#and the siblings are always coming into conflict about what Really happened

[princessofghosts-posts]

Was thinking about how in ToA we got a bit more of a domestic feeling with CHB,something that I personally never felt much after the first ever book,before the plot kickstarted and,no matter how traumatizing it is,having the older campers teaching the new ones classes would be something else.

Apollo commented in the Hidden Oracle how some demigods were new and got brought at camp after the war (6 months is a lot of time after all–),while also pointing out that most of the old characters we know are away,trying to live their life,but come back periodically.

Now,image Clarisse teaching some fighting class in the arena to new demigods,and they are all a bit wary of her because they don't know her but some of her siblings do and they talked about her. And while the tension is high Clarisse isn't aware of it and start to shout,frustrated by their incapability of striking her down.

"Have you all gone soft?! At your ages I was battling a drakon with the blood of my enemies on my hands while trying to win a war! You need to do fucking better if you want to survive!" and everyone is just confused because they know a bit of the wars,but their acknowledge of them is only a surface type of level,so they have no idea of what the hell she is talking about and they are getting scared.

Some of them ask questions about them to the Stolls,only to find themselves more lost than never. "Ah,the war. Which one you talking about? The one where we tried to raid Manhattan's candy stores or the one where we put the mines on the wrong hill?" Wdym you guys tried to steal candies in the middle of a war to save the world? "Well,with all due respect,Percy was handle it quite well before the pig started flying".

Sometimes,when Will is in a good mood,he start talking about the one with the giants himself–usually Nico is always nearby and either nod at his words or clarifies some things. "You guys weren't there for that but basically the whole conflict was based on racism. You see,there was this anemic roman soldier guy that–" and while you are immersed in his story,you sometimes hear a quite voice that "I literally had to chase you to save you from people that were chasing you" and "Will,pretty sure I killed the guy,you don't need to act as if he is still alive" or "It was crazy–I never knew that the coach was actually a good flighter,especially after Albania".

When Drew complains about something during breakfast she tries to guilt-trip Chiron with "Remember when you left us to defend ourselves alone,before coming back at the last moment and helped us with your 'my little pony family'? Yeah,not so over that yet. This is way having the pavilion built in pink would be a better option than–" and you just stare in the fucking air because what the fuck???

When Rachel visit,and isn't locked in her cave trying to understand what's going on with her Oracle's powers,she muttered things about the wars that seems disconnected to everyone–expect people that were there at time. "Should have said to Annabeth to crash that stupid helicopter into my father's building" ; "Fuck being an Oracle,let me go back to my Ariadne roots in the Labyrinth" ; "I should have hit Kronos harder" ; "Should have hit Octavian when I still could if I knew this would have happened". Most of the time it's just frustration building up but every time she whisper something they collectively ignore it.

Nyssa will look at you dead in the eyes and– "My brother blew up" without fucking elaborating and walking away. And you are there horrified about it.

Percy and Annabeth don't really talk about the wars but they will gave you the details about the stupidest things ever. Wdym you jumped into the rivers,only to purify them from pollution,in the middle of a war? Wdym you spent half a day trying to active statues in all New York?? You went in Tartarus??

And it's just so funny because the new demigods will know some informations about the conflicts,but they weren't there to witness it all. The drop lore is insane here. I just know that Drew,Nico and Clarisse always talk about it,exaggerating it even,only to fuck with the new campers more.

[slut-for-slutty-fictional-men]

Hey

I have a request for you about Harry Lewis :)

I‘d really like to read something with the “best friends brother” trope :) As in the reader is Rosie‘s friend (or if you don’t feel comfortable with this then maybe just make a sibling or even like a cousin or something up haha) and the reader and Harry have a secret relationship going on. This could honestly include a bit of everything haha. Smut would be really great but also a little angsty and fluffy :)

A/N: omfg yes i love this. ngl i struggled a bit w making a like timeline, but I think it turned out okay. Also, thanks for the request! I love writing them!!

Don’t Let Her Find Out

Pairing: Harry Lewis x Reader Trope: Best Friend's Brother Warnings: Secret romance, emotional tension, forbidden love, soft dom!Harry, smut, fluff, slow-burn payoff, confession, best friend conflict Summary: You’ve been hiding a six-month secret from your best friend Rosie: you’re in a relationship with her older brother, Harry Lewis. What started as a heated New Year’s kiss turned into a full-blown secret romance filled with stolen moments, guilt-laced touches, and quiet declarations behind closed doors. As the emotional weight of the lie builds, so does your fear of losing both of them. When Rosie discovers the truth, everything shatters. But through the fallout comes honesty, heartbreak, and a chance at something real—with a love that was never meant to be a secret. Word Count: 1600

Masterlist

You’re not proud of the fact that you lie to your best friend daily.

But it’s not like you planned on sleeping with Rosie’s brother.

Not at first.

Harry was just supposed to be Harry—annoying, chaotic, the boy who used to dunk your head in the pool when you were thirteen and laugh when you screamed. You weren’t meant to notice the way his voice deepened. Or how he filled out his shirts. Or the way he looked at you across the dinner table like he knew things he shouldn’t.

It started with one kiss.

New Year’s Eve. Rosie had passed out before midnight, and you were alone in the kitchen, tipsy off champagne and adrenaline. He leaned against the counter and smirked.

“Still can’t believe you never got with anyone in school. You were always hot—like in a terrifying way.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I mean it.”

Then came the silence. The weight. His fingers brushed yours when you passed him the bottle opener, and suddenly you weren’t breathing right.

“Are you gonna kiss me, or just keep staring at my mouth?”

You didn’t answer. But you kissed him.

And the rest… well, the rest is a secret you’ve been keeping for six months.

It’s hard. Not the sneaking around—not really. You’re good at slipping out of rooms, at pretending the hoodie you’re wearing isn’t his, at lying through your teeth when Rosie asks if you’re texting someone new.

What’s hard is the guilt.

She’s your best friend. Has been since you were fourteen. You’ve held her hair back while she cried over boys and stayed up whispering about dreams and fears and futures that never included this.

Never included Harry pressing you against the wall in her parents’ hallway. Or him fucking you in the downstairs bathroom while she watched Netflix two rooms away. Never included whispered promises, quiet moans, shared bedsheets you stripped before she woke up.

You hate yourself a little more each time.

But you love the way he touches you.

And maybe that’s worse.

It’s late when it happens—the beginning of the end.

Rosie invited you to stay over after a girls’ night. You claimed a headache early, begged off the bar. She left with the group in a dress that barely covered her thighs and a smile that made you ache with affection and shame.

Harry texted ten minutes later.

You still at the house?

You didn’t answer. But when he knocked on her window and whispered your name, you didn’t say no.

Now you’re in his bed, chest rising and falling as he looks at you like you’re the only thing he’s ever wanted. His hands are already under your shirt, and his mouth is on your neck, warm and wet and claiming.

“I missed you,” he breathes, voice rough against your throat. “Missed this.”

“Harry…”

“I know,” he whispers, pulling your top over your head and tossing it somewhere you’ll forget. “Tell me you want me.”

You hesitate.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he continues. “Even when I try. I dream about you. Wake up hard and aching and wishing you were in my bed.”

He unclasps your bra, slow, reverent, and your breath stutters.

His mouth finds your nipple, tongue soft at first, then firmer as he sucks gently. Your fingers tangle in his hair, and you bite your lip to stop the sounds clawing up your throat.

“You’re shaking,” he murmurs, kissing lower, over your stomach, fingers teasing at your waistband. “Nervous?”

“No.” Your voice is barely there. “Just... I don’t want to stop.”

“Then don’t.”

He slides your bottoms off, underwear dragged with them. You’re bare beneath him, thighs parted, heat pooling between your legs. He kneels between them, eyes dark, lips parted as he looks at you like art.

“I’ll never get tired of this,” he whispers. Then he lowers his head.

His tongue licks a long, slow stripe up your center, and you gasp.

He licks again, more deliberately now, and your hips jerk. His hands hold you steady, thumbs pressing into your thighs, as he begins to eat you like he’s starving.

“Fuck, Harry—” you pant, fingers in his hair. “Please—”

He groans against you, the vibration making your toes curl. His tongue circles your clit, then flicks, then sucks, and you’re gone. Every nerve in your body is singing, and all you can do is cry out his name like a prayer.

“I need—” You can’t finish the sentence.

He does it for you.

“You need me to fuck you,” he growls, already pulling off his shirt. “I know, baby. I’ve got you.”

He pushes into you slowly, thick and hot, stretching you until your back arches and your eyes roll. You feel full, completely consumed, and when he bottoms out, you gasp.

“Look at me,” he commands, cupping your jaw. “Want to see your face.”

You do. And the look in his eyes nearly breaks you.

He fucks you slow, deep, each thrust dragging moans from your throat. It’s not fast. It’s not rough. It’s intimate. Desperate. Like he’s trying to memorize every inch of you.

You come first, clenching around him with a cry that sounds suspiciously like I love you. He kisses you through it, groaning as you squeeze him, and then he follows—grinding deep, cursing under his breath as he spills inside you.

You stay there, trembling, his weight on you comforting and heavy.

Then—your phone buzzes on the floor.

Rosie.

“Forgot my wallet, heading back. Be there in 10 x”

Your blood runs cold.

You scramble out of bed, heart racing.

“Shit. Shit, I have to go.”

Harry grabs your hand. “Just stay. We’ll tell her.”

“You’re insane.”

“I’m serious. I’m not hiding anymore, Y/N. I care about you. I’m not doing this in the dark.”

You stare at him, mouth dry. “She’ll hate me.”

“No,” he says firmly. “She’ll be mad. But she’ll get over it. Because you’re not just some fuck to me.”

Your heart cracks wide open.

But you leave anyway.

You sneak back into Rosie’s spare room minutes before the front door opens. She doesn’t notice. You cry yourself to sleep.

It happens two days later. 

You think you’ve gotten away with it.

You left his room before she got home. You crept through the hallway in socks and silence. You even changed into the pajamas you’d “fallen asleep in” hours ago.

It’s nearly noon the next day when it unravels.

You’re curled up on Rosie’s sofa, pretending to scroll Instagram, when she walks in with her arms crossed. Her eyes are sharp. Calm—too calm.

“You forget something last night?”

You blink. “What?”

She tosses something onto the coffee table.

Your necklace.

The one you never take off.

The one that must have come off in Harry’s bed.

Your stomach sinks. “I—I must’ve dropped it in the bathroom.”

Her smile is tight. “Right. Except I found it in Harry’s room this morning.”

Silence.

“I saw the sheets, Y/N. They were still warm. And he was gone.”

You try to speak, but your mouth is dry.

“How long?”

You open your mouth. Close it. Open it again. “New Year’s.”

She laughs—sharp, humorless. “Six months? You’ve been lying to me for six months?!”

“Rosie—”

“Every time I told you about someone I was dating—every time I told you Harry was annoying or gross—you just sat there, like you weren’t fucking him behind my back.”

Tears burn behind your eyes. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it, Y/N? A game? A thrill?”

“No!” Your voice cracks. “It wasn’t a game. I didn’t plan for it to happen. It just—it started, and we couldn’t stop.”

“Jesus.” She backs away like you’re something rotten. “Was there ever going to be a point where you told me?”

You hesitate. That’s the problem. You don’t know.

“I wanted to,” you whisper.

“But you didn’t.” Her jaw clenches. “You made me look like an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot—”

“Don’t.” Her voice breaks, and it’s the worst part—worse than the betrayal, worse than the silence. “You were my best friend. You were supposed to be the one person who wouldn’t lie to me.”

“I’m sorry.” It’s all you can say. You mean it. It still feels useless.

She exhales hard and turns away.

“I don’t want to see you right now.”

It’s days before you hear from either of them.

Then Harry shows up outside your flat, hair messy, eyes hopeful.

“I told her everything,” he says. “She’ll come around.”

You shake your head. “What if she doesn’t?”

He steps forward, cups your face in both hands.

“Then we’ll give her time. But I’m not losing you.”

Tears burn. “Why me?”

He kisses your forehead.

“Because you see through the bullshit. Because you make me feel like I can be more than the loud one. Because when I look at you, I see home.”

You crumble into him, and he holds you like he means it.

A week later, Rosie texts.

I still hate it. But I miss you. Come over—he’s not here.

And you cry. And then you go.

Because you’re building something honest now. Messy, but real.

And the next time Harry wraps his arms around you, you don’t pull away.

You lean in.

You stay.

[floral-and-fine]

Green and Silver

Prince Nuada Silverlance x fem reader

Fem reader x Adopted siblings Hellboy and Abe

A/n: Sooooo… this has been in my drafts for a little under 2 years 😅 and this week I was determined to just go ahead and finish it. It’s kinda long about 12,800 words and it’s kind of a slow burn. Also I gave the reader plant related powers. Enjoy!

Warnings: lemon and probably a lot of things that don’t go with canon

Summary: The reader is determined to help mediate the conflict between man and magical beings, through her efforts Nuada ends up falling for her.

Entering your old room, a smile graced your lips as you saw that all your plants were alive and well. Someone must have been caring for them in your absence, you thought as you stepped over the healthy vines and roots that had spread over the tile floors. At first you assumed it had been Abe, but seeing how overgrown some of the plants had become, it seemed more likely that Red had been the one watering them.

You worried your lip wondering if maybe he didn’t hate you after all?

Things have always been rocky between the two of you. Constantly butting heads since you were children, always seemingly on opposing sides on certain topics, fighting for father’s attention.

You had always suspected that there was a little jealousy as well. Unlike Red, you could blend in with everyone else, you weren’t forbidden from leaving the compound, or forced to live a life in hiding.

It all came to a boiling point when you made the decision to leave. He wouldn’t look at you when you said goodbye. When he had found out the night before while you were packing up what you could, he was furious and both of you said a lot of things in anger. You immediately regretted it right after.

You left fearing that Red would never speak to you again, but your abilities were better suited out there, not on missions hunting down paranormal enemies.

You wanted to help, really help. You wanted to bring forests back to life and assist in places that had been ravaged by wildfires and deforestation. Staying here felt like you were doing more harm than good.

To make matters worse, shortly after your departure, Liz admitted herself into the hospital and then father died. When you returned to mourn his death with your family, Red tore into you. He blamed you for all of it, claiming if you had been around none of it would have happened.

You hadn’t been back since then.

Looking around your room, you couldn’t help but notice how homesick you had become. So much of your life was spent in this compound. You never intended to be gone for so long.

Your room was designed similar to a greenhouse with a glass ceiling to let in plenty of sunlight. Various sized pots filled with plants and vibrant flower beds lined the walls. Right in the center of the room was a hammock where you used to take midday naps. Your old record player was still sitting on your desk collecting dust along with all your books and art supplies.

Your father had made sure that you, Abe, and Red had some space to yourselves that suited your needs. He always so thoughtful of your individual needs.

You picked up an old frame, wiping the dust away with your sleeve to reveal the photograph under the glass. Your fingers traced over the familiar faces smiling back at you.

You had truly missed them all.

“So,” a voice suddenly spoke up from the entrance of your room. “You really did come back.”

You spun around to see Red leaning against the door frame. You laid the picture back on your desk. “I saw the news… Hellboy is everywhere right now. Thought maybe I could help.”

You swallowed thickly as the two of you stared at each. God, you didn’t think it would be this weird and tense, but simply being in the same room didn’t feel right. You wished you knew what else to say to fix it, but you got the feeling he didn’t want to talk.

“Well guess that’s it, I just wanted to see it for myself,” he shrugged and turned away, heading back down the hall.

All you could do was watch, wondering if it would ever be like it used to.

…

“He spoke to me at least,” you sighed, shoulders slumping while you sat on the edge of Abe’s tank with your feet dangling in the water. “I honestly expected worse, another screaming match or something like that.”

Abe’s head bobbed in the water as he swam closer to you and noticed how your frown deepened, “And that makes you… more upset?”

You groaned, throwing your head back, “I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but if he had yelled and maybe even slammed a few doors too, it would’ve felt more normal, more like it used to be.”

Abe chuckled a little, “Yes, I suppose you’re right. The yelling would be far more familiar.”

It was true that you and Red growing up always seemed to be fighting or arguing. It was just the nature of your relationship while Abe and Professor Broom were the mediators. Which was why it was so unnerving to be treated like a stranger, so coldly, by the person you had come to think of as your brother.

“I’m glad Liz is back,” you added. “She’s always been good at keeping him more level headed.”

“Me too,” Abe nodded, carefully climbing out of his tank. “And I’m glad you're back as well.”

“Got somewhere to be?” You asked.

“Director Manning is bringing in someone new,” he explained. “I believe he wanted the entire team to be present for introductions.”

“Ah, I see.”

“You could join us, if you’d like,” Abe offered, putting on his goggles and breathing collar.

“I probably shouldn’t, I’m not officially back,” you sighed, rising to your feet. “Pretty sure the government still wants these types of things confidential.”

You walked with Abe down the stairs, your wet feet leaving behind dark footprints on the red carpet. You smiled at him as he left the room.

Without much else to do, you made yourself comfortable in the library. About an hour or so later, you were curled up in one of the arm chairs invested in a first edition copy of ‘The Time Machine.’

Immediately you perked up when you heard everyone bustling about and on the move.

“What’s going on?” You asked, setting your book aside and standing.

“We’re loading up,” Red stated without his usual enthusiasm. “To go on a goddamn wild goose chase,” he added with a scowl.

You furrowed your brow giving Abe and Liz a confused look.

“We’re going to the east end of the Brooklyn Bridge,” Liz explained while going in for a quick hug. “It’s good to see you,” she added.

You hugged her back. “The Troll Market…?” You questioned, putting it together. “Thought we gave up on that myth.”

You heard Red snort loudly, “Yeah, but this time will be different.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head as someone new approached you.

“Ah! You must be Ms. Y/n,” the strange figure said with a thick German accent. He was dressed in a suit that resembled vintage deep sea diving gear. “I am Dr. Kraus,” he introduced himself.

Your eyes widened for a second, realizing that there was no head or face beneath the helmet, just a strange mist. “Uh, yes, nice to meet you,” you half smiled.

“Will you be joining us?” He asked eagerly. “On the mission?”

Your eyes flickered to Red who seemed irritated but not completely against it.

“I suppose I could.”

“Fantastic,” Dr. Kraus clapped his hands. “I look forward to seeing your abilities for myself. I have read extensive dossiers on all of the team, including you,” the doctor explained. “Your powers seem quite… intriguing.���

“Why would you read my file?” You inquired. “No one knew I was coming back, and technically I might be here but I’m not with BPRD anymore.”

“Ah, yes, but you see I’ve heard stories about your missions from a good friend,” he explained. “So I asked for information that pertained to all of you.”

You looked at the doctor uneasy, before following the back of the group as they made their way to the hangar.

Arriving at the destination, agents filed out of vehicles and began prepping the area with practiced efficiency. Liz directed them where to install the cameras while Red and Abe discussed plans with Dr. Kraus. You tried your best to stay out of the way, simply resigning yourself to observe everyone else at work.

“Aren’t you going to go with them?” Liz asked as she grabbed the bird cage that held a little canary.

You shook your head, “I think it’s best if I stayed here. I don’t want to press my luck or step on any toes.”

Liz pursed her lips and nodded, “It’ll get better y’know, Red just needs time.”

“Yeah, I hope you’re right.” As much as you wanted to be part of the action, just like in the good old days, you knew Red already had enough on his plate as he unwillingly adjusted to Dr. Kraus’s lead.

“Help Manning keep an eye on things,” she instructed with a slight eye roll. “I’ll be back shortly.”

You looked back at Director Manning who was still completely astonished that the little old lady was actually a troll.

“What a hideous creature,” he muttered to himself, staring at the monitors. Eventually he peeled his eyes away and turned to look at you, seemingly forgetting what he was going to say as he saw you through the lenses of the Schufftein glasses.

You lifted your brow, “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“You’re… very glowy,” he answered, somewhat entranced.

You chuckled, “Thanks.”

His eyes followed the swirls of green that traveled along your figure like vines.

“Better keep watching the fragglewump,” you suggested with a small smirk.

“Yes, of course, you’re absolutely right,” he said, turning his chair back around.

You, Liz and Manning stayed behind, keeping an eye on surveillance. Over the radio, Red shared how amazing the troll market was. A part of you wished you had gone with them, but it was too late now. Maybe one day you’d be fortunate enough to return and see it for yourself.

With a heavy sigh Liz stood up and left the back of the truck.

“Everything alright?” You asked her, immediately joining her outside.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she muttered, fidgeting with her hair then her jacket.

“Liz,” you said gently, knowing her well enough to see that something was bothering her.

She rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath releasing it slowly. “I’m pregnant,” she admitted.

“Oh,” you blinked in surprise. “Oh wow, that’s huge!”

“Yeah, tell me about it. I still can’t believe it myself.”

“Who else knows?”

“Just you and Abe right now,” she answered, kicking some gravel away with her boot. “I can’t seem to find the right time to tell Red.”

The two of you stood side by side watching cars and pedestrians passing just taking in the moment. You couldn’t be happier for Liz and Red. Your small family was getting a little bigger which was also a comforting thought especially after so much loss.

“Ah!” You suddenly shouted, unintentionally scaring Liz in the process as you started jumping beside her. “I’m going to be an aunt!”

She laughed, “Yeah, I guess you will be. I hadn’t really thought about things like that.”

“I’m so excited! We’re all going to love this kid!” You promised.

After making sure she was good, you returned to the truck giving Liz some space, not to mention you knew leaving Manning alone wasn’t the best idea. He wasn’t what anyone would call helpful in an actual crisis.

…

The BPRD truck rocked and swayed as the ground below started to rumble.

Curious if it was just a tremor, Liz opened the doors to the truck, Director Manning stepped back as you and Liz walked out onto the street to see what was going on.

For a brief second everything stilled, everyone’s eyes searched the surrounding area collectively wondering if it was over. Then suddenly the road abruptly cracked like an egg with large thick vines breaking free.

Automatically you recognized that the creature was plant like, leaves covered its body and its head reminded you of a closed flower bud. For a moment you simply took it in, amazed that such a creature existed.

People began screaming and fleeing from their vehicles as the green monster further sprouted from the ground almost resembling a beanstalk.

You remained entranced as strangers ran past you, until Red retrieved a large gun affectionately nicknamed ‘Big Baby’ from the truck's armory.

“Wait! Please!” You pleaded, placing a hand on Red’s arm. “Let me try to reason with it.”

“Are you out of your mind? Look at that thing!” Director Manning argued from the back of the truck.

You ignored him, instead looking at Hellboy for permission.

“You got 2 minutes, Green,” Red instructed as he continued to load his gun. “After that, I’m going in for the kill.”

You stared up at the massive creature, its tentacle-like limbs thrashing around it. The green glow from its center and head was similar to your own, you wondered if it was like you? Would you be able to control it like other plants even though it was sentient?

It was funny to think that you might have more in common with this forest god than you did with anyone else on the planet.

You shrugged off your sweater, dropping it to the ground. Your eyes began to glow as you slowly approached the creature with your hand outstretched. Swirls of glimmering green light traveled down your arms to your palms.

Its flesh felt smooth, waxy, and cold but there was also a subtle pulse beating beneath your hand. Looking up at what you believed was its face, you met its glowing eyes which were warm and very much alive.

The beast howled, using one of its long tendrils to swat a helicopter away.

“Please stop,” you begged. “I don’t want them to hurt you.”

Another tendril came slamming down too close for comfort, successfully smashing a car flat.

“Listen!” You yelled at it. “They’ll kill you.”

You could sense its rage and its fear as it screeched and wailed, thrashing about. It didn’t recognize this world. Where were the tall trees, the giants, the other gods?

“The world has changed,” you said softly. “I’m sorry, this isn’t your world anymore.”

Its body slumped as it whined at you, head tilting to the side.

“It’ll be alright.” You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s time for you to rest,” you urged.

The creature’s glowing eyes dimmed as it started to fold in upon itself slowly, almost as if it was falling asleep. It started to shrink back down almost in the same fashion when it sprang from the earth, until finally it was a small seed again,

You crumpled to your knees, your own soft green glow fading as the danger seemed to pass. Examining the still crowded street, you noted the damage it caused, it was severe but it could’ve been much worse. A large breach remained in the ground, the cars that were the closest were crumpled like cans.

You cupped the seed in your palm. It was frightening to think that all you had to do was add some water to grow a huge plant monster from this little bean.

“You didn’t destroy the forest god,” the princess said in complete awe, kneeling beside you.

“I couldn’t let it be killed,” you explained, still admiring the seed. “I’ve never seen anything so terrifying yet so beautiful before.”

“That’s quite accurate,” she smiled. “The gods were the Givers of Life and the Destroyers.”

You looked over your shoulder, all the rest of the team and the other FBI agents were busy dealing with crowd control.

You turned towards Princess Nuala offering her the seed.“Here, you probably know more about it than any of us do,” you said, but in all honesty, you just didn’t want it to end up in Director Manning’s hands or the FBI’s. The BPRD already had enough trophies.

The princess looked at you full of curiosity, carefully accepting it and tucking it away in her dress. “Thank you.”

You stood up and joined the rest of the group.

Dr. Kraus informed you that the casualties were minimal considering all the destruction caused in such a short period of time.

Your eyes met Red’s who gave you a nod of approval before you all departed to return home.

…

“Hello, my lovelies,” you greeted your plants as you shuffled into your room after a long hot shower. Dressed in a long silk robe, you strolled past all your ferns and flowers, reaching around to turn on the irrigation system near the wall. “There we go,” you hummed as water slowly started to trickle out.

Stretching your arms over your head, you approached your hammock and climbed in, reclining on your back with one of your legs hanging off. Using your foot, you pushed it against the floor, gently rocking yourself.

Laying there, you admired the night sky, watching thin wispy clouds floating across the full moon. Your mind drifted back to the forest god, Nuala had mentioned that it was the last of its kind. You started imagining a world full of magical beings like that, it seemed wondrous. Perhaps you made the right choice coming back. You were happy that you saved it.

You squinted once you realized you were absentmindedly humming along to a Barry Manilow song. Swinging your leg over the edge of the hammock, you sat up. The music seemed to be coming from below.

Your feet softly padded through your room towards the door, wondering who in the world was blaring ‘Can’t Smile Without You’ this late at night.

Focused on the music you allowed it to lead you through the halls. You and Red almost ran into each other, stopping outside the golden doors. You both stared awkwardly at each other.

He had an open can of Tecate in one hand and the rest of the six-pack in the other. He sniffed, eyes darting to the door, “Wanna see what the hell is going on in there?”

You nodded, but as soon as he pushed the large doors open the music changed, going from Barry Manilow to a classical piece.

“Ah,” Abe said, jumping a little, clearly not expecting the sudden intrusion. “Hello Red and y/n, you’re both up late.”

“What are you listening to?” Red grumbled.

“Oh, uh, Vivaldi,” Abe answered quickly. “Il cimento dell’armonia.”

You narrowed your eyes and shook your head, “Don’t play dumb. I distinctly recall hearing Manilow just a few seconds ago.”

“Not here, I’m afraid,” Abe said sheepishly.

“Hey,” Red said accusingly, pointing at Abe while stumbling forward. “What’s that?”

“It’s just a remote.”

Red’s eyes moved to Abe’s other hand.

“Oh, this, yes…” Abe mumbled revealing the CD case.

You peeked over Red’s shoulder, reading the title out loud, “Popular Love Songs?”

You and Red had completely different reactions as it dawned on you both.

“You fell for the Princess?” You and him asked at the same time. Red appeared to be in total disbelief while you looked utterly delighted.

Abe sat on the steps in front of the fireplace as he delved into the details of his growing crush. Both you and Red joined him, sitting by his sides.

“You’re in love,” Red announced. “Have a beer.”

Abe tried to politely decline but Red wasn’t having it, practically thrusting the can into Abe’s hand.

Red sighed, freeing another beer from the plastic rings and looked at you, “And well, you’re back, so you get one too.”

You graciously accepted Red’s version of an olive branch, cracking open the can and taking a sip.

“So what track?” he asked, returning to the reason that brought the three of you together tonight.

“Eight,” Abe answered, then explained his love and connection to this particular song. Lifting the remote, he clicked a button and ‘Can’t Smile Without You’ began to play again.

“I wish father were here,” Red confessed, taking another drink of his beer. “He’d know what to tell you… us.”

The sentiment was one you all shared. Each of you were facing new problems, dealing with complicated feelings of loss and love. Professor Broom always looked out for the three of you, offering advice and guiding with a gentle hand.

Abe began to sway with the music, singing along with the lyrics. You weren’t sure if it was the beer or the music, but soon you and Red both joined in belting with him.

You couldn’t quite recall the last time the three of you hung out like this. Red, Blue, and Green back together again, it felt right.

Eventually you parted ways, the boys leaving to get more beer and talk about their girl troubles while you retreated back to your room. Your heart and mind felt lighter now, your relationship with Red seemed to be on the mend, relieving you of a weight that had been crushing your spirit for too long.

…

“How did they stop it?” Nuada asked as he flipped through another book before tossing it aside. “How were they able to return the forest god to a seed?”

Nuala's eyes briefly darted to the red emergency button on the wall before answering her brother.

“One of them was able to… speak to it.” She wasn’t sure if that’s exactly how it worked, it seemed more as though you had willed it back into its dormant form. It was a curious thing, you like so many of the others she had encountered here were so strange and unique, to be able to have control of such a powerful and ancient being was truly impressive.

Nuada snapped another book shut, “They spoke to it?”

“I’m not sure how else to describe it,” she said, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

“Where is it now?” Nuada pressed.

“I have it.”

“They returned it to you?” He asked skeptically, furrowing his brow.

Nuala nodded, reaching into a pocket of her dress and revealing the green seed. “They trust me,” she responded. “They have been… better than I expected, kind and honest.”

Nuada scoffed, casting aside another book. “Do not do this, it won’t work,” he turned his head away, sneering. “I will never trust their kind or the ones that help them.” He carelessly grabbed another book before dropping it on the floor with the others.

“I’m simply telling you what happened,” she argued. “The one who saved the forest god didn’t want to see it destroyed, she said it was beautiful.”

Nuada paused, fingers resting on the spine of another book, deep down he was glad that the elemental wasn’t killed. It was, unfortunately, the last of its kind, perhaps using it was selfish of him. If they would have killed it instead, its death would have weighed heavily upon him. An entire race would have been completely eradicated and he would’ve been the culprit who ordered the last one to die.

That was the last thing he wanted, there was already so little of his world left to save. When he closed his eyes he could still picture the world as it was, how it should be.

“Perhaps you can give these people a chance,” Nuala reasoned.

“No,” Nuada said sharply. “The Golden Army is the only way.” He had already sacrificed too much to give up now, killed his own father, lost his good friend, Mr. Wink.

Upon hearing the conviction in her brother’s voice, she knew that her words could not sway him without any other options, Nuala quickly pressed the emergency button.

…

You were laying on your bed, warm and relaxed, your eyelids heavy and your body drained. You hazily dreamt about giant magnificent creatures and exploring the wonders within the troll market. Red had mentioned how incredible it was, how every creature, no matter how strange, walked freely without stares or causing a commotion.

Ever since you were little, you found yourself longing for a place that encapsulated the best of both worlds, a place that balanced the ordinary and the fantastical. It was an intangible dream that slipped through your fingers like dust or smoke.

Suddenly alarms began to blare and red lights above flashed. You sprang up and scrambled out of bed, almost tripping on your silk robe as you ran towards the door.

But you stopped midstep, taking a second to think things through. Swiftly turning back around you opted to use the exit that led straight to the library.

You ran down the narrow spiral staircase, taking two steps at a time, hoping you wouldn’t be too late.

Everything seemed to stop when you stumbled down the steps past Abe’s tank and saw the scene unfold before you, a white haired man with a silver spear was preparing to strike while Red was distracted.

You acted without thinking, grabbing the man from behind, wrapping your arms around his waist tightly as you tried with all your might to hold him back. All you knew was that you had to stop this man from killing your brother.

Your fingers curled over his chest and you planted your feet firmly on the floor, you acted as an anchor using all your weight against him.

Vines sprouted from your hands, they twisted around his arms curling around his fingers right before the spear could plunge into Red’s chest.

Nuada’s eyes went wide, he couldn’t budge. He felt the warmth of your person pressed against him. Looking down at your hands on his chest and waist, his eyes followed the vines. He could barely wiggle his pinky finger within the fabricated restraints.

As he recovered from his stupor, he found himself amused by such a brazen tactic. He could feel your heart pounding in your chest and your breath tickling his neck.

It was a desperate move but effective.The prince suspected that you could keep him bound like this with ease if you chose.

Abe quickly tended to the Princess. While Red rose to his feet and dusted himself off. Confidently he approached Nuada, his glare was full of fury while his stone hand curled into a tight fist by his side.

The men didn’t exchange a single word as they stared at each other. Eventually, Red turned his attention to you. “You did good, Green.”

…

With his arms now bound behind his back, Nuada sat silently in an interrogation room. His face was expressionless like a stone statue. Even with his current status as a prisoner, there was an air of superiority.

He stared at you coolly from across the table. His yellow eyes had already analyzed his surroundings and now were focused on you.

You were different from the Red one, far less aggressive with calm eyes and a peaceful presence. He doubted the demon would have sat in silence as patiently as you had.

“I get it, you know,” you started quietly. “That’s what makes this whole situation so complicated, because your motivations make sense, they’re relatable wanting to protect your people, your way of life.”

Nuada curled his lips in disdain, he didn’t want your sympathies, pity, or your ‘understanding.’

“We aren’t blind to the blight you and your people face,” you pointed out. “All fae folk deserve better. If only we-“

“How would you know?” He seethed, interrupting you. “Your world isn’t the one that’s vanishing!”

You shook your head, “Like my brother, I’m caught between worlds, while I’ve come to love humanity for what it is, my true home is in nature… and with that I’ve had to bear witness to mankind’s abuse to the natural world-”

You closed your eyes, anger from years past resurfacing. You had dealt with your own internal struggle, hoping to find a balance between the man made world and the natural world.

“If I could I would change the hearts of man, make them all see what’s truly important, what’s really at stake here.”

Nuada narrowed his eyes. “So…” he drawled, putting the pieces together. “You’re the one that spared the forest god.”

“And you’re the one that sent it to die for your cause,” you retorted, more heatedly than you intended.

He looked guilty for an instant, eyes downcasted, “My people, our way of life, this is the only way I can save them… the truce between mankind and elves has only brought us loss.”

“If I’ve learned anything,” you sighed. “It’s that you can’t blame humans for their nature, not when you have lived for thousands of years, while a human life is so quick and fleeting,” you explained. “With such little time, it makes sense that they’d act with the greed and selfishness of a child. Even in old age they are practically children.”

“You speak as though you are not human,” Nuada noted.

You glanced at your hands, anyone who simply looked at you would assume that you were human just like them, but you weren’t and unfortunately you didn’t have any answers as to what you were or how you came to be.

“I don’t know what I am,” you said without divulging any additional information.

You leaned forward on the table. “Give us a chance to help, to find another way, no more lives lost… no more races or species extinguished.”

He sighed, his shoulders slumping, not in defeat but in exhaustion. All he wanted was to save his people, and somehow that goal became twisted and sour.

“What do you propose?” He asked, sounding broken. “My people have given up, the Golden Army was the single source of hope that I had clung to… I see no other way.”

“We change the truce,” you suggested. “We create a way for both species- for all species to thrive.”

Nuada’s eyes flickered to yours, still not convinced, “You make it sound so simple.”

…

“Prince Nuada has made it clear,” Manning shared exasperatedly. “He won’t work with anyone else but you.”

You could feel the blame and judgment radiating from Manning, he didn’t like this deal and neither did his superiors, but the prince’s threat of the Golden Army was still very real. Rocking the boat, especially after your ‘negotiations’ would surely lead to war.

Manning leaned back in his chair, “We could use this to our advantage,” he considered. “You can gain his trust… and simply take the crown pieces when he least expects it.”

You immediately rose to your feet. “Ugh, I can’t believe you people sometimes, always looking for an easy way out, instead of doing what is actually right,” you spat. “Maybe the prince has a point…”

“Oh come on now agent-”

“I’m not an agent,” you reminded him, eyes narrowed. “I don’t follow your orders or your commands. I’m going to do what’s right.”

You stared daggers at the man, not hiding your hostility towards him, “They had the opportunity to eliminate humanity a millennia ago, instead of proving them right, maybe we should focus on proving them wrong… the truce needs to change.”

“I agree with Ms. Y/n,” Dr. Kraus said. “I’ll contact my superiors at Interpol. We should all work together on this.”

You excused yourself from the meeting, feeling frustrated and angry despite Dr. Kraus’s support. No wonder Nuada had no hope, that the only solution he could see was eradicating all of humanity.

Even you had to remind yourself that not every single person was like Manning. Somehow, someway, you wanted to bring all magical beings out of the shadows, give them a place where they could exist, where they could strive.

You threw open the doors to the library, ready to share all your grievances with Abe but unfortunately he wasn’t inside. Instead you found Red.

“Hey,” he started slightly startled by your abrupt entrance.

“Hey,” you muttered back, your fists still tightly clenched by your side.

“So, it looks like the meeting went well,” he joked, noting your tense body language. He knew it took a lot to make you this mad, but once you were, it was like setting off a bomb.

You rolled your eyes and began pacing the room. “I can’t believe those idiots are in charge!”

He nodded, all too familiar with it. He missed the days when father was around to handle all the administrative crap.

“They’re all absolute imbeciles, literally the worst!” You continued to rant. “I hate all the red tape and bureaucratic bullshit… Can you believe that Manning suggested I try to steal the crown pieces? After all this? I manage to find a peaceful solution and he’d rather I betray the elves because it’s easier… the selfish bastard! I’m so glad I left!”

You stopped in your tracks and sighed, recalling how Red and Abe were practically stuck here, trapped into being part of the BPRD. “I’m sorry Red, I’m so sorry for leaving you and Abe here to deal with this alone.”

He shrugged, “y’know I’ve given it some thought and I figured if given the chance, if I could blend in like you, I’d probably would’ve left a long time ago.”

“Still,” you added, taking a seat next to him. “I wish things were different.”

For a while you and Red sat, sharing stories and memories of the good old days before drifting into a comfortable silence. Eventually, you retired to your room. Unsure what to expect over the next few weeks or months or however long this ‘mission’ took.

First things first, you’ll be accompanying Nuada back to his clan’s palace. Maybe you should start packing a bag, you wondered. It was strange, you had just arrived and now you were leaving again, at least Red wasn’t pissed at you this time. In fact, he had already agreed to keep watering your plants.

You stood there admiring your plant babies, thinking back to how you acquired most of them. Professor Broom would come home from some mission with a pleased look on his face as he gifted you a single seed from wherever he had been. Every time you were so eager to see what would grow, you loved them all as much as you loved your father.

A knock at your door snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Princess Nuala?” You asked, surprised to see her at your door. You stepped aside, allowing her into your room.

Her eyes lit up as she saw all the green. “Incredible,” she whispered, her fingers brushing over the delicate petals of a gardenia.

“Thank you,” you murmured, watching as she took in your little version of paradise.

“I heard that my brother has agreed to work with you,” she shared, redirecting her attention from all your plants to you.

“For now, at least,” you sighed, still feeling overwhelmed. “I’m pushing for the terms of the truce to be upheld as well as updated,” you added. “Magical beings need more, deserve more…”

Nuala smiled, “An ambitious plan, but I’m sure you’ll find support from our people.”

“I hope so. We’ll need all fae folk to be willing to give this a try.” Although in truth, what concerned you the most was making sure the officials of the BPRD held up their end of the deal.

“I believe you’re quite capable of accomplishing this. Abraham speaks highly of you,” she said.

“He’s a good brother that’s why,” you chuckled. “He has a lot more faith in me than I do.”

“The three of you are quite close,” Nuala noted.

You nodded, “We’ve always been there for each other, without them, without our adoptive father, we’d each be all alone.”

Nuala’s eyes returned to your exceptional garden. It reminded her of how the world used to be, back when her people lived in the forests and the wilds.

“Here, I want you to have this,” she said, holding out her piece of the crown.

Your eyes widened and you shook your head, “I can’t.”

Nuala held the piece out closer to you. “You were the one who convinced my brother to choose another path, you spared the life of an ancient being,” she explained. “I believe you’ve earned it.”

“I don’t feel right accepting it,” you muttered, eyeing the piece of gold in her hand.

“All the more reason for it to be in your care,” she countered.

Finally, you relented and accepted the crown piece, tucking it into your pocket until you could find a safer place for it. One thing was for sure, you wouldn’t be letting Manning know about this exchange.

“Will you be coming with us?” You asked the Princess.

She shook her head, “I’ll be staying here for now. Especially considering that your people still believe that I have the last crown piece.”

She gave you a knowing look, showing that she already understood that people like Manning couldn’t be trusted. “With me here, they’ll feel more… in control, I believe if I were to leave they’d assume I’d eventually betray them and help my brother awaken the Golden Army.”

…

Arriving at the palace it was nothing like what you pictured in your mind. You expected bright halls and lush gardens, but instead it was dark, gloomy, lifeless. You could practically feel the oppression outside these walls pushing in, the constant threat of humans looming over them.

Nuada didn’t exactly look happy to be back, his facial expression was rigid and tight. However, the feeling seemed mutual. The elves who were present for his homecoming didn’t receive him with open arms, in fact there was a wariness in the air as they kept their distance from the prince.

You could feel their cautious stares fall upon you as you stepped forward to introduce yourself. The silence was unnerving, you could hear your heart beating anxiously in your ears.

You exhaled slowly, trying your best to relax. “Hello, I’m y/n, I’m with the BPRD and we’re hoping to work with you and other fae folk in an effort to uphold the truce.”

Nuada sighed, then quickly spoke up, reiterating what you said in elvish or at least you hoped that’s what he did.

You mustered up your best smile and the rest of your confidence and continued to explain the plan, going into how you wanted to improve the life for all magical beings. You watched as their expressions changed, from anxious to curious. A few elves worked up the nerve to speak to Nuada, probably asking him questions about what transpired and if you could be trusted.

Your gaze moved upwards, watching discolored leaves fall. “What’s wrong with the leaves?” You asked yourself, but Nuada overheard you.

“The tree is dying,” he answered simply.

“Can I see it?”

Nuada hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment, before nodding. He gestured for you to follow him.

He walked at a fast pace making it difficult to keep up. As you struggled to follow him, the rest of the palace passed as a blur. Suddenly, he came to a halt at the entrance of a rather barren courtyard. Looking at what remained, you could tell it had once been a lush garden, full of wildflowers, ferns, and shrubs.

Despite Nuada being difficult to read, he seemed bothered by the state of the garden. His gaze was hard as he tried to look past the dead land as if he didn’t want to acknowledge just how bad it had gotten.

In the center was a magnificent old tree with a thick and tall trunk and sprawling branches. However, even from a distance, you could see the tree was sick, the bark was discolored and flaking. Some of the branches were brittle and dry. Just looking at it made your own bones ache.

“May I?” You asked quietly.

Nuada shrugged, approaching the tree with you.

One of the elves suddenly spoke up, sounding rather peeved that Nuada brought you here, but the prince was quick to put the elf back in his place, with a sharp and direct order.

You could sense the web of roots under your feet, they were desperately trying to keep the tree alive. You circled the wide tree trunk, dead leaves crunching with each step you took.

Rolling up your sleeves, thin green spirals appeared on your arms as the light moved towards your hands, making them glow. You pressed your palms to the trunk of the tree. Instantly, you felt what you could only describe as a thirst. Your powers felt like a cool spring as your energy bled into the tree.

After several silent moments, you lifted your hands from the tree.

Long thin branches grew and cascaded down like curtains, shielding you and Nuada within. You watched in awe as small green leaves fluttered down like rain underneath the canopy. The entire courtyard was revived, new grass and plants filled the once barren ground. Clusters of wild flowers bloomed around your feet and climbed up the trunk of the tree.

While you were distracted by the surrounding beauty, Nuada continued to watch you, his stare focused and determined. Quiet, with a hunter-like pace, he crept closer towards you.

He didn’t understand it, he didn’t understand you. It was like beholding a miracle.

You blinked in surprise when you realized how close Nuada was. His expression was unreadable as he observed your face, his own merely inches away from yours.

Your eyes widened as his hand rose towards your face. You gasped when his fingers lightly touched your hair, retrieving a single leaf that had landed on the crown of your head.

He held your gaze for a moment, his mouth opening slightly only to snap shut.

“Prince Nuada,” you said softly, somehow finding your voice. The leaf fell from his fingers landing gently on the grass.

But the moment was broken as the murmurs of the other elves grew closer, they spoke to one another in awe, examining your work closely.

Immediately, Nuada backed away.

A few elves that spoke English, eagerly engaged you in conversation. They were all obviously delighted with what you had done, it was as if you had revived their spirits along with that old tree.

Nuada followed behind as a group showed you around the rest of the palace. They discussed preparing a big feast for later in the evening to celebrate your arrival and the new parameters of the truce.

…

Lilting music filled the dining room as trays of food were brought out. Your eyes widened over all the options, each dish was executed artistically, looking more like artwork than food.

Nuada leaned towards you, filling your glass almost to the brim with a deep red wine. Then stood up and raised his own glass. All eyes were on him as he made a simple toast to new beginnings.

You noted a subtle change in his mood from when you first arrived. He was more relaxed now, conversing casually with his subjects as he ate. He was also unexpectedly attentive towards you, checking if you were alright, translating for you mid conversation when needed, and telling you about elven culture.

You suspected that he missed this, missed being a prince during his exile. It wasn’t that the hardened warrior side of him had vanished, instead another side of him had emerged. This side of him was charming, social, an ambassador capable of persuading even the most stubborn leaders.

It was quite refreshing to get this opportunity to laugh and speak with him and not worry about all the pressures you had been feeling all day.

After dinner, everyone began filing out, one of the servants stayed behind and offered to show you to your quarters, but Nuada dismissed them.

He led you out and towards one of the wings of the palace and up a grand staircase. “You did well today,” he commented as you walked a step behind him.

“Thank you.”

“In a few days we will be hosting officials representing the goblins and trolls in order to inform them of these changes.”

You nodded.

“Until then the palace is available to you, think of it as your home, free to explore and entertain yourself, I recommend visiting the library and the gardens.” He stopped outside of a room, opening the door and stepping aside to let you in.

Standing on opposite sides of the doorway, Nuada looked at you for a moment before adding, “Should you need anything feel free to ask, as your host, it’s the least I can do.”

You grinned at the formality of his words and the change in his behavior compared to your first encounter.

He lifted his brow, giving you a questioning look in return. “What?”

“Sorry,” you smiled wider. “Just didn’t think I’d get the opportunity to see you be so… accommodating.”

He rolled his eyes and turned away. “Goodnight,” he said while heading further down the hall to his own room.

…

You paced around the library, occasionally selecting a tome and perusing its contents before returning it. You were in desperate need of a distraction from how anxious you were feeling, but nothing seemed to work.

All morning the only thing you could think about was the meeting taking place later today. There was a lot of pressure to make all this work, pressures from the BPRD as well as hopeful expectations of the elves.

It was up to you to get the trolls and goblins on board with this plan. Despite how much faith people seemed to have in you, you never saw yourself cut out for all this diplomacy. Fortunately, Nuada would be there, he seemed to have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, and you were grateful for it.

“Lady y/n,” a servant called, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Yes?”

“It’s almost time for the summit,” she explained. “You should get dressed.”

“Oh, of course,” you nodded.

As you returned to your room, you found a sage green dress waiting for you on the bed. The dress had a similar shape and design to the ones Nuala wore with a lovely band of gold along the waist. Lifting it up, you noted the weight of it.

“How many layers does this dress have?” You wondered out loud, unsure how you were going to get it all on.

You did your best, struggling more than you’d like to admit, as you changed into the dress. You recalled all those movies that showed aristocratic women getting dressed and how they always had a servant around them to help, it made a lot more sense now.

You exited the dressing room and examined yourself in the mirror, fixing a few areas around the collar to show off the fine embroidery and checking your hair.

Nuada stood a few feet away from the doorway, taking a moment to admire you without you noticing. He was satisfied to see the color he picked suited you so well, and that the style of the dress .

Finally, he rapped his knuckles against the door alerting you of his presence.

You tilted your head blinking curiously when you noticed what he was wearing, it was a small change, but instead of his usual black and red ensemble, it was black and green, the same shade of green as your dress.

“It’s time to go,” he announced. “Our guests aren’t known for their patience.”

“Oh right,” you nodded, quickly following him out.

Nuada led the way, his hands clasped behind his back as you walked a few steps behind him. Without being asked, he slowed his pace, matching it to yours, his pace going from a brisk march to a casual stroll just for you.

“Any tips?” You asked him as you both stopped outside the thick oak doors.

He smirked, his eyes lighting up playfully compared to their usual seriousness, “Afraid they’ll be immune to your charms?”

“Charms?” You questioned, blinking. “I don’t believe my ‘charms’ have ever worked in my favor.”

“They were certainly effective on my people,” Nuada elaborated.

You laughed, “You’re confusing charm with skill, I believe I impressed them with my powers.”

Nuada shook his head, “It’s more than that, it’s the way you speak and act… you’re…” he paused, mulling over his next words carefully. “Endearing, genuine.”

You looked surprised at the compliment, “I didn’t know they felt that way.”

“That surprises you? Even after you won m-“ Nuada stopped himself from finishing that statement.

He cleared his throat, “Goblins like precious metals and gems, intricate devices and designs, and of course flattery. Trolls are not as bright as other creatures, they prefer honest loyal people who are clear with their intentions. Speak too fast or too complex, they’ll immediately distrust you.”

“Flattery and honesty, I can do that. Thank you,” You nodded, letting it all sink in as the doors slowly opened revealing the large throne room.

Nuada chuckled, “Are you sure you’re not royalty?” The prince smoothed his hands over his attire and pushed his shoulders back. The stern expression that you were most familiar with returning to his face.

“My friends,” Nuada greeted. “I am pleased to see you all here in good health.”

Trolls occupied one side of the room, while the goblins sat at the other, yet all eyes fell on you as you emerged, standing at the prince's side. The high ceilings looked small compared to the giant mountain trolls that managed to cram themselves into the back of the room.

“Allow me to introduce our guest, representing humanity as their ambassador, Lady y/n.”

Unsure what the proper etiquette was for a situation like this one was, you nervously bowed as Prince Nuada finished introducing you.

You followed Nuada as he made his rounds, personally introducing you to important goblin and troll figures. He tried his best to conceal his amusement as he watched you quickly put his advice to work, easily charming various goblins and trolls with a smile and a few simple words.

“She’s not as human as I expected.” Nuada overheard one of the goblins share with his comrade. His smile grew at the comment, glad he had trusted you so far and that the others were beginning to recognize that you were something special.

Gently taking hold of your upper arm, Nuada guided you back to the front of the room. As you crept up the steps, a hush fell over the room. All in attendance were eager to hear what you had to say.

Nuada stood behind you, his hands clasped behind his back allowing you to address the whole group.

You explained the changes that had been made to the truce, specifically the part that specified that each magical species would be granted land that suited their needs. You added that the mountain region that had been granted would need to be shared or divided amongst the goblins and trolls.

There were some murmurs amongst them, but it didn’t sound as though they were completely against the idea.

Nuada stepped in from there, answering questions and directing the two groups on what to do next. It was obvious to you that this man was meant to be a leader, it seemed to come to him so easily.

“This could actually work,” he murmured thoughtfully, chin resting in his hand as he watched the trolls and goblins discuss the terms of sharing a territory and rather peacefully in fact.

You smiled and nodded, “it will work.”

…

Over the next few weeks, you traveled to several hidden fae cities and communities with Nuada. Similar to the Troll Market, all sorts of beings congregated in secret, hidden from humanity. You were amazed by the ingenuity of the fae folk and how they managed to find a way to endure, although you knew full well that this situation wasn’t ideal.

Nuada actually seemed excited to bring you along, getting to show you all these unique places that existed right under the noses of humans. And despite his somber appearance, he also seemed to be in high spirits over the plan, over the restoration of the palace, and the allegiances being formed.

To your surprise, you had actually enjoyed these past few weeks with him. He demonstrated that he was more than a warrior, that he was also an intellectual who had interests in engineering and art, and that underneath it all was a man that simply cared for those he viewed as his people, elves and other creatures.

You had worried that working with him was going to be difficult to say the least, that you would have to listen to long lectures about everything wrong with humanity. Instead, he had focused his efforts to unite the fae and become a true leader for his people. He often spoke of the past with a longing in his eyes, one that tugged on your heart strings. You had a similar longing, one where there was harmony between nature and people and now also magic folk.

Browsing through one of the troll markets, you paused when you smelled something delicious, the aroma of vanilla and nutmeg wafting in the air around you.

Nuada chuckled as he observed you. Without asking, he took your hand and led you to a food stall nearby. He spoke briefly to the vendor and handed something in exchange for the pastry that Nuada was now handing to you.

“Thank you,” you beamed. You inhaled deeply before taking a large bite. You hummed in appreciation, the bun was so soft and warm and was filled with something similar to custard.

While focused more on eating than walking, you accidentally knocked into a troll.

The troll growled something in a language you didn’t understand, but you could tell from his tone that it wasn’t anything nice.

Immediately, Nuada lashed out, coming to your defense. He started shouting back at the creature, his voice dripping with venom and his eyes full of rage.

The troll roared, thumping on his chest, looking rather eager to fight.

Clutching Nuada’s arm, you attempted to hold him back, having never seen him this angry before. He reached for his lance, gripping the hilt tightly.

At the sight of the silver spear, the troll seemed to come to his senses, finally backing away, but Nuada didn’t care, all he saw was red.

���Nuada,” you murmured softly, tugging at his arm, hoping to de-escalate the situation. “Come on, don’t let this ruin our day.”

“But-“ Nuada sighed, his rage subsiding as he looked at your face. “Fine,” he relented. “However, next time anyone speaks to you that way, I’m beheading them.”

…

Returning to the palace almost felt like returning home. This time around, the reception of your arrival was warm and welcoming as many of the elves gathered for your and Nuada’s return.

After another large feast, the prince quietly slipped away while everyone else mingled. You tilted your head, watching as he snuck out through the wooden double doors. Excusing yourself from the table, you followed him.

“Nuada,” you reached out, taking a hold of his arm. Successfully stopping him in the hall.

“Hm?” He turned to face you.

“Here,” you slipped the third crown piece into his hand.

He couldn’t hide his utter confusion as he felt the cold metal in his palm, “This is…”

“The final crown piece,” you answered.

“Why?” He asked, his eyes boring into yours.

“I don’t want you or your people to be out of options if this falls through, I trust you,” you said simply. “And I trust you’ll do what’s right… Wish I could say the same for humans.”

Nuada stared at the gold piece in his hand, rubbing his thumb the length of it as he processed your words. He now had all three pieces and could claim the Golden Army.

But…

He lifted his head, his gaze falling upon you, you had provided him with a better solution, one that he was willing to try, to work towards. He’d keep his word, he wouldn’t awaken the army as long as there was hope for his people.

“Thank you,” he said in a quiet voice, that still conveyed his gratitude. “But it should remain with you.”

As he returned the crown piece to you, his touch lingered on your hand for longer than necessary before he said good night.

…

The next morning, sometime after breakfast, Nuada came to your room, seemingly in a hurry.

“I’d like you to accompany me somewhere,” he said vaguely.

You lifted your brow, “Um…Sure?”

“I cannot believe I had forgotten about this until now,” Nuada shared with a lighthearted tone as he took you by the hand and led you down several familiar halls.

“The library?” You questioned as you and him stopped in front of the large doors.

He shook his head, pulling you further into the large room. Nuada led you to a door towards the back that easily could be missed, in fact, despite all the time you had spent in here, you had never noticed it before.

His smile grew as he opened it, inside the walls of the small room were lined with tall cabinets that had rows and rows of tiny drawers. On each drawer were words carved into the wood in elvish. Nuada gestured for you to open one.

Sliding the small drawer open, you peeked inside to find a jar filled with seeds. “A seed library…” you murmured, eyes filled with wonderment as you realized the hundreds, no thousands of plants held in this small room.

Nuada nodded, “Most of these were collected long ago, some of these plants no longer exist.”

“This is amazing,” you started as it all sunk in. “Could I try to plant some? Perhaps I could nurture some of these back into existence.”

Nuada smiled, it was a smile you hadn’t seen before, one filled with youthful excitement, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“So which ones are flowers?” You asked, eager to get started.

Nuada helped you select a few, explaining that these flowers had the most wonderous scent, that sometimes if he tried hard enough he could recall just how lovely they smelled.

Sitting side by side in a courtyard, you and him prepared a flowerbed, breaking up the soil, making sure it was soft and moist. You rolled a seed between your fingers, your arms glowing, but nothing happened.

“Keep trying,” he encouraged when he saw the look of disappointment on your face.

Taking a deep breath, you tried again, “Can you describe it for me, what this flower looks like? That might help.”

“They’re simple but elegant, like gardenias but larger and smell just as lovely and their leaves are a dark green and appear waxy.”

You could almost picture the flower in your mind’s eye, see it sprout and grow and blossom. Looking down into your hand, you laughed seeing that the little seedling had finally sprouted. Delicately, you planted it in the fresh soil.

“You must think poorly of me,” Nuada stated unprompted. “You must see me as a man who seeks violent solutions, solutions where I willingly sacrifice my people and allies needlessly for my own goals.”

You shook your head, “I can tell none of this has been easy for you, I know that it all weighs heavily on your conscious.”

“Still,” he sighed. “I’m not like you, I hadn’t considered any other option, I hadn’t considered that peace could still be possible. You are… admirable to say the least.”

“You’re mistaken,” you whispered, eyes staring at your hands as they padded the soil. “I may be the worst of them all…”

Nuada tilted his head, you obviously had his attention.

“Before Professor Broom,” you began, your mind drifting to your childhood. “I don’t remember much, but I do remember living in a forest, alone, I was practically feral… unfortunately, I didn’t stay hidden away forever, eventually unlucky travelers and hikers stumbled across my path and all my encounters with them ended the same, who knows how many I killed.”

The memories were foggy, but you could still picture roots wrapping themselves around strangers and coiling tighter and tighter until blood ran.

“I don’t know what was different about father when he found me, but I didn’t kill him. He patiently camped in the woods, keeping his distance from me, but stayed close enough that we could observe each other. I remember him being such a gentle soul…”

You recalled watching him from the outskirts of his camp, he started leaving little treats and trinkets for you in the same spot for you daily. Apparently, he used his experience as Hellboy’s father to help him make a connection with you.

“I have a penance to pay, to both humanity and nature.”

Nuada placed his hand over yours, giving it a gentle squeeze, “I think it’s been paid.”

…

“So,” Red started. “Once you're done with this whole truce crap, what are your plans?”

Nuada opened his mouth to answer the question, but quickly closed it as he realized he actually didn’t know the answer. He assumed that you would be staying with him, living in the palace like you have been, but in all honesty, he had no idea what your plans were, it’s not like he asked or spoke to you about it.

He felt an unpleasant heaviness within him as he acknowledged the possibility of you leaving, moving on to a new and different place to help others.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” you said, working on some needlepoint for the twins’ nursery. “I’ve been so focused on helping the fae, that I haven’t had the time to really think about what’s next.”

You and the prince were currently visiting, mostly to update the BPRD on your progress, but also to spend some time with your family and check in on how everyone was doing. Abe and Nuala appeared all lovey dovey and Liz had shared with you all her crazy pregnancy cravings.

“Well, there’s always room for you here,” Liz offered, absentmindedly rubbing her pregnant belly.

“Thanks, although I’m not sure Manning feels the same way,” you laughed.

“You’re not any worse than Red and they still put up with all his crap.”

“Hey,” he scolded playfully, glaring at Liz. “The BPRD would cease to exist without me.”

Nuada tuned out the rest of the conversation as he contemplated what to do. The thought of you far off somewhere without him stung more than it should. What if something happened to you? What if he never saw you again?

Suddenly you yelped, having accidentally stabbed your index finger with the needle, Nuada’s eyes narrowed as he watched you, he could practically feel the sting of it on his own fingertip. Looking down at his pale hand, he saw a little droplet of blood.

His stomach lurched at the realization. Without a word he withdrew from the group and went out into the hall. On the outside to any of the agents he passed he looked as calm and collected as ever, but inside he was a dam on the verge of breaking due to this latest revelation.

“Have you told her?” Nuala inquired behind him.

Nuada shouldn’t have been surprised that she had followed him, but he didn’t answer her question, he just huffed and turned away.

“Brother,” she urged.

“Have you told the blue one?” He sneered.

“I have.”

He rubbed his forehead, love was a serious matter, especially in their case, it wasn’t something that should ever be taken lightly, because for him it wasn’t something fleeting or lighthearted, it was deep and all consuming.

But when did it get to this point? When did his infatuation become love?

“She has a right to know.”

He began to pace slowly, his arms crossed over his chest. “It’s not that simple,” he argued.

“All the more reason for her to know. We had our suspicions that this could happen,” she reasoned. “That our bond, our ability to feel each other’s pain, could transfer once we each found love.”

His jaw tensed at the word ‘love’, knowing it would only become stronger, that soon you’d experience his every ache and pain and that he’d feel all of yours.

“Human love isn’t as complicated as this,” Nuada stated, glaring at his twin. “What if she doesn’t understand? What if she doesn’t want it and rejects me? What do I do then?”

His mind was already racing with worse case scenarios. The splitting pain he felt over the mere thought of you not loving him had him worried. There was no way for him to stop this, he had no control over it, you and him were now bound to each other, but that didn’t mean you had to remain at his side or even return his love.

“I can see that she cares for you, brother,” Nuala soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Tell her.”

…

It was nice being back at the palace, while seeing your family was great, something about being there made you appreciate the peace and quiet cultivated here. Life was simpler, calmer, amongst the elves.

Nuada, however, hadn’t been the same since returning. You weren’t quite sure what it was, but he was distant, colder. It reminded you of how he had behaved when you and him first met. It’s not as if he was actively avoiding you, but the rapport that you two had developed had seemed to vanish.

As you were walking through the halls, planning to visit the seed library, but halted midstep when you spotted Nuada training in the gardens… in the rain.

You watched mesmerized from the outskirts of the courtyard. Drops of water rolled down his back drawing your attention to the way his muscles moved and flexed. Graceful didn’t even begin to cover the sight before you.

Despite having already seen him in action, you were still impressed by the fluidity and speed of his movements. He transformed something as violent as fighting into something captivating and beautiful like an intricate dance.

Wet strands of hair clung to the front of his face as he spun with a final flourish. He stabbed his spear into the soft wet dirt, his chest quickly rising and falling while he caught his breath.

Nuada raked a hand through his hair, slicking it back as he lifted his head. He gave you a questioning look when he spotted you on the other side of the courtyard. His lips slowly parted, but before he could speak you scurried away full of embarrassment.

You tried to regain some of your composure as you sped walked through the halls, not really paying attention anymore to where you headed. Abruptly, you halted when you noticed that you were walking towards a dead end, but before you could turn around you heard Nuada say your name.

You could hear him approach, stopping once he was right behind you. Your heart sped up as Nuada possessively placed his hand over the center of your chest, his warm fingertips pressed down into your soft flesh as he pulled your back to rest against his wet chest.

Under his palm he could feel your heart beating in sync with his own. His other arm wrapped around your waist holding you firmly in place.

“This,” Nuada began, his voice low and velvety right by your ear. “This was how you grabbed me that night, do you remember?”

“Yes,” you whispered.

Closing his eyes, he sighed wistfully, his breath tickling your flushed face. “Your touch lingered for days and it was all I could think about,” He admitted, his arms winding tighter around you. “I couldn’t recall the last time someone had held me or touched me like that, with such…passion.”

His hand crept a little higher from your chest, gliding over your collarbone before his palm rested on your neck. You released a shaky breath, your head spinning from his touch and the low tone of his voice. You were barely even able to register the words he spoke, completely confused by his intentions.

Nuada exhaled heavily, “I suppose that’s when it started, my infatuation for you.”

“What?” You squeaked.

His index finger traced down the center of your throat as he lowered his hand and loosened his grip on you. “There’s an important matter we need to discuss.”

He started heading towards his room and beckoned for you to follow.

“What is it?” You asked.

He shut the door and stood in front of you with his hands behind his back. “I’ve come to care for you,” he confessed, his expression stern as if he had given you a life sentence.

“I care about you too,” you said in a soft tone.

Nuada shook his head and frowned, frustrated with himself for not being clear and not being more eloquent about it. “It’s more than that… I’m in love with you and there are circumstances that you need to be aware of.”

“Circumstances? Sounds… serious.”

His heart sank at your hesitant expression, but he continued to press on. “You are aware of my bond with my sister, yes?”

You nodded, “if either of you gets hurt, so does the other.”

“Well, I’m no longer bound to her, I’m bound to you.” His eyes studied your face as he spoke, watching your brow furrow as you pieced together what he said.

“How?”

“Because you have become that important to me,” he answered with absolute certainty.

You looked up at him, slowly closing the space between the two of you. Your fingers lightly brushed over his skin as you tucked several loose strands of his white hair behind his ear.

His hand promptly took hold of your wrist, his expression torn as if he couldn’t decide between stopping you or encouraging you.

“You need to understand,” he started, his grip tightening. “That there will be no turning back, I will never let you go.”

You were aware of Nuada’s intentions, he wanted this to be absolutely clear for you, for you to know just how consequential it was for you to start a relationship with him, even if it meant scaring you off. But, surprisingly you weren’t afraid or intimidated by the thought of being with him for the rest of your life.

Through your observations, starting from the very beginning, you had seen how lonely he was. How he was trying to repair things basically on his own. He kept everyone at a distance while he shouldered a burden alone until very recently.

In your eyes, Nuada was more than a warrior or a prince, you saw all of him… he was complex and intriguing and passionate. You wanted to be the person he shared those parts of himself with, and most of all you didn’t want him to be alone again.

“I want this,” you promised. “I want you.”

His other hand held your chin, his thumb brushing over your trembling lip as he tilted your head up. He leaned in, eyes boring into yours. “Mine forever.”

Nuada didn’t waste another second, capturing your lips with his and eagerly pushing you against the wall, his tongue swept over your bottom lip before finding its way into your mouth.

Your fingers clutched the back of his head, curling around his wet hair as you reciprocated the kiss with just as much passion. Your other hand ran down his chest, his heart racing under your touch.

His fingers hooked behind one of knees, yanking your leg upward, instinctively you wrapped it around his waist allowing him to be even closer to you, his pelvic bone now grinding against you. He pushed your skirts up so his hands could roam over your thighs while his mouth latched onto your neck.

Nuada, under typical circumstances, would be more intentional about where he left marks but right now he couldn’t care less as little pink and red marks bloomed on yours and his skin.

You had never felt this sort of urgency before, it was as if he’d die if he had to wait any longer before being with you.

In a hurried and rough manner, he undid the sash of your dress then began to tear away all the layers in his way. He moaned obscenely, feeling your bare torso pressed against his own. His lips explored the newly exposed flesh, nipping and sucking.

Even he was surprised by how desperate and animalistic he was acting, unaware of just how much his body craved your touch and your skin on his, he was practically ravenous.

You could hear him panting heavily by your ear as he undid his pants. He pushed your underwear to the side, exposing your slit. Fortunately, you were already aroused because Nuada couldn’t wait any longer.

Taking his cock in his hand for just a moment, he aligned it with your tight warm cunt. In a fluid motion, he thrusted into you completely, pausing briefly as he savored the feeling of being buried in your velvety walls.

You gasped, wrapping your arms around his neck for support as he began thrusting. His pace immediately starting out fast and hard.

Nuada’s cock was long, reaching depths no previous lover ever had. Your nails raked across his pale skin as you cling to him, yet this caused you to hiss as you also felt the sting of it.

“You are,” he panted, “enchanting, wondrous, divine…”

He sloppily kissed along your shoulder, loving every little sound you made as he fucked you. He wondered if he’d regret not taking his time with you, for being so rough with his flower, but he didn’t feel any pain, just waves and waves of pleasure.

There would be time, plenty of time, where he could make up for it, where he would be a gentle, more tender lover, who will kiss and touch every inch of you.

It didn’t take much longer before you came. You moaned his name, muscles now tightening and your toes curling.

Nuada immediately followed, grunting as he rode out his orgasm and came inside of you.

Propping himself up against the wall with his arms, he caught his breath. Leaning his head down he kissed your forehead then along the side of your face. Acting with more self control, he cupped your face, gazing lovingly into your eyes, “I am yours.”

The following morning, things progressed a lot more slowly with your new lover.

Nuada groaned as you straddled him, his back arching off the bed as you slowly took his cock. Casually he fucked you from below, rolling his hips at a leisurely pace as you rode him.

He admired you, taking in all the pink and purple splotches left from the night’s activities, but also appreciating how lovely you looked in the light of the morning.

…

“Have you packed?” You asked Nuada as he entered the bedroom. You were currently packing your own bag, excited to take a small trip back home.

A couple of days ago, you received a message letting you know that Liz delivered two healthy babies. It had been a couple of months since your last visit, so you were already due for another, but this news made it even more necessary to go.

Nuada nodded, placing his hands on your waist. “Do you need help?”

You shook your head, “No, I think I have almost everything I need.”

Nuada kissed you, right under your earlobe. “Are you looking forward to seeing everyone?”

“Of course I am… I can’t wait to meet my little niece and nephew!” You gushed. “What about you?”

“It will be nice to catch up with my sister, see how she’s adjusting to living with the blue one.”

“He has a name, you know?”

Nuada chuckled, but didn’t bother correcting himself.

“What do you think I should have the babies call me? I was thinking of Auntie Green.”

“That is… suitable I suppose.”

Suddenly you grinned as a thought crossed your mind, “This means you’re also an uncle now, because of our lifelong magical love bond.”

He shook his head, trying to hide his smile over your name for the bond. Taking a few steps back, he moved aside as you finished zipping up your bag. Without thinking, Nuada lifted it up from the bed, ready to carry it to your destination for you.

“Uncle Nuada,” you mumbled, but scrunched your nose in disapproval. “Hmmm, what about… Uncle Silver? That’s much better!”

“Must they call me anything?” He muttered.

“Hey! Don’t be like that, plus you might be a biological uncle soon.”

Nuada sighed, “I suppose you are right… in that case, I think I’d prefer Uncle Silverlance.”

He offered you his arm, escorting you out of the bedroom, so you both could be on your way.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

It took the better part of a year, but I've finally figured out where to go with Joyride. A lot of people have been asking for this, so I hope it lives up to your expectations.

Joyride (Part 2)

Part 1

Yandere Ace x GN Isekai Reader

4.8k words

Warning! This contains pretty much every Ace related spoiler btw!

When going into a world you already know everything about, you don’t exactly expect to be surprised by anything. Sure, there will be slight changes and alternate interactions now that you’ve been unceremoniously dropped in, but you had been anticipating for the story to follow all the same beats.

Which is why you were really thrown off when Ace didn’t go his separate way when he was supposed to.

Luffy had succeeded in defeating Crocodile and stopping his plan for dictatorship of Alabasta, but Ace was still here. Granted, having Ace around was hardly the worst thing that could happen, but you didn’t understand what was going on with him.

After your downright bizarre interaction during the little joyride he took you on, you’d honestly had every intention of avoiding him going forward. Then he threw a curveball at you by sincerely apologizing later that night. With everything going on right now he just got a little carried away, that’s all, he won’t harass you about it again. Or so he claimed.

You were skeptical initially, but true to his word, he hasn’t brought up you joining the Whitebeard Pirates since. Between that, and him having an unknown advantage over you by being a favorite character of yours, it was easy to find it within yourself to forgive him. You two have been borderline inseparable since, much to the chagrin of your crewmates. 

While Ace hadn’t openly made further attempts to convince you to join his pops’ crew, he’d found a thinly veiled loophole in the form of telling you all kinds of stories about them. You knew this was in and of itself, a method to win you over, but deemed it not worth calling out. Besides, who were you to refuse the opportunity to get some Whitebeard Pirates lore?

There were many late nights filled with quiet conversations about various shenanigans the crew got up to in their free time, of which there were many. An unsurprising fact because of course having that many sibling jam packed onto a ship would turn it into a vessel of chaos. 

If you had a weaker resolve, these stories might have won you over. But no, you need to go home.

Even though you weren’t convinced on switching crews, or even just staying here, there was a different problem arising from all your quality time together.

The longer you spoke and goofed around with him, the deeper and more intricate the conversations became, the more human he became to you. Or course, he’d technically always been a human being, but your mind had always registered him (as well as everyone else here) as a “character” first and foremost. A figure in a fictional story which you just so happened to be in temporarily. 

Now? After spending so much time with him, aftering seeing him make decisions based off his own experiences and preferences rather than being dictated by some omnipotent author, things have changed. He wasn’t Portgas D. Ace, the fan favorite character from One Piece. He was just Ace, your friend.

With this came something you never saw coming. Guilt. An all consuming, agonizing guilt that picked away at you every single second of the day.

You knew what was to come. You knew what was going to happen to him. What were you doing about it? Absolutely nothing. And for what? For the sake of preserving a story that’s already been altered from your mere presence?

What a disgusting excuse of a friend you were.

The internal conflict you were going through hadn’t gone unnoticed, not when it was taking such a high toll on you. Nami was the first to start grilling you on it. Naturally, she immediately started pointing fingers at Ace as being the cause, which while not wrong, she wasn’t correct in the way she believed herself to be either. It was hardly his fault that you had a heavy conscience. 

Sanji had also picked up on your struggles and was very concerned about the bags under your eyes, even offering to make some tea to assist with sleeping. An offer you turned down perhaps more harshly than truly necessary, but being trapped in a deeper sleep sounded awful with the nightmares you’ve been having.

It had been upsetting enough to watch Ace die through a screen, but in your dreams you were right there. It felt so real.

A suffocating heat burned at your skin and seared your lungs with every panicked breath, which only became more frantic as hot blood splattered over your face. Life was rapidly draining from Ace’s eyes as he collapsed into the waiting arms of his now deeply traumatized brother.

Your feet were rooted to the ground, all you could do was stare in horror as he looked up at you with tearful, pleading eyes. “Why?” The word was more so coughed out than spoken, spraying out more blood that he couldn’t afford to lose. An arm extended towards you, the hand locking onto your own. His nails dug into your skin, drawing out blood of your own to mix with his into a revolting cocktail. “You could have stopped this. How could you do this to me?”

The last word was wheezed out and his body went limp as his dead, lifeless eyes stared through you. A soul wrenching scream tore its way out of Luffy’s throat, only to morph into your own as you were mercifully ripped from your slumber.

The screaming damn near gave Ace a heart attack, you’re sure of it. This nightmare had occurred after you and him had become separated from the rest of the group while traversing the desert, and you had found a compact cave for the two of you to pass the night in.

What made it worse was how he reacted. He was so concerned, even fretting over you as you desperately tried to get your breathing under control. The compassion in his eyes had done nothing to comfort you, it only served to further sicken you. Here he was wanting to save you from something as trivial as a nightmare, yet you couldn’t be bothered to speak up on and prevent his upcoming demise.

The guilt was killing you, and the solution was not only clear, but easy. So why couldn’t you bring yourself to just tell him? To plead and beg for him to give up the chase and not throw his life away. Yet your lips remained sealed. 

All of these elements came to a boil and demanded your attention, so you did what seemed to be the easiest thing to do in your situation. Drink it away.

Now that Luffy had awoken from his brief coma after fighting Crocodile, Alubarna Palace was hosting a lavish party in celebration and thanks for what everyone had done. And what high end party would be complete without absurd amounts of alcohol?

It started with one, purely to help ease your nerves. However, when it didn’t, you poured yourself another. And then a few more. Zoro had initially been thrilled to have you as a drinking buddy, but apparently even he had his limits and had cut you off.

“The hell’s gotten into you? You’re drinking like you’re trying to run from demons,” the bottle of expensive liquor had been moved out of reach when you tried to go for it again.

“You have no idea,” you slurred out, head spinning from your evening of poor decision making.

Zoro shot you a questioning look, but didn’t press it, likely knowing full well that getting a coherent conversation out of you right now would be impossible. He heaved out a sigh and stood up, “I’m going to get you some water, stay right there.”

Thoroughly defeated, you slumped back into your chair. After all that, you still couldn’t get your dilemma out of your head. Your “demons” continued gnawing at your soul, and all that your drinking had done about it was ensure that you would have a miserable hangover in the morning.

Your head lulled to the side, and you caught sight of a familiar orange hat. Speak of the devil. While you were in the throws of self inflicted misery, Ace was happily taking advantage of all the food being offered. Good for him. He deserved a nice night. 

As if acting on its own, your body managed to get up onto its feet. You shambled towards him, doing your best not to fall flat on your face with each uncoordinated step. Whatever invisible force that had been helping you to make the walk to Ace failed you at the last second, and you crashed into him from behind.

“Shit! Wha- Oh, it’s just you,” Ace whirled around, visibly agitated, but his features relaxed when he realized who it was. He appeared to be ready to say more but you cut him off.

“I need to talk to you.” 

Ace quirked a brow, “Yeah? What’s up?” 

From the expectant look he was giving you, it’s clear that he’s waiting for you to spill your guts here and now. You shook your head, “No, it’s… It’s a secret. We have to go somewhere else.” Realization flashed across his face and he nodded. Fortunately for you, he led the way. You honestly did not think you’d be able to scout out a place for this discussion. You were finally going to come clean and tell him everything before you could sober up and come to your senses.  

It was going well. At least it was, until he passed out and took you down with him. You both collided onto the floor with a resounding thud, him on top of you. The hall you’d slipped into was empty, meaning there was no one here to help you. 

You groaned as you attempted to move, the fall had hit you harder than it should have thanks to the copious amounts of alcohol in your system. You were also mentally kicking yourself for not seeing this coming. He was eating when you stumbled into him, of course it was only a matter of time before this happened.

Whatever, there isn’t time to be bemoaning a minor inconvenience. You manage to shimmy out from under him and use the wall to get to your feet. Ace is snoring on the floor, not a care in the world. Hopefully he’ll wake up soon. 

Taking a look around, you see a door just a couple steps away. You inch your way over to it and try the knob. It clicks open, and you peer in. Looks like some sort of guest room, and it’s empty. Perfect.

Pushing the door open fully, you turn back to Ace. He’s still asleep, but you don’t want to wait around for him to wake up on his own and run the risk of being seen. You lean down to grab the closest part of him, his right foot, and pull. You’re not sure if he’s actually heavy, or if you’re just too drunk for this, but you tip over while trying to do this and fall flat on your ass.

“Huh?” Ace’s head snapped up and he looked around owlishly. The second his eyes connected with yours, he remembered what he was doing before his narcoleptic tendencies took the wheel. He laughed, a light blush on his face, as he got to his feet, “Sorry about that, you alright?”

“I’m fine, get in here,” you urged him to hurry, which he did. In the time it took you to stand again, Ace had already slipped into the room, closed the door, and flicked on a lamp so you two wouldn’t be talking in complete darkness. You eye the door for a moment, then grab a chair and drag it over to wedge it under the doorknob. Someone walking in on the conversation you were about to have would be something of a worst case scenario.

Ace watched this curiously, “Is everything okay?”

This probably looked weird, but oh well, it’s about to get a lot weirder. You decide to sit on the bed and motion for Ace to join you, which he does. You take one of his hands in both of yours and stare at him intensely, “I need to tell you something. It’s going to sound insane, but you need to promise me you won’t tell anyone about this.”

He repeated his previous question, asking again if everything was okay, but you cut him off, “Promise me, please!”

Your desperation got through to him, “Okay, I promise! What’s going on?”

Here goes nothing. You take a deep breath and take the leap, “You need to stop going after Blackbeard.”

Ace recoiled immediately, and if you hadn’t been holding onto his hand for dear life, he probably would have backed away from you. “What? I can’t do that, why would y-”

“Let me finish!” You snapped at him, only to immediately regret it. You sighed, “Please. There’s more, please let me finish talking first, and then you can talk.”

While he did not look happy about it, he did relax his shoulders and settled back into the bed. You took this as your cue to continue, “You need to stop going after Blackbeard because you will die if you do.” Ace exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes at this, assuming that this was coming from a place of fear and doubt.

“I know this because,” you took in a shuddering breath, steeling yourself for what was to come. “I know this because in the world that I came from… This world is a story.”

Ace stares at you wide eyed and slack jawed. He laughed, but was very clearly uncomfortable, “I, uh, I think you’ve had a little too much to drink tonight. How about I take you back to your room to sleep it off, okay?” 

He tried to stand, but you yanked him back down, “No! I’m not drunk! Well, I mean, I am, but I know what I’m talking about! I can prove it.”

His expression was nothing short of incredulous, but he indulged you, “Yeah, okay, sure. Go ahead, prove it.”

“You’re hunting down Blackbeard because he murdered Thatch so he could steal his devil fruit,” you started light. Ace had told you about Thatch being the one he was avenging, but he’d never mentioned the devil fruit before, likely not deeming it an important enough detail. His brows knit together and his eyes drifted upwards as he racked his brain to remember if maybe he actually had said something about it.

“Before you were with Whitebeard, you were captain of the Spade Pirates. Your first member was Masked Deuce, who you met while being stranded on an island together. It’s where you found your devil fruit and built Striker,” he hadn’t told you anything in regards to his old crew, and his face reflected that. You definitely had his attention now.

“You and Luffy were raised by mountain bandits because Garp couldn’t raise you two himself. It wasn’t just you guys, though, you had another brother named Sabo, but he was killed when he tried to set sail and got shot down,” at this point, you were saying whatever came to mind with no regard to whether or not it was a good idea to say this right now. You couldn’t bring yourself to keep looking him in the eye, so you settled for staring at his hand in yours. It was completely slack.

“Your parents are Portgas D. Rouge and Gol D. R-”

Before you could finish the sentence, Ace’s free hand clamped over your mouth with such ferocity that you almost fell off the bed. Forcing yourself to make eye contact again, you see that his are blown wide and wild. The color has been drained from his face and he looked physically ill from hearing everything you just threw at him.

An extremely tense moment passed with nothing to be heard beyond his labored breathing. Then, he hesitantly let go of your face and with a shaky voice said, “Okay. I’m sorry. I believe you. What… What’s going to happen if I keep pursuing Blackbeard?”

You attempted to swallow the lump in your throat, but it refused to go away, “When you catch up with him, you’ll fight, but lose. Your powers are no match for his, you don’t stand a chance against him. After your loss, he turns you in to the marines. 

“Because of who your father is, they decide to make an example out of you and sentence you to death.”

“That bastard turns me in and I get executed?” He sounds like the wind has just been knocked out of him. Disbelief and bitterness are the two most prevalent emotions in his tone, but many others brew beneath the surface.

“Not exactly,” it’s true that he gets turned in and killed, but it’s nowhere near that simple and straightforward. “Luffy comes to your rescue at Marineford, and so does Whitebeard and a lot of his crew.”

Before you could go more into detail, Ace speaks up, “They… W-Why would they do that?”

“Why would they- You have to ask?!” Your voice raises and you have to remind yourself of just how much character development he has to go through in that arc to finally realize and accept the fact that he’s genuinely loved. “Because you’re family, their family! They care about you and don’t want to see you die!”

Your outburst shocked him, but not as much as seeing you start to cry did. His hand is abandoned and you lurch forward to bring him into a suffocatingly tight hug, “Y-You are so loved, you know that? They l-love you so much! A lot of people do! I do! We all want to see you live and be happy!” You limply hang off of him as more tears bubble to the surface, greedily taking the chance to escape with every sob as you finally let out everything you’ve been keeping in. Ace makes no move to return your embrace, he just sits there stiff as a board. 

“A-And, at that battle, you’re killed by Admiral Akainu while protecting Luffy. He’s devastated by it, being forced to watch you die hurts him so bad,” you cling onto him tighter upon feeling him flinch from your words. “Whitebeard dies there too.”

“What?! How could anyone kill him? That can’t be right!” You’re wrenched off Ace violently and his stare is almost as unhinged as it was when you said his parents’ names.

“Blackbeard does it,” Ace freezes at this. “That should give you an idea of how strong he is. If he can kill Whitebeard, fighting you is nothing to him. Besides, you of all people would know how hard it is to kill him,” you chuckle but it’s humorless, empty even.

A heavy stretch of silence follows after that. Ace’s eyes don’t leave your face for even a second, desperately searching for anything that would tell him that this is all one big, sick joke. But there’s nothing of the sort. 

Slowly, he releases your shoulders and he shifts away from you to rest his head in his hands. Without his support, you allow yourself to fall back onto the bed. Between all the alcohol and your emotional outburst, you’re exhausted and want nothing more than to sleep. You try to force yourself to stay awake, but it feels like an insurmountable task. 

“Hey, Ace?” There’s no answer, but you continue anyway, “I’m sorry. I know that was a lot. If, um… If you don’t believe me about knowing what’s going to happen, stick around until after we set sail again. Bon Clay- Mr. 2- is going to bring the Going Merry over here so that we don’t have to backtrack. Marines will be all over the place, but he sacrifices himself so that Luffy and his crew can get away. Once they’ve lost the marines, Nico Robin will reveal herself to have been hiding on the ship and joins the crew.”

Ace continues to not react to what’s being said, you’re not even sure he’s listening to you at this point. As much as you want to comfort him, your limbs feel like lead and your head is swimming. The last thing you see is the jolly roger of the Whitebeard’s staring you down as you fade into darkness.

—

Consciousness comes back to you slowly. Painfully so. Before you can even make out your surroundings, you’re assaulted by the worst headache of your life. The stabbing pain behind your eyes is crippling, all you want is to retreat back to the comfort of sleep, but you know that’s not going to happen.

It doesn’t help that your mouth is so dry that you feel like you’re back in the desert. One hand comes up to gingerly massage your eyes. The action brought more discomfort than relief, but it did clear up your sight a little. 

As your senses ebb back into you, you hone in on the pressure all over your body. It takes considerable effort, but you manage to lift your head enough to take a look. Your nose is less than an inch from bumping into someone else’s. Chopper’s to be exact. He was curled up into your side and using your chest as a pillow. Looking past him, Luffy was sprawled across your lap, belly up. Both of them were still asleep.

You prop yourself up on one arm. Chopper shifts, but doesn’t wake. Off to your side is a bedside table with a glass of water on it. Oh, thank God. Using the arm you aren’t propped up with, you grab it and bring the cup to your lips. The water is divine, an absolute blessing for your dry throat.  

As you enjoy your drink, your eyes glance around to observe the rest of the room. It’s the one you all have been staying in since saving Alabasta. Most of your friends are in their respective beds, except for Chopper and Luffy, obviously. Zoro was also not in his bed, instead being slumped over in a chair next to your own.

Your eyes flicker over to the massive windows of the room, and you spot Ace sitting in the windowsill. From the way he’s positioned, he appears to be awake already. Your gaze narrows as you focus on him. Something tickled at the back of your mind, demanding to be remembered. But what?

“Y-You are so loved, you know that? They l-love you so much! A lot of people do! I do! We all want to see you live and be happy!” 

The water going down your throat is suddenly going out of it when you choke. Memories come back and hit you like a train as you realize what exactly it is you did last night.

Naturally, this wakes up Chopper and Luffy, who are both jolted from their once peaceful sleep by you choking on your drink. Chopper immediately starts to panic, “AH! Don’t die, (Y/N)!”

—

It was crucial that you speak to Ace again, but it seemed like the world itself was committed to making sure that didn’t happen. Ace slipped out of the room while everyone was fussing over you, and it honestly felt like he was avoiding you now. Everytime you thought you might be able to catch him alone, either he vanishes, or someone else comes out of nowhere to drag you away.

Today was the day you all set sail from Alabasta, and while that did put you in close proximity with Ace, it also put everyone else within earshot of you two. And considering the delicate nature of what you needed to talk about, that was extremely inconvenient. 

The only good thing was that the events following leaving Alabasta played out exactly how they were supposed to. Hopefully that meant that Ace would believe you and give up hunting down Blackbeard, but you won’t be able to confirm that unless you speak with him. 

You were so stressed that you’d barely been able to focus on Robin being here. She “introduced” herself to you as if she hadn’t had an extremely uncomfortable run in with you in an alleyway back in Rainbase, but all you could manage was a half-assed handshake before excusing yourself.

For probably the fifteenth time today, you checked to make sure that Striker was still tied to the Merry. It was, much to your relief. But where was Ace hiding? You haven’t seen him since Robin showed herself.

The stress of trying and failing to corner him was doing nothing to help with your hangover, your head felt like it was about to explode. Did you still have Advil in the bag you got isekai’d here with? Maybe. Pushing off the railing, you march to where your room is while praying that you’re right about the painkillers.

You open the door without much thought, only to stop dead in your tracks when you catch sight of Ace rummaging through your belongings and stuffing them into his backpack. The door opening did briefly make him stop and peer over his shoulder to see who it was, but the second he saw it was you, he went right back to pillaging. 

“Can I help you? Why are you robbing me?” You stomp over to where he’s crouched down and shove his shoulder. 

“I’m not robbing you, I’m packing for you,” Ace mumbled, sounding lost in thought.

“Why would you be packing for me? Actually, you know what? That’s the least of my concerns right now, we need to talk about last night.”

“We’ll talk about it later, not here.” He still hasn’t properly faced you, and you were getting sick of only making eye contact with his tattoo and not him. 

“Where else would we talk about it?!” You hissed.

Seeming content with his work, he stood up and kicked the dresser drawer shut, “On the Striker. Or maybe the Moby Dick, I guess. I’m going back and you’re coming with me.”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing, “Excuse me?”

“I’m going back to the Moby Dick, and you’re coming with me.” Ace had finally turned to face you. His eyes were sunken and vaguely bloodshot. 

The sight catches you off guard, “Did you sleep at all last night?”

He shook his head, “No, we’re going to have to stop somewhere else to sleep before going the rest of the way back home.”

“Ace, I’m not going with you. Look, I’m happy that you’re calling off your hunt, relieved honestly, but I’m staying here.” You will ideally be figuring out how to go home sometime soon, there’s no sense in hopping around from crew to crew now.

One of his eyes twitched, and he looked exasperated, “You can’t stay here. You aren’t safe here.”

“What are you-”

“Let me finish,” the words were spoken calmly, but very firm. “I don’t think you understand how serious this is. You apparently know everything about this world and what’s going to happen in it, do you have any idea what will happen to you if word gets out about this?”

“You’re the only person I’ve told, so as long as you keep your mouth shut, I’ll be fine.”

“Until you get drunk again and tell someone else, then what?” His words were just as scathing as his gaze.

Your face flushed in shame, “That won’t happen again.”

“You don’t know that!” Ace snapped at you, then sighed and dragged a hand down his face, “This is for your own good. Nothing good will come from anyone else learning about this. If it ever got back to someone like Big Mom, she would send every single one of her children after you so she could have you on her side. And that’s the nicer option. I’m sure the marines would be more than happy to kill you off so that no one else could have you if they can’t.”

Throughout this entire conversation, his face had remained uncomfortably neutral, but now it cracked. Fondness peaked through the exhaustion as his expression softened ever so slightly. He steps forwards and brings you against him in a crushing embrace. His skin is hot to the touch, effectively chasing away any chill that you may have had.

“You said you wanted to see me live, and I want to see you live, too.” The words are hushed, you wouldn’t have been able to hear him if he hadn’t been speaking right next to your ear.

Reluctantly, he pulls himself away. His face is serious again, “We’re leaving tonight, be ready to go.”

“But-”

“If you don’t come willingly, I will make you. The only thing that you resisting will accomplish is making this messier than it needs to be. Even if you don’t like this now, you will thank me for it later.”

Ace spins on his heel and heads for the door. All you can do is stand there gawking at him as he leaves. Just before the door closes behind him, he spares a glance over his shoulder to say, “I’ll see you tonight.”

[erwinsvow]

What about reader being Langdon’s sister 👀 she’s so different to her older brother, sweet and quiet and doesn’t show off, Langdon is definitely the protective type as well, can imagine if we had seen them interact more Abbot and Langdon would butt heads frequently

ooooo i like this a lot. as always its langdons adopted sister dont forget it folks. hmm you’re cooking because it would be really funny if everyone was expecting langdon 2.0. little langdon!!!! like little grey. and maybe you’re very different from him so it’s even funnier. if someone asks for langdon they have to clarify which one. if they say ‘the nice one’ they mean you!! i think it’d be funny to see them bickering over patient care like siblings fighting over a toy. your langdon-ness really comes out when you’re arguing with frank over course of action but disappears with virtually everyone else though they know it’s inside of you (like when a patient is rude and you say something biting without thinking twice about it or when it comes to defending your favorite attending because your brother is a dumbass. guess who, by the way.) because they put you on night float after the first few months because everyone’s gotta suck it up and try it at least once. you didn’t even expect yourself to like it as much as you do, though you know why you do. in a sea of a hundred people in day shift telling you you’re nothing like frank, jack stops you after your first night shift and tells you he sees a lot of your brother in you. and you’re confused but it’s seven am so you go home and think about what he meant the entire day. ask for an explanation the next day—you know robby likes your brother but you’ve never heard anything about jack getting along with him (makes sense. your brother is such a nuisance. you don’t know how mel puts up with him all day.) and then jack says something about how you both have great instincts and quick hands and when you jump headfirst into a trauma and say you’ve got a spidey sense about something he sees frank in you back when he was a first year on night float with jack. and your response is you think i have great instincts? and so he kind of laughs and you kind of stick to night shift long after you should have begged to be pulled off. and oh ho, boy is your brother mad when he finds out you two are dating. even besides the age difference which is appalling to him (though he watched heather and robby go nuts for each other for six months their first year and did nothing but encourage heather to go for it) he’s your boss!!! he’s your attending!! it’s a conflict of interest (like him dating a co-resident isn’t when he’s about to be an attending next year.) and suddenly frank goes from arguing with you at every turn to very seriously defending you and having a stern conversation with jack about his intentions and eventually cracks and yells at him—by the way, jack is still his attending, he’s still a fourth year—and yells something like you can’t date my sister! and then something else about you’re twice her age and she’s a first year and i don’t care about robby and collins and this is not the same thing and- jack listens very patiently, and then looks around at the dozen people who overheard the conversation, pats frank on the shoulder, and walks away. and when you find out what happened is the first time everyone in the day shift saw just how much like frank you could really be

[the0maski]

Time-angst-things I would love to see more content of.

1. Bully-trauma:

Time had been bullied as a child for his lack of a fairy-partner. In game it’s mostly shown by Mido calling him names, but due the Kokiri immediately blaming Link for the Deku Trees death, I take that Link got literally excluded, bullied out of things, or had to take the blame for things he didn’t do. His lack from expressions in game as es his distance personality in LU could be explained more as a coping mechanism, and the inability to show his true emotions. Since a reaction is what bully’s want the most out of their victims, Link had learned from a concerning young age to keep it all well hidden.

2. Abandonment-issues:

Ocarina of Time is so brutal about this in game, Link never got to see Saria and Impa one last time. He got to see Darunia and Ruto only for a moment and then they were gone the next. Naboruu was the closest Link got to see what happened to the sages, but even so it has no closer. Navi was the worst of all at the end.

3. Daddy and Mommy issues:

For some reason this is very strongly overlooked, even if it’s quite important in both Oot and MM. He saw his father die, in front of his eyes. Only for later to get told that he was adopted and only because he was a child of destiny. Would his "father" still loved him if he had been just a regular child as well? Had there been even love in the first place?

He went to look for Navi for probably a long time. Wondering if she even cared or loved him, or if it was the same with the Deku tree? Was it because he was a hylian?

4. Identity issues:

Yes the fandom jumps on the is he a child or a man identity conflict, but I really want to read more about him having trouble accepting that he is a hylian! I can see Link blaming his heritage for some of his suffering. The bulling, the hero business, Navi leaving him, etc… However, the hylian don’t see him as one of them either!

Malon comments on his foreign clothing, and calling him Fairy boy, the same as other town folks. (In german one calls him "Waldschrat" which can be translated to forest goblin). And in Majora’s Mask the Lost Woods doesn’t harm him, the fog stays far away from him, and in Oot Link doesn’t end as a Skull kid if he gets lost, the Woods take him back to Kokiri Forest even as an Adult. Also Skull kid calls him a Fairy child, making it seem that the Lost Woods and Skull kids see Link as a Kokiri that belongs with them. This must be very confusing for Link, what of the two is the truth?

5. Homesickness:

This one I would love to see a little bit more in LU context. He wants to go home, to the ranch, to his wife and father in law. So why does he also want to go back to the treehouse? Why does he sometimes want to wake up and have Saria telling him that he is back home?

6. The Koroks:

You know how in Oot the Kokiri will ask teen Link, to keep an eye open for kid Link, because they think kid Link will come back one day, and that their all missing him and hope for his wellbeing? This but with the Koroks!

The Kokiri never knew Link was a hylian, so why should the Koroks? Yes this is completely a headcanon of mine, but see my vision please! The Chain in Wild’s era, end in Korok forest, Time doesn’t mention anything and the Deku tree went to sleep after talking with Wild and given a little speech to all the heroes. Yet once with the Koroks Time will feel endless guilt about not having once visited Kokiri Forest after his adventure. For the Koroks will keep saying that they are always ready to welcome one lost sibling back, and that they made them a mask, and have collected food for a good meal, etc…

Wild thinks that maybe there is still a Korok somewhere, but Time knows better.

Bonus: Wind has two person in mind one is Time, because Wind got to meet the Deku sprout/tree, or Fado the wind sage whose spirit he met and was told that Fado had been murdered.

———

I have more in mind, but those are very heavy tight to fics I want to write but just don’t know how! Like the resemblance between Mask and Tp Collin. Time having a horrible time in Ordon Village, because it reminds him of Kokiri Forest. But also some that are heavy world-building headcanon from my own AU which includes the war-trio (Mask, Warriors and Wind) and how they see the Hero of time.

Feel free to add stuff, would love to see what other people think of Time-Angst-stuff.

[yanderes-galore]

Yandere Robb Stark concept?

Pardon the different writing style, I had two ideas I wanted to explore for Robb.

Yandere! Robb Stark Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Possessive behavior, Violence, Blood, Fear of loss, Murder, Biting, Dubious companionship/relationship.

Robb, like most Starks it seems, is a family man.

He allows his emotions to drive him way more than he should.

Even if it means sabotaging alliances for war.

Robb's honorable, caring, and protective.

He sees no need for unnecessary violence or torture compared to the Lannisters or Boltons.

Although, perhaps that was a weakness of his.

Robb looked up to his father and took after him in many ways.

Even if it wasn't the best decision at times.

He's always been protective of loved ones and is surprisingly tactical at times when his emotions get in the way.

There's plenty of ways and possibilities for me to write a yandere Robb.

I was going to make this a romantic concept, but due to the Starks emphasis on family...

Robb can be a pretty good platonic yandere now that I think about it.

For example, I can see Robb being protective of a younger Stark obsession... feeling like he needs to watch over you, a young wolf pup still in his eyes.

Or maybe a romance story where he falls in love while fighting the Lannisters, close to canon.

Which... certainly has its endings.

Maybe you're a healer like his canon love interest, or maybe another person from an allied house that he fell for.

So, let's have some fun and explore these ideas:

Platonic - Stark! Darling

One of the first ideas that come to mind, no doubt due to his Stark lineage, is him with a fellow Stark.

Robb, as the eldest legitimate son, is naturally protective of his family.

He's used to looking after his sisters and brothers, even accepting Jon despite being illegitimate.

You're no doubt one of Robb's younger siblings.

Your childhood often consisted of playing with your siblings, especially Robb and Jon.

While your father often tried to discourage you from it, Robb didn't mind you tagging along with him around Winterfell.

Your brother has always been fond of the way the snow hits your hair and clothes, how you always seem eager to be at his side.

You looked up to him, how could you not?

He's your brother!

Robb probably calls you something like 'wolf pup', or really anything winter or wolf related.

You reminded him of a puppy when you were younger.

Even now, with you being older than you were before, Robb still acts like you're a pup.

Robb had vowed to do anything to protect you as his family.

He trains with his sword and many even trust him since he's won battles before.

You often ask to have a sword like his, to be just as capable as him.

Robb merely smiles, admitting he'd rather keep you away from warfare.

He wants you safe and not targeted by the Starks' enemies.

What would father think?

Robb would probably never admit since he loves all of his family... but you may be his favorite sibling.

He loves you probably even more than your mother and father, always promising to be the bigger wolf to protect you.

Robb ends up focusing a lot on your safety and feelings.

He's always been sensitive to what the heart wants and you're one of his biggest weaknesses as his family.

His fondest memories are playing with you and his siblings in the snows of Winterfell.

So, when it's time to head south due to the Lannister conflict, Robb is hesitant.

He doesn't want to leave you here even if Winterfell is best for you... but he also doesn't want to be the cause of you being murdered.

Truthfully, you wouldn't be fine anywhere due to what happens with the Starks as a whole.

Yet you come with him anyways.

Now, imagine Robb as an overprotective big brother while he leads his troops.

Many of his men note how Robb is around you.

You're probably trained in combat by this point, or at the very least are a tactician due to begging your father to allow you to study the topic.

Robb never really has you far from his tent.

Many suggest he has his mother take you back to Winterfell.

Although... Once the news of your father's execution comes around... Robb finds himself unable to let you go.

You no doubt cry over the death of your father, making Robb pull you close.

He promises he'll protect you, his little wolf, as a big brother should.

It's what father would've wanted... and he must live up to father's standards even now.

Although, late at night when he's done comforting you, he ends up crying in his own tent.

Only to feel you cuddle up to his side, leaving him to hold you close again.

Robb's behavior probably gets worse as more misfortune occurs to House Stark.

He has no idea where his siblings are except you, his father is dead...

Every time he looks at you, he fears what could happen.

Imagine Robb getting snappy if his men are around you too long.

Maybe someone trains with you, or someone appears interested in you...

Only for Robb to step in, the young wolf taking you aside like a wolf retrieving a pup.

Part of him feels he has to take the role his father left for him.

He acts like he's meant to be a father to you along with a big brother.

Your mother no doubt notices Robb's behavior, offering to look after you as a mother should.

Robb just pulls you close, mumbling about being responsible for you before taking you with him to review plans.

Would Robb kill over you? I wouldn't doubt it but he'd find a way to do it without losing honor.

He'd do anything for the little wolf at his side... including tarnish his sword in blood.

Oh, and if Jaime speaks to you while he's a prisoner...

It's a miracle Robb didn't kill him since he needs him.

Robb no doubt keeps you far away from any Lannister due to what they've done.

In ways I can see Robb being controlling and overprotective of you since he keeps thinking of what happened to his father.

When he sleeps, he has your bed in the tent with him.

His men even comment on him being just as territorial as a wolf.

In a lot of ways, he's compared to his dire wolf.

Speaking of which... Greywind no doubt plays with your wolf often.

Your wolves are a sign of the bond you two have as siblings.

Even when Robb is working, his wolf tends to play with you or yours.

Yours may even come up to Robb or stay away from him, depending on how you view him.

Wouldn't it suck if in order to get people on his side certain Houses want to use you for betrothals?

Robb is seething... Yet if he has to, he'll comply for now.

But he'll try to find other ways before then.

Robb is definitely very overprotective and possessive even when he's a platonic yandere.

Part of it is most likely due to his connection with wolves.

Family means more to him than anything....

If someone tried to take you from him or kidnap you for ransom.

Yeah... Robb's sword and wolf's maw will be bloody by the time he drags you back to camp.

Robb is adamant on you staying in his sight... His wolf even follows you around.

No one who intends to harm or take you is safe from his wrath....

Someone would have to kill him to get to you.

Which... may end up happening, actually.

Yet Robb would rather go down fighting than allow some Lannister to take you from him like his siblings.

Safe to say, Robb will do anything for you, his little wolf...

Blood is thicker than water... and he will spill it if it means you'll be his little wolf forever.

Romantic - Your House loyal to Starks

Robb, while great as a platonic yandere, is capable of being a romantic one.

Robb could've met you when he was young or during the war against the Lannisters.

Your House had sworn to the Starks and you were no doubt a family also in the North.

Due to this connection, you were going to interact with the young wolf eventually.

What you weren't expecting was him to fall for you... even when he was to make a marriage pact with the Freys.

You knew of Robb and his strengths.

He's quite the tactician and has won his fair share of battles according to his men.

You had bent the knee to him personally, even if you had played with him in your youth.

You yourself were practiced on fighting and tactics, even sharing your knowledge with Robb once or twice.

You probably did find Robb attractive, but this was war.

You were more focused on making the correct decisions against your enemies than the... look of admiration in his eyes.

It probably doesn't help if you also offered to tend to him when he was injured.

To you, you just felt you were helping your king.

Although... Perhaps there were moments with Robb that could be considered more intimate than they should've been.

Things like dressing wounds, training, or discussing tactics...

You no doubt notice Robb shift closer, giving you a soft smile as he tries to get a reaction from you.

Robb is a gentleman... He'll wait for you to accept him...

But he is not shy about showing his interest.

He comments on your appearance and your skills.

You may even feel an arm around your shoulder, or playful remarks.

He tells you he's happy you're loyal to him... It feels nice.

Although... Maybe Robb wants more.

He really shouldn't go through with such wants.

Your House is already loyal to him and a marriage pact is a way to get families to be loyal to another.

Robb knows he has to marry a Frey due to his agreement....

Yet he finds himself looking in your direction more often, yearning to have a more loving connection with you.

He knows marriage is important politically.

But he finds himself loving you.

Robb no doubt tries to make excuses for himself to justify how he feels for you.

You're just... a pleasant companion.

He doesn't love you... He's probably just lonely....

Yet when you walk in on him crying about his father and stay to comfort him... or when you tend to him after training and battle...?

He can't stand it.

You care about him... and he finds himself thinking about you in the romantic sense.

Even if it's wrong... Robb probably convinces you at least once to indulge him.

A small kiss here... and a comforting embrace there...

Soon enough he's hooked.

You care for him too, but you do not wish to be his betrothed.

Unfortunately, even if you have a secret tryst with him... Robb can't get over his attraction.

Even if it's all secret... He finds himself wanting to marry you...

Maybe even make heirs with you if you are capable.

He doesn't want to be involved with you just for politics...

He wants to be involved out of love, to have you as his partner by his side.

I would not be surprised if his men noticed their king's new attraction.

They know he's fooling with you when he has a wife picked out.

Such desires can be problematic for politics.

But the young wolf knows what he craves.

Robb is, of course, protective of you.

Perhaps it's because he's known you for a long time... or maybe he's worried you'll be targeted due to your relations together.

You can never trust anyone in this game.

I'd even say he's more possessive of you romantically than when platonic.

It's a primal desire that he seems to struggle ignoring.

Even if you aren't properly together... Robb keeps you around him.

Some men even muse about him making you his bodyguard or him seeming territorial.

Which is usually met with a bark and growl from Greywind.

You originally try to tell Robb that you were involved for now.

It's just a temporary thing... But he'll need to marry a Frey after the war.

Robb pretends to go along with it at first.

Yet it's clear with how rough he holds you and kisses your skin that he doesn't want it to end.

The wolf has chosen you... politics be damned.

For now it may be mostly harmless as he hasn't sprung marriage on you.

His heart, however, yearns for it.

Even if you tried to move on, saying you'll have your own commitments soon...

Robb just growls, burying his face in your neck.

He doesn't plan on letting anyone else have you.

Even if he was married... He'd probably still keep you close.

Robb would do anything to keep you by his side... you're his love.

He manipulates you through orders, knowing it will be difficult for you to turn down your king.

He orders you by his side, making subtle advances in an attempt to keep you hooked on him.

When his men confront him on his feelings for you, his hand on his sword tightens.

If you were ever betrothed to another, he'd make a counter offer and make you marry him.

Would this ruin politics? Yes....

But Robb has always thought more with his heart than his mind when it comes to desires.

You may even be a bit intimidated when Robb expresses more possessive behavior, like biting your neck to make a mark.

Would he kill for you? Yes... yet he'd keep it within Stark moral code.

He won't kill without a valid reason.

If there isn't one already... He'll find one.

War is a bloody event.

If he had to spill blood to secure you, perhaps he will.

He'd most likely try to be diplomatic at first...

Yet he's scarily ready to coat his blade in blood.

Greywind still gives away Robb's emotions, too.

The wolf follows you around and lays his head in your lap.

Whenever Robb is away, Greywind is the first one to check on you.

You originally engaged in this relationship to make Robb happy...

Yet when you see him kill someone over you, perhaps even unjustly...

Or maybe when you notice his affections getting rougher and him wanting to isolate you...

You get worried about what you've caused.

You feel truly stuck when Robb keeps trying to spring marriage on you.

Soon he feels that's the only way he can keep you for himself... marriage.

Even if it brings the Freys' wrath.

Robb doesn't care if his obsession with you will become his downfall...

As long as you are together, even in death, that's better than a loveless marriage for him.

[markantonys]

3x05 thoughts! (book spoilers)

i loved all the character & relationship moments in this episode! it was nice to take a breather and just spend time with the characters and get to see how much they mean to each other. wotshow continuing its trend of doing a great job balancing character work vs. action across the 8 episodes!

against all odds, randgwene clung on by a thread for yet another week lmao but the breakup is 100% coming next week, and surely it has to be just about the first thing to happen in the episode given the cliffhanger. i'm reaaaaally curious (and anxious) about how they'll frame it, because right from day 1 after the first trailer etc i said "i really hope they make it clear that randgwene's breakup is mutual because they just aren't right for each other, and don't frame it as the only reason they broke up is because rand is ~cheating~ with lanfear and egwene feels betrayed". it was my biggest point of worry with the whole rand-egwene-lanfear situation, and it seems like it might be coming true! but we haven't actually gotten to hear rand talk about the whole lanfear situation and his feelings on it, so hashing it out with egwene might give him a good opportunity to do that and maybe whatever he says will make it clear to the audience and egwene that he's been manipulated and it will help ease things a bit. i just really hope rand and egwene will be able to end everything on decent footing with each other; i know there has to be big tension between them at the end of the series, but imo that would be cheaper and more emotionally shallow if it's leftover tension from a bad breakup rather than the more platonic tension between two conflicting world leaders who used to have a close personal relationship and grew up together but now must both put their greater duties first. not to mention that we HAVE to get egwene's signoff on avirandlayne if we want the audience to accept that relationship, so she has to end the season in a decent place with rand!

as of now, we're obviously on the verge of high drama, but i have faith that maybe rand & egwene's conversation will end up going in a good direction that allows them to go "look, lanfear might be the catalyst for forcing us to talk about it, but we've both known for a long time that we just aren't right for each other and THAT is the real reason we need to end things" (plus, surely egwene will tell rand that lanfear's been behind her dream torture and rand will be horrified and take her side and turn firmly against lanfear, right? right??). it's also interesting to consider how much control rand had over his dream; in the past rand-lanfear dream convos, he's always seemed "conscious" (though asleep of course) and fully in control and aware of what he's doing, but in this sequence, egwene is entering the other friends' dreams and it's clear that it's just their subconscious minds coming up with scenarios and they aren't doing anything on purpose. is rand fully in control of himself in this dream? or is it a somewhat subconscious dream on his part with lanfear consciously influencing the direction? it IS interesting that the new location could, maybe, imply that this is rand's own natural dream, at least to start, vs. past randfear scenes that seemed like lanfear pulling rand somewhere to talk to him. but we really can't judge anything for sure until we've heard what rand has to say about it next week.

sticking to the waste plot, the avirand scene!! 10/10 no notes! rand learns about polyamory, avi tries to feel out whether wetlanders are down for it, and they bicker <3 and rand playing with the little girl, my HEART let him be a stay-at-home dad!!!!

as i suspected, rhuarc-bair-lian is yet another balanced triad where everybody is equally married to each other with no mention of any sibling-spouses. alanna-maksim-ihvon was the same, so it does really feel like they're setting up for the Main Character Polyship to be a balanced triad where everybody is equally romantically involved and there are no metamours, aka avirandlayne only and min not involved at all. further to this point, there was no particular min-elayne interaction in this episode beyond sharing a group conversation and they didn't react in a noteworthy way to each other, but i'll keep an eye on further developments there in the remaining episodes! if no focus is given to the min-elayne individual dynamic in tanchico, i'd say that's the final nail in the coffin for min being involved in the polycule because at that point they would have blown past MULTIPLE opportunities to tie her together with elayne or rand.

continuing on with polycule thoughts, i was glad to see an acknowledgment of avilayne in elayne's dream! one of my problems with the way it was done so far is that it was so extremely casual as to have no impact on either character outside of 3x01 itself, but i'd suspected that might change later in the season with some kind of Reminder That This Happened, and sure enough, we did get that here. this kind of small but notable acknowledgement is striking just the right balance for me: it's making sure to keep avilayne in the audience's thoughts and signaling to them that there's more to come here, but without emphasizing it as a monogamous romance so much that people will be blindsided or upset when rand joins in the future. we can see that elayne is still thinking about avi, but she's not pining and yearning for her every waking moment of the day (if she was doing that and then if avi started falling for rand more clearly before elayne rejoins them, the audience would feel indignant on elayne's behalf, so it's good that they're not going TOO hard on elayne's feelings for avi just yet; especially with avi's line this episode derisively saying "that's too much to ask of one person" implying that she doesn't have monogamous expectations with elayne, it's good that elayne doesn't strongly have those expectations either, so they're both more or less on the same page as of now).

my wishful thinking was that it would've been nice to have rand crop up in elayne's dream too sort of the way faile did in perrin's, nothing overtly romantic but a sign that he's lingering in her thoughts just like aviendha is. but of course, that couldn't happen in this context because egwene might feel weird or betrayed about seeing rand pop up in her BFF's dream because randgwene are still together. man, i don't want to be a hater but the extended randgwene is 100% to blame for the dynamics i DO want to see getting repeatedly punted off and put on the backburner! gawene didn't get to even meet, and the avirand stuff we've gotten has been perfect but it still kinda feels like they're being shafted in THEIR OWN ARC; this is the biggest time they spend alone together in the whole series but we can't even treat it as a notable focus of the season because we have to keep the focus on randgwene (and randfear) and don't want to risk tainting avirand with cheating implications by drawing the audience's attention to them too much before randgwene has broken up. and i don't know how likely it'll be for avirand to get a little moment during the cold rocks hold attack next week as i'd hoped they might, because the breakup has been dragged out yet another week so they'll be too busy giving the emotional focus to the randgwene fallout and it might STILL be too soon to let rand share any kind of little moment with avi (and in that BTS shot of sammael, he was alone with rand and egwene in a potential cold rocks hold-y set, so i wonder if rand will be sticking with egwene during the battle and avi will just have separate fight scenes).

but all i can do is wait and see how it goes down! it's obvious that avirandlayne IS coming, so i have to trust that rafe has a plan even if i can't quite see it yet haha my fear is that randgwene lasting so long in s3 will mean avirand & randlayne couldn't get as strong setup as they might have otherwise will mean them coming together in s4 will end up feeling rushed (and then gawene too which i've been looking forward to almost as much as avirandlayne, god knows what might even happen there since they are now so SO far past the date of their book meeting). why the show is choosing to fastburn the getting-togethers of endgame romances but slowburn the breakups of non-endgame ones is beyond me, but i will trust that rafe has a plan and that it will all make sense once i'm able to see the forest instead of just the trees!

returning to the dreams, i loved this sequence of egwene visiting her friends' dreams SO MUCH probably one of my favorites of the season so far!! she got so much joy out of seeing her friends happy 🥺🥺🥺 and it was such a beautiful way to show us a little bit of each friend's inner life; nynaeve's lost daughter is still weighing on her and she still dreams about a happy life with her, elayne takes such joy and wonder in learning new things and dreams of a carefree life following her heart outside the confines of duty, perrin's happy place is being at home with his forge and hopper (my heart!!) and he's starting to take faile into his heart too, and MAT!!!! mat's dream killed me dead!!! he has often been played for comic relief this season, so i was really thrilled to get this beautiful reminder of his layers and depth and the good, selfless heart he has underneath the bravado, and particularly glad to get this scene for donal!mat who hasn't had much chance to get the family stuff that barney!mat had so much of in s1 - it really helps keep up the consistency between the two versions and connect our present mat back to s1 mat. all he wants is to give his sisters a good life and hear his mom tell him she's proud of him!! which is such a gutpunch after her death in this episode!

can somebody PLEASE tell mat he's a good boy and they're proud of him!!! my Show!Mat Has A Praise Kink agenda grows stronger every day. man, between mat's dream and rand being so happy playing with the child, my s1 show-only observation that rand and mat would be each other's ideal partner in domestic family life remains spot-on. let them be dads!!

anyway, mat's mom! i was SO not expecting her to die, what a shock! and a good decision, it adds some stakes to the two rivers plotline and gives perrin even more of a reason to want to fight back instead of giving himself up and giving into the whitecloaks. and it seems we're getting the book arc of bode being able to channel! since the girls are twins in the show, i wonder if they can both channel or only one. and i also wonder how big or small of a plot point this might end up being; it's pretty small in the books, but the show has placed more emphasis on mat's family, so maybe they might do a little bit more with it? his sisters are still definitely tertiary characters, though, so i don't know. my biggest wish would be for a full wonderboy reunion in s4 so that perrin can tell mat about his mom and we can see mat react to her death (and i can get a cauthor hurt/comfort fic scenario out of it, priorities priorities haha), and ideally bode & eldrin traveled with perrin and mat can reunite with them at least for a moment. because we know that, if the books are followed, perrin and the cauthon girls will cross paths with rand soon after the two rivers arc (so likely s4), so if they can just get mat back in rand's plotline for s4 to do his TFOH dragon's general plotline, then we could get mat coming into contact with perrin and the girls as well. but as i've speculated before, this might depend on how many total seasons they anticipate getting and whether they have time to send mat back across the continent for a season or whether they need to jump into his west coast seanchan plotline immediately in s4.

good stuff in the two rivers plotline this episode! i loved perrin and faile's battle couple moment <3 and the perrin-dain face-to-face reunion was just as messy and delicious as i'd hoped! "i thought you were a good man" "i was, before you" okay okay

my one complaint about this plotline is, i have to embarrassedly put on my bookcloak hat, but i am really feeling the "alanna and her warders are getting too much time" complaints this season haha i didn't mind in the first 2 seasons, but now they're overstaying their welcome for me. it might not actually be true, but it feels like we've spent more time on alanna and maksim's relationship than perrin and faile's this season! however, i am almost certain that maksim will die in the two rivers battle, especially now that he and alanna had a mini arc of working out their problems and realizing that they're stronger when they stick together - surely that's GOT to mean maksim has to die in order for alanna to lose it enough that she does what she does in LOC next season. and if that happens, then i'll be fine with them getting so much time this season to build up to that death and make us understand why alanna loses it so badly. another thing where i'll have to reserve final judgment until i've seen the forest instead of only the trees!

speaking of people who may or may not be on Death Watch, moiraine and siuan! i really loved their scene together and thought it was so beautiful. as for predictions, i'm split 50/50 on whether them getting to mend fences and share a happy moment and a bittersweet goodbye means this is the final curtain call for their relationship and one or both of them will be dead-dead by the end of the season, or whether the "i'll find you in every lifetime" "and i'll wait for you every time" is foreshadowing of siuan going to find moiraine in finnworld at the end of the show. i just don't know!

i loved the lan and moiraine scene of them sharing a drink. perfect!

tower plotline: it was fine, got the job done

tanchico crew: bringing the comedy as always! i loved the opening scene with bickering matlayne and seasick nynaeve, absolutely impeccable vibes, and then min officially joins the gang (i loved the "raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by liandrin" moment between the four of them lmao). as somebody who's been starting to feel oversaturated with the mat-min dynamic, i was disappointed that he left elayne and nynaeve's scene so quickly to wind up hanging out alone with min yet again, but we did get some great stuff between the trio and the quartet nonetheless! still, at this point it's kinda feeling like mat was lifted out of the waste storyline purely to hang out with min for the second season in a row (and arguably to act as a support piece in HER storyline about learning how to find agency in her visions, more so than having his own storyline get focused on), but i'm sure in ep6 that will change and mat will get more time to shine and more chances to interact with non-min characters since tanchico is slated to be the A plot. i'm very excited to see this plotline lead an episode, it's been a long time coming!

we did finally get a reference to the s2 rand viewing and we learn that mat's takeaway is that min's viewings aren't even accurate because she said he would kill rand and he didn't. and then in the ep6 preview it showed mat trying to pump some tanchico citizens for info about the male a'dam collar, so i just might get a little cauthor crumb next week with mat being worried about rand getting collared and wanting to help protect him!

i think that's everything off the top of my head for this episode!

[backseatconfessions]

Sammys's girl

a/n: Hey. It’s been a minute, huh? Almost four years, lol. Well, I thought I’d write something small again, and what better way to get back into it than with a little piece about Dean fucking Winchester? The Winchester brothers are my current drug, so you can expect more of that to come. Enjoy!

summary: Pressing his ear against the wall, Dean’s mind swirled with a whirlwind of emotions he never expected to feel. His brother Sam, the one person he’s always protected, was now with someone Dean couldn’t stop thinking about. The sounds from the next room making his chest tighten with a mix of jealousy and something far more dangerous.

warnings: Jealousy, Inappropriate thoughts about a sibling’s partner, Sexual content, Mature themes, Explicit language, Emotional conflict, Tension and discomfort

Dean Winchester had never been jealous of Sam’s love life. Why would he? There had never been a reason for it. Dean had always done his own thing, taken his life as a hunter for what it was—restless, dangerous, with no room for commitments. Relationships in this job were nothing but a ticking time bomb, so he never even considered them. One-night stands were easier. No strings, no complications. No drama, no risk, no heartbreak.

And then you came along.

The brothers had met you on a hunt. At first, you were just some stranger, a witness with too many questions. Then you became an ally. And before Dean even realized it, you were just… there. Always. What had initially seemed like an unnecessary burden—one more person to protect, one more soul to lose to this life—turned out to be a damn blessing. You weren’t helpless. Quite the opposite. You were sharp, capable, unafraid to challenge Dean. At some point, it became natural to have you sitting in the backseat.

But then something changed.

Dean knew his brother better than he knew himself. He noticed the shift in Sam’s gaze the moment it happened—how his eyes softened when they landed on you. And worse, he saw the same change in yours.

He told himself he didn’t care. That it didn’t matter. Maybe it just bugged him that you two had kept it a secret for so long. Yeah, that had to be it—the secrecy. The feeling of being left out. But then it wasn’t a secret anymore. And Dean realized that the deception hadn’t been the thing tying his stomach in knots. It was the way Sam held you. The way you leaned into him, like he was your damn home.

Dean was happy for his brother. Really. After everything they’d been through, Sam deserved happiness. But fuck if it didn’t eat him alive every time he saw Sam’s hand wrapped around yours. Every time he had to watch you kiss him like he was the best thing that had ever happened to you. It burned, but Dean said nothing. He wasn’t the kind of guy to let anyone see when something cut too deep. So he shoved the feeling down, just like he did with everything else that had the power to hurt him. He laughed louder, teased Sam harder, played the cool big brother while feeling like a goddamn idiot inside.

Because for the first time in his life, Dean Winchester wanted something he couldn’t have. Not that he’d ever admit it. Dean Winchester wasn’t jealous of his little brother. Not once. So why the hell did it feel like his stomach twisted into knots every time he caught you looking at Sam? Laughing at his jokes, even the bad ones. Reaching for his hand without even thinking. Giving him those looks—those damn looks Dean had never gotten, not from someone like you. Of course, it ended up like this. Sam was the one with the college brain, the stupidly perfect smile, the goddamn puppy eyes. Sam had always been the guy women actually wanted. Not like Dean, who was good for a night but never for more.

And maybe that was the real reason it gnawed at him. Because you weren’t just anyone. Because if things had been different—if life had played out another way—maybe, just maybe, you could’ve been his.

Dean didn’t dwell on what-ifs. That was a surefire way to lose your mind in this life. But damn if they didn’t creep in anyway. Late at night, when the motel room was too quiet, when the whiskey wasn’t enough to drown out the thoughts he didn’t want to have.

Maybe, if he wasn’t so damn good at pushing people away, he would’ve done something about the way you made his chest tighten. Maybe, if he had just fucking tried—

But it didn’t matter.

You weren’t his.

You were Sam’s.

And Dean Winchester never stole from family.

So he swallowed it down, let the bitterness settle deep in his bones, and kept moving forward like he always did. Because that’s what he was good at—taking the hits, standing back up, pretending it didn’t hurt.

But some nights, when sleep wouldn’t come, he let himself wonder.

If things had been different… would you have ever looked at him the way you looked at Sam?

And if you had—would he have let himself have you?

He couldn’t help but sink even deeper into those thoughts. If you had been his—how would your skin have felt beneath his fingertips? What soft, sweet sounds would you have made if he had touched you just right? Dean felt no shame as his hand wrapped itself around his dick. Ever since you and Sam had gotten together, you always took your own motel room. So there was no reason not to let himself indulge. A quiet groan escaped him at the thought that it was your soft hand touching him—not his own. 

He imagined your lips parting ever so slightly, just enough to let soft, breathy moans slip past them. His strokes grew quicker and he was panting hard. If he closed his eyes and focused hard enough, he could almost see your big, innocent eyes locked on him. He could almost hear the soft sounds slipping from your lips—until it hit him that he wasn’t imagining them at all. They were real and they were coming from the room next to his. 

Had you and Sam been together like that? It never crossed his mind before—probably because thinking about his brother being intimate just wasn’t something he ever did. And rightfully so. 

What Dean did next, was something he’d take to his grave. 

He pushed the thought of his brother aside and pressed his ear to the wall. Now he could hear you, clear and unmistakable. 

“Fuck, Sammy…”, you moaned. “Always making me feel so good…”

Dean visibly winced at those words, but the next thing you said made him shut his eyes.

“Please, please, please… Ruin me, Winchester.” 

There he was, standing in his motel room, his ear pressed against the wall that connected to yours, stroking himself to the sounds of you being pleasured. Dean imagined himself between your legs. He’d eat your pussy like a starved man, worship your body in every way imaginable. He’d take his time, tracing every curve of your body, his hands exploring with a slow, deliberate touch, seeking out the places that would make you gasp, make you shiver. Each soft caress would be a silent question, testing, learning, until he found the exact spot that would have you melting under his touch. He was drawn to the idea of hearing you lose yourself in the pleasure, curious to see how far he could push you, wanting to hear the highest, most breathless note you could reach.

He’d savor the moments, the way your breath hitched with every shift of his fingers, how your body would arch toward him, craving more. It was like an unspoken dance, each movement a step closer to the edge, both of you lost in the rhythm of it all.

The sounds from the other side of the wall were enough to drive him mad. Every moan, every breathy exhale of yours was a trigger, setting off a chain reaction in him he couldn’t control. And it wasn’t just the physical sound—it was the feeling behind it, the way it seemed to echo in his mind, a constant reminder of what he couldn’t have.

He came hard, coating the wall. Fuck. He wasn’t supposed to be doing this, wasn’t supposed to want this. It didn’t matter how badly his body reacted to the sound of you. Dean pulled his ear away from the wall, the heat still simmering inside him, but the reality of it crashing down like cold water. This wasn’t right. He’d gone too far—had let his mind wander where it shouldn’t have. His brother was happy, and that should’ve been enough for him. But why the hell did it feel like a betrayal of something deeper than he was willing to admit? He turned away, stumbling back toward the bed, his mind racing. This feeling—this burn—wasn’t something he could ignore forever. But for now, he’d have to. For now, he’d bury it. Just like everything else.

[babyangelsky]

I need to talk about how much I love everything that Tape Worrachai is doing with his face

But not just that. I only intended this post to be me singing his praises for the acting choices he's making as Sun but as I started drafting it in my head, it also turned into a character analysis and also praise for the writing choices that were made with him.

When we first meet him, the impression we're supposed to get is of a jaded, cocky criminal with a hair trigger temper that almost gets him in two fights on his way out of prison.

We don't yet realize that he has a completely justifiable reason to have such contempt for these two guards in particular, or that the way he behaves isn't just a case of "oh well he's just like that".

Because he wasn't always like that. This show has utilized this flashback so well, it's really taken it's time to develop its characters, to set up future conflicts, to show us why things are happening the way they are.

We get to see this rage build up in Sun very gradually, we see it start to fester, we see it start to inform every choice he makes, and we can see how it will inform every choice he will make when we come back to the present.

Now let's talk about that rage and just how good Tape is at embodying it.

There's this physicality he brings to it that's so impressive and that makes it seem at times like his body is actually struggling to contain how enraged he feels.

We first see it when he and Jack identify their father's body. Sun is trembling as he's clinging to him and he lets out this sound that genuinely sounds like a dying animal. It's the kind of sound that comes from something deep down inside, something that's in unimaginable pain.

It was the same kind sound Sun made when the boy who loved him died in his arms and it was just as brutal then because screaming is all he can do to release some of that grief and pain and anger that he's feeling. There's no one to fight, there's no one to take it out on.

And that rage just keeps building and building. The relationship with his brother is fracturing. He and his siblings can't even mourn their father in peace because Aim's wannabe Joker ass comes and interrupts the funeral and quite literally crushes Sun under his heel. He ends up taking the blame for Kong's death and goes to prison for it, where he's sexually assaulted and beaten while the guards turn a blind eye.

There is so much being heaped on him at every single turn, it is burying him, and Tape does such a good fucking job of showing us that with just his eyes.

Look at this shot.

The majority of Tape's face is obscured, all we can see clearly is one eye and what we see reflected in that one eye is all the rage and grief and pain we've seen build up over the past two episodes. Sun has just resolved to make it out of prison alive so he can avenge his father's death and he's watching the men who assaulted him make nice with the guards who allowed it to happen with such cold fucking hatred and he is not going to give any of them a moment of peace in service of his goal.

DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO COMMUNICATE THAT WITH A SINGLE GODDAMN EYE?

We do get to see his whole face in this scene but somehow that is less effective than the shot of his eye. We see some of that physicality again in the way his face twitches and he snarls but because he's mostly in profile, his gaze doesn't deliver that same punch.

There's so much more I can write--and WILL write--because the expressions and the dynamics in this show are all so fucking good but I had to give my boy his flowers. He's doing incredible things with Sun and I'm obsessed.

[oldwritingm]

Hopefully requests are open and if they aren’t then please ignore my ask!! I would like to request if you could write a platonic ninjago x younger sibling!reader where the Reader is basically the crying child from fnaf? A crybaby, easily scared and clingy in a sense that they only feel safe with the ninja or their older brother, if you cant do this then you are free to ignore this ask, Have a very nice day/night or evening where you are!

Here you are my darling! I hope you have a lovely day/night too! :D

Ninjago - Ninjas With a Sensitive Little Sibling

Kai

He's already a protective older brother, but with you being so sensitive, he's ultra-protective

Even when people are being nice to you he's hovering carefully, making sure they don't do anything that might hurt you

Not that he really needs to hover; you usually stick to his side anyway

Maybe that's also why he gets worried when you're on your own, though... he's not used to not having you nearby

Whenever he's forced to leave you, he makes sure you're in good hands (i.e. with the other ninja) first

He knows you're sensitive, but he's still Kai; you're not escaping a little sibling conflict

Sometimes he gets annoyed when you follow him around too much, and he'll get all quiet

He knows why you do it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't irritate him a bit

There have been times during which he'd snap and tell you to go find someone else to follow around

If/when that makes you cry, though, he does a complete 180 turn

He crouches down to your level, smoothing your head and frantically telling you he didn't mean it

"Aw, Y/n, please don't cry! I didn't mean it..! Please don't cry!"

Then he'll give you a piggyback if you want it, entirely forgetting his earlier desire to be alone

Cole

He's also pretty protective, but he's more focused on your character and emotions than actually defending you from the world

What I mean is that he'll watch for when you're upset, and when you do get upset he'll take the opportunity to try and build a little character

He's super gentle and always supportive, of course, but at the same time he wants you to grow

So when you cry, he'll hug you until you're calm but then he'll try and talk it out with you

"What made you upset?" ... "Why do you think that upset you?" ... "How can we make sure that doesn't happen again?"

I think he's just really emotionally mature, and he'd want his little sibling to have that maturity, too

Of course, he doesn't force it on you; you're just a kid after all

But he tries to get you on the right path

He still gives you lots of affection though, and is always checking to make sure you're comfortable

When you have to separate, he does try to leave you with one of the other ninja, but if he can't he'll offer lots of reassurance that he'll be right back

He'll be so proud if you're able to be alone for a bit!!

All in all he's just super supportive regarding your needs, but also wants you to learn and grow

Jay

Out of all the ninjas, he coddles you the most

When someone makes you cry he's on them like a feral cat

Once he's satisfied that they've gotten what they deserved (or when they're done beating his ass 💀) he'll come to check on you

He's a little scatterbrained, so he doesn't always remember that you're fragile

Sometimes he'll accidentally make a backhanded comment or leave you all on your own

When he realizes his mistake he flies into a panic, especially if he's mid-mission and remembers that you're alone

He hates seeing you cry, and just the thought of it makes his stomach churn

He always gives you the tightest hug when he realizes his mistake/gets reunited with you, apologizing a million times

Honestly he's more upset about it than you are

Long after you've stopped crying, he's still apologizing (and probably crying a little himself)

Just call him a crybaby and he'll stop on the dot

He'll just stand up and furrow his brows

"Okay, I see how it is. I was all worried about my little Y/n and now they're making fun of me. I guess that's what I get!"

(You're both able to laugh about it, dw)

Zane

As has been established, he's not the most emotionally intelligent out of all the ninjas

Sometimes he struggles to know what he's feeling himself; your emotions are a whole other realm to him

That doesn't mean he can't tell when you're upset, though

Whenever you start to whimper or cry he's at your side in a second, holding your shoulder affirmingly

He's not always sure what to say, but if you want to hug him he'll hug you back

He'll patiently wait for you to calm down, then he'll try to understand why you were upset

"Um, do you know why... what... made you... cry..?"

Be patient with him, I promise he's trying 😭

He starts to learn after a while which things upset you most, and he starts to look out for them whenever you're with him

Whenever he spots one of those things, he's already hurrying to your side before you even start crying

He feels really proud whenever he's able to catch a fit before it happens :)

Honestly, as protective as he feels towards you, he sometimes wonders if you're better off with the other ninjas

You're just so emotional, and he feels like the other ninjas might understand you better

He actually sometimes looks to them to help calm you down

But ultimately he does prefer to be the one to help you, both because he feels responsible and because he loves you the most

Lloyd

He was a pretty rowdy kid when he was your age, so he has a little trouble understanding you

He was rude where you're sensitive, he was cruel where you're gentle... when he thinks of you compared to his younger self, it's like night and day

So he doesn't always catch things that might make you cry

(makes it a little hard to be protective when you don't know which things to be protective about...)

Only when someone else points them out, or when he hears your high-pitched whine, does he realize that you've been upset

He'll rub your back and try to calm you down, but honestly he's a little apprehensive

Like I said, he can't really relate, so he struggles to empathize

That doesn't mean he won't try, though

He'll give you a hug and tell you everything is fine, but he's not sure if he's actually being helpful

"Hey, hey, it's okay..! Here, give me a hug!"

He just feels really bad for you, especially because of this

He asks the others for advice sometimes, trying to understand what it might've been like to be a kid who spent more time being afraid and gentle than trying to be tough and evil

They always assure him that he's doing a great job, with him being so great at showing kindness already

He still doubts himself, and he probably always will, but he'll never stop trying to be there for you

Nya

If you were anyone else's sibling, or just a random kid, Nya would absolutely coddle you

She'd be the most protective person ever, always at your side, ready to defend you from the world

But since you're a Smith...

Sorry, you're getting none of that

She'll never berate you or anything, but every time you start to have a breakdown, she tries to get you to toughen up a little

"Come on, my Y/n, dry those tears. It's not that bad. I'm here."

She'll still be hugging you anyway while she says this

The way she sees it, Kai can do the babying, and she can do the actual teaching

Though she can't help the distaste she feels whenever Kai treats you like a baby

She's talked to him before about getting you to grow up a little, and he does agree that you can't always be this sensitive

From then on they work together to find the balance between comforting you and toughening you up

(Kai still does most of the comforting and Nya still does most of the toughening)

She knows what it's like to be the "weaker" sibling, and she doesn't want that for you–not now, not ever

She'll even give you fighting lessons if it makes you feel stronger :D (tbh she probably will anyway)

Thank you so much for this request! And thanks for reading, take care sweet duckies <33

(divider by saradika)

[deansapplepie]

Catherine Eleonor Greene

OC Character in the Universe of The Walking Dead. Face claim: Lily Collins

Thank you so so so much @dixonsdarkelf for doing this pretty gif of Cathy, I truly loved it. 🩷✨

She was 30 years old when the outbreak happened.

She’s the oldest Greene sister.

Her nicknames are usually Cath or Cathy, Cathy being mostly used by her family. Daryl calls her Kitten, mainly because he made an association of Cath with Cat. (Daryl is a cutie come on.)

At the beginning of the outbreak she knew nothing about guns or killing, much like her sisters.

She’s a nurse technician and used to work at the hospital from the closest city before the outbreak.

Avoids conflict as much as she can and is very patient until she reaches her boiling point.

She likes handcrafts and arts, used to do scrapbooking and still keeps a notebook around for doodling some patterns that helps her concentrate and also relax.

She was immediately attracted to Daryl when she first saw him and although her father alerted her about the danger of getting close to the strangers that had arrived at the farm she couldn’t help herself and get close to him.

Extremely bad at handing guns and knives, it demanded a lot of patience from Daryl to teach her.

It takes a long time along the road for her to be good at using guns to defend herself.

Maggie and Beth are constantly teasing her about Daryl till they actually become a thing.

She’s very close to her family, and love her sisters. But they fight as every other siblings.

As the older sister, she feels very responsible for Maggie and Beth. Maggie although a middle child shares this responsibility with her caring for Beth and also for Cathy. “Who’s gonna take care of you if I don’t?” Is what Maggie always tells her when told not to worry.

Her favorite flowers are Hydrangeas.

She loves to wear dresses while home, but loses this habit when the farm falls and they need to be always on the run.

She loves to swim and misses escaping to the woods back at the farm and swimming on the lakes there were around the region.

Her favorite animal is a Horse. Daryl says she’s a sadist for this, but come on, she grew up on a farm.

She really cherishes family and friendship, the line between them being very thin, which means if you are her friend you’re also her family.

She loves sweet and candies, but is more of a salty food person.

For now that’s it, but I’ll add more in the future. 🩷✨

Gosh, I missed making profiles for OC characters! Didn’t make one since I was a teen!

[writingquestionsanswered]

Do you have any tips on making characters more plot relevant? I have characters that are important to the story because of who they are and their interactions, but when it comes to their page time or POV I struggle to make their side and individual story meaningful. I’ve been able to add more events that they deal with and add importance to their character, but I feel as if it’s too secondary. I won’t call them afterthoughts but they kind of are. I struggle with having character arcs and development that are a part of the main plot but don’t deal with it directly often.

Making Characters More Plot Relevant

If you have characters who are important to the story in terms of their relationships with other characters, and who you feel need to be a bigger part of the story, here are some things you can do to give them a stronger role in the plot:

1 - Give Them Agency in Main Plot Events - First and foremost, you want to make sure these characters have at least some bearing on what happens in the main plot. Each character should make decisions or take actions that directly affect the main plot, at least once in a while. They can even make decisions or take actions that initiate major plot events even if they're not involved in them.

2 - Create Subplots That Feed into the Main Plot - Can you think of any "side quests" (so-to-speak) that need to be carried out in order for the story to progress that these characters could do? For example, maybe your protagonist has to pull off a big heist in order to solve the story's external conflict, so they are gathering their team. Perhaps some of these characters could go on a "side quest" to locate one of the potential recruits.

3 - Create Main Plot Conflict for Them - Each of these characters should have their own internal conflicts and their own motivation for working toward the story's goal. Can you think of some way to create conflict for them between what they want and what actually needs to happen? For example, maybe they were trained in the dark arts and the reason they are with this heist group is because they left that life behind and no longer want to practice dark arts... but maybe their role in the heist will require them to use dark magic. How will they overcome this conflict?

4 - Utilize their Unique Skills or Knowledge - Consider giving some of these characters unique skills or knowledge that can be used in the fight toward resolving the conflict. So, in the case of the example heist story, maybe one of these characters is really good at creating forgeries. Or maybe another character has incredible stealth skills. By making their knowledge or skills invaluable to the "mission," you can give them more weight and make them invaluable to the plot.

5 - Consider Combining Characters or Reassigning Tasks - Quite often, if you're really honest with yourself, you can probably take some of these important-but-not-plot-relevant characters and combine them. In other words, if you have one character who is important because they're the protagonist's love interest, and you have another character who's important because they're a main character's sibling, is there some way you can combine this into one character? So that this character is both the protagonist's love interest and the main character's sibling? Another option would be to look at important tasks completed by other characters. Can any be reassigned to a character who needs something more important to do? Or could they play an important role in assisting that character with the task?

By utilizing some of the tips above, you should be able to give your characters more relevance in the plot.

Happy writing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[pillowspace]

csd ask about that cool concept you had for the end of the fic? may we know any more about it? :3

OH. HEY WAIT, DID I EVER SAY WHAT THAT WAS? I don't actually know what you're referring to exactly, but I can guess

Y/N was never actually from that universe. The CSD universe. They were never even from it. I don't know if you remember the frankenfate au but this was a little secret I held that made frankenfate funny to me, because... because Vale kinda was from a soulmate AU. It just wasn't of the soulmarks or red string variety.

Y/N had a destiny in a modern mer!DCA world, but they were taken from their universe as a toddler to eventually give Sun and Moon a weakness years down the line. I... I know it was William Afton's doing, I think Henry had trapped him someplace and he needed the power of multiple gods to escape or something like that? So he was using Eclipse to get his way, but he secretly had plans to also kill Eclipse once it was all done? That was probably it??

Being brought into this universe, it was like... forcefully jamming together two soulmates when Y/N's narrative was meant for a different Sun entirely. Y/N would find this out later, and although it'd be horrifying to them, they'd eventually decide that it didn't matter if this bond was planned with ill intent, they cared about Sun and Moon now so they had to HELP them! Once William or whatever the hell I planned to call him had trapped both Sun and Moon and gotten what they needed out of Y/N, William would just... send them back off. You've completed their role in this universe. Bye bye now.

So Y/N would've been sent back to their original world. Lost and horribly confused. They were only human. They didn't know how to go back. They're still reeling from realizing that they had been a trap since the moment they met Sun. They could just... stay here, even if they're too scared to approach their own family. Knowing how their life was meant to play out, it's not hard for Y/N to stick close to the sea and soon meet the Sun and Moon they were fated to meet. And it feels like something's clicked, they had always been drawn to water, but they also feel so... empty. Their wants conflict with their fate because a god had decided to tamper with it. They miss their universe, this isn't the home they were raised in, they want to go back!!

And then they meet Michael and Elizabeth. Two gods who Y/N had met in godly disguise before, so they don't recognize the siblings. But Michael recognizes them, and after some conversations, Michael picks up on the fact that Y/N isn't some parallel version but instead the very same person he had met before. So Michael makes an offer. I can't get you directly back to your universe, it doesn't work like that. But it does work like a staircase. Each step is a different universe, and if you'll let me help you get through each world having fulfilled a goal, you'll be able to move on to the next. At the end of that journey will be the universe you truly see as home.

Y/N agrees, and later has a heartfelt goodbye with the mers. I'll... note that the mers don't really talk, so it was just Y/N thanking them, apologizing, and wishing them well in life.

Truthfully, I know I had a reason for how this happens, but I can't remember it: CSD Eclipse also travels with Y/N. They're there, I can't remember why 😭 But their dynamic is... easier then. The two (three?) of them bicker back and forth, but that's a lot healthier than whatever Eclipse had going on previously.

Fun fact!! One of the universes they would end up in on their journey back to the CSD Universe would actually have Sunna and Meno. Y/N would've gotten to meet them separately. Eclipse would've had... feelings about that universe.

I didn't want to drive in the idea of soulmates being this big and necessary thing, so Y/N would eventually come to learn after their happy ending with the gods that the mers are now happy with friends of their own. Everyone got what they wanted, even if the whole rhythm of life got disrupted into a new story.

SO? SURPRISE? CSD Y/N WAS FROM A MER UNIVERSE THE ENTIRE TIME? I hope this is coherent, I'm fighting for my life to sound even remotely coherent in any of this

[rafesfavoritegirl]

where currents collide

chapter 2: escape

𓂃⋆.˚ Viv, John B’s younger sister, just wants to escape the chaos of the pogues for a little while, after John B decided she can't come to a Kook party. After a night of tension and betrayal, she seeks some peace on her own, but it’s never that simple when you’re surrounded by the Pogues. What starts as a quiet moment alone on the beach turns into something unexpected when old wounds and new faces collide.

word count 1.1k

Content Warning: Mild language, emotional conflict, sibling dynamics, mentions of substance use, and tension-filled situations.

Trigger Warning: Mentions of family trauma (loss of a parent), emotional distress, mild substance use (marijuana), and moments of secrecy and betrayal.

As I watched everyone leave the house, I accepted defeat with humility. They were always going to perceive me as a little girl. I was disappointed in Jj most of all. He never used to choose sides. But now, knowing how he really felt, it stung to realize he was just like the rest of them. It all left me mentally and physically drained, pushing me to take a nap and escape for a little while from everything that had happened.

༄ ༄ ༄

I woke up feeling dehydrated, still unsettled by everything that had occurred earlier tonight. In an effort to clear my head, I decided to build a bonfire. I do not often get the house to myself, so I figured it was the perfect chance. Stepping into the yard, I spotted the hammock that Jj, John B, and I had put up when we were kids, still hanging from the tree. I grabbed some extra firewood to revive the ashes from the bonfire a couple nights before and headed back inside for a lighter, my phone, and my headphones.

Once I was back in the yard, I started to light the fire. When the flames finally caught, I settled into the hammock, slipped in my earbuds, and blasted my favorite playlist. The cool breeze brushed against my face, and for a moment, I realized maybe it wasn't so bad to have missed out on the chaos of tonight.

Just as I started to get comfortable in the silence combined with the arguments that happened previously, I did not hear the infamous sound of the half-broken twinkie entering the front yard, muffled by the music still in my ears. Once settled in, they made their way into the backyard, and suddenly, I could not ignore the look on their faces. They sat down, unintentionally crashing my bonfire, their eyes landing on me in my relaxed state.

"See? Told you staying home wouldn't kill you," John B said with a smug grin, clearly pleased with himself.

It only fueled my internal anger, making it burn even deeper. How could they sit there, knowing I was still upset? No apology, just laughing and reminiscing about the greatest night they have ever had, like nothing was wrong. Seeing my best friends ignore my existence, continuing to smile and laugh while I sat there in utter silence.

Hearing them all talk over one another, what caught my attention was Kie's voice: "Dude, when Jj brought the gun! I swear we were gonna get arrested," she said, and the rest of them laughed, agreeing with her.

I pulled off my headphones, cutting in. "Wait, what gun? What happened?" I asked, concern and curiosity creeping into my voice.

Kie dismissed me with a casual wave. "It was nothing," she said, laughing as she spun around, her back turned to me once again.

That was it. I stood up abruptly, my frustration boiling over. "Fuck this," I muttered, walking off without another word.

I headed to my room, shutting the door behind me, and sat down. For a moment, I just stared at the wall, my mind racing, trying to figure out what to do next. It took a moment, the silence giving me too much space to think.

༄ ༄ ༄

The bright white full moon shined through my window, and suddenly, an idea sparked. I needed to get to the beach—just to clear my head. I knew everyone was asleep by now, either in the living room or in John B's room, given the lack of space in our house.

That thought reminded me of how I would get there? The idea hit me out of nowhere, like a sudden rush of clarity. I could just take Jj's weed and the keys to his dirt bike. I needed a way to get out—escape, even if just for a little while—and the bike would get me to the beach in no time. Jj would not even notice, right? It was not like he was gonna miss it tonight, or even notice it was gone. Fixating on the thought, I convinced myself I would be back in time.

I knew where he kept everything—he always kept his stash of marijuana in that jar on the communal nightstand, and the keys to his bike were usually tossed carelessly on the dresser. I could not even explain why I was doing it, but it felt like the only way to get some space.

With that thought in mind, I quietly crept toward his room, my heart racing, but my mind set on the plan. I quietly opened Jj's door and paused for a moment, glancing at him as he slept, admiring how peaceful and cute he looked. A rush of guilt hit me—doing this behind his back felt wrong, but I could not shake what he had done. I knew he would be furious if he found out, but I had to go through with it. I tiptoed over to the drawer, quickly sorting through his mess, finding condoms and loose jewellery, until I found his dirt bike keys, weed and rolling paper. I left the house swiftly, starting up the bike, the engine roaring to life. I glanced back at the worn-down house, checking the window to see if I had woken anyone up. Coast clear. I grabbed the items I needed, then rushed out of his room, with everything at hand, I knew there was no turning back now.

༄ ༄ ༄

The moon reflected off the blue ocean as I parked the bike and made my way down to the beach—the same one the Pogues had visited not too long ago during their rioting. A few kooks were still hanging around, but I paid them no mind. I spread out my blanket and got ready to roll up.

I sat there, the mix of marijuana and saltwater breeze filling the air. For the first time in a while, I felt at peace, the worn-down headphones that I had earlier playing softly as I drifted into a stoned calm.

The kooks from when I had first arrived were packing up. Their infamous jeeps slowly rolled off the beach, and a part of me did not care, but another part felt relieved to be completely alone now—no talking, no people. Just silence.

That was until I saw a tall, shadowy figure making its way toward me. I did not think much of it, assuming they would just pass by. But then, without warning, the figure sat next to me. I was confused—though, in my stoned state, it did not register right away. I glanced to my right and froze. It was none other than Rafe Cameron.

Follow the wattpad, this fanfic will be posted consecutively every week with new chapters! : https://www.wattpad.com/user/rafesfavoritegirl-

[veilody]

Hii! First ask here hehe ✨️

Anywho, you can ignore this if you want but if it's okay, may I ask why you don't like Mira? I saw a post or two mentioning it, and I've always been curious bc I really like reading about others' opinions and that kind of stuff in fandoms I'm in but was very nervous to ask, haha-

Hope you're having a good day/night! :>

Ohh~ Hi there~!

I don't mind you asking and I didn't just want to ramble about her out of the blue haha~ so thanks for the ask xD This is gonna be LONG-

Gotta state that here though Triggerwarning for Attempted SA, Violence and Sexualisation.

I won't show pictures of those specific things though - just mention the arcs it happened in.

In short:

Mira Kim is a very badly written character, who never developed negatively nor positively throughout the entire series and she used to be a Major Involvement in the first ~300 Chapters. So I'd expected her to grow. Like, I don't like Joy either, but she was minor enough so that the lack of growth and personality never bothered me.

Long version:

As I said, she was a Major character for a long time. Many conflicts revolved around her and she has been the moral compass for Zack since the start - until his growth was tied to Johan. (for the better)

She has been depicted as so pretty that many men couldn't hold themselves back and has almost been raped TWICE (Autumn Bootcamp Arc 41-45, Cult Arc (Johan introduction) 132-138), she has been harassed by an old friend from church (Zacks Date Arc 73-74), been used for Jasmines Money Making Scam (Runaway Family Arc 219-231) and harassed by strangers on the train (Hostel Branch Arc 255-257)

You would think, that all of this should have a lasting effect on such a young girl. ESPECIALLY what happened during the Cult Arc because she was much younger.

But you never see her reacting to any of these repetitive situations in any way a girl would who's been confronted with that so often. Instead, she's still selfless, like no matter if she's been humiliated by Logan Lee (Troubled Transfer 123-126) she comes back and defends Zack, so that he doesn't fight. In the Runaway Family, when Her, Zoes, Joys and Marys pictures have been stolen and used for a perverted scam she's not phased about the situation unlike the other girls. Joy probably had this situation for the first time, Zoe has been through sexualisation before and Mary throws a tantrum and takes matters in her own hands like a Queen. In this case though: I give Mira my benefit of the doubt, that she handles the stress by caring for others and not trying to be in the spotlight.

Still I would've like to see her having more emotions about the whole thing - even just a stressed out sighing out after it all ended rather than this blank smile:

I would've loved for her to show real human emotions, instead of always being this "angelic character" that is basically "perfect" with her morals and all that. Especially since this angelic image feels hypocritical: During Exposition Arc (1-10) she judges little Daniel at first sight and swoons over Big Daniel at first sight too. This behaviour repeats itself during the Autumn Bootcamp Arc, when she stays away from the "ugly" Councelor Won Bin and prefers to follow the "pretty" one Heemin Kim - who tries to force herself on her and it is Won Bin who saves her.

Hm...

You would say that her demeanor afterwards changed, because she's the one who gave Jasmine Huh the benefit of the doubt. And maybe that's the teeny tiny growth she had? But honestly: it would CRUSH me if I tried to change my behaviour and then get used like this.

I don't know, maybe her faith as a Christian helps her through all these situations - that something I just personally cannot relate to but maybe someone else can? I grew up in a strict christian household before my mom fled with me and my sibling. Afterwards I chose to be an atheist, so- There's that

Yet that brings me to Zack - and I love Zack A LOT actually, his character development is PEAK. But something left me pause for a moment lately was his outburst "I am catholic" (Busan Arc 530 - 548) - even though it was always canon that he is not faithful (Cult Arc) and later he seemed like he found reason in Buddhism after he trained with Gongseob Ji (441-516) and suddenly after he had spent time with Mira he's back to being a Christian?

Very Personal: As someone who grew up surrounded by Christians, that gives me icky feelings srsly. Not once but twice the people around me wanted me and my sibling to follow an even stricter and weirder ruleset - like the Baptist Church and whatever "other belief" cult my paternal grandparents followed. With rulesets like women HAVE to wear skirts and dresses, but all modest, and preventatives are frowned upon. In both cases a horrible purity-society that will shame girls and women regardless. I'm glad my mom was shutting down these people and we were already able to say no. (there's still a lot more depth to that all but I leave it here.)

Back to Zack and Mira: At first I found their little cat and mouse thing charming, but the longer it stretched the more sad it became for Zack. Especially seeing that she gets jealous when he interacts with other girls like Yui (Paprika TV Arc 28-33) or if he swoons about an actress (Zacks Date Arc)

So these two apparently see each other as a romantic interest. Since. The. Start. And we're now 550+ in and they're still not official. Zack STILL just looks in her direction and it's starting to look troublesome in my opinion. At this point Zack is romantically so focused on her that it borders on obsession. If she doesn't want to enter a relationship with him, he needs to accept that. If she's keeping him on the border of his seat but never moves to start a relationship with him despite knowing better than anyone else how much he yearns to be romantically involved with her: I call asshole.

I can imagine that PTJ keeps Zack single for now, to give fanservice and what not. I mean it obviously sells. But the whole romantic situation among the three childhood friends seems so out of place after all this time. Can't they just be three friends after all and just NOT wreck their heads over who's with who? Also I'd wager that Zacks and Johans reestablished friendship could suffer if ANY of these two enter a romantic relationship with Mira.

IN CONCLUSION

Mira could've been a much deeper character than she turned out to be. I would've loved to see her having anxiety, struggles or even ONE breakdown after everything that happened to her. Or maybe becoming a coward and having a negative character arc would've made so much sense? I also can't believe that she's handling a heavily injured Zack and Johan this cool (Hunt for Gun Arc 517) after ALL THE TIME scolding Zack not to fight. Like girl, be WORRIED about your friend endangering themselves - it kinda flattened her already flat personality even more.

If we compare Zoe and Mira's growth over the time of the manwha it gets really apparent that Zoe had a positive growth and Mira? Well, Mira is Mira.

EVEN Mary (Queen) Kim had a growth and I am NOT counting the cheongliang arc for this rn. In the first arcs she was more of a reactive to Vin Jins bullshit, sometimes there and sometimes not. In all honesty? She was insignificant at first. But! Nowadays she's the one who calls Vin out on his Bullshit and gives him consequences at school. From a reactionbot to QUEEN MARY KIM.

At this point this specific character gets me to roll the eyes whenever she appears. The only thing I hope from now on (because you can't change the past) is that she's kept minor enough, so I can start to overlook the problems I have with her.

Idk if I just have a way to objective perspective on the whole matter? I.e. Those assholes like Logan Lee, Kitae Kim, Taejin - they're all horrible - but they have me intrigued on what makes them tick the way they do. Also I can curse on them and say they're a well written character because each of them is made to be antagonised. And... I can't hate well-written Characters. That they commit heinous acts is absolutely necessary for the story and how they affect our protagonists is: CHEFKISS.

Or I see many people hating on Gapryong Kim, while he really has me on the edge of my seat. I want to know how the world was in the Pre-Gen (we know by now that organised crime was peaking during that time and the Yamazaki were behind that), why he chose to prioritize his gang over his family and if there was some part of him regretting his choices? Maybe when he lay dying?