#anyway these tags are too long and detailed i should head to bed!

[snomillions]

another duster thought:

i genuinely think duster wanted to remain in DCMC, and wanted to retain the identity of Lucky.

if i'm remembering correctly, the DCMC is implied to have been brought to the nowhere islands due to porky's time shenanigans. which would mean that, after the end of mother 3, if the world really was reborn, there is no DCMC again. duster cannot leave tazmily to be a lucky bassist again.

it is 3am as i'm writing this and i'm not as eloquent as i would've liked and i would've added more but what gets me is the thought of duster being unable to escape the narrative.

imagine duster being able to break free of the narrative that was forced upon him by adults before he even knew of himself. imagine duster not having to be a thief anymore but instead being a bassist in a jazz band and having the time of his life. one must imagine duster being happy without some grand, overwhelming, identity-suppressing duty being imposed upon him.

or, alternatively, letting duster remain a thief because of his own choice.

[phagodyke]

I still can't believe they're charging THAT much for the shadow of the erdtree dlc... for like 2/3 of the base game price there fucking better be 100+ hours of content in there 🤨

[plutoccult]

HOW CAN I SNOOZE AND MISS THE MOMENT? YOU JUST TOO IMPORTANT

pairing: kei tsukishima x gender neutral reader

description: even after a long and frustrating day at work, you can’t help but fight to stay up with your favorite person on earth.

word count: 1.6k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: i wrote this because i hated my job at the time (i have since quit and found a job that pays me way more), and this idea spurred after a draining day at work. i debated on who to write it for, but ironically the #1 tsukishima anti (/j) @heavenfilm suggested i write it for tsukishima. i mean, since no. 1 party anthem was so successful, it makes sense for me to write for him once more. plus, the fandom is probably bumping again thanks to the new movie. i know this is short, but don’t most people want that? anyway, i hope you enjoy!

tags: @solefleurs @heavenfilm @mayariviolet @dragon-slayer5 @darthferbert @5sos-wdw @todorokiskitten @intheewrld @localgaytrainwreck @rasisarchive

taglist form here

the second you walked through the door and slammed it shut behind you, you wanted to fall to the floor and rot there. it was incredibly overdramatic, you were well aware of that, but you felt such theatrics were more than valid after the hellish day you had at work.

your job was easy for the most part. while you knew you wouldn’t spend the rest of your life working there, you at least wanted it to be somewhat tolerable. sometimes you dealt with annoying customers, treating you as if you were an idiot despite knowing the policies like the back of your hand. but today wasn’t one of those days where you put up with some snotty karen, funnily enough. the villain of your work day happened to be your manager.

when things are going their way, they’re the coolest person in the world. but whenever there was the most minuscule inconvenience, it turned into everyone’s problem, and you couldn’t stand it. it was like playing survival mode on the hardest level. many a time were you tempted to put your foot down and quit, but you were too afraid of being jobless for too long and leaving your boyfriend to pay all the bills. it didn’t help that applying for jobs was such a pain in the ass either.

after a long day at work, you scrunch your face in frustration then let out a long sigh, sliding your back against the door as you found comfort sitting on the carpet. too lazy to do anything else, even kick off your shoes, you sit there for a few moments with your eyes closed. it was the most relaxing moment you’ve had all day, but that title would soon be taken over once your boyfriend tsukishima emerged from your shared bedroom, having heard you come through the door just moments ago.

“y/n?” he pattered down the hall, finding you in your current position. “why are you on the floor?”

you open your eyes and see tsukishima’s face. it was hard to read him most times when you first met, but you had learned him inside and out, down to the way he let out a sigh once agreeing to something he didn’t really want to do. the sight of him just standing there, looking down at you with his head slightly tilted brought you utter joy. his face was the one thing you always looked forward to see after days like these.

“hi, my love.” you say. “it’s been a long day…”

“your manager again?” tsukishima asked. he knew you all too well.

“a pain as always.” you groan. it didn’t require any more detail than that for him to understand your struggle. days like these had been going on for a while, and it pained him to see you like this.

“well,” tsukishima offered his hand, you taking it immediately as he pulled you to your feet, bringing you close to him by wrapping an arm around your shoulder, all in such slick movements. “you should probably have some food then get to bed.”

you quickly shake your head in protest. you didn’t want to go to bed yet. you just got home. you wanted to spend time with him.

“go to bed? but i wanna stay up with you…” you pout.

while your puppy face was one of tsukishima’s weaknesses, he valued your wellbeing far too much than to be selfish and let you sacrifice time that could be spent resting.

“you need to rest.” he insisted.

“but—”

“you’ll fall over if you stand a second longer.” tsukishima interrupted you, gently running a hand through your hair, which almost lulled you to sleep on the spot despite your resistance. “i’ll bring you something to eat as long as you get to bed, okay?”

“okay…” you let out a sigh, looking down to the floor as you dragged your feet to your bedroom. you stop for a moment, your feet aching too much for you to bother taking another step.

“tsukki?” you turn around, tsukishima saying “hm?” as he anticipated your next words. “carry me?”

ah, of course. he couldn’t ever say no to that. “alright…”

tsukishima lifted you up with ease, a given considering he always stayed in tip-top shape throughout the years thanks to playing volleyball. as relaxing as it was to be in his arms, you fought like hell to stay awake, wanting to keep your eyes on that gorgeous face as long as humanly possible.

he placed you down on the bed, going as far as to take your shoes off your feet and set them aside. the constraint of your shoes were killing you all day, so you felt immediate relief upon their removal. you were thankful for tsukishima doing such things for you without you even having to ask. he truly understood you through and through, his love shown in his acts of service rather than words spoken.

“get comfy while i bring you a plate.” tsukishima placed a kiss on your cheek and ruffled your hair before leaving the room. you were tempted to get under those cozy blankets, but you knew it would only make you sleepy, and you couldn’t have that. you didn’t work all day just to fall asleep before you could spent more than just a moment with the one you love.

tsukishima found you yawning as you tried sitting up as straight as possible. he came in with a bowl of fettuccine alfredo, having made it earlier with you in mind, just freshly reheated for your enjoyment. but tsukishima couldn’t help but sigh at the display in front of him.

“didn’t i tell you to get comfy?” he rolled his eyes as he sat down on the bed next to you. “here. i’m sure you’re starving after a long day.”

“i’d start gnawing on your arm soon enough.” you joke and take the bowl from his hands. “but thank you.”

“i’d rather you didn’t.” tsukishima cringed at the thought. funnily enough, he thought that such a thing would affect his performance at games. he wasn’t the same as he was as a teenager, that’s for sure.

you’re too busy to even respond, inhaling your food like it was going out of style. sometimes you’re just too caught up at work to even think about taking a snack break. even if you did relax for once, someone was always bound to ask for your help because they either didn’t 1. have a clue on what to do or 2. feel like doing their job. you were truly stuck to a ball and chain because of these people.

once you finished the last bite, you didn’t have to say a thing as tsukishima took the bowl out of your hands, already thinking to wash the dishes for you later so you didn’t have to lift a finger. he placed the bowl down on the nightstand for a moment, grabbing the edge of your shared comforter, which you immediately took notice to.

“woah, woah, woah!” you exclaim and grab tsukishima’s wrist. “i’m not lying down!”

“you think just grabbing my wrist can stop me?” he snickered, harshly tugging the blanket like a magician pulling a tablecloth off the table while leaving the dishes unscathed. you plop over face first onto the bed as you try to scramble for the blanket, but fail miserably. tsukishima couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

you roll onto your back and pout over his laughter. “what’s so funny?”

“i just don’t understand why you want to stay awake so bad. you’re clearly exhausted.” tsukishima said as he gently stroked your hair, almost trying to lull you to sleep. had he scratched a certain part of your head, you would’ve been a goner and he knew it.

“because i…” you sit up, continuing to resist your inevitable slumber. “i wanna spend more time just with you. you’re too important to me.”

“you’re important to me too.” he replied. “and if you weren’t, i wouldn’t care about your health.”

you can’t help but smile at his words. curse him for caring so much, you almost want to say, but how could you? it’s not like you’d rather he didn’t give a damn at all, you would never. but still, you can’t resist wanting to lay your eyes on him as long as you humanly could.

“ass.” you say, a giggle escaping your mouth with ease.

“butt.” tsukishima grinned, leaning in and planting a kiss on your lips. his kiss felt like a spell to you, and you’d be pulled in each and every time.

as you lay down now, the only source of light being the lamp on the bedside table, you find yourself starting to succumb to the sleep you fought so hard to resist. tsukishima took notice, pulling the blanket over your body and reaching his hands to scratch your head. you fell asleep within seconds, just as he predicted.

tsukishima couldn’t be mad seeing you in this state. sure, he missed you like hell all day, but watching you now, looking so peaceful, tsukishima knew this was one of his favorite sights in the world. if he could sit here and just stare at you like this all day, he would do it instantly.

“i love you, y/n.” he said, gently caressing your cheek, hoping he wouldn’t wake you up. “i know i should say it out loud more often, but i hope you know that i do. there aren’t enough words to describe the feeling, but i love you.“

even if you didn’t hear tsukishima, you could still feel his love just from him sitting beside you. you feel it when you look at his face down to when you yap your mouth off while he just listens. you would never feel this with anyone else, and you would forever try to savor it.

© plutoccult / 310802. please do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my content in or outside of tumblr. reblogs are appreciated <3

[floylia]

ELYSIAN ♫

05. Time is a bargaining tool

Time is a bargaining tool.

Scara knew that.

“You want me to feature on your album?” You repeated Scara’s words, beginning to doubt your ability to hear, “Do you realize how risky that is?”

Scara bobbed his head with pleased a expression etched on his face as if his words weren’t weighted with worry, “That’s why I asked you if you were ready to take a risk.”

You stood up, unable to sit still, now pacing across the room. Bambi must have sensed your unease, because he too, started following you while rubbing himself against your legs, “On a normal occasion, I wouldn’t mind. But you’re playing with two careers here. I might sound frustrating, refusing your offer, but don’t blame me for being realistic.”

“When have I ever cared about reputations?”

You fought the urge to smack him back into his senses.

“Never, but you’re in an industry where the public’s opinion can change the trajectory of the career you’ve established for years.”

And I don’t want you to go through that as well.

“We’re not puppets.”

“That’s debatable.”

Scara sighed, tousling his hair once again—his nervous habit, “We shouldn’t let them control us.”

It’s easier said than done.

But you understood where he was coming from.

You faced him, offering your utmost sincerity, “I don’t want to drag you in my mess. Nor do I want to cause more trouble than necessary.”

Silence engulfed the room. You glanced over at your friend. He’s deep in thought, gaze intense, expression unreadable. But you knew he was scheming, thinking of ways to persuade you—anything to assure you that all’s well, ends well.

Because what Scara wants, Scara gets.

“How long is your hiatus?”

You shrugged your shoulder and decided to sit back down. Bambi trailed you as he leaped up the bed and onto your lap. Clingy cats are the best, “I don’t know, but they’ll probably kick me out before it’s over. I have less than three months left, anyway.”

“What if we use this opportunity?”

“What do you mean?”

He crossed his arms, “Tell your story. Your silence leaves for more assumptions to grow.”

“I would if they let me use my voice. I was planning to wait until my contract is up to take legal actions.”

He tilted his head, “Why can’t you now?”

“Because they’re silencing me. Especially since my accuser is from the same company,” You deadpanned, stating the obvious, a detail he may have forgotten.

Scaramouche scoffed in disbelief, eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head in disapproval, “But they’re willing to throw you under the bus and take her side over you?”

“Which is why I don’t want to be responsible for ruining the career you’ve built for years. Even my friends are receiving unnecessary hate just because they’re connected to me.”

“So it’s a lost cause?”

You nodded.

“Can you…” Scara hesitated, wondering if he should continue, “Can you think it over some more? At least until your hiatus is up?”

You crossed your arms, failing to hide the faint smile creeping across your lips, “You sound desperate.”

“Enjoying my misery?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll win you over, just wait.”

Time is a bargaining tool.

You realized that.

Notes:

“We’re not puppets.” Haha so about that

another update cause i feel bad for ghosting ���

hope you all enjoy :))

i’m sorry if i couldn’t tag you (bolded = couldn’t tag)

Synopsis: After 7 years of enduring the media’s relentless pursuit of painting you as a villain, you’re forced to go through an indefinite hiatus with a tainted reputation on your head. However, just when you thought your career was over, a certain 5WIRL member wants you to feature on his solo career. Surely, this won’t affect your reputation once more, would it?

Scaramouche x fem!reader

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Taglist (open!): @aruatsu @magicalink @featuredtofu @scarasbaby @veekoko @v4lerixxq @scaranthropy @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @vernith @thystarsshine @lily-lmao @lovemari @mellowberrie @kunikuzushis-darling @skyoverkill1 @alatusorrow @kukikoooo @kyon-cherri @keiiqq @tzuw1ce @xiaossocksniffer @kaitfae @infinitetrashbag @lvnalxve @lovelypadisarah @ulquiorraswife @sketcheeee @atyour-kitchencounter @pirate-of-the-dark-seas @neiiuna @sn1perz @kazioli @inelenastyle @hearts4shu @wisheslost @Kazeyozuha @kazumiku @Eostopiastar @chemiru @bananasquash @mujiwuji @danhenglovebot @chocolatesandvanilla @boomie-123 @kookiibun @help-whatdoimakemyusername @vavrin @beaniedoodz @misterpoofin

[willalove75]

Alcina's New Maid Pt. 25 Lady Dimitrescu x Reader

Summary: Alcina and the girls take care of business. After that, they dive head first into planning your birthday party!

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI.

Tags: Just some fluff, maybe the tiniest hint of angst if you squint

Notes: Part 25! Heyyyyyy long time no see! I am SO, SO sorry it took me almost a goddamn year to update this fic!!!😭 I really didn't expect to not update this for so long. I was really only hoping to be away for a few months. For those who missed my latest life update in the notes of the last chapter, or if you forgot (lets be real that's totally what happened lmaoo) I had a baby!!! He was born in May and is truly the best thing in the entire world. Labor was ROUGH, I was in labor for 36 hours but he was perfect and healthy and a big chonk! (Almost 9lbs!) Postpartum has definitely been difficult, especially the first few months (PPD decided to BODY me four months in😅) but things are starting to finally calm down a bit and I've had the time, motivation AND energy to write lately!! WOO!!! I was NOT expecting this birthday party scene to be so damn long when I first pictured it. But it'll probably end up being about three chapters. Is it too long? Maybe. Probably. But I don't have the energy to nit-pick it to death and I'm afraid if I did, I'd think it's shit, lose all motivation, and take even longer to update this thing lmaooo Was this proofread? Kinda, but not really. Is it my favorite chapter I've ever written? Also no. But it does lay a bit of foundation for some other things later on! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it! Pls leave me a comment with your thoughts!

Click here for the rest of the series

The following evening, Alcina and the girls made their way down to the village. Alcina insisted that you didn’t wait up for them so you begrudgingly got yourself ready and fell asleep in Alcina’s massive bed, alone. What you assume was a few hours later, you awoke when the mattress dipped on Alcina’s side of the bed. Turning towards her, she smiled at you and pulled you into her chest.

“It’s done?” You asked, your voice still thick with sleep.

“Yes. Go back to sleep, draga.” She replied.

As you opened your mouth to ask more questions, Alcina shushed you and ran her long fingers through your hair. “Sleep.”

Knowing you weren’t going to win, coupled with your half-asleep state, you cuddled further into her and quickly fell back asleep.

Neither Alcina or the girls gave you details of what happened but they did tell you that the one child in the house was left unharmed and dropped at the doorstep of a neighbors house. For the rest of the occupants, only a few were brought back to the castle and taken straight into the dungeon. The rest never made it out. It was the one and only time that night was discussed, which frankly was fine with you. Guilt still ate at you, but you understood why things had to happen the way they did. Even if a small part of you still believed they should have been left alone.

After that night, the girls put all of their energy towards your birthday party. Once Alcina realized how out of hand things were getting she ended up taking over the majority of the planning - just as Cassandra had predicted.

It was decided that the party would be a black tie affair and the ballroom would be decorated with white and gold accents. Alcina asked you to come up with a list of guests you would want invited, even though the majority of the village would be invited anyway. It didn’t take you long to give her your list since you didn’t have many friends in the village. Your list consisted of your aunt, uncle, and cousins, a few acquaintances, and your best friend, Alexi.

“And who is this Alexi?” Alcina asked as she looked over your list.

“Oh, he’s my best friend.”

“Your best friend?” She asks, crinkling her nose at the fact that your best friend was a guy. “And why have you never spoken of him before?”

“I don’t know,” you replied with a shrug. “I guess it just never came up.”

“And I presume there’s no swaying you into not inviting this man-thing?”

“No! Alcina he has to be there, he’s my best friend!” She grumbles something about how many men will be in attendance, clearly unhappy with it given her usual “no men in the castle” rule that was lifted for the party.

“So how long have you been friends with this man-thing for, then?”

“Since we were little kids, I met him before my parents died. We basically grew up together. We even made a pact that if we were both single by the time we were 30 we would just marry each other.” You say with a laugh.

Alcina however, did not find your pact with Alexi nearly as amusing as you did if the clenching of her jaw was any indication. You immediately picked up on her reaction and raised your eyebrows at her.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” She says with a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I just find it quite interesting you bargained to marry a man.”

Her suddenly cold attitude caught you off guard and was confusing until a thought dawned on you.

“Oh my god, Alcina, are you jealous?” You say with a smile growing on your face.

Her eyes flash with something akin to anger and they narrow at you as she scoffs. “Hah! Jealous? Of a stupid man-thing? Please, don’t offend me.”

Alcina turns her attention back towards the list. You can see how tight her jaw still is and the vein in her neck pulse like it does when she gets worked up.

“You’re so jealous!”

“I am not. I just don’t enjoy the thought of you marrying a man.” The tension in her body was palpable. Alcina would never admit that she was jealous. Possessive? Sure. But jealousy? That was a hideous trait, but Alcina couldn’t help but feel horribly jealous deep down.

Sensing her change in demeanor, you stood up and walked around her desk and crawled into her lap. Alcina sat back in her chair and looked down at you, a slight furrow in her brows still visible.

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about, or be jealous of. I promise. Alexi is just a friend, never anything more.” Alcina’s hands slide to your hips with a firm grip. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours.”

A low purr erupts from deep in her chest as you play to her possessiveness. Her pupils dilate and she leans down into your space, just barely brushing her lips against yours.

“Mine.” She growls.

“Yours. Forever.”

 Alcina’s grip on you tightens as she surges forward, crashing her lips into yours with a growl. Her tongue pries your lips open and she claims your mouth, making you whimper in response. One of her hands leaves your hips and tightly grips the hair on the back of your head and her other hand digs into your hip, no doubt leaving bruises behind. As you pull back to take a breath, Alcina nips at your bottom lip, sucking on it before letting it snap back into place.

Your half-lidded eyes meet hers, a smoldering gold, and she guides your lips back to hers. Just as your lips touch once more, the shrill ring of the telephone snaps you out of the lust-filled moment. Alcina growls against your lips, clearly unhappy with the sudden interruption, and releases the grip in your hair to pick up the receiver.

“Yes?” She all but growls. Her eyes roll as she lets out a huff through her nose. You can tell that this is probably an important business call she’s going to have to take, instead of telling them to call back later so the two of you can continue what you’ve started - which is likely what she would prefer to do right now. “Ah, Mr. Botezatu, I’ve been expecting your call. No, this isn’t a bad time at all.” She says practically through her teeth.

Alcina looks down at you and pulls away the hand she’s been mindlessly caressing your hip with to cover the end of the receiver. 

“I’m sorry.” She mouths before leaning into your ear. “I must take this, draga mea. But we shall continue this later. Understood?” She nips at your neck, catching you by surprise as you try to silence the small squeal you let out. Alcina’s chest rumbles with a deep chuckle as she pulls away and turns her attention back to the phone call.

Giving her a nod, you climb off of her lap and just before you’re out of reach, Alcina lands a firm smack to your behind. You turn to give her a playful glare and all you receive back is a wink and a smirk before you turn and leave her office.

The rest of the day was spent with the girls going over more plans for the party. They did their best to keep as much of it a secret as they could, but they caved and let you in on some of the ideas they had. There was also plenty of complaining about how Alcina ended up taking over the majority of the planning. They batted their eyelashes at you, hoping to sway you in convincing Alcina to let them back in on the bigger plans; but even you knew that once Alcina had a vision, nothing you could do would get her to relent.

Dinner came and went and Alcina was still cooped up in her office. You decided to bring her a bottle of wine and her favorite glass so she would at least have something to eat.

“Enter.” She said after you knocked on the door.

When you walked into the room, Alcina looked up and her demeanor brightened significantly.

“One moment.” She mouthed, holding up a finger, turning her attention back to the phone. “Yes, thank you. Yes, the next batch is set to ship next week and the following will ship early spring. Excellent. Have a wonderful evening.”

She returns the phone to its cradle and lets out a sigh before shifting her gaze back to you.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, draga?” She says, resting her chin in her hand.

“You missed dinner, so I figured I’d bring you something to drink while you were working.”

Alcina looks over at the clock and exhales as she reads the time. Her eyes flick back to you, with an apologetic look.

“I am sorry, draga. I’ve been so wrapped up with work I didn’t even realize the time.”

“It’s alright. The girls and I understand.” You say as you place the wine and glass on her desk.

“Thank you, my sweet.” She says as she leans down and pecks your lips. The phone rings and Alcina rolls her eyes. “One moment, draga.” She says before picking up the phone. “House Dimi- Ugh. Karl. Yes?” She says with an even more exaggerated eye roll. “Well, it’s about time you gave me your RSVP. They were due over a week ago! Although I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s not like a mutt like you can read.”

You hear Karl yell something over the phone and Alcina pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales.

“Of course you were the last one to respond!” She says. “Yes, even Moreau responded, on time.” Alcina looks at you and shakes her head at whatever Karl says. “Yes, Mother Miranda was the very first person to respond - of course she is attending!” She yells.

Your eyes widen and you freeze in place. Why it had never occurred to you that Mother Miranda would also be invited and possibly attend was beyond you, but the thought of being in the same room again as her scares you and your fingers absent-mindedly trace the light scar on your chest from her claws.

Alcina notices your thousand yard stare and rushes Karl off of the phone.

“Draga?” She says, cupping your cheek. “Are you alright?”

Snapping out of your daze, you meet her eyes. “Yeah, I just didn’t think about the fact that Mother Miranda will be there.”

Alcina takes the hand you’re tracing the scar with and places a kiss across your knuckles.

“Fret not, draga mea. She won’t harm you again. I promise.”

“Are you sure?” You ask.

“Yes, draga, I’m sure.”

Alcina cups your cheek and pulls you in for a soft yet passionate kiss. You feel the tension melt away at the touch of her lips and your shoulders relax.

 “Are you almost finished?”

“Nearly. I just have one more call I have to make.”

Alcina glares at the phone, ready to be done for the day and you bite back a giggle.

“Is it an important call?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s important but it does have to be done today. Although I am anticipating it to be boring, it will likely be a short call, thank the Black God.”

“Well, I can keep you company if you’d like.”

“I’d always like your company, draga.” She says with a smile as she goes to pour herself a glass of wine.

Alcina drinks half the glass before refilling it and picking up the phone once more to dial the number. She motions for you to come closer and scoops you up into one of her arms and you settle onto her lap. Curling into her, you rest your head on her chest and she keeps a protective arm around you as the person on the other end of the line answers.

Her fingers dance mindlessly across the tops of your thighs while she speaks to whoever it is on the other end of the line. She only removes her hand once in a while to write in her ledger laid out on the desk in front of her or to take a sip of her wine.

The conversation only lasts about half an hour before Alcina finally hangs up. As soon as she returns the phone to its cradle, Alcina stands with you in her arms and whisks you out of the office, towards her chambers. After ducking through the door to her chambers, she kicks it closed behind her and lays you down on her bed. Without saying a word she captures your lips in a passionate kiss and strips you bare.

“Now,” she says as she looks up and down your naked form. “Where were we earlier?”

A faint blush covers your chest, neck, and face and Alcina picks up right where the two of you left off earlier in the day, making sure there are no interruptions this time as she takes you over and over again.

The party grows closer and closer, with deliveries arriving nearly every day, even Donna stops by and takes your measurements for a custom dress. The two of you talk about what you want the dress to look like and settle on a design and what fabric to use. You also got to finally meet The Duke when he visited the castle and Donna placed an order with him for the fabric. Whatever you expected the Duke to look like, you were not expecting him to look like that. The aura he gave off was mildly unsettling, but he also seemed incredibly cheerful. Truthfully, you weren’t sure what you thought of the large man, but you decided not to think too much into it for your sanity. He seemed like he was the kind of person that was nearly impossible to figure out.

Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra grow more and more excited each day, especially since it’s starting to grow colder at night and their time outside is limited to the afternoons. They continue to pester you about what you want for your birthday, even though you insist that they don’t have to get you any presents. They, like their mother, are as stubborn as they come.

As much stress this party is causing the staff, you notice that as the party gets closer, they also grow more excited. Aside from the dedicated servers, most of the staff will be allowed to enjoy the party at their leisure, something you insisted Alcina allowed, and you can feel the anticipation in the air. Zina seems eager for the event as well, even though she will be manning the serving team. You can almost hear the excitement in her voice when she talks about it.

Finally, the morning of the party arrives and the castle is buzzing with excitement. Maids are scurrying around with last minute preparations and the girls can hardly contain themselves. So much so that the three of them are actually ready early - hours early at that. Alcina’s already building anxiety nearly skyrockets when they show up to her study nearly three hours before the start time dressed and ready. The girls have never been able to keep themselves presentable for more than an hour at most, but they promise up and down that they won’t ruin their dresses or hair and makeup before the party.

She sends them out with a wave of her hand as she goes back to finish the little bit of paperwork she has left for the day.

Meanwhile, you try to help with final preparations but every time you try, Zina or one of the maids shoo you away. Apparently it’s frowned upon to help to set up for your own party so you decide to distract yourself with a new book in the library.

Luckily, the new book sucks you in and before you know it, Daniela flies into the library.

“Dani, you look so pretty!” You say after you look up from your book and take in the girl before you.

“Thank you! Aunt Donna made my dress and Cass and Bela helped me with my hair and makeup!”

Daniela is in a form fitting floor length emerald green dress with long sleeves and a plunging neckline. Her red hair, as usual, is shaved on one side but the other side has near-perfect beachy waves. Her makeup isn’t subtle, but not heavy either and her eyeshadow beautifully accents her golden eyes.

“Come on!” She says as she grabs your hand. “We have to get you ready!”

“I thought Zina was gonna help me get ready?” You assumed since she helped you get ready for your date with Alcina a few weeks ago that she would also be the one helping you get ready tonight.

“Nope! She’s super busy making sure everything is perfect, so mother asked us to help you.”

“Oh,” it’s not that you don’t trust the girls to help you, but you know how chaotic they can get, especially if they start fighting and you don’t want to end up looking insane because all three of them wanted to do something different. “Alright.”

“Don’t worry, we already promised mother we wouldn’t fight and you get the final say on everything!” She says, as if she read your mind.

“If you say so.” You say with a playful chuckle.

Daniela takes you to Bela’s room where Bela and Cassandra are already waiting to help you get ready. Both girls look absolutely stunning. Bela is in a strapless a-line burgundy dress with her hair half up-half down. The parts of her hair that are half up are braided beautifully across the back of her head and the rest hangs down in pretty waves. Her makeup is minimal and she looks like a natural beauty. Cassandra is in a floor length metallic gold dress with a slit up the side, a straight neckline and thin straps. Unlike Bela, her makeup is heavier with dark eyes, winged eyeliner, and a bold lip. But she still looks just as gorgeous as her sisters. Her thick black hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail.

You take a moment to engrain the way all three girls look into your memory. Not only is it so special to you that they would get all dressed up for your party, but this is the first and probably last time that you’ll see all three of them dressed so nicely without a hair out of place or blood splatter anywhere. They all look truly gorgeous and it warms your heart to see them like this.

“Ready?” Daniela asks, practically vibrating with excitement.

Sensing the excitement in the girls brings a smile to your face, you’re really looking forward to spending this time with them.

“You bet! Let’s do this!”

The three of you discuss what you want to do with your hair and makeup and once a plan is set in place, the girls get to work.

Cassandra paints your nails as Daniela does your makeup and Bela does your hair. You’ve never been pampered like this before and as unusual as the feeling is, you’re truly enjoying yourself. As you look at the mirror while the girls work on you, your eyes travel down to the light scar on your chest and the much more noticeable one on your neck.

“Hey Dani, are you able to cover these up at all?” You ask quietly as your free hand runs over the scars.

The chatter amongst the girls stops and they try not to look at you with pity in their eyes. Daniela takes a look at them with sad eyes and meets your gaze.

“I can definitely cover the ones on your chest.” She says, dabbing concealer onto your skin. “But this one,” she says, gesturing to your neck scar. “I can put some makeup on it to make it less noticeable but I don’t think I’ll be able to completely cover it.”

Meeting her gaze, you see the sadness in her eyes. Looking back into the mirror, you see Bela focusing herself on your hair and Cassandra is staring at your nails as if they personally offended her. It’s always so interesting to see how differently the girls react to that day. Daniela wears her heart on her sleeve, Bela will almost always focus on something else so she doesn’t have to think about it, and Cassandra is still angry about what happened. Even though she’s forgiven Alcina, she still harbors some resentment about the whole thing.

“That’s fine, whatever you can do. Thanks Dani.” You say with a smile.

Daniela smiles and continues working on your makeup. After a few minutes, the chatter picks back up and the four of you go back to laughing and poking fun at each other.

Finally, your hair, makeup, and nails are done. The four of you decided on leaving your hair down in curls, pinning one side back and allowing the rest to fall down your back and a little over your other shoulder. It also helps to hide what the makeup couldn’t of the scar on your neck. For makeup, you settled on a natural, but not minimal, look with a red lip to match the red Cassandra painted your nails with.

“Now for the dress!” Daniela says as she flies to Bela’s wardrobe and pulls out the garment bag. 

Daniela unzips it and reveals the dress you and Donna spent hours discussing. It’s the first time any of you have seen it and you are stunned at her work. The black sequins sparkle beautifully in the light and you can’t wait to try it on.

You can hear the girls flies buzzing in excitement as you change into the dress and when you step out from behind the dressing screen, the three of them let out an audible gasp. Turning to look in the mirror, the biggest smile pulls across your face.

“You look beautiful.” Bela says as she stands next to you and fixes a stray hair.

Looking over, you can see Daniela covering her mouth with tears in her eyes and you pull her in for a hug.

“Oh, bug! Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your makeup.” You say with a laugh.

Daniela pulls herself together and wraps her arms around you, giving you too tight of a squeeze before letting go.

“It’s a shame really,” Cassandra begins to say and Bela immediately stares daggers at her. “It’s such a pretty dress and there’s no way mom isn’t literally tearing it off of you later tonight.” She says almost too casually.

“Cassandra!” You say as your face turns bright red.

“Tell me I’m wrong?” She deadpans.

“Cass! Gross!” Daniela whines.

“Alright, enough!” Bela says. “You look absolutely stunning and mother is going to be beside herself when she sees you.”

“Thank you so much, girls. I really, really appreciate you guys helping me get ready tonight.”

“Of course!” Bela says.

“I can’t wait for your entrance! You’re gonna knock everyone dead!” Daniela exclaims and you feel your face drop.

“My… entrance? What do you mean?”

“Your entrance! You know, when you enter the party in front of everyone?” Daniela says.

“I - I don’t get it. Are we not just greeting people as they come in?” You ask nervously.

“What?! No!” Daniela says.

“All of the guests are currently arriving. We’re supposed to let Zina know when you’re ready so they can prepare for your entrance.” Bela explains.

“So everyone is going to be looking at me?”

“Duh, it's your party.” Cassandra says.

“Oh god, I don’t want to do that! Why didn’t Alcina tell me about this?”

“Probably because she didn’t want you to freak yourself out too much beforehand.” Daniela says with a shrug.

You start pacing as your nerves skyrocket.

“Oh god, I - I can’t do that! I’m gonna fall down the stairs or something and completely embarrass myself! I don’t want to be the center of attention like that in front of the entire village!”

“You’ll be fine! Just breathe.” Bela says as she tries, and fails, to comfort you.

“Hey!” Cassandra yells, snapping you out of your near meltdown and grabs your shoulders. “You’re going to go out there and woo the shit out of everyone, our mother included. You look hot as shit and you won’t make an ass of yourself. Don’t worry, you got this.”

“Do I?”

“You do.”

Taking a deep breath, just barely settling your nerves, you give Cassandra a nod and Daniela flies out of the room to tell Zina you’re ready.

A few moments later, Zina knocks on the door and walks in. Your jaw drops when you first see her. You’ve never seen her in anything other than her uniform before, no less all dressed up. She’s wearing a long sleeve black dress with her salt and pepper hair tied up into a perfect bun at the back of her neck. She’s wearing minimal makeup, but more than she wears on an average day. She looks so pretty and you can’t help but smile.

“Zina, you look beautiful!” You say.

“Oh, this old thing? Thank you. You look absolutely beautiful yourself, dear.” She says with a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

“Alright girls, your mother is waiting for you. Off you go!” She says as she waves the girls away. They give you each one last “you got this” before flying out of the room.

“Ready?” Zina asks.

“I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting to have to do a whole entrance.” You say nervously.

“Don’t worry, the Countess will be right there. Just focus on her and all will be fine.” She says.

“Alright, if you say so.”

“Let's get going, we don’t want to miss your cue.”

In the main hall most of the guests are gathered and the last of them make their way in. Some have already gone into the ballroom where the party will be hosted, the rest wait in the hall to watch your entrance. Zina stops you before you turn the corner and has you wait as she goes to tell Alcina you’re ready to go.

Alcina nods and bends through the doorway and heads to the stairs. The guests all applaud as she makes her way down, stopping at the landing to address the crowd.

“Thank you all so very much for accepting the invitation to Castle Dimitrescu for this wonderful event.” She says and the audience applauds. “This is the first time in decades that House Dimitrescu has opened its doors for such an event, and I am proud and honored to be your host this evening.” As she begins to descend down the stairs, Bela, Cassandra and Daniela appear at the top and make their way down, meeting their mother at the foot of the stairs.

She cups each of their faces as they pass her and tells them how absolutely beautiful they all are.

Zina leads you around the corner to the door Alcina stepped through and makes you wait before sending you through.

“And now, our guest of honor, Y/N.” Alcina says.

Zina gives you a little nudge and you freeze in place. Nearly the entire village is waiting at the bottom of those stairs to see you. Mother Miranda will be in that crowd and that thought alone is nearly enough to have you turn and run away.

Noticing the panic surging in your eyes, Zina takes hold of your hand and you snap out of your spiral. Your eyes meet her kind, blue eyes and she smiles at you.

“Go on, dear. You will be fine. Just look at the Lady, you’ll be great.”

With the ounce of confidence she gave you, you take a step through the door before it vanishes. As you step towards the stairs, gasps fill the room as the crowd sees you for the first time and applause fills the air. Your eyes nervously scan the faces, desperately looking for a familiar one. Unfortunately, the first person you see is Mother Miranda and her eyes are locked onto you with a cold gaze. Your heartbeat begins to pick up and you grip the bannister harder trying to steady yourself at the top of the stairs. It seems almost impossible to take your eyes off of hers until you feel another set on you. Looking down, you see Alcina at the bottom of the stairs and you immediately relax.

The look of shock on her face melts into pure happiness as her smile grows wide and you start making your way down the stairs towards her. Even if you tried, even if you wanted to, there was no way you would ever be able to take your eyes off of her. The eggplant gown she’s wearing compliments her complexion beautifully. It’s almost impossible to pull your eyes away from the deep v cut of her dress but your eyes travel down lower and you’re enamored by how perfectly the fabric clings to every one of her curves.

By some miracle, you make it to the landing without tripping or making a fool of yourself and Alcina reaches her hand out for you to take hold of. It takes all of your self control to not throw yourself into her arms and kiss her in front of everyone, but you find the strength to keep your composure. After walking down a few more steps, you take her hand in yours and once you're close enough she leans in.

“You look absolutely stunning, draga mea.” Alcina whispers to you.

“So do you, Alci.” You whisper back.

The applause fades and Alcina turns her attention back to the crowd, your hand still in hers.

“It is truly an honor to reopen my home to celebrate one of the very finest women this village has to offer. Ever since Y/N walked through these castle doors she has brought nothing but light to our once dark home. To show my appreciation for her, I have a gift that very few have had the honor of receiving in House Dimitrescu.” On command, a maid steps forward with a black box in her hand and gives it to Alcina. Alcina lets go of your hand to take the box and faces you once more. “My gift to you, draga mea, will not only offer you protection everywhere you go, but it is also a token of my love and my appreciation for you and I truly hope you will love it.”

Looking into Alcina’s eyes, you see a hint of nervousness and your stomach churns, unsure of why she’s nervous. Alcina opens the box and a sparkle immediately catches your eye. Sitting on pristine black velvet is an absolutely stunning silver and diamond choker necklace. In the center sits the Dimitrescu crest, a beautiful rose with two swords crossed through it. Your jaw drops at the sight of it and you can’t help but cover your mouth with your hands.

“Alcina,” you say. “This is absolutely beautiful.”

Your eyes begin to mist and you look up to meet hers, only to notice hers have begun to water as well.

“Do you really like it?” She whispers.

“I love it. I love it so much. Thank you.” You say.

Without even thinking the both of you lean in and your lips meet in a loving kiss. You can hear a few gasps from the crowd but the both of you ignore it as you pull apart.

“May I?” She asks, gesturing to the necklace.

“Of course.”

Alcina removes the necklace from the box and you turn around and move your hair to allow her to put the necklace on you. The jewelry is ice cold against your skin but quickly warms as she fastens it effortlessly despite the size of her fingers. You trace the crest with your fingers as you turn back around and Alcina looks at you with so much love it takes everything in you not to grab her face and kiss her again.

“Perfect. Absolutely beautiful.” She says.

The two of you stare into each other's eyes for another moment before she addresses the crowd once more.

“Let the celebration commence!”

Right on cue, the music starts up and the serving staff begins to weave in and out of the crowd with trays full of champagne. Alcina guides you down the rest of the stairs and the girls gush over the necklace. The sound of tiny footsteps takes your attention away and you turn around just in time for Elena to jump into your arms, squealing your name.

“Hi my sweet girl!” You say with excitement. “Look at you!” You say as you pull back to look at her. “You look so beautiful!”

“Mommy picked out my dress!” She says as she kicks her feet.

“She picked out such a beautiful one! You must be one of the prettiest girls at the party.”

“Not prettier than you!”

“Somehow I doubt that.” You say as you nuzzle your nose against hers.

Anna and Crina walk up to you, each of them holding onto one of the boys hands, with huge smiles on their faces. You hug and kiss each of them with one arm as Elena continues to cling to you before you greet your aunt and uncle.

Both of them seem wildly uncomfortable and your aunt tries and fails to hide the look of displeasure on her face when she looks at you and Alcina. Your uncle doesn’t even try to hide his scowl.

“Elena, come here please.” Your aunt says, taking the girl from your arms. She stares at the choker necklace Alcina gifted you and glares at you.

The look she gives you takes you aback and you unconsciously step backwards into Alcina. Alcina’s large hand settles on your shoulder and grounds you.

“I do hope the trip from the village this evening was pleasant.” Alcina says, feigning politeness.

“It was.” Your aunt says.

Your uncle steps up to you and leans in to get a better look at your necklace. He lets out a scoff and looks you in the eyes.

“I never thought you would be one to whore yourself out.” He says quietly enough so the kids can’t hear him. “And to this monster? You are a disgrace. It’s a good thing your parents are dead. Because this would surely kill them.”

Your heart sinks into your chest and the grip Alcina has on your shoulder tightens. A low growl erupts from deep in her chest and your uncle looks up to glare at her. He’s only able to hold her stare for a couple of seconds before the death glare she’s sending his way is too much for him to bear and he walks away. The girls’ flies buzz angrily as they seethe, all three of them staring up at their mother waiting for her to give them permission to tear him limb from limb. Alcina raises her hand to silence them. They open their mouths to protest but one look from Alcina stops them.

The sound of someone clearing their throats takes your attention away and you look over to see Mother Miranda standing next to the group. She’s sporting a smile yet the icy blue of her eyes is as frightening as ever. Her eyes drift over towards your aunt and Elena and your aunt bows your head.

“Mother Miranda. It is an honor.” She says as her voice shakes.

Mother Miranda nods at your aunt and doesn’t take her eyes away from her or Elena. The look she gives them makes your stomach twist and Alcina can feel the nerves rippling off of you.

“I hope you enjoy the party.” She says to your aunt with a smile that doesn’t even begin to reach her eyes.

Your aunt nods, taking that as her exit and quickly gathers the kids, beelining it out of the main hall after your uncle.

Mother Miranda’s cold eyes meet yours and she gives you a sickly sweet smile.

“Happy birthday, my child.”

“Thank you, Mother Miranda.” You say as you bow your head.

“Mother Miranda, thank you for gracing us with your presence this evening.” Alcina says, mustering up as much sincerity as possible.

“And miss such a noteworthy event?” Miranda responds. “I see you were gifted the Dimitrescu crest.” She says as she looks at your necklace. “Very rarely is something so valuable gifted to others. You indeed must be quite special to my daughter.”

You swallow and take in a shaky breath.

“I am honored to have been gifted something so meaningful. It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.” You say as you try to keep your voice steady.

“As you should.” Miranda says. “Enjoy your party. Alcina.” She says, nodding at Alcina who returns the gesture before disappearing into the crowd.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and Alcina turns you around to face her.

“Are you alright?” She asks as she cups your face.

“Yeah. It’s just - that was a lot.”

“I know. I’m so sorry that this is how your night started, draga mea. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, I don’t think so. I just need a moment.”

“Take all the time you need, iubirea mea.”

Alcina caresses your cheek before pulling her hand away. Zina walks up to Alcina and whispers something and Alcina nods at her.

“There’s something that needs my attention, will you be alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I promise.”

“Don’t let them spoil your evening my love. You deserve the world, go have fun.”

Alcina and Zina walk away and you take a minute to calm your nerves before weaving through the crowd of people. A few villagers nod at you, some wish you a happy birthday, others try to hide the look of disgust on their faces. It’s truly a mixed bag of faces and reactions.

After a few minutes of wandering around you hear a voice behind you.

“Oh my God! Who’s that hot piece of ass in the black dress?!”

Quickly turning around, you see Alexi with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

“Alexi!” You squeal as you run towards him and jump into his arms.

He hugs you tight and spins you around before setting you back down on the ground.

“Holy shit look at you!” He says as he eyes you up and down. “You look amazing!” His eyes move back to your face and they soften. “I can’t believe you’re real, that you’re here! Alive!” 

Tears prick at his eyes as he pulls you in for another bone-crushing hug. You hug him back just as tightly.

“When I heard what happened I thought the worst was gonna happen. I thought you were - I never thought I’d see you again.” He says into your shoulder. Tears start to well in your eyes, just before they fall he says “Fuck! You even smell good!” and you begin to laugh.

“I missed you so much.” You say as you part.

“Why didn’t you write?! I saw Anna and she told me she saw you a few months ago and said that you were happy and safe but I didn’t believe it!”

“I know, I’m so sorry. Things have been so crazy here. I should have let you know I was okay. I’m so sorry, Alexi.”

“Well, you’re a bitch for not writing, but I’m so relieved that you’re okay so I guess you’re forgiven.”

The two of you laugh and hug once more. A server comes by and offers you champagne and you each take a glass.

“Oh my god!” Alexi says as he goes to take a sip, pulling the glass away from his lips. “Okay was I hallucinating or did you and Lady D actually kiss?” You nearly spit out your drink as he continues. “I was so far back but I saw you lean in and then heard a gasp and unless you happened to fall and eat shit, you definitely kissed that giant.” Your cheeks turn bright red and Alexi’s jaw drops. “Oh my god you did! Was that the first time you’ve kissed her?! Shit, I knew you liked older women but damn.”

“I - we -”

“Oh my god that wasn’t the first time you kissed her was it?!” You continue to flounder and Alexi gets louder and more excited. “Bitch I can’t believe you didn’t write to me and tell me you kissed her! You’re unforgiven.” He says as he takes a sip of his champagne. “Fuck, this is delicious. Okay, so how many times have you kissed her? Have you done more than just kiss? Did you two hook up?”

You get more flustered and cover your burning face with your hands and Alexi’s jaw hits the floor.

“Oh my god.” He says more quietly. “Have you two like,” he makes a scissoring motion with his fingers.

“Alexi!” You yell and smack his arm. Mortified, you look around to see if anyone else has their eyes on the two of you.

“OH MY GOD!” Alexi yells, gaining the attention of guests in your immediate vicinity and you slap your hand over his mouth and shush him.

“Shut up!” You say as you pull him to a secluded corner of the main hall. “Come here.”

When you finally get away from most of the crowd you pull your hand away from his mouth and it hangs open.

“Oh my god you two totally fucked!” The gears in his brain turn and you see a lightbulb go off. “She took your virginity?!” He says a little too loudly and your skin burns with embarrassment as a couple villagers walking by look over at the two of you. You flash them a polite smile before you glare at your best friend.

“Will you be quiet?!”

“Sorry! Sorry. But holy shit, girl, that gigantic woman took your v-card?!” Unable to verbally answer, you cover your face with your hands and shake your head. “Oh my god, how did she not split you in half?!”

“Alexi! She’s doesn’t have a -”

“She doesn’t need to with fingers that big! God, her strap must be huge. You poor, poor girl.”

“Oh my god. We haven’t - I don’t know if she even - we haven’t gotten that far, yet.”

“What the hell have you been waiting for?!”

“Things got complicated! I’m fine, but it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows since I got here, okay?”

“And you’re gonna sit here and act like I’m not going to have you explain that further?” He says as he finishes his champagne with an eyebrow raised at you.

“I can’t get into all of that right now, okay? But I promise I will later.”

“Bitch, you better.”

“I will, I promise.” You say as you grab his hands and give them a squeeze.

“Ahem.” 

You hear someone clear their throat behind you and jump, releasing Alexi’s hand and turning around. Behind you, Alcina is standing there with a hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed at Alexi.

“Alcina! You scared me.”

“Are you enjoying your party, draga?” She asks you, yet her eyes continue to glare at Alexi.

“Yes! It’s so beautiful. Alexi and I were just catching up. Alcina, this is my best friend, Alexi. Alexi, this is Alcina.” You say, trying to diffuse the tension.

Alexi stands there, pinned by her glare and you nudge him to break him out of the spell.

“Oh, uh, it’s an honor to meet you, my Lady.” He says with a shaky voice as he gives a small bow.

Alcina purses her lips and looks down at you. Before she goes to speak, one of the stablehands steps in and addresses Alcina. He’s a bit taller than you, about the same height as Alexi with ash blonde hair and broad shoulders. You can tell by the way Alexi is looking at him that he completely forgot about you and Alcina.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt my Lady.” He says with a bow. “But may I borrow a servant or two? One of the horses stepped on one of the vineyard workers' feet and potentially broke his foot. We are having a difficult time dealing with all the horses with one less worker.”

Alcina sighs and you look over at Alexi and nudge him, nodding your head towards the stablehand.

“Oh! Uh, I - I can help!” He says almost too eagerly. Alcina looks at him and he clears his throat and gathers himself. “I mean, I tend to my fathers horses all the time. I can lend a hand, if you need.” You nudge him again. “My Lady.”

Alcina looks at you and you give her a nod and smile at Alexi.

“Well, if you have experience with horses, I don’t see why not.”

“Oh shit, really?” Alexi says and Alcina glares at him. “I - I mean, thank you my Lady.”

You smile at Alexi who introduces himself to the stablehand and they walk towards the doors together. With a laugh, you shake your head at your friend.

“That is your best friend?”

“Alcina!” You say with a laugh. “Be nice, he was nervous.”

“Mhm. Yet he still seemed quite friendly with you.” She says as her eyes stay on the two men as they exit the main hall.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You two seemed awfully touchy, when I approached.” Alcina crosses her arms across her chest and purses her lips.

“What are you - I was just holding his hands?”

“He knows you are mine. Yet he put his hands on you anyway.”

“Alcina, what’s going on?”

“I understand he is your best friend, but I do not trust those man-things. Especially around you. There is only one thing they want and they will do anything to get it.”

You stand there with your eyebrows furrowed. On one hand, you know what she means, but on the other - you realize she’s missing a key piece to the puzzle and you bark out a laugh and cover your mouth.

“Draga, this is no laughing matter.”

“Oh my god, Alcina, do you think he was hitting on me?”

“In all my years of life, men have only ever wanted one thing -”

“Alcina!” You say, abruptly ending her rant. Her eyes narrow at you as you continue to laugh. “He wasn’t hitting on me! Alcina, Alexi is gay. He’s not into women!”

Alcina opens her mouth to speak and closes it. She does this a few more times as a light blush dusts across her cheeks and you continue to laugh.

“I - I was not made aware of his preferences.”

As hard as you try to stifle your laughter, it still comes out from between your fingers as your hand is clasped over your mouth. Alcina is embarrassed as it is, you don’t want to make it any worse, but you can’t help but find this situation hysterical.

“It is not funny, draga.” Alcina says as she tries to hold back her smile. Despite her embarrassment, she too finds the situation amusing.

“Oh come on, it’s a little funny.” You say as you start to gather yourself.

Alcina shakes her head at you.

“Come, you haven’t even made it into the main event yet, draga.” 

[frickingnerd]

i am you & you are me

pairing: 9S x gn!reader

summary: 9S and you, his crush, end up swapping bodies due to a little accident…

tags: silly & wholesome fluff, mutual crushes, body swap, reader thinks 9S is cute (+flustered/blushing!9S), open ending

“this isn't where i'm supposed to be…”

9S still remembered the last moments before his old body got blown into pieces. he was fighting a machine and was being careless, leading to him dying and reawakening in his new body. only that this body wasn't one of the number 9 models.

9S looked around the room he had awoken in. the rooms in the bunker all looked alike, but he still knew what his room looked like. and this wasn't his room!

“9S–!”

the door to the room swung open and the one who entered was… 9S! or rather, a 9S model, that wasn't the original 9S. because 9S was 9S. right?

“y-you're inside my body–! and… i'm in yours–!”

9S stared at the other him for a moment, taking in those words. without saying a word, he rose from the bed and walked up to the window, to get a glimpse of his reflection. and that's when he realized whose body he was in. and who was in his body.

“w-wait, y/n–!?”

9S’ cheeks turned red at the realization. the person who was in his body was his crush! and he was in your body!

thoughts ran through his head, trying to think about how this could've happened. but he didn't need to think for too long, as he had the sneaking suspicion that he remembered where he made a mistake.

when he was uploading his consciousness, he had just been talking to 2B about you. he was distracted and thinking of you at that moment, so he must've accidentally clicked on your profile instead of his own.

“nines…?”

“oh man… this is all my fault–!”

9S sunk his face into his hands, clearly embarrassed about his mistake.

“what do you mean, your fault?”

you stepped closer, still wearing his face. it was odd for 9S to look at himself and hear his own voice, when he knew who it really was. the cute android he had been crushing on for quite a while now, but always was too shy to approach. but this really was the worst way to spend time with you…

“i– well, i might've… made a mistake when handling my data. i was distracted… so this is all my fault…”

9S still hid his face behind his hands. he was too flustered to look at you – or at himself. he had thought about how he'd approach you so many times, but now he was stuck in this situation. you probably hated him now and would never want to date him, nor be friends with him…

“hey, it's alright…”

you kneeled down next to 9S, smiling at him softly, while you carefully removed his hands from his face.

“i'm not angry, i promise–! i mean… i suppose half of the blame lies with me too… if i hadn't mixed up my data too, i would've never ended up in your body”

oh, right. that's when 9S realized that you too must've done something to transfer your consciousness into his body. perhaps, your two stories were more alike than he realized…

“a-anyways–!”

you got up again, reaching out one hand towards 9S. you didn't want to get into the embarrassing details right now. and you two still had something to do.

“i believe we should deal with this whole body situation now, don't you think? as cute as i think your body is, i'd like to have my own back soon…”

9S nodded softly, getting up as well.

“right, we should do that right now–!”

the two of you made your way to the door, ready to leave, when 9S let your words run through his head one more time and realized something. something that made his cheeks turn red.

“w-wait… did you just say i'm cute–!?”

[iheartyouyou]

SWEETHEART | Jeremiah Fisher

Summary: After your parents file for a divorce, you’re forced to move in with your mom’s friend until the divorce is finalized. You wished you could stay with your dad and your friends, but when you meet Jeremiah Fisher, that changes. And now you’re wanting to stay in the Cousins. Too bad things don’t last forever.

Word Count: 2.0k

Part: 7

previous part series masterlist next part

Authors Note: Fun fact I made this part so long that I had to split it in half. Anyways, no spoilers but the finale of tsitp???? 😍 (Wouldn’t let me tag some people :( )

Why’d you have to be such a complete idiot?

Now everything was going to be awkward. Why didn’t you just kiss him? You barely knew the dude though, and didn’t he have a girlfriend.

You groan as another message from your friends’ group chat comes in, talking about plans for the yearly fair that happened every summer.

How do you tell them to stop talking about plans in the same group chat as you as it’s making you jealous and your life over here is going to shit.

Putting your phone on silent, you shove your phone somewhere underneath your pillows as you exit your room, walking to the bathroom.

“…to the dinner— Y/N!” Belly shouts, stopping you in your tracks as you peeked your head into her room.

She sends you a smile, mascara wand in hand. She motions to her flower crown “Susannah got us these, you don’t have to wear it but yours is on the nightstand.”

You don’t miss the way Taylor rolls her eyes, turning away so she can’t see you.

“Thanks.” You smile, grabbing the crown.

“You should get ready with us for dinner! You know who’s coming? Cam.” Belly says, turning back to the mirror so she can finish her mascara.

“Cam…?”

“Sextus.”

“Oh yeah, that guy. You guys are official?”

Belly shrugs, a blush forming on her cheeks. “We’re also going to a party later, it was Taylor’s idea. Maybe you can borrow some of her clothes so you can hookup with someone there.”

“My clothes probably wouldn’t fit her…” Taylor mumbles, putting on the flower crown as she stares at herself in the mirror.

“I have my own clothes anyway, plus I don’t really want to ‘hookup with someone’.”

Belly turns to face you, one of her eyebrows raising in confusion before it falls back down. “Oh right, you’re hooking up with Jere.”

“What?” You quickly ask, checking behind you to make sure Jeremiah (or anybody for that matter) didn’t hear that.

Belly rolls her eyes, “I totally walked in on some date thing last night.”

“We were watching movies because of a bet—“

“Yeah sure.” Belly sarcastically remarks.

The whole conversation seemed to take Taylor’s interest as she finally turned to face you. “We all know his rep, wouldn’t be surprised.” She said to Belly, even though she was staring at you.

You furrow your eyebrows, “What rep?”

“His “hooking up with everybody” rep. Don’t know a single person here he hasn’t hooked up with.” Belly jokes, finishing her mascara as she shoves it into her makeup bag.

Hooking up with everybody? So, what, you were just another name he was trying to check off the list? Is that why he tried to make a move after barely just knowing you?

“Surprised he hasn’t made a move on me.” Taylor says, putting her hands on her hips.

“Taylor.” Belly warns, rolling her eyes. “Look, Jere Bear hasn’t hooked up with anybody since you’ve got here… well I think, anyway you should be fine.”

“Oh…” You mumble, scratching your arm as your grip on the flower crown tightened.

Taylor whips out her phone, sitting on the edge of Belly’s bed as she scrolled through whatever.

“How do you like… I don’t know, know that he hasn’t hooked up with anyone.. since… y’know.” You find yourself hesitantly asking, shifting your weight onto your left foot.

Belly groans dramatically, “He always comes to me and talks about them, with WAY too many details, it’s so gross but he’s always like “what should I do? should I call them back?” She mimics him in the last part.

Jeremiah Fisher was attractive. Okay, well, he’s probably the hottest guy you’ve ever seen and probably the first and last hottie to ever show you attention. And you hated hearing about this newfound information Belly was giving you, and even if you did let Jeremiah Fisher kiss you in that pool, there will be someone better looking and you’ll just be another name crossed off the list.

Belly basically shrieks when her phone goes off, jumping up and down as she looks in between you and Taylor. “Cam’s here!”

-

Can someone please bury me six feet underground?

Dinner was so awkward.

Well, maybe just for you.

But you could feel the awkwardness between you and Jeremiah, he avoided looking and talking to you. It was like you weren’t even there.

And you tried to not look at him, but sometimes you kind of just had to. Like, your eyes drifted there and you wouldn’t even realize it until someone would smack the table from a joke or a loud laugh coming from somewhere around the table.

“So why don’t you eat meat, Cam?” Jeremiah asked, stuffing his food into his mouth.

“Uh, the meat industry is like the number one contribution to global warming.“ He shrugs before continuing, “And I just like animals.”

“Just don’t come for my leather jacket.” Taylor quips, a smile on her face.

So what? She was nice to everybody but you? What the hell did you do to her?

“Pretty sure you mean pleather” Steven jokes, acting offended when Taylor flips him off.

Your eyes feel heavy, you just want to eat, clean up, and go to sleep.

“Y’know, uh, Belly eats meat. So, you let her kiss you with those lips?” Jeremiah says, taking a sip of his water.

“Guys.” Belly starts, already annoyed as her face gets hotter and hotter by the second. “Stop”

Cam chuckles, “I don’t judge people for eating meat, it’s just a personal choice, I don’t care”

Jeremiah continued his questions, “So you don’t mind if her lips touch a dead animal and those dead animal lips touch your lips, right?”

Belly sends a hard kick to Jeremiah, earning a small “ow” as Belly looks over to you for help. You shrugged.

“Pretty sure that’s not how that works, Jeremiah.”

For the first time that night Jeremiah looked at you, eyes wide with amusement. “And how would you know? Have you ever kissed someone, Y/N?”

You feel your cheeks getting hot with embarrassment as you shake your head. “I have.”

He mocks a surprised face, “You just kiss certain people or…?”

“I don’t kiss wannabe playboys—“ You start, ready to get up and slap him across the face if you had to before Cam interjected.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind at all—in fact…” Cam turns, pressing his lips to Belly in a quick peck. Enough for you and Jeremiah to stop talking, as well as the rest of the table.

It was quiet for a few moments as you stared at Belly in shock before Jeremiah and Steven started making gagging noises.

“Alright, alright, Belly’s allowed to kiss.” Laurel defends her, before she points at fork at Cam. “But that’s it.” She then bursts out into laughter as if it was the funniest thing ever.

“Mom, please!” Belly groans, “You’re so not funny, no more wine for you okay?”

“I’m sorry but I just don’t understand why anybody would want to kiss somebody who once fully shat in the bathtub.” Steven grimaces, using his hands to emphasis the point.

“I was like two years old!”

“Two? You were like six!” Steven says, both him and Jeremiah laughing their asses off.

“Shut up, Steven!” Belly shouts.

And after a few more quips back and forth, you zoned out as you played with the remainder of your food. You could hear your moms laughter in the background, nice to know she’s all happy.

The last thing said was Belly announcing they were going to Nicoles party before everybody one by one left the table, cleaning up and putting their dishes away.

You were one of the first.

You managed to escape upstairs after you cleaned up, ready to take a hot shower and sleep until 1 pm before Belly the announcer, once again announced that Cam would be giving you guys a ride as Jeremiah already left.

-

“You mind taking a picture of us?” Taylor asks, already handing you her phone before you could respond. You clench your jaw before nodding, waiting for the two of them to pose before snapping a picture.

Tossing the phone back to Taylor, unbothered to see if she caught it or not your eyes scan the outside of the house. Cup pong was going on near the front door, music blaring from inside of the house and you could see multiple people in there from the windows.

You follow the two girls into the house, Cam following shortly behind you.

As soon as you walked in, someone was sliding down the rail of the stairs. Surprisingly no liquid falling out of the cup they were holding.

“Belly! You came!” You see Nicole come out, her arms held out wide as she engulfs Belly into a hug.

The two shared compliments before Nicole dragged Belly into another room to show everybody else her flower crown.

“I’m gonna go find a drink, what about you Y/N?” Taylor mumbles, already taking off to the living room.

Your eyebrows furrowed, following her nonetheless as a drink did sound good. Taylor was already pouring herself a drink, handing you a empty cup once you were next to her.

She lightly elbows you, motioning you to Jeremiah who was sitting close by. “There’s your boyfriend.”

You look over, seeing how close Jeremiah was to the guy across from him. He was already staring at you, making awkward eye contact before you broke it.

Grabbing the first bottle you saw, you poured it into your cup before taking a large sip of it. And damn was it strong.

By the time you looked back at Jeremiah, he was already making out with the guy.

Taylor scoffs, “Guess Belly was wrong, you could totally find a way hotter guy here. C’mon.” She takes you by the arm, dragging you into another room as she looked for a “hotter guy”

“What about that guy?” She asks, motioning to a guy who was chugging a drink.

“Uh.. no.” You shake your head, confused as to why all of the sudden Taylor was being nice to you. It was if the second Belly ditched her, you were the second best option.

“Yeah, probably not. But I mean any guy here is better than Jeremy—“ She starts, pulling your arm to pull you into another room before you stop her. “Why are you being so nice?”

“What?” She makes a sour face at you, letting you go.

“You were acting like a total bitch earlier and now you’re acting like we’re besties.” You say straight up.

She rolls her eyes, “Are you that sensitive? I’m just trying to help you find someone! Unless you wanna go hookup with Jeremiah over there.”

“Why is it always about Jeremiah?”

“Because he obviously has the hots for you, well had them because now he clearly wants nothing to do with you.” She hissed.

Oh how bad you wanted to smack this bitch so hard right across the face her flower crown would fly off.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? Because he wouldn’t stop mentioning you earlier, saying he would be the one to give you a ride here yet you third wheeled with me.”

You gritted your teeth, “Why do you even care? Why are you all up in my business? This has nothing to do with you.”

“Because Belly also talks about you ALL the time! Maybe if you didn’t do whatever you did and messed things up, you would be hanging out with Jeremy and leaving me and Belly alone. I’m her best friend, not you. You hardly know her, actually, you hardly know anybody in this goddamn place so why don’t you go back to wherever you came from and make everybody’s lives easier?” She stormed off before you could even answer, stomping upstairs and leaving you with your thoughts.

You looked around, seeing as a few people were staring your way. You moved around bodies as you made your way outside, itting on one of the chairs nearby.

You hate this place. Just a few more days, then you can tell Susannah you want to go home, she’ll fly you home, you can stay with your dad and never see any of these people ever again.

Taylor was just a bitch who was jealous that her friend had other friends who weren’t her.

Fuck your life.

Taglist: @mindflay3r @lexi-2004 @buckys2thicc @agoodmansaid @jeremiahfisherslover @yourfavoritefangirl @leslienjazzy @natsgaygf @justkayleighhere @puptails @simp4jackharlow @yobabygirlally @whenmypartysover @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @medusaslilsister @maexxc @siriuslysmoking @nowimyurdaisy @totallynotkaibiased @eevee0722 @theyallhaveluv4lyricb @wh0reforstefansalvatore @pariahsparadise @alice3612 @pancakelover837373 @angelbabyyy99 @lillygwenstacy @khloe-193 @buckysh0e @nctma15 @lovelygloomm @ashlenxx @yeosxxx

[sequinsmile-x]

I Knew You'd Linger Like a Tattoo Kiss - Forehead Kisses

-x-

A series of unrelated one-shots and mini fics about the many types of kisses Aaron and Emily share.

-x-

Hi friends,

Is it 2 am where I live? Yes. Should I be asleep? Definitely. Did I write this instead...yes. Yes I did.

Anyway, this is just very soft, and has a good dose of Emily/Jack softness too.

Please see the masterlist for a full list of tags, and the list of prompts for this series.

As always, please let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.3k

Warnings: Mentions of sickness (nothing detailed - they just have the flu)

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Aaron is woken up by his girlfriend’s wracking cough. 

It makes him wince, sure it must be painful, and he sits up, blearily reaching for the lamp on the nightstand with one hand and for her with the other. He rubs soothing circles on her back as the room is bathed in low, warm light, and he winces again at the way she sucks in a breath. Emily coughs again and presses her hand against her sternum, her ribs aching with the movement. Her entire chest ached, a kind of pain that went hand in hand with the pounding in her head.

“Fuck,” she chokes out when she finally gets her breath back. She turns to look at Aaron and clears her throat, grimacing when it feels like she’s swallowed razor blades, and she offers him a shaky smile, “I’m okay.”

“Clearly,” he hums and leans in to kiss her forehead, concern flicking in his gut at the temperature of her skin. He looks at her nightstand and sees the empty glass he’d filled with water when they went to bed, “Want me to go get you some water?” 

She nods against him, “Yes please.”

He smiles and kisses her forehead, “I’ll be right back sweetheart.” 

She groans in response, purposely ignoring the laugh he fails to cover, and she slumps back onto the bed, her arms wrapping around his pillow as she buries her face in it, desperately hoping that the comforting scent of him would make it past her blocked nose. She grumbles when it doesn’t, cursing whoever she’d caught the flu from, no longer able to deny that she was sick like she’d been trying to the last couple of days. 

She only realises she’s drifted off to sleep when he wakes her, his hand gentle on her shoulder as he smiles at her, offering her a glass of water and some meds. She takes them gratefully, not missing how the corner of his mouth turns upwards when she takes the Tylenol without argument. 

“I’m sorry,” she says, placing the glass down on her nightstand before she curls up around him when he climbs back into bed. 

He frowns and tilts his head to look down at her, “What for?” 

“I should have just gone to mine,” she replies, “We haven’t been together long enough for you to see me like this.” 

It had only been two months. Two happy, joyful months stuffed full of more love than she’d felt in her entire life, the home she’d been looking for found with the man she’d loved longer than she would care to admit and his son. With anyone else, she’d worry it was all going too fast. She’d have run in the other direction if anyone other than Aaron had told her they loved her before they’d even left her apartment for their first date, but she’d said it back without thinking. 

She didn’t want to run anywhere anymore unless it was towards him and Jack anymore. 

He chuckles and kisses her forehead, wrapping his arms around her to tug her closer, encircling her with his embrace as if that alone could make her better, “What? So I could lay here all night worrying about you?” He quips, smiling when she rolls her eyes at him, “I want to look after you. I love you.” 

She pouts, allowing her headache, sore throat and the warmth of his embrace to let her settle into the pull of self-pity, “Even when I’m all gross?” 

“You’re never gross,” he says, leaning in for a kiss, laughing when a cough rips free of her chest and stops him. He rubs a hand up and down her back and settles for kissing her forehead instead, “But yes, even then.” 

She groans and buries her face in his neck, pleased when smelling him from the source works, when the scent of him, of home, somehow makes it through her blocked nose, “I love you too.” 

___

The moment he has to wake Jack up, instead of finding him in the kitchen already dressed for school, he knows he’s caught the flu too. He sits on the edge of Jack’s bed and winces at the feel of his forehead.

“Oh buddy, I think you’re going to have to stay home from school.” 

Jack groans, “My head hurts,” he says, his lack of argument about not going to school, something he loved, enough of a sign of how horrible he was feeling. 

“I know,” he says, pushing his hair from his forehead, “Want to go lay in the big bed with Emily whilst I get some medicine to make you feel better? She’s still not very well either.”

He was hoping that she wouldn’t be going to work either, was a conversation he was yet to have with his girlfriend, who was still lying in his bed and insisting that she was going even though she’d barely slept. Jack nods and Aaron stands up, offering his son his hand to help him out of bed. They walk the short distance to the master bedroom hand in hand, and Aaron hides a smile when Emily sits up in the bed, pretending she hadn’t fallen asleep again in the few minutes he’d been gone. 

“One more for the sick bed,” he says, letting go of Jack’s hand so he can clamber onto the bed.

“Oh, sweet boy,” Emily says, opening her arms up for Jack as he makes it to her side, gathering him against her chest and kissing his forehead, “I’m sorry you’re sick.” 

“Why are you sorry, Emmy?” He asks, furrowing his brow as he looks up at her, “It’s not your fault.” 

She smiles at him and runs her fingers through his hair, his innocence, the way he looks at her with such adoration, immediately ridding her chest of the guilt that had started to build there at the thought of making him sick, “It’s just not nice to see someone you love not feeling very well,” she says, looking over at Aaron, smiling when their eyes meet, “That’s all.” 

He nods and rests his head against her chest again, curling up into her embrace, seeking out the maternal love he’d been robbed of at such a young age, “Daddy says I can’t go to school, so if you’re sick too you can’t go to work, right? So you’ll stay home with me?” 

Aaron, barely, covers a laugh and she looks up at him, briefly narrowing her eyes, a silent well played in the air around them before she looks back at Jack curled up in her arms, and she realises there were much worse ways to spend her day than cuddled up with the little boy she already loved as her own. 

“Yes, sweetheart,” she says, kissing the top of his head, her eyes drifting closed as she breathes him in, “I’m going to stay home with you.”

___

He finds himself watching the clock, impatiently waiting for the day to come to an end so he can go home to Emily and Jack, his skin almost itching to see them. 

He’d offered to stay home too, feeling guilty that his girlfriend would otherwise be looking after his son whilst she was sick herself, but she’d waved him off. Assured him that she didn’t mind and that they’d be fine, an honest smile on her face as she winked at Jack and told him to pick out some movies for their day snuggling on the couch. Every time he thought he couldn’t be more in love with her she proved him wrong, his chest swelling with it as he watched her encourage Jack to take the cough medicine she herself had dubbed disgusting in the middle of the night, taking her dose without even flinching to let his son know it would be okay. He kissed them both on the forehead before he left for the office, and he left them under a pile of blankets on the couch, snuggled together in one corner as Emily whispered to Jack that, despite the flu that had hit them both hard, they’d have a fun day. 

He’s trying to focus on his paperwork, irritation thrumming under his skin every time he looks at the clock to find only a few minutes had passed, but it feels pointless, all of his attention on the updates Emily would send him every now and again. The most recent one was a photo of her and Jack, the little boy fast asleep against her, his mouth open and his cheek pressed against her chest, and a teasing caption to go along with it. 

Bad news - I think he’s taken your place as my favourite Hotchner. 

“You should go home.” 

He looks up to the door of his office and finds Dave standing there, his hands in his pocket as he leans against the door frame and smirks at him. Aaron sighs and looks at the clock, “It’s only 2 pm, Dave. I can’t go home yet.” 

“Why? Because you’re being so productive sat here wishing you were at home?” He says, raising his eyebrow, his smirk somehow deepening when Aaron opens his mouth to respond, cutting him off before he can even attempt to deny it, “Go home. I’ll deal with Strauss if she says anything.” 

It’s Aaron’s turn to raise his eyebrow, “I won’t ask what that means because I’m not sure I want to know.” 

Dave chuckles, “That girlfriend of yours is rubbing off on you,” he says, his voice full of nothing but affection for them both, “Go home. No one is going to hold looking after your family against you.” 

Aaron smiles, the thought of Emily as part of his family one that still warmed him from the inside out, a reaction he hoped would never fade, “I guess not,” he says, nodding as he stands up, his decision made as he packs some paperwork into his briefcase, his smile turning into a smirk as he looks at his friend, “And your encouragement of course has absolutely nothing to do with the wager going around about what time I’d go home today?” 

Dave’s eyes briefly go comically wide before he clears his throat, scratching at the back of his head, “You know about that?” 

“Reid copied me in on the email,” he replies, his smile getting wider when Dave rolls his eyes, “I believe 2 pm was your slot.” 

Dave scoffs, “Damn kid is a genius but can’t use technology to save his life.” 

Aaron laughs and pats him on the shoulder as he passes him, “If you need me for anything-”

“I’ll be sure not to call,” he says, nodding towards the elevators, “Go. We’ve got it covered here.” 

Aaron nods appreciatively and heads out the door, smiling to himself when he sees the way the rest of the team roll their eyes at Dave, mumbling to themselves as they dig into their pockets for their wallets. He texts Emily to say he is on his way home as he gets to his car.

At first, her lack of response worries him, even though logically he knows it means she’s asleep, but he can’t relax until he makes home and finds her and Jack both fast asleep on the couch, the DVD menu of the little boy’s favourite movie playing on a loop on the TV. Aaron smiles at the sight and walks over, crouching down to kiss Emily’s forehead, and then Jack’s, before he stands up straight. He sneaks a photo of the two of them, unable to help himself even though he knows Emily would kill him if she ever found out. Then he carefully tries to unwrap her arms around Jack, intent on putting him in his bed for now so they’d both be more comfortable. He smiles when Emily tightens her hold, her eyebrows furrowing as she barely opens her eyes, her lids seemingly glued together with sleep and just generally not feeling great. 

“It’s okay, Em,” he says, running his hand up and down her arm, “It’s just me.”

“Aaron?” She slurs, blinking to try and open her eyes properly, “You’re home?” 

He feels his heart swell when she refers to his apartment as home and he nods, “I’m home. I’m just going to go put him in his bed okay? Then I’ll be back.”

She nods and kisses the top of Jack’s head before she lets go of him and Aaron lifts him into his arms. He carefully walks down the hall and slips Jack into his bed, desperate to make sure he gets the rest he needs, and he tucks him in, ensuring his favourite toy is within reach before he kisses his forehead and leaves the room. When he makes it back to the living room, Emily is sitting up, rubbing her eyes and groaning. 

“What time is it?” 

“Almost 3 pm,” he says as he joins her on the couch and wraps his arm around her. 

She leans against him immediately, her body heavy against his as she yawns, “You left work early?” 

He kisses her temple, “I left work early.” 

It sits in the air around them, the importance of him doing it, the lessons he’d learned from past mistakes, unspoken but not ignored as they sit there in silence. 

“Honey?” 

He runs his hand up and down her arm, his lips still against her temple as he hums, “Yes, baby?” 

“If you ever show anyone the photo you took, I’ll kill you.” 

[nightdustfallen]

Finally made a ref sheet lol if any of ya'll needed a bit more of a full view to draw em here it is, as well as the accurate non-shadowed colors By the way, you can use the tag "nightly.art" to see all of my art if you dont want to dig thru all of the other art (of lovely and talented people) that i regularly reblog

Which i suppose also segways into an introductory pinned post? perhaps

Well im Nightdust!! my main fursona is this guy above me, he is called Nightdust Fallen, he is a breed of a husky and a wolf, making him extremely fluffy and puffy! The reason for his name is by the fact that (in my head canon or lore) he came from a bunch of fallen space star dust, hence why he likes space so much and staring at the stars, he also has some sort of ice magic i havent fully fleshed out yet, one thing i can say tho is that when he sneezes, he does it softly and he puffs out small ice snowflakes and can freeze things he touches he is also supposed to wear glasses like me but i suck at drawing those and forgot to include them here anyway so

He is very shy, doesnt talk much but is very protective of his very close friends and would do anything to protect them and make sure they're safe, he is a femboy (of course), enjoys listening to calm relaxing music and high octane electronic music at times, is a gamer, likes cuddling up in bed and i think that's it

It also doubles up as a self description of myself so yeah lol Still tho feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions or anything, with that said onwards to more personal stuff

I enjoy drawing obviously, but i also enjoy cooking stuff and origami, i play a lot of roblox usually to pass time but a game i really got into is "Voices of the Void" i really recommend but it's not for everyone, i like the game's concept and how detailed the space is there. For some reason, a lot of the time i am cold, my hands, feet, nose and limbs overall are very cold which is why i thought about giving my oc some ice magic thing. I am taken, in a relationship with my cutie bunny bf, and my sexuality is bisexual. As said before i do not talk much since im not the social type and usually freeze up or dont know what to say, hence why sometimes i take a long time to respond to something or my response is "dry" or not full of much emotion since i dont really know what to say or feel like im annoying if i talk too much. If you read thru all of that and get here then reply with the word bean so i know you're a true one hehe. I also often wait for others to start the conversation rather than me starting since i again, feel like i would bother the other person or like i could distract them if they are doing something

Anyways i believe that is pretty much it, thank for reading all of this if you did, and i probably didnt mention lots of details i should have but they arent coming to my mind right now

[redlittlefoxari]

Astarion Epilogue: An Adventure in Making Life: Chapter Eight: In too Deep in Waterdeep

Relationship: Astarion x Tav

Warnings: NSFW18+, angst, smut, Pregnancy, Fluff.

*This chapter contains Smut*

Summary: Tav and the others finally make it to Waterdeep. Before the whole gang can get back together Tav and Astarion decide to do some shopping and take a bath to wash their travel-worn bodies.

Master List

People who want to be tagged: @lunaredgrave @ofmyth-andmagicart

Twelve weeks pregnant

The following two weeks went by without any incident. You did your best not to blow up at anyone, and the others did their best not to mention your “sickness,” deeming it a sensitive topic. You leaned into the idea more and more and let their imaginations fill in the blanks as to what they thought it was. You gave little details, only ones that would play in your favor, such as, despite being sick, you wished to celebrate your good friend’s accomplishment. You started taking the herbs in front of them to drive home further that you were doing something to “fix your sickness.”

In the last town you passed, you and Astarion bought you some new armor, this time with less padding and with a band around the waist that allowed it to be resized if need be. You had to sacrifice better armor, but that was the price you had to pay actually to have armor at all.

“How are you feeling today?” Wyll found you coming back from the dense bushes as you needed to make a stop.

“Better so far, I’ve been able to keep everything down.” So far today, you haven’t thrown up, but you did feel more exhausted.

“That’s good…. Do you think you’ll uhh….” Wyll fumbled with his words, trying to find a polite way to ask if you would get better or if this was something that would take you from this plane sooner than they all would have wished.

“I think I’ll live. Jaheira said it’s just a matter of time before I feel better. She said maybe by the end of the year.” The lies were coming easier.

“That’s fantastic. How did you even contract this sickness?” Wyll was treading a little too close and asking far too many questions, but with your second trimester only two weeks away, you felt that it was okay to give more information.

“Oh, you know…. On an adventure, Astarion and I had taken us a while to realize what was wrong with me, but we figured it out.” Wyll nodded at your response.

“I’m just glad to hear you will be okay… I don’t know what Astarion would do if he lost you.” Wyll looked to the Vampire who was talking to Karlach.

“Me either but that hopefully won’t happen for a long while I’m only a hundred and twenty.” Wyll laughed at your response.

“Only! You elves really are lucky.”

The two of you walked back to the others, changing the subject to something a little less dire. Both Astarion and Karlach stopped talking and turned towards their respective partners. Astarion kissed you on the top of your head, and you leaned into him as he asked you if you were okay.

“It’s a shame the two of you can’t have children. You would make great parents.” Karlach gave the two of you a broad smile that showed her teeth.

The two of you froze. You tried to keep a look of fear from showing on your face as the group's eyes bore into you two. Wyll elbowed Karlach in the ribs and muttered something under his breath.

“Oh fuck I should have kept that to myself. I’m sorry.” Karlach rubbed the back of her head and looked away, embarrassed and ashamed.

“Yes, we’ll…. We have each other, and that’s all that counts.” Astarion spoke for you.

“Yes, and it’s tough for elves to have children anyway. We only have a certain number of souls, so we have to wait to be reincarnated.” You shrugged. “And we live for so long, so you have to wait for a natural death or a planned one.”

You could cut the tension with a knife. “Let’s get going. we are almost to Waterdeep, and I would like to take a hot bath and lay down on a bed instead of the ground.” Astarion pulled you with him up the dirt road that led to Waterdeep.

The rest of the party followed behind, going the rest of the two-hour walk, giving you and Astarion the space they thought you needed after the conversation about children.

“I will feel way better after the ceremony, and we can tell them the truth.” You whispered so only Astarion could hear.

“I don’t know, I kind of like making everyone feel uncomfortable. It's a lot of fun for me.” Astarion returned the whisper but punctuated his sentence with a laugh.

“I don’t. I feel bad these are our friends. I will be happier not having to keep anything from them.” You let out a heavy sigh.

It didn’t take long, and you could see the city limits of Waterdeep. It was a bustling coastal city that showed like a diamond. The water was crystal blue and had a large port that was the heart of the city. You knew that once you were in the city limits, you should make up any excuse to branch off alone and buy some new clothes since the ones that you brought with you, mainly the pants, no longer fit over your belly. The leather is too tight to give you any leeway.

You and your party walked through the gates, and an apparition of Gale appeared blue in color and slightly translucent. “Greetings, friends! I have sent this apparition to escort you all to my tower, which you will be staying in. If you would be so kind, follow me this way.”

The apparition turned and started walking, which you thought was a little novel since it wasn’t the real Gale and could just float to the destination that it needed to go to next. You giggled slightly at the apparition and Gale for being so literal about everything.

“Umm, hold on a second…” You spoke, and the apparition turned to face you.

“Yes?” It spoke.

“Is the tower that big purple and gold building to the north of the docks?” You pointed to the building in question.

“Indeed it is. Why?” The Apperition’s face mirrored Gales when he was confused.

“Then I think I’ll meet you all there. I want to get a few things before I go to the tower.” The party looked at you quizzically. “It’s just that… this place is warmer than Baldur’s Gate…. The clothes I packed are going to make me overheat in this weather.”

“That makes sense,” Karlach spoke up in your defense. “It is hotter than the hells here, and I should know.”

You sent a silent prayer up to the gods. “Exsactly! So I’m going to take an hour and meet you all back at the tower.”

“I’ll go with you.” Astarion broke from the group. “Someone has to tell you that you look fabulous.”

The others said their goodbyes and promised to see you later at the tower for dinner. You watched as your friends left the two of you alone. Astarion took your hand in his, and you looked at him. The sea air was causing his curls to have more volume and curl more tightly together. He ran his free hand through them to break them apart.

“Let's go to a dress shop… I’m tired of pants.” You looked around and found an outdoor market that had many stalls containing what you were looking for.

“I couldn’t agree more, darling. Plus, you not wearing pants makes it easier to get to all my favorite parts.” He kissed your cheek as it turned red.

“We are not having sex in Gale’s tower. I feel like his creepy apparitions are going to watch.” You started to make your way to the market.

“What are you not into being an exhibitionist? It can be very erotic.”

“I will do just about anything else with you, but I draw the line at having Gale’s creepy walking self-portraits watch us.” You looked up at him.

“I’m going to put that to the test, Darling.” You audibly gulped at his words.

You approached the first stall that had dresses and found that they were all long, beautiful sun dresses that had enough fabric around where your stomach would be to hide the bump that was getting larger by the day. There seemed to be four different styles, and the colors ranged from primarily greens, blues, and purples, with some being just white from not being dyed just yet. You bought two of each dress style in varying colors and one in white. The White one you intended to wear to the ceremony and buy some gold accents that would compliment your slightly tanned skin.

While looking at the other stalls, a few other styles of dresses caught your eye that would do more to show off your bump when you were ready to announce to the world about your soon-to-be half-v vampire child that you would be bringing into this world. These were purple, light blue, red, dark green, and white so you decided to buy one of each color, bringing the total of dresses you bought up to fourteen. That would cover all of the days in Waterdeep, and you would be comfortable because pants would not be involved.

Astarion approved of your choices and not just because there was a slit up the sides of most of the dresses that reached mid-thigh but because he thought you would look good in a burlap sack. The two of you continued to walk through the market when Astarion told you to wait a moment while he went to look at something that caught his eye. You are waiting for him to return, taking the time to sit and rest your tired feet. You were going to take a good, long, hot soak before dinner tonight.

“Close your eyes, darling,” Astarion said as he walked back over to you.

“Why?” You asked, being suspicious of his intentions.

“Just close your eyes, or I’ll go return it.” You did as he asked. “Now give me your left hand.”

You extended your left hand to him and felt his palm touch yours. “What are you doing?”

You felt something cool slide on your left ring finger and opened your eyes to see a beautiful rose gold ring accented with purple stones and small diamonds weaving around it. Words caught in your throat as you looked from the ring to Astarion, who was standing before you.

“Well? What do you think? Do you want to make this official or not?” He turned away from you, and you saw that his cheeks were turning red, and a look of embarrassment laced his features.

“It took you long enough.” You shot up from the bench you had been sitting on and wrapped your arms around his neck, turning his face back towards yours and kissing him deeply.

The two of you started to draw the attention of others around you as your kiss lasted for several seconds. It wasn’t a kiss to burn a fire deep within your bellies and drive passion. It was a kiss that was laced with love, a promise of devotion, and so much more than that. When you finally broke apart to look into each other's eyes, neither one of you spoke; you just smiled like lunatics at each other.

“Let’s go tell our friends you finally asked me the question I have been waiting for these past fifty years.” You looked back at the ring.

“Technically, I never asked.”

“I’m counting this as you did.” You detangled yourself from him, and the two of you started to make your way toward Gale’s tower.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you think he’s compensating for something?” Astarion asked as you neared the tower.

“I’m starting to think so.” You answered him in a monotone voice.

The sizeable purple tower was anything but subtle. It overlooked the sea and, for lack of a better word, towered over all the other buildings even remotely around it. The outer walls had fifty windows, and there was one large oak door that was ornamented with gold that made it look like the weave itself was guided to the door.

Before you could knock on the door, an apparition of Gale appeared. “Ah, you finally made it! The door is unlocked to you and all of my guests no need to knock; just come in. Your room will be to the left of the stairs on the third floor of the tower.”

“Thank you… do you guys, umm… watch people in these rooms?” You hesitate to ask, but I'm not sure if it would be considered rude. Or if it was a dumb question.

Astarion laughed. “Yes, do you just pop into people’s rooms unannounced?”

“No, Astarion, I will not be watching the two of you. I'm not an exhibitionist.” Gale spoke through his apparition. “Will the two of you just come in and get ready? Everyone is waiting for you two so we can have dinner.”

“Of course! We wouldn’t want to keep everyone waiting.” Astarion walked through Gale’s apparition, and it vanished.

As he opened the door to the inside of the structure, your jaw dropped. The tower on the outside looked like a lighthouse—a decent size but not overly large. The inside told a completely different story. It was five times the size of what it was on the outside, and you noticed doors along the walls that shouldn’t lead anywhere, but you knew that they did. This whole tower was a paradox.

“He’s definitely overcompensating for something…” You said as you walked towards the stairs and started your accent to your rooms.

“When he brings women home, do you think he asks if they wanna see his purple tower, and they’re disappointed?”

“Astarion stops; he can probably hear you.” You were out of breath by the time you made it to your floor.

“He knows I’m only joking. He did manage to have sex with the goddess of magic… he has to be decent, at least.” He opened the door to your room. “He does have good taste.”

The room was immaculate. Again, you questioned how it was possible for this room to exist. It was an open layout, with the bedroom opening into a giant steaming pool that already had towels, soap, and other assorted perfume bottles.

“He wants us to smell pretty for dinner, it would seem.” Astarion placed your new dresses out on the bed.

You took a long sniff of yourself. “Do be fair…. We have smelled better.”

Astarion shrugged and began stripping off his clothes. “We haven’t had a proper bath in forty-five days.”

“I bathed in the river as often as I could.” You started to strip off your clothes as well.

“I don’t have that luxury. Can’t step foot in running water, so I had to make do with wet towels the whole time.” He stepped into the hot water and moaned.

That was one thing you couldn’t fix. Being able to walk in the sun was no problem, but short of finding a cure for his vampirism altogether, Astarion couldn’t step foot in running water.

“You make it sound like that water feels better than sex.” You finished pulling the rest of your clothes off and made your way towards the water.

“At this moment, yes, it is.” He sank under the water and came back out just enough so that his eyes, nose, and ears were peeking out of the water.

“Well then, good to know I can be outdone by a hot body of water.” You dipped your feet in the water. “I see what you mean. I would take this over you, too.”

“So we’re in agreement we are in a polygamous relationship with this pool of water.” Astarion came up and reached for the soap Gale or whoever managed his massive tower laid out for the two of you.

Astarion looked at your naked body as you stepped further into the pool, his eyes moving up and down your body, drinking you in like he was dying of thirst.

“What? You’ve seen me naked thousands of times.” You fully submerge yourself in the water.

“And every time I do, I’m reminded just how lucky I am.” He grabbed a hand towel, got it wet, and then added the soap to it.

He pressed the towel to his skin and began scrubbing the road from his skin, and you started to do the same. The soap felt like silk as you moved the towel over your skin. You took your time going over your swollen breasts, massaging them to ease the tension from being compressed behind a breastplate for twelve hours.

“I can do that for you.” Astarion came up behind you, his hot body pressed to your back as he grabbed the hand towel from you. “You deserve to be treated like a queen for what you’ve been through these past weeks.”

“When do I get my crown?” You leaned into his chest.

“As soon as I am able.” He caressed your tiny baby bump as he kissed the crook of your neck.

You moved your neck so he had better access to your neck. “You can bite me, you know.”

“I’m not biting you.” He placed another kiss on your neck.

“Why not? Does my blood taste funny now?”

“No, your blood is by far one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I won’t drink from you because I don’t want to hurt you. Our child is already feeding off of you.” He let out a long sigh. “Even though I want nothing more than to taste your sweet blood on my tongue.”

You felt a pulse of arousal course through you. The thought of him feeding on you makes the coil in your stomach tighten. You missed the feeling of his teeth on your skin, the feel of them puncturing your neck, and the feel of ice in your veins as he sucked your lifeblood.

“Just for a second…. We are about to have dinner, so my body can afford to lose some of its blood.” You felt his whole body go still. The feel of his own arousal pressed against your back. “Please…”

At the sound of you begging, his fangs scraped against your skin but did not puncture your flesh. “You will tell me if it gets to be too much.”

“Yes.”

At your confirmation, his fangs broke through your sink, and you moaned, grinding your ass against his hard length. He sucked greedily for a few long seconds before removing his fangs and licking the holes he left behind. It wasn’t enough; you wanted him to feed for longer, take all he needed from you, and more.

“Fuck…” Astarion’s breath was hot against your neck. “I want more…”

He moved his that was on your stomach lower and placed the other on your shoulder, pushing your shoulders down and causing your body to form a ninety-degree angle. You held onto the side of the pool, arching your back to give him a better angle for what you knew he planned to do next.

Astarion grabbed his length and placed it at your hot center just outside the entrance. “How do you feel about having sex in Gale’s tower now?”

“I think if I can’t have your fangs in me, I want the next best thing.”

At your words, he slid inside you, filling you to the hilt. You cried out in pleasure as he pulled out almost completely only to slam back in and set a tempo that stroked and tightened the coil growing in your stomach. One of his hands found your breast, and you moaned as the mixture of his length filling you and the sensitivity from your breast played off of each other in perfect harmony.

It didn’t take long for you to hit peak pleasure, causing your climax to crash into you. Astarion felt you tighten around him and upped the tempo to help you ride out your climax and for him to follow soon after. You felt his hot release as it filled you completely. You stayed connected, your bodies not ready to be apart just yet.

When you were finally able to leave each other, Astarion turned you to face him. He kissed you with every ounce of passion he had left, swirling his tongue in your mouth so you could taste your blood.

“We really do need to get to dinner before they come up here looking for us,” Astarion said as he broke the kiss.

“You go ahead. I have to finish cleaning up. Tell them to start without me. I’m very filthy.” You accented the last word with your breath.

“ Oh, I know, darling.” He kissed you lightly on your lips. “I’m the one that defiled you.”

Astarion got out of the pool dripping wet and dried off, putting a clean pair of clothes on. You watched as he dried and styled his hair. He delicately made sure that every curl was perfect before leaving you to finish washing up.

After about ten minutes, you finally deemed yourself clean enough to see your friends and stepped from the pool to begin drying off. Before you could grab a towel, you heard someone approaching your room, and the door swung open abruptly.

“Come on, you’re taking fucking forever, and the food looks….” Karlach stood at the door and froze as she took in your naked form. Her eyes moved from your swollen breasts to the small swell of your belly. “Are you pregnant

[millersdjarin]

I Only See Daylight

Chapter Four

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!Reader

Rating: E (eventually)

Chapter warnings/tags: slow burn, dad!din, bonding, injuries (not in detail), negative self-talk, mentions of past trauma/abuse

Chapter Length: 4.2k

Previous Chapter | Series Masterlist & Info

notes: im sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the others! if it's any consolation, a few of the chapters in this fic are 10k, so there's that. :) i've set a posting schedule of mondays and thursdays, but this week i'm posting on sunday because i'm going to be travelling on monday and i have to stay off tumblr to avoid tlou spoilers until the evening. so, surprise :)

i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw you

“How do you feel?” Is the first thing you hear when you wake, rolling over on your makeshift bed to find Mando standing at the cave entrance again. He’s leaning against the wall with one shoulder, his hip cocked out, one leg bent casually. 

Kriffing hells, how is he so attractive when all you can see of him is his posture and his impossibly shiny armour? 

You force the thought from your mind, blaming it on your half-asleep state. 

“I don’t know yet,” you answer with a grimace. It’s been two days since your fall. The pain is better, though the rest of your body feels stiff now, muscle soreness finally catching up with you after the tumble. There hasn’t been another storm, at least, so Mando has managed to hunt for every meal so far. He goes out to get water every morning, filling canteens to the brim. He makes you drink so much that sometimes it feels like you’re swimming in it. “Hydration helps with healing,” he says every time, even though you already know; he says it just to counter your playful glaring at him every time he hands you the flask. 

“Sun rose not that long ago,” he cranes his neck to gaze up at the sky, “if you’re feeling up to it, we can probably travel today.” 

You manage to sit up, but the minute you do, pain shoots down from the wound on your calf and into your ankle. It circles there around the joint and throbs. “Have we got any more ice packs?” 

“One more,” Mando answers as he heads right over to his medpack and gets it out. 

“We should ration it,” you hold out your hand to stop him activating it. “For when we’re travelling. I’ll probably need it.” 

He looks down at the pack, hesitates. Then nods and puts it away. “Do you think you’ll be okay to travel today? If so, we should move soon, make the most of the daylight.”

Shifting a little, you try to get a gage on your body, how it feels. A grimace makes its way onto your face without your consent. Everything hurts. Literally everything. Muscles you didn’t even know you had are strained and stiff. 

But you’ve been here for two days. He’s been stranded here for four. 

“If the answer is anything but yes,” his voice cuts through your rapidly declining thoughts, “then my answer is no.” 

Relieved, you smile. But you protest, “Mando, you’ve stayed with me so long now. I can make my own way back.” 

“No,” he says definitively. “We move when you’re ready.” 

You relax, settling back against the wall. You’re too sore to argue. 

“The kid’s enjoying the vacation, anyway,” Mando says, the lilt of a smile in his voice. 

As if summoned, Grogu steps forward from his little bed at the back of the cave. He yawns, his tiny mouth opening as wide as it can go, his eyes screwing shut. 

Oh, Maker, he is adorable. 

“You take time off a lot?” You ask with a wry smile as Mando scoops the kid up into his arms. 

The huff of a laugh comes through his helmet. “Not really.” 

“Why am I not surprised?”

Mando tickles Grogu’s cheek, earning a little giggle. 

You watch them. There’s that warmth again, creeping its way between your ribs, around your heart. 

You have to look away. 

All three of you are starting to get a little stir crazy by the time the night comes around. 

You’re feeling better, though. Mando’s hydration obsession is working to help loosen out your stiff muscles. It doesn’t help, though, that you have to keep getting up every hour to pee. Especially because you have to tell Mando every time nature calls, which is, admittedly, rather humiliating—it shouldn’t be, it’s fucking natural, but he’s Mando and he’s been making you feel a certain way, and you don’t want to have to admit to this terrifying yet comforting man that you have to piss. It’s even worse that he has to help you hobble outside, then walk away while you do your business, and come back and pretend to not notice the puddle sinking into the ground. 

It’s demoralising. Your cheeks are tired from flushing red all the time. 

But he insists on you drinking enough, even when you protest. 

“I don’t mind doing this, you know,” he says as the sun sets, an arm around you as you hobble to the designated Nature Area. 

“Yes, you do,” you grumble, kind of just wanting the ground to open up and swallow you whole. 

“I don’t,” he insists. “It’s fine. Besides, it’s good to move a little.” 

“A little? Mando, it’s every hour, on the hour, at this point.” 

The unfamiliar sound of a soft laugh comes through his helmet. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say it sounded fond. But you’ve never heard a laugh like that. So. “It’s good. Just call me back when you’re ready.” 

He never comes back until you call, no matter how long it takes you.

It isn’t lost on you, either, that you never would have been able to do this on your own. You’d have had to piss where you sat. Which seems like a worse concept than just ruining your leg, and subsequent mobility, forever by forcing yourself to walk home. 

As darkness approaches, Mando takes his flashlight—yours is long dead by now—and puts it in the far end of the cave. He stays over there, rustling in his pack for something. Curious, you watch, wondering what he’s doing; he angles the light strangely, propping it up with a few stray rocks on the ground, and then fishes out a small piece of canvas, pulled from what remained of your tent. He puts it over the flashlight, folds it once. 

Then, the light is softer. Diffused around the cave. 

Grogu, who is sitting against the wall playing with a little silver ball, looks up at the newly-lit cave walls and laughs in glee. 

“You like it, kid?” Mando asks him. 

The kid claps his hands together, gazing around. Mando laughs softly and sits back down beside the kid, watching him. 

You’re watching Mando. It’s impossible not to, with the soft light reflecting from his armour in a new way, casting new highlights and shadows across every curve and edge. You wonder what places he’s been, how he’d look in all kinds of light. Harsh, bright, sunshine of a bright summer’s day, the dark ashy colour beneath rain clouds. 

“Mando?” You find yourself saying. 

He looks up at you, one hand holding the kid. 

“Tell me about somewhere else you’ve been,” you request. “Please?” 

“Where do you want to hear about?” 

“Anywhere. First place that comes to mind.” 

For a second, he’s quiet, just looking at you. Considering. When he speaks, he doesn’t say what you expected him to, and his voice is softer than it should be. “You really want to travel, don’t you?” 

And, okay. 

That hits a nerve. 

You look away, blinking. It’s clear that you’ve tensed, that something has made you uncomfortable; and you expect him to backtrack, to apologise, but he just waits. So patient, like he wouldn’t mind if you didn’t say anything, or even if you just told him to fuck right off. You wish you could see his face, decipher his expression. Match it to the soft curiosity of his lovely voice. 

“Yeah,” you manage on a shaky breath, imagining yourself up there, in the vastness of space, free to explore the Galaxy. “Yeah, I do.” 

Quiet again. He’s giving you space. 

You take it, let it sink in. 

Then, his voice is there again, “So why don’t you?”

And if that isn’t a question and a half. “It’s, uh,” you clear your throat. You’re about to say it’s complicated. But that doesn’t even cover the half of it. Instead, feeling a cold, familiar dread slowly creeping through your veins, you say, “I like it here.” 

He doesn’t say anything, but he looks at you still, some kind of unexplainable patience coming from his dark visor. 

It’s unclear if he can hear the omission of the truth.

You don’t want to lie to him. 

You’re sitting here, in a cave that he so beautifully lit as best he can, on top of a bed that he made just for you to be comfortable, after he’s helped you pee about twelve times a day for the last two days. He’s been nothing but kind. 

And it’s not that you feel like you owe him answers because of that. Nor, in fact, that you think he feels you owe him answers. His quiet, unassuming patience in the dim intimacy of this cave is proof enough of that. 

No, it’s not that. 

It’s that you’ve been alone for so long. You’ve never said this to anyone.

And after all this, once you’re back at your hut and you’ve fixed his ship together, he’s going to leave. And you’re never going to see him again, anyway. 

So. 

“Truthfully,” you say, “as much as I like it here, it’s not where I’d choose to be. If I had another choice.” 

Instead of staying still and silent, he starts to nod. His gaze is unwavering, solid and stable, weaving its way into the tension and uncertainty beneath your skin, soothing it.

Grogu gets up and waddles over to you. He climbs clumsily into your lap.

Then, with a quick look to Grogu, Mando says, “I understand.”

And that, those simple words, make something release in your chest.

The weight of your confession doesn’t feel as heavy as you’d expected. In fact, it feels like something has lifted in the air between the three of you. Like even the kid understands. 

Well.

This is new. 

-

As the third morning in the cave rolls around, you wake up feeling much better. 

Once you’ve relieved your always-full bladder, you tell Mando as much, staggering back into the cave and to your bed. “You can stop over-watering me now,” you tease as he lets you back against the wall, gentle. Your hands are on the backs of his arms, and slide all the way down them as he moves away. You wish you could linger there, and the way he moves so slowly, his visor gazing down into your sleepy eyes, makes you think that he wishes that, too. 

As your palms brush against his wrists, he seems to catch himself. He pulls away quickly and turns to distract himself with the kid.

“So, you’re ready to travel?” He asks. 

“As I’ll ever be,” you reply, staring at him from behind. He has a nice behind. (And you need to stop. Immediately.)

“You can lean on me. We’ll take it slow, I promise.” 

Kriff, say that again… “I’ll be alright. You’ve got enough to carry.” 

He looks at you again. “I’m leaving the parts here,” he says, like that should be obvious. 

“What?” You frown. “But your ship…” 

“Once we find our way back, and you’re safe, I’ll come back for them.” 

“Mando, I can manage. Seriously, we should take the parts. You’ve been here long enough.” 

The helmet tilts. “You trying to get rid of me?” It would concern you, if the teasing in his tone wasn’t arousingly obvious.

You just about manage to recover from the stirring in your belly, and you laugh, “Totally. Sick of you already.” 

The kid, standing beside him, looks at you and makes a sad noise. His ears turn down towards the ground. 

Kriff. “Hey, I’m just kidding,” you assure him with a smile. As a peace offering, you reach your hands out to him, and he relaxes in an instant, immediately plodding over to you and climbing into your lap. You hold him, give him a quick hug, then just let him sit there. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m actually gonna miss you,” you whisper into his ear. He coos happily, tugging at a loose thread on your coat.

When you look up, Mando is, of course, staring at you. This time, you know for sure that it’s at both you and the kid.

“What?” You ask. 

“Nothing,” he answers after a moment of hesitation. “I’m going to pack up. Then we can move. You okay to sit with the kid?” 

“You know I am,” you smile, and watch as Mando nods and heads outside.

That pang in your chest is back. Well, you’re not sure when it turned from a slow warmth into a pang. 

But it’s there. Too obvious to ignore. 

For a few miles, you manage pretty well. It took some convincing, but you got Mando to agree to taking the parts along with him in the end. You do lean on him, but only when moving over particularly rough terrain, fallen logs, or exposed tree roots. 

“How we doing?” Mando asks at around noon. 

“Fine,” you say, feeling a little breathless. 

“You sure?” 

“I’m sure. We can stop soon for a break.” 

Another hour passes, your ankle is starting to throb, and you’re really fucking glad that you saved that ice pack for this exact moment. 

Mando sits you down on a fallen log, keeping his arm around you until you’re properly seated, lingering just a little too long for you to tame the way it makes your heart beat wildly. To feel the heat of him through his flight suit, your hands and arms pressed to parts of him not covered by armour, just the soft parts; it’s a lot. When you first saw him, this wall of metal, you never thought you’d see any further than that. Kriff, you never even thought he’d get closer to your hut than he was when you had your blaster pointed at him. 

Maybe that would have been best. Because if he��d just left, if there was another way for him to get the help he needed, you wouldn’t be thinking about him the way you are right now. 

The softness of the crook of his elbow, the curve of his waist and hip. The warmth of his skin that you have yet to see an inch of. All of the weapons strapped to him, so close to you, close enough that if it were anyone else, you’d be scared. 

But it’s Mando. 

This might be the least scared you’ve been in a lifetime. 

He cracks the ice pack to activate it, then kneels down in front of you. Reaching out to grab a smaller log, he places it under your ankle, elevates your leg slightly. Then his gloved fingers tug at the hem of your trousers. “Can I?” He asks. 

Kriff. You nod, unable to form words. 

The rough-yet-smoothness of the gloves is all you feel at first, brushing delicately against your skin as he lifts your trousers, then unlaces your boots, gently pulling them off, followed by your socks. Your ankle is more swollen than it had been this morning, but you’d expected that. 

And, besides, that is not what you’re thinking about right now. 

Instead your mind can only focus on the softness of his hold under your foot, the gentle way he places the ice pack on top of it. The heat of his hand starts to come through. You wish it was his bare skin. Wish you knew what his skin is like. Is it calloused, or soft from always protecting them? Does he have scars? Is the hair on his arms dark, light, a thin covering or thicker, perfect to run your fingers through—

His hands are gone before you realise it. It takes your glitching mind a second to catch up.

You chase him with your eyes, silently wishing for him to come back. 

But then. 

Then. 

As he turns away, he reaches for the flask in his satchel. You watch his hands lift to his helmet, take a gentle hold of the base of it. At first you panic, thinking he’s about to remove his helmet, no you don’t have to do that it’s okay—

But he just lifts it the tiniest bit, such a small movement that you only know it has been lifted because he puts the rim of his flask to his lips and takes a sip. 

You can’t see his skin, not a hint of it. But you can hear him drinking, hear the water against his lips, the gentle gulps as he swallows. 

And the way it entrances you, takes you away from the forest and the pain of your ankle and the fact that this is so not appropriate for you to be thinking—yeah, it’s probably for the best that he can’t ever show his face to you.

You look away before he even lowers the helmet again. 

-

Maybe the worst part about all this is that you’re starting to dread Mando and the kid leaving. 

That’s not how this was supposed to go, not how any of this was supposed to play out. You helped him because it was the right thing to do, because it’s exactly what They would tell you not to do, because your life has been the same every single fucking day since you got here. 

But that’s been fine. It’s been safe. 

“Pass me that wrench?” Mando asks, breaking you out of your thoughts. 

You pass him it, noting the tilt of his helmet in a wordless ‘thanks’ before he turns back to his job. He’s up on a ladder, leaning against the ship’s exterior wall with one of the panels fully off, fixing something to do with the foundation for the body. 

His ship is bigger than you’d expected. He tells you that it’s bigger than his old ship, the Razor Crest, but only by a little. “It’s a similar shape,” he’d said, “but it has two bunks and more space. For the kid.” He has a star fighter too, apparently, docked at some other base off-world with a friend of his. It’s funny to imagine him with friends, though you’re not sure why. Especially because, since getting to know him the last few days, you know how generous he is. How kind, helpful. Gentle, despite everything. 

Why wouldn’t he have friends?

Beneath him, you sit on a crate and lean against the ship, waiting for him to give you more instructions. The engine has been mostly fixed now, as much as it’s ever going to be out here in the middle of nowhere using scrounged-up parts. He’s just getting the last of the body work done, enough to make sure it’s aerodynamically sound. 

It’s interesting, watching him work. You ask a lot of questions, and every time you do, you expect a frustrated sigh or an exasperated response. But he answers every question thoroughly, and it doesn’t even distract him from his work. 

The sun is warm against your face. The afternoon of Mando’s fifth day on this planet is drawing to a close, fading into the evening. As the sky turns to duller shades of blue, tinted with oranges and pinks, you can’t help but admire the way he looks beneath the light. His armour is always the same, always so distinctive, yet it reflects different lights in different ways. Sometimes it makes the beskar appear darker, like a gun metal grey. Other times it’s a bright silver. Then there are times like this, when it goes with the colour of the sky, reflects the beauty of everything surrounding him. 

You think back to the light in the cave, how that looked different still. The urge to see the Galaxy comes over you again, though this time it’s not staring at his ship and dreaming about taking off in it that does it; this time, it’s wondering what he looks like in even more places, more environments. Does the metal get hot in the sunshine? Or is it always as cool as it’s been when you’ve had the chance to feel it before? 

The kid is sitting on the ground in front of you. There’s a beetle scuttling around in the mud, and Grogu is toying with it, blocking it off when it runs one way, then doing the same when it runs the other. You wonder if he’s going to eat it, or if he’s just having fun by being cruel to the little six-legged creature. 

“Don’t play with your food,” Mando says to him, answering your silent question. 

Grogu looks up at him. His ears turn downwards, sulking. Mando ignores his obvious pleas to change his mind, turning back to his work. When Grogu looks back at the beetle, he only just catches it before it runs off, and instead of toying with it anymore, he just shoves it in his mouth with a loud crunch. 

You find yourself smiling at him. He smiles back, ears lifting again. 

“Alright,” Mando starts to step down from the ladder. You reach out and hold one of the ladder’s legs, knowing he probably doesn’t need you to, but still not wanting to risk it. Ladders make you nervous. “Think that’s the best we’re going to get.” 

You look up to the ship. He’s fixed the panel back on again. Now all that remains is the burnt metal from his “interesting landing”, with some bends in it, exposing little sections of the framework beneath. It’s definitely a patchwork job. But it looks better than it did when you got here this morning. So.

“How’s your leg?” He asks as he folds up the ladder. 

“Good,” you answer. It’s stretched out in front of you, propped on another crate. “Ship looks good.” 

With a resigned sigh, he puts his hand on his hips, and tilts his helmet to look up at his handiwork. “No, she doesn’t. But she’ll do.” Then he looks back to you, “I couldn’t have fixed it without your help. Thank you.” 

You shift under his gaze, unable to help it. Every time he looks at you it feels like his eyes can see right through you, and the part that makes you uncomfortable is that it doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Self-conscious and disgustingly aware of your own inappropriate, lustful thoughts? Yes. Uncomfortable? No. You don’t think it ever could. 

“Of course,” you say eventually. “And, hey, I’ve got a scar to remember our little adventure by, huh?” 

He laughs softly. You see the shake of his chest as the chuckle comes through his modulator. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.” 

“Hm, no. But there’s no gift shop around here. So.” 

He shakes his head, and you imagine, hope, that he’s smiling under all that beskar. He certainly looks casual, a hand on one hip, one leg relaxed while his weight rests on the other. 

“Do you always stare so much?” You find yourself asking with a teasing, daring quirk of your brow. 

“Yes.”

“At everyone, or just me?”

He pauses. Your heart rate spikes briefly as you wait for his response to your terrible excuse for flirting. “At everyone,” he answers eventually, and disappointment starts to set in before he says, “But it’s harder to look away from you.” 

Oh. 

The disappointment quickly shifts to nervousness, heart beating fast again as you clench your hands in your lap. He just stands there, staring despite the awkward and loaded silence between you, and stares. As if he’s making his point by offering an example. 

You look away. Suddenly, your cheeks are hot. “You hungry?” You find yourself asking. 

He pauses again, then nods. “Yes.” 

“I’ll make us some dinner. You just come back to the hut whenever you’re ready.” It’s only as you stand to hobble back home that you realise he might not want that. You swivel back around to face him, backtrack, “I mean, unless you want to eat out here. Your ship’s fixed now, I guess you can—you can stay in that? You don’t have to come back with me. I’ll be okay.” 

Again, getting more and more infuriating with each silence he lets stretch out, he just stares. Kriffing hells, does he ever stop!? 

“Would you let me cook for you?” He asks, finally.

You weren’t expecting that. 

Shifting weight to your good leg, you raise your eyebrows. “You want to cook me dinner?” 

He nods once. “Yes. To thank you for all your help. And as a farewell.” 

You’ve been trying your hardest not to think about that part. It sits in your stomach, cold and dreadful and confusing, too far down for you to swallow it. “Alright,” you agree with a soft smile. “I can’t promise I’ve got any decent ingredients, though. You might have to perform a miracle.” 

“I’m up to the challenge,” he says, hooking his thumb over the belt around his hips. You’re distracted by it, finding your eyes sliding down to his middle before you catch yourself and look back up. The tilt of his helmet suggests he might have seen your gaze shift. “I’ll walk back with you. Just give me a minute.” 

You can’t find a reason to refuse. 

♡ updates posted Mondays and Thursdays ♡

notes: thank you for reading! all interactions are appreciated as always, but comments and reblogs especially fuel my need for validation ❤️ as always, the title and lyrics at the start are from taylor swift's "daylight"

taglist: @toobsessedsstuff @granillx @keepingitlokiii @shoe1412 @kiruoris @quentinor @yourunstablegf @moonknight-s-cumdump @senassn @samanthacookieone @local-fanfic-addict @your-slutty-gf @brilliantopposite187 @iwantjoelmillertoultraviolenceme

if you wanna be on the taglist, let me know! (pls specify if just the taglist for this fic, or the list for all my future fics ❤️)

[gepardling]

night-time rendezvous III w/ gepard .

desc. : HAPPY HALLOWEEN but nothing spooky happened yet. idk abt u but im kinda terrified of this guy's family. why haven't u ran away yet??? WHY ARE U STILL HERE?? im convinced its some vampire shit they do to make u trust them and be relaxed. anyways. longer chapter this time around ( wc : 2.5k )

tags / cw : sfw, but mentions of blood, injury and vampirism, gn!reader, (they/them used), vampire!AU for the Landaus, reader is a human, little bit of fluff, proofread but lore may change

index : prologue, part 1, part 2

— DAY 2

The remainder of your night proved to be uneventful as you tried countless methods to fall asleep. However, the unease stemming from the unfamiliar surroundings kept you awake. Sleep continued to evade you into the following day, and when you eventually awoke to the sight of the moon, it felt like time had frozen. Your thoughts were interrupted when Gepard knocked on the door. You blinked at the sight of him as he entered the room, fully illuminated by the silvery moonlight that spilled through the window.

The delirium from your earlier fevered state seemed to have lifted, and you could now appreciate the details of his striking appearance. He was a vision, a blend of aristocracy and danger. His tall, lean figure seemed sculpted from the moonlight itself. His sapphire eyes, softened by the pale glow of the moon, held a mixture of warmth and a hint of the insatiable hunger that defined his kind. He was the embodiment of centuries of existence.

Gepard's voice, however, brought you back to the present. "I see you're awake," he said with a soft smile, his sharp fangs gleaming slightly. "How are you feeling?" You could feel concern radiating from him, a strange juxtaposition to the undeniable predatory nature he concealed so well.

"You never... Told me about your family being, well…" You uttered, his strong presence intimidating you now that you're fully conscious. The sight of his fangs made you inch back slightly on the bed. Gepard noticed your reaction and sighed, his shoulders slumping as he perched on the edge of the bed, making sure to keep his distance. His gaze softened as he explained, "I'm sorry for not mentioning it earlier. It's... complicated."

His fangs, still visible, were a stark reminder of what he was, but he made no move to approach you. "My family, we're… revenants," he continued. "I know this must be overwhelming, but please understand, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe." Despite the uncertainty you felt, Gepard's eyes held a sincerity that was hard to dismiss. His conflicted emotions were evident, a testament to the human side that struggled against his vampiric nature.

"I see," you breathed shakily, the apprehension you felt slowly washing away. "I'm guessing you're... quite old, then." You danced around the topic, not wanting to confront it head-on.

Gepard nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yes, you could say that," he admitted. "But it's not the years that define a person, it's what they make of them. And, well, I've been through quite a lot in my time."

"What do you... Well, eat...?" You glanced at him, not wanting to maintain eye contact for too long.

Gepard leaned back slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'm a vampire, so I do drink blood," he replied softly. "But it's not as... sinister as it might seem. I don't harm humans." He could sense your discomfort and quickly added, "I know it's a lot to take in, but I promise you, I would never hurt you. You have my word." The honesty in his voice seemed to reassure you somewhat, although the idea of a blood-drinking vampire was still a lot to process.

"Do you have any other family members I should be worried about?" You asked.

Gepard hesitated for a moment, his expression growing slightly pensive. "Serval is the oldest and the most… wary. But I have a younger sister. She's not as confrontational as Serval is. You don't have to worry about her."

"Ah, I see... What's she like?" You asked. 

Gepard smiled, his gaze distant as he thought about his younger sister. "Lynx is quite different from Serval. She's adventurous, a free spirit. She's not as interested in the traditional aspects of our kind. She spends most of her time traveling. You'd like her. She's open-minded and, well, not as... intimidating."

He hoped his description of Lynx would portray her as a more welcoming presence than his elder sister, Serval. "She sounds nice," you nodded, "I'm a traveler myself." 

Gepard's eyes brightened with interest. "You're a traveler? That's fascinating. Where have you been? Tell me about your journeys." He leaned in, genuinely intrigued. 

You lean back slightly, taken aback at his sudden interest, but you tap a finger on your chin and recount your last journey. "The last village I visited was nestled in a lush valley. The people were so welcoming, sharing stories by the fire at night. And in the highlands, I found a serene monastery where the monks taught me about their way of life and—," You spoke with enthusiasm, sharing the wonders you had encountered during your travels.

Gepard listened to you with a glint of admiration in his eyes, letting you ramble on without intervening. Suddenly, you paused, realizing you might have been monopolizing the conversation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that."

Gepard smiled softly, his eyes never leaving yours. "Please, there's no need to apologize. I could listen to your stories all night. But…" Gepard arises from his seat, "You haven't eaten in a while, you must be hungry?" You suddenly became acutely aware of this and sheepishly nodded in agreement. He gave you time to freshen up, waiting for you outside the door.

After you exit, Gepard led you to a dining area, where a beautifully set table awaited. The room is dimly lit, with candles casting flickering shadows on the walls. The aroma of food wafts through the air, making your stomach growl in anticipation. The two of you sit down, and Gepard serves a delicious meal. As you enjoy the food, you can't help but feel a sense of calmness in Gepard's presence. It's as if you've stepped into a different world, which you technically literally did, one where the worries and dangers of your travels are temporarily forgotten.

That is, until Serval and Lynx enter the dining hall, their presence not going unnoticed. Gepard stands up to greet them and Serval smiles knowingly, while Lynx's eyes light up with curiosity. She gazes at you with a friendly, yet inquisitive expression. "Hello," she says cheerfully. "You must be the guest Gepard brought home. I'm Lynx. It's nice to meet you." She offers you a small wave. You pass her a friendly smile, feeling more at ease with her upbeat demeanor. Serval watches the interaction, her piercing gaze softened by a hint of amusement. It's clear that the introduction sparked her interest.

She's quick to pick up on the rosy tint of your cheeks, as well as the lack of two iconic pin-pricks on your neck, and it seems that Gepard was able to behave himself all day. The light mood is interrupted by Serval’s wilted tone. "I sincerely hope you're not planning on introducing your guest to mother and father, no?"

A knowing silence settled over the hall like a veil, and even Lynx's mood seemed to dampen. Gepard hesitates for a moment before responding, choosing his words carefully. "No, Serval. Their stay here is only short-term."

Serval raises an eyebrow, her gaze scrutinizing. "Well, you've certainly taken a liking to them, haven't you? It's not like you to bring a traveler home, let alone to introduce them to the family."

Gepard nods, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Yes, I have. And you know why."

Serval's expression softens, and she concedes with a nod. "I do. Just be careful, Gepard. You know how our parents can be." The weight of Serval's words lingered in the room.

"Where... Are your parents?" Your quiet voice filled the silence, shaky fingers fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth to keep yourself at ease.

Gepard sighed deeply, considering how to explain his parents' absence. "They often go on trips, you see. Our parents are historians."

You listen intently, intrigued by the idea of Gepard's parents as worldly and curious individuals. "Where have they gone?" you ask.

"Many places," Gepard replies with a faint smile. "They're quite the collectors, too."

As he continues to describe his parents' adventures, you can't help but feel a twinge of regret that you won't meet them during your stay. "They don't sound very intimidating to me," you wondered aloud.

Serval's laughter chimed throughout the dining hall, "They'd have loved you before their trust was broken, maybe…"

Gepard interjects, trying to ease any tension in the room. "Serval, I'm sure they don't despise humans. They might have their reservations, but they're not unkind."

"Gepard, you know that not all people are to be trusted. The past has taught us that." Serval's words hang in the air, and there's an underlying tension that you can't ignore. 

As you eat your meal, anxiety swirls deep within the pit of your stomach. The tension in the room is palpable, and you can't help but think of your situation. You're now in the midst of beings far more powerful than you could have ever imagined, navigating the complexities of their world. All while hoping to find a way to leave this place and return to your own kind. The idea of being trapped in a villa with creatures who see you as an outsider, as a potential threat, lingered at the back of your mind.

Gepard waits for you to finish eating before standing up. The way his hand rests on your shoulder delivered a strange mix of comfort and unease. "Let's take a walk," he says to you, casting a glare in Serval’s direction. 

You nod in agreement, appreciating the opportunity to step away from the intense atmosphere at the table. Gepard's hand on your shoulder reassures you, and you follow him as he leads the way. As you walk through the moonlit gardens, Gepard's expression shifts from a mixture of concern and annoyance to a softer, more reassuring demeanor. 

"I apologize for my sister," he begins with a sigh. "But what she says is true. My parents don't take too kindly to a human on the villa grounds." Your chest tightens as you listen to Gepard's confession. The moonlight casts long shadows across the garden, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. You understand the implications of what he's saying - that your presence here, despite being under his protection, might not be safe. The thought weighed heavily on your mind.

"I appreciate your honesty," you respond, your voice tinged with worry. "But what do I do now?"

Gepard's expression reflects the complexity of his emotions. He wanted to protect you, but he's also torn between the expectations of his family and his affection for you. The decision ahead is not a simple one, and it hangs in the balance under the watchful gaze of the moon. "We'll discuss the outcome once you've healed," He urges, not wanting you to stress unnecessarily.

You nod in agreement, recognizing that dwelling on the situation won't change it. "Alright," you concede, trusting in Gepard's guidance. "Let's focus on getting me back to full health for now. We'll deal with the rest when the time comes."

The chill of the night bites into your skin, and you fail to conceal the shudder that ripples across your body. Gepard immediately takes notice, and swiftly removes his coat to drape it over your shoulders. The warmth of his coat, combined with his presence beside you, provides a comforting shield against the cold. Your features are quickly painted in surprise, but you offer a grateful smile and snuggle into the coat. As you continue your walk through the moonlit night, Gepard's hand finds yours, interlocking your fingers.

Neither of you say anything regarding your feelings for the other, and a love that feels almost forbidden begins to bud. In the quiet moments between words, a connection that neither of you had expected had formed. It was a love that dared not speak its name, born in the most unlikely of circumstances. The boundaries between your worlds blurred in those stolen moments, and you couldn't deny the warmth you felt in each other's presence.

Gepard escorted you back to your room with a promise to return, and as you lay in the dimly lit chamber, you couldn't help but wonder about the complicated path you had embarked upon. The villa held secrets that you were far from uncovering. You're left with a brief moment of reprieve, before Gepard returns with the physician in tow. The gentle knock on the door stirs you from your rest, and you sit up carefully to not disturb the cut on your arm.

The door creaked open slowly, and Gepard stepped inside, followed closely by the villa's physician. The physician, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and skilled hands, approached you with a reassuring smile. She examined your wound carefully and began her work, cleaning and stitching it with practiced precision. Gepard stood nearby, his presence a silent source of support. As the physician tended to your injury, the pain ebbed away, replaced by a sense of relief. The room filled with the hushed murmur of their voices, discussing your treatment and the necessity for your recovery. You couldn't help but feel grateful for their care, especially Gepard's unwavering concern.

Once the physician finished her work, she offered you some medication for the pain and gave you clear instructions for your recovery. Suddenly, she pulled you close, whispering a low warning against the shell of your ear. "Be careful of this place." Gepard watched intently, his gaze never leaving you. With a reassuring nod, the physician stepped away, leaving the two of you in an awkward silence.

Gepard finally broke the quietude, his voice soft and concerned. "Are you feeling better? The physician says you'll need some time to heal, but I'm here to help in any way I can." The tenderness in his eyes was hard to miss, and the unspoken emotions hung in the air between you.

"I'm okay..." You whisper, looking down at your hands folded over your lap. You didn’t know what to think of the physician’s words. Gepard nodded, his gaze still focused on you.

As the night deepened, you felt the exhaustion of the evening begin to weigh on you. You had been through quite an ordeal in this unfamiliar place. Gepard didn't press for conversation, recognizing that you needed some rest. He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, keeping a watchful eye on you, as if guarding your peaceful slumber.

Your eyelids grew heavy, and the last thing you heard before drifting off was the soft hum of Gepard's voice as he whispered, "Sleep well. I'll be here if you need anything." In that moment, with the moonlight filtering through the curtains and Gepard's presence as your silent protector, you couldn't help but be lulled into a strange sense of safety in this villa, despite the complex web of secrets that surrounded you.

hm i cant tell if it's a red flag or not. suddenly all my judgement has been obscured by the sight of pretty, tall man!

[neoncherryblossom]

For the ask thing (I don't know how long ago that was but here you go anyway)

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

Hi! Nah you’re good, don’t worry about it.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Hmm good question. If this is talking about like little details, all my characters always end up being in one bed at some point. I had the realization when I was tagging a fic that most of them could be lumped into ‘characters literally sleeping together’ and I don’t what that says about me. 

I like it so I’m not changing it but still wondering what that means lol. 

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

(Already answered so I’ll go a bit more in depth what I meant.) I have flown by the seat of my pants perfectly fine, but having an outline, even if you thinks it’s bad, gives you a bit of a line to follow. I’ve already veered off the line of the fic I’m outlining but it’s still so much easier when I had some kinda physical plan about where I want this to go. It can be tweaked way too easily in my head so for long fics I think I’m going to try outlining first. Shorter ones are fine I think I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. 

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

(Okay this is less of a WIP and more I was possessed to write this pre- Watching and Dreaming so if you like this and want more, you're gonna have to tell me because I don't think I'll finish it.)

“Raine?” he heard Adrien whisper fearfully and he glances at the Illusionist to see his pupils shrunk, his ears turned back, his body shaking as he stared. 

Why... 

“Hmmm?” and he finally focused on the doorway because that couldn’t be Raine, the voice was demeaning, wrong. “You have all awakened. I suppose it really is in my best interest to do... THIS!” 

And Raine’s mouth opened, a gush of green stuff shut out and was in front of his face in seconds, and with screams echoing in his ears (were any of them his?) he felt the green thing pry his mouth open (gross, wrong, what’s going on?) before gurgling down his throat and spots appeared in his vision as he stumbled. 

“DARIUS!” he lifted his eye to see Eberwolf and Raine running at him, Raine barring new scars, what happened, and a voice echoing in his mind.

“Yes,” a familiar voice cooed in his head and Darius felt his hair stand up on his neck, because Belos should be dead the Collector showed all of them how he effortlessly killed him, he should be- “This has been worth everything I’ve dealt with these past few months.” 

And his vision became clouded in green as he saw Eberwolf reaching for him, horror and panic staining his features.

---

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

Never got any before but I would just like you to know that if I had any they would go in a very special place in my heart, my camera roll, my blog, my heart again. 

(I would love it a lot 😌)

[keefwho]

May 06 - 2024 Monday

11:01pm

5/10

I've been getting to bed late so I haven't had the proper time to write down my thoughts. It has to be quick tonight too. This morning I mowed the lawn for the first time this year, it was nice and looks so much better. I didn't rake though, I will next time. In the shower I tried to play VRchat again but I joined an empty world and stayed there. No one else joined. For breakfast I made my last jimmy dean sandwich and rice. My weight was up a tiny bit so I planned to have a light lunch. I started an episode of Black Mirror that DS recommended me and I got hooked. I was only able to watch half before work and I was eager to continue later. I popped in on BR and JG in their VC very briefly to see what was up.

For work I warmed up with arm sketches, looking at different muscle locations. Then I sketched the commissions I forgot to on Friday and finished GS's commission. I had 30 minutes to spare so I worked on a personal thing too. While reading comments at the beginning, someone had said all my characters look like cubs on an e621 tag bot post which was insane to me. Like I don't know what he's seeing. We also found out he likes school girl stuff so.

After work I continued Black Mirror while I snacked and made lunch. I ate the rest of my Salt and Vinegar chips and made lipton soup. Since my frozen bread broke apart, I used it in my soup instead of crumbled up crackers as a way to thicken it. I didn't boil it long enough though so all I got were chunks of soft, slimy bread that ruined the soup. I choked it down anyways but it was not fun. Then I started the first Black Mirror episode since I was curious.

In the afternoon I sketched something for DS that I got permission to continue with. I did some more sketches while I waited for that and that was pretty much the whole hour of friend art this week. The request winner didn't get back to me in time and neither did the second winner so I skipped requests today. With how I was feeling and the upcoming therapy appointment, I didn't work on anything else today.

Therapy was fine, we mostly went over what's been happening and how things are pretty stable. Next time I'm going to have some long term goals organized and maybe he can help me come up with a way to keep track of them so I keep working on them.

After that I hopped on Minecraft in a call with AE and BT. They didn't talk much. I was trying to figure out how to start my new snowman kingdom. Then DS called so I joined her while I played and we watched furry videos. I briefly switched to KSP and she headed to bed. While she did, I finished that first BM episode. In bed we did puzzles, set a new record for the crossword time, and I played KH2.

I want to give journaling more attention. Sometimes I do it as a chore and sort of mindlessly. I'd like to take my time and consider it as if I was writing for someone who has no context for anything in my life. I think it'll help me to expand in greater detail and assist in my communication/perspective taking skills. But to do that I need time so I should probably enforce a nighttime cutoff time again where I get off to do dishes and get ready for bed. Usually 10:30 has been good enough.

[coppeliafoxworth]

February 14th 2023

Happy Valentines Day!  

I know I haven't been updating recently and that's my fault.  I've been busy but then again I'm the one making plans.  Since it's been so long since I last updated I'm just going to list some more major things rather than give detailed accounts of each day.

-Had my nine-month anniversary with my lover

-My lover has a new truck

-My lover accidentally elbowed me so hard in the nose that my piercing scratched it and I started bleeding

-I lost more weight

-I still hate my job and am applying to new places

-Tax returns came back and I'm using them to go to school

-I have a psychological evaluation tomorrow that I hope I fail so they let me go

On to today.

Today I did not want to go to work, but I got ready and went anyways.  Pay day was today and I feel rude not going into work the day I get paid.

My workday started off with Theo telling me and one of my coworkers to remove the metal detectors from the front office since we didn't use them anymore.  It was supposed to be a simple and easy task but the nuts securing the bolts wouldn't come up; they just kept spinning.  After about ten minutes of trying to fight with them, another coworker came in with the saw-zaw and cut them from the floor instead.

After we removed the detectors, we went on a "smoke break."  The new building manager should be in any time soon and one of the rules of the company is that we can't have our phones in the building because of client information, even though we work maintenance.  

Theo and a few other of my coworkers are smokers so when they take smoke breaks the rest of us do too just to sit on our phones in our cars.

I used my time wisely and called a few offices I applied to check on my applications.  I've heard some people say they don't call places they've applied to because it makes them look desperate, but I think it makes you look like you're actually interested in the job and not just applying to anything you see.

After our break we had to help Theo get rid of old files and put in new ones.  We threw away all files from twenty fifteen and before.  The new files to be placed in storage were from twenty twenty.  

While my coworker was driving to the dump to get rid of the files, I was tasked with putting two partition walls in pieces by myself.  It took me over an hour and really pissed me off that no one helped me.  Once I got everything into the connex I had to stand outside another half an hour calling any of my workers to help me close it since the door was being a brat.

Once everything was handled, I started making my way back to the shop to sit down for a bit but Theo called me on the radio before I could even get through the door.  He wanted me to go grab something while he was sitting on his ass in the shop.  I was pissed but I grabbed it, brought it back, and said I was heading out for lunch.

I was really angry and went to Moe's just to get a diet root beer as they are the only place that has it.  I ended up walking out with a diet root beer and a tofu homewrecker bowl.  After I arrived back in the shop and ate lunch, I wasn't angry anymore, just disappointed in myself for eating so much.

The rest of the workday went by pretty nicely.  I mainly watched YouTube for the rest of the day.  Once I clocked out I made a beeline to my lover's house.  By the time I got there he was sitting in bed eating his dinner.  I laid down next to him and promptly passed out.  

We slept for a while and then left to go get his younger brother dinner.  When we got back though, we were welcomed by one of his old dogs leaving a watery shit for us to clean up.  He was not happy about this and started yelling before realizing that he was talking to a dog more than a decade old.  We left again for cleaning supplies and Febreze.

After we got back the second time the dog had ran away.  We found him walking down the road towards the house.  A car was pulled over and an elderly lady was looking at the tag on his collar.  We thanked her for stopping for him and took him back home.

Now I'm home and actually looking forward to work tomorrow.  I don't think I'm going to pass this evaluation and can only hope that they are forced to let me go because of it.

[ptergwen]

could you maybe do one where peter accidentally climbs into the readers window after a long night of being spiderman but then watched the reader sleep and immediately falls in love?

ask box  |  taglist  |  blurb masterlist  |  main masterlist

w/c: 615

warnings: literally just one mild swear

a/n: aw pls i can so see him doing thisssss and y’all have been killing it with these requests lately so thank you sm and happy reading <3

peter can hardly keep his eyes open as he climbs the wall of his apartment building. he’s just finished spider-manning for the night, and he’s exhausted. patrol has been busy lately. a long and loud yawn escapes him, his eyes beginning to droop closed. he can’t even be bothered to keep them open as he crawls up the wall.

relying solely on his muscle memory, which is enhanced thanks to his spider abilities, peter stops when he reaches his bedroom window. or, what he guesses is his bedroom window. he pushes it up, then the screen, then squeezes himself inside and lands on the floor with a thud.

peter pulls off his mask and makes a beeline to his bed, only to find that someone is already in it. he can’t see who because they’re facing the other way. his tired mind must be playing tricks on him. he rubs the sleepiness out of his eyes, but when he opens them, they’re still there.

“what the hell?”

he takes a look around his room to make sure everything else is still in order. his confusion only grows upon doing so. none of his furniture or decor is here, it’s all been replaced by someone else’s.

the logical part of peter’s mind then kicks in. this isn’t his room, it’s yours. he must have stopped a window too early… or too late. either way, he’s in the wrong apartment. so much for his enhanced senses.

peter slaps his forehead with a gloved hand, mumbling to himself.

“stupid, so stupid. why would you-“

you start to stir. you switch to your other side, smushing your face into your pillow. the sight of you instantly melts peter’s heart. even though he can only see part of your face, you’re so pretty. his eyes become doe-like, lips parting in awe of you.

peter comes closer and crouches down in front of you. he tries to make out every detail of your face in the darkness of your room. he knows it’s wrong, and sort of creepy. he shouldn’t even be here. he can’t help himself, though. and, it was an honest mistake.

the best mistake.

you hum in your sleep, and the sound of your voice is music to peter’s ears. he coos quietly.

“gosh, you’re cute.”

peter wonders how he hasn’t seen you around the building before. he would definitely remember if he had. he needs to meet you, has to, but preferably when you aren’t asleep. the only problem is he doesn’t know who you are, or anything about you for that matter. he doesn’t even know your name.

but karen might.

peter puts his mask back on and awakes his artificial intelligence.

“karen?”

“yes, peter?”

“could you identify her?”

“yes, peter. stand by for biometric scan.”

karen uses the identification software built into peter’s spider suit.

“individual identified. y/n y/l/n, no known aliases. her information should be displayed above.”

your name, a photo of you, and the rest of your basics are assembled into a profile for peter to access.

“thanks, karen. you’re the best.”

“you’re welcome, peter.”

peter makes sure to save your profile. he yawns again, and it’s then that he remembers how tired he is. he should go before he wakes you, anyway. he’d hate to disturb your sleep.

he slowly rises to his feet and starts to back away from your bed, heading to the window. he jumps up onto the windowsill, grabbing at the window frame to balance himself and turning back to take one last look at you. you’re still fast asleep, and absolutely angelic, cuddled into your covers. peter can’t wait to meet you properly.

“see you later, y/n.”

tags: @mystic-writings @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @lnmp89 @jenoslov @crvshnburnn @yourlocalomlette @starlight-starks @belovasheart @liltimmyst @eviewriites @hollandsangel @parkerctrl @eichenhouseproperty @inthegetawaycarwithtaylah @varshhyy @ellebutnotwoods

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