#and my hair certainly doesn't LOOK like it took an hour and a half
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seekingthestars · 1 year ago
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got my hair cut today (haven't had it cut since early april) and it always looks good when a stylist blow drys it but it's always sorta a toss up of if it'll look good with my normal styling (which is basically nothing lol) so the jury's out until tomorrow BUT
right now i really like it đŸ„ș i got a bunch cut off and i feel so much better đŸ„ș
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towriteloveontheirarms · 4 months ago
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Cat got your tongue (Percival de Rollo x Half Tabaxi!Reader)
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synopsis: Percy liked to believe he wasnÂŽt territorial or easily jealous, but something about seeing you with Vax makes his blood boil.
warnings: jealousy, marking, smut, afab reader
word count: 0.9k
taglist: @hopelesswritergall
A/N: Thank you @kawaiiangel906 for this request and I am so so sorry it took me so long to get to it. I hope you still enjoy. <3
(If you want to be tagged for a specific character/fandom or in general let me know in my asks, comments or DMs)
Dividers by @saradika
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Laughter sounded over the grounds of the keep from outside all the way into Percy's workshop. Not even concealed by the sounds of the white-haired man tinkering with a weapon. It wasn't like he had much concentration left for it at the moment anyway, but what little was left of it before fled faster than it had come to him. This had been going on for far too long in his more or less humble opinion. This thing between you and Vax’ildan. Not a thing, as you had reminded him countless times, fur covered ears twitching at the idea of it alone. Worries temporarily stifled with a sweet kiss to the forehead and a deep hug. Filled with whispered confessions of love.
Grumbling under his breath Percy makes his way out of the keep.
“Percy!” You immediately jump up and run towards him, a wide grin on your face.
Percy’s eyes lay on Vax for a moment longer, who sits left behind on the grass where you had just trained with him, looking right back at the two of you. When Percy's eyes snap back to you he can see your mouth moving. Had he really not heard you talking this entire time?
“I'm sorry, my love. Could you repeat yourself?” He asks  the back of his neck.
“I just told you about my training with Vax
 Are you not feeling well?” Your eyebrows draw together tightly.
“N-No, it's nothing. I am quite alright. Thank you.” Percy takes a hasty step back to avoid your hand coming up to feel his temperature. “Perhaps too much time in the workshop. I am happy that the progress you and Vax’ildan are making is to your liking.”
“Come sit with us then. We were about to be finished for the day anyway.” Your hand caresses his cheek, the other taking him to pull him along.
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Night has never been particularly calm amongst the group either. Most certainly not since you had obtained the keep. Laughter and the sounds of people drinking into the early morning hours traveled easily. But this night's rest was particularly hard to come by. It could. Your bones hurt from the extensive exercise each day and the fights in between. Just not with a certain someone distracting you from the sweet release of slipping off to slumberland by needy lips grazing over the skin of your shoulder blades and teeth nipping at the column of your neck.
“Percival
” You groan. “It is late.”
The words come out mumbled and somewhat unintelligible. Still you turn your head until you can see the white head of hair from the corners of your eyes. One heavy hand finding its way into the light tresses to play with them.
“You have barely spent any time with me or anyone that isn't Vax’ildan lately.” Comes the equally mumbled response against your back.
He doesn't stop what he is doing until you are awake again and turn around fully.
“Love
” You begin a sentence but are quickly shut up by the possessive grip pulling your waist impossibly close to his.
“Shhh. This will just serve as a reminder to the others that you are mine.” Percy's teeth nip right below your jawline. Sucking on the tender flesh until deep purple bruises bloom all over.
Pressed into the mattress by his lean hips, you writhe and mewl helplessly. Subconsciously, your own hips begin to grind up against his after a while. Unable to just take it anymore.
“More.” You plead in high pitched tones. No matter how much you try, your voice just won't stay down.
“Nuh uh uh. What's the magic word, dear?” Percy reprimands you with a smile on his face.
He can feel the movement of your hips as well and it is a game to him. He is fully in charge of you and your pleasure in this moment and he knows it just as well as you do.
“Please, Percy. I need more.” You try again with your tail wrapping tightly around Percy's middle to prevent him from possibly pulling away.
“See, that wasn't so hard. When you ask nicely people will be far more inclined to give you what you are asking for.” He slides down almost unnoticeably, pushing up your nightdress, until his chin rests against your sternum, just underneath the valley of your breasts. Scattering more purple spots over them and then wandering further down. A puff of warm breath bringing your legs together around his shoulders. With a chuckle and two fingers, Percy opens them up again.
“Now, let everyone hear who you belong to.” The words echo in your ear as only moments after, his length impaled you in one rough thrust.
A groan in unison fills the room, on one side from the sudden stretch and on the other, because in response your claws shot out and dug into his shoulders. The rhythm with which he starts thrusting into you as soon as he recovers, has you near screaming. Moans of his name and desperate pleas string together to a sort of prayer. The sweetest prayer Percy had ever heard in his life. Until he has driven you over the edge so often that your throat is sore and your body is a twitching mess. Brain so clouded in fog that you can barely concentrate on anything beside his body against yours.
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As you lay beside each other, entirely spent, Percy's hand trailing over your side, a satisfied purring fills the room from your lungs. Not even strong enough to keep your eyes open any longer, you are finally granted the relief of sleep. Dreaming of only one man. The one right beside you, who at that moment felt you were his completely. Pressing one last kiss against the back of your neck as he drifted off to sleep as well.
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kitalphahart · 25 days ago
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Stardew Bachelor/ette headcanons
Some may actually be canon? Or quasi-canon. Keep in mind that my character is like me in the aspect of not choosing any of them to marry. I might do Krobus as a roommate, but that's about it
Leah: was the newest arrival until the farmer showed up. Wasn't looking for a relationship after the whole fiasco with Kel, and generally keeps to herself. Is somewhat closr to Robin due to both working with wood, albeit in different ways, and Elliot for being the only other person in the town who doesn't have a connection to someone who is or was part of it. As a result, she's a stranger to lost the townsfolk
Maru: would be an anxious wreck if she weren't medicated. Tried to get close to her half-brother all the time as a kid, but slowly stopped as he kept pushing her away. She does wish they could connect, though she doesn't know how or where to start. She enjoys working with Harvey, but outside work she can't really stand him. Would call him a weenie if she used that sort of language
Haley: is materialistic because that's how her parents spoiled her to hide their not-that-great parenting. Secretly she wishes she wasn't like that, but feels she can't truly change it. Besides, she occasionally gets pretty clothes from her parents and she can't not wear them, even if only once. Even if they are the wrong size, which they usually are. Got into photography due to her sister gifting her a cheap Polaroid camera
Emily: is into mysticism out of spite against her parents. Makes her own clothes out of spite as well. She hates her parents, but would never say so. Sandy is an ex, the two realized they are better as friends than dating, which is why they're still on good terms. Some people don't believe they broke up, and if the Farmer marries her, Sandy makes them a throuple. She doesn't like Clint but gets the feeling that if she rejects him he'll go psycho stalker
Abigail: is actually really good at using a sword. Marlon has given her lessons in secret, and sees her as an excellent apprentice. If only her father wasn't such a--. Forced by her mother to take flute lessons at first, but ended up enjoying them. If she crosses paths with the Farmer heading to the mines, she wants to join. Even if the monsters do scare her. Once she dyed her hair purple, not only did it not fade, nothing else sticks. Even stripping the color has it come back the next morning
Penny: wants a large family with someone loyal to her so she can raise her kids right, not the way she was raised. An excellent teacher for young kids, the main thing holding her back from being properly educated and certified to teach is her mother's drinking habits. She wishes she lived somewhere she could feel pride, but instead has the short stick and has to make do. She took up reading to get away from her negligent father and later abusive mother. Educating others was the next step in her mind, and she's doing what she can with what she has. The war doesn't make getting new textbooks easy, however
Sam: does not know how to act now that his dad is back. He's been Man of the House for so long, and now he's not. Focused on making a band and his guitar to compensate. Is actually good at composing music, but his aimless wandering for band type and music keeps him from getting anywhere. He ends up making music for kid's shows because he gets some variety, at least. Is aware that Vincent looks up to him and tries to be a good role model. Barring the skateboarding. He's toned it down a lot since his brother was born, but he's not above stunts
Sebastian: pushed his half-sister away first out of anger that him mom remarried, then because she's a girl and cooties, and now doesn't know how to fix the rift. Has depression, but it shows as isolation. He's seen how Shane gets and does not want to be like that. Better to stay in his room all day. A natural night owl, he chafes at daytime hours. His mom doesn't understand, and his step-father certainly won't. Speaking of, the two only interact as necessary. Sebby does not like him, and made it clear as a kid, pushing him away like he did Maru. This rift he feels is far too late to fix, and doesn't care (he claims) to fix it
Elliott: he has fallen for Leah, but won't admit it. Not after hearing about her ex and how they affected her. While he loves the idea of being the knight in shining armor rescuing her, he's too shy to do so. Even so, he is striking up a friendship with her because her sculptures are beautiful to him, and give him ideas for his novel. He does wish he could buy one, though. Or be gifted one. Is close to Willy as well. Proximity helps, but he's also fascinated by the stories the fisher has to tell. Even if some have been repeated and exaggerated over retellings
Harvey: actually had a hard time keeping up with a lot of stuff in his clinic until he hired Maru. He knows she's the reason the place stays afloat, and does all he can to keep her. In a professional manner, he loves her. In a personal manner, he has respect for her, but does not see her as a potential romantic interest. Has a late girlfriend who died from an incurable disease back in high school, motivating him to become a doctor after his fear of heights and bad eyes kept him from aviation. He won't ever admit it, but he's happy where he's at. Even if his diet is shit. Takes pride in his 'stashe
Shane: despite being Jas' godfather, he forgets about her a lot, especially when drunk. Losing his friends aka her parents, an injury keeping him from remaining in sports, and losing his dreams turned him to drinking to cope, and now he's in a rut he can't get out of. Not without help, anyway. Marnie is worried about him, and also concerned as to how he got her white and brown chickens to start popping out blue ones. What's next, pink chickens??? Constantly has stubble because the doesn't remember to shave. Or he does but since he uses an electric razor, forgets to plug it in, turn it on, or otherwise have it operate
Alex: knows he washed up, won't admit to it. His primary reason for not actually going pro and only bragging about it is because he doesn't want to leave his grandparents behind to find for themselves. He misses his mother every day, though he believes he cannot admit to it. He is a man, after all. Men don't miss people. Or cry. Under his manly man persona is a sensitive man, in touch with his emotions, but he doesn't want to admit that
Krobus: learned to talk from Gil after being found as an orphaned shadow beast. While he's reconnected to his people, he still feels different from them, having been raised by a human. He got his name after his kin discovered his upbringing, hoping that he can bring peace to their kind, as not all shadow beasts are monsters. Sadly, too many are interested in fighting to make things work
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northlt03 · 9 months ago
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I am a sucker for sibling Angst, man
Sirius who stayed in an abusive house just to keep an eye on his younger brother, just to make sure Regulus was always safe. He would rather his parents focus all their negative attention on him, if it meant Regulus looked tame in comparison. So that's what he did. He grows his hair long, endures the curses and when it gets too much, when he sees no other answer but to run away, Regulus doesn't come with him.
Sirius who watched his brother grow more and more distant each year until one morning, it was the middle of the war, there were deaths left and right. People Sirius had seen and talked to, people who became corrupted husks of their former selves with no backbones.
Sirius who was rude and blunt, hating Death Eaters with a burning passion, but when it's his brother's name in the paper, he breaks down. Looking after Regulus was his job. He can't help but think he should have done better. No one else could ever hope to understand and there's nothing to be done.
Nico di Angelo who's only constant for ten years had been his older sister. She was there when their mother died, she was there when a weird lawyer took them to a casino, she was there at the weird boarding school.
And then suddenly she was pulling away and Nico was only ten with no clue what to do. Bianca wouldn't listen to him, she discarded him at the first opportunity. And still he couldn't hate her.
They were siblings, cut from the same cloth, with the same blood running through their veins. How could he ever hate her for wanting to live her life?
Nico di Angelo who's sister probably sat with him and let him explain mythomagic to her. They would play for hours, Bianca wouldn't understand half of it, but that was okay, Nico just liked her presence. It wasn't as though she didn't pay him any attention. She followed the game, the cards and the statues, asking him questions and talking about it to cheer him up.
Nico di Angelo who ran up to the first demigod he had ever seen in action, where's my sister?
Thalia Grace who was only seven when her baby brother was born. She would laugh and play with him, because their mother certainly didn't care. She was there when Jason got the scar on his lip, when Jason rolled over, when Jason started to crawl, when Jason learned how to walk, when Jason's first word was "Tha- Tha". It was a while before he could say her name, and even longer until he could say "mom".
Thalia Grace who stayed for her brother and left only for a moment. That one moment. When she lost her brother. And when Jason was gone, there was no more need for her to stay anymore. She was afraid, afraid for what their mother might have done. What if she had too much to drink and in her drunken state did something horrible to her brother. Her brother. Jason had always been hers more than he was their mother's.
Thalia Grace who's last thought before being turned into a tree was probably that she might get to see Jason again (Halcyon Green had basically told her that). And when she wakes up, all she can see is green-ish blue eyes and blond hair and her first thought is Jason but it's some new demigod, a son of Poseidon.
Thalia Grace who found her brother over a decade after first losing him. She wraps her arms around him, pulling him close and telling him about a mother he didn't remember. Good she thinks. Beryl Grace was not a mother he should remember.
Thalia Grace who's baby brother is fifteen when she meets him and she looks almost sixteen, no one could be able to tell they had a seven year age difference between them.
Thalia Grace who's brother died at age sixteen. Older than she was biologically. Her baby brother.
Gone. Again.
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wordbreaker · 1 year ago
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The Taming of the Dragon, 1 ✷ Aemond Targaryen
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PAIRING: Aemond Targaryen / F!OC
SUMMARY: One evening, Aemong, in dire need of clearing his head, catches a Dragonkeeper on the beach tending to Vhagar. The Queen of Dragons doesn't seem bothered by the stranger's presence. Quite the opposite. Aemond is immediately intrigued. Even more so when he discovers that the stranger is a girl who comes from the North and bears the name Snow.
-ˋˏ following chapter ✶ ao3 ✶ my inbox ˎˊ-
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         Aemond Targaryen was on the verge of going mad. Everyone around him, from his mother to his grandfather and even his failing father, had only one word on their lips: Rhaenyra. His half-sister, who lived in Dragonstone, haunted the Red Keep. Her ghost wandered the corridors and manifested itself on their lips. He no longer wanted to hear that cursed name, which brought with it bad omens and curses.
“She'll do anything to usurp the throne! Even if she knows Aegon is the rightful heir!’ Alicent Hightower shouted.
Her brown curls bounced with every step she took. Her incessant to-ing and fro-ing along the Small Council’s table was making his head spin.
His mother had summoned him—as if Aegon wasn't the first son—to this secret meeting where her, his grandfather Otto, Criston Cole and Larys Strong would discuss stratagems, politics, and manipulations: three things he had started to loath. His love for his mother and his sense of duty had kept him from leaving the minute she made that request.
His expression revealed his true opinion of this ridiculous spectacle which he was watching with a distracted eye. He had stopped listening a long time ago and was waiting patiently—as was expected of him—to be dismissed. These discussions had a way of boring him. They went round in circles, nothing more than paraphrases of a previous meeting. A constant dĂ©jĂ -vu fuelled by obsession and a thirst for power.
“Viserys will come round,” her father reassured her.
The Queen laughed, a mundane, almost inelegant, gesture that was incongruous with her status. Rhaenyra had the gift of unearthing his mother’s inner ugliness. She could turn the most important woman in Westeros into the common little girl full of rage she had once been.
“She has his favour. She is the favourite child! He won't change his mind, not even about his first son!”
And what a son! Unsurprisingly, Aegon was nowhere to be seen today. His brother had never taken to politics. He was probably busy fucking some whore in the Silk Alley or some maid in his rooms, happy to let Aemond take over the responsibilities he left vacant.
Although it pained him to admit it, Aegon was the first son and he belonged on the Iron Throne. Aemond would much rather see his brother sit there than his whore of a half-sister. Aegon wasn't evil, just a misguided soul that his mother and grandfather would set straight. He was sure of that. Leaving the kingdom in Rhaenyra's palms, on the other hand, was tantamount to condemning the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms. Her reign would only bring calamity.
He tilted his head back and looked up at the ornate ceiling. His fingernails beat against the wooden table as the minutes ticked by. Slowly. Much too slowly. He held back a yawn.
The tone had been raised, words had been shouted, orders, given, and in the midst of all this racket, Aemond felt like screaming. He couldn't care less about Rhaenyra, his uncle, and her brown-haired bastards.
Aemond didn't want to suffer what his birth had spared him—responsibility. The second son was merely the replacement, the forgotten one. He would only appear on stage if Death came too early.
He wanted to be left in peace until then.
A futile desire for someone bearing the Targaryen name. No ancestor of the blood of the Dragon had known peace and he certainly wouldn't be the first.
The sun had been down for at least three hours when Aemond finally escaped from the clutches of his mother and grandfather. He mourned a wasted day and headed for his rooms.
On the way, he came across Aegon, his eyes reddened, and his eyelashes still stuck with sleep. His fist itched. He felt a visceral need to bring it down on his brother’s face. Why wouldn’t he grow up? What would become of Westeros if his grandfather and mother succeeded in making him king? Aegon was an immature fool and Aemond was expected to pick up the pieces. What did he gain by doing so? No recognition, no respect, and certainly not power. He was asked to do it because it was expected of him. An unspoken rule he learned to obey from an early age.
Aemond Targaryen would forever remain the second son, obscured by the shadow of Aegon’s unworthy glory.
“Brother.”
Aegon nodded, but the sly smile on his lips threw off any semblance of politeness. Aemond remained unmoved. He would not play his game, not tonight, although a few insults came to the tip of his tongue. He clenched his jaw.
“I assume the council was as interesting as usual. I'm sorry I couldn't be there but, you understand... A pretty servant was waiting for me. Couldn’t disappoint her, you know?”
Aemond didn't reply. He had not even deigned to leave the castle, not even his rooms. His hands began to shake, and a stabbing pain seized his sapphire eye, as it did every time he was upset. Lazy bastard.
When Aemond was mastering the art of sword fighting, Aegon was swilling whole jugs of wine. When Aegon was thrusting his cock between the thighs of a whore, Aemond was immersing himself in the histories of Old Valyria.
They couldn't have been more different.
Aemond continued towards his chambers, his face tense. Behind him, his brother burst out laughing and tried to talk to him, but he quickened his pace. Tonight, he had no patience for conversation.
Soon, the large wooden doors of his rooms appeared at the end of the corridor. The relief he felt was dulled by a weight in his chest.
At the last moment, Aemond turned around and hurried back. He felt as if he were suffocating within the gigantic walls of the Red Keep. The vast corridors were no longer so. They closed in on him and whispered hissing words. They slipped into his ear and snaked into his mind to unearth his worries. Stories of legitimacy, inheritance, the throne and responsibility—everywhere he went, his duty followed and plagued him.
Aemond needed to see Vhagar. He usually avoided disturbing her in the evening. His dragon was no longer in her prime and slept more than the others. Tonight, he would allow himself to be selfish. The need was too great. He had to clear his head, or he would go mad like many Targaryens before him.
He continued walking until he came to a darkened alcove. Aemond slid his hand over the cold stones. Eyes closed, he savoured the sensation. Click. He pushed open the wall, revealing a long and abandoned corridor.
The secrets of the Red Keep were no longer unknown for him. Aemond had spent his youth wandering up and down the corridors of the building in search of them. The stories said that Maegor the Cruel had beheaded the architects, the masons, the carpenters... all the brains and hands that built this fortress. They took these secrets to their graves, secrets that only the blood of the Dragon could recognise.
After the loss of his eye—thinking of Lucerys Strong made him cringe—Aemond had redoubled his efforts to find them all. These passages had offered him the ideal refuge to escape from the gaze of others during the most difficult period of his life. This tradition had survived.
Aemond didn't even stop in front of Balerion's skull—not when his own dragon, alive on top of it, was waiting for him—and he rushed through the corridors, down some stairs, up others, turned left and then right, down some stairs again until he finally reached a door which he pushed open.
The fresh air whipped across his face. Immediately, all his worries evaporated, although his hands continued to tremble—a vestige of his wrath. He inhaled the smell of the shore, a delicious mixture of salt and air.
Aemond made his way down the stairs and onto the beach. He relished the sensation of walking on the white sand. It crumbled under his leather boots. Aemond found this instability reassuring. Nature could be unstable too. The wind had picked up and was blowing thousands of grains around. These whirlwinds, small storms of matter, calmed him and the proximity of Vhagar finished off the hurricane rising in his heart.
With a slight smile on his lips, he walked over to the dunes where his dragon had taken refuge since he brought her back from Driftmark, eight years ago. A mountain of green scales stood among the other mounds of sand. It moved with every breath. Aemond could almost feel the warmth of her breath, the hardness of her scales, and could already imagine himself riding her, hair blowing in the wind, free in his mind.
His joy was short-lived. The gods did not like to see him happy.
Aemond stopped dead in his tracks. Next to the gigantic figure of Vhagar, a small silhouette stood out. It was fidgeting and tormenting the dragon’s sleep. The short distance between the two made him clench his fists. They were close, far too close. Aemond had forbidden anyone to approach his mount. He had never had to repeat his request before. Who would be foolish enough to approach a sleeping dragon? Those who had risked it were no longer around to tell the tale. They had been burnt to a crisp and their loved ones had had to mourn an unrecognisable pile of ashes.
The stranger must have been unconscious or just mad.
Aemond stomped over to them.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” he growled rather than asked.
He knew he was protective of Vhagar. Everyone around him had noticed. He had exchanged her for an eye, and this suffering had only redoubled his murderous impulses: Vhagar was his. Anyone who dared touch her would face his rage.
The latter rose in his chest and accelerated his heartbeat. It coursed through his entire being, leaving no part of his body untouched. His nails dug into the palms of his hands. His muscles quivered, waiting for just one thing—for him to attack.
He stepped forward, ready to confront the stranger, who jumped and turned but did not reply. This silence made him even more furious. Who dared ignore their prince?
Moving a little closer, Aemond recognised the gleaming black armour and scaled helmet of the Dragonkeepers.
A breeze of relief blew over his heart, but it didn't completely calm the agitation that had been building up inside. At least this person knew what they were doing.
Worry and anger gave way to curiosity: what were they doing here? Aemond had never come across a Dragonkeeper outside the pit. They lived there to ensure the well-being of the creatures. Like monks, the pit was their sanctuary, and nothing could keep them from their duties.    
Normally, at least.
He couldn't see their face. Vhagar's massive form cast an equally colossal shadow over their body, which was further darkened by the night. It was only when he was close enough to smell the smoke coming from their uniform that he realised it was a girl and, worse still, that he didn't know her.
The last time he had ventured into the dragonpit, he had been only ten years old and had two eyes. Back when he was still Dragonless-Aemond, the place had seemed unreachable yet idyllic—the embodiment of impossible dreams. Eight years ago, he would have easily been able to name the seventy-seven keepers with the time he spent there. He came every day, waiting for the moment when a dragon would accept him as a rider.
The Dragonkeepers’ faces had clouded over with time, reduced to vague memories that the satisfaction of having claimed Vhagar had swept away. Far too large to fit in the pit, his dragon had made her home on the dunes of King's Landing and, in doing so, had made the dragonpit a bygone era of his childhood.
“State your name. Now.”
She dipped into a clumsy curtsy, perhaps the worst he had ever seen. She almost tripped on air and fell face-first into the sand. He winced. This girl was cruelly lacking in grace. No doubt the keeper’s profession had damaged her manners, which already left a lot to be desired.
"Lucella Snow, yer ‘ighness.”
His eye twitched.
A bastard from the North.
The shamelessness made perfect sense now.
These people were nothing but barbarians, made savages by the cold and their proximity with the Wildlings. They prayed to their strange, faceless gods, remnants of a primitive past, and still clung to superstitions dating back thousands of years which bore witness to their backwardness. Too limited for the political intrigues of the South, they retreated into their icy fortresses and only left them to defend themselves.
Northerners were strange and even the Starks, although not the worst of their species, were no exception to the rule.
Add to that the absence of a father to beat her and train her like a lady, which she could have become with a little effort, and you had the bastard in front of him. She was not unpleasant to look at, Aemond decided. Her pale skin, hidden under the ashes smeared on her cheeks, and the few strands of black hair sticking out of her helmet leaped out at him. If she had been born in wedlock, many suitors would have fought for her hand in marriage.
“And what on earth is a Winterfell bastard doing here?”
“I’m sorry, yer ‘ighness, but I’m afraid ‘am just a bastard frum White ‘arbah.”
Her accent struck Aemond's ears and made him wince. Syllables here and there disappeared as the vowels struggled to make themselves heard properly in this gibberish. Her voice was deep, deeper than his mother's or his sister's—the only women of his life—, and dragonfire smoke had taken the evenness out of her tone, leaving it hoarse.
He didn't like the way she avoided his question or her undeniable lack of politeness. She looked at him with jaded eyes as if he were the one who shouldn't be there. He thought he saw a flame dancing in her amber irises. A strange colour for someone from a Northerner. In these lands, eyes were only blue, grey, or black: bland colours for a land saddened by the blizzard.
“Winterfell... White Harbor... Northern towns all look alike.”
“I suppose yeh won't mind if I call you Velaryon, then? Yeh understand... Valyrians
 They’re all th’same.”
His indecency irritated her. A mouth like hers belonged in a dilapidated tavern, not in a place like the Red Keep.
Northerners didn't belong here. They weren't like them.
“What is your concern here?” he asked her again.
Why isn’t Vhagar killing you? he thought.
Next to Snow, the Queen of Dragons looked peaceful. His companion was used to the presence of the keeper of the North, Aemond realised. The thought worried him. How long had this stranger been roaming around his dragon without him knowing?
The bastard pointed her gloved fingertips at a sheep carcass, no doubt ready to be charred by Vhagar, judging by the hungry look on her face. Aemond had not seen it until now.
The presence of this woman was upsetting his plans and troubling his senses.
“I’m bringing her food.”
Her 'r's rolled off her tongue.
“I already feed her.”
“Not enough. Obviously,” Snow retorted without hesitation, pointing to Vhagar's visible ribs. “Age tends t’work up their appetite. Ain’t tha’ right, sweetheart?”
She tenderly stroked the dragon’s muzzle, who let herself be petted under Aemond's hallucinated gaze.
His mount, reduced to a common pet.
His nostrils flared. He abruptly grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Vhagar, ignoring the grimace of pain on the Dragonkeeper’s face. Good. Perhaps she would understand that lurking around his dragon was not without consequences.
Vhagar, the Queen of all dragons, ridden by Visenya, had fought and survived Aegon's Conquest. She embodied the glory of House Targaryen and would not be touched by a commoner. A Northern bastard even less so.
Without a glance at her, he climbed the rope ladder and settled into the saddle.
"Sƍvēs," he commanded.
Vhagar, lethargic, took her time shaking her wings before flapping them and taking flight. She sent grains of sand and stones flying. Soon, the beach was nothing more than a pale speck drowned in the thick clouds bathing in the twilight’s silver light. The icy air invigorated him, but he couldn't find the comfort he had come for. His thoughts remained stuck on the Dragonkeeper.
When Vhagar lost altitude for a moment, when the two of them broke through the cloud barrier and the beach was visible once again, Aemond saw that she had not moved and that her eyes were riveted on him.
Aemond didn't understand her expression but decided he didn't give a fuck.
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cecropiacrown · 2 months ago
Text
Fic #4 for my December Writing Challenge
Characters: Mu Qing, Feng Xin, mentioned: Mu Qing's mom
Pairing: pre-relationship fengqing
Word Count: 2k
Plot Points: grief, overwhelm, panic, hurt/comfort - whumpee: Mu Qing
Two weeks.
Two weeks until Mu Qing will be allowed back into his apartment complex after a water main break caused significant damage to his unit and almost every other unit on his floor.
Before being forced to temporarily vacate, he was able to grab a few bare essentials from the tattered remains of his flooded apartment, but it's certainly not much. His unit—unfortunately—took the main brunt of the flooding and, save for a couple of well-preserved keepsakes and the laundry that was tumbling away at the laundromat down the street, the place is a total loss.
And, perhaps one of the worst parts about the whole ordeal, is that it's not like Mu Qing can afford to stay in a hotel in the meantime. Hell, he's lucky to have enough money to meet the minimum balance requirement in his savings account.
He has no car to sleep in and his initial plan of splitting his time between work, public libraries, a 24/hr gym, and the large train station in the center of the city, fell apart within the first day and a half of his homelessness.
So it's with a clothes basket's worth of belongings and his battered pride that Mu Qing finds himself sitting at Feng Xin's kitchen counter, sipping on over-steeped tea and trying—desperately—to not tear his hair out from the humiliation.
It's December and a heavy layer of fresh snow covers the ground. Mu Qing can see it in all its undisturbed glory as he looks past the lace-like frost on the kitchen window. It glitters in the pale bluish light of the streetlamps, looking endless and unforgiving in a way that makes Mu Qing feel incredibly grateful to be indoors.
The sky is overcast this evening, wispy looking clouds visibly roiling through the sky like smoke. It's nearly midnight, but Mu Qing has only been in Feng Xin's apartment for less than half an hour, not having been able to accept he needed help until he had no other choice but to reach out to it before it crawled into bed for the night.
Feng Xin is still rummaging around in the closet in the hallway. Mu Qing listens, but keeps his eyes on the window, tracing the pattern of the frost until he feels dizzy and then, with his eyes still open, he tries not to see anything at all.
A heavy wind licks at the building and Mu Qing shivers involuntarily, curling his fingers ever so slightly tighter around his mug and trying to bleed the warmth of the tea into him by osmosis alone.
Though he'd never admit it out loud, Mu Qing is quite sensitive to the cold, and the walk from the bus stop to Feng Xin's apartment building was not a particularly short one. He lets his eyes come back into focus and, in the reflection of the window, he can just barely make out his face, which is still flushed with cold from his walk. His cheeks—the tip of his nose—his ears—they have yet to warm up completely and he's acutely aware of the ache in the joints in his hands.
He brings the mug up to his dry lips and sips on the tea, just to have something else to focus on.
"You should have called me sooner," Feng Xin says as he emerges from the hallway with a heap of fabric in his arms—a towel, a couple of blankets, and a pillow, it appears. The clear reprimand in his voice makes Mu Qing roll his eyes. He shifts in his seat and doesn't reply. Snow begins to fall anew, only visible in the cones of lamplight illuminating the parking lot.
"I would have picked you up, y'know. You didn't have to take the bus," Feng Xin continues, piling the things onto the counter and taking a seat across from Mu Qing. He drags a hand through his messy, untied hair and sighs, loud and put-upon. It makes Mu Qing feel sick to his stomach so he scoffs and takes another sip of his shitty tea to at least appear like he's being a gracious guest.
"What were you going to do," Mu Qing can't help but snark, "Come pick me up in that?" And as Mu Qing says this, he frowns and waves a hand in Feng Xin's direction, indicating his choice of bedtime attire: a t-shirt and boxers.
"I would have gotten fucking dressed first, asshole."
"You didn't bother to get dressed to open the door, so you can't blame me for not having any confidence in you."
Feng Xin's face grows hard and impatient—a button Mu Qing has always been skilled at pushing. But he appears to bite his tongue and shake it off, much to Mu Qing's displeasure.
"I would have gotten dressed for you."
"I got here just fine on my own, didn't I?" Mu Qing says, shrugging. He purposely ignores Feng Xin's attempt to be civil, not really knowing what to do with such a thing.
Feng Xin clearly disagrees with that statement, scrutinizing Mu Qing's face like it holds all the proof he needs.
"Why?" he asks suddenly, his eyes hard and his brows furrowed. Mu Qing turns back towards the window.
"Why what?" he replies, annoyed. His leg starts to bounce and he anxiously thumbs at the handle of his mug. The sight of the falling snow suddenly pisses him off so he turns again, grimacing down into his nearly empty cup of tea.
"Why do you always need to do it all by yourself, Mu Qing?"
What a stupid thing to ask.
"Because I can," he answers easily, rolling his shoulders back and forcing himself to finish the rest of his tea.
"You don't have to."
"Of course I have to," he snaps, setting down the mug with a bit too much force and pushing it away from himself. He glares at Feng Xin and only grows angrier having to see all the kindnesses Feng Xin has offered him spread out between them like they're trying to remind Mu Qing of what an awful fucking person he is.
"What would you even know about doing shit yourself—as if you haven't always had a fucking safety net to fall back on. You might live on your own, Feng Xin, but daddy's money has never left your fucking sight—"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Feng Xin snarls, slamming a hand down on the counter top as he stands up.
Mu Qing follows suit, ripping himself out of his chair and accidentally kicking his laundry basket. He growls under his breath and kicks it again—on purpose this time—denting one of the handles until it snaps cleanly off. He snatches the basket off of the ground, stuffs the broken handle in amongst his things, and makes for the entryway.
Feng Xin moves to block his path, one hand gripping the corner of the counter top and the other pressing into the wall beside the fridge, effectively cutting Mu Qing off. Mu Qing doesn't dare look him in the eyes, staring straight passed him and trying to shove his way through.
"Don't fucking be like that," Feng Xin says, having lowered his voice considerably. There is a lingering kindness in the way he speaks, in the way he looks at Mu Qing like he's disappointed, as if he expected better of him. Mu Qing can't stand it. He tries to shove through the barrier of Feng Xin's arm again but Feng grabs hold of the other side of the basket to try to stop him.
Mu Qing loses it.
He rips the basket out of Feng Xin's grip but uses too much force. The basket knocks into the pile of blankets on the counter, slips out of his hands, and slides all the way to the other end of the island. It collides with the mug, which hits the chair Mu Qing had been sitting in and clatters to the ground, shattering.
Feng Xin's rage boils over again. Any gentleness he may have had for Mu Qing is gone—just like Mu Qing deserves.
"God, what the fuck is wrong with you, Mu Qing!?"
What's wrong?
"Get the fuck away from me, Feng Xin! I'm leaving! I don't want to fucking be here anyway!"
What's wrong?
Feng Xin makes to grab Mu Qing's wrist but Mu Qing swivels on his heel and shakes him off, ending up with his back to the fridge and no where else to go except around the the counter in the other direction and through the path of unnecessary destruction he caused.
What isn't fucking wrong?
It's December again.
Another year without Mama.
Another year where nothing seems to have gone his way.
"Why are you always trying to start a fucking fight? Can't you just say what you fucking mean for once? None of this meaningless, petty bullshit—god, I'm so sick of it!"
Mu Qing squeezes his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms to try to ground himself. He wants to move, but there's broken ceramic all over the floor and he doesn't have his shoes on.
He's cornered—like an animal.
Feng Xin sighs, dropping his hand from the counter but keeping his other one firmly planted on the wall beside Mu Qing. Their eyes meet and something vile swirls in Mu Qing's stomach, making him feel like he's going to vomit.
"Listen, just—" Feng Xin searches Mu Qing's eyes, his own expression having softened into something too tender for Mu Qing to hold and yet, too nice to bear looking away from.
"Just say what you want. None of this deflecting, roundabout shit. I'll fucking listen, okay?"
Mu Qing swallows hard, his breathing picking up against his will. He stares at Feng Xin's face, waiting for him to lose his patience, but all Feng Xin does is stubbornly stare back.
It's too much.
It's all just too much.
Mu Qing's resolve starts to deteriorate.
"I'm so tired," he finally says, not having known what words were going to come out of his mouth until they had already been spoken.
Feng Xin's face falls, his hand twitching uselessly at his side. He's looking at Mu Qing with too much care in his eyes and Mu Qing can't possibly stand it.
"I'm so tired, Feng Xin," he says again, his voice so hoarse he almost chokes on it. A familiar ache throbs in his chest and he's left feeling horrifically small and on display. His next inhale is too shaky to be his own; he's not allowed to make such sounds.
Feng Xin reaches out to him then, his hand gently encircling Mu Qing's wrist, and the touch is all it takes for Mu Qing to finally crumple under the weight of it all.
His chest heaves with his next breath and he stumbles over the ensuing sob, his whole face trembling from the effort to hold it back—but he can't. He slams a hand to his chest to try to calm himself down, sucking in breath after breath to no avail. Helplessly, he looks around, as if he'll suddenly be able to see a previously overlooked escape route through his tears.
"Mu Qing," Feng Xin murmurs, and the sound of it hits Mu Qing like an arrow shot clean through his lungs.
"I can't—" Mu Qing shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut as if it will change anything.
Feng Xin steps further into Mu Qing's space, his warmth so overpowering it makes Mu Qing unsteady. He stumbles and ends up with his face pressed into Feng Xin's shoulder, hands grasping at Feng Xin's shirt with an urgency he's never felt before. Feng Xin doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Mu Qing and pull him close, cradling him with a hand on the back of his neck.
"I'm here," he says into Mu Qing's ear and Mu Qing sobs again, shaking apart in Feng Xin's arms whether he wants to or not.
"I have you."
And—for the first time in Mu Qing's life—he's never been more relieved to have been had.
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videovamptramp · 1 year ago
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heaven is not fit to house a love (like you and i)
you are everything (my most demanding dream)
warnings: basically ex-girlfriend ellie, mentions of breakup, smut... kind of? (is getting off on someone's knee smut??) jealous ellie, mentions of situation-ships, ellie is emotionally unavailable.
(this is my first time writing something that has anything sexual in it. sorry if it's cringe but if this does well i'll release a part 2 and a prequel <3)
//
"and sometimes i feel like nobody gets me, you know? especially when everyone's so fake nowa—" ellie begins to tune out the girl standing in front of her, as she looks around the crowded room. she occasionally nods or hums to make it seem as though she's actually listening, when in reality she couldn't care less about what this girl was saying. ellie hasn't cared about anything for months, and it's all because of you. at first the brunette had told herself she would be fine without you. besides, she had gotten what she wanted right? to successfully push you away...
... but when she walked into her bedroom the night after she discovered you've left, there was an excruciating feeling of loneliness that took over. as soon as she saw how empty and dull the room is without you, she wanted you back. but she knew it was a little too late. she lost you, and she only had herself to blame for it. usually she'd get home from the bar and you'd be sound asleep on her bed; curled up in an little ball. the first week she'd get home and expect to see you there; she'd tell herself you were gonna come back eventually because if she missed you this much, certainly you missed her too. right? except, after nearly a month of not seeing you, and all of ellie's texts to you going unanswered, she realizes her wishes did indeed come true. she pushed you away. even further than she originally planned.
now it's been two months since she lost you, and here she was, listening to some brunette who looks somewhat like you go on and on about her shitty ex. ellie continuously looks around the room, she's bored out of her mind but there's no way in hell she's spending another drunk night, alone in her sad apartment. the better option seemed to go home with a stranger who she couldn't care less about. at least then she wasn't alone, but she couldn't do anything about the fact that she knows she'll be thinking about you the entire time.
in a split second ellie's entire night changes. her gaze flickers over towards the bar area, and that's when her eyes lock with a pair of familiar, chocolate brown orbs. her entire world seems to stop spinning for a whole minute as she spots you sitting alone, staring at her from afar. your face looks thinner, and your hair is shorter, and you're wearing a pair of tight flare jeans with a cute nude top that ellie recognizes. you offer her a smile that looks out of place as you look away, averting your gaze back to your drink on the bar counter. ellie feels frozen; as if she can't move and the walls are about to close in. how long have you been here? how long did it take her to notice you? what were you thinking about?
ellie can't help but notice how beautiful you look, and that's when the feeling of missing you grows stronger than ever. (which is saying something considering she's felt as if she's been missing an organ since your departure.) as if on cue, some other woman notices you and begins to move in. she takes a seat beside you and ellie's jaw tenses as she watches you smile in a way you once smiled at her. she watches as you nod at whatever the pink haired girl says, and that's when the pretty woman flags down the bartender. she's ordering you a drink. ellie suddenly wants to get up and punch the unknowing stranger right in the mouth. but she doesn't.
the brunette ignores every fiber in her being telling her to go to you. to get her girl back. no, instead, ellie tries to look at the girl she's been "talking" to for half an hour now, while taking a swig of the whiskey in her glass. she averts her attention to daniella? or is it bella? she wasn't quite sure what her name is, and right now she couldn't bring herself to care about remembering it. not when she knows you're across the room, and there was some other woman who was next to you, trying to take you home. not that ellie could blame said woman, she sure as hell knows what sort of affect you have first hand... but it's the fact that you're entertaining her. the older woman didn't even seem like your type. she was older than ellie, older than you, and she had on some leather jacket that ellie could tell was more expensive than the entire outfit she herself had chose to wear tonight.
she makes the mistake of looking at you again, and this time the woman is leaning in closer, saying something to you that has you blushing. ellie nearly sees red when the taller woman places her hand on your thigh. you're wearing jeans, but it's still enough to get ellie riled up. all the blood ends up going to her ears as she blocks out the loud music, and the chatter from the brunette in front of her. ellie stands up, her fist clenching the empty glass in her hand so tightly, she's surprised it hasn't broke. ellie blocks out the brunette questioningly calling out for her, and she makes her way in your direction. her body is like a magnet, making it's way to you subconsciously.
as soon as you spot ellie getting closer, your entire face falls. your heart begins to race, and ellie clears her throat. "hey." she greets you gruffly, and your mouth goes dry as you meet her gaze. "hi ellie." you greet her, your voice small, but still soft as silk. the woman looks over at ellie, and her smile falls. "i'm sorry i didn't realize you guys were—" you quickly cut her off, shaking your head rapidly. "we're not...! ellie's just an old friend i haven't seen in awhile." you lie right through your teeth so easily. so dismissively, it causes a bitter taste to set in ellie's mouth. just an old friend.
ellie had never asked you to be her girlfriend, not in words at least. but she did let you sleep in her bed, eat her favorite snacks, watch all of your favorite annoying shows... she even let you wear her favorite hoodies. ellie had never let anyone do any of those things. the woman's smile returns as quickly as it dissipated, and she introduces herself to ellie. "i'm toni." she greets the brunette with a soft smile. she's shorter than ellie, and much more girly. she doesn't seem like your type at all, yet her hand is still on your thigh, and you're making no movement to get it off. ellie nods in the pink haired girls direction. "ellie." she vaguely responds, only offering toni a mere glance before her gaze fixates on you again. "i just wanted to see if we could talk." ellie states, and you try not to look as annoyed as you feel.
"i'm kind of busy right now. maybe some other time." you respond, barely even looking at ellie as you avert your attention back to toni. ellie's grip on her empty glass tightens, and you can see her nostrils flare while her jaw tenses. "some other time? i haven't seen you for almost three months, y/n. you haven't answered my texts and you left all your stupid stuffed animals at my place!" ellie hisses, and you glare at her. "i left the ones you gave me there because i don't need any reminders of you!" you argue back, letting your emotions for ellie get the best of you. toni slowly takes her hand off your thigh, clearing her throat, "uh, i can see you two have a few things to work out..." the shorter girl trails off as she stands up.
you shake your head, "toni wait—" you try, but the pink haired girl is already walking off, much to ellie's satisfaction. you scowl, but you don't say a single word as you reach for the coat hanging off your seat, and stand up. "y/n..." ellie tries, but you only respond with an eye roll as you pull your oversized coat on. "leave me alone, ellie." you demand, as you begin to walk out of the building, ellie only a few steps behind you. "no! not until you talk to me!" she demands, sounding unreasonably angry. you have to stop in your tracks, right in the middle of the sidewalk outside of the bar. you laugh bitterly at her anger and the fact that she assumes she has any place to demand anything. you turn around to face her, and when you do, your anger nearly vanishes.
standing in front of you is a disheveled version of the ellie you know. the bags under her eyes are evident, the pain hidden in those pale green orbs is clear as day. the anger quickly returns when you remind yourself the only reason you two aren't on good terms right now is because of her. even tonight was ruined because of her. you sat back and didn't once intervene whatever ellie and that brunette were doing, but as soon as someone had shown interest in you, ellie couldn't stop herself. "you and i have nothing to talk about." you stringently reply, and this causes the taller girl to make a face of disbelief while she lets out a scoff. "nothing to talk about? seriously? if you don't remember, i'm ellie williams, you know the 'old friend' you did every single position with." ellie cattily reintroduces herself, and you nearly drop the phone in your hand due to the bluntness of the absurd comment.
"yes, it's pretty hard to forget the emotionally unavailable woman who strung me along all year. thanks for the reminder. i'll catch you later." you try to walk away but a hand on your wrist causes you to face her and pull your hand away as if the touch physically burned. ellie pulls her own hand back, putting her arms up in a surrendering position as she stares at you with pure hurt. she knew she shouldn't have grabbed you, but did you really hate her so much that her mere touch angers you? for a moment your face softens just a bit, and your angry facade begins to crumble. that's when ellie can see how exhausted you look.
"you never answered any of my texts or calls." ellie is dancing around what she truly wants to say. she's clearly stalling in order to keep you around for as long as she possibly can. missing you hurts, and it feels as though a piece of her is standing right in front of her, cruelly taunting her while simultaneously reminding her of what she lost. "i've been busy." your response is simple, and blunt. so unlike the blabbering mess you once were with her. "busy? i call bullshit. i went from seeing you every day, to not seeing you at all. what the fuck happened?" ellie finally asks, and you nearly scoff, letting a shaky exhale of disbelief. "what happened?? you know what happened! you're what happened!" you snap, losing the cool you've been trying so hard to keep. "and for awhile i was okay with it. i was content with hiding out in your apartment, playing the 'cool girl' who doesn't demand a label. i was alright with every breadcrumb you tossed my way, but you changed. you started treating me different and acting like you didn't care anymore... and then i realized you were still messing with other girls and it hurt. it hurt because i realized i had been stupid enough to think what we were doing was different. i thought i was different. i thought you were different." you shake your head in dismay, staring at the brunette with pure disgust.
ellie feels like her shoes are embedded into the ground. she can't seem to move. "who told you that? who told you i was messing with other girls?" ellie asks a bit angrily. she has a number of people she can think of who'd lie and try to break you two up. like your ex girlfriend abby anderson, ellie hated the single thought of her. you roll your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest tightly, "nobody had to tell me. i saw you with some girl at the bar. the night i left." you snap, and ellie shakes her head. "so you left because of that?! because i was talking to a girl!? nothing even happened!" ellie stresses, and you close your eyes for a few seconds.
"even if nothing happened, you had been pushing me away for months, and when i saw how you were looking at her... it hurt me. badly." the way your voice wavers causes a pang of guilt to hit ellie like a truck. you take a deep breath, unable to pinpoint ellie's expression. to you, it felt as though she was looking right through you. "i realized i was holding onto someone who didn't want to be held down, so i left." you finish strongly, masking away your hurt, and ellie stares at you as if you've grown an extra head. "so you didn't even bother talking to me?? you just decided to go?" she asks, having the gall to look upset. "yes! i wasn't gonna stick around for someone who didn't even want me around anymore!" you raise your voice while ellie clenches her fists. "i never once said i didn't want you around!" she yells back, and she gets into your personal space. if you weren't so angry, you'd have realized how close she is now. "you didn't have to say anything, ellie, i felt it!" you nearly scream, and there's this heavy silence that follows afterward. the only thing you can hear is the busy, bustling streets of seattle; full of ongoing cars, taxis, and people on the sidewalk (that would pass and eye you both).
ellie is staring at you with that familiar expression you can never seem to place, and as you stare back, you wish you could read her mind. you wish you knew what was going through her head. you wish you could look at her, and see the ellie you fell in love with. but you see someone you barely recognize, so different from the girl you used to have. you wonder if you ever had her to begin with. in a flash her hands are gripping your waist and pushing you into the nearby alleyway. she pushes you against the nearest wall, her lips attacking yours and you're not in control of your body as you desperately kiss her back.
you aren't quite sure what to do with your hands as you kiss ellie back, your brain has seemed to register her assault on your lips far quicker than your body has. her tongue ends up battling with your own. when she pulls away, her lips continue their assault, but this time down to your neck. she kisses down your jawline, all the way down to your pulse point. your breath hitches, and your hands instinctively end up in her hair. "e-ellie." you breathe out, and your broken moan is antagonizing. it reminds her how much she's missed this. how much she’s missed you. you feel her teeth grazing your skin, as her fingertips dig into the skin of your hips. a whimper escapes your lips when she sinks her canines into your soft, sensitive skin.
she's definitely leaving a mark, and in this moment your head is too foggy to care. all you can think about is how good ellie's kisses feel, and you're way past the point of trying to muffle your pathetic noises anymore. you close your eyes, your fingertips grazing her scalp, ruining her messy, short hair. you gasp when you feel one of her hands squeezing your right breast, practically groping you and you allow it. that's when ellie leans further into you, one of her legs pushing your legs apart, allowing access for her knee to meet your jean covered center. as soon as her hard knee comes into contact with your desperately aroused center, your head spins. "e-ellie wh—" your question is cut short as soon as ellie grips your waist again, leaning in and silencing you with a rough kiss.
you can't help but kiss her back, mewling into the kiss as soon as she moves your waist with a her strong, calloused hands; causing you to grind on her knee. as soon as she applies a little pressure, you see stars; your clit rubbing against the fabric of your panties and jeans, as she stimulates you with her leg in some seedy alleyway. you aren't even aware of the little muffled sounds your making, and when ellie breaks the kiss, you clamp down on your bottom lip with your top teeth. "fuck i missed you so much." ellie breathes out, the sound of her voice getting you off even more as a gush of arousal drenches your cotton panties. your hands cup her face; fingertips tracing her cheeks and jawline as you shamelessly thrust yours against her leg. you haven't even thought about sleeping with anyone since you left ellie, up until tonight, and now here you were using her knee to get yourself off downtown.
ellie's hands trail up your waist, and end up sliding underneath your shirt, urgently needing to feel your skin. her cold hands cause a trail of goosebumps to run up and down your body, as you feel that familiar pressure of arousal. you nearly cry out as she begins to nip and gnaw on your neck again. it’s been so long since you’ve felt this good. your back arches off the wall, as she hungrily kisses you. you've always reveled in ellie's kisses; she kisses like she's breathing for the first time, with such need and intensity. she's always been able to make your head spin with a simple kiss. "so fucking pretty. my pretty needy girl." she breathes out against your neck, her words causing you to grow even closer to climatic ecstasy. it felt so good, but the humiliation of cumming on your exes knee in a public alley way causes you to hold back.
ellie can feel it. she knows you're holding yourself back, and she's having none of it. she knows you like the back of her hand, and she knows exactly what to do and say to get you off. "did you really think that girl back at the bar could've gotten you off this easily?" ellie asks as she pulls away from your neck, and kisses your jaw sloppily, all the way up your jawline and to your earlobe. "tell me baby, would you have gone home with her if she asked?" ellie's breathless, raspy voice sends a thrill down your spine and your fingernails dig into the back of her neck. she can tell you're close by those needy noises you're failing to suppress. you shake your head, it's so unfair of her to ask you something right now and expect an answer when you can barely form a coherent thought.
"el–ellie p-please." you moan out, attempting to hide your rosy pink face in the crook of her neck. "did you really think i was gonna sit around and let someone else take my girl home?" ellie's words cause your hips to buck, and your eyes widen as you realize you're so close. you whimper, "st-stop. talking." you command breathlessly, and she lets out a cruel chuckle. regardless of her taunting expression, you continue to thrust your hips in a grinding motion, your arms clinging to the back of her neck while her body supports you. you can feel how wet you are and it's only a matter of seconds (minutes if you're lucky), before you end up orgasming at the hands of ellie fucking williams. the exact woman you've been so miserably trying to forget about.
"it's okay baby, let yourself go. i can feel how much you need this. whoever's been taking care of you hasn't been doing a very good job, huh princess?" she begins whispering in that loving way that always drove you over the edge. "that's a good girl, just like that. fuck i missed my pretty little cunt." that's what does it. ellie calling your cunt hers, it sends you over the edge and ellie can feel your body lightly trembling in her arms. her grip on you tightens, and she holds you close. ellie begins whispering sweet nothings as she places kisses on the top of your head, allowing you to come down from cloud nine.
you're trying to get your breathing under control, and your heart rate is slowly returning back to normal. that's when it hits you. the post-orgasm clarity. you push ellie away, straightening out your top, then you smooth out your hair before putting on a scowl. "that shouldn't have happened." you state, still a bit breathless, and ellie takes a step back, but is still staring at you with that hungry expression. "but it did." her tone is hard, yet you can hear the light tremble in her voice. the fear in her eyes is clear as day. she's just as terrified as you are. "i-i have to go." you stutter out, nearly stumbling as your shaky legs try to get as far away from ellie as you can.
every instinct inside of her is screaming to chase after you, but she doesn't. she's planted to the ground, standing there thinking about what just happened. she's hooked up with a number of girls since you left, and not a single time has been as hot as this instance. and she didn't even need to take your clothes off. ellie wasn't an expert at love or relationships, but she did know one thing, she wasn't going to let you get away again.
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shadowmor · 3 months ago
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Where your soul belongs
Summarize: After the blip, in which some Avengers somehow manage to survive, Tony Stark's daughter returns in coma, but after two years, she finally wakes up, but something seems strange in her memories. It's like she's never lived there before.
Reader is female (she/her)
This story has: parallel universe/life, some characters are alive (Tony Stark)
This is just the base of the story, i'll add more ideas later on.
English is not my first language, so i'm really sorry. If something is gramatically incorrect I'll apreaciate if you point it out for me.
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When you woke up in a strange laboratory with holograms floating in all directions, you were certainly intrigued by it, until you realized that you were trapped in a capsule as well.
A strange tube stuck to your face, apparently giving you oxygen back, it looked like something out of a horror movie mixed with science fiction.You hit the capsule for a while to break it, but it was obviously not a simple glass that could be easily cracked, especially since your body was so weak for some reason.
After a few hours of despair, someone came to your rescue, a man who strangely seemed familiar to you, his name on the top of your tongue, but it wouldn't come out. He seemed disconcerted when he saw you hitting the tube, as if he was doubting what he was seeing, but after a few desperate knocks from you, he regained consciousness and took you away.
"I can't believe it, finally... finally you woke up." He hugged you so genuinely that you just let, even though you were extremely confused by everything. His tears dripped down your face and he stroked your hair so naturally that it tickled you. But wanting to know what was happening, you pushed him away.
"Where am I? What am I doing here? Where are my parents?" The questions made his face distort for a few seconds.
"Sorry, honey. What did you just say? Did you...ask about your parents?" Helpless, you just nodded, which made him slightly stumble back, losing his balance. Luckily, you held on long enough so that he wouldn't fall. He held both of your shoulders.
"You...honey, don't you know who I am? Look closely, pay attention, it must be because of the dizziness."And again, just a shake of head from your part. With just one look, you could tell that his world had fallen apart because of that gesture, but without knowing exactly why.
"Why am I here? Where are my parents? What happened to me?" He didn't answer, as if he had gotten stuck listening to her asking nonsense. "For now, just sit here. I'll... I'll call Stephen, he'll... he'll fix this, just wait a moment."
Half an hour later, a man appeared floating, which startled you. Had he just flown? Stephen didn't ignore your reaction. He already noticed that something wasn't right.
"It's not common memory loss. She really doesn't have the memories from here." That's what Steven said after some time observing her and questioning.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll be brief. Her soul is from here, but her memories are from another reality."
"You're kidding me," the voice next to you came out weak. He held your hand. "No, I'm sure it's her. The same look, the same hug, the same voice..."
"The thing is: It really is her. The only difference is that apparently your daughter lost her memories of life in this world and replaced them with those of another. It's interesting." The other man in the floating cape approached you, looking into your eyes, as if he knew everything. Your gaze rested on the other man who held your hand tightly, looking exhausted.
"Where is this interesting? Huh? My daughter comes back, but she comes back without being her?"
"Like I said before, Tony. She's still her, the only thing is that for some reason her life experiences were exchanged for those she lived in a parallel world. So far, she's the only one with this effect after the blip. It must also be one of the reasons why she just woke up 7 years later, unlike the others who regained consciousness as soon as their existence returned after 5 years."
Tony took a deep breath, he seemed to have weakened, but rested his eyes on yours for a moment. And he simply hugged you "It's okay, I... I still love you. Let's figure this out"
"You say I lost my memories, but I don't think that. What's going on? And why am I here?" You pulled away from Tony's embrace and looked at the man called Stephen.
"Okay, it must be even more confusing for you than it is for us. I'll summarize..." The man who called himself Doctor Strange explained all the events, starting with the age of heroes, Thanos' attack, the Blip and finally the return 5 years after most people existed. Obviously, you didn't believe it at first, it seemed like something out of a movie. Even though you couldn't forget him flying over you, it was still hard to accept. Tony and Stephen tried to show you their powers and their armor, even the Stark technology, along with a tour of the city. It was something completely new, with such advanced technology that it scared you.
"You're my daughter, the Stark's firstborn. I... I'm your father, and it's my fault you're going through all this. I don't know what to do, but if I can help you in any way, you can count on me." Tony was a little different from the father you had, but that didn't make you accept him so easily.
After three months living in that environment, the adaptation was less horrible to deal with. Although it was strange to see floating things, intelligent armors and heroes, it was less difficult to accept than before. It was just a little awkward having to deal with your "family". First, because for you they weren't, second because it seemed like they were trying to force your memories back, which made every lunch uncomfortable.
"You can try to get a GDE and then take the exam to get into the college you want, I recommend MIT, but no pressure. You don't need to worry about the cost, I-"
"But I already go to college, why would I take another test?"
"That's..." Tony lightly remembered that for his daughter life went on, even with her real body unconscious. "But you didn't do it here yet. It's okay, we'll think about it later. What course had you chosen, well... there?"
"Humanities"
"My goodness, what has my daughter become?"He laughed a little at his own internal joke, but she didn't get. "It's just that I'm... like an engineer." She continued to stare at him in silence. "Like more into exacts. And you were too, that's why I was just kind of... never mind."
Tony didn't expect it to be so hard to reconnect with his own daughter. It was just a little while ago, but now it seems like she was a completely different person. And she was. Her interests changed, her opinions, her way of speaking, her slang and even her way of acting. -- He still can't get over the fact that she tried to get a part-time job at McDonald's. The Starks' firstborn serving burgers wouldn't leave his mind anymore.
But it's not like it irritates him, it hurts him sometimes, thinking that it was caused by him. He should have protected her, acted right away... but there are times when he likes this version of her. -- Even though he hates it when she talks about her father. Who does he think he is raising his daughter? Flattering her enough that she now called him Tony instead of Dad.
"You're a little different from the others." Stephen said. "They don't remember anything, as if the five years that passed were just an instant. For you, life went on, even if in another place."
"Is what I lived a lie?"
"No. I don't know how, but your consciousness managed to overcome the barriers of other parallel realities and enter one of your bodies and live the experiences of that one." He stopped, placing his hand on his chin, as if thinking about it. "It's quite unfortunate, but at the same time very interesting."
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0mysticmidnight0 · 11 months ago
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~Mystically Broken - Chapter 3~
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You wake up to see Leonardo sitting at the end of your bed. You shock was sent up your spine as you backed away and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes. Once you did, you looked at Leonardo a bit better this time.. He was wearing his signature blue bandana, with a black sleeveless turtleneck with long arms sleeves at the bottom of his hands. (I KNOW IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE BUT IT WILL SOON) he was wearing black cargo pants with a few silver jewelry. "Miss me?" You sighed. "Why are you here so early?" He chuckled. "Well, i got tired waiting for you to wake up. Plus, Don don over there isn't much company." You stood up and went to your bathroom and walked towards your vanity mirror, (I forgot to add this last time..) You got changed and you were combing your hair/washing your face until you saw another person behind you. You almost jumped hen you saw Leonardo behind you, you didn't see nor did you hear him enter the room.. creepy. "Done? Took you long enough, less washy washy and more talky talky, let's go." You just followed him as you sat in the same place you talked to Donatello, the living room. "So, got anything?" You turned to your side. "Not yet.." He just rolled his eyes as he lays deeper in the couch and looked at the TV. "You're not really good at this, are you?" He laughs. "I could be having an easier time if you could just be patient.." You glared at him. "Watch your mouth there, doll. We wouldn't want an accident." You kept your composure. "This is why it's so hard to help you. What am i supposed to tell the public if you constantly threaten everyone?" He chuckles. "You got me there. Old habits die hard." "How do you get around so quickly? It's like you vanish without a trace." He smiles. "Using my awesome mystic sword ofcourse!!" He shows off his odachi. You just look at him confused. "Seems to me you're a visual learner.. allow me to show this baby off!" He begins to create a portal.. "huh.. woah.." You heard about mystic weapons but you didn't know they were REAL.. "Cool, right?" He lays back down on the couch with a smug grin. "What have you done that's considered good?" .. "Me and my bros used to save New york before we all went solo." Huh.. they were brothers..? Donatello enters and slaps a THICK file and you groaned when you saw it was Leonardo's Criminal records.. HE HAD COMMITTED THIS MANY CRIMES?! This was gonna be a long day.. You spent 2 and a half hours reading.. you sighed as you smacked your forehead.. All that reading and nothing! You turned to your side and saw Leonardo reading a comic book, when did that get there? Oh right, portal sword.. You just took a little break by laying down on a pillow on the couch.. . . . . a few hours passed, you woke up.. you were in your room being covered by a blanket and you see Leonardo's comic on your night stand.. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taglist: 1. @itsberrydreemurstuff Hope you enjoyed, i certainly did From yours truly, MysticMidnight
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presleyluvschris · 1 year ago
Note
Babes I have a request I was thinking JJ Maybank fic inspired buy the song always by Isak Danielson
There is one line from the song that I want JJ to specifically say to the reader it’s “ will we end up just like Ross and Rachel am so sorry for the spoiler but that’s the end”
You can decide if you want there to be smut or not
đŸ€đŸ€
a/n: thank you for this love!
word count 1,155
warnings: fluff, swearing
masterlist
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it was a cold friday night.
you got into a very heated conversation with your parents, and the only truth is that JJ was your complete escape from reality.
you were out with your beautiful blonde boy under the stars, the chilly night air peircing into your ears, making your cheeks stingy and pink.
the cold air blew past the two of you, giggling as you took turns laying in the grass and pointing at the constellations.
he was in awe with your love for natrual nature in the evening.
In fact, JJ was quite obsessed with your little passions. How cute your face lit up when you talked about something that clearly had filled your mind for hours at a time, and one of those were your love for how the stars shined each night.
"n' thats the big dipper." you pointed up in the dark painted atmosphere, showing him your favorite connections the night had made for the both of you in the cool grass.
after a while, you sighed and rolled on top of JJ, putting your hands in his jacket pockets as he slightly flinched from the chill in your hands.
"you're so cold." he whispered as he tucked his head where he could see your flushed face.
you hummed in reply, feeling JJ tuck a peice of hair that fell in your gorgeous eyes back behind your ear.
when you looked back at the stars, you scrunched your face in a way that he remembered as something that may have been bothering you.
"you okay, dear?" he gently asks, shifting his position on his arm to look at you laying in the soft grass.
"yeah." you huff, "jus' my parents."
"what about them?" he swallows. he knew that they had always been on your ass about everything lately, and how much you hated being yelled at, how it made your heart hurt in a way that certainly broke his.
"they want me to go to college." you start to feel the tears overtake your eyes.
"far, far away from here."
JJ studies your eyes, his forehead creasing in worry.
"far away from you," you start, voice slightly breaking.
he purses his lips and crooks his head up, squinting his eyes tightly. it was something he damn well knew was coming for the two of you, and he had been putting the thought of separating away in the back of his mind for a while, and now it came back to blow up in both of your faces.
you weren't ready to leave him, and he was certainly not ready to leave you, either.
you were all he had besides the pogues, he couldn't bear the feeling of his father, and he really knew he couldn't bear the loss of you.
you threw on a slight smile and melted your gaze into his.
"wouldn't you say theres always a light in the darkest moments?"
he softly smiled back at you, his white teeth almost kissing your eyes. he could feel the pain in his chest. he loved you. He loved that you always tried to find the good in all the hardest moments the both of you had overcome this seinor year.
he gently reached his hand over to stroke your hair.
"we'll be brave."
you nod and press your head to his.
"do we need a taxi?" you ask, suddenly thinking of the time and how you were going to get home, being out in the middle of completely no where.
he slightly tuts makes a puff in his cheeks. "i dont wanna go and see our friends, honestly."
"why not?" you make a face and tilt your head in confusion.
"i wanna be here with you." he pouts.
"sure." you roll your eyes, "n' whats the real reason?"
"just that." he grimaces, "and john b. hes mad i dented the hms pouge."
you half snort "what?"ïżŒ
"it doesn't matter," he sighs.
the two of you stay silent for a while, holding hands and looking at the stars before jj turns his head to you and gently whispers, "you wanna go get coffee?"
you smile from ear to ear, your throat and stomach absolutely being torn from the feeling of butterflies.
besides laying in fields, surfing, boat rides, and stargazing, going to get coffee was something so simple that JJ and you had cherished since your first real date with him.
after you made it to the shop, the two of you shared giggles over instagram stories and talked for hours until the barista kicked the two of you out.
the crickets we're chirping softly as jj was holding your hand, swinging it back and forth as you walked slowly on the dirty sidewalk.
the sound of the waves next to you, with your favorite boy.
the breeze, the salty air.
you felt content with him.
-
As the both of you made your way back to the house, you pressed your keys into the door, pushing it open and tossing your shoes on the floor, slamming into the couch. you felt exhausted.
JJ made his way next to you, snaking his arms around you and tucked a soft kiss to your hair.
"you wanna do somethin'?"
you giggle a little as you feel him carry a loose strand of hair from your face.
"Friends?" you sigh, as his face lights up.
JJ sits straight and puts his arm back around you, turning your crappy TV on that he always loved to come over and watch. his dad never let him have one at the house, so he liked to enjoy having a girlfriend to watch random netflix series with.
after almost five bowls of candy and popcorn, and even ten times the amount of episodes, JJ rests the back of his neck on you, fiddling with his lighter before gently asking.
"do you think we will end up like ross n' rachel?"
you let yourself laugh like a little girl, feeling your heart melt out of your chest.
"shit." he groans, "sorry for the spoiler, but thats the end of it."
you make an exaggerated gasp, "JJ!"
"you watched the rest of the series without me?" you whine, kicking your feet at him.
"okay okay, im sorry! im sorry! i had to."
"and whys' that?" you look up at him, making a pouted face.
"i wanted to watch all the sexy scenes and imagine all of it was you."
you almost cough out your popcorn.
"what?" your mouth drops in shock
he snickers as you throw a peice of candy in his face. "you did not!"
"you're fucking hot, you cant blame me for fantasizing how lucky i would be-"
"uh uh uh," you press your finger to his lips as he kisses it and winks. "no."
"one day," he shrugs and puts on a big smile.
you huff as he rubs your arm to keep you warm.
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tags @cafekitsune @theblackcatwitch4 join my taglist ♡
©presleyanswrites please do not copy, plagiarize, or repost my work to other platforms.
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cupidevanesco · 2 years ago
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ALL OF THE GIRLS YOU LOVED BEFORE. | ksm.
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➚ pairing: kim seungmin x SHS!reader.
➚ note: not proofread, highschool x forbidden love trope.
➚ word count: 7.5k
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Seungmin was known as the biggest asshole among the juniors and seniors in highschool. No one knew what he was up to, breaking all these girls’ hearts and all.
so I wondered, how did I manage to make him treat me like this?
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I walked around campus for a little while as classes have not started yet. I still had two hours before studying and had absolutely nothing to do, so here I was, walking around, kicking dried leaves that fell from trees.
i stopped in front of a big tree, this was my signature place.
I sat on the bench that was under the tree and took a book out to do something to entertain me. As much as I wanted to take my phone out and chat with people, I had no one to chat with — which left me no choice but to read.
It's not like I was reading something educational; I was reading fiction.
this school year had been tough for me, my class rank went down from first to fifth, I stopped being a people pleaser which made my friends progressively leave me, Day by day.
It’s fine, it's the last year of senior year anyway.
But other than that, I was focused on one person, and that was none other than Kim Seungmin.
me and seungmin was never fond of each other, we were always fighting since we met each other and this year, he bullied me so much to the point where I lost the energy to even do anything back.
it’s not because I was offended or affected by the things he did or said, it was just because I realized that I would benefit nothing from fighting all day with him — about absolutely nothing.
I never understood why he hated me, he would often try to trip me where there were a lot of people around, hide my things for laughs, make rumours about me, and more.
I don't even care anymore, but him and his friends’ bullying doesn't seem to stop.
to be honest, when he didn't use to bully me as much, half of me enjoyed arguing with him. I was enjoying it because he didn't do physical things, but now he had just gotten worse, worse than I ever imagined.
I don't even remember the first time we started fighting and why. all I knew was that he hated me and that was not gonna die down soon.
speaking of the devil, “hey loser,” A familiar light brown haired boy stood in front on me with a couple of his friends trailing him behind.
“What do you want, seungmin?” I blurted out, my voice having an annoyed tone to it.
“we’re not even halfway through the school year and you're already stressed, it's only march.” he mocked me, making me look up to see that nasty smirk he had.
“I did not ask that... I asked you about what you wanted?” I raised my eyebrow at him, completely ignoring what he had said earlier.
“Nothing much really, How are you doing y/n?”
I knew for a fact that he wasn’t actually asking me if I was okay, I knew that he would try to pull some sick joke that would ‘offend me’
“Better than fine seungmin, how about you?” I played along his little games, I honestly am itching to know what he actually wants.
“Doing better than you, as always.” Whatever, I’m aware that he has an answer for everything, why did I even bother to respond to him.
“Well thank you for your time, you can go on with your day now.” I smiled warmly at him. it was fake but I couldn't think of a better idea of shooing him away.
He walked away, murmuring something to his friends and laughing about it which I certainly knew was about me.
I continued to listen to music and read my book at peace when seungmin left, I know I should've just ignored him but he wouldn't leave me alone unless he completely ruins my day, but to his dismay, I just don't care anymore.
Half of me wished that we were in a book; where in the end we’re either going to end up as friends or lovers. It might be weird, but I would do anything for him to stop bullying me,
even if it was being his lover.
I would basically be delusional if I said that was possible, so I shrugged off the thought.
After almost an hour of reading, I realized that I ran out of coffee. I was too focused on what I was reading that I forgot I had classes in only thirty minutes from now.
I took all of my things and went outside of campus to buy coffee from my favorite coffee shop.
Time passed by and I already had my order and was ready to leave when seungmin walked inside the café.
weird, I never knew he went here.
he and his friends laughed at me again for an unknown reason while I did my thing and completely ignored them.
there was one thing I did whenever I saw seungmin in public; it was to ignore him completely like I've never met him before.
I was afraid that he’ll embarrass me in front of people that wasn't from our university. Being humiliated in front of people from uni was already horrible and being humiliated from strangers didn't make a difference, just worse.
I tried my best to ignore him, but I don't think he was gonna let me go back inside campus without embarrassing me in front of everybody.
I was cautious around my surroundings, I knew any time now he would be sticking his foot out to trip me, so I was looking carefully everywhere.
I was able to leave the shop without getting terrorized by no other than seungmin. It was honestly a surprise and achievement to escape his terrorizing and I was here for it.
I finally calmed down and reached my campus, continuing to enter and go straight to first period.
I wasn't too late to class and not that much people were there, and gladly my favorite seat wasn’t taken by anyone yet.
I sat by the window and put my things down under my desk, I pulled out my textbook to review some topics as we had a pop quiz today.
I wasn’t stressing out as much because I was actually able to focus yesterday unlike the past few days before yesterday and I completely understood the topic.
I always enjoyed first period and the rest of my classes before lunch because well, me and seungmin didn't have the same schedule which is a relief.
But still, we had the same classes from fifth to ninth period which was hell for me, I’m so tired of crumbled paper and paper planes being constantly threw at me.
usually, those paper planes and crumpled paper will have something written in in; I always fail to not read them because of curiosity as there's something different written in it every single time.
I ignored my thoughts and continued studying until the teacher came.
Time passed by fast as the class finally ended with the school alarms lowly blaring. I breathed the sigh of relief as I stretched out my arms and back from staying still for too long.
right before I went out, I put my headphones in, not wanting to interact with anyone i see; especially that guy.
While walking to my next period, I passed by seungmin who was clueless of my presence — thankfully.
he looked troubled while he was looking for the things inside his backpack. Was it karma?
I ignored it and continued walking towards my class, and to my dismay, seungmin ran back and ‘accidentally’ pushed me.
I fell to the ground as he looked back at me, staring down, probably contemplating if he should help me or not.
To my surprise, he started picking up the books that fell from my hands and gave them back to me. He muttered a little ‘I’m sorry’ and ran back to where he was before, probably still looking for the missing object.
I stood still, I was speechless since this was the first ever time that he did something like this.
Earlier morning, he was just mocking me and probably talking bad about me with his friends and now he's helping me pick up my things?
Why should I even think too much about it, It was his fault anyway, he accidentally pushed me, he's REQUIRED to help me.
it just feels so impossible and unreal for him to do something like that...
I once again shrugged it off and continued walking to my next class, grabbing a new drink from the cafeteria before going because my coffee was already finished.
once I reached class, the seat by the window was already taken, there was only one seat left; it was at the very back.
I'm not complaining though, but I do lack focus whenever I'm back there.
I suddenly remembered when I just started highschool, I always sat at the back of the class

with
 seungmin?
Oh, now I remember.
We used to be chill around each other because we had a lot of similarities, then suddenly, everything turned into a competition of who likes what better.
then it became academic, I won a lot when it came to acads, but these days he’s either ranked one or two, never lower.
his friends was right below him, meaning I was below his friends.
I don't remember exactly what we fought about, but at least now I know some detail.
I also remembered having a small crush on seungmin?
whatever.
I probably only did because he was the only person I talked to and he was also the only person in the whole campus with the same level as me.
the teacher walked in snapping me out of my trance, she didn't wait any second and started discussing, leaving me no choice but to listen.
Throughout the whole class, I felt uncomfortable because not only was my pants feeling all itchy, but my head and my back hurts and I kept on unconsciously trying to recall me and seungmin’s past interactions.
I lost focus on the lesson but still kept trying to listen whenever I catch myself losing focus. I needed to get my rank back.
I was doing something wrong with my acads but I don't know what, if I don't get my rank back this semester I will surely get myself tutored.
But to be honest, getting tutored traumatized me. My parents used to hire really rude tutors before to get me studying ‘well’ and all.
But if I needed to get tutored to get my rank back, I WILL get tutored.
I didn't realize that the class already ended, students were already packing their stuff and leaving while I was just staring at the half blank white board that was now being wiped by the teacher.
I quickly gathered my things and left, I knew I was gonna pass by seungmin again but remembering what he did earlier, I didn't worry too much.
As expected, I passed by seungmin and to my surprise, he was walking with a sweet girl. he had his arms wrapped around her while they were laughing and talking.
oh how I felt bad for the girl. She's gonna get her heart broken like the others.
I said nothing as I noticed seungmin taking a quick glance at me and looking away. I pretended not to notice and kept walking.
So many unusual things already happened today and I don't want to encounter more, because what the hell is happening?
first of all, seungmin bullied me and suddenly became nice, I remembered all of our interactions and lost focus, and now he's walking with a random girl who's ‘bout to get her heart broken.
I've seen enough for today, I’m already so drained. I just want this day to end, it feels so long.
I only had two more classes left before lunch and that still wasn't enough to keep me content, I needed this to finish early.
I can't take more of this bullshit.
I let time fly and barely noticed that i was already walking to the cafeteria, I walked to the back of the line and waited for my turn.
When I got my beverages, I went straight to the rooftop.
I didn't like eating inside the cafeteria, There was a lot of people there and I couldn't bear the loudness.
when I was at the last step, the door from the rooftop swung open revealing a girl crying real hard and running.
the same girl seungmin was with earlier.
after her, the expected came out.
A disappointed, bored looking seungmin comes out. arms crossed and walking slowly.
I tried to ignore him and walked straight past him but of course, he became the person he was this morning.
“Y’know, you’re a real loser eating here all alone everyday.” he looked at me with a straight and serious face.
I unwrapped my burger and took a bite, pretending to not have heard him as I had my headphones on.
“i know you can hear me.”
“i know you can stop being an asshole if you wanted to.” I blurted out, I was already as annoyed by everything and I didn't want him interrupting me.
“that doesn't even- you know what, I don't care.” — “just why are you choosing to be such a loser when you can just socialize?” he boredly asks,
“and why can't you stop annoying me! why can't you stop bullying me and breaking other girls’ hearts?! why are you doing all of this when you can just become a better person?!” I yelled at him, causing him to stay silent.
“why can't you just work on yourself than to try to make me better?” I muttered.
“Because I can’t okay!” He yelled at me, I now noticed the tears that were forming in his eyes.
“Yes you can! you were a much better person when I first met you!” I yelled back, I won't let myself lose in this so-called argument.
“I miss you seungmin.” I finally admitted, looking at him with full of hope that he’ll understand.
“what?” he looks back up, trying to process what I just said.
“i said I missed you, seungmin.” I stood still, not sure of what to do or why I said that.
“How? what do you mean? I don't understand.” he looks at me teary eyed and confused.
“i meant I miss the old you, the person who was fun and chill, the person who used to listen to music with me in my classes, the person who ranted to me when he needed to and also the person that I could rant to.” at this point, I could feel the tears in my eyes start to form.
“I-... I’m really, really, really sorry y/n.” He breaks down completely and falls on the ground, covering his face with both of his hands.
I couldn't help but feel bad, he looked like a complete mess right now.
I couldn't move and didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to do something.
I went closer to him and cupped his face with both of my hands, “i forgive you seungmin, cry it all out.” after that, I hugged him and ruffle his hair while doing so.
I could feel the warmth of his breath hit my neck as he finally hugged me back and cried more onto my neck.
He was mumbling his apologies and reasons while i only sat there and kept on comforting the poor boy.
I soon enough invited him to eat with me, and he gracefully agreed.
After lunch, me and seungmin went straight to our classes.
After that, all I knew was my day went smoothly with seungmin who wasn't bullying me, and in fact was even chatting with me when we got the chance.
All of our classes are finally finished and we bid our goodbyes and separated ways.
After walking for a bit, I realized that I left my phone in our classroom.
I rushed to the classroom I was last in and went straight to my seat, thankfully, the phone was still there.
while I was walking my way back, I saw a beat up seungmin sitting on the floor and leaning on the wall.
I ran close to him, “shit, what happened?” I immediately sat down and took out the first aid kit that I always bring as I tend to be really clumsy and fall wherever I go.
“some... some group of guys stole my stuff.” he groaned while pressing onto his bruised eye.
“that looks pretty bad. let me-” I stopped talking as I focused to medicate the wounds on his face.
as I was finishing patching him up, he suddenly spoke, “why are you even helping me? you suffered so much because of me.” for a small momentum, I stayed quiet.
I realized that he was staring at me the whole time.
“the clinic is closed... when you get home, put an ice pack on this would you?” I said, pointing at his bruised eye and ignoring his question.
he gave me a reassuring nod and stood up as I did the same.
“I guess I have to go now...? bye seungmin, stay safe.” I smiled warmly at him and turned away when he grabbed my arm and turned me around.
“thank you y/n... thank you for forgiving me and helping me. I’m really thankful that you're here.” he held my hand tightly, looking at me straight in the eyes.
I stayed quiet while just looking at him. “Y/n, I... I love you.” — “This is serious, I'm not playing with you or anything, I really do love you.”
I kept quiet.
“I loved you from the start, when I first met you, but things went wrong at home and I took my anger out on people here because I thought it would be unfair if everyone was feeling fine and I wasn't. I regret everything I really do, and you made me realize that.” he sighs as he looks down, letting go of my hands.
We stayed quiet for a few seconds and I finally talked. “it’s okay, I told you right? you could change...” — “and seungmin...” I said and picked up the both of his hands, recreating his previous action.
“i love you too.” I stared at him with sincerity in my eyes.
Seungmin broke down again and hugged me tightly, I did the same thing back and patted his back. I stayed silent, there was no need to say anything.
We were quiet for a few minutes. Seungmin wasn't hugging me anymore, but his head was laying on my shoulder.
“Hey
 let’s go home and talk about it, huh?” I cupped both of his cheeks as I stared at his flushed face.
His hair was messy, his eyes were puffy, his lips were plump and was pinkish while his nose and his ears were red.
I tilted my head waiting for a response as he just nodded his head.
We both stood up from the slippery floor and walked out of campus, finally.
“Y/n, do you want to
 hang out for a bit?” he asked, staring at me with puppy eyes
I smiled warmly, “of course, minnie.” I said as I wiped the tears in his eyes, making him smile slightly with a hint of joy in him.
I was taken aback when he linked his arms with mine and kept on walking towards the closest café.
I stayed silent the whole time, I wish I stayed in this moment, forever.
We entered the cafĂ©, arms still linked. “Do you want me to order for you?” — “Actually, that's not a question, I'll order for you. what do you want to get?” he asked, and finally unlinked our arms.
“Um, are you going to pay? I can pay for my-” before I could finish, he cut me off, “no. I will pay y/n, I owe you my life.” 
“I get that I kind of changed you, but don't be drastically dramatic.” I laughed and looked at him, 
“shush
 just tell me what you’d like
 it's an order.” he cutely shushes me like a little kid, “okay fine, I’d like to have a belgium chocolate latte, please.” I smiled at him and leaned on my hand for support.
“Of course, m’lady.” He smiled again and winked at me, I rolled my eyes at his flirty response and waited for him to come back.
A few minutes later, he came back with two drinks and a few donuts that I didn’t ask for. He probably got hungry from getting beaten up or something.
I was surprised when he gently pushed the plate of donuts towards me, “I got you some extra stuff, maybe you’d like it?” he smiles at me with shiny eyes,
“What
 you know what, I'm not even gonna decline. but let's share, okay?” I jokingly say, “whatever you want, my puppy.”
damn, we aren't even dating yet.
I laughed at his sentence and decided to sip my drink and take a bite of the food, at the same time feeding him.
I noticed how his ears would get extremely red when I gave him a bite of the donut, “you’re whipped.” I seriously but jokingly said, “yes ma’am.” He closed his eyes and nodded as a response.
I laughed at his silly little response and kept on doing my thing.
Half an hour had already passed and we decided that we should go home as the sky was getting darker. 
“Can I take you home?” He asks with the same puppy eyes he gave me earlier. as much as I wanted to scream and run and say yes, I stood strong.
“Seungmin, we've already spent a lot of time with each other, no need for more.” I said and placed my phone back inside my bag, he pouted at my response and crossed his arms, turning away from me.
I chuckled, “what are you doing?” He turned around my with his little pouty face and rolled his eyes, I didn't know he was so childish with people he was close with,
or only with me
?
“Please let me walk you home
” he mumbled loud enough for me to hear. “Seungmin, will you date me in the future?” I asked, waiting for a response.
Seungmin seemed to have choked on his words and turned to me, “of course?” he says in a questioning tone, like it was the most obvious thing.
“Then walk me home when we’re dating. Bye minnie! stay safe.” I said and walked the opposite way, I heard him groan and finally talk, “fine! stay safe too, Y/n.” — “thanks for today
” I wasn't too far to not hear as I smiled at his response.
I reached my house and the next thing I knew was I already took a shower and was ready to take a nap. I know this nap is gonna be peaceful remembering what happened today.
I was only supposed to take a nap but it turned into sleep, I woke up the next morning with horrible hair but a pretty face, odd.
I guess it was probably because I wasn't too stressed yesterday.
I got ready for school and time passed by like it was in a time lapse. I was able to focus well on my classes and even got a perfect score on two of my quizzes in two different subjects.
It was finally lunch break as I low-key searched for seungmin in the cafeteria, I just couldn't let him know that I was looking for him.
My heart rose as I saw Seungmin sitting at a table with a group of his friends, they were talking normally and laughing with each other.
I wanted to call his name so bad, I wanted to let him know that I was looking for him.
After a couple of moments of being interrupted by the noises of the cafeteria while eating, my mood suddenly changed.
Some girl was trying to hit on seungmin.
Why do I care? we're not together anyways.
that girl’s a whore.
why am I so affected anyway, he's still a player after all.
rip that girl’s ugly fucking face apart.
I ran to the rooftop, frustrated at the random thoughts that popped up inside of my head. I needed to clear my mind for a moment.
This is why I never eat at the damned cafeteria.
I tried to shrug the thought off and chewed my food ‘till there was almost nothing left, but then suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a smiling seungmin and the whore who now looked like she was ready to make out with him.
My heart dropped as I saw that they were about to kiss, in fucking front of me. 
“get a room.” I say as I pretended to be disgusted by the two and walked out, I saw seungmin’s shocked face before I did and that was all it took for me to start crying.
It was too stressful for me and I couldn't take it anymore. I went home crying and running. Does he treat every girl like how he treats me?
I didn't mind changing my clothes as I was too focused on the fact that seungmin was doing shit with other girls and it gave me a huge horrendous amount of feeling betrayed.
I cried myself to sleep as I had nothing better to do, my only choice was to cry about it because no one knows about what happened to the both of us anyway.
only him.
I shouldn't have trusted him.
I guess trust issues are actually useful sometimes, I should've let it take over.
I woke up from the sound of rocks being thrown at my window, I looked at the time and I knew that by this time my parents would be asleep. who could be throwing rocks at my window at two in the morning?
People would hate me if I said I didn't hesitate to look at who was throwing at the window because one, it's stupid, and two, it could be a killer and my life could be in danger.
but I couldn't care any less, I just wanted to make the dude stop. I just want rest and I can't even get that as well.
I stared in shock when I saw who was in our backyard, it was none other than seungmin.
Society would say that I'm stupid or I'm making a fool of myself if it found out that I let him in, because I mean, he got me pretty fucked up in just a day.
As he entered, I backed away, I didn't want to be close to him even though I literally let him enter my room through my window.
“Y/n are you mad?” He looked at me worriedly, “Well I don’t know seungmin, am I mad?” I looked at him straight in the eyes with an emotionless face.
“You might have misunderstood, it really wasn't what it looked like-” I cut him off, I didn't want to hear more.
“Misunderstood that you were close to fucking that girl? don't worry, it’s okay seungmin. we're not dating.” I replied bluntly and crossed my arms, at this point, I wanted to cry but no tears would come out.
I chuckled, “You’re so good at acting, minnie.” I combed my hair with my hand as I crossed my arms back again after, “please
 I didn't mean to
” He walked closer towards me with a ‘pitiful’ face others might say.
“No, no, it’s okay seungmin! totally fine! I mean why are you even apologizing? like we're not even dating bro.” I sarcastically responded to his lame apology. 
“I’ll explain, She claimed to have liked me for years and I didn't know what to do so I acted through it! and she suddenly brought me to the rooftop and I don't know
 I left her after I saw you.” he explained, making everything clear for me.
“so seungmin, are you implying that if we dated and some girl confessed to you, you’d fuck her?” I laughed and kept my arms crossed.
“No! no y/n please I really didn't want to! but my friends were making fun of me and calling me names and all
” he scratched his head, I've had enough of this bullshit.
“LAME! you're fucking lame! What kind of excuse is that?! leave my room right now. right now seungmin! fucking asshole.” I yelled and mumbled the last two words. I was so pissed off that I felt as if I wanted to jump off a cliff and die so that he could feel guilty.
The last thing I knew, he was hugging me and crying on my shoulder while repeatedly saying ‘I’m sorry, please don't leave me. I love you.
it broke my heart seeing him like this. my emotions took over me and forgave him, in the end, I was laying my head on his arm while staring at the ceiling.
the dim lamp made it comfortable enough for me to stay still, staying as quiet as ever.
“Y/n please understand if I want to keep our relationship a secret, if we start dating
 y’know
” he suddenly speaks, not moving an inch.
“why?” I asked emotionlessly and bluntly, “because of my friends
 My parents know you. my friends will snitch on me once they find out that I'm dating you.”
“why?” I repeated my question having no energy to form a proper conversation.
“Your parents, my parents, they know each other. my family talks a lot about how they're trying to beat each other on sales and will do anything to beat them, even if it means risking someone’s life.” he explained as I stayed silent, everything was starting to clear up.
“Seungmin, I'm sleepy.” I exclaimed and yawned, he played with my hair as I slowly melted at his touch and eventually dozed off and slept peacefully.
I woke up the next morning to see that seungmin was no longer by my side, there was only a pillow on where he had his arm and I was laying on it, he must've left while I was sleeping.
I got ready for school and the same thing happened just like any other day. I went to my classes, ate at the rooftop, went home and completely pretended that seungmin didn't exist at all.
it was already night time as I was getting ready to sleep, scrolling a bit on my phone before I heard someone throw rocks on my window again.
It's seungmin.
I let him in as he gave me a hug when he stepped inside, I hugged him back tiredly and laid down on my bed as he did the same as last night, putting his arms under my head as a pillow. 
“I missed you, minnie.” I exclaimed. “I missed you too, my y/n. he replied back.
“How was your day?” he asked, “aren’t your friends wondering why you aren't bothering me at school?” I asked, completely ignoring his question.
“Oh, yeah, they did.” he scratched his head, “what did you say?” I asked,
“I said that there was no point of it anymore, and that I got lazy.” he responded. “m‘kay.” I replied effortlessly as all I wanted to do was sleep. Today was a tiring day from me and I can't even say or do anything properly.
“You seem really tired
 y/n.” he says as he played with my hair like last night, “It was a stressful day.” I explained bluntly and closed my eyes.
“I have something important to ask you.” He suddenly says, making me shocked on the inside but having no energy to show it.
“What is it?” I asked nervously, “Can you be my girlfriend?” he turned to me and cupped my face with his right hand.
“huh
 you're just tired. Let's get some rest.” I say and shrug it off, closing my eyes once again.
“No y/n, please give me the permission to be yours. to be your boyfriend.” he says, making me open my eyes, I now realized what he has said was serious.
“seungmin
 of course.” I say in happiness. I couldn't explain how happy I was, despite the fact that I was all sleepy and tired, I still managed to have the energy to smile and hug him tightly.
He kept on playing with my hair while hugging me back too, “Goodnight, sleep well, love.” I was too tired to respond and dozed off.
As expected, I woke up the next morning with seungmin gone and a pillow under my head.
I got ready, did what I did on a daily basis and everything was going completely normal.
I went to class, ate at the rooftop, went home, and have seungmin throw rocks at my window.
I woke up the next day with seungmin gone like usual and the same cycle repeats over and over again.
Six months passed and the same thing happened every single day, except I was doing better in my studies and I was now ranked second. 
I was walking normally when I saw seungmin talking to a girl who seemed to be flirting with him, he didn't seem to react the same way the girl was acting and stayed there, standing still while staring at her blankly.
I was relieved to see that he reacted like this, but suddenly, the girl started crying and pulled him into the
 fucking janitor’s closet?
I stomped my way to the janitor’s closet, kicking the door open with all my strength.
“And what do you think you're doing?” I grabbed the girl by the collar, never in my life had I thought I'd do this, not even something similar to this.
I glared at the girl while she stared at me in shock. 
“Talk, bitch!” I said as I slapped her, seungmin got a hold of my hand which made me stop, “why are you causing such a ruckus y/n?” I froze hearing him call me by my name which he hadn't done since we started dating.
He looked at me coldly, as if we didn't know each other at all.
“what
?” I looked at seungmin, feeling betrayed. He pulled me out of the closet leaving the girl alone and took me to the same rooftop I just came from.
“Are you out of your mind?! do you want my family to find out and break us apart y/n?!” he yelled at me, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
“You might now care but I do, I care. I don't want my parents to fucking find out! I'll fucking die!” He yelled again, kicking an empty can of soda from the floor.
“So you'll let her do shit to you? huh!?” — “I’ve had enough of your bullshit seungmin! This is the second fucking time you let someone try to fuck you!” I yelled back at him, I wasn't backing down now.
“Y/n do you really not understand?! Did you ever consider my damn feelings!?” He turned around.
that sentence broke me completely, I absolutely had nothing to say.
“We’re not getting anywhere. I can't do this anymore, I tried to work this secret relationship shit thing and it's just not working. Let's end this. I'm breaking up with you.” I stared at him in frustration and sadness.
his face dropped, “fuck
 no wait, I mean, I'm sorry babe, I’m just really stressed today-” I cut him off, “don’t sugarcoat it now seungmin, I'm sick of this bullshit.” I didn't say anything anymore as I felt like I was gonna have a mental breakdown right there.
In fact, I really wanted to work out things with him but I just couldn't, if our parents hate each other so much then there was no way, we were only in senior highschool and didn't have a job to at least support our decisions with.
I knew it was better to end things with him. It was the right person, but it was the wrong time.
If only I had met him when we're in college, working or something I could work out stuff with him because I know he can handle things without depending on his parents, but I didn't, I had no choice.
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seven months passed and I finally was in college. I moved out and got my own apartment that my parents provided me that I soon enough would completely own as I finally got myself a part time job at a nearby hotel.
Being a receptionist was more than enough to keep me alive which led me to renting a larger and fancier apartment.
I was loving my new life at my job, college, my house, everything.
I also met a couple of new people who were hyunjin and jeongin, I met them at a campus project that required working with other college students and we met from making background props for apparently a really big film showing only in a month.
It was a perfectly fine day when I was met with a familiar light-brown haired boy who was looking
 more decent now.
I was asked to show him around campus and tell him about all the upcoming large projects we have.
Wow, great timing and great person.
There was an awkward silence between us as I scanned him, he was wearing a simple blue cardigan jacket and some baggy white pants with some good ‘ol Jordans.
“Hi
 Y/n. Long time no see.” He broke the silence by speaking in a happy tone that had a hint of nervousness in it.
“Hey, seungmin
 I didn't expect to be seeing you today.” it was probably because the school saw on his information that he went to the same school as me in highschool and thought that we’d know each other.
Well great, because we do.
“Um
 so
” he spoke and looked down, looking for words to say, “do you wanna see the campus or talk about the projects we have soon?” I talked confidently, I was NOT gonna show him that I was nervous.
To be honest, I missed him a lot but moved on from the past and now think of our past relationship as a sweet little memory of my highschool days.
“Um- we can talk about the projects! if that’s okay
” he said as I noticed his ears get red, like it used to. he's even more shy now.
stop it y/n.
“Yeah, totally. Where do you wanna talk? here or somewhere outside campus?” I asked nicely, waiting for a response.
“Uh, can we talk in a cafĂ© or something?” He chuckled lightly, oh shit, the memories.
“Oh, yeah, of course.” I said as I put my phone back inside my sling bag and waited for him to lead the way.
He brought me to the closest café and we started talking about the upcoming projects and what he needed to help with. We finished talking after only half an hour and I was finally getting ready to leave.
“Hey y/n, you seem to know everything about campus. Why is that?” He asked me genuinely, raising an eyebrow. 
“I’m the university’s vice president.” I chuckled without looking at him, just gathering all of my things and shoving them in my bag.
“Actually, I've been saving up the courage to ask you this since earlier but can we talk about
 you know?”
I knew it, I knew this was gonna happen.
I sat back down and sighed, “fine, make it quick. please.” I pleaded, to be honest I actually never wanted this conversation to end but of course I wasn't gonna say that to my literal ex.
“I
 you know what, I'm not gonna talk about the past
 I'm just gonna tell you how my days have been, is that okay?” Was he just trying to spend his time with me longer?
“Yeah, go on
” I said, “so
 kinda unusual but I'm a caregiver, and I've got my own apartment too, my parents aren't controlling me anymore, thankfully. And yeah, I guess life’s pretty decent
 but empty without
” he said, not finishing his words
“What about you, y/n?” He suddenly asked, “well, life’s alright. I'm doing well with my studies and I have an apartment too. I'm also a part time receptionist at a hotel,” I exclaimed.
he smiled, “You’re a receptionist? you must be rich now.” He laughed, “Not to be egoistic or over-confident or something but, it's kinda like that.” I joked around.
“But
 gosh. I can't take it anymore, can we
 hang out? sometimes?
I stayed silent, I didn't know what to respond. my choice would either fix all of my life problems or make more problems, but I'm saying yes.
“...okay.” I responded bluntly and stood up, “see you
 tomorrow. I’ll show you around campus.” I left without hesitation.
I felt suffocated inside there, my heart was pumping really hard after I realized what I just did, I really agreed to repeat history with that guy, with seungmin.
I went home as we didn't really have school today, we just met up because the teacher just wouldn't let me skip a day and the student council wouldn't let me skip an after school meeting either.
It was already dark and I had to go to work today so I rushed home and changed into my work attire and went straight to work.
Weeks and weeks have past and me and seungmin actually started to hang out, things were working out better than before. We were able to go around places without being scared of being seen talking to each other in a friendly way.
Then suddenly, he invited me over to a café  a cafĂ© I will never forget. 
It was the café that we went to a lot when we were in highschool.
I felt nervous and suffocated but I still went. My heart beating rapidly was also not helping, I saw him sitting there, wearing a sweater and baggy jeans near the glass wall, the same seat we were sitting in when we first made up with each other.
I sat in front of him, waiting for him to say something.
“Y/n
 hi.” he greeted me, looking as nervous as ever. I tried to act normal and keep my cool while I was speaking though, someone here had to act all cool.
“Here’s your drink, I ordered earlier.” he says smiling while slightly pushing the drink towards me. I stared at the drink, A belgium chocolate latte.
“Thanks
 so why did you call me?” I asked, “So I’ve been thinking
”
“I
 I missed you, romantically. Please give me a second chance, y/n.” he held both of my hands, “Um
 well, seungmin
” I was speechless.
“I’m really happy that we’re talking again, I've been so sad since we fell apart. I know we can work it out, I really miss you.” he begged.
“oh
” I sighed, “okay.” I looked down, wanting to just explode because I really gave in.
“thank you, thank you so much y/n you don't know how much you mean to me.” I saw him smile passionately while holding my hands tightly.
“Do you want to come over to my apartment and talk privately about it?” he asked, “Sure, seungmin.” I smiled warmly at him.
Once we were inside his apartment, I was surprised to see how clean it was.
We were now sitting at the couch with our unfinished drinks, “Y/n
 will you be my girlfriend
 I'll do better, I promise.”
it's not a sin to give him a chance, right?
“Of course.” I smiled warmly at him.
“Yes! Thank you! I love you!” he yelled with excitement and started to peck every part of my face.
After all the pecking he did, he hugged me tightly. “I never thought I was gonna be able to get you back, I love you.” he said while shoving his head on my shoulder.
I ruffled his hair and the next thing I knew, we were already walking at the park.
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Months have passed, we were doing amazing, we announced our relationship with everyone and my parents weren't too mad, but his parents definitely were, yet we weren't gonna let them stop up and keep us apart, we didn't do all of this for nothing.
“baby
 I love you so much.” seungmin suddenly spoke in his morning voice, facing me and hugging me.
I chuckled at how cute he was when he woke up fresh from sleep, “I love you too, minnie.” I exclaimed, making him laugh, still looking high.
“minnie
 do you listen to Taylor swift?” I asked him, turning to him and ruffling his hair, “Yes, of course since you love her so much.” He said, 
“Well, I can relate to her, you know.” I smiled, “how?” seungmin asked, “because
”
“all of the girls you loved before made you the one i’ve fallen for. every dead end street led you straight to me, now you're all I need, I'm so thankful for all of the girls you loved before.”
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a/n: hi everyone, so yes, as you can tell, this is based on a taylor swift song (all of the girls you loved before) I finished this in only two days so please bear with me if it's bad, but other than that, if you reached it here, congrats. I already consider you as my fan. Thank you for reading and have a great day! 
p.s if you want to see my other socials, you can find it at —
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nihiladditaenihilperdidi · 5 days ago
Text
Field Trip || Rune + Enoch || May 17th, 1925
Enoch: A small scrap of paper crumpled into a paper ball was flicked in Rune’s direction.
Rune: Rune had nearly fallen asleep, saved only by the crinkle of paper. His eyes opened in time to catch the ball. How lucky. He would open his gift.
Enoch: Inside was a small sketch of a person. Rather, a crude outline of one that suspiciously looked like the mage, followed by the words Rune snores loudly.
Rune: The paper was recrumpled and thrown back. A slew of expletives in Dutch followed.
Enoch: A snort followed by soft laughter came from the apprentice. “Fine, do you want to see my better drawings?”
Rune: "Will they also have biting commentary?"
Enoch: "You don't seem to appreciate my artistic vision!"
Then a pause.
"No."
Rune: "Show me what you think is better." He held his hand out.
Enoch: The worn leather notebook was slid across the table for his perusal.
Rune: The whole thing? He glanced up at its owner. "To what do I owe the privilege?" He nudged the book closer and opened it.
Enoch: "Should I regret entrusting you with it?" He watched from his position, interested in seeing the mage's response to his sketches. "You asked to see my drawing of a hellebore."
Rune: "I asked for everything and you won't stop me." But, he would start with page one and go from there.
Enoch: He was starting to have second thoughts with that statement. "I most certainly can," and he half stretched out across the table to help flip a few pages forward to the flowers he had drawn.
Rune: Rune kept his eyes trained on the table, to the book and nowhere else. More than temptation, he was genuinely interested.
"How long did these take you?"
Enoch: “Depends on the drawing and how detailed I want it to be.” But he appreciated the question, so he’d answer, looking at the field of tulips he had drawn. “This took a couple of hours.”
Rune: "What are you thinking about when drawing?"
Enoch: "I don't. I let my hands do it for me." Mostly.
Rune: "Your... escapism."
Enoch: "Don't you ever turn your brain off?"
Rune: "It doesn't turn into art."
Enoch: That earned Rune a soft chuckle. TouchĂ©. “Typically, I’ll be inspired by something that happened that day. It feels like an itch that I can’t scratch until I have it on the page. So I think about the subject while I do.”
Rune: He would ignore, then, how he was a part of his collection.
"Explains your constant jotting of notes. You'll have a proper grimoire in no time."
Enoch: He answered in honesty and, in so, revealed himself unintentionally.
“How else will I keep track of all you’ve taught me?”
There was another pause as he flipped a few pages forward.
“One day, I’ll write a book.”
Rune: "Have I told you lately that I'm proud of you? I know I have, don't pretend I haven't." His smile was tired but earnest.
"What will you write?"
Enoch: He feigned ignorance and shook his head.
“This is the first I’m hearing of it. You really ought to say it more often.” Ignore the way those words made him shift as he reached to flip through the journal.
“But I’ll write an autobiography of our London misadventures, naturally.”
He stopped on a particular page—a sketch of a manor, dark and looming, its stone and brickwork practically etched with shadows.
“Seven hours,” he said a little softer.
Rune: His glance was far removed from conscious thought. He wanted a look into those blue eyes. A glimpse into his soul and what he was thinking. Those words were gentle and melancholy.
"Are you ever going to show me your childhood home?"
Enoch: "Have you heard back from anyone about my avatar? His gaze lingered on the drawing before looking up at the mage.
Rune: Dark hair danced with a small shake of his head. "Word returned from Desdemona's apprentice. She's returning home from... something. The Arcanum moves at the speed of a snail in winter."
Enoch: He tapped the page with his index and forefinger and moved to sit up. "Then we can visit soon. Perhaps we can find something that might explain it."
A pause.
"Who's Desdemona?"
Rune: "A selkie from Scotland. Who do you think? Another mage I've consulted." But it was what Enoch had tacked on perked him.
"How soon?"
Enoch: For a second, the briefest of seconds
Enoch may have believed Rune. But he would never admit this. The pen was thrown at the mage’s chest in retaliation.
“We can go anytime.”
Rune: Rune just chuckled, for once, making a grab for the pen as it rolled to the edge of the table.
"You can't take off work like that." A pause. "Saturday? How far is it?"
Enoch: “Ah, so you’re forcing me to be responsible now?”
He glanced at the sketchbook, taking a second before answering. “Saturday, then.”
He wasn’t ready to revisit the skeletons on his closet so soon.
“We lived on the outskirts of London, so half an hour or so by car.”
Rune: It had been that close this entire time. They could have gone there for his awakening, and instead...
He must truly despise this place, Rune thought. Or he feared it as a child would the dark. Perhaps both.
"I can't make you do anything," he smirked.
Enoch: “But you are persuasive.”
There was a reason he hadn’t set foot back at the estate since his grandfather’s passing. The strangeness of his awakening only made it more daunting. He couldn’t decide if his curiosity outweighed the unease curling in his chest.
“Saturday,” he finally repeated as he leaned across the table to close his journal.
Rune: Persuasive, he said. Rune flattened his hand over the open book, reluctant to give up his temporary prize. Persuasion wouldn't aid him, here. Stealing was always a possibility. He wanted every paper Enoch placed his pen on. He couldn't help it.
"Saturday. It's a date."
Enoch: Rune could have the sketchbook, for now. He should have expected resistance, ever since that day he had to wrestle it away. The professor would let him think he'd won—after all, he’d made sure the most incriminating pages were safely hidden away. If the keen mage noticed a few torn sections. With a reluctant sigh, Enoch leaned back, arms crossing over his chest as he watched the mage.
“I expect flowers and dinner if that’s the case.”
Rune: "Someone is keeping the house while you're away, are they not? I'll make boiled potatoes and pick a wild flower along the way."
Enoch: "I would like something with actual flavor..."
Rune: "You're going to eat my flower?" The corner of his mouth twitched.
Enoch: "You're not invited anymore."
Rune: "O, kom op! Wees niet zo!"
Enoch: "Hm, what's that? You've changed your mind? Dinner and a drink? How gracious of you."
Rune: "Dinner, drinks, flowers, what else do you want?"
Enoch: "What else can I ask for?"
Rune: "Do you think you're getting any of it?"
Enoch: "Do you enjoy my company?"
Rune: "Is that a threat?"
Enoch: "...Maybe."
Rune: "Choose one."
Enoch: "Fine. Dinner and not just potatoes."
Rune: "We've circled back to the beginning. Someone watches over the estate?"
Enoch: "Yes, there's a housekeeper and a caretaker. They've been left in charge of the estate." He probably should send word that he would be visiting.
"We can stay over if you'd like."
Rune: Rune stared at the table for a moment. "And you think we'll find something? About your avatar?"
Enoch: "I don’t know," he said at last, rising to join Rune on the other side of the table.
“But maybe we’ll find something to explain this.”
The journal was flipped to a sketch of his latest depiction of Raine—a twisted, unsettling reflection of himself. Eyes, inked and eerie, covered every visible inch of skin: peeking from under the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt. Raine’s eyes in were nothing but pitch black, hollow and endless, while ink-drenched fingers dripped dark veins down the length of the arms like creeping shadows.
Rune: Rune observed the sketch, staring, contemplating the meaning of it all. The concept that this was anything other than his avatar was unfathomable, but... it had to mean something.
"Is he here now?"
Enoch: A glance around the room and Enoch got his answer.
“Mm.”
As soon as they started talking about the estate, he had felt the avatar stir.
“Why?”
Rune: "Ask him about your last life."
Enoch: "Right now?"
Rune: "No, tomorrow." He flicked a strand of Enoch's hair from between his eyes.
Enoch: "I can't tell if you're being serious."
Rune: "No one in your family was sarcastic. Not a day in your life."
Enoch: The side of Rune's face as gently pushed away, realizing what he meant.
"No, my upbringing didn't have room for it."
Rune: Enoch's hand was taken, only to be released a second later.
"We'll get there."
Enoch: “If you insist.”
He didn’t fight against the hold on his hand but there was a beat his fingers hesitated before reaching up to muse Rune’s hair. He bit back a smile as he quickly retreated to the mage's bed. If he were to call on Raine and have this conversation, might as well be comfortable.
“Ask about my last life? As in reincarnation?”
He stretched out as if it were his own.
Rune: The image of Enoch lying on his bed would be forever burned in his memory. The most beautiful burn.
But, there were important matters to discuss.
"Yes. Another one for your books. Reincarnation is real."
Rune took to the floor beside his bed.
Enoch: The professor lay there, staring at the ceiling, deciding if he wanted to come to terms with this.
"Who were you before?"
He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with one hand as he looked over at the mage.
Rune: "You're asking me, and not yourself?" One of his brows disappeared behind his hair.
Enoch: Rune was rewarded with a heavy sigh as the apprentice rolled onto his back once more.
“Yes, I want to know more about you.”
He was stalling—anything to avoid speaking with Raine.
Rune: "Romantic. Beautiful. A tale as old as time. Sweet lies in my ear."
Enoch: "Did you hear a lie?"
Rune: His mentor sighed.
"I don't know. I just know I didn't have an arm. Or a leg."
Enoch: "....What?"
Rune: "Battle or something. I'm by a fire and my right arm and leg are gone. I'm wrapped in white, a jinbei, and I'm yelling at someone I can't see."
Enoch: "And your avatar showed you this?"
Rune: "I asked her to."
Enoch: “I guess I can try.”
Rune: "You either do or you don't. There's nothing you do that he doesn't see."
Enoch: “Alright
”
Hopefully he would have all his appendages.
“Raine, can you show me my past life?”
Rune: His elbow resting on the mattress, Rune waited quietly, watching, admiring the bravery this man possessed to inquire where he didn't want to. But he was curious how his avatar would respond.
Enoch: His chest rose and fell as he waited
and waited.
Nothing.
Was it because he didn’t want to or didn’t know how to?
Wasting. Time.
The whisper crawled through his mind, sending a shiver through the professor.
“Tell me
”
Again he was met with silence.
“He doesn’t want to talk.”
Rune: The subtle movement caused the Euthanatos to shift an inch closer.
"What happened?" he asked, all but a whisper, maintaining the gentle atmosphere.
Enoch: “He said I was wasting time.”
Another deep breath in and out before he tilted his head back, glasses removed as he frustratingly rubbed at his eyes.
"I can't even get my avatar to talk to me."
Rune: His sigh was frustration on Enoch's behalf. The strangest damn avatar he'd ever heard of, though that too was too little.
"Annoying little shit, isn't he?" Gently, he punched his apprentice's arm and smiled for his benefit.
Enoch: A loose smile graced his lips, turning his head to the side to look at the Euthanatos.
“Maybe you’re the problem.”
Glasses were folded to rest next to the pillow for now.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to talk since you’re here,” he teased.
Rune: "Maybe you're right." But he didn't think so. An underlying feeling has begun creeping up his spine, and had since first laying eyes on Enoch's sketches.
What if... no. It sounded impossible. A word which continued cropping up when his apprentice was involved. Impossible... but perhaps just improbable. That impossible thought he gave voice in his letter to Desdemona.
What if this beast wasn't a reflection of Enoch?
"Is he still in this room?"
Enoch: The reprieve from his glasses was short lived as they were donned again.
“Yes,” he said his gaze flickering to the figure that now sat at the small table.
It was unnerving to look at this reflection of himself.
“Why?”
Rune: Rune wouldn't glance over his shoulder at what he knew he wouldn't see. His Ruine was nowhere in sight. Though she enjoyed Enoch's company, she was never in his peripheral when Raine was present. He knew as much.
"Has he told you what he wants of you?"
Enoch: “Learn and grow my abilities.”
It wasn't just words; it was a feeling the Cultist experienced. There was an impatience regarding his progress.
“He feels
restless. Like he wants to take control.”
Rune: That was... specific choice of wording.
"That's not something he can do. Ruine's never controlled me. Chastise, yes. Cold shoulder, yes. We are two halves of one soul but we're not puppets."
Enoch: Enoch was silent, digesting the words as he took a deep breath and slowly released it.
"He doesn't feel like he's my other half. If that makes sense..."
He was on his side looking at the mage, head resting against his arm.
"Maybe I'm cursed."
Rune: What could he say? The temptation to quip tingled the tip of his tongue. If he took Enoch's melancholy seriously, he risked dampening the mood with despondency.
"Have you always felt that way?"
Enoch: “Yes
not too long after my awakening.”
He rested his chin against his arm, his gaze fixed on the avatar before flicking to the mage. A quiet pause lingered before he sighed, the tension in his expression softening.
“I’m overthinking it,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. He didn’t want to risk Rune reconsidering teaching him magic.
Rune: "I meant to say, have you felt cursed your entire life. That answers that."
At last, Rune followed his line of sight. Of course he would see nothing.
"What is he doing?"
Enoch: “If you want to dig up my skeletons, I need something stronger than water to get me to talk.”
Enoch’s attention was no longer on the avatar.
“He's watching us.”
Rune: "You could be a little more grateful," he said over his shoulder to the invisible being. "Might have been another life before you found him awakened. Have patience."
Enoch: “I don’t think he liked that.”
Enoch glanced over at the chair, empty now.
“He’s gone.”
Rune: "We should drink to manifest good fortune," he smirked.
Enoch: "Is that how it works?"
Rune: "Or clean your room. Cross your fingers. Find a four-leaf clover. Always hang garlic in your kitchen. That is real."
Enoch: "Fine you lush, drink it is."
Rune: "Or what? A walk in the park?" His hand came down on the mattress. Just enough force to catch Enoch's attention.
"Take me to a museum."
Enoch: He had found comfort on the bed, nestled against his arm. Perhaps his eyes would have even drifted shut had he not been startled.
“Now?” A pause.
“Do you even like them?”
Rune: "I've never been. Will I like them?"
Enoch: “Really?”
Did that smile confess how much Enoch adored them?
“I hope so.”
Rune: "Then get up. We have enough sun for one museum."
Enoch: "You know that you are quite demanding, right?"
Rune: "I'm an old man," he grinned. "I know what I want."
Enoch: "An old man that's never been to a museum."
But fine, Enoch was sitting up.
"Art or natural history?"
Rune: "Which is your favorite?" Since Enoch was sitting up, he would lean away, haul himself to his feet.
Enoch: On his feet, he extended a hand to help Rune up.
“Natural History.”
Rune: "I expected to hear the MĂŒtter Museum. It's the only name I know. Someplace in America." His hand was quickly his own again, turning in search of his coat.
Enoch: "Oh, you meant..." A smile on his lips as he looked away, fingers running through his hair.
"Well, I'm biased to the British Museum. Obviously."
Rune: "I meant what?"
Enoch: "The name of a museum instead of my favorite type. I misunderstood."
Rune: "I don't care which so long as you tell me."
Enoch: “Why do you care, and why the museum so suddenly?”
He had found his coat and worked on buttoning it up, soon collecting his journal and satchel for their trip.
“Not that I mind, I’m happy to show you why it’s my favorite.”
Rune: "I'm allowed my secrets, but is it so mysterious?"
He had his reasons, but to say so out loud was a touch too sentimental.
Enoch: "Mm, I suppose not. I don't blame you,  I'm delightful company." Out the door he went, a hand lifting to his tie to adjust as he waited for the mage out in the hall.
"Or do you not have any other friends?"
Rune: "Take delight in knowing I have no other friends in England." Despite their intimacy, neither he nor Clarissa could put each other in such high esteem.
"If you're weary of me, I expect you to say the words."
Enoch: “Rest easy, friend; that is hardly the case. I enjoy your company.” His gaze softened as it lingered on the sailor.
“Come now,” He’d let his shoulder gently meet Rune’s. “Let me drone in your ear about each exhibit and the history behind it.”
Rune: A question was tasted on his tongue. If Enoch were encouraged to speak of his friends, who would he count as his most trusted. The one aware of his family, had been a leaning shoulder during depressions, elations - for a moment he longed to try their shoes on for size.
But the urge was dismissed.
"Lead on, professor."
Enoch: Enoch led the way to the British Museum, his pace leisurely as they crossed London. Upon arrival, he held the door open for Rune. Fortunately, it was well within operating hours, and the museum’s free entry spared them any hassle.
It had been some time since Enoch had last visited; his new role at the university left little room for such indulgences. This outing, then, was as much for him as for his companion.
Signs and placards directed visitors toward the entrance, where they were greeted by a polite staff member. The attendant offered a cordial reminder: the museum would close in a couple of hours but would reopen the following day should they wish to return.
The layout of the museum unfolded before them, starting with a vast central hall that branched into galleries and reading rooms. On one side, the antiquities: the Egyptian Galleries, Greek and Roman exhibits, and the Mesopotamian artifact showcase. Nearby lay the medieval European collections. Other wings housed remnants of natural history, while artifacts from Asia, Africa, and the Americas were carefully housed and on display.
“Where would you like to begin?”
Rune: Getting out of the house was just what he needed. Perhaps Enoch, too, but certainly a selfish request. To smell something other than wood and gin and books. To do something other than suffocate in the Cultist's presence. Though it had been his demand, Enoch's whims carried them now, to his quiet delight. Saying not a word as they crossed the many streets to the cleanest building in all of London.
Rune's hands disappeared into his coat.
"You're the leader," he reminded. "Guide me as though tethered by a leash." He had his interests. Egypt had been the source of many tales and old magic. He'd seen Greece with his own eyes.
"Do you know this place like the back of your hand?"
Enoch: “As if I procured the items myself.”  He lied confidently. Enoch thrived in spaces such as these. A spark lit his eyes as he turned to face Rune, walking backward, his demeanor shifting into that of a mock tour guide.
“Come, let me take you back to the ancient times of our ancestors
” Flourish and playfulness laced his words as he directed them down one of the branching halls. Natural History first—fossils, skeletons, and history, talking Rune’s ear off about the different types of dinosaurs.
Next exhibit.
“And so the gladiators in Rome
” Enoch would go on for a little, because who didn’t love the great empire of Rome? But mid-sentence, he glanced at Rune, amused by his own antics.
“You can tell me to shut up, you know.”
Rune: His little finger dug into his ear. Enoch was many things; layers of intelligence and charm, but he was nothing if not endearing. These were the kinds of lies he could tolerate. The kind he would look upon fondly in his nothing room, staring at his nothing wall.
But he already did that. Just an accumulation of fond memories of this man in his element. He would retain very little of this field trip, but that was hardly the point. This was a breath of fresh air they had both needed.
"Mm, no. Wasted words. Continue."
Enoch: Enoch fully expected to be told he was doing too much, half-braced for a sharp comment or an eye roll. But instead, Rune gave him space—grace, even—to continue. This man made his heart stumble.
Given the encouragement to continue, he nodded and led the mage from exhibit to exhibit. The good professor explained what he could remember but when his knowledge faltered, he didn’t shy from consulting the small placards.
“This is one is my favorite pieces,” he began, stopping in front of a glass case. Inside rested the Rosetta Stone, its ancient inscriptions gleaming faintly under the museum lights.
“It’s remarkable, really. Three scripts—hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek—all saying the same thing. Without this, we might still be fumbling in the dark about so much of Egypt’s past.”
Rune: Either Enoch was extremely knowledgeable about every exhibit, or he believed the words coming out of his mouth. Lies were tricky that way. If believed, a lie would not tingle. The absence of tingles impressed him. The scholar was every bit as insatiable as he had been led to believe that very first night.
Thinking of then and now and how far they had come squeezed his chest like a vice. Perhaps one day this ache would have mercy.
Rune joined his apprentice beside the glass case, placing his hands behind his back for good measure, he leaned in, nose shy of touching.
"Remarkable, mm. Good word." He would bet his bottom dollar a mage had been involved with deciphering such a magnificent piece. Someone as ravenous as Enoch.
That too was a good word. A word that stirred his insides. His eyes closed with shame, sitting up.
"Show me... when you first came here, what you first saw."
Enoch: In truth, Enoch was well-read—of that, there was no doubt—but it was the act of learning intriguing tidbits and piecing them together that truly fueled the scholar’s passion. While he strove for honesty, there were moments when his memory faltered, and in his eagerness to share, he may have inadvertently misinformed his mentor on a detail or two. A genuine mistake, born of his excitement to pull Rune into the world he so deeply loved.
What caught him off guard was Rune’s patience—the willingness to follow him through exhibit after exhibit without complaint. This quiet grace, this acceptance, made Enoch’s chest tighten in ways he wasn’t entirely prepared to confront. He snuck a glance at the mage, who stood intently studying the Rosetta Stone, and dismissed the strange, fluttering feeling in his stomach.
As they walked again, the scholar pushed down those thoughts of admiration, choosing instead to focus on the next question. But he realized, this question wasn’t for knowledge sake, but rather
to get to know him, and that made his heart stumble.
The scholar quickly buried the feeling beneath a mischievous thought. His tongue dug at his back molar as he fought the impulse to grin as he walked them back to the main hall. Arm extended out as he lost his battle.
“The front door.”
A poorly stifled laugh followed, his fingers curling over his mouth as though that could conceal his poorly contained delight. He cleared his throat, the sound doing little to mask his amusement, and his grin only widened.
Where he would have taken healthy steps to avoid a swat to his person, out in public, he felt safe enough to tease the Euthanatos and not fear any repercussions.
Well, until they were alone.
Still looking entirely too pleased with himself, Enoch straightened and tucked his hands behind his back. “I’ll show you,” he promised as he led them toward the planetarium.
Rune: The unsaid between the two of them could have filled the pages of a novella. Emotions were poetry. Someone had said that to him years ago. A pretty face. What was her name?
Yes, that's right. Clara Kraus, 1883. He looked to Enoch again. This man hadn't yet been born. He would have hated Clara, hated his mentor, too. Too brash, too drunk, too violent. Insanity had been an heirloom, gifted hand-in-hand with brilliance.
Was it love to want to share a person with another, as one would introduce a beau to family?
What a stupid thought.
And then Enoch opened his mouth. His hands squeezed at his hips to keep them to himself. There could be no swatting in a place like this.
"Mhm." Just minutes, seconds ticking away until they were alone. His time was numbered.
"And what are you showing me?" his voice had deepened incredulously.
Enoch: Enoch’s grin widened as he caught the subtle shift in the mage’s hands.
“Patience,” he said as he led them down the corridor, the sounds of their footsteps muffled by the polished stoned beneath.
When they reached the entrance to the planetarium, Enoch paused and gestured for Rune to take the lead, following closely behind. The space was quiet, empty save for the two of them. Luckily for the Euthanatos, he could get back at the cultist for his earlier cheeky remark in privacy.
“One of my favorites,” he said, his voice softening as they stepped into the room. He moved toward the centerpiece—a solar model suspended in the middle of the space.
He motioned towards the model, “I remember listening to the great debate, between Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis. They were discussing nebulae and the idea that the Milky Way might encompass the entire universe.”
Clasping his hands behind his back, Enoch began to circle the exhibit, his gaze tracing the planets as they orbited in perfect alignment. “And then Edwin Hubble challenged everything,” he continued, pausing to remove his glasses and clean them with a handkerchief. “The idea that the universe isn’t static, but constantly expanding—vastly larger than anyone had imagined.”
He slipped his glasses back on, glancing at Rune, “Makes you wonder how much there is out there, waiting to be discovered.”
Rune: Rune had every intention of striking, but only when Enoch least expected. The planetarium was perfect expectation, and too easy.
But, he considered their privacy. The quiet filled only with Enoch's voice, echoing but not. His voice encompassed the room and kissed his good ear with enthusiasm.
The Lord had no mercy. And he, not enough shame.
"Small minds," he dismissed with a raised shoulder. "Science takes humanity so far and not far enough. Expanding minds shrunk with knowledge."
He stared above them, thoughtful, on the cusp of disappointment.
"I like this Hubble."
Enoch: Enoch paused, his gaze drifting to the celestial model suspended above them. “But isn’t it the opposite? The more we know, the more we realize we don’t know. It’s not a shrinking—it’s
 humbling,” he said as he made his way back to the Euthanatos.
Standing beside the mage, Enoch’s eyes followed the slow orbit of the planets above. He allowed the silence to stretch, not uncomfortable, but contemplative. Then, with a small smile, he gestured upward, his palm coming to rest lightly at the small of Rune’s back, guiding him in that direction.
“Look there,” he said softly, pointing to the alignment of the planets. “That’s called a syzygy. It happens when three or more celestial bodies align perfectly, like this.” His finger tracing the invisible line connecting the planets. “We see it every new moon, but alignments involving more planets? Those are rare—maybe once every hundred years.”
Rune: He didn't expect Enoch to understand his meaning. He was but a scientist himself. There were mages cut from the same cloth, and he wondered what would happen if such people were to educate Enoch in his place. Not the first time he'd considered, and he feared it wouldn't be his last.
"For you," he shrugged. "You're not like them, anymore."
Rune looked up as instructed. The corner of his mouth twitched. He pointed up as well, letting his hand fall after a second.
"Makes for the best spells, like full moons. Easier to make rifts and holes in the Umbra."
Enoch: “You haven’t told me much about the Umbra, aside from getting lost in it.”
Enoch shifted, sliding his hands into his pockets as his attention drifted from the celestial model to Rune.
“It’s an in-between plane, yes?” His brow furrowed slightly, there was that familiar look of curiosity flickering across his expression. This was new—nothing in his notes had touched on it.
“Does it feel like stepping into a memory? Or is it
 tangible, somehow?”
Rune: "No," he agreed. In truth, he'd been reluctant to begin such lessons. Correspondence had its uses, but the sphere of spirits and spirit worlds... He couldn't take losing Enoch as he had his mentor.
"There are realms of memory, reflection, regrets, and horrors. There is Heaven, and Hell, and the in-between. Some as small as a country and others, as immense as a universe."
Enoch: “Tell me about yours. How did you end up there?”
He glanced toward the door, a brief thought passing through his mind. The quiet of the room was comforting, and yet the idea of roaming the rest of the museum was equally appealing. Still, there was a sense of intimacy in this space—a quiet that allowed them to speak freely without fear of interruption.
Rune: "Mine?" Rune followed his gaze to the door, wondering what he was thinking. They were surrounded by quiet minds, but enough sleepers to thin the link between them.
"I got off a boat," he smirked. "From the realm of the Mediterranean."
Enoch: “
I’m leaving.”
Enoch turned towards the door. He had gotten used to Rune’s flavor of teasing and was picking up on it more quickly now that they had spent a significant amount of time together.
“If you got off a boat, why didn’t you get back on?”
Rune: The back of Enoch's coat was pinched between his fingers, gentle laughter from behind, brief and warm.
"Because I -"
The mage's clothes were released. Hands hidden in his pockets.
"Because I met you."
Enoch: The pinch stopped the professor from advancing any further, but it was the words that arrested his attention.
His mind added more meaning to those words where there was none. It had been a factual statement and nothing more, he convinced himself as he half turned to look at the sailor.
“Then I pray your boat doesn’t return.”
Rune: Enoch could think what he liked. If he dared push for elaboration, Rune didn't know he could stop himself from confessing... more than he should.
It was a moment of weakness. In that moment, that split-second of vulnerability, he would have given himself away. Not only to Enoch but to himself.
Just one question... and the question didn't come. What took its place was much worse. A pulse of heat washed over him.
He gave his apprentice a gentle smack.
"Shut up. Show me something controversial."
Enoch: “Ah!”
Blessed be thy smack, for it knocked sense into him. In truth, Enoch wasn’t sure how he would have responded if Rune had decided to press further. The mage would surely pick up on his lies. Instead he leaned into what he knew, what was comfortable, this back and forth they effortlessly fell into.
“Controversial? What exactly are you hoping to find?”
He held Rune’s gaze for a moment, his expression thoughtful, before turning toward the exhibit’s exit and gesturing for them to move on. As they stepped into the main hall, Enoch hesitated, his brow furrowing as he considered their options.
“Perhaps the occult artifacts room...”
Without waiting for confirmation, he set off down the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps echoing faintly.
Rune: A kind of satisfaction warmed his entire being, almost no different than the pulse he had felt a moment before. Teasing Enoch was a treat and a privilege, and in some ways, their secret. There was no value in knowing whether or not someone else was allowed such playful banter.
The word occult was answered with a hum, following a half-step behind his apprentice.
"And what does London believe to be occult? I have heard tell of a museum dedicated to witches, in this city."
Enoch: The professor seemed pleased with the hum, and glanced sidelong at Rune as he kept pace with his mentor. He fought a small smile, this outing having turned into something that was most enjoyable. But being honest with himself, when wasn’t it while in the company of the Euthanatos?
But there were those thoughts again, pesky and persistent, slipping in as they entered the next room.
“Is there?” he mused, his tone carrying just enough intrigue to mask the shift in his thoughts.
“Then we must visit it together.”
Rune: "Whoever finds the name of the museum must play tour guide. I think that's a fine deal, don't you?" He held his hand out to shake, and back in his pocket it went.
"Have you been in this artifacts room before? Anything caught your eye?"
Enoch: "Prepare for my colorful yet terribly wrong descriptions," grinned the scholar as he took the offered hand to shake.
"No, not yet," he admitted. "I’ve only read about it in the papers. There was quite a stir when it first opened—rumors of cursed relics and the like."
Rune: He could lose simply by not asking around or picking up a book, but he wanted to. He realized he wanted to give as much entertainment as Enoch had—something as ridiculous as Halloween. The memory made him smile.
"I can tell you that," he sighed. "If you want me to."
Enoch: "Of course I do," Enoch replied as they entered the dimly lit chamber.
"You’ve tolerated me long enough; the least I can do is return the favor."
Guests lingered around glass cases, their faces etched with curiosity or unease as they examined the oddities on display. Shrunken heads, tomes bound in materials that looked uncomfortably organic, and implements whose purposes were best left unspoken.
Enoch drifted toward an unoccupied display, his shoulder brushing Rune’s as he peered at its contents. The glass case housed an elaborate set of tarot cards, their edges gilded and worn, the illustrations rendered in hauntingly vivid detail.
“Do you know how to read fortunes?”
Rune: "I do more than tolerate," he muttered, unconcerned if Enoch heard. His mind was already on the next room. The sound of his hands coming together shattered the silence as they approached the entryway. Enoch had seen this spell before. Hands slowly rubbed together and separated, testing the static within the room.
His brows disappeared behind his bangs, eyes opening when bumped.
"It was my first lesson. Cartomancy."
Rune looked over his shoulder. Those they shared space with were engrossed in their own little bubble.
"Someone might have used them, but they're just cards. Nothing blessed or cursed about them. The charm bags made of skin, there's your cursed relic."
Enoch: A few weary glances were cast in their direction as the silence was broken. The looks lingered on the scholar and the sailor, until they returned to observe what was behind the glass cases. Enoch’s gaze, however, stayed on Rune, wondering if he had picked up anything.
His lips curved in a faint smile as his eyes returned to the cards.
“Then perhaps I should have you read my fortune.”
He extended his hand, palm up, fingers relaxed.
“Or tell me what destiny these lines have etched for me.”
The playfulness in his words faded, replaced by a subtle furrow of his brow as his attention shifted to the charm bags mentioned.
“What would you make of them?”
Rune: Peach lips thinned, hidden as he glanced around the room, his back to the professor for a beat, returning with a neutral expression.
"I've read no one but my own in... years." His hands came to rest on his hips, eyes dropping to Enoch's open palm.
He wanted to read his hand, but he knew, from the bottom of his heart, it was an excuse for what he truly desired.
"Hm?" Oh. The charm.
"The worst kind of curses use grotesque materials. I'd have to get a closer look." But the little group of students, he assumed students, were beginning to swarm the glass-covered exhibit.
Enoch: Enoch lowered his hand, tucking it away. The idea of Rune reading his fortune lingered longer than he’d expected—ridiculous, really. Clarissa would be far better suited for such things. And yet, he couldn’t shake the obvious appeal of having his palm read or cards explained to him by this man in the privacy of home.
Swallowing his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the exhibit, clasping his hands behind his back as if to keep them from causing any further distraction. His gaze skimmed over the charm bags, though he resisted the urge to lean closer.
“Are there particular groups that favor charms more than others?”
That to say, did each sec of mage class have their own specialties in association with their powers? He thought it to be a good question but perhaps it show cased his gap in knowledge.
The arrival of a small group cut through his moment of self-doubt, their hushed excitement encroaching on his space and leaving him little choice but to move on. With a sidelong glance at the other, he stepped toward one of the remaining cases.
“Had enough of our outing yet?”
Rune: "Mm-hmm."
The kind of conversation this required had no place in the museum, no matter how softly their words. A senseless risk when all they required was a little bit of patience. Though, he disliked the idea of disappointing his apprentice. The longer in his company, the more denial felt like tar in his mouth.
The bag of skin was scrutinized for a final time. They could have spent much longer, here, in the privacy of great deaf walls and blind glass. The intimacy of sharing echoes in great rooms, he worried they would never return to this place. A great cold dread washed over him, sinking down his throat and into his stomach. The sensation was familiar and unwelcome.
"A lesson for another hour," he whispered.
How much truth was allowed this evening?
For a second, just a second, he hesitated.
"I'm not tired, if that's what you're asking."
Enoch: The case he stopped in front of displayed an array of wooden wands, charms, necklaces—tokens that had once been tools of enchantment, meant to beguile hearts and minds. He skimmed over the few items, but all too easily his attention was drawn to the Euthanatos.
“I’ll hold you to it,” Enoch whispered back, his breath brushing against that good ear as he circled around Rune.
He hadn’t truly expected a lesson here, not amid the crowd of giggling girls whispering about love potions and preserving their beauty. This wasn’t the place for it, nor the moment.
But it seemed like they weren’t done for the day based on that answer. And he smiled—small, subtle, yet impossible to fully suppress—as he slipped out of the busy chamber and away from his mentor. His focus on the gleaming marble floor beneath his feet as his steps echoed faintly in the quiet halls.
“Then what do you propose we do next?”
Rune: He refused to react. To allow his eyes to close slowly, comforted by his voice warm against his ear. His gaze remained fixed on the display case until Enoch was well from arm's length. Only then did he follow, slowly catching up, cold hands in his pockets.
"How much have you been practicing this week? Any at all?"
The drive to push his apprentice was slowly diminishing. Until they better understood his avatar, that fire had become crackling embers.
But, it was something to do. Something to say. An excuse.
Enoch: The tweed-clad professor slowed his stride until Rune’s footsteps joined him. With his hands clasped neatly behind his back, Enoch glanced over at the mage.
“I’ll have you know,” he said at last, “I’ve been a very good student.” A small smile formed as he turned his attention toward the hall as they neared the museum’s exit.
“I’m not about to let it deter me from practicing,” he added, as though anticipating Rune’s unspoken doubts. “But connections
” He trailed off, his brow furrowing slightly before he pushed it aside. “That’s still tricky. Though, I’ve been making progress—looking forward in time. I’ve managed to extend it to a few seconds.” He had been practicing in lecture, trying to foresee which student would need his help before their hand shot up.
As they stepped out into the bustling London streets, Enoch tilted his head toward Rune, “What would you have me learn today, Magus?”
Rune: What had he intended? Nothing. That prevailing thought that everything, even this moment, had been an excuse for Enoch's nearness. He felt a residue of shame over his skin. What he needed was a nice long bath.
His apprentice would be ashamed.
"Let's stick to time, as it's adhering to you. You said you've extended your glimpses. Have they been accurate?"
Enoch: The professor entertained this outing for the same selfish reasons the mage struggled to name. To be in his company. To indulge in every little facet that made this man who he was. Every tease, every smirk, every rare laugh—these belonged to him.
An inconsequential crush, he told himself. A passing fancy. One he would let run its course until it withered and died. Until it no longer curled itself around his thoughts, no longer lingered in the way his gaze strayed too often, too long. And where Rune felt shame, Enoch dismissed it as distraction.
Never mind that it had been building for months.
Something to unpack later, perhaps, in the privacy of his home, in the quiet company of his journal. For now, he focused on the present.
“Mostly. I’ve used it to help my students.”
Rune: Rune looked around for anything interesting and relevant to the subject. First north then south of their street. He slowed to a halt beside a lamp post, leaning his hip against it as he gestured up the street.
"Use it now. Tell me who or what is going to come around that corner."
Enoch: Enoch’s steps slowed as he came to stand beside next to his mentor, following the gesture up the street. There was a brief second of hesitation that he wouldn’t be able to perform under Rune’s watchful eye, but if anything, that served as motivation.
He focused on the crossway, exhaling slowly as the familiar discomfort crept in. Time was Raine’s favored magick to meddle with, and every attempt to wield it came with the sensation of something foreign pressing against his skin—like invisible ink seeping into his veins, staining him in ways he couldn’t scrub clean.
Potential futures overlapped, flickering in and out of sight like images on torn film. A car passing, a horse-drawn carriage following close behind, shifting until his focus narrowed on the sidewalk.
There.
“A mother and her daughter. She dressed in blue, the girl in brown. She looks like she’s gotten in trouble.”
Rune: The temptation to look alongside was pushed aside. He would learn nothing that patience would not offer. He remained still against the lamp post, watching the street corner for the inevitable woman and child. He had no doubt they would appear; for Enoch to have given anything meant he'd seen something. The truth lay in one simple fact; he hadn't felt a tickle in his ear.
And there they were. The little girl's quivering chin and all.
"Magnifiek."
Enoch: “See? Improvement.”
And like training any other muscle, the professor had to remind himself to exercise it until it became second nature. Despite the discomfort.
“How far ahead have you been able to see?”
Rune: "You don't realize how long sixty seconds feels until you try to reach for it. But there are other ways of glimpsing. What you just did," he gestured back with both hands, "is glimpse the universe, but our eyes are too small to see everything. You can see much further when your spell is as small as your sight."
Thank Heaven for German, this would have been impossible without.
"I could look back on years, if I were just staring at you."
Enoch: Looking back. The thought struck him as obvious, yet he had never considered applying it to his own practice. He had only ever tried pushing forward. But if he could look behind. That changed everything. Could he replay important discussions, retrace forgotten details?
“Same process but in reverse?” he asked, wondering if he stared at Rune long enough, would he see him emerging out of the museum?
Rune: "Not the same spell. Heavier meditation, and a little blood. Opium helps. Reaching backward in time requires a more... trance-like state."
Enoch: "Have you used opium?"
A beat of silence followed.
"Are you in possession of some?"
Rune: "Would you think less of me if I said yes?"
Enoch: “How long have we known each other, and you still dare to ask me this?”
Rune: "It's fair for me to ask, professor."
Enoch: Hm.
“I would not.”
His hands slipped into his pockets, finding sudden interest in the cracked sidewalk.
“A curious mind, however, might take interest in understanding its particular effects on the human body.”
Rune: "I don't believe I've seen anything but strong liquor pass your lips." It meant nothing in his regard but gave pause when it concerned Enoch. Had his thirst for knowledge finally dried his throat, he wondered.
"I'll find more, so we may partake together."
Enoch: “You would be mistaken! I used to be adventurous
once.”
There was a gentle shake of his shoulders as he chuckled. Though what he had in mind didn’t exactly constitute as taboo as what had been suggested.
“Cannabis,” he admitted with a small smile as he started walking back in direction of the university.
His gaze flickered to Rune, considering.
“My friend William—you would have liked him—had a habit of dragging me out of my comfort far too often.”
A wistful smile, faint but genuine, touched his lips.
“Somehow, I always let him.”
Rune: "I'm mistaken? I have amnesia and I've seen you with -" Cannabis, was it? Rune was soon to follow, mischief in his eyes.
"Cannabis?" It bared repeating, whispered conspiratorially.
"Because you favored him," he said matter-of-factly. "You're weak in the knees for a handsome smile. Admit it. What's her name, from the Halloween party. Very handsome."
Enoch: “Yes, cannabis,” he whispered back matching that tone. It wasn’t often that Enoch rolled his eyes, but Rune had earned that reaction. He cast a sidelong glance at the mage, only for his steps to falter slightly at the next accusation.
Lips parted, a rebuttal ready—yet he hesitated. While correct, Enoch wasn’t going to give it to him with ease.
“Lilian Carrington,” he said with a slight grin.
“And that is most certainly not the case.”
He looked ahead, willing away the heat threatening to creep up his neck, stubbornly ignoring Rune.
Rune: "Oh, yes. Lady Carrington." He was leaning in now, his grin wicked upon realizing a blush was encroaching on those pale cheeks.
Should I be jealous? he almost said. The words sank into his stomach like a cold stone. Enough to sober him up, straightening and hiding his hands behind his back.
"I've tormented you enough for one evening. Maybe I should see you home."
Enoch: “Away with you,” Enoch laughed, stepping to the side just as Rune leaned in, the warmth still lingering on his cheeks. “You shouldn’t be tormenting your apprentice.”
Yet despite his protest, the way he looked at Rune was nothing short of fond.
“Have you tired of my company?” he asked lightly, disguising the desire to ask the Euthanatos to share a meal with him. The day felt like it had passed too quickly, yet in reality they had already shared the majority of it together. This was just an excuse to spend another hour with him.
Rune: "Mm." No, he shouldn't be tormenting his apprentice. He was getting too comfortable, too familiar. Never mind that they had seen more skin than most would deem appropriate. Had held each other in shivering cold. The confessions upon confessions. The stupid conversations exchanged over too many drinks.
He would do it all again. All of it, barring one terrible incident.
"You dare ask me that?"
Enoch: “I dare.”
Enoch glanced over his shoulder, a small part of him hoping the mage would take the bait.
Perhaps it was shared thought, or perhaps he had been influenced, but he too wondered how much more could he say before Rune grew suspicious? Before his words and actions were questioned for something beyond playful jabs between friends?
“I suppose you’re right,” he finally said.
It was a careful retreat disguised as concession.
Rune: It wouldn't have been the first time he had overstayed. Lingered beyond lessons into dinner, drinks, pulling Enoch into the backroom for another round of poker and dice. Nights spent walking Enoch home against his will under the guise of safety. There was no escaping the title of friendship, but first and foremost, he was a mentor. So he liked to believe, knowing in his heart it was a reason to stay in the young mage's life.
"If I were tired of your company, would I plan a trip to your family home? Ridiculous." He was given a playful shove. "But I should be home. Money won't materialize in my pocket. I've tried."
Enoch: “Of course, how could I forget? You’ve promised to make me dinner,” Enoch chuckled, trailing to the side as he was playfully shoved. “I’m preparing to have the blandest meal of my life.”
There was that familiar boyish grin as he teased the other. But as the moment lingered, that dinner invitation danced on the tip of his tongue. Yet despite the pull to stretch the evening further, he relented.
“I trust you enjoyed our outing, then?” he asked instead, glancing toward the mage as they got closer to the pub.
“I’ll be holding you to your turn as tour guide. No excuses.”
Rune: "Mm, and not just potatoes," he echoed. He could imagine something by the time they arrived. Perhaps he would poke the cook at the pub for ideas. It would most likely be a stew.
"My first museum was a success. I look forward to the next. I'll be the worst tour guide you've ever heard. You'd be better off letting me bring you aboard my ship."
Enoch: “Now you’re just spoiling me.”
The thought of dinner in his childhood home had taken root, something to look forward to. Perhaps it would dull the sting of returning to those empty halls, chasing away the memories of ghosts that lingered there.
“I’ll take my chances with a museum,” he decided, coming to a stop. The bar lay just across the street, his apartment a short walk to the right.
“Then this is where I bid you goodnight, Mr. Rune,” he said, turning away—but not before glancing back with a smirk. “And since you claim a handsome smile is my weakness
tell me next time—what’s yours?”
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ascendanceseriesveteran · 2 years ago
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The Scantily Clad Gargoyle đŸŒč
Ascendance Series Fanfic
Crack-fic that came to me in a dream.
Finally something I don't entirely hate.
Yet I'm still in a creativity slump.
Beware possible spelling mistakes and slightly mature themes as the title suggests. But mostly tame.
đŸŒčđŸŒčđŸŒč
Imogen POV
It was a dreadfully incessant knock. Even a few seconds was enough for the beat to imprint on my still-sleepy mind.
"Who is it?" My voice was rough. Like I hadn't drank water in weeks. Perhaps the comfort of my bed took me off guard. So much so that my entire body took to resting for the first time in countless months.
"It's Roden."
There was a grumble from beside me, "Of course it's him." Jaron shuffled under the covers with another displeased grunt that I soothed with my hand in his mess of soft curls.
"You can enter."
The Captain stepped in looking more meek than usual, holding paperwork against him with a hand sitting on the hilt of his sword out of habit. Maybe sleep did him some good as well.
Roden spoke before I could ask why he was here, "I haven't been able to find Jaron. Do you know where he's gone? We're supposed to canvas Drylliad today."
That, of course, came with the stark realisation that the King was currently warming my least favourite side of the bed and less than a day after returning home after the war. Very scandalous indeed. I certainly hadn't expected to be outst this early in the morning. Clearly, the same epiphany didn't quite reach Jaron as he raised his head from behind me, confused, apparently assessing his surroundings as if he forgot how he got here. His hair was in comical levels of dissaray and his arms tightened their hold around me.
"Jaron?" Roden said, incredulous.
I saw the moment when everything registered, and the King seemed drunk on contentment when looked at me. "Yes?"
"I won't ask the obvious question, but I will say that you're needed downstairs. And we need to ride out soon."
The King groaned and disappeared behind me again.
"I'll wait for you downstairs."
"Wait," I half-yelled before Roden had the chance to turn around. "We need some help."
"We do?"
I frowned at Jaron, "You're a bit slow this morning."
"I'm just very happy."
"What do you need?" Roden asked.
"Clothes. Jaron ripped his."
And it really didn't help that Jaron chose that moment to start giggling, remembering everything at last, it seemed. Roden's eyebrows were up to his hairline. "Well he sure works quickly, doesn't he."
"Just... get us some clothes. You may leave." I huffed as he chucked and left the room, glaring at Jaron whose eyes shone with mischief. "This is all your fault, you know."
đŸŒč 9 hours earlier
Someone or something was banging on my window. Being three levels off the ground, my first thought wasn't that of an intruder. But then I remembered where I was and how the Avenians were still potentially crawling the land in search of vengence.
I slipped out from beneath the covers and grabbed the dagger Jaron gave me. Worst case scenario I'll just push the person down, if it was a person. I really hoped it wasn't. I didn't want to hurt anyone and as my hands shook, I began regretting investigating rather than leaving, having been afraid that whoever intercepted me first in the hallway would think I was crazy. We were high off the ground after all.
I shoved the curtain aside and cringed, anticipating the worst.
"Imogen?"
It was quiet, and yet I knew exactly how my name sounded from his lips. I immediately opened the windows.
"Are you insane?"
I'll grant him something, the look on his face read pure remorse and innocence, it almost made me cave. But then I remembered who I was speaking to.
"I couldn't sleep and wanted to see you."
I glanced at the drop down with a heart pounding so hard it was difficult to hear him over the wind. I would kill him. Not yet. I would safely get him inside even though my palms were so sweaty he'd probably slip free. But I would make sure he was safe first, then kill him.
"You have legs." I emphasised every syllable and he had the decency to be ashamed.
"I didn't want to incite gossip."
"So you decided to risk your life instead."
"Yes."
Sure, that made perfect sense. I took a deep breath and glared.
"Hurry up and get in."
He reached over to grab the window and froze. "Uh oh."
"Uh oh?"
"Very much uh oh." Jaron eyes were wide and cheeks were becoming vibrant with colour.
"What's wrong?"
"My clothes may have snagged on the building."
"Oh. Oh."
"Yes, oh."
"Stop saying oh."
"I can not. I'm horrendously embarassed. This is probably the worst thing that has ever happened to me."
I laughed at that, "Yes because potentially exposing yourself to Carthya is so much worse that being whipped and tortured."
"Exactly."
Jaron had this unique effect on me. I wanted to put my palm to my face while simultaneously being endeared by his skewed, silly melodramatics.
"And its not Carthya I'd be flashing."
I grinned and leaned in close, savouring how dark his eyes became. "I could turn you away. Then it would be Carthya seeing the crown jewels."
"Please don't call them that, you're sounding a lot like Roden."
"I mean, that's what they technically are, Your Majesty."
He arrogantly tipped his head, "Well everyone is asleep anyway and it's too dark to see."
"And yet you were so worried a second ago."
"I just didn't want to make the few poor souls wandering below start swooning. Thought it might make you jealous." He was egging me on. But two could play at this game.
"OK, well off you go then."
We both knew I didn't truly mean it, but I allowed a seed of doubt to set in his mind, finding a sense of victory in the way he swallowed. "Imogen."
"Yes, my Lord."
"I promise to walk next time."
It was truly astounding how much more self aware he was when under pressure. Usually I'd have had to spell out my displeasure with his recklessness for it to finally reach home. When he'd finally realise that the fact that he was desensitised to danger doesn't suddenly make danger less dangerous.
"Well there won't be a next time, if you were trying to avoid onlookers, walking won't work either." His face dropped, so I kissed his lips and smiled. "So the only viable solution is one of us moving into the others' room."
He finally grinned, "Imogen, how scandalous."
"Only a little more scandalous than you are right now."
"I get a special exemption for being King of this country," but soon a frown clouded his expression, "Are you sure?"
"We have wasted so much time. I don't want to wait. I just want to be with you. Besides, I couldn't sleep either, not without knowing you're safe."
His smile was brighter than then moon. Starlight twinkling in his eyes until the distinct sound of tearing made them widen yet again. He cursed and looked pleadingly at me. I tried not to laugh while I scoured my room for a cloth, finding a square resembling a handkerchief. I waved it at him.
"Imogen if I didn't know better I'd say you want me to be indecent."
I crossed my arms, "Most of what you do and say is already somewhat indecent. If you were so scared of indecency you would have walked like a normal person."
He hauled himself upwards, the shirt peeling off his back like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. I wished I could pretend it wasn't a sight to behold, glad for the dimness of my room that concealed how hot my cheeks became. Apparently, I was of weaker character than I'd have hoped.
Now that Jaron was perched on the edge with his forearms, shirt long gone, he looked sheepish, "Are you sure you don't have anything bigger? Some of your clothes, perhaps."
"I don't have any yet. You said we'd arrange something tomorrow morning."
He cursed and glanced longingly at the bed.
"I'm not giving you the bedding, Jaron. Just get in, I dont like you just hanging there."
"Ha. Good one. Nice pun."
"That wasn't a pun-" I really face palmed this time. "Jaron Artolius Eckbert, this is not the time. In, now."
"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable."
I huffed and turned around. "I'm not uncomfortable. Just annoyed and stressed. Now get in."
And that wasn't even the most eventful part of the night either. However, I wouldn't have it any other way.
đŸŒč Present
Roden returned surprisingly quickly and Jaron was quicky sitting up to assess the delivery.
"Are you trying to make me look like a clown?"
Roden played innocent, "Why would I do that?"
Jaron all but growled when he snatched the rouge, flared pants and yellow tunic away. "I'm going to have a word with whoever added this atrocity to my wardrobe."
"Maybe you'll learn your lesson finally." I snapped.
Despite the fact that Jaron was sitting while I was laying down, having stolen much of the bedding to wrap around his torso, he seemed to cower at my words. Good, I wanted him to feel embarassed.
"I already apologised!"
Roden laughed. "I think you will need more than an apology after ripping your clothes for her like some starved beast."
"That's not what happened."
"Sure."
He smacked Roden with the fabric and escorted him out of the room with a glower.
Only after he left did Jaron shimmy back down and gather me back into his arms. I missed his warmth in the short few minutes he had been sitting.
"Roden is expecting you down there soon."
"I will be there when I choose. I am King, after all."
"As you love reminding everyone."
He smiled and captured my lips with his.
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aldbooks · 1 year ago
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hello! how are you? How were your days off?I hope you enjoyed â˜șâ˜șAm I coming to ask for your writing? 🙈🙈 I can't help it 😃Would it be possible that you have one of Elain jealous hidden there? I need something like this to be able to continue my week â˜șâ˜șThanks for creativity 😌😌
Hello! Thank you. My time off was very nice, wish I'd had more of it but don't we always?
Sorry this took a little bit to get to, I was very busy this week. Let's see what we can do. How about a snippet of a scene from a work I'm currently drafting. It may or may to remain in the final draft.
"You're staring," drawled Helion, suddenly appearing beside her.
Elain clutched the goblet of fae wine in her hand tighter in an attempt not to flinch as she was ripped out of her thoughts. "What?" she asked, a bit harsher than she intended.
Helion's golden eyes sparkled down at her in amusement before raising to where her gaze had been glued just a moment before. On the fire haired prince lounging across the room in his new throne, surrounded by fawning females.
One of them, an olive skinned female with silky dark curls and sensual curves was bold enough to plant herself in his lap, stroking her fingers through the open collar of his shirt.
It irked her. Irked her that these females acting like he was their property when they'd only been introduced mere minutes before. Irked her that he did not stop the female's explorations of his body in such a blatant manner. Irked her that he smiled and laughed at whatever she said in a way he'd never done with her...
Holy hells... she was jealous. An emotion she'd never experienced in connection with her erstwhile mate.
"If you disapprove of the attention he's getting," Helion mused. "You could just- turn away. Or... you could do something about it."
Elain sputtered. "I- couldn't care less what he does. He is free to do as he pleases. He certainly doesn't need my approval."
"Indeed? Is that why you've been drilling holes into each female who has dared to approach him for the last half hour?"
"I have not," Elain said, even as her gaze bored into the face of yet another female, a blonde this time, leaned against the unoccupied arm of his chair, thrusting her bosom in his face as she pushed aside of lock of his hair and toyed with the earring at the tip of his pointed ear.
She sat on his left where his golden eye roved over her, though she appeared undeterred by the gruesome scars covering half of his face. None of them seemed deterred by it. Many even seemed to be enamored of the scars. As she watched, the blond ran a red tipped nail across his brow, skimming the edge of the scars and made some comment that drew a smirk from him.
Elain realized she was glaring as Helion said dryly, "of course not."
"You approve of this behavior?" she asked, just barely keeping the snap out of her tone. "He is your heir, a prince. You believe this is appropriate behavior of a representative of this court?"
Helion gave her a dry look. "Flower, you've been in my court long enough ow to know the answer to that. I came by my reputation honestly, after all. Like father, like son."
Elain felt her cheeks flame hot as anger surged. She had indeed been in the Day Court long enough to know exactly what sort of mischief Helion liked to get up to, though he had not engaged in any of it since receiving word of Beron's death in anticipation of finally claiming his mate. The thought of Lucien doing any of the things she'd seen Helion do...
Helion laughed, reading her thoughts. "If it bothers you so much," he lifted a brow. "Do something about it."
Elain gulped the last few swallows of wine in her cup hoping they would cool her and knowing they would do the opposite. Before she had time to think, she slammed the cup down on the tray of a passing server and pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring Helion's deep chuckle that followed her.
When she reached the dias, everyone stilled, looking curiously at her. Lucien watched her with the same sardonic smile he'd worn each time they were in company since his arrival. The female in his lap sneered at her and Elain had to fight the instinct to snarl.
"Lady Elain," Lucien drawled, lounging in his seat. "Are you enjoying your evening?"
Elain dipped a polite curtsey before meeting his burning gaze. "My lord, I believe you promised me the next dance."
For a long moment, they held each others stare as she waited to see if he would play along with her game or reject her. Lucien's head cocked to the side, studying her like an interesting insect and she felt her cheeks begin to burn with humiliation. He was going to say no. Why shouldn't he? She'd humiliated him all those years ago, turn about was fair play.
Just as she prepared to slink away in shame, Lucien grinned. "So I did."
Elain's relief was profound but short lived as he raised the hands of each female on either side of him to his lips and gave them a kiss. "Forgive me, cherie. It seems I have other obligations."
With a wink and a charming smile at the other ladies around him, He gently set aside the one in his lap and rose, stepping down to stand before Elain. Holding out his hand, he bowed slightly as the final chords of the song playing ended and the dancers prepared for the next. "My lady."
There was a hard edge to the words that let her know exactly how pleased he was with her interruption of his evening's entertainment but he was far too polite to ought but acquiesce to a lady's request.
Laying her hand in his, she allowed him to lead her to the dance floor and was further humiliated to realize the next dance was one of the more sensual variety that required partners to move in wholly indecent holds and patterns. A lover's dance. But there was nothing for it now.
She gasped slightly when Lucien's warm hand slid around her waist and pulled her against him, his thumb brushing over the skin of her exposed back. She could feel the muscles of his arm beneath the soft fabric of his shirt as he hand came to rest on his bicep. Her body was pressed fully against his torso and, when they took their first step, his thigh pressed between hers, rubbing against her with each movement.
The hand holding hers gripped it tightly as fire sparked in his eyes but his steps were flawless as he led her through the dance executing perfect dips and turns and lifts, their bodies brushing together all the while until he was breathless and on fire.
When the music came to an end, he hauled her against him for the final pose with one of her legs wrapped around his hip as he leaned back so only the toe of her shoe was on the ground and he was fully supporting her against him, their nose less than an inch apart.
A wave of desire clouded her senses as his spicy, warm scent enveloped her and his lips feathers over her cheek as he brought them to her ear. "Don't ever, ask me to do that again," he hissed before setting her on her feet and turning away with a curt bow.
Elain stood int he middle of the dance floor, stunned and breathless she watched him stalk out of the ballroom.
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raccoon-eyed-rebel · 2 years ago
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Part 21
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Masterlist
Series masterlist
Part 20 🍂 Part 22
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Pairing: Syverson x ofc
Series summary: Life with Sy, what more can you wish for? The most amazing husband and father to a whole litter of cute little kids... Sometimes you wonder "how did you get here?"
Chapter warnings: Some angst...
Word count: 2.2k
A/N: @keanureevesisbae there we go... A very awkward little snippet of life. I now owe up to chapter 26! Looks like you guys are getting more Sy... Always more and more Sy... Some of the conversations in this are in Dutch, which I translated for everyone who doesn't speak Dutch. Which is... well... most people, I guess?
@deandoesthingstome @geralts-yenn @omgkatinka @summersong69 @diegos-butt @beck07990 @peaches1958 @pandaxnienke
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“What in tarnation?” It was too early for you to be up, or so Sy seemed to think, and most certainly too early for anything to have you this stressed out.
“Sy,” you said, gesturing at him to put the wood he was holding away, “I’m so sorry
” That sounded very dramatic – so dramatic that he actually dropped the firewood. He was with you in seconds.
“What’s goin’ on?” His voice was soft and the look in his eyes worried.
“I completely forgot
” You stared at your phone in disbelief. “My mom is coming over.”
“My goodness, Sugar,” Sy said, “You’re gonna give a man a heart attack. When does she get here?”
“Half an hour.” Apparently, Sy did think that was cause for some panic, because he seemed to zone out for a second. “And she’s bringing my aunts. And I just realized I may or may not have forgotten to mention that we were actually dating, let alone that you’ve moved in. On the plus side, you’ll have met my whole family.”
“Whole family?” Really? That was the part that brought him back to the real world?
“Yeah. It’s just the four of us. My aunts never married, dad isn’t in the picture, don’t have any siblings.”
“You’re kidding?” The bewilderment on his face was absolutely hilarious to you. How hard could it be to understand that you just didn’t have a big family?
“I most certainly am not.”
“Sugar
 Jesus, I’m kinda glad I don’t gotta meet your dad
” Alright, you understood the way he was raised, but that still hit you in the independence wrong.
“Oh, no, my mom is definitely the one you should be worried about, anyway,” you said with a sweet smile. He could suck on that. Nothing wrong with making him sweat a little
 Or well
 A little more. He was already covered in sweat from chopping wood, and with the amount of time you had – or rather didn’t have – you could really do without the way that drove you nuts.
“She gonna be mad we’re livin’ together?” You dodged him when he tried to hug you, which struck a nerve with him.
“Probably not. Mad that I didn’t tell her, maybe.” You shrugged, and then you looked at your phone again, “You have about 25 minutes to shower.”
“You mean
” He got that devilish grin on his face that made you curse him, and he licked his lips slowly as he took a step towards you.
“Sy, no.” You actually raised a finger at him, as if you were scolding a dog, but it didn’t work. Of course it didn’t. You shrieked as he threw you over his shoulder and marched you upstairs, not putting you down until you were in the bathroom. It was a miracle that the shirt you were wearing even survived; he all but tore it off your body. Now, of course you could have made a break for it when Sy let go of you to take off his own clothes. Except that plan went down the drain the second he lifted his shirt. God damn him and his perfect body.
You knew for a fact that Sy was far too proud of his
 prowess to ever underestimate the time he’d need to fuck you properly, which meant your mom was early. At least, assuming that the person ringing your doorbell like a madman (or -woman) was actually your mom. Part of you hoped it wasn’t when you quickly struggled to get into your clothes and ran down the stairs while furiously towel drying your hair.
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“Mam!” Wait, did your Dutch sound weird all of a sudden? Was there an accent to it? For the love of God, you’d said one word. There was no way to tell.
“Lara, lieverd!” She hugged you tightly before pushing past you into the house, your aunts not far behind.
“Tante!” Two more sets of arms managed to creep around you before you even realized. “Tante!” Both of your aunts greeted you, without even bothering to break up their conversation about
 whatever – until something stopped them and their chattering dead in their tracks. That ‘something’ was Sy, who walked down the stairs unusually quietly and very, very carefully. Your mom raised an eyebrow at you, your aunts exchanged looks – then looked at you, then back at each other, then at Sy, then back to you.
“Lara
” One of them started, but there was no way in hell you were going to let them finish that sentence.
“Eh, mam, tantes, dit is Sy,” you said. Yeah. Your Dutch was definitely shaky. “En Sy is
” your mom asked impatiently.
“Eh
 Mijn vriend.” (Eh... My boyfriend.)
“Nou! De hemel zij geprezen!” Your mom’s eldest sister said as she rolled her eyes. (Oh, thank god!)
“Zou onderhand eens tijd worden, meisje.” (It was about damn time, girl.)
“Lieve schat,” your mom whispered, “hoe oud is hij?” It took a little more courage than you had initially expected to tell your mom Sy was thirty to your twenty-four, but she seemed to be completely okay with it. Your aunts did a couple too many double-takes of Sy within the span of a few minutes to ever convince you that they weren’t on board with this. (Darling, ... , how old is he?)
“Nou, dame, het ziet er niet uit alsof je het slecht voor elkaar hebt!” Your aunts nodded at you approvingly while Sy just stood there, looking
 befuddled. Because
 Oh God. Because you were clearly talkling about him in a language he didn’t understand. (Well, lady, it doesn't look like you're having a terrible time.)
“I’m sorry!” You said, and you took a few steps towards him. Your plan had been to give him a hug, but somehow you couldn’t make it past putting a hand on his arm – not with your mother in the room – and his face fell when you did. He seemed to shrug it off immediately, but you knew he was going to bring it up later – as he should.
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“So, Sy, that’s an interesting name.” Classic introduction to the interrogation, way to go, Mom. Sy gave them the story of why he went by Sy, and your family paid close attention. On three separate occasions, your mom’s youngest sister looked at you as if you’d gone completely insane – and maybe you had. You were sitting about as far away from Sy on the couch as you could reasonably expect to get away with, and you felt him grow more tense with every passing second. Everyone seemed to be getting along perfectly fine, and you were hoping that the rest of the day – and the rest of the visit – would be smooth sailing, but unfortunately, your aunt managed to ask that one question relatively early on.
“What do you do, Sy?” That wasn’t the question. As a matter of fact, they were thrilled to find out he was a contractor – your eldest aunt may have said something vaguely inappropriate about the appeal of strong, handy men – and they ‘aww’-ed loudly when he said he’d helped you remodel this place. But then all hell broke loose.
“And do you live in town, or
” Your mom was genuinely interested in the answer, but both you and Sy tensed up immediately. It seemed like Sy was going to leave this one up to you – which was probably for the best

“He, eh
” you stammered, “he lives here.” The look on your face bordered on guilty, and you cursed yourself for not having put your time before they arrived to better use and actually preparing some form of an answer to this question.
“Are you telling me you’ve moved in together?” your brain scrambled for a decent explanation of the situation, naturally completely foregoing the fact that ‘the truth’ was one hundred percent an option.
“Yes?” It was more of a question than an answer. You could tell your aunts were mentally grabbing popcorn – not because they wanted to see you fight, but because they were nosy, and curious, and extremely invested in drama, and yes those were three ways of saying the same damn thing, but right now that wasn’t exactly important.
“You’ve been together for five months, and you’re living together?” You missed the perfectly neutral tone in your mother’s voice and somehow plastered a boatload of anger and derision over it, instead. “For how long?”
“A little over a month, ma’am,” Sy said politely. You should have been grateful that he was willing to shoulder some of the blame, but instead you panicked even more. And this type of panic, you recognized all too well. It was the kind of panic you couldn’t contain, the kind of panic that sent words flying out your mouth you really shouldn’t be saying.
“It just
 It seemed like a good idea at the time
” Implying that it didn’t seem that way now, great start. “Sy’s been looking for a place forever.” Present tense that really shouldn’t be there, you were really going for gold here. “It was supposed to be a temporary solution.” Blatant lie – and the thing that really caught Sy off guard. He snapped his head up and looked at you.
“Temporary sol-” He couldn’t even finish the word. “Sugar, I think I need to head out for a minute, ‘fore I say somethin’ incredibly stupid.” He still managed to excuse himself to your aunts and mom before he got up and left the house.
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“Ben jij nou helemaal van de pot gepleurd?” Your aunts really didn’t hesitate to give you a piece of their minds – not that your mom was thrilled about the situation. (Are you completely insane? Literally: Did you fall off the toilet. (I wish I was kidding.))
“Heb jij enig idee hoe weinig van zulke kerels er rondlopen op deze planeet?” Well, the good news was they liked him
 (Do you have any idea how scarce good guys like that are on this planet?)
“Vierentwintig jaar, Lara, lopen wij met z’n allen te wachten, tot jij eindelijk eens een keer met een leuke vent thuiskomt.” Oh boy, you could tell your youngest aunt was on fire tonight
 “En punt Ă©Ă©n zeg je niks als je er eindelijk een gevonden hebt, punt twee jaag je ‘m zo even buiten. Wat moeten we nou in godshemelsnaam met jou, hĂš?” (Twenty-four years, Lara, we're waiting for you to bring home a nice guy" ... "And first of all, you don't tell anyone when you've finally found one, second of all, you chase him out the dore just like that. What in the name of everything that's holy are we supposed to do with you?)
There it was again. They’d been telling you for years that they were close to abandoning all hope when it came to your (up until then completely nonexistent) love life, but this time, they actually looked for real. Your mom suggested she and sisters go back to the hotel – they were exhausted from traveling, after all – so you could talk to Sy, and without waiting for you to answer, they got up and left. Now ‘leaving’ was a process that took them at least thirty minutes. Thirty minutes in which your mom reassured you several times that she didn’t have a problem with the two of you living together, even if it was soon, and emphasizing how much better it would have been if you’d just told them the truth – as if that advice was going to help you now that the damage was already done. You were also told about twenty times that your mom and aunts really liked Sy, and that you should try your very best to fix this. Somewhere in that half hour between when they said they’d leave, and the moment the front door actually closed behind them, Sy came back home.
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“Sy, I can explain
” you started, but he wasn’t having any of that. You’d done plenty of explaining, according to him. And you had to admit he probably had a point there.
“I can fuck you on every available surface in this house, but I can’t hug you in front of your family. That’s great. Thanks.” Right, he was clearly pissed about that too – and also completely within his right to be pissed, if you were completely honest about it. There were tears in your eyes before he even got to the part that made him really mad, and you saw him look away – he couldn’t stand to see you cry.
“Sugar, I wouldn’t’a cared if you’d told your ma that we’d only been livin’ together for a week. But it seemed like a good idea at the time? Makin’ it seem like I’m still lookin’ for a place, like this is a
 Sugar, do you see this as a temporary thing?” That was somehow a very unexpected question. Especially the question behind the question.
“Sy, I
” You shook your head. “What are you asking me?”
“Do you think that this will end?”
“I don’t want it to,” you said, your voice almost pleading, as if he was actually saying goodbye to you.
“That’s not what I asked, is it?” he said. “When you think about five years from now, am I there? Are we still together?” You had to admit to yourself that you hadn’t dared think about it.
“Sy, anything could happen, and it’s not up to me, I-“
“Sugar. When you think about your future, am I in it?” His current attitude told you a lot about what his reply to his mom calling him out for ‘living with a woman he had no intention of marrying’ would have been. “Lara, I need an answer.” He sounded sad, defeated, almost.
“Yes,” you said, although your voice was just a whisper, “I do see a future with you.” It was freeing to admit that to yourself, but you knew it was going to take a lot more courage to admit it to the rest of the world.
“Then start actin’ like it, Sugar,” Sy said calmly.
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that-one-weird-fangirl2020 · 2 years ago
Text
peace | S. Sallow | Chapter Four
Sebastian Sallow x F!OC
Warnings: cursing (if you squint), mentions of death, slightly sexual content by the end.
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It must have still been the early hours of the morning when Ariadne woke again. It was the smell of cinders and sandalwood that brought her to reality. She quickly untangled herself from Sebastian and got off the sofa, making her way back to her dorm. Ariadne found Imelda, Grace Pinch-Smedley, Nerida Roberts, and Arista Deadshadow all milling about and getting ready for classes.
It was Imelda who noticed Ariadne walk in, "And where were you?"
The girl walked over to her trunk and opened it, pulling out a clean uniform. A white cotton blouse, a gray skirt, a green Slytherin blazer, and her house robe.
"It's none of your concern," Ariadne answered, shedding off her nightgown and changing into her school uniform.
"You were gone when all of us woke up," Nerida, who was fixing her hair into its normal bun, said.
"My business is my own, again, it's none of your concern." She applied a bit of perfume, undoing the braid she had in her hair, and ran a brush through it before re-braiding it, tossing it over her shoulder.
"Oh come on, Ariadne, I saw you fast asleep in Sebastian Sallow's arms this morning in the common room when I went to use the girl's lavatory," Grace teased earning a half-hearted glare from Ariadne.
"He just helped calm me down after a nightmare. That's all. Nothing else happened. We're just friends." She felt like she was repeating herself. It was getting quite frustrating.
"You fancy him, don't you?" Imelda this time, not much to Ariadne's surprise.
"Why is it any concern of yours if I fancy Sebastian or not?"
"Because it's obvious," Imelda sighed, "it doesn't take a Ravenclaw to figure out that you fancy him."
"How is it obvious?" Ariadne felt her face flush as she faced the wall away from the girls.
"Sleeping in the common room together for one," Arista Deadshadow finally piped up, running a brush through her dark chocolate locks.
She was courting Amit Thakkar. Not only did she have beautiful chocolate hair, but she had tan skin to compliment it and a set of beautiful blue eyes. Arista and Amit certainly had a beautiful courtship from what Ariadne observed.
"Secondly, you and Sallow spent most of fifth year together," Nerida pointed out, "honestly, it wouldn't be a surprise if the two of you started courting."
She rolled her eyes and was done with the conversation. Ariadne grabbed her school bag and left the room, giving all her roommates an obscene gesture. She found Ominis in the common room conversing with a disheveled-looking Sebastian, who was struggling to do his school tie.
"Good morning, boys," Ariadne greeted.
"Oh, good morning, Ariadne," Ominis smiled.
"Ari," Sebastian said, still struggling with his tie.
"Bash, let me fix that for you," The girl chuckled, walking over to the brunette boy and fixing his tie for him.
"Shall we be off to breakfast?" Ominis suggested, taking his wand out and letting it guide him to the Slytherin common room entrance.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Ominis!" Sebastian exclaimed as he followed his best friend out.
Ariadne lagged behind a little, watching the boys interact as if nothing happened between the two of them. A smile formed on her lips. She watched as they cracked jokes and exchanged smiles themselves.
As she walked behind them, listening to their conversation, Ariadne couldn't help but let her mind wander to the nightmare she had the night before.
*
She was back. Back at the final repository. Ariadne stood victorious over Ranrok. Her breathing was heavy, having just absorbed Isadora's power. A new sense of power overcame her. A new sense of pride.
She reveled in it, feeling the magic course through her veins. An apparition of Professor Fig appeared.
"Professor, this power! It's incredible. Think of all the things I can to do to help people!" She exclaimed, "How much of this I can use."
Fig's face was grim.
"You have disappointed me, my dear child," He said.
Ariadne froze, "But professor-"
"This power should not be wielded by someone so easily swayed by the dark arts..."
That sentence hit Ariadne hard. How did Fig know she was drawn to the dark arts? He couldn't possibly know what transpired in the scriptorium or the catacombs. She swore to Sebastian, Ominis, and even Anne, that this was between them.
"How-" was all she could say and she sank to her knees. An impossible guilt consuming her.
Fig turned his back to her, "I'm sorry, my child, but I believe I have failed in teaching you. After all, the magic my wife Miriam and George Osric died for, now lies in the hands of someone I fear will be most likely to fall victim to the dark arts."
And with that, Fig was gone. Ariadne dropped her wand. She failed the man she looked to as a father.
*
"Ariadne?" Sebastian's voice came.
She snapped out of her thoughts to look at the boy next to her, "Hmm?"
"Are you okay?" Ominis asked, who was sitting in front of her, his clouded gaze filled with worry.
"Oh, yes," She lied, "I'm just lost in thought."
Somehow, as she was lost in thought; they ended up at the great hall, and sat at Slytherin's table. She couldn't recall the steps she took to get there, nonetheless grabbed herself a tea cup and made herself some Earl Gray. Ariadne reached for a platter of Raspberry tarts and plucked one from the pile, putting it on her plate.
Sebastian sat next to her, his brown eyes fixed on her. She looked back at him as she took a bite of her tart.
"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm just worried about you," He answered, taking Ariadne's hand in his "Do you want to tell me about that nightmare you had last night?"
She shook her head, "Not at the moment. Later perhaps, where there aren't as many prying eyes and eavesdropping ears."
Sebastian nodded and returned to eating his breakfast. Ominis- who sat across from them- had a questioning look on his face but only shook his head and drank from his goblet of pumpkin juice.
The three Slytherins quietly ate their breakfast before heading off to classes. During fifth period in Defense Against The Dark Arts, Professor Hecat had brought out a Boggart cabinet.
"I know what you're all thinking,
Didn't we cover this in third year? Yes. But this does come up on your N.E.W.Ts." Hecat waved her wand and moved all the desks against the wall.
"Now, can anyone recall the spell used to get rid of Boggarts?" She turned to the class.
Ariadne was standing next to Natty and watched as both Sebastian and Coulter's hands went up. She chuckled and turned to her Gryffindor friend.
"This will be interesting," Ariadne whispered.
"Indeed," Natty agreed with a smile and amusement playing on her features.
"Mr. Sallow," Hecat waved to him to answer.
"Riddikulus," Sebastian answered confidently.
"That is correct. Now as you all know, Boggarts turn into the thing you fear the most. And as the spell implies you will turn the thing you fear very most into something funny!"
Ariadne's stomach dropped, and she felt the color drain from her face. They turn into the thing you fear the most?! She thought. Her thoughts ran wild as she started to fiddle with her fingers.
"Line up!" Hecat called.
One by one students lined up. And one by one students fears came to life before them. Natty's was her father, Coulter's was isolation, Amit's was disappointing his parents.
She watched as Sebastian went next. The Boggart shifted and moved before it finally transformed into a casket. An open casket. Ariadne saw Sebastian stiffen at the sight, his hands shaking slightly as he gripped his wand. Inside the casket lay Anne. She lay there pale and unmoving. His twin. Sebastian's worst fear was the death of his sister.
"Riddikulus!" Sebastian cast the spell and Anne's casket turned into a swarm of monarch butterflies.
He stepped back, taking a shaky breath before returning to the back of the class. Ariadne gave him a sympathetic look before returning her gaze to the cabinet that was now in front of her.
She pulled her wand out. It was beautiful, made of fir wood, eleven and three-quarter inches, reasonably supple, with a unicorn hair core. The wood was white and the handle was black with a silver botanical design spiraling around it.
As the boggart shifted and moved around, Ariadne's mind raced again. Her worst fear could be a number of things. Acromantulas to Godric knows what. A shiver went down her spine. And finally it takes form.
What Ariadne stares at is a mirror image of herself. Except this Ariadne wore black leather combat gear, her eyes were an ominous red glow, and a malicious smile graced her lips.
"Oh, Ariadne, dearest," Her doppelganger chuckled, stepping closer, "you're not scared of acromantulas. Despise them? sure. But you aren't afraid of them. You fear me."
Ariadne gulped, "What do you mean by me?"
The doppelganger smiled wickedly starting to circle her. The sound of the leather boots it wore rapped slowly against the floor.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," it continued, "you're afraid of yourself."
A dark laugh made its way to its lips, "Well, more specifically, you're afraid to become the person you so crave to be."
"Lies," Ariadne stated, raising her wand to cast the spell.
"Are they? So, you don't desire to wield the power that Isadora Morganach left in that final repository? The very power that you now hold?"
"You're afraid that it will consume you. You're afraid that you failed Professor Fig by taking the power for yourself. What a true Slytherin you are..."
Ariadne shook her head, feeling tears prick at her eyes, "No, that's not true!"
"Its not?" The doppelganger stopped in front of her, squinting its eyes at her, "or are you afraid that it is true?"
"Riddikulus!"
And the doppelganger- boggart- turned into a niffler. She watched it- shaking- as it rolled around with a gold galleon in it's paws. Ariadne turned on her heels and ran out of the class. She didn't care if it was cowardly of her to do so, she's not in Gryffindor like Natty or Gerrath.
"Ari, wait!"
Sebastian.
Ariadne ignored him as she made her way out the DADA tower and up the stairs to the seventh-floor corridor. She entered her room of requirement, trying not to cry. She saw Deek standing in the middle of the room, taking care of the plants she had growing there since fifth year.
The house elf noticed her and smiled, "Deek was wondering when you'd be back! Deek's been taking care of the room and beasts for you!"
"Thank you, Deek, I appreciate it," Ariadne smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.
***
Sebastian had been looking for Ariadne for hours. He searched the library, the great hall, the quidditch pitch, the Undercroft, and Hogsmeade. No such luck. He wanted to make sure she was okay. Apparently, Ariadne had skipped sixth period and hasn't been seen since according to Imelda.
Where the hell is she? He thought to himself.
Sebastian decided to look in the Astronomy tower. She had to be somewhere. As he walked down the seven-floor corridor a door appeared. He furrowed his brows. He knew what the door led to, but only read about it in a few books on Hogwarts.
The Room of Requirement.
Sebastian stepped through the door, where he was met with a room that very much reminded him of the Slytherin common room, but with a purple aesthetic and not green. Several potion stands, herbology plants, and few vivariums. The ambiance of the room was like walking into the Forbidden Forrest in the dead of night.
And there she stood, Alchemy book in one hand and gaze fixated on a boiling cauldron. Ariadne wasn't wearing her house robe and her braided hair was now tossed into a messy bun on top of her head.
"So, this is where you come to hide," Sebastian said, making the girl jump.
She turned to face him, shock is written all over her face. "How did you get in here?"
"I was just looking for you. I've been searching for hours, it's nearly curfew. I was going to look in the Astronomy tower when this door appeared. Is this what I think it is? The room of requirement?"
Ariadne shook her head a sighed deeply, "Yes, and I come here to get away from prying eyes and to focus on my studies."
"That's brilliant actually," Sebastian said as he approached her, "Do you want to talk about what happened in Defense Against The Dark Arts during fifth period?"
He heard a forced laugh come from the girl. She turned to look at him, her green eyes full of something Sebastian could see said 'really you came to ask a dumb question?'
Ariadne sighed and set her Alchemy textbook down, putting the flames out under her cauldron. She motions for him to follow her into one of the vivariums she had, the enormous one in the middle. Sebastian walked inside with her and was met with a beautiful field and an eternal sunset. It was beautiful. He saw a herd of Mooncalves, puffskeins rolling about, jobberknolls flying in the air, and Nifflers running amuck.
He watched as Ariadne picked up a teel colored Niffler and nuzzled her face against it, before pulling it to her chest. She walked over to Sebastian and held it out to him.
"This is Perry," She said, "you want to hold him?"
Sebastian hesitated before taking the little guy in his hands, "Yeah, sure. Why not?"
The niffler started to climb his arm and shoulder, snuggling into Sebastian's neck. He chuckled and he took hold of the Niffler and brought it to his chest.
"Little rascal, ain't he?" He chuckled.
"What, him? Never!" Ariadne sarcastically rolled her eyes with a laugh and smile that reached her eyes.
She walked further into the vivarium and took a seat on a nearby boulder. She patted the space next to her and Sebastian obliged, sitting next to her with Perry in hand. Ariadne took a galleon out of her pocket and gave it to the Niffler, who took it without question and shoved the shiny item into his pouch. Sebastian chuckled and scratched Perry's head.
"About Defense Against The Dark Arts," Ariadne started, taking a breath, "it also had to do with the nightmare I had last night."
Sebastian looked at her, he could see uncertainty swimming in her green eyes as she looked ahead of her. His full attention was now on her.
"You already know how much the power I wield scares me. I'm scared it'll consume me." Her gaze shifted to him. "I'm also afraid of the person I'll become if I gave into the power. I know that person isn't someone I want anyone to meet. I don't even want to meet that person."
Sebastian could sense the hesitation in Ariadne's voice. There was something else she wasn't telling him.
"And finally... Something thats been eating away at me since the beginning of summer." She gulped and looked away. She started to play with her fingers.
Sebastian furrowed his brow, "Ariadne, what is it? You can tell me."
"I believe I failed him," She choked out.
"Failed who?"
"Fig. I believe I failed him. He was the closest thing I had to a father since my father died. I let him down when I took that power for myself, and he died disappointed in me. I failed him as not only his student, but as the daughter he never had. I'm afraid that if i use the power Isadora Morganach left in the repository, I will have not only failed him, but the Keepers, the school."
She had tears running down her face at this point. She sniffled and hid her face in her hands. Sebastian put the niffler down and watched it scurry off. He turned back to Ariadne as she quietly sobbed into her palms.
He scooped her up in his arms, bringing her into his lap. She was straddling his waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder for the second time.
"Ari, I didn't know Fig as well as you did, but I can tell you this. You did not fail him. You saved the school and defeated Ranrok in the process. I think he would be proud of the person you are. The Savior of Hogwarts." Sebastian explained, rubbing circles into Ariadne's back.
"I don't feel like the Savior of Hogwarts!" She pulled back to look at him. "I feel like a fucking train wreck. And it's only a matter of time before I go off the bloody rails."
The boy got an idea then, he cupped her face with one hand.
"What if I helped you learn to control this power? So you don't have to be afraid of it?"
"What? Sebastian, I could hurt you or worse... I-I, I'd have to think about it."
Sebastian used his thumb to wipe away her tears, "Don't worry, love, you don't have to give me a definite answer right now."
Ariadne nodded, "Merlin, look at me. I'm a disaster."
"If it helps, I think you still look gorgeous."
"Shut up, no I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"Bash..." Ariadne gave him a half-hearted glare.
"What? I'm not lying!" He chuckled, "you've always been gorgeous to me."
"Sebastian..." She looked at him with a serious look.
"Ariadne..." He returned the look, holding her close.
Sebastian watched as Ariadne's eyes flickered to his lips and back up. She bit her lip. He brought his other hand up to cup her face. The look she was giving him was making it very hard to control himself and the way she was straddling him. Godric, he hope she didn't notice his little.... friend.
She surged forward, pressing her lips to his. Sebastian easily returned the gesture like he had all those other times over the summer. Her lips felt soft against his rough ones. His eyes closed, letting out a low moan as Ariadne's fingers woven themselves into his hair, tugging slightly. He glided his tongue across her bottom lip, asking for permission. She obliged and Sebastian slipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted of Earl Gray and honey.
He pulled away, looking into her eyes, "Shall we take this somewhere else?"
Ariadne nodded and got off his lap, taking Sebastian by the wrist and leading him out of the vivarium. She took him down a corridor in the room of requirement that opened up into another room.
This one also felt like the Slytherin common room with the purple aesthetic and not green. One side was a group of couches and chairs with coffee table in the middle. On the otherside was a small library of sorts and few tables with books and papers scatter on them. And back of the room was a four poster bed with lilac colored pillows and coverlet.
"I use this when I want to get away from people. Don't worry, Deek the house elf shouldn't bother us tonight." Ariadne quickly explained as she stopped a few feet from the bed.
"It's perfect," Sebastian said before capturing her lips with his in a heated kiss.
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