouble.

I feel like this comment isn’t only because we’re the main character, but also because as the player, we were able to view different people’s perspectives aside from the Trailblazer’s.

Is this a date? Sounds like a date. Regardless, I accept!

I can’t believe they actually had credits rolling. It’s giving Argenti trailer flashbacks and they’re really making it seem like this is the end of Penacony. Worth noting that March and Acheron’s real names aren’t listed while Welt and Aventurine’s are.

What the fuck do you mean?? For real though, hearing this after having one of the easiest boss fights of my life is a bit reassuring because I just knew something wasn’t quite right about all this!

Black Swan then retells the whole journey to us, from start to finish while asking us to pick out the one flaw in the whole story, which just so happens to be us running into Misha in the hotel’s lobby. He’s a major flaw that contradicts all other information in the story because that moment shouldn’t have been real. As for much recent occurrences, they don’t appear to be reality either because.. we have yet to actually wake up.

Still within the dream, we experience some deja vu because isn’t this exactly what Acheron says to us the very first time we meet her in 2.0?

Well aren’t you just a splendid little cheat code. No wonder the “Dreammaster” wanted to kick you out of Penacony.

So because we able to realize that seeing Misha in reality was an illusion, we were spared from being trapped like so many other residents of Penacony. I’m honestly surprised how many twists and turns this story can keep introducing to us when we’re so close to the story’s ending, but it’s impressive.

Robin realized there was a flaw in her dream too, which just so happened to be the flashback of her and Sunday finding the injury bird. Apparently that illusion was too blissful to be true? Wild.

We then found out that this fancy little bullet is the relic that Acheron had to return to its rightful owner.

Posing as a Galaxy Ranger to get a real one’s attention so they (Boothill) can properly use the relic in the next stage of the plan is a surprising move from Acheron. Who knew she could play 3d chess.

Firefly deserves some credit too, naturally, since it’s due to her that everyone was able to find us and understand the key to breaking free of this endless dream. By following Elio’s script, one is bound to have a knack of planning ahead and carrying out perfectly timed moves.

The end of Penacony is near but the fact it might actually come at the cost of that precious girl’s life ain’t bringing me much joy!

Last part coming up next and yet there’s still so much to chat about aaahh..

[isfjmel-phleg]

@inklings-challenge here is my contribution to day 19's prompt, "amateur."

This is an excerpt from a Coregean novel, The Amateur Princess, as described here. It's not the brilliant extravaganza I had in my head, unfortunately (I tried something more detailed but it was too ambitious for my current capabilities), but hopefully it gets the idea across.

Loriston society seldom had anything notable enough to warrant the rapt attention of throngs of ennui-stricken aristocrats. They were already accustomed to the ways of the Coregean royal family. They yawned over the most sensitive of poets, whispered through the performances of musicians whose work was renowned on the Continent, and favored the world’s greatest thinkers with only a half-hearted “how do you do?” It required a truly exceptional human being to command the regard of these jaded creatures, and at last society had found such a one: the exiled Princess Grayce of the tiny nation of Anatavia, somewhere in the southeastern mountains of the Continent. No one quite knew where to locate this land on a map. But one could locate Princess Grayce any evening at the residence of the Duchess of Ampnowle, surrounded by admirers. For not only was Princess Grayce amiable and beautiful—golden-haired and blue-eyed, with a foreign, high-cheekboned face—but she also told the most engaging tales.

That night a crowd had gathered around, begging for an account of how she alone of her family had escaped from the turmoil that deposed her father the king and brought a usurper to the throne.

“It really is quite painful to recall it, I am afraid,” said Her Royal Highness in a tremulous voice. She spoke excellent Coregean with hardly any accent, for it was one of the languages of the court in her homeland. “Surely you can imagine what a heartbreaking thing it is to lose everything you love in one night.”

The nobility, none of whom had lost anything more devastating than a small fortune at the gambling table, groaned in exquisite sympathy.

Princess Grayce acknowledged their kindness with the slightest smile and a regal little nod.

“For your sakes,” she said, “I shall do my best.”

And she did. She related an account full of palace intrigue, concealed crown jewels, faithful retainers, a daring plan for escape, and a devastating betrayal, resulting in the Princess Grayce getting separated from her mother, brother, and sister while en route to safety in neighbouring Ivica, only to hear upon arrival of the tragic assassination of her father at the hands of the conquering King Jellick’s supporters, while the rest of the royal family remained missing. 

Amid the cries and gasps of her audience, Princess Grayce had managed to maintain most of her composure, but it was at this point that Her Royal Highness’s eyes filled with glittering tears that trickled down her stately nose like fallen diamonds. For a time, she could hardly speak. The Duchess placed a gloved hand on hers and patted it with the tenderness of a mother. Not a soul in that room was unmoved by the sight of the Princess Grayce as her delicate form shook with sobs.

As she was starting to recover, a gentleman asked, “Where did you go next?”

She dabbed at her face with a lace-edged handkerchief. “I had nothing left but a locket that my parents had given me for my sixteenth birthday. I sold it and bought a train ticket to Vischland, which was as far away from Jellick’s influence as I could afford. From there, I earned my passage to Corege as a lady’s companion until I reached Loriston and made the acquaintance of the dear Duchess.” She smiled a feeble little smile at her hostess.

“But why,” persisted the gentleman, “did you not go to Ivica as you originally intended? Your elder sister is their queen; surely she would have taken you in.”

Princess Grayce said nothing. She clenched the arms of her chair and went white, then red.

When at last she spoke, it was with a note of reproach. “Do you not,” she said, “recall that Ivica itself is under threat? A party not unlike Jellick’s is gaining power, and my brother-in-law King Kostandin has pleaded with your own king for aid. How could I enter that country without causing greater problems for my dear Viera? I wouldn’t wish what I suffered on anyone, least of all my own sister. For her to accept me into her home now would be to acknowledge and give credence to…what happened in Anatavia, which would only send a message that if one deposition can be managed, so can another. I couldn’t go there.”

“Is that why you haven’t presented yourself at Rhosemore…Your Royal Highness?” asked the gentleman.

“Your gracious king,” said Princess Grayce, “has not yet invited me. Whenever he does so, I shall be delighted to accept. But at the moment I cannot intrude upon his hospitality. The generosity of the Duchess has already been more than I could have hoped for.” She went misty-eyed again but collected herself. “And if there are no further questions tonight…?”

Even the inquisitive gentleman had nothing further to add.

Princess Grayce rose and curtsied in the elaborate Anatavian fashion. “In that case, I shall retire for the evening, but I would be delighted to meet with you all again soon. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

And with a regal wave, she swept out of the room in a cloud of white lace.

#

Away in the Duchess’s finest guest bedroom, a golden-haired young lady had put aside her lace finery in exchange for a silken wrapper and had dismissed her maid (loaned to her by her boundlessly munificent hostess) for the evening. She sat for a time at her dressing table, studying her reflection in the glass in various attitudes, ending with disgust.

“Who does he think he is?” she muttered in tones quite unlike the silvery ones heard in the Duchess’s drawing room. “Thank heaven I remembered.”

Within the drawer of the dressing table lay the evening newspaper, folded as small as possible. Snatching this up, she strode near the fire and paced in front of it for a time, reading every article of world news as religiously as a university student “cramming” for an “exam.” Unlike a diligent student, however, she took no notes. When the final article had been pored over, the newspaper fluttered onto the grate and began to darken and shrivel into ashes.

“I’ll be ready for him tomorrow,” vowed Tresta Gild.

Nature had granted her the gift of total recall of anything she read, a talent which had served her well in her years as a confidence woman. From the time the identity of Princess Grayce had fallen into her lap, her knowledge of Anatavia and its former royal family, gleaned from every book, newspaper, or magazine on which she could get her hands, had increased until she had nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the subject—inasmuch as was written and published.

And much of the life of Princess Grayce, whatever had truly become of her, remained locked away in the memories of those close to her.

Cresta began to suspect that she had just met one of them.

[queengiuliettafirstlady]

Can you share some fun facts about Julie? Thank youuu~ ❤️

Hello sweetie and thank you so very much for your question. 🤗

What's her style, what she likes to wear

Her style in a word is ... mess. 😆

Yes because at home she wears the most comfortable clothes she could find, baggy, mostly cottage core dresses and even shawls, sewn for her from Luke.

Sometimes when she is in the mood even Luke's clothes, as shirts and coats, only to keep warm but the truth is that she liked his scent so much, and when he is cooking or sewing she couldn't be wrapped in his hug for a while and so as a spoiled cat she did what she wants, until he finished what is doing and engulf her in the embrace they both yearned to be in, cuddling together on the sofa.

On the outside instead she prefers more form fitting clothes, that is not too skin-tight but enough to underline her curves, especially she likes more fitting busts and large skirts, everything completed by with low heeled ballerinas.

Hair accessories, jewelry and make up only on special occasions.

Everyday she prefers to wear only a light pink lipstick, her engagement, and then marriage ring, on her ring finger and a pair of little golden chandelier earrings that shine on her dark curls, she leaves loose around her face.

What she likes to read

She really loves romance novels, even better if they took place in the past eras, in fact she is pretty curious to know more about history itself and fashion history, especially from other countries such as Jade, in fact she is quite fascinated by their culture and even learnt their language, inspired by his uncle own adoration for it. 🥰

Something interesting that happened when she moved to the palace, and something that happened in the past

She refused to bend down to Chevalier when she was in town, where Luke promptly protected her, shielding her from him wielding his sword, so imagine the low key panic she felt when she arrived and saw him once more during the round table meeting.

Something she only said once to Luke was that Jin actually saved her, during Bloodstained rose day she wanted to go see him so bad she got lost in the forest, on her way she saw a knight dragging himself away from his village, he told her to seek refuge while she still could and that she should have not visited Hope that day.

She would have replied but his gaze was so sorrowful and empty to tell her everything she needed to know and so, heartbroken for Luke's destiny, she managed to find her way back to her place.

Only when she came to the palace though Jin told her this, recognizing in her the same girl of that day, this made a speck of gratitude and affection swell in Luke's heart for him at that knowledge.

Something about how she deals with the other princes and Sariel

She only meets the other princes briefly but she is wary of Gilbert's fake warmth, even though she felt grateful to him for saving Luke, bringing him back to her.

While on the other hand from what she talked with Keith she gets along pretty well with him, and feels on a deeper level his insecurities, for his oher part she has understood there is something different with him but she did not think him to be a bad person anyway.

Since she came from the countryside it would be an understatement to say she hold a grudge against Chevalier, the fact is an empath she felt what he did was deeply wrong, even though she knew it may have been necessary she felt that as a proclaimed genius he could have done better that that.

She gets along surprisingly well with Clavis and sometimes even helps him with crafting pranks or jokes of sorts.

Leon she adores him, and is the one she gets along the best with, he is the one to cheer for her and Luke to get together with Jin since the beginning.

She is exasperated by Jin's overflirtarious nature, but one she saw how much he cares for his little brothers she became pretty close to him too.

Emma and Rio she and Luke get along with them the best since they were in town, and were actively cheering for them to get together.

In a turn of events Emma is called to the palace to choose the next King too, since Julie is over busy with caring for Luke, Sariel thought that two persons were better than one and here we are.

Julie thinks Sariel is a bit too strict as a teacher and far prefers the carefree lessons Leon so generously provides them both from time to time.

Sariel is still unsure if he loves or hates her, since she is so easy to sleaze off study alongside Luke when she is learning something she is not interested in, but all the same prove to be really acknowledged and curious in subjects she is interested in.

Stories fun fact

Actually all the stories I wrote with Luke and Julie take place after they are married, already settled down in their cottage in the countryside, when they happen to be in the palace during the rare visit they make to meet and talk with some princes about their work of guarding frontiers.

Loved activities

She likes nature and calm places like him, that is a key motif why they will end up settling in the countryside after their marriage.

She loves animals especially cats, and plushies for this Luke filled their home with plush bears he saw himself, she adored helping him cook and spending time with him in general, she likes honey and sweets tastes better when shared with him.

Something they love to do is to walk and admire nature, stopping under a tree to admire the sunset or the sunrise, or even admire the fireflies at night and chasing one another on the hill after a picnic only to fall together on the grass laughing like children, taking their time cuddling and looking up at the clouds or admiring the stars, talking of everything and nothing at once. 🥰

Tagging 

@kissmetwicekissmedeadly @aquagirl1978 @violettduchess @nightghoul381

@william-rex @candied-boys

@writingwhimsey @fang-and-feather @moonstruckmelancholic

@lichtluv @wistfulwanderingone @rjthirsty

@ike-garden2024 @jollibeeshappiness @starzyquee             

@maeko-kun @rkmaru @ikeprinces-stuff

[winniethewife]

Eclipsing Love

(Marc Spector x Mafia!OC)

Last chapter ~ Next chapter

Chapter 10: reminisce

Warning: Death mentioned, mild torture.

Words: 1132

Charlotte couldn’t think straight. She stood on one side of her desk, the man who had come to inform her of the news on the other side looked terrified. She felt her heart racing, the blood draining from her face. Twenty dead…Twenty dead women and children. A rival crime family had encroached on their territory and had committed a massacre. She could feel Khonshu’s rage on the edges of her mind as she processed this. She can’t make eye contact with anyone as she orders them out of the room, once she’s alone she falls to her knees. She puts her head in her hands as she tries to calm herself. Charlotte leans on the wall behind her desk. She feels her heart beating in her chest, She closes her eyes and Takes a deep breath. Her mind is full of memories of Elizabeth and Isabella, it’s been so long, she just wants to hold them, one more time. Just as she thinks she’s going to lose it she feels the embrace of Marc’s strong arms around her.

“Hey…what can I do?” He asks softly, his gruff voice is reassuring, Charlotte feels the tears on her face as she leans into him.

“I…I need to go see her…” Her Jade eyes meet his, she looked like a lost little girl trying to find her way. He didn’t need to know any more. He helped her to her feet and carefully guided her out of the room, fending off any questions from the others, taking her to the car and helping her into the passenger side. He takes a deep breath as he leans on the car, He sees Khonshu lingering on the top of the building.  He decides to ignore him for now, Charlotte comes first. As he gets behind the wheel and starts the car he adjusts the rearview mirror, Unsurprised to see Jake looking back at him. His alter gives him a look, before Marc can even ask where she wants him to take her, he’s already driving there. Jake knows where they’re going. Something about that still bothers him, He should trust his alters, He should trust them with her care, if it was Steven that would be one thing…But Jake was becoming very attached to her. They were spending more and more time together, and now Jake knew exactly what she needed, and he didn’t. That bothered him.

~

The Location they were going to was a cemetery, as they walked through the rows of head stones, Charlotte held Marc’s hand tightly as they walked. She hadn’t taken Marc here before, and the one time Jake came He had followed her when she went on a late night ride on her bike. She could tell Marc wasn’t saying something, but she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. He was trying to comfort her, but also looked pissed as hell. She just couldn’t deal with another level of drama on top of an already complicated situation. She finally spots the headstone she was looking for. She stopped and let go of Marcs hand. She approaches the grave getting down on her knees infront of it. As she does so Marc looks at the engraving and suddenly regrets being angry at the situation. “Elizabeth Walker. Her love, a symphony, now echoes through the ages.”  He thought of what she said in the office. “I need to see her.”  He’s an idiot.

“Lilibet… Milseán, I’m sorry to visit you like this. I just…I miss you desperately. I know some people tell me I should leave you in the past, too painful a memory, But I couldn’t, I can’t. Our life together meant everything to me. It would be worse to forget you.” She speaks softly to her late wife, Marc couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten. He knows how much Charlotte cares about him, But Elizabeth was everything to her. Sometimes he forgets that a lifetime ago she was married, she loved someone else, Hell she still loves her. He felt even more an idiot for letting these feelings with Jake get in the way of this. She has more love to give than he could ever imagine.

~

After they arrive back home, Charlotte Sequesters herself to her office to make plans. As she sits at her desk going over years of notes her father had made on the rival gang, She can finally ignore it no longer.

“Why are you watching me? Don’t you have some weird dead bird things to do?” She says with a sneer. For days now it felt like Khonshu watched her every move and she was frankly getting sick of it. 

“You want justice for what happened to those you lost.” He says, as he leans over her his usual threatening behavior barely phases her.

“Yes, and?” She cocks an eyebrow at the deity.

“You could easily take them out, with my assistance…”

“I’ve told you, If I have to run this family I have to do it the right way. If every one of our enemies are taken out by Moon Knight or Eclipse, it will lead back here. You may be a god, but I was trained to run this family, I was born to do this, whether I like it or not.” Charlotte looks at the looming figure with disdain before looking back at her work. She hated this life, she wanted to be normal for once. But that was never an option.  Khonshu scoffs at her.

“You should know better than to defy me girl.” He says threateningly. She feels a tightness in her chest, it gets tighter the longer she ignores him, she looks up as the pain gets worse, her eyes closed tight. Khonshu’s fist clenches and she feels her heart stop for just a moment. “You are mine!”

“Enough! Leave her alone!” Marc bursts in the door, his eyes filled with fire and his voice filled with venom. Khonshu growls, then vanishes. Charlotte feels a tight pulse through her body and then, the pain leaves. She feels a rush of relief and she swears she sees stars. Charlotte doubles over the desk with her head in her hands, Marc rushes over to her kneeling on the ground next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, Baby look at me…come on look at me.” He whispers. He knows what its like when Khonshu throws a tantrum, whenever he tried to take out whatever has gotten him pissed off on him, physically, mentally, you name it. She turns to look at him. He looks into her eyes, the pain is evident. He feels a building rage as he looks at her, he puts his hand on her cheek. “Hey, hey… I’ve got you, baby…I’ve got you.”

Translations:

Milseán: Sweetheart

Masterlist

Tag: @ominoose

[b-afterhours]

Avenue of Sins: Neon

A Sequel to Avenue of Sins

SUMMARY: ‘90s. It’s the aftermath. Jaded, Bill and Alma navigate their new lives as they try to drag themselves out of the dark debacherous trenches they had once ensnared themselves in. It’s easy to forget their evils when a silver lining introduces itself into their lives but can they create a less hedonistic life that would be just as satisfying?

WARNINGS: adult content, mature readers only.

The completed first series can be read and found here.

Chapter Twelve

February 1993

He arrived in his lonely penthouse in New York City after a nonstop flight. He left Seattle near 11 a.m., but because of the three-hour time difference between there and New York, he didn’t get home until almost eight-something in the evening. He had locked the door behind himself and stood there briefly. The place felt cold.

“Hello.” He said to no one as his voice echoed, and he just sighed to himself. 

He took the back staircase, strolling down the long hall and peeping into the empty rooms on his way up to his bedroom. Walking the length of his bedroom, he dropped his duffle bag by the couch in the loft area and riffled through bills and junk mail he had grabbed from the residential postal room on the building's first floor. One piece of mail Alma had sent was large and thin. Something in it was being supported with a piece of cardboard to keep it from bending, but he was looking for the other piece of mail she had told him should be there. Once he had found it, he tossed them on top of his bed and went to the bathroom for a shower. 

His travel went smoother than when he went to Seattle. The only hiccup he had run into happened in Alma’s apartment. He had lost the keys to the rental. Alma was the last person with them until they both realized it was actually Echo who had them last, jingling them in her hand without a care. They looked under the couch cushions, and he even tilted the couch back to look for them. While they tried to look thoroughly, they were also somewhat slow about it, whether they knew it or not. It was as if neither of them wanted the visit to end. Alma was looking in the bedrooms while he took Echo’s toys out of the small chest in the living area, but even after he cleared the whole thing, they still weren’t found. As he put everything back, he jostled a shape-sorter toy of hers. Inside were block shapes, but he heard a jingle from inside and opened it, finally finding the keys. Echo was close by, playing with the toys he hadn’t put back in the chest yet. 

“Did you hide these?" He asked, turning to her and picking her up. It seemed like she also didn’t want him to leave. “I got to go, honey,” he said, hugging her after announcing to Alma that he had found the keys. “I would take you with me if I didn’t know you’d miss your mommy so much.” Alma stood there listening to him before he turned to her. 

“Call me when you land?” She asked, hugging him tightly. 

While he held it together, it was hard when he saw that Alma wanted to cry. It didn’t ever feel good to watch him leave. She had never liked it since the day he left Missouri. However, she also felt bad because she had done it to him so many more times now. She bit her quivering lip after he had kissed her deeply. He reassured her that he’d be back soon, and off he went, feeling empty again as soon as he left. He waited until he reached the stop sign at the end of the block and sank in his seat, harshly rubbing his eyes as tears stung them.

After his shower, he decided to call Bianca, and he looked at his clock. It was early in the evening, at least early for him.

“Surprised you didn’t pack your whole family back,” Bianca said to him over the phone.

“I thought about it,” he lightly chuckled, rubbing the hair on his thigh as he was only wearing boxer briefs. “Should I come in tonight or…” 

“Just relax, sweetie. What’s one more day? Everything has been fine while you were gone. You must have been busy over there. You didn’t call me a single time. Unless Alma forbade you from even thinking about work while you were there?” 

“Nah. I know you have a handle on things there.” While work would come to mind, he decided for himself that if anything happened, he would wait for a call instead rather than pester Bianca. 

“I love that you said it with confidence, because I do.” He could picture her with a beaming smile over the phone. “I gotta finish getting ready, but–”

“You’re getting ready in the loft?” He lightly laughed.

“Well, I have it to myself. Why not? So tomorrow?” 

“Tomorrow. Alma sent me back with a gift for you, by the way.” 

"Well, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind you coming in tonight. That’s so sweet of her.” She paused for a moment, thinking about how she missed Alma, but kept it to herself because she knew Bill did on a whole other level.

Once he was off the phone, he pulled on a sweater and sat against the headboard of his bed next to his daughter’s stuffed bunny that he had balanced on top of it. Sometimes he secretly cuddled with it. He called Alma at the airport once he landed. She reminded him to check his mailbox, instructing him to open the large yellow envelope first. He did as he was told, and inside was a gel print copy of Echo. It was a portrait stylized with yellow and hot pink ink, of her smiling and wearing his Rayban sunglasses that he remembered Alma photographing on her visit. He smiled to himself, realizing that she must have made it during Gregory’s event, which he saw advertised at the record store. It would need to be framed, but it was a nice, thoughtful gift and was similar to the styles of old tour posters he used to display in his adolescent bedroom. 

After putting the print away for safekeeping, he crawled into bed again and opened the other letter. He pulled out something that was wrapped in pink and red tissue paper, and as he peeled the paper away, his heart skipped. The smile on his face just kept spreading across his face as he flipped through ten black-and-white photos of the boudoir photoshoot Alma had shot for him. They were beautiful, sensual, sultry, and sexily enticing. He liked them all, but one in particular made blood rush to his member. It was a low shot of her bottom, her thumbs hooked on the straps of a g-string as she looked back at the camera over her shoulder. He was familiar with the sight, but having hard evidence was exciting to him. He spread the photos over the bed to see them all together while his hand reached down into his underwear.

As he pleased himself, he could feel the ghosts of Alma’s hands or her full lips that had touched him all over the past week, and he missed them. His mind became clearer after he finished on his sweater and pulled it off before he collected the photos back together. He paused for a second. Who developed these?

“Hello?” Alma said on the other end of the phone. After he had left, she loaded her Jeep with laundry—his included—and was currently sitting on her living room floor, folding it all after spending time at the laundromat with Echo. “Oh, so you finally got them?” She bashfully laughed when he informed her. “Um, did you like them?” And then laughed again when he admitted to already getting off to them. “They came out nice, but really that fast?” 

“Don’t laugh,” he said, chuckling as he looked at the photo on top of the stack of her elegant nude silhouette in soft focus in front of her bedroom window. With his thumb, he flipped it up to look at the one below, of her pulling the hem of a small white shirt so that it was pulled tight against her breasts and hard nipples. The phrase ‘God’s Favorite’ was scrawled across it. “Send me more.”

“Any requests?” 

“Only about a hundred of them. But where did you get these developed?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Only you and a girl from the place I go to get all my stuff developed have seen those. I asked that she only deal with that roll of film, and I think she understood why once she saw them.” 

“Well, I hope so…” 

“What’s the worst that could happen? I end up in Playboy?” She joked. 

“These pictures are fucking beautiful—you're fucking beautiful. But don’t start getting ideas,” he said, which made her laugh again. 

…

March – Spring Break Week 1993

It was early in the morning—nearly 4 am—but he was a bit restless after his shift. He was going to have a very busy week ahead of him with all the college kids who couldn’t make it to a sunny beach coming to his club for some fun instead. Bianca was leaving for Miami with her sons the next day, so he'd be manning the ship solo like old times. Bianca would be gone for the week. It was Lorenzo’s 18th birthday gift and an early graduation gift. Looking at his clock, he thought about calling Alma, but she had told him earlier that she’d be working late herself. If he could see her right now, he’d have seen her balancing on top of a down-turned tin trash bin behind the crowd, giving concert photography a shot. 

On his back, he decided to rest his eyes, hoping he’d drift to sleep that way. When he came back from Seattle, he slept well for a couple of days until his body went back into the same shitty sleep cycle that plagued him. Sometimes he’d call Alma and ask her to speak about anything. Just to fall asleep to the sound of her voice made him feel less lonely. Once, she just read him a pamphlet from the pediatrician's office. If he didn’t call her, he’d jerk off, which did help, but shockingly, he was starting to get tired of that after so many consecutive nights in a row now. After lying there with his eyes closed for so long, he figured he might just have to rub one out anyway. 

There was a knock at his front door, and he sighed. He’s hearing things now, he thought. As he tried to get more comfortable in bed, he heard it again. He took a deep breath and reached into his nightstand for his gun, which lay right next to the bundle of nude photos of Alma. No one should be there at this time. Absolutely no one. His mind raced as he quickly pulled on gym shorts and a t-shirt he had set aside to wear to the gym later that morning. 

He crept down the spiral stairs, and there was a knock once more. At the very least, he was glad it didn’t sound like someone was trying to break the door down from its hinges. The rhythm of the knocks sounded a bit urgent and even erratic at times. 

“Shit,” he grumbled under his breath as he cocked the gun slide back. 

He looked through the peephole and saw the back of someone's dark head of hair in a men's-styled cut. When they turned, he saw Giancarlo with a busted nose and bruising eyes, along with a bloody lip. He looked distressed, and while he knew this was Bianca’s son, he was weary of opening the door immediately. He decided to crack it open, leaving the chain lock in place. 

“Mr. Skarsgård! Could you let me in?” He pleaded. 

“What the hell, G’? Who’s with you?” He said, looking out past him skeptically. 

“It’s just me, it’s just me. I promise,” he said frantically as he blinked back tears. He looked genuinely scared and shaken up. “Please…” 

Bill closed his eyes as his jaw clenched tensely. “Hold on.” He said, lowly closing the door to unlatch the chain lock. 

He opened the door wide enough for Giancarlo to get in and quickly locked it. Purposefully, Bill took the live round from the gun out and then tucked the piece in the waistband of his shorts as Giancarlo watched. Realizing he was so close to being shot, he shrank further into himself. He knew that his mother had a gun, but she never brandished it around him or his brother. 

“So what the fuck is this? Why aren’t you home?” Bill asked sternly. 

Giancarlo took in a shaky breath as tears escaped his eyes. Bill sighed at his condition. His clothes were even a bit tattered and dirty, as if he had been dragged around. He had gotten beaten up, but for what he wasn’t sure. 

“Go,” he pointed to his couch, “sit down.” He left for his kitchen to get him a glass of water. As he handed it to him, he noticed him wiping his bloody nose with his sleeve. 

“Sorry,” he said when Bill came back with a dry dishrag. “Thank you.” 

“What are you doing out this late? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to leave later?” Bill asked, clasping his hands together as he sat on the edge of the couch opposite him.

Giancarlo cleared his throat. “I was just out with my friends at the Cherry Hill fountain.” 

“In Central Park? This late?” 

“It’s where all us kids go… but I don’t know what happened. Some people started to fight, and it started a whole brawl, and… I got jumped.” 

“I see.” He said looking at his state up and down.

“I didn’t even do anything, but then the cops showed up, and I just started running. You’re the only person I know here in Manhattan.” 

“The cops aren’t looking for you right now, are they?” 

“No, they were just hemming up whoever they could.” 

“How’d you even get past the doorman here?”

“I just ran straight past him… He’s a heavy guy.” 

Bill nodded. He didn’t like that it was so easy for someone to get by during these hours. Now he was going to have to complain later. “Okay… Well, do you want me to call your mom, or do you want to?” 

Giancarlo looked like he wanted to cry again. It was obvious to him that she had no idea he wasn’t home right now. Bianca didn’t have time for stuff like this and had raised her children to have sense, but Giancarlo liked to push it. Before he had owned the club, Myrna had said she didn’t want to pass it on to Bianca, who he felt should own it before he should have been considered. Myrna thought she should focus on raising her kids first, but Bill felt they were grown enough by now to partner with her. He wasn’t regretting his decision, but it seemed like her youngest son was going to need some extra guidance. 

“She’s going to be so pissed,” he said, wiping a tear from his cheek with the dishrag.

“If you call her, maybe she’ll respect that more than you having me do it. You keep wanting to grow up so fast… but I don’t think you understand what that means yet, Gian. Did you try to fight back?” He didn’t want to be rude, but he looked a bit pitiful. 

“Yes… but there were too many.” 

“You stay at the edge of a brawl, if you must, not in the middle of it. Just call your mom. That's the grown-up thing to do.” 

Bill turned away from him as he called home, trying to give him some semblance of space and privacy. Giancarlo explained what had happened to him with a shaky, terrified voice. He was still such a little boy compared to how he was at his age, but he also grew up too fast compared to most kids his age then. 

Bianca, while somewhat strict, overly doted on her sons more than an average mother would, but she meant business when the time permitted. Bill could hear her yelling on the other end of the receiver, and he glanced over and saw him crying again. Poor kid. 

“M-Mr. Skarsgård? My mom wants t-to talk to you,” he sniffled, holding out the phone to him. 

“Oh Bill, I’m so sorry,” Bianca said, exasperated. 

“It’s fine,” he sighed. 

“No. It’s not, but… does my boy look bad?” She said with concern.

“He doesn’t look too great, frankly.” He said, glancing at him. He had his head bowed in shame.

“Oh my god… I’ll come get him.” 

“Later. He can sleep in my guest room. And yes, I’m sure. There’s probably still cops out looking for stray kids on the street.” 

Bianca reluctantly agreed, and Bill passed the phone back to Giancarlo. Once again, she was yelling on the other end. He could make out her warning her son to not touch anything in his home, and after a few more words, Giancarlo hung up. 

“How long are you grounded for?” Bill smirked. 

“Until the end of the school year,” he frowned. 

“Mhmm. Well, go wash up in the bathroom down there,” Bill pointed down the hallway. “Just dig in the cabinets for some bandages. I’ll meet you in a minute.” 

Bill went up to his room and grabbed a tank top from a new pack and some old sweats of his for the boy. When Bill found him in the bathroom, he was shirtless, leaning into the mirror inspecting his battered face. He had been having trouble bandaging the cut on his brow because his hands were too shaky. 

"Um, Mr. Skarsgård, do you think you can help me?” He asked sheepishly, holding the butterfly bandage out to him. He was still used to his mother mending his cuts or scrapes. 

He set the clothes on the counter and grabbed it. “Your mom’s not here. I don’t care if you call me Bill,” he said, tilting Giancarlo’s head down. He pinched his cut together, which made him wince, and quickly bandaged it. “Your eyebrow is going to scar,” he warned. 

“Is my nose going to be fucked up too?” 

Bill chuckled. “Let me see." He lightly felt the bridge of his nose, and it felt fine enough. “Nah. You’re going to Miami with black eyes, though.” 

“Damn…” He said, shaking his head at his reflection in the mirror.

“Clothes,” he pointed at them. “Bed,” he said, walking out of the bathroom with Giancarlo following. The guest room had been rearranged. The configuration was changed to create a little office space. Taking the computer out of Echo’s nursery so she’d have the whole space for her things now. “You can help yourself to whatever you find in the kitchen. If you need me, just go up the back staircase. Knock first.” 

“Okay,” Giancarlo nodded, looking around the room that was illuminated by the red neon marquee across the street. “Thank you, Bill.” He said misty-eyed. 

“You’re a good kid, G’. Just don’t get caught up in shit, alright?” Bill was just about to turn to leave him but was caught off guard when Giancarlo hugged him. He stiffened at first, but then he hugged him back. "Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?" he tried to lightly joke, but inside he was thinking about the times he had felt like this at his age, but there was no one there to hug.

Giancarlo pulled away and sniffled. “Sorry, I woke you up with my bullshit."

“Just get some sleep. You have a long day of travel ahead of you,” Bill said as he walked out of the guest room. 

He made a detour to grab a bag of frozen peas to give to the boy, and then he took the back staircase to his room, shut the door, and locked it. Until tonight, he had always kept it open, and while he didn’t think Giancarlo would do anything to him, he still took precautions. The mezzanine area, where the spiral staircase took you before opening to the rest of the room, he wasn’t too worried about. He would hear anyone coming up that way. Yet he took his Glock from his waistband and rested it on top of his nightstand. He’d sleep better that way. 

He had managed to sleep for a few hours when the phone rang, and he lazily got up to answer. It was Bianca informing him that she was on her way. He laid back in bed, just relaxing and stretching his body a bit. Downstairs, the sound of a light switch turning on and the fridge opening could be heard. At least he didn’t have to wake the kid up too. 

He thought to himself that if his family were there, he would have never opened the door for him. Probably, Alma would much to his dismay. She’d have the mother's intuition to help another woman's child, but he had the father’s version of protecting his. It didn't matter who it was. 

He cracked open his eyes just to check the time. It was too early to call Alma, but he also missed the gym workout, meaning he’d just go jog then. He got out of bed and joined Giancarlo, who was eating cereal at the dining table by the spoonful. His face was fairly swollen, but the frozen peas certainly kept it from looking a lot worse.

“Um,” he said, chewing. “I can make you a bowl.” 

The corner of Bill’s mouth went up in a smirk. “You’re fine… for now. Your mom’s on her way.” 

Giancarlo lightly grumbled at the thought as he watched Bill put a single slice of white bread in the toaster. He thought Bill was about the coolest grownup he’s ever known. He had a nice place, a cool car, expensive clothes, and a hot girlfriend. He also worked at a strip club and got to see boobs every day. It sounded like a dream, and for a 14-year-old boy, it all still glittered and shined for him. 

“Does your mom ever give you grief sometimes?” 

Bill leaned on the kitchen island and crossed his arms, biting his lip. “Mm… no. She passed away.” 

“Oh… I’m sorr-” 

“It was a long time ago,” he cut him off, giving Giancarlo a pursed smile. “So listen to your mother and all that, right?" He said, catching the warm toast as it popped out of the toaster. He hardly buttered it and held it between his teeth as he reached into his fridge for a few eggs to hardboil. 

There was a knock at the door and Bill could hear the boy gulp loudly in fear. He quickly got up to take his bowl to the sink as Bill went to answer it. He paused, turning around to see him hastily trying to wash it. 

“Just leave it. I know your mom’s old school, but you don’t have to do that.” 

Giancarlo nodded and then braced himself when Bill opened the door. Bianca was dressed in a pink velour tracksuit with her hair wrapped in a silk scarf in a similar color. Bill greeted her but stepped aside to let her go directly to her son. She took off her large, buggy sunglasses when she saw the state of her son's face. He stood there uncomfortably, wishing he could disappear. 

“Come here,” she said, pointing at the floor below her sternly, and when he approached, she reached out and held him as relief washed over her. “My god,” she said, trying to cradle his face in her hands, but he flinched. “Your handsome face…” she shook her head. “Don’t ever do this shit again! Go down to the car. I’ll be right behind you.” 

“I’m really sorry, Ma’.” 

“And apologize to Mr. Skarsgård for putting him out with your foolishness.” 

“Bianca I–” Bill began to say, but she held a hand behind her to stop him. 

“Now. Apologize.” 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Skarsgård. And thank you.” He said, with his head held straight and making eye contact, that he knew his mother expected of him. 

“I’ll accept your apology this one and only time,” he said, putting on a stern tone to match Bianca's, but he discretely winked at the boy. 

The boy left, and Bianca eased once he was gone. Bill had her follow him to the guest bedroom to help her collect his tattered clothes, and they paused back at the front door.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with him,” Bianca sighed sadly. "Like, this is just beyond!” 

“Hm. Well, I think he’s learned his lesson. You didn’t raise your sons to be out in the street like he was. He was here shaking and crying,” he lightly laughed. “He even hugged me, too. He’ll be alright, though,” he lightly shrugged.

"Oh, so he got a real scare, huh?" She said, pleased by the fact. 

“Big time.” 

“Good. Well, I’ll see you in a week, honey. The family vacation photos are going to look insane with the state of Gian’s face, but we’ll be in Miami nonetheless, right?” She said hugging Bill. “And thank you. I owe you one.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Have a safe trip.” He chuckled. 

After his jog, he felt more awake, but when he took a hot shower, he felt tired again. His muscles relaxed yet ached at the same time. He lay in his bed in just a pair of boxers and a tank top and felt his eyes getting heavy. Unexpectedly he fell asleep. The phone woke him up again a couple of hours later. He had been procrastinating with moving the phone from the loft seating to his nightstand, and right then he cursed himself for it. He got up reluctantly and picked the whole thing up to bring by his bedside, but in the time it took him to do that, it stopped ringing. The phone downstairs began to ring, which signaled to him that Alma was calling. He let the one downstairs cut off first before dialing her apartment until the dial tone on his line went off and he switched calls. 

“It’s Alma.” 

“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat, still raspy from sleep. “Sorry, what time is it?” 

“Um… It should be almost 1 p.m. over there. Are you okay?” She said with worry. She didn’t receive a call from him that morning. He called twice a day, but especially in the morning, he never missed those calls, and the evening calls would come too, even if sometimes they could be brief because he was usually at work or on his way when he called then. Currently, she was at work in the office with her feet up on the desk after helping clean up the mess from the show the night before. 

“I’m okay. I had a long night. I went for a jog, and I guess… took a nap?”

“Long night?" She questioned. 

Bill went on to explain what had happened with Giancarlo, and Alma was surprised the boy would even think of Bill’s place to go, as he can sometimes come off a bit cold, let alone that he would get into trouble like that knowing his mother. 

“It’s good you didn’t blast him through the door with your gun, at least. I’m glad he came to you, though.” 

“Eh. Kinda weird, but everyone else he knows is in Brooklyn, so.” 

“I mean, yeah, but he kind of looks up to you too.” 

Bill grimaced. He didn’t feel like someone anyone should look up to. “Lorenzo has a crush on you,” he deflected. 

“Those boys are funny, aren’t they? But really, I am glad he came to you. You’re such a dad now, Bill.” She giggled.

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled.

“Plus, Echo might get into shit when she’s a teenager. So this was a good glimpse of things that may come. Hopefully not, though.”

“More like, not at all. She’s not going to be running around Central Park during hell hours.” 

Alma laughed. “Bill, we used to be teenagers. Those late-night field parties, remember? We even left town two hours away to Kansas City without anyone knowing. Central Park is closer at the very least.” 

“Central Park is in the middle of a metropolitan city. We were in the middle of fucking nowhere. That’s the difference.” If Alma could see him, she’d see him speaking with his hands like he usually did when he was trying to make a point. 

“It’s not like it’s any better.” 

“Sure,” he grumbled. “Shit happens wherever you’re at. That’s why you and our daughter need to be here already.” 

“Oh god. Okay, yeah…” she digressed. “Are you ready for Spring Break Week at the club?” 

“Same ol’ shit, right?” He groaned, scratching his head. 

…

That week at the club was hectic, but it wasn't anything he hadn’t seen before or couldn’t handle. Of course, there were a few fights between college rivals, but that was to be expected. What he didn’t expect was firing the head chef for passing out drunk in the kitchen. The poor sous chef working back there looked terrified when he promoted her on the spot, but she knew the most, so he wasn’t worried that she couldn’t cut it. She just didn’t expect to start her new position during such a busy week. When Bianca comes back from her vacation, she can fix the arrangement with the kitchen employees. She liked it a certain way, and Bill didn’t mind that. The kitchen was a responsibility they both shared while they split the bar, his main duty, and the girls, her main duty. The DJ was the only employee they hardly checked on; he just needed to be there or else. Either way, they took care of anything should they have to. 

Luckily, it was the last day of such a lively week, and he was in the loft, sitting in the lounge area with Theo and his brother Damien, laughing about some situation over a drink with them. Damien had come to speak with Bill about some properties after he had lost the Brooklyn property to another buyer, but he also looked over the paperwork for Alma’s childhood home. His advice only served to confirm what he already knew himself. The phone on his desk rang. At first, he thought about ignoring it, but something in him told him otherwise. 

Alma was in her apartment in Seattle, feeling sorry for herself. Her daughter was asleep and finally settled next to her in bed. She had a hell of a day, and dread kept building in her heart as the phone rang over and over. The anxiety she was keeping at bay was wanting to break from the edge of her psyche. 

“Bill?” Alma said once the phone was answered, “Are you alone?” 

His brows furrowed with concern. The way she sounded on the other end of the line unsettled him. “Alma? One second.” 

Her heart was thrumming hard in her chest as she heard Bill ask his guests for privacy. She knew he wasn’t going to be happy with her, and she wasn’t ready for his reaction. She didn’t want others to have to feel it too. Maybe she should have called much earlier, or at least until she let the anxiety attack that was looming above her pass. 

“What’s wrong?" He asked nervously, sitting in his office chair. 

“Echo had an accident. She’s okay,” she said quickly before he started questioning her. “We got home from the ER about an hour ago, and she’s going to be fine.” 

“Fuck. Alma? An accident,” he bit his cheek and took a deep breath to settle himself. "Okay, she’s fine,” he reiterated to keep his mind from thinking of something tragic. 

“Yes.” 

“What happened?” He asked, rubbing his forehead anxiously. 

“I was making dinner, and she was playing in the living room… and I swear I looked away for just a second, but she got on the couch arm and jumped off it. Her lower teeth cut inside her bottom lip, but they didn’t go all the way through.” Alma's stomach sank again, just as it did when she heard the blood-curdling cry that erupted from her daughter, just as she was able to take in a breath because she had also knocked the wind out of herself. The sight of her with blood coming from her mouth still made her queasy. 

“See,” he said angrily. “This is exactly what I was telling you! Shit happens! And I’m not there? It probably wouldn’t have happened if I was there, Alma!” He chastised. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. For a moment, he thought she had hung up the phone. 

She had dropped the receiver on the bed and cupped her mouth to keep the sob that had been waiting to be unleashed since the accident had happened. There wasn’t time to cry or freak out, only time to assess and get her daughter to the ER to be seen. Even that was an ordeal, waiting in the lobby holding a rag to her daughter's bleeding mouth and making sure she didn’t choke on her blood while they waited. It felt like forever to be seen, but soon enough, she was receiving two stitches inside her mouth. Just as she felt it would be over soon, a social worker came in to speak to her. 

“Are there times you become frustrated taking care of your daughter?” The social worker tried to ask with empathy and concern, but Alma knew exactly what she was trying to ask. 

While she wished Bill was with them, at the moment she was glad he wasn’t. He’d lose his shit completely with that line of questioning, and then they would actually take their daughter away then. Alma kept it cool with the last bit of it that she had left in her. The social worker took the last bit of it when she asked about the whereabouts of Echo’s father. Seemingly trying to find blame where there was none, pissing Alma off on his behalf. However, her cool, even answers satisfied the social worker that it was just an accident after all because it was. 

“They’re rambunctious at this age,” the social worker said, still clinging on to the feigned lightheartedness as she left. “I hope she heals well.” 

Alma sneered at her once she left and picked up her irritable daughter carefully to finally get the hell out of there.

“Hello?” Bill said into the receiver. The sobs Alma was trying to swallow back escaped, and he could hear her choke on her tears. His face fell now, feeling like a dick. “I don’t know if you can hear me… but I’m sorry… Alma?” He felt remorseful when he heard fresh sobs coming from her. He, too, would have been a mess had he been there to witness the accident. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.” He sighed, leaning back in his office chair, and looked up at the ceiling feeling helpless where he was. “Alma, please pick the phone back up.” There was some rustling on the other end, and then he could hear her sniffling. 

“I don’t need you to tell me that shit like I don’t already know,” she indignantly snapped back. “I feel like a piece of shit mother for taking my eyes off her already!” She cried, and tears began to spill afresh. This time, she didn’t care if he heard. 

"Shhh, baby,” he tried to softly soothe her. He hadn’t ever been too great at it. “Okay. She’s okay, alright. That’s all that matters.” 

“Yeah…” she said, wiping her face with the collar of her t-shirt. “It was just… scary.” 

“Did she need stitches?” 

“Yes, just two. I finally got her to sleep, but she still kinda looks uncomfortable.” She glanced down at her, noticing her swollen lip jutted out. It looked painful and she wished she could take it away. 

“Mhmm. Could you call me whenever she’s up?” She assured him that she would, but that she was probably going to sleep the rest of the night. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that alone,” he frowned. “You’re not a piece of shit mother. I don’t like that you said that.” 

“I just feel so bad…” she said with a quivering voice. The social worker’s accusatory questioning didn’t help with how she felt about herself either. She wouldn’t tell him that detail for his sake. As much as it would anger him, the accusation would break his heart.

“I love you, Alma. Three weeks,” he said, reminding her of his next visit. “And some change.” 

“I need you.” 

Bill felt his heart strain from the sincerity with which she said it. “I need you.” He said, closing his eyes and picturing her. “Now, why did she jump off the couch like that to begin with?” He lightly joked. 

Alma scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Fucking beats me. She’s crazy.” 

…

April 1993

Alma and Echo had been waiting at the Sea-Tac Airport for an hour before she knew Bill’s plane should land. They were taking rides up and down an escalator to pass the time when she heard the airline announce his plane's arrival. Alma happily smiled, pushing her long soft curled hair back as she picked up Echo, and hastily they made their way to his gate.

“Papa’s here, E’.” She said, kissing her cheek. 

Her injury had healed quickly, only the bruise lingered longer than the laceration. Her babysitter, Yolani, was in nursing school to catch anything if there were any issues but luckily there weren’t any. Once the stitches dissolved, Echo was back to her usual self: happy, free-spirited, and at times a little wild. 

They watched passengers file out the gateway, and suddenly he appeared. He was easy to spot, being taller than the group of elderly nuns in front of him. He fixed the strap of his duffle bag on his shoulder as he looked around for a pay phone to call his girlfriend. She was standing right by them, and he took off his sunglasses and smiled brightly, seeing his family waiting for him. Alma set Echo down as he approached them and coaxed her to run towards him. He scooped her up and planted a succession of kisses on her cheek.

“My baby girl,” he said, peering down at her, and then he ran his thumb along her bottom lip, inspecting it. "Ah, like nothing ever happened, huh? Silly girl,” he punctuated with another kiss on her cheek. “Come over here,” he said to Alma, putting an arm around her waist. "Fuck, you look good,” he said, looking her up and down before kissing her. 

Alma giggled, and so did their daughter, seeing them kiss, but she giggled because she didn’t think her outfit was particularly remarkable. Just a halter top and a short, tight skirt with sheer pantyhose, of course, all in black. She thought he looked good too, especially with his new haircut. The sides were shorter than the hair on top, which he had styled forward. 

“I need to get my luggage before we go,” he said, taking her hand and leading them to baggage claim. 

“What happened to ‘packing light’?” 

He looked down at her with a smirk. “I did. I brought you stuff. It’s your birthday week.” 

"Bill, you didn’t have to-”

“Don’t start,” he chuckled, shaking his head. 

Once he had gotten the largest luggage she’d ever seen him with, they went to her Jeep. After putting it in the back and with Echo securely situated in her car seat, Alma began to walk to the driver's seat when she noticed Bill following behind her. 

She looked up at him. “I’m driving?” 

“Eh… Just give me the keys.” 

“I know how to get back to my place the fastest.” 

“I… don’t like how you drive, Alma.” He said, scratching his brow.

“The fuck?” She sneered, offended.

“You drive like we’re still on country roads.” 

“Bullshit,” she said, getting into the Jeep. “I drive fine. You’re insane to think I’d drive like an ass with your daughter as my passenger." As she tried to close the door, he held on to it to stop her. “Rent a car then,” she said stubbornly. “Don’t fight me. It’s my birthday week.” 

He clicked his tongue in resignation. “Give me another kiss then I’ll let you drive.” 

She grabbed his face as he leaned in, and they began feverishly kissing, hungry for each other. When he felt her hand cup him through his jeans he moaned into her mouth. Before succumbing to her touch, he pulled away, and they laughed at their haste. 

“You know the fastest way, you said?” He asked, buckling himself into the passenger seat. She nodded. “Just drive the speed limit.” 

“I always do,” she said, backing out of the parking space. 

"Or, if it’s clear, just go a little over.” He said ready to be alone with her. 

When they arrived at her apartment, Echo had fallen asleep on the car ride. One moment she was melodically babbling and screeching along to a pop radio song, and then the next she was asleep. Alma carefully got her out of her car seat and, once inside, she gently laid her down in the playpen in the living room while Bill went on to the bedroom to leave his luggage. A moment had passed before he harshly whispered for her, not wanting to be too loud, and wake up their daughter. 

After she kicked off her boots, she appeared at the end of the hallway and smirked when she saw him standing in the door frame, undoing his belt buckle, looking like a scene from an erotic movie. He nodded his head back, motioning for her to join him. 

“You don’t want to take a shower first,” she asked, shutting the door behind herself, but he placed his lips on hers as if to say that it could wait. 

Not knowing how much time they would have, Alma took it upon herself to bend over, placing her hands flat against the bed in front of them. Rubbing her bottom on the bulge in his fitted Levi jeans. One hand pulled the jeans button open, and down his zipper went as the other pushed her skirt up over her bottom. He took a tantalizing moment to run his fingertips over the sheer hose stretched tight against her bottom before reaching the band to pull them down. Once they were pulled down to the middle of her thighs, he hooked a finger around the simple black thong she wore and plucked it aside as he freed himself. 

His eyes fluttered closed as he pushed inside her warmth slowly to feel her velvet walls encompassing him. Gripping her hips tightly, he sighed, feeling the tension and the stress of travel fade into the background. The sound of Alma’s breathy moans as he watched himself thrust into her was dizzying. His jaw went slack as he felt her getting wetter around him. She pushed back, righting herself and turning her head just so that their lips could link. With her arm reaching above her, she held onto the back of his neck as he kissed along the curve of hers. 

“Look,” she said breathlessly, as his hips never ceased. “Look at us.” 

Peering from under his brow, he followed the direction of her gaze. In front of them was a full-length standing mirror in the corner of her room, facing her bed. A new purchase. He grinned at their reflection, connected just as they were. He felt her pressing her face against his stubbly throat, leaving whispering pecks, but in the mirror, he could see it too. His right hand went up to cup her chin and redirected her gaze back to the mirror. 

"Fuck," he groaned. “Look at you. So pretty with my cock inside you.” She flashed a lip-biting smile full of lust at their reflection. 

He unhooked her arm from the back of his neck and gently pushed her back into position on the bed, taking back control. Seeing her in front of himself and the mirror just to the left of his gaze was undoing him. Just as her pussy tightened around him as he pounded her into her undoing. Leaning back, his right hand took hold of her thong like a rein. The ferocity of his thrusts made her arms give and her chest hit the mattress just as her face buried in it to muffle the loud moans she could no longer hold back. His hips snapped inside her as he came and collapsed on top of her, holding her close as they both caught their breath. 

Alma turned slightly to kiss him with thankful fervor before they had to disconnect to steady their breathing once more. Their foreheads were pressed together as they did so, and they started to chuckle at themselves. Their eagerness and impatience to be with each other this way made them feel adolescent. Lately, Bill had been feeling like a vagabond, traveling coast to coast but being with her in this way anywhere was home. 

[delightfuldevin]

I've been meaning to ask and keep forgetting so forgive the 1am ask but WHAT is the story with your MLP Dragon Self Insert what's his deal who's he hang out with does he have lighting powers does he need a cool older brother who is half his height (Me)? I have many questions.

He primarily hangs out with Rarity and Pinkie Pie while in Ponyville!! And he goes to Canterlot to visit Luna every so often as well!! I haven’t thought about his relationship with Spike, but I suppose it makes sense that Spike would love having an older dragon around and probably asked him a loooot of questions about the Dragon Lands when he first showed up.

He does indeed have lightning powers!! This is another world I learned to access before my accident, so his lightning powers were obtained later down the line. He only had fire breath initially.

And he would absolutely ADORE having a cool older but shorter brother <3

So uh,, I did not have a backstory established for my MLP S/I before now and yet the second I received this ask, I popped off and this all just flowed out of my brain so here we are sjchjsdh

Jade grew up in the Dragon Lands (I arrived in this world at around age 11), but he never really fit in with the dragons’ way of life. He always sought companionship but that’s not really a thing in dragon society and he didn’t quite understand why. For all other dragons, being alone and distant seemed as natural as breathing, but for Jade it felt so wrong it made him feel sick. If he was the odd one out, perhaps he was the problem then?

One night, he met someone in his dreams. He didn’t know what she was, but she was so beautiful and kind, unlike any of the dragons he knew. When he woke up the next morning, he felt so refreshed as if he had slept like royalty. That mysterious whatever-she-was appeared in more of his dreams after that and each time, he would wake up like it was the best sleep of his life.

It wasn’t until several years later that he learned what ponies were. Their society was so much different than that of dragons, but somehow he felt like they were what he was missing. Jade had felt out of place amongst dragons his whole life; maybe he just didn’t belong there after all. So, he set out for Equestria, hoping to find what he was looking for all his life.

Unsurprisingly, the ponies he met initially did not receive him well. He was starting to think it might’ve been a bad idea to come there, but as he was about to give up and return to the Dragon Lands, he stumbled into Ponyville. He arrived during the time when Discord took over (the first episode I remember watching of the show was the season 2 premiere with Discord ^^) and once everything was turned back to normal, Twilight and her friends mistakenly thought he was part of Discord’s chaos magic that somehow remained. After all, how else would a dragon suddenly be in Ponyville?

After explaining himself and why he came, he was surprised to find that everyone simply accepted him at face value and welcomed him there. Sure, it took some getting used to for everyone, but in no time at all he was already feeling right at home! He became somewhat of a handyman, working odd jobs around the town. Being a dragon and all, he’s much stronger than even the strongest earth ponies, so everyone would ask him for help with any kind of manual labor. He was just happy to be accepted by others; it was all he’d ever wanted.

During the episode Luna Eclipsed, he saw Luna when she came to Ponyville and realized that it was her who he’d met in his dreams all those years ago. When she saw him, she also remembered him, surprised to see him there. Though she primarily helped the ponies of Equestria with her magic, she sensed Jade’s bad dreams back then and wanted to help him too, even if she didn’t have the expertise to help him with the particular issues he was facing as a dragon. The two of them spent the rest of the night together, with Luna even staying until dawn as they lost track of time. As she was about to leave for Canterlot, she invited him to come visit her sometime and he eagerly promised he would.

From there, he’s just a background character for the rest of the series. He plays no role in any big events; he basically functions as one of the crowd, except he’s a rather tall dragon in a crowd of ponies so he stands out quite a bit fjvhjdfvnkd. And he does start regularly visiting Luna in Canterlot. He doesn’t live directly in Ponyville, rather he shacks up in a cave just outside of town cause houses are not comfortable to sleep in jfbvkfdnk.

When the friendship school is established, he meets Smolder again (they met before very briefly in the Dragon Lands before he left). When Ember realizes Jade lives here already, she asks him to look after Smolder at the school to make sure she’s following the rules and setting a good example of the dragons. Jade agrees and becomes something of a “guardian” for Smolder, attending any kind of conferences at the school. The others of the Young Six become rather attached to him as well. It was during a parent-teacher night that Gallus’s guardian didn’t show up and Gallus asked Jade to take their place, which he accepted. From then on, Jade became the guardian for both Smolder and Gallus while they attended the school.

Also silly meme I just thought up jfbvjddjncdjs

[wangsejabin]

Chapter 53

Before coming here today, Pan'er had thought of any number of possibilities.

Perhaps that, Yao Jinzhi would pressure her to ask the Prince to help Su Hai find work, which was the most probable scenario she had thought of, after all, to offer something for nothing is treacherous, and she had even thought of her possible reaction, she would definitely sneer at Su's family a few times, and then refuse to do so, in order to vent her long-hidden anger.

But she had never expected Yao Jinzhi to tell her about this matter. This was something that had not happened in her previous life. In her previous life, she had not come to Yangzhou, nor had she met Su's family, so naturally this scene would not have happened today.

The speculation about her own birth in the previous life had come from the fact that there were always some suspicious-looking people around, from the fact that some people had made fools of themselves. She later denied it, she refused to have anything to do with those people and sank the real truth of the matter to the bottom of the sea, she knew the outcome but not the process.

Did that mean that she could be informed of part of the process today from Yao Jinzhi's mouth?

Pan'er picked the object up and opened it to see that it was a very small piece of jade pendant.The jade wasn't very good, but of course that was relative to her eye, and it was actually considered good for a commoner. It was just too small, the size of an adult's thumb, with no carvings on it, just the word 'Yuan' engraved on it, and tied with a red cord that had turned white, as if it had been specially made for a child to wear.

"…… I picked you up on the rocky beach near the pier in the first place, and I don't know why on earth I got carried away and picked you up. You were well dressed and good looking, a young lady from a rich family at first glance, I picked you back up before I was a bit scared that I would be misunderstood as a trafficker ……

"I guess you are afraid that you have been abducted and sold by the traffickers to the human market, this kind of lost people from unknown sources, the general people do not dare to look for them, for fear of trouble …… later I brought you back, lying that you had previously been born, while I was at my mother's house in Suzhou, since that year I spent a period of time back at the mother's house for most of the year, but also no one suspected your identity."

"So how old was I when you found me?" "Three or four years old," Yao Jinzhi pursed her hair and thought for a moment: "I think you were just over three years old, I saw you talking and eating and walking quite well, and when you first came here you knew to look for your mother and nurse. I tried to ask you once, but you had no memory of this incident when you were a child."

Pan'er fondled the jade pendant in her hand, the image of the woman with only her surname in her mind fleshing out at once.She imagined her fondling the jade for a long time, hanging it around her newborn daughter's neck.

The jade was nothing to the family, it must have been the woman's own. What was she thinking when she put it on her daughter? She must have been filled with wishes for her daughter's health and longevity. Pan'er suddenly felt a pain like a pinch in her heart, so great that she could not breathe. Yao Jinzhi continued to talk, as if she wanted to tell her everything she knew.

"…… I wanted to keep that dress of yours, but one year my family had a famine for too long, so I took it to the pawn shop and pawned it, and left you this piece of jade, which I thought you should be able to use one day …… When you first arrived at that time, although you still did not know things, but with the look of a pampered young lady, skin fine and tender, mouth is also delicate, the family cooked rice you would not eat, so disgusted with it you could not swallow it, and later you were hungry enough to eat it ……"

"…… your father does not want you, asked me to throw you away, I really could not …… where to throw ah, what a beautiful little girl, may still fall in the hands of people … …When I gave birth to your second brother, everyone said I was pregnant with a daughter, I also wanted a daughter, but it was a brat …… I thought it was just an extra mouth, a girl can't eat much …… "

"Maybe in the future when they grow up, they can also be exchanged for more silver, right?" Yao Jinzhi has been mumbling, Paner this sentence seems to poke her where it hurts, she subconsciously wanted to jump up, but somehow sat down.

She sat slumped and kept that position, wiped her face and said, "Just take it as I think, so what you owe me has been paid back, don't come back in the future, to use that phrase called a bridge to a bridge and a road to a road." Pan'er took a deep breath and was about to say something when there was a sudden rattle at the door.

She looked over, only to find the Crown Prince standing at the door, not only him, but also Su Datian, Su Jiang and Su Hai.The prince looked at her with deep eyes, and Su Dada Tian seemed embarrassed and said, "Look, what are you guys talking about, this is really ......"

"Get out of here! This is also returned to you, as well as those things you bought, I was true to my word before, what you owe me has been paid off, just pretend I didn't raise you this one time." Yao Jinzhi stood up, shoved the two small red envelopes to Pan'er, and drove everyone out again, all the way to the hall, where she took the few New Year's gifts Pan'er had brought over on the desk, and shoved them all at once to the prince.

"Let's go, hurry up!" The prince gave Pan'er a look, took her by the other hand and walked away. When the people walked out of the courtyard door, the hall room was still silent. Su Hai said, "Mother what are you doing?!"

The words ignited a firecracker."What for? Doing what I should do, what do you want your old mother to do? Don't say she's not my own, even if she is, a married daughter is spilled out water, don't put your attention on her, don't forget that a large part of the silver from her sale was lost by you!"

Su Hai was also annoyed, annoyed and ashamed: "Mother, why do you still mention this, I was ...... also set up."

"I do not mention you do not grow up! Eat as much rice as you can from as big a bowl as you have! I'm not proud of the fact that you've been an untalented person all your life, but you're still not convinced. Count the things you've done since you were a child that people can praise. And you Su Datian, if you weren't useless and couldn't feed this family, I wouldn't have had to sell her! It wasn't in good conscience,"

"I've been poor all my life, but I've never done anything to against my conscience, but now I've not only lost my conscience, I've also lost and betrayed my daughter ……"The first half of this statement made people gnash their teeth in anger, not only was the tone choking, but it also seriously damaged the face of the two Su family men, but the second half of the statement made people shrivel up for no reason because of the low and choking sound in Yao Jinzhi's voice. Yao Jinzhi went back inside and closed the door tightly from the inside.

Su Da Tian gave Su Hai a glance and shook his head. Su Hai sighed in frustration and threw open the door.Su Jiang and Miao Cui Xiang looked at each other, but they didn't know what to say. --

In the carriage, Pan'er was buried in the Prince's arms. She had been like this since she got on the carriage, and did not speak or get up. The Prince patted her back, very gently, very lightly, and his movements were vaguely awkward.

Feeling the dampness on his chest seeping in through his cotton robe, he moved faster and slightly more sharply to soothe her, and used his other hand to touch her face. "Don't cry. If there is something left behind, I'm sure we can find it, I've ordered someone to look for it."

Pan'er rubbed her face in his arms and said in a jarred voice, "I'm not trying to find my real parents, I just, just ...... have some hard feelings inside. I can't tell you why I'm crying ...... She's usually a pretty fierce person, the neighbours say she's a shrew, when I was a kid I played with the kids in the alley and never suffered a loss, someone beat me up, my older brother was older than us and didn't play with us, my second brother knew about it and would help me fight back, but my second brother couldn't fight, she would If my brother couldn't beat them, she would lead me to go up to people's homes and find them, and she would not stop until she beat them back ...... "

"...... I remember one time, a little fat boy who was older than both me and my second brother pushed me, and my second brother went to fight with them and was beaten instead of winning, and she found out about it. The little fatty's father was a butcher and tall and strong, so no one in the neighborhood dared to mess with him. She went there with a burning rod and stood outside his door for a whole day, scolding him and forcing him to come out to apologize and make amends ......" "...... so at that time she put me in foster care to that family, I really thought it was just foster care ...... dad's back was injured, the family had no rice, maybe just let me eat in that house for a few days and then I could go back ...... I waited and waited ...... dad could not work during that time, I was afraid that my brother and his family would not have any food to eat, and I secretly stole the food and sent it home ...... she drove me back hard and told me to stay there ...... "

"I really didn't expect her to sell me, maybe I couldn't believe it ...... Before I came I was prepared to think of it as a goodbye, if they didn't mention anything it would be fine, if they did I would have to hurt them badly, but I didn't expect her to tell me that I wasn't her own ......"

The prince listened in silence, listening to the words she had been holding in her heart for a long time. It was only after the carriage had stopped for a long time and she had been quiet for a long time that he patted her on the shoulder, "Alright, stop crying, if you cry any more and the underlings see you later, you as the master will lose face."

Only then did Pan'er sit up straight, her eyes were red and a little swollen, and her face was also red, which was bored. "How can you comfort someone like that?" "Wipe your tears away, go in first and have two eggs boiled for you later and rolled under your eyes." Pan'er became curious, "How do you know this?"

Could it be that the prince had also cried in secret? The crown prince had an insight into what she was thinking from her expression and glanced at her, "What are you thinking!" He only knew because he had seen his mother do this so often.

The palace slaves were not allowed to cry, but how many of the masters would actually cry? It was not allowed in front of or behind people, because it was a sign of weakness, and once the master showed weakness, all the minions below would be restless. The first time she did so, she did not dare to say anything. When the prince saw her like this, he was a bit helpless.

If you say she was bold, she was sometimes daring, but sometimes she was extremely timid, and the prince always had the feeling that she was afraid of him. Normally, it's good that she's afraid of him, so she doesn't get spoiled into lawlessness, so the Prince sits back and watches. And at this time, the young girl had just experienced a life upheaval and was crying like that, so the crown prince couldn't help but be soft-hearted.

He told her something about Empress Fu, as an exchange. In fact, it was no secret that Empress Fu was not favoured in the palace, and there were bound to be times when she was saddened behind her back, but in the past, Pan'er was only guessing, and this time, through the prince's few words of description, the image of an empress who was dignified and beautiful in front of people, but who would be gloomy and saddened by her husband's indifference behind her back, became three-dimensional and full.

Was it because of Empress Fu that the Crown Prince was tolerant and accommodating to the Crown Princess? Pan'er had a kind of insight into what was going on. Afterwards, when they went back to their nap, Pan'er showed the jade jade to the Prince.

There was nothing peculiar about the jade jade, and the jade was ordinary, except for the word 'Yuan' engraved on it. "So, your name should be Yuan'er?" Pan'er frowned in thought and said, "I suppose it is sort of." "Hope, Canyuan, the female elder sister of Canyuanxi, means beautiful." Of course, Pan'er knew the meaning of Yuan, but she didn't expect the Prince to come up with ...... a phrase that she couldn't understand anyway, but knew it was extremely nice.

"From now on I will call you Yuan Yuan, just as a little name."Pan'er felt strange how she heard it, but looking at the prince's look of 'I feel extremely good', she could only rub her nose and not say anything.

She added, "Your Highness has given me a little name, so what do I usually call Your Highness? I always feel that if I call you Your Highness or something else, one is not proper and the other is too stiff."The prince glanced at her, "Didn't you call it that?" "When was that?" Pan'er was a little confused.

In a flash, she seemed to have called him - Brother Cong?

Did he think that was a good name? And a little sigh of relief that the Prince's aesthetic for naming was a bit of a mixed bag. But since he didn't mind, she was Yuan Yuan and he was Brother Cong, fair enough!

[dragon-creates]

Just a lil preview 😉

After posting this, I thought I'd give ya'll a prologue of what's coming.

Many moons ago, our lands used to be one of unity. No matter where anyone went, how different each land was that they travelled to, it always felt like home.

There was the Archipelago; a home to all of dragon kind, the Mushroom Kingdom; a place that would like up the sourest person’s soul, Etheria; where princesses of the most powerful abilities resided, Green Hills; the most peculiar yet still exciting, The Boiling Isles; where magic was born, and the Darklands; though imitating, was welcome to anyone no matter what differences they had. 

Then there was Halfmoon, realm to the Magicats. It was once a peaceful society, ruled by King Zemi and Queen Jade, with a connection to the moon and stars above, the powers that were gifted to them helped bring balance to each realm.

Once every year, every leader from each kingdom would come forward for the annual ‘Solar Festival’. Hosted by the rulers of Halfmoon, the sovereigns from each faction would pledge another year of peace while the kingdoms would unite and celebrate.

It was even said that the Halfmoon leaders had formed the infamous group known as ‘The Nine’, where it consisted of them and seven other members from the other nations. It was never specified to anyone who these others were and which empire they all came from, all that anyone knew was that they were brought together by the Magicat rulers and had maintained the strongest bonds while protecting the realms.

However, those bonds unfortunately couldn’t last any longer. It was after another magnificent ‘Solar Festival’, when the realm leaders had caught wind of a new threat with untold dangers waiting to strike at any moment. What they had gathered was that her name was Shadow Weaver, a mad witch with her mind set on bringing back the treacherous King Boo, a ruthless undead monster that had was plagued the realms millennial ago until he was finally sealed away by the ancestors way back when, and now Shadow Weaver wanted to bring him back.

King Zemi and Queen Jade had made up a to infiltrate Shadow Weaver’s base with their army and cease any experimentation that she had concocted so far to reawaken the ghostly king. Yet the night before they would’ve left, Halfmoon was suddenly ambushed by followers that Shadow Weaver had managed to summon and convinced them to attack the Magicat kingdom. By the time the other rulers arrived, everything and everyone was gone, with King Zemi and Queen Jade dead in each other’s arms. The sole survivor was their only infant daughter Cyra, who they had managed to hide during Shadow Weaver’s attack with the last of their magic.

The situation only got worse when it was revealed that the late monarchs were apparently sold out about their mission, by someone close to them no doubt. The country was then split into two, the North Side believing that believing that it was King Bowser who had let out the information about the king and queen, while the South Side had believed that it was a member from the North and that Chief Hiccup was preventing them from receiving proper justice. Ever since then, a civil war had broken out between the two sides, neither one of them backing down until they avenged the fallen monarchs.

To honour the lost king and queen, Chief Hiccup and his wife took in Zemi and Jade’s daughter, raising her as their own.

Years had passed and the battle continues, some still cling to hope that one day, the skies will clear, and all will be set right. Others however, had already given up at the prospect of peace and believe that only more tyranny will come. Little do they know that soon, everything is going to change…

Still writing the first chapter but keep your eyes peeled. @baggedbees I wanted to tag you cause I loved your excitement for this! XD

[neoninky]

TWST Fanfic "Her Lost Voice": Chapter 17

Off topic note: anyone who wants/NEEDS to gush about TWST Chapter 7 happenings, feel free to flood my Inbox lol I be taking notes for my Diasomnia story (spoilers be DAMNED!!)

Chapter 17: Ready to Stand

The Sacred Crown bell echoed across the campus, igniting a school-wide mad dash to the main corridors. It was a smaller elite school but unlike their brother school or Night Raven, the girls of Sacred Crown had monthly exams instead of just midterms or final exams. At the end of each month, regular classes had a three-day testing period for every class: first, second, and third years alike. This month was no different in spite of the first festival of the year being just around the corner. Tests were finished, and the campus itself had been cleaned, pruned, and polished to perfection. Now, the results of all their hard work were being posted.

However, all of the fuss sounded like a dull hum to Cowrie as she stood facing the posting board, blank eyes forward. She heard the whispers, the gossip-mongering as it floated around her but none of that seemed to matter anymore. It hadn't for weeks. While the other girls were busy keeping tabs on each other or worrying about their grades, the new Cerulamare Dorm Leader was just trying to keep her head above water in silence. There was just too much going on outside that her trivial school life barely amounted to much anymore. It honestly felt like some weird stage production she was constantly stuck playing in while the real world kept moving on outside the small island.

Once the faculty finished posting the results, everyone around her reacted as her pale eyes remained fixed and unmoved. Her name had gone from Number 3 down to Number 11. A drop this drastic caused a few onlookers to start the latest gossip chain: "The Cerulamare Prefect is losing her edge." 

A few of her students that supported her gave Cowrie words of encouragement but they were only met with indifference as the eel returned to her dorm room. Alone. What was interpreted as disappointment, maybe even depression, was a front. Once Cowrie was in her room, bookbag tossed aside, her eyes steeled into a determined gaze. All over her desk were handwritten letters. Each and every one was from Jade. To the untrained eye, it seemed like a bounty of affectionate, sweet nothings from her beau. Between the two young lovers, however, they knew how to exchange information in plain sight. 

"I miss you terribly, my Cowrie. I cannot wait to see you again and tell you all about the new alchemy project we've been working on. It's almost finished and ready to put into practice..."

The 'alchemy project' being Elise's transformation back into a mermaid.

"Mother says hello, by the way, and apologizes that the care package will be delayed a bit longer due to storm systems over the Coral Sea..." 

Luna, "the care package", is unable to contact her just now. And so on and so forth. Texting each other would be more convenient but letters were harder to track. Thanks to Luna's studies, the group now had a far more efficient method of delivery. The downside was that Cowrie herself wasn't as privy to everything going on because she was stuck on the outskirts of the situation. She understood the logistics but it still irritated her ferociously. Cowrie grabbed the scroll she had written that morning and put it inside the bottle Jade's most recent letter had arrived in. Seconds later, the paper disappeared in a flash. It reappeared in an identical bottle that sat on Jade's shelf next to his terrariums. Azul and Floyd had been given bottles of their own to keep them in contact with Luna whenever she had something to report. Or whenever she missed her love too much. Cowrie sighed and flopped on her bed just before burrowing under her blankets. She was exhausted, anxious, and frustrated all at the same time. Patience was never one of her strong suits. She was about to drift off when a thunderous knock on her door shocked her out of her bed and onto the floor. 

"Cowrie??" It was her Vice Prefect. Cowrie groaned and marched over to the now squeaky door, staring up at the much taller girl on the other side.

"What, Ombra??"

Ombra was a very soft-spoken, near seven-foot-tall orca mermaid. The girl was sweet as can be but literally heavy-handed given her large stature. The repair bill for the dorm itself was setting a record. She fiddled with one of her black and white curls of hair before muttering, "O-Oh I'm sorry to bother you, Cowrie, but the Headmistress wants to see you in her office regarding Family Day coming up?"

Family Day was the opening day of the festival. As a prefect, Cowrie was aware of the schedule but had no idea what that day had to do with her specifically. The small eel just scoffed at the interruption and staggered out of the dorm without another word to anyone. 

- 

The Headmistress' office was unnervingly organized, pastel, and smelled like a grandmother's powder room. It always made Cowrie feel itchy. She sat in the very ornate and stiff seat before the Headmistress' large desk, doing her best to listen as paperwork kept being piled in front of her.

"-you'll have off campus visitation rights for two days but for the remainder of the festival, your presence on campus as a Prefect is mandatory."

Cowrie blinked her sleepy eyes, "...What?"

The retired Fairy Godmother sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Pay attention, Miss Cerith! Your guardians have confirmed their attendance for Family Day but have also asked that you be able to visit them while they stay in the city off campus. Given your family's uh...condition, I know they probably don't get to come to the surface very often so I have the approval forms right here-" 

Cowrie's brain burst into a wildfire. Her WHAT now?! She grabbed the forms from the desk and quickly read over them. She found herself with even more questions as she saw her 'guardians' names and signatures: Indigo and Ivy Cerith. 

"Who is Ivy and when the hell did he get married?!" she shrieked just before getting bopped on the head with the Headmistress' wand. 

"Miss Cerith! Language!"

-

Another letter appeared inside Azul's bottle as he was listening to the recorded message Elise had sent him two weeks ago. Was this the third or fourth time he sat and listened to it? Azul wasn't sure anymore. The words had passed from Elise and this Spindle fellow to him and he passed them via ink and paper to Luna for confirmation. He knew Elise wasn't stupid but he'd be damned if he didn't fact-check every last syllable uttered by a stranger, renounced by the enemy or not. He continued to listen and reached for the letter stamped with a crescent moon inside the bottle. Luna didn't disappoint. Not only was Spindle telling the truth, but he had an insider perspective. 

Azul's vault opened with a heavy thunk to what used to be his contract collection. Now it was more or less a store room for important ingredients or hidden 'treasures'. Spindle's voice played over the phone as Azul opened the wooden box his grandmother had given Elise. In place of the dagger was the vial given to him by Reine, now full.

"I started to show signs of magic when I was about ten years old...my unique magic manifested very quickly, though it was hard to control at first..."

Azul smiled at the completed serum in the vial before sliding the chain holding it around his neck. It took several tries but he was confident this was the perfect combination to return his darling to him once and for all. Spindle's distant voice continued as Azul locked the vault. 

"Proteus was the first to witness it soon after he started working for my father. He told me it was better to keep it a secret since my father didn't care too much for magic...I was young so I didn't know any better at the time. Soon after that, Proteus went to Lorelei Ashengrotto for help since he didn't have any magic of his own and he wanted mine, but she turned him away. I didn't know about any of this until it was too late."

Luna had confirmed this was true, straight from her mentor's mouth. Madam Lorelei was always open to helping those who sought her out but helping someone take the magic away from another, much less a child? Ridiculous. Azul scoffed at the notion. His grandmother had too much pride in her abilities, natural and learned, to do such a thing. The irony of his disdain wasn't lost on him given his past endeavors. But there was a vast difference in common thievery and striking a deal with full disclosure! So it was no surprise that Proteus made the desperate move that he did...

"There are others not as well known or revered in our neighborhood. Proteus turned to one of them. I'm not sure which one. They don't leave any tracks behind. But they gave him a spell that would take magic and give it to him. He could only use it once though. He used it against me while I was asleep but something happened, something went wrong...I started to wake up and I tried to resist but failed. That's how my throat was injured and I lost my voice. No one else knew about my magic and Proteus mastered it quickly enough to help my father prosper by trapping his enemies or their families. So even if I could speak, who would believe me?"

"Despicable..." Azul muttered before turning off the message. He had heard enough. Now he understood his grandmother's warning on a visceral level. The Octavinelle prefect snapped his fingers and lowered the magic barrier that had soundproofed his office. Even though he was nowhere near his home, Azul couldn't be too careful. Everything needed to go according to plan that everyone involved had put so much effort into building over the past weeks. Just as he was about to leave, another letter appeared in the bottle. This time, it was his grandmother's handwriting. 

"Everything is set for your homecoming party. Your mother is asking about the present sent for our guest."

"Well, well. That is excellent news," Azul smugly grinned as he held the serum in his hand and planted a kiss on the glass vial before tucking it into his shirt. He quickly scribbled a reply before sending it right back, once again relishing in Luna's clever little invention. Portal magic was no walk in the park for most mages and yet she had outdone herself using the same magic to connect one vessel to another.

-

The sun was going down as Spindle waited for Elise by the Castilene family's dock. Normally he preferred to be in the water but...well his mistress insisted he get used to being on two legs. It just "made things less complicated" in the long run. He stared down at the clothes on his now human form and those strange things on his feet. What were they called again? Shoes?? The flower princess had others help him get dressed and explain how to do it himself but it was still hard to get a firm handle on. He at least got the hang of making his own dry land potions after Elise's thorough instruction. Spindle straightened up the best he could as he saw Reine approach with bodyguards and his mistress at her side. Elise beamed with pride at him as she walked up to him, "He makes a very dashing human, doesn't he?"

He felt his face grow warm as Reine smiled and agreed, "He's a fast learner too. You've done very well in such a short amount of time, Spindle." 

He tried to bow but nearly fell over, making his face burn with more embarrassment, "Th-Thank you, Your Rose Highness." 

Elise hooked her arm with his to help him board Reine's ship, "Don't worry. You'll get used to this form in no time," Elise lowered her voice as they reached the deck, "There is something very important I need you to hold onto for me, Spindle. You'll know when the time is right for it. Until then keep it hidden, alright?" 

Once the two of them were settled on the ship's deck, Elise handed the eel something wrapped in fabric. He tucked it inside his jacket without question.

His mistress rewarded him with a soft peck on his forehead, "Good. Now relax. It'll be a short trip back to Sacred Crown. Just stick with me, ok?"

Reine couldn't help but giggle at the two of them. Had she not known any better, she could have sworn Elise's new companion was a puppy beastman, not an eel. 

-

The Sacred Crown Prefects stood in a perfectly straight greeting line at the front gates as they opened a few days later. It was tradition to greet each group of visitors starting with students from their brother school, then other schools, Night Raven, and the returning Fourth Year students usually brought up the rear, and then specifically for this event, visiting family members and alumni. Alumni from Sacred Crown, Royal Sword, and Night Raven had all received invitations meaning that there were a lot of people to go through...which only made Cowrie's eye twitch even more.

"Hey...are you good, Cowrie?" Petra whispered to the visibly irritated mermaid on her left. The Cerulamare prefect didn't bother hiding her impatience even as the Headmistress gave her usual speech to the crowds as they entered. 

"Sure," she answered very bluntly as she tapped her foot and gave a half-baked greeting to any random person that walked by her. Her eyes scanned for any one of a few familiar faces and only felt more irritated when she didn't see them right away. Cowrie's mood lightened once she started seeing more NRC uniforms enter through the gates. Even some friendly faces from Octavinelle stopped to chat with her which eased her a bit. They weren't the ones she was looking for but the Octavinelle boys had always treated her, Luna, and Elise very well. Probably a certain trio's influence, no doubt. However, there was always at least one in every dorm to ruin a good thing...

One such boy was getting a bit too friendly for a certain eel's taste.  He was a third year in the same class as "Dorm Leader Azul", something he was proud of clearly, and a merman as well. A merman that took note of the very unique shark tooth necklace around Cowrie's neck.

"Hey, that's a nice piece, Cowrie-chan," he began to lean in to get a closer look, making the female eel's eye start to twitch again, "Where did you get it?"

"My mate," she said pointedly while scanning the crowd for the man himself. The third-year boy laughed at the word.

"Your mate? You only have the one or are you just testing the waters?" 

His comment snapped Cowrie's attention right back to him, "The hell does that mean?"

The smirk on his face made her skin start to crawl, "Well I mean you and your sister. You're sirens, right? It's to be expected given your nature. I figured your knock-out sister got around, but you? You don't seem like that type of girl but maybe you just hide it better..."

Petra overheard the boy's suggestive commentary and grabbed his arm, "Hey! You're holding up the line, dude. Move along." 

Cowrie fumed, ready to take a chunk out of this rude boy herself! She suddenly squeaked as a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her back into a firm chest. 

"Yes, please do..." the familiar voice's possessive tone caused Cowrie's face to flush. All the color that burned her face suddenly drained from the NRC boy's terrified expression.

The Octavinelle third year jumped back, startled, "V-Vice Prefect Leech!"

Jade Leech gently held his mate to him as he rested his chin on top of her head. His smile didn't reach his eyes as they pierced into his rude dormmate, "You're being terribly crass to my devoted pearl. Listen to the lady and move along before I decide to be less...forgiving." 

The boy darted off without another word. Cowrie looked up at her mate as he turned a much softer, sweeter even, gaze down to her as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He didn't dare let her go. She wasn't sure which gesture frazzled her more, "Jay Jay??"

Jade looked at her as if there wasn't a whole group of her peers surrounding them in that now more intimate moment. The normally more reserved twin's voice was heavy with affection, "Ahh, my Cowrie...I've missed you."  

The greeting line was completely derailed as Jade leaned down and kissed Cowrie without any hint of shyness. Cowrie's heart skipped, if not straight up hopscotched a beat or two as the other prefects around her stared and cooed enthusiastically at the sight. Clearly Jade had lost his mind but Cowrie was in no condition to question it. It wasn't until he released her that she ripened into a perfect tomato red. 

"J-J-JAY JAY!" Jade chuckled as she whined and swatted his arm. The fact that a few of the girls had their phones out made things even worse, "Y-You decide to be all lovey-dovey in public NOW?!" 

His smile only broadened, "Oooh? You don't like it, my little tadpole?" Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing alright. Well besides teasing his adorable future wife, the wide birth boys from his dorm and others suddenly gave him and Cowrie did not go unnoticed by either one of them. 

Cowrie huffed and stomped her foot, "I never said that. Just...if you wanted to claim territory, at least give me a heads-up first! ...And...I uh.." Her expression was sour but her face was shimmering at this point, "...I missed you too, Jade." 

Only he could hear her pouty, mumbled confession but hearing his full name on her lips did wonders for his already fantastic mood, "Oya...so cute," he grinned making Petra and Manari snicker on either side of the couple. 

"My, my, I've never seen Jade behave so sweetly before. How precious."

Cowrie turned to Jade's pleased companions that were now approaching the couple. Azul was practically glowing in his freshly cleaned and pressed uniform, walking tall and ready for anything. He seemed to be wearing extra cologne as well. Floyd was just the same as always as he flopped on the other side of Cowrie, making it a sloppy group hug. 

"Cowriiiiie-chaaaaaaaan! You're even cuter in your uniform! So little and girly. Heh did you make the skirt shorter though? Just for Jade, right?" he giggled smugly. Cowrie's face glowed pink. Yes, it was true that she did roll the edge of her skirt higher than what was dress code regulated but HE wasn't supposed to be the one to notice it!! 

The younger Cerith sister was reaching her limit at breakneck speed, "Shut up, Floyd! You guys go to the courtyard and wait there until I'm done! It's straight that way. Geez!"

Jade planted another kiss on Cowrie's cheek, earning more excited coos from the other girls, before helping Azul drag his frustrated twin further into the campus like a big fussy toddler.

"Good luck with all that ruckus, Cowrie," Petra snickered beside her, "And congratulations, Mrs. Leech~"

Cowrie had a snide comeback at the ready but it died in her throat as the next group of visitors entered the gates. Her baby blue eyes widened with a wild mix of emotions all at once as two figures stopped in the middle of the path to face her. 

"Sorry, we took so long, sister." 

Luna hadn't aged whatsoever. She just looked more elegant now than ever before: she was fashioned, curated specifically to not only make a statement but represent her brilliant mentor as a proper apprentice. She was dressed in a fitted black turtle-necked dress with a luscious purple fur shawl around her shoulders. Pinned in her sleek black up-do was Madam Lorelei's signature spiral shell on a gold hair comb. Around her neck, Luna proudly wore the necklace Floyd made for her as if it was the world's finest jewel. On Luna's arm was their brother, Indigo Cerith, dressed to the nines in a classic black suit and tie and standing on human legs as if he did this in his sleep. He looked amazing and yet stranger cleaned up so nicely. Any complaint or retort fell by the wayside as Cowrie's eyes clouded over with salt water the minute she rushed forward and threw her arms around her siblings. 

"You're both here, that's all that matters," she mumbled into Indigo's chest. 

Indigo wrapped an arm around his baby sister and pulled her close with a soft grin, "There's someone else you need to see."

Cowrie froze for a second before pushing away from him with a huff, "Is it this Ivy person? Who the hell is she, huh?!"

Luna chuckled as Indigo awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "You'll meet her soon enough. But no, not her. Someone else...someone very important." 

-

Azul's eyes stayed trained on the movement of the crowd passing them by as the trio waited in the large courtyard. His confidence was still high enough to cover up any nervous energy trying to surface but he frowned when she was nowhere to be seen. 

"Is that a pout I see?" Jade teased him. The eel was still in a very good and smug mood with no intention of hiding it from anyone. Floyd's playfulness had quickly morphed into impatience as both he and Azul were waiting for their own reunions. He growled at the general atmosphere and huffed, "We're here, where are they??"

Azul checked his watch, trying and failing to hide his own antsy feelings, "Calm yourself, Floyd. We've only been here ten minutes." 

Floyd turned on Azul about to launch straight into a sour-fueled mood when his eyes filled with stardust, lazer focused up the path where they had come from. Jade and Azul both knew who he was looking at before they even turned around, still, they found themselves even a bit flustered by the siren's glow up. Luna broke away from her brother as she locked eyes with her beloved with a smile that rivaled the sun.

"Floyd, honey! There you are!" Her sweet tone radiated warmth. Before Floyd could say a word, Luna was right there with her arms around his neck and her rich red lips planted on his. The eel melted in her arms with a soft moan. Jade half expected his brother to collapse or explode on the spot. Perhaps both. 

Azul silently commended his grandmother on the stylistic choices she made for Luna but also on how Luna's magical aura had clearly flourished under her tutelage. Normal humans struggled to notice these things but mermaids and beastmen could easily register them with their keener senses. To Azul, Luna's growing power surrounded her like a high-quality perfume: alluring, unique, and even a bit disarming. The siren in question gravitated toward the octopus with a kind smile. Floyd was too blissed out to be upset about her temporary departure. 

"Luna, you are absolutely thriving," Azul greeted her with a proud grin, "I can see how well Grandmother is treating you." 

"Azul-kun," she gave him a grateful kiss on his cheek, "How can I ever repay your wonderful generosity? Actually...don't answer that. I already know one way. Come with me." 

The sparkle in her golden eyes as she took him by the hand made Azul weirdly excited and anxious all at the same time. Luna cooed to her love that she'd return shortly but he was already bothering 'big brother' Indigo alongside Jade. 

"Ooh Big Brother, you're taller than I thought you'd  be!" Floyd chuckled. 

Indigo's stoic expression didn't budge nor did his crossed arms as he rolled his eyes at the twin's bluntness. He was by no means short in his human form. He had to be at least six foot five, but the even taller twins still leaned down to talk to him just to be cheeky. Cowrie felt like she was standing in the middle of a forest of black uniforms and tailored suits, almost straining her neck just to look up at the guys surrounding her.

Luna and Azul walked along the stone path away from the large courtyard towards a more solitary park area with a lake. 

"This was always one of her favorite hideaways when we were still on campus. Don't be too upset with her for keeping you waiting, Azul-kun. She was intercepted, unfortunately..." Luna's voice lowered as the two of them reached the shoreline. The siren placed a finger to her lips before pointing across the lake to the bridge. Azul nearly choked on his own breath at the sight of her, his beloved Elise. 

She was standing on the bridge talking to someone but even with her back turned to him, she was a vision. Her long, curled dark hair tumbled down her back with white lilies braided in behind her ear. The dress she wore was a modern Rose Queendom style but instead of the usual red or white, it was lavender with a black waterfall waistcoat, giving it a customed look. White rose emblems had been pinned into her lapels, proving that she had been taken under the royal family's wing. Azul felt a swell of pride and awe that wasn't even daunted when he realized who Elise was talking to. The shock of red hair on the intruder did make him frown, however. Luna gently tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the water with a mischievous smirk. 

"I was never here," she sing-song whispered before walking back to the courtyard. Azul didn't hesitate. He quietly slipped into the water and shifted into his true form, making his way stealthfully as possible towards the bridge as he sank beneath the water's surface. Azul felt a tremendous shiver of energy electrify him to the core before he even peeked out of the water. He knew it well, it had the same base feeling, scent even, as before but now it had grown tenfold. He knew it had to be Elise's magic. The octopus quietly settled just below where Elise and Rielle stood.

"I'm sorry for how I behaved before, Rielle...I wasn't thinking clearly." 

She sounded like she truly regrated whatever had happened between them. What had happened while she was away? Azul had to fight to not let his paranoid imagination get the best of him as he quietly listened from the shadows. He made the mistake of moving ever so slightly over so he could see the two of them better...just in time to see Rielle touch Elise's hand in a way that was way too friendly for Azul's tastes. The octopus' tentacles twitched angrily under the lake's surface as Azul clenched his teeth. 

"You were upset, Elise. I understand. But I meant what I said before. I am sorry for everything that has happened to you. I've been regretting it for weeks..." Ugh, damn those doe eyes and that innocent prince charming act! Azul was seconds away from spitting a bullet of ink right in his ear until Elise moved away from the prince, turning away from the side Azul was on, thankfully. She didn't seem nearly as eager to be close to him as before, much to Azul's delight. 

"I haven't. I don't regret any of it, honestly. Well except for giving you my first kiss, that is," she said plainly. The octopus' internal fit was outrageous: happy that Elise didn't regret anything that led her to him-er-where she was, but also infuriated that Rielle was her first kiss and not him. He at least took solace in the fact that he had and would continue to be given all her other kisses. 

Rielle, clueless to the death glares he was receiving below, blinked his wide eyes towards the much more distant girl and her response, "Really? You weren't terrified of those shady con artists? ...They didn't try anything did they?"

Elise just laughed before giving the dumbfound prince a dry look, "You assume too much, you know. Azul, Jade, and Floyd were perfect gentlemen to me the entire time. They cared for and protected me! But I suppose that's too difficult to believe because someone decided to rush headlong into a wild deal without reading the fine print, huh?" Azul internally preened as Elise effortlessly knocked Rielle down a peg or two. 

"I learned from my mistake," the prince quipped, "It makes sense that they treated you with some sort of kindness, Azul was probably trying to cover his slippery tracks-"

Rielle stopped short under the white-hot glare Elise turned on him, "Azul outwitted you. Yes, it was a bit underhanded and I got roped into it, but that was because of YOU. I made my amends with him and I've seen his truest colors. Don't act like you have any room to point fingers when you're just licking your wounds, Rielle! Azul has shown me more care, honesty, and compassion in one season than you ever had in years so don't you dare speak badly about him!"

At this point, Rielle had been backed into the bridge's railing by the angry girl. Had he not been so busy swooning over Elise's passionate defense of him, Azul would be silently praying for her to shove the prince right over the edge. 

"You...you fell for him, didn't you?" Rielle's voice was soft and careful, "For Azul Ashengrotto, really?"

Elise's grin was unapologetic, "Yes. I absolutely did. It feels nice to not only find someone better who reciprocates, but who also appreciates me without question. Whether or not you see it, it is the truth. I hope you'll be lucky enough to find the same for yourself, Rielle."

HA! Azul was buzzing! He had to submerge just to get a hold of how unabashedly elated he was. He couldn't wait to get that marvelous woman back into his arms as quickly as possible. The prince was thrown by the girl's brutal honesty, however, in her declaration, there wasn't a hint of unkindness towards him personally. Had someone insulted Emily to his face, would he have behaved any differently? Remembering her, though, made his heart ache. He had never felt so foolish, but...perhaps it was for the best.

"I wish you both the very best then, Elise," his smile was a melancholy mixture of sadness and acceptance, "I too hope that I am lucky enough in the future." 

The former princess offered him a genuine smile, "Goodbye, Rielle." 

As Elise left the bridge, one of her lilies fell loose and drifted down to the water below. An eager tentacle caught and gently held onto it as Azul jetted back to the shore faster than he ever had in his life. Elise was almost to the entrance of the park when she was suddenly spun around to face her delighted now-human-again sweetheart. 

"My love, you are even more exquisite than I remember," Azul's charm was on full blast as was his admiration for the woman now in his embrace. He smoothly put the magically dried lily back into her hair as he pressed his lips to hers. Elise's surprise only lasted a second before she batted her eyes coyly at him. 

"Oh? Did you like what you heard, Azul?" ...of course, she had known he was nearby. Clever little minx.

"...I suppose that was a breach of your privacy but hopefully a heart as deliciously sweet as yours will forgive me, dearest?" Azul lifted her hands to his lips as if they were glasses of wine without a hint of shame. 

Elise giggled and shook her head, "Oh I suppose it could..." she paused to drape her arms around his shoulders and take back that stolen kiss, "...Handsome."

The pet name made Azul's face burn through the entire blush spectrum as his debonair aura vanished in seconds. Another giggle and a kiss, "Hmm, yes I like that name. It suits you, handsome." 

"You...are even more dangerous than I thought," he mumbled shyly before clearing his throat, "More importantly, now that I have you all to myself..."

He removed the vial from around his neck and showed it to Elise, making her eyes go wide.

"I believe this is it, love. Forgive my impatience but we've both waited long enough.

Elise clasped it in her hand, feeling her entire body bristle with anticipation, "Let's test it right now then-" 

A hush drew them both to a harsh pause. It began as an almost untraceable hum and rose to a full-bodied sound. Azul and Elise turned towards the far side of the lake as they just heard it blossom into a song. 

"What is that...?" Azul's voice was barely a whisper.

Elise moved in a haze without a word but clasped Azul's hand in her own after putting the vial's chain around her neck. She pulled him along with her as she followed the shore to the other side. There were more trees and underbrush growing thicker as they followed the song. It sounded too familiar. Elise's mind questioned whether it was real or if she and Azul had somehow crossed over into the same dream. It was a woman's voice that led them to the furthest corner of the lake, one nearly hidden by willow trees that had always reminded Elise of home. 

There was all at once the singer, bathing in the water with her long, familiar black hair and monochrome patterned skin. Elise's mind played a trick on her at first.

"Luna? Why are you-" No, that wasn't right... 

The woman's song stopped as she turned to face the young couple, her long stripped tail pulled against the chain that kept her from swimming away. Her golden eyes widened at the sight of the former princess as if she were a ghost. Elise's mind froze: Luna really did look so much like her mother.

"Junonia...?" Elise couldn't believe it but there she was. Who else could she possibly be?!

The mature siren's face seemed to recall something familiar about Elise and the look of recognition pricked something in the back of the human girl's mind. Her lips broke into the smile of a proud mother.

"You have grown so much, Princess," Junonia's voice was full of kindness. Elise felt a stir in her heart just from the sound of it. 

"You know who I am?" Azul looked just as puzzled as she was. 

The siren chuckled lightly, "Of course, how could I forget the brave young princess that rescued my Cowrie? I am so grateful and happy that the girl I rescued from drowning in that storm turned out to be such a wonderful human." 

Elise felt the ground nearly crumble under her feet as she remembered the sound of the sea's furious waves and the thunder from all those years ago. The song...Junonia's song...she had heard it before. Many, many years ago at first. The second time that night on the balcony. And now...she barely recognized the sound of her own voice as it left her tight throat.

"What...what did you say?"

Tagging: @nuitthegoddess @iscarlettappel @foxwitchaine @1ndigowitch @wysteriadelights @evieyouknow @ladyrosemoon @victoria1676 @aiimee9 @honey-milk-depresso @espada188 @feldya

[officiallyashley]

ROTTMNT HEADCANONS— the birth of harley jade hamato

NOTES: I wanted some fluff headcanons, so I made some fluff headcanons! Plus, I thought that I’d change it up since I have been writing a lot of angst lol. Also, I’m obviously not a professional on this kind of stuff. 

WARNINGS: mentions of pregnancy, mentions of childbirth. 

{~~~}

So a fun fact about Ms. Harley 

Well idk if it’s a “fun” fact per se but idk what else to call it lol

Harley was born one week before her initial due date 

Anyways with that being said 

When Ash’s water broke

Everyone was caught off guard 

Like 

EVERYONE

So the turtles and the kunoichis were out doing a very quick patrol because they knew how far along Ash was in their pregnancy 

Which only left Splinter and April in the lair with Ash

Ashley was just laying on the couch eating her avocado toast and vanilla yogurt with raspberries 

One of her fav snacks actually even before she got pregnant 🥰

April was in the chair adjacent to the couch

And Splinter was heading into the kitchen to get a drink

And Ashley was watching their cartoons, revisiting some shows from their childhood

Everything was silent and calm

And that’s when they felt really strong pains in their lower region 

This caused Ash to groan in agony and drop her food to the floor

Which caught the attention of Splinter and April

“Ash?!” April exclaimed, practically jumping out of the chair she was sitting in. 

“Fuck!” The ravenette cursed as Splinter walked into the living room to see what was going on. 

And before they responded 

They felt it 

“Ash…?” April spoke up quietly. 

“… My water just broke…” Ash whispered softly, in a state of shock. 

April and Splinter froze. They both were about to lose their shits. 

Their marbles: lost. 

Their minds: panicked. 

“What the fuck are you guys doing just standing there?! One of you call the guys and my sisters! NOW!” Ashley yelled out in pain, which snapped the woman and the mutant rat out of their state of shock. 

“R-Right! I’ll notify everyone that needs to be notified! Splints, stay with Ash until we know what to do!” April said, frantically taking out her phone and she started her string of phone calls. 

First, she called the turtles and the kunoichis. Then, she called Chad and Dillon, Ash, Alex, Shiphrah, and Jackie’s fathers. 

While April was making the necessary phone calls, Splinter tried to comfort Ash the best that he could. He could tell that Ash was panicking and trying to stay calm. 

“Ashley, it’ll be alright. Just try to steady your breathing, okay?” Splinter comforted. 

“I-I’m scared, Splinter…” Ash mumbled with tears threatening to prick her violet hues.  

“That’s perfectly normal to feel that way, especially since you are so young.” 

“N-No… that’s not what I mean! I’ve talked to Raph about this, and no matter how much he comforts me, it doesn’t work. I still feel awful inside. I… I don’t want to end up being a failure! I don’t want to end up being like Mallory!” Ash elaborated further with a shaking voice. Still, her tears didn’t fall. 

“You will be a great mother to my grandchild. Don’t doubt that.” Splinter said comfortingly and confidently. 

Ashley smiled gratefully at Splinter. “Thank you very much, Splinter. I really needed that.” Ash expressed her gratitude. She wiped her tears away from the corners of her eyes. 

Splinter simply nodded with a smile, and he continued to stay with Ash until his sons and the others got here. 

It wasn’t very long at all until the turtles and the kunoichis arrived back at the lair. 

Everyone was frantic. 

“HOLY SHIT, ASH, ARE YOU OKAY?!” — an incredibly worried and anxious Leo

“OMIGOSH BABY H IS ALMOST HERE!!” — a very excited and hyped Mikey 

“DON’T YELL, YOU TWO!!” April quickly chastised the two turtle brothers. 

“She’s right. We don’t want to make things more stressful for them.” Shiphrah said to them. Alex was on the phone with her two dads to update them on the situation. 

Raph and Donnie pushed everyone aside to get to Ashley. 

“Babe, are you okay?!” Raph asked his girlfriend. 

“Yeah, I’m okay, love,” Ash said, their breathing heavy because of the pain that they were in. 

Raph hated seeing his lover in so much pain and agony. However, he knew that it wouldn’t be much longer until that pain would disappear, and they would be able to meet their baby daughter. 

“Raph, get Ash and take them to my lab! Pronto!” Donnie ordered with panic in his voice. 

“R-Right!” The red-masked ninja turtle then very carefully picked up his girlfriend and followed his brother up to his laboratory. 

So Donnie and Raph got Ashley settled

And Donnie started to do routine things like taking Ash’s vitals and checking up on other aspects he was analyzing. 

Ashley ended up being in labor with their daughter for 19 hours 

In that timeframe, everyone was double-checking and making sure that everything was ready for when the baby arrived. 

The entire family was very excited but also very nervous. Some were showing their anxiety more than others, like Alex, Chad, and Jackie. 

No one knew how this labor would go. In regards to a mutant child being born, this had never happened before. In fact, the others were told by Donnie that they would most likely not be able to naturally have kids because of differences in the guys’ and the girls’ genetic codes. So when Raph and Ash told everyone that they were pregnant, everyone was absolutely floored. No one knew what to expect from this. 

Everyone just had to hope that this ordeal was going to go in their favor. 

However, the most nervous of them all was definitely Raph and Ash. Admittedly, Ash was calmer than Raph — or, at least, she was seeming calmer than her significant other.  

There was a moment when Donnie had to check Ash over, and Raph took that chance to step out of his brother’s laboratory for a breather. 

That’s when Leo saw Raph getting a drink of water. The red-masked turtle shakily set the glass of water down on the kitchen counter. 

“Heya there, Raph. How are you doing?” Leo asked his eldest brother. 

“I’m scared, Leo! What if I’m not a good dad? What if something goes wrong and something happens to my daughter or to Ashley?” Raphael voiced his understandable concerns to his brother. 

Leo didn’t like having the atmosphere and tone so serious. Usually, he would deflect this with humor, but Leo quickly realized that that certain approach wouldn’t be the best option for the moment. 

Leo walked over to his brother, looking up at him. “Raph, I don’t normally get this serious, but… everything will be alright. Ash will be fine, Baby H will be fine. You’ll be a great father, and Ash will be an amazing parent.” Leo comforted his brother, placing his hand on Raph’s shoulder. 

Raph stayed silent for a moment, averting his eyes from Leo. Raph then tightly engulfed Leo in a bear hug. 

“Thank you, Leo. I needed that.” Raph said graciously. 

“Of course, bro,” Leo said as he hugged his brother back. 

Hours and hours went by. All that they had to do was wait. Raph very rarely ever left Ash’s side throughout the 19 hours of labor that Ash was in. Donnie reassured his brother and his brother’s girlfriend that everything was going to be alright and that he was there to keep tabs on Ash’s progress. 

After 19 hours of labor, Donnie deemed Ash ready to give birth to her and Raph’s baby. 

Luckily, nothing happened during the delivery. That part went smoothly and didn’t have any complications, but Ash was just in a hell of a lot of pain, which was to be expected. 

During the actual delivery of the baby, Ashley was cursing up a storm holy shit. 

Like it was profanity after profanity after profanity. 

Also, Ash was squeezing Raph’s hand so hard that the three of them thought that she would break Raph’s hand. 

“You’re doing great, sweetpea!” Raph exclaimed, trying not to wince at the pain his hand was in. He also hated seeing his lover in this much pain. 

“That’s what you told me as you—”

“Ashley, keep pushing!” Donnie interjected quickly before Ash could say anything more. 

So that was fun for everyone to hear lol. 

After some time had passed of Ash pushing per Donnie’s orders, they heard wailing and crying coming from a newborn. 

Finally, after all this time, their baby had been born. 

“Congratulations, you two! She's a healthy baby girl!” Donnie commemorated. He handed Ash the newborn, which she eagerly took. 

Once they saw their daughter for the first time, Raph and Ashley began to cry happy tears. 

Ashley never thought that she would ever be here in her life. Ash never thought that she would find someone as phenomenal as Raph because of how her two ex-girlfriends had mistreated her in the past. Ashley’s life had never been easy from the get-go, and the 18-year-old didn’t ever think that she deserved to be loved or to be happy. Ashley didn’t ever think she would have kids or have a special someone to go through life with.  

Raph also didn’t think he would ever be able to experience anything like this. He didn’t think that he would find someone as accepting and loving as Ashley. Raph was eternally grateful for this moment in his life. 

“She’s just… so perfect, Raph. She’s so fucking perfect…” Ash sobbed happily. 

Raph sniffled. “She looks exactly like you, Ash,” Raph commented, wiping away the tears that were streaming down his face. 

“My god, you’re right…!” Ash gushed. 

“I’m proud of you, honey,” Raph told the ravenette softly, kissing her temple. 

“Thank you, Raph,” Ash said. 

The first time that Raph got to hold little Harley in his arms was incredibly monumental to him. She was tiny compared to his huge stature, and shit was she the cutest most adorable thing that Raph had ever seen. 

The others recalled how cheerful the lair was that day. 

Alex, her fathers, and her sisters saw Ashley and Raphael at their happiest point. The birth of Harley was clearly the best thing that had ever happened to them. 

On May 23rd at 6:04 pm, Harley Jade Hamato was born to Raphael Hamato and Ashley Singh.

𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑. 𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚. 𝐢 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥.