#a little more farmer than cottage but I think he's cute | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

larrydempsey · 1 year ago

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“Stanley”

Stanley was a shy little man. He was short and pudgy and had very little hair (and what there was of it was thin, slightly gray, and either went straight up or out to the sides). He wasn’t young, but he wasn’t old. He wasn’t good-looking, but he wasn’t a toad (no offense to toads). Any day of the week, you could depend on seeing Stanley wearing a green cotton shirt (with the sleeves rolled up), a green vest (always buttoned), green twill pants (that were just slightly too short), green suspenders, light tan sandals (with really big buckles), and thick round glasses. The other thing you could always depend on seeing Stanley wear was a big smile. Stanley lived in the English countryside (in the county of Ellinghamshire, to be exact). He lived in a one-story thatched-roof cottage (painted green, of course) on Darrowby Lane, the last house on the left. You can’t miss it. He had a small garden with an even smaller veggie patch where he mostly grew carrots and tomatoes. Stanley loved two things. The first was his bicycle (colored, you guessed it, green). He loved riding his bicycle everywhere: on the bike paths across the English countryside, to the pub (“The Crab & Rock Lobster”), to the farmer’s market, and to the corner shop (to pick up the daily newspaper and a bag of sweets). You would think that with all that bike riding, Stanley wouldn't be so pudgy. That’s just one of the mysteries of the universe, I guess. Everyone loved Stanley in the village where he lived, and Stanley loved (and was friends with) everyone in return. Stanley would ride his bicycle around the village every morning and greet everyone along the way, always ready with a smile and a compliment. “Your rose bushes are coming in nicely this year, Mrs. Applebottom!” “Thank you for noticing, Stanley!” “Your strawberries smell delicious, Mr. Poppintoots! I bet they’ll win a blue ribbon at the county fair!” “That’s very kind of you to say, Stanley!” The second thing Stanley loved was Helen. Helen worked as a waitress at The Crab & Rock Lobster. Stanley liked Helen not only because she was sweet and nice but also because she was short and pudgy like himself. With her long blonde hair (and big curls), squinty eyes, chubby cheeks, and double chin, she was the most beautiful woman Stanley had ever seen. He also loved the cute little squeak sound she made when she giggled, so he tried to make her laugh as often as he could. “...so then the doctor says…” said Stanley, sitting in his favorite booth. “‘If there’s my thermometer, then where did I leave my pen?’” “Oh, Stanley! You’re so silly!” laughed Helen, standing next to Stanley’s table, pencil and order pad in hand. Stanley loved telling Helen jokes not only because it made her laugh (and squeak), but also because he liked that she jiggled when she giggled. Stanley had fancied Helen for years but was too nervous to ask her for a date. He tried asking her many times, but he always chickened out. Stanley had settled on being acquaintances, admiring her from a distance, as painful as that had become. He had come to accept that his best chance for interacting with Helen was by occasionally dropping by the pub for lunch or dinner and hoping she would be his waitress (which didn’t always happen, unfortunately). More than anything, Stanley wished he was more outgoing and more assertive. Maybe then he could ask Helen out. Maybe someday. Maybe.

One night, while riding his bicycle home from the pub, Stanley stopped before a railroad crossing stop sign (most people would not have stopped at a railroad crossing stop sign in the middle of the night, especially when no train was coming, but a stop sign was still a stop sign, thought Stanley). It was then that a bright white spotlight shone down on Stanley from above. Stanley looked up, holding his hand in front of his glasses, but he couldn’t see from where the light was coming. A soft and soothing voice quickly followed the light. The voice seemed to come from every direction, as well as only inside Stanley’s head. “We can help you, Stanley,” said The Voice. “`ello? Who’s there then?” “We know what you want, Stanley. All you need is confidence and a sense of achievement from having accomplished something important. We can provide that for you.” “You can…?” asked Stanley as his eyes widened and his heart beat faster. “What would you do to win Helen’s heart, Stanley?” asked The Voice. “Anything.” “Then we have the job for you. But first, sleep. Now.” Stanley’s world went white; he fell asleep atop his bicycle, and both he and his bicycle slowly faded away, disappearing from the railroad crossing as if they were never there.

When Stanley awoke, he was sitting on his bicycle in the center of a large circular room whose walls were smooth and maroon in color. The room was dimly lit by a row of small flood lights along the bottom edge of the curved walls, pointed upward. Large, leafy plants grew along the walls between the lights. The air was warm and sweet. A faint humming sound, as if made by large, unseen machinery, could be heard in the distance. Stanley and his bicycle were raised off the ground a few inches by a metal frame platform. Dozens of hoses, wires, and cables were attached to his bicycle, as well as to his head and body, with suction cups. The other ends of the hoses, wires, and cables were connected to machines, computers, and generators scattered around Stanley in a big circle. Stanley looked up and beheld an enormous golden gear, laid flat and facing downward, a hundred feet above him. The gear was bigger than anything he had ever seen in his life—easily bigger than a cricket field, he thought. “Welcome, Stanley,” said a familiar voice. “We’re happy to see you awake and well after your long journey.” “Where am I? What’s all this then?” “You are in the heart of the world, Stanley, thousands of miles beneath the surface of the planet.” “Really? My goodness.” “We have a very important job for you, one for which we think you are perfectly suited.” “I’ll do my best if I can,” replied Stanley, sticking out his chest and sitting up straight on his bicycle. “The world is not as it was, Stanley,” explained The Voice. “It has become severely damaged. The weather gets worse by the day. As a result, the planet is slowing down and becoming unable to revolve on its own. We’re working on a solution to the problem, but we need something—someone, actually—to buy us some time. That’s where you come in, Stanley.” “But I’m just a nobody from Ellinghamshire County. What can I do?” “All our previous attempts to buy ourselves time have failed. They lacked warmth and compassion. We need a human touch. A human heart. We need you, Stanley.” “Why me?” “You were chosen because you are the most honest and pure-hearted person in all the world, Stanley. Only your optimistic spirit can accomplish the task ahead.” “What would I have to do?” asked Stanley. “You simply ride your bicycle as you would normally, and it makes the world spin. It’s as easy as that. All these fantastic machines around you will take care of the rest.” “And by doing this, I’ll win Helen’s heart, too, like you promised?” “Most assuredly,” replied The Voice. Stanley felt a sense of hope that he’d never felt before. After years of loving Helen from afar, having a chance with her was finally within reach. “Start pedaling, Stanley. Reserve power is about to run out, and we need you to begin your work.” Stanley started pedaling, and after a couple minutes, the enormous golden gear a hundred feet above him began to turn, slowly at first but eventually picking up momentum. Faster and faster it turned until it finally reached the desired speed. All the lights on the computers began to beep and flash, and all the hoses started pumping and thumping.

Stanley rode his bicycle all day and all night. And all night and all day. How long had he been there, he wondered? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? It seemed like forever. It seemed like he'd always been there. After a while, he could hardly remember what life was like before he came here. He rode so long that he began to not like riding his bicycle anymore (probably because here, unlike the rolling hills of the English countryside, he doesn’t actually go anywhere or see anyone). Even as cheerful a person as Stanley was, his patience began to wear thin. His spirit began to wane, his endurance began to weaken, and his smile began to fade. “How much longer do I have to do this?” “Not for much longer, Stanley,” replied The Voice. “You're doing a great job. Keep it up. Remember, you will gain confidence and accomplish something of significant importance. Helen will greatly admire you for this.”

More days (or weeks or months or years) went by. Stanley began to doubt The Voice. “I’m too tired,” said Stanley, exhausted. “I can’t do this anymore.” “You can’t stop now, Stanley,” said The Voice. “If you do, you won’t gain confidence, and you won’t win Helen’s heart.” “I don’t believe you,” said Stanley angrily. “I don't believe any of this. I’m leaving.” Stanley stopped pedaling. He pulled all the wires off his head and body, each of the suction cups making a soft “pop” sound as he did. The wheels of his bicycle began to slow, and he got off. The enormous golden gear a hundred feet above him also began to slow and eventually ground to a halt. “Stanley, stop!” begged The Voice. “You don’t know what you’re doing!” Stanley looked around and noticed a door on one of the walls behind him. Above the door were the words “way” and “out.” He walked toward the door and reached for the doorknob. “Stanley, don’t! Please come back!” Stanley ignored The Voice’s warning and opened the door. Upon opening it, Stanley was blasted with hot air and a blinding white light. He passed out and collapsed to the floor.

When Stanley opened his eyes, he was lying on the grass, flat on his back, staring at the overcast sky in the middle of his village’s town park. He stood up, brushed off his arms and legs, and spun around, looking in every direction. Everyone, everywhere, was lying on the ground. In the park, on the streets, and in the fields, all the people, all the dogs, birds, wildlife, and livestock, as far as Stanley could see, were lifeless and unmoving. And then one thought (one person, specifically) flashed across Stanley's mind: Helen. Stanley ran across the park, as fast as his stubby legs could carry him—past the gazebo, down the street, and straight to the pub. He couldn’t run fast enough. Once inside the pub, everyone was either hunched over the counter or slumped down in their chairs and booths. Others were on the floor, including Helen. “No! No! No! No! No!” cried Stanley as he ran over to Helen and kneeled down, lifting her head off the floor, grabbing her shoulders, and cradling her lifeless body in his lap. “What have I done?” The Voice returned to Stanley’s head. “Stanley, we need you to return to your work. We need you to ride your bicycle again.” “Why should I? It’s too late. Helen’s dead. Everyone’s dead,” said Stanley, gently brushing a strand of curly blonde hair out of Helen’s face. “Nothing matters anymore.” “Please, Stanley. We need you to…” “Leave me alone!” yelled Stanley as tears welled up in his eyes. “Stanley, please listen to us. Helen is not dead. No one is. Everyone is simply stunned by the sudden shock of the world coming to a complete stop. If you start riding your bicycle again, everything will return to normal.” “What? Really? Then you mean Helen will be okay?” “Yes, Stanley. But you need to come back now. You won’t have to work much longer, but we do need you to return right now.” “Please give me two minutes with Helen before I go. Just two minutes. Please.” After a brief pause, The Voice returned. “Okay, Stanley. Two minutes. But not a second more.” “Thank you. Thank you.” Stanley looked down at Helen as he held her in his arms. Her eyelids began to flicker, and she slowly regained consciousness. “Stanley? Is that you?” asked Helen, her words slow and her eyelids heavy. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone for such a long time.” “Yes, Helen. It’s me. Please listen. I don’t have much time. I have to leave again, but I’ll be back soon. But before I go, there's something I need to tell you.” “Yes, Stanley?” said Helen eagerly. “It’s just…” said Stanley, his voice stuttering and stammering. “I just wanted to tell you… It’s just that I want to know that I…” “I know, Stanley. I’ve always known. I feel the same way about you, too. Once you’ve done what you have to do, we can finally go out on that date I have always wanted you to ask me out on. We have a lot of time to make up for.” “You mean it? You’ll wait for me?” Helen raised herself up and gently kissed Stanley on the cheek. “Go save the world, Stanley. I’ll be here.” Stanley slowly faded away, out of the pub, and back into the heart of the world. Reunited with his bicycle and reattached to all the hoses, wires, and cables, he started pedaling. The enormous golden gear came back to life, the world began to revolve again, and everything was back to the way it was before Stanley8left—except for one thing: his smile had returned.

The end.

Commentary for “Stanley”

–Alternate titles: “Stanley & Helen,” “Stanley & His Bicycle,” “The Two Loves of Stanley,” and “Stanley’s Big Adventure” (which makes reference to the movie “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” a story about another man and his bicycle).

–I got the idea for this story after seeing a house for sale in England on the reality TV series “Escape to the Country.” The house was a converted mill or granary. It had a giant gear in the ceiling of the living room. This was also why I set my story in England.

–Who (or what) is “The Voice?” Is it an alien(s)? Is it God? The Universe? The mole people? Is it/are they good or evil? I intentionally left it up to the reader.

–I purposely avoided calling the planet “Earth,” as my story may or may not actually take place on this planet. I couldn’t think of a way to get around using the terms “human” or “English countryside,” however.

–Like with my story "The Empress," I like that I was able to include a message/warning about climate change.

–Like with my story "The Princess," this story has an exaggerated/larger-than-life/“fairy tale” feeling to it. At least it does to me. I even think it feels like a children’s story in certain places (especially the early scenes). I’m sure I could easily convert it into a children’s book.

–The sci-fi elements and the heart of the world scenes were inspired by the movies “Dark City” and “Halloween III: Season of the Witch,” as well as the TV series “Lost” and “The Prisoner.”

–The names “Stanley” and “Helen” are the names of the first landlords on the 1970s TV sitcom “Three's Company.”

–The name of the county where Stanley lives (“Ellinghamshire”) is fictional. It was inspired by the last name of the character Dr. Martin Ellingham from the TV series “Doc Martin.”

–The street where Stanley lives (“Darrowby Lane”) is taken from the name of the village that is used as the setting for the TV series “All Creatures Great and Small.”

–I actually did research on what vegetables grow best in England. I settled on carrots and tomatoes. I also had corn and cucumbers in Stanley’s veggie patch, but I deleted them when I read that those were two that didn’t grow as well over there.

–The name of the pub where Helen works (“The Crab & Rock Lobster”) combines two names: the name of the pub from the TV series “Doc Martin” (“The Crab & Lobster”) and the title of the song “Rock Lobster” by the band The B-52’s.

–The joke Stanley tells Helen in the pub about the doctor mistaking his pen for a thermometer was taken from an episode of the TV series “Night Court.” Dan Fielding (played by John Larroquette) was telling this joke to someone in the hall of the courthouse. We only heard the punchline.

–The scene where Stanley stopped in front of a stop sign at the railroad crossing was inspired by (okay, I swiped it from) the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

–The Voice telling Stanley to “sleep. Now” is from the movie “Dark City.”

–I originally envisioned the room where Stanley rides his bicycle to turn the enormous golden gear as being made out of dark red bricks, making it seem like he was at the bottom of a well or a giant smokestack. But it felt too decrepit and medieval. So I changed it to smooth walls (they stayed dark red, though).

–The line “The world is not as it was” is taken from my story "The Empress." That’s the first time I ever reused (i.e., swiped) a line of dialogue from one of my own stories. Hey, if you’re going to swipe, swipe from the best.

–The door where Stanley exits the heart of the world with the words “way” and “out” was taken directly from the TV series “The Prisoner.”

–How was Helen able to regain consciousness on the floor of the pub when everyone else in the world was unconscious? I don’t know for certain, but I like to think that when Stanley held her, he unknowingly transferred some of his energy/life force over to her to help her wake up and, at least temporarily, remain conscious.

–When Helen tells Stanley to “go save the world,” does she literally know what his job is, or is it just a figure of speech? Is Helen more than she seems? Am I just making this up as I go along to make myself sound like a more clever writer than I actually am?

–In my original ending, Stanley’s new job was a lifelong one. Helen learned what he was doing, and, yes, he earned her admiration for doing it, but he wasn’t coming back. So they never got together in the end. He felt that his job to save the world was more important than his happiness (“the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” and all that). So he sacrificed himself for love. It was more of a bittersweet ending. But I just couldn’t do that to Stanley—or to either of them. I liked them too much. I had to give them a happy ending (well, sort of, as they would eventually be together in the near future, but not quite yet).

–This is the first story I’ve written where I ended it with the words “The end.” I wonder why I have never chosen to do that before.

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hulijingemperor2 · 2 years ago

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Yao: *opens fan* are you ready?

Zixuan: yea. *fixes hair*

Xue yang: are you two divas going to a pageant?

Yao: no yangyang, we're going to survive outdoors.

Su she: but you two hate filth.

Xue yang: I hope you divas survive.

Zixuan: of course we will.

Yao: Zish better stay alive.

Mo xuanyu: have fun guys. And team D will definitely miss Yao gege.

Su she: yes!

Huangdi, is your personal attendant going too?

Yao: yes and Zixuan's.

Xue yang: then what sort of camping is that, Jiggy.

Yao: we need security as well, remember.

Zixuan: and I need someone to massage my scalp while I'm taking a bath.

Yao: *whispers* don't tell them that.

Xue yang: I will never understand the ways of divas.

Mo xuanyu: lol I know right.

Yao: *hugs* bye team D. Love you.

Xue yang: can i get a little kiss, Jiggybun?!

Su she: bye Huangdi. See you soon. *blush*

Mo xuanyu: bye, you two. And don't eat anything poisonous.

You're young glamorous emperors with children.

Su she: we can't be fighting for custody over Rusong with Lan lips.

Yao: team dimple, we'll be alright.

Xue yang: now why are you guys dressed like emperors?

Zixuan: because we are.

Xue yang: nooo. You should dress up like farmers or something.

Mo xuanyu: no leisure outfits are more fit.

Zixuan: fine.

Yao: can we still wear our high heeled boots?

Mo xuanyu: if you two could walk in them.

Zixuan and Yao: *took out their outer robes and handed it to an attendant.

Yao: tear them apart and make something beautiful for Rusong. He deserves the best quality clothes.

Zixuan: there are plenty more where that came from.

Yes Huangdis.

Yao: how are we now?

Mo xuanyu: fabulous!!

Xue yang: Jiggy, your waist is so thin. You have an hourglass figure.

I'm so jealous of hensheng. Jiggy baby, you have a very juicy a**. Can I touch it?

Su she: *blushing* xue yang stop harassing him. Huangdi and Huangdi, you look great.

My Yao Huangdi always look hot.

Xue yang: I'll cheat on Daozhang with you, Jiggy!!!!

Zixuan: they're so random.

Mo xuanyu: whenever Yao gege does something, the crowd goes wild.

Su she: because he's hot.

Fuying: Huangdi, shall we?

Jintang: we assure your safety.

Yao: yes yes. Let's go.

About 2 hours later, A-Yao and Zixuan arrived at the place~ which was a small cottage in the middle of the woods.

Yao: smaller than I imagined.

Zixuan: where's the walkway.

Fuying: it's right there.

Zixuan: but there's bush.

Jintang: I think that's the idea, Huangdi.

Zixuan: who planted bush in the walkway?! I should Hage brought my gardeners.

They don't know that two emperors are coming.

Jintang: who's the "they", Huangdi?

Zixuan: what do you mean? The housekeepers.

Jintang: there aren't any.

Zixuan: what?????

Yao: *cutting the grass with his hensheng*

Fuying: brilliant, Huangdi.

Zixuan: aw Yaoyao. You're a genius.

Yao: haha, thank you Zishie.

Zixuan: how dare these absent housekeepers make my A-Yao work.

Jintang: Huangdi, it's basically an abandoned house.

Zixuan: oh great. We'll be eaten in no time.

Jintang: that's why we're here to protect you both.

Yao: thanks for the service.

Zish, I asked the attendants to pack cooking ingredients.

Zixuan: delightful.

Upon entering the house, they both started sneezing.

Fuying: omg!

Jintang: huangdi and Huangdi, please don't die!

Yao: *sneezing*

Zixuan: tell! *sneeze* A-ling *sneeze and A-Li I love *sneeze* them!

Jintang: Huangdi, are you dying?

Zixuan: no. It's just a sneeze.

Jintang: oh good.

Zixuan: but I felt like it.

Fuying: we'll tidy up, Huangdis.

Yao: *sits with Zixuan* at least there's seating.

Zixuan: yea.

Yao: *sneezes* when Song'er sneezes, his floof appears.

Zixuan: this kid is hella cute.

Yao: yup. He got that from me.

Zixuan: obviously he did!

Yao: Zishie, what if this place is haunted.

Zixuan: then you got to fight the ghosts and protect me.

Yao: you are the one who's supposed to protect me, as you're older.

Zixuan: but you're the hulijing.

Yao: and you're the cultivator.

Zixuan: *nudges* you're one too.

Yao: who knows. They'll get scared of you.

Zixuan: *gasps* Yaoyao, I'm not at all scary.

Yao: Huaisang says that you can scare ghosts away.

Zixuan: he said that?!! Don't listen to that loser.

I'll go cut his pay.

Yao: really Zishie. Do you even pay him?

Zixuan: *puppy eyes* no.

Yao: lol.

Zixuan: I might as well send him here if he acts up.

Yao: good idea.

Zixuan: ohh Yaoyao. Hang on. You're sweating. *wipes sweat*

Yao: well it is rather warm.

Zixuan: poor baby.

Yao: *sigh*

Zixuan: the things we go through.

Yao: camping, Huaisang scheming, guangshan. But we're still flawless at the end of the day.

Zixuan: yup.

Fuying: everything is tidied up, Huangdi.

Yao: great job.

Please burn something to ward off mosquitoes.

You know hate them.

Fuying: certainly Huangdi.

Anything for your comfort.

Yao: *smile*

Zish, let's go cook something!

Zixuan: do I look like I can cook?

Yao: it will be fun!

Zixuan: how about some noodles and pork dumplings.

Yao: good idea. And maybe we can make some tea on the side.

Later on~~

Yao: *cooking the pork filling*

Fuying; *adding salt*

Yao: put some more onions. I have already cut then up.

Fuying: mn Huangdi.

Zixuan: *struggling with the dough, while his face was covered in flour*

Jintang: *trying to hook up Zixuan's hair into a bun*

Zixuan: ugh! Why is this place so warm.

Yao: I know right.

I might cook in this hat. *takes it off* how is the dough going?

Zixuan: looks presentable. For just us.

I'm going through trial and error.

Yao: oh my.

Zixuan: Yaoyao. Just imagine if we were here with huaisang.

Yao: or guangshan.

Zixuan: lol. That would be a disaster too.

Yao: I might dump them in the middle of the forest on purpose. Just saying.

Zixuan: *laughing*

Later on, after eating the food they just made, the emperors laid on the floor, due to the frustrating heat.

But luckily their attendants were fanning them.

Zixuan: it's so hot!!!!!!

Yao: are we gonna die?!!

Jintang: please don't! You have an empire to run!

Yao: yea. We do.

*a hairy bug afterwards crawled out from a crevice in the wall.

Both: *screaming*

Zixuan: *struck it with his energy*

Yao: *covering his eyes*

Zixuan: you have no right to exist in my presence!

Yao: congrats Zishie, you put a hole in the wall.

Zixuan: better than being bitten or even touched by that thing.

Yao: that bug looked like guangshan's moustache.

Zixuan: ewww.

Yaoyao, let's burn down this place.

Yao: noooo!

Zixuan: I need a bath. But with flowers in the bathwater.

Yao: same. But we're out camping.

Zixuan: yea. *scoffs* is this how peasants live?

They have to fight bugs, cook, and clean?

That's tough.

Yao: huh. Sounds like working for dage.

Zixuan: evil guy didn't treat my baby Yaoyao right. When I asked him about your whereabouts, he had the audacity to say he doesn't know.

Yao: no one knows where I be, Zish.

I'm stealth.

Also he kicked me out of Qinghe with a stab wound.

Zixuan: the sacrifices you make.

Yao: *sigh* yea.

Zixuan: ok emperor Yaoyao, let's go get some water from a river or a well.

Yao: yea let's go emperor Zishie. And don't get no Wen flashbacks.

Zixuan: you could have told Ruoruo to easy up on the Jins.

Yao: it was all part of being a spy.

You can't be biased.

Zixuan: I see.

You know, we would have been awesome spies.

Yao: definitely.

And especially when we have empires.

Zixuan: mhm. You me and xuanyu!!

Yao: what would be our name?

Zixuan: something cool like the anonymous triad.

Yao: love that!

Later on ~~

They went back to their cottage, and it started raining a bit.

Zixuan: shit. The roof is leaking.

Yao: yikes.

Fuying: *places a bucket, just to catch the water which was leaking through the roof*

Zixuan: what if the house falls apart.

Yao: then we'll just put up a tent.

Zixuan: with what????

Yao: with our sheets.

Zixuan: those are expensive

Yao: we're rich. We can buy new ones.

Zixuan: you're right.

Zixuan: *reclines*

Yao: *reclining while he rests his head on his stomach*

Attendants: *fanning them*

Yao: I want peach blossom wine.

Zixuan: I want my bed.

Yao: I miss being treated as a god by my citizens and team D.

Zixuan: *sniffles*

I can relate.

Yao: Zishie did you ever hate me? And thought you were better than me?

Zixuan: no. Not at all.

What about you.

Yao: no. But I thought you were mean and entitled.

Zixuan: I would never be mean to you. You're my baby bro and my responsibility.

Yao: awww. Remember. You're only older by a few hours.

Zixuan: you're still a baby.

Yao: fine.

Sadly we couldn't speak to each other in public.

Zixuan: at least we did in private! And it was very fun.

Yao: mhm.

Zixuan: I shouldn't have listened to A-Die. He mistreated all my siblings.

Yao: it's ok. And look, we're emperors now.

And he has to rent from us.

Zixuan: yes!!!

Yao: *joking* and yes, I didn't like your haughty cliche self!

Zixuan: *joking* cliche???? Your hat is cliche.

Yao: where is your savageness, Zishie? Lol.

Zixuan: it went on vacation.

Yao: haha.

Zixuan: maybe my savageness is missing, like your height.

Yao: *gasps*

Zixuan: how's the view down there?!

Yao: I can still punch you in the face.

Zixuan: aww. With those tiny fists?

Yao: exactly.

Zixuan: *cries* I used yo get beat up a lot. By wei wuxian.

I get nervous when talking to A-li!

Yao: *pats head* poor you.

Zixuan: I was an only child my whole life until I met you and xuanyu. And even worst, this was the first time talking to a girl, who's my crush.

Yao: wei Gongzi should have understood.

Zixuan: right!

Yao: first time talking to a girl? Hehehe. Zish, where's the rizz? Aren't you guangshan's son?

Zixuan: I was Shy!!! And I don't have dimples like you.

Yao: lol.

Zixuan: *sigh* I wonder what our princes are doing.

Yao: being pampered obviously.

Zixuan: it should have been usssssss!!!!

Yao: agreed.

These two have the world.

Zixuan: and who gave it to them.

Yao: us.

We spoilt them. But it was all worth it.

Zixuan: yea. They must have the best of life!

Meanwhile, in Jing Manor 📍

Rusong and Jinling: *reclining while being fed strawberries*

Jinling: I wonder how our dads are doing.

Rusong: *sigh* them together in the woods is true chaos.

Jinling: I know right. At least we're not there.

Rusong: for real.

Attendants: *giving them a foot massage*

Rusong: ahh, this is the life.

Jinling: A-Die is maybe making his personal assistant do chores.

Rusong: and my A-Die is maybe telling his assistant to chase mosquitoes.

He hates them with a passion.

Jinling: yikes, but relatable.

Rusong: *stretches* let's go do some rich kid stuff.

Jinling: horseback riding?

Rusong: yea that's it. And maybe some archery later.

Jinling: sounds like a plan.

Team dimple: *entering*

Xue yang: oh hey divas.

Filling in for the emperors.

Rusong: yea uncle muffin.

Jinling: why do you have a cute nickname for him. He isn't cute.

Xue yang: finally! The brat understands that I'm more on the scary side.

Jinling: you're not scary either.

Mo xuanyu: Wangzis, what are you gonna do?

Jinling: horseback riding.

Rusong: then some archery. Or maybe taking a caravan ride

Mo xuanyu: ohhh waw. Have fun.

Xue yang: diva things.

Su she: well they are indeed high class.

~~~~

Zixuan: Yaoyao, do you think Jiang cheng is kinda attractive?

Yao: actually yes. And do you see how he takes care of A-ling. It's really adorable.

Zixuan: exactly. He's a perfect uncle and dad too.

Yao: so sweet.

Zixuan: but I don't like how he scolds him.

Yao: same. A-ling is still a baby.

#the huli jing emperor #dimpledlianfang #foxyao #jin guangyao #jin zixuan #meng yao #su she #part 2 #the untamed #hulijing emperor 2

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cutestraspberry · 2 years ago

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# EIGHT DAYS

- too late for the warning, don't you think?

. . .

characters: Elliot + GN!Reader

genre: fluff, pure and sweet fluff

warnings: none!

synopsis:

Elliot comes back home from the book signing tour, just wanting to meet his darling farmer after eight days apart! Allowing them to share a cute moment.

raspberry signing out!

. . .

Longing - such a mystifying emotion.

It leaves the heart saddened for what you miss, and yet it also makes you a tad pleased. You remember all the things you love about them, all the things that make you seethe with mild rage and it makes you feel like you're still holding your home.

Elliots' heart swelled in joy at the thought of finally seeing his home. His farmer, his darling, his partner. Being gone for so long, even though he had enjoyed every minute of the book signing tour, made him realise how much he got used to married life. Especially to the presence of [S/O]. To the way their breaths ragged as they worked the farm, their skin reddened a little when they saw him despite having been with eachother for quite a while. To their amazing smile, so contagious that within seconds everyone in the room would be smiling too.

It was simply too long, 192 hours too long.. It felt like several torturous weeks despite being a measly eight days. Yet, there was a skip in his stop as he walked that path that he knew so well. The birds chirped, informing anyone still in their beds that it was morning and that the sun was shining. Elliot assumed that his [S/O] was already up and about, groggy from their night's sleep. Something that was never long enough, in [S/O]'s opinion! Their little comments and quirks never ceased to amuse Elliot. There was just something about them, something that made him gravitate towards them like a moth to a flame. In a way, to Elliot, it felt like the romance you would only see in books. Endearing and tender, sweet like freshly picked fruit. He was the luckiest man in the valley. The world, even.

The little wooden gate creaked, causing the [colour]-furred cat to lazily pick itself up and greet Elliot. It rubbed itself along his legs, a gentle purr leaving it's tiny body as the man reached for the handle of the old cottages' door. It had both of their names on it now, painted on carefully in a golden colour. Despite the time the cottage has withstood, the farmer clearly cared for it dearly. Freshly painted a lovely shade of [colour], it gave the building the sort of charm only [S/O] had. Just the thought of seeing their lovely face gave Elliot butterflies, a childish giddiness only they could make him feel.

As soon as the door swung open, giving way to Elliot and his suitcase, a rush of footsteps came towards him. The sheer impact and force of [S/O]'s long-awaited embrace causing them both to end up on the floor. Despite that, the sheer joy of the reunion caused them both to forget about any sort of pain and just to simply enjoy this moment.

"You're back!" [S/O] exclaimed, tightening their arms around Elliot. As if he was to leave again, though they would not blame him. Persuing dreams was something the farmer felt rather strongly about. "How was it? Did you get to do everything you wanted, did you enjoy it?"

The questions came flooding in, but Elliot only basked in [S/O]s presence. He planted a gentle kiss on their cheek, wanting nothing more than to be near them. If there was anything that Elliot felt sure of, is that this was what love felt like. "I'll tell you everything, every smallest detail till you no longer can listen to my voice." He joked a little, with a find grin on his handsome face. Elliot stared at his spouse for a little, a familiar warmth spreading through his chest. ".. I missed you like crazy."

[S/O]'s smile held a certain sweetness to it, their hands travelling to cup Elliots' face. Gently stroking their fingers over his skin, they put their forehead against his. "I know you did, and I missed you too." They told him, the admission not louder than a whisper. It was like a secret between them, something only they would know. "No matter what, I won't be tired of your voice. I kept reading the letters you sent, you know? Tried imagining you were saying the content to me." [S/O] chuckled, their face turning tad red from embarrassment. Expressing their affection to Elliot felt easy, but it made them feel like a lovesick puppy sometimes.

"Do you even know how much I adore you? I will always come back home."

#stardew valley #sdv #sdv fanfic #sdv elliott #sdv elliot x reader #sdv elliot x gn!reader #sdv x reader #gender neutral fanfic #short fanfic #sdv farmer #sdv fluff #elliot fluff #sdv elliot fluff #gender neutral reader #flowery language

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cutef1cs · 2 years ago

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Beautiful as Spring - Harvey x Artist Reader

Description: On a spring afternoon, Harvey decides to give a beautiful tulip to the most beautiful friend he has, the farmer Y/N.

Genre: Fluff and Romance.

Warnings: None!

The gentle breeze of wind made the flowers in the valley fly, as if the colorful petals were traveling around. The beautiful sing of the birds blended in perfectly with the spring atmosphere of the small town near the mountains.

All the beauty and tranquility of that delicate fauna enchanted the local doctor. Harvey was standing in front of his clinic, he had closed it for today.

Harvey was calmly surveying his surroundings, his brown eyes were just admiring the nature and spring weathe. In one of his hands, he held a beautiful red tulip. The doctor had found this flower during his lunchtime walk through the forest, he stopped walking just to admire the beautiful flower.

All the beauty and grace of that plant made him think of only one person, the farmer. A great friend of Harvey's, but at the same time, a great friend that Harvey has a enormous feeling of love for, a feeling that Harvey has a hard time hiding… The doctor had already been in love with the farmer for two years, that is, practically since he arrived in town.

Harvey still remembers very well the day the farmer arrived, he was the subject of conversation in town for a whole week, everyone in the village was so curious to know what he was like.

When Harvey first saw the farmer, he was calmly arriving at the clinic with his overalls pockets full of seed packets, his boots soaked in mud. He apologized sheepishly for the dirt on his boots, but the doctor didn't care at all, the only thing Harvey paid attention to was how beautiful he was.

As time went on, as conversation went on, everything about that young farmer charmed Harvey. His gentle smile, his personality, his love for animals, his hair and the way it swayed in the wind...

Harvey was hopelessly in love. He didn't know how to handle it.

Now the doctor was looking at the tulip in his hands, with a small passionate smile on his face. Harvey was determined to deliver this beautiful red flower to the farmer.

But despite the romantic and delicate gesture, Harvey had no intention of declaring himself yet, deep down he wanted so much to talk about his feelings for the farmer, but decided to avoid it because of the fear he had of ending up losing his confidant and best friend…

So he will just deliver a beautiful flower, to a beautiful person.

"I hope he's not busy with the harvest…" Harvey was talking to himself, afraid he'd end up interfering with his friend's work.

Trying to put his worries aside, Harvey tucked the tulip into his coat pocket. He starts walking calmly out of the village, heading towards the farm in the forest. In less than two minutes he could already see the open wooden gate of the farm. As he approached, the doctor already began to feel nervousness inside him. Harvey felt his heart beat faster.

The doctor sighed, trying to compose himself and once again ignore this unbearable feeling. He judges himself for being so anxious around his best friend, but what the doctor doesn't understand, is that no one controls love.

After the small sigh, Harvey continued to look for the farmer, but he only saw his cottage and the vast forest fauna present throughout the farm. As he took a few more steps forward, Harvey found himself surrounded by grass and beautiful flowers.

He walks towards the cabin, looking for the farmer, but stops midway when he sees the farmer's pet cat lying on the grass. Harvey was smiling happily at the little cat, awed by its cuteness.

"Hey sweet little thing!" Harvey bent down to pat the cat on the head. The kitty just raised they head with eyes closed, accepting the affection in the sweetest way possible. "Little one, do you know where Y/N is? I wanted to talk to him."

The kitten was still lying there, just relaxing.

"Cute." The doctor gave the little animal a smile.

Harvey went back to looking around the farm, looking for him, he walked a little further and finally saw the person he was looking for so much!

The farmer was leaning against one of the trees to the left of the cottage. He was sitting quietly, doodling in his sketchbook with a pencil.

Ah, he's drawing.

Harvey thinks with a smile on his face.

Harvey just watched him with delight. The farmer was looking at the sheet of his sketchbook with a serene gaze, he was scribbling something here and there, seeming completely absorbed in the activity. After a few seconds, Harvey says:

"Hello Y/N!" Harvey greeted, approaching him.

The farmer turned his head towards the voice and then smiled when he saw who it was.

"Harvey!" He gave a little wave. "It's great to see you."

"I say the same." The doctor smiled kindly. "Oh, sorry if i got in the way, you're drawing right? I thought I'd pay a visit."

"No, no. You're not in the way." The farmer said, correcting him. "Not at all, i'm very happy to see you Harvey, I love your company."

Hearing this, Harvey smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly, the doctor thought of how much he also loved the farmer's company.

"Want to see my drawings?"

"Of course, i would love." Harvey was smiling lovingly at the farmer.

"Come." The farmer patted the grass beside him, indicating the place for the brown-eyed man to sit. Harvey sat next to him.

"So what are you drawing?" Harvey asked, curious to see what he had in his sketchbook.

It had been a long time since Harvey had discovered that farmer Y/N liked to draw. He found this out the year the farmer moved into town, in a morning conversation. They were talking about random things until Harvey asked if he had any hobbies, any activity he really enjoyed doing in his spare time, and without a second thought, the farmer replied that he loves to draw.

Y/N showed him some of his drawings. To Harvey, all of his drawings were so beautiful. He admires everything about his arts, the lines, the painting… it's just so unique and beautiful. Harvey had no doubt that Y/N was an amazing artist.

The townspeople could hardly imagine that in addition to his work as a farmer, Y/N was also a thoughtful and talented artist.

Now Y/N was smiling, giving the sketchbook to his friend. Harvey would pick it up and start looking at each drawing there, analyzing it. It has varied sketches of natural elements, present in the farm. The daffodils, the sheeps and chickens, the beautiful trees with pink leaves that were surrounding the entire village that season. Harvey stood for a few seconds admiring these drawings, enchanted by the beauty of each colored sketch.

"It's very beautiful, Y/N…" Harvey spoke looking at the sketchbook with a captivated look, he had liked all the drawings very much.

"Do you think Harv? I'm enjoying drawing these, but you know, they're pretty simple."

"Being simple doesn't change the fact that they are beautiful, there is a lot of beauty in simplicity, I think these drawings are wonderful!"

"Did you really like it?" The farmer asked shyly.

"I loved it." Harvey had a gentle smile on his face. "Actually i love all the drawings you make, you are an amazing artist Y/N…"

The farmer put his hand to his head, a little awkwardly, with a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

"Thanks Harv…" The farmer replied to his friend with an embarrassed smile. He was feeling so flattered and happy with the doctor's lines.

That farmer's smile was enough to make Harvey feel a sea of butterflies in his stomach. The doctor just smiled back, a slight blush on his cheeks.

To me, you're amazing in everything you do…

Harvey thought, passionately.

"Hey Harvey." Y/N called out to him, causing the brown eyed man to snap out of his thoughts.

"Oh, say it!"

"Can I draw you?"

"Draw me?"

"Yes." The farmer nodded, a little sheepishly. "You are so beautiful, I would love to draw you."

Harvey's eyes widened, his cheeks that had previously only been slightly flushed were now completely red.

If a few minutes ago Harvey thought he would be able to control all the nervousness by being next to the person he loves so much, that fell apart when she said that.

"Mm… b-beautiful? Thank you…" The doctor who looked like a tomato, started to stutter, not making much sense at first. "…Of course… yes, I… I'd love to."

The farmer smiled kindly upon hearing this, he took out his sketchbook and one of his pencils.

"Stay still, so I can try to draw you in the right pose."

"Okay."

Harvey sits down across from the farmer, smiling sheepishly and cheeks still on fire.

The farmer begins to draw, joy evident on his face. As he drew, he looked at Harvey and then at the paper, picking up the references he needed to continue making his art.Y/N spent the next few minutes repeating this process, drawing passionately in her sketchbook. When he made a mistake in his line, he used the eraser that was on the side and corrected any mistakes. The farmer seemed calm and at the same time very determined with the drawing. Harvey was happy, curious to see how he would turn out.

After a few minutes, the farmer drops his pencil on the ground and smiles at his friend.

"I finished."

"How was it??" Harvey asked, curious about the outcome.

Farmer Y/N took the sheet out of his notebook, handing it to Harvey. On the sheet, the farmer had drawn a sketch of the doctor in his own artistic style. Y/N didn't notice but Harvey's dark orbs glowed at the sight of that drawing. No one had ever done something like this for him.

"What do you think?"

"It's so beautiful…" Harvey looked at the farmer with a grateful, passionate gaze.

"It's my gift to you, I'm so glad you liked it."

"Actually, i loved it."

The farmer was smiling shyly, feeling very happy that his friend loved the gift.

"Y/N…" Harvey called out to the farmer, a slightly sheepish smile on his lips.

"Hm?"

"Thank you so much... also, there's something I'd like to show you."

"What would it be?"

Harvey took out of his coat pocket the beautiful red tulip he had picked in the park.

"What a beautiful flower…" The farmer admired the tulip. "Did you pick it? It's very pretty."

"Yes, I… I was taking a little walk in the forest and i happened to find this tulip…" Harvey was smiling lovingly, he kept talking:

"I thought it was very pretty, so… I thought I'd give it as a gift, to the most beautiful person i know. "

"Is it… is it for me?" The farmer asks, the tulip was in his hands, but he was still in disbelief.

"Certainly." The doctor confirmed, looking at Y/N's face with a passionate and flushed look.

"T-thanks Harvey, this is a wonderful gift." Blushing, Y/N tucked the tulip behind his ear. "You are so kind..."

"I can say the same for you, Y/N." He was smiling at the farmer, less and less disguising the fact that he was hopelessly in love.

Harvey continued to gaze passionately into the farmer's face. For Yoba, he is so beautiful… Harvey's heart beat faster just seeing his smile. For Harvey the farmer is so beautiful, delicate, amazing…

They stared at each other for a few seconds, blushing, until the sound of the sheep's bleating gave Farmer Y/N an idea.

"Harvey, do you have free time now?"

"Yes, i have."

"Perfect... do you want to pet the sheeps?" The farmer asked with a happy smile on his face.

Harvey was smiling when he heard the cute proposal, just seeing that smile the farmer already knew they would spend the rest of the afternoon with the animals.

"Let's go!" Harvey replies, with adorable glee.

Y/N closes his notebook and holds it up. He and Harvey get up and walk together toward the sheep pen.

As they walked, Dr. Harvey couldn't help but notice the cheerful, genuine smile the farmer wore as he talked about the sheeps, about the drawings he had made of them. He looks so happy. Harvey was looking at the farmer with a passionate, hopelessly passionate gaze… Harvey thought:

Y/N, why every time I'm around you I feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time?

Will he ever be able to declare himself? Will he have the romance he's been dreaming of? Well, Harvey hopes so, but right now he was too busy thinking about the farmer, thinking about how much he wants to be by his side… The two friends spent the rest of the afternoon tending and petting the animals.

Harvey couldn't stop thinking how beautiful Y/N is, he is beautiful like the tulips in the valley… beautiful as spring.

And just like the spring flowers, the love inside Harvey's heart was blooming more and more.

Hours later, late at night, the farmer was sitting on the chair next to his table, eating a delicious muffin with cranberry juice. His cat was resting on the floor next to the chair. As he ate his sweets, the farmer could only think of how wonderful this afternoon had been. Spending the afternoon with his best friend was very nice, but in in addition to it, Harvey was also the person that farmer Y/N had fallen in love with... and he was so in love.

After taking a sip of the refreshing juice, Y/N takes the tulip from behind his ear and starts looking at it with love and admiration.

"[Cat's name], Look what Harvey gave me today," Y/N showed the red tulip to the cat lying there. "It's so beautiful..."

Still lying down, the kitten smelled faintly of the red flower, then the cat just wiggled his little furry ears. The farmer just smiles at the little cute cat. Y/N had only interpreted this gift as a friendly gesture from a friend, but still, it was enough to make Y/N's heart skip a beat.

What he didn't know yet was that Harvey was as in love just like he was. But we can bet, one day these two will discover the feelings they have for each other.

-------------- Author's Note ---------------

Hello guys!! i hope you enjoyed this one shot, i intend to make a continuation of it in the future.

By the way, i'm accepting requests for Harvey one shots and headcanons!

Feel free to send ask or comment whatever you want, thank you so much for reading ❤

#sdv harvey #harvey x reader #harvey x farmer #stardew valley fic #stardew valley #x reader #fluff #romance #one shot #sdv/you #x male reader #male reader #shy reader #spring

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double-aa-batteries · 3 years ago

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Fic Rec Fridays - Week 2 - AUs

If you want to check out any of the other 3 fic recs you can find the master post here

Andreil

the sound by jemwrites on AO3 here (17k, 5 chapters)

The cottage looked unassuming and quaint, with a wooden ramp up to the front porch and rose bushes beneath the windows. A little sign was nailed above the door, reading The Foxhole. It seemed peaceful. Quiet

Its patrons, however, were neither of those things. Neil could already hear the raucous lot from where he was stood outside the door. Having never spoken to anyone outside of rare, whispered words to his uncle, or his cat, or his mother's grave, Neil knew this would be interesting.

A blond woman opened the door with a smile and glittering eyes. Neil's stomach rolled over itself. He hoped this wasn't a dumb decision.

TW: mentions of neil’s past and kevin’s. some minorly graphic descriptions of past abuse

its always you series by justdk / @dkafterdark on AO3 here (5 parts)

andreil high school au in a series of short fics where neil is still on the run, squatting in abandoned houses, when he meets andrew. he hadn’t planned on staying in town so long but things get more complicated when feelings become involved

read tags in each part for TWs

you kind of do though by Rory_writes on AO3 here (4k, 1 chapter)

Unspecified alternate universe where neil and andrew meet later in life.

Someone breaks into Andrew's house one night, drunkenly looking for his friend and instead finding a cat and, well, Andrew. (+trans andrew)

no trigger warnings, mostly fluff and crack

Kandreil

Listen, all these kandreil fics just absolutely wrecked me and in my opinion are absolutely worth the read

the shore we'd come to find by JayJFox on AO3 here (17k, 4 chapters)

Kevneil are hiding from Riko after running away and break into someone’s empty house for the night. only...it isn’t empty. They meet andrew and stay with him, getting comfortable, until Riko makes moves and kevneil become worried for their own safety as well as andrew’s.

This is just. Fucking pure angst (with a happy ending). it wrecked me.

TW: Riko and Nathan and riko and nathan adjacent trauma

a brick to the stomach; a bullet between the eyes by fluorescencx on AO3 here (5k, 1 chapter)

Roommates AU

A 5k roller coaster of pure angst and neil pining for the two people he loves but can never have.

But could? have them? no. of course not.

it’s stupid, but he dreams about it anyway.

no trigger warnings, only angst and pining.

Nicky/Erik

i knew you were trouble (when you broke in through my window) by neilwrites on AO3 here (1k one shot)

AU where Nicky didn’t meet Erik in Germany

Nicky’s drunk and goes to the wrong apartment. Lucky for him, the person who lives in said wrong apartment is German and extremely cute.

no trigger warnings

Jerejean

farmer's almanac by cloud talking on AO3 here (3k, 1 chapter)

Soulmates AU

soulmates know everything that their other knows, excluding who they are. jeremy knox knows his soulmate is in danger and the world will burn as he changes that.

TW: Riko. takes place in the nest. but less trauma and violence than canon. knives

Kevaaron

picture perfect by officialstarsandgutters on AO3 here (22k, 1 chapter)

photography aaron and model kevin au

Freelance photographer Aaron Minyard gets a gig doing fashion photography for a catalogue, where he meets Kevin Day, typical arrogant haughty model asshole. Or so Aaron thinks.

More fluff than enemies to lovers, but enemies to lovers adjacent. Listen, this is just romance. These boys love each other. (+non binary Kevin)

TW: riko and riko adjacent things. graphic torture scene involving knives that is easy to be skipped if needed. kidnapping and drugging, talk of past riko regarding trauma and abuse. scars and talk of kevin’s broken hand. it’s all the usual until the near end where you needa watch out a bit

r u mine? by alex_wh0 on AO3 here (2k, 1 chapter)

Tattoo parlor AU

After two years of unrelenting silence, Kevin comes back into Aaron's life. Andrew is PISSED, Neil is secretly thrilled. And Aaron — Aaron doesn't quite know what to do. (+genderqueer kevin day)

TW: Riko. Again. That rat bastard. recount of kevin’s broken hand and talk of Kevin’s time at the nest

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spice-chan · 4 years ago

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Cure Me

King!singledad! Bakugo Katsuki x fem!reader

Prince Matsuki makes an interesting friend. he could have never foretold who she is to his father...

TW: curses, sickness

Thank you so much to @stargazingaloneatnight for sending this lovely request ! I totally got carried away though, so it’s going to have a second part.

Thanks a lot to @patt-writes-stuff and @reddriot for being amazing beta readers !!

Wordcount: 4.4 K

..........................................

At the ripe age of 18, you were married off to the woodcutter in your village.

You weren’t enthusiastic about it, but you didn’t dissent. After all, in a small village, all the people of close age were expected to marry eventually. It was either him, the farmer or the butcher. A prince isn’t going to come and sweep you off your feet.

You moved to the isolated cabin near the woods where your husband resided, and you lived there with him for a year. You wouldn’t exactly describe it as harmony, but it was peaceful enough for you to be content. He respected you and you respected him, but you yearned for something more.You yearned for love, for the overwhelming feeling that would envelope you whole, that would elicit shivers from your spine, and down to your very toes.

But you had to get those foolish fantasies out of your head; after all, your husband was now all you had. Until you didn’t have him anymore.

His body was found, squashed underneath a large tree that fell the wrong way.

Guilt and loss reigned in your mind and heart. You wondered, should you have appreciated him more ? Should you have cherished the little moments instead of wishing for something better?

It was a lonely existence for a while after that, until a red eyed, spikey haired little boy ventured to your isolated abode.

………

Loneliness was a disease that feasted on your open wounds until they were gaping holes, bleeding and gushing, but you were unable to stitch them back together. Who wants to be lonely, truly? So all Bakugo did was cover the open wounds with his hand, growling protectively as he shielded himself. And he couldn’t stitch together the hole in his chest, even when his hand was stained red as evidence of his pain.

He thought he loved her. He convinced himself he loved her. The only woman and person who seemingly managed to stand him and understand him. He tried so hard to be good to her. Tried to act better when he saw the gleam of judgement in her eyes. Only to wake up one day with a letter telling him “don’t look for me” and “I’ll be somewhere better. Away from you and that spawn. Good luck with him, though you’ll probably have enough soon and throw him somewhere far, the sound of his cries is annoying.”

Him.

She couldn’t bring herself to say her son’s name.

It’s like he was a disposable piece of trash to her. Katsuki’s teeth gnashed whenever he remembered the way she spoke of her own son, his son.

“DAD!” screamed a little boy, the carbon copy of his dad, running to his father's lap where he ducked down and hid between them.

Bakugo growled playfully, bending his back to look at the excitable little boy, who held his finger to his lips.

“What do you think you’re doing, squirt?”

“I’m hiding from Shitty Maid.”

Katsuki quirked his eyebrows at the foul language that came out of his son’s mouth, but his response never made the light of day as a flustered and heaving maid entered the dining chamber, her eyes frantically searching.

“My king, I’m so sorry ! Have you seen Prince Matsuki come here ?” she questioned breathlessly, the prince having evidently tired her out.

Bakugo clicked his teeth rather impertinently. “No, you shitty maid, I didn’t see him come here,” he replied and resumed eating, seemingly unperturbed by his son being ‘missing’.

“Sorry, Your Majesty, I’ll resume my search for him. Sorry to have disturbed you!” she exclaimed before picking her gown and scrambling out.

Bakugo stared beneath his chair pointedly, his carbon copy only giving doe eyes as a reply.

“Why are you hiding anyway?!”

Matsuki crawled out from underneath the chair and stood up, dusting his knees.

“She wants to teach me eti-etiquette or whatever,” Matsuki grumbled. “I’m going out to play with my friends.”

Etiquette? How useless. Is that what they are teaching his son?

Bakugo clapped his back, glad to see his son not be a pushover. “Don’t be late, squirt.”

“Ok, dad!” Matsuki jumped and enveloped Katsuki’s muscular frame in a hug with his tiny arms, warming Katsuki’s heart as he ruffled his son’s spiky hair.

……..

Matsuki couldn’t find his friends.

He ventured into the woods in search of them, sporting a scowl everyone should be familiar with. His tiny, handsome face scrunched slightly as he looked around the place curiously. His feet padded on, scrunching on crispy fallen leaves in their wake.

He walked for a while, marking trees as he went along to ensure he didn’t get lost, but eventually, a sugary sweet scent had his tiny legs move faster on their own accord in search of it. The closer he seemingly got, the more powerfully the mouth watering scent assaulted his nose. It smelled cozy on this chilly day, like a warm cup of milk by a warm fire as snow fell outside.

He reached a clearing. The thick, intimidating trees that loomed over him shrunk away until there was none left.

No trees, but he found a small cabin with a window cracked open.

He boldly marched up to it, his mouth set in a straight, determined line. A fisted palm knocked once, twice, and thrice on the worn out wood, to ensure that it was heard.

His nervousness set in when the handle turned and a lady emerged at the threshold. He steeled himself. His daddy told him that if he wanted something, he should work to get it.

You smiled at him warmly when you spotted him: a young, unfamiliar boy. He looked out of his element, but his strange red eyes stared at you despite how he seemed to be unused to such situations. His eyes reflected the embers of a brave soul.

“There was a nice smell coming from here,” he admitted, his tiny face scrunching into a scowl that seemed more adorable than anything.

“Well, yes, I baked cookies,” you responded mildly, your voice never too high but quite clear. The boy’s eyes widened, his red hues glistening in child-like excitement.

“Cookies?!” He jumped, and clutched your gown.

“Can I have some ?” Puppy dog eyes stared up at you, pleading and cute. You haven’t encountered a child in a long time. You stopped going to the village as often, and eventually, they stopped visiting too. Your mother died after she contracted something, her old body unable to fight it off, and your dad ran off somewhere to ‘adventure’.

“Sure.” You moved from the threshold. “Come in.” You gestured with your head to your small cottage, a humble place, but a reminder of your lonesome existence.

He brightened up considerably, his mouth twisting into a sweet smile. He would become such a handsome young man once he grew up. It made you wonder how beautiful his parents must be.

You pulled a chair for him at the table, and went to put some cookies on a plate for him.

“YUM. That’s so delicious!” He spoke between mouthfuls, some tiny crumbs flying out of his mouth in his excitement.

“Thank you, but be careful. You might choke if you speak while chewing sweetie,” you chided him lightly. Matsuki didn’t recognize this tone, it sounded equal parts stern and caring. He nodded and continued munching down.

“Would you like to drink something? I have some orange juice, and uh, water. I could make tea, but I don’t think kids your age fancy that you rambled, suddenly excited about having someone keep you company for the first time in a while.

He opened his mouth to answer, but upon remembering your words, he opted to chew for a few more seconds then swallowing his cookies before bellowing out,“Yes! Orange juice.”

How adorable.

You poured two glasses of orange juice and joined your little companion, munching on some cookies of your own. Before long, he finished all of them and leaned back on the chair, mouth letting out a sigh and hand patting his stomach as a show of overindulgence.

“Good?”

“Yup! You’re a very nice lady. Way nicer than my dummy maid,” he grumbled, you weren’t sure whether to be flattered or concerned, but one thing did grab your attention.

“Maid ?”

He nodded, slightly confused at your question.

“Don’t you have one ?” You quirked an eyebrow and looked around your tiny cottage. Did it look like you have one?

Oh God, you hoped this boy wasn’t mistaking his mother for a maid. With that in mind, you asked him, however, his face fell in sadness and the fire in his eyes dulled a little.

“I don’t have a mother. The maids always talk about how sorry they are for me. I hate it. None of them even care about me,” he spoke in a quiet voice, tearing at your heart with his down turned face.

“But at least I have my daddy,” he spoke up, brightening a little. You smiled at that, reaching towards him and ruffling his fluffy yet spikey blond hair.

“That’s good. Keep cherishing your father, at least the two of you have each other.” You wiped some crumbs from around his mouth with a napkin, speaking to the boy in a lonesome voice; unintentionally mothering him.

He smiled and nodded;unintentionally accepting.

The boy was either mistaking some people in his household for maids, or he was some rich merchant’s son. On that note—

“Did you tell anyone you’re coming here? They might be worried about you,” you asked cautiously, but then your eyes widened as a new wave of worry hit you.

“Oh my God, what if you got lost? Do you know your way back?”

You sighed in relief when he nodded, flashing you a smile with his teeth on display, one of them missing from the front, making it all the more endearing. You narrowed your eyes at him, prompting him to elaborate.

“I always come to play around here with my friends. It’s really close to home!” You oo’d. However, it was now his turn to panic. “Oh no, I forgot all about them !” He looked outside, seeing the sun shining proudly in the centre of the sky.

“I think I can still catch them,” he declared determinedly, and hopped off his seat. His tiny legs carried him to the door, his pale hand grasping the worn down doorknob, but before twisting it, he turned to you, his smile of youth gracing his face again.

“See you later, nice lad !”

.……..……

“No way! You wanted to be a pirate? But they’re so nasty!” he exclaimed, scrunching his nose at you in disgust. You shrugged, shoulders slumped.

“I thought it’d be a fun time. I found it in a book and dreamed that one day, I too can embark on an adventure and find hidden treasures,”you explained with a dreamy, yet nostalgic look in your eyes, akin to one looking back fondly at a long gone memory. It’s been nearly a year since you met the mystery child. You’ve been...noticeably happier.

His cherry red orbs made your day, along with an innocence that was very hard to maintain in these tough times, although that's probably because his toughness differs from yours.

He pouted, running a hand through his tamed locks. “Well, why can’t you?”

He stared up at you expectantly, oblivious to what he was expecting. His red orbs burwith ith the flame of innocenand and didnuldn’t dare blow it out.

“I don’t know.”

Even for his young age, he was perceptive. Bbut before he could question your downtrodden face, you stood up, coughing loudly. It went on for a few seconds, and Matsuki watched worriedly as you cupped your hand over your mouth, shoulders shaking from the force.

After you stopped, you breathed for a few seconds, face flushed and stamina depleted. But again, before he could question anything, you stood up, stretching. The sun hit your face, which looked noticeably paler, but you forced a smile anyway, and held your hand out for Matsuki to grab and follow suit.

“Let’s go inside, you wanted me to redo your hair, right ?” He grabbed your hand with renewed vigor, hopping off the wood and trekking with you back inside the cottage.

He said his maid had to slick his hair back because they had guests over and he ‘had to look more presentable’, which you internally scoffed at. His hair was amazing as it was.

You’d never seen a texture so amazing. It was soft as silk, but it appeared spikey. Like a porcupine or something, looked thorny but had a soft side?

You brought some water and wet his hair, before drying it with a towel. You could already see some results. You brought a hairbrush and began to hum softly while brushing his semi dry blond locks.

You towelled it once again, before patting him across the back. Your head felt light, and a light pain began to creep in. You probably need some water.

“THANK YOU! It was so ugly before.” He pranced about, happy that his hair no longer looked like some ‘sappy extra’. You wonder where the child got those interesting phrases. You stood up to get a glass of water, but the moment you stood up, the world swirled, spinned, and blurred. And then it all faded to black.

You hit the floor with a loud thump, and Matsuki sprung to his feet and frantically ran to your side.

His small hands grabbed your arm and shook you, his face growing warm and throat getting clogged up, before tears burst forth. They dampened your sleeves, continuously flowing like a waterfall, but you still remained almost lifeless on the floor. Matsuki was young, helpless, and alone.

And he did what any young, helpless and crying child would do.

He ran to the person he loves —his father.

……………

Bakugou heard the sound of Matsuki running before h, felt the wind, tornado like, as the doors of his room were pushed open in a manner so excitable he’d consider it rather insolent had it not been his own son.

His reprimands were stuck in his throat when he saw the flushed face and bloodshot eyes of his shis heart aching at the sight.

“What’s wongh” he asked softly, the tone rather unusual coming from him. Then again, his son coming to him crying was something very rare.oo., Matsuki took after his and and he was a very brave and strong boy. Something that Bakugou lamented about, at times. Being his carbon copy wasn’t that much of a blessing when it came to the matters of the heart.

Matsuki found his dad sitting at his desk, he ran to him and clung to his legs, crying uncontrollably.

It took Bakugou a second to overcome his awkwardness and emotional constipation. He scooped his son up and sat him on his lap, wiping his tears away.

“Hey squirt, calm down and tell me what’s wrong. If it’s someone that upset you, God help them-”

Matsuki tried to halt his hiccups, failing for a few seconds while he hugged his dad, he patted his back comfortingly.

“Dad, my friend…” he began, but his eyes watered as a fresh batch of tears threatened to burst.

“What happened to your friend, Matsuki?”

Matsuki sniffled, wiping his eyes before continuing.

“So, she’d been sick for a few weeks, but today when I visited her, she fell and wouldn’t wake up,” Matsuk explainedd, clutching into Bakugou tightly.

Bakugou hummed, nodding solemnly.

“Can you take me where your friend is?”

Matsuki nodded, but Katsuki was dubious about the nature of this pursuit. His distrustful nature was shining through.If this ‘friend’ was outside the protective barrier, then Katsuki didn’t know what to really expect. So before leaving his room, he donned his protective amber around his neck, a magical jewel chosen by his dragon when he was younger. All shifters choose an enchanted jewel to guard their existence and warn them of dangers. He made sure to pick up his son’s, looping the necklace around his neck, the jewel dangling and shining.

He needed to give his son a talk about this.

…………

They walked in the forest for a while before reaching a small, worn out looking cottage. Bakugou arched a blond eyebrow, more curious than ever. He’d think it was a ploy with more sinister intentions, luring both prince and king but… he’d never seen his son more shook up over someone, they must mean a lot to him. He couldn’t bear to delay this.

They reached the door, the wood creaking as Bakugo opened it. His ruby eyes started searching for you, and when they caught your figure on the floor, they began gleaming.

He felt the breath knocked out of him when he saw you, asleep (he hoped) like an angel with your hair looking wild but still adding to your charm like a halo. You looked so soft, so precious, and it felt like his life only began this moment when he caught sight of you.

His heartbeat was so strong, he could feel it in his very eyes, who were overwhelmed with the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He had seen plenty of beautiful women, ones he didn’t spare a second glance at, extras, unworthy of his time. But for some reason, the beauty of you rooted him in his spot and halted all rational thoughts. He was only broken out of his reverie when Matsuki shook him. He felt a rush of love, devotion, and ease like he’d never felt before. It all made sense, the sense of loneliness, of being lost when his path is clear in front of him. Of finding every potential romantic partner lukewarm at best.

“Dad. Can you help her ? I don’t want her to be sick anymore.”

And in that moment, it dawned on him.

Katsuki found his soulmate, but there’s a chance he might have already lost her.

He ran to you checking your vitals, and thankfully, everything seemed fine. He put his forehead against yours, cursing when he felt a scalding fever.

“What happened ?” He picked one of the numerous questions buzzing in his head.

“Well, she did my hair like I’d asked her, but the moment she stood up, she fell down! I tried waking her up, but she wouldn’t. She’d been coughing a lot the past few weeks too and looking tired,” Matsuki explained clearly, now comforted by having his father share the weight with him.

Katsuki looked around at the rather shabby place. Fit for a commoner. Not you.

He was baffled at having a mate. Only the most legendary, wise and favoured dragons did, the dragons that made it to history scriptures. Things no one considered him to be. Things he was succumbing to not being. Things she convinced him he wasn’t. Sure, he could fight deadly wars, bring nations down to their knees, but violence did not warrant a soulmate.

He scoop you up, closer to his chest. Heyouyou tightly, heart physically hurting at the thought of you being in pain. He just met you, what’s with him ?

He stood up, nudging his son to leave.

What a coincidence. An insane, crazy coincidence.

His son, his only blessing in this shrouded world, was what led him to the one thing nobody thought he’d have.

“Tell me more on the way.

Matsuki nodded.

……………

Bakugou laid you on his bed, surrounding you with the softest materials one could ever touch. He pulled a chair besides you, lounging on it as he waited for a healer to arrive.

You remained unconscious, but it seems like your temperature increased even more. He was so lost in his own thoughts, that he didn’t register that Matsuki walked inside the room until he was addressing him.

“Is she going to be alright ?” Bakugou didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth, then again, he didn’t have the heart to lie to him either.

“I don’t know.” Somehow saying it out loud hurts even more.

A knock on the door broke the gloominess.

“Come in.”

Hope walked in, in the shape of a short, old lady with medical equipment.

Recovery Girl inspected you, from temperature to heartbeat. And when done, she sighed.

“Everything boils down to it being a simple fever, but in that case, she wouldn’t be unconscious,” she explained ambiguously. She took one of your hands, and andr fingertips were icy cold.

She hummed contemplatively. She brought out a healing crystal, squeezing it in one fist, while she held your hand in the other. The idea was to transfer the healing energy from the crystal to you, only possible through a healing mage.

However, when nothing seemed to happen, Recovery Girl opened her fist. She found a shattered crystal.

“Oh my…”

Bakugou growled, frustration willing up and tipping over. “The fuck!”

Recovery Girl glared at him. Such language shouldn’t be used in front of a child.

“Typical healing methods aren’t going to work.”

Silence reigned over this time, willing the old lady to continue on, both his and his son’s hearts on the edge.

“I believe she’d been cursed.”

Bakugou scrunched up his eyebrows at the absurd explanation. Who’d curse you of all people ? He only just discovered your existence!

Yet for some reason, he felt like he’d rather die than let you, the one who could love him for all his flaws, the one who always brought a smile on his son’s face, suffer.

“How?” The deity up there must be very cruel, to take you away when he just met you.

“I don’t know, son. There’s a very strong, malevolent energy, enough to break a healing crystal. It’s going to make her body reject anything that could heal it,” she explained solemnly.

“If you want this young lady healthy and well, we need to take different measures to heal her. Also, do you know who cursed, or where she could have incurred it? That will be very helpful.”

Bakugou looked at Matsuki, knowing that he himself is clueless.

“This is the first time I met her. Matsuki seems to have met her a while ago in her tiny ass cottage outside the protective barrier.” She looked like she had some questions, but instead directed her attention to the little Bakugou and asked him what matters most right now.

“Do you know anyone that might’ve done this? Have you seen her interact with anyone that could possibly be capable of it?” She knew asking a child would likely be more fruitless then not, but she still wished to help you in any way she could.

Matsuki shook his head.

“I’ve never even seen her talk with anyone.” This only served to increase Bakugou’s suspensions. Could it be something to do with your affiliation with Matsuki ? And if that was the case, then there’s so many other things he must take into account too, because that would mean that there’s a traitor in their midst, or at least someone that had been tracking Matsuki for… what fucking ever reason.

He sighed, feeling an ache beginning to form in his head. He touched your arm, wanting to reassure himself that you are alive.

A gasp rang out from the occupants of the room when you opened your eyes, making them seem glowy when the sunlight reflected off them, giving you an ethereal, angelic radiance.

The air left his lungs, while blood rushed to his cheeks, making them seem ripe as apples.

“How is this possible?”

This shocked him awake, out of his reverie and into reality.

Recovery Girl glanced at the arm Bakugo was touching, humming to herself with a knowing glint in her old, wise eyes.

“Well, my king, did you forget? The oldest, most powerful magic that dragons have been gifted::soulmates.”

Bakugo blushed again, kissing his teeth and glaring at Recovery Girl.

“What are you babbling on about, old hag?”

“I believe you know.”

He glared at the ground, childishly not answering.

“Um...what’s going on?” A small, feminine voice asked. Bakugou turned to you, melting at the majestic sound of your voice.

“That’s a good question.” That brat.

Bakugou tried to stay in contact with you, afraid of making the burst of magic triggered by your bond slipping away.

“Uh, you lost unconsciousness and Matsuki asked me to help you. Oh, and apparently you were cursed.” Bakugou bluntly spits the facts at you, not thinking ahead for your reaction.

“A CURSE?” you shouted, coughing after due to hoarseness. The old hag shot Bakugou another glare, before sweetening up and looking at you.

“We’ll explain after you rest a bit and freshen up, you’d been through quite a bit.” she said, deliberately not divulging any information yet. She didn’t need to be there for the grand explanation. She’d rather not be, actually.

She stood on her weary legs, leaving the room unnoticed as you admired your surroundings, and as Bakugou admired you. Matsuki’s stare lacked the burn of fascination as he stared at his father grumpily.

“The fuck you looking at her so weird for?” Matsuki seethed. You gasped and turned to him.

“Matsuki!” He bristled in frustration, having forgotten how much you hated it when he cursed.

“Sorry. He was though!”

Bakugou, throughout the whole thing, glared at his son with blushing cheeks. He wanted to spank some respect into him so bad right now.

You turned to Bakugo, gaze weighty in the seriousness it’s burdened with.

“Thanks for helping me, I appreciate it. You’re Matsuki’s father, right? The resemblance is hard to miss. Well, I have a lot of questions, but firstly, what do you mean by cursed?”

You felt as if a rock was pressed against your chest, gloom overtaking your features as you awaited his answer. Still hopeful that it was a joke, but the ancient dark magic was not to be joked with.

“Someone cursed you. It’s the cause for your sickness, and it’s slowly sapping the life out of you. You’re only awake because uh...the magic of our bond is more powerful.” Bakugou rushed the last part, his heart beating, squeezing painfully when silence hung in the air after his not so confession.

You purse your lips, the movement catching Bakugo’s attention, drawing him to your lips. Supple, kissable lips.

“Our bond?”

Bakugo nodded.

“You’re my soulmate, it’s why—probably why Matsuki was so drawn to you.” Bakugo was looking forward to explaining more, before his door was busted open (a common occurrence these days it seems) by a panting soldier, who summoned the strength to salute stiffly.

“Your majesty, we have received a letter from Celeane Siloh.”

Well, what a great introduction to the family.

...............

Kofi

Don’t forget to like and reblog if you enjoyed this !

#bakugou x reader #bakugo #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki imagine #bakugou katsuki fanfics #bakugou katuski x reader #bnha fanfiction #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugou fanfiction #mha bakugou #fantasy bnha #fantasy!bnha #dragon king bakugou #dragon!bakugou #single dad bakugou #katsuki bakugou fluff #katsuki bakugo

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drarrily-we-row-along · 3 years ago

Text

Day 128: Snake

"Woah," Harry said, jumping between Draco and the 35 foot Antipodean Opaleye that was rearing up her head preparing to protect her young. He let out a stream of parsletongue as he held out a hand to calm her.

And Draco watched with fascination, as he always did, at the way the dragon seemed to understand the other man even though Harry couldn't understand them.

"Show off," he teased when the dragon turned and made her way back to her nest.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Maybe don't go traipsing over to her newborn hatchlings."

"I can't help it," Draco said, craning his neck to get another peek, "They're just so cute."

The other man shook his head but Draco knew that he agreed, in the weeks to come Harry would spend more time cooing over the babies than Draco did just the way he did every time they came here for hatching season. "We should head back," Harry said, "the sun's on it's way back down."

"We still haven't seen dad, though," Draco said, searching the horizon once more for the smaller, faster Opaleye that ought to be coming back with food.

Harry sighed, "I know," he said as he started packing his bag, hissing a quick warning at Zephyr who was sunbathing on the rock next to his bag and holding out a hand for her to slither into.

"It's not enough that you have the giant snakes," he said, nodding at the dragons, "you have to bring the miniature one, too?" Draco asked as the rainbow boa slipped up Harry arm to drape around his neck.

"You know how she gets when we leave her behind in the tent," he said as he slipped the bag over his shoulders, "and she's hardly miniature," he added as they started the climb back down to where they'd pitched their tent.

(Read more below the cut)

"I'm worried about the muggle farmers," Draco said as he looked out over the rolling farm land, not far from here, where unsuspecting sheep and cows were grazing.

Harry nodded, "I know but that's why we're here, if they see anything we'll wipe their memories."

"We had to do it half a dozen times last year," he complained.

"It's not the dragons' fault that those stupid sheep are such easy prey."

Draco steadied Harry as a rock slipped out from under him, "You were supposed to talk to them."

"I did!" he protested. "Bill thinks that I can just tell them anything but they only understand like half of what I say."

"I know," Draco replied as they made it back to their camp and headed into the tent to clean up.

"Besides," Harry added, "He knows he's got to find food and the pickings are slim. Otherwise we wouldn't be this far north."

Draco collapsed into one of the cushioned chairs that they always brought with them and Zephyr slid down Harry's body and made her way over to Draco instead, curling around his neck. "Gentle," he chastised her as she wrapped tighter.

Harry glanced up from where he was unpacking their bag and hissed at her and she loosened her grip around his neck. "You're doing better with that," he commented.

He rolled his eyes as she bumped her head against his chin, "You know, oddly enough, when you suggested we get a pet I wasn't imagining that we'd get a five foot long rainbow boa that likes to try to strangle me."

"She's not trying to strangle you," Harry said as he went to see what they had in the pantry to make up for dinner, "She's just cold."

He hummed noncommittally, "I was imagining a crup," he added.

"But she's a delight," Harry said, "And they were going to kill her."

Draco sighed, "I know. And she is usually nice."

"And our flat is tiny," the other man added as he huffed a laugh, "I think it's sandwiches for dinner," Harry said.

"Alright."

Harry made up sandwiches and put some crisps on their plates, carrying one over to Draco. "You know what might work for keeping the dragons from getting after Muggle sheep?"

"What?" Draco asked through a bite of sandwich.

"If we had a wizarding sheep farm closer to here. Then they'd raise the sheep specifically for hatching season, let the dragons hunt the sheep and then go on their merry way."

"Right," Draco said, agreeing that it would make everything easier and cause a lot less hassle with trying to obliterate people. "That's a good idea but who in their right mind would want to live on a sheep farm?"

Harry shrugged, "Well whoever it was would have lots of room for a crup or a dog."

Draco paused, sandwich halfway to his mouth, "You can't be serious."

When Harry didn't say anything Draco continued.

"You want us to come and live in the middle of nowhere?" he asked. "To raise sheep?" he added incredulously.

"No," Harry said, "No, of course not. You're right-"

"Harry, I-"

He shook his head, "Forget it. Forget I said anything, yeah?"

"Wait," Draco said. "Just," he shook his head and Zephyr reached toward Harry, her neck stretching out a good seven inches until Harry held out his arm for her to wrap around. "I need a second to get my head around it."

Harry stroked his fingers over her smooth head and waited patiently.

"So, in this scenario we'd live here year round?"

He nodded, "But it would be easy to get a port key license."

"And we'd live in what?"

A soft, wistful expression slipped across Harry's face. "A cozy little cottage with a fireplace that Zephyr can curl up near and where we can warm up after a morning outside feeding the goats and the sheep. The bathroom would have a big claw foot tub big enough for two. And we'd have a cozy afghan that Molly knit for us to drape over the back of the couch. You'd wear cozy cable knit jumpers and wellies from the beginning of autumn through the spring."

"What else?"

Harry gave him a little smile, "We'd shear the sheep ourselves in the spring and learn how to convert it into yarn so Molly can make you more jumpers and make us more afghans."

"Is that all?" he asked.

His partner shook his head, "I'd learn to make stew and shepherds pie, all of the hot comfort dishes around here. And in the summer we'd grow a garden with vegetables and fruits." His toe brushed over Draco's as he continued, "You'd wear one of those giant sunhats to keep yourself from burning. Maybe we'd get some chickens, too."

"It sounds sort of nice when you put it that way," he confessed.

"Doesn't it?"

He thought for a long moment, "Then lets do it."

"Really?" Harry asked, perking up at the possible yes.

"Yeah," Draco answered, smiling at him, heart warming in his chest at the smile on Harry's face. "Why not? If we're terrible at it, we can always quit."

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes."

Harry sprung up from his chair and moved to straddle Draco's lap, pressing his lips to Draco's. "You're the best."

"I know," he replied with a laugh as he leaned up to meet Harry's kiss. "What have we got to lose?"

And the truth was that they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. They lived out the rest of their days tending sheep, and chickens, and dragons, and any other creature that wandered in.

It was nothing like Draco had expected when he was young and it was infinitely better.

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

Day 127: Fake Dating | Day 129: Pangea

#100 drarry drabbles in 100 days #one year of drarry drabbles #drarry #fluff #dragons #drarry ficlet #drarry drabbles #established relationship #love #i'll touch this up in the morning- I'm too sleepy!

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mouthfulloftoothpasterry · 4 years ago

Text

A day at the farmers market with cottagecare!Harry

Summary: The styles family spends a day at the farmers market :)

warnings: possible swearing

“Morning” Harry yawns, coming downstairs, walking down the creaky steps of their cottage. “Good morning, honey” Y/n softly calls, whipping something up in the kitchen, making what looks to be a mixed berry smoothie. Harry yawns, wrapping his arms around his little girl and kissing her cheek multiple times, saying a good morning. She clings to his Henley, saying good morning to him while she smacks on her fruit.

Harry pulls his little boy out of the bassinet he was laying in, smiling down at him and kissing his forehead. “What are you making, dovie?” Harry asks, patting Forests bum. Y/n scoops out the dark purple colored smoothie like substance out of the blender, putting it in a mason jar- like almost every other thing in their kitchen. “It’s baby food,” Y/n says, holding a small multi-colored baby spoon up to Forrest's lips with the thick baby food on it. The little boy opens his mouth the smallest bit, taking the spoon in.

“My love, we can just buy that.” Harry says, making Y/n shake her head.

“And we can just buy a lot of things we make but I’m not feeding my baby’s that crap.” Y/n says, pulling Forest into her arms.

“The farmers market opens today, I want to go up there and look around then sell some of our stuff. I love doing that” Harry explains, going back over to violet and giving her a hug. The almost two year old clings to her daddy, Harry pulling her out of the chair and up into his arms, giving her a proper morning cuddle. “That would be nice. The weather is a bit rainy today though,” Y/n hums, reaching up to find a lid for the mason jar before stashing the baby food away in their vintage fridge.

Y/n sets a bowl of oats and berries down next to Harry, giving him a peck before telling Violet that she needs to finish her breakfast. Violet's face scrunches up, covering her daddy’s mouth. “Icky!” She says, making the couple laugh. “Go eat your breakfast, sweet pea” Harry says, letting her down from his arms and letting her toddle her way back over to her own seat.

“M’ I love this weather” Y/n sighs, opening a window, welcoming the fresh breeze in their stuffy cottage, the fresh scent and sound of rain now hammering through their home. “Know y’ do” Harry smiles, Y/n joining them at the wooden table, setting her own bowl down, Forest latched to her.

“It’s the perfect day to go to the farmers market, just have to dress the little ones for the colder days.” Y/n says, Harry giving her a warm sleepy smile, reaching over to give her hand a squeeze. “I bet the ducks are enjoying this” Harry adds, Y/n nodding at his words and Violet clapping her hands together while she munches on some honey covered fruit. The honey from their own bees they take care of, outside in their brood box.

“Definitely,” Y/n breaths, letting her eyes fall closed for a second to let the sound of the rain relax her before opening them back up, diving into her breakfast.

“Honey, have you seen my glasses?” Harry asks, trudging down the stairs, ready for a day at the farmers market. He’s dressed in a ribbed cotton shirt- a warm brown color, along with a pair of brown plaid pants to go with it, some daisies stitched in the pockets that he asked Y/n to add just for him, and a forest green beanie to keep his curls from getting wet- but all he needs are his glasses to finish the look. “I’ll give you two guesses, baby” Y/n says, packing some small snacks for Violet while they are gone for a good chunk of the day.

“Do you have them?” Harry asks, rounding his way to the kitchen, seeing his circle lenses on the top of her head. “How did you know?” She teases, Harry shrugging and pulling them from her and onto his eyes, pushing them up his nose.

“Let’s go,” Y/n sings, pulling Forest into her arms and pulling the diaper bag onto her shoulder. Harry reached out for his daughter, holding a hand out for her. “Come here, little one” Harry calls out for violet, she stampers over to her daddy after placing her crayons down. She reaches for his hand, Harry pulling her up instead, resting her on his hip.

They walk out of the cottage, locking the door and walking out of the gate. They walk over to their Volkswagen bus, a white and orange one. They originally got it because they both love the sixties aesthetic of it and it was a good way to haul everything from their little farm, but now they have grown to love it for more than just farm usage. “Let’s buckle you up,” Harry coos, placing Violet in her car seat while Y/n buckles Forest in his much larger car seat, making sure he is comfortable and secure. Harry makes sure Violet is comfortable before sliding the door shut and getting in the driver's seat.

“Did you bring a lot of honey?” Y/n asks, cradling Forest to her chest, patting his bum softly while Violet sets behind them, snacking on some grapes. She’s a hungry girl.

Harry nods, setting mason jars over the while fold out table that was already set up at the farmers market, under a small canopy “Yeah, and I brought some pumpkin jam too” Harry notes, setting everything up in rows, organizing them and grouping them all together neatly into their separate categories. Y/n nods, kissing Forest's hand, warming up her small baby. Harry turns, wrapping his arms around violet in a warm hug, resting his chin on top of her head. She wraps her small arms around him, giving him a squeeze. “I love you” Harry says, kissing her head.

“Love you!” Violet says, making Harry smile, kissing her cheek. Y/n holds Forest up, looking at him suspiciously. “Babe, I need to go change Forest” Y/n says, stepping out of the beige topped canopy and grabbing the diaper bag she had packed just before they left. Harry nods, pulling violet close to him. They hate that they are such ‘helicopter parents’ but they can’t help it, they both mainly work from home and they love their children more than anything in this world. “Okay, I’ll just keep Violet close to me.” Harry hums, playing with the small pig tails that spring on the top of violet's hair. “So you don’t get stolen because you are so cute!” Harry coos, making Y/n give him a strange look, walking back to their bus.

Harry sells a couple jars of honey and some strawberry jelly while they are gone, coming back with a blue knit hat on Forest’s head, a big embroidered bumble bee on the front of it. “Where did you find that, honey?” Harry asks, violet standing in front of him, playing with his wedding ring. “A lady sold it at her stand so I bought it from her” she says, tucking Forest in his car seat and giving him a small stuffed animal that has a rattle in the belly- it’s one of his favorite toys.

“Do you think he’s gonna stay blonde?” Harry asks, the boy only having a thin layer of hair coating his head, it’s a blonde color- almost just like Harry’s when he was a toddler. Even though Harry had the beautiful luscious locks that he has now he didn’t really start getting hair until he was around one year old. “Probably not,” Y/n says, holding a hand out for violet.

“Hello,” an older woman sings, making the couple turn their head, putting on a warm smile to welcome the customer. “Hi!” Violet chirps, making everyone laugh, Harry softly rubbing her back. “You two look so young! Are these your kids?” She asks, the couple nodding, Y/n trying to calm the slightly fussy baby. It’s noisy at the farmers market and Forest needs to sleep, he is only three months after all.

“How old are you two?” She makes light conversation while picking out a couple of jars of jam and a jar of honey looking over all the different items they are selling today. “I’m twenty four and she is twenty three” Harry says, the woman nodding. She looks around some more, picking out some of their fruit before letting Harry ring her up.

“So you make this all yourself?” The woman asks, looking at the mason jar with twine wrapped around the neck of it, a tag on it that reads ‘strawberry jam’ in Y/n's chicken scratch handwriting. “Yeah, we have a big garden and some bees, we make it all ourselves” he says, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and humming while the woman hands him the money. Violet clings to his leg while he talks to the woman, her arms wrapped around his thigh and her face shoved into his leg, Harry softly rubbing her back and giving it light scratches every now and then.

“Thank you,” the woman sings before walking off, her goodies all wrapped up in a paper bag Harry had given her. “Thank you!” Harry cheers back, bending down and wrapping Violet in a hug, “‘m tired, daddy” Violet says, Harry nodding and rubbing her back, her shirt rising up and exposing her soft back. “I know, pumpkin, I know” Harry says, pulling her up on his hip and holding her close to him, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

“Foggy,” Violet says, patting Harry’s chest. Harry nods, walking over to his wife and opening the diaper bag, finding Violets (rather large for her size) frog plushie that Harry had actually made for her. “Here, love-bug,” Harry says, Violet taking her frog in her arms and cuddling it, laying her head back on her daddy’s shoulder, trying to sleep.

“He’s asleep,” Y/n says, Harry turning and seeing his boy asleep in his car seat, mouth open. Harry chuckles, softly scratching Violets back.

A large man comes up, suspenders attached to his hefty jeans, he must be a farmer. He looks through some of their stuff, his big husky hands grabbing at one of their jars of pepper jelly. He grabs a jar of honey, some peaches, and jalapenos, setting it all down in front of Harry. “Is this all for you?” He hums, trying to be polite to the intimidating man, stuffing it all into a paper bag with the arm that wasn’t cradling Violet to his chest.

The man nods, breathing harshly through his nose. Harry nods, sliding the bag towards him, “Fourteen dollars,” he says, the man nodding and digging some money out of his dark leather wallet, plucking a few bills out and handing them to Harry.

“Thank you!” Harry chirps, shoving the money in the little tin box. The man nods, taking his bag and walking off, leaving the family alone again.

“I’d say we did pretty good today” Harry says, the day now dwindling down, finally putting the remnants of what they hadn't sold up. Their jars on a shelf and their fruit and veggies stored either on the fridge or on their big fruit and veggie baskets. “Yeah, we sold a lot. I’m just happy we still got a good chunk of our blueberry jam, Violet loves that stuff” Y/n says, making her husband nod, organizing everything to his liking.

“Yeah, I didn’t expect our lavender syrup to sell that well but the sweet old lady’s seemed to be very interested.” Harry notes, chuckling at the memories of today. Y/n nods, the warm lighting of the cottage comforting her- only candles and a few warm colored lamps to light their dark house. “Yeah, I didn’t expect anyone to buy the dandelion lemonade because of the flower but they were very interested.” Y/n says, coming up behind Harry and rubbing his knotted shoulders, rubbing out all the aches and pains from today.

“Next time let’s bring some of our baked goods, I’m sure everyone would adore your angel food cake.” Harry says, making Y/n giggle, wrapping her arms around her husband. “I only make that for you and Violet” she says, resting her head on his back and cuddling into him.

Harry’s chest rumbles with a soft chuckle, nodding as he places the last jar of pepper jelly in front of the other, “I’m sure they would love your lavender and poppy-seed muffins then” Harry adds, Y/n nodding. She does enjoy baking, especially trying out new recipes with the huge garden she has access to, fresh ingredients, eggs and fresh milk constantly coming through. Harry is the better one in the kitchen though, but she won’t admit it.

“I wanna make some sun tea tomorrow, what should I make?” Y/n asks, placing a kiss on the back of her husband's shoulder. Harry pulls her arms around himself even tighter, giving her wrists a squeeze after. “Whatever you would like, and you could add some lavender and lemon to it” he says lowly, his voice getting more deep and scratchy as the clock ticks later. He leans back into her, resting his head on the short space of her shoulder. Placing a kiss on his cheek she noses over his hairline, “yeah,”

“Let’s go to bed,” Harry says, picking up the kitten that had jumped on the kitchen counter and placing it back on the ground with a scratch to their head. “Let’s,” Y/n agrees, grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs, tracking up to their bedroom to start their nightly routines and head to bed.

A/n: HI! this posted early :( I think I accidentally set it to the wrong time. Thank you to everyone who read and reblogged the first part of my cottage core series, you're all so sweet, it really does mean a lot. My requests are open!! so please request some ideas for cottage core harry!!! This isn't like a consistent story, its more like blurbs that sorta go together. I have part three done already and it will be posted possible later next week since its Sunday for me now :)!!! thank you to everyone again! sorry for the early post and please request some blurb ideas for cottage core Harry :))))))

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heyiwrotesomethings · 4 years ago

Text

Fresh Starts

Leah (Stardew) x Selectively Mute She/Her Reader

A/N: Thought I’d try something different with this one. Sorry if I didn’t detail the instances of sign language very well, or if they are a little off, I did try. Also Kel is an asshol in this when they show up so get ready for that. Robin is cool mom and Abigail is the friend who is always ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Also, time is so weird in Stardew? There are four season in a year but each season is like a month so a year is like four months. Time is scary. I hope you like it! Word Count: 8,943

“So, someone has finally taken up that old farmland,” Leah heard Gus say to Harvey as he fixed the good doctor a drink at the bar, “‘Heard Lewis and Robin talking about it outside of Pierre’s yesterday.”

“Is that so?” Harvey was tired from a long day at the clinic, but being ever polite, he humored Gus and rested fully against the bar stool.

“Mhmm, looks like the old man’s kin is finally gonna make something of it. A few years late though I must say, that place is well overgrown. It’s gonna take a lot more than a little elbow grease to spruce up that dump,” Gus chuckled good naturedly and handed Harvey his beer, “I wish them luck, whoever they are.”

“Bah!” Leah jumped in her seat tucked away in the corner. Pam must have been listening in too. “If they’re smart they’ll just sell the heap of trash to Joja. M’sure they’d get a pretty penny for it.” Pam spoke bitterly. Shane, who was also quite drunk at this point in the night, took the opportunity to add his two cents in and yell across the bar.

“Why would they get your daughter for selling out to Joja?”

“That’s not what I meant, dumbass!” Pam roared back, slamming her beer on the table with a loud thump.

Leah decided she’d call it a night then. Without Elliott to crack jokes with, the saloon could get real depressing real fast with Shane and Pam racing each other to see who would get alcohol poisoning first. Even Clint was just sad to watch. The poor man sitting hopefully, waiting for Emily to even just turn in his direction. Leah finished the rest of her beer and paid Gus, giving the man a sympathetic smile as he left to cut Shane off.

Leah shivered in the cool spring breeze as she walked along the river bank to her cottage and her thoughts wandered back to what Gus had been gossiping about.

“A new face around Stardew Valley, hm?” Leah mused, kicking a stray pebble in her path, watching it skip across the cobbled stone. “I guess I won’t be the town newbie anymore.” She smiled and turned to look in the direction of Marnie’s home, knowing that the farm was somewhere just beyond. As Leah turned the key to unlock the door of her small cottage, she wondered what changes this new resident might bring.

***

“Have you met our new resident farmer yet?” Leah heard Caroline ask Jodi as she walked across the town square.

“I suppose you could call it that,” Jodi laughed, “It was a very brief meeting to say the least.��

“I’m glad I wasn’t the only one then,” Caroline sighed, putting a hand to her chest in relief, “I thought I had offended the girl somehow, she never said a word. She just walked into the shop and pointed to a few seeds she wanted to buy, then she handed Abigail, Pierre and I daffodils and went on her way. Not so much as a sound.” Caroline explained, still bewildered by the interaction.

“Sounds about right,” Jodi nodded, “She knocked on the front door and handed me a single clam. Which was nice I suppose, but so very odd. She gave Vincent a daffodil too,” Jodi smiled, “He was very pleased. I’m sure she would have given Sam something as well if he could wake up at a more reasonable time.”

“Oh, Leah! Good morning!” Caroline had caught her. Leah put on her most sociable smile and walked forward, greeting the two women.

“Good morning Caroline, Jodi.”

“Have you been visited by the farm fairy yet?” Jodi asked, chuckling along with Caroline.

“I’m afraid not.” Leah admitted. “Although Elliott says I am a bit difficult to track down at the best of times.” She laughed good naturedly.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll get you sooner or later. She seems to be on a mission to greet the whole town. If you can call it a greeting I suppose. I don’t even know her name.” Caroline realized.

“It’s (Y/n).”

The three women jumped and turned to a grinning Robin, walking up to them with her yoga mat swaddled under her arm.

“Her name is (Y/n). She’s quite the character, huh?”

“Robin, you helped Mayor Lewis move her in didn’t you? What can you tell us?” Jodi asked, looking for any crumb of information she could get on the mysterious girl.

“Not much to tell,” Robin shrugged, “Just a sweet kid wanting to get away from the pressures of the big city,” she sent a knowing look at Leah, “Sounds like someone else I know.”

Leah laughed politely, twisting a finger around the tail end of her braid as blush settled in her cheeks faintly.

“But why is she so... you know, quiet?” Caroline asked.

“Hm, well, she did give me her blessing to explain should it come up.” Robin took a moment to think of how to proceed, absently tapping her fingers against her mat. “(Y/n) is selectively mute. She has the ability to speak, but she’s just not comfortable enough to do so at this time. This move was a big decision for her, and she’s excited, but it’s just gonna take some time before she feels secure enough to communicate orally.”

“And how did you get all this information out of her?” Caroline wondered.

Robin secured her yoga mat between her thighs and presented both hands, pointing her index fingers outward and drew a couple large circles in the air with the tips of her extended fingers. “Sign language!” Robin grinned, before taking a hold of her mat once more.

“Oh how clever!” Jodi praised. “I wish I understood sign language.”

“I’d be happy to show you a few of the basics sometime. If you really need to ask (Y/n) something though she will have no problem writing out answers for you.” Robin informed. “Now, are we working out today or...”

“I completely forgot!” Caroline smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, “Yes, let’s go. Poor Marnie is probably wondering where we are. Are you going to join us Leah?”

“I’ll pass, thanks. I’m heading to the beach to do some painting,” Leah explained, motioning to her bag.

“Alright, see you around!” Caroline, Jodi and Robin bid Leah goodbye and hurried to the general store.

Leah sighed, as much as she liked the people in this town they were so chatty. She could have been at the beach forever ago! Once she arrived, she saw Haley sunbathing. Not unusual, but as she kept walking closer to shore she saw Elliott splayed out over the sand laying on his stomach.

Leah rolled her eyes and walked over, playfully kicking the man’s arm, causing him to squint up at her.

“Is there some kind of new writing exercise I should know about?” She asked, playfully.

“I wish, this is simply writer’s block at its finest.” Elliott groaned. “That, and I don’t know what I’m going to do with this,” he sat up and produced a wild horseradish from his jacket pocket.

“Why do you have a horseradish in your pocket?”

“A girl I’ve never seen before in my life gave it to me. Then she took off before I could refuse. Didn’t even say a word.”

“She’s totally weird, but she did give me a daffodil so I guess she’s not that bad.” Haley called from her own spot in the sand.

“Has everyone met the new girl except me?” Leah wondered aloud.

“She’s been making rounds. I’m sure she’ll find you eventually.” Elliott said, resting his chin over his arms.

“You make her sound so ominous.” Leah laughed, lowering herself to the sand and taking out a sketch pad.

“A silent specter. A harbinger of-“

“Oh can it, drama queen,” Leah smirked, “so she gave you a horseradish, it’s not the end of the world. She was just trying to be nice.”

Elliott pursed his lips, propping his head up with one hand he turned the horseradish in the other offering it to Leah. “Do you want it? You’re all about foraging.”

“I mean, if you’re not going to use it sure. Put it in my bag.” Leah relented easily. Her eyes only leaving her paper to study the horizon for a moment, then continue to sketch.

Leah stayed on the beach with Elliott for a couple of hours, talking sketching, and painting. Finally she stood and stretched, patting the sand off the back of her jeans. “I should get going. See you around.”

“See you.” Elliott nodded, splitting off from Leah to head over to his shack.

Leah hummed to herself as she walked through town, making her way past Jodi’s house and entered the Cindersnap Forest. As she rounded the corner of her cottage, she paused in her tracks. Observing a young woman staring at her door with dandelions in one hand and her other poised to knock on the weathered wood.

Leah flinched slightly, she had stepped on a twig, snapping it and alerting her visitor of her presence.

Startled eyes met Leah’s own and the farmer straightened from her previous position, stepping back from Leah’s door.

She smiled shyly, giving Leah a short, jaunty wave before gesturing between Leah and the cottage a moment. Then she stood still. An expectant look on her face.

Leah simply stared back, blinking before she registered the silent question. “Oh! Yes, I live here. That’s my house. You’re (Y/n), right? Robin told me about you, I’m Leah.” She smiled kindly, coming forward to offer (Y/n) her hand to shake.

Instead of grasping Leah’s hand, (Y/n) cupped it with her gloved hands, turning Leah’s hand palm up and placing the dandelions inside.

“Ah, thank you.” Leah chuckled, “These will make a great salad.”

(Y/n) nodded vigorously, then moved to make her exit. Leah wasn’t sure what possessed her, but she called out to (Y/n) before she could get too far.

“Wait, I um, it’s not much but I did take an intro to ASL course my freshman year of college so, I’m a bit limited but if you ever want to talk, you know...” Leah wished she could stop talking right now. Why had no one told her that the farmer was cute!? “So, yeah, you know,” Leah fumbled with her free hand, her fingers sat just underneath her chin before she sent them forward, “Thanks again.” She smiled nervously.

(Y/n) stared at her, dumbfounded. Then she released a short, sharp exhalation of air that was reminiscent of stuttered laughter and turned back to stand before Leah. (Y/n) made a timid approach and gingerly took Leah’s wrist, still hovering midair, and guided the hand back to rest on Leah’s chin, just below her lip. Leah stood still as stone as (Y/n) held it there for a second then extended the hand forward. She repeated the motion twice more before backing away and releasing Leah from her gloved grasp. The smell of earth and grass still clung to Leah’s nose even after (Y/n) had stepped back.

“Oh, I did it wrong, didn’t I?” Leah blushed, “Is there a big difference between the two?”

(Y/n) blew out a large breath of air and nodded. One of her gloved hands came up to cover the amused smile fighting against her lips.

“What did I say? Was is embarrassing? Yoba, I need to know,” Leah carefully set the dandelions at her feet and rummaged through her bag. Taking out her sketch pad and a pencil, she flipped to a clean page and presented the materials into the rough fabric of (Y/n)’s gloved hands, “Please, tell me.”

(Y/n) shot Leah a sympathetic smile, then she looked down at the paper and wrote quickly and concisely. She looked over her work, nodded to herself, then she handed the sketch book and pencil back to Leah before jogging of in the direction of her farm.

“Eh- Hey! Wait a minute!” Leah took a few strides after the farmer but quickly gave up, electing to look at the paper in her hand instead. “Maybe I’ll tell you some other time. Nice meeting you Leah, smiley face.” Leah read aloud to herself. She scoffed, but couldn’t stop the smile that had conquered her lips. She couldn’t wait to see (Y/n) again.

***

“Hey, Maru-“

“I think I have a feeling about what this is about, but just in case, please proceed.”

The next morning, Leah had made her way to the clinic to visit Maru and perhaps get the answers she was looking for. She had made the trek to (Y/n)’s farm first, but she wasn’t there. A little note hastily taped to the farmer’s door revealed that she was spending the day fishing in the mountains and wouldn’t be back until late at night.

“Maru, you know sign language like your mom, right?” Leah asked.

“Sure do. Seb and dad do too.” Maru nodded, leaning over the clinic counter. “But I’ve got to tell you that if you’re looking for the meaning of what you accidentally signed to (Y/n) last night, we were sworn to silence earlier this morning before (Y/n) went fishing. Sorry.” Maru smiled.

“Ugh,” Leah sighed, leaning her forehead against the counter. “Can I at least have a hint?”

“Well, it’s really funny. Especially considering how chill you normally are and your kind disposition.”

“Yoba, I really need to know!” Leah groaned against the counter.

“Well my family can’t tell you. You’ll just have to wait to hear it from (Y/n),” Maru grinned and pushed away from the counter, “I have to prepare for Evelyn’s check up now so I’ll see you around Leah.”

“Yeah, bye.” Leah grumbled, watching Maru disappear into the back offices. “Well, there goes that plan.” She mumbled under her breath as she left the clinic.

Leah spent the rest of the day sculpting in her cottage. She spent hours getting lost in the chipping of the wood before finally going to bed.

***

It had been days since Leah last saw (Y/n) and if the farming life wasn’t so demanding, Leah would have been worried that she had deeply offended the farmer to the point that she was purposely avoiding her. Leah decided not to waste the time she had been presented with.

She approached Robin about sign language lessons, enough to get some basic phrases and words. She practiced the motions herself, perfecting them to allow for no mistakes. Although she knew (Y/n) could hear her just fine, she found it easier to retain the lessons this way. Not to mention that it was just a useful language to know.

“I’ve hardly seen you around. I was worried you stabbed yourself with your woodworking tools.” Elliott said as Leah came up to sit next to him in the saloon.

“And you didn’t think to come to check on me?” Leah looked at the writer incredulously.

“Nope.”

Leah punched Elliott’s arm and he laughed. Before long, Emily came by with their food and they ate comfortably.

“Would you look at that.” Elliot spoke, pointing in direction of the door as he swallowed another bite.

Leah turned to look, purple irises sparkling at the sight of (Y/n) lugging a large bag up to the bar. She watched Emily talk (Y/n)’s ear off, the poor farmer smiled uncomfortably while trying to divide her attention between her and Gus who had apparently requested a variety of fish.

“Wow, Robin said you were in trouble but you really are,” Elliott chuckled behind his beer, “You really lit up just now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Leah scoffed, still watching (Y/n) hand Gus fish after fish. It was almost comical how such an objectively small bag could hold so much.

“You can’t keep your eyes off her. I realize the dating pool in Stardew is small, but the girl just got here.”

“Elliott, stop!” Leah blushed, looking back down at her plate to stab at her salad.

“I’m just saying, you’re already taking sign language lessons for her you might want to dial it back a little bit. You wouldn’t want to come off as the obsessive type.”

“Oh! She’s leaving, should I offer to walk her home? I’m going to offer to walk her home.” Leah dug in her pocket and pulled out some gold, pushing it over to Elliott.

“What did I just say?” Elliott called after Leah, as she eagerly jogged to the exit to catch (Y/n) walking in the direction of the Cindersaps, perfect!

“(Y/n), good evening!” Leah called jogging up to the farmer only to have the farmer gasp and take several steps away from Leah, holding her hands out as a warning to not come any closer. “I’m sorry, I’m didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!” Leah gasped, maybe Elliott was right.

(Y/n) shook her head, slowly taking a step back towards Leah, presenting her slightly soggy bag and waving her hand in front of her nose, scrunching her face as she did so.

Leah was sure the movement wasn’t an official ASL sign, but it did help get the point across and she giggled.

“What? Do you think you smell?”

Another nod and a look that seemed to say that she didn’t just think so, she knew so. She had been in the mines all morning and fishing at the beach all afternoon. She couldn’t wait to take a shower.

“It’s alright, I won’t judge you,” Leah smiled, “Are you heading home for the night? I’d be happy to walk with you since it’s so dark.”

(Y/n) took a moment to think about it before nodding shyly and motioning Leah closer. Leah happily obliged walking alongside the farmer into the Cindersap Forest. The walk was mostly silent, but that was to be expected nonetheless, Leah was having a great time. They had even found a couple of leeks along the way which (Y/n) had insisted Leah keep. All too soon, they reached the porch of the old farmhouse.

“You’re crops look great,” Leah complimented, looking for an excuse to stay even just a few minutes more, “really healthy. What all have you been growing? Are those potatoes and turnips?”

(Y/n) looked over her shoulder as she unlocked her door. Her eyes focused on where Leah was pointing and nodded affirmingly.

“Yeah, I’m no farmer but I love foraging. I’ve got a few really good books about wild foods and where to find them and when. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt.” Leah grinned.

“Mhmm.”

It was quiet, a little strained, but the small hum of agreement almost sent Leah into cardiac arrest. She sounded so sweet! Leah’s cheeks were starting to hurt from how widely she was smiling.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then. So, I’ll see you around?”

(Y/n) looked like she wanted to say something, but settled for a simple nod, fiddling with the gardening gloves she had taken off. Leah smiled softly, watching how the farmer intently eyed the fabric twisting in her hands.

“Feel free to drop by the cottage whenever it suits you. I’ll leave the door open!” Leah added, waving over her shoulder as she turned to walk away. (Y/n) beamed, looking a bit more lively as she waved back.

Leah turned her back on the house and walked back to her cottage in the Cindersaps with a skip in her step and a painfully large smile on her face. Although it was already late, she prepared a new block of wood for sculpting. Her new muse had granted her a vision for a grand project and had the potential to be one of her greatest works yet.

***

“Kel, I told you to stop calling me. I’m not coming back to the city, we are through.” Leah frowned, her hand gripped the phone receiver so tightly that she could hear the plastic giving slightly under the pressure.

She was so focused on combating Kel’s useless bargains that she hadn’t noticed the timid farmer show herself in, looking at Leah’s tense shoulders and back with concern. (Y/n) flinched as Leah cut off Kel to speak again, her voice low and stern.

“There is nothing you could say, nothing you could offer me, that would make me come back. Move on, and please, for the last time, do not call me again.” Leah slammed the phone down on its perch. Pressing her palms into her eyes she let out a frustrated groan, slowly positioning her hands to rub at her temples to combat the headache she felt coming on.

Then she heard the door creak.

Leah quickly turned around just in time to see (Y/n) looking back at her with wide eyes and lips pursed thin as if she had been caught witnessing an event she had no business seeing. Which was partially true, but Leah had told her a week beforehand that she could drop by anytime.

“(Y/n), what a pleasant surprise!” Leah grimaced, watching (Y/n) flinch and look down sheepishly at her feet. One had managed to retreat back out the door before being caught and it was slowly joined by the intruding foot, so (Y/n) was fully outside again. Leah shook her head and calmly approached the farmer.

“Please don’t leave, I’m the one who told you to come let yourself in whenever. I’m sorry you had to hear all of that.” Leah was worried, watching (Y/n) linger in the doorway. Her shoulders relaxed when (Y/n) cautiously came back inside and closed the door behind her.

(Y/n) stood in the entryway and looked over Leah, her eyes filled heavily with concern. She raised a hand, pointing to Leah before signing the letters ‘o’ and ‘k’.

“I’m okay. I’m just,” Leah fumbled for the right words, “mad, sad? Exhausted.”

(Y/n) made another gesture, shaping her fingers into a ‘hang loose’-esque sign. Her curled fingers meeting her chin. She lowered the hand momentarily to give it a controlled shake before bringing it back up into the starting position.

“What’s wrong?” Leah mumbled, making sure she understood. (Y/n) nodded. “I just got a phone call from someone I didn’t want to talk to is all,” Leah sighed, “They’re an ex of mine. The person who called.” Leah disclosed, rubbing the back of her neck, agitated.

(Y/n) signed again, but Leah didn’t quite catch it that time so she motioned (Y/n) over to her dining nook and sat her down with some paper and a pencil. The farmer seemed a bit unwilling to write it out, feeling like it was more insensitive somehow but with a little prodding from Leah, she gave in.

“Was it a bad break up...” Leah read aloud. She sat back in her chair and carefully chose her words. “Sometimes it feels like we’re still breaking up,” Leah chuckled wryly, “Kel, my ex, didn’t like me perusing art. They didn’t think I could make a living out of it and wanted me to waste away at some office job and well, I didn’t want that. They weren’t respectful or supportive of my dreams, so I left. They call me a lot though, to try to convince me to come back to the city... that I won’t make it as an artist. That I can’t be happy without them. It really is exhausting and the worst part is, I worry that they’re right.” Leah released a shuddering breath, “I haven’t sold a single piece. I don’t really even know how to start. I can sustain myself on what I have in my savings account for only so long.”

(Y/n) covered Leah’s hand with her own, squeezing it. Leah marveled at how soft it was in comparison to her own, especially since it was the hand of a farmer. Perhaps the gloves (Y/n) always wore had more practical uses rather than simply being worn for aesthetic’s sake. Leah chanced a look at (Y/n)’s face and was caught off guard by the determined fire blazing in her eyes. Then Leah’s attention was brought back to the table as (Y/n) furiously scratched the pencil against the paper and forcefully pushed her newly composed message in front of the sculptor, her other hand still rooted over Leah’s.

Leah read over the note and felt her heart ache with appreciative warmth. ‘You were brave enough to know what you wanted and even though it wasn’t easy, you went for it. That in itself is an amazing accomplishment that you should not take lightly. Your dream is not unfounded either, I’ve seen some of your sketches and paintings and I think you are very talented. Once you figure out how to put yourself out there you’ll have people begging you to take their money.’

Leah sniffed and smiled at (Y/n) appreciatively, turning her hand to reciprocate (Y/n)’s strong, yet gentle hold on her. “Thank you, (Y/n). I just wish I knew how to start.”

(Y/n) tapped her chin with the pencil as she thought. When she had an idea, she pulled the paper back to herself and wrote a suggestion.

“An art show? Oh, I don’t know (Y/n). It hardly seems possible.”

(Y/n) shook her head in disagreement and wrote more.

“You really think the town would want to help? Are you sure you want to help? You’ve got enough on your plate already with how busy the farm keeps you. I don’t want to impose.”

(Y/n) looked as if she had something to say, her throat bobbed and her lips twitched, but in the end she settled for the paper again, still too anxious to speak. After Leah had read the reply, she felt (Y/n)’s thumb rub against her knuckles and looked up. (Y/n) nodded, her expression serious. She wanted to help Leah with this.

“Thank you, (Y/n)!” Leah sniffled, holding back tears. She launched herself into (Y/n)’s arms and hugged the surprised farmer close. “Thank you so much!”

(Y/n) slowly returned the hug, smoothing one of her hands over Leah’s back in comforting motions. It was a bit of an awkward position with (Y/n) still sitting at the table and Leah hovering over her, but it felt nice.

“Sorry,” Leah chuckled after a moment, leaning back and wiping a stray tear from her eye, “I kind of caught you off guard with that didn’t I?”

(Y/n) shrugged and smiled good naturedly. A look came over her face as if she just remembered something and she stood up to grab her bag from the cottage entryway. She grinned when she found what she was looking for and made her way back to Leah, holding out a brown paper package to her.

“For me?” Leah asked. (Y/n) nodded and gestured for her to take it. Leah carefully unwrapped it and gasped. “(Y/n), is this goat cheese? I love this, how did you know?”

(Y/n) raised her hand, signing the letters ‘E’ ‘L’ ‘L’ ‘I’ ‘O’ ‘T’ ‘T’.

“Elliott hm?” Leah laughed, “I’m glad you two are getting along after the horseradish debacle.”

(Y/n) crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. She wasn’t looking back on the memory fondly.

“Hey, I’m with you on this one. He was being an ass. How could you have known he hated horseradish.”

(Y/n) nodded in agreement, one of her hands reaching out as if to say, ‘exactly’. She then noticed the time on Leah’s clock and signed that she had to go.

“I see.” Leah smiled sadly, trying not to let her disappointment shine through. “Good bye then, and (Y/n),” Leah signed ‘thank you’, very mindful of the position of her hands this time around, “seriously thank you for everything.”

(Y/n) beamed, giving Leah a thumbs up before heading out the door.

***

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Leah kept mumbling to herself while watching her fellow Pelican Townies set up her creations in the town square. There were already some tourists looking around and Leah felt her nerves fraying.

“Hang in there, kid. Everything looks great. Don’t worry so much.” Robin snuck up on Leah, making her jump. “It’s a beautiful summer day, don’t forget to enjoy it.”

“I’m trying, Robin. It’s just so much.” Leah said, nervously playing with her sleeve. Robin noticed Elliott walking up and motioned him to help deal with the artist while she went to help Demetrius move a heavy wooden sculpture.

“Come on now, Leah. Too late to back out now.” Elliott grinned, thumping her back. “(Y/n) seems especially excited by how things are progressing.”

Leah chanced a glance at (Y/n) and Maru putting up paintings between signing each other excitedly. The scene warmed her heart and her shoulders relaxed a bit.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll try.”

“Great, now let’s go woo some tourists.” Elliott said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“What? Elliott, no!” Leah shook her head.

“Not like that,” Elliott laughed, “I know your heart belongs to someone else. I just meant,” he looks around before whispering in Leah’s ear, “woo them out of their money.”

Leah laughed and pushed Elliott away. “Alright, you focus on the wooing and I’ll focus on explaining my thought processes.”

“That doesn’t sound as fun, but okay, this is your day.”

As Elliot and Leah made their way across the square, an unwelcome guest watched them from afar. Their blood boiled as they saw Leah pause at the makeshift painting gallery to give the farmer’s hand an affectionate squeeze.

***

“I can’t believe we sold so many!” Leah spoke in ecstatic disbelief as she waved at the last car she and (Y/n) had just loaded a heavy wooden sculpture into before it drove away. “This is crazy!”

(Y/n) wore a smile that matched Leah’s, happy to watch the sculptor bouncing in place. When Leah finally stilled, still giddy, she took both of (Y/n)’s hands in hers. Once again free of the gloves, the hands were pleasantly soft against her own and she relished in the feeling.

“(Y/n) I know it’s kind of late, but I have something I want to give to you. I left it at my house so I’m going to go get it. I’ll meet you at the farm, is that alright?”

(Y/n) stared at Leah, her curiosity piqued. She nodded, easily giving Leah the answer she was hoping for.

“Great! I’ll be there soon!” With one last squeeze of the farmer’s hands, she was off. (Y/n) heard the crack of a twig, but when she turned to investigate, nothing stood out so she made her way back to her farm to wait for Leah.

When Leah came up to the porch, (Y/n) had to do a double take at the big wooden statue she was lugging along. With one last huff of air, Leah placed the statue at the base of the steps and grinned up at (Y/n), wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.

“Thanks for waiting. It was a little more ah, heavy, than I expected.” Leah laughed sheepishly. “Come take a look.”

(Y/n) stepped off the porch and circled the piece, taking in every detail. Leah felt nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach while she watched the farmer scrutinize the work and cleared her throat.

“I started working on it in the spring. I also incorporated some of that driftwood you gave me a few weeks ago. Anyway, I made it with you in mind. It’s called, ‘How I Feel about (Y/n)’ and I’d be honored if you would accept it as a gift for everything you’ve done for me.” Leah stared at her feet as she spoke, too embarrassed to keep her eyes on (Y/n) while she spoke. Then a pair of boots joined, hands came up to clasp her own, pulling the conjoined grasp into her line of vision and coaxing her to look up into (Y/n)’s eyes.

“It’s wonderful.”

At that moment, Leah thought her heart must have been beating so hard that it was affecting her hearing.

“Hh... huh?” Leah asked, rather dumbly.

(Y/n) swallowed thickly, took a deep breath, and whispered, “It’s wonderful, Leah. Thank you.”

Leah looked absolutely awestruck, purple irises shone with excitement and she laughed, pulling (Y/n) into a tight embrace.

“I’m glad you like it.” Leah sniffled, resting her face in (Y/n)’s shoulder.

“Leah?” (Y/n) wrapped her arms around the artist, it was only one word, her name, but Leah heard the concern in the farmer’s tone.

“I’m okay. I’m just happy,” Leah sniffled again, “I’m happy you felt comfortable enough with me to speak to me.”

“Me too.” (Y/n) whispered, holding Leah tighter.

The pair found it difficult when they had to part ways for the night, but they were equally excited over how their relationship was developing, looking forward to spending more time together over the summer.

***

“Come on, just a little further...” Leah coached herself. She was reaching for a piece of fruit hanging from a branch just out of her reach.

She had planned a picnic with (Y/n) for this afternoon. She had already set up under the big old tree near the pond and as she waited for (Y/n) to finish up with her crops and animals for the morning, when she spotted the unusual fruit. Now she was jumping and stretching for the fruit just out of reach.

“Almost— Ah!” Leah struggled to balance herself in the air, swiveling her head to peak over her shoulder, she saw (Y/n) looking up at her with a mischievous grin. Leah rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the side of her lips. She turned back to the task at hand and grabbed the fruit, motioning (Y/n) to put her back down.

“Show off.” Leah scoffed, lightly punching (Y/n)’s shoulder. “You wanna try a bite?”

“Yes, please.” (Y/n)’s cheeks heated when Leah pressed the fruit to her lips. She took a bite of the offering, savoring the taste. “It’s so sweet.” She said, amazed.

“Right?” Leah smiled, “It’s rare to get fruit from this tree. Usually all the animals snap it all up as soon as they’re ripe, but it seems they miss some from time to time. How is everything with the farm this morning?”

“All is well,” (Y/n) nodded as the pair made themselves comfortable on the blanket Leah had set up, “I would have been here sooner but the goats kept standing in front of my cheese and mayo machines, the chicken coup too. Made it a little difficult.” (Y/n) disclosed. “Which reminds me,” she rummaged through her bag, “goat cheese salads.”

“Mmm, this looks heavenly. Thank you for making these.” Leah said, eagerly stirring in some vinaigrette into the generous fresh salad.

“No problem. Selling my harvest is nice, but it feels so much more rewarding enjoying it like this.” (Y/n) informed, mixing her own salad.

“I can imagine,” Leah hummed and leaned her back fully against the trunk of the tree, “Ah, it’s such a lovely day for this.”

“Mhmm.”

They ate the rest of their meal in peaceful silence, listening to the birds sing and the fish leap, the breeze rustling the trees and grass around them. It was tranquil, it was perfect.

“Hey, Leah,” (Y/n) spoke, breaking the silence.

“Yes?” Leah asked, turning her gaze away from the sketch pad she had brought out.

“It’s almost Fall you know, we’ve known each other for nearly two whole seasons. Half a year, it’s crazy, right?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, doesn’t it?” Leah giggled, “What made you think of that?”

“Well, I wanted to ask you something. Don’t feel like you have to answer one way or the other, but...” (Y/n) paused, trying to gather her thoughts.

“Hey, it’s okay (Y/n). You can tell me anything. Sign it out if you want to.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just nervous,” (Y/n) turned to her bag and pulled out a lovely bouquet of flowers, “Leah, would you maybe consider being my girlfriend?“

“Yes!” Leah enveloped (Y/n) in a tackle like hug that sent them both to fully meet the ground, accidentally crushing the flowers between their bodies, “Oops, sorry,” Leah wiggled the flowers out from under her to look at them more closely, “these are lovely, (Y/n). I didn’t know Pierre had these in yet.”

“He didn’t, I planted them.” (Y/n) clarified, smiling up at Leah who still hovered over her, giggling.

“Of course you did, you’re so sweet.”

“I try.”

“Are you kidding me!”

Leah and (Y/n) quickly turned to face the disturbance, scrambling to sit up from their compromising position. Leah felt her stomach twist with discomfort seeing Kel of all people marching up to them, absolutely fuming.

“Seriously, what the hell, Leah?” Kel yelled, their hands clenched into tight fists as they closed in, making yard after yard disappear between them.

“No, more like what the hell, Kel? I broke up with you seasons ago. What are you even doing in Pelican Town?” Leah retorted angrily, as (Y/n) helped her to her feet. Kel watched the motion and ground their teeth.

They were already dangerously close to crossing the threshold of the blanket and that small display was enough to send them stomping over the edge.

“I came for you, obviously! I’ve been slumming it in that dusty old saloon since your art show, waiting to talk to you! Now I find you sucking face with some country bumpkin nobody!” They seethed, stepping even closer into Leah’s personal space until (Y/n) pulled Leah back behind her, making Kel even more incensed. “You stay out of this. I’m talking to Leah!”

(Y/n) held strong, stuck between the harsh obscenities attacking her from the front and the loving affirmations defending her from behind. She held her arm out, willing Kel to stay back as she slowly started to guide Leah back in the direction of town for help. Kel ignored the warning and followed after them.

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself? You think you’re being some kind of hero right now?” Kel seethed.

(Y/n) stayed silent, she had gone mute again and who would blame her in the face of such a tense situation? She was so very uncomfortable, scared even, but she continued on passed Marnie’s since she knew the woman wasn’t home at this time and she sure wasn’t going to expose Jas to this. Jodi’s house was their next best bet.

“Hey, you obviously want to start something here. You’ve got something to say to me?” Kel continued forward.

“Kel, leave us alone!” Leah commanded, “It’s over, it’s been over, go home!”

“You think you’re too good to talk to me?” Kel yelled, ignoring Leah. “She’s just a whore. She just latched onto the first warm body she could find after her little meltdown. You’re not special.”

(Y/n) froze stiffly in place, Leah felt the muscles on her shoulders tense so she tried to pull on her arm to keep her moving.

“Ignore them, (Y/n). Let’s focus on getting to town, okay?” Leah pleaded. But (Y/n) gently pushed off Leah’s hands and took a step towards Kel with a cold glare. Leah stepped to stand beside (Y/n)’s side, nervous that a more serious confrontation was about to unfold.

“Well?” Kel spat.

(Y/n) crossed her arms, turning her head to look at Leah. The look on her face was all the communication Leah needed to understand. It was definitely a, ‘they better back off or I’m going to knock them off their block’ face. Leah had never known (Y/n) to be particularly violent, but with all the time she spent in the mines, she had no doubt that she could take care of herself.

Leah gasped when Kel suddenly roared, lunging forward. Apparently they had not liked how (Y/n) and Leah had been paying attention to each other rather than themself. Kel had rocketed forward and aimed to punch (Y/n) hard over her cheek, however, at the last moment, Leah pushed her aside and took the blow for her.

(Y/n) inhaled sharply and caught Leah as she stumbled back, noticing how blood immediately began gushing from Leah’s now broken nose.

“Ow- AH!” Leah cried, her hands muffled her voice since she had covered her nose and mouth.

It only took a second for (Y/n) to return the favor to Kel’s stunned face. She punched them fast and hard over their cheek, but Kel was quick to fight back and now it was a full out brawl.

“What’s going on, we heard yelling— holy shit!”

Leah turned away from the fight to see Sam, Seb, and Abigail running up on the scene.

“(Y/n)’s throwing hands!” Abigail yelled, sounding way more excited than worried.

“Leah are you okay? What’s going on?” Sebastian asked, noting the concerning amount of blood running down Leah’s arms and the front of her shirt.

“Don’t worry about me, stop them!” Leah winced, taking one hand away from her face to motion to her ex and her new girlfriend still going at each other.

“Damn, Abi! Go get your dad and Harvey too by the looks of it!” Sam yelled, he seemed to be looking for an opening to push the fighters apart.

“Are you kidding? You get my dad, I’m getting in on this!” Abigail cheered and ran up to jump on Kel’s back like she was at a rodeo while (Y/n) landed a good hit on Kel’s stomach. “Nice punch, (Y/n)!”

“Oh Yoba, Sam, start running.” Seb suggested, trying to help Leah with her nose. He was no Maru, but even he knew how to set a broken nose. Especially within the first couple weeks of Sam taking up skateboarding.

“Right!” Sam ran off back into town screaming. A few tense minutes later and Pierre, Caroline, Robin, Elliott, Maru and Harvey came running behind Sam to break up the fight.

“Abigail, stop!” Pierre huffed, pulling off his daughter and passing her off to his wife, “I taught you what I did to defend yourself, not to lash out like a wild animal!” He grunted, pulling Kel into his grasp and trapping their arms behind their back with Elliott coming up to assist.

“Come on dad, I was helping a friend! What’s the big deal?” Abi groaned, while her mom fretted over her, looking for injuries.

“Easy there kid, it’s over.” Robin coaxed (Y/n), pulling her back. The farmer slumped over in the carpenter’s hold, breathing heavily.

“Is (Y/n) okay? Ah!” Leah hissed as Harvey touched up her nose, giving her a nasal spray before wedging a couple wads of tissue up her nostrils.

“Sorry, Leah.” Harvey sympathized, “Maru is going to check up on her now.”

“What about me?” Kel hissed. Pierre had them resting on their knees. They looked really roughed up. A black eye was already forming and scratches and bruises littered their skin, they were also holding their stomach rather tightly.

“You’ll just have to wait a minute.” Elliott frowned, staring down at the stranger with contempt.

“Don’t you have any police officers in this backwater town? I’ll sue every one of you for withholding care to someone who is obviously hurt!” Kel threatened, grinding their teeth.

“Oh, the police are coming alright!” Caroline spoke indignantly. “You are in no position to be asking for anything right now, bringing violence to our community, you should be ashamed!”

“(Y/n) can you look up for me, please.” Maru asked, carefully tilting (Y/n)’s chin up. (Y/n) sucked in a breath when Maru touched her bruised jaw a tad to hard. “Sorry, Your jaw is bruised pretty badly. Your bottom lip split too. How is your vision?”

(Y/n) shook her head and winced, cradling her head in her hands.

“Okay, possible concussion. We’ll need to observe her at the clinic.” Maru said.

“Alright, come on bruiser,” Robin grunted, heaving (Y/n) to her feet, “Sebbie, help me walk her into town please.”

“Sure mom.” Seb took (Y/n)’s other side.

(Y/n) patted Robin’s arm, motioning her to wait. She slowly turned to Kel and leaned more heavily against Seb as she freed her other arm from Robin to snap her fingers aggressively, looking for Kel’s attention. Once Kel looked up at her, sneering from their spot in the dirt, (Y/n) turned briefly to make sure Leah was watching. When she saw that she was, she smiled as if to say, ‘watch this,’ and turned back to Kel. (Y/n) brought her flat, angled hand below her chin and sent it forward in the direction of Kel’s confused, but no less, pissed face.

“Oh ho! (Y/n) is such a badass!” Abigail laughed.

“Abi, since when do you know sign language?” Sam asked, clearly confused.

“I don’t, but I’ve spent enough time searching curses in different languages to know that was totally a ‘fuck you’. Personally I think a middle finger approach would have been an appropriate classic myself but whatever.” Abigail shrugged.

“Abigail, language!” Caroline scolded.

“Sorry mom.”

“Alright, you’ve had your fun. Clinic, now.” Robin tried to hold in a laugh as she repositioned (Y/n)’s arm over her shoulder. Then she and Seb began walking (Y/n) back into town.

Leah made to follow, but as they were leaving, the police from the the next town over had arrived and they needed her statements as a witness. Never mind that she was covered in her own blood and her girlfriend was being dragged away to the clinic with a concussion. Once the officers were satisfied, they took Kel away with promises to be back for (Y/n)’s statement and to see if any charges would be made. For now they were just going to take Kel back to a hospital in Zuzu City since they may have broken a rib or two in the fight. After that, they were going to be free to go.

Leah wasn’t too worried. She didn’t think Kel would come back after the beating (Y/n) and Abigail gave them. She watched the police car drive out of Cindersaps, taking her disgruntled ex away.

“Leah, I’m sure you want to get to the clinic but you should really clean up first.” Caroline had said patting the younger woman’s back. “(Y/n) will be fine.”

“Yeah, Harvey and Maru got her. Take some time to process.” Elliott smiled.

Leah could only nod tiredly. She trudged over to her cottage to shower and change. She still couldn’t believe how quickly things got out of hand. She looked at her bandaged nose in the mirror, hissing when she gingerly touched the bridge of it. She was wary of Seb setting it himself, but Harvey said he had gone a great job. Once she was physically put back together, Leah quickly made her way to the clinic.

“Where is she?” She asked immediately upon arriving. She sounded a little congested thanks to her clogged nose, but she was easily understood. Robin was still in the waiting room and filled her in.

“Harvey and Maru are talking her through concussion care. She’s okay, but I don’t think she’ll be allowed to work for awhile.”

“Oh no,” Leah sat down, resting her elbows on her knees and covered her eyes with her hands, “This is all my fault.”

“Aw, don’t say that sweetheart. You know that’s not true.” Robin frowned, taking a seat beside her, “(Y/n) would hate to hear you think like that.”

“(Y/n) loves her farm! If she can’t maintain the upkeep...” Leah continued, teary eyed, only to be silenced by Robin.

“I’m going to stop you right there. Nothing is going to happen to the farm. Abi, Sam, and even Seb already told (Y/n) in no uncertain terms that they were going to pitch in while she recovers. Everything is going to be taken care of.” Robin assured.

“Still none of this would have happened if-“

“If you hadn’t broken up with your ex? Moved to Pelican Town? Got a crush? Leah, you can’t punish yourself for moving on with your life. You’re allowed to be happy.” Robin chided gently. “It was hard for me and Sebastian’s father to see eye to eye at the best of times. Now I have Demetrius and although he can be a bit annoying sometimes with his tomato bullshit, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful I took that first step because I love him.” Robin smiled.

Leah’s nose hurt like hell as she tried to carefully wipe the tears from her eyes and Robin rubbed her back affectionately. Once Leah had calmed down, Robin stood and stretched.

“She’s been wondering where you are. The doc is keeping her for overnight observation, but your welcome to stay with her. I on the other hand, am apparently too old for this much excitement and need to go home.”

“Thank you Robin, for talking to me.”

“Anytime,” Robin grinned, “now go get her.”

Leah made her way into the back area of the clinic and nearly ran up to Harvey, Maru, and (Y/n). (Y/n) was signing to Maru while she relayed the information to Harvey as he examined (Y/n)’s well being.

(Y/n) was relieved to see Leah and eagerly motioned her to come sit on the edge of the bed she was sitting in which Leah did happily.

“Leah, how’s the nose?” Harvey asked while he finished up (Y/n)’s chart.

“It’s fine. Just, really sore and tingly.”

“So not fine.” Maru chuckled. “I’ll get you some pain meds.”

“Ah, thanks Maru.” Leah smiled sheepishly.

“Well, Ms. (Y/n),” Harvey sighed, turning his attention back to the farmer, “you and I are in for a long night. I’ll be waking you up every hour to check your pupils to see if your condition changes at all.” Harvey stood and stretched, “Ms. Leah, feel welcome to stay as long as you like. It can’t hurt to keep an extra pair of eyes on her.”

“I could stay overtime, Harvey.” Maru said as she came back with two pills and a glass of water for Leah.

“I seem to recall you talking about a time sensitive experiment this morning.” Harvey recalled, making Maru smack the side of her head. “You’re right! I got to go now! Good night everyone!” Maru called behind her as she rushed out to the waiting room then out of the building.

“I’m going to take the first of my many naps lined up for tonight. I’ll see you ladies in about an hour. Try to get some rest.” Harvey said before leaving to walk up the stairs to his apartment.

Finally Leah and (Y/n) were alone again. (Y/n) sunk down into the covers and sighed deeply. She turned to face Leah, concerning the sculptor by how small she looked.

“You’re not too upset with me, are you?” (Y/n) asked, surprising Leah.

“I’m not upset with you. Why would I be upset with you?”

“I just beat the crap out a person. Sure they are your ex, but you cared about them at some point so it must have been hard to watch. I can’t imagine what you must think of me now.” (Y/n) whispered, she was so quiet Leah had to lean closer and even then she was straining to hear.

“(Y/n), I like you. Nothing that happened today changed how much I like you. It certainly didn’t make me like you any less,” Leah rested her hand over (Y/n)’s cheek, “Kel made their choice when they decided to come to Pelican Town and confront us. I wish it hadn’t gone down the way it did, but that’s not our fault. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you’re okay too. I was worried.”

“I wish we could start this day all over,” Leah moaned, “First day as official girlfriends and we get into a fist fight.”

(Y/n) laughed lightly, closing her eyes to combat the pain that came from her jostling. “Abigail thought it was a pretty great date activity.”

“She would think that.” Leah rolled her eyes, “she also eats rocks.”

“Well, think about it this way. Until I’m allowed to take up all my farming duties again, you can do whatever you want with me.”

“Whatever I want, hmm?” Leah tapped her lips with her index finger, “would it be to forward if me to ask for a kiss?”

“You may, just be careful with my split lip. I won’t be able to explain what happened to Harvey if you make it worse.” (Y/n) said.

“One gentle kiss, coming right up.” Leah wiggled on the bed’s stiff hospital sheets until she laid face to face with (Y/n). Their lips met in a soft brushing that was almost ghost like, but rather than leaving them with a chill, warmth bloomed between them.

“Wow.” (Y/n) grinned.

“If you thought that was good, wait until I can get more involved with it.”

“So confident. I like it.” (Y/n) squinted, “could you turn the light off? It’s really starting to hurt my eyes.”

“Of course.” Leah got up and switched off the half the lights to keep their side of the room in darkness but allow Harvey to still be able to see when he came back.

“Now come cuddle, please.” (Y/n) asked sleepily reaching her arms out.

“Nothing would make me happier.”

Leah kicked off her boots and shimmied under the sheets to join (Y/n) and wrapped her arms around her. Leah let the exhaustion of the day roll over her and she had nearly let sleep claim her before her eyes shot open and she propped herself up on her elbow to lean over (Y/n).

“Did I really sign a ‘fuck you’ when we first met?!” She asked, appalled.

(Y/n)’s response was to laugh sleepily into Leah’s chest.

#stardew valley x reader #stardew valley oneshots #sv leah #stardew valley leah #leah x reader #sv leah x reader #stardew valley leah x reader #stardew valley

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a-libra-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Salt & Snow - Chapter 6

Ships: Ned Stark x Reader, Brandon Stark x Reader (?)

Summary: Ned finally returns to his childhood home, to the happiness of his siblings and Y/N ... though she’s also beside herself with nerves. As it turns out, the two of them are awkward teenagers.

Use this chrome extension to replace “Y/N” with a different name :)

“That’s the last of it, milord.” The servant tightened the leather straps on the wooden trunk, ensuring they were secure. Once satisfied, he nodded to the guide that would be taking the young Lord Stark down the mountain. The man was withered, but he expertly steered his mules, or so they said. Ned hadn’t realized how many possessions he’d collected in his years in the Eyrie, and felt bad for making the beasts carry so much.

The old mountain guide said it was fine, and it wouldn’t unbalance them. “You worry about stayin’ on that mule, milord. When’s the last time you descended?”

He thought about it. “Four years, mayhaps more.”

“Aye, it’s much the same. It’s still spring, it will warm quickly as we go down.” The old man guided him to one of the mules, a shaggy, dark brown one with long ears. Ned thought it was cute in an ugly way, and climbed up. He kept his eyes forward, ignoring how the Eyrie hung above them. He remembered the first time he climbed up here, terrified he’d fall the entire way, and then afraid the Eyrie would somehow fall from the sky and plummet to the ground.

I’ll be the one doing the plummeting, if this beast missteps. Ned was mostly, probably confident that wouldn’t happen. He wondered what sort of mule they gave Robert, the beast of a man. He couldn’t imagine his friend sitting quietly for the better part of the day. That thought made him smile a little, and sigh. Robert left a month ago, and now it was his turn. It was a bittersweet goodbye to Robert and then to Lord Arryn. The first month I couldn’t stop thinking about Winterfell, how I wanted to go back. It hurts to leave now.

It hurt, but it was time to go. He wanted to see his family again, to see Winterfell, and the godswood, and Wintertown and the forest surrounding them. He’d smell pines and fresh earth again — gods know the Eyrie sorely lacked in both — and the animals that ran through those woods. He wondered what had changed, what was the same.

Suddenly, Ned recalled a letter where Y/N described the repairs on one of the towers, the old one that was slowly crumbling. That made him remember the last one he sent, and he covered his face with a groan.

“Doing well, milord?” The guide asked, looking back. “Don’t look down.”

Ned merely nodded, glad the guide and the other servants were too busy navigating to notice his stupid face. Why had he written that? Why did he send it? She must be think he was an utter fool. She hadn’t even sent anything back yet.

No, letters are slow to the Eyrie, and I’m leaving, besides — perhaps it was lost.

The thought of Lord Arryn receiving it and sending it back was mortifying, even if the man would never read it. For days Ned’s mind had been racing about Robert’s departure, his own journey, and the stupid words he wrote down. He’d repeated them so many times in his head, hoping he was misremembering.

He groaned and laid his head on the neck of the mule. It smelled awful, but he stayed there. Y/N must have thought him a complete fool, how would he face her once he came home? It would be a long, long journey.

What in the seven hells did he mean by that?

Y/N stared at the words, her eyes running over them, which was a pointless act. She’d memorized these lines in particular, able to recall them in spite of her attempts to keep busy. She hadn’t responded, because how could she? Anytime she sat down and began to dab her quill, the butterflies battered against her stomach. She’d set her quill on the page, watching the ink soak into the paper, but Y/N only managed a few sentences before fumbling, misspelling a word, dripping ink everywhere and just giving up. She’d thrown several pages into the fire already.

I’m being ridiculous, I’m overthinking. Aren’t I? Hasn’t he always said kind things to me? Why is this different?

A week ago, Y/N dug through her box of letters saved over the years, hoping to assure herself. That was a mistake. She read through things she’d forgotten, phrases she remembered, looked over the little drawings he attempted, and her butterflies became relentless. She had to put the letters away and spent the entire day flustered and distracted.

She rubbed at her face and sighed heavily. She put the letter out of sight, knowing it wouldn’t be out of mind for a while. She ought to stop procrastinating, to send something back already; it’d been almost three weeks. Or was it four? She’d been procrastinating with everything imaginable — long boring books, needlework, studying maps, playing music, even riding.

I have to answer eventually. I really am thinking too much. Just write something safe! Something boring!

Instead of doing that, Y/N left her room and looked for something to do. Perhaps if she could talk about her feelings it would help, but she couldn’t. Not even to Lyanna. Her friend had stopped reading the letters, preferring to send her own, and Y/N was sure they weren’t as frequent… That, and she couldn’t imagine letting anyone read what she wrote or drew now.

Is it strange, how often we write? Has anyone noticed? A little voice nagged at Y/N. She and Ned were well past the age of innocent friendly correspondence. She didn’t speak much about it, secretly worried she’d be told to stop. The idea of getting “caught” wasn’t pleasant, but the idea of stopping was worse. The correspondence had become a comfort, a way to raise her spirits, warmth and confidence in her heart. She understood how some would find that emotion improper.

A servant hurried past Y/N, nearly hitting her and knocking her right out of her thoughts. The boy called an apology and kept running. In the great hall, she saw half a dozen men moving boxes, and one of the elder servants giving them orders. Savory smells came from the kitchen, and peaking inside, Y/N saw the cooks and their girls busy chopping and stewing.

She tried to recall the last time Winterfell was this abuzz. The death of Lady Stark cast a dreary curtain over the castle, and while it was gradually lifting, a feast still felt out of place. Brandon was away again, but there was never a big to-do for his return.

“Found you!” Lyanna called to her, and Y/N jumped. It was absurd how much she’d been lost in her head as of late. She was glad Lyanna didn’t tease her; instead, the girl asked, “Why is everyone so restless today?”

“I was just thinking that. Did you see the kitchens? I can’t imagine why we’d need so much sausage and stew.”

“They’re making dessert, too! I’d ask my father, but I can’t find him anywere.” As they talked, Lyanna and Y/N walked outside to one of the many yards inside Winterfell’s walls. Just like inside, there was a flurry of activity, things being moved and cleaned. Lyanna said half the horses had been taken, perhaps on a hunt for fresh stag. A sudden thought struck her, and she turned on her heels to face Y/N, nearly knocking the girl over in the process. “Y/N, what if… what if my father finally decided—?”

“He didn’t,” Y/N replied instantly. “He would tell you, Lyanna. It won’t be a surprise. Maybe something happened and he’s gathering some bannermen on short notice; maybe it’s about Brandon’s wedding. He has been gone for the better part of a month.”

“That’s all true,” Lyanna said, although she didn’t sound comforted. “Perhaps Father is entertaining some ladies for him. Oh, gods, we’ll have to make smalltalk with them…”

They sat on one of the many carts strewn about the yard, following the activity. Predictably, Y/N’s mind wandered to Ned, and she kept her sigh from escaping. She glanced at Lyanna, half-listening to her friend chatter about a hedge knight that visited months ago. He showed off some jousting in the yard for their amusement, and Lyanna was still enamored. Y/N’s thoughts were wholly preoccupied with the terrifying idea of telling her about the letters, the ones that had gradually become far less proper and more personal.

Suddenly Lyanna asked, “Did you have any plans today?”

“I have a feeling if I did, you’d pull me away.” Y/N said. “Why?”

“Do you still have your old brown cloak?”

Those grey eyes were gleaming with some sort of mischief. Perhaps it was the restlessness of the people around them, or her own anxious thoughts… but rather than steer away from trouble, Y/N turned toward it.

There were small collections of cottages directly outside the walls of Winterfell, mostly farmers and butchers who directly served the castle, and offered board to travelers during the large feasts. But if someone really wanted to find something interesting, they’d go to Wintertown. These were the more prosperous smallfolk, the merchants, innkeeps, blacksmiths, and so on. There was even a small sept, although most Northern townspeople had little use for it. Y/N had come here only a dozen times; to go, she and Lyanna would need an escort, and Brandon wasn’t eager to follow two silly girls around.

As far as they were concerned, the matter of an escort was silly now that they were women. Lyanna had no fear as she put on an old cotton dress and her grey cloak, while Y/N wore her brown and black dress she saved for riding and a deep blue cloak. Y/N tucked her pearl and jewelry away, and Lyanna pulled her own dark brown hair out of its braid until it was all around her shoulders, wild and free. The girls snuck quietly out into the yard, avoiding servants and guards, then drew their hoods up once they reached the gates. They waited, then Y/N pointed. Three sworn guards were distracted with a complaining merchant, and they slipped past the gate.

Once outside, they kept their hoods up, but giggled to one another. After walking a mile, they came across a farmer on the way to Wintertown, and asked if they could ride in his cart. The old man squinted at them, trying to focus his gaze.

“Are ye girls the swineherder’s daughters? Jeyne and … Milly, was it?”

“That’s our names. Can you take us to town?” Lyanna asked, putting on a false voice. When the old man agreed, she grinned so broadly, Y/N had to nudge her and give her a warning look. They hopped into the back of the cart and chatted while it swayed and hobbled along. The last time, it was an hour of walking before a cart passed by.

It’s good to see her like this, happy again. Y/N thought, glancing to her friend as Lyanna chatted. It’s been a dreary six moons. Or has it been longer?

Lyanna hadn’t been herself the whole time. Since her mother died, everything was bleaker. For the first moon, she just wanted to stay inside. After that she’d go out riding for hours at a time, and for once, Lord Stark didn’t scold her for it. Sometimes she’d rage, pick fights with Brandon or a guardman’s boy. Sometimes she’d just stay in bed. Those days were always the bad ones, Y/N knew, and she’d stay with her, writing or drawing or doing needlework while Lyanna laid there.

They’d get far worse than a scolding if they were caught at this game, but she just wanted Lyanna to be happy again. Wintertown was in sight, and they thanked the old man and hopped off his cart, too excited to wait for his mules to take them any farther. Y/N took Lyanna’s arm so they’d at least stay together, and they were off.

Just like the last time they visited, the town was buzzing. Thoughts of Ned’s words and Lyanna’s sadness quickly faded in the back of Y/N’s mind as they followed whatever interested them. A girl half their height was herding a group of sheep through the middle of a wide street, a woman was selling bolts of impossibly colorful fabric and thread, a blacksmith was loudly working on a sword. The girls watched all of it.

“Wait!” Y/N patted Lyanna’s arm excitedly, distracting her from the molten-hot red sword and the hammer that was beating down on it. “Do you see that?” She pointed.

Lyanna squinted. “That stall over there?”

“Yes, let’s hurry! Maybe he still has some!”

“What are you talking about?” Lyanna laughed, but followed along. She quickly realized why Y/N was so excited: There was a variety of colorful, fresh vegetables, but more importantly… fruit.

“You buying?” The man asked warily, mistaking them for the lowborn girls they were dressed as. Back in their bedchamber, Y/N had to remind Lyanna to tuck away her direwolf pin. “I’m selling, not giving. You girls got coin?”

Y/N ignored his tone and asked, “Are these from White Harbor? My father worked the docks.”

“That so? He on one of the merman’s ships, or the ray’s?”

“The manta ray, at the Whitetide docks.”

The man grinned, showing some missing teeth. He nodded his head like he was familiar with this mystery sailor. “Aye, with Lord Caspian’s fleet? His ships are good ones. These fruit come all the way from Dorne and the Arbor, but they’re still fresh.”

Y/N could see that. Her heart was racing at the sight of peaches, oranges, limes, figs… of course, Lyanna’s eyes went straight to the lemons. She giggled and shook her head. “They’re better when they’re baked in cakes. Have you had an orange before?”

“Never. Let’s get some. Four, if we could?” Lyanna asked the man, and he handed them over. Four was all he had, and Y/N paid, feeling a little sorry for taking so many. She wondered if the common folk could afford fruits. This cold preserved them well.

They walked around the market idly, more interested in the treats they just acquired. Y/N taught Lyanna how to peel the orange and the wolf-girl was delighted with how sweet and juicy they were. “This is wonderful! Why aren’t we baking these into cakes?”

“I suppose someone tried, and it didn’t work out well,” Y/N mused. “My mother liked to squeeze them into her water, or she’d just drink the juice itself. When you preserve the peels and dry them, you can scatter them amongst your things to make them smell good.” She thought about her mother’s hugs, and her favorite parlor, and the strong smell of citrus and exotic flowers that permeated both. She was a Northern woman, but took to the wonders of Dorne and Essos and the Reach, little treasures brought in on her husband’s ships. It was how her father courted her: With baskets of fruit, tropical flowers, strings of pearls and giant conch shells. Y/N smiled, remembering how her mother lit up when she told her about it.

“I can promise you, my little pearl, one day you will have such kindnesses paid by someone who truly adores you.”

“You know so many things. All I know is passable dancing, and horses.” Lyanna said, breaking Y/N’s reverie, of which she was grateful for. The Stark girl rubbed at her chin where some juices at dribbled, and Y/N handed her a handkerchief.

“You know swords and lances well.”

“Aye, but I’m not allowed to use them.” Lyanna frowned, but it didn’t look like her mood was lowering. She eagerly bit into a second orange instead. Y/N sighed and put the handkerchief back into her reticule.

“Can I have the peels?” She asked.

“Are you going to put them into my riding boots?”

“Gods, I’d need a bushel to mask that scent.”

Lyanna didn’t want to throw her precious orange, so she settled for lunging and chasing Y/N instead. Y/N shrieked and ran, glad for the headstart: Lyanna had to chew and swallow her orange pieces properly before tearing after her. Lyanna’s old dress was short enough that she didn’t have to pull up the skirts, but Y/N had the lighter cloak. She shrieked again as Lyanna grasped for it, but missed. “I’ll get you for that!” The girl hollered. “Come back, Y/N!”

They laughed and chased each other around the town like children, and no one cared. Some older women noticed and scowled, and a few children laughed and followed for a while, but no one stopped them. No one grabbed their ears and admonished them for the messy hair, dirty clothes and sticky orange-flavored fingers. They were little girls again, not proper ladies of five and ten, daughters of Stark and Caspian.

Y/N stopped suddenly, then yelped as Lyanna tackled her to the ground. She squirmed and coughed. “Lyanna! You’ll kill me!”

“Don’t start fights you can’t finish!” Lyanna responded. She realized Y/N was still winded and moved off her. “Oh, are you hurt?”

“No,” Y/N sat up and blinked the dust out of her eyes. Satisfied, Lyanna flicked an orange peel at her. Y/N picked it off her lap and ate it. Lyanna made a face, like Y/N just ate the peel of a lemon — then she remembered she saw her friend do that, too.

“Do you hear that?” Y/N asked. It was the entire reason she stopped. Both girls kept still and listened. They were on the edge of Wintertown, their game taking them to the very end of it. Out here was a few modest homes and small gardens, a crumbling wall, and the road leading to Winterfell.

“Horses,” Lyanna said. She listened. “Several of them, moving at once. It’s probably a retinue.”

“Is it Brandon? I can’t recall when he was supposed to come home.”

“It would be bad for Brandon to find us like this and tell father,” Lyanna said, but she laughed. She was like her old self today. Suddenly, she said, “Oh. We should have saved an orange for Ben.”

“But not Brandon?”

“His Lordliness can get fruit whenever he wants. He can ride to the Reach and pick it himself.” Lyanna scoffed. She stood up, pulled Y/N to her feet and they both dusted their dresses and cloaks off. The horses were closer now, easy to hear without them staying quiet. It had to be Brandon, or a nearby lord. It was too much commotion for farmers bringing food.

The girls walked to the crumbling wall and crouched down, eager to peek at the banners. They weren’t foolish enough to openly stare, even if this was Wintertown, they weren’t entirely safe. Y/N had a vague thought that Lyanna might have a dagger in her boot, but that wasn’t real protection. She kicked herself for not bringing something of her own, even if she had no idea how to use it.

“They’re taking their time,” Lyanna muttered. “Has to be a lord. A lordling wouldn’t bring so many wagons, and a merchant wouldn’t be so slow. If it is Brandon, let’s throw rocks.”

“Let’s not.”

“Fine, a single rock. I won’t hit his horse, she deserves better. It could always be Ser Roderick, or the Pooles. Maybe even Cerwyn —”

Y/N pulled her back, lower against the stone wall. “Shh.”

Two horses passed, carrying modestly protected Northern guards. Then four more guards followed, dressed in different leather and armor. Y/N squinted, not recognizing the arms on their surcoats. It wasn’t anyone sworn to House Stark. Then, what they wanted: The banners.

One man held a direwolf, and another one held a blue falcon. Lyanna shot up, and Y/N stumbled, as she was still holding onto her.

Then she looked up, and jumped to her feet just as Lyanna had. They both stared.

It was Brandon, as they guessed, and someone else. They rode ahead, followed by a few more men, one of them a fully-armored knight who wore the crest of a sky-blue and white falcon.

“Ned!!”

Lyanna was gone. She tore across a small field to the road, and the guards stopped all at once, their hands flying to their hips. That action snapped Y/N to attention, but she could only stand and stare. She watched the boy — no, young man — beside Brandon turn in his saddle, and his grey eyes lit up with surprise and happiness.

Y/N thought someone was sitting on her chest, then something was trying to get out of it. She was choked up, the world was spinning, and she could barely hear the words Lyanna, Ned and Brandon were all saying. Lyanna nearly jumped up on the horse, but Ned swiftly dismounted. He only had a moment before he was being strangled in a hug.

Brandon got down from his horse and said something to the guards. The horses shook their heads at the commotion but Lyanna shouted again, and two of the knights laughed, and Y/N was still.

Then Ned looked up over his sister’s head, and met eyes with her. Y/N took a step forward, then another. She forgot she was wearing an old dress, a cloak that was now dirty from running about, that her hair was out of a normally tamed and styled braid. Ned held out his hand, as though she was close and not ten or fifteen feet away.

Y/N shyly walked down the field to the road, trying not to look at the guards, or Brandon. Lyanna pulled away from Ned and grabbed her arm, pulling her the last two feet. “What are you doing, Y/N? Come over here!”

She was pushed in front of him. He was different in some ways, but not many. Brandon towered above him and Lyanna was just a little shorter. Y/N smiled at that, but quickly looked to her hands, which smelled of oranges and still had a little stickiness on them.

“It’s good to see you again,” Y/N could only say. She thought of all the clever and interesting words she sent before, and how they were failing her horribly now. Her mind scrambled for something to say, something she had written before, something good, but it was all jumbled.

She didn’t look at Ned as he replied, “It’s good to see you too, Y/N.”

It was quiet, like they were the only ones, but that was quickly interrupted. Brandon was beside them, loudly teasing, “It’s Lady Y/N, brother. I thought the South was supposed to teach you all those stuffy manners.”

“She’s always been Y/N to us,” Lyanna rolled her eyes. “More importantly, were you and father keeping this a secret?”

Her brother replied with a small smile. “Yes, it… it was supposed to be a surprise. I never imagined we’d meet you here.”

“And why are you two here?” Brandon crossed his arms. His good humor quickly left, as if he just took in their location and their clothes. He looked at Lyanna, then Y/N, and kept his attention on the latter. “Did you sneak out without a guard? Do you know how dangerous that can be? And why are you dressed like that?”

Y/N self-consciously pulled at her cloak as he questioned them, remembering the state she was in. Brandon’s words didn’t bother her, it was the realization that Ned hadn’t seen her in years, and this is what he saw as soon as he came back. Didn’t I have silly daydreams of him seeing me in the gown I made, or a new one? Why am I even thinking about that?

She was glad Lyanna and Brandon got into a little spat, to hide her embarrassment. She stepped behind Lyanna, half to shield herself, half to put some distance between her and Ned. She was steadily being overcome with an urge to hug him — wouldn’t that be natural? He was home now, but … it wasn’t that simple. So, she kept at Lyanna’s side, redirecting her attention on calming her friend.

“When I tell father about this, he’ll have words to say, especially since tonight he wants to hold a feast —”

“— If you tell him, I’ll tell about all that extra time you spend at the Rills!”

“It’s my job as heir to visit our bannermen and listen to their grievances!”

“Oh, yes, the pretty Ryswell daughters have much to say, I’m sure —”

Brandon went red and was ready to retort hotly, when Ned cleared his throat. He inclined his head to the men around them, all visibly impatient. Ned himself had some of that energy as he said, “Let’s go home.”

The way he said it, how could anyone continue to argue? Brandon stopped at once, knowing it had been years since his little brother had seen Winterfell properly. He patted him affectionately on the back, and Lyanna beamed. Y/N met eyes with Ned again, and they both turned away.

Brandon took his horse’s bridle. “Whose riding with whomst?”

“I’ll ride with Ned!” Lyanna blurted excitedly, and disappointment shot through Y/N so quickly, she felt a little sick. Don’t be stupid. That’s her brother, and she’ll just quarrel with Brandon, besides.

Brandon offered her a hand and easily swept her up on his horse. He asked if she was comfortable before swinging up himself, settling in like it was as easy as sitting in a chair. The problem is he put her in front, so his arms were loosely around her as he gathered his reins. Nervous as she was around these beasts, Y/N almost preferred riding behind him, although that was not always considered proper for a lady. Y/N had to hold onto him, especially with how far up she was. Brandon had a fine old destrier, once a great warhorse, still mighty and tall in her old age. She was perfect for taking him around the North, but Y/N thought she was entirely too big.

Lyanna happily settled in behind Ned instead of in front of him. Again, Y/N met his eyes. He had expressions that said so much, especially since he himself said little. She couldn’t read this one, though. Brandon called out, “Move on!” and the small escort went on the road. Y/N was thankful for the easy pace, and the steady gait of the destrier.

Her nervousness slowly settled as the four of them made conversation, with the Vale knight occasionally speaking up. Before long, the walls of Winterfell appeared before them, the proud white banners flying above. Ned looked up at the direwolf, and Y/N could swear some fatigue just melted right off him. The gates opened, and the guards keeping their station happily called to the boys, not noticing the state Lord Stark’s daughter and his ward were in. By the time their escort entered the yard, several servants, men-at-arms and children had come to see Ned come home.

Benjen pushed through all of them, eagerly running at his older brother. There was no shortage of hugs as Lyanna, Benjen and Ned reunited, while Brandon helped Y/N off the horse. Unlike his oldest brother, Benjen hadn’t developed an avoidance to his sister and her companion. He was only two years younger than them, and looked hurt as he said, “You all met him without me!”

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Ned said again. “I crossed Brandon on the road by chance, and then these two—”

“Isn’t it a wonderful coincidence?” Lyanna grinned. She was still standing close to Ned, all but hanging off him. Y/N allowed Benjen to squeeze past her to get to Ned.

While the three chattered, Y/N asked Brandon, “You truly didn’t know? Where were you coming from?”

“Returning from the Karstarks. Father didn’t tell me a thing.”

Lyanna and Benjen began dragging Ned to the great hall, and now servants and guards started gathering, having realized who he was and all were eager to see him. Y/N smiled, pleased he was so missed… and only slightly glad he was moving further from her. She was anxious of what would happen if they were in a small group again, or worse, alone. She almost wanted to stay behind, but Brandon called to her, lingering back so she could catch up.

Being alone happened far sooner than Y/N anticipated.

The next morning, she stepped carefully through the snow, watching for roots just slightly sticking out. The sun was beginning to peak over the stone walls, helping her navigate the quiet yard. This route wasn’t yet familiar to her. She’d only made it recently, and often without Lyanna. Her friend wanted to mourn in quiet.

Y/N descended into the crypts. She shuddered instantly, feeling a far stronger cold take hold of her. Her footsteps echoed off the stone and she walked steadily toward her destination, passing statues of long dead Lord Starks and their sons.

Lady Lyarra did not have a sculpted sepulcher, but she had a beautiful tomb and marker for her bones. Y/N held her reticule close, bringing it to her nose so she could smell the crisp, dried oranges and give herself peace of mind. She hadn’t even visited her own family’s crypt.

She gasped as the shadows shuddered, nearly dropping the dried peels. The torches were scattered about, some not lit, making the shadows grow and recede with every second. She heard something just a few feet away.

Y/N bit down a curse as Ned came into view, the shadows circling around him. He blinked at her, his grey eyes almost looking black in the limited light.

“Y/N?”

“Y-You scared me,” She shuddered. “I didn’t — I didn’t think there would be anyone here.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I…” Y/N paused. She couldn’t seem to steady her heart, not with Ned looking directly at her. He was so much taller than before. She turned away. “I wanted to pay my respects. To give a gift.”

He didn’t respond right away. Y/N thought of the letters, of the reassurances, the kindnesses she sent him when he finally heard the news of his mother’s passing.

Why was it failing her now? She squeezed the fabric bag between her fingers.

“You brought something for her?” Ned asked quietly. “Could I see?”

Y/N nodded. She stepped closer, but not enough to feel any warmth from him. The cold of the crypt was cooling her nerves. “Orange peels. I dried them. They… they smell nice.”

She felt foolish, but he smiled. It was slight, but it was there.

“This way.” He said. He took a torch off the wall and led her deeper in. Y/N forgot how far it truly was. The Starks had been dying for centuries, and soon they would have to dig deeper into the cave to make space for the future generations. Lyarra was buried next to her parents, neither of who had a statue either.

There were fresh blue roses on the grave, and older, smaller blossoms that had begun to dry and decay. Y/N recalled Benjen brought those. She arranged the orange peels neatly, happy with the fragrance they gave off in addition to the roses. Ned must have brought those.

She quietly prayed, and Ned kept quiet beside her, perhaps joining her, perhaps not. When she finished, her hands fell to her side. Her cold, bare fingers brushed with Ned’s, and she felt the soft wool of his gloves. His finger hooked around one of her’s, and she curled it.

“Ned, I don’t presume to know your feelings, but I can only imagine how much you must hurt. If I could only help — if you were only right here, instead of far away —”

“When I home come, I want to see you, and do all the things we said we would do. I want to watch you paint, and dance, and maybe ride a horse — because I know Lyanna will make us — but most of all, I want to hear your voice.”

Y/N felt her throat was dry, but she stayed put, wondering if her heartbeat could be heard bouncing off the walls. She knew if she looked at him, even with a glance, she’d lose all composure and just run away.

She almost did that, when a loud noise made them both jump nearly two feet apart. Ned instantly took her hand back to push her behind him, then touched his sword. He grasped the hilt and lifted it just an inch out of the scabbard.

“Gods!” Y/N let out a hard breath. The skinny orange cat that knocked the unlit brazier over. It didn’t have coal in it, but it still made a terrible racket. The cat hissed and ran back into the shadows.

“I see he’s still here,” Ned mumbled. He set his sword back, and his shoulders were still tight. “Damned creature.”

“He gets lost down here so often. If he were kinder, I’d carry him out.”

“If it’s the same orange cat from when I was a boy, he’d rather freeze to death than be touched for even a moment.”

Silly smiles graced their faces, in spite of where they were, in spite of why they came in the first place. Ned nervously touched the hilt of his sword. “Shall we return?”

As they stepped out of the crypt, Y/N had to lift her skirts to climb the stairs easier. Ned offered his hand, and she took it for the last few steps. He didn’t immediately let go, and she didn’t comment on it. Instead she asked, “Did they make you learn those manners in the South?”

“There’s all sorts of manners and noble bearing they expect. It’s exhausting,” Ned admitted with a shy expression, and Y/N couldn’t help but imagine him trying some sort of silly, formal dance she’d heard about.

“Give me an example.”

He stared at their connected hands, his ears and cheeks slowly growing redder. Y/N didn’t pull away, even if her own body was threatening to explode with nerves and heat.

She expected him to kiss her hand, like she’d hear the other girls gossip about. She felt his warm lips against her fingers, through her thin gloves, and it made her jolt. Some of his brown hair brushed against her arm. I might well and truly die now.

Ned coughed and hastily turned away from her, utterly embarrassed at his own behavior. “Th-that’s what Lord Arryn… what Lord Arryn said to do when … when meeting a lady…”

“Are you kissing other ladies?” She couldn’t help it. She giggled, the warmth in her chest bubbling up to her lips. Her hand felt like it was on fire. “Should I be jealous, Ned?”

Ned covered his face with his hands, and she laughed. She covered her own face to settle her silly, foolish giddiness. “Of course not,” He grumbled. “You’re the only one I ever spoke to, besides.”

“Oh, you must have talked to some in the Eyrie.”

“Some.” Ned’s grey eyes glanced to her. She met his gaze, and they held it as he continued, “Though I kept wishing you were there.”

Y/N had to look away again. She couldn’t giggle, her throat was stuck, her chest hurt and she hated how tongue-tied she was. She never imagined it would be this hard — whatever this was —

“What in the seven hells are you both doing?”

Looking through her fingers, Y/N watched Brandon saunter up to them. The older Stark tilted his head to his brother.

Ned could only manage to suspiciously avoid looking at him. Brandon glanced between them, and Y/N felt like she had done something wrong. She quickly said, “We were visiting the crypt to pay our respects.”

Brandon’s face fell, and he said little else. Y/N understood it would be time for breakfast soon, and the morning sun had long broken over the tall stone walls. The three of them walked back to the keep together, Brandon pointedly putting himself between Y/N and Ned.

#ned stark x reader #game of thrones x reader #got x reader #salt & snow #libra fics

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