#after years of venturing and continuing their cause. something about him reuniting with him in death but both spiritually and physically

[theoryofwhatnow]

firm believer than if alex didn’t take the skull, he went back for nigel’s body at some point.

for what reason, i do not know. he just did.

[bestocship]

Eva and River (@mothpile)

Hoo boy. river (she/her, 33) and eva (she/he bigender, 30) bonded over being haters at their workplace 10 years ago and have been inseparable cunts in crime since. they call themselves just friends despite both knowing that they feel something for the other that's far mushier and genuine than the light-hearted insults they'll use in the place of giving these thoughts any acknowledgement. Pretending like they're not each other's most important person in the world, given they both aren't quite popular with others, it's easier to just be keep things as they are now and not risk being (gags) awkward. Emotions, right? Loser behaviour.

Of course nothing ever challenges this nope there is no workplace (different than the one they met at) event that causes everything to go to shit and now a bunch of different horror genres are happening at once and nearly everyone is dead or turned into some freaky monster, this life threatening circumstances certainly does not make them have to confront on a deeper level how they feel about one another. River's busy calling Eva "a fucking stupid idiot" for venturing out of the safe zone and into danger "for no fucking good reason, we're all doomed to die here anyways, why the fuck are you trying to speed things up". Because it's easier to say this instead of admitting she doesn't want to lose him, much less have him die somewhere where she'll have no way of knowing he's dead. Eva is equally blunt in terms of rudeness back to her about this. Fail situation. Probably important to mention somewhere that River does get death powers and (accidentally) rots her brain and other core functions so Eva has to deal with that (getting blood to River in a way that does not involve Eva dying in the process, as river is akin to a large frog when it comes to getting blood out of people in this state of being.)

tl;dr fail bisexuals who jackasses to everyone including each other who """care deeply""" (100% not in love guys we swear) about one another. 

their relationship is already bad enough, let them have some kind of win for this suffering.

Edwin Montrose and Giovanni Pantucci (@twinkrundgren @greengartside)

Rivals from childhood, after a long time of being cross continent penpals, the two starcrossed "rivals" reunite after Edwin, an esteemed poet from England, is forced to move to sunny California. Immediately they fall into a routine of annoying and pissed off each other, heightened by the burgeoning sexual tension when a fight ensues. Both repressed bisexuals, neither wanted to admit that these feelings were love until fighting turned into undressing.

Now, after turbulent fights, almost murder, and skin tingling sexual encounters, the two realized that their continued trysts would only lead to mutual self destruction. It was either they burn each other out, or try to make it last, a challenge for the morbid sadomasochistic Edwin and the depressed chronically self-sabotaging Pantucci. Despite both of them trying to make each other worse, their love for one another is the one thing that keeps them afloat.

The hedonist and the ascetic, constantly at odds with each other, yet they are the only two who truly understand one another. Whatever is going on between them would kill the average person, but it's only these two awful people who's flaws seem to complement each other perfectly who can create a relationship so toxic that it wraps back around into being true love.

your problematic fave ship.

[hunflowers]

The Aftermath

Word Count: 3.7k

Requested? Yes, and you can too, here :)

A/N: here she is, the little piece of the puzzle y’all have been waiting for. it’s a small part two of 1964, and it’ll take place just after their reunion at the end of the story!! i hope you enjoy it, because i missed writing my babies a lot and i hope you love them just as much as me.

pls, reblog the fics you read or heck even if you see it on your dash; it means a lot <3

good luck and have fun, in that order *nose boops*

“Happy Birthday, Rose.”

No one can explain the phenomenon of joy processed through the body and soul as Harry spoke those simple words into the air to Y/N.

It can only be described as a chill shooting down her spine, flaring goosebumps on her skin, her mouth running dry at the sight of him, or maybe the way her eyes glossed over with a glistening sheen. Pure joy.

As if she didn't already feel transported back to 1964 when sharing her many stories with her eager to learn granddaughter, she certainly did now. Seeing Harry's face, the same features that made her swoon all those years ago - though a little mature now - made her feel like she was her twenty-one year old self all over again.

It felt like a movie, as if the two of them shaped back into their younger statures, adorned in the style from way back when, embodying a world of black and white that would explode into color. Hannah and Eleanor disappeared into the future, and all there was, was Harry and Y/N like how they once were.

Before she could process what she was doing, Y/N was scurrying across the wood floor, walking the fast she has in a while, throwing her arms around Harry’s shoulders and burying her face into the crook of his neck. She could feel the rumble of his chest as he laughed, easily reciprocating the love by engulfing her in a hug, pulling her impossibly closer.

The smell of the roses swarmed Y/N’s nose, tingling her senses in the best way possible. Her brain was overpowering as it continued to be overwhelmed by the events happening, still trying to understand how Harry, her H, was in front of her.

Pulling away a few moments later - but not completely unraveling herself from his hold - she looked up at him, looking at her favorite shade of green that she tried so hard to recreate yet always failed. “Are you really here?”

“Yes! He is, Nona!” Ellie cheered from behind her, causing everyone to gape at her while also laughing. He’s really here, in her arms, breathing the same air as her.

Maybe he wasn’t a dream, after all.

Looking back up at him, Y/N smiled softly, bringing her hands up under his jaw, using her thumbs to caress the soft skin that was lined with a little bit of stubble. “I missed you,” she whispered, almost like it was meant to be a secret.

With his own little grin, Harry placed his own free hand on her cheek, using his thumb to swipe the tear that managed to escape her eye without her noticing. Instinctively, Y/N leaned her head to rest in his palm, a reflex she never seemed to have shake.

Harry didn’t have to say anything back for her to know that he felt the same way, if not more. His actions always spoke a lot louder than his words, and it also seemed that old habits hardly seem to die, even so many years later.

“Okay,” Hannah cleared her throat, trying to gain the attention of the two older folk for the first time in the last couple of minutes. “We’re meeting Aunt Carmella and Uncle Frank in twenty minutes.”

The duo separated, heat rising to their cheeks as they realized just how close they had been for those moments. Harry offered her her bouquet of roses, to which she took gratefully and scurried off to find a vase, uttering a quick, “I’ll be right back.”

In reality, yes she went to find a vase, but Y/N also needed a second to recuperate, inhaling deeply to get her heart to start slowing its rapid pace. Fifty-five years since she’s seen him.

Fifty-five.

It was a lot to comprehend. She was convinced she’d never look at him, hold him, appreciate his existence ever again. One thing is for sure, she never did stop loving him.

Y/N placed her hands down on the counter she placed her roses on, leaning her weight onto her hands as she felt the emotions roll over her like waves crashing on a beach. Her insides felt like mush. She was experiencing the come down after getting off a rowdy rollercoaster, like those she used to go on on Coney Island whenever she visited New York. Electricity shot through her veins as if she had been succumbed to the consequences of the electric chair - yet it wasn’t painful. In fact, she felt alive.

“Mom,” Hannah spoke from behind her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Y/N didn’t realize she had been so lost in her own thoughts for a few moments there. Raising her hand to her chest, she turned around and let out a breath, before smacking her daughter in the shoulder.

“You can’t do that to me, Han. I’m old, I could die from a heart attack.”

“Don’t even joke about something like that,” Hannah rolled her eyes. But quickly the annoyance dissipated as she remembered why she came into the kitchen in the first place. “Are you okay?”

Y/N pursed her lips, giving her a simple shrug. “Yes and no. It’s not easy being reminded of... the love and pain I felt. How did you even find him, anyway?”

Hannah sheepishly smiled, “Aunt Carmella...”

Y/N scoffed, knowing it was exactly like her friend to be secretive about something so monumental like knowing where Harry is and how to contact him. She couldn’t determine if it was a good thing that Carmella kept this information from her, but deep down she knew it was.

As soon as Y/N gathered her wits, the foursome were out the door and on their way to lunch. They had decided to drive two separate cars, and after a bit of begging, Y/N let Harry drive them in his rental. Though, along the way it was a bit of rocky journey. “First time driving on the right side of the road,” was his excuse.

In the car ride, Y/N took the time to truly admire the man she once laid beside at night, trying to wrap her head around the fact that he was next to her again. She wondered if in his old age he would turn wrinkled and decrepit, maybe using a cane or having a hunch back. It only seemed fitting that he beat all of those stereotypes and looked like he had the health of his younger self rather than a seventy-six year old man. He’s timeless; just like their love.

When they finally met up with Carmella, it didn’t take Y/N long to scold her friend for keeping such a humongous secret from her, and working in tandem with her own daughter and granddaughter. All the Italian woman did was shrug before latching her arms around both Harry and Y/N’s frames, pulling the three of them close for a long-awaited, reuniting hug that felt like home.

“Il trio è tornato e meglio che mai. questo merita un brindisi,” [The trio is back and better than ever. This deserves a toast] Carmella cheered, clapping her hands in giddiness as she waved the waitress back over to order the most extravagant wine.

Leaning down to whisper in Y/N’s ear, Harry muttered, “And I still have no idea what she’s saying.” Y/N bumped his shoulder with hers, shaking her head gently as a small smile snuck up onto her lips.

Lunch was shared with many laughs and old stories - all per the request of Ellie. She was eager to keep learning and eager to see her nona so happy.

When lunch was over and they were all saying goodbye, Ellie practically all but pushed Y/N to go with Harry so they could go somewhere private. Hannah of course condoned her daughter’s behavior, but also told her mom it was for the best they catch up without either of them around. They needed to be alone.

That’s how they ended up at the park downtown, where Y/N used to frequent often when she used to run in the mornings or whenever she needed a spark of creativity for her next painting. 

Once Harry placed the car in park, the stagnant tension between them only rose as neither of them jumped to get out of the vehicle. They simmered, absorbed, melted into the atmosphere, basking in it before they flipped it on its head to talk about what they both had been avoiding.

It was an unspoken truce to get out of the car at the same time. The sun was winking at them through the clouds, luring them to venture deeper into the park, just like it used to. Almost as if the star was just as excited as them to be back in each other’s lives. The saying is if walls could talk, but what about the sun? Or the moon? Both kept Harry and Y/N’s moments inside of them, stored deep in their cores right next to all the other love that happened in their line of vision.

Out of instinct, the two locked hands. And they didn’t seem to mind. It felt like a magnet pulled them together, and it would take a lot of force to break them apart.

As they walked along the paved path, being passed by those on bikes or joggers, or really even anyone that walked faster. They weren’t in any sort of rush, because moments like these aren’t meant to be fast paced. They needed to simmer, absorb, and melt.

Harry decided to be the first to speak up, surprising both of them considering, well, his past. “I see the artist life treated you well.”

Slightly turning her head to face him, she laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess it did. You predicted it.”

I can’t wait to buy your art one day.

Harry gazed down at his feet, humming a response. He didn’t have the proper words to respond to her allusion to his letter. Hearing the twinge of spite sitting on top of her words was enough for him to gauge that his letter was a sore topic for her. And rightfully so, because even he hasn’t completely forgiven himself for not giving her a proper goodbye.

Coming up on a patch of grass that was half hidden beneath a large oak tree and half in the glory of the sunlight, Harry and Y/N decided to take a seat. If they were going to throw themselves into the past, might as well go all the way and lay in the grass like they did in Florence. Albeit, they wouldn’t actually lay down because it would’ve been impossible for either of them to properly get up.

They rested their backs against the large trunk, looking out into the field and watching little kids play around as their parents kept their distance off to the side with other parents. Y/N found it near impossible to not snap a mental picture of what was in front of her, cursing herself for not bringing her camera with her. It was a beautiful day, and one she wished to remember. Not because of the dreadful conversation that was bound to swallow her whole or the man sitting beside her, but because of the landscape.

What a waste of a beautiful day.

Now, it was her turn to break the silence, because she knew he wouldn’t. He may have once, but that was all he could probably handle. “Tell me about your life, Harry. Please.”

Letting out a breath of air he didn’t realize he had been holding in, Harry twiddled with his thumbs in his lap. “Got two kids. Ben and, uh, Rose.”

Ouch.

“Five beautiful grandchildren.” He spoke shortly and to the point, finding it very difficult to open up the can of worms that is his life.

Once Harry got the call from Carmella that he was going to surprise Y/N for her birthday, he couldn’t get on a plane any faster. The idea of being face-to-face with her again after so many years was daunting and normally he found it difficult to escape his confined box of reality. But that was the thing about Y/N, she always made things seem less terrible to him.

England is his origin and where his family resides, but it hardly felt like home anymore.

His marriage with Nancy balanced on its very thin, tight rope for thirty years, but they both knew it was bound to fall off. Once he returned from Italy, it was like he was a soldier returning from war, because he in no way was the same man who left for Italy when coming home. But, they pushed on, because it was what they were meant to do.

They had two wonderful kids and they seemed like the picturesque family they were planned to be. Behind closed doors, they were anything but. He and Nancy fought a lot and their kids seemed to loathe him for reasons still unbeknownst to him. He supported them and loved them like any parent would, yet it felt like they joined everyone else in his life that wanted to keep him silent. Everyone except one person.

Once his and Nancy’s divorce was finalized, the kids couldn’t be more thrilled. All they needed was a solid reason to drop their father out of their lives. As the years went on they slowly worked him back into their day-to-day routine, but not really. Only for the sake of his grandkids was he in their lives.

It was especially hard living his life knowing his own creations couldn’t stand him just like everyone else, and that was exactly why he couldn’t agree faster to get on a plane to America.

“I officially retired last year, so m’not really doing much these days. Actually, I picked up drawing again if y’could believe it. Haven’t touched a pencil for artistic purposes since... well, since then.” Their heads remained forward, not a single glance made towards one another because it felt easier this way. 

Y/N listened intently to the drawl of his voice, engraving the words he spoke deep into her mind, right next to the dusty ones he spoke fifty-five years prior. Everything and anything he’s ever said rests idly on little bookshelves in her brain, collecting dust the longer she takes to go back and hear them over. It was nice to add new additions to her collection. “That sounds lovely, H.”

His heartstrings pulled at the use of his nickname, something only she would call him. He was only Harry to any one, both by his choice and because every one else was too prim to call him something else.

Y/N took notice to how he mentioned nothing of Nancy, and paired that with the fact he wasn’t wearing a wedding band on his most intimate finger. She thinks maybe he did it out of courtesy to not beckon any unwarranted anguish and pain for her sake - because that’s exactly why she didn’t wear hers.

When she went to put her flowers in a vase in the kitchen, she slid her engagement and wedding rings off her finger and set them down gently on the counter, not wanting to clash her two separate lives.

That’s why she had to ask about her. She couldn’t keep going if she didn’t have any sort of answer to her wondering questions that she’s had for the past five decades. “How’s Nancy?” Y/N didn’t care to actually know how she is, she just wanted to know their story.

The leaves above them blew in the suddenly apparent wind, threatening them that what they were about to indulge in was like a storm on the horizon. It was bound to come and impossible to avoid. “Dunno. Haven’t spoken to her in a couple of weeks.”

This opened the door to many unanswered questions in Y/N’s mind, sending her down on spiral of want and need for an explanation that he didn’t seem keen on giving. This closed the most important door, flooding her with relief she didn’t realize she needed to feel just a little less pain sitting next to him.

Not knowing just how to pose her next question, Harry beat her to the punch, halting her thoughts in her tracks. “We’re divorced.”

Divorced. A strange concept. Y/N never imagined divorcing her husband in all of the years they were married. It seemed trivial and time-consuming and led to no greater purpose in her mind. She could either be miserably alone, or miserable with a man by her side. The latter seemed the most comforting.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not. We weren’t meant to be,” he chuckled, laughing not because it’s actually funny, but because Y/N knew they weren’t meant to be. It was obvious. “Just meaningless pieces in my parents puzzle.”

Hearing his broken words that he used to rant about all those years ago resurface, Y/N couldn’t help reaching for his hand again, clasping it between both of hers and holding it in her lap. It didn’t matter how many years had passed, because it was certain his parents were still a sore subject. She wanted him to know that she never forgot the hurt they put him through, and that she will always be on his side. Always.

Diverting the attention away from himself, it was Harry’s turn to pour salt into a wound he knew would sting harshly. “Did you uh, ever get married, Rose?”

When Carmella had managed to get his number a couple years after Italy, they kept in contact nearly every week. A lot of the time their topic of conversation would revolve around Y/N, and what ever new information Carmella could relay. One thing he refused to know however, was if she ever got married. He didn’t need to know, nor did he want to. But now, he supposes he does. 

“I did. He passed in February.” The 1st. Coincidental, maybe ironic. “He was a good man.”

Silence. It was nice Y/N was able to settle herself with someone deemed to be good. It’s what she deserved. But Harry didn’t want to know anymore.

Silence. They kept their heads forward, but over time Y/N’s head slowly ended up resting on Harry’s shoulder. Their hands stayed latched and their bodies radiated each other’s warmth. Y/N felt cold though. Rehashing their pasts slowly brought them closure, but it in no way healed the pain that rested heavy on her heart. “I wish things could’ve been different for us, Harry.” They deserved different than what they were given. Why do soulmates exist if they can’t be together? 

A love like theirs is folklore; unsure if it ever existed, but meant to be told for generations. “We were special don’t you think?”

“We were everything,” Harry murmured, squeezing her hands, then planting a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.

Y/N laughed again at his allusion, but she wasn’t laughing because it was funny, but because it stung like a wasp. Over and over again. “I’ve still got that stupid piece of paper, y’know. Your letter. Saved it all these years because it was all I had.”

The little anger she had left inside of her began to bubble up. Though it didn’t last very long as tears welled in her eyes, just like when she picked up the stupid paper for the first time. Grief stampeded her stomach like a herd of frightened elephants, bruising her deeply as the pain she felt from that day made itself known in the present.

“You didn’t say goodbye. Why didn’t you say goodbye?”

The wind picked up as the clouds in the sky completely covered the sun in forecast, hovering over Harry as a reminder, just in case he didn’t already know the pain he caused.

Pulling Y/N close to his chest, he let her cry, knowing it was best to not say anything at all. She wasn’t legitimately asking why he didn’t, but it felt good to get the question off her chest. So he let her cry, his own tears pricking his waterline, balancing on the edge before tumbling over and down onto his cheeks.

Just when the sun began to come out from its hiding spot, the two subsided their emotions, calming down just like the leaves above their heads. The storm had passed. All that’s left now is the aftermath.

“We don’t get forever, Rose. But we have each other now.”

Something tells them though that despite how many physical years they may have left with one another, they’ll always have forever. The thought rests easy on their minds.

With just a few more minutes of sitting in the grass and simmering, absorbing, melting, the duo decided it was time to get up. They were going to put the past behind them, starting with the fact that maybe they were too old to be sitting in the grass like they used to.

Laughs and giggles were exchanged as they both tried to get to their feet as gracefully as possible without drawing any attention to themselves. They were a heap of giggles and optimism as they retraced their steps back onto the pathway, heading back to his car.

It almost seemed like déjà vu the moment a speedy bicyclist zoomed past Y/N, nearly grazing her left side. She moved out of his way just in the nick of time, but haphazardly fell into Harry’s arms, who always seemed ready to catch her even in the most abrupt of times.

It all happened so fast yet also so slow, running parallel to the moment this exact occurrence happened fifty-five years ago. Their whole day ran parallel to their pasts, so it was only inevitable that that same electricity sparked through their bodies again.

They gazed into each other’s eyes the moment her body felt safe, that same magnet pulling them close enough that their mouths were only a few inches apart. Not a single word was exchanged as their breaths mingled together and their fingers gripped each other forcefully.

Remembering when she told Ellie about their first electric moment, Ellie immediately questioned if the two of them had kissed because it seemed like the perfect moment. Disappointingly, they didn’t.

She would hate to disappoint her granddaughter again.

So, this time they did.

It was the perfect moment, after all.

[mianavs]

facing a betrothed

part 5 of Cathexis

a/n: looking forward to writing more Illumi now that the build-up is done. sorry for the wait but the holidays are keeping me busy

wc: 2.3k

Cathexis

Ever since finding out the truth behind Illumi’s obsession with you, reuniting with him was something you wanted to avoid at all costs despite knowing better. You weren’t ready to face the man that intended to trap you in a contract marriage without a termination clause. But much like your first meeting, Illumi showed up by invitation of Hisoka and saw you exiting the bathroom as you towel dried your damp hair.

“What are you doing here?” Illumi asked, his usually unaffected eyes were fractionally narrowed.

“I’m sure it’s obvious, Illumi,” Hisoka answered on your behalf as he stood up from his seat, still clad in his white bathrobe, and stood next to you. You glared at the magician and took a step away from him.

“What are you doing, Hisoka?”

“Just trying to clear up this misunderstanding,” Hisoka stated with a smirk. “Don’t you think Illumi deserves to know?”

“No!” Your trembling grip on his arm did nothing to stop Hisoka and you could only watch Illumi’s reaction with wide eyes.

“Y/N knows you’ve been watching over her, Illumi. That’s the only reason she came looking for me.”

Illumi’s face was unchanging except for the tensing of his jaw before turning to you. “How long have you known?”

“Three years now,” you replied swallowing your unease.

“And the engagement?”

You didn’t fail to notice his choice of the word engagement instead of betrothal and it only confirmed your suspicion that he was onboard with the arrangement.

“Just recently.”

“I told you she wasn’t ready.” Illumi said turning to Hisoka.

“I thought she deserved to know,” Hisoka replied with a shrug but the smirk on his face only grew seeing Illumi toy with the needle in his hand—an indicator that he was discontent.

“This wasn’t something you could decide.”

“So when was I going to be ready, Illumi? In a couple of months? You don’t get to decide that for me.”

You were tired of getting pushed to the sidelines like your opinion didn’t matter. Hisoka might be a twisted individual but at least he had the decency to tell you what the future had in store for you.

“Your reaction is proof of your immaturity.”

“I’m being sold off to repay a debt, how am I supposed to react?” Illumi opened his mouth but you interjected with a bitter laugh. “Never mind, I remembered that I’m speaking to someone devoid of all emotions.”

You were done with the conversation and threw the towel on the bed. You quickly laced up your shoes, eager to put as much space as possible between you and the duo.

“Leaving so soon?” Hisoka asked before his hand reached down towards your head. You caught his wrist and stood up. “I’m busy. You know that.”

Without another word to the magician, you shook off his hand and stalked towards the door. Before you could reach it, however, Illumi was there in an instant.

“We need to talk, Y/N.”

“I’m late for a job. We can talk later.”

Activating your nen, you pushed Illumi away and darted out the door without looking back. You reached the end of the hallway before your entire body went numb causing you to stumble and stop. It felt as if your arms and legs had fallen asleep but you carried on. The further you got, the more your body seemed to work against you until it culminated with sharp pains in the back of your neck.

The stabbing neck pain lasted throughout your mission of protecting your client’s rare emerald in transport from Kakin to Zaban City. It affected your performance to the point that the shipment was late and your displeased client cut your payment by half.

Those were the events that led to you to your family doctor who serviced your family long before your birth. The two of you were able to work together to locate and extract the golden nen-covered needle wedged into the back of your neck. You were baffled at the realization that someone had inserted that into you, until your doctor cleared everything up with a single question.

“What manipulator did you cross?”

Illumi.

It was Illumi.

The dream that you had after meeting him for the first time hadn’t been a dream at all. He actually broke into your room and inserted his needle into your neck. It dawned on you that the warnings and the bad feelings you had when you were meeting Hisoka were all because of Illumi’s needle that had brainwashed you somehow.

That day only, you wanted to run into Illumi. You waited the whole day for him to appear but he never came. Of course he wouldn’t show up when you wanted him to. With the needle sealed in a plastic baggy and stashed into your travel pack, you headed to York New to meet with one of your regular clients, Rivero Langstaff.

Over the past three months, Rivero had provided a good number of jobs for you. Despite the majority of them not paying a lot, they were usually easy to do and allowed you to make some quick cash on the side while a big job popped up.

It was late evening when you arrived to Rivero’s office building and the dark rain clouds covering the sky only made it that much darker. With the rain beating down on your umbrella, you walked into the building and greeted Rivero’s secretary, Margo. It was during your walk to the elevator with Margo that you sensed something was off. Rivero’s nen, while not very strong, was undetectable as the elevator approached his office on the 14th floor.

As soon as the two of you got off the elevator, you turned to Margo and sent her back down to avoid getting the innocent secretary tangled into whatever was waiting for you. Upon opening the office door, you found the office dark with Rivero’s body slumped over his desk. As you drew closer to him, lightning flashed and you saw the dark red puddle beneath his head that slowly amassed more and more of the desk’s surface area. Proving your suspicions, you then straightened your gaze to the figure that stood against the window.

Long black hair and matching soulless eyes stood immobile while facing you. Illumi’s collected demeanor had you seething but you steeled yourself to the spot you stood on before addressing him.

“Did you have to go this far?” Your voice shook from anger and you balled your hands into fists to keep them from attacking the murderer before you.

“We need to talk about the engagement.” Illumi stated in that absent-minded manner of his while ignoring your question per usual.

“I-I seriously...I can’t believe you.” You stammered running your hand through your hair before beginning to pace around. “Did the thought of approaching me like a normal human ever cross your mind?”

“I already tried that but you ignored me; therefore, I needed to take certain measures.” He stated quirking his head. He was mocking you and you’d had enough. Digging into your travel pack, you pulled out the plastic baggy with Illumi’s needle and threw it at him. He easily caught the baggy mid-air and it’s contents.

“More drastic than that? You really tried hard to control me didn’t you, Illumi.”

“Ah, I was hoping it would last longer.” He took the needle out and stored it in his pocket. “I guess it doesn’t matter now that—”

Illumi suddenly stopped and you sensed Margo’s presence getting off the elevator. In a fraction of a second, the two of you were by the door and you held his wrist while he held one of his large yellow needles to your neck.

“Just go and leave her out of this” you hissed while Illumi stared blankly down at you.

“But we still need to talk.”

“We can talk somewhere else,” and you hesitated before continuing. “Meet me outside of my condo. I don’t think I need to tell you the address, now do I?”

Illumi didn’t answer but still removed his needle and you let go of his wrist. You swiftly exited the office and met with a concerned Margo. After explaining Rivero’s death at the hand of a mysterious assassin and comforting the distraught secretary, Margo went back down to call the authorities and you left to meet with Rivero’s murderer.

Despite your instructions to meet you outside of your condo, you found Illumi waiting for you in your living room.

“Have you always broken into my home while I sleep?” You asked offhandedly while going into your kitchen and putting the kettle on the stove for some tea.

“Only when you’re training or after a mission. Although, I have never been to your ancestral home.”

He paced around the living room until he stopped in front of the framed pictures your mom had of you. Illumi took in your living room while you kept your gaze trained on him ready to stop him from venturing further into your home.

The sharp kettle whistle drew you from your thoughts and you quickly prepared the tea before fishing two mugs from the cabinet and bringing it all to the coffee table. With a mug of hot tea in your hands, you faced Illumi who sat ramrod straight on the couch opposite from you with his mug still on the table.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

“The conditions of our marriage since it is based on an agreement.” Illumi replied in that fake cheerful manner of his.

“And do I get an input in these conditions?”

Illumi regarded you for a moment, his mouth twitching into what you assumed was meant to be a smile, before answering. “Not really, but I’ll listen to them and depending what they are, I might allow them.”

“Hah…of course.” You replied bitterly before taking another sip of tea. You weren’t sure what you expected. You were the payment demanded by the Zoldycks; therefore, it was only natural that the agreement would be unilateral.

“My family wants the marriage done exactly one year after the engagement as is Zoldyck tradition. Until then, you and I are free to do as we please with whomever we please but as soon as we are wed, you are mine and I am yours until death.”

How romantic

“Fine but what about after we’re married? Will I still be allowed to work as a hunter or is it Zoldyck tradition to stay at home and be a good little housewife?” You couldn’t help but play along.

“It is Zoldyck tradition,” Illumi answered matter-of-factly either not picking up on your sarcasm or simply choosing to ignore it; you suspected the former. “But you can still work as a hunter if you wish as I have no intention of having children right away.”

The thought of raising Illumi’s kids and being a housewife gave you chills and you wished there was something stronger in your cup to get you through the rest of the conversation. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Ah, yes. We are a family business, therefore, once you become a Zoldyck a part of your wages will go towards the business.”

“Not much different than my current situation,” you muttered, finishing off your tea. You looked up to see Illumi eyeing you with a strange look that resembled curiosity.

“Why do you work so much?” Illumi inquired, taking the first sip of the tea that had most likely gone cold. “As far as I know, your parents still work as hunters and are very active. You also come from a long line of hunters yet you’ve been working non-stop ever since you got your hunter license.”

You set your mug down and readied the answer you’d been preparing since finding out about the engagement. For multiple aspects of your life, you would resort to making up half-lies that hopefully convinced him until the deadline.

“A long line of debt too. Our family has been in debt for a couple generations now and my parents and I have spent our lives trying to pay off the ones we can.” The entire time, you kept your eyes trained on Illumi for the slightest movement of muscle indicating suspicion but the stoic assassin remained still.

“I see. Well, you can choose to do whatever you want; however, I’ll continue to keep tabs on you until the agreement is complete and we’re married.”

“Right,” You swallowed and relaxed your tensed shoulders. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Yes, my family would like to meet you before the engagement.” Illumi replied setting his mug down on the table and standing up. “I’ll let you know when that will take place so you can make arrangements for it.”

“That’s fine but I’m letting you know that my time is precious and I expect monetary compensation.” You stated and stood up as well. Illumi’s jaw tensed the slightest bit before agreeing to your conditions. Grinning from ear-to-ear, you gave Illumi your bank account information knowing it’d be going back to him in the form of repayment.

With that, Illumi left and you took a deep breath as soon as you closed the door behind him. The dreaded conversation was finally over and you’d managed not break a vase on his head no matter how much you wanted to. Hearing the expectations Illumi and his family had of his future bride made you shudder in disgust but also served to motivate you to earn as much money as you could. You decided to call one of your clients to see if they had any work for you when you received a notification from your bank. Upon reading the message, a smile unconsciously creeped on your face.

[Deposit of 200,000 Jenny from Illumi Zoldyck]

[imherongraystairstrash]

Can you write 42: “here take my sweater” for Jordelia?

It’s really long, my dudes. 

I changed the prompt a little, so that it sort of fit the time period better, so now it’s “Here, take my coat.” Anyway, I hope there aren’t too many mistakes and that you all enjoy it!

Ship: Jordelia (James x Cordelia)

Prompt: “Here, take my coat”

James and Cordelia were walking back from a winter ball in the Penhallow’s home. It had been incredibly dull, and the only thing that kept Cordelia from falling asleep had been Matthew and Lucie’s hilarious reenactment of Rosamund Wentworth and Thoby Baybrook’s wedding (where Lucie played Thoby and Matthew, Rosamund, respectively). 

Now, Cordelia couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her body as the cold, winter breeze pushed against them. Her thin dressing fabrics did nothing to warm her against the cold. She prayed to any of the angels that might have been listening for James not to notice, for she would simply die of embarrassment. Unfortunately, it seemed they all had their heads turned elsewhere.

“Angel,”James cursed. “I’m such a nitwit. You’re absolutely freezing in that measly shawl, Daisy. Here, take my coat.” he said, shrugging it off and placing it on her shoulders.

“Oh no, it’s quite alright, James. You needn’t spare it for me.”

“Nonsense, I’ve had it on all night. I insist you wear it.”

“Thank you,” Cordelia said, shrugging it on. It was large on her, the sleeves covering her hands but…it smelled like James. 

Cordelia fought the urge to close her eyes and breathe it in, for James would  

certainly find it strange, if not a bit unsettling. 

“Really, thank you.” she said, thankful she wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick.

“It was nothing, Daisy.” He said, offering her his bent arm, which she took. “You shouldn’t be suffering in the cold. I cannot understand why they do not make warm women’s clothes.”

Cordelia shrugged. “I imagine it is just the way it has always been.”

James pressed his lips together. “Well, it should change.”

Cordelia nodded. “At least, in the meantime, there are kind gentlemen who might offer theirs.”

James scoffed. “It really was nothing, Daisy.”

Cordelia just looked down, deliberately not replying. That was when her eyes caught on the bracelet James bore on his wrist. 

“That’s Grace Blackthorn’s bracelet, is it not?”

Cordelia didn’t mean to make such a bitter comment. She hadn’t wanted to make James feel uncomfortable. And it wasn’t as though they were truly married. It shouldn’t matter to her that he wore it, if he wasn’t hers to claim in the first place.

Except, it did matter. It mattered to her.

James looked down and his eyes widened. “I—What a fool I am; I must have forgotten to take it off. All these years I’ve worn it, I have become quite accustomed to how it feels on my wrist. A million apologizes, Cordelia.”

“You really mustn’t apologize, James. It’s hardly necessary if we aren’t in a relationship to begin with.”

“Still, Daisy.” James replied, unclasping the bracelet and stuffing it in the pocket of his trousers. “I cannot be wearing another woman's bracelet, while I’m married to you. Regardless of the reasons behind our marriage, you are my wife. You deserve better than that.”

“James, don’t stress about it.”

James opened his mouth, but Cordelia cut him off. “I don’t want to hear anymore about this business. Let’s talk about something el—”

James suddenly surged forward, causing Cordelia to exclaim a surprised “James!”.

“Are you alright?” She said, worry still heavy on her tongue as she helped him stay on his feet. 

James shook his head, as though to clear his thoughts. “Yes, I just—I had a dizzy spell.”

“Goodness, would you like us to sit? I don’t find it wise to be standing, much less walking, if you are unwell. Perhaps we wait until you have recovered?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Daisy. Let us continue walking home. I wouldn’t want to keep you in the cold for longer than needed.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Cordelia said, her heart practically swelling up to half of it’s normal size. “You’re unwell and besides, I have a wonderful coat to keep me warm.” She stuffed her hands in the pockets of his coat and hugged herself for emphasize. 

James gave her a rueful smile. “You are absolutely positive?”

Cordelia felt her lips tug upwards, “Come now,” She walked him over to the nearest bench and sat him down. James did so, obediently, and looked up at her with those beautiful eyes of gold, like a puppy.  

“There you are.” She said, perhaps a bit breathlessly.

James continued to look up at her, his expression open and…liberated, almost. He was different in that moment. He resembled Lucie, during those times when she’d look across the room and stare at nothing, and subconsciously smile. She felt the urge to hold his face in her hands and kiss his forehead, asking him what is the matter. Or, better yet, what was the matter. 

He looked at her and she sat down at him. Cordelia lost herself in his eyes long enough to forget where they were, until a swan flapped its wings in the lake nearby. Both of them jumped, startled by the sudden noise. James seemed to recover quicker and cleared his throat. 

“Sit, Daisy.” He said, patting the seat next to him.

“Yes, yes, of course.” She said, taking a seat next to her husband. 

They awkwardly looked anywhere. Anywhere but at each other. Cordelia was concentrating so hard on looking like she wasn’t paying attention to James, that she didn’t realize he was looking at her until she shifted her gaze to a tree, and saw him through her peripheral vision. 

“Daisy,” he said, before leaning in slowly, giving her time to back away, if she wanted to. Except, she didn’t. All she truly wanted to do was lean in and kiss him. So she did. 

His lips felt incredibly soft against hers. Warm, too, against the bitter cold of the air. He slanted his lips to fit hers and she reached up to his hair, that was cold from the snow that had fallen on it. His gloved hands were also a bit cold, but their presence made her skin flush. Or perhaps it was his tongue on hers.

It mattered not what it was. The fact that James was kissing her, pulling her closer to his chest, and that there was so much love in those actions made everything else insignificant. 

He pulled away, their faces so close together that Cordelia could make out a lone freckle on the bridge of his nose. On his eyelashes were little bits of snow that got stuck. She went to brush them off and he closed his eyes in a graceful motion that made her think of angels. She brushed off the snow, wishing she didn’t have mittens on her fingers, if only to touch his soft face. Her hand lingered on his cheek and he slowly opened his eyes again, his hands drifting up from when they rested on her waist, one coming to rest on her upper back, the other on her chin.

Their mouths found each other once more, however this time, the kiss was slow. Their lips worked together silently and in perfect synchronization, as if they were modeled after each other. Cordelia couldn’t help but thank that they were married, and that if, in the unlikely chance one should happen to stumble into them, it would not be a scandal. Then, of course, she remembered the scandal she had caused before and couldn’t help but smile. She pulled away slightly, and they were once more looking at one another. 

“Daisy.” James said, his voice hoarse.

“Yes?”

He sighed. “You are an angel from Heaven. How they must have weeped when they had to let you go. To have to spare you so that you could venture Earth and save us.”

“How did I save you all?” Cordelia said, jokingly. 

“You’re a beacon of light. You’re the lighthouse that chases away my shadows.”

“No, James. I embrace your shadows.”

James scrunched his eyebrows.

“Your shadows are a part of you, and I adore everything about you.” Cordelia was quite sure she was being possessed by a demon, for she could not believe the words coming out of her mouth. She would have been mortified, had James not spoken.

“I adore everything about you, Daisy.”

Cordelia’s heart skipped a beat. She could feel her face get all cold, though not from London’s bitter winter air. James stood and pulled her up with him. He hugged her close to his body and reached out to caress her face with the back of his hand. She felt her eyes shutter to a close as he began to brush loose strands of her hair away from her face. And even though she could see nothing beyond darkness, she could feel James’ touch in every part of her body. 

She felt James’ hand slip down to lightly hold her chin and tilt her face upwards. Their lips met once more, perfectly content to having been reunited. Oh, how wonderfully James kissed! His lips were like the flapping wings of a butterfly in your cupped hand; soft and light, but frantic. It was almost like he was coming back to life, and wanted to experience everything it had to offer.

Cordelia shifted in his arms, falling deeper into his embrace. James broke apart and he moved to kiss the corner of her lip, her cheek, her jawline, behind her ear. She could have stayed there for days, would have let him kiss her days and would have kissed him for days. Could have felt his hands running up and down her body until the planets collided and the world ended. All of the time in the world, she would have dedicated it to him and being together and being in love. 

Cordelia felt herself go stiff in James’ arms. He nestled his face in her neck, and despite how much her body screamed to not do it, she pulled away and stepped back from James. 

They locked eyes, gold on black. She began to shake her head. He didn’t love her and she was a fool to think he did. A fool to let herself believe that this was anything more than physical attraction on James’ part.

“Daisy, what’s the matter?” He eyes were filled with concern and it hurt even more to know that they weren’t concerned for his wife, but for a friend. He took a step, and she did the same, except while he took a step forward, towards her, she took a step back, away from him.

James’ eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Daisy?”

She looked away, knowing tears would fall if she continued to look at those eyes. 

James would never love her.

She turned her back to him, turned her back to her pain, and began walking away. Away from the boy she loved.

How was any of this fair? How is it that all she’d ever done in life was love him, and yet would never receive that same love from him? 

“Daisy!”

Maybe she wasn’t kind enough. Maybe she wasn’t pretty enough.

“Daisy, what’s the matter?” James called out to her.

Nevertheless, didn’t she deserve to be loved? Was she so unloveable? So undesirable?

“Daisy, slow down!”

 What had she done wrong?

James caught up to her, and stood in front of her path. 

“Cordelia,” he whispered, bending down so as to be able to look her in the eyes. “Please tell me what happened.”

“It’s nothing, James.” She said, refusing to look at him. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

She could feel his gaze on her, trying to see why she was acting the way she was. She forced herself to look at him, put on a half smile and begin walking again. To her surprise, James didn’t stop her and simply just fell into step alongside her. He didn’t touch her nor offer his arm. They just walked back home. 

Cordelia’s lungs filled with freezing air, which she could feel travel all over her body, as she took a deep breath. 

Love. It was a paradox unto itself. Because it can by the source of the greatest happiness in your life, or the source of all of your pain.  In Cordelia’s case, it seemed to be doomed to be the latter.

...

Hope you guys were in the mood to read some angst. 

Tagging: @celias @tsccreatorsnet @atla-lok143 @hitheresomeoneusingthus @rinadragomir @youngreckless @autumnangel20 @julemmaes @cupcakesandkittens @no-scones-allowed @fictionally-fantastic @stxr-thxif @niaforjordelia @itsdaughterofthemoon @dustandshadowsworld 

If you want to be tagged in future fics, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list!!

[randomfandomimagine]

Love’s Worth Running To. Chapter 1: Reunited

Pairing: Barry Allen x Stephanie Williams (OC)

Fandom: Justice League / DCEU

.

CHAPTER INDEX • NEXT CHAPTER ➡

AO3 

A/N: It’s finally here, I’m so freaking excited!! I have so many ideas for this series and I love them all, it’s going to be really fun writing interactions between Barry and Steph and with the Justice League too! Not to mention how many things are going on with the plot and the villains and the heroes! 

I hope you like this series, or at least the first chapter, I’m quite satisfied with it so far. If you could reblog it and/or leave feedback, it would really mean the world to me!

The sun shines bright, at the highest point in the sky. The air is mildly warm. Summer is near. The park is completely empty at that time, too early still after school has just ended. Soon the place will be filled with loud children running, shouting and playing. She hopes he will arrive before them.

Stephanie absently-minded kicks her feet up, moving in the swing and wondering where he could be. His swing next to her is empty. It gently sways with the breeze.

“Tephie!” Soon enough, a little boy comes running her direction. He trips and stumbles as her approaches her.

“Barry” She mutters, forcing the swing to a halt when she notices he’s crying. “What happened?”

“They hit me again” It is then that she notices the red bruise on his cheek. “I ran”

“Are you okay?” The little girl jumps off the swing, meeting him halfway as he finally reaches her.

“Yeah... I’m okay...” He grits his teeth, averting his teary eyes from her.

Stephanie frowns at first, never before having seen him angry except for on occasions like that. Because of the bullies. In any case, she doesn’t understand why the other kids pick on Barry so much.

She then takes his hand, smiling at him, and starts running. He was just starting to recover from his own dash, but he gladly follows after her even as he huffs again.

“Where are we going?”

Stephanie doesn’t reply. She only giggles, squeezing his hand as they run through the park. They reach a small hill, patiently climbing their way to the top. They look at each other, never letting go of their hands or stopping to catch their breath. Now they’re both smiling.

Once they’re at the top of the green hill, Stephanie finally stops. Barry stands by her side, watching in confusion and curiosity. The little girl watches the clouds for a moment, craning her neck up and squinting her eyes at the bright sun.

After taking a deep breath, Stephanie lets out a very loud high-pitched shriek. Startled, Barry jumps in place. When she looks at him, that smile is still adorning her features.

“Try it!” She encourages him between giggles. “You’ll feel better”

Barry gawks at her, but Stephanie tugs at his hand. Giving in, he takes a deep breath. When he starts screaming at the top of his lungs, the little girl dissolves into giggles. He stops for a moment, glancing at her in surprise.

“I do feel better”

“Then keep doing it!”

The two of them join together in a thunderous harmony of shrieking voices. Their frustrated and boisterous screaming evolves into giggles. Soon after, their laughter has completely taken over. They laugh and laugh until their stomachs hurt. Looking at the other only causes them to laugh harder. But they don’t stop staring at the other.

They don’t stop smiling.

And laughing.

The alarm clocks startles her awake. Stephanie opens her eyes, meeting with the direct sight of her plain white ceiling. She groans, feebly sitting up and passing a hand through her messy brown hair. Her eyes are instinctively directed to the framed photograph on her beside table. The boy of her dream is looking at her through time, immortalized in that image. She smiles to herself. Barry Allen, the one and only. The little girl next to him, a younger version of Stephanie, is smiling wide. His arm is on her shoulders and neither of them could be happier.

Shaking her head, Stephanie gets to her feet. She calmly walks to the bathroom to get ready for work. Even as she combs her hair, as she brushes her teeth and gets changed from her pijamas to her street clothes, her thoughts wander.

That boy keeps running through her mind like he does every morning. Every day. He brings a dull ache to Stephanie’s chest. The sting of nostalgia. The big what ifs that make her head fuzzy. The yearning for regaining what she once had.

Like every morning, Stephanie forces those thoughts away the moment she leaves her apartment. She just takes a deep breath and ventures into the streets of Central City. She has a life of her own now. Without him. As much as she misses Barry Allen, she hasn’t talked to her childhood best friend in years. It’s best to forget about him. She probably won’t see him again.

Or at least... that’s what she thinks.

_

The Batcave is quiet that morning. As Barry absently walks in, he hopes it’s a good thing. Dropping his bag from his shoulder down to the floor, he glances around. Everything is in order. Bruce and Diana are sitting in a small round table, smiling as they chat over coffee. Victor and Arthur share a slightly bigger square table not far from them, playing cards in a mildly aggressive way that seems very much amusing to them both. Clark is intensely typing on his laptop, resting his back against the wall.

“Hey, everyone!” Barry greets them, making a little wave when they turn their heads.

“Barry” Bruce greets him back. “Everything okay?”

“Yup, pretty normal” He shrugs, going to stand between the two tables. “And here?”

“Everything is calm” Diana tells him with a warm smile.

“Really?”

“Yes”

“Just the usual” Clark pipes up, still not looking away from the screen. “Saving some people every now and then”

Barry nods his head in response. He has done that some days himself – moving a person away from a speeding car, helping people stuck in burning buildings, even getting kitties down from trees. Nothing ‘save the world’ worthy, but important nonetheless.

“So…” The boy begins, letting his dark eyes wander around the room. “If everything’s calm, what are we all doing here then?”

“Hanging out” Victor simply replies, brow furrowed in concentration as he stares at the deck in his hand.

“Hanging out, huh?”

“Isn’t that what friends are supposed to do?”

“Aw, Arthur… you consider me your friend?”

Arthur glares at Barry, fighting a smile, and shakes his head at him. “I take it back”

“Fine, okay, um…” Barry fidgets in the spot, having lots of nervous energy at the start of the day. “I’m going to get to the store, anyone want something?”

“A sense of purpose” Victor replies sarcastically, causing Arthur to chuckle.

“Yeah, I have like… 3 dollars” Barry says, digging some wrinkled bills from his pocket.

“No, thank you” Diana kindly says, playfully tilting her head at Victor in response to his comment.

“A new member to the team would be great” Arthur smirks too. “Maybe that way it’d be easier to deal with you”

“That’s it, mister” Barry points a finger at him. “I was gonna get donuts for everyone, but you’re not getting any”

Everyone chuckles, including Arthur, and they all continue with what they were doing before Barry came in. Slightly restless still, the boy sighs and picks his bag back up.

“Be right back” And he speeds off, setting the wheels of destiny in motion.

_

Stephanie takes a deep breath, trying to concentrate in the present. The investigation is leading nowhere, and so that dull and routinely day becomes something even worse: a waste of time. When she moves away from the microscope, Stephanie’s eyes are directed to the corridor outside the room when they detect movement.

Her smile, which had been missing, returns like the sun on a cloudy day when she sees Ben walking towards the lab. He seems to be the only dash of color in her usually gray days.

“Sorry I’m late” Ben says as soon as he walks in, dedicating her a smile that spreads warmth within her. “I had so much to do this morning”

“It’s okay” She takes her glasses off and stands away from the table.

“Any luck with the samples?” He absently asks as he puts his white lab coat on.

“There’s no change” Stephanie sighs in defeat. “The molecules have been exposed to that force field for days now and there is no reaction”

“That’s odd…” Ben frowns and approaches her. “Is the computer still glitching?”

“I haven’t touched it this time” She jokes, even if her tone holds more irritation than playfulness this time. “I don’t think it has an effect on the results in any case”

Her partner quiets for a moment, typing and reading the screen. After he has checked and introduced some commands that will alter that force field, he turns to her.

“Do you think we’re doing something wrong?”

“I don’t know…” She pinches the bridge of her nose, feeling the start of a headache forming in her forehead.

The silence settles for just a second. It falls on them forcefully, heavily.

“Why don’t you go get some coffee?” Ben kindly touches her shoulder. “The fresh air might help”

“You just want me to get you some coffee” Stephanie smiles in spite of herself.

“I didn’t say that” A cautiously playful smiles draws on his lips. “But if you insist…”

“Fine...” Her smiles lingers even as she jokingly rolls her eyes. “The usual?”

“Yes, please” Ben innocently replies, even if he’s observing the experiment.

Stephanie shakes her head to herself, taking her lab coat off and leaving the lab.

The wheels of destiny start spinning faster and faster.

_

The hubbub fills the establishment. Stephanie taps her foot, trying to distract herself while she waits in line. The queue isn’t moving. The other costumers also scoff, sigh and roll their eyes at whoever keeps them waiting like that.

“I know I’m twenty cents short! But c’mon, it’s just twenty cents!” A loud voice comes from the counter, at the very start of the line. “I’m craving that donut so much! Can’t you like… I don’t know… make an exception or something?”

“I can’t let you take them if you don’t pay, sir” The clerk replies in the most bored voice Stephanie has ever heard. “Give me all the money and you can have your food”

“You don’t understand” The more she hears that voice, the more Stephanie thinks it sounds familiar. It’s not exactly the tone, but the cadence and fidgety hint to it. “I have been, um…. Running... around all day, I need to eat something!”

Why is that voice so familiar? Just as she is leaning to the side to try and get a look at him, Stephanie’s heart skips a beat when she places where she heard that voice before.

It can’t be...

Her heart is now thumping inside her rib cage. The butterflies coyly start to unleash in her stomach, but she tries to keep them at bay. She shouldn’t get her hopes up.  

Cutting in line, she quickly moves to the start of the queue to take a look at that person. A tall thin boy with dark hair is leaning against the counter and impatiently drumming his fingers against the glass. He passes a hand through his short hair. That second in which he hasn’t noticed her presence yet feels like an hour before she finally pipes up.

“I can’t believe it” She grins when she sees him, even if she’s shaking with excitement. “Barry? Barry Allen?”

He turns his head in her direction. His dark brown eyes are awfully familiar to her, and that’s how she knows it’s really him. The smile that appears on his lips next, sweet and bright, is the last proof she needs to confirm his identity.

“Stephanie? Is that you?” The boy squints at her, forgetting about the food. “Stephanie Williams?”

“Yes!” She chuckles, bouncing in the spot. “It’s me!”

“Steph!” Without thinking twice, Barry throws himself to hug her. “Oh my gosh!”

A big feeling of warmth envelops her as he presses her against him. Several years have gone by, but it feels like time hasn’t really passed at the same time. Stephanie feels like her ten year old self again as she is squished by one Barry Allen’s bear hugs.

Memories overwhelm her. Hot summer afternoons in the park. Movie marathons that turned into sleepovers. Chilly autumn evenings. She is even reminded of their pirate phase. All those thoughts fill her with a nostalgia that, for the first time in a decade, isn’t filled with melancholy.

“You look great!” Barry exclaims as he breaks away, much too soon for her taste, and takes her by the shoulders. “You have the same face”

“Thank you” She laughs a little, taking it as a compliment. “You have changed a little”

“It’s the jaw, isn’t it?” He jokes, passing a finger through his own face. “Makes me look older”

“I’m so happy to see you, Barry” Stephanie grins, clinging on to him and hoping the moment can last forever.

“Why, what’s wrong?” He fondly squeezes her arm. “Are you having a bad day? Who do I have to kill?”

“Same old Barry...” She laughs, shaking her head in amusement.

“Excuse me” The clerk’s voice reminds them that they aren’t alone in the establishment. “Are you paying or not?”

The both of them pause, bearing similar embarrassed expressions as they glance at the queuing crowd that stare at the pair in annoyance. When they realize they are still tightly holding on to each other, they awkwardly step away.

“Um… I’ll pay for that” Stephanie offers, politely smiling as she picks up her purse.

“Oh, thank you!” Barry effusively replies, clapping his hands together. “You’re my hero”

She laughs a little, endeared by his comment. The clerk finally hands him his donuts and the rest of his order and Barry grabs it with an excited little bounce. Then he turns to Stephanie once more, smiling from ear to ear.

“Look, I gotta run” He mumbles, fondly staring at her. “But it’s been great to see you”

“Oh, uh… yeah…” The girl sheepishly smiles, putting her hair behind her ear. “It’s been great to see you too”

Barry must have noticed the disappointment in her voice, because he frowns as he observes her. Then, after a brief pause, he places his hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, since you saved my butt back there… I could uh…” He stutters for a moment, ultimately clearing his throat and blushing under Stephanie’s amused gaze. “We could go out for a coffee sometimes, I’m paying”

“Y-Yeah!” Her face instantly lights up. “That would be great!”

“That way we can catch up!”

“You’re right, it would be lovely!”

Barry looks over his shoulder for a moment, bothered by the people that still crowd around them. Then he gulps and stares at her in expectation. Seeing as Stephanie just stands there, grinning, he insists.

“When are you free?”

“Oh” She chuckles in embarrassment. “Today I’m all booked, but tomorrow after lunch I’m free”

“Great!”

“Great”

“See you here tomorrow at… let’s say… 4pm?”

“That sounds great”

“Cool”

“Cool”

Barry and Stephanie still stand there, staring at each other. It feels as though that invisible string that had been so taut, keeping them apart, now won’t keep them separated any longer. Like they are physically incapable of moving away.

A wave of emotions has taken over them. All those feelings that they had forgotten, that they were once so used to when they were children and saw each other every day. The excitement slowly bubbling in their chest that spreads down to the stomach and groww bigger and bigger, the way they couldn’t stop smiling and their faces end up hurting from the big gesture, the pleasant nervous butterflies in the stomach...

“Well” Barry finally makes the move, resting his hand against Stephanie’s upper arm and lovingly squeezing. “I would love to stay, but I really really gotta go”

“S-Sure, of course” Hiding the pain in her heart, she steps to the side. “I have to go back to work too”

“See you tomorrow!” He waves goodbye and hurries to the door.

Stephanie stays there for several more seconds, watching the spot from which he disappeared. She sighs. Before the sadness can overcome her, however, she tells herself that she will see him tomorrow. After years separated, Stephanie and Barry will finally be together again.

_

When she returns, everything is the same at the lab. Oddly enough, it feels completely different at the same time. With her chest full and the stomach suffering the remaining of the butterflies, Stephanie walks inside. She puts her lab coat on and approaches Ben.

“I’m back!” Seeing as he is still busy with the computer, she only leaves the small plastic tray in the table beside him. “Here’s your coffee, Ben”

The young man absently turns to her and has to do a double take. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he takes a better look at her.

“Look at that smile…” He says, putting a hand on his hip.

“What?” Stephanie scoffs, rushing to pick up her coffee to have something to do. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me smile before...”

“I know, but that smile feels different…” A sweet grin slowly makes its way to Ben’s face. “More genuine”

“Maybe…”

“So why the change?”

“I don’t know” She lies, feeling herself blushing.

Ben peers at her for a moment longer, but ultimately gets back to work. Stephanie sighs in relief and absently returns to the experiment herself.

She does know the reason behind that change... Barry Allen. That constant presence in her life even in his absence. That boy she could never forget and that, she is happy to realize now, she doesn’t have to. Stephanie has been reunited with her beloved childhood friend, and the best part of all is she will see him again very soon.

Tag list: - // Ask to be added to be notified when I post for this series!!

[whoiscredencept2]

@madness-and-greatness continued from here 

The first few years back with his family, Credence lived with father in Hogsmeade in the Inn that was run by Aberforth himself. He did not venture out much as others there had known about him and seemed weary of his presence. Something he could not blame them for as he was once a loyal acolyte to Grindelwald. Someone that had not left his mind since six years ago. That last day, Credence was ordered to stay near Vinda which he did until he found himself facing off with his own father. He knew immediately who the man was as they’d been corresponding through a mirror for years by then. It conflicted Credence but he knew he couldn’t fight the man but he did defend him when Vinda started to attack. After a moment of dueling the two of them, the woman fled to who knows where.

It had been a long journey for Credence. One of reuniting with family, rekindling with a lost friend, more hardships, but also healing. Credence was still very much an Obscurial. Still living through the sickness and pain it caused him on the daily but it never stopped him. It might have even encouraged him to work along with Albus. At first, the goal was to remove it which turned disastrous in seconds, leaving Credence bedridden for a while. They had assumed it had become too attached, too strong. Healing potions were still something Credence leaned into when it became too much but also prompted an idea he took to Albus as he didn’t know much about potions at the time. Together and with the phoenix, they created an even stronger potion. Though still very experimental just being created a few years ago, it was working well for Credence for the time being. 

Aging like a wizard was something Credence didn’t know was an experience of itself as now, he might have looked slightly maturer but his looks still held plenty of youth, locks a tad longer with curls. Other than that, nothing had truly changed. Even his uncle and father hadn’t aged much. His mind once again wanders off to Gellert, wondering what he may have looked like now after some years.

It wouldn’t have been the first time Credence had brought the subject up to Albus, far from Aberforth’s ear, though the few times he had he’d wondered if Albus thought ill of Credence’s intentions. If he did, he hid it very well. Albus had told many stories of the past to Credence, some were already known from Gellert’s perspective. Sometimes, such stories would ease the memory of Gellert but not forever. Once again Credence found himself bringing up the man but this time with the question of the possibility to see him. Albus had a look of uncertainty, sorrow, but understanding. It had been nearly six years and Credence wasn’t certain of asking so soon, fearing a reaction and judgment but he was met with, ‘I’ll see.’

Credence’s hope dwindled in the passing months as there hadn’t been another word about it. There was little hope when he’d finally asked. Scared but hopeful. He carried on until there was a letter from Albus. His heart was on the floor as he’d read it. He kept hushed from his father, not wanting to alarm the man of his soon to be actions. There was much to be done before he could enter but he was going to do everything. 

As an excuse, Credence claimed he was going to stay with Albus at Hogwarts for a while which wasn’t the truth but also not a lie. There were many interrogations that took place, they wanted to know where Credence now stood and his true intentions. Comments that he should have been in a cell himself made their way into it as well. Credence once wondered the same things as they did but brushed them off long ago when it seemed clear such actions wouldn’t happen. At last the time had come. His wand had been temporarily confiscated as well as an admonitor placed on him before being escorted to the castle.

From what he could see as they made their way up, it all looked the same as he’d remembered. Just not as grand as it once was. It looked as if they stripped the castle completely of what it once was though it wouldn’t be too far out there as it went from a castle to a now known prison of one. The nerves had settled in a few flights before reaching the tower, where they were holding Grindelwald. With a last warning from an auror, Credence stood looking at the door sucking in a shaky breath before moving towards it. There was a small panel on the door. He reached and opened with a bit of a creak in the hinges revealing bars. “Gellert?” He calls out softly, not being able to see far into the cell.

[hostess-of-horror]

Phantom X Peach (again)

Me: "Alright, let's get right back into my current project!"

[sees posts of Phantom and Princess Peach]

My Brain:

Me: *defeated sigh* *clicks Create New Post*

Welp, here we are again! Another Phantom X Peach story! I can't help myself, I absolutely adore this ship. 💜

Since the last story was hurt/comfort themed, I figured I'd continue this trope by switching the roles! Both Princess Peach and Phantom have their bad days, and this time it's poor Phantom.😔

For @salamifuposey​, @kindpopstar​, @strawbunniiee​ and everyone else who wants to read it!

[Content Includes: Themes of Depression and Anxiety and Suggestive Flirting (no smut!)]

---

It was a slow day at the Mushroom Kingdom. Nothing special was happening. At least there were no surprise kidnappings from Bowser or any other signs of danger. Princess Peach, not wanting to sit around all day, decided to take a walk outside. She ensured the people within her castle that she will be safe and will be only admiring the land. Of course, this was partially true. She will be safe, but not while within her own kingdom. Instead, Peach followed the path that led all the way to Spooky Trails. When she arrived at Phantom's theater, she was greeted by a familiar face.

The red-haired woman at the masquerade. The peasant woman from that very night.

---

Peach: "Hello?"

[The red-haired woman notices Peach, gives her a warm smile, and waves.]

????: "Good afternoon, your highness. I wasn't expecting you to come over. My name is Salome. I didn't get to properly introduce myself to you last time we met."

Peach: "It's nice to meet you, Salome." *bows* "May I ask if Phantom is inside?"

Salome: "Yes, he is. In fact, I'm so glad you came! Our master has become terribly upset all of a sudden."

Peach: "Oh no! What happened to him? Is he alright?"

Salome: "I'm not exactly sure. He has had these moments before, but almost none of us know exactly how to completely help him out. Our master was last seen entering into his boudoir. He didn't say a word to any of us. I don't believe he is physically ill, but it is some sort of sickness. Perhaps you can help him? No, wait - I shouldn't do that to a guest, especially one that's royalty."

Peach: "No. No need to apologize. If Phantom is distressed, then I'll do my best to help him feel better."

Salome: "Ah, you're so kind, Princess. Just like how he describes you."

[Salome invites Peach into the theater, entering down into the underground lair where Phantom and his theater troupe reside. Once again, Peach is inside the large and luxurious hallways of the lair, this time going down to Phantom's Boudoir. The door to this room is just as massive as the Ballroom entrance. Salome knocks.]

Phantom: *from behind the door* "Leave me be!"

Salome: "Master, is there something wrong?"

Phantom: "I'll be fine... I just need some peace and quiet."

[Peach approaches the door and knocks gently.]

Peach: "Phantom? It's me. Salome told me what happened... are you sure you're okay?"

Phantom: "Princess?"

[A moment of silence.]

Phantom: "Salome, if you don't mind, would you kindly let the Princess in? I want to see her in private."

Salome: "Yes, Master."

[Salome pushes the door just slightly, so that Peach can enter the Boudoir. The door closes behind and Peach is inside the room. The Boudoir is just as beautiful as the rest of the lair. Lavish decorations fill the walls, from portraits to curtains to ornamental decals. A multitude of candles light the darkness, all of them leading up to a massive pile of pillows and blankets. There lying in this pile is Phantom, his head placed in between his crossed arms. His cobalt blue coat and red vest are gone. The only thing he’s wearing is his ivory poet blouse, slightly unbuttoned, revealing his shoulder and upper chest. Peach couldn’t help but stare. She has never seen Phantom without his coat and vest before. As she approaches him, Phantom lifts his head to look at his guest, revealing his weary, tear-stained eyes. Peach stops. She recognizes those red eyes from the first night they reunited.]

Phantom: “Ah, my love... Do forgive my appearance. I should have freshened up a bit before you came in.” *softly chuckles*

Peach: “Phantom, what’s wrong?”

[Phantom slowly rises from his position. Peach walks up to him, reaching out for his cheek.]

Peach: “Have you been crying?”

Phantom: *takes a deep breath* “Oh, just a little bit, that’s all...”

[Peach awaits his answer. Phantom looks into her eyes, taking another deep breath.]

Phantom: “... I had another breakdown. I was outside before you came here, to get some fresh air. This place gets stuffy once you’ve spent many days inside. I thought maybe I could venture outside Spooky Trails for inspiration. But instead, I found... memories.”

Peach: “Memories?”

Phantom: “Reminders, more like it. They mock me, even after all this time. They appear in my mind every now and then, but... this time was worse than before.”

Peach: “Tell me about them.”

[Lifting her arms up, inviting Phantom to come into her arms, Peach gives him a pitiful expression. Phantom slowly crawls, wrapping his arms around her and placing his head onto her lap.]

Phantom: “These memories... they remind me of my loneliness. My strangeness. How I was - is - met with rejection by my fellow Rabbids. When I was outside, I found a few Rabbids playing, mindlessly causing havoc as usual. I could do the same, but in the end, I found such activities to be senseless. I find no real purpose doing those things. But, as I was watching them, I could not help but yearn for such a connection. Yes, I have my theater troupe, but...”

[Phantom pauses. He looks up at Peach.]

Phantom: “Oh, I don’t believe I’ve told you about them.”

Peach: “What about them?”

Phantom: “They are not real, exactly. I made them.”

Peach: “Wait... you made these people?”

Phantom: “Yes. Along with making masterpieces, I study magic on the side. Since the... battle years ago, I discovered that I have more powers than I initially thought. I guess it makes sense, considering that I am not only part Rabbid, I am also part Boo.”

Peach: “Hmmm... Boos do have many magical abilities, but it varies from each individual Boo. I learned about them when I was a little girl. I agree, it does make sense.”

Phantom: “Dolores, Stefan, Natasha and Ophelia, Salome... all of them are not real. They’re actually mannequins - puppets controlled by my magic.”

Peach: “So my eyes weren’t deceiving me back then! I was going to ask you after that masquerade performance, but... well...” *blushes*

Phantom: *lifts one eyebrow* “Hehe... but you were overwhelmed?” *caresses her cheek down to her chin* “With passion?”

[Peach’s face becomes even redder. Phantom softly laughs at her bashfulness.]

Phantom: “You are so precious! Ah... I could just kiss you!”

[Suddenly, Peach is pulled into Phantom’s embrace, her lips being locked into his. She melts, sinking deeper into his kiss. Then Phantom rolls over, landing on top of her. He finally stops, taking a moment for both of them to catch their breath.]

Phantom: “My apologizes... I... got carried away.”

Peach: “I see you’re feeling much better.”

Phantom: “I am.”

Peach: “Phantom...” *holding his face close to her* “You are not alone. You may be different, but I would not say you’re ‘strange.’ ‘Unique’ would be a better term. Others may not understand you, but I do. I understand you, even if there’s plenty of things I haven’t learned about you yet, Like your magic. In fact, if they give you a chance, I believe you would be accepted outside Spooky Trails.”

Phantom: “....”

Peach: “What you call ‘strangeness’ is what I call ‘wonderful.’ Amazing... Alluring... Beguiling... Captivating... Enchanting.”

Phantom: “Ah, Princess! Now you’re making me blush! That is supposed to be my job!”

[Peach laughs, a huge smile across her face.]

Peach: “Don’t you know? I hold magic abilities as well! I can make even the most powerful gentlemen fall to their knees.”

Phantom: “Oh?”

Peach: “Yes, and I just did.”

Phantom: “Well, how can I disagree? How can I be so powerful when you make me so weak?”

[They lock themselves into a passionate kiss again.]

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: I Who Have No Need

Summary: Rumpelstiltskin tries to get to grips with those very annoying things called feelings, attempting to avoid his growing infatuation with Belle as much as possible.

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling December random prompt: Avalanche (song)

Rated: G

I Who Have No Need

Rumpelstiltskin isn’t really sure when he started to fall head over heels in love with his maid, but it’s really very annoying, because it’s something that he absolutely can’t control, and the idea of being enthralled like this is almost terrifying to him. 

Ever since becoming the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin has, he will be the first to admit, revelled in the power that it brought him. His greatest regret is that it separated him from Bae, and he will do everything in his power to reunite with his son, but all the same, he made a vow when he took on this power that no-one would ever hold dominion over him again. He would make the rules and he would extract the prices. He will always set them fair, but he will not be cheated out of them. 

And now, this has happened, and Belle has come into his life. He can’t deny that he was the one who chose her as his price, and he was the one who brought her here, so really, he knows that he’s brought it on himself, in a way. 

All the same, he doesn’t think that he can be held entirely responsible. He didn’t know that she was going to affect him in this maddening manner. She holds power over him entirely without realising it, and that’s the most terrifying thing of all. Perhaps if she knew about the effect that she has on him, it would be easier to mask it because he would be on his guard all the time, looking out for any chance she might be taking of exploiting the monster’s weaknesses.

As it is, she just goes about her day blissfully ignorant of the torture she’s inflicting on Rumpelstiltskin as his common sense does battle with his constant paranoia and all of the voices of the Dark Ones that came before keep battling for dominance in his head. Some of them like Belle, some of them are suspicious of her, all of them are telling him that he’s a complete idiot for letting her get into his head like this. 

He finds it so ironic that he can have pretty much anything he desires - he has the magic and the means, and he has the power of so many deals and owed favours on his side. And yet, the one thing that he wants is the thing that’s so very close to him and yet so very unattainable. Belle is really not someone for the likes of him, a hideous old monster shut up in his dark castle with his dark deeds. She’s bright and happy and deserves someone who can make her even more so, not someone like him. 

It almost makes him angry, in a way. He’s the Dark One! He’s not looking for love! He doesn’t need it! Why is this happening to him?

He’s been stung by his own deal, which, whilst not an entirely new experience for him, is still sharp enough to make him wince. He is so tempted to try and solve the problem by simply sending Belle back whence she came. After all, he’s got magic enough to keep the castle in order without the help of a maid; he doesn’t exactly need a caretaker, he managed perfectly fine without one for the however many hundred years before Belle came into his life.

But their deal was for forever, something that Belle gladly agreed to if it would save her people, and if he lets her go now, she’ll want some kind of an explanation, even if he does give her a reassurance that it does not negate their previous deal and her friends and family back in the Marchlands will still be safe. 

He’s not inclined to give her that explanation, and he does not want to have to pick apart the threads of magic that the deal was woven with. 

So, Belle stays, and Rumpelstiltskin does the next best thing, avoiding her as much as possible. He stays shut up in his tower throughout the days and nights, waving Belle away when she comes in with his meals. Eventually, she takes to just leaving the tray outside the door and not even venturing into his domain, since his manner with her is so brusque and offhand. The last few times she did come in, Rumpelstiltskin could see the hurt in her face when he shooed her out again, and it made him sigh to think of it, because she’s so lovely and so wonderful, and he really doesn’t want to hurt her. 

Maybe he’ll stop feeling this way about her if he infuriates her to the point of hating him, because it’s hard to love someone who hates you. But Belle never seems to show any hatred. Just confusion, and hurt, not knowing what has happened to spark this change in him. 

Rumpelstiltskin tries to use the excuse that it’s all her fault that this is happening, that if she hadn’t been so beautiful both in face and spirit, he would never have fallen in love with her, but he knows that he’s being silly, and she can’t help his feelings.

Still, he thinks it best to avoid her. Just in case he ends up doing something that he regrets, something that will let her know the power that she has over him.

He thinks that his ploy is working perfectly until the moment he comes face to face with Belle and realises that she can be just as sneaky as he is. She’s brought him tea this afternoon like usual, setting the tray outside the door and knocking, and Rumpelstiltskin has heard the light tap of her feet moving down the staircase. 

When he opens the door to retrieve his tea, however, he finds that Belle has not gone down the staircase. She’s standing right outside the door with her shoes in her hands where she has silently come back up again, and he does not have enough time to escape back into his workroom before she speaks. 

“Have I done something to upset you, Rumpel?”

Rumpelstiltskin is so caught off guard by her appearance where he wasn’t expecting it that all he can do for the next few moments is just stare at her open-mouthed for a while. Finally, he shuts his mouth. Of course, the answer is yes, she has done something to upset him, but since the thing she has done equates to ‘existing’ and she doesn’t really have any control over that, he can’t really tell her so. 

“I never see you anymore,” she continues. “You always shut me out. I know we’re not exactly friends, but I like to think that we used to be civil to each other. Now you act like you can’t stand the sight of me and I’m some kind of evil presence that needs to be warded off. I don’t understand what I did wrong.”

Rumpelstiltskin opens and closes his mouth a few more times, willing some words to come out of it. None do. He can’t really tell her that he’s afraid of her. That would be absolutely ridiculous. Likewise he can’t really tell her the truth. That would also be ridiculous and would probably send her running for the hills. 

So, to get around this difficult situation of not knowing what to say, Rumpelstiltskin takes the easy (some would say, himself included, cowardly) way out and just slams in the door in Belle’s face. 

“I’m not going away until you talk to me, Rumpel!” Belle says crossly from the other side. He hears her small ‘hmph’ and knows she’s standing there staring at the door with folded arms and tapping bare foot, and in spite of everything, Rumpelstiltskin has to smile at the image. Still, he doesn’t open the door, and although it’s given him some thinking space, it’s not really given him all that much thinking space, and he’s certainly not using it to do any actual thinking. 

“I’ll eat all your cookies if you don’t come out!” Belle calls. 

Against his better judgement, Rumpelstiltskin opens the door at that. 

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Belle just raises an eyebrow and bites into a cookie. Rumpelstiltskin growls. Although it’s clear that she’s hurt by his rejection of her, she still shows no fear of him. She’s not shown any fear of him since he gifted her the library.

Why did he do that again?

Belle continues to eat the cookie as Rumpelstiltskin resorts to his last line of defence against his own stupidity and knocks his head repeatedly against the doorframe. He knows that to the outside observer the scene would be alarming, but Belle takes it all in her stride. She’s taken pretty much everything about him in her stride so far. 

“Cookie?” She holds out the plate. “Rumpel, what’s going on?”

He sighs, and takes a cookie, and gestures for Belle to follow him into the workroom. She picks up the tray and comes inside. 

“You haven’t done anything,” Rumpelstiltskin admits. “I just find you…”

Confusing? Distracting? Completely and utterly adorable? What’s the right word?

“You find me…” Belle prompts.

“Terrifying.”

That was not the right word. 

Belle takes a step back. 

“I terrify you? How?”

“No, no, that came out wrong. You in yourself aren’t scary. I’m just…”

“Oh.”

Realisation dawns on Belle’s face and Rumpelstiltskin feels like a rabbit staring down a wolf, although there’s nothing wolfish in Belle’s smile. It’s as friendly and open as it always is, no malice in it. In fact, there’s something of a blush in her cheeks, and a hint of hope in her eyes. 

“Well, whenever you’re ready to conquer your fear, I’m still here. And believe me. You have nothing to be scared of.”

She pecks a little kiss to his cheek and leaves the workroom, Rumpelstiltskin watching stunned as she hurries down the steps. He’s still processing what just happened, but maybe, just maybe, his feelings aren’t quite such a cause for panic and concern as he thought they were ten minutes ago.

[sablelab]

👻 Spooky meets Kooky 🎃

SUMMARY: Claire reminisces about the time when she first came to Scotland and fell through the stones on the eve of Samhain. Jamie tells her a story his da told them as bairns, and Claire recaps her favourite Halloween memory from the future which has James Fraser all engrossed in more ways than one.

A spoof of when the past meets the future.  Retelling parts of Chapter 1, pp 22-25 from Drums of Autumn, inspired by Halloween with the Addams Family and Vera Adxer’s artwork above.   

  AO3

PART 1 … The Tale of the Tannasg 👻

 It was nearing to Halloween time on Fraser’s Ridge, and as the Frasers prepared for a night beside the fire, Claire was reminiscing about times gone by on that fateful night that was to become her destiny.

“Jamie, Halloween, the spookiest night of the year, is almost upon us.”

“Don’t ye mean Samhain Sassenach?” he replied cheekily knowing that the two were indeed similar celebrations centuries apart.

“I do, but I was just thinking about the first time that Frank and I came to Inverness all those years ago … I remember it was on the eve of Samhain.”

She continued to tell Jamie the conversation they’d had in Mrs Baird’s Bed and Breakfast not realizing that her husband’s mind was elsewhere. “I can still recall what she said …”

“Well, you've picked a bonny time to be here. Just nigh on Samhain.”

“I take it that's Gaelic for "Halloween?”

“Well, Halloween is derived from Samhain. You're both welcome at the festival, of course.”

“Of course, what would Halloween, Samhain, be without a good ghost story?”

“Oh, and we have those, for sure. I hope you'll join us for Samhain tomorrow night.”

“What, the pagan festival?”

“Aye. There’s a circle of standing stones on the hill just outside the village, and there's a local group who still observe rituals there. It’s a place called Craigh na Dun and according to local folklore, the stones were carried there from Africa by a race of Celtic giants …”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hmmph!  Not Frank …” Jamie mumbled under his breath tapping his fingers against his thigh in dislike.

The mention of Frank Randall’s name only brought back his feelings towards the man he had sent his Claire back to on the eve of Culloden knowing that he would surely die on the battlefield. His emotions were still raw about this man even after all these years and their conversation about him and their daughter Brianna echoed in his head as Claire was still speaking.

“I hadna thought ever to be so jealous of a dead man. I shouldna have thought it possible.”

“Of a dead man? Of Frank?”

“Who else? I have been worm-eaten wi’ it, all these days of riding. I see his face in my mind, waking and sleeping. Ye did say he looked like Jack Randall, no?”

“How? How could you think of such a thing?”

“How could I not? Ye heard her, Claire; ye ken well what she said to me!”

“Brianna?”

“She said she would gladly see me in hell, and sell her own soul to have her father back—her real father.  I keep thinking he would not have made such a mistake. He would have trusted her; he would have known that she … I keep thinking that Frank Randall was a better man than I am. She thinks so. I thought … perhaps ye felt the same, Sassenach.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser …!”  Claire remonstrated noticing that her husband seemed a little distracted, “… Are you listening to me?”

“Aye, I am Sassenach,” he replied sheepishly knowing that his mind had indeed been elsewhere.  “I’m intrigued about that night in Inverness, and what happen to ye before ye fell through the stones.” Jamie looked at his wife and gave her his full attention to what she might say next.

“Do you know that if I hadn’t gone to see the Druids that night, and returned in the morning to collect the Forget-me-nots, that I may not have ever gone through the stones and found you.”

“We were fated mo ghràidh.  Ye would have found yer way to the stones regardless because I was waiting for ye on the other side. I thank the day, Murtagh brought ye to me at the cabin.” He leaned towards his love and clasping her hand brought it to his lips placing a tender kiss to the top of her hand and knuckles.

Claire blushed at her love’s romantic gesture and looking at him explained about that night so long ago.  “I remember seeing those Druids dancing.  They were mesmerizing Jamie twirling in circles on top of the hill with their burning tapers. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled at the sight of them, but some small voice inside warned me I wasn't supposed to be there. That I was an unwelcome voyeur to something ancient and powerful.”

“Aye, ye were Sassenach, but that is the mystery of Samhain. It is all about the supernatural, witches, spirits and fire. During the celebrations, people dance around bonfires while the dances tell stories of life and death. What ye saw that night was something magical that drew you tae me.”

“I wouldn’t change anything Jamie except for you sending me back on the eve of Culloden, but we found each other again and that is all that counts.”

“Aye. You belong wi' me. We're mated for life Sassenach. I barley lived for those twenty years wi'out a heart when ye were gone. I lived half a man and accustomed myself to live in the bit that was left. Did ye feel the same?”

“Yes, I knew how that felt, and had it not been for Brianna I don’t know how I would have survived too. But I had you always close because our daughter was so like you Jamie. Your carved initial in the flesh of my palm was also a constant reminder of our love. It gave me comfort whenever I touched it.  When I closed my eyes, I could feel you touching me.”  

Claire looked at the man she adored thankful every day that they had been reunited and that their two-decade separation had been both painful and heart breaking for each of them.  “It was lonely without you, so lonely.”

“And me,” Jamie replied pensively, his voice a soft whisper.  “I saw ye so many times.  You came to me so often. When I dreamed sometimes. When I lay in fever. When I was so afraid and so lonely, I knew I must die. When I needed you, I would always see ye, smiling, wi’ yer hair curling up about your face.” He paused before an outpouring of emotion surfaced.  “During that time apart, I prayed every day that you and our bairn would be safe, for whether I’m dead or you, whether we’re together or apart Claire, I will always love ye.”

“And I you, Jamie.”

“Samhain was the beginning of our destiny Sassenach.  A pagan, Gaelic festival brought us together.” He kissed her palm and rested it on his heart.

Claire could feel his heart beating and her eyes misted over just thinking about the significance of this special time of the year. “All I know of Samhain is what Mrs Baird told us.  Please tell me more Jamie.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Samhain is a three-day celebration in preparation for winter mo ghràidh and a time for kin all around the Highlands tae come together and feast. People believe that deceased spirits and faeries of the Otherworld can easily come into our world, so ye would honour the dead and implore loved ones to bestow some blessing on them in return. Offerings of food and drink are left outside for the spirits, even portions of crops are left in the ground for them.”

Claire listened, attentive to everything that Jamie was telling her.  

“Tricks and pranks are played but blamed on faeries and spirits ye ken. Children disguise themselves as evil spirits by blackening their faces and dressing in auld clothes to go guising door-to-door reciting songs and verses in exchange for food.”

“Why do they blacken their faces?”

“’Twas so that they can venture out safely wi’out being detected by wicked spirits in hope of fooling them and to scare away the ghouls who might want tae harm them.”

“It is so like what happens at Halloween in the future too Jamie. A lot of Scots came to America in the 20th Century and brought these customs with them and they evolved to become extremely popular. There are many similarities to Samhain but also some differences too. In the future people dress up in masks and spooky costumes and the children go Trick or Treating for sweets.”

“Aye, it would seem so mo nighean donn. Samhain and Halloween do seem verra similar.”

“Mrs Baird said that you needed to be mindful for ghosts are freed on the feast days and wander about, free to do good or ill as they please.”

“’Tis true Sassenach. I myself have not seen a tannasg, but there are tales of others who have.”

“A tannasg? What, in Heaven’s name is that, Jamie?”

“Oh, a Dhia … where tae begin,” he exclaimed running his hand over his chin in thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taking a deep breath as if calming himself before he started to explain, Jamie picked up his cup of ale and took a big swig before beginning.  He looked at Claire as she waited for his explanation.

“Some say a tannasg is a balding, six-foot-tall, hairy, Celtic beastie, normally only found wandering around the hills and glens at night. Some say it is eerily like a fogy mist that covers the moors on a dark night and is what ye may call an apparition, a spirit or a shadowy ghost figure. Nobody really kens what it is but, nae matter, a tannasg is verra scary and if you come upon one when out in the glens ye must be verra careful. Sometimes it’s an unfriendly faerie or nymph who may have been holding onto a grudge and means tae cause trouble.  A tannasg would put the fear of the Almighty in ye and scare ye witless.  If ye ever were to meet one it would make yer hair stand up like a man’s cock in the mornin’ Sassenach.”

“Jesus H Roosevelt Christ!  I’m scared with just the description of one.”

“And so ye should be a leannan.  They are verra scary beasties that ye wouldna want to meet.”

“Oh, I do love hearing a scary ghost story Jamie. Can you tell me any about tannasgs?”

Claire watched as his lip curved up into a smile. He had that twinkle in his eyes that she knew so well whenever he was going to tell a story.

“Aye, I will.  Sit yerself down by the fire and I’ll tell ye one that ma da told us wee bairns that scairt us truly.”

Settling down more comfortably in her chair, she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and waited for her husband to retell the tale told to him, his brother William and sister Jenny long, long ago.

“I can tell ye a frightfully spooky tale of the past.  It’s a spine-chilling story guaranteed tae give you a good thrill and chill ye to the bones.”

“I think I best have a wee dram of whisky ready for the story you are about to tell then James Fraser.”

“Aye …”  He picked up his cup of ale and they both took a wee sip of their drinks.  “Sláinte. Are ye ready Sassenach?”

“I am.” Claire curled her feet up in the chair whilst Jamie began to tell the tale of the tannasg.

“My father loved telling this story.”

She watched as a muted glow descended over Jamie’s face as the light from the fire fell across his features and highlighted the animation she could see on his face and in his eyes. Claire looked at him waiting with bated breath ready for him to retell this tale, for she knew that she was going to enjoy this story very much indeed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Tis the story of a man who was afraid of being alone in the dark and most mortally scairt of the spirits, ye ken, and how one night he met a tannasg. I remember when my da first told this story. I was mortally scairt too Sassenach.”

His body shuddered a little despite the heat in the room at the thought of the untold story he would tell. “I kept awake half the night, after he told us this tale, though it dinna seem to bother Jenny that much.”

“Oh, my,” Claire uttered her voice eager to hear more. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, her eyes round with the wonder and intrigue that he would impart with his tale as Jamie began to recount his childhood story.

Settling himself in his seat by the fire, he sat back, his ale cup in hand.  Thinking, he rubbed his hand across his chin collecting his thoughts. Jamie then smiled at his wife wryly glancing at her as he began to recount his tale of long ago.

“Ah, well, it was in the late, cold autumn in the Highlands, just when the season turns and the chill in the air tells ye the ground will be covered wi’ frost come morning.”  

Rolling the pewter cup slowly between his hands, he stared down into the dark ale as though seeing those Scottish peaks in the pitch-black night and the mist that floated across the glens.  Raising his eyes, he looked at Claire.  She was hanging on each word and so he continued.

“Well Jock MacBride’s son brought back their kine from the glen that night, but there was one wee beast missing.  The lad had hunted for it up the hills and down the dales but couldna find it anywhere, so his da sent the lad to milk the two others and set out himself tae look for the lost cow.”

“Go on …”

“The da went some distance, but his cottage behind him soon disappeared.  When he looked back, he couldna see the light from the window anymore and there was no sound but the whistling of the wind.  It was cold, but MacBride went on trapsing through the mud and heather as the ice crunched beneath his boots echoing in the stillness.”

Claire pulled her shawl around her shoulders. If her husband could see her eyes, he would have seen that her pupils were decidedly larger. She was so engrossed with his story thus far and took another wee sip of her drink. With eyes fixed on Jamie, she couldn’t wait to hear more of his tale.

“Soon up ahead of him, Jock saw a small grove through the mist and thinking the cow might have taken shelter beneath the trees, he went toward it. However, the trees were birches, standing there with nae a leaf, and with their branches all gnarled together, so he bent his head to squeeze beneath the boughs.”

“What did he see when he got through the branches Jamie?”

“He came into the grove Sassenach, and saw it was not a grove at all, but a circle of trees. There were great tall trees, spaced verra evenly all around him and smaller ones too wi’ saplings grown up in between the trees to make a wall of thick branches.  In the centre of the circle stood a cairn.”

Claire felt as though a sliver of cold ice had just slid down her spine.  She got chills listening to him and shivered imagining the scene, for his picture was very real in her mind. She had seen ancient cairns in the Highlands herself that Jamie had just described and found them eerie enough in the broad light of day, let alone to see one at night.  That would have been quite spooky indeed.

Jamie was getting that gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach he remembered feeling as a bairn when his father had told this tale. He looked over at Claire and she had an expression of foreboding for what he may say next on her face that he’d had too. He took a sip of ale to loosen his vocal cords for his mouth was dry before continuing.

“He felt quite queer did Jock MacBride, for he kent the place, everyone did and kept well away from it.  It was strange and it seemed even worse in the dark and the cold than it did in the daylight.  It was an auld cairn the kind laid wi’ chunks of rock all heaped round with stones.   He was scairt, but he slowly glanced up, and saw before him the black opening of a tomb.”

“Jesus H Roosevelt Christ!  Was there a tannasg in there?”

Her husband gave her a piercing look.  Jamie knew that Claire’s mind was thinking ahead and knew that he was getting close to revealing what Jock had seen.

“He knew it was a place that no man should come, and he was without a powerful charm to ward off any spirits. Jock had naught but a wooden cross about his neck, so he crossed himself with it and turned tae go.”

Jamie paused to take another sip of his ale to catch his breath. Claire saw his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed and reached instinctively for her own cup with eyes fixed on her beloved. Holding her breath, she gasped, “Don’t stop there. What happened next?”

Giving her the semblance of a wink and a wry grin, he paused then spoke softly stating, “As Jock went from the grove … he heard footsteps behind him.”

“No…!” she exclaimed.

“He dinna turn to see, but kept walking and the steps kept pace wi’ him, step by step always following.  Jock came through the peat where the water seeps up and it was covered with ice, the weather bein’ so cold ye ken.  MacBride could hear the peat crunch under his feet and behind him the cr-ack! cr-ack! of the breaking ice.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

James Fraser was a natural born storyteller, animated and engaging like most Scots were and listening to him speak reminded Claire of their wedding night and the awkwardness between them. She remembered him saying, “You’re a Fraser now Sassenach.  You must learn to tell a story and listen to one.” So, to put her at ease, he’d told her story after story of his family and his life growing up and she in turn had told him about her life too. Her husband was in his element telling this story just like on the night they wed.  She knew, that Jamie was aware that she hung on his every word and was eager to hear the rest of the story.  The tension was building and placing her legs to the floor, Claire removed her shawl as it was getting warmer in the room and leaned forward eager to hear more of his tale.

“Jock MacBride walked and walked through the cold dark night watching ahead for the light of his own window where his wife had set the candle. But the light never showed and he began tae fear he had lost his way among the heather and the dark hills.”

“The tassasg was following him?”

“Aye, he was Sassenach. All the time the steps kept pace with him echoing loud in his ears. At last Jock could bear it no more and seizing hold of the cross he wore round his neck he swung about wi’ a great cry tae face whatever followed.”

There was apprehension in her voice for poor Jock. “What did he see?”  

Jamie glanced at Claire and when next he spoke, his voice was so quiet, almost like a whisper, that she needed to concentrate to hear what he was saying.

“It was a figure like a man, but with no body. It was all white like it might have been made of the mist, but wi’ great holes where its eyes should be. They were black and empty and fit tae draw the soul from MacBride’s body with fear.”

Claire gasped with a cry of anguish at the description, and placed her hand across her mouth. “What did he do Jamie?

“Jock held up his cross before his face and he prayed aloud to the Blessed Virgin,” he said leaning forward intently. “The thing came no nearer Claire, but stayed there watching him.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The dim firelight outlined her husband’s profile in a halo of golden aura which made his rustic hair seem like it had flecks of gold and crimson sprinkled in it as well. Suddenly, she was a little distracted by the man and was mesmerized by his intoxicating Scottish drawl. Claire’s eyes glazed over overcome with feelings for the virile man whose silhouette was oh so tempting in the fire’s glow, but also for poor Jock MacBride and how he would get out of his predicament.  She held her breath and waited for what would happen next.

“And so, he began to walk backwards not daring to turn around again. Jock walked backward stumbling and slipping in an effort to get away from the spirit, fearing every moment that he might tumble into a burn or down a cliff and break his neck, but fearing worse tae turn his back on the cold thing.”

“I would have done the same Jamie.  Better to watch the tannasg than not to know where it was,” she added with a little shiver of dread for the poor Jock MacBride.

“He couldna tell how long he’d walked only that his legs were trembling wi’ weariness. Then at last he caught a glimpse of a light through the mist, for there was his own cottage wi’ the candle in the window.  Jock cried out in joy and turned to his door, but the cold thing was quick and slipit past him tae stand between him and the door.”

“Oh no!”

“Dinna fash Sassenach, his wife had been watching out for him and when she heard him cry out, she came to the door at once.  Jock shouted to her not to come out but to go and fetch a charm to drive away the tannasg.  Quick as could be, Bessie MacBride snatched the pot from beneath her bed and a twig of myrtle tied with ribbons that she’d made to bless the cows.  She dashed the water against the doorposts and the cold thing leapt upward straddlin’ the door’s beam.  Her husband quick as a flash, rushed beneath and bolted the door shut tight.  He stayed inside in his wife’s arms until the dawn hoping that the tannasg would nae come inside the cottage. They let the candle burn all the night and Jock never again left his house past sunset.”

Claire sighed as Jamie finished speaking. “Did they find the cow?” she queried, keen to know the fate of the lost kine.

With a raised eyebrow he answered, “Oh, aye they did.  The next morning, they found the poor beast wi’ her hooves all clogged wi’ mud and stones. It was staring mad and frothy about the muzzle.  Her sides were heavin’ fit to burst. Jock said that she looked as though she’d been ridden tae Hell and back.”

“Jesus H Roosevelt Christ!” Claire exclaimed imagining the visual of what had happened to the poor cow.

Jamie glanced at his wife to see her reaction to his tale.  “Did ye like it?”

“Like it? … I loved it Jamie. It kept me in suspense all the way through.”

“Thank ye Sassenach.  I’m glad ye liked it,” he replied very pleased with himself.

PART 2 … Halloween Addams Family style. 🎃 

“So, what about you Claire? Do ye have a tale tae tell as well?”

“As a matter of fact, I do Jamie, and when I’ve caught my breath, I will tell you something about Halloween from the future. My tale will not be as scary as your story of Jock MacBride though,” she replied with a cheeky twinkle in her eye. “In fact, it is about something that you might find hard to wrap your head around.”

Intrigued with his wife’s words, Jamie sat back in his chair and waited for her to begin. With a curl of his lip and a sparkle in his eye he asked, “And what might that be Sassenach?”

“Television.”

His brow furrowed in thought and Jamie raised an eyebrow a little perplexed as he glanced at Claire. “Television? … Hmmph?” He tapped his fingers against his thigh in concentration and ran the word slowly over his tongue as if savouring a new morsel of information, he didn’t quite know enough about. “Television ye say.”  He looked at Claire again in earnest anticipation and waited for her to explain.

“Oh dear…” she sighed. “Where to begin?”  Collecting her thoughts on how to explain this invention to her husband, Claire finally had an idea.  “Remember when you rescued me from the Witch Trial and I told you I was from the future?”

“Aye, I remember mo ghràidh.”

“Well this is another one of those things from the future too. It is something from my time. You've never heard of it. No one here has, that is except for Bree and Roger.”

He grinned at her statement of the obvious.  “Well then, I may not understand it a bit, not yet, but I trust ye.  I trust yer word; yer heart and there is a truth between us. So ... whatever you tell me ... I will believe ye, Sassenach.  Tell me more.”

Claire bit her lip before she spoke. “Do you also remember the photographs I brought back to show you of Brianna?”

Jamie made a small inarticulate sound, “Aye I remember.”  

He remembered all too well Claire taking a small packet from her clothing, to show him the photographs of their beloved daughter Brianna, a fine boned, and delicate replica of himself.  He looked up at his wife wondering what the correlation may be with the photographs and this television.

“Well television is those pictures brought to life.”

He remembered how he had splayed his hand out over the photographs, with trembling fingers not quite touching the shiny surface. How was it possible that pictures could be brought to life? He was a little perplexed.

“Television is a machine with a small screen that shows moving pictures and sounds.  They were commonplace in many households in Boston during the 60’s and we had one too. The word "television" comes from the words …”

But before she could finish what she wanted to say Jamie butted in with his knowledge of the Greek language.

“Tele is the Greek word for far away, and vision would mean sight.”

A smile softened her lips, “Yes, that’s right.”

He shook his head in disbelief when Claire described something so unfathomable that it was hard to believe some such machine existed. He didn't understand it all, but he listened.   Claire had risked bringing the photographs of Brianna through the stones and thus brought something of the 20th century into the 18th century. However, although still a little mystified, nothing she had told him about the future fazed him now and he believed her despite how inconceivable what she was saying could be.

“Television was used for family entertainment and we would sit around in our parlour and watch the screen.” Claire’s voice was animated when she next spoke.  “There was a program on the television that you would have loved Jamie, called The Addams Family.  Brianna and I loved that show.”

He grinned.  “I would verra much have liked to see this television program too Sassenach.” If they loved it, he knew he would love it too.

“They were not your typical family; they took delight in most of the things of which normal people would be terrified.  They were kooky and eccentric but they were a very close-knit, extended family.”

“Ah, so just like us here on Fraser’s Ridge Sassenach,” he replied giving her a huge, big smile.

“Yes, I guess, but there was one difference though Jamie, they had decidedly macabre interests and supernatural abilities.”

He balked at that. “Oh, indeed they wouldna fit in well in this time then.  People believe in witches and things that go bump in the night, but they wouldna understand them at all.  They would have their heads on a pike before ye could count tae ten.”

Although Claire nodded in agreement at what her husband was saying for that was exactly what had happened to her.  As he spoke, she was momentarily distracted with thoughts of what had happened in Cranesmuir at the Witch Trial when she was tried and convicted of witchcraft.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

People’s superstitions of anything they didn’t quite understand, especially a person like her was met with fear for they thought her a witch. At the trial, the crowd was baying for blood and wanted to burn her at the stake, and had Jamie not rescued her, that would have been her fate. Nonetheless, he was a little skeptical as well because he’d seen the “devil’s mark” on her arm too. He had calmly asked if she was a witch, because what she had told him was far-fetched. His face throughout her admission was inscrutable and he’d sighed, then smiled ruefully down at her. She remembered their conversation well,

“Claire, are ye a witch?”

“I’m not a witch. Do you really believe me, Jamie?”

“Aye, I believe ye, Sassenach. But it would ha’ been a good deal easier if you’d only been a witch.”

“And if I were? If you had thought I were a witch? Would you still have fought for me?”

“I would have gone to the stake with you, and to hell beyond, if I must!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Claire? … Claire?” Jamie said a little louder as she had been quiet for so long that he was a little concerned for where her mind must have gone, but on reflection it was probably to the Witch Trial when he’d rescued her and she had told him she was from the future.

“Oh, I’m sorry Jamie, I lost my train of thought there for a moment.”

“Nae matter … So, mo chridhe, ye were saying?”

Claire let her husband’s endearment wash over her. Jamie was always so attuned to her feelings and giving him a tentative smile, continued to explain about the Addams family members. “Their mother and uncle lived with them and their children, plus they had a 7-foot-tall butler …  their man servant called Lurch, and a disembodied hand that lived in a box called Thing.”

Jamie shook his head, as what Claire was saying was becoming more fanciful, but he kept an open mind as she described more.

“The husband, Gomez Addams was an extremely wealthy man and was able to indulge his wife Morticia's every desire, whether it was cultivation of poisonous plants or a candlelit dinner in a graveyard.”

He raised his eyebrow again at this piece of information. “That sounds verra interesting,” he murmured somewhat amazed.

Claire smiled indulgently at her love. “You are very much like him.  He was very romantic and he was madly in love with his wife and loved her to distraction.”

“As do I you, mo ghràidh,” before adding, “I think I should like this Gomez fellow.”

She beamed at him once more as Jamie seemed pleased as punch at what he had just said.  

He then blessed himself.  “A Dhia!  But … I willna have dinner wi’ ye in a graveyard, mo luaidh even wi’ candlelight,” he muttered under his breath. He chuckled at the thought of that idea, especially after having just told her the story of the tannasg who had come out of his tomb.  No, he could not come at doing that.

“I agree. I don’t think I would like to do that either, but Gomez and Morticia did. They also had pet names for each other, Jamie.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

His ears pricked up once more when she said this, knowing that his Claire had several endearing names that he called her.  He sighed his voice a little raspy, “Aye, I do that too Sassenach.”

Her smile was soft and dreamy for the loving man she had married, then she told him some extra information. “Despite what I have just said, this television show was very entertaining and so amusing. It had unconventional humour, sex appeal, the breaking and questioning of the conventions of conformity at the time, as well as looking at the world in a unique, offbeat frame of mind.”

“Well then, tell me more mo muirninn. I am an educated man as ye ken, and I can see that perhaps these Addams people were different but nae different from our family. Do they have something tae do wi’ Halloween then?”

“Oh indeed. Halloween was their favourite time of the year and they would bob for crabs instead of apples as most people would do. You see, they were not a conventional family.  They dressed differently to everyone else, they were weird looking and they had peculiar idiosyncrasies.  They even lived near a cemetery at 0001 Cemetery Lane in an ornate, gloomy mansion.”  

Jamie poured himself a whisky this time and laughed as her descriptions of this family were getting more and more unusual.  He refilled Claire’s cup as well and handed it to her, then sat back in his chair to hear more.

“Oh, Jamie I wish that you could have seen it.  You would have loved all the characters but particularly Gomez Addams.  Bree and I would laugh so much. They were so funny.”

Claire paused a little as if thinking about something she remembered then looking at her husband with a mischievous expression on her face asked, “Jamie?  Can you click your fingers?  Like this?” She then demonstrated a click! click! sound.

“I may not be able tae wink, but I can click my fingers ye ken Sassenach.”

She began to set the scene for her tale of the Addams Family. “Well then … Every time I say … da-da-da-da … you click your fingers okay?”

“Okay, I can do that mo nighean donn.”

“I will sing you the theme song that would play when the television show came on screen but I’m going to replace their family name with ours, however, … the da-da-da-da was really played on a harpsichord, but I’m going to improvise.”  

Claire grinned at her love and saw that Jamie was prepared and a little excited to know more of the Halloween tale she was about to unleash on him. “Are ye ready?”

“Always.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Da-da-da-da” … click! click!

“Da-da-da-da” … click! click!

“Da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-da” … click! click

 Claire repeated the chorus … as Jamie was thoroughly enjoying himself while getting into the swing of things with gusto.

 “Da-da-da-da” … click! click!

“Da-da-da-da” … click! click!

“Da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-da” … click! click

“They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're altogether together ookey. The Fraser Family.

The house is a museum. When people come to see 'em. They really are a scre-am. The Fraser Family.

“Da-da-da-da” … click! click!

Neat

“Da-da-da-da” … click! click!

Sweet

“Da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-da, Da-da-da-da” … click! click

Petite

So, get a witch's shawl on. A broomstick you can crawl on. We're going to pay a call on. The Fraser Family.

 They both fell back against their chairs laughing out loud as Claire finished the theme song and Jamie clicked the refrain part with enthusiasm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I see what ye meant earlier Sassenach, so, tell me more about the husband Gomez and his wife Morticia.”

“Gomez was the patriarch of the family, just like you Jamie.  He was a very dashing man who loved to wear pinstriped suits.”

She saw his puzzled look and explained.  “Clothing was very different in the 60’s to what it is now, but he was as dashing as you were in Paris.  Suits are a two-piece garment, long breeks and a jacket cut to the hip, made from the same material and worn together.  Gomez Addams smoked cigars and had a very quirky moustache. I’ll ask Brianna to draw you some pictures of the family if you like.”

Jamie nodded in reply to her statement for he loved the drawings Brianna did, and although he could picture them in his imagination, seeing a picture of the family would make them really come to life.

Claire knew that her husband would relish this next piece of information.  “He adored Morticia and would call her Cara Mia, Querida, Querida Mia, Tish, or Cara Bella.”

“Hmmph? … Querida is Spanish for "the woman I desire.”  I can relate tae that Sassenach,” Jamie replied with a sharp look that made her heart skip a little beat.   “I see now why ye think we are alike,” he proclaimed with a penetrating gleam in his eye. “And his wife?”

“She was very beautiful with long flowing, straight, raven coloured hair. Morticia was described as a witch; she was slim, with extremely pale skin.”

“A witch ye say? … a Dhia Claire! … It’s just like people called you because of yer healing powers.  I am seeing more parallels here … Querida,” he added in that sexy voice that always thrilled her.

Claire nearly lost her train of thought when her husband called her Querida and she bit her lip in response to the endearment once more. “Stop interrupting me James Fraser, I’m trying to tell you my Halloween story.”

“Duilich … Sorry Sassenach, but I am just imagining the things ye are saying just like you saw on the … television. Tell me more about this Morticia Addams.”

“Her black dress matched her hair and it was skin tight and figure hugging with a fringe of octopus-like cloth "tentacles" at the lower hem that pooled around her feet.”

“That’s quite an outfit you have on there lady?” one of the robbers said to her Jamie.

“I always wear this for Halloween.”

“Looks great.  Real good for Halloween,” he replied thinking that she was wearing a costume but it was her actual clothing.

“Is that so?  Anything else …Tish?” Jamie grinned cheekily doing a mental checklist of the romantic names Gomez had called his wife.

“Morticia could easily excite her husband by speaking French and other languages. Her pet names for him were Bubula, Mon Cherie and Querido.”

“Ah,  Querido, the Spanish word for "the man I desire."  I like that too Claire.  Ye can call me that at any time my … Cara Mia.”

She blushed a little more at another one of Morticia’s pet names her husband had called her and felt a hot flush warm her cheeks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, Sassenach tell me about the Halloween story ye and Brianna loved watching on yer television about the Addams Family.”

“Well Gomez received a new carving knife in the mail and used it to carve out a pumpkin with the face of his Uncle Fester on it for Halloween. They would put a candle in it to light it up at night and the face would shine through the holes in the Jack-o-lantern. This is very common in the future and people in Boston would put their carved pumpkins on their doorsteps at Halloween.  It was a fun thing to do and they would also decorate their houses with ghoulish things.”

“‘Tis similar to Samhain too Claire but people use turnips. I guess a pumpkin would be easier tae carve though,” he proclaimed. “Tell me more.”

“Their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, dressed up and went trick or treating with their Grandmama for sweets and treats that they would collect from their neighbours.  While they were out two robbers who were escaping from the police … took refuge in the Addams family garden.  Thinking they were their Halloween guests, they were invited inside for a Halloween party but unfortunately, they tried to steal money from the family instead of enjoying their hospitality. When they saw inside their spooky house they exclaimed,  

“You folks sure don’t hold back on Halloween.”

“It’s our favourite holiday.”

Then Gomez said, “Gentlemen come here and I’ll give you a treat.  Open your bag. They didn’t want to show him what was in there because it had the stolen money in it.”

“What happened next Claire?”  Jamie asked thinking this story of the future was a little bizarre but extremely interested in her Halloween story of a show she had watched on television.

“Now, now, there’s nothing to be scared of, I think it’s kind of heart-warming that adults get into the Halloween spirit, and when Gomez opened their bag, he found it was full of money, and he assumed that their neighbours had given them cash for a Trick or Treat. He took out several hundreds of dollars from an open drawer and gave it to them. The robbers’ eyes widened with surprise and decided to hatch a plan to steal all the money and their valuables from them.”

“Did the Addams’ ken they were planning tae steal their valuables?”

“No, they were in the kitchen getting refreshments, and whilst Morticia was stirring the punch, her husband Gomez became quite amorous towards her.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This story now was just getting more fascinating for James Fraser by the minute.  He smiled at his Claire and asked a little provocatively, “Tell me more Sassenach. What did he do … in the kitchen?”

She was a little tongue tired especially with the way the man she desired was looking at her, but she ventured on regardless to how her insides were all fluttering with tingling feelings that she felt to the very core of her being. When Jamie was in this amorous mood, she was putty in his hands. How was she ever going to tell him what happened next, she thought, but she did.

“When Morticia called him “Bubula … darling” … he took her hand in both of his and kissed it before caressing each finger with his lips beginning at the little pinkie, then the ring finger, and then each other finger after that, until her whole hand had been caressed. It was something he always did.”

Jamie’s eyes were smouldering.  “How did she react tae that ... Querida?” he murmured with a little raspy grunt.

She took a deep breath before continuing. “Morticia swooned at the attention her husband was giving her and replied … When we are together darling, every night is Halloween.”  

Claire was starting to swoon a little herself. She was feeling a little hot and bothered, and bit her lip as Jamie’s gaze washed over her with intent, but she continued with her story.  Her husband knew exactly what he was doing with the way he was looking at her, and he couldn’t be more interested in what would Gomez Addams do next. Jamie hung on each word that came out of her mouth.

“Go on … Sass-en-ach.”

Her mouth was getting a little dry, so Claire took a wee sip of her whisky to also compose herself before she went on with her tale.

“Then while his arm was around her waist, and holding out her arm, Gomez slowly ran his lips up the length of it, kissing across the back of her neck … her shoulder, then down her back and …”

“Aye?  And … then what?”

“The punch exploded!”

Jamie couldn’t help himself.  He was not expecting Claire to say that, and doubling over in mirth, he burst out laughing as too did she.  The happy, raucous sound echoed in his throat and their combined laughter loudly resonated in the room.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

However, James Fraser suddenly stopped laughing.  

Looking up, Claire saw the explicit intent in her husband’s eyes that always made her catch her breath. She watched; eyes fixated on her virile man as he rose from his chair and made his way over to where she was sitting. Jamie was now standing in front of her chair.  He reached out his hand towards her, then placing her hand in his grasp, he slowly pulled Claire up and out of the chair until she was but a hair’s breath away from him.  She could feel the solidness of her husband’s chest.

“So, mo nighean donn, what happened tae the robbers?”

“I … ahh, … I … don’t re-member,” she mumbled, tripping over her words as Jamie’s penetrating gaze held her eyes captive with a look that had her feeling quite breathless.

Claire could feel the warmth of his breath as her love quietly spoke seductively against her lips. “I see … Well then ... What were ye sayin’ about what Gomez Addams was doing tae his wife … Sass-en-ach?”

Lost in the suggestive look that Jamie was bestowing on her, Claire Fraser found it difficult to breathe let alone speak as she felt the gentle but scorching touch of lips brushing against her own.

“Ahhh … Ahhh …” she murmured incoherently. “He kissed … her hand.”

“What? … Like this?”

Placing his arm around Claire’s waist, Jamie held out her right arm and proceed to place warm, fervent kisses to the top of her hand before trailing them down to her little pinkie finger.

“Ye-yes…” she purred closing her eyes in the bliss of his seduction.

Soft, warm lips lathed the small digit before continuing on to her ring finger.  His lips started at the tip of her fingernail drawing it into his mouth before releasing her finger. His tongue then skimmed up and over her knuckle to where his wedding ring, a silver band with a small thistle bloom carved in the centre of each intertwined Highland pattern, lay nestled against her skin. Jamie’s lips hovered over the ring, stopping as his eyes observed his token of love on his Sassenach's finger. Jamie hesitated for a moment, then bent his head over it, his lips barely brushing over her knuckles once more before they touched the silver ring and stopped there for one moment of remembrance.

At the same time, suddenly Claire’s thoughts returned to that day in the hospital recalling when Frank had tried to twist it off her finger and the panic that she’d felt.  The guttural sound she’d made was heart wrenching and she’d jerked her hand away and cradled it, fisted, beneath her breast cupped in her left hand.

“I never took it off …  mon Cherie,” she whispered, the love in her voice caressing Jamie’s ears as much as his lips had caressed her hand.

This ring was special to her and she had never taken it off even over the twenty years they had been parted.  During those long, aching years of separation, it was one of her very, very few tangible reminders of Jamie. The Latin phrase that he’d engraved inside her wedding ring was a brief quotation from a love song by Catullus, and she had recited it so many, many times just thinking of her love when she closed her eyes at night.

Jamie’s lips found and touched the silver ring once more before his tongue slid from one side of the ring to the other. His ring which she wore on this finger since the day they had wed was special to him. It was his ultimate love token to the woman who had stolen his heart from the very moment he had laid eyes on her at Samhain time.  This ring spoke to him and was a reaffirmation of how solid was their love and how strong their bond was.

Her eyes were closed, and Claire knew without looking, that Jamie’s were, as well.

“Da Mi Basia Mille, diende centum, dein mille altera, dein secunda centum …” he murmured, smiling before opening his eyes to stare piercingly at his love as he translated the Latin.  “Then let amorous kisses dwell on our lips, begin and tell, a thousand and a hundred score, a hundred …”

Claire’s eyes blurred with tears. Placing her hand at the nape of Jamie’s neck, she fisted it in his glorious red hair, slowly twisting the curls between her fingers. "Dein mille altera … then give me a thousand more,” she uttered breathlessly clearing her throat.  

He brushed away the tear that had trickled down her cheek with his finger, but two more welled up and overflowed; she felt them, full and round, roll down her cheeks.

This poignant romantic moment of remembrance between them was suddenly so overwhelming, that she felt her eyes well up once again. The reality of the power of their love and connection made the fictional one between Gomez Addams and his wife Morticia pale in comparison.  Perhaps the show she had watched when back in the future was a reminder to her of who she missed terribly and how much she missed so achingly the sensuous kisses that her beloved husband had given her.  Suddenly, she was overcome with emotion as Jamie continued to display his amorous kisses to her hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

However, he soon sensed that his Claire was feeling wistful.

“Cl-aire?” Jamie’s voice was gentle and his utterance of her name, spoken in tenderness, nearly made her break down again.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Are ye okay mo ghràidh?  What’s the matter?  Am I not doin’ this right, like Gomez Addams?”

“Oh, Jamie, … You are doing this … so much better … than he ever could my love.”

Slowly he drew her close to him, taking both hands and holding their linked fingers just under his breast to where Claire could feel his heart beating in his chest. Jamie held his love close for a quiet moment and kissed the top of her head as it lay nestled against him.  Placing his finger under her chin, he lifted Claire’s face up to his, then cupping her beautiful cheeks with exquisite gentleness, he set his mouth on hers.

“I like yer Halloween story verra much mo ghràidh, in fact I like it sae much that I think we could … continue it in our bedroom.  What say ye … Querida Mia?” … He kissed his wife’s cheek … “Cara Bella,” … and then her other special name … “Sor-cha,” … Jamie muttered against Claire’s lips before trailing them down her throat in an assault that had her losing consciousness in his arms.

“Per-haps … we … could …” was her garbled reply spoken against his hot mouth as she wound her arms around her husband’s neck. Her eyes glazed over with emotion for this wonderful man as she succumbed to the sweet surrender of his embrace.  Jamie’s eyes too were shining with passion as he lifted Claire up into his arms and carried his love into their bedroom.

“This has been a verra good night Sassenach and one I think could be repeated each Samhain.”

“I approve … Querido,” she murmured seductively against his ear and cupping his cheek with her hand.

Touching foreheads, Jamie’s lips hovered over hers and he smiled with such a wicked look that Claire couldn’t help but smile too knowing that whatever came out of her husband’s mouth would be something profound.  However, she was not expecting his reply with the phrase Morticia Addams had spoken on the television program.

“When we are together darling … every night is Halloween. Now, I want to take ye to bed, and I mean to spend the rest of the night thinking what to do to ye once I’ve got ye there.”  

Then James Fraser proceeded to demonstrate the many ways that this Fraser husband showed his wife how he would seduce her every night … but twice on Samhain and Halloween.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The End

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 The Addams Family Theme - Vic Mizzy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ5IWRz78DY

 Halloween with the Addams family (full episode)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LavY2K3-Vhs

 Endearment Translations:

Claire Fraser

mo chridhe - my heart

mo muirninn - my darling

mo luaidh - my darling, my dear.

a leannan - sweetheart, or beautiful woman

Sorcha – brightness

mo ghràidh – darling

mo nighean donn - my brown-haired lass

 Morticia Addams

Cara Mia - my beloved

Cara Bella – pretty face

Querida - the woman I desire.

Querida Mia – beloved

Tish – strong willed

 Gomez Addams

Bubula – sweetheart

Mon Cherie - dear heart, my dear love.

Querido - dear

[patandpran]

The Nuisance and the Handsome Prince - A Sarawatine Medieval AU - Chapter 14

Tine is an aspiring Squire who has been training his whole life to work alongside the Kingdom’s finest Knights. Sarawat is a Prince who, on the outside, seems fierce and unapproachable. He is disinterested in any of his royal duties, namely his Knight training. What happens when Tine is assigned to be the fierce and handsome prince’s Squire?

Find the Masterpost here Read on Archiveofourown here.

A week of training went by and every moment that Tine had to endure sharing space with the Prince was torture. Man had inquired further about Tine’s father’s fate and his location but the information was being kept under secure lock and key. Fong tried his hand at gathering gossip from his usual networks but he had not found much success either. As much as Tine wanted to focus on the impending Trials, he felt as if his mind was being pulled into too many conflicting directions.

One morning, after practice, Ohm pulled Tine aside. “Tine, you are not yourself.” Ohm challenged, his brow furrowed in concern. “What is distracting you?”

Tine spotted Lord Mil lingering in the background, obviously waiting for his Squire to follow him. Mil looked at Tine as if he was the cause of some plague and Tine had to tear his gaze away from Mil’s. Ohm looked at his friend sympathetically. Tine was almost sure that Mil knew something about who Tine was and his connection to the castle’s prisoner. He had felt like someone had been following him since Mil and his altercation with Phukong as their witness.

“You should ask your Knight.” Tine hissed defensively, which earned him a confused look from Ohm.

Ohm reached a hand out to rest on Tine’s shoulder. “My loyalty remains bound to my past.” Ohm assured his best friend and Tine felt as if he had been punched in the chest. Ohm continued, “Whatever it is. I’m here for you.”

“We can’t talk here…” Tine explained. “There’s both eyes and ears on us.”

“What if I told you I knew a way out of the castle?” Ohm whispered, mischief dancing in his eyes.

“I don’t have time to play games like when we were children, Ohm.” Tine warned, his tone thick with intensity. “If that’s the truth, I need to go beyond the wall to see my brother.”

“SQUIRE OHM! YOU HAVE DUTIES TO ATTEND TO!” Mil called out from across the field. “NONE THAT INCLUDE SOCIALIZING!”

“Be right there, my Lord!” Ohm looked back at Mil and tried his best to give the Knight a genuine smile.

As much as he and Mil got along, there was still a small part of Ohm that was slightly worried about what Mil might do to him if he ever stepped out of line. The consequences would likely not be a pretty sight.

“I will have Fong arrange it.” Ohm explained, quickly turning his focus back to Tine. “You should go tonight, though, before everything gets locked down for the Trials. Mil will also be announcing his opponent soon… I fear that your Prince might be the one the Lord chooses…. but I must be off!”

“He’s not my Prince…” Tine grumbled in what he knew was a useless objection as his friend hurried away to meet up with Lord Mil who was still shooting daggers at Tine with his eyes.

And, as if the universe truly wanted to punish him, Sarawat walked toward Mil with a somber look on his face. Mil smirked in Tine’s direction when he noticed that Tine saw Sarawat approaching and when Sarawat was near enough, Mil threw an arm around the Prince’s shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.

The sight made Tine’s blood chill but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He had long since made his choice about refocusing on the path of his family, hoping that it would save Sarawat in the process but now a wave of regret shot through Tine like an arrow. He also knew he had no right to such feelings when he was the one who had put the distance between he and Sarawat. For now, Tine had to focus on the task at hand: getting beyond the castle walls.

+++++++++++++

Mil wished he could get Sarawat to listen to his warnings but the Prince wanted nothing to do with he wanted to share. Every day after practice for the last week, Mil had attempted to cut Sarawat off after practice to be able to speak with him but the Prince somehow managed to slip away. After a few days, Man and Boss got in the way as well, and Mil knew too well that Sarawat had put them up to the task. Even after leading Sarawat away from Tine and the field, as soon as they got to their dressing corners, the Prince had snuck away before Mil could go after him, likely hiding up in the East Tower as he did most days.

The worst part was that Mil couldn’t even find the other Prince. It was as if Phukong had disappeared from the castle entirely but Mil was sure that younger Prince was actively avoiding him after the confrontation that they had had the previous week. For years, Phukong had been following his every move and now Mil could not help but feel rather… lonely. He knew his actions were responsible for the distance that Phukong was putting between them but he was simply doing what he thought was best for the Kingdom.

“Ohm, shall we go on one our late night walks this evening?” Mil asked as his Squire helped him take off his armour.

Ohm got a worried look on his face and Mil felt something twist in his stomach - not even the person that had been hired to be at his side wanted to be near him. Mil had endured years of being repulsed by his own reflection but ever since had started his Knight Training, he felt like he was finding his confidence again. Unfortunately, it seemed like that was going to be tarnished at the eleventh hour.

“I am not available this evening.” Ohm muttered anxiously.

Mil relaxed slightly and raised an eyebrow, “Are you meeting up with that servant from the Kitchen?”

“His name is Fong.” Ohm spat out defensively but immediately shrunk back when he remembered who he was talking to. “I apologize, my Lord.”

“Ohm, please.” Mil urged, almost desperately. “I did not mean to belittle you. I was honestly just curios.”

“I…. yes, I am meeting with him.” Ohm murmured, his cheeks growing pink.

Mil smiled slightly as the tension diffused between them. He put a supportive hand down on Ohm’s shoulder. “I hope you have a lovely evening with… Fong. I guess I will need to find something to amuse myself with then…”

“Have you seen Prince Phukong lately?” Ohm wondered, feeling a bit bold. “It seems like he has been occupied with something. I have not seem in the castle corridors or the field.”

Mil swallowed slowly as he felt like a lump had appeared in his throat at the mention of Phukong. “I do not know… maybe I ought to look into his whereabouts…”

Ohm cocked his head to the side and gave Mil a sympathetic look. “Do I have permission to speak candidly, my Lord?”

“Even if I refuse, it won’t stop you from sharing your thoughts.” Mil responded, trying to appear more positive than he actually felt. “And please just call me ‘Mil’. We are far beyond formalities.”

Ohm nodded before continuing, “I wonder if sometimes you care so much that you scare those you care for away. Like a bear that you wear on your crest, you just want to protect those that you love but sometimes your attempts to protect come across as vicious attacks instead.”

Mil felt his jaw clench at the truth that was in Ohm’s words. He hated that his Squire could so easily see through him when he spent so many years building up the armour to mask how he felt. He didn’t want to appear weak but in trying so hard to remain strong, he had inevitably hurt those he cared for the most.

“Thank you, Ohm.” Mil practically whispered. “I think I know what I must do.”

+++++++++++++

The one exit that Tine had used the first time to sneak out of the castle had been quickly discovered after he first used it. Now, guards were stationed at that very spot but he did not have to conceal himself because Tine was leaving the castle walls as someone’s special guest.

“You know, Tine, when I first saw you, I wanted nothing more than to steal you away from the Prince and employ you as my Muse.” Green explained, his arm hooked securely onto Tine’s as the guards lowered the drawbridge out of the castle.

Tine blushed deeply at the compliment. He had not seem much of Green since the Ball and he was happy to be in the Tailor’s company again. They were also accompanied by Green’s assistant, Pear, who was an adorable young woman that looked like more of a doll than a real human being. It was quite refreshing to be surrounded by such positivity when Tine was usually so blanketed in worry and confusion.

When Green had showed up at the door of his Quarters, Tine had wondered what the hell was going on but then he quickly realized that Green was his ticket out of the castle. Green quickly explained the plan to use Tine as a ‘measurement reference’ for the Prince’s official garments for the Knight Trials festivities as it was too dangerous for Sarawat to venture beyond the castle walls so close to the Trials. The reality was that Tine would sneak away as soon as they got to the village to seek out his family while Pear and Green did their required shopping before meeting up again and returning to the castle.

“You know, when I first was employed by the Royal family, I did not see my family for a full year.” Green had explained. “I am happy to reunite you with yours in any way that I can.”

Once the bridge was down, Tine, Pear and Green made their way out on foot. As they made their departure, Tine noticed that one of the Castle wall’s main archers was giving him a suspicious look but he decided not to give it too energy as he was willing to take a risk to be able to connect with his family.

As soon as they reached the centre of the village, Green nodded to Tine discreetly and Tine peeled away from them, disappearing into the crowded square. He did not have much time to connect with his family - every moment that he had was precious.

+++++++++

There was a soft knock at the East Tower’s door. Sarawat instantly jumped to his feet, wondering who could possibly be disturbing him in his private Quarters. Man, Mil, Phukong, and Boss knew to never disturb the Prince when he was up there and the only other person he had ever invited up there was Tine.

The reality that Tine was potentially on the other side of the door made Sarawat’s heart jump into his throat. He smoothed out his hair, took a deep breath and threw the door open.

“Mother?!?”

The Queen stood in front of Sarawat with a kind smile on her lips but a serious look in her eyes. “May I come in, son?”

Sarawat felt himself relax slightly as he gestured for his Mother to enter the East Tower. The Queen swept in and drank in the space. She had never been in her son’s private tower before but she quickly saw that every item in the space reflected his temperament perfectly.

“Is everything all right, Mother?” Sarawat wondered, a bit nervous about how she might respond.

The Queen gave him a gentle nod, “I just came to discuss the announcement that you are to make once you become Knighted.”

“I…” The thoughts fell from his mind. The month had passed too quickly and while Sarawat knew it was his duty to announce who he was planning to propose to, he dreaded the reality of his situation with every fibre of his being.

“I hope that you will be able to choose someone that you love.” The Queen explained. “But you should also choose one that will be good for the Kingdom.” His Mother’s sage words hung in the air as Sarawat’s mind raced. He had no idea what he was going to do and the person that he had imagined being by his side seemed to have other ideas about their future.

“I hope that you know that I just want you to be happy, my son.” The Queen expressed and approached Sarawat slowly, bringing her fingertips to gently touch her son’s face. “You know what is best but if you ever need any guidance, look to the night’s sky for answers.”

Sarawat felt the comfort of the contact immediately and leaned into his Mother’s touch. He closed his eyes and wished that he knew what to do and what was the right path. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the moon hanging in the air and his Mother had disappeared as if she were a phantom.

Once again, Sarawat was left alone with his thoughts.

+++++++++++++

As soon as he got to the door of his family home, Tine felt like he wanted to burst into tears but he also knew he needed to be strong if his Mother was beyond the door. He knocked on the door and Type slowly opened it, looking more exhausted that Tine had ever seen him.

“Brother…”

Tine pulled his brother into an embrace on the threshold of the door. The relief that shot through him was palpable. Type was not the kind to enjoy these kinds of physical contact but Tine just couldn’t help himself.

“We should get inside.” Type murmured and Tine let him go.

Tine was swept inside by his brother and quickly asked, “Where is Mother?”

“She is in the town square, trying to see if she can catch any whispers about Father’s wellbeing.” Type explained and made his way to the table that stood in the centre of the room. He sat down slowly. “Do you have any news?”

“I am sure Man has shared with you all that he knows.” Tine answered and sat down across from his brother. At the mention of Man’s name, Type perked up momentarily before Tine continued, “But I am trying. Prince Phukong also shared with me that it is likely that the investigation will take a few weeks at least but I will exacted my revenge and saved Father by then.”

“… And how do you plan on doing that without signing your own death sentence?” Type responded dryly, concern apparent in his eyes.

“I am still working out the details.” Tine answered and felt nervous sweat sprout on his brow.

The reality was that he had no idea what he was doing and he was hoping that Type would offer some sort of answer but it seemed like his brother was too exhausted with worry and by being overworked to share any advice on the matter. “I have something for you.” Type rose slowly and exited the room before returning with something sheathed in a cloth.

Tine studied the item with confusion. It was not as long as a sword but resembled the same shape. Type approached Tine and passed the heavy item to his brother before explaining, “Father forged this before he was attacked. He wanted to give it to you after the Trials as a congratulatory gift but… I think you need it now.”

Tine slowly unwrapped the velvety cloth to reveal a dagger with the same handle design as his sword. The dagger was quite compact but the blade was lethally sharp and glinted in the candlelight. On the blade, four words were etched: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.

Tine felt his lower lip begin to tremble and felt Type put one supportive hand down on his shoulder and gathered strength from the contact.

+++++++

Mil made his way to Phukong’s private quarters and while he was sure the Prince did not want to see him, he wanted to make amends for his previous actions. While he was not exactly regretful for what he had done, he knew that there was better ways to deal with such matters and making up with Phukong felt like a step in the right direction.

He knocked on the door lightly and waited patiently to see if the Prince was even in the room. Mil chewed on his lips anxiously before he heard a muffled “Come in” from through the door. There was no way that the Prince knew it was him but Mil let himself into the room anyway.

Phukong was turned to face the window where the moon hung high in the night. He seemed to be lost in his work as Mil slowly approached him. He was working on a portrait of the night sky and Mil could not help but feel as if his breath was swept away by the Prince’s undeniable talent.

“That is beautiful, Kong.” Mil muttered as he walked toward the Prince.

Phukong immediately stilled and dropped his paintbrush in surprise. He turned to face Mil with an anxious look on his face. Mil suddenly regretted entering Phukong’s space but Phukong shared, “Mil. I…have been meaning to come find you. How has training been going?”

The whole thing felt so formal. Mil loathed it but knew he was also responsible for the change in their relationship. It seemed that the younger Prince no longer admired him, but instead, he feared him, just as Ohm had predicted.

“I know you have been avoiding me, Kong.” Mil shared gently and kneeled down next to where Phukong was seated. “I wanted to come here and apologize.”

A shocked look danced across the Prince’s face and it melted Mil. Phukong murmured, “Really? I didn’t think that was really in your vocabulary.”

The joke dissipated any remaining tension that hung between them. Mil reached up and mussed   Phukong’s hair fondly and the Prince let out a nervous chuckle. Mil responded, “You know, I don’t think it is usually but I will make the exception for you.”

“I’m honoured.” Phukong shared warmly.

A cough caused the Prince and Mil to look up toward the door. Chat was lingering on the threshold of the Prince’s Quarters, a serious look on his face. Mil wondered momentarily how Chat had found him but also knew that he was one of the best trackers in the Kingdom so it did not surprise him either.

“I apologize for the interruption but I believe this is important.” Chat explained before turning his focus to Mil. “My friend, I think you should know that a certain enemy of yours ventured beyond the castle walls this evening…”

Phukong put one hand on Mil’s arm. “Mil. Think before you act.”

Mil jumped to his feet, shaking the contact of Phukong off easily. “I am sorry, My Prince, but I cannot ignore my Duty.”

“I thought you were different, Mil.” A dark look appeared in Phukong’s eyes. “But as it turns out, you really are just like your Father…”

Phukong shot from the room at such a speed that Mil could not even try to stop him. The Prince’s words rung in Mil’s ears and while Chat gave Mil a sympathetic look, Mil felt as if Phukong had stabbed him right in the heart.

You really are just like your Father…

[lgcminjun]

INTRO :: LONG JOURNEY ——— like butterfly wings

the end of the trimester marks a new point in hwang minjun’s life. through the many twists and turns, he’s gradually shaping himself and spreading his wings.

minjun isn’t my first muse of the year, but he is the one i’ve grown incredibly attached to, with connections i never imagined he’d have. i missed the halfway point of the year, i meant to post this on his birthday, july 10th, but better late than never, right? this also serves as a thank you to everyone who plotted with minjun—he continues to develop as a character because of you all, both he and i can’t thank you enough !

PERSONALITY

not a lot has changed in terms of his personality, he continues to be a person eager to please, an overachiever at times, to the point where he’d push himself a little too far. he’s learning to overcome this flaw, to let others take care of him, listen when he’s being told that he’s working too hard. to give himself a break when he needs it. he’s opening his arms to different types of people, more than happy to accommodate all types of personalities if it meant building friendships. at the end of the day, he still has a lot of love to give.

CAREER

the beginning of it all—the valentines event drew out minjun’s infamous aegyo, which went viral within the blink of an eye. it may not be as significant as what follows, but it’s still an event that brings a smile to his face.

fear accompanied him when he auditioned for project origin, but the experience made him realise something important—what matters is that he stayed true to himself as he performs, gives it very best with every little stomp and twist, pour all he can with each move. and eventually, he’ll be rewarded.

type zero chipped away at his confidence, the pressures of being a replacement were heavy on his shoulders. gradually, he learns that he doesn’t have to deal with it on his own—after all, type zero is a group first and foremost, lifting one another up. it’s fine to be himself, he doesn’t need to pretend to be someone else.

being a part of project origin and legacy boys gave him opportunities he wouldn’t dare imagine even in his wildest dreams. the tour opened his eyes to new heights, brought him out of his shell, introduced him to a greater stage, one he had the privilege to perform on, including a solo performance. boarding a plane hadn’t been easy, minjun never ventured so far before. it’s a terrifying experience, but one he wouldn’t erase.

RELATIONSHIPS a recap of minjun’s connections thus far, from his point of view.

minjun finds himself facing pages of the past when he reunites with ( @lgcinsoo ), a fellow dancer from his old days that he used to admire. to his surprise, the reunion was far from awkward, ending with a promise to hang out whenever they find the time. though they’re walking different paths now, minjun will always be rooting for insoo. he hopes the time they hang out again will come soon.

( @lgcjiho ) had been another plushie collector, and was the person who managed to draw out minjun’s aegyo, causing him to go viral. in a way, minjun owes jiho his thanks, even more so for always seeming so eager to join him in his little tea parties. he believes project origin drew the two even closer, what with their shared fear for airplanes. they comforted one another like friends would, minjun won’t forget that day.

not all has been smooth sailing, he hit stormy waves when he went overboard with ( @lgchunji ). he’s not sure what he had done wrong specifically, but he knows it had to do with his desire to extend his hand even though he had been warned against it. minjun wants to fix things, tape back the string of friendship that he had broken. however, that isn’t his decision to make. either way, he can only hope hunji is thriving with whatever it is he’s doing. hunji helped him realise that there is merit to sticking to his own lane, to not shove himself into situations that doesn’t concern him.

he tried again to help someone else, ( @lgceunji ) this time. seeing her in a seemingly bad state after the prank worried him, and he did what he can do. offer a silent comfort and company, then gifting her one of his prized possessions, a small bear plushie. he intends to check up on her every now and then, even if he’s busy with the tour. he thinks of her as a little sister he wants to protect.

although it took a few days to adjust, he found friends among the type zero members. his worries were eased after his conversation with ( @lgcxking ), and minjun isn’t shy to admit that he admires the other for his determination and strong will. king’s bravery shown throughout the tour, like when king invited him to bungee jump, but also when king challenged himself to take part in babysitting services. he has a lot of respect for king.

among the project origin members, he finds himself adoring ( @lgcharu ), someone he can’t help but feel like he wants to take care of. discussing their characters aided minjun in figuring out how to ease himself into musical acting, something he had never done before. he had a lot of fun with haru throughout the tour as well, spending a part of their chuseok holidays together.

his encounter with ( @lgcemil ) had been one he hadn’t expected, meeting the other in the practice room when he intended to practice into the late night. he can’t hide his concern for emil, and although he doesn’t want to overstep his boundaries, he wants to become a friend that emil can count on whenever he’s feeling a little down.

there are a few special mentions. ( @lgceunho ) bonded with him when they were locked in a practice room, and although minjun would rather not get himself in such a situation ever again, he’s glad he had been stuck with eunho, who is a fun person to be around. panicking with ( @lgcxminseok ) over the april fools prank and playing with the animals in the shelter was a delightful time. during the project origin tour, he had a blast with king, ( @lgcyonghwa ) and ( @lgcmax ). yonghwa seems like a reliable older brother that minjun can count on. max’s bursts of energy draws out his own, there’s never a boring time with max. he didn’t know ( @lgcjueun ) before babysitting services, but as it turns out, taking care of kids together is another good way to bond.

YOON SHINHA ——— forever you are my star

( @lgcshinha ) appeared to him like a storm, wrecking his world in the best way possible. he encountered the enigma that is yoon shinha when he reached out towards the same cat plushie that the other did. it’s an out of the blue suggestion when he said they should share the plushie instead, but he wouldn’t have it any other day. that was the beginning of something beautiful—an encounter with an impact that will last a lifetime.

it’s a little funny when it turns out they ended up as roommates, but that makes it easier for them to take care of their little family. looking back, minjun isn’t sure when exactly things started to change between the two of them, where they drew the line between friendship and something else. it’s hard for minjun not to fall for shinha though, not when shinha took care of him like no one else ever had. the illusion of having a family with the other felt more real as days go by, to the point where minjun is afraid that he’d eventually do what he does best: overstep and ruin everything.

he had never, for the life of him, thought that shinha would feel the same way. and yet, after a long night of rigorous practice and a shared night in their dorm with no one else around, they laid their feelings out on the table. it all happened too fast, but it still felt like it was yesterday. minjun recalled the beating of his heart picking up pace, too quick for him to keep up. he remembers the tears that were in the corner of his eyes, ever the emotional person he was. but they left things up in the air, until...

july 10th, minjun’s birthday and the day the stars aligned. shinha keeps proving himself as someone minjun can’t help but think he doesn’t deserve sometimes. the gifts shinha bestowed upon him that day is enough to make his heart swell, he remembers feeling as if he’ll burst. a mix of emotions coursed through him that day, but overall he can say that he’s elated, he’s in love. that is further confirmed when shinha asked him out, and the tears he usually would try so hard to hide flowed almost endlessly. they became one that day, but minjun feels as if they were always one.

with project origin taking most of his time, he wasn’t granted enough time to spend with his beloved, but he can’t complain—not out loud, at the very least. the tour had been an experience minjun wouldn’t trade for the world, yet he finds himself thinking about shinha whenever he’s alone with his thoughts. texts and video calls weren’t nearly enough, he missed shinha’s presence by his side most of all. it was torture, but he believes in shinha, in their relationship, in them. minjun knows they can go through whatever hardships may come.

seeing shinha again during kcon backstage brought forth the longing he had been feeling the past month. but they’re strong, if they can survive a tour, then they’ll be able to handle worse.

a new trimester begins, and future dreams is knocking on their doors. minjun doesn’t wish for much, but if he could wish for one thing—he wants the both of them to debut, together.

THE ROAD AHEAD

above all, minjun intends to debut. he knows he’s meant to be on stage, and he wants to prove that he’s worth it. he doesn’t know what future dreams will bring, but he’s eager to show off what hwang minjun can do.

there are a lot of people he still wants to befriend, particularly those who will be participating in future dreams. there may be a competitive element, however friendly rivalry isn’t a bad thing.

he’s eager to brush up on his language skills, particularly japanese. with the workshop, that may be achievable. there seems to be a strong market in japan, so he wants to try it out.

despite the fun time he experienced in babysitting services, he’s eager to try out the other two variety shows. he isn’t the best at cooking, but masterchef legacy piqued his interests.

[recipe-for-thomathy]

Across The Border

( Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8)

Warning/s: implied sexual innuendo.

Author's Note: too lazy to add all the links lol, so if you haven't read the previous parts, just head on over to the hash tag #sanderssandersacrosstheborderau

Characters: All the Sides + mentioned Character!Thomas

Pairings: Logicality, Eventual Prinxiety, Dukeceit

Summary:

Light and Dark. Good and Bad.

In the early days of the mind of Thomas Sanders, Light Sides and Dark Sides were separated by a border.

No one dared to venture into the other's domain, in fear of disrupting the Mindscape's 'balance' and the consequences it may cause to a Side if they were to leave their primary realm.

Roman knew the risk.

But it was a risk he was willing to take, if it meant being able to reunite with his brother again.

------

After another day spent with the fair Anxiety (it's a pale joke guys... or is it?), Roman comes home with a lovesick smile on his face.

"Ah, Roman."

Uh oh.

The creative trait stiffens when he finds both his figurative parent friends standing in front of him.

Logan had his arms crossed to his chest while Patton had both his hands on his hips. Roman knew he was about to get his ears talked off in another one of their lectures.

"Uh, hi... Padre, Teach." He greets nervously.

"Kiddo," The paternal Side starts off using his 'Dad Voice', "Is there a reason you keep leaving the house all the time for the past few weeks?"

Oh, he's definitely in trouble.

"Er... Didn't I tell you? I've been thinking of new possible content for Thomas' YouTube channel." The creative Side lies, trying hard to avoid making eye contact.

"Hmm, is that so?" Logan asks with a raised brow.

Roman internally cringes, but nods his head.

"Alright. Mind sharing with us what you've thought of so far?"

Ahhh think, Roman! Think!

"Thomas could uh... Make reaction videos? And collab with some of his favorite YouTubers?"

"Mhmm. What else?"

Darn it, Specs!

"He could... Make a Disney song parody! About a uh... Ooh! A Gay Disney Prince!" Nice one, Roman. The creative Side praises himself.

"A... Gay Disney Prince? Are you referring to yourself?"

"...Maybe."

The logical Side massages his forehead and sighs, "We'll see how that works out."

"Cool! So, can I leave now?"

"Not quite yet, kiddo. You still haven't explained to us why you've been meeting up with Anxiety in the Imagination."

"Because I-"

Wait...

"HOW DID YOU-?!" Roman splutters, staring wide eyed at the two older Sides in bewilderment.

"Oh, we simply followed you in the Imagination to spy on y-" A hand harshly covers up Logan's mouth.

"Logy!" Patton scolds, removing his hand from his partner's mouth before silently apologizing for doing it.

The creative trait couldn't believe what he just heard.

And to think they were too busy sucking each other's- no no, this is a family friendly story PROCEED!

"You spied on us?!"

"We got worried, okay?! What else were we supposed to do?!" Patton flailed his arms in the air.

"Oh, I don't know, CONFRONT ME ABOUT IT FIRST? INSTEAD OF INTRUDING ON SOMEONE ELSE'S PRIVACY?"

The moral Side goes to defend himself and Logan again, but stops when he actually thinks about it, "Oh... He's right, Honeybee." Patton looks up at the other Side while his hands, on instict, grab hold of Logan's bicep.

"That would have been a more decent approach." The logical Side notes, "But knowing Roman's stubbornness, he would have lied to us similarly to how he just did a few minutes prior."

"Those weren't lies!"

A stern look from both glasses wearing Sides has Roman sighing in defeat.

"Alright, fine! They were lies... But I'm totally having Thomas do the Gay Disney Prince thing. He could even collab with Jon Cozart for it!"

"Roman?"

"Yes?"

"We're still waiting for an explanation." Logan seriously couldn't put up with the Prince's antics.

"Ah, right. Almost forgot." Roman clears his throat before going into Story Time mode, "So there I was, wandering in the Imagination in search of inspiration, when suddenly! I was faced to find something even better."

"There is really no need to-"

"Shhh! I'm listening to the story, Logybear." Patton hushes his partner, his eyes filled with wonder as he listens to Roman. Logan rolls his eyes but allows the creative trait to continue with his storytelling.

"There, at the end of the bridge I had created years ago, was a Side I had never seen before. He was clad in mostly dark clothing, but his eyes, oh! They shone brighter than all the stars above!" Roman dramatically swoons, "He was spooked at my sudden presence, and wasted no time to get away, so I desperately called out to him. He was hesitant at first, but who could ever resist a chance to talk to me?"

A paper ball suddenly came flying out of nowhere and hit Roman in the eye.

"Ow!"

"Logan!" Patton gasps out, once again sending a glare to the Side next to him.

"Apologies. Continue."

Rubbing his eye in annoyance, Roman decided to wrap it up.

"We conversed for hours about little things such as how things are like in our respective realms. I didn't want it to be the last time we talked, so I asked if we could meet again the next day. From there, our meetings became a daily thing."

"Aww, Roman! You could've just told us you were going on dates!" Patton giggles, while Logan smirks at the face Roman made at the word "date".

"Those weren't dates!"

"Your continous flirting with one another says otherwise."

"AAGGGHHHHH!!!" The creative trait groans loudly as he tries hiding the furious blush now coating his cheeks.

Logan snakes a hand around Patton's waist as the moral Side leans up to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you for telling us, Roman."

"Yeah, kiddo. I'm proud of you for telling the truth. And finding a potential partner." The fatherly figure couldn't help but tease, "As long as none of you are crossing the border, Logan and I approve of your meetings."

Roman nods and breaks into a smile, relieved that he could still continue seeing the Emo Side he's grown to be quite infatuated with.

Maybe he could ask Anxiety if he can have Logan and Patton tag along with him some time?

And maybe...

Just maybe...

Anxiety could bring Ethan and Remus with him as his own company.

The thought of seeing his brother again after 18 years has him buzzing with excitement.

It's settled then.

He'll ask him tomorrow.

______

Taglist:

@picklesandbeyond @mycatshuman @icequeenoriginal @nafsbluebery @its-high-time-that-i-dropped-in @ghostlygalactics @artissijam @the-pixie-with-seven-faces @nyafangirlingnya @fatesail @emo-does-things @the-aroace-queen-in-the-quiver @magimerlyn @chronophobica @4ngstyc00kie @agnes-is-ari @sashootkahoot @nothinglikehotchocolate @freyalis @lovingiseasy-434 @snek-snacc @ashtonbby2 @tiredfangirl04 @supersoftsupersleep @anassholewithawifi @not-a-clever-username @pixelatedrose @emsiemae

[theonewiththefanfics]

Limited Space (one-shot)

Synopsys: One room. Two beds. But will both of them be used?

Pairing: Tom Holland x f!Reader; OC!Juliet (Reader’s character’s name)

Genre: fluff, tiny bit of angst, like blink and you’ll miss it

Warnings: like one swear word I think :D

Word count: 3739

       “Y/N.”        “Yes, Jimmy?” she dramatically flipped her head to the side causing her hair to swish which made everyone laugh a bit at her antics.        “When you found out you weren’t going to be in ‘Civil War’ with these guys, and Tony was going to get a new protegee in Spider-Man, what were your thoughts? Did you kinda go up to Kevin Feige and ask if he was replacing you?”        “Funnily enough,” Y/N pointed at Tom, “when we first met on the carpet for ‘Civil War’ that was the first thing he said. “Please don’t think I’m replacing you!”" she imitated his London accent though quite badly making everyone chuckle, and Tom had to bite his lip to keep the smile at bay.        “If I’m being genuine –“ she continued, “I was just terrified I was gonna be fired. Cause after ‘Age of Ultron’ where it turns out the Hulk took the plane to space and ended up in Sakaar, I thought that’s what would happen to me. And I was pumped,” Y/N emphasized the word, “but like, Mark and I were keeping in non-stop contact while it was leading up to Phase 3 announcements, 'cause neither of us had any idea what was happening to our characters. And when it was announced Hulk would be in 'Ragnarok', yet for me, it was radio silence, and then Spidey flipped into the ‘Civil War’ trailer… I-“ she laughed, “I kinda started sweating.”        Robert patted her knee as Y/N made a motion of ‘cooling off’ with her hand. “And then for like two more weeks, there was nothing. Mark knew zip, though that was a smart decision on Marvel's part.”        “Is he still not trusted by anyone?” Jimmy chuckled, and Robert rolled his eyes.        “Listen,” the legend started, “everyone loves him, and he’s such a kind person. Whenever something slips past those loose lips,” he looked over his tinted glasses at Tom as well, “it’s never from a malicious place. Like those two are just excited and want to share that with the world, but when you stream the first fifteen minutes of the movie on your Instagram… you kinda lose the access to the secrets.”        The audience erupted into laughter as did Y/N. She had gone to the 'Ragnarok' premiere to support her friends, and the movie and clearly remembered the woman poking Mark in the back and angrily whispering for him to turn off the Instagram Live that was still going. At the afterparty, for the first twenty minutes, that’s what everyone was talking about.        “And what about you, Tom?” Jimmy brought the conversation back on track. “When you found out you’d be in Civil War but had no contact with Y/N or Juliet in this case what was your first thought?”        “I was really scared that she’d hate me,” Tom laughed rubbing his neck and looked at Y/N, who waved him off. “ ‘Cause Tony’s and Juliet’s relationship is one of the strongest in the MCU, and now that he’s recruited Peter, I was genuinely terrified. Especially of her fans, like they are passionate about Juliet, which I totally get. I just hoped that she’d be nice and accepting when we did meet and got to work together.”

       Y/N rolled her head to the side and looked at Tom. “And am I as scary as you thought I’d be?”        “In the mornings, horrifying,” Tom sassed, and Y/N slapped his shoulder with mock hurt on her face while Robert exclaimed a ‘watch it, kid, that’s my daughter! I might be dead, but I’ll come back to haunt your ass.’        “Did you kinda help him fit into the dynamic of everything?” Jimmy continued on, and Y/N looked at Tom.        “Not really, no,” she shook her head. “He just fit in so perfectly on his own, that nobody had to do anything. Sure, like helping out with the scenes and advice like that as peers, yeah. But there was no ‘here’s Tom. Now be friends’ kind of a thing. And in the end, I was off in space, and they were kicking Cap’s ass back on Earth.”        Someone in the audience hollered a ‘Team Iron Man’ making Robert blow a kiss in the person’s direction. Given how he wasn't with them to promote Marvel anymore and was there for the re:MARS initiative, it was nice for all of them to catch up.        “Honestly,” he piped up, “I couldn’t wait for Infinity War and then Endgame, to film with this one, and then see us on the big screen reunited,” he affectionately ruffled Y/N’s hair.        “Me too,” she smiled, “though, when we saw Spidey and Iron Man interacting with the Guardians, yet no Juliet, I started to think maybe it was just like a mock scene that wouldn't end up being used. 'Cause by that point, everyone knew she was rolling with the Space Avengers, and maybe it was just to throw everyone off. But filming it was a really amazing experience, ‘cause Juliet hadn’t seen her father for what now,” she looked at Robert for confirmation, “three-four years? And suddenly they meet again, but he has a new protegee and stuff. It was interesting to see how the dynamic would evolve, and how she’d feel about Peter. As evident in the movie – she kinda liked him.”        “So, no rivalry between the two of you?” Jimmy motioned with his hand.    And Tom placed his head on Y/N’s shoulder making the audience aww. “None whatsoever.”        “Good answer,” she patted his head. “I’ve trained you well.”        But as everyone laughed, Y/N was completely unaware of how Tom’s heart galloped in his chest from that small touch and show of affection. Fuck, he was in deep.

***

       “Ugh,” Y/N groaned putting a hand against her back and stretching, feeling the air between her vertebra pop. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”        Robert gently patted her shoulder. “You and me, kid, but we know we can’t. Chris will kill us if we miss the barbecue.”        “Which one?” Tom asked, dropping his suitcase on the floor. “Pratt? Evans? Hemsworth? Pine?”         Robert cocked his eyebrow. “Since when did we have Pine?”        Tom shrugged his shoulders. “Zoe is slowly collecting all of them. And honestly, I wouldn’t be that surprised if they had some sort of a Chris-convention.”        “Chrisvention?” Y/N quirked her eyebrow settling on the arm of the couch.        “Chris-con?” Tom offered.        She snorted. “That just sounds like crisscross.”        Robert rolled his eyes removing his glasses and placing them on the mantlepiece. He had invited the two youngsters to stay with him since they both were like his kids, especially after having known Y/N for almost a decade, and now having taken the young Brit under his wing, he didn’t want the two to sleep in hotels if he could offer the comfort of his own house.        “Okay, you two, off to bed,” Robert clapped his hands interrupting the weird conversation they were having and shooed them up the stairs having grabbed Y/N’s suitcase much to her grumbling that she could do it herself. “Now, the other guestroom is under renovation so you’ll be sharing. Two beds, one bathroom, unfortunately. Need you to be up bright and early so we could get to Renner’s. And no funny business!”        “Ok, Bobert!”        They heard a high-pitched whine of ‘stop calling me that!’ as he retreated before a door closed shut, leaving the two with their eyes rolling and heads shaking.        “I swear, he’s such a diva,” Y/N joked bringing her suitcase in and dropping it on top of the bed. “The Marvel fame’s really gotten to his head.”        “I know!” Tom exasperated in that same ‘I don’t actually mean it’ tone. “It’s like – chill it, Rob!”        Y/N snorted and zipped open her bag pulling out a set of pyjamas consisting of an incredibly old and stained shirt with some shorts. “Rob?”        “I know,” he wrinkled his nose. “Regretted that as soon as I said it.”        She hummed listening to how Tom unpacked a few of his things and gentle music erupted all around them when he hooked his phone to the speaker.        “Any requests, m’lady?” he said in a very much so overly exaggerated British accent which Y/N didn’t think was possible, seeing as he was, well, already British.        “Why yes, I do actually,” she spun around, her bag of toiletries pressed against her chest as if it was her palm. “Let it be ‘Bowling for Soup’ – ‘Here’s Your Fricking Song’.”        Tom bowed and typed in the name. “As the lady wishes.”        With the upbeat track of late 2000s punk-rock, Y/N skipped to the bathroom and started to get ready for the night. Without even thinking the two had engaged in a sing-along, and she even held her toothbrush as a microphone.        “I get drunk and you get pissed!” she screamed, and Tom responded, “You start dreaming I don’t exist!”        “I say yes, and you say no!”        Without missing a beat, he sang, “Like Katy Perry says, you’re Hot and Cold!”        “With all the shit that we’ve been through, this the best that I can do!” they sang in unison, Y/N almost choking on her toothpaste. “Can I still get lucky tonight?”        Cackling she entered the bedroom and bowed in front of Tom. “The bathroom’s all yours, kind sir.”        The pure happiness on Y/N’s face was a sight Tom never wanted to forget. It was just the way her Y/E/C eyes lit up, that sparked his own joy and released a horde of butterflies to trash around his stomach.        Venturing away from Y/N he released a shaky breath and looked at himself in the mirror.        “Pull yourself together,” Tom muttered to his reflection as if the counterpart could actually take charge and calm him down.        The music still played switching from one song to another as he brushed his teeth and washed his face from all the makeup that had been caked on his skin for the show. With satisfaction, Tom watched as the beige and brown colours went down the drain with the running water, freeing him from its confines and bringing back his own face        Sure, there were impurities. Acne spots, little pimples pushing to the surface, a scar here or there. Usually, when he was around people without them covered, Tom could feel a bit insecure, as if each and every person had a magnifying glass to their eye and were focusing in on just those things. But with the people he was comfortable with, the people he trusted and loved, there was none of that because more likely than not, he had seen them in that same kind of state.        Or in Y/N’s case, with her face covered by a white spot-treatment mask making her look like a weird version of a Dalmatian. She was sat against the bed’s headboard with a book in her lap (her usual state) and sweet melodic music Tom recognized to be the soundtrack for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ wafted around her.        “Getting in the mood?” he asked moving to rest on his own bed, acting as if his heart wasn’t beating a mile a minute.        “Kinda,” Y/N muttered through pursed lips. “In the movie, the scene where Tristan and Yvaine are up in the clouds they spent so much more time with the Captain, where in here,” she pointed with her chin to the pages of ‘Stardust’, “it’s barely been two pages, and they’re already off. And his name isn’t even Shakespeare!”        “What outrage!” Tom mocked and received a pillow in the face for that, phone dropping to his lap. “Rude much?” he threw it back, but Y/N easily caught it.        “Captain Shakespeare is my favourite character!”        “And you still have the movie to see him in,” Tom’s eyebrow rose. She had nothing but a groan as her response.        Y/N read for a bit more while he distracted himself with social media, but it wasn’t long when she placed a candy wrapper as her bookmark and turned off the bedside lamp.        “ ‘Night, Tom,” Y/N yawned and hugged a pillow closer to her chest.        “ ‘Night, Y/N,” he replied, watching her relaxed features for a bit, before residing to the night himself.     Nothing but the moon and stars twinkled outside, illuminating the bedroom with a pale-ish glow, and while he waited for sleep to claim him, Tom watched Y/N rest, her body cast over with the moonlight making him think she was some sort of a princess from a fairytale under a spell, and the glimmer was showing him the way to break the curse.     The dead silence of the night was interrupted by his soft voice uttering her name.        “Y/N?”        “Yeah?”        “Are you awake?”        She snorted and turned on her back. “Given how I just responded to you, yeah. I’d say I’m awake.”        “I dunno,” Tom chuckled. “You could be sleep talking.”        “Then I must be a pretty bomb-ass coherent sleep talker,” he saw her put a hand behind her head. “What’s up?”        “I can’t sleep.”        "Why not?”        “ ‘S just… I dunno… It’s stupid…”        “Well, it’s not that stupid if you’re losing sleep over it,” Y/N propped herself on her elbow to get a better look at Tom. Even in the complete darkness, she could distinguish the worry in his face and what seemed to be embarrassment. “I won’t judge.”        With one last huff, Tom relented. “It’s just when we were in England doing press, I could go home, and sleep, and Tess always slept next to me. I dunno… I just guess I miss something warm to cuddle next to… told you it was stupid.”        “No,” came Y/N’s instant response. “It’s not stupid at all. If you wanna hear something stupid, is that when I first got the role of Juliet, which was my first role like ever, I slept in Evans’s trailer for like three weeks, 'cause he had Dodger with him, and I had forgotten Huks home. Took a while for it to arrive, so I had to improvise.”        She saw his eyebrow raise. “Huks?”        “It’s a plushie husky. Couldn’t go to sleep without it… in fact, I still have worse sleep if it’s not with me than when it is. So, no. I don’t think missing Tessa or her cuddling with you is a stupid reason to be unable to fall asleep.”        Tom just wanted to scream out that it was the most adorable thing ever, and that Y/N had to stop before his heart did, but before he could even mutter that her reason wasn’t stupid either, she managed to speak up first.        “Do you maybe wanna sleep next to me? Not in a weird kinda way, just… you know… you said you miss something warm next to you...”        “Are you sure? ‘Cause I don’t want you to d-“        “Stop worrying and get under the covers,” Y/N hissed but she was smiling as she did so, waving him to come to her bed. “Though, I do have to warn you – I’m a very violent sleeper,” she said scooting to the side.        “How does… that work?”        “It means,” she grunted pushing a bit further to the edge and settling down as Tom slipped beneath her bedding, “that I might just, unconsciously kick you, and no matter how far you sleep from me, you’ll end up either on the very edge of the bed or on the floor.”        “Also,” Y/N extended a hand, “this is you promising not to sue me for whatever damages my sleeping-self might cause you. A broken nose or a rib – awake me is not at fault.”        Tom clasped her hand and sighed. “And here I was getting ready to cash in.”        “Sucks to be you then, cause this deal is unbreakable,” she shrugged and gave him one last smile before turning her back to the man and giving a ‘goodnight’.        “Goodnight,” Tom muttered to her already softly breathing form, but he himself couldn’t find rest.        Although he thought it might actually help him to have something warm to sleep next to, it seemed like his brain was going into overdrive, and his heart was about to collapse.        She stirred for a second and rolled over to face him, making his breath hitch. Y/N was so close to him that he wouldn’t even need to stretch his hand to caress her face.        “You’re so beautiful,” Tom whispered looking at Y/N’s closed eyes. And unbeknownst to him, her heart almost exploded because although she looked like she was dead asleep, a twitch in her body had jolted her awake, and now she was very much so alert. “I wish I could tell you this while you’re awake… or just in general, I wish I could just grow a pair and do it, but I guess this’ll have to do for the time being. You’re so, so beautiful,” his thumb brushed over her cheekbone, and Y/N had to suppress the hitch of her breath.        “And I don’t just mean how you look ‘cause fuck, darling you are a dream… marvellous… but your mind… your heart… the first time we met I thought I’d have a panic attack because you looked at me so softly, I felt my mind go numb and everything just tuned out of focus.”        “And then we got to know one another more,” he released a barely-there sigh, but Y/N still heard it, “and I couldn’t help myself. I started to fall for you. You had a boyfriend at the time, so I knew I had zero chances, but it didn’t matter to me. I was giving my heart to you every day bit by bit, and it didn’t even matter if you broke it or not, ‘cause it was already yours to do as you pleased.”        Tom released a bitter chuckle, and Y/N could feel him shake his head. “But still somehow I’m too much of a coward and a twat to say how I feel despite it being almost four years, despite both of us being single.” She felt his gaze roam her face and tried her hardest not to flutter her eyelashes. “I guess I’m just too afraid to lose you. In any kind of capacity. I’d rather have you as a friend than not at all… that I couldn’t take…”        That was the thought that made his heart clench the most, and tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. One of the biggest fears, when it came to relationships and friendships he had, was, if he told her how he felt, that Y/N would just shove him out of her life completely. So he surrendered himself to loving her from afar. And he let her love him her own way. It was better than nothing.        Quickly before they to dropped to the pillow, Tom wiped the tears away and finally settled for the night, the weight pressing on him lifted if only for a moment before it would come crashing down in the morning. But Y/N had other plans.     “Do you mean that?” her voice trembled, and Tom’s eyes shot open to see her already looking up at him     “Y-Y/N? I thought you were asleep.”     “Answer the question, Holland,” she murmured sliding her hand up to the nape of his neck and pulling his face closer. “Do you mean what you said?”     “Yes,” the word was a breathless whisper as his forehead now rested on hers. “I mean every. Single. Word. I am in love with you.”     And she needed nothing more than to nudge his head away, brush her nose against his and press their lips together. The two practically sagged against one another with relief that the kiss was reciprocated. Y/N’s hands had gently woven to tangle up in Tom’s chocolate locks, both to feel the softness of them and to pull him closer, while one of his palms had settled on her waist and the other was cupping her cheek, his thumb gently stroking the side of her face. But something just had to ruin the mood, and it was Tom’s laughing.     “What?” Y/N pulled back annoyed and frustrated because that one kiss was just not enough after almost two years of her own pent up emotions.     “Robert said no funny business,” he giggled.     Her eyebrow quirked up. “And?”     “And this is funny business.”     “Oh my god,” she groaned, chuckled and slipped out of the bed. “You’re a literal child.” Smacking a pillow over his face, which Tom easily caught Y/N bounded over to the bed he had been previously occupied and slipped under its covers.     “Wait, no, come back!” he whined reaching over the end of the bed, flopping down on his belly with an extended hand. “Please,” and he gave such an adorable pout that it almost broke Y/N, but no. She crossed her arms and put her nose up in the air.     “Nope,” she shook her head, but even in the pitch-black darkness, Tom could see the smile she tried to suppress. “You thought it was funny kissing me, so no kisses or cuddles.”     “Please?”     “No.”     “Please?” his voice increased with each syllable.     “No.”     And then Tom rolled onto his back and pouted, giving Y/N the best puppy-dog eyes in the world. Like if there existed a contest for that kind of a thing, he’d totally get the prize. “Please come back to bed and cuddle with me?”     She couldn’t say no anymore. She never could and never will be able to say no, and that’s when a realization hit her – he had Y/N completely wrapped around his finger, but she didn’t mind that.     If the kiss and his warm arms wrapping around her waist was what greeted her when she clambered back under the sheets, and his steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep, she didn’t mind being wrapped around his finger at all.     And truthfully, with how huge the grin was that spread across Tom’s face as he kissed her forehead ‘goodnight’ this time for real, neither was he too upset how wrapped around her finger he was.     In the morning he had to remember to say ‘thank you’ to RDJ for the limited space he had in his house. And although he did wake up with a sore in his ribs where Y/N had accidentally kneed him during the night, he had never been happier about a predicament in his life. After all, it’s what gave him the chance to speak his heart.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take): @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh @breezy1415 @crazy--me @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561 @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91 @dalilx @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @sweet-ladyy @magicwithaknife @ollyoxenfrees @bnhvrdy @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines @thatkindofgurl @sj-thefan@nerissa98 @happyseagrill @asguardiansoftheavengers @crazybutconfidentaf @wishingforahome @pizzarollpatrol @desir-ae

A/N: should I do like a part two of the next day????????

P.S. what did ya think?

P.S.S. my tags are always open. just drop a message :)

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 77, Part 3

Oh thank god we’re finally out of Chapter 77 fuck we’ve been in this miniarc for 3 fucking months now basically the entire duration of this stupid quarantine I wish I was dead anyway enjoy this pretty good chapter that i had a fun time writing: 

Previous: https://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/615069126396870656/universe-falls-chapter-77-part-2

***

Chapter 77: Adventures in the Multiverse

Part 3: Home Away from Homeworld

FCZU OSH GOWZZS VP XHP DPAQQAS EZ LINOSNOD OLVUXEYTVG BP LIRS WNR VLIYR BHNV RO RPU KAQAS TD BHR FICPABIIG HEXZV WUQ'W NTRP

After my departure from the parallel dimension, I had hoped, but not necessarily expected, to arrive back where I’d started, in the Nightmare Realm itself. While traveling between worlds, the trajectory of my next destination was never certain, even with the heavy modifications I’d made to my wormhole stabilizer over the years. However, if there was one place I could have never expected to see in my lifetime, it was the place I fatefully happened to end up next. 

It was an alien planet, about as alien as any other dimension Ford had found himself in over the past 30 years. The atmosphere was breathable, painted an almost mystical shade of starry lavender filling in the sparse space between the dense cityscape this dimension seemed to largely be composed of. Every structure seemed to be almost crystalline, angular in design as they towered into the air in an intentionally uniform, orderly sort of way. Ford had emerged into one of the narrow alleyways between two of these windowless buildings, immediately on guard, just as he always was whenever he found himself venturing out into a new, unfamiliar setting. Just beyond that alleyway lay what seemed to be a street that was bustling with noise and activity, though the kind of creatures that inhabited it took the author completely by surprise. 

By many accounts, they seemed to be humanoid, most of them strangely femenine in appearance as they wandered about the roadway, each of them intent on performing certain tasks or heading to specific destinations. A group of sturdy, muscular orange women marched by in a clean formation, a flock of tiny, teal, aquatic-winged girls flittered past a patrol of green, single-eyed women rushing for what seemed to be a nearby airfield. And yet, for as colorful and contrasting as the residents of this world seemed to be, one pair among them in particular instantly caught Ford’s eye, even from afar. 

Both of them were small in stature, around the same height as one dutifully led the way in front of the other. And yet, what shocked the author the most was the mere sight of them; one red, one blue, but so incredibly familiar that it had to be them, it had to be. Even if it made no sense for them to be in a place like this, Ford would know that iconic couple anywhere, whether they were together or apart like they were now. Which was why he largely,if not foolishly, threw all sense of stealth right out the window in favor of reuniting with, at the very least, who he hoped actually were two of his former friends this time around. 

“Ruby! Sapphire!” Ford called, rushing out from the alley. The moment he did, the rush of activity in the street he heedlessly ran straight out into came to a complete standstill, with everyone in the immediate vicinity practically freezing in place as soon as they spotted or heard the author. Clearly, none of them knew what to make of him or what to do as he merely ran past them all, not regarding any of them as he instead kept his sights on the Gems he believed to be Ruby and Sapphire on the other side of the thoroughfare. Said pair of Gems spun around as he approached them, one of them startled while the other seemed to be expecting his arrival. Still that didn’t stop “Ruby” from rushing to leap in front of “Sapphire”, aggressively standing her ground against the much taller human before her. 

“You there!” she shouted, glaring up at Ford furiously, though her expression also betrayed her clear bewilderment as well. “Uh… you...  w-whatever you are!”

“That is a human.” “Sapphire” noted calmly. 

“Oh! Uh… o-ok!” “Ruby” nodded, taking her word for it. “Human! I order you to stand down and, uh… leave my Sapphire in peace! Or else!”

“...What?” Ford raised a confused eyebrow as he looked down at the pair. “Ruby, what in the multiverse are you talking about? You know me! Both of you do!”

“We don’t know any human!” Suddenly, from just behind “Sapphire” another Ruby entirely emerged, with another one following her right after to flank the blue Gem protectively. 

“Y-yeah!” the other Ruby exclaimed, feigning toughness before she muttered obliviously to her companions. “Uh… what’s a human?”

Ford started at this, completely dumbfounded by the trio of Rubies and the single Sapphire before him. And yet, as he took another look at the group before him, he quickly realized exactly what made them all stand apart from the Gems he knew. Namely, the fact that the Sapphire’s gemstone rested on her chest, while the Rubies had theirs on their cheek, shoulder, and forehead respectively. Each an obvious difference from the palm placements of the Ruby and Sapphire he was familiar with. “W-wait…” he faltered, taking a stumbling step away from the group. “Y-you… you’re not-”

“You must have us confused with someone else,” the Sapphire noted evenly, her stoic expression unchanged. “Also, you might want to run.”

It didn’t take long for Ford to understand the reason for this advice as a sudden clamor arose on the far side of the roadway. While most of the other women, or rather, likely Gems, the author inferred, could really only stare at him in baffled shock, one faction among them had rallied themselves into action. They were all strongly-built, soldier types, and Ford briefly thought a few of them might have even looked like Amethyst if not for their larger bodies and longer hair. All the same, the entire crowd of them had their curious, yet confounded sights set solely on the author as they erupted into a rowdy ruckus amongst themselves. 

“Hey! What is that thing?”

“It’s not some kinda new Gem is it?”

“Of course, it’s not a Gem, stupid!”

“Who you calling stupid, stupid!”

“Enough!” A loud, impatient shout broke through the argument, stalling the group as they made their heated approach toward Ford. The crowd of Gems quickly parted ways for their superior, each of them greeting her with respectful cross-armed salutes as she regarded them bitterly. As for that superior herself, she was every bit as intimidating as the Amethysts both in stature and in pallor given her dark orange coloration and severe, yet stately manner. “What in the name of the Diamonds are you Amethysts causing such a fuss about?!”

“F-forgive us, Fire Agate!” one of the Amethysts stammered nervously. “B-but we think we might have just found an Off Color and we-”

“Wait...” Fire Agate swiftly silenced her as she finally spared a glance over at Ford. For his part, the author was far too startled by the unfolding situation to really try to make too much sense of it, much less react to it like he should have. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel rather anxious under the incredibly scrutinizing gaze Fire Agate was sending his way. “You complete and utter clods!” she snapped suddenly, smacking the pair of Amethyst’s closest to her upside their heads harshly. “That’s not an Off Color! It’s something far worse; that’s human!”

“Ooooh, a human,” one of the Amethysts nodded, feigning understanding before she whispered to her companion. “What’s a human?”

“It’s one of those things from Earth, dummy.”

“I’m not a dummy, dummy!”

“Quiet!” Fire Agate shouted at them before she turned back to Ford. “And as for you--I don’t know how you managed to get here from that disgusting mudball of a planet you call home, but here on Homeworld we do not take kindly to you lowly organic lifeforms.”

“H-Homeworld!?” Ford exclaimed, genuinely shocked. 

Yet despite that shock, Fire Agate largely ignored him as she addressed the pack of Amethysts once more. “Yellow Diamond will certainly want to see this… interloping creature,” she stole another disdainful glance at the dumbfounded author before her. “Amethysts! Let’s take this… thing to her and see what she has to say about it…”

“Yes, Fire Agate!” the Amethysts dutifully saluted once more before moving forward. Ford didn’t even have enough of a chance to shake himself out of his bewilderment and grab the blaster he always kept tucked away within his coat before the muscular Gems were upon him, overpowering and apprehending him in a matter of seconds, despite the struggle he tried to put up. 

“I told you that you should have ran,” the Sapphire noted as they began to drag him away. 

As soon as they saw that the “invading” human had been restrained, the other Gems in the thoroughfare were quick to get back to their business as usual. At the same time, Ford was somewhere between a dumbfounded daze and resilient resistance as two Amethysts tightly held his arms on both sides, trudging along as Fire Agate led the way. Still, Ford was never one to go down without a fight as he continued struggling against their secure grip, throwing out threats and profanities until Fire Agate finally formed a bubble around his head to largely silence him out of sheer annoyance alone. Yet that bubble hardly kept the full weight of where he was from hitting him in full force. 

The Gem Homeworld… a place I’d only ever known from vague mentions of it from Rose and the other Crystal Gems. And yet, through some cruel twist of fate, there I was, on the hostile world my friends had once called home eons ago. A world where there was no place for humans such as myself whatsoever. 

Yet as those Gems carried me through its gilded corridors against my will, a sobering thought soon crossed my mind. For as far as it was from Earth, Homeworld was still in the same dimension. Which meant that I was in the same dimension. Which meant that--the distant planet I had ended up on notwithstanding--I was about as close to home as I’d been in 30 years. 

Part of me dared to wonder if this could be just another parallel dimensions with glaring similarities to my own. While I had no way of knowing for sure at the time, now I can say with certainty that this was in fact not the case. I had indeed made it back to my own dimension… Which made everything that happened next all the more incredible and infuriating. 

Following a series of lengthy straightaways and a trip over a warp pad or two, Fire Agate and the Amethysts had carried him to a massive, elegantly designed golden structure, with a doorway that rose high above the group approaching it. In front of that doorway, another pair of identical Gems, yellow and almost brick-like in appearance, stood guard, though much like the Amethysts, they regarded Fire Agate with clear respect as she approached them. 

“Step aside, Topazes,” she commanded haughtily. “I come seeking an urgent audience with our Diamond.”

The two Topazes said nothing, merely exchanging a glance and a nod before they obediently moved to let Fire Agate and her entourage inside. The doors parted to reveal a large, lofy, yet mostly empty chamber, one that sparkled yellow every bit as much as its exterior. Countless bubbles containing misshapen congregates of Gem shards floated still and silent throughout it, and sitting at the far end of the room was by far the most imposing Gem Ford had encountered in his relatively short time on Homeworld so far. 

The Gem who had to be none other than Yellow Diamond herself. 

Currently, the matriarch was preoccupied by her work on a series of holographic screens hovering before her. She was accompanied by a much smaller Gem who, aside from her pale lemon coloration, bore a striking semblance to Pearl, at least in Ford’s opinion. Even so, the author mostly kept his sights on Yellow Diamond herself, immediately distrusting her before she even so much as looked his way. Because after years of traversing countless dimensions and squaring off against conquerors and kings, he knew a tyrant when he saw one. 

“Hello, my Diamond!” Fire Agate greeted her superior, throwing on a sacrine grin. “Might I say you’re looking positively radiant today?”

“What do you want, Agate?” Yellow Diamond asked bluntly, not bothering to glance up from from her screens whatsoever. 

“A-ah, yes, well,” Fire Agate cleared her throat awkwardly. “We--I was just out near the square, keeping an eye on this rowdy batch of Amethysts that just came in from your newest colony, when all of the sudden, everything came to a complete standstill! Naturally, my Diamond, it’s my duty to investigate such matters, so I-”

“Get to the point, already,” the matriarch huffed with an impatient wave of her hand. “I’m very busy and I do not have to waste any unimportant, unwanted intrusions.”

Fire Agate let out a small, anxious squeak as she straightened up her posture somewhat. “Y-yes, of course, my Diamond! A-all this is to say that… I’ve brought you a human!”

“A human…” Yellow Diamond repeated, initially disinterested. 

“F-from Earth!”

The matriarch suddenly froze, her eyes growing wide as she at last tore them away from her holo-screens. Her sights quickly settled on Ford, and as they did, he swore could feel the palpable hatred she automatically beared toward him just from her diamond-pupiled gaze alone. “Agate,” she began, her tone surprisingly calm and quiet when compared to the tranquil fury her expression otherwise betrayed. 

“Yes, my Diamond?” Fire Agate grinned eagerly, expecting some sort of praise or perhaps even a reward. 

Though what she actually ended up getting from her Diamond was nothing more than a harsh dismissal instead. “Take your Amethysts and go. The human stays here with me.”

“Oh, of course, my-” Fire Agate stopped short, her eyes wide as she looked to her superior, dumbfounded and dismayed. “Wait, w-what? A-are you certain, my Diamond? After all, it is armed…” She glowered as she nodded back to the author, or more specifically the quantum destabilizer strapped to his back. 

“I said go,” Yellow Diamond reiterated coldly as she rose to stand at her full, towering height. 

Fire Agate flinched fearfully, cowering under her Diamond’s severe stare just as much as her accompanying Amethysts did as they swiftly released their hold on Ford. “Y-yes! Right away, my Diamond!” she readily nodded, abruptly turning on her heel. “Amethysts, come! Let us leave our Diamond to her very important devices!”

None of the Amethysts argued as they rushed out right after Fire Agate, the large chamber doors sliding shut behind them to leave Ford alone (mostly alone, aside from her Pearl) with one of the very rulers of Homeworld itself. And as soon as they were gone, the author didn’t hesitate to immediately pull one of his several blasters out of his coat before taking aim directly at the matriarch. “She was right, you know,” he said, boldly glaring up at her. “I am armed--heavily so.”

Yellow Diamond said nothing in response to this, instead just raising an eyebrow, almost as if she was challenging him to attack her. Though somewhat confused by this, Ford did so, firing a powerful plasma blast straight for her head. The matriarch barely even had to move to deflect it however, merely swatting it right out of existence with a simple wave of her hand. Alarmed, Ford tried again with a different gun, only to meet similar results when the matriarch effortlessly blocked the blasts yet again. Still, the author kept on trying, using the vast variety of the arsenal he’d gathered over the years to so much as land a single scratch on her, but to no avail. All the while, her Pearl fearfully cowered behind her Diamond’s throne, watching the one-sided battle with wide eyes, at least until she realized her superior was clearly winning it. Ford eventually came to that conclusion too as he finally lowered just about the last of his weapons as he looked to Yellow Diamond incredulously. 

“W-what…?” he stammered, baffled that his blasters that could destroy other creatures in mere seconds didn’t phase the matriarch at all. “How-”

“I wouldn’t expect a creature as lowly as a human to know this,” Yellow Diamond began haughtily. “But all of your meager, primitive weapons are nothing to the strength and fortitude of a Diamond.”

Ford stilled at this, briefly taking a glance back at the now-finished quantum destabilizer on his back. A weapon that was powerful enough to take even a being as mighty as a Diamond down when nothing else could, certainly. Yet, as much as he might have wanted to, he knew the destabilizer was only good for a single shot, lest its precious power be depleted and diminished entirely. And that was a shot Ford knew he was saving for Bill and Bill alone the next time he faced him. 

“Now,” Yellow Diamond continued as she sat upon her throne once more, her Pearl quickly returning to stand by her side. “Before I obliterate your pathetic form for even daring to stand in my presence, tell me: how did you end up here in the first place? The last I saw of your kind, they were still playing around with stones and simple spears and could barely even ignite a flame on their own, much less build spacecraft that can travel across multiple star systems to get to a planet light years away.”

“Well, you must not have been to Earth in quite some time then,” Ford countered crossly. “You’d be surprised at what we humans are capable of now.”

“I don’t care what you’re capable of,” the matriarch glowered coldly. “I want to know how you managed to infiltrate my domain and why.”

The author crossed his arms, turning his nose up at her. “I’m not obligated to tell you anything.”

A bout of fierce fury flashed through Yellow Diamond’s expression at this, though her temper managed to even itself out again as she kept up her relatively calm composure. “Hmph, well that’s one thing that hasn’t changed over the past 6,000 years. Your kind is still just as infuriatingly stubborn; now I see where those ridiculous ‘Crystal Gems’ got it from…”

“T-the Crystal Gems?!” Ford exclaimed, a sharp gasp escaping him at the mere mention of his friends. “You know them?”

Yellow Diamond sent him a rather curious look at this. “You know them? Funny, I didn’t think human memory lasted that long, especially when it comes to a group of despicable traitors that were rightfully wiped from existence centuries ago…”

“Wiped from…” Ford trailed off in a whisper, still completely stunned as he happened to recall something Rose had told him about the other Crystal Gems years ago. 

“Back then there were more than just four of us,” she had said softly, sadly. “But… well, what happened to the others is… a very long story in and of itself.”

But now, with this new context, that story suddenly made sense. The Crystal Gems had indeed stood up to their former Homeworld, just as Rose had said, and they had paid a grave price for their resistance and their bravery. All except for the four that still somehow managed to survive it all back on Earth. 

By now, Yellow Diamond’s manner had turned thoughtful as she glanced away from him, opening one of her holo-screens back up to look over something. “I recently stationed one of my engineers on Earth to check on a certain… project of mine. She has been frequently sending back reports of her progress being repeatedly impeded by, in her own words, “a group of persistently aggravating clods who call themselves the ‘Crystal Gems’”.” The matriarch turned her piercing gaze back on the author. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that… would you, human?”

Of course, Ford did know about that group, and while the fact that they were still just as active as ever when it came to protecting the Earth was something of a comfort, the realization that Homeworld was aware of that fact too was anything but. “N-no, I don’t know anything,” he quickly denied as firmly as he could. “A-after all, I haven’t even been to Earth myself in 30 years, s-so even if I did know these so-called Crystal Gems--w-which I don’t--it’s not like I’ve been able to keep tabs on what they’ve been up to all that time.”

The author tried playing off his feigned innocence with a nervous chuckle, one that Yellow Diamond unfortunately didn’t seem to buy. “Why do I get the impression that you know much more than you’re letting on…?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. 

“I-I can assure you I don’t,” Ford reiterated his previous lie, desperately wishing the matriarch would just leave the matter at that. But of course, it was just his luck that she didn’t.

“Well, if you know nothing of this resurgent pack of rebel Gems, then how are you seemingly familiar with the concept of the Crystal Gems in general?” Yellow Diamond persisted, leaning forward on her throne a bit. “Furthermore, if you’re as unaware as you claim to be, then why would you come here, to Homeworld of all places? If these rebel Gems really do exist, then are you perhaps one of their expendable human spies? That is a tactic they often tried to utilize back during the war, you know. Though if you are, you should know… almost none of those spies ever made it back to them alive…”

“I’m not a spy!” Ford protested, though he knew that if Rose or any of the other Gems had ever asked him to act as such, he gladly would have done so. “I didn’t come here intentionally; I wound up here completely by random, and I-”

“Silence!” Yellow Diamond snapped with a fearsome glare. “Believe me when I say that I am far more clever than your meager human mind is. Clever enough to see through your ill-conceived ruse. Unfortunately,” She brought up another holo-screen, tapping away at it until the chamber doors behind the author slid open and the pair of Topazes that had been guarding it filed in. “I’m far too busy with much more important matters to attend to than to waste my valuable time interrogating a human that’s far too stubborn for its own good. So I’ll just leave that task to someone else instead.” The matriarch addressed the Topazes as they both got a secure grip on either side of Ford before he could even try to pull any of his weapons out again. “Get that thing out of my sight. Take it to one of the holding cells and notify one of the commanders--I don’t care which one--that it is to be questioned as soon as possible. And do not let it escape.”

The Topazes answered in a silent set of nods as they began to forcefully drag Ford away against his will. Yet even as he fought back against their unflinching hold, he glared back at the matriarch fiercely, refusing to let her win this victory over him so easily. “You better believe me when I say that I will escape,” he said bravely, rigidly. “And when and if I ever do get back to Earth, I’ll do whatever I can to help keep it safe from you.”

“Not if you manage to doom it even more than it already is first…” Yellow Diamond said coldly just before the chamber doors slammed shut between them. And yet, as soon as the author was gone, the matriarch quickly turned to her holo-screens once more as she began to open up a communication channel through it. 

“M-My Diamond?” her Pearl spoke up, somewhat anxiously. 

Yet her superior didn’t regard her, instead focusing on the call she was making until an all-too familiar, all-too cheery greeting rang out on the other end of the line. “Y-ello again, Yellow! What can I do ya for this time?”

“Cipher,” she began, her icy expression not changing as her thoughts turned toward a newfound long-term plan. “I believe I’ve come into possession of something that may just pique your interest… for the right price of course…”

After my harrowing meeting with Yellow Diamond, I was hauled off (quite awkwardly, I might add; turns out Topazes can trap people within their combined form when they fuse, it’s NOT something I’d particularly like to experience again!) to another part of Homeworld entirely. But even as I was thrown into a seemingly impenetrable prison cell, I could hardly claim this was the most dire straits I had ever been in. My main concern at the time still lied with keeping the secrets Yellow Diamond had tried to get me to divulge. After all, I had once placed a great deal of my trust in Rose and the Crystal Gems, and a large part of me still did even then. It was only fair that I maintained the trust they had for me, even now when my life was likely on the line if I maintained my silence. 

Still, despite my predicament, I couldn’t help but find myself somewhat lucky at the same time. With everything I’d seen and heard since my arrival, the evidence really was adding up to the idea that I was in fact back in my own dimension. Which meant that if I could manage to break out of this cell and make it to some sort of ship or other such spacefaring vessel, then maybe, just maybe, I might finally be able to make it home after all. 

And as it turned out, I wasn’t the only one trying to escape from Homeworld either. 

Time wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to keep in a cell that had no windows to the outside, and even beyond that, Ford wasn’t sure if time even worked the same way on Homeworld at all. Still, he did make an attempt at tracking how long he’d been left waiting in his holding cell through the ever-increasing number of tally marks he’d notched onto the wall. His weapons had been confiscated in short order as soon as he arrived at what he assumed was the Gem equivalent of a federal prison, though it was a surprisingly small structure with hardly any “prisoners” to speak of locked within it. The author’s best guess was that most insubordinate Gems were punished in a different, much more severe sort of way than merely being imprisoned behind stone walls many of them could just as easily break out of. Yet as Ford was about to discover, that wasn’t necessarily the case for every arrested Gem on the planet. 

The author had been sitting on the cold floor of his cell for at least several hours now, absently snacking on some of the rations he’d fortunately brought with him from the last dimension. He paused, however, as the door to the cell block slid open for the mighty orange Gem entering through it. A scowl rested on her face alongside the small, triangular stone that was in place of her nose as she marched forward, stopping at the otherwise empty cell directly across from Ford’s. 

“There,” she placed a teardrop-shaped blue gemstone on the floor of the cell before sealing it off with a sturdy sort of force field. “That should hold you until it’s time to go.” The orange Gem turned to leave, spotting Ford in his cell in the process, though she only regarded him with a single huff of bitter annoyance. “Ugh… humans…” she rolled her eyes, saying nothing more to him before she walked out altogether. 

As confused by that Gem’s brief appearance as Ford was, his attention was quickly drawn to the blue gemstone lying in the cell across from him. A bright light had enveloped it as it hovered into the air, the Gem’s slight, lithe body forming around it as a skirt furled out over her legs and her gemstone took up its spot upon her back. As soon as she had fully reemerged, the blue Gem collapsed to the ground on all fours, her breathing harsh and panicked as she looked around her cell frantically. “W-what? Where-” she stopped short as she suddenly glanced over her shoulder, a small, startled gasp escaping her as she caught sight of Ford, who was watching her curiously, even from a distance. “W-who are you?”

“Uh, I-I’m-”

“Wait!” the blue Gem swiftly interrupted him, her shaken shock increasing tenfold as she quickly looked him over. “Y-you’re a human!”

Ford resisted the urge to let out something of an annoyed sigh at this, mostly out of being generically identified as a human for what had to be the umpteenth time now. “Why, yes,” he nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“H-how did you get here?” the blue Gem asked, incredulous. “A-are you… did you come from… Earth?”

“Well, technically speaking, yes,” the author shrugged. “Though I haven’t actually been there for quite some time, to say the least.”

“S-so they’ve had you locked up here for a long time?” the blue Gem inferred. “But why? Wait, no, that’s a dumb question. Of course they’d lock you up. I guess that’s what they do to everyone who comes here from Earth now….”

“What do you mean?” Ford inquired, naturally curious. 

The blue Gem gripped her arms tightly as she knelt on the floor of her cell, looking down forlornly. “I was trapped on Earth for thousands of years, unable to escape,” she explained. “But then, just a few weeks ago, I was set free by three young humans. All I’d ever wanted was to get back here, to come home… but now that I’m here… it’s nothing like I remembered…”

Though he scarcely knew this Gem at all, Ford couldn’t help but feel a steady burst of sympathy upon hearing her tragic tale. Because he’d also wondered whether or not his own home would be the same as the one he’d been forced to leave behind 30 years ago. But whatever might have changed back on Earth certainly would pale in comparison to just how different things must have gotten here on Homeworld over the course of thousands of years of long lost time. “I’m… sorry to hear that,” he said earnestly. “To be perfectly candid, you don’t seem to be anywhere near as much of a menace as most of the other Gem’s I’ve had the misfortune of running into on my time on this planet so far.”

The blue Gem finally managed a small, albeit somewhat bittersweet smile at this. “Thanks. You don’t seem that bad either. For a human, that is.”

“Huh. That’s the first positive thing I’ve heard anyone around here say about humans,” Ford noted with a small smirk. 

“Gee, I wonder why that might be…” the blue Gem chuckled, though her levity soon faded. “Still, I don’t really get why they’re keeping you around. After what happened there, I thought they’d just as well destroy anything from Earth instead of just locking it up in some cell.”

“Well, apparently one of your leaders believes I possess ‘valuable information’,” Ford said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“That makes two of us,” the blue Gem sighed tiredly as she leaned against the wall of her cell. “What do you wanna bet as soon as they get that information, they’ll get rid of us both?”

“Not if we escape we don’t,” the author said resiliently. 

“Escape?” the blue Gem looked to him, dumbfounded. “I don’t know how this works back on Earth, but you don’t just escape from detainment here. The only time they let you out is when they need you… or want to shatter you…”

“Well, if I can escape the Drysenthium mines of the barren wastes of Olhomnom, then I can certainly break out of a Homeworld prison,” Ford grinned as he stood. 

“Uh… what’s that supposed to mean?” the blue Gem asked, confused. 

“It means I’m not giving up,” the author offered her a confident smile. “And you shouldn’t either.”

The blue Gem shook her head, clearly awash in doubt. “How can you say that when you don’t even have a way out of your cell?”

“Hm…” Ford paused to think, placing a hand against the relatively tangible, yet transparent field covering the opening to his cell. The blue Gem gasped, sitting up in shock as she watched him. 

“T-that… doesn’t hurt you?” she asked, more bewildered than ever before.

“No…?” the author frowned. “Should it?”

The blue Gem didn’t answer, instead anxiously reaching her hand out to the own field keeping her trapped, only to retract it back with a sharp hiss as it disrupted its form completely. “I-it’s a destabilizer…” she growled in apparent pain as she nursed her now reformed hand. “But I guess yours isn’t? O-or it doesn’t work on you. I-I don’t really know that much about how humans work…”

“Well, all the same, this field doesn’t appear to be something I can penetrate without one of my… weapons!” Ford exclaimed, balking in realization as he looked to the blue Gem sitting across from him. “You’re a Gem! You can summon a weapon, right?”

“No?” the blue Gem raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I guess if you’re not counting these.” Suddenly, a wide pair of wings, composed entirely of crystal clear water, unfurled behind her. “But… I don’t see how they’d do me much good since I can’t really fly past the destabilizer…”

“Well, certainly, you have other powers too, yes?”

“Uh… I can control water?” she ventured, taking a bit of water out from her wings and easily morphing its shape into various forms as it hovered above her open hand. 

“That’s perfect!” Ford exclaimed excitedly. “Why don’t you try manipulating some of that water toward the control panel right outside of your cell? It just might be able to short the circuit out and knock the destabilizer offline!”

“Mm… I guess I can try...” the blue Gem began her attempt, maneuvering her small bout of water to move it toward the field in front of her. And yet, as soon as it made contact with the destabilizer, the water was completely dispelled, practically vaporized almost instantly, much to her immense disappointment. “Of course… I knew it was too good to be true…”

“Hm, so that destabilizer also blocks your hydrokinesis from within…” Ford mused thoughtfully, a new idea forming in his mind. “But maybe… it could pass through the force field on my cell!”

“Huh?” the blue Gem watched in clear confusion as the author reached into his coat, pulling out the canteen he always tried to keep as full as possible.

“There’s water in here,” he told her, holding the canteen up. “If you can control it from a distance, then you can use it to short out my field so I can take yours down manually once I’m free.”

The blue Gem shuddered at this plan, her expression turning distrustful as she kept her sights trained on him. “You mean you’ll actually let me out?” she asked tensely. “For all I know, you could just be lying to me to get yourself out of here. How do I know I can trust you?”

“Well, I… suppose you can’t really,” Ford answered honestly. “In the same way, I don’t particularly know if I can trust you not to try to kill me or beat me senseless like most other Gems on this planet readily would. I guess in that sense, it all comes down to a two-way gamble, wouldn’t you say?”

The blue Gem hesitated, staring at the author intently as she tried to make up her mind about him. Ultimately though, she let out a relenting sigh as she rose to stand herself. “I must be crazy…” she shook her head as she let her aquatic wings disappear. “But… I’d much rather take a gamble that could get me out of here instead of just sitting around waiting to be shattered so... let’s do this.”

Ford nodded in sold agreement, holding his canteen out toward her. The blue Gem was able to connect with the water inside of it easily, raising a swath of it before slowly, carefully guiding it toward the field in front of the author. However, unlike what had happened with the destabilizer field, the energy it was made of did nothing to prevent her powers from passing through it. The blue Gem gasped at this, but she kept her hand steady, focusing on leading the water to the control panel on the wall beside Ford’s cell. Then, taking careful aim at the panel, she poured the water down upon it in a heavy torrent, one that was more than enough to not only damage it, but disable it altogether. 

Ford could scarcely hold back a relieved sigh as the force field in front of him fell, allowing him freedom once more. Briefly, the blue Gem looked to him skeptically, almost as if she didn’t think he would hold up the end of their bargain. But true to his word, the very first thing the author did was march over to her cell and, with a few mere taps on the panel beside it, cleared the destabilizing field that had been keeping her trapped. 

“Y-you… you really…” she trailed off, shaking her head as if to clear it as she offered him a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ford said. “But we’re not out of the woods yet. This place is likely crawling with plenty of Gems and I need to get the weapons they took from me back before we go.”

“Can’t you just get new weapons?” the blue Gem inquired, not fond of the idea of lingering in this prison any longer than necessary. 

“Normally, I’d say yes,” the author admitted. “But one of them is irreplaceable. And if I leave it behind, then everything I’ve ever worked for will be all for nothing. You’re welcome to go ahead on your own if you-”

“N-no,” the blue Gem interrupted, though her tone was apprehensive all the same. “You’ll never make it out of here on your own. B-besides, you… you set me free, when you really didn’t have to; I’ve only ever known a handful of humans who were willing to do the same. It’s the least I can do to repay the favor.”

“Then I’ll be more than happy to accept your help,” Ford grinned, knowing that help would be invaluable, especially given the blue Gem’s unique set of powers. “First, we’ll get my weapons. Then, we’ll get out of this structure. Then, we’ll find or commandeer a ship and use it to get off this planet once and for all. Sound like a plan to you?”

“...I guess at this point I don’t have too many other options…” the blue Gem sighed, almost strangely sad at the idea of leaving the planet she used to call home. Even so, she didn’t bother returning the hand Ford was extending out to her to shake as she simply nodded in agreement with his daring scheme instead. “But… yeah, sounds like a plan.”

And so we set out on their escape attempt, however risky and perilous as it might have been. Thanks to my companion’s skillful control over basically any liquid substance, we were able to disable any door that stood in our path. Navigating around the patrolling bulky Gems--or as my companion called them--Quartz soldiers, to be more precise, was a bit more of a challenge, however. With me defenseless and my companion not particularly combatant, we mostly had to rely on stealth when it came to getting around them. 

It took some doing, and a few close calls, but eventually we managed to make it to the makeshift armory they had stockpiled my stash of weapons within. Unfortunately, there was a Gem that was stationed guard there to prevent anyone from getting their hands on them. That Gem nearly alerted the entire base to our escape, until my companion quickly dispatched (and dispelled her form) with a powerful, yet contained wave of rushing water. 

To regain my quantum destabilizer alone was a massive relief, yet it was one that didn’t last long. Because though we did manage to clear the rest of the base easily enough, once we stepped out of it, we just so happened to find ourselves amidst one of Homeworld’s busiest sectors by far. And the moment so much as a single Quartz soldier spotted us, our plan fell apart at the seams. 

“Hey! Isn’t that the human that our Diamond ordered us to lock up?” one of the Amethysts from earlier shouted as she noticed the author and the blue Gem haphazardly tried to slip into the sizable crowd of Gems before them. 

“Yeah! And I think it’s with-” Ford couldn’t quite make out what the other Amethyst was saying, but he assumed she was referring to the blue Gem hurrying alongside him. 

“They escaped! Let’s get ‘em!”

“W-what now?” the blue Gem asked, panicking as the bustling crowd began to part to let the gathering horde of Quartz soldiers through. 

Ford took the briefest of moments to weigh their options, namely the sheer number of Gems that were angrily rushing their way. With his weapons in hand, fighting them off was a possibility, but it was one he’d rather not risk with victory being so close to being within reach. Which meant that there was really only one other thing they could do at a moment like this. “Run!”

The blue Gem didn’t need to be told twice. Without hesitation, she called upon her powerful watery wings and came to a hover, flying just a bit ahead of Ford as he ran after her. “Grab my hands!” she called, holding both of them out to him. The author tried to do so, though as he reached for her, a sudden spear tore across the back of his hand, landing a heavy cut. Ford hissed in pain as he gripped his injured hand, glancing back to see that several more of the Quartz soldiers were just as ready to toss their weapons right at him. The soldiers themselves were practically upon him, the short distance of just a few mere feet between them being far too little for comfort. On impulse, the author pulled out one of his blasters and took aim at the group, and briefly, he expected the blue Gem to be just as ready to do the same when it came to taking up opposition against their oppressors. 

“Come on! We can take them!” he exclaimed brazenly, though his courage was something the blue Gem didn’t quite share.

“N-no,” she shook her head, terrified as she glanced between him and the horde of soldiers. “I-I… I can’t…”

“What are you talking about?” Ford looked back to her incredulously. “Your powers are more than enough to-”

“I-I just… I can’t be trapped all over again!” she exclaimed, desperate as she flew a bit higher into the air. “I just can’t!”

“W-wait!” Ford exclaimed, realizing her intention just as she started to slip out of his reach. And with her, any chances of him finally getting back to Earth slipping away too. 

Pain and guilt welled up in the blue Gem’s eyes, but it was clear that she’d made her choice as she offered him one final, fleeting farewell. “I-I’m sorry…” she whispered in the last seconds before her wings propelled her upward in a single, powerful flap. And just like that, she had taken to the skies, flying high out of reach of the soldiers’ weapons as she made her escape… and leaving Ford behind in the process. 

That Gem… who I now know to be Lapis Lazuli, did eventually make it back to Earth, much like myself. Yet I hardly hold her hasty actions against her (not that I ever really did to begin with). Her greatest desire was freedom, and based on what Dipper has told me of her lengthy tale of repeated imprisonment and woe, blaming her for what happened next would be just plain coldhearted of me. I thought I had suffered plenty during my thirty years of wandering the multiverse, but compared to everything Lapis has been through, all of my many hardships feel as though they amount to nothing at all. 

In a way, Lapis’ timely flight actually ended up giving me just the opening I needed. Because as the Quartz soldiers were distracted with their futile attempts at apprehending her, I managed to find enough time to continue my own escape attempt. It didn’t take long for the soldiers to give chase as I hurried through Homeworld’s crystalline corridors, firing a blast or two back at them every so often to try and shake them off my trail. Yet for every one of them I managed to hit, it seemed like two more would take their place, all of them intent on taking me back into custody or killing me, whichever came first. Along the way, I tried to locate any sort of ship I could, one that could hopefully get me off of this totalitarian nightmare of a planet altogether. Though much like everything else, those hopes were quickly dashed as soon as I happened to catch the attention of just about the last Gem I ever wanted to see again. 

Ford could feel fatigue starting to weigh upon him as he sprinted through another of Homeworld’s seemingly endless thoroughfares. The planet must have been massive, he assumed, to have their airfields spread out so thin to the point that he hadn’t so much as spotted a single sign of one. The army of Quartz soldiers had been tailing him essentially the entire time, and try as he might to throw them by slipping into an alley or climbing onto a building, he was always discovered again by at least one of them. Yet at the same time, he always managed to evade the rather dull-witted Gems, making for an arduous, if not frustrating chase on both sides. At least until that chase was put to a very abrupt end. 

Ford was all but completely consumed by adrenaline as he ran under a towering bridge that he’d been dragged along not so long ago. He hardly recognized the landmark though, much less the glittering golden structure it led to, even as its lofty doors slid open and one of the matriarchs of Homeworld itself stepped out from them. But as soon as Yellow Diamond so much as heard the noisy chaos erupting hundreds of feet on the ground below her bridge, she wasted no time in intervening. 

The matriarch landed hard, yet solidly just a few feet in front of Ford. The author, as well as all of the Quartz soldiers who had been chasing him, slid to an abrupt stop, all of them equally terrified as Yellow Diamond rose to her full, momentous height. “Now, what in Homeworld is all this fuss-” she stopped short as soon as she caught sight of Ford, unspeakable fury filling her expression as bright sparks of golden electricity began to ripple across her entire form. “You,” she hissed hatefully before turning her ire toward the army of Quartz soldiers behind him instead. “Idiots!” she shouted, lashing out an electrified hand at them. As soon as her incredible power surged through them, their forms were destabilized instantly, leaving only their prone gemstones behind as Yellow Diamond continued her rampage. “Imbeciles! I’ve never seen such incompetence before! How much does it take to keep a measy, weak, insignificant HUMAN restrained?!” 

Ford flinched, watching as the last of the soldiers were temporarily disposed of before Yellow Diamond turned her vengeful sights back on him. “Well, to be perfectly fair,” the author spoke up as nonchalantly as he could manage. “I did warn you I would escape. And I’ve always prided myself on being a man of my word.”

“QUIET!” the matriarch yelled, absolutely outraged by his insolence. “My patience with you has run out, human. Information or no information, I am not going to let you simply run free causing all kinds of chaos and making a mockery out of my court! It’s time for me to do what I should have done from the beginning, and since I’m the only one around here with any intelligence to speak of, it looks like I’ll just have to do it myself…”

Bright electricity sparked around both of Yellow Diamond’s hands as she glared down at him with nothing less than the most hostile, practically murderous intent. Though Ford knew he didn’t really have anything that could be used to protect him from the brutal attack she planned on unleashing upon him, he still boldly stood his ground against her anyway. After all, if there was one thing he refused to do, it was meet his end in fear instead of bravery. 

Yet for as impending as the matriarch's vicious assault seemed, it never reached the author. For just as she fired off her heavy torrent of destructive lightning, the ground directly under Ford’s feet suddenly split open as none other than a dimensional wormhole tore itself into existence below him. The author only had time to let out a startled gasp before he fell into it completely, catching Yellow Diamond off guard as her electric attack missed its mark entirely. 

“W-what?!” she exclaimed, dumbfounded and infuriated as the portal slammed shut just as quickly as it had appeared. “W-where-”

“Don’t worry about ‘ol Sixer, Yellow!” a bright, irritatingly familiar voice echoed out, one that only Yellow Diamond could hear as her immense rage seemed to spike tenfold. “I’ll take care of him from here…”

The suddenness of being sucked out of one dimension and into a new one wasn’t something I was exactly unfamiliar with. And yet, the stark contrast of the orderly yet oppressive Homeworld to the incredible chaos I found myself abruptly hurled into was a shock to say the least. Especially when I realized exactly where this chaos was. 

My return to the Nightmare Realm was something that I had planned in my head for so long that it was difficult to believe it was actually happening. Plus, there are dimensions where everything happens in your head, so it can get confusing. But there was no mistaking the Nightmare Realm for another dimension. The constantly shifting kaleidoscope of color, lack of gravity, and persistent smell of burnt hair were all signs that I was in the right place. And of course, there was also the fact that Bill Cipher’s goons spotted me almost as soon as I arrived. 

Ford barely had time to acclimate himself to being off of Homeworld and out of Yellow Diamond’s reach before he found himself in incredible danger once again. Bill’s rowdy pack of monsters and demons didn’t hesitate to incite a chase against the author, one that was much more harrowing than his flight from the Quartz soldiers only mere moments ago. And yet, despite how unexpected the entire situation was, this was something Ford felt far more ready for than anything he had been through on Homeworld. He had faced these same bizarre creatures 30 years prior, and though he was a good bit older now than he was then, he had the advantage of being much more fit and agile thanks to the trials of the travels he’d experienced during that time. And having at least 10 different death rays at his disposal didn’t hurt either. 

Bereft of any of the blind, panicked terror he felt the last time he’d been lost within the Nightmare Realm, Ford charged his way through the horde of henchmonsters, blasting as many of them as he could aside in short order. After all, he wasn’t here for any of these second-rate cronies; he had only one target in mind and as he heard Bill’s sadistic laughter echoing through the vast twisting space before him, he knew he was closer to annihilating that target than he had ever been. 

“Long time, no see, huh, Sixer?!” Bill called from wherever he was. Between the monsters he had just dispatched, Ford thought he briefly caught a glimpse of his foe’s triangular form afar in the distance. And it was enough of a glimpse for the author to readily give chase instead of wasting his time with the underlings. “Looks like you’ve got a few new fancy toys since the last time you were here! Why don’t we test ‘em out?”

“Gladly…” Ford growled rigidly, the mere sound of the demon’s grating voice alone sparking white hot rage within him. Knowing it was finally time, he pulled his quantum destabilizer forward, gripping it like his life depended on it (which it very much did) as he continued soldiering on ever deeper into the unknown. 

With his henchmen in disarray, I had what would probably be my only chance to attack Bill directly. Cipher sensed that, for once, momentum was not on his side, so he retreated to something called the “Quadrangle of Qonfusion”.

The Quardrangle of Qonfusion was a twisted mess of stairs, halls, and corridors, each of them clashing heavily against each other and all of them having their own strange sort of gravity. None of it made any sort of sense to the author as he emerged into it, caught up on an upside down staircase as he noticed Bill casually gliding through the hallway just below him. “Cipher!” he shouted, taking aim with his destabilizer as Bill gleefully waved at him. 

“Aw, what’s the matter, Fordsy? All twisted up?” the demon chuckled just as he disappeared from sight. 

Ford let out a disappointed huff at this, but even so he kept going as he tried to untangle the unreal architecture of Bill’s massive fortress. And of course, all the while the demon made sure to continue his barrage of callous taunts, occasionally popping into the author’s line of sight, but never long enough for him to land a successful blast or blow. 

“I don’t get why you’re so upset, Sixer,” Bill remarked from somewhere Ford couldn’t quite place as he wandered across a sideways bridge. “After all, I did save you from your dear old Diamond friend that you managed to royally piss off just before she could roast you into a human-scented crisp. After all, I couldn’t just let her have all the fun when it came to finishing you off! I mean, she doesn’t have half the history with you that I do!”

“A history of treachery and deceit, you mean?” Ford accused coldly. 

“You got it! Nothing but precious memories for the past several decades!” the demon quipped with a twisted laugh. “Oh, but speaking of Diamonds… since you aren’t exactly making it out of here alive, I figured I might as well share a fun fact with you,sort of as one last hurrah before it’s all over.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t care to hear it,” the author staunchly rejected. By now, Ford had spotted an opening as Bill had come to take a seat atop one of the Quadrangle’s many askew pillars. The demon’s back was turned to him and the author had the advantage of a well-placed wall to conceal himself behind. All he’d need is just one clean shot straight through the demon’s center with his quantum destabilizer and it would all be over. 

“You sure?” Bill asked, his tone calm and easy. “Not even if it’s a fun fact about… Oh, I dunno, your old pal Quartzy? Something she never bothered to tell you before you wound up here…?”

Briefly, Ford started at this, but then shook his head to clear it of any such morbid curiosity. “There are a great many things Rose never told me about herself or her species,” the author replied honestly as he positioned the quantum destabilizer just right. “I’ve come to accept that and respect her privacy. Something you should learn how to do for a change.”

“Aw, but where’s the fun in that?” the demon countered. “Besides, what I’ve got for ya is a real doozy, something that she’s never told anyone--well, outside of Bird Brain, I guess, but she’s not telling anytime soon. And Quartzy’s definitely not telling anyone anything lately--you know what they say, dead Gems don’t talk!”

“Dead--what?” Ford took pause at this, staring at the demon incredulously. At the same time, he had just lined up the destabilizer’s crosshairs--which he’d specifically designed to be in the shape of a triangle--right up with Bill, who still seemed to be none the wiser. The moment he had worked and struggled for all these years had finally come. It was time. All he had to do was pull the trigger and end this once and for all.

And yet, for whatever reason, he still hesitated all the same. 

“Eh, that part’s not important right now,” Bill said with a dismissive wave of his hand as he finally got to the point. “What is important is that you never even knew that all this time, Quartzy was really-”

Before the demon could get so much as another word out, the entirety of the Nightmare Realm seemed to erupt into violent tremors out of seemingly nowhere. The heavy shaking was enough to completely throw Bill off his perch as well as send Ford falling to the ground, his destabilizer nearly falling out of his grip in the process. The source of the resounding quake soon became clear, however, as the chaos that was natural to the Nightmare Realm only seemed to multiply astronomically when it’s constantly-shifting atmosphere was torn asunder. The sky was overtaken by a wormhole, one that grew ever wider with each passing second as it flooded the entire dimension in its nearly blinding light. 

“W-what is that!?” Ford asked, more to himself than anyone else as he gaped up at the massive wormhole. 

His question was met with a heavy gale of intense, elated laughter from Bill as he came to hover just above the Quadrangle. “That, Sixer, is our ticket outta this dump!” he exclaimed with genuine excitement. “Finally, after all these years of waiting, it’s FINALLY happening! Some nimrod was finally smart enough--or dumb enough depending on who you ask--to get that portal of yours working again! Which means it’s time for your dimension to finally see what fun REALLY means!”

“The portal!” Ford gasped, the full realization of what was happening hitting him hard and fast. “No!”

“C’mon, boys!” Bill called to his horde of hench-monsters as they all rose up to the occasion, every bit as eager as he was to get going. “It’s moving day! We’ve got ourselves a whole planet to conquer, governments to topple, people to kill, the whole nine yards! So let’s get there and get the party started!”

As the hench-monsters exploded into a cacophony of wild cheers and shouts, Ford raced to pick himself up off the ground, sliding his destabilizer back over his shoulder as he slid his protective goggles on. At that moment, nothing else mattered, not even his longstanding vendetta against Bill. Nothing possibly could matter other than rescuing his home from the gruesome fate Bill and his cronies had in store for it. 

There was no time to question why or to curse my luck. Bill was incapacitated with laughter, but I needed to beat the rest of his hench-monsters to the portal, or my home would be invaded by his forces. So I ran along the length of the Quadrangle, and as I approached the edge, I jumped in the air while simultaneously tossing a concussion grenade behind me. The force of the blast was enough to catapult me past the demonic gang and through the portal just as Bill realized what was happening. 

As the passage between the two dimensions collapsed behind me, the last I heard of the Nightmare Realm was Bill’s outraged shout following after me: “STANFORD PINES!” 

And just like that, my one and only chance to put a much-needed end to Bill and his wicked ways disappeared, just like I did through the portal. I reentered the world of my youth to find my closest friends didn’t even remember me, and the one I trusted most among them didn’t even exist anymore at all. And to face a brother I had not seen in 30 years. My frustration was indescribable--once again, my brother’s actions had sabotaged everything I had ever worked toward! 

Ford sighed, disgruntled as he finally pulled his pen away from the journal. Several pages had been filled with his recollections of the multiverse by now, recollections that had just about reached their end. He’d been at it all night, reliving his adventures, both good and bad, as he chronicled them in full. And yet, despite his thoroughness, the story still wasn’t complete. It wouldn’t be until the one who had caused so much of his strife, so much strife for so many, including his friends and his family, was no more. 

Yet, the author couldn’t exactly say that being back in his home dimension after all this time was more of a curse than a blessing. True, things had changed drastically over the course of thirty years--society had shifted, technology had progressed. And on an even more personal level, his house had been turned into a tourist attraction, Stan was just as irresponsible and unreasonable as ever, Fiddleford had been driven to madness (even if he had fortunately been driven back into some sense of sanity), Homeworld still sought to threaten the earth just as much as Bill was (their mysterious, alarming alliance notwithstanding), and most painful of all, Rose was gone. Still, for every point of pain or contention, there were still plenty of silver linings. His friendships with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and miraculously, even Lapis had been restored, and the bonds he’d formed with his newfound friends and family members, with Peridot and Stan’s two young employees, with Steven and Mabel and Dipper were invaluable. All bonds, all people that he knew were worth protecting. People that he vowed to protect as he wrote one final line in his journal for the night, ending his 30-year tale not on a note of resigned defeat, but of determined hope instead. 

My resolve to defeat Bill has never been stronger.

[kpopcrapbag]

Monday Night In (Round 1)

Type: one-shot mini-series

Genre: smut, fluff, fluffy smut, the tiniest dash of angst

Content: needy Jaebeom, shy Jaebeom, dirty talk, oral sex, and over-stimulation

Warning(s): brief mention of allusion to self-esteem issues

POV: 2nd person (Jaebeom x You)

Word count: 2.2 k

A/N: This is my first post. I hope I did well. I’m very new to writing fanfic. So please be nice, or at least constructive. This was supposed to be just one post, but I got carried away (since I’ve always been such a maximalist in my writing) so I made the executive decision to split it into parts. Anyway.. I hope you enjoy smutty Jaebeom content because that’s what I’m all about.

Prompt: GOT7 JB YCMN photo shoot by Naver x Dispatch 

You and your boyfriend are spending a lazy Monday night in. He had been busy for the past three weeks and you were making up for lost time. Jaebeom had suggested a romantic dinner at a trendy new restaurant, but you insisted on having him all to yourself for the night. So you ordered in and decided to watch a film you two had been meaning to watch together. 

Whenever Jaebeom would get busy with GOT7, you two would usually allocate the little time you had together for intimacy. Which was easy since you share an apartment. Both of you figured that you could always talk through texts and calls anyway. It was something you two agreed on strongly. Having dated a few years now, you understood each other’s needs and were pretty in sync with each other.

At least Jaebeom thought so.

After dinner, you move to the living room sofa. Jaebeom takes his place on the middle right cushion expecting you to sit next to him on the left. But you sit on the far left, leaning on the arm rest and staring at your phone. Jaebeom is dumbfounded as he just stares at you blankly.

“Should we watch the film now?” he finally asks, trying to grab your attention. But you didn’t even spare him a glance.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N!” he almost shouts and you finally look up from your phone.

“What? Yeah. Let’s watch this bad boy,” you reply, barely looking at him. Your eyes are glued to your phone as soon as the words leave your tongue.

Jaebeom sighs but he presses play anyway. He figures when the film starts, you’ll pay attention to it or at least to him. He never wants to admit when he feels extra needy.

While he was busy promoting their latest album, you were also busy with work. You even had to go on several work-related trips outside the city last week. Whenever you two got really busy, it was normal that you wouldn’t be able to communicate as much. You’re cool with it. And so is he. Whenever this happened, you two would be inseparable when reunited.

So your behavior tonight really has Jaebeom confused and annoyed. Aside from the small talk over dinner a few minutes ago, you haven’t really been paying him any attention. But he’s going to be patient with you. God knows how patient you have been with him and his life as a kpop idol. So he tries to concentrate on the film. But he can’t help but glance at you. 

He scoots over to your side of the couch, gesturing you to lean on his left shoulder. You were still looking at your phone so you didn’t notice his invitation, so you rest your head on his lap instead, which is your usual position when you watch a movie together at home.

Jaebeom isn’t complaining though. He’s relieved you’re finally paying him attention. He reaches for your hand to hold but you lead his hand to your head instead and you resume holding your phone with both hands. Jaebeom laughs softly as he caresses your head, playing with your hair.

You adjust your position and instead of facing the TV, you were now facing up with your phone still your main view. If it weren’t for your phone, Jaebeom could simply lean over and you two would be face-to-face.

The contentment of having you lie on his lap slowly fades away. Usually this would be enough for him, but he was extra needy tonight. He starts glancing at you again. Eventually, he ignores the movie and just stares at you as he leans back on the couch.

It takes him a few moments to notice that you have been smiling and silently giggling for five minutes straight. Jaebeom tries to peek at your phone to find out what you’re looking at. But he can’t see it from this angle.

Jaebeom has the urge to just grab your phone and throw it away, so he can just hold you in his arms. But he doesn’t act on it. You two have had this fight before. It was messy. Eventually, he realized that he was just being insecure about the whole thing. He doesn’t want to go through anything like that again. So he sits up straight and focuses on the film.

“Damn, how is he this handsome?” you blurt out.

“Okay, that’s it,” he says as he gets up from the couch causing you to sit up too.

“I can’t take this anymore,” he continues, “Who is so handsome that you ignore me even though we’ve barely seen each other for weeks?”

You show him your phone. And he sees pictures of him from GOT7′s Naver x Dispatch photo shoot for their latest album. Jaebeom blushes.

You get up to hug him, your arms around his waist.

“His name is Lim Jaebeom,” you say as you look up at him, “He’s my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for four years now but we’ve known each other for seven. He’s the leader of the idol group GOT7.”

Jaebeom’s mouth is stiff and he can’t look you in the eye even though your face is right in front of his. Seeing him like this makes you giggle.

You sit back on the couch. Jaebeom is still stuck where he stood, still blushing. You grab his wrist and pull him to sit beside you.

“They recently had a comeback, but I was too busy with work to watch most of it,” you continue, “So I’ve been playing catch-up. I finished watching all their stages while I was travelling for work. And now, I’m just falling in love with his beauty all over again. He truly looks spectacular in this blue suit.”

Jaebeom swallows the lump in his throat. His face feels hot from embarrassment. He hasn’t said a word since you started talking.

“I’ve been loving how he’s growing out his hair recently, although I miss his undercut. But I really love how he looks with his long wavy hair.”

You shove your phone in his face as you praise his looks. He’s still pretty shy about it, quietly telling you to stop.

“Just look at that jaw line, his cheekbones, and, of course, those eyes!” As you mention your favorite features, you give them a slight touch, brushing your finger along his jaw, then his cheek, and just beneath his twin moles.

“Okay,” your boyfriend finally says a little louder. “You can stop now.”

“This black and white one has to be my favorite. His fingers on his lips like that? I mean talk about sexy.” You grab his hand and give it a little peck.

You bring the phone closer to you now as you sigh and continue to praise Jaebeom, while still holding his hand.

“He’s just so fucking hot. Don’t get me wrong though, he’s adorable and silly and dorky and hella cute too. But he is just pure sex sometimes, you know? This gaze is just so telling. He looks like this when he has the nastiest, dirtiest thoughts and he--”

You turn to Jaebeom and see that he isn’t acting so shy anymore. You look back at the photo, and then back at your boyfriend. He has the exact same gaze as the photo. You know you’re really in for it now.

“Jaebeom, baby, hey,” you say softly.

He takes your phone, places it on the table, and proceeds to inch closer to you. You lean back on the couch and he follows you, he plants his hands at either side of your head. You’re both lying down now and he has you pinned underneath him. His gaze unwavering.

“Go on, babe,” he says, his voice deeper now. “Tell me more. What happens when I have these nasty and dirty thoughts?”

Yep, you’re really in for it tonight. You tell yourself.

“You go full on beast mode,” you answer, almost breathless.

“Sounds rough,” he says as he brushes his nose against yours.

You nod and swallow the lump in your throat before you can say, “Yeah, really rough.”

Jaebeom rests his forehead on yours and says, “You look like you’re into that, though.”

Your breathing is shallow now and you can't even respond.

He moves to whisper in your ear, “I bet you love it rough. Like it’s the only way you want to be fucked.”

You let out a whimper at the sensation of his breath in your ear and your core trembles at his words.

“Is that what you want, babe?” Jaebeom asks, facing you now. “You want me to fuck you rough?”

You stare back into his dark, almost black eyes and you can feel the heat from your core spreading throughout your body.

“Yes, please,” you moan.

In an instant, Jaebeom’s lips come crashing down on yours. He doesn’t even need to slowly prod you for his tongue to enter, you immediately grant him access as soon as the kiss begins. It’s sloppy and hot. You realize he’s been so needy and desperate this whole time. He even growls when he sucks on your tongue.

You reach for the hem of his shirt and pull it up. Your kiss breaks briefly as he removes his shirt. You sit up a little to remove yours as well. Jaebeom smiles at the sight of your bare chest. You were always the type to remove your bra the moment you get home and he will always be grateful for that.

He lunges at your left breast, his mouth enveloping your nipple. Jaebeom sucks on it while his left hand gropes your right breast. His free hand ventures down to your crotch, grips it, and rubs down intensely, all while still devouring your breast. He swirls his tongue around the firm bud, then sucks on it, and then bites it. Hard. He looks you in the eye as he pulls away, while biting your nipple, with his gaze dark, intense, and sexy as ever. When your moans increase in frequency, he switches to the right one, ensuring it gets equal attention.

Jaebeom moves down your body, leaving sloppy, wet kisses as he makes his way to your vagina. He pulls down your sweat pants and panties in one go and dives right into your folds. His hands hold onto your hips tightly as his tongue enters you.

“Jaebeom!” you scream. But as he redirects his focus to your clitoris, you’re a moaning mess in no time, switching between calling out his name and cussing.

You grab his hair and pull on it hard, making him groan and suck on your clit even harder. He flattens his tongue on it and pushes down roughly while shaking his head, making you shriek and grip his hair even tighter. His left hand leaves your hip to play with your folds. When he feels you’re wet enough, he inserts his middle finger all the way in. He curves it and then pumps it in and out of you slowly. You grab the arm rest of the couch above your head and grip it tight as you scream for more.

Jaebeom inserts another finger and picks up the pace. Your walls start to clench around his fingers. He even playfully bites your clit, making you curse at the top of your lungs.

“Fuck, Jaebeom. Ah, fuck. Fuck!”

He inserts another finger and goes even faster. Your walls clench around him more and you both know that means you’re close to orgasm.

“You’re so close, baby,” Jaebeom says in between sucking on your throbbing clit, “Don’t hold back and cum real hard for me, yeah?”

“Fuck, yes. Oh god, yes! Jaebeom, don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop!” You scream and moan all at the same time. Your hands squeezing your breasts now, so desperate to cum.

Jaebeom inserts a fourth finger and you lose it, moaning incoherent words.

“You always take four fingers so well, babe,” he says in between licking your clit, “and you always feel so fucking tight.”

In moments, your orgasm crashes over you. You feel like you could black out from it. Your entire body is shaking from bliss. But Jaebeom doesn’t stop. He pleasures you through it. He slows down to match how your body shakes, but he still goes hard and deep inside you. With his four fingers thrusting in and out of you and his mouth sucking on your clitoris, your orgasm feels like it’s been going on for minutes.

This much over-stimulation is what you get for riling up a needy Jaebeom. But you never really complain about it until the next day and even then, when you can barely move, you still don’t regret it.

When he finally stops, he immediately gets up to get you some water and a towel. It annoys you how he seems to not even be shaken by all the work he did, while you’re a fucked-out mess and you were just lying there. You manage to sit up when your boyfriend comes back with the water and towel. He cleans you up while you down the tall glass of water.

...