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shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary · 2 years ago

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‘Welcome to Corvid house,’ Vale said, stepping out of the doorway and ushering Irene and Kai inside. ‘You will have to forgive how dark it is, it has always been like this, a trick of the architecture I believe.’

It was gloomy inside, even if it wasn't for the trick of the architecture, as Vale called it, there were heavy curtains drawn across all of the windows, the floors were dark wood and the wallpaper was dark too.

‘Thank you for coming,’ He sighed and slumped his shoulders. ‘Plenty of things for me to be doing and yet nothing that can keep my attention for more than a moment or two.’

Irene set her small case down as the door was shut behind them. ‘What do you need our help with?’ She asked, looking around, not that there was much that she could see in the gloom. ‘Is something wrong?’

‘Or did you just miss our company?’ Kai’s smile was cheeky and toothy and he managed to draw something of a smile from Vale in return. ‘Wait. Really?’

‘I have been putting off my responsibilities here for too long and there is a lot of work that I need to be doing, however,’ He spoke with a pained slowness that made it obvious that he did not want to be confessing this. ‘Doing it without anyone as company when I do take a break is particularly unpleasant. I hope that I am not taking you both from anything important?’

‘You’re here alone?’ Kai said. ‘Your siblings and mother?’

‘Columbine has her work, I do not care to keep up with whatever Aquila is currently up to and my mother simply cannot stand to be in the same house as me for longer than an hour,’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t take it personally any more.’

‘Well,’ Irene said. ‘We will unpack and then we are going for a short walk, you look pale and definitely need some fresh air,’ His something of a smile was back, a little brighter this time. She stepped forward to kiss his cheek. ‘And you are going to have to show me the family Library, assuming that there is one?’

There was, in fact, Vale’s bedroom was the one closest to it.

‘We don’t all have to share,’ Vale said. ‘There is plenty of space for the three of us in here but you can have your own space.’

‘It is cosy,’ Kai said. ‘Perfect,’ He put pulled his jacket off and draped it over the edge of the bed. ‘Unless you would rather we take another room.’

‘No,’ He touched Irene’s arm as she pulled back heavy curtains to peer out and see what kind of view Vale had. Another reason for the dark, the curtains were made out of a thick heavy silk brocade, some ten years out of date in terms of interior decorating, smothering any sound of light that could make it inside.

‘I’ll show you the gardens,’ He said. ‘I don’t think anyone has bothered with the curtains for years, I don’t think choking on the dust would be a good way to spend the day.’

It was a surprisingly sunny day for early spring but it was still cold enough that they all wrapped themselves up again to step outside. There was a path leading down the centre of the garden lined with cherry blossom trees, the flowers wouldn't last long but the few weeks that they were there would fill the garden with the scent and turn the grass pink with shed petals.

He led them over a rough stone path. The house was on top of a hill and a decent way away from any actual city, town or village. By horse and carriage, it was a two-hour long, very uncomfortable ride from Leeds Aeroport.

They leant over a stone wall and looked out across the Yorkshire Dales, the wind whistled around them and rustled through the trees and grass. Kai turned away, sneezing several times as they breathed in the smell of flowers and grass, proving too much for his sensitive nose.

Vale had to be up early the next day, taking a pot of strong coffee and a plate of toast, at Kai’s insistence, into the study and locking the door. Irene and Kai shared a look before rolling their sleeves up and pinning back their hair.

‘The curtains?’ She asked as Kai started to look through the storerooms just off the kitchen.

‘There should have been servants stopping it from ever getting to this state,’ He muttered.

‘You know Vale,’ Irene said. ‘He probably forgot that he would have to come back here, or assumed he could just keep putting the work off.’

‘Either way. He has been here for two weeks, breathing in all of that dust, it can’t be good for him. Now, can you tackle the Library without getting distracted or do you want to take on the bedroom?’

Irene almost pouted. ‘The bedroom,’ She said finally. They’d left her to her own devices in the library the night before, Kai and Vale retreating for a game of cards, splitting most of a bottle of brandy that Vale had retrieved from a dusty wine cellar, bringing Irene up a glass to sip on as she perused the books.

She had found many books that she was itching to get back to and was never one for resisting temptation.

‘You are going to want to wrap a handkerchief around your mouth,’ Irene said, pulling out her own handkerchief. ‘So you don’t choke. Should we be doing this with your allergies?’

‘It isn't like we can go and hire a couple of people to deal with it for us,’ Kai shrugged. ‘I will be fine.

By the time it was noon (Irene was unhappy that Kai had suggested that they all get up and have breakfast together) Irene was aching and covered in more dust than she thought could have been held in curtains. She was pulling fluff clumps of dust out of her hair and flicking it away as Vale came in, blotting ink off his cuff.

‘What… are you doing?’ He asked, stopping in the doorway.

‘Cleaning,’ Irene said, she had succeeded in beating the dust off both of the curtains and pulling them open to bring bright sunlight into the room. ‘When was the last time you had someone in here?’

‘I don’t think I have ever arranged for someone to clean.’

‘Your mother?’ He shrugged.

‘I believe she just arranged for her own space to be cleaned as well as the areas that she uses, the dining room, sitting room and drawing room seem fine, and I haven't checked her bedroom’ He brushed some dust off her hair and smoothed some errant strands behind her ear.

‘You didn’t have to do this,’ She pulled the handkerchief around her mouth down to her neck.

‘Kai has pointed out that breathing in all of the dust is bad for your health,’ She said. ‘He’s been working on the library, we are doing the study next, whether you like it or not.’

‘Why?’ He spread his hands and Irene could see that he’d probably spilt the ink bottle onto his hand.

‘Because,’ Kai said, Irene hadn’t heard him approach but Vale clearly had as he hadn't jumped, merely turned to regard him and step into the room and out of the way of the door. ‘We want to do something to help you.’

‘Kai wanted to help you, I wanted to read,’ Irene said. ‘Luckily, he is very persuasive,’ Kai put a hand on Vale’s back and brushed a kiss to his temple.

‘We couldn’t leave you to deal with it for however long you are stuck out here,’ Kai said. ‘Besides, we spend a day or two cleaning what we can and then the rest of our time here distracting you from your work with various elaborate methods.’

‘You will both be found with your noses in books and no knowledge of what year it is.’

‘That too,’ Kai smiled. ‘Are you taking a break?’

‘I just needed to change my shirt,’ Vale said, raising his hand so that Kai could see the damage. ‘I have had a casualty during budgeting. I should have asked Columbine to look at it, she is much better with that kind of stuff than I am. It is boring.’

He stripped off his jacket and shirt, Irene and Kai sitting on the edge of the bed, or at least, Irene was sitting, Kai flopped backwards with a sigh. He stretched out and yawned.

‘The country air really just takes it out of you,’ He said. Irene reached down and began playing with his hair, idly curling strands of pure ebony around her fingers before pulling them free and winding them back in again. Kai’s eyes half shut and the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

He very nearly started purring as he tilted his head back to press his head into Irene’s hand like a particularly needy cat, not that he would say that connection out loud, but Vale probably would have done.

‘It is a lot easier on you than the London air,’ Vale admitted as he tossed his shirt into the laundry hamper and started to pull on a new one. Both Irene and Kai turned to watch him, rewarded with a brief glimpse of taut muscle seamed with scar tissue much in the same way that they were.

Irene pushed herself off the bed and took Vale’s wrist in hand to do his cufflinks for him, stroking her fingers across his skin before doing them up.

It wasn't common that Vale’s smiles were pure, genuine happiness, but when it did happen, Irene swore it was one of the best things that she had seen.

‘Thank you for coming here,’ He said, not meeting her eyes. ‘I needed the company,’ Irene touched his cheek, like Kai, he tilted his head to press into her touch. ‘Love…’ His voice was low and soft.

He was so tired.

‘You should get some rest,’ Irene said. ‘If Kai is tired as well, I’ll go and make some lunch for us all.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘You are a terrible liar,’ She dropped her hand. ‘Just a quick rest, for me.’

‘Emotional manipulation? Really, Winters?’ She pushed him towards the bed.

‘Really.’

Irene's hands were black with soot as she cleaned out the grate in the sitting room, it looked like it hadn't been cleaned out after it was last used. She cleaned off her hands as best as she could on a rag that was streaked with ash.

The good weather had taken a turn and Vale was certain that the thick grey clouds were going to bring heavy rain and a few days of it at least. Kai was happy with that news and was currently out in the gardens, breathing in the smell of petrichor.

She and Vale were less than keen on the heavy weather as it would keep them inside.

She added newspaper to the bottom of the fireplace, there was a stack of it already put to one side for this use, before going outside to collect wood from the small shed at the side of the building, making several trips to retrieve enough so that if the weather was nastier than anticipated, no one would be having to run out and hope that the wood doesn’t get too wet.

She didn’t light the fire, she just lay it ready for later on when they would want the warmth.

The front door opened and, wiping her hands on her dress, Irene peered around the kitchen door and into the dark hallway, expecting to see Kai shaking the rain out of his hair and kicking off muddy boots but was instead met with the sight of a woman a few inches shorter than her with steel grey hair and a thick fur coat of some years old.

The woman’s eyes were sharp and cold though she supposed that they could be the same hazel as Vale’s if perhaps they contained any warmth, there was no doubting who this woman was.

‘What are you doing in my home?’ She demanded in a voice cold as those eyes, sharp and with obvious disdain as Irene somewhat reluctantly stepped into full view.

‘I am here upon the invitation of your son,’ Irene said. ‘Assuming that you are who I think you are Lady Vale?’ Vale had never given a first name for his mother, nor much in the way of description. They had never asked.

‘A likely story,’ She sniffed. ‘And where is my son?’

‘He is working, ma’am,’ Irene said. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ She wasn't sure if Vale would be very happy about her inviting his mother into the house but she didn’t want her storming off and interrupting Vale.

She sniffed and after a long and hard look at Irene, she headed upstairs.

‘Really, ma’am, he doesn’t want to be distracted,’ Irene said, following her up. ‘He’ll be wanting a break soon anyway, I’m sure we won't have to wait for long,’ Lady Vale continued to ignore Irene and threw the study door open before Irene could stop her.

Vale shot up out of his deckchair, an uncomfortable thing of brown leather and dark wood.

‘Mother what are you-’ He swallowed. ‘How may I help you today?’

‘You’ve taken to keeping your mistress here?’ She gestured to Irene. ‘Well, I suppose that I should be proud that you finally found a woman who wants to stay around.’

‘Excuse me?’ Irene snapped.

‘Mother, if you are not going to be polite to my friend then I think that you should leave,’ Irene wasn't sure which hurt more, being assumed to be a mistress, or being just Vale’s friend. She knew why he said that, their relationship would be heavily scrutinised if people knew. But still.

‘Well, you have a woman kept in the house with just the two of you,’ She sneered at Irene. ‘What should I expect?’

‘She is visiting me with her husband,’ Vale said. ‘I believe he has stepped out for a walk, Mrs Strongrock?’

‘He left about half an hour ago,’ Irene said. ‘He shouldn’t be much longer.’

He turned back to his mother. ‘I advise you to keep a civil tongue about my guests in my house, especially if you want to keep access to it.’

‘Well,’ She sniffed. ‘I see I failed to raise you with proper respect for your own family.’

‘I do respect my family,’ Vale said. ‘My family, the ones that I chose. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some work to be getting on with. Stay away from my friends whilst you are here. And shut the door on your way out.’

She slammed the door, making both Irene and Vale wince.

‘Are you alright?’

‘Shouldn't I be asking you that?’ Irene perched on the edge of the desk and took his hands in hers, squeezing lightly. ‘I did try to get her to stay downstairs.’

‘I didn’t think she would come here knowing that I was-’ He smiled and smeared away ash from her cheek.

‘She probably assumed that I was the help,’ Irene said. ‘I think I would rather that than a mistress.’

‘I am sorry about that,’ He sighed. ‘And saying that you were just a friend, you are much more than that. So much more.’

‘I know,’ Irene said. ‘She can’t know what is really going on, if she would even understand it, I’ll try and move mine and Kai’s things into one of the other bedrooms.’

‘Hopefully, she will go away soon,’ He said. ‘When she figures out that she isn't going to get the results that she wants.’

‘I will go and find Kai and let him know that we are married now,’ Irene smiled. ‘Not how I saw myself getting married but here we are,’ He shook his head before kissing her on the temple and pushing her off the edge of the desk.

Vale lay in bed staring up at the ceiling unable to sleep. The bed was too big and empty, he hadn't enjoyed sleeping without Irene and Kai before they had arrived. It was torture knowing that they were probably sleeping easily in the next room.

The work wasn’t taking as long as he thought it would, it was fairly easy once he managed to focus on it, the focussing was the hardest part and took the longest. It didn’t take much energy to get through and now he was still wide awake.

He couldn’t even go out and get some fresh air as the rain had well and truly started and he wasn't stupid enough to try and withstand the squall that had started whilst Kai had cooked them dinner.

He was left to either lay in bed or get up and wander the house and with his mother around, option one was the far more preferable option. The rain outside lashed against the windows, shaking the glass in their wooden frames and loudly rattling them.

Kai found it a comfort and when they were together, the nasty parts, the soaking wet clothes, the chill, etc., were all well worth it just to see how happy it made him when soaked through. He’d watched Kai run out into a storm before dragging him out into it as well, they had shared a kiss hidden amongst the heavy branches of an oak tree that sheltered them from prying eyes but let enough rain through the leaves to still shower down on them.

With Irene, the rain was perfect for working inside in quiet companionship, side by side with their own things, fleeting touches and the brush of her hand on his as they reached for the same piece of paper, shared cups of tea as they watched rain run down the windows, comfortable and warm inside, the sounds of the rain warring with that of the roaring fire.

He got out of bed and put on slippers and wrapped his red dressing robe around himself, he wasn't going to be getting any sleep and there was no point in laying there trying to sleep when he had work he could be getting on with instead.

He could smell dust left from Irene and Kai’s cleaning as he let himself into the study, they had kicked him out whilst they had tackled it together to cut down on how long it would take, emerging two hours later, both tired and covered in dust and the study curtains wide open to reveal the garden.

If the work was interesting maybe he would find it easier to concentrate, as it was highly dull, he sat there staring at it for a few minutes before sighing and finally putting pen to paper.

His eyes were burning as the sky began to paint the sky pink, the storm clouds blown away by the wind, for now. Kai knocked and let himself in, he locked the door behind himself before giving Vale a cup of coffee.

‘Have you been up all night?’ He asked.

‘I slept,’ Vale said. ‘Thank you,’ He reached for the coffee but Kai slid it out of reach.

‘Don’t lie to me,’ Kai said. ‘How long did you sleep for?’

‘I didn’t count the hours.’

‘Peregrine,’ Vale winced.

‘I think it was more than an hour?’ Kai slid the coffee back towards him. ‘Was that necessary?’

‘Apparently, yes,’ He said. ‘What can I do to help?’

‘If you are thinking of killing my mother, don’t.’

‘I wasn't planning on it,’ Kai smiled. ‘Irene on the other hand… I will let her know not to,’ Vale didn’t wait for his coffee to grow cold when he started to drink it. ‘I will bring up something for you to eat as well, Irene is in the library and we haven't actually seen your mother this morning, she could have left early.’

Vale shook his head. ‘No, she came here for a reason and she wouldn't have come just to mildly irritate me, she probably wants something.’

‘What?’

‘I know a good many things and what I do not know I know how to find out, except for one thing. The way that woman’s mind works,’ Kai chuckled. ‘Women have always been hard for me to understand and she is the hardest.’

‘We will try to keep her away from you.’

‘Leave her to do as she please,’ Vale said. ‘I can tolerate her behaviour, I don’t want to risk her saying something to either of you two that could cause offence.’

Vale locked the door to the sitting room that Irene and Kai occupied, a tray of tea and cake between them, as well as a stack of books that they were making quick work of. He leant against it heavily.

He was entirely silent as they marked their places in their respective books, he crossed the room, shaking off his jacket and discarding it onto the back of one of the armchairs before collapsing into the space between them.

It was with an unspoken agreement that Irene drew the curtains and Kai folded a blanket around Vale before holding him close.

Days without something to test his brain were always hard. His mind wanted to wander and it was easier to let it go, even if it brought back hard to deal with thoughts and urges.

There were few benefits for living in the middle of nowhere, no one to purchase morphine off for starters.

Irene sat down again before neatly draping herself comfortably over Vale’s lap, resting her head on his thigh, a comforting weight, familiar and much needed. His hand found a place in her hair automatically.

Kai’s arm was around his shoulder and Vale rested his cheek on him.

‘Get some sleep,’ Kai murmured. ‘It’s okay.’

His mother had never tried to understand the way that he was nor had she ever accepted the fact that his inclinations did not match up with what most people expected of him. There was no desire to produce an heir nor find a wife, he had never found the interest in taking a mistress or many.

She had interrupted his work several times already reminding him that he had indeed yet to take a wife and that locking himself away in the countryside with another man’s wife, regardless of whether or not her husband was there, was improper behaviour and people would make their own assumptions.

He had ignored it all of course, it wasn't like he hadn't heard it all before, he had been hearing it all from the age that he became aware that girls were indeed a thing that he was supposed to take interest in.

It hadn't mattered to him then, why would it? There were more interesting things to see and do than find someone to settle down with, he’d first thought that maybe he would find an interest after university, and then after a few years of his work, and then it was just a matter of meeting the right woman.

But there was no right time, no right woman.

And he was entirely happy with that.

His mother had other ideas though and had suggested a long list of eligible women. He had started distancing himself from everyone but his sister long before graduating. He found comfort in the letter his mother had sent him, the last letter in fact.

She was giving up on him.

He felt Kai’s lips touch his temple.

He didn’t need anyone’s approval.

He had what he wanted.

What he needed.

Who he needed.

He woke up stiff from sleeping sat up, but Kai was still holding him and Irene was still laying over his legs, they were talking in low voices. The room was dark when he slowly opened his eyes, the fire was the only light and the warm glow turned Irene golden, Kai too as he turned his head to him.

‘Sleep well?’ Kai smiled. Vale yawned.

‘Better than I did last night,’ He nodded. ‘Thank you,’ Irene sat up with some reluctance so that he could get up and stretch, his back clicking in a few places.

‘Dinner?’ Kai suggested. ‘I’ll cook.’

Lady Vale cleared her throat and Irene and Kai turned to her before they could stop themselves, Vale ignored her and continued to eat. She coughed again.

‘I have some cough syrup in with my luggage if you need some,’ He said, he still did not look at her as he reached for his wine glass. ‘Though perhaps a glass of whiskey will do the trick, you obviously know where to find that.’

‘I honestly thought I had raised you to have more respect for your own mother,’ She sighed dramatically. ‘But apparently, I have failed, I, instead, am ignored whilst you wine and dine another man’s wife in front of him.’

Irene put her fork down.

‘Don’t,’ Vale said but she ignored him as she turned to Lady Vale.

‘Madam, you may make one of two assumptions, that your son has decided to pursue a relationship with another man’s wife, or that he has no issue with being pursued by a married woman. Which would you rather?’ Irene smiled brightly as she got out of her seat and stood in front of Lady Vale.

‘I don’t mind what you think of me,’ She continued. ‘I have never really bothered myself with the opinions of those who judge without any true knowledge in their heads.’

‘Irene,’ Vale almost whined.

‘No,’ He brushed her off. ‘I have had the honour of meeting two of your children and honestly, they must have got their intelligence from your husband because you certainly seem to be vane and entirely obsessed with what other people may be saying about you.’

‘Regardless of how little you think of me, it means that you would have utterly failed in raising your son and I think that says far more about me.’

‘Are you done?’ She asked.

‘I was thinking about hitting you, I will be honest,’ Irene raised her hand and turned it over. ‘But I wouldn't want to ruin these gloves,’ Despite Irene saying that she wouldn't hit Lady Vale, the elder woman still flinched like Irene had struck her. ‘Now I am done,’ She sat down and picked up her wine glasses, staining her lips blood red with it.

‘I forgot how mean you can be,’ Kai smiled. ‘It is always pleasant to watch.’

‘She’s left,’ Vale let himself into Irene and Kai’s bedroom without knocking, it wasn't like he hadn't walked in on them enough times for any of them to actually care enough about it. ‘I know we are only here for a few more days, and it is going to rain again tonight but…’

‘How much work do you have left?’ Kai asked.

‘I’ll probably be finished by noon tomorrow. If we want to return to London sooner, we can do that.’

‘We can stay, a holiday of sorts,’ Irene said.

‘You have a reading list to get through, don’t you?’

#The invisible library #fanfiction #picture week #irene winters #kai strongrock #peregrine vale

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legolasghosty · 2 years ago

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Soooo @michelangelinden said Glowy Willex Kiss the other day and, like the theatre kid I am, I said, "Yes, and..." so here we are. 800 words, G rating, enjoy!

The waves wash over Alex's feet as he sits on the end of the pier, staring up at the sky. He's not even sure what stupid rich person Willie said owns the property, and it doesn't really matter. No one will see them. And it's far enough away from the city that they can see the stars.

"That's Cassiopeia," Willie murmurs, pointing up.

Alex drops his gaze down to them. "Where?"

Willie shifts closer and points out the stars, his shoulder pressed against Alex's. All Alex can do is sit and listen and watch in awe as Willie shows him the constellations. They know all of the stories that go with them too, giving quick synopses as he goes through the sky.

Ursa Major. Ursa Minor. Hercules. Lyra. Aquila. Draco.

They point out the North Star and the dim but visible band of the Milky Way and Alex knows he is in love.

After how complex his life and afterlife have been, it feels almost too simple, but it's just right. He is in love with Willie. He loves him. If he had to choose a single way to spend his nights for the rest of eternity, he knows it would be doing this. Sitting still, salt water covering their feet, the cool, crisp wind catching in their hair, hands tangled together as they curl into each other's sides. Together. In love.

He knows that love isn't some magical cure-all for their issues, both personal and together, but it gives Alex a reason to fight. To work on himself, to help Willie, to grow together. Because love makes it worth the struggle.

Willie's dark hair flutters in the breeze, the moonlight catching in the strands and lighting his face with an ethereal glow. Their eyes are alive, full of passion and excitement as they talk about the stars and the stories of the people they represent.

Alex really wants to kiss him. It's not exactly a new desire, but suddenly, in a rush, it feels real. It feels right.

"Something on your mind, Hotdog?" Willie chuckles, glancing over with a soft smile.

"You," Alex answers honestly.

Willie's brow furrows and Alex can see them forcing themselves not to tense. He mentally kicks himself for not making his statement clearer, knowing what he does about the last 30 years of Willie’s afterlife, and quickly continues talking.

"How beautiful you are, how passionate you are, how brave you are," Alex elaborates. "Just… you. And how incredible you are."

Willie's face flushes in the pale moonlight and Alex wants to cover the color with his palms, hold Willie tightly, keep him safe and warm and loved.

"How did I get this lucky?" Willie questions aloud, voice hushed as if in prayer. They reach out and rest a hand gently on Alex's jaw, thumb brushing slowly back and forth over his cheekbone.

"Can I kiss you?" Alex breathes as they shift closer together.

Willie's eyes flick down to Alex's lips, then back up to meet his gaze. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Alex carefully cups their face with his palms and leans in, a bit unsure but knowing that this is right. Maybe soulmates aren't real, but Alex knows in his ghostly soul that a love like theirs doesn't happen twice in a lifetime. Willie's other hand curls around the back of his neck as Alex gently presses his lips against theirs.

Willie's mouth is soft and warm, the kiss delicate and careful but full and honest. Alex's eyes slip shut as he slides one hand back into their hair. He feels the corner of Willie's mouth quirk up as he runs his nails lightly over their scalp so he keeps doing it, feeling Willie's smile and breathing in the little exhales that escape their parted lips.

When they separate, neither goes far. Willie rests his forehead against Alex's and Alex slowly cracks open his eyes to look at them. Willie seems so at peace, eyes closed, hands gently curled around the back of his neck, a little smile on their lips.

He's so caught up in looking at him that he almost doesn't notice the soft, golden glow radiating off their bodies. Once he does, it only takes a moment to discover that it's surrounding them, like some kind of visible aura, the light particles filling the space around them and warming the air.

"Willie, open your eyes," Alex says in a hushed tone.

Willie does so and seems confused for a moment. Alex can tell the exact moment they see the glow. Willie's smile grows and he removes one arm from around Alex to inspect the light coming from his skin.

"It's beautiful," he breathes.

And then they're laughing and hugging and kissing and glowing and Alex knows that this is forever.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fanfic #willex #alex mercer #willie jatp #legolas tag #willex kisses <3 #I just love them so much #and my friends indulge me too much #I love them for that #willex owns my soul #thank you that will be all :)

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saveourskinship · 4 years ago

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Break Your Heart Worse

“Oh Merlin, she’s here,” Draco told them.

His Auror partner slapped him on the back unnecessarily hard. “Chin up there, Malfoy. It’ll get better.”

“You only say that because you upgraded from a Weasley to a Parkinson last year, Potter.”

A swat hit his chest.

“Bloody hell, Granger. You’ve been doing that enough I’m going to become lopsided.”

She rolled her eyes at Draco.

“I’m sick of your moping.”

Draco pouted, “I don’t mope.”

“OK, fine, you tragically lament the tatters of your wretched heart like an Arthurian prince.”

“Exactly,” Draco agreed while Harry guffawed like a donkey.

“Fine. Let me break your heart worse then,” Granger offered ludicrously.

“What?”

“You heard me, if you’re so attached to feeling like this, let me break you worse. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

“You’re insane, Granger. Why would I want to feel worse than this?”

“You want to be a king or a prince, Malfoy?”

“Fine. One date, that’s it.”

“Good luck, mate. You remember what she did to Ron,” Harry said.

Draco thought back to the weepy, catatonic mess Weasley had been for weeks after their break-up.

He scoffed.

“Like she’ll be able to coerce me into having any feeling for her at all.”

***

“Oh my fucking gods, Hermione. Where did you learn to do that?”

“Hm, would you have feelings about me stopping doing this?”

“Shut the fuck up and keep going.”

It sounded like she said ‘OK’ but where her mouth was placed it was hard to tell.

“By the way, we’re going out tomorrow, too,” Draco told her.

***

“It’s been one year Granger and I’m still completely indifferent to you, shouldn’t you give this up now?”

“OK,” she started walking away. “See you on Monday.”

He grabbed her hand.

“You’re forgetting the break-up sex.”

She smiled. “Silly me.”

***

He signed the lease.

“This doesn’t mean anything, it’s just practical.”

“Oh yes, of course. And we’re saving money by only having one bedroom,” she nodded.

“Yes, because you’re going to break my heart remember? But you can’t do that if I don’t care.”

“Yes, that is my goal. I’m wondering if I’ll do it when you propose. I’ll turn you down and you’ll be so, so sad.”

“Unlikely, Granger,” he shook his head in disbelief. “As if I’d want to be tied to you forever. That proposal you’re holding out for is never happening.”

***

“Do you understand what you’ve cost me having Potter and Parkinson in your bridal party? I had to have Theo and Blaise and they’ve been utterly fucking impossible like I knew they would be.”

“Sorry they turned your robes the same colour as my Yule Ball dress, but I think you look lovely anyway.”

“So, is this still part of your masterplan to break me?”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course, when I’m absolutely sure you can’t live without me, expect divorce papers.”

Draco kissed her and the congregation applauded them.

***

Many, many years have passed now. They are old, slow and their lives are quiet. Their last great-grandchild had left for Hogwarts that morning. Their daughter Rebea had shared the memory of dropping off Aquila this morning.

Hermione was resting in their bed, her breath laboured.

“Draco,” she grasped his hand, the texture of her skin like tissue-paper. “I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, choking.

“I really did intend to leave you at some point. But my life seemed too wonderful and I always found myself wanting to stay one more day,” she swallowed and it sounded sticky like she was trying her best to stay here with him.

“For 43,857 days I have stayed with you and I never once broke your heart. I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do in this life. All except that.”

“I think now I’d rather you didn’t,” Draco told her trying to make her laugh but she only managed a weak smile.

“I love you,” she said. “I just-” but her eyes glazed over. She was gone.

Draco laughed, opening a drawer and drawing out a potion.

“Still can’t have you win, Granger,” he told her blurry form as tears obscured her. “I’ll find you so you can keep your promise sometime in the afterlife.”

He brought the Gravewitch Brew to his lips, “Though I hope you don’t. I can’t think of anything worse than being without you.”

He tipped it back and let the concoction work.

***

“You waited for me.”

“Of course I did, I know you hate discovering things after I do,” she said.

The wide expanse of the universe opened up before them.

“Break my heart in the next lifetime, love,” he grasped her amorphous form.

And followed her into the dark.

#dramione #draco x hermione #ficlet #drabble #notebook-esque #crimson apple #Break your heart worse #I Will Follow You Into The Dark #Death Cab For Cutie

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petrichorpetals · 8 months ago

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I'd apologize for the amount of kpop but I'm not. Good music is good music. 🤷‍♀️

1. Ten - Shadow

Honestly the whole album? If I'm not listening to Ten assume I'm dead. He opens his mouth and my brain goes YOU.

2. Seventeen - I Don't Understand But I Luv U

I have an ungodly amount of streams of this on spotify. This song is my 4th most listened to of all time and that's including from when my sleep playlist was like 20 songs.

3. Eaj - castle in the sky - ghibli version

I fucking love Eaj. All of his songs are on constant rotation, but this one is the one that's been scratching the itch.

4. OnlyOneOf - dOpamine

Another song I have far too many streams in. It is my dOpamine.

5. NCT U - Call D

Did I just put Ten here twice? Yes. Shut up. It was almost Popping Love, but then I remembered that while I Don't Understand was at 4, this one is at 5. Call D was THE song ever when it dropped. I have to force myself not to loop it every time I hear it in passing. Tbh that entire album was the best NCT had done in YEARS. I say that bc Queen WayV hadn't dropped yet. 😔

Tagged by @boghermit to post five songs I've been listening to! Thank you for the tag. I tag @gateato @petrichorpetals @doctorsoup @caesarius3 @thequeervampiric if would like to do this!

youtube

#Aquila be quiet no one cares #kpop more like Aquila shut up #I think that was my kpop tag?#Spotify

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sugasugawarau · 4 years ago

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Synopsis: You knew that Kageyama Tobio was not your soulmate - and that was why you could not help but succumb to the waves that lulled you away from the shores of fate + semi inspired by Eyes Blue like the Atlantic by sistaprod ft. Subvrbs. Also part of @yacoka‘s collab <3 (2.4k words)

Warnings/notes: Some angst near the end, soulmate red string au, gender neutral reader. No beta we die like Rex Lapis so if I ever feel like it this may be edited at some point asdahdhj idk LMAO

— Prologue

There are as many reasons to fall in love with Kageyama Tobio as there are fractals made by the ocean’s breath as the world inhales and exhales, flourishes and wilts, conquers and surrenders. It would not even be a hyperbole to say that in number, they remain unrivalled to the plethora of stars that stain the waves with their reflection and run deeper than the scars of lightyears that paint lines from Cassiopeia to Aquila.

After all, he is the darkest hue of navy blue.

Determination that moves in an orchestra of thundering waves, brandishing on its crest an admirable recklessness, heeding not for the need to call upon courage or confidence; polished instinct that endued one with the same awestruck feeling when facing the beautifully suffocating obscurity of their life in this world, a mixture of raw fear and the need to impart a piece of their soul in everything they do despite how fragile the skin shielding their heart is.

But the best part of loving Kageyama was that you were not - or will ever become - destined to be.

— Shoreline

Red.

It was a word that was always thrown about in conversations, the fuel to the catastrophes that were high school gossip chains, and the colour that held the mangled passion of the string of fate. Garishly predestined and easily tangled by unnecessary complications of jealousy and confusion, it is needless to say that you hated red with more passion than the love it emptily promises with a title as shallow as soulmates.

That was not to say you despised love. There was nothing wrong with love itself, a fact which you had decided firmly since the spry age of four years old. What was wrong was its combination with soulmates: a rigid formula, nothing like the walks with your grandmother on the bright summer roads littered with flowers as her calloused palm gently guided you, or the laughter you shared with your friends after a long run in the rain, hugging each other goodbye at the end of the day despite the muddy battle scars covering your arms and legs from falling countless times.

Your mind could have kept you engaged in your internal debate for longer if you were left to your own devices, but an awkward cough and the sound of a desk shifting towards your right brought you out of your reverie, bringing your drifting thoughts back to the classroom surrounding you.

Perhaps your look of confusion came off as hostile, for the dark-haired boy now sitting next to you looked at you with a slight glare that felt forced, an automatic effort to defend himself.

His tone of voice only confirmed your unconsciously off-putting expression as he gruffly stated, “Group project.” to explain his sudden presence.

“Oh. What’s the topic on?”

An awkward silence had ensued while you tried to calmly collect yourself by gathering a handful of pens from your pencil case after being caught in your heinous crime of not paying attention to your English teacher.

“You don’t know?” Came his reply, causing you to occupy yourself by finding extreme interest in a lime green highlighter you did not have any recollection of ever buying.

“Well, I clearly wasn’t paying attention.”

“You… weren’t?” The slight intonation in his tone was a stark contrast to your initial impression of him and caused you to look up at him, almost letting out an amused snort at his befuddled frown to which he furrowed his brows and shot a challenging “What?” in return. Realizing that he was genuine in believing that you were deep in thought over the lesson, a burst of laughter blossomed past your lips, attracting a few odd looks from your nearby peers and an abashed glare from him.

You paused to take a breath, a repetition of sorries stumbling their way out to appease the onslaught of nagging you thought would follow shortly. Instead, all the boy muttered was a simple, “You’re weird.”

“Sure, but that’s beside the point - were you paying any attention?”

“No.”

Seeing your face contorted to stop yet another bout of laughter to roam its way into the world as a result of his bluntness, he shot out of his seat and announced that he would go ask the teacher, unable to hide his puzzlement as he walked away. He would come to regret this decision when the teacher began to lecture him, earning more heads to turn his way as she scolded him before sending him off dismissively with a sticky note that you assumed had your now long-awaited topic.

Before you could thank him for enduring what could only be one of the worst things to experience as a high school student, he wordlessly handed the piece of paper to you and sat down.

“Kageyama, right? With this project, you’ll have me to thank for the A we’ll get,” you promised confidently, to which he responded with a halfhearted “Good luck.”

If he had been a close friend, you would have taken the small textbook on his desk and gently hit his head at his evident lack of belief in his capabilities, but settled for a clipped sigh instead. After all, you did not want to further contribute to the premature wrinkles Kageyama was making himself prone to with all of the brow-furrowing he did.

This is going to be one long month.

— Largo

Like how the ocean reluctantly caresses the sleeping shore as it wakes from its slumber during low tide, your lives slowly flowed together.

During the first week of your group project with him, he would greet you curtly, and on a few occasions, you would have short conversations about the outline of your book review.

And this singular week was enough to show that there was some (okay, maybe a lot) of backing behind the teacher’s warning about Kageyama’s dismal grade.

While you flipped through A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you would catch the all-too-familiar confusion on his face - it was written on his features so blatantly that it was almost comical, as if taken straight out of a shonen manga.

“You know if you’re stuck you can ask me for help.”

A slight scowl greeted you over the hedge of pages he had been burying himself in, followed by a biting, “Who said I need help?”

You could only roll your eyes in return.

“Please drop the prideful act. You've been glazing over the same page for about twenty minutes now."

After a few seconds of grumbling did he finally comply, and with your explanations, his bookmark was now comfortably sandwiched between the double-digit page numbers right as the bell rang. You hummed in satisfaction before returning your desk to your original spot, expecting him to rush out along with everyone else - so to turn around and see him still standing there was a bit of a surprise.

“Did you still need help with the last few lines?” You settled on asking, not really wanting to plague your break with work but offering nonetheless. Thankfully, he shot a look of disdain at the play as he stuffed it away haphazardly in his bag.

“No, I just wanted to,” he trailed off a bit, the tinge of red on his ears an out-of-character detail you decided not to comment on, “to say thanks, I guess.”

You smiled softly at the unexpected gesture of appreciation before giving him a teasing nudge which he stiffened slightly at.

“Well, I can’t have you bringing down my mark now can I?”

“Nevermind, I take it back.”

“Too bad, I have those words of gratitude stored nicely in my hippocampus already.”

From there, tutoring sessions with Kageyama became the norm, with you sometimes asking about his volleyball team after he had let slip that you were a better teacher than Tsukishima (something you would be sure to smugly share if you ever met the infamous middle blocker).

By the end of the month, all of the hard work - and a couple of all-nighters due to procrastination - brought forth an A as you had promised.

Even your relentless teasing, varying between “I told you so!” to “You owe me at least three meat buns now” which were all met with an annoyed “Shut up”was not enough to dim the smile he tried to hide.

— High tide

With the force of nature, the tide rose without warning; from goodnight texts to confessing to the first “I love you” uttered shyly between shameless souls, neither of you was sure where things began, but found comfort in such liberating chaos.

In times where he needed to be held, you were there, and the insecurities you would hide, he would turn beautiful. And today happened to be a day for both as you stared absentmindedly at his bedroom ceiling.

“Hey Tobio, what’s your take on soulmates?”

“We’ve been together for almost a year now, what do you think?” he put his phone down and turned towards you, “I could care less about soulmates or whatever else is worrying you enough to make your overthinking go into overdrive.”

“Rude, have some respect, it’s my profession after all,” you shoved him playfully as he snorted in reply, “It’s just... If your string ever appeared, wouldn't you rather-”

“Listen Y/n, did you know that I’m scared of dying but I’m even more terrified of the thought of living without you? I could never and don’t ever want to replace you. People can talk all they want, if I could find a love like ours without something as stupid as a piece of string then I don’t need a soulmate.”

“Really?”

With a flick to your forehead, he huffed in fake exasperation. “Really.”

“Huh, who knew you could be so romantic.”

“It's not romantic, I'm just being honest, idiot.”

“You sure could make do with some more lessons on manners and social tact. It's too bad you can't pick up on those as well as volleyball drills.”

Before he could retaliate, you enveloped him in a familiar embrace, burrowing your face into the large hoodie he donned.

It was effortless, his company.

— Ebbing away

But it wasn’t all romantic.

You fiddled with your phone as you waited for any sign that Kageyama had seen your messages, the pack of meat buns you had bought on a whim no longer letting off their fragrant steam. You knew he had an important match coming up against Seijoh, that he had to prove himself, that he lives hungrily and foolishly like no other. But his missing presence went beyond volleyball practice, keeping his distance from you even when he was right by your side.

Why am I stuck reminiscing about the past when we still have each other?

Why does every step I take towards him feel as if I’m only drawing myself farther away from him?

A carousel of rhetorical questions spun around your head as you stopped your slow pace towards Karasuno. You were not blind; you knew the rumours and dirty looks from your classmates were not something anyone could be immune to, that he tried his best to spend less time around you at school. The only conclusion you could reach was that he was ashamed: either of you, or the fact that he had begun to see his red string and could not bring himself to face you.

Ignoring the urge to let yourself cry, you glanced down at your phone once more, 8:30PM flashed across your eyes, followed by your empty notifications. There was no way he’d still be practicing at the school now and even if he was, you doubted he would be happy to see you. Maybe - no, definitely - it would be better to head home, and maybe stop by the convenience store you had bought the now misshapen meat buns from to get some tea and call it a night.

If only fate did not reciprocate your hatred towards it.

Stepping into the small store, the first person you are greeted with is none other than Kageyama Tobio. The whole situation was like a fever dream, and you would do anything to be able to let out a laugh and have him call you weird all over again. But all you could bring yourself to do was blearily stare at him.

He turned around quickly, as if not wanting to be caught before ushering you outside. “Y/n? Why are you here?” he hissed, a stiffness that he had recently adopted to his body language that you were now all too familiar with.

“What? Am I not allowed to go into any and all convenience stores I please?” You challenged, a part of you waiting for him to care enough to see how tired you were, to actually look you in the eyes for the first time in weeks.

He did not, opting to turn his head towards the door again.

“It’s not that, it’s just-”

“Just what? Tobio, what is up with you lately?” A pause ensued, broken by a small hiccup as your eyes dampened - God, how much more pathetic could you get than crying in front of some dingy convenience store - “Do you even love me anymore?”

How odd. You thought that by finally uttering the final question that had been dancing around your mind free to the world, you would feel better. That he would reassure you, as he always had.

Not that he would at last meet your gaze, grabbing your hand to look at the red string wrapped around your ring finger.

The taste of tears and Kageyama’s eyes as blue as the Atlantic all felt miles away from you as an orange-haired boy stepped out of the store, his mouth dropping into an o-shape when he saw that his string led to you, a disheveled mess arguing with his teammate.

“Kageyama…You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want to face the reality of it all. Because I was afraid of losing you.”

“But I wouldn’t leave you-”

“I know you wouldn’t but you should!” Kageyama’s furrowed brows, once a quirk of his that you were fond of, now elicited a sick turmoil in your stomach, “You have to. Please.”

You wanted to yell at him, let the blood pour out of any and all raw words of anger and hurt.

Who was he to decide what was good for you, to throw you at some boy you never met before, to give up?

Then again, you could never say you would not have done the same for him if you knew he had found his soulmate despite the sweet words he had told you so long ago.

So you let yourself go. For his sake.

#kageyama x reader #kageyama tobio x reader #kageyama x y/n #kageyama x you #haikyuu x reader

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nose-bandaid · 4 years ago

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the trees, the grass, the stars

Hi tiny!! I've been reading your stuff... and I love it 🥺 I'm a sucker for royal AUs and the masquerade one with Shinwon was lovely, I was wondering if I could request a Royal AU with Wooseok? I like the idea of rebel prince/princess!! But you can write whatever you like💛💛

Prince!Wooseok x (gender neutral) Reader | royal AU fluff + a little bit of comfort? | 2k words

synopsis: getting engaged to someone you barely knew, getting lost in the forest and tripping over a talking stump. none of it made sense, and yet they all added up to one of the greatest meetings in your life.

a/n: hihi !! @raspberrymuffings this is for you<3 prince wooseok hgngngn i loved writing this, sorry it ended up getting a little emotional, idk that’s just a habit of mine LOL, but i hope you enjoy:)

image from pinterest !!

=====

Did you mean to get lost? Of course not. You swore you saw something flash in the forest nearby and decided to follow its trail. That was it. A little curiosity never hurt right?

Though it turned into an unintentional adventure when you traveled a little too deep into the woods.

Were you upset that you were lost? Not particularly. Being lost meant that you were away from the party and even better, you had a valid excuse to be absent.

Was it a big deal that you weren't at the party? Perhaps, because the whole purpose was supposed to celebrate your engagement with some prince from a nearby kingdom. The two families had finally decided that they wanted to come together, and they decided that the best way to do that (supposedly) was to have the two heirs married.

But yeah, to you, it was still just a prince from a nearby kingdom because you've literally never met this man before.

Sure, you knew of him. That his name was Jung Wooseok, that his parents frequented your place for dinners. You've seen him milling around the town square sometimes — it's hard not to notice him when he towered over pretty much everyone else. And you’d say he was pretty good looking, if you had to give an answer, though you were usually distracted by the fact that his actions were the embodiment of youth. Last time you saw him, he sprinted by with 10 baguettes in his hands as curious whispers and frightened shouts followed him. They didn’t stop the boy in the slightest bit.

So hopefully this Wooseok was a really good guy, or else you'd had to do some major convincing to get yourself out of the engagement.

But that wasn't the concern right now because you were truly, genuinely, very much lost at the moment. You were certain that you've passed the same tree almost six times by now and all the mossy stumps looked the same.

You’ve never explored the forest on your own before, and now you regretted all the missed opportunities you had to play outside with the other children when you were little. Instead you thought your studies were more important.

You bit back a yelp when you tripped over something and almost face-planted into the tree in front of you.

"Ouch."

That was not your voice. That was most definitely not your voice.

The ground does not talk, the ground does not talk, the ground does not talk.

"The ground does not talk..." You whispered the mantra to yourself and dared to look down.

Your eyes followed the pair of shoes up to the mysterious man's face. His eyes bore right into yours and you finally came to terms that he was, in fact, laying on the ground, white suit and all.

"What?"

"Geez, I really did think that no one would bother me here, but I guess I was wrong." He sighed and rubbed his neck, bending his legs to make more room for you.

"What are you doing on the ground? In the middle of a forest no less?"

He held a hand up and began lazily counting on his fingers. "Resting, relaxing, thinking... sleeping."

You didn't even hear his answer when you scanned his face once more and realized why he seemed so familiar. "Aren't you my fiancé-to-be?"

"I suppose so." He got up, brushing off the leaves that had fallen onto him and you wondered just how long he had been laying on the grass for. He then held a hand for you to take and he bowed. "A pleasure to meet you officially, my name is Wooseok"

"Likewise, I’m y/n." You replied and pondered over your next question before deciding that you didn't have to filter yourself so much in front of him. "Don't you care about your outfit? You have a party to attend."

"I could just get someone to clean it or replace it." He answered nonchalantly without missing a beat.

"So that's what it's like to be rich, huh." You deadpanned. "No pressure to keep an image? Lucky."

"Oh, I'll probably get scolded like hell when I get back, but I couldn't care less about my image. The only time I did was when I had my portrait done. They painted my eyes perfectly, and that's all that matters." Wooseok mentioned that last part haughtily.

"You do have nice eyes...." You admitted quietly, though you quirked your eyebrows at his odd fixation on that specific memory.

"What was that?" He teased way too obviously.

You decided to humour him and repeated, this time a little bit louder. "I said you have nice eyes."

He blushed and you watched him lick his lips in nervousness. It's as if he wasn't expecting you to give in so easily and you took note of that. You could definitely take advantage of his true shyness in the future.

"Th-thanks." He stuttered and you laughed. In the distance, you heard cheers coming from the party and the music started up again. Food must’ve been served.

You looked at Wooseok and tried to break the awkwardness. "I take it that you don’t really want to be here either. How long do you think we have until they come to hunt us down?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he went into deep thought. "28 minutes, on the dot."

You tilted your head. "And how are you so sure?"

He dropped a hand onto your shoulder. "Just trust me on this one."

You pursed your lips but didn't argue with him. "And what should we do during those 28 minutes?"

"I don't know about you, but I don't mind getting to know you better. At least, as much as I can, before our families force us to kiss in front of the crowd or something." He threw that out casually as he stretched (it was the truth, after all), but his voice wavered a little.

"True that..." You replied softly. The atmosphere grew a little awkward again as he kicked around the stones near his feet in silence.

"What were you doing before I tripped over you?" You asked to strike up yet another conversation and he let out a laugh at your question.

"I was looking at the stars."

"The stars?" You echoed as you strained your neck to look at the decorated sky. It wasn't often that you got to be outside at night, much less all alone, and you quickly realized how much you've taken the stars for granted.

They were beautiful.

"Yeah." Wooseok let out a huff as he returned to the ground to lay on his back again. He patted the spot next to him. "Want to join me?"

"Sure..." Your voice dwindled off when you touched the damp grass and then looked down at your outfit. There was no way you're going to get out of this without staining the fabric and you paused at those thoughts. What's a good excuse for a bunch of grass stains on your back? Would a clumsy trip cover it?

Sensing your hesitation, the other sat back up and began taking off the white coat that covered his suit. He then settled it onto the empty spot beside him. "Here, you can use this. I really couldn't care less about the stains, but I know you still got a reputation to hold."

"Unfortunately, I've already lost mine." You heard him quietly add to the side.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." You said.

He was a tall boy, so it made sense that he also had a long coat and you never would’ve thought of the benefits of that fact until today. Though it still wasn't enough to protect your entire outfit, it was sufficient damage control and you reasoned that you'd be able to come up with some kind of excuse for the few, inevitable stains.

For a while, you both laid on the grass in silence, watching the stars and occasionally putting the music history drilled into your minds to the test, naming the new song each time the band at the party switched pieces. The conversation then drifted back to your hobbies and you listened to Wooseok talk about his stargazing again.

He pointed a long finger at the sky and you tried your best to follow his gaze. "That's Aquila over there. Its brightest star is Altair. That one."

"I honestly have no idea which star you're pointing at, but you sure know a lot about stars." You commented lightly.

"I have a friend who loved space." He chuckled. "He always wanted to be an astronaut and wouldn't shut up about it. Then he got caught up in all his 'princely' duties and suddenly disappeared with his studies." He hummed. "I wonder where he is now, probably looking at the sky the same time we are. He always likes to keep his habits a secret."

Your expression softened at his wistful tone. "Maybe one day you could visit his place and see how he's doing? I could come with you if you'd like, keep some company. It could be another adventure, invite him along with us."

"That'd be nice. I think you would be good friends." He clicked his mouth and you waited for him to say more.

"You ever feel like everyone's growing up and you aren't?"

"Definitely." You replied.

"I know I'm immature, that's a well-known fact about me, but it's really because I'm clinging onto the childhood that I feel like I missed out on. All those classes and formalities, looking out the window and watching other kids play — why couldn’t I do those things too? Now that I'm all grown up, I have the freedom to do whatever I want, but suddenly all of my friends have turned into the person I was when I was little. They're grown up and stocked up on responsibilities and it feels like I missed out on my only opportunity to have fun..." He trailed off and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to put that load onto you so suddenly. All this thinking has, well, got me thinking, I guess. And the fact that I'm getting engaged today is a little off-putting, no offence. It's a big responsibility and I worry that I'm too immature to commit to it." He let out a deep breath and waited for your answer.

You never really thought about your life that way until you heard Wooseok put it into that perspective. Perhaps it’s because you’ve always begrudgingly busied yourself with your royal duties, but you suddenly found yourself agreeing to everything he said. The two of you were more similar than you initially thought, now that you've witnessed what's underneath his childish persona.

"If it makes you feel better, I understand what you're saying." You didn’t know why, but you felt the need to whisper. "I couldn't care less for titles, sometimes I wish I could live life as a normal person. Sounds more exciting."

Your conversation was interrupted by someone shouting your name, followed by Wooseok’s. That shout was followed by several more from different voices and you perked up, realizing that they were beginning their search for you. It must've been time for the actual highlight of the party.

Had it already been 28 minutes? That went by faster than you would’ve liked.

"They're finally coming for us." You looked over at Wooseok.

All of the downcast emotions he was pouring out before were absent and a small smile was planted on his face instead. He took one of your hands into his and planted a soft kiss on the back of it.

"How about we run away?" He suddenly suggested, and you choked at his words, not even having the chance to wrap your head around the fact that he kissed you. Even if it was just on the hand.

"You want us to run away?"

"Like not, run away, run away. I'm not going to pull a Romeo and Juliet on us, but we should mess around for a little while longer; get them to chase us." He smirked. "It'll probably give us about an extra five and a half minutes or so."

"You seem to be really confident with your numbers." You responded, hesitantly standing up to return the jacket which he slipped on without a second thought.

He shrugged. "If I sound confident enough, eventually someone will come along and believe me."

"Are you implying something here?" You laughed, appalled at his impudence.

"Maybe." He cheekily smiled and you felt your cheeks heat up. You couldn't tell if it was because of his jab or because he looked quite stunning under the moonlight, hair dishevelled and clothes stained.

The shouts got louder and the music stopped, but you ignored them and continued to laugh.

"Alright then, Sir Wooseok," You held a hand out to help him off the grass.

"Lead the way."

#kdiner #kloveletternet #pentagon #pentagon wooseok #wooseok #jung wooseok #pentagon x reader #wooseok x reader #pentagon fluff #wooseok fluff #pentagon royal au #wooseok royal au #nose-bandaid

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ragingbookdragon · 4 years ago

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Early Christmas Gifts

A Connor Kenway x Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 1,730 Warnings: None

Author’s Note: I’m in a Connor mood and it’s December. Sue me. Enjoy! -Thorne

She sat beside the old man in the rocking chair, occasionally sipping the tea she’d made. The first snows of December dusted the ground and while it was absolutely freezing, it was too much of a beautiful day to stay in.

Her eyes drifted over to the old man who quietly flipped through the book he held. “Achilles, should I get you another blanket?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m going to head inside in a few moments anyway, (Y/N).”

She nodded and shifted her gaze to the masts of the Aquila. “Is Ratonhnhaké:ton in today?”

“Should be,” Achilles said. “but you know him. He goes where the wind takes him.”

(Y/N) hummed. “I think it’s more of he goes where curiosity takes him.”

The old man snorted and snapped the book shut. “He is curious.” She nodded, thinking it was the end of the conversation—Achilles was a man of few words. “He’s curious about you.”

Her head shot up and she gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

Achilles merely offered her a knowing smile before rising to his feet. “I’m going inside for a nap.”

(Y/N)’s mouth opened and closed. “Wait, Achilles, he’s what about me?”

“Figure it out yourself. You’re not a fool.” He waved her off, the closing of the backdoor the real signature of the conversation closing.

Brows furrowing, she bent over, her hands pressed to her cheeks. “Well, I know I’m not a fool, but what am I supposed to do?” Her face pinched and she argued, “I feel for him, but does that mean he’s curious about that? Or is he curious about colonial women in general? And to what end?” (Y/N) groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, this isn’t good. Curse that old man for leaving me with a riddle like this.”

“Like what?” A voice sounded above her and (Y/N) screeched like a banshee. In her mild hysteria she jerked back, the chair going with her and she tumbled over. She faceplanted onto the back porch and lay there for a moment before letting out a heavy groan.

“Owwww!” she whined, and hands gripped her upper arms, lifting her up as if she were put a feather. She wiggled when they had her in the air. “Put me down! I am not a sack of potatoes!” They did as she asked, gently setting her down and she spun on them, immediately turning into a flustered mess. “Ratonhnhaké:ton? What? What are you doing here?”

His dark brows furrowed. “I live here.”

No? Really? I couldn’t tell. (Y/N) almost rolled her eyes and started picking the chair up, but Connor did it for her. “I thought you’d be out hunting or…whatever it is you do, you know…with your free time.” Nice conversing (Y/N), that’s really going to spur him into fancying you.

“I was hunting earlier.” He said, folding the blanket that had fallen from her lap.

“Did you catch anything?” she inquired, taking the blanket when he held it out.

“I skinned a wolf and an elk.”

(Y/N) perked up at that. “Did you save the meat?” He nodded. “I can make dinner with that.” She threw the blanket over her shoulder. “Oh! I could make elk jerky too!” She smiled. “You can take it with you to snack on when you leave.”

His smile sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “I would appreciate that greatly.”

Her cheeks warmed and she let out a ‘pfft’, hoping it would ease her embarrassment. Instead, she focused on, “So, what are you going to do with the hides?”

Connor opened the door for her, letting her inside first. “I will most likely make belts with the leather and make blades with the antlers.”

“I bet those would be nice to have.” She agreed, walking into the kitchen. He followed her, watching as she opened up the wax cloth. (Y/N) grabbed one of the knives from the rack and started slicing the elk meat but stopped when she felt his eyes.

“…Do you want to help me, Ratonhnhaké:ton?” her question was quiet, as if she were in the middle of a circle of deer.

“Would you like my help?”

The response almost made her glare at him, but the look on his face held genuine earnest.

“There’s some potatoes and onions outside. See if you can harvest any…please.” Connor smiled at her, and her face felt hot.

“I will be right back.” He spun on his heel and exited the kitchen. The second the door closed, (Y/N) dropped her head on the kitchen counter and let out a groan. She was in way too deep. And somewhere in the manor, she could swear she heard Achilles laughing at her.

***

The entire week was as chaotic and she had managed to avoid Connor at every turn, but it was getting harder and harder to excuse herself when he found her. Of course, she’d eventually backed herself into a corner, and by backing herself into a corner, she’d actually wandered too far into the surrounding forests of the Homestead and got herself lost. In her defense, she was looking for the hound that had run off.

She shivered violently, puffs of air coming out in shimmering crystal clouds, as she trudged through the knee-high snow. For the life of her she couldn’t remember what her father had taught her as a child. Do I stay put or keep moving? (Y/N) stopped and looked up, the full moon stared back at her. Keep moving right? Tracks mean someone can follow. Following is good, yes? A lump rose in her throat and the chilly air made the tears sting her eyes, but she kept moving. Fear was definitely not something she did needed right now. She needed to stay focused and most importantly, she needed to stay calm.

Her fingers felt like they were frozen solid, and she shoved them inside her coat, just under her arms. As long as she could still feel, she was okay. But time was against her, and with every passing second, she lost the feeling in her toes and it kept stretching, until it was at her thighs. (Y/N) took a heavy step and upon hitting a deeper bank than she realized, she stumbled over, rolling down the small hill.

She lay there in the snow, too tired to move. The cold bit into her cheeks and nose but she didn’t care. This is it. she thought. I’m going to freeze to death in the middle of a forest. Her fingers twitched and she heaved, pulling herself up to her knees, but that was all the energy she could gather. (Y/N) buried her face in her arms and curled as tight as she could, hoping it would preserve heat. It did little compared to how freezing it was.

Time passed by and her mind became hazy, but most concerningly, she started becoming warm. That’s a bad sign. (Y/N) vaguely remembered. Even I know that. She couldn’t feel her fingers now, nor her toes, and her pants were so soaked she could feel the chill to the bone.

Through the cloud in her mind, she thought she heard footsteps her way, but wrote it off as possible hallucinations until she heard, “(Y/N)!”

She picked her head up, brows furrowing as she looked around her. Finally, she caught sight of a familiar coat of blue and white coming her way rather quickly. Okay, now I’m really hallucinating.

Connor slid to a stop in front of her, his hands coming to cup her cheeks. They were so warm that they burned; a whine left her throat. “(Y/N), I have been looking everywhere for you.”

(Y/N) nodded weakly. “The dog ran off…was trying to…find it.” her words had started slurring and through her heavy-lidded gaze, she could see panic setting onto Connor’s face.

He pulled the leather bag off his back and opened it, pulling out a leather coat. Getting to work, he moved (Y/N)’s arms, settling it on her. The sleeves were fur lined and she sighed audibly.

He stared at her. “Do you think you can you stand?”

(Y/N) shook her head, or at least that’s what she thought she did. “No…no I don’t…think so.”

Connor immediately put his arm around her back, the other going under her legs. He picked her up and she found herself pressed up against his chest. (Y/N) rested her head on his shoulder, her face pressed close to his neck. He was so warm compared to her.

“(Y/N)? Are you awake?”

She moaned lowly, pressing her face to his skin. He twitched slightly at how chilled her lips were.

“I need you to try and stay awake. Can you do that?”

Wanting to laugh, but not capable, she let out a huff. “Keep me…awake.”

His chest rumbled and she felt it. “I made something with those pelts.”

“Mhm?” she mumbled.

“I made this jacket and lined it with the wolf fur.”

“So that’s why…it’s so warm.”

Connor nodded. “I made it for you.”

“For me?”

“You talked about the presents on…” he went silent.

“Christ…mas?”

“Yes, that. You said you exchanged gifts with the ones you love on that day.” His grip tightened. “I was going to give it to you then.”

(Y/N) felt a smile on her lips. “I guess…I got it…early then.” She hummed. “Any other…gifts?”

“I made you a knife.”

That actually cleared up her mind a bit. “…What?”

Connor snorted. “You said it would be nice to have one a week earlier when I returned with the antlers and hides.”

“Ratonhnhaké:ton…I meant for you.”

“Oh…I see.”

She let out a long sigh. “But I still…want it.”

“That’s good.” She knew he was smiling again. He shook her gently. “We’re almost back to the homestead, (Y/N). Stay awake a little longer.”

“‘m cold.” She muttered.

“I know you are.” He grunted, stepping over a fallen log. “Once we get back, you can curl up in front of the fireplace.”

“Yours.” (Y/N) mumbled against his neck.

“…Mine?”

She nodded. “Wanna be…with you.”

Connor went silent a moment, then he whispered, “Do you care for me, (Y/N)?”

She didn’t trust herself to say anything, so she simply nodded and hummed.

“I…care for you too.”

A lazy grin worked onto her lips and Connor could feel it. “I’m…glad.” (Y/N) sighed. “Thank you…for finding me, Ratonhnhaké:ton.”

“Always, (Y/N).”

#connor kenway x reader #connor kenway x reader imagine #connor kenway x reader imagines #connor kenway imagine #connor kenway imagines #connor kenway #ac3 #ac3 imagine #ac3 imagines #assassins creed imagine #assassins creed imagines #assassins creed 3 #assassins creed 3 imagines #assassins creed 3 imagine #ac imagines #ac imagine #achilles davenport

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ceph-the-ghost-writer · 1 year ago

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*stumbles in, coated in blood*

Here you go.

*collapses*

Content Advisory: Supernatural horror (mirrors, shadows, eldritch-type monsters), self-hatred/deeply ingrained negative beliefs, alcohol, hints of ocean-related terror, wee bit of body horror? (inhuman amount of limbs, inhuman eyes, inhuman fingers)

Despite Renato’s insistence that they take his bed for the night, Dorian nodded off on the sofa. Rather than wake them by trying to carry or bully them upstairs he draped a blanket over their lower half. Their peacoat had the rest of them covered, he figured.

Unfortunately, that left him alone with nothing but his thoughts for company. He tried to map out a route to Walsh’s territory, planning where to stop and what might make a decent alternative in case their first option was blocked. After a session of staring blankly at the network of roads branching from the main artery of the interstate, Renato closed his tab again. His gaze fell on the half-finished cocktail Dorian had left on the coffeetable. One corner of his mouth ticked up.

Well, why not? Why the hell not? He’d done his best to make things right, hadn’t he? He’d offered to help, gotten rejected, and that, as they say, was that. There was nothing more to be done except declare his association with Isaac Soto dead. Move on. If he needed a little help getting started, who could blame him?

Renato went to his kitchenette, grabbed the bottle of vodka, skipped the orange juice entirely, and swigged straight from the source like he was a teenager again. The tepid, stifling fog around his mind gradually took on a new shape. Quickened, hardened as it grew cold, bracing. It vivisected each thought with clarity so keen he didn’t feel the slightest pain. Not yet. Feelings safely anesthetized, Renato began reading their entrails for some sort of meaning.

He’d believed he could play the hero with Soto. That despite more than a hundred years of dealing death he could just do the opposite. He’d naively gone against his nature and failed spectacularly for it. Worse—he’d twisted the knife in a victim who’d already surrendered by that point. No wonder Soto’s empty expression before he’d stumbled out the door haunted the darkness behind his eyelids. It would’ve been kinder if Renato had killed him at the start.

No more, though. No more chasing childish fantasies. He’d leave this city without looking back. Dorian would make it to Walsh because Renato was going to stick to what he did best: levering every advantage to his own ends and murdering anyone who got in his way. Bystanders. Enforcers. His aquilae comrades—including Ollie. She was welcome to kill him after he killed their sire, not before.

Renato lifted the bottle again to smiling lips. The three of them had started as a miserable, red-handed family. It was only right that they should end as one.

Careful not to wake Dorian (who surely would’ve been unnerved by his air of gruesome cheer), he padded into the half bathroom. He’d just finished making room for more vodka when the lights went out.

“Storm season,” sighed Renato. “Most wonderful time of year.”

Since only a weak glow trickled in beneath the crack in the door, he made his way to the sink via touch and memory. Though it was useless, he looked into the mirror out of habit while he washed his hands. It was just a large, perfect square of black, deeper than the surrounding darkness. Like staring into the maw of a deepwater trench. A window into a lightless, freezing world that would kill him in an instant and devour him down to the last bit of marrow in his bones if he was stupid enough to descend. The tiny hairs along the back of his neck stood up in a ripple. His skin was suddenly clammy with a light coat of eighty proof sweat. Twisting the tap shut, Renato took a step back.

The thalassic darkness pounced before his heel reconnected with the floor.

Several arms burst through the neat, rational edges of the mirror. Claws gouged deep into drywall, webbing it with cracks. A hand snared his wrist, long abyssal fingers wrapping, tentacle-like, around him. Another smothered his nose, mouth, and chin as Renato let out the first scream he’d uttered since he was a child. He thrashed and strained against the nightmare’s grasp. He would’ve had better luck wrestling his own shadow. Even biting did nothing but fill his mouth with the cold, bitter taste of tears.

The multitude of arms levered the rest of the undulating thing from the mirror like an octopus emerging from its den. A collection of twisted horns or spines jutting from its head and shoulders scraped a shower of plaster from the ceiling. Most of the wall it clung to was blotted out. Two points of…well, they should have been eyes, but instead they registered as holes in the fabric of logic and reason itself that made his head throb worse than from his lack of air if he focused on them for more than half a second. So, Renato took the only sensible course of action left to him. He squeezed his own eyes shut and prayed for a swift death he most definitely didn’t deserve.

“Perhaps one day, little cousin. But I’m here now about a matter of life, not death.”

Renato promptly redirected his gaze to a spiny shoulder when his lids snapped open. He knew that voice, though it didn’t usually vibrate inside his skull as well as his ears. Kinslayer. This stygian horror with eyes like twin spots God had missed while filling in Creation was Kinslayer.

“Yes,” they said, despite still having an unsettlingly long-jointed hand clamped over his mouth. “I’ve come to beg a favor. Something has gone horribly, horribly right.”

“What…?” He stopped, realizing the hand had lifted after all, allowing him to pant and fill his deprived lungs again.

“What happened?” Renato tried again once he’d caught his breath.

“I believed I was Fenrir, but proved I was Icarus—no, I was Rahu.” A shudder ran through the mass of shadow.

He was too drunk for this. Or maybe not drunk enough. “Um. So, do you need me to grab a shovel and tarp or…?”

“No. No, he still lives. But I cannot return to make sure of it, not in this state. I don’t trust myself not to try to devour him whole again. I don’t trust myself not to succeed until I’ve had time to think.”

A chill of suspicion rushed over Renato’s skin.

“I did not deceive him,” they went on, as if they’d heard his thoughts, “only myself. I reasoned that I could feed and move on like I’ve done countless times before, but reason had nothing to do with the matter.”

“Soto.” The name sounded too loud in the close quarters of the bathroom.

“Yessss. Go to him. You must do what I cannot and be his anchor or he may not last the night. Make him stay, little cousin.” A shake for emphasis followed that didn’t do his already reeling head any favors. “His friends are too far afield. His hate for the white wolf stopped being enough long ago. It must be you. Do this and all debts, past and future, will be paid. An affront to you will be an affront to me. My friends shall welcome you among them. But you must make Isaac, son of Eulalio and Paloma, stay.”

He wasn’t a hero. Hadn’t he just figured that out? Destruction was his only marketable skill. Nothing good could come of this, no matter what rewards Kinslayer dangled in front of him.

“Where is he?”

The too-long fingers peeled away from his arm to lightly touch his forehead. “Take the roads south. You’ll know which paths he took to get to the witch’s house.”

A tingling wave ran through his scalp and led him to believe that was true. Or maybe it was just the vodka. “What about you?”

One by one, the multitude of arms retracted into the spiny darkness as that too started to retreat into the mirror. “Whatever happens, I will find you.”

Promise? Threat? A certainty in either case. Shadow melted away, leaving the mirror clear once more. The bathroom light burst into full brilliance, assaulting his dilated eyes.

“Fuck me,” he muttered. Then went straight upstairs to grab his coat.

Hi Ceph.

Please please PLEASE write the scene of Kinslayer coming to find Renato after Isaac collapses.

It sounds so interesting

As of right now I'm 500 words into this. Give me another day or two, Anon, and I'll reblog this post with the whole scene for you.

#dysthanasia #writeblr #for real tho this was fun #thanks for sending the idea in!

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petrichorpetals · 2 years ago

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One of my classes this semester is making me go feral in a fun way. He's my department head and the class is over crime and literature and we spend a lot of time talking about what makes people commit crime right?

Let's put it this way, this man quoted Freud in reference to the ego superego and id and when I pointed out you should take everything Freud says with a grain of salt he replied with "Well, he was the first person to discuss things like this."

It's making me go feral because he brings up a lot of things that were scientifically disproven and writes it off with yeah but they were influential in their field and that's why we're talking about them.

I have no issue on discussing history like that, but he has no intention of discussing the fact that it's long been disproven. The way he talks, I have no doubt that this man still holds onto the notion of alpha of the pack and pheromones are real scientifically proven phenomenons. Like as someone whose hyperinterests led them down rabbit holes and scientific studies proving that we were kind to humans that could contribute nothing to society, his class makes me want to bite something.

#aquila shut up no one cares #he also was trying to suggest that humans are superior to animals because animals can't hold complex thought #given that we've seen that birds can do math; there's animals that can communicate with us in sign language; and can see a sense of self #it's insane to assume that animals are incapable of complex thought simply because they lack the language to communicate it #dolphins have names for god's sake and they're creatures driven by pure lust #I still maintain that there are animals out there that are smarter than some humans #besides. Darwin's dumb survival of the fittest theory got disproven a long time ago #if you're going to quote science than actually keep up with your god damn case studies

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curedeity · 3 years ago

Text

Aquila's Gift

Summary: Yu’s room is full of stuffed animals, brought for him by a man that only cares for his loyalty.

The hallways of the Dark Nebula building were always long and empty. Lit by harsh fluorescent lights, they looked so sterile that you couldn’t tell at least 20 people lived here. Tsubasa took great joy in not wiping his feet at the doorway and tracking mud into them. He was sure if Doji was going to fire him for any reason, other than him discovering Tsubasa’s true intentions, it would be for that.

Especially because Yu had copied him and tracked even more dirt than Tsubasa did into the building.

It was quite weird, Yu definitely hated Tsubasa, helped along by Tsubasa’s consistent needling, but he seemed to copy his behaviors just as much as he did for Ryuga and Doji.

Speaking of Yu…

Tsubasa really wished Doji would stop assigning them missions together, at least with anyone else he wouldn’t feel bad about tricking or spying on them, but Yu was so strange and young, it felt a bit wrong to lie to him. Not that it would change anything right now, or the mission they had just been assigned.

With a sigh, Tsubasa finally reached Yu’s room, and knocked thrice on it.

It wasn’t hard to tell what room was Yu’s, despite the fact Tsubasa hadn’t yet been on this floor yet. There was the nameplate with Yu’s name on it, of course, but beyond that Yu had taken the liberty of covering his entire door in stickers.

“Who is it--Oh hey, Tsubasa,” Yu answered as he opened the door, looking at Tsubasa with a mix of obvious confusion and probably some distaste.

“Doji has a new mission for us, we leave for another tournament in 20 minutes,” Tsubasa informed him. Doji seemed to take some glee in sending Yu and him off together, perhaps he was hoping they’d murder each other one of these days.

“Mr. Doji is way too uptight about these tournaments, there are never any good bladers, all I want is a good challenge,” Yu complained, as always.

It was at this moment Tsubasa glanced into Yu’s room, and he couldn’t help but let out a “hmm” of surprise.

The room was practically overflowing with stuffed animals.

“Why can’t Battle Bladers just start already, I want to fight already--Hey Tsubasa, what are you looking at?” Yu finally cut off his whining for long enough to note Tsubasa’s surprise. He followed his gaze, and noticeably brightened the minute he realized what Tsubasa had been looking at were the plushies.

“Do you like my stuffed animals!” Yu practically shouted this as he tugged Tsubasa into the room, picking up the nearest plushie (a fox) and shoving it into Tsubasa’s hands. The fox was very soft, and the inside seemed to be beads. Yu was rocking back and forth on his heels as he smiled up at Tsubasa, picking up a stuffed animal to hold himself.

“Mr. Doji got them all for me! I get to order them online, and they come in the mail really quickly,” Yu rambled, “these are the first presents I’ve gotten and they’re so cool! Look, they’re all so soft!” Yu shoved another plushie (a cat) into Tsubasa’s already full arms.

Tsubasa stood there in… What should he say? This. This was not the interaction he was expecting to have when he came to get Yu for the mission. But really, when had any interaction with this kid ever gone the way he expected? Yu seemed to love being chaotic and creating all the problems he could.

...And had he said that these were the first presents he’d ever received? That explained quite a lot of Tsubasa’s questions over what a young child was doing in the Dark Nebula, and opened up a whole host of new ones.

But he wasn’t here to analyze this child, he had a job to do: discovering the true intentions of Doji and what L-Drago could do.

“They are all very nice, you really like plushies, huh?” Tsubasa handed the two plushies back to Yu and leaned against the doorway.

“Yeah! They’re just so soft, and who doesn’t like animals! But Mr. Doji says we can’t get a cat or dog or a lizard in the Dark Nebula, and he’s too busy sending me off to tournaments for me to go to the zoo,” Yu waved a hand in the air as he placed the plushies back in their respective spots. Then he flew out the door, calling back to Tsubasa “Come on, let’s go before the helicopter leaves without us!”

Tsubasa sighed, and closed the door of the room filled with stuffed animals behind him, following the excited kid to their next tournament that they would sweep. He almost managed to put the thought of all those stuffed animals out of his mind, all those stuffed animals given to Yu by a person who was clearly trying to buy his loyalty.

It was a week later, at a different tournament, that Tsubasa spotted it. Yu was competing this time, he was hanging back after looking at the roster. No one strong seemed to be competing in this tournament, certainly not Gingka or any of his friends. Yu could handle it by himself.

Yu could actually handle quite a lot of bladers by himself. No matter what Tsubasa could say about the Dark Nebula, and their other bladers, Yu and Ryuga were both actually good bladers. He would have to be careful if ever made to battle either of them seriously. Yu shouldn’t be that much of a problem, but he wouldn’t put it past the kid to try something unexpected.

But Ryuga…

Tsubasa still hadn’t even seen the other blader that much, it would be foolish for him to try to make strategies with so little information, but that didn’t stop him from pondering it as he wandered towards the stadium doors to go get some lunch.

As he passed the shop, he glanced inside, and paused for a moment.

The shops at stadiums mostly sold simple things, like some commemorative t-shirts and water bottles. They also sold some more specific bey gear, like angle compasses. Tsubasa had used to love buying the gear at these shops when he was a kid.

This shop had something more than usual though. Towards the back, a single shelf stood, overflowing with a collection of stuffed animals.

Tsubasa reached out his hand and touched them, somehow he had already walked over to them. They were very soft, filled with some sort of soft fiber. They were slightly more realistic than most of the plushies Tsubasa had seen over his life, and he found himself appreciating them, matching each of them to his knowledge of wild animals.

A lizard, a dog, a frog, and then…

Tsubasa stared at one of the plushies for possibly a full minute. Then he grabbed it off the shelf and brought it to the front counter.

Yu won of course. No one in this tournament could really challenge him. Tsubasa waited outside for Yu to finish receiving his prize points and trophy. The helicopter that had been sent to pick them up loomed in the background, a reminder that soon he’d be back at the bleak Dark Nebula base.

He couldn’t wait for this job to be over and to be able to camp out again.

Yu skipped out of the building, and made a beeline for Tsubasa. As soon as Yu got close enough for Tsubasa to hear him, he immediately began complaining. “That was soooooooooo boring! I can’t believe we have to wait for all these tourneys to be over for Battle Bladers. I mean, come on, I just want a good fight already! Why don’t-”

“Hey kid,” Tsubasa interrupted him as Yu stopped right in front of him. Yu must’ve been so surprised that Tsubasa did that, that he actually shut up for a minute. Tsubasa took a minute to appreciate flabbergasting the kid, before he pushed the bag into Yu’s hands.

“Nice job in the tournament,” he called as he walked over towards the helicopter, and he couldn’t help but smile at the way Yu beamed for the whole ride, a large eagle plushie sitting comfortably in his arms.

#beyblade #beyblade metal fight #fanfic #fanfiction #aquila's gift #tsubasa otori #yu tendo #IF YOU SHIP THIS I WILL COME FOR YOUR KNEECAPS #this is found family #takes place while theyre both in Dark Nebula

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trudith · 3 years ago

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God can shut the mouth of the lions!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that made you feel hopeless, as though things can only get worse from that point?

Ya'll I was there last week; stuck in a rutt I couldn't not get out of (or so I thought). I had sleepless nights, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, anxious, confused, diarrhea, stomach cramps, pins and needles all over, and no hope in sight.

But can I tell you something, the God I serve, the Lord Jesus Christ felt the pain, the struggle and the rejection I was feeling and stepped down powerfully into my situation. When I say powerfully, I mean, He did the unexpected for me. When I couldn't see my way out, the Lord:

1. He sent someone to cover my back and to support me throughout the situation. This support person did not have to help me at all and could have rejected me. However, they literally dealt with the problem as though it was their own problem and checked in on me to ensure that I was okay.

Lesson: God always places good people in the lives of His children to cover their backs in the midst of adversity. Look at the story of the Good Samaritan, look at Paul's relationship with Luke, Aquila and Priscilla, look at Ruth and Naomi, look at David and Jonathan..... I could go on.

2. He gave me dreams and songs to remind me that at the end of the day, the victory was mine. When I had those dreams, I woke out of them with a pounding heart and based on what I experienced in those dreams, their meanings could not have been good. Funny enough, when I shared them with my mom, right there and then she said, " You're going to conquer your enemies, that's what your dreams are saying." I accepted what she said with my mouth, but in my mind, I couldn't see it her way. Nevertheless, songsafter songs of comfort came flooding my mind so I was able to keep my focus on God and trust Him to make a way of escape for me.

3. He shut the mouths of the lions. Throughout the whole situation, the gossipers were on a roll. However, when I was in their presence, they were so "cool". I was told that I'd have to attend a meeting (my trial) to sort things out. When I informed my family, of course they told me to pray before I went and that they will be praying. Mom was actually on fasting that day and Dad told me that he had prayed specially for me that morning. I was too weak to say a proper and thorough prayer, but I was able to find the strength to say, "Lord please shut the mouths of the lions". My "support person" was not around when I was told about the meeting and so I told myself that I'd have to face the music alone. God had other plans. When this meeting was about to begin, my support came in and I mentioned the meeting to them and they said they'll come into the meeting with me.

I kid you not, when I went into that meeting, and the "judge" said I was to state what happened, one of the lions started to reel out the whole thing and the whole truth came out. I did not have to open my mouth at my own "trial". Do you remember Daniel's account in the Bible when he was thrown in the lions den?

Daniel 6:19-22

"In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den.

20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever!

22 My God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him. Nor have I done any harm to you, O king.”

There is no one or nothing who can tell me that Jesus Christ is unreal. There is nothing or no one who can convince me that He does not care about me. There is nothing or no one who can tell me that Jesus Christ has stopped performing miracles.

My experiences with Jesus Christ have cemented my faith in Him.

My encouragement to you today is to serve Jesus Christ. Serve Him wholeheartedly, and He will take good care of you. Fiery trials are going to come, no one is exempt, but He will work things out in your favour.

God bless you!

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piratekenway · 1 year ago

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Desmond hopping down from the Morrigan and looking around Victorian era London comments that it’s. so much smellier than he thought it would be. and Edward, with a laugh, is like you’re standing by the Thames, what the fuck did you think it would smell like, roses? and then he pats him on the back and introduces him to Thatch and Desmond just needs to sit down a second because every goddamn person knows Fucking Blackbeard and this is a lot to handle. this is very much a lot to handle.

Aveline: oh, it gets worse. Desmond: how does it get worse! Aveline: we had all of Edward’s pirate friends chasing after us before we found a bridge into here. Desmond: all???

he’s also not very happy Juno might be around because of him! Aveline notes that maybe the real Juno left traces of herself behind in the Abstergo server while she was there, and then between the virus and the general chaos they caused and Desmond’s own memories of Juno, it all kind of Frankensteined the Juno remnants already in the server and Desmond’s Juno into a fully sapient being who is well aware of what went down and wants to get back out there and like. dig her claws into the real world. bc right now she’s limited to the Assassin servers, and a being such as that who’s desperate to claw back some power and to regain her people’s position over humanity wouldn’t be satisfied with that.

“well, we’re aware of that, but why take Hope?” Shay breaks in. “or—Kaniehtí:io, is that right?” (a nod.) “for that matter, why the pirates?”

Desmond is quiet for a long moment before he says, “shit. I think she’s trying to get into the Internet—everything’s connected these days, even the top-secret and classified shit, and if she has even a few Assassins, or people who could keep up with them, on her side—”

“—then it stands to reason she’d bring ruin and wrath wherever she finds her way,” Thatch completes for them.

“we can’t let her get out of the server,” Desmond realizes. “I can’t let her get out of the server. what if she starts World War III?”

“then we end her here,” says Ratonhnhaké:ton. “together. all of us.” he says this meaningfully, and Desmond is just like, oh boy, I did NOT learn how to deprogram shit, but I guess we’re learning on the fly.

and then they all look at each other and come to another horrible realization: if she’s using Desmond’s memories of the three Master Assassins whose lives he went through, then. then. oh shit. then she’d know exactly how to hurt Ezio and Altair the hardest. she figured out Ratonhnhaké:ton! she used his mother against him and his father, and she could well use Achilles or somebody else he cares about: like Kanen'tó:kon.

which means getting back to Great Inagua, which is much easier now with two ships. they just...might have to stop by a fort on the way.

“why do we need to stop by a fort,” Haytham says, in a manner that says he has already guessed at the answer.

“oh, we might’ve taken a couple of galleons and a few frigates on the way to El Impoluto,” says Edward. “just to keep fit, y’know. anyway, as soon as we get rid of those pirate hunters the better, I’ve no wish to lead them or anyone else to our cove.”

what if another problem! the portals aren’t always stable, so when the Morrigan and the Jackdaw/Aquila used their portals, those slammed shut right behind them. they can still find server bridges all over London, but Desmond has to figure out how to actually open them himself and then teach the rest. it turns out opening them is easy, but getting somewhere stable is the harder bit, so Ratonhnhaké:ton goes in with him to watch his back as they go through an unstable bridge—one set in a nightmare of WWI London and Roarin’ Twenties New York, and Desmond finds some way to like. stabilize the place. they also see Lydia Frye there, and clock that she’s also under Juno’s control when she goes after them.

not sure how Desmond manages to stabilize the bridge, but maybe something about the Eye? whatever it is, it’s enough to get rid of the Berlin and WWI elements (including Lydia, who vanishes before she can land a hit) and open a direct line from London to Great Inagua in the middle of the Thames. huzzah!

so then they sail right through and reunite with the guys who were left behind at the cove and give updates! and then it’s off to go find their missing Assassins with Desmond as main bridge-opener. and then yeah, they can in fact sail the skies if there’s no deep enough body of water for either ship, which is a wild thing to discover when you’re rolling up into like, Rome and suddenly your ship is miles above ground and slightly glitchy. don’t mind the missing boards guys, just.....stay on the railings.

and their first order of business is Paris.

Jacob is having a real bad time in the meantime. they can’t split up, bc Elise is gunning for Arno and Roth has brought his Blighters along with him, so they’re already outnumbered and somewhat outmatched! Jacob could recruit a few people seen as green through Eagle Vision, but he’s got a hard limit of five and it’s not like he can go around liberating districts by doing all the side activities—

“what if we can?” Arno interrupts.

“what?”

“if some of London has seeped through into Paris,” Arno says, “doesn’t that mean some of how the mechanics of liberating London has seeped through as well? if we do the club contracts and the co-op missions and the heists, things meant to catch their attention...”

“then we can trigger a gang war!” Jayadeep says, slamming his fist into a palm.

“and I know there are three stable bridges around the city,” says Arno. “Belle Epoque, that bloody eyesore of a tower—”

“the what now,” says Jayadeep.

“the Eiffel Tower, I should show you this movie one time,” Jacob distractedly says. he’s looking out from their hiding place and going into Eagle Vision, and each speck of red passing by makes him nervous. but no one gold has come just yet. certainly not Roth. he’d know. he’d know. Roth is not subtle. he owned a theater. (he should’ve seen it coming. but he had—he had—)

“—that eyesore, and the castle,” says Arno, on a roll. “we liberate the district that has one of those, perhaps we can find our way back easily!”

“except we don’t know who the gang leader would be,” says Jayadeep.

“easy,” says Jacob. “either Roth or Elise. and Roth...” he swallows. “he does whatever he thinks is the most fun, causes the most mayhem. a gang war with Assassins won’t be enough when he has the whole bloody French Revolution as a playground, he’ll just pay attention to something else. it’s almost definitely going to be Elise.” he looks at Arno.

Arno shuts his eyes and lets out a bone-weary breath. “merde.”

“at least Evie isn’t here,” says Jayadeep. “she’ll have warned the others by now, and they ought to be getting here fairly soon. I hope.”

“in the meantime,” says Jacob. “where do we start?”

“Le Marais,” says Arno. “that’s where the server bridge is, at the Bastille.”

“well,” says Jacob, taking a breath, and tipping his hat low over his eyes, summoning a rakish smile. this he knows. this he can do. liberate a district, fight a gang war, give power to the people. “then I suppose the Rooks are flying to Paris.”

(somewhere on the ship, Evie groans.)

the post is getting Too Long on my blog and it’s breaking my poor phone so. WHEE. new one!

gang sails off into the distance! and by “distance” I mean they’re high-tailing it into the Assassin servers in order to regroup and recuperate and figure out what the fuck to do now since. well. hey, they retrieved Desmond and they’ve kept him safe! uh. now what. if there were other Assassins’ memories in Abstergo, how long until they gain sentience as well? and how the fuck did Desmond and Jacob find a movie projector on the ship?

Desmond is still kind of reeling from everything that’s just happened, and to his surprise, despite the whole awkwardness surrounding Uh Fuckin Everything, the Kenways are willing to take him in, altho Edward somewhat morbidly jokes that their dysfunctional family being an improvement over his is really kind of sad when he thinks about it. then he offers to let him take a turn at the wheel—he needs to go see what they’ve done to the captain’s cabin anyway, he wasn’t able to since the collision and it’s probably messed with a few things.

they do need a base to operate out of for the time being. Davenport Manor is suggested, then somewhat reluctantly shot down bc of the two Templars around who are immediately like yeah uh No. Café Theatre is too cramped, although in a pinch it could do. the Frye twins’ train has little to offer in the way of bedrooms. Monteriggioni is considered and makes it into a top five list, only losing bc an entire town is a little too big and prone to glitches. (Desmond is a little peeved about it.) eventually everyone settles on finding a version of Great Inagua in the Assassin servers and regrouping there so they can figure out their next move. and maybe Edward is a little bit smug over it.

I do like the idea of Desmond teaching the gang how to really break shit in Abstergo, like—Juno is still in there, and there’s a possibility there might be more sentient data representations of dead Assassins (and dead Templars) rolling around now in the servers. Ezio shudders to think of Juno at the same time that Shay does, and they’re both concerned about the idea of Juno being able to simply possess somebody, and if she’s able to do that in the digital realm, there’s the lingering possibility of her being able to do that to an actual flesh and blood person. which nobody wants! so that’s on their priority list. and also all the other possibly-sentient people who might be running around the servers.

Arno and the twins and Henry listen to all of this, then sit in contemplation. then all three of them are like. oh shit we have to check on our simulations bc Lydia and Elise might also be gaining sentience and god KNOWS what they’re doing right now without us. who wants to come with, we’ve got spare clothes for you. (aka: how to justify the legacy outfits lol.)

The “Too Long Post” which was about the playable characters in Abstergo’s games gaining sentience for easy reference. (And considering we ended it after they got away, we can count that as Arc 1 XD)

Honestly, I think the only valid locations for their homebase would be the Great Inagua or Davenport Homestead because they also need to park their ship (depending on who you ask, it’s either called ‘Aquila’ or ‘Jackdaw’) and the Seine river would be hard to navigate while the Thames is chock-full of other ships and boats and the moving train means they can’t always get to the ship quickly. Also, they all try to fit in the mansion that Edward had ‘commandeered’ but it becomes clear that there is a division. Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton took the rooms nearest to Desmond. Haytham took the room furthest away from everyone and Shay took the room to his left. Shao Jun took the empty room nearest to Ezio while Aveline took the empty room nearest to Ratonhnhaké:ton. Jacob’s the only one who went ‘whichever room is free’ and Arno took the room furthest away from Shay which sorta put him between Jacob and an empty room that Evie took for herself. Jacob joked of Jayadeep just sharing a room with Evie so he took the room on the other side of Jacob instead, making Jacob roll his eyes. Edward just took his old room (which was the largest room). So… they might be in this together but they’re definitely not exactly the bestest of allies at the moment.

Desmond taught them what he knew, things he didn’t know when he was alive but he just… knew once he ‘woke up’. He doesn’t even know if these skills came from his memory of Clay or from his memory of Dionysus (holy shit, his Isu ancestor was the god of wine and debauchery? What the fuck???) but he wasn’t going to reject such a boon. He’s quiet about his life though, only sharing a bit if anyone asked about what they saw.

And the only one who asked was a worried Shao Jun because Shay was keeping his distance and the others either didn’t have such a bad memory to watch (Aveline, Evie and Jayadeep) or didn’t even see any memory (Jacob and Arno).

The ones connected to Desmond though… Desmond told them everything. Even Edward who was just in the room with the three people who had the biggest urge to find Desmond and Haytham who Edward believes had been affected just as much by the time they started to piece Desmond back together. Edward provided the alcohol back then (although Altaïr did not partake) and they finished more than five bottles of Edward’s hardest liquor. He was especially worried for Haytham who grabbed an entire unopened bottle and just started topping his glass with it and ended up finishing it and still requesting his glass to be filled afterward.

Are we talking about the Juno in Desmond’s dataspace or the real Juno in digital space? Because if it’s the real Juno and this is set after Syndicate BUT before the comics where she died, then Juno is out in the real world (which would give us an excuse to have our sentient Assassins travel into other corners of the internet XD).

However, I do like the idea that they’ve unintentionally created Juno 2.0 from Desmond’s memory of her (and also a bit of Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton’s memories). This also gives Ratonhnhaké:ton a reason to want to take her down since she… technically didn’t lie but she absolutely used Ratonhnhaké:ton and gave him the short stick in that deal. (With her past misgivings to Ratonhnhaké:ton, Edward would be on board and maybe even Haytham once he learned how everything had been set into stones because of the path the Isus have chosen the world to walk to, including how the Kenway family ended).

You know what would be fun? If they made the grievous assumption that the data are gaining sentient while they were gone BUT the real reason why they’re slowly gaining sentient is because all sentient data (them) are still connected to the virus that started this all. Now, the virus was fast-acting in Abstergo because it was meant to fuck shit up there but the virus also have a failsafe that makes it dormant when it knows it’s no longer in Abstergo’s servers. But… the virus itself might be dormant but constant exposure to it will still affect data.

… wanna make Arno have a bad time once more? Élise is slowly waking up and she starts remembering…

The many times Arno repeated her death, together with the pain and rage that consumed her during those days, not knowing Arno repeated that memory over and over again to try and save her.

You gotta wonder… if Élise would even be happy to see Arno once more when her most lived memory was her death.

(Also… Lydia would be fine being sentient since she loves her grandaunt and granddad who raised her but… remember… Jack the Ripper is also in the servers).

#assassin's creed #animus ghosts au #team morrigan is haytham edward shay shao jun and thatch #shay just like what are YOU doing here and shao jun is like keeping an eye on you what do you think #she also is keeping an eye on the two pirates #it's like. well somebody has to be the capital-a Assassin here and it's going to have to be her #edward: I'M an assassin #shao jun: you also have a bias #edward: .......touche #team morrigan is off to try and break juno's hold on nassau #and team jackdaw is on a rescue mission to paris #and then they'll unite to go to rome and rescue leonardo but that i haven't completely figured out just yet beyond #'ezio pain ezio pain ezio pain'

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whispertrolls-archive · 3 years ago

Text

Heartbeats In Quiet Rooms

TW: Smoking, suicidal ideations, self harm implications Synopsis: Though her nightly life is a far cry from silence, nothing speaks louder to Solara than the echoes of the past.

More often than not nowadays, Solara found herself having little to nothing to say. It always felt like the energy to speak was stolen away from her, and in those rare moments that she broke her silence of her own volition, every syllable was a struggle to voice. Every sound made it feel as if her throat itself wanted to swell shut, and it felt so painfully out of place for her offer up any form of utterance that she simply found it easier not to. Beyond that, her routine was nothing special. Wake up. Go to work. Play along with her guildmates whenever they decided to celebrate for one thing or another. Go to bed. Rinse and repeat. Maybe eat and shower if the thought crossed her thinkpan.

Tonight, however, Solara felt too restless to be sleepy; unfortunately, she was also too exhausted to keep up, which had resulted in a hushed dismissal from her superior troll. It was for that reason that the Aquila strolled through the guild’s entrance doors in the dead of night, her steps measured and slow. Everything felt so heavy that she almost wanted to collapse under pressure; however, Sol knew that she couldn’t, and she was almost too stubborn to fold, either way. After all, she wasn’t built for that.

The Crimsonblood withdrew a cigar from her jacket pocket with her left hand and held up her right hand in front of her chest. She seamlessly snapped her fingers, watching as the welder built into her index finger hissed to life. She was silent as she held that flaming finger up to the end of her cigar until the tip caught aflame, then she shook said finger until the welder shut off. The following puff was slow, deep, and she could feel her throat threatening to greet the smoke with that tightening sensation. She managed to suppress the consequential cough that manifested itself, but even the stifled sound was enough to cause her discomfort that was almost drowned out by the slow burn of the smoke wisping forth from her nostrils. If anything, the ‘Crimson Falcon’ looked more like a Crimson Dragon in that moment.

How many nights had gone exactly like this one? How many times had she found herself outside, alone, and doing no favor to air sacs that had only grown more fragile over time and abuse? Not that she cared. The only reason she wasn’t also falling apart in the literal sense was because of her colleagues hounding her about self-maintenance. Well, if she wasn’t going to care, then at least she had others who would.

As tempting as it felt to slouch and melt into the ground beneath her, Solara stood stiffly with her head straight, favoring her right leg as she took another puff and stared off into the distance. There was nothing more than trees as far as the eye could see, but the Aquila looked on in listless disinterest. She silently noted grayscale spots in her vision as her eyes cycled through various settings as she puffed on her cigar once more, watching the smoke dance past her slightly parted lips as she sighed aloud, feeling the tension in her throat once again. Another eye repair so soon? She’d have to decline.

The sweeps only felt harder and harder to bear for the lowblood. As she felt herself withdrawing back into the same broken husk she had been only a sweep before, it was just another added weight to her chest. Every turn of a wrench, every touch of a tool, every spark of fervor she once felt looking at her various means of tinkering all carried with it a bitter ache that made her shiver with grief. It was that time of sweep again. That time of sweep that she felt all the more haunted by the sinister specter of loss had rained down upon her before she knew it, and now, she couldn’t escape from its crushing grip on her core. It had only been a few short perigees since they had officially parted ways for good, but for Solara, it had been a cold, bitterly bone-chilling night just like this when she had truly lost her.

Sol was beside herself. She’d heard murmurs of and borne witness to a troll who seemed eerily similar-- a cold-blooded killer, she was sure of it. The mere thought of that troll had been enough for her to balk on the spot, the ex-pilot being rattled to the core in such a way that she had begun to shake uncontrollably. Gog, now she couldn’t get either of them out of her head. It was suffocating, she felt as she wanted to claw at her own throat just to breathe again.

There was an idea that she’d let rattle around her thinkpan a few times too many. The pain of permanence, the anger of so-called ‘gogs’ leaving her desperate prayers unanswered, and the self-loathing of an ambitious endeavor that even she would admit was too far had encapsulated her, constricting ever more tightly before it fell back like the tides, only to strike with the ferocity of an unseen wrapping serpent that was ready to deliver a fatal squeeze to its prey. It had her right where it wanted her tonight.

The Crimsonblood tapped her chest with a finger as the cherry blew off of her cigar. She paused, allowing her eyes to auto-adjust as she gazed at the blinking blue light that occasionally flashed yellow, an indicator of her core’s condition. Solara narrowed her eyes, then she suddenly fastened her nails into the front of her shirt with a low growl. It was so tempting to just rip the damn thing out and be done with it that it almost hurt her not to. She could just rip it out, destroy it, and no one was there to stop her as she poised to plunge her hand into her chest.

And yet, she stayed her hand and let it drop after a moment. What good would it even do? They’d just put her back together again and give her another lecture about letting herself go. It’d be pointless. It wouldn’t free her from anything. It would be... nothing more than a cycle, just as everything else had become.

Crimson tears suddenly dampened the ground. Solara blinked, only now aware of the fact that she had been crying. She narrowed her eyes, trying to will herself to stop, but the tears continued to flow. There was no stopping them now, she realized as she folded her arms, supporting her left elbow in her right hand as she stared on and let them flow. Sometimes, she had no choice but to feel, and then it would be back to business like nothing was wrong in the first. It would be “fine.”

She would be “fine”.

#mun writes #Sol's been going through it so perfect time for some trauma venting #Solara #Solara Steele

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another-snape-story · 4 years ago

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That Foul Word

Chapter XI

“You took 50 points from my House!” annoyed and untypically bad-tempered, Snape found you in the staff room.

“I did,” you answered with a straight face, holding back anger and irritation. If he thought you’d be scared of his harsh tone, he was wrong. A fight with the man, who you expected to be the first to support you, was just what you lacked. You’ve had enough for today and were about to reach the breaking point of your patience. “I can bear many things, believe me, Professor. But I’m not tolerating disrespect of any kind.”

“And what kind of disrespect it was?” jaws clenched, he made an effort to sound calmer.

“What kind of disrespect would you consider misbehaving in class and ending up calling teacher a ‘mudblood’?” exasperated, you defiantly emphasized the last word.

“Shit…” Snape hissed under his breath, not believing his ears. His shoulders sagged weakly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Who did it?” his asked softly, as if apologizing for the one who insulted you.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll handle that little asshole myself,” you spat prickly, holding your head high. Snape recognized a defensive posture at once – you were hurt, clearly, but there seemed to exist no force in the whole universe to make you admit it.

“Who – did – it?” he slowly approached you. “You know, I’ll find out.” Determined glint of his eyes proved he would.

“Yes, please, do it!” you sputtered and stepped back to pick up your papers. Your movements, which Snape has already studied so well and which he noted to be smooth and gracious, now seemed sharper than usual – no less gracious though.

Snape realized this situation damaged your spirits, and his rough tone might’ve added oil to the fire.

“I’m trying to help!” following your abrupt actions, he stated without showing much emotion.

“Oh, are you?” you put off your things for a moment and straightened up to look him in the eyes. “I thought you were blaming me for taking you some stupid points?”

“Come on! What’s gotten into you?” Snape regretted letting his temper take over his mind. He regretted letting your talk go this way. Losing 50 points was such a trifle, nothing – in comparison to losing your favor.

“I don’t think you need to worry about me any further, Professor Snape, as long as there turned out to be no place for me in your House!”

“What?” he frowned. “I didn’t say that.”

“But you made yourself rather clear.” You bent to grab the rest of your notes and headed for the exit. “Good luck, Professor.”

As the door slammed shut, dumbfounded, Snape remained standing in the middle of the room in an effort to find explanation to your sudden outburst. So it wasn’t the student who enraged you so severely, but… him? An accidently dropped phrase he didn’t even give a thought to?

“Wait!” Snape caught up with you in the Entrance Hall, when you were about to step outside, but since you demonstrated no intention to come to a halt, he joined you on your way along the terrace. “I didn’t mean that. It surely is your House as well.”

“Listen, I don’t care. It was foolish thinking those chambers in the dungeons were given me along with all other Slytherins so that I could be a part of this certain community. Don’t mind me. I got used to being an outsider everywhere.”

As you continued walking in quite a quick pace, Snape didn’t see any other way to stop you – he grabbed your elbow and spun you to face him. “You’re not. For Merlin’s sake!”

You stood looking him in the eyes, and what you saw was despair. “You’re not...” Snape repeated softly, and you melted at once, feeling terribly guilty for being so testy and intemperate.

“I’ve never heard they sorted mudbloods in Slytherin,” you lowered your head, ashamed of the scene you’ve made. “And you?”

“Neither have I,” he admitted quietly.

“Can you imagine it – a mudblood in Slytherin? It’s like being a piece of shit in a handful of pearls.”

Snape didn’t say a word. He wished he could find at least one single argument to prove you wrong, but it would’ve been for nothing – he knew you were right. Although the man’s face was not easy to read, you noticed the slight change in his expression and discerned compassion in his dark eyes, which went black under a dismal frown.

“Snape?” for the first time you called his name without putting ‘Professor’ before it. “Why are they so cruel?” With these words you rested your head on his shoulder, and he froze at this unexpected contact. “They’re just children! Where does this anger come from?”

“I wish I knew,” he hesitantly raised his hands and carefully pulled you in an awkward hug, which felt more and more comfortable, the longer he held you. Eyes closed, you sighed peacefully, letting agitation and bad emotion vanish into thin air.

“I apologize,” serving the decencies and hating it they existed, you leaned back after a short moment, which you never wanted to end, “I shouldn’t have…”

“Anytime,” Snape didn’t let you finish, afraid of giving you any reason for not doing it again, and received your grateful smile in response.

“Now where were you going?” he made a step, inviting you into a move, and you followed.

“I don’t know. Just wanted to sort my thoughts.”

“Shall I leave you alone then?” he offered calmly, hiding disappointment behind his usual dispassionate facade.

“No!” you frightened. This was exactly what you desired from the very start – to have him beside, to let your emotions settle down in his calming presence. It’s not easy to preserve an equal mind in a whirlwind of hurt feelings, and the short instant you lost the clarity of thought might’ve costed you so much… The thought terrified you as much as the tall man still walking next to you made you feel relieved this preposterous misunderstanding didn’t lead to irreversible consequences. Fate to thank or Merlin himself, you avoided the worst outcome ever possible.

“So will you tell me who confronted you in class?” deep voice quietly resounded in your ears.

“Malfoy,” you frowned.

“He won’t say a word to you. Ever again.”

“I appreciate this,” you sighed, “I really do… But I don’t want anyone to stand up for me, okay? Even you,” you added with a shadow of a smile to let him know how immensely grateful you were for his support. “I’ve already shown the boy his place, and I know what to do if it repeats, which I doubt.”

“As a Head of the House I’ll have to talk to him anyway.”

“At least pretend it wasn’t me who told you. Don’t want to pass for complainer.”

“Deal. Come on, let’s think how we’re going to return points to our House.”

Warm tingles spread inside your chest, and the corners of your lips slowly crawled up.

“Snaaape?” you stretched playfully, purposely keeping the pause until he looked at you inquiringly. Getting your tongue around his name felt extremely enjoyable. “I’m happy I met you here.”

“Regarding me an acceptable person to relate? How pathetic,” he responded with a straight face.

After all the shatters of this day, you were too discomposed to discern facetious notes in his tone. Once you opened your mouth to tell him it was pathetic thinking this way of himself, he smirked: “It is mutual.”

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Tag: @diaryofafan17 @yul-is-sparkling @fullmoonshadowwrites @forthehonourof @mayumikurosake @redrehab @space-helen @fluffymadamina nadiigh @theworldisugly-22 @lukaerith-morningstar @sighsinkhuzdul @67-chevy-baby @aquila-leo @rustypotatospork @dandyrua @majusketch @fancygirl61

#snape #severus snape #snape x reader #severus snape x reader #snape fanfiction #severus snape fanfiction

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